quête:dark beat

Hardfloor bangers : serious beat melting acidcore, hardfloor and hard techno oldschool sound !

Maaasive !

Cold Beat is a San Francisco-based quartet fronted by Hannah Lew (synths, vocals) with Kyle King (synths, guitar), Luciano Talpini Aita (synths) and Sean Monaghan (guitar). Formed in 2013 the band has released three albums and two EPs. 'A Simple Reflection' is a 7-song collection of Eurythmics covers, yet feels just as personal as any of their original material. While digging through a collection of 12s for her record shop Contact Records, Lew stumbled across the earliest Eurythmics B-sides and was floored. This lead to the discovery of their debut album 'In The Garden'. Annie Lennox's abstract and poetic lyrics really struck a chord with Hannah. What had started out as a single cover quickly snowballed into a full blown obsession. The synth and drum programming resonated with her songwriting process, so reimagining them was very creatively fulfilling. The covers on this EP are simultaneously dynamic and atmospheric post-punk that plays to Lew's ethereal vocals and King's crystalline guitar. All songs have been mixed by Mikey Young (Total Control) and mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in a jacket designed by Eloise Leigh, which features pink and purple clouds that evoke a dreamy softness and DIY playfulness and photos Lew in her best Lennox-inspired drag. Each copy includes a postcard with photos and notes. 'Sometimes a song seems to sing just for you, as if someone knows your most inner thoughts and feelings and has found a way to describe them effortlessly' - Hannah Lew

Collaborating once again with legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro, Data Discs is thrilled to present one of the most revered and timeless soundtracks of the 16bit era: The Revenge of Shinobi. Composed in 1989, the music for the Mega Drive game (known as The Super Shinobi in Japan) blended Western dance music with Japanese overtones, to create something truly unlike anything else before. The soundtrack was Koshiro's first commissioned work for SEGA and served as a forerunner to his seminal Streets of Rage trilogy, where the concepts and styles he founded with Shinobi would be expanded upon to astonishing effect. Koshiro's work on The Revenge of Shinobi remains a testament to the ingenuity of early game composers who, when given enough creative freedom, found the means of drawing new and unexpected sounds from extremely limited hardware.

The Revenge of Shinobi is presented as a 180g bone coloured LP, cut at 45rpm and packaged in a 425gsm outer sleeve, with heavyweight inner sleeve and double-sided lithographic print, featuring original artwork sourced from the SEGA archives in Japan. The release also includes exclusive liner notes written by Koshiro himself.

Hunting down the coolest sounds around the globe, the wewantsounds crew have curated another special mix for your Lazy Sundays. Dishing out a tasteful mix of new tracks from under the radar, this selection features a string of sunny pop, indie grooves, chilled electro and relaxed disco, the whole seasoned with a couple of leftfield cult classics and classy jazz tracks for good measure. Sunday Mixtape is the perfect sonic brew that will bring you back to life after a long night or hard partying. Many of the tracks in this selection have barely been heard outside of the underground circles and feature young artists who have just sprung out to life with the exception of UK soul diva ALA.Ni and the recent success of her melancholic jazzy album and L'Impératrice, the next disco big thing out of France, whose buzz is getting louder.
Here you'll find new French nouvelle vague singer Laure Briard, US groovy duet Bones & Beeker, minimal house producers Roscius and Shigeto as well as Domenique Dumont with a buzzing balearic beat.
Sunday Mixtape also features a few cult classics such as Mock & Toof's 'Farewell to Wendo', Louie Austen's 'Hoping' and Justine & The Victorian Punks' 'Still You', a sought after NY avant disco 1979 tune led by French expat fashionista Justine and saxophonist (and frequent Arthur Russell collaborator) Peter Gordon.

The Spoiled is an Italian post-punk project led by Giovanni Santolla, blending electronic beats, distorted synths, and reverb-soaked guitars into a dark, romantic, and nostalgic sound.

In 2024, the project self-released the debut EP Time distributed by Manic Depression, followed in 2025 by the full-length Living Ghosts via Swiss Dark Nights—an album that firmly established The Spoiled within the contemporary post-punk scene. Following the album’s release, Giovanni collaborated with international acts including This Eternal Decay, Darkways, Corlyx, Chaos International, and Hinfort, while maintaining a dense touring schedule across Europe and sharing the stage with artists such as Traitrs, Hinfort, Darkways, and Ductape.

