Wade "Jimmy" Dyce was an original member of Cultural Roots. He was a vocalist and played a key role in shaping the sound of the group. Cultural Roots emerged as a four-part harmony group for producer Donovan Germain in the late 1970s, releasing « Revolutionary Sounds » and « Mr Bossman » which counts among ‘Jah Shaka's favourite tunes’. Then they released « Hell A Go Pop », one of the Greensleeves label’s lesser-known classics.
In the early 80's, Wade Dyce produced alone three songs at Chris Stanley's famous Music Mountain studio. Wade Dayce surrounds himself with the best musicians of the time, namely the Revolutionaries, but does not remember the exact formation apart from Sly Dunbar on drums and Bongo Herman on percussion. « Humble », « Money Mare » and « Hide & Seek » are three forgotten songs that can be described as killer roots from the middle of the 80s and which you can (re)discover again through this reissue on the original Moving On label. For this release, Jamwax worked with Parade Studio for this original and unique Disco 45 cover graphic creation.
Today, Wade, now sixty-seven years old, is living in Salem, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 2010 as a mental-health specialist. Long live to the Cultural Roots !
quête:b key
Vol. 2[13,87 €]
Fool’s Paradise is the exciting new label from Toolroom Records’ Mark Knight - that comes straight from the heart, it’s a natural progression from his hugely acclaimed 2021 album release, ‘Untold Business’, which saw Mark go back to his roots, paying homage to the more funky, soulful, and vocal House from the 1990s from where he came.
With a focus on real instrumentation and production, coupled with great song writing, this new Toolroom sub label will be a platform for high quality House music that’s designed to stand the test of time. Launching the new label with a mighty bang and delivering the first in our exciting new vinyl sampler series is head honcho, Mark Knight who joins forces with Australian Toolroom label mate, Sgt Slick and British Soul sensation, Beverley Knight on a dynamite cover of Prince’s 1979 classic, ‘I Wanna Be Your Lover’.
Respectfully transporting the song onto today’s dance floors, Mark & Sgt Slick deliver a classy uplifting soulful house production, loaded with funky guitars, warm pads and sublime key performances. Adding the icing on the cake and putting her own stamp on things, Beverley belts out one of her signature spine-tingling vocals, garnished with lush harmonies and BV’s that would indeed make The Purple One proud!
Completing the vinyl package is Dance music stalwart, Opolopo, and British Soul icon, Jaki Graham, who together bring the dance floor heat with their new single, ‘Fire’. Powered by a potent soulful house groove from Opolopo, loaded with warm piano hooks, emotive synth melodies and a sublime popping bass hook, ‘Fire’ see’s Jaki flaunt her electrifying vocal talents with a show-stopping performance on this irresistibly catchy song.
- I Wanna Be Your Lover reached Traxsource #1 where it stayed for 6 weeks consecutively - Radio support on BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio Cornwall, Hedkandi, Kiss FM, Mi-Soul, Gaydio, Radio 105 / Montecarlo (Italy), Mambo Radio, Rinse fm, Select Radio, Totally Wired Radio, Point Blank, RTE, Power fm (Ireland), Metro FM (SA), Cool Fm, Radio Reverb, Radio FG (France), Release Radio and many more.
DJ support from Husky, Hector Romero, Javi Bora, Grace Bones, Judge Jules, Sebb Junior, Jay Vegas, Odyssey Inc, ATFC, Claptone, Black Legend, Cevin Fisher, Michael Gray, Kisch, Hoxton Whores, Full Intention, Booker T, Jamie Jones, Knights Of The Turntable, Sam Divine, DJ Rae, CASSIMM, Alex Preston
A1 Lose It All… an 18 minute journey of epic proportions, crescendo after crescendo with high percussion sounds and chest pounding drum grooves. Medu’s signature low end control that rumbles under the swinging key rhythm which dominates the vibe is absolutely mesmerising. The finishing touch to this late night dance floor heavyweight sound is the combination of Odille Lima’s chopped up ad-libs, harmonies and story telling voice that keeps you moving with wonder. This track is laced with energy and excellence.
The B side comprises of 2 break beat inspired tracks that are mysterious and full of heavy hitting percussion, dusty grooves and dark driving basslines. Odille is on both tracks with her unique vocals that fit perfectly with this underground sound. A must EP have for any DJ or collector.
Kerri Chandler’s Kaoz Theory welcomes the return of Dj Steaw in January 2024 with his ‘Get Back To The Fonk’ EP.
Parisian House stalwart Dj Steaw has grown to become a widely respected figure in the field of
raw, underground, classic House over the past decade, racking up releases on many leading
imprints of the genre such as Hot Haus, Meta, Local Talk, Step and Phonogramme as well as his
own Steaward, Rutilance and House Puff. Here though he returns to Kaoz Theory following the
success of his ‘Colour Of Mind’ EP in 2022.
Title-cut ‘Get Back To The Fonk’ opens and sees Dj Steaw lay down a jazzy keys and stab
sequences, a bouncy bass line and heavily swung drums alongside an amalgamation of spoken
word vocals and chants. ‘Don’t Stop’ follows next and shift focus into deeper realms with warm,
fluttering chords, swaying subs and airy strings running atop of a robust rhythm.
‘In My Body’s House’ is up next to open the B-side, embracing a true House feel this time through
the use of organic piano melodies, sax licks and organ lines intertwined with a bumpy bass hook
and dubbed out vocal effects. ‘Grey Matter’ then concludes the original material, focusing on
multilayered dreamy keys, resonant flutters and skippy percussion.
This four track EP features the LA band’s single’s Blame and the EP’s title track Bloodline,
Quickly finding fans in the likes of Elton John, Celeste, Paul Weller, Benji B, and Gilles Peterson, the band should soon find plenty more on a record that could soundtrack a David Lynch epic such is its drama and suspenseful, late-night orchestral ruminations. Capped by Lusk’s voice, a weapon that swoops through the octaves breathlessly, Gabriels have that rare ability to make you re-evaluate music, and what it can do, in a heartbeat.
Whilst Lusk provides the wow factor with that ridiculous larynx, Gabriels are very much a close-knit trio. Producer, keyboardist (and full-time video director) Ryan Hope hails from Sunderland but calls LA home. Fellow producer-composer and violinist Ari Balouzian, a man with endless musical projects on the go at any one time, gives Gabriels’ songs a real ‘feel’ to them.
Sultry, soulful mood music certainly isn’t the band’s modus operandi, with debut track If Love & Hate In A Different Time having originally identified Gabriels as a loose-limbed, soul-stirring funk and gospel-flecked odyssey. But this experimental EP should paint an altogether more rounded idea of where Gabriels are at… !
Cosmological Record begins its journey with Red Shift EP, five original tracks produced by Roberto Manolio, with an experimental touch and abstract-style artwork by the young and talented Luca Maestro. Techno and house imprint for the first chapter, with various nuances ranging from acid to deep house, with a touch of electro and minimal sound,unite to sensual, thoughtful and direct vocals.
Its flow has the aim of channeling whatever kind of energy is emanated in that instant, creating a direct connection with its source of origin, favoring the perception of the key frequencies that fuel our spirit.
"Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything in the universe dances"
- A1: Mulatu Astatqe - Munaye
- A2: Mulatu Astatqe - Meche Dereshe
- A3: Tesfa Maryam Kidane - Yetesfa Tezeta
- A4: Mulatu Astatqe - Kasalefkut Hulu
- A5: Mulatu Astatqe - Tezeta
- B1: Bahta Gebre Hiwot - Ewnet Yet Lagegnesh
- B2: Mulatu Astatqe - Yegele Tezeta
- B3: Mulatu Astatqe - Bemgnot Alnorm
- B4: Mulatu Astatqe - Yekermo Saw
- B5: Tesfa Maryam Kidane - Heiwote
Reissue of the original ethiopian vinyl compilation. 180g vinyl + heavy cardboard cover.
"Ethiopians' deep-seated ethiocentrism, the legacy of a thousand years of history, has contributed in no small way to their music's strong national identity, particularly impervious to any African influences. Latin influences, so pervasive in the great musical centers of West Africa and the Congo, have been similarly rebuffed, despite the brilliant attempts of a musician like Mulatu Astatke. He was the first and for a long time the only Ethiopian to have studied music abroad (England and USA). In the late '60s, he brought back 'ethio-jazz', as well as a passion for Latin rhythms that was not readily shared by the Ethiopian audience. As early as 1966, he released a single and two LPs in the US entitled Afro-Latin Soul (and a third LP, Mulatu of Ethiopia in 1972), with his Ethiopian Quintet composed of American and Latin-American musicians (Worthy Records). That was three years before Fela's first American tour and six years prior to Manu Dibango's key breakthrough with the release of Soul Makossa in the Western 'pre-World music' market. All this goes to show how much the history of the African continent's musical modernity should be reconsidered in light of the Ethiopian adventure, even though this lone spark bore little relation, musically or ideologically to the musical revolutions initiated most notably by Ghanian highlife, South African jazz, Congolese rumba or, much later on, by Fela."
Juan Manuel Cidrón, hailing from Almeria (Andalusia), is a legendary Spanish synthesist who embarked on his musical journey in 1976. A veteran of analog electronic sounds, his early influences come from the Berlin School of the seventies (Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, etc.) and American Minimal music.
Cidrón has independently released 16 albums on his label, Extrarradio, with very limited distribution. ‘Juan Manuel Cidrón has always been immersed in music. As a child, he fell in love with a radio adorned with flashing lights – radio is now one of his professions. He was equally captivated by the music that enveloped him. With whatever little money he had as a child and during his youth, he would spend all his money on records and analog machines. Music is everything to him, and that’s why we understand his compositions as a celebration of life. The vastness that his electronic keyboards offer us is akin to the immensity of the desert, snow, and wind. Albums like ‘Tau’ or ‘Sonido Para Acciones’ belong to the realm of Spanish electronic music and are cherished by enthusiasts of sonic poetry. This vinyl edition holds a special place as it marks a return to analog, a medium Cidrón reveres and continues to embrace. In this way, it becomes a classic, a testament to his unwavering commitment to the quality that arises from the harmonious blend of natural and artificial rhythms. The result is always him: a tangible presence that brings us closer to dreams and the unadorned face of the world.’ (F. Labordeta Blanco)
‘SLG3’ is a long-awaited double album with four lengthy tracks (one per side), available in a limited edition of 300 copies. It’s the first release exclusively on vinyl in over a decade (since ‘Patagón’ on Geometrik in 2012), considering that Cidrón has mainly released his recent works on CD.’The tracks S, L, and G evoke the personal perceptions that I could imagine for each of the three elements comprising our planet in all its forms, manifestations, and presences. The track ‘3’ evokes my unique interpretation of how an imaginary being from another world might perceive Earth – its discovery, journey to it, exploration filled with admiration, bewilderment, hope, and respect. However, all of this is open to free interpretation and imagination for those who listen.’ (Juan Manuel Cidrón, 2023)
All tracks were written, produced, and mixed by J.M. Cidrón between 2017-2019 at the Extrarradio Studio in Almeria.
- A1: Intro Feat Persa
- A2: Endless Dream
- A3: Live Your Live Feat Jae Franklin & Persa
- B1: Fred P Skit
- B2: Track For Clau
- B3: K-Brain Tribute Feat Nblue & Damian Schwartz
- C1: I Thought You Were The One Feat Jae Franklin & Persa
- C2: Rl Stadium 92 <3
- C3: Friends And Family Skit Feat Letras
- D1: Halftime Report (For Little José)
- D2: For Princess L Feat Jae Franklin
- D3: Mg Skit
- D4: Outro
Accomplished Spanish artist José Cabrera enters a fresh creative chapter with the new album Le Bateleur. The storytelling and hugely personal record arrives on his own A Harmless Deed label and is a deep dive into the house music he has always loved.
Over the last two decades and under several aliases, Madrid- born Cabrera established himself as a leading techno producer. He has released on influential labels like Fred P's Soul People Music, Tresor, Deeply Rooted and Ron Moreli`s' L.I.E.S. records and co-runs A Harmless Deed with friend Damian Schwartz. As a DJ he has toured Europe, Asia, North and South America and proven himself to be an experimental DJ with a long-standing residency at Tresor in Berlin.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Cabrera felt detached from the techno world so used his time at home to explore new sounds. He has always had a love of house so set work on making a proper house record in the mold of greats who went before. He worked with other musicians and vocalists, made use of an array of Roland drum machines, Juno synths and Casio keys to cook up a raw and authentic sound and drew from a wide range of the back music that has soundtracked his life. The resulting album is packed with life and energy, skits from friends and timeless grooves.
The album opens up with cosmic synths radiating warmth and jazzy melodies then 'Endless Dream' is a steamy house thumper with aching r&b vocal fragments next to swirling pads. It's a passionate house cut followed by 'Live Your Life' feat Jae. This one brings classic piano energy and another gorgeous female vocal that explores dancers to cut loose and live. Following a dusty downbeat skit that features spoken word encouragement from former collaborator Fred P, 'Track For Clau' is hyper-speed future house with bumping kicks and busy synth arps bringing the light.
A prog rock guitar rings out in the cosmos during 'K-Brain Tribute' feat. NBlue and Damian Schwartz, and 'I Thought You Were the One' feat. Jae & Persa layers up booming kicks and claps with a spine tingling vocal and fat bassline. 'RL Stadium 92' taps into classic Chicago house and 'Halftime Report (For Little José)' gets down and dirty with a menacing bassline and dusty 909 sounds. Another US house heavyweight in DJ Qu features on the atmospheric ''Friends and Family Skit' alongside some of Jose associates and 'For Princess L (I Love You)' feat Jae is an exquisite deep house cut with crisp snares and a heart swelling that is loved up and blissed out. Another skit leads into the outro which is a melancholic ambient synth excursion that sends you off feeling utterly calm.
Le Bateleur is another captivating entry into the ever-evolving discography of José Cabrera.
Sound Metaphors Records continues to explore the Italian early 90's techno scene with another re-issue of D.A.T.A.'s precious catalogue. Already 3 decades ago, 4 Italians got together in northern Italy to elaborate this sound, and it's only fair to say it's still timelessly effective, possibly a mixture of pure naivety and/or premeditated distilled club essence, bold and minimal in its use of rhythmic patterns generated by drum machines and samplers of the time. To imagine this music was being made in a time where only petrol company CEO's had cell phones, emails weren't even a thing, let alone social media, a time capsule into a special epoch where "progressive" or "trance" weren't quite established keywords yet. Re-issued with a new remastered face and 2 new remixes from studio guru Anatolian Weapons beautifully adding to this powerful exploration of club oriented electronics.
Banoffee Pies Records Black Label Series continues with a very special solo EP from Ukraine born producer & DJ, Adelina. Now Berlin based, the Oracool party founder, and multi medium artist, who’s roots in Kyiv’s underground sound, and passion for music culture, shines through their already distinct sonic signature.
Following the mesmerising dusty cut single “Soft Moving” the full EP extends to combine this haunted 5 track collection via the 7th release on the BPR sub label. Adelina’s introspective approach strikes a magnetism on their surrounding environment using a precise and mature combination of broken structures, dreamy dub basslines and high bliss electronica.
Recently immersed into sound creation while exploring the most cryptic aspects in the connections between sonic spheres, BPBL07 offers a fluid introduction to the imprint while representing the new Ukrainian sound wave. Their choice selections and alluring charisma as an artist reflect their infinite certainty in the power of music as a universal key.
- A1: Alice Smith - Love Endeavor (Maurice Fulton Remix)
- A2: Rick Wilhite - Ruby Nights (Gilb'r Solo Flight Remix)
- B1: The Detroit Experiment - Think Twice
- B2: Zomby - Tarantula
- C1: Langenberg - Times (Manuel Tur's Ground Glass Reflex)
- C2: Carl Craig - Sandstorms ( 2011 Version)
- D1: Lil Silva - Seasons
- D2: Dj Spen Presents Dj Technic - Gabryelle (D-Malice Re-Fix)
- D3: Kingdom - Stalker Ha
- E1: Mala - Lean Forward
- E2: Martyn - Vancouver
- F1: Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo
- F2: Pearson Sound - Stifle
- G1: Baron Zen - Burn Rubber (Dâm-Funk Remix)
- G2: Wajeed - Tron
- G3: Flying Lotus - Melt!
- G4: 00Genesis - No Shoes Trampoline
- G5: Dorian Concept - The Fucking Formula
- H1: Azymuth - Morning (Manha)
- H2: K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas - Kyenkyen Bi Adi M'awu
WAREHOUSE FIND
Deviation Classics celebrates the legacy of the legendary London club night and record label created by Benji B and Judah in 2007. Famously "one of London's most aurally audacious nights”, Benji B’s Deviation is a name synonymous with music and at the forefront of London’s culture scene and within music internationally.
The collector’s box will include four 12” vinyl including 20 carefully selected tracks, many of which have previously been unavailable on vinyl or hard to find and all capturing those key moments from the past 13 years. The compilation will also be accompanied by an exclusive mix curated by founder Benji B marking the end of this chapter for Deviation, the mix will be available to purchase on CD and streamed or downloaded on Bandcamp and all major digital platforms.
Spanning all genres of music, the compilation comprises tracks from Moodymann, James Blake, Joy Orbison and Flying Lotus and many more from across Deviation’s impressive roster of guests. Though several of the tracks went on to become hits, all of them became part of Deviation’s regular playlist and are now considered to be part of the Deviation DNA - a club night that has its own sound, its own hits and its own classics. The tracks highlight how the best club residencies can hone and shape their own identity, where reactions from the dance floor can influence which tracks make it into the resident sets to become future classics, and how a single tune can conjure the nostalgia of an era, venue, place and time.
Including regular staples from Benji B’s resident sets, the DJ comments: “This album showcases the tunes that got the biggest reactions month after month, drawn from my sets at Deviation over the years. They would not only be my choice, but also the choice of the Deviation regulars. Not all of these were necessarily big tunes outside of the club night – some would go on to be, but some could be 12-inch B-sides, album cuts or unreleased dubplates that went off when dropped for the very first time, and then became our own classics: all certified Deviation anthems in their own way”
Earl Lindo production from 1984... TIP!
Teenage twins Ruffy & Tuffy deliver an apocalyptic slab of synth drenched Rub a Dub with what could be the first use of Vocoder in Reggae for 1982’s If The 3rd World War Is A Must. This release draws from both the original 12” and the master tapes combining the best vocal cut and dub versions.
Though not prolific musicians, many may recognize the twins sparring in matching red Pony track suits in Ted Bafaloukos’ iconic 1978 film Rockers. Ahead of its time in almost every way, the lyrics dealing with global war and the nefarious use of technology, sadly seem as relevant now as they did in 1982 though some of the actors may have changed. Surrounded by elite reggae musicians from childhood it was nothing unusual for the brothers to be in the presence of elders like Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Augustus Pablo, Jacob Miller and especially Bob Marley at recording sessions and in daily life.
If The 3rd World War was their first venture into the studio as solo artists in 1982 first at Channel One and then Tuff Gong where Wailers alumni Earl Wire Lindo and Tyrone Downie (keys and Vocoder) laid down their space age additions to the track creating a genre bending Reggae /Electro/ Dub concoction that still sounds fresh 41 years later. Wire Lindo & the twins took the mastertapes to Texas based mechanical engineer and producer Stephen “Iya” James who ran Marcus Garvey Records and the label African Unity Productions in the unlikely Reggae hub of Austin Texas. The track was not released until two years later in 1984 as a 12” which had a run of only 500 copies and is no easy find these days.
Jackie Mittoo is one of the most important artists in the history of Jamaican music. As founding member of the legendary Skatalites, as in-house arranger/producer at Studio One and as a solo artist in his own right leading groups such as The Soul Brothers, Sound Dimension and Soul Vendors.
These classic and rare recordings were made in the mid 1960's at Studio One. The Soul Brothers bridged the gap between Ska and the arrival of Rocksteady mixing it all up with Funk, Jazz and Latin styles. The Soul Brothers recorded at Studio One between 1965-1967. This was the transitionary period between Ska and Rocksteady where the music was a mixture of Funk, Latin and Jazz sometimes with a reminder of Ska and the hint of Rocksteady.
The previous era of Ska had been dominated by the Skatalites, the first in-house band at Studio One who created classic hits such as "Guns of Navaronne", "Man in the Street", "El Pussy Cat" and many more. Unfortunately the strong personalities in the group meant that The Skatalites stayed together for less than two years. It was also around this time that the mentally unwell Don Drummond was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, the dancer Margerita.
In August 1965, barely a week after the demise of the original Skatalites, The Soul Brothers (featuring ex-Skatalites members Jackie Mittoo, Roland Alphonso, Johnny Moore and Lloyd Brevitt) were up and running as the new house band at Studio One.
The Soul Brothers were essentially a collective, releasing material under their own name or under a nominal leader (usually Jackie Mittoo or Rolando Alphonso). The group line-up changed over time with Bobby Ellis (trumpet), Bryan Atkinson (bass), Dennis Campbell (Sax), Harry Haughton (guitarist) and Joe Isaacs (drummer) replacing various members alongside the ever present Jackie Mittoo.
REVIEWS
"Jackie Mittoo was a true star of Jamaican music; a founder member of The Skatalites, a prolific composer and the keyboard powerhouse behind many a classic tune. His simple, often hypnotic approach, to ska, rocksteady and reggae made him one of the most distinctive sounding musicians of the era." BBC.
"Jackie Mittoo was one of the great names in Jamaican music, manning the keyboards for the Skatalites, the Soul Vendors, and Sound Dimension-- three of the greatest house bands of the 60's
(and I mean anywhere, not just in Jamaica)." PITCHFORK.
Seoul duo Salamanda arrive on Wisdom Teeth with their latest and most focused LP yet: 'In Parallel' - a vividly textural and immersive record that brings a new level of clarity to their typically psychedelic, expansive approach. Since arriving in 2019, the pair - comprised of friends Uman Therma (aka Sala) and Yetsuby (aka Manda) - have been fast at work mapping out their elaborate, dream-state sonic world - prolifically honing their sound across four albums and over a dozen singles to date. Across their already-extensive discography the pair have established a few key calling cards. Mallet instruments and tuned drums play out playful music-box melodies. Thick washes of gaseous ambience invoke otherworldly or ancient soundscapes. And buried fragments of found sound and manipulated vocal give their otherwise synthetic compositions a warm sense of first-person narrative. Ambient and Reich-school minimalism are the music’s most obvious sonic touchstones - yet the pulse of contemporary club and pop music have never been totally out of earshot. All of these themes come in to play here - but 'In Parallel' signals a step well beyond Salamanda’s work to date. Since 2022’s 'ashbalkum' (released on Wisdom Teeth alumni Tristan Arp’s label, Human Pitch), the duo have toured extensively: at classical institutions like London’s Kings Place as well as DIY club dens like Manchester’s White Hotel, all via a series of globally renowned festivals like Mutek, Nachti and Dekmantel. Their creative set-up has grown steadily alongside to incorporate a whole suite of new machines, processes and perspectives, taking their music in bold new directions in the process. The clearest development here is in the duo’s use of vocals - a shift that has been slowly taking place over their last few records, but that comes to a head on In Parallel. The album’s lead single 'Homemade Jam' is the closest the duo have come to writing an all-out pop track: its buoyant beat and autotuned vocals sounding like something SOPHIE and Charli XCX could have written after a particularly potent batch of mushroom tea. It’s a razor-sharp slice of alt-pop that offers a mouthwatering first look at what happens when Salamanda’s sprawling, unbridled creative energy is distilled right down into something concentrated and polished. At other points their sonic explorations lead them to embrace a more upfront approach to rhythm, skirting closer than ever before to the dancefloor in the process. The meandering drums and vocal chops on 'Paper Labyrinth' are underpinned by a firm 4x4 pulse, while the dembow groove of 'Tonal, Fluid' would feel right at home in a Nick León or DJ Plead set. 'In Parallel' is a record about connection, and the warmth and nostalgic simplicity of friendship is felt vividly throughout. Its title refers to the harmony the duo have found between them as friends and collaborators - and sonic parallels are traced throughout the record as testament to this. Motifs come and go before reappearing at later points: take, for example, the melody underpinning ‘Sun Tickles’, which returns in a different key and tempo on album closer ‘Mysterious Wedding’. Parallel lines are traced between each artist and through their music, linking back to their past and pointing ahead to the future. Only Salamanda know where these will take us next.
*Repress*
An artist as imaginative and unique as Ana Mazzotti doesn’t come around often. Dubbed a “super-musician” by fellow Brazilian virtuoso Hermeto Pascoal, Mazzotti’s short but rich musical career culminated in just two studio albums: Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974), and Ana Mazzotti (1977). Outside circles of Brazilian funk aficionados, these two gems of spellbinding samba-jazz, lysergic funk and trippy bossa have remained relatively obscure. This was partly as a result of Mazzotti’s premature death (she lost her battle with cancer in her mid-thirties), but also due to financial restraints and the prejudice she faced as a female songwriter in a fundamentally sexist society.
Born in Caixas, in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul municipality, Mazzotti began to play the accordion aged five, before moving with prodigious ease onto the piano. By the age of twelve she was already conducting her convent school’s choir, and at twenty-one she led her city’s premier chorus, the Coral Bento Goncalves. When rock and roll hit South America in the sixties, a young Mazzotti was one of the early adopters, fronting various guitar groups including an all female Beatles cover band, and an eclectic, eight-piece psychedelic group Desenvolvemento. Before moving to Sao Paulo to start her career proper, Mazzotti met drummer, producer and fellow music educator Romido Santos, who she would later marry. Romildo introduced Mazzotti to jazz, and music by the likes of Chick Corea and Hermeto Pascoal who she would later befriend and perform with.
In 1974 Mazzotti recorded her first album Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974), enlisting the in-demand arrangement talents of Azymuth’s original keyboard maestro Jose Roberto Bertrami who co-wrote several of the tracks and plays organ, piano and synthesizers on the album. It also features Azymuth’s bassist Alex Malheiros and percussionist Ariovaldo Contestini, with Romildo Santos who produced the album on drums. Recorded in Estudio Haway around the same time Azymuth recorded their debut album there, it’s no wonder the samba jazz-funk pioneer’s distinctive aesthetic is present throughout, and Mazzotti’s sensational compositions are made even more beautiful for it.
Kicking off with the swirling samba-jazz-dance masterpiece ‘Agora Ou Nunca Mais’, the album hosts several groove-heavy Brazilian cult-classics including ‘Roda Mundo’ and ‘Eu Sou Mais Eu’. Deeper moments come in the form of the alluring future soul synth sounds on ‘Bairro Negro’ and ‘Sou’, and Mazzotti’s tender, hallucinatory version of ‘Feel Like Making Love’ (made famous by Roberta Flack) perfectly reflecting the idiosyncratic genius Mazzotti achieved with Bertrami’s visionary arrangements, and Romildo’s impeccable production approach.
Far Out Recordings is proud to present the official reissue of this cult favourite Brazilian treasure. Remastered and pressed to 180g vinyl, Ninguem Vai Me Segurar (1974) will be available on vinyl LP, CD and digitally from 13th September.
The Dam Swindle curated compilation Heist Classics Vol. 02 delivers even more of the label’s biggest hits in a beautiful limited-edition package.
It’s safe to say that in it’s 10 years of existence, Heist Recordings has given us plenty of amazing music and has cemented itself as one of the key labels in today’s house scene. The first 3 compilations of this year have had an amazing response with radio and club tastemakers (re)discovering some of the best music that has come out on Heist. With support from Paul Woolford, Luke Slater, Antal, James Zabiela, Nightmares on Wax, a 10/10 in Faze Mag and various radio plays on BBC R1 with Pete Tong, Annie Mac and more, it’s safe to say that everyone has been loving these releases. Now, Dam Swindle conclude their 10-year anniversary releases with Classics vol. 2: a limited-edition collection with hits from Crackazat, Andy Hart, Kassian, Makèz and Nachtbraker.
The release kicks off with ‘Alfa’: Crackazat’s biggest hit to date (and that’s saying something, coming from a producer that has delivered jam upon jam in his career). It’s a signature Crackazat song with an off-kilter live key loop, shuffling percussion and pumping low end.
Andy Hart’s ‘Epsilon Girls’ was originally released in 2014 and has helped cement the artist and label’s position in the house music landscape. A vintage Barbara St. Clair loop gives the track a lovely human touch, which is countered by layers upon layers of glimmering electronics.
Different Planets is the track that really kickstarted the career of the talented duo Makèz. Released in 2019, the track has everything we’ve come to love from their recognizable sound: lively drums, catchy hooks and warm & jazzy chords. UK duo Kassian are represented on this package with their track ‘8th Movement’. Their sound has progressed towards techno in recent years which has given them support from artists across the board such as Ben UFO, Special Request and many more. Their Heist classic ‘8th Movement’ - still housey in its core - already has hints of their newfound style in its sound design and rolling energy.
We end the record with what might be Nachtbraker’s biggest track of his career: ‘Hamdi’. You’ll find him currently at work with artists such as Shanti Celeste where he recently released his Capichone EP, but the sound he developed in the early part of his career had Heist written all over it. ‘Hamdi’ is a proper anthem, with African drums, an ecstatic vocal sample and a killer groove.
The vinyl release of Heist Classics Vol. 02 is printed on colored 180grams heavyweight vinyl and is limited to 1000 records with a special design by our Art Director Bas Koopmans (Wellness.)
Enjoy the music and play it loud!
Lars & Maarten
Established in 2016, Little Giant Records is the Brooklyn-born label founded by Anna Cavazos that specializes in the kind of deep house sounds that belong in the dark and sweaty basements of underground clubs. Anna is a DJ, producer, and vocalist who has played out across the globe for over 15 years mixing and blending the deep house sounds of Chicago, New York, and Berlin. . Her discography includes original compositions, remixes, and collaborations with the likes of Satoshi Tomiie and Eli Escobar.
