GENRE/S: Experimental Folk

TRACKLISTS:
A1. Cotenius X - Intro
A2. Cotenius X - Oceans in Flames
A3. Cotenius X - Burunduk
B1. Cotenius X - Plastic Bag (feat. Sergey Letov)
B2. Cotenius X - Fukushima Tuna (feat. Sergey Letov)
B3. Cotenius X - Melting Pot
B4. Cotenius X - Udarnitsy

SHORT INFO:
Cotenius X is an exploratory improvisational project of the Ukrainian sound artist Daria Redkina and the
Russian experimental vocalist Varya Pavlova aka Lisokot. Improvising together since 2017 they
incorporate folk, electronic and musique concrète elements into their spontaneous compositions. “Plastic
Bag” is a testament to collaboration - an archival reflection of the time the duo spent experimenting
together. Their theatrical performances involve impersonation or adoption of different characters and are
informed by social, political, historical, and site-specific narratives. The duo has been compared to The
Residents and see themselves carrying the psychedelic absurdity of the US group forward by giving it a
feminine twist.

More

A1. Moon Influence
A2. Milky Way
B1. Sinar
B2. Rhythmbox from Space
B3. Yaatra


Glimmering medieval weaponry forged, polished and brandished, Zhenya Lavrinov arrives to take us back in time and beyond the stars. As LVRIN, he appeared opposite Maoupa Mazzochetti on a split EP for Arma – but one pockmark in a scattering of machine-powered ruminations for respected, proudly underground labels – and now he returns to wield a new alias across five tracks of ominous, night-creeping sonics.



The tracks making up Milky Way were recorded by Bryansk-based Lavrinov between 2013 and 2020, reflecting a side of his musical demanour not betrothed to the demands of the dancefloor. Golden Axe is far from ambient though – this is still resolutely rhythmic music spoken by specifically sculpted synths and powered by purposeful sequencers.



There’s a cosmic theme at play here, but ‘Moon Influence’ speaks as much to ancient rites and man’s obsession with lunar forces as any space-age sci-fi symbolism you might associate with gurgling electronic patterns. ‘Rhythmbox From Space’ may be brimming with analogue freakery, but it’s also locked into a rhythmic mantra which tracks back to the dawn of humanity.



Cementing the philosophy of the record visually, Milky Way comes clothed in a striking artwork by Alina Vinogradova. Lavrinov’s Golden Axe seems to hail from this very space depicted on the cover, speaking through time-honoured tools and revelling in universal mysticism as it opens a new chapter in his darkly seductive, psychosomatic music. More

Track listing:
A1. Gaja - Ride or Die
A2. Gaja - Logjammin'
A3. Gaja - Dyna
B1. Huren - Unborn Infant Uniform
B2. Huren - Engrave Name on Garment
B3. Huren - Best of Breed


Press Release:
No romantic trip into the sunset here – Gaja and Huren come to Arma with a nihilistic determination and a one-way route into absolute darkness.



Gaja, aka Alessandro Gaia, was last seen pounding out Bracny Chelloveck on falling apart. Once locked into the throes of Berlin’s ceaseless techno throb and now back home in Albenga, Italy, Gaia represents the gnarly, noisy extremity of modern dance music. It’s a desolate, distorted place where blasts of noise spit in the empty footprints once shaped by snares and hi-hats, and the bass bleeds out over everything. Listen closely though – the deeper you take yourself into this forbidding space, the more you can detect the subtleties. The delicate relief of the harmonic overtones, the brutally managed modulation. It’s bleak, to be sure, but it’s also beautiful.



Huren is the current guise for David Foster, a Canadian techno vet of high standing thanks to his role in the seminal Teste project. A true underground lifer, he’s cavorted through a cavalcade of aliases and projects over the years – as Huren he’s most noticeably wielded rhythmic noise explorations via Clan Destine, FALK and, since the late 90s, on Zhark. You can sense the primal, instinctive act of creation in his three offering on Ride Or Die – this is the sound of someone for whom post-industrial rhythm mantras and exorcistic utterations are second only to respiring and perspiring.