The new album When It Rains, set for release on Avant! Records on April 17, 2026, expands The Spoiled’s artistic vision with a focus on intense, romantic soundscapes that delve deeply into human intimacy and interpersonal relationships. Embracing a warmer and more personal sonic direction, the record blends elements of indie rock and electrogaze music that enrich and revitalize the dark, melancholic palette that has defined the project’s earlier works.

Still playing homage to the forefathers of the genre such as Clan of Xymox, The Sound and Pink Turns Blue, When It Rains opens the path of The Spoiled to new soundscapes, exploring broader emotional territories while preserving the atmospheric depth and introspective tone that have become its signature.

FFO: Twin Tribes, Clan of Xymox, She Past Away, Mareux, The Soft Moon, Pink Turns Blue.

To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the passing of James Darroch, singer/songwriter/guitarist for Sydney's incredible The Eastern Dark, Grown Up Wrong! is thrilled to announce a long-awaited reissue of the band's classic single "Julie Is A Junkie/Johnny and Dee Dee".

Heavily influenced by the Ramones - the band opened their first live show with 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and from then on opened with a new Ramones song every time they played, working through the band's complete catalogue in chronological order - as all manner of hyper-melodic and high energy rock. The Eastern Dark were a classic trio powered by former Celibate Rifles bassplayer James Darroch's blazing guitar and anchored by former Lime Spiders backing vocalist Bill Gibson's hard driving and melodic bass playing (and supreme backing vocals) and Geoff Milne's untouchable beat keeping. They set Sydney's Radio Birdman influenced scene alight in 1984 and quickly built an international following on the back of their classic single. Sadly, just hours after completing what would become their next release - the mini-LP "Long Live the New Flesh" - the band's life, and that of 26-year old James Darroch, was brutally ended in a road accident whilst the band was on its way to Melbourne.

On the back of the tragedy, the band's music lived on and it's global impact was reflected in the influence it bore on numerous bands, from Boston's the Lemoneads to Tokyo's Teengenenete, and obviously a succession of Australian bands from the Hard-Ons through to God and the Meanies and beyond.

After years of searching, surviving members Bill Gibson and Geoff Milne recently found the single's original multi-track tapes, and for the new release, the original recordings have been both remixed and remastered for maximum impact under their supervision.

Los Amantes Oscuros" brings together for the first time on vinyl the recordings made between 1968 and 1969 by pioneers of Bolivian garage rock, Loving Darks, originally released on their three EPs. A selection packed with proto-punk covers of hits by the Stones, Cream, Tony Hatch, and more-often surpassing the originals in attitude and power. Their original records are highly sought after and are virtually impossible to find in any condition_ If we had to choose the Latin American country where the rawest and wildest garage and beat records of the '60s were recorded, Bolivia would be one of the clearest contenders. For some strange reason-surely related to the country's extreme conditions, its high altitude, and the influence of huayno-Bolivian recordings are truly unique and fascinating. A multitude of bands sprang up under the influence of groups-mainly British-that dominated the international charts. From the ashes of two of Bolivia's most important seminal bands, Los Black Byrds and The Turtles, two new groups fundamental to the history of Bolivian rock would be born: the mythical Climax and the legendary Loving Darks. "Los Amantes Oscuros" brings together for the first time on vinyl the recordings this band made between 1968 and 1969, originally released across three EPs on the local Lyra label. Their repertoire is packed with covers such as 'El Adivino,' a sped-up reinterpretation of 'Fortune Teller,' or even 'Algo de títere,' a reworking of 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.' They also adapt the classic 'Call Me' by Tony Hatch and 'Toad' by Cream, from whom they borrow the cover of one of their most iconic albums for the artwork of their EP "Complicado." In fact, 'Complicado'-a proto-punk version of the Rolling Stones' 'Complicated' and their signature track-is a perfect example of how a Bolivian band could outdo the British giants in attitude and power. Their importance lies in having paved the way for new sounds, styles, and aesthetics within a still-emerging scene. This compilation is a joint release with the Peruvian label Rey Record and includes an insert with notes on the band's history. First time vinyl reissue.

