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Tint is the first new solo recording from Joe Talia in over a decade. Australian-born but now based in Tokyo, Talia is known to many listeners as a drummer (frequently collaborating both live and in the studio with artists such as Oren Ambarchi and Jim O'Rourke) and as a recording and mixing engineer responsible for dozens of releases across the fields of contemporary experimental music, wayward pop, and jazz. Alongside James Rushford, he is also responsible for one of the most legendary releases in the Kye records catalogue, the creaking electronic morass of Manhunter (2013).

Lovingly crafted over many months in his tiny Tokyo studio, Tint is an album-length electroacoustic suite that brings together Talia's expertise as percussionist, studio engineer, and performer on analogue electronic instruments (primarily modular synth and Revox tape machine). Ranging from minimalist austerity to kosmische lushness, Tint refreshingly refuses the dark and moody sonic palette of much contemporary electroacoustic music in favour of an airy, at times almost weightless sound-world of gliding tones, skittering percussion, and burbling field recordings. Drawing inspiration from Jean-Claude Eloy's epic concrète love letter to Tokyo, Gaku-No-Michi, Talia makes extensive use of his own recordings of his new home, but removes any sense of audio verite, abstracting them into transparent glosses of outdoor ambience or unidentifiable chimes and creaks. Flowing seamlessly between distinct episodes, Tint is compositionally controlled while retaining a sense of played spontaneity, eventually building to a maelstrom of analogue synth zaps and tape manipulated percussion that reflects Talia's deep engagement with the relentless yet constantly shifting dynamics of free jazz.

A high-speed car chase between a Dodge Charger and a Ford Mustang, with super-cop Bullitt at the wheel, who forces the hitman off the road and into a petrol station, which explodes and incinerates him. Prior to that, harsh clashes of metal, hubcaps flying all over the place, and the chief character Steve McQueen, who grimly changes gears and hurtles through the streets of San Francisco, wheels screaming and rubber burning. That was how Hollywood staged one of the longest and most dramatic car chases, long before the days of the Anti-Blocking-System and Anti-Slide-Control.

Very up-to-date and just as exciting as the screenplay is the music Lalo Schifrin wrote for the film, which embeds the characters, places and events in a musical context. For example, "Bullitt": the metrically angular main theme portrays a mysterious, cool character who sums up a situation with keen alertness and then makes his attack with the speed of lightning.

Initially the music travels through easy-going Latin terrain. But gradually the rhythmic texture changes and takes a rougher path, with clicks, knocks and hammering. Legendary flute lines create a compensatory placidness with airy clouds floating above the sharp mix. A really special track is "Shifting Gears": here you can listen to Schifrin tuning the car, how he manipulates a jammed springy bossa to take on the sound of clean, smooth-running rock.

This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid.

Hailing from sunny California, Subtle Mind have been making not so subtle waves in the US bass scene for quite some time. Their debut release on Subaltern Records brings in a different style to the imprint with a flavourful, melodic yet weighty selection.

Tracklist:

A: Ambitions feat. Ill Chill
Opening the EP, and featuring Bay Area artist, 'Universal Future MC' Ill Chill on the vocals, lounge vibes greet the listener before sinking into a bathe of bliss and bass. Words and synth lines transcending with low frequencies and space, 'Ambitions' is floating above clouds and diving in the deep ocean at the same time.

AA: Gelato
Subtle Mind are putting the classic 808 drum kit through its paces in 'Gelato'. Mellow pads disguise the heaviness at first, but once the ground shaking bass-line hits, there is no doubt that this one is a tactical weapon; it carries the dance easily while satisfying your melodic desires.

AA2: Standard Strain feat. Saule
With this high-grade collaboration we are welcoming the incredibly talented San Francisco-based Saule to the imprint. Carried by airy bells and soulful vocal hits, Standard Strain brings a jazzy twist to the table. Contrasted by dark synth shots and a bumping bass-line this track is an excellent showcase of the producers' musicality.

Dark Entries present the debut album from Bézier titled 'Parler Musique'. Bézier is Taiwanese-American musician Robert Yang who is also part of the Honey Soundsystem crew. A multi-instrumentalist, Robert grew up in Southern California then planted his roots in San Francisco in 2005. Over the years in SF he has built an impressive analog synth-based studio, which also serves as the creative hub for his riveting live performances.

Parler Musique clocks in at over 52 minutes with 8 tracks are spread across four sides for maximum loudness. The album title is a French transliteration on the phrase Parlor Music' and is evening music for a meeting of minds in a drawing room or a literary salon. To 'talk about music', the actual translation of the title, the album is a hotbed of ideas. Different genres are crisscrossed: punk, synthpop, jungle, new romantic, industrial and new wave. Airy melodies, surging arpeggios and symphonic breakdowns counterpoint cold digital drum sounds to convey beauty within inescapable and impending daily processes. The track titles for 'Parler Musique' zoom in on Romantic preoccupations with mystery, unknowns, depths--where themes combine to form an occult revelatory experience.

All songs have been mixed by Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated) at Room 5, San Francisco and EQed for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The vinyl comes housed in a jacket featuring a surreal circuit board pattern with pink bubbles flickering on an abstract horizon of water designed by Eloise Leigh. Each copy includes a postcard risograph-printed in fluorescent pink and dark blue with Dadaist text by Justin Aulis Long.

Is the drum the successor of human sacrifice or does it still sound the command to kill' Adorno, Motifs (1951)

A new colossal star rises in the twilight of funky soul jazz as Ernie Hawks releases his debut album "Scorpio Man" on Timmion Records. The impressive trombonist/flutist, is known to hold no punches, when performing live in the ranks of The Soul Investigators. Here he delivers a fierce selection of S.O.U.L. and Cymande flavored instrumentals that also bring to mind some of the finest sample-fodder library music.