The EP kicks off with the original of ‘Love Interlude’ - melancholic and piano-heavy with an ultra-deep baseline embellished with warm pads and soulful drums. Anna’s soulful vocal floats above the melody creating an emotional and moving interlude. Next up Matthias Vogt delivers a deep-house masterpiece adding extra keys, drum accents, and a well-placed baseline that is weaved neatly into the vocal hook while Vogt delivers the warm, jazz-flecked vibrations he is well known for.
Up next Rick Wade weighs in with some ever so classy house laced with flashes from the Motor City of Detroit. Warm electro piano, glowing synths, and vocal parts contrast with the deep sub baseline. Closing out this EP Rissa Garcia draws heavily on her New York house inspirations. Organ riffs and a funk-inspired bass line lead the charge dropping in and out between vocal harmonies and subtle synth work. Percussive accents bring it all home making this closing cut one dancefloor destroying, peak-time bomb.
2lanes is proud to announce the next single, TINCTURE/ MY SIMULACRA, from his recently minted label AUTO SHOP. The two-tracker finds the artist both deepening his expansive sound and honing it to weave seamlessly into any DJ set. “TINCTURE / MY SIMULACRA” solidifies the cinematic textures and rusty low-end percussive drive of 2lanes’ earlier releases this year, “Diamond Rain EP'' & “Sid Ranger Redux EP.” Spending much of this past year on the road, 2lanes dove headfirst into the contemporary electronic music world, meeting an array of new and exciting producers, some of which are featured remixers on this release.
On the A side, take a dose of TINCTURE and see just how far the rabbit hole goes. Inspired by raving all night with friends, 2lanes linked with Detroit-based singer AKILLACO for a wild talking track like none other. We all know those moments at the party when both nothing and everything makes sense. You want to be prophetic but you just make everyone laugh. You think about the past, future, & present all at once. This is the ultimate message of TINCTURE, which AKILLACO emphatically points out. The long-winded musing is underlined by a heavy swung style beat that 2lanes fans have come to know well. Frequent 2lanes collaborator Salar Ansari joins the fun for the steamy, guitar-laden Howling Diablo remix that could as easily be played at a forest rave as a sleazy dive bar a la Coyote Ugly. Purelink’s MILLIA reduces the solution to an even dubbier chill out mix that begs to be played in the early mornings.
On the B side, we have the bass-heavy vision quest MY SIMULACRA. Ancient percussion meets modern sub bass–and together, they transport you to a new plane of being. This track also features performances from a few regular 2lanes sonic cohorts. Detroit keyboard prodigy Ian Fink (Scott Grooves Ensemble, Omar S) evokes celestial moments with a memotron solo, and Jonah Baseball (Overtone Series) provides a stargate-sounding break beat. MY SIMULACRA features two amazing remixes. The First is from Baltimore-based club aficionado JIALING and the second is a prime cut of rough and ready machine phunk from Los Angele’s 1morning.
Initially recorded at 2lanes’ home studio over Halloween in 2021, TINCTURE has since evolved to its final form that we see now. The tune has even shown up in sets from electric selectors like Scott Zacharias and Livwutang. The record label features beautiful artistic renditions by Norway-based Sverre Brand, whose work can be found on releases by Priori and Dust E-1.
Paisley Park Enterprises, in Partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Records, announces expanded reissue of Prince & the New Power Generation’s multi-platinum album Diamonds And Pearls. This 2LP contains Diamonds And Pearls remastered for the very first time by Prince’s original mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.
Diamonds And Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by Prince, and was the first with his new backing band, The New Power Generation. Featuring six massive international singles, including the hits “Gett Off”, “Cream”, and the iconic title track, the album was a worldwide smash reaching multi-platinum status in the USA and the UK, where it remains his best-selling album.
The New Power Generation was a band that Prince believed in so wholeheartedly that he gave them co-credit on the cover of Diamonds And Pearls, something he’d only done previously with one other band, The Revolution. The group consisted of Sonny Thompson (vocals & bass), Damon Dickson (vocals & percussion), Rosie Gaines (vocals & keyboards), Michael Bland (drums), Kirk Johnson (vocals & percussion), Tony M (vocals), Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass, guitar & vocals), and Tommy Barbarella (keyboards).
Paisley Park Enterprises, in Partnership with Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Records, announces expanded reissue of Prince & the New Power Generation’s multi-platinum album Diamonds And Pearls. This 2LP contains Diamonds And Pearls remastered for the very first time by Prince’s original mastering engineer Bernie Grundman.
Diamonds And Pearls is the thirteenth studio album by Prince, and was the first with his new backing band, The New Power Generation. Featuring six massive international singles, including the hits “Gett Off”, “Cream”, and the iconic title track, the album was a worldwide smash reaching multi-platinum status in the USA and the UK, where it remains his best-selling album.
The New Power Generation was a band that Prince believed in so wholeheartedly that he gave them co-credit on the cover of Diamonds And Pearls, something he’d only done previously with one other band, The Revolution. The group consisted of Sonny Thompson (vocals & bass), Damon Dickson (vocals & percussion), Rosie Gaines (vocals & keyboards), Michael Bland (drums), Kirk Johnson (vocals & percussion), Tony M (vocals), Levi Seacer, Jr. (bass, guitar & vocals), and Tommy Barbarella (keyboards).
Skatebård is one of the very best Classic Techno producers from Norway since the early 2000's - the distinction from others simply lies within his sense of melody, rhythm and live arrangements. The 2002 release "Skateboarding Was A Crime" on Tellektro had a clear thread of Detroit Techno and Electro, a craft and influence that also heavy club hitters "Conga", "Ta-Ta Arr" and "Emotional Bits" on Sex Tags Mania strongly carried. It's unarguably always a "classic touch" in his dance music, but still it always sounds like a Skatebård production - there is simply no blueprinting in true inspiration.
"Spektral LP" has been compiled and edited by DJ Sotofett with material from Skatebård's 2001-2005 recording archive. In short it's recordings nobody else cold get a hold of – fine tuned and restored into a synergetic and consolidated world of riding, mechanical and electronic funk - released on Skatebård's own Digitalo Enterprises.
Tracks "Seventh" and "Vaskemaskin" are both cymbal driven Techno cuts by the former metal drummer, one with chorded synth stabs growing in harmony, the other leaning on a dark sci-fi pad and a flipped vocal loop. There's a bit more of Skatebård's vocals on the beautifully robotic "Ei Anna Framtid", an alternate take of "Future" which Finlands Keys Of Life released in 2003. DJ Sotofett's mix of "Den Anarkistiske Anode" is nothing but a distorted head-schredding basement Techno blaster, while "Strengje", "Bassi" and "Spektral Elektro" punctuates the catchy Electro & Italo grooves Skatebård crafts so much better than most current producers.
I Talk To Water, the fifth album for Kompakt by Danish producer Kölsch, is the artist’s most personal statement yet. While all the trademarks that make his music so popular and powerful are still present – lush, melodic techno; swooping, trance-like figures; sensuous, shivery texturology – I Talk To Water is also a deep and intimate rapprochement with family and history, a beautiful, finely detailed document of loss and memory, and a tracing of the long, unbroken thread of grief that runs through our lives once we’ve lost those we loved.
The emotional core of I Talk To Water, then, is a cache of recordings by Kölsch’s father, Patrick Reilly, who passed away in 2003 from brain cancer. With time rendered elastic by the pandemic and its associated lockdowns, its sudden, alienating shifts in everyday living, Kölsch found himself reflecting on his father’s passing and ongoing spiritual presence, thinking about how best to memorialise such a significant figure in his own life. Those recordings opened a gateway, of sorts, for Kölsch to move through – a way to bring past and present together and entwine them in a sensitive, poetic manner.
Kölsch’s father was a musician – “touring in the sixties and seventies, in the Middle East especially, he was doing the whole hippy trail, playing guitar, and wrote some songs over the years,” he recalls. “But all in all, he decided to focus on family rather than pursue a musical career.” Reilly kept playing and writing music over the years, though Kölsch hadn’t listened to the material for some time: “I’d never had the guts to listen to it, because I just felt too fragile listening to his voice. It’s such a tough thing to go through.”
During the pandemic, though, Kölsch listened through the fragmented body of work that his father had produced over the years. “I decided I’m gonna finally release my dad’s music twenty years after his passing,” he reflects. “This whole album is about the process of loss, and for me it’s been one of my main driving forces in my musical life, the whole emotional aspect of whatever I’ve done has been based in that feeling that he’s not there anymore.”
Recordings of Reilly appear on three songs across I Talk To Water. His guitars drift pensively across “Grape”, offering a lush thread of melody that Kölsch wraps with clicking, driftwood rhythms and droning, melancholy bass. “Tell Me” is a lovely three-minute art song, a sadly beautiful reflection, minimally adorned with gentle keys and a muted pulse. And on the closing “It Ends Where It Began”, Kölsch lets his father’s acoustic guitar take centre stage for a lament that’s unexpectedly folksy, a guitar soli dream, which Reilly originally recorded in 1996. “He actually recorded it for my first album that never came out,” Kölsch reveals, “and I had it sitting around forever. That is purely him.”
These three imagined collaborations between father and son are poised and delicate. But their relationship also marks the gorgeous music Kölsch has made across the rest of I Talk To Water, from the itchy yet lush “Pet Sound” (titled in tribute to one of Reilly’s favourite albums), the flickering synths and yearning vocal samples that slide through “Khenpo”, the ecstatic shuddering that marks “Only Get Better”, or “Implant”’s slow-motion pans and subtle reveals.
There’s also the title song, where Kölsch is joined by guest Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction, Porno For Pyros), singing a mantra for internal reflection: “I talk to water / Searching for myself / Looking for answers / Oceans of you.” Farrell’s appearance brings another timbre, another spirit to the album, aligning neatly with his recent interest in electronic music. “He was completely taken by this idea of talking to water,” Kölsch says, thinking about the ways we collectively lean towards the natural world as a comfort and a listener, a guide through mourning, a way to map out the terrain of the heart. This mapping is something that Kölsch has proven remarkably adept at through the years; dance music for both body and mind, but also both for the here-and-now, and for the hereafter.
“I Talk To Water”, das fünfte Album des dänischen Produzenten Kölsch für Kompakt, ist zweifellos das persönlichste Statement des Künstlers bislang. Während alle Markenzeichen, die seine Musik so beliebt und kraftvoll machen, immer noch präsent sind – üppige, melodische Techno-Tracks; schwebende, tranceartige Elemente; sinnliche, fiebrige Texturen – ist “I Talk To Water” auch eine tiefe und intime Annäherung an Familie und Geschichte. Es ist ein wunderschönes, fein ausgearbeitetes Dokument des Verlusts und der Erinnerung, und es verfolgt den langen, ungebrochenen Faden der Trauer, der durch unser Leben läuft, sobald wir diejenigen verloren haben, die wir liebten.
Der emotionale Kern von “I Talk To Water” besteht aus Aufnahmen von Kölschs Vater, Patrick Reilly, der 2003 an Hirnkrebs verstarb. Durch die Pandemie und ihre damit verbundenen Lockdowns, die plötzlichen, entfremdenden Veränderungen im Alltag, fand Kölsch sich in Gedanken an den Tod seines Vaters und seine fortwährende spirituelle Präsenz wieder. Er überlegte, wie er eine so bedeutende Figur in seinem eigenen Leben am besten verewigen könnte. Diese Aufnahmen öffneten ihm sozusagen ein Portal, um Vergangenheit und Gegenwart miteinander zu verbinden und sie auf sensible und poetische Weise zu verweben.
Kölschs Vater war Musiker – “er tourte in den sechziger und siebziger Jahren, vor allem im Nahen Osten, auf dem Hippie Trail, spielte Gitarre und schrieb im Laufe der Jahre einige Songs”, erinnert sich Kölsch. “Aber alles in allem entschied er sich, sich auf die Familie zu konzentrieren, anstatt eine musikalische Karriere zu verfolgen.” Reilly spielte und schrieb jedoch im Laufe der Jahre weiterhin Musik, obwohl Kölsch das Material lange Zeit nicht angehört hatte: “Ich hatte nie den Mut, es anzuhören, weil ich mich einfach zu zerbrechlich fühlte, seine Stimme anzuhören. Es ist so schwer, das durchzustehen.”
Während der Pandemie hörte sich Kölsch jedoch durch das fragmentierte Werk, das sein Vater im Laufe der Jahre produziert hatte. “Ich beschloss, die Musik meines Vaters zwanzig Jahre nach seinem Tod endlich zu veröffentlichen”, reflektiert er. “Dieses ganze Album handelt von dem Verlustprozess, welcher für mich generell eine der Hauptantriebskräfte in meinem musikalischen Leben ist. Der ganze emotionale Aspekt von dem, was ich getan habe, basierte auf dem Gefühl, dass er nicht mehr da ist.”
Auf “I Talk To Water” sind Aufnahmen von Reilly in drei Songs zu hören. Seine Gitarren ziehen nachdenklich durch “Grape”, bieten einen üppigen Melodiefaden, den Kölsch mit klickenden, treibenden Rhythmen und dröhnendem, melancholischem Bass umwickelt. “Tell Me” ist ein schönes dreiminütiges Kunstlied, eine traurig-schöne Reflexion, minimal geschmückt mit sanften Tasten und einem gedämpften Puls. Und auf dem Abschlusstrack “It Ends Where It Began” lässt Kölsch die akustische Gitarre seines Vaters im Mittelpunkt stehen, ein überraschend folkiger Klagegesang, den Reilly ursprünglich 1996 aufgenommen hatte. “Er hat es tatsächlich für mein erstes Album aufgenommen, das nie veröffentlicht wurde”, enthüllt Kölsch, “und ich hatte es ewig liegen.”
Diese drei erdachten Kollaborationen zwischen Vater und Sohn sind ausgewogen und zart. Aber ihre Beziehung prägt auch die wunderschöne Musik, die Kölsch im Rest von “I Talk To Water” geschaffen hat, angefangen bei dem nervösen, aber üppigen “Pet Sound” (benannt als Hommage an eines von Reillys Lieblingsalben), den flimmernden Synthesizern und sehnsüchtigen Vocal-Samples in “Khenpo”, den ekstatischen Erschütterungen in “Only Get Better” oder den langsamen Schwenks und subtilen Enthüllungen in “Implant”.
Es gibt auch den Titelsong, in dem Kölsch von Gast Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction, Porno For Pyros) begleitet wird, der ein Mantra für die innere Reflexion singt: “I talk to water / Searching for myself / Looking for answers / Oceans of you.” Farrells Auftritt bringt eine weitere Klangfarbe, einen weiteren Geist in das Album, der gut zu seinem jüngsten Interesse an elektronischer Musik passt. “Er war völlig fasziniert von der Idee, mit Wasser zu sprechen”, sagt Kölsch und denkt darüber nach, wie wir kollektiv zur Natur als Trost, Zuhörer, Führer durch die Trauer neigen, um die Gelände des Herzens zu kartieren. Diese Kartierung ist etwas, in dem Kölsch im Laufe der Jahre erstaunlich geschickt war; Tanzmusik für Körper und Geist, sowohl für das Hier und Jetzt, als auch für das Leben danach.
At the helm of a collective immersed in London’s underground house landscape, Bizarre Traxx co-founder Jhobei is keeping things moving in his own unique way, shaping and crafting a sound to call his own. Releasing on labels like Mindhelment, Picnic and Mood Waves while stepping out as 1/3 of trio Felon5, he marries warping and heady territories with loose, spacey spheres, creating immersive trips for all hours of the night. Here he delves deeper once more, landing on Up The Stuss for the first time with his playfully titled ‘Slink ‘N Slide’ EP.
The title cut launches straight into the action and showcases his sound perfectly, harnessing squiggly synths, driving low-end grooves and sweeping astral sonics to unveil a cosmic ride through rich textures. Expect the same depth and unpredictable twists and turns across the EP as he draws for influences spanning those early golden years of tech house through to minimal and hazy late-night electronic realms. As debuts go, this one is stacked with treats and musical goodness from top to bottom - no surprise they’ve been go-to cuts for those deeper moments from the label boss!
'After a first album as a duo released on Okraina Records: "Le Corps Défendant", Delphine Dora and Mocke invite us to join them again in listening to a new album. We slip into it as if in a dream, the music carries us away with its floating images.
Heard before on a handful of disturbingly beautiful solo albums and in collaborations such as Midget!, Arlt, Chevalrex, Mohamed Lamouri, Mocke (Dominique Dépret's nom de plume) is a subtle and inventive guitarist, who draws melancholic arpeggios, with a beautiful languor, that walk the line between tensions and tears. Delphine Dora has been heard with Roxane Métayer, Sophie Cooper, Andrew Chalk, Jackie McDowell, Helena Espvall, Valentina Magaletti ... meeting in a moment of improvisation, a solitary sincopated voice blooming between the black and white keys of her piano, tuning betwist these keys, or at other times in the gap of the right note. Here improvisation feeds on melody, or is it the other way round?
Recorded in an old church in the village of Mauzun in the Puy-de-Dôme, by Cyril Harrison, "L'invisible est multiforme" is an invitation to join them, to let these abstract songs erase our obsessive thoughts of the day, to open ourselves to the vibrant poetry of the air and the evening, to finally forget ourselves. Each note played by these four intertwined hands is like a slight break in the fabric of time, sliding one over the other, reminding us of mortality and its beauty. Ritornellas flow out of mechanical clocks, fragile, taking care not to hurt the silence. Both seek to dig and open up new paths to enrich their duet, to open up imaginary landscapes. Sometimes the guitar cuts through the fabric of an organ, fractures the song, just as the rain erases a landscape, redrawing it. But very quickly, both of them continue to follow this new path, improvising what will serve as a framework, a perspective, a language. There is a kind of praise for slowness in this "invisible", a desire to hold back the song, not to let it slip away, to let the listener's ear enter its course, to share the last note, its illumination. Each of these thirteen short sound pieces merge into a common colour, a vibration close to the different tonalities, which inter-penetrate, like a cubist painting. Words cannot take away the mystery of this record, words can only fail to describe the music, you must hear it.'
- Michel Henritzi
Serge Devant returns to Crosstown Rebels with his mesmerising new single ‘A Little Bit Of Love’, complete with a remix from Art Department & MDL Child. Thanks to his fresh house sound, New York resident Serge Devant has turned the heads of tastemakers like Jamie Jones and Damian Lazarus for several years. A regular on Crosstown Rebels dating back to his label debut in 2015, dropping a string of EPs on the label since, he arrives in fine form once again as he unveils his latest single.
His brilliant ‘A Little Bit Of Love’ is an inventive rhythm that soon sweeps you up with its wavy beats and slick hits. Gorgeous chords are draped over it next to steamy vocals to ensure a truly emotive dance floor trip, while the dub version strips out the lead vocal to lay the focus on the remaining musical elements. The remix comes from Jonny White, aka pioneering underground artist and No. 19 Music boss Art Department, and fellow Canadian talent MDL Child. They flip the production into seven minutes of emotionally intense house music with muted acid lines undulating throughout the mix, while immense percussive energy and lush cosmic keys make for a fulsome dancefloor rush.
The first solo excursion on Half Grand Records comes from label boss, Jon Doppler. Clocking in at 37 minutes, this collection plays more like a mini album than a 12”.
The Artifact is full of the cavernous electro vibes that Doppler hinted at on the previously released compilations from the label. And if this record is an Artifact, it belongs at the bottom of the Mariana Trench with its alien percussion and deep, fluid bass.
It’s hard to pick a favorite as any one of these tracks would add atmosphere and color to a set. “Sapphire” sounds like it would perfectly underscore the discovery of an ancient Atlantean civilization. While Tar Like Gold’s driving, arpeggiated basslines and vocal samples “tomorrow holds the key” look to the future.
Take a listen and see for yourself, there’s a lot to love on this one.
For fans of Morphology, CPU records, Versalife
Tibi Dabo returns with ‘Overture’, a from his forthcoming Crosstown Rebels album, with remixes from Map.ache and Aline Umber.
A label favourite having dropped his ‘Isla’ EP on Crosstown Rebels back in 2022, ahead of his much-anticipated debut LP comes this third superb taster from it. The superb ‘Overture’ is an eight-minute gem with super smooth percussion and elastic grooves, with wispy sci-fi chords and gentle synth modulations. It’s full of future feels and catchy drum funk that is sophisticated and smartly detailed with chopped-up vocal fragments.
First to remix is Liepzig’s Map.ache, co-founder of Kann Records and half of Manamana. His take builds with fatter drums that are just as infectious, while rippling synth loops weave in and out as flashy basslines cut loose, and balmy pads add extra cosmic absence to a hypnotic mix of the heady and the physical.
Aline Umber, a collaborative live project from French composers, producers and DJs Aline Brooklyn and Aman Umber, are second to remix. They run the Airfunk label and are no stranger to playing cult spots like Rex Club in Paris. Their ‘23% Eventide’ mix is a blissed-out and synth-laced trip with subtle, smeared chords and starry-eyed keys that have you gazing off into the distance as you get lost in the warm drums.
Amine Edge & DANCE bring their soulful sound to Hot Creations with their uplifting new release ‘It Was’ featuring Pershard Owens backed by a remix from Shermanology. Maintaining a constant presence at the top of the charts, with an impressive catalogue boasting releases on esteemed labels such as Defected, Nervous Records and their very own CUFF imprint, French duo Amine Edge & DANCE have solidified themselves as frontrunners when it comes to the modern house landscape. Up next, their partnership takes them to Jamie Jones and Lee Foss' Hot Creations imprint for the first time with their latest single 'It Was' featuring Pershard Owens, with brother-sister duo Shermanology on hand on remix duties to bring the heat.
‘It Was’ opens with rich piano chords, led by luscious melodies, Pershard’s tender vocals and bright keys crafting a delightful serving of summer house grooves before Shermanology flips the track shifting the focus onto pulsing drum hits and playful rhythms full of energy, perfectly crafted for open-air dance floors.
Colored Repress!
'DEEP TRAX VOLUME ONE' is a fine selection of 4 edited, remixed and previously unreleased Trax from the 90s.
The EP starts with a re-dub of the classic 'I Need A Rhythm' and gets you flying with warm 808 beats and minimal jazzy riffs.
The second track on the A-side “Reign Of Swing” comes with a deep, warm bass, dope keys and lots of shuffle!
B1 kicks out the subwoofers with 'All I've Got' and makes the crowd scream - Uuhhhh!
The E.P. ends with 'Swing Ting', a brilliant track that takes you into other dimensions with a flying jazzy flute solo!
It’s clear, when looking at Jlin’s body of work, and her recent activities, that she's the definition of what a creative composer looks and sounds like in 2023. She’s able to work across borders in many different environments and situations. Her work, and sound, is fluid and not locked into genre. The only apt tag for her now is ‘composer.’ Let’s be clear - she’s not EDM, IDM, electronic, footwork or post-footwork. She’s simply Jlin.
In thinking about this new release we have to draw attention to her collaboration with Chicago’s Third Coast Percussion - ‘Perspective’ - since it’s also the title of this six-track mini-album. And of course, we’d be remit if we didn’t point out that Third Coast Percussion’s acoustic version of ‘Perspective’ saw Jlin shortlisted as a finalist for The 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music! Jlin notes how “Working with T.C.P. was a rewarding experience. I love their constant driving ambition. When I would go to their studio we would experiment as much as we could, and that to me is the beauty of composing.” Note that the CD version of ‘Perspective’ adds the four tracks from her ‘Embryo’ EP, apt since ‘Embryo’ itself was the 7th Perspective piece.
To shift perspective slightly, Jlin notes that collaborating with dance companies, especially those of Wayne McGregor and Kyle Abraham “has seen a significant evolution in my work.” She adds, “Working with Kyle and AIM, I felt the need to incorporate more organic percussion and drums. The raw, visceral nature of Kyle's choreography demanded a more tactile, grounded sound. I believe that music and dance are deeply interconnected, and the rhythm and physicality of organic percussion needs to mirror the dancers' movements whether it is conceptually or abstract.”
The organic aspect of her composition ‘Dissonance,’ a key cut on her new mini-album sounds like it might have been written for Kyle and AIM but, like the entire release, it was in fact written for Third Coast Percussion. With the organic drums in the track being a part of what Jlin calls her “from scratch” foundation. For many ‘Dissonance’ will be a first glimpse at Jlin’s mastery of organic sounds. It’s a stunning work that showcases her distinct approach to organic percussion. Further audible evidence can also be heard all over her new mini-album. She continues to evolve her sound and her approaches to composition on a steady and constant basis.
Jlin’s new mini-album “Perspective” works as a catch-up for those wanting new music from her, and wanting to hear how her sound is evolving. Tune in. There’s much more ahead.
- A1: David Holmes & Raven Violet - It’s Over If We Run Out Of Love (Hardway Bros Live At The Ssl Dub)
- A2: Unloved - Mother’s Been A Bad Girl (Horse Meat Disco Remix)
- A3: Pip Blom - Keep It Together (Ludwig A F. Under Pressure Mix)
- B1: Confidence Man - Holiday (Erol Alkan Ooo Remix)
- B2: Toy - You Won’t Be The Same (Dan Carey Dub)
- C1: Audiobooks - The Doll (Bruise Remix)
- C2: The Orielles - The Room (Shy One Remix)
- C3: Eyes Of Others - Once Twice Thrice (The Orielles Remix)
- D1: Fever The Ghost - Source (Leo Zero Dub)
- D2: Working Men’s Club - The Last One (Forgemasters Remix)
Heavenly Recordings release the next two volumes in their series of remixed classics and unreleased versions. ‘Heavenly Remixes 7 & 8’ sees the label going back into the archive, as well as picking off some more recent remixes, and both albums primarily feature either previously unreleased versions or re-workings available for the first time on vinyl and CD.
Heavenly have always seen immense value in the remix, a value way beyond what it might bring commercially. Since their first release in 1990 (where Andrew Weatherall overhauled a one-off single by club kids Sly and Lovechild) Heavenly remixes have been carefully curated and treated as a key part of the A&R process. It’s an opportunity to view an artist through a different prism, to play out a musical ‘what if’ scenario. It’s the kind of exploration that’s happened consistently through the thirty plus years the label has released music.
The ‘Heavenly remixes’ series continues to showcase the very best remixes, versions, meditations, re-rubs and dubs from all around the world of artists right across the roster of the country’s most exciting record label. In most cases, the albums offer the first physical release for a remix, elevating them from streaming playlists to their rightful, spiritual home on super heavy vinyl (or shiny, super-packed compact disc).
‘Heavenly remixes 7’ heads to Belfast, where David Holmes - a producer who first appeared on Heavenly in 1994 amping up the acid on Saint Etienne’s ‘Like A Motorway’ - appears as solo artist and as one third of Unloved, who get a lift right to the heart of a Vauxhall sweatbox by Horse Meat Disco. It draws a line between Amsterdam and Frankfurt as Ludwig A.F. amps up the electronics on Pip Blom’s ‘Keep It Together’. It stops off in a south London studio where super producer Dan Carey plays the desk with Toy, then relocates LA psych rock band Fever The Ghost to an Ibizan shoreline as the sun sets on the horizon. It cements Sheffield’s reputation as the home of modern British techno with the return of true originators Forgemasters. And it pitches up in front of a renegade soundsystem late night at Glastonbury as Erol Alkan’s mighty rework of Con Man gets its third rewind of the night.
‘Heavenly remixes 8’ opens with Space Afrika’s lush, ambient reimagining of the Orielles’ ‘BEAM/S’ before Justin Robertson stretches Amber Arcades’ ‘Turning Light’ into eight minutes of electronic dub. Elsewhere, Baxter Dury’s peerless ‘Miami’ becomes a string-laden electro skank in the hands of French producer Pilooski; Edinburgh’s bedroom techno genius Eyes of Others’ ‘Safehouse’ turns into an East End bathhouse courtesy of disco deviants Decius; Ashley Beedle’s Black Science Orchestra turns Unloved’s heartworn torch song into seven minutes of glimmering dreamlike percussive house and Katy J. Pearson’s freak flag is flown high thanks to The Umlauts’ throbbing filtered electro mix. It ends similarly to how it began as TONE takes
Fran Lobo’s ‘All I Want’ on a gorgeous slow motion spacewalk.
The wax is hot. The tunes are massive. Oath’s sub-label, Last Year at Marienbad, dispenses a foursome of punchy house tracks for its fifth release, lovingly crafted by some of the genre’s finest producers.
‘The Way We Flow’ by Sam Paradise pairs detuned, lo-fi samples with thumping kicks, and muffled drums. Just when those innocent lo-fi elements simmer, the drums slam back into your periphery harder than ever, making for an absolute dancefloor smasher.
‘De Nuit (3 A.M)’ by Nu-Cleo descends deeper. Swinging drums and chocolatey, indulgent keys lay the basis for a hypnotic acid bassline. Real tension builder.
Flipping over to the B-Side – careful, it’s hot – is ‘She Wrote’ by Gloved Hands. Seemingly just a ride through a well-made bouncing synth and house groove combo at first, this track soon shows off Gloved Hands’ knack for leftfield flavours. There’s an unexpected trap-esque vocal that gets re-contextualised for the club alongside piercing synths and a bulging broken beat.
‘Hard Deep’ by Rick Wade is an obvious one. The stalwart of the house scene serves up another of his zesty, masterful grooves. Shimmering, effortless keys steer a tight drum groove while a subtle bassline nestles between the kick’s low end.
Four cuts from four house experts. Is there much more a dancefloor could ask for?
