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The House Music Institute is the new label by Pete M.. A recognized face on the Madrid underground scene, Pete M. has been making the city dance for the past two decades mixing House with Future Disco and Techno.

His first EP, LOFT 301 - Fourth World' includes two original tracks plus a remix by Jonny Sender.
Pete M. created two original tracks with a late night vibe using a classic groove and 4/4 rhythms combined with 808 analog sounds and beats.

Pete reached out to Jonny Sender for a remix who's recently released a number of original productions and remixes. Sender, bass player in the legendary band KONK, was part of the early '80s downtown scene in New York City as well as being a long time DJ. Jumping off from the original track, Sender brings some jazzy early '80s flavor while keeping the vibe strongly rooted in the present.

First Word Records are very proud to present a heavyweight EP in collaboration with seminal groove collective, CoOp: 'Selectors Assemble'.

It's been almost two decades since a bunch of music makers, bored of the genre constraints of their time, began toying with time signature and syncopation to birth what is now known as broken beat. Summer 2017, the 'Selectors Assemble' EP is in our laps and we have a fitting reminder and long-overdue renaissance of one of London's most valuable musical movements.

IG Culture and Alex Phountzi were integral to this movement, the focal point being the CoOp club night, which ran predominantly on the famed floors of Plastic People, up until 2007. CoOp remerged late in 2015 as a Boiler Room session, in which the originators linked effortlessly with new school players such as K15 and Alex Nut. The following day, a session was inspired between an assortment of artists, and the seeds were planted for the 'Selectors Assemble'.

Here we have the first offering. The steady-paced roller of 'Gangz' (IG & Seiji), the dutty wine-ready getdown of Henry Wu's 'Substance', the heads-down low-end theory of '2nd Intention', the dominant soundclash call-out of the 'Spartan Riddim', riding out with the garage-flecked jam 'Can't Hold It', also featuring Sonar's Ghost (Domu). Five tracks deeply rooted in groove and as beautifully diverse as Bruk ever was.

Pressed up lovingly onto 140g vinyl, this release is accompanied with a fully-printed insert, featuring an extensive piece on the history of Bruk, written by Andwot (Touching Bass), classic photography by Sarah Ginn, and full-colour artwork by Mitchy Bwoy, a legendary artist to the original scene in his own right. This is an essential artefact for followers of the sound, new and old.

First Word prides itself on its ethos of musical diversity, and we're ecstatic to welcome aboard the CoOp foundation to the stable. A crew of British dance music pioneers, sound-system legends, and now-school heavyweights, this is but a taste of what's to come. Lead by the don IG Culture, the family spirit has quickly formed, the selectors have assembled.

The stage has been set for bruk's second wind. Be ready.

A A1 | Henry Wu - Substance (IG Culture & Alex Phountzi Remix)

For nearly a decade, Raíz and Subversive have distributed their vision of dance music on various labels including Historia y Violencia, Electric Deluxe, Construct Reform, Droid Recordings and their own imprint, VRV. Three years into the VRV project, the label heads have decided it is time to expand the roster and showcase artists on a similar plane, producers they know can speak to the sound. The chosen interpreters on this release include DJ Hyperactive, Santiago Salazar and Voiski.
Before Voiski's well-deserved attention from work on Dement3d, L.I.E.S., and Delsin, he and Subversive had a chance meeting in the bars of Paris in search of the same musical ideals. As they formed a lasting bond, it was a natural choice for Voiski to be tapped on the shoulder for remix duties on Subversive's 'Chainbreaker.' This epic take on the original showcases the similar musical visions that can be shared across oceans, where the music's place of origin is less important than the destination it delivers.Santiago Salazar brings his Latin/Midwest sound that's been found on labels such as UR, Rush Hour, H&V, and Ican. The Underground Resistance veteran invokes Detroit-inspired pads and dubby chords that speak techno's language of the future.DJ Hyperactive is a Chicago acid legend who found himself reinvigorated in the 2000s to take up the DJ/producer torch in conjunction with the Droid crew. His early support of the original 'Telomere' made him the perfect candidate for this remix, which tracks a straight forward, bass-grounded groove, met with the producer's own subtle swing sensibilities.

Profusion (noun): an abundance of something rich.