The album's name, "Scorpio Man" might come from the stinging and slightly intimidating style Hawks handles the trombone slide, known to pierce the hearts and souls of the ladies in the front row during his live performances. On this album, Ernie rides to battle equipped only with the flute, but this does not mean we will be exposed to some smooth jazz snooze fest. Rather Ernie handles his instrument with muscular rawness at times and moody ambiance at others, sliding with ease into any groove that the extended Soul Investigators band lays down.

"Scorpio Man" is no one trick pony, and the listener will be shifted around from the exhilarating psych funk of "Scorpio Walk" all the way to the airy moods of "Street of Tears". Take a chance with the Scorpio Man, his sting will give you a funky high much better than what they sell in the streets.

Having recently appeared on Bosconi Records and Altzmusica, Daisuke Kondo is a producer on the rise at present. This outing on Vibraphone adds fuel to that particular fire with four distinctive cuts that push to the outer edges of house music without losing sight of the groove. "Hold On To Love" is, on the surface, an upbeat, disco-infused house jam, but there's a certain trippy approach Kondo takes in the processing department that edges the music into a different head space. "Life" meanwhile gets gritty and bass heavy at one end of the frequency range, and airy and melodic at the other. "Feelin Blue" gets even dustier and scratchier with its sample treatment, and then "Fallen Star" lays down some unflinching machine beats with wonky, distant piano licks.

MOC's Alek S returns to the mothership with his third full EP, dropping just in time for the label's third birthday.
Kicking off the release in style, - Consciousness Outline' lays down the groundwork for a solid slice of punchy techno. Featuring a minimal array of elements, which aptly intertwine instead of seeing new layers pile up, it's a gradual build up of a powerful groove.
Hypercolour & Soma Records alum Roberto Clementi takes on remix duties, revamping - Consciousness Outline' into a cavernous techno affair. Switching the main focus on the percussive leads proves a good venture, as it results into a piece with major dance appeal.
- Penny Drop' dives in with a spacious loop, which keeps centre stage throughout the entire construction. Overall, it's an airy track, with ample pads and a loose yet gripping melody.
- Neverending' rounds off the pack in an atmospherical, upbeat fashion. Ascending synth pads make for an uplifting ambiance, all set on a backbone of electrifying percussion.

Ant Orange's third 12 for Karaoke Kalk forms something resembling a trilogy for the label. Right There' is built on a familiar Rhodes-n-bass aesthetic, combining the lo-fi jazz of 2017's Arkupe' with the soulful vocal motifs of 2015's s/t', while introducing more electronic ingredients and taking an increasingly exploratory approach to rhythm and composition.
The opening title track clocks in at over 8 minutes, growing slowly from soft tickled keys to a full-bodied groove circled by airy synths and fragmented RnB vocals. Drunk In The Trunk' then shifts down a gear, looping another vocal cut over a lazy, stripped-back wahwah vibe. Side A closes with experimental jazz skit Let That Sink In', its jerky tempo and flashes of light reminiscent of a late-night subway ride.
The B-side takes a more contemplative tone, with the meditative arpeggios and sparse drums of Comfort Zone' leading into the dusky West Coast stroll of Muscle Beach', before Rudis Goes Offline' picks up the tempo for a last shimmering dance. The closing track A Frozen Lake' sounds just like it sounds - chilled by name and by nature.
The completion of this trilogy marks a turning point in Ant Orange's sound, but that's all we can say for now - stay tuned for more. In the mean time just sit back and enjoy the sublime vibes of Right There.

Boris Bunnik is no stranger in the worl d of electronic music. He released several albums and ep's under a variety of monikers since 2007 on labels like Delsin, Shipwrec, Frustrated Funk and his own Transcendent imprint. Fauxpas Musik welcomes him for a new project called Severnaya. Originally hailing from the Island of Terschelling, the most Northern and remote part of the Netherlands he now made a piece of music dedicated to this special place. Severnaya means north in Russian and refers to the bright frozen landscapes of the northern archipels. Boris often plays with the influences and elements of ambient in his music. If we have to believe the man himself, Polar Skies is his most personal sound trajectory to come from his mind. Drum programming is scarce and what remains is a lush and profound listening experience floating on scapes and melodies. We clearly hear his roots and intentions represented in the airy, tranquil sound design of this new album project. Things sound spacious, and life is at ease in these melancholic compositions. Crispy crackling percussions and icey pads place you in the midst of a resonant arctic landscape. You can hear influences drawn from producers like Biosphere, Pub, Brian Eno but we also hear more contemporary influences from modern day film composition but most of all we here Boris his own signature. The tracks were composed over a couple of years (2015-2017) in a more contemplative mindset. At some point this selection formed a consistent piece of music and as a result you hear his most personal and fragile works to date. Fauxpas Musik is proud to release this new project in 2018. written and produced by Boris Bunnik aka Conforce at the PasadenaOceanlab Studios Special thanks to family, friends and Fauxpas

Recorded in 1953 and 1954 with a veritable who's who of West Coast cool jazz including backing from Zoot Sims, Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, as well as arrangements from Jack Montrose, and Shorty Rogers, Chet Baker & Strings is a beautiful and airy collection of some of Baker's most sultry trumpet work. The string section perfectly complements the cool jazz quintet backing and makes this one of the Baker's finest and most unique sets. Essential.

This November will see Elia Perrone launch his new Jun'Ai imprint with his very own 'Flowers' EP, accompanied by a remix from Romanian minimal powerhouse Vid.

