(Vinyl Only)
After 5 years from their last album released on Bosconi Records, The Clover's trio comes back on their own label with a three track EP dedicated to the dance floor.
Quantized tribalism melts with Jupiter's sounds in 'Pulsing Particles'. While in 'Emanation', past and present feelings alternate through chants and synthesizers sitting on a solid funky groove.
'Separated at Birth' is the theme of the B-side, the minimalism of the original track is stretched by Horror Inc. (aka Akufen; Perlon) in a rare 9 minutes melodic drone with broken beat and thriller-ish like strings. A gem you can't miss!
The Clover are back on the market, ready to play with a brand new liveset!
Cerca:da thrill
Producer Gavin Hardkiss offers a transcendental sound echoing the '90s with four cuts from the Hawke album Love In Stars.
Sunshine People remix is an active house chug with an unlikely Roxallaesqe breakdown, While the remix of WarPeace by Lee Reynolds from Desert Hearts adds darker overtones that will thrill at desert parties and renegades with it's tripped out, unrelenting drive.Blood Is Thicker Than Water and Take My Breath Away add a bit of Bonobo seasoning on some heartfelt electronic manipulations which define the Hawke sound.
This is already our seventh Deep Love compilation and we dare to say our most complete yet in sound and flow. The ten pieces on this sampler blend in perfectly with that laid back 'late' summer mood. We are very pleased to welcome yet again some new acts to Dirt Crew with the likes of 'Jaxx Madicine', 'Ouer', 'Times are Ruff' and 'S3A'. We cross many borders not only in genres but also country wise. From the heavy Disco sampled jam by French producer 'S3A' to the Jazz and Funk laden epos of the Italian 3 piece 'Jaxx Madicine' over to the Dutch deep house boys 'Times Are Ruff' who are well known from their, same named, label and finally to the Berlin duo 'Ouer' who also run an own label and released with our good friends at 'Heist Recordings', delivering an ecstatic electronic floating tune here.
This is all completed by some excellence from long time Dirt Crew artists. '25 Places' have been with us for many years now and their two Ep's have gotten so much love from the deeper deep house community. Here they drop an epic almost IDM techno like tune that closes this great album in the best possible way. Our Icelandic stall wart 'Felix Leifur' drops a heavy hitter named 'Buster'. After his recent 'Bobby Donny' Ep earlier this year we are thrilled to have him back on Dirt Crew! 'Harry Wolfman' and 'Ponty Mython' need no introduction really, they are adding Electro/ Disco/ Electronica fuelled cuts that form a great middle part to this mix of tunes. Harry going in very smooth and relaxed, something else than his usual House workout which we really loved to present to you. 'Ponty Mython' drops an irresistible 'good times' indie acid track in his unique 'free' style.
Last, we must of course not forget 'Dan Only' and key wizzard 'Lorenz Rhode'! With another beautifully smooth cut 'Dan Only' follows up on his latest debut Ep with us. Again a smart cross over in Techno and House with a distinct relaxed groove and atmosphere to it. Lorenz is back 'On Top' here after his super successful first offering to the Deep Love series last year and his 'And I Said' EP which stormed many charts. In the middle of touring and working with Detroit Swindle on their 'High Life' album we are super happy that he found the time to make another gem with that raw n funky live feel to it... We couldn't have started this compilation off with a better joint than 'Marakuja'.
Enough words for now ... just put these vinyl on your decks or stream/play it on the go and don't forget to drop them at a sweaty club night. Deep Love is here to stay!
Released on Leeds Jazz & Soul labelATA Records, the debut LP fromThe Lewis Express takes the rich legacy of the soul-jazz outfits of the 1960s as the initial blueprint of their sound. Taking inspiration from the likes of Ramsey Lewis, Young-Holt, Eddie Cano, Ray Bryant and Cannonball Adderley, they present a collection of tracks that range from introspective spy film themes to burning Brazilian jazz.
Primarily based in Leeds, The Lewis Express is comprised of many of the musicians that have graced previous ATA releases: George Cooper, Piano (Abstract Orchestra) Neil Innes, Bass (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill), Sam Hobbs, Drums (Dread Supreme, Tony Burkill, Matthew Bourne) and Pete Williams, Percussion (The Sorcerers, The Magnificent Tape Band, Tony Burkill). Recorded over an intense two-day session by the band of the same name, "The Lewis Express" is a nod to the classic soul jazz recordings of The Young Holt Trio / Young-Holt Unlimited and Ramsey Lewis, from who this group take their name. But, delivered with a distinctly European feel. As with many of the classic Ramsey Lewis cuts, this album was recorded live, capturing the rich inter-relationship between the players.
Kicking off the album isLove Can't Turn A Man, a slow burner that introduces the piano of George Cooper as he works over a rock solid backbeat.Cancao De Momentois an up-tempo Brazilian Workout in the style of Milton Banana with rhythmic piano punctuated by percussion.Brother Move Onis probably the most recognizable as being in the soul jazz vein, with nods to such classics as Ramsey Lewis'The 'In' CrowdandSoulful Strutby Young Holt Unlimited, particularly the latter. Moving intoHawkshaw Philly(their nod to session music legend and leader of The Mohawks, Alan Hawkshaw) the band create what sounds like a rare library cut.Theme From The Watcheris a nod to the cinematic soul-jazz of the 60s, conjuring up the sort of imagery that coincides with the black and white spy thrillers, espionage and intrigue.Last Man In The Chain Ganghas a very strong Ramsey Lewis feel and offers some of the most powerful piano playing of the whole album. The final track,Straight Seven Strut, is the only vocal track of the album. The staccato swing and French vocals lend it some of the qualities of 60s yé-yé music but with a far jazzier backbone, spiced with percussive handclaps.
On Video Age's forthcoming album Pop Therapy, out June 22nd via Inflated Records, longtime friends and songwriting partners Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli conjure up a thrilling assortment of experimental pop songs. Using a palette of vintage synthesizers and the propulsion of a Sequential Circuits Drumtraks drum machine, the New Orleans-based group's buoyant synth-pop echoes from some imagined vision of the past, leaning on an invented nostalgia to soundtrack an ideal future that never arrived. Video Age brings that future fully to life on Pop Therapy. Emerging from New Orleans' DIY scene and label collectives, Farbe and Micarelli were intrigued by each other's songwriting among several curiously satisfying guitar pop bands. As a producer and prolific engineer, Farbe has helmed some of the most exciting releases from genre-pushing New Orleans artists, whose singular visions are made possible with his gifted ear and love of tape recording. Micarelli's talent for crafting simple, tangible melodies complements Farbe's studio world-building, letting ideas drift until they emerge into impressive arrangements. The pair's seemingly effortless gift for crafting earworm hooks was glimpsed on their 2016 debut Living Alone, a gorgeous collection of guitar-driven melancholy. On Pop Therapy, they're joined by Duncan Troast, Nick Corson and Jordan Odom, taking inspiration from the limitless possibility on sonic canvases of the late 1970s and early 1980s (Yellow Magic Orchestra, McCartney II, Donald Fagen's The Nightfly). Where Living Alone catalogued the solitude of reflecting on what was and could have been, the sentimental love songs on Pop Therapy gaze longingly at the likeliness of a brighter tomorrow.
We present you the third release in our very successful collaboration series with "Roar Groove" and "The Revenge'.
Straight after his new brilliant album "When the Thrill Comes" that was release in May this year Graeme Clark is back
on Dirt Crew with four new gems.
The opening, funky and twisting, "Times Get Tough" is a deep rolling down tempo Disco/ House stomper that builds into this
ecstatic groove we got to love so much from his previous outings. Pure good times and hands in the air action promised on this one!
"Subconcious" is that darker and meaner side of House track with a slammin' Chicago beat he delivers this old school jackin' feel.
Big bass lines and soulful vocal samples tied together by "on the fly" drum patterns.
The B-side of this new EP opens with an hypnotic jam that builds and builds till those sweet synths start soaring in.
All carried by this ultra phat bass line, we can only imagine how this one will sound on a massive sound system!
"Searchlight" is def a highlight of this release. Can we go even deeper and darker oh yes! With "Come Down" we get
a proper come down to close this EP. Deep sub basses with floating tops and again that classic Jack House beat.
Certainly a late night track made for those sweaty and long dj sets.
Summer is here and "The Revenge" has the perfect soundtrack for hot and steamy nights, inside or on the open field!
Out-ER sub-label Pregnant Void is proud to announce the release of hi.mo's debut album Urtiis. Landing on double vinyl in June 2018, it is a fantastically absorbing showcase of the Italian's weird and wonderful fusion of various strains of sound from jazz to hip hop to classical. "The alteration of conventional musical patterns thrills me," says the artist who is classically trained in piano and uses that knowledge to play with rules, structures and forms. Influenced by IDM, African drums, jazz and the interplay of chords, rhythm and harmony, hi.mo infuses his electro-acoustic productions with found sound samples and analogue and digital tools. This is a spelling-binding and intimate album that is filled with invention, but never at the expense of the overall experience, which is beautiful and beguiling throughout.
Having debuted with a fine EP by Job Sifre, Artificial Dance has returned to the source for release number two. The 12' pays tribute to one of the most influential figures of original DIY electronic music scene of Holland, Hanjo Erkamp.
During the first half of the 1980s, Erkamp had a hand in some of the most experimental and forward-thinking releases on the now legendary cassette label, Trumpett. Famously, he was a member of two of the label's key bands - industrial outfit Doxa Sinistra and new wave combo Ende Shneafliet - but during the period he also recorded a swathe of solo tracks as C. Stein, most of which only saw the light of day decades later.
La Bombe Plastique', a thrillingly spacey and futurist cut rich in proto-techno rhythms, intergalactic electronic motifs and drowsy choral vocals. For this timely reissue, the superb original version comes accompanied by a fresh re-edit created primarily for DJ use.
- A1: A Min We Vo Nou We - Les Sympathics De Porto Novo
- A2: Asaw Fofor - Ignace De Souza & The Melody Aces
- A3: Dja Dja Dja - Stanislas Tohon
- B1: L´enfance - Elias Akadiri & Sunny Black´s Band
- B2: Mé Adomina - Picoby Band D´abomey
- B3: Nounignon Ma Klon Midji - Antoine Dougbé
- B4: Moulon Devia - Orch. Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou
- C1: Paulina - Black Santiago
- C2: Glenon Ho Akue - Lokonon André Et Les Volcans
- C3: Sadé - Sebastien Pynasco And L´orchestre Black Santiago
- C4: Baba L´oke Ba´wagbe - Super Borgou De Parakou
- D1: Gangnidodo - Cornaire Salifou Michel Et L´orchestre El Rego & Ses Commandos
- D2: How Much Love Naturally Cost - Gnonnas Pedro And His Dadjes Band
- D3: Idavi - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou
African Scream Contest 2
A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally well- drilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.
Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasure- trove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks o Les Sympathics' pile-driving opener, it's clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you're trying to get o the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces' Asaw Fofor" would've been a killer instrumental but once you've factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it's a total revelation.
The screaming does not stop there, in fact it's only just beginning. But the
strange thing about African Scream Contest II's celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "search and destroy" enemies of the country's (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.
Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined military band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon André vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb's behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he'd been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter's impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s. Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to oer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.
Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the
continent's musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb's determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends.
Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and eortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon André - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin's vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the turntables that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a factory that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.
The scene documented here couldn't have been born anywhere else but in the Benin Republic , and the prime reason for that is Vodoun. It's one of the world's most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from that country were no less diverse than that army of dierent Gods. At once restless pioneers and masters of the art of modernising their own folklore, the mystic sound of Vodoun was their prime source of inspiration.
One especially irascible Vodoun-adept was Antoine Dougbe, who styled himself The devil's prime minister' while turning ancestral rhythms into satanically alluring modern beats. As Orchestre Poly-Rythmo songwriter Pynasco has observed sagely, Evil is not elsewhere, evil extends into the house'. And African Scream Contest II is a gloriously cinematic road-trip through an undiscovered realm of music lore whose familiarity is every bit as thrilling as its otherness.
Written by Ben Thomson, March 2018
Lithuanian based label Sodai started its journey in 2016, making it a label still in it's infancy but making a big impression. Owned by artist Gardens Of God, who started the label to create his own 'no limits' platform for his experimental sounds and projects. While at the same time a platform to give other artists the chance to also have freedom with art and music.
With releases from Raxon, Few Nolder and Alex Krell under their belt, they can announce the exciting debut from UK producer Third Son this April. 'I've been an admirer of Gardens Of Gods' music for a long time, when he asked me if I could do something for his imprint, I was more than thrilled!' adds Joseph.
'Syncope's' synths spread far and wide, making this a journey of a track, modulating and panning in and out, pushing and pulling along a percussive drive. His broad musical range can be felt in this mix, with its slightly hypnotic tones.
'Irony' has a punctuated low end, which creates a deep and dark groove. The synthetic elements in this track gain in attitude, on top of ambient pads, leading nicely into 'Bach' to close out the release. It's driving and determined bass makes the backbone of the track, with a modulating hook line, along building and expanding frequency ranges.
The whole package makes for a very strong first release from Third Son, and Sodai are excited to be welcoming him to the family.
Recorded in Philadelphia in 1969, The Deirdre Wilson Tabac's sole album is a beautiful blend of funk, jazz and soulful pop. Possessing the complex grooves, thrilling breaks and ethereal weirdness that The Rotary Connection pedalled so brilliantly, the LP failed to connect with audiences upon its original release.
In the decades since, it has deservedly attracted a considerable cult following. However, almost inevitably, it has become increasingly tricky to pick up a copy in good condition for anything less than eye-watering sums. As such, we're delighted to present the first officially licensed vinyl reissue of this undoubted masterpiece of freaky funk-rock, limited to just 500 copies.
The Tabac were, in fact, a trio. Discovered, managed and produced by Svengali Sonny Casella (who'd earlier managed garage band The Magic Mushrooms), they comprised Deirdre Wilson, Stu Freeman (formerly of said Mushrooms) and Barbara Payne (formerly with the James Brown Revue). They were backed by session players including jazz guitarist Chuck Anderson, bassist Hugh McDonald and keyboardist Roy Bittan (who went on to be a long-term Bruce Springsteen sideman).
