AFRIKAN SCIENCES – ‘Circuitous’ 2LP/CD
At the nexus of Afrofuturism, science fiction, transcendental free jazz, and future hip hop, this new work from Eric Porter Douglas casts itself and its creator in a liminal zone most recognizably charted by astral traveler Sun Ra. ‘Circuitous’ follows from nearly a decade of releases for Deepblak —the Oakland-rooted imprint of frequent collaborator Aybee— and shares common blood with both the elevated consciousness of late ’80s club culture and contemporary West Coast beat scene. Built around Douglas’ signature polyrhythms and complex melodies, the unorthodox agility demonstrated throughout the album’s fourteen tracks reflect his long history of live, improvised sets combining multiple turntables, upright bass, and a command center of digital tablets and controllers. Each track maps the artist’s own movements, tracing paths of flight, highway trajectories through tunnels and over bridges, and rides through rough and gated neighborhoods. If familiar on the surface, deeper or repeated listenings to ‘Circuitous’ reveal the dynamic multiplicity embodied within. ‘Circuitous’ is a free and unbound body of work —one that defies easy classification yet translates fluidly across multiple environments— compiled over double LP in order to fully realize the scope of Afrikan Science’s sonic palette. The album is mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, pressed on a double 140g vinyl & CD, featuring artwork by Louis Reith & Bill Kouligas. All vinyl purchases come with a free download card.
BLACK SITES (Helena Hauff & F#X) – ‘Unit 2669’ 12″
Helena Hauff and F#X finally unleash their second record as Black Sites. Returning to PAN following 2013’s Prototype EP, the two hardware fetishists and resident DJs at Hamburg’s iconic Golden Pudel club turn out two cauterizing, long-form acid/techno cuts on Unit 2669 EP. A-side “Unit 2669″ is built around a narcotic, modulated 303 line and protean drones, while on the flip, “Москва” is an exercise in tape manipulation and visceral mechanics; with its circuitry corroded by parasites, the track’s lurching pulse of paranoid sirens is eviscerated by surges of tearing feedback. The 12″ is mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M. It is pressed on 140g vinyl with artwork by Bill Kouligas.