quête:club tracks

”Marking the fifth communication from his self-titled label, Evigt Mörker’s latest EP offers deft instruction in the tranquilising tension between infinities and physicalities.

Arriving as the follow-up to his stunning debut album for Northern Electronics, the EP makes further illustrations toward the total spectral intensity of Evigt Mörker’s world. Across three tracks we trawl through three effervescent enclaves that each wind a different route to heady clubbed-out ravines. A shuffling impermanence remains at the core of the work, keeping us in a persistent transit between movement and reflection. Cycling a wealth of sonic detail over the listener, Evigt Mörker’s command is as effortless as it is chilling.”

Enigmatic producer RNDTXTR debuts on Rekids with a deep techno three tracker entitled‘Random EP’ this September.

“Some tracks just stick with you. They never leave your box, or in this case USB, and I’ve been playing these tracks from RNDTXTR for well over two years. Everywhere from Tokyo to Berlin. These have a universal appeal, being hypnotic and just the right balance between pushy club sounds and spatial melodies” - Radio Slave

Shrouded in murky atmospherics, ‘RND009’ opens the package with rigorous drums, shuffling shakers, sweeping pads and scintillating synths. ‘RND007 (Dub Mix)’ continues with a similar cantering rhythm as various rattling percussive elements work alongside clever automation for a tracky cut designed to lock listeners into a trance. Concluding matters, ‘RND004’ is the wonkiest number on the package with its syncopated groove and otherworldly melody.

Red Vinyl

With this three-cut EP, Andy Vaz pays tribute to Choutsugai, a Deep House DJ-and-promoter crew who booked him for many years of Tokyo gigs. Inspired by the unit’s love for “No Fairytale Luv feat. Detroit’s Eva Soul on Vocals.” Vaz decided to put it out as red transparent vinyl for VAZ-UP-001The two originals Tracks were created at Deutztroit Studios in Cologne, with vocals by Detroit’s Eva Soul on all three and “No Fairytale Luv” receiving a charged remix treatment from fellow Detroiter Niko Marks. The EP’s sound is classic Vaz, his own productions especially. The original “No Fairytale Luv"struts mightily, its pumping groove bolting from the gate with an acidy bass pulse, congas, and sparkling synths. With Soul draping her, yes, soulful musings over the energized groove, the gurgling floor-filler indelibly brands itself as Vaz’s craftsmanship. “U Got It Unlocked” is less urgent by comparison, this one more focused on a relaxed, funk-inflected swing given a subtle Latin feel with the addition of percussive accents. Soul again muses dreamily, though this time in a production that’s as much electronic reverie as club track. Of the three cuts, the EP’s primary house banger is undoubtedly Marks’s “No Fairytale Luv” makeover, which stomps even more forcefully. This one is a floorfiller

Following a stellar run of recent releases including best-of-year EPs from the likes of DJ Plead and DJ JM, Nervous Horizon are back with their first record of 2020 — a unique new collaborative EP by object blue and label co-head, TSVI. Out on September 25th, ‘Hyperaesthesia’ details four sweltering new club tracks — described by the pair as “body music” — that mesh together object blue’s widescreen, experimental club tones and TSVI’s borderless percussive styles. “I was curious to see how TSVI and I could merge our sounds, whether we could supplement each other without eclipsing one another, and I'm so happy with the result”, explains object blue. “I never thought I could write with somebody else but this happened so easily. It's been a liberating process, just a pure pursuit of fun, yelling in our chairs when we dropped the beat.” Inspired by ‘ever-present conversations about machines and sentience’, the EP’s mechanical crux plays out in the narrative of the tracks too; from a sense of machines ‘waking up’ on near 8-minute opener ‘Thought Experiment’ to the frantic, processing energy of ‘Turing Machine’. The record also comes complete with a special remix by Loraine James and vinyl-only bonus track, ‘Syntax’. ‘Hyperaesthesia’ follows a fruitful 12 months for both object blue and TSVI: Following the release of her breakthrough debut EP, ‘Do You Plan To End A Siege?’, for Tobago Tracks back in 2018, object blue has since become one of dance music’s most crucial new artists. As well as releasing her third, critically acclaimed EP last summer (‘FIGURE BESIDE ME’), she’s turned in remixes for everyone from Murlo to Seb Wildblood, been invited to record a BBC R1 guest mix for Benji B and performed live at Paris Fashion Week, after composing the music for Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood SS20. object blue was also announced a SHAPE artist for 2020 earlier this year, alongside artists like Afrodeutsche, Rian Treanor, Jay Glass Dubs, Oli XL and more. TSVI’s upward trajectory shows no sign of slowing down either. From the release of his enchanting debut album ‘Inner Worlds’ in 2018, he’s since gone on to put out a series of game-changing records under his Anunaku moniker for both Nic Tasker’s AD93 label and Martyn’s 3024 imprint, including July’s ‘032’ — a joint EP written with DJ Plead. Alongside fellow co-heads Wallwork and Federico Ciampolini, he’s also overseen the rise of Nervous Horizon since the label’s inception in 2015, moulding it into of the UK’s trailblazing new-school dance labels.

