Thoughts:

"The holy grail for fans of Steve Soultek's peerless Echospace label which over the years has released some monumental 12's from himself and Deepchord. This limited edition 2 X CD compilation focuses on the magical work of cv313 and comes in a beautifully printed double gatefold CD.

Review:

"You see, Echospace [Detroit] presents: Altering Illusions Chapter One: cv313 (or whatever the hell this thing is actually called) is in fact the first chapter in a three part series of Altering Illusions releases, each focusing on a different artist. Two brand new cv313 albums instead of one? Yes, please. Furthermore, it makes for an amazing companion piece to the main Dimensional Space album, the tone and palette substantially different but the content every bit as essential.

There is no better statement of intent than the opening track, “Isis,” as jets of crystalline ice particles are shot through solar winds, which batter the soundstage to the rhythmic thump of a relentless beat. Forthcoming single “Fading Lights [Original]” ups the ante with shuffling rhythms, blunted beats, plumes of steam and tumbling breaks before the album spirals towards the dance-floor with the comparatively brief “Irradiate,” all pin-sharp hi-hats, fretwork and thundering bass.

We enter previously released singles territory at this point, with remastered versions of the both the original and particularly fine reduction of “Seconds To Forever,” “Dimensional” and “Sailing Stars” before the disc ends with “Beyond Starlit Sky [Live]” that reads like a re-pitched, holographic version of “Fading Lights.”

The only material here that doesn’t quite blend in is the odd slice of older single material. “Dimensional” sounds better than ever thanks to an even higher definition remaster, but feels like it belongs to a different era, and the harder stomp of “Sailing Stars” juts out at oblique angles, somehow out of place among its amorphous, vaporous siblings. But this is nitpicking given that this is ostensibly a compilation rather than a dedicated album, even though it mostly feels like the latter, rather than the former.

Perhaps the finest moments on Altering Illusions [Chapter One] cv313, however, are those found on the second disc, an even more seamless and unified experience than the first. It certainly has the power to surprise as it opens with “Longing For Darkness,” a delicate but metallic bowed synth string melody emerging from a mist of swirling vapour, soft static hiss and what sounds like a genuine field recording of a haunted, twilight whistle and howl of wind through deeply saturated, nocturnal environments. It is quite unlike anything cv313 has released before or since, a beautiful hybrid of cv313 textures, dense, whirring drones from Alva Noto’s Xerrox series of ambient albums and Thomas Koner’s panoramic soundscapes.

“Beyond The Clouds” is, for many, one of Hitchell and Modell’s key masterpieces and reason enough to own this compilation, which it closes in a beautifully remastered form, but if any shred of doubt still lingers in your mind, it should be utterly eradicated by one of Hitchell’s crowning achievements: I give you “Standing Still [Reduced].”

Seated regally at the epicenter of the majestic second disc, it is simply one of the ultimate expressions of cv313’s craft, a twenty-two minute pièce de résistance of meticulous and subtle artistry. Once you enter its orbit, and are enveloped in its supple blooms of synth, scything fx, soft flashes of electricity, deep-sea sub-bass throb and bass rumble, ever-so-subtle machine fan whir and the hypnotic, propulsive rhythm of the piece, a higher state of (un)consciousness is inescapable.

It’s followed by yet another album highlight in the newly minted “Magenta,” packed with turbulent whorls of dark beige storm clouds pregnant with rain and ice whipping around the adrenalin-fueled listener submerged in a tumbling life-support capsule full of bubbling fluid that muffles the beat to a in-ear heart pounding. And as already mentioned, the whole experience is beautifically rounded out by “Beyond The Clouds [Reprise]”.

Altering Illusions [Chapter One] cv313 is every bit as strong and essential as the debut cv313 album it supplements and acts as a nexus between cv313 material old and new. It has also just become available as a digital download on the echospace [detroit] Bandcamp site, for those who missed out on or are not interested in the physical CD edition. -Igloo Magazine credits released November 23, 2021

Written and Produced in Echospace,, Chicago / Detroit, USA. Mastered + Engineered by Steven Hitchell. “Beyond The Clouds” Mastered by Ron Murphy & Steven Hitchell, Additional mixing by Jamal Wallace @ NSC, Detroit, USA. © + ℗ by echospace [detroit] 2014

Distributed worldwide by: www.rubadub.co.uk | www.forcedexposure.com | www.diskunion.net

This release features the sonic worlds of variant's "vortexual" tape session series which includes all 8 editions clocking in at nearly 9 hours of sonic immersion deeper than the ocean floor. An expansive collection of all the developments which took place over the course of 4 years of recording this truly epic project. The sound design and vast array of analog circuitry illuminates these recordings with an ocean like depth, diving deeper than some of the original recordings.

Beautifully articulated commentary from our lovely supporters:

"A truly epic sound adventure. Ever moving and evolving. Washing through your ears like a deep underground river flowing with cavernous, reverberating bass and percussion. Stunning!"

"Probably the best music I’ve ever heard out of the tens of thousands of CDs in my collection. I would love it if this was played at my funeral... Phenomenal work! :) Favorite track: element four [tape session]."

