Cerca:art programming

Resilience is an album that calls on the classic rave sounds of Chrissy's Midwestern youth to explore themes of love, positivity, perserverence, acceptance, and the fight against cynicism. Get ready for big piano melodies, chopped breakbeats, heavy bass, and jacking Chicago drum programming, plus guest appearances from some of Chrissy's friends: vocalist Carrie Wilds, Portuguese DJ/producer/singer Maria Amor, and Berlin-based techno artist Dean Grenier. RAWAX will present it on three ep's!


Chrissy is a genre-bending DJ/producer with releases on Classic, Freerange, Razor N Tape, Hypercolour, and Planet Mu, and a 20-year DJ career spanning Chicago house, disco, rave, jungle, footwork, and more. He ran the influential 'My Year of Mixtapes' blog, and currently runs two record labels: The Nite Owl Diner and Cool Ranch.

'Chrissy is one of the best DJs to ever walk the earth and I am just going to keep saying it until everyone agrees with me.' — The Black Madonna.

It's safe to say that Detroit, a city steeped in economic, cultural and musical history, will soon weave its way into your soul should you spend any sustained time there. This rings all too true for Monty Luke. He has immersed himself in Detroit's scene since moving to the Motor City in 2008. His new eight track LP, released via Dogmatik, showcases the style of a new generation of Detroit producers carrying the beacon for a deep, Detroit sound that blends analogue weight and punchy drum programming together with masterful synth work and raw emotion.
Even at first glance the polarised artwork, an aerial map of Detroit, shows the more introspective nature of this Motor City ingrained release, with Luke purposefully steering away from writing club ready material. Introductory track 'City Lights' gives a first taste of this, combining swelling synths, dreamlike arps and crisp percussive hits. There's a real weight to the bass synth that compliments Abi B's soulful vocals all too well. 'Anton's Room' & 'Crime Wave' follow suit -the former with itslayered gritty bass, expansive stabs, glitchy bleeps and undulating arps and the latter creating a sonic swell between your ears manifested by a surging, panned arp, alongside sirens and punchy, gunshot like snares. Inspirations from Moodymann to Theo Parrish are clear to be seen in tracks like 'Move', taking a range of jazzy loops and samples and chopping them into a low slung, bouncing MPC laden jam.Progressing into the 2nd half of the album there's a transition from deep, Detroit house into harder hitting, electro territory. 'Willie Maze' with its killer drum programming, reverberating Rhodes and dynamic bass and 'Roja', combining emotive late-night chords and melancholic synth melodies, really honeinon that pensive, thought-provoking aesthetic. One of the highlights, 'Wasteland', is the best example of this transition -interlacing a commanding electro drum pattern with squelching, synth melodies and Serene Arena's introspective lyrics.
Then taking it full circle, closing track 'Block Is Hot (Black Hole Mix)' -co-produced by King Britt in Philadelphia (alongside City Lights, Crime Wave & Willie Maze), returns to the 4/4 path with a thumping party track, carrying through that raw nature emanating from the dark melodies and Monty's adlibbed vocals.
'Hard Work/ Not Hype' is a record flying the flag for those underground artists working tirelessly behind closed doors to produce material that's based on feeling, emotion and skill, rather than riding off the back of an inflated, socially constructed image. Monty Luke, as someone that follows that mantra, has been able toconstruct an album showcasing this, creating a real weight and depth to this release; it's raw, powerful and thought provoking, expertly capturing the soul of Detroit -the city that's had such a profound effect on him

DETROIT SWINDLE
Ouch that's HOT! Bring it on.
KRISTIAN RAEDLE/ INNERVISIONS
Yes please. Very nice.
AYBEE
Fanatastic Work Monty!!
ASHLEY BEEDLE
Thanks for sending over the Monty Luke album to listen too. It's a great
contemporary album with of course Detroit running through it's veins! It
really pulls you in and I think the arrangements and productions are great.
Fave tracks are City Lights, Roja, Willie Maze and Block Is Hot.
LAURENT GARNIER
Oh yes..This is so elegant and sexy. Love it Would love to play it
OSUNLADE
This one is a guilty pleasure vibe..hate that I love every song equally

Chicago-based Matt Warren has been a DJ for forty years and has been a producer since 1984, when he released his debut single Rock The Nation. This inspired Matt to cofound Sunset Records in 1985, which released several house classics. However, in 1987, Matt resigned from Sunset Records and founded AKA Dance Music.

The first single that AKA Dance Music released was Bang The Box, which sold over 50,000 copies in America and nowadays, is regarded as the first hard house track. Bang The Box was the first of seven singles that AKA Dance Music released between 1987 and 1988. By then, Matt's second label was part the history of house music.

After the demise of AKA Dance Music, Matt Warren continued to travel the world DJ in some of the top clubs. Meanwhile, Matt continued to produce new music, remix tracks by some of the biggest names in music.

By the nineties, Matt was also writing, arranging, mixing, and producing a wide variety of artists and bands. He sometimes was asked to play on a number of albums. However, he still loved house music, and worked on several releases.

As the new millennia dawned, Matt continued to work in a variety of roles in the ever-changing music industry, and occasionally released some new music. Over the next few years, Matt has been working as a producer, engineer and remixer, which meant he had to put his own career on hold, until he began working with a familiar face.

In 2016, Matt was reunited with house diva Pepper Gomez, who was now running her own label Wake Up! Music. By then, Pepper Gomez had dawned the MyMy Lady G moniker and embarked upon a career as producer. She had travelled to Chicago, to record Elena Andujar's genre-meting album Flamenco In Time at Matt's Sound Studio Recording. Matt took charge of engineering, programming, mixing and production on Flamenco In Time while MyMy Lady G added backing vocals and assumed the role of executive producer on this groundbreaking project. After the completion of Flamenco In Time, MyMy Lady G asked Matt Warren if he would like to record an album

It didn't take long for Matt to answer in the affirmative, and in early 2018, he hit the comeback trail. He was accompanied by a group of talented musicians and vocalists including gospel singer and soulful diva Jan McGhee, Elena Andujar and legendary house diva Pepper Gomez who plays a starring role on the album. That album was recorded over the course of several months, and eventually became Music Is My Life which marks the comeback of Mark Warren.

Matt Warren has been away to long, now one of the pioneers of Chicago House makes a welcome return with a groundbreaking new album. This is Music Is My Life, the first ever Nu House album, which is guaranteed to transform Matt Warren's career and become part of dance music history.

Resilience is an album that calls on the classic rave sounds of Chrissy's Midwestern youth to explore themes of love, positivity, perserverence, acceptance, and the fight against cynicism. Get ready for big piano melodies, chopped breakbeats, heavy bass, and jacking Chicago drum programming, plus guest appearances from some of Chrissy's friends: vocalist Carrie Wilds, Portuguese DJ/producer/singer Maria Amor, and Berlin-based techno artist Dean Grenier. RAWAX will present it on three ep's!