Put Your Head Above The Parakeets’ is a brand new EP from HAAi, her second for Mute.

The EP features four brand new tracks including the pseudo title track ‘Head Above The Parakeets’, which exudes a woozy summery heat while ‘Rotating in Unison’ embraces positivity, written in
response to this year’s enforced slowdown.

The final two tracks take us back to the club, where HAAi is known for spinning genre-bending and spellbinding DJ sets.

The EP is available on green vinyl and includes a digital download code.

It might come as a surprise, but the „Boot and Heel EP“ might be the first Tiger & Woods product that could be called unashamedly Italo disco. Think Den Harrow and old school CBS radio programming rather than the Italian boogie side of things that used to be the prevalent influence in the Roman’s studio work. Here we go with four tracks that are sharp as knives. Beautifully crafted, perfectly arranged and smitten with the charm of positivity, it’s the perfect soundtrack to the fading summer and next year’s hedonistic club season. Always remember: you gotta change to stay the same.

After spreading several music videos and EPs all year long, Jumo starts the decade with a first much anticipated album. More than a compilation of his past works, “Et le vent?” extends the artist’s experiments and add new colors to his palette.
Featuring Léonie Pernet, Pénélope Antena, Hyacinthe.
Staying on the line traced by the previous tracks, “Et le vent?” perpetuates Jumo’s taste for narration with all its forms.
Six years ago Clément Leveau gave birth to Jumo a musical avatar with whom he asserted a singular identity characterized by a sophisticated production of heady melodies and a cinematographic atmosphere allowing him to give free rein to his passion for the image. The release of the Radio Nova hit 'Aléa' marked the beginning of a fruitful collaboration with the Parisian label Nowadays Records (Fakear, La Fine Equipe, Clément Bazin, Leska). As a graphic designer Clément makes Jumo a true transdisciplinary project in which sound and video feed off each other, putting his collective Cela at the service of a dark and arty visual universe that perfectly matches the contours of his music.
After spreading several music videos and EPs all year long, Jumo starts the decade with a first much anticipated album. More than a compilation of his past works, “Et le vent?” extends the artist’s experiments and add new colors to his palette.
Staying on the line traced by the previous tracks, “Et le vent?” perpetuates Jumo’s taste for narration with all its forms. “L’exode”, first single of the album, is a perfect example. It gives the album’s tone and also dives us into Jumo’s powerful aesthetic thanks to the music video.
“Steve (Ft. Léonie Pernet), is a tribute to Steve Maia Caniçot, young man who dramatically died during a police charge on Nantes docks on June 21st, 2019. A track on which Jumo confronts with Léonie Pernet’s grunge intonations, an unexpected collaboration sounding like an evidence.
Another main track of the album is “Une Belle Personne (Ft. Oré)” where the producer’s synths converse with the French singer and offer us an original and efficient pop song.
The great Awir Leon, the French rapper Hyacinthe, Hier Soir (Jumo’s side project) and Penelope Antena complete the cast of an album that goes from the calm contemplation of the world to the underground clubs filled with energy.

We all know anything released on Mystic Quantum is worth buying for the cover art alone, and this mightily impressive return of Legowelt is certainly no different. Beautiful on the inside and out, it's packed with the kind of delicately detailed soundscapes we've come to expect from the revered producer, who proves every bit of the musicality we associate him with across seven very good tracks.