"Echospace makes quantum processes audible. Even the most "static" noise is just part of a beautiful hidden structure."

"It takes some time to get this music. First you hear noise, then you notice movement. Then you notice patterns and finally you're making up little parts in your imagination to go along with it. Transforming."

"Variant is the aural equivalent of light from distant suns. It arrives, full of warmth, from across vast unfathomable distances. Compelled only by the invisible hand of the universe, it surrounds our atmosphere, indifferent to the woes of the world. Gentle, intimate, contented."

"Monumental collection. For the beauty of the sound, for the aura that emerges from it, i'd list these albums among the best and most important music collections of all time. The Dub Techno pillar is here, composed by 8 boulders, one above the other. Like Thomas Pynchon in modern literature, with his mammooth and eccentric books, this is Variant's master work and no one will ever rise easily above his level. This is pure absolute love in analogue tapes."

"Thank you so much for the warm exchange we had, and this collection ... This is an incredible chance you gave me. Thank you for those warm colors reflecting in my mind while winter came over Paris. You hold my heart."

"This Vortexual Tape Sessions series is simply astonishing. It's all there, in its most subtle form: the hiss, the resonance; the drone; the warmth; the space. Not a second of my time wasted. Brilliant. Favorite track: element one [tape session]."

"This is the ultimate look at the evolution of sound as created by Variant. Everything is embedded in these great sound-worlds in various permeations of modern electronic mixing and recording. Favorite track: element one [tape session]."

"element five = sex musik Favorite track: element five [tape session]."

Thank you for your support of these analogue dreams!

written & produced by variant. additional modular development(s) by jamal wallace and n.s. @ antique modulation [detroit] mi | usa. recorded and dubbed down to tape from 2013 - 2016.

Freshly recut and remastered in 2026 by the one and only POLE @ ~scape mastering from the 1/4" analog tapes originally mastered by the talented fellas at Alchemy Mastering in London; only enhancing and enriching every finite detail with extra bass pressure! Nearly 6 years in the making, this new 12" marks the return of echospace's critically acclaimed Intrusion project. The first incarnation of "A Gentle Embrace" came in the form of three extended reshapes from cv313 & variant and now we're proud to offer the original work on beautiful crystal clear 160 gram wax. This new release was engineered and mixed down from 1/4" analog tape and mastered by bazza (Abbey Road Studios, Radiohead.) at Alchemy, London. We'll let the music do the rest of the talking, from our heart to yours...

Some feedback:

"Stephen Hitchell, one half of Motor City dub-techno operators Echospace, revives his Intrusion alias in 2015 for new album project A Gentle Embrace. That title speaks volumes, quietly. This is techno-music stripped back to its bare bones, its raw elements. The A side (Original) is filled with wave-upon-wave of gaseous atmospheres being tickled by a twitching, propulsive Wolfgang Voight percussion. Flip-side, Hitchell brings the Kick. But only just, before it disappears into the wormhole. Pressed loud on crystal clear 160g wax. Engineered and mixed down from 1/4" analogue tape and mastered by Bazza (Abbey Road Studios, Thom Yorke / Radiohead)... more

w + p by intrusion. mixed in echospace. mastered by bazza@alchemy mastering, london, uk.

Expected release: May 15, 2026

Freshly recut and remastered in 2026 by the one and only POLE @ ~scape mastering from the 1/4" analog tapes originally mastered by the talented fellas at Alchemy Mastering in London; focusing and enriching every finite detail. "Fading Lights,", a vortex of analog warmth provides a provocative synergy pushing the boundaries between synthetic and organic movement, a sonic illusion. These enthralling hypnotic moments lead us into the seduction of groove with, "Magenta" a lesson in space and bass. The art of restraint is clearly on display as one feels as they are floating in zero gravity for an extended 14 minute journey which leaves you feeling as though only a moment has gone by, sonic submersion of the highest order. This is music to drift out, to float in, to dream thru, to love to, the magic is in the mystics. Essential!

Thoughts:

Clear Vinyl - the first new 12" single from Echospace in 2014, engineered and mixed down from 1/4" analog tape and mastered at Alchemy Brand new gear from CV313's dub chamber, engineered and mixed down from 1/4" analog tape and mastered by Bazza at Alchemy. A-side delivers the effortless, skanking momentum of 'Fading Lights' buoyed by swollen subs and choked on dense, heavy shag atmospheres. B-side: 'Magenta' follows suit with thirteen minutes of frayed bass heave and clotted filter treatments delving deep into the most abyssal dub house subduction zones. -Boomkat

Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell's cv313 project present new material, one of two 12"s released simultaneously on their Echospace Detroit label. Fading Lights is suitably deep, the ethereal hiss of space rolling over the lilting dub synth patterns for which the duo is famous. Magneta, on the flip, is a darker and deeper affair, far-off rattles and gurgles truly hypnotic in their composition. Sparse and simple, it takes a lot to make so vibrant a sound with so few elements, but these guys are the masters. -Bleep