- A1: Posjet Iz Svemira (A Visit From Space) (1964)
- A2: Cudna Ptica (Strange Bird) (1969)
- A3: Astromati I (Astromutts I) (1963)
- A4: Astromati Ii (Astromutts Ii) (1963)
- A5: Surogat (Ersatz - The Substitute) (1961)
- A61: Klizi-Puzi (Twidle-Twidle) (1969)
- B1: Zacarani Princ (The Enchanted Prince) (1978)
- B2: Medvjedja Romansa (Grin And Bear It) (1978)
- B3: Zid (The Wall) (1965)
- B4: Dnevnik (Diary) (1974)
- B5: Gubecziana (The Serfs Uprising) (1974)
- C1: Plemeniti Soj (The Noble Strain) (1971)
- C2: Homo Augens (1972)
- C3: Idu Dani (Passing Days) (1969)
- C4: Opera Cordis (1968)
- D1: San (The Dream) (1982)
- D2: Kugina Kuca (The House Of The Plague) (1980)
- D3: Utopia (1973)
- D4: Dan Kad Sam Prestao Pusiti (The Day I Stopped Smoking) (1982)
A collection of unreleased themes and scores from 18 short animated films from the world famous Zagreb School Of Animated Film. Includes Oscar winning short cartoon Ersatz / Surogat by Dusan Vukotic (1961) and many other jazz, electronica and experimental scores by composer Tomislav Simovic. Coined by the famed film theorist Georges Sadoul at the 1959 Cannes Festival, The Zagreb School of Animated Film(s) or The Zagreb School of Animation, was defined as an artistic and philosophical world-view that set its mark on the history of animation in the 60's and 70's. The key feature of the Zagreb School (not educational facility in any kind), was commitment to stylization in contrast with the Disney-style canon of realistic animation. Among many composers that worked in Zagreb Film productions, the name of Tomislav Simovic (1931 - 2014) stands out. In his oeuvre of 300+ film scores (not counting compositions and arrangements for pop singers and jazz orchestras), many were made exclusively for Zagreb film documentaries, fiction shorts, features and animation. Simovic was particularly adept at writing music for cartoons. He skillfully synchronized movement and sound and mixed different musical genres, although, like his peers at the time, he leaned towards jazz. 'The Zagreb School of Animated Film (Original Soundtracks 1961-1982)' is compiled by Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) and Zeljko Luketic (Electronic Jugoton, Ex-Yu Electronica III). Master tapes were considered lost, now found and restored for this epic 2 x LP release celebrating Yugoslavia's animated art shorts. Double vinyl gatefold with extensive liner notes, photographs from the films and exclusive cover artwork by Dejan Krsic (NEP / Nova Evropa).
Known principally as a smooth titan of blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell transcended genre tags with consummate ease; he was a musical icon of real class and versatility, cherished the world over. Tragically passing away in March 2023 at the too young age of 71, it still feels as if Bobby's true artistry is profoundly under-appreciated. His double platinum self-titled album from 1978 is a timeless masterpiece of sophisticated jazzy soul brilliance and is strictly canonical. Yes, it's perfect, yet it's been out of press on vinyl for years. We're deeply honoured to present the long-awaited reissue this summer.
Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted.
String-swept opener "Special To Me" immediately sets the tone with its lush instrumentation, rich harmonies, and Caldwell's velvety-smooth vocals. Next up, a huge one. The infectious, mid-tempo bounce of "My Flame" showcases Caldwell's ability to effortlessly blend catchy pop hooks with soulful arrangements. It's an exquisite, emotive ballad that, at the same time, absolutely SLAPS. Game recognise game, and all that, so, accordingly, Notorious B.I.G. memorably ran with “My Flame” for his 1997 single “Sky’s The Limit”. The rolling, disco-very "Love Won't Wait" is a slick, uptempo track containing heartfelt lyrics intertwined with elegant strings and a horn section to die for. Aching - and achingly cool - single "Can't Say Goodbye" is a real fan favourite, and it's no surprise. It's a laconic, slow-mo jazz-funk stepper, with fantastic, very deliberate playing that closes out the A Side quite exceptionally. "Come To Me" slows proceedings down elegantly to open Side B before the universally agreed-upon masterpiece enters proceedings.
"What You Won't Do for Love," the standout hit that became a classic in its own right, perfectly captured Bobby's ability to infuse a contagious groove with introspective and relatable lyrics. With its instantly recognisable horn riff and Caldwell's soulful delivery, this timeless, chiller anthem continues to captivate audiences and define his musical legacy. He scored huge with the track, taking over the pop and R&B airways with this mellow soul stepper. It has remained a perennial favourite and has been heavily sampled, such is its unique allure; Aaliyah sang over snatches of it on "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number" and you can hear Caldwell’s vocal sample used for the hook on Tupac’s posthumously released “Do For Love”.
Upon submitting the finished album to his label, they requested more material in hope of a big single. As Bobby remembered to Wax Poetics a few years ago: “Now at this point, I’m mentally exhausted...and bear in mind that I got so close to all the songs I’d written. I gave each song a profound amount of thought, and maybe too much. So, in haste, I went in and cut this song, "What You Won’t Do For Love". Wrote it in a day, cut the rhythm track, overdubbed the horns, I sang the song, and literally turned it in three days after. And lo and behold, the one song I gave the least thought to,” Bobby laughed, “ended up being a national anthem.”
The mysterious, magical "Kalimba Song" is a cosmic, kalimba-driven melodic-funk instrumental - short but oh, so sweet. It's followed by the supreme tear-jerker "Take Me Back To Then", Bobby's otherworldly voice deeply longing for a simpler time, "when life was mellow". I think we can all get behind this sentiment. The final cut is arguably its deepest, its low-key finest moment. For us, it is, anyway. The glorious, driving, effortlessly funky guitar-soul jam "Down For The Third Time" is a huge melancholic Be With favourite and has been played by discerning genre-hopping DJs with significant glee for years. Hypnotic, melodic, beautiful. Like the album it elegantly rounds out.
Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of his wonderful eponymous album will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans of his incomparable talent - and soul music enthusiasts worldwide - can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland.
NOAR is a young collective of enthusiasts in electronic music from Dresden.
The aim is to bring locals from dresden and eastern germany on the screen of like minded people. The scene is bursting with talents and audiophiles of several generations and therefore we want to give these talents a platform and make their output accessible to like-minded people.
‘Clone Scratch’ by Friedrich Ernst comes with a distinct electro vibe for build ups in a club and vocals in dreamy watery manner reminds us what’s up to us.
‘locknr01’ by The Isolator gives us a cold industrial goosebumps. A whole factory is under pressure performing that straight electro tune while heavy strings foreshadow its collapse. Here and there screws turn out of the steel beams, soft like bubbles. You have to take cover to avoid being shot.
A3 by Anachronism follows straight up. ‘Lost Control by Distance’ shows us what unconsciousness feels like. In this breakbeat thunderstorm we are sitting in a crashing airplane not quite ready for what's coming next.
With ‘Establishment’ the thunderstorm lightens and suddenly soft sunrays from Planetary Secrets come through the cloud cover. You are dreaming with soft melodies warming up your face while your body is moving to uk influenced breakbeat.
The duo KAWA KAWA is making their release debut with B2. This track clearly serves you on peak times with lovely and rough vocals while its energy easily lets you understand what a desire means.
The EP is finished with a fast electro belter from Otis Key. With it’s minimalistic approach
‘Copy Natural Processes at the Nanoscale’ lets you dive into the grid of existence with your electron microscope. From time to time you can see light coming from underneath with cold strings layered between the rhythm.
Dude what if...Is it… the matrix?
Detroit artist Julion De’Angelo steps forward into his own with a new musical offering:the inaugural EP from his new imprint, Maybee Hill Music. Named after the street that he grew up on, the label celebrates ancestral guidance and reflecting on the past, so you can move FORWARD!
Can’t Go Askin is an exuberant testament to Black joy, building and shining triumphantly throughout its mesmerising 12-minute runtime.The track centers on a riff that immediately locks you in, as it stretches and expands with a seductive, propulsive groove, with percussion and keys all floating below a soaring and shimmering Juno. This bold and idiosyncratic interplay results in a jam which takes you HIGHER, transcendent in the spirited tradition of Chicago and Detroit.
De’Angelo completely switches gears for the flip side of this musical offering. Reflecting Cancer Moon is an immersive descent into deep dubby waters inspired by a night walk in the woods. A hypnotic, bare-bones meditation with crazy swing, that explodes into a rhythmic swirl of percussion. Dub delay echoes in and out as we journey deeper into the forest with the moon illuminating our way forward. This EP embodies De’Angelo’s restless urge to constantly seek out new sounds and open up new sonic areas for experience and transformation, with two tracks reflecting two sides of the musical spectrum.
Beyond Paradise returns with a sumptuous slice of tripped out business from the mind of Richard Hardcastle aka Solid State, complete with two stunning remixes from Richard Sen and The Veteran Delinquents.
Over 35 years in the game, as a club DJ, radio presenter and producer since the late ‘80s, Richard Hardcastle is a true veteran of the scene and certainly knows a thing or two about what works on the dancefloor. ‘Seven More Minutes Of Funk’ delves into the psychedelic side of his production with a club-ready cosmic stomper complete with twisted guitars, hypnotic synths and wall shaking bassline.
‘Rhodes To Nowhere’ is more beachside than basement, a funked up retro electro cut with dazzling keys, ‘80s snares and a serious shot of feel-good flare.
On the flip, the title track gets the remix treatment from Richard Sen and The Veteran Delinquents, the former warping the original into an EBM powerhouse whilst the later turns into an end of the night, electro-infused chugger.
Crucial Toronto rapper / producer / DJ myst milano. returns with thrilling new album Beyond the Uncanny Valley, an exhilarating ride through hedonistic experimental hip-hop and house music that reinterprets the breadth of Black electronic music with addictive singular energy.
“I offer Beyond the Uncanny Valley as a working anthology of Black electronic music across generational, geographical and genre lines,” myst milano. writes. “I thought a lot about staples of Black art across the world that can be traced back to Africa, and that link the diaspora regardless of where our people end up and throughout all eras.”
A mighty example of this omnivorous and multifaceted awareness of Black creativity, Beyond the Uncanny Valley is a tidal wave, swallowing up Canadian House, Detroit Electro, Chicago Footwork, UK Jungle and Dubstep, Jersey / Baltimore / Philly Club, Southern Hip-Hop and West Coast Funk into the trail of euphoric destruction left by myst milano.’s trademark grimy, sweaty, lusty neo-R&B take on contemporary hip-hop.
Opening with “Thirteen”, the album hits with punch and immediacy. The track’s thumping kick and swirling, haunted synthesis represent myst milano.’s keen ability to nurture perfect symbiosis between production, arrangement and lyrical theme. It is equal parts dreamy, provocative, sexy and powerful, and, together, entirely unique to myst’s creative voice. As with Beyond the Uncanny Valley as a whole, it is evocatively storytelling, mixing vivid imagery with slick wordplay. We are introduced to myst’s groupie (formerly “a hater”), as their crew “causes damage you can’t afford”, while witty threats and erudite posturing flow out over a steadily expanding instrumentation that mimics myst’s breathless, sweatbox DJ sets.
“Ring Ring” is another key track. Glitching nuclear alarms give way to a bulldozing kick drum and in-the-red distortion on myst’s voice. The vocals hit at breakneck speed while the production retains a dirty, dirging stomp. It is formidable, intense, fun, and intimidating in all the right ways.
Underpinning the album is a mechanised female voice that has possessed the record like a replicant ghost. “When we go beyond the uncanny valley, we reach a state of perfect harmony where the robot has mimicked the human to the point of being indistinguishable,” myst says. “Who are we when we become perfect imitations of what the world wants instead of who we really are, which is imperfect and flawed and a little uncanny, anyway?” While the music of Beyond the Uncanny Valley is human, with real emotion and expression, it occasionally flirts with the beyond, reaching into a near future where reality and technology bleed into one.
Beyond the Uncanny Valley is myst milano.’s second full length, following 2021’s rapturously received debut Shapeshyfter, and a monstrously successful accompanying house remix on the UK’s legendary Defected Records.
Red hot Italian DJ and production collective Aura Safari is back with a second full-length album, Island Dreams. It lands on Hell Yeah Recordings on September 15th and is another live and sun-kissed odyssey through balmy Mediterranean evenings, gorgeous sundown sessions and funky analogue grooves.
Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni, Nicholas Iammatteo, Lorenzo Francioli, Ruggero Bonucci and Nicola Pitassio are Aura Safari, and between them they play drums, percussion, bass, keys, and guitar. They contributed to the first volume of the Buena Onda compilation in 2020 on this label, a year after serving up a debut album on London's Church Records. Since then they have become ever more entrenched in their local scene in Perugia, playing summer sets at the Umbria Jazz Festival, winter warmers at the legendary Red Zone Club and host their own Tropical Climax parties each month in the town centre.
Aura Safari are also deep-digging music collectors who have extensive and far-reaching tastes. When cooking up their sounds they draw on everything from Afro to Italo, house to disco, 80s boogie to world music, jazz and Balearic beats. This new album shows that once more across four sides of vinyl that sweep you up and transport you to somewhere idyllic.
The title track kicks off with steamy Mediterranean grooves embellished with lush Rhodes chords and sprinkles of cosmic magic. 'Sur Mon Balconnet' then slips into dubbed-out disco territory with 80s synths and leggy drums while 'Riserva Naturale' is a new-age jazz house sound with majestic lead synths and heart-melting chords that speak of a sunset dance on the beach. 'Onda' has squelchy boogie bass with hip-swinging drums, 'Wave Riding' is a lo-fi funk excursion with hints of West Coast Californian swagger and 'Magic Malbe' is loose-limbed Balearica with clear blue skies and blissed-out chords.
'Dancing in the Moonlight' feat. Zeke Manyika has all the vibrant feelings of bubblegum pop with Afro vocals and steel drum sounds next to rich xylophone sounds. There is plenty of heat and exotic charm to the proto-Afro house of 'Tropical Climax' and as well as dub versions of 'Sur Mon Balconnet' and 'Dancing in the Moonlight' come the scuffed-up Dam-Funk style beats and boogie of 'Disco Mantra' before closer 'Patagonia' shuts down with elastic drums and bass and playful synth leads that send you home wanting more.
Island Dreams is a tropical escape to a rich world of fusion sounds that look back to go forwards. It's a feel-good record to accompany hot nights and lazy afternoons, cocktails at dusk and dancing till dawn.
Recorded live during Nuits Sonores, Brussels, 2022. Tomorrow Comes The Harvest is a theory initiated and put into action by late Afro Beat creator and Nigerian Drummer Tony Allen and Deroit Techno’s Jeff Mills. Each belonging to a long tradition of using music to reach higher levels of consciousness, along with veteran keyboardist Jean-Phi Dary, the three toured internationally until the untimely death of Tony Allen in 2020.
After shaking up the dice across global festivals and club dancefloors last summer, Albion Collective reinvigorates Yoofee’s instant classic, Seek & Move, in a brand-new remix EP featuring Mystic State, Molokai and K-lone.
Mystic State fires up the engine with his remix of Seek & Move, alchemising Yoofee’s rapid kinetic energy into pure steamrolling pressure. The intro mischievously echoes the original, imbuing the drop with a strike of surprise when Mystic State’s stripped back, sub-loaded weapon fires in place of the classic.
Molokai keeps the motor revving with powerful, in-your-face sound design built for the heavy steppers. Zapping, buzzing, and fizzing robotic delights spark and pop throughout Molokai’s grungy yet groovy retwist of Yoofee’s Seek & Move.
K-lone serves up a signature sweet ‘n’ tasty edit of Make You Believe, realigning the original B-side’s focus from its organic soulful keys to its endlessly elevating electronic arpeggiation. What was once bathed in reverb, serving as a glimmering skyline to the gorgeous memory palace of Make You Believe, becomes the unblurred protagonist bleeping and blooping its way through a high-rise city of slick trap rhythmics.
Albion Collective is proud to welcome these fantastic artists to the label and present their brand-new viewpoints on Yoofee’s Seek & Move Remixes EP.
For Fans Of: Laibach, Trepaneringsritualen, Ulver, Skinny Puppy, industrialized Dead Can Dance, Celtic Frost. FORGOTTEN SUNRISE is a band both legendary and current; inventors in one era, and innovators in the present day. Celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, the group has evolved and morphed over time into its current formation of Anders Melts, Kadri Sammel, and Jaan Pullerits. A huge part of the Estonian cultural landscape that comprises dark music, Forgotten Sunrise began life as a death metal band in the early 90s, part of the movement that spawned groups such as Amorphis, Beherit, Anathema, My Dying Bride, and Katatonia. As styles converged, and electronics entered the picture, the group incorporated newer techniques and a more industrial approach over time, consolidating their methods into a unique strain they call “OUTDUSTRIAL” – outsider industrial. elu is the first album in the “HALL-ELU-JAH” trilogy. Starting in the middle, the band has an expansive story arc set across 3 albums. In this first presentation of the trilogy, elu synchronizes the classic Death Metal style vocal with ethereal female voice, horror atmosphere, and pounding EBM rhythyms to create 8 memorable and visceral tracks. From high-energy dancefloor-fillers like “Orthotoxic Waste” and “Deep Emoceans” to heavy industrial grinders like “Near Bye” and “iSaid” to the emotional close of “Meating 8:08” into “Elukas”, the album provides a serene metamorphosis, guiding the listener through the many-worlds-as-one experience of Forgotten Sunrise. – Forgotten Sunrise are: Anders Melts – Vocals, bass, guitars, cymbals, djembe, thunder tube, knife and fork. Kadri Sammel – Vocals, bass, keyboards, shaman drum Jaan “Suva” Pullerits – Controlling the arrangements of chaos Ants “Ank” Lill – B(l)ack vocals on “Elukas” Recorded, mixed, and mastered at In Dreams 2020-2022 Artwork by Rene 13 Cover Picture by hellish.cav Executive Producer for Ohm Resistance – Alexandra Portaluppi
Radio Slave drops ‘Wild Life’ on Rekids this May
Following the recently dropped ‘Strobe Queen’, which picked up support from Honey Dijon, Sean Johnston, Laurent Garnier, BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong and Danny Howard amongst many more, Radio Slave returns with another standout House cut ‘Wild Life’, turning in two exceptional Disco and Dub mixes.
“I’ve always adored the “Wildpitch” era of DJ Pierre, Roy Davis Jnr, DJ Duke and labels like Power Music It’s definitely influenced my work as Radio Slave and “Wild Life” started out as a nod to that early nighties sound. Conceived during the pandemic, I had the track mapped out and then with help of a good friend I decided to add live bass, loads of analogue keyboards and record the whole thing live and it became this super funky disco jam.” - Radio Slave
Radio Slave aka Matt Edwards is one of dance music’s undisputed heavyweights. Having made his name as a DJ in the 90s, he went on to become the king of edits, twisting pop, R&B and indie cuts into essential versions that consistently set clubs alight. Since the mid-2000s, Edwards’ originals have helped define modern dance music, tackling techno, house, breakbeat, minimal and disco whilst exploring dub, balearic sounds and ambient across the myriad of other aliases and projects.
To Celebrate their 3rd anniversary Berlin’s Pure Hate Trax hand the
reigns to resident artist Slave To Society. Andrew Bowen aka Slave To
Society provided the debut EP on the label with his now infamous ‘Path Of Self Destruction EP’ which also featured a remix from UK Techno pioneer Perc. Since then Andrew has gone onto release on some key labels including PI Electronics, Scuderia, Natural Selection, PRSPCT & his own self titled Slave To Society imprint. This time on remix duty Birmingham born Berlin based Rebekah steps up to remix lead track
Thrown To The Wolves. As one of the most respected figures in the
world of hard-edged Techno, Rebekah has carved out an infallible
reputation as a consummate artist and has established herself as one
of the leading UK exponents of the sound currently operating on the
global circuit. With 3 Experimental, Industrial, Breakcore originals
packed full of Esoteric Noise, Distortion and Breaks with a straight up
Hard Techno/Hardcore floor focused remix, Pure Hate Trax stamp their
intent as they move into the next chapter. PH006 is available in stores
from 23rd August 2023, distributed by Ready Made Distribution, Berlin.
Mastered by Joe Farr. Artwork by Slave To Society.
c B1. Thrown To The Wolves Rebekah Remix
More than a decade after the release of ´Land Lines', the mythical Humboldt County, California based duo of Brian Pyle and Merrick McKinlay reappears seemingly out of nowhere with 'Atheistsaregods'. With past releases on such cult-like labels as Root Strata, Weird Forest, Blackest Rainbow or Digitalis, Starving Weirdos were an indelible part of a sprawling and loose network of artists in Northern America whose DIY work ethic and extreme activity revolved around shoestring-budget constant touring, numerous limited editions on CDR, tape and vinyl and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of genre.
Out of that cauldron, Starving Weirdos stood out as one of the most persistent and visionary acts, developing a mind altering body of work that went from warm soundscapes through droney digressions, freeform improvisation and raucous noise summoned from a myriad of instrumentation and low budget processing - vocals, keyboards, violin, flute, percussion and an assortment of less identifiable sound sources. 10 years on their legacy remains a timeless and wildly under-appreciated one, but hopefully this new album will shine a light on their idiosyncratic approach. As time itself was never a constraint. This is music suspended outside of it.
Right from the start with the echoing percussion, dissonant keys and processed vocals of 'Haiku Nagasaki', 'Atheistsaregods' draws a continuous flux of psychedelic elevation that goes from the gloomy electronic motifs not unlike the early Cluster vibes of 'Invocation' into the dank percussive maze of the appropriately titled 'Barulho do Samba'. The self titled track induces a sense of post-apocalyptic vertigo via hallucinatory scraps of voice, suspended synth tones and reverberating field recordings, connecting into the droney mystics of 'Dudukahar (Reed Prayer)'. Coming full circle, 'For Vinny' brings back the echoing percussion amidst hypnotic cello lines until it drifts off into the unknown. With the same palpable sense of urgency, Starving Weirdos feel as vital as ever. And even if we didn't realize it we were in need of them. Welcome back.
Carved out from between the cracks of life over a 2 year period, Low Flung presents his eighth full length album ‘The Wheel’. Together, the 11 tracks provide a space to process and sit with difficult change. This takes the form of microscopic minimalist landscapes. Presented in both audio and physical form as micro grooves on a 12” vinyl.
At times the sound wanders and walks, other times it remains still, clear and precise. The omni-present artifacts found in ‘The Wheel’ are left to breathe a different life during each listen. Drones act like familiar trails losing their path as space transforms like a breeze over a table of sand. Hyper focused spores evolve around blurred waves of time. Electronic tones are captured flowing to the rhythm of a decaying natural world.
‘The Wheel’ is a patchwork of sonic experiments made using modular synthesis, fixed architecture synthesis, Buchla Music Easel (replica), outboard effects, cassette manipulation techniques, samplers and field recordings taken along the texturally rich and historically questionable eastern coastline of Australia.
The tracks have been composed with a materiality that embraces the acoustics of different listening environments. Much like mood, this means each listening experience is unique due to the natural acoustics of your listening space. The sounds on this album embrace this phenomena, creating a rich, visceral listening experience that slowly scratches away at discrete moments of time
Rather than attempting to traverse new sonic fields of experimentation in ‘The Wheel’, the album touches on the various spaces Danny has explored over the past ten years as an Audio Visual artist. Although technically eighth, it would be more fitting to say this album draws a clear line from ‘Blow Waves (2018)’ to ‘Outside The Circle (2020)’ to become the third and final chapter in the expanded non linear, unintentional landscape series. Serendipitous that each was conceived over 2 year periods of time.
While the key focus is sitting with difficult change, this album is also a celebration of any moment you might find yourself in. Good, bad, easy or hard, this album is an attempt to help with feeling content wherever you are along your path. With each cycle a new context.
The album opener, “Fainted Fog,” reintroduces this fuller, panoramic version of Helios. Woozy synths give way to a propulsive drum pattern as the track’s characteristics populate in the haze. A piano plays between the beat, and another synth solos overtop, ascending towards the peak with an exhale of live kicks and looping guitar. For every bold moment on Espera, there are more muted, counter-balancing stretches; “Intertwine” offers one of the most meditative. Strums mingle with keys in the front half before the beat returns to deliver a hypnotic nod.
Kenniff sees each song as integral to the whole — “if you took one out, it would be like tearing a page from a book,” he says — but still functional independently, like a series of self-contained epics. “All The While” best represents this intention; a song in three equal parts constructed on a resonant drum sequence. Shimmering synth notes surface first, then pastoral guitar and piano flutters, converging at the end to evaporate into the ether.
Effortlessly dismantling the barriers between R&B, soul, funk, disco and jazz sounds, MF Robots present long player ‘Break The Wall’, on BBE Music. Astonishing musicianship, pristine production and top-tier songwriting, ‘Break The Wall’ immediately calls to mind those iconic American rhythm sections of the 70s and 80s. The music is energising, uplifting and the potent result of a highly accomplished musical partnership maturing, growing and hitting their stride together in lock-step. Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph met as members of one of the UK’s most successful Acid Jazz bands, which influenced Mark Ronson, D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu and The Roots to name a few. Founding the Brand New Heavies was an important chapter for Jan, but once he and vocalist and songwriting partner Dawn began working together, the chemistry was instant and irresistible. It was time to turn the page, and soon MF Robots was born. “When we made our first album, we didn’t have a band as such. We basically made a lot of the record at home and called on other musicians as and when we needed them. Our sound was developing organically, and when we finally released the record to great critical acclaim, it was time to get out on the road,” says Jan. “We put together a band of like-minded young musicians, playing intimate gigs and big festivals all over Europe and beyond, growing tight as a unit, so that when it came time to think about making this, our second album, we knew we had an extra level of musicianship full of personality that could realise our vision.” Inviting band members Alex Montaque (keys), Naz Adamson (bass), Mark Beaney (guitar), Jack Birchwood (trumpet), Ben Treacher (sax) to improvise and contribute their own ideas over song-sketches laid out by Jan and Dawn gives ‘Break The Wall’ a special sense of off-the-cuff brilliance. Even on the polished final product you can detect a collaborative, fluid and unhurried approach to production that’s all-too rare these days. There’s guest performances from bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (‘The Love It Takes’, ‘Make Me Happy’) and guitarist Cory Wong ('Shine', 'Make Me Happy'), the former a top-flight session player who’s collaborated with Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie among others, the latter a member of the incredible Vulfpeck collective and an accomplished solo artist in his own right.
Because the 8th time is the charm.
For our 008 interpret teams up with with one of Montreal's finest jazz imprints “Ensoul records”.
This collaboration presents a four remixes record featuring songs from Dominique fils aime's album “Nameless”.
For the A1 interpret's founder Ohm Hourani revisits “Birds” with his own signature of walking bass and shuffle drums. Sharing this side, Ben Nevile inserts a healthy dose of funk to “Grow mama grow” with a remix that visits a past era with a flavour of modern twist.
The B side commences with a dance floor roller for the title song “Nameless” by Paris's Pepeno and shake expert Ben Vedren.
Closing this four tracker is Montreal's dynamic duo “Flabbergast”. Vincent Lemieux & Guillaume Coutu Dumonts work their own charm on “Birds” pairing the voice with a deep groove accompanied by warm keys.
Samosa Records reaches its 30th release in style, and who better to mark the occasion than label boss De Gama with the superb ‘Tropical Gangster’ - a three tracker slice of vinyl heaven that’ll blow you face first into your summer paddling pool.
Opening this super-tropical affair on the A-side is afro beat stomper ‘Karibu Funk’ - and it wastes no time at all in introducing us to its tribal rhythmic awesomeness. The beats, the vocals, the outrageously funky bass and horns are a musical representation of an African sunset. A serious groove.
A2. brings us ‘Lucky Fellow’; a twisting, turning bouncy bass-bomb of a tune with a flute riff that would charm the clothes off you. De Gama is very much in Pied Piper mode here - you’re powerless to resist the sexy overtures of the drums, the haunting synth lead and solid bass line. Sizzling hot.
On the B-side De Gama offers a cool ‘Piña Colada’ after all the heat of the A-side. This Piña Colada, however, offers an oasis of many delights and flavours. What starts as a furious latino drum call breaks to a tropical bassline and hypnotic keys. The vocals are the cherry on the cake of an amazing arrangement of layered sound. Goosebumps.
The Tropical Gangster is an exceptionally special Samosa release befitting the occasion of reaching the 30 milestone, and another example of the consistently brilliant output from Samosa Records. Expect this one to sell out fast.
This new released is dedicated to fans of minimal house and rominimal. Mihai Popoviciu, Christian Burkhardt, Octave and Nicolas Duvoisin are worthy representatives of these musical currents. On the A side, Christian Burkhardt brings with "Buto" a jazzy, happy orientation mixing funny keyboard, catchy bass and repetitive sound whereas "The Message" by Octave is a romantic and hypnotic ballad that will enchant you with its languorous atmosphere. On the other side, Nicolas Duvoisin's "Kempin" is a trippy dancefloor track as it has the secret of production. And finally, enter the acidulous mood of Mihai Popoviciu's "Fast Forward" with its rhythm always calibrated and like no other.
Italian DJ and producer Sourires (aka Andrea Antognoli) joins the Samosa stable for his debut with an explosive release that will take your breath away.
The EP kicks off with the title track, Pampasosa - a furiously groovy number which gets up right in your face from the get-go. Like an unstoppable train, Pampasosa hurtles along at 127bpm with its horns blaring and furnace blazing. De Gama is on the Re-Groove here, expertly applying the bells and whistles to this all powerful locomotive stomper.
A2 brings us ‘Liam’, which sounds like a track very close to Sourires heart. Think of glorious evening sunshine after the rain for this emotionally charged piece of music. The bass has you hypnotised, the strings make you soar and the vocal haunts your dreams. It bares its soul to you and you can’t help but love it for that.
