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Hercules & Love Affair music has always been about folding past, present and future together – and never more so than in the latest phase, encapsulated by the track that launches things, “Someone Else is Calling.”

If the song-first, ultra-gothic mind-movie of the last H&LA album In Amber was partly motivated by Andy Butler falling out of love with dance culture, this new body of work – an EP titled Someone Else Is Calling – is an unabashed resurgence of the love affair. A co-production with London underground veteran and inspiration to Butler, Quinn Whalley of Paranoid London and Decius, the lead single is a surging, tactile acid track woven around the vocal of Icelandic icon Hips & Lips aka Elín Ey – who hits that new wave disco sweet spot between Grace Jones and Yazoo era Alison Moyet.

Elín’s lyrics work perfectly with the bodily momentum of the sounds, circling around themes of self-possession and the urge to move on to the next experience, the next sensation: hunger for reality. And this taps into Andy’s feelings on escaping New York and moving to Belgium, discovering that dance culture was anything but the hollowed-out, identikit-festival-lineup conveyor belt he’d feared, and still had plenty of outposts where it was still – as he’d first experience it as a teen – about the hot, sweaty reality of diverse people seeking communion, communication and heightened ways of being in the here and now.

The video, filmed by Tatsumi Milori couldn’t be a better expression of exactly this. A love letter to the strange and glorious party scene of Mexico City, it captures people who are both tapping into the eternal verities of those magical dancefloor communions, and thrilling – against all the odds of oppressive forces – at the sense of possibility in the flow of gender and sexuality in the present moment. It’s powered by innocence and experience as intertwined forces, and it amplifies the heartbeat of the song a thousandfold. There will be more, much more, to follow from the partnership of Andy, Elín and Quinn. It digs deeper still into the decades of dance and other underground cultures that feed into this modern moment – but this shining beacon should give you a pretty good hint.

Someone Else Is Calling will arrive on one of Los Angeles’s most exciting new independent labels and creative hubs, StrataSonic, on December 14. The lead single of the same name, along with the music video directed by Tatsumi Milori, is out now. This marks the first collaboration between Hercules & Love Affair and Stratasonic.

Follow up to last years 12" on Voyage Direct from this active Amsterdam DJ/Producer. TIP!
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" Back in December 2014, Elias Mazian debuted on Voyage Direct with a 12' that perfectly encapsulated his open-minded but interconnected approach to electronic music. He'd already showcased this ability to blend sounds and styles by becoming one of the most talked-about DJs on the Amsterdam scene. With Future Times' (and its superb flipside, They Don't Know'), Mazian gave notice of his undeniable production credentials.

Fast forward to the summer of 2017, and Mazian is ready to drop an EP that not only confirms his status as a rising star of Dutch dance music, but also showcases a newfound ability to combine a finely-tuned sense of what works on the dancefloor with the kind of compositional skills that can take a lifetime to perfect.

The Duplicate EP is an altogether more mature proposition than his debut 12', but retains many of the sounds and influences that marked out his first appearance on Voyage Direct - not least his love of spacey electronics, mood-enhancing chord progressions and sparkling synthesizer motifs.

This can be heard in particular on the title track, an ear-catching club jam that wraps chiming melodies, Mazian's own rapped vocal refrains and electro-era synths around a gently jacking, Chicago style house groove. It's deep, poignant and attractive, with subtle nods to the dreamy Windy City deep house of Larry Heard, the retro-futurist boogie business of Moon B and Dam Funk, and the kaleidoscopic electronic funk of Parliament.

Further proof of Mazian's increased musical maturity can be heard in the breathtaking Dream Mix' of Duplicate'. Featuring a yearning, almost melancholic vocal from the producer himself, the remix offers an analogue style deep house interpretation bristling with cascading melody lines, classic Chicago house bass and bubbly, deep space electronics.

The EP closes with superb bonus cut Ride That Shit Baby', an expansive chunk of mind-altering analogue deep house full of restless ride cymbals, crunchy drum machine hits, starburst electronics, delay-laden organ lines and swirling chord progressions. It's as intricately programmed and produced as anything Mazian has released to date, and twice as emotion-rich. In some ways, it's the perfect end to an EP in which Mazian brilliantly showcases the depth and breadth of his emerging talent."

Legendary Hiroaki Sugawara in the form of Sergio Maria Saguaro presents Rain Guitar.

Step into paradise alone to deeply savor an exotic experience.

“I first learned about this album thanks to GOKA, who built the sound system for my record shop, CELLAR RECORDS. Around 2019, it was praised by some connoisseurs, but it’s different from the so-called “popular ambient” sound that was in vogue at the time. This work is a Japanese obscure pop album created in 2002 by Hiroaki Sugawara, who goes by the name “Sergio Maria Saguaro,” mixing all types of exotic moods and completed in a secluded space. In particular, A-2 “Window with a Dog” and B-5 “Washing Machine” are truly a sonic paradise. When you put this record on your shelf, be sure to place it next to Tatsuhiko Asano’s excellent soundtrack “Following in the Footsteps of Doshin,” which was happily reissued in 2022, or Steve Hiett’s “Down On The Road By The Beach.”” -浜公氣 (Cellar Records)

“This sophisticated sound file paints natural landscapes, depicting rich and abundant scenes while floating through them, creating a world that is as beautiful as a kaleidoscope, appearing in the soundscape in a way that is always gentle, natural, and organic. It makes extensive use of four types of stringed instruments, modulators, flutes, and ethnic instruments, possessing a refined sense of elegant ambiance.” -Walearic / Gokaine Sound Research Institute

Czartificial Intelligence debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top New Artist Albums chart when it was released in November and was the #2 most-added at Hip-Hop That also makes it the #1 debut on the chart. The wins keep coming as the record also debuted on the genreless Top 200 chart, coming in the top half of all records and a top 10 debut for the week! The third full week of airplay for the LP saw 3s all around as it earned a third week on the Hip-Hop chart and another top 3 appearance! Over at NACC top 200, the record cracked into the Top 50, 40+ spots up to a new peak and one of the top 10 greatest gainers for the week! The album peaked at the NACC 200 in Week 4, just outside the Top 40! That week it also hit a peak at Earshot, topping that chart at #1! The album earned 5 weeks at #1 NACC Hip-Hop, the record so far for the 2024 NACC Hip-Hop Chart!

CZARFACE debuted with their self-titled album in 2013 though 7L, Esoteric and Inspectah Deck first worked together on the 12" single “Speaking Real Words” in 1999. The three continued to stay in touch, periodically working together and, in 2013, Esoteric approached Deck about a possible full-length project centered around a superhero character called “CZARFACE."

House of Harm are proud to announce the forthcoming release of their new album Playground, out December 1st, 2023. The new record builds and expands upon the three-piece’s enthralling shadow-pop sound, a mix of midnight atmospherics, 90s era jangle pop, and contagious synth drenched hooks that further elevate the transcendent vocals of lead singer Michael Rocheford. Rounded out by Cooper Leardi (guitar / synths) and Tyler Kershaw (guitar / synth), House of Harm have amassed an impressive following as something of a best kept secret among their growing fanbase, leading to sold out shows on both coasts by the power of word of mouth alone.

