quête:dale

'Breathe The Machine' is the first installment of Dojostudio and presents a musical world rich in harmonics, low frequency and melodic impact, yet with enough space in between to allow that perfect breathing room essential for powerful dance cuts. 'Breathe The Machine' portrays a world that initially feels robotic, yet instills an organic fluidity known only to come from humanoid beings, breathing life into a system littered with code and coldness. Billy Dalessandro presents 3 original cuts, plus a rendition of the title track by Mike Shannon.

Both for 'Breathe The Machine' and 'Tractor Beam' the Waldorf Microwave XT 2 and the Jomox 888 were the primary sound sources. For 'Breathe The Machine' the 888 was processed through a Jomox T-Resonator, which added harmonic distortion, and also spread the stereo spectrum out a bit offering the drums a more washed-out feel. The XT was layered track by track by performing patterns live into an editor until the desired ideas were properly recorded. Mike Shannon was brought on board to offer a contrasting expression of 'Breathe The Machine' and when asked how the process went he stated:

"I took the source sounds, edited them and processed them to work with a groove I had written for this remix. I mainly used the pad, lead synth and synth effects from the original. The rest of the gold I engineered."

On 'Tractor Beam', subtle use shows that ample space in between ideas make things seem larger than life. By allowing a more minimal approach in the production process the sounds can easily co-exist, allowing for that 'big room' sound without overwhelming the overall experience.

The digital exclusive 'Deliverance' was created using NI's Maschine for the drums, and FM8 and Reaktor were the sources of the synths. Drum patterns were created in Maschine and then recorded in realtime back into the DAW as it played, with real-time tweaking of the hi-hat to create the desired impact, especially at the break. The synth and pad patterns were recorded as MIDI into the editor, and then automation of the synths' VCF rounded out the expression needed to complete the emotional process.

All in all, DOJ001 is mostly an all-hardware showdown, with 'Deliverance' being the only 'virtual' attempt. Life is in nature, not in machines, yet the culmination of the two worlds can be beautiful, if only properly tamed and understood. Lest we beware! Stay tuned... and thanks for listening!

London duo Damian Daley & Danny Dixon aka OdD return to FUSE sister label Infuse to follow up their breakthrough Cold Fusion EP with a four-track EP titled 'Tones Of The 90s'.

Lead track 'Tones Of The 90's' brings together the core elements of the London underground scene. Snappy hi-hats combine with subtle tones and garage-like vocal samples and plenty of bass. A2 'Phone Home' starts with the famous ET sample. Once again it's the snappy hi-hats that take centre stage, working alongside a well-programmed loop that bubbles throughout underneath the surface.

On the flip, loopy drum patterns dominate B1 'Yes Yes' before the EP comes to an end with the pick of the bunch 'Pressure'. Low-end frequencies combine with a dreamy synth line, signing off the release in typical Infuse style.

'Garage bands suddenly obtain cult status and become the antithesis of their initial appeal'

Garage Class were a group of reluctant outliers who produced one of the finest contributions to the wave of UK DIY music that emerged during the late 70s and early to mid-80s.

Hailing from Alsager in North West England and comprised of Tim Shutt (vocals) Phil Murphy (lead guitar) Clive Williams (guitar) Lynne Sanders (bass) and Phil Bourne (drums / bass on studio recordings) Garage Class originally went by the name of The Pits before their then manager Steve Hurt imposed an alias which, though unpopular within their ranks, would nevertheless reflect the shambolic art they would eventually capture on their first and only single.

As The Pits the group offered a loutish inflection on glam-punk flamboyance, evoking Johnny Thunder hitting the north and remaining disowned yet undeterred in a dreary old boozer. But as Garage Class the group distilled a roughcast and homespun primitivism that felt quintessentially their own. In this they proved too unruly to be assimilated into any wider scene. Early gigs descended into acrimony and recognition proved elusive. Yet what they managed to make back then now sounds like an extraordinary article of underdog ambition.