Tuscan producer and DJ Elia Perrone has long been one of the most respected figures in Italy's underground electronic music scene having co-founded the Klang Club in Arezzo which has seen him play alongside the likes of Simoncino, Juju & Jordash and Move D. Amongst this Elia, alongside brother and production partner heads up Unclear Records which plays host to their collaborative works as Easy To Remember as well as material from the likes of Baby Ford, Roman Fluegel, Christopher Rau and Dandy Jack amongst others.

Here though we see Elia turning a new chapter with the launch of his Jun'Ai imprint and taking the lead on the inaugural release is 'Flowers', a mind-altering slice of micro house fueled by pops, whirrs, clicks and sample cuts while fluttering atmospherics and bright string plucks ebb and flow throughout the murky depths of the composition. Vid aka Egal 3 steps up on remix duties to follow, delivering a straight edged take on things via crunchy organic percussion, billowing echoes of the original's atmospherics and a robust sub driven bass line.

Opening the flip side is 'Rain Smell', a slow brooding, hypnotic number employing dynamic string licks, modulating synth drones and bumpy 4/4 drums before 'Moshishi' closes out the package with airy ethereal textures, glitched out off-kilter percussion and rumbling low end tones.

recorded and produced by christina nemec in vienna and horner wald 2016
mastered and cut at dubplates & mastering, berlin 2017

artwork by susi klocker

On her latest release, chra aka Christina Nemec is sketching out a psychogeographical map, that guides you to the border of the internal and external world - 'on a fateful morning' lets you enter a sphere where the imaginary and the subliminal cross. Evoking abstract images that transcend reality, chra installs an autarchic time-and-space-continuum of vague, nocturnal beauty. Pastose bass drones, airy ambient synths and processed audio-samples form a hypnotic stream that lets you enter an altered state of mind. By subtly intertwining musical and non musical sounds chra is weaving an intensely atmospheric, poetic tableau of emptied spaces left to our imagination. It's the pulse of arcane memories that is filling these sonic landscapes, operating deep within our subconscious.

'on a fateful morning' is haunting music to play in the dark - conspirative, uncanny, with a dystopian smack.

After showcasing his knack for emotive productions via various EPs throughout his career, including chart-topping singles on Hot Since 82's Knee Deep in Sound and Dave Seaman's Selador, the Swiss artist Several Definitions now reveals his first full-length album. It should come as no surprise that the artist found familiarity in what he calls the Berlin style' of electronic music and notably, that of Oliver Koletzki's Stil vor Talent. Reborn After The Road is an intense and emotional affair, consisting of 14 tracks crafted using field and live recordings, switching between analogue and digital to mould a sonic atmosphere that emblazons the artist's core ethos. Although the personal experience that sparked the inspiration for the LP is far from pleasant, Several Definitions' style is audibly resolute. Reborn After The Road, the album's eponymous track, creates a fitting intro for the healing process that is to follow. Its airy pads and majestic strings sonically stand at the epicenter of the expressive album. Several Definitions continues to explore these sounds on vaporous slices like Pontceard 32 or the more acidical Last Breath. The mellifluous, feminine vocals of LaMeduza on Learn To Feel and Her, as well as Spanish singer Goldsun's crooner talents on the introspective Trust, on the other hand, showcase Several Definitions' ability to work the human voice into his musical explorations. Taking introspection one step further towards darker realms, Senelity then feels like a rite of passage into the deeper and more intense segment at the album's core. Over You briefly signals a turning point, with its alarm-like synths and grave leads, which is then followed by the glitchy resistance on Modular Spaces. The Escape

Soul Deep Recordings and Blade are pleased to present the Blackbird EP. The EP features 2 richly crafted rollers that will rock the dance floor. The title track, "Blackbird", has received support from LTJ Bukem and many other top deejays around the world. The song starts off with a heavy amen break and light background atmospherics. At each turn, the break seems to get heavier as layers are added to the mix. When the bassline drops, the groove is undeniable, and will have your head nodding in approval. The song chugs along and builds to a crescendo with it's epic pads and tasteful atmospherics. "Bella l'amour", is the second offering, and it shows a different side to Blade's diverse productions. The track begins with a light break, airy efx, and chiming keys, that set the backdrop for this tight production. At the drop, the drums fill in nicely and the warm 808 bassline punch through the mix. Overall, Blade delivers big on this release, and will surely satisfy his fans with this slice of D&B heaven.

Copenhagen's Echocord Colour returns this August with Stephen Brown's 'Power Factor' EP, featuring three originals from the UK Techno stalwart.
Scottish producer Stephen Brown is a name synonymous with Techno across the globe having been releasing material since the mid nineties on imprints such as Derrick May's Transmat, Subject Detroit, Skudge Records, Ben Sims' Theory and Holland's Djax Up Beats amongst many more.
Here we see Brown join the roster of Echocord's sub-label Colour, slotting him in alongside the likes of Mike Dehnert, Nick Ho¨ppner, Luke Hess and Deadbeat in the back- catalogue.
Up first on the release is 'Sandtext', a stripped-back dubbed out opening cut fuelled by a robust kick and minute percussive hits running alongside a sturdy sub bass drive and spiralling dub stabs before 'Wet' takes things even deeper via muted kicks, shuffling shakers and delayed synth chords. 'Back Stroke' then rounds out the release with an amalgamation of airy reverberated stab hits, rumbling low end pulsations and a thunderous kick drum to once again create an understated, hypnotic composition.

