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David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s acclaimed 2010 album Here Lies Love receives its first-ever vinyl release to coincide with a new production opening on Broadway this summer. Here Lies Love is a double-disc song cycle – improbably poignant, decidedly surreal, surprisingly thought provoking – about the rise and fall of the Philippines' notorious Imelda Marcos. It was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and DJ/recording artist Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B and pop. Byrne's taste in collaborators is as imaginative as it is impeccable, including Cyndi Lauper (who recounts, to lighthearted disco beats, Imelda's courtship with Ferdinand Marcos), Steve Earle (as the power-hungry Ferdinand), Dap-Kings vocalist Sharon Jones (recalling Imelda's introduction into New York society) and Natalie Merchant (as spurned Imelda confidante Estrella, anticipating the onset of martial law). Along with vocals turns from such stars as Tori Amos and the B-52's Kate Pierson, Byrne works with rising indie rockers St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond; New York chanteuses Nellie McKay and Martha Wainwright; and dance-music divas Róisín Murphy and Santigold. Byrne himself appears as the voice of imperialistic America on ‘American Troglodyte’, a send-up that wouldn't have seemed out of places in Talking Heads' True Stories.



Byrne originally envisioned this as a musical theatre piece, to be mounted in disco and nightclub settings, reflecting the globe-trotting Marcos' taste for such velvet-roped spots as Studio 54 and Regine's. In 2006, he performed work-in-progress versions to enthusiastic audiences at New York City's Carnegie Hall and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. While plans for a US theatrical production continued to evolve, he delivered this unique recording. The award-winning theatrical production eventually premiered at The Public Theater in New York in 2013, travelled to London’s National Theater for a sold-out run (2014–15), and was remounted at the Seattle Repertory Theater (2017).



Here Lies Love has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim's own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne's recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos' increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, "For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What's more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick." Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda's infamous shoe collection.



Many of Byrne's lyrics are, astonishingly enough, constructed from actual Imelda quotes, including the project's title, the words that Imelda, now returned to the Philippines from US-assisted exile in Hawaii, would like to have inscribed on her gravestone. In addition to his new liner note, Byrne illustrates the story with archival photos. In a detailed preface, he reveals what drew him to this subject and the bumpy route he took to launch the project and, ultimately, record this album. The booklet is indeed a page-turner, just as Here Lies Love is a wonderfully old-school album that rewards start-to-finish listening. Once again, Byrne – beloved as musician, thinker and bicyclist-about-town – reveals the breadth and singularity of his vision.



The new production of Here Lies Love will premiere at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Performances begin June 17, ahead of an official opening night on July 20. Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (direction) and Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson (choreography) reunite with Byrne (concept, music, and lyrics) and Fatboy Slim (music) to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway, continuing a ten-plus year collaboration on the project. Tom Gandey and J Pardo contribute additional music. Here Lies Love is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. The staging at the Broadway Theatre will transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors. A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available throughout the theatre’s reconstructed space. The producers of Here Lies Love said, “As a team of binational American producers – Filipinos among us – we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”



David Byrne’s recent works include the launch of Reasons to be Cheerful, an online magazine focused on solutions-oriented stories about problems being solved all over the world (2019); Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, a theatrical exploration of the historical heroine that premiered at the Public Theater in New York (2017); The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments created in conjunction with PACE Arts + Technology that question human perception and bias (2016); Contemporary Color, an event inspired by the American folk tradition of color guard and performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (2015); Here Lies Love; Love This Giant, a studio album and worldwide tour created with St. Vincent (2012); and How Music Works, a book about the history, experience, and social aspects of music (2012).



Byrne curated Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival in London in 2015. A co-founder of the group Talking Heads (1976–88), he has released eight studio albums as a solo artist and worked on multiple other projects, including collaborations with Brian Eno, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Jonathan Demme, among others. He also founded the highly respected record label Luaka Bop. Recognition of Byrne’s various works include Obies, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Evening Standard awards for Here Lies Love; an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads. Byrne’s work as a visual artist has been published and exhibited since his college days, including photography, filmmaking, and writing. He lives in New York City. In addition to 2019’s cast album for American Utopia on Broadway, Nonesuch has released eight other David Byrne records since 2003, including 2018’s American Utopia studio album and two versions of his musical Here Lies Love.



















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On June 16th momentum continues apace for Alex Paterson’s Orbscure records, with the new album by Chocolate Hills – his duo project with Paul Conboy. Purveying world class melodic ambience and plenty beyond, colours in this high-fidelity-headphone-wonderland range from languid chill, kitsch exotica, library music, space age pop, ye olde folk and even drum and bass – all seasoned with (in)appropriately random plunderphonics from Paterson’s infinite goodie bag. Loosely based around a nautical journey to the Bermuda triangle and back, this is a fantastic voyage, but seas remain calm – more ‘Life Aquatic’ than ‘Moby Dick’. Tracks gently bob and float on bass which is roomy and buoyant like the hull of a ship, whilst luxuriously fluffy clouds meander overhead, before their vessel dives deep below to marvel at aquatic delights, guided by sonar. Paul Conboy’s approach as a member of cult analogue tinkerers Metamono – who use no computers, only old pre-digital gear – has carried over into his new joint venture. Both groups write, record and perform at same time, then later edit for release. For ‘Yarns from the Chocolate Triangle’ Paul set himself and Alex up with assorted gear, including a record deck, synths and drum machines, then the pair recorded the raw version of the album on the fly. These long live jams where then then discreetly augmented, embellished and edited, with a nip and tuck in Logic. As well as releases as A.P.E. on Dorado and Far Out recordings, TV and film scores plus his ongoing membership in Metamono, Conboy recorded three albums as part of Bomb The Bass, with whom he also toured Australia jointly with The Orb. On a boat trip over to Bali, Paul made Paterson pancakes, and their friendship was sealed. Having stayed in contact, many years later the duo began an exploration of ideas with their 2019 debut ‘A Pail Of Air’ on Painted World records (who’ve also released records by Nik Turner from Hawkwind, Youth, Roger Eno and Jaz Coleman). So far the duo have performed a low key gig at Paterson’s unofficial lair The Book And Record Bar, plus a bigger stage at the Roundhouse, alongside Leftfield, GAS, Ulrich Schnauss and System 7. Clearly making a lasting impression on Alex, the duo’s name was first referenced on The Orb’s own ‘Chocolate Hills Of Bohol’ remix of their single ‘Assassin’ in 1992, which was the same year Alex got blown away when visiting the prehistoric geological formations and enchanting jungles of the Bohol province in the Philippines.

