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Next up on First Word Records, we welcome the return of Don Leisure, with an EP of beats that see his two alter-egos go head-to-head, 'Shaboo vs Halal Cool J'.

Probably best known as 50% of Darkhouse Family, along with Melange label boss Earl Jeffers, they released their acclaimed debut album 'The Offering' in 2017 and subsequent remix project last year, featuring DJ Spinna, Kaidi Tatham and more. The duo are coolly establishing themselves as Cardiff's very own Mizell Brothers, recently producing Kamaal William's latest work, featuring on Kutmah's recent Izwid compilation, and collaborating on the Chicago x London project 'Where We Come From', featuring Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Nubiya Garcia, Theon Cross and First Word label-mate Quiet Dawn, amongst others.

'Halal Cool J' appeared originally in early 2017 with 'An Ottoman Excursion' on our sister-label, Excursions. A series of edits born out of a decade-long love of Turkish music, and some record-digging expeditions in Istanbul, something Don Leisure did the very day after 'The Offering' release party, prompting another series of beats. Ahead of an all-new full-length Halal Cool J album, here we have two tracks to give you a taste, 'Kazakh Honey' and 'Kaymak'.

'Shaboo Strikes Back' on the flip-side, with a track of the same name, and 'Mango Season'. 'Shaboo' was the name of a beat album that came out on First Word in 2017, inspired largely by Don's Bollywood actor Uncle, Nasser 'Shaboo' Bharwani, and by memories of journey's with headphones hurling out Hip Hop, fused with the sonics of his Mum's interruptions, and her favourite Asian radio station. 'Shaboo' featured in several end-of-year album lists, with Piccadilly Records calling it "the best album of it's kind since Dilla's 'Donuts'. Unmissable."

Both prior projects got love from DJs and selectors far & wide, including Tom Ravenscroft, Lefto, Huey Morgan, Rob Da Bank, Om Unit, Simbad & Mr Thing. A truly global affair, the beat battle of 'Shaboo vs Halal Cool J' takes us on several short, sweet hikes across a variety of Eastern climes.

Join in the journey once again on 7" vinyl and digital on April 5th.

Gregorio Gomez aka Gladkazuka is a mythical figure from Medelli´n's underground nightlife, contributing since pre - smartphone ages with energetic live sets to the celebration of life in the convulsive surrounding of the Colombian city. After playing and touring alongside Matias Aguayo with 'The Desdemonas' and contributing with the club smash hits 'Ihr Euer' and 'Futuro Chaos' to the 'Solidarity Forever' series on Co´meme - Gladkazuka is back with a full EP in which highly emotive and sensual electro dance fantasies culminate to 'The Drop'. Gomez' creations are nocturnal and lush, utopian and melancholic - underground dance pop that would be mainstream in a better world.

However these songs were created in a place where an unseen destruction of nature is taking place, and - in mids of times of supposed peace agreements - social leaders are being assassinated under the eyes of a new right wing government. Meanwhile the societies are fragmented towards a growing individualism and competition, exchanging dignity for an ideal of consumerism.
In this chaos, music becomes the celebration of life.

'Naturalia', the first track of the EP reflects this with its lushness and its jungle - like humid warmth, 'Flancing' with its happy flying fishes and 'El Coral' with its jittering electric eels.

'The Drop' is decontextualized Electro and New Wave - echoes of The Cure and The Other People Place dissolving into utopian dreaming, longing for better times, like vampire bats, hanging in their caves, waiting for the night to come.

Born from Music of Life archive tapes (previously believed lost) which were uncovered by Robin Allinson in a Publishers warehouse in 2012.

The source material for this special record is" 1989 Hustlers Convention Live" (SPOCK1) ".

A Live Hip Hop Album, famously sampled by The Prodigy for the 'Everybody In The Place' vocal. The tapes of the night were multi tracks with 6 channels of audio recorded, Decks (Mono), 2 Mics (Mono) and the Room (Stereo). Being so old the tapes were first 'baked' and then transferred from a Studer machine in to Pro Tools via Prism Sound A/D converters at FX Rentals / FX Copyroom, Acton, London.

Notable performances by Artists on the Night came from MC Duke & Merlin; Mark The 45 King; Demon Boyz; Daddy Freddy. DJ's on the night were Westwood and Cut master Swift. Sections of their sets between Artists was captured. What did not make the Album was the Battle instigated by Overlord X coming on stage and stopping proceedings to battle MC Duke. As Duke once told me "X stuttered on the Mic".

