quête:club r

Last May, Hard Times captivated us with The Lost D.A.T.S (Part One)—a remarkable collection of unreleased and freshly unearthed gems from the vaults of NYC legend DJ Romain. But the story didn’t end there. To our surprise and delight, Romain had delivered an even larger treasure trove of beats—too many to reveal all at once.

Now, Hard Times is proud to present the next chapter: DJ Romain – The Lost D.A.T.S (Part Two).

"1996-97? Yeah, that’s when New York was still NEW YORK!

That was around the time we really started to get hold of exotic herbs. Copper Haze, hydroponic! The vibes in the studio were always lovely. I had hair at the time! Dread-Locs down to my shoulders... I was still rockin’ the Wallabees, or British Walkers as we called them - representing for Brooklyn and my West Indian roots!

There was no social media, no supervision, nobody all up in our business… It was classic "mind your own business" NYC Vibes! I was DJing at a lot of the hot clubs and THE hottest afterhours in the city. There were nights when I saw Micheal Douglas roll into the afters with Grace Jones - they were there to party and unwind and I was there dropping the dope tracks for the people.

When it was studio time, with my homie Matt Echols...I was probably setting things off with some quality herbage, a big ass bag of Funyuns and my trusty SP-1200, lol. I had picked up some tips and tricks from Todd Terry and by '96-'97 I was a Shaolin with it myself! This was around the time tracks like "Flowers" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Dub)" were tearing up the clubs. I wanted to be able to get my ideas out with no problem, and by then I had a lot of confidence...

Being able to Dj in some of the hottest NY hot spots at the time, I was able to really see what worked and what didn't on the dancefloor. The best House Dancers from around the world and around the Tri-State area would be at my jams. I'm talking Ejoe, Voodoo Ray, maybe kids from the Mop-Top Crew... I was definitely taking note of the kind of rhythms and sounds that would make them go crazy on the dancefloor!

And that's how we went about it - I laid down the rhythms that made it happen in my sets and translated the vibes I was picking up from NYC itself. Matt threw down musically and we were just being as creative and inventive as possible! But we always kept in mind that our job was to make the people on the dancefloor jump!

A lot of the jams from those days got signed to various record labels, we dropped a lot of them on our own label...and some of them ended up in the archives - until now!"

Marshall McLuhan said:
"Knowledge gets in the way. It is only the very ignorant person who can get past that problem because he is not fogged over by knowledge. When you're looking for new answers to new questions, it is knowledge itself that blocks progress. It is knowledge that creates rear currents just as wealth creates poverty. Knowledge creates ignorance."


We are very happy to announce the second instalment in our collaboration with SMEM. Dorian Concept spent 10 days at the Swiss Museum for Electronic Music Instruments to record Music From A Room Full of Synths. Even though he doesn't consider himself a "gear-guy," his unique approach led to a record defined by its playful curiosity and free-form arrangements. The entire album was recorded live, with no sequencing or programming involved. Thus, capturing the rawness of the moment, while celebrating the quirks and imperfections of older electronic-music gear, became the core of this project.


Dorian Concept is a highly respected electronic musician who has been releasing music for close to two decades. As a cross-genre "synthesizer virtuoso," he mixes experimental electronic sounds with jazz, ambient, and club music. Due to his unmistakable sound and singular live show, he has become a sought-after performer. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with musicians and producers such as Flying Lotus, Thundercat, and Kenny Beats.

Beijing-based artist/producer Howie Lee interprets Tibetan Buddhist chants on his new album 'At The Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery', the follow up to 2021's critically acclaimed 'Birdy Island'.

Recorded over two weeks at Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery in the mountains of north-eastern Tibet, Beijing-based multi-disciplinary artist/producer, Howie Lee combines Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist singing with Kode9-channeling bass/footwork science, glitched-out hyper-rhythms and sampled Chinese-Tibetan instrumentation for his latest album on Mais Um.