On the B-side, ‘Keep Rolling’ (De Gama Re-Groove) gives no illusions as to what its intentions are. A rolling, bass-driven start builds to filtered vocals and punchy brass - we’re in house territory but it’s so much more than that. A prime-time fist pumper of a tune, this will have dance floors offering their souls to Sourires in exchange for good times.
Finishing off this four tracker is ‘Flavor’ (De Gama Re-Built). At 124bpm, it sneaks past you and taps you on the shoulder. Continuing the house vibe, Sourires brings us a swinging beat accompanied by dreamy vocals and subtle filtered keys. Strings and delicate guitar licks build to a glorious breakdown which reveals itself in full technicolour. Summery, sassy and sexy stuff.
Sourires has deliverdd a modern classic with the Pampasosa EP. This has to be in your record box for the summer - just watch the dance floor go!
Repressed! Jurassic 5 flexed serious old-to-the-new muscles in the ‘90s, beginning with their independently released single “Unified Rebelution” in 1994, and book-ending with their stellar debut full-length: 2000’s Quality Control. They walked a tightrope between underground and mainstream hip-hop, and toured alongside rap peers as well as punk rockers on the Vans Warped Tour. With double the pleasure of your average hip-hop group – two DJs and producers (Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark); and four MCs (Chali 2na, Akil, Marc 7 and Zaakir aka Soup) – they brought the late 1970s “unison MC” style of pioneering groups like the Fantastic 5 and the Force MCs to a new generation. Even more surprisingly, they did so out of Los Angeles, whose hip-hop flavors generally leaned towards Gangsta, G-Funk or Electro lines. Musically inventive and lyrically forward-thinking, each song on Quality Control is a new adventure, exploring engaging territory, delivered via one of the best live hip-hop shows fans had seen in years. From singles like the strutting groove of the title track to the throwback doo-wop samples on “The Influence” and the catchy, keyboard groove-driven “World of Entertainment (WOE Is Me),” to deeper album tracks like the lyrical gymnastics of “Jurass Finish First” and the thought-provoking “Lausd,” Jurassic 5 consistently stepped to the plate and their fans responded in kind, nearly pushing the album to Gold status. Add the innovative DJ-and-sample workout which closes out the album, “Swing Set,” and you have one of the 2000s’ most unique and solid full-length platters.
A new artist on the Citizen Records / Clivage Music roster, Vhinz is a musician based in Brussels. After taking his time to break onto the electronic scene, he’s now ready to share Belvédère, his debut, dreamlike album, confidently intense, sweeping between cinematic songs and soaring, epic electronic sounds.
Vincent Honca is Belgian, with Armenian roots and a love of keyboards: the mini synth he used to play as a child, the classical piano of his years of training at the Académie de Musique, the Yamaha synth of his teenage years... During the noughties of his adolescence, electronic music was omnipresent in his life as he listened to and admired Daft Punk, Moby, Vitalic, Air and The Chemical Brothers. He also went out dancing, a lot, in the nightclubs and parties of Brussels and the vicinity, and soon his love of computers, technology and synthesisers led to him producing his own music. “I wanted to create beautiful textures with synths,” he says. “I wanted to have fun and discover the possibilities. As part of the internet generation, I taught myself everything I know through reading magazines and checking the forums.”
Vincent went on to become a computer programmer and decided to make music in as much of his spare time as possible. His first productions came out in 2015, including “Drastical”, one of three deep house dancefloor-orientated tracks recorded with none other than Kris Menace. “At the time I was really searching for my musical identity,” explains Vincent, and progressively his music started to lean towards another of his passions – films and film music. “I’ve listened to soundtracks a lot since I was a teenager, and they’ve been a big influence, in particular the music for Heat by Elliot Goldenthal, Gladiator (Hans Zimmer), Saving Private Ryan (John Williams), The Last Temptation of Christ (Peter Gabriel), The Virgin Suicides (Air) and Leon (Eric Serra).” Coincidentally, Vincent has already worked on two independent Belgian films by director Christophe Karabache, UltravoKal and Vortex, both collaborations with Michel Duprez.
Now Vincent has chosen the name Vhinz, bringing together his expertise with machines and computers, his passion and enthusiasm for the electronic sounds of his adolescence and his adoration of cinema’s powerful, impactful soundtracks. Vhinz’s first track is thus called “Aether”, a track brimming with character and confidence, with sung-spoken vocals that sweeps the listener up in bewitching synthetic themes and drums like an off- kilter heartbeat. The track perfectly encapsulates the Vhinz sound, and Citizen Records – the only label he sent it to – immediately loved it and were ready to release a 12” with more. “Then Covid and the lockdown happened, and everything came to a complete halt,” remembers Vhinz. During those long two years without anything being released, the project continued its gestation and has now grown in a mini-album of eight coherent, fascinating tracks. “I really wanted a strong concept for everything, and so was born this album that I’ve called Belvédère. I imagined myself on a belvedere with a panoramic view of the world, channelling all the emotions it elicited in me into music.”
Belvédère is a dreamlike debut album, confidently intense, sweeping between cinematic songs and soaring, epic electronic sounds. It’s a place for Vhinz to showcase his dreams, talk, sing and invite others too: Margot Ferro sings on “Le Passage” and “Envole-moi”, and Michael Meers lends his vocals to “Evolution”. “My album tells a story, with the tracks in chronological order. There are both times of hope and darker periods of my life, with sadness and love,” meaning that listeners are invited to experience a suite of different emotions and be swept along by the author’s musical daydreams. Musically, the album falls somewhere between Moby, Vitalic, Air and Serge Gainsbourg, with a density and atmosphere that are completely Vhinz. “With Belvédère I was looking for beauty, but also something darker, dirtier, more organic. The album is the culmination of that.”
Melts In Your Mind is the mercurial new LP by Healing Force Project, aka Italian producer Antonio Marini.
An amorphous, shapeshifting, intangible proposition, Melts In Your Mind represents Healing Force Project at it’s most fluid and alchemical yet, a melon-twisting amalgam of jazz, dub and acid house tropes mulched and rearranged in inimitable style. Seemingly live and erratic polyrhythms, liquid basslines and expressive roving keys combine with kitchen sink sample hits and rogue licks for a thrilling, constantly shifting, alive sound. It’s music that’s difficult to grasp on first or even fourth listen, and as such continues to reward on repeat. Rather than going somewhere, tracks just go, rarely repeating motifs but riffing on, digging into and working out.
Behavior Of Waves sets the scene discretely enough, a simple bass refrain that is eventually overcome with an urgent rhythm that stumbles over itself into a post-dub cavern. The title track resembles a scramble of disparate earthly sounds - lurking synthesizer, restless popping drums, West African balafon and a muted vocal sample - sucked into the same swirling black hole and dropped into another dimension, completely cohesive. Equator acts as loose-limbed palette cleanser, an unmoored drift gently driven forward by an insistent snare roll and improv piano stabs. Inharmonious Layer stands out on the record for being less reliant on samples and by it’s relatively predictable unfolding, a queasy acid lope from the darkest corner of a deviant dancefloor, while on Diaphonization Marini flexes his aptitude with drum sampling, a bouncing excursion in sampled loops interrupted by unironic jazz cliches, the product of an omnivorous lover of the genre’s high and low. Melts In Your Mind closes on the droning tambura, ethereal pads and scattered rhythm of Two Waves In The Dark, a suitably metaphysical and ultimately peaceful resting place for a record that challenges perceptions from the outset.
Marini has released records as Healing Force Project on Firecracker, Berceuse Heroique, Bedouin and most recently Beat Machine Records. He’s based in Treviso, Italy.
Melts In Your Mind was written, produced and mixed by Antonio Marini. It was mastered by Chris Wang. Art and design by Ginji Kimura.
- A1: 특급열차 (속에서) (Express Train (In The))
- A2: 아무에게도 말할 수 없소 (Can’t Tell Anyone)
- A3: 풋내기들의 합창 (A Chorus Of Fledglings)
- A4: 가을에 오시나요 (Will You Come In Autumn?)
- A5: 거인의 숲 (Giant’s Forest)
- A6: 그리움 (Longing)
- A7: 유리 인형 (Glass Doll)
- B1: 우리 강산 (Our Country)
- B2: 여운 (Afterglow)
- B3: 카멜레온 (Chameleon)
- B4: 어디로 갈까 (Where Shall I Go?)
- B5: 내일 또 내일 (Tomorrow And Tomorrow Again)
- B6: 바람 부는 강 언덕 (The Windy Hill By The River)
Original release date: April 15, 1979
Sanullim's 4th album consists of background music and insert songs for TV and radio dramas and plays, including Korean Film director Im Kwon-taek's movie "Tomorrow And Tomorrow Again". It is a noteworthy collection of works that has not faded with the unique scent of Sanullim, and contains several songs that still shine with charming emotions and whimsical or vague sensibilities.
Express Train (Inside), a mountain sound-style hard rock with dynamic rhythm, fuzz guitar, and Kim Chang-hoon's wild shouting, Kim Chang-wan's soft vocal and brilliant keyboard sound, Can't Tell Anyone, Love It includes the elegant performance songs Glass Doll and The Windy Hill By The River, and the beautiful song Afterglow that achieves the climax of romance and lyricism.
Original release date: September 20, 1979
Along with the 3rd album, another excellent Sanullim album with the highest proportion of Kim Chang-hoon's songs. Based on a more stable and elegant performance than ever before, it is a work that attempted various experiments never before.
The guitar sound using rough fuzz tone and flanger effect, the strong rhythm and groove of the prominent bass line and dynamic drum, the keyboard expressing the rich string effect, and the stronger 'Korean' color are properly harmonized to each song. It conveys a kaleidoscopic, dramatic and refined fascination.
Mysterious and dreamy classic song Let’s Go To The Vineyard with a strong scent of progressive rock, and the Sanullim’s sounding hard rock A Portrait Of A Lady Shaman, the first song written by Kim Chang-wan, Why Are You Leaving Me? It contains songs that deliver new inspiration the more you listen to it.
Walter De Buck, oprichter van de Gentse Feesten, volkzanger en beeldhouwer, liet tijdloze volksmuziek in het Gents na. Violist en componist Guido Schiffer en zanger Pieter-Jan De Smet namen het initiatief om die liedjes een frisse injectie te geven. BUCK – wat zowel de naam van de groep als van de plaat is – koos voor evergreens uit het De Buckboek, maar vist ook prachtige minder bekende nummers op. De muziek is kleurrijk, met vaak een heerlijke mix van strijkers en blazers. En vol plezierige en sprekende accenten. Gentenaar en muzikant Pieter-Jan De Smet zingt in een onvervalst en smakelijk Gents, met veel inlevingsvermogen en expressie. De aanstekelijke arrangementen van Guido Schiffer en Reinhard Vanbergen, laten de teksten herleven. Je ontdekt ze opnieuw. En vooral, ze geven het oeuvre van Walter De Buck en ook het Gentse dialect een plaats in onze tijd. Bij BUCK is het erfgoed van Walter De Buck in goede handen. (Karel Van Keymeulen)
It is during the 2018 harvest of a winery near Bordeaux that Italian producer and multi-instrumentalist Fabio Bordignon decided to create his project Allez Kiki, an affectionate nickname given by his colleagues. 3 singles followed, produced behind Fabio's computer until he took out his double bass and gathered a drummer, a keyboardist and a vibraphonist to create his backing band Fermentation.
Their first album is titled Gusto di Luce (taste of light) and refers to the taste wine takes when left too long in the sun. It contains 8 neat and electrifying jazz-funk instrumentals as tasteful as a glass of good wine in the summertime.
On June 16th momentum continues apace for Alex Paterson’s Orbscure records, with the new album by Chocolate Hills – his duo project with Paul Conboy. Purveying world class melodic ambience and plenty beyond, colours in this high-fidelity-headphone-wonderland range from languid chill, kitsch exotica, library music, space age pop, ye olde folk and even drum and bass – all seasoned with (in)appropriately random plunderphonics from Paterson’s infinite goodie bag. Loosely based around a nautical journey to the Bermuda triangle and back, this is a fantastic voyage, but seas remain calm – more ‘Life Aquatic’ than ‘Moby Dick’. Tracks gently bob and float on bass which is roomy and buoyant like the hull of a ship, whilst luxuriously fluffy clouds meander overhead, before their vessel dives deep below to marvel at aquatic delights, guided by sonar. Paul Conboy’s approach as a member of cult analogue tinkerers Metamono – who use no computers, only old pre-digital gear – has carried over into his new joint venture. Both groups write, record and perform at same time, then later edit for release. For ‘Yarns from the Chocolate Triangle’ Paul set himself and Alex up with assorted gear, including a record deck, synths and drum machines, then the pair recorded the raw version of the album on the fly. These long live jams where then then discreetly augmented, embellished and edited, with a nip and tuck in Logic. As well as releases as A.P.E. on Dorado and Far Out recordings, TV and film scores plus his ongoing membership in Metamono, Conboy recorded three albums as part of Bomb The Bass, with whom he also toured Australia jointly with The Orb. On a boat trip over to Bali, Paul made Paterson pancakes, and their friendship was sealed. Having stayed in contact, many years later the duo began an exploration of ideas with their 2019 debut ‘A Pail Of Air’ on Painted World records (who’ve also released records by Nik Turner from Hawkwind, Youth, Roger Eno and Jaz Coleman). So far the duo have performed a low key gig at Paterson’s unofficial lair The Book And Record Bar, plus a bigger stage at the Roundhouse, alongside Leftfield, GAS, Ulrich Schnauss and System 7. Clearly making a lasting impression on Alex, the duo’s name was first referenced on The Orb’s own ‘Chocolate Hills Of Bohol’ remix of their single ‘Assassin’ in 1992, which was the same year Alex got blown away when visiting the prehistoric geological formations and enchanting jungles of the Bohol province in the Philippines.
A1 - Continuum
Teaming up once again the original Spatial production duo open their latest EP serving up a thumping onslaught of amen goodness with Continuum, a track which takes the classic Demon's Theme break and carves it to bits unreservedly with a myriad of chops, cuts & edits. We are treated to some delicious filter work later in the track over a shimmering backdrop of synthwork, glazed with a bunch of micro melodies, bleeps and FX.
A2 - Depth Perception
Meticulously constructed vintage breakbeats immediately set a brisk tone with Depth Perception before a blissful early interlude reminds us to sit back and take a breath, before our breaks return - blanketed with an introspective layer of serene synths & keys which somehow combine perfectly, resulting in a tonal mosaic only ASC & Aural Imbalance can conjure up with their combined skillset.
AA1 - Distant Orbit
Nest up an unsettling, melancholic intro tenuously launches classic atmospheric breaks delivered with that crisp, old school brand new punch we have come to love from the distinctive style of drum n bass Spatial is showcasingand developing with each release. Powered with a lively bassline, it's easy to lose yourself in this piece as the track lives up to its title and sends the listener far beyond the confines of their speaker.
AA2 - Cold Front
An intriguing, inquisitive energy opens Cold Front with an assortment of breakbeats woven together exquisitely in a collage format, DJ-friendly yet mellow at once . The dialed-back airy backdrops showcase a glorious intricacy to the breaks, so detailed with umatched clarity - they almost possess an ASMR-like quality, offering new discoveries to the ear each time on repeated listens.
Here we are - the new release from the italian project Club Soda is finally here!
The trio, made up of Nicola on bass, Simone on drums and samplers, and Filippo on keys, is bringing some real, raw, authentic sounds to the table. Their first LP, "Vibin' Places" dropped in 2020 and it's a versatile homemade electronic album that hits different, whether you're a listener, DJ, or clubber.
This new EP is fire too. A1 track "Basso e Batteria" with Sara Loreni on lyrics and vocals, has clear echoes of a '00s vocal-house joints, but sounds like it was recorded in a Chicago basement. The dirty grooves, thumping bass, and enveloping pads create a free-form vibe that's perfect for you summer madness.
But then they go and take it to the next level with the remixes on B side. Cristalli Liquidi's remix is on some current dance floor-ish, with bouncing rhythms, a wild bassline, and a catchy vocal cut. And Hill's dub mix is straight up trippy - like you're lost in a warehouse at 6am, with dreamy pads, a solid bassline, and rhythms that are distant but still pull you in.
And let's not forget "Gin Tonic" (A2) - it's a dope sunset jam session that's pure “Club Soda style”, with congas, DX7 keys, funky bass, and an MPC chop. This EP is the real deal, from start to finish! Shout out to Giulia Dall’ Ara for the sick artwork on the cover and label too - she killed it!
Acclaimed Stirling-based group Constant Follower, led by Stephen McAll, and renowned folk guitarist Scott William Urquhart have today announced their forthcoming collaborative album, ‘Even Days Dissolve’, which will be released on 14 April 2023.
The album follows on from Constant Follower’s lauded debut long-player ‘Neither Is, Nor Ever Was’, which was released in 2021 and nominated for the 2022 Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award.
‘Even Days Dissolve’ is an enchanting, deeply absorbing, and meditative album, the product of a musical affinity between two thoughtful and uniquely talented Scottish songwriters and musicians.
The songs that make up ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’ were inspired by ‘the grand old man of Scottish poetry’, Norman MacCaig (1910-1996), whose work is characterised by its gentle humour, precise observation and love for the natural world, which forms another key theme for the album.
MacCaig’s poetry holds great significance to McAll, as it formed a major source of comfort and support to him during a long period of recovery following a violent and unprovoked attack that left him with catastrophic head injuries, partially paralysed and unable to write or play guitar.
‘Even Days Dissolve’ is McAll’s nod of respect to McCaig, and the great man’s unmistakable words and inimitable voice feature on two of the tracks - single ‘Wildlife Cameraman’, and ‘Comes A Silence (Basking Shark)’ – sensitively set over the backdrop of beautiful and exquisitely crafted songs.
Scott William Urquhart’s masterful acoustic guitar playing is a stunning centrepiece of the album, imbuing the songs with a moving sense of atmosphere, and sounding at once both elegant and robust. Urquhart’s unassuming yet compelling vocals also feature throughout ‘Even Days Dissolve’.
Speaking about ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’, Stephen McAll said: “The magic in music for me is all about collaboration. Finding people who inspire me to make better music, then working with them and creating something between us that’s better than what either of us could have made alone. It’s been an honour to work so closely with Scott William Urquhart on this album. He’s someone whom I’ve admired for some time - unquestionably up there with the best acoustic guitarists at the moment in Scotland, and such a beautiful writer of songs.
“Bringing two of these songs together with the voice of our beloved Norman MacCaig has been a real highlight of this project. His poetry was introduced to me by my high school teacher Mrs Tatarkowski, and it was the first prose I was able to read and understand when I was recovering from a traumatic head injury. So his work holds a deep space in my heart. I don’t think any poet or songwriter has matched his ability to capture the space and wonder of the natural beauty of Scotland.”
Vinyl Only
With open arms, Sous-Vide Records welcomes one of the genre's most celebrated producers Silat Beksi for our latest vinyl release SVR004.
The Ukrainian mainstay offers up three deeply submerged late night grooves that come dusted in tasteful sound design. Flexing his rhythmic aptitude, Beksi applies percussive elements and dubby electronic motifs to craft melancholic tones throughout the EP. Melodies may be in short supply, but Beksi's signature style creates invigorating and emotively fueled productions without them.
Silat Beksi writes a new chapter in minimal education for those versed in the field.
The post-industrial Ruhr-Area has been an indisputable part of Germany's techno landscape since the very beginning. More than 30 years after techno's golden era and after a manifold challenging pandemic, the scene and its sounds are blooming like never before. Ahmet Sisman and his project The Third Room can be described as key factors for both the area's ongoing, sustainable dedication to electronic music and its current success, being more and more embedded in cultural contexts and society overall.
It's unsurprising that the first album of Ahmet Sisman, the multitalented artist and man of action, is a well-considered mix of familiar and pioneering sounds, enriched by countless influences within and beyond technos constantly evolving sub-genre scenery. With a sophisticated 50/50 mix of four on the floor strikes and innovative breaks, Sisman manages to hit a sweet spot between raw but groovy, experimental but subtle nostalgia, melodious but noisy.
All this is already worthy of a listen, but placed in context, it perfectly fits the musical approach of the Ruhr-Areas biggest transcendental techno project - The Stone Techno Series and Festival. Like the bound-breaking release series of the last two years, 'The Third Space' maintains the metallic and fierce sound vision of a coal mining tradition with everlasting impact. The time travel through industrialization and renaturation continues here with T3R008 and gains a whole new dimension from Sisman's skilled handwriting.
The Blood of Heroes is a amalgamation of artists re-envisioning worlds first created in the Rutger Hauer film by the same name. In “Nine Cities”, the trilogy is completed. The first self-titled album depicted the PRESENT post-apocalypse as depicted in the film. The second album,The Waking Nightmare, showed the world during the actual apocalypse in the PAST that led to the times in the film. This third album is the FUTURE – further past even post-apocalypse – “Nine Cities buried deep underground” – what had survived, and how did these cities evolve beyond the world-ending criteria of their creation and burial? Past the film inspired storyline, we have for the first time in many years, 2 members of the original Napalm Death collaborating with each other: guitarist Justin K. Broadrick is joined by Scorn beat master Mick Harris. With Submeged on bass, and Enduser on keyboards, the frame is set. Joined by all the artists depicted below, including returning vocalist Dr. Israel, and Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell, this cast is full of surprising interactions, all masterfully mixed by Dadub’s Daniele Antezza. Original artwork is an extended booklet by Khomatech; these Nine Cities are a world of their own, illustrated by one of the masters of fantasial art.
We are happy to announce that Ruf Dug, the Mancunian record producer, radio host, and self-professed video game freak is the latest artist to climb aboard the Pinchy train.
Well known for his kaleidoscopic approach both in the DJ booth and in the studio, Ruf Dug has touched on genres as diverse as street soul, vaporwave, and acid house over the years. He has released material on labels such as Rhythm Section, Klasse Wrecks, and his own Moodymann approved Ruf Kutz.
For his Pinchy & friends’ debut (there's a 6-song EP in the works as well) the NTS radio host distils some of these aforementioned influences and presents a two-track 12" that explores dub techno, Chicago acid, and atmospheric balearica.
Built around a solid, techy thud, "Thru The Night!" rides seismic bass waves and reverb-laden stabs to more tropical climes, thanks to gusts of echoed flutes and a catchy, 8-bit vocal hook.
On the flip, "I Love You" takes a minor-key synth riff and sends it off to music school for some late-night nasty dance floor bliss.
Two lost Disco classics appearing for the first time on a single 12” featuring soul legend Leon Ware and Jo Ann Harris, a little known backing singer for Bob Dylan throughout the 80s.
Both songs originally appeared on the ‘20 Minute Workout’ Video and LP released in 1983 by Canadian label Ronco, ‘What Does It Take’ providing an uptempo crescendo to the third part of the workout and ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ the final warm down track. Licensed from producer Ira Newborn, Hollywood soundtrack royalty who composed the scores for an incredible run of films including The Blues Brothers, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Naked Gun trilogy, Weird Science, Ace Ventura and Uncle Buck. Ira’s lawyer persuaded him to get involved in the project for Ronco and it was Ira who hand picked Leon Ware and Jo Ann Harris to add vocals to two tracks to aid the commercial potential of the album.
There are two original versions backed with extended instrumentals sourced from a rare Lazer Disc Version of the album. It feels right to shine a light on one of Leon Ware’s lesser known performances, whilst the Jo Ann Harris cut has a distinct Balearic air featuring sultry keys and sax at a tempo of 98 BPM.
Erstes Soloalbum des Queenryche Sängers Todd La Torre. Die durch die Pandemie verschobene Queenryche Tour bot Todd La Torre die Gelegenheit,das lang geplante Soloalbum zu verwirklichen. Todd tat sich mit seinem langjährigen Freund Craig Blackwell zusammen. Wie bei Queensrÿche's The Verdict spielte La Torre Schlagzeug und übernahm die Vocals, Blackwell spielte Gitarre, Bass und Keyboards. La Torre und Blackwell produzierten das Album selbst, zogen jedoch Queensrÿche- Produzent Zeuss hinzu. Gastauftritte von Jordan Ziff (Age Of Evil, Metalhead, Ratt) und Al Nunn. Insgesamt zeigt sich der Solo-Output vielseitig, ohne die progressive Basis von Queensryche zu vernachlässigen. Die Grundlagen sind allerdings mehr im klassischen Metal verortet und werden mit verschiedenen Einflüssen kombiniert. . Der Opener "Dogmata" oder "Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall" kommen mit mächtig Speed um die Ecke und mixen Heavy mit Speed und Thrash. "Pretender" erhält einen leichten epischen Touch und La Torre bewegt sich stimmlich in überraschende Höhen. Metallisch klassisch wird es mit "Hellbound And Down", dem starken "Vexed" und "Rejoice In The Suffering". Der progressive Part kommt bei "Darkened Majesty", "Apology" oder "Critical Cynic" zum Tragen. Die Balladenfreunde hören in "Crossroad To Insanity" rein.Zum Schluss gibt es mächtig dunkle Töne zu entdecken - "One By One . Craig Blackwells Gitarrenspiel setzt den Gesang von La Torre musikalisch perfekt in Szene. Todd findet sogar Vocals, die noch nie zuvor von ihm gehört wurden, wie auf dem Titeltrack und dem bestechenden "Vanguards of the Dawn Wall" zu hören ist. 2021 nur in den USA veröffentlicht, macht ROAR dieses Juwel nun endlich auch in Europa erhältlich, zusätzlich in 2 luxuriösen Vinyl Versionen. "Rejoice The Sufffering"ist ein herausragendes Opus von einem spät berufenen Sänger, der völlig losgelöst beweist, wie man eine wuchtig-moderne und vitale Metal Scheibe schreibt, arrangiert und produziert Für alle Queensryche Fans und Liebhaber des klassischen Metal.
Expanding an ever-evolving discography of cutting edge minimal house and techno, Modeight adds another brilliant release to the fold. This time beamed in from Spain-based groover Loopdeville.
People familiar with his work on Bodyparts, Rotate and his own imprint Delooped, will certainly be excited to wrap their ears around this freshly minted three-tracker. Opening with the low-slung, breakbeat jam 'Incase', Loopdeville injects his characteristic funk and fun-loving vocal flair into the A-side cut. Creating an irresistible dancefloor destroyer.
On the B-side, we begin with the swooning tones of 'Cleansing'. Lacing airy atmospherics and tonal key strokes over a seductive bassline roll. Finally B2's 'The Bounce' is every bit as elastic as its title suggests. With a buoyant breakbeat rhythm underpinning stuttered vocals, and ghostly tonal dissonances. Back with the fire once more, Loopdeville has found the perfect platform on Modeight for his enigmatic.
- A1: Cy & Gy - You Danger (Victorial Version)
- A2: Ubaldo Missoni - Let Me Be Your Man (Instrumental)
- B1: Teknoafro - Mama Africa
- B2: Bokaye - Ethno Groove
- B3: Nightmare Lodge - Mirage Iv
- C1: Nistri, Fiori Carones - Marcia A Gorky Park
- C2: Aritmica - Touch Another Flame
- C3: Zen - Antiacid
- D1: Major Ipnotic Key Institute - Minimal Kinetic
- D2: Leo Anibaldi - Muta 3
Double LP compilation featuring Italian dancefloor music from the end of the Afro/Cosmic scene to the beginning of the Italian Rave era, between 1987 and 1994.
Stunning bit of research by Andrea Dallera (Dualismo Sound) and Gabriele Casiraghi who've been meticulously digging Italian bins. After endless sifting through this crucial time in Italian dance floor music, we are presented with their final distillation of this transitory period between 80's afro cosmic and Italo's peak into early 90's rave and Italo house era. In their words: “The whole concept was born as we started to find records that were into a kind of hybrid zone that was clearly pre-announcing some of the huge musical changes brought by the 90’s. The sound at play can be understood as looking closely to Belgian New Beat, Uk's Acid House and German early Techno but still connected with some dynamics of the ‘80s sounds: lashing snares and catchy melodic phrases joined by filthy acid bass lines, highly compressed kicks and 'World music' samples are just some of the most recurring elements.”
Hands down mandatory for any dance floor oriented record collection.
A certified maestro of his time, king of Cool Jazz with a penchant for unusual time signatures, Dave Brubeck is as prolific as they come. For their third release, Major Keys lovingly remaster and reissue three of his key pieces as The Dave Brubeck Quartet including the instantly recognisable ‘Take Five’ on 180g vinyl in a Major Keys sleeve.
On the A side one of the most famous jazz pieces of all time. Released in 1959 as part of the Quartet’s Time Out LP, which become the first jazz album to sell more than a million copies with the ‘Take Five’ single also taking that that coveted spot whilst going on to become the best-selling jazz single of all time. Accolades aside, it’s an intricate, absorbing and elating piece of jazz history, with one of the most recognisable melodies ever to be written. Timeless genius written by the quartet’s saxophonist Paul Desmond and performed by Dave Brubeck, Paul, Joe Morello and Eugene Wright, reissued for a new generation of listeners.
The B side sees ever more experimentation from the quartet, with the time signatures Dave heard on the streets of Istanbul providing the inspiration that gave birth to the lead track from Time Out - ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk’. As cool and complex as they get, stirring up those meters like a slick Manhattan. Rounding off the package, American jazz singer Carmen McRae’s 1962 vocal version of ‘Take Five’ gives an extra dose of sophistication to proceedings. All in all, a must have for any discerning music lover.
Emotive sweetness from the one they call Gratts, coming correct via those ever-reliable purveyors of all things house, WOLF Music. Two dream-state gems from the Belgian-born, Australia-based DJ and producer, complete with a signature, deep and delectable remix from one of Dublin’s finest exports Glenn Davis.
