quête:dance

A leading figure and respected elder in the Teklife family, Traxman has waited patientlywhile releases from young upstarts like Taso and Dj Earl have been enjoyed by footwork lovers all over the world. Now the time has come for Traxman to take centre stage, presenting a collection of new material that demonstrates his mastery of the footwork sound. Tekvision arrives hot on the heels of Teklife 005: Greenlight by DJ Manny, bringing an interesting contrast of production methods and styles. A prodigious crate digger, Traxman has provided the sample sources for many of Footwork's classic tracks over the years. So while DJ Manny recorded the majority of the vocals on Greenlight himself, Traxman uses his expert sample flipping techniques to add the human element to his productions. Traxman is a mainstay of the Chicago underground, with a discography stretching back to the golden era of Dance Mania Records in the 1990s. Ghetto House was an important precursor to Footwork, and Traxman was a key figure during this transition.

Echoes of the Ghetto House sound resonate through Tekvision, with tracks like Drop It Down and Twist The Party Out paying homage to the origins of Juke and Footwork music. Be Gagen feat DJ Earl is a beautiful opening track, with a soulful, melancholic synth unfolding patiently over a half-speed beat. When the bass kicks in after 1 minute 10 seconds it has a profoundly uplifting effect, and the late arriving vocal rounds off the composition perfectly.

Many of the tracks demonstrate brilliant and playful manipulation of vocal snippets, with Let Me Get Up and Control Ya Bitchezzz among the finest examples of this art. Finally,Tone Deaf and Whop Line show yet another side to Traxman's sound with an intoxicating and angular mix of bass and bleeps.

Lithuanian Alex Krell rides the new wave of deep and dark techno straight into the Sodai fold, delivering a comprehensive and cohesive four track EP for Gardens Of God's respected imprint.
Enticingly deep and dubby, title track Parallel Seduction sets the tone with a rumbling bass and reverbing stabs. Optyx picks up the pace, with driving percussion and shimmering synth soundscapes. The subtle distortions of Wiemar are next up, conjuring a deep brooding atmosphere. Lastly, Knocturne is expertly crafted for the dancefloor leaving us fully immersed in a flawless EP.
' I find it difficult to finish tracks, so most of mine are made in just one session' Alex reveals. 'I also avoid listening to electronic music when spending time in the studio, because with all those sounds stuck in your head it's hard to keep your originality.'
Alex Krell is a DJ, producer and petrolhead who lists Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Queen as his influences. Now living in the capital, Vilnius, his background enhances his productions with a uniquely dark and earthy energy that makes his techno stand out from the crowd and proves he is one to keep a close eye on.

The new EP by rRoxymore signals another audacious step forward for one of the most daring artists in the electronic music diaspora. 'Thoughts Of An Introvert Part 1' is born out of introspection, out of the necessity to disconnect from the frenzy of crowds and to create a soundtrack to an inner landscape which exists beyond the reach of government and dogma. In the words of the artist, "it is a sonic diary of sorts, cataloguing the events of a world which has not yet been invented, in the form of three mesmerizing dance tracks free of nostalgia and the expectations of style."

The spatial afro futurist funk of 'Prodrome' finds rRoxymore balancing darkness and optimism as only she can. The title track, 'Thoughts Of An Introvert' is instantly familiar and carries a soothing utopian spirit, so needed today. Mycetozoa, the closing track is bouncing, drum driven and mad, a celebration of rRoxymore's complex musical mind, offset by irresistibly banging toms and rolling rimshot patterns. It is a track which is at once melancholic, happy, vulnerable, and full of hope. Everything seems possible on the dancefloor this music was written for.

Silencio celebrates the first year of the label with a double-pack vinyl aptly titled Uno.
Comprising of new and established artists, the tracks on Uno collectively summarize the the feel of this label's year, while giving us a hint of what to expect in the year to come.
Click Box & Stefan Dichev kick off the release with 'Memories'. Presenting a collaborative production that will prove over and over again why sound is one of the strongest senses tied to memory. Engineered with emotionally responsive rhythms that roll into a rocksteady baseline, this track evokes feelings with finesse. "Memories" also features funky squiggle sounds and trailing even-tempered tones to punctuate its procession. This is one you'll want to relive every time the opportunity arises.
New comer Wave Particle Singularity has done it again. 'Virtue' is a tremendous track that will quickly establish itself as one of your new favorite things. The drum sequence, accented by beguiling background sounds and curious vocals, gallops throughout this selection with all its feet off the ground together in each smooth stride. Plus, it also comes fully equipped with a pleasingly unpredictable pace in the form of some moody, well-orchestrated changes that result in a perfectly adjusted attitude. Never a dull moment on the dance floor.
Guaranteed.
Kepler.'s latest offering 'Tool A' possess all the qualities one would normally associate with a fine wine because the taste left on the palate after its consumption is both complex and satisfying. During its ascent, effects that compress a thousand echoes into a single sample ride alongside an active baseline that ripples accordingly. Subtle, flavorful snippets bleep and bloop in complete balance, giving this cut a coordinated, contemplative vibe that brings everything into focus.
With his first track on Silencio, Yuuki Hori's 'Scene 5' is truly a unique item. This electromechanicaly exotic sounding export from Japan makes an impression with layers that are neatly stacked and minimal to the max. Its main feature, a sample that seemingly mimics the mating call of a male bullfrog, rhythmically ribbits in harmony with the beat, bellowing over the entirety of this track. All the various elements of this composition come together in a natural way that feels symbiotic and sounds superb.
Another Silencio first, Jorge Ciccioli's 'TD8' has a deliberate intention to create momentum, with a deep, penetrating baseline that rises to the occasion by descending the darkest depths of its own digital horizon. In the midst of the mix the listener is greeted with a clever chorus that effectively sounds like air vibrating, or in layman's terms "blowing", within an empty glass bottle. As it goes through the motions, observe how every note is noticeably nuanced in an effort to reflect the subtle changes that take place.
Closing out the release and year for Silencio, is Laughing Man with 'Reach Out'. Hard, heavyand heavenly are all terms that could be used to express the sentiment of this selection.
Notice how right from the get go this production profoundly pounds out its agenda with a solid, speedy beat that relentlessly rocks throughout the recording. Accompanied by aseries of wavy, spirited vocal layers, ringing bells and an inspired intersection of cymbals,this track is one hell of a ride that will enable you to make contact with the other side.

Niall Mannion aka Mano Le Tough is set to release his first record on Pampa this Octobre entitled 'Ahsure". The 3 track EP sees the Irish producer showcase his unique ability to combine dance floor rhythms with visceral vocal based songs. The result of which is a piece of work that will find a comfortable home in a variety of settings. While this method has become the hallmark of Mano's discography, 'Ahsure' feels like some of his most honest and accomplished work to date. The A-side, 'Your heavy head' is the most dance floor focused track of the EP. Mano combines crisp, live sounding percussion with various intertwining synth lines and bell chimes, establishing a gentle yet pulsating groove. His vocals compliment the instrumentation, telling a simple story via an array of disorientating effects. 'Kitedub' on the flip settles neatly somewhere between modern house music and weirdo pop. Mano's stirring vocals make up the centerpiece of the track, as strange sounds swell and subside - all the time kept in check with sharp staccato drums. The title track rounds off the record in beautiful fashion. Penned just after the birth of his daughter, 'Ahsure' hears Mano's lyrics sit above swirling ambient sounds and they convey a raw honesty that is palpable.

Cryosleep is the debut album from Null + Void, the alias of prolific New York producer Kurt Uenala. It's an album of contrasts and tension, where darkness is pierced by blinding light, and where moody new wave bleeds into stark electronics. In one moment, joyful memories give way to isolation and regret, and in the next, Cryosleep explores the catharsis of crowded dancefloors. Throughout the record, Uenala matches his dynamic production with incredible vocalists-from Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and the inimitable Shannon Funchess, to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Big Pink. Null + Void's take on dark pop meshes with his love for Detroit electro, poignant synth melodies, and cold atmospheres. With the cinematic opener 'Falling Down' and brooding instrumentals like 'Come To Me", Cryosleep can feel like the soundtrack to a lost space epic. No doubt, the album evokes Blade Runner, dystopian landscapes, and the splendor of far-off galaxies. As Uenala puts it, Cryosleep is inspired by 'classic sci-fi stuff,' images of futuristic machines sustaining humans frozen in a dreamstate. The melancholy 'Foreverness' explores what they might be thinking: 'A collection of fragments, memories of a life lived-preserved, but incomplete and jumbled.' Meanwhile, 'Into The Void' paints a peaceful, otherworldly picture, 'like soaring towards a white light.'

The extended mixes single of Phase Fatale's debut full-length album on Hospital Productions takes three of the most dancefloor-ready songs from Redeemer into abstracted, surreal and uncharted territory aimed for unlit, claustrophobic chambers. Aided by Silent Servant with additional production, together Hayden Payne and Juan Mendez transform "Order Of Severity," "Operate Within," and "Spoken Ashes" further down the machine. With more percussion and editing, they tear apart and lengthen the tracks through temporal space. The Redeemer (Extended Mixes) 12" will be released simultaneously alongside the full-length album, adding yet another dimension into Payne's own universe of the degenerated present.

'Control' is the first release on Jeff Derringer's new label, Oktave Records. The Smartbar resident takes his Chicago techno event to the next level with this new label offering. Jeff supplies the sounds for this first record, which continues his impressive run of releases on esteemed labels such as Soma, Electric Deluxe and Perc Trax. This time out, Jeff delivers immediate dance floor action with the A-side, 'Control,' a driving, intense affair with Jeff's trademark heavy kick and mutating sub bass. On the flip,
Jeff introduces an ambient re-working of his 2010 track
'Tarantula,' as well as the blissed-out, dub laden affair 'Touch Disease.' The record and the label represent a new depth of commitment to the Oktave mission and sound, with upcoming releases to feature respected producers like Iori, Giorgio Gigli and more. Stay tuned for further developments from Oktave Records.

What A decade deep into its ongoing investigations, documenting and pushing the sonic frisson and fusion between science and technology, SCI+TEC remain at the very forefront of electronic music. Its feet firmly on the dancefloor, its spirit deep inside the machines, its sights set on the future: Dubfire's label has continuously forged its own deep furrow and has been doing so from day one. With breakthrough Dubfire releases such as 'Roadkill' and 'I Feel Speed' SCI+TEC has managed to create a whole new framework for 21st century techno. All the while SCI+TEC has consistently championed and encouraged new and unsung talent from around the world, amplifying legions of rising names; Davide Squillace, Paul Ritch, SHADED, Simi, Delete, Harvard Bass, Joop Junior and countless more include SCI+TEC releases in their rich histories. This precision balance of stark sonic signature, technical ideology and nurturing new ideas and talent has led to SCI+TEC's perpetual momentum into every house and techno DJ's playlists and sets for the last 10 years. Be it the label's penchant for deep, undulating subby grooves or its passion for warehouse-razing thunder-powered techno, the SCI+TEC sound covers every corner of the floor and every chapter of the night; as proved by the label's many world tours. And proved once again by this fittingly stacked anniversary album. 10 tracks to celebrate 10 years from 10 of the label's most exciting artists, every track brings home the SCI+TEC message: The breath-taking atmospheres of Alex Mine's album scene-setter

Clergy returns for its 9th instalment with a club ready EP of serious weapons from label mainstay, and one half of Works Unit, Reflec. The four track release opens with 'Acid Response', in which Reflec has combined a tough rhythm section with a growling 303 to create a high energy roller guaranteed to keep the dance floor moving. Continuing on this trend of heavy hitting rollers, 'Osmosis' is a drum track through and through, which incorporates dark and sweeping atmospherics into the groove true to Reflec's form.

The B side see's host to 'Canyon', a peak time Clergy anthem with heavy, driving drums complimented with a spacey and emotional pad on the breakdown. Clergy 009 is rounded off by a broken edit of 'Canyon' which exchanges the driving kicks for a fragmented rhythmic style, a nod to the UK roots of Reflec's musical style. .

