The man, the myth, the legend that is Aldo Vanucci is back with a small black disc of wax for the ages. Yes, it's the very same individual who supplies samples to Fatboy Slim, who was voted Plymouths 14th best DJ and who has undertaken marathon 36 hour DJ sets for charity. Exactly. Yes it's that Aldo Vanucci...
With a vast back catalogue of releases already to his name on respected indie labels including Tru Thoughts, Catskills, Good Groove and his own Good Living Records he has established himself as one of the producers you can trust when it comes to quality.
And this release ahead of his forthcoming album on Jalapeno Records is no exception. The soulful strutter - 'Ponderosa' could have been extracted from a Tarantino movie taking a Morricone-esque score sample and flipping it into a modern slice of driving pop. The powerful top line from Dena Deadly adds some colourful imagery to enhancing the already cinematic sounds.
Flipside 'Knew You Were Coming' fuses an 80's disco boogie groove with a memorable top line that really shows off Mr. Vanucci's DJ credentials. It's a club bomb with enough power to detonate any dancefloor.
Koehler was hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky. This is his first offering for the ESP Institute. Side A recalls the hazy memory of an ear-worm chant heard over a decade ago on the streets of Thailand, a melody that since haunted the artist and has finally been exorcised by his own hand in the shape of 'Melencolia V'. Somewhere between an enchanted bashment and a sailor's watering hole, Koehler found a gargantuan kick drum that lands solely on the 4, slammed it together with a wide pulsing bassline and brutalized Dancehall snare, then laced it all up with his elusive synth melody. Add to this a generous sprinkle of finely-ground cosmic dust and we're all tripping the light fantastic. On the flip side, the artist buckles up for a rough and rapid-paced journey with 'Invidiosa' — a relentless snare scrapes, gouges and corrodes over 7 minutes, coupling with a simplistic bass loop and swiftly marauding through a demented assembly line, accumulating various nuts and bolts of instrumentation along the way — an undeniable dancefloor exciter for those hours when the club becomes unhinged, dancing becomes raving, and slightly more audacious folk can channel their inner truth. These two songs will have you question your existence.
Stefan Smith has channeled an elevated reverence for process, texture and synth-extrapolation with the forthcoming release of his self-titled LP on the Sapiens imprint. A relative new-comer to the land of rapid fire releases and dance floor formulae, Smith is deeply steeped in the art of music creation, performance and theory.
As a graduate of Mills College's revered music department, Smith's prosaic understanding of music partially explains his migration to Sapiens, a label headquartered in Paris, France, which, under the direction of techno luminary, Agoria, has been expanding the realm of possibility for what a techno label can become. Collaborating with musicians, visual artists, film directors, shamans and sound designers, the young Sapiens platform releases may include political speeches, radio hits, dance floor tunes, sensorial or cognitive music or a gentle computer
virus'. Smith's LP contribution will definitely fall on the more delicious end of this spectrum, having woven a synth-lovers dream tapestry.
The nine tracks composing the album, Stefan Smith', draw the listener in on a river of oscillators, which push just past the banks of perceptible sound with with flawless production and loving sound treatment. The idea behind the album is very raw and organic. Stefan Smith focuses on atmosphere, mood, tones, and frequencies, rather than melodies. His productions are a response to the subliminal, and about feeling.
This album came together from a natural flow of working with computers and synthesisers, and also from the musical connection fostered Sebastien Devaud (Agoria). His approach to the album's production was to edit as little as possible, keeping the original feeling of chance and temporality intact. We can sense here Smith's intuition as sound designer, a role which has enabled him to work with artist Nicolas Becker and through this association further contribute work to the Philippe Parreno 'Anywhen' exhibition in Tate Modern Turbine Hall. The feedback
generated by studio experimentation gives birth to new ideas for aural shapes and textures. If one were only to lie back and identify the various wave forms, like butterflies and birds flittering through dappled sunlight, in each track's canopy of bountiful synth elements the mind's eye would dance with the steady intervals of Smith's real-time probe of his machinery, however, deep tracts of emotion and effortless grooves won't allow for a purely sensory listen. In the spirit of exploration, enjoy the ride.
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Under pseudonym "Jean Eon,' Johnny Quinn Alston is the artist behind the project _ - / _ EON, a performance endeavor born out of an intense personal and familial experience in 2011.
_ - / _ EON is a portrait of the various manifestations of energy throughout the wide span of time and space we inhabit, from human experience to multidimensional mystery, as well as a peek into the many emanations that eternal power can create.
Jean Eon is merely a human form attempting to channel what bits of existential mystery he can interpret into sensual experiential form. He aspires to be as comfortable as possible with existence as a flawed, but striving, human being, and is not to be confused with the immortal and cosmically balanced EON itself.
_ - / _ EON is larger than Jean, and the EON is also you, we, and everything in between. We are all already avatars of the EON, and this project makes an attempt to shape truths of the great æther from which we are carved and will presumably* return to, however bittersweet or glorious that eternal promise may be.
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* do we ever really die
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The music released under NEW YORK TRAX 08 results from physical expression as . _ - / _ . EON focuses on channeling physiognomy over dictation. The EP explores pre-existing textural combinations discovered and rescued from stone as opposed to built step by step.
The initial inspiration for this EP arose from driving past randomly unfolding rural scenes. A majority of . _ - / _ . EON's resulting work similarly gravitates towards a series of landscapes discovering each other rather than 'arrangements' played on repeat.
In the back of your head, you know those blinking aircraft warning lights on towers, but how mysterious and ominous they look before you discover what they really are On the surface, this project represents the sound of being struck by the sight of something for the first time, and the ominous, transfixing, thrill of not knowing what it is.
Giorgio Gigli and Bichord team up for the first LP in the Planet Rhythm Black series. With their intricate drum patterns, sophisticated rhythms, and extended pads, these tracks will fit perfectly in any deep techno set. They take their atmospheric sound and submerge it deep in the ocean where only a few rays of light can penetrate. Nevertheless the music breathes and still has a very spacious and airy quality.
Original photography on the poster by Christopher Michel.
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Ever since hearing Pete Tong announce 'Chica Wappa' as his Essential New Tune back in 2004, we've been following the bold Alex Smoke on his musical journey.
Coming from Glasgow, we've shared a lot of common influences - both from within and outside of the city and we have Alex to thank for introducing and strengthening our love for the likes of Villalobos, Rhythm & Sound, Carl Craig and Actress, amongst others. Although he was a familiar face on the 'minimal' scene, he always operated on his own terms and that's a throughline we've admired throughout his career. Not only is he comfortable releasing techno on Soma and R&S, he's produced for ballet, films and even the NHS.
