Search:aes

Juxta Position returns to his own Failsafe imprint with 4 post-modern techno pieces, exploring minimalist themes performed on more traditional sound sources, relying on pure sequencing rather than patch programming to convey moods and atmospheres.

Opener "Five Four Piano" recalls the work of modern classical composers such as Steve Reich, but reengineers the aesthetic to fit on techno dancefloors.

Likewise, "Orchestral Manouvers" continues this theme, whilst introducing a Millsian twist, and "Icicles" takes the idea even further into more looped techno territory.

E.P. Closer "Crisp Cold" concludes the record, with a cinematic and serious tone and almost gothic sensibility.

Four tracks which are a break from the usual, expected timbres of contemporary techno.

Bristol-based producer Drone finally makes his bow for Coyote Records with the release of new four-track EP, 'Light Speed'. Written over the first six months of 2018, 'Light Speed' forms Drone's most accomplished and absorbing release to date, bringing new textures, layers and depth to his music and to the club - a space where his beats have been a mainstay in the sets of producers like Kahn & Neek since debuting on Hear Other Sounds in early 2017. A regular at Coyote's Bristol parties over the course of 2016 and 2017 and inspired by the clinical, freeze-dried grime of label contemporaries like Last Japan, as well as Sector 7 bosses Boofy and Lemzly Dale, Drone has probed, honed and developed his sound to marry the raw impact of his early beats with detailed, widescreen scope. There are nods to the soundsystem culture of his new home city of Bristol on the coarse textures and booming, dubby low-end of 'Narroways' for example, while title-track 'Light Speed' captures the icy, shimmering Coyote sound aesthetic in full view. B-side tracks 'Probiscus' and 'Fangz' continue this theme apace, bleeding into one another like patchwork to showcase a grime sound moulded by the club, but finessed away from it. Born in Hastings, Drone has spent the last three years studying Music Production in Bristol, during which time he's guested on Rinse FM, released on London's Hear Other Sounds and Boofy and Lemzly Dale's influential Sector 7 imprint, as well as self-releasing a limited edition USB - comprised of a slew of unreleased beats - in February 2018.

Photonz is the alias of Marco Rodrigues a DJ, producer and driving force of Lisbon's underground scene. For little over a decade now, he's been crafting his own deeply personal style of Portuguese house and techno for labels such as Créme Organization, 20:20 Vision, Don't Be Afraid, Skylax, Unknown To The Unknown and his own One Eyed Jacks. As a DJ, Photonz grew a reputation for deep crates and intensely euphoric sets and in 2017, together with Violet (co-founder at his Radio Quantica) and Lisbon's own Rabbit Hole collective, he started the now infamous Mina parties - a monthly, sex-positive, queer and intersectional-feminist techno party aimed at using the dissociative potential of intense raving to create a temporary space of suspension away from patriarchal expectations.

Etheric Body Music is Photonz's debut 6-track EP for Dark Entries and a simultaneous reference to hermeticism and EBM (Electronic Body Music). Marco loves that 'aesthetic when 80s industrial and EBM bands split up and start to make trance in the early 90s and all the ritual magick pushes them to zen stuff and they do ecstasy.' There's this concept in theosophy and hermetic philosophy of the Etheric Body, which is an energy body superimposed and connected to the physical body, similar to the acupuncture idea of an energetic body. That idea manifests itself as six primal club cuts, which also channel early techno, Drexciyan rhythms, balearic & old school jack. Raw arpeggiated synth lines and bass blast jut against metallic stabs and highly percussive shakedowns to create mournful atmospheric warped house. All songs have been mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a psychedelic jacket with snakey green and purple velvet in an electric acid spewing weird biological alien energy form designed by Eloise Leigh.