The band members have been drawn to music for as long as any of them can remember, and the drive to be around like-minded artists and make their own noise drew them all to Boston after high school. There they all quickly enmeshed themselves, playing in other bands before meeting each other. Ever since, House of Harm have been quietly making a name for themselves among music fans with darker pop persuasions via a steady stream of releases in single, ep and album form.

That attention to detail and workmanlike approach at the expense of chasing instant gratification seems to be paying dividends after years of steady effort. The journey of their new album Playground saw House of Harm stay true to that ethos. The band painstakingly narrowed the record down to an efficient 10 tracks that they felt made the most sense, both standing on their own as well as fitting into an LP that built a cohesive world for the listener to get lost in. The album’s name also reflects the experimentation and happy accidents that came about during the writing and recording process.

On “The Face of Grace” they set out to explore different dynamics by writing a song entirely without drums, but couldn’t help themselves from putting emphasis on the song’s 6/8 waltz time signature. “Two Kinds” is another first for House Of Harm in that it’s predominantly driven by acoustic guitar. That aforementioned vulnerability shows up in other areas of the songwriting process as well with “Two Kinds”, one of their most revealing songs to date from a lyrical standpoint, written from a place of reflection and weakness and tackling feelings uneasy to be put on display for public consumption.

Taken as a whole, the end result is an album representing a collection of the band’s most raw and expressive songs yet.

Two musicians, two different folk music traditions, two soundscapes hundreds of miles apart and one nightingale song. Nightingale melodies inspired this intoxicating folk album by Slovakian flautist Michaela Antalová and Norwegian double bassist Adrian Myhr. The Oslo-based duo’s album follows their meditative 2021 debut Zvony (Bells), which featured harmonium, field recordings of crickets and a Slovak male choir.

Sing Nightingale is a translation of ‘Zaspievaj Slavicku’, a traditional Slovakian song. The duo experiments with this theme of the songbird; exploring instrumentation from around the world and its rich tonal textures. On ‘Night Singing’, Michaela plays a Slovakian fujara, a tall, upright wooden bass flute originally played by shepherds. The fujara’s smooth, deep tones are laid over a recording of a nightingale by musicologist Tomáš Šenkyřík, with Michaela’s flute mimicking the bird’s nocturnal chirps and warbles to attract a mate. Michaela is carefully imitating the bird, who is in turn improvising his melody. In ‘Worm Moon’, named after the springtime full moon in March, when nightingales return from Africa where they have spent the cold winter, Adrian’s slow and resonant double bass is brightened by the sweet trills of a real nightingale and Michaela’s fujara.

The Norwegian Hardanger fiddle or hardingfele, features on two specially written songs; ‘Lament’ and ‘Rosenhave’ (rose garden) which bring together the nightingale’s symbolic associations with undying love, sacrifice, deep sorrow and loss. Celebrated Hardanger fiddle player Helga Myhr plays alongside Adrian’s double bass and Michaela’s seljefløyte or willow flute. Helga also plays on ‘Flagre’ (Flutter) and ‘Dance Nightingale’. The seljefløyte is very similar to the Slovak overtone flute koncovka. By using this Norwegian instrument, Adrian and Michaela’s new compositions are reminiscent of both countries’ folk traditions. Folk music often comes from unknown sources; the original writer may not be known and the melodies are typically passed down orally. Michaela and Adrian’s project merges the different folk musics from their respective countries, finding common ground in the sonic qualities of instruments and evolving a new hybrid folk style, authentic in its own right.

For the stunning adaptation of the traditional Slovakian fujara song ‘Dolu Ovce Dolinami’ (‘Sheep down the valleys’), Adrian’s friend Javid Afsari Rad plays the Iranian santur, similar to the traditional Slovak string instrument cimbalom. By coincidence, Iran’s national bird is the nightingale, making another unexpected connection to the symbolic bird. These 11 tracks are a beguiling fusion of traditional folk styles, approached by musicians from an avant-garde, improv and jazz background. The album pays tribute to a hugely expressive bird and finds a strange, soothing universality in the folk sounds of different countries.

Dare To Wonder is the new album by London jazz rap duo Summers Sons. Two brothers, surname Summers. Turt on vocals and Slim on production.

Dare To Wonder consists of 12 songs about love, life and connection. Compared to previous Sons’ albums, it’s safe to call Dare To Wonder a feel good album in its best sense. It doesn’t turn a blind eye to the madness of the world today. But it dares to take a step back and marvel at the beauty of the world around us. It dares to wonder. Wonder awakens our curiosity and leaving us thirsty for more knowledge. But it also humbles us – keeping us from thinking we know everything already.

Since 2018 Summers Sons have released five albums on Melting Pot Music (Undertones, Uhuru, The Rain, Nostalgia, Still Nothing Still) – which accumulated over 50 million streams to date – and a string of high profile collaborations with The Silhouettes Project, Twit One, C.Tappin, Nix Northwest and Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn.


INFOTEXT DE

Dare To Wonder ist das neue Album des Londoner Jazz-Rap-Duos Summers Sons – zwei Brüder mit dem Nachnamen Summers. Turt am Mikrofon und Slim an den Beats.

Dare To Wonder umfasst 12 Songs über Liebe, Leben und Verbundenheit. Im Vergleich zu ihren bisherigen Alben darf man Dare To Wonder mit gutem Gewissen als Feel-Good-Album im besten Sinne bezeichnen. Es verschließt nicht die Augen vor dem Wahnsinn der heutigen Welt, aber es wagt die Perspektive, um die Schönheit um uns herum neu zu betrachten. Es wagt, zu staunen. Staunen weckt unsere Neugier und macht uns hungrig nach mehr Wissen. Gleichzeitig macht es uns demütig – und bewahrt uns davor, zu glauben, wir wüssten schon alles.

Seit 2018 haben Summers Sons fünf Alben über Melting Pot Music veröffentlicht (Undertones, Uhuru, The Rain, Nostalgia, Still Nothing Still) – mit über 50 Millionen Streams – und hochkarätige Kollaborationen mit The Silhouettes Project, Twit One, C. Tappin, Nix Northwest und Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn veröffentlicht.

Quadeca got his start on YouTube around ten years ago, posting mostly hip-hop freestyles, mixtapes and more, building a steady following through the years. His 2022 record, I Didn't Mean To Haunt You, was his first major departure from hip-hop, containing folktronica, indie rock, shoegaze and many more genre elements.

Home is the new collaborative album from Xan Tyler & Dusty Stray -
Released in Autumn 2025 on pink vinyl, the album is released by Stereogram
Recordings in partnership with Last Night From Glasgow
Xan Tyler is an English vocalist and songwriter, her voice has been described as
crystalline" by Pitchfork and "extraordinary" by Uncut - Xan has had an extensive
career after getting her start as backing vocalist for Death Bang Party as a teenager.
She went on to be half of electro pop duo Technique signed to Creation Records. She
has collaborated with the likes of Timo Mass, Martin Buttrich and Mad Professor. Her
first solo album Holding Up Half The Sky was released by Last Night From Glasgow in
May 2024. Dusty Stray is Amsterdam-based, US-raised alt-folk songwriter Jonathan
Brown. He has released six albums as Dusty Stray starting in 2009. His latest solo
album is Fire Place, released in 2023. Big Takeover described the album as "brave"
and "authentic".