The sonic partnership of K15 and Emeson originated in the days of MySpace. A future of combining their skills was inevitable, and now in 2017, it's time to unleash their debut studio album into the ether.

The solo-projects of Tottenham-raised Kieron Ifill (aka K15) date back a decade, but were truly kick-started on labels such as Kyle Hall's Wild Oats and WotNot Music, with a number of genre-crossing releases dropping ever since, including the WU15 project (along with Yussef Kamaal's Henry Wu, on Eglo Records). Additionally to his production work, he has established himself internationally as a DJ, from the Jazz Cafe to the CoOp parties.

Partner in Profusion, Emeson, has many skills to his bow - singing, songwriting, producing, promoting, DJing (under the alias Ed Nice) and acting. As a musician, his varied skill-set has seen him work with Chico Hamilton, Carla Duke, Karmasound, Uzo Madu and Chris Jerome. A frontman for soul-jazz groups LifeSize, The One and Saturn's Children, he has featured on releases for BBE and Tokyo Dawn, and appeared live on stage at the likes of Ronnie Scott's.

The debut single was supported by tastemaker blogs Wonderland, XLR8R and Stamp The Wax, has been bumped by selectors such as Lefto and Jazzie B, and played on NTS, Worldwide FM, Mi-Soul, LeMellotron, Balamii Radio, Itch FM, Invader FM, Soho Radio and various stations across Europe and the US.

This album is full to the brim with summery sun-soaked synths, drifting across the warmest of basslines and heavyweight beats. Emeson's rich vocals gracefully ride atop of K15's delectably bruk twist on neo-soul sonics and electronics, this is some seriously classy contemporary London soul music, that manages to incorporate flashes of various dance music techniques, sound-system etiquette and jazz-tinged rhythms. As future-thinking as it is subtly retrospective, it doesn't lend itself to one genre, it intentionally embodies the best of many. An array of everything that is great about British black music in 2017. The message the album conveys itself couldn't have come at a more poignant time. Where do we begin

Profusion - an abundance of something rich indeed.

Panorama Bar resident Nick Ho¨ppner gets to Work on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop.
Work as in labor. An axiom that fuels the capitalist system just as the Techno/House scene economy says that one needs to keep oneself busy to make a living. As a musician, things are complicated of course. It's a long way from the romantic idea of creating music simply for the sake of art to becoming a full time musician. Those who have accomplished this feat often find themselves in a professional loop of writing the music, producing it, promoting it (with an info text like this), releasing it and then hopefully selling it. After leaving his full time job as Ostgut Ton's label manager in 2012, Nick Ho¨ppner went fully freelance, focusing on his musically diverse, deep and dynamic DJing in and outside Berghain's Panorama Bar, but more importantly spending more time in the studio. The result was his critically acclaimed debut album Folk (Ostgut Ton, 2015), various 12' releases and remixes, and now his sophomore LP, Work, which, more than ever, lays out his refined production skills and his talent to work the machines until they reveal their inner ghosts: nine new songs that now dodge the dance floor, then fully embrace it.
Work as in body of work. A record is more than the sum of clocked up hours at the studio, but the result of an artistic-creative process. On Work, Ho¨ppner shows his everlasting lust for musical detail, his increasing technical skills and compositional finesse. Work is a very personal, soulful and deep record that breaks through the usual club/dancefloor narrative by documenting Nick's interest for hybrid sounds and combining elements from varying musical genres. Work's lead single 'All By Themselves (My Belle)' is a very atmospheric, intimate and steadily unfurling IDM piece with ethereal synth and vocal pads; on the album it's contrasted by 'Clean Living' with Tram 78, a modern Ho¨ppner club classic: powerful, kick-heavy, muscular, cheerful and uplifting. It's a very personal track resulting from a recent reencounter with an old friend. Having spent countless hours together in Berlin's clubs in ever changing states of mind a decade ago or longer, things have since changed for both towards a more - clean living'. Connecting to this musical vibe 'In My Mind' follows with a slightly darker tone putting emphasis on bassline, percussion and squeaky sound detailing. 'Hole Head' pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Nick's love for UK club music, when a dashing melody of synths and vibraphone is matched with clattering breaks and syncopation. The dubby, mesmerizing 'The Dark Segment' not only impresses with its hypnotic synth figurines, but also by morphing to a shuffling Jazz rhythm towards it's middle part; 'Forced Resonance' uses Oberheim synth brass stabs to dramatic effect; the percussion- and clap-laden 'Fly Your Colours' comes with an irresistible piano melody atop an energetic kick; and finally the album-closing, shuffling but rhythmic, noisy yet bluesy 'Three Is A Charm' featuring the duo Randweg on clarinet, cajo´n and acoustic guitar is a coherent departure heading towards Indie Pop territory. It sees Nick collaborating with acoustic instrumentalists for the first time in his ten-year- spanning Ostgut Ton release catalogue.
Work as in artwork. Staying in line with the Folk album, the visual companion for this record comes from German collage artist Frank Bubenzer. As with the artwork at hand, Bankentsunami, and his other works, Bubenzer cuts up print magazine advertisements and recontextualizes them into new motifs, removing all human depiction from the source material, here as a commentary on the world of business, big money and the banking crisis.
Work as in work it. As a slogan 'work' has always been one of the genre's most utilized paroles, coined and put on wax by pioneers like LNR, Blake Baxter or Steve Poindexter, to name a few. Not only calling for the crowds to get moving on the floor but also to fully express themselves and their unique individuality inside an all embracing environment. A mindset rooted in House Music that has been an integral part of Nick Ho¨ppner's identity as a DJ and producer from the beginning and all through his decade-spanning residency at Panorama Bar. Work it!

