Buscar:back in time

8th vinyl from Gilesku series delivers another talent on display. A very intelligent work from one of the most promising slovenian producers you should pay attention to in the future - Vid Vai.
A three track EP opens with an intelligent minimalistic track 'Somewhere out there' - this catchy bassline, wicked and smart game of beats will definitely open your mind and take you on a ride. 'Eleos' is uncompromising dancefloor bomb with strong acid line, accompanied with warm synth theme which will take you back in time. To conclude this amazing EP, here is 'Hidden Projections' track, another 'acidish' gem that proves how talented Vid Vai is.

The last time you heard this industrial French sound visionary was a few years back. Now LE MATIN returns with an eclectic selection of ambient and classic underground structures with a some off kilter sonic expressionism and a deep beat, think early GEMINI or RELIEF records. On HIEROGLYPHIC BEING’s MATHEMATICS RECORDINGS.

Soma mainstay Deepchord returns with part 2 of the Luxury Series. This Double A release feature Deepchord's signature atmosphere rich tones and lush environments and also mark a slight upturn in terms of pressing on a more Techno vibe.

Luxury 3 opens as spacious as can be as the dynamic Modell crafts otherworldly pads and haunting tones, driven by muted kicks and driving subs. His effective use of delay and reverb knows no bounds as he subtly shifts synth stabs and background noise through the dimensional barrier, creating rhythms so refined they defy the natural law. His usual percussive wizardry is at work here that, whilst vigorous, retains a light atmospheric feeling keeping fully in line with the melancholic tones of the track. Clocking in around 14minutes, this is Modell as his most immersive.

Luxury 4 has a distinct Detroit heart to it. Those almost instantly recognisable saw waves, moulded by layers upon layers of processing, swirls and evolve and Deepchord slowly works in various elements of the track to unparalleled levels. Fairly reminiscent of earlier, more stripped work, subtle percussion brings things to life fairly quickly as Modell allows the layers of ethereal synths and processing to blend and fuse naturally, creating a cohesive background to which the listener can easily spend hours listening to, every time finding ever so slight nuances to each cycle of the track.

Deepchord never fails to impress with every release and can easily change his style up from previous incarnations based in pure atmospherics to his own unique brand of legendary Dub Techno.

Producer CRISTIAN VOGEL, born in Chile and in raised in Bristol, England, represents an inner turmoil within the history of electronic music and techno. Like only a few other artists such as Aphex Twin, he personifies the second wave of techno during which authorship, previously pronounced dead, returned in full force. The former punk, who had completed studies in composition (20th century classical music in Sussex) conveyed a powerful force in his music, which now finds its place very naturally as electronic music; back then, it did more than just shake up the concepts of techno. Complex and intricate rhythms (Süddeutsche Zeitung) dig deep chasms in dark (listening) spaces.

In 1996, together with JAMIE LIDELL as SUPER_COLLIDER, he made a final attempt to breathe life into electronic music, which was still primarily seen as dance/rave/club music, and produced clustered break funk music that was so relevant to its time that many considered it more a music of the future: science fiction for the dance floor. Although the project was not a failure, it did not succeed even halfway in meeting the expectations of an artist who was rather perplexed by the lack of interest he perceived in others in music as art and research. Vogel believes that music has a will to unfold, like a jungle from the undergrowth of industrial cities where music is thought of as an attack and a defense.
Seemingly out of disappointment in the predictably declining hedonism of the scene, he moved to Barcelona and bound his explosive ideas to more accessible formats, founded labels, created networks (No Future, Sleep Debt) and, at the same time, revisited his early days by working more and more on formats such as music for ballet and similar concepts. He also sought freedom precisely in what was referred to as functional electronic music through conceptual and serious endeavors in the artistic sense.
Vogel went under for a time and lived in Vienna before arriving in Berlin nearly two years ago, where he made his first new and daring attempt to assimilate everything that electronic music represented to him on one album: 'The Inertials' on SHITKATAPULT. Shortly after that, his mystical, floating ambient work 'Eselsbrücke' was released, which already spoke the language of the new city.

