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'Y.O.U' is an emotive album of tripped out ambient hip hop instrumentals by FROM, written and recorded in the mid 90s under Trevor Jackson's infamous production persona The Underdog. Originally planned as a vocally-led, song-based project that should've surfaced between his production for The Brotherhood's legendary British hip hop album 'Elementalz' in 1996 and his acclaimed debut PLAYGROUP release in 2001, for multiple reasons it hasn't seen the light of day, until now.
Only Available as a ultra limited edition Vinyl and CD release, the LP consists of 11 tracks. Dream-like synth lines, ambient melodies, blissful guitars, raw beats and soft, fractured vocals draw you into a hallucinatory 12bit world. Drawing on Jackson's progressive and jazz rock influences as well as psychedelia and early electronics, the album closes with 'Belladonna'- a piano-sampled homage to the east coast golden age hip hop pioneers. NB: The CD features a longer version of 'Veratrum' not available on the vinyl version. All created on an Akai S950 mono sampler (limited to only 20 seconds sampling time), an Akai MG1212 12 channel mixer (which recorded on Betamax style tapes) and primitive outboard gear, Jackson honed his skills from his bedroom, where he produced the majority of his output at the time. With a huge collection of obscure vinyl, he dug deep into uncharted territories for samples and sound clips
- using material no one knew about (or would think about touching) in the mid 90s. The Underdog's initial releases were on Jackson's own Bite It! recordings label, which was started in 1991. A unique platform for UK hip hop with a visual aesthetic and ethos more akin to ECM and Factory
than other rap labels, its mission was to push artists beyond musical and cultural limitations prevalent at the time.
Home to artists like The Brotherhood, Scientists of Sound, Little Pauly Ryan and Lewis Parker (who later signed to Massive Attack's Melancholic label), Bite It! became a great success;
finally British rap had artists and releases that looked and sounded as good as their revered American counterparts. In 1993 Richard Russell (who had just started running XL recordings) asked Trevor to remix House of Pain, resulting in a top ten record, which helped launch Jackson's musical career via further remixes Massive Attack, Run DMC, U2, The Cure and countless others. Off the back of his remix success, The Brotherhood signed a deal in 1994 with Virgin Records. Their 'ELEMENTALZ' album was produced by Jackson and is still lauded by many as one of the finest British hip hop albums of all time.
Jackson continued to remix and produce as The Underdog until managerial issues forced him out of the project he'd been instrumental in instigating.
Soon after his close friend and manager tragically passed away - which when combined with the UK hip hop scene becoming increasingly volatile and the moral demise of rap culture in general - convinced Trevor to hang up his hip hop hat for good.
After leaving The Brotherhood he started Output Recordings. Internationally and sonically diverse, it gave Jackson a free reign to do as he pleased, with genre twisting releases from the likes of Fridge, Four Tet, Sonovac, Colder, his own PLAYGROUP project, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem. With a non-compromising attitude, strong DIY aesthetic and consistently groundbreaking releases across its ten year life between 1996 and 2006, it became one of the most important and respected independent labels in the world.

Just in time to warm up your winter, Hell Yeah revisit the peerless recent Tsuki album from ambient and Balearic masters Tempelhof & Gigi Masin. Two tracks from the album are included on this new package, as well as a remix from Jex Opolis. Trancendental and dreamy drums characterise the new age 'Corner Song', which is the sound of laying back on a boat and bobbing up and down on gentle seas at sunrise. It's organic and soothing to the max.
The other original is 'Flying Man', a suspensory film that feels like floating amongst the clouds on a humid afternoon.
Wordless vocals add a heavenly feel to the lush and all encompassing chords and pads and nothing sounds sweeter than being lost in this one. It is Corner Song that gets remixed by Good Timin' and Running Back man Jex Opolis.
Famous for his disco infused synth pop sound he is a master of his own musical world. His version is eight minutes of laid-back tropicalia. Slowly churning drums and knotted funk-bass prop it up as an eco-system of pops, clicks and hits add to the steamy and sensuous groove. It's grown up disco for cocktails on the terrace and will have you hugging anyone in earshot.
Support by Calm, Lexx, Leo Mas, Apiento, Zambon, Max Essa, Kito Jempere, Buena Onda Djs, Balearic Gabba Sound System...

(2017 REPRESS/REMASTERED) One of the more delicate recordings of Sun Ra's 28-strong Arkestra, 'Sleeping Beauty' drifts in on a cloud of cosmic dust, sounding unlike anything before or after. With drummer Luqman Ali keeping the narcotic funk, but with dreamy solos from other key Arkestra players like John Gilmore, Michael Ray, and Marshall Allen, no Sun Ra collection is complete without this LP. Inspired space-age lullaby music. Tip!

The album is the fourth LP from FM Belfast. Broadcasting from their home on a remote island you can sense that the tracks are personal. The album has 11 tracks, 11 intimate stories to dance to. It's like you've been invited to a Cabin Fever Dance Party in their living room. The lyrics are about bliss, euphoria, trying to be a human in this strange world, friendship, of loss and growing up.
ALL MY POWER The first song of the album deals with guilt. When you're surrounded with people who wake up early and do everything they are supposed to do but you can't get out of your own bed. This will make you feel guilty. The others don't need to rub it in since you already have bad feelings about yourself. There are two characters in the song. One is a blamer while the other one is being blamed. FOLLOW ME I'm not longer blind, you can follow me". The song is about a person who is no longer blind to the world around her. It's about taking responsibility for your choices. We are not just a group of individuals, we are citizens of this planet and we can't stand idly by when powerful people are destroying it in front of our own eyes. We have ways to connect and we can band together against the hatred and violence. The rich and the greedy are taking everything and ruining it for the rest of us. Being kind is not the same as being naive, it's a choice everyone can make.

ENJOY
Enjoy life while it last. Don't watch the world go by without having a good time. "Here's to feeling alive, everywhere, all of the time".

UP ALL NIGHT
Sometimes you just postpone everything you're supposed to be doing and run away from your problems. The night is the best time for procrastination, you can hide in the dark and nobody can see you waste your life.

AGENT
Like many songs on the album, this one is about holding your head above water in this strange world we live in. It's easy to get blindsided and lost but who's going to speak up for the weak if you don't do it.

YOU'RE SO PRETTY
The lyrics for You're so Pretty originally come from a short story written by Lóa. They are about getting old without maturing. The song is about being restless and broke. Sometimes you feel like there is nothing left to do but shout.

STREAMERS
Streamers is a quiet love-story about having found the person you want to sit next to for the rest of your life and watch crappy TV together. Lyrics are by Árni and Lóa.

LEAVE A MARK
Even if things are not great today, there is always tomorrow. Leave a Mark is a personal reminder to do something about the life you are given and not waste time. It doesn't have to be important, it could just be writing your name on a wall. I little bit of "I was here" for the people who come after you.

FEARLESS YOUTH
It's a nostalgic song about being a fearless adolescent and the friends you used to have. The lyrics are written by Örvar who's also a founding member of MúM.

STROBE
The Strobe is an atmospheric track. It's made for people who want to dance in a euphoric bliss. The lyrics are like a mantra: It's getting dark so turn on the strobe. Don't think, just get lost in the dance.

THE GAME
The Game tells you to resist the power of bad people and bad governments. There's a big game being played and you don't need to participate, you can resist. The power hungry people of this world will never be satisfied but you don't have to support them.

Producer Tommy Cowans cut the first version of the 'Gone to Negril' rhythm for Devon Irons to voice the song 'Jerusalem' on. He then returned to the same rhythm for the follow to the pop hit 'Up Town Top Ranking' with Althea and Donna for 'Gone to Negril'.

Somewhere along the way, prompted by Bob Marley, Cowans took the tapes up to the Black Ark. Anyone who was coming from another planet who wanted to know what Lee Perry was about would be well advised to listen to the all out audio assault of 'Crazy Negril'.

Like a careering car that Perry just about maintains control of, 'Crazy Negril' screeches whirls and zooms from one side to the other of the musical track. Possibly because it was a 'mix' that he was asked to do for someone else from the outside, Perry throws caution to the wind and adds a simple rhythm box as well as whistles and a cow bell to amazing effect. It's an inspired version, and adds to the slightly commercial song on the A side. Although 'Gone to Negril' has its lyrical moments as well. Anyone who rhymes 'Adam and Eve, without their leaves' and 'Feminine gender, ranking agenda' is alright by us.

The 10' comes in a one off recycled sleeve, made from the cover of 'Life Goes in Circles', the Tommy Cowans compilation on Pressure Sounds.

Naples original house master S-DM deliver the next EP on the cult of E-BEAMZ.. NU age tropical lo-fi house the way it should be done..! on the flip a nice acid jam trak - TIP!!

As one of FUSE's original residents, Rich NxT played a major part in the brand's evolution, helping take it from that Sunday morning afters to being one of the most respected event brands and labels on the planet

Ever since the age of 10, Rich NxT has been involved in creating his own music. Thanks to his early training as both a drummer and keyboardist, NxT has an inherent musicianship fully apparent in his sound and style of production. Taking influence from the London rave scene of the early 90s spanning drum n bass and jungle and later the minimal and tech-house scenes of Europe, NxT's output found a platform on the now world-class FUSE London label (launched in 2011). A core artist for the label, with five solo EPs and a collaboration alongside Seb Zito, Rich NxT has been integral to FUSE's trademark sound with his debut EP 'Bristle' and 'Quixotic' EP two of the labels defining moments. NxT and Zito's chemistry in the studio is clear with a further two collaborations on FUSE sister label Infuse. Alongside his own productions, NxT's remix catalogue includes Seb Zito's 'Never' with Enzo Siragusa and his original breakthrough remix of Jon Maker's 'Seeker', which was championed by tINI and many other leading DJs in the minimal house scene.

By the end of 2016, a residency at Amnesia Ibiza with HYTE x FUSE alongside dates at Off Week in Barcelona and several stand out events on FUSE's 8th birthday tour including an epic after hours set at Berlin's Hoppetosse proved NxT is on top of his game. NxT also launched his own imprint NxT Records that year, another platform for his own consistently quality output. Several releases down the line, NxT's distinctive style layered with intricate percussion, obscure synths and ethereal pads combined with punchy snares and atmospheric vocals is marking out the producer and label as a prime source for DJs and vinyl lovers. 2017 sees the launch of a second vinyl only imprint What NxT, a home for musical discoveries that end up buried deep in his own record bag. Featuring both emerging talent and established artists from the UK and beyond, What NxT All roads lead to the rave.

Spiritual/industrial cyberpunk techno tracks for the dystopian age. No pain, no gain. For all Bunker etc. heads. 300 hand-stamped copies - vinyl only!

It's taken over two-decades - legendary UK Techno label Ferox enter their 24th year with a 4 trackerAfrom fellow Brit KIRK DEGIORGIO. Beholden looks both to the future with influences from Kirk's seminal MACHINE events which he hosts with Ben Sims, and the illustrious past of deep melodic UK Techno which he shares with Ferox owner Russ Gabriel. It continues a resurgence of lush, harmonic techno that once dominated the electronic music scene and which is now findingAa fresh, young audience. Expansive chords, delicate melodies and intricate grooves are once again on the cutting edge agenda.

Les Disques du Crepuscule present an extended double disc reissue of Shiver, the acclaimed debut album by seminal Swedish artist  Virna Lindt, originally released by The Compact Organization in 1983.

Written and produced by Virna Lindt and Tot Taylor, Shiver offers 12 slices of chic orchestrated pop informed by 'foreign film' soundtracks, movie composers John Barry and Ennio Morricone, Modernist musique concrete and Cold War spy thrillers. The album spawned three singles: Attention Stockholm, Intelligence and I Experienced Love. For the most part Lindt provides the voiceover for her own narratives, occasionally striking reflective poses amid orchestral swells and multi-layered atmospherics; a clear influence on later acts such as Pulp, St Etienne and Air.

This new edition of Shiver showcases acoustically-enhanced mixes prepared by Taylor and Lindt in 1997, augmented with non-album singles Model Agent and Young & Hip, and immaculate instrumental versions of key album tracks such as Underwater Boy and The Dossier on Virna Lindt. The extended tracklist also finds room for a leftfield cover of Windmills of Your Mind, originally written by Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman for The Thomas Crown Affair and recorded for the Crepuscule compilation album Moving Soundtracks.

Cover photography is by E.A. Janes. The 2xCD edition is housed in a 6 panel digipack with a 12 page booklet. The double vinyl set comes in a stylish gatefold sleeve and includes a free digital copy.

Praise for Shiver:  'Eurocentric Virna Lindt casts herself as a mysterious blonde in a loving pastiche of Continental movie music' (Sounds); 'I think of Shiver as Ingmar Bergman's All These Women cast as 50-odd minutes of musical dialogue. Tot Taylor's fantastic orchestrations cast a brilliant pale of modern love throughout' (Fond/Sound); 'Instead of mere cool styles, there's far more here than a restrictive stereotype' (All Music Guide);

Blind Jack embarks on another journey around secret cities, this time we drop into Wuppertal, capital of 'Bergisches Land' in Germany. Famous for the space-age Schwebebahn and the Lego Brücke. We invite Mr. Mauke 'Colkin' to the team and he dishes out some seriously deep dreaminess that would happily get you around the Schwebebahn in a day-dreaming trance. Also featuring the divine vocals of fellow Wuppertal resident Maria Basel.

