Uncanny ValleyReleases | Uncanny Valley

UV010 / Various Artists

Conrad — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 09:37:31 +0000

Catalogue number ten at Uncanny Valley and for this occasion the Dresden based label returns to its roots with another Various Artists EP. Actually, this is long overdue since there are a lot more talented producers to find in the Elbe Valley. On Uncanny Valley 010 we present four of them.

Sandrow M who focussed on the C-Beams project recently has been part of the label right from the start. With “The Three Trees” he makes his solo debut for Uncanny Valley. The track is a summery House tune that shines with Garage vocals and warm synth pads. Steve Kasper is slowing it down with “Unvexed Dub” which is an immersed House excursion for the morning hours. On the flipside Scherbe’s ‘Kill Bill$’ stumbles but does not fall. Instead, the track lives from tottering interaction between bright percussions and fractious drones below. Finally, it’s Jacob Stoy who closes the record with ‘S51′, a dreamy Deep House study including heavenly pads and subtle drum programming.

For the artwork we are very glad to welcome back Paul Waak and his colourful figures that gave the first four compilations their unique look!

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UV009 / Break SL – Desert Flight EP

Conrad — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:56:49 +0000

After appearing with C-Beams recently, Break SL strikes back with a massive track called “Desert Flight” that has already been causing a stir amongst the Uncanny Valley crew for quite a while. Over the course of ten minutes the track unwinds as an analogue Slowhouse trip that is dominated by a gritty synth figure. With typical sophisticated Break SL drums, radio transmitted messages directly from the cockpit and a freaked out siren it’s a track that is not from this world.
The flipside starts off in a more classical manner with the rumbling House of ‘Amorphed limits’. The track is distinguished by rapturous synths and gets spiced up through additional drum work by Break SL’s partner in crime Manuel Sander. ‘Beercase Song’ originates from collaboration with Dresden’s universal genius Max Rademann. His quirky keys and Break SL’s drum workshop create a dirty piece of Funk which rounds up an eclectic EP by a versatile producer.
The cover artwork was created by visual artist and designer Julien Simshäuser who illustrates the trip that is ‘Desert Flight’.

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UV008 / Credit 00 – The Living Room Life EP

Conrad — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 10:27:24 +0000

Uncanny Valley continues to introduce more artists from the valley with their own solo EP. With UV008 it’s Credit 00 who’s put on the map. The Dresden resident delivers four ice cold Chicago inspired cuts, with hints of acid and electro, straight out of his machines which will make every synth aficionado’s mouth water. “Another Me” is, by Credits standards, an almost intimate jam, which shows that House can be a decent funky affair. In “The Clave Problem” you’ll get an extensive bassline before synths that seem to come directly out of a hurdy-gurdy from hell add the right dose of gloom. The B-Side is started off with “The Living Room Life”, a hard rocking track that comes like an acoustic exploration of sophisticated sound and drum ideas. The final “Brio’s Theme” is a weird and slightly menacing sci-fi work that only needs a proper movie. And again a new cover artist, Credit’s longtime buddy Geprg Hpfmann.

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Uncanny Valley 008: Credit 00 – The Living Room Life EP by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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UV007 / Cuthead – Brother EP

Conrad — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:10:10 +0000

The third artist-EP by Dresden-based label Uncanny Valley comes from House- and Hip Hop-Mastermind Cuthead and is nothing less than a proper power package. With “Vibratin’” things start off as deep as the bottom of the sea. Underneath Cuthead’s dense drums there is an intense and meditating synth line which is eventually complimented by an acid figure as if it was an evil twin. “Brother” rolls in with a mighty kick drum, before a catchy sample and not less catchy piano motives prepare for a propitiating end.
With “Transgressions” and its bass line for the bigger floors things get down to House business once again. The remaining two tracks then give an impression of what happens, if Cuthead takes to the MPC for his liveset. In „Seram Lembah” und „Heartless“ Cuthead combines his drumming with South East Asian disco-mantras und bittersweet Blues chants to heavy Hip-Hop-grooves.