He now presents a new album on SHITKATAPULT entitled 'POLYPHONIC BEINGS' - a true masterpiece in the inimitable Vogel style, as his fans will no doubt claim. 'POLYPHONIC BEINGS' begins, after two minutes of an irritating noise wave, with a surprisingly classic dub track and grows darker and more abstract from track to track, minute by minute. An eerie and unbelievable sound, with all as it should be: every reverb tail, every movement of the fader, every composed note takes the listener piece by piece into Vogel's own cosmos.
He foregoes interwoven elements for swaying towers of rhythm, powerful sound passages, spaces, roads, mirrors and pathways, leading to a stream of ideas that never wants to end. He aptly quotes Karl-Heinz Stockhausen in the liner notes: These are the "atomic layers of ourselves." And so it is. We are what we hear. This is the definitive CRISTIAN VOGEL.

*More classic UK roots gets revived from Partial Records, this time in the shape of a pair
of hot shots from the vaults of the Jah Works stable and roots daughter Donette Forte.
* `Homeward Bound' is taken from the now long-deleted Donette Forte LP from 1991 `Wilderness', and this welcome reissue comes backed with previously unreleased dub cut `Dub Train'
* Mixed and produced by Rej 'Jah Rej' Forte at Channel One UK studio.
* Donette is recently back on the road touring with her new band Urban Lions after an absence of 20 years

Audiojack's Gruuv label returns this October with a four-track package from French producer Okain, featuring a remix from Tuccillo. Parisian artist Samuel Thalman aka Okain has quite the standing in contemporary electronic music having been a prominent name as a DJ and producer for the past fifteen years. Playing at some of the leading nightclubs across the globe such as Fabric, Watergate, Space Ibiza, Rex Club and Electric Pickle to name but a few. Thalman's also built quite the respectable back-catalogue in his time, releasing material via the likes of Tsuba, BPitch, Memento and Cadenza, and here we see him add Gruuv to his affiliations.

Kicking off the release is 'Down the Block', seeing Okain offer up a rugged percussion and bass led house cut, fuelled by swinging rhythms, rumbling sub tones, sporadic sax licks and processed vocal lines, opening up the EP on an energetic tip.

'RZ One' follows this, retaining a similar aesthetic with an insistent drive and penetrative low-end, though Okain opts for a grittier production feel here, distorting the drum sounds, instilling expansive, atmospheric reverb tails and drawn out delays alongside hip-hop imbued vocal lines.

On the latter half of the release we have two versions of 'By Your Side', the first of which is the original mix from Okain, which takes on a more stripped-back approach in comparison to the preceding composition's, laying its focus on fluttering synth sounds, a stab-led bass hook and warm motown style vocal chops. 2020Vision artist Tuccillo then rounds off the package with his mix of 'By Your Side', turning in his signature percussive-led style on the mix with intricately programmed drums and a subtle underlying tension that softly bubbles away in the depths over the cuts seven minute duration.

After releasing his stunning debut "Diamond Days" on Traum and the follow up "Nothingness EP" Egokind told us he had the idea for an album already sitting in the back of his head.
To be able to convert all of his ideas he asked his long time friend and collaborator Ozean to work with him. For both of them "Transition" is their debut album, but both artists can draw on a lot of experience recording music from multiple genres.

The A1 track "Mega" is a track which illustrates Egokind & Ozean's approach to touch many grounds resulting in something gigantic. The track itself begins rather acoustic inviting you to the private world of Egokind & Ozean, before it becomes a joyous balearic tune that despite its wealth keeps slight dissonances coming and going.

"Every Time You Smile" is an energetic piece of warped music which swells and and then in the next moment is diminished to small islands of voices that turn like mad creating a new cosmos almost comical at times, but always very kind and gentle as well.

On the flipside "Light Realms" flows into "Silverbird" with no pause: "Silverbird" then opens the curtain and lets the sun fill out the whole room with yellow golden rays. Egokind & Ozean then unfold a garage house track which makes small turns but stay very organic and warm.

