quête:bontan

At long last Josh’s collaboration with longtime friend Bontan sees a vinyl release. ‘Call You Back’ has become a modern classic and has been on rotation by some of the world's biggest DJs from Martinez Brothers to Four Tet since its release in 2017.

Long-established house talent Bontan makes a much-anticipated return to Hot Creations in June. Gifting us with the two-track Gold Teeth, it showcases the UK-native at his best and continues a standout 2022 that has already seen him release on Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound last month.

Shamanic-like drums create a hypnotic sensibility right from the word go, as we’re graced with echoing vocals on Gold Teeth. There’s an air of tribalism throughout via shimmering maracas and rhythmic hi-hats, before Heart Shaped Leaf takes on a techy edge. Cow bell-esque percussion undulates beneath a low-slung bassline whilst spacey lyrics repeat nearby, forming a peak-time, club-ready cut.

Since first bursting onto the circuit in 2015, Bontan has become one of the best-selling acts on Beatport, a winner at the prestigious DJ Awards and has firmly cemented himself in the underground house scene. He has released on labels such as Crosstown Rebels, Defected and Origins and remixed for artists including Groove Armada, Booka Shade, Melé and Yousef. He kicked off 2022 with a remix of Agenda for Lazarusman, which reached Number 3 in Beatport’s Afro House chart, as well as releasing Stutterman on Club Bad. His releases this year have received support from Jamie Jones, Skream, Eats Everything, Agoria and Chris Lake to name a few, a testament to Bontan’s keen ear for production.

After fifteen years of shaping dancefloors around the world, Mele is set to release his long-awaited debut album Alive On Arrival via Defected Records Far from an introduction, the album marks the arrival of an artist operating with complete creative clarity, bringing together the sounds, collaborators and influences that have defined his journey into one cohesive body of work.

"Alive On Arrival draws inspiration from what feels like my entire life as a producer, a DJ and a music fan, bringing together everything I love about house, hip- hop, UK music, soulful R&B and wider global sounds. The name comes from Wu-Tang Clan's C.R.E.A.M., which felt fitting to where I'm at in my musical journey. It's been 15 years as Mele, but I'm still alive and feel like I've got so much more to give. I've finally arrived at this point with my debut album. The album was made in, and heavily influenced by, London, Miami and Liverpool - three places that are close to my heart. Sonically, it's inspired by some of the best: Jungle, The Neptunes, Gorillaz and Masters At Work." - Mele aka Krissy Peers Set for release on 25 September, Alive On Arrival is Mele's most expansive project to date. Across fourteen tracks, he draws together house, hip-hop, soul and R&B into a record that reflects a lifetime spent moving between genres rather than being limited by them. Created between London, Miami and his hometown of Liverpool, the album captures the energy and musical history of three cities that have shaped both his sound and perspective. At the heart of Alive On Arrival is collaboration. Rather than simply assembling a list of featured artists, Mele has curated a cast of voices whose individual perspectives deepen the emotional and cultural narrative of the album. Long-time collaborators sit alongside new creative partnerships, each contributing to a record built on shared musical language and mutual respect.

5 track LP

Follow-up to 2025's “i was put on this earth” (“a triumph of gentle reverie and quiet upheaval” - Pitchfork). DJ Python’s music has always occupied the interesting space in between - reggaeton's low pulse, ambient's patience, deep house's forward motion, the abstracted sounds of trip-hop, shoegaze, and pop - and this new EP finds him stretching that even further. A companion to “i was put on this earth”, the new EP shares that project's creative DNA while pulling in its own direction.

DJ Python (aka Brian Piñeyro) steps more fully into the role of singer and songwriter, sharing the mic across a set of collaborators including Ari, Tony Bontana, and Eden, while still carving out room for hypnotic solo songs.

Across five tracks, the project moves fluidly while retaining the captivating melodies, atmospheric textures, and rhythmic innovation that defined Python's earlier recordings - Mas Amable, Angel, and Club Sentimientos Vol 2 - expanding those sounds into something looser, warmer, and harder to categorise.