Spandau20 delivers its eleventh various artists release, a sonically rich and future-facing blend of broken grooves, spatial moods and modern Detroit romanticism. Four tracks, four new angles on the dancefloor. ANNA Z sets the tone with 'Kabeljau', an eclectic, IDM-flirting workout. On the opening track, elastic rhythms stretch and snap while ethereal pads drift overhead, punctured by sudden turns and glitchy surprises. Moody, weird and beautifully unpredictable. Dajusch continues with 'Fallout', diving into shimmering Detroit-inspired chords and pristine production. Clean yet full of soul, its dreamy propulsion moves with effortless optimism. It's a track that lifts heads and hearts without ever losing its club focus. Flip the record and FJAAK welcome you into a breakbeat-infused haze. 'Your Time' pairs groovy percussion and airy atmospheres with those unmistakable powerhouse vocal chops, a warehouse anthem with a gentle cosmic touch, driving yet deeply emotional. Closing the EP, Claus accelerates the pulse. 'Moist Logic' is a faster, more urgent exploration of the techno continuum. Machine funk encoded into a forward-thrusting groove, a sleek atmosphere swirling around a sharp, kinetic core. With SPANDAU20 011, the West-Berlin collective celebrates a hybrid future that is rhythmically adventurous, melodically rich and rooted in the love for the dancefloor. This record combines Berlin grit with dream-state techno, balancing rough energy and refined emotion across four cuts that leave their mark on the floor.

SPTLP007 - ASC - Vanishing Point LP

Evolving further with each release, ASC delivers his latest monumental album on Spatial, a varied and memorable journey through stunningly realised fusion of modern and classic atmospheric breakbeats.

A1 - Mystic Street

Setting a murky tone with light cymbals and synthwork flecking the intro, Mystic Street calmly purrs and growls towards a drop of analogue kicks and a sparse, menacing drum pattern to kick off this incredible album. Enveloped by a dense cloud of darkly atmospherics, the track coils with tension, each element rippling through the mix like distant memories as the suitably enigmatic bassline rumbles beneath.

A2 - Convergence

Straight into the beats with a DJ-friendly two step intro, ASC utilises sparse, sci-fi hits and persistent danceable breakbeats with a melodic bassline. As the atmosphere builds, percussive tones punctuate the swirling pads, creating a luscious sense of forward motion with echoing samples and effects combining in the mix to create a dreamlike soundscape perfect for the dancefloor and headphones alike.

B1 - Invisible Borders

No ASC album would be complete without an amen workout, and we certainly have that here as Invisible Borders rushes into view with simmering intent, melodic samples tore from battlegrounds of yesteryear providing a truly epic atmosphere, rippling breakbeat trickery teasing the listener before crushing full contact amens arrive with panache and veracity - twisted across yearning bass with an unflinching fighting spirit.

B2 - Celestial Bodies

Up next a moment of calm as we soak up the charms of the dreamlike Celestial Bodies, a soothing journey of beats, breaks and atmosphere from Spatial's label head. Melodic notes ripple across the mix with old school breaks filtering to and fro, conjuring images of a cosmic journey unfolding, where old school breakbeat rhythms pulse like distant constellations, echoes shimmering in the vast expanse of ASC's versatility.

C1 - Losing Track Of Time

Into an absolute stunner next as ASC unleashes a modern classic which has a wonderfully instant familiarity to it - like it was lifted directly from the golden era of atmospheric drum & bass. The old school breaks have a distinctive feel while a variety of pads teaming with life swirl around above. A myriad of spirited melodies develop and maintain your attention with classic 808 basslines to complete this remarkable composition.

C2 - Slipstream

Switching up the vibe in style, ASC delivers an intense, cosmic intro to Slipstream which builds gradually with whooshing effects and long female vocals before a crisp, crunchy slice of Hot Pants breakbeat heaven tears through the mix, chock-full of excitable edits portrayed in a brilliant clarity. Warm sub bass punctuates the track while a reverberating earworm melody slowly etches itself into your mind.

D1 - Paradigm Shift

A good old fashioned roller up next as Paradigm Shift sees ASC blend a superb 2-step rhythm with a sumptuous smooth bassline - guaranteed to move the dancefloor. Atmospherics take no back seat either as elegant synthwork swirls and washes across the soundscape with subtly used vocal samples adding texture and warmth to an impressively layered mix that maintains its pace right through to an echoing conclusion.

D2 - Transmitter

Sending us back to interstellar space for an inspired mission through vast unexplored star systems, Transmitter sees ASC create a stunningly evocative, ethereal collage of atmospherics with sonar-like beeps punctuating and persisting throughout. Driving the track along are the superbly programmed drums, filtered and layered with twisted, distorted vocal samples to complete this exhilarating album in pure Spatial style.

First album of French band La Femme released in 2013 with which they won Best New Band of the year at the French Music Awards and god certified gold. It marked also the beginning of their international recognition, confirmed since with their 2nd album Mystère in 2016 and their brand new album Paradigmes today. Includes the hits Sur La Planche, It's Time to Wake Up and Antitaxi! La Femmes's debut LP, is a mix of surf revival, updated cold wave (in a similar vein to countryman Lescop), 1960s yéyé and psychedelia. "Psycho Tropical Berlin: is apparently also their self-penned genre, they have also said "strange wave, new Motown, witch wave, silly mental wave"... whatever, aach term makes for a pillar to describe their music. Psycho Tropical Berlin is the story of a couple who slipped into chaos and survives by watching each other. Le Danger est partout - Peril is all around - as written in the booklet. Rock and pop, rococo bauhaus, fed from multiples influences (Krafwerk, Elli & Jacno). La Femme just want to please you. Generous and welcoming, she stretches you her white hand in the dark, if you grasp it, it could be the shiver of your life.

2024 Repress.

Chicha Libre’s debut album, Sonido Amazonico is finally available on vinyl in Europe. The double album contains all original tracks first published as a CD back in 2008. The vinyl edition is comprised of 3 sides of music, and a fourth side with an etching of iconic Venezuelan saint Jose Gregorio.

Chicha, Peruvian psychedelic cumbia, was first popularized outside of Peru by a compilation released by Chicha Libre's own Olivier Conan and entitled "The Roots of Chicha." The music proved popular around the world, being championed by people such as Elijah Wood, Matt Groening, Alex Kapranos and director Almadovar.

The Brooklyn band Chicha Libre started out as a tribute to Peruvian pioneers but quickly evolved into an original project which MTV has called “one of the world's preeminent Tropical Psychedelic band”. Indeed, while they remain true to their Chicha roots, Chicha Libre's quickly took a more psychedelic turn drawing from its members' alternative background.

Made up of Mexican, Venezuelan, French and American the band used surf guitar, organ sounds and Latin percussion to play a mixture of borrowed and homegrown sounds – but its music remains a freeform reinvention, not an exercise in nostalgic duplication.

