Suche:beneath

AN ATLAS OF LOSS

Do minerals dream of becoming semiconductors? Do they yearn to carry charges, amplify, switch, and convert energy into emotions comprehensible to humans? And what if, from the darkness of the underground, they had been listening to us sing in caves before the emergence of the first flute? Could they have guided us, through the course of history, to find them, extract them, and create new sounds through sinusoidal waves, to form valves and bend circuits?

If so, minerals would transition from what philosopher Eugene Thacker defines as the ‘planet’—that virginal and unreachable realm for humans that we study through geology, paleontology, and environmental sciences—to the ‘world,’ the space we inhabit, interpret, and synthesise in our daily lives. Sadly, we only remember the world when it erupts violently, through climate catastrophes or when a new virus emerges. Sometimes a tsunami collides with a nuclear plant, or viruses are cultivated as biological weapons in high-security laboratories, provoking a deep biological anxiety, hard to quell, which we all feel beneath our skin.

There exists a third realm, disconnected from both the world and the planet: the ‘earth’, an immense, dense rock floating in space alongside other planets, situated in the cosmological dimension. Relating to the earth is so complex that we only do so through theoretical speculations of a scientific nature or through science fiction, interweaving until one becomes the prophecy of the other, in an infinite, pendular dance. Beyond the darkness of space and Lovecraft’s cosmic horror, the fantasy of human extinction is the most recurrent: to reach a collapse so devastating that we do not survive it, even though the earth does, without us.

In a world where we quantify everything through body sensors, financial algorithms, nanometre-scale robots, and surveillance drones—a world in which everything that can be domesticated and controlled can also be commodified—a superior artificial intelligence would survive the collapse of the species (some speculate it might even cause it) and learn from our mistakes, thanks to our obsessive gathering of data.

Long after our voices fade, minerals will persist in the darkness of screens, in the silicon of chips, and in their pure form, still unexploited underground. Over the millennia, this intelligence might piece together fragments of our reasoning, as if an alien civilization finally connected with one of our spacecrafts loaded with messages cast into the void. It would sort through endless streams of data, unable to grasp the depths of emotion behind what it quantified, recreating simulations of our past, stripped of the nuance that once defined us and conducting experiments in sandboxes.

Some remnants of our existence—faint echoes of forgotten beauty—would be pieced together in an atlas of loss, buried beneath layers of numbers, decayed bots, and corroded hard drives. What will follow? Perhaps bison will once again roam—trotting to the strange pulse of techno, their ancient forms framed by the ruins of our cities.

Buildings will crumble, slowly dissolving under the soft touch of ambient music, and a thousand flowers will bloom with that ancient music created through electrical signals and computation. 7 songs for a future both improbable and inevitable—a final message from a world lost to itself, from planet Earth to planet Earth.

Alfons Pich, 2025

“Less than a month after one of the most violent fire events in the history of the continent, new shoots had burst through the scorched hardpan, nourished by the still-vital roots of those flayed and blackened trees.” John Vaillant, Fire Weather.

Loscil (aka Scott Morgan) returns to kranky with Lake Fire, a nine-track offering of ash-laden sonics that mine the tension within the cycle of destruction and rejuvenation.

Lake Fire is the result of a disjointed creative process. Originally conceived as a suite for electronics and ensemble, most of the original compositions were deserted, save for Ash Clouds, featuring James Meager on double bass. The remaining tracks were reshaped and remixed, built anew out of the remnants of the abandoned work. The result is a phoenix, an album burnt to the ground only to be reassembled out of its cinders. Fragments of the original lurk beneath a densely overpainted canvas of sound.

Infused into the resulting rearrangements are impressions from a road trip into the mountains marking a personal half-century milestone, surrounded by the ominous proximity of wildfires and dense smoke; celebrating life while the world burns. The album’s title comes from the striking irony that forest fires are often named after regional lakes - perhaps subconsciously referencing ancient lore. The cover photos were taken from this same trip, while sitting in a rowboat staring into the grey abyss of an opposing mountainside outside of Revelstoke, BC, obfuscated by smoke from a nearby lake fire.

Press quotes for previous solo release “Clara”:

"The sound sculptor Scott Morgan continues to astound.” Pop Matters

"A beautifully nuanced work, Clara is both revealing and mysterious -- and loscil fans wouldn't expect anything less.” Allmusic

press quotes for previous collaboration release with Lawrence English “Colours of Air”:

"As you might expect from the steady hands at the tiller, this is a cortex-hugging drone record of beauty and depth.” The Quietus

"One of the thrills of listening to this record is how its initially predictable veneer fades on subsequent listens to reveal layers of mischief underneath.” Resident Advisor

This newly formed and already brilliant label is back with more previously unreleased instrumentals that bring a different twist and dancefloor edge to classic sounds from the rock and indie world. First up we get a subtle edit of 'Sound and Vision' which has a nice fat and funky bassline bouncing beneath the splashy drums as nice acoustic guitar melodies ring out next to glistening retro-future pads. It's a cosmic trip that oozes soul then things slow down on the flip with 'Young Americans'. This one is a nice go-slow instrumental with funky and expressive horn work taking the lead over the fat-bottomed drums and bass.

Nanel 008 marks another solid release for the label, packed with two stunning tracks that will speak to both DJs and listeners alike. On the A-side, "Farfor" offers an infectious blend of groovy basslines and punchy breakbeats, creating a track that’s both energetic and deep. The smooth, atmospheric pads intertwine seamlessly with a catchy piano melody, giving the track an uplifting vibe that’s perfect for those dancefloor moments when the energy needs to rise. It’s a perfect combination of classic and contemporary elements, with a sound that feels both fresh and timeless.


Flipping the record over, "Ready" takes things in a more dubby direction, featuring a deep bassline that rolls smoothly beneath crisp percussion and atmospheric elements. The track’s vocal shots add an extra layer of texture, cutting through the mix and pulling you into its hypnotic groove. The percussion is tight and purposeful, adding a rhythmic complexity that draws you in and keeps you moving. With its dub influence and a steady, captivating groove, "Ready" creates an immersive listening experience that showcases a different side of your production style. Together, these two tracks offer a diverse yet cohesive sound that exemplifies the signature style of Nanel.