Chrissy is a genre-bending DJ/producer with releases on Classic, Freerange, Razor N Tape, Hypercolour, and Planet Mu, and a 20-year DJ career spanning Chicago house, disco, rave, jungle, footwork, and more. He ran the influential 'My Year of Mixtapes' blog, and currently runs two record labels: The Nite Owl Diner and Cool Ranch.

'Chrissy is one of the best DJs to ever walk the earth and I am just going to keep saying it until everyone agrees with me.' — The Black Madonna.

Enigmatic Berlin label MASK return in 2019 with a vinyl only release consisting of four eccentric cuts entitled 'Hunter'. The mysterious German label maintains its reputation of providing quality, esoteric music by anonymous artists with a focus on analogue sound design and modulated oddities. 'Hunter' is the result of the first take of a live recording coming from a duo who have been playing together for over a decade. The A1 kicks off with lo-fi drum programming, emphatic leads and stabbing bass shoots before the A2 throws down sharp 303 bleeps, angelic pads and resonating kicks creating a euphoric ambience throughout. On the flip uplifting synth work, shuffling percussion and crunchy oscillations take the focus until chugged out experimentation becomes ever present in the final track as it harmoniously balances sweeping elements, growling tones and sonic obscurities.

2019 Repress with alternate label-art.

Seattle's Chris Roman returns after his amazing release on little sister label Harbour City Sorrow. Again he drops his signature Miami rooted beats for an EP that will make any floor rock. Sculpting hi-tech electronica with loud pads, big strings and precise rhythm programming. The Submanouvers EP is no sissy copycat electro but a powerful record with his own unique signature style. Two Fourteen is no joke!!

SWINGTING017 is a bouncy JA-to-UK bashment banger that features a hefty combination of producers and vocalists from both the Equiknoxx & Swing Ting camps. The tune finds each artist at their most playful, riding the sparkly, jiggy riddim impeccably.

Jump to the Bar was built and voiced in two days at London Bridge's Red Bull Studios, late Summer 2017.

Day one involved Gavsborg , Time Cow , Platt & Samrai arriving from various residences of friends and family in the vicinity of the English Capital (shout to the Epsom crew). Alway early-birds, Gavs and Cow set to the task on various machines and available gear to construct the rough instrumental, with Platt & Samrai assisting on percussion and programming. Soon lush synths, tough kicks, flanged hats, grimy bass and snappy claps were combining neatly and the backdrop was set.

Day two featured Kingston's queen of the cool kids club Shanique Marie flying straight into the big smoke to lay down a witty hook in minutes before earning a lie down on the sofa. Original Brum-town don RTKal rolled in from the West-Midlands (driven by Farda Neeko) dropping a one-take freestyle (egged on by an excitable studio gathering including Randy Valentine, Mr Williamz & Specialist Moss) that later became his verse and the pre-chorus. With the clock ticking on the session, the flask was neatly passed to Mancunian stalwart Fox for the final flourish, giving shouts to buckfast tonic wine & organic herbal treats.

Supported by Toddla T (Coldest Record), Jubilee (BBC Radio 1 Residency), Chal Ravens (Top Flight), Max Glazer (Federation Sound Radio) as well as being added to Spotify's Dancehall Official Playlist.

The godfather of acid house, DJ Pierre, is back - bringing four heavyweight Chicago cuts to the fore, two of which, 'Pinball Machine' & 'The Spirit' are unreleased, exclusives.

'Sexy Aquarian' showcases Pierre's unique style putting his trademark spin on this classic vocal, combining it with a bumping bass and dizzying acid lines, to trigger old memories whilst giving you something new for your mind, your body and your soul.

Next up 'Pinball Machine' goes in heavy on the percussion - filling those speakers with a barrage of weighty toms, crisp hats and crunched up snares. The frenzied synth line bounces around relentlessly, pinging off the sides of your brain like a sonic arcade.

Take to the flip for a lesson in how to take jackin' house to another level. 'Whats Mine is Mine' delves beyond the beat, mixing sassy vocals and spiritual organ stabs, with a touch of swing reminiscent of an era long gone.

Closing out the EP, 'The Spirit' utilises another treasured vocal layering it behind punchy drum programming, a rumbling bass and atmospheric touches that add an ethereal tinge to the track.

DJ Feedback:

The Black Madonna - We Still Believe / Liaison Artists - Excellent!

Eli Escobar - OH yes.

PBR Streetgang - 20/20 Vision - classic

Andy Caldwell - Nettraxx / Cr2 Records - Ooh so so sublime. Good shit here!

Tony Humphries - The Zanzibar / New York - Nice peak time banger.

Danny Howard - BBC Radio 1 / Nothing Else Matters - Aceeeee. Wicked vocal!!! Love the vibe

It has been a good year for Idle Hands. The label reached its 50th release with a release from Livity Sound's Pev and November saw the release of Parris' latest 12' featuring a KMOS remix.
For the labels final vinyl release of 2018 it is the turn of Stockholm's Pistol Pete. Idle Hands boss Chris Farrell has long been a fan of this artists work. He may not have put much out over the years but each release has found a welcome home at the Bristol record shop from which the label operates.
On this release we find three club focused House tracks, each exuding a warmth one would hope for in these cold winter monts. 'Orphan' opens the set with crunchy, swinging drums and the deft use of a sample. 'Lundagatan' continues things apace with some concentrated drum programming and a chopped up soul sample. 'Esqpads' rounds things off with a warm Deep House feel and grooving bassline.

The name Hugo Mari might not ring a bell just yet, but we've got a feeling this is about to change real soon. He's released a handful of EP's under his former alias Books on Omena and XVI including his own edit series on the latter label (check out his killer track 'in the groove or his jazzy deep house collaboration with Zodiac called 'Feel it in my Bones'). Considering he's also remixed well known artists like afrobeat legend Dele Sosimi and grime master Trim, you might share our view of this amazingly talented and versatile producer. His 'Change ur ways' EP for Heist is soulful, jazzy, deep and energetic with three varied originals and a classic soulful house remix by man of the moment, NDATL label head Kai Alcé.

'Get Loose' features the silky-smooth vocals of Zodiac, some lovely solo work on the Rhodes and a 'free jazz' vibe on the horns. There's a constant funk bassline looping throughout the track to keep the energy going while the loose arrangement as well as the drum programming give the track that care-free feeling of a never-ending live jam. With that, 'Get Loose' is a great club track that crosses the boundaries between funk, jazz and house.

The title track still has that jazzy feeling but moves towards a quirkier territory with some 'Frits Wentink' style harmonization, detuned piano's and loosely chopped samples. There's a definite gospel feel to the track, thanks to the choice in vocal chops, which is complemented perfectly by a filtered disco bassline. The percussion layer and rhythmic elements are full of energy without ever crossing the line where of subtlety that makes this track so catchy.

On the flip, there's 'Feel ur senses', the most straightforward deep house track of the release, that gets its mood from an ongoing tremolo on the Rhodes pads. Space bleeps, bells, a hidden arp and 'reverbed-out' hits give the track an almost balaeric sound that will certainly put a smile on your face.

