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Am 3. Februar 2023, knapp ein Jahr nach der Veröffentlichung von Korns ”Requiem”, wird die Band
ihr Album ”Requiem Mass” veröffentlichen - eine Sammlung von Aufnahmen der Requiem Mass LivePerformance in der Hollywood United Methodist Church in Hollywood, Kalifornien im Februar 2022.

«I am the bridge between the day and the night that never ends, I am the acid drop that beads on your dancing body, I am the metallic breakthrough that crosses your being when I catch your wet hands, I am the brutal wave that grazes your dark gaze and your tired eyes, I am the titanium and the cyprin, I am the adrenaline, I am that being that invents, desires and revolts, I am that jolt of desire that tears me when it is dark, I am a psychoactive substance diluted in honey, I am the back that you caress, I am our first and last dance, I am the one who seduces you, I am the one who obsesses you, I am the solitary dance that bewitched me the first time we met, I am the cry muffled by our restless bodies, I am the movement that pierces and unfolds as if it were the last. I am solid and liquid, mechanical and organic, I am your first and last time, I am Baraka.»

French duo Baraka present their first eponymous EP.
Dive into their cathartic universe in which they celebrate their love for club culture using powerful TR8s, incisive break beats, synthetic layers inspired by trance and trip-hop as well as cavernous female voices.

This alliance of electronic music, 90’ aesthetics and dreamy undulations intertwine like the yin and yang and promise a mystical universe with futuristic imagery.

Techno trailblazer Amelie Lens presents her new EP 'In My Mind' on her own Lenske imprint, containing three explosive techno tracks.

Belgium's Lenske Records presents its next EP from label head Amelie Lens. The release marks a considerable high point of Lens' career, hot on the heels of the launch of her radio show and dropping just before her debut Ibiza residency with sister label EXHALE. 'In My Mind' will mark Amelie's first solo release on the label since 2020 and follows her collaboration with Airod on 'Raver's Heart' EP late last year. The EP also was inspired by electrifying visuals that Amelie takes on the road and showcases at selected gigs.

Title track 'In My Mind' opens proceedings with blasts, bangs and heavy reverbs whilst Amelie's voice swirls above. The build-up gives way to furious claps, and spiking synths that continue to dance around the vocal sample in a ruthless march. The beat is unrelenting with a venomous, pulsing bassline that creates this raw and atmospheric techno cut, while bubbling keys maintain vitality and lightness with their careful arrangement.

Multiple elements come into play for subsequent track 'First Light'. A stripped back kick synchronizes with distorted pads for the opening, soon accompanied by a heavier kick-drum counterpart and lick of acid to inject some sharpness. The true DNA of the track is the programmed claps and dark pads that rise and fall menacingly throughout, as splashes of effects are thrown into the mix.

Final track on the record 'Trippin'' undoubtedly packs a punch. Blasting off with a dominant kick and oscillating spring reverb that swipes through Amelie's wistful vocals, the harder elements gradually succumb to the softness of her voice. The listener's focus is momentarily shifted during an early breakdown before the kick returns with more vigor accompanied by hurried hi-hats and distortion that sends you into a frenzy.

Arkada records is excited to announce our 4th release - forthcoming split vinyl EP featuring the sounds of ADJ & Adrien d’Elzius.

We are very happy to present the first part of the EP with the unique sounds of one of the pioneering artists in the UK underground Electro scene, the label owner of Pyramid Transmissions - ADJ

ADJ originates from and is based in London. He has been playing Underground Electronic Music for over 35 years as a DJ, starting in the days of Early Electro and Hip Hop. He has also been producing and releasing music for 25 years, releasing over 200 tracks in this time on a plethora of labels including Touchin Bass,For Those That Knoe, Another Perspective, Ai, Outside, Cultivated Electronics,Yellow Machines, Crobot Muzik, Diffuse Reality, Netlabel ,Digital Distortions and more...has done remixes for Flint Kids, Scanone, LASynthesis, Carl Finlow, Fleck Esc, Arsonist Recorder , Paul Hierophant to name a few.

He has run the Pyramid Transmissions Record label with label partner Pathic for 20 years and also ran the Analogique record label for 5 years from 1995-2000 releasing Techno, Electro and Electronica as 3 Elements.
ADJ also performed his first LIVE set in a few years in March 2020 MUTABOR in Moscow.