Released in 1984, four years after it was originally recorded, the Terminal Tokyo single is an unlikely triumph of exceptional messthetic punk. Though raw and unpolished the songs here are precariously pop-minded and indisputably anthemic. The titular A-side reveals the dry and detached drawl of Shutt aka The Subliminal Kid, a sharp, jaded and poetic voice that has some of the most iconic lines never heard in punk. Accompanied by second-hand guitars, on-the-fly handclaps and a chorus like a terrace chant this is the cult hit that never was, a heroically artless masterpiece that has all the ragged character and misfit euphoria of Swell Maps and The Buzzcocks if they were more impulsive and boisterous, and left to their own devices in the remote margins of a Cheshire town. The original B-side is here substituted for I Got Standards, a track that, until now, has somehow remained unreleased. An ideal twin to Terminal Tokyo there's the same brusque and dog-eared quality to the band's delivery, as well as the same upfront emphasis on strong hooks and insistent momentum. Yet again, Shutt is on impeccable form, perfecting an inflated, adolescent antagonism that has all the sardonic, malcontented charm of similarly 'shirty' buggers like Dan Treacy (Television Personalities), Patrik Fitzgerald and Mark Perry (Alternative TV).

Although never accepted in their own time both tracks represent a brief but inspired moment of fervent imperfection, one that epitomized the best of a diffuse and autonomous underground movement spearheaded by The Desperate Bicycles and built upon by the likes of Amos & Sara, The Homosexuals, The Cleaners From Venus and Family Fodder. Like them Garage Class were situated at a point where punk, art, humour and a sense of stubborn independence all intersected.

In the years since Terminal Tokyo has accumulated a retrospective appeal among certain trusted circles, with Jon Dale celebrating the single in his exhaustive and essential Story of UK DIY for Fact Magazine, and original copies regularly changing hands for a foolish forty quid or so. With this inaugural release on the Outer Reaches label Terminal Tokyo is not only restored for the very first time but given a worthy expansion courtesy of JD Twitch (Optimo).

Continuing his own fascination with the fringe history of UK DIY - documented on his own outstanding compilation Cease & Desist: DIY! (Cult Classics From The Post Punk Era 1978-1982) and in his re-edits of Crass Records classics for an early release on RVNG INTL - Twitch reinterprets I Got Standards as an incisive, dubwise outing that pictures Jaki Liebezeit and Muslimgauze on a bender in England's provinces, tasked with remixing the raw product of local punks. A new slant on Garage Class' crude magnificence, built to play loud on contemporary soundsystems.

Although the latter part of 1980 spelled the end for Garage Class with members moving on to other projects (Bourne fell in with The Colours Out of Time, Murphy went on to front The Regular Guys and Shutt eventually left to form Happy Refugees) this reissue attempts to give their fleeting time together and the unique single statement they made the treatment it deserves. If this means Garage Class have obtained cult status, their initial appeal remains. Just listen for yourself.

Repress!

First Word Records is very proud to present the debut album by Children of Zeus - 'Travel Light'. It's been a long road leading to this album for Tyler Daley and Konny Kon.

They first embarked on their expedition into the music game two decades back - Tyler entered the scene as a songwriter, producer and vocalist, originally under the moniker Hoodman, whilst Konny began MCing, DJing and beat-making for hip hop crews The Microdisiacs and Broke'n'£nglish, along with DRS & Strategy.

To date, Children of Zeus have released three sell-out singles on First Word ('Still Standing', 'I Can't Wait' and 'Slow Down') and a compilation EP comprised of tracks made by the duo over the last decade entitled 'The Story So Far...'. Children of Zeus are finally at the stage where they are releasing their debut album proper, the over-riding ethos of which is about keeping their eyes on the road ahead, whilst shedding the baggage they've accumulated over the years - 'Travel Light'.

Features mainly come from Manny family, ( K S R ), LayFullStop, Metrodome (Levelz) and former Broke 'n' £nglish spar DRS. Guest production comes in the form of Switzerland's Sebb Bash, Nottingham's Juga-Naut, and London's Beat Butcha, and there's your favourite DJ's favourite DJ,

Mr Thing, slicing up the turntables on two tracks too. There's a few extra special ingredients on this album, along with their trademark sub-heavy, rhodes-laden hip hop soul hybrid. Reggae music has always been an integral piece of the CoZ sound-system ethic, so we see Tyler putting on his lover's rock hat for 'Hard Work', and they invite soul queen Terri Walker to join them on the fierce 'Sling Shot Riddim', while the album closes with the epic K15-produced jazz-bruk opus, 'Vibrations', on which Konny breaks it down quite simply: "high frequency means that you travel light, so get lifted yo, we'll live gifted".