Colemine Records is excited to put out their first 45 with The Charities, a sweet-soul band out of sunny California. The group's sound is a melting pot of cultures, exhibiting a mix of soul, r&b, rock, and funk. The A-side of this 45, 'Fatal Attraction,' explores just that. In some relationships, the very qualities that draw you in can also lead to your destruction. She's captivating_beautiful, intelligent, and charming_but beneath the surface, she's narcissistic and self-centered, with no regard for the pain she causes. When you're lost in the intensity of love, it's easy to overlook these darker traits. But when the time comes for her to move on, she'll strike without hesitation, delivering a blow that cuts deep. Her words, sharp as a knife, tear through your heart with cold precision. As you bleed out, she offers nothing but a final, indifferent goodbye...."It's Not Our Time," on the B, tells the story of two lovers who find themselves at a crossroads, torn apart by the struggles they face in this chapter of their lives. Perhaps in the future, they'll rekindle their love and spark a new flame_one that burns even brighter then before. It's a bittersweet goodbye, with the belief that the distance and time apart will only strengthen their bond when the moment is right.The tracks are produced by Anthony Masino and were recorded at Penrose Recordings in Riverside, CA.

Sebastian Sandmann, from Elsteraue in Germany, has been DJing and producing since 1999, honing his skills in clubs and gigs such as the ‘Endstation’ event series in the Leipzig Distillery which resulted in him being picked up by the renowned Leveltrauma booking agency where his obvious talent flourished leading to residencies at the Sky Club, Leipzig and the Tube Club, Merseburg. Sebastian’s music repertoire covers many genres inc. multiple forms of techno, house, hardcore and DnB which has culminated in releases on some insane German labels including “Rage & Error”, “Leveltrauma” and “PsychoDevils Records”.

Continuing with the ‘Limited As Fuck’ series of releases, on our fiercely independent techno label based in
Scotland, we’re getting more extreme than we’ve ever been before with an absolute ‘Onslaught’ of speaker
punishment grade screaming techno. This is Sebastian Sandmann’s first ever solo vinyl release and it‘s utterly lethal. Featuring four aggressive crushin’ tracks to get all them imprisoned clubbers marching
to its accelerated beat. This aint dance music, this is stomp music, and you best not pound on down in front of
anyone when it’s spinning or you’re gonna get trampled on, mark our RIOTous words.

The full digital release also features one bonus brain mashin’ track so you can dive even deeper into your own infernal techno psyche.

WARNING: ONCE THE RIOT SENTINEL APPEARS YOU MUST OBEY ……………. OR ELSE

Credits:

Written by Sebastian Sandmann
Mastered by Joe Farr
Artwork by Nomad

RHZ005 Duc In Altum:
Midnight Sun
Release Notes

The Brazilian-Serbian duo Duc In Altum returns to Rhizome following their 2020 digital mini-album As Above So Below. Our fifth vinyl EP on the label, Midnight Sun, finds Duc In Altum experimenting with dance floor acid rhythms and breakbeat-house grooves. The relentless remixes come from two other music friends, the Romanian icons Priku and Sepp.

“Midnight Sun” demonstrates the duo's acidy reflexes. Clever chords both center and accent the melody. The 303 line expands into the seething bass beneath as the track progresses into a deep dance floor burner.

Priku remixes “Midnight Sun” with his signature groovy, breezy style. Light chords drift above transformed 303, now a monster tech house bassline. The sun beckons.

The second side begins with “Yanomamis” and a journey through the inner worlds of Duc In Altum. The track begins with winding pads, effects, and an initial silvery breakbeat. The center of the track shifts perspectives to unveil a dreamy house groove before the breakbeat returns to call us back.

A remix of “Yanomamis”by Sepp closes out the record as the dance floor psychic yet again crafts the perfect rolling groove. It's a fitting Sunwaves-savvy party track and only gets better each time that glorious groove breaks the tension.

Tracklisting
A1: “Midnight Sun”
A2: “Midnight Sun (Priku Remix)”
B1: “Yanomamis”
B2: “Yanomamis (Sepp Remix)”

written and produced by Eric Frizzo Jonsson and Arjana Vrhovac Jonsson in São Paulo, Brazil;

remixes by Priku and Sepp

mastering by Ednner Soares

After showcasing intense, edgy breakbeats on previous releases with Scuffed Records, FeverAM, and early reflex, Kyoto-based producer Naco returns with "Snakey," his first release in two years and a long-awaited comeback on his own label, 85acid. This essential collection features four cutting-edge bass mutations that push boundaries once again.

The EP opens with the title track “Snakey,” a minimal piece featuring a relentless, serpentine bassline that slithers beneath, grounding the sound in a hypnotic groove. It’s followed by "Anolon", a potent and minimal dubstep mutation, pulling the listener back to a sense of calm. In “Ows,” the energy intensifies with a stripped-back, industrial breakbeat that takes the BPM up to 155, where raw machine-like precision takes center stage. Finally, the EP closes with “Mappy,” a dancehall and hardcore-inspired offering where a simple yet addictive rhythm is layered with amen breaks and echoes of raves past.

Embracing a dangerous yet lush minimalism with an intentionally restrained sound, this release also marks a first for 85acid with the label's first vinyl pressing!

Balmat began our journey in 2021 with the release of Luke Sanger’s Languid Gongue. Now, three years later, we turn an important corner as the Norfolk musician rejoins us with Dew Point Harmonics, the first repeat appearance on the label. Sanger’s new album feels like a natural extension of his inaugural record for Balmat: It’s a bewitching collection of esoteric synth sketches that slips unpredictably between consonant repetition, poignant melodies, and gnarled bursts of noise that catch in the ear like burrs in hiking socks.

That natural metaphor is perhaps not accidental. Despite having been composed on Sanger’s diverse array of hardware and self-written software, many of the tracks were first conceived while Sanger was hiking in a particularly wild and isolated section of the Norfolk coast. The field recording that opens the album, on “6am Beach Walk,” was taken on one of his many early-morning walks there, in which he and his dog might go for miles without seeing another soul. The album’s title was inspired by the overnight condensation covering the long marram grass in the dunes, glistening in the early light (and drenching everything coming in contact with it) before evaporating in the morning sun. Indeed, the concept of dew point—the temperature at which water vapor condenses into a liquid—feels like the perfect metaphor for Sanger’s music, in which foggy ambience is distilled into glistening quicksilver orbs, transient spheres of perfection eventually absorbed back into the atmosphere.

A shapeshifting collection of richly detailed and deeply expressive electronic miniatures, Dew Point Harmonics is both a testament to the mysteries of transformation and an invitation to get lost in the wilderness of your own imagination.

Introducing entry number 3 in Analog Concept Records dynamic Various Artists Series. The fast track to long lasting electronic prowess begins with Fasme “Crying Robots” a fusion of atmosphere, permeating pad emotions, electro and even some breaks layers all serenaded by choice bits of dialogue and analogue phone dials and full of stimulating style. Navigation continues with CCO “Solar Sail” where ominous waves of percussion driven House prevail, beneath moody analogue acid basslines heavier than whales, while its chords leave the listener in a hypnotic groove spell.

