Articles
Christopher Tignor
Spotlight 13

Albums
Advanced Dreams
Federico Albanese
Matthew Barlow
Bruno Bavota
Black Unicorn
Bolder
Borghi & Teager
Carla Bozulich
Chris Campbell
Colo
Deadbeat / Paul St Hilaire
Detroit Swindle
Donato Dozzy & Nuel
Yair Etziony
Lewis Fautzi
Hammock
Mark Harris
Hideyuki Hashimoto
Kodomo
Listening Mirror
Lost Trail
Lucy
Machine Code
Yann Novak
Opitope
Origamibiro
Pinkcourtesyphone
Michael Robinson
Mariano Rodriguez
Dana Ruh
Janek Schaefer
Sketches for Albinos
Jakob Skøtt
Talk West
Christopher Tignor
Wen
Scott Worthington

Compilations / Mixes
Generation Hyper
Sharam Jey

EPs / Singles
Children of the Stones
Dexima
Dexta & Hyroglifics
dock 1
Dream Weapons
Dr.Res
FFM Vol. 2 EP
Glory Club
Nightstalker EP

VA: dock 1
hfn music

Here's a thirty-one-minute compilation that provides a pretty amazing grab bag of stuff to graze upon. dock 1 features seven exclusive tracks of modern electropop from Darkness Falls, Kasper Bjørke, Ebb, Faded Ranger, Fangs, Gry, and Small Mountain, all of whom are either working on new albums for the Hamburg-based label hfn music or are lined up for forthcoming releases and/or future collaborations.

The collection begins on a high with a radiant instrumental overture by Bjørke called “Kalopsia” whose synthbass-powered swoon and pulsating krautrock groove are guaranteed to lift the spirits of even the most downtrodden listener. Fangs (Brooklynite Jordan Lieb aka Blacklightsmoke) then takes the release in another direction altogether with “Seagulls,” a gothic, hamonica-laden blues-chant featuring cryptic lyrics and a vocal that gradually starts to take on a bit of a glammy T. Rex quality. Shuddering guitar tremolos and haunting vocals lend Darkness Falls' “Moonlight” a spectral dreampop character before a headrush of shoegaze guitars and stomping drums kicks it into overdrive. We also find ourselves situated within Portishead territory thanks to Gry (Danish singer-vocalist Gry Bagøien) whose “Confusion” takes a detour into noirish, late-night jazz-tinged trip-hop. “Creatures” by Amsterdam-based producer Small Mountain, on the other hand, opts for a wonky stroll through the dance club with a disturbingly bent vocal performance in tow.

Returning to where the recording began, Faded Ranger (Nick Maurer and Neville Attree) ends the set with a brooding instrumental treatment of “Pretty Colours” that's heavy on guitars and synths (the vocal version is scheduled to appear on an upcoming Faded Ranger album). It's a quality collection from start to finish, but the recording's high point comes at its center in the form of Ebb's “Turnaround” and its seven hypnotic minutes of crisp vocal electropop. Trying to resist the seductive sparkle of the song's melodies (vocal and instrumental) is futile—and why would you wish to do so anyway?

March 2014