Jamie Jones and Lee Foss’ Hot Creations imprint welcomes another essential house offering as Jay Farina & Quinzi connect on ‘Pumpin The Junk’.

Collaborating to great effect on labels like Hooj Choons and Cleveland City Digital, Jay Farina and regular studio partner Quinzi have been playing across Europe while cooking up a take on house music that is fresh and full of irresistible grooves. Joining forces for their biggest release to date, the pair head to Hot Creations to open the summer with their two-track ‘Pumpin The Junk’ EP.
‘Pumpin The Junk’ is a sleazy, low-slung and driving house cut with raw and edgy percussion, while the vibrant vocals and old-school rave stabs all light up the track with the sort of character that gets a floor going wild. Next comes ‘The Buzz’, which is exactly that, the type of steamy house groove to get people moving. Rolling drums are overlaid with jumbled toms and fluttering snares before a monstrous bassline brings the warmth, while fiery vocals, drum fills and filtered FX all add more texture and tension to this red-hot offering.

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Amazingblaze is the latest red-hot new talent to be signed up by Charlotte de Witte's KNTXT label. The Russian artist serves up four fierce techno weapons on his Venture EP, due for release on 25th February 2022.

Though a relative newcomer, Amazingblaze is already making big moves mixing up heavy-hitting hard trance and techno. He has a sound that combines old school influences with new school sound design, and it never fails to captivate the dance floor. On this first EP for KNTXT, all of the signature Amazingblaze essentials are here: weighty drums, massive synths and authentic atmospheres.

Says the artist, "The Venture EP was started when I was living in Saint-Petersburg and there was a pandemic situation. Experimenting with different shades of techno I created a pretty authentic sound which works very well on the dance floor. After leaving Saint-Petersburg I decided to move to Moscow, gladly the pandemic restrictions there were lifted and I became inspired by the new city and parties where I've never been before, I completed the EP adding some new bangers with an already experienced touch.”

Says Charlotte de Witte, “My eye fell on Amazingblaze for the first time during the preparation of my Tomorrowland Around The World Set, where I closed with his beautiful track "Stratosphere". A couple of months later, I fell head over heels in love with his track "Venture", which, I'm proud to announce, turns out to be the title track of the newest EP on KNTXT. Venture captures every crowd of people I’ve played it to, ever since I debuted it in my set at Exit Festival. The entire EP is an out of the box masterpiece.”

First up is the mighty 'Venture' with its pummelling drums and turbo-charged trance stabs. They are bright and bring the energy while a rapped vocal adds something utterly fresh. 'Inner Fire' ups the ante further with a diva female vocal straight from the classic trance era. She brings waves of euphoria and, after a spine tingling breakdown, the machine-gun grooves fire on. There is terrific turbulence in the synth stabs of techno gem 'Flashback' as well as industrial textures and walls of white noise that bring real tension. ‘Neutron’ closes down with the most fierce groove of the lot, this time rippled with cosmic psy trance chords and irresistible video game synths to take you into the next dimension.

Venture EP is a superb outing from Amazingblaze.

Damian Lazarus celebrates 20 Years of his world-renowned Crosstown Rebels imprint with a special album project of unreleased cuts and fresh remixes, featuring material from Black Coffee, Maceo Plex, Art Department, Dennis Cruz and many more.

Undeniably one of the most influential record labels within underground dance music, releasing material from Laurent Garnier, Krust and Mathew Jonson to Rósìn Murphy, Deniz Kurtel, Francesca Lombardo and Jennifer Cardini while playing a pivotal part in the careers of artists like Maceo Plex, Jamie Jones, Art Department and Seth Troxler, Crosstown Rebels stands today as a hub and platform for flourishing projects across the electronic spectrum, including via sub-label Rebellion and across a long list of showcases across the globe. More than just your everyday label, the Crosstown Rebels legacy has grown alongside its founder in equal measure, with head honcho Damian Lazarus continually showcasing, championing and spotlighting artists from across the globe who share his radiant, experimental vision for house music and beyond. Ringing in a major milestone in style, 2023 will see the biggest twelve months to date as Lazarus and Crosstown mark the 20th Anniversary of the label with a series of projects set to be unveiled in the lead-up to summer, with ‘CR20 The Album’ set for release on 12th May 2023.

“20 years ago, I dreamed a dream of creating a family of like-minded, crazy individuals from all corners of the planet - releasing music to the world and making people dance. That dream was Crosstown Rebels, and this year we are 20. Over these years, I have forged beautiful friendships, discovered very talented artists and tried my best to help, advise and support some of the most colourful characters in dance music. Crosstown Rebels is more than a record label, it is family.
So 2023 will mark the label’s 20th Anniversary. This is an opportunity for the Crosstown Rebels family, a global community of artists, DJs and creatives, and the label’s myriad of followers to celebrate this momentous milestone. There will be parties and events around the world. A killer compilation of exclusives and special remixes, a beautiful coffee table book, a short film, and a special launch event are planned to bring together the sights and sounds of the label’s unique and influential history. There’s lots to share, announce and reminisce. 20 years young.” - Damian Lazarus.