The B side is complemented with a vocal and instrumental remix of 'Get Loose' by Kai Alcé, who has been throwing out one killer tune after the other, remixing Volcov's Isoul8 project (one of our favorites of the year), as well as kicking out releases on his own NDATL label. Kai goes for a full-on soulful house vibe, giving his own chord progression center stage along with a set of rimshots. He chooses to leave the horns out, and instead work the vocal, Rhodes, and cowbells from the original to great effect, adding a little solo work of his own on a bell-like piano where he freestyles happily throughout the track and copies the vocal for added harmonies.
The instrumental version is perfect for those moments where you're done with all the vocals and just want a tight soulful groove.

We couldn't be happier with this release so play it loud and get loose!

Yours Sincerely,

Maarten & Lars

The seventh volume of Drumcode's annual A-Sides compilation hits with no less than 10 debuts for the label, with Charlotte de Witte, ANNA, B.Traits and Scuba's SCB project, among the collection of topline artists to release their maiden productions on the imprint.

Over two decades into its lifespan, Drumcode keeps evolving and excelling, pushing techno forward while remaining wholly respectful of its roots. This reputation for progression was further fuelled this summer with its inaugural festival at the NDSM Docklands in Amsterdam, featuring a long list of heavyweights including Nicole Moudaber, Joseph Capriati, Amelie Lens and Ida Engberg, among others.

As ever, the A-Sides compilation provides a timely opportunity to showcase the full range of its sonic repertoire, with Adam Beyer scrupulously selecting unreleased tracks that have taken prime position in his sets over recent months.

Formidable duo Dense & Pika kick off part 5 with their powerful composition 'Lemur' renowned for their standout studio output they consistently conjure up a unique take on their distinct sound. Tastemaker's favourite Jel Ford makes a welcome return to the fold as he ushers in techno rhythms with bustling breaks with his track 'Nightshade'.

On the B side resident DJ of the infamous GZG parties in Holland, Man With No Shadow supplies his rave infused twisted cut 'Manilla', where his warped bass combines with shattering breaks & heavy weight drums.

Lastly, Locomatica & Blaukoma present 'Unfold' a brooding techno workout with crisp drum programming that features a euphoric vocal bursting with emotion. Set to cement these two producers as acts to keep your eye on in the near future.

The latest release on Arma comes from Dutch legend and devoutly deviant underground operator Ruud Lekx, aka Rude 66. With a legacy that reaches back to the early 90s and the rough and ready Dutch electro sound of Bunker Records and The Hague, he's maintained a distinctly non-conformist approach that touches on acid, Italo, techno and more besides, all finished with the punky attitude that sets him and peers like Unit Moebius and I-F apart.

The tracks gathered together on The Witch Trials EP come from throughout Lekx's career. As the artist himself says, 'tracks from wildly different eras and sessions suddenly can combine to form one coherent EP. It's almost like the A-side tracks were waiting for 20 years to be combined with the B-side tracks.'

The overriding theme that binds together these timeless machine excursions is that of medieval witch trials - a global phenomenon that peaked in the 15-1600's. Considering the suspicion, propaganda and mass moral panic involved in this strange curio of distant history, Lekx points to the parallels with the current age, 'of political polarization and fake news accusations flying all over.' The EP title is also a tribute to two records close to his heart: The Fall's Live At The Witch Trials, and the one-off Witch Trials project by members of the Dead Kennedys, Adrian Borland and Christian Lunch.

'Werewolves & Poisoners' and 'The Crusade Against Idolatry' are both archive tracks from the 1994-5 period when Lekx made his first albums for Bunker Records. The first track's charging arps, rugged kicks, nagging acid lines and discordant paranoia all speak to that trailblazing period, while 'The Crusade...' revels in canny programming of interwoven synth lines feeding into an unhinged, psychedelic rampage that reflects the righteous fervour and spiritual confusion of the EP concept.

'The Absence Of Diabolism' opens up the B-side with a different tone, having been produced in 2016 and demonstrating the deeper acid undulations Lekx has become known for in more recent years. Still delivered via the same trusted tools he was using in the 90s, the sound feels like an extension of the Rude 66 vision rather than a separate entity. 'Envious Are All The People, Witches Watch At Every Gate,' a cut from the late 90s, closes the EP out in a spacious, snarling exploration of broken acid electro laden with cinematic sweeps of synthesizer and a constant sense of unresolved tension.



Across these four tracks, Lekx displays the scope of his craft as Rude 66 while also proving that timeless music can make sense in any context, and that the threads of inspiration in an artist's journey can be followed, explored and even resolved 20 years later, when you least expect it

"It's Maths classes. A red-haired boy sits in the back, rhythmically tapping his fingers on a table like a madman. Although other students' eyesight is focused on the formula being written on the black-board, the boy could not care less. Out of a corner of his eye he notices as the sequence of numbers slowly begins to melt off the blackboard, glittering with colours, and finally spills all over the floor like a fractal leakage from some other dimension. Students from the first rows, scared, put their legs up - and then you start to hear the rhythm. The sounds, once set free, feedback from the walls and find their way to all chinks and cracks, circle all around to finally reach the teacher's ear. The lady cannot stop the upcoming fury, grabs Krzysztof Ostrowski (number 28) by his ear and circumventing the leakage she leads him out of the classroom. It's not the first nor the second time such thing happens. Years later, the boy finally sits by the machine; subtle light comes through the window slightly ajar, the curtain dances with the wind. Krzysztof, bent, is programming the rhythm."
It's warm and bright Autumn of 2018 and Krzysztof emerges again, this time on vinyl released by Jacek Sienkiewicz's label Recognition. The experimental style of "Primary Fluctuation" might come as a surprise to many of Jacek's followers, but there are surely some common features for the two art-ists - from attention to detail to a kind of serious melancholy present in their music. Ostrowski's rec-ord is a journey through futuristic polyrhythm, with enough space for menacing basses or unorthodox samples, reminding the aesthetics of fusion of broken techno and bass music championed recently by the labels like Timedance or Livity Sound. Four tracks (five in digital version) make up a cohesive, intriguing and surprising record, announcing series of special releases prepared by Recognition for the forthcoming months. ,

CYBERSPEAK, Milan multidisciplinary collective appears on the internet as a language of objectivity and truth, as the computer is, challenging the existing order in electronic music.
'V1' is the first physical episode coming from duo TRAIN TO ELTANIN showing their skills with 5 tracks that embody the musical accelerations of the label.
Hi-Speed Electrofunk with some energetic stop and go that makes it a sure killer dancefloor weapon, atmospherical and evocative club sounds, classicism jazzy school driven by computer sequencers, jungle assaults and broken electronics. The message is clear: Keep on Programming!

HINOSCH are a duo of Koshiro Hino from Osaka and Stefan Schneider from Düsseldorf, they first (met and) began their collaborative work of musical interaction and exploring contrasting possibilities in 2017. After a number of concerts in the EU and in Japan a debut EP (HINOSCH EP/TAL05) was released in late 2017. Fully instrumental, their first full-length album HANDS offers a more steeply focussed approach than its largely improvised predecessor.