Arguably One Of The Most Acclaimed And Loved Bands Of The Past 20 Years, By Both Fans And Their Musical Peers Alike, The Beta Band Formed In St. Andrews, Scotland, In 1996. Innovative And Singular, Their Unique Musical And Aesthetic Approach To Everything They Did Set Them Far Apart From Their Musical Contemporaries. Together For A Relatively Short Period Of Time, The Three Albums And Three Eps They Released Between 1996 And 2004 Would Nonetheless Help Define Them As One Of The Most Exciting And Cherished Bands Of Their Generation. After A Short Hiatus The Band Gradually Gravitated Back Into The Studio And Recruited Noted Uk Producer Colin Emmanuel, Aka C-swing, To Oversee The Process Of hot Shots Ii' Which Was Released In Mid 2001. Notoriously The Band Had Intended To Release squares", Which Featured A Sample From The Günter Kallmann Choir's 1970 Version Of Wallace Collection's daydream", As The Lead Single. However After Filming The Music Video And Taking The Single To Radio It Suddenly Transpired That Another Single daydream In Blue' By I Monster Featuring The Sample From Günter Kallmann Choir Recording Was Also To Be Released At The Same Time Causing The Band To Release broke' Instead. Touring Extensively And Supporting Radiohead In August 2002, They Made No. 3 On Q Magazine's List Of 50 Bands To See Before You Die".

Russian producer Nocow returns to Rekids with an enthralling full-length album entitled 'Atoner' this November.

Real name Aleksei Nikitin, Nocow is known for his versatility, producing a large body of genre spanning work on labels like Clone Royal Oak, Figure, Fauxpas Musik, Gost Zvuk and Styrax. The St. Petersburg-based producer debuted on Rekids last year with his 'Samaya Dolgaya Noch' EP, a mellow release complete with vocal driven cuts as well as 2-step rhythms, and now returns with a myriad of productions in a fourteen track album entitled 'Atoner'.

'Atoner' opens with an eponymous track that gently unravels with soaring synths and subtle percussion before Nocow's voice emerges alongside twinkling atmospherics in 'Complie'. Throughout the long player are also intricately produced short tracks sitting between the two and three-minute mark such as looping vocal number 'Dancerecter', the melodic and rattling 'Leto' and ominous 'Delore'.

Ostanovitsa' is a murky offering featuring a meandering organ riff, leading into the pitter-patter drums and serene chords of 'Starveme (feat. Tayut Ogni)'. 'Come Along' is a crystalline and otherworldly experience from start to finish, whilst 'Melting Lights' is comprised of echoing, subterranean sounds, making way for reverberating snares and metallic stabs in 'Standalone'.

Husky murmurs and soothing notes then make up 'Neva', moving into the syncopated beat and idyllic chord sequences in 'Can't Get Enough' ahead of 'Stonecold' and its icy aesthetic. Finally, the album reaches a mesmerising conclusion with the spellbinding 'Footer'.

Africa Seven's next installment returns to Cameroon with a special edition version of Momo Joseph's in-demand LP, "War For Ground", with three extra tracks. Momo may be better known for his work as an actor, having featured in such titles as "La Haine" (1995) and "The African" (1983), but his small foray into music is definitely memorable as he lays it out in true Afro-Boogie style. Apart from two singles, "War For Ground" represents Momo's only other body of work, and only studio album which was self-released in 1983. With this "Edition Speciale" reissue we provide you all the originals from "War For Ground" remastered alongside his party-time classic "Cameroon Airline", "Love Africa Soul" and his lesser known tack "Oh Momo".

The A-side starts with "Africain", which also featured on our compilation "Africa Airways Four". Glistening synth lines work it out over the top of romantic guitars, while the continual and hypnotic vocal chant of "Africa" tells you exactly where this music is coming from and what it means. The tempo creeps up a bit with "N'Gon Le Bek" which again takes advantage of driving guitar lines, this time facing off with the horn section. The last cut on the A-Side is "Out Side No Fine", which flows great after the previous two, keeping up the same aesthetic with a bit more of a tropical feel to it.