Long as the journey has been, the time for looking back is over. This is about the present and future of Children of Zeus. A shining light in Manchester's now-school, and rightly heralded by many as the best new act to emerge in British soul music in the past decade. Aside from the above features, this project is written, performed and produced entirely by Tyler and Konny.
Since the crew first took flight, the end destination has never changed, the aim remains the same - to create timeless music, in their own unique style, without compromise, irrespective of industry and life distractions. The moral being this - travel light.

For his third album for Far Out Recordings, London based multi-instrumentalist and one of Europe's finest saxophonists Sean Khan ventures to Rio de Janeiro to collaborate with iconic Brazilian polymath Hermeto Pascoal. Taking its title from the escaped slave settlement 'Palmares' in the Northeast of Brazil during the 1600s, Palmares Fantasy is Khan's utopian jazz message for the world, and features Azymuth drummer Ivan 'Mamao' Conti, bassist Paulo Russo, guitarist Jim Mullen, and guest vocals from Brazilian chanteuse Sabrina Malheiros, and Cinematic Orchestra frontwoman Heidi Vogel.

Like Hermeto Pascoal, Sean Khan is a self-taught musician. Never able to afford his original dream of studying at Berklee, and having been turned away from Guildhall School of Music for being 'too raw', he became disillusioned with what he saw as the exclusivity, elitism and dangerous institutionalisation of the jazz world. Yet Sean's love for music and the drive to create never faltered.

Hermeto Pascoal, the man Miles Davis once dubbed the most impressive musician in the world', is a similarly independent artist. A true maverick whose ingenuity and freedom from conventional restraints is so great that he has essentially conceived his own musical language, made him the dream collaboration for Sean.

Aspiring to inclusivity and equality also informs the message in Khan's music. Inspired by the 17th Century settlement of Palmares in Brazil's Alagoas region, which was free from the Portuguese crown's murderous exploitation of South America for a century, Khan notes his fascination with the fact that while majoritively made up of escaped African slaves, many deserter conquistadors also joined the settlement.

Hearing the deep-grooving title track with this history in mind, the listener is transported to a futuristic musical eden, with Mamao's insatiable 10/8 rhythm back-boning Hermeto's wild improvised vocals, rhodes and whistles, while Sean's harmonically brilliant sax and flute add more layers of moody, characterful expression. 'Moment of Collapse' is Sean's poetic study on the uncertainties of modern day western civilisation, delicately presented by the gorgeous vocals of Heidi Vogel and drenched in lugubrious strings and Alice Coltrane-esque harp. The two covers on the album are of Hermeto's own 'Montreux' (on which Hermeto plays solos on a teapot and a pint of water), and an uplifting soulful jazz-funk take on Milton Nascimento & Lo Borges MPB classic 'Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser' featuring the vocals of pioneering nu-bossa voice Sabrina Malheiros.

The recording sessions for the album were part of an intensive and hugely productive eight-week excursion to South America for Far Out boss Joe Davis in the summer of 2016, which also saw the sessions for Azymuth's Fênix and a forthcoming album from Uruguayan fusion legend Hugo Fattoruso.