Alex took his first musical steps by studying piano and guitar at the young age of 6. His fascination for the more outlandish, experimental side of each instrument corrupted his lessons and sent him down a modular synths and tape loop composition wormhole. Years later Alex resurfaced, got himself clean and, through connections made while spending time as a vocal audience member (and sometimes uninvited participant) at Lyman Woodard, Phil Ranelin, and other Tribe- and Motown-linked gigs in Cass Corridor during the mid-1970s, spent time as a session musician for Earth Wind and Fire, Chic, and Prince. It was only toward the mid-90s he found himself enthralled by the techno and house sounds of Detroit and Chicago so he went into the woodshed and came out firing electronic salvos.

We started with the principle - the cosmic idea that we were taught by our father from a very young age - that the stars and planets make a sound, that deep in outer space there is audible harmony.'With its cathedral-like, richly resonant acoustics, the new HBE album is a brilliant expression of this interplanetary principle. The album is by turns urgent and contemplative, funky and reflective, varied in its textures, but entirely of one piece. Underpinned by concepts of our earth's place in the cosmos, held in place by meditation, swirling with notions of history, science, theology, ancestry, there is a rich conceptual brew here. But always, what talks loudest is the music. The album rings with what back in the 1950s the jazz critic Whitney Balliet called the sound of surprise'. At a time when the phrase Spiritual Jazz threatens in some quarters to become a tired cliche, this is a record that makes you believe again in the genre's validity.

Talking to Cid, one of the Ensemble's two trombonists, one phrase recurs: back to the beginning'. We wanted to go back to the beginning, when we were kids, real young, and our father would wake us up at 5 AM to practice for two hours before breakfast.' One outcome - initially unplanned but subsequently embraced - is that unlike their two previous albums on Honest Jon's, this is an album without a drummer. When we started, as Wolf Pack, just brothers on the street with our horns, there wasn't a kit in sight.' Book Of Sound retains plenty of rhythmic heft, but the absence of a drummer opens up space for a notably varied instrumental palette. Acoustic guitar, piccolo, synthesiser, alto sax - none of them typical HBE Instruments - all have their place on the album. Most striking perhaps are the vocal lines that thread through the album and give it a palpable warmth. In Wolf Pack, we rapped and played, this time we took it a step further.'

Sessions were recorded in Brooklyn and Chicago, and brilliantly mixed at Abel Garibaldi's studio in the Loop ( Abel was like a musician on this record'), and it's the Hypnotic's hometown that permeates. For Cid this is a deeply Chicago record: it's got the vibe of the lake, the vibe of the prairies opening up to the west'. It also has the vibe of those Sun Ra Arkestra albums recorded in Chicago in the 1950s, and - of course - the Phil Cohran albums from the 1960s.

It's Phil Cohran (the father of all seven members of the Ensemble and their first teacher, and not just in music) who is the album's guiding spirit. For Cid it's a major regret that, in the months before their father's death early in 2017, Phil was not well enough to play on the album. He loved the whole idea, and we had the perfect place for his zither'. But Book Of Sound is a magnificent testament to their Cohran legacy. You know, it's tough trying to satisfy everybody with our music. It's hard enough satisfying ourselves, let alone the jazz scene, the hip hop guys, what have you. With this album we just dropped all that as a consideration, and tuned into deeper principles.'

First official reissue of Nigerian Boogie Disco Grail LP produced by Grotto for EMI Nigeria and originally released in 1978. Contains dance classic'Bad city Girl'. Liner notes by Nigerian Music expert Uchenna Ikkone, include previously unpublished photos and extensive interviews by Temitope Kogbe.
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Odion Iruoje was the A&R manager at EMI at the time,' Benson says, and he auditioned us, liked he material and signed us.' Odion Iruoje of course had groomed and produced Ofege. Now he was looking to repeat the formula with other high school groups such as Tirogo, Apples and Question Mark. Grotto's deep rock would be a welcome addition to this schoolboy rock' series.
Work on their album started immediately, with Iruoje in the producer's chair. Adapting to the tastes of the times—as well as their own maturing musical sensibilities—Grotto started transitioning from acid rock towards sleeker, more dance floor-friendly grooves. As I grew older I think I got a bit jazzier,' Benson says. I also listened to Curtis Mayfield, James Brown, Isley Brothers, Prince and a lot of funk groups from that era.'
Hard rock was the content of the first album,' Amenechi agrees, and funk/jazz/R&B the focus of album number two. Especially with the late Toma Mason Jr. joining as bassist.' The group's second album, Grotto II: Wait... No Hurry (released in 1979) reflected the growing sophistication of its members' musical outlook. Fat, funky bass grooves rubbed shoulders with jazzy flute lines, space-age synthesizer tones punctuated good, old-fashioned crunchy rock riffs.

Minimal hardcore and bloody fat hardfloor... minimistic and loud at bass. A bloody good combination to be played with the Radiation Des Sdillons 01:)

* Back with the heat, Chicago native DJ Jana Rush kicks off Objects Limited's 2017 with her debut album 'Pariah'. Jana Rush received attention for her mind-bending drum acrobatics on last year's 'MPC 7635' EP also released by Objects Ltd. Jana started djing aged just 13, releasing her first record on Dance Mania back in 1996 but having a hiatus from music between 2000 to 2013. With 'Pariah' she has created an album rooted in Chicago's footwork sound, but with a myriad of influences, such as jungle, acid, soul, jazz and house, developing her sound on from 'MPC 7635'. By popular demand from a kickstarter, now on vinyl!


* We kick off with 'Midline Shift' whose breathy, clipped erotic vocals intertwine with a pulsing bass and dry 808 rims creating a shimmering robotic effect. Moving on, the frantic 'Beat Maze' confuses the mind with white noise rushes and interlocking snares. Changing the scene, 'Divine' is sweetly soporific and charming, a beautiful, almost eerie track. The pace picks right back up with ' ', whose warbling jazz clarinets cut into a juke bounce. The stripped back beats of 'Break It' give one room to breathe before the croaking bass and distorted acid of 'No Fuks Given'. 'Old Skool' is exactly what you'd expect, its sample syncopated around a feverish rhythm throughout. Both 'Rapid Fire' and 'Acid Tech 2' are bangers, hitting you deep in that sweet spot. Jana brings it back down with 'CPU''s computer noises and sub bass hits. 'Chill Mode' gives time for reflection after all that fire, but its no ambient track, theres still that Chi-Town vibe. We finish with 'Frenetic Snare' whose Amen breaks will have Brits thinking of jungle, but it's a different beast altogether.

Felix Kubin (org, electr,sampler)
Milosz Pekala (vib, xyl, sampler, perc, effects)
Magdalena Kordylasinska (mar, perc, effects)
Hubert Zemler (glsp, dr, perc)

Music composed by Felix Kubin, tracks A1+2 together with Milosz, Magda and Hubert.

The pieces are soundtracks to educational and industrial 16mm films dealing with the subject of "work".

They were commissioned by NDR das neue werk (North German Radio).

Recording engineer: Robert Migas, Black Kiss Studio, Warsaw
Mix: Tobias Levin, Electric Avenue Studio, Hamburg
Mastering: Rashad Becker, D&M, Berlin
Production: Felix Kubin

Film archive: Metropolis Kino, Hamburg
NDR editorial department: Dr. Richard Armbruster

Artwork: Stephen O'Malley

Originally developed as a film score "Takt der Arbeit" is inspired by a handful of industrial and instructional films from the early 1960's until the early 1990's that portrait different forms of work. Felix Kubin is translating these historic documents into a musical poem of conceptual depth. "Takt der Arbeit" - the beat of work - is not only serving as a title but also as constructive element in this endeavour.

Being hunted down by the ever accelerated pulse of our reality is an omnipresent issue in capitalist societies of the the Western world. Living in times of constant exhaustion, it's not only our bodies that have been disciplined by and synchronized to the rhythms of working processes, but also our minds that rage in the tempo of our surroundings. Following an almost analytical effort, Kubin and an ensemble of 3 percussionists are investigating the different qualities and intensities of time that are catalyzed in working processes. While picking up precise temporal and motoric motives of the films, condensing paces and excavating rhythmic patterns, the ensemble is mapping out an animist choreography, shifting from a time when labour was still relying on bodily efforts to a time when machines and ticking clocks seem to reign and model our perception. While Side A is dedicated to procedures that are still based on manual and mechanical movement, Side B is inspired by the digital age, marked by invisible processes and subcutaneous pulses that we internalize.

The result is a critical and poetic reflection on the rhythms of our daily life and yet another example of Felix Kubin's skills as a composer, placing him in the field of orchestral music.

Ebo Taylor is a legendary guitarist, composer, arranger and producer from Accra, Ghana. A leading light of Ghanaian music since the 1960's, Taylor is still touring and recording, and at the age of 80 will be releasing a brand new studio album on Mr Bongo in 2018.
For this album, Ebo joined forces with 12-piece band 'The Pelikans' — from the Cape Coast region of Ghana — led by Bessa Simmona, with rhythm guitarist Fifi Orleans Lindsay. A genuine 'holy-grail' of Ghanaian music and one of Ebo's most saught-after.
The album was released on the small Abookyi label. Named after a nightclub they played in called PELIKANS, and sung in English and Fante, this was the first album where Ebo sang on tracks, such as the classic 'Come Along', on which he also plays keyboard. This song clearly defined a new direction in highlife and has become a Ghanaian funk anthem. 'Come Along' formed the basis of Sadat X's 'Remember That' hip hop jam from 2011.
This official Mr Bongo re-issue is packaged in our new & improved heavyweight 'tip-on' sleeves, printed in Japan, pressed on high quality vinyl, with label designs and artwork as per the original release. Ebo's forthcoming new studio album, 'MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS' is set for release in spring 2018, on Mr Bongo.

For the label's 50th release, Emotional Rescue returns to the music of Woo to close a trilogy of reissue collaboration albums, in A La Luna. Following Whichever Way You Are Going (1982) and Into The Heart Of Love (1990), their opus A La Luna (1991) was the last of the bands song based albums and represents a wonderful way to close this association.

Reworked, re-ordered and remastered especially for this first time vinyl release, brothers Mark and Clive Ives again present their unique, ground-breaking and at the time, heart-wrenchingly overlooked music, that seems to fit the folk-new age-electronics of today as well, if not better, than when first released.

Across 20 plus songs Mark's guitar, clarinet and vocals are as ever drenched in Clive's mixing desk mastery. Echo and reverb shimmer as the short pieces rise and fall like the wind blowing across nighttime trees. With no song going much beyond three minutes, A La Luna flows as one piece. The unmistaken sound of Woo wraps itself around you in an essence, warmth and glow that is addictive, meditative and uplifting.

Featuring the original vocal performance of Mark's love ode, Magic In The Dark stands as a centerpiece where, as with all their albums, vocals appear at a minimum, as part of the musical journey.

The underlying somber nature of the album comes as the band ended more than a decade of recording with little critical or commercial success. The fact they did not release a full album again and moved towards a more meditation outlook was a loss, however, their recent rediscovery and the excellent releases by Drag City and Palto Flats included, has finally given the Ive's brothers not just a place in appreciation, but has shown that there really is no one like Woo. Enjoy the magic.

Pittsburgh-born Phillip Ballou's earliest years were spent in the gospel field, after he moved to New York City in the '70s, he teamed up with Bennie Diggs and Arthur Freeman, founding members of The New York Community Choir and singer Arnold McCuller to form the group Revelation. The quartet recorded for RSO Records, scoring some R&B success in the US with tracks like Get Ready For This' and You To Me Are Everything,' touring the Bee Gees among others. Phillip also sang on albums by NYCC recorded for RCA Records and continued with Revelation until 1982.Frequently hired for sessions in and around New York, Phillip teamed up with UK soul music journalist David Nathan (who he'd met in 1974 during Nathan's first US visit) and John Simmons, formerly a member of The Reflections, another New York vocal group to write a series of songs for his own proposed solo record deal. Although a contract did not materialize, one of the songs - Ain't Nothing Like The Love' - got some interest from famed Philadelphia producer Thom Bell who presented it to The O'Jays. Ultimately, the tune was turned down by Kenny Gamble and John Simmons, by then musical director for Stephanie Mills, recorded his own version for a small independent label in 1981.Phillip continued his own musical journey, touring and recording with James Taylor and Todd Rundgren. In addition, Phillip's name graced recordings by George Benson, Billy Ocean, Kashif, Nona Hendryx, Jonathan Butler, Teddy Pendergrass and Melba Moore, in 1981, he began recording with Luther Vandross and became a part of Luther's touring band for many years, as well as singing on productions by Luther on Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and others, continuing his association with him until Luther's 2003 stroke. Phillip returned to his gospel roots in 2004 as Minister of Music at a Brooklyn church and passed away in March 2005, aged 55. Thanks to renewed interest in the John Simmons' 1981 recording on YouTube, David Nathan has uncovered several tracks from the 1978 and 1979 he did with Phillip and John including Phillip Ballou's original version of Ain't Nothing Like The Love,' gaining its first ever worldwide release as a 7' single on Nefer Records in association with Super Disco Edits

