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Following on a trio of successes with established talent, for our fourth release MANHIGH takes an excursion to lesser-known regions with experimentalist Desroi. Previously known from EPs on his eponymous imprint and Total Black the German newcomer quickly caught our attention. Beginning with the opener, 'Indifferent', we are introduced to his heavily sculpted, hypnotic sound world, where a rolling, repeating rhythmic framework is echoed in the higher registers with heavily-filtered delay loops, and a melodic lead line taken deeply into dub provides both a centerpiece and the basis for many other elements. Another relatively new talent currently rising quickly to wider notice, Phase Fatale's relaunch of 'Indifferent' stays resolutely in his own world, a grinding, banging amalgamation of distortion, punishing in its resolve and propelled by mutated elements of the Desroi's original piece. His idea of 'Apathy' invokes entirely more aggressive emotions than the word's conventional usage, tightly winding bleeps around a rigid sequence kept in motion by constant effects and sporadic drum hits, which then transforms at is halfway point with the entrance of harder kicks driven by an open hat. 'Sopor' induces trance states more than it does sleep; sophisticated applications of delay effects and patient acid combine for a deep, inward-looking hypnotic state with momentary shifts in rhythm and color evoking the ephemeral nature of dreams.

Roman producer (and a force behind MinimalRome label) Valerio Lombardozzi known as Heinrich Dressel returns to Barba with a second release for our label, titled "The Styx Swamp". Heinrich has a unique way of combining classic techno and electro sounds with elements from the beloved Drexcyan universe and John Carpenter leitmotifs, and making them come together in a manner that both moves your body and pushes your mind beyond the point of awareness. As with the previous record, "Lurking Underwater", here he pulls off the move with the same efficiency and without sounding like he's repeating himself. "Gray Slope", "Sailing The Nether Waterways" and "The Styx Swamp" are all quite moody and deep, rich with sound and thick with vibe. However, the tracks feel equally at home in 4 am techno situation and a heady afterhours affair. He truly is a master of crafting hybrids whose influences get so flawlessly embedded that it's hard to point them out. If that's not enough, "The Styx Swamp" got a treatment by Nigel Rogers aka Perseus Traxx, a multi-faceted producer and a mighty live act performer. Nigel stayed respectful to the original but made the original's bouncy groove into something more direct and reduced, while retaining the same feel conditioned by lead synth's hypnotic quality. We're known to give a little bit of extra love to our releases so (as all before) this one's pressed onto a heavy duty 180 gram vinyl and beautifully packaged in an original artwork by EmaEmaEma.

KSMISK drop three atmospheric techno cuts for their second release on Norwayís PLOINK this August.
Made up of Truls Kvam and Robin Crafoord, the Scandinavian duo are well known under their Trulz & Robin moniker and have released on the likes of Prins Thomasí labels Full Pupp and Rett i Fletta, not to mention their own imprints Cymasonic and Cymawax.

ëMagmaí is a deep and mesmerising production that continues to evolve as more elements are incorporated, blending crunchy kicks with serene pads and otherworldly effects.
ëLavaí is a dark and suspenseful number in comparison, establishing a raw hook and ominous nuances at its base whilst sci-fi inspired synths cut in and out of the mix.
Finally, an ebbing beatless track titled ëTuyaí generates a melancholic aesthetic to conclude the release.


Mixmag - September 2017 (Techno Review):
'Seductive stuff from one of our favourite labels (..)
Ploink is fast becomming one of our favourite techno labels, and the Norway-based imprint brings the goods once again with this killer new cut from KSMISK. Magma is probably about as deep as the earth's own magma pools, with a bassline that penetrates every atom of your being as it pulls you into its seductive web.'
9/10