Fantastic' Gilles Peterson

Loving this!' Opolopo

Thank you!' Sassy J

Proper! Great track.' Colin Dale

this is great!' Yannick Elverfeld (RBMA / Needs Records)

I've enjoyed Sean Khan's earlier releases, but this really seems like he's grown into his fairly considerable talent.' Mark Sampson (Songlines)

His last album was his best so far, but I think this one may be even better.' Laurence Pragnell (Soul Brother Records)

dope!!!' Kyri (R2 Records)

this is great - really cool vibe!' Sam Redmore

wonderful track - can't wait to hear the lp.' Simon Harrison (Basic Soul Radio)

This is very tasty indeed.' Gavin Boyd (Soul Has No Tempo)

Stunning!!!' Mark Milz (Further In Fusion)

Oi Oi' Samuel Lloyd (Balamii Radio)

PRESS / ONLINE

VINYL FACTORY (UK) News (Anton Spice) 09/03/18 online

SOUNDS & COLOURS (UK) News (Gabriel Gahan) 09/03/18 online

THE WIRE (UK) Review confirmed (Joseph Stanard) print

EVENING STANDARD (UK) Review confirmed (Jane Cornwell) print + online

ECHOES MAGAZINE (UK) Review confirmed (Laurence Pragnell) print

LIBERATION (FR) Feature confirmed (Jacques Denis) print + online

MUSIC IS MY SANCTUARY (CA) Premiere confirmed (Mike Jones) online

JAZZ MAGAZINE (FR) Review confirmed (Frederic Goaty) print

SHINDIG! (UK) Review confirmed (Grahame Bent) print

MUSICA MACONDO (UK) Premiere confirmed (Tim Garcia) online

RAWCKUS MAGAZINE (USA) News (Randy Radic) online

KIND OF JAZZ (UK) Review confirmed (Fernando Rose) online

TONART MAGAZINE (DE) Review confirmed (Michael Moehring) print

WORLD MUSIC NETWORK (USA) Review confirmed (Raul Da Gama) online

BADD PRESS BLOG (USA) Review confirmed (Kevin Press) online

ORKESTER JOURNALEN (DK) Review confirmed (Patrik Sandberg) print

LIVE

WORLDWIDE FM (UK) Sean Khan live session confirmed (Gilles Peterson)

RADIO

BBC RADIO 6 (UK) Gilles Peterson - Palmares Fantasy (24/02/18) link

OTHER

BRITISH AIRWAYS On board BA flights (June 2018)

First Word Records is very proud to present the triumphant return of the UK's finest Hip Hop Soul duo, Children of Zeus, with a double-header of brand new material.

Since the release of 'The Story So Far' EP in 2017, Konny Kon and Tyler Daley have proceeded to draw in the attention of tastemakers across the world, receiving big ups from Hip Hop, Soul and dance music royalty, such as US legends Jazzy Jeff & DJ Spinna, and UK heavyweights Stormzy & Rag'n'Bone Man.

In addition to relentlessly rocking stages and studios all over Europe, Children of Zeus have somehow found the time to write and produce their debut album proper. This is the first taste..

'Slow Down' is a sure-shot Summer anthem, with a twist. A deceptively soulful slow jam that lulls you into a false sense of filtered smoothness, before a floor-shaking beat & trill hats drop in from above, as if thrown in via a thunderbolt from Zeus himself. On the flip, we have the uptempo boom-bap steppa, 'All Night'. Konny sets this one off on some straight b-boy isht, riding a rhythm that's guaranteed to make grown Hip Hoppers reminisce, before Tyler's sweet swing-tinged vocals glide into play to keep you firmly steppin' - this one again illustrating the Mancunian duo's craft of creating timeless Hip Hop Soul music.

Manchester has been riding a wave of immense creativity & musical prowess in recent years. Children of Zeus exemplify the heart and soul of Manny's now-movement - but don't get it twisted - the vibe is universal, and they definitely ain't new to this. Two decades on from the inception of Broke'N'£nglish and Hoodman, Tyler and Konny have consistently persistently held their corner, stayed true to the music they love and nurtured their own unique sound. It's almost time to drop that album... But for now, here's more future classics.

Tiefenrausch returns with a Various Artist EP. Gathering three unique dub techno musicians linked through deep chords and driving basslines. While Biodub and Upwellings already contribut- ed their part to the label, the new member Star_Dub joins in with his raw vision of dub techno.
The leitmotif of the Progression EP' consists of concised chord clusters above groovy basslines, thick kicks and reverbish atmospheres. Biodubs Varial' opens the EP with a club oriented tune made of long build ups and compli ying drops. Subduction' by Upwellings follows this direction. Echoing chords utter between pumping basses and driving hihats. The EP is closed by Aero- naut', where Star_Dub does what he is best known for: creating raw and powerful soundscapes.
The release is designed by Alex Ketzer who joins in for a collaboration with the illustrators Mag- dalena Paz and Florian Gassmann for the next releases of the Tiefenrausch label. The audio is mastered by SALZ music and the EP comes on 180g vinyl and shrink wrapped.