'Squirrel' is perhaps the exception to the rule, its frustrated and distorted rumbling breakbeat and chain-gang high-hats cry out for some monster or other to be fed through the arrangement. On the whole, though, this is far from club stuff, opening on the lush bleeped harmonies of 'Once At The In & Out Burger Academy', closing out on 'Vesper Sprites'' mysterious, breathy refrains and metallic percussive accents, by way of the cinema-worthy piano piece, 'Meekian Lovedance'. Enough to keep you going until next month's album.

After the launch of his very own label LTF Records earlier in April, Franky Rizardo is presenting his second release ‘Polaris EP’, four tracks that capture the unique rollercoaster of emotions that the last few months have been:

“Polaris was made the day after the announcement of the lockdown measures in the Netherlands. The gravity of the situation started to settle in and for me it meant that my summer agenda had been cancelled. The feeling of trying to accept this fact and keeping my spirits up evolved into this track. Which is uplifting but hits the feels as well.”

Polaris reflects the melancholy over a lost summer, but channels POSITIVITY and determination to make the best out of the situation.

As one of the Netherlands finest house music exports Franky Rizardo has been making and playing music for most of his life. With the global Corona pandemic, he, as well as the industry as a whole, is looking towards an uncertain future when it comes to performances, clubbing and coming together on the dancefloor. However, Franky is keeping his spirits up and continues to focus on his own output and creativity through his newly founded label LTF Records.

In times of social distancing, he is connecting with his fans through live streams such as De Marktkantine, Verknipt and Straf_Werk, as well as at the first social distancing gigs (with COVID-19 safety rules) such as Thuishaven (Amsterdam) and Kiesgrube (Duisburg).

In tough and uncertain times like these, Polaris EP comes as a message of positivity and inspiration, to light up peoples’ days and remind them that regardless of the situation now, there’s a silver lining.

For anyone who can remember, Arca's &&&&& was a moment. Its 25-minute stretch of coiling, contorted grime and glitch; dub and hip hop dropped with the buzz of an impending co-production credit on Kanye West's Yeezus in 2013. It included cuts of sound and beats that were too weird for that pop project, while becoming a piece of experimental art that what would come to define what is by now broadly known as a `post-club' sound. It's music that is as visceral as it is experimental; made as much for the mind, as it is for the body. Released with no warning seven years ago, &&&&& became a bridge between Alejandra Ghersi's time partying and collaborating with her queer peers, while still living in New York to the next stage of her career releasing on Mute in London. She'd go from making beats for rapper Mykki Blanco and fashion label Hood By Air, posting lurching bass reworkings of pop hits on YouTube, and producing her first fluid mixtapes with DIS Magazine, to finishing off this seminal mixtape on the synths in Daniel Miller's studio. After dropping three impressive EPs the year before, &&&&& marked a transition. Continuations and extrapolations of material from Stretch 1 and Stretch 2 appeared in the mangled RnB sampling of "Century" and Arca's signature vocal layering in the pitched flow of "Waste". Along with the fluttering, muted heartbeat of "Obelisk", and the lumbering piano chords of "Mother", fourteen sonic sketches were elegantly woven together into a single, downloadable whole. As Alejandra's course turned toward moving to Europe from the United States, &&&&& became a remarkable challenge to the form of the mixtape, which was a relatively new trend taking hold of the online-oriented underground at the turn of the 2010s. But where many, if not most mixtapes where treated simply as a showcase of individual tracks presaging a more `official' release to come, &&&&& was a complete piece in its own right. "I wanted to make something that was my best work," Alejandra says about a record that has stood the test of time, "I listen to it very fondly today." This reissue of Arca's 2013 debut mixtape &&&&& features an etching on side B of the vinyl.

