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Musique Pour La Danse presents Roomservice, Dutchman Orlando Voorn's forgotten yet unforgettable IDM-leaning, home-listening electronica / techno album from 1994 under his Living Room alias, originally released on the producer's cult Night Vision label.

Praised unequivocally by those lucky enough to have heard it, this criminally underrated record nonetheless deserves pride of place when talking about forward-thinking electronic music from the early 90s.

While it is widely acknowledged that Orlando Voorn's productions are one of the most fascinating prisms through which to experience a European take on the Detroit sound, Roomservice is also a strong reminder that the paradigm shift from sweaty raves to enhanced home listening, championed by Warp's Artificial Intelligence series, early Rephlex releases, along with projects such as The Black Dog, Plaid or Autechre was in fact not only limited to British artists.

As its name indicates, The Living Room is not geared for warehouses but instead interested in a more intimate and domestic setting. As such, it does not contain over the top bangers, but it's hard to find any filler in this album where all the tracks are killer, catchy and memorable. All displaying a sophisticated yet immediate focus on warm melodies and grooves no heavier than a feather, these emotional cuts provide a wonderful and intricate soundscape for introspective listeners to explore, and they will surely find echoes of ideas developped by Manuel Gottsching, Steve Reich and Pat Metheny scattered accross the album.

While some tracks are rhythmic and would fill a dancefloor in a second with their four to the floor or broken beats, the album also gives room for more ambient excursions to occur and develop brilliantly. But once again, it's more likely you'll end up dancing on your couch rather than dozing off.

2020 might be the most difficult year in recent history for dancefloors worldwide, yet that's not going to stop Musique Pour La Danse from reissuing this gem of an album for listeners, dancers, and DJs of today and tomorrow.

Words by Ed Isar.

FELA Jonathan Loma mix When Spain meets Africa. Musician Jonathan Loma from Spain on the mix with this joyful, innovative rhythm, infused with African sounds and samples. Noticeably, Nigerian legend Fela Kuti can be heard during the latter parts of the track behind the shifting drum patterns which give this record a very catchy beat. Swinging hats and rolling snares keep the beat flowing over a loopy and swirling melody. The unpredictable and spontaneous sounds sliding in and out display creativity from the Spanish producer, but the highlight here is the subtle African background chants. Just wait for the smooth sax to appear.FELA H2H mix contrast to the Jonathan Loma mix and edging things into deeper territories, the Chez Damier and Ben Vedren (Heart 2 Heart) take on the track is a deep and driving dance floor mover. Quite literally talking toyou with an African accent throughout the majority of the track, the locked groove engages the listener and has you wondering if it will ever end. Loud claps, well-placed short and sharp snare rolls, and like that ofthe Loma take; spontaneous sounds creeping in and out are all included over this cleverly layered deep beat

Punk icons Crass have announced details of their latest EP, ‘Normal Never Was’. Featuring two new remixes of tracks from their seminal 1978 album, ‘The Feeding of The Five Thousand’, with the profits going to charity Refuge.

Heading up the remixes are Richard Russell, head honcho of XL records (under the guise of rLr), and synth-pop artist Glasser. Each of them tackling tracks, ‘They’ve Got Bomb’ and, ‘Do They Owe Us A Living?’ respectively.

Limited red vinyl 12". Edition of 1000 copies.

It takes one to know one. Which is why jazz drummers have always
been ready to join the queue when assessing Art Blakey's influence,
not only in the field of percussion but in the shaping of his chosen
genre. Max Roach described him as "An original - the only drummer
whose time I recognise immediately. When I first met him on 52nd
Street in 1944, he already had the polyrhythmic thing down. He was
doing it before anybody else." Thelonious Monk Jr concurred: "When
I became a drummer, I learned how to swing from Art Blakey. What
he did with the hi-hat and his roll got pressed into my soul. He had a
primal approach to drums." All of which warmed the ears of Blakey,
who admitted that his aim was to be one of the greatest drummers in
the world- an ambition which he undoubtedly achieved

Artist previously known for his work as “Mirage Man” returns as “Kaltstam” presenting a three tracker of techno and electro jams.

The streamlined yet gloomy opening track “Reach 4 the heat only if you’re bustin’” sets an energetic tone for the release to start with. This should cater your needs easily if you’re into dancing in the more aggressive manner.

“The Divide” interprets nordic melancholy in the form of trancey pads, echoed stabs and a distorted bass drum. An observant listener might pick up some classic breakbeat vibes from the drum section as well.

“Cattle prod” is the oddball of the trio. Is it nu school breaks? Is it electro? Does it bang? ... Find out by listening to the title track of the record. - Play it fast or slow, it’s your call.

Re-release of the record originally released on 2016-02-05!

Remastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M Berlin and presented in an exact replica sleeve of the original 1966 release by Stephen O'Malley.

sales information: Black Truffle is honoured to present the first vinyl reissue of the classic debut album from AMM, AMMMusic. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its recording in 1966, this reissue makes one of the cornerstones of the experimental music tradition available again in its original form, replete with Keith Rowe's beautiful pop art cover and the terse aphorisms by the group that served as its original liner notes. A testament to the interaction between the experimental avant-garde and the countercultural underground, the album was originally released on Elektra, recorded by Jac Holzman (the label's founder, responsible for signing The Doors, Love, and The Stooges) and produced by DNA, a group that included Pink Floyd's first manager Peter Jenner. (Pink Floyd paid tribute to AMM's influence on their improvisational sensibility with the track 'Flaming' on their debut album, named after the piece that occupies AMMMusic's first side, 'Later During a Flaming Riviera Sunset').

Formed in 1965 by three players from the emerging British jazz avant-garde - Keith Rowe and Lou Gare had played with the great progressive big band leader Mike Westbrook and Eddie Prévost played in a post-bop group with Gare - AMM quickly evolved from a free jazz group into something decidedly more difficult to categorise. By the time these recordings were made, two more members had joined the group: another Westbrook associate, Lawrence Sheaf, and the radical composer Cornelius Cardew. Then at work on his masterpiece of graphic notation Treatise, Cardew brought with him extensive experience of the post-serialist and Cageian currents in contemporary composition. Using a combination of conventional instruments and unconventional methods of sound production (most famously Keith Rowe's prepared tabletop guitar, but also prepared piano and transistor radio), the group performed improvised pieces often running for over two hours and ranging from extended periods of silence to terrifying cacophonies.

Evan Parker famously described the improvisational logic of AMM's music as 'laminal', in contrast to the 'atomistic' approach more common among the generation of British improvisers (Bailey, Rutherford, Stevens and co.) to which he himself belonged. AMM improvised in layers: layers of sound subtly rising and falling or abruptly starting and stopping without being propelled by the implied pulse of free jazz improvisation. Rather than a pulse, AMM's music began with the sound of the room in which it was played, the Cageian anarchy of silence. By embracing the non-synchronous simultaneity of layered sound, AMM was able to create a musical container into which nearly anything could be incorporated at any moment: on AMMMusic, long tones sit next to abrasive thuds, the howl of uncontrolled feedback accompanies Cardew's purposeful piano chords, radios beam in snatches of orchestral music (and, on the LP's second side, an extended fragment of 'Mockingbird').

