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A decade into life, Secret Society marks this notable milestone year with a release that stays true to its ethos of depth and groove. Ewan Jansen started producing in the early 90s in Perth, often with the same hardware he used in his live shows. He's back on the label with two driving cuts built squarely for the dancefloor: 'Hydroid' is bright mid-tempo techno with pixelated synth charm, and 'Bodywash' is a deeper, more syrupy sound for late-night cruising. Alongside them sits a more introspective collaboration with Italian producer Luca that trades peak-time punch for texture and restraint. On remix duties, John Dimas adds his trademark crisp momentum and understated flair, a fitting choice given his long-standing connection to the camp.

Ewan's Makati EP, named after his birthplace and dedicated to his mother, draws inspiration from his earliest memories of life in the Philippines. As a house music producer in Perth (now Melbourne) for over 25 years and releasing dozens of records ... this one hits close to home and his heart as a positive, affirming set of cuts for your ears and feet.

The record starts by jumping onto the mechanical funk of JEEPNEY. A roving mural of quirky synth rhythms riding on a solid stomping house groove.

PELOTA finds the beat and bass marking firm lines of a game of call-and-response. Bouncing from wall to wall, the melodies trade licks while a stoic flute tops out the dance.

On the flip, SEREMONYA mixes spritely conversing synth lines on alternating chord stabs and sustains. With the erratic bass and matching snare guiding both anticipation and reflection as equal partners.

SKYFLAKES encourages the listener's mind to run away with a simple mind-object of the past. As a downtempo hymnal of chords, pads, strings and bells it leaves us high in altitude and higher in hope.

After 6 years, label boss Ewan Jansen circles back to Red Ember’s main with a new EP.
A concept journey equally for the mind and the dancefloor that strays from his house roots with themes of mysticism pushing wider rhythm palettes and creative synthesis.

The opener ‘Solanoid’ marches over the horizon; a solid progression of sun-scorched chords, goaded by some distinctive chanting synths and driving bass.
‘Caravania’ answers as a stomping IDM-esque fable, joined by bubbling rhythms on the ground and a central writhing serpentine synth guided from high above by voices unknown.
The flip side quickly de-camps from the physical, with the organic ‘Mistik’ seeing elements of rave and tribal electronica driven by tuned kicks, sub-bass and resonant rhythms.
Lastly, a stoic tome of stone and water is left with ‘Gecko’ – a skittish chunky groove, with isolated melancholic tones that find harmony in the end.

On her new album, Two Whole Summers, Half A Life, Lisa Bassenge is once again accompanied by her trusted fellow musicians, pianist Jacob Karlzon and bassist Andreas Lang, with whom she has already realised numerous projects. Typical of Bassenge, the repertoire comprises a seemingly wild yet harmoniously connected mix of pop, singer-songwriter and jazz elements. The spectrum ranges from Elliott Smith to Duran Duran, from Billie Holiday to Björk. ‘It's always about the expressiveness of the songs – that's the common thread for us,’ emphasises the Berlin-based artist. The album features a track by Hank Williams as well as Madonna's ‘Frozen’ and “Catch” by The Cure. Two original compositions are also part of the recording: the title track ‘Two Whole Summers, Half a Life,’ a tribute to the power of friendship and youth, and the neo-folk ballad ‘I'm Getting Old.’ Both works impressively underline Lisa Bassenge's own artistic signature. For over two decades, Lisa Bassenge has stood for stylistic openness and a characteristic voice that lends new nuances to every song. Despite all the diversity, jazz remains the tonal basis. The Scandinavian-style relaxed sound of Karlzon and Lang lends the interpretations a soft, atmospheric depth.

Hardanger is a collaboration by Mariska Baars (aka Soccer Committee), Niki Jansen, and Rutger Zuydervelt (aka Machinefabriek). The title refers to the instrument played by Jansen, the Hardanger fiddle. It’s a fresh addition to the established musical chemistry from regular collaborators Baars and Zuydervelt.