As a DJ, he has played at many festivals including a BLOC residency, Glastonbury For BLOC, Bestival, Shambala, Infiltrate at WMC Miami. 2019 saw another tour of the US with Silicon Scally,Ben Milstein, EVAC, Ion Driver and 214. He also runs the Dodo Club and Frequency Resonate(with Errorbeauty) nights in London and Berlin aswell as playing in Lille, Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg Berlin,Zagreb,Athens, Napoli, Brussels, Budapest, Vienna, Valencia, Sofia, Paris and many more..

Second part of our EP presents the futuristic glitched-out sounds of the one of a kind Belgium producer Adrien d’Elzius also known under his allies HosmOz.

Adrien d’Elzius was born in the gloomy south of Belgium spending his youth hanging around in a camping and listening to Hip Hop, he started his life in a mess of paradox. At 10, he learned to play drums under his punk’s brother regard, and experimented different kind of rock until 18. That’s where someone showed him a track of Aphex Twin, who blew his mind and made him believe he had finally found the music that suited him. From there, he compulsively spend hours playing around with his computer and slowly made himself a place in the very small community of underground music lover of Brussels under the nickname hosmOz after winning a contest. From his melodic and acidic drill’n’bass beginning, his sound slowed down and got darker, challenging himself to try to create something he couldn’t before. He recently re-released his Lp on Diffuse Reality that make it available on physical form and also his debut album on Burial Soil with remixes by Umwelt and Lloyd Stellar.

The masters of the release are kindly made by Thomas Dunstan. Artwork made by our amazing designer Lawrence Cli

Ralph Falcon last collaborated with Victoria Wilson James on the Number 1 Billboard charting tune “I Need Someone.”

With its distinctively hypnotic, dark pulsating beat and haunting vocal, “I Need Someone” went from being a Club Space Miami anthem to a worldwide club hit. Now Ralph is back with Victoria Wilson James on a new song that is destined for greatness but with even more potential given the unending worldwide demand for fresh house sounds.

“Fade Away” has all the unique sonic elements that Ralph Falcon fans have come to expect over the years. Heavy Kick drums combined with synth sounds that you wont find in any software program. Ralph’s sounds are creations that only he could produce. This vinyl release gets a uniquely international remix treatment. Included are a remix from Ralph’s Murk partner Oscar G, rising Dutch producer star Dennis Quin, and emerging French producer star Ténéré.

1000 black vinyl LPs. London-based ‘indie-supergroup’ SUEP announce their long-awaited debut mini-album Shop, a collection of 6 oddball, car-boot-sale pop songs with a sprinkling of theatrical storytelling. Led by Georgie Stott (of Porridge Radio, Garden Centre) and Josh Harvey, SUEP was born out of a near-decade of playing in sheds and barns with like minded personnel, holding a mutual love for Paul McCartney, Jona Lewie, the B-52s, Devo and other performative freaks enjoying themselves. Following a move to London from Brighton, the pair added George Nicholls (The GN Band, Joanna Gruesome, The Tubs), Will William Deacon (PC World, Garden Centre), and Ollie Chapman (Boil King) to the line-up. The 5 piece take turns writing songs and taking the lead vocal duties in a wonderfully playful but coherent collaboration, with their debut being a kaleidoscopic off kilter pop ride, taking the listener through haunted castles, deprived encounters, days lost to the imagination in bed, and through the integral friendships that give SUEP the energy to keep dancing to their own beat. The album was arranged and recorded in the Red Lion Boys Club, an ex-youth centre in which Georgie and Josh both lived. Using equipment collected by Josh in his travels as a bootsale and market trader, the sports hall was transformed into a makeshift studio for a few days, with sessions conducted by producer Matthew Green (Sniffany & The Nits, The Tubs, etc.) Mark Riley (BBC 6 Music) described SUEP’s debut single and album opener, ‘Domesticated Dream’ (2021) as “perfect pop music.” The joyfully kitsch track brims with a 70s Yamaha disco beat, deep bass, nostalgic drum machines, and hooky melodies. Possibly the most psychedelic and infectious track born out of lockdown, it tackles homelife, drinking too much, and making big plans that never come to fruition, but with a big technicoloured positivity for the future of the human-race, with the chorus’ refrain, “the psychedelic 4000s,” predicting the return of the psychedelic Age of Aquarius in a couple of millennia time. The following single ‘Misery’ (2021) is pure cosmic swing-pop wizardry in part inspired by spy music and The Supremes. Ollie, The track’s baritone vocalist, describes it as “A love song disguised as a song about loss. It's about cherishing the things that matter but it’s also about having the courage to say goodbye,” with each line of the song a small story about a different character. Whilst latest Shop taster ‘In Good Health’ is darkly euphoric like a pleasantly strange meeting of Siouxsie Sioux and Jona Lewie. It’s a playfully discombobulating mix of 80s jangly guitar, chirpy keyboard and moody post-punk tackling mental health, drug addiction, and the power of friendship, written after the song’s vocalist Georgie came out of hospital following a mental health crisis. “I wanted to write a song that encapsulated how important my relationships with my friends and boyfriend were at that time” she explains “…and one that also felt dark like I did at the time. I couldn’t go outside due to anxiety surrounding my health so I stayed inside for weeks. People would visit and watch films with me or let me tattoo them or make music with me. My community helped me recover.” Elsewhere on Shop is ‘Just The Job’ fronted by Harvey and described by him as “About the relief of accepting a menial existence, and allowing life to be boring - but (within that) how the small things are the important ones, how pulling a sicky or extra long lunch break are important things to do for yourself. It’s an anthem for working people who’ve had enough - and a crowd favourite at SUEP gigs. The darker undertones and post-punk angles of the Georgie-fronted ‘Onions’ is inspired by the crapness of cliques, with the band calling the song “A cry of welcome to all;” and finally the hooky ‘Friend of Mine,’ described as “A love letter to all the people that come and go throughout your life no matter how long you know them”. SUEP have received coverage in Independent & Clash, (among many others), with big support from Mark Riley and Steve Lamacq (BBC 6 Music) for early singles.