New York's P. Leone is back with the second release on his newly launched E-MISSIONS imprint featuring Work Them Records founder Spencer Parker on remix duties.Born and raised in Brooklyn, where he discovered the legendary Storm Rave parties run by Frankie Bones and Adam X, P. Leone cut his teeth DJing in the Lower East side of Manhattan before making techno himself. Before long the producer dropped his first two releases on Work Them Records, joining a roster spanning Radio Slave, Spencer Parker, Young Male, Anetha and Physical Therapy. E-MISSIONS was then launched in early 2017, acting as a platform for co-founders P. Leone and CAIAZZO with more exciting artists soon to be announced.'Discipline Signals' is dark and robust from start to finish, with 'Functions of Discipline 1' inaugurating the package with resonating kicks, trippy elements and industrial synths. 'Functions of Discipline 2' follows a similar aesthetic but heads into a deeper direction with its cavernous atmospherics and glitch inspired effects, making way for 'Laced' with its sinister drones and tantalising melodies. Spencer Parker then remixes 'Laced', concluding matters with rugged drums, energetic hi-hats and a rumbling low-end.

We are very exited to present you a fresh and sharp Ep from Julien wich is a big fan of the label since the beginning.. Today we got the best of his music.JULIEN SANDRE makes its debut on French,classy label HOME INVASION with a 4-tracks EP, wrapped in elegance and charm but at the same time rich of kiiller grooves and energy between hypnotics synth associated with micro-house elements that will make you dance in clubs and will make you dream in the afters party.A side is the "deeply" part of the EP where RESTLESS looks perfect to move the floor with its fat rolling groove and tripping chords; title track SERENDIPTY express perfectly Julien's sound of the moment: minimal drums & refined pads for a dreamlike journey to the start till the end.B side is more micro-house oriented.
JUST MAKE SENSE remind us about tracks of gold period of minimal of early 2000's but updated to our days with a wild, floor killer beat & smooth stabs and effects.Closing track AUTONOE looks perfect for after moments. Minimal-jazzy drums imbued with hypnotic deep elements.

As felines usually do, TYV's latest effort and Gop Tun's fourth enterprise purrs and prances along with elegance and nonchalance. From the first elements of percussion up until the last trace of reverbed and delayed textures leave the speakers finally at rest, Miau engulfs its listeners in a powerful stream of melodic strength and rhythmic intensity. Not surprisingly all of this mojo relies heavily on very typical chromatic nuances, familiar to anyone who's acquainted with Brasil's rich musical diversity and solid foundations.

Miau is a ritualistic utterance, an onomatopoeic journey that takes us deep into an utopic place where innocence is untainted and our best memories are left untouched, but never forgotten. Features that are somehow enhanced in Tuff City Kid's own Lauer's version, which is Idyllic in its pads and entrancing in its beats, but still elegantly nostalgic in its feel.
Da Terra maintains the festive atmosphere and heats up the oven a tad more. Some earthly delights await those willing to cross the dense layering of percussive vegetation and arrive at a beautiful glade where the main hook meets the strings and chants that conjure a particular vibe of uplifiting melancholia.
This is a feast for your senses, guaranteed to overload your neurotransmitters just like our native meals.

After his memorable 'Wolves' EP of last year (which garnered great support and earned record of the week on B.Traits BBC Radio 1 show) Florian Busse returns to connected for his new release 'Heus' EP on vinyl and digital,retaining and developing his idiosyncratic sound sculpting, Florian has delivered another unique take for the dancefloor.
1. 'Heus' A hypnotic tom and bass groove, heavy on atmosphere and noise, foreign and far away synthesizers and a deceptive bass note, the melody starting slow with a repetative phrase, then telling its whole melancholic, wistful, but powerful story before an arpeggio in the main break brings things to an end and delivering a powerful moment in the club when the beat comes back. Memories of summer.
2. 'Intro'. As the track name says, the long intro is the 'featured' part of the track, a good starter for any dj-set where people do not leave the dancefloor if the beat hasn't kicked in after the first 10 seconds. Child like voices, steady synthesizer note coming and going and a low bass create an intense first 3mins before the beats kicks in for the first time continuing with a pretty minimal beat before the elements of the intro come back and voices replace the synth line.
3. ''Guem'. A steady bass note and a waylaying, moody synthesizer theme ,tastefully selected drums, heavy beat and percussion ,joined by weird bird like sounds place you into a wood where the sun has already set.