Dark Entries is proud to release the latest offering from Bézier, a 3-track EP titled 'Primes'. Bézier is the moniker of San Francisco based musician Robert Yang, who is also part of the Honey Soundsystem crew. A multi-instrumentalist, Robert planted his roots in San Francisco in 2005. Over the years in SF he has built an impressive analog synth-based studio, which also serves as the creative hub for his riveting live performances.

'Primes' represents the theme of primordial origins and creation with three tracks that explore disparate, sonic environments in each song. The title track flows and ebbs like currents in an oil slick. Out of something messy (like primordial ooze) arises organized chaos. 'Stranger' is a moody dark electro/wave track for a sweaty night cruising on the west coast of Holland. Set against an underwater sound canvas the song features seductive guest vocals and lyrics by Nicole Ginelli. Doc Sleep of Jacktone Records provides additional production duties. The final track, 'Imperial Tranz Am', is an airy, ethereal slow burner clocking in at over 13 minutes. It originally appeared as the soundtrack to an experimental queer fantasy film of the same name by SF film maker Aron Kantor.

All songs have been mixed by Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated) at Room 5, San Francisco and EQed for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The vinyl comes housed in a jacket featuring a Quadtone pastel earthtone of pixelated celluar ooze designed by Eloise Leigh. Each EP includes a postcard with an image still from the 'Imperial Tranz-Am' movie. 'Do I hear what I see, is it real or just a feeling, a vibration of N-R-G.'

(en) While the last Kompakt offering from legendary Russian synthesists SCSI-9 dates back to 2008, when the duo released their album Easy As Down' (KOMPAKT CD 068), co-founder and techno/house virtuoso ANTON KUBIKOV kept himself busy cultivating his own label Pro-Tez Records - and establishing a career as solo artist with a clear penchant for dub-infused soundscapes and ambient music. WHATNESS is Kubikov's first solo full-length under his proper name, weaving airy and iridescent sonic tapestry that takes up where his excellent contributions to our Pop Ambient compilations left off.
ANTON KUBIKOV's special ear for ambience and tonal spaces was always an integral part of SCSI-9's musical DNA that would alternate between tight dance workouts and vast melodic range - but it's as a solo artist that he truly started to explore these spaces, following mysterious sonic trails into foggy, reverb-heavy territory. Kubikov's contributions to the several instalments of our Pop Ambient compilation series announced the arrival of a promising new project in our talent pool - a promise more than satisfied with the immersive sound bath of first solo outing WHATNESS.
Going from the richly layered electronic drones of LIQUID MIRROR or ENTRANCE to the lush ambient dub of OTHER THE SEA and KURT'S FOREST, or the minimalist, evocative piano of OKTOBER and PIA, the album covers lots of stylistic ground, but remains committed to its overall aesthetic of misty mountains and serene valleys. With the endearing APRIL, a true Pop Ambient classic from the 2016 compilation (KOMPAKT 345 CD 128) makes a welcome return, priming the canvas for the subtle bass throb of NORTH and its charming synth bell orchestra. Masterfully refining and extending his sonic pallet on WHATNESS, ANTON KUBIKOV can claim his spot among the very best of today's ambient composers.
(de) Obwohl die letzte Kompakt-Offerte aus dem Studio der legendären russichen Synthesizeristen SCSI-9 schon eine Weile zurückliegt - 2008, um genau zu sein, mit dem Album Easy As Down' (KOMPAKT CD 068) -, hat Co-Gründer und Techno/House-Virtuose ANTON KUBIKOV nicht auf der faulen Haut geaalt, sondern sein eigenes Label Pro-Tez Records gepflegt - und eine Karriere als Solo-Künstler mit klarem Drang zur verdubbten Tonlandschaft und Ambient-Musik in die Wege geleitet. WHATNESS ist seine erste Solo-Album-Veröffentlichung unter eigenem Namen und webt einen luftigen wie schillernden Klangteppich, der genau da weitermacht, wo Kubikovs exzellente Beiträge zu unserer Pop Ambient Compilation-Reihe aufgehört haben.
ANTON KUBIKOVs besonderes Ohr für Ambientes und tonale Räume war schon immer integraler Bestandteil von SCSI-9s musikalischer DNA, die gerne zwischen fokussierter Tanzathletik und ausufernden Melodieräumen changiert - doch erst als Solo-Künstler macht er sich daran, diese Räume wirklich auszuloten und geheimnisvollen Klangspuren in neblige, hallende Gegenden zu folgen. Kubikovs Gastspiele auf mehreren Ausgaben unserer Pop Ambient-Serie deuteten auf ein vielverprechendes neues Projekt im Talentpool hin - ein Versprechen, das mit dem mitreissenden Klangbad von WHATNESS mehr als erfüllt wird.
Von den reichhaltig verschichteten elektronischen Drones von LIQUID MIRROR oder ENTRANCE zum üppigen Ambient-Dub von OTHER THE SEA und KURT'S FOREST, oder dem minimalistischen, andeutungsreichen Klavierspiel auf OKTOBER und PIA erstreckt sich das Album über viel Stilgebiet, bleibt aber der eigenen Ästhetik dunstiger Gebirgszüge und einsamer Täler true. Mit dem überaus reizenden APRIL macht ausserdem ein echter Pop Ambient-Klassiker von der 2016er Ausgabe (KOMPAKT 345 CD 128) seine Aufwartung und bereitet den Boden für den subtil pochenden Bass von NORTH nebst charmantem Synthieglockenorchester. Meisterhaft veredelt und aufgebohrt, ist ANTON KUBIKOVs Klangpalette auf WHATNESS Grund genug ihm einen Platz zwischen den besten Ambientkomponisten unserer Tage zu sichern.