The B-side kicks off with the title track "War For Ground". In this one Momo starts off rather melancholic before things end more triumphantly with the backing vocals and horn section again providing much of the driving force. The final two tracks on this record make up the "Edition Speciale" element of this reissue. "Love Africa Soul", taken from Momo's 1980 single of the same name, at first seems to be one of the more straight forward disco led tracks on this release until an ecstatic synth line breaks things up in a forward thinking break down before a trademark Momo groove kicks back in. The other track featured on that single was"Cameroun Airlines", a bonafied afro-disco classic. Next we delved into the vault and unearthed a recording session for "Oh Momo", this never released version of the track reflects a slightly different side of the signer, with a more afrobeat feel.

This "Edition Speciale" version of "War For Ground" offers a thorough observation of Momo Joseph's work as a musician and looks to help shine a light on Momo's career and musical genius.

Arguably One Of The Most Acclaimed And Loved Bands Of The Past 20 Years, By Both Fans And Their Musical Peers Alike, The Beta Band Formed In St. Andrews, Scotland, In 1996. Innovative And Singular, Their Unique Musical And Aesthetic Approach To Everything They Did Set Them Far Apart From Their Musical Contemporaries. Together For A Relatively Short Period Of Time, The Three Albums And Three Eps They Released Between 1996 And 2004 Would Nonetheless Help Define Them As One Of The Most Exciting And Cherished Bands Of Their Generation. After A Short Hiatus The Band Gradually Gravitated Back Into The Studio And Recruited Noted Uk Producer Colin Emmanuel, Aka C-swing, To Oversee The Process Of hot Shots Ii' Which Was Released In Mid 2001. Notoriously The Band Had Intended To Release squares", Which Featured A Sample From The Günter Kallmann Choir's 1970 Version Of Wallace Collection's daydream", As The Lead Single. However After Filming The Music Video And Taking The Single To Radio It Suddenly Transpired That Another Single daydream In Blue' By I Monster Featuring The Sample From Günter Kallmann Choir Recording Was Also To Be Released At The Same Time Causing The Band To Release broke' Instead. Touring Extensively And Supporting Radiohead In August 2002, They Made No. 3 On Q Magazine's List Of 50 Bands To See Before You Die".

Milton Bradley debuts on AVION's Crossing with three ferocious techno cuts under his Doomsday Device moniker this November.

Since its launch in 2013, Crossing has mainly acted as a platform for its founder, Index Marcel Fengler and Stress Research producer AVION, however the imprint has also hosted techno artists like Thomas Hessler, Pfirter, Doka, The Automatic Message and Stefan Rein. The label now presents a full release from Milton Bradley, appearing under his Doomsday Device guise. Founder of Do Not Resist The Beat!, the German producer has also appeared on labels like Prologue, MDR, Ann Aimee, and many more.
First up, The X-Planet' uses relentless drums, arcane vocal murmurs and bursts of white noise to

set the tone for a truly militant release. Device 4' is then a twisted journey from start to finish, with its pitter- patter sequences and oscillating sci-fi inspired atmospherics, making way for The Yesterday Machine' with its menacing aesthetic complete with ebbing synths, crashing hats and off-beat snares.

Freedom To Spend's first catalog wide deep dive into an artist's career focuses on four albums from Rimarimba, beginning with 1983's Below The Horizon, followed by 1984's On Dry Land, 1985's In The Woods, and finally, the once-imagined, now-realized assembly of 1988's Light Metabolism Number Prague.

Somewhere out there around the turn of the 1980s, to the left of the post-punk crew, to the right of the minimalists, and surfacing with a friendlier face than the dour industrialists of the time - there existed, seemingly unbidden, an entire, networked, tape-trading community; a community that crossed continents and oceans, that relied on the postal service to do its bidding; a community full of humble visionaries and lost, misunderstood, or just plain ignored home steeped genius.