AMM's clearest break with jazz-based improvisation concerned the idea of individuality. Where improvised music has tended to foster the development of idiosyncratic stylists who move freely from one group to another, AMM, initially through an engagement with eastern philosophy and mysticism and later though a politicized communitarianism, sought to develop a collective sonic identity in which individual contributions could barely be discerned. In the performances captured on AMMMusic

the use of numerous auxiliary instruments and devices, including radios played by three members of the group, contribute to the sensation that the music is composed as a single monolithic object with multiple facets, rather than as an interaction between five distinct voices.

- Francis Plagne

The first-time teaming of Poland’s dynamic Marcin Wasilewski Trio and bigtoned US tenorist Joe Lovano brings forth special music of concentrated, deep feeling, in which lyricism and strength seem ideally balanced.

The alliance plays four new tunes by Marcin and one by Joe, as well as Carla Bley’s classic “Vashkar” (in two variations), plus collective improvisations with strong input from all four players; Slawomir Kurkiewicz’s bass skills are particularly well-deployed in the spontaneous piece “Arco”. Joe will be joining the Polish trio for a number of selected concerts in the autumn.

Arctic Riff was recorded at France’s Studio La Buissonne in August 2019, and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Personnel: Joe Lovano: tenor saxophone; Marcin Wasilewski: piano; Slawomir Kurkiewicz: double bass; Michal Miskiewicz: drums

To say Fredfades and Jawn Rice are House music producers would be sneering at their efforts across genres like Hip Hop, Soul, and Jazz. The Mutual Intentions collaborators have forged a sound together in classic House, siphoning a myriad of influences through their intricate constructions in the studio as solo acts since first meeting in 2007. Becoming fast friends over a shared love of the dusty beats of an SP1200, Jawn Rice and Fredfades started working together while the Mutual Intentions collective gestated around them. Individual works by Jawn and Fred dot the collective’s back catalogue like various nodes of evolution through the course of MI’s output.
“We’ve always been sharing sketches,” explains Jawn Rice, “but I feel that these past years have been more productive in getting some of these sketches out as songs with Fredrik. It’s just a continuation of our friendship.” Emboldened by this friendship and with their finely tuned skills in the studio,
honed to near-perfection, they eventually started making music together. Following two seminal solo LPs – Fredfades’ Warmth and Jawn Rice’s Highlights – the pair consolidated their music as a duo in 2019, striking out with their electrifying debut, Jacuzzi Boyz. In a fusion between Jawn’s electronic inclinations and Fred’s soulful eccentricities, Jacuzzi Boyz established the duo as a new force workingNew Release Information within the broad scope of House music, with a sound imbued in the origin story of House and the genre’s hip-hop allegiances.
In 2020 they continue to pursue music together in the sophomore LP, Luv Neva Fades. Following the release of the title track and lead single, Luv Neva Fades finds the producers cementing their artistic voice and re-enforcing their commitment to a singular sound. Lush Rhodes keys and bouncing percussion lay the foundations for the album, while buoyant bass-lines and sparkling synthesisers provide
the catalyst for a crooning vocal or ruminating melody. It’s a record that thrives in a sultry mood; an LP that basks in the warmth of its analogue origins and cools in the shade of languid chord progressions.
Like Jacuzzi Boys, this album is an extended collaborative affair, as Mutual Intentions’ reach stretches across the Atlantic with guest appearances from Byron the Aquarius, Javonntte, Arthur Kay, Bendik HK and the SP1200 that started it all. Shimmering melodies, hazy harmonies and boisterous beats draw Fredfades and Jawn Rice out of the jacuzzi and onto the dance floor, moving under shimmering stars, where the duo cement what they started with Luv Neva Fades.

Neostrictly proudly presents Sepp! It's a great step for us to welcome the romanian heavyweight. We are happy to present you soon "Catre Galateea EP„

Can you truly believe this record was released in 1965 ? Forging a brand new hybrid of space-age, easy listening and spy jazz the American pianist and composer born in New York in 1927, put together one of the cornerstone of the genre. Before switching to the Moog synthesizer ( right on time with the moon landing in 1969) he had some very influential theme music releases on MGM Records and Command. But The Man From O.R.G.A.N. was a monster in itself. How could you go wrong with this trio of guitars, a bassist and three guys playing percussion? And Dick himself bringing the Lowery Organ (and the Theater model in particular) to the front of the stage ? Dig yourself !

Names You Can Trust is proud to present a special collaboration with Barbès Records and the legendary godfathers of cumbia amazónica, Los Wembler's de Iquitos. Featuring two songs mixed expressly for 7-inch directly from the reels of their 2019 album, VISIÓN DEL AYAHUASCA, it's the latest entry in the group's historic canon of a particular brand of bonafide psychedelia, a worthy addition to a catalog of recordings that have made their way around the world to fans, DJs and sound systems since the group's beginnings in the late '60s.

The band's 50 year-old origin story begins when electric instruments started showing up at the port city of Iquitos, Peru. This seminal moment of international trade at the gateway to the Amazon inspired a shoemaker named Solomon Sanchez to start a band with his five sons. Los Wembler's were the first band in the capital of the Peruvian Amazon to play popular local rhythms with electric guitars. Their revolutionary sound, fuzzy lysergic guitar helixes wrapped around melancholic melodies, would go on to have an enormous impact on the whole of South American popular music, echoing throughout the continent and further, into the States and eventually across the world.

The past few years have seen a new wave of interest in the band's music. Los Wembler's, the sons, now fathers and grandfathers themselves, have brought their trademark sound on recent tours to Mexico, Europe and North America, where it has been embraced by a new generation of musicians and listeners.

As Los Wembler's prepared for a lengthy tour in 2020 to coincide with this new 7-inch issue, the world abruptly changed course. The COVID-19 outbreak has had particularly devastating consequences in the Peruvian Amazon. With an urban density of around a million people, Iquitos is the largest isolated city in the world, reachable only by boat or plane and surrounded by the vastness of the rainforest. A buzzing multicultural city, Iquitos was catapulted into modernity during the late 19th century's rubber fever. It is home to not only the members of Los Wembler's, but several legendary and influential musicians who helped lay the groundwork for the roots of chicha, the distinctively Peruvian brand of cumbia.

Lennard Poschmann returns to Oliver Hafenbauer's Die Orakel label with a brand-new EP under his O-Wells alias.
'Ebecs' showcases the Robert Johnson resident's subtle, distinct approach to Detroit-ish,
IDM & ambient-influenced electronic music.

Opening track ‘Ectid’ is a free-floating introduction revealing a glorious acid undercurrent. ‘Bbmore’ demonstrates a different kind of approach with the same wistful ingredients, unravelling a tightly wound drum structure from the inside. On ‘Exolite’, the inverse unfolds, as Wells blends experimental textures and introduces stabs of cathartic and deep bass.

Introducing the other half of the release, ‘Culling Virus’ is Wells' take on simmering, paranoid electro. On the pairing of LL0P 1 and LL0P 2, he provides an intermission with two tense locked grooves before concluding the release with the cascading and dense ‘Shnuck’, a psychedelic transmission of complex layered sound design.

Nightports is based on a simple but unbreakable rule of restriction: only sounds produced by the featured musician can be used. Nothing else. These sounds can be transformed, distorted, translated, processed and reprocessed, stretched, cut, ordered and reordered without limitation.