Black Truffle is honored to present a new issue of Annea Lockwood's classic 1970 tape piece Tiger Balm, unavailable on vinyl for over thirty years, accompanied by two exquisite unreleased works for percussion and voice.
Created while Lockwood was living in the UK, the side-long Tiger Balm is a singular work within the cannon of tape music. Inspired by research into the ritual function of music, the piece explores the possibility of evoking ancient communal memories through sound. Breaking entirely with the dynamic language of the musique concrète tradition, Lockwood uses a select palette of mainly unprocessed sonic elements chosen for their mysterious and erotic characteristics (a purring cat, a heartbeat, gongs, slowed down jaw harp, a tiger, a woman's breath, a plane passing overhead), presenting at most two sounds at once. As one sound flows organically into the next, their shared characteristics are highlighted, opening a space of dream logic and mysterious associations between nature and culture, the ancient and the modern.
The B-side presents two pieces for percussion recorded here for the first time. Amazonia Dreaming (1987), performed by Dominic Donato, uses unaccompanied snare drum and voice to evoke the nocturnal soundscape of the Amazon rainforest. Unorthodox techniques and materials (marbles, chopsticks, a plastic jar lid) transform the snare into a resonant field of sensual textures.
Immersion (1998), performed by Donato and Frank Cassara, is a slow-moving exploration of gentle beating tones, performed on marimba, tam tams and gong. Like the other two works presented on this LP, it provides captivating proof of Lockwood's belief in the complexity that deep listening can reveal within seemingly simple sounds.
Francis Plagne
Presented in a stunning deluxe gatefold sleeve with archival pics and liner notes by Annea Lockwood including the score to Amazonia Dreaming.
LP design via Stephen O'Malley
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin February 2017

eRRe has been doing damage on dub for some time already and is proving to be a deadly dj weapon.Robotic bleeps meet percussive beats as the intro announces the shape of things to come.The instantly recognizable "Play with us" sample gives way to a massive bassline which kicks in with the impact of a head on collision and works perfectly alongside the technoid elements.This cut succeeds in not only frying your brain with its acid synthwork but its pure bassbin pressure will also get your body shaking!

Vengeanze "T.M.A.C" starts off in outer space, gradually gathering energy as it comes closer, swirling, twisting and haunting the listener with shuddery sound effects and vocals.The massive build up finally unleashes an even bigger drop as a huge drum rollout rides over a squelching bassline.Crafty edits and techy effects manage to maintain an urgency about this track, driving it relentlessly through the system and leaving the ravers weak in the knees.Don't sleep on this one!

Vinyl Only

Stan Yaroslavsky BerlinTel - Aviv based producer with past releases on label like Sakadat , Kina Music , Sleep is commercial and more is proud to present you his new project , Small Things Records
Label based in Tel Aviv Berlin which trying to bring you the same atmosphere of summer and winter with combination of small elements and space sounds .
On his first release Forward EP together with brilliant remix from Martinez (Martin Swanstein) the boss of Concealed Sounds , Stan and Martinez bringing you the perfect combination of minimal house music with new sounds and and new vibe , deep chords and fat bassline with a lot of small details throw the journey
so we can feel the summer on the way , And more to come .

We are proud to present our second release by Beat Pharmacy AKA Brendon Moeller AKA Echologist, a singular voice in contemporary electronic, techno, and sound system musics in his various guises. Beat Pharmacy tunes begin life as live hardware jams where reverb, echo and delay rule the day, and rugged textures rub against digital processing.

In Density,' bass, kick and heavily reverbed piano skanks anchor an instantly enveloping soundworld of deepest dubwise ambience. From around hidden corners emerge the hiss of distant pistons and valves, sentient machinery working in complex relationships. Wobbles, wubs and sweeps communicate across cavernous spaces, as strange rhythmic elements sputter and spatter, tangling and massing in double-time to the point of rupture, only to resolve into crystalline moments of suspension into gorgeous, neck-snapping drops. Simply mesmerizing, and heavy in the dance. Everything to Gain' is spun from the same heavy metals, with a sparser feel, processed voice, and a buzzing, repeating alarm figure that sounds like a submarine warning that the dive is getting too deep, too dangerous...

