Mooninite - Soda

Mooninite creates the kind of concept album that requires full commitment, both from the artist, and the listener. Soda on Hel Audio is exactly what the name implies, a tape about Soda. Soda samples, soda song titles, soda sounds. The smoothest, crispest mid tempo beats and arpeggiated melodies, laced with the percussion of ice in a glass, the hiss of bubbles, and vocal snippets of people discussing soda. It all might sound a bit gimmicky except for the fact that the musical quality is absolutely top notch. It's an intersection of silliness and skill that just absolutely works. Nine tracks that will have you laid back nodding your head and feeling thirsty. I can't help but wonder if a variant was considered for for us folks in Michigan called "pop".

Punctuating the concept, physical copies are available in nine flavors (mine is Cherry). Purchase direct from Hel, or stream in full and grab via Bandcamp along with (appropriately) a can koozie sharing the album artwork.

Matt Nida - Explorer

Seriously head expanding fusion of hardcore and vintage synth from Matt Nida, with Explorer on Hel Audio. For me, any kind of dance(danceable) music is about production. And production here is beautifully balanced. Balanced in that way that makes you keep turning the volume up and it just keeps sounding better, fuller, and more fun. Raw, rumbling bass, piercing washes of top end. I'm gonna start to make my ignorance of dance and techno very known, but this reminds me of Adam X and Juan Atkins stuff I used to fawn over in the 90's. That punchy kick and warm ultra thick bass. What I really love here, is the juxtaposition of that against some severely alien synth work. Six tracks, and every single one absolutely kills.

Not sure the edition size on this (can't find it listed, maybe you can and tell me?). Really love the aesthetic of the entire Hel Audio catalogue, this included. The imagery, typography, everything feels unique and thoughtful. Double sided single panel, download included. Grab direct from Hel, or stream and purchase at Bandcamp.

Metatag - Transmission

Sparse, lonely analog synth from Metatag, with Transmission, on Hel Audio. This is serious timbre sweetness. And I mean that. In a way that's almost silly, because I talk about timbre a lot around here. It's that emotional response to the shape and texture of a sound wave. These are beautiful. Full, robust, gently undulating sounds, pulling an response from the listener that's both emotionally close, and distantly menacing. Absolutely sick bass lines that just snarl out from the speaker wrapping around arpeggiated lines. Twenty tracks spread over a massive sixty minutes. You kind of get lost in all of it, the tracks bleeding together overwhelming you. There's a little grit in here, blunting the edges of both warm and cold. Sounds like the Zelda underworld made you feel in 6th grade.

Crisp, simple physical presentation that perfectly fits the vibe. White stickered shells, double sided grey and white jcard. Grab the tape or stream the whole thing on Bandcamp, and check Hel Audio for more details.

Metatag - Antidote by Hel Audio