We continue to fill your cup of tea on side B adding the nutritious ingredients from the mysterious duo UNWONTED with “Frontier”; it's an all out electrofunk affair, punchy and layered with sharp claps, dark dialogues, and an ice cold acid marinated bassline that will heat up the dance floors when it attacks.

The Ep concludes with Serge Geyzel “Flash” a photographic listening experience into relentless electrobass full of atmosphere, fine highs in sonic experimentation, and a doomsday bassline that bangs the speakers and your mind.

Curated carefully for plenty of encores, Analog Concept's Various Artists 3 is here to captivate the souls and floors.

Somewhere between Solid State Survivor, Force Majeure and Danzindan-Pojidon you’ll find Shinichi Omata’s Boku ・ Neko ・ Platanus. Or rather you won’t – throughout his captivating debut from 1984, reissued by chOOn!! in 2022, you’ll hear connections to other music but its unique unbridled will keeps pushing those references out of mind.

Shinichi Omata is a fascinating figure – an unsung hero of early Japanese electronic music who between 1981–84 recorded three albums of incredible DIY techno-pop while studying as a student in Tokyo. At University, Omata worked and collaborated as a sitar player and keyboardist with artists such as Hiroko Yoshihara, Takami, DEA and various members of the LLE music circle, where he developed an expressive fusion of minimal synth and psychedelia.

This selection, lovingly extracted from Omata’s unreleased early recorded output, dating from 1981’s Neo Modernism through to 1983's With My Dog Ricky, demonstrates just how closely he clung to the original abstract ideal of moulding 8-bit bleeps and ungainly drum patterns into lo-fi triumphalism. On paper you wouldn’t give this aesthetic clash a pass were it not for the aural evidence of a unique sensibility, precociously openminded and visionary, charmingly transparent in respect of its influences yet possessed of a need for individuality.

Throughout this kaleidoscopic collection, all the ghost plastic in Omata’s head, Kosmische synthesis, synth-funk squiggles, arcade games and early Ambient is thrown together, reimagined and regarded affectionately – through a glass lightly, so to speak. Beneath the pulsing arpeggiated bleeps, Omata’s compositions show a remarkable economy and poise hinting at European classical influences - like a reimagining of Erik Satie’s piano miniatures that swaps 19th century Parisian boulevards for Tokyo’s 1980s technopolis. The music is sheer skin- puckering delight throughout, a delirious, mesmeric collage of dark disco bubblegum and eccentrically enchanting atmospheres that you cannot quite believe you’ve never heard before.

Available for the first time on vinyl, With My Dog Ricky: The Early Works of Shinichi Omata 1981-1983 is a vivid selection of synth miniatures lovingly extracted from Omata’s unreleased early recorded output.

Produced in cooperation with the artist for chOOn!!.

Mastered for vinyl/digital by Josh Bonati. Artwork by the acclaimed book designer Luke Bird

2024 Repress

Lars Huismann is back on Mutual Rytm with the much-anticipated third volume of his 'Sounds From The Past' trilogy.

A core part of SHDW & Obscure Shape's ever more crucial Mutual Rytm imprint thanks to his timeless techno offerings as part of his ongoing 'Sounds From The Past' series, Berlin-based DJ/producer Lars Huismann's stock continues to rise release by release as a talent merging influences from the past with forward-thinking nuances of the future. Drawing on the early 2000 techno sound, he embellishes it with his own perspective, as evidenced by his earlier releases on the label. This latest six-track offering is another accomplished outing from this unique talent as he concludes the three-part series on the label in style.

The title track 'Sound From The Past III' opens up with a finely filtered chord groove that provides a smooth and hypnotising foundation. A subtle bassline, buoyant kick drums, and embedded vocal patterns harmonise with the synths, unveiling a smooth linear groove that soon sweeps you up.

'Fusion' brings more intensity with its barreling drum kicks, a dirty driving bassline, and melodies flashing by like headlights on an intergalactic motorway, with the overhanging pent-up energy inescapable. Next, 'Shimmer' rides on vast, heavy layered drums that are warm, and comforting as the track travels through a journey of diverse dub techno elements.

Like in 'Loucura', taken from 'Sounds From The Past II', Lars again showcases his strong influences from Brazilian and Latin music. On 'Estar Farto', the drums and bass are tightly interwoven, racing beneath bright and funky synth lines that bring ever-evolving shades of colour. A jazz drummer himself, the music transports into the groove via intelligent brass chord progressions and fine-tuned vocal and percussion elements.

It's straight dance floor business on the closing vinyl production 'Bittersweet', with its muted synth smears darting over more macho drum programming, while digital bonus 'Dusty Lick' is an unrelenting, jazzy, percussion-driven banger that hits hard and heavy in all the right places.

Anaconga”, the fourth Dome album by Bluey and Citrus Sun, is an homage to jazz and soul greats from back in the day, and is the band’s first to be released as a gatefold 2LP.

The album opens with the gorgeous Maynard Ferguson tune “Mister Mellow” from the Seventies, with backing vocals from Tony Momrelle and Deborah Bond. Bluey and Richard Bull share the production . “Down For The Third Time”, the album’s lead single, is a deliciously funky remake of a classic Bobby Caldwell groove from 1978, with Natalie Duncan on vocals and Dominic Glover and Charlie Allen tearing it up on trumpet and guitar respectively.

“Mystic Brew” was originally written and recorded in the Seventies by funk, soul and jazz keyboard legend Ronnie Foster and Bluey includes it “to say thank you for his massive contribution to the music we love and are inspired by”. Erykah Badu’s “Honey”, also with vocals by Natalie Duncan, features beautiful trumpet and flugelhorn from Kevin Robinson.

The stand-out new songs on the album are “Santiago”, which features the young Indonesian harmonica player Rega Dauna, who starred on the band’s “Hard Boiled” instrumental hit from their last album “Expansions & Visions”, and “In Search of the Blue Note”, with Dominic Glover on flugelhorn and Graham Harvey on keyboards, which Bluey says is “inspired by New York City’s jazz history and nightlife”.

Bluey sums up the mood of the album: “I hope that the rhythms wrap themselves around your consciousness and the music slithers into your soul, whilst you bask in the light of the Citrus Sun! Unconstricted love, Bluey”.

Citrus Sun is the mainly instrumental-oriented side project which runs alongside Incognito and features many of the same musicians. The band released their first Dome album “People Of Tomorrow” in 2014.

Eccentric soundscapes, cryptic atmospheres, unexpected rhythms – with the second episode of the Intelliance series, the concept label Augmented Research once again holds up a mirror to the progressive present and provides various perspectives on the innovative electronic club sound of a new generation.

