Cerca:back on track

In the late summer of 1994, Upadhmanyia (John Mackaay & Michel Rehatta) invited Leo Verhoef (LFU) to collaborate on a track. They met a few more times afterward at a power station converted into a studio in IJsselstein, The Netherlands. "Hasiya" was quickly born and was already in stores by early November 1994. John & Leo drove to house club iT in Amsterdam, where they gave the track to DJ Marcello, resulting in an iT hit! The track was quickly picked up by DJs worldwide, and Richie Hawtin used it in a live set in Denver on November 19th of that year, which can be heard on SoundCloud (Hasiya is mixed around 43:00). The track was also a huge hit on dance floors in England and Spain.
In late 1994, Hasiya appeared on a CNR Music EP titled "Welcome To The Club," along with four other hits from producers like Pete Lazonby, The Shaker, and Drum Club. A double CD of the same name followed in early 1995, released in Belgium, featuring Hasiya alongside artists like Robert Miles, Digital Express, Aura, Natural Born Grooves, and other hits of the era. In early 1995, Arcade released "House Party '95 the Kinky Klubmixx," mixed by Koen Groeneveld & Addy van der Zwan. The same CD was released in Scandinavia as "House Party '95 (5)." Hasiya flourished among the most popular house tracks of the time. The record spent three weeks in the Dance Music Mega Top 30 and peaked at number 22 around the holidays of late 1994.
For 31 years, Hasiya was only available on record, CD, tape, or YouTube. Starting November 21, 2025, it will be resurrected from the underground into the world of digital downloads and streaming. The 2025 Remaster, along with five new mixes, will be widely available, including a limited vinyl release of 350 copies. The 30 test pressings have already been received with open arms by various DJs and received immediate support from Eris Drew and Octa Octa during ADE.
Because Hasiya was created in 1994, the only available remix material is the original DAT tape, which, thankfully, was still stored in an old box in a dusty attic. Most of the sounds for the new versions have been recreated and re-recorded.
Rehatta's Reanimated Mix:
This remix - created by one of the two founders of Upadhmaniya - combines driving, percussive beats with a thrilling, progressive break featuring ascending, dizzying strings. This trick returns shortly afterward to rev things up again. An accessible remix for dance floors worldwide.
LFU 2025 Version:
This straightforward, raw techno version with a touch of acid is ready to rock dance floors. LFU's updated version of the 1994 original, which he created with Michel & John, will undoubtedly remain a head shaker from here on out.
John Consemulder Metaphysical Mix:
With a pumping groove and a funky bassline as an intro, John Consemulder's remix immediately strikes a chord. A refined and elegant approach to the original, with sounds as mysterious and exciting as the flowing lava in the 'Gruta das Torres' - a cave in the Azores - the setting where this tech-trance remix was created.
Davje Remix:
Davje's version begins with the typical club and hard-trance bassline of the late '90s. You're drawn into a trance journey where beat changes sometimes try to throw you off track. Davje's creative Hammond organ interpretation of the Hasiya theme surprises and transports you back to the hippie era by the end of his remix.
Bojcot Remix:
Junglist Bojcot creates an exciting, nuanced, and mathematical remix with a beat that feels like jungle and half-tempo. He conjures up the sounds of LFU's 2025 Version, creates a bassline that sounds like a disturbed bumblebee, and adds a surprising string section. Massive!