Comprised of six stellar, high-profile remixes of releases from the label’s catalogue, alongside two previously unreleased original gems, the eight-track package is a rich and exemplary showcase of the far-reaching corners of the Crosstown Rebels sound and also its globally connected family of artists and close friends.

Opening the package, Lazarus’ own 2020 collaboration ‘Into The Sun’ with regular Crosstown vocalist Jem Cooke is given a cosmic rework by Johannesburg’s Major League DJz, while Jamie Jones’ slick ‘Paradise 2011’ is stripped back and given a new lease of life by the hypnotic and heady sounds of Art Department. Opening the B-Side, Dennis Cruz brings his percussive Latin-infused signature sound palette to Chilean musician and producer Pier Bucci’s ‘Hay Consuelo’, before Audiojack’s ‘Feel Good’, another standout collaboration alongside Cooke, is taken into synth-led territories as Michael Mayer reaches for an evolving bed of captivating tones.

The second half of the project brings more excellently remixed material, both new and old, with GRAMMY-winning DJ/producer Black Coffee turning his hand to the label’s first release of 2023 in Made By Pete and Zoe Kypri’s emotive ‘Horizon Red’, unveiling reworked melodies and sparkling keys as he delivers an interpretation of a track which has featured as a staple in his sets. Next, the project welcomes Adam Ten & Yamagucci’s playful yet off-kilter and wonky ‘The K Dance’ which unveils itself as a production perfect for those late night hours and early afters, before Ellum boss Maceo Plex’s ‘Together (2011 Mix)’ brings another lost production to the mix with a driving and zipping ride through sugary synths and soaring leads. To close, Tibi Dabo turns his attention to Guti & Dubshape’s absorbing ‘Every Cow Has A Bird’, delivering a nimble minimal-led trip through lush pads and crisp percussion to round things out in style.

Alongside the album, the 20 Year celebrations will also welcome a 192-page hardback book, ’20 Years Of Magic, Madness and Music’, with words from renowned journalist and key underground music player Joe Muggs, and a feature-length documentary directed by acclaimed director David Terranova.

Crosstown has become known globally for throwing some of the world’s best parties, from the wondrous cultural journey of Day Zero Tulum to longstanding Music Week marathon Get Lost Miami. This ethos of creating magical dancefloor moments spills into the label’s 20 year celebration with its worldwide Get Lost tour, launched with Get Lost Miami, and followed by Bali, Tokyo, Ibiza, Dubai, Istanbul, Rome, Paris, London, Berlin and more, plus a special to-be-announced London showcase.

It’s back to the heart of disco with the next release — our sixtieth! — in Most Excellent Unlimited’s long-running series of collaborations with master editor Danny Krivit, this installment on long-play 12-inch vinyl.

Our A-side features the work of Euro-disco maestro Alec Constandinos, whose symphonic suites and long form arrangements for stars like Cerrone and Don Ray made him an essential ingredient on many a glittering dancefloor in the late ’70s. Love & Kisses was one of his earliest disco projects, and one of his most popular. Their song (the “band” was a studio fabrication of Constandinos) “I Found Love” stretches across the entire side of an LP in its original form, but for discerning disc jockeys who leaned towards the funkier side of the spectrum, the percussion and bass breakdown is where it’s at. And if you are a long-time follower of Mr. K, it will come as no surprise that it is here that he focuses his metaphoric razor on the iconic breakdown, and we are left with a tough, driving track that will suit throwback sets as well as slot nicely into modern uptempo programming. As an added bonus, stick around to the very end when Krivit lets the song’s memorable acapella sample (“And I suppose you thought it was all over??”) finish it out.

It simply does not get much bigger than Donna Summer in the world of disco. Her song “Heaven Knows,” a duet with Brooklyn Dreams singer “Bean” Esposito, is one of the many gems in her catalog, and one that still evokes powerful reactions in heads, both old and new. Produced by the dream team of Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, the power and groove are propulsive and indisputable. Krivit begins with an extended "Mac Arthur Park" horn crescendo that teases the emotion before introducing a newly stripped down singalong verses and chorus of “Heaven Knows”. As the song progresses, a fabulous building effect until the end, a six-minute run through the clouds, enveloped in the ecstasy of that same horn crescendo. A sudden finale, fading into the ether, takes us out and leaves the listener (and DJ) with an open path of which musical road to take next, a master’s touch from an editor who excels at his craft.

Dune Castle Records Presents… For Private Use Only by Cantrips, two heaving psychedelic funk pieces composed by Cantrips' Patrick Ryan and recorded over one day by a studio band including members of Surprise Chef and Karate Boogaloo.

Cantrips is a Melbourne psychedelic funk and cinematic soul group led by multi instrumentalist and studio producer Patrick Ryan. With heavy groove sensibilities, Ryan composes head nodding psychedelic funk music from the Dune Castle Throne Room, a DIY studio in Thornbury, Melbourne, from where he operates the label Dune Castle Records. Ryan composed two tracks in homage to David Axelrod's work with Psychedelic Pop band The Electric Prunes in the late 1960s. Ryan performed these pieces with members of Surprise Chef, with Henry Jenkins (Karate Boogaloo, Surprise Chef, Emma Donovan and The Putbacks) producing the two pieces.

This release follows a psychedelic funk LP composed by Ryan under Dune Castle named Dark Age Martial Arts. A self released record; it was nominated for the Australian Music Prize 2022. It received airplay and support from Radio DJs around Australia on stations such as PBS, RRR and FBI, as well as featuring on radio shows across England, Scotland and France. It also received considerable support from record stores in Australia and the UK.

Emerging talent Amazingblaze has unveiled his new EP ‘Can’t Stop’, out on 3rd March on Charlotte de Witte’s KNTXT imprint.