Nightports is about amplifying the characteristics of the musician – celebrating what’s particular about them, finding sounds that nobody else can make, constructing a complex sonic weave that, however radical the transformations, still bears the watermarks of its origin.



“Within the depths of the drum takes, we found hidden melodies, chords, structures and bass lines which we distilled and exaggerated to realise this album,” Slater explains. “On the one hand, this album is fully improvised in that all drum performances were spontaneous, intuitive and responsive; however, they were then subjected to editing and manipulation to arrive at a sound that is neither purely improvised nor constructed.”



Nightports w/ Betamax will be released on CD, digital and limited edition vinyl LP. As with the prev-

ious album, the vinyl is packaged in an intricate die-cut sleeve, designed by Split.



Recorded in one day in February 2018 with The Comet Is Coming’s Betamax at Malcolm Catto’s Qu-

atermass Sound Lab studio.



The Comet Is Coming continue their stratospheric trajectory, this record follows 2019’s Trust In The Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery.

Fusing dexterous hand-percussion, hypnotic guitar riffs & soaring melodies, Waaju rise from London’s rich cultural palette with their latest album ‘Grown’, proving UK Jazz doesn’t have to sound the way we expect it to. Led by drummer and percussionist Ben Brown (Alfa Mist, Dizraeli, Ashley Henry), the band comprises percussionist Ernesto Marichales (Jordan Rakei, Sigala), guitarist Tal Janes (Nubiyan Twist, Bahla), Sam Rapley (Fabled, Maria Chiara Argiro) and Joe Downard (China Moses, Judi Jackson), each with their own strong presence on the UK’s extensive music scene. Waaju’s refined and divergent sound connects the dots between the likes of Ali Farka Touré, Alain Peters, Los Muñequitos de Matanzas, Oscar D’Leon and Beth Carvalho. Waaju formed as a means of exploring music’s hidden connections, from trance-inducing Moroccan Gnawa to Caribbean carnival music, and embracing them to reflect different shades of London’s own musical culture. It was the band’s love for Mali’s folk music – and Ali Farka Touré’s stylistic prowess in particular – that first set the project in motion. London’s Jazz Cafe invited Waaju to reinterpret classic tracks from Farka Touré’s catalogue to sold-out audiences in 2018 and 2019. According to Brown: “Ali’s one of the best. He has such a unique sound. His playing is so gnarly. His spirit and attitude are things I always think of when making music.” Waaju (meaning ‘to urge, inspire or influence to take action’ in Malian language Bambara) blends pulsing Latin polyrhythms, psychedelic Malian blues licks and cinematic textures. Following the group’s 2018 self-titled debut record, Grown presents a group more unified and distinctive-sounding than ever with six fresh, bold compositions. The record begins with Moleman, a potent reminder of the intricacy and energy Waaju’s become known for. Gritty, clattering metal defines the landscape for sizzling builds, hinting at rave culture styles like Bashment and Jungle. Listening Glasses follows and it’s clear why this is the album’s lead single – its Afrobeat-like energy and joyful interplay between guitar and tenor sax lies somewhere between Tony Allen’s grooves, Chimurenga guitar and Headhunters’ funk. On late night jam Rollando, Joe Downard’s skulking bass frequencies rule and wonkiness reaches new heights as heavy dub grooves almost tear themselves apart. Time’s Got a Hold was co-written by Waaju and Jordan Rakei for a show together in November 2018. Kicking off side B, this version features special guest vocalist Will Heard over bouncing triplets evocative of 1970’s Sega from La Reunion. A kind of looseness found only at night, the quiet drive of Wassoulou is sparse yet purposeful. Pulling back the tempo and dimming the lights, cavernous percussion fills each corner of the room, springing back as spectral reverbs. The title and final track shows the many dynamic sides of the outfit’s far-reaching sound, with its expansive harmonies and explosive psychedelia, spanning Yoruba Andabo to Hendrix, signing off an exciting and energetic second LP from Waaju at their most scintillating.

Alinka makes an eagerly anticipated return to Crosstown Rebels with the outstanding Control Transmission, her last appearance on the label featuring in 2016 collaborating with Shaun J. Wright. This solo release demonstrates her versatile sound that is inspired by her experience in scenes across the world.

Control Transmission begins with robust 909 drums as the claps resound with force. The bass, a razor-sharp, distorted and filtered charge is introduced commanding attention, further electro inspired samples and effects are layered in this powerful track. Day Zero captures the spirit of the Mayan jungles, with synth that propels with energy, ebbing and flowing with mystical chords that give a nod to the famous festival spearheaded by Damian Lazarus.

Born in Kiev, Alinka has a unique power on the decks and in the studio, influenced by the city of Chicago, with toes tipped in Detroit techno and Europe’s key cities. Immigrating to Chicago with her family as a child she immersed herself in the scene, digging for records and becoming resident for Justin Long’s Dotbleep party at Smartbar. In 2012 an impromptu meeting with former Hercules and Love Affair vocalist Shaun J. Wright changed her life. The pair launched their Twirl parties and label whilst continuing to evolve their collaboration.

The result has been an impressive catalogue of material from, with music featured on Jackathon Jams, Crosstown Rebels, Leftroom, The Classic Music Company and of course Twirl. Now living in Berlin, Alinka has used this base to play at parties across Europe including the likes Panorama Bar and Circo Loco, whilst regularly returning to the US to play for promoters such as Ladyfag. 2020 will she Alinka’s evolution continue, with a packed schedule of releases and her newly launched label Fantasy Life.

Alastair Galbraith is considered nothing less than a genius around these parts. A New Zealand underground legend active since the '80s, his solo works have seen release on Siltbreeze, MIE, Emperor Jones and Grapefruit Records while his own labels, Xpressway and Next Best Way have released the likes of The Dead C and Damo Suzuki. His list of collaborators reads like a who's who of freeform musicianship: Peter Jefferies, Bruce Russell, Robert Scott (The Clean; Flying Nun) and Maxine Funke to name but a few. Seconds Mark III is Galbraith's first solo album since Mass (2010) and is a collage of pensive, longing and almost forgotten pieces stitched in his inimitable style. A thrilling addition to A Colourful Storm's ever-expansive catalogue. 21-track LP

Friends, it is time for a finish. Here's the seventh and last chapter of the festivities that we put together for our 50th catalogue number. Once again, the mighty graphics wizards Doppeldenk from Leipzig provided us with a delightfull artwork. And once again, you'll get a record that sports a kaleidoscope of sophisticated dance music from Uncanny Valley veterans and newcomers. This time with the emphasis on bright and positive timbres which can be associated with the colour yellow. Cuthead starts things with a bang and his PARTY CHORDS set the tone perfectly (including neck pain after nodding your head to the beat like there's no tomorrow). If chords could be president this would get a lot of votes. Massimiliano Pagliara shifts down a gear with the acoustic road trip SUNSET FUNK, a masterfully arranged track, made up for driving around on your bike, skateboard or whatever vehicle you are using to get from A to B. The slow and sexy IWESU YEWISU from the soul brothers of Duererstuben is a longtime favorite in the Uncanny Valley headquarters. We are super happy that this groover will finally see the light of day. Panthera Krause provides the subtle but euphoric THE NAKED NOW, a House music lesson that's bubbling under the surface. And finally, Uncanny Valley first-timer Daniela Da Luz closes the record with WHEN YOU GO ALL IN AND WAIT, a drum heavy but also embracing excursion into your own neural circuit

Following a high-pressure drop on Sneaker Social Club in 2019, bass-toting instigator Low End Activist steps up with his most expansive release yet.

