Myers returns, fresh off the back of a debut show at Field Day and with a two track 12" nodding to the past and the future.
'Taps' is a relentless drum machine driven, synth directed monster, that comes at you like it's about to punch you in the face, but actually picks you up and chucks you on its shoulders. 'Rabona' is a restrained, smooth but rugged roller, with subtle shifts that previews another layer to the Myers palette. Having taken steps out into the real world, expect a lot more to come over the next year
A stunning version of Steve Reich's masterpiece of musical minimalism Music for 18 Musicians' (1974-1976) performed live at Tokyo Opera House in 2008 by The Modern Ensemble and Synergy Vocals featuring the composer as guest performer.
In the 1960s, with Terry Riley and Philip Glass, Reich gave pulse back to experimental music, he discovered tape-based techniques of looping and phasing using recordings of fragments of speech, and then molecules of musical material.
(...)When Steve Reich released Music for 18 Musicians (ECM, 1978), it was a consolidation and major leap forward in the pulse-based music that the minimalist progenitor had been exploring on earlier compositions including Four Organs' (1969), a piece that relied on nothing more than a six-note chord, yet was a near flat-out sonic assault. 18 Musicians was an altogether more complex and sophisticated work, with a broader textural palette based largely on tuned percussion—piano, vibraphone, marimba and xylophone—but also working with maracas, voice, strings, and clarinets to create a sweeping, hour-plus long suite that was hypnotic, melodic, and eminently accessible. With the mathematical precision by which its eleven sections and wrapping Pulses' develop, it's a demanding suite to play (...)"
When Perlon started releasing their 'SuPERLONgevity' compilation series in 1999, it was not evident that the name, which had initially been chosen just for pun, would become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, Perlon is in its 20th year, indeed, and preparing the celebration of this anniversary, the label invites its listeners to enter the sixth round of illuminating expression, once more driven by playfulness and fluffy swingtime. This time, the journey extends to eight sides with no guidepost except maybe the order to set the controls for the heart of the potoo. 18 tracks unfold their magic formulas to release a cascade of funky blobs. The collection reflects the label's unique interpretation of sound and vision, of caring and sharing, of 'glitches and itches' - by forward and froward thinking artists who set landmarks and break standards for the sake of the sound of the extraordinary. Here's what you will find in this brand-new Perlon toy box that adds one more shade to the corporate colour scheme: House bubbles that sound like they come straight from a 'Bällchenparadies". A motor drive with a sexy beat. Tribal dances, warped ballads, romantic fantasies. Heavy bass fundaments with aerial notes that hover above like helium balloons. A meditation machine, chilly chimes and future clockworks. Speaking things with nonsense as a foreign language.
The Numero Group's dive into the deep end of America's private press continues. Having battled the witches and wizards of Darkscorch, the outlaws of Cosmic Americana, and traveled alongside Ladies From the Canyon and their Lonesome Heroes, it's time to take it easy.With pop music's volume knob adjusted for deflation in the early '70s, softness begat smoothness. Crewmen arrived from the worlds of jazz, folk, rock, and soul, all peddling a product that was sincere, leisurely, and lofty. A sound that was buoyant, crisp, defined. Sometimes classified as West Coast—and, later, Yacht Rock—the compass points of our Private Yacht expedition are the blue-eyed harmonies of Hall and Oates, the cocaine-dusted Fender Rhodes of Michael McDonald, and the combover strums of James Taylor. Here, at the glassy apex of rock's softer side, 20 strong swimmers are gathered together. An album for both relaxation and reflection, where listeners can enjoy the present, a cool breeze, and a taste of the good life.
* Over the past six years, Dimensions has become a leading name in the underground, with its festival, International Series, DJ Directory and Dimensions Soundsystem. Now, Dimensions extends its influence with the start of its label - Dimensions Recordings. The label launches with a 12-track compilation across three separate discs. 'An Introduction' makes a huge statement in setting out the label's intent and breadth. With artists established and new stepping up to present 12 exclusive tracks.
* An Introduction Part 2 turns the heat up with more dance floor leaning contributions from four American artists. From long established names such as Lady Blacktronika to relative newcomer Byron The Aquarius, each artist delivers a different but equally powerful piece. Marcos Cabral's 'Prochainement' is a driving, dubbed out melter with stomping kicks and big-room claps under fuzzy synths, whilst Byron The Aquarius drops his signature dose of funk into 'Full Moon'. One of the standout breakthrough artists of last year, the Atlanta producer has been part of the Dimensions team for some time. Queen of Beatdown, Lady Blacktronika steps up with a timeless, tripped-out house classic for her contribution 'Can We Still Be Friends', her vocal oozing melancholy. Rounding up is DJ Aakmael with 'Transit'; a raw, flexing cut that we've come to expect via his massively impressive output and his own superb imprint, UnXpozd Entertainment.
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ST173 is the first Various Artists effort on Kastil's STALE imprint. The 3rd installment of 2017 showcases the most active artists from the STALE stable (Kastil & Irazu)
Kastil opens up the record with the noteworthy tones of ''Carucci'' while Madrid based Irazu offers a wild adventure that's constructed around his usual paranoidsynth work and frantic fx with Introversion.
Basel native Ben Kaczor is offering a piece of Acidic Techno on ''Sick Acido'' and Desroi explores the dystopian side of electronic music with his ''Disprocess''
(en) French soundsmith Sebastien Bouchet has a well-documented knack for deep, eccentric techno and house - as well as a reputation for keeping his solo releases few and far between. Seeing him return to Kompakt under new monicker SEBASTOPOL is a pretty special treat, then - his last contribution to the Kompakt label family dates back to the year 2014, when he dropped the much-acclaimed Speicher 77 (KOMPAKT EXTRA 77). Naturally, expectations are high, and his latest offering GAHALOWOOD does not disappoint, seamlessly merging Bouchet's leftfield sensibilities and unlikely riffs with a strong dance floor drive.