Encouraged by the momentum generated during a number of on-the-spot recordings in Osaka, where Schneider had held a residency in April 2017, the overall sound of the album has been honed down through meticulous studio engineering. One of the outstanding qualities of HANDS certainly is an unprejudiced approach of sound and song structures. The instrumentation is condently reduced to a small range of analogue and digital machines. Snatches of tape-loops deliver lower-pitched vocal and drum machine samples. This characteristic technical set up soon proved ideal in order to dene a tactile vocabulary of fully unsynchronized rhythm patterns. The word tactile perfectly conjures that quality which is the very essence of HANDS. It is the result of the manner in which interdependent threads of rhythm units are deliberately disconnected to form a cohesive, soulful and exible whole. Most tracks on HANDS are devoid of a central motif and examine an unpredictable dialogue. A fantasy of constant change and a search for musical suggestions is the most vital ingredient in this abstract environment.

The album title HANDS refers to physical aspects of electronic music production. Every live concert of Hinosch usually starts out with a hand shake between Hino and Schneider. The general process of collective music making, programming, button pushing, playing, recording, decision making, all demand utmost concentration. The image on the front of the abum sleeve (designed by Takashi Makabe) reects the general approach of HANDS: layers of tuckled fabrics confronting one another to articulate a form for themselves to no other end than their own orchestration.

After having emerged from the ever thrilling Osaka music scene onto the international playgrounds of electronic music just a few years ago Koshiro Hino's solo activities as YPY and his involvement with the band GOAT have already garnered him a very favourable international reception. Stefan Schneider has over the years produced and collaborated with a.o. Joachim Roedelius (Cluster), Arto Lindsay, Klaus Dinger (NEU!), Dieter Moebius (Cluster), Alexander Balanescu, John McEntire (tortoise), Katharina Grosse, Bill Wells and St.Etienne.

Focusing on low-slung IDM, Acid and atmospheric Electro with nods to Krautrock & Ambient sounds, Steve Hyland's ATTRAKTTA project gets an extended outing on the FILM label. Across eight beautifully produced tracks, Hyland - one of the founding members of AI Records and subsequently Concrete Plastic, explores vibrant synthesis and intricate drum programming, with the music arriving at a sweet spot between home listening material & club-ready workouts for more intelligent dance floors.

Eschewing straightforward synth sequences in favour of blissed out - almost disharmonious sonics, Hyland transmits a curious psychedelia on his debut LP. Sounds pitch and warp organically, buoyed up by saturated low end and punchy drum machine percussion. There remains a decidedly accomplished precision to the work, though - with the music bearing all the hallmarks of an artist of some considerable experience - testament to the British producer & label head's 19 years working in the industry.

A colourful, exquisitely composed LP that riffs on a timeless production aesthetic with considerable style, Echo Principle is a fantastic entry into the FILM Records discography.

Robotron is the machine formerly known as Xinner. This is its first offering for the ESP Institute. Side A's Dream Resonator is an idiosyncratic network — dexterous machine drum/percussion programming, an ebb and flow of floating arpeggios, syncopated counter-melodies and a hail of stabbing stringscontinually diffusing into ethereal vapor — all stacked into an (aptly-named) orchestral anthem. Side B's Ice takes a similar approach with arrangement, each instrument carving out its place in the track's mechanics for a glorious convergence of patterns, but, where side A proves optimistic, here we sense a more menacing undercurrent, an austerity powerfully articulated through towering kicks and claps so compressed they fill up every dark corner of negative space. Indeed, Robotron has an innate command for building and calibrating robust systems, but beneath this calculated veil we find the remnant human behavior of Xinner. These two songs will whisper loudly but scream quietly.

It Was A Musical Cocktail Born In A Marketing Meeting: Two Parts Easy Listening, One Part Jazz, A Healthy Dollop Of Conga Drums, A Sprinkling Of Bird Calls, And A Pinch Of Textless Choir. Serve Garnished With An Alluring Female On The Album Jacket For Best Results. Exotica! The Soundtrack For A Mythical Air Conditioned Eden, Packaged For Mid-century, Tiki Torch-wielding Armchair Safariers. Be It Mosquito-bitten Torch Singers, Landlocked Surf Quartets, Fad-chasing Jazz Combos, Mad Genius Band Leaders, D-list Actors, Or A Middle Aged Loner Programming Bird Calls Into A Hammond, Exotica Was Always More Concerned With What Geography Might Sound Like Over Who Was Conducting. Captured Across Three Albums Are 48 (54 On The Cd) Curious Examples Of The Short-lived Genre's Reach, Each Summoning Their Own Sonic Visions Of Shangri La, Bringing Their Versions Of The Pacific, Africa, And The Orient To The Hinterlands Of America. Technicolor Paradise Is Where One Makes It, After All.

Various Artists - Technicolour Paradise: Rhum Rhapsodies & Others Exotic Delights

incl. download card]
There is something to be majestic about stalwarts of a certain flock coming together to be creative. The harder side of Drum & Bass didn't have it's own power formation until today. It's as of this day that Czech producer Forbidden Society, formed an alliance with two of his most respected peers to create 3RDKND. Donny, Katharsys and FS all have a strong lean to rhythmic textures, tough drum cuts and experimental FX works. Just in time for the European festival season, the thunderous first effort has arrived; and it's going to turn some heads.

Purge EP is a work of experience, seeking for the outer bounderies of whats sonically possible. The title track is an electronic behemoth which revolves around boundary pushing drum programming and pure unfiltered energy. 'The Artifact' is a straight up dancefloor anthem which uses an ominous vocal of cinematic proportions to build up to the halftime body of heavy hitting drums. 'Fire And Blood' is an experimental work of the rhythmic endurance. The final track is a 3RDKND remix of an original track by Donny and FS. This is the final showcasing of the trinity's sonical excellence. 'Purge EP' will be released through Forbidden Society's self titled label

A continuation of his kaleidoscopic sun-dappled cosmic-disco, Neon Leon was the much-loved CD-only sophomore album by Sorcerer. Just in time for Spring/Summer, we present the first ever vinyl issue, released as a deluxe double LP.

A perfectly formed suite of ten tracks featuring soft guitars, subtle synths and lightly grooving percussion, Neon Leon magically evokes that elusive summer feeling throughout. The guitar-driven "Algorhythm" serves as the album opener, blasting bold, sun-drenched jazz chords atop bright synths and groove-based drum programming. "Ride The Serpent" and "Distort Yourself" are guided by a more sultry, slo-mo disco impulse whilst the staggering "Chemise" and strident "Face It" merge 80s West Coast production sheen with Sorcerer's trademark laid back, gentle disco. "Raydio"'s undeniable head-nod groove adds a rare vocal to the proceedings, joyously combining with the bubbling cosmic funk.

Since its initial release in 2009, exceptional producers have created vibrant variations on the dreamy, dubby, melodic nu-disco theme. Happily, the emergence of such luminaries as Jex Opolis, Harvey Sutherland, Suzanne Kraft, Tornado Wallace et al has only served to make the master - Sorcerer - sound ever more brilliant and vital.