The music on Hardanger started with improvisations by Niki Jansen, guided by Mariska Baars, who responded with vocal and guitar recordings. Rutger Zuydervelt used this material as the building blocks for the two long-form pieces found on the album. These tracks are like two sides of the same coin, one a collage-like electro-acoustic piece, the other more drawn-out and contemplative.

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Mariska Baars is probably better known as soccer Committee, creating an experimental blend of ambient rooted in folk music, with minimal arrangements. She has been releasing albums since 2005. In addition to her solo output she is part of improvisation ensemble Piiptsjilling and Fean (Laaps, 2020) and has worked on several duo albums with Rutger Zuydervelt. On other occasions she collaborated with a.o. Annelies Monseré, Wouter van Veldhoven, Peter Broderick and Greg Haines.

Niki Jansen is a violinist who plays both the regular and a hardanger fiddle.She specializes in folk music, especially old Dutch folk music. She plays in various ensembles like Twee violen en een bas (with Jos Koning and Willem Raadsveld), and country quartet Daisy Chain. In addition to music, she also works as a sustainability advisor for governments and institutions and manages a food forest in a cooperative.

Rutger Zuydervelt is perhaps better known as Machinefabriek, the alias under which he releases music since 2004. The stream of releases since is vast, many of them collaborations (with Peter Broderick, Gareth Davis, Chantal Acda, Dirk Serries, and many many more). He regularly works with Mariska Baars, with whom he also plays in Piiptsjilling and Fean (Laaps, 2020). Zuydervelt is an avid composer of scores for film and dance performances, and also works as a graphic designer.

Norway's man in black Torgeir Waldemar readies the follow up to the successful studio album "Love". Where "Love" was a loud band record, "Mercy" is the acoustic "sister record". The two albums are tied together and their titles combined, love and mercy, references the Brian Wilson song. Folk/Americana.

As one of the most characteristic sounding groups in Europe today, PERRY DEAR & THE DEARSTALKERS display their very distinctive sound that has made them one of the most in demand groups on the Big Beat scene. Influences range from JET HARRIS, THE DAVE CLARK FIVE, BRIAN POOLE AND THE TREMELOES to Billy Childish

Louien is back with her third album, which sees her taking a big leap into a more indie pop sounding universe. She started out writing melancholic folk songs on her debut album, but has slowly found her own voice and a real knack for melodies. We heard hints of this on her last album, «No Tomorrow/Figure Me Out», and on this album - «Every Dream I Ever Had» - she really embraces her new sound. On songs like «Please» and «Hours», you can clearly hear influences from artists like Boygenious, Gracie Abrams and Lizzy McAlpine, while on «Losing My Mind» she turns it up one more notch, with responding vocals from her band, and a tight drum groove. «Quite Like This» is a another highlight from the album, which highlights her skill for writing unbelievably big and beautiful pop ballads. You could say that this is a slightly new turn for Louien, but still with strong songwriting and amazing melodies as the core of all her songs.

Orions Belte has been a steady supplier of groovy, catchy and dreamy instrumental pop since their 2018 debut album Mint. Women is their third studio album, but that doesn’t tell the whole truth when you also count their two live albums with accompanying films, three EP’s and a huge project where each of the members released their own solo album under the Orions Belte moniker. The three musicians rarely sit still, and the inspiration seems to be endless. This is probably also why their music is in such high demand. As usual, all the songwriting and production is done by the band members themselves, and this time they have put a lot of effort into making everything bigger and more powerful than on the previous records. The string arrangements flow easily throughout the record. It almost feels like releasing a million balloons all at once while lying looking at the night sky and dreaming of road trips on bumpy country roads through the Amazon in Brazil. There is always a great span to the Norwegian trio's songs, and on Women we are served noisy guitar riffs on "Silhouettes", cinematic string arrangements on "I Will Always Miss You", irresistible and catchy summer vibes on "Jai Alai", while Louien (Live Solberg) contributes beautiful vocals on the almost mournful "When You're Gone, I'll Be Gone". Matias Tellez is – as expected of an Orions Belte release – involved in the mix, while Ola Kvernberg and Øyvind Torvund have written string arrangements.

R.A.N.D. Muzik welcomes Perth’s, Ewan Jansen to the label for an EP of moody deep house.