Tag Archives: VLSI

Switched On – BUNKR: Signs EP (VLSI)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

As James Dean, aka BUNKR, writes: “Signs is a companion piece created from the same sessions as my recent album Signals, but looking in a different direction.

Where Signals explored the mysteries, memories and hidden histories of the Surrey Hills, Signs follows those signals towards the distant glow of the city beyond.

The EP captures the pull of the metropolis: the lights, movement and endless energy of urban life viewed from afar. Built around hypnotic loops, shifting rhythms and immersive electronic textures, Signs continues the story begun with Signals: a journey through memory, place and the unseen connections between the natural and human worlds.”

What’s the music like?

If you know BUNKR, you know Dean has a high quality threshold for what he releases, and this EP is no different, presenting typically atmospheric and evocative music, with a hint of mystery and bags of widescreen colour.

From the outset Construct Collapse grips the listener with its widescreen panorama, reaching a thrilling high when the four to the floor beat drops. Cruisen presents a cooler but equally rewarding picture, before the reassuring thick drone backing Eternal Cities comes to the fore. When it cuts loose, the beat and busy synths on this track are a killer combination – and are complemented by The Distance Ate Itself, bringing us back to earth.

Does it all work?

It does – time and space are a given in BUNKR’s music, but so are melody and imagination. All are present here.

Is it recommended?

Absolutely – the ideal companion piece to the excellent LP. If you don’t have either yet, get both!

Listen / Buy

Published post no.3,031 – Monday 28 September 2026

Switched On – BUNKR: Signals (VLSI)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

The roots of Signals can be found in the Surrey Hills. There, James Dean witnessed a phosphorescent sphere in the sky above Pitch Hill, close to the Mullard Space Science Laboratory; a phenomenon seen by friends and reported in the local press.

The memory has stayed with Dean since, and now he uses his BUNKR alias to tell the story of the hills and their significance in his life, whether this mysterious event, childhood bicycle adventures or post-midnight raves.

What’s the music like?

Typically engaging, but this time around BUNKR’s music has more subtle yet far-reaching emotional depth. The Light We Saw paints an evocative picture of that night, but is only the beginning of the story, continued by the spacious 96 Refraction, where dreamy synth loops encounter distant breakbeats on the horizon, their initial ambience cleverly pivoted for them to take control of the track.

Quarry Transcendence is a hive of rhythmic activity, over and above the held chords, while the reflective These Hills goes into deeper, more thoughtful territory. Eyes Like Mirrors plays out without beats, a thick cloud of ambience that sparkles at the edges – the ‘sci-fi daydream’ that Dean hints at in his album commentary. This Side Of Forever wraps up the vision beautifully, a coda of analogue drums and bright synth lines glinting at the edges.

Does it all work?

It does, and thanks to clever sequencing the album has a really satisfying ebb and flow the whole way through.

Is it recommended?

Yes, with enthusiasm. BUNKR is becoming a real force to be reckoned with in electronic music, and this descriptive album is another valuable string to his bow.

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,877 – Monday 4 May 2026

New Music – BUNKR: Signals (VLSI)

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by Ben Hogwood, with text lifted from the press release

Electronic musician BUNKR, the project under which James Dean operates, has announced new album Signal for release on 24 April 2026. The long player is prefaced by the release of two new tracks, 96 Refraction and Eyes Like Mirrors.

96 Refraction channels a drum and bass beat similar to what you might have heard in that year, with some deeply appealing widescreen musical movement, BUNKR’s music projecting into the distance. Eyes Like Mirrors covers a similarly large space, with washes of ambient sound that drift like spray.

On his Bandcamp page, BUNKR sets the scene for the new album. “It began with a flash of light over the Surrey Hills. A phosphorescent sphere pierced the night sky above Pitch Hill then promptly vanished as quickly as it had appeared, witnessed by a group of friends and later reported in the local papers. Stranger still was its proximity to the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, tucked deep in the woods nearby. Whether cosmic or coincidental, the moment left its mark — a signal from elsewhere, fleeting but unforgettable…”

The new album “is shaped by these formative encounters with space, sound, and the unknown…” while musically it “expands BUNKR’s world of detailed, immersive electronics. Shimmering ambient textures drift against polyrhythmic patterns and breaks; synth lines pulse like coded transmissions; fragments of rave energy flicker and dissolve into wide, cinematic soundscapes.”