Brewing another supremely heavy release on the horizon, Moonshine Recordings is stealing the spotlight once again. Proudly presenting Violinbwoy's first solo album, unadulterated sound system pressure at its finest. Slavic chants and drum rhythms meet the unrivaled power of Violinbwoy's eccentric take on modern bass music 'Fyetisov' kicks off the stellar 3x12" release with a high-powered Stepper emission. Setting the tone with a rumbling bassline and supremely energetic lead instrumentation, full force sound system music down to its core. Shining in a different light, 'Moonspell' reveals its melancholic nature gradually intensifying through otherworldly percussion and anthemic vocal sample placements. Stripped down to its bare bones,'Dubplate' unleashes its detuned, percussive shackles for a massive onslaught of four-to-the-floor, while keeping true to Jamaica's music roots. Warbling tape echo spheres and excellence in emotive expression Violinbwoy's collaboration with singer Marina P turns out to be an anthem by itself enthralling, whoever gets caught into the midst of this hymn of a track. Not backing down one step from the established level of quality, 'Sound System' featuring Junior Dread excels once more in a crystal-clear demonstration of modern roots music mandatory repeat listening. Rejoicing in simplicity, 'Rig Alert' holds true to what the name suggests - cinematic bass meditation, fluidly scaling with the size of its speaker counterpart. Moving on to Dan s vocal skills in 'Wanted': Rastafarian wisdom chanting along a skanking rhythm and orchestral atmosphere. Ethereal bells being submerged in moving air and scattered white noise, 'Run & Hide' demonstrates a more experimental side within the LP exhibiting Downtempo/Ambient inclinations in a magnificent combination with Dub characteristics, only increasing in energy to the call of the dub siren. Ready for more, the title track 'dod' captures us within the expressive, introductory playing of the violin, deserting it for echoes and sub oscillations alike. Calling upon the prowess of Rider Shafique, his harmonic toasting is being escorted by a forward-minded halftime groove in 'Find The Way'. Topping the LP off with Sis' excellence in telling a story through song on a hypnotic instrumental. The nature of last tunes is often powerful, serving to concede with an explosion, appropriate of the session as is the case with 'Surfacing' closing off the monumental EP with visceral lead movements, setting the tone alongside driving drums and one more murderous bassline, sure of receiving countless rewinds in the near future. Encompassing a plethora of current Roots- Dub- and Steppa- influenced styles, Moonshine's next LP installment is sure to be received for what it is: a definitive, quality expedition of what's firing up dance floors around the globe.

From the twilight zone of Rhythm Section International comes a new label for 2017: INTERNATIONAL BLACK. This is the offshoot's 3rd release this year and the machine shows no signs of slowing down. Bradley Zero's ear for new talent continues to pay off as we are introduced to yet another young pair of producers, Mallard & LT, going by the name of 'J DEEP'. Mallard, a 19 yo Jazz student who made a big splash with his debut RS INTL EP, 'Verte', returns with a track aimed more squarely at the dancefloor. Although hypnotic and ethereal, it packs a punch, with the arrangement and musicality belying Mallard's
musical training at Trinity College.
On the flip side, Mallard joins forces with another promising producer who goes by the name 'LT' in their collaborational partnership known as J.Deep. Complex jazz chords swim around 909's to create an elevating techno roller that climbs and climbs only to give way to sparse rave stabs and ecstatic snare patterns.
Tried and tested for the best part of a year, these are 2 serious jams, proven to cause dancefloor frenzy.

Marco Bailey's 5th full-length album, one that he personally claims to be the best overall representation of his sound. With seventeen tracks comprising almost an hour and a half of music, he has ample room to stretch out and to give listeners an excellent portable version of his potent live show.

By maintaining a consistently high-quality output that does not merely ride the wave of current trends, multi-faceted producer Marco Bailey has managed to survive through decades of mercilessly shifting adjustments to popular taste in dance music. From his beginnings in the late '80s spinning eclectic sets comprised of everything from punk to old school hip-hop, to his present interest in pure unadulterated techno, the Belgium-based DJ and producer has won over audiences with his keen knowledge of how to squeeze the greatest physical and emotional impact out of a few well-placed elements, along with his instinct for seeking out the most innovative and resilient kindred spirits (his impressive number of professional friendships includes artists as diverse as Markus Suckut, Jonas Kopp, Alex Bau, Edit Select, Speedy J, Steve Rachmad and many more). These combined talents have led to his formation of several different labels: MB Electronics in 2001, the 'limited edition' label MBR in 2013, and lastly the new Materia Music label begun last year. His similiarly named event series, Materia, has also been a truly worldwide 'state of the art' summit for advanced techno artists.



The full-length personal releases by Marco Bailey, which stretch back to his mid-'90s period as a trance producer, have been gracefully arcing and anthemic affairs composed of individual tracks that follow that same blueprint. He is now about to drop his 5th full-length album overall, one that he personally claims to be the best overall representation of his sound. With seventeen tracks comprising almost an hour and a half of music, he has ample room to stretch out and to give listeners an excellent portable version of his potent live show. Of course, an epic running time alone is not the marker of a great audio experience, but an epic running time in which one loses track of time completely is - Bailey accomplishes this feat by never rushing the payoff; by organically building up each track until listeners are fully immersed in his alternate universe.



This skill can be heard on banging, sweat-saturated tracks like 'Ash', 'Genetix' and 'Hasai,' but also on comparitively gentle pieces like 'Klauth' (which straddles the line between disciplined electro and something more dreamlike and weightless), or the blissed out 'Suoh,' which feels like a fresh snowfall in audio form. Low-key cuts like 'Rex,' driven by echo FX and other windswept sounds, form natural counterparts to busier tracks like 'Ruth,' with its spring-loaded sequencer attacks, or 'Reboot That Device,' which is ingeniously driven by a psychedelic organ whose sound evolves with various filter settings. Minimalist vocals are occasionally injected into the mix - i.e. on the 'The Darkness' - to impart a subtle message of constant, ongoing expansion into unexplored galaxies without and within. It's as good a definition of the artist's musical mission as any.

First a »Tasse Kaffee« (cup of coffee), then »Ein altmodischer Tanz« (old-fashioned dance): On his second solo release Matthias Strzoda makes Sandy Denny's 1974 song »Like an Old Fashioned Waltz« his own and translates the moving lyrics congenial into German. Produced by Johann Scheerer and Matthias Strzoda, recorded and mixed by Johann Scheerer, Clouds Hill Recordings Hamburg. All instruments: Matthias Strzoda.

Electro & techno virtuose. Dancefloor and creative.

Berlin native Florian Kruse has been a key part of the underground house and tech house scene for years now, and his productions have rightfully been bringing him plaudits for their emotional maturity. Finding a kindred spirit in German vocalist Hendrik Burkhard, as TheGround the pair have crafted a killer new album - 'Dediction', including these four exceptional tracks that will appear on the vinyl edition 'Dediction EP'. 'Homeless Hearts' exemplifies the duo's effect on each other - the slick, nuanced and spacy production gives way to a powerful groove, providing the perfect backing for Burkhard's dreamy vocal. 'Undercover' is a clear dance-floor killer, with Kruse's exceptional flair for programming meeting Burkhard's understated delivery. Co-written by Raphael Hofmann 'Silence' explores some melancholic terrain before finding its way back to the floor via Kruse's & Burkhard's lush production. The EP is concluded with 'Creature' - featuring a thick growling bass and precise, arpeggiated synth lines that cut through the mix like lasers.

Expansion's most successful and longest running compilation series returns with a 2017 edition. The concept remains the same, fifteen must-have modern soul room gems taken from the year's biggest dance floor spins on the soul scene. While tracks here have topped UK soul charts, many have not been available in all formats. Once again, attention is paid to the 'flow' of the 15 gems chosen here from shuffling beats to boogie to more soulful house as played at modern soul events. Participants this year include Omar with Los Charly's Orchestra, Tawatha Agree (voice of Mtume's Juicy Fruit') with Aeroplane, Kenny Thomas with Thames River Soul produced by and featuring Incognito, and both Wez and The Groove Association formerly members of Brit Funk group Second Image. Leela James is here after her stint in a US realty TV show R&B Divas: Los Angeles', other guests including Amp Fiddler, Faith Evans, Trina Broussard and Lifford.

Grammy-winning singing sensation Gregory Porter - one of the most successful jazz artists of his generation - is back with a new album, 'Nat King Cole & Me', to be released on Decca/Blue Note on 27th October. It is a deeply personal tribute to Nat King Cole - the legendary crooner who ignited Gregory's love of music. It's only natural that I go to the root of my inspiration and where I come from. And that root would be my mother and gospel music and Nat King Cole,' he says.

Recorded at London's AIR Studios, the 12-track album features some of Gregory's favourite Nat King Cole tunes including 'Smile', 'L-O-V-E' and 'Nature Boy'. There is also a Nat-inspired arrangement of Gregory's own song 'When Love Was King', originally released on his million-selling hit album, 'Liquid Spirit'.

For Gregory Porter, the influence of Nat King Cole on his life and music runs deep, a through-line that reaches back into some of his earliest childhood memories, and culminates in the release of his new album 'Nat King Cole & Me'. Gregory explains, At five or six years old, Nat's music filled a void in me. My father wasn't in my life and wasn't showing interest in me or raising me and Nat's words were the life lessons, words of wisdom and fatherly advice I needed.'

Gregory's love for Nat's music blossomed so much that he wrote a semi-autobiographical musical, also called 'Nat King Cole & Me', which premiered in 2004. After the play, I felt a lighter feeling about my father and a deeper appreciation for both my mother and the great music of Nat King Cole,' says Gregory. He also found his voice through his own songwriting - It wasn't until I wrote the musical that I was fit to call myself a songwriter. Before that, I would write different poems but they had no music.'

'Nat King Cole & Me' is the follow-up to his Grammy-winning albums 'Liquid Spirit' (2013) and 'Take Me to the Alley' (2016). 'Liquid Spirit' took Gregory from being the biggest name on the jazz scene to being one of the most sought-after singers around today, performing sell-out shows across the UK and being invited to perform on high profile TV programmes including The Graham Norton Show, Strictly Come Dancing and the BBC Music Awards. He has become an adopted national treasure in the UK, having sung for the Queen multiple times, as well as major music festivals including Glastonbury, where he performed on the Pyramid Stage alongside the likes of Muse, Adele and Coldplay. Gregory's ability to transcend genres even extends to his surprise dance hit 'Liquid Spirit Claptone Remix' which became one of the most popular tracks in Ibiza.

After winning over audiences with his rich and soulful voice, there can be no better time for Gregory to return to the music which first inspired him to become a singer. On Nat's legacy and influence Gregory affirms, He was one of a kind. He left such great music - such beautiful things to listen to that you can't help but be influenced by that extraordinary timbre, style, and ultimate cool.'

Rotterdam based duo ARKVS release ''Oppression EP'' through the PRRUK black series. The result is an exciting package of futuristic techno sounds and searing drums. The duo has managed to find a perfectly executed trip throughout the different sides of ARKVS. While the general tone is darkish throughout, there are some uplifting atmospheres and hints of hope to be found in this package. While the title track is a thumping piece of dancefloor techno, the cinematic voyage ''Our Deepest Fear'' is a stand-out production of adventurous electronics. On the B-side we find ''Chose To Defy'', which is a tough work of dark techno and the somewhat more mellow ''Nonviolence'' on which an intrusive bassline is combined with some beautiful synth sounds.

Despite his low profile, Ken Karter might be one of Berlin's most influential artists in the techno scene. Karter is known as a mastering engineer for the seminal M_REC LTD, however his own productions have gone largely unnoticed until his 2015 EP on Stroboscopic Artefact's Monad series. His EP turned heads and gained him well-deserved attention. Two years later, his follow-up EP on Escapism exemplifies his focus on quality over quantity. His passion for mathematical formulas combined with his intricate knowledge of sound created an outstanding record set to satisfy both fans of experimental and dancefloor techno.