A collection of earlier and newer works by LFU
combined in one EP.
On November 14, 2025 !K7 Records released DJ-Kicks by Eris Drew. She chose 'Oh Echt' by LFU as the opening track of her mix.
The style of 'Oh Echt' is not easy to categorize. Electronic breakbeats with Detroit hi-hat patterns and a typically pushy four-to-the-floor kick. The funky, staccato bassline and mysterious strings take you back to the eighties and the added funky organs and stabs complete the story. The "Oh Echt" Main Mix is the instrumental mix of the 'Vogel Mix' in which the 'Oh Echtapella' is incorporated.
The first design of 'Boom Boom Tracking' was in 2011 for a DJ/DRUM performance that LFU did. He picked it up again in 2014, but did not finish it until 2024. This big beat floor filler contains chemical beats accompanied by electrostabs and a deep, dark bassline. If you listen intently to this song on a regular audio device, you might notice a thump on every 1 of the 4 beats, but when it's played on a good, big sound system, you can't miss this tension in your stomach. 'Boom Boom Tracking' it is!
Downtempo percussive track 'Tjeetje' is the first track LFU has made in North Coast Studio in 2001. 'Slow Forward' was the third song he completed there in 2003, the same place where he met Ben Baan of Fruitcake, who played the piano part.
Initially, 'Queen Cubana' did not make it as a remix of Eddy Zoey's 'No Soy Cubano' in 2017. In this new version, LFU removed his vocals, except for "Step". LFU took inspiration from Katy Perry's 'Bon Appetit' and turned it into a rhythmic slow jam with carefully programmed beats, resulting in a spectacular funky joint.

(12” black vinyl) The legendary 1999 trance classic “Symmetry C” by Brainchild is back on vinyl! This special reissue includes the original mix and three iconic remixes, featuring the highly sought-after extended Lange Remix - a true gem for trance DJs and collectors. Don't forget that the original track is the much sought after trance classic, which was released already in 1995 on the iconic compilation "Fact" from Carl Cox. Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of trance history, limited stock available.

We're back with another Various Artist compilation featuring an all-star ec2a roster, old & new. This compilation was curated with the concept of every track being able to fit in one set. Features a varied selection of flavours from UK Garage to Breaks and Bassline to Techno. Whatever you need.. This compilation has you covered

Mit TechnoBase.FM Vol. 5 erscheint eine weitere Ausgabe der beliebten Compilation-Reihe auf Vinyl – ein Muss für Fans elektronischer Musik und Sammler hochwertiger DanceReleases. Die limitierte Pressung bringt den charakteristischen Sound von TechnoBase.FM direkt auf den Plattenteller und vereint aktuelle Club-Tracks mit zeitgemäßem HandsUp-, Dance- und Electro-Flair.

Ein echtes Highlight für alle, die elektronische Musik nicht nur hören, sondern erleben wollen – in bester Soundqualität und stilvollem Format

A DJ, producer and prolific collaborator, Greg Paulus’s musical career has led to a truly enviable discography. Born in Minnesota and now an essential part of New York’s sprawling musical landscape, Paulus has taken the foundations of an organic childhood education by his father, the composer Stephen Paulus, and seen it blossom into an unpredictable musical journey encompassing house, soul, jazz and hip-hop.

While touring as a trumpet player with indie band Beirut, as well as in Matthew Dear’s live ensemble, back home he was helping to redefine New York’s underground dance scene as one half of No Regular Play. Alongside childhood friend Nick DeBruyn, the pair brought their deeply musical sound to no less than fifty countries across the world. A decade on, and Paulus arrives on Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 imprint for his long-awaited debut solo LP, ‘Close To Home’, a deeply felt long-play celebration of his personal cornerstones; family, trust and hope.

From the opening, organic swell of ‘Perot’, arranged with Seth Troxler himself alongside John Camp, ‘Close To Home’ introduces itself as a focused, conscious trip, it’s languid trumpet spilling over into the reflective ‘World Keeps Changing’, which introduces Paulus’s philosophy of music as a constant. ‘Midtown Mirage’ meanwhile leans into the idea of the city itself as a collaborator, resisting pressure and finding its own restful groove. Back over the river, ‘Bond’ roots itself in Brooklyn with a contribution from resident Dillon Cooper, flipping rap standards amid psychedelic flourishes.

Paulus nods toward his dancefloor form on ‘NRG’, a slinky, lo-slung club groove that seamlessly evolves to meld the artist’s nocturnal and studio instincts. In contrast, ‘Real Job’ switches the tempo on Paulus’s MPC to embody an old-school, beatdown flavour, subtly teased out alongside composer and sound designer, Taylor Bense. Doubling down on this languorous groove, ‘Hat Down’ introduces a full-scale No Regular Play reunion, the first of two collaborative tracks that recall the duo’s imperial phase of confidently minimal productions, while evolving their craft.