Over the years, Alex has played at a few seminal parties for us; alongside the likes of Oni Ayhun, James Holden, Helena Hauff and Veronica Vasicka. So we were delighted to be approached by him to work on a record together and it's been really exciting to hear it evolve over time. It would be arrogant to compare it to Thom Yorke's - The Eraser, but it certainly occupies a similar world in our mind. To still be producing innovative and inspiring albums 15 years into a career is no mean feat in this age and it's a great honour to welcome such a musical hero on to the label.
As with the last Auntie Flo album, we're also lining up a very special remix package with a swarm of our favourite producers of the moment and we can't wait to share them with you too over the course of the year.
Social Lovers return to the dance-floor with a stunning white label release of "Lover's Flame / The Light" on Hobo Camp to close out 2018, following up their ltd 7" "Can't Get Enough". "Lover's Flame" is a mixture of street funk and freestyle, evoking classic 80s NYC synth feels, accompanied by Doherty's playful vocals. "The Light" channels soulful garage house feels, and keeps the vibe sensual, spiritual, and heavy. A true dance 12" with an additional 'Instrumental' version of the A side, and 'Keypella' of the B side, DJs are already banging these tracks out on systems worldwide.
Led by head-producer Matty P, and the sultry voice of Megan Doherty, Social Lovers are a collaborative group that sprung up from the desert of Phoenix, Arizona and soon to spread to both coasts. Now with their core members sharing home-bases in both New York City and Los Angeles, their smooth sound is best defined as 'street funk with a splash of class'.
B-movie junkies, gather round and prepare yourselves for what could only be described as a cinematic speedball. Take a combined hit of two of the most potent strains of toxic cinema, dress it up in ritualistic robes and make it dance to the beat of a stoned, motoric, country commune soundtrack. Like an exploito double bill where both films merge into a single feature, this directorial debut by an ex-Roger Corman protege and future Russ Meyer art director (another heady cocktail) is the product of one writing duo's fleeting time in the driving seat as the moviedrome marathon approached its dwindling finish line.
Werewolves On Wheels emerged in 1971 in a climate where the B-movie genre of the previous two decades began to make way for the early glimpses of imported slasher films and video nasties. Entirely out of popular context in 1971, the soundtrack music of Don Gere would perhaps reveal him as the most versatile actor involved in the whole production. Until this point, Don Gere had been a pop folk songwriter and a country music devotee, but while riding with the werewolves, Don Gere became a disjointed psych rock stoner making ritualistic commune country with more coincidentally in common with Germany's emerging Krautrock scene or the more localised stoner psych of Skip Spence (whose radically ahead of its time LP OAR was recognised by Columbia Records as their lowest selling record in the company's history). Imagine guitarist Sandy Bull jamming with Munich's Amon Duul 1 or some Swedish prog outfits like Trad, Gras och Stenar or a sedated Kebnekaise. In comparison to the Curb/Allan scores, for films like Wild Angels, Devil's Angels, Thunder Alley, and Born Losers (often released on Curb's own Sidewalk or Tower records), the new music made by Don Gere, only three years down the line, sounds like it's from an entirely different generation...
"Pre-certified biker psych from the hillbilly Haxan. Amazing!" - SEAN CANTY (DEMDIKE STARE)
" I used to live in rue de Clignancourt, and remember as a kid going to the 14th of July West Indian ball organized by my father rue André Del Sartre in Montmartre every year. There I would meet, among others, saxophonist Robert Mavounzy. Sticking to the area, my older brother had a band and often played at the famous venue La Cigale, where even Henri Salvador joined him for a jam from time to time."Since childhood Serge Fabriano bathed in music, to-ing and fro-ing between his native Guadeloupe and Paris where he grew up. He attended the music conservatory, learnt how to play bass, met and played with many musicians and was ultimately angling for a career as a music teacher. But Serge had wanderlust; he lived to meet new people and was passionate about travel.Thus, it was in a squat located rue de Flandres in the 19th district of Paris that Serge Fabriano met by chance zarb player Djamchid Chemirami, one of Iran's greatest percussionists, who invited him to the Arts Festival of Shiraz-Persepolis. After a month-long motorcycle journey, he and his guitar teacher, Roger Bénichou, arrived in Tehran. Sadly their guitars didn't survive the journey. It was there that he met, among others, Woody Shaw, Max Roach and his wife Abbey Lincoln. Serge also formed a friendship with saxophonist Gary Bartz and stayed on a month playing with the cream of the musicians who'd attended to the Festival.During the mid-70's, he alternated between teaching classes and live gigs, and performed in Germany with a funk band comprised of ex-GIs from the US Army. He also met the members of Chick Corea's group, Return to Forever, and especially Stanley Clarke who became a great source of inspiration to him.From 1978 onwards, Serge Fabriano put aside teaching and devoted more time to music. He became a musician's musician, doing studio recordings with rock bands. He also played with members of the Caribbean diaspora, which included the great drummer Marcel Lollia (known as Velo), Patrick Jean-Marie, Guy Conquette, Winston Berkley, Mino CineluDuring the "Ayatollah Comédie" musical comedy tour organized by the Journal Liberation, Serge met actor Pierre Clémenti (Il Gattopardo, Belle De Jour, The Conformist). This was a game-changer : "I was trying to record my first record. Clémenti suggested the Studio Beaubourg in Paris. "The group Fabriano Fuzion - Fabriano Unit Zion - was born.The band brought together some of the Caribbean's most inspired musicians: Martinican-born Mario Canonge on the piano (his first appearance on an album), Alain-Jean Marie on the synthesizer, Edouard and Pierre Labor on saxophones, Claude Vamur (Kassav ') on the drums, singer/percussionists Marie-Reine Lamoureux and Marie-Céline Lafontaine, percussionists Roger Raspail, Sully Cally and Hector Ficadière (Tumblack, Vent Levé) on Ka percussions.It is precisely the Gwo Ka - this ancestral 'root' music deeply embedded in the heart of the Guadeloupe musician - which constitutes the rhythmic backbone of this first opus. The Gwo Ka, the jazz, the poetry and the spiritual vibe are gathered here to form a splendid album; one of the true masterpieces to emerge from the French West Indies.Rarely will a band have borne its name so well than Fabriano Fuzion - its music is a multiple and collective work in which each element brings its identity and its richness, conferring to this major work a truly fusional dimension.
Rian Treanor will release his anticipated debut album 'ATAXIA' on Planet Mu this March. The striking full-length follows singles for The Death Of Rave and Warp's Arcola imprint as well as live sets at Boilerroom x Genelec, Nyege Nyege festival, tours in India and various high profile EU shows.