In two distinct but complementary ways, Gaja and Huren showcase the vivid expressions achievable within monochromatic, noise-oriented techno. It’s a sensory experience matched with unsettling accuracy by Judex Franju’s intense sleeve design. Intense contrast and artful distortion lead the way in lieu of colour – a fierce and formidable underground expression for dystopian times.


More

2LP, Vakula, a versatile Ukrainian producer and a long-term Arma contributor, drops a new album on the label.

Tracklist:

A1. Vakula x Mira - Hypotheses
A2. Vakula x Mira - In Search of Ancient Civilization
B1. Vakula x Mira - In the wake of Trismegistus
C1. Vakula - Lemurian Balad
C2. Vakula x Nevertii (feat Olena) - OM NAMAH SHIVAYA
D1. Vakula x Nevertii (feat Olena) - The Message
D2. Vakula x Nevertii - New Civilization
D3. Vakula x Nevertii (feat Olena) - Sacred Forest


In Search of Ancient Civilization is an contemporary electronic work at its finest, although the tools used to shape its sound are linked to a folk tradition. For that matter the album features musicians from within Vakula's creative circle. Tracks that needed specific vocals and also rare instruments such as harp, fujara, tambourine have been produced in collaboration with Olena Nevertii and Yaroslav. The artist has sampled himself while throat singing along with field recordings in natural surroundings.

There's a message behind the carefully made-by-hand fantasy aesthetics of the production and its unconventional voice. Vakula's fascination with the Ancient world moved him through the history of humanity, to the point where his findings were insightful enough to warn the listener: "It's time to wake up".

In Search of Ancient Civilization is the 22nd release of Arma Records to be released on 23rd October 2020.

More

Tracklist:

A1. ENA - Pale
A2. ENA - Wired
B1. ENA - Wired (Jasss Remix)
B2. ENA - Secondary Color

Release Date: 7th Feb 2020

For the new Arma release Ena explores different, distinct facets of his sound across three productions. “Pale” distills his vision of techno as a minimalist, repetitive construct. Working around non-standard time signatures, he creates a densely woven lattice of percussive pulses, which cut a polyrhythmic path through nightmarish sheets of noise. “Secondary Color” uses a broader palette that opens the Ena sound up to the light,,, “Wired” heads further away from the grid in pursuit of sound design exploration, as a rack of pipes and chambers strike, boom and chime against artful distortion and cavernous reverb. While Ena has historically been hesitant about remixes of his material, he warmed to the idea of long-time Arma friend JASSS reworking “Wired”. Taking the track into her own fiercely individual sound world, she uses the harmonic tonality of the original as a jump-off point for an epic, emotionally forthright chiller loaded with coldwave bombast, trap hats and Silvia’ own voice. Coming from entirely different angles of approach, Ena and JASSS are bound together by their fearless individuality. You can sense the slithers of pre-existing music somewhere in their constructions, but such familiarities are no more than faint echoes of places they passed through on their way to somewhere new.

More

Tracklist:

A1. Lvrin - Escape
A2. Lvrin - Die Hard
A3. Lvrin - Mind

B1. Maoupa Mazzocchetti - She Slept with Mohammar
B2. Maoupa Mazzocchetti - Finger Feet
B3. Maoupa Mazzocchetti - Phone Gift

Release Info:

Following releases from Rude 66, Vakula and Mick Wills, Arma continues to explore the dark and wild corners of contemporary machine music via a new split 12” featuring LVRIN and Maoupa Mazzocchetti.

LVRIN has previously released on Pinkman, Crimes Of The Future, Mrt and Sign Bit Zero. He occupies a sound world where blown out boxes spit out gnarled beats and slimy basslines through an overdriven desk, with the ghosts of post punk and industrial looming over his nocturnal incantations.