Another Picture has the honour to welcome DJ Honesty to the label's crew! The Berlin mainstay keeps on delivering for two decades and counting. Now residing in sunny and meanwhile ultra-lively spot Lissabon/Portugal he shows up with two pieces of pure electronic groove with a dubby technoid flavour. Studio knowledge at work! Usually known for positive vibes with a still abstract feel now DJ Honesty reveals a darker shade of experience. Get involved with a tougher edge and face some deeper emotion and sonic consequence - see you on today's dancefloors.. DJ Honesty's releases come as various projects and collaborations: Honesty, Honeydrop, Slope (with Daniel Paul) and Suparaw (with Woody) on such labels as Cabinet, Sonar Kollektiv and Quality Vibe to name a few. He is part of the touring Cab Drivers live crew. Don't miss!

The thrid an final installment of archive material, selected by Antinote. A killer suite if you ask us. TIP!
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You can trail away with it. It is easy to enter, but hard to drop out. Tolouse Low Trax just needs an MPC, a small Synthesizer set up and some effects to create subliminal hypnotic music trips, driven by dark synthlines and drunken shuffled patterns. The primitiveness in my music is linked to something simple, and that don't have to be obligatory minimal. For me it is enough to dance rough around the core. Music you don't shape till the end contains of a moment of beauty. A veil of secrecy. I work very simply. I rather reduce my possibilities in ompass. Limitations offer lots of liberties.' He reveals about his work ethic. Even if his music sounds darker then any ever experienced night, he mostly produces it in the morning in his highly inspirational studio home. During the dark times of the day Tolouse Low Trax mostly performs live around the globe. Or hangs out in his second home: the Salon Des Amateurs club bar in Dusseldorf, which he once founded and where he held until today two weekly DJ residencies. The moments and atmospheres he inhales during these lightless moments are mirrored in his shadowy music, about which he also confesses: My art is more a cinematic, literally idea of a large to explore Megacity. This is one of the pictures I would link to my music.' On ' part one he now offers five sounding visions about that Megacity'. They listen to mysterious names like Hidden Flat' or Studies in Drama'. They are nervous. They have ephemeral pieces of dub, Industrial, wave or Italian library music. And at times strangealienated voice samples dance within his highly addictive arrangements. Words can't express their magic. But one thing is fore sure: his hypnotic dance-not-dance tracks do not only illuminate so-called freaks!

we are very much excited to support this re-issue, credited by jacob f. desvarieux, a composer and also well known as the guitarist of kassav - the only-one band which continually embodies the word 'zouk" for last few decades.
a1 is the tune showing us psychedelic guitar phrases fused together with wobbling heavy synthesizer. you'd better hurry to get the copy for this song, since this is just simply a killer. besides it, a2 is also a tropical danceable tune with moving bass and impressive vocoder chorus, makes everyone literally "emotional" on the floor.
kuniyuki joins with more deep spacey re-edit on the b side, probably we need few words to describe this man in our bio because of his right craftsmanship.
following re-issue could be expected from us in near future. grab one and find yourself in caribbean exotica!