The re-release coincides with the release of a new EP “Tequila y Aguardiente”, in collaboration with Son Rompe Pera and La Sonora Mazuren.

Limited Cassette

67 minutes (A side:35" / B side: 32")

Originally released in 1996

Compiled and DJ Mixed by Jeff Mills

Recorded at Liquid Room- Shinjuku, Tokyo October 28, 1995

Mastering: Ron Murphy at Studio Enterprises, Detroit



This year marks a major milestone in the history of electronic music: the 30th anniversary of Jeff Mills’ legendary Live at Liquid Room, recorded in 1995 in Tokyo and widely regarded as one of the greatest DJ mixes of all time. A true techno anthology, this set made history with its boldness and intensity, inspiring generations of DJs and producers around the world.“30 years ago, Techno music was still in its infancy, still formulating itself and attempting to find firm footing in the genre of Dance Music. Many new artists and records labels were introduced to the World as many DJs were justifiably recognized. This Liquid Room mix marks a cornerstone of the genre. The crossing and never returning back to way things were. Techno could only move forward and it did. “-Jeff Mills

A synthesiser sighs up and down the scale, a cool electro beat is wrapped in cotton wool and Fabian Drung aka JFR MOON sings about life in a bubble. "In a Bubble" is the name of this beautifully sentimental synth pop number, to which JFR Moon's new album owes its name. Although JFR MOON produces his music more professionally from album to album, the indie pop characterised by synthesizers and electro beats never seems too pleasing, remains unruly. Sometimes the pieces wander through curious psychedelic harmonies ("Silver"), sometimes they remind us of the Smiths ("Turn Around"), sometimes they stumble onto the dance floor ("Experience"). Blurred chords flit through "Stereo Tap", a yearning guitar melody wanders through "Ready", a nervous synth bass twitches through "Hun I Wish". Grooves meet echoing atmospheric sound textures. "I used to do folk where there was no rhythm at all," he says, "this time I wanted to write more uptempo songs, pay more attention to the drum machine." All tracks written and performed by JFR Moon. Mixed and produced by Thomas Zehnle (All Diese Gewalt, Levin Goes Lightly). Mastered by Enyang Urbiks. Additional vocals on ,In A Bubble" by Martha Rose. Solo guitar on ,Silver" by Dandy Deniz.

From out of the dark, sparks of feedback birdsong signal a return to the singular sonic environments of Rafael Toral"s sound-world. A year after Spectral Evolution, his acclaimed album of electric guitar conceptions, comes the companion work Traveling Light. Sharpening his focus around a set of jazz standards, his move from abstract form to solid song elicits glints from beyond time and space, crafting a unique listening lens for deep listeners. In the early years of his practice, Toral used the guitar as a generator to create discreet texture and droning tones. Later, he abandoned the guitar entirely, focusing on self-made electronics to render his music with a post-free jazz perspective. For the music of Spectral Evolution and Traveling Light, Toral has combined his methodologies: radically expanding the space within their harmonies with his self-made machines, while engaging directly with his instrument and the chords of the material. In addition to Toral"s proxy orchestra of guitars, sine wave, feedback and bass guitar, Traveling Light features the sounds of clarinetist José Bruno Parrinha, tenor saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, flügelhorn player Yaw Tembe, flautist Clara Saleiro, who each guest on one song. In every contour of Traveling Light"s path - arrangement, improvisation and production - the spring of the old pours through the new in an unstoppable flow. The result is a listening experience of these standards that remains "in the tradition", even as the elongated harmonies seem to alter time such that, as Toral notes, "the chords become events on their own."

With this release, I think I'll be the only one to have released something from every single one of Kenny's solo jungle aliases!

A few years back, he started on an album project where he would combine the works of 2 of his aliases for his Amiga productions, DJ Mindhunter for the hardcore tracks & Retr0n One of the jungle tracks.

If I remember right, I think the plan was to originally release it on his label Green Bay Wax, but he was too preoccupied in the work being put into other projects of his at the time. The release was then going to be coming out on Parallax Recordings, a label based in Berlin, run by Vali, who I've worked with many times in the past for releases on his label but then Vali was also focused on other releases he had scheduled for his label. The tracks sat in limbo for quite a while, whilst I had been playing some of them on radio & in club sets and eventually, Kenny offered for me to release the tracks on Future Retro London.

I asked Vali if he would be OK with this, since the tracks are meant to come out on Parallax & I also wanted him to do the artwork for it (he does all the artwork for his label). He was unsure if he could do the artwork as his capacity for design was quite taken up by his own outlet, but he floated the idea of doing this release as a joint label project so that it would be a bit more able to fit in with his workload.

And like that, the project is now finally out, after some of the featured tracks having been sat around for many years! Big up to Kenny for his wicked tunes & to Vali for co-releasing this project with me, as well as handling the design.

“From Birmingham and centred around the extraordinary songwriting talent of James and Patrick Roberts – initially as The Sea Urchins and since 1993 as Delta – they’ve only just got round to releasing their debut album, Slippin’ Out. It is a work of some beauty”. 9/10 NME ALBUM OF THE MONTH, 2000

“It’s classicist for sure, shot through with the influence of The Beatles, Byrds and Buffalo Springfield. In James’ downright beautiful closing ballad ‘I Want You’ one can also discern the school of ambitious English balladry that peaked in about 1968: The Casuals, Love Affair, Barry Ryan. The impression of accomplished old-schoolery is only furthered by the dizzying string arrangements penned by Louis Clark Jnr, son and namesake of the one-time orchestral chief of Electric Light Orchestra” – Mojo lead review, 2000


Having ended the 90s with the spirited ‘Laughing Mostly’ compilation of singles and demos (Guardian Album Of The Week) Delta finally released their debut studio album of twelve songs in the summer of 2000 on the Dishy Recordings label. Accepting that this might be their sole studio album the band threw everything at these recordings allowing it to exist in its own sphere, unbothered by their contemporary generation and disregarding the idea of even releasing a single.

Recorded at DEP International there was a notable difference to the scruffier, looser charm of their 1990s recordings, a tighter focus developed by having the experienced Lenny Franchi mixing the LP with them. Lenny had been working with a number of Island artists including My Bloody Valentine and Tricky so knew his way around a desk. There was also the question of budget (a few months passed between recording and mixing whilst funds were raised) so every day counted. Ultimately though you can hear the joy in the recordings, even amongst the melancholy and angst. As James recently recalled in an interview in Shindig! Magazine: “It was such a big deal for us. It’s one of my fondest memories doing that record. Everyone was happy. If there’s anything that I’d stand by, I think it would be that”

Louis Clark Jr joined the band towards the end of the ‘90s and brought a classically-trained element to the recordings particularly with his string arrangements. For ‘Cuckoo’, ‘I Want You’ and the prophetic ‘We Come Back’ Louis brought in eight players from the Birmingham Conservatoire; the baroque style is partly why the record often receives comparisons to Love’s ‘Forever Changes’.