Exploring that thicket of weirdness in the UK wild, you'd likely stumble across labels like Cordelia, Hamster, and Unlikely; compilations like the should-be-legendary Obscure Independent Classics series, or the Real Time cassettes; and inexplicable one-offs like The Deep Freeze Mice, Jody & The Creams, R. Stevie Moore, Leven Signs, Jung Analysts, and Rimarimba.

Rimarimba was the project of Robert Cox, based in Felixstowe, on the seaside in Suffolk, UK. Rimarimba was not Cox's first entry into the world of recorded music, but was the first time he explored, most perceptively, the parameters of a particular musical mode: one where minimalism is removed from its 'high-art' mantle, Cox inveigling its practices in amongst the doit-yourself creativity of a burgeoning and beguiling underground, letting the music breathe - and most importantly, letting it play, gifting it with imagination.

The first in the Rimarimba series, 1983's Below The Horizon, feature Cox in exploratory mode, figuring out exactly how to make his music. There's a pleasure in hearing how he feels out the parameters of his aesthetic, here - there's a boxy minimalism, slightly clunky and charming with it, that reflects the home-spun, improvisatory tenor of the compositions. It's ambitious music, though, wanting to do the most and the best it can with its limited resources. Cox himself admits to not being 'pre-wired' to making this music, but that only makes it more compelling: 'Were I to be properly musical, it wouldn't actually work as well in some ways; it'd be just another album of contemporary clattery music.'

On October 5, Freedom To Spend will offer Below the Horizon in a one-time edition of 750 copies, followed On Dry Land and In The Woods on January 8, 2019 and February 22, respectively. Each album features artwork reinterpreted from its original edition by Will Work For Good, and accompanying abstracts by Jon Dale.

Billy Milligan Trio, 3rd release of the label Lowlife Cartel, collects new ambient music that reflects our present moment. The musical aesthetic is described as a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques. Predominant melancholic atmosphere, work on textures and hybridation with acoustic inherited by experimental jazz. Its title "Billy Milligan Trio", is a reference to sci-fi book from Daniel Keyes "The Minds of Billy Milligan".
The EP begins with "The Sky Was Pearl Grey" , by Shcaa (Archipel, Sharingtones), track, without beat, a guitar note accompagnied by a drone lament releases a trippy and introspective atmosphere. A light vocal, by Shcaa himself, comes subty at the middle of this gloomy exploration.
"Useless Man" by Mårble (Hair Del Records) is a leftfield saturated complaint, mixing jazzy and electronic elements. A distorted voice accompagnied by a piano as the key melody. "Para La Olimpiada" by Mårble is defined by fourth world music genre. The release ends with "Toll Fraud", by L:E:R (Archipel), cut from a full electronic live session, oscillating between a minimal beat and slightly evolving ambiance. In its entirety Billy Milligan Trio is a spirograph of uniquely experimental artists merging together to create something even more beguiling. A truly arresting listen.

FANTASTIC TWINS, the solo artist formerly known as The Twins, has always carried an air of transmutability - not only in a name creating its own hall of mirrors, but also in a constantly fluctuating sound, from the first spoken word interludes recorded as The Truly Fantastic Dessagne Twins From Saint-Etienne (for the Pachanga Boys' infamous 'We Are Really Sorry' album) to myth-building solo releases on Hippie Dance and Optimo Music, as well as style-bending remixes for La Mverte Vs Capablanca, Moscoman and - most recently - fellow Hippie Dancer Rebolledo.

Following the echo-drenched 'Holiday' on 'A Very Nice Combinado Volume Dos', the project from Julienne Dessagne has embarked on yet another transforming journey, leading to the latest outing with the well-suited title THE NEW YOU. Its four tracks prove Dessagne's ongoing commitment to an open sound aesthetic that works the techno blueprint from the inside out, mutating from foreboding, post-industrial landscape to dazed interzone opera in a heartbeat.