After sending out these tracks last summer and getting great reactions from DJs and dancers alike, Hell Yeah is pleased to finally officially release virtuoso musician Verdo's Little Blue EP, complete with a remix from Lauer. Fully remastered for vinyl, the likes of Lexx, Chris Coco, Soft Rocks, Leo Mas and many more have all be playing these tunes with great results.

The talented Verdo runs the famous Gratis Club in Senigallia on the Italian east coast. It is a place he calls home, and that has really allowed him to hone and sharpen his DJ skills so that now he is a slick, unpredictable and singular DJ with many tricks up his sleeve. Bjorn Torske, DJ Fettburger, Prins Thomas, Kenji Takimi, Glenn Underground and more have all played there in the last decade and Verdo himself is a skilled pianist who has played for Zero7 singer Mozez in the past. He has worked with Hell Yeah before now, as well as releasing on Danny Was A Drag King, and here serves up his biggest bit of dance floor dynamite to date, including his previously digital only cut 'Big Fish' (mixed by DJ Rocca).

Opener 'Little Blue' is a perfectly sunny track with hip swinging claps, bobbling bass and boat party vibes that soothe your soul. Rich with instrumentals and golden synth lines, it's a perfect beat that gets followed up by the retro disco pump of 'Sazerac', another tropical cut with loose drums and rubbery bass to get you up on your toes.

The massive 'Big Fish' then hits hard with its tin pot percussion and wild synths all making you flail your arms like you just don't care. Jumbled jungle vibes and big chords all swell your heart as your feet skip about down low.

Closing out the package is Phillip Lauer (Tuff City Kids), one of the most in demand stars of the day, and his version is a direct house jam with percolating and rugged synths and slapping hits, all demanding you ditch your cocktail and get up and groove.

"all good stuff here! OG for early / mornings and Lauer for peak. really nice release! " Piers - Soft Rocks

"Big fan of Verdo! great tunes here as expected. Sezarac fav at first listen." - Dream Chimney

"Little blue is super nice!!" - Phil South (Golf Channel)

"Yes, some great stuff here. Sezerac and the Lauer mix are really great, perfect sunshine session material." - Chris Coco

"I love Big Fish's keyboards! strong!!! Arigato!!!" - Chida

"Little Blue and Big Fish are fun for sure, def will play em on a rooftop sooooon" - Jacques Renault

"Yeah, feeling Little Blue, heavy rotation this Summer! " - Jason Boardman (Aficionado)

"Little Blue, i like." - Lexx

"This is tremendous. Driving peak time track that you can imagine Joe Claussell really working the dancefloor with." - Andrew Pirie

"killer ep guys!!!" - Discodromo

Conceived, as its predecessors, as the ideal musical accompaniment to a packed dance hall, "Blue Latin" reinterprets a musical genre - jazz, of course! - which even decades ago was considered the dance music 'par excellence', and delivers it, extremely modernized, to the present day, contaminated by Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Latin-jazz elements, all made fluid, compelling and above all..., danceable! The almost-meditative "Incanto" combines spiritual jazz influences and African atmospheres.



[C} A3 | Mulata

For the past four decades, a growing cult of soul music collectors have sought two obscure LPs and a handful of extremely rare 45s released on the vanity record label LAD Productions, Inc. between the late seventies and the mid eighties by the mysterious South Side Chicago singer/song writer Larry Dixon.
Larry's raw songs capture the transition from R&B to boogie-down as disco was rapidly becoming extinct.
They also perfectly illustrate Larry's ability to overcome his environment and discrimination, transcended by his determination to write and produce music. With the support of his faithful musicians, Larry's success was only hindered by lack of airplay and promotion, but his talent shines through.
This is the story of Larry Dixon, his label LAD Productions, Inc., and his friends and family throughout four decades of music in Chicago's toughest neighborhoods.
Jerome Derradji is proud to reactivate Past Due Records - the boogie funk division of Still Music to release this fantastic archive - what many consider to be the Holy Grail - of Chicago Funk, Boogie and Soul.

