Hey chums. Just gotta kick things off this week with a hearty congratulations to the winner of this year’s New Japan Climax G1 Tournament, Winnipeg’s own Kenny Omega. A longtime favourite of this site, neither we nor any of the puroresu pundits we subscribe to thought that the talented but often overlooked New Japan star would have been able to claim what is arguably the most prestigious prize in the world of pro wrestling. Thus concludes the grueling 91 match round robin wrestling tournament, which sets up a match at January’s legendary Tokyo Dome show Wrestle Kingdom, and also lets us get back to paying attention to other stuff. Like, say, this weeks new Tracks!

Spit Mask

Spit Mask. Hairnets couldn’t hurt, either.

SΛRIN, “Control”
An exclusive ID:UD premiere, we’ve got the new vid from SΛRIN and the latest track to be released ahead of the Toronto ex-pat’s just dropped first release for the premiere label in their new hometown of Berlin, Aufnahme + Wiedergabe. All of the grimy body meanness which has made SΛRIN a favourite around the HQ is on full display here, but the swing and bounce on this joint should help get SΛRIN into the ears (and eyes and mouth) of plenty of club-goers.

Hide, “Resurrection (Statiqbloom remix)”
Writing Tracks is easy when two artists we follow hook up a collab of some kind. See, for example, this dope remix of Chicago darkwave/electro act by Statiqbloom, aka Fade Kainer of Theologian, Battilus, and a few others besides. Per discogs, the “Resurrection/Force Fed” single was originally a limited (as in ask for it from the band themselves) cassette, but now Bandcamp has both tracks for your downloading pleasure, with this remix plus another by Sanford Parker as a bonus. Not bad at all, and nice melding of styles from two low-key lights of the current dark electronic music renaissance.

Spit Mask, “Easily Intimidated”
Violent and spirited stuff outta Houston. Makes callbacks to the roughest early stuff by :wumpscut: and maybe even Whitehouse, but there’s also some influence being taken from Youth Code’s fusing of hardcore vocals overtop of driving and raw industrial rhythm. The duo of Bryan and Rachel Jackson have just put a tape out on Clan Destine, and we’re looking forward to biting into it further.

Xenturion Prime feat. Truls Haugen, “The Touch”
Stan Bush’s stirring confidence rock classic “The Touch” is undoubtedly one of the most memorable things about Transformers: The Movie. As such, we were keen to hear Xenturion Prime’s take on it when we first heard tell of the Respect the Prime project, an offshoot of his Electronic Saviours charity endeavours. Envisioned as a complete rebuild of the 1986 animated film’s soundtrack, the release also features contributions from Caustic (covering Weird Al’s “Dare to be Stupid”!), Victor Love, Deathproof and Everything Goes Cold amongst others. All profits from the release go towards cancer research, so grab the d/l from Bandcamp and crank it during your next training montage. Until that day, ’til all are one!

Street Sects, “And I Grew Into Ribbons”
We know The Flenser more for their black metal releases (word to Skagos and Panopticon) than fare related to this site, but we’ll be damned if this first full-length from Austin’s Street Sects isn’t looking to be right in our wheelhouse. Using finely pureed samples to build up post-hardcore wipeouts, we’re having to reach far and wide to think of comparisons. Error? Vampire Rodents? Fresh and mean, however you parse it.

Urusai, “Asphyxiate”
We were super happy to see the return of our pal Gregg McGillivray’s Urusai project last year, and equally pleased to get this teaser for his next release. Eerie, subtle synth movements and glitched up drums are amongst the many tools that McGillivray commonly uses in his music, sometimes blown up to massive proportions and sometimes (like here) kept to a more intimate and personal scale. Officially excited for the release, which we hear tell is not gonna to be too far off.