Music that is moving, powerful, evocative and kinetic, slotting beautifully into 140 sets while defying easy categorization or description, always following vision over fashion. This is why we love Beat Pharmacy.

Mastered by Lewis at StarDelta

Zeb Wayne returns with a majestic and scintillating song titled 'Wulfman', featuring a trio of top tier remixers including Alva Noto, Calibre and Radio Slave.
Following the release of 'Float' on Rekids last year, 'Wulfman' is a beautiful song that demonstrates how musically versed Wayne is as a producer, blending a serene vocal by Ziwi, with intricate sounds to create a truly beautiful song from start to finish.
Alva Noto, who composed the film score for The Revenant alongside Ryuichi Sakamoto, as well as being the co-founder of esteemed minimal imprint Raster Noton, is the first of three heavyweight remixers. The renowned German producer employs his signature elements of grit, static and glitch resulting in an inimitable melancholic cut.
Well respected for traversing numerous electronic music sub-genres, as evident in his recent album on Craig Richards' The Nothing Special, Calibre ups the energy in his remix using sultry synths, syncopated percussion and mesmerising effects.
Concluding the colossal package, Rekids founder Radio Slave creates a club-ready reinterpretation of his own, complete with fine-tuned kicks, looped vocals and a heady bassline.

With Adryiano and Kastil on production duties for their Loskober alias (which first emerged through Soul Notes in 2013) the 15th SAFT release has some serious sounds on it.

Apart from the two originals this time around the label has acquired remixes from the likes of 'Keita Sano' and Berlin based Australian 'Andy Hart'. Ranked 38th is a slab of tough disco tainted sample house with tight drums and a catchy phrase to highlight the dance floor nature of the opening track.

For the sophomore track Japan native Keita Sano rewords the title track in an original fashion using the main elements while layering this with outlandish percussion and elevating FX.

On the B side we find the modern classic sounds of 'Lake Michigan'. This is a piece of dance floor oriented music in the vain of the much appreciated sounds from the motor city heydays. Touching pads collide beautifully with the spacious bassline and the courageous drum work.

For the B2 position, Berlin based 'Andy Hart' cleverly reworks the sounds of 'Lake Michigan' to a more contemporary house track without losing the central focus of the appealing bassline

INCL. HIVER & CLAY WILSON REMIXES

Drawing on a pedigree of lush synth experimentation and cutting drum arrangements, Alfredo Mazzilli has been pushing his own brand of hypnotic techno over the past several years, charting releases with Lanthan Audio, Weekend Circuit and Edit Select. Now, Blankstairs is proud to announce the first U.S.-based release for the Italian producer with Vanaheimr , a pair of new tracks coupled with remixes from Clay Wilson and Hiver.

Mazzilli's work takes a considered pathway that walks the line between form and function, pulling his thick landscapes of synth wash and melodic punctuations through cutting rhythm tracks that owe as much to classic drum machine workouts as the dub-techno stalwarts that he frequently draws on here. Sculptural precision and rhythmic development work in tandem here, giving each track a shifting framework that seems to never touch down in the same place twice.

It s best seen in B-side Njord , a full-on assault of staccato kicks and flickers of percussion elements fleshed out with a series of short, repetitive pads, and washes of reverb, that create a meditative progression of interlocking textures. A similar approach defines A-side Vanir , where a lighter series of synth arrangements are woven through a driving, hypnotic rhythm that offers a fitting counterpoint to Njord's brutal kick patterns.

These are tracks about patience and concentration, allowing the slow, coursing process of the track to take center stage, turning the track into a negotiation between its functional, rhythmic ground and the high-mind ephemerality his arrangements conjure. A pair of remixes join Mazzilli's compositions, with The Bunker New York/Styles Upon Styles alum Clay Wilson twisting Njord towards a more balanced, rhythmic pacing, while pushing its hissing electronics towards a more caustic frequency range. On the A-Side, Hiver draws rhythmic cues from 90's house to turn Vanir into a trance-inducing sunrise groove.