Opener and title track GAHALOWOOD gets things off the launch pad quickly, thanks to its stoic kickdrum and surging synths - but it's those vocals that really pull you in, evolving from atmospheric swabs of texture to full-blown mumblecore imbued with all the deadpan romanticism of an early 80s New Wave act. B side follow-up FLASH POOL seems equally committed to the human voice, deploying its intimate groove whispering upfront, but takes an unexpected turn into psychedelic cowbell territory where feral bleeps roam the lands and hooklines grow in the weirdest of places. Closing cut HEAVEN presents a comparatively straightforward house arc - while still sniffing out some trippy goodness that'll leave your thirst of sonic adventure wholly satisfied.
(de) Der französische Trackbastler Sebastien Bouchet ist bekannt für seinen Hang zu tiefem, exzentrischem Techno und House - und seinen Ruf nur selten etwas zu veröffentlichen. Seine Rückkehr zu Kompakt unter neuem Projektnamen SEBASTOPOL ist deshalb ein ganz besonderer Leckerbissen, datiert doch sein letzter Eintrag ins grosse Kompakt-Buch ins Jahr 2014 zurück, als er die hochgelobte SPEICHER 77 (KOMPAKT EXTRA 77) ins Rennen schickte. Dementsprechend sind die Erwartungen hoch und zahlreich, werden allerdings mehr als befriedigt mit der neuesten Scheibe GAHALOWOOD welche Bouchets Talent für ungewöhnliche Ohrwürmer mit einem kraftvollen Drang zum Tanzflur synchronisiert.
Titeltrack GAHALOWOOD bringt den Fluss schnell ins Rollen, dank einer stoischen Kickdrum und drängelnden Synthies - aber es sind diese Vocals, die einen wirklich in den Strudel hineinziehen und von atmosphärischen Tupfern zur lautstark gehauchten Hymne ausarten, getränkt mit all der matten Romantik einer 80er Welleband. Auf der Kehrseite scheint FLASH POOL ähnlich investiert in die menschliche Stimmgewaltlosigkeit und mischt das intime Groovegeflüster in den Vordergrund - nimmt dann aber eine unerwartete Wendung in psychedelisches Kuhglockenterritorium, wo wilde Bleeps auf den Wiesen umherstromern und Hooklines auf den seltsamsten Bäumen wachsen. Zum Abschluss präsentiert HEAVEN einen vergleichsweise geradlinigen House-Bogen, kommt aber nicht umhin einiges an vertrippter Güte zu erschnüffeln - in jedem Fall dürfte der Durst aufs Klangabenteuer hier vollstens gestillt werden.
'Great Many Arrows' is the 6th studio album from Damien Dubrovnik, the Danish duo of Loke Rahbek and Christian Stadsgaard. It is also the 200th release on their Posh Isolation label, marking 8 years for both the label and project. The label's inception came with Damien Dubrovnik's debut album, and since then the two have been inseparable. Without Damien Dubrovnik there would most likely have been no Posh Isolation, and vice versa.
'Great Many Arrows' is undoubtedly a high point in the varied discographies of both Rahbek and Stadsgaard. It is the most realized Damien Dubrovnik recording to date, and a standout in Posh Isolation's troves.
As a record, 'Great Many Arrows' manages to translate the intensity of the duo's often unrestrained live shows in to carefully crafted studio productions. Unlike the pair's earlier and largely electronic recordings, the compositions on 'Great Many Arrows' set organs, cellos, violas, wind and other acoustic instruments against the backdrop of an electronic landscape.
The new toolset is as apparent on the surface as it is in the enclosed detail, taking the project further from its noise roots than it has ever been. This is not to say that Rahbek and Stadsgaard have traded ferocity for formal constraint. It is rather the opposite. While 'Great Many Arrows' is certainly the pair's most 'musical' work to date, its veneer of accessibility might also make it their most terrifying.
The strength of the recording lies here in the interaction between the melodic, acoustic instrumentation and the bulldozing electronics. Moments of beauty and light are transfigured into utter chaos and rage, the mesmerising change an expression of the equal and opposite form's natural sway as it beckons and slips between its own passing.
'Great Many Arrows' takes its name from a historic archery competition in Kyoto, Japan, in which archers would shoot as many arrows as possible for a 24 hour period. On April 26, 1686, Wasa Daihachiro from Kishu successfully shot 8,133 out of 13,053 arrows, averaging 544 arrows an hour, or 9 arrows a minute, becoming the record holder.
Your Planet Is Next: a bold threat! Are we talking about Earth The apocalypse Well, with the Doomsday Clock set 30 seconds closer to catastrophe following recent political happenings, Arvid Wretman might be on to something. Or is it a message for planets beyond; a warning of our inevitable interplanetary colonialism in light of the above Wretman's celestial, machine-driven other worldly tracks suggest an attempt to communicate beyond the realms of E*rth.
Making his recorded debut in 2014 with a limited edition self-released cassette tape, Your Planet Is Next quickly caught the ears of those paying attention. He followed up with Junk Yard Connection's debut long player, featuring a more refined set of electro productions that bounced jovially, chugged menacingly and punched erratically and since then; has released a more dusty, experimental cassette offering on Opal Tapes as well as a fantastically lighthearted and life affirming EP for Studio Barnhus (featuring a cover of Cher's 'Believe', believe it or not!)
Fast forward to 2017 and Arvid crash lands on planet Acid Waxa (rumoured to be something of a spiritual home coming) in slick Scandinavian style with I Just Disco; 4 irresistible cuts spanning acid, house, electro and outsider pop at it's most charming and with a tour of the UK to boot!