On release ‘Slippin’ Out’ was a big favourite with writers at the NME, Mojo and The Guardian again and before long the band were signed to Mercury/Universal for their second studio album ‘Hard Light’, a far more expensive and expansive love affair. It was a temporary palatial home where things quietly fell apart again, but that’s another chapter.

“If long-term memory is nothing more than selective editing and only pop’s most weighty visceral works are built to last then it’s quite possible that in 50 years the Britpop era will be best recollected for the two bands it ostracised. Earlier this year we met Shack and thought their story of mercurial brilliance indicated the biggest music biz oversight of the 90s. We were wrong because we hadn’t met Delta yet. This is richer and more engrossing than anything by Shack” 

LIMITED 300 ONLY TRANSPARENT SKY BLUE LP. HOUSED IN FULL COLOUR SLEEVE WITH POLYLINED INNER BAG & DOWNLOAD CODE
Two fields of existence collide as Nolla (Finnish psych/space rockers) & Mike Vest (Maximalist guitar guru, Bong, Blown Out, Drunk In Hell, Artifacts & Uranium, Modoki, Tomoyuki Trio, Mienakunaru etc) merge their creative visions for the third time.

Creating a steady and surreal exploration through astral planes. Nolla improvised the ground layer in their signature minimal space-rock style and MikeV wrapped everything up in lavish layers of fuzz, phased and U-Wah layered guitars.
Blending octaval tones, around an array of electronics & vocal harmonies. Resulting in a constant trance like psychedelic drone rock.
It's time to join the extraterrestrial communion, beyond the skies, convert into the mode of light and pay homage to his mighty eminence.

Formed in January of this year around Yo Kurosawa (Palm, ex. Orangeade), the long-awaited first single from Robitas.

Side A features their signature song, one of their most popular on subscription services, while Side B features a cover of a Stevie Wonder classic. The meticulous arrangements, which transcend the boundaries of urban sound, and Kaede's somewhat melancholic vocals resonate with the heart.

To celebrate two decades of passion, innovation, and dedication to underground music, Playbeatz Labels Network proudly launches "Tribe", a new compilation project that pays tribute to the artists and sounds that have shaped its journey.
For over 20 years, Playbeatz has been a platform for creative freedom and genre-crossing experimentation—championing independent voices and uncovering unique talents from across the electronic music spectrum. "Tribe Vol. 1" is the first chapter in a special series of releases that reflect the label family’s diversity and forward-thinking spirit.
Kicking off with a limited edition vinyl, Vol. 1 features four carefully curated tracks by long-time Playbeatz affiliates —each bringing their unique sonic identity, from house to melodic textures, tech tools to soulful grooves.

A1. Erly Tepshi – Dreamer Emotionally charged and atmospheric, a deep dive into the melodic house realm, “Dreamer” wraps a haunting male vocal around lush synth lines and hypnotic rhythms.

A2. DJ Simi & Antonio Grassia – Nuestro Fuego With its driving groove and minimal yet powerful arrangement “Nuestro Fuego” is crafted as a peak-time tech and house tool. The track is all about raw energy and club efficiency.

B1. Mind The Gap DJs – Eclipse Of The Soul This old-school house jam delivers uplifting piano riffs, classic drum programming, and a timeless sense of groove. A heartfelt homage to the golden era of house, reimagined for today’s floors.

B2. Giomini & Marcus Raute – Tape Sweat A fresh and summery house cut with shimmering grooves and playful percussion. The track recalls the clean, infectious style of Deetron, blending crisp drums with melodic finesse. A pure dancefloor delight for the warmer seasons.

A long-awaited dubplate finally sees the light of day. For years, heard only through a handful of the world’s most exclusive sound systems. Spirit World unites French dub pioneer Brain Damage with UK heavyweights Dub Dynasty (Alpha Steppa & Alpha & Omega), featuring the unmistakable voice of Tenastelin. Deep, meditative and powerful. A timeless vocal on one side, and a crushing, thundering dub on the other.

“One of the most prolific and inventive dub producers around.” Wire

“A serious player in the sound system world.” Mixmag­

“Obliteratingly heavy bass.” Q Mag

Hailed as "one of the finest ambient and dub techno albums around," Deep Ground earned Purl a place in the hearts of many lovers of the deeper side of electronica. Enthusiasts on Discogs describe it as "one of the best dubtech albums ever - hypnotic, mesmerizing & deep" - and compare it to luminaries like Biosphere and bvdub for its "warm deep calming sounds and atmospheres." Reminiscent of Wolfgang Voigt's GAS project, the seminal 2011 album by Purl (Ludvig Cimbrelius) is finally reborn in a remastered 3xLP vinyl reissue on LILA ART. Originally released on the revered Silent Season label based in British Columbia, this ambient techno masterpiece has continued to captivate listeners year after year. In many ways like a darker sister to 154's ethereal techno epic "Strike", Deep Ground echoes the misty forests and quiet expanses of Cimbrelius' youth in Sweden. As the artist reflects in a poem accompanying the release: "We are consciousness, rooted in the deep ground of being. The deep ground of being is where all things begin and end. The deep ground of being is eternal." This ethos permeates every layer of Purl's expression; crafting sonic sanctuaries that remain intimate while evoking the infinite.

Delicately remastered for vinyl by Giuseppe Tillieci (Neel) in collaboration with Purl. Limited to 300 copies worldwide.

Rot/Schwarzes Ink-Spot Vinyl, limitiert auf 300 Exemplare. Drei Buchstaben. Drei Musiker. Drei Instrumente. Drei Jahre. Graf Zahl hätte seine Freude an diesem Album_ HUM loten ihre dunklen Stoner-Klangwelten weiter aus. ,three" bringt sowohl druckvolle Post-Rock-Songs als auch psychedelische Klangexperimente. Jeder Track scheint eine Idee zu verfolgen; jeder eine 4-Minuten-Reise. Die Themen drehen sich um Umweltzerstörung, gesellschaftliche Irrwege und Spacetrips. ,three" ist das Album für die Apokalypse oder für einen Abend im Weltraum. Der Spaß kommt dabei nicht zu kurz: Die Dunkelheit wird auf fetten, langsamen Grooves präsentiert. Die Stücke sind kompakt und melodisch. Katharsis ist das Ziel: Wer mit offenen Ohren hört, dem könnte es nach den 11 Tracks und 41 min besser gehen_ Eine aufregende Reise durch musikalische Klangwelten (Surf, Gothic/Dark Wave, Kraut und Prog-Rock) mehrerer Jahrzehnte. Die HUM-typischen schweren Riffs (im Schatten von Godzilla) mit komplexen Rhythmen und Breaks werden erweitert durch neue Elemente wie Surfgitarre, Synthiesounds und gesangliche Experimente. Der meist mit Effekten verfremdete Gesang wird spärlich und gezielt eingesetzt mit oft kurzen Textfragmenten, welche die Stimmung der Songs textlich untermalen. Dazu kommen drei instrumentale Soundcollagen, die als düstere Überleitung zwischen den Songs dienen. Ein gewisser roter Faden scheint sich thematisch durch das Album zu ziehen. Red/black ink spot vinyl. Limited to 300 copies. Three letters. Three musicians. Three instruments. Three years. The Count would have loved this album...HUM continue to explore their dark stoner soundscapes. "three" features both powerful post-rock songs andpsychedelic sound experiments. Each track seems to pursue an idea; each one a 4-minute journey. The themesrevolve around environmental destruction, social aberrations, and space trips."three" is the album for the apocalypse or for an evening in space. But there's no shortage of fun: thedarkness is presented on fat, slow grooves. The pieces are compact and melodic. Catharsis is thegoal: if you listen with open ears, you might feel better after the 11 tracks and 41 minutes...An exciting journey through musical soundscapes (surf, gothic/dark wave, kraut and prog rock) spanning severaldecades. The heavy riffs typical of HUM (in the shadow of Godzilla) with complex rhythms and breaksare expanded by new elements such as surf guitar, synth sounds and vocal experiments. The vocals, mostlydistorted with effects, are used sparingly and purposefully, often with short text fragments that underscore the moodof the songs lyrically. In addition, there are three instrumental sound collages that serve as dark transitions betweenthe songs. A certain common thread seems to run through the album thematically.