His sound is a perfect amalgam of elements from the hardcore continuum – at times a dark and malevolent brainstorm of grubby drums dragged through crusty samplers, future-weary textural scrapes, moody splashes of pads and of course bucketloads of crushing subs, lows and low mids all designed to rock you from the waist down. You'll hear spectres of culture past lurking in the shadows – a trip hop skit from a gaunt figure here, a riotous brawl of grime MCs there – and feel the decades of soundsystem absorption seeping off the platters. It's like the LEA reached capacity and these productions were what happened when the sponge got squeezed.

One voice cuts a more prominent figure up front though – the peerless Flowdan, lending some powerful bars to Game Theory. What needs to be said about the Pay As You Go / Roll Deep mastermind you don't already know? His flow is mightier than any sword you care to step with.

Speaking of platters, this particular release marks the first vinyl pressing for Seagrave since the BOA 12" Warp Purpose Vol. 1 back in 2015 (slated for a repress – don't sleep!). It's an occasion worth toasting, building on a powerful and varied catalogue of sub-heavy sonics operating well outside the mainstream in service to naught but the sound, all packaged in a full-colour sleeve. As an expansive double pack of seven sure shots, it's also a fitting document of a subversive operative bringing some devastating angles to the hardcore tradition.

- Oli Warwick.

The funky, atmospheric, evocative and sometimes downright weird output of companies such as DeWolfe, Cavendish, Burton and the ubiquitous KPM have always been a guiding inspiration for ATA Records, as evidenced in the spooky soundtrack works of The Sorcerers, the big band brass of The Yorkshire Film & Television Orchestra and even in the soul-jazz of The Lewis Express ('Theme From The Watcher).

Everything released on ATA is written and guided by the label heads Neil Innes and Pete Williams, who frequently dip their toes in the Library pond while working on other projects. These occasional one-off tracks have accumulated over the past few years and have now found a home on the first volume of an ongoing series : The Library Archive

Ranging from heavy big band brass (Whack, Slap & Blow, Kaye Okay) to evocative thriller soundtrack (Midnight Heist, Wiretap, The Needlenose) via introspective ethereal soundscapes (Nuclear Wind, Siren's Sea) these 11 tracks faithfully recreate the feel of the Library music catalogues of the 60s and 70s.

DRUMIRA features four heavyweight tracks by Stefan Schneider, ghanaian drummer Nicholas Addo Nettey and percussionist Sven Kacirek (Hamburg).

Nicholas Addo-Nettey was a former percussionist with Fela Kuti and his famous Africa 70 band during the most legendary years of his career. He has left band in 1979 in Berlin where he has been living ever since. His early solo album PAX NICHOLAS from 1971 has gained fame through a reissue in 2009.

It is interesting to note that DRUMIRA was first released anonymously in 2011 in a minuscule private pressing edition which only had a Spiegelmotiv hand stamp on the sleeve. Due to legal issues in 2009 with some of the mapstation releases, Stefan Schneider decided to put his project on hold until things got cleared. After nine years the record finally finds a place in the mapstation catalogue and gives full credit to all musicians involved. The EP comes with a luxurious hand assembled sleeve in a small edition.

Music-wise this EP is most distinguished by the combination of slow paced dark electronics and inimitable percussion patterns by Nicholas Addo-Nettey.

Nicholas Addo-Nettey: Percussion
Stefan Schneider: Electronics
Sven Kacirek: additional percussion

Repressed in 2023, limited!


Hull/Leeds based five-piece bdrmm release their much anticipated debut Bedroom on July 3, via Sonic Cathedral. The 10-track album was recorded late last year at The Nave studio in Leeds by Alex Greaves (Working Mens Club, Bo Ningen) and mastered in Brooklyn by Heba Kadry (Slowdive, Beach House). It's a hugely accomplished debut and a real step up both sonically and lyrically from their early singles, which were rounded up on last year's If Not, When? EP. Musically, there are nods to The Cure's Disintegration, Deerhunter and DIIV, while the band reference RIDE and Radiohead. There are also echoes of krautrock and post-punk, from The Chameleons to Protomartyr, plus the proto shoegaze of the Pale Saints' The Comforts Of Madness, not least in the cross fading of some tracks, meaning the album is an almost seamless listen. As a result, Bedroom becomes an unexpected and unintentional concept album, running through the different stages of a break-up set against the backdrop of the ups and downs of your early twenties. "The subject matter spans mental health, alcohol abuse, unplanned pregnancy, drugs_ basically every cliché topic that you could think of," reveals frontman Ryan Smith. "But that doesn't mean they ever stop being relevant. It's a fucker growing up, but I'm lucky enough to have been able to project my feelings in the form of this band, surrounded by four of the best people I've ever met." And that band name, in case it needs explaining, is pronounced the same way as the album title. "I never thought I'd get to the stage where I would have to explain it so much," says Ryan. "We have been pronounced as Boredom, Bdum and my old boss thought we were a ska band called Bad Riddim. We're all sarcastic cunts, so Bedroom spelt correctly seemed like the perfect title." He's right. The perfect title for the perfect debut album.

Re-Release

Black Truffle is honoured to present the premier recordings of two recent works by legendary American experimental composer Alvin Lucier. A friend and contemporary of pioneers like Robert Ashley, David Behrman, Gordon Mumma, and Christian Wolff, Lucier has been crafting elegant explorations of the behavior of sound in physical space since the 1960s. Lucier is perhaps best known for I Am Sitting in a Room (1970), in which he repeatedly re-recorded his own speaking voice being played back into a room until the room's resonant frequencies entirely obscure the spoken text. Beginning in the early 1970s, he has written a remarkable catalogue of instrumental works that focus on phenomena produced by the interference between closely tuned pitches, such as audible beating, often using pure electronic tones produced by oscillators in combination with single instruments.

Demonstrating the restless creative drive of an artist now in his 80s, the two recent works presented here both feature the electric guitar, an instrument Lucier has just recently begun to explore. In Criss-Cross, Lucier's first composition for electric guitars, two guitarists using e-bows sweep slowly up and down a single semitone, beginning at opposite ends of the pitch range. The piece is a model of simplicity, exemplifying Lucier's desire not to 'compose' in the conventional sense, but rather to eliminate everything that 'distracts from the acoustical unfolding of the idea'. In this immaculately controlled performance of Criss-Cross by Oren Ambarchi and Stephen O'Malley, (for whom the piece was written in 2013), a seemingly simple idea creates a rich array of sonic effects - not simply beating patterns, which gradually slow down as the two tones reach unison and accelerate as they move further apart, but also the remarkable phenomenon of sound waves spinning in elliptical patterns through space between the two guitar amps.