Their first single coupled two fine Casella compositions, each featuring powerhouse vocal workouts, the supremely funk-fuelled blues beat of "The Other Side Of Life" and the psychedelic-flavoured "Look In My Face" - both of which are featured here. This 7" picked enough up airplay to merit an album, which duly appeared early the following year, but, as is often the way with these lost classics, it received barely any press. Correspondingly, sales where low and the trio didn't last long.
And herein lies the real tragedy. The rest of the LP deserves to be heard from start-to-finish - it's that good. A beguiling mix of funky folk and rocky jazz tracks, with some deep, string-drenched harmony soul ballads and a handful of remarkable covers elegantly presented througout. Indeed, they put some sauntered head-nod funk into The Beatles' "Get Back" whilst tearing through a version of "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay" which gives Otis' original a real run for its money.
But the real standout cut for most - with its soulful, haunting vocals, swinging hammond organ and stabbing horns, is the incredible 6/8 time jazz dancer "I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes." Staggering.
Ark Angel Jah Mel is a recording artist, songwriter and musician from Jamaica. Beginning his career as a performer on the stage shows of the Twelve Tribes Of Israel of which he has been a member since his youth, Jah Mel made his debut sharing the stage with artists such as Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Freddie McGregor, Sugar Minott, Brigadier Jerry & Denroy Morgan. His writing credits include songs written for Marcia Griffiths, Cecile, DaVille, Itana & Jah Mali, for whom he also produced tracks on his debut album El Shaddai. Jah Mel has worked with all of Jamaica's top producers & musician in Jamaica such as the great Sly & Robbie, Steely & Cleevie, Earl Chinna Smith, Steve 'Lenky' Marsden & Donovan Germaine to who's Penthouse label Jahmel was signed.
Jah Mel sees himself as a musical bridge between the original reggae sound & the dancehall sound of today, representing what he calls the real dancehall revolution, merging the spirituality of the old school & the energy of the new school. 'Guiding Star' and 'Stand Up To It' are the perfect examples to overstand this definition. Both song were produced by Roydale Anderson aka Andy's. 'Guding Star' will definitely give you thrills if you are into
deep synth and heavy digital rhythm while the superb piano notes will warm you in the analog style. Beware of 'Guiding Star' dub version called 'Guidance (Dance Mix)' that will break any bunker. 'Stand Up To It' rhythm is an adaptation of one of the most classic Jamaican riddim called 'Heavenless'. You will never know this riddim like before; This version takes the riddim to another level. A positive song with a bionic nuclear bomb
dubwise! Play it loud, Jah is our guiding star!
"It was the most beautiful summer of my life."
Memories — places, vacancies, allusions — are fundamental characters in Mary Lattimore's evocative craft. Inside her music, wordless narratives, indenite travelogues, and braided events skew into something enchantingly new. The Los Angeles-based harpist recorded her breakout 2016 album, At The Dam, during stops along a road trip across America, letting the serene landscapes of Joshua Tree and Marfa, Texas color her compositions. In 2017, she presented Collected Pieces, a tape compiling sounds from her past life in Philadelphia: odes to the east coast, burning motels, and beach town convenience stores. In 2018, from a restorative station — a redwood barn, nestled in the hills above San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge — emanates Hundreds of Days, her second full-length LP with Ghostly International. The record sojourns between silences and speech, between microcosmic daily scenes and macrocosmic universal understandings, between being alien in promising new places and feeling torn from old native havens. It's an expansive new chapter in Lattimore's story, and an expression of mystied gratitude. A study in how ordinary components helix together to create an extraordinary world.
Awarded a residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts, Lattimore spent two summer months living with 15 fellow artists — writers, playwrights, musicians, poets, painters, activists, curators — in a cluster of old Victorian military buildings on the Northern Pacic Coast. Days offered solitude, Lattimore set up in a spacious barn, able to arrange her instruments at will. Nights welcomed new perspectives. "Hanging out with a lot of accomplished artists with poetic ways of looking at the world was really inspiring. My heart was in a bit of a tangle after leaving Philadelphia. I was holding onto things instead of moving forward. My time there was a nostalgia detox, a way to press reset in a healthy way. Also breathing in the freshest air in America, straight off of the ocean, felt good."
Throughout the shifting locales there is one consistent companion Lattimore engages: a 47-string Lyon and Healy harp. The instrument wires directly into her psyche. Pitchfork's Marc Masters posits, "she can practically talk through it at this point, she's created a language." The space and stillness of the Headlands afforded Lattimore freedom to her expand her vocabulary, to stretch out and experiment with layers of keyboard, guitar, theremin, and grand piano. Lattimore's voice sweeps beneath the plucks and washes of opener It Feels Like Floating,' enraptured by the winding current, and reappearing in the second minute of the immense "Never Saw Him Again." The track elevates towards a shimmering apex of static and percussion before organ drone yields to signature halcyon utters. As with much of Lattimore's work, the track titles are telling, "Baltic Birch" is a somber windswept march that sways gracefully out of step, a remembrance of a recent trip to Latvia where she was struck by the abandoned resort towns along the Baltic Sea. Hello From The Edge of The Earth' is an earnest reection of Lattimore's love of the natural world, recognizing the thresholds of varying terrains.
The album's fth track borrows its name from Lattimore's favorite line in Denis Johnson's short story Emergency' from Jesus' Son. A character, lost in a blizzard, reassesses a disjointed universe, a clash between curtains of snow and angels descending out of a brilliant blue summer: it isn't an apocalypse, it is a drive-in movie, with stars hovering above the lot, off the screen, in the throes of the Midwestern storm. This mix-up is disorienting and existentially tragic, Lattimore's darkly strummed piece is a melancholic parallel, mimicking Johnson's elegant suture attaching two remarkably discontinuous spaces.
Micro-revelations, not quite as bright as torn skies but nonetheless enlightening, were everyday occurrences during Lattimore's residency. Living small days with small tasks — feeling little dramas within the arcadian universe of a national park — rendered her the sense that disjointed spaces can be interconnected no matter the enormity that divides them. It's in this elastic scale of perception that something as simultaneously simple and intricate as Hundreds of Days can ourish.
- Second solo album for Ghostly, past releases on Thrill Jockey
- Recently toured w/ Sharon Van Etten, Jarvis Cocker, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn, Julia Holter, Iceage
- Mary Lattimore has been featured on Pitchfork, NPR, The Wire Magazine, and more
- A1: Malta Bums - Mister Dj
- A2: Joint Effort - Then I Grew Up
- A3: Trine - Tie Me Down
- A4: Morning Reign - Can\'T Get Enough Of It
- A5: Red Mountain Supply Company - Together
- A6: Rex Garvin & Mighty Cravers - Strange Happenings
- B1: 1906 & Company - Freight Ryder
- B2: Band Of Gold - Like A Hurricane
- B3: The Penny Arcade - Funky Way
- B4: Sam Hankins & Ho-Dads - Shotgun
- B5: Animal Show Band - Tell Daddy
- B6: Big John K - Poor Souls
Part 1[14,08 €]
"a Heavy Selection Of Mod-rockers, Garage And Psych-funk Tracks," Runs The Sub-title Of New Compilation Series, Down In The Valley From Perfect Toy, Encapsulating In A Nutshell The Multifarious Pleasures On Offer.
Volume 2 Continues The Good Work Of Volume 1 With Yet Another Breathtaking Selection. Morning Reign's Previously Unreleased Can't Get Enough Of It Provides Big-ass Funky Thrills Along With This Volume's Only Cover - The Penny Arcade's Mod-funk Take On Funky Way. Next Come Two Frantic Garage-soul Cuts From A Pair Of Super-obscure Groups: 1906 & Company And Band Of Gold While Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers' Titty-shaking Instrumental Strange Happenings Slows Things Down To A Monster Shimmy With Retro Horror Movie Vibes. The Animal Show Band's Tell Daddy Provides The Male Answer To Etta James' Tell Mama And Rocks Just As Hard As The Original While Gino Scorza's Funk-tinged Soul Heater Little By Little (which He Originally Privately Pressed Himself) Gets Reissued For The First Time. Closing The Album Is A Real Treasure By Big John K In The Shape Of His Heavyweight Slab Of Soulful Blues-funk - Poor Souls.
Once Again, Chan The Man - Previously The Guiding Light For Perfect Toy's Down & Wired Series - Was The Driving Force Behind This Project. It Is His Incredible Knowledge, Combined With The Network Of Record Collectors, Djs And Vinyl Nerds That He Has Established Over The Past Few Decades Which Have Made It Possible To Come Up With Such A High-octane Selection Of Super-heavy And Extremely Rare Tracks. Accompanied By Detailed Liner Notes And Never-before-seen Photos Of The Artists, Down In The Valley 2 Sets The Bar High For Future Volumes.
Radical Connector was originally released in 2004 and is now fnally back on vinyl. This re-issue is pressed on mixed splatter color vinyl and presented in a high gloss jacket with free download card.
Though reference points like Daft Punk and Prince have rightly been thrown around, Radical Connector is in fact a strange album that doesn't sound like much else.' - Pitchfork
Mouse on Mars is recognised as one of Germany's most defning and versatile electronic music projects. With their
anarchic mixture of sound that oscillates between uncontrollable chaos and meticulously arranged structures,
Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma have forged a unique musical language, which is readily decomposed by the
unpredictability of its myriad mutations. Free from schools of thought, genre conventions, and from the constraints
of the music establishment, they have worked under the Mouse on Mars alias for 24 years, mapping their own
idiosyncratic trajectory through a no man's land between pop, art, club music, and the avant-garde. - Jan Rohlf
Sexy robot vocals slip and slide all over juicy squeals, raindrop plops, and jungle-thick beats.'
- Entertainment Weekly
Stirring songs drift out of its frantic aural mishmashes, fnding a controlled center amid all the dizzy spin.'
- AV Club
Mouse on Mars have a gift for making electronic bleeps and buzzes sound like tangible objects that bounce,
bend and collide in physical space.' - Rolling Stone
Scottish producer & DJ Graeme Clark AKA The Revenge releases his second album 'When The Thrill Comes' on his own Roar Groove imprint on 11th May 2018.
'When The Thrill Comes' is a demonstration of a producer achieving a point of maturity in their work, able to exercise a sense of restraint, to allow for their sound to have space. It is also the opportunity for The Revenge to explore his own electronic music roots with a deeper pared-back sound more in touch with his earliest production experiences in house and techno.
Clark is no novice to the art of production and the sweaty alchemy of animating bodies on dance floors. He has been producing and playing electronic music since 1995, in many forms, though is well known for 'some of finest modern disco dubs and re-edits on the block' (DJ Mag). This passion for dusty disco and deep cuts is reflected in his long-standing collaboration with Craig Smith as 6th Borough Project which has yielded 3 albums and provided the foundation for the influential but now defunct Instruments Of Rapture label.
2015 was a momentous year for Clark with the release of his debut album 'Love That Will Not Die' on his own Roar Groove imprint. The LP picked up 'Best British Album' from DJ Mag, was shortlisted for Scottish Album Of The Year and drew support from leading DJs including Jackmaster, John Talabot, Solomun, Craig Richards, Axel Boman amongst others. Recent production work has both cemented and extended his reputation; with his future-facing remix for Auntie Flo being re-touched by Dixon for the Philomena label and his two EP's for Berlin's Dirt Crew Recordings reinforcing his love for solid club jams
A thrilling 9-song set, Murmurations is as perfectly pitched for headphones as it is for clubs, named after giant cloud formations of starlings and themed around the stunning emergent behaviors that appear within them. To mirror these movements in the sonic landscape and visuals of Murmurations, SMD's James Ford and Jas Shaw collaborated with the celebrated Hackney-based vocal collective The Deep Throat Choir, as well as creative directors Kazim Rashid of ENDLESSLOVESHOW (Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawk) and Carri Munden.
Finding time in between Ford's work as a producer and Jas' club gigging last year, the duo arranged a session in Shaw's countryside studio. Via an introduction from a friend of Ford's wife, The Deep Throat Choir's director Luisa Gerstein and SMD began swapping some production and melodic ideas. They decided to bring the whole East London-based choir into the studio to experiment, and the results were intense. Jas says, 'Listening to them moving their voices around a tone, altering the timbre, making chords, was like working with an incredible new synthesiser.' Rashid and Munden explore related ideas centered on kinetic energy and communal movement throughout the visuals of Murmurations. Rashid says of the collaboration, 'We were both having discussions around the purity of collective human experience and how transcendental this can be. Techno and the dance-floor is one of the last true expressions of this euphoria.'
From the beat-less introduction 'Boids' onwards you can hear uncanny patterns and sounds rising up from the sea of voices -- not traditional chords or harmonies, but complex interference patterns that play tricks on the mind and merge perfectly with SMD's distinctive synth tonalities and instinctive dancefloor nous. At times you might hear hints of Bulgarian choral music, or Cocteau Twins, or avant-garde composers like Iannis Xenakis or Pauline Oliveiros - but really, thanks to the creative freedom of SMD's working methods, it is a sound completely of its own, something all too rare in an age of retro and reference.
Ford and Shaw still have the same love of pure sound, human harmonies and electronic possibilities that they did when they first met at university, and it's clear that their career path has allowed them to nurture this love and express it as vividly as ever before.
- A1: Band One - Stories / Cairo Wonk / Ballache Mansions
- A2: Band Two - Jazz Pact / Feelin Dank / Industrial Giant Colour
- A3: Band Three - Theme From The Tincleton Now / Man Next Door
- A4: Band Four - Now There's Pain / Art Slab
- B1: Band One - Teahead Of Time / Western Monk
- B2: Band Two - Carnaby St Caper / Gongs2Go / Turnintuit
- B3: Band Three - Bontempi Ventures / Speltre Flecks
- B4: Band Four - Kitten Kindred / Zvuk Poisk / Cimbolism
- B5: Band Five - Baked Tapes
Glyn Bigga Bush has been producing electronic and sample-based music since the early 90s when he formed Rockers Hi Fi, going on to release numerous albums. Since the turn of the century he has produced and DJ'd as BiggaBush as well as various side projects such as Lightning Head (Sonar Kollektiv), the Dandelion Set (Buried Treasure) and the Magic Drum Orchestral (Tru Thoughts).