High Focus Records are proud to present the latest collaboration from Verb T & Illinformed. ‘Stranded in Foggy Times’ both continues and completes the trilogy that began back in 2015, with ‘The Man with the Foggy Eyes’, before broadening the horizons with last year’s release ‘The Land of the Foggy Skies’. This final chapter returns to the same conceptual landscape as its predecessors, but also sees Verb T & Illinformed returning to a more classic approach to album making. In spite of its concept, the Foggy Trilogy is something of a personal outpouring for Verb T, with the original aim being to vicariously discuss the trials and tribulations that play a part in his life, including his struggles with chronic illness and the feeling of alienation from leaving his hometown, while also reflecting on the state of the world as a whole. Their approach to making the album meant taking it back to the most natural form, where the idea for the track would be outlined, Illinformed would make the beat, Verb T would write to it and then they would tweak and adjust accordingly. The result is 19 of the most finely crafted tracks to emerge from the UK shores this year. As with the previous albums, ‘Stranded in Foggy Times’ finds Illinformed moving away from the more rugged sound that has shrouded the British scene over the last few months, thanks to his collaborations with the likes of Datkid and Wish Master, instead providing Verb T with an arguably more mellow backdrop. From the string and piano driven introduction on ‘Legacy’, to the blissful head-nod vibes of the closing track, ‘Blind Faith’, the union between beats and rhymes sits at the perfect level. The album also boasts one of the most impressive guestlists of the year, one that is very much a product of both players’ worlds. Thanks to Illinformed’s Bristol connection, there are features from the likes of Res One, Datkid, Leaf Dog, Smellington Piff and Chillman, as well as some locally sourced cuts from DJ Rogue. While on Verb T’s side of the fence, we have features from Rye Shabby and Moreone, along with a collaboration that reignites the same creative spark he found in his early days, as King Kashmere steps into the booth on Feeling Strange. All in all, ‘Stranded in Foggy Times’ does exactly what it sets out to do, by drawing the trilogy to a close while also providing insights into Verb T’s personal world and the world at large. The fact that it also happens to be one of the strongest rap albums of the year is the icing on the cake

From Wisdom Teeth’s recent compilation nagoyaka na kaze / 和やかな風 (quiet wind)—which cast a spotlight on the Japanese city of Nagoya—emerges “2++”, a new label launched by abentis, who curated the compilation alongside Facta and K-LONE as a central figure in the scene. Conceived as a series introducing facets of Nagoya’s underground electronic music to the world on vinyl, its inaugural release is abentis’ debut album, Dim Grow.

Across the album, intricately designed electronic mallet sounds—created using Ableton Live’s physical-modeling synthesizer—take center stage. Fresh and percussive like marimba or kalimba, yet simultaneously carrying an otherworldly, unreal quality, these tones form the core of the record’s sonic identity. In moments of near-silence, a crystalline resonance poised between glass and metal shimmers with subtle shifts in temperature, giving the album its distinctive texture.

While resonating with the sonic sensibilities of fellow Wisdom Teeth affiliates such as K-LONE, Tristan Arp, and Salamanda, abentis’ uniquely strange palette can be traced back to one of his strongest influences: Haruomi Hosono. In particular, Hosono’s mid-’70s tropical-infused solo albums — Tropical Dandy (1975), Bon Voyage Co. (1976), and Paraiso (1978) — serve as a key reference point. Symbolically reflected in Hosono’s marimba and vocal performance at a 1976 live show in Yokohama Chinatown, the marimba functioned as a central instrument for constructing imagined exotic landscapes inspired by Martin Denny and Hawaiian music.

For abentis—who worked at a local jazz bar before becoming active as a hip-hop beatmaker—the language of “tension chords,” a harmonic vocabulary rooted in jazz and R&B that hovers ambiguously between brightness and darkness, forms a consistent grammar throughout Dim Grow.

Behind the album’s core theme of “mallets + tension chords” lies a broad musical lineage: the harmonic sensibility of Claude Debussy, who anticipated the tensions of jazz; the proto-minimalist spirit of Erik Satie; the marimba-centered structures of Steve Reich; their continuation in Japan through Mkwaju Ensemble (with Midori Takada and production by Joe Hisaishi); and the subsequent branches into post-rock, electronica, and ambient music.