And "Everybody Dance Now" by its title makes things very clear. Egokind & Ozean have crammed all their skills here into an hi-energy dance track, still keeping one big surprise to come halftime, when they decide to leave the trail of club culture by introducing a fantastic acoustic intermezzo, juggling and bending their sounds to the max.  

Erlend Øye is a skinny nerd, but maybe that's what makes him a pop star. His huge thick spectacle-lenses act as an interface between his inner life and his numerous collaborators and fans. Erlend Øye is a travelling singer-songwriter, who has been making music in various constellations since the late nineties. He sang for Röyksopp, while his own bands are Kings of Convenience and The Whitest Boy Alive, who recently split up. A laid back, everyday vibe runs through Erlend Øye's music. Erlend is not larger than life, at the most his songs may be. The pop star from next-door doesn't make any drama, but leaves that to life itself. His relaxed, laid back sound opens your eyes and ears for places, situations and encounters. A certain mournfulness runs through the songs, although they deal with a longing for self-fulfilment. Erlend sings of loneliness, and in doing so, he creates a 'we'. Until now Erlend's projects have often been based on simple concepts - two guitars and two vocals with Kings of Convenience, and four instruments with The Whitest Boy Alive. With his new solo album he frees himself of these parameters; for the first time everything is possible, for the first time Erlend Øye stands alone. The songs on 'Legao' were arranged and recorded with the Icelandic reggae band Hjálmar.

The magic of 'Legao' lies in the fact that Erlend's vulnerable vocals and his sincere lyrics are supported by the elegance and consistency of the band. Today roughness is often used to counterbalance roughness, whereas on Legao a equilibrium is sought - and found. A simplicity, clarity and minimalism is created that is rarely found in pop music. Erlend Øye has grown up. He accomplishes nothing less than the step towards an independent, free-standing solo musician, who can perform in any constellation - with a band, orchestra or alone with a guitar.

Absys Records is proud to present the labels 7th dnb vinyl outing ! For this release, we have stellar music by our long time Italian comrade, Arp XP backed with a collaborative effort courtesy of Belgian duo Glyph and Canadian veteran, Gremlinz. This release is diverse, showcasing very different aspects within the Drum & Bass spectrum while maintaining the quality and craftsmanship associated with Absys.

The A side Seems Like by Arp XP, is a classic, laid back, liquid track flavoured with a touch of Jazz. It is a nod to old school and reminds us of the lightheartedness of summer with its congenial and atmospheric tune progression!

The flip sees newcomers Glyph (who are creating quite a buzz in the scene) team up with acclaimed veteran, Gremlinz, resulting in a beast of a track! Much like the flip, Evolution is touched by an element of Jazz, kicking off with a vibe that will conjure up a sense of being in a dark lit Jazz Cafe. Following a memorable sample referencing the apple in the Garden of Eden, the tune does what the name suggests and evolves into a trippy stomper that will pummel any system, making this one of the highlights of this years Absys releases!

Out soon in all good stores with a digital bonus in the form of Mesmerize by Glyph!

The Viennese duo, otherwise known as Tosca, confound expectations on their new album, 'Outta Here'. The sonic collages and smooth downbeat jams with which they made their name are replaced with a soul/jazz/blues confection that's closer to a band like Brand New Heavies than anything else. 'It's called 'Outta Here' for a reason,' explains Rupert Huber. 'The title stands for change, a change to the concept we've had so far. It refers to a change in energy and dynamic. We've been know for an almost ambient sounds. The new songs are much more beatoriented and direct. Basically, it's just a lot more energetic.' it certainly is that. See tracks such as 'Crazy Love' for evidence. Built on a muscular bassline, it sees Rob Gallagher (ex-Galliano) doing his slinky, soulful thing, while keyboards and muted sound effects flare in the background. The rare groove revival starts here. 'Swimswimswim' reworks the same elements, with the addition of Cath Coffey (Stereo MCs) into a irresistible pulse of feel good vibes. Meanwhile, the title track, 'Outta Here', sounds like a lost gem from the early '90s acid jazz era. 'It was a natural evolution,' says Richard Dorfmeister. 'In the past, we were very focussed internally because we were in a studio on our own, working slowly making sonic collages. This time, because we were working more with singers the process was naturally quicker and the results more instant and upbeat. In that sense the title 'Outta Here' literally means that we got out of our studio.'
Do Tosca think the new sound will wrong foot their fans 'It's not completely different. It's still our style and mood, it's just more direct,' says Richard Dorfmeister. 'People always have a picture of you and it can take a long time to change that. You stand for something and that's how they see you. I think people see us in that laid-back and chilled kind of way. Over the last 20 years we've been described as lounge, chill out, downbeat. We always ignored it because we felt it was more about the music. We've always seen ourselves more in terms of being an alternative to commercial music. That's still what we're doing, just in a different, more direct kind of way.'