Following a few missed calls made with love taken from Paulus’s answering machine on ‘$1000’ the minimal, reflective arrangement of ‘Hold Dear’ finds the artist stripping back his layered sound for a skittering, vulnerable exploration of intimacy and life’s devotions.

For a memorable finale, Paulus recruits jazz prodigy Michael Feinberg to deliver upright funk on the deliciously rich ‘Sometimes It’s About Us’. A purely celebratory collage of bopping rhythms and vocals, sharply plucked guitars and archive samples, ‘Close To Home’ concludes with Paulus leading his friends, ensemble and many influences in rare harmony.

The electronic producer Franz Kirmann returns to Bytes for his eighth solo album. The “Almadies” are long wooden boats used by Senegalese fishermen. It is also the name of the neighborhood where Kirmann grew up, in the suburbs of Dakar, Senegal, near the Atlantic Ocean. "These new compositions are the result of sound experiments conducted over the past few months and reflections on the concept of mind-constructed geographies," Kirmann explains. "The way memories and souvenirs shape an image of a place or country that is part reality, part fantasy, part cliché, yet also deeply personal. This experience is influenced by education, social background, history, and other socio-economic factors. " The ten tracks are crafted from collages of electronic sounds blended with field recordings from various places Kirmann has visited — from Dakar to the Caribbean, as well as London and Paris. His aim is to blur the line between electronically generated sounds and real soundscapes, creating music where it becomes difficult to distinguish the real from the constructed. All the sounds on the album were produced using synthesizers and field recordings. No drum machines, percussion or traditional acoustic instruments were used. Influences include Brian Eno and John Hassell’s Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics (1980), described by Hassell as "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques" , which also works in the context of Almadies. Another big influence was Ariel Kalma’s Le Temps Des Moissons (1975) as well as artists including O Yuki Conjugate and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe to Susumu Yokota and Michael Banabila.

GATEFOLD VINYL 2LP - TRANSPARENT BLUE + ORANGE, A2 Colour Poster, 5x Film Set Photos, Flexi Disc, Sticker Sheet

Blurring the lines between fiction and documentary, the seminal film Wild Style, directed by Charlie Ahearn and developed alongside Fred Braithwaite aka Fab Five Freddy, offered an iconic snapshot of the emerging New York hip hop scene in the early ‘80s. Considered one of the first hip hop films, it documents the styles, culture, attitudes, and most importantly, the music of this evolving era. The accompanying soundtrack remains one of the most influential in hip hop history, featuring a who’s who of artists who stood out during the movement’s nascent block party days.

“Making hip hop’s first and most beloved feature film, Wild Style, with Charlie Ahearn and creating the original music is one of my proudest accomplishments.” - Fab 5 Freddy

In celebration of Arrow Films restoring the original Wild Style film in 4K, Mr Bongo is proud to present this special-edition reissue package. The release comes as a double LP pressed on transparent blue and orange vinyl, offering a freshly curated tracklist that brings together the finest songs from previous editions, the full sought-after instrumental album, and Kenny Dope’s top edits. Also included are an A2 colour poster, five film set photos, a flexi disc containing Fantastic Freaks Live at the Dixie, and a Wild Style sticker sheet.

Originally released on Animal Records, founded by Chris Stein of Blondie fame, the soundtrack focuses on the hip hop scene as it evolved from the streets to the recording studio. Co-produced by Stein and Braithwaite, it features the Double Trouble pairing of Rodney Cee and KK Rockwell, The Chief Rocker himself Busy Bee, and the mighty line-ups of both The Cold Crush Brothers and The Fantastic Freaks, to name but a few. The music offers a transportive glimpse into the streets of the South Bronx, capturing the free-form, roaming nature of the film - it’s rough around the edges, but utterly absorbing.

Behind those foundational voices of hip hop’s first wave was a selection of backing beats that have underpinned and influenced the genre ever since. Easily mistaken for lifted breakbeats from old records, the songs on the Wild Style soundtrack are all unique creations. Overseen by Braithwaite and Stein, with Stein also on guitar and effects, they were intended as a homage to those early breakbeats. Drummer Lenny “Ferrari” Ferraro, who played for Aretha Franklin before emerging on the punk scene, and bassist David Harper laid down many of the iconic grooves, two somewhat forgotten participants in shaping a legendary sound.