Repress

After last years slick selection for the series from MCDE, Young Marco steps up with a great set of obscurities. Top Tip!
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Born Marco Sterk, he certainly doesn't come from a standard DJ background. A former skate rat who grew up loving American post-hardcore and '90s hip-hop as much as early Warp Records, he's been affiliated over the years with Amsterdam institutions such as Rush Hour, Red Light Records (where you'll find him most weekdays!) and, of course, Dekmantel itself. Still, there's no question that he's always followed his own path, even during the years that playing his favorite records meant that he was occasionally clearing dancefloors.

Things are different these days, of course, as Sterk now regularly plays around the globe and has been widely hailed not just for his DJ talents, but also for his digging prowess and uncanny ability to pluck jams out of genres, eras and geographies that even veteran DJs will often ignore.

Still, Marco's entry in the Selectors series isn't some soulless collection of 'Holy Grail' rarities. 'Where's the fun in that' he explains. 'Anybody with an internet connection can check what flavor-of-the-month records are in demand.'

Just like the first Selectors compilation, this is not a mix CD, but a collection of hand-picked, unmixed tracks that Sterk has personally chosen from his own vinyl archives. Moreover, Marco has put together a collection of tracks that represent not only how he plays music, but also how he makes music himself. The songs here are melodic, electronic and bound together by a refreshing sense of naiveté. Nothing sounds overly calculated; the tunes here span several decades and include dollar-bin records, avant-garde records, club records and yes, a few things that collector types have likely been looking to get their hands on. It's not meant to be a grand statement, as Marco would rather provide an honest snapshot of his musical tastes and share a few of his favorite tracks and artists in the proc

'I take my guitar and strum and sing some tings and blow people's mind. But I ain't trying to do anybody's music. I'm doing what I feel' - Shadow

When it came out in 1984 the far-out album Sweet Sweet Dreams by Trinidad & Tobago's Shadow (aka Winston Bailey) was described as 'way ahead of its time'. Undeservedly it was panned by critics and, unable to reach markets, disappeared into the dusty record collections of a few music aficionados. Now, more than three decades later that cosmic dance-floor UFO is about to take off again, change all that and set the record straight. Remastered and cut by Frank Meritt at The Carvery the album is truly a masterpiece.

But who is this Shadow behind Sweet Sweet Dreams Shadow is a man of understated magnitude. A truly enigmatic artist, he first emerged in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1970s, becoming a part of the tapestry of Caribbean music and reinvigorating calypso at the time. Calypso, the indigenous folk music of Trinidad and Tobago, has roots in West African kaiso rhythms, French Creole influences, and the hardships endured by the African slaves brought to Trinbago, whose descendants still use it as a tool for satire, self-expression, and social commentary. Calypso has also given birth to several other music genres, including soca, with its uptempo beats and festival context. Shadow effortlessly moves between both.

Shadow came from a humble but musical family and started writing songs as a youth while tending cattle in the fields. To his family's initial chagrin he chose calypso over church music but his talent and drive were undeniable. In the early days of his career Shadow's style was cramped when working with some of the more conservative music arrangers who felt that calypso and soca should fit a mould. But after a while Shadow teamed up with more innovative arrangers, including Arthur 'Art'de Coteau, who followed their and Shadow's intuitions resulting in a long line of hits.

'The first time we met for me to arrange his music we had a heated argument on the arrangement for one of his songs, I was theoretically correct but Shadow was musically right. Shadow broke all the traditional musical rules and made his own and that made him a musical giant. He changed the face of Calypso music in 1974 with the release of "Bassman" a tune in which Bass and magnificent horn line took central stage changing Soca music for ever. What Shadow did with his music was to put calypso on the International Dance circuit, giving it a totally different groove. You could take his music and swing it in any direction, Disco, Pop, Calypso, you name it. His music was different from anything that existed before'. - Carl "Beaver" Henderson, one of Trinidad's veteran producers.

This inert creativeness culminated in Sweet Sweet Dreams which was arranged by Shadow and deals with burning and ever-relevant themes like love and the ups and downs of relationships. a surprising fact for someone mainly known for his satirical and political lyrics. It prompted his manager to wonder if Shadow had written the lyrics while in a state of 'tabanca' (a word used in Trinidad and Tobago to describe lovesickness).