After a 12 year break the UK Techno label Solid Groove is back.
Kicking off with a collaboration with New York artist and Metroplex label manager Kimyon Huggins.


A1: Track one Sandy is a Detroit influenced track with noises recorded live by the man himself from hurricane sandy.
A2: Aubreys windy city remix is a more peacetime mix of the original with twists and turns and a dark groove throughout.
B1: Aubrey-Dust storm salsa, is a atmospheric journey with a hypnotic groove and has been tested at Panorama bar at peak time by various DJ's to great success.
B2: Kimyon's remix, taking a more dance floor feel with harder beats and driving metallic sounds.

Driving weirdo techno, warm melodic acid and daring sound experiments - Killekill welcomes a new duo on board: SKEW & SATIRIST are Max Cooper and Gareth Williams who met in the Not- tingham, UK club scene in the early 00s, living together for a number of years, leading to an effec- tive collaboration.
Max learnt production from sitting and watching Gareth in the studio, Max helped show Gareth the way with his DJing. Both became successful in their solo projects, Max as a regular guest
on stages all over the world, Gareth starting a music technology business with partners such as Richie Hawtin, John Acquaviva or Daniel Miller.
Over the years the musical collaboration between the two friends has continued in the background and they've finally found the time to bring it to fruition and start this project for their darker, more extreme and twisted techno which has been lying dormant over the years.

Slo -mo house at it's best deep shape, including the rare, sought after Maurice Fulton remix for Alice Smith 'Love Endeavour'. Compiled by Rainer Trüby.

We live in hectic, turbulent times. It seems season- and reasonable to slow things bit down. In fact: slow house down to what we calling now: SLOUSE. Implying down to earth club music, with a tapping foot under 116 beats per minute.
House music and its many sliding genres have ruled the clubs and charts, well, a special focus on the slo-mo house is well-deserved.
Rainer Trueby become a guarantee for vanguard soulful dance music and club tunes with such special vibe, which he had formidable approved not only as a DJ but also with sucessful compilations like - Glücklich', - Maiden Voyage' on Compost, DJ Kicks (K7) or compilations for Nuphonic, King Street, Talkin' Loud and other labels.
Rainer Trueby, an artist who spreads love like in the good old days, selected some of the best tunes on the planet, some rare, sought after like the rare Maurice Fulton Remix for Alison Smith - Love Endeavor', in demand tunes like S3A - Deep Mood Act2' or Ron Deacon's - Untitled', amazing discoveries like the Moonstarr tune, or a Laid Back remix, few underrated tracks, well all tracks are worth the grab and get played again & again. It's a full palette of slo-mo house flavors and moods as Rainer Trueby takes us on a magical trip into his imagination of Slouse.

The result is a future classic compilation with melodic and groovy masterpieces, made for your home-, garden-, car- , club listening pleasure. It works for the happy hour as well as the after hour.

Hope you love it as much as we do !

*Another classic from dubwise heavyweights Alpha & Omega arrives on 45 for the first time.
*This appeared on the now deleted `Safe in the Ark' album from 1994.
* Backed with a rare dub cut, this will fly out fast, so be quick.

