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A rising artist of the French electronic scene, Naajet asserts her identity with The Night Starts Now, a four-track EP that celebrates the freedom and intensity of the night. Co-founder of the Bande de Filles collective and known for her explosive universe blending House, Hardgroove and Breaks, as well as for the unique energy inherited from her dance background, Naajet delivers here a sonic manifesto conceived as an ode to club culture and to the present moment.

“I imagined this EP as an anthem to the world of the night. The night offers us unparalleled freedom, an outlet that allows us to be ourselves, to create, to love. The Night Starts Now captures this celebration of the present moment and this declaration of independence.” Naajet Opening the EP, “Ready To Shine” unfolds radiant House nourished by Pop and 90’s sounds. With a clear and ascending rhythm, the track combines euphoria and introspection. “I composed this track as a joyful and introspective journey that prepares us to embrace the night. For me, it is a call to accept our wounds, to transform them into light and strength, so that we may shine brighter when we enter the club,” explains Naajet. Between ethereal vocal lines and shimmering pads, the track acts as a ritual of entering the night, inviting us to turn wounds into strength and to shine on the dancefloor. The second track of the EP, “Sugar”, embodies the effervescence of the club. Carried by a hypnotic voice and an effervescent rhythm, the track celebrates the communion of bodies and the liberating energy of dance. “It is an ode to dance and to bodies coming together. This track speaks of those moments when, on the dancefloor, boundaries fall: we sweat together, we free ourselves together, and energy flows from one body to another,” says Naajet. A true concentrate of intensity, “Sugar” captures the moment when sweat, rhythm and abandon merge into a collective movement towards freedom.

With “I Can Be Anything”, Naajet changes register and flirts with deeper, even techno textures. Built on a throbbing pulse and sharp synths, this track is meant as a manifesto of identity. “I really wanted to propose a track that claims our right to free and plural expression and sexuality. I Can Be Anything is about our multiple identities, our ability to reinvent ourselves and to refuse any form of formatting,” she says. Between club intensity and political resonance, “I Can Be Anything” questions our multiple facets and embodies the assertion of an elusive and free self. Closing the EP on an euphoric note, “May It Never End” stands out with its broken rhythms and powerful synths. The track conveys the transcendent energy of the end of the night, when dawn arrives but we refuse to leave the collective trance. “I wanted to put into music this feeling of infinite energy, when time is suspended and the party seems to never have to stop. It is this euphoric vertigo that connects us all in the same breath, this utopia of a night that would never end,” says Naajet. A true apotheosis, this track embodies the utopia of an eternal night.

DJ, producer and co-founder of the Bande de Filles collective, Naajet has established herself with a singular universe where House, Hardgroove and Breaks blend, nourished by her background as a dancer and an instinctive sense of groove. For the past three years, she has performed on French and European stages – from Berlin to Amsterdam, via Geneva and Oslo – and has made her mark in clubs such as Rex Club, Le Sucre and Badaboum, as well as festivals like Nuits Sonores and Kolorz. On the production side, she has released several acclaimed EPs on renowned labels such as Shall Not Fade and Monki & Friends. In 2025, she takes a new step with the launch of her label SWEAT Records and a residency at Le Sacré in Paris, affirming her role as an ambassador of a free and intense club culture. She also collaborates with the waacking company MADOKI, for which she composes and mixes projects at the crossroads of dance and music. With The Night Starts Now, Naajet confirms her status as an essential artist of the new electronic generation1

To mark 10 years since SOPHIE’s game-changing singles collection PRODUCT, Numbers are celebrating with a special edition featuring 11 songs across Deluxe Vinyl and Compact Disc.

This anniversary release includes bonus tracks, track-by-track slide posters, and a SOPHIE PRODUCT Card. Physical editions are now available for pre-order and released on 11th July 2025.

SOPHIE classics ‘BIPP’, ‘LEMONADE’ and ‘VYZEE’ are joined by two immaculate PRODUCT-era songs ‘OOH’ and ‘GET HIGHER’ recorded and produced at the time, each with colourful single artwork completing the set.

‘OOH’ is one of SOPHIE's earliest productions that has been through several revisions since 2011. It was one of three original tracks that Numbers had signed when SOPHIE uploaded the song alongside 'BIPP' and 'ELLE' to her Soundcloud, and while it had been through several iterations and speed changes, this finalised version was completed by SOPHIE in 2019.