Uncanny rave polaroids from last night's ill-memorized peak floor flash up on opener SHAKE IT's mental screen, while follow-up HEY tries to herd its nervously rushing percussion to no - albeit banging - avail. The title track slowly implodes in reverse, pitting Dessagne's obsessing, molting vocals against a stubbornly no-wave-ish synth bassline and octave-hopping freeform keyboards blown to gaseous smithereens. Post-punk closer TIME SCIENCE kicks into motion with a confused diary entry turned subconscious commentary - while the psych guitar gently weeps all over the neatly arranged furniture. Welcome back, newcomers!

Utopia Cloak arrives on FILM with six track EP, Marina Gardens. Utilising both electronic & acoustic components, the British producer crafts hazy, dynamic electronica with a decidedly emotive bent. The music explores a curious production aesthetic - at once half sunk and at the same time gloriously crisp and direct. Caustic drum machine hits underpin the majority of the work, compete with polyrhythmic rolls & glitches, while softly warping synth lines occupy the majority of the remaining sonic space. Rather than working explicitly with nostalgia, Utopia Cloak makes more subtle references to the classic sounds of yore - riffing on Downtempo & IDM with gentle and considered nuance, eking out arcane hooks & rich melodies with a pleasing focus on compositional structure & songcraft. Contrast is the key here, though - and Utopia Cloak works hard to find the balance between metallic per-cussion strikes and wide-angle instrumental elements, avoiding chaos in favour of a lush, rewarding lis-tening experience. FUTURE.IS.LISTENING.MUSIC

The artwork recreates the cover of the band's 1977 debut album with modern fashion icons Duckie Thot and Jazzelle Zanaughtti

'I've had the great privilege of producing some of the greatest artists in the world so when it came time to collaborating for my own record the barometer was shall we say pretty high' explains Nile. 'Nao, Mura Masa and Cosha were important to me and to be able to debut the songs we wrote live with them on Later . . . With Jools before we've even put out recorded versions makes it even more special.'

Nao shares: 'We all grew up on CHIC! No matter who you are or where you're from, they're one of those bands that have sound tracked at least one part of your life. So to now be part of that story and playing in the band - albeit temporarily - is just wild. We've had such great fun making records and playing together, it's been a joy. I'm so glad they're back, the world - especially right now - needs more CHIC!'

'BOOGIE ALL NIGHT' ft Nao is lifted from the long anticipated 10th studio album 'It's About Time'.
Coming this September though Virgin EMI, it's the group's first album in 25 years!!

Inspired by talent, multiple Grammy-winning composer, producer, arranger and guitarist Nile Rodgers is always collaborating, working with musical superstars and breaking artists alike. He amplifies his legacy by constantly traversing new musical terrain and successfully expanding the boundaries of popular music. The new record sees the UK's Nao, Mura Masa, Stefflon Don, Cosha and Craig David share in the journey alongside the likes of California's Anderson .Paak and Chicagoan Vic Mensa, with many more exciting collaborations to be announced.

The album's cover revisits a strong sense of conceptual aesthetics that have run through the bands career since the very start. The artwork of their debut self-titled album (inspired partly by Roxy Music album covers such as 'Stranded' and 'Country Life') featured Valentine Monnier and Alva Chinn, and personified the band's unique style and intent. The 'It's About Time' cover features models Duckie Thot and Jazzelle Zanaughtti. Shot by Britt Lloyd and directed by Greg Foley, co-founder of V Magazine, Duckie and Jazzelle are not only modern fashion icons, but also activists making huge strides for women of colour in fashion.

'When I first came up with the concept for the first CHIC album cover more than 40 years ago it was a deliberate statement that we could all be abundant, we could all be with the beautiful people, we could all be included, we could all have good times. Looking at the world today for the release of 'It's About Time' I felt that it was important to make those statements again for a new generation' Nile explains.