A four track release, the EP opens with trance cut ‘Can’t Stop’, an electrifying club record which is reminiscent of the 90s. Next up is ‘Got The Vibe’ following the theme of 90s raving, a pulsating, high energy cut. Combining heavy hitting techno beats, ‘Enter The Rave’ sets the tone of the EP, whilst the emotive ‘On The Grind’ closes off the EP with driving pummeling techno, laced with captivating hip-hop vocals.

“Can't Stop EP has a very individual vibe, this time I decided to go through some classic 90s trance & techno vibes and added some freshness by using hip-hop vocals.” Amazingblaze explains. “Each track has its own story. Here we got massive bangers for big venues and hard hitting tracks for clubs.”

Charlotte de Witte adds: “Amazingblaze is back on KNTXT with some truly magnificent tracks. Can’t Stop EP is filled with masterpieces that always turn out to be one of the highlights of my sets. His very distinctive sound just never disappoints. I’m very happy to have him on board for another massive EP on the label.”

Amazingblaze is a fast-rising newcomer on the scene who caught the attention of Charlotte de Witte with his unique talent and craft. Surrounded by music since childhood, Amazingblaze was intrigued by the mysterious vibrations of sound, which was his initial inspiration to produce electronic music. Arriving in St. Petersburg as a teenager, he met producer BMB Spacekid, who later became his mentor. Amazingblaze went onto releasing on Charlotte de Witte's iconic label KNTXT for the first time in 2022 with his ‘Venture EP’ that turned heads on a worldwide scale.

The ‘Can’t Stop EP’ showcases Amazingblaze’s meticulous craft as a fresh newcomer on the scene.

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Spanish DJ and producer Indira Paganotto has unveiled her new EP ‘Lions Of God’ out on vinyl early 2023.

A four-track release, ‘Lions Of God’ kicks off with ‘Legend’, a pulsating, high-energy club cut that taps into Indira’s trademark ‘psytechno’ sound. Setting the tone for the rest of the record, it is followed by the slamming techno meets spiritual vocals of ‘Diabla’, hypnotic, highly emotive vibes of ‘Angels Never Die’, and finally the title track ‘Lions Of God’, a pumping techno cut laced with poignant breakdowns. She returns to KNTXT following last year’s ‘Himalaya’ EP.

“Indira is baaaaack!” says KNTXT label head Charlotte de Witte. “I’ve been playing these tracks for a while now and they’ve been slaying every single dance floor. In my opinion, this is her best work so far and I’m very excited to have her on board for another psytrance influenced EP on KNTXT. She’s been killing it worldwide the past couple of months and it’s been an honor to follow her journey from up close. Big things are coming!”

“‘Lions Of God’ EP is the perfect summary of these twelve years of experimentation with my own psytechno sound,” Indira adds. “You will enter the depths of my mind with these tracks, and you will experience four different stories but with the same beginning and end, the search for truth, hope and love. Low riding as if a horse were taking you running without stopping, you feel melancholic and hopeful, hidden messages that if you know me you will know why they are there! I hope you have a good trip with this EP! Thanks to my sister Charlotte and the whole KNTXT family for your support and sharing my music and my being!

One of Spain’s hottest young dance talents, Indira Paganotto’s sets are full of elegance and effusive danceability, with a quality selection that spans 90s disco to the most current underground techno music.

‘Lions Of God’ sees Indira Paganotto illustrate why she is one of the hottest names on the scene right now.

Musical legends from opposite sides of the world come together on Hell Yeah's next EP as Japan's Calm and Finnish musician Jimi Tenor collaborate on big city takes. It features two new singles as well as remixes from the celebrated tapes and Belfast's best-kept secret, The Vendetta Suite.

This most satisfying of eps came together when the psychedelic space-jazz-funk king and noted musician, composer and producer Jimi Tenor was in tour in Japan. Label head Marco arranged for him to head into Calm's studio in Kawasaki, Tokyo, and real magic happened.

'Big City Takes' is gloriously lush, with serene chords, delicate flutes and organic percussion. Tenor's airy vocal brings the soul as an intimate and late-night groove emerges to melt your heart.

Then come two remixes from tapes. The first is powered by dusty old-school drum breaks. They're doused in subtle euphoria with a nimble bassline down low, while the second one is stripped right back to a pulsing rhythm and killer phased bass. Spread chords bring sunrise feelings to this most colourful of grooves.

On the flip side, Calm offers a version of 'Time & Space' that is nearly eight minutes of exquisitely blissed-out downtempo. Chords ripple like waves, flutes flutter like birds and the whole thing is filled with the joys of a new spring day. The remix comes from The Vendetta Suite, a label regular and under-the-radar talent who is defining his native Northern Irish scene with his fresh fusion sounds. His version brings a new age ambiance to post-rave Balearic comedown. It's one that douses you in life-affirming synths as drums gently persuade you to sway along.

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Egypt-born Barcelona resident Ahmed Raxon has proven himself to be one of the most consistent DJ producers of his generation. His ability to make big room techno FUNKY and highly entertaining has landed him releases on some of techno's finest powerhouses like Cocoon, Drumcode or Ellum. His new double header for Speicher again ticks all the right boxes. "Slipmode" is a robotic workout with that trademark irresistible Raxon drive. "Nu Waze" is more of a cheeky affair, combining an arab quarter tone hook with an ultra funky back beat that would make "Phunk Phenomena"-era Armand Van Helden proud.

Der in Ägypten geborene und in Barcelona lebende Ahmed Raxon hat sich längst als einer der konsistentesten DJ Producer seiner Generation bewiesen. Die höchst unterhaltsame Art und Weise, wie er Big Room Techno FUNKY macht, hat ihm unlängst zu Releases in den feinsten Technoschmieden wie Cocoon, Drumcode oder Ellum verholfen. Seine neue Doppel A-Seite für Speicher hat wieder alles, wofür man ihn lieben gelernt hat. "Slipmode" ist ein typischer Raxon Stomper: robotisch, prägnant, sexy. "Nu Waze" kommt deutlich frecher daher... Ein arabischer Viertelton-Hook paart sich mit einem superfunkigen Backbeat, der Armand Van Helden in seiner "Phunk Phenomena" Phase alle Ehre machen würde.

