Lektroid returns with his first full length album, showcasing with 9 songs, the incredible talent this artist has to offer. A unique artist to say the least, Lektroid utilizes home-made synthesizers, as well as many classic vintage keyboards, which have helped to define his music as having a rich, classic synthesis sound, with mild old school Electro Funk influences, highly driven towards the future with a masterful fusion of the 80's sound, with 90's Techno and Rave music.

Bringing you "Electro-Funk Selection", the album might lead you to believe the album has a more retro feel, yet what you will find are innovative, and eclectic compositions, that, like mentioned before, bring together the past few decades of Electro music, into an incredibly well crafted collection of the many different styles the genre has to offer.

Starting things off with "Eta Carinae", the album opens up with a majestic and alluring beauty of a song, with mystifying melodic stabs that, together with the great use of reverb throughout the song, create a wonderful soundscape, full of spaced out sounds, 303s, and deeply intriguing pads. Next up is "Hydra", which picks up the pace, introducing hypnotic arpeggios, carefully filtered in gentle sweeps. A classic, and very energizing bassline kicks the tune into a funky groove, as female sampled vocals speaking of Extraterrestrial life deduce the theme of the track.

"Harmonix" begins to get its hands a little dirty with this apocalyptic, menacing tune, as high-powered distorted bass kicks pound the ground with no mercy. A Detroit styled bassline, coupled with the subtle use of the 303, is met by sweeping oscillations, while brooding pads create a dark and sinister mood. Next up we have a remix of "Solar Storm", which appeared in 2009, on the Streetsounds Vol. 2 compilation, this time reworked into a nice blend of Detroit, Miami, and old school Electro Funk influences, in some ways leaving many of the elements of the original somewhat intact, but shuffling stuff around a little to make things interesting.

Another tune included in this album which appeared on Streetsounds, this time on the Vol. 3 Electro compilation, was "Welcome To The Future", returning here as the original instrumental. Heavy percussive elements, ferocious bass pads, and deranged sequences come together as one to destroy any and all sound systems with high-magnitude sub-sonic vibrations, as bizarre vocals add some touch, and a little bit of intrigue. "Twice As Nice" keeps the malevolent vibrations running in the beginning, but begins to slow the tempo down a little, as the rhythm changes up into an almost dub-step like groove. Mystifying, yet gritty melodic stabs fade in, as a vibrant array of strings create a sultry backdrop, soon to be met by luminous arpeggios and sequences which throw this track into over-drive. A real nice tune this one, and a great companion for your car or club.

"Dreams", featuring Bryoney Love, continues the trend of dub-step rhythms, but pulls back on the crunchy, gritty textures found on the previous songs, bringing in much more lush synth lines, and gentle spaced out modulations, that turn this song into a majestic composition. Love's voice is a beautiful addition, adding a gentle, but somewhat mysterious vibe to the whole song, executed with care, and skill, effected in just the perfect way. "Decontamination Block" is another slow, melancholic song which starts off with delightful melodies, while quirky sounds compliment with a little complexity. About a quarter of the way through, the beat changes into a 4x4 beat, which adds to the eclectic nature of this album, and shows the versatility of the artist.

Last on this great collection of tunes, is "Lightspeed", which holds true to its name, as it kicks into high gear, with this spellbinding production. The melodies seem to almost play in reverse in the beginning, but create a very enigmatic mood, as frantic sequences join in, creating a relentless, and vivacious club banger with gleaming strings that cut right through your very soul. Albums that end in this way, are almost a bit torturous, leaving you in the dust craving for more; anything that can come your way to relieve the desire to continue with this fantastic joy-ride...but this is it for this one. Let's just wait to see what Lektroid cooks up next, since we know it will not just be as fascinating as this album, but better...much better! Stay tuned.
- Santino Fernandez

Source: TechnoBass.net

Richard Elliott aka LektroiD, has been producing electro for more than two decades. That, of course, becomes evident through the nine tracks of his latest release 'ELECTRO-FUNK SELECTION'.