Hypnoskull is part of the global anti-music conspiracy networkTM (since 1992). Hypnoskull was created in 1992 as a solo project in order to experiment in the area of electronic noise combined with rhythmical structures. In the first years of its existence, Hypnoskull was releasing cassettes and tracks on international labels in the so-called cassette network, a widely spread network of independent and experimental musicians and artists who expressed themselves throughout limited tape releases often including artworks, ideas, texts. In 1998, hypnoskull signed to the German label ant-zen and up to today he is still releasing his albums on this highly influential record label. That is not a coincidence: ant-zen stands for ‘anti-zensur’ (anti-censorship), one of the main starting points of the provocative hypnoskull project. Patrick Stevens does not limit himself to just producing music as such, albums always include a severe message, a thought-provoking underlying concept text, questions. The main philosophy: ‘the dance floors, the clubs, the festivals,… are staged warzones with a different set of rules – a therapeutic zone where hidden anger and even aggression of both the artists as well as the spectators can be released in a proper, human way. Music as a means to open up the deepest anger inside human beings, letting it out in a way which is not harmful to others. A strange symbiosis between the two worlds Patrick Stevens is a part of: the techno and the industrial scene. Techno being a genre promoting a peaceful yet hedonistic way of life, industrial on the other hand being a highly nihilistic, philosophic but pitch black reflection on society. The mix of both musical as well as content wise elements of these genres result in what hypnoskull is all about. Added to this an explosive mixture of post-war and contemporary western subversive philosophy – in a rather impulsive manner – makes the project what it is today, after 30 years of existence.

Bristolian promoters Worm Disco Club have been championing South-Western talent since their inception in 2014. Having collaborated with Glastonbury Festival on their notorious 'Wormhole' stage and hosted the likes of The Comet Is Coming, The Heliocentrics and The Mauskovic Dance Band at their regular club night, the name has become synonymous with quality groove laden goodness, percussive madness, jazz, psych and beyond. Now proudly presenting their label Worm Discs, the collective recruit some of Bristol's most notable emerging talent for an exploration into the new wave of Jazz emanating from the city. As Andrew Hayes, (Run Logan Run) explains : "Bristol has always had its own sound, but there's been a new crop of young players come through over the past five years that's revitalised the scene and expanded its expectations about what jazz music means. Featuring the likes of Waldo's Gift, Run Logan Run (Montreux Jazz Talent Award winners), BaDaBoom, Lyrebird and Alun Elliot, 'New Horizons' channels the seismic energy of the sonically rich landscape into 12 progressive, psychedelic, impeccably crafted tracks.

Truth is stranger than fiction they say, 2020 has proven it. This is not the year we asked for, but it's the year we received. Remarkably, even as clubs and social events across the world shuttered, the spirit of Techno remained alive in living rooms, bedrooms, and basements planet-wide. We hope you still draw inspiration, and excitement in the culture we've collectively nurtured for so many years. Before long we will see each other again, hug and kiss one another, and reconnect under more auspicious stars. For now, we wait. Luckily, we have new music for you to pass the time. We present our latest vinyl 12” record release: 'Life Under Lockdown', featuring tracks by Kessell (1/2 of the legendary Spanish duo, Exium), Joton (founder of Newrhythmic Rec.), HD Substance (co-founder of Sub_tl, and teacher at the Bass Valley), and JX-216 (co-founder of From 0-1). Modern, syncopated Techno for the new world.

‘Alterity’ is compilation of fifteen warped, experimental and deconstructed club music tracks featuring artists from almost every continent. It pieces together shared sounds that connect disparate scenes across the globe. The music is fuelled by a desire to dissolve borders and transcend perceived norms to promote the existence of alternate viewpoints, lifestyles and identities.

The listener travels to a parallel plane through amorphous techno wormholes, caverns of industrial beat science and colossal panoramas of glistening hyper-stylised trance. Each creation espouses local sounds and adapts global musical styles creating a singular, holistic map of modern dancefloors that champion diversity and inclusivity.

The cover art of a manipulated city shows an ordinary urban landscape remodelled as another world. It hints at an endless, borderless macrocosm concealed within.

The gatefold double LP is pressed on yellow vinyl and comes with a digital download code and printed inner sleeves.

Following the release of Milton Nascimento’s Maria Maria, Far Out Recordings proudly presents Nascimento’s 1980 follow up. With the success of Maria Maria in 1976 behind them, Nascimento reunited with his writing partner Fernando Brant in 1980 to produce another ballet, ‘Ultimo Trem (Last train)’. This time, they chose to tackle a more contemporarily relevant subject, the impact of the closure of a train line that connected certain towns and cities in the North East of Minas Gerais to the coast. “The military government shut down the route and the whole region began to fade away,” explains Milton. “I love train rides” adds the composer, “But today there are almost no trains to Brazil. So when I go to the US and Europe, any time I can, I go by train. The longer the journey the better.”