Over time, the Wild Style soundtrack, with its Charlie Chase and Grand Wizard Theodore scratches, recurring sounds and motifs, and indelible lyrics, has become a hip hop touchstone: endlessly sampled and referenced, the bedrock of so much music to follow. It perfectly encapsulated the essence of the film, the scene, and hip hop’s emergence from the Bronx to the attention of the wider world. It was, and remains, the blueprint.

The organist’s classic 1970 album. His third record for Blue Note and one of the key soul-jazz workouts of the era. Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio on 12th December 1969. Produced by Blue Note co-founder Francis Wolff. Featuring a red-hot backing band of tenor saxophonist John Manning, guitarist Melvin Sparks and drummer Tommy Derrick. Highlights of the album include Wilson’s dynamic originals ‘Bus Ride’, ‘Orange Peel’ and the title track, plus great covers of Eddie Floyd’s ‘Knock On Wood’ and Edwin Starr’s ‘Twenty-Five Miles’. Wilson recorded two subsequent Blue Note albums: Set Us Free and A Groovy Situation.

Marking its 10th release, Sounds of Sirius Music presents a deep, curated journey from a constellation of close producer friends, each adding their own energy to the label’s evolving sound.

The record opens with Akela's hypnotic Ritual33, followed by Daniel Meister, who delivers his signature minimal groove. On the flip, rising New Zealand talent Isaac Denny teams up with label founder Herman Saiz on a track that blends raw expression with a refined touch.

LUKEA closes the release with a deep, laid-back, galactic cut that lands the record with style. A milestone release shaped for introspective moments and late-night floors alike.

Break 3000 - Human Nature EP

A special collaboration with Partout records from Paris. Break 3000 digged deep in the archives for this one and found some old unreleased music on his dusted DAT tapes ranging from 1993 to 2002.
Now released for the first time ever on vinyl 12” and digital.

“Human” and “Komputerok were produced in the same project in his Maastricht bedroom studio back in 2002 and reflect to great influence artists like David Caretta and The Hacker had on his sound back then, a mix of banging Electro Clash meets EBM, 80s Proto House.

“Overdrive” opens the B-side and a window to the late 90s. This track was produced together with his classic “Plastique People” around 98/99 and was an instrumental track luckily found again, Break 3000 added a new vocal and made a fresh shorter Edit. Thanks to the excellent mastering by Salz Music this one is back in todays sound standards.

The next pearl from the past is a real favourite and is the oldest track featured on this EP. “Ambizone” was recorded back in 93/94 and marks the transition from his first musical project Amazone to becoming Break 3000. Recorded in an amazing analog studio in Venray Netherlands where Break 3000 worked on a full album.
More music will follow from these old sessions! Stay tuned.

Closing out with “Nature”, a true hommage to the early Rephlex sound and produced around 97/98. Acts like Bochum Welt, D’arcangelo and µ-Ziq had an immense influence on Break 3000 and are a reason why he started to make more electro orientated music.

All tracks mastered by Salz Mastering in Cologne.

BQD050–Arno: "We Perfectly Understand Each Other Until We Start To Talk – The Remixes"

To mark the 50th release on Brouqade, we reach back into the catalog and release as a set of remixes Arno's album “We Perfectly Understand Each Other Until We Start To Talk” a work that touches on the finer problems inherent to human communication.For this unique Album, released in 2019, three distinctive reworkings offer new breath to the original tracks: Baby Ford conducts a lean and hypnotic revision played in minimal fashion, Kuyateh widens out textures with deep organic rhythms and Dana Ruh puts her distinctive groove-orientated stamp on the material.

The bonus on the release is from Arno — a meditative composition that acts as middle ground in terms of his musical language.

In operation midway between introspection and movement, BQD050 depicts the very spirit of Brouqade: depth, warmth, a timeless dancefloor poetry.

