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Swimming Paul’s music has always lived in the push-and-pull between euphoria and melancholy; the rare kind of electronic music that can make you cry while your body keeps moving.



On Smiling Through the Pain 2 (out October 24 via Headroom Records), the French-born, London-based producer doubles down on that emotional duality, delivering an album that feels as much like a diary as it does a DJ set.

Over the course of 15 tracks, Paul stitches together late-night catharsis, suburban nostalgia, and the jagged tenderness of early adulthood. The record is sequenced like an unbroken night out: the giddy anticipation, the sudden moments of reflection, the quiet comedown as the sun edges in. It’s an album that refuses to treat joy and sadness as opposites, they coexist here, often in the same chord progression.



“I don’t want to escape the feelings, I want to bring them with me” Paul says. “If you can’t stop thinking about something, you might as well dance with it.”

That philosophy runs through the singles: the emotional release of Holly (with Junior Simba), the aching nostalgia of Different Time, the hypnotic haze of Hard 2 Sleep, and the house-driven Drinking to Get Drunk, a bittersweet ode to nights spent outrunning your own thoughts. Elsewhere, Liza M1 folds heartbreak into an almost triumphant piano hook, while Shine a Light urges listeners to take risks and live without hesitation—as if youth’s boldness could be bottled.



Since debuting in 2023, Swimming Paul has quietly built an empire on emotional resonance: 150 million streams across platforms, 1.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 50 editorial placements (including Dance Party, Crying on the Dancefloor, Electronic Rising….), 10,000+ radio spins worldwide, and sold-out tours across Europe and North America. His sound has earned co-signs from BBC Radio 1, Triple J, KCRW, Sirius XM and a wave of DJs who value melody as much as momentum.

But Smiling Through the Pain 2 isn’t chasing charts, it’s chasing connections. Paul’s global fanbase, nurtured through a lively Discord community and nights on the road, has become a two-way conversation, with fans’ stories feeding back into the music’s emotional core.
This autumn, Paul takes the album to stages that match its ambition, from London to a string of US club dates, festivals and intimate pop ups designed for shared release.



Smiling Through the Pain 2 is an invitation to feel everything at once. To sweat through the sadness. To let your guard down under strobe lights. To realise that the best nights out don’t make you forget; they help you remember.

A DJ, producer and prolific collaborator, Greg Paulus’s musical career has led to a truly enviable discography. Born in Minnesota and now an essential part of New York’s sprawling musical landscape, Paulus has taken the foundations of an organic childhood education by his father, the composer Stephen Paulus, and seen it blossom into an unpredictable musical journey encompassing house, soul, jazz and hip-hop.

While touring as a trumpet player with indie band Beirut, as well as in Matthew Dear’s live ensemble, back home he was helping to redefine New York’s underground dance scene as one half of No Regular Play. Alongside childhood friend Nick DeBruyn, the pair brought their deeply musical sound to no less than fifty countries across the world. A decade on, and Paulus arrives on Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 imprint for his long-awaited debut solo LP, ‘Close To Home’, a deeply felt long-play celebration of his personal cornerstones; family, trust and hope.

From the opening, organic swell of ‘Perot’, arranged with Seth Troxler himself alongside John Camp, ‘Close To Home’ introduces itself as a focused, conscious trip, it’s languid trumpet spilling over into the reflective ‘World Keeps Changing’, which introduces Paulus’s philosophy of music as a constant. ‘Midtown Mirage’ meanwhile leans into the idea of the city itself as a collaborator, resisting pressure and finding its own restful groove. Back over the river, ‘Bond’ roots itself in Brooklyn with a contribution from resident Dillon Cooper, flipping rap standards amid psychedelic flourishes.

Paulus nods toward his dancefloor form on ‘NRG’, a slinky, lo-slung club groove that seamlessly evolves to meld the artist’s nocturnal and studio instincts. In contrast, ‘Real Job’ switches the tempo on Paulus’s MPC to embody an old-school, beatdown flavour, subtly teased out alongside composer and sound designer, Taylor Bense. Doubling down on this languorous groove, ‘Hat Down’ introduces a full-scale No Regular Play reunion, the first of two collaborative tracks that recall the duo’s imperial phase of confidently minimal productions, while evolving their craft.

Following a few missed calls made with love taken from Paulus’s answering machine on ‘$1000’ the minimal, reflective arrangement of ‘Hold Dear’ finds the artist stripping back his layered sound for a skittering, vulnerable exploration of intimacy and life’s devotions.

For a memorable finale, Paulus recruits jazz prodigy Michael Feinberg to deliver upright funk on the deliciously rich ‘Sometimes It’s About Us’. A purely celebratory collage of bopping rhythms and vocals, sharply plucked guitars and archive samples, ‘Close To Home’ concludes with Paulus leading his friends, ensemble and many influences in rare harmony.

Red Axes return with LOUD—their most explosive record to date. Blending post-punk grit, indie-rock swagger, and their signature electronic pulse, the duo deliver 13 tracks packed with raw energy, twisted hooks, and fearless experimentation. LOUD is restless, fearless, and wildly diverse - showcasing a band that never stands still.

Following over a decade of groundbreaking releases and genre-defying sets at Coachella, Glastonbury, Sónar, and Berghain, LOUD showcases Red Axes’ ever-evolving sound and genre-defying legacy. Drawing inspiration from acts like Amyl and the Sniffers, Viagra Boys, and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Red Axes channel their roots in psychedelic rock into something gritty, loud, and deeply addictive.

Lead single Home "La La La” captures the hazy feeling of a night spiralling out—equal parts bliss and breakdown. From distorted riffs to hypnotic grooves, each track pushes Red Axes into thrilling new territory. From the surf-rock energy of “Church Avenue” to the pounding chaos of “Lava Lava,” LOUD spans moods, genres, and states of mind—but always hits hard.

DOUBLE VINYL ALBUM RELEASE

Kraak & Smaak Announce New Album Velvet Seas.

Dutch electronic pioneers Kraak & Smaak return with their highly anticipated seventh studio

album, Velvet Seas. Penned and produced between their hometown of Leiden and the sun-

drenched sprawl of Los Angeles, the album channels a rich seam of West Coast psychedelia,

deep funk roots, and that unmistakable K&S groove, all wrapped in shimmering synths and

electronic soul.

The record captures the essence of the band's genre-defying journey, blending radiant nostalgia

with forward-thinking production. True to form, the Dutch trio have enlisted an eclectic roll-call of

collaborators: from the dreamy stylings of Kosta G (formerly known as PWNT and memebr of Rio Kosta) and Butter Bath to the powerhouse

vocals of Izo FitzRoy, plus contributions from The Undercover Dream Lovers, Kainalu, Iogi, and

longtime live partners IVAR and Berenice van Leer.

With hundreds of millions of streams under their belt and a legacy as industry tastemakers, Kraak

& Smaak are set to take Velvet Seas to the global stage, with a world tour slated for next year.

For its first vinyl release, Shakshouka Records proudly presents the first ever reissue of the Algerian Kabyle band Syphax, a 7-inch featuring two irresistible disco gems that set the dancefloor alight while channeling a kaleidoscope of psychedelic textures and North African Amazigh spirit.


Born in exile on the outskirts of Paris, Syphax fused psychedelic rock, funk, and North African rhythms with the lyricism of Amazigh poetry and the rebellious energy of the 1970s. This record pairs the celebratory "Thamghra" meaning "party" in Amazigh and originally featured on their long-forgotten LP, with the disco-infused "Skate Dance," released years before skate culture spread across the globe and a testament to the band's cutting edge.


Remastered by Nick Robbins and compiled by Cheb Mimo, this reissue restores the bold sound of Syphax: a voice of diaspora, freedom, and boundless creativity.

Verb T – Homer Loan 1 & 2 (Half 'N Half Splatter Vinyl Release)
UK hip-hop veteran Verb T returns with the long-awaited vinyl release of Homer Loan 1 & 2. A definitive collection capturing two distinct creative periods from one of the scene’s most respected voices.

Originally released digitally, the Homer Loan series has become a cult favourite among Verb T fans, offering an intimate glimpse into his trademark balance of sharp lyricism, dry humour, and unfiltered honesty. The vinyl release brings both volumes together for the first time, celebrating the evolution of a prolific artist still pushing his craft forward. Homer Loan 1 is entirely self-produced, showcasing Verb T’s production skills and ear for soulful textures and lo-fi warmth. Built around introspective rhymes and smooth, laid-back beats, it reflects the self-contained creative process that defined its making.

With Homer Loan 2, the palette expands — featuring production from Cuth, Farma G, and Forrest Moon, each contributing their distinctive sonic fingerprints while complementing Verb T’s unmistakable flow and storytelling. The result is a cohesive yet dynamic project that bridges the personal and the universal, the underground and the timeless. The Homer Loan 1 & 2 Yellow and Purple Half 'N Half Splatter vinyl release stands as both a collector’s piece and a testament to Verb T’s consistency and artistry within UK hip-hop’s ever-changing landscape.

2023 Repress

As long term partner of Ron Trent, we are very honoured to present you in future some of this iconic label's greatest releases back on vinyl. Starting with "Hit To Be Disillusioned Vol.1" from 1994!

Break 3000 - Human Nature EP

A special collaboration with Partout records from Paris. Break 3000 digged deep in the archives for this one and found some old unreleased music on his dusted DAT tapes ranging from 1993 to 2002.
Now released for the first time ever on vinyl 12” and digital.

“Human” and “Komputerok were produced in the same project in his Maastricht bedroom studio back in 2002 and reflect to great influence artists like David Caretta and The Hacker had on his sound back then, a mix of banging Electro Clash meets EBM, 80s Proto House.

“Overdrive” opens the B-side and a window to the late 90s. This track was produced together with his classic “Plastique People” around 98/99 and was an instrumental track luckily found again, Break 3000 added a new vocal and made a fresh shorter Edit. Thanks to the excellent mastering by Salz Music this one is back in todays sound standards.

The next pearl from the past is a real favourite and is the oldest track featured on this EP. “Ambizone” was recorded back in 93/94 and marks the transition from his first musical project Amazone to becoming Break 3000. Recorded in an amazing analog studio in Venray Netherlands where Break 3000 worked on a full album.
More music will follow from these old sessions! Stay tuned.

Closing out with “Nature”, a true hommage to the early Rephlex sound and produced around 97/98. Acts like Bochum Welt, D’arcangelo and µ-Ziq had an immense influence on Break 3000 and are a reason why he started to make more electro orientated music.

All tracks mastered by Salz Mastering in Cologne.

The new vinyl release by Monaks is the perfect companion for sets — filled with captivating grooves, hypnotic synths, and an atmosphere you won’t want to escape. Four originals, all unified by the aesthetics of warm, danceable house music, unfold like a day-long journey — from a sunny morning to a hypnotic night. Side A delivers uplifting and elegant house with fresh melodies and subtle nods to genre classics. Side B dives deeper — into a world of groove, dub textures, and tight rhythms, perfect for late-night and afterhours vibes. VAM12 isn’t just a collection of tracks. It’s a thoughtful, cohesive release that fits seamlessly into any part of your set. A true delight for DJs and collectors alike.

Mastering by Kashatskikh Studio
Design by Kirill Kashatskikh
Vinyl Only

Reintroducing Soar - the alias of Christian Aebi, serial DIY taper and one-man orchestra from Langenthal, a fog-shrouded town in the Swiss provinces. Krautophobia, ambient lo-fi agriculture, analogue soul balm and slowspeed psych gelati-blitz cardboard pop only gesture towards the sound world he coaxed from his broken Tascam four-track recorder, in attics, churches, junkyards and at the kitchen table.