French producer and DJ John Jastszebski has been involved in the French and global underground
House and Techno scene for over a decade now, releasing on imprints such as D'julz' Bass
Culture, Phil Weeks' Robsoul, Syncrophone Recordings and of course Phonogramme where he returns to here.
The original mix of lead track 'Season' takes the lead via infectious stab sequences, snaking subs
and raw organic percussion before Kai Alce's 'Restructure' of 'Season' follows and tips the focus
over to airy chords, jazz-tinged lead melodies and a bumpy rhythmic swing. 'Illusion' follows and sees Jastszebski focus on a more stripped-back aesthetic with rolling drums,
dusty string samples and warm Rhodes driving the composition. 'Gracelend' then closes the package with smooth, unfolding pad melodies, crunch drum sounds and a murky, hypnotic feel.

RELEASE

'The Practice of Pseudoscience', a three track EP by M Parent, is the second vinyl release from the US based label Chem Club Records. Having been inspired by peripheral thoughts about pseudosciences, this EP is washed in steady emotional build ups using airy reverb, scattering percussion, throbbing stabs and solid kicks. The title track (A1) uses these elements to move towards a piercing synth peak while 'Cycle of Intellect' (A2) spaces out these features as it creeps to a dubby impactful end. The B side 'Temazcal Rites' was directly motivated by a scorching summer day when the intensity of the sun sparked an idea for a sizzling percussive experiment. What we're left with is a funky but emotive soundscape that tops off the EP in a unique fashion.


ARTIST

M Parent, the artist behind Chem Club's second vinyl release entitled 'The Practice of Pseudoscience', is a Brooklyn based animator who uses his background in this story-driven medium to further express himself musically. His storyline approach to producing makes for an attentive listening experience full of arcs and plot twists that still maintains it's focus on the dancefloor. Using hardware exclusively, M Parent's aim is to produce emotive tracks that exist somewhere between a continuously evolving song and a fully functional track. M Parent DJs regularly at Bossa Nova Civic Club in Brooklyn and has a monthly residency at Jupiter Disco called Modal Form with fellow Blankstairs artist, Nathaniel Young.

After releasing their debut full length Album on Kompakt last year, Hunter/Game return to Just This with another immersive offering.
On the ‚Dead Soul EP' the duo continue to refine their expressive yet subtly arranged sound. The title track unfolds slowly, sculpting the melody, texture and suspense. Joey Anderson's take on 'Dead Soul' is airy and atmospheric without losing it's pulsing flow. ‚Isolation' covers a broad spectrum and is filled with contrasts in which an intense bass interacts with a delicate and breathy melody.
Balance is key to Hunter/Game's music and this EP is no exception.

We're back from hibernation after releasing the third Roundup at the end of 2016 and we're starting off with a new signing. Milan based Parker Madicine joins Heist with some high tech funk with a serious nod to the 'D' and we've got Byron the Aquarius delivering a great jazzy remix. You'll be more likely to find Parker Madicine browsing through boxes of old jazz and soul records than you'll see him showcasing his social media skills. He's a real vinyl junky and moreover a hip hop fanatic and probably loves his synthesizers more than his mother. Apart from promoting funk and soul oriented parties in Milan, he founded CT-HI records, short for 'Contemporary Theories of Hip Hop Influences". A few years back he teamed up a.o. with his buddies Veez-O and Turbojazz to create some Dilla and early 90's inspired hip hop and these influences are clearly present in his EP for Heist. With Heartbreaker, he lays down a dreamy but heavy groove for the first minute or so, arpeggiating its way to the moment where the airy pads make room for a looser than loose groove where synth stabs and bass line dance around each other creating a killer vibe. Zawinul starts in the same manner, rough kick, loose and degraded hi-hats and dreamy Rhodes chords. The tracks build further with some lovely brassy hits and arps, whereas Placebo is the most stripped back but high tempo track, where an airy and delayed bassline does most of the work to set the mood. We're really happy to have Byron the Aquarius reworking one of PM's tracks.

SYSTEM boss Mike Gervais releases the Drift EP for round five of the US based label.

Drift - Loopy synth sets the pace while airy tones and verbed out hats move in and out of the mix.

Breaking Point - Heaving muscular hits chugging along to slinky synth stabs

Resonate - Just what you think a b-side track is. Pulled back, deep resonating basslines with sprinkled hats in the reverb.

Future Tool - Loopy, delayed vocal tool with subtle changes and rhythmic swirls. Highly useful as a straight layer or as a pulse in your delay / reverb pedal.

And and Voices Tool - mangled mess of audio clips and loops

The Erefora Land" is the first solo record by Johan Kaseta, Lehult founding member. It's a nostalgic, hazy affair where the tracks work both on a dancefloor and as the score to an imaginary Super Nin-tendo RPG. Squelching vocal samples ("Hi!") and bubbling synths are reminiscent of the oldschool, synth-laden nineties game soundtracks young Kaseta still can't get enough of. "The Erefora Land" is like coming across the soundtrack to Earthbound after having forgotten to have ever played it - suddenly a rush of sights, sounds and smells from the past come back to you and gently pull you in. Kaseta takes this nostalgia of the forgotten and puts it into his very own context: shuffling hihats, missed drops - a playful version of house music. Swept up to the shores of Erefora land, you're greeted by "Lei Tindissima". A seductive, blistering track on the verge of falling apart yet always staying groovy and pumping. Being somewhat ambient and airy, yet relentlessly moving, "Erefora Steps" is not just a charm to listen to, it is also one hell of a weapon in the club - tested by yours truly intensively. Grooving on a broken, somewhat latin type of bounce, there are several twists and turns between heavenly pads, psycho-vocals and, of course, echoed airhorns.The third cut, "U Timmi", is a laid back Sunday afternoon jam. Despite being light, smooth and grooving, it's layered samples and micro melodies draw you further into the mysterious sound world of Erefora land.Finally, "Me times U" could almost be the theme tune of "Erefora Land", it's blissful chords so close to a conclusion yet always behind a veil of waterfalls, trickling shakers and swooping filters.