The title 'ATAXIA' means 'the loss of full control of bodily movements' and relates to Rian's music which is 'intended to make people's bodies move in unpredictable ways.' He adds 'the angles in the letters, the phonetics seem to mirror the geometry and idiosyncratic patterns in the music.' Rian explains that components of the tracks were made by generating a series of irregular events and re-structuring them, or by destabilising a pattern that is constant.
When asked how the album compares with his previous releases, he says 'My earlier EPs share a similar interest in angular and asymmetrical rhythms that are designed for club sound systems,' adding 'they were more improvised, focusing on sequencing and pattern modulation, using standard drum sounds and synthesiser patches. ATAXIA is more focused and stricter, it's more co-ordinated in terms of the track selection and the rhythmic structures. I spent more time refining the synthesis and sound design, pushing it further than the previous releases.' He expresses an interest in exploring opposites in his music: 'fluidity and syncopation,' 'systematic and unpredictability,' 'reduction and extremity,' 'irregular symmetry,' 'easy listening and brutal'.
There's clear a conceptual backdrop, but the music itself is not overthought. There's an immediate joy to much of the album - check out ATAXIA_D3 with its wonderful cut-ups and modulations of the phrase 'people don't understand people.'
The roots of Rian's playful sound are directly linked to his love of the music he grew up with. Coming from Sheffield, you can hear elements of industrial, synth-pop, bleep, extreme computer music and speed garage at play. From Cabaret Voltaire to Warp and beyond; the sound of his city has been, and is, an integral part of his musical development and is still a direct influence.
Last year, he noted in an interview that "I'm not a computer programmer, I'm not an articulate person in that kind of way. I'm a visual artist." Now he elaborates 'I meant more that I'm a visual thinker.' Drawing and visual art have been a fundamental part of his life 'since I was a child. I got really into graffiti as a teenager and around the same time I got into mixing and these both developed together.' You can sense the mind of a visual artist at work in his music which is also reflected in the artwork he created for this project.
As well as his visual art, installations and multichannel sound works he is involved in numerous collaborations such as with composer Nakul Krishnamurthy exploring the common ground between Indian classical music and electronic music and his work with improv saxophonist Karl D'Silva, plus his time studying with Lupo at Dubplates and Mastering in Berlin (who taught him the 'importance of reduction') have all helped shape and push his sound into other unique and adventurous zones. Treanor is developing on different levels and in different forms all at the same time, re-imagining the intersection of club culture, experimental art and computer music, presenting an insightful and compelling musical world of fractured and interlocking components.
Fifth part of the Strata-East Dolphy Series, Glass Bead Games is arguably the crown jewel of the Strata East movement, an amorphous genre that treads an unusual path between post-bop, 70's avant-garde and spiritual jazz, with a groove.
Glass Bead Games is full of revelations at many levels. First, the decade of the 1970s did produce genuinely creative, "human" new music flowing from the jazz mainstream; second, Bill Lee was more than Spike's dad: he was a superlative bassist, a team player of the first order, a powerful catalyst who, if anything, deserves to be better known than his son; third, Billy Higgins was, as so many musicians insist, a once-in-a-lifetime drummer—the bellows inspiriting the collective flame.
Most importantly, Clifford Jordan was an artist of the first order, his playing so effortless and unforced, unselfconscious and focused, mature and wise that, at a time when altissimo fury was all the rage, it's small wonder his authentic voice frequently went unheard. His musical rhetoric is so personally expressive, its substance so compelling, the listener couldn't care less about the extraordinary technique required to convey its captivating message. Compared to some of his more acclaimed peers he's a less aggressive yet paradoxically more directive and shaping influence. The climaxes, rather than spelled out, are merely suggested, registering with deep and lasting impact on the listener. It all comes down to learning the language, those precious little beads. Not every player, including Jordan or the listener, can use it like Shakespeare, but all can learn to read Shakespeare and understand its principles of arbitrariness and serendipity, of invariance and transformation.
Jordan, no less than Shakespeare, requires a like-minded cast of players—in this case four musicians of such redoubtable proficiency that each remains committed to keeping the beads in play. He's not a man content with a mere musical "dialogue" with his fellow musicians nor is he about to take the initiative in pulling his troops up to his level. Instead he begins to tell a musical story that's so compelling his three comrades are inspired equally to contribute to a collaborative narrative. This is brilliant music-making by a Coltrane- influenced successor who feels no obligation to mime the predecessor. It may be the most significant saxophone performance on record since Coltrane and, providing the listener stays with it for any length of time, the most deeply satisfying. Jordan's game—so effortless, unforced, and "level"—erases distinctions between composed and improvised, soloist and ensemble, narrator and narrative, the dancer and the dance. It seems incapable of wearing out its welcome.
Just say Background Disco and you're quickly reminded of the super-groovy sound that pervaded certain sequences of 1970's Italian films, generally set in discos or clubs with a strong presence of music. Soul, disco, and funk tracks playing in the background, between a dance on the floor and a glass of J&B at the counter, that were supposed not to overcome the dialogues. Two of these jewels, signed by Alessandroni for the sexy comedy FRITTATA ALL'ITALIANA (1976, Alfonso Brescia) and previously released by our label in the collection LOST & FOUND (Four Flies Records 2017), definitely deserve the upgrade to the 12'' format. Therefore, they are proposed in a new edit designed for the dancefloor, each in a double version: the sung one (by lesser known Lorena, a member of Alessandroni's vocal band I Cantori Moderni) and the instrumental one.
Icons Karen O and Danger Mouse unveil their debut recording as a duo, 'Lux Prima,' today—listen here. The song, out today on BMG, is the first to be released from a forthcoming joint album.
'Lux Prima is the first song we wrote for the record,' says O. 'After making music for the past twenty years and embarking on making this record with Danger Mouse I knew a couple things: one was that the spirit of collaboration between us was going to be a pure one, and two was that the more I live the less is clear to me. When you create from a blurry place you can go places further than you've ever been. I think we both were excited to go far out.'
There have been millions of typical disco edits in the last years. But there is so much more interesting music from the late 1970s and early 80s yet to bubble its way to the surface. One of those lesser explored fields is the crazy funky side of Germany's underground disco and new wave from that period. At the time, many German bands were trying to make their own version of English and American styles. After Kraftwerk and Can had started to use the German language in a cool, new way, many bands that followed in their steps experimented with German new wave. Most of these bands didn't reach a bigger audience. Their records never got pressed to more than 300 - 500 copies as they were a number of years ahead of the huge commercial explosion of German pop in 1984: The NDW aka 'Neue Deutsche Welle", with Nena's humongous hit 99 Red Balloons. The bands featured on the compilation released their music before the NDW hype and later broke up. Plenty of these early bands are best forgotten but if you dig deeper you'll find the gems, bursting with style and attitude. And that's just what Toy Tonics heads Mathias Munk Modica & Kapote did. They hit gold.