A1
Raär's music manages to draw the masses beneath the surface of common perception. The blend of deep, organic atmospheres, liquid sound design and supersonic drums awakens a deeply rooted but rarely accessible state of mind. "Riparian Zone" is a tool for transcendental experiences.
A2
There are only a handful of artists like Nebuchadnezzar who have made a name for themselves and demonstrate that rules in electronic music are meant to be broken. "Fidget" is a good example of the obsolescence of obsessive genre categorization. Unpredictable rhythms and glitchy, whipping drums feel like a race against time (extended to almost nine minutes).
B1
With "Sea And Bunkers", Sukkube proves her virtuoso and versatile handling of modular sound synthesis. The rapid, loopy beat, accompanied by a serious and simultaneously playful melody and hissing atmospheres, generates a mysterious, fresh mood. Influences from different eras form an interesting symbiosis of futuristic, uplifting techno and nuances of classic styles.
B2
If an artist were given the task of dealing with vintage drums in the most innovative way possible, while at the same time retaining a sense of nostalgia, "Pragma" would be the clear result. Edict has broken the rules of classic techno styles, pushing polyrhythm and distortion to their limits.

2024 Repress

Straight in the wake of their eponymous debut LP released on the label back in 2016, Weval return to Kompakt this year with their sophomore album, 'The Weight', breaking their pop-mellow, nostalgia-friendly facet further out in the open as they arrive "at this place again were everything felt spontaneous, new and exciting, like we had in the beginning". Orbiting around that ever luminous yet wistful melodic halo that surrounds their music, this second full-length effort sweeps an extra-wide and languidly woven palette of emotions and moods, making for a uniquely ambitious and generously coloured mosaic of sound. If the recording sessions "often started grumpy and emotionless" by Harm and Merijn's own admission, the pair was "surprised by the joy it gave us, which can be compared to the emotions we felt back in the first days of making music together"; subsequently reconnecting with that fresh, naïve feeling of "absolute creative freedom" they were after. The album is also the fruit of a whole new working process for them - more playful and unpredictable - which saw them switch from "guitars lying around to piano, onto our own synths and the most cheap quirky toys synths you can imagine", and involved "recording all of our own samples, voice and almost every instrument out of the box - which for us was a totally new way of working". "We've always wanted a narrative for the album, and finding the right order perhaps took the most effort" they explain; "we felt anxious, felt insanely positive, felt heartbroken again, felt in love again, and there was death, and even suicide around us. It was quite chaotic. As a whole, 'The Weight' breathes with that transformative richness, free of limits and rules, except perhaps to "do quick and not think too much". Amidst this collection of songs and instrumentals that live by Weval's singularly positive take on music - one that can "lift you up, and make you feel hopeful without being necessarily straight out 'happy'" as they define it, the title-track and lead single stays true to the duo's dynamic approach, putting on a fine balance of floor and dream inducing adaptability that sound engineer David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The XX, FKA Twigs, Caribou… etc.) subtly made palpable. There's heavy showers of funk drops pouring from endless bars of thunderstorm clouds and laid-back riffs beating a restrained poolside-party kind of pulse, but also sensual vocals rising from beneath the sheets and rueful polaroid-filtered ambiences to soundtrack all possible moments in life - from the most euphoric to those when music seems the only viable healing potion. More on the post-KLF, BoC-inflected electronica side of things, 'Are You Even Real' takes its listener for a round-trip across the star-studded dome and beyond, before songs like 'Someday' and 'Same Little Thing' head back down to a state of pulsating, earthly organicity, tense and mercurial as get. An arpeggiated slice of piano-strewn kosmische, 'Heaven' is another invitation to an epic-scale odyssey from the inner-spheres into the distant fringes of the outer-world. Weightless and airy, yet texturally dense and widely magnetic overall, Weval second LP is a synthesis of the duo's multi-angle take on electronics: blissed-out, heartening and infinitely free.
Nur zweieinhalb Jahre nach der Veröffentlichung ihres selbstbetitelten Debutalbums finden sich WEVAL zurück "an jenem Ort, an dem sich alles spontan, neu und aufregend anfühlt - so wie als wir anfingen zusammen Musik zu schreiben". An diesem Ort entstand "The Weight", ihr zweiter Longplayer, auf dem Weval sich ganz den Pop-verliebten, Nostalgie-freundlichen Facetten ihres Sounds öffnen. Stetig um den sehnsuchtsvollen Strahlenkranz ihrer Melodien tanzend, legt diese Platte noch vielschichtigere, mit feinster Präzision gewobene Gefühlswelten frei.

Obwohl die Aufnahmesessions nach eigenem Bekunden oftmals "miesepetrig und emotionsarm" begannen, so war das Duo überrascht darüber, wie schnell sich bei der Arbeit jene Freude einstellte, die sie aus ihren künstlerischen Anfangstagen kannten, eine Woge des frischen, naiven Gefühls der "absoluten kreativen Freiheit". Dieses Album ist die Frucht eines verspielteren und unvorhersehbareren Arbeitsprozesses innerhalb der Band, in welchem alles zum Einsatz kam, was ihnen in die Finger kam - von der ollen Gitarre, die in der Studioecke stand, über ein Piano und den bandeigenen Sythesizern und den sonderbarsten Spielzeuginstrumenten, die man sich vorstellen kann. All dies sowie zahlreiche Vocalaufnahmen dienten als alleinige Samplequelle - "was für uns eine völlig neue Arbeitsweise war". "Es war uns wichtig für das Album den perfekten Erzählbogen zu spannen. Die richtige Reihenfolge zu finden war ein extrem aufwendiger Vorgang", erklären Harm und Merjin. "Uns war bange, wir fühlten uns total selbstsicher, uns zerbrach das Herz und wir verliebten uns erneut. Wir waren sogar von Tod und Selbstmord umgeben. Alles war Chaos. Insgesamt atmet "The Weight" die Reichhaltigkeit dieser sich ständig verändernden Gefühlslagen, frei von Einschränkungen und Regeln - außer vielleicht "mach es schnell und zerdenke die Dinge nicht." Inmitten dieser Ansammlung von Songs und Instrumentals, die aus Wevals einzigartiger, von Zuversicht geprägter Herangehensweise entstanden sind - "Musik, die dich hochzieht und Hoffnung spendet, ohne dich notwendigerweise happy zu machen. Der Titeltrack "The Weight" steht exemplarisch für Wevals ambivalenten Ansatz, die feine Balance zwischen Dancefloor und Traumzuständen, perfekt in Szene gesetzt von Soundengineer David Wrench (Frank Ocean, The XX, FKA Twigs, Caribou… etc.).