For its fifth release, Amsterdam's Taped Artifact offers up a various artists EP that features four tracks including one from the boss, Kevin Arnemann, as well as Hiver, Elmer and Physical Therapy. It is a moody and atmospheric deep techno offering that fits in with the label's ever more singular aesthetic. Up first is Physical Therapy, a producer who since 2012 has put out some fine EPs and LPs on labels like 1080p, Unknown to the Unknown and Liberation Technologies. It is a roomy affair with corrugated mid tempo drums down low and haunting pads up top. Building in intensity with some icy hi hats, it ends up as a ghoulish number that adds real theatre to the floor. Next up is Elmer, key part of Brussels' Bepotel Records crew. Melting techno, wave and dub into raw and expressive new forms, this new cut 'Simple Models' makes great use of analog machinery. Again deep and horizonless, a rippling lead synth line plays off an industrial bass riff as paddy drums roll on below. It's humid and heady stuff, to be sure. Then comes the boss who offers a more dubbed out and bumpy dub­techno track with expansive chords rolling off into the distance and light and airy hi hats dancing in the mid ground. It's one to get floors moving before the Hiver duo of Giuseppe Albrizio and Sergio Caio from labels like Curle and Vidab close things out with the dusty old breakbeats and woozy spaced out synths of 'Intersect.' This is a subtle but impactful EP full of sensitive underground sounds that pack a real punch. Vital Sales Points: - 5th release on Taped Artifact - First Various Artists compilation on Taped Artifact - Custom made artwork by photographer Merel Kemp - Artwork

You Can't Defeat Her, When You Meet Her You'll Get What I Said B2 Marlon Hoffstadt - 2000MG Floating Info: Retrograde returns late September with 'In Reverse Pt.1', a various artist package featuring Matteo Luis, Natureboy Gold, Terron and Marlon Hoffstadt. Berlin based imprint Retrograde marks its fith release here and once again welcomes back a selection of the collective recording artists already featured on the label such as label head-honcho Natureboy Gold, FFRR/Play It Down artist Marlon Hoffstatd, also co-founder of the label and tipped as a Future Star by Pete Tong on Radio 1. Matteo Luis also makes a return following appearances on two EP's for the label prior to this, while an exciting addition to the catalogue comes in the shape of Terron, most notably known for their work with Young Turks sub-label WHITIES. Up first on the release is Matteo Luis' 'Out Here' setting the tone with ethereal pad swells, organic rhythms and choppy bass hits while a soft and brooding melodic tension subtly unwinds throughout the composition. Natureboy Gold's 'Eternal' follows and employs a similarly airy synth feel while introducing a robust tom- driven rhythmic approach to create an understated dance-floor focused contribution. Opening the flip is Terron's cryptically named 'No.57, You Can't Defeat Her, When You Meet Her You'll Get What I Said' which drops the tempo to a low slung feel with dubbed out bass licks, bumpy percussion and spiraling bass drones to create something idiosyncratic and psychedelic. Marlon Hoffstadt steps up to round off the package next with '2000MG Floating' delivering a raw energetic workout with soaring 80's tinged leads, snaking bass grooves and frenetic percussion.

On Scissor and Thread's fourth release of 2016, newcomer Villete takes a turn in the spotlight on their deep house stunner, 'Girl Next Door'. The A-side opens with the swelling pads and earnest hi-hat of Dreams". A distant voice declares everyone is devoted to their emotion, it's me and my imagination' before a springy bass line drops in, ushering in the mantra never be afraid to dream". A brassy synth further envelops the listener into the track's warm embrace as layers of percussion skitter in and out of focus. September' takes a turn for the cerebral with its' skipping hi-hats and airy pads. A springy bass line is accompanied by celestial synths that envelop the senses, making this psychedelic cut primed for after hours devastation. Villete goes even more cerebral on their introspective title cut, dialing back on the BPM, but keeping the energy high. A hushed bass and thudding kick take the backseat, allowing the hypnotizing, submerged pads and swirling, reverbed synths to take center stage, transporting dancers into eye-closed euphoria. The EP closes with the murky drum tones of Rillia". Droning pads, delicate claps, and a shy, skittering shaker keep things bubbling and light above the track's thicker than molasses kicks. Deep house maestro Darand Land takes his turn on the aforementioned track, lifting it out of the murk and straight up to the heavens and drenching it in his sun-kissed, euphoric style.

Fresh off the heels of the success of their 'Waiting Ground' EP, the boys in black, Frank & Tony, are skating back onto the scene with another four track summer stomper, 'Under the Jaguar Sun'. The A-side starts things off with the titular track, a rollicking deep house number primed for sunset raves. A bouncing and lush bass line is the back bone of the track, as crisp hi-hats, distant, yearning pads, and shimmering bells propel dancers forward into eyes closed euphoria. Things ramp up quickly into peak-time ecstasy on the Breakaway edit of Solo Andata's A Ballet of Hands.' A whirling dervish of delicate music boxes, bowed guitars, delicate music boxes, and distant horns swirl around and weave in and out between a skipping drum pattern, pushing and pulling alongside a gruff and stuttering bass, perfect for those late night rooftop ventures. The B-side takes listeners into early morning after hours territory, starting with the groovy Difficult Loves.' An airy and luscious double bass keeps things bouyed as introspective pads shimmer alongside pillars of aquatic synths. Backed by a classic, shuffling NY House drum groove, this one is best served late into the evening. The boys wrap things up on a high note with the latin vibes of Sargasso.' Crisp tambourines keep things light as dense kicks and a bass line deeper than the deepest canyon pull dancers deep into the floor with a warm embrace. The star of the show is the bouncing and earnest synth line, which is partnered up with a pair of playful toms in a game of cat and mouse, making this track a weapon anywhere you place it in a set.