We are very excited to present you this new signing and debut EP by Dampé. A studio and live project from South East London. Since moving to the city, Dampé has been intimately involved in its club culture " from running warehouse spaces and booking venues to DJing and performing in groups across the city and Europe, under a slew of different aliases.
The music is made on a boat on the Thames and is a combination of dusty analogue gear, live instrumentation, and samples. For Dampé, influential parties were "Co-Op, FWD>>" and "You're A Melody" and echoes of those dances can almost be felt in the sound. Across five original tracks, the EP explores weirder and worldlier ends of house music, all with a nod to undeniably UK sounds.
"Peach Shuffle" is a made-for-the-floor, broken beat work-out that has this great warped and chopped Persian vocal sample giving the track a unique and world-wide touch, followed by "St James" Road", a crunchy live Rhodes jam and ode to a favourite street south of the river. "Move Me" is all garage-infused vocal loops and singing bowls and acts as an experiment-come-DJ tool. "Carn" is a super-swung hip hop beat featuring "SMBD" aka "Simbad" providing additional keys. Closing out with "Zongo Junction, At Night", a late night roller with material pieced together from saturated CR 78 samples and field recordings made when Dampé was recording sound for a film about witchcraft and the internet across rural Ghana.
To round up this exciting EP we ask a fellow SE London enthusiast "Nebraska" to make a remix of the title track "Peach Shuffle". Cutting up the vocal of the original, adding some mean bass and pouring a smooth "dance floor" sauce over it. The delicious end result is something we are very proud off and we hope you will enjoy as much as we do!
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'Sometimes you wake up and you've just lost the plot. Is life great or is it not Should I eat more fruit Is buying diamonds rude' Ca$hminus are asking all the wrong questions. After their debut on Bordello A Parigi last year and a recent appearance on Credit 00's Rat Life imprint, the Belgo-Australiana duo unleash a collection of their wildest works to date. The package opens with 'Atlandwehr', a jaunting affair that could have risen from the filthy Berlin Landwehr canal, only to dissolve again after six frenzied minutes, leaving nothing but a trace of bubbles on the skanky surface. The gritty 'La Foire', a grimy take on Belgian new beat, fuses raw, stepping drums with a playfully gnarly synth line. Luckily 'De Vlasmarkt' is lurking around the corner: this is the awkwardly joyous soundtrack to an annual phenomenon in Ghent, where young and old folks gather on the 'Vlasmarkt' square after a heavy night of boozing, to collectively gaze at at the sun coming up whilst drinking Irish coffees until they drop. G-funk meets electro on the flipside, where Cora from Chengdu showcases her vocal swag on '' to a backdrop of supreme subbass and rattling beats. Man of the moment Cornelius Doctor of HARD FIST fame (the adventurous imprint he runs with Tushen Rai) delivers a beast of a rework that both hypnotizes and elevates. The acapella leaves you in charge of your own destiny.
Project Karnak is the production duo brainchild of keyboardist Dominic Canning and drummer Sam Ouissellat. 'Equinox' is their debut EP released on London label None More Records.
The whole idea behind the band is that they make synthesised, electronic sounds and bring them into a "jazz" realm accompanied by tight, energetic and fresh drums.
The duo meld influences from drum & bass, jazz, funk and the "Final Fantasy" soundtrack into their fresh new sound.
Imagine if you could put together a dream line-up of MCs and producers from all four corners of the rap world
That's what artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles set out to do when he put together a stellar collection of tracks by the rappers and talent that inspire his work.
The all-star line-up features everyone from hotly-tipped emerging producers like Eets, Caleb Stone, Maze Mountain and LoVibe next to underground perennials like Onra, Mndsgn and Jon Wayne all the way up to top flight producer Kaytranada and established rap vets like Madlib, Oh No, Blu and Defari.
This second collaboration between All City Records and Gangster Doodles is a jam-packed sonic adventure featuring 27 killer tracks from some of the finest creators out there. Doodles had the idea for a comp two years ago. Hyped after partnering with All City for Knxwledge's "Wraptaypes" project back in 2015, they initially set out to put together an EP but as the tracks kept coming in it exploded into the sprawling double LP of low-slung grooves and bangers from the best in the business.
With everyone on the record being a friend or friend of a friend, the comp just kept growing as GD went to work with the hustle he has learned from penning his post-it sketches day in day out for the last decade.
Word spread fast and soon he was being sent beats from all over, even reaching behind the prison walls of Bergen County Jail, New Jersey and securing a track from former Dipset affiliate Max B.
The last few years have been busy for Marlon "Gangster Doodles" Sassy. He released his acclaimed Gangster Doodles (The Book) alongside an ever-expanding array of prints, original works, apparel and exhibitions across the globe. Topping that off with animation projects, a graphic novel in the works and now, with this LP titled " Gang$ter Music Vol 1", he is about to debut his first ever music compilation.
He says himself: 'Every time a new track came in it was like running down the stairs on Christmas morning to open a present. What started as a slow trickle of work coming in soon turned into a tsunami with some of my heroes like Onra, House Shoes, Blu, Jeremiah Jae joining up with young guns Kojaque, Kean Kavanagh, Dream Panther and others to beef up the record'
'When an email pinged through with a track from brothers Oh No and Madlib it felt like the final gift and Gang$ter Music Vol. 1 was complete.'
Another fantastic release is on the way of Suburban Avenue. The number 012 of the collection is a combo, delivered by the master Zadig and the talented guys, owners of the label, Asymptote.
Both sides are splitted. On the A side you can find the Zadig's masterpiece 'Inlandsis' (previously released on the Resistance vol I mixed by Asymptote) and a2 'Asymptote - Night Shift'; B side is made by b1 'Zadig - Molecular Cloud', an excellent, deep and Spaced out Techno trip and b2, 'Asymptote - Liquid Mineral' an Acidic and perfectly executed Techno track.
There's also a digital bonus on this Ep, 'Asymptote - Jealous Guy': stomping and kicking effective Dj tool, ready for the big floor.
Keep on moving, don't look back; you don't need to know how long is the route. Just enjoy the infinite possibilities of it.
When the strange and different has become the new normal, a certain normality, well... becomes our first straight techno 12'.