Growing up in Nagoya—an industrial city where creative independence is deeply valued—and being rooted in punk and hip-hop counterculture scenes naturally fostered abentis’ affinity with these predecessors. His practice between genres, combined with an encounter with the highly cross-pollinated musical perspective cultivated around Wisdom Teeth, provided the framework through which his own musical language crystallized. Dim Grow stands as the natural culmination of that journey.

Red Axes step into the fabric presents series with a release that feels both inevitable and deeply personal. Known for their hypnotic, psychedelic approach to club music, the Tel Aviv–based duo bring a narrative-driven sensibility that aligns seamlessly with fabric’s legacy of long-form storytelling and forward-thinking curation.

Across years of performances at fabric and other key global institutions, Red Axes have developed a reputation for sets that unfold patiently and unpredictably, drawing dancers into a world where groove, tension, and atmosphere take precedence over genre or trend. Their contribution to the fabric presents series reflects this ethos: a carefully sculpted journey that prioritises mood, momentum, and emotional depth, while remaining firmly rooted in the physical language of the dancefloor.

Formed by Dori Sadovnik and Niv Arzi, Red Axes emerged from Tel Aviv’s underground with a sound shaped by post-punk, acid, krautrock, and cosmic disco influences. Over the past decade, they have built a catalogue defined by raw textures, twisted melodies, and a distinctly human looseness, qualities that translate as powerfully in the club as they do on record. Their releases and remixes for labels such as Phantasy, Correspondant, Running Back, Dark Entries, and Permanent Vacation have established them as artists who consistently operate just outside the expected.

As DJs, Red Axes are celebrated for their ability to stretch time on the dancefloor, weaving obscure selections, unreleased material, and leftfield classics into slow-burning, trance-inducing narratives. This approach has seen them invited to venues and festivals including Panorama Bar, De School, Bassiani, Dekmantel, Sonar, and Primavera Sound, where their sets are defined not by peaks alone, but by the tension built between them.

With the forthcoming fabric presents Red Axes release, the duo deliver a statement that captures years of shared musical intuition and a deep respect for the club as a communal, transformative space. It is a mix that rewards close listening as much as physical immersion, a snapshot of Red Axes at their most focused, expressive, and uncompromising.

To mark the launch of their forthcoming fabric presents album, the duo unveil the lead single, “Hot Rod To Hell”, a bold reworking of Man Parrish and Roy Garrett’s 14-minute spoken-word electro epic, reimagined through Red Axes’ signature psychedelic lens.

Stripped back and refocused, the original’s narrative tension is transformed into a hypnotic, downtempo house track built for late-night immersion. A rolling, elastic groove anchors the track, while pulsing low-end, subtly warped synth lines, and tightly controlled percussion create a sense of slow, smouldering momentum. The spoken vocal elements drift through the mix like fragments of memory, lending the track a ritualistic, cinematic quality without overwhelming the dancefloor.

Akio Nagase joins Especial with an EP of global acid tracks. Centred around his heritage, Osaka based Nagase infuses his sounds with a mixture of dub and ethno-dance, wrapped in 303 infused mid-tempo 4/4 grooves.

Making music for over 20 years, as well as running his Makedub parties, Nagase has released for Sound Channel, Darker Than Wax and cult Japanese digital label Chillmountain. It is here, on the latter, that the connection was made and his tracks unearthed.

Rearranged, re-edited and remixed especially for vinyl, Jurassic Shanghai Acid starts, fusing sound effects, dialogue and samples atop squelching acid beats. Following is Mongol 303, as Khoomii throat singing and acid vibrations loop and flow across the Altai Mountains down to Steppe Plains - Madrugada Eterna.

Okinawa Yunta crosses the South China Sea to home, perfectly mixing unique folk song from Taketomi Island reconstructed with Nagase's gentle, wiggling acid accompaniment. The incessant repetitive groove an Acid mantra, flowing through consciousness to move mind and body.

The bpm's rise for the close. Saigon Acid mixes tradition and Acid House for fun, a 3AM basement jam where Dan Nhi meets 808 and Nagase presents his ethno-acid love in.

Making his first appearance on Flat White Records, NYC’s Malik Hendricks arrives with Stretching, a four-track EP that leans comfortably into the grey space between Deep House and Techno. Across three original cuts, Hendricks delivers warm, hypnotic, and quietly confident sounds that are unmistakably his own.