SOPHIE once described ‘OOH’ as “hi tech club dance pop”. Musically speaking, the earworm hook is carved out by her signature portamento-infused synths and candy-coated lyrics, a firm cult classic approved by AG Cook and Charli XCX. Initially titled 'MAKE RESPECT', the track was first performed live by SOPHIE in 2011 to a handful of lucky people at a beach afterparty surrounding Sonar Festival, Barcelona and later that year at Manhattan's New Museum. The vocal was recorded as the first track in the same one-day recording session as SOPHIE's debut single 'NOTHING MORE TO SAY', released on the Huntley & Palmers label, where Sophie's songwriting was performed by the London vocalist Jaide Green.

The genesis of the ‘OOH’ and ‘NOTHING MORE TO SAY’ recording session is lore-worthy in its own right: after watching Jaide Green perform live with Olly Murs during the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009, SOPHIE reached out and invited Jaide to record in her home bedroom studio.

‘GET HIGHER’ was born during joyous sessions in 2013, when SOPHIE’s beat was introduced to the vocalists Cassie Davis and Sean Mullins. The track feels like a visionary precursor to ‘Vroom Vroom’, and doesn't sound out of place next to the sub-clang intensity of SOPHIE’s ‘HARD’ and ‘MSMSMSM’. Striking a playful balance between blissed-out hyperpop and club-ready Atlanta trap, it showcases SOPHIE’s signature, laser sharp sound design. Originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese CD edition of PRODUCT, ‘GET HIGHER’ has remained a hidden gem.

A groundbreaking producer, songwriter and performer, SOPHIE's visionary approach reshaped the landscape of pop and electronic music. Emerging in the early 2010s, SOPHIE introduced a hyper-detailed, futuristic sound defined by metallic textures, elastic basslines, and an uncanny blend of synthetic and emotional tones. Collaborating with artists including Charli XCX, Madonna, Vince Staples and Arca, SOPHIE helped pioneer a new pop movement while challenging conventions around identity, genre and production. SOPHIE's work continues to resonate deeply, leaving a lasting impact on a generation of artists and listeners alike. Discography: PRODUCT (2015), OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES (2018), SOPHIE (released posthumously, 2024).

Luca Olivotto is back on Small Great Things sub-label At A Glance with new four-track EP, ‘Acquafun’.

Berlin-based DJ, producer, and label head Luca Olivotto continues to shape the underground house scene through his acclaimed imprint Small Great Things and its signature Small Great House events. Known for his warm, soulful House sound and meticulous curation, Luca now recently expanded his creative universe with the launch of At A Glance, a new sublabel under his direction.

Leading the charge is ‘I Got Nothing’ setting the mood with a buoyant bassline, bright piano lines, west coast funk style synth licks and jazzy undertones floating amongst a crisp, swinging drum groove. ‘Prosciutto’ follows in style a delectable sonic treat layered with organic percussion, airy chords, dubbed-out vocals, smooth strings, and a deep, rolling low-end that oozes warmth and character.

On ‘Half A Ever,’ hip-house vocal snippets and chanting hooks intertwine with sharp stabs and a driving rhythm section, showcasing a vibrant, club-ready energy. Concluding the EP, ‘Equalizer’ ties it all together with jazzy keys, soulful organ lines, marimba touches, choppy bass, and saturated drums, a masterful nod to the timeless essence of House.

Thanks All is an EP that fuses nostalgia and futurism through hypnotic textures and dancefloor-ready grooves, highlighting Braga Circuits' knack for blending the ethereal with the grounded. "Break It Down" opens with classic house-inspired piano and organ layered over a modern groove. "Too Much to Ask" drifts into dreamy, hypnotic territory, while "Walk With Me Gentle" builds a shamanic vocal into a mesmerizing peak. Closing track "With the Bats" grounds the journey in rhythm, maintaining Braga Circuits' melodic and surreal sound design.

This is the very first and only single artist EP from Tone DropOut. This EP is the work of TDO co -owner DAWL. DAWL has put together four big dance floor electro bangers , that we felt should not be separated.

Each track shows off DAWL's skill, knowledge and love of electro, anyone who loves new and old school electro will love this. We have the big bass lines, the beautiful big deep synths and pads, bleeps and buzzes and that classic electro beat, and topped off with some cheeky sampled voices.

The title Track -Total Annihilation kicks off with its strong electro breakbeat and popping bleeps, going in and out, then comes the big fuzzy bassline and cinematic strings swooping through the track moving all the time, will get any dance floor going.