Maoupa Mazzocchetti has been weaving defiantly unconventional strains of electronic music since first emerging on Unknown Precept and Mannequin. He delivers three rugged, body-poppin’ grooves to the B side, all laden with madcap sampling and mischievous synth splashes that proudly stray from established norms while still holding down a solid beat.




More

Tracklist:

Track Names:

A1 Werewolves and Poisoners
A2 The Crusade against Idolatry
B1 The Absence of Diabolism
B2 Envious are all the People, Witches Watch at Every Gate


Release Info:

The latest release on Arma comes from Dutch legend and devoutly deviant underground operator Ruud Lekx, aka Rude 66. With a legacy that reaches back to the early 90s and the rough and ready Dutch electro sound of Bunker Records and The Hague, he’s maintained a distinctly non-conformist approach that touches on acid, Italo, techno and more besides, all finished with the punky attitude that sets him and peers like Unit Moebius and I-F apart.

The tracks gathered together on The Witch Trials EP come from throughout Lekx’s career. As the artist himself says, “tracks from wildly different eras and sessions suddenly can combine to form one coherent EP. It’s almost like the A-side tracks were waiting for 20 years to be combined with the B-side tracks.”

The overriding theme that binds together these timeless machine excursions is that of medieval witch trials – a global phenomenon that peaked in the 15-1600’s. Considering the suspicion, propaganda and mass moral panic involved in this strange curio of distant history, Lekx points to the parallels with the current age, “of political polarization and fake news accusations flying all over.” The EP title is also a tribute to two records close to his heart: The Fall’s Live At The Witch Trials, and the one-off Witch Trials project by members of the Dead Kennedys, Adrian Borland and Christian Lunch.

“Werewolves & Poisoners” and “The Crusade Against Idolatry” are both archive tracks from the 1994-5 period when Lekx made his first albums for Bunker Records. The first track’s charging arps, rugged kicks, nagging acid lines and discordant paranoia all speak to that trailblazing period, while “The Crusade…” revels in canny programming of interwoven synth lines feeding into an unhinged, psychedelic rampage that reflects the righteous fervour and spiritual confusion of the EP concept.

“The Absence Of Diabolism” opens up the B-side with a different tone, having been produced in 2016 and demonstrating the deeper acid undulations Lekx has become known for in more recent years. Still delivered via the same trusted tools he was using in the 90s, the sound feels like an extension of the Rude 66 vision rather than a separate entity. “Envious Are All The People, Witches Watch At Every Gate,” a cut from the late 90s, closes the EP out in a spacious, snarling exploration of broken acid electro laden with cinematic sweeps of synthesizer and a constant sense of unresolved tension.



Across these four tracks, Lekx displays the scope of his craft as Rude 66 while also proving that timeless music can make sense in any context, and that the threads of inspiration in an artist’s journey can be followed, explored and even resolved 20 years later, when you least expect it.




More

7 track 2LP - Ukrainian producer Vakula, whose name is linked to the early days of Arma, re-emerges with Techno Game.

tracklisting:

A1. Triple Hi-Hat

A2. Night in Forest

B1. Fire Dance

B2. Easel Jam

C1. Trip to Your Mind

D1. Techno Game

D2. The End


press text:
Ukrainian producer Vakula, whose name is linked to the early days of Arma, re-emerges with Techno Game. The double vinyl features seven confidently-carved tracks that reflect Vakula's current exploration of techno landscapes. As the cover suggests, it is a game. The author does little to nothing to explain the rules, throwing the listener into an elegantly structured space that feels alarmingly material. Featuring artwork by Juli Kozyr, the release date is set for the 25th of November.



More

GENRE: TECHNO / ELECTRO Arma Records returns with a rare treat from legendary DJ Mick Wills.