A new group strut their way down the Bordello boardwalk. The chameleon outfit of Yellocat, emblazoned with colour, arrive with Dans La Boutique and are true to their debut 12' title. A deep wardrobe of styles has been raided for this four track EP. First comes the latin funk of 'Mi Hermano', a lust laden duet of sweet chords and dancefloor desires, before the lounge romance of 'Tout A` Moi.' Language is played with, Spanish shimmies into French before English takes over the flip. 'Rivals of Mars' is brash interplanetary battle. Synthlines glisten against vocoder lyrics in an epic struggle between our world and theirs. The pop-scented warmth of 'Chasing the Light' leads the 12' out, a ballad of late night excess amidst the glass and steel of the city.

"French Londoner, producer, live performer and troubadour, Remi Mazet marks the end of the summer with a release that was well worth waiting for. Eccentric, particular, specific and always surprising.

From the laid back ethereal and atmospheric scene-setting intro, through upbeat dance floor cuts, percussive workouts and back again, everything about this collection says depth, groove and flow. Sax, keys and sublime samples nestle among, beats, breaks and 4/4 rhythms to create a sonic excursion where nothing is hurried and every track is distinct yet cohesive.

Following on from releases on Colors and Love Fever Recordings, Safran (SJ002) is a continuation of his ongoing explorations. The EP is a perfect extension of his early work, a contagious evolution and transformation in a more personal way."

Aula Magna Records presents Atmen by Mekas, a storming record that reveals the artist's latest techno explorations in
full effect, featuring Stockholm LTD label boss P r Grindvik as guest remixer. A techno statement shaped by melodic
and rhythmic interactions that draw the listener into the artist's profound sound world.
The A-side opens with the powerful beat of Clark Nova, a cut that moves forward with a modulating synth line and simple
but cleverly designed percussions. This is followed by Unknown Soldier, an intense techno weapon that reflects the
distinctive sound of Mekas.
The B-side features both versions of Atmen, starting off with P r Grindivik's dance-floor rework of the title track that
combines a fresh arpeggiated motif and a powerful groove with the emotional spirit of the original. Atmen closes the
record, an epic ambient techno track built with deep atmospheric synth lines on an intelligent stripped down breakbeat.

With The Object Isn't There UK guitar player and producer Jack Allett has made a deeply personal masterpiece based around cyclical guitar parts and electronic percussion. Playing like a half remembered fever dream with an aesthetic that is ragged, hypnotic and spacey, its two side-long pieces touch on minimalism, kraut-infused dub and euphoric dance floor optimism. As comfortable being played after Manuel Göttschings E2-E4 as right before a Terekke lo-fi house anthem, it is laced with the melancholy of an early morning post-rave comedown. Yet for all the references and name-checking, it's a record that is hard to compare to anything else, past or present.



BIOGRAPHY



Jack Allett works as a producer in London and has been active for many years as an experimental guitar player, releasing a solo record on Blackest Rainbow and collaborating with UK avant-guitar player Cam Deas. The Object Isn't There was written, recorded, and mixed in Camberwell and Camden, London, UK. 2012-2016.



INFO



This record is about - insofar as instrumental music need be about anything - hallucinations. The title The Object Isn't There serves as a concise definition, derived from the quote 'An hallucination is a strictly sensational form of consciousness, as good and true a sensation as if there were a real object there. The object happens to be not there, that is all.' (William James, The Principles Of Psychology, 1890)



Having experienced constant tinnitus - a form of auditory hallucination - for the last 13 years, Jack has long questioned the distinction of something experienced as being either there or not-there. Even if, strictly speaking, an hallucination is something that's not there, if the reality of how it affects day-to-day existence is undeniable then to any extent that matters, it is there. But The Object Isn't There is no tale of woe, nor simply a response to this one condition, and tinnitus need not be considered only as distressing or distracting. Allett sees it merely as one example of many things in life that cross this uncertain terrain:



There are obvious parallels here with the notion of active listening. There is room for emotion too, particularly the kind of overwhelming, -all-consuming emotion that, once it fades, is hard to believe was actually how you felt. Essentially the music here is concerned with being overwhelmed by a sensation, never really being sure to what extent you are conjuring it up yourself, to what extent it exists independently of you, but ultimately deciding that it doesn't much matter; the sensation itself was undeniable.

— Jack Allett

A swirling haze with a plenitude of sounds bobbing to it's surface it's a heartfelt

On this new EP, DJJ's trademark jagged take on filtered French house is still present, but with Chicago bump, techno and more random elements thrown in for good measure.I Keep Trying To Convince Myself is the tougher, more rugged and even funkier cousin to DJJ's hotly-hyped 2016 summer anthem just a lil. Chi house meets soca in this carnivalesque new classic, which hits the perfect spot between sweetness and dirt.Yn Y Ty is fast, jerky funk and almost a new genre in itself. Both melancholy and pumping, think DJ Rush meets the Tetris theme in an oddball, groovy-as-hell work of genius.The cut-up, loopy loops and tough, tribal beats on Apilli are deranged in a good way and - as with the rest of the EP - demonstrate a quirkiness and subtle humour akin to Basement Jaxx's early golden period.A big sample drives the jacking, sweaty, glitz of Upsqwar's warped take on handbag, which channels the spirit of Modjo and features a ponderous, almost chiptune melody drifting subtly over the top.The EP closes with the Greek flavoured stomper Glas, which wouldn't sound out of place on Richie Hawtin's 1999 mix album Decks, EFX & 909. This new EP is first release since jus a lil for Crazylegs, which gained high praise from NPR, Resident Advisor, Indie Shuffle, Mixmag, Dummy, Hyponik and FACT - who commissioned a video and coined the tongue-in-cheek genre name 'outsider Ibiza'. Comparisons have been made to Thomas Bangalter, Alan Braxe, Todd Edwards and David Morales - albeit a skewed reinterpretation. Like the punks' assimilation of rock and roll, DJJ's fresh and irreverent take on highlights from dance music history make for some of the most exciting sounds since Daft Punk's first forays.Although distorted and with lowered bit-rates, to call theses tracks 'low fi' is to do them a disservice, as DJJ's manipulation of frequencies, distortion and samples is deceptively simple yet not easily matched. There's a mastery of sonics and leftfield sensibility at play, akin to fellow EQ tweakers Heiroglyphic Being, Aphex Twin and Adrian Sherwood.DJJ is a member of the Bristol-based label/collective Crazylegs, alongside artists including Gage, Sudanim, Finn (all of whom remixed just a lil). He's also one half of ISLAND, whose grime-flavoured Nokia EP was release in 2015 - also on Crazylegs.

One bloody Subhead style techno side and one big Hardcore /tribe mid-tempo old school banger... well both sides are fat on the compo and fat on the sound... Dancefloor pagan system !

When it's time... it's 11H11, 07H07 or 23H23. This concept is the concept ofthe 23H23 sery... Mental tribe sound and hardtek dancefloor.

Deathchant Dancefloor style with one side in the UK hardcore spirit and one side more in the franchcore influence... 2 loud cutted tunes !!!

Following on from our previous Gladys Knights & The Pips 12" ('Love Is Always On My Mind'/'Bourgie Bourgie' Cat No: DISCO115) it gives us great pleasure to re-issue her most expensive and in-demand 12" - the Canadian only Walter Gibbons remix of "It's A Better Than Good Time" backed with the full version of "Saved By The Grace Of Your Love".

This is a legendary and super-rare 12" which was only ever issued in Canada and has become something of a holy grail for serious dance music collectors over the years.

A decent condition copy will currently set you back £300+ and that's only if you're lucky enough to find one! it's a Gibbons master-class like you know he can.

Fully remastered on limited edition 180 gram heavyweight vinyl.

After Nick Holder and Enrico Mantini, Deep & Roll strikes harder
with the upcoming first release by P.U.M.P., including 3 cuts of
underground House Music.
On Side A, Denial' starts seriously with a strict beat on a weird
synth line, a driving bass and that hypnotic vocal. You Got Me
Burnin'' will revive your soul vibes with some old school drums and
vocals on top of jazzy sampled instruments.
B side features Finish Already', heavy floor filler that we don't mind
keeping bouncin' on and on.
Can't wait to spread this dope wax on the dancefloors !

Professor Rhythm is the production moniker of South African music man Thami Mdluli. Throughout the 1980's, Mdluli was member of chart-topping groups Taboo and CJB, playing bubblegum pop to stadiums. Mdluli became an in-demand producer for influential artists (like Sox and Sensations, among many others) and in-house producer for important record companies like Eric Frisch and Tusk. During the early '80s, Mdluli projects usually featured an instrumental dance track. These hot instrumentals became rather popular. Fans demanded to hear more of these backing tracks without vocals, he says, so Mdluli began to make solo instrumental albums in 1985 as Professor Rhythm. He got the name before the recordings began, from fans, and positive momentum from audiences and other musicians drove him to invest himself in a full-on solo project. It was the era just before the end of apartheid and house music hadn't taken over yet. There wasn't instrumental electronic music yet in South Afric a. As the '80s came to a close, that was about to change. Professor Rhythm productions mirror the evolution of dance music in South Africa. They grew out of the bubblegum mold - which itself stems from band's channeling influences like Kool & the Gang and the Commodores - into something based on music for the club. His early instrumental recordings First Time Around and Professor 3 mostly distilled R&B, mbaqanga and bubblegum grooves into vocal-less pieces for the dance floor. Musically, these were a success and commercially the albums all went gold. There were countless bubblegum albums flooding the marketplace, with nearly disposable vocalists backed by mostly similar-sounding rhythm tracks. Most of the lyrical content was light and apolitical. But the keyboards used formed the musical basis for what would come next. By the time Professor 4 and this recording Bafana Bafana - the name references South Africa's national soccer team - were released in the mid-1990s, k waito had fully emerged. Access to instruments and freedom of expression helped its rise in influence among youth. According to Mdluli, "Once Mandela was released from prison and people felt more free to express themselves and move around town, kwaito was becoming the thing." Lyrically, kwaito championed the local township lingo while adapting "international music," house music, into the local context. "International Music," as house music and early kwaito were interchangeably known, in many ways reflects the sounds coming from America. But South Africans made it their own. Today, the largest part of the music industry is occupied by house music and its relatives.

Mnestic Pressure' is Lee Gamble's first album since 2014 and his first with Hyperdub, a reset that sees a noticeable change in his sound and the concepts that feed into his music. Lee says 'From Diversions 1994-1996' (2012) through to Koch' (2014) - my music felt like I was dealing with signals from elsewhere - signals from the unconscious, sub-aqua, hallucinated, dreamt. Mnestic Pressure' feels like their decoded offspring, a terra interpretation.' The title Mnestic Pressure' comes from Lee's thinking about how our contemporary memory is pressured, individually, but also collectively. 'We live in these strobing, visual times, like a constant subliminal advertisement but, also over the last few years the world seems to have become more and more dreamlike, alien, and parodic itself and there was this part of me that wanted to drag my music back from this Shangri-La, but fully drenched and infected by its ghosts.' Mnestic Pressure' as a whole is a simulation of this experience, a flow of targeted information, through contrasting and quickly changing terrain, from one track to another you're dragged into a new space. The pressure to move is intrinsic to the flow of the album, one thing morphologically transforms into another, zooming in and out from wide angle to detail, reshaping into new forms at a speed Lee's music hasn't before. The music on Mnestic Pressure' has a hardness, with a structure and melody that was sublimated in Lee's previous LPs. It builds on his more recent experiments with more functional dancefloor forms. Here his hypermodern production and crunchy, dissembled beats feel like they could be malfunctioning holograms projected onto the hallucinated memories of his early work.

In 2005, a new zoo opened in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its wild animals have been going bananas in their quest to create a more dancefloor-friendly world. Now released, the zoo residents can be tracked by their heavy funk smells. Follow their scent past retro-psychedelia and turn left after organic garage.

"Released!" is the debut album by Kind & Kinky Zoo. It is a collection of brand new tracks, early singles as well as remixes and features a guest apperance by rapper Afu-Ra.