The spark for Soar was likely time and space, somewhere in the autumn of 1994. Armed with a cable salad of Sixties guitar/bass, fairground drums, mould-speckled organs and toy instruments, Aebi coaxed five albums, an unverified run of 25 cassettes, and a handful of gigs. Mostly issued through Zurich label Corazoo, the records arrived in hand-pasted sleeves, rough-cut reproductions of his teddy bear-fixated artwork that carried the same imperfect immediacy as the music. With Rudi Steiner, performances in galleries, clubs and halls bent into live sound-image happenings - part installation, part film, part flea-market-instrument theatre - invariably leaving the house engineers bewildered.

At the time of his untimely death in 2021, Aebi remained a village secret, his music passed quietly between friends and local ears. Now, Swiss graphic designer and Ghost Riders compiler Ivan Liechti has pieced together a portrait from the afterglow, gathering tangled audio formats, paintings, illustrations, photographs and notebooks with his family, former label and peers. What emerges is a first glimpse of Soar's intimate cosmos - brushing against Füxa, Spectrum, Dump, Stereolab and King Crimson, but orbiting a dimension entirely his own.

Mellonius One’s blend of cinematics and downtempo breaks gets fully captured in all its emotive brilliance for his first long player vinyl LP.

Following a string of acclaimed collaborations, including Agua Dulce with percussionist Laura Robles and Mapambazuko alongside Congolese guitarist Titi Bakorta, Peruvian artist Alejandra Cárdenas (aka Ale Hop) returns with her most personal work to date yet, A Body Like a Home. Marking her first album under her birth name, the project is a sonic memoir exploring the tangled realms of trauma, recovery, and love through autobiographical soundscapes.
A Body Like a Home is the artist at her most exposed. Comprising 13 songs and 15 poems, the album sees her set aside collaborative fusions for solo catharsis, channeling years of turbulence - intergenerational scars left by colonialism, racism, domestic violence, and alcoholism - into a work that oscillates between brutality and tenderness. Cárdenas states: “I grew up under Alberto Fujimori’s dictatorship, when a veil of hopelessness seemed to settle over everything. This is the backdrop of the album. The songs and poems trace the inevitable loop between private wounds - addiction, domestic violence, fractured intimacy - and Peru’s national scars, carved by colonialism. It’s not a straight story or a resolution. Writing and composing became a ritual of digging for meaning, into what’s buried, disguised, or renamed, until the body itself became a living archive.
” At the heart of the album is Cárdenas’s own voice - part witness, part confessor - reciting over layers of electric guitars, electronic textures, the haunting violin of Mexican musician Gibrana Cervantes, and a collage of field recordings, from rainfall, muffled whispers, broken glass, to archival protest footage from Peru. The result is a work that resonates like a diary written in sound.
The first single, "Motherland", is a searing testimony where Cárdenas voice cracks under the weight of history and personal loss. Amid a storm of distorted guitars, she traces the cyclical legacies of colonialism, from state massacres branding Indigenous bodies as “terrorists” to the spiral of addiction as an unavoidable future. The lyrics draw parallels between political and domestic violence: a mother’s drunken knife pressed to her chest, and a motherland where racism is currency. She utters: “sacrifice demands a body.” Yet, amid the wreckage, a willful grip on love and faith persists. Ultimately, A Body Like a Home is a document of transformation. Tracks like "Evangelina" and the title piece "A Body Like a Home" hold space for resilience, spirituality, and love, while "Early Road" and "Going South" thread subtle nods to Peruvian folklore, opening up bright vignettes into a sense of belonging.
The poetry chapbook accompanying A Body Like a Home (five of its pieces are also recited on the album) extends the work, building a parallel architecture. Oscillating between the documentary and the mythic, the intimate and the forensic, the profane and the oniric, these poems practice a theology of the ordinary, where everyday objects - cameras, knives, moth-eaten cotton - are charged withspiritual and historical weight. Here, the body is land, house, battlefield, collective pain, geological territory; and trauma is, in contrast, archival, cellular, ritualistic, inherited. Read alongside the music, the stories refract across two mediums: songs give them breath and poems give them bone.

2025 Repress
Gregory Porter’s “1960 What?” continues to be one of Expansion’s most sought after releases and comes now in new enhanced packaging. It combines the original with the Opolopo Kick & Bass re-Rub

Gregory Porter as narrator, sounding like Amiri Baraka, declares on “1960 What?” that “the motor city is burning y’all—that ain’t right” and refers to Martin Luther King Jr.’s death and describes trigger-happy policing (supported by a trumpet that blares, jabs, rumbles, and yearns); and the song portrays how certain events turn people against the possibilities of life and light. A vision that only recognizes strength and cruelty and rage is dangerously imperfect: rather, creativity, education, intelligence, sensitivity, democratic political participation, and compassionate social work are goals and virtues that can be affirmed, if not actively pursued, in all times.

2025 Repress

Two revered dance music institutions come together here as Pye Corner Audio steps up to Emotional Response with his debut EP for the label. What's more, it is a two-parter with the second half also available now. This one from Martin Jenkins finds him making an homage to the acid house he has always loved with opener 'Stegan Acid' starting with slow grocers and foggy moods run through with subtle 303 modulations. 'Magnetic Acid Three' is another deep and stripped-back sound with rumbling drums and bass coloured with soft acid contours and 'Thermionic Acid' gurgles a little more as the icy hi-hats cut through a mutant deep techno swamp. 'Magnetic Acid One' is one final meditation on acidic house depths.

Channeling inventive sound design into incisive, characterful techno variations, Jurango returns to Livity Sound with an eight-track double EP — his longest release to date. Taíno Gold captures a moment in time for Bristol-based Nate Reece's continually evolving sound as it draws on the full spectrum of UK club music.

Following a debut for Livity's reverse label in 2021 and last year's An Amorphous Mass EP, Reece is more assured than ever tackling a variety of club-focused cuts. The tracks on the release all came together before, during and after a two-month visit to Reece's grandparents' home — an idyllic tropical environment in a small community at the top of a hill in the northern part of Jamaica.

Taíno Gold refers to the island's indigenous Taíno community and the legend of a witch luring Spanish settlers into a trap on the Martha Brae river. There are no messages explicitly embedded in the music, but the release is both a personal reflection of Reece's own experiences and family heritage, plus a reminder about the enduring sceptre of colonialism and the continued need to fight against it. From absorbing Jamaica's fraught history through museum and plantation visits to the abundant nature in the garden surrounding his grandparent's house, the double EP marks a place in time for Reece, with eight advanced, ear-catching tracks as the end result.

From the cascading arps of 'Black Torches' to the tunnelling chords of 'Waiting For Trelawny', the melodic dimension of the Jurango sound is more confident than ever. 'Hibiscus' is a shimmering celebration of dub techno and crooked drum pressure and 'Chalk On Trees' basks in aqueous, fathoms-deep pads to close out the EP. Elsewhere, Reece brings new textural and tonal detail to his percussive workouts, splashing acidic noise around the angular experimentation of 'Maybe It's Broken' and firing off double-time rhythms to inject 'Double Sevens' with infectious urgency.

With the space afforded by a longer release, Reece widens out the scope of his artistic identity while absorbing the particular scene and setting that surrounded him while making the tracks. Taíno Gold is a vibrant next step for Jurango and a natural continuation of his work with Livity Sound.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.

On a "Balearic-Jazz trip", the phenomenally hyped Thought Leadership returns with another X ideas: the deck this time chooses the Ace of Swords. In the acclaim garnered by III of Pentacles, there were many whispers of “Balearic” from those in the know. As soon as you drop the needle on XI you will be basking in turbo Balearica.

Originally out on cassette only, we present the first ever vinyl issue. It's a hideously limited pressing of 300 for the world, so don't sleep on this.

The sonic palate has been augmented by the addition of synth and bass; there are more guitar layers, more pedals and more organic drums this time – a much fuller production. Still DIY, and still recorded straight to multitrack, just ever so slightly grander in scale; think a rough-hewn, long-lost Claremont 56 cut and you’ll have some idea of how XI opens this future classic LP.

The touchstones so key to the vision of Pentacles (Cocteau Twins, Dif Juz, Durutti Column) are all still present and correct; XII could be a piece from Extractions, XIII is pure Garlands-era Guthrie and, now with the shuffling jazz drums, XV makes TL even more LC – but more disparate influences are found this time out too. ECM guitar legends John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny in the more considered melodic phrasing and harmonic structure of the ideas and a nod to the cosmic Balearic spirit in the overall vibe, means more is offered to the listener across Swords.

XVI and XVII are the biggest indicators to Thought Leaderships’ new found love of The Real Book and their grasp of jazz chords. The former sounds like if Mike Hedges had produced on a heavily sedated ECM date in the early 80s, whilst the latter is Bright Size Life condensed into a most post-punk shard of Strat conversation. The syrupy Phase 90 on the lead parts lends much weight to the guitar melodies, a beautiful tonal counterpoint to the Vox-ish chimes of the plangent chords we’ve all come to love.

The flip again treats us to three extended, improvised jams. XVIII owes as much to Canterbury as it does to Krautrock, another modal voyage through the stars. Light the incense and drift away, guided by delayed cymbals and weaving ribbons of guitar. XIX has almost a New-Wave/Sophisti-Pop energy to it in tone, if not in structure and execution. Something almost Tears for Fears-esque in the chiming chorus guitars. An interesting outlier that has already received a lot of love from those that have heard it. XX is the starkest idea, and the only piece this time with no drums. What we do get, however, is a free exploration over a two chord-vamp. It’s Harvest Time meets Planet Caravan and a fitting end to this Balearic jazz trip.

Be With is honoured to present the first ever vinyl release of Ace Of Swords, carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francis to ensure it sounds better than ever after its initial tape release. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut at Abbey Road Studios whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry, in Holland. The original tape cover artwork, so crucial to Thought Leadership's striking visual aesthetic, has been rejigged for vinyl issue here at Be With.

The last one flew. You have been warned.

Sex Tapes From Mars presents Outdom Records' boss, LATENT, who shares a brand-new four-track EP that spars with breakbeat, electro, house, and left-field electronics, neatly centring them all into a steady, sexy collision. The record as a whole captures genuinely original-sounding, rough-edged b-boy breaking badness - nostalgic, but never polite. It's a few BPMs slower than Sex Tapes' last few outings, but no less effective. Arguably, it's more late '80s sounding than ever, although, in fact, it's a brand-new, stonking release that showcases the label's versatility and unpredictability.

The opening track, "Break Machine", sets the pace with a clear nod to the '80s US group of the same name, bringing tidy drum workouts and clipped vocal samples that recall early Chicago, as well as choppy rave and street party energy at its most unfiltered.

"Disco Hijack" pushes the clutch into a more functional gear, merging delay-heavy, druggy, chuggy, sludgy bass with more robotic vocoder tropes, sharing something playful but IDM and European skewed. It's a dancefloor tool with a wink - just the style this now accomplished label has made its identity. Oh, don't forget the amens and clattering jungle breaks. 1990 or 2040? Fuck knows.

On "Distress Robot", pneumatic percussion and malfunctioning android chatter bring a darker, more mechanical edge, while "Virtual Body" closes with a spacious, garage-leaning shuffle that pulls the EP into recognisable contemporary yet still very much peak-time territory.

LATENT gives lean grit, pushes the edges, and lets the tracks feel alive in their imperfections. It’s music that thrives on tension between old-school reference points and modern floor pressure.

Bristol's label head Elon Dust HAS done it again.

Vinyl-only as per, don't sleep."

N1_SOUND & Ras Yunchie join forces on an 8-track LP that transcends both definition and generation. INNA DJ STYLE, out November 7th, marks the Toronto veteran singer’s first-ever vinyl release.

Pairing four vocal cuts with four dub versions on the b-side, INNA DJ STYLE bridges experimental dub, digi, and roots, embodying what Ras describes as an “open” sound—one that draws from reggae traditions while boldly breaking new sonic ground.

N1_SOUND first encountered Ras’ distinctive voice and soaring falsetto at Toronto sound system parties. A cornerstone of the city’s reggae scene, Ras Yunchie has been performing since 1983 and remains a vital presence more than 40 years on. His contributions have been recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National DJ Association, alongside titles such as DJ of the Year, DJ Sound Champion, and winner of the 1985 DJ Sound Clash.