Bread&Butter Records celebrates its 10th EP with a powerful statement from Romanian duo NTFO, a name synonymous with precision minimalism and timeless groove. The release unfolds across four masterfully produced tracks, each one engineered for those moments when the dancefloor turns into something deeper, heavier, and unforgettable.

Calibre sets the tone in classic NTFO fashion. Its stripped-bacb bassline rolls with hypnotic intent, carrying just enough weight to lock the floor in. By the three-minute mark, subtle shifts into a trance-like state, gently elevating the room into waves of euphoric release. It’s understated yet devastatingly effective, the type of cut that DJs treasure for its power to transform the atmosphere without ever shouting too loud.

Electr pares things back even further, pushing into pure minimal territory. Built on a sleek harmonic groove, it’s a masterclass in restraint, every sound feels perfectly placed, every movement precise. This is a track that thrives in the early hours, where tension, patience and subtle shifts in rhythm rule the floor.

Forap flips the script, injecting an upbeat energy that hits with instant impact. Around the three-to-four minute mark, a vocal element cuts through, commanding attention before the groove locks back in with unstoppable momentum. Hypnotic yet uplifting, it’s the perfect peak-time tool a track that lifts the room into a collective high, as though flying on pure feeling.

Nanomos closes the EP with finesse. A deeper, darker exploration, it glides through murky textures and intricate percussive details, carrying an otherworldly atmosphere that keeps the listener suspended in motion. It’s a slow-burner that lingers long after the last note fades, a testament to NTFO’s ability to balance groove and emotion in equal measure.

With this release, Bread&Butter not only cements its reputation as one of London’s most exciting underground imprints but also showcases NTFO at their most refined. Four cuts, four moods, all bound by that unmistakable Romanian touch that continues to set standards worldwide.

Making this album was an absolute joy. We used Rothko’s artwork as a major influence. His use of colour fields, blending, mood and scale really helped us build an album of tracks that could stand on their own and also work together as a coherent whole across all the tones we had been working with. It was also a chance to fall back in love with our 909, 808 and 707.

While working on music for several other projects, the “Rothko” project got renamed Loud Ambient because it did not really sit right with the My Brutal Life series. We often talked about what people make of The Black Dog and whether they think we only make ambient music. We do not. Over the last year or so, one of us would be working on something and someone else would say, “That is a Loud Ambient track.” The name stuck. We liked the funny side of it.

With Loud Ambient, everything just fell into place creatively. Surprisingly for us, the tracklisting never changed, just small tweaks here and there. That rarely happens. It marks a first for us as a band. All the stars aligned and the confidence in this album is the strongest we have ever had.

Loud Ambient was made to dance to, something we have not done in a while. We welcome the return to the dancefloor with both hands. Will you join us?

“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone

“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt

“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy

“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood

“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson

Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.

In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.

The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”

His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.

"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."

Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!

The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!

The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.

The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.

The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."

With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.

Mia Moretti makes her Crosstown Rebels debut with ‘Safe With Me’, featuring Irma Thomas. The soulful new single, backed by a remix from Sweden’s Tiger Stripes.

Los Angeles-based DJ and producer Mia Moretti heads to Damian Lazarus’ Crosstown Rebels with ‘Safe With Me’, a disco-house celebration featuring New Orleans soul legend Irma Thomas, the Grammy-winning Soul Queen of New Orleans. Co-produced by award-winning producer Mark “Blakkat” Bell, a longtime figure in house and electronic music whose work spans from M People to King Britt, the release marks a full-circle moment for Moretti, who draws on her years of crate digging, gospel house expertise, and deep love for vocal-driven grooves.

‘Safe With Me’ pairs Moretti’s richly textured production with Thomas’ commanding vocal presence, creating a track that balances heartfelt emotion with dancefloor energy. Similar to Moretti's DJ sets, the track blends gospel, disco, and house sensibilities with storytelling. Swedish mainstay Tiger Stripes reinterprets the track with his own forward-thinking production. Known for his house and techno grooves that have energised clubs from Panorama Bar to Ministry of Sound, he injects ‘Safe With Me’ with shimmering synth layers and driving percussion, making it a perfect complement to the original production.Mia Moretti has established herself with vocal and gospel-driven house sets and productions. Her debut EP ‘Tambor’ (2023) marked a confident step as a producer sampling female bullerengue artists from Colombia, including Petrona Martinez and Toto La Momposina, followed by ‘Best I Can’ (2024) alongside gospel icon Vonita White and remixes from house music pioneers. In 2025, Mia has continued to build momentum with appearances from Ibiza to Paris Fashion Week alongside the launch of her Chef’s Kiss radio show on Diplo’s Revolution. ‘Safe With Me’ continues that trajectory, highlighting her instinct for timeless grooves and soulful storytelling.