Rounding out the release is a remix from London-based, Spain-born producer Beringei. Known for his broken-beat excursions, Beringei with a 4x4 workout that still carries his unmistakable percussive touch, proving that even when stepping outside his usual lane, his identity remains firmly intact.

With previous releases on respected imprints like Eglo, Darker Than Wax, and Phuture Shock Muzik, Hendricks arrives in trusted company, thus making it an easy call to hand him the reins for our 15th release.

Born in the ’80s and raised in the ’90s, Malik Hendricks is a product of transatlantic club culture, drawing inspiration from Detroit’s futurism, New York’s grit, and the UK’s rhythmic experimentation. A DJ for over a decade, he approaches music with an almost academic curiosity, seeing the dancefloor as a shared space for cultural exchange.

Recently, his work has caught the attention of heavyweights like Eli Escobar, Byron the Aquarius, James Bangura, and Roy Vision, all stepping in to remix his material. With Stretching, Hendricks continues to prove that subtlety, craft, and groove still go a very long way.

Early DJ Support from: Shy One, LDLDN, Louise Chen, Dam Swindle, LTJ Bukem, Christophe Salin, Franck Roger, Jazzanova, Mr Redley, Last Nubian, Glenn Davis, Seven Davis Jr, Stonie Blue, Stu Clark (WOLF), Adriatique, Marco Weibel, Mr Ties, Tereza, Cottam, Joyce Muniz + MORE

It’s True What They Say is the debut EP from Edinburgh-based, husband-and-wife duo Sarah/Shaun (pronounced simply Sarah Shaun), aka Sarah and Shaun McLachlan (pronounced “McLochlin”).

“Sarah and I both have a love for nostalgia,” explains Shaun. “We watched that amazing old 80’s Sci-Fi, (John) Carpenter movie, Starman, a few months back. Myself and my brother David used to watch it all the time. We must have been, roughly, 5-7 at the time. I remember loving the movie but the end, you know, with the beautiful, atmospheric, synth ending, I love that particular moment the most - best part of the movie, you know, when he goes home… It’s heartbreaking but stunning, all the same. It’s the music that moves you most… It did when I was 5 and it still does to this day. It must have had some form of a (much deeper) impact on me.”

The duo narrates stories across themes of love, hope, family, friends, dreams and sadness - the good that comes with the bad in everyday life, not just on a personal scale but within a community as well.

“Starbed is the first song I have ever written and just came out of the blue really, with Shaun playing a melody and me singing along,” says Sarah. “It’s simple and just about two people in love. Love songs are always the best songs, after all… Music has been a big part of my life from a young age. I was unwillingly dragged to piano and violin lessons, which I’m thankful for now! I’d say the first band I really became obsessed with growing up were the Beatles, and on the back of that a lot of 60s music and fashion. From then on, I had a love for music.”

“Shaun definitely opened my ears to a lot of sounds and got me thinking about soundtracks and all the noises that can be made,” she goes on. “We love just spending time experimenting in the house with instruments, pedals etc and Ali is a real magician to work with, too…”

The recordings took place over the summers of 2022 and 2023, with fellow Delta Mainline member Ali Chisholm (aka Jaguar Eyes) plus long-term friend and collaborator Gavin King. Further collaboration then came via the ‘net from the (international) likes of Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty), Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz) and Daniel Land (The Modern Painters), among others (see a full list of credits below).

Both Sarah and Shaun have a love for uber-soundtrack producers such as Hanz Zimmer, Max Richter, Cliff Martinez plus live acts such as Beach House, Spiritualized, M83, Suicide, Moby and OMD (to name a few). Shaun also credits the work of Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein (from Survive) on the Stranger Things score… “Even a moment in a movie, whether it be just 30 seconds during a particular scene, it grips you,” he says. But there’s something much deeper at play as well. “Music is a healer,” he goes on, “and I write from my own perspective but more so for others. Once I've done my bit, it doesn't belong to me any longer. It belongs to whoever wants it or needs it.”