Kind & Kinky Zoo are:

Flute : Olivier Bill

Bass & Fuzz: Pierre-Henri Beyrière

Keys : Marc Siegenthaler

Drums & Percussions: Sylvain Rütti

Wonderwheel is happy to welcome in Montreal based producer & don dada Poirier for his first release on the label, the "Be Alright" EP. Moving away from the traditional dancehall, dub and soca sounds he's become known for, Poirier delivers a 4 track of Afro-House influenced dancefloor firestarters. "Sowia" heads to South East Africa with it's floating guitar hooks, big bassline, and vocals in Portugese from Canadian-Moçambican singer Samito. "Ginobili" goes into deeper territory with four to the floor drums, heavily chopped percussion, and a hypnotizing distorted Mbira line, while "Camera" continues the tropical vibe with a nod to Semba with it's driving guitar lines, staccato synth lines and thumping drums. "Antilles Trax" rounds it out as the extended instrumental version of "Sowia".

2022 Repress

HQ Gatefold, 3x12 140g Vinyl, black innersleeve, download code
EXTRAWELT are back! Although in fairness, they were never gone. On the contrary, since their first release on James Holden's Border Community Label dropped in 2005, Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe have been responsible for a plethora of classics including "Schöne Neue Extrawelt" and "In Aufruhr", their two seminal albums on Cocoon Recordings. The duo are one of the most booked live acts worldwide, commanding a huge fan base. Their performances are the stuff of legend, making them the absolute highlight at every club and festival they play. So it's with great pride and respect, that we can announce the release of Extrawelt's third album for Cocoon Recordings. "Fear Of An Extra Planet" completes the Cocoon trilogy and the excitement growing among their fans represents a new high in the history of EXTRAWELT!
Musically, of course, there's enormous pressure on EXTRAWELT to deliver, but this is dismissed with a playful disregard and they are clearly focused on the job in hand. The album title "Fear Of An Extra Planet" sounds cinematic, like some art-house science fiction film, without giving too much away.
However, from the first seconds of the opening track "Superposition", the album title makes 100% sense and sets the scene for the rest of the trip. We are immersed in wide open spaces and invited to explore dark and dusky worlds that transport us back to their Border Community years. Timeless and elegant, "Superposition" perfectly captures the epic, dream like quality that made James Holden's label so influential.
New Release Information Second up, "Gott ist Schrott" takes a much more minimalist approach with its retro 80s drum programming, monster bass lurking in the breaks and playful Rhodes/synth riffs that span the divide between early German techno and deep Detroit electro with a distinctive film soundtrack aesthetic. "Oddification" continues this theme, adding extra spice reminiscent of the techno-synth vibe of Detroit with a punchy, almost Prodigy-style breakbeat complete with shredded vocal samples that gives us a taste of what's in store. "Gentle Venom" then takes the breakbeat motif to the next stage. The main focus here is the classy sprinter of a bassline, peppered with a flurry of intricate and subtle effects and modulations, that immediately trigger an intense, movie-like 'in pursuit' feeling.
With - Das Grosse Flimmern" we cautiously approach the album's high point. It's still in keeping with the soundtrack aesthetics, but faster and with more urgency. Almost hypnotically, Extrawelt invade us with an energy and impetus that always radiates from their music. Next in line is "Silly Idol" and here Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe opt again for a more minimal tack, focusing even more intensely on the dance floor to reveal a pulsing, twisted heart to the album.
"Punch The Dragon" is the hidden gem of the collection, utilising and melting together the most bombastic and playful elements. This one is totally off the hook, a sensory overload in an acoustic widescreen format! Then we have the title track "Fear Of An Extra Planet" which perfectly sums up the album concept. It opens up like a film score, with minimal passages following dark sequences that morph into dreamy melodies, all grounded by cool, constantly alternating analogue drum patterns. If you're not listening closely, you might get the impression that three or four different titles are mixed together; such is the effortless flow of the album.
As we near our destination, "The Friendly Coroner" really does honour its name. The morbid charm of the title is captured by a fluid bassline and melodic arrangements that border on the absurd, until the funky drum beat finally drops. In our mind's eye we see a cheerful medical doctor removing his bloody gloves, hanging his smock in the closet and vibing out in his neon drenched workspace. And there we sit, glued to our cinema seat, submerged in the different textures EXTRAWELT have conjured up on "Fear Of An Extra Planet". Over the course of the last title, the strings usher in the final acknowledgments as the credits roll. The dramatic end of "2084" leaves us transfixed in front of a black screen in a large, dark room safe in the knowledge that we've just witnessed a science fiction epic.

Earth Patterns is a new journey into sound by London based Australian born musician Ben Davidson, best known for his disco tinged house singles as Ben Sun, that were championed by the likes of Gerd Janson and Larry Heard.

The Earth Patterns concept presents a more expanded instrumental sound with live rhythm sequencing and synth work, sitting alongside Vangelis Katsoulis, Lars Bartkuhn and Soichi Terada on Alex Bradley's Utopia Records.

Davidson joins the dots between Detroit by way of Tokyo techno on 'Sunflower' to Dream II Science deepness on 'Horus Rising' and some worldly organic rhythms for a modernist and dare we say it Utopian sound on 'After The Rain'.
The analogue sound from his London studio comes through on the gentle and harmonic B-side opener 'Transit Pan', perhaps the start of a journey beyond the dance floor for the producer.

Artwork and liner notes by Davidson himself, all pressed by bespoke pressing plant The Vinyl Factory on heavyweight vinyl.

Backstock

With Situational Awareness, post-punk legends Crash Course In Science deliver a ten track album consisting entirely of brand new material. The songs on Situational Awareness sound crisp and ultra-fresh, while the band from Philadelphia, USA, maintains their distinctive DIY sound created by toys, kitchen appliances and self-built synths. Far beyond new wave, the music is experimental and danceable at the same time - science and art, together hand in hand.

The third instalment of our Versus series see's the return of two previously featured artists plus some super fresh blood. Croydon's king of darkness Paragon comes with
more seriously dark vibes with 'Dominions'. Acid Lab makes his second Versus appearance with the beautiful
'Can't Run'. The don of Haunted Science Amsterdam
chapter Transient bring some dark techno atmosphere's with his epic 'Scripture' and label owner Soul Intent finishes the Volume Three off with a straight up dancefloor roller called 'Bite It'.

Optimo Music is delighted to release a first album by Fantastic Twins (formerly known as The Twins). We'll let them tell you the story behind this inspired and beguiling record -
Obakodomo (Au Balcon Du Monde) is a soundtrack I created for a piece of contemporary dance, performed by two dancers for a young audience from the age of 4. It is the story of an imaginary journey in Antartica where two explorers go on an adventure. They encounter a colony of penguins and will progressively learn to understand their habits and respect their environment. Essentially, Au Balcon Du Monde is a metaphor of how to exist next to each other, how to share a territory, how to learn to live together and share resources.
The scenography and stage accessories were designed in a minimalistic and non-obvious form to leave all the space for imagination. The penguins were made of translucent material to provide light effects and were programmed to move in a swaying motion, allowing interaction with the dancers and the music. LED system could be wireless piloted.
With the soundtrack, I wanted to create an atmosphere that would immediately transport the children into this terra nova - a poetical space, like a cold sphere, where the strange meets the frightening and the playful. Translating the immense vs the small, the far-off vs the near, the collective vs the individual, the strange vs the familiar or the cold vs the heat. My intention was to follow the thread of the story in a narrative, yet non-caricatural way. Music for children doesn't have to be 'childish'. Children love to be scared or even just challenged. They love to love and react instantly to what they hear through their emotions. Ultimately, the soundtrack aims to provide different levels of 'reading' so that it becomes something more universal. So we, adults, just have to accept the invitation.

For our 13th release, Subaltern is proud to present a selection of various artists compiled on one record - different styles of sound, blending together like a Kaleidoscope... For the avid vinyl junkies the first 300 copies have been pressed with locked grooves from each artist and come in a full colour sleeve.

* Alter: Opening the release is Japanese producer Helktram, who debuts on Subaltern with a relentless hypnotic roller. Distorted drums and percussive interludes complete this banger, which has proven to mash up the dance every time.

* Fibers: Being the only resident Subaltern artist on the release, D-Operation Drop doesn't fail to prove why they have returned to Subaltern yet again with this trippy masterpiece.

* Bomb: German producer ILL_K makes his first appearance on the imprint with this mighty stomper. "Bomb" is probably the most accurate title this powerful tune could have been given.

* Landfall: The only collaborative track of the EP, - Landfall' concludes the record in style - dark and eerie atmospheres mark the signature sound of German producer Shu and Belgian producer Zygos.

Alongside De Gama, Pierandrea The Professor aka Les Inferno is the man behind the much-loved Samosa imprint. A DJ for over 30 years, 'The Professor' is well known in his native Italy as a true vinyl connoisseur, a fact that's no doubt attributable to a seventy-thousand strong vinyl collection.

And so it is that he pipes up with the label's latest. Under his Les Inferno alias, Pierandrea concocts two classic jams (and two neat interpretations of each). A full-scale disco explosion, the EP is a treat for fans of sun-kissed house, the likes of which is sure to win plaudits from DJs such as Prosumer, Hunee and Ben UFO.

The action kicks off courtesy of the original Everything I Do'. Produced with an obscure disco sample at its core, it's a dreamy anthem with roots that will speak to fans of vintage Loft records especially. Effortlessly simple but devilishly catchy, it's the perfect tonic with which to help ease the autumn blues. The 'breakdown'

version strips the original of its vocals, allowing the drums to take centre stage alongside its gorgeous melodies.

On the flip, What Do You Think' goes even funkier still, with its dancefloor prowess epitomised by a vocal that wouldn't sound of place in Paradise Garage. A truly momentous record, it's sure to unleash pandemonium on any DJ it's allowed to let loose on. If you're after something similar but without the campness of the original,
there's a dub version that ought to do the trick. A stunning release throughout.

Excise is a vinyl-focused label based out of San Francisco, California. Each release pairs a regional Californian techno artist and a local visual artist, thus serving as a platform to fuse the two local creative scenes. Its first release features label co-owner Muon with 3 hypnotic raw analog tracks. Many of these tracks received heavy play time in the San Francisco underground, and now are seeing a broader release for the first time.

Artist biography:

US based artist, Muon (real name Marc Kelechava) spent his formative musical years in Brooklyn, NYC, but has resided in Northern California since 2013. His initial release on Excise is an attempt to combine hypnotic synth work with heavier dance floor elements: music to get lost to.

As a DJ, he now co-manages the iconic Direct to Earth crew, which started as an Oakland underground rave in 2011. The group's primary goal is to help bring international stars to the San Francisco community for the first time. This year alone they've hosted (or will host) Phase, Cosmin TRG, Yan Cook, Ansome, Marla Singer, and Ben Sims. Muon's an opening mainstay with his hypno-aggressive mixing work.

Berlin based Mannequin Records pushes out some proper Industrial/EBM bangers. Raised in Pescara on the Adriatic Coast and ow based in Frankfurt am Main Antonio Barbetta is debuting on Death of the Machines as Raw Ambassador.
The heavy four track ep is created to burn every dancefloor with full Industrial vibes and a lot of EBM influences, giving us a small insight into his violent and rough sound. Antonio is also running the Smashing Tape record label, with releases from Violet Poison, Innsyter, DJ Loser and Delivery. TIP!!!