Silencio celebrates the first year of the label with a double-pack vinyl aptly titled Uno.
Comprising of new and established artists, the tracks on Uno collectively summarize the the feel of this label's year, while giving us a hint of what to expect in the year to come.
Click Box & Stefan Dichev kick off the release with 'Memories'. Presenting a collaborative production that will prove over and over again why sound is one of the strongest senses tied to memory. Engineered with emotionally responsive rhythms that roll into a rocksteady baseline, this track evokes feelings with finesse. "Memories" also features funky squiggle sounds and trailing even-tempered tones to punctuate its procession. This is one you'll want to relive every time the opportunity arises.
New comer Wave Particle Singularity has done it again. 'Virtue' is a tremendous track that will quickly establish itself as one of your new favorite things. The drum sequence, accented by beguiling background sounds and curious vocals, gallops throughout this selection with all its feet off the ground together in each smooth stride. Plus, it also comes fully equipped with a pleasingly unpredictable pace in the form of some moody, well-orchestrated changes that result in a perfectly adjusted attitude. Never a dull moment on the dance floor.
Guaranteed.
Kepler.'s latest offering 'Tool A' possess all the qualities one would normally associate with a fine wine because the taste left on the palate after its consumption is both complex and satisfying. During its ascent, effects that compress a thousand echoes into a single sample ride alongside an active baseline that ripples accordingly. Subtle, flavorful snippets bleep and bloop in complete balance, giving this cut a coordinated, contemplative vibe that brings everything into focus.
With his first track on Silencio, Yuuki Hori's 'Scene 5' is truly a unique item. This electromechanicaly exotic sounding export from Japan makes an impression with layers that are neatly stacked and minimal to the max. Its main feature, a sample that seemingly mimics the mating call of a male bullfrog, rhythmically ribbits in harmony with the beat, bellowing over the entirety of this track. All the various elements of this composition come together in a natural way that feels symbiotic and sounds superb.
Another Silencio first, Jorge Ciccioli's 'TD8' has a deliberate intention to create momentum, with a deep, penetrating baseline that rises to the occasion by descending the darkest depths of its own digital horizon. In the midst of the mix the listener is greeted with a clever chorus that effectively sounds like air vibrating, or in layman's terms "blowing", within an empty glass bottle. As it goes through the motions, observe how every note is noticeably nuanced in an effort to reflect the subtle changes that take place.
Closing out the release and year for Silencio, is Laughing Man with 'Reach Out'. Hard, heavyand heavenly are all terms that could be used to express the sentiment of this selection.
Notice how right from the get go this production profoundly pounds out its agenda with a solid, speedy beat that relentlessly rocks throughout the recording. Accompanied by aseries of wavy, spirited vocal layers, ringing bells and an inspired intersection of cymbals,this track is one hell of a ride that will enable you to make contact with the other side.

Expansion's most successful and longest running compilation series returns with a 2017 edition. The concept remains the same, fifteen must-have modern soul room gems taken from the year's biggest dance floor spins on the soul scene. While tracks here have topped UK soul charts, many have not been available in all formats. Once again, attention is paid to the 'flow' of the 15 gems chosen here from shuffling beats to boogie to more soulful house as played at modern soul events. Participants this year include Omar with Los Charly's Orchestra, Tawatha Agree (voice of Mtume's Juicy Fruit') with Aeroplane, Kenny Thomas with Thames River Soul produced by and featuring Incognito, and both Wez and The Groove Association formerly members of Brit Funk group Second Image. Leela James is here after her stint in a US realty TV show R&B Divas: Los Angeles', other guests including Amp Fiddler, Faith Evans, Trina Broussard and Lifford.

Musique par Andrew Chalk & Timo van Luijk

avec:

Tom James Scott - piano

Jean-Noël Rebilly - clarinette

Daniel Morris - guitare pedal steel

Mastered & cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin 0417.

Having been entranced by both Andrew Chalk's work with MIRROR (and back to his solo works as FERIAL CONFINE, plus multiple collaborations with David Jackman, The New Blockaders, Daisuke Suzuki, etc ) and Timo van Luijk (as Af Ursin, In Camera, La Poupée Vivante, and collaborations with Kris Vanderstraeten and others) for many years, I was naturally intrigued to hear about and hear their duo project ELODIE. The project formed in 2010, and has spanned eleven beautiful albums already, to date.

"Vieux Silence" for Ideologic Organ is their first release presented outside of their own record publishing nook, Faraway Press & La Scie Dorée. However this is not the first encounter between Ideologic Organ & ELODIE, they performed at a night in London I curated in February 2012, alongside Jessika Kenney & Eyvind Kang. Elodie's performance was among the most delicately engaging and savant I have witnessed... so very quiet, with snow falling in London outside Cafe Oto's windows, the audience palpably entered a high intensity listening focus. The impression of this vivid memory is striking, considering how spare each of the individual elements present that night were.

"Vieux Silence", and ELODIE in general provoke a visual imagination in an instant, perhaps filtered through aged watercolour, tape grain, antique lenses, forgotten levels of listening and observational patience. On this gorgeous album Chalk & van Luijk also collaborate with piano, pedal steel and clarinet (played by , Tom James Scott, Daniel Morris and Jean-Noel Rebilly, respectively).

Each detail carefully considered and colouring step by step, like an impressionist watercolour.

- Stephen O'Malley, Les Lilas 2017

Optimo Music is delighted to release a first album by Fantastic Twins (formerly known as The Twins). We'll let them tell you the story behind this inspired and beguiling record -
Obakodomo (Au Balcon Du Monde) is a soundtrack I created for a piece of contemporary dance, performed by two dancers for a young audience from the age of 4. It is the story of an imaginary journey in Antartica where two explorers go on an adventure. They encounter a colony of penguins and will progressively learn to understand their habits and respect their environment. Essentially, Au Balcon Du Monde is a metaphor of how to exist next to each other, how to share a territory, how to learn to live together and share resources.
The scenography and stage accessories were designed in a minimalistic and non-obvious form to leave all the space for imagination. The penguins were made of translucent material to provide light effects and were programmed to move in a swaying motion, allowing interaction with the dancers and the music. LED system could be wireless piloted.
With the soundtrack, I wanted to create an atmosphere that would immediately transport the children into this terra nova - a poetical space, like a cold sphere, where the strange meets the frightening and the playful. Translating the immense vs the small, the far-off vs the near, the collective vs the individual, the strange vs the familiar or the cold vs the heat. My intention was to follow the thread of the story in a narrative, yet non-caricatural way. Music for children doesn't have to be 'childish'. Children love to be scared or even just challenged. They love to love and react instantly to what they hear through their emotions. Ultimately, the soundtrack aims to provide different levels of 'reading' so that it becomes something more universal. So we, adults, just have to accept the invitation.

Veranda Culture is the new project from Melbourne artist and DJ, Francis Inferno Orchestra The new album, his second full length LP, follows on from his most recent release, the club-ready 'Oasis and Time', The next step in James' musical journey sees the producer shift-direction with the tranquil and beautiful Veranda Culture, balancing New Age ambience, percussive pulse rides and echoing synths for an album that unfurls with a calming patience and soothing confidence throughout.Recorded over a period of three years between Melbourne and London, FIO began making Veranda Culture after discovering the debut album of Greek-born, Sausalito-based composer Iasos - the New Age masterpiece 'Inter-Dimensional Music' LP — in Melbourne's Liquorice Pie record store. The album is filled with quietly twitching rattles and bells, gurgling talking drums, and snippets of trickling water and bird songs collected through field recordings, creating a bed of sound that is hard to pin down but effortless to absorb as a whole.

Greenlight by DJ Manny is the fifth release from TEKLIFE Records. This 10 trackLP is a masterclass in footwork production by one of TEKLIFE's leading figures. Born and raised in Harvey on the South-Side of Chicago, DJ Manny has been footworking since the age of ten. The Footwork sound has developed in unison with the dance style that accompanies it, and Manny embodies this synergy.DJ Manny is without doubt one of the best dancers on the scene, harnessing control, grace and power in every movement. So when he steps into the studio, he knows instinctively how to create tracks that make you want to move your feet.Instead of relying on chopped up samples, DJ Manny is more inclined to pickup the microphone himself, and this gives Greenlight an original and individual personality.On the opening track titled Way you Move, his flow is soulful and almost vergingon melodic. His laid back drawl sounds equally great on club bangers like Life in This Bitch and If U Want It. As a young man, DJ Manny was the protégé of the late great DJ Rashad, and Rashad's influence reverberates through classic - sounding footwork tracks like Boop Me Down and I'll Hurt Ya Baby.Elsewhere on Greenlight, DJ Manny explores different moods to great effect.Ghost Out is atmospheric and menacing, with a sparse, minimal rhythm and fearsome lowend pulsing through siren synths. Life In This Bitch is a defiant statement of self-affirmation, and Zancrash feat. DJ Taye is uplifting and dreamy,with complex rhythmic patterns evocative of vintage jungle records.DJ Taye makes a significant contribution to this record, collaborating with DJ Manny on 5 productions including the title track. A fellow TEKLIFE squad member, Taye is a highly accomplished producer in his own right, Expect to hear more from him very soon on HYPERDUB Records. Greenlight also features guest appearances from DJ Lucky, Gant-Man and Sucia.

Phonica Records Special Editions in association with Play It Again Sam is delighted to present the incredible Quiet Village remix of Agnes Obel's 'Stretch Your Eyes', lifted from the Danish born, Berlin based singer songwriter's critically acclaimed 3rd studio album 'Citizen of Glass' .

Obel was at an early age guided into music by the influence of her parents, who would play and listen to a blend of the classical greats, folk music and contemporary pop. She learnt to play piano as a child but it was her move to Berlin in 2006 that prompted her to take her music to the next level. Her debut Philharmonics was released in 2010, a quiet phenomenon that spent seven consecutive weeks at number 1 and sold in excess of 100,000 copies in her homeland alone. The release of 'Aventine' in 2013 cemented her status as a household name across Europe and as an icon to piano players throughout the world.

Quiet Village are the British duo of long-time record-collector and DJ Joel Martin and Matt Edwards, the house and techno producer known as Radio Slave and the head of the Rekids label. They came to our attention with a series of highly sought after twelves on the DJ Harvey-related Whatever We Want label from New York, alongside excellent remixes of The Osmonds, Toby Tobias, Black Devil Disco Club and Francois K before releasing their acclaimed album on K7 Records in 2008. After a break from using the Quite Village name, the duo are back with a bang and recently graced the Phonica White label with a fantastic techno 12' 'Social Music' / 'Change'.

Needless to say, Quiet Village were the first producers Phonica thought of when looking for remixes for this project and their slow, dark, dub-heavy atmospheric groove perfectly compliments Agnes's vocal, with echoes of Massive Attack's timeless 'Teardrops' coming to mind. It's one of the finest remixes we've heard in recent memory and we're proud to present it as a limited 12' on the Special Editions label.

diamond black metallic:
confidns founded their own label 'diamond black metallic' in 2017, as a platform for releases and remixes by friends and admired producers of the techno scence's old and new generation.
The 12" debut on diamond black metallic will be released in summer 2017 with the confidns tracks EXTASE and PROMISK, as well as a dark, powerful and refined remix of EXTASE, produced by nobody less than Chris Liebing.

confidns bio:
Talking about confidns, it is impossible not to mention the rumors and legends surrounding their 2016 residency during the Afterlife label nights, hosted by Tale Of Us every thursday at famed Space Club Ibiza. The two Berlin based long term friends, who grew up in Mannheim, Germany attracted attention with their super long dj-sets, lasting up to 8 hours.
Performing the warm up on the Space Club's sunset terrace and closings in the chamber, the duo, founded in 2015, proofed a mesmerizing sense for playing with the crowd. They mastered the artistic challenge of leading the audience through the night, with both spherical ambient sets and driving techno beats. Confidns does not shy away from mixing timeless classics from genres like ebm, synth pop, dub and industrial techno with unforgettable pieces/tracks, such as from boards of Canada and Tropic of Cancer in their ambient sets. One could already experience the two daredevils in clubs like Nordstern Basel, Labyrinth Club Hasselt, Egg Club London and Loft Club Ludwigshafen, where they played two sets of 7 hours alongside Chris Liebing and Dj Deep during the official Time Warp 2017 pre-party.
Driven by the high artistic and musical standard of Tale of Us' Afterlife label, the two artists behind confidns founded their own label 'diamond black metallic' in 2017, as a platform for releases and remixes by friends and admired producers of the techno scence's old and new generation.
The 12' debut on diamond black metallic will be released in summer 2017 with the confidns tracks EXTASE and
PROMISK, as well as a dark, powerful and refined remix of EXTASE, produced by nobody less than Chris Liebing.
2017 is promising to be an exciting year for confidns. In addition to gigs at the Afterlife showcase in Privilege Ibiza
and the Sziget Festival in Budapest, the duo will start their collaboration with the booking agency Artist Alife and
AMM' ask my management.

Step Time Orchestra was the collaborative work of producers Jori Hulkkonen and Toumas Salmela, who began producing music together in the nineties whilst studying in Oulu, Finland. Whilst all their friends would be getting up early to go to university, they would only just be going to bed, having spent the night listening to house records from New York, drinking Whiskey and programming their MPC 2000!

Step Time produced a slew of tracks during this time, some of which were licensed and pressed on 12" singles during the late nineties/early noughties on labels operating in North America and Europe, but not everything they made saw the light of day. Heavily influenced by labels like Ibadan and Spiritual Life Music at the height of the New York House Scene, 'Jazz Error NYC' and '2am in Africa' were never signed, not fitting the profile of their other releases at the time, they were left in the drawer and sadly forgotten!