Berlin's party series and the eponymous vinyl label celebrate the launch of its sublabel ASTRAY with the 'Road Force EP' by Discrete Circuit. While AWAY with previous contributions from Joe Claussell, Mr. Ties, and Move D leans more to the housier side of things, ASTRAY will take a different path by taking some darker, techno-centered steps. Following the idea only to release productions by both label founders, Discrete Circuit and H4L, as well as unique collaborations which either of them will form with outside artists, ASTRAY's second EP will premiere the joint studio work of Discrete Circuit and DJ/producer Blind Observatory. EP INFO After releasing on labels such as DVS1's Mistress Recordings, Mark Broom's label Beard Manand Darko Esser's Wolfskuil Records, Discrete Circuit's new EP provides four progressivetracks mirroring his interest in a steadily growing techno narrative as well as mind manipulating onomatopoeia. On the A-side he's evolving his floor-aimed capabilities in two different ways: Starting with subtly quoting the infamous Motor City, the title track's on-edge techno design quickly accumulates into some kind of hounding; not knowing if you're the hunted or the hunter. 'Stress Resultant' increases the pace, whereby the restless vibe is contrasted by melodic synth patterns embodying a sort of playful corrective. The flip side introduces Discrete Circuit's experimental facet: 'Controlled Error' exhibits the dialogue between harmony and chaos in which shrieking, yet claustrophobic shades play hide-and-seek ultimately unfolding a gloomy funk, while the EP's last 'Circuitry' is completely carried by shape-shifting, pulsing soundscapes.
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.
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From time to time, you hear an EP and instantly can sense that it s going to be significant. Sad Girl Seasonal Affective Disorder does what few manage to do - it tells us not only a story from different perspectives but describes the journey of the heart and mind when losing someone we love - the conflicting emotions when we hurt and the evolution of emotions we experience as we heal. It achieves this by using a rich and diverse collection of sounds as its vocabulary, and a brilliant integration and structure as its grammar. Also, this strategy manages to give each track its unique character, allowing them to stand on their own.
Each side last 18 minutes, this is a LP with 2 long tunes... Bringing a good sound through:) The groove reminds me KGB02, long dubby tribe in a 69DB style supporting an acid story telling growing up to experimental casualties. A great record !!
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).
When Steve Lawler first sent us 'Crazy Dream,' he told us that he had made the record 'specifically with Turbo in mind,' thus sending us on a quasi-lucid journey down a rabbit hole of self-discovery from which we have only recently emerged. Most labels would simply talk up a nuts-to-the-wall floor-filler with a killer 'White Horse' bassline from an acid house legend and be done with it, but the fact remains that if we forgo an opportunity to learn more about ourselves as dance music imprint, we are doing our fans a disservice whether they could possibly be expected to realize it or not. We hired a board-licensed Forensic Poet to parse the track's lyrical references to nothing being 'quite as it seems,' 'feeling naked and confused,' and rising above 'the push and shove.' What was he trying to tell us The poet assured us that all it meant was that Lawler admires Turbo and thought the track would be a good fit, and that we should put our clothes back on, wipe the confused looks from our faces, and stop pushing and shoving one another because everything was exactly as it seemed. We paid him his $25 and did as we were told. For the remixes, we took a track made especially for us and enlisted a diverse cast of Turbo All-Stars to spin it into a release for everyone, a proprietary practice we call 'Human Alchemy: The Future of Generosity™.' Finland's Jori Hulkkonen, Belgium's Charlotte de Witte, and Argentina's DJs Pareja trace a beautiful global triangle for lovers of acid bangers, stripped-down techno, and tripped-out weirdness, respectively. At Turbo, giving party people what they need is more than just a crazy dream. It's a crazy reality.
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In a brief time Parris has not only engineered but fully-stabilised an otherworldly sound of unique resonance. Through leadership of cult label Soundman Chronicles and his own work on Idle Hands, Tempa and Ancient Monarchy, his research and publishing has attracted fervent interest in the UK Bass community and is rapidly gaining wider international recognition.
Measured with due diligence, he has propagated and influenced key research topics and industry best practice standards through regular transmissions on Rinse FM and the recent C90 Cassette 'TX280916 / TX111116'issued on Keysound.
Hemlock is honoured to present his most recent work exploring low frequency encryption and optimisation. HEK028 contains some of the most sophisticated and realistic models we have manufactured thus far.
'Your Kiss is Sour' a slow release payload observed from inception to destruction through decay. Malic tones are exposed, individually suspended then vacuum sealed allowing multiple strains to be dissected and ranked according to their sonic weight and availability.
'Flowering in Threes' introduces technology sensitive enough to detect and harness resonance from long-submerged sub frequency transmissions. The available models can be layered across several axis concurrently with minimal phase or gravity distortion.
'My Beautiful Fantasy' explores and challenges several popular weightless theories in an engaging and controversial tone sequence.
Searing platter of krautrock with scorching doses of The Stooges & Judas Priest. Another ripper from this legendary Finnish horde!
Circle are the very definition of genre-defying, a rare feat for any band, but effortlessly achieved by this prolific Finnish collective. Circle's latest album Terminal is pure hedonistic pleasure. Never content on staying the same, they have created an idiosyncratic cocktail of sonic fusions, conjuring an impulsive, dizzying energy that stirs a spirit of curiosity within the listener, and has the ability to possess all who encounter them.
Whilst many would run out of creative steam (certainly after 30+ albums), Circle continue to boldly explore sonic soundscapes, venturing curiously into terrains of Stooges-esque swagger, trance-inducing kraut rock mantras, beautiful electronic ambience, psychedelic rock noodling, arena storming AOR weirdness, 70s prog rock extravagance, glam pop pomp, and of course their core sound, heavy metal, not to mention other peculiar and daring sounds that simply cannot be pigeon-holed. Terminal is gloriously fruitful in tones, shapes, colours and sounds. Eccentric, accessible, delightful and thrilling.