As the co-founder of CHIC, Rodgers pioneered a new musical language with chart-topping hits like 'Le Freak,' (the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records!) and 'Everybody Dance', even sparking the advent of hip-hop with 'Good Times'.

His work in CHIC and his production work for artists like David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Madonna have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide while his innovative, trendsetting collaborations with Daft Punk, Avicii, Sigala, Disclosure, and Sam Smith have kept him in the vanguard of contemporary music.

Nile Rodgers & CHIC have already confirmed several festival performances across the UK this summer, including Isle of Wight and Wilderness, full list of dates below.

Rodgers transcends all styles of music with a catalogue of work that's garnered him plaudits from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (2017) and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2016). More recently, he was appointed as the first ever Chief Creative Advisor for Abbey Road Studios to cap off a year that included 'festival best' performances at both Glastonbury and Coachella and a BBC Music Awards nomination as 'Best Live Performance Of 2017'.

Reclaiming her original moniker of Kittin, electroclash pioneer - formerly known as Miss Kittin - presents Cosmos, a continuous twelve-track LP of organic, leftfield electronica due 2 November on Dark Entries. Throughout her illustrious career, Kittin has carved a considerable niche for herself, assimilating references from New Wave and 90s techno to form an inimitable sound that resonates with electronic music fans the world over. Despite being most recognizable with 'Miss' before it, Kittin was in fact her original artist name - the prefix often added without her consent at promoter's will and eventually becoming the norm.

Cosmos is her most spiritual release yet, influenced by her time in the French countryside after a bout of touring exhaustion. She gives up any formulas from her past; verses/chorus, pop or club beats, to come to the essence of chords and textures, peeling away the non-essential to find joy in music yet again. In retrieving her chosen name from more than 20 years ago, Kittin also returns to the essence of her musical journey. By liberating herself from the constraints of formal structure she opens the door to a new set of aesthetics, exploring her influences without restraint. Sonically, the voice acts a central instrument, whilst the album drives continuously forward with no breaks, paying homage to her love for ambient and electronica whilst wandering calmly into the unknown. 'With Cosmos everything is energy. We go back to the core with curiosity and freedom.' - Kittin

In just a year of existence, Chloé's Lumière Noire has brought emerging artists and promising newcomers together - and this first compilation of 13 brand new tracks expands the roster, exposing the label's eclectic vision in full daylight. When Chloé talks about her label, she puts forward the fundamental values that informed her own musical journey, her trust in her own musical taste - and, of course, the predominance of human relationships: 'I followed
my bliss and only commissioned tracks from artists that I respect and whose music I love. That to me is Lumière Noire's musical palette.' With this 13- track, unmixed compilation, Chloé makes a case for a label aesthetic that is based in open-mindedness. Familiar, elemental Lumière Noire artists are represented, as are new faces, producing a kind of group photo presaging what's next for the fledgling label. Lyon's Markus Gibb leads the track listing with Kuru with a deep chiaroscuro matching the label's ethos, followed by other mainstays Il Est Vilaine's Farenheit 451, which evokes Ray Bradbury's retro-dystopic angst with the
band's usual electro-pop elegance. Sutja Gutierrez, who released in debut EP, The Legend of Time on Lumière Noire in April, pursues his electro Shamanism with the ceremonial Allodoxaphobia, while Iñigo Vontier (whose EP Aluxes came out on the label in late 2017) brings his C O N T R A project
online with track Taurus, a further development in voodoo house. Elsewhere, Suuns lead singer Ben Shemie, who lent his fascinating art-rock croon to Recall, a single from Chloé's Endless Revisions LP, contributes A Million Kinds, a synthy, psych-pop debut that is as brilliant as it is surprising. On to the freshman class: Dutch producer Drvg Cvltvre (who gets personal kudos
from Chloé with each new 12') brings the uncompromising dark electro of his hypnotic and claustrophobic Last Rites. Jonathan Fitoussi's airy, minimalistic Cercles Polaires brings the respite of his recent Versatile Espaces Timbrés LP (a collaboration with Clemens Hourrières): 'I met him at Xavier Veilhan's
Studio Venezia at the Venice Biennale. He's a great guy, and his universe is unique,' says Chloé. Benedikt Frey's deep techno track Iaon, is on par with his smash 2017 album, Artificial, out on ESP Institute. First-timers are also part of the recruits: Bajram Bili with the ten cerebral minutes of Restart, Théo Muller with the ultra-deep Douce Transe, and Lumi, a Basque band that fuses
electronic sounds with acoustic instruments, brings the ompilation to a close with a track commissioned by Chloé. These audacious choices are anchored down with the likes of Permanent Vacation pioneer Lauer's hooky, 80s-infused Pythor ('Just like him, I was a resident of the Robert Johnson, and he was a guest of mine at one of my Lumière Noire nights at the Rex. He is one of these people whose music I highly appreciate'); Aergeworc & Franck Agrario, half of English duo Swayzak David Brown's project, weaves an ethno* mood into Grace's techno. Bringing together different generations, genres, and styles That may not necessarily be Chloé's MO. She invokes a more arbitrary, personal logic: 'I like to mix of-the-moment tracks and more timeless one, but the rule is above all 'do I love this or not'. That was my ethos when I started Lumière Noire.' In that way, the label is definitely in keeping with its time