Autotomy is a collaboration between Belgium's Sleeperhold Publications, Brooklyn-based musician Patricia (Max Ravitz) and the Dutch artist Louis Reith. This output is the result of a long process of contemplation, discussion and elimination which gave us a record that encapsulates both Patricia's sense for hardware production and dance floor rawness. Describing this release is not a simple task. So we'll just tell it like it is: it's a record that slows down and, in this process, reveals its mystery. Referencing the title of this release, wunderkind Max Ravitz seems to provide the listener with the possibility of transformation, a way to shed part of your own being.When running though the tracks, one discovers the essentials of Patricia's sound architecture: the presence of lightness, of longing, mixed with the ability to deny it in the next instant. Sonically, there's a careful balance in these productions that belies their fundamental function as body music. It's ambient yet danceable, approachable despite it's often deconstructed layout, and ultimately warm and inviting.The entire record is made using Ravitz collection of hardware, which gives it its uncompromising texture. The presence of kicks, beats and soundscapes does not originate from a clean digital source but from a physical action, an excerpt of movement, a tick of the human hand. It is floating versus rhythmical movement, visceral versus strict. But above all, it is alive.The artwork used for Autotomy's sleeve design and the etching on the B-side was provided by Louis Reith. (All three tracks feature on the record's A-side.) Just as Patricia, Reith tries to resist technology in favour of physical and craft-based media, though the contrast between digital and analog is always present.Dutch artist Louis Reith produces works through a variety of different media, ranging from collages to wood sculptures, to paper objects and ink on paper works, always keeping an interest in simple abstract shapes and their combination. With an interest in materiality Louis resurrects found footage and creates new landscapes of shape and color, celebrating the human hand at work. Deliberate compositions form an illegible visual language where hidden words are portrayed as abstract sculptures.Reith also co-runs Jordskred, an independent publishing company worth checking out.Ravitz certainly is unstoppable and releases in a relentless and uncompromising fashion.Besides many collaborative projects with an array of artists (released under monikers such as Masks, Pulpo, Inhalants, DSR.MR...) he's released music on labels like Opal Tapes, L.I.E.S., Russian Torrent Versions, Ghostly Intl.,... 2017 has been quite a year for him so far. He not only founded his own imprint, Active Cultures, but also released a triple LP. Ghostly Intl. describes the release as a 'kaleidoscopic, a multi-faceted techno trip' and we couldn't agree more.

Sparse and reflective, the Chicago native's work occupies a curious space on the periphery of the Techno genre. By stripping back the music to all but its most vital elements - most notably the Sequence, but at the same time maintaining a sense of urgency in its articulation, Litüus crafts exquisite, ghostly shadows of busier, more fleshed out material. Neither intro nor outro, but rather suspended in some middling point of formation - what remains is a remarkably pure examination of minimalist, experimental synthesis.

The enigmatic producer first appeared on the label with19805.-19905 - a collection of reduced hardware sequences released on cassette and 12" in 2015 and 2236 s Wentworth ave continues in much the same vein, though perhaps exploring a marginally more traditionally 'musical' sentiment. Nods to 1970's sound designer Irv Teibel's Environments series sit alongside more overtly contemporary structures, and the mood shifts gently across the recordings - from a low slung, pulsing anxiety to a gentler serenity via heavily ring modulated bells and spring reverbs, softly warping percussion and careful bandpass filtering.

Litüus creates music that is geared neither towards home listening nor the dance floor, but that exists somewhere in between - quite where exactly remains part of the the artist's undeniable allure.

After nearly half a decade since their monumental Make It Good, DJ Tennis and Fink re-collide on !K7. Inspired, recent studio sessions have bore two breathing, sonic landscapes, entitled Certain Angles. Glimmering pianos, droning machines and captivating songwriting take form, wrapping the Berlin-based singer's voice in subtle melancholy. Both humbly understated, yet party-ready, Certain Angles perfectly summarises the Life and Death founder's recent etching in the DJ Kicks stone. DJ Tennis has also called on four of his most trusted allies to reinterpret the 12', with four digital-only remixes: The/Das deliver a pensive moment of bubbling body music. Francesco Leali appears with a timeless, genre-bending re-perception as OPUS 3000. Lee Jones salutes the faithful dancers. Mentrist's unclassifiable excursion challenges the towering borders of techno.

Greenlight by DJ Manny is the fifth release from TEKLIFE Records. This 10 trackLP is a masterclass in footwork production by one of TEKLIFE's leading figures. Born and raised in Harvey on the South-Side of Chicago, DJ Manny has been footworking since the age of ten. The Footwork sound has developed in unison with the dance style that accompanies it, and Manny embodies this synergy.DJ Manny is without doubt one of the best dancers on the scene, harnessing control, grace and power in every movement. So when he steps into the studio, he knows instinctively how to create tracks that make you want to move your feet.Instead of relying on chopped up samples, DJ Manny is more inclined to pickup the microphone himself, and this gives Greenlight an original and individual personality.On the opening track titled Way you Move, his flow is soulful and almost vergingon melodic. His laid back drawl sounds equally great on club bangers like Life in This Bitch and If U Want It. As a young man, DJ Manny was the protégé of the late great DJ Rashad, and Rashad's influence reverberates through classic - sounding footwork tracks like Boop Me Down and I'll Hurt Ya Baby.Elsewhere on Greenlight, DJ Manny explores different moods to great effect.Ghost Out is atmospheric and menacing, with a sparse, minimal rhythm and fearsome lowend pulsing through siren synths. Life In This Bitch is a defiant statement of self-affirmation, and Zancrash feat. DJ Taye is uplifting and dreamy,with complex rhythmic patterns evocative of vintage jungle records.DJ Taye makes a significant contribution to this record, collaborating with DJ Manny on 5 productions including the title track. A fellow TEKLIFE squad member, Taye is a highly accomplished producer in his own right, Expect to hear more from him very soon on HYPERDUB Records. Greenlight also features guest appearances from DJ Lucky, Gant-Man and Sucia.

Somne debuts on Just This.
The Italian producer, whose real name is Federico Maccherone, presents his first release of 2017 - a solo EP marrying the same ethereal, wide-angle synthesis and intricate drum programming that appears on standout work for Boddika's Nonplus imprint and the Afterlife label. More than ever, Maccherone shows his range - rolling, meditative recordings sit comfortably alongside some more overtly dance floor material, with both approaches bound by the same high-end production values listeners and DJ's alike have come to expect from the Somne project.
In various ways, the EP offers a certain degree of insight into Maccherone's dual identity as a producer of both clinical, dance-floor fare as well as a cerebral, leftfield work - and in turn, how the artist draws together these two strands of creative endeavour to craft unique and profoundly emotive electronic music. Nods to classic IDM and Ambient sit at the periphery of the recordings, although the main focus is on the propulsive, contemporary Techno derivatives - from warping, half-time opener Divided Love, with its crisp, white noise washes and clinical use of distortion - through to Endgame's exacting, peak-time drive. And whilst the form shifts across the EP from half-time, polyrhythmic work to more direct 4x4 compositions - everything remains bound by the same exquisite, otherworldly atmosphere that touches on the grandiose whilst maintaining a gloriously introspective bent.
Balance comes across as a principle theme on the record, both in terms of production aesthetic and track sequencing, but there is a wonderful contrast between the elements - with the sounds ringing strong and true. The two versions of lead Metropolis that perhaps appear to illustrate in the best way the powerful dichotomy within Maccherone's work, with the A side version conjuring up a distinctly brooding sentiment - a quintessential example of rolling, contemporary Electronica, whilst the Alternate Mix of the B side offers a more direct, cathartic interpretation - expertly executed for maximum dance-floor effectiveness.
Mature and accomplished, Metropolis is a fine addition to the growing Somne discography. The record paints a picture of a producer in full control of his art, definitely working to create a powerful three-dimensional space of his own within the genre.

Very LIMITED album discs available now:

This is the first album Oscar Mulero has released under his own name, after two acclaimed LPs under the moniker Trolley Route. Well known for his skills as a hard-edged, raw and floor-orientated techno dj, his productions go far beyond, digging deep into the intricate landscape of intelligent techno, floating moods, reminiscent atmospheres, harmony and detail.

Grey Fades To Green is the affirmation of his maturity as a producer, using both hardware and software in the pursuit of a highly coherent and diverse album.

The concept is split into two parts: The Grey and The Green, each one with its own character. The first part is rougher and meant for the dance floor, although pays full attention to detail and complexity. The second part is quieter, has a slower pace and is best enjoyed at home.

In The Green Oscar goes deep into the intellectual side of techno music and is heavily influenced by the post rave sound emerging from the UK in the nineties: Aphex Twin, Gescom, B12, Plaid, Autechre.. but with a contemporary approach.

This part of the album brings you melodies, harmonies, endless atmospheres, and hours of studio work. Each sound has been carefully constructed, nothing is left to chance: Every stereo panning, every change to the synth's parameters has been meticulously designed for your listening pleasure; just what you want when you listen to techno on headphones. Futuristic music made with the utmost care.

The Green starts with 'Letters From Madrid', a dreamy and melancholy track, where an introspective melody leads to a slow-building drumbeat. Broken rhythms and distorted drums go side by side with the piano riffs and analogue bleeps: intelligent techno by definition.

'Dreams of Happiness' is a sci-fi soundtrack where pads and the different atmospheres are the main stars, and where subliminal drums add flow to this tune from outer space.

'After All' departs from calm dreamy territories with its grounded beat, complex 303 programming and micro synth sounds. A track which is as good for listening at home as it is for the dance floor.

'The Darker Days' uses a similar formula. Slow bpm, fat drums and weird 303 lines that make infinite layers of sound.

Native Response returns with another 12-inch record with NR002: Shaman Among The Machines by Deltitnu.
Deltitnu is a homegrown Native Response project, debuting with three tracks that all share a certain feeling of mystery, accompanied by a steady grooving remix by Roger Gerressen. A1 is titled Sorry , a sweet and sincere record, that starts off with lyrical pianos drifting into space, while elegant drum machine rhythms build up more and more, developing a more club ready feel. This one is easy to lose yourself into, as the song progresses into vulnerable pads and a vocal stating Sorry, symbolising an apology from us humans to planet earth, for all we ve done. Continuing on to A2 Shaman Among The Machines we find ourselves in a whole different spectrum of the EP. It s hard to define where the kick ends and the bassline begins. A whole oozing of bass covers your body, and a miraculous atmosphere embraces you while the song effortlessly develops into a peaktime killer track. It moves on to a sexy acid line and playful drum rhythms on top, that when you think you almost understand them, they turn around again and show they were fooling around with you all along.
Flipping over the record; we start off with B1: Foundation Was Laid.
This meditative and hypnotising record shows that techno doesn t always have to be dark and dystopian. First of all the disco bass supported by the 303 massages the listener into a mindstate ready to take off. Once you re ready the atmospherical pads will take over and move you deeper into the comforting ambience of the track. The drums keep you grounded all the time, making sure no energy is lost on the dancefloor. Foundation Was Laid represents the start of the record label, Native Response. We conclude with B2, the Roger Gerressen Response of Shaman Among The Machines. Roger Gerressen does what he does best; giving the record a dubby and groovy spin.
He more or less adapts the qualities of a chameleon, resulting in a track that easily blends into the groove of the night, at any timeslot.

A split single featuring Washington, D.C.'s Escape-Ism and Light Beams. The digital
download in- cludes an extra track by each band.

Escape-ism is called "the found-sound-dream-drama," "the grieving widow of rock 'n' roll" , the "press play and run away group", the strrrripped down sound machine starring Ian Svenonius, star of Chain & the Gang, singer in The Make Up, author of 'Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group.' Its a single occupancy combo, a one banana bunch, the gestural rock 'n' roll provocation which combines cave person poetry with beats and melody translated incorrectly from hieroglyphs found in arch-pharaoh Cheops' triangle shaped record collection. Escape-ism is a bid at inciting long- ing for a past behind an IRON CURTAIN, and hope for a future in flames. Escape-ism -- hear it, fear it, cheer it.'

Light Beams began in 2015 when Justin Moyer (Puff Pieces) -- influenced by 80s-era freestyle music and Sheila E. -- started playing sampler and timbales with Sam Lavine, the longtime drummer of D.C. hip-hop mainstays the Cornel West Theory. With the addition of bassist Arthur Noll the result- ing polyrhythmic melange, sometimes called "zap-tone" or "block rock," reinvents late-20th century dance-pop using the tools of the 21st.

You could be forgiven for thinking Basso's been hitting the plant food of late. Last time out we took a trip with Trance, and now our esoteric expert nods his head, rolls his shoulders and drops a h-h-h-house record on our unexpecting asses. That's right folks, roll up the rug, push the sofa back and enjoy some ‚Personal Growth' from James Booth.
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Operating a million miles away from the kick and hiss of the trendy lo-fi folks, the Berlin based producer favours subtle rhythms, delicate textures and tender melodies - turning out a string of sophisticated dance floor winners for 100% Silk, Church and No Bad Days. Now he brings his organic house stylings to the Growing Bin with a fresh five-tracker packed with all the warmth of a Tempelhof picnic on a balmy July afternoon.