Invited to contribute and interpret chant recordings from the sound archive of monastery founder and master, Tuga Rinpoche's self-built recording studio, Howie Lee connects parallels in electronic music, deep meditation and devotional chanting to present eight reconstructed, IDM-warpedVajrayanamantras, journaling the beginnings of his journey into buddhism, and to continue Lee's career-long threading of ancient, cross-generational practice, modern Chinese history and experimental club-futurism.

Swiss DJ and composer Dexter Troy has made a name for himself with notable productions on labels such as King Street Sounds, Groove Culture, and Mood Funk Records, alongside iconic artists like Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer, Masters At Work, Satoshi Fumi and Dimitri From Paris.

For over 15 years, he has shared his passion for electronic music in bars, clubs, and festivals in Switzerland and abroad. His rich and diverse musical universe draws from multiple influences :house, funk, disco, all enhanced with a touch of electro-techno.

Occult Vision; a new LP based imprint, offers a space for artists to share a more complete body of their work. We create windows into the deeper, alternative and often more authentic sounds of carefully selected artists. It's rare a producer in the underground house and techno scene has this type of platform and Occult Vision aims to fill the void. Our first album is from one of Frankfurt's finest producers, Frank Heinrich. Known to most as Reboot and sharing what will be his first solo LP since 2016, we have here an intricately crafted collection of music that was brought to life during the lockdown phase of the pandemic. This unique time had a resounding impact on Franks creativity in the studio, leading to a sound that strongly represents his emotions throughout that period. The tracks we have helped to curate for this release are often melancholic, yet hopeful with carefully placed textures and rhythms carrying a stripped back yet emotive energy throughout. This isn't your typical club music; it's more personal and meant as a listening experience. "On A Grind" presents the harshness and rawness of that period for so many of us and whilst you will hear Reboots style weaved into these tracks, Frank hopes that you will feel the passion and emotions put into this record accompanying you in your own moments of reflection.

After a brief hiatus from regular releasing (yet closely following the hit 36-tracker VA compilation), Motive Hunter Audio steps back into Jungles spotlight with The Pressure - EP from ARKYN, available on an ultra-sleek marble grey double-sided 12 vinyl, as well as all digital streaming platforms + Bandcamp.

The release thoroughly embodies a modern rendition of Hardcore Jungle Technos unmissable resurgence, yet matched with an evident ode to the genres roots. Piano-stabs-galore and 4x4 kicks guide you through two sides of controlled mayhem, the epitome of a club-ready release. ARKYN calls up SYNTAX & DJ B for collaborations, both effortlessly adding their touch sonically and also with the bonus of a closing track as his alter-alias DJ TUF - channelling his influence from the Dutch early rave scene.

Having already had support from artists at the top of their game, internationally and on the airwaves - there is no way of shying from the fact that these have been some of the most sought-after dubs in Modern Jungle.

Here comes a first EP by Josh Ludlow for Toy Tonics. Mastermind of Make a Dance aka M.A.D. records. London’s best kept secret (or not so secret anymore) of new underground dance weapons that are played by everybody who counts in the scene.

Josh delivers a hot 4 -tracker that will move people on dance-floors worldwide. Combining 1990es filterhouse influences, 2000’s indie dance and some of the edgy contemporary funk moods that are lighting up clubs these days. The post - techno generation likes it funky and Josh delivers. Fitting perfectly with the vibe of Toy Tonics this EP will find a lot of friends. In fact Josh knows how things work.

Josh Ludlow has been steadily honing his craft over the past 15 years. Starting out releasing Drum & Bass under the ‘Squash!’ moniker in the late 2000’s whilst also playing drums in bands. The former gave way to live touring and it was only in 2020 when Josh resurfaced with some new electronic music.

The impetus for releasing this new material was when Josh Ludlow & Ben Lewis formed there beloved project ‘Make A Dance’ (which then went on to establish the imprint) M.A.D. Records during the pandemic.
Since then M.A.D have made a big impact on the underground scene, become regulars at places such as Fabric, Heidegluhen, Gottwood and gained DJ support of propel such as Laurent Garnier, Optimo, Palms Trax and Peggy Gou and across BBC Radio1 and regularly Cover show’s on NTS for Long Running Host’s Moxie and Apiento.