Following up on the worldwide success of their new album Education & Recreation, Surprise Chef drops a must have two-sider for those of us who can't get enough 45s. The A side, "Money Music" is a bassline driven mid tempo tune that catches you from the first note and carries you through all the gorgeous changes. Piano, vibraphone, and guitar trade places over a watertight drum track that builds up, drops down, builds up again, and changes to half time to take it all home. The B side "Suburban Breeze" kicks in the door with an intro that is bound to be sampled and will get your blood racing and your head nodding. They lure you in with the neck snapping intro that is bound to be sampled and bring you from mood to mood as they change the energy from tough as nails to floaty and groovy, and back to tough as nails. Also Available From Surprise Chef: Education & Recreation LP / CD, Velodrome b/w Spring's Theme 7”.

Rising star SOSA collaborates with established producer and DJ duo Prok | Fitch. Together, they weave their distinct sound of groove-based tech house, releasing a club-driven creation suitable for transient and peak-time moments on the dancefloor.

The title tune opens with a minimal vibe before a sultry vocal slip into the soundscape, evoking a sunrise-at-the-rave mood. Stripped-back percussion allows the lyrics to breathe, while a robust kickdrum conveys a clubby feel. Like the title suggests, Sweat is a pacier tune that ripples with a low-slung bassline and sizzling vocals with a touch of reverb—the perfect late-night groover. Final tune Footsteps In The Dark unfurls with a stabby synthline and snappy percussion, offering a peak-time production primed for a club soundsystem.

Since breaking through with groundbreaking releases on Sola, Hottrax and Cuttin Headz, Liverpool-born SOSA has gained support from leading names in house music such as Jamie Jones, Michael Bibi, The Martinez Brothers, Chris Lake and East End Dubs to name a few. Having launched and established his imprint and event series COCO in Liverpool, SOSA now plays across the UK, counting gigs at Printworks, Motion, Mint and beyond into America and across Europe. Brighton-based producer and DJ outfit Prok | Fitch remain two of the most alluring producers on the house circuit, with their music gaining strong support across a spectrum of the biggest names in the industry from Marco Carola, Michael Bibi, Hot Since 82 to Carl Cox, Adam Beyer and Fatboy Slim.

Edinburgh based DJ and producer Filthy Rich, head honcho at independent techno label ‘Zimp Recordings’, is a deliciously slippery artist with an engorged techno sack who’s always at the ready to spurt his computer generated juicy tit bits all over your proverbial techno flaps.

This release sees him pulling off as much energetic samba and animated conga as it’s possible for one to technically muster. The vinyl is literally rammed chock full of staccato vocals, modulating metallic chords, big percussion, whistles and shouting, all over thumping tribal African beats. Along-with the first two original trax there’s a full on analogue synth growling breakz remix by Kris Breaks of a third, a beautifully produced pounding clinical banger of a techno remix from Duellist & Kenny Campbell, a precisely linear, chanting and hypnotic mix from Polly Ambergris and a stunning debut track from Tom K McCarthy, commonly known by his DJ alias of Toxocologist, that’s a veritable bass driven atmospheric stomper overlaid with trippy melodies and vocals. Utterly outrageous dance floor fodder of the highest order if ever there was some.

Take to the sky and spread your wings because Tartan is back with another double header! Butterfly showcases soaring synths, a 90’s sample, sky high hats & breakbeats for a 5 minute flight.

It’s a soul thing on the flip. A hypnotising synth pattern weaves its way in between, tambourines, 909 drums and big organs. Dancefloor business!

Chicago meets Detroit. Two stateside legends in the form of Greenskeepers James Curd and 3 Chairs member Marcellus Pittman, join forces for the inaugural release on Pronto, putting their house heads together for a certified transcendental trip.

‘Shafty Riptide’ opens the EP, a punchy, late-night jaunt, think big system, smoke filled basement, one red light, no-nonsense hard-hitting house grooves. On the flip, ‘Corners’ a jazz infused, acid tinged, skippy synth heater doused in emotion that grabs you from the off and leads you down the path to paradise.

This is the real deal, authentic as you like, from two greats of the game.

Moxy Muzik are back with the second volume of their Moxy Muzik Editions. Head honcho Darius Syrossian leads the charge with 'Mercy Me', a huge favourite already with Syrossian fans after a video surfaced on the rave footage page of it absolutely booting off at Printworks and deluge of track ID requests followed. Since then, it’s been spun left, right and centre over the tail-end of 2021's festival season. Jordan Masters jumps in on remix duties too - stripping it back for a techier twist.

On the flip, Reelow comes correct with a glitched out roller, 'Daft Prunk' that has been a big hit at Darius Syrossian’s Moxy Muzik residency parties at Manchester’s Joshua brooks. Rominimal royalty Mahony then closes proceedings working his magic on the remix in trademark style.

We welcome back our good friend Karotte with his first release on Break New Soil in over a decade! „XTC“ is pure Karotte dancefloor fire - weird, powerful and beautiful! On remix duties, we are psyched to have our good friend Jeroen Verhej aka Secret Cinema, who really needs no introduction to techno heads around the planet, and he delivered exactly what we've been hoping for: A relentless big-room Techno rework - boom! The second original track by Karotte is called „Drive“, and it's on the deeper side of things, yet not less intriguing at all. Welcome back home, Peter!

2024 Repress
Born in Egypt, bred in Dubai and now situated in the electronic music hub of Barcelona, RAXON makes his SPEICHER debut with this double header that falls into line just past his breakthrough 'Destiny EP' on DIYNAMIC.