First Word Records are very proud to present an EP by Manchester's finest Hip Hop and Soul exports, Children of Zeus. This is 'The Story So Far...'

Konny Kon & Tyler Daley met back in 2005, after both performing a show near Paris in their respective crews, Broke'N'£nglish and Body Roq. The duo met up back home in Manchester, spurred on initially by a mutual admiration of each others music, and produced their first track together, aptly entitled 'Coming Home To You'.

A few years later, Tyler approached Konny about producing a full EP together. These sessions included the creation of a track called 'Still Standing', which ultimately saw the light of day last Summer on First Word. Still a highlight in their live sets, the Lenzman rub won "Best Remix" at the 2016 Drum & Bass Awards. The original has become somewhat of a British Soul anthem since its release, with people that missed it first time round still clamouring for it on wax. So we've included it on this EP.

As they've grown within the family of Manchester's music scene, they've provided a tonic to the city's bass-orientated club scene, breathing Soul back into the city, whilst maintaining their heritage of Hip Hop swagger. As an MC, Konny takes no prisoners, whilst Tyler (a prolific MC in his own right) has gained a rep as one of the UK's strongest Soul voices. Both artists have been blessed with the talent of beat-making. A combined craftsmanship upon the boards and in the booth.

From building a grassroots following of fans, they've since travelled the globe, sharing stages with giants and catching the ear of peers far and wide, from Pete Rock to Zed Bias. As well as hosting their own monthly radio show on NTS, they've collaborated with numerous Hip Hop acts, both sides of the Atlantic, as well as Soul royalty in the form of Caron Wheeler and Drum'n'Bass legends, such as Goldie (Tyler featuring heavily across his latest album).

Children of Zeus have finally begun the process of crafting together their debut album. This EP is a compilation of the creations the duo have produced themselves over the past decade, put together to appease their loyal followers thus far, and as an introduction to those yet to discover their talents. A snapshot of what has been, and a mere taster of what's to come. It features brand new tracks such as 'Smoke With Me' and (vinyl-only cut) 'Tonight', the anthemic 'Crown' (featured on First Word's 'Two Syllables' compilation previously) and fan favourites such as 'No Sunshine Tomorrow' and 'Push On'. A collection of raw, gritty, Hip Hop Soul music.

The debut album will drop in 2018.
This collection signals the end of the first chapter. A prologue even.
Get on board now. The time is right. This is the story so far...

Released in the light of sweet summer bliss.

Early support from Cio D'Or, Refracted, Etapp Kyle, Iori, Jonas Kopp, Kwartz, Samuli Kemppi, Eric Cloutier, Brando Lupi and Luigi Tozzi to name a few.

Milos has been causing quite a stir of late with his limited handstamped MSR & Milos Recordings projects, gaining support from key players including Ben Sims, Gez Varley (LFO), and Colin Dale. Now we look forward to Receptive Visions, a label focused on no bullsh*t, real dancefloor techno. Kicking off with the euphoric yet raw "Reconery Flight", razor sharp hats, and massive drops pave the way for gauranteed dancefloor response! Flip for "Away Days", heads straight down, with a distinct gnarled, ragged intensity and thick pulsating grooves! One to watch!

played and Supported by Chris Liebing,Tommy Four Seven,Speedy J,Adam X,Norman Nodge,Colin Dale,Dave Ellesmere,Brendon Moeller,Audio Injection,Forward Strategy Group,Arnaud Le Texier,Ness and more.
Second release for the label created by Darkcell. Another step in the deep darkness of the modern techno, industrial, where the sounds come together to repetitiveness. Sounds powerful but always hidden by a fog that makes the original track for a walk in our modern times.