Monosoul is back on Tieffrequent with 4 timeless and classical cuts focussed on the important elements of housemusic...with love for the dancefloors, clubs and basements of this universe...
On the A-side you have - Make 'Em Match', a rough and steady house-groove containing a constantly bouncing bassline, a deep chord-pattern, a complex percussion-cluster and a well infixed electric piano...all elements are perfectly balanced, finalized and formed to a completed floorfiller. Then there is - Monument Street' after which the EP was named. Starting really deep and minimalistic it developes to an impulsive und powerful song. Organic pads, pulsating deep chords, a rhythmic bassline and well arranged drums make - Monument Street' flowing impressively from start to finish.
The B-side starts up with - Hot Concrete', a blazing, drum-driven basement-groover. With a sharp deepchord which is wrapped-up in several padsound-patterns, Monosoul creates a very own athmosphere. In combination with an impulsive bassline and a distinct percussion- ensemble - Hot Concrete' beats time on the floor noticeably. Finally - Life On The Red Island' as the perfect final track brings the - Monument Street EP' to an end. It builds up by adding small bits and pieces very subtly to a point you recognize a pulsative deephouse beauty. The remarkable bassline and the concise and bouncing kickdrum are casted in a flowing deep sounded carpet full of hope. - Life On The Red Island' disappears to where it came from and leaves you with strong impressions.
The - Monument Street EP' gives an insight into Monosoul's impressive understanding and definition of house music which you can hear on 4 tracks loud and clear...Thank You!

Celebrating the imprint's 10th anniversary, Mike Dehnert returns to his own Fachwerk label with a new full length LP available in 2x12" and digital, following a striking 12" on DJ Koze's Pampa Records at the end of 2016. Across 10 tracks, here Dehnert explores new territory with a restrained and subtle sound while retaining his commanding touch when it comes to creating deep club music. Intro sets the tone of the album, providing an profusion of tidal tones and textures that soak the listener in sound. Before long though, you're listening to the percussive stabs and pensive drums of Between No Words. Here we hear for the first time on the record the subtle but remarkable vocals of Albert Vogt, who returns throughout the LP. Listeners will also be reminded of Dehnert's skill for crafting complex and emotional music with very few elements, which becomes only more evident as this LP opens up. From here Dehnert traverses through dubbed out techno, deep house and downtempo, all with an experimental playfulness and a lightness of touch that only a producer with his talent and raw experience could pull off. The album peaks with the storming Providing Home 2. With swirling, unpredictable arpeggios, hard hitting drums and a sparingly used vocal hook, this is the track that'll ignite ecstasy across dancefloors for years to come. From here, Dehnert quickly cleanses the palette with the beatless Starground, a ringing and pulsing synth piece, pierced by all manner of klangs and bleeps. This perfectly sets up the album's final epic, Laxwax. Another one aimed squarely at the club, but this time it's for darker dancefloors. In stark contrast to its predecessors on the record, this track is insular, hypnotic and raw. Not content to end on such a note, Dehnert provides one last exertion. Outro is bombastic and pounding, with a rave inspired synth line and heavily swung percussion. Topped with cut up and percussive vocals, the track lives up to it's name summing up the LP and adding to it at the same time. This thoughtful record takes elements of modern pop music and extrapolates them with a patience rarely found within the genre itself. Backed by Dehnert's exceptional experience when it comes to producing club music, the result is an album that's simultaneously poppy and experimental, yet fundamentally rooted in techno. It's for that reason that this will surely be such a crossover hit; it has a palette that is broad yet refined, that will undoubtedly reach new ears while appeasing and surprising familiar ones.

Rune returns on his own Drum Island imprint, this time very ably assisted by UK House turned ambient ambassador Chris Coco
Weekend Billionaires, in its original form is a delightfully lolloping Balearic builder.The Chris Coco Sunshine mix immerses those guitar licks and synth pads in a sea of dubbed out, ultra-violet light. Already rumoured to be included on Harvey's eagerly awaited Mercury Rising comp. Anton Klint (Tryck & Ton / Public Possession) steps up on the flip with a no-less psychedelic, but decidedly more laser-lit interpretation.
Finally Alta Lab wraps things up with a pacier interpretation, Housing up the elements into a hypnotic, emotive rendition...
Quite a package

Since the release of his 2 first albums on Favorite Recordings, Lucas Arruda has quickly established himself as one of the most talented young artist and composer from Brazil. His music is filled with fusion style, mixing influences and elements from his Latin musical background, with his genuine admiration for Jazz, Soul and Funk music.