The eight tracks on 'Versus' exemplify a remarkable cross-pollination of genres, a true testament to the intense, 'it takes a village' spirit of collaboration among the artists in the Wolf & Lamb aquarium.

The LP kicks off with "Real Love," an electronic duet with San Francisco's PillowTalk. A sparse, airy kick and lackadaisical, scale-climbing bass line complement a vocoder-drenched croon, evoking nothing less than an R&B version of Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works. In the album's next track, "Fo Porter," butter soft vocals from Voices of Black ("I want it/I need it/I just can't get enough/I hold it/I squeeze it/I just won't give it up") complement lush orchestral arrangements, doing for hip-hop inflected dance music what Metro Area does for disco.

"In The Morning," an after the after party, hands to the air entry into the house of god, will instantly conjure up for those lucky enough to have visited the Marcy the familiar image of Gadi's hands feeling up the wall in ecstasy while Zev soldiers through the groove. "Weekend Affair," perhaps the real standout of an all-round exemplary album, punctuates stuttering, oscillating synths with a ferocious cowbell and moaned vocals, continuing a long-standing New York tradition of sexualized Downtown funk.

The gorgeous "Serpentine," with it's kettle-drum compression worthy of Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight" and atmospheric vocals from French chanteuse Rap Lisa, is rounded out by the it's a perfect ending to the album, a moment of calm before the sharks, always on the move, start circling again.

been to long' - the well remebered chorus of a successfull parisian duo´s single hit comes easily to mind while thinking of the latest internasjonal release. after a long hiatus - which feels like surely way long - we restart with one half of the formerly well known milanese pair - boogie drama - and it´s very own lele sacchi. deejaying since 1995 sacchi has been and is still one of italy´s and especially milan´s musical icons - at least for electronic and alternative worlds, presents himself in his signature style. high on the heals of the success with rebirth´s smash Lele Sacchi Vs Blonde Redhead - You're Only Kosmiquest' is dark and cryptic, with a mean but very neat and elegant bassline plus an unmatched groove and feel for the floor. this time well balanced with a tad into psycheledic strinig heaven, wich combined with electronic effects is his ultimate kosmische' quest. the whole thing is contered by an airy and superbright no less danceable ' lauer version' and a fantatsic relaxed italo take on kraut which can propably be non done much better than byprins thomas walking on that lunga strada' !

Gone with the flow - after a little break the German musicians Julius Steinhoff and Abdeslam Hammouda revived their musical adventures and left all electricity untouched this time. For their new acoustic project the duo has chosen the alias Tonight Will Be Fine - a name that is familiar to those who followed their work in the past years. As Steinhoff & Hammouda they used the name for their first 12" on Smallville Records, the worldwide acclaimed house and beyond label and record store that Steinhoff co-runs. Now they reheated the phrase and chose it as the alias for a bittersweet acoustic singer/songwriter project. Their wonderful, captivating new musical venture came into life due to happenstance and old ferventness. After their trips into house music the duo parted geographically. Hammouda moved away from Hamburg while Steinhoff strengthened his label Smallville, built up a global DJ career and produced acclaimed house records on diverse labels - solo" and with his buddy Dionne as Smallpeople. In all the time Steinhoff and Hammouda never stayed out of touch, bound together through deep friendship.

At some point they met again for musical missions and started to record music that had nothing in common with their prior work. Steinhoff re-activated his self-taught guitar abilities and entered the studio of his friend Lawrence in the back of the Smallville record store to capture some steeldrums and vibraphone sounds. Hammouda brought more instruments like a banjo, a violine and tablas and they just started to record sketches and songs. Hammouda's musical backround leads to a widespread range of influences while growing up, before he got into producing hip hop and electronic music. For Steinhoff, the transformation from an electronic music producer into a singer/songwriter wasn't that new too, as his first musical steps have been routed in band music. Until his late teenage years, when he discovered house and techno, he played drums in a local indie group in Freiburg and for Tonight Will Be Fine he now also freed his old drum kit from cellar dust.

After the duo felt that their musical communication elevates into something more profound then a session thing, they provided themselves with additional instruments like new guitars, claves, an accordion, a piano and more. Initially the songs were very rough and sketchy. Musical ideas that did not have a real song structure. Then we started to arrange the tracks and added our voices and lyrics.' both reveal. Their charming singing covers almost the whole album with a characteristic sense of deep winking melancholy. Their lyrics are exercising the possibilities of words and are inspired by life, the world and all the those questions a human can ask in his time on earth. At some point both started to show their new songs to some friends and they liked it and encouraged the duo to move on. Somehow one of the tracks landed in Toshiya Kawasaki's mailbox. He instantly fell in love with it and asked if they would like to do an album for Mule Musiq. They did what was asked and after some reformatting and reinventing Tonight Will Be Fine originated 13 songs full of sweeping acoustic guitars, airy rhythms, piano melodies, gloomy accordion emotions, touching voices and a bunch of other exotic instruments, done without the help of electronics. They all form Elephant Island' - an incredibly inspirational place where impressionistic lyrics dance gently with kinetic acoustic music that comes out of plain jamming fun. The melange of a structured song base and free improvisation injects all songs a loose feeling. And shows two handsome fellas carving out their own musical utopia. It is a warming one, full of hope and musical freedom powered by an unabashed instrumental playfulness.
nstrumental playfulness.