A FISTFUL OF WAX is an extension for some very special projects of our beloved deep house SKYLAX RECORDS' sub - label WAX CLASSIC. A Fistful of Wax is back with its fourth volume! This offshoot originally began as an avenue for showing off some of the overflowing great talent we have floating about the Wax Classic sub-label, but with the growing reception of our previous three releases, it has developed itself into its own uniquely successful imprint. In a time when a lot of the hot records of the moment are made by highly distinguished producers with years of success under their belts, it is easy to forget how much good house music can come out of the underground by relatively fresh names. With AFX4, we are only scratching the surface once again, yet we have 5 special tracks from a group of producers who, if not already, will stay on your radar for the foreseeable future.The A side features tracks from Erman & Abtomat (of Série Limitée Records fame) and Kid Mark (Head honcho of Killax Recordings). We start off deep with the aptly named 'How Deep Can You Go', easily the most soothing of the bunch. 'Fantasy '95' takes it up a notch for those who wish to, with classic 90s chords and accompanying bass and horns. Over on the flip side, we hear 'Won't Get To Heaven' by Californian newcomer, An Expresso. Being a self confessed New Jersey style house addict, this hits in all the right places for those familiar with the sounds of NJ legend George Lockett Jr, aka Jerzzey Boy. Shin continues things with 'Phara', a percussive stormer with one of the hardest hitting leads you will hear for a good while. This one is a sure fire hit! Last, but by no means least is Rosenhaft's 'Voyager'. Fans of early UK Garage, perk up your ears because this could have easily been a tune you would have heard on your favourite pirate radio station back in '97.If you are still on the fence about the record at this point, you are in the wrong place. This record has it all for lovers of the 90s house sound! Whether you are of the deeper persuasion or the more garagey persuasion, the US or the UK side of things, there is something here for almost everyone on A Fistful of Wax 4.
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For nearly a decade, Raíz and Subversive have distributed their vision of dance music on various labels including Historia y Violencia, Electric Deluxe, Construct Reform, Droid Recordings and their own imprint, VRV. Three years into the VRV project, the label heads have decided it is time to expand the roster and showcase artists on a similar plane, producers they know can speak to the sound. The chosen interpreters on this release include DJ Hyperactive, Santiago Salazar and Voiski.
Before Voiski's well-deserved attention from work on Dement3d, L.I.E.S., and Delsin, he and Subversive had a chance meeting in the bars of Paris in search of the same musical ideals. As they formed a lasting bond, it was a natural choice for Voiski to be tapped on the shoulder for remix duties on Subversive's 'Chainbreaker.' This epic take on the original showcases the similar musical visions that can be shared across oceans, where the music's place of origin is less important than the destination it delivers.Santiago Salazar brings his Latin/Midwest sound that's been found on labels such as UR, Rush Hour, H&V, and Ican. The Underground Resistance veteran invokes Detroit-inspired pads and dubby chords that speak techno's language of the future.DJ Hyperactive is a Chicago acid legend who found himself reinvigorated in the 2000s to take up the DJ/producer torch in conjunction with the Droid crew. His early support of the original 'Telomere' made him the perfect candidate for this remix, which tracks a straight forward, bass-grounded groove, met with the producer's own subtle swing sensibilities.
For the past four years Francesco Leali kept busy running Parachute alongside co-owners Manfredi Romano and Thomas Feriero, producing under different monikers and touring the globe as half of CW/A. Finally back as Clockwork, Leali reveals a five track EP featuring some of his rugged music to date. A briery shift into foggier territories where Leali explores layered sound-design and broken rhythms, something he had only hinted in his previous work.
'Online Entity' depicts Leali's hindrance with modern society's social networking obsession. 'In contrast to what these services were actually intended for', Leali explains, 'They seem to have impacted a lot of people negatively, resulting in unnecessary resentments, misinformation and feelings of proximity when these tools can easily alienate you from reality'.
'Constantly worrying about how you want people to perceive you is absurd already, but for many of us this constant sharing has become the only way to achieve happiness, to be satisfied. In an era where all of this is getting out of hand it's essential to remind yourself of the things that truly shape you as an individual. With
Online Entity I aimed for feelings of release, mutating resentments into something positive - more physical. I imagined it as a soundtrack to an escape from these very situations.'
The release showcases this approach with five club-ready numbers filled with calculated, pounding drums and gloomy atmospheres, with only rare glimpses of hope scattered throughout.
To round things up we mobilised fellow Parachute affiliate Ayarcana and Serbian Techno pro Lag who both deliver two startling interpretations of 'Escape Sequence' and 'Rumination'.
4x12 LP, Limited to 150. Deluxe Outersleeve with Punched Out Centerpiece 'Window' and 4 Printed Innersleeves. Deltawerk is the newly Amsterdam based project of Pascal Terstappen aka Applescal and Polynation member Hessel Stuut. Together they are releasing their debut full length LP, entitled 'Passages",
Applescal has to date released on labels including Ghostly International and Traum Schallplatten, while the efforts for his own label Atomnation have seen him welcome music from the likes of Gidge, Weval, David Douglas and Sau Poler, amongst others. Voted at a very respectable #03 for XLR8R's coveted 'Best New Act' in 2015, Hessel Stuut is a member of Polynation and has significant experience not only playing live music, but as a producer, visual artist and designer too. Together, they form Deltawerk, a dynamically electronic duo whom when united create human and lucid music, which feels as much at home in an underground rave as it does in an open-air live performance. While there is a faint echo of artistic collision, the album undoubtedly provides an eerie sense of unity for both Pascal and Hessel's own discography, conserving the warm subculture of
analog and modular instrumentation.