With her debut album Self Fulfilling Prophecy, released by InFiné last June, the French producer closed the loop on the first sequence of her life. A sequence filled with transformations, encounters and collaborations: her successive moves to Montréal and Berlin (where she was closely involved with feminist activism), and her foundational residency at Detroit's Underground Resistance, among others, informed her authentic, global-minded techno aesthetic. The aptly-named Self Fulfilling Prophecy is thus the honest expression of a artist who has found herself at the center of techno activism, an eloquent testimonial to 'how today's electronic is made.' With the necessary hindsight and application, La Fraicheur has created an opus that blends raging techno with more atmospheric moments. An opus that is now being reviewed in light of the electronic scene's main pillar: the dancefloor. 'Self Fulfilling Prophecy remixes' recasts in vinyl version the Techno esprit of La Fraicheur´s original album with four reworks, which condition the dancers to unstoppable footwork as much as they open the listeners 'minds up. On the A-side, an activist of the Polish scene, VTSS is a leading figure in the protest against conservatism, racism and ambient homophobia and one of the founders of the Brutaz parties in Warsaw. She rocks 'Eau Troubles' in an 'industrial' soundscape, as disturbing as fascinating

A girl stands at an arcade machine, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen with her back turned on the world. She seems to be alone, somehow lost and yet at one with herself. The cover art (by Carmen Alt-Chaplin) for Peter Zirbs' debut album as a solo artist conveys escapism - being totally immersed in another reality, in the virtual world. His equally futuristic and retro-futuristic aesthetic is permeated with melancholy. What if we really don't exist

Peter Zirbs himself also knows how to escape: how to hunker down in the studio, hide from the outside and lose himself in the music. He emphasizes that such an escape is healing, leading to the world of the romantic. The Viennese musician and producer has always felt most comfortable straddling genres, whether techno and rock in previous band projects, or now as a solo artist combining post-minimalist dramatic synth/piano ("Firmament") with modern wave pop ("Are You Reality") and poignant ballad-kitsch ("Dreamescape"). Here there are subtle changes in emphasis gracing otherwise repetitive harmonies; there a true appreciation of pop. Ten songs - five with lyrics, five without - some threatening, some heartbreaking, all stirring. They project a world - sometimes concrete, sometimes abstract - in which can be found beauty and disquiet, love and fear, failure and perseverance. A world one is happy to get lost in while the cinema in one's head tells its own stories. (by Manuel Fronhofer)

As part of the Viennese rave and techno scene of the 1990s, multi-instrumentalist and electronic producer Peter Zirbs has released music under several pseudonyms, produced and remixed various artists, and scored a range of experimental films. He has broken down genre boundaries over the years with the variety of his output. The circle closes now. In 2018 Peter Zirbs finally steps into the spotlight as a solo artist.