Utilising his array of guitars, drum machines, synths, and trusty MPC, the loved-up Sorcerer sound inspires halcyon memories of warm days, endless sunsets and pure youthful abandon. Influenced by surf, 80s dance pop, acid-R&B, space jazz, krautrock, disco, dub, and am radio gold, his music maps a tour through a uniquely Californian lifestyle. Yet when music so vividly captures a vibe and a feeling, it can make writing about it appear almost redundant. Instead, to glean the full colour of what your turntable will soon gratefully radiate, we prescribe the generous soundclips presented here.

And, for a unique insight into the process behind the wonderful sounds conjured up, here's Sorcerer himself:

"Neon Leon's is the name of a bar in a Elmore Leonard book I was reading on a vacation to Belize with my future wife. I was soaking up his brand of noir during the making of the songs on this record, along with another favorite Ross Macdonald. We were living in a small apartment in the Mission District of San Francisco where i had my own room to jam. It was painted Orange and Turquoise and was a very inspiring place to create and focus. I could walk out of my house to any number of hole in the wall bars where people were deejaying, hanging-out, and knew about me and my music.

After White Magic I developed more confidence in my style and process so I stuck with it and I believe it shows in the tunes I selected for the record. The sounds are rich and I dug deeper into sampling from obscure dollar records and getting looser musically. I made a handful of collage videos for the tracks at this time as well, which represent where my mind was at visually. In my mind it's Cosmic Funk that rules the day and I am thankful to have the opportunity to share it with the world again."

Lovingly remastered by the esteemed Simon Francis, cut reassuringly loud on to heavyweight double vinyl and presented in a deluxe gatefold jacket with freshly commissioned artwork throughout from original designer Rich Robinson, this limited edition of 500 copies is sure to fly.

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With his new album 'Trail Of Intuition' Danish singer and songwriter Jacob Bellens once again is shimmering somewhere in-between electronically influenced songwriting and synthpop music, using his characteristic voice to reflect on his life's journey. Since the age of five, making music means creating a parallel universe to Jacob Bellens. It's his very own space, where he can be himself and always retreat to, no matter what happens. Out of this universe the Copenhagen based musician has released numerous songs and albums with his previous bands I Got You On Tape and Murder, with side projects and features as well as a solo artist. 'Trail Of Intuition' is his fourth solo album and the second one that's internationally signed with hfn music. Unlike the songs for his previous release 'Polyester Skin", which he wrote mostly on piano and guitar before sending them to producer Kasper Bjørke for final production, Bellens wrote all the songs for 'Trail Of Intuition' on his computer. You could see him sitting in front of his laptop in coffee shops across Copenhagen, with his headphones on, letting the basic programming and pre-production of the songs become an essential part of the writing process. The final production was made mostly by Rune Borup, who he knows back from the I Got You On Tape days and his friend Lars Iversen (The Asteroids Galaxy Tour), with whom Bellens also had the band project Goblins. The new album is a collection of snapshots of the whole range of feelings for which Bellens digs into the pool of his own experiences.

One of the most unique, ambitious and experimental game soundtracks ever made. Now on vinyl for the very first time.

Similar to the task of condensing Yuzo Koshiro and Motohiro Kawashima's abundance of ideas into a Mega Drive cartridge in 1994, it feels impossible to convey the influences, technical achievements and sheer ambition of their masterpiece into a single paragraph today. By combining automatic composition methods, custom programming languages and a complete sense of artistic freedom, Koshiro and Kawashima transcended their medium and created something so incomparable that it's hard to believe it came from any games console, let alone a 16bit one. Streets of Rage 3 is urgent, demanding and a complete rejection of the notion that video game music is either pedestrian or predictable. We are honoured to be releasing it.

Streets of Rage 3 is presented as a double LP in a heavyweight single pocket sleeve, with accompanying lithographic print featuring artwork from the SEGA archives in Japan. The audio was sourced from original hardware and carefully remastered in collaboration with Yuzo Koshiro, who also supplied exclusive liner notes for this release. On 180g translucent orange vinyl.

Snad aka Shyam Anand is an artist from Chicago of Indian descent. He just moved to Berlin. And this is his first release on Suol.His debut EP for us is a three-tracker and absolute quality. Its title 'Home Away From House' alludes to a musical career spanning three continents and to the 'most enlightened circles', as Snad puts it, 'who still travel the Silk Roads and who take their underground seriously -- wherever they call home'. What this means becomes apparent quickly as the title track drops us straight into a softly stabby, hypnotic little sequence on top of an elegantly subtle combination of a drum machine groove and synth bass. Things build up patiently with luscious delayed chords before rising strings transport us to a beautiful place where the Goa sun shines onto the streets of Chicago. Just like all tracks on the EP, 'Cut!!!' is purely instrumental but it doesn't need words to tell its story. Clever drum programming and cool reverbs are in perfect harmony with a melodic bass riff and a silky, modulating analogue lead that guides us to the end with a smile.

'Deep Looking', the EP's final track, has a solid groove at its centre and some delicious ear candy around it. Syncopated toms and claps join forces with a fast hi-hat pattern to provide plenty of momentum for this otherwise dreamily floating acid house number.

Mouse on Mars is recognised as one of Germany's most defning and versatile electronic music projects. With their
anarchic mixture of sound that oscillates between uncontrollable chaos and meticulously arranged structures,
Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma have forged a unique musical language, which is readily decomposed by the
unpredictability of its myriad mutations. Free from schools of thought, genre conventions, and from the constraints
of the music establishment, they have worked under the Mouse on Mars alias for 24 years, mapping their own
idiosyncratic trajectory through a no man's land between pop, art, club music, and the avant-garde. - Jan Rohlf
Idiology takes the acoustic experiments of Niun Niggung even further, and it's this combination of electronic
and 'traditional' music -- melding keyboards and synthesizers with french horns and guitars and trumpets into a
seamless whole -- that points the way through the dead-ends of most electronica.'
- PopMatters
Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner continue to create soundscapes that blur the line between programming and live
musicianship, and sometimes between Earth and outer space.' - The A.V. Club
On April 13th Mouse on Mars will release Dimensional People,
their brand new studio album on Thrill Jockey.
The album features Werner and Toma joined by a number of
prolifc guests: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Zach Condon (Beirut),
Spank Rock, Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Swamp
Dogg, Eric D. Clarke, Lisa Hannigan, Amanda Blank, Sam
Amidon, Ensemble Musikfabrik, and about 20 more musical
collaborators.
After a series of notorious dance oor releases, Dimensional
People reveals them working deep within their own vernacular,
digging into fertile terrain of their inexhaustible vault of digital
and acoustic experimentation, and charismatically making
elemental components new again. This album makes clear how
their craft is of discovery, of fnding new contexts for places,
sounds, memories, sensations, ambiences, technologies,
relationships, and of course, people.

For this release Metrist delves into a set of carefully constructed and deeply rhythmic but ear-grabbingly idiosyncratic, mixed fidelity dancefloor-geared oddities.