Tracklist:
A. Das Geschwader - Himmelfahrt 89 (M.W.Cut)
B. The Vox - Stay Silent (M.W.Cut)

press text:

Mick has been active in the seedier corners of electronic music for more than 30 years, first immersing himself in the world of hi-NRG and new wave before embracing the house, techno, acid and electro explosion of the late 1980s. Aligned with DJ Hell in the 90s and more recently the Intergalactic FM crew, he’s the quintessential selector. A life spent digging in the undergrowth for deviant dance music has given him the edge that makes a truly gifted spinner, without riding on hype or studio productions.

However, Mick isn’t adverse to the odd outing on vinyl, having previously appeared on International DJ Gigolos both solo and as The Kinky Lovers with sometime partner Isabella Venis, but these moments are few and far between. For this release on Arma, Mick has given us two edits that speak to his distinctive style as a DJ – the original tracks are cult choices re-moulded into deadly, subversive club weapons. The brooding darkwave of “Himmelfahrt 89” is enough to turn the most indifferent bar crowd into swaying, baying denizens of the night, while “Stay Silent” pummels out a relentless electro motif that teeters on the edge of destruction for 11 thrilling minutes.

These aren’t crowd-pleasing DJ tools, and neither are they slick and easy edits of obvious classics. This is a peek into the inner workings of a man with decades of experience working masses of flesh into a sweaty fever pitch using sounds you’ve never heard before.

The mastering on Mick’s edits was undertaken by none other than Dutch electro legend Rude 66, while the striking artwork on the sleeve sees Arma reach out for the first time to French artist Judex. The nerve-shredding, broken Op-Art assault was originally found in a book published by cult illustrator Sam Rictus.

Cover Artwork by Judex Franju




More

180g Vinyl, Mini Album 1 LP +MP3 Download

Tracks:
1. Goodman
2. Soldier
3. Ready for the Riffle
4. Public Joe
5. Pentonville
6. Skinny Bones
7. Ivan, Come On, Unlock The Box (Live Version)


Press release

“…It is making my blood boil. Man, my jaw is hanging down listening to this stuff.” Read the email from Butthole Surfers man and producer, Paul Leary, when he heard the demo for what would become the debut Philipp Gorbachev & The Naked Man album.

Philipp Gorbachev, the Russian musician and DJ, has been throwing killer parties and making some of the most innovative and exciting electronic music to come out of Moscow in years. In 2014 he released his debut album Silver Album but when invited to perform a live Boiler Room he had something else in mind: a band scenario. The resulting concoction was not something locked into a 4/4 beat but rather a much more organic, groove-based sound with funk-strutting bass lines and live drums that rolled and flurried around the beats that jumped around leading the charge of the songs along with Gorbachev’s Damo Suzuki-like vocals.

Taking that experiment into the studio, ‘I Don’t Give A Snare’ is a wild ride that jumps genres, switches paces and alters tones frequently. The opening ‘Goodman’ exploding in intense rhythms and heavy, spiralling riffs that at times recall Sabbath but the ever-shifting drums and gargling electronics give a wonky freshness that feels impossible to place into genre.

Whilst Gorbachev cites a range of influences from Beck to Blind Willie Johnson as being core to him, the primary motivation is the live nature of the project itself. “The main influence is the constant live experience we have as music players and performers. I want to get the most out of every party, every jam, and every dancefloor.”


More

Tracklist:

A1. Acid Elf - Urban Wasteland , A2. Acid Elf - Active
B1. Acid Elf - Ultrasound, B2. Acid Elf - Fetus