As James says, it promises to be “a record rooted in the landscapes of youth, but tuned to the infinite possibilities of the horizon.”

Published post no.2,832 – Friday 20 March 2026

Switched On – Octavcat: Ailurophobia (VLSI)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Matt and Rich Cawte’s Octavcat project has yielded some very fine electronic music to date, and with Ailurophobia they deliver their second album for the VLSI label.

Ailurophobia is ‘an intense, irrational and persistent fear of cats’ – a title that was almost certainly applied to this album in jest. That would fit with the subtle sense of humour that Cawte have brought to their music, and also the feline that graces the cover! Here it is described as “a ten-track selection of woozy, playful electronic music, precision hewn from the finest hardware synthesizers.”

What’s the music like?

What it says on the tin! An entertaining selection of beats and electronic activity from the duo that is consistently engaging and full of good ideas.

Beats ricochet across their steadily evolving pictures, which are often descriptive and carried out on several speed levels. CV Behaviour, for instance, is an amiable collision of early techno percussion and nuggets, with broader thoughts spanning greater distances.

Some of the music has a slightly sinister edge, with the dubby trudge of Skjærgård especially strong. Set 22b is an appealing, easy jam, while the closing Wrong Gravity is really excellent, from the glowering depths of the bass to some seriously big vistas that open out beautifully on headphones.

Arguably the pick of the bunch is the strongly evocative Gibbous, upping the tempo with strong, busy beats and acidic riffs but with a majestic breakdown that seems to represent the night sky itself. 

Does it all work?

It does – and repeated listening reveals extra layers within those you’ve already heard.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically – an electronic tapestry whose colourful secrets are revealed with imagination and flair. No need to fear Octavcat on this evidence!

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Published post no.2,826 – Saturday 14 March 2026

Switched On – BUNKR: Antenne Remixed (VLSI)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

BUNKR’s third album Antenne, released nearly a year ago, was based on the radio station of the same name “devoid of any human voice to provide us with clues. No big ups for the SW9 crew, no ads for the turbo-sound rave with safe security.  The 97.9 FM frequency was vibrant with all manner of cosmic, unending playlists of widescreen techno, breakbeats, ambient washes and occasional forays into obscure German synth music”. The producer – aka James Dean – brought it to life with expressive, moody soundscapes painting a series of atmospheric pictures. Each was ripe for a remix – and VLSI present here a series of interpretations of a number of tracks from the album, each one built from the lost audio files and recordings of Antenne broadcasts.

What’s the music like?

Consistently absorbing. There is a lot of busy beat making going on here, with the emphasis tending to be on the rhythm section over melodic input. However there was already plenty of that in the original BUNKR material, so the combination works really well.

Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan kicks things off with a busy mix of Oriam Speedway, beats chattering down the airwaves above a longer, drawn out line that gives plenty of space.

There is a similar urgency to the Mattr remix of the same track, while the beats get even more prominence from Polyop, and the clattering set of percussion used in the remake of I Feel Eye See. Faex Optim’s take on this track is a widescreen winner, backed with a heavy break, while Alphabox gives a nice, dreamy contrast towards the end of Aquatakt.

Echaskech save some of the best moments until last, their studied and rather majestic account of Nectar Rushes bringing cool ambience and space.

Does it all work?

It does – the only regret being there aren’t a couple more remixes to enjoy. Yet this is a really strong package that gives a great variety of beatmaking.

Is it recommended?

It is. The remix album really should be employed more, for it is a great way of seeing how producers work and getting another view of their process. This group is an example of just how effective the process can be.

For fans of… Echaskech, Fluke, Ulrich Schnauss, Leftfield, Hybrid

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,533 – Thursday 15 May 2025