Listening back, it's gold and puts Queen Latifa popping up in context. While restoring the Album as a multi track mixdown Robin started a series of new music projects plundering the MOL tapes and formed Stay On Target records to release them. Recordings were sent to: Sonars Ghost (SOT000), Stormski, 6Blocc, Bay B Kane and the last instalment was by Robbee Darkhalf.

Laid back and chilled out, Andrew never lets anything or anyone bother him. He has an air of mystique about him which others often envy.

(Andrea Solitario) ANDREW SOUL Andrew from his real name, Soul as the part where his inspiration come from, is a native italian producer born in 1986.

Music has been the first and everlasting love for this guy who soon came into his city's underground scene: he was 15 years old when he walked into a club for the first time. Then everything came by itself: a fusion of house and techno, the passion for the acidized sounds filled his mind and his heart.

But listening wasn't enough: the love for the music was to much for not to create something.

So Andrew started a path made by wicked grooves, dropping acid synths and emotional vibes, huge baseline, soulfoul vocals, roland tr-707 on the drums: these featuring characterize at best Andrew's sound.
The love for the analog sound push him over the years to purchase some vintage drum machine and keyboards, to make his sound as better as he can, and to add to his sound some cool old flavour.

Having DJd for years in his native Italy, Andrew turned his hand to production a few years back and promptly set about making some of the most emotive and engaging analogue house and techno around.

Vinyl collector, record lover, for him there's nothing better than watching a wax riding a turntable and listen the music that come from it.
As an eclectic artist, in his sets, Andrew likes to mix from deep to techno, through the house, but people never know what to expect from his large underground music knowledge; old, classic, brand new tunes and own productions makes his set really sophisticated and different each time.

After working on music collaborations for several years, with some friends , early 2011 was time to start sharing solo productions with his first release on Paulatine Records, wellknowed Uner's label. 4 tracks that take attention of many wellknowed djs, like X-Press2 that played the tracks at MOS and on their radioshow, Adam Port who said "Finally something different..." and many others..
Then two vinyl release: first one on the great Barcelona based Kiara Records "Too Much Love Will Kill You", Julien Chaptal on remix, and second one on the New York based imprint Stranjjur Inc, on remix Kris Wadsworth and Baldo; "Close To You" placed 29th on RA Chart.
A great tune with the close friend Frank Naht alongside a remix for Fabio Monesi on friend's label Blackrose Records, and an EP on Espai Music to follow.
End of 2012 was good: EP come out on the Defected's sub label "Tenth Circle"
November 2012 was also time for releasing on Safari Numerique with David Labeji on remix, and the track "No Way" played by Richie Hawtin.
2013 full of work and innovation, with 2 remixes on italian Moan Rec for Meeph, and U.S. based Undulate Recordings for Frank Nath, a really deep EP on his new family Popcorn Records, and jacking mode on for the new release on Safari Numerique.
2014 starts with a vinyl only release on Popcorn Records Ltd, special collaboration with Peter JD and remixes from Amir Alexander and Franco Cinelli.

The path is long and Andrew's research is still long way to end...

New York's indie disco freaks Phenomenal Handclap Band is back with a second single on Toy Tonics: Jail. With remixes by Detroit's Waajeed and Marcel Vogel of Lumberjacks in Hell. Including a club edit by Toy Tonics head honcho Kapote. The band was responsible for one of Toy Tonics' biggest tracks in 2018: Judge Not: The Ray Mang version became a hit on open minded dancefloors around the globe: with support from DJ's like DJ Harvey, Cassius and Gilles Peterson (who put it int his - best track of the year' list) but also more house DJ's like Berlin's Keine Musik Crew, Soundstream or Superpitcher. The band's members are kind of heroes to many connoisseurs of the funk/ disco scene. The band leader Daniel Collas was playing keys in Amy Winehouse legendary backing band. Other members are connected to Mark Ronson's crew or San Francisco's Stones Throw universe.. just to give u the bigger picture. With The Phenomenal Handclap Band they blend the unique vibe of 1970ies Power-Soul in the traditon of Charles Stepney and Rotary Connection with today's new disco vibe. Parcels, Toro Y Moi, Roosevelt are not that far. Important fact: All played live, no samples. Mixed by the champs at DFA. The band is part of Toy Tonics's masterplan to expand their dancevibes into more live played scenarios.. stepping out of the strict DJ context. Fun fact Paul McCartney wrote the band a letter saying how much he loved their music when he first heard the band on BBC Radio 1.

Salour is a German artist who runs his own esteemed events in Hamburg and has played all over Europe from Watergate in Berlin to Culture Box in Copenhagen. His dub infused style is utterly distinctive and these new cuts prove that once more.