The first three tracks are united, in a fashion, by the artist's skill at programming a series of drum tracks that set a definite tone for the productions. Within a quite partisan field of often microscopic generic variety, largely pinned down to the tempo and timbre of electronic drums, here Metrist has pursued a tricky-to-define path. The bounce of new jack swing is twisted amongst stripped back polyrhythms, equal parts groove and glitch seasoned by some futuristic acid filters that create a constantly shifting aura of space and textural nuance around the individual drum hits. Quite often arrhythmic interjections punctuate these 'grooves', be it the sawing bursts of noise and snarled, incoherent vocals on 'An Soaep', the non-language and playful, bubbling bass surrounding the half time feel of 'On Golden Seize' that builds to something approximating an industrial take on UK Funky or the brash sub-wobbles that intrude 'Pantomimer Tongue's juddering knife-scraping-on-a-balloon stutters.

'Caaacel the Horze' closes the record in a less weighty style, with crunchy arpeggios running on a synth that sounds like it's picking up interference from a radio channel, as snatches of moaned vocals allude to a deeply ambiguous yet chilling narrative behind the music. Thudding kicks intrude on the skittish melody but in a non-rhythmic way reminiscent of someone trying desperately to snatch your attention by banging on the adjacent wall. Gauzy melodic textures in the background provide a calming counterpoint to the uneasy qualities of the composition.

Jaxx Madicine is a jazz-funk inspired house-ish outfit from Milan consisting of Turbojazz (Local Talk, GAMM Records), Parker Madicine (Heist, Bastard Jazz Brooklyn, CT-HI Records) and the talented jazz keyboardist 'Veez_0'.

With an organic and melodic sound collage you can hear influences from classic 70's jazz funk labels and artists like CTI, Mizell Brothers, Kudu and Bob James but also the current sounds of Kaidi Tatham, Byron The Aquarius and Harvey Sutherland.

After their debut EP 'Montreux' they are now ready to drop their full album 'Distant Classic' where the Jaxx crew exit planet earth and treat us to a space music odyssey that is full of surprises.
During the journey they deliver house, jazz, fusion, boogie and jazzy beats from a highly melodic keyboard perspective.
All tracks are made with a genuine love for analogue synthesizers, fender Rhodes, clavinets and some soulful MPC programming.

'Distant Classic' is an album that can be enjoyed both in the club and at home, but we hope you will enjoy their melodic sounds on any platform. Just press go and enjoy the trip...

Osage (pronounced Oh-Sage) is the electronic music making alter ego of dj/producer lil'dave, a veteran DJ on the Philadelphia nightclub scene, a member of the highly respected dj crew Illvibe Collective and the co-host of the internationally known broadcast Eavesdrop Radio. As a recording artist, he has released music under various aliases for record labels such as BBE Records, Tru Thoughts, Record Breakin' Music, Soulspazm, and First Word Records and collaborated with and remixed a diverse range of artists such as RJD2, Lady Alma, Ty, Ryat, Captain Planet, Foremost Poets, and more.The Osage sound is an amalgamation of musical influences such as deep house, samba, African rhythms, futuristic r&b, boogie, uk garage, salsa, broken beat, and soul. Built from slightly unorthodox drum programming, and layers of synthesizers, the music is focused on bringing the soulfulness out of the machines he is working with. Over the years, he has been building a solid reputation by creating a catalog of clever dance floor edits, remixes, and original tracks which have been supported by notable tastemakers such Gilles Peterson. This 12" compiles 4 of our favorite moments from the 2 EPs that Osage has released thus far on Bastard Jazz. The record kicks off with the bubbling house vibes of "I Found You" featuring Dezeray Dawn on vocals, before moving into a deeper House dub of the track from Washington DC's Sol Power All-Stars. On the flip, "Last Call" is a late end of the night anthem with Osage himself offering words of inspiration, and the EP rounds off with the "Anyway", a sparse dance cut with syncopated claps, moody synths and heartfelt vocals from Yemi.

Collected Works 1996-2017' champions an oft overlooked aesthetic in contemporary techno, opting for radiant bliss over darkness and placing the listener in enveloping soundscapes, admirable for their sheer detail and arrangement whilst never losing sight of the dancefloor.The realisation of this project follows a 3 year period of co-writing, programming and engineering on the new UNKLE album 'The Road' part 1, which is now released. Since 1996, an accomplished career as a producer, and sound engineer has granted him releases on labels including Tresor, Delsin, Void, Archive, Rush Hour and Ferox, as well as a monthly residency at Tresor in Berlin

Matthew Puffett, the artist most commonly known as Future Beat Alliance, presents a retrospective of selected works under his most lauded moniker. The name - taken from an Afrika Bambaataa sleeve - may have been a nod to the early-80s hip hop that was his first musical love while growing up in Oxford, but the music bore the unmistakable influence of the Detroit techno that had become his obsession. 'Collected Works 1996-2017' maps an illustrious discography over two decades and will be released on the artist's own imprint - FBA Recordings. Preceding the compilation, a brand new track entitled 'Chemical Cloud' will also be released. The realisation of this project follows a 3 year period of co-writing, programming and engineering on the new UNKLE album -The Road' part 1, which is now released.

2022 Repress

HQ Gatefold, 3x12 140g Vinyl, black innersleeve, download code
EXTRAWELT are back! Although in fairness, they were never gone. On the contrary, since their first release on James Holden's Border Community Label dropped in 2005, Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe have been responsible for a plethora of classics including "Schöne Neue Extrawelt" and "In Aufruhr", their two seminal albums on Cocoon Recordings. The duo are one of the most booked live acts worldwide, commanding a huge fan base. Their performances are the stuff of legend, making them the absolute highlight at every club and festival they play. So it's with great pride and respect, that we can announce the release of Extrawelt's third album for Cocoon Recordings. "Fear Of An Extra Planet" completes the Cocoon trilogy and the excitement growing among their fans represents a new high in the history of EXTRAWELT!
Musically, of course, there's enormous pressure on EXTRAWELT to deliver, but this is dismissed with a playful disregard and they are clearly focused on the job in hand. The album title "Fear Of An Extra Planet" sounds cinematic, like some art-house science fiction film, without giving too much away.
However, from the first seconds of the opening track "Superposition", the album title makes 100% sense and sets the scene for the rest of the trip. We are immersed in wide open spaces and invited to explore dark and dusky worlds that transport us back to their Border Community years. Timeless and elegant, "Superposition" perfectly captures the epic, dream like quality that made James Holden's label so influential.
New Release Information Second up, "Gott ist Schrott" takes a much more minimalist approach with its retro 80s drum programming, monster bass lurking in the breaks and playful Rhodes/synth riffs that span the divide between early German techno and deep Detroit electro with a distinctive film soundtrack aesthetic. "Oddification" continues this theme, adding extra spice reminiscent of the techno-synth vibe of Detroit with a punchy, almost Prodigy-style breakbeat complete with shredded vocal samples that gives us a taste of what's in store. "Gentle Venom" then takes the breakbeat motif to the next stage. The main focus here is the classy sprinter of a bassline, peppered with a flurry of intricate and subtle effects and modulations, that immediately trigger an intense, movie-like 'in pursuit' feeling.
With - Das Grosse Flimmern" we cautiously approach the album's high point. It's still in keeping with the soundtrack aesthetics, but faster and with more urgency. Almost hypnotically, Extrawelt invade us with an energy and impetus that always radiates from their music. Next in line is "Silly Idol" and here Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe opt again for a more minimal tack, focusing even more intensely on the dance floor to reveal a pulsing, twisted heart to the album.
"Punch The Dragon" is the hidden gem of the collection, utilising and melting together the most bombastic and playful elements. This one is totally off the hook, a sensory overload in an acoustic widescreen format! Then we have the title track "Fear Of An Extra Planet" which perfectly sums up the album concept. It opens up like a film score, with minimal passages following dark sequences that morph into dreamy melodies, all grounded by cool, constantly alternating analogue drum patterns. If you're not listening closely, you might get the impression that three or four different titles are mixed together; such is the effortless flow of the album.
As we near our destination, "The Friendly Coroner" really does honour its name. The morbid charm of the title is captured by a fluid bassline and melodic arrangements that border on the absurd, until the funky drum beat finally drops. In our mind's eye we see a cheerful medical doctor removing his bloody gloves, hanging his smock in the closet and vibing out in his neon drenched workspace. And there we sit, glued to our cinema seat, submerged in the different textures EXTRAWELT have conjured up on "Fear Of An Extra Planet". Over the course of the last title, the strings usher in the final acknowledgments as the credits roll. The dramatic end of "2084" leaves us transfixed in front of a black screen in a large, dark room safe in the knowledge that we've just witnessed a science fiction epic.