In spring 2015, it was also not surprising to find Lucas Arruda back with a new LP called SOLAR, receiving great supports and feedbacks from international media and tastemakers. One of the highlight of the album was the song 'Melt the Night', on which Lucas asked legendary producer Leon Ware for his help, reminding his collaborations in the 80s with Marcos Valle, when they perfectly merged together the sophisticated Boogie and AOR touch from California, with the blazing sense of rhythm from Brazil.

Today, Lucas Arruda and Favorite Recordings proudly present a brand new single, announcing the release of Lucas' third efforts later this year. This new opus is pursuing the music direction set with SOLAR, mixing touch of Blue-Eyed-Soul, Pop, Soul and Brazilian styles together, and influenced by the path of legendary Brazilian producer Lincoln Olivetti, who recorded some of the biggest stars of Brazilian music (Marcos Valle, Jorge Ben, Tim Maia...).

In Lucas words: 'These two tracks represent the whole spirit of the new album. In this record I really wanted to honor Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti. They are the main influence on this record. We recorded the basic tracks for the album in the same studio that Lincoln Olivetti did his last works. So, this was very important to capture the true essence of Brazilian Funk/AOR tradition. Hope you guys enjoy it!'

Inner8 is Daniele Antezza, a multi-faceted thinker and electronic music producer, member of Dadub duo, co-founder of Artefacts Mastering Studio, Dadub Studio owner and Holotone label manager, whose regular invocation of the term praxis begins to hint at his creative aims: a primary synthesis of contemplation and action that, in turn, encourages a secondary and entirely unpredictable set of syntheses dependent upon the listener's unique interpretation. Though the Inner8 moniker has been in existence for several years as a private nickname for, as Antezza puts it, his 'experimental anarchist sounds,' his recent releases are just now surfacing which will reveal just how much this project has to communicate.

Like many transplants to Berlin's pulsating sonic underground (Antezza moved there from Italy in 2009), his past work seems to communicate traces of the ecstatic with the argot of technical precision and / or scientific rigour. However, Antezza is not what one would call a 'Berlin artist' despite sharing these traits in common with the city's most visionary producers: his work gives off an impression of restless nomadism that has little to do with representing a localized scene. Rather than carrying on the territorial / parochial projects of reinforcing an arts scene's geographic boundaries (or even redefining the boundaries of a musical genre), Inner8 is more concerned with a holistic 'deconstructive approach' through which 'it's possible to reveal the paradoxes of the dominant thought, the paradoxes behind the status quo.' His fascination with concepts as diverse as asymptotes and particle physics, though often trendy among those looking for a seat at the table of the avant-garde, is a heartfelt fascination - moreover, these interests merge perfectly with his relentless theoretical questing.

Antezza's relationship with that city's Stroboscopic Artefacts techno label has been a particularly fruitful one, to the point where his sound work prior to Inner8 is almost synonymous with SA's own development. As one half of the psychonaut duo Dadub along with Marco Donnarumma, Antezza has sculpted deep and immense tracks that mesmerize with their harmonious interplay of force and ambiguity. After having co-founded and managed for years Artefacts Mastering Studio, he recently launched his brand new audio postproduction Studio (Dadub Studio), where Antezza lends his sonic signature to an eclectic variety of electronic recordings. That signature can be identified by its hyperreal sense of presence and immediacy, qualities that have become crucial to the presentation of a music that generally relies on only a few sonic elements per track to communicate its message.

Antezza also takes pride in the ritualistic quality of Inner8's live sets; a mobile laboratory of dynamic tension in which his theories manifest as massive physical vibrations (here we can also see / hear / feel just how well Daniele has absorbed the lessons of the dub 'sound system' aesthetic).