First vinyl release for 10 Years Of Metroline Limited series - Produced by label bosses Octad and Phiorio
This release is one of round numbers. It's Metroline Limited release number 50. You may have actually noticed that we almost got to release 90 by now but number 50 was always kept behind for a collaborative release between the two men behind the label: Andrea and Gianpiero aka Octad and Phiorio. It took a fairly long time to put this release together, mainly because running a label with a DIY ethos is a time consuming affair and most of the time doesn't leave too much free time for sonic experimentations. We really hope it was worth the wait! And what a better opportunity to release Metroline number 50 like for the label's 10 years anniversary. So much has happened since 2007, we released a LOT of music, some of our tracks have been played in the best clubs and festivals and by some of our favourite dj's. We are not going to name names but we are extremly proud of what we have achieved in our 10 years history. We are also proud of the fact that we are still around with energy and enthusiam to keep on releasing new music, this time (finally) by our label owners and also soon by a lot more talented producers in the months to come. Music wise, in this EP you will find some of the syles that made Metroline music known over the years. The two tracks on the A side are produced by Octad. Missing Bits has Octad's trademark minimal groove with hissing hats and a huge sub bass. There is a clever use of percussive bits, dark stabs and vocals to create a sublime dark minimal techno builder. Synopsis of 8 keeps the A side atmosphere well dark. Andrea managed to create a solid machine funk dark and spooky techno number with metallic percussion and plenty of groove. Phiorio takes control ot B side with the opening
Breakbeat Paradise Recordings is back with another big vinyl release from the amazing producer due Lack Jemmon, which consists of DJ Clairvo and Kid Panel, who are both well-established producers, DJs and label owners on their own. Together they are an explosive cocktailed of big funky grooves, filthy glitcy basslines and banging beats!
Lack Jemmon has been around for a couple of years and quickly signed up with the successful ghetto funk label Scour Records where they have dropped a few tunes and remixes. When the boys reached out to us and said they had 4 bangers they wanted to drop on vinyl we didn't hesitate to say Hell Yeah!
The self-titled EP showcases their style of heavy breaks and funky basslines perfectly across the 4 bangers that are tried and tested for complete dancefloor destruction.
You can always count on BBP for your doze of party rocking beats - and for keeping the vinyl alive...
Roots In Heaven is a Berlin-based act that could very easily capitalize on his past accomplishments within the world of intrepid electronic music. As a label owner, resident DJ at cutting-edge clubs, and accomplished solo artist behind a number of conceptually unique full-length albums, the conceiver of this project won't likely need any introduction to the intrepid fans of electronic music. As an extension of this artist's already solid commitment to deep sound, Roots in Heaven represents a new voyage without the help of biographical cues to his listeners: hidden behind an evocative mesh mask lined with obsidian feathers, Roots in Heaven ignores the need to provide 'social proof' or self-justification. He communicates purely through the language of concentrated sensory impression, for which reason he has titled his debut, 'Petites Madeleines,' after one of the most memorable descriptive sequences in literary history (the famous meditation on the madeleine from Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu). As a prelude to the first full-length, Roots In Heaven has issued an untitled EP as a resounding 'shot across the bow'. However, this record is no half-conceived experiment to see what works and what doesn't, nor does it even feel like an 'EP' (in the traditional meaning of being a précis whose full report is available elsewhere). Attentive listening to its contents can cause a kind of time dilation, and a mysterious feeling of entering a world where familiar dualities (nature vs. technology, action vs. contemplation) are replaced by a feeling of total immanence. The A-side, 'Sang des Betes", accomplishes this with cascading, viscous layers of electronic tones that narrow and widen, rise and fall like the breath of some ancient entity. Periodically, bright flashes of tone arc across the horizon of the sound space, emphatically present but also elusive.
'We are doing something different from the traditional original/remix format in order to bring something different to music creativity.'
The artists on CAST 005 donated their time, energy and talent in order to create a very diverse and memorable release. If you know anything from the artists listed, you no doubt understand their capabilities and with the release of CAST 005, these capabilities shine through. Take a listen for yourselves and let the music make the impression, not our words.
CAST 005 brings Techno, Noise, Experimental, Industrial and Breakbeat sounds together. Each of the artists have been very busy with touring schedules as of late. What you hear is the vision of 4 artists working together, but independently from across the globe to bring you varied, yet cohesive interpretations of their sound as a whole.
A Quasar is the most luminous object in the known universe. It emits extreme amounts of visible light, but radiates like crazy on all other wavelengths, as well. Here you can get as close to a particularly energetic Quasar as no man has ever been before - during an adventurous space flight with Felix Eul and a bunch of other well-travelled sound cosmonauts. This voyage takes you to the final frontiers and beyond where you might even encounter strange aliens like the Pianoctopus, known to sneak its tentacles into the ears of unsuspecting astronauts and to tickle their skullcaps from the inside. By the way, during our flight we might experience turbulences which you will experience as sudden, adrenaline-loaded outbursts of euphoria. They are caused by transdimensional discharges along the wings of our spaceship, a phenomenon known as Interplay.
Panorama Bar resident Nick Ho¨ppner gets to Work on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop.
Work as in labor. An axiom that fuels the capitalist system just as the Techno/House scene economy says that one needs to keep oneself busy to make a living. As a musician, things are complicated of course. It's a long way from the romantic idea of creating music simply for the sake of art to becoming a full time musician. Those who have accomplished this feat often find themselves in a professional loop of writing the music, producing it, promoting it (with an info text like this), releasing it and then hopefully selling it. After leaving his full time job as Ostgut Ton's label manager in 2012, Nick Ho¨ppner went fully freelance, focusing on his musically diverse, deep and dynamic DJing in and outside Berghain's Panorama Bar, but more importantly spending more time in the studio. The result was his critically acclaimed debut album Folk (Ostgut Ton, 2015), various 12' releases and remixes, and now his sophomore LP, Work, which, more than ever, lays out his refined production skills and his talent to work the machines until they reveal their inner ghosts: nine new songs that now dodge the dance floor, then fully embrace it.