On the A, ‘Pretty Lights’ is a bittersweet saunter beachside, sun setting in the distance, bass striding beside as keys dance across the horizon. A melancholic narrative over a blissful groove, Brandon Markell Holmes’ heavenly vocals add an undeniable elegance to proceedings, combined with Leïto’s deft touch on the keys. Subtle house music with soul from a producer that’s been toiling away for nearly 25 years.
Flip it to find ‘Polaroids’, a late-night trip across the underground with Tee Amara leading the way. Her sublime vocals are laid over a bumping, piano-laden beat, bit-crushed synths and all. A track that keeps that distinct soulful thread, yet laces it with a club-ready dose of the good stuff.
Glenn Davis then rounds off the package laying down a remix of ‘Polaroids’ that hits in all the right spots. A deeper journey, that sees Davis reworking the drums, dousing it in ethereal pads and dreamy synthwork, elevating Amara’s vocals to stratospheric heights. One for the dancers and romancers.
‘Hardcore Jollies’ was Funkadelic’s ninth studio album and their debut on Warner Bros Records. Released in October 1976 and dedicated to “the guitar players of the world”, it showed Funkadelic was the heaviest black rock band since Jimi Hendrix’s Band Of Gypsies (even featuring Buddy Miles on one track). With lead guitarists Michael Hampton and Eddie Hazel dazzling, the personification of funk Bootsy Collins on bass, Bernie Worrell’s keyboard wizardry and many more, the album was helmed by the genius of George Clinton. Reaching no.12 on the US R&B chart, the album spawned singles ‘Comin’ Round The Mountain’ (US R&B No.54) and ‘Smokey’ (US R&B No.96) and a live remake of 1973’s ‘Cosmic Slop’ from the album of the same name. Recorded during rehearsals for 1976’s P-Funk Earth Tour, this version features a vocal introduction dropped from the 1973 studio cut. Over 45 years since its original release, ‘Hardcore Jollies’ is among Funkadelic and George Clinton’s best-ever albums and remains a masterful example of their creative genius. FUNKADELIC Masterminded by the larger-than-life figure of George Clinton, Funkadelic was a key component of his influential P-Funk empire. Funkadelic’s unique combination of Rock, Psychedelia, R&B & Soul led to the band crossing over to the pop mainstream & gaining a vast international following, becoming one of the most important & influential groups in music. On 6 May 1997, Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Prince. To commemorate six decades of thrilling & delighting fans, George Clinton returned to the stage in 2022 for a series of concerts. To celebrate, Charly have reissued Funkadelic’s classic four albums ‘Hardcore Jollies’; ‘One Nation Under A Groove’; ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’; & ‘The Electric Spanking Of War Babies’ (originally released by Warner Bros during a golden period for the band between 1976-1981). Each album will be available as deluxe gatefold Digi-Sleeve CDs in PVC wallets + obi-strip & facsimile-edition gatefold LPs on 180-gram black vinyl & limited edition 180-gram coloured vinyl + 1970s-style obi-strip in a protective PVC sleeve. “They played a HUGE role in creating the future of music.” PRINCE
Edition of 500 copies. Comes with download code and insert.
' Funkadelic touring the vast Caribbean coastline of Venezuela, together with Afrosound and Grupo Bota, with endless supplies of Aguardiente and other substances, in a “Back to the future” setting. ' ....?
Lola's Dice's debut album is the result of a radical musical transmutation, marked by the phenomenon of massive Venezuelan emigration. The songs contained in "Pura maldad" expose the current point of that process with amazing detail. Rhythms that were considered exclusively "traditional" and almost untouchable back home (Tamborera, Gaita) get twisted, stretched and pushed beyond any imaginary limit, while being combined with healthy doses of Disco, Funk, Electro, Techno and their Caribbean counterparts, Merengue, Salsa and Compass.
Having taken their first steps in the key of Funk-Rock, things first took a turn after the leader Javier Bohorquez met Venezuelan producer Alex Figueira (Fumaça Preta, Conjunto Papa Upa, etc) at a show and he handed him a business card. The tropical psychedelic sound Figueira was specialized on spoke immediately to Javier, as it did combine many of the crazy and groovy elements he loved from the most "out there" Funk (a la Funkadelic), with the countless Caribbean rhythms he had been exposed to, having grown up in Venezuela.
After the first EP "Viaje al centro del ritmo", where everything acquired a decisive tropical tone, a further eccentric exploration of the music of their homeland became inevitable. The subsequent single "Cacri 'e Playa / Sr Cartujo" clearly showed where things were moving towards.
“Pura Maldad” is a true tropical lysergic trip, and while you see vibrant colors and things move in very strange ways, the sun never seizes to shine. Despite its profoundly experimental character, the album proves very useful to anyone in need of getting a party started, maintained or fully blown up, depending at what point of the evening it’s played.
Artwork by Colombian artist Kevin Simón Mancera.
Produced by Alex Figueira at Heat Too Hot, Amsterdam.
We are proud to present the Mr Bongo pressing of Guilherme Coutinho E O Grupo Stalo's self-titled mythical album. Blending lo-fi, Brazilian tropicalia, jazz, funk and MPB with a unique aroma, this record is pure perfection.
It was originally released in 1978 on Erla - Estudio Rauland, an obscure record label from Belém in Brazil, that only released 7” singles, with this album being one of two exceptions. During the 1970s, Belém had a thriving nightclub scene, but it is thousands of miles away from the music industry hubs of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, making this record insanely difficult to find, even in Brazil. Added to the scarcity factor is the magical nature of the recording, which has naturally resulted in a hefty price tag to match. Original copies have become a prized, collector’s item.
The elusive Brazilian band leader and keyboard player, Guilherme Coutinho is a true cult artist. He passed away in 1983, at the age of just 41, and during his career he only seems to have appeared on a handful of marvellous records, which makes them all the more special. This album feels individualistic and distinctive from other albums of the day. Listening back to vocalist Elinho’s (aka Hélio Rubens de Oliveira) delivery, it sounds not too dissimilar to some of Belle & Sebastian’s songs. ‘Guilherme Coutinho E O Grupo Stalo’ is rich in charm, quirky and playful. It feels cinematic, soothing and benefits from being heard in its entirety. A proper album experience.
Mouche (real name Tim Karmouche) returns to Australian label Research Records with another full-length of imaginary soundtracks, instrumentals and sun-kissed digital jazz. Active on the Melbourne scene in projects such as Crepes/The Murlocs/Swazi Gold/Dreamin' Wild, Tim's first album Live From The Bubble arrived back in 2020 as an ode to his aptly named studio space - The Bubble.
Lake Songs builds on those same atmospheres, showcasing the inward-looking craft of his one-man band. Cicada field recordings and light keys open proceedings, reflecting the warmer side of 80s new age, though before long we're introduced to a variety of stylistic shifts incorporating elements of cosmic funk, lounge and library-style compositions. There are traces of Steve Hiett, Max Groove or even the recently re-discovered Ronald Langestraat, though the strength of Mouche's talent for harmony shines through on its own level.
Shifting between moods yet reflecting an overarching sense of positivity, listening through the ten tracks gives off a real sense of place, though time is somewhat irrelevant. The warm climate and sandy beaches of Australia seem eternally embodied in 'Juice' or 'Crystal Water'. Perhaps where Live From The Bubble was dedicated to the very studio that birthed it, Lake Songs is dedicated to the vast land that surrounds it.
Reflections of the Sun is a collection of new music that see JOHN ROCCA experiment with a more laid back side to his musical personality. John is best know in Jazz Funk circles for his 1980s self funded, self produced and self released Brit Funk classic 'Southern Freeez', and as the band Freeez's founder.
"The melancholic suburban soul of ‘Southern Freeez’ never gets tired for me....an album that has remained at the top of my Brit Funk pile!" - GILLES PETERSON
Much of the album is also somewhat reflective. A personal and emotional reflection on John's life - the tracks a nod to John's varied musical pasts. Sounds, a pondering upon his collection of global influences and his life experiences over the years; Genre, the pulse of today, societal, musical or otherwise - but not easy to place as is John's character; Lyrics, the present dilemmas we face as humanity, whilst reflecting on our own private and deepest human feelings, of life and, of love in all its wonderous forms.
Musically, the 'Reflections of the Sun' album casts a glimpse back to Rocca's Brit Funk roots growing up amongst 1970s classic Jazz Funk and Soul, while also blending inspiration from his 1980-90s electronic influences topped off with everything else he has seen and heard on his life travels since then.
Giving a nod to John's own past while bringing Reflections of the Sun up to date was completed by adding elements of London's re-surgent and vibrant jazz scene. Not so different from John’s own early days jamming with Freeez, he is accompanied on all the album's tracks by his two young nephews and highly respected jazz musicians, Benjamin Rocca on keyboards and Joel Rocca on Saxophone. The two youngsters are known on the current London Jazz scene as the "Rocca Brothers".
The album's title track, "Reflections of the Sun" refers to how humanity, gorging on the sunshine that brings life to everything, also has a tendency to reflect the hellishness of the sun itself. Comparing our self-destructive nature with our planet's volumes of un-ending beauty.
Initial support for various tracks has come via radio plays on UK stations such as JazzFM, Jazz Funk & Soul Radio (JFSR), Soul Groove Radio and Solar (amongst others).
The gifted Puerto Rican-American drummer and percussionist Willie Bobo was one of the architects of Latin Jazz. Following mentorship from Machito and Mongo Santamaria, Bobo played with Tito Puente, Cal Tjader, and Herbie Mann, before going solo. Bobo’s Beat is a sure-fire winner from 1962 with excellent support from trumpeter Clark Terry, saxophonist Joe Farrell and keyboardist Frank Anderson, a fully three-dimensional set with fine jazz nuances. It shows that Bobo never accepted less than the best from his counterparts, and there are some bossa nova covers mixed in with the driving Latin originals too. An essential work!
A label synonymous with a distinct flavour of house sweeping Italy in the ‘90s, the prolific Palmares Records discography is a gold mine of goodness from sun-kissed, italo house cuts to rave-channelling raucousness. Axe Corner’s 'Tortuga' four tracker is one such example of that latter direction and with originals trading hands for up to £150 it's high time a remastered, reissue landed.
A classic of the era, balancing breakbeat-laced, rave and hardcore sensibilities with a deft Italian flair. Four tracks produced by a quartet of some of the most masterful minds of the Italo house sound Alex Neri, Marco Baroni, Adriano Dodici and Pietro Pieretti.
‘OUT-SLD’ opens, a warehouse wall shaker, with twisted top lines and a hardcore infused underbelly. ‘IN-SLD’ turns it into a fever pitch, acid-laden warper – atmospheric organs and all.
On the flip ‘BAD-SLD’ has more of the Riviera feel to it, classic keys drenching this in warmer rays, as ‘SLD-EFFECTS’ takes the closing spot - a stripped back, driving groover.
Symphony Orchestra is a new group from Maximilian Turnbull and Michael Rault. Both Rault and Turnbull are accomplished songwriters, performers and producers in their own right, with Turnbull leading The Badge Epoque Ensemble, playing with the group Darlene Shrugg, and once releasing records under the name Slim Twig and Rault having released several psychedelic rock & roll classics under his own name in the past decade. The pair have worked together in various capacities for many years, writing and recording together on U.S. Girls' In A Poem Unlimited, and contributing to each other's releases, but the debut LP from Symphony Orchestra (due out May 12th on Telephone Explosion) marks their first release as an official entity.
Needless to say, there is a potent creative chemistry between Rault and Turnbull and Radiant Music showcases the alchemy between their distinct skill sets. The album is an exercise in pure collaboration. After years spent focusing on solo projects and working as hired guns on other projects, the duo came together with no specific intentions other than to work free of boundaries and direction. Freeing themselves from the familiar pressures of deadlines and expectations, they found a sense of discovery through togetherness. Duties on this project were split between Rault acting primarily as a one-man rhythm section and lead vocalist with Turnbull bringing chord sketches and his trademark aphoristic lyrical musings to the table. Trading off roles on guitar and keys from song to song, the duo's deft approach to melody bleeds through their instrumental parts as much as it does through Rault's vocal melodies. The majority of this album was self-engineered over the course of three sessions in 2018, at Michael's Montreal studio. Dormant during the pandemic, Rault's move to Los Angeles and the birth of Turnbull's twin sons, work reignited in 2022. The latterly tracked instrumental 'Concerto' and ballad 'Unthink The Thinkable' provide a dynamic depth to the album perhaps attributable to this tumultuous pause. Mixing came courtesy of Steve Chahley & Tony Price (U.S. Girls, BÉE, Jane Inc, etc).
In all of their work, Rault and Turnbull have made a hallmark of elaborately precise production and arrangement, Radiant Music is no different, though its pared-back simplicity provides a streamlined directness. The pairing of Rault's soulful, elastic vocal with Turnbull's evocatively cerebral lyrics provides a thrilling sensation unlike anything else in their respective catalogs. With an explosive, groove-forward approach, kaleidoscopic walls of vocal harmony and technicolor displays of guitar work, these 31 minutes of music will most certainly stimulate the mind of any fan of classic pop rock and funk. The blown-out breakbeats, winsome woven vocal melodies and propulsive wah-wah guitars of the title track evoke memories of an after-school cartoon special that never really existed outside of a lysergic daydream. "Harp In The Wind" is a perfect moment of overcast melancholy complete with ribbons of weeping synthesizers and velcro-fuzz guitar that could rip a clean line through Kevlar. "Know Thyself" and the harmony-rich "Intersection" are standout tracks that find a kinship in Stereolab's space-age effervescence. "Concerto" is a slab of beaming, mischievous funk that nods to Billy Preston's extraterrestrial keyboard explorations.
Radiant Music, like the best pop music, is life-affirming, confectionary, and enticing. Symphony Orchestra have created an album that hits you right where you need it, anchoring heady, adventurous sonic ideas down to a solid foundation of masterful songcraft, virtuosic instrumental performances and undeniable groove. Not a bar, nor beat is wasted.
To need, to be needed, in four corners. Sleep and privacy, gases come and gases go, and now you are the only one in the room you sit in, you are one with the room you sit in, as if there are no negatives and no positives--did you know that you are an extension of your apartment? Did you know that you are in a codependent relationship with your apartment? Did you know that your apartment knows and appreciates all of your secrets?--I feel safe, which is not a new need for human beings, but a very ancient one, almost the first one. It is enacted by the possibility of sound, humming or strumming something mostly. But the quiet apartment makes its own sounds: a single longing note of birdsong told to the beat of restful breathing, the angelic insistence of tinnitus, the neighbours. Sometimes I wonder if silence means nobody's home. How still I sit. Sometimes I return to silence and feel hugged by the cool lightness of its touch, like sleeping with just a sheet in summertime. Like turning the key. Like a visit from the cat next door. Like a somnambulant ray reaching across the room, asking if you'd like to step outside. Reste Envie is a desirous message to oneself, made from a place of lived solitude: the parameters of home. Roger 3000 is a painter and a musician from Brussels, Belgium. Rest En Vie follows his 2020 release on his own imprint Tundra Records, Fiftine. His first solo EP, UFO Love Letters, was released by JJ Funhouse in 2014, followed by a contribution to Ekster's 2017 compilation album EXO3. Roger 3000 frequently collaborates with other musicians and artists, most recently with Lawrence le Doux (with whom he released the EP Chou Chou on Lexi Disques in 2021); with Carole Louis as Ondine & Turbotin for the EP Club Solitude, as well as with Bitsy Knox, with whom he released the LP OM COLD BLOOD in 2018 on Tanuki Records. Text by Bitsy Knox
re:discovery records is proud to release for the first time, a vinyl edition of 'Two Zeroes' by Grain for it's 25th anniversary.
Grain was a west coast project that emerged out of the psychedelic music and art scenes in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. After a few of their tracks were featured on the key chill out compilations United State of Ambience 1&2 and Excursions in Ambience
and many local live performances, they released two ep's on local labels. Shortly after in 1998, 'Two Zeroes' the full length project appeared. A west coast chill out classic that unfortunately did not get much disribution outside the west coast let alone to the world.
To classify this album is very hard. Think early Jammin Unit with a touch of the Orb and dash of west coast breakbeat and chill out styles and you still can't fully pin it down. A unique album that sonically, was leaps and bounds ahead of most albums in this style thanks to sound designer, audio instalation architect, scientist and artist Jimmy Johnson along with illustrator and fellow sonic artist Peter Ehrlich. Featured on double vinyl with updated artwork by the original designer, Kevin Hanley and presented on beautiful gatefold with a shimmering silver vinyl to match. This could be one of the discoveries of the year for those that have never heard this album. Dare to Dream with us.
Step into the world of KVR and enter a musical landscape of fusion, jazz and electronica. We briefly introduce the band members to you. On keys Niels Broos, who you know from Jameszoo, Binkbeats and his own albums. On bass Dries Laheye, who just released his solo debut Deining, and who you know from STUFF. and Selah Sue. Lander Gyselinck on drums completes the trio, who you can also know from STUFF. and from Labtrio, Lander & Adriaan and Pourriture Noble (his project together with Zwangere Guy).
Over mountain and valley, these blond-haired sound magicians together land down in the deep caverns of the beat and there they sculpt air and electricity with the unforeseeably danceable.
On May 19, their debut album "Spam Vol.I" will be released, which can nicely join Thundercat, Hudson Mohawke, The Comet Is Coming and Jameszoo in the record bin.
Recently created Guatemalan label Identidata is extremely proud to present Sacratávica, the very first collected survey of Joaquín Orellana’s compositions. With a career spanning over 50 years of activity across contemporary art, performance, theater and sound art, Orellana is a highly singular figure in Guatamalan culture. Often considered to be the sole avant-garde composer in the country, his work has a deeply interdisciplinary quality. Most of his music was created using an orchestra of his self-built instruments, also known as Útiles Sonoros. Sitting at the border of sculpture, sound installation and musical instrument, these Útiles Sonoros, which he’s been building and developing since the late ‘60s, are at the center of his artistic activity.
Aside the obvious formal aspect, his compositions also have a strong political message, while being deeply rooted in Guatemalan history, folklore and various identities, both indigenous and modern. Playful opener “Híbrido a presión” was one of the first of his compositions to be performed entirely using the Útiles Sonoros. However, due to its technical complexity the piece was seldom reproduced, except for a later staging that Orellana directed in Louisville, Kentucky. “Ramajes”(1984), initially titled “Evocación profunda y ramajes de una marimba” , tracks the many incarnations of the marimba across history, before reaching its final form as one of Orellana’s instruments by combining vibrational percussion with melody and poetry fragments.
The title track, ‘’Sacratávica’’, represents one of the most ambitious and emotionally charged pieces from the album. An expansive 22 minute composition mixing textures that mimick field recordings and multi-layered vocal melodies culminating in choral catharsis, ‘’Sacratávica’’ deals in baroque maximalism without ever feeling cluttered. For the casual listener, the track immediately stands out, not only because of the moving vocal layered harmonies, but also through its epic scale and strong sonic narrative. Dubbed “Las voces del Rio Negro”, the piece references the massacres that took place in Coban during a period where the army massacred numerous towns, throwing the bodies in the nearby Rio Negro (the Black River).
Final track, “Fantoidea”, a glistening, metallic ambient improvisation, was a reimagining of Disney’s Fantasia using Paul Dukas’s “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” as inspiration.
Despite his work being presented in numerous exhibitions and concerts in various prestigious museums and theaters across the world, very few quality recordings exist to date. The only previously available recordings so far or either of very poor quality or did not receive enough attention. This is why, although The compositions presented not being previously unheard, having them all together in a high quality audio object represents a key moment In Guatemalan and Latin American culture.
Recorded on August 31st 2016 during a historical concert attended by over 1000 people at the Centro Cultural Miguel Angel Asturias, designed by Efrain Recinos, one of Guatemala’s leading contemporary artist from the last century, the four pieces were performed by a selection of over 90 musicians (including 60 vocalists) who were already familiar with Orellana’s instruments, cherry-picked from the Guatemalan Conservatory.
For the people behind Identidata, it has been a long and arduous process to put together these pieces. Trying to offer a panoramic view of Orellana’s work, the curators have selected pieces ranging from different decades and artistic periods. Sacratávica is a portrait of a singular artist whose work speaks not only to his culture, but carries strong aesthetic sensibilities that resonate universally.
"Drums from heaven, keys from Mars, a bass made from mother earth's soil and guitars from a guy who's time-traveling from German Kraut in the last 60ies into the next 60ies and who happens to gift us today with this funky, dirty, pulsating, delicious music that's everything which music is supposed to be: ALIVE! (Note to self: Always keep a copy of this record in your suitcase!)." (Malakoff Kowalski)
"Afrokraut" is a stylistic expression of Krautrock, primarily associated with Can, and their creative use of time and space in music. "A Guide To Afrokraut III" is David Nesselhauf´s third and last contribution to the dusty shrine of this long forgotten style.
Next to "Afrokraut" (2016) and "Afrokraut II: The Lowbrow Manifesto" (2018), this album completes a humble sonic Trypticon in honour of David Nesselhauf's musical heroes. Experimentation was key in the immersive process of producing this album, which encompasses elements of Funk, Afrobeat and Krautrock as well as otherworldly Drones, early Elektronische Musik and even field recordings.
Inspired by the unfinished manuscript 'History Deletes Itself' by the late science fiction author Joseph Sabiers, Nesselhauf decided to produce a b-movie soundtrack to the original plot, ignoring the fact that there will likely never be a movie to this music.
In the original script, a virus has infected history, the resulting changes of historical facts leading to an unpredictable present and future for mankind. Every attempt to solve the problem – including time travelling – only worsens the situation. But three planets at the end of the known universe seem to be unaffected by the phenomenon, they become a sanctuary known as 'Afrokraut III'. Three brothers arrive there to start new lives. They are introduced to The Guide, their mysterious advisor...
The striking parallels to today's uncertainties, a strong feeling of hope and the idea to never stop exploring (come what may) certainly have encouraged the making of this album, which sees a belated release due to the obstacles everyone faces right now.
David Nesselhauf lives in Hamburg/Germany and appears as a bass player/songwriter in bands like Hamburg Spinners, The Drawbars, Diazpora, and Angels Of Libra.
On May 12th 2023, Helsinki-based duo Ya Tosiba will release their second album, ASAP Inşallah. The album will be led by two singles, ‘Mənəm’ and ‘Pul’, due for release on March 2nd and April 13th respectively.
A collaboration between Finnish electro producer Tatu Metsätähti (also known as Mesak and Mr Velcro Fastener, and of the Scandinavian skweee scene) and Azerbaijani musician and vocalist Zuzu Zakaria, Ya Tosiba absorbs electronics, live instrumentation and folkloric poetry of Caucasus into a spirited, groovy sound.
The follow up to their 2017 debut album Love Party, Ya Tosiba’s ASAP Inşallah plays with tension of living in a world of contradictions.
Across the 10 tracks musical and lyrical collaboration takes the listener on a global trek. Sonically, features come from Norway’s Center of the Universe, France’s Poborsk, Ukraine’s Zavoloka, Sweden’s Pavan and Daniel Savio, Azerbaijan’s Rahman Memmedli, plus Patric Catani and Debmaster from Berlin. As Zuzu sings in Azerbaijani, the storytelling of ASAP Inşallah comes alive. All of the album’s lyrics are taken directly from poetry and texts: with tales of romance and war, sex and gender, nature and machine, politics and society. Though the stories are varied, and some are historical, they all tap into that tension; it’s the weight of history versus the promise of tomorrow. After collecting myriad stories during her field studies, some of which are over 100 years old, Zuzu was stunned by their contemporary relevance.
When Ya Tosiba wrote ASAP Inşallah, it started with these texts-as-lyrics; melodies and music were built out from their internal rhythms and vocalpossibilities. With a range of electronic hardware and software, Zuzu and Tatu went back-and-forth, creating taut loops and clips out of Zuzu’s vocals, drums and keyboards, with samples of their collaborators instruments and Tatu’s productions.
In chopping up recordings of the live players into their electronic beats, Ya Tosiba creates an effect of tradition and modernity “being samples from the same record, taking it apart and looping it to sound like one machine.” The patchwork nature of their process, alongside the ambitious and danceable sonics, invites the listener into Ya Tosiba’s unique perspective.
Electroacoustic duo JESSE and their extended collective is making a comeback of some sorts. Having been integral part of Finnish electronic music community for 15 years now, they are releasing a new album called Descend. Produced by the band together with Berliner DJ Sotofett, the record is a voyage to the depths of microcosmos of our minds. Warm and fuzzy grooves bending into a mindmelting buzz of swampy ambient. JESSE has always been a group that is musically on a constant search and mutation, Descend is a record that once more defines their edge and can be seen as a follow up to their 2017 record Twotinos (released on Keys Of Life).
We're thrilled to release two exciting electro tracks by Art P, as well as the classic minimal synthwave tune 'Der böse Osten' by related band project Die Synthetische Republik on this limited split 12".
The single kicks off with 'Genscher Pull and Push', an incredible and previously unreleased electro/wave/proto-techno tune from the P.A.P. archives, recorded in October 1982 with a political background. The song was only available on a demo cassette for a radio show and had been forgotten since then. Genscher was a long-time Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and Vice Chancellor of Germany, who played a key role in a coalition change in September/October 1982, leading his party, the FDP, to leave the Helmut Schmidt cabinet with the SPD and continue with the opposition, the CDU/CSU. As a result, the German lyrics of the song shout 'bitte geh nach links / bitte geh nach rechts' ('please go to the left' - meaning the left-leaning SPD, and 'please go to the right' - meaning the right-leaning CDU), and so on.
Unfortunately, this track was never released, as the topic of the coalition change quickly became uninteresting and outdated. If it had been issued on vinyl in late 1982, it would probably be considered one of the first proto-techno tracks ever. With its driving and heavily-punching 808 rhythms, and the bending synth bass leads played on the Jupiter 4 synthesizer, it gives you a groove that owes as much to Kraftwerk's 'Computerwelt' album as it may rhythmically pre-date the sound of Detroit's Juan Atkins. The energetic German vocals are giving the track a unique Neue Deutsche Welle touch. They are heavily left/right panned to fit the political topic.
Next up on the Art P side is a remix of 'Polaroid', originally found on the No Message LP that we re-released last year. The track was recorded in 1985, and at that time, the duo of Frank Grotelüschen and Jens-Markus Wegener had become bored with the sound of the Roland 808 drum machine, so they made the track with a DrumTraks by Sequential Circuits. However, for this remix, DJ Scientist, the curator of this 12", wanted to recreate the typical electro-funk sound of the era and added 808 bass drums and claps. The track was also shortened to a more DJ-friendly arrangement. The result is a dancefloor delight for all lovers of classic electro and SVC-350 vocoder sounds!
Die Synthetische Republik was a project by Wegener of Art P and Olav Neander. The track 'Der böse Osten' can originally be found on the cassette album 'Faktor D', recorded in just two weeks on a Tascam Portastudio 245. The original recording sessions were pure fun but also rushed. Hence, none of the tracks was perfectly mixed. With digital technologies, we remastered 'Der böse Osten' to achieve the best possible result and are pleased to release this serious synth wave gem on a loud 12" for the first time as an exclusive extended mix.
The split 12" is released in a picture sleeve with a unique artwork on each side. It is limited to 500 copies.
Tropical Disco Records open their 2023 vinyl account in triumphant form with Volume 27 of their well loved 12” series. Yet again they have successfully delivered a four track paean to the boundless dance-floor power of jazz infused disco. It’s a sound which the label has very much made their own over the last half decade.
Opening proceedings is Scruscru, an artist whose immense rise to prominence has very much followed the same time-line as Tropical Disco. He is in glowing form here with vinyl opener ‘Phunk U Do’, a slinky hip-shaking 70’s funk-fuelled disco bomb. Expect this one to set dancefloors on fire across the summer with it’s swirling keys, James Brown-esque vocals and ferocious bassline.
Next up are Lance and Disco Strummer who keep the feel-good vibes topped up to full with ‘Hey Amigo’. An ever so cheerful Latin bomb, it packs in happy-go-lucky vocal loops with brass stabs aplenty alongside a shoulder shaking bassline which will keep those floors grooving from dusk till dawn. If you want to unleash uncontrollable joy in your DJ sets, look no further.
Over on the Flip Tropical Disco’s own Sartorial delivers a smokey sexy-as-hell vocal gem in the shape of ‘Fly’. Merging 70’s jazz licks with a powerhouse live bass, sublime sax solos a divine vocal and some serious scatt, this is a track that just exudes cool.
Closing out the EP in style is one of Mexico’s finest disco proponents, Monsieur Van Pratt. On ‘Journey’ he deploys a huge brass section and percussive breakdown to serious hip shakin’ effect. With guitar licks and synth stabs galore he has given this one both a ridiculously tight groove and bags of warmth. It’s a winning combination.
Tropical disco have yet again unleashed another exquisite 12” showcasing their unique sound. You can expect to see this one hitting the heights of the vinyl charts in quick smart fashion.
Support across Mi Soul & House FM.
A juicy 4-track EP from Eine Welt. 700WET is an art pop project by queer opera singer Marja Christians (award-winning dancer) and Cid Hohner (Moonwalk X Records, OTTO, Aufgang B). Luring outsider synth-pop with touching and honest opera vocals. It reminds of Grace Jones doing minimal wave in a Chicago house.
They call it “Lovers-Dance”. While you may melt on the slow and extended dubbed out title jam “Gimme Love”, the sassy “Cannoli Amore” is a catchy, fun dancer at 120 bpm. Recorded during the pandemic primarily with nothing but cheap 1989 Yamaha keyboards.The project also reflected what they wanted to hear when there was a big void.