green vinyl / printed sleeve / 180 grams
Hadone's nine-track LP shares a first glimpse of his immersive 'Things We Never Did' concept.

November 2022 sees the inception of not only Hadone's first ever feature LP but also his artistically driven and expansive label project 'Things We Never Did'. Marking the first release on the imprint, 'What I Was Running From' spans nine individually unique records, including a special collaboration with friend and fellow French producer Askkin. One of the standout breaks tracks on the LP, it was the first track they made together.

A culmination of all things influential in modern underground techno, blending 4x4 raw techno tracks with more spirited melodic pieces, Hadone's debut LP is a telling celebration of several immersive sub-genres combined with his renowned sonic despondency. The result: a careful balance of richly electronic emotional cuts and racy industrialised techno with a gritty minimalist feel. "Not only the music is destined to evolve, but the whole environment that goes with it will be rethought on a recurring basis" adds Jeremy.

Title track 'What I Was Running From' was made after he finally found inspiration after the pandemic and was written in an hour. "I think my best tracks are made fast, as they don't reply in any intention but feelings only, therefore they are natural and reflect my true style" adds Jeremy.

Its fast paced bassline and jittery stabs, give the track a choppy break beat influenced vibe opening the album with true intent. 'What I Was Running from' offers a transcendental eye through the looking glass at a project that incorporates music, a digital interactive universe, a fashion collaboration with precocious
Parisian footwear brand Phileo. A creative collaboration which has resulted in a limited collection of 2 styles, available on both TWND's digital universe and Phileo direct.

For the 1st year designs, graphism by Raphael Clerget "leverages the power of art to underline the importance of saving our relation to time and improve focus." Raphael brings his vision of complexity and darkness through refined aesthetics carried out for the digital universe, label and merchandise.

• There was plenty of genuine discontent in Britain at the tail end of the 1970s, and it had little to do with bin strikes or dark rumours about overflowing morgues. In the world of popular music, the most liberating after-effect of the Sex Pistols was that anyone with something to say now felt they could make a 7” single. “Winter Of Discontent” is the sound of truly DIY music, made by people who maybe hadn’t written a song until a day or two before they went into the studio. It’s spontaneous and genuinely free in a way the British music scene has rarely been before or since.

• “Winter of Discontent” has been compiled by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, the latest in their highly acclaimed series of albums that includes “The Daisy Age”, “Fell From The Sun” and “English Weather” ("really compelling and immersive: it’s a pleasure to lose yourself in it" - Alexis Petridis, the Guardian). The era's bigger DIY names (Scritti Politti, TV Personalities, the Fall) and the lesser-known (Exhibit A, Digital Dinosaurs, Frankie’s Crew) are side by side on “Winter Of Discontent”. Mark Perry’s Sniffin’ Glue command – “Here’s one chord, here’s another, now start a band” – was amplified by the Mekons and the Raincoats, whose music shared a little of punk’s volume, speed and distortion, but all of its obliqueness and irreverence.