Work as in body of work. A record is more than the sum of clocked up hours at the studio, but the result of an artistic-creative process. On Work, Ho¨ppner shows his everlasting lust for musical detail, his increasing technical skills and compositional finesse. Work is a very personal, soulful and deep record that breaks through the usual club/dancefloor narrative by documenting Nick's interest for hybrid sounds and combining elements from varying musical genres. Work's lead single 'All By Themselves (My Belle)' is a very atmospheric, intimate and steadily unfurling IDM piece with ethereal synth and vocal pads; on the album it's contrasted by 'Clean Living' with Tram 78, a modern Ho¨ppner club classic: powerful, kick-heavy, muscular, cheerful and uplifting. It's a very personal track resulting from a recent reencounter with an old friend. Having spent countless hours together in Berlin's clubs in ever changing states of mind a decade ago or longer, things have since changed for both towards a more - clean living'. Connecting to this musical vibe 'In My Mind' follows with a slightly darker tone putting emphasis on bassline, percussion and squeaky sound detailing. 'Hole Head' pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Nick's love for UK club music, when a dashing melody of synths and vibraphone is matched with clattering breaks and syncopation. The dubby, mesmerizing 'The Dark Segment' not only impresses with its hypnotic synth figurines, but also by morphing to a shuffling Jazz rhythm towards it's middle part; 'Forced Resonance' uses Oberheim synth brass stabs to dramatic effect; the percussion- and clap-laden 'Fly Your Colours' comes with an irresistible piano melody atop an energetic kick; and finally the album-closing, shuffling but rhythmic, noisy yet bluesy 'Three Is A Charm' featuring the duo Randweg on clarinet, cajo´n and acoustic guitar is a coherent departure heading towards Indie Pop territory. It sees Nick collaborating with acoustic instrumentalists for the first time in his ten-year- spanning Ostgut Ton release catalogue.
Work as in artwork. Staying in line with the Folk album, the visual companion for this record comes from German collage artist Frank Bubenzer. As with the artwork at hand, Bankentsunami, and his other works, Bubenzer cuts up print magazine advertisements and recontextualizes them into new motifs, removing all human depiction from the source material, here as a commentary on the world of business, big money and the banking crisis.
Work as in work it. As a slogan 'work' has always been one of the genre's most utilized paroles, coined and put on wax by pioneers like LNR, Blake Baxter or Steve Poindexter, to name a few. Not only calling for the crowds to get moving on the floor but also to fully express themselves and their unique individuality inside an all embracing environment. A mindset rooted in House Music that has been an integral part of Nick Ho¨ppner's identity as a DJ and producer from the beginning and all through his decade-spanning residency at Panorama Bar. Work it!
The first release of "Syncretism" is a strong declaration of techno made by Cressida. The Ep includes 4 tracks, 3 written and produced by Cressida and 1 additional mix is made by UVB. All the tracks have got a solid raw sound, an excursion between the hardest industrial, the classic UK acid sounds and new wave.
The first track, Toxic Masculinity, is a punching tune haracterized by raw drums, rough synth and break sequencies. Second track, the UVB Testosterone mix, represents the masculinity killer track, with a screaming human being in a dark environment.Third track, Snakecharmer, is the anthem killer track characterized by acid and big room sounds.Neurotic X represents the other side of the label where the artist experiments his tone bringing you in a post industrial and wave scenario.
Local Talk is proud to welcome back Marcel Lune for the release of his album Astral Palms.On this album Marcel continues to explore his fascination for melodies and composition and has created something that is wonderfully refined and thrillingly accessible.Listening to Astral Palms some may hear the influence from such great artists as Floating Points and Local Talk very own Crackazat. What Marcel is doing is fusing the two and adding his twist with enough originality to stand out from the rest.
From the opening track and throughout the album, you get the idea of this young genius' musical universe - music that aims to both soothe the senses and move the feet.
Astral Palms is not only offering a unique twist on melodious and rhythmic house music, it also highlights Marcel Lune' growth as an artist.
While the story of Jah Wobble, from post-punk bassist to Tube driver to world music explorer is well documented, the fact he founded his own label, Lago Records, at the age of just 23 years old has oft been overlooked. Lago Records was set up by John "Wobble" Wardle soon after his acrimonious departure from college friend John Lydon's Public Image Ltd band at the end of the recording of the Metal Box sessions. Although still young, Wobble had already experienced a music career most would dream of and was experienced enough and singular in his thinking that while now working with both Island and Virgin Records, he did not want to be constrained by the traditional label / artist format and release schedule. With a mindful of music ideas and working with a group of friends and musicians, Lago allowed Wobble to express his wider musical interests that now forms it's own unique document in time. This release takes a collection of songs from the 6 EPs released on the label between 1981 and 1985 and captures some of his best ever music, covering a wide palette including dub, jazz, spoken word and even some pop sensibilities, all held together by his instantly discernable bass rumble. The driving post-punk-dub of Invaders Of The Heart is clear a link to the PiL years, while the psychedelic nature of Long Long Way and Fading offer long, drug-induced meditations. Nocturnal and East take this further with long-form instrumental experiments, before both Voodoo and the now highly sought after Blowout take in (Balearic) pop touches that the mid-80s were beginning to encapsulate. Packaged with DJs in mind as much as for the "Heads", the Lago Years double pack is a revelation to those who thought they knew the Jah Wobble sound and offers a perfect framing of a unique musical journey.