"What If We Do not Exist" by Peter Zirbs is released on 19th October 2018 by Fabrique Records. Guest vocalists include Monika Heidemann (Heidemann, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Juan MacLean / DFA Records), Tom Walkden (Wolventrix) and Gerard McNeice.

* Pev re-masters and re-issues a lead track from his debut LP 'Jarvik Mindstate' on Punch Drunk alongside a newly unearthed and previously unreleased track from 2008.

* A leading protagonist of a nascent, more techno indebted sound in the 07/08 dubstep era, alongside peers such as Martyn, 2562 & Appleblim, Peverelist released a series of tracks that helped shape and define that scene. Alongside 'Infinity is Now' (Tectonic), Circling (w/ Appleblim - Skull Disco) and 'The Grind on Punch Drunk to name a few, Bluez was a standout track fusing melancholic Detroit style synths with the dub-wise aesthetics of the UK underground. Peverelist has since explored these themes further with his pioneering Livity Sound label. This release revisits the roots of his sound a decade on.

Making his first appearance on the label, Argy lays down a three-part heavyweight production for Crosstown Rebels this October. The Greek producer effortlessly showcases his unique style and ability to create music that is sure to create heat on the dance floor.

Title track Worthless opens up the EP with a bouncy groove and sensual, breathy male vocal. Next, La Vida introduces a more percussive-led beat, creating an industrial soundscape. Get Ready closes the EP with its darkly hypnotic beat, lending itself to a more tribal aesthetic.

The word 'diverse' is most definitely one that can be used to describe Argy. Having been in the game for more than a decade, he's released music on Poker Flat, Cocoon, Objektivity, Desolat and Cuttin' Headz. He's worked alongside a range of key figures in the industry including Kerri Chandler and Manuel Göttsching. Argy has proved his prowess as a DJ holding down residencies at Amnesia, Space, Destino and Pacha as well as regular appearances at Berlin's Panorama Bar.

In a time when Jazz music is entering a contemporary renaissance and exciting the ears and minds of new audiences, Zombie Zombie's Étienne Jaumet offers us his unique, idiosyncratic take on the sound with the sprawling '8 Regards Obliques', his 3rd solo album with the Versatile label.

Jazz requires a certain freedom of technique, interpretation and improvisation that already matches Jaumet's own production style and sonic aesthetic as well as his playful approach towards music. The eight pieces that make up the new LP were very quickly recorded; Jaumet let himself be carried away by the atmosphere without focusing too much on fine details or the laborious aspects of the composition process. The finished article is a spontaneous collection that stands out, a true mirror image of the creative process adopted by the artist. Not surprisingly, spontaneity is one of the characteristics already present in his music, in both his recorded output and his live happenings, where he leaves much room for freedom and improvisation.

'8 Regards Obliques' was recorded at the Versatile studio in less than 3 weeks with quite a basic set up: TR 808, selected synthesizers, vocals and of course the saxophone, which is a constant presence also in his previous albums. For the mix Etienne has again appealed to the maestro I:Cube, a central figure of the Versatile story and a prdigious engineer and artist in his own right. He immediately understood that it was necessary to keep the spontaneous side alive and to not over-produce the pieces or over-edit them, being constantly mindful to retain the power in the sound and in the frequencies. From Sun Ra with 'Nuclear war', Miles Davis in 'Shhh / Peaceful' or 'Theme from a symphony' by Ornette Coleman to 'Caravan' (already quoted by many jazzmen), Etienne enjoyed revisiting classic masterpieces and paying tribute to his inspirations. He allowed himself only one personal and original composition, 'Ma révélation mystique'.