Track 2 infiltrator has those great claps over the electro beat before we get the busy bassline and the bleeps and buzzes and that driving synth, constantly moving .

Track 3 is Kaotik and that exactly what it is with its wobbly bleeps and whistles and pumped actioned bobbly bassline true electro.

Track 4 the final track on EP as strong as the others with its basslines and bleeps and strings and synths caps off this EP nicely.

Another Tone DropOut four track banger, all tracks ready for the dancefloor.

Based in Rennes and founder of the Vives label in 2020, Weever has been exploring the interplay of light and shadow for over 10 years, crafting abstract soundscapes and textured sonic tunnels of unparalleled musical breadth. He elegantly blends industrial and baroque sounds to construct sonic cathedrals. His music is both utterly raw and meticulously crafted.

L’âge de la Galère :

started this EP in 2020. At the time, I had just finished my studies, it was a pretty difficult period and I had made a track, or rather a melody, that I thought was amazing. I held onto it all these years without ever releasing it. 2020 was a tough year overall. The big question was: What am I going to do with my life? Hence the title L’âge de la Galère

The title really started to make sense when I began putting tracks together for Micheal. Around that time, I was reading Those of 1914 by Maurice Genevoix. For those who don’t know it: it’s written as a journal and tells the story of the author and his fellow soldiers in the trenches during World War I.

I’ve always been passionate about the two World Wars, I watch every film, old and new, I listen to the soundtracks, and so on. Same with period films, especially medieval ones. I love drawing inspiration from them.

So naturally, I imagine and create around that. It comes easily because it’s always been my universe. And when I make music, those kinds of images inevitably come out, even subconsciously.

So I created and told an audio story through my 6 tracks.

“It’s 1914. The story of many men who, upon hearing the sound of the bells, are met with the announcement of a war like no other. Most of them are young, some very young, and they are drafted into the French and German armies. They have no military experience, and the first battles are so violent that many won’t make it back. Very few will earn the glory they deserve.

The conditions are appalling, everything is in short supply, and the men are exhausted. Still, they must hold on.
Leaving carelessly from beneath their mothers’ skirts, too few returned. Many were left traumatized, and an entire generation was forever changed.”

HAVEN are back with their vinyl operation with a fresh plate of grubby Techno heat from Irish heavyweights Faetch & Sunil Sharpe on the Grotteca EP. Featuring 4 original rippers and a remix from Italian legend DJ Plant Texture of upfront club pressure, the NZ-based label are proud to transmit some of the finest in creeping electronics from across the globe.

The A-side kicks off with 'Bleed In' with its tough drum-work and hypnotising atmospheres eventually descending in to an all-out stomp with one of the filthiest synth-lines in the label's history hitting half-way through. This is followed up with 'Test Breaks' - a broken-beat slammer with a ton of gritty synth design and rear-shaking rhythms. The first side is closed with DJ Plant Texture's remix of 'Bleed In', where driving 909 hits combine with the original synth line for a club-ready weapon ready to get those feet moving.

On the B-side 'Vapornation' keeps the energy rolling with its rolling congas, heavy kick, and eerie atmospheres tailor-made for a concrete basement. Finally, 'Shinplant' closes the record with full-steam-ahead drums and squalid synth rhythms to end yet another plate of dance-floor ammunition from the HAVEN camp.

Following the overwhelming response to the Warner remix series produced by Joe Claussell, with copies disappearing in hours-another Stella remix package steps forward. This is not part of the Edits & Overdubs series. No loops. No shortcuts. Like the previous release, Ashford & Simpson’s “Stay Free” was rebuilt straight from the original 48-track 2-inch multitrack tapes, resulting in two fully realized remix versions designed for the floor. The A-side delivers a 14+ minute deep, extended journey-patient, evolving, and powerful, injecting new life while honoring the soul of the original. The B-side flips the script with an Alternate Instrumental, stripped back and ready for late-night moments. Cut, tested, and refined on dance floors worldwide over several years, these versions have already proven their weight in real club settings. Pressed on green vinyl, housed in a heavy Japanese-style cardboard sleeve, and accompanied by a Warner-style disco promo one-sheet and bumper sticker-a nod to the golden era of 12” promos.

Limited to 300 copies. Similar to the Deodato Whistle Bump 12” - No repress. No extras.