Featuring much of the same all-star line-up as Maria Maria – including legendary Brazilian musicians Naná Vasconcelos, João Donato, Paulinho Jobim and members of Som Imaginário, amongst many others, like Maria Maria, the album holds what Milton himself considers to be the definitive versions of some of his most beloved tracks, including 'Saídas E Bandeiras' and 'Ponte de Areia'.

The title track, ‘Ultimo Trem’ – performed exquisitely by Zezé Mota with a choir and piano – is a mournful lament about the human consequences of the axed line. The ballet brought great media attention to the campaign against closure. “Most of Fernando’s lyrics have some political tone,” says Milton, “This one helped the area a lot because the politicians grew concerned about the subjects.”

Fernando’s and Milton’s shared passion for the sounds, smells and memories of trains, inspired the soundtrack for the production which premièred in 1980. ‘A Viagem (The trip)’, launched with a train’s steam whistle, sees Milton’s guitar moving to a train’s rhythm. In contrast to the usual lyricism, ‘Bicho Homen (Beastly man)’ and ‘Decreto (Degree)’ are atypically upbeat and funky, their vocals a mesh of wordless male voices resembling the then fashionable Swingles Singers’ renderings of Bach. ‘E Daí? (And so what?)’, and ‘Olho d’Agua (Water’s Eye)’ were both drawn from ‘Clube Da Esquina’. ‘Olho d’Agua’ is mellow and delicate and Milton’s homage to the great voices of Brazil whilst ‘E Daí? (And so what?)’ is a stunning mosaic of voices. The unusual ‘O Velho (The Old Man)’ conjures up an image of an old shaman singing alone into the wind against the cries of nature. Perhaps the most affecting songs are Nascimento’s ‘Itamarandiba’ and ‘Oração (Prayer)’. The latter is a cry for a change in the situation whilst ‘Itamarandiba’ ends with an upbeat, whirling Hammond organ and guitar timepiece. The closing track ‘Ponta de Areia (Sand Edge)’, was based on one of Fernando’s newspaper stories and became one of Milton’s most famous pieces, covered by musicians across the planet, including Wayne Shorter and Earth, Wind and Fire. It reappeared as a ghostly 45-seconds memory on the ‘Milton e Gil’ album, his millennial collaboration with Gilberto Gil.

After 27 years of being locked inside contracts and record company legalities, these sublime songs were finally released in 2003 as a double CD package, along with Maria Maria. Set for its first ever vinyl release for this year’s Record Store Day, on limited edition red vinyl, Ultimo Trem sounds as fresh and relevant now as when Brazilian music was still a South American secret.

Seit 25 Jahren gehört das Berliner Duo zu den Pionieren und führenden Vertretern des emotional-melodischen House & Techno und legt nun mit "Dear Future Self" sein neuntes Album vor, geschrieben und produziert auf seinen globalen Touren von Neuseeland bis Berlin, mit Künstlerkollabos aus Island, Südafrika, England und Deutschland. "Das ist unser cluborientiertestes Werk bislang, viele der Songs wurden in den letzten 18 Monaten rund um den Erdball live getestet. Von wunderschönen Sonnenuntergängen am Strand bis zu Fabrikhallen, von grossen Festivals bis zu kleinen Clubs, nur die wirklich essentiellen Tracks schafften es auf das Album", so Booka Shade. Ein weiteres Must-Have für die zahlreichen Fans, das die sich immer weiter entwickelnde und verfeinernde Palette von Booka Shade um ein Juwel erweitert. Zusätzlich belegt das Duo seine Innovationsfreudigkeit mit dem "Dolby Atmos 3CD Audio Blu-ray" Format, für dessen Mix Kraftwerk-Mitglied Fritz Hilpert verantwortlich zeichnet, der bereits für seinen Surround Mix von Kraftwerks "3D - Der Katalog" 2017 für den Grammy nominiert wurde.

One of the most important labels in the history of dance music, Easy Street reflected New York club-land through its most

exciting years. From the Garage to The Sound Factory the clubs of the Big Apple echoed to the anthems released on Easy Street and then onto the world.