Danny Passarella needs no introduction, his death squad of shoegaze warehouse ghost being of non-fading memory. D'Marc Cantu (following Perc and Oliver Ho in a serie of collabs) does not either, hero of Nation and fine purveyor of American acid.
This is pure machine music straying from the eternal revival of everything vintage. It looks forward not...
As they say it themselves:
'The Future has A Silver Lining' title comes from the advertising for a high-end utopia promised in RoboCop's 'Delta City'. The track titles inspired by ASCII codes, represent the key elements that lay ahead in the film, or in today's society.
080 = P = Privatization
067 = C = Corruption
065 = A = Authoritarianism
068 = D = Dystopia
Classic Brazilian album from master drummer, Ronald Mesquita, originally released in 1972. Featuring songs by Jorge Ben, Antonio Carlos-Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo and others.
Mesquita is probably most well-known for playing with Luis Carlos Vinhas and his 'Bossa Tres' outfit, along with his own group, 'Ronie E A Central Do Brasil', that he formed after his return from the US in the early 1970s. He also played on several songs on Tenorio Jr.'s 'Embalo' album that Mr Bongo recently reissued.
The killer track 'Balanca Pema' was very big in the Jazz Dance scene in the 90s and also featured on the Mojo compilation 'Dancefloor Jazz Volume Four'.
Madlib sampled 'Balanca Pema' on his Medicine Show Number 2 'Flight to Brazil'.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed courtesy of Universal Music Group Limited.
Yeah, we get it: You cant technically be clinically paranoid if everything youre afraid of is actually happening. Its been a few years since we were scared shitless of letting cell phones anywhere near our crotches and suddenly, the electromagnetic waves mess with our brains big time. Lets not beat around the bush here, its all true. Your thoughts are being supervised, the government even has taken complete control over them, all while your moral compass is spinning at 78rpm like a broken shellac. Its bad, it feels weird and just so wrong. It doesnt even pay well, for fucks sake.
We know, we know: You need a remedy and you need it, like, yesterday at the latest. What we can offer for now is Konrad Wehrmeister from Munich, whose handcrafted alpha waves will interlock with your brain activity and set your will free by taking it over - it hasnt been yours for a while now, after all. Wehrmeisters pummeling techno is the B2B (business to brain) or even B2B2B (business to brain to booty) solution your sorry existence needs in these dire times, and he will professionally lead you to your destination with a little splash of »Radiation« to fire you up. Hes done it for Public Possession, hes done it for Ilian Tape. He can do it for you, if you trust him enough.
So please come and join us in eternal dispersion. RSVP by the complete loss of your sanity.
Following 1 or 2 small run / mailorder lathe cuts, Polytechnic Youth follow it's hugely successful 'Popcorn Lung' label compilation LP, with it's first full length of the new year, and man... this one is just wonderful! A mighty record to kick off what promises to be another hugely productive, constantly busy year for the Crouch End based synth label.
PY often likes to quote the artist directly in it's press releases, and this one is no exception. Gabe's own words, more than adequately explaining the path leading to this killer set for 2019; 'It feels a little ridiculous to pretend that the person introducing you to Gabe Knox is some kind of bigwig press agent and not just Gabe Knox himself, so let me, Gabe Knox, tell you a little about myself in that hopes that you'll give my music a listen.
In 2014, after years of moderate success as a local musician and club DJ in Toronto, Canada, I looked at my collection of barely functioning analogue synths and drum machines and said to myself 'Instead of trying to unsuccessfully make music you think other people will like, why don't you make something that you'd actually want to listen to for once' I wanted to make music that had the drive shaft of Neu!, the punishing low end of King Tubby, the interleaved melodic lines of Vince Clarke, the melancholic, otherworldly whimsy of Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire, the hypnotic drone of Spacemen 3, and the analogue intimacy of Le Car. I wanted to bring the euphoria and hypnosis of dance music to the rock kids, and the energy and excitement of rock music to the dance kids.
This was going to be a tough sell in the clique-y Toronto music scene, so I figured the best way to get the music out there would be by recording when I can and self-releasing a steady stream of EPs online. They would all be a series, a snapshot of the evolution of that initial idea. ABC represents a compilation of the best songs of the first three EPs, subtly remixed and remastered to best suit vinyl. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.'
This really is a remarkable record. Displaying all the PY traits of icy cool blasts of minimal synth, motorik grooves, melodic pop via passing nods to early mute and sky records. Never before did label head Dom think he'd get the chance to namecheck 2 musical heroes from wildly differing poles -Vince Clarke and Spacemen 3- into one LP PR sheet, so he's understandably excited for this one's release!
250 copies on yellow wax in hand numbered, reverse board sleeves. Sure to go real quick....
There are some elements in electronic music that make them timeless, elements that if melted together they can give an impressive result, to the mind and to the body. Sawlin - Ursprung is the first album of the career of Sawlin, after his debut in 2010 he evolved like a wonderful orchid, an orchid that never followed the flow of the other flowers around him, but found his own way to the music. Ursprung is the result of an interminable evolution in the mind of the artist, 8 elements that complete a circle built on a very mysterious atmosphere, like a film that you never saw, but you always had in your head, something more bigger then a memory, and something more deep then a picture. This 8 elements are the blueprint of the work that comes from the background of the artist, Deep raw imaginary pictures, mixed with oldschool wallpapers of a new wall based on an old concrete. Sawlin Mix the new to the old in a way that no-one can do, and probably no-one risked to do. This is the power of an artist that needs more attention and more time, you can feel at the first listening that there is something really big going on, but you need time to understand what he wanted to create, meticulous details that he wanted to paint, in a way that we cannot see them at first, but we find them quite impressive after. Sawlin present himself in the most modern way he can, no compromises, he don't want to please you, he want to paint the future. in the most Artistic way possible.
Berlin 2059
Dark forces control the city, underground music is banned everywhere, old skool DJs, crew and collective can comunicate only via pirate radios...
Beside beeing constantly hunted from techouse police, infamous Chemistry Radio continues to transmit 90's underground music.
Optimo Music is thrilled to present 'Weaponise Your Sound', which has been curated, conceived and designed by Kristina McCormick (Diet Clinic). Diet Clinic is an NTS radio show showcasing female DJs/artists.
It is the first vinyl release on Diet Clinic's newly-formed sub label of Optimo Music marking International Women's Day 2019 and featuring brand new tracks from artists C.A.R, Cucina Povera, Fantastic Twins, Human Jones, Maral, Marika Underspreche, Odete, Penelope Trappes, Slime, Sue Zuki and Zoe McPherson.