Bigga's latest project 'Sunken Foal Stories' represents a departure from much of his other work in that it is not primarily based on beats. Instead, his working method was to go with fascinating samples, accidental juxtapositions and irregular loops - inspired by pioneers of sound such as Faust and the audio experiments of Julian House as well as early stereo test records, soundtracks and library music.
The 21 concise tracks of Sunken Foal Stories link into two 15 minute segments on the LP. Bush explores the random elements created by overlaying disparate samples, where chimes of baroque psychedelia clash with ascending classical strings, or a haunting Eastern European folk song is looped into an eternal cadence of longing. Various voices float over the speakers, lost poets, disturbing therapists, dreaming vampires, chuckling cabaret singers. Sourced almost entirely from charity shops and carboot sales, the source material speaks of a forgotten yet relatively recent period, when stereo was something new and exciting, when home entertainment first came into its own and suburban homes thrilled to the exotic sounds of home organs, primitive beatboxes, LPs bought in unusual holiday destinations and 'glamorous' soundtracks.
Optimo Music is thrilled to release the new album from Jacob Yates. Not only is he one of our all-time favourite artists from Glasgow, but he is one of our favourite artists from anywhere. Criminally unknown except to a few who have been long transfixed by his recordings and performances, we hope this release will open a few more ears to his wondrous musical world.
The Hare, The Moon, The Drone' is the third album from Jacob Yates. This recording finds the band exploring dark hawthorn hedged lanes, moors and suburban, new build estates. There's something more earthy about the songs but the menace and darkness remains. Musically there is a big shift on this album, a field recording of a folk band from a dark, pine filled glen. The opener, The Car sets the scene for the rural side of the album, dank and stone cold. The tracks then shift through the woods, people turn into animals, we pass a sunlit glade, do you hear a love song Cassie Ezeji closes the side sweetly lamenting in Gaelic as the snow falls.
Side two is a more urban affair opening with despair in a bedroom in Belgium, we visit a faith healer and drop in on your lonely mother. Lovatt recounts the story of a karaoke addicted murderer before we finally go home to our new build just outside of town where the pylons tower over Michael and his sister Rachel. It's a journey you can go on, looking out of the window of the bus, glimpses of lives glide by, cards on seats promise to help you. Ding! It's time to get off.
Mouse on Mars' Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner return with their most
inventive album to date, Dimensional People. The electronic music pioneers
have been critically acclaimed for their playful and inventive sound and
production techniques on releases spanning from the early '90s to now. In
demand from a surprising array of artists their most recent contributions are
featured on the Grammy award winning album Sleep Well Beast by The
National.
The duo are joined on Dimensional People by an impressive list of guests
: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Zach
Condon (Beirut), Spank Rock, Swamp Dogg, Eric D. Clarke, Lisa Hannigan,
Amanda Blank, Sam Amidon, Ensemble Musikfabrik, and about 20 more
musical collaborators. The cast of characters are as unique as they are vast,
clearly a rich quarry for the prodigious duo.
Dimensional People is by it's nature a collaborative album. Originally
premiering as a spatial composition using object-based mixing technology
playing with the possibilities of sonic design (4D Sound) and collective
musicianship, the recording expands upon these ideas. Dimensional People
expresses itself as a dynamic 50-piece orchestra, telling a story in sound.
Mouse on Mars offer sound as a means to encourage open-minded societies,
aided by cutting-edge technology including their own MoMinstruments
music software or a spatial mixing technique called object based mixing,
with which a spatial version of the work was created. It is a conceptual
puzzle composed around one harmonic spectrum within one rhythmic
scheme, mostly in the tempo of 145bpm (inspired by Chicago footwork,
so the dance oor is not entirely absent). Looking ahead, Dimensional
People will also be realized through installation, presenting the work as an
immersive listening experience, as well as performance.
Techno Album of the month March 2018 in Mixmag UK!
Central to the Israeli club scene, Deep'a & Biri have long been defying expectations even within a community they helped construct. Serving as resident DJs, activists and bookers for Tel Aviv's legendary Barzilay Club, the pair helped build a transcendent club scene. Hugely influential artists such as Robert Hood, Derrick May, Rødhad, Ben Klock and Moritz Von Oswald passed through the club, enjoying legendary crowds and what they could surely sense was a genuine air of anarchy, rebellion and unadulterated rave pleasure.
As the duo held down dozens of parties with dozens of DJs, there was no 'eureka' moment for their emerging sound; just a steady stream of brilliant, inspiring electronic music, much of which left an indelible imprint on the pair. Now based in Berlin, for Deep'a & Biri, things are much the same, even if the landscape and the city is different. Always rooted in the fertile ground between machines and emotion, on their second full-length LP, 'Dominance', the duo demonstrate their unique grasp of the sensitive, unfolding relationship between man and machine. Steadfast in their insistence never to remain in one lane in terms of their sound, 'Dominance' flawlessly segues between forcefulness and weightlessness. From beginning to end, this is not a record afraid to show its teeth with an uncompromising, instantly recognisable techno palette that kicks the foundations of any sound system with menace, anger and determination, particularly on tracks such as the dense 'Voltage' and pulsing throughout the more industrial flourishes of 'Ecole De Nancy' and 'Seeking Solace'.
Beyond these grittier, although never mindless, moments of authority, a sense of escapism and curiosity imbues the album. 'Alpha Cephei' offers the first hint of Deep'a & Biri's more wistful concepts, producing a smoke trail of twinkling electronics out of a smudged but distinctive bassline. That understated sense of emotional catharsis carries throughout, to be found between the complex-yet-familiar bells that drive 'Flow Diverter's' rhythm to a Detroit-indebted landscape that will surely instantly elasticate any keen dancers, while 'False Memories' offers big-room techno fulfillment with none of the character or sincerity removed for cheap thrills. Saving the most remarkable moments for last, the pair sign off 'Dominance' with the poignant and purifying 'Astral Trails', fusing an ethereal, ambient landscape with the more pronounced rhythms of their hardware.
The album's distinctive artwork comes from the studio of Jewish orthodox artist Avraham Guy Barchil, who forged a powerful connection with Deep'a, both was immediately drawn to 'weird atmosphere, amazing technique and emotions involved with his work'. Perhaps one of the most interesting painters from Israel, Avraham is known for his unique perspective, taking his inspiration from the Zohar - the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. The ambiguous figures represent mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses), as well as material on mysticism and mythical cosmogony.
Ensuring their natural, conscious touch always remains at the forefront of this unapologetically machine-driven music, Deep'a & Biri have produced an album in the lineage of their heroes and greatest influences. Cerebral yet satisfying, deep yet always engaging, 'Dominance' both reasserts and evolves Deep'a & Biri's forward facing and singular sound.
more talking all that jazz, more high aiming music by fumio itabashi: mule musiq is ready to release another record by the legendary japanese jazz pianist, born in ashikaga, tochigi in the year 1949.
this time his first solo record ever: the heavy jazzing 'nature', which has never been reissued on vinyl since its birth in 1979. it has been recorded at nippon columbia 1st studio, tokyo from march 13 to 15 in the year of its release.
it features itabashi making feverish love with the piano and sharing the studio with the great bass players hideaki mochizuki and koichi yamazaki, drummers kenichi kameyama and ryojiro furusawa, soprano saxophonist yoshio otomo and vibraphone wizard hiroshi hatsuyama.
they all joined him to perform his very own songs, composed by itabashi himself and produced by ryonosuke honmura, who also produced japanese jazz heroes like saxophonist keizo inoue during his career.
but enough background information. what counts is sound. it is fresh, propulsive, twitchy and melodi-ous from the first to the last tone. sometimes the instrumentalists play a classic solo in an overall deep modal jazz atmosphere that seems to be made for cats that love the good old stars and inventors - from john coltrane to mile davis, from thelonious monk to art blakey.
'nature' also shows how deep itabashi studied the history of the genre, while keeping his very own vision of jazz alive. the man that made his professional debut as a member of the sadao watanabe quintet in 1971 and that also was a member of the elvin jones jazz machine world tour from 1985 to 1987, plays the piano in all tempos: nervous high-flying quick, deeply blue blues style slow.
besides the traditional jazz flavours, you get a feeling of mind-expanding spiritual jazz, that grand mas-ters like pharaoh sanders or gary bartz turned into a sacred music genre. a master-class record in ravishing big city jazz music, adventurous, sometimes meditative, sometimes faster than the speed of light, always grooving with a bright, pure-toned sensibility and deeply soulful melodic imaginations.
it extends the jazz history with a fine balance between tradition and innovation. and it stays infectious all the time while sounding surprisingly fresh due to a lot of thrilling musical spontaneity that touches profoundly even though all notes have been written down by fumio itabashi before he and his combat-ants entered the studio.
and maybe that's the mystery of these timeless five at times epic recordings: all notes been written on paper but each musician had the freedom to dance with them in his very own unique way. so, turn the volume loud and get ready to be steamrolled by fumio itabashi's 'nature', an inebriant album that is talking all that jazz deeply!
Since the very first release of Tommy's Turbojazz project, we wanted to have him with us on the boast. This excellent Ep proves his great musical skills and we are thrilled to release this wide range music. Bangers with solos, Acoutstic deep house, hiphop interludes, regular hiphop house sampled song or even a smashing 'emotional disco' track done in collab with S3A complete this EP. We would highly suggest you to dig (literally) this release for home listening or dancefloor play.
Leonid Nevermind is back with a new sophisticated detroit house EP. 4 groovy soulful tracks with storytelling titles, hazy vocal elements, slapping funky basslines and bluesy piano patterns enswathing with mysterious chords and thrilling lucid melodies.
Feedback:
Anton Zap: Independent sound, another great record by Leo!
Move D: Very nice! Really cool!
DJ QU: Super nice EP. Feeling it!
Delta Funktionen: High-quality fresh stuff! Very happy to hear it!
Laurent Garnier: Many thanks for the great release. I love the mood of
the 4 tracks very much.
Duplex: This EP is a gem!
Brendon Moeller:´Inner Hub´ and ´Poetry of the Heart´ for me! Dope.
Marco Shuttle: Nice sound, ´Inner Hub´ is the one I like best :)
John Heckle: This is great, liking all 4 of these, thanks.
Or:la: Sounding nice
Dubbyman: It sounds powerful and nothing conventional!
Nocow: Good sound, go on!
Dasha Redkina: Good music
Jelly Roll Soul: "Poetry Of The Heart" is great!
André Kronert: it's a very nice record. Love it
Being nothing...
This is the third EP by Dutch post-techno project Monocorpse... his style is evident by now: minimal and dark... a sort of doom techno for the freaked-out dance floor... but this new EP also feels like a soundtrack... rather moody and haunting music which would fit perfect in thrillers and psychological dramas... despite all of this there are some real dance floor tracks on this EP... stuff Monocorpse never delivered before in this way...
Mouse on Mars is recognised as one of Germany's most defning and versatile electronic music projects. With their
anarchic mixture of sound that oscillates between uncontrollable chaos and meticulously arranged structures,
Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma have forged a unique musical language, which is readily decomposed by the
unpredictability of its myriad mutations. Free from schools of thought, genre conventions, and from the constraints
of the music establishment, they have worked under the Mouse on Mars alias for 24 years, mapping their own
idiosyncratic trajectory through a no man's land between pop, art, club music, and the avant-garde. - Jan Rohlf
Idiology takes the acoustic experiments of Niun Niggung even further, and it's this combination of electronic
and 'traditional' music -- melding keyboards and synthesizers with french horns and guitars and trumpets into a
seamless whole -- that points the way through the dead-ends of most electronica.'
- PopMatters
Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner continue to create soundscapes that blur the line between programming and live
musicianship, and sometimes between Earth and outer space.' - The A.V. Club
On April 13th Mouse on Mars will release Dimensional People,
their brand new studio album on Thrill Jockey.
The album features Werner and Toma joined by a number of
prolifc guests: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Zach Condon (Beirut),
Spank Rock, Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Swamp
Dogg, Eric D. Clarke, Lisa Hannigan, Amanda Blank, Sam
Amidon, Ensemble Musikfabrik, and about 20 more musical
collaborators.
After a series of notorious dance oor releases, Dimensional
People reveals them working deep within their own vernacular,
digging into fertile terrain of their inexhaustible vault of digital
and acoustic experimentation, and charismatically making
elemental components new again. This album makes clear how
their craft is of discovery, of fnding new contexts for places,
sounds, memories, sensations, ambiences, technologies,
relationships, and of course, people.
Paper Recordings' Ben Davis takes off his Flash Atkins cape and mask to launch a new project exploring things left of centre and balearic.
In these disposable times, Stubb will celebrate community and DIY with a limited run of 300 vinyl screen-printed kraft card sleeves of commissioned illustrations by artist Rachel Johns plus hand-drawn labels by Hebden Bridge's The Egg Factory.
We Are Launching is a journey in to psychedelic balearia with one of the most exciting artists of recent years, Jane Weaver
Her Mercury Music Prize long-listed album 'Modern Kosmology' was described by The Guardian as "a lean and thrillingly addictive slice of unearthly pop".
The Stubb collaboration is a sublime head trip to the deep reaches of space and electronica with hallucinatory guitars, burbling synths and arpeggiators that are beautifully set off by Jane's ethereal vocals.
Mike Lindsay is founder and producer of folktronica pioneers Tunng and his distinctive tones sing the praises of doing nothing on Boring Days, which is psychedelic leftfield pop at its finest.
The track is locked down by a nagging fifth bass with vocal pops, hand claps, muted afro guitar, washed synths and arps that build before the choruses hit in a wave of analogue keyboards and fuzz guitar.
After that, a gloriously stretched outro takes you straight to the mediterranean. There's also an edited instrumental that brings out the sunshine...
Ilija Rudman presents Andre Espeut 'Tears To Sound'
featuring Ron Trent Mix
Over the last decade and a half, Ilija Rudman has been responsible for many high quality releases, delivering distinctly warm, sun-kissed, analogue-rich material on labels including Bearfunk, Instruments Of Rapture, Compost , 20/20 Vision, Electric Minds, Is It Balearic Recordings, Rong Music , Classic Music Company and of course, his own Red Music imprint.