Skip forward to Winter 2016, and FBNM's Lorenzo, whilst over on a DJ excursion, visits Jori in Finland. Keen to keep working together, he presses him for something uniquely special. Magically, the Ajos E.P jumps out of the drawer into Hulkkonen's hand, and as it turns out, it has aged with a rather remarkable grace. Written using a combination of MPC sequencing and an Atari ST powering vanilla Cubase for some midi programming duties, it features the sounds of the Italian made Siel Opera 6, an Alesis S4 Rompler and other vintage Roland, Yamaha and Kawai Synths. They went full out on this one, even finally learning to play keys for that jazzy piano action. It was recorded live through a soundcraft analog board with outboard Fx, creating a sound that transcended it's time to feel remarkably fresh today!

The Ajos EP is named after an area in their native city of Kemi, Northern Finland, which is where they wrote and produced it in 1999.

Danyb's next wave of tunes picks up where the first two left off, with an added refined quality.
Not to mention, a second rendition of the buzzworthy South African gem from Vol. 1 on the B side making for a back and forth opportunity for the ages at the mixing console.

With Volumes 1 & 2 doing the business out on the floor, volume 3 is sure to please, with a variety of tempos and energies packed into one heavyweight slab of re-tooled obscurities...
Gravi affari !

The first release from Heartless on Steve Bicknell's 6dimensions. Acid tinged techno lives throughout the EP. Hazy modular sequences, sizzling precision crushed atop of a constant kick drum creating an organic aesthetic.

Impulse Model exudes human emotion, the EP's emotional depth lies beneath its techno construct within coarse and bruised production which gives the release a confidently imperfect aura. The production process for Heartless is a 'way of absorbing things that have happened and completely escaping from them', ultimately Heartless has composed an EP that condones escapism whilst the listener stays firmly rooted in their emotional state.

Support from:
Steve Bicknell, Ben Klock, Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Derrick May, Francos Kevorkian, Function, Luke Slater, SLAM, Oliver Ho, Dj Nobu, Wata Igarashi, James Ruskin, Dimi Agelis, Phase, Ben Sims, Paul Mac and more.......

The Trickfinger project was recorded 10 years ago with no intention of being released at the time, made purely for discovery and learning experience. 'In my opinion, making music with no intention of releasing it is the best thing a musician can do for his own development in this day and age. The Trickfinger LP was made in that mindset, and it was the beginning of a new musical life for me. When I hear it, it sounds like I am opening up doorways to new worlds, and I never have had that feeling listening to music I made for the purpose of releasing it and selling it.

A new piece by Australian artist Tarquin Manek, devised in collaboration with poet Martina Quake of Canvey Island, UK and recorded at M.E.S.S. (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), utilising EMS VCS3, Oberheim OB-Xa and ARP 2600 in combination with cheap, contemporary consumer electronics. It is, to all intents and purposes, a short, cautionary story about love. It is also a folk-tale, a science fiction, a suicide note. Unusually for a long-form spoken word piece, it is immediate in its impact, and lasting in its effect. Our narrator is damaged and unreliable: Quake's voice, digitally processed into a flat, AI affectlessness, conveys this all too well. Is this the vernacular poetry of the Uncanny Valley, or is it just that loss makes robots - numb and listless not-quite-humans - of us all Locks revels in the space between the spontaneous and the programmed (what is a poem if not a programme). It's part Tales Of The Unexpected, part Susan Howe, part Ruth Rendell, part HAL (or Holly). Manek's music is widescreen but understated...a becalmed landscape populated by distant drones, just-out-of-focus field recordings, and phased, minimalistic, Rhodes-style keys. A sort of sombre, lunar jazz. Space-age bachelor pad music, maybe, for a bachelor at the edge of space and the end of his tether. Just as Quake's words are cumulative in their tragedy, so the music grows more agitated and turbulent, at certain points harking back to the smoked-out psycho-acoustics of Manek's 2015 Blackest Ever Black LP, Tarquin Magnet, and his work in F ingers with Samuel Karmel and Carla dal Forno.

Mysterious new outfit Glasstalk Records start as they mean to go on with their debut release, showcasing some heavy-hitting techno from Kettering via Leeds upstart, Wilhelm. At the ripe age of 21 and with only one release to his name prior to 38thParallel, this producer has already attracted a lot of support from a stellar cast of tastemakers including Bruce, Midland, Batu, Avalon Emerson, Tasker and A Made Up Sound as well as landing recent radio plays from the likes of Skream, B. Traits, Moxie, George Fitzgerald, Batu and Via Maris.

Wilhelm kicks off the EP with the haunting 'Our World.' This dancefloor heater is jam packed with frenetic percussion, overtly time-stretched whispers and ambient samples of mechanical scrapings. Next up is the title track of 38thParallel EP, a distinctly more off-kilter affair than its predecessor due to its quick-fire drum patterns. Rounding off the release is 'Assignment,' which was quite literally made as an assignment for the producer's university course! This slowed techno roller would be perfect as a set opener.

An Australian classic rereleased for the first time ever. Born in 1993 when euphoria was still cool Sweetness and Light is the original rave anthem. Dreamy and breakbeaty this has aged like your best bottle of wine. Brought to you by icons of the scene Itch-E & Scratch-E AKA Paul Mac and Andy Rantzen, between them they have remixed the likes of INXS, Severed Heads, LCD Soundsystem, Kylie Minogue, The Presets and Sia.
In 1994 it came 21st in Triple J's Hottest 100 followed by the honours of an ARIA award for Best Dance Release in 1995. In his infamous acceptance speech Paul Mac announced "We'd like to thank all of Sydney's ecstasy dealers, without whom this award would not be possible".
On the b-side we have Motorik's newest festival act For Life remixing Sweetness into 21st century tempos. Perfect to break between your house and techno this 130bpm heavy hitter blew off the dust from the original to shine again.
Brought to you by your favourite party techno label Motorik who cares more about concept then a budget, this is an opportunity which couldn't be passed down. Sweetness and Light represented warehouse culture in the 90s, it was the resistance to authority, the acceptance of all and the beginning of underground dance music as we know it today.

The first time I heard of Mattes Schwarz, someone called him 'Stecken-Mattes'. Stecken was a defining, if almost secret, Cologne dance music venue of the 2000s and early 2010s, a minuscule basement without curfew and seemingly any other restrictions, where the up to twelve hour long DJ-sets felt like a tightly knit circle of friends just playing records to each other: The selectors from the night before and the one after reliably sitting right in front of the just over one meter long stretch of the bar that formed its booth, never missing out on a chance to see their mates play, heads nodding and hands clapping through the smoke-filled air, until someone started to sing along, and eventually everyone got up for a few hours of moves on the 15 square meter dancefloor, on a grey Wednesday or Saturday morning at 7 or just as well 10 am.
Mattes Schwarz started DJing in 1982 at age twelve, inspired by, as many West-German kids, the GI-DJs of the roller skating rinks around US army bases. While he got heavily involved in Cologne's BMX scene of the 90s, he never really stopped, and during the main years of being known as Stecken-Mattes and playing there each Friday night, he coincidently lived in Magazine record's homebase, North- Eastern Cologne's old harbour.
One day after Stecken's closure had sent restructuring ripples through the city - I imagine him getting up in the morning and taking a deep breath - he decided to send Magazine a few tracks.
'I Don't Know' is Mattes Schwarz' first release.

If you were in the global house music scene around the turn of the century, you'll be very pleased to hear the news !

Dubtribe Sound System brought a wealth of inspiration and joy to the world's house music community with its deep, rich, thoughtful, musical and lyrical message at the height of their existence.
Sunshine and Moonbeam Jones, the prime instruments behind Dubtribe, dazzled audiences with their performances and further with their releases on home label Imperial Dub.

During an apparent long hiatus, Sunshine Jones has actually been as busy as ever, doing his own thing, as always, and touring city by city around the world to deliver his message, sound and soul in person to his legion of followers.

On the heels of the tours and shows, Mr. Jones is ready to release the incarnation of sounds that he's so eager to share.
The good time vibes are all there with a current poignant meaning for all to ingest. As they say, "the more things change, the more they stay the same."
Although in the data age, this release is deeper and more meaningful than the old adage ever could imply.

Pacific Beach Vinyl is pleased to announce, Sunshine Jones - Fall In Love, Not In Line in three equally glorious renditions.

Freshly dressed after a double helping of made to measure goodness, Aficionado size up another summer time smash for the sandal-wearing masses.
Keen to capture the coastal cool of the Wirral peninsula, the label crack out the crystals and summon strange-wave sorceress Brenda Ray for another hit of her interplanetary excellence.
Wandering from new age haze to celestial rays on this tripped out trio, our genre blending genius takes the fourth world into the fifth dimension of psychedelic sound.

Our spiritual journey begins with the chakra cleansing 'Solartude', an out-of-body beauty which bathes us in swirling flute, dreamy chimes and shimmering tape delay before sending us off towards the Orient.
Eastern tones and hushed vocals ride a glistening sequence as this flawless fusion of exotica and dub suggests a medicated Martin Denny stumbling out of Chinatown and into a humid mangrove.

Next stop on the voyage of self discovery is 'Space Dustin', a lunar lullaby for lucid dreamers which sees Brenda spin Fairlight mallets, celestial keys and whispered vocals into an immersive ode to the outer rim. Floating free of space and time, perhaps you too can glimpse the excellent birds.

Over on the flipside and the temperature begins to rise. 'Skip, Hop To Bop' sees Brenda dabbling with dub Techno, setting Basic Channel synths and stirring strings to a skittering rhythm. Dislocated and disoriented we descend into a strange subterranean world of Rothschild parties, Lynchian noir and muffled Techno.
Surrounded by swirling voices, shuffling percussion grabs hold of you and all that remains is to sway.

Officially Aficionado.

REPRESSED !

The Outside Agency and Sei2ure had never collaborated until this release, and in retrospect they were most likely doing the world a favor.

With an eye in the past and a foot in the future, Acid Avengers aims at federating the vibrant acid scene, and especially the french one. Through a series of split EPs (Jaquarius, Monoenzyme-307, Voiron, Botine, Umwelt, 88uw, Dez Williams, Tonotopy, Acidolido...), the record label invites artists from different countries and celebrates the hallucinated sounds of the golden age of rave.

The Outside Agency & Deathmachine - Today s Tomorrow / The Violence The Outside Agency have teamed up with permanent label fixture Deathmachine once again for yet another solid exercise in kick and snare torture. Today's Tomorrow and The Violence both serve as deeply philosophical explorations of human nature, with kickdrums and snares.

This is a journey into sound. A series of journeys across the globe, in-fact. This time with Don Leisure from Darkhouse Family. Let us tell you a story. Firstly, we first need to answer a question. Who is Shaboo

It began in Africa. Nasser Barwani was the son of Shabudin. At the age of 15, Nasser (Don's Uncle) left Kenya and hitch-hiked his way to London. Nasser entered the movie business, occasionally finding himself in front of the camera, acting in Bollywood films. It was then that Nasser changed his surname to adopt a screen name - Shaboo.

According to Don, "Shaboo was the most colourful character in my family. I have fond memories of him playing tabla at family parties. When I was about 17, I was on a journey with my Uncle. Whilst Shaboo drove me around, he was playing the steering wheel as if it were a tabla. It was then I nervously asked "do you think, one day, I'd be able to make music too...". Shaboo was so furious he nearly crashed the car, slamming his hand hard against the wheel. He screamed "OF COURSE YOU WILL!! IT IS IN YOUR BLOOOOOD!!!"...

A week later, inspired by the creative energy of my Uncle, I acquired some music software, and began an all new journey. A journey through the beats..."

Long family car journeys were a constant in Don Leisure's life growing up. "We'd take frequent trips from Wales to London to visit family in the late 80s / early 90s. There I'd mainline into my cousin's record collections, and make full use of the signal radiance to the M4, searching the airwaves for pirate radio stations. However, I wasn't the only one to make use of this. Every trip, my parents would routinely tune their dial into Sunrise Radio - the only Asian radio station around back then.

The soundtrack of these road trips were somewhat unique. Whilst I tried to learn the lyrics to 90s hip hop songs taped off my cousins, my Mum would constantly interrupt, interspersing my boom bap with bonkers Indian radio ads. And here we have the premise of this album. An attempt to recreate this sonic mix, with sounds pulled in from dusty crates and breaks dug from all over the globe."

25 instrumental Hip Hop tracks, linked together in a truly unique style and fashion, this is much more than a beat tape. This is a journey into sound. For real.

Dedicated to Nasser 'Shaboo' Bharwani.

The Allergies' debut album introduced the world to the way they effortlessly fuse funk, soul, disco, hip-hop and breaks into dancefloor-ready nuggets of ear candy. Taking classic sounds and reshaping for the modern age is the signature that won them plaudits across the globe.

Not ones to rest on their laurels, it hasn't taken long for them to deliver more of the goods on their second full-length album, 'Push On'. As well as taking the successful formula of the first record and expanding on the sound with raw Funk, Psych, Northern Soul, and Boogie influences, The Allergies enlisted two giants of underground Hip-Hop to bless mics on the album as well.

After a hugely successful collaboration on their debut LP, once again the dynamic lyricism and production skills of the inimitable Andy Cooper (Ugly Duckling) are present and correct in this new collection. Besides bringing the party on tracks like 'Main Event', he also settles scores with 'It Won't Be Me', before destroying all-comers on the battle Rap behemoth, 'Buzzsaw'. Also joining in on the action is UK MC veteran, Dr Syntax (The Mouse Outfit, Foreign Beggars) who prescribes some more healthy Hip-Hop advice on the track 'Remedy'.