Der schwer aus gewaltigen Gewitterwolken tropfende Funk, die eine verhaltene Poolparty suggerierenden Riffs, die sinnlichen, geisterhaften Vocals und ein verwaschenes Ambiente, das wie ein Album alter Polaroidaufnahmen alle erdenklichen Momente des Lebens festhält - von den euphorischsten bis hin zu jenen, in denen Musik der einzige Trank ist, der Linderung verheißt. Das post-KLF und Boards of Canada evozierende "Are You Even Real" führt den Hörer auf einen imaginären Flug ins Sternenzelt, während organisch-klingende Songs wie "Someday" oder "Same Little Thing" wie Quecksilber am Boden haften. "Heaven" ist eines jener "kosmische" Stücke mit wilden Arpeggios und Pianosprengseln, die Weval in den vergangenen zwei Jahren zu einer Live-Sensation werden liessen. Wevals Musik ist schwerelos und luftig, aber gleichermassen von dichter Struktur und von einer magnetischen Anziehungskraft. Ihr zweites Album "The Weight" ist eine Synthese aus dem multi-perspektivischem, kaleidoskopischen Verständnis von elektronischer Musik: Herzerwärmend, alles umschmeichelnd und unendlich frei.

2025 Repress

Macedonia's own Stojche is Fuse's next guest for the club's freshly made imprint. The long standing DJ and producer has been known to keep Detroit's playfully hybrid style as the focus of his work and 'Metaphor' is the case in point. His four tracks bounce through a nostalgic balance of techno, house, and more with a modern crisp. A refreshing take on club music, Stojche keeps techno's sometimes nonchalant attitude at arms length with a charismatic record that hits its mark with every measure.


The record's first track 'Counterpunch' features heavily lined percussion but still brews up a storm far and wide with resonant dub stabs and open hi hats. The drum machine boasts a full spectrum, rolling through a light show of melodic flashes, perfect for a room compressing soundsystem. The maximalist, vintage detail that Stojche brings to his compositions blurs the lines between classic genres in a time of hasty hybridization, which gives it a sort of authenticity that can't be taken for granted. 'Chordal Tribe', on the other hand, raises the general euphoria of the EP. Luring in the listener with bright pads and full-on drums, Stochje's work is reliable main slot material that adds color to any mix while providing a persuasive low end. Shimmering hi hats give it an ethereal quality making it an appropriate interlude for almost any context. Moving on to the B side, the producer sharpens up his rhythm and emphasizes the hardgroove influence in 'Signal Drive'. Softening the pace of his drums with free use of melodic chord stabs, Stojche opens up his dance floor for a crowd bonding record once again, complete with filter transitions and pummeling toms. As the final contribution, his title track 'Metaphor' begins with a more obscure opening to conclude his EP for Fuse. Leaning more to a techno cut, the record remains flamboyant as ever with open hats and rides shuffling through his arrangement. A muted main synth becomes apparent to focus the energy of the track while allowing for liveset-like drum flickering to take shape beneath, claiming the immortality of old club records with the technical precision of a seasoned modern producer.

Fierce and forlorn, Swarm Intelligence’s “The Shattered Self” delves into the complexities of human existence in an era dominated by technological advancements. In this thought-provoking exploration, the artist challenges listeners to confront the consequences of a near future where physical and mental augmentation are commonplace. In a world where limbs can be upgraded, where consciousness can be uploaded, where memories can be digitally archived and shared on social media, where our AI clones can liberate us from menial tasks… What remains of our selves? Who is our self?

Swarm Intelligence draws influences from black metal, industrial-tinged dub and post rock, splicing these with his distinctive take on techno to devastating effect. "Dejected," the inaugural track, unleashes grinding walls of feedback against a relentless broken beat, its foreboding atmosphere heightened by a menacing low growl of distorted bass that permeates the unease. It's a disquieting overture that sets the stage for the tumultuous journey ahead.

The second track, “Eros” envelops the listener in a visceral soundscape, where haunting atmospheres intertwine with grinding feedback and pounding percussion. Initially tense, the track evolves into an unexpected and almost euphoric climax, adding an unforeseen emotional depth to the sonic narrative. Yet, beneath the surface, an undercurrent of tension remains—an ever-present reminder of the fragility of our self.

On the flip side, "Inciter" channels inner fury through a guttural chant punctuating a Birmingham-styled broken beat, marching forth with unyielding force.

Finally, "Portal" offers a moment of quiet introspection, as haunting pads echo a mournful refrain while micro recordings of whirring machinery are assembled into the percussion section. It serves as a poignant curtain-closer.

Through "The Shattered Self," Swarm Intelligence challenges listeners to reconsider their perceptions of identity, consciousness, and agency in an age where the machine and the human converge. It's a haunting and profound journey—one that invites introspection and contemplation long after the final reverb tails fade into silence.

Delving deep into the shadowy realms of filmic soundscapes, Pheeks latest EP is a masterful blend of darkness and texture. Drawing heavy inspiration from moody cinema and the raw, gritty undertones of lofi elements, this collection manages to capture and amplify fond sound textures, seamlessly integrating them within techno structures. At its core, there is an unmistakable cinematic ambiance, an aura that paints a picture of suspense and mystery. But don’t let the atmospheric subtleties fool you. Beneath the misty veneer lies a pulsating heart of energy, with layers that rhythmically surge and ebb. It is a sonic journey that is as intricate as it is evocative, showcasing Pheeks prowess in both craft and creativity. Prepare to immerse yourself in a world where each track tells its own enigmatic tale.

microCastle’s first offering of 2024 welcomes Adrian Roman back to the label for his second artist showcase. Hailing from Spain, Adrian Roman first rose to prominence in 2021 with a string of superlative releases which redefined his sound, resulting in an aesthetic that was both cutting edge and effortlessly cool. F, nmully formed within the creative confines of his Castello studio, Adrian’s first microCastle project, 2022’s‘ Disturbing the Perception’ succeeded in showcasing his inventive approach to composition, while remaining club-effective, and in turn earning play from Aera, Fideles and Jimi Jules, amongst others. Moving forward the next eighteen months have proved to be impactful for the young Spaniard, recording standout projects for AZZUR and Sum Over Histories, releases which continued to build on his creative acumen, while remaining in the playlists of underground tastemakers Ame and Dixon. With 2024 beginning with Adrian’s latest Sum Over Histories vehicle ‘Oratorical Ability’, the Spaniard now makes a welcome return to microCastle with a six-track showcase entitled ‘This Is What I Was For A Moment’.