Sweet Sweet Dreams was recorded at the legendary SHARC studios, located on a hill in Chaguaramas (near Port of Spain) and despite a fantastic sound and monster Soca-boogie tunes like 'Lets get it together', 'Lets Make it Up' and 'Way, Way Out' the album was a commercial flop, probably due to the fact that it didn't sound like anything else coming out of Trinidad & Tobago at the time: It fused a range of different rhythms and new sounds, primarily heavy synth riffs.

Shadow took the album's lack of success in his stride with usual aplomb:
'When I did Sweet Dreams I expect something could happen. But nothing big happen because I have no big market and no distribution and all this thing now. So I just cool myself and move on to another song. I wasn't doing just one song. I used to always have plenty songs at the one time. And be writing music'.

What Shadow didn't realise back then was that the proto-electronic cocktail he had mixed in 1984 would only find the recognition it deserved three decades later. Life has swung full circle: Sweet Sweet Dreams has come true and been elevated to holy grail status becoming one of the most sought-after Caribbean disco records in existence.

For this re-release we carried out extensive interviews with Shadow and the musicians and have included as bonuses exclusive photos from Shadow's personal collection and the dancefloor filler tune 'D'Hardest' was added as a bonus track.

Blood Debts' is the compulsive debut album from Years Of Denial, the alter-face of London-based French musician/producer and DJ, Jerome Tcherneyan.

Though his formulative Marseille youth was spent exploring the darkest corners of post-punk, New Wave, not to mention Public Enemy and the inspirational Mille Plateaux and Basic Channel labels, Tcherneyan, already an extremely capable drummer, quickly extended his sonic palate toward and beyond the bass-heavy electronic isolationism, insistent beats and drone experimentation that's still very much prevalent in his work today.
One should not either pass over his integral contribution to the much-lauded, though stolidly underground "ghost-rock" unit, Piano Magic, which engineered sublime collaborations with Brendan Perry (Dead Can Dance), Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil) and Alan Sparhawk (Low). Tcherneyan, always prolific, can also lay claim to impressive collusions with Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah (African Head Charge), Damo Suzuki (Can), 70's psych folk legend, Mark Fry to name but a few.
In 2005, Jerome founded and promoted the infamous 'Flesh' parties; guests including Andy Stott /Claro Intelecto/Edit-Select/James Ruskin/Kirk Degiorgio/Mark Broom/Oliver Ho/Sigha/Steve Bicknell and many more. These nights served as an invaluable education in Techno and Dubmixology; marathon sets played deep into the sunrise.
Skip forward a decade and the DJ bug is even deeper embedded, with Tcherneyan sharing the booth with, amongst many others, Orphx/Phase Fatale/Joefarr and London Modular Alliance.

Tcherneyan's muse and foil on 'Blood Debts,' his first for Oliver Ho's splendid and already essential new Death & Leisure imprint, is Maya Petrovna, an entrancing London-based vocalist, film composer and performance/physical theatre artist, whose voice perfectly evokes Billie Holliday, Diamanda Galas and all stations between.
There's a black neon heart at the centre of 'Blood Debts,' a fetishtic ritual of contorted flesh and altered states; a feverish, infectious paradox of primitivism and modernity. Years of Denial is the ghost in the machine.

Fall of 2016 sees Midnight Magic ready to enchant us once more with the much-anticipated birth of their 2nd studio album, the wondrously eclectic Free From Your Spell. Going back to their roots in Los Angeles, Morgan Wiley, and Tiffany Roth, alongside the rest of the boogie nonet, have prepared a refined feast of genre-bending songs. The ever so diverse moods of Free From Your Spell make it a seductive journey. With each song mixed seamlessly into the next, the record coalesces into one long disco odyssey, reminiscing Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer's concept albums "Four Seasons of Love" and "A Love Trilogy". Moods, genres, and styles intertwine like an aural kaleidoscope, the album electrifying with its striking harmony. Whilst exuberantly borrowing from past decades, Free From Your Spell more than holds its own as a self-assured, innovative body of work. Midnight Magic's Free From Your Spell is an offer one can't refuse. An attractive deal in the form of disco escapism, traveling through its various shades, emotions, and incarnations, a comprehensive revival of the genre for modern ears. It's Studio 54, It's Moroder,Amanda Lear, Gino Soccio, and Grace Jones. It's a whole palette of 1980's R'n'B and cosmic funk. Despite all the music references of past eras Free From Your Spell is very much a current album, a mature demonstration of genuine skills in songwriting, a multi-instrumental banquet of sounds, a coherent collection of ambitious dance tracks and a beautiful celebration of eclecticism. Add to this some of Tiffany Roth's most memorable vocals to date and you arrive at one of the year's most exciting releases. There is a strong reason for both "midnight" and "magic" in the name of the band after all.