press text:
Aelfric Michael Avery has been a self-reliant artist for a long time. The Canadian producer has been exploring underground acid and rough, homemade techno since releasing his first material as Avery Monarch back in 1994. However it wasn’t until more than ten years later that his music would surface again on his own Napalm Enema label. Varied projects such as Electrokinesia and Crown Jewel have yielded scores of digital EPs and albums, while Napalm Enema has also carried work by the likes of FaltyDL, Paul Blackford and Mrs Jynx. Avery has released just as much music under his Acid Elf guise, most notably appearing alongside +10 Acid Crew (Jodey Kendrick) for the sought-after Bruvs Acid EP, and now the alias makes a welcome return to vinyl with four essential tracks from the archives. There’s a subdued, hypnotic and delirious quality to the productions on this EP for Arma, ranging from the uneasy delay pulses of “Fetus” to the metallic clamour of “Urban Wasteland”, but most importantly they’re all injected with a distinctive personality that stands apart from the 303-tweaking masses. This is undoubtedly acid music, but it crackles with an energy far removed from the same cookie-cutter Chicago knock-off formula that so many turn out these days. Talking about the creation of these tracks, Avery explained that they were recorded between 2009 and 2010 in Parksville, a town by the ocean on Vancouver Island. The equipment list used for the sessions includes many perennial favourites such as the 606, 707, 808, 909, Jupiter 6, 101, 303, MS-20 and a Dopefer modular, all run through an erratic RE-201 Space Echo for extra analogue crust. He also explained the inspiration for the “Ultrasound” recordings were the tumultuous experiences of his wife’s seizures during pregnancy, and the relief of both her and their son making it through such times unscathed. It’s an intimate perspective transmitting from a corner of electronic music that often feels quite impersonal, further demonstrating the individual appeal of Acid Elf, amongst Avery’s many other endeavours.


More

Tracklist:
A. Hypnobeat - Ritual Fire Dance
B. Hypnobeat - Ritual Fire Dance

Press Release:

Following recent releases from Vakula, Alex Danilov and Andrey Zots, Arma turns its focus towards the unique, transcendental sound of Hypnobeat.

The project has its roots in the DIY industrial scene of Frankfurt in the early ‘80s, spearheaded by Perlon affiliate James Dean Brown (Narcotic Syntax) in collaboration with artists including Tobias Freund, Victor Sol and Pietro Insipido. Aside from a few underground cassette releases, the project was mainly a live venture made up of polyrhythmic workouts on an array of drum machines and effects units, long before the practice became so fashionable.

After many years in the wilderness, Hypnobeat received a shot in the arm thanks to the increased interest in obscure tapes from the early industrial period. Given her own modern explorations of raw drum machine science, Brown invited Helena Hauff to join him in performing Hypnobeat live with a setup that revolves around three 808s and an assortment of other rhythm boxes, a formidable arsenal of effects, and no preconceived plan.

As well as shows at Les Siestes Electroniques and CTM (where the duo shook the walls of Berghain), Brown and Hauff were invited to perform for the Save Festival at Arma17 in Moscow in March 2015. It is from this set that the material on Ritual Fire Dance is gathered, aptly titled as the interlocking percussive rumble takes on a cyclical, tribal quality as aligned with traditional music as it is with contemporary electronics.

The recording has been edited into two sections that adorn each side of the 12”, peppered with enthusiastic approval from the crowd to affirm the intensity of the moment this incendiary music was performed live. As well as the widespread vinyl release there will be a limited cassette featuring the entire unedited performance, for those seeking the full hit of the trip. In coming full circle to the origins of Hypnobeat, the live recording was mastered by Tobias Freund at Non-Standard Studios.

For the technically minded out there, the kit list for the live performance at Save included one 707, three 808s, two 303s, the Alesis airFX, the EHX Deluxe Bass Big Miff Pi, the Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo and the Boss RE-20 Space Echo, all of which can be seen on the postcard that accompanies the vinyl release.
More

Limited Comapct Cassette Edition , very attractively priced.
Tracklist:
A. Hypnobeat - Ritual Fire Dance
B. Hypnobeat - Ritual Fire Dance

Press Release:

Following recent releases from Vakula, Alex Danilov and Andrey Zots, Arma turns its focus towards the unique, transcendental sound of Hypnobeat.

The project has its roots in the DIY industrial scene of Frankfurt in the early ‘80s, spearheaded by Perlon affiliate James Dean Brown (Narcotic Syntax) in collaboration with artists including Tobias Freund, Victor Sol and Pietro Insipido. Aside from a few underground cassette releases, the project was mainly a live venture made up of polyrhythmic workouts on an array of drum machines and effects units, long before the practice became so fashionable.