Emerging from the watery depths of the Drexciyan ocean, opener ‚Mood' strides calmly through the morning dew, stretching those loose limbs and seeking out Hardcastle's rainforest. Drifting freely
through immersive, aquatic pads and soft focus melodies, the track takes in a little R&R before snapping electro percussion, cascading synthlines and a rolling rhythm up the intensity. The deepness continues on the A2 as ‚Dream Precipitation' offers a medicated vision of Debussy doing P-Bar while Lynch rolls the cameras. Syncopated hi-hats, jazzy keys and star-gazing sine waves wrap themselves around your cerebellum, expanding your mind as a steady kick moves your body into the pleasure zone. Booth takes a Derren Brown tip on the flip, imbuing ‚You' with the kind of mesmeric rhythm that can make the staunchest wallflower pull a Pink Panther on a packed dance floor. The exotic tumble of woody percussion and hissing castanets keep up a fascinating rhythm, driving the titular mantra and snaking synth melody through bursts of slapped bass and subtle 4/4. ‚Dhoop Stick' stays on board with the boogie hypnotism, weaving its way through celestial melodies, squelching bass and toasty Rhodes before ‚The Chorus' brings down the curtain with wailing FM vox, military snares and the dreamy synth pop charm of a lost Sheffield classic. Warm, woody and entirely organic, this is the birth of Green House...you heard it here first!
(words by Patrick Ryder)

After a two year hiatus, Kiani returns to his Far Out Systems alias for this EP, his first offering for a label outside of his own Tanzbar Records.

Thomas Neyens first left his mark on the dance scene under his alias Kiani & His Legion, with two releases on Red D's We Play House Recordings in 2013 and more recently on Something Happening Somewhere, quickly demonstrating his accomplished production flair. This led the Belgian establishing his own imprint, Tanzbar Records, where he dropped two EPs under his Far Out Radio Systems moniker - bringing a more 'dancefloor focused' sound. Now after a two year hiatus, Neyens returns to his Far Out Systems alias for this EP, his first offering for a label outside of Tanzbar Records.

'Spheres' kicks off the release, with its soft bassline perfectly complimenting the hazy synths, syncopated drums and the mesmerising nuances from the hang drum that feature later in the track. The slow burning style continues on 'Jane Goodall', with the track's atmospheric textures gradually overpowered by a steady selection of drums, percussion and off-kilter effects. 'Vaquita' sees Far Out Radio Systems up the tempo whilst still sonically retaining the melancholy, hypnotic sound of the EP, as the snare-led rhythm gradually gains in momentum over its seven minute duration. Closing this excellent four track EP is 'On A Quest', a pulsating number that combines soaring, ethereal synths with a club ready groove that is perfect for the shadowy dancefloors the Belgian DJ/producer performs to.



DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from

Joris Voorn: Great atmospheric EP!
Blawan: really nice stuff here ! really like Vaquita
DJ Deep: nice release
Aera (Innervisions): Vaquita is a real beauty!
Baikal: whole release is dope. big fan of kiani. big up.
Norman Nodge (Berghain): "On A Quest" sounds promising!
Richie Hawtin: downloaded for r hawtin
Ripperton: Great EP every track get something! Thanks!
Âme (Kristian): thanks
Red D (We Play House): Needless to say I have preordered this one on vinyl ;-) 'On A Quest' is gonna be the one for me. It's got that Kiani-going-emotional vibe I dig so much.
Anthony Collins: Jane goodall track is tight !
Nuno Dos Santos: ah sweeet thanx man!
Brothers' Vibe: Solid pieces, def support!

Andre Bratten was born in Oslo and grew up in a suburb of the Norwegian capital, which borders on the deep, dark Scandinavian forest. Like most kids in the late 1990s, he was bitten by the hiphop bug, but he also got turned on by the Led Zeppelin records he picked out from his father's record collection. He's broadminded enough to be into everything from the Norwegian electronica masters Røyksopp to Metro Area, Sigur Rós, Eno, Cluster and Weather Report. Currently dwelling in the heart of the city, his efforts with the synthesizer coincided with a huge boom in Norwegian electronic music, his productions recently came to the attention of Norwegian 'cosmic disco' mogul Prins Thomas and his Full Pupp colony. Andre's tracks share the exploratory vibe of the 80s synth pop pioneers, and misfit electronic pop musicians like John Foxx, who were forced learning to sculpt new sounds with new tools. Yet he updates those sounds to a contemporary rhythm matrix, in parallel with the dayglo analogue dance music of Lindstrøm, Todd Terje and Prins Thomas himself - and he just happens to share the central Oslo studio space used by that glorious trinity. But Andre has always known his own mind and was never going to be content with being just another anonymous insect in the logpile. So his debut album, Be A Man You Ant, is a string individual statement, his 'I am Spartacus!' moment. It computes almost infinite variations on the sounds he could extract from a single modular synthesizer - 'the limitations are inspiring', he says. So you'll find squelchy bugs in the bassbin, weird analogue squeegee smears, bright drum machine splats and the occasional significant pause. The spaces in his music are at least as important as what fills it.

ick Lenoir and Larry Thompson aka Black Traxx dropped several volumes of their own brand of chopped up Disco sampling, deeper side of House. From 1991 through to 1994 the Black Traxx EP's were showing up in record stores, obviously giving respectful nods to other Chicago DJ's and producers the tracks included on the EP's contained a DIY spirit and rawness that were key ingredients. Lenoir, with the technical assistance of Gary 'Jackmaster' Wallace has revisited these classic releases for 2017 and the pair have turned in some special, exclusive extended versions of some of the highlights from the series.
This, the second sampler of Black Traxx cuts culled from the various volumes picks up nicely where part 1 left us off. If it's that raw, deep, basement Chicago House sound you're after then these guys have you covered. Kicking off with the 1993 remix of 'Dreamin' which is a sublime late night organ driven groover, this one ticks all the boxes if you dig that NY / NJ Garage sound, but with a Chi-town twist! 'Soul' is up next, lifted from 1993's 'The Soul Package' collection. A stripped back, vocal led jam steeped in atmosphere. This one is for the dancers for sure, no nonsense House music for heads and hips.
Flip it over and the B-side opens with 'Shake', a tough, gritty, percolating banger with a tribal-esque edge. This one's a weapon and almost fits into that Baltimore / Chicago 'ghetto House' mould. A proper club track, no prisoners taken. This one has been gently extended by Rick and Gary for maximum club pressure! EP finisher 'Party' is a much more subdued groove giving a respectful nod to the JB's with that infamous 'Paaaarty' chant. No frills in the best possible way this one's another solid club groove, pure food for hungry turntables and sound-systems. All of the tracks included on these samplers have been carefully selected, arranged, edited and extended for precisely these reasons!
This reissue has been realised with the full involvement of Rick Lenoir and Gary Wallace and is 100% legit! All exclusive extended edits have been made by Rick and Gary specifically for this release. Don't snooze, this one deserves a spot in any self respecting House heads record bag or DJ set, classic material made available again for 2017 - You can't stop it!

Mint Condition - A brand new record label focussed on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics and overlooked gems mined from the last 20+ of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London and beyond, Mint Condition have got their expert digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been on your wants list for years! Dig in....
Jaime Read is something of an unsung UK legend. An original, unique producer who has been making noise in the underground in his own way, emanating from the South coast of England, since the mid 90's. 'Relief Sevensixty' is a collection of Read's rarer tracks that have appeared in a roundabout way, on a legendary Chicago label in a tale that has by now been widely documented. But that's a story for another time. The real focus here is the music, of course. Across 4 tracks this EP shows what a dynamic producer Read is, the music contained within has a depth and maturity and of course it's some funky as, futuristic, space Techno that sounds like it's just escaped the warp drive and landed here on earth and implanted itself in our eardrums. From the joyous, glorious, electronic funk of 'Douch Me' to the curiously monikered piano driven, subterranean stormer 'Droopy Dancing' the whole EP captures a real insight to a remarkable UK talent operating from under the radar. 'Relief Sevensixty' is the first part of a 2 EP set covering Jaime Read's amazing music. Keep your eyes open for the second installment, winging it's way to us through the cosmos as we speak.... soon come!
The 'Relief Sevensixty' EP has been legitimately released with the full involvement of Jaime Read for 2017 and remastered by London's Curve Pusher from the original sources especially for Mint Condition. 100% legit, licensed and released. Dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your new favourite reissue label - Mint Condition!

Originally released in October 2016 - 'Maajo' marked the inauguration of a new imprint: Queen Nanny. Spread across 4 sides of vinyl, the LP was a 'meandering journey' that saw a newly formed Finnish five-piece expand and develop a canon set by Herman Prime's EP under the same title that was released via Seagull in 2015.
Following it's warm reception, Queen Nanny returns with an all-star remix package that sees Luke Vibert, Call Super and Dengue Dengue Dengue all interpret selections from the original album. Altogether a tougher and more contorted collection of music - the remixes effectively pull Maajo out of it's habitual home-listening environment and drop it directly on the dancefloor to stunning effect - TIP.

Robyn announces the RMX/RBN vinyl series along with a new remix of Be Mine by Mark E. The limited vinyl will roll out in pairs every week from September 29th. See below for schedule.

The RMX/RBN project saw Robyn invite some of her favourite artists in dance music from across the globe to remix key tracks from throughout her career.

Set of 5 limited Remix 12"s, with remixes coming from Cassius, Joakim, Axel Boman, Zhala & Heal The World, The Black Madonna, Mr Tophat, Wolfgang Voigt, Mad Professor Harry Romero & Mark E

Next up on the influential Artreform Records label is the boss himself, aka Kyiv-based DJ and producer Yevgeniy Joss. Often turning out tracks that sit high in the Juno and Decks charts, Joss has a high-quality sound that ranges from slick tech to deep house and now he proves that once more.
Up first is Smooth, an infectious groove with lively synths scurrying about and bringing lots of dynamism to the drums. The percussion is crisp and the whole thing feels spaced out and futuristic. It's busy and brimming with energy and will get any floor on its toes. Sharp is a darker number with more menace in the drums. They are rubbery and supple and run through with edgy little synth lines. The track grows wilder as it unfolds and will really work dance floors into a lather.
Once again the master Joss shows just why he is such a tastemaker in the underground dance scene.

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

ey campers, we are back with some new goodies for you! This one is by the
completely virginal duo Death Bulb, who have never released a single track
before, which is quite ridiculous as they have been producing this stuff since
2012. This is simply some of the best industrial noise techno around!

It starts out with the title track Zement, a total dancefloor killer that still gives
me goosebumps after hearing it about a million times. You will eat this up!


Second on the A side is Breathe In, Breed Out, a hilariously rough beatdown
with lots of heavy breathing involved - slays it every time! Ultraviolence never
felt so enjoyable!

The B side starts out with a rare guest appearance of label daddy Hanno
Hinkelbein who donated a remix of Zement for you people who like
straightforward techno. Lots of heavy bass and a crunchy ravepad, driven by
relentless percussion.

The vinyl ends with the broken banger Bettina's Betrayal - noise at it's
finest, somewhere between I-F's I Do Because I Couldn't Care Less...' and old
AFX.

San Francisco's Christina Chatfield brings her signature acid sound to god particle with 'The Circle' EP. 'Circadian' reflects and evokes the natural cyclical rhythm of the track as the pitch naturally rises and falls over a steady bassline and consistent tempo. A perfect track to draw the dancer deeper. A2.Black_Hole Steady prominent kick drums keep feet marching through crunchy, distorted sounds and clicking. 'Black Hole' is an otherworldly track that pulls you into the space and won't let you go..B1.Voyage is a visionary guest through alien atmospheres. Chatfield's signature rolling acid lines, panning synths and rapid hi-hats make this one a bottomless groove, perfect for peak energy..B2.Acid_Exhibition. Crisp hi-hats and a kick drum are quickly met by an intrepid acid line. Dreamy synths softly grow throughout 'Acid Exhibition", adding more atmosphere along with steady claps and a vocal sample.