Somne debuts on Just This.
The Italian producer, whose real name is Federico Maccherone, presents his first release of 2017 - a solo EP marrying the same ethereal, wide-angle synthesis and intricate drum programming that appears on standout work for Boddika's Nonplus imprint and the Afterlife label. More than ever, Maccherone shows his range - rolling, meditative recordings sit comfortably alongside some more overtly dance floor material, with both approaches bound by the same high-end production values listeners and DJ's alike have come to expect from the Somne project.
In various ways, the EP offers a certain degree of insight into Maccherone's dual identity as a producer of both clinical, dance-floor fare as well as a cerebral, leftfield work - and in turn, how the artist draws together these two strands of creative endeavour to craft unique and profoundly emotive electronic music. Nods to classic IDM and Ambient sit at the periphery of the recordings, although the main focus is on the propulsive, contemporary Techno derivatives - from warping, half-time opener Divided Love, with its crisp, white noise washes and clinical use of distortion - through to Endgame's exacting, peak-time drive. And whilst the form shifts across the EP from half-time, polyrhythmic work to more direct 4x4 compositions - everything remains bound by the same exquisite, otherworldly atmosphere that touches on the grandiose whilst maintaining a gloriously introspective bent.
Balance comes across as a principle theme on the record, both in terms of production aesthetic and track sequencing, but there is a wonderful contrast between the elements - with the sounds ringing strong and true. The two versions of lead Metropolis that perhaps appear to illustrate in the best way the powerful dichotomy within Maccherone's work, with the A side version conjuring up a distinctly brooding sentiment - a quintessential example of rolling, contemporary Electronica, whilst the Alternate Mix of the B side offers a more direct, cathartic interpretation - expertly executed for maximum dance-floor effectiveness.
Mature and accomplished, Metropolis is a fine addition to the growing Somne discography. The record paints a picture of a producer in full control of his art, definitely working to create a powerful three-dimensional space of his own within the genre.

'Exit Entrance' is the DFA debut for Kohei Matsunaga aka NHK yx Koyxen.

Kohei has been making / releasing music since 1997 and has recorded for such iconic labels as Mille Plateaux, Important, Pan & Diagonal.

His latest recordings explore intricate drum programming, lush melodies & sparkling arrangements. Touchstones include the legendary 'Clicks & Cuts' compilations from the 1990's as well as Aphex Twin & Autechre. RA called his music bombastic techno funk....unpredictable but rarely disappointing'.

'Exit Entrance' is a collection of new songs that snap and flicker unlike anything Kohei has done in the past. There is a clarity and beauty to these tracks that bursts out of the speakers in a three dimensional way, matching the 3D glasses that the artist wears during all his live performances. The elegant arrangements and crisp drum breaks match the concise song titles - Kohei foregoes the typical impenetrable track names made up of numbers and shorthand, and opts for a more direct emotional sincerity through the sonic themes of the record. Not all the music here falls into the same exact formula.

As the album heads towards a close, after several tracks of harmonious beauty, we get 'Outset (for Mika Vainio)', a sombre hushed techno tune, dedicated to his late friend and musical collaborator, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year as the record was being completed. What follows after this track is perhaps the real catharsis, as 'Dented' ominously kicks off with acidic stabs and rolls into a tumultuous dirge of gritty techno.

In this regard, 'Exit Entrance' can play out like a life cycle, a mini opera of birth and beauty, of sorrow and mourning.

It is one of the most direct and honest records Kohei has ever made, and DFA is beyond proud to present this work from such an esteemed creative force in the electronic avant-garde world of music.

For fans of Aphex Twin, Actress, Zomby, Kraftwerk, Four Tet.

Scissorgun are a two-piece soundscape project from Manchester comprising Alan Hempsall (of Crispy Ambulance) on treated guitars, vocals, prose and trumpet, and David Clarkson (formerly of Triclops and Illuminati) on synths, keyboards, drum programming, rhythms and percussion.

The duo came together in the summer of 2016 with a view to creating spontaneous music, and by November had laid the foundations of Assault Two, their debut release, so named because it is the second release on Aural Assault Records, whose first outing was the debut single by Crispy Ambulance way back in April 1980.

This special 10' and CD package is released in a limited edition of 500 copies. The extended CD features longer versions of the five tracks on the vinyl disc as well as two bonus cuts. The artwork is by Pascal Blua.

Detroit's Burden Bros have long been looked upon with immense respect within contemporary dance music. Having been in operation since 1990 with their 430 West imprint they have long encapsulated the forward thinking vibe of Detroit Techno with their output over the last 20+ years, gaining praise from their motor city peers as well as fans worldwide. Having had success in the mainstream and an enduring underground presence they are well versed in the art of music.

This double-pack 'Cymbolic' originally came out in 1995 and found favour with electronic music fans who sought a deeper edge in their music. It's all here, the trademark drum programming, the epic sense that all of the Burden Bros productions have within them. This is dancefloor music, music for DJ's to utilise, tools, but tools with the deepest soul imaginable. Listen to 'Terraforming' or 'The Symbiont' - perfect examples of driving, almost tribal-esque rhythms fused with strings, synth pads and human feeling. 'Cymbolic' is for you if you're a fan of Detroit Techno, but it's also for those who enjoy the deepest electronic sounds. That's not to say it isn't funky though, these tracks will decimate most dance-floors, and therein lies the secret. Essential release here, that classic 430 (mid) West flavour re-mastered, re-pressed and re-released in conjunction with the Burden Brothers / 430 West Records, Detroit USA

Jaxx Madicine is a jazz-funk inspired house'ish outfit from Milan consisting of Turbojazz (Local Talk, GAMM Records), Parker Madicine (Heist, Bastard Jazz Brooklyn, CT-HI Records) and the talented jazz keyboardist 'Veez_0'.