Other highlights include the vintage Soul stomper, 'Entitled to That', Sixties uptempo groover, 'Hold You Close', and the fantastic little strutter, 'Get Down On You'. All in all it's a brand new set of future classics from your new favourite funky beatmakers, The Allergies.

Minimal multi-instrumentalist weirdo zone brilliance on another obscure uncovering from the excellent Growing Bin...big tip!
.
"If you've kept a keen ear to the underground, you may have noticed a trance revival creeping into the dance floors and darkrooms of late, a post ironic return to the 64 bar breakdowns and peak time key changes of your serotonin drenched youth.....

So what's this then Has Growing Bin gone from groundbreaker to copycat Dig a little deeper folks, for the Trance is question is Jürgen Petersen, a forgotten cosmic kingpin in tune with true electronic excellence. When Danielle Baldelli wanted to show off his eclectic tastes, which record did he reach for Petersen's 1980 LP, 'Here And Now' of course. And when John Schaefer put together his essential exploration of New Sounds, who did he describe as Germany's answer to Eno Trance, damn right! After blessing the world with a trio of essential electronic LPs between 1979 and 1983, Petersen moved out of the limelight and lived off the grid, collecting his mind expanding music on a series of self-recorded, self-released cassettes, known only to the inner circle of elite European diggers. The sounds found within were unusual, experimental and ecstatic.

Fusing the organic tones of piano, 12 string guitar and sitar with soothing sine waves and hypnotic synthesis, Petersen harnessed the healing frequencies out there in the cosmos and transfixed the
listener with pure otherworldly beauty - ambient music for a new age... Unravelling these rare cassettes for music lovers everywhere, Growing Bin treats us to 'Tapes', a five track vision quest for the
horizontal travellers and fourth world nomads. Sven can keep his cocoon, we're off in search of the butterflies..."

Rich La Bonte is a musician, writer and editor from upstate New York born in 1946. At age 11 he figured out how to record a piano backwards with his first tape deck and discovered Monk, Mingus and Art Blakey. In 1965 Rich moved to Ithaca, bought an electric guitar and started singing in garage rock band the huns. After the band dissolved, he moved to NYC and played bass and sang in the original cast production of the musical Godspell. In the late 70s La Bonte moved to Hollywood with Shari Famous, released a a few 7' singles as Dada2, and started fLAtDiSk Records, a vinyl subsidiary of Dave Gibson's Moxie Record Company.

Rich released his debut solo album 'Mayan Canals' in 1981. The seven songs were recorded between 1973 and 1980 while living in New York, Pennsylvania and Hollywood. Influenced by everything from Apple Records to Zappa, the album veers from oozy psychedelia to synthesized breezy folk. Vocally Rich sounds like a cross between Tom Verlaine and Lou Reed. Some tracks feature an EMS Synthi A synthesizer, known to generate the sci-fi sounds from Dr. Who. Other songs utilize feedback from a Maestro Fuzztone box into a TEAC 4-track SimulSync tape recorder. Lyrically La Bonte tackles themes of dying celestial bodies, the birth of his daughter, and a critique of Bowie's character in The Man Who Fell To Earth. Included on this reissue are two bonus tracks originally released on the double A side 7' single Chance Circumstance/Drums Along The Maple Wood, a tribute to Irwin Chusid, the eminent WFMU DJ, with vocals by Shari Famous.

All songs have been remastered from original tapes by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket features a replica of the original jacket with a Mayan figure screen printed using the original rubber stamps from Rich's archives. Each copy includes a 6-page xeroxed booklet with lyrics, never before seen photos, and liner notes by Rich La Bonte.

Dark Entries present the sophomore album from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. His debut album 'Meditations/Industry' was released on cassette in 2013 and edited for a vinyl release in January 2016 followed by two 12' singles 'Warehouse Invocation' and '7 of 9' the same year.

'The Shape Of Things To Come' is a 70 minute journey spread across two pieces of vinyl. It's comprised of seven tracks recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse's home studio. At the time of recording, Bill was sending this material to Josh Vance (Josua Dorje Ngodup) for feedback. Most of the time Josh would respond in the form of artwork, and then Bill would create another track inspired by this feedback chain. Converse has dedicated this series of tracks to him. The songs on this album reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. For this album Converse slightly bumped up the tempos geared for dancefloor energy. Built around vintage synthesizer lines and gritty drum machine percussion, the tracks evoke how things have changed and how they have come to be.'

All songs were mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a gatefold jacket with a painted photograph portrait by Dietmar Busse and layout design by Eloise Leigh. The gatefold conceals an otherworldly collage made by Josua Dorje Ngodup. Each copy includes a postcard featuring artwork from Bill's sister with notes.

Musically and emotionally, Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally.

And full-length it is:

The Golden Ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period.
The sixth piece of The Golden Ravedays puzzle will be released on Hippie Dance in June 2017.

Number 6 of the series introduces two further tracks of the sound adventure that Superpitcher is taking us on this year.
Side A features Protest Song. If music is a way of transporting us to other places, Protest Song takes us to a desolate, scary and loveless environment, a burnt-down, burnt-out place where the flesh of its former inhabitants is smouldering, void of goodwill and kindness in a cloud of toxic and greedy smoke. It's all Kafka and Orwell and Suffering - the most twisted and eerie track so far in The Golden Ravedays saga. What is undeniably clear is an acute sense of regret and loss - a warning that it could have been avoided, had we only listened to our hearts and protested.
In the same vein on Side B we hear powerful Resistance. Produced after the Paris attacks of 2015 Superpitcher outdid himself with this strong message of Resistance. Where Protest Song paints a picture of under-worldly doom, Resistance's techno beat and insistent refrain sweeps us to the surface of the muck of hatred and intolerance we've politically been dumped in. A voice that seems like a trapped animal is calling out to us. What is it trying to say Is it crying out for help Is that animal all of us Resistance represents hope and encouragement and could be the perfect marching track to any demonstration against negative forces. Much needed in this age of bigotry where it seems like time has leaped backwards to a darker side of history. As for the dancefloor - Resistance is irresistible!

"Inhabiting this grey area between late psych efforts and early PINA (private issue new age), 1977's Pythagoron TM is an electronic oddity originally marketed as some sort of musical narcotic ( a new invention that gets you high with sound' original ads read) sold via magazines like High Times.

Shrouded by it's corporate-like design are two enigmatic side long suites of droning electronics which evoke similar autistic synth experiences like early Conrad Schnitzler, Lorq Damon, Udder Milk Decay or the whole Pascal / Narco Records output whilst recalling also more articulate efforts such as Steve Reich's early opus, Charlemagne Palestine's sinewave experiments or Eliane Radigue's synthetic bliss.

A truly bizarre artifact which was apparently the brainchild of NYC's early media art collective USCO (The Company Of Us) which already pionered inmersive sound/light environments fusing mysticism and state-of-the-art technology back in the 60's. Intriguing period piece."

Raül G. Pratginestós (Fauni Gena)

Comes in original artwork printed on silver cover in a limited edition of 500 copies only.

Oberst & Buchner are next up on Freeride Millenium and the two Bavaria born, Vienna based producers deliver an EP that offers their interpretation of what 'modern summer togetherness sounds like.' The talented pair started making music together aged 15 and aim to cook up emotionally driven jams. They do so on labels like Heimlich, Underyourskin Records, Schönbrunner Perlen, Lokd, and always get the juices going, as they do once again here. Beginning with the brilliant 'Greg' we dive into a breakbeat bath of summery chords as playful claves dance on the horizon. It is a melodically rich track with spiritual feelings that really bliss you out. On the moodier 'Emile' night time arrives and warm chords mix with jangling, organic glass and percussive tinkles that reflect rays of light. It's a perfectly jazzy and loose number that really suspends you in a rueful place. Last but not least, 'Embrace' is a fluid intergalactic convention with sparse drum kicks weighed down by sombre synths. A skittish, dubstep style groove then comes in and elevates the track with gentle guitar licks and slithering synths adding colour, and overall it has the same zoned out feel as a thousand-yard stare. This is a brilliant mood EP that mixes up the synthetic with the organic, creating some fascinating grooves as a result. The release once again features original artwork from the ever talented Daniel Rajcsanyi. Thanks for purchasing a real copy!

avorite Recordings proudly presents Natureza, first album of Joao Selva. The story of Natureza is made of the meeting between two passionate artists who are Jonathan "Matuto" Da Silva and Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart.Born and raised in Ipanema and son of a pastor, Jonathan Da Silva grew up in a community of ex-prisoners and converted artists. He made his first guitar notes before his 10th birthday, under the watchful eye of Wanda Sa (muse of the bossa nova), and influenced by a father who in addition to his work, was also a true music lover with a collection, where black music, rock and classical meet. From the age of 18, Jonathan began a life of entertainer, traveling the world to offer shows for disadvantaged children and intensively practicing the Brazilian traditional music arts (Capoeira Angola, Maracatu, Samba de Roda, Coco de Roda...). It was later in France and in Lyon that he put down his instruments. There he formed the trio Forro de Rebeca in 2008, touring the all country and winning many praise in media. The trio recently joined forces with American producer Maga Bo on the project Sociedade Recreativa, whose album was released in 2016 on The Jarring Effects label.Bruno Hovart is a recognized producer, multi-instrumentalist, and remixer. After passing through Angers, Birmingham and London, he's based in Lyon since 2001. Bassist and guitarist for various bands, he switched to production in the mid-90s. Passionate about music and tireless creator, Bruno has practiced in almost every imaginable style, when it comes to groove music, collecting many aliases and projects for more than 10 years: Patchworks, Voilaaa, Uptown Funk Empire, Mr President, Taggy Matcher, Mr. Day, Hawa, John Milk, Lightnin 3, The Dynamics or Metropolitan Jazz Affair ... Nothing resists and escapes his talent and production skills. Thus, when he discovered and met Jonathan and his music, Bruno saw an immediate opportunity to broaden the spectrum of his discography a little more, by looking at Brazil. Beyond its traditional heritage, Brazil has always been a land of extremely varied music, influenced by the international scene. Soul, Jazz and American Pop did inspire many local stars such as Chico Buarque, Carlos Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Tom Zé, or Erasmo Carlos. Both fervent lovers of this movement and these names, it's with the idea to pay them a faithful tribute, that Jonathan and Bruno began the Joao Selva adventure. Together they gave birth to Natureza and embark us for a trip into the heart of the Tropicalist Pop influences of Jorge Ben and Caetano Veloso, the intoxicating Funk of Tim Maia, and the social poetry of Vinicius de Moraes.

A brand new instalment in the Trans Afryka series, that is loosely inspired by the sounds of the black continent and devoted to club-oriented Afro-House.

Riding the waves of success with sold out volume 1, Zambon employed three talented producers to bring more goods to the table.
Transatlantyk regulars like DJ Dook and Universo are joined by a newcomer Tamten and together deliver a bomb of an EP!

Aptly titled 'Afro Acid' by DJ Dook is exactly what it says on the sleeve - raw DJ tool with squelchy samples, mantra-like vocal loop and focused vibe. Think of an soundtrack to a futuristic version of Apocalypse Now. Just the perfect peaktime beats to heat the party a little bit more.

'Praise Song' by Universo is built on a wandering bassline reminiscent of Malian blues with tribal chants, penny whistles and various sorts of percussions on top. This beautiful groove rolls and rolls without end, like an endless summer.

'Ukukhnaya' by Tamten is the most atmospheric out of the three, fusing New Age midi sounds with the vibes of South African deep house.

New comers Laughing Man and Noah Skelton release their 'Element EP', on Silencio.
The first track, 'Element', is a collaboration between the two artists. This combined effort rumbles into the clearing, dragging the dance floor and its occupants along with it for a riveting ride throughout its duration. A beguiling bass line, complimented by underlying ethereal sounds, seamlessly contrasts and connects to form a compelling rhythm. Riddled with space age laser samples that periodically bubble to the surface, this track consistently pulls listeners in by pushing out good vibrations.
On Side B Laughing Man goes solo with the second track '1939'. This dynamic offering is a model of contemplative creation that basks in its own thought provoking ambience. A series of scintillating samples, echoing in waves of varying intensity, are served up with satisfying drums and a clever assortment of claps. This release has a way of finding your mind and marinating in the sub-conscious because it's just that deep.

Over the years, Phil Mison has become the go-to selector for those looking for Ibiza-themed compilations. None of his previous collections, though, have been quite as personal as Out Of The Blue, a compilation inspired by his first spell behind the decks at the Café Del Mar in 1993 - and the remarkable chain of events leading up to it.

Mison made his first trip to Ibiza in the summer of 1991 and quickly fell in love with the magical music being played by Café Del Mar resident DJ, Jose Padilla. On his return to the UK, Mison began to cultivate his own take on the laidback, open-minded style, recording mix-tapes of Ibiza style chill out' tunes to give to friends.

In November 1992, Mison was hanging out in Tag Records, Soho, when Padilla walked in. He plucked up the courage to speak to the Spaniard because earlier that summer Mison had given one of his friends some tapes to take out to Jose in Ibiza so he wanted to see if he had got them. During the conversation Mison invited him down to his next DJ set at Nicky Holloway's club, the Milk Bar and less than three months later, and clearly impressed by what he'd heard on the tapes, Padilla invited Mison to fill in for him at the Café Del Mar, beginning in April '93.

It's that first trip to DJ in Ibiza - a crazy six-weeks spent dividing his time between spinning records at Café Del Mar, hanging out in Jose Padilla's house in the hills, and meeting some particularly eccentric White Isle residents - that proved the inspiration for Out Of The Blue.