The result is a cinematic, synth-wavey, dream poppy and downright beguilingly beautiful body of work. And they’re just getting started…

REVIEWS/RADIO/FEEDBACK:

“Starbed is folky, flavoured by pedal steel, cello, and brass. Dust Tears, in stark contrast, is a mini synth-pop rave epic. Part Bicep. Part Human League. Keep Your Eyes Closed summons a mood that’s romantic, but also dark and potentially doomed – like David Lynch’s Twin Peaks meets Cliff Martinez’s Drive score. My pick though is It’s True What They Say, whose interwoven jangle and picking recalls New Order’s more introspective moments (Love Vigilantes, Love Less… ). Drums crashing, cathartic. Guitar raising dramatic arcs. Its chorus a rush, like a reprise of Pains Of Being Pure Of Heart’s ‘Higher Than The Stars’.” BAN BAN TON TON
"Dust Tears sees them sharing vocal duties over a synth foundation reminiscent of Moby’s Go - Artist Of The Week” THE SCOTSMAN
"Woozy pop" NEMONE (Mary Anne Hobbs Morning Show, BBC 6Music)
"Nice one, very David Lynch meets Euro dream pop" YOUTH (Killing Joke, Paul McCartney, U2, The Orb, Spiritualized etc)
"Music sounds killer! Real emotion” DAVID HOLMES
"I’m enjoying it” TIM BRINKHURST aka LONDON (IKLAN, Young Fathers, Callum Easter)
“Oh, this is lovely!” SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
"It’s totally my cup of tea with milk and biscuit" BRENT RADEMAKER (Beachwood Sparks/GospelBeach)
"Beautiful, ecstatic electronica! Short and to the point" KEVIN BALES (Spiritualized, Julian Cope, Soulsavers, BE)
"Makes me wanna sit in the sun and sip an Arnold Palmer" CHRIS DIXIE DARLEY (Father John Misty)
“Really beautiful - Cocteau Twins / Spiritualized vibes but has its own thing going on, too - worth checking out!” JULIAN CORRIE (Franz Ferdinand, Miaoux Miaoux)
‘Sounded nice on a sunny day, makes me think of Twin Peaks, nice moods’ EAMON HAMILTON (Sea Power)
"Dealing in nostalgia, no bad thing at all, great to play that (Dust Tears) for you” RODDY HART (BBC Radio Scotland)
“I'll give the vocal tracks a spin before the release." VIC GALLOWAY (BBC Radio Scotland)
"Rather good!" IAIN ANDERSON (BBC Radio Scotland)

CREDITS:

Lyrics, Guitars, Keys, Synths, Drums, Drum Programming, Percussion, Mandolin, Glockenspiel: Shaun McLachlan
Lyrics, Vocals, Keys by Sarah McLachlan
Guitars, Synths, String Arrangements, Drum Programming, Engineering: Jaguar Eyes Percussion/Drums/Effects, Fire Extinguisher: Darren Coghill (Neon Waltz)
Guitars by Daniel Land
Slide Guitar by Chris Dixie Darley (Father John Misty)
Brass by Bruce Michie
Keys, pre-production & engineering on “It’s true what they say”: Gavin King
All produced by Jaguar Eyes and Shaun McLachlan and then mixed at Glasgow’s Chem19 Studios by David McCaulay (From Scotland With Love, Rick Redbeard, BBC TV’s Attenborough and The Mammoth Graveyard score).
Artwork: Jamie Walman (Fourteen Admirals)

MORE INFO:

Although Shaun released a pair of solo singles (When We Dance and Give Your Love To Me) during Lockdown, he will be better known to many via his work as the multi-instrumentalist in Edinburgh band Delta Mainline. With two albums released to date, Oh! Enlightened and Bel Avenir, both rapturously received by fans and critics alike, Delta Mainline have developed an international, cult following. Oh Enlightened (2013) achieved widespread critical acclaim on release, earning the band comparisons to Arcade Fire and Echo & The Bunnymen, while 2019’s Bel Avenir pulled in references to The Flaming Lips, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and krautrock. A third DM album is currently being mixed and due for release later this year…

Love For Love Vol.1 is a sumptuous two-tracker that takes you into both the unknown and the familiar.

On Side A, Mauritzio’s mesmerising, swirling ‘Sympathy’ (Gamma Reshape Boot) acts like a sonic shower that hits your body wherever it aches. The track kicks off with a subtle beat and acid-tinged backbone, spreading out into a deep, bass-laden symphony of sounds, detached vocals and warm synth chords. One for the late-night crowd searching for the darker corners of the dance floor for inspiration.