With an organic and melodic sound collage you can hear influences from classic 70's jazz-funk labels and artists like CTI, Mizell Brothers, Kudu and Bob James but also the current sounds of Kaidi Tatham, Byron The Aquarius and Harvey Sutherland.
On this their first EP you get three amazing tracks that all are made with a genuine love for analogue synthesizers, fender Rhodes, clavinets and some soulful MPC programming...

New one on A Colourful Storm from soon-to-be-known artist Tackle. Insane breaks and bass programming over humorous sample placement. But there's nothing funny about it's take-no-prisoners approach. One of the heaviest releases we've heard in a long time. Fans of A Colourful Storm will recognise Grondman from Moopie's mix on Dommune late last year. Vital Sales Points: - Fourth release on Australian label A Colourful Storm - First release since 'Benzedrine', which was number 20 of Resident Advisor's 2016 top tracks - Premiered on Dommune in Tokyo last October. - Richie Hawtin's favourite artist. (Probably).

In this space between chaos and conformity disorderly moments welcome new phases into existence, leading to the awakening of an elevated version of the self. Between highs and lows, Transitions of Life remain; the concept behind Synthek's first solo full length sound narrative on his Natch Records imprint. Unfolding across a vexing two-year transformation phase, Synthek's crossings along rough roads are the tribulations to reveal this intimate personal journey of reve- lation through emotional downshift, spiritual upheaval and cerebral quandary. In this dominion, Synthek shapes the eleven track escapade along a sophisticated array of synths and warm analog drums, while contrasting the build and decline of atmosphere through deep bass soundscapes.
Pivotal turning points execute the programming of the album's three part sound design; beginning from darkness and repression, evolving to a more colourful aerial majesty of lucid dream state, morphing into the developed nature of life lessons learned; Transitions of Life making its incarnation into the discovery of the self and re-entry into reality.

*Transitions of Life is a 2x12' release made available through Natch Elements, intro- spective extension to the Natch Records imprint. Visual embodiment of the project artfully presented with photographic time capsule by Salar Kheradpejouh of Berlin, Germany with graphic work curated by Jacopo Saveritano, co-founder of Natch Records.

Kool Keith, is an American rapper from The Bronx known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool Keith has recorded prolifically both as a solo artist and in group collaborations. After being part of the legendary hip hop formation Ultramagnetic MC's he debuted in 1996 as a profound solo artist. He is generally considered to be one of hip-hop's most eccentric and unusual personalities.

By the big audience Kool Keith is mostly known as the voice of the number Smack My Bitch Up' by the Prodigy, a fragment used without his consent.

Black Elvis/Lost in Space is the fourth studio album by mc Kool Keith, but recorded under the alias of Black Elvis. This is the first album performed under this alias.

Kool Keith uses very complex rhymes on various subject matters from Black Elvis' viewpoint on half of the album and on the other half elaborates on space travel and being lost in space. This is the first album for which Keith handled all of the production, although drum programming was done by Kutmasta Kurt and Marc Live.

Richy Ahmed launches his new imprint, Four Thirty Two, with a self-produced two-track single, 'Put Me In A Trance', featuring the vocal talents of Gloria Adereti and a collaboration with up and coming producer, Janson.
The new label is a back to basics, analogue vision, directed by Richy, which will include original material, unearthed and undiscovered artist appearances, and remixes from the Richy and Janson alias Love Hurtz, as well as featuring a variety of vocalists from surrounding circles. Each release will have a clear focus on the sound of vinyl and clean-cut imagery presented with each record.
Richy explains; "The first release is from myself, my good friend Janson and Gloria Adereti, all original and new material. I am super happy with the EP and both tracks are sounding really strong, so cant wait for you to hear it. Check the original artwork also done by Will Worrell and myself, each release will have unique and bespoke artwork that we've created and photographed in professional studios. I'm super proud to kick start the label with this release."
Since his debut EP 'The Drums' on Hot Creations in 2013, Richy has continued to pave the way for genre spanning and aspiring artists. Aside from his recording and production ventures, Richy has been at the forefront of UK house music and its surrounding avenues for some years, taking a lead role in programming DC10'S Paradise parties, and a variety of club projects. Richy has forthcoming remixes for the likes of FFRR and Snatch, and has recently had solo singles out on Strictly Rhythm and Rinse Records, as well as a prestigious remix for New Order.
As an extension to the label releases, Four Thirty Two will tour the UK as an operating label party brand, with early shows selling out in record time and forthcoming label nights around the UK and Europe scheduled, all side stepping Richy's usual realms of clubland for smaller and more intimate venues.
Vinyl release date 28th October

Raime's second album, Tooth, arrives June 10, 2016 on 2xLP, CD and digital formats. The widescreen melancholia of their 2012 debut, Quarter Turns Over A Living Line, gives way to an urgent and focussed futurism, in the shape of eight fiercely uptempo, minimal, meticulously crafted electro-acoustic rhythm tracks. The DNA of dub-techno, garage/grime and post-hardcore rock music spliced into sleek and predatory new forms.

No let-up, no hesitation. Needlepoint guitar, deftly junglist drum programming, brooding synths and lethal sub-bass drive the engine. The production is immaculate, high definition. No hiss, no obscuring drones or extraneous noise: the music of Tooth is wide-open and exposed. The seeds of its supple dancehall biomechanics can be found in the self-titled 2013 EP by Raime side-project Moin, an ahead-of-its-time synthesis of art-rock and soundsystem sensibilities, but Tooth pushes the template further, binding the disparate elements together so tightly that they become indistinguishable from one another.

If Quarter Turns was an album that confronted total loss and self-destruction, even longed for it, then Tooth is the sound of resistance and counter-attack: cunning, quick, resolute, calling upon stealth as much as brute-force. At a time when so many pay lip service to experimentation without ever fully committing themselves or their work to it, Raime return from three years of deep, dedicated studio research with a bold and original new music: staunch, rude, and way out in front.

After the first Ricardo Tobar remix edition (featuring remixes by John Tejada and Fairmont) on Cocoon Recordings we are proud to present the next chapter with remixes by Lawrence and Midnight Operator (Mathew and Nathan Jonson). 2016 seems to continue as we started it: With high quality music by great artists presenting us amazing techno in an unique and tasty style. Midnight Operator, the joint project of the two Jonson brothers, picked Tobars Angora' for their remix and the result appears very fresh and housey. Their bassline programming adds a nice italo-disco vibe to their version of Angora". Together with their strings and melody-parts the Midnight Operator remix is turning into the perfect soundtrack for the upcoming spring nights: We hear flowers, birds, butterflies and feel the warm air ... not to mention that our feet start moving and dancing. Dial mastermind Lawrence contributes the fourth remix to Tobars album: His version of Red Light' explores the emotional side of techno and house. We dive into deep spaces, spheric melodies and an atmosphere close to the vibe of the great works of Kraftwerk - this is impressive! Lawrence Red Light' version presents the musical side of techno to us - a timeless piece of music with a chill-out flavoured beat and synth programming.