As the second part of a two-pronged issue from the lauded Echospace camp, “Fading Lights” delivers everything you would want to hear from Rod Modell and Stephen Hitchell as they work expressive echoes and feedbacks into the most immersive dub techno money can buy. The icy swathes of gaseous mist that course between the grumbling chords keeps things at a cool constant, with no need for the track to rise above a gentle simmer to impart its magic. “Magenta” is even more distant in its disposition, keeping the static hiss in front of the mix and everything else pulsing away behind with the kind of subtlety that few can pull off quite so magnificently. -Juno

Expected release: May 15, 2026

Freshly remastered in 2026 by the one and only POLE @ ~scape mastering from the 1/4" analog tapes originally mastered by the talented fellas at Alchemy Mastering in London; only enhancing and enriching every finite detail with extra bass pressure! These have been out of print for over a decade and then some! A beautiful timeless sonic artifact from the echospace archival cannon! Finally available on wax, cv313's classic "lost sequence" culled from the celebrated Japan exclusive "live" double CD album released back in 2009. This was lovingly remastered by Bazza @ Alchemy Mastering in London, paying close attention to every finite detail. This master has never sounded so good. On the B side there's a rare live version performed by intrusion at a loft event put on by the good folks over @ Little White Earbuds. This rare recording was reduced and stripped down, core traces of the original swim inside oceanic bass, and modulating frequencies creating an atmosphere all of its own. This is one for the heads.

Thoughts:

Finally available on wax, cv313's classic "Lost Sequence" culled from the celebrated Japan exclusive live double CD album released back in 2009. This was lovingly remastered by Bazza @ Alchemy Mastering in London, paying close attention to every finite detail. This master has never sounded so good. On the thicker, sludgier end of the cv313 spectrum, I'd say this is more inclined towards the very, very late nocturnal hours, perhaps just before morning twilight. Apart from the pulsing smog and undulating static the odd cascading dub fragment is all that litters the mix as it motors on against a wall of intangible resistance. On the B side there's a rare live version performed by Intrusion at a loft event put on by the good folks over @ Little White Earbuds. This rare recording was reduced and stripped down, core traces of the original swim inside oceanic bass, and modulating frequencies creating an atmosphere all of its own. This displays the more celestial, dreamy, gravity-less side of Rod Model's projects, a floatation device of bliss sent from the heavens to allow us to ascend. Fans of echospace won't need convincing to buy this record, so anyone else wishing to get submerged in their unique, all encompassing deepness needs to get those skates on! Highly recommended! -Phonica

8/10 from Clinton (Staff) on 22 December 2015 Picture the scene. Our work Christmas do. Phil would like to do a small toast as the meals arrive. Myself and Ant are distracted, we are talking about…….Deepchord. We make amazing company.

So as you can see dub techno can infiltrate even the wildest of Christmas parties. It would be one step up to actually play this new CV313 release at a Christmas party. I’d certainly dance. It’s the usual silhouetted techno with fluttery things bouncing around the mix and it’s either at a higher BPM than normal or I’m playing it at the wrong speed. Switching overleaf is like switching from sitting on a plastic chair to nestling in a warm and snug armchair. It’s sooooooo soft! Beautiful pillows of sound emit from every gap in the cushions. It’s the listening equivalent of the material on a Marks and Spencer’s ladies dressing gown.

8/10 -Norman Records

This latest echospace [detroit] transmission features remastered mix of Lost Sequence plus an Intrusion dub. The original Lost Sequence was found on their 2009 Live CD and makes its first appearance on wax on the A-side. B-side, you’ll find Intrusion’s expanded, rolling dub; over 16 minutes of deep fried analog texture as claggy as a Glasgow chippy air vent. -Boomkat

Finally available on wax, cv313's classic "Lost Sequence" culled from the celebrated Japan exclusive live double CD album released back in 2009. This was lovingly remastered by Bazza @ Alchemy Mastering in London, paying close attention to every finite detail. This master has never sounded so good. On the thicker, sludgier end of the cv313 spectrum, I'd say this is more inclined towards the very, very late nocturnal hours, perhaps just before morning twilight. Apart from the pulsing smog and undulating static the odd cascading dub fragment is all that litters the mix as it motors on against a wall of intangible resistance. On the B side there's a rare live version performed by Intrusion at a loft event put on by the good folks over @ Little White Earbuds. This rare recording was reduced and stripped down, core traces of the original swim inside oceanic bass, and modulating frequencies creating an atmosphere all of its own. This displays the more celestial, dreamy, gravity-less side of Rod Model's projects, a floatation device of bliss sent from the heavens to allow us to ascend. Fans of echospace won't need convincing to buy this record, so anyone else wishing to get submerged in their unique, all encompassing deepness needs to get those skates on! Highly recommended! -Piccadilly

written & produced by c v 3 1 3, recorded live @ smartbar, chicago, usa. remastered and cut by bazza @ alchemy mastering, london. distributed worldwide by rubadub, glasgow, uk.

Expected release: May 15, 2026