This is just the beginning.

Ryan James Ford begins 2025 with his debut release on Blue Hour Music, "Tungsten Portals," a six-track
Mini LP that reflects on the evolving tides of club music with his signature blend of techno, ambient, and
breaks. Ford navigates through an artistic journey, weaving introspective, nostalgic, and optimistic themes
to create a deeply personal and compelling record, forming an important addition to the Blue Hour Music
catalog.

EEE are back to kick of 2025 with another heavy house hitter to keep the party rocking!

- Channel Tres releases his debut album Head Rush via RCA Records.

The album, which features the previously-released singles "Berghain" featuring Barney Bones and "Cactus Water" is the culmination of Channel's steady ascent since he first broke through to public consciousness with his cult-classic debut single "Controller." Head Rush features all of the sounds that have come to be hallmarks of Channel Tres songs, but finds him incorporating musical influences not heard in his prior catalog, as evidenced by "Berghain" and other songs from the album including the Ty Dolla $ign-featuring “Holy Moly,” a visualizer for which is out now. The album arrives on the heels of two recent head-turning Channel Tres collaborations as well -- his contribution to KAYTRANADA's "Drip Sweat" and Jay Worthy, DāM FunK & ATrak's "105 West" alongside fellow LA legends Ty Dolla $ignand DJ Quik exemplify his versatility. Head Rush is a richly layered record, but one that feels totally intuitive, without a trace of doubt or self-consciousness.

The way “I’m Him” shimmers is balanced by the Estelle-featuring “We Hungry,” which nearly growls; the spare, percussion-forward Ravyn Lenaeduet “Need U 2 Know” (the stylization of its title a nod to Prince, one of Tres’s major influences) at delightful odds with the easy ride of “Gold Daytonas.” Head Rush shows the staggering array of styles Channel Tres can evoke. But that versatility is not the point in and of itself—the point is that all these component parts can be reassembled into something that feels uniquely personal, and honest. Through his career, Tres has blended recognizable genres, textures, and points of view into a truly singular form all his own. Longtime listeners will recognize in Head Rush the hallmarks of a Channel Tres record: a mastery of rhythm, the rare ability to make songs sinister and fluorescent at once.

But this LP also opens a new sonic world, one rife with unexpected terrain and hairpin turns—see the way “Type” takes what sounds at first to be a simple romantic boundary and stretches it out into an alien landscape. Or take “Berghain,” a song that nods to the kinetic live shows that became must-see events—a crescendo of interest that included his momentous Coachella 2022 performance and culminated, at least symbolically, with his early 2023 set at Berghain, the legendary Berlin club that has long been a musical hub of the Western world. “Berghain” is delirious but thumps almost impossibly hard, in line with the album as a whole—always molting, always ready to turn from the claustrophobic to the communal, as the pivot on “Joyful Noise” accomplishes so seamlessly. Head Rush also features some of Tres’s most deeply felt vocals to date, like the veritable bloodletting on “Two Ways.” And so the record, which also features Ty Dolla $ign, Thundercat, Teezo Touchdown, Watr, Barney Bones and Toro y Moi, marks a new era for Channel Tres, personally as well as artistically. “I’m older now, and the things that I’ve accomplished tell me I’m ready to do this,” he says. “You’ve worked your whole life for this, you’ve been able to do these shows and walk into these rooms and make these songs. There’s no reason you have to live by the same insecurity that you had to use in years past.” Shedding that baggage accomplished exactly what it was meant to—lightening the load so we’re free to get heavier than ever

Four high octane, main room club bangers from a don of the UK house scene over the last 30+ years. Essential peak time gems perfectly merged for today's energetic dancefloors. Vinyl only.

Oslo’s Sex Judas feat. Ricky announces 2 x LP for Norway’s Snick Snack Music
The band’s varied concept album portrays a break-up of epic proportions and releases Jabnuary 2025
Digital Release Date: 3rd May 2024
Vinyl Release Date: Jan 2025

“Are you ready for the big disaster? The moment when everything unravels?