For more than twenty years, Roel Funcken has been a cornerstone in electronic experimentation. Alongside his brother Don, this Dutch sound sculptor melted hip-hop, industrial and soundscapes under monikers like Funckarma and Shadow Huntaz. A prolific solo musician and collaborator as well, Funcken teams up with Cor Bolten to revive the Legiac project with the eight tracks of Banisteriopsis Caapi. Keys appear through a sorrowful haze in "Mimosa Hostilis", this machined mist difussing as distorted strings penetrate before a dawning of icy brightness. Modulated forms and shapes billow in the bubble and trill of "Pyschotria Viridis" before the orbiting interference and introspection of "Epicatechine." Percussion is reduced to a texture, the duo finding structure in droplets of water, the stretch of steel and a litany of field recordings. The partnership dive deep into their chosen sounds, elongating and expanding tones to find harmony in the absence and isolation that is their focus. Pieces like "Solanaceae" bristle with an understated elegance, like starlight piercing a brooding night sky, while "Banisteriopsis Caapi" finds an eerie solace in its repurposing of voice as an undulating elegy. Legiac achieve a distant intimacy with their listener, a relationship forged through complex compositions, gentle movements and subtle shifts.
Woo York - supreme electronic music duo make their debut on Watergate Records.
The Ukrainian duo have a watertight reputation for crafting stunning dancefloor compositions, having released music on Life And Death, Soma, Dystopian, Drumcode and Afterlife, the latter home to their
critically acclaimed 2018 album ‘Chasing the Dream’. Their appearances at Watergate have been numerous over the years, making them an obvious choice to join the label family.
Their Watergate Records debut maiden offering is sparkling. The title track begins as a chugging key-laden cut before a stirring folky melody rises to the fore with beautiful intent. With its unique sonic signature,
‘Samum’ will stand out in any set. Woo York show a new side of their outstanding musical talent “For this release we wanted to push boundaries of the melodic techno sound. For Samum we have worked with a bag pipe, one of the oldest instruments to give the track an almost „housy" note.”
The accompanier is ‘Prophet’, an emotional slice of dance music, hopeful and melancholic in equal doses, this is custom made for big dancefloor moments.
Accompanying the package are remixes of ‘Samum’ by fellow Ukrainian producer and live act 8Kays, who turns in a dark and shimmering re-rub, not losing any of the original’s power. Meanwhile Greek artist Echonomist crafts a rich and multi-faceted reinterpretation that fits for the club and home listening alike.
Afterhours. latest release, “Dimensions EP“, is the result of the successful collaboration between Optide and Adar Cohen, showcasing their talents in seamlessly blending Electro, Break Beat, and Minimal genres. In the package, two hefty remixes by Christopher Ledger.
Catering to those with a soft spot for Electro and Breakbeat, A-side’s title track ‘Dimension’ and Christopher Ledger’s Remix are all about driving basslines, robotic percussions and captivating soundscapes. Flip-side’s ‘Hypnagogic’ shifts gears to the Break & Minimal House realm where detailed groves, deep tones and swing are key. Ledger’s remix further develops the deepness of the original tune and expands it over a 4by4 groove.
Yellow Jackets number 6 pushes things forward with two exceptional pieces by Byron The Aquarius and Deenamic. The modern jazz funk of the american keyboard wizard meets the relentless electronic futuristic programming of the elusive Deenamic!
Like Yin and Yang meeting this release fuses the best of both worlds, keeping Yellow Jackets’ now notorious boundaries pushing edge on a phat loud vinyl, only 12’ inch!
After six illustrious vinyl releases behind them, Forbidden Dance takes this one deeply close to home. As a rising house name from Croatia, Laseech signs this harmonic and creamy house release iced with stellar vocals by Desney Bailey and backed up by two of the house heavyweights – Dego and Patrice Scott.
A1 The title track “Hey Love” is packed with effortless deepness in and out topped with smooth Bailey’s vocals dancing elegantly over chords and strings. Dazzling tuneage that resembles airy summer jam at your favourite beach spot.
A2 Dego is a man with a thousand sounds. And all of them are rich and impressive. His disco-funk spin on “Hey Love” is ploughed with heavy synths and sharp drums that culminate with a lush keyboard frenzy in the end.
B1 Patrice Scott’s ability to infuse introspective soul into machine sound is second to none. “Hey Love” goes through melodic morphosis which Patrice delivers so smoothly and tinges it with floor-oriented moves.
B2 Bailey’s vocals are the soul carrier of this release and it shows pretty much on “You See”. Hazy and melancholic, the track slowly burns under her looped vocals. Stripped, heart-aching and beautifully dimmed.
Beautiful Zambian Jazz/Rock LP. Huge Tip!
Sharp-Flat Records presents the long-awaited restoration of The Broadway Quintet's cult classic Amalume – a hypnotic concoction of traditional Zambian sounds and jazz-rock grooves with a twist of 1970s African psychedelia.
Emerging to serve the entertainment needs of Zambia's United National Independence Party (UNIP) in the early 1960s, The Broadway Quintet gathered seasoned talent from Lusaka's best hotel bands to fashion its esteemed lineup. Starting as a quartet and later evolving into a quintet, the group's career spanned over twenty years as favourites on the cabaret circuit and boasted a myriad of prestigious collaborations.
The Broadway Quintet's jazz sensibilities set them apart from the rock sound that dominated the music landscape of the 1970s. Yet the formula behind Zamrock, fusing indigenous Zambian sounds with Western pop, shaped their one and only 1976 long-player. Featuring modern arrangements of traditional songs, Amalume blended congas with sax sounds, folk lyrics with electric keyboard shenanigans and show business staples with jazz guitar noodling. With its psychedelic fever dream illustrated cover, it was an explosive package of "originality and electrifying beauty" as the album's liner notes rightly attested.
Released on the Zambezi label, Amalume joined an exceptional run of mid-1970s offerings alongside WITCH, Ricky Banda and Crossbones. Officially licensed, carefully restored and beautifully reproduced, Zambia's most requested reissue has finally returned for everybody to enjoy.
KAU is an instrumental project based in Brussels consisting of André Breidlid (drums), Matteo Genovese (bass) & Jan Janzen (keys). Representing various European backgrounds, their coming-together is in the spirit of the city they grew up in.
Taking inspiration from jazz, they create a head-bobbing atmosphere using bassy beats and catchy melodies. By implementing acoustic instruments, the trio stays true to an organic and rich sound, granting themselves the liberty for improvisation & spontaneous happenings. Influenced by artists like BADBADNOTGOOD & Christian Scott, their music is contemporary, powerful, and audacious.
The EP "III" is the collaboration between the three core members of the band and Maxime Dereux, talented French saxophonist already guested on "II". Having built strong musical ties over the course of the last years, the idea to make more music together arose naturally without a shadow of a doubt.
The result is a 4 track EP with a high concentration of powerful riffs and sharp themes. The title song 'Mad Max' perfectly represents madness incarnated. On "Moonwalker" they go to new places with ever-changing melodies and sax lines. 4 minutes of holding on to your seat in anticipation of the next measure.
This EP also features Brussels born and bred rapper "Jay MNG" who has made a name for himself around many concert halls & festivals in Belgium. Having collaborated notably with Commander Spoon and Kuna Maze, the polylinguistic rhymes of Jay MNG left a mark on this emerging music scene. Enraged, banging in whatever language that may be, Dutch, French or English, he manages to make a massive impact on the atmosphere of the tracks and add his own flavour.
KAU is an instrumental project based in Brussels consisting of André Breidlid (drums), Matteo Genovese (bass) & Jan Janzen (keys). Representing various European backgrounds, their coming-together is in the spirit of the city they grew up in.
Taking inspiration from jazz, they create a head-bobbing atmosphere using bassy beats and catchy melodies. By implementing acoustic instruments, the trio stays true to an organic and rich sound, granting themselves the liberty for improvisation & spontaneous happenings. Influenced by artists like BADBADNOTGOOD & Christian Scott, their music is contemporary, powerful, and audacious.
"II" is the second EP released by KAU. After experimenting with beats and live instruments, this second opus marks the evolution towards a more hybrid and powerful sound defined by their willingness to create extended compositions. The trio adds a unique flavor to each track by inviting guest artists to take part in the production. The bobbing and gritting atmosphere reigning in this EP is in the continuum of their first release, keeping in touch with their identity.
Flautist Johanna Orellana teams up with Carmen Villain for a collection of horizontal, pastoral field recordings and close mic-ed flute sounds that zero in on the instrument’s unstable resonance and levitational magic. There’s no cringe virtuoso business or fourth world firewalking here - just sonic purity, sublime minimalism and the precise capture of time, place and poetry.
You might have come across Johanna Orellana before if you’ve listened to Carmen Villain’s music (or seen her perform live), and Villain appears here in a producer’s role, using her engineering expertise to impart a level of restraint and sonic fidelity that’s quite startling. There are only really two central elements to the album: environmental recordings and flute. There’s no psychedelic delay, no cavernous reverb; no audible treatments at all - Orellana and Villain instead force us to consider the flute and its musical lineage.
‘El Jardín I’ introduces the instrument as a physical conduit; Orellana allows her breath to distort the sound - the padded pat pat of the keys forms a kind of rhythm, closely recorded so it’s amplified and jarring, linking to primal wind instruments like conch shells, bamboo flutes and wooden whistles. Recalling the way in which Debit interfaced with the ancient world using AI- assisted tech on last year’s ‘The Long Count’, Orellana uses a comparatively modern contemporary transverse flute, an instrument with roots that stretch back through the baroque era, into Medieval Europe, back to the Byzantine era and into Asia. The component that connects the instruments and eras is breath, and its amplification and modification through differently shaped pipes and vessels.
Orellana lets the environment sing: insects, rushing water and zephyr-like winds form a stage that presents her mortal energy, suggesting a harmony between our use of breath and its environmental ubiquitousness. Her technique is steeped in folk history and decouples itself from expectation by rooting itself in nature. It allows her to bridge the gap between equal temperament and less ordered (less commercially-focused) microtonality without overstating the concept. Other sounds waft in from the sidelines; what might be an Indian bansuri, stray notes, a gust of air.
There’s a link to the foundational new age recordings that Joanna Brouk made with Maggi Payne back in 1980, but Orelanna also absorbs the outdoor folk magic of Fonal or Stroom, and the improvisational grist of Bendik Giske or legendary US horn duo Nmperign.
- A1: Om Mani Padme Hum
- A2: Bohemia After Dark
- A3: Companionship
- A4: Stoned Ghosts
- A5: Jay-Jay
- B1: Dijar
- B2: Con Alma
- B3: Ct & Cb
- B4: The Turk's Bolero
- B5: Talk Some Yak-Ee-Dak
- C1: Calypso Blues
- C2: Balafon
- C5: I'm A Fool To Want You
- C4: Insensatez
- C5: Invitation
- D1: Yah-Yah Blues
- D2: Serenata
- D3: Just Give Me Time
- D4: Birn To Be Blue
- D5: Sconsolato
Jazz music has more than its fair share of overshadowed figures that whilst contributing much to the music have little presence in its collective conscious. One such musician is the talented multi-reedist, Sahib Shihab. Born Edmond Gregory, as he was known before he adopted the Muslim faith in 1946, Sahib Shihab's music background shows a deep and significant evolution, influenced by Thelonious Monk, Dizzie Gillespie (his experience in Dizzie's band marked Sahib's switch to Baritone, the instrument he became most readily associated with), and above all by Charlie Parker's Bop. Had it not been for the post-war migration of many top American jazz musicians to Europe, it is quite likely that the legendary Clarke-Boland Big Band might never come into existence. Sahib, one of this musicians disillusioned with the politics and racism of the United States, accepted to join the band of Quincy Jones for an European tour in 1959. When the tour ended, Shihab he remained in Europe where he joined, in 1961, the Clarke-Boland Big Band. The collection 'Companionship', whose line up consists of seven elements which derives from this original band, spotlights the consummate musicianship and individuality of Sahib Shihab and is testimony to his special musical gifts - not only as a top-rank flautist and baritone saxophone but also as a composer. Furthermore, it provides a welcome reminder of the high quality of the Clarke-Boland Big Band's rhythm section, the lively style of vibraphonist Fats Sadi and the power and personality of two of the C-BBB's horn-playing stalwarts, Benny Bailey and Ake Persson. Here's a real rarity, surely a desert island disc. This double album has it all from frantic banging percussive workouts to modal numbers to beautiful ballads. It's a staggeringly good piece of music and worth every penny of the price tag it commands. Let's have a look to the most significant pieces. Francy Boland's "Om Mani Padme Hum", taken from a Tibetan prayer, shows Shihab in exuberant mood, playing against a vigorous percussion background and making dramatic use of his special technique of combining voice and flute. Boland contributes an incisive, effervescent solo. "Bohemia After Dark", a classic original by bassist Oscar Pettiford which he first recorded back in August 1955, finds Shihab in exultant form on baritone. "Companionship" has a Bossa Nova beat and features Bailey on flugelhorn and Shihab on flute, playing with a limpid, floating sound. Bailey's minor-key original, "Stoned Ghosts" was, he says, inspired by listening to some music written by Bela Bartok before he emigrated to the United States. The piece has an infectious back-beat pulse and showcases the superb walking technique of Jimmy Woode. In "Con Alma" Shihab's mellow flute set against a churning 12/8 beat in this stylish Boland arrangement. Woode's performance of the superb Mei Torme ballad, "Born To Be Blue", reveals his great affection for the song. "lt is the perfect combination," he says, "a beautiful melody married to a great lyric. I really love that tune." It is a song of rueful resignation, putting a brave face on the blues. "Balafon" is an up-tempo Francy Boland original written for the French mime artist, Marcel Marceau. The rhythm section really cooks on this track with Kenny Clarke's cymbal work outstanding. Boland's solo here is notable for its neat, left hand punctuations. "Calypso Blues" has been written by Nat King Cole and Don George. lt tells the wry and wistful tale of a Trinidadian in New York desperately homesick for the land where everything 5 so much cheaper (in New York "a dollar buy, a cup of coffee and a ham on rye") and the girls more natural than the artificial, painted beauties of New York. Woode's composition, "Sconsolato" is a haunting theme in A minor and it brings to a close a truly fascinating album. This is dynamic music played with vigour, verve and vitality - and it is an enormous pleasure to rediscover it. A shadowy fugitive from his home in the land of jazz, Sahib Shihab remains a true unsung figure, worthy of more attention. With his equally expert technique on Baritone, Flute, Alto and Soprano saxophones and his capacity to adapt easily to a variety of musical settings. His warm, individual, singsong sound in improvisation and his unusual and interesting compositions mark him out as a hidden treasure in the dusty corners of jazz archive.
Dishwasher_ are the latest disciples of yet another new wave of talent in the fertile Belgian groove and jazz scene. It would, however, be a shame to limit them to the constraints of any given musical style. Ever since their formation in 2019, the Ghent-based trio have been experimenting with all possible genres to create a contemporary sound they can now rightfully call their own. With their self-titled debut album, to be released in April 2023 via Sdban Ultra, they are closing off an impressive first chapter, delivering a unique and diverse yet coherent collection of groove-driven cuts.
While labeling Diswasher_ as a jazz band wouldn’t do them enough justice, it is a fact that improvisation and a certain free approach turn out to be key in the creation and performance process of the album’s tracks. Werend, Louise and Arno specifically aim to capture their live energy and synergy on the album by experimenting with structures and textures, playing with song lengths and implementing influences from various other styles — electronic music in the first place, but as well traces from (Middle-)Eastern and Balkan music, next to dance, hip-hop and even metal.
As a result, the record tends to be a pure and honest representation of Diswasher_’s musical identity and artistic quest over the past years — both as individual musicians and as a band. Saxophones drenched in effects, diverse layers of synthesizers, a bass guitar hopping from fingerpicking licks to deep and drone-like bass tones, drums can sometimes sound like drum computers, and sometimes as subtle rhythmic chords: it’s pretty clear how deep this trio have dived to search and find something totally fresh and new.
Members of the band are Arno Grootaers, Werend Van Den Bossche and Louise van den Heuvel. Their debut album is coming out on Sdban Ultra, the innovative label of Black Flower, ECHT! and Compro Oro (among others). In 2023 they will fully focus on new talent, by signing Dishwasher_, but also KAU (formerly KAU trio) and Schroothoop. Apart from that, you can expect debut albums or EPs by LũpḁGangGang, Bandler Ching, KVR trio and Adja coming out this year. Stay tuned.
- A1: Dreams (Feat Xênia França&Zé Leônidas)
- A2: Kismeti (Feat Matthias Schriefl)
- A3: Asase (Feat Eric Owusu)
- A4: Sábado (Feat Zé Leônidas)
- A5: Carrossel (Feat Zé Leônidas)
- B1: Caio & Eric (Feat Eduardo Camargo)
- B2: Ndiyakhangela (Feat Bongani Givethanks &Amp; Mpho Nkuzo)
- B3: Agôra (Feat Matthias Schriefl)
- B4: Oblique Sunshine (Feat Rebekka Ziegler)
Global pointing Brazilian jazz trio releases their new album Agôra, that sparkles with electric funk and Herbie-esque eclecticism. It features a myriad of guest vocalists and musicians including Brazilians Xênia França and Zé Leônidas, Jembaa Groove's Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu and South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo
Re-wiring the concept of 'fusion' for 2023, Agôra is Brazilian trio Caixa Cubo's resurgent new record with the title referring to 'now', based upon the intuitive and fluid nature of the trio's method, and this inspired recording. With shoots to black music culture, from Brazil to Brooklyn, Ghana and South Africa, Agôra is the group's ninth album yet is their first where they've invited guests, mainly singers, onto each track and follows their last, Angela from 2020, released on Heavenly Records, which won a BBC 6 Music Album of the Year (Huey Morgan's selection) granting them much deserved international recognition.
The core musical elements of Caixa Cubo are Henrique Gomide (keys), João Fideles (drums) and Noa Stroeter (bass), all from São Paulo, Brazil and where they met as teenagers and would continue their friendship and musical bond at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. Now all in their mid thirties, João and Noa live back in the city where it all started but Henrique has settled in Cologne, Germany where the recording of Agôra took place, over the course of 3 days, at the home cum studio of Chris 'Dusty' Doepke, their friend and owner of the label they signed to, Jazz & Milk.
In line with all their creations where flow and energy provide the magic, allowing what the moment provides, the album shines not only for its virtuosity but for its minimalism, the depth of space, and for the first time, the ability to figure in and outside of the jazz fold, as the trio decided, for the first time, to bring in singers and add a new aesthetic to their sound.
"Agôra is a wake-up call to reality, a reminder that the infinite possibilities of technological progress should not disconnect us from the earth, from eye-to-eye relationships, and from moments lived in person" the band are keen to point out. "And that we must not be consumed by greed, for all we truly possess.... is the NOW."
Turning hope and metaphor into music, the debut single Sábado, an electrified future- jazz-fizz reflects perfectly the spontaneity that permeated the entire recording of the album. "When we got to the studio, we had no idea what we were going to record. We started playing a groove, kind of inspired by Gilberto Gil's 80s albums, and our drummer João started singing this funny song 'Sábado Barrigudão' (Big Belly Saturday) alongside the bass groove and that was that". Inspired by their city of birth, São Paulo, it features long time collaborator and vocalist Zé Leônidas, with cuicas, tamborim, agogo and shakers providing the most obvious Brazilian affect from the album.
Dreams is the band's first foray into R'n'B melding the group's simple and sporadic instrumentation of drums, keys and bass into a Jill Scott inspired song that could have been born in Brooklyn yet sung by Brazilian singer and Grammy nominated Xênia França and Zé Leônidas in both English and Portuguese. Xênia recently performed online for hip-to-it website Colors and it's her latest collaboration with Caixa Cubo, having first met in 2009 for a series of live performances.
South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo come to the record with a wholly different approach on Ndiyakhangela, providing spoken word and vocal refrains on top of an Afro-Brazilian percussion jam with a delivery and verse in Xhosa, Zula and Ndebele. Asase is the album opener and features vocals of Eric Owusu who is part of highlife pioneer Pat Thomas's live band and most recently, co-leader of Jembaa Groove, an Afro-soul band from Berlin. It's a synth wig out with djembe grooves and offers a brand new take on Afro-soul-jazz.
Other contributions come from Cologne based jazz singer Rebekka Ziegler (Oblique Sunshine), São Paulo based guitarist Eduardo Camargo (Caio & Eric) and trumpet player Matthias Schriefl on Kismeti, a gorgeous and rolling number that ebbs and flows, exemplifying the group's effortless ability to craft a sound energised by a belief in one-self and the idea of having faith without the need to look at each other for verification.
As drummer and percussionist João Fideles perfectly surmised upon arriving for the recording session, "What drums do you have? Whatever you have, I'll use it". Agôra is testament to nearly 20 years of camaraderie, friendship and most importantly, trust.
Free-roaming French techno talent Angioma lands on Lady Tazz's Mind Medizin with a new single that comes remixed by the legendary Kaiser, Fixon and Toru Ikemoto.
Angioma does it all from peak time and hypnotic techno to jacking house, all with his own signature exotic twist. He is currently Berlin-based and has released on Made of Concrete, but also co-runs with BLANKA the Room Trax label and Room Lab, contemporary local art and networking space. With increasingly high-profile sets in clubs like Egg London and Anomalie Berlin, Angioma is an ever more crucial part of the modern techno landscape.
The brilliant 'Unusual Suspect' is darkly seductive with its high-pressure techno rhythms and silky synth lines. Pulsing keys bring late-night hypnosis, and the icy hi-hats draw you in further to this shadowy and tunnelling groove. It's a warm, Mills-inspired sound that is stylish and dynamic.
The A Side also features a heart stopping Detroit infused remix courtesy of Mexican based Fixon (part of the Illegal Alien crew). On the flip and Gianluca Caiati aka Kaiser has been tearing up the techno scene for 15 years. His superb remix pairs things back but the pummeling, rubbery drums remain the focal point as whip-snapping snares lash about up top, incendiary hi-hat pressure grows, and the sleek synths intensify the trip. Finally, Japanese Techno hero Toru Ikemeto delivers an off-kilter slice of driving take on the original.
Lobster Theremin ambient sub-label Lobster Sleep Sequence announce their double LP + 7” album from Dutch producer nthng - featuring a limited run of copies on deep green vinyl. Themed around events in the artist's life, Unfinished is a deeply personal journey, yet there’s something very relatable to the world he has conjured. Lockdown has forced us to look inward, explore realities within ourselves and the fragility of our forgotten world. The album is a series of peaks and troughs - hopeful words, ominous tones and other-worldly soundscapes, giving way to a journey in no way linear - but a true reflection of our times. The title track sets the scene perfectly, while Son features deep bass notes, dreamy keys and spoken word - creating a visceral and unsettling scene. Subnautica resides in the fringes of ambient and techno - as tribalistic drums are suspended in our new rendered reality.
The marching bass and howling synths of Wrath of the Demon lull conspicuously in a vacuum, while the hauntingly beautiful vocals featured on Disappeared But Not Forgotten evoke a poignant, powerful reaction across the record’s B-side - “Everything stopped, you just disappeared...”
At its most tranquil Our Time offers a sense of rest - a space to appreciate, as we leave the window open, peer outside and feel the gentle breeze brush across our face. Saafe continues this theme, and feels like a warm embrace - “She saved my life in a matter of speaking, when she gave me back the power to believe.”
Ending Theme is beautifully organic as you hear the sound of the piano pedal touch the floor, tones are introspective and vulnerable - while the looming presence of uncertainty subtly takes form in thinly layered pads.
The album also sees the release of a digi only bonus track Only a Flash of Light and invites you outside while the stars are at their brightest.
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One of the greatest soul voices working in the US today, Billy Valentine's latest release, first plotted out in the summer of 2020, sees the artist responding to the chaos of a global pandemic and the seismic impact of George Floyd's murder via legendary works from Curtis Mayfield, Gil Scot Heron and Pharaoh Sanders. In collaboration with acclaimed producer and songwriter, Bob Thiele Jr. (son of Flying Dutchman founder, Bob Thiele), Valentine's rich, velvety vocals breathe new life into these already-powerful tracks, bringing them into the contemporary political context with renewed urgency. Released on Acid Jazz in partnership with renowned US label Flying Dutchman, Valentine's latest output marks the first new music from the label since the '70s - a momentous return for a keystone tastemaker of the American jazz world.
Orange Vinyl
»Love As Projection« is the new album by Frankie Rose, her fifth studio LP and second for Night School following the reissue of her interpretation of The Cure’s »Seventeen Seconds«. Frankie Rose has forged an enviable musical legacy, from playing with bands like Crystal Stilts and The Vivian Girls but on »Love As Projection« she takes a bold step into electronic pop production. A sumptuous recorded statement, it dances in ecstasy and broods on the tumult of the western world’s decay in equal proportion. At the heart of the album is glowing, confident songwriting, resplendent in hooks and choruses but still touched with an optimism undimmed.
After spending nearly two decades establishing herself across New York and Los Angeles independent music circles, Rose re-emerges after six years with a fresh form, aesthetic, and ethos. Celebrated over the years for her expansive approach to songwriting, lush atmospherics, and transcendent vocal melodies and harmonies, »Love As Projection« is a reintroduction of her established style through the lens of contemporary electronic pop. Recorded with producer Brandt Gassman and mixed with long-term collaborator Jorge Elbrecht this is the album Frankie Rose has been building up to her entire career.
More than a rebirth, a refinement, a resurgence, »Love As Projection« boasts a widescreen scope: a long- form project heavily considered for half of a decade, culminating in the most personal and accessible collection of art-pop that Frankie has ever written. When Rose aims for the pop jugular as in first lead track »Anything«, the result is unstoppable. A majestic pop song built for radio, it erupts into an irresistible chorus that marries classic epic 80s American pop with the cult effervescence of Strawberry Switchblade »It’s like a prom scene in a John Hughes movie. It’s a hopeful song about abandoning fear even if the world is quite literally on fire.. In the end, at least we have each other,« says Rose. »Sixteen Ways« further boasts a propulsive, massive chorus, though tempered by a cynicism built in global post-truth, global malaise. »It’s about getting your hopes up, but simultaneously making lists in your head about how it will never work out in your favour.«
The big anthems don’t let up there. On »DOA« some massive, rolling drums lathered in big mid-80s gated reverb dovetail with a syncopated baseline for the ages as Rose’s vocal sails effortlessly above. The effect isn’t unlike ethereal vocalists Clannad circa Howard’s Way or Enya jamming with Simple Minds in their stadium-conquering heyday. Rose tempers the adrenalin with heart-tugging bittersweet tones and there are plenty of them. »Sleeping Night And Day« takes its time with an off-the-cuff chorus, swirling around in harmony and chorus-bass. »Saltwater Girl« picks up the balladeering baton with another nod to album track-mode Switchblade, deep space opening up in the mid-tempo drum track and soupy, digital atmospherics. Album closer »Song For A Horse«, reimagines modern Pop production a-la-PC Music but shorn of the meta-atmosphere. Pianos, swelling synths, minor keys cut through with major. These moments, also seen in Feel Light offer ballast to the soaring pop choruses. Moments like these are big oceans of emotion to fall into before being led out by Rose into a bright new day.
»Love As Projection« is released in the USA by Slumberland.
As the artwork on the EP depicts, "Darkest hour before dawn" is a dusky scenario representing the Dutch environment known as "the polder" in the lower lands. It questions all kinds of actions taken or not taken to protect, restore, conserve, innovate, or modestly leave the landscape to its own more murky outcome. The darkest hour, full of gloom, will be available around the spring equinox?
Portrait of tracks separately:
"Darkest Hour before dawn"
Is this piece supposed to be an ode to the ancient Dutch hardcore movement, that once and probably only then would be experienced to such intensity or is this still maybe just a little near reminder of it? Anyway starts this unlit track slowly and remains that way but maintains a fat-pumping pulse, possibly reminding of a soldier walking a death march. Settling up those launch pads further down the piece, near the bridge for shooting off some drum-fire 909 snares as if it rocketed. Then, suddenly, the extended delay of that snare turns into a psychedelic drone beside, attending to, or paranoidly chasing comrades soul in his journey throughout and above like a trustful partner?
Arp's LFO that is out of sync with the beat and is being outpaced by it seems to slow everything down even more; meantime creating a pulling, buggy-like effect to the due of all this.
The ascending and descending ghost-pad drawing into the grid of the (tone) key, thereafter parking in them for a while and cycling out again, creating a spatial flow of disturbance and anxiety.
Finishes it with a mountain-big reverberation of organized destruction and chaos. What at first sight seems like simply an innocent route appears to actually be a bit more complex one.
"Lovely memories"
The quite monotonous structure of Lovely memories catchy and groovy song is scanning through your brain files; revisiting, memorizing, and purposely lacking these few "dots above the I" that in some cases you'd gladly be feeling like to square fit it in yourself, of course, when necessary. Connecting the puzzling, dazzling flashbacks together to finally wrap up and perpetuate the pictured events for good, leaving traces of melancholy, loveliness, and perhaps even faith to it.
"24 hours"
Dinginess of 24 hours supposes to be felt in the guts.
The beat, steady with that snare on the 4 & 12, might not be one of the greatest inventions. However, the TR-08's drum line here lays a solid and fertile foundation for a reasonable house track.
Slightly detuned synths weave a scarf pattern around your upper body, and the lower layers carry a warm blanket for the underbelly, providing you with that cozy sense of consolation. Acidy pokes wring itself sneaky and penetrable around, slicing through the song's already solid flesh. Therefore, balancing its bitter sweetness throughout with these soft-hard saw-tooth drops of sourness.
"24 hours" conveys a dispatch or intercommunication that there is little time left to take actions/charge to fix and restore. Something big is about to come if it hasn't arrived already...
"At night"
This remarkable story is a bit out of ordinary.