NECK DEEP's second full lenght proper, originally from 2015, reissued in deluxe packaging for its 10 YR anniversary! The simple truth is "Life's Not Out to Get You" is the best Pop-Punk album ever released. December has become the (un)official Pop-Punk Christmas anthem. If it wasn't for this essential album - Blink 182 wouldn't have reunited. Featuring fan favorite songs "December," "Can't Kick Up the Roots," & "Serpents" - DIY wrote the "full-length feels both quintessential and refreshing, a modern classic_The hooks are glorious, the bounce is addictive and it's a little rough around the edges for good measure." In the the years since Neck Deep formed in the Barlow brothers' spare room in Wrexham, Wales, a lot has changed. From the scrappy, naively hopeful beginnings that define the starting of so many teenage bands, the pop-punks have gone on to be one of British Rock music's most successful global exports in recent memory: top 5 records in both the US and UK, global touring, viral hits and over a billion plays, just some of the fruits of ten years spent mastering their craft. - For fans of Blink-182, Green Day & State Champs - Blue coloured vinyl LP in embossed gatefold sleeve w/ cut out O-Card slipcase!

The duality of "man" is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, & Carpenter. Who is your "true self" & what do they want? With their sixth studio album "Wish Defense" (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves. The return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album "Negative Houses" was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor & a marked angularity from the band's more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik's original tenure & his previous time with Case & powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group's guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band's dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio's long-going collaboration with some distance and time. Case notes that the lyrics on "Wish Defense" revolve around doppelgängers or "doubles", tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album's title track; "Enter the mirror / Double walker / An intimate / Wish defense / Is it real? / You beside me / The detail / Terrifying / Abject self / Your grief / A public / Performance". Case lays out the entire album's theme in one stanza; Are your actions & emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that "other" person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is "_don't let the bastards get you down, there's something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good". "Wish Defense"s artwork is also a subtle reference to "Negative Houses"' art, returning to that album's black & white starkness & minimalism. The album's checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album's lyrics printed front & center on the cover. Everything is out in the open. A final note; "Wish Defense" is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve's untimely passing, with renowned engineer & friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio's A room, off the tape, using Albini's notes about the session.

Magnus Carlson and The Moon Ray Quintet join forces for a new album of inspired vocal jazz versions of some of their favourite music. Carlson is known as the vocalist of Weeping Willows, and The Moon Ray Quintet features members of top Swedish jazz acts Oddjob, Goran Kajfes Tropiques, La La Lars, etc. Together they form arrangements that capture the beauty of each song while bringing something fresh to the table. The Moon Ray Quintet was formed in 2009 around singer Magnus Carlson during a break from the band Weeping Willows which had been his musical habitat for over a decade. In the artistic vacuum he experienced then, he met jazz musician and producer Goran Kajfes in a bar. The two gentlemen had crossed paths musically before although this moment resulted in ideas that would lead Magnus career in a whole new direction. Also, it give birth to a brand new band consisting of a number of highly sought-after jazz musicians.

Live music needs to offer you something that you cannot get on a studio recording. It's the sense of freedom and intimacy, wondering how the songs will be played and what the reaction will be. Live concerts give you the tingle where the hair stands up on the back of your neck. "Live audiences give you the tension and responsibility to be creative, for me that's the challenge I like," says the iconic Dutch guitarist. After all of these years, you ponder what keeps Jan going out there, night after night. "It's my love to play for people all around the world," he smiles. The supremely gifted guitarist is equaled by very few, and his legendary ability makes him impossible to pigeonhole. His position as Dutch royalty has been cemented; he received the Golden Harp Award in early 2005, Holland's most prestigious music prize, and in 2012, he was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange-Nassau. This royal honour recognized his contributions to Dutch music and his influence on musicians worldwide.

Oh No helped shape the texture of modern independent hip-hop, introducing the world to his turbulent lyricism with the 2004 Stones Throw classic The Disrupt before establishing himself as one of the world’s most dynamic beat architects. Ranging from soulful to sinister, hypnotic to chaotic, Dr. No’s psychedelic production has become a vital force in hip-hop, bringing the best out of artists like Mos Def, Action Bronson, Prodigy, Murs, Dilated Peoples, Danny Brown, Elzhi, Your Old Droog, and more. The California native has also released several acclaimed sample-themed instrumental collections, mining Mediterranean psyche funk, the work of jazz icon Roy Ayers, Italian library music, rare Ethiopian grooves, and more. Now, Oh No is back with Nodega, his first vocal album in more than a decade. Conceptualized as a corner store where microphone assassins stop through to lay down their street tales, the project finds Oh No cooking up a fresh batch of wild creations as the drama unfolds. While contributing a handful of memorable verses himself, Oh No mostly focuses on crafting soundscapes for a staggering array of guests, including Logic, Ghostface Killah, Talib Kweli, Tha God Fahim, Alchemist, Guilty Simpson, Blu, Crimeapple, Rah Digga, Esoteric, Vic Spencer, Wildchild, Big Twins, and more. “I work with some of the most dangerous emcees in the game,” he explains. “I wanted the album to be like a hip-hop play, with all these different geniuses showing how they steal the scenes.” This concept is brought to life by music Oh No describes as a “cinematic landscape ranging from dark stabbing pianos to melodic jazz interludes, raw gutter loops to funk grit, dirty synths to nighttime thrills.” A visceral experience elevated by immense collective talent, Nodega is a compelling one-stop shop for Oh No’s expansive artistry.

Ston Elaióna is John Also Bennett’s first album for Shelter Press since his 2019 solo debut Erg Herbe. The American born, Athens, Greece, based flautist, synthesist, and composer weaves a strikingly singular electroacoustic excursion for bass flute and Yamaha DX7ii, largely recorded in the golden haze of the early morning hours - bending time at the otherworldly juncture of consciousness and place. Translating from Greek as “in the olive grove”, Ston Elaióna is permeated with the ambiences of the ancient and present world, guided into form by a playfully rigorous approach to sound.
Initially emerging during the mid 2000s as part of Columbus, Ohio’s noise scene, before relocating to NYC around 2010, Bennett’s diverse activities picked up an increasing sense of pace over the following decade - performing and recording as a solo artist (JAB), with the trio Forma and with CV &JAB, his prolific duo with his partner Christina Vantzou, as well as playing in Jon Gibson’s ensemble among many other multifaceted collaborations. However, since 2020 the flautist and electroacoustic composer has existed in a semi nomadic state: drifting between Brooklyn, Brussels, extensive tours, and Greece, where he finally came to rest in Athens last year.