Isa Gordon and Tony Morris were first brought together through their individual releases on Optimo Music, which established mutual respect within the label’s community. While they had not previously performed live together, they were invited to take part in a fundraiser hosted by Queen’s Park Arena in support of Glasgow NW Foodbank and later for JD Twitch’s end-of-life care. Tony asked Isa to contribute guitar and backing vocals to his set, including a track then called Last Night I Had a Dream. That performance became the seed for their collaboration.

The first phase of fleshing it out, recalls Tony: “Somebody said Isa sang like Shania Twain. That got me thinking about country music and call and response, prompting me to come up with alternative lyrics.” Isa remembers: “I cycled over to Tony’s house with my guitar, and we spoke about what the tune meant. It was about him being wrapped up in dreamland, luxuriating in his subconscious, while my character — impatient and trapped in her own routines — barely had time to remember her own dreams.” Tony continues: “Brilliantly I realised that I could never collaborate with anyone in situ and so I sat in the garden for two hours watching my wife tend to plants. Every now and again I would creep up the stairs and put my ear to the door. I could hear Isa warbling away and so would resume my garden watch. After two hours I went back upstairs to see how she was getting on, only to find that she had written one of the greatest songs I’d ever heard. I still think that.” Tony adds: “My overwhelming sentiment about Wake Up Baby is pride. I can honestly say that I’m more proud of it than anything else I have done. It ticks a whole load of boxes. Isa’s singing in various Scottish modes is unique. The way her electric guitar adorns the dance beat makes it a rock song as well as a dance and a C&W song — truly multi-genre.”

The B-side of the 12” release, Syringe Moustache, is a surreal, darkly playful counterpart to Wake Up Baby. The track was inspired by a dream Tony had: “I was in a shopping mall, in a two-level shoe shop, and my attention was taken by a little girl with a syringe taped beneath her nose like a moustache. She went about her business trying on shoes, confident and wise beyond her years. In the dream, I imagined her as the daughter of cultured, intelligent parents determined to raise her independently. I was struck by my own feelings of inadequacy — I knew I could never have coped with such a contraption myself.” Isa’s take on the meaning of this song somewhat differs: “Tony sent me the tune over Instagram months before I met him, and I was spooked — as far as I knew, he didn’t know anything about me, but the story felt like it was written about me as a little girl, growing up around heroin addiction. The syringe beneath the girl’s nose became a symbol of the inescapable constraints of that environment, literally written on her face, yet something you just have to carry on through. On a buzz from the serendipity, I added a full instrumental backing to this most bizarre of works.”

The result is absurd, unsettling, and strangely empowering, staking out its own surreal, cinematic space. The 12” dance single is a format Tony had long wanted to explore — a tangible artefact to leave for family, a medium that celebrates the physicality of sound and the ritual of listening. It allowed the artists to maximise the format’s potential: a strong, multi-genre A-side, a surreal B-side, and remixes that expanded the record’s sonic world. Glasgow music staples Auntie Flo and 100% Positive Feedback were invited to reinterpret the tracks, bringing their distinctive touch — Auntie Flo transforming the A-side into a luscious, dancefloor-ready meditation, and 100% Positive Feedback twisting Syringe Moustache into absurd, playful shapes with false-start drops and over-the-top vocal editing.

The cover photograph, taken at the University Café by Harrison Reid, captures Isa and Tony embodying the characters they brought to life in the songs — a visual reflection of the record’s narrative and emotional stakes. The Café also holds personal significance: it’s where all of Isa’s meetings with Keith McIvor took place, where she first remembers visiting Glasgow as a child, and a place Tony fondly likes to go to drip egg yolk down his tie and watch the world go by. Together, the 12” format, the remixes, and the artwork create a cohesive, tactile experience, amplifying the duality, theatricality, and emotional breadth of the collaboration.

Damian Lazarus reveals the eighth chapter of Crosstown Rebels acclaimed annual ‘SPIRITS’ VA compilation series.

The latest instalment sees the label founder once again curating a carefully balanced lineup of emerging voices and established names, with the eight-track collection set for release on 30th January 2026.

Since its inception in 2017, Damian Lazarus’ SPIRITS series has become a trusted barometer for the year ahead, spotlighting forward-thinking artists and cutting-edge club music from across the global electronic landscape. With ‘SPIRITS VIII’, Crosstown Rebels continues this tradition, delivering a refi ned yet adventurous selection that moves seamlessly between hypnotic house, melodic depth, and late-night energy - building on the momentum of previous volumes and capturing the label’s unmistakable essence.