Limited Red Vinyl Pressing!
Kenneth Christiansen & Dennis Bøg presents Pattern Repeat part 7. After a litle break Pattern Repeat is back with a new EP. This time Pattern Repeat delievers 2 very powerfull Techno Tracks with heavy chords and dubby elements. Kenneth is also running the labels Echocord and Echocord Colour, and Dennis is known from his Baum Label, and his Resoe releases. Its still all about dub-techno but with a heavy metallic sound that defines the project Pattern Repeat. This one will be in Red Coloured vinyl. Both tracks will be perfect for the peaktime hour.

Late Night Tales welcomes back the cult figure and ultimate musical connoisseur, Bill Brewster to compile his second episode of the curated compilation series 'After Dark'. An obscure and timeless DJled journey which begins somewhere out in the near ocean, the waves are rolling and lolling gently into the shore, while a full moon shines on the surface. It's only faint, but somewhere nearby is the sound of bass, pulsing slowly, almost in time to the waves. Welcome back to 'After Dark: Nightshift'. Once again Bill Brewster comes armed with a sensitivity and sense of occasion that few other DJs possess. Delivering another batch of slow cooked musical stews, making sure the tempo stays nice and steady and the emphasis is on funk, soul, grits and corn fried chicken, Brewster has done so much digging, Late Night Tales had to hire a forklift truck and tractor. Among the unreleased nuggets, there's the Fernando mix of The Detachments; inordinate excitement about Gino Fontaine, a tune spotted a year ago but has languished in Andy Meecham's Stafford catacombs ever since. Also unearthed are some hitherto secret recordings between Robert Fripp and The Grid, and there are also some proper club faves here, too, like the daft but brilliant 'Mopedbart' by Hubbabubbaklubb and the luminous 'Boutade' by Mugwump, as well as killer oldies like Salsoul Invention and General Lee

During the '70s, work days at Umiliani's Sound Workshop Studios were hectic; thousands of sessions were held in order to keep up with a very busy Italian movie industry: Hundreds of soundtracks alongside with music library were recorded and released on vinyl in very limited quantities for TV and film production use only. Those LPs are now proper collectors' items, extremely hard to find.

Filled with hypnotic bass lines, heavy drums and screaming fuzz guitars "Underground", the first LP of the fictitious group known as Braen's Machine, is one of the rarest and the most expensive of them all, always "reaching" sky high prices throughout the second hand vinyl market. A fast-beat jam with hammond scales and a twin lead guitar theme ("Flying") opens the A Side soon followed by "Imphormal", a classicfunk-beat-meetsfender- rhodes-and-psychedelic-guitar number. The music then switch to "thriller territories" with "Murder" which is based on prepared piano swells and a deeply hypnotic walking bass, reminiscent of the best Morricone's soundtracks for Dario Argento's movies. Two highly percussive songs complete the A Side: "Gap" is an improvised song with guitar and keyboards dwelling over an infectious drum rhythm while a marching snare and a vibraslap effect are the special features on "Militar Police".

The mood relaxes slightly on the opening of the B Side with a lazy jazz groove on "New Experience" but the rock influences are soon brought back on the following track "Fall Out". "Obstinacy" is all about keyboards with syncopated rhodes themes and distorted hammond sustained notes whilst the fuzz guitar is back again screaming through the left channel on the last song of the album, "Description". We could happly say that that was the golden age of the Italian music library. But who's behind the name "Braen's Machine" On the original cover the songs are credited to the composers Braen and Gisteri. Braen was a pseudonym often used by Alessandro Alessandroni, an extremely skilled and versatile musician, and one of Umiliani's closestcollaborators. He could write, conduct and arrange, he could sing (ever heard "Mah Na Mah Na"), he could whistle (ever heard Morricone's "For a fistful of dollars") and he could play almost anything: guitar, bass tuba, accordion, sitar and the list grows..... His first album "Alessandro Alessandroni e il suo complesso" (Sermi, 1969), had transformed the Italian library music from orchestral sound beds into the psychedelia we all love; the extremely fuzzy guitars are very "present" on "Underground" too. For a long time Gisteri's real identity was rather mysterious; often wrongly attributed to Umiliani. Gisteri was the pseudonym of Oronzo De Filippi, art name of Rino De Filippi, music supervisor to the Italian public broadcast company (RAI) between the '60s and the '70s. De Filippi composed other notable pieces such as "Riflessi" (Edipan, 1975) and "Nel mondo del lavoro" (Sermi, 1972).