While the rhythms pulse with heavy bass and the three-dimensional lead melodies synonymous with N1_SOUND, it’s Ras’ vocals that make INNA DJ STYLE truly shine. Each track was recorded in a single take and left largely untouched—a testament to the raw talent and enduring artistry of the 61-year-old singer. Across the four vocal cuts, the alchemy of contrasting styles, influences, and lived experience highlights how collaboration can push sound and genre into bold, unexpected territory.

“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone

“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt

“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy

“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood

“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson

Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.

In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.

The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”

His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.

"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."

Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!

The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!

The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.

The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.

The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."

With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.

Mythology has a recurring theme: creating ambiguity by rearranging worlds and creatures that normally don’t belong together. Centaurs, Minotaurs, Hydras and so on: mockery and mystery intertwine into entities that are in equal parts magnificent and ridiculous. Referencing this idea in the present, Loris S. Sarid conjures 12 compositions simultaneously showing traits of dreamlike trap, candy-flavoured New Age and Spoken Word. The lines between spiritual and mundane, drama and parody are bent and questioned, used as raw material and treated with the same importance. Binding the work together is the sense of feeling peacefully lost inside a shuffling iPod, buried in a quiet zen garden inside a noisy shopping mall or vice versa. What connects Ambient music, which often anonymously swims into endless sleeping playlists with monthly subscriptions to well-being, to the mainstream output of commercial music? "Ambient $" doesn’t explore the social aspect of this question, but rather celebrates the beauty of its paradoxes. This album is the morning choir of forgotten NFTs, brewing lyrics in their binary exile. The television homily of a wrestler turned priest, turned influencer chef, then hermit and then rapper. Randomness is reclaimed as a human quality, and the aesthetics of mass music consumption are repurposed into a rather inexpensive guide to streaming-service-enlightenment.

What once slipped out under a veil of anonymity now steps into the light: the original mystery record was, in fact, Tuff City Kids. The duo’s playful fingerprints are all over it— equal parts homage and mischief.
Fast forward to today, and the circle closes with an EP that reimagines the spirit of that covert release, pushing it into sharper, modern focus. Where the first outing thrived on secrecy, this one thrives on revelation—same DNA, but recut for the present tense.

Immerse yourself in the golden age of German pop music! 60s Jukebox Hits Vol. 3 brings together unforgettable classics and catchy tunes that shaped an entire generation. This highquality vinyl edition brings the authentic spirit of the 1960s right into your home – nostalgic, danceable and full of good
vibes.

It features some of the most popular stars of the Schlager era: Ted Herold – the German ‘Elvis’ with rousing rock “n” roll hits Connie Francis – with her charming German-language hits Peter Kraus – the epitome of the teen idol of the 60s Peter Alexander – with his unmistakable charm and humour
A must for collectors, nostalgics and music lovers – perfect for cosy evenings or lively parties.

Sicily's SLV is able to merge technical mastery with emotional resonance. His potent techno sounds have come via the likes of SHWD's Mutual Rytm and Slam's Soma, and unite timeless yet forward-thinking sonics.
On 'Fleeting Dreams', he continues to refine his signature sound while channelling introspection and intensity into a collection of meticulously crafted cuts that balance precision and feeling, energy and space. Each track reveals a different side of his sonic identity: hypnotic rhythms intertwine with evolving soundscapes, while layers of distortion and melody merge into a dreamlike tension between the mechanical and the organic.

'Fading Moments' kicks off with a sleek blend of driving, supple kicks and warm synth ripples, while a euphoric vocal cry is buried deep to amp up the emotion. 'Scenario' then brings icy hi-hats and sinewy synths bring a futuristic feel to the unrelenting, high-pressure drums down low. 'Daruma' has a darker energy with menacing textures and paranoid FX bringing the rolling drums to life, while 'Bass Grit' has a hunched up rhythm, with groaning pads and fizzing static electricity that charge up the party. To close, 'Shimmer' sinks down into a muscular and deep rhythm that's marbled with restless synths and ever-rising tension.

In addition, digital bonus cuts 'Trust' and '1990' offer different perspectives with slamming drums, seductive vocals and feisty synth loops making for two more bold, immersive techno weapons.

Gladio Operations continues its expansion into the electro universe and, with this fourteenth release, lands in Viking lands, giving Danish producer Martin Stoffregen his debut on the label.

This artist, who releases his work under the alias Krypton 81, is no stranger to the scene, having released on major labels such as Bass Agenda and Mars Frequency, among others.

On this EP, entitled “Quantum Entanglement”, we sense a breath of fresh air in its three original tracks, which are refined and elegant. With strong sequences and adorned with sublime textures, we encounter “Binary Encoding”, the track that opens the EP and shows us the way to “Particle Proximity” and “Quantum Computing”. These two Kraftwerk-flavoured tracks are imbued with captivating melodies and subtle vocals, transporting us to an infinite emotional state of continuous well-being.

This EP is reinforced with two heavyweight remixes. The first is by producer Univac, who returns to the label and gives us his particular vision of “Binary Encoding”, once again showcasing his unmistakable and classic industrial sound, dark and emotive. The second remix is by German producer Vertical67, who gives “Quantum Computing” more hypnotic tones than the original

We’re glad to welcome Enrico Dragoni, part of a generation of artists in which the UK sound is evident and someone who has quietly but steadily built a presence over the years. Alongside his work with Stabs Mechanics, we had long intended to bring him onto the label making this first appearance feel both natural and long awaited.

Anchored to his early foundations this release looks back to origins rather than attempting to cover the full breadth of his work. The A side is club oriented, leaning towards a deep bumpy and tribal yet remaining in the soulful lineage. The B side softens into easy listening reminding us of the finesse of early House and Italian dream house.

Though often described as a chameleon Dragoni’s foundation remains clear and aligned with the sound of Cosmic Breeze Records.

Fragments was a completely new way of working for us. We’ve always worked with an internal brief, creating documents, pictures and videos, simply because keeping an idea on track with three individuals can be difficult. It's easy for someone to be edged out of the creative process when the focus is not clearly defined.
It’s a formula we’ve used since the early 2000s, but things have changed a lot since then, particularly when we decided to dip our collective toes into supporter memberships with Patreon. It made us think about what we could do directly for our support- ers rather than just the next album or project. At first, the whole thing felt odd and uncomfortable, but we decided that we’d try a few things and ask for feedback.
"Fragments" was initially a way for us to see how we could include others in an ongoing creative process. There was no over-arching concept, no defined characteristics or purpose, just the promise that there would be at least one new track for members to download every month. Consequently, we never knew what was coming next, so the old, very focused working method was irrelevant. It was difficult for us to let individual tracks go without knowing what was coming next, but this also made the project more interesting.
And then C19 hit and we were forced to continue the project remotely from our home studios. As difficult as the disruption was, it was during this period that we realised we could re-organise and remaster the individual tracks into a coherent album, captur- ing a specific moment in time and drawing a line under the first phase of the project.
Like our "Allegory" EPs, we’ve tried to keep everything stripped back. We used to hide many subtle elements within the layers, but not so much this time.
Fragments is our journey through many changes, both self-im- posed and those imposed upon us, and it ultimately led us to create things differently. We hope you like it.




b A2















r D1 b Yes Hello (Remastered BONUS) 1:53
s D2 No JuJu (Man Power Version - Remastered BONUS) 4:27
t D3 Cup Noodle (Unemployed Youth Version - Remastered [BONUS]) 5:43
[u] D4 Black Smoke (They Never Got Started) (Remastered [BONUS]) 2:18
[v] D5 Concrete Concentration (Remastered [BONUS]) 3:21
[b] They All Live In The Past (Remastered [BONUS]) 1:06

First Word Records are very proud to bring you 'Ghouls', the 6th studio album from Bastien Keb.

Through the reflective and introspective multi-mood journey of its 19-tracks, this album spans psychedelic-chamber-funk, warped anti-ballads, cinematic instrumentals, Ethio-jazz & ethereal ambience.

Part soundtrack, part beat-tape, part memoir, this is a dreamlike soundscape sewn together from half-forgotten memories & late night breakdowns.

Entirely sample-free, this album is full to the brim with musical experimentation, with Keb's compulsion to make all the individual pieces of music independently; combining strings, harps, saxophones, theremins, clarinets, flutes and trumpets.

He signals to the fuzzy, nostalgic nebulous of mid '90s skate videos, as well as harking back to the scores & moods of movies like The French Connection, Taxi Driver, The Warriors and La Haine. There are whispers of sounds in the air from jazz clubs, street preachers & Turkish restaurants.

Keb describes the sonic experience of this album simply as this… "You're half awake, and half asleep, but you're warm…"

For this 19-track opus, Keb is joined extensively by Malik Ameer Crumpler; a poet, composer, editor and professor based in Paris, who's been involved in numerous albums while writing for various forms of experimental media.

A multi-instrumentalist originally from the Midlands, Bastien Keb (aka Sebastian Jones) previously released his highly-acclaimed album '22.02.85' on First Word back in 2017; this new album being a very welcome return to the Worldwide Award-winning UK independent label.

His music has been widely supported across BBC Radio in the past by DJs including Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, Huw Stephens, Jamie Cullum, Lauren Laverne, Mary Anne Hobbs, Nemone and Tom Ravenscroft. This is in addition to glowing press reviews from the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian and The Line Of Best Fit.

He's built up a steady fanbase through his extensive catalogue over the years, with material for labels like Def Pressé, Gearbox, One-Handed Music and most recently for Shabaka Hutchings' Native Rebel Recordings imprint, on a collaborative project with South London's Confucius MC (Speakers Corner Quartet).

Keb concludes "this record is for anyone feeling lost in a world that seems to have lost itself without knowing it. It's for the people who know that the world is missing the beauty of the lights in the distance, whilst being distracted by new shoes and flashy phones..."

'Ghouls' is due to be released on vinyl & digital worldwide, November 14th 2025.

2025 Repress

3rd part of Robert Armani's own series on CHIWAX is the classic from 1994 "Traxmen present Robert Armani - Collection Vol. 1" which originally came out on Dance Mania!

Pacific Northwest native and a mainstay of the Portland and Seattle scenes since the late 90s, Trevor Vichas, now becomes part of the Selections label family with the sort of smooth cruising EP that will quickly become a staple in the record bags of deep house heads. 'With You' opens with the sort of gentle, meandering chords that get you daydreaming while the subtle sax lines add some soul to a warm groove. London's Max Sinal of Soul Quest Records remixes with extra drive, then 'Your Love' brings a Terrence Parker-style soul to the EP. Rising Toronto DJ and producer Nicholas Nothing adds a more funky perspective to round out a diverse and delicious EP.

Naya Beat is incredibly excited to announce the release of an astonishing lost “holy grail”, Mohinder Kaur Bhamra’s 1982 masterpiece ‘Punjabi Disco’. Unknown and inaccessible to even the deepest of diggers, it is the first British Asian electronic dance album recorded and a true lost relic. A chance find of the original multitrack masters during the Covid lockdown led to ‘Punjabi Disco’ being rediscovered. Lovingly mixed down and remastered from these very studio recordings, the reissue also includes remixes by Peaking Lights, Baalti, Mystic Jungle, Psychemagik, and Danger Boys, as well as a cover by Say She She’s Piya Malik and Turbotito & Ragz and a previously unreleased track. It is available for pre-order and out on x2LP vinyl and all digital platforms on October 31st, 2025.

Released the same year and into equal obscurity as ‘Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat’, Charanjit Singh’s acid house opus, the reissue of ‘Punjabi Disco’ is set to have similar reverberations in the world of dance music. Produced by Mohinder’s eldest son and legendary bhangra pioneer Kuljit Bhamra using a recently acquired Roland SH-1000 synthesizer and a CR-8000 CompuRhythm drum machine played by his then 11-year-old brother, the album was recorded at Roxy Music bass player Rick Kenton’s studio in London. The concept for a Punjabi disco album was subsequently stolen from the Bhamra’s by the very record label that had agreed to distribute the album. Eventually self-released with no label support, ‘Punjabi Disco’ vanished into complete obscurity.