From the Irish techno front line , RLSD land again with a heavy batch of dancefloor pressure.

Jon Hussey has been one of the islands most celebrated djs for the best part of 20 years and makes his long overdue debut as a solo artist with Dark Motif. His deep understanding of the music is on display as he delivers an immersive techno cut with acidic touches & crisp bleep techno character. Takaaki Itoh steamlines the ideas into a pilerdriver suited for the peak hours.

On the flip Fran Hartnett grinds out a typically floor burning track loaded with his trademark poly-rhythms and modular bleeps. Rory St John rounds of proceedings with an ever shifting rhythmic workout which has an off-kilter sensibility guaranteed to make more adventurous floors freak.

On Arise , Zara McFarlane returns to a buoyant UK jazz scene with a head-turning third album. Exploring the musical possibilities of British-Jamaican identity, it's a cultural exchange that's born of London's current musical climate. Released on Gilles Peterson's Brownswood Recordings, it sees her working with much-feted drummer and producer Moses Boyd. Both rose through London's Tomorrow's Warriors programme, a finishing school for many young vanguards of the live, ascendant jazz scene springing up across the UK capital. Sharing Caribbean family heritages, it's a product of their joint exploration of the meeting points between jazz and the rhythms of Jamaica, reggae, Kumina, calypso and nyabinghi, shaded with hints of the psychedelic.

Zara's breakthrough 2012 track, a jazz cover of Junior Murvin's 'Police and Thieves', provided a jumping off point to further explore the blurred, colourful territory in between jazz and roots-reggae. Covering Nora Dean's 'Peace Begins Within', she breathes a syncopated groove into a soulful, reggae classic. A beautifully poised version of the Congos' Fisherman teases out the poignant lyrical content of the 1977 classic. Meanwhile new, original compositions from Zara, like 'Fussin' and Fightin'' and 'Freedom Chain', combine a deep, reverberating bass with a steady-stepping roots rhythm. Album opener 'Ode To Kumina' touches on the kumina tradition brought to Jamaica by indentured labourers from The Congo in the later part of the 19th Century. Part of Zara's deeper research into her Caribbean heritage, it alludes to a deep-rooted culture encompassing music, dance and religion.

Similarly, 'Silhouette' arose from that same research, in this case, however, it was about how records and documents often get lost in Jamaica. It kind of came out of the idea of black history and blackness and feeling like you're trying to find yourself,' she explains. Trying to be proud of your history and who you are. And never forgetting the things that brought you to where you are.' Alongside drummer Moses Boyd on production, the album features a stellar line up of some of the key players on the London scene Binker Golding on tenor sax, Peter Edwards on piano, Shirley Tetteh on guitar, Nathaniel Cross on Trombone and an unusually restrained turn on Clarinet from Shabaka Hutchings.
Shared between all of them is a tendency to find the common points between different musical ilks: from US hard bop jazz, to dub and London-rooted hybrids and permutations, the band on Arise reflect the musical diversity of their home. Boosted by new platforms, like East London showcase Church of Sound and a newly-refreshed Jazz Café, the record surfs the momentum currently propelling jazz-influenced music in the UK.

For Zara, Jamaica's musical legacy is deeply intertwined with her sense of the place itself. Spending whole summers in the hills of Jamaica, it's the sounds and smells which she most vividly associates with her stays there. In particular the local sound systems which were an everyday feature of the local area, be it in shops or bars, each of the small local shacks would have a sound system where they'd play music through the day and evening.

From where my nan used to live, in Cauldwell there's a sound system almost opposite her house,' she says. So you feel this boom of the bass, and then all the smells of the hills and the greenery of Hanover. When you land in Jamaica and you go to walk off of the plane, the heat and the smells hit you and it feels like home away from home for me. When I hear Jamaican music, these are the senses that come.'

Version Galore is a newly found label, deeply rooted into the music culture. We are bringing you the selected reworks / re-edits from the top producers in the game, showing lots of respect and care for the original, but elevating it's spirit and taking it somewhere else. It's all about the dialogue of cultures and the idealistic desire to pass the music legacy on! No half-measures, played-out tunes, lazy cuts, or boring "808-kick boosting" biz!
On the first release of the label we are delighted to bring you the chosen cuts from the man that needs no introduction - Opolopo. He knows a thing or two about making a personal version of a track that can easily overshadow the original, and we guess that's the case with the two cuts he prepared for us on this
records. Things escalate fast. On the A-side you will find originally a midtempo mild jam "Go Get It", which is turned by Opolopo into an effectively-upbeat stomper that will inject true feeling and groove in any house or disco set alike.
It's one of those rare occasions when a soulful tune turns out to be super dance-floor efficient no matter what!
The B-side is all about the raw and emotional funky madness of "American Promise". It's infectious groove, pinpointed with growling sub-bass is just devastating. Epithets are irrelevant here - just play it loud, but with caution! "Version Galore - play some more!"

BTG return with their 3rd release.

A debut vinyl release from Philadelphia's Gohda. A multi-coloured combination of shimmering grime synth work, spaced out beats that occupy somewhere between the boom bap of classic hip hop, the half pulse of dubstep and the skittering high-end work of southern rap knitted together with a soulful vocal & atmospheric touch not distant from that of the elusive Burial. Gohda's sound owes itself to both sides of the Atlantic but operates nowhere within them.

The vinyl only release sees remixes from BTG's very own Bulu, twisting the original into a dancefloor ready terminator & TMSV known for his genre expansive excursions on labels such as Black Box, Cosmic Bridge & Artikal again taking Gohda's soulful and playful original and turning it into a weighty dancefloor focussed banger.

Not to be missed for fans of genre defying, psychedelic bass-weight.

I-iii kicks up a dust on Livity Sound with two killer rhythm workouts focussed directly on the dancefloor.

Antique Fragments EP is the third release of our Kommuna Tapes imprint. The A side starts with a quirky fast-paced track created by a mysterious producer named Schematix in 1997. Thinktank, an electro/breakbeat act who signed his first and unique EP only a few years later in 2000, takes us on a punchy yet dreamy techno journey. On the flip side, after Schematix undusted his hardware to extract the stems for the occasion, wizard Sergio Moreira mastered the challenge of creating a slower and deeper version of the track, while upcoming Madrid talent Javier Moreno closes the release with a bouncy acid burner.

Track by track, we build a Kommuna of artists who share our insatiable appetite for music discovery, guided by a certain vision of the dancefloor: deep stripped-down grooves, sometimes challenging, always with character.

With a career that spans over two decades Manchester DJ Andy Carthy aka Mr. Scruff needs little introduction. He is regularly cited as a source of inspiration for many of the world's up and coming artists through his eclectic approach to both DJing and creating music. We are proud to say Andy has always been a keen supporter of the output on Gondwana Records, so when we re-issued one of his favourite records The Swimmer by Phil France it seemed an appropriate time to ask for a couple of remixes. The results of which are two wonderfully unique dance floor friendly takes on the track, Joy of Brass.

Robyn announces the RMX/RBN vinyl series along with a new remix of Be Mine by Mark E. The limited vinyl will roll out in pairs every week from September 29th. See below for schedule.

The RMX/RBN project saw Robyn invite some of her favourite artists in dance music from across the globe to remix key tracks from throughout her career.

Set of 5 limited Remix 12"s, with remixes coming from Cassius, Joakim, Axel Boman, Zhala & Heal The World, The Black Madonna, Mr Tophat, Wolfgang Voigt, Mad Professor Harry Romero & Mark E

Inaugurating the release, the cleverly designed Oberservate' drives forward with relentless kick drums that merge into self-indulgent pads slowly growing into a stargazing techno tale. P.Leone's remix sticks to the originals' covertness while adding more depth by peeling out the pensive atmosphere as his lead synth gears more empathically towards the dance floor. Opening the flip, Discrete Circuit's ambient version of Remote Conversation' in which the monologic acid line encounters blood boiling pads passing through some unknown territory. Blind Observatory's remix rips out the principal elements from the original in order to create a pulsating ominousness reminiscent of his trademark neo-futuristic journeys that are roaming through cinematic sci-fi realms.

* Dom & Roland's Label has gone from strength to strength from its conception in 2006. Featuring collaborations by Dom with other Artists such as Noisia, Hive and Amon Tobin the label has continued to push sonic boundaries whilst staying true to it's ethos of 'not selling out'. It is currently in A 'Dubs from the Dungeons' Phase releasing sought after unreleased music from the 90's from various accomplished artists every month on limited edition gold vinyl.

* PHOENIX - DOM ft TECHNICAL ITCH

A straight dancefloor DJ smashout made from two of the featured artists most seminal tracks combined. Dom & Rolands Thunder and Technical Itch's Reborn. Nuf Said!

*TEARS IN RAIN - DOM & ROLAND

A futuristic roller from the 'Bladerunner' Era. It perfectly captures the mood of the film. A big hitter at the Metalheadz sessions in the 90's this was smashed by Doc Scott and Randall in many of their sets. Again featuring a reworked alternating clean and distorted "flow break" and big 808 bass this style of production pioneered the way for Dom's later work. This turning point in Dom's history is now finally mastered and seeing it's release on vinyl 20 years later.

* DJ PLAY: Randall, Fabio, Bryan G, DJ Die, Jumping Jack Frost, Grooverider, Peshay, Loxy, Andy C, Break, Fierce, Doc Scott, dBridge, Goldie, Ant TC1, Gridlok, Marcus Intalex, SB81, Ulterior Motive, Noisia.

* RADIO PLAY: Radio 1, Radio 1Xtra , NRG, Noisia Radio, Many other radio stations around the world.

* PRESS: Bandcamp Interview, MIxmag, DJ , Various blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram.

Produced by veteran dance music producer Bert Decoteaux, "Anung Anunga" is the perfect fusion of red-hot Cuban musicians with a contemporary dance production.

The result is simply stunning and continues the tradition of artists like Candido and Joe Bataan crossing over into the Dance Music world.

As though that's not enough, on the flip we've provided the equally stunning "Baila Mi Ritmo" - the other outstanding dance track from their only Columbia studio album which now makes its debut on 12" for the first time ever.

All in all, this is an exceptional double-sided slab of 12" vinyl which could almost be a fresh new find for many since the original 12" disappeared without trace

TBD, the decade-old project from Doug Lee (An-i) and Justin Van Der Volgen, is back!.

Known for their set-defining big room monster jams, 'Below' sees them on a deep, heavy and very trippy analogue tip.
Synths wheeze and bubble while a thick syncopated bass and a giant kick drum keep the proceedings firmly locked to the dance floor.

On the flip, legendary Japanese DJ and producer DJ Kent steps up on remix duty under his The Backwoods alias .
Building off the original, he adds sharp percussion and tastefully refocuses the track, creating a perfect complimentary mix to the A-side.

This is the debut album of Swedish producer Daniel Andréasson, an artist that has both a sonically and artistic resemblance to the Skudge family of labels and artists.

Pushing his eighth year of releasing records, Andréasson has accomplished the task of creating a debut album that seem to tie together the sound of his previous EP's. Andréasson's sound is in line with a more outsider approach, but with a dance floor focus. A sound that he has been pushing since the beginning.

This approach shines through at the most on the tracks such as 'Mc35I# Rushup', 'Stay' and 'Dreams' as these specific tracks shows Andréassons more accomplished style. In between, the album keeps a perfect concept throughout. Taking breathers with its interludes and in general "shorter" tracks that hints of a ambient leaning urge to express himself, he never loses focus. A masterful debut album from a artist to keep your eye on!

Excise Records' 2nd vinyl release is a celebration of both Northern and Southern Californian techno. Oakland's Milkplant has been making heady dancefloor bombs for 2 decades, and Los Angeles icon Developer jumps in with a beautiful retro-hypnotic remix of Far Star. Milkplant's Dust Cloud is a 10 minute epic build with dreamy synth work shattered complex metallic percussion and anchored by a shockingly weighty bassline. The original Far Star is a wild romp with psyched out synth arps and relentless spit-fire hi hats.