North Scapes opens up with a molten, acid tinged bassline. As it grows more wild there are icy hi hat loops layered in with some big piano chords to finish it in style and mean the floor will really go wild. Liquid Lava is more direct, with hard hitting techno kicks and deft synth sounds colouring in the grooves. Then comes the excellent Urban Signals, a dramatic, dubbier cut with cavernous bottom ends and subtle, supple synths layering in warmth and atmosphere. Last of all, Peter Schumann's LSD25 Restyle of North Scapes pairs it back to a warm, bubbly warm up house tune that will get you moving with its sonar blips and nice, deep cut and churning drums.

All four of these tracks are fresh and classy efforts sure to make their mark.

Out of the ashes of Joy Division, the remaining members decided to carry on recording under the name of New Order. The band's debut album Movement recorded between 24th April to the 4th May 1981 at Strawberry in Stockport and featuring all new material, produced by Martin Hannett was released in 11th November 1981 on Factory Records.

The Movement boxed set will include the vinyl LP with its original iconic sleeve designed by Peter Saville, original album CD in replica mini album sleeve, a bonus CD of previously unreleased tracks, DVD of live shows and TV appearances plus hard backed book all housed in a lift off lid box.

The vinyl LP of the original album is cut on 180g and features the 2015 remastered audio, presented in a replica of the original sleeve.

The second CD includes 18 completely unreleased tracks made from Demos, Sessions, Rehearsal Recordings and an Alternative 7' version of Temptation.

Accompanying the set is a 48page hard back book which features photos and an essay.

After a long time silent, La Luna is back with a 6 track VA featuring artists, Exit 47, Maricopa, Olywok, Mr. Projectile, Inmost and Senoy & Joce. The dreamy artwork was done by Berlin based artist, Heather Marie and will be pressed on 180 gram with a beautiful high quality outer sleeve. We hope you enjoy the sounds ranging from ambient, deep house, IDM and all types of downtempo electronica. Secure your copy and stay tuned for news on LALUNA003

Profit Prison is the solo work of Seattle-based Parker Lautenschlager, previously in the hardcore band Marrow, power electronics act Anteinferno, and black metal cult Bhereg. Conceived in 2016, Profit Prison explores lyrical themes of isolation, estrangement, deprivation and paranoia against an aural backdrop of synthpop, post-punk and abstract industrial music. Inspired by Franz Kafka as much as Kraftwerk, Profit Prison achieves a cold minimalism that speaks to the nightmarish dystopia in which it was created. The debut Myra was released on cassette by Dominick Fernow's Hospital Productions in 2017.

On March 29 Avant! will release the 12' vinyl debut Six Strange Passions. Six tracks where Hi-NRG disco beats and 70's throbbing synths melt with trembling, reverberated vocals and dark dungeon synth passages.

Limited edition of 300.

Artwork by Italian Noise legend Matteo Castro (Lettera 22, Kam Hassah, Second Sleep label)

Last year saw The Last Poets celebrate their 50-year anniversary with the righteous, politically-charged poetic record, "Understand What Black Is". Now to continue the party, Brighton production-maestro Prince Fatty has reworked the album with a fresh twist and blend of smooth, dub-delights. Set to land on the 29th March, the revolution marches on - this is "Understand What Dub Is".

After Prince Fatty's involvement in the production of the original project, he was the perfect person to help update the record with five decades of experience for a new audience to enjoy. The ten tracks of "Understand What Black Is" depict a relevant, historical philosophy of identity and race that has followed The Poets over the last 50 years. Since the origins of the civil rights movements back in the late 60's, Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan (two of the longest-standing group members) have provided social commentaries and a voice to African-American consciousness that has now been heard on a global scale.

Their raps, exploitations and insights quickly evolved into the origins of hip-hop in Harlem, New York back in 1968, and now in 2019 they continue to voice their dedication to the cause with the backing of slick rock-steady infused beats to keep things moving. Having had their work sampled by the likes of NWA, Dr Dre, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg and countless others is just a testament to the timeless sounds and prophecy they have created, and now Prince Fatty has stepped up to put his stamp on it.

Prince Fatty's ever-reliable work gives "Understand What Black Is" another lease of life as he maintains an undeniably slick groove throughout. Both therapeutic and warm, the soulful rhythms of "Understand What Dub Is" provide the perfect platform for The Last Poets to delve into everything from Trump's inauguration, nods to Biggie Smalls and respect to Prince. The calm, collective and downright thought-provoking words go hand-in-hand with the roots-driven reggae medleys with ease - this is dub in its rawest form.