A pivotal figure in British Asian music, West London-based vocalist and first-generation immigrant Mohinder Kaur Bhamra became the first woman to sing at Punjabi weddings and other community events in the UK. Her son, Kuljit, would accompany her, playing tabla at her events from the age of six. Wedding music was traditionally a tame, segregated affair: men and women seated and separated on opposite sides of the room. ‘Punjabi Disco’ was born out of a desire to create an unsegregated dancefloor and inspired by the sounds of disco from the era. A tapestry of electric drum rhythm, warbling bass, and psychedelic siren-like Roland synth melodies provide a vehicle for Mohinder’s powerful voice. Part disco, part funk, part acid house, and infused with Punjabi folk melodies, the sound of ‘Punjabi Disco’ is as mesmerising as it is undefinable.

Featuring an incredible gatefold package and exhaustive liner notes by the Guardian’s Global Music Critic, Ammar Kalia, the x2LP release has been cut to vinyl for the discerning listener and DJ by Grammy-nominated Frank Merritt from The Carvery, London.

This is Naya Beat’s ninth release in a series of reissues, remixes, and compilations dedicated to uncovering electronic and dance music from the subcontinent and South Asian diaspora.

On "The Afrodub Experience," Umberto Echo takes us on a ride across four continents, exploring 50 years of Afro-Caribbean music history with numerous collaborators.

The inspiration is the Afrobeat of the 1970s, which he discovered through original musicians from Fela Kuti's "Africa 70" band in the Berlin project "Afrobeat Academy" which he began to fuse with dub and reggae.
Mitwirkende
wird veröffentlicht am 17. Oktober 2025

Recorded by Umberto Echo and the musicians in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, New York, Melbourne,
Kingston Jamaica & São Paulo between 2008 and 2024

Mixed by Umberto Echo & Silvan Strauss, November 2024 at Apollo Studio Berlin
assisted by DJ Tobi Neumann & Robin Ludyga

Produced by Umberto Echo, co-produced by Silvan Strauss

Mastered by Umberto Echo

Artwork by aDUBta

Umberto Echo published by KKBB Publishing/Edition Dubvibes


Drums: Silvan Strauss, Giuseppe Coppola
Drum Programming: Silvan Strauss, Gengis Don, Umberto Echo
Bass: Daniel Stritzke, Oghene Kologbo, Patrick Frankowski, Giorgi Kiknadze
Percussion: Samuel Wootton, Nicholas Ado-Nettey, Umberto Echo, Djakali Kone, Giuseppe Coppola
Guitars: Umberto Echo, Mandjau Fati, Ferdinand Kirner, Oghene Kologbo, Giovanni Agostini
Cora: Sebastian Cuevas, Djakali Kone
Saxes: Ben Abarbanel-Wolff, Florian Riedl, Giovanni Pecorini, I Sax
Trumpets: Benny Brown, Philip Sindy, Sebastian Kölbl
Trombone: Roman Sladek
Keys: Barney McAll, Lionel Wharton, Markus Kuczewski, Umberto Echo, Silvan Strauss, Milo Winter
Vocals: Lenna Bahule, Gengis Don, Vimbai „Vee“ Mukarati, Mark Wonder, Tydal Kamau
Backing Vocals: Runtendo Machiridza, Tariro neGitare, Erica Nevell

Advanced Art was formed in Tampere, Finland, in 1985 by Jana, Pete, and Vince. Too young to be part of the first wave of Finnish groups inspired by German synth pioneers and New Romantics, they instead forged their own path and soon became pioneers themselves. For the next ten years, Advanced Art defined and dominated Finland’s small but growing electronic underground. They inspired a new generation of Finns to experiment with synthesizers, built an international cult following, and were deeply involved in the local scene—running clubs, organizing events, and performing at some of the very first warehouse parties in the country.

Although the line-up shifted over time, the group’s creative drive consistently came from the partnership between Jana, who supplied the voice and words, and Vince, who shaped the music with his machines. Together they defined the band’s distinctive blend of sharp electronics and lyrical vision.

After several cassette demos and two 7-inch singles, Advanced Art signed to Poko Rekords in 1991. The EPs Scar and Time raised their profile both at home and abroad, especially thanks to valuable exposure on MTV Europe’s 120 Minutes. Known for their perfectionism, they finally released their debut album Product in January 1993. On Product the line-up was Jana (lyrics, vocals), Vince (music, production), and Factor (percussion, studio work). Having moved through phases of synth pop, EBM, and industrial, the album showcased Vince’s vision of a unified sound and style more clearly than ever before.

Force followed in 1994, conceived as a multi-part concept album (Update / Live / Retro). Recorded with live percussionist PW joining Jana and Vince, it expanded on the groundwork of Product with new beats, ideas, and a sharper, more defined identity.

By 1995, exactly ten years after their founding, Jana and Vince decided to bring Advanced Art to a close on the band’s birthday, 13 October. Their run had been precise: one decade of creative output, ending with a legacy that laid foundations for Finland’s electronic scene.

Now, conveniently coinciding with the band’s 40th anniversary, Advanced Art present Forced Product. This double-LP set, fully remastered, features Product in its entirety, alongside the Update and Retro sections of Force, plus additional EP tracks and remixes recorded between 1991 and 1994 at “Audible Art” – less a studio than a concept, existing wherever machines and people met.

Limited to 450 copies, Forced Product comes in a gatefold sleeve with poster and sticker, offering a definitive document of Finland’s pioneering electronic cult heroes — a band that helped invent their country’s scene and left a lasting influence far beyond it.

Mario Biondi is a singer and composer, born in Catania, Italy. In 1988 he had an important opportunity as support act to Ray Charles' Italian dates. His love for soul music helped shape his particular vocal styling that takes its cue from great vocalists like Lou Rawls, Al Jarreau and Isacc Hayes. His first big break came in 2004 with the original release of the single "This Is What You Are". Originally planned for release only in Japan, the cool and irresistible song gets noticed by European radio.

Well-known DJ, Norman Jay begins to feature the song on his BBC1 show playlist and Mario's incredible voice crosses the European continent ahead of the artist himself. His album "If shot up the charts and went triple - platinum. 'This Is What You Are' is one of the most important and iconic Italian jazz vocal tracks of the last decade

Support by Green Velvet, Rebolledo, Dr. Rubinstein, Cormac, DJ Hell and many more! Summer 2013, Comeme label's studio - The District Union. Behind the analog console and hardware - 20-year-old Philipp Gorbachev and Djs Pareja from Buenos-Aires. No plugins, reels, or LTE. Sweltering heat, peak of summer EU tour, the musicians had just a few hours to record. The track drops on the label's compilation and immediately lands in a mix by Chicago legend Green Velvet. It spreads afterwards in all possible ways - Do You Believe in House Music? is blasting in bars, DIY spaces, raves, cars and street parties, the lyrics get sprayed on walls or inked as tattoos System 108 proudly presents the official reissue of the original, boosted with brand-new remixes from shining artists of the Russian dance scene - those whose journeys also began in the 2010s and who, in some way, crossed paths with either the track itself or that very vibe of faith and love, without which a dancefloor can hardly pulse with life. A house is not a home, when there's no one living there

2025 Repress
Powerhouse performer Gretel Hänlyn today releases her highly anticipated second EP Head Of The Love Club, via VLF Records. Premiering as Clara Amfo’s Hottest Record in the World on BBC Radio 1, focus track ‘King Of Nothing’ is a rollicking revenge track, cementing Gretel as one of this year’s most exciting breakout stories.

Gretel Hänlyn has spent the last year stamping her ground as one of female guitar music’s new frontrunners, imbued with a singular vision and wickedly unique voice. Inspired by 90s alternative artists like The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins and PJ Harvey, Head Of The Love Club is a suitably contemporary stride forward in the hotly tipped artist's sound and marks a definitive departure from the indie-folk textures of her breakthrough debut EP Slugeye. A heady mix of hi-fi grunge, goth-pop and alt/indie ballads, the EP features previous singles ‘Drive’, ‘Today (can’t help but cry)’ and ‘Wiggy’ alongside five other tracks that candidly display Gretel’s exceptional storytelling.

Last year was vital for the rising star: she released her debut EP Slugeye to critical acclaim, collaborated with Mura Masa on his headrush of a single ‘2gether’ (9M+ streams on Spotify alone) and was also playlisted multiple times across UK radio - a rare feat for a fiercely independent artist. This year is set to be her breakout – Hänlyn has already been included in NME’s coveted NME100 list, performed live as part of DIY magazine’s ‘Class of 2023’ series and was dubbed one to watch by The Sunday Times, Metro, Time Out + more.

Looking back more than four years later at Haram, it is easier to see the forest for the trees. At the time, much of the attention fell on how this outsider duo would fare under the bright lights- which was fair, Armand Hammer had never done a single producer record before- and here they were working with a living legend. Now, with a little distance, it’s easier to see how Alchemist stepped out of his comfort zone to meet them where they were, and how all three artists then absconded for parts unknown. The flashbulb energy of “Bring The Stars Out”, asymmetric drone of “Chicharrones”, fugue-bounce of “God’s Feet”, and good luck finding analogues for “Peppertree” or “Stonefruit”. Haram doesn’t sound like anything else in the ALC discography, nor in Armand Hammer’s, for that matter. Haram was a one-shot kill that somehow contained some of the most accessible work ELUCID and billy woods had ever done, as well as some of their most experimental, and it all sounded cohesive.
Needless to say, they didn’t do this alone; KAYANA’s golden voice upps the wattage on “Black Sunlight,” while Fielded’s sultry alto gets chopped and screwed on “Aubergine”. Earl Sweatshirt’s cameo on the sun-soaked “Falling Out the Sky” is already a classic. Curly Castro, Amani, and Quelle Chris all turn up the heat when called upon.
But since we are talking about retrospect here, the thing about Haram isn’t that it still sounds as good as it did when it came out. The amazing thing is that it actually sounds even better than it did then. You don’t have to take our word for it either, run it up one time, with the lights low and something on ice, see if it doesn’t take you somewhere new, again.

For Toxic Funk Vol. 20, we're excited to welcome back the man with the big beats and unmistakable grooves – Sonale – for his first-ever 7" vinyl release on Breakbeat Paradise Recordings. After making waves with digital releases like the bass-driven Ill Vibe EP and the party-starting Sound Monkey EP, Sonale now brings his signature style straight to wax with two exclusive funk-heavy weapons. The A-side, Give I...

Numbers welcome New York’s Jubilee to the Glasgow based label - Main Character EP features ‘Trippin’’, a collaboration with Jersey club Queen UNIIQU3. One of the most vital voices in American underground dance music for over a decade, Jubilee brings her South Florida rave roots and East Coast sensibilities to the imprint.

Born from the dizzying emotions of love and grief, the EP opens with the cheeky cackle of UNIIQU3 on ‘Trippin’’. Marking their hotly-anticipated first collaborative release, ‘Trippin’’ bridges Jubilee’s Miami bass heritage and UNIIQU3’s Jersey club sound to create a playful lead single featuring tantalizing vocals.

Starting to work on Main Character in 2019, Jubilee revisited the project during an intense period of change and loss. Bringing in further influences from electro, Baltimore club, 90’s dance and techno to create her signature sound, Jubilee channels the fun, drama and chaos that comes hand in hand during challenging times. A deeply personal release, Jubilee looks to her friends and family for inspiration, including a sample of her parents on ‘Lucky’.

Jubilee’s debut on Numbers continues a stand-out year for the dynamic artist who released two stellar EPs earlier this year alongside celebrating 10 years of Magic City - her party series and record label which was awarded DJ Mag’s ‘Best Record Label’ in 2023 - with a run of records, merch and events across the States.