Opening the release, Raz Alon sets the tone with ‘Hey It’s Me’, a warm and immersive opener that draws listeners in with emotive touches and fluid groove work. Lost Desert follows with ‘Ultima’, leaning into trippy, melodic-tinged sensibilities as tumbling rhythms meet expansive atmospheres and subtly evolving motifs. On the flip, TIMANTI ventures into a captivating voyage with ‘Warrior Spirit’, pairing swirling synths with hazy melodies, before STEB delivers ‘House Of STEB’, a groove-led cut packed with personality, swing, and club-ready flair.
The journey continues with Yuvèe’s ‘Set The Fire’, featuring FADO, a hypnotic and vocal-led track that balances emotional weight with understated rhythmic pressure. Ekoboy then ups the intensity on ‘Lose Control’, combining crisp percussion with infectious momentum designed for peak-time moments. On the final stretch, MADI brings a reflective buy playful touch with ‘Around Me’, weaving lush textures and subtle dynamics into a deeply absorbing listen, before JUAAN closes the compilation with ‘Bass Cliente’, a punchy and bass-forward finale that rounds things out with raw club energy.

With its continued ability to champion new talent while welcoming respected artists into its orbit, Crosstown Rebels remains a vital force within electronic music. SPIRITS VIII stands as another clear statement of the label’s vision, reaffirming its role in shaping the sound of contemporary house and techno.

Kordian Nieznanowski’s first vinyl release and Nottetempo’s first 2x12" album opens a new chapter for both artist and label. Across ten tracks, Thawed Psychedelic Rhizomes unfolds a dense yet fluid narrative, a sonic organism that spans from ambient soundscapes to a psychedelic reading of electronic dance music.
Rather than settling into one mood, the album flows through shifting forms and tonalities, woven into a sound that remains distinctly its own. Layers bloom and dissolve, echoing Kordian’s diverse background in experimental and acoustic music, while maintaining a sense of introspection and organic motion.

Indiana Jones never dug this deep.
Church – the brainchild of Joe Washington – were a band both lucky and cursed to come up in the seventies. Lucky, because they rode a wave of community activism, uplifting messages and a moment when music truly mattered. Cursed, because those same times meant their tight, heartfelt output went overlooked.
Mid-sixties to circa 1980 soul and funk were extraordinarily rich. The era’s big releases have aged like fine wine, yet countless hidden gems remain buried. Church’s only single was one of them. Their hypnotic 1976 release “How Long” b/w “Da Da Song” arrived the same year as Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life, Marvin Gaye’s I Want You, Diana Ross’s Diana, and at a time when Black mainstream music was shifting toward disco. Church, however, sounded like Sly & The Family Stone in an alternate timeline — gritty, focused, stripped of additives.
“Da Da Song” is pure grits and gravy: furious, tight drums and lyrics that sound like both a plea to DJs to play their record and an insistence to keep the party alive, noticed or not. It cooks from start to finish in just two and a half minutes.
“How Long” is its own universe. Where “Da Da Song” is skeletal, “How Long” blends key strands of Black music in under three minutes: touches of spiritual jazz with a Gary Bartz-like sax, gospel-blues undertones, and echoes of the era’s flower-power-tinged Black creativity — The Undisputed Truth, The Family Stone, even the poetic freedom of Nikki Giovanni. The lyrics are a timeless plea for love.
Church formed in the Bay Area in the early seventies, shaped by the movement, culture and activism of the time. Joseph Washington, based in San Jose, never chased a music career — for him, music was a way to bring people together. Before Church, he led a backing band called Wash, then added gospel singer Linda Williams (née Stephens) and New York–born Joel Como on xylophone to complete the group.
They rehearsed in Joe’s garage, spread through word of mouth and played every gig they could: Black colleges, opening slots for The Whispers, neighbourhood house parties. Some members studied at Nairobi Junior College in East Palo Alto, then a hotbed of Black community activism, with revolution in the air and messages woven naturally into the music.
This single is a message from that era, resurfacing at last — ready to be sampled just as another Joe Washington track, “Look Me in the Eyes”, was on Drake and J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter”. These rare, spirited tunes are begging for new life through samplers, again and again.

Once again Trunk Records comes through with an album of sublime 1980s new age synthwave
music from an artist and library company you have never heard of.