Josh Praus has been involved in San Francisco's Bay Area scene for the last two decades. A prolifc collector and player of records, What We Tellin' Them marks his frst public outing as a producer. As debuts go, it's pretty darn impressive.
Praus has been working hard in the studio over the last three years, creating tracks that draw infuence from a wide range of styles and artists. He cites 'downtempo, disco, house, Italo and techno' as major inspirations,
and listeners may hear elements from all of these disparate styles on this assured, confdent EP.
Some may hear echoes of the trippy, tribal-infuenced house sound of Siesta and Tango Recordings in the dense, drum-heavy shuffe of 'What We Tellin' Them', while others may fnd comparisons with African rhythm tracks and hypnotic, late night techno. However you frame it, 'What We Tellin' Them' is
an impressively percussive, mid-tempo workout designed to tease and titillate late night dancefoors. Flipside 'Lucas Valley Dr', featuring the dreamy, freestyle vocals of experienced San Fran singer Nina Lares, couldn't be more different. Sparse, synthesizer-driven and undeniably intoxicating, it seemingly channels the spirit of both dubbed-out West Coast deep house, and the similarly delay-laden New York proto-house of Winston Jones and Paul Simpson. Throw in clear Italo-disco and Chicken Lips infuences, and you've got something that's undeniably magical. Both tracks were produced by Josh Praus at his home studio, with additional production, mixing and mastering by friend Layne Fox, best known as part of regular Leng contributors 40 Thieves.

Analog Africa has now the privilege to present 11 tracks by Verckys et L'Orchestre Vévé at the height of their most funky capabilities.

Compiled over the course of many years in a land of hardship, we welcome you to the grooviest era of the Congo.

Congo's turbulent and exhilarating '70s: Nightclubs and dance floors were packed to the brim in the capital, Kinshasa. Exuberant crowds, still giddy from independence

a decade prior, grooved to the sounds of the country`s classics. In fact the whole continent was submerged into the Congolese Rumba craze. Encouraged by the fantastic

productions of the Ngoma label, vibrant radio waves had been spreading the Congo sound from Leopoldville all over the continent, becoming the countries' No.1 export.

In 1997, a quiet, unassuming man of 59 years old named Victor Tavares - better know as Bitori - walks into a studio for the very first time to record a masterpiece which many Cabo Verdean consider to be the best Funaná album ever made. Bitori´s musical adventure had begun long before this point. It was 1954 when he embarked on a journey across the seas to the island of Sao Tomé & Principe. The young man´s hope was to return to Cabo Verde with an accordion.

Following two years of hard labour Bitori had succeeded in saving enough money to acquire what was to become his most valued possession, his cherished instrument. The two month journey back to Santiago, his island of birth, proved time enough to master it. Self taught, Bitori developed his own style, an infectious blaze, that quickly caught the attention of the older generation. Before long Bitori was being asked to share his musical talents, igniting the local festivities around Praia with his music.

But not everybody welcomed the rural accordion-based sound. Perceived as a symbol of the struggle for Cape Verdean independence and frowned upon as music of uneducated peasants, Funaná was prohibited by the Portuguese colonial rulers. Performing it in public or in urban centres had serious consequences - often jail time and torture awaited musicians that were caught in the act'. In light of such persecution the genre of Funaná began to slowly disappear.