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Artwork by Petar Matanovic
Mastered by Johannes Laaß

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UV006 / C-Beams – Strollin’ EP

admin — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:19:40 +0000

After a short summer break, Dresden’s label Uncanny Valley returns with the charming catalogue number six. Following up Jacob Korn’s first Artist EP for the label it’s C-Beams’ turn now to continue the series of Artist EPs. Break SL’s and Sandrow M’s project can be referred to as a true label’s child. Musically, both artists got to know each other only when the label was founded. For “Strollin’” they lend the vocal talents by Tina Slotta who is associated with Uncanny Valley as well. The result is an irresistible House-jam. Easy vibrant beats are complemented by birds’ twittering, warm keys and Tina’s carefree lyrics.

Jackmate’s remix toughen things up and transfers the tracks with mighty Detroit- chords into a real monster for the dancefloor. The slightly murkier “Scrapyard” takes its strength out of the interaction between its vehement beats and the C-Beams- typical sound excursions. Finally, the instrumental of “Strollin’” rounds up the EP.

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Artwork by Alexander Dorn
Mastered by Johannes Laaß

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Uncanny Valley 006: C-Beams – Strollin’ EP by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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UV005 / Jacob Korn – She EP

Conrad — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:33:20 +0000

The fifth release on Dresden-based label Uncanny Valley is the first artist-EP and with Jacob Korn and his She EP one of the artists that contributed to the label from the very beginning provides a great start for the new series.
Last year the eponymous “She” has already made the summer even more thrilling when Jacob played it in his live set. What begins pretty gloomy with a rumbling bass line and a harsh kick drum turns out to be an irresistible catchy tune for all open-air dance floors 2011 as soon as the distinctive marimba figure is introduced. And when the rhapsodical strings come in, it feels like all dancers are united under the same seventh heaven. On “Once love” Minimal Music-like winds and piano motives merge together with a whipping drum-foundation to an almost hymnic House manifest.
One the flipside “She” gets the remix treatment from Berlin’s Iron Curtis and Spain’s John Talabot. Iron Curtis dampens the original’s euphoria by only implying the strings and the marimba. His version takes its strength out of Mr. Curtis unmistakable, constantly changing synths and drums. John Talabot toughen things up with cosmic and meandering synthesizers and a humming bass line. The result is a journey through the night that recalls Psychedelic and early Electronics.

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Artwork by Valérie-Françoise Vogt

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Uncanny Valley 005: Jacob Korn – She EP by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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UV004 / Various Artists

Conrad — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:22:28 +0000

The Uncanny Valley-quartet is rounded up by the Ace of Spades. Before starting to release its first Artist-EPs, the compilation-series is rounded up for now with the roughest EP so far. Sneaker’s You Think You Think! takes no prisoners and comes with a dark bass line you can’t really resist. The track is a musclebound monster and includes claps that are out of control and freaked out vocals by Sneaker himself. No less rough is cvbox’ machinematch, even if its acid-thunderstorm builds up far more subtly. Finally, Plätschern by Stefan Lohse takes us on a 100-BPM-journey straight into analogue wonderland.

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Sleeve by Paul Waak

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Uncanny Valley 004 by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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UV Ltd 01 / Various Artists