Even so, the Croatian has rarely made anything quite as deep and sensual as the material showcased on this first full EP for NuNorthern Soul. Top billing must go to the "Aquapella" version of "Tears To Sound", a spellbinding acapella cut that puts the enchanting vocals of storied soul man Andre Espeut front and centre.When Rudman sent the track to old friend Phil Cooper, the NuNorthern Soul boss thought it sounded like something he'd hear from US deep house legend Ron Trent. So, he approached the Prescription co-founder to see if he fancied remixing it. As you might expect, the results are astonishingly good.
Rich in rising and falling new age melodies, darting synthesizer motifs, languid piano flourishes and heavy analogue bass, Trent's wonderfully ultra-deep interpretation naturally gives pride of place to Espeut's seductive vocal. Even by the Chicagoan's infamously high standards, his epic Vocal Mix is incredibly special.
All versions of the single also feature two other original Rudman productions, both of which are wonderfully deep and dreamy. "Distant Feelings" is fluid, deep and yearning, with twinkling electric piano motifs and dreamy chords reclining over sizzling drum machine cymbals, no-nonsense beats and a gently pulsing analogue bassline. Those who enjoy the Balearic side of Rudman's work should also check out "Deep Sensation", a jazzy and breezy fusion of tumbling, vibraphone style melodies, rolling electric piano riffs and rubbery boogie bass. Both tracks are every bit as magical in their own way as the producer's thrilling Andre Espeut collaboration.
(Disclaimer: release notes refer to the combined CD double-album release "Hot Flash: Best of The Voltags" on which all tracks appear together. "Electric Nightmare" and "Danger High Voltag" are released separately on vinyl format)
It does not happen that often any more that unreleased music from 40 years ago surfaces. Even more unlikely it is that the songs put on tape are such treasures. The Voltags were right at the forefront of the local Washington DC New Wave/Punk scene of the late 1970s. Influenced by Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, The Clash, and The B-52's, they have released only one 45rpm single during their existence. But during the time span of not even 18 months, they had recorded enough material for an entire album - but the songs remained in the can.
This is the story of The Voltags, a short-lived band which could have become famous and mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned music legends of that era - if their songs had been released back in the day. Dive in and enjoy the sound of The Voltags, it is truly special. We here at Perfect Toy are thrilled to be label to finally release their work and we sincerely hope that they are finally getting the appreciation they so richly deserve.
Detailed information:
Dave Bennett and Hangnail Phillips grew up in Brookside Park, Newark, Delaware, USA, a small suburban college town nestled midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Their first band project evolved into Pump Productions (Pump) under which they released their only 45rpm single in 1970 (one of the two songs, "Pappy's Rug", can be heard on "Down & Wired 3", Perfect Toy Rec.). Soon after the recording of the single the two graduated from High School and disbanded Pump. Both moved on to form two new Newark bands. Dave was a founding member of "Snake Grinder & The Shredded Fieldmice" and Hangnail co-founded "Rudy Baker & The Vegetables".
In early 1979, two friends of Dave's, Nick Norris and Mike Fisher, became partners in a music production company, White Clay Productions. One of White Clay's first artists was Dave Bennett who had just written two excellent songs: "Electric Jungle" and "Son Of Sam". White Clay set up a recording session and Dave assembled a group of friends to record the songs. Before the recordings were even mixed, Dave asked Hangnail if he would join in a band to support the single and other songs he had written. When James Keesey (drums) and Rick Reid (bass) were added the line-up was complete. For a while they didn't have a name and then one day Nick Norris was looking at a photo of Dave standing next to a "Danger High Voltage" sign. Dave's head was in front of the E in Voltage and Nick laughed "Danger High Voltag" and so it was soon suggested that the band should be called "The Voltags" (pronounced Vol'-togs). After months of preparing a repertoire they were ready to play out. Their first gig was (October 20, 1979) at a gay disco in nearby Wilmington called The Backstage. On December 30, 1979, White Clay decided to put on a big show at the State Theater to celebrate the end of the Seventies ("The End Of The Decade Bash").
For the next year, with the help of White Clay, they recorded 19 songs, both studio and live recordings with White Clay's mobile unit. If not for these "off the board" recordings, many of their songs would have never been recorded. There was always talk of a second Voltags single but the strains of working so closely together were taking their toll on them and Dave decided to leave the group in December of 1980. The Voltags couldn't be The Voltags without Dave, and by the end of 1981, Hangnail, James and Rick, too, were ready to disband.
- all songs previously unreleased
- mastered from the original reel-to-reel tapes
- limited vinyl release
- A1: Piano Jam
- A2: Instrumental
- A3: Instrumental With Muddy Intro
- A4: My Sweet Little Baby
- A5: Rock Me
- A6: Can't Get No Grindin' (What's The Matter With The Meal)
- A7: I've Got My Mojo Working
- B1: Forty Days And Forty Nights
- B2: Band Introductions
- B3: I Know You Didn't Want Me
- B4: Thrill Is Gone
- B5: Instrumental
- B6: Caldonia
Neue EP des Electronic Duos Emptyset, bestehend aus James Ginzburg und Paul Purgas, auf dem Chicagoer Kultlabel Thrill Jockey. Die Beiden loten mit jedem Release die Grenzen des Machbaren aus und experimentieren mit minimalistischen Ansätzen und kreieren gänzlich ungewöhnliche viszeral-raue wie auch hypnotisch-rhythmische Klangwelten. Emptyset waren bereits Teil diverser Kunstprojekte, zum Beispiel der Architecture Foundation Installation im Ambika P3 Raum, in der Nähe der Londoner Baker Street, oder dem Tate Britain's Performing Architecture Programme, in dessen Rahmen sie gemeinsam mit dem Konzept-Künstler Cevdet Erek die Installation Spike Island realisierten, welche im Londoner Victoria and Albert Museum zu sehen war. Eine überaus ungewöhnliche Performance lieferte die Band auch letztes Jahr in Berlin, als sie live während der Show Signale via Radiowellen einmal 1000km durch due Ionosphäre nach Frankreich und zurück schickten und inklusive der dadurch entstehenden Einflüsse auf den Klang in den Auftritt integrierten.
Betonkust immediately blended in with the 9300 family and it felt like we've been knowing each other for years and years. After his characteristic remix on Innershades' latest EP (AAL006), it was only a matter of time before he would deliver his own release on our label. With varied percussions, hard kicks and dark synths, the 0% swing EP brings you back to a time when Belgian highways were still lavisly flanked by discotheques and afterhours clubs. An era that counts as one of the most beatiful pages in Belgian dance history and of which Betonkust probably has more knowledge than most of our fellow-countrymen. All four tracks on this proper release produce a thrilling energy that will bring those sleepy ravers, from the 90's, back to life.
The 'industry' of dance music can be as soul-crushing as any other. Those thrills and spills of late, loud nights come with a best-before expiry date, after which even the most seasoned selector-producer-scenemaker begins to wrinkle their nose. To have experienced it all over 15+ years and seek to see it unfold again through fresh eyes, what sort of lunatic would willingly put themselves through that V would. So it's a new character, but who was the mysterious V in a past life Make your own conclusions. A little digging will lead you toward the origin story, but sometimes the pleasure comes from the unknowing. Opt to enjoy the Silence. Silence, however, is not the focal point for V. In fact, this new form is a way to discard baggage and revitalise the process of music making. Tremors had become to show up in recent years on record labels in Glasgow and London, flickers of subterranean volcanic activity. Yet what proved to be rising was no big bang, nor even a phoenix from the ashes - but closer perhaps to a Nautilus. A relic by some standards but a pretty point of curiosity to others, slowly bobbing to the surface. Something ever-present and familiar to thousands, yet with mysteries left to be revealed. But hey - what does V stand for anyhow For Vilnius By origin and by where the heart lies, yes, although V for Vedett is also an acceptable answer given the artist's transposed second home of Belgium; so too is V for Volkswagen, given the production work put in around Frankfurt as of late. For Vendetta Too strong, although V does bear a grudge match against hobbyists and dilettantes. If you're going to be a new name in town, you may as well be a new name in town with years of hidden history, right For Vishnu Perhaps this is the one. V's tangle of arms extend forward in many directions: some clutching 303s and LinnDrums; others pushing fingers i
Super deluxe lo fi 7" grape-colored vinyl housed in DIY low-budget sleeve, + includes "I love my VCR Sticker"
WRWTFWW Records is thrilled to announce the release of the long anticipated, always delayed, 30-years-in-the-making PSYCHOS IN LOVE Original Soundtrack, available at last and for the first time ever in a super deluxe low fidelity _7" grape-colored vinyl edition, housed in a DIY no-budget sleeve, and loaded with extras, including words from film director Gorman Bechard, lyrics of the theme song, a promotional postcard with a picture of the cast, a poster of a woman attacked in a bathroom, and the infamous as-seen-in-the-movie "I LOVE MY VCR" bumper sticker!
Filled with sleazy funk, macabre synths, homemade electronic kitsch, anti-grape propaganda, and rewind-worthy dialogue excerpts, Psychos In Love is the ultimate lo-fi horror-romcom soundtrack adventure with a theme song so memorable you'll find yourself humming it every morning. In Gorman Bechard's words, "For the Psychos In Love theme I purposefully wrote what I hoped were the worst lyrics of all time, giving them to Carmine Capobianco with one note, 'use them to write the worst song of all time.'"
The movie Psychos In Love (1986) is a trenchant, laugh-out-loud indictment of slasher films, romantic comedies, and grapes (that's right, pal, grapes), a true genre-defying post-modern cult classic that will wind its way into your heart as its characters work _their way through vats of gore. Packed tight with sly homages to - and parodies of the work of such cinema legends as Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen, Roger Corman, Groucho Marx, and Gerard Damiano, Psychos In Love foreshadows the grand guignol culinary delights of Silence of the Lambs, served up with a healthy portion of wry wit and all-American t&a.
The premiere soundtrack release to Peter Weir's 1977 Australian New Wave classic.
Lost electronic score from the enigmatic composer Charles Wain.
12-track LP sourced from the original stereo master tapes.t.
180g vinyl and deluxe packaging including archival film stills and original press material
The Last Wave (also known as Black Rain in the US) was the final chapter in a trilogy of films scripted and directed by the leading auteur of the Australian New Wave, Peter Weir.
Beginning in 1974 with the absurdist black comedy-horror The Cars That Ate Paris, and followed a year later by the lush gothic mystery Picnic At Hanging Rock, The Last Wave was a landmark in existential horror. Sitting alongside other Australian eco-terror films (e.g. Long Weekend) the film featured a haunting electronic soundtrack that is as mysterious and beguiling as the spiritual themes of the film itself.
With no LP issued after the films premiere in 1977, and together with the mystery surrounding the true identity of its enigmatic composer 'Charles Wain', the score is a largely unheard recording of pioneering experimental film electronics, easily compared to the music that contemporaries Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream were composing for Australian films during the same period or the electronic soundtracks of John Carpenter.
Tense atonal electronics, synthesizer drones and manipulated Didjeridu all perfectly capture the film's ominous atmosphere, punctuating the slow hypnotic pace of this brooding supernatural thriller. The Last Wave soundtrack is released in conjunction with the lost film music to Nicolas Roeg's 1971 New Wave masterpiece Walkabout composed by John Barry.
Berlin native Arne Spremberg kicks off own label DOMUM with a pack of two substantial originals and two thrilling remixes by Man Power and Narciss. 90's rave sounds are combined with modern harmonies and rhythms adding up to a dancefloor-ready release that's not afraid of house' and techno's borders.
Tom Ware is a Grammy nominated engineer, producer and musician from Omaha Nebraska. Throughout the 70s and 80s Tom was the drummer for many bands, including Norman & The Rockwells, Toy boat Toy boat Toy boat, and Hit N Run. Because of his love for electronics, mechanics, and machines of any kind, he was always the only one who truly knew how pa systems worked. Tom got an entry level job at a Rainbow Studios and would work at the recording studio during the day, play evening gigs till 2 in the morning, then go back to the studio and work on new ideas all night. During these teeth cutting sessions, Tom worked by himself, following his instincts and creating sounds he loved to listen to.
His reckless abandon approach and thrill to learn was a high octane fuel that resulted in his first solo self-titled album. The album's 10 songs were recorded and mixed between August & December of 1983 and self-released in early 1984. The album would be re-released in 1985 by independent Krautrock/Kosmische Musik label Sky Records in Germany and re-titled 'The Fourth Circle'. Some of the instruments used on the LP were a Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, & Pro One, Simmons SDSV electronic drums, Roland TR-606 drum machine, & Hammond B3 organ. While recording this album Tom was influenced by new wave sounds of Yellow Magic Orchestra, the Berlin and Düsseldorf schools of pulsing synth music and the celestial realms of Jean Michel Jarre. All songs have been mastered and lacquer cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a replica cover with computer graphics by Lars Erickson and photos by Ken Mayer and includes a postcard with liner notes by Tom Ware.
- A1: Anyway The Wind Blows
- A2: Cadillac Woman
- A3: Can't Get My Rest At Night
- A4: Days Like This
- A5: Down Home Girl
- B1: Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
- B2: Hit That Jive Jack
- B3: I Can't Dance
- B4: Jealous Girl
- B5: Just For A Thrill
- C1: Keep On Truckin
- C2: Do You Or Don't You I Wanna Know
- C3: Motorvatin' Mama
- C4: Rhythm King
- C5: Rough Cut Diamond
- D1: Streamline Woman
- D2: The Joint Is Jumping
- D3: Tomorrow Night
- D4: Walking One & Only
- D5: Where's The Money
- E1: A True Romance
- E2: Bad To Be Alone
- E3: Bye Bye Blues
- E4: Crazy He Calls Me
- E5: Cry Baby
- E6: Every Sixty Seconds
- F1: Groovin
- F2: He's A Real Gone Guy
- F3: I Put A Spell On You
- F4: I Want To Be Evil
- F5: Long Walk To Dc
- F6: Love Letters
- G1: Snap Your Fingers
- G2: Mojo Boogie
- G3: My Handy Man
- G4: Oh Baby
- G5: Ring My Bell
- G6: Spooky
- H1: That's How Heartaches Are Made
- H2: This Ain't United Nations
- H3: Trust In Me
- H4: When Hollywood Goes Black And Tan
- H5: Yesterdays
- This four LP box set features some of the best studio recordings by Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, the ten-piece band that Bill
put together after leaving the Rolling Stones in 1992. Whilst the band features guest appearances by all-star musicians (including
Mick Taylor, Eric Clapton, Chris Rea, George Harrison,Gary Brooker and Peter Frampton on these recordings), it has an all-
star core line-up that features Georgie Fame, Beverley Skeete, Albert Lee, Terry Taylor and Bill Wyman himself of course.