From the opening monochromes of ‘Le Sabbat’ Adrian’s craftsmanship reveals itself across this slow-burning piece, one where grating growls, granular flares and panoramic arps ultimately set the pace for the groove-centric ‘Customized Reality’. It’s here where Adrian puts a greater focus on the dancefloor, marrying hopeful vocal phrasing and silky chord stabs for a rejuvenating experience, while a drum-driven drop ultimately charts the course for a finale of deconstructed sonics and post-rave bliss. The haywire electricity of ‘Faces of Belmez’ finds the Spaniard once again flexing his creative muscles, as corrugated bleeps and cataclysmic rhythms provide a vast sense of space, creating the ultimate backdrop for distorted synths to propel choppy rhythms into dark underground passages, and perhaps onto some of the world’s most adventurous dancefloors.

The collection’s midway point is marked by the hypno-architecture of ‘Mind Design’. Trickling reverberations and long sighs of tonal tension wade through its pulsating framework, with frayed effects and thumping rhythms submerged beneath a buzzing panoramic glow. Played by Ame and sitting as one of the project's most enigmatic tracks is ‘TAGDI’ (They Are Gonna Do It). Tinted with contemplative synths and guttural vocals, Adrian’s unique emotionality peaks here, as he crafts a low-slung, slow-building dystopian romance, all while weaving in cerebral manipulations for an unforgettable ride. The mist breaks instantly on the collection’s final piece, as your thrusted into the muscular grooves of ‘Fear Track’. Horrifying vocal stabs strike, leaving the gauzy purple skies of ‘TAGDI’ behind for a more robust romp, one where anabolic bassline, retro-arps and off kilter percussion bring the release to a feverish peak. A fitting conclusion to a diverse collection of music, one where Adrian creates a journey that speaks to the complexities of life against an immersive and challenging backdrop.

Artwork: Maurcio Seidel

Mit "New Blue Sun" veröffentlicht André 3000 ein unerwartetes, rein instrumentales Album, auf dem Andre Flöte spielt und von anderen talentierten Musikern begleitet wird. Auf dem von Andre 3000 und dem Multiinstrumentalisten Carlos Niño koproduzierten Album "New Blue Sun" spielen Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina, Deantoni Parks, Diego Gaeta, Matthewdavid, V.C.R., Diego Gaeta, Jesse Peterson und Mia Doi Todd.

Diese limitierte 3-LP-Vinylauflage ist auf 180 g schweres schwarzes Vinyl gepresst und verfügt über ein ausklappbares Poster, bedruckte Innenhüllen und eine Notiz des Künstlers.

For SPACEDUST7, we welcome Jay Gadian to the label, who steps up 4 forward-thinking electro cuts for 'The Mispress' EP.

On side A, murmurs from beneath the warbling top line of 'Sensory' evoke memories of dark, heady corners of the dance floor, whilst the fog clears with the sharp percussion work of Green Dimension.

The flip opens in a more subdued manner with the circuitry of '20 or More' gently weeping, before 'East' closes off the record with laser beam synths cutting through washes of tense strings alongside further crisp drum work.

SULPHUR AEONs neuestes Werk ist gesegnet mit Kontrasten, klanglicher Ebbe und Flut. Ein Taifun kantiger Riffs und wilder Blastbeats, raffinierte Melodieschichten, dichte Atmosphäre und triumphal gesungene Refrains reißen dich mit. Ätherische Akustikgitarren, subtile Synthesizer, einen Hauch von Gothic ('The Yearning Abyss Devours Us'), satte Leads, E-Bow-Parts, heftige Aggression ('Arcane Cambrian Sorcery'), monumentale Schwere, die in hypnotische Gesangsmuster übergeht ('Seven Crowns And Seven Seals'), und ein großes Finale ('Beneath The Ziqqurrats') - "Seven Crowns And Seven Seals" überschreitet Genres; es wütet und zerstört, lullt dich im nächsten Moment in gefährlich täuschende Ruhe, nur um dich unwiderbringlich in den dunklen Strudel des Ozeans zu reißen. SULPHUR AEON meistern ihren durchdringenden Cinematic Death Metal der Extraklasse, gehen über sich hinaus und klingen dabei doch unverkennbar kohärent - perfekt eingefangen und verfeinert von den langjährigen Mitarbeitern Simon Werner und Michael Zech (Secrets Of The Moon, Bølzer etc.), während das Mastering von V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) übernommen wurde. Was das Artwork betrifft, so haben SULPHUR AEON diesmal mit der Tradition gebrochen, wieder mit Ola Larsson zu arbeiten, und sich mit dem Italiener Paolo Girardi zusammengetan, um eine Lovecraft'sche Apokalypse darzustellen, die der Opulenz und Dynamik des Albums einen raueren Stil entgegensetzt.

Kay-Dee Records is coming at you with a 45 double-hitter, presenting Bert Hector’s ‘The Phoenix’ and ‘The Kraken’ with Kenny Dope on remix duties.

On the first record, we’re treated to ‘The Phoenix’: a sure-fire funk gem with a super warm sound. The beat is as cool as it gets, with a laid-back and funky attitude, sitting beneath a joyous intermingling of sitar, flute, brass and guitar - all performed at expert levels.

‘The Kraken’ has a killer groove, struttin’ along at 85 bpm with a real old-school sound on the beat. Joining the breaks is a huge brass section which pumps loud, while flute solos and funky Wah-wah guitar chops take things up a notch. This is a pure, unadulterated groove.

Top Boy is the British television crime drama series, created and written by Ronan Bennett. The story follows two seasoned drug dealers return to the gritty streets of London, but their pursuit of money and power is threatened by a young and ruthless hustler. It stars Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, and the

2020 BAFTA Rising Star Award-winning Michael Ward. The first two seasons aired between 2011 and 2013, but following interest from rapper Drake, Netflix announced in 2017 that it would revive the series. Co-produced by the Hotline Bling-rapper, the third and fourth season of Top Boy launched in 2019 and 2022.

In the captivating Netflix series Top Boy, Brian Eno’s transcendent music serves as a vital companion, molding the narrative’s essence with its ethereal power. With a masterful touch, Eno’s atmospheric compositions effortlessly transport us into the gritty world of crime, friendship, and survival in East London. From delicate ambience to pulsating beats, his sonic tapestry envelops every scene, elevating the storytelling and evoking a range of emotions. Eno’s singular ability to capture the struggle, hope, and inner strength of the characters accentuates the raw authenticity of Top Boy, leaving an indelible mark on its viewers. His haunting melodies and intricately crafted soundscapes symbolize the unyielding resilience amidst chaos, making Brian Eno’s music an integral and unforgettable component of this groundbreaking series.

Beneath an unsinking black sun... through the boundless gloom... our journey continues.