In the comparatively lush Hanover, Lucier draws inspiration from the beautiful photograph that provides the LP with its cover, an image of the Dartmouth Jazz Band taken in 1918 featuring Lucier's father on violin. Using the instrumentation present in the photograph, Lucier creates an unearthly sound world of sliding tones from violin, alto and tenor saxophones, piano, vibraphone (bowed) and three electric guitars (which take the place of the banjos present in the photograph). Waves of slow glissandi create thick, complex beating patterns, gently punctuated by repeated single notes from the piano. The result is a piece that, like much of Lucier's instrumental music, is simultaneously both unperturbably calm and constantly in motion.
Stunning LP design by Stephen O'Malley including an inner sleeve with a portrait of Alvin Lucier by Kris Serafin.
Criss-Cross' recorded at Studios Ina GRM, Paris by Francois Bonnet and mixed by Alvin Lucier. Hanover' recorded in Zurich and mixed by Alvin Lucier.
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M Belin.
Criss-Cross' recorded at Studios Ina GRM, Paris by Francois Bonnet and mixed by Alvin Lucier. Hanover' recorded in Zurich and mixed by Alvin Lucier.
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M Berlin.

New release by one of Berlin’s most unique and long standing producers. Patrick Stottrop’s activities are at the heart and foundation of Berlin’s Techno sound, active since 1996 and founder of Zhark Recordings, he’s been pushing and challenging the definition of dance music since it’s inception.
On this release we find the title track “Legeia” as well as the tracks “Die Erwartung” and “Richmond”, taken from The Garden of Time LP recoding session from 2019. These 3 tracks set the prevailing mood for 2 subsequent cuts, “Horus” and “Sorcerer”. While Richmond follows a more andante direction “Legeia” presents a unique combination of drones engulfed in a wild & hectic Technoid percussive Inferno. “Die Erwartung” on the other hand might resemble in its overall mood the Rheingold Prelude (in a higher register) with its drone like strings layer build up. wHILE “Horus” and “Sorcere” are recent tracks form KAREEMs current live set and were recently arranged to fit into the EP format. Both tracks build on static percussive hostility and climax towards their middle parts to an overall acoustic orgy of reverberating string strikes and high-pitched drone oscillations. An over all grand addition to his continuously growing and ecstatic catalog.

While the ongoing global pandemic means our chances to gather and dance beneath deep blue skies are likely to be limited, there’s never been a greater need for warm, positive and life-affirming music. NuNorthern Soul has decided to do its bit by offering up a brand new 'Summer Selections' sampler that’s packed to the rafters with magical musical treats lifted from some of the label’s most potent forthcoming releases.

The EP begins with something rather special from Canadian producer Igor B: a gentle, sunrise-ready soundscape rich in languid hand percussion, bubbly synthesizer lines and glistening guitars. Entitled 'Deep Breath', the track is just one of the many highlights you’ll find on his forthcoming debut album, “Stranded Seaside”.

There’s a similarly tactile and immersive feel to 'Early Morning Ferry' by George Koutalieris, a Greek producer whose debut album 'Stop, Look, Listen' will be released by NuNorthern Soul later in the year. On his contribution to 'Summer Selections Two', Koutalieris wraps lilting, sun-soaked guitar solos and soft-touch electronics around a chunky groove that doffs a cap to the more laidback end of the 1970s West Coast rock spectrum.

Next up, long-time friend of the family Chris Coco delivers a stunning interpretation of 'Dinum', an overlooked neo-classical/ambient fusion track by Faroe Islands-based producer Kristian Blak’s Yggdrasil project. Coco’s simmering, string-drenched re-imagining is featured here as a teaser of NuNorthern Soul’s reissue of the 2014 track in the autumn, which will also feature a mind-blowing 10-minute rework by Mike Salta – an artist who is also featured on 'Summer Selections Two'.

This time round you’ll find Salta collaborating with Mortale on the starry, EP-ending ambient bliss of 'Bells of Burgibba', a deliciously drowsy mixture of twinkling electric piano motifs, chiming lead lines and woozy pads taken from the forthcoming “Celestial Hike EP”. It paddles in similar sonic waters to label boss Phil Cooper’s stretched-out, slo-mo Balearic dub of new signing Faint Waves’ 'Aphrodesia', a teaser of the artist’s “Islands In Time EP” which can be found elsewhere on 'Summer Selections Two'.

No NuNorthern Soul label sampler would be complete without a contribution from BJ Smith, an artist who has been with the imprint from its earliest days. Smith returns to the imprint with another reminder of his uncanny ability to deliver ear-catching cover versions that re-cast classic cuts as loved-up rays of Balearic sunshine. This time round Smith takes us on a huggable shuffle through Prefab Sprout’s 'All the World Loves Lovers', re-imagining it as a future Balearic anthem and a summer 2020 sing-along. It’s not only a sneak peak of what we can expect from 'Dedication to the Greats Volume 3', his first covers collection for nigh on six years, but also a life-affirming highlight of an EP that oozes musical positivity from start to finish.

Amnesia Scanner announces Tearless, the Berlin-based duo’s second LP. As Amnesia Scanner founders, Ville Haimala and Martti Kalliala watch their icy home country of Finland thaw, the staggering scale of political recalibration and the worldwide climate crisis to come blows open old norms. This album reflects what it feels to experience Earth at a time when collapse is emerging as the prevailing narrative.


The musical scope of the record is expansive, with guest vocalists—the Peruvian artist Lalita and the Brazillian DJ/producer LYZZA—descending into a vast uncanny valley of sound. Tearless follows the 2014 AS Live [][] mixtape, 2015 audio play Angels Rig Hook, two EP’s for Young Turks, and their 2018 debut album, Another Life (PAN).



“There’s a looming sense of radical change,” they note, connecting the present to a fin de siecle horror and curiosity regarding what new world is being ushered in. Someone called Tearless a “breakup album with the planet.” To which Amnesia Scanner responds, on the LP’s closing track: “Youwill be fine, if we can help you lose your mind.”


With the crossfader on Tearless sitting closer to pop than abstraction, so too does the audience for this record widen in scope. Listening through: Opener “AS Enter” sets a sombre tone until the fucking riffs of the second track(the titular, Lalita-helmed “Tearless”) make clear there’s plenty of roaring to come. A feature from metalcore band Code Orange on “AS Flat” follows, along with “AS Trouble” (feat. Oracle, the third, machinic ghost-member of Amnesia Scanner) and together they hit as black-metal-gaze dirges. At the album’s midpoint, Lalita returns for the beautiful, operatic breakdown of “AS Acá” (released as a single in 2019), before “Call of the Center” guides listeners through three club ready tracks—the grain-processed dembow of “AS Too Late” and “AS Going” with LYZZA, and then the ambientheadbanger “AS Labyrinth.” Closing “Tearless” is the sadboy grunge of “AS U Will Be Fine” with a clear statement of intent: doom, despair, insanity, absurdity, it’s all natural, all cathartic, and all OK. Refuse like the ‘90s and party like the ‘20s—if that seems senseless, you are doing it right.

Multidisciplinary NYC artist Gavilán Rayna Russom launches her own label Voluminous Arts, dedicated to highlight electronic and experimental artists whose work challenges fixed categories of genre and categorization. Her aim is to create a platform for multidisciplinary work and events. The inaugural release being her second solo album as Gavilán Rayna Russom 'Secret Passage', following up last years 'The Envoy, an homage to the East Side Rail Tunnel in Providence, Rhode Island, and the friendships she made there.