De Filippi passed away few years ago but we were able to contact Alessandroni to talk about this LP. Remembering "Underground" recording session as one of the thousands he took part of, Alessandroni told us that this record was produced very quickly, in two days maximum. This was made possible by a team of wonderfully capable session musicians and the creative genius behind the mixing desk; this incredible combination helped to focus on the mood of each track even more. Unfortunately there are no liner notes but Alessandroni's memories and speculations, based on other music tracked in the same period at Soundworkshop by resident engineer Claudio Batussi, led us to identify this as the most probable lineup: Munari on drums, Majorana on bass, Vannucchi on keyboards and Alessandroni himself on guitar. For this reissue the sound has been restored and the cover art reproduced exactly as it was.

Fourth release for Serie Limitee. 180g, pressed loud and limited, as always. Now Berlin based, Californian Lady Blacktronica provides a raw beatdown pearl with -Never Heard The Word Impossible-... Straight from Japan, Yusuke Yamamoto aka Freischwimmer joins the SL crew with a classic-house track named -You Want-. With -Back to the House-, Deymare pays his regards to the original Chicago sound with this timeless piece. SL004 also announces the return of the mysterious Parisian duo ERMAN & Abtomat, with five minutes of steamy after-hours disco-influenced house-music! As usual, expect a short bonus track by Monsieur Cedric.

Strictly Limited. Vinyl Only. The team at WHFM are proud to present a new release from Jesse Bru 'Under The Night", with outstanding remix support from both Exercise One and Hreno. After releasing an outstandingly well received release on Canadian label 'Heart to Heart' in 2013, Jesse Bru is back with a fun disco house twister 'Under The Night". The Vocal loop infects the listener instantly and weaves its way playfully throughout, ultimately crescendoing with deep flowing pads that will fill the dance floor with smiles aplenty. Exercise One take the reins and add their signature sound to create a remix destined for the big room blowout. Not to be outdone, Hreno takes a crack at it and uses his time to add subtle nuances and flair that the Canadian expat is well known for. Each version unique while staying true to the originals intrinsic energy. 'Apocalypse Brow' is the secret weapon that just begs to played at that special moment on a big system, icing on the cake! Vital Sales Points: - Limited Vinyl only pressing - Support from The Mole, Dewalta, Mike Shannon, Ernesto Ferreyra

Meridian Brothers are back with a new studio album, the bizarre and wonderful 'Salvadora Robot'. Heading deeper into the tropical rhythms of Latin America and the Caribbean each song on the album focuses on a different style and playfully twists it into Meridian Brothers's surreal landscape. Released on Soundway Records on 16th June the album was recorded at Eblis Álvarez's appropriately named Isaac Newton Studios in Bogota, Colombia.

Originally formed in 1998 it was the previous album 'Deseperanza' that brought Álvarez's Meridian Brothers to the attention of the wider world. Released worldwide in 2012, the album's unique aesthetic and freaked-out blend of Latin rhythms and psychedelic grooves won him new fans the world over. DJ and tastemaker Gilles Peterson selected 'Guaracha U.F.O (No Estamos Solos...)' as his favourite track of 2012.

'Deseperanza' focussed heavily on salsa rhythms but on his new release Álvarez based each track in a different Latin American style. For example 'Somos los Residentes' finds it inspiration in Dominican Republic merengue while 'Baile ultimo....' is a slow and sad reggaeton. The lyrics talk of a man who has been sent to the electric chair because he was dancing too much reggaeton, a style that isn't accepted as 'good taste' within Colombia.

The release of 'Deseperanza' brought them to Europe for the first time, making appearances across Europe and at some of the prestigious festival including Roskilde and Transmusicales. The band will be returning to Europe this summer.