Drawing upon a carefully honed attentiveness to the environments and experiences of everyday life, Ston Elaióna is a suite of nine pieces (with an additional track exclusive to physical formats), many of them composed and played live as the early morning sun touched the Parthenon, in full view from Bennett’s studio window in Athens. Bennett’s refinement and restraint, honed over his years adrift, led him to adopt a limited palette focused on his primary instrument, the bass flute, and a Yamaha DX7ii synthesizer tuned to just intonation scales. Alongside a handful of other keyboards, digital oscillators triggered by his flute, and occasional field recordings, this simple palette is reflected by the deeply emotive sense of minimalism that permeates the album’s two sides. Following two solo albums defined by outward facing temperaments - 2022’s Out there in the middle of nowhere (Poole Music), which used a lap steel guitar and generative oscillators to evoke the surreal landscapes of the South Dakota badlands, and the largely synthetic atmospheres of the 2024 anthology Music For Save Rooms 1 & 2 (Editions Basilic) - the shift in Bennett’s worldly circumstances offered an intuitive return to the calm, inward states of creative exploration that have historically defined JAB’s sound. In parallel, context provided clear sources of inspiration for many of the album’s themes, as well as sources for some of its sounds. The aura of Greece, from the ancient to the present, from its stones and olive groves to its traffic, figures heavily across Ston Elaióna’s two sides. John Also Bennett’s Ston Elaióna forms an elegantly rigorous world of electroacoustic sonority, bridging the expanse of time with the immediacies of environment and happening in the here and now: a profound sonic mediation on the countless dimensions unlocked by life in Greece.

Claude VonStroke makes long-awaited Crosstown Rebels debut with ‘Noche Clara’, featuring Honeycomb. A full-circle moment between two house music icons finally comes to fruition, with the two-tracker out on 5th December 2025.

Two decades after label founder Damian Lazarus first booked him to play in the UK, American electronic icon Claude VonStroke finally lands on Crosstown Rebels with ‘Noche Clara’ - a release that bridges friendship, history, and the enduring spirit of the global underground. Built around hazy tones, captivating synth melodies, and sweeping atmospherics, ‘Noche Clara’ captures the playful minimalism and late-night atmosphere that defi ned his early work. On the flip, ‘Bam Bam’ layers warped vocals over a trippy off kilter sonics and a tunnelling, hypnotic groove, providing a haunting and commanding deep dive into the late-night hours. A collaboration with beatboxer, producer, DJ, and instrumentalist Honeycomb, who recently toured with The Floozies and Dirtwire, the link-up came naturally following a joint appearance between the pair at California’s infamous Zenyara, plus multiple Dirtybird festival appearances and more.

A true maverick of modern dance music, Claude VonStroke has spent over two decades shaping the sound and culture of house. From founding the iconic Dirtybird label, home to artists like Fisher, Eats Everything, and Catz ‘n Dogz, to headlining the world’s most respected clubs and festivals, his legacy is built on connection, humour, and an unfiltered love of the dancefloor. Now exploring more underground and experimental sounds, VonStroke is entering a new creative chapter ahead of his forthcoming artist album in early 2026 - a shift perfectly exemplified by this impressive debut on Crosstown.

When the ghost in the machine meets the breath in the reed, expect sparks. Electronic sound artist Robin Rimbaud – Scanner joins forces with acclaimed British bass clarinetist Gareth Davis to create an album where circuitry hums, wood vibrates, and the air between notes crackles with possibility.

This is no polite meeting of minds — it’s an elegant collision. Scanner’s intricate electronic textures weave around Davis’s deep, resonant tones, blurring the boundary between acoustic breath and digital pulse. The result is a sound world that’s at once intimate and expansive, familiar yet thrillingly unpredictable.

Think late-night conversations in abandoned buildings. Think fog rolling over neon. Think sound that slips through your fingers even as it takes hold of you.

The songlines in question , memories and distorted images of travels across various continents, form an imagined biography of places that might or might not have been but somehow seem to exist . Landscapes of blurred statements , lost words and echoes of meandering structures.

"If Miles Davis had been raised on shortwave radio static and midnight phone calls, it might have sounded like this."

Joel Shearer’s Listening Immerses Itself in Ambient Guitar, Restraint, and the Beauty of Repetition

With guitarist and ambient composer Joel Shearer’s new album, Listening, he took the path of repetition, subtle movement, and pure sound rather than conventional songwriting. What began as a disciplined experiment — limiting himself to just electric guitar — soon expanded. At various points, he introduced piano, cello, and trumpet, allowing the record to evolve organically. "I didn’t know I was making another record,” Shearer says. “I was experimenting, wanting to do something beyond just the electric guitar. So, I started these other tracks, and that’s how Listening came about.”

Unlike albums built around hooks or dramatic shifts, Listening unfolds gradually, moving with patience and restraint. There are no choruses, no obvious climaxes — just sound evolving over time. “Instead of a traditional song structure with a verse, chorus, or B section, it’s one continuous movement that grows and dissolves,” Shearer explains. “It’s not about anticipating the next moment—it’s about sitting inside the sound, getting comfortable with patience.” A Topanga-based session musician, composer, and producer, Shearer’s previous solo albums, Morning Loops and Hours, explored the manipulation of only the electric guitar, using texture and repetition to push beyond conventions. Listening continues that journey, offering music that resists distraction and rewards deep attention.

Shearer recorded Listening without a click track, working in long, freeform takes. His shimmering, clean guitar tones—often unrecognizable, processed through looping pedals and effects—became a foundation, with layers of sound building around it. “I love making the guitar sound like anything but a guitar,” he says. “I might play for just a minute, but once the sound enters the effects chain, it takes on a life of its own. The music keeps evolving, stretching time in ways I couldn’t predict.”

The opening piece, “Big Sur,” is an 11-minute meditation that drifts in slow, hypnotic waves, its layered guitar textures sparkling like light over water. The piece moves without urgency, subtly transforming as it pulls the listener deeper into its atmosphere. “Threshold” features a delicate piano melody that gradually unfurls, allowing its essence to fully settle before the next emerges. Subtle layers of ambient guitar weave around the piano, stretching and dissolving into the background, creating a sense of stillness and slow expansion.

At nearly 15-minutes, “The Clear Light of the Void” is a slow-burning study in sustain and resonance. Layers of guitar stretch and dissolve into an open, drifting soundscape, each note lingering and shifting like a breath held in suspension. Subtle tonal variations emerge over time, creating a sense of vastness—an expanse where sound is less about movement and more about presence.

“The world is noisy—so much information, so much distraction,” Shearer says. “I wanted to create something that allows people to just be present with the sound, without expectation.” It’s an album that demands nothing from the listener but offers space — to focus, to drift, to listen without waiting for what comes next.