• The discontent was with society as a whole. No subject matter was taboo: oppressive maleness (Scritti Politti); deluded Britishness (TV Personalities); gender stereotypes (Raincoats, Androids of Mu); nihilistic youth (Fatal Microbes); alcoholism (Thin Yoghurts); self-doubt and pacifism (Zounds). The band names (Thin Yoghurts!) and those of individual members (Andrew Lunchbox!) had enough daftness to avoid any accusations of solemnity.

• “Winter Of Discontent” is the definitive compilation of the UK DIY scene, and a beacon in grim times.

2020. The year of the corona-pandemic, when the music world was forced into a standstill, five old friends put in motion an old idea that had been lingering - and what eventually was to become a new band and powerhouse: The Halo Effect.
The members of The Halo Effect are not only masters of their domain, but also some of the pioneers of the Gothenburg melodeath scene; Lead guitarists and melodic deathslingers Niclas Engelin and Jesper Strömblad, lead singer and raging growler and lyricist Mikael Stanne, further on adding to this mix is the solid backbone and foundation of power bassist Peter Iwers, and his partner in crime since twenty plus years, hard-hitting drummer Daniel Svensson.
Knowing each other from an early age during the late 80’s and then playing together in different constellations during the 90’s, they came to dominate the Metal scene in Gothenburg - mainly being part of the two major bands and metal exports In Flames and Dark Tranquillity, also two of the pioneers and major forces behind the melodeath monicker: The Gothenburg Sound. A sound that would echo far and wide across the world and influence countless of metal bands during the 90’s and early 2000’s.This was also the initial thought behind The Halo Effect - to go back to the roots and
explore what the groundbreaking metal sounded like then. And add the experience and skills of what the members could bring to the table now. The result is an exceptional album and real tour de force to fans of melodeath where the echoes of the Gothenburg Sound is evident. The Halo Effect delivers the goods in a brutally efficient display of heart pounding beats, melodic mayhem and furious growling at its best. Raw, yetmelodic, and in your melted face.Buckle up and remove your ear plugs. The restrictions are being lifted, the pandemic is over, and The Halo Effect is finally ready to meet its audience all over the world.

For nearly 60 years, John Cale has been reimagining how his music is made, sounds, and even works. MERCY, Cale’s first full album in a decade, moves through true dark-night-of-the-soul electronic torment toward vulnerable love songs and hopeful considerations for the future with the help of some of music’s most curious young minds. Cale has always searched for new ways to explore old ideas of alienation, hurt, and joy; MERCY is the latest transfixing find of this unsatisfied mind.

John Cale announces MERCY, his first new album of original songs in a decade, out January 20th via Double Six / Domino. For nearly 60 years, or at least since he was a young Welshman who moved to New York and formed The Velvet Underground, Cale has been reinventing his music with dazzling and inspiring regularity. There was the bewitching chamber folk of Paris 1919 followed instantly by the gnarled rock of Fear, the provocative and spare song cycle Music for a New Society followed more than 30 years later by mighty and unabashed electronic updates. Once again, here is Cale, reimagining how his music is made, sounds, and even works. His engrossing 12-track MERCY moves through true dark-night-of-the-soul electronics toward vulnerable love songs and hopeful considerations for the future.

On MERCY, Cale enlists some of music’s most curious young minds: Animal Collective, Sylvan Esso, Laurel Halo, Tei Shi, Actress. They’re only some of the astounding cast here, brilliant musicians who climb inside Cale’s consummate vision of the world and help him redecorate there. Cale turned 80 in March, and he’s watched as many peers have passed away, particularly during the last decade. MERCY is the continuation of a long career’s work with wonder. Cale has always searched for new ways to explore old ideas of alienation, hurt, and joy; MERCY is the latest transfixing find of this unsatisfied mind.



The writings and recordings that shaped MERCY piled up for years, as Cale watched society totter at the brink of dystopia. Trump and Brexit, Covid and climate change, civil rights and right-wing extremism—Cale let the bad news of the day filter into his lines, whether that meant contemplating the sovereignty and legal status of sea ice melting near the poles or the unhinged arming of Americans. Lessons from a life (still being) richly lived floated to the fore, too, nodded to on the previously released “NIGHT CRAWLING.” If we’re always regretting our past, aren’t we conscripting ourselves to permanent disappointment?

During “STORY OF BLOOD,” after the piano prelude gives way to a frame-rattling beat and synthesizers that feel like sunshine splashed across a snowfield, the voices of Cale and Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering slide past one another, two phantoms trying to find a partner amid the modern din. “Swing your soul,” they both sing in aspiration. In the final verse, Cale remembers this existence is not just about himself. “I’m going back to get them, my friends in the morning. Bring them with me into the light.” The accompanying video by Emmy-winning director Jethro Waters is a mix of disturbing and serene featuring both Cale and Weyes Blood. Its deep tones and religious images emphasize the track’s dark, spiritual mood.

Cale elaborates: “I’d been listening to Weyes Blood’s latest record and remembered Natalie’s puritanical vocals. I thought if I could get her to come and sing with me on the ‘Swing your soul’ section, and a few other harmonies, it would be beautiful. What I got from her was something else! Once I understood the versatility in her voice, it was as if I’d written the song with her in mind all along. Her range and fearless approach to tonality was an unexpected surprise. There’s even a little passage in there where she’s a dead-ringer for Nico.”

In a Hip Hop match-up as heavy as Freddy vs Jason was to horror cinema, Los Angeles emcee's Mykill Miers and Pawz One have announced a collaborative album titled "Double Homicide". The project is packed with multi-syllabic lyrical barrages and DJ cuts as gritty as the boom-bap backdrops for a journey through the dark underbelly of the city of angels.

Mykill Miers, the self-proclaimed "Hitchcock Of Hip Hop" has been a threat on the mic since the late 90's, coming up in the same circle as notables including Planet Asia, Dilated Peoples and Phil The Agony. Pawz One has been releasing music for the past decade has been repping hard for the real ish. Speaking on their initial link-up Pawz recalls "I had obviously known of Myk for a while from killing it on the "Wake Up Show" to all the work he dropped. I was circulating around shows in LA a few years back and we ended up on the same bill a few times. We exchanged contact and did a few songs and I felt like it was a combo people would like to hear more from."

Production on the album includes work from Default Beats, Big Bob, Phaisrok, DJ Ray Swift, Science and Mykill Miers himself. Turntablists including DJ Rhettmatic, DJ Merk1200, DJ Breeze, DJ Romes and DJ Fastcut lend their skills and emcees including Ruste Juxx, Mic Handz, Edo.G, El Da Sensei, King Magnetic and Buddah.

Aaron Mader, known professionally as Lazerbeak, is a Minneapolis-based artist and producer. Over the past decade he has collaborated with everyone from reigning pop queen Lizzo (producing her entire debut album), Doja Cat, Dessa, bluegrass heavyweights Trampled By Turtles, indie supergroup GAYNGS, and the Grammy-winning Minnesota Orchestra, all while continuing to build and create with life-long comrades from his own Doomtree artist collective and notching production credits on everything from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton Mixtape to the dark electro-pop of Banks’ critically acclaimed III album. Aside from being a founding member of the Doomtree collective, he is also the CEO and General Manager of Doomtree Records, handling the day-to-day operations, management, and inner workings of the crew and label. His latest solo album Lava Bangers II, the second in an on-going instrumental beat tape series, is being released in two-song monthly installments throughout all of 2022, culminating in a 20 song limited edition 2xLP physical release in January 2023.

Another Terra Magica release is coming! The new ‚Axisdance‘ - Various Artists (TERRAM003) double-vinyl 12″ compilation coming out this summer August/September on Terra Magica Rec.

With artists from all over the world such as Poly Chain, Mogwaa, Jacques Satre, Jai, DJ Normal 4, Imogen Soundsystem – Ilija Rudman and Antonio Zuza, Gee Dee, Rambal Cochet, Listensport, Johnmon and Hektisch Sprengen DJs.

Every track has its own spirit, in a kind of a 90s journey way. The compilation is a fascinating mixture of weird cosmic and slow goa vibes to more emotional places with powerful bassdriven downtempo techno and slightly trance influenced anthems as well as distinctive tribal acid easiness with epic melodies. Furthermore it involves faster loaded minimal hypnotic synth sounds and dark UK-House with a big-beat touch to it. Raw liquid floating old skool breaks melts into rave stompers which are inhabited by sensitive living microbes vibrating jungle atmospheres.

The themes that permeate »Senderos de luz y sombras« simultaneously engage the overwhelming, unyielding immensity of the beginnings of the universe and the forces at work in the unconscious mind. What connects these themes are the dark energies operating outside our knowledge, far beyond the conceptual scope of our limited thinking. How to convey all this and build music from these concealed forces? What Beatriz Ferreyra achieves, thanks to her trademark virtuosity, is precisely to summon energies, to bring in the raw forces that govern the laws of Acoustics, so as to trigger sonic storms as one would call the rain, to transform all sound matters into the core of a ritual. Indeed, Beatriz Ferreyra addresses the mind-body reconciliation, for in providing this unique sound and musical experience, with a rare sensitive intensity, the great composer simultaneously invites us to engage in a personal experience. (François Bonnet, Paris, 2021)

Commissioned by the French State for INA grm – 2016-2020.

In memoriam Bernard Baschet, Bernard Parmegiani and Carlos Pellegrino. A 16-channel piece inspired by astrophysics, the mystery of the pre-Big Bang era and some of the uncanny motions of the unconscious mind, where strangeness meets the ordinary.

2023 generic sleeve repress

Out of the dark, into the spring with Gantz's colourful 12" EP.

The combination of exotic instruments, deep off-beat rumblings and Rider Shafique vocals, deliver an almost hypnotik journey through Gantz's mind.

2023 Repress

When the reopening is slowly approaching, chaos is slowly dissolving. We pushed the button to try the new reality and for the soundtrack we've got for one of the more club oriented releases we have made till date.

Dakar's newest affiliate midnight menace starts the release with his already known schranz alike beat, dark and acidic pushing the Dance floor limits.

Cressida strikes with a funk push which could have totally fit in a Black Nation record from 2002, one of the very few produces using swing in his tracks these days. Freshness guaranteed.

Debuting the Spaniard Jheal Bashta deliver a hyper futuristic song, amen breaks, autotune, which year is it again?

Closing the issue, we warmly welcome to the legend Deeon, who deserves no introductions. Ghetto-punk. For disc-jockeys and collectors.

We spit on your plate f*kers
#oftenplusneverminus8

Ellen Allien and the We Are Not Alone collective are back with a second edition of the We Are Not Alone series. A 36-track compilation split into 3 parts, each consisting of 12 cuts, dedicated to the infamous We Are Not Alone event series and the best of Berlin’s underground techno talent.

Ellen Allien's innovative party series We Are Not Alone was launched in 2016 and remains committed to inviting an exciting crew of artists to perform at the 36 hour events, now in a new home at RSO.BERLIN, where they returned with bang over 36 hours and 3 floors in May.

The We Are Not Alone compilation features artists that have played at the parties, as well as those who will join the line-up for future events. The 4th, 5th and 6th parts include music by Ellen and established names names such as Thomas P. Heckmann, Dollkraut & DJ Europarking, Francois X, Phase Fatale and Etapp Kyle. Rising stars Nene H, Nur Jaber, Stephanie Sykes, Wallis and Métaraph. BPitch signings including Rosa Anschütz, Shaleen, Matasism and Uncrat.
For this installment of the series, Ellen Allien collaborates with esteemed director and photographer Stini Roehrs for the multidisciplinary project ‘’AFTER DARK – Emotional States of Techno’’, consisting of a virtual rave film, book and exhibition produced by AKKURAT Studios, and the We Are Not Alone VA, which is to be released physically and digitally via BPitch.

The next We Are Not Alone parties take place at RSO, Berlin in July, August and October of this year. 22nd July, CSD weekend, is set to be a single night event on two floors. 20th August a We Are Not Alone floor during the RSO Club Festival and then we’ll be back for over 30 hours on 15th & 16th October. Watch this space.

After 9 full length studio albums and playing their asses off at over 800 shows, the Finnish disco metal machine Turmion Kätilöt is ready for the next level in their world dominance. Their 10th full length studio album “Omen X” will be released in 36 countries on 13th January 2023 via Nuclear Blast. The touring cycle starts in Finland immediately after the release of Omen X. Band will play its biggest show ever in Helsinki Ice hall on 14th January 2023. After couple of shows in the home country “Omen X” will be served all over Europe with 20 gigs inFebruary 2023 – see the full show schedule below.
”In the Omen X production, we encountered only positive problems. Due to the closures caused by Covid 19, there were so many songs available this time that it was even painful to choose only one album of songs from them. The amount of material and the difficulty of selection seemed to take up an unnecessary amount of valuable studio time at times. Otherwise, making the album went smoothly as always. From the artist's point of view, the album got a hell of a new sounds and atmosphere. A very cleansing experience. The tenth prophecy has been given. You're welcome!” - MC Raaka Pee
Turmion Kätilöt was formed in 2003 in Finland by MC Raaka Pee and