Not only do these songs explore personal struggles and individual endeavours, they also represent a collective of deprived aspects of humanity and socialism, that perhaps now need to be pointed out more than ever. Although there is a variation of sound, the overlying topics remain a constant - it is time to "Understand What Black Is" once more.

German duo Avidus bring their spellbinding style to Crosstown this March. The pair have conceived a four track EP that serves to showcase their unique sound.

Avidus have produced a mesmerising EP that submerges the listener in an intriguing sonic soundscape. On title track XII prominent drums arise alongside dramatic strings that create a track full of suspense. Psalm 23 opens with an ethereal vocal sample that bleeds into a high-octane beat that's pacing and intense. On the flip, Lux is a dreamy and emotive number, calmer than its predecessors with a breathtaking breakdown, whilst last year's Revenge Of The Whales gets a rework for Crosstown.

Hailing from Kiel in North Germany Fritz Wagner and Marc Wolf, aka Avidus, have forged a strong partnership over the years. Fritz began producing music in the late 90s, making Hip Hop beats and pop music before moving on to house. During his early years, Marc produced backing tracks for hardcore bands before DJ'ing at illegal, outdoor raves. He started his own night ENDVR at Kiel's Luna Club, where he invited guest such as Âme, Roman Flügel, Barnt and Marcus Worgull. Their diverse musical tastes and influences are apparent in their music, which refuses to be confined to any one genre. The duo launched their own imprint Empore Music in 2014 that has charted releases from Johannes Albert amongst others.

Bogota Records rings in 2019 and brings long time friend and collaborator, Oslo based producer
REMII, back into the roster, Remii delivers an outstanding release with his two tracks Cruisin' and
Late Night'.

'Cruisin' rides an 80's wave of nostalgia with warm synths and naïve chords plotting the course
ahead, while Late Night' slowly tells you a story on its own, going back to the future.

On the flip side, Bogota boss Ivaylo is on the prowl for House with his interpretation of the original. A
warm bass line, dreamy keys and groovy percussion, take the track into a parallel dimension with his
searching for House' remix.

The First Release On Power Trio, The New Label From Ben Nevile Dedicated To A Return To Musicality. More Than 15 Years Ago This Montreal-based Artist Created Many Of The Seminal Deep, Minimal Tracks For Labels Such As Mosaic, Telegraph, Context, Background, And Vancouver's Nordic Trax. Ben's Contributions To Music Extend Into The Technical Realm As One Of The Programmers Of Max/msp, The Signal Processing Environment Integrated Into Ableton. But As A Musician In The Studio, This Artist's Work Is Intentionally Not About Technology. It's About Performing Songs That Tell A Story. The Three Tracks On This Power Trio Record Are Inspired By Physical Instruments And Acoustic Space. The Power Trio Is An 808, A Rhodes Piano, And A Bass, With Stunning Saxophone By Erk Hove. Vital Sales Points: - Previous Releases On Mosaic, Telegraph, Context, Nordic Trax

Seasoned Producer Oliver Kapp Takes Us Back To The Glory Days Of Underground Techno Where Pounding Sound Systems Ruptured The Space Time Continuum For Fun. The Old Guard Will Already Know That Kapp Has Pedigree, From Running And Releasing On His Own Record Labels Indulge And Raygun To A String Of Appearances On Stockholm Ltd, Logistic And Gigolo, His Dedication To The Cause Is Unquestionable. Which Is Why His First Appearance On Cocoon Recordings Is Long Overdue. What We Get Are Dj Friendly Tools Designed For That Time Of Night When The The Second Hand Stops Ticking. Kapp Presents A Perfect Collection Of Timeless Warehouse Techno, Like The Genre Itself There Are No Beginnings Or Ends, Just A Constant Barrage Of Hi Octane Machine Funk, Underpinned By Heavy Duty Beats That Somehow Manage To Induce A Sense Of Weightlessness On The Dance Floor. Scaling Down The Bpms To A Sub 130 Tempo, The Ep Is A Masterclass In How To Balance The Old School With The New. - loud Whisper Is Both Tough And Relentless, Generating An Hypnotic State That Ensnares The Dancer In Suspended Animation As Strobe Lights Flicker Across Closed Eyelids. Scattered Hihats Motor Forward And Trance Inducing Sequences Splice And Dice Causing Mind And Body To Drift Apart. - mantash Is An Altogether Gentler Excursion. Loose Tribal Rhythms Slalom Through The Metronomic Kicks Before Giving Way To Distant Chords That Embrace The Dancefloor In A Warm Fuzzy Glow. This Lush Vibe Extends Over The Rest Of The Track While The Beats Roll On, Accompanied By Delicate Melodies That Enhance The Ride. Euphoria And Delirium Combine On The Aptly Titled - rapture , As Chopped Up Vocal Fx Alternate Across A Hard Hitting 909 Pattern Complete With Angular Snares And Ride Cymbals That Bang The Box Into Submissio