THE ANCIENT could be taken as a twisted modern version of YAZOO's 'Superstition' - subtle and bold this track bridges on the sexier side of electro-strasse with a gleaming dagger of nu-wave sophistication. His roots as one of the Middle East's biggest DJs shines through the 'Dark Light'. Mysterious minimal rhythms propelled with a sinister synth hook drives this track to a nowhere that makes you feel that you are somewhere that is right.

We’re excited to be launching a new release series: “Melodies Record Club”, a string of DJ and artist curated mini compilations in loud 12” format.

The first instalment was put together by Four Tet, selecting two big peak-time Jazz tracks he used to spin regularly at Plastic People.

On one side, we’ve got all time jazz greats Jackie McLean and Michael Carvin’s De I Comahlee Ah, taken from their seminal album Antiquity recorded in Denmark back in 1975. A year and a half ago, we visited Steeplechase, the original label in the outskirts of Copenhagen. They informed us that at the time, the track was cut short as it didn’t fit on the full LP. They were kind enough to provide us with the tape of the full original recording, allowing us to release for the first time the full extended version capturing twelve and a half minutes of studio magic. Speaking with Michael back in November, he told us that every song on that album was recorded without any overdubs. They had taken their shoes off and organised the studio in such a way that they could move from instrument to instrument during the take (!!)

On the flip, we have Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath – MRA. Back in 70s London, the Brotherhood had brought together musicians who had sought refuge from South Africa’s apartheid regime and the best of a new generation of British jazz musicians. Music journalist Richard Williams, who had originally reviewed the band in the 1970s tell us: “They made music that appealed in equal measure to the head, the heart and the feet, taking the jazz legacy of Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus and adding to it the fantastic dance rhythms and gorgeous harmonies of the townships and untethered collective improvisations of the new free music”.

Four Tet’s instalment is out early May in 12” format and digitally (stream & download), first press comes with a folded A2 insert with words from and about the artists. Graphic design by Studio ChoqueLeGoff, illustration and animation by Nevil Bernard and for the audiophiles out there, remastered and cut at half speed by Matt Colton at Metropolis Studios!

The second instalment curated by Ben UFO is scheduled shortly, which will be followed over time by a string of releases including selections from Hunee, Mafalda, Floating Points, Anya & Julia from Javybz, Daphni, Josey Rebelle, Charlie Bones, Gilles Peterson… and more, stay tuned!

Swedish titan, Eric Prydz, drops two brand new tracks, ‘Valborg’ and ‘The Raid’ under his highly acclaimed techno-focussed moniker Cirez D, via his own Mouseville Records.

Having teased new material at the likes of Tomorrowland and Creamfields last year, many have been eagerly awaiting this 12” and quite rightly too. A double header of big room, synth heavy Cirez D slammers, that take listeners on a hard-hitting techno exploration.

'Bohemian Rhapsody' Original Film Soundtrack

featuring previously unavailable QUEEN performances at Live Aid
and new versions of band classics heads for October 19 release.

Available on Virgin EMI (Universal) /Hollywood Records (USA)
For the first time ever audio tracks from Queen's legendary performance at Live Aid are being released as part of the soundtrack album to "Bohemian Rhapsody", 20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises' forthcoming feature film celebrating the band, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Recorded at the historic Wembley concert in July 1985, these Live Aid songs are among the rare gems and unheard versions from the band's rich catalogue.

Alongside the show-stopping Live Aid performances of Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, Hammer To Fall and We Are The Champions, the album features other rare live tracks spanning Queen's entire career, new versions of old favourites, and a choice selection of the band's finest studio recordings. Among them are some of Queen's biggest hits, including eleven all-time anthems that reached Number One around the world. The track listing is being announced on 5 September 2018, which would have been Freddie's 72nd birthday.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" is scheduled to have its World Premiere in the UK on 23 October before opening across the world in early November. It stars Rami Malek as Freddie, Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Joe Mazzello as John Deacon, and Lucy Boynton as Freddie's lifelong companion Mary Austin. The soundtrack, featuring all-original Queen recordings and vocals, is released on CD and digital formats on 19 October.

We know you've been waiting for this one since last summer! Caspa's debut on Youngsta's ridiculously on-point Sentry has been one of the most requested releases in a very long time. Hot on the heels of releases by dBridge, Nomine and Akcept, the Sub Soldier comes in hard with two absolute burn-ups...

'Gutter Riddim' is a stately spacious construction where every weighty element is carefully considered and plays a key role in the momentum. Tightly sprung tension buzzes through it with high voltage as Caspa lays down some of his darkest designs to date. 'Hot Head' hurls us even deeper into the shadows. A true teaser piece, the first bass line is a staccato stab that gives you just enough time to settle into the groove before the real big-balls bass line comes hurtling out of nowhere.

Rewind every single time, this has been causing uncut mayhem for the few DJs lucky to have it early enough. Timelessly gully and a perfect way to kick the doors of 2018 in. As those who were at Sentry's first anniversary at Fire earlier this month will corroborate: London's heart rate is pounding away at 140 again, some of the most crucial bass music is coming out of the city and Sentry, Youngsta and Caspa are slap bang in the heart of it. The wait is over... Enjoy.

Australia's Nightime Drama welcome Steven Tang and label associate Trinity for a new collaborative EP that comes with two originals and remixes by Basic Soul Unit and Daniela La Luz.
Tang has long been serving up space age techno sounds on his own Obsolete Music Technology and the likes of Smallville, and Trinity is a DJ, live act and producer from Sydney who plays key clubs around Europe and releases on Counter Pulse and Coincidence as well as this one.
Innermost Search opens the EP with supple and rubbery drums carrying you off into the cosmos as spaced out pads bring real scale and emotional depth. It's a cinematic house track with vivid imagery. Then comes a remix from Dekmantel's Toronto mainstay Basic Soul Unit that is much more busy and robust. A wide lead synth line sprays about above drums which are much bigger and heavier. It's prime warehouse material to get people marching.
Tang & Trinity's Adrifting Voyage then slips back into a deep, cerebral house groove with oodles of reverb and dubby chords cut though by icy hi hats and transcendental pads. Last of all, Berlin's Daniela a La Luz (who has released on the likes of Cocoon and !K7) remixes this one into a lively, nimble house track with curious melodic riffs and tough drums appealing to both head and heel. It rounds out a fresh and powerful EP of futuristic house music.