In 1975 Cabo Verde achieved independence from Portuguese colonial rule. Along with Cabo Verde's independence came a lifting of the ban placed on Funaná. The musical repercussions in Cabo Verde were plenty - many upcoming artists embraced Funaná, translating and adapting its musical form in new ways. It was not to be until the mid-1990's, however, that Funaná in its traditional form was actually recorded. It was a young singer from Tarafal, Chando Graciosa, who was to play a key role in this event. Upon hearing Bitori, Graciosa immediately felt drawn to Bitori's unique playing style - a raw and passionate sound accompanied by honest lyrics that reflected the harsh reality of the Cabo Verdean working class. He eagerly approached Bitori suggesting they join forces and travel overseas with the objective of taking Funaná beyond its rural roots. The two of them, with others in tow, achieved their goal and travelled to Europe, introducing a receptive European audience to the vibrant energy of Funaná.

Eventually Bitori returned to his beloved Cabo Verde. Graciosa opted to settle in Rotterdam in order to pursue his career - he vowed, however, to bring Bitori across to Holland at a later date to record an album.

In 1997 the time was ripe to immortalise the sound Bitori had shaped over a time span of four decades. Built around a formidable rhythm section, formed of drummer Grace Evora and bass player Danilo Tavares, "Bitori Nha Bibinha" was recorded. The recording catapulted Chando Graciosa to stardom, making him Cabo Verde´s No.1 interpreter of Funaná.

The success in Cabo Verde was phenomenal and Funaná rapidly gained the recognition it deserved, especially in urban dance clubs. Bitori´s songs quickly became standards - classics known and loved throughout the country. The musical success, however, was solely limited to the Cabo Verdean islands - until now!
Analog Africa is proud to contribute to the worldwide promotion of Funaná - the once forbidden sound of the Cabo Verde archipelago - by releasing a worldwide re-issue of Bitori and Chando Graciosa´s legendary recording.

The release will herald Bitori´s first European tour taking place during the summer of 2016. Watch this space! And listen!

Philippe Quenum returns to Cadenza Music with 'Solitaire', some thirteen years after helping kick start the Swiss label with the 2003 release 'Orange Mistake'/'Funky Dandy'. This groundbreaking single, co-produced with Luciano, has since become a landmark release, not just for the label, but also as the benchmark for the micro-house and minimal tech-house genre that developed over the decade. With a music career than spans back to the mid-80s (dancing in NYC as part of the breakdance troupe, The Magnificent Force), Quenum found his forte with house music, both as a DJ, and as a producer and label owner. Setting up the Access 58 label in 1998 as a platform for his music and collaborations, Quenum has consistently released over the years for labels like Crosstown Rebels, Soma, alphahouse, Thema and Trapez LTD. 'Solitaire' finds Quenum on fine form; on the lead track, dubby FX and bass shaking shots roll out over an urgent disco beat, muted brass and technoid stabs fire from all directions as the tension building pads flourish. Shadowy forces are at play on 'Mystic'; discordant sounds echo and bellow over reverberating percussion and a dense back beat that fire into life with shuffling hi-hats. Wrapping up this welcome return to the label is 'Mystery'; whipping snares and industrial clangs rumble over the urgent drums for more hypnotizing dancefloor work from Philippe!

What Ever Not is the variegated music outlet from experienced Dodi Palese and Dan Mela, Italian DJs and producers supporting, selling, playing and releasing instrumental and dance music for two decades. What Ever Not tenth record, 'Galegos Bar / The Ritual', sees a split release signed by Dan Mela and Marco Erroi. Label co-founder Dan Mela inaugurates a new moniker 'Man Dela' for 'The Ritual' - the original track gets remixed by Anton Zap, with whom Mela already collaborated for a digital release on his own Ethereal Sound. Flipping on the other side, Marco Erroi, head of Common Series Ltd, continues his production career with 'XXXV Gold Fingers' for the 'Galegos Bar' side - one of the many different aliases he personifies - also contributing by realizing the artwork. 'Galegos Bar / The Ritual' offers two sides of the same coin and we can have both things with one stroke. The common denominator is the ethnical ritual. It is fully expressed in the Man Dela side with deep and hypnotic ride out turned upside down by Anton Zap with a dynamic electronic waltz. The same item, however, is magically hidden in the XXXV Gold Fingers side, where we can find it in the form of drink beer and play cards just like in most terrible bars in South of Italy.