- For this compilation, Bill Wyman has chosen forty three tracks that showcase the fantastic lead vocals of both Beverley
Skeete, perhaps the UK's busiest session singer, and Georgie Fame, a star (and legend) in his own right since 1964 of course.
- Each singer has two LPs: Georgie's features his renditions of songs by the likes of J.J. Cale, Mose Allison, Dan Hicks, and Bill
Wyman & Terry Taylor, while Beverley's features her take on songs by Nellie Lutcher, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, J.B. Lenoir and
The Rascals.
- This box set marks the first appearance of any Rhythm Kings recordings on vinyl. The four LPs are housed in an attractive rigid
outer slipcase and the inner sleeves feature all themusician credits.
Following on from his intimate entry into the DJ-kicks mix series, Lone is putting out a vinyl only EP of all the unreleased tracks from it. The horizontal mix tapped into all of Lone's influences, from hip-hop to house, IDM to techno. It also showcased some producers signed to his own Magic Wire label, and of course the back bone was built from some of the Nottingham man's freshest new productions. They come after celebrated releases on Werk Discs, R&S and Dekmantel, and include dance floor aligned EPs and more rounded full lengths designed for close listening. Here he sits in between the two across three thrilling cuts. Opener 'Saturday Night' is a breezy bit of deep house with crisp boom-baps and swirling pads that lend it a dreamy, ethereal feel. Spoken word snippets are stitched into the groove and the whole thing is as frictionless and feel good as house comes. Next up, 'Arc' is a little more direct, with scattered snares flapping over dry wooden kicks. It's a punchy bit of house latest DJ-kicks mix star Kerri Chandler would be proud, and comes overlaid with spring time flutes and luscious pads as a classically inclined bassline powers things along. Last but not least is 'Alpha Wheel 4' (Ambient Mix), a kaleidoscopic passage of suspensory sound scuffed up glassy surfaces trapping you in rays of refracted light from start to finish. All three tracks exhibit Lone's authentic, lived in and lo-fi aesthetic, and as a result slip perfectly into his ever more essential discography.
Awake at an undefined hour. Floating between the realm of dreams and open awareness. Accept it — you're a headspace passenger. Talking to a machine is a thrill for a moment or two. You want to go out, need to get lost. It's still yet all under the surface ... but you know it's going to happen, eventually. What you need to do is: return to the same old place. What you think is:
I hope the roof flies off, and I get sucked up into space.
This is the debut album by Berlin-based musician and futurist Andre´ Uhl. Crackling noise, moody arpeggios, and haunting melodies tell tales of the hazy past, moving into the twilight of the future. Each of the 13 songs is a dark and cinematic piece on it's own - altogether combined a compelling story, here for the listener to explore.
The album is available digitally and on vinyl in a limited edition of 300 copies, including a booklet of 13 short stories by different writers like the Czech visual artist and poet Katarina Hruskova, Berlin-based subcultural magickian Daniel Jones, and the British novelist Chris Brownsword - each story inspired by one of the 13 songs. I hope the roof flies off, and I get sucked up into space is the first trueness presented by Neofakt, a new label for audio, text and visual art.
A brand new collection of 13 dance classics & fans favourites. Includes "Thriller", "Blood on the Dancefloor", "Scream", "Dirty Diana", "Xscape", "Ghosts" & more plus a brand new bonus track which is a 5 song mix ('The White Panda Mash Up'). Fans can unlock an immersive augmented reality experience from their mobile device. Includes a collectable poster.
Fleeting Wax introduces Eva Geist to their rooster - a very promising producer and live act. With a nordic feeling of nostalgia Blumareciano depicts the mediterranean sea landscape on a cloudy winter day. Soft beats, braid arpeggiators and thin out vocals build a cinematic scenario of spacious narration, a odyssey vacation thrilled by the new and encouraged by the hope to one day come back home. San Propers Remix takes Blumareciano down to a rusty dirty club and manages to combine techno with the deep vocals of Eva Geist.
The following three-tracker release is one of those that are about to take you on a very clear ride. We will start with some tensioning and rising loops and will keep you up while the swiftly vibes are getting to you. With The first composition on A side, Alex won't give you a break - it's a one breath composition where you don't have any time for a second thought. When it looks like both chunky bass and kicks are going away - a very sharp-shaped and acidy synth will remain on the watch and will ensure the continuously driving thrill. Getting to the Second part of this side, what can we say, straight from the beginning a thick bass line makes it s introduction in order to lead you into some awakeness on a early morning on the dancefloor. Stepping into the game, Diferit on the remix for B side is bringing you a blend of both tracks u've heard before. Very rich in vibrations of different spectres and proveniences - from very clear and clean kicks to a bouncy bass line to the very zippy and zappy sounds of his unique style. The pleasure of having these two minds behind the second release of Aforisme is ours.
Mick has been active in the seedier corners of electronic music for more than 30 years, first immersing himself in the world of hi-NRG and new wave before embracing the house, techno, acid and electro explosion of the late 1980s. Aligned with DJ Hell in the 90s and more recently the Intergalactic FM crew, he's the quintessential selector. A life spent digging in the undergrowth for deviant dance music has given him the edge that makes a truly gifted spinner, without riding on hype or studio productions. However, Mick isn't adverse to the odd outing on vinyl, having previously appeared on International DJ Gigolos both solo and as The Kinky Lovers with sometime partner Isabella Venis, but these moments are few and far between. For this release on Arma, Mick has given us two edits that speak to his distinctive style as a DJ - the original tracks are cult choices re-moulded into deadly, subversive club weapons. The brooding darkwave of 'Himmelfahrt 89' is enough to turn the most indifferent bar crowd into swaying, baying denizens of the night, while 'Stay Silent' pummels out a relentless electro motif that teeters on the edge of destruction for 11 thrilling minutes. These aren't crowd-pleasing DJ tools, and neither are they slick and easy edits of obvious classics. This is a peek into the inner workings of a man with decades of experience working masses of flesh into a sweaty fever pitch using sounds you've never heard before. The mastering on Mick's edits was undertaken by none other than Dutch electro legend Rude 66, while the striking artwork on the sleeve sees Arma reach out for the first time to French artist Judex. The nerve-shredding, broken Op-Art assault was originally found in a book published by cult illustrator Sam Rictus. Cover Artwork by J
Asteroid Records' catalogue keeps expanding exponentially. Label chief Blasted brings you more of his purely analogue creations. Italian producer continues series of EPs titled Aelien, and Aelien II is presented thusly - two new originals by Blasted backed by two reworks from Monolith Records owner Sirio Gry J and Paul Birken - a one-man techno army from Minneapolis.
Ethereal bassline will kick off the opener Reborn, but the serenity of intro will be quickly interrupted by heavy-duty drum kicks, synthetic fields and high-reaching, chirping drops of reverberated acid. In his vision of Reborn, Sirio Gry J leaves no window open for light - it's a grim, completely disarming ode to warehouse-held midnight sessions, intended to instantly penetrate the mind's defense system with oppressive kicks supported by tightly compressed low bass. Next up is Arkham - its resonant, uncanny bassline will give you the thrills while acid-soaked, syncopated kicks will keep providing the energy required for some boundaryless dancefloor frenzy. Lastly, Paul Birken elevates Arkham to a faster pace, straightening out the kicks, and making them more bouncy, while reshaping the bassline into a less sinister, more lively undertone.
Mental Groove Records is thrilled and honored to announce the follow up to last year Water Vein EP (MG115) by Asian Psilocybe Foundation & Dj Yogurt. Entitled 'Daikaku", a Buddhist term for one who has achieved enlightenment. This second installment smiles on Geinoh Yamashirogumi Akira's Soundtrack. APF is an eccentric Japanese musician who raised attention from the Detroit. Remixed by Jon Dixon of Underground Resistance's Timeline, APF first EP was released by once legendary producer Orlando Voorn (Fix, Game One, Baruka). On the A side he achieves to capture Akira's spirit with his own organic and floating sound signature within a long, delicate and trippy techno number while on the flipside Dj Yogurt, a regular figure of Tokyo's nightlife who worked at Cisco Records, delivers two straight percussive numbers fueled with traditional Japanese flavor to take the most discerning floors to a Tetsuo state-of-mind. Mastered by Music Matters Mastering and cut at Emil Berliner Studios, Berlin.
Der dramatische Thriller der beiden Safdie-Brüder ist eine hypnotische Odyssee durch die New Yorker Unterwelt, in der der Protagonist verzweifelt versucht, seinen Bruder aus dem Gefängnis zu holen. Die Hauptrollen spielen Robert Pattinson (in seiner bislang besten Performance) und Jennifer Jason Leigh. Musik und Bilder gehen dabei eine Symbiose von unglaublicher Tiefe ein, wenn banale Events zu Dramen und Montagen zu Miniopern werden. Oneohtrix Point Never gelingt mit dem Soundtrack ein ausgesprochenes Hörerlebnis, das seinen exzellenten Studioalben in nichts nachsteht, und mit "The Pure And The Damned" featuring Iggy Pop einen markanten Schlüsseltrack enthält.
- A1: Jim Spencer Wrap Myself Up In Your Love
- A2: Michael Miglio Never Gonna Let You Go
- A3: Ned Doheny Before I Thrill Again (Demo)
- A4: Johnny Gamboa That Good Old Feeling Back Again
- A5: Solenoid Acquaintances (Promo Version)
- B1: Steps Your Burning Love
- B2: Jeff Harrington Kristi
- B3: Paul Skyland Give Me Your Love
- B4: Rob Galbraith Tell Me With Your Eyes (Just Be You)
- B5: Calvin Johnson Dance Of Love
- C1: Salty Miller One More Time
- C2: Canyon Country Lovin
- C3: A.j. Loria Please Analyze
- C4: Gary Marks Sailing
- C5: Country Comfort To Be Lonely
- D1: Madness Madam Operator
- D2: Chuck Senrick Don't Be So Nice
- D3: Breathers Don't It Make You Feel
- D4: Damon Danielson How Long Has It Been
- D5: Rudy Norman Back To The Streets
The Numero Group's dive into the deep end of America's private press continues. Having battled the witches and wizards of Darkscorch, the outlaws of Cosmic Americana, and traveled alongside Ladies From the Canyon and their Lonesome Heroes, it's time to take it easy.With pop music's volume knob adjusted for deflation in the early '70s, softness begat smoothness. Crewmen arrived from the worlds of jazz, folk, rock, and soul, all peddling a product that was sincere, leisurely, and lofty. A sound that was buoyant, crisp, defined. Sometimes classified as West Coast—and, later, Yacht Rock—the compass points of our Private Yacht expedition are the blue-eyed harmonies of Hall and Oates, the cocaine-dusted Fender Rhodes of Michael McDonald, and the combover strums of James Taylor. Here, at the glassy apex of rock's softer side, 20 strong swimmers are gathered together. An album for both relaxation and reflection, where listeners can enjoy the present, a cool breeze, and a taste of the good life.
''Noir Jungle Part II'' finds the Italian producers 'Cardace & Perazzini' once again demonstrating originals and exciting modes of expression, not to mention the extraordinary level of detail in their music. It rounds the project off, with yet more unpredictable diversions of their immersive sound design to paint a vivid and unique landscape at its most dynamic framework. 'Swinging Plans' places the drums at the forefront of the mix, using incredible layers of brushed, rolling an expressive live recordings to create a truly thrilling experience that speaks to the deepest human instinct for rhythmic sound. 'Internal N.5', intensify the Techno-influenced energy as it races ahead on a tightly wound rhythm, adding a rich array of sounds into the mix to create a focused and detailed trip loaded with cinematic tension. 'George Is There', takes rich chords running through delay and reverb while maintaining a pronounced house groove with perfect and subtle touches of jazz into the track, invigorating sonic experience aimed at both, the mind and the dancefloor. 'Below the Earth', This is a perfect example of Cardace & Perazzini's exercise of restraint, keeping the mood simmering while still displaying their love for ear-snagging samples in between the folds of the track. 'Really Low Mind' sets a thrilling tone straight away with a rolling drum beat taking the lead and subtle tonal sweeps filling in the space around. It's a testament of skills when sequencing drums, not least when it peaks after a tantalizing breakdown. 'Night Train' sits easy on the ears but there is a deep level of production at work that reveals itself as the heavily processed samples of instrumentation starts to unfurl halfway through the track.
Searing platter of krautrock with scorching doses of The Stooges & Judas Priest. Another ripper from this legendary Finnish horde!
Circle are the very definition of genre-defying, a rare feat for any band, but effortlessly achieved by this prolific Finnish collective. Circle's latest album Terminal is pure hedonistic pleasure. Never content on staying the same, they have created an idiosyncratic cocktail of sonic fusions, conjuring an impulsive, dizzying energy that stirs a spirit of curiosity within the listener, and has the ability to possess all who encounter them.
Whilst many would run out of creative steam (certainly after 30+ albums), Circle continue to boldly explore sonic soundscapes, venturing curiously into terrains of Stooges-esque swagger, trance-inducing kraut rock mantras, beautiful electronic ambience, psychedelic rock noodling, arena storming AOR weirdness, 70s prog rock extravagance, glam pop pomp, and of course their core sound, heavy metal, not to mention other peculiar and daring sounds that simply cannot be pigeon-holed. Terminal is gloriously fruitful in tones, shapes, colours and sounds. Eccentric, accessible, delightful and thrilling.