EN TODOS LADOS

The first part of this wonderful new album from Mexican pair Destino Sonido aka a new coming together of veteran Juan Soto and new school vocal talent Labibe, got us well and truly hot under the collar. Part 2 now drops in quick succession and is another summer-ready blend of disco, funk, synth wave and hooky pop. 'Ardiente' is percussive, hip-swinging magic, 'Night Creatures' brings more driving grooves with withering sci-fi melodies and 'Destino Sonido' has sleek synth bass and Donna Summer vibes, while Disco 86 ups the cosmic energy with a fine remix. 'Somos Espacio' comes as lush ambient then chugging Italo, and elsewhere Matt FX brings a nice deep house rework to close.

“The Mire Chronicles,” the latest album by Spammerheads, was born from the difficult experience of the floods that hit Valencia on October 29, 2024. During this time, the duo lost part of their studio and actively participated in the cleanup efforts in their city.

This was an experience filled with a mix of emotions—shock, helplessness, fury, resistance, solidarity, and resilience, among others—that shaped what may be their best work to date. Written as a chronicle, the album explores the personal and collective states of people affected by tragedies or catastrophes. The Valencian duo
(through a carefully produced edition released by Banshees Records) offers six tracks (plus two digital bonus tracks) to remind us that despite the difficulties we may face, we must always fight to get ahead, get back on our feet, and not be swept away by the current.

This album is dedicated to the people and communities who face extreme situations and never give up.

Chicago's premier boogie purveyors STAR CREATURE dig deep with 4 extremely rare cuts, 3 of them being white whale level impossible to find & the 4th commanding big bucks online! Includes songs by TIGER JACK, SOUL INVADERS, MOTHERFOX, and PYRAMID PLUS. Heavyweight vinyl and heavyweight reverse board jacket. Due out Nov. 10.

“Let’s Bounce” was originally issued on Ajana as one of their only 2 releases, the first being earlier from Central Power System on Numero Group’s The Chicago Party compilation. Tiger Jack remained elusive, both Jack and a copy of his record until we stumbled upon a contact and were able to get in touch and stitch together the fully extended mix of this Punk Funk Boogie Bopper. Speaking of Numero Group, The 2nd track of Side 1 comes from an assist from the reissue Gods themselves as they blessed us with this never-sold-on-discogs soulful side of Boogie Slap issued on one-and-done label Magikal. When asked about the track, songwriter CA Williams said they recorded it for a restaurant jingle. Probably the best one we’ve ever heard.

Side 2 starts off with an absolute Modern Soul Monster with Motherfox’s Hot Shot. John Harris came by Star Creature’s South Side of Chicago HQ to chop it up and share some stories on Motherfox and his other passion project most deep funkers would known as Carver High. This record has reached insane demand the past few years as it’s a certified floor filler for all scenes - peak big budget sound packed into a small DIY package, total package. Track 2 delivers the full version of the ever mysterious Pyramid Plus providing the Titular Tune “Comin’ At Ya’” as vocoded talkboxed low slung, spaced out Boogie Banger.

In October 1995, as part of the annual Polar Music Festival, Geir Jenssen of Biosphere and Bobby Bird of The Higher Intelligence Agency, were commissioned by Nor Concerts to collaborate together on a musical project to take place in Geir's home town of Tromsø, Norway. The brief was for them to perform three concerts, using sounds sourced from the area as the basis of the music - the machinery of the local mountain cable lift, the snow, the ice etc...

Born-and-raised Detroit staple DJ Holographic unveils her album, House In The Dark LP via her newly launched label, Through The Veil.

The LP taps into the core of Afrofuturism that defined the foundation of Detroit techno but reimagines it in a femme, queer, and conscious way. The project draws from her deep-rooted relationship with astrology and shadow work—a therapeutic practice used to explore and heal repressed parts of the self. These transformative inner journeys serve as the creative bedrock for the album, which navigates themes of self-discovery, healing, and empowerment.

“Through healing practices like shadow work, astrology, and more, I’ve found a profound sense of arrival while writing House In The Dark. I’ve stepped into who I’ve always wanted to be as a creative and so much more. ‘Pisces’ is a journey through the depths of illusion, where the home becomes both a sanctuary and a mirror for our inner world, revealing what’s real and what we choose to believe.” — DJ Holographic

A celebrated DJ whose talents have taken her to Berlin’s Panorama Bar to Pitchfork Music Festival in Mexico City, Holographic has upcoming stops at London’s fabric, New York’s Public Records, Circoloco’s opening Ibiza party, and more. Her work has been covered by PBS, CRACK Magazine, Ransom Note, Billboard, DJ Mag, Resident Advisor, and more.

Step onto the dancefloor and relive the golden age of club culture with the revival of Jon Pleased Wimmin’s iconic anthem “P.A.S.S.I.O.N,” brought back by Full Circle in a brand-new package of remixes. Following the success of the Tin Tin Out Mix reissue in 2023, this release features fresh reinterpretations from some of today’s most exciting names, including the legendary Demi Riquísimo and a brand new remix from Jon himself with Paul Morrell, a triple platinum selling remixer, for the likes of Ava-Max, Kelly Clarkson, All Saints & Troye Sivan.

Jon Cooper, universally known as Jon Pleased Wimmin, became a defining figure of the UK scene thanks to his flamboyant presence and finely tuned knack for getting the party started.

From his beginnings as a face on London’s late-80s dancefloors, Jon made the leap from clubgoer to DJ in 1991 with his Cabaret act The Pleased Wimmin, catching the eye of Danny Rampling and securing sets at the legendary Milk Bar. His unmistakable style, fearlessness behind the decks, and sheer love of music led to him touring the world, being voted 6th in DJ Magazines' Top 100 DJ poll and reaching Top 30 with the original release of P.A.S.S.I.O.N. He is still playing out weekly across Europe & the U.K.

With Full Circle’s revival, P.A.S.S.I.O.N bridges past and present, paying tribute to Jon’s legacy while propelling the track into a new dimension. Alongside Demi’s deep, groove-heavy rework, the package also includes a brand-new Jon Pleased Wimmin & Paul Morrell Remix, road tested by Jon this summer at Pikes & 528 Ibiza, which injects fresh energy and an edge while staying true to the spirit of the original.

This isn’t just a reissue; it’s a chance to own a piece of dance music history, reimagined for today’s floors. Grab your copy, feel the groove, and let these remixes guide you back into the feeling of where it all began.

Geese kehren mit ihrem dritten Album „Getting Killed“ zurück. Die Aufnahmen mit Kenneth Blume fanden in zehn temporeichen Tagen statt. Mit wenig Zeit für Overdubbing entstand eine chaotische Komödie, chaotisch in der Struktur, aber leidenschaftlich vorgetragen, geprägt von einer präzisen Vision. Kräftige Riffs überlagern Chorsamples; leise pulsieren zischende Drum Machines hinter kreischenden Gitarren. Sie balancieren entwaffnende Zärtlichkeit mit gesteigerter Wut und tauschen ihre Liebe zum Classic Rock gegen eine Verachtung der Musik selbst.

Bruce Springsteen's statewide ode Nebraska '82 is given ample extra space with a new expanded edition, as his 1982 acoustic masterwork is cast in renewed light by its use the forthcoming biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, which documents the conception of the original album. Now with an extra 17 solo outtakes, including demos of 'Born In the USA' , 'Pink Cadillac', and 'Downbound Train', as well as the fabled Electric Nebraska sessions with the E Street Band, the new dubs illuminate the breadth of Springsteen's vision for a reconciled America, where Springsteen found much inspiration in the folk, literature and short stories of the heartland, particularly in those of Flannery O'Connor, childhood and young-adult memories. Notably, it was deemed by PopMatters to beo one of the first every DIY records made by a major artist, and soon sparked a DIY revolution by folk musicians the globe over.

On the streets of Berlin, it's easy to spot people who know their electronic music. You'll see curious partygoers as well as picky listeners whose appreciation isn't easy to win. Tonight, both crowds are heading to the presentation of Daniel Gardner's record. A cult album that was revived thanks to a fresh concept and a remaster. By evening, Jonny Knuppel was packed. Among the guests - a flamboyant duo that couldn't go unnoticed. Some swayed to rhythms that felt like old friends, while others - luckier ones, perhaps - were discovering an entire world for the first time. As they approached the booth, Plate leaned in with a warm smile:

Sasha & Henry Saiz deliver evocative new single 'Love Is All You Need'

Henry Saiz and Sasha are two of electronic music’s most visionary figures, each renowned for blending emotional depth with cutting-edge production. Saiz is a DJ, producer, and live artist who crafts genre-defying soundscapes on his own Natura Sonoris as well as Sasha’s Last Night On Earth. His work resonates far beyond the dancefloor, much like that of Sasha, a pioneer with an enduring creative streak who continues to push boundaries, most recently through collaborations with forward-thinking producers like Artche, Jody Barr, and Joseph Ashworth. Together on this new single, the pair balance transportive grooves with meticulous synth work to perfection.

The wonderfully luminous 'Love Is All You Need' radiates breezy melodic charm while riding a light, uplifting rhythm that feels as airy and warm as the rush of a new romance. Shimmering, sun-kissed melodies evoke the glow of an outdoor Ibizan party with emotive female vocals drenched in reverb, adding a dreamy, blissful layer to round out this hazy and heartfelt electronic trip.

The Spacebunny tracks were originally released on Surreal Recordings back in 1996, the original mix being licensed to Danny Tenaglia's Twisted Secrets (vol2), since then it has become a party classic with original copies changing hands for over £100 on discogs.

The Mingers "Fancy A Shag" track was released in 2002 on Deeper London (a subsidiary of Surreal Recordings) with a limited press of only 200 copies. The track is floor filler and was often one that would kick things off in the early stages of the night, featuring big tribally beats, a fat funky bass and emotive strings.

The missing part of the LP "Sweaty Techniques"
We can never get enough of Alarico !

Cybernetic disco maestro Patrick Cowley graces Dark Entries once again with Hard Ware, an LP of far-out funk and synthpop celebrating what would have been Cowley’s 75th birthday. Best known for his chart-topping disco anthems, Cowley left us with an incredible body of work before his tragic death in 1982 due to AIDS-related illness. Since 2009, Dark Entries has been working with Cowley’s friends and family to uncover the singular artist’s lesser-known sides, including his soundtracks for gay pornographic films, which the label chronicled on compilation albums School Daze, Muscle Up, and Afternooners. Hard Ware presents the closing chapter in a trilogy of unreleased Cowley dancefloor bangers that began with 2022’s heavy-hitting Male Box and was continued with the soul and garage-inflected From Behind in 2024. The most expansive release in said trilogy, Hard Ware delivers ten tracks of pure, uncut Cowley: sultry, psychedelic, sarcastic, and just a bit sleazy. Cowley devotees will delight in “Tech-No,” a sparse instrumental demo version of his epically dystopian “Tech-No-Logical World.” You could soundtrack your next aerobics session with cheeky numbers like “Pajama Party Massacre” or “Shake It Up,” both of which feature Cowley himself on vocals. The frenetic “Big Ass in Motion” is built around samples from Rudy Ray Moore and The Madam’s infamous “Sensuous Black Woman,” an X-rated comedy record that would later feature in classic booty house records. Mid-tempo cosmic groovers are well-represented with jams like “Hellfire” and “Megablue,” which perfectly capture Cowley’s bathhouse-in-outerspace sensibilities. No collection of Cowley’s work would be complete without an interstellar floor-filler, and we’ve got quite a few here, like “Jungle Jump,” which pits whirling beats with dub-laced swirls of synth, or “Spellbinding Lover,” a Donna Summer-indebted melancholic boogie masterpiece that features Sylvester backup singer Jeanie Tracy. Hard Ware closes with the chilling synth-hymn ”Ice Age,” in which Loverde vocalist Peggy Gibbons sings of a coming frosty apocalypse. The story told in “Ice Age” mirrors the coming AIDS crisis and feels like a haunting premonition from Cowley. The record comes in a sleeve with a hand-airbrushed circuitboard-inspired design by Gwenaël Rattke, and includes lyrics as well as liner notes by Andrew Ryce and Peggy Gibbons. Hard Ware is another crucial document of a tremendous talent taken too soon.