The compilation contains a mixture of records that Mison played in his earliest Ibiza sets, those that remind him of that period, and recent discoveries that boast a similarly warm, loved-up vibe. Mison is at pains to point out that it's not a track-for-track representation of his first sets, but rather a collection inspired by this most momentous of experiences.

As you'd expect from a selector of Phil Mison's standing, Out Of The Blue is an outstanding collection. Some will no doubt hear the influence of his mentor - the man he credits with effectively turning his DJing career around - in the undulating rhythms and new age melodies of Kamasutra's Sugar Step', the meandering synthesizer solos and Spanish language vocals of Congarilla's sublime Sacred Tree', and the lilting flamenco guitars of Gambarra', an unreleased mix from Mison's popular Cantoma project.

Elsewhere, listeners can marvel at the starry ambient bliss of Belgian legend Frank De Wulf's The End', recline to the saucer-eyed fusion jazz of the Christoph Spendel Group, shuffle along to tactile, hard-to-find period deep house from Language, Moodswings and Don Carlos, and marvel at The Cactus Rose Project's ridiculously rare Jelly', a sparkling, disco-era jazz-rock outing partly inspired by the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running'.

Out Of The Blue may well be a very personal selection of tracks celebrating a moment in time, but it's happily one that we can all enjoy.

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.

"Alpha percussion", recorded in 1985, is a cult groovy ambient album of acoustic percussion, pleasant to listen to and full of samples and break known very well by Djs and artists likes Danny Brown (which uses a sample in "Really Doe", a song of his latest album on Warp Records).
Giovanni Cristiani is one of the most prepared and complete Italian percussionists. Born in Rome in 1952 he graduated in percussion in young age and began playing professionally in Italy and abroad. In 1979, after years of activity at the side of the most popular jazz musicians, constitutes the Music Workshop A.D.E.L., playing drums and percussion courses. Pentaflowers (BEAT Records sub-label and publisher) asked him to make a solo percussion library music album in full artistic freedom that was pressed in limited edition for insiders; so was born "Alpha Percussion", a gem now finally accessible to all thanks to Mondo Groove label.

Some try it with mouth-to-mouth insufflation and cardiac massage. Others with
psychopharmaceuticals or group therapy. Still others with divorce. By going cold turkey. With a new profile pic and a matching hairstyle. Seen it all at Robert Johnson, already endorsed everything - at least as long as it helps: as a lifesaving measure.
But since the year dot, the Offenbach-based club with its affiliated label recommends to all which are undecided or have doubts particularly one thing: Music. And dance.
Every two years, when life newly blossoms during spring, Live At Robert Johnson opens its windows widely, lets new music out and fresh air into the house. The beguiling scent of nature and aviation fuel blends with the scent of sweat and dry ice fog - and causes sundry healing confusion. As soon as the first tone of the Lifesaver Compilation 3 is heard, the swelling grunt of Vincent Feit's 'X04', the scenery of the dancefloor right at the Main river appears before one's eyes.
On Saint Monday Iconoclasts rebel against the age of self-optimization. A crack goes through the parquet of the dance floor (or the dancing party itself). The post-unambiguities era is beginning. The images become blurred. Bass case. Alternative facts. Resonance hole. No reception. And then it's only the queue answering the club emergency hotline. Finally there is a buzz on the line. 'Just drop the images!', it says.

'It's all not that tragic.' This helps.
The Lifesaver 3 Compilation, the yet most comprehensive package of the lifesaver history, sounds like electro, sharp-edged like the vault in a Hague bunker (Lauer), provides data pop with piano crescendo (Fort Romeau), brings the style characteristics of German Schlager music to the breakdance mat (Rolande Garros), lets the bulky lily-of-the-valley bells clang and sends the reverb tails away with the wind (Benedikt Frey). There are several new names to discover: Felix Strahd, Benjamin Milz, Vincent Feit; and of course there a many old acquaintances: Massimiliano Pagliara, Orson Wells, TCB, Chinaski. Roman Flügel brings us 'Good News', however: 'From Another Planet.' And Fort Romeau feels 'Lost, Again', but in such somnambulistically beautiful manner that you want to get lost with him instantly and jointly find the great joy.
Again and again there are mysterious chants. It's not required to decipher the specific words in order to get the message: Salvation is near. Salvation is here:









[)] e1 | Roman Fügel - Chang

* Includes a DIN A2long poster inside the 12" sleeve with edition number and music download code

* Rogue Style 1 EP is an international homage to b-boy culture, where the worlds of breakbeat music and breakdance collide. Sinistarr (USA), Kiat (Singapore), Kabuki (Germany) and HomeSick (Canada) are connected in many ways, now they lay bare their hip-hop roots and give something back with a fresh take through the eyes of drum & bass and juke/footwork. Here is what they have to say:

Sinistarr: "As a teenager I grew up as a b-boy, dancing anywhere I could: schools, parks, festivals, you name it, my crew was there with cardboard and a speaker. I eventually got deeper into DJing and making music and learned to bring a sound that's not just for the crowds and the purists, but also for all the dancers!"

Kiat: "Hip Hop has taught me to keep evolving, to explore new forms in all my art. Progression is the key to evolution. -- I met Sinistarr online thru myspace and we had a musical connection which led to our first collaboration 'Black Diamonds' which is still one of my personal favourite tunes I've been fortunate to be part of it's creation. With Kabuki, i've always been a fan of his work since his 'Makai' alias on No U-Turn, despite meeting him only recently thru the label.I've always known him to be constantly progressing his ideas in his music which I respect alot."

Kabuki: "B-boy culture has always been a strong influence on how I pursued my art, mainly because of its DIY ethos and attitude of perfecting your craft. Incidentally these were also the aspects that drew me to Jungle when I first discovered it in the nineties. -- I'm happy to rub shoulders with Kiat, Sinistarr and HomeSick on this release, as I'm a fan of their music foremost, but also because we became friends through the music."

HomeSick: "I was only a child in the 90s and as a result I feel like my understanding of b-boy culture was experienced second hand thanks to 90s/early 2000s hip hop music. I appreciate the parallels I can see with footwork culture, particularly the similarities to the community mentality of break dancing. -- I know Sinistarr through booking him for our local party night in Alberta, Canada called Percolate. Our city must have left an impression on him because a year later he made the move here from Detroit. Had the pleasure of hosting him as a room mate for a little over half a year, the home was a very potent creative space during this time. Kabuki hit me up a few years ago and we very quickly got to sharing tracks and collaborating together. Mans a master of production and a super important part of the global scene."

The idea for a reminiscence of b-boy culture stem from label owner Booga:

"Why am I interested in this so much I grew up in East Germany and as the movie "Beat Street" premiered in 1985 over here I was age 13 and blown away by the energy, the music, the wit, the style - everything in this movie was better than everyday life in Leipzig. So I started saving for a cassette recorder and taped music shows from West German radio and prepared tapes for school disco gigs to the hope somebody would do the "robot" to Arthur Baker "Breaker's Revenge". Unfortunately that never worked out hahaha. But I was hooked since then and as the wall came down in 1989 I travelled to West Berlin just to buy the Beats, Breaks and Scratches 1-4 vinyl box by Simon Harris. The fascination for breakbeats never stopped and before I discovered Jungle around '94 I was down with the British cut up house thing from the likes of Marrs, Krush and Coldcut as another form of breakbeat music. The "do it yourself" spirit from hip hop culture inspired me to start a local website called breaks.org in 2000 to locally promote the drum and bass scene with emerging producers, djs and mcs for a wider audience and I threw in some interviews with Storm, Kabuki, Rob Playford, Klute and John B. That turnt into a multi author blog called itsyours.info in 2004 which still exists - that is where I had the pleasure to introduce Kiat and Ash in 2007. All these years I was listening and playing drum and bass tunes when the occasional "bboy tune" came up, some were obvious like Alex Reece "B-Boy Flavour", Lemon D "B Boyz", Commix "Change" and some were not so much self-explanatory like Digital & Spirits "Phantom Force" and the remixes by T-Power & Codeine or Fracture's Astrophonica Edit - but I felt the hidden force of breakdancing nevertheless. With the Rogue Style series I have the first class opportunity to ask established and new Defrostatica artists to present a current interpretation of b-boy culture. This is a dream coming true."

Until he was about 20, Texas-born Melvin Sparks was a rhythm & blues guitarist, backing Jackie Wilson, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye as a member of The Upsetters. But Sparks gave up his seat on The Upsetters' bus in New York City, where a chance introduction to George Benson led him to a place in soul jazz history. Melvin played and recorded with Lou Donaldson, Leon Spencer, Bernard Purdie, Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, Idris Muhammad, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Charles Earland, Grover Washington Jr., Reuben Wilson and so many more. Even during the quietest years of soul-jazz Melvin stayed relevant through hip-hop and r&b, a quick search at WhoSampled turns up more than 150 samples of his funky chicken scratch. And Melvin's legacy is heard in contemporary soul/funk bands like The New Mastersounds, Soulive and The Greyboy Allstars, all of whom he also guested with several times before his early departure from this realm in 2011.

This release documents Melvin's final band just months before his death. Organist Beau Sasser and drummer Bill Carbone had been working with Sparks for several years, and, despite the power dynamic - they were in their early 30s, Melvin an elder-statesmen of the genre - the unit was sharp, relaxed and performed Melvin's music with a jovial spirit. The trio played the Burlington, VT club Nectar's regularly, but this night featured two "onlys." Per the recommendation of Nectar's agent they used the "Grippo Horns," the only time Sparks used a horn section in the last several years of his life, and they allowed a multitrack recording of the show. Both were strong decisions.

The tracks on this album, lovingly mixed by guitarist, producer and Melvin Sparks fan Eddie Roberts, demonstrate that Melvin played as well in the final months of his life as at any time. Sparks counts "Whip! Whop!" off at what he said The Upsetters called a "showtime tempo," and peppers it, as well as most of the album, with quotes from jazz standards, pop songs and cartoon themes, all woven effortlessly into the bebop-funk dialect he helped create. He unfolds amiable melodies, patiently and methodically, through his several-minute lead on "Breezin'." And Sparks is audibly uplifted by the Grippo Horns helping him perform his 1973 arrangement of "Ain't No Woman" for the first time in decades.

Cologne's electronic music community keeps on giving, drawing on a dense plethora of fresh talent ready to shake up our little big grassroots industry. The latest ace up the city's sleeve must be Tim Engelhardt, part of a new breed of incredibly versatile young producers that get their cues from all sorts of genres and listening situations, combining profound musical knowledge with intuitive playfulness and multiple perspectives on sound. In Tim's case, we're dealing with a solid pianist background - which becomes rather obvious in the great care he takes over harmonies and an expanded melodic structure. However, that's just one side of the story, as the organic fluidity and atmospheric dexterity of his music most certainly hark back to an upbringing among the rolling hills and sprawling forests of Germany's Westerwald - one of the country's best known mountain ranges that has already inspired artists such as Dominik Eulberg or Gabriel Ananda. Having released your first recordings at the tender age of 14 - as Tim did in 2012 - might put you in a 'wunderkind' category - a flattering, but ultimately risky proposition, finding many a prodigy overwhelmed with the dubious honour. Not so much our hero, who chose to put his skills to work: in only four years, he grew his portfolio with plenty outings on labels such as Traum Schallplatten, WIR, Babiczstyle, Amuse Gueule, Ostwind Records, Popart Music, Playmusic Productions, Parquet Recordings, Manual Music and more - but his breakthrough release was hands-down the 2015 EP 'Everything Is All You Have' on Steve Bug's iconic Poker Flat imprint, followed by 'Enigmatism' on the same label.

Hell Yeah is proud to present a new EP from an artist that has been on their radar for a while. That artist is Napoli's Quiroga aka Walter Del Vecchio, the Italian DJ and producer who also runs his own Really Swing label and has been given props by the in the know Test Pressing blog, as well as having all his tunes dropped by
Balearic Gabba Sound System at every opportunity.

One of the finest talents to come from Italy in recent times, Quiroga cooks up hypnotic and trance including sounds from a myriad of diverse influences from opiate jazz to shuffling funk beats, from shifty landscapes to library music.

First up is Viaggio a Tulum, a perfectly loose and jumbled mix of sunny vibes, feel good chords and clipped vocals full of soul. The sort of thing that has you day dreaming of lazy afternoons and drunken BBQs, it's perfect example of Quiroga's efforts style.
Non Dire Notte—featuring Acido and ReallySwing act 291Out members Luca "Presence" Carini on electric bass and Vincenzo "Warren" Ciorra on electric guitar—is even more lazy and elongated, horizontal and blissed out. Twanging guitars off set pixelated synths, squelchy chords and Afro signifiers bring the heat and overall you cannot fail to get lost in the groove.

Prati Bagnati is a serene ambient interlude that feels like laying on your back and looking into a deep blue sky and second ambient cut Bava is more textured and intense, with shifting drones and muffled voices bringing a sense of filmic unease to the table. Overall, this is a perfect window into Quiroga's most intoxicating musical world.

Support by Alexis Le Tan, Aficionado Djs, Coyote, Ibiza Sonica, Reza Athar, Gonno, Noema, Fabrizio Mammarella, Riccio, Bill Brewster, Private Agenda, Soft rocks, Tim Love Lee...