With most Trunk LPs we write the story about how Jonny came across the music. And yes, this LP is no different...over to Jonny…

“My first encounter with Peter Patzer was when I was writing and researching the updated and fully expanded version of The Music Library Book, published by Fuel. The initial book - called The Music Library, was the first ever overview of library music and the wild, unpredictable graphic art of their sleeves. It was first published in 2005 and featured about 400 sleeves and about 120 library companies over 200+ pages. The book was based on over a decade of intense library LP collecting by myself and a handful of other geeky weirdos and made for fascinating and revealing reading and looking. It was a great education for many entering this odd, hidden musical world for the first time. The book quickly sold out.

A few years later the price of the original book had gone bananas. But the geeky weirdos like me had all carried on voraciously consuming and collecting library music so I strongly felt the first book could easily be doubled in size with new info, new sleeves and many newly discovered lost library companies. Which is exactly what I set about doing. The Music Library expanded edition came out in 2015. You have to realise here that The Music Library book was very much a first - until its unexpected arrival (and even the arrival of the much larger expanded edition) there was no published survey, accessible catalogue or anything about international library music. It was still an odd old world shrouded in some historical mystery - even the internet had not really caught up. And I was still finding unusual British one-off library LPs, more unusual Italian library diversions, hidden French funky things and then I finally found Peter Patzer. From Germany.

Hidden away in a very obscure music library corner. All on his own.Peter was unusual in that he was an artist and musician who made his own music and issued it all on his own library, called Crea Music, based out of Bremen in North Germany. Over a series of eight whitevinyl LPs produced in the 1980s Peter Patzer created synth heavy experiments for possible use in film, TV, video and anything else coming along. All his LPs had the same simple red, white and blue sleeve and a typed name and number. Across the eight LPs Peter goes to musical space, creates post-disco funk,travels to Vegas, goes all geological and more.

The eight Peter Patzer / Crea Music LPs are as follows:

01 - Puddy’s Bus 02 - Straight Line 03 - Pos-Attractions 04 - Patterns 05 - Canyons 06 - MIls Maniac 07 - Classic Themes 08 - Formation 17

This is a compilation of some of the music featured across those eight LPs, and yes, it was initially
licensed a few years ago but I held it back as I wasn’t sure people were quite ready for the plugged-inway out drifting 1980s electro sound of Peter Patzer with his synth washes, rhythms and chords. Or maybe I wasn’t ready. Anyway it’s here now... and if this sells out there could be another Peter Patzer LPbut with all his longer 7 minute compositions which there wasn’t room for here.

Large Music is proud to announce the highly anticipated reissue of the iconic collaboration between Roy Davis Jr. and Jay Juniel: Transitions. Originally released in 1997, this seminal piece of Chicago house music has been remastered and is set to return to the world with the same raw energy and grit that made it a classic in the late '90s.

Coming on the heels of Roy Davis Jr.’s legendary hit Gabriel, Transitions captures the raw, emotional intensity of Chicago's underground house scene. Blending soulful melodies with thumping basslines, the EP brought forth an undeniable sound that resonated with house music fans globally. A testament to Davis’s versatile talent, Transitions also introduced Jay Juniel, who contributed his own dynamic flair to the project, creating a distinctive fusion of deep, experimental rhythms, intelligent spoken words and a vibrant club-ready pulse.

The reissue of Transitions offers fans both the original tracks and newly remastered audio to further elevate the listening experience. The gritty, hard-hitting vibe that defined the late '90s Chicago house movement is unmistakably present, from its throbbing basslines and kick drum to the smooth, haunting melodies. This release not only pays tribute to the timeless influence of Chicago House but also serves as a reflection of the ever-evolving nature of the genre itself.

The second chapter after “neverlost”, “closer” blends samplebased production with classic songwriting – like a sonic mosaic of warmth and groove. Lyrically “hippiesque,” Sepalot explores natural beauty, unity, equality, and self-determination. Guest features shine: Blu delivers sharp lyricism, and Illa J surprises
with soulful vocals on “My Own Way.” For fans of The Avalanches, Caribou, and Madlib – Closer is lush, human, and unforgettable.

Sepalot is one of those rare artists whose sonic palette refuses to be boxed in. His music exists in the fertile space between multi-layered sophistication and playful unpredictability – a quality rooted in his eclectic upbringing. From skate-punk beginnings to soul all-nighters, from obsessive vinyl digging to
deep immersion in hip-hop’s golden era, Sepalot has carried the art of sampling like a badge of honor. His beats are mosaics – meticulously pieced together fragments of sound forming an intricate whole. Beyond the studio, he’s explored these influences as DJ, producer, and live performer, leading the
Sepalot Quartet across Europe’s jazz festivals, and more recently with his experimental band Tikhet alongside Angela Aux

With “closer”, the upcoming second chapter following his 2023 album “neverlost”, Sepalot distills his broad musical world into a sample-based yet song-driven statement. The production feels warm and tactile – think needle-on-vinyl crackle meeting modern songwriting clarity. Lyrically, it’s “hippiesque” in the best
way: themes of natural beauty, unity, democratic awareness, equality, and spiritual introspection weave through the tracklist.

