Review: Kirk Degiorgio - Elate EP (Cyphon Recordings)

Fans of Kirk Degiorgio and Cyphon Recordings have been looking forward to this since it was first announced and to say they are elated now that it is upon us - yes it's the Elate EP!

Now you'll recall we mentioned in the Loxodrome (aka Jimpster) EP review last November (see HERE) Cyphon Recordings that thier previous releases had included DJ Rocca, Yuu Udagawa (see review HERE), Ben Sun (who has just had a new album out himself this month, see review HERE) and Kirk Degiorgio (As One).

Kirk's 'Living On The Frayed Edge' came out in March last year on the label but when it comes to 'Seven Minutes Of Funk' and 'Five Minutes Of Dub' along with 'Lost' and the title track 'Elate', you can just tell from the titles that this is a deep collection

Kirk and Jamie 'Jimpster' Odell have musicall grown up over many years and neither would let the other down when it comes to dancefloor excellence; 'Elate' has even that acid vs. piano house melody that'll get a big reaction whenever it's played.

YATM stalkers will know that we've had a bit of a 'Yoga In Dub' spotlight recently (well, January is all about getting fit/back to the gym) but what's far better is the space ship travelling synths on 'Five Minutes of Dub' that backed up with the proper Detroit techno-acid of 'Seven Minutes Of Funk' (and vice versa).

You'll need a bit of chill from 'Lost' after all that and when you think it was only last month that we had Synaptic Voyager's 'Dawn Till Dusk EP' (see review HERE), this is a perfect companion/follow-up.

P.S. For a different side of Kirk, check out 'Modal Forces' / 'Percussive Forces' (see review HERE),

Artist: Kirk Degiorgio 
Title: Elate EP 
Release date: 14th March, 2025
Label: Cyphon Recordings
Catalog Number  -
Format: Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Synaptic Voyager - Dawn Till Dusk EP (Cyphon Recordings)

This new EP, 'Dawn Till Dusk', is a beautiful  Synaptic Voyager that's take you all day to absorb; the latest release on Cyphon Recordings.

Following on from the recent 'Drop Out EP' by Loxodrome (see review HERE), Cyphon's expanding rosta, that already included some well known names in addition to Jimpster, like Yuu Udagawa ('Forever EP'), Kirk Degiogio (As One), DJ Rocca, Ben Sun (new album - review HERE) as they all continue to explore "wide-ranging sounds from emerging artists, touching on electro, abstract electronica and Detroit-inspired futurism": 'Dawn Till Dusk' in its mere 5 tracks do exactly that.

And by coincidence, I recently saw a clip of a Ritchie Hawtin interview where he was saying in the early days of Detroit Techno, there were doubters that this "electronic music would last" but that he and his early adopter mates were believers; 30 years on, Snaptic Voyager is further evidence of this belief, especially as he hails from a melting pot (Ed. should that be furness) of electronic dance/pop/sythns, Sheffield.

The Snaptic Voyager journey started when Matt White and Paul Baines met in the 90s but it's only recently that they sort to make intelligent synth dance (ISD) and you can't doubt these tracks.  'Stellar Engine' might be viewed a minimal compared to more obvious Kraftwerk-in-Peech Boy NYC-like title track or the synaptic-dreamy 'Lonely Promontory', but it's just as dancey.

And then you could argue, 'Once Exposed' is the engine driver of the spaceship (synaptic) voyager on a mission along with equally intelligent express train banger, 'Cognitive Network'.

The news that Jimpster edited down the original submitted versions is both good and potentially even better news (let's make this release a huge success so we could have a future release of 5X15 minute tracks/a continous mix for CD2?) so, I urge you to be an early adopter of Synaptic Voyager, I'm thinking in the way of Human League's 'Being Boiled' sense, get the 12" ordered sharpish - this is the future!

BUY LINK: https://synapticvoyager.bandcamp.com/album/dawn-til-dusk-ep

 

Artist: Synaptic Voyager
Title: Dawn Till Dusk EP 
Release date: 7th February, 2025
Label: Cyphon Recordings
Catalog Number CYPHN14 
Format: Limited heavyweight vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Loxodrome - Drop Out EP (Cyphon Recordings)

Well, you might not recognise the name Loxodrome, (possibly for good reason) but you'll know Jamie Odell (aka Loxodrome, Jimpster and many more) who released the original 'The Loxodrome EP' in 1994! Here's the follow up!

You'd have thought Jimpster would have enough work on his keyboards with running labels Freerange and Delusions Of Grandeur along with DJing and seemingly endless quality remixes to have the time to slip back 30 years to check out some acid droppin' tech house?  Well he has and it's as hot now as it was with the emergence of 303 emulators. 

The title track is quite jumpy and eye-2-eye contact dancefloor warped and mixed with some Star Trek-ed flight command star date time to "tune in and drop out" in a club way, not a Timothy Leary's '66 revival way. 

The last track, 'Fornax A' sneaks onto a Balearic Peech Bros, NYC seashore which you might have to save for next summer but the meat (vegan options are available) of the EP is 'Emberfall' and 'Emberfall (Dub)' which has elements of 'Drop Out' and 'Fornax A' that creates something bigger than the knob twiddling parts.

Cyphon Recordings have also released artists like Kirk Degiorgio (As One), DJ Rocca, Yuu Udagawa (she of the recent Compost remix releases 'Ride it'/'Set Me Sneakers' - see review HERE) and the Odell/Loxodrome is definitely going to give them an even higher profile.

Artist: Loxodrome 
Title: Drop Out EP 
Release date: 8th November, 2024
Label: Cyphon
Catalog Number  -
Format: Digital / Bandcamp