Drumcode continues its commitment to releasing the scene's most cutting-edge techno. With releases this year already from Adam Beyer, Pig&Dan, Alan Fitzpatrick, Dense & Pika and Julian Jeweil, this July see's the return of Enrico Sangiuliano with 'Astral Projection'.

After his remix of Moby's of 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad' back in November last year, Enrico sought creative inspiration from his travels, transcending that into his productions and long studio sessions during the winter months. The result brings a mind and body melting release from the Italian producer.

The title track 'Astral Projection' is a captivating, big room techno masterpiece. Deep reverberations punch alongside a sinisterly crisp percussive drive. Launching into a groove laden synth modulation of low end textures, it breaks down into an ethereal amalgamation of pads and synths before the vocal launches, taking this track to another level.

'Blooming Era' has destructive dancefloor intent. There is no holding back with the low end synth modulation which Enrico has mastered to perfection. A tightly woven percussive flare moulds flawlessly with the rolling oscillations of the beast of this track.

If you have seen label head honcho Adam Beyer playing anywhere on the globe in the last 5 months, this has been a peak time favourite. Road-tested to the max, and with much success.

Megastar Bruno Mars has unveiled his new album 24K Magic (pronounced twenty-four karat magic), with lead single of the same title. Written and produced by Shampoo Press & Curl, with additional production by The Stereotypes.
The last time Mars dropped an album was December 2012 - four years ago, an eternity for a pop star. He's surfed the intervening years like a pro, with two Super Bowl halftime performances (headlining in 2014, and a cameo last February with Coldplay and Beyoncé), not to mention the biggest-selling song of the past few years, his collaboration with Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk", spending 14 weeks at Number One - tying for the second-longest run in chart history - and winning the Grammy for Record of the Year. To date, it's sold more than 12 million copies, been streamed nearly 2 billion times and made several dragons want to retire.
This is Bruno Mars. Six Number One singles. Thirty combined weeks at the top of the chart (44 if you count "Uptown"). Two albums, 26 million in sales worldwide, four Grammys and counting.
Throughout 24K Magic , Bruno Mars re-creates the R&B he fell in love with as a child - the likes of Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Jodeci, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley, and Babyface.

Adam Beyer's Drumcode juggernaut attracts more fans and critical plaudits with each passing year. Holding firm on its future facing ethos, techno's number one label presents a new volume in its acclaimed A-Sides series with 20 prime tracks to signify its 20th anniversary.

Such is the volume of quality music Adam Beyer receives throughout the course of the year, releasing all of it would be impossible. Enter the blue chip A-Sides series: a chance for the quality-obsessive label head to issue a collection of outstanding tracks that couldn't fit in their regular EP release schedule.

With an eye on future talent, as much as the label's established roster of heavy-hitters, the compilation showcases the full breadth of Drumcode's multifaceted techno sound, equal parts inspiring and functional.

Led by the stealth techno funk of 'Nine of You', Beyer's deft collaboration with Mark Reeve, the compilation takes in exciting highlights from big guns such as Alan Fitzpatrick, Dustin Zahn, Bart Skils, Pleasurekraft, Luca Agnelli, Jay Lumen, Kaiserdisco and Gary Beck.

The rich vein of form displayed by emerging techno talent is similarly given prime position. Rising DJ/producer Boxia makes his Drumcode debut, fresh from a well-received warm up set for the crew at the hugely successful Junction 2 festival in London, while the likes of Enrico Sangiuliano, Juan Sanchez, Ian O'Donovan and Timmo also drop fire, establishing their credentials as some of the most promising talent breaking through the ranks in 2016.


Reinforcing the global scope of the label, artists such as The Junkies from Toronto and Layton Giordani from New York, prove techno is winning a place in the heart of the new generation of artists coming out of North America.

Fuckthegovernment.Ltd, a.k.a. F.T.G (Alfredo Trastulli) and Music Box head honcho, Marco Riff, return to the Skylax fold in 2016 with a cache of house nuggets for our listening pleasure. Their last venture on Skylax saw F.T.G collaborate with a bunch of his friends, resulting in some of the best tracks we'd heard all year, including the unforgettable Fuckthegovernment theme. Their tracks have been celebrated and hailed by some of the best DJs in the game, names such as Derrick May, Ricardo Villalobos, Raresh, and DJ Harvey. The bar set by the first record remains sky high, and somehow, these two manage to raise the bar even higher. It may be the biggest cliche going when talking about an album, but the duo certainly do take us on a journey, through the past and present of house music. It's a record not too dissimilar in tone to Paranoid London's from a few years back, but F.T.G and Marco strip things back even further than those guys did, in our opinion; The sound is more raw with less frills, and no track names to predispose feelings in the listener either. This eight track project is cohesive and elaborate, with movements through sounds both acid and jazzy, minimal and maximal. It explores sounds that came to prominence in famous house locales such as Detroit and Chicago over in the U.S., but the underground European influence is definitely present, from Paris to Berlin, and of course F.T.G and Marco's home of Italy. With this album, these guys add to the underground sound that has cultivated in the city of Perugia for years now, a place that has seen the likes of Simoncino and Nicholas hone their craft.Don't miss out on a piece of Skylax history!

Belgian talent Ilario Liburni looks to the release of his debut LP, 'Travel So Far', forthcoming on his own label, Invade Records. The eight track affair comes on a double vinyl pack as well as digital form which will follow a month later and proves the man behind it to be a superb producer with plenty to say.