When people think of Yacht Rock-those smooth, sun-drenched sounds that once drifted from Californian radio stations in the late '70s and early '80s-they rarely imagine it echoing through rehearsal rooms in Hamburg or Linz. Yet even far from the Pacific coastline, the appeal of shimmering chords, laid-back grooves, and polished production found fertile ground.
This compilation gathers rare and overlooked tracks from Germany and Austria. These artists embraced West Coast aesthetics with sincerity and subtle twists, resulting in music that feels both familiar and refreshingly new-smooth sounds for cloudy skies. So drop anchor, pour something cool, and enjoy this unexpected cruise through the lesser-charted waters of Euro Yacht Rock.

Our journey begins in Austria, where Reflection's Because (1981) set the tone with blue-eyed soul and analogue warmth-a sunlit blend of Doobie Brothers polish and local charm. Its creator, Dieter Heyduk, reappears with Austrian Sky, a heartfelt nod to his homeland that fuses mountain calm with oceanic longing.
From the North Sea island of Föhr, Ara Pacis dreamed of California on their 1979 self-release To the Westcoast. Inspired by Steely Dan and Lake, they turned German rock precision into breezy, melodic sophistication. Meanwhile, in Düsseldorf, Mainpoint fused funk and jazz-rock on Frisbee, their 1980 single bursting with rhythmic drive and optimism before the tide of the Neue Deutsche Welle swept such grooves aside.
Bremerhaven's Nuages offered the compilation's only instrumental gem, Strange Weekend (1985)-a gentle blend of jazz-funk and rock and largely lost to time. Its cool restraint captures the European interpretation of Californian ease.
Around the same period, British traveler Gavin James recorded River of Laughter in southern Germany, backed by the blues-rock band Black Cat Bone. His acoustic reflections on water and flow mirrored the soft, meditative pulse at Yacht Rock's core.
Berlin's Top Spin kept things playful with Bikin (1985), a funk-fusion snapshot of urban joy that showcased the city's finest session players. From the Ruhr area, the Jan Pack Band is up next. While not a typical Yacht Rock track, Cable Dance is driven by an effortless, groovy '80s vibe.
Peter Seiler's Goldfinger project reimagined Walkin' in the Sand as a relaxed reggae-tinged track, while Munich's Major Seven closed the voyage with Silverboat, a wistful soft rock ballad gliding between melancholy and light.

Across these hidden harbors of German and Austrian pop, the West Coast dream took on new forms-reflected in rivers, skies, and studio lights half a world away from L.A. Under and Above the Clouds celebrates that spirit: the enduring pull of smooth music, wherever it's made.