This compilation gathers up 12 of the most vital and important tracks. From 1984s Go Deh Yaka by Monyaka, through Da Lacy's house anthem 'Hideaway' via Adeva's anthemic 'In & Out My Life' all the bases are covered, whilst seminal producers Blaze, Paul Simpson and Todd Terry are amongst those who were behind the desks on these recordings.

The release is a loud cut double LP, that comes housed in a stunning sleeve and printed inner sleeves that highlight the label's
distinctive label art.

Linda “Babe” Majika’s insanely brilliant Don’t Treat Me So Bad is a tight six tracks of blistering electro-flavoured bubblegum and synth-drizzled solar-powered machine-funk. It has become increasingly hard to find, with copies currently moving for over £200. But this is definitely a case of eye-watering price equalling heart-thumping quality.

Once of the Hot Soul Singers, Don’t Treat Me So Bad was Linda’s debut LP as a solo artist. It was produced by Ace Mbuyisa of boogie-funk maestros Freeway and was originally released on Umkhonto Records in South Africa in 1988.

The enormous “Let’s Make A Deal” is probably the best known track here, and it’s definitely the best one if you ask us. Linda’s vocals drip with attitude over warm, breezy synths and an urgent, edgy electro beat to create a timeless club-ready bomb that sounds as fresh as ever. But the rest of the album is far from filler.

Opening track “Kunzima (Tabalaza Mjita)” instantly brings the sunshine vibes, strutting out the gate with that unmistakable South African steppers groove. It’s a deceptively simple song, with multiple instrumental elements arriving and taking leave with admirable restraint.

“It’s Our Home” is a powerful showcase for Linda’s vocals, enhanced by some life-affirming call and response backing vocals throughout. In fact they’re a joyous presence on the whole album. The insistent pipes and swirling, bubbling synths of title track “Don’t Treat Me So Bad” follow. A spacious proto-piano house banger that closes out the first side in phenomenal fashion.

Arriving as track two on the second side, “Unga B’Omthemba Umuntu” has the unenviable task of following the huge “Let’s Make A Deal”. It does the job with class, bringing the tempo down to a mid-paced tropical bounce with lilting harmonies and welcome traces of hi-life guitar. Wonderful stuff. “Playboy” is is another unbeatable head-nod groover rounds out the set wonderfully. That bassline high in the mix is to die for, and the chorus will make any dancefloor smile.

As ever, Simon Francis on mastering duties elevates this release, adding heft and elegance in all the right places with his customary deft touch. The memorable cover art, in which Linda appears straight out of the 1950s with her polka dot skirt and butter-wouldn't-melt pose, has been faithfully restored. But don’t let the innocent styling fool you - Don’t Treat Me So Bad is the work of one badass woman who can hold her own, and then some.

For the third installment of Henk, the two DJ’s and producers from Cologne, Germany showcase once again a wide variety of styles in their production. With the A1 being a collaboration of the two, the 3 other tracks are solo works by Stikdorn. “Reset” quickly makes it’s way into any raver’s heart. Fast-paced drums and percussions meet mellow pads and 90’s vibe arpeggio’s, making this a sure shot on any dancefloor in summer. It’s clear that the A-Side on this one is reserved for the bangers once you dive into “Come Closer”. A haunting 303 acid line garnered by steadily pounding drums and vocal snippets reminding you of the early hardcore days making this a must-have for any DJ-Set. On the B-Side things slow down significantly. But only in tempo, not in deepness for sure. “Anemia” is one of these tracks that evolve while floating through space and time, taking you to the trippier and more thoughtful places, either on the dancefloor or wherever you are. “Low Lights” highlights Stikdorn’s affinity for breakbeats once again. Perfectly suitable to take your DJ-Set into another direction or for the early/late hours in the club.

Released in 1971 while Gil was living in London, this is the third self-titled release from the bossa nova and tropicalia legend. Gil recorded this album while in political exile from his native Brazil and its somber, straightforward tone is a welcome change from the experimental, psychedelic assault of his 1969 long player. Featuring 8 originals and a brilliant cover Steve Winwood's 'Can't Find My Way Home,' this Water release also contains 3 bonus tracks including covers of Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. A tropicalia classic.