In Rayna’s words:
“I grew up in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1970’s and 80’s. The booming jewelry and textile industries of the previous decades had pulled out by that point. The Italian mob ran most details of the day to day operations of the city. As kids coming up in that environment, before the internet, me and the people I hung out with didn’t know anything else and we worked with what we had to entertain ourselves. We found places that had been forgotten by market interests and made them spaces of creative community building. One of the most special of these places was the East Side Rail Tunnel. Running for almost exactly one mile beneath the city’s streets, the tunnel and nearby Crook Point Bridge were unsupervised autonomous zones where I tasted the possibilities of a world without surveilance. The tunnel was particularly important in my creative development because not only was it a marginal zone apart from monetized spaces of creative consumption, but it also had specific experiential properties. It had a bend in it which meant that when you got to the middle of it you were in complete darkness, and I learned quickly that when you spend enough time in complete darkness you start to hallucinate, which I liked. The acoustics were also remarkable; long natural delays and harmonic-reinforcing reverberances. Making any sound in there added layers of acoustic effects which made noises physical and fluid and, combined with the complete darkness, absolutely dissolved boundaries between internal and external experience. I started hanging out there when I was 14 and continued to return there regularly until development, gentrification and policing eventually made it inaccessible. By the mid ‘90s it was sealed off with progressively more impenetrable barriers. Nowadays it looks very different. This music is about some of the significant experiences I had in this beautifully neglected place and the people I had them with.”

Mirae Arts is an independent vinyl label based in northern California with focus on experimental ambient and techno music. Inspired by travel and natural landscapes, Mirae Arts boasts a diverse catalogue of projects from artists such as Seraphim Rytm, Michiru Aoyama, and Katsunori Sawa.

Katsunori Sawa & Anthone (aka Martsman) are Bokeh, the dynamic duo behind some of the most notable releases on Berlin’s Weevil Neighbourhood. Bokeh blends together the distinctive styles of Katsunori Sawa & Anthone, who have releases on labels such as Opal Tapes, SNTS, Hidden Hawaii, and many more under their belts. This year, Bokeh has already released a 12” EP for UVB-76 and Mirae Arts is proud to announce the follow up debut LP release called Lenses Dances.

Lenses Dances comprises 8 tracks that reflect on the photograph effect called bokeh, where aperture settings of the respective camera lens create vivid patterns, almost like dancing dots. It is a dedication to the artists’ love for photography. The music is complemented by Paul Nicholson’s signature graphic designs.

Artwork design by Paul Nicholson, UK graphic designer who created the famous Aphex Twin logo and The Laughing Man logo for the cult-classic anime, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Paul has since designed logos and artworks for numerous artists and organizations.

Mastering and lacquer completed by Kassian Troyer at the legendary Dubplates & Mastering.

Ambient and environmental Japanese scene has flourished stronger than ever in the last years. The pioneers of this sound and the creators of an innovative way of making and understanding ambient music, such as Hiroshi Yoshimura, Yoshio Ojima, Toshifumi Hinata or Takashi Kokubo have been championed and their works have been successfully unearthed by reissue labels.

Continuing in this endless path, Glossy Mistakes adds Takashi Kokubo’s brilliant “Volk Von Bauhaus” to its catalogue, with the Japanese masterpiece as the third official release of the Spanish label.

As most of 80’s Japanese ambient and environmental music, “Volk Von Bauhaus” is an audio impression designed to give a multi-sensory experience to the listener. An effort to make things audible, an exercise of understanding and soundtracking objects or situations. The main objective of this sound is to create an iconic musical landscape to accompany a specific place.

Though his name might be unfamiliar to many, Kokubo has crafted music that has impacted virtually all of Japan, from national mobile phone earthquake alerts to contactless card payment jingles. He was one of the first artists to create ambient music strictly through loops. As he mentioned when release this album, "this recording used no keyboard players, no multitrack tape recording techniques, no analog sounds”. A shift on the process of imagining sound.

“Volk Von Haus” is and ode to this ambient, new age and environmental music created in Japan throughout the 80’s. Throughout 9 cuts, Kokubo handcrafts his own sound and immerses the listener in a peaceful yet challenging adventure. The record is the first piece of his Digital Soundology series, and arguably his most interesting work due to the groundbreaking techniques he used.

"A revolutionary musical expression that shatters the old values”, explains Kokubo about this piece. And its just what we can hear when we play “Volk Von Haus”.

The album includes an unheard exclusive track by Takashi Kokubo an insert with an interview made by Takashi Kokubo. A true gem that must land in every ambient head’s musical library.

Remastered from master tapes by Frederic Stader.

With Samosa’s disco imprints currently dominating the vinyl charts in all the best record shops across the globe it’s safe to say that their Funk imprint Daje Funk is also making waves that are hard to miss.

Just off the back of a stellar release with Paul Older and Musta Daje Funk Volume 6 see’s label boss De Gama teaming up with G.Markus for yet another top class funk get down.

First up is De Gama’s monster ‘Feel The Groove’. I’m not sure if that’s an order or a request but either way it’s impossible not to do just that. Featuring thumping drums, shoulder shaking guitars, filters in all the right places and a sax solo to die for this is just a sublime track which will cause some serious dancefloor scenes.

On the flip G.Markus, a pseudonym of the super talented Ben Gomori, drops a modern funk extravaganza in ‘Gwarn’. With those eponymous Funk wah guitars, yet more thumping drums, super tight percussion, some fierce keys and a bassline that just shakes this is true dance-floor gold.

Daje Funk’s catalogue is building into one very serious collection of music. Make sure you check out the other releases right now before they are gone forever.

The Bees are a textbook case of the chew and spit cycle that was the late 80’s South African music industry. Although their unknown story is likely unique, it is just as likely that it is no different to that of many other young artists who dreamed of getting their music heard at the time.

By 1988, the independent record label was no longer as uncommon as it had been at the beginning of the decade. As the 80s went on, more seasoned A&R reps and Producers that had gained experience and connections from their work under major labels would be trying to cash in on a market they helped create. Without the need of big rooms or expensive recording equipment, the digital advancements allowed many Producers to open or work in smaller studios and promote unknown artists under their own imprints. They would then have their catalogs marketed and distributed by the same major labels they had been working for just years prior. This would open up the possibility of a new era of stars as potential talent no longer had to be pitched to major labels in hopes of them taking a chance on a new signee over their already established artists. With the market growing and a struggle to keep up with the demand for new sounds this agreement would allow the major labels to put new emerging artists or groups on their catalog with little investment and high reward if it happened to be a hit.

ON Records was just one of the independent players at the time. Ronnie Robot had just signed the unlikely trio The Bees in hopes of adding a hit group to his label roster that consisted of solo acts. Despite the debut’s fresh house inspired sound, it failed to catch on was outsold by the bubblegum disco the label was known for. Over the years unsold back stock and promos would build up with the distributor. Luckily this allowed sealed copies from the label’s catalog to survive into the 90s when the distributor’s stock was unloaded and picked up by legendary Johannesburg jazz shop Kohinoor. Here sealed copies of the Bees first attempt sat under appreciated for over 20 years before becoming a hot title after they started circulating online and became club staples. This is how the first album of an unknown group with no success was able to become a collectors item and earn a reissue over 25 years later.