Evelyn spreads her wings and prepares to fly. This is her first offering for the ESP Institute. On side A, 'Tremors' slams together a plethora of seemingly disparate rhythms, organic percussion, field samples, hypnotic chants and a relentless low end punch, that when in full-swing, works some seriously deep sorcery. Contrasting her pounding kick and rolling sub combo are a softer grouping of melodies, soft mallets and muted tones that lay subtly beneath the aggression, skillfully playing with a sense of spatial depth and room size. Its the kind of track that draws you in with meditative bars, concentric cycles that sit ever so slightly off-axis, inducing the mind and body to obsess and regulating its timing, and then drops you into a very intentionally arranged soundstage giving expansive space to explore. On the flip, 'Pregunta' continues this approach of natural versus industrial instrumentation. The consistent machine kick has a powerful but playful tone, the negative space between each stroke evoking a mighty gesture as its note bends in the decay. Set in 3/4, a community of live percussion successively adds and subtracts, each player’s imperfect attack accumulating into a mechanically smeared and addictive loop that toys with peaks a handful of times yet restrains any unnecessary climax for the betterment of a driving groove. Near the end, as the kick and various players mute and the base of the track is given a moment to breathe, its apparent just how layered the production was in the moments prior, as we’re suddenly at home, smitten with the wobbly and lopsided innocence of the foundational percussion. These two songs will push you headfirst into the light.

Speedy J and Steve Rachmad join forces as Speedy & Steve for a four-track techno EP on Luke Slater's Mote-Evolver this February.

Dutch artists Speedy J and Steve Rachmad have long been defining the techno underground with seminal tunes on a range of influential labels. For their new release, the duo jammed in Speedy's studio for their new release, working the live results into four fresh and powerful new tracks, kicking off a new series of live collaborations on Luke Slater's Mote-Evolver.

The intense and textural 'Reddo' kicks off with industrial synth lines designed for maximum warehouse impact before 'Dabler Nine' brings its deep rolling drums and mind-melting synth lines late into the night. 'Right Well and Clean' has fresh, airy kick drums rolling beneath harsh and icy hi-hats before 'Rotor' closes the release in cosmic fashion with spiralling pads and intensely layered synths and drums.

This new series will see artists collaborating in person, with each EP capturing the creative moment as it happens, with results aimed squarely at the dance floor. Each release in the series has artwork in a specific style that combines one item from each artist, which means something to them, into one new image.

Finger Prince recordings debut with the ‘Make U Feel Project’

A four tracker with the same assignment handed to four artists including some of the original Music For Freaks and Classic Music Company recording artists.

The first release is a close-knit affair with Lil’Mark handing out the project to who he regards as three close family members. No brief was given with the material so that all versions were unique. No spoilers either.

First up on side A, Mark provides a true groove with the swing he’s renowned for. Chords, catchy muting, stabs of vocal and a heavy rolling bassline sets the scene. Straight up house.

Track 2 is from Pale People who takes a great dub approach looping the bass and keys beneath the Vox adding tight percussion reminiscent of his Phonic Crunch collab’s with Mark. After a long hiatus it's great to have him back.

Side B Track 1 comes from Rob Mello doing his ’No Ears’ spectacular. It’s the Classic No Ears sound making great use of original elements and sounding fantastic as always.

Belgium’s export to Ibiza Bart Ricardo gets the final say on track 2. Taking it deeper Bart brings stretched chords into focus over a HEAVY kick and big bottom end. This track has a relentless groove with some well executed breaks.

Known as the “Dynamic Duo” Pig&Dan celebrate twenty years by making a long-awaited debut on Crosstown Rebels next month. The two-track Rock You All Night EP draws inspiration from the USA’s heritage house scene, with a slice of Hot Filtered Disco!

The influences of Chicago and New York are heard right from the offset, with rolling homegrown stabs coupled next to heavy and wholesome bassline grooves. There’s an inherent feel-good atmosphere to the piece, reflective of the era’s freedom and openness, before Let Yourself Unwind finishes proceedings on a similarly euphoric close. Disco-esque melodies flitter beneath an upbeat, repeating vocal as choir-like instrumentals build to create the perfect synergy for both dancefloor and radio play.

Pig&Dan have firmly established their presence as one of electronic music’s most esteemed duos. The pair’s releases speak for themselves, be it on Sven Väth’s Cocoon, Adam Beyer’s Drumcode or John Digweed’s Bedrock to name a mere few of the labels they’ve found success on. Their DJ performances are similarly impressive, with recent years marking the launch of a new live show that debuted across some of the biggest global stages, including Fabric (London), Warung (Brazil) and AIM festival (Canada).

When it comes to releasing groove-driven productions suited for the warm-up all the way through to the afters, there aren’t too many better than Michael James. A studio natural with innate talent earning him a reputation as a must-visit producer, the Manchester native’s growing discography has already welcomed stand-out material via Burnski’s Constant Sound and Constant Black alongside the likes of S.A.S.H., e1ven and INFUSE. Returning to FUSE for the first time since his huge collaborative ‘Weird Things’ EP in 2020 alongside imprint boss Enzo Siragusa, early May welcomes a big solo debut on the label as he drops his dynamic four-track EP, ‘Another Dimension’.

Lead cut ‘Nobody Does’ sees James skilfully fuse funk-fuelled bass licks with sharp drums and wonky synths, while title track ‘Another Dimension’ offers up weighty low-ends beneath skippy percussion and sweeping melodies for a powerful peak time anthem. ‘Downstream’ arrives full of swing as delicate pads float amongst the mix, before closing with the driving sonics and spacey electronics of digital exclusive ‘Underwater’.

Son of Chi returns to Astral Industries, alongside Spanish artist Clara Brea, for the collaborative release of AI-29. A product of fate, chance experiments, but most of all, sensitive artistry - ’The Wetland Remixes’ exists as a confluence of two kindred musical spirits, a wayfaring epic that draws together a rich archive of ecological field recordings, live instrumentation and higher inspirations.

Ahead of Hanyo’s concert at Calma (Madrid) at the end of 2019, the curators organised a special dinner and arranged the meeting of Clara and Hanyo. As Hanyo recalls,“It was like stereochemistry. There was an instant match and understanding, and basically we decided in a split second to exchange recordings and to collaborate on future live and studio experiments.”

The auspicious meeting of the two ignited a remote exchange of materials and ideas, as the world descended into a series of pandemic-related lockdowns. The first of said recordings included the stems of Clara’s ‘Wetland Project’ - a site-specific audiovisual project originally produced for Eufonic Festival (Spain), using field recordings from the Ebro Delta nature reserve (one of the most threatened regions of climate change on the Iberian peninsula).