They may be scattered across the globe but their love, strength and support for their art and counterparts continue to inspire on a daily basis.
All proceeds go London based charity, Focus E15 which demands social housing, not social cleansing!
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As humans living on the planet today, we have become so removed from our original, natural habitat—the forest—that we forget our wild roots, our primal, animal origins. Music is one of the things that can bring us back to that place, that can put us in contact with a felt world of instinct, immediacy, and presence: a world where language and the problem-solving mind are not needed, where the music keeps your mind and body in the present moment, and the point of dancing becomes the dance of our inner wildness and animality itself. Hans Berg's Sounds of the Forest Forgotten affirms that music can bring us to a state of mind and body that can help us feel what we've forgotten from the forest. The overlaying project of the album is to conjure musical and conceptual resonances between mysticism and nature, summoning the incredible depth and force of nature that we usually miss, especially living in contemporary urban cities. Sounds of the Forest Forgotten channels the creativity, playfulness, and freedom of a life both before and beyond ours through the sounds of analog and digital synthesizers, a modular system, drum machines, and computers. Recorded between Hans's studios in Berlin and on the Swedish countryside, the album similarly shuttles between contemplative and ecstatic, between delicate and powerful, mixing sublime psychedelic techno compositions like 'Emerald Sea' with acidic dance-floor bangers like 'Storm' and 'Milk Thistle,' all nestled between contemplative and textural ambient compositions like 'Butterfly' and 'Glow Worm.' Berg is known for his enthralling productions and energetic livesets that capture dance floors with his particular brand of hypnotic techno, replete with angular lines, affecting melodies, pulsating basslines, and big drums. He also produces atmospheric scores and ambient soundscapes to accompany the video art and installations of long-term collaborator and celebrated artist Nathalie Djurberg. Berg's live sets have found a home in nightclubs around the world, with recent gigs in Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Tokyo, and Melbourne, to name a few. In addition to 2MR, he has released his solo work on record labels including Ian Pooley's imprint Montage, Klasse Recordings, and The Vinyl Factory. His ongoing collaboration with fellow Swede Johanna Knutsson - as Knutsson/Berg - has led them to start the label UFO Station Recordings, on which they release their own material. The duo also has released on labels such as Idle Hands, Default Position, Kann, and Random Island.
Line Explorations present its first release - a compilation consisting of six tracks by six national artists, producing under the names of T'iwu, HTL, PX, emme, AMSH and Mensaje Sanador, serving as a sampler for what's to come in the future on the label and the sounds the label will evoke such as techno, IDM, ambient, noise, drone and experimental vibrations from the further avant-garde,
The first track focuses on growing an organic and everyday sonic scape with the use of chords and melodies filled with light touch - reminiscent of clear skies and sunshine - which creates an ambient feel similar to that of daily vibrations of life as presented and explored by T'iwu.
HTL enhances the depth of the reflections of today's emotions one can feel by delving deeper into everyday surroundings and exploring the noise/drone side of the ambient musical styles by mixing melodic elements with the out of the ordinary effects which shock and ululate while shaping the musical texture into a darker and deeper atmosphere.
The following track, by PX, elevates the atmosphere into a more jovial soundscape full of '80's inspired electronica and sci-fi soundtracks. The beat rolls off and twists in a funky groove helping develop a danceable pace for the release.
On top of that, emme presents the fourth track - in the shape of techno meets breaks - where more classical elements of industrially influenced electronic music can be traced from yesteryears. The sounds engulf in warmly distorted melodic strings while flowing over and under the rhythmic structure.
In contrast, AMSH's ''Subway'' presents a downpour of heavy sounds, such as noise influenced synths and delayed infected percussion, along with field recording of trains help envision the movement of a manmade machine and its flow through the undergrounds of today's world.
The final piece, of the label's initial release, comes in the shape of a Mensaje Sanador or healing message. The track takes on the elements of the three titles that have preceded it and explores further the dynamics between current and classical sounds of the electronic dance music genres by delving deeper into sound synthesis, melodies and rhythm as to help one submerge further into exploring such sounds, their history and the future to come.
Mana Can Be Understood As A Powerful, Often Magical, Force Contained Within Objects. As These Objects Get Passed From One To Another, In A Cycle Of Gifting, They Retain The Spirit Of The Giver And Propel Themselves Onto The Next Recipient, Weaving A Network Of Social Bonds. In This Light, Mana Describes The Coming Together Of This Mixtape. The Exchanging Of Avant-garde, Traditional And Electronic Music--old And New--between Andrea Zarza, Curator At The British Library Sound Archive, And Matthew Kent, Founder Of Blowing Up The Workshop, Is What Makes Up The Language And Landscape Of Mana The Record Label, And Its Subsequent Arrival On A Cassette Tape For Queeste, Before Being Sent Onwards, As Our Gift To Listeners. Limited Edition Cassette Tape. Jelly Yellow Colorway. Comes In Resealable Bag With A5 Postcard Designed By Fallon Does And Mana X Queeste Sticker.
New installment in the Slow Life catalog by Primary Perception, two blood brothers born and raised in the Canary Island, but living in Berlin for the last years. It's in the German capital where they got to meet and support the Slow Life crew since their beginnings, and where they developed their fresh but
matured sound shown on this their first album. "Evidence of a Primary Perception" clearly has the trademark Slow Life character, combining broken beats, pads, acid bass lines, ambient passages, and overall, groovy deepness. They have more music coming soon in 2017, so as the label suggest: "They
are here to stay!".
Third LP of Cabaret Contemporain, French band (featuring Fabrizio Rat on keys) who use acoustic instruments (piano, guitar, bass, drums, contrabass) to produce a « hand-crafted » club music infused with techno. Inspired by Jeff Mills, Robert Hood or Drexciya, the five members already had a career on classical scene; their idea is not to replay classical techno tunes but to create a new path for the electronic music. 2 tracks featuring with the label boss, Arnaud Rebotini.
« Ballaro », which opens Cabaret Contemporain's third album, begins with light percussions, which seem to turn on themselves, while being conveyed by reverberations close to dub. After a few minutes of convolutions, the piece gets out of hand, transporting the listener into a rich form of pulsating trance, irrigated by a soaring melody and punctuated by persistent piano tones. « La selva »; more subdued, has the same energy, the track ending in an even more powerful way, a kind of paroxysm.