Starting off with 'Eta Carinae', the track slowly builds up, diving into a deep space of filtered melodies leading to the second track 'Hydra'. An extraordinary track with classic electro beats, engaging chord progressions and climaxing lead melodies. 'Harmonix', the third track, offers darker edgy synth bursts with a driving resonant bassline. The fourth track is a remix of 'Solar Storm'. An irresistible mix of dirty basslines and fast beats with warm dramatic synth leads. 'Welcome To The Future (Original Instrumental)' is the next track where we see an impressive electro sonic exploration with thumping beats and a thunderous bassline. 'Twice as nice', is yet another special track. One of those tracks that with its captivating melodies and chord progressions leave a feeling of euphoria to the listener, and is, appropriately, followed by the mellower track 'Dreams (featuring Bryoney Love)' where the lush pads and ethereal vocals manage to push all the right buttons. 'Demolition Block' starts off with a mellow vibe and builds up to a beautiful - full on 4/4 beat - electronic track, while maintaining its original 'delicate' vibes. Moving on, the last track 'Lightspeed II', with fast electro beats, sweeping pads and a memorable lead sequence, is a great a way to end this album. There is also a bonus, hidden track 'Moving Out', a banging ten minute 'live jam' session, guaranteed to satisfy all the electro-heads.

From a more 'technical' point of view, the album is immaculately produced. All the tracks are very carefully constructed/arranged and mixed. The beat programming is excellent and it is obvious that there's a lot of thought/work/artistry behind each track. One thing is for sure. LektroiD, manages to breathe life into his robots.
- George Embryonik

Source: ChainDLK.com

Lektroid is back! Classy and spacey Electro Funk master Richard Elliot returns with his next self-released album called "Quantum Theory", 14 songs ( these are not "tracks" 😉 ) full of deeply emotive soundscapes, futuristic and skillful programming, and superb production, that will take you on a mystifying cosmic ride through the unknown layers of the Multi-verse.

Things start off with "Knowledge", an alluring Electro Funk jam with all the right elements: crisp basslines, spaced out sequencing, beautiful mesmerizing pads and strings, as classy 808s drop the beat and start the record. Next up, "Macrocosm" pushes forward with mystique, as it introduces innovative programming, and hands you a heavy dose of some of the most incredible melodies recorded in quite some time. This one touches deep within you, and inspires memories of a distant star that suddenly went Supernova.

"Fascination" seems to bring us to a steadier place, as calmness surrounds you while feeling your soul resonate to the sumptuous grooves you will find in this one. "Dark Matter" on the other hand starts to drop the funk as we begin to travel down the wormhole and into a place where the unseen envelopes all around you. Mysterious sonic manipulations seep in from every corner, as low and deep vocoders introduce 4x4 rhythms and a fabulous Detroit-styled bassline. Things break down soon enough into cool Electro beats as female vocal samples feed food for thought with ideas about one of the most intriguing aspects of the universe.

The suspense continues as "Supersonic" gets into gear, then seems to travel back to the future to a place where old school Rave energies dominated the scene, with acid sequences, and uplifting melodies. Seductive accompaniments, metallic stabs, shrill drones, and powerful beats will make you move as you embrace the warm synths that come in around at the chorus. Superb song! "Modular" comes up next, which you may remember from Dominance Electricity's "Global Surveyor Phase 3", and is a fave of the team. This one is a bit more retro in some ways, while also pushing forward with complex melodic arrangements, and skillful vocoders, which together create an incredible atmosphere of rich synthetic tones, and funky beats that will captivate as much as they will dominate your every move.

"Glow" gets real smooth, yet introduces rhythmic breakbeats and a bassline that reminds you of the early days of the 2000's when "Nu Skool Breaks" dominated the Rave scene. "Parametric Shift" on the other hand slows things down a bit, as it engulfs you with spacey pads, intriguing sequencing, and hypnotic vocals as the beat drops bass booms every so often. Soon we find one of the true gems of this album, "Energy Tech", which along with hints of Detroit, dives into a mystifying soundscape of mesmerizing synths, and inspiring melodic accompaniments as it breaks down into powerful beats reverberated with such class every so often.