Another dispatch from two familiar conspirators of the Brew fold, Beau Wanzer & Jason Letkiewicz together as The Headaches.

4 tracks of the heaviest sonic mutations that feels part séance and part sweat-drenched dancefloor. Good for noctural roaming through the city or for a frenzy in heady basements. The good shit.

Mastered by the Bastard.

Pearl River Sound - Selected Works 17-24 is a unique sonic archive of Roberto Semeraro, known as Pearl River Sound, one of the most eclectic experimenters in the Italian electronic scene. This collection compiles years of research and sonic exploration, featuring previously unreleased tracks that have never been pressed on vinyl. Moving fluidly between idm textures, deconstructed techno, glitch, breakbeat rhythms, and ambient incursions, each track represents a moment in Pearl River Sound's artistic journey between 2017 and 2024. This release is part of LOSTINLAYOUT GALLERY's participation in the exhibition at EXP - Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome, running from April 26, 2025, as part of the group show "THE ART OF TOMORROW. TODAY #1." The exhibition features works by four urban artists: LUCA FONT, JOYS, STEN & LEX, and V3RBO. Each print is randomly paired with a 10x15 cm postcard insert showcasing an artwork by one of the four visual artists.

Triple Five Sol drop 75 Racks on Dark Entries, an EP featuring 5 cuts of raw and jacking house music. San Francisco-based producers/DJs Johnny Five and Vin Sol linked up during a trip to New Orleans, and they began hatching plans to collaborate. After setting up a new home studio in Vin Sol’s abode, jam sessions ensued, and soon the duo had cemented their sound. Their analog house tracks harken back to the roughshod and unembellished vibes on 80s Chicago and New York labels like Nu Groove or Gherkin Records, influences they wear with pride. “Boxxx that Rocks,” “Just a Freak,” and “Everybody Loves Triple Five Sol” deploy chunky beats with sprees of minimalist bleeps, sounding like Chip E retuned for the 22nd century. It’s not all jagged drums and acidic squelch on 75 Racks, though; “Gonna Get Out” and “Halfway Home” saunter with the confidence of a New Dance Show participant, soulful and grooving with a dash of garage. 75 Racks comes in a sleeve designed by Primo Pitino featuring bold retro primary colors. Triple Five Sol brings us timeless dance music: deep, real, and weird.

Evelyne/Masao bring TESTPATTERN to Dark Entries for the label’s first foray into vintage Japanese electronics. Masao Hiruma and Fumio Ichimura’s project Testpattern is known for their release Apres-Midi, a cult slab of synthpop perfection released by Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono’s legendary Yen Records in 1982. While Hiruma and Ichimura parted ways following Apres-Midi, Hiruma’s musical endeavors would continue after meeting French/American model and vocalist Evelyne Bennu in 1984 at a café bar where she would sit and write poetry. Their collaborative efforts as Evelyne/Masao were fruitful, and the duo first performed together in June 1984 on a television program called TOKYO ROCK TV. The album TESTPATTERN comprises seventeen songs recorded in Hiruma’s home studio, which have never been released previously. The Evelyne/Masao duo continues building on the soundworld of Apres-Midi: lush, sophisticated electronics with intricate yet minimalist production. Tracks like “Sakuramochi” and “Bird Island” bear influence from Hosono most clearly, their soaring melodies revealing a subtly ironic redeployment of East Asian musical tropes. But TESTPATTERN is more than homage to Yellow Magic Orchestra. “Tabac” and “Le Soleil Se Leve” display oddball sensibilities closer to Sky Records icons Asmus Tietchens or Cluster. Elsewhere, the project shows affinity for the punkier ethos of continental DIY electronics, like on the quirky “Alien Go Home” and a positively skewed cover of “Singin’ in the Rain.” Bennu’s vocals provide a common thread through these explorations, as she alternates deftly between New Wave deadpan and unhinged chanson singer—check her waxing maximally Francophone on “Au Clair de Lune,” based on an 18th century French song. TESTPATTERN will be available on both double LP as well as CD, and includes a fold-out poster with liner notes with lyrics. This album is dedicated to Masao Hiruma, who passed away in 2011.

When Los Amigos Invisibles first released "The New Sound" (1998) - more than a quarter of a century ago!) - was the ultimate party album. Time has passed, but the party has kept on - and this party music, full of non-stop funked out grooves-traveling through house, funk, acid jazz, and bossa nova, to name a few musical avenues - is a journey deep into the pants of rhythm. (We won"t even mention the old sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera).

One of contemporary ambient’s preeminent figures lands on its leading label, enacting a transition into a new phase of rhythmic noise and tonal shadowplay laced with peculiar sensitivities, wrangling Dilloway-influenced tape noise thru ASMR ambience, fritzed dub techno, layered vocal drone and ritualistic mantras.

Perila steps up solo with a heavily satisfying debut for West Mineral, investigating negative space and states of subconsciousness. The shift in tone feeds forward into arcane realms of resonant dark ambient and dream-pop, harnessed in amorphous structures using dub-as-method. It’s wholly immersive stuff in a way that’s long been Perlia’s calling card, but here more careful in its command of personalised, atmospheric physics from the Coil-esque ‘cheerleader’, thru the deeply smudged and sexy trip hop of ‘lava’, and the oozing, sloshing OOBE-like spectres of ‘give it all’.

The title of the album is a reference to Carl Jung’s phrase "all haste is of the devil” which informs Perila’s writing process here; she slows down in an attempt to feel more and tap into her shadow self. Album opener 'cheerbleeder' is a doomed, tremolo-heavy mass of ghost notes, while the rattling chains and strangulated voices on ‘metal snax' sounds like they belong on a Wolf Eyes tape. 'grain levy tep dusk' strikes closer to recently unearthed industrial plates from Tolerance and Mentocome, with rusted clangs threaded into deflated, half-speed pulses. The album keeps growing from there, shifting and expanding as Perila exhales and absorbs her cognitive blind spots. She credits "trance states" for helping her let go, and we broadly get to experience that on the mantra-like 'thunder me' and the blurry all-vocal highlight 'hold my leg', which sounds like it could have been snatched from Grouper's 'Way Their Crept' sessions.

As with all of Alexandra Zakharenko’s work under various aliases - Aseptic Stir, Baby Bong, Wedontneedwords, Perila - her allure is self-evident to lovers of textured, diffuse electronics, and never more so than on this lip-bitingly potent suite of delicacies and primordial urges, perfectly balancing ancient and techngnostic aspects with an x-amount of seductive strangeness left in the margins.

Es gibt wohl keine größere Überraschungserfolgsgeschichte aus dem Internet im Bereich Musik als die von Ata Kak.Der ghanaische Rapper und Sänger veröffentlichte 1994 still und leise ein Tape, das erst 2006 wiederentdeckt wurde - zu einer Zeit, als die bloggetriebene Online-Sammlerbewegung für Musik in der Vor-Streaming-Ära auf ihrem Höhepunkt war.Die mitreißende Mischung aus Lo-Fi-House und aufrichtig vorgetragenem, kraftvollem Burger Highlife eroberte Mitte der 2000er die Herzen von Musikliebhabern auf der ganzen Welt. Mit Unterstützung seiner Londoner Band spielte Ata Kak weltweit Konzerte und stand auf riesigen Bühnen vor Tausenden von Fans.Die sieben Songs auf ,Obaa Sima" haben Hörerinnen und Hörer gleichermaßen begeistert und verblüfft, seit sie als erster Beitrag auf dem Blog Awesome Tapes From Africa erschienen. Eine gut dokumentierte, jahrelange Suche nach dem Sänger endete 2015 mit einer Neuauflage.Trotz der sorgfältigen Arbeit der langjährigen ATFA-Mastering-Partnerin Jessica Thompson war die Klangqualität der Quelle jedoch nicht optimal - das originale DAT-Tape war verschimmelt und zerfiel.Nach jahrelanger Suche nach der bestmöglichen Kassette steht nun die Obaa Sima Anniversary Remaster-Version bereit. Zum ersten Mal können wir diesen inzwischen legendären, unkonventionellen Dancefloor-Klassiker in glasklarem Klang hören.Die ursprüngliche Neuauflage von ,Obaa Sima" hat über 10.000 LPs verkauft, und die Kassette wurde vom ursprünglichen Blogpost Hunderttausende Male heruntergeladen. Auf der Basis dieser legendären Aufnahme spielte Ata Kak energiegeladene Shows in Clubs und auf Festivals weltweit.Die Deluxe-Edition des neuen Remasters enthält eine LP in gesprenkeltem Vinyl sowie eine DVD-Dokumentation mit bisher unveröffentlichtem Filmmaterial.

SUBURBAN BASE RECORDS PRESENTS BOOGIE TIMES TRIBE – ‘THE DARK STRANGER’ – REMIXES

The Dark Stranger by Boogie Times Tribes is one of the most iconic anthems from the evolution of Drum & Bass. The Dark Stranger now returns for Halloween 2025, with an incredible new double-vinyl package featuring brand new remixes alongside long-lost classics. Pressed on a stunning glow-in-the-dark vinyl and housed in a specially illustrated sleeve depicting the mysterious Dark Stranger character, this release is as collectible as it is powerful.

The package contains eight mixes of this legendary track, cut loud for maximum DJ impact with just two tracks per side to ensure the heaviest playback. Brand new 2025 remixes come courtesy of Crissy Criss (mixed and mastered by TC), Marvellous Cain & DJ Choppah, Metrodome & Sl8r, Exile & Mark XTC, AKAS, and Freeze UK, all reimagining the anthem for today’s dancefloors.

To complete the set, the original 1993 remixes from QBass and the classic Origin Unknown Part 2 Remix are included, both made available here for the very first time since their original release in 1993, having never been repressed or released digitally until now.

This release is already generating massive buzz across the scene. At the recent D&B All Stars event, Andy C dropped the Crissy Criss remix, sparking the only rewind of his epic set. Other versions are already receiving huge support on Kool FM, Rinse, Pure FM, and across clubs and festivals nationwide.

A true piece of legendary Drum & Bass history reborn, The Dark Stranger returns this Halloween 2025! A must-have for DJs, collectors, and D&B fans worldwide.

Reissue of seminal 1992 Bodysnatch cut ‘Euphony (Kuff Mix)’, later released as ‘Just 4 U London’. Accompanied by two more Bodysnatch back catalogue highlights from 1992 – ‘Eyes On The Horizon’ and ‘The Strength (Mental Rapids)’. All three tracks have been remastered with love and care by Johanz Westerman from the original recordings and selected for reissue by Parts Unknown and Craigie Knowes.

Bringing together the elder statesman of the Zulu guitar Madala Kunene and internationally acclaimed Sibusile Xaba, kwaNTU pulls two generations of South African guitar mastery into a single point of focus. Under-represented on recordings outside of South Africa, Madala Kunene (b. 1951), the ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, is revered as the greatest living master of the Zulu guitar tradition. Sibusile Xaba, whose collaboration with Mushroom Hour Half Hour reaches back to his first recording in 2017 (Open Letter To Adoniah/Unlearning), has garnered international acclaim for his unique voice and virtuoso guitar stylings, which bring together multiple South African guitar lineages in an original, spiritualised fusion. Collaborating with Mushroom Hour and New Soil for kwaNTU, the two players come together to weave a filigree sonic fabric which reaches down to the heartwood of Zulu guitar music but moves resolutely outward, building on the past to create a deeply rooted statement about present conditions and future travels. kwaNTU – which can be roughly translated ‘the place of the life-spirit’ – is also conclave of teacher and student, as Xaba has been taught by Kunene for the last decade. Meditative, rich and sonically sui generis, kwaNTU finds these two musicians linking up within the inimitable space of sound and spirit that they share through Kunene’s teaching.