Medical Records proudly presents a special limited edition of all 3 "Forgotten Tracks, Sketches and Unfinished Work 2002-2004" by Martial Canterel as a triple gatefold set. Volume I was released previously in 2013, and Volume II and III are simultaneously being released by Medical Records as standalones. Sean McBride has been producing work under the Martial Canterel moniker dating back to 2002 as well as working as half of Xeno And Oaklander. These tracks capture the allure and depth of Sean's early work exploring rhythms and perfectly crafted pop songs using a very early incarnation of limited instrumentation. Fans of Martial Canterel's early work (think "Austerton" and "Sister Age") will be instantly elated. This is the first time these tracks have been released on vinyl and have been remastered for this release by Martin Bowes at the Cage, UK. Contains special bonus insert with lyrics. Fans of early Martial Canterel as well as other cold wave icons such as A Blaze Color, Snowy Red, and the like will need this collection. Presented on high-quality 180gram classic vinyl in a triple gatefold pack.

***
Pinball machine streets.
Teen Age Future.
Molotov Cocktails.
Terminal electric voices.
Unimaginable disaster.
***

Fabio Borgazzi - aka Fabio Fabor - played literally every known style of music, from baroque to 'satanic' electronic, in his library music albums released during his career which lasted almost seven decades. Born in Milan in 1920, Fabor was one of the great artisans of post-war Italian popular music. Author, arranger and conductor with a classical background, he started writing songs (in the 1950's and 1960's) for popstars such as Nilla Pizzi, Johnny Dorelli and Milva; he then turned to music for theatre, cinema and tv, to which he dedicated the rest of his career. In 1981, when he released 'Galassia M81, Fabor was a veteran in the scene of library music, both as an author and an editor. It was the so-called golden age for the genre, just a moment before the advent of MIDI - which made everything easier, but flatter too, putting an end to the 'Italian Touch". The tracks featured here (credited to the fictional combo The Astral Dimension: Fabor together with his friend Antonio Arena) still have a definite Seventies taste, reminding the wave of German kosmische musik (especially the Darmstad school), but they also reflect the Moog-mania raging in pop music after the big success of Walter/Wendy Carlos with the 'Switched On' series. Avant-garde and kitsch hand in hand, ambient for documentaries and background music for horoscopes... all in sequence, with the only purpose of being used and generating royalties.

After the successful Calypso Rose's 'Far From Home' album, Because Music will release a two remixes EP for the Record Store Day. Those remixes are made by the South African Mo Laudi. His work is considered to be in the vein of Jamie XX's music. Forget the thorns, because she has them, and without delay pick this (Calypso) Rose who, at 76 years old, looks fresher than ever. Calypso Rose was always a fighter and had to overcome hostility from her father, a Baptist preacher thoroughly opposed to her pursuing a musical career. And she was sexually abused as a teenager, as she bravely confessed in Calypso Rose, Lioness of the Jungle, the 2009 documentary about her. A tireless worker, she composed almost 800 songs, starting at age 13, and spent 17 years singing on cruise ships for the New York-based company Celebration At Sea, before playing on the legendary stages of the Apollo and Madison Square Garden with two of the greatest calypsonians, Lord Kitchener and Mighty Sparrow. Calypso Rose is a fighter indeed: you don't survive cancer and two heart attacks without a solid dose of grinta.

There was a time when to die was something slightly different from what it is today. Back in the last days of the middle age, some hidden monk was concerned about how to die properly, according to the catholic standarts of that era, so he wrote a book that was a cornerstone in that period.
This has been the leitmotiv and ispiration in the concept that drives this album, the Ars Moriendi book from 1415, a book that gave some clues about how to die properly, avoiding lack of faith, despair, impatience, avarice or spiritual pride, all those actually track titles in this compendium.

Album starts with Impatience a short atmospheric drone sets the path to post industrial mayhem, based on a continuous and obsessive metallic sequence that drives the angst over a dirty rhythm workout until the textures go on top after several bars.

Rules of behaviour breaks the beat into metallic hits as starting point, then more percussive layers add to the main beat until the dark pads take over mixing hate with beauty on a grey canvas.
Despair return to adrenaline, icreasing the tempo, running unstoppable on a relentless sequence with skeleton beats as a driver.
Speculum acts as a sequel from the first track, same sequence different rhythm, extending the anxiety feeling but with a cleaner groove, again a few elements make everything run smoothly no fillers, just tension.
Lack of faith keeps on with the beat as fundamental component, based on a cemented kick and breathing components that grow during the running time.
Avarice returns to harsh kicks and martial sincopation having distortion as the main element until Fm percussions shine on top.
Spiritual Pride is the adrenaline shot in this album, obessive dry sequences, harsh kicks and razor hats in a direct floor burner.
Closing the travel, The search for identity goes underwater: cavernous landscapes and absence of brightness with a pulsating sub frequency doing the low end, while drones and obscure sound design make the rest.

Pocosin is the first full-length album from Loess in over 10 years.

During the last ice age glaciers slowly carved away the landscape creating mineral rich sediment. For hundreds of thousands of years melt water carried this fine-grained sediment downstream to parts of North America. In some areas strong winds carried this sediment and deposited it forming a network of ridges and dunes. These deposits of loose
silty wind-blown, or aeolian, sediment are called Loess.

Flash forward to the present, and the duo of Clay Emerson and Ian Pullman may seem to have gone the way of the glaciers and all but disappeared. Instead, their signature loose aural silt has been slowly and methodically accumulating and now makes up their new full-length Pocosin.

Others may have no point of reference and Pocosin is a welcome introduction to the sound of Loess; in a mere blink of an eye from when they began.

Born on Chicago's southside 1970, Robert has an expansive Musical career that started at the age of 14 with Djing and remixing from the age of 18. In his cellar Robert started organising parties that became very popular in his neigbourhood. Some of the diehard visitors of Robert besement parties were inspired by him and became also DJs, amongst them was DJ Rush others became Rapstars like R Kelly. Robert was going to become a police officer up untill he spun abroad in Italy and realized his true passion. It was actually in Italy where his female fans named him Armani because of his designer clothes he loved to wear. Robert's Influences include Armando, Mike Dunn and Frankie Knuckles. He sees his music sticking with old styles and doing whatever comes to mind'. Producing with labels including Dance Mania, Pushpac, AVC, BML, High Octane and many more Armani has captured the ears of fans and promotors all over the world . He has played many international parties givig people his hard Techno fell. You name the place Armani has played there from Chicago to Japan.

Inspired by the likes of Raresh, Zip, and Villalobos, the artist known as Kepler has something special in store for your local area dance floor. "Making Chords" is an exciting new release that's guaranteed to please.
The title track "Making Chords" can be appropriately described as nothing less than an addictive, bona fide banger that will instantaneously hook its end user after one listen. From the beginning Kepler. sets the pace with a smooth, sexy bass line that will command your attention and aggressively compel any crowd to start dancing. This passionate production pushes its agenda with a rumbling tempo, dynamic drums, and intriguing vocals that are well worth repeating. Laced with clever sounding samples and purposeful piano licks, "Making Chords" is made for anyone and everyone.
The second offering, "Wire" is a quirky, fun departure that gives insight to Kepler's wide range. This spooky sounding track is characterized by its off-beat rhythm, saturating bass tones and curious sounding signals that slide up and down while continually building momentum. As the "Wire" progresses, one can't help but to take note of how its unpredictable nature is dictated in such a well-organized manner. Very, very interesting.

Lagartijeando is the name of producer, musician and DJ Mati Zundel. Born, raised and currently living in a small town on the outskirts of Buenos Aires called Dolores. From a very early age, he was musically curious- experimenting with percussion, charango, guitar, bass, voice, and beyond.

Strongly influenced by his travels through Latin America, Mati's signature psychedelic dance tracks latch onto everything from traditional folk sounds from the Bolivian altiplano to the jungle beats of Brazil. Mati hypnotically fuses his traditional influences (with an emphasis on shaman chant and charango loops) with contemporary electronic beats, creating a sound that once left NPR speechless.

Lagartigeando was signed to the infamous ZZK Records in 2009 (Chancha Via Circuito, Nicola Cruz, etc.) on which he released his first EP Neobailongo- a mix of cumbias with electro and dubstep elements. After releasing the EP, Mati soon took to the road and dove deeper into the music of the Andes, studying charango and various traditional folk styles. In 2012, under the name Mati Zundel, he released his first full length album Amazonico Gravitante, via ZZK as well as Waxploitation (Gnarls Barkley, Danger Mouse) in the U.S.

Some more miles later, Mati released his second LP Cardos Redondo also on Waxploitation, which featured 8 songs recorded across Latin America- an album he calls an 'imaginary sound map of Latin America,'

Freshly into 2017, Mati brings us El Gran Poder via Wonderwheel (Novalima, Alsarah & The Nubatones)- named after an important Aymara festival that takes place in Bolivia and Peru, purely to celebrate family. At these festivals, the community also celebrates their culture and the importance of the collective identity. Like these festivals, the album is a celebratory one, and will tempt any listener out of their seat. The album was recorded in Mati's town, Dolores, outside of Buenos Aires. Once again taking a huge variety of sounds- this time influenced by Brazilian house,afro-brazilian rhythms, and folkloric Andean music. All songs are written and produced by Mati, apart from Lunita, a danceable track written in collaboration with Barrio Lindo.

Peter Hunnigale aka Mr Honeyvibes was born in South London on December 12th, 1960. Peter Hunnigale was to develop into one of Britain's most formidable reggae 'Lovers Rock' artist of our time. It was clear at a tender age Peter's main interest was in music and being born of Jamaican parentage, he was exposed and influenced by music of West Indian culture.

Untamed Love is an UFO in Peter Hunnigale's career, recorded at Omega studio (London) and originally released on the Cosmic label in 1986. Some people have no words to describe it. You can call it brit-boogie, rare funk, sick jam, musical bomb, or god jam, whatever it's a typical mid 80's tune with a rhythmic background sound that is captivating and memorable, thanks to heavyweight synth and awesome vocals. The original 12'' vinyl record is still very hard to find and expensive nowadays. If you are about to discover this song, make sure you are sit down when you listen to it because this song will blow you down hey girl I like the way you smile'.

Growing up in Britain meant that Peter Hunnigale was also open to other genres of music and with seeing the popular acts of the day perform on television and hearing the songs on the radio Peter knew what he wanted to be. Peter is also a great musician and did live work with reggae legends such as The Chosen Few, The Pioneers, B.B. Seaton and many others, while earning the respect of their peers as a competent bassist and qualified engineer. He won a Best Newcomer award at the Celebrity Awards in 1987, and won Best British Reggae Album at the British Reggae Industry Awards the same year.

Limited to 500 copies with artwork

While unveiling the 'Mutant Tournament' Quartet last year, label boss Nachtbraker was quietly hunting for new music behind the scenes. Being the fine huntsman he is, he came out of the woods with sonic bits and bobs so delectable he had no choice but to spread them out over two brand new quartets. That's right, eight records in total, to be released over the course of the next 18 months. We're delighted to introduce you to Scott Franka, who's at the helm of the first missive. This creative head from Amsterdam has been making music since the tender age of 11, but it wasn't until he adopted his Scott Franka moniker that he really found his groove. His music encompasses influences from dub and dark techno to classic drumpcomputer and synth-heavy house. Franka's style takes cues from Detroit, Chicago and the UK, and yet is also very personal and forward thinking at the same time. 'The Gym' might be his solo debut, but a smattering of releases from the man is on the horizon. The best way to introduce you to Scott Franka's musicality is 'The Gym' on A1. Starting of with sweet, melancholic chords and 808 hats Scott turns your world upside down after the first break. Try to keep your head steady, and get that dirty look of your face.. doesn't work right It's just too good. 'Toenail' is up next, and its undeniable groove and incredible amalgamation of synths and strings make for an absolute early hours melter. Flip over for 'Sorry' to hear Franka knock it out of the ballpark with its heavy breakbeat and UK-style bass. Finally, there's 'Street', a mesmerising groover, rounding things off nicely. The release doesn't only mark its first artist EP, it also marks a new look for the label. Building on the muscular,pheromone-rich theme of the first Quartet, Elsemarijn Bruys developed a fresh concept for both new Quartets with a little help from Scott Franka,

Check that superb new Wave War opus... A pure Hardcore EP in the best tradition for a start with a Very PCP style Magneto tune... with a speedcore hig time (double kicker)... Then goes « Distortion cerebrale », a wild open kicking mental hardcore... B sides open with Cyberterror, one of those No-Tek or XMF acid avalanche sustained by a Speedcore BPM. Last tune, speedcore as well, brings an acid mental call. Blaster !

Favorite Recordings proudly presents this new official single reissue of I Believe! by Calvin B. Rhone: A very rare Gospel/Disco masterpiece, originally released at only 1000 private-press copies, and surprisingly unknown and underrated until today.

Calvin Bernard Rhone, a native of Los Angeles, has been ministering in word and song for more than 40 years throughout the US and abroad. He acknowledges that he is passionate about music, yet purposed for ministry. Beginning his professional singing career at age eight, he has shared the stage with possibly every major Gospel artist from the 60's to present.

In 1983, he released the album Intimate Friends on his own label, C.B.R. Records. Recently discovered by DJ and collector Charles Maurice, the LP has never received the attention and fame it deserves. It was anyway obvious for the DJ and Favorite Recordings, that some of the tracks it includes would for sure become real classics for all Disco and Funk music lovers and deejays.