É a5 | soliloquy

Denver party crew delivers house cuts for the floor: Occidental "Move U", jacking house; Falling Into Places "Sound Response" somber yet driving; Bocaj "Everything Must Change" airy w/swung acid stabs; Justin More w/introspective "Feeling"

PAULINE MURRAY , LEGENDARY VOCALIST OF MUCH LOVED PUNK BAND PENETRATION.
GUEST MUSICIANS JOHN MAHER (BUZZCOCKS) and VINI REILLY (DURUTTI COLUMN).
PRODUCED BY THE GOD-LIKE MARTIN HANNETT.
ARTWORK BY PETER SAVILLE AND TREVOR KEY
LINER NOTES BY JON SAVAGE
The double vinyl edition also includes a bonus CD featuring instrumental versions of all the album tracks (a must for students of Hannett's unique production sound), along with alternate takes of key singles.
Les Disques du Crepuscule presents a deluxe remastered edition of Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls, the debut album by post/punk icon Pauline Murray, produced by revered sonic architect Martin 'Zero' Hannett.
Recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios in July 1980, the album offered epic electronic pop written by Pauline and partner Robert Blamire and marked a radical departure from their shared past in pioneering punk band Penetration. 'This is sophistication,' enthused Paul Morley in NME. 'Lovely songs of anxiety, malaise and self-doubt.' According to Melody Maker the album was 'unquestionably a musical highpoint of this year or any other.'
As well producer/arrangers Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka the Invisible Girls), the album features a stellar cast of guest musicians including John Maher (Buzzcocks) and Vini Reilly (Durutti Column). Indeed Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls presents almost a Factory record, exquisitely sleeved by Peter Saville and Trevor Key. Stand-out tracks include the popular singles Dream Sequence and Mr X, with the newly remastered Hannett tracks now augmented on CD by a wealth of bonus material including non-album singles, live recordings (from tours in 1980 and 1981) and a John Peel session (1980). The liner note is by Jon Savage.
'It's a bit of a missing link album,' says Pauline today. 'Written and recorded after punk, but before Martin Rushent and the Human League made airy pop respectable again. We chose the other Martin in 1980 because we wanted the incredible sounds he achieved for Joy Division and Magazine. Thundertunes, basically.'

Away from the hypnotic mayhem of the floating roofscapes, we see fractured images cycling faster.
Just as clouds follow the wind, airy soundscapes track the low-end groundwork with grainy artifacts bursting in amongst the thick.
Lost in this surrounding ambience, the B side carves its way with a resonant materiality where shattering hi-hats pull you out of a hypnotic semi-dormant state.
(B2) enters a sound voyage, an intimate balance between gloomy atmospheres, dark sirens and repeated upcoming unidentified melodies, that play against the ceaseless motion of the hi-hat motive.

Kaspi & Stride is a new project from Justin Tripp, best known as one half of the Georgia equation. Leanings has its origins in rigorous yet laid back studio sessions, dual personal practice sensibilities that seem to get at Tripp’s creative ethos as well as any descriptors might. The material here was born out of collaborative studio sessions with multi-instrumentalist Jimy Seitang (Conga Square/Stygian Stride) - the “Stride” of K&S. The music from these sessions has been reworked and recontextualized by Tripp to form the eight tracks found on the record. These compositions are heady and diverse, anchored by infectious drum patterns and intricate electronics, capably occupying a somewhat hard to define space between “club ready” and “home listening.”

“Vishing” throbs with a wide-eyed intensity, infused with the type of deceptively rudimentary synth stabs and bass swells that wouldn’t be out of place on an early Hype Williams record. With contributions from Mary Lattimore and Jon Leland, “Kaptoxa” charts a more ethereal, if no less dizzying, course. Indeed, this is an album that navigates dense, tactile passages and airy, celestial planes with aplomb, making a case for Tripp’s prowess as both composer and arranger with equal priority. The most important thing is to keep moving.

“Trash Can Lamb” is a new solo album from Akron, OH-based multi instrumentalist Keith Freund. For the better part of twenty years, Freund has been producing intimate, shape-shifting music on his own and as part of collaborative projects such as Trouble Books, Lemon Quartet, and Aqueduct Ensemble. Here, he concocts a heady, homespun broth of analog synthesis, bit-reduced sampling, piano, standup bass, saxophone, and location recordings, arriving at a loose and evocative set of songs. Throughout the album, we hear 8-bit experimental delays mangling airy acoustic materials, denaturalizing them into primitive loop structures while retaining their golden-hued, melodic cores. The sputters, hisses, and croaks of handmade electronics nuzzle up to wistful piano and saxophone ruminations; the pure pandemonium of chaotic triangle wave patching and filtered noise settles into the serenity of a backyard dusk full of spring peepers (or maybe they’re crickets…). It’s in the space between the ragtag and rough-hewn and the romantic and yearning that Freund situates these compositions; it’s a peek inside a workshop that sits atop the trees, branches scraping on the windows, bluejays who just won’t knock it off, a table fan spinning slower and slower, its cheap blades covered in dust.

All music by Keith Freund, with contributions by Linda Lejsovka, G.S. Schray, Steve Clements, and Corey Farrow.
Mastered by Kassian Troyer at D&M.
Art/design by Alex McCullough and Felix Luke.