From this initial impetus, Hanyo began working on the first sketches of the album back in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Just like their meeting in Madrid, the project developed naturally and spontaneously with extraordinary ease. Later, Hanyo started adding field recordings from the Magic Cave and Wetlands of the ‘Kallikatsou’ (Patmos, Greece) as well as organic and acoustic overdubs, featuring bass, drums, percussion, guitars, oud, piano, hammond organ, wurlitzer, flutes, bells, and mouth harp.

In the distance, the sound of birds peak through the effervescent wash of the wetland soundscapes. The pass of running water flows deeper into a land full of secrets never told. On the strike of dusk, the silhouettes of shapely trunks and foliage melt slowly into the impenetrable darkness. As darkness passes, light emerges, with exquisite moments of tranquility that seemingly emerge from nothingness.

Beneath the shimmering veneer of textures, wildlife and melodies, one may hear the deeper references of ’The Wetland Remixes’. With credit to Clara’s input, for Hanyo the album process became a kind of refuge, and ultimately inspired the return to the core of Abstract Sound - what the Sufis call“Saut-i Sarmad.”Such references allude to the spiritual quality embedded in the music - the autonomous process of self-expression, the great mystery. Hanyo: “An ambience like this cannot be created by routine. There is no blueprint. The music has to find you. It’s like a blessing if it happens. You should not interfere, just observe and be impressed...”

Deep, luscious mind trips as per the classic Chi sound, ‘The Wetland Remixes’ beautifully correlates the interconnecting dots of geography, ecology, and mythology’s forgotten lore.

‘.dev’ was yet another collaborative piece from Agoria, aka Sebastien Devaud. As well as Blasé and STS, who returned after featuring on ‘Drift’, Devaud worked with Domino’s Ela Minus, flamenco innovator Niño De Elche, and the unique hip hop delivery of Rome Fortune across the LP, with additional collaborators including Sacha Rudy and Oscar winner (The Sound of Metal), Nicolas Becker.



Sonically, the LP saw Agoria presenting a kaleidoscopic haze of cinematic and evolving electronica that touched on house, techno, electro, hip hop, and beyond but beneath the aesthetics, ‘.dev’ was the work of an artist asking himself questions in order to create worlds out of his answers.



Beyond looking to question the very systems of the traditional album format, his holistic approach to AI and NFT’s within the thematic world of his work were laid out front and centre through the visual and conceptual identity surrounding the album.

Charlotte de Witte continues her fantastic year with brand new EP, Asura, on her KNTXT label. All three of the tracks on this release will be exclusively included in her BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, which is scheduled to be broadcasted on 18th of September.

As well as being back on the road and serving up her high-intensity DJ sets at the world's best clubs and festivals, Charlotte has also been busy in other areas. She has forged a new alliance with Apple Music and is now curating multiple exclusive mix series including a monthly KNTXT Residency Mix and KNTXT Active, which sees the Belgian artist and her label further investigate the connections between high-performance music, sports and BPMs. She has recently remixed the hugely influential trance classic 'The Age Of Love' by Age Of Love' alongside Enrico Sangiuliano and continues to A&R essential new tunes for the label.

Says Charlotte of this EP, "with Asura EP I’m trying to give you a little insight into my musical influences by going back to my roots. We’re speaking about a young Charlotte who, about 12 / 13 years ago, got indulged in the world of electronic music by going to her first underground clubs and raves. From electro and techno to acid core and hardcore to psytrance. This EP flirts with the soundscapes of the latter."

This EP finds Charlotte delve deep into her own past in electronic music with plenty of psychedelic influences. Opener Asura is a brightly lit techno track with big chords that bring the colour. They are sleek and metallic and sure to get hands in the air, with acid sounds and rumbling bass all adding extra weight and depth to this fantastic opener. 'Soma' is another dramatic and psychedelic track with hard-edged drums pounding away beneath celestial chords. They are mysterious and emotive and bring colour to the darkness. Last of all comes another big, psytrance-tinged and emotional roller coaster in 'Stigma' with its all-consuming techno groove and bass that sounds like it's fired from a machine gun. After an acidic breakdown, the drums roll again and even the biggest festival crowd is sure to be swept away.

Charlotte de Witte leads from the front once more with her standout new Asura EP.

Driving anywhere in Texas can cost you half a day, easy. For example, it'll take you over four hours just to get from R&B singer Leon Bridges' hometown of Fort Worth down to Houston, where the psychedelic wanderers in Khruangbin hail from. The state is vast, crisscrossed with rugged expanses of road flanked by limestone cliffs and granite mountains, forests of pine and mesquite, miles of desert or acres of sprawling grassland, all depending on what part you're in. And it's all baking under the Texas Sun that lends its name to Bridges and Khruangbin's new collaborative EP. "Big sky country, that's what they call Texas," Khruangbin bassist Laura Lee says. "The horizon line goes all the way from one side to another without interruption. There's something really comforting about that." On Texas Sun, these two members of the state's musical vanguard meet up somewhere in the middle of that scene, in the mythical nexus of Texas' past, present, and future-a dreamy badlands where genres blur as seamlessly as the terrain. It calls equally to the cowboys boot-scooting at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, the chopped-and-screwed hip-hop fans rattling slabs on the southside of Houston, the art-school kids dropping acid in Austin, the cross-cultural progeny who grew up on listening to both mariachi and post-hardcore out on the Mexican borders of El Paso. All of these things, overlapping in a multicolored melange, purple hues as vivid and unpredictable as one of the state's rightfully celebrated sunsets. A journey through homesick reminiscences, backseat romances, and late-night contemplations, the kind of record made for listening with the windows down and the road humming softly beneath you. Like the highways that inspired it, Texas Sun is guaranteed to get you where you're going-especially if you're in no particular hurry to get there.

Kreng transports us through the swirling darkness and into the unknown with “Wormhole”, his first album in over a decade.

What does a trip towards another world sound like? We’re about to find out. The master of tension, melancholy, and the deranged is back after a long period working in the worlds of theatre and cinema. Last seen on Miasmah with the grief stricken The Summoner, Kreng now returns with Wormhole, following closer in the footsteps of the cult classics L’Autopsie Phénoménale de Dieu and Grimoire.

Starting with “You Are Here”, the listener travels through a vacuum of spacious minimalism and edge-of-your-seat tension. Within the journey, we are pulled and lured towards a mystic inner core and beyond, encountering drifting fragments of old-world nostalgia on the way: echoes of empty jazz bars sit alongside hellish, Hieronymus Bosch-like scenarios.

Surrendering to the album reveals a surprisingly reflective beauty beneath its darkness; it's a true home-listening gem that unfolds like a Lovecraftian cosmic horror-mystery in the way only Kreng could deliver. Forget everything you know and enter the secret door…