Officially licensed to Calvin B. Rhone himself, it's today reissued for the first time, as a 3 tracks vinyl single.

Jerome Meyer AKA Von D is a master craftsman, well-known for releasing dubstep and bass music since 2009. On an increasingly prolific trajectory since last year, recent 12's on Infernal Sounds, Trojan Audio and Scotch Bonnet have signaled his renewed focus on dubwise productions. We are proud to say that Von D's Khaliphonic debut sees him fully committing to reggae and dub - in his words, going back to my musical roots.'

Politricks' is a masterwork, cut from the same living rock as the classic Cuss Cuss riddim, a simply huge bass and drum workout that is truly one for the ages. Politricks is an anthem for now, a call to avoid the dead-end of politics-as-usual and a warning to beware of the lies politicians tell to keep themselves in power - full of promises but changing nothing. Von D says that working with Don Cotti was very natural,' and their easy relationship is audible - the tune fits the vocal like a glove, and Cotti's instantly-recognizable singjay style gives even more gravitas to an already heavy track. The dub version spools out Von D's signature saturated echoes even further, and opens up spectral chambers of reverb that shimmer and glow.

The B side Ygrec' is an equally massive tune, just as compelling if more meditative and mysterious, coming in both one drop and power-steppers mixes for maximum versatility and vibes. Both tunes and their versions feature an incredibly robust, warm, human sound - one that simply can't come from machines alone - live drums, bass, and kete drum among other instruments maintain the tradition of live musicians in dub - to say nothing of expert desk-based mixing and deployment of live analog effects the way the elders intended. Both tunes dial in at 140 making them perfect for roots and dubstep selectors alike.

Von D got his start as a drummer and engineer outside Paris, in the heady days of original jungle. Early releases on Disfigured Dubz, Hench, Boka, Black Acre and the seminal V Recordings, as well as his reggae-oriented Liquid Wicked project, cemented his reputation. Don Cotti is a prolific producer, DJ and MC with releases stretching back to 2006 on labels as varied as Bass Face, Studio Rockers, and Soul Jazz.

Mastered by Lewis at Stardelta. Art & design by Polygon Press.

We are proud to welcome Chasindub to the Phonogramme's familly for his very first solo EP.Member of the Romanian trio 'Lisière Collectif' (previously seen on PHONOGRAMME #17), Chasindub delivers here a real piece of deep-break, a timeless record that should cross the ages and stay in many dj bags for a while!

It was the spring of 2007 when Paul 'Mudd' Murphy and Kevin Pollard announced the arrival of the former's Claremont 56 label with Villa Stavros', a magical frst collaborative 12'. It
seems somewhat ftting, then, that Claremont 56's fnal release of its' frst decade will be N7 Odyssey, the frst collaborative album from Mudd & Pollard. By the time Villa Stavros' came out, the pair had already been regular studio buddies for a couple of years. Initially, Murphy had recruited Pollard - a hugely talented keyboardist and composer - to play on tracks he was working on for Rong Music. One thing naturally led to another, and soon they were joining forces to make music as Murphy's home studio in
Holloway, North London. As the years rolled by, further acclaimed singles followed Villa Stavros' - the bubbly, Rhodes-laden Balearic disco shuffe of Vincent', and the lilting, intergalactic dub disco of Scaffold', most notably - before the duo's other musical commitments began to take precedence. Murphy had his hands full running the Claremont 56 and Leng labels, while Pollard carved out a successful career as a soundtrack composer for both flm and television. Now, the album they set out to make all those years ago is fnally fnished and ready to be
released. N7 Odyssey - titled in tribute to the Holloway studio they recorded in for many years before Murphy moved - draws together freshly re-mastered versions of their previously released singles with a clutch of previously unheard tracks. Built around the duo's own fne musicianship, with Pollard handling synths, keyboards and electric piano, and Murphy guitar, bass and percussion, the album's ten tracks offer a musical journey through their shared love of shuffing grooves, sun-kissed soundscapes and
gentle positivity. Highlights come thick and fast. There's the swirling strings, futtering futes, jammed-out electric pianos and heady female vocals of Far Away', the enchanting new age ambience of December', and the rush-inducing Balearic disco breeze of Mawson's Walk', a former single blessed with sublime horn solos and rising, cinematic strings. Check, too, the head-
nodding beats, fuid electric piano solos and jazzy guitars of Inatin', the gentle Eastern mysticism and vintage ambient house aesthetics of Anura', and the ultra-deep house pulse of N7 Odyssey'. The album fttingly fnishes with a sublime ambient interpretation of Scaffold', arguably the duo's most celebrated track. It may have taken a decade to emerge, fully formed, but Murphy and Pollard have delivered an album that's beguiling, magical, and hugely comforting. Clearly, it's an odyssey worth
taking.

The first live incarnation of Naples' infamous Mystic Jungle collective.
Analogue improv captured live in front of an audience of around 100 people in an art-space in the city.
Sprawling across 2 sides of wax uninterrupted and encapsulating the tribe's cosmic drenched machine funk 'Live In Napoli' is a fascinating document of a crew formulating something that touches equally on Boogie, New Age, House and Esoterica with ease while oozing the sophistication and singular style the MJT have become known for in recent years.

'Deep session! It is rare to hear folk music from Japan in such beautiful fidelity and incredible dynamics. This recording is intensely gorgeous and hauntingly disarming. This should open up a whole new world of adventurous listening for folks outside (and inside!) Japan.'Brian Shimkovitz (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

'Sounds absolutely great! Super interesting and engaging.'Ben UFO

'Just Give Me That Old Time Religion, It's Good Enough For Me.'Japan Blues

A hotline to the gods! Kagura is a thousand-year-old form of Japanese Shinto sacred music and dance, accompanying the chanting of myths; the word "kagura" can be translated as "god-entertainment". Passed down over countless generations, the music is rare and recordings even rarer. Shigeo Tanaka was a master of the yumi (bow), an uncommon single-string percussion instrument, which is a true bow: arrows are fired off at the end of each ceremony to fend off evil sprits. The instrument is difficult to play; it's hard to draw out the proper sound and maintain the rhythm.
Yumi kagura is the oldest of all the various forms of kagura. The Tanaka family, based in rural Joge-cho, Hiroshima prefecture, has passed down this yumi kagura tradition for hundreds of years; this lineage continues to this day in the person of his daughter Ritsuko Tanaka. The Joge-cho yumi kagura, which prays for family well-being, bountiful crops and good fortune, was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1971. The piece featured here, "Takusa saimon", based on the myth "Ama no iwato" (The Rocky Celestial Cave), is mesmeric, reaching back across ages to the time before time, with Tanaka's voice and yumi, accompanied by flute and metal percussion, drawing us closer to the primal activities of the gods. Listeners may find affinities with aspects of musics as diverse as German electronic minimalism like E2-E4, certain Ethiopian music, "spiritual jazz" and more, all tapping into the deep root of forever. Previously available only on a ridiculously obscure 1990 cassette release, Yumi kagura is the first collaborative release by EM Records and Riyo Mountains, a Japanese folk song research team. Available on LP and CD, with the CD featuring a bonus track: "Inagahachiman jinja yumi kagura hono" recorded in 2016 by Tanaka's daughter and successor Ritsuko Tanaka.

+ Direction/liner notes by Riyo Mountains
+ English liner notes & lyrics

Stirred up from deep within, from an abstract spiral of sound and movement, from a sensation of time and space absolving and converging at once, the Black Flower musicians have molded a tangible matter: the album Artifacts. Their second full album sounds international and ageless. Eastern influences, Ethiodub and jazz effortlessly merge. Fantasy and reality seem to fuse. In a word: nourishment for body and soul.

"Psyche-delicious and accessible 20th century Ethiodubjazz. As if John Zorn put on Fela Kuti's shoes and imbibed Mulatu Astatke's whirls."

Piloted by saxophonist /flutist /composer Nathan Daems (Ragini Trio, Dijf Sanders, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra), this instrumental band aims for originality. Fellow musicians and 'brothers down the road' are Jon Birdsong (dEUS, Beck, Calexico) on cornet, Simon Segers (Absynthe Minded, De Beren Gieren, Stadt) at the drums, Filip Vandebril (Lady Linn, The Valerie Solanas, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra) at the bass and Wouter Haest (Los Callejeros, Voodoo Boogie) playing keys.

For many of us, the Ethiopian aspect once made known to the world by Mulatu Astatke will stand out. Still, Black Flower further adds oriental scales, Afrobeat à la Fela Kuti, jazz in a John Zorn way and varied western music traditions such as rock and dub. The resulting melting pot is undoubtedly inspired by Nathan's distant travels and the multifariously colorful city of Brussels.

...Pretty legit if you ask me - LeFto, Studio Brussel

After their well-received debut album Abyssinia Afterlife (2014, W.E.R.F. / Zephyrus Records) that created an atmosphere of mythical figures and psychedelia, Black Flower now reflects on ancient and modern cultures. The album title Artifacts refers to centuries-old fragile objects or tools that empowered the development of human culture. The world today would look entirely different without those artifacts. The seemingly brittle suddenly becomes a powerful welding cornerstone. Add the musicians' personal musical backgrounds and the result is an album with an ageless mystique. Artifacts is the synthesis of different cultures, of the past and present, and personal and collective memories. It is the soundtrack to modern reality, based on the elements that connect us.

Brilliant - Gilles Peterson, BBC Radio 6

One of Belgium's Best Bands of these past years (...) Black Flower does not simply play a tune, they always groove! - Kurt Overbergh, Ancienne Belgique

Uncomplicated originality, plenty of space for fantasy and an organic tone: those are the ingredients for Black Flower to lay claim to an age-old human ritual: dancing! Still, Black Flower also stands out in various other settings. Their audience at a jazz club will have felt exalted, their audience at a late-night show will not have resisted dancing. The band wields influence over their surroundings in a way only heart-and-soul musicians can. This mastery has repeatedly taken them to United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Germany.

Before Bob Marley came on the scene, many in Britain dismissed reggae as either the stuff of one-hit wonders or skinhead
dance music. Now it is recognised as influential style, which has not only sold millions of records worldwide but had a major effect on the mainstream. But only a few of his fans realise the man's recording career was as lengthy as it was: though he died aged just 36 in 1981, he'd been active in the studio since 1962 onwards.Despite some of the tracks featured here would be re-recorded on later albums, these 'prototypes' exhibit a rough-hewn, soulful feeling. We all knew his music was timeless, this was but further proof.

Deluxe LP w 180g, Reverse Board Sleeve, MP3 Download - HOLOVR is Jimmy Billingham who also records under the alias's Tidal, Venn Rain, Journey of Mind & Holographic Mind - He has released music on Firecracker Records, Opal Tapes and Hooker Vision as well as his own Indole Records Release Information Anterior Space may strike some listeners of a certain age as an echo of the gilded age of "armchair techno" exemplified by Warp Records' Artificial Intelligence comps. There's a similar convergence of the cerebral and the blissful in the four epic compositions HOLOVR (aka Jimmy Billingham) finesses from his analog and digital synths as that found on those early-'90s pieces by Black Dog, B12, and others. Discussing the creation of Anterior Space, which is the first HOLOVR release to feature no beats, Billingham reveals, "Dropping drums gave me a bit more freedom in terms of tempo and rhythm, and it was actually really liberating. Having fewer elements in a track also meant it was possible to record live, which is my preferred way of working, as you can capture an actual snapshot of time and a natural, in-the-moment negotiation of the different elements of a track. I'd know a track was ready if I could sit there and listen to it looping round for long periods of time and really get lost in it, and then I'd try and capture a nice section of that in the space of 10 minutes or whatever." You can hear this on Anterior Space's opening 11-minute track, "Into Light." Its subtle gradations of warped tones and implied rhythms teem with hyperactive elegance. The titular light glints off of several jeweled facets, like a disco ball made out of diamonds. The slow, mobile-like rotation of synth baubles over a foundation of yearning, icy drones on "Apparent Motion" creates the illusion of a shimmering stasis, but there's actually a great deal happening here. .

We've waited really too long to release this ep. These tracks were given to Musique Risquée more than 10 years ago and waited since then on harddrive before they got rediscovered on a boozy night in Tokyo. They have not aged a bit, fresh as when they were given to us. Maybe we weren't ready then. But we are now and hopefully you are too.

Just in time for ADE, we are more than happy to present a new release by one of our main protagonists since our renaissance. Lehar has made a fascinating career in only two years, he is a key member in our label family as well as Diynamic and plays gigs around the world. His "White Diary EP" is his most unique release so far, with two original tracks by him and two dub versions by UK house legend Charles Webster.
"The Cave" is a very touching track which again shows Lehar's love for deep but popish moments in his music. Again, he has teamed up with L.A. singer Rush Midnight, who already lent his voice to "Number One Hero", which was released earlier this year on the Diynamic sub-imprint 2Diy4. An instrumental version is also available in the digital package.
The title track "The White Diary" is a demanding and hypnotic builder, which was already played often by Solomun during the summer. This is a next level Lehar track, signature sound structure combined with a highly effective arrangement. A winner for many situations.
Charles Webster has been a favourite of the Connaisseur label heads Alex Flitsch and Martin Henkel for ages. Requesting a remix by him has been on the Connaisseur bucket list since day one. He gave "The Cave" two different dub treatments, one
better than the other. His "Dub the First" already takes the original one foor deeper, making it very timeless and hypnotic. His "Dub the Second" takes it even deeper and is adding a proper portion of trippiness. Music for the guardians of the real stuff!