The Quick Brown Fox - BRUTAL RHYTHM RIDER

Artist: The Quick Brown Fox
Album: BRUTAL RHYTHM RIDER
Year: 2012
Length: 21:24


1. THOROUGH PIÑATA DICKING AMATEUR XXX
2. DAS LOVE BOP
3. CRUISE BEAST
4. LOUDER!! LOUDER!!!! LOUDER!!!!!!
5. HIT AND RUN IN 1920 A.D.
6. LIKE A G666
7. YEAR OF THE BAD DRAGON
8. BUB VS BOB
9. NO HESITATION

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Another album from Lapfox, the one-man netlabel that puts out electronic music under the guise of various anthropomorphic characters. This one is fast and loud, mixing mainly speedcore and happy hardcore techno. Two of the highlights are tracks two and six which impeccably use samples from pop songs.

Snailhead - The Image

Aritst: Snailhead
Album: The Image
Year: 2011
Length: 12:39

1. An Evening at the X...'s [1:02]
2. The Roses in Bagatelle Gardens [1:32]
3. Too Much Water and Its Consequences [0:58]
4. False Starts [0:52]
5. The Photographs [1:16]
6. An Expiatory Sacrifice [1:32]
7. The Fitting Room [0:50]
8. In the Bathroom [1:23]
9. The Gothic Chamber [0:55]
10. Everything Resolves Itself [2:14]

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The word magical doesn't do it justice. Really quaint synth-rock in short, fantastic bursts. I'm getting something of an old timey vibe from it.

Death Grips - Exmilitary

Artist: Death Grips
Album: Exmilitary
Year: 2011
Length: 48:34

1. Beware [5:52]
2. Guillotine (It Goes Yah) [3:43]
3. Spread Eagle Cross the Block [3:51]
4. Lord of the Game (ft. Mexican Girl) [3:30]
5. Takyon (Death Yon) [2:48]
6. Cut Throat (Instrumental) [1:12]
7. Klink [3:22]
8. Culture Shock [4:20]
9. 5D [0:43]
10. Thru the Walls [3:55]
11. Known for it [4:12]
12. I Want it I Need it (Death Heated) [6:10]
13. Blood Creepin [4:50]

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Kick ass hip-hop group from California. Lots of heavy synths and samples and lots of yelling. Real aggressive but still varied. Highly recommended.

Kitcalibur - This Broken City

Artist: Kitcalibur
Album: This Broken City
Year: 2008
Length: 26:04

1. Destroy [2:53]
2. Talkin' [2:17]
3. Broken City [1:53]
4. R.F.O.M. [1:58]
5. Not Without You [2:53]
6. Life Force (Kitcaliber Remix) [2:36]
7. This Sound! [2:07]
8. Hopeless [2:11]
9. Cracksound [2:08]
10. Screwball [2:36]
11. Still Here [2:27]

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100% guilty pleasure material. Kitcalibur is one of the many anthropomorphic alter egos of prolific electronic artist Renard of Lapfox Trax. This particular project is one of his older ones, a pop-punk/digital hardcore hybrid that is bursting with energy. It's full of short, fast songs with extremely catchy choruses. Personally, I can't get enough of it.

Almost Technicolor & A Problem Like Maria - Europa

Artist: Almost Technicolor & A Problem Like Maria
Album: Europa
Year: 2012
Length: 15:18

1. Deliberate Existence [4:00]
2. Europa [3:45]
3. Never Asleep [3:37]
4. Never Asleep (NoR's Cold Summer Nights Remix) [3:56]

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A Problem Like Maria is back with another collaboration, this time with electronic artist Almost Technicolor. Deliberate Existence is an excellent hip-hop song, and the other two are more laid-back electronic, similar to Decompose (Maria's collaboration with Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack). Everything here is well produced and top quality material, including the remix. This is what 'pop' music should sound like.

Ratchet Kills - ANTI EVERYTHING

Artist: Ratchet Kills
Album: ANTI EVERYTHING
Year: 2011
Length: 18:59

1. #SAMO [4:04]
2. Confusing Constellations [3:22]
3. ANTI EVERYTHING [2:47]
4. Portland Avenue [3:14]
5. CRIMSON AND CLOVER [2:55]
6. LIFT [2:34]

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An excellent hip hop duo from Atlanta. This manages to be pretty catchy without dumbing itself down. The beats are expertly crafted and it's all got a lot of momentum. Lots of variation, really interesting. There's not a whole lot of rap I'm really into but this ranks up there.

environmental sound collapse - In Service Of The Pig

Artist: environmental sound collapse
Album: In Service Of The Pig
Year: 2012
Length: 21:00

1. Fucking Die Already [3:12]
2. It Spreads Like A Virus [4:32]
3. Office Politics [2:00]
4. The Sound Of A Hollow Man [2:37]
5. Killing [3:08]
6. Damned [3:02]
7. They're Going To Find You [2:29]

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e.s.c. is a pretty prolific electronic artist who has put out a collection of experimental industrial recordings. This one is particularly noisy and unfriendly sounding, while still carrying a nice groove. Keep an eye on this guy.

New Motive Power & The Flying Batteries - Snescore

Artist: New Motive Power (and) The Flying Batteries
Album: Snescore
Year: 2012
Length: 17:05

1. New Motive Power - The Escape [4:50]
2. New Motive Power solves A Problem Like Maria - Unease (Feat. Mattir) [3:50]
3. The Flying Batteries - Passion [4:23]
4. The Flying Batteries - Rabbit Hole [4:01]

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The Hai are quickly becoming a haven for independent electronic artists, with four of their members featured on this split extravaganza. Both bands play a variety of video game influenced synth-rock, but neither fall into the trappings of "sounding too much like a Mega Man game." New Motive Power brings two more insanely well produced tracks that are catchy as hell, with the second track featuring A Problem Like Maria (who has been "solved" before by Water Gun Water Gun Sky Attack and Radio Wire Empire) and also produced by electronic artist Mattir. The Flying Batteries side is even catchier (I -CANNOT- get Passion out of my head) and a bit thicker with guitars more at the front of the mix.

The split comes in two versions available on each of the artist's bandcamp pages. Each has it's own download-only bonus remix track, and is worth checking out. I'm quite excited to see what else The Hai will be putting out in the future.

WHITE - -MIX-MIX-MIX-

Artist: WHITE
Album: -MIX-MIX-MIX-
Year: 2011
Length: 16:40

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One long experimental ambient electronic track. It's very droning and quiet. As far as I can tell, WHITE is a project of minimalist artist stoned like statue, though there doesn't seem to be much information on the artist.

King Vulture - Dead Around Vegas

Artist: King Vulture
Album: Dead Around Vegas
Year: 2012
Length: 18:28

1. It's Not Racist (It's Just Offensive) [2:30]
2. Knife Fight in A Minor [3:02]
3. Ana [3:34]
4. Bella in the Wych Elm [2:36]
5. Loki [3:10]
6. Heretic [3:36]

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King Vulture serves up an interesting instrumental blend of genres. The main instruments here are drum machines and guitars, but this isn't some cyber death metal album. It sort of sounds like post-rock, but it's much noisier and to the point. It sort of sounds like breakbeat or IDM, but not really. Honestly, I can't really put my finger on it, but I do like it, and that's what's important.