With their first record behind them The Bees were ready move forward and get back into the studio. A suggestion from producers had the trio change camps and go work with the newly formed Creative Sound Recordings, the label that promised “Music for the Future” and ended up being an essential studio in the early years of Kwaito. They would work with producer Chris Ghelakis and guitarist George Vardas, while a young Marvin Moses sat behind the desk. Musically the sophomore album was as good as a follow up as you could get. Building on the first album, Mashonisa delivers catchy melodies backed by heavy drum programming that would score points with any Pantsula. The Black Box inspired “ Never Give Up” was one of two tracks chosen to be pressed as the promo for the album, hoping to trick listeners with their catchy version of the hit( A year later the label would release their first volume of Black Box covers sang by neo soul diva BB, it would be a great seller). The label printed up an unknown amount of these in a last attempt to push the release in Shabeens and on Radio. The cheaper route of flooding the market with promo copies would only pay off 25 years later when unplayed copies started being rediscovered and had survived the years in a quantity that original run of the full album could not. Once again it was clear that with no mainstream appeal, the quality of the music on its own was not enough to garner any success at the time. The album flopped worse than their first and failed to make it past it’s initial run, making it one of the harder titles to get from the CSR catalog.

Mashonisa would be the last attempt from the Bees. They would disappear from the scene as quickly as they appeared. Of the three members it is only known that lead Singer Solomon Phiri continued in music fronting a wave dance group before he mysteriously vanished in 1993, never to be heard from again. Through a combination of luck and circumstance the group, which is unknown in South Africa to even the most plugged in musicians, producers and radio hosts of the time, managed to finally get some of the recognition they deserved 30 years later. Unfortunately this small blip of fame would happen with none of the band members present to give their side of the story, or even aware of how their two albums became popular enough to be printed on different continents in a new millennia. The Bees suffered the same fate as countless other artists of the time, who thanks to emerging independent labels and willing producers were given an opportunity to have a short career, only to be replaced by the meat grinder of the music industry when they failed to produce a hit.

Die erste Neuauflage vom offiziellen "Die Ärzte" Debut seit vielen Jahren in guter Austattung ( LP, black, 180 gram + DLC )

Gitarre, Schlagzeug, Bass. Drei junge Menschen, die eben noch im Besetzereck ihr erstes Konzert gegeben haben. die Ärzte sind aus Berlin (aus Berlin!). Viele, die BelaFarinRod in letzter Zeit im kleinen Club ihres Vertrauens live gesehen haben, schwören darauf, dass wir hier das Nächste Große Ding haben. Quasi die Beste Band der Welt in the making: Spontan, unberechenbar, witzig, aus Versehen tiefsinnig an den richtigen Stellen und auch sonst ganz einfach wahnsinnig. Nur halt in gut. Acht Tage waren sie im Studio, die dreizehn Tracks ihres Debütalbums klingen standesgemäß rau, laut und so unkonventionell frisch als hätten wir gerade 1984. Mit potenziellen Klassikern wie „Mädchen“ oder „Zu spät“, zukünftigen Lieblingsliedern à la „Schlaflied“ und „Roter Minirock“ sowie einem ganzen Haufen weiterer Songperlen, die man sich auch in dreißig oder vierzig Jahren noch ganz unpeinlich berührt wird anhören können. Und mit „Claudia hat ’nen Schäferhund“. „Debil“ erscheint nun als Vinylalbum (mit Downloadcode)!

Black Sheep – and their 1991 ‘A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing’ album - were definitely an outlier in the Native Tongues fold. They were raunchier and more playful than their peers which, given that those peers were A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Jungle Brothers, is really saying something.

‘Strobelite Honey’ catches that difference perfectly, leaning heavily on a pair of 1980 disco samples rather than the jazz of their brethren, and taking a somewhat less chivalrous approach to women. ‘Strobelite’s slender but fun narrative sees rapper Dres up in the club and fooled by the lights – approaching a girl he likes the look off but backing off when they reveal she’s not what he expected. Charmed, we’re sure.

Dres and his partner Mr. Lawnge were always willing to push boundaries, and that extends to the often confusing labelling of the various remixes of this choice single. 12”s dropped with the ‘No We Didn’t Mix’, ‘Yes We Did Mix’ and ‘Maybe We Did Mix’ (not to mention a separate 12” of House mixes).

The last and best of these accompanied the original version on the now-rare 1991 7”, as it does here. The ‘Maybe We Did Mix’ adds urgent horns - almost like the buzzing of a bee - and a new beat to completely reconfigure the sound into something much more of its era. It’s a reminder of when remixes were about much more than the same beat with different rappers.

Fifth studio album featuring Malcolm Catto, D'Alma, Idd Aziz and Modou Touré. Includes the singles Sua Alma, In The End and Afande. His most accomplished album to date Will Dorey aka Skinshape moved out of his comfort zone to create a new sound while retaining his trademark feel. While Skinshape has often been influenced by African music ‘Umoja’ directly incorporates styles and rhythms from the continent. Drawing on London’s vast talent pool from across the globe collaborators bring the essence of Senegal, Portugal, Ghana and Kenya via Norway no name but a few. The initial plan was to travel to various African nations to record ‘Umoja’. This proved to be an unnecessary step because Skinshape's hometown of London ended up bearing many fruits. It was a challenging project for Dorey taking a year and a half of dedicated work to complete with many ideas left unfinished along the way. The album has a very global feel which was enhanced at the end of the process by a collaboration with Japanese painter Ken-ichi Omura. Fans of Skinshape’s distinctive voice will not be disappointed as he features on ‘In The End’ and ‘Sun’. Long-time friend and collaborator Jon Moody (from the band Franc Moody) wrote the album’s horn parts.

A focal point for the unique punk-funk that was coming together in Bristol as the bridge from the 70s to the 80s arrived, Maximum Joy was formed by Glaxo Babies multi-instrumentalist Tony Wrafter and 18 year old vocalist Janine Rainforth. Soon they drafted in additional Glaxo Babies in the form of drummer Charlie Llewellin and bassist Dan Catsis, along with guitarist John Waddington, fresh from The Pop Group. The group set about making a one-of-a-kind mix of funk, punk, pop, jazz, dub, soul, afrobeat and reggae; creating a brilliant burst of danceable tunes wrapped around elastic basslines and complex percussion, punctuated by melodic horns and stabs of guitar, all of it highlighting Rainforth’s naturally enthusiastic vocal style. They immediately took their place on the rosters of influential labels like Y and 99 with iconic debut single Stretch, as the band had clearly captured something special.

Entering 1982, Kevin Evans had replaced Catsis as Maximum Joy set out to make what would be their only full length LP. Recording at Berry Street and The Lodge with producers Adrian Sherwood (On-U-Sound legend), Dave Hunt (Flying Lizards, Pigbag, This Heat) and Pete Wooliscroft (Kate Bush, Talk Talk, Peter Gabriel, OMD, This Heat) the band would mix practiced grooves with imaginative improvisation. The results were absolutely jaw-dropping.

Station M.X.J.Y. kicks things off with Dancing On My Boomerangand promptly sets forth the blueprint for bands like !!! and The Rapture to capitalize on nearly twenty years later. In fact, those bands can only dream of the mix of driving percussion and spectral shards of guitar that Maximum Joy has clearly already mastered. Do It Todayannounces itself immediately with Rainforth delivering a looping and infectious vocal melody that the others dance around playfully, as handclaps keep the stomping groove intact, leaving a dancehall hit for outer space circling your turntable.