Da bossman Tripmastaz delivers two cuts of "Politics As Usual" a summer-themed track in classic golden-era house style – full of positivity and sunshine beams.

On the B-Side "Coffee Smack 4 Dat Azz" balances the EP with Tripmastaz’s signature crunchy beats and gutta flows for the real heads – hits like a perfectly brewed cup of coffee. "Scarp" wraps up the record nicely with proto-digger vibes and fun acid basslines.

And the cherry on top: for the collectors, this time around we pressed just 50 copies on green marbled vinyl – a true gem for the heads.
Summer is here.

Colin Curtis is back! with another finely curated selection of the best Jazz Dance Fusion records he could find. Volume 4 reflects a combination of new music unreleased music and tracks that have never been on vinyl before or not attained the recognition they deserve. Packed with great Jazz Dance music from the UK and all around the world. The whole purpose of these compilations is to introduce you to fantastic talent and allow you to then go and explore all their works and keep this movement moving!

With brand new & exclusive releases, extremely rare tracks and many only available on Vinyl for the first time from Brazil, Cuba, Japan, Italy, USA, UK and beyond. Showcasing another insight into Colin Curtis's world of Jazz Dance Fusion and highlighting the sheer diversity & talent on offer from Vocal Jazz, Salsa, Latin Spoken Word to Sambas & Fusion, It’s all Here!

Pat Orburn serves up a wicked nine-track offering for Cassette Blair — a project built from pure resourcefulness and raw imagination. His vocals glide over synth-driven textures crafted from all around, including a battered Yamaha psr 175 keyboard that his flatmate rescued off the street. Pat leans into the beauty of imperfection, shaping found sounds through analog tools, tape warmth, and gritty modulation.

“good” marks the second release on Cassette Blair — a label founded by Gavsborg, dedicated to uplifting his extended global family of artists. True to its mission, the record feels communal, handmade, and deeply personal: a celebration of creativity that thrives outside of traditional studios, born instead from curiosity, friendship, and the joy of sound exploration.

“Good news. Good it’s out, good of Gav to help, all round completely good!"

- Pat Orburn

Digi- Cover art & Design by Pat Orburn (London, UK)

Cassette- Cover art & Design by Gavsborg, Sherice Bromfield & Pat Orburn (Kingston Jamaica & London, UK).

Mixed by Pat Orburn (London, UK).

Mastered by Mario “Syantis” Lawerence (Kingston, Jamaica).

Since its inception in 2011 the Fuse label has grown to be one of the leading voices in the dance music underground, originally kicking off with co-founder Enzo Siragusa's 'The Sagamore EP', subsequent releases were kept strictly in-house with productions from the roster of resident DJs that feature at their London based daytime raves (Seb Zito, Rich NxT etc). In 2013 offshoot label 'Infuse' was initiated as a way of harnessing production talent from around the globe.

As a celebration of reaching 5 years of releases, a three part vinyl only EP is to be released featuring tracks from the established Fuse roster as well as a few new additions.

EP one features tracks from Enzo Siragusa, Dan Farserelli, Ferro & Makcim and Fabe. Seb Zito, Romanian talent Iuly.B, Ben Rau and Joseph Williams feature on EP two whilst Rich NxT, Rossko (making his production debut), Archie Hamilton and Sam bellis round things off with the EP 3...

STRICTLY VINYL ONLY!

It was December 2015 when Simon Weiss delivered his first EP for Voyage Direct, an impressively intergalactic affair full of supersonic synthesizer arpeggio lines, Motor City influences and robotic drum machine hits. Two years on, the experienced Dutch producer returns to action for the first time since, in the process delivering another quartet of starry-eyed productions.
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Through releases on Deepermotions, Rush Hour and Hometaping is Killing Music, Weiss has established a reputation for combining a deep understanding of dancefloor dynamics with a sci-fi inspired futurist aesthetic. Both of these complimentary traits are much in evidence on his second outing for Voyage Direct.

Weiss blasts off via Brain Fever', where raw, mind-altering arpeggio bass, fuzzy drum machine hits, spacey chords and alien electronics thrust our hero skywards. Think of it as techno for funk-fuelled, Italo-disco loving astronauts whose journey to the end of the universe is only just underway. This intergalactic funk blueprint is explored further on the deeper and more melodious You Want A Cigarette', where Weiss's vocoder vocals wrap themselves around mutant TB-303 lines, rush-inducing chords and clattering machine percussion.

On Space Ghetto (Booty)', our hero celebrates the discovery of previously unknown worlds in the only way he knows how. With kaleidoscopic, full-throttle electronic motifs and funk-fuelled synth-bass to the fore, Weiss offers his own unique take on electrofunk. Pleasingly fuzzy and tightly wrapped in the syncopated drum machine handclaps of ghetto-house, it's a typically far-sighted and attractive proposition.

With just two minutes to go until his spacecraft touches down on alien territory, Weiss rounds things off via the melancholic chord progressions and heartfelt vocoder vocals of Intro', a beat-free excursion just tailor made for dramatic set openings and spine-tingling mix endings. He may be stepping into unknown territory, but it won't be the last you'll hear from Simon Weiss.

Die Cut Sleeve with download. It’s a strange betweenworld, bookended by sleep and the jolt of being wide awake in a place where you wonder how you got there. You know the feeling… It seems familiar but the colours are, well, unreal. In a high-ceilinged room, a grand piano plays lush melodies as, meanwhile, somewhere, an Alice In Wonderland clock ticks, cellos are bowed, a swarm of something vibrates and the hallucinatory crowd around Rosemary’s Baby babble. An echoey electronic hum builds and falls like a 50s refrigerator passed through and effects board, things run backwards, staccato strings are plucked… and that’s not the half of it. “I’ve never been happy staying in one particular school of musical thought. The fun has been turning things on their heads, to try something you were not supposed to do.” We’re on an immersive and adventurous travelogue with the former member of the legendary Tangerine Dream, Paul Haslinger - this is a man who knows how to build tension, hold moods, illustrate contempt, lies, passion and pleasure; He can create fear, loathing and love - he’s been unlocking the nuances of such emotions in a hugely successful career as a TV and film soundtrack composer (Halt And Catch Fire, Underworld and the Golden Globe-nominated Sleeper Cell). ‘Exit Ghost’ is his long thought out opus, a moment caught in time, flicking through reference points, taking an ethereal excursion that permeates musical genres as it becomes awash with intricate sounds and cross-pollinating rhythms. Built originally from the warmth of his grand piano ‘Exit Ghost’ resonates with purity and power, from an eerie and evocative betweenworld, that’s at once expansive and rolling, then intoxicating and suffocating in equal measures; modern composition at its most uplifting; cerebral, celebratory, intense and beautiful. “The soul searching in connection with this record was extensive. Finding places of resonance, giving a colour to your memories. It was more challenging because it’s not somebody else’s narrative. Finding the core of your own story can be the most difficult task of all.” Created over the span of eight years and filled with literal and personal references, the album itself is a testament to the search - a quest filled with hints, particles and suggestions.