The great Polish label Sangoplasmo is one the most interesting imprints to emerge from this region over the past few years, having released the likes of Aranos but also several oddly beautiful albums by the likes of Lutto Lento or Katapulto. It’s 2012 release schedule starts off with a bang - with no less than 4 tapes.

Aside from Burial Hex and Felicia Atkinson who has yearning, hypnotic and folorn songs recorded in Amish Country, there is also a lovely little number by the Ukrainian based sound artists Edward Sol. His telling “How Can I Sleep With These Voices In My Head” is an unudulterated, unprocessed field recording of thousands of frogs which he recorded in 2011 in Lychanka, Ukraine where he lives. A psychedelic organic journey into uncanny sounds of nature unfolds.

You can listen to the soundbites here.

Another installment of our monthly podcasts, this time chartering the first month of the year (usually a pretty dead period in terms of releases), but there’s still good stuff released. From Dark Side of Pop compilation by Poland’s Cowshed Records, to the 90s sonic tribute Crni Pek to Romanian hommage to a Czech composer. Sound-wise it’s dark and gloomy and cold, not dissimilar to the weather outside. 

Poland has been no novice to witch-influenced tunes (courtesy of Cowshed Records), but lately there have been projects appearing on the scene that even though utilising some of the aesthetics of the once popular microgenre, create their own sonic language. 

Lasariage is a project of Jakub Wojciechowski who was also featured on Cowshed’s compilation Side Effects last year. His influences range from Boards of Canada via Beastie Boys to Salem. His latest album R■n■sans is out now and it follows in a characteristically languid vein but also offers some light at the end of the day (with customary John F. Kennedy samples on the way).

You can download and listen to the album here.

Zmikeo! came into our attention whilst frantically searching for Serbia’s up-and-coming musical hidden gems before heading there at the tail end of last summer. We came across the mysterious Zmikeo! (aka Milos Petrovic) - whom we digged so much we put up his first live gig in Pancevo near Belgrade, in September. His dark, uncanny music has blossomed over the time as evident from his latest 13 minute epic track Stem Cell. Less dirty sounding, more weird and adventurous with what sounds like live? drum sounds.

Compilations have increasingly become a medium of choice for many labels these days, a quick and easy way how to put up loads of tracks by loads of producers without a need to release separate EPs (we’ve been part of the game too we admit with a new comp coming out in next couple of weeks:). But eventually the more good music gets exposed, the better. 

The fledgling Polish netlabel Cowshed Records has a new comp out (check out the previous one here). Originally focused on the much-maligned microgenre witch house, Cowshed rec. is spreading its musical scope into other related macabre aural territories (be it Kate Bush-esque vocals, to dubtech, to dreamy excurcions to techno), and their latest compilation, aptly entitled Dark Side of Pop is only a sonic manifestation of this. It features a diverse array of Polish producers, from the established like Pleq (who delivers a surprisingly witchy number), to newcomers like Ebola Ape who has a nice collaboration with Fuka Lata’s Lee DVD to the Luxembourg import Sun Glitters.