We continue with the funky and intelligent "Moon Landing", featuring clips of JFK's famous "Man On The Moon" speech, full of gritty bass tones, and mind-bending swirls and sweeps that decorate the background with style. "True Rebels" starts off with Housey grooves, and gets joined by pulsating bass synths as beautiful melancholic stabs give it some soul. "Synthtone 1000" on the other hand starts to get back into the space funk with sinister 303s, and mischevious step sequencing. The beats in this one get really interesting as the claps spread out and reverberate in a very unique way. Pads adorn the space in between as they phase with gentleness coming together with hints of old school breaks.

Metropolis begins to lead us towards the end of this fantastic album with a good dose of energy, as warm basstones are met by shrewd sweeps, and classic acid lines. Soon enough the sentiment begins to pour in with sumptuous pads and arps that grace this unique song with such a subtle nature. Last but not least we have "Sci-Fi Jungle", the rebel of the pack, and quite a unique treat from Lektroid. Not since Mandroid's "No Space Left In Space", from his classic "Anti-Gravity Machines" album on FBI Recordings, have we had an homage to the sounds of Jungle, which in this fabulous song happens in a similar fashion, but with the artist's signature sound. Pulsing drones keep the suspense going as claves strike in the background with just the right touch of delays and reverbs. The beat slowly speeds up to tempo, as quirky sound effects dance around the elements of this production, which ironically enough turns into a beautiful, soothing masterpiece.

Lektroid continues building on his legacy as one of the rare talented Electronic musicians who attempts to push the music forward, while paying respects to the roots of the art in general, with well thought out melodic arrangements, clean production, well balanced dynamics, and innovative sound design and vocalizations that seems to be less prevalent in Electronic music as a whole; especially given the fact most artists these days seem to be using more and more sample packs, rather than starting from scratch, or learning the craft from the core up. This album is bound to be a timeless masterpiece, and will give you exactly what you need, when you need it. Get it now, and support! Available only on digital formats through Bandcamp, iTunes, Juno, Amazon, and most outlets where you buy this music.
- Santinto Fernandez

Source: TechnoBass.net

Active since early 80s as producer and DJ, Richard Elliott has released music under the Energy Principle, Brainstormer, Logical Breaks, Brainstorm Crew, Sola, Solaris, Wise Ones, LektroiD monikers and under his own name. I had the chance to check some of his tracks as Lektroid on the Binalog Productions and Dominance Electricity compilations I reviewed as well as on a couple I purchased ("Nu Electro" volume 2 and 3).

RIchard started to play as a self taught pianist at age 11 and has been producing his own breakbeat, ambient and electro since the 1980s, starting on his trusted Commodore 64 and analogue hardware. First getting his music played in a club called 'Tekno Dreem' in Peterborough, UK back in 1989, soon after he teamed up with various other artists as a producer, forming groups such as Digital Kaos, Mysticism and the better known Brainstorm Crew. After leaving the Brainstorm Crew, Richard teamed back up with the other member of Digital Kaos for another release, which was also on F-Project.

After producing and remixing for several other dance-floor related genres through the '90s, Richard had further involvement in the breakbeat scene under the moniker Brainstormer. After that, he started to produce music under the LektroiD moniker and released tracks for Street Sounds, Binalog Productions, and Dominance Electricity. He started his own label Lek Productions and released four single and two albums since.

The latest one, is titled "Quantum Theory" and contains fifteen new tracks which are in balance from 80s electro, 90s techno, space atmospheres, a little bit of acid (on "Synthone 1000") and breakbeat (the closing "Bar Groove"). LektroiD's sound is powerful and rich thanks to Richard's decades experience and also thanks to the fact that he builds some of his machines, giving in this way, a personal touch to the lot. Mixing 808 and 909 drum sounds with bleeping dry sounds, warm pads and a bit of filtered vocals, LektroiD's music tend to be upbeat and dancey but without forgetting the importance of melody and a complex rhythmical texture. Check for example "Macrocosm": it sounds like an early 80s electro version of Jean Michael Jarre with catchy synth phrases. You can check and purchase the album at this link: lektroid.bandcamp.com/album/quantum-theory
- Maurizio Pustianaz

Source: ChainDLK.com