At night appeared in the artist's dream just the night before his sick father was raised from death in the hospital and got just another year to live before actually passing away completely and anyway. ; ))
And thus also dedicated to the man.
- A1: Golden Skies (Feat Lydia Waits)
- A2: It's Never Late In Neon Signs (Feat Lydia Waits)
- A3: Fake Fur (Feat Helle Larsen)
- A4: Hold That Thought (Feat Helle Larsen)
- A5: Sandcastles (Feat Helle Larsen)
- B1: Today's Tales Of Tomorrow
- B2: This Kitty Got Claws (Feat Helle Larsen)
- B3: Rhythm Cast A Spell On Me (Feat Lydia Waits)
- B4: Not Supposed To Be Me (Feat Lydia Waits)
- B5: Let's Stay Right Here (Feat Helle Larsen)
Beatservice Records are beyond thrilled to announce the arrival of Kohib's hotly anticipated studio album 'Today's Tales Of Tomorrow'.
DJ, producer and club organiser Øivind 'Kohib' Sjøvoll has been in truly dazzling form of late, serving a series of mesmerising singles that served as a tantalising taster to his latest album – the third he's crafted for Beatservice. Actively producing immaculately crafted sounds for over two decades, sonic alchemist Kohib continues his deft aptitude for sculpting genre-defying compositions, with 'Today's Tales Of Tomorrow' playing host to some of his most compelling material to date. From pitch black introspection to rousing dancefloor abandon, the album is every bit as far-reaching as we've come to expect from this singularly talented artist.
The collection bursts into life via the club-focused thrust of 'Golden Skies', featuring the seductive vocals of enigmatic songstress, Lydia Waits, whose stirring performance shines like a beacon as it soars over Kohib's slick four/four groove. Crisp drums drive the hypnotic rhythm over a subaquatic bass line, as icy pads and pitched synth percussion combine to stunning effect, effortlessly building to Waits' rousing chorus section. Subtly shifting the mood, we arrive in the heads-down throb of 'It's Never Late In Neon Signs', where glistening arpeggios and snarling bass caress Lydia Waits' honeyed vocal, the pristine instrumentation undulating over a mesmerising, radio-friendly arrangement.
'Fake Fur' arrives with deliciously brooding intent, with (Kohib's High Heeled Giants bandmate) Helle Larsen's bewitching vocal gliding over immersive instrumentation and otherworldly textures. Evocative harmonics combine with ethereal synth leads and dramatic aural waves, the hypnotic percussion gently driving the groove deep into the half-light of a crisp autumnal haze. Next, 'Hold That Thought' mischievously switches the rhythm, as thick sub bass and searing synth motifs power over broken drums while Helle Larsen's affecting vocal rises from delicate verse into dramatic chorus bursts.
'Sandcastles' once again sees Helle Larsen grace the stage, lacing waves of cinematic pads glide and live bass as scattered percussion forms an alluring rhythm. Sparse and precise, the evolving music ebbs and flows as the tides, gorgeously caressing Larsen's emotion-rich vocal as she weaves her seductive lyrical metaphors. The album's title track 'Today's Tales Of Tomorrow' sees sinister lead synths exploding over deviant bass as the pulsating rhythm drives the cut through distant vocals, the low-slung groove proving magnetic as the nocturnal melody works its magic.
The tempo rises rapidly, with the pounding bass arpeggio of 'This Kitty Got Claws' purposefully marching through cascading synth textures, euphoric chords, and self-assured lead vocals. Expertly displaying his expansive production finesse, the rhythm once again switches as we sashay into the utterly bewitching 'Rhythm Cast A Spell On Me', with Lydia Waits' indelible vocal providing a profoundly atmospheric moment. A sublimely constructed bed of neatly woven keys, xylophone strikes and haunting bass clarinet elegantly embrace the ethereal lead vocal.
The mystical melodies of 'Not Supposed To Be' echo over a misty woodland landscape, with Lydia Waits' unfeigned vocal flowing over jagged synth textures and gently broken rhythms, before Helle Larsen returns with the sensual swansong 'Let's Stay Right Here'. Sumptuous keys shimmer over a steady tempo, with warm bass and sugary melodies supporting the intoxicating lead vocal for a gorgeously heartfelt finale.
Vividly illustrating Kohib's unthinkably vast sonic repertoire, 'Today's Tales Of Tomorrow' looks set to further enhance the Norwegian producer's already glowing reputation, with each exquisitely-formed track combining to create a collection that's at once powerfully memorable and profoundly coherent.
Connections by Satya is a February exclusive edition and a token of love for the year ahead. Gathering to spark an electrifying synergy, Connections is all about finding that blissful meeting point that can be achieved once we mindfully align on values, sentiments and musical sensitivities. These pillars hold up Connections’ core foundations and shape a new philosophy construction for the label. By merging four finessed tracks mastered by four invested musical minds, Satya takes a new turn for collaborative musical alchemy in the sense that Connections’ production is balanced, tasteful and touching. Each artist’s culture subtly seeps into each track and speaks volumes of their character in and out of the studio. Space Invaders, Aurora, Mentat and Spaces hold many keys to unlocking doors to full transparency and connectivity through our senses in the simplest of ways.
“These are cosmic sounds that you can get lost in and go anywhere you feel safe and adventurous.” - Zone+
Zurich’s Elvis Cassetta delivers a dazzling four-track debut EP to his brand-new WhyNot imprint. Complete with a refined deep house sound, this is an expertly crafted body of silky smooth grooves to get floors shaking.
'Down With Us' instantly displays Cassetta’s effortless ability to create a hot house swing using just a handful of elements – subtle groove, skittish percussion and a sultry vocal sample. The whole track is thrown out wide in the breakdown, but then as the bassline is brought back in, Cassetta draws it all back in close for an intimate dancefloor moment. Definitely one of those hands-in-the-air peak-time scenes.
Dreamy synth pads steadily build under a thunderous kick drum pattern on the EP’s second track, 'Focals Finest', which takes the tempo up a notch for a real sweat inducer.
Finally, it’s all about a raw bassline on the metallic and techy 'Jupiter Groove'. Contorted slices of spoken word dip in and out throughout to create another level of leftfield, danceable percussion. While the low end is the main focus on the original, in Silat Beksi’s remix, we hear a brighter take on the deep groove. There’s a swirling sample, more prominent key stabs, eerie vocals and a teasing smattering of melody. Percussive elements are thrown from all angles, and they pulsate up into the rafters of the lofty house track, leading you further into a state of hypnosis.
Overall, these are house tracks made right – a classy release fit for warming in crowds in style.
"‘Soil’ by Amsterdam-based producer and musician Jelee is heavily influenced by video game world-building. Like a beat alchemist, he carefully pours his love for beats into his lifelong passion for video game soundtracks. That far exceeds your typical 8-bits and bobs: Soil unfolds like a challenging adventure game, held together by a sonic palette of hip-hop-minded drum programming, jazz-inspired chords, and synthesized sounds.
The album features tight-knit homegrown collaborations with jazz multi-instrumentalist Guido Hoek, rising deejay Jerrau, producer lofi prototype (“one of Amsterdam’s best-kept secrets when it comes to beatmaking,” says Jelee), deejay, producer, and keyboardist Mo Wrights, and singer Erosi. With influences ranging from Brainfeeder’s roster to Zelda games, Jelee presents a multifaceted take on music.
Jelee’s music has been featured on compilations by Resilienza Records, Stamp The Wax, and Carista’s ‘Modern Intimacy Volume 1.’ Jelee is also known for his expressive live sets, such as the support act for Onra, Samiyam, and Salami Rose Joe Louis."
KINGUNDERGROUND TO RELEASE SET OF 45s, FROM CAVENDISH MUSIC CATALOGUE. PAYING HOMAGE TO LIBRARY MUSIC, FURTHERING ITS EXPOSURE TO A NEW GENERATION OF LISTENERS.
Library Music experienced its heyday in the 60s and 70s, as thousands of instrumental tracks were produced by musicians and composers for the purpose of placements in radio, television, and film.
The first 45 of the to be released, classified as ‘Dramatic’ features tracks from both John Scott and Tony Kinsey. Titling was important to Library Music, because it needed to clearly represent the emotions being expressed through the music, so it was easy for television and film executives to find what they needed to complete their projects. John Scott wasted no time getting into the dramatics with the opening track “Milky Way”, it displays the importance of grabbing a listener from the top, as well as being concise clocking in at just 47 seconds. Scott was not only a master composer, but also known for his work on the Saxophone, including playing on John Barry’s soundtrack for ‘Goldfinger’ in the James Bond series.
The juxtaposition of Tony Kinsey’s composition on the record offers a dynamic not present in the two tracks from Scott. Kinsey is more patient in his approach to “Kaleidoscope” building the tension with multiple movements and highlighting several instruments. The way the keys and bass play off each other leaves just enough room for a guitar lick to sneak in, as if it is hinting toward something.
In all there will be 8 individual 45s, licensed from Boosey & Hawkes & Cavendish Music Library and released by KingUnderground. Including compositions by Tony Kinsey, John Scott, Sam Fonteyn, Ray Davies, and more.
Featuring music from a lost tape of devotional keyboard jams, field recordings of migrating birds, mysterious bells, meditative noise and crooked new beat/EBM, made god-knows-when and subsequently discovered in a Thessaloniki charity shop years later. It now somehow finds its way to vinyl, newly mastered by Rashad Becker, and sounding like a lost Hype Williams x Muslimgauze madness.
Originally discovered in a musty charity shop by Live Adult Entertainment, and issued in minuscule numbers on CD in ’21, Christian Love Forum’s raverential debut ‘Naked Light’ documents the fraternal post-church jams of siblings, Scott, Kiro and N•X, plus their mate Steve, who would regularly channel the light and pain of Sunday mass sermons into their ecclesiastic crud.
As previously heard on their blink ’n miss ‘Unconditional Love’ tape, the trio express their higher purpose thru ribboning microtonal keyboard jams that sound like Gurdjieff with a Casio and a knackered drum machine after too much sacramental wine. They hit the strangest, most affective seam of religious cinematic epic soundtracks, gnarled noise and clandestine Belgian new beat that seriously pushes our buttons, sounding quite unlike anything in the contemporary sphere, but eerily also echoing sentiments explored on record by James Leyland Kirby or Bryn Jones.
Now reshuffled and clad in custom artwork, ‘Naked Light’ is unveiled to believers and skeptics as a definitive article of faith. The lord works in mysterious ways within, manifest in stages of sun-bleached post-church field recordings, whirligig melodies, blown-out bouzouki and choral tape howls and a Béla Tarr soundtrack-like campanology on the A-side, before letting their passions flow in ‘Wicked City (Parts I-IV)’; a spellbinding side-long collage of slurred synths, neo-noir hardbeat rhythms and speaking-in-tongues vox recalling V/Vm’s new beat apocrypha as much as bits from Hype Williams’ hypnagogic ‘One Nation’, thee dustiest gooches of Dirk Desaever’s archive, or even aspects of Rat Heart at his cruddiest.
‘Naked Light’ rarely fails to induce uncontrolled eye movement in susceptible skulls, destined to become an occult hit with lapsed churchgoers, new beat fiends and anyone missing the enigma and ineffable flavour of ‘00s underground noise tapes in this auspicious year of AD2023.
The next issue in the on-going Mastermix series features a centerpiece of Frankfurt’s club history: Wild Pitch Club.
A predecessor to the esteemed Robert Johnson and a stepping stone for Panorama Bar’s very own nd_baumecker.
Founded by Playhouse masterminds Ata and the late Heiko M/S/O it was a Thursday club night that heavily featured house music as a prescription to the ongoing techno fever. Enamored with the US-American roots of it and all things deep, it not only presented the right records, but also their creators and protagonists. With a string of guest DJs from Robert Hood and Claude Young to Kerri Chandler and Theo Parrish as well as talent from the UK and Europe, it was one of the culture’s hubs at the time.
Here you have its testimony. Selected and mixed by Ata and nd_baumecker, it’s an authentic snapshot of the club’s vibe and spirit, spread over two 2x12” volumes, a collectable tape (download included) and a pleasant streaming version, it’s the full dosage. Like Roach Motel confessed: Wild Pitch, I love you.
Rico Herrera is back on Roots Underground after his previous works for Marco Celeri’s label, Uno Ep (2018) and Excursions Vol.1 (2021), with four brand new tracks forming this release "Under Your Spell EP”,
full of collaborations, with a result that surely will not disappoint all the soulful and jazzy house music’ lovers.
The record opens with the catchy Slow Down (A1), rhythmic broken beat, pressing stab, perfectly matched with cosmic synth leads by Filippo Guerrieri and the beautiful voice of Scottish’ Jane Hamilton, whom we already had the opportunity to appreciate on 'Excursions Vol.1'.
Side A continues with Train Home (A2), a powerful jazz-dance track in house music sauce, features, in addition to our Rico and the aforementioned Guerrieri, here on bass & synths, also Paolo Peewee Durante, on organ and additional synths
Side B opens with the title track Under Your Spell (B1) exquisite classic soulful house music featuring the collaboration of Amsterdam-based keyboardist Soul Supreme on piano as well as Hamilton's incredible vocal line.
While With Love (B2) closes this precious EP with the most Detroit Deep House feel, produced entirely by Rico Herrera, here with the persuasive voice of Wallace.
Roots Underground continues its series of top-quality releases able to satisfy the most demanding taste in house music with classic, deep, jazzy & soulful approach and this "Under Your Spell EP" by Rico Herrera is just the latest example.
- A1: Dixie Beat (Side 1 The Beginning Of The End)
- A2: Crazy Calypso
- A3: Northern Kremisphere
- A4: Wrinkly's Safe Cave
- A5: Hangin' At Funky's
- A6: Crystal Chasm
- A7: Sub-Map Shuffle
- A8: Stillt Village
- A9: Bonus Time!
- A10: Mill Fever
- B1: Frosty Frolics (Side 2 Danger Zone)
- B2: Brother Bear
- B3: Swanky's Sideshow
- B4: Cranky's Showdown
- B5: Boss Boogie
- B6: Treetop Tumble
- B7: Wrinkly
- B8: Hot Pursuit
- B9: Enchanted Riverbank
- C1: Brothers Bear Blues (Side 3 The Wild World)
- C2: Water World
- C3: Cascade Capers
- C4: Get Fit Agogo
- C5: Nuts & Bolts
- D1: Big Boss Blues (Side 4 K Rool's Reckoning)
- D2: Game Over
- D3: Baddies On Parada
- D4: Krematoa Koncerto
- D5: Rocket Run
- D6: Mama Bird
- D7: Chase
- D8: Jangle Bells
- C6: Pokey Pipes
- C7: Rockface Rumble
- C8: Cavern Caprice
- C9: Jungle Jitter
Musique Pour La Danse is proud to present the Donkey Kong Country 3 OST Recreated of the much appreciated and globally followed Donkey Kong Country OST recreation project led by NY-based composer and producer Jammin’ Sam Miller.
Using hex SPC data crudely converted to MIDI, Jammin' Sam Miller painstakingly recreated DKC's soundtrack note by note, by finding the original equipment used to create it, translating the MIDI into a modern studio context, adding in keyboard samples, and re-mixing the sounds with added effects and mastering. To find out more about his process watch an explanatory video here: cutt.ly/ulUHE6J
Remastered for vinyl, licensed, and presented in a limited edition blue cascade double LP.
COLLECTION OF SIGH'S EARLY DEMOS, EP & RARITIES ON VINYL -
INCLUDES AN INTERVIEW & LINER NOTES COURTESY OF MAINMAN
MIRAI KAWASHIMA ON THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF THE JAPANESE
LEGENDS.
Cult Japanese black metal legends Sigh formed in 1989/90, featuring
mainman Mirai Kawashima, Satoshi Fujinami & Kazuki Ozeki
Following initial demos, Shinichi Ishikawa was brought into the band. It was following this shift that the band set about recording the masterpiece debut 'Scorn Defeat' for Euronymous' Deathlike Silence Productions, going on to become one of the country's greatest & most revered metal exports. With a journey through the strange & the psychedelic, incorporating a whole eclectic mix of genre styles & experimentation throughout their career, Sigh has remained a
vital creative force in the avantgarde field. However, at its core, Sigh has always remained true to its roots of old school metal.
'Eastern Darkness' contains a collection of Sigh's early rare works showing their swift musical evolution as well as the strong utilisation of keyboards in their compositional process throughout. The collection includes the band's legendary demo tapes, 'Desolation' & 'Tragedies', plus their 'Requiem For Fools' EP, along with the 'Far East Gate In Inferno' version of 'The Zombie Terror'. 'Eastern Darkness' is presented on the vinyl format & includes an interview with Mirai Kawashima about the early years of the band, along with his recollections of the origins of each title contained within the release, three decades on from Sigh's formation.
KINGUNDERGROUND TO RELEASE A SET OF 45s, FROM
CAVENDISH MUSIC CATALOGUE. PAYING HOMAGE TO
LIBRARY MUSIC, FURTHERING ITS EXPOSURE TO A NEW
GENERATION OF LISTENERS.
Library Music experienced its heyday in the 60s and 70s, as
thousands of instrumental tracks were produced by musicians and
composers for the purpose of placements in radio, television, and
film.
The second record in the Cavendish Music series is classified as
‘Frantic’ and features 2 compositions by Sam Fonteyn. Frantic
energy is no doubt present in the horns and percussion on the A
side of the 45 “One Way Trip (Warm)” but the high energy gives off a
dancehall vibe, leaving you in a sweat as if you were in the club.
Fonteyn was a key contributor to the Boosey & Hawkes Music
Library. His output held a strong presence amongst other
composers, there’s an “it” factor or a swagger to his productions.
The compositions are timeless and feel hip in any era, especially on
“One Way Trip (Cool)”. Which is appropriately titled because it
doesn’t get much cooler than the feel on this track!
In all there will be 8 individual 45s, licensed from Cavendish Music
Library & released by KingUnderground. Including compositions by
Tony Kinsey, John Scott, Sam Fonteyn, Ray Davies, and more.
black repress !
Everyone's favourite Italian duo Micky More & Andy Tee joined in full force with house music icons Cevin Fisher and Roland Clark. The Logo side sees ‘All About The Culture’ feat. Cevin Fisher, a track doused in live bass, fiery grooving Rhodes chords and spoken word lines that shines a light on the freedom of expression and liberation found through the culture of house music. Already tested on the dancefloors of New York, London And Ibiza this track is ready to become a future classic!
Flip it to find ‘The Rhythm’ feat. Roland Clark; a groove heavy concoction of live instruments from strings and guitar, to keys and bass that come together tp create a warm, uplifting, funk-disco-house heater topped off with those spine tingling spoken word vocals. A timeless original production.
Repressed on Black Vinyl.
DJ Support:
The Shapeshifters, Hector Romero, Terry Hunter, Seamus Haji, Quentin Harris, CJ Mackintosh, Quibiko, Northy Cotto, Double Dee, Roog, Dr. Packer, Angelo Ferreri, Kenny Carpenter, Benji Candelario, Dj Disciple, Dj Pope, Luis Radio, Richard Earnshaw, Lenny Fontana, Dj Pippi, Marco Fullone
- A1: Mlo - Birds & Flutes
- A2: Pulusha - Isolation (Part Two)
- A3: Space Time Continuum - Fluresence
- B1: David Moufang - Sergio Leone's Wet Dream
- B2: La Synthesis - Frozen Tundra (Dub)
- C1: Richard H Kirk - Oneski
- C2: A Positive Life - The Calling (Loved'ub Mix)
- D1: Sideral - Mare Nostrum
- D2: Primitive Painter - Levitation
- D3: Sun Electric - Love 2 Love
- E1: Lfo - Helen
- E2: Dubtribe Sound System - Sunshine's Theme (Sunshine Remix)
- E3: Human Mesh Dance - 8 (Infinit) (Infinit)
- F1: Link - Arcadian (Global Communication Remix)
- F2: The Arc - Orphic Mysteries
- F3: Bedouin Ascent - Joyriding Iii
Music From Memory is delighted to be turning 50 with a special release: MFM050 - V/A - Virtual Dreams: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, 1993-1997 (3xLP/2xCD). The first in a series of compilations, alongside more in depth artist-focused releases, Virtual Dreams will delve into music produced during the 1990’s that redefined the boundaries of ‘Ambient’. This was music that explored the possibilities of Ambient music within a new setting, created often by House & Techno music producers for a world beyond dance floors but made very much with the pre and post-clubbing listener in mind.
When House and Techno exploded out of America in the mid 1980s a whole generation was redefined not only musically but also culturally and chemically speaking. Peaking, quite literally, with a second ‘Summer of Love’ in 1988, millions of young people across the world would experience the life-changing ups of a brave new world but with it of course came the downs; enter the concept of a ‘Chill-out’ room. Whilst early Chill-out rooms lacked a specific sound and were often soundtracked by music such as reggae and soul, slowly young Techno and House producers themselves would become increasingly interested in developing a futuristic ‘Ambient’ soundtrack to a world beyond the thud of the main room.
‘Ambient’ in this new age now though had sharper teeth than in Brian Eno's key text for ‘Music for Airports’, instead here the sounds were the mode of transport rather than the backdrop. While the melodies were pretty, the soundscape steered away from the pastoral, dreaming of outer-space and technology as opening up exciting new dimensions. Much like in the first Summer Of Love; the musicians were again exploring psychedelic, mind-altering and transcendental possibilities of music. And also much as in the first Summer Of Love, a psychedelic visual language would accompany the music. Though now the tracks could be accompanied by music videos, utilising early CGI techniques, they would look almost entirely to the future: envisioning technology, nature and humanity intertwined in a new Utopian future. Virtual Dreams of a better world.
From Ambient and early Chill-out classics, to lesser known one-off projects, as well as Ambient deviations by some of House and Techno’s leading producers, Volume One of Virtual Dreams features tracks by Bedouin Ascent, LA Synthesis, LFO, Marc Hollander, Mark Pritchard & Kirsty Hawkshaw, Richard H. Kirk and more.
To celebrate our 50th release the first 1000 copies include a holographic 'Virtual Dreams' sticker plus a special insert poster with artwork by Victoria Pacheco and design by Steele Bonus.
KingUnderground presents a stunning collection of 8 releases pressed onto 7” vinyl from the Cavendish Music catalogue. Paying homage to the genre of Library Music, furthering its exposure to a new generation of listeners.
Library Music experienced its heyday in the 60s and 70s, as thousands of instrumental tracks were produced by musicians and composers for the purpose of placements in Radio, Television, and Film. This rich piece of European music history would go on to inform genres to come and speak heavily to the Jazz, Funk, and Hip Hop communities of the future.
This was often a musician's first opportunity to become a composer, or what most would commonly know now as producer of music. These composers would work with a stable of musicians to record 100’s of tracks that would go into a publishing Library. The pieces of music were recorded quickly and deliberately. The composers, musicians, and engineers understood their role in the process, it was an act of discipline amongst all involved. Often the composer was given a brief on what the end goal was for the client. The specifics would include tempo to lock into, song ending time, ect.
Never before have these tracks from the Cavendish Music Library been pressed on 7” vinyl at 45RPM. In all there will be 8 individual 45s, licensed from Boosey & Hawkes & Cavendish Music Library. The collection includes compositions by Tony Kinsey, John Scott, Sam Fonteyn, Ray Davies, and more.
There’s a boldness to Library music. It's in the forward nature of where the drums sit in the mix and the percussive playing of the keys that gives you something to grab hold of, it feels grounded yet exciting. It’s music beamed in from a different galaxy!
limited to 200 copies!
After we have been rolling out three singles and two remixes, it’s time to present to you the full album by the Belgium duo Pelace, titled ‘Echoes’. The digital version drops October 7 and to make it even better, the album will appear on vinyl too at end the of 2022, which will be the first ever vinyl release on Infinite Depth.
The album represents the energetic sound of Pelace (Jordy Cosemans & Janick Warnier), hailing from Hasselt. Besides being Pelace they are very good friends in life, which is playing big part in their tracks. They dug deep into their own experiences and emotions that have been influencing their lives and this resulted in the album. The careful composed collection of tracks forms a 10-track story of uncompromising breaks, deep and compelling melodies and beautiful repetitive vocals.
The album starts off with ‘Trapped Forever’. An ambient intro to immediately show their characteristic raw and uplifting synthwork. When it stops it makes sure you want to carry on listening. After the intro, ‘Deep Sea Dreaming’ follows, through which they bring forward their strong breakbeats and firm basslines. Where ‘Deep Sea Dreaming’ is pretty low-key, the next one titled ‘Patterns’ is one of the more compelling tracks on the album. Long-stretched bass lines are forming a solid base, on top of which uplifting arps and pads are making this track very lively.
The fourth track ‘Kali’ goes a bit deeper. The track was written and produced when there was the news that clubs were allowed to open in Belgium again. A hard 4×4 kick, raw percussion elements and a driven bass are the key elements. After this it goes through to ‘Forever Together’. This one is about always being Pelace together. It’s a break track with a suppressed, but also very special energy.
‘Break Ups’ represents the more calm and dreamy side of the album. The regular beat gets broken up by a breakbeat, after which it continues in its lo-fi focused four-the-floor pattern. Throughout the track harmonious pads are melting together with high pitched synths, giving you a hopeful and warm feeling. The main song ‘Echoes From The Past’ defines the signature sound of Pelace, a blend of all kinds of electronica. Broken beats, intertwining synths, an appealing repetitive vocal and a reese bass, combined to evoke intense moments on the dancefloor.
The eighth track is called ‘Floating’ and refers to old-school no-nonsense electronica. A pulsing and stabby synth, a powerful jungle kick and the up-tempo rhythm are providing a powerful energy. ‘Pushing You Away’ brings us back to the duo’s characteristic drum parts and vocal use, but with a deeper lower part and a somewhat trancey and ravey higher part. Then the cooling-down begins in the form of the outro ‘I Won’t Hesitate’. A very hopeful end to this story told by Pelace
Everything is vibrations.
The infinitely deep chaos of things rests on the tiny and fragile chemical balance of the depths.
Eliaz traps us in his raw and introspective groove with complex and saturated signals that call for bodies motions. He gives us a key to read and decript the Mercury Frequencies.
In October 1974, the first number of “L'Indépendant du Jazz”, a small self-produced magazine DIY -before punk supposedly invented the concept- was launched by Jef Gilson, Gérard Terronès, Jean-Jacques Pussiau and a few other specialists of a different kind of jazz in France, it looked at the already long career of Jef Gilson and in detail at the album with saxophonist Philippe Maté:
“The ‘Workshop’ is, with Philippe Maté (alto-sax), an undeniable success. Maté is genuinely ‘the’ most inventive French saxophonist since Michel Portal burst onto the jazz scene (who has also worked with Jef Gilson on both “Enfin” and “Gaveau”).”
Even though the author of the article is a mysterious I.H. Dubiniou, and it is difficult to know if it is a real person or a pseudonym used by one of the merry bunch, it is also tempting to hear it as what Jef Gilson really thought about his new discovery. Even more so as the two men would work together over a long period, as Maté became one of the key figures of Gilson’s Europamerica orchestra up until the 1980s.
Philippe Maté had started to make a name for himself with the Acting Trio when they released an album on the BYG label in 1969, and he was also one of the regular sidemen for the Saravah studios (he can notably be heard on albums by Higelin, Fontaine or his cult duo album with Daniel Vallancien).
The album was recorded on 4 February 1972, at the Foyer de Montorgueuil, where Gilson had set up his studio, with more or less the same team found on “La Marche Dans Le Désert” by Sahib Shihab + Gilson Unit (recorded ten days later). This was drummer Jean-Claude Pourtier and pianist Pierre Moret (regular Gilson accomplices since “Le Massacre Du Printemps”), alongside Maurice Bouhana and Bruno Di Gioa on various percussions and/or wind instruments. On bass is Didier Levallet, of the now mythical Perception, (Jean-François Catoire would replace him with Shihab) and Philippe Maté who took top billing, rather than the American saxophonist afterwards. The two albums are however quite different. This “Workshop” is more abrasive, more free. Made up of two long improvisations each of over 22mn, “L'Œil” on side A and “Vision” on side B (Gilson specialists would recognise the nod to one of his albums from the 60s), the album plunges you into the depths, attempting to drown you in electronic waves, dragging you back to the surface by the collar, giving you a good shakedown, before showing you the light, leaving you breathless on the shore after 46mn of the most intense music French has to offer. “An undeniable success”, they said. (by Jérôme "Kalcha" Simonneau)
August Greene culminates years of mutual respect and friendship, channeling the musicians’ various talents into a cohesive project. The perfect marriage of jazz, hip-hop and soul, it’s music that just is. This is black expression the way God intended: earnest, unfiltered, and harmonious. Throughout August Greene, you feel the abundance of Glasper’s rolling keys, the sheer honesty of Com’s lyrics, and the nuanced subtlety of Riggins’ drum work. It’s a fluid sound that’s sorely needed in today’s landscape, and a teachable moment for the next wave of creators. “I feel like we need to set the bar for this generation of musicians and producers,” Riggins says. “There’s a lot of computer-driven music. This is the opposite of that. We’re showing you can still use your creative muscle on an instrument to generate your own sound.” August Greene is a meditative offering that stands tall against the era of “fake news.” “They body snatching black girls in D.C. / Politics and propaganda on the TV,” Common observes on the opening track. On “Nirvana,” the lyricist uses a stuttering percussive loop and faint piano chords to search his inner being: “Thought I was gonna fly when Obama became the king … when it’s all done, will I have heaven’s dress code, and been able to let God and let go.” As Com puts it, Glasper and Riggins’ soundtrack allowed him to open up in ways he hadn’t done previously. Like on “Fly Away,” for instance, where he riffs on the public relationships he’s had. Other songs, like “Black Kennedy,” feel spacious and scenic. “I got to go new places with the music, and it didn’t have to fit within a genre for me to participate on it,” he says. “This gave me an experience I haven’t had in a long time, so I want people to feel that. I want this to be a cleansing of whatever doesn’t feel good or inspiring.” In the end, August Greene speaks to those pushing through the dark for brighter days. It's a masterpiece from which virtue can shine. “I want people to go on the ride and be open,” Glasper says. “We just created and it became a sound. I want people to approach this with an open mind and without expectations.” —Marcus J. Moore
- A1: Don Carlos - Alone (Paradise )
- A2: Tameka Starr - Going In Circles (Dj Art Version)
- A3: Be Noir - Give Me Your Love ( Philadelphia Mix)
- B1: Key Tronics Ensemble - Calypso Of House (Paradise)
- B2: Soft House Company - What You Need
- B3: Aritmya - Parabolic ( Ipnotic Version)
- C1: Double Dee Feat Dany - Found Love (Full Version)
- C2: Omniverse - Antares
- C3: Bossa Nostra Feat Bruna Loppez - Chico Depserado (Atjazz Mix)
- D1: Jestofunk - Say It Again
- D2: Kipper - Livinʼ The Nitelife (Classic Style)
- D3: Riviera Traxx - Parfume 1
In the world of Dance, the 90s were characterized by the worldwide explosiion of House Music. Among the protagonists many were artists and producers of Italian origin and this sub-genre was called Italo House. This double vinyl collection contains 12 classic songs
from that magical period, all in the original 'full version', by:
Don Carlos, Soft House Company, Double Dee, Tameka Starr, Key Tronics Ensemble, Omniverse, Jestofunk, Riviera Traxx, Kipper, Aritmya, Be Noir e Bossa Nostra.