Ekoplekz returns with his fourth album for Planet Mu, in the shape of 10-tracker "Bioprodukt". The unique lo-fi, woozy sound of Bristol's Nick Edwards stays intact while he veers towards the nineties for inspiration: the bleep and bass sound of the north of England is one touchpoint and the acid gurgles of the 303 are another. While the murky lo-fi production levels and evocative melodies remain, they are now bolstered by a more muscular rhythmic chassis. Snappier kicks and snares mingle with dense layers of percussion and deep undulating sub-basslines adding a funkier edge, as typified by opening track "Elevation" where playful beats interlock with breezy keyboard flourishes to create something uncharacteristically upbeat. Similarly, the gentle, fluid motion of "Slipstream" and "Calypzoid" represent some of the most appealingly chilled grooves in the Ekoplekz canon to date. But the darker-edged material remains. "Expedition" has a pensive, percussion-heavy feel whilst "Acrid Acid" is a dirt-encrusted slow-mo techno meltdown. "Transcience" displays the Ekoplekz trademark dub-fx in full flight over a driving lo-end, before "Descent" leads down to the final section, where the beats fade out, replaced by rippling layers of spectral ferric ambience on the epic "Low-X Over", before finishing with the radiant looped stasis of "Denier Daze". The albums shifting, mperfect patterns and muted colours are visually mirrored in the beautifully realised sleeve by the Print Project.
(Locked Groove, Nuno De Satos remixes) Something Happening Somewhere and Mary Go Wild combine their forces for a very special record, containing two cuts by Presk and remixes by Locked Groove and label honcho Nuno dos Santos.
Something Happening Somewhere and Mary Go Wild combine their forces for a very special record, containing two cuts by Presk and remixes by Locked Groove and label honcho Nuno dos Santos. The original A1 side has already been released on SoHaSo last summer on their SOMEWHERE compilation, but has now found a place on delicious black gold and is further enriched with a fresh B-side and aforementioned remixers delivering quality reworks.
2BXPRZD is an ode to the celebration of night life and the diverse spectrum of people that move within it. The club has always been a place where people from every background, religion and gender imaginable can meet and express their being through Dancing. It doesn't matter in what way you move, only that it's authentic and respecting towards the fellow dancers around you. Presk provides all the necessary ingredients: the funkiness in the drums melting with the dark and sinister bassline and pitched vocal perfectly assemble the conditions for such an interaction to take place.
Locked Groove takes this celebratory dance and turns it into an even darker and hypnotizing affair. Stripping the original to its bare essence with a pounding kickdrum to lead the way. Pulsing atmospheres and emotive pads swirl around and behind, granulated in a way that they almost fall apart. This is further reinforced by the stream of voices that are processed to sound like a field recording from beyond the iron curtain in Soviet times, anticipating the unavoidable collapse that follows.
The B sides provides a little more uplifting environment with Starets, unsettling melodies and dissonant atmospheres propel forward before restraining the whole thing and letting broken chord stabs seep through the system. Again reworking the original material into a more skeletal structure, Nuno dos Santos adds a poignant arp melody that is typical for his melancholic style. Driving yet breathing with emotion, it's the perfect accompaniment for a night drive while floating through clear skies. This records proves a delightful combination, containing something imperative for every soul feeling the need to express themselves in a unique way.
Fusing tantric sexual spirituality and speech with the energy of pounding beats and a functional driving acid baseline. According to Thee J Johanz it's inspired by an incidental visit at Love Temple (Arambol, India).
Fusing tantric sexual spirituality and speech with the energy of pounding beats and a functional driving acid baseline. According to Thee J Johanz it's inspired by an incidental visit at Love Temple (Arambol, India). Tantric Temple stirs and elevates the floor, making all 'feel as one' through a unifying vocal climax. The Tantric Bricastic version channels basic raw and dance energy, stripped down and nice in the mix. Last track Once Upon A Time, a co-production with Nathan Homan, explores the outer zone with some dubby acid disco tech with a tasty spaghetti western touch. Sleeve art by David Homan.
Ikonika's third album 'Distractions' builds on 2013's 'Aerotropolis', and the title answers the question Why has the album taken so long' In the last few years she's been building up a strong CV of remixes, from Chvurches to Dawn Richard, Austra and Junior Boys, as well as DJing and working on this album. 'Distractions' distils the character of Ikonika's music productions across a wider set of styles than previous albums, and she subtly fuses and switches elements from contrasting genres, giving the whole set a uniqueness and consistency that puts it in its own lane. Furthermore what sits at the centre of 'Distractions' more than ever is her love of R&B and hip hop, in all its forms, which has opened the door to bring in a selection of guests in a way she's not fully explored before. From the full throttle blend of grime and 80s synth soul 'Noblest' with Andrea Galaxy, to the reflective 'Sacrifice' with up and coming MC Jammz, a slowjam that merges dubstep with hip house drums. The final vocal track is the languid 'Hazefield' co-produced with Sweyn J and featuring Jessy Lanza on vocals. Its mix of mechanic clunk and minimalist, lulling funk could only happen in 2017. The LP artwork takes its inspiration from West London's Golden Mile, a stretch of the Great West Road where the A4 meets the M4, and the road takes on the character of the arcade game Poll Position, with art deco factories and illuminated, hi-tech signage selling lifestyle products. It's this kind of mix of futuristic and industrious with a touch of gentle glamour that the album exudes.
The next instalment of the Slow Motion Soundtracks Serie, this time from Pordenone's Alessandro Parisi.Interested in esoteric and religious texts, this comes across loud and clear in his stunning, ethereal E.P Andromeda, which at turns send shivers down your spine and expands your mind.Having released on the likes of Giallo Disco and Charlois, this is Alessandro's first release on Slow Motion. These ecclesiastical synth workouts are sure to inspire clubbers and thinkers alike. Solid.