Following a string of acclaimed collaborations, including Agua Dulce with percussionist Laura Robles and Mapambazuko alongside Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, Peruvian artist Alejandra Cárdenas (aka Ale Hop) returns with her most personal work to date yet, A Body Like a Home. Marking her first album under her birth name, the project is a sonic memoir exploring the tangled realms of trauma, recovery, and love through autobiographical soundscapes.
A Body Like a Home is the artist at her most exposed. Comprising 13 songs and 15 poems, the album sees her set aside collaborative fusions for solo catharsis, channeling years of turbulence - intergenerational scars left by colonialism, racism, domestic violence, and alcoholism - into a work that oscillates between brutality and tenderness. Cárdenas states: “I grew up under Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship, when a veil of hopelessness seemed to settle over everything. This is the backdrop of the album. The songs and poems trace the inevitable loop between private wounds - addiction, domestic violence, fractured intimacy - and Peru’s national scars, carved by colonialism. It’s not a straight story or a resolution. Writing and composing became a ritual of digging for meaning, into what’s buried, disguised, or renamed, until the body itself became a living archive.
” At the heart of the album is Cárdenas’s own voice - part witness, part confessor - reciting over layers of electric guitars, electronic textures, the haunting violin of Mexican musician Gibrana Cervantes, and a collage of field recordings, from rainfall, muffled whispers, broken glass, to archival protest footage from Peru. The result is a work that resonates like a diary written in sound.
The first single, "Motherland", is a searing testimony where Cárdenas voice cracks under the weight of history and personal loss. Amid a storm of distorted guitars, she traces the cyclical legacies of colonialism, from state massacres branding Indigenous bodies as “terrorists” to the spiral of addiction as an unavoidable future. The lyrics draw parallels between political and domestic violence: a mother’s drunken knife pressed to her chest, and a motherland where racism is currency. She utters: “sacrifice demands a body.” Yet, amid the wreckage, a willful grip on love and faith persists. Ultimately, A Body Like a Home is a document of transformation. Tracks like "Evangelina" and the title piece "A Body Like a Home" hold space for resilience, spirituality, and love, while "Early Road" and "Going South" thread subtle nods to Peruvian folklore, opening up bright vignettes into a sense of belonging.
The poetry chapbook accompanying A Body Like a Home (five of its pieces are also recited on the album) extends the work, building a parallel architecture. Oscillating between the documentary and the mythic, the intimate and the forensic, the profane and the oniric, these poems practice a theology of the ordinary, where everyday objects - cameras, knives, moth-eaten cotton - are charged withspiritual and historical weight. Here, the body is land, house, battlefield, collective pain, geological territory; and trauma is, in contrast, archival, cellular, ritualistic, inherited. Read alongside the music, the stories refract across two mediums: songs give them breath and poems give them bone.

Multi-Instrumentalist composer and producer Paolo Fedreghini aka FAM Disco is back on Groove Culture with a stellar new four-track EP Titled "Cinemetic Travel". The project, all played live, including the drums, is inspired from 70s movies soundtracks. It's hard to describe in words the atmosphere these tracks create. An EP worth listening to. High-quality music, truly well produced.

The seventh release in the Punctuality canon lands hot with a peak-time four-tracker from Persian-Swedish DJ and producer Mohajer based in Berlin. All In is a bold statement of intent—the music glistens with sleek, modern production aesthetics, drawing from UK-tinged breaks, pumping ’90s house, and sultry, timeless trance moods, perfect for big rigs and intimate dancefloors alike. Like her DJ sets, the tracks are scintillating and high-throttle, twisting and turning through unexpected paths while maintaining a steady dancefloor focus throughout.
“Intake” sets the tone for the EP. The A1 is a high-octane collage of lustrous, contemporary house, where playful, bouncy low-end slips and skips around glitched-out atmospherics, sleazy tech synths, and earworm organs. The arrangement careens and veers without relenting, driven by pumping amens and provocative vox chops fluttering in and around the bass.

A2, “i c u” keeps things heated with rolling breaks and ultrabright melodies that ignite the track with dazzling intensity. A sultry take on UK soundsystem music, its undulating wubs and flirtatious vocals are anchored by a dub sensibility that keeps the groove low, slung, and sexy. Think smoke machines, red lights, and smoldering sexual tension.
Luscious, trancey, and dripping with percussive sensuality, “You Wannabe” carries the sensuous mood to the flip. The track unfolds like the arc of a DJ set, teasing moments of magic amid layers of atmospheric pads, FX, and a pulsing bassline that grounds the arrangement from start to finish. The vibe is sweltering, cosmic, and irresistibly sultry—drawing from many directions but always locked into the groove, built for DJs and dancers alike.
The EP closes with “Backseat,” a hypnotic journey through swirling synthetic flourishes, rumbling subs, and psyched-up lead lines. It expertly builds tension and release, flipping halfway into bright flashes of euphoria and light. The result: a mysterious, sensual number that captures the ephemeral magic of the dancefloor and showcases the expert production skills of Mohajer.

This is buy-on-sight material from start to finish—don’t sleep.