The great masters of South African music have not all had equal exposure. For many years the generation of musicians who were exiled during apartheid took centre stage, as the regime made it very difficult for those at home to be heard. More recently, a new cohort of important voices, especially in jazz, has broken through to international consciousness. But for the generation of musicians in between – those who shone like beacons in the most difficult final years of apartheid and immediately afterward – international recognition has been slow in coming.

Madala Kunene, ‘the King of the Zulu Guitar’, is among this number. A revered figure for current generations of South African musicians, Kunene began his recording career in 1990, at the bitter end of apartheid, with a now classic self-titled LP for David Marks’ storied Third Ear imprint. Born in 1951 in Cato Manor, near Durban, he had determined to be a musician from early childhood, and by the time he first entered a recording studio he had already had a long career as a popular performer. His virtuoso absorption and transformation of the venerable Zulu maskanda guitar tradition and his richly spiritualised approach to music immediately marked him out as someone special, and in the years that followed, Kunene cemented his position as one of South Africa’s musical elders. He is without doubt the grand master of the Zulu guitar tradition, but his sound and sensibility ranges far beyond it into varied sonic terrain, and he has collaborated with a wide range of musicians both at home and abroad. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains a shining light for those that are making music in contemporary South Africa.

‘He is really an amazing person,’ says the guitarist Sibusile Xaba, who has been mentored by Kunene for over a decade, and now invites a collaboration with him on kwaNTU. ‘As a mentor, he's really powerful in showing us the way. For us to have this opportunity to make music together and have a project together is really a blessing to me.’

Xaba himself grew up in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, where his mother had been in a band and his father sang in a church choir, and from early childhood Xaba played homemade tin guitars. He only later realised that music was his calling. ‘I just loved music. I was fortunate. My parents loved music. And when it was time for me to leave home and go to study outside Newcastle, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. There was no second option. It was just music.’ Moving to Pretoria to study music formally, Xaba committed himself to his craft, developing a unique style that draws on both US jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall, and the rich and varied heritage of the South African guitar, from inspirational jazz players such as Allen Kwela and Enoch Mthalane, to the music of the Malombo groups and Dr. Philip Tabane (Xaba has previously collaborated with Dr. Tabane’s late son, Thabang), and the Zulu guitar tradition embodied by Kunene.

‘I was really in love with the jazz guitar, I really admired it, and I was digging a lot in that direction,’ says Xaba, recalling his first encounter with Kunene’s music, over a decade ago. ‘And then one day on my timeline, Kunene popped up, and I was like – “What's this sound?” I was so connected to it. It really touched me deep. I started checking out his records, and then I found out he's from the same region as I am, which is Zululand.’ After Kunene played a show at the Afrikan Freedom Station in Johannesburg, Xaba make contact with him, and visited him at home in Durban. They struck up a friendship, and Xaba became the elder’s student, as Kunene began to pass on his knowledge and his inimitable way of playing.

kwaNTU is a tribute to this relationship and the deep learning that has defined it. The album was recorded in Zululand in the town of Utrecht, at a cultural centre called Kwantu Village, which gives its name to the album. ‘It's such a broad word,’ Xaba says, ‘but the elders teach us that Ntu is basically an energy, almost chi, an energy, a force that all living beings have within them. It's a living energy, so kwaNTU is like, almost the place of this energy.’ The two men sequestered themselves for five days of jamming, improvising and planning, and then the session was recorded in one take over a single night, with Gontse Makhene joining on percussion and backing vocals and Fakazile on vocals. Other voices and overdubs were later added in the studio in Johannesburg.

The result is a rich and meditative recording that finds two generations in a deeply engaged dialogue. Teaching and passing on his knowledge, the elder Kunene has brought Xaba into a space of sound and knowledge that they now share; Xaba’s own practice of deep communion with nature and his dedication to his musical craft make him the perfect interlocutor for Kunene. The result is an album that foregrounds the two musicians engaged at the highest levels of responsive listening, sympathetic unity, and collaborative concentration. Bringing an elder statesman of South African music to an international listening audience for the first time in decades by pairing him with one of South Africa’s most important new voices, kwaNTU is a meeting of generations and a powerful demonstration of musical lineage and continuity.

‘Before music, there is sound,’ Xaba observes, speaking of Kunene’s unique approach to music. ‘And sound is like a common compartment…it's not restricted to particular people or particular geographic places, you know what I mean? It's sound. Everybody can hear it. So when he constructs that sound into music, I think everybody resonates with the energy behind his construction of sound into song. Here at home, we really love him for preserving our history through the guitar, through his stories as well the music, the songs that he writes. We really, really admire him.’

In October 2025, Västkransen Records releases its 10th output — a milestone double 12" vinyl compilation featuring eight dance tracks from some of Stockholm’s finest producers and DJs. A celebration of the city’s underground electronic music scene, Västkransen 10 brings together familiar names from the label’s past as well as producers making their record debut. What they all share is a vital role in the sound and spirit of Stockholm’s dance music today.



Launched in 2017, Västkransen Records grew out of Gården – a seasonal open-air party held beneath a highway on the border between the neighborhoods of Västberga and Midsommarkransen. Set in a place where industrial landscapes meet nature, this location has shaped both the party’s unique atmosphere and its blend of groovy sounds and rawer beats. Starting a label was a way to keep that energy going and showcase artists and selectors with few outlets in a city, at the time, often drawn to darker and harder strains of dance music.

For their first album as Gilla Band (formerly Girl Band), the
foursome have redrawn their own paradigm. ‘Most Normal’ is like
little you’ve heard before, a kaleidoscopic spectrum of noise put in
service of broken pop songs, FX-strafed Avant-punk rollercoaster
rides and passages of futurist dancefloor nihilism.
Lockdown robbed Gilla Band of any opportunity to try the new
material out live, but the pandemic also incinerated any idea of a
deadline for the new album. They were free to tinker at leisure, to
rewrite and restructure and reinvent tracks they’d cut, to, as
drummer Adam Faulkner puts it, “pull things apart and be like,
‘Let’s try this. We could try out every wild idea.’”
The group also fell under the spell of modern hip-hop, “where
there’s really heavy-handed production and they’re messing with
the track the whole time,” says Fox. “That felt like a fun route to go
down, it was a definite influence.”
‘Most Normal’ opens with an absolute industrial-noise banger that
sounds like a manic house party throbbing through the walls of the
next room as a downed jetliner brings death from above. What
follows is unpredictable, leading the listener through a sonic house
of mirrors, where the unexpected awaits around every corner.
The common thread holding ‘Most Normal’’s ambitious Avant-pop
shapes together is frontman Dara Kiely. Throughout, he’s an antic,
antagonistic presence, barking wild, hilarious, unsettling spiels,
babbling about smearing fish with lubricant or dressing up in binliners or having to wear hand-me-down bootcut jeans (“It was a
big, shameful thing, growing up, not being able to afford the look I
wanted and having to wear all my brother’s old clothes,” says
Kiely).
‘Most Normal’, then, is a triumph, the bold work of a group who’ve
taken the time to evolve their ideas, to deconstruct and reconstruct
their music and rebuild it into something new, something
challenging and infinitely rewarding. It’s a headphone masterpiece.
It’s a majestic exploration of the infinite possibilities of noise. It’s a
bold riposte to your parochial beliefs on whatever a pop song can
or should be. It’s the best work these musicians have put to
(mangled) tape.

The prolific, party-starting Det Gode Selskab collective continues to strengthen its wax artillery with another spaced-out exploration from label affiliate A:G. Based in Oslo, the label and artist have built a strong affinity over the years, with DGS regularly releasing his music and inviting him to perform at a host of events. His “Time Factor” EP is essential electro listening, wandering between rippling shades of acid and tripped-out minimalistic movements, synonymous with the Norwegian beatmaker’s sound. It’s a hazy quest through four original cuts, packed with raw and gritty attitude.

The slinky first outing of the EP goes by the name “Crash.” Anticipation builds as the winding bassline and quirky drum patterns create a sense of retro gaming exploration. “Sleepwalking” is another diverse entry from the talented producer—a pensive yet driven motion propels the track’s energy, laced with slick hi-hats and acid-laden beats.

On the B-side, outer-galaxy transmissions go full steam ahead with the title track “Time Factor”, animated grooves and continuous evolution, climaxing with bright, uplifting synths. Plucky, tight drums lead the way in the final frontier, “Cognitive Resonance”—another classy dance floor outing from A:G, once again showcasing why he’s a producer to keep close tabs on.

Striking while it’s hot, A:G delivers another heater on a label that shows no signs of slowing down in the years to come, and if their previous releases are anything to go by, this one will be moving fast!

Comes with DL card & 2P insert / wrapped in shrink + a sticker

At long last, Takao is back with his long-awaited second album, seven years in the making. His 2018 "Stealth" was (and still is) a much-loved set, mixing elements of ambient and environmental music; with this new release Takao breaks free of the gravitational pull of these earlier influences and strides confidently forward. "The End of the Brim" jettisons some of the more abstract elements of his previous work, embracing a “universal listenability” and a more concrete intensity, with a focus on supple rhythms and strengthened senses of melodic development and harmonic sophistication. This musical growth can be linked with Takao’s admiration of composers Ken Muramatsu and Toshifumi Hinata, who are generally associated with commercial “production music” and easy listening. Another contributing factor is his private study with veteran keyboardist Ichiko Hashimoto of Colored Music. The ten tracks here include three vocal tracks, with three different singers (Yumea Horiike, Cristel Bere, Atsuo Fujimoto of Colored Music) and seven keyboard-led pieces. The vocal pieces are integral parts of the album’s flow, rather than typical “songs” driven by the name and personality of the singer. All of these factors, plus the veteran presence of engineer Hiroshi Haraguchi, known for his work with Haruomi Hosono, who mixed half of the album's tracks, along with the use of excellent old-school synths, aligned with Takao’s forward-looking vision, have combined to give us an album with a unique sense of timelessness. A spotlight illuminating future paths for pop music, available on CD/Vinyl LP/Digital, with English/Japanese lyrics, and liner notes by Yuji Shibasaki.

There is a new artist from Japan followed by the name Kakeru who is giving his Shaw Cuts debut with ãRaw CourageÒ, telling the story of an emperor besieged by an army who then entrusts his child to the Black Dragon Clan heading off to a dangerous journey.
An attempt to usurp the Ming Emperor's throne by the sinister martial artist simply known as ãold monster" and his armies results in most of the palace being massacred. ãQuagmireÒ and its vibrant percussive pattern carried by a heavy broken kick and a driving bassline help the emperorÕs infant son to escape and put in care of the Black Dragon Clan.
En route they are attacked by government forces but rescued by two knights. They prove to be a valuable addition to the party in subsequent encounters with their pursuers. ãMirror ForestÒ and its laid-back atmosphere, mysterious vocal snatches and shining pads carried by an expressive drum pattern help the travellers parrying every sneaky attack on their journey.
Trying to head to the White Dragon Clan in order to seek for help, the squad has to masquerade and take several battles, always protecting the baby in tow. The razor-sharp percussions, corrosive bass and thrashing kick of ãSwayingÒ tremendously supports the warriors in each fight.
Finally they make it to the temple of the White Dragons where they show their Black Dragon seal as a sign of solidarity. But all of a sudden the mood changes. ãBroken BubblesÒ and its menacing atmosphere built up by a monstrous sub bass, reduced but impactful drums and subtle synth elements underline the potential threat. Did they walk into a trap? Is there enough energy left for one big fight? Raw courage is vital now.

Leeds based IMAGINARIUM announce their record label delivering a four track EP featuring music from residents Pete Melba (Planet Orange), Phil Warner (Plant & Deck / Pic N’ Mix), and Roya Brehl (Creatures of the night / Last days of Rome). Joining the crew is rising star and one half of duo Le Frequency, James Geeson.