Never before reissued, this legendary 1968 EMI recording is a revered Indian jazz rarity, a collectors' holy grail. Raga Jazz Style is an original Indian excursion into Indo-jazz fusion. A one-away recording from the almost unknown Bombay jazz scene, it is among the few jazz LPs to hail from the subcontinent.Closely contemporary with the UK-based explorations of Amancio D'Silva, John Mayer and Joe Harriott, Raga Jazz Style takes the melodic, scale-based raga system of Indian classical music and marries it with a swinging jazz rhythm section assembled by Bollywood's most highly acclaimed musical directors, the soundtrack composing duo Shankar Singh and Jaikishan Panchal.Singh and Panchal were a dominant force in Hindi film music from the late 1940s onwards. Shankar had been trained in classical tabla, while Jaikishan was an expert harmonium player. They worked together on well over a hundred films, and their innovative compositions and orchestral scoring revolutionised the music of the nascent Bollywood industry. Central to their sound was regular collaborator Sebastian D'Souza. From 1952 onwards, D'Souza would work on every Shankar Jaikishan soundtrack, eventually becoming Bollywood's most coveted musical arranger.
Originally from Goa, D'Souza had cut his teeth in the dance-band era, arranging and playing with his uncle's jazz bands in Lahore and Quetta. After Partition, he had moved to Bombay to follow the reliable work provided by the film industry, where Goan musicians had become the mainstay of Bollywood's film studio orchestras. Goans were also the core of Bombay's thriving dance-hall and hotel-based jazz scene, with artists including saxophonist Braz Gonsalves, guitarist Amancio D'Silva and trumpeter Chic Chocolate all working in the city during the post-war years.
The team assembled for Raga Jazz Style were drawn from this inventive and forward-thinking milieu. Pianist Lucilla Pacheco, saxophonist Manohari Singh and guitarist Anibal Castro were all fixtures on the Bombay jazz circuit, while drummer Leslie Godinho is reputed to have taught Joe Morello the 5/4 'Take Five' beat when they jammed together during Dave Brubeck's State Department tour of India. To this jazz backbone was added the sitar of Ustad Rais Khan, scion of long line of classical instrumentalists, and nephew of the renowned sitarist Ustad Vilayat Khan. Bombay's jazz modernists had been experimenting with the fusion of ragas and jazz since the 1950s, long before American or British jazz musicians had tuned in to Indian classical music. But very little of this exciting scene was ever captured on record. Raga Jazz Style offers a rare chance to hear the innovative sounds of the Indian jazz scene, as peerless composers Shankar Jaikishan and arranging supremo D'Souza join with veteran Bombay jazzers to explore classical themes in a jazz setting — eleven ragas to a swinging beat!This is a highly impressive inaugural salvo by Outernational Sounds, using original masters and beautifully rendered facsimile artwork, with 180g vinyl pressed at Pallas, in Germany.
Drum roll, people! SL009 is on its way. The recipe has not changed: limited quantity, hand numbered / stamped records and superior music. We take you on a unique house journey to explore the texture of sound and the color of feelings, from raw to deep all the way down to acid, carried on our VA format spaceship. Onboard, four artists, Yusuke and Jimini part of 'Serie Limitée' crew and two new comers Panthera Krause and mOnster Heart Driver who are joining the family.
Alexey Volkov first appeared in the techno scene in 2011. His past releases on the Semantica and Jealous God labels have gained Alexey and his music widespread acclaim. Since his debut, Alexey has been busy crafting and perfecting his sound. His origins in Punk and Industrial become apparent in his new EP for Escapism. He continuously proves that his assertive yet refined style is worth the hype as unconventional rhythms and unsettling sounds dominate the tracks.
SUMS is the collaborative project of French electronic producer Kangding Ray and Mogwai multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns.
develop a new group that brought together different elements of both Kangding Ray and Barry Burns' musical traditions. Adding drumming savant Merlin Ettore, the pair devised a musical world that crafts post-rock soundscapes and structures using the sound-language of contemporary techno and experimental electronic music.
After a grand debut performance during the 2013 edition of the festival, the group decided take the project into the studio. Over a two-year period, working with a range of range of instruments, SUMS began to produce tracks that achieved an organic fusion of spatial electronics and rousing post-rock sounds that manages to seamlessly blends the best of the musical legacies of Mogwai and Kangding Ray.
The first action of this new phase of the project comes in the form of a 3 track EP on Berlin Atonal Recordings. A new live show will be shown first at Rewire festival on April 2nd.
Tropical Odds is the second album by White Sea, the solo alias adopted by gifted American singer, songwriter and producer Morgan Kibby of M83
Born in Alaska, and now a resident of Los Angeles, Morgan fronted The Romanovs before joining acclaimed electronic music group M83 in 2007, co-writing, arranging and playing keyboards on the albums Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, as well as completing several world tours.
As White Sea, her first solo album In Cold Blood arrived in 2014, a dramatic debut praised by Billboard for its 'canyon-sized hooks, knowingly grandiose melodies and succulent vocals' and judged 'pop's newest break-up classic' by Flavourwire.
Outside of M83 Morgan has also collaborated with artists such as Greg Kurstin, Panic! at the Disco, Mark Ronson and School of Seven Bells, remixed Ellie Goulding and Britney Spears, and composed the award winning soundtrack to Eva Husson's provocative 2016 movie Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne).
New album Tropical Odds stems from an interactive project launched via White Sea's website featuring digital singles and videos released at regular intervals throughout 2015 and 2016. Explains Morgan: 'Generally being able to create and mix and master my solo material within days has given me the direct freedom to share songs I want people to hear. In short, if I write something that I like, I put it out!'
Now gathered together in album form, the musical moods on Tropical Odds range from the sombre reflections of Gangster No. 1 and Yesterday to the hedonistic rush of Stay Young, Get Stoned and Never a Woman, high drama on Bloodline and Arcadia, and heartbreaking balladry on Secret, One Bad Eye and Lessons.