On their third album, Sex Judas feat. Ricky portrays a break-up of astronomical proportions. The band's mascots, Sex Judas and Ricky, embodied by artist Sindre Goksøyr, find themselves in the midst of a separation, and their feelings are sprayed all over the big screen.

But what is actually going on? Sex Judas feat. Ricky consists of the musicians Tore Gjedrem (Ost & Kjex), Sidiki Camara, Ivar Winther, Tracee Meyn, Tore Brevik, Kristian Edvardsen and Linn Nystadnes, a stellar team part of Oslo's musical underground. Together, they play a mixture of funk, disco, post-punk, traditional music from Mali and electronica that always moves the dance floor, with two previous critically acclaimed albums on the Scottish Optimo Music and a Norwegian Grammy to show.

Sex Judas’ third album, ‘The Book Of Dreams / After Sex’, is a double disc and a two-part musical affair. In the first part, Sex Judas' version of the breakup is depicted in a band format, with music inspired by the alternative 80s. Think Grace Jones, Tom Tom Club, DAF, No Wave, and the Compass Point Studio backing band in a blissful cocktail.

In part two, depicting Ricky’s breakdown, the band has created their most experimental music to date in close collaboration with contemporary composer Ole-Henrik Moe. The songs influenced by Ole-Henrik's tones are fluid and beautifully ambient, with inspiration ranging from 30s and 40s film music, Norwegian folk, contemporary electronica and IDM topped with Moe’s modern string arrangements.” - Snick Snack Music

Another 4 tried and tested club weapons straight from the Toolroom with huge support across clubland from LF System, Bob Sinclar, Claptone, David Penn, Ferreck Dawn, Danny Howard, Low Steppa, Roger Sanchez, Jodie Harsh, MK, James Hype, ACRAZE, Tiesto, Adam Beyer, Duke Dumont, Dombresky & the Solardo boys!

After the success of the previous three chapters, Cristian Cosignani, also known as 5UNIVERSOS, presents a compelling fourth volume, a richly layered album infused with rhythmic elements that are perfect for the dance floor. With a distinctive blend of sophisticated house and minimalist dub, the Mantra EP is crafted to immerse the listener in the elevated vibrations of its four tracks, each serving as a meticulously designed groove instrument.

The journey begins with "Mantra," featuring a sequence of syncopated bass lines and deep vocals laid over a strict, minimalist drum pattern. "Thastha" follows with a funky bass progression, complemented by a sensual female chorus and a retro drumbeat, evoking a sunrise at sea.

On the B-side, "Greet" delivers a dry, rhythmic punch with a bassline that aims to make listeners smile with their eyes closed, as the filter opens and closes.

The EP concludes with "Tolerance," which introduces a Balearic string arrangement, adding a deeply spiritual and introspective layer to the overall experience.

This album is undeniably a pure expression of rhythm and the club atmosphere - an essential addition to any collection.

Chileans Are Playing

Master by Claudio Solis

Love Ensemble Quatuor is back with a fresh release that redefines their vibe. Half a decade later, the crew of ICTV, Nephews, and DimSum return under their solo aliases with a slick new record. This German-Swiss-Lebanese connection known for blending their respective styles, builds on the success of their first EP, while taking their sound into a new direction.

Side A kicks off with “Midnight Mirage,” a smooth, melodic track that mixes tight percussion, soft chords, and a rolling bassline – perfect for easing into a set. “Love Ensemble Theme” follows with deeper beats and rhythms that show the seamless chemistry between the four producers.

On the B-Side , “Elevated Workout” ramps up the energy with a punchy, club-ready vibe, packed with whistles, sound effects, and a nod to ‘90s rave energy. It’s been tested on the floor and gets the crowd moving every time.

To top it up, two remixes round out the record: Irish Hitmaker Trent Voyage delivers a hard-hitting take on “Elevated Workout,” while Venezuelan Swiss based producer Giorgio Maulini gives “Love Ensemble Theme” a unique breakbeat twist, adding more flavor to the release.