Flip over to Side B and Luber's ‘Somebody’ is waiting in the alley for you. At 124 bpm, ‘Somebody’ chugs along from the off with a curiously swingy beat, complete with perfectly trimmed hi-hats and a heavy double bassline. The familiar vocal acts as the track’s calling card – melancholic yet soaringly beautiful. ‘Somebody’ hits your nostalgia nodes with the flick of an ethereal finger, delivering low-end shuffle and hypnotic rhythms to lose yourself in.

Love For Love Vol.1 feels like the start of something special – and it would be wise to have these first steps in your record bag.

Bergsonist emerges on Dark Entries with Depths, a genre-bending 12-track LP of atmospheric and rhythmic excursions. For more than a decade, Moroccan-born Selwa Abd has been using the Bergsonist moniker to examine postcolonial identity and speculative temporalities across disparate media, including sound, image, video, and installation. She is also a key figure in New York underground music, fostering mutual aid and community support through her platforms Pick up the Flow (PUTF) and BizaarBazaar. On the 2025 album ASL أصل ⴰⵙⵍ, Bergsonist explored her Amazigh heritage using field recordings captured in Morocco. With Depths, her sixth LP, she continues the project of ancestral reconnection through sound. Abd notes: “I really use making music as therapy, not as a precious act, more as an energy release that makes me feel alive.” Depths overflows with this excess of vitality.

Tracks like “Trust the Current”, “Depths”, and “Underwater World Pursuit” showcase her singular take on diasporic techno-futurism, where James Stinson-esque atmospherics meet Moroccan rhythms. Elsewhere, “Again” and “Higher” push into coldwave territory, with icy arpeggios and electroid beats dancing beneath Abd’s ethereal vocals. But the dancefloor is not to be neglected: “Breakthrough” and “Ode to Life” spring forth with the kind of skewed peak-hour energy that only Bergsonist can bring. Artwork for Depths was designed by Eloise Leigh, and incorporates photographs by Abd and Greg Zifcak taken in Morocco. Also included is a protection poster that features an Amazigh symbol used for warding off the evil eye. Depths is an album that achieves a rare balance of elegance and DIY ethics - it is truly an ode to life.

Tripmode made a superb start to life with its first EP and is now back with more goodness, this time from family member Daniele Temperilli. We're told he is inspired by 'love, freedom and matured childishness' and he brings some big bass and bouncy minimal house to this 12". 'Beatback Haze' is tight and clipped in its tech funk, then 'Peace What?!' Brings more low-swinging drums and a prying bassline topped with big hits and warped pads. 'BeesTreb' taps into a darker vibe with gritty drum textures and more rapping, farting bass that's perfect for a darkened room. Last of all is 'Pachyderm', which bounces and swings, with macho drums but a sense of lithe energy that keeps you on your toes.

Long part of Portugal's ever expanding house scene, Bogdan Ra loves acid, and frankly, don't we all. This new drop on his Love Affair label offers up four more 303-inspired works full of dirtiness, sleazy texture and analogue punch. Side A opens with the classic leanings of 'Damn Fine' with a rasping acid line and hefty groove, while 'Habibi' is where eastern melodies meet jacked up drum work. Side B amps up the vibe with 'Feel', offering a faster, more edgy sound and 'Action' is a driving New Beat-inspired sound with phased bass, withering sci-fi synth motifs and darker, snappier moods and grooves for when the lights go down low and things get naughty.

File under Boy Harsher Jae Matthews lends her unmistakable voice to a striking reinterpretation of Buzz Kull’s cult classic “Man On The Beat.” Built for midnight drives and neon-lit highways, Matthews’ version transforms the track into a dark, hypnotic pulse of tension and atmosphere, carried by her haunting, commanding vocal. Released as a special limited-edition 12" by Heartworm Press, the single reimagines the underground favorite with a colder, more cinematic edge.

On the B-side, Los Angeles duo Spike Hellis deliver an extended remix, stretching the track into a dancefloor-ready transmission of ecstatic synth and rhythm. Matthews is widely known as the vocalist of the dark electronic project Boy Harsher, but here she steps into a different light, channeling the nocturnal spirit of the original while making the song unmistakably her own.