Tony Bontana, the Birmingham rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist, releases his 35th album My Name, which is also his first to receive a proper vinyl pressing. The album follows an impressive 2025 in which he performed with Nourished By Time, Mark William Lewis, YHWH Nailgun, TAGABOW and 454.

His earlier 2025 album The Beautiful Malaise made The Wire’s annual top 50, and he appeared as the sole feature on Nourished By Time’s album The Passionate Ones, where Marcus praised his “freewheeling spirit.”

Tony’s production work has appeared on records by Billy Woods, Cities Aviv and Novelist, with upcoming collaborations planned with Blackhaine and DJ Python. The single Battered Chips has received airplay from NTS, Esk on Rinse and Huw Stephens on 6 Music.

If anyone is counting this is the 35th album by Birmingham rapper, producer, multi-instrumentalist Tony Bontana. A pioneer of his own ‘Splayed’ style of production characterised by heavily manipulated samples, non-linear rhythms and introspective lyricism. My Name is a significant landmark for Tony being the first album to receive a proper vinyl pressing. It caps an impressive 2025 which has seen Tony play live with acts such as Nourished By Time, Mark William Lewis, YHWH Nailgun, TAGABOW and 454. His previous album “The Beautiful Malaise” (one of four he released in 2025) made The Wire’s annual top 50. He appeared as the sole feature on the acclaimed Nourished By Time album The Passionate Ones on the track Jojo with NBT’s Marcus praising the rapper as having the “freewheeling spirit of a street baller out on the playground” . His productions have already appeared on records by Billy Woods, Cities Aviv and Novelist with further collabs to come with the likes of Blackhaine and DJ Python. The standout single Battered Chips has received airplay from NTS, Esk on Rinse, New Music Fix and Huw Stephens on 6.

DJ Support: Danny Howard, Pete Tong, Sarah Story, Triple J, Groove Armada, Jamie Jones, Marco Carola,Nic Fanciulli, Sam Divine, Carlo Lio, Mat.Joe, Todd Terry, Jansons, Eskuche, Moon Boots, Format:B, Low Steppa, Robosonic, Dantiez Saunderson, Charlotte Van De Peer, Dario D’Attis, Shiba San, Dennis Cruz, Pirupa, DJ Rae, Danny Tenaglia, Rene Amesz, Juliet Fox, Ashibah, Boris, Carly Wilford, Booker T, Dateless, Melvin & Klein, Paco Osuna, DJ Lora

Nothing Else Matters is proud to bring an exciting new vinyl from HoneyLuv who makes her debut on Danny Howard’s imprint, teaming up with New York DJ, producer, singer-songwriter and vocalist Roland Clark for their brand-new single, ‘This Is My Life’. Crowned Radio 1’s Future Star of 2023, HoneyLuv has taken the Dance scene by storm in recent years with support from Seth Troxler, The Martinez Brothers, Nicole Moudaber, Kevin Saunderson, Maya Jane Coles, Loco Dice, Idris Elba and more, with releases signed to Black Book, Insomniac, Tuskegee, Three Six Zero and more. On the other hand, Roland has worked and co-produced music with many of the greats, including Fatboy Slim, Mark Knight, Todd Terry and Bob Sinclair, with his vocals considered the “voice of House” and one of the rare few that can bring you an electrifying DJ set while getting on the mic and giving you a performance unlike no other. Making for the perfect pairing, ‘This Is My Life’ is set to propel both artists to even greater heights and will surely be a firm favourite at clubs and festivals worldwide this year. Kicking off the B-side is a killer rework from the legendary Carl Cox who brings his A-game with this one infusing his signature grooving basslines and high-energy, hypnotic percussive grooves. Rounding off the package, Bontan’s rework delivers organic drums and captivating Afro-House rhythms catapulting the track to new audiences and new heights.