If you ever wondered what it would sound like if ESG and The Slits combined forces, Let It Take You There has the answer for you. Llewellin periodically delivers a cascade of marching band percussion while Waddington’s classic R&B riffs are transformed into a slithering snake trying to keep pace with Evans locked in groove as Rainforth’s singsong vocals are reduced to whispered echoes. They close out side one with the delicious slab of pop that is Searching For A Feeling. Clearly pronouncing the band’s intention to find the positives in a dire time for England, they look to rally those around them to focus on making real change in the face of opposing voices via one of Rainforth’s most delightful deliveries.

Side two sees Wrafter stretching out on Where’s Deke?, showcasing what had already been obvious, as he is the band’s secret weapon, often coloring each tune with his horns, sometimes in several styles just seconds apart. He underlines that feeling with the raucous and bouncy Temple Bomb Twist, before they hit a straight groove in Mouse An’ Me, like a dub infected Train In Vain. Well, if The Clash had ever allowed themselves to properly lose their minds on the dancefloor.

A funky afrobeat flute and guitar battle breaks out (way cooler than it sounds) before Rainforth rallies the troops to not only fill up the disco, but also the surrounding streets in political resistance to Thatcherism via All Wrapped Up. It is entirely genuine and their activism has none of the menace of the others in their scene, but rather a feeling of sharp optimism amongst this danceable masterpiece. It is that optimism that always set Maximum Joy apart, and makes their grooves all the more irresistible today.

Sadly, the upward trajectory of the band was cut short as Rainforth left the group, and soon afterwards seemed to stop making music altogether. The reasoning seemed destined to remain a mystery, until earlier this year when she gave a brave interview to The Guardian where she revealed that an assault by someone in the industry caused her to retreat entirely from music for nearly three decades. Luckily, Janine has embraced music once again, and she refuses to let the magic that was Station M.X.J.Y. be lost as well.

House Of EFUNK Records returns with a vinyl only offering of floor focused club jams from Tom Flynn, the UK based producer who’s seen outings on Planet E, Vega Records & Dirtybird to name a few.

Highlighted by “Fifty Ways”, a polyrhythmic feast for the ears featuring Grammy nominated NYC legend Luisito Quintero on percussion... The original rides a pulsating afro-feel, while the deep mix envelops us in tense foggy atmospheres fit for those late night / early mornings. Detroit heavyweight, Shigeto supplies a remix that pumps the tempo and injects that Motor City jazz he’s so known for.

Rounding it out... "Catching Stars" brings us down gently, capturing the coastal breeze & warmth of a late summer day... Touché concludes the story, riding a bubbling bassline & playful melodies, it’s a track perfectly fit for the sunrise.

Actual Music is a Swiss record label with a focus on Detroit House, Deep House, and Nu Disco. Taking inspiration from the masters of Detroit, the label was started by Alexandre Gazzola & Michel Catanese in 2017.

Alex Mota is a DJ and producer based in Switzerland and as a member of Los Cruzeiros, he released on Crossfontier Audio, Monique Musique and Tenampa Recordings, working with Pier Bucci, Marc Poppcke, Hernan Cattaneo and Nima Gorji.

Here Mota provides us with a diverse four tracker. Opener ‘Senses’ is an uplifting nu disco stomper with nods to New Order with the vocal. ‘Buenos Aires’ fuses Flamenco guitar and Latin flavours a plenty fitting for the most Balearic dancefloor scenes, whilst working itself up into a rhythmic house beat too.

The relentless ‘Chicago’ goes heads down and four to the floor with some well-placed trumpet flourishes. Closing out the EP is ‘Bogota’. Latin flavoured House as the title would suggest, with scattered percussion and cheeky vocal samples.

For the second instalment of Subaltern’s 2020 program, we welcome one of the scene’s best-kept secrets – Imajika. The three hard-hitting tracks take listeners on a sonic journey through tribal rhythms, punchy drums and immaculate sound design. Calling upon ancient forces, Imajika makes a powerful statement with the Stagger EP.

Stagger
Ethereal glass chimes sing in the distance underneath an airy pulse to create an eerie intro until the groove enters to break the tension. We are offered a moment to breathe before being submerged by staggering drums driven by powerfully persistent bass-waves. Playful dubby FXs, gritty wobbles and naughty drum fills keep the head nodding throughout this stomper. After offering one last breath, the second drop hits with a relentless grunt that leaves us gobsmacked and then proceeds to devastate any sub to cross its path.

Unti Pundi
Mystical textures set a ghostly tone, overlaid by the meditative ‘Unti Pundi’. We are whisked through the caverns of time - space is created through reverbs and echoes of snares and droplets. A sinister pitch-oscillating synth takes your hand and as Imajika takes you deeper down the rabbit hole. Evolving basslines and masterfully placed drum fills add new depth to this monstrous beat before a shattering second drop wreaks havoc - Imajika shows no mercy.

Inside the Sycamore Root
Foreboding voices whisper in a secret language, seemingly summoning ancient spirits in a circular tree-based ritual. A cataclysmic drop fused with a tribal rhythm and propels us deep Inside the Sycamore Root. The spirits have been awoken. A gnarly bass pulsates as calls of the wild and menacing laser-synth stabs respond to the ancestral voices. The summoning continues and takes us even deeper into the wilderness as rumbling bass and tribal percussion take over - the descent into the great unknown continues.

Madrugada is the Spanish word for those strange, seductive hours before sunrise. A familiar stretch of time for the seasoned raver –and for MJ Cole, an artist who’s spent much of his career exploring those magical moments. Yet despite so many nights in the clubs, some of his most powerful memories of the madrugada hours have nothing to do with dancefloor euphoria. “I've experienced a lot of early mornings, but having been up from the night before,” he says, remembering one special morning on the Severn Bridge, driving home from a solo gig and watching the sun come up. “For me, the early morning is a significant period.” With MJ Cole presents Madrugada, he sets out to capture that special feeling with an album unlike anything he’s done before.

Josh Wink joins Ellum Audio for a stellar new single backed with a remix from DJ Seinfeld.

Josh Wink needs little introduction to fans, or even occasional listeners to dance music. The American DJ and producer has been one of the most enduring figures in the scene with a catalogue of music on labels like R&S, Strictly Rhythm, Nervous, Pokerflat, MNus and of course his own long standing Ovum Recordings imprint. As a DJ, he has travelled the globe since the mid-nineties, headlining festivals and clubs wherever he goes. What he has never done in his almost 30-year career is ever lose touch with the roots of underground dance music, something he demonstrates once again here with a standout new single for Maceo Plex’s label.

As Josh says, “Eric and I have known each other since the 90’s, when I would come to Dj in Houston Texas, and now so many years later, I’m excited to have my music released on his mighty Ellum imprint, including a great remix from Dj Sienfield”.

‘Feel’ is classic Josh Wink, near eight minutes of spacey, hypnotic dancefloor wonderment fuelled by syncopated percussion and arpeggiated bass which builds the tension before a spacious drop and meditative, spoken word vocal take the reins. Timeless and heartfelt this is a gem from the Philadelphia legend.

Remix duties fall to Sweden’s DJ Seinfeld, the lo-fi house pioneer and Young Ethics label boss who chops things up with a warped bassline, wonky FX and dancing synth lines to bring a brilliant alternative to the table.