Combining elements of house, minimal and intricate sound design, Ilario also heads up the Cardinal label and first emerged back in 2011 on Monique Musique. Since then he has gone on to release on a number of respected imprints (including Riva Starr's Snatch! And Memoria Recordings), has had his tracks licensed to compilations including Noir's In the House album for Defected and has continued to make a big impression as a DJ around Europe.

The album kicks off with 'Travel So Far', a synthetic and stripped back groove with lots of squelchy sounds, scurrying synths and feathery percussive lines all working their way into your brain. 'Sudden' is another Ricardo Villalobos style track that is elongated, intricate and immersive as it unfolds on soft edged drums. Next up, 'Carrie' is a smooth, dubbed out affair that demonstrates plenty of restraint yet really locks you into its hypnotic groove as static hiss and crackles alongside distant synths colour the spaces left behind.

'Steampunked Sewing Machine' ups the ante a little with a hollowed out drum line rocking back and forth on its heels, and 'Can't Fool Data' starts all waify and minimalistic before getting pulled apart to the sound of whirring machines, and then it drops again; you can imagine dancefloors going wild to its hooky rhythms. 'Jenndrum' is all about the pinging drum kicks and globular toms that make for a peppery groove, 'Pherthothal' toys with a sense of abstract funk and closer 'Schwalbe' is a gloopy, gluey, druggy fusion of slurred synths, hiccupping drums and dark textures that make for involving listening.

This is a genuinely inventive album riddled with fascinating sounds,
a real attention to detail and plenty of otherworldly moods that really stick with you.

finally repressed !

Big with Maya Jane Coles, Round Table Knights, Homework, Claude Von Stroke, Robert Owens, Wildkats, Nhan Solo, Shir Khan,..Berlin-based Robosonic welcome the springtime with their first OFF EP. "Worst Love" uses an anthemic sample to create a groovy dancefloor burner with tight groove. Doctor Dru delivers a contemporary underground pop remix. Fritz Zander from the Suol collective made a "Panorama Bar 9 am"-styled remix for the real house-heads. And with "Thankful", Robosonic give us a 2nd original track, slightly more toolish than Worst Love.

Gal Perez is PRZ (and also Pluto Junkies, and the co-founder of Chateau Royal) and the German has put out a steady, quality stream of sounds since 2017. This outing on Helena Hauff's Return To Disorder is a twisted and acerbic collision of breaks, electro and UK rave. 'Cruising' has alarm sounds and blistering synth textures running through saw-tooth bass and big breaks. 'PIGMENTOR' is all acidic and chuggy while 'The Looper" is heads down, feet marching electro-techno. 'Good Bye' brings some electrified disco futurism to the party for a more colourful and outwardly expressive closer.

Undun is the story of a man, Redford Stevens, dying in reverse, rewinding from the moment he became a statistic and hitting the points in his life where he's at his most self-aware. That he's a criminal who got caught up in the familiar street-hustle trappings that the modern media's documented countless times is a pivotal detail-- it's hit at an angle that seems to emphasize the futile inevitability of it all. His life could be any number of misdirected narratives that ends with a toe tag, and what details listeners learn about him are hazy, buried under archetypal turns of fate and decisive struggles. That this protagonist is a fictionalized composite of a handful of real people, filtered through a matter-of-fact narrative that splits character ambivalence with journalistic impartiality, only makes his lack of direction and the failure of any real closure stand out even more. "Lotta niggas go to prison," Dice Raw states on "Tip the Scale", "how many come out Malcolm X?"

So the Roots' latest album isn't a sprawling, rise-and-fall crime story, not a condemnation or a veneration of a man living outside the law, not a bullet-riddled grand guignol heavy on explicit details of soldiers getting cut down. It's a character study of a man whose existential crisis ends only with his death-- a death gone largely unspecified, the glamor and tragedy washed over with a doomed resignation. That's a hard thing to pull off, even for a band as given to deep-thinking concepts as the Roots are. And when your main lyrical catalyst is Black Thought-- a man more given to allusions than direct statements-- it's likely that it'll take a while for the full scope of Undun to really sink in.

If and when it does, it might strike listeners as a bit skeletal: omit the mood-setting instrumental bookends, including a brief, four-part orchestral suite that builds off Sufjan Stevens' "Redford (For Yia-Yia and Pappou)", and you've got maybe a half hour's worth of material. By ?uestlove's accounts, writing Redford's story introduced the headaches and challenges that come with scriptwriting into their songwriting, and what's left on Undun is the end result of frequent revisions and rewrites that attempt to reconcile character, theme, and continuity. If it comes at the expense of nuance, it's not always obvious: There's an easy-to-trace narrative line from Redford's acceptance of his fate ("Sleep") to his acknowledgement of how close it's approaching ("Make My"), back through declarations of aggravated toughness ("One Time"), and celebratory fatalism ("Kool On"), along ups and downs that juxtapose motivation ("Stomp") and helplessness ("Lighthouse"). When the vocal portion of the album ends with two of the bleakest sets of verses in the Roots discography, peaking with the estrangement of "I Remember" and the desperation of "Tip the Scale", Undun reveals itself as a story where a man's actual death isn't quite as tragic as the circumstances that pushed him to it.

Detroit's Big Strick for his 7 Days Entertainment label has assembled of collection of Motor City leaning sounds from local and international artists here across four vital sides of wax. Generation Next opens with taught, pinging kicks and tinny melodies on deep house gem 'Senza Via D'Uscita' then Flabaire from Paris brings more bleeping sci-fi synths to a churning and dubbed out low end. Big Strick himself layers in electrically charged, fizzing synths and ticking hi-hats to his raw and gritty 'Bang My Shit' and Ron Cook ups the pace with the blissed out bumps of heady hymn, 'Again And Again.' Pegasvs from London also stands out with his great drum programming on '808 Jazz'.