Artist biography:

US based artist, Milkplant (real name Justin William Pennell) is originally from Milwaukee,Wisconsin; but has resided in Oakland, California since 2010. He relocated to the West Coast in 2004, lived in Seattle for six years, and started the internationally recognized Techno label and artist collective, From 0-1; with fellow artist, Sone. Schooled in the Midwest and developed on the West Coast, his work encompasses over 30 years of combined DJ/production experience, and 9 years of record label operations.

In autumn 2014 he released 'Time Dilation', a four track 12" EP on From 0-1. Charted by Gary Beck, Paul Mac, and Ben Sims at #2, #1, and #26 in their November 2014 Juno charts, this was a turning point for him. Since then he has released on Planet Rhythm, Wall Music, Dark Net, Etichetta Nera, From 0-1, and Excise. His productions have drawn critical acclaim from many notable artists; showing up in mixes and charts by Ben Sims, Jerome Sydenham, Bryan Zentz, Joachim Spieth, Tommy Four Seven, Submerge, Tadeo, Mattias Fridell, Mr. Jones, Electric Indigo, David Meiser, Samuli Kemppi, Arnaud Le Texier, Abstract Division, DJ T-1000, and many others.

As a DJ he can be found playing a combination of vinyl and CDJs. He has played in various cities across the US, most notably in Detroit at the Blank Code - Droid Interface/Scene party for Movement 2016. His mixes have been featured on Droid's D-Node podcast, the Warsaw Torture Boyz podcast, Blank Code podcast, Drone podcast, and Error Sessions. Regarding upcoming releases: 'The Distance' vinyl EP arrives autumn 2017 on San Francisco based label, Excise; his remix of Sone's 'Australis' arrives on vinyl late 2017 via From 0-1.

Assemble Music brings together four more producers at the forefront of today's fine minimal/house/electro scene. Eklo boss Seuil kicks things off with JAM, a slowly-unfolding confection of metallic percussion and rolling bass set against a meditative, minor backdrop. His fellow Half Baked resident Robin Ordell brings a tipsy-sounding vibe to MOBSIW, each element swaying its way around the others in an off-key dance. Les Points' Barbir adds Detroit hats to a no-shits-given breakbeat and suspends it in time, before finally a 4/4 kick comes to put feet back on the ground. Finally, Traffic founders Martyné and Jacob draw on more contemporary breaks and electro influences on ELECTRONETTO, with that laissez-faire swing with which their label has become synonymous.

Since our beginning, Manny Cuevas a.k.a. DJ M-Traxxx has been a big supporter of Snuff Trax. In return, we totally dig his amazing radio shows and podcasts. This man's heart is beating for Chicago House music and you can feel the impact on all of his productions.

Snuff Trax is very happy to present a whole Manny Cuevas record: - Thee Jackin' Zone E.P.'

For - You'll Never Know (Twisted Fantasy)' Manny invited the amazing DJ and vocalist Josh Caffe. Together they created a seductive tune that takes us back to the golden era of House. A truly irresistible affair.

With the tracks - A Matter Defined (Acid House)' and - Thee Jackin Zone' Manny captures the wild pulse of the dance floor. Sincerely raw, that's all we need.

Eight releases in, Leonidas & Hobbes have honed a mutual love of soundtracks, disco, jazz, house, techno, acid, psychedelic, African and dub sounds.
Web Of Intrigue is one part tribute to lost 70s soundtracks, when music was created on the finest analogue hardware, featuring full bands, session players and lush orchestrations, one part tribute to 70s disco gods Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic) and one part mid-tempo but nonetheless cosmic house. The three parts fuse to form an instrumental track sounding as fresh as a whole meadow of daisies in 2017 and one that's been going down extremely well with international DJs who have road-tested the material.
Heavy Weather flips the script for a deeper workout in a 3/4 time signature - more of a cosmic waltz. Taking its main cue from 70s jazz fusion heroes Weather Report and The Doors' Ray Manzarek, it incorporates rich African percussion, spaced-out flourishes exhibiting the duo's love for the dubs of Lee Perry, King Tubby et al, and a good old fashioned arpeggio of an acid line - definitely a more esoteric number, all told.
The 'Dawn' and 'Acid Rain' mixes push different buttons for the heads, as suits the mood. It all adds up to a very Balearic confection, fitting snugly in with the burgeoning revival for this somewhat ineffable sound - a trend that seems to be getting stronger/bigger every year, popping up every time the sun gets his hat on and we all remember how to party like the lucky residents of that infamous White Isle....
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London/Edinburgh analogue electronic duo Leonidas & Hobbes released debut EP "Machines, Tapes & Electronic Setups" via the Hobbes Music label back in May 2013, picking up plaudits and support from the likes of Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Erol Alkan, Ashley Beedle, Alan Braxe, Shadow Child, Jimpster, Nick Warren, M.A.N.D.Y., Leftside Wobble, Mr G, Auntie Flo, Sasha, John Digweed and many more... The duo were consequently commissioned to remix the Pet Shop Boys.
Second EP "Mo' Machines" came out on the label in April 2014 and received equally high praise, with i-D Magazine inviting the duo to record a DJ mix which has to date chalked up a whole lot of love on Soundcloud.
Leonidas has released two other collaborative EPs with London-based Japanese DJ/producer Kay Suzuki via his Round In Motion imprint, equally winning fans worldwide, with a track now forthcoming on new label YAM Records' You And Music Volume 1 EP plus much more in the pipeline for 2017. Leonidas also has his own lovetoparty label, releasing edits of much-loved disco tunes on limited edition 12" vinyl format and free download. Previously, Leonidas made a name for throwing word-of-mouth parties around east London on his audiophile 'lovetoparty' sound system (providing some of the inspiration for much-admired late-night watering hole Brilliant Corners).
Equally, Hobbes ran the widely acclaimed Trouble nights for ten years in Edinburgh/Scotland, working with the great and the good from across the soul/jazz/dance spectrum since '02, and championed up-and-coming live talent via his Limbo 'gig-in-a-club' nights at The Voodoo Rooms for nine years since '07. Hobbes has toured his DJing style to the various corners of the dancing planet, including gigs in the Far East, much of Europe and across the UK. The Hobbes Music label has otherwise featured artists as diverse as Auntie Flo, JD Twitch (Optimo), Neil Landstrumm, Craig Smith (6th Borough Project), Ali Renault, iO Sounds, Joe Howe, Debukas, Fudge Fingas, Marco Bernardi, Dimitri Veimar, Mick Wills and Nightwave, with further support from Ben UFO, Justin Robertson, Motor City Drum Ensemble, KiNK, The Revenge, T.E.E.D, Kiki, Groove Armada, Maceo Plex, OOFT!, Domenic Capello (Sub Club), XDB, Ben Mono, Masa Sutela, Bawrut/Scuola Furano, Numbers, John Heckle and many more...

Music has always coursed through Roman Lindau's blood. Even if he weren't the accomplished producer and respected DJ he is today, the German audiophile would still be spending all his money on the stuff; giving over all his time to the art form. ''I'm a music junkie. I need music to live'' he states matter-of-factly. ''For me it's the elixir of life.''

Good job, then, that he gets to spend his ..


Roman Lindau is a German techno DJ, artists and producer, as well as being a core member of the infamous Fachwerk Records from Berlin.

Music has always coursed through Roman's veins ever since he was a young boy so it is no suprise that he became the accomplished producer and highly respected DJ that he is today.

In the late 2000´s Lindau became active in the Berlin electronic music scene, beginning to play music in clubs as well as producing his own music. The first track he released in 2008 on his home label Fachwerk Records appeared in one the world famous Berghain Mix Compilations, mixed by Len Faki. Following from this Berghain invited Roman to contribute an exclusive Track for Ben Klock´s Berghain Mix in 2009. After this success the gates opened for him to play regularly as a DJ at Berghain.

At the same time he continued to work on music for Fachwerk Records. He produced dance floor smashers like ´Crasse´ in 2011 and ´Rave on´ in 2014, which were charted by the likes of Ben Klock, Sven Väth & Chris Liebing, afirming his deserved place amongst the techno elite.

More recently in 2015 the well known Victor Calderone from NYC invited Roman to release on his label Matter+.

The reason why Roman is such a great DJ is because of the fact he knows what the people want! ''I love to dance and that's very important: as DJ you need to feel what the crowd want so you can help them to party and have fun.'' Combining a varied selection of raw house and techno in his sets, recent bookings have taken Roman across the world; from the hallowed techno Mecca that is Berghain to dark underground clubs as part of the recent Fachwerk label tour. He has performed at every legendary Berlin venue, past and present from Tresor to Berghain, and it is this that gives Roman the edge above the rest. If you can do it there, you can do it anywhere! From 2014 Till the closing he was a resident DJ at Stattbad, one of Berlins findest adress for Electronic Music.

Double vinyl edition of the Portico Live/Remix album

Portico Quartet still sound like nothing you ever heard before. The Mercury nominated East London based outfit's unique music has expanded to embrace new sonic territories, drawing on the inspiration of electronica, ambient, classical and dance music as they take their strange, beautiful, cinematic, future music to exciting new vistas.

Their new album 'Live/Remix' is a double album offering a unique insight into two distinct parts of the band's personality.

Circus Company and The Mole have long been making eyes at each other across the same crowded dancefloor. Colin de la Plantes primary project is synonymous with the off-kilter corner of house music we like to spend our time dancing in, and the labels he releases on are close cousins of the Circus troupe. From Wagon Repair to Philpot, Musique Risquee to Perlon, its a wonder that we havent worked together previously, but finally thats been put right with Little Sunshine. Stripped back, understated disco grooves have always been the bread and butter of The Moles sound, while infectious, cyclical melodic patterns are equally important in making his unique version of house music. On the title track, those elements are presented with full force, but in between the driving rhythms linger the most gorgeous keys, bringing a mellow introspection to the track as a neat counterpoint to the energy of the drums and arpeggios. Compared to the clean lines and peppy tempo of Little Sunshine, Discotheque Airplane is an audacious swerve into low and slow territory, where dusty samples rule the day and the bass swells in and out of earshot with a truly mesmerizing effect. Its a moody affair loaded with tension, mystery and funk in abundance. As if that wasnt enough proof of the variety in The Moles repertoire, on his collaboration with Dutch hero Tom Trago for Down The Hallway we find the pair exploring lean, focused techno, where the simplest of rhythms propel a haunting, distant vocal lick. Its the drum sounds that make this a special cut, championing warm, natural percussion instead of the methodical drum machine hits found in most contemporary techno. Rounding the EP off in a beautifully mysterious style is Aardvarck, whose remix of Down The Hallway take

* Once again, providing a context for exciting new producers to release their debut 12', Cold Recordings is proud to now bring you 'Cocktail Party Effect'. Hailing from a musical family Eric Baldwin, the currently Berlin based but British pro- ducer, shows off his colours here with a diverse, rhythmical, experimental - but always dance floor savvy - EP of 4 killer cuts, all rolling out between 125-130bpm.

* The title track 'Battered' leads the EP , kicking things off with a glitching set of electronics , setting a curious mood ,be- fore dropping into a crazed rhythmical explosion, fidgety and erratic, but somehow glued together in a fluid, propelling motion. 'OOYFM' takes things into slightly more typical UK bass music territory, rolling out techno ingredients, a grimey UK bassline with broken-beat rhythmical dynamics that also hint at UK-Garage influences.

* Flip the vinyl for the second half of the EP and you'll find 'Intens' taking up a stance that sits somewhere between dancehall and techno, rolling and smashing its way as it goes along, while descending electronic motifs cascade in sympathy. Finally the EP closes with 'I Kno3' which pulls back on the instant gratification factors but hits out instead with a moody, bass driven and percussively expressive exit track.

STRICTLY STRICTLY is a new label with 4 heavy MPC-based house-jams by Berlin-based producer RWIN. Strictly emotional affect with lush and spheric sedatives on the a-side and strictly dance-floor material on the b-side where he prays for jack and compels to move.