Finally, the strangest and most minimal « Cactus », features a singular groove, which evokes the most brutal house from Chicago, or the sometimes obsessive techno from Detroit. Just like other tracks such as « Transistor » or « TGV », fuelled by sweat and trance, Séquence Collective bears all the intensity of a techno cut for clubs' dancefloors. The only difference being that their music is not played with synths, drum machines or software, but with acoustic instruments. Dual curriculum The band is composed of five musicians and a sound engineer: Fabrizio Rat on piano, Giani Caserotto on guitar, Julien Loutelier on drums, Ronan Courty and Simon Drappier on double bass and of course Pierre Favrez on console. They are all in their thirties and met at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire in the late 2000s. However, all the musicians in the band have a double curriculum and navigate freely between the institutional realm and the underground or pop music scenes. Through classical or contemporary music, jazz and improvisation, rock and experimentation, they share a common passion for the original and futuristic techno of the 1990s, that of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood or Drexciya, which they have decided to reinvent and further in their own way. Not as a simple stylistic exercise practiced by virtuoso musicians, but rather as a new path for modern music, and for their generation. « The original idea » they say, « was to make club music by hand, like craftsmen. Like in the early days of jazz, our band managed to transform itself into a kind of dancing machine. Our music is therefore functional because it is danceable, but also mental and abstract, while offering several layers of listening. You can dance and play, have a purely physical and sensory connection to the music. But you can also immerse yourself in its listening, perceive refined harmonies or more complex rhythmic superpositions »
If the tones of Cabaret Contemporain are truly unique it is because each member of the band has developed a very personal approach through the use ''prepared'' instruments. The strings of their piano, guitar or double bass may recall strange machines with literally incredible sounds, obtained using objects such as chopsticks, clothes pegs, foil, hangers, a tiny pie mould or many other utensils from a DIY store. A collective energy
Cabaret Contemporain is first and foremost a live band that has been performing in venues and festivals since its inception in 2012 (Nuits Sonores, Siestes Electroniques, L'Aéronef, Le Trabendo, Philharmonie de Paris, Gaîté Lyrique, Rewire, Dancity, Barcelona Accio Musical...), both at traditional jazz and contemporary music venues, and more often at electro music hubs. When facing the audience, the band, which plays each of its sets in one go, without a break, shows an intense physical presence, which competes with the musical power of DJs who share the stage with them. Their performance, full of tension and repetition, which requires maximum concentration and a state close to trance from the musicians, is sometimes, according to them, « a mental journey and a mystic experience ». A dimension that brings to mind the historical techno culture and its dancers who, communicating on the dancefloor, were carried until the early hours of the morning by the power of the beat. An album inspired by the stage Since their beginnings, their compositions on record have drawn their energy directly from the practice of their concerts, whether referring to Terry Riley (2014) or Moondog (2015), an EP and an album dedicated to the repertoire of the two American artists, the original compositions of Cabaret Contemporain (2016) and Satellite EP (2017), as well as this new album. Séquence collective can be listened to as a condensed transcription of their inventions and their live experiments. The tracks, more than half of which were improvised during sessions held in the former Vogue studios near Paris, were recorded in live conditions, « like an old school rock band » they say. As usual, they invited a new musician to join them in the studio. After collaborating with Étienne Jaumet or Château-Flight, Arnaud Rebotini, César winner for best film music, added a welcome synth touch on two tracks (Pro- One, Prophet 600), which boosted the group's formidable collective energy. The album ends with « October Glide », again performed with Rebotini, a lyrical and lively track, built on a powerful and slow progression of timbres and percussions, which would ideally find its place at the core of a techno party « peak time »
Introducing a new label, Koko Music, founded in West London by a long time friend of ours. Their first release:
'Allegedly Coltrane's favourite singer, Andy Bey recorded as vocalist for Max Roach ('Members, Don't Git Weary'), Horace Silver ('Won't You Open Up Your Senses'), Gary Bartz ('Celestial Blues') and Stanley Clarke in the late sixties / early seventies. He released one solo album and then disappeared from view for 20 years, resurfacing in the nineties.
This 1998 album showcases his four-octave range, the intimacy of love songs and raw power of the blues on a mixture of standards ('Pretty Girl', 'Some Other Time'), Latin ('O Cantador', 'Drume Negrita'), modern (Nick Drake's 'River Man'), and a couple of original tunes. Available for the first time on vinyl, cut at 45rpm, it features Andy on vocals and on piano, with appearances from Gary Bartz and Geri Allen.'
180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- INCLUDING INSERT
- FEAT. THE HIT SINGLES 'TURN AROUND
AND COUNT 2 TEN' & 'COME HOME (WITH
ME BABY)'
- 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF 1.500
INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON
COLOURED (PINK & BLACK MIXED) VINYL
Nude is the fourth album by the English pop band Dead or Alive. After the separation from their successful production team Stock-Aiken-Waterman band members Pete Burns and Steve Co took over the control of the ship. They created a respectable release which covers most of their highly attractive and energetic dance, pop and euro-disco music. The big hits of this release were 'Turn Around And Count 2 Ten' and 'Come Home With Me Baby', both an eclectic fusion of electronica beats and danceable rhythms. One thing that makes this album so remarkable is the fact that each song flows into the next and perfectly accompanies the previous one.
Dead or Alive gained success in the mid-1980s and sold over 50 million records worldwide. Founder and vocalist Pete Burns passed away in 2016 and since the band discontinued.
Nude is available as a pressing of 1.500 individually numbered copies on pink & black mixed vinyl.
Prolific soul man Carlton Jumel Smith made a fresh opening into deep vintage soul sounds with his Timmion single debut. Now he's back for more with the dancefloor track "This Is What Love Looks Like", paving the road towards his album, which is dropping on Timmion at the beginning of 2019.
Think of classic funky soul with a little bit of Chicago, some Tighten Up guitar and blaring horn melodies, and you get an idea, where this energizing groove is headed. Carlton gets going with his soulful testimony, while the A-list of Finnish soul and jazz players from Tuomo Prättälä and Jimi Tenor to Jukka Eskola strengthen the Cold Diamond & Mink band to new heights.
If the first single dripped with heartaches and bitterness, this one is a monumental sonic heart emoji instead, seasoned with sweet sunshine. Even though Carlton can play any part the lyric casts him in, the conveyor of positivity suits him well. In real life it's not rare to see the man smiling, and when performing he oozes with peace, love and soul, turning the audience inside out. Here he's laid down one for the dancers!
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First Word Records are thrilled to announce a brand new addition to the label - LA beatmaker and producer 14KT.
Known for his deft, soulful hip hop production, KT has broadened his palate for his FW debut to create 'For My Sanity', the first offering from his jazz-influenced project IAMABEENIE.