For all of his life Berlin based musician Drei Farben House has been thrilled by the artistic concepts of repetition and modifying resemblances. Small but precise and perceptible variations of (musical) themes have been fascinating him throughout his life as a lover of dance-infused Pop. The artistic concept of handwriting has been questioned in the world of fine arts with some justification, but Michael Siegle aka Drei Farben House has remained a strong advocate of this artistic principle which in his view has resulted in so many impressive musical expressions in the history of Soul and Disco --reference points which have been particularly important to Siegle's creative work. The album's sleeve shows the 'Doris and Norman Fisher House' in Hatboro (a suburb of Philadelphia) designed by Louis I. Kahn from 1960-1967. Kahn, based in Philadelphia and one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century, was already in his sixties and progressively getting famous around this time for his sensitive combination of concrete and brick in larger scales. The almost spiritual sensibility of his buildings and his poetry of light created deep, fundamental connections between the spaces and their inhabitants. New Release Information "Every building must have . . . its own soul", this famous quote of Kahn can easily be seen in the modest and wonderfully warm Fisher house which consits of two intersecting cubic volumes created from cedar wood - finished at the same time when only twenty miles away the newly founded Sigma Sound Studio recorded the Delfonics first record, installing the basements of Philadelphia Soul which was later leading to Phillysound, Disco and House.
After turning heads with their first three releases, Tape Archive's fourth release is its boldest yet: a thrilling five-track traversal across genre boundaries that finds the label occupying a sound all of its own and further identifying it as one of Berlin's most vital new imprints.
Musically and emotionally, Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and depth of style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally.
And full-length it is:
The Golden Ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period by record label, HippieDance.
We are thrilled to bring you the third chapter of The Golden Ravedays saga, released in March 2017.
Number 3 of the series introduces two further tracks of the haunting sound adventure that Superpitcher is taking his fans on during 2017.
Side A features 1984.
It has nothing to do with George Orwell's magnificent book but it could remind some of how the apocalypse might sound one day.
1984 is as sweet as the very first track, Little Raver, of The Golden Ravedays album but it stresses the fact that even though Superpitcher produces music mainly intended for the dance floor, he creates sound that is bordering on the shamanic.
1984 might as well be the meeting of a group of supersonic bottlenose whales that are overly excited to see each other after being separated by many an ocean and moon.
Side B of this edition brings us Pocket Love.
Or shall we rather say, Side B gifts us Pocket Love
Because we believe this is nothing other than a gift to us all.
Imagine looking into a kaleidoscope and turning the dial and experiencing all those colors as pockets of love rushing your way and exploding in satin wonderment the moment they past your eyes and ears. Imagine how it must sound like if all the e mails, tweets, facebook posts, instagrams, pinterests, grandma's postcards, text messages, letters on rice paper, hearts scratched into trees, declarations of eternal loyalty written in sand, phone calls and videos of the whole universe were all messages of love stuffed into pockets and sent to you.
Imagine the treasure you will receive!
Imagine being one big ear drum and listening to the very energy that this love exists of - imagine it and you will find yourself inside Pocket Love.
Translated from Spanish as 'The Shade', Chip Wickham's debut album La Sombra drops after a 25-year career touring, recording and experimenting across three decades of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, Latin and electronica. La Sombra is a monumental record for Chip as it symbolises the moment he stepped out into the light as a director of his creations with freedom to explore his roots, express and tell his version of jazz and pay testament to his heroes Roland Kirk, Yuseef Lateef & Harold McNair.
Now living in Dubai after an intense and productive six years in Madrid, it was Manchester where Chip studied in the late '80s and became enmeshed in the chaotic and thrilling music scenes emanating from one of the world's most culturally prominent cities of the time. Recording and generally 'keeping things real' with Manchester's hip-hop collective Grand Central Records, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde, Fingathing, Nightmares on Wax, Graham Massey (808 State), Chip was in a city that was undergoing a music revolution with the Haçienda as its temple. Yet it was the headlights of the M62 motorway and not the strobe lights that were lighting Chip's path during his student years ('88-'92). The lure of the jazz and funk clubs of Leeds, where The New Mastersounds were breaking out and building the blocks that would lead them to UK funk royalty status, proved too strong.
In the 1990s Chip continued to refine his craft in the rainy city and the gigs booked were growing in stature. It wasn't long before he was on the road with Roy Ayers and Badly Drawn Boy. Around that time Chip met up with trumpeter Matthew Halsall that was the beginning of a friendship that lasts to this day. Chip was a recording artist on Matthew Halsall's breakout album Sending My Love and continues to work with him, with live dates confirmed in spring 2017. This close connection with Halsall gave rise to other collaborations, such as with Nat Birchall and Go Go Penguin's Rob Turner.
Three decades after his late night excursions to Leeds, Chip found himself recording with Eddie Roberts from The New Mastersounds in Madrid, as part of their new band, The Fire Eaters, which he'd formed soon after he moved to sunny Spain in 2007 - the same year he released the Fried Samba album under his moniker Malena, his electronic Latin band that became a hit at the turn of the century for Freestyle Records. During his time in Spain he connected with the local scene and brought together many of his musicians colleagues from the UK to Spain and it was for a local and well established label, Lovemonk, that he released two 45s blending raw funk and Latin. These new roads and musical leanings led to an invitation to play for the prestigious Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band. Based on a poll from Craig Charles' top rated BBC6 radio show, Chip was chosen to play alongside the cream of the UK funk & soul scene: James Taylor (JTQ), Snowboy, The Haggis Horns (Mark Ronson), John Turrell (Smooth & Turrell), and Mick Talbot (The Style Council).
La Sombra takes an altogether more rooted direction than Chip's recent collaborative work, with the jazz of the late '60s and early '70s a dominating influence to the recordings. Comprising of seven tracks recorded in Madrid with musicians assembled by Chip from Madrid's jazz scene, it combines contemplative explorations akin to Yusef Lateef's early work on tracks like 'La Sombra' and 'Pushed Too Far'. There's a fiery cover of Camarón de la Isla's classic 'La Leyenda Del Tiempo' and tracks like 'Sling Shot' and 'Red Planet' are locked in a groove harking back to Freddie Hubbard's Blue Note era and Luv N Haight's Nathan Davis.
WRWTFWW Records is feverishly thrilled to announce the first ever vinyl release of the soundtrack for Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani's critically-acclaimed Belgian-French giallo Amer (2009), filled with superb compositions by Italian movie score legends Ennio Morricone, Stelvio Cipriani, and Bruno Nicolai, all remastered for hardcore audiophile appreciation. This limited edition of 500 comes on an arousing Pitch Black 10 vinyl, housed in heavy cardboard old Stoughton tip-on jacket. Described by The New York Times as "a surreal cinematic tone poem that pays slavering homage to Italian giallo horror films of the 1970s", Amer finds its influences in the films of Dario Argento, Luis Buñuel, or Mario Bava and makes for a truly visceral cinematic experience, thanks notably to a perfectly curated soundtrack compiling some of the best songs from cult Italian movies of the past.
By his debut album "Alcatraz" in January 2015, ARAS label head André Galluzzi thrilled with a concept album inspired by occult sounds and psychedelic vocals. "Alcatraz" as a whole is a captivating piece of art, its the essence of a club night. Now after received a wave of icredible feedback from "Alcatraz", the bird returns to ARAS with a bunch of remixes of the hypnotic track "Mathilda". Time to welcome Mike Shannon and Jacek Sienkiewicz to the ARAS family. This remixes will be a blast at the club by its very deep and reduced, futuristic interpretations. Mike, as head A&R of Cynosure and formerly Revolver Canada Recordings over 10 years, has shown an uncanny ability to select and produce tracks which have become go-to fixtures in the sets of the industry's best DJs. Far from pursuing the next one hit wonder or sound of the season, his steadfast curatorial vision and passion for the music have earned him the trust of discerning music connoisseurs the world over. Alongside DeWalta, Mike impressed lately with his album "Residual" on Cynosure/ meander back in March 2016. Jacek Sienkiewicz lives in Warsaw and he is a key figure in Polish electronic music scene. He holds Recognition since 1999, one famous label based in Berlin. With one foot deep in classic Detroit and Chicago dance scene, and the other in modern jazz and classical music, Jacek's tracks for the past ten years always try to find a right balance between the avant-garde and dancefloor, between primal emotions and highly sophisticated sonic wizardry. His latest album "Hideland" has been released in August 2016 on Recognition.
Finally, the battle is about to reach its thrilling finale after three exhausting rounds. Our pugilists are staggering on their feet and the bookies are running around frantically, taking the final bets. Will the Bad Guys suckerpunch the Good Guys into oblivion, or does team Good have an epic deathmove in store for its malevolent adversaries Amsterdam native Nachtbraker steps back into the arena for the fourth chapter in the saga. The Quartet Series label boss and Heist and Dirt Crew mainstay has defected to the bright and sunny Good Guys. Piano chords, chopper effects and toms are the main ingredients of his funk-laden and groovy energy drink. Better than steroids they say. Laurence Guy (Church, Rose Records) joins forces or heads in this particular case with a much-needed supplement that tugs on your heartstrings with its lush keys and deep pads. This London lad has been stirring up the scene with his flawless and addictive chords, not to mention the big support he's getting from maestro Move D. Will this dapper duo be strong enough to floor the misfits featured on the flip Great precaution is imperative with two heavyweights in the other corner. First mr. Tommy Vicari Jnr (Cabinet Records, YAY Recordings, AMMO84) comes barging in. This Sheffield veteran has been making killer cuts for years now and is about to step into the ring with his slamming snares, and wonkly wobbly bassline swinging around a phat kick. To keep both The Bad Guys feet on the ground LK (Shall not Fade, Hokkaido Dance Club) adds some extra meat with a deep, heavy bassgroove, while a sexy vocal and steady chords create that gangsta vibe that will boost the Bad Guys' confidence.
Following releases on labels such as Greco-Roman, TTT and Templar Sound, Dro Carey (Eugene Ward) returns to the scene with his new offering, the industrious yet delicate track 'Queensberry Rules' featuring the vocals of KUCKA, taken from his Dark Zoo EP, out now via Australian label Soothsayer.
Where his previous releases have been firmly focused on the smoke-riddled clubs, Queensberry Rules sees Dro Carey traverse new territory. Working with KUCKA and Collarbones' Marcus Whale on the track, 'Queensberry Rules' sees the Sydney producer creating a unique pop sound, however maintain the gritty DNA that he is so distinctively known for.
As Dro states ''Queensberry Rules' are the set of rules that outline the general code for boxing matches. It's a document about fairness and sportsmanship in a pretty violent activity. That immediately struck me as a great title for a demo. Working with KUCKA and Marcus Whale (of Collarbones) as a co-writer, I think their lyrics perfectly hit upon the sense of irony that I wanted the song to have.'
The track was the first official taste from his Dark Zoo EP which sees Ward push the limits even further within his musical explorations. Whether it's the pop moments of 'Queensberry Rules' and 'Dark Zoo' where he employs the vocals of both KUCKA and FKL respectively to elevate the sonic sensory overload to new levels, to the brooding club explorations that are 'Grow Lithe' and 'Hidden Halls'; the EP is his musical coup d'état from the outset - simultaneously sinister, restrained and intoxicating.
We are absolutely thrilled to present this little gem on Vinyl. This special vinyl release also includes not only the single, but two remixes from heavy weights Mall Grab and Cassius, and a very special new track titled 'Under' which is and will always only be available on the vinyl release of this. Dive in!
Yet again, LabelOwner Gaze ill joins forces with the Danish Dubstep ambassador RDG, this time for a 4 track collaborative EP. On the Aside the artists' minds melt together in two pieces of Dubstepscience. As the title suggests, RDG and Gaze ill show what Dubstep is made of with 'Keepin' It Real' that's characterized by a pressuring hardness, and uplifting energy. 'The Zone' follows with its progressive universe that evolves in just the right way with perfect timing. The Bside shows off the two artists' individual skills with immense, paranoid vibrations on RDG's 'Shapeshift', and thrillingly deep basslines on Gaze ill's 'Combo'. The EP is a refreshing showcase of the genre's finest offerings original sound with a wellbalanced diversity. RDG and Gaze ill keep it real for this first vinyl release on Cue Line Records.
Given the underground acclaim heaped on Marie Davidson's previous albums - ultra-stylish affairs that blend elements of minimal wave, dark Italo-disco, off-kilter electro and moody ambient - it's little surprise to see her popping up on Minimal Wave offshoot Cititrax. The album's nine tracks are largely sharp, rough and fuzzy, with sparse-but-dense drum machines rhythms underpinning bouncy, delay-laden synth lines, thrusting electronics and Davidson's sleazy, spoken word vocals. It's an attractive combination that guarantees thrills throughout, from the almost claustrophobic throb of "Denial", to the mutant electrofunk bounce of "Good Vibes".
(Frequency / The Nighttripper) Vinyl part 2 / 4 of the Orlando Voorn COLLECTED double CD what we believe is the best from the Dutch producer in his early days. This EP focuses on the early '91 rave side of Orlando Voorn. Classics!
Second Ep (of four) announcing the forthcoming Orlando Voorn COLLECTED double CD that will showcase what we believe is the best from the Dutch producer in his early days. This EP focuses on the early '91 rave side of Orlando Voorn and gather on one slice of wax 4 sureshot thrilling techno classic and moving warehouse tracks for the most hardcore djs.
Cute Heels is the solo project of Victor Lenis, a contemporary artist living in Barcelona, Spain. He grew up in Bogotá, Columbia during the 1990s, surrounded by the radial punk scene. Over the years, Victor's passion and fascination for synthesizers and drum machines to produce and compose resulted in various digital-only releases as well as his debut album Spiritual" for Dark Entries in 2014. Cute Heels has been called ''the new blood and spirit for the next step in techno music'' by Electro/Techno pioneer Juan Atkins. Third Skin' is a 4-track EP that connects the dots between Detroit techno, early Chicago house and Belgium electronic body music. Inspired by equal parts Liaisons Dangereuses, Drexciya and Black Devil Disco Club. On the A-side are two fresh compositions recorded in 2015. Third Skin' kicks things in a metallic EBM funk with a pounding bottom end. Lipstick Information' takes the listener on a dark, psychedelic and twisted journey through thrillingly intense arpeggiations. On the flip we present two remixes. The first is from Steffi, House and Techno DJ and producer born in The Netherlands and residing in Berlin. She picks up the pace for an uplifting, percussion-driven, DAF-eque dystopian stomper. The second remix comes from Michel Amato aka The Hacker, French born DJ and producer and frequent collaborator with Miss Kittin. His early musical influences of bands such as Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle and Front 242 shine through on this pumping and sophisticated remix ready for any dance floor.