The guest list is just as inspired: legendary wordsmith Blu delivers razor-sharp verses, while Illa J – brother of the late J Dilla – steps away from his signature rap to surprise with soulful vocals on “My Own Way.” Together, they amplify the album’s humanist core, balancing groove-heavy production with
lyrical depth.

Fans of artists like The Avalanches, Caribou, DJ Shadow, or Madlib will find plenty to love here, but Closer carries its own unique fingerprint – a testament to Sepalot’s ability to merge hip-hop grit with songwriting grace. If “Neverlost” was a map, “Closer” is the destination: lush, thoughtful, and deeply human.
Highly recommended for anyone ready to hold hands, open their mind, and let the beat guide them.

For the 10th edition of Cmdrpx, we're thrilled to welcome back Yu to the label for a second release. This time, he takes us on a darker, more intense journey a bold contrast to his previous, more colorful EP. Expect hypnotic rhythms, acid driven grooves, and floor shaking energy in every track a truly captivating package designed to ignite any dancefloor. Huge thanks to the amazing DJs already supporting this release. Get ready to experience it loud in clubs around the world. Turn it up and enjoy the ride!

With Stronger, her third EP, Mira Ló continues her rapid ascent within the French electronic scene. A cathartic project born from a period of personal upheaval, this EP is both a cry of resilience and a celebration of club culture as a space for healing. The Paris-based queer producer and DJ turns pain into creative force, and the dancefloor into refuge, release, and rebirth. Across four emotionally charged tracks, Stronger traces the contours of a club where one rises through the energy of the beat, the warmth of a caring community, and the affirmation of self through sound and movement. “This EP is my response to a very dark period in my life. I chose to turn pain into strength, to stand back up through music, and to reconnect with joy, intensity, and the collective. Each track follows a movement, of a body rising, a heart beating stronger, a soul regaining its light. Stronger is also a tribute to those who carried me when I could no longer stand on my own. It's proof that even in chaos, we can rebuild together.” Mira Ló The first chapter of this inner journey, “Riser” is a house track filled with enveloping melodies, ethereal pads, and organic chords that create a suspended sonic space. Its steady pulse and warm basslines evoke a rising from within. “I wanted this track to feel like a build-up, like breathing again. It's about that moment when you feel you're ready to rise once more, even after a fall, like a gentle but powerful wave,” says Mira Ló. With its R&B textures, pop-infused touches, and radiant production, “Brighter” glows with warmth. It captures the return of inner clarity, the rediscovery of joy and ease. Made to bring people together, it’s Instagram | Youtube | TikTok | SoundCloudboth immediate and heartfelt. “It’s a song about shining again, after the dark. I wanted something full of light and simplicity, a track that speaks to the heart and makes you want to dance without thinking.” A personal and introspective nod to the French Touch, “Higher” is driven by filtered basslines and hypnotic grooves. It channels a sense of euphoria that builds gradually, almost meditatively, like a joyful vertigo. “This track is about finding euphoria again, that moment when music lifts you beyond yourself. I grew up with the French Touch, and this is my way of coming back to it with my own voice.” Closing the journey, “Louder” is the most assertive track on the EP. Inspired by the UK bassline and garage scene, it bursts with percussive, punchy energy. This is where everything comes into full light, bold, unapologetic, and free. “I wrote Louder as a statement: I’m here, I exist, and I won’t stay silent anymore. It’s about partying as self-affirmation, as a joyful, powerful scream of identity. Meant to be played loud. Very loud.” Mira Ló, born Ana Lopez, is a queer producer and DJ based in Paris. Drawing from the full spectrum of club music, her sets and productions blend melancholic emotion with a unique, high-energy, euphoric touch - inspired by artists like Disclosure, salute, and Sammy Virji. From her early days playing in Parisian bars and intimate clubs, she quickly rose to the lineups of top French venues and festivals such as Peacock Society, Marvellous Island, and Lollapalooza - extending her reach across Europe and even to Chicago. She’s carved out a strong place for herself within the new wave of the French electronic scene, leaving a lasting impression with every appearance. In 2023, she released her debut EP Memories and was featured in Apple Music’s “Women In Electronic” series. That same year, she became a resident at Sacré in Paris, before unveiling her second EP Tribute To Chicago in 2024. She returns in 2025 with her third release, Stronger - once again proving she’s one of the most promising artists shaping the future of electronic music.