Pete Melba kicks things off in his signature style of groovy tech house with skipping percussion, twinkling melodies and a touch of darkness. Phil Warner takes the A2 into techno leaning tech house territory sporting spacey pads, acid licks and spooky vocal snippets. On the B1, Roya Brehl moves into darker realms utilising cascading synths, eerie vocals and jangling percussion. Closing out the EP James Geeson continues the dark theme of the B-side warping the classic moonraker vocal into a deep dance floor chugger.

A well-rounded EP for cultured diggers bound to scintillate dance floors and after parties across the globe.

Gramrcy and John Loveless return to Phantasy with a double-A single, ‘Lucid / Feel So’. Three years on from their festival-rupturing hit ‘Highdive’, which found regular rotation in the sets of 2ManyDJs, Peggy Gou and Daniel Avery alongside soundtracking shows for Moschino and Hugo Boss, two new tracks expand the sound of the Berlin pair’s studio partnership.

‘Lucid’ features a unique vocal turn from Tony Morris, a former teacher, taxi driver and contemporary cult figure in Glasgow’s underground scene. Having begun DIY production only in his late sixties, he has since released on the city’s peerless Optimo Music and has been profiled by the BBC and NPR, alternately described by The Scottish Herald as “Scotland’s most unlikely pop sensation” and by himself as “a deviant cabaret artist”.

Morris’s hypnotic repetitions prove to be an earworming anchor for Gramrcy and Loveless’s pressure-cooker arrangement, a bubbling concoction that represents their most formative influences, combining the sheer bassweight of FWD-era UK dance with the ISDN-line scramble of the most out-there electroclash. Rich in rhythm and textural weirdness, ‘Lucid’ captures the sound of a deeply satisfying intersection of rave outsiders.

Eschewing the dreamy psychedelia of its counterpart, ‘Feel So’ instead tips the scales back toward the outright ecstatic. The influence of esoteric disco and post-punk percussion rides on a throbbing bassline that builds toward supreme dancefloor release, paying tribute to a legacy of hi-NRG, spanning Chicago to Rimini.

Gramrcy & John Loveless - ‘Lucid / Feel So’ will be available to download & stream on October the 10th via Phantasy There will also be a limited-edition run of just 200 hand-stamped 12” vinyl records, including the instrumental cut of ‘Lucid’, available to pre-order from Bandcamp and the Phantasy store.

Arriving two years after the first chapter, Absurd Matter 2 isn’t just a sequel, it’s an evolution, redrawing the boundaries established by its acclaimed predecessor. The Berlin-based Italian producer tempers his confrontational sonics with rare moments of introspection, shifting seamlessly between blown-out noise, warped hip-hop, mutant club experimentation, and weightless ambience. Textures disintegrate and reassemble, rhythms flex and crumble, and every detail balances on the edge of fantasy. It’s a poetic, layered response to Nino Pedone’s changing physical reality: the gradual hearing loss and perceptual renegotiation triggered by Ménière’s disease, which struck him in 2022. At first, the experience felt like betrayal, a brutal disconnection from the very sense that had shaped his life. But over time, the disorientation turned into a strange kind of focus. The silence between sounds became as expressive as the sounds themselves.
The first Absurd Matter was a visceral reaction to trauma; the second is more reflective – an ambiguous chronicle of sensory recalibration. Pedone doesn’t represent his altered inner reality through extremes, but through depth, zooming in on illusory distortions, tense rhythmic fluctuations, and fragmented sonics. Dense, immersive, and mystical, the album mirrors Pedone’s evolving relationship with perception itself.
Tinnitus-like feedback wails and noir-ish strings introduce “Repeater”, making it immediately clear that Pedone is painting a more delicately finessed image this time around. Fleshed out by raps from cult MCs billy woods and E L U C I D, the track is marked by subtle, sophisticated contrasts: the blurred, inverted rhythms that couch Armand Hammer’s haunted back-and-forth, and the glitchy interference that offsets the lavish orchestral phrases. Backwoodz associate Fatboi Sharif lends his Lynchian drawl to “Bandage Chipped Wings”, grounding Pedone’s lysergic rhythmic distortions with syrupy, horror-inspired couplets. Pedone also invites discomfort into “Crash Landing”, with droning, metallic tones that contradict South Central rapper ICECOLDBISHOP’s elastic flow. “Bitch, I don't give a fuck about anybody,” he squawks over Pedone’s incongruous rasping textures and time-warped beats, “cash out at any party.” Working alongside London’s Loraine James on production, Pedone reunites with Moor Mother on “I Saw The Light”, blending James’ soft-focus atmospherics with soundsystem-damaging, overdriven bass hits and rusted percussive snips. Moor Mother’s assertive words hover over the wreckage, tightening Pedone’s themes of overstimulation and altered awareness as they stutter and veer off course, vanishing into the backdrop.
Contrasting his more pensive experiments, Pedone’s dancefloor deviations are more concentrated on Absurd Matter 2 than ever before. He torches a stuttering dembow structure on “X”, obfuscating the rhythm’s familiar energy with disturbing audio hallucinations. On “Splintered”, he reunites with Kenyan prodigy Slikback, mangling neon-lit trance arpeggios with dissociated trap rhythms. He sharpens his skills to a fine point on “Oblivion Step”, observing 2- step through a lens of distortion and personal abstraction, shaking blipping synth leads over neck-snapping drums and counteracting the momentum with airless sci-fi soundscapes.
Perhaps the album’s most surprising moment arrives with “Viel”, which features vocals from Los Angeles-based composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. Together, Pedone and Smith chance upon their notion of dub techno, fogging synth stabs and ghostly vocal traces into eerie harmonic distortions. On some level, it’s almost pop music, a far cry from the bleak dissonance of Absurd Matter and a hopeful way to reframe turbulence as transformation. Absurd Matter 2 doesn’t simply document a process; it enacts one. It doesn’t offer clarity; it invites disorientation. It’s not a map of the labyrinth, but a foghorn piercing the darkness.

“Round and Round” is a tale of depression and the brooding repetitious inner thoughts that drain us. Dubbed by producer Daniel David as “emo boogie”–partly as a joke–this newfound genre illustrates familiar personal struggles of the current age. This A-side rides the fine line of unraveling deep emotions, ultimately coaxing you to FEEL the groove.

Conversely, the B-side “Finely” feat. B.Bravo is a smooth rolling vocoder jam, a laid-back anthem perfect for a cruise or warming up a fresh dancefloor: a high to offset the low.

Zackey Force Funk
Born into this wild world in Tucson, AZ 1974, Zackey Force Funk found himself in and out of prison at the age of 17. Once released for good, Zackey ditched a life of crime to focus on raising his family and writing music. He thrived in the golden era of Myspace, producing eerie, gritty music on pirated software, and swiftly grabbed the attention of Kutmah–soon to be followed by a plethora of formidable producers. Zackey forged many collaborations later with the likes of XL Middleton, The Egyptian Lover, Salva, Lazer Sword, Lorn, Brian Ellis, Baron Zen, Daedelus and B. Bravo, as well as forming the group Demon Queen with Tobacco, and Delta Weapon with his brother N8NOFACE. As these tunes were scattered across various labels and on their respective collaborator's projects, ZFF continued to hone his style, delving deeper into the psychedelic future funk realm of which he has created for himself.

Daniel David
Daniel David is a Bay Area born multi-instrumentalist, producer, and singer based in Dallas, Texas. 1/2 of boogie funk duo The Pendletons, Daniel’s solo music is a genre defying mix of organic and electronic elements including psych, dirty analog funk, hyphy, jazz, and more.
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A Place In My Memory Is All I Have To Claim is the new album by Australian atmospheric pop trio Hydroplane, the storied 'offshoot' formed by three quarters of independent pop group, The Cat's Miaow. On this, their first music after two decades plus of radio silence, Andrew Withycombe, Kerrie Bolton and Bart Cummings return to the gentle, close-quarters musical world they shared around the turn of the century.

Recorded during 2024 in Melbourne and Ballarat, A Place In My Memory… picks up the thread Hydroplane set down with its precursor, 2001's The Sound Of Changing Places, though you can hear echoes of their other releases, too, with Withycombe noting a through-line from the group's 1998 "Failed Adventure" single. There's little quite like A Place In My Memory…, then or now, though. Maybe you can draw some connections between Hydroplane and their sister group, The Cat's Miaow, while fellow travellers might include Empress, The Ah Club, and further back, Young Marble Giants, Veronique Vincent (the muffled, ticking drum machine also makes me think of Robin Gibb's Robin's Reign).

There's also an umbilical to the bedroom-crafted electronica doing the rounds in the late nineties and early noughties. Hydroplane hint at this through their approach to songwriting, which often builds creatively around loops as structural devices. Through all this, the trio achieve an effortless, organic weightlessness across these nine lovely songs. Many feature Bolton's clear singing voice, drifting along, while guitars, keyboards, drum machines and loops tickertape away. The constituent parts fit together, but they also have a curiously detached quality - think of abstract cloud formations sharing the same sky.

Hydroplane and The Cat's Miaow often dealt in emotional ambiguity and uncertainty, and the uncertainty of the nostalgic. This was always one of the most appealing facets of their music, and A Place In My Memory… is thus named perfectly. I couldn't dream up a better title for the album and its reflections on history, lived experience, and the inevitable tangle between these two phenomena. These reflections variously address such concerns as human cruelty, flight, space travel, adventurism and spiritualism. There's also "To the Lighthouse", not a direct reference to the Virginia Woolf book, but a great title, nonetheless. (They've always had excellent titles, often borrowed, for songs and albums.)

A beautiful collection of drowsy, sleepy pop, humble and quiet, but resolute in its craft, A Place In My Memory Is All I Have To Claim is dream work in practice; a lovely reintroduction. Welcome back, then.

25 has always been a mystical number in the world of Kiosk ID, woven into our story since the earliest days of Bar 25, Holzmarkt 25, and every chapter since. When midnight struck on December 31st of last year and 2025 arrived, the magic of the number was undeniable,echoing through Kater Blau, Holzmarkt, and Kiosk ID—and calling for a celebration like no other. As our lasers lit the night, two core Kiosk ID artists—Britta Arnold and Sascha Cawa—took to the decks, weaving a spellbinding journey crafted specifically for this moment. Months in the making, they unfolded a beautifully hypnotic tribute to the magic of 25, premiering five tailormade tracks in the process. That moment lives on as Kiosk ID no. 40—a special double LP capturing the magic of that night. Side A features the live New Year’s recording: an unfiltered document of Britta and Sascha’s hypnotic, otherworldly, and deeply danceable set, as it unfolded in real time—strobing into the first moments of the new year. Sides B, C, and D feature five exclusive studio originals, written and produced specifically for this night. On ‘Counting’, Britta and Sasha unfold their brand of stripped darkness and rolling groove work, while ‘Reformer’ teeters on taut coils of suspended synths. With ‘NGVMT’, the energy bursts open—a radiant block-party roller with throbbing staccato swagger and clanking metallic arpeggios. ‘Beam’ lifts off into pure cosmic wonder, its fluttering, airy themes spiralling skyward. ‘Good Life’ rolls the credits with a beautifully introspective soliloquy, tender and reflective beneath gentle waves of aspirating piano chords. Together, these recordings offer both an auditory keepsake and an invitation to relive that unforgettable night or discover it anew. Across five hypnotic compositions and a half hour of dance floor bliss, ‘Good Life 25’ encapsulates the ever-evolving sound

Canadian selectors The Patchouli Brothers are back for their 3rd instalment of edit heat on Razor-N-Tape. The duo truly never misses with their deep digs and careful retouches, and this record once again delivers the goods from the mid-tempo gospel synth boogie groove of The Spirit, the burning uptempo disco fire of C U Move, the wide-smiling party hook of Teddy’s Highlife, and soulful machine-funk of Do Ya Wanna. 4 killers, no filler, straight to the bag!