All songs have been mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record comes in a custom-made jacket designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a photograph by Corinne Schiavone printed with hi-gloss finish. Each copy includes a postcard with with notes and image for fetish lovers
Janette Jnett Pitruzzello is considered something of a legend in her home city of Melbourne, where she's been DJing for well over two decades. Here, she delivers her debut solo EP, featuring a quartet of tracks co-produced by Maurice Fulton. The latter also delivers a solo mix of opener Reflection", which adds a little leftfield disco sparkle and percussive sweatiness to an otherwise organ-heavy deep house groove. There's a similarly cheery, funky and disco-tinged feel to the rolling, cut-up house goodness of Swangzipani". Elsewhere, the duo gets a little stranger in pursuit of dancefloor thrills, Bubbles Away' is deliciously dark, wonky and intergalactic, while Judge Not' wanders off into head-nodding, instrumental hip-hop territory.
To anyone with even a passing interest in the weirder end of good-time party-ready house music, Freaks should need little introduction. Luke Solomon and Justin Harris have been keeping our preferred kind of dancefloor vibrating to the cheekiest manifestations of house music since the mid- 90s, never letting up and moving in the same oscillations as the good ship Circus Company. From first emerging on Phono through to setting up their Music For Freaks label, stopping by Playhouse, Wash House and Rebirth amongst countless other labels along the way, the UK duo have constantly given the traditions of house music a tickle in the ribs without losing that fundamental funk that makes a record great to dance to. We were thrilled to welcome Luke and Justin to remix Dave Aju's 'Nu Threads' at the end of last year, and now we follow up on that connection with a special EP of gems from the extensive Freaks archives. On 'Shrunken Heads (One Pro Mix)' the rock solid foundations of filter house music collide with flamboyant synth noodlings for a truly cosmic end result, while 'Absolut Zero' finds solace in a slower, deeper groove peppered with oddball effects tweaking and disembodied vocal samples. Heading further into loose-fit, slippery territory, 'Funk You (Who Do You Trust Dub)' lets soulful sample licks wriggle and writhe through a decidedly laid-back atmosphere that shows off the range Freaks have always sported in their output since day one. In many ways this coming together of Circus Company and Freaks feels like a logical development for two bastions of the oddball house music community, not to mention a great opportunity to hear tracks that otherwise might never have seen the light of day.
On his first release for Droid Recordings, master sound technician Brian Sanhaji drops two hard, gritty tracks. A1, Macronomena,' is an unmissable, surprising thrill. A filthy, grainy bass synth gets mangled by filters and LFO, pushed out of time, and forced back into a perfect, funky lock with the pummeling beat. Nearly five minutes in, the machine breaks down and falls apart, only to slam back into groove with new, jack-oriented elements. B2, Synphone,' plays things straighter, manipulating the optimal gears and levers of the techno toolkit for an undeniable dance floor mover.
With his new EP '4FRIENDZ' the production style of the now 21 year-old SCNTST again continues to grow in stature. After 'Puffer' (his second LP on Boysnoize Records) was released in early 2015 this is his second oeuvre on BNR this year. With vibrating bass kicks creating a thrilling rhythm full of emotion the sound of '4FRIENDZ' displays an excursion into danceable beats. A new sound produced with perceptible blood, sweat and tears.
- Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
- 12 new compositions by Gesaffelstein
- Pressed on two 180gram heavyweight vinyl
- Screenprinted gold on black gatefold & inner sleeves
- Musical score art print on X-Ray paper
- Limited to 1000 copies worldwide
Having changed the face of electronic music with his hard-edged and uncompromising but brilliantly persuasive sound, Gesaffelstein returns with 10 original compositions created for the motion picture soundtrack of new thriller Maryland, which also comprises three classic tracks from his discography.
Pressed on double 180-gram heavyweight vinyl, housed in screen printed gatefold and inner sleeves with one of his musical scores printed on X-Ray paper, this beautiful vinyl edition is limited to 1000 copies.
Gesaffelstein is already an electronic music icon, having conquered dance floors and festivals across the world with the sound of his outstanding 2013 album Aleph, which also spawned two incredible music videos clocking up millions of views in the process.
Acclaimed at Cannes, and starring Diane Kruger and Mathieu Schoenaerts, Maryland is set to become a cult classic.
Welcome back Mr. Quenum! It's been roughly two years now since the Geneve-based artist, DJ and producer released made his Upon.You debut with his single Rhyme' in summer 2013 and we're extremely thrilled to see his forthcoming three track 12 Trouble' causing serious dancefloor trouble again this fall. Getting started with Colour Pulp' there's no doubt that Quenum is in for some serious action here, fusing an uncomprising, yet minimalistic, hard pumping TechHouse foundation, well-tripping vocal bits and a highly percussive killer build-up sequence this tune is crafted for late nothing but late night abuse. The title track Trouble' also relies on Quenum's rolling trademark minimalism and obscured, morphing ethereal voices but adds a little bit of tribal seasoning here and there that perfectly floats alongside quirky synths and a steamy, fever'ish feel that keeps bodies pumping and palpitating through the night until the morning comes. Functional as functionality can get. Finally Geneve Never Sleeps' speeds up things on a darker, more technoid level where a dark'ish intro built from muffled bassdrums meets scattered, futuristic percussions before shrieking stabs and scarce, ghostly sounds take over and the unstoppable Techno engine starts to run. Proper machine music that is nothing but pure energy!
Hot on the heels of killer releases by label heads Ryan Crosson and Shaun Reeves, the latest Visionquest release sees the label turn its head to Deadbeat aka Scott Monteith. The Berlin based Montrealeler has been putting his own spin on house and techno for some time now, putting his stamp on esteemed labels such as Cynosure, Echocord and Wagon Repair. The Jacks EP continues his fine tradition of putting out discerning fare, as he conjures up a new EP package that remixes his classic track, Mecca Drum Track (originally released on Wagon Repair), from 2008. Striking in its many intricate and delicate production wares, it's a polished effort from the outset.
The Jacks EP gets going with the suitably titled ''Berghain Drum Jack'', a suitably raucous and out-there slice of tribal tech that pays homage to the Berlin club and is notable for its banking percussive elements and its propensity for surprises. Starting off on an unrelenting tip, it gets even more off-kilter the longer it stretches out, as the drums become even more pronounced and the baseline finally enters the fray. Dark but dexterous, it's a thrilling track that's sure to more even the most ardent and discerning of dancefloors.
Middle track ''Mecca Drum Jack'' sees the producer opt for a similarlly-inclined vibe, as the drums play a similarly pertinent role. A fitting tool with which to light up your set, it's more dextrous in nature than what's arrived before but another altogether engrossing effort. Rounding off the weighty three-tracker is ''Acid Dub Jack'', which sees Deadbeat really go off on a frankly mental course that's littered with atmosphere from the get-go. Once again, Visionquest and Deadbeat have reminded us why they're both so cherished in the techno world.
LP version comes with free download card.
Radio support from Benji B & B Traits (BBC Radio 1), Nemone (BBC 6 Music), . DJ support from Ben UFO, Joy Orbison, Caribou, Tessela, Mosca, Kowton, Ron Morelli, Bok Bok
Print features confirmed in Groove, Beat Mag, Faze (DE), Tsugi (FR), DJ Mag (IT), Volkskrant (NL), The Gap (Austria)
Print reviews confirmed in Mixmag, The Wire, Crack, DJ Mag, Uncut (UK), Blow Up, Rumore, Rockerilla (IT), Irish Times (IE), Musikexpress, Doppelpunkt, Westzeit (DE), Exclaim (CA)
Online features / premieres: The Fader, NPR, XLR8r (USA), The Quietus, Dummy (UK), Wasabeat (JP),
Hessle Audio are excited to announce the release of the self-titled debut album by Pearson Sound, aka label co-head David Kennedy. Characteristically minimalist in approach, its nine tracks use a handful of elements to craft mesmerising, self-contained worlds, alive with motion and near-subliminal detail: from vast and inky landscapes, to electrifying rhythm tracks, where layers of percussion and bass tumble over one another like rocks in a landslide. Recorded between 2013-4, Pearson Sound documents a distinct phase of Kennedy's studio explorations. "I had a signal chain set up that I was really happy with, and I started sending my machines through the same processes" he says. Expanding upon the techniques underpinning his recent REM and Starburst 12"s, its tracks emerged swiftly through improvised jam sessions, some were captured in a minimum of takes, while others later took shape through extensive sculpting and post-processing. "A lot of it was made by feeding the the same sounds between two different pieces of equipment and they'd end up feeding back between each other and snowballing. On some tracks it's about harnessing that and taking it to the brink before it disintegrates, and some of them are about just letting it go full-blown out of control." The result is a record of striking contrasts: bold, stark and visceral, yet also subtle, harmonically complex and deceptively playful. While Pearson Sound's livewire percussive energy remains inextricably rooted in the club, this exploratory studio process has created Kennedy's most wide-ranging yet coherent body of work to date: a suite of thrillingly impulsive, expressive and open-ended music, untethered from restrictions of form.
Hitting a particularly fertile patch with his music, A Sagittariun continues to ride the night skies with some heavy doses of cosmically sprinkled techno and kinetic electronica. 'Aruba (Overhead Mix)' is a seductive jam of Nuyorican (tech) soul, cloaked in warm synths with a breathy, human quality and deft melodies to ensure a smooth takeoff for the passengers. Lead cut on the vinyl is 'The Code Breaker', channeling some enchanting techno moods and themes on a no gimmicks, no cheap thrills, head & foot stomper, whilst 'Triangulum' prefers a mechanical rhythm of robotic tech funk, syrupy melodies and acidic motifs to deliver a dance in outer space.
During the '70s, work days at Umiliani's Sound Workshop Studios were hectic; thousands of sessions were held in order to keep up with a very busy Italian movie industry: Hundreds of soundtracks alongside with music library were recorded and released on vinyl in very limited quantities for TV and film production use only. Those LPs are now proper collectors' items, extremely hard to find.
Filled with hypnotic bass lines, heavy drums and screaming fuzz guitars "Underground", the first LP of the fictitious group known as Braen's Machine, is one of the rarest and the most expensive of them all, always "reaching" sky high prices throughout the second hand vinyl market. A fast-beat jam with hammond scales and a twin lead guitar theme ("Flying") opens the A Side soon followed by "Imphormal", a classicfunk-beat-meetsfender- rhodes-and-psychedelic-guitar number. The music then switch to "thriller territories" with "Murder" which is based on prepared piano swells and a deeply hypnotic walking bass, reminiscent of the best Morricone's soundtracks for Dario Argento's movies. Two highly percussive songs complete the A Side: "Gap" is an improvised song with guitar and keyboards dwelling over an infectious drum rhythm while a marching snare and a vibraslap effect are the special features on "Militar Police".
The mood relaxes slightly on the opening of the B Side with a lazy jazz groove on "New Experience" but the rock influences are soon brought back on the following track "Fall Out". "Obstinacy" is all about keyboards with syncopated rhodes themes and distorted hammond sustained notes whilst the fuzz guitar is back again screaming through the left channel on the last song of the album, "Description". We could happly say that that was the golden age of the Italian music library. But who's behind the name "Braen's Machine" On the original cover the songs are credited to the composers Braen and Gisteri. Braen was a pseudonym often used by Alessandro Alessandroni, an extremely skilled and versatile musician, and one of Umiliani's closestcollaborators. He could write, conduct and arrange, he could sing (ever heard "Mah Na Mah Na"), he could whistle (ever heard Morricone's "For a fistful of dollars") and he could play almost anything: guitar, bass tuba, accordion, sitar and the list grows..... His first album "Alessandro Alessandroni e il suo complesso" (Sermi, 1969), had transformed the Italian library music from orchestral sound beds into the psychedelia we all love; the extremely fuzzy guitars are very "present" on "Underground" too. For a long time Gisteri's real identity was rather mysterious; often wrongly attributed to Umiliani. Gisteri was the pseudonym of Oronzo De Filippi, art name of Rino De Filippi, music supervisor to the Italian public broadcast company (RAI) between the '60s and the '70s. De Filippi composed other notable pieces such as "Riflessi" (Edipan, 1975) and "Nel mondo del lavoro" (Sermi, 1972).
De Filippi passed away few years ago but we were able to contact Alessandroni to talk about this LP. Remembering "Underground" recording session as one of the thousands he took part of, Alessandroni told us that this record was produced very quickly, in two days maximum. This was made possible by a team of wonderfully capable session musicians and the creative genius behind the mixing desk; this incredible combination helped to focus on the mood of each track even more. Unfortunately there are no liner notes but Alessandroni's memories and speculations, based on other music tracked in the same period at Soundworkshop by resident engineer Claudio Batussi, led us to identify this as the most probable lineup: Munari on drums, Majorana on bass, Vannucchi on keyboards and Alessandroni himself on guitar. For this reissue the sound has been restored and the cover art reproduced exactly as it was.
TERRANOVA returns to the fore with the HEADACHE EP, another impressive assortment of floor-ready house weaponry - after the sublime sophistication of the PAINKILLER EP (KOMPAKT 262) and its accompanying remixes (FM X/PAIN 001), the new material shoves the pendulum back into more rugged club territory, showcasing the sort of sonic urgency and rawness the legendary project has become known for in the first place.
As missing links between the dystopian pop of TERRANOVA's turn-of-the-century work and the slick kinetic drama of their current incarnation on Kompakt, the three cuts of the HEADACHE EP congenially continue the multi-layered, nifty thrust of 2012's house nouveau epic HOTEL AMOUR (KOMPAKT 248 CD 95), but also manage to evoke the wonderstruck immediacy of an act burning through its first speakers. This becomes particularly manifest with the deployment of CATH COFFEY as vocalist for title track HEADACHE (also a primer for TERRANOVA's upcoming full-length). A member of iconic British rap outfit Stereo MCs in the early 90s and collaborator of Tricky, the singer was featured on TERRANOVA's initial outings and is a well-established presence in their early work. On the new 12", she reintroduces her unique brand of battle-hardened, deadpan soulfulness to the searing funk of the reinvigorated project.