The now legendary collaboration between producer Terence Fixmer and vocalist Douglas McCarthy continues with a new 4 track E.P. of blistering electronics and intense performance. Long time fans will immediately recognise the strong tradition of EBM that Fixmer/McCarthy have held as their own for 15 years. 'Let It Begin' and 'The Crush' assault the listener with bruising bass lines, heavy insistent drums and mesmorising sound effects. With a Phase Fatale remix bringing a brooding and menacing darkness to any dance floor. The Force Mix of 'The Crush', harks back to the original power, energy and simplicity of how FM fans were first introduced to Terence and Douglas on their 2004 debut album 'Between The Devil'. The brutal love story continues!

On March 29, Eric Copeland delivers Trogg Modal Vol. 2, the counterpart to last October's Vol. 1. The former Black Dice member's 'Freakbeat 4/4' agenda gets further refined here - Vol. 2 is more laid-back than the first, but still highly danceable. Self-described as 'late Night Flight proto tekno,' the tracks pulse with thick layers of percussion, melodic fever dreams, and riffs wrung through a taffy puller. Eric's textured, off-the-cuff approach to dance music adds a refreshing element of spontaneity and 'jamming' to a climate of uncanny smoothness and polish.

Where Vol. 1 was composed of 'rippers,' Vol. 2 travels at its own pace, continuing to showcase Eric's ability to recontextualize 4/4 tracks as psychedelic contortions, from the squelchy vibrations of 'BS Dropout' to the blithe, video arcade soundtrack 'High Score Zed.' Taken together, the two volumes of Trogg Modal showcase the versatility of one of the most continuously exciting experimental artists of the past twenty years - arriving in 2019 with his mischievous sense of adventure firmly intact.

Time Horizon's second episode enlists another team of dancefloor snipers delivering 5 brain-dancing tunes crafted appositively for late night use.
After his appearance on the first XCPT record, Andrea is back on the label with his unmistakable shuffling drums and a heavy square bassline followed by Anybody Anytime covering the uptempo-zone with a rotative junglistic tool dressed with celestial pads, closing the A side TANS reveals his new robot alias The Sympathizer' providing a neurotic electro progression fully based on his modular system.
Flipping the records you will find two XCPT homies bringing the audience straight into Matera landscapes: Farron gets a 909 unceasing toms orchestra surrounded by his atmospheric leads while Kreggo illustrates clearly his hypnotic mid-low vision of breakbeat locked by a mystic bass for the whole track.

ltd 250 hand-numbered units (12' + insert)
mastered by Marco Pellegrino at Analogcut Mastering Studio, Berlin

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- BRAND NEW 2019 NEO-CLASSICAL ALBUM
- PRINTED INNERSLEEVE
- LIMITED EDITION OF 500 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON TRANSPARENT VINYL

Fermata, Pieter de Graaf's debut project and the birth of a new talent in the neo-classical world. 'Filmic,' he replies when asked about the direction he had in his head, and there's an epic grandeur to many of the tracks. 'I have always written music' de Graaf explains, 'but with Fermata I felt that I could do so much more than just being a pianist, so I thought: 'Why shouldn't I try' The songs aren't 'written' in any traditional sense; instead he plays and improvise segments, records them, and listens back over and over before deciding what to use, what to discard, and what to embellish. No stone is left unturned in being guided by what the song requires - he has travelled North to record a church organ, wrote a score for a choir of four sopranos, and enlisted the help of friends and colleagues at Kytopia, the music collective in Utrecht that houses his studio.

It can take a while for an artist to find their true calling. For Pieter de Graaf, he's been searching since he sat next to his father, aged five, and watched him play the classics and the classical. He later immersed himself in the world of jazz, dedicating hours to practice, and studying at the Conservatory of Rotterdam. Several years spent touring with various bands, friends, and hip hop groups including The Kyteman Orchestra taught him an invaluable lesson, something that has informed his new project right from the start. His influences - Miles Davis, Nils Frahm, Rachmaninov, Bach, Herbie Hancock, and above all Keith Jarrett - allowed him to combine easy melodies with more virtuoso passages without losing the meaning, or the essence, of each song.

Fermata is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on transparent vinyl.