The Clamps Unveils From Dust to Dawn - A Cosmic Journey into Drum & Bass

French Drum & Bass producer The Clamps is set to release his highly anticipated second album, From Dust To Dawn, through the label Kosenprod.

Known for pushing the boundaries of Drum & Bass, he delivers a highly personal and finely crafted album that merges intricate sound design with an intense dancefloor-oriented energy.

From Dust To Dawn showcases The Clamps' signature Neurofunk style, characterized by deep, dark basslines, meticulously engineered beats, and emotional soundscapes, while also incorporating elements of Jungle, Hardcore, and Techno. This 16 track journey blends introspective themes with hard-hitting club anthems, creating a diverse experience that is both thoughtful and electrifying.

The album will be released as a special double vinyl edition, cementing its place as a must-have for Drum & Bass enthusiasts.

Last time Touch From A Distance released a Brother Nebula record the moniker was still shrouded in mystery. A few years later the veil has been lifted and anyone inclined would know our favourite Texan Lance DeSardi has been behind those meticulously crafted tracks all this time.

In line with his past outings on his own imprint Legwork, Brother Nebula keeps exploring the nooks and crannies of varied tropes of club music. There's the razor sharp, Dub Techno inspired stomper „Mach Loop“. There's „Ice Giant“, a heavy drum workout equally indebted to UK Garage and Jeff Mills. There are „The Grandeur Of Delusion“ and „God's Green Earth“ invoking the forgotten transantlanticism between West London and Detroit.

Having relocated to London and immersed himself in the local scenes and culture, Brother Nebula connects the dots of his past, present and future. Smooth melancholia meets icy beat science creating vivid contrast which makes this ep such an intriguing offering.

Italian magic man Walter Del Vecchio aka Quiroga is back on Hell Yeah. After the success of his Acid Dropout EP here last year, this time he offers up a varied package of tasteful and timeless house music with a deep and Balearic twist.

Naples artist Del Vecchio is a Hell Yeah mainstay who has also released a fantastic LP here, Passages, and always takes inspiration from the Mediterranean energy of his hometown whether making late-night jams or house anthems.

The heartfelt 'French Kiss' opens this one with super smooth and classic deep house drums topped with a sweet female vocal and jazzy chord work. It oozes romance while the Baia Club Ambient Version is a blissed-out post-club comedown with soft acid lines, ambient pads, flutes and chords straight from a '90s afterparty.

'Ask Coppede' is another breezy and soulful house jam with live-sounding drums and percussion and golden chords that keep the good vibes flowing. Balearic bass gem 'Cala Ventosa' shuts down with gentle cosmic leads and glowing pads drifting through the night sky over supple electro rhythms.

Legendary House don Harry Romero joins Rekids for the first time with the ‘Nice To Meet You’ EP comprising two massive tracks with classic NY House DNA with the sort of modern twist Romero’s become synonymous with throughout his two-decade-plus career. The Bambossa Records founder now lands on Radio Slave’s flagship label following an impressive 2024, which featured releases on Faith, Nu-Groove, and Defected.

After his appearance on Rekids’ podcast series in August, House hero Harry Romero starts the label’s 2025 with the ‘Nice To Meet You’ EP. First up is the title track, a uniquely hypnotic cut with a bold kazoo melody and raw, club-ready low-end that shines on the breakdowns and high-impact drops. ‘Danny’s Groove’ is next, a track with real Romero energy, its rhythm carefully layered with an organic drum shuffle at the centre, an ear-catching whistle melody in the back, and plenty of synth hits in between - the ‘Nice To Meet You’ EP is a masterclass in building and releasing energy on the dancefloor.

Radio Slave’s Rekids imprint was founded in 2006 and has since spawned successful offshoots with the Techno-focused Rekids Special Projects in 2017 and its newest sublabel, REK’D, in 2024. With Matt Edwards as the sole A&R, Rekids has been crucial in developing early artist careers and has become a haven for established acts operating in House and adjacent genres, having recently featured the likes of Hilit Kolet, William Kiss, Bushwacka, Mathias Kaden, Katerina, Sean Johnston, and many more.