NYZ – Old Trx [87-93] (Ltd Purple 2LP)

NYZ — OLD TRX [87-93]

A seriously deep archival haul from Dave Burraston’s cult NYZ project, OLD TRX [87-93] collects eleven unreleased pieces of bleep techno, ambient noise, breakbeat hardcore and mutant computer music created between 1987 and 1993.

Built with early Cubase and Amiga software during electronic music’s formative bedroom-studio era, these tracks capture a moment when producers were inventing the basic vocabulary of rave in real time. Burraston, however, rarely follows the expected script. Instead, the album careers between meditation-tape ambience, warped machine funk, proto-speed garage bass, frantic breakbeats, scorching noise and slippery proto-trance.

“damage” opens up a compressed cyberpunk world before “self_hypnotic_tapez” slips into a hypnagogic drift. Elsewhere, “patheticsocialmisfits” unleashes berserk breakbeat energy, “flatline” bends toward remarkably prescient speed-garage territory, “JP4_PhonosonicsRM_DRN” goes full noise assault and “CEZbulgan” closes in on a sleazy early-trance pulse. With no drum pattern used twice, the whole record feels constantly animated and unstable.

Fans of AFX’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Humanoid’s early sessions and Autechre’s Legofeet will find familiar coordinates, but OLD TRX [87-93] ultimately sounds like its own alternate history of rave: technical, psychedelic, funny, abrasive and strangely timeless.

Mastered and cut by Anna at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin. Pressed on purple vinyl and housed in a screen-printed jacket. Limited edition of 300.

Tracklisting

• A1. Damage
  A2. Awe And Mystery
  A3. Normanz Spade
  B1. Uoldbastard
  B2. Flatline
  B3. JP4_PhonosonicsRM_DRN
  C1. The Interceptor
  C2. SWcmntr_DRNvshort
  C3. Pathetic Social Misfits
  D1. CEZbulgan
  D2. Self_Hypnotic_Tapez

• Playlist:

RIYL: AFX / Aphex Twin
Autechre / Legofeet
Humanoid / Brian Dougans
Early Warp Records
Bleep techno, hardcore continuum, Amiga electronics

Format: Purple vinyl, screen-printed jacket; edition of 300
Genre: Bleep Techno / Ambient / Noise / Breakbeat Hardcore
Label: The Death Of Rave
Country: UK
Year: 2020 - archival recordings (1987–1993)