Official AFRODELIC reissue of the ultra-rare Tunde Mabadu’s debut album. Originally released in 1978 on Blackspot label (DECCA’s West Africa division), Bisu, which includes the supergroovy ‘Red Jeans’, differs from the later 1980 ‘Viva Disco’ album by a much more pure African style.
A beautiful and soulful production in which Tunde’s deep voice and sax move on the excellent horns arrangements, percussions, the wahwah rhythm guitar and weird keyboards and synths (at times psychedelic as in the ‘Blue Bird’ 9 minutes).
As wrote on the original liner notes of the era “His music will mesmerize you from the first track. A dedicated Musician especially to his African Roots with so much to offer Musically”.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
Your Old Droog is back with another exhilarating hip-hop opus. Fresh off a series of outstanding projects, the prolific rhyme author is now debuting the new album Yod Stewart. Featuring captivating beats by Tha God Fahim, Nicholas Craven, Conductor Williams, Lee Scott, and more, the collection illuminates YOD's world-class songwriting and highly relatable storytelling prowess. Yod Stewart is a conceptual endeavor set within an intriguing narrative context: a recording artist comes across a Rod Stewart wig, takes it home, falls asleep, and becomes the pop star of his dreams. Follow the superstar on his turbulent but ultimately rewarding journey filled with musical meditations on lucid dreaming, keys to success, lost friendships, toxic relationships, teenage heartbreaks, and more. Your Old Droog does it all, again.
Off the back of their incredible debut Time Lapse EP in 2021 and keyboardist Mali-I's phenomenal debut LP 'In Session', Monzanto Sound return with new vocalist Mimi Koku to deliver exceptional new 4 track EP 'Tomorrow, Tomorrow and Tomorrow'.
Early support for the EP has come from Jamz Supernova on 1Extra, Music Is My Sanctuary, Worldwide FM and Spotify's Fresh Finds Jazz playlist.
Expect psychedelic neo-soul grooves, deep dub jams and krautrock-inspired experimentalism
Finger Prince recordings debut with the ‘Make U Feel Project’
A four tracker with the same assignment handed to four artists including some of the original Music For Freaks and Classic Music Company recording artists.
The first release is a close-knit affair with Lil’Mark handing out the project to who he regards as three close family members. No brief was given with the material so that all versions were unique. No spoilers either.
First up on side A, Mark provides a true groove with the swing he’s renowned for. Chords, catchy muting, stabs of vocal and a heavy rolling bassline sets the scene. Straight up house.
Track 2 is from Pale People who takes a great dub approach looping the bass and keys beneath the Vox adding tight percussion reminiscent of his Phonic Crunch collab’s with Mark. After a long hiatus it's great to have him back.
Side B Track 1 comes from Rob Mello doing his ’No Ears’ spectacular. It’s the Classic No Ears sound making great use of original elements and sounding fantastic as always.
Belgium’s export to Ibiza Bart Ricardo gets the final say on track 2. Taking it deeper Bart brings stretched chords into focus over a HEAVY kick and big bottom end. This track has a relentless groove with some well executed breaks.
SAISEI founder Junki Inoue continues his vital archival work uncovering the riches of Japan’s distinctive electronic music scene and bringing them to new audiences around the world.
The PMA EP compiles four dynamic tracks recorded around 30 years ago by the duo of Shigeru Nakamura (drums/vocals) and Mikio Kato (synths) aka B-2DEP’T.
Nakamura and Kato’s first album as B-2DEP’T, Products Plus, appeared on cassette in 1993 on Trigger Records, the predecessor label to Transonic (given a retrospective on SAIS004). Its bright yellow and blue retro-futurist artwork – which is echoed in the design for this reissue on SAISEI – matched the sounds held within: inventive, out-of-the-box dance music blending overseas influences with an idiosyncratic Japanese sensibility.
Two tracks from Products Plus appear on this EP, All tracks re-edited by Junki Inoue and regular collaborator Yuzo Iwata for vinyl extended play and available now for the first time on vinyl. ‘Clockwork Giant Panda’ appearing in a version co-produced with Yoshinori Sunahara (ex - Denki Groove), merges a breezy US house groove and bassline with twinkling, almost parodic Japanese keys that act as a kind of meta commentary on Western perceptions of Japan (a concept pioneered by Yellow Magic Orchestra). The two parts of ‘BSMH’, or Body Sonic Mental Health from ‘Products Plus’, were originally remixed by Daishi Hisakawa of Tanzmuzik, who draws on darker sounds from Europe and the UK: restless Depeche Mode synth harmonies spiral above a pacy EBM pulse, with robot vocals intoning the titular slogan. The package is completed by the unreleased track ‘PMA’, whose driving, bass-heavy mood falls somewhere between Sheffield bleep and the ambient techno of early Biosphere.
SAISEI is a Japanese word which translates to ‘reproduction’ and ‘to play’ (as in playing records). Japanese culture is widely known for its traditional nature just as much as it is for being forward into the future and this label’s concept does justice to exactly that. Having started digging for records as early as 16 years old, Inoue delved into productions from 1990s Japan to uncover these native gems. SAISEI’s core concept is to recapture and reintroduce unique pieces of Japanese electronic music onto vinyl, to an audience it never reached before as most of this music was only released in Japan.
Red Splatter Vinyl (feat. Rakaa Iriscience)
New Orleans and Cali unite on this onslaught of gris-gris funk from Connie Price & Keystones featuring legendary MC, Rakaa Iriscience, of Dilated Peoples. The Crescent City label, Superjock Records puts forth another gem in the ongoing NOLA Breaks series (V.12)...
This time around they’ve enlisted the multi-talented Jay "J-Zone” Mumford on the drums, Dan Ubick on guitar (Breakestra, Big Daddy Kane), Julius Augustus on bass (The Sandollars), Dan Hastie on organ (Orgone, Alicia Keys), Steve McCormick on dobro and Professor Shorthair on the cuts and edits. Mastered by Dave Cooley (J Dilla, Madlib).
“The soundtrack to keep the wicked in flames” in both words and sounds, this 45rpm will leave you equally angered by the wrongs of the past but with a dip in your hip as you saunter through Congo Square!
Produced, recorded and mixed by Dan Ubick for DanUbe Productions at Lions Den Studios, Topanga, CA.
The moons of Saturn are the inspiration for this brooding, often soaring and searching odyssey of dark electronica.
The second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter, and the sixth planet from the sun, Saturn is orbited by 53 confirmed moons, with another 29 that are unnamed and still being studied.
Saturnian is a suite of thirteen choral tracks taking their names from some of Saturn's known moons; Dione, Daphnis, Phoebe, Prometheus, Rhea, Janus, Titan, Enceladus, Tethys, Telesto, Mimas, Hyperion and Iapetus, all named after figures from Greek and Roman mythology, each loaded with their own turbulent back stories. It is the debut release by Holmes + atten Ash, written, recorded and produced remotely in Edinburgh and Bristol by the duo Simon Holmes and Paul Nash.
Their project began during the 2020 lockdown. For Simon, time was spent exploring the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh. For Paul, the Mendip Hills, south of Bristol. Both would experience the darker side of our human impact on the environment. Simon observed the wilderness as a wasteland, finding discarded, rusting metal littering the Pentland Hills while Paul witnessed the decimation of the ancient woodland of the Mendips' King's Wood due to the destructive tree fungus ash dieback.
These field trips fuelled a desire to navigate not just the landscape, but the duo's emotional place within it. Their collaboration led to a concept album that explores the outer reaches of the solar system, while simultaneously grounding them in a specific place. Looking inwards as much as outwards, theycreated soundscapes based on deeply imagined and felt connections to their surroundings.
After Simon had created a choral piece to accompany Luke Jerram's enormous, world touring artwork Museum of the Moon, Saturnian was a natural progression. When Simon was sent an initial score for the ethereal track Enceladus, composed by Paul in Bristol, he added choral arrangements recorded in Edinburgh. Their shimmering, tense opus continued to evolve from there. Just as the discarded bed springs and abandoned car parts that Simon stumbled upon in the Pentland Hills seemed to him at once "horrible but also oddly beautiful", Saturnian melds together melancholy and levity, fusing moments of dark angst with a celestial calm.
Opening with the glistening, hopeful brightness of Dione, increasingly urgent rhythms give way to digital, otherworldly calls from what might be rainforest creatures chirping into life with robotic squawks and delicate keyboard lines on Phoebe, followed by slowed down, monastic song on Rhea. Tethys is a hypnotic blur of synthesiser and soft chanting, while Rhea is a mysterious, echoing chasm, lifted by melodic, gentle male vocals. Janus has a glowing, effervescent energy, swiftly followed by a sense of tension on Titan, which throbs with driving percussive unease.
The album artwork is a pencil drawing created by Edinburgh artist Simon Kirby. It was made by a robot drawing machine, using custom algorithms that bring to life recordings of the sound of magnetic waves near Saturn's icy moon, Enceladus. The lines in the centre of the drawing are distorted by sound captured by the Cassini spacecraft which studied Saturn for over a decade.
Much like Saturn and its frozen, rocky moons, this debut album from Holmes + atten Ash is mysterious and beguiling, with a hint of foreboding in the depths of its powerful beauty and epic scale.
Josh Burke is a guitarist/keyboardist/programmer from Chicago, USA, who specialises in a music that could, perhaps, best be described as an amalgamation of drone, kosmische and ambient, all with a distinctly euphoric flavour, as though these sounds were channelled rather than thoroughly composed.
He has over 30 solo releases to his name as well as splits with Jeffrey Astin (of Xiphiidae), Spirals and Body Morph, and also - like most of his peers - operates under several additional aliases - Ocean Diamond, Futuresport, The Masque, Silk Fountain, 56K, Sky Limousine and Nehal Shah - as well as ensemble and collaborative projects including Bermuda Link, Cartoon Drips, White Prism, Practical Applications Of The Chaossphere, Starfox, Camp Crystal Lake and Holographic Communications Of The Third Sky.
Vinyl only. Twovi aka Vito Loperfido helps Inner Balance enter its adolescence on this deep house 4-tracker. Using familiar ingredients of bumping basslines, driving percussion and soulful keys, each cut finds allegiance in a different clan of classic US house sounds...with an extra Italian flavour!Check the Jovonn swagger of 'Sweet Eyes' or the Glenn thump of 'Theo Docet', the expansive floorfiller 'Fake Love' or the jazzy interludes in 'Tropical Age': this EP takes its place in an unmistakeable tradition that goes right back to Vibraphone and MBG in '92.
After our last release titled “jazz Baileys” we are back with House Experience Vol.2., this time in Ep format, presented by Bs As deep.
The previous volume was clearly dedicated to being a various artists, also with the participation of Bs As deep.
We have been working since vinyl number 4 with musicians, who have a participation in almost all the tracks released.
When we talk about musicians, we are including keyboardists, saxophonists, percussionists, guitarists or bassists.
Our goal or common thread has always been to achieve a warm and forceful sound, so that it can be heard in any environment, and at the same time be used at any time of the night, on a dance floor.
With those involved in both past and current releases, we share a common idea, which guides us in the interpretation of each song.
We also base ourselves on house influences from the late 90s (96,97,98,99)
Personally, we are moved by those times in which the sounds become more sophisticated, more elaborated in detail, and that is when we believe that the house that we listen to today with soul and jazz sounds, take on more relevance.
They also promote Afro and Latin percussion, leaning towards that New York and Puerto Rican fusion.
For all this, we like to include classic instruments, such as roland rhodes, the much-loved Juno, or korg packages with their inevitable M1.
Many shots are made live through a session expressed by the musician, who improvises for a while, from there we extract some part, which can be used several times in several tracks.
It is always necessary to do an editing job to adapt and correct any dissonance or variation in time that implies desynchronization in the beat. All this working in the sequencer of the daw to use.
On this album you will be able to hear soulful house sounds strongly impacted by keyboards, flutes and session basses, as well as some perfectly adapted percussion samples.
Magnificent Wolof drum music, performed by an extended griot family over seven consecutive days, in the mystical setting of Lac Rose, outside Dakar.
Doudou Ndiaye Rose — who died in 2015 — is a key drummer in the musical history of the world. He developed a system of five hundred original drumming patterns, ancient and new. Amongst the modern rhythms here is Bench Mi — ‘under the Baobab tree,’ a spot where problems get solved. Also Hibar Yi — ‘passing on information’ — the theme-tune of Senegalese TV national news for decades — and Les Rosettes, the signature rhythm of Senegal’s first ever all-female percussion group, convened by Doudou, and named after his grandmother.
These original compositions sit alongside important traditional rhythms, familiar to every Sabar player, such as Farwu Jar (a courtship game sometimes resulting in a wedding), Ceebu Jin (also the name of the national dish of fish and rice), and Gumbé, often played after a successful harvest.
Recorded in joyful single takes, with no overdubs, mastered by Rashad Becker, the music is deep and thrilling, polyrhythmic to the bone, with a complex, pointillistic intensity at times evoking Jeff Mills in full flight.
Taken from the forthcoming album ‘Prom Nite’. The opening single of ‘Prom Nite’ is a sermon perfect for log cabin lock-ins and losing yourself across the Balearics: 'Feel Like Home' is spirited, euphoric and thoroughly satisfying, not to mention an advertising executive’s dream. London’s House Gospel Choir, endorsed by Annie Mac and The Blessed Madonna, provide the salvation that everyone is looking for right now, their heavenly harmonies aligned to Yoda’s gentle grooves and keys leading you to the light, encouraging the linkage of arms and for its soulful soothing properties to wash over you. Cover Art by ENDLESS..
restock
Melodies Of Ancient Beats Depth or Deep, (with Dep also meaning beautiful in Indonesian) is the meaning of this newly created persona from the artist DemoDc. After many years of experimenting with music making, releasing digital eps and albums, Demo has come to an end of a cycle arriving to a mature state of craftsmanship, ready to deliver his dream onto the vinyl medium.
This is the 1st ep that kickstarts a volume of a 5 ep project. Its own kind of album type edition so to speak. Down the rabbit hole is a deeply rich exploration of the unknown, immersing oneself with faith and love into a pandora’s box type scenario to find not chaos and random violence of destruction yet a carefully arranged melodic structure of orderly tapestry, traveling through the expression of quirky acid gobbles, with a steady deep chord of drive, arriving at a climatic unwind of free moving dance type melodies and wonder. This track gives electro a fresh stroke to a well founded genre, giving it a different approach to the medium. Today’s special is a track held close to heart, made back in 2007 after a skiing incident left MOAB DEP immobilized for 2 weeks. Whilst having travelled to NZ Queenstown for the trip, it dawned on the wounded artist to make sense elsewhere with his time, using it to create a very special track, of course unknowingly at the time. Returning home to Adelaide it quickly become a favourite for many underground artists yet the track has never really been given a chance to shine, to be heard…. not until now 12 years later, 2019.
All made on his laptop, no midi used ( which is to be said mostly with all tracks created at heartheartrecords studios).
Today’s Special has a certain energy and vibe that immediately calls for the listener to pay attention. From its moody beginnings with lush rhodes keys, glitch ambient sounds, followed by the groovy-type horn sounding hook, whisking the listener away into a sunsetting type mood elevating itself onto new ground each step of the way. With some subtle bass movements and emotive chord progression, we arrive at a very warm heartfelt dance track that can only leave any dedicated listener and lover of common deep house music, with a tingling effervescence of radiant glow and smiles.
Today’s Special proves to be its own cult hit within the archives of tracks made in the heartheartrecords realm. Today's special celebrates the meaning of 'NOW' the present moment.
KR3 Records, is proud to welcome – Shuya – to its roster. The Japanese producer whose influences come mostly from the Noise Scene, began his sonic journey as a singer and guitarist with the experimental avant-garde group called Qujaku. With his s/h/u/y/a solo project he keeps a noise-industrial attitude to his electronic music productions. The beginning of his collaboration with KR3 was therefore inevitable. The artist and the label share a mutual approach to sound, with the processing of raw materials into scratchy, deep and mental beats playing a key part in their interpretation of Techno. The Sleeper EP – is the first vinyl release under this pseudonym. The cover art is curated by the designer Pablo I Prada, who says about his works: “I try to capture human evil in my paintings”. With his music, Shuya does exactly the same. His productions are a disturbing mixture of noise-techno that perfectly evokes the infernal spirit of human existence that also appears in the artwork. The Sleeper, is a cerebral, red-painted sonic assault. The intro and outro are composed by recordings of his voice and guitar riffs that show us how deep is his connection to his artistic origins. Written & Produced by Shuya Onuki Artwork by Pablo I Prada
Originally Re Eff (pronounced Ri Èf) was a bunch of texts. One hundred and fifty pages that Julien Gasc wrote by trying his hand at the art of cut-up: a literary and political act of counter-fiction based on William Burroughs’s method. It was also Julien Gasc’s response to the isolation of 2020, while he was seeking refuge in the Southwest of France, with time as far as the eye could see, and a piano.
For a long while, it hadn’t been about songs, but about expressing the indescribable by cutting randomly from books and his own notes, attempting to fleetingly strike a balance, find a beauty, a happy accident. Incidentally, it was almost by accident, while recycling a piece that he’d composed for steel guitar pedal, that Julien Gasc sketched the first draft of “Ce soir les bouteilles dansent” (“Tonight the Bottles Are Dancing”). This was combined with a version of “Rosario Bléfari”, recorded on an inexpensive Casio synthesizer. These were Re Eff’s baby steps.
While everything was at a standstill, in stasis, Julien Gasc wanted to send a group message to some friends, to his family, a message from a confinee to those who weren’t answering, friend or foe, imaginary or otherwise. It was this collective recipient that he nicknamed Re Eff. The name comes from “re” (re-) and “effacer” (erase), words found during a cut-up and transformed into ri èf for added euphony, like a facetious grief (grievance, reproach in French) without the “g”.
Like its title, a kind of serious joke, the album is one long interplay between humour and gravitas, sense and nonsense, shadow and light, aiming to fully describe feelings in terms of their ambiguous and contradictory elements.
Through a return to regular piano practice, calm recovered at a holiday resort town, and literary experimentations, to which he added transcribed dreams, as in “La scie de la vision modern” (“The Saw of Modern Vision”), Julien Gasc composed ten demos on his computer. These demos were then rerecorded at Syd Kemp’s Haha Sound studio in London, in December 2021. The mix was completed there again, in February 2022, by Syd and Julian.
Play to play and write to write, those are the keywords of Re Eff, in which memories are freely combined (“À travers le regard de l’indienne” / “Through the Amazon’s Eyes”), the theme of enclosure and passion (“Amour velours” / “Velvet Love”), melodrama ("Délivrance"), and romantic novella (“Tout ne peut pas nécessairement donner quelque chose” / “Not Everything Leads to Something”). Music resolutely oriented towards the piano, towards bold and filmic harmonic movements that make a successful form of lyrical poetry possible. Because all in all, by singing about current events – his own and those of the world – in an elegiac tone, like bards, Julien Gasc was gradually transformed from pop singer into poet.
Țaru is a small non-profit label from Romania, born out of love for
pups and great electronic music. Our goal is to create the best minimal and microhouse records, and donate all the money to shelters and organizations that help the unfortunate furry angels left on the streets.
For TARU001 we have a 2x12” album on which we’ve gathered some
of the finest underground producers with 4 long tracks, on 180 g vinyl,
all covered in beautiful hand drawn artwork.
Heal From Bitterness / Mahres 002 is a strong mini-album reflecting the emergency state of our world and pushes you to reflexion. We wanted to highlight a new incomer, a great artist : NITSUJJ. A unique avant-garde style here, inspired by old Rock & Industrial sounds. With these 6 tracks, you will control brains, bodies and souls. You should notice a nice collaboration with Stephen on A3. All tracks are mixed and mastered by Chris Key at south end studios. Original atrwork / Inlay.
300 copies.
AI-31 sees the debut release from a new collaboration between Samuel van Dijk (Netherlands) and Rasmus Hedlund (Finland). Both key proponents to the scene in Northern Europe, they come together with mutual understanding and a common vision to sound. Dialog acts as a conversational exchange that sees the interplay of dynamic frequencies, evocative imagery and contemporary sonic art. Spread across four sides, the album as a whole exists as a kind of metaphysical process, eternally growing and contracting — change is the only constant, marked by a continuous progression of sound and space.
Expansive, deep, and at moments arresting, Dialog unfolds with sweeping soundscapes and shimmers with tactile sonic details. A chasmic rift of scintillating drone structures, each layer exposes a series of ever-deeper shades. In a play of dynamic dualities, the pair harnesses both earthly materials as well as access to more ethereal dimensions in the music. Side A begins with sub-terrestrial ruptures, gestating in a process of constant elemental changes. Rattling hits sputter amongst a state of nascent chaos, yet continues to be maintained in self-regulating stasis. Side B sets a more introspective tone, whispering with ghostly artefacts and bubbling synth lines, before building into a driving energy of layered field recordings and mechanistic timbres. The essence of form continues to be contested, until it subsides into momentary calm on side C. A cleansing period of soft drones float into the space and the pace slows, washing away remnants of past. The journey continues with side D’s conclusion - a solemn contour that reaches its internal extent, to then finally return to its source.
The summer season is here and to celebrate this we present this year's brand new PIV Records Summer Sampler. 8 exclusive tracks perfectly crafted in the studio for all those special moments of sunshine with you and your friends.
Straight off the bat, it's the label's executive producer M-High - Void that kicks off some delightful pads and keys-oriented melodies, followed by German sound provider Djoko with another club anthem Fun With House. British producer Demarzo takes it on a smooth ride this time with Make it, while Litmus - Ribbon Bass takes it up a groovy notch from down under.
Next up is Kellie Allen - Like The Sun and it shows her elegant summer night vibes all around. The Ruze boys deliver us a cocktail of rhythm with their rendition of The Concorde Club, followed by the addictive Keep The Groove by Louden. Rounding up is the raw talent of Moglis making this groovy sampler the one to have by your side this summer.
“ In search for unseen colours beyond the visible spectrum, Kangding Ray explored the outer fringe of club music and came back with a set of prismatic sonic crystals ”
Another seemingly obvious addition to the chosen Planet Euphorique family is underground icon Angel D'lite, presenting “303 Dalmations” as the label’s 18th release. The 5 tracker screams ruff ‘n’ ready rave with a delicate touch, embodying playfully rude dancefloor attitude politely requesting you to check your ego at the door. The South Londoner Mz D’lite carries the torch for the ambitious wave of Nu skool sounds, inspired throwbacks and masterfully crafted break work that has you stomping the house down.. Boots. Bold, brave & in your face; not for the faint hearted, a true sonic reminder to not take yourself too seriously.
Setting the tone is the title track, a tongue in cheek laugh in your face. With no messing around a brazen breakbeat assault leads the way for bleeped out bliss and building sub bass; cheekily tricking you into a 4/4 moment. The climactic chaos continues through Just Trippin, offensively tense stabs; building — ferociously, borderline losing control with the UKG hybrid ventures elevated by filtered chops and screws and a late blooming 303 workout. Tempos? High as hell.
Ell Murphy lends her passionate vocal essence to 7am on the A side closer. Feel the rush; transporting you to a moment in the dance which feels nostalgic and yet still to come.
Emo-jungle, cyber centred and spine chilling; Liquid Skies feels like a cold london morning after the rave, introspective yet unable to stay still, “in and out of control”. The record ends on a comparatively weightless low-key progressive builder Relaxcersizer. Holding the same sentimental harmonic bone engrossing sensation that trickles through the EP; with a little more patience, a moment to absorb the kaleidoscope of frantically exciting musical ideas laced throughout. This record is an ode to the dancers..Need I say more? You’ve read enough, now listen.
Debut album from Alex Ho out of Los Angeles.
In his foundational essay on Los Angeles, L.A. Glows, the essayist Lawrence Weschler speaks on the city's uncanny, immediately recognizable light; "The late-afternoon light of Los Angeles—golden pink off the bay through the smog and onto the palm fronds." Weschler traces the city's mysterious refracted light from the iconic paintings of David Hockney through the city's frequent portrayal on film and TV, noting its ability to put residents into a state of "egoless bliss."
Similarly, Alex Ho's new album for Music From Memory, 'Move Through It', radiates with the unmistakable LA glow. While the Pasadena native's studio work is just now coming to light, Ho has long been a fixture in the Los Angeles dance music scene, throwing what are perhaps the city's most musically expansive warehouse events and carving out a singular voice as a DJ, as heard on his brilliant Moony Habits show for NTS. The eight-track record, however, lands in a more contemplative zone, better suited for a golden hour drive than a night out.
Though it's his first record, 'Move Through It' is the accomplished work of a fully-formed artist, produced patiently between 2017 and 2020 with help from friends including Baba Stiltz, Phil Cho, Damon Palermo and John Jones. "Mark," the Koanic track conclusion side A, is an arpeggiated slow burn reminiscent of Pino Donaggio's brilliant score for Brian De Palma's 1984 film Body Double. Ho's stunning, pure falsetto soars above gentle melodies. "Miss Suzuki," the piece that originally caught the ear of MFM's Jamie Tiller and Tako, opens the record with a blue, cinematic sway. Ho's facility for poignant melodies—easily conveyed through saxophone, vibes, various keyboards and his own voice—shines on "College Crest Drive," as well as the title track. The lyrical "Move Through It" and the restrained and beautiful closing cut, "TYFC," are abetted by glimmering Kraut guitar figures courtesy of John Jones.
While Ho's rhythms and melodies paint a crystal-clear musical vision, the music's emotional centre is more elusive, indicative of a yearning feeling synonymous with the City Of Angels. Hitting these hazy and subtle notes, Move Through It falls within a canon of sun-addled records spanning from Herb Alpert's "Rotation" to Dam-Funk's Private Life trilogy as Garrett. An immersive and concise statement, Alex Ho's 'Move Through It' is as warm and uncanny as the city that inspired it, a definitive LA album.
One of the most exciting names to emerge on the techno scene in recent times, Lilly Palmer makes her long-awaited Drumcode EP debut.
The German artist is a thrilling performer, who backs up her kinetic DJ sets with a quality body of production work. We got a taste of her talent when she contributed ‘Amnesie’ to A-Sides Vol.10 and elsewhere she’s dropped heat on labels including Octopus Records, Senso Sounds and her own Spannung Records imprint.
‘We Control’ is a satisfying label debut exhibiting her stealth-like ability to work a dancefloor with a variety of driving techno moods. The title track embodies a key-driven Motor City vibe, before thrilling waves of jagged synths and ravey effects take the cut into brain spangling bosh territory. ‘Resistance’ builds tension and anticipation in equal parts and is a vibe-heavy tool needed for every set. ‘Plasma’ is a full-force weapon that highlights why there’s so much excitement surrounding the rising artist. The EP closes with ‘Don’t Look Back’, as deep pulsating layers of bass cascade towards the finish line.
Repress
Rising Dutch talent Deniro (aka Reynier Hooft van Huijsduijnen) returns to with a
double EP of original works. The Tape Records member previously appeared on the label as part of the concept albums.
'Mendoza' is an 8-track quest into the spheres of polarity and tension. Anxious distortions jitter in controlled spaces, angular melodies disfigure warm tones and frenetic cross rhythms flutter through minimalist forms. Contrasting messages are weaved together with precision to facilitate a dialogue where dancefloor function and cerebral stimulation interact.
Deniro navigates his way round vintage gear with a meticulous accuracy, held together by an intuitive ear for timbre, an ingrained passion for Detroit soul, and a firm understanding of sonic balance.
"Deniro is able to transmit emotion in his music like no other. His soft spoken live cuts are sparse and trippy and you can always feel that it's Reynier behind them' - Nina Kraviz
































































































































