After many years in the wilderness, Hypnobeat received a shot in the arm thanks to the increased interest in obscure tapes from the early industrial period. Given her own modern explorations of raw drum machine science, Brown invited Helena Hauff to join him in performing Hypnobeat live with a setup that revolves around three 808s and an assortment of other rhythm boxes, a formidable arsenal of effects, and no preconceived plan.

As well as shows at Les Siestes Electroniques and CTM (where the duo shook the walls of Berghain), Brown and Hauff were invited to perform for the Save Festival at Arma17 in Moscow in March 2015. It is from this set that the material on Ritual Fire Dance is gathered, aptly titled as the interlocking percussive rumble takes on a cyclical, tribal quality as aligned with traditional music as it is with contemporary electronics.

The recording has been edited into two sections that adorn each side of the 12”, peppered with enthusiastic approval from the crowd to affirm the intensity of the moment this incendiary music was performed live. As well as the widespread vinyl release there will be a limited cassette featuring the entire unedited performance, for those seeking the full hit of the trip. In coming full circle to the origins of Hypnobeat, the live recording was mastered by Tobias Freund at Non-Standard Studios.

For the technically minded out there, the kit list for the live performance at Save included one 707, three 808s, two 303s, the Alesis airFX, the EHX Deluxe Bass Big Miff Pi, the Strymon El Capistan dTape Echo and the Boss RE-20 Space Echo, all of which can be seen on the postcard that accompanies the vinyl release.
More

Tracklist:
A1. Alex Danilov - Inside A2. Alex Danilov - Noises B1. Alex Danilov - Unknown Numbers B2. Alex Danilov - Unknown Numbers (Fred P reshape)
Info:
April will see Alex Danilov, notable DJ and producer from Yekaterinburg, release his music on Arma. Published along with 'reshape' by Fred P., three original tracks constitute the Noises EP — the second release of the label in 2016. Being welcomed to diverse clubs throughout Russia and Europe, Alex Danilov has all the experience needed to know how dance music works. His own productions are about finding the way to sustain deep mystic atmosphere within signature low-pass rhythm picture. Side B, containing both original and remix of 'Unknown Numbers', shows how this approach varies from classy style of Fred P. aka Black Jazz Consortium. Noises EP is the 12th release by Arma. The cover features artwork by P.Kuznetsov.


More

tracks:
A1 Vakula - Modulation 01
A2 Vakula - Modulation 02
B1 Vakula - Modulation 03
B2 Vakula - Modulation 04

press release:
Four exceptional tracks, written by Ukrainian producer Vakula, form the Modulation EP — Arma label's 11th release. Known for his classic and deep house productions, Vakula steps up his techno game and approaches 4x4 zone with insistence and thoroughness his work has been always associated with. Record is covered in black cardboard, main artwork created by P. Kuznetsov



More

12" with HQ Printed Artwork
Tracklist
A1. Benjamin Brunn - Gamma Delta Epsilon A2. Alex Danilov Version B1. Steve Summers Version

Shortinfo:
Arma continues to translate the club’s unparalleled experience into vinyl format. 10th release from the label features Benjamin Brunn’s track ‘Gamma Delta Epsilon’ followed with two remixes by Steve Summers and Alex Danilov. In the original version Brunn merges techno and futuristic house patterns into beautiful grotesque rhythm construction. Both retakes show authors at their best: Alex Danilov creates a deep cosmic mood slowing down the tempo and adding dreamlike poetic chords, Steve Summers boils track down to laconic strong-beat narrative. The record comes in cover that features original painting by Pavlik Kuznetsov.

More

Warren Brown, London producer and dj known as Wbeeza, has written three exclusive tracks for Arma at his
studio in Peckham. Psychosomatic EP named after the most intense dance featured track will be released by
Arma Label. The vinyl, with an artwork by More