Les Enfants Terribles presents LETM011 by DJ Real Madrid with the new EP No Smoking:

Dear readers and listeners,

My name is Tillmann Ostendarp, others know me as DJ Real Madrid. I love to play instruments, I love to play with machines. And this is something I did in May 2024, when I spent one week in my beautiful studio. Over the course of the week I recorded „NO SMOKING“ which is going to be my first Vinyl Release as „DJ Real Madrid“. No Smoking contains 4 Tracks: „Ta Ta“ which is a Juno-driven deep homage to the god of funk „Johnny Guitar Watson“. „Leave It Be“ is a big percussive jam that tells you to mind your own business. When I knocked out „GGGGGG“, I invited Dino Brandao and Mel D over to jam on the microphone, which led to a dark humorous ode to the insanity of our world. The last track is called „Merlasco“ and brings back the hope that we all will come together in the morning sunrise!

2025 REPRESS ON TRANSPARENT GREEN VINYL


Compiled by Philip King “And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.” NICK KENT, NME. All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure. Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms, ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course) these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother of invention. At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records). The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased track You Will See, released April 12th 2025. There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk / underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now. Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP. Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7” and lost until now. The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the main refrain. The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive, robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner. All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

Back when the first white labels started floating through the hands of German, British, American and Canadian DJs in late ’84, nobody was ready for what was coming. The official drop hit in early ’85 and the scene was never the same again. This was the moment Mike Mareen broke through the static. Yeah, he’d been working with Chris Evans-Ironside since the ’70s but nothing hinted that together they’d channel something this futuristic. “Dancing In The Dark” sounded like it had slipped through a wormhole: melancholic, hypnotic vocals wrapped in vocoder haze, riding an arrangement so razor-sharp it made most releases of the era feel prehistoric. It didn’t need the pop charts… It owned the clubs. And the clubs listened.

London. Berlin. Madrid. Rome. Paris. Lisbon. Amsterdam. Athens. Toronto. NYC. Tokyo. Mexico City.

One drop of that electro bassline and DJs were hooked. Crowds were hooked. The whole underground was hooked. Soon Europe’s radio charts caved under its pressure, and the track crossed borders on mixtapes, becoming a cult anthem behind the Iron Curtain. It was everywhere, even where it technically wasn’t allowed to be.

Fast-forward four decades and the spell hasn’t faded. “Dancing In The Dark” still shows up in indie dance, italo wave, house and deep house sets. Producers keep re-editing it like it’s sacred material. It’s one of those tracks that DJs treasure, a timeless weapon, one of the top three defining singles of Mareen’s entire career.

And now for the 40th anniversary of its official release, Vintage Pleasure Boutique and Night’n Day Records drop the vinyl every collector and selector has been waiting for: a special reissue loaded with four brand-new remixes spanning the full spectrum of today’s underground indie/disco/italo/house energy.

Tallac – the American Berlin dweller – dives deep into the hypnotic soul of the original, pulling out its buried deep-house DNA and carving out a spacious, emotional roller.

Luksek, Italian producer & DJ, goes raw and dirty: loop-driven, gritty, underground, hypnotic, the kind of edit that eats dancefloors alive.

Flemming Dalum, the Danish Italo grandmaster, finally gets to remix the track he’d always dreamed of touching and of course it’s pure Flemingish electro-italo magic.

And the Polish sparkle: A.P. Mono delivers a shimmering mix of italo disco, glitterbox groove, disco glamour and synthwave glow, all while keeping the spirit of Mareen’s original heartbeat intact.

The wax also features two historical heavy-hitters: the 1985 Jens Lissat’s team remix and Luis Rodriguez’s original arrangement, essential cuts in the Mareen universe.

This release isn’t nostalgia. It’s a resurrection. A celebration. A reminder. “Dancing In The Dark” didn’t survive 40 years by accident, it survived because it still moves bodies, breaks hearts and lights up floors in ways modern tracks can only wish for.

If you’re an indie, italo, wave, house or disco DJ… This record isn’t just worth owning… It’s mandatory.