HEADACHE, a cover of a song from Birmingham's iconic and controversial postpunk outfit The Au Pairs, as well as its instrumental sequel HEADLOCK are both fuelled by the propulsive beats and upscale hooks we've grown to expect from TERRANOVA, but there seems to be something else at work, too - a somewhat darker undercurrent that may or may not be part of the actual arrangement. In any case, this adds much-needed depth to today's dance floors, providing them with a riveting soundtrack for the most intense of prime times. There's no need for EP closer TOURETTE to hide behind its compatriots, either: it's a full-blown thrill ride in its own right, brimming with jittery sampling, arresting percussion and some pretty rad bassline abrasiveness thrown in for good measure. A well-placed shot at the dancer's solar plexus, this wraps up the HEADACHE EP nicely, giving players and punters another perfectly valid reason for post-apocalyptic celebration.
Baptise & Pierre Colleu
French brothers Baptiste & Pierre Colleu have been making music together since they were children. They spent a chunk of their childhood in Africa, which they say has inspired their work in the studio. That influence is submerged fairly deep on 'Dolphin Kid,' the title track for these two EPs. There's an undercurrent of eerie soulfulness and woody percussion accents running through this oddly alluring cosmic-house seducer, but its roots are more Balearic than Afrobeat.
The five remixes of 'Dolphin Kid' enhance the Colleu brothers' original in incrementally fascinating ways. On 'Coyote's Intense Mix,' the respected UK duo augment the laid-back rhythm with nuanced 303 twangs and boldface the hand percussion to magnify its latent funkiness. L.I.E.S. recording artist Willie Burns slows 'Dolphin Kid''s pace to a majestic, hollowed-out, dub-funk strut. It's unfathomably deep. Seattle tech-house maverick Jon McMillion serves up the most twisted, sinister version here, warping the main synth part into a disorienting swirl of borborygmi while intensifying the rhythmic urgency and expanding the sound palette. The second EP concludes with two masterly remixes by Black Merlin. His 'Romance in the Dark Mix' turns 'Dolphin Kid' into a chilling, Goblin-esque piece of dungeon ambience. But it's Merlin's nearly 13-minute 'Peyote Mix' that really reels in the cinematic magic, as he launches the cut even deeper into the black, adding thrusting, throbbing disco kicks and enough horror/thriller-film soundtrack signifiers to give John Carpenter a perma-grimace. Poor 'Dolphin Kid' has come to a gory, but very exciting end.
Spending a night listening to the same music over and over again most-likely isn't a source of joy. To prevent this particular scenario the group of DJs and producers of the Audiolith cosmos decided to delve into new musical realms. Thus the project 'Stiff Little Spinners' was born, uniting the diversity of Techno and House, to create a sampler which shall display this certain diversity. The sampler's prelude, a soft song named 'Pendelverkehr Ab Ostkreuz", is contributed by Rampue and shines a completely new light on him. Soulful vocals and an almost dreamy sound - just the right thing to continue where one hasn't really left off at night. Rampue is followed by Kalipo, the new solo project by Frittenbude's producer Jakob Häglsperger. With his song 'Time Will Tell' he creates a diversified, propelling piece of music, which never happens to get boring - instead constantly maintaining its thrills. The third track originates from Mendoza, who delivers the sampler's peak experience for those very special moments at a club with his hybrid of Garage and House, 'Hugo". The whole compilation is rounded off by Krinks' 'Better Than That' and Gimmix' 'Fenja' - two atmospheric tracks with beautiful background vocals, which convey the feeling to simply close one's eyes and float away from one's daily hustle. But that's not all there is to it - in the end the Stiff Little Spinners still remain hungry and thirst for more. Thus it is to be expected that Audiolith will present quite some more releases and events under the banner of Stiff Little Spinners.
The story of Bonobo is one that's become uncommon in contemporary music. There was no sudden, viral internet sensation, no one-off big hit, no abrupt, accidental alignment with the zeitgeist. Instead, over the course of four albums, myriad tours, singles, remixes and production work for other artists, he quietly but very definitely became one of the most important artists in electronic music. The hard work paid off, and culminated in 2010's 'Black Sands,' a masterful album that married Green's inimitable melodic genius and musicianship to bleeding edge electronics, bass and infectious drums.
After a year plus of touring the hypnotic, extended live versions of Black Sands, he finally found time last year to embed himself in his New York studio and write his fifth studio album. Now, in 2013, he stands ready to take things up yet another notch. 'The North Borders' is a long stride forward - both a natural evolution and a continuation of the electronic palette of Black Sands. Thematic, resonant, addictive and perfectly formed, it's a thrillingly coherent statement piece.
It's also an album that shows just how far electronic music has come. Its richness of texture, emotive force and all round depth are facets found more often within, dare we say it, classical music. If there's a renaissance taking place within this scene, Simon Green could make a strong claim to being one of its key driving forces.
As with previous albums, The North Borders features a careful balance between vocal tracks and instrumentals, ensuring that the productions themselves get room to breathe and shine. When Green discovered that he and Erykah Badu shared a mutual appreciation for each other's work, he leapt at the chance to collaborate. The resultant 'Heaven for the Sinner' is one of the album's triumphs, a transcendental, incanted vocal masterclass married to a brilliant two-step glitch and a yearning melody.
NYC folk underdog Grey Reverend appears on album opener 'First Fires,' providing a raw, emotion-laid-bare growl that sets the tone for an album that's joyously unselfconscious. Bonobo has a long history of unearthing new talent, Black Sands having launched the solo career of guest vocalist Andreya Triana. The North Borders sees him do so once again. The startling, ethereal vocals of new collaborator Szjerdene are sprinkled across the album, and Green has yet again found the perfect voice to express where he's at. 'Transits' sees her vocal weave around a garage beat that's somehow fragile and purposeful all at once, a gradually emerging hook rising from the depths of the song.
'Emkay' is a stunning example of the album's marriage of addictive, urban-inflected drums to rise-and-swell melody that never fails to move the listener. Opening single 'Cirrus' sees a clockwork-precise rhythm drive a chiming, insistent melody that builds to one of the record's great emotional climaxes. This is where Green excels, he knows how to invest electronic music with immense feeling.
The North Borders - like all great records - is an album that demands to be listened to as such, a body of work with its own internal logic, themes and narrative arc. Bonobo's abilities are at an all time high, and The North Borders everything his growing army of fans will have hoped for - a sheer delight.
It's been a terrific year for KOMPAKT boss MICHAEL MAYER, who released his sophomore album 'MANTASY' (KOMCD100/KOM250) - the eagerly awaited follow-up to his seminal album debut 'TOUCH' (KOMCD36/KOM107). 2013 is shaping up to be equally busy, with an ongoing worldwide DJ tour, the label's 20th birthday and now the first EP of 'MANTASY' remixes. 'MANTASY REMIXE 1' is the first entry in a series of three, featuring a stellar cast sure to push any dance floor over the edge.
Up and coming producer and core family member of the Cómeme family - PHILIPP GORBACHEV is no stranger to Kompakt, and he delivers a slashing rework of adrenaline-fuelled synth fest 'VOIGT KAMPFF TEST'. This Berlin based Russian has had a tremendous career launch thanks to his excellent solo debut 'IN THE DELTA' (CÓMEME 012) and as a partner in crime releasing singles as a member of ISAAC JOHAN and THE DISTRICT UNION. Pulling out all the stops for this remix, 2013 promises to push him as a major club force to be reckoned with.
Another star in the making, Cologne's BARNT had an equally strong run in the last months with in-demand releases on Magazine, Cómeme and Mule Musiq: his track GEFFEN (from - The Power Of Now', CÓMEME 013) is easily one of the most recognized club singles of this year. He also tackles 'VOIGT KAMPFF TEST', dialing things back a bit, but only to reinforce the air of sheer magnitude that oozes from every single note. Delving deeper into his trademark Kraut Techno approach, Barnt replaces the original's thrills with creeping tension and reaches a new understanding of what the prime time should sound like.
THE MOLE is well-known for his heavily sampled, organic loopiness having a special place reserved in nearly every DJ's record crate, but this beat-driven. remix of Mayer's beatless masterpiece 'BAUMHAUS' sees the producer refining his approach, as he takes the original's evocative expertise to new heights of grooviness. It's not just a case of 'let's put a beat in there and we're done', but a fundamental rework eliciting hidden properties and finding a new perspective on an already perfect slice of music. A personal favorite of many Kompakt aficionados, 'Baumhaus' finally gets the club treatment it so clearly deserves.
with - dazed', senking continues his exploration of the abysses of sound to create dark and gloomy atmospheres. the slow beats of the two tracks are accompanied by tender, harmonic melodies, but broken by nervous, unsteady tones which eem to be a warning against hidden dangers. the frst track - the dance hall walk' also features a vocal sample by micheal cramm - a text which refects the nervousness and excitement in anticipation of some thrilling things to come. like - tweek', senking's last ep, - dazed' is not only concerned with the depths of sound, but also with the depths of the human psyche, where there is no escape other than music itself.
freshly repressed!
Leisure System, the collective, label and famed Berghain club night of four years standing, is back with their third release from co-founder and resident, Sam Barker. Known for its genre-defiant lineups, Leisure System's quarterly residency has consistently brought together artists with varying styles. Flying Lotus, Autechre, Afrika Hitech, Jackmaster, Surgeon, Jimmy Edgar, Blawan, 808 State, Dopplereffekt, Clark, Machinedrum, Surgeon, Venetian Snares, Objekt and Egyptian Lover have all graced the decks, showing off the collective's commitment to the exploration of new and experimental sounds in EDM. The development of the label, and now this release from Barker, is no exception. After discovering computers and raves in the late '90s, Barker began making tracks at age 13, building up a sizable collection of vintage analogue synths, paving the way for his future solo work and collaborations with artists like Tim Exile, Clark, Shitmat, Scotch Egg, The Field, Leafcutter John and Jimmy Edgar. Shortly after his 2007 move to Berlin, Barker began collaborating with fellow Berghain resident nd_baumecker, resulting in their ongoing project Barker & Baumecker. Their first EP 'Candyflip', was released on Ostgut Ton in 2010, followed up by a live show tour throughout Europe. The duo is currently readying their second EP and have a long player due out in August 2012. For this new solo EP, mastered by electronic music legend Pole, Barker presents a creative three-track lesson in diversity and highlights Leisure System's ever-evolving aural curiosity. The opener and title track 'Like An Animal' is a number that builds and builds, quickly changing course and mutating into a percussive and texturized melting pot of sounds. Up next the hypnotic 'I Feel', which is filled with moody pads and syncopated breakbeat rhythms, paving the way for the mechanical, yet smooth half-step rhythm of 'Hot Lover'. Siimilar to the collective, this offering pushes boundaries and mirrors the progressive ideals of the collective. Just like Leisure System's first two 12's from Pixelord and Eprom in 2011, Barker's 'Like An Animal' EP is a clear statement of the label's simple and distinct commitment : to be a platform for timeless, thrilling and soulful dance music in the fields of house, techno and electronica, disregarding media hype and genre borders. In keeping with this clear sonic manifesto, Leisure System's design aesthetic is equally individual, with all vinyl releases housed in deluxe die-cut jackets.
The London resident Ross Evana already excelled as DJ at Pacha NYC, at Ministry of Sound London or in the We Love Space series in Ibiza, and has been ranked # 12 in the Beatport House charts with 'Ouija Board". His track 'Thrilla in Manila' first takes its time to build up before it sets a tremendously powerful exclamation mark on the dancefloor with its tropical-hypnotic percussions. With its second track, the ninth edition of Cocoon's 10-series leads us to the land of the midnight sun. The two Stockholm-born cousins Alex Caytas and Aleks Patz have started their musical collaboration only in 2007 but can already look back on a hand full of very good produced releases for the Stuttgart-based label Parquet Recordings and the Italian label Caremella, as well as on remixes for Martin Dawson/King Roc and Voltique. 'Blue Sea' shows the duo's affinity to the energetic Deep House Techno of the Nineties: with its organ sound, blues vocals and a highly infectous bass line, this track could almost pass as a modern and uncluttered version of St. Germain, being predestined for warm summer nights. This is how Techno sounds in 2011.
Rockwell's rise to prominence as a rare, distinctive talent has been exciting the electronica music circuit the world over. Critical, thankfully, being the trusty forefront for all things audio-aesthetically delicious, presents the 'Aria EP' - 4 tracks of sound sublime, exemplifying Rockwell's refreshing angle on energy in the club combined with the characteristic, meticulously playful technicals, precise and thrilling as ever.The charmingly rustic intro of 'Aria' unleashes striking Flinstones-esque wooden triplets, scaling the track as stirring vocals weave through; haunting and uplifting at once, the title-track exudes sheer class. Slightly more buoyant, 'Live For The Moment' infuses an energetic tempo with profusions of ear-carressing funk and those ever-characteristic percussive twists - naughty all over. Swiftly plunged into apocalyptic darkness, the Ulterior Motive boys take a sinister liking to 'Noir'. Distinctly menacing and genuinely frightening, what better to bully the atmosphere than Hell-raising bass and staccato violins. Listen out for the breakdown bass - horrific and enriching, this track is dark by Devil's definition. Icing on the cake collaboration with underground legend Untold comes in the form of 'Rehoku Sunrise', a tribal earthy worldly masterpiece of running drums and raw, wild samples, glazing the soul in bliss. Bellissimo.
Paris player Le Loup and Pura launch their new label Shadow Play with a four-track collection of avant-garde house music delivered boxfresh from the studio. As a solo artist, and one half of Hold Youth, Le Loup has cultivated a nuanced sound that is steeped in soulful jazzy influences, with a nod to the future and plenty of soul. On this first EP we're presented with a showcase of this sound, and a hint at what's to come on the brand new label... To get things rolling we have the very first track 'The Ancient Ways', which is quite laid back and minimal in its composition. There's breathing space for the beats and bass, with an eerie atmosphere pervading throughout. 'Ygam' is next up with a wobbly bassline, cosmic death rays and sinister effects lurking in the background - it feels like the soundtrack to a deep space thriller.
On the B-side things get ravey with 'Acid Surface'. Retro breakbeats and stuttered toms support a dangerously alluring symphony of effects and pads. At the heart of the track is a deep subby bassline, transmitting an ancient, yet cosmic vibe.






















































