The album will be released in early 2019, but we couldn't wait that long to share this taster of what 14KT created as a form of escaping from his "normal" ways of making music. Case in point: the first single taken from the project - 'The Power of Same' feat. Muhsinah.
Strongly rooted in KT's spiritual practice, 'The Power of Same' is a bass and synth-heavy ode to consistency and unconditional love, laced nicely together by his signature drum lines, harmonious guitar riffs (played on the track by Stro Elliot) and the unmistakable sound of James Poyser (The Roots). Vocal powerhouse Muhsinah adds layers of emotion via her endearing delivery of the core message, and, deep in the background you can hear KT sharing a very personal routine with us all - giving thanks to God.
How much of a personal project this is, in 14KT's words "This was inspired by a bible study plan I was reading called The Power of Same. It spoke about the power of being consistent in our lives. I thought about how consistently God's love and my family's love have gotten me through my journey of life. Once I made a "skeleton" of the song, I reached out to the brother James Poyser who I was extremely blessed to work with. My brother Stro Elliot was living right down the street from me at the time. One night he walked over to my house, I played the record for him, he picked up my electric guitar and played the first thing that came to mind - which was perfect. I played the record for my brother Tall Black Guy, who suggested I reach out to Muhsinah to add vocals. I sent the record to her and two days later she sent me exactly what you hear. Amazing. That was definitely the spirit of God working. Huge shout out to my Playlist family. Love y'all."
To date, 14KT has released seven solo albums, as well as his collaborative hip hop album, 'Takin' Ls' with emcee Ozay Moore, R&B/soul album, 'Saturn Return' with singer/songwriter AB, and 'The Big Knock', together with Mayer Hawthorne as Jaded Incorporated.
Last year saw another duo collaboration album with Michigan rapper Ro Spit, entitled 'RSXGLD', a project held in high regard by the global hip hop community.14KT is also part of Jazzy Jeff's Playlist Retreat, alongside our very own Eric Lau, Tall Black Guy and Kaidi Tatham, who also turns out an unmistakably dope remix on this 7" single.
A very warm welcome to the family, KT!
'The Power Of Same' is available on 7" and all digital platforms on March 1st 2019.
The sensational contribution of the Roman project Fire at work, risen over the millennium end, delivers the next 12 release of the label.
The sounds and visions of the two producers are coming directly from the most radical electronic counterculture's pot, the industrial dimension and the radical sound choice seem to be the best and right way to tell the story of a dystopian reality, a meaningful choice useful to criticise humans and their civilisation. The complex of the Fire At Work production represents an act of cultural resistance, therefore Monolith Records seems to be the right and natural follow up of a long multidisciplinary journey. This release is the meeting point of two generations sharing a similar electronic countercultural background, in the middle of the ruins of a modern world which is nothing but a ripped-off planet, a consumed scenario where the radicalisation of the exclusivity leads the beings to the recurring Post-humanistic alienation. The music journey develops through cuts deliberately violating the borders of genre and style, leaving to the dark decaying soundscapes the duty to shape coherence. The overall dimension of this work floats in a tension between the mental form of the synths and the implacability of the concrete drumming asset, that alternates straight and broken beats merged by the same obsessive character. In order to consistently remark the intention behind the production, the Remix by hypnoskull for 'Re_Sample The Future', a tool shaped by an heavy distorted timber that brings lyrics to clarify the common denominator of the EP: a totalitarian vision of reality involving the rejection of the status quo, together with the roles and the scopes of a totally dehumanised system. The 2.0 Man is unarmed and similar to a cadaver, and his desires and senses are reconciled by a perpetual stream of information, a data replacement of reality. The one way direction streaming can be interrupted by noise, as the element able to distort meaning the unexpected element occurring in the middle between the matrix of the message ed his audience. Given such conditions the style choice becomes part of the concept itself, and it is far from any kind of 'induced' choice.
Corey Fuller Is One Half Of The Duo Illuha On 12k And Break Is His Frst Solo Recording For 12k. A Crashing Wave, The Breaking Dawn, An Impact, The Crushing Of Emotional Spirit... The Breaking Of A Storm. These Are All Relevant Ideas Behind His Choice Of A Title For This Highly Emotional Abum. Fuller Has Addressed The Universality Of Human Struggle Without Going Into Specifcs Of His Own Personal Waves. The Ideas That We As Humans All Share Many Of The Same Diffculties Is Both A Launching Point And A Message He Wishes To Share With Break — The Catharsis.
While Illuha's Music Is Known For Its Attention To Small Sounds And Light Textures, Break, While Equally As Fragile, Sees Fuller Working With Much Heavier Elements. Still Highly Melodic, The Work Pulls And Churns Between Harmony And Tension, Weight And Air, The Crash Of A Wave, The Pull Of The Undertoe. The Album Is Focused Intensely On Melody And Harmony, Progressions More Carefully Composed Than The Serendipitous Found Sound Of His Work With Illuha.
The Piano Is Often At The Center Of These Songs, An Instrument (his Own) That Has Become Much An Extension Of His Own Body. His Own Voice Plays An Important Role As Well, Sometimes Lyrically Ethereal And Sometimes Just A Breath Signifying The Ever-fragile Thread Of Life. Beautifully Recorded
In His Tokyo Studio, The Sounds Are Captured With All Of Their Inherent Physical Faws. As Fuller Himself States About The Piano Being recorded In A Way That You Can Hear The Bones, Like An Open Ribcage, Moving Contorting...' Everything On Break Is There For A Reason, Not Just The Sound And Soul Of The Piano But The Electronic Elements As Well, Rattling Bass Tones And Dramatic, Emotional Waves Of Synthesizer Rising And Dissolving.
If A Single Word Can Be Used To Describe Break It Is Physical. From The Instruments And Techniques Used To Produce The Album To The Concepts Of Vulnerability Of The Human Body. Break Is An Emotional Riptide Where Violence And Rest Struggle To Be The Last Voice.
Kastil and I-Real have been releasing joint efforts since 2014. The occasional duo have perfected the boisterous techno they hold dear, and showcase their new approach on the gloomy 'Black Birds All Over' and the audacious sounding 'Skandha'.
'Black Birds All Over' is a lurid sounding effort that revolves around a monotonous roar and skillfully places drums and fx sounds that cut across the spectrum like daggers. Canadian duo Orphx delivers an enigmatic version of 'Black Birds All Over' that uses far-away pads to generate a more uncanny mood.
'Skandha' is a piece of nonconformist techno that uses broken drum patterns and eerie fx screams throughout. Order & Devotion owner Kwartz reworks 'Skandha' to a recognizable and powerful dark dancefloor version.