Conrad — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:51:47 +0000

It is a point of honour that Uncanny Valley contributes a release to the Record Store Day in Berlin to support the record store-concept in general. After all Dresden’s Fat Fenders was one of the spots in which the UV-posse was formed. The record is strictly limited (444 copies) and only available on and after the Record Store Day (5th of November) at OYE Records in Berlin (Oderberger Str. 4).
For this record Uncanny Valley goes back to the initial concept of the compilation EPs, which was primarily created to support Dresden’s talents. Nevertheless, the artists involved here are in no way newcomers. Rather they can be classified as electronic eremites who are up to every trick on their machines. Mayan Gold and Selfcontained remain anonymous for now, though they would have to tell a lot of stories considering their long lasting activities in Techno and Electro. But who needs identities, if you get miracles like “Intergalactic Traveller”, Mayan Gold’s soundtrack for the journey to Utopia, or Selfcontained’s whipping “’#23”.
Already known for his contribution to the third Uncanny Valley-Record should be One Day In Metropia, whose “Avalanche” is rocking hard and precisely in finest Electro- manner. Echology on the other hand is a newcomer. In “Peekaboo” the heaven is full of great samples and field-recordings. There was a time when people would have called it Electro-Folk.

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UV Ltd 01 by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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UV 003 / Various Artists

albinator — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:50:23 +0000

The third is the first one in 2011. Before finishing the compilation series with UV 004 and going into detail with the first artist-EPs, Uncanny Valley from Dresden, Germany, shows off the full range of Dresden’s talents once again. In One Day In Metropia’s almost forgotten dancefloor bomb “Night Train”, a mighty bassdrum merges with infatuating synths into Out-Of-Space-Pop par excellence. Straight from the asylum of analogue gear comes “Eiserne Lunge” by Credit 00 with all its surpassing drum and synth sounds. “Fog Patches” was created after its author Stefan Lohse attended church, which is clearly recognizable considering the track’s devout acid. The final “Dresden, den 15.05.2005” originates out of a joint session by two of Dresden’s analogue pioneers. It is a propitiating but also threatening track in the manner of British IDM.

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Sleeve by Paul Waak

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Uncanny Valley 003 by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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UV 002 / Various Artists

albinator — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:50:59 +0000

This summer the first record by the new label Uncanny Valley from Dresden, Germany, made quite a splash. As summer is over by now, the follow up is finally finished and features no less than five Dresden-based talents. As with catalogue number #001 the record’s artwork is once again conceived by Paul Waak and his block-party-theme goes nicely with the music.

First up is “Dance Away”, a true posse-track. The track is born out of a studio session with Jacob and Kelli when she played in Dresden this summer. Together they come up with a charming connection between their hometowns Detroit and Dresden. It’s not only the Motor City’s key players but also the Uncanny Valley crew who gets asked for a dance by Kelli. It starts out quite restrained with a simple but effective drum loop while Kelli is announcing Jacob and herself. But as soon as the sluggish groove is completed by funky piano chords and horn stabs it is really hard to stand still. Not to mention Kelli’s catchy mantra “Dance Away”…
Speaking of catchiness, we have Cuthead’s “The Sinner”. An almost chaotic, wonky drum arrangement provides the foundation for slightly melancholic chords and scattered horn samples. After the middle break the chords change into a head nodding groove which illustrates Cuthead’s Hip-Hop roots even though the track doesn’t lose its quirky house feeling. What completes the track in a graceful way is the soulful vocal sample which once more summons the similarities between spirituality and club culture.
C-Beams is the new joint project by Break SL and Sandrow M. who got to know each other during their activities for Uncanny Valley. “Thumbling” is the first result of these jam-sessions. The track starts out with warm synth pads over a thrilling drum arrangement with a slightly stumbling bass drum. All of a sudden synthesizer-chords come into play. While these chords are staccato-like at first, they merge into a laid-back solo. We can’t refrain from calling that pretty deep.
Finally, “Wave Memory” by Credit 00 feels like crossing through heavy sea. It is like Clara Mondshine jamming with Mark Shreeve after watching a David Lynch-movie. The track recalls times when the future was imagined gloomy. Above a stuttering bass line lurking in the background of the track menacing synth waves tower up which can’t even kept under control by mighty 808-claps. There are only few chords shedding a light. It is a disturbing track which you can’t ignore.

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Sleeve by Paul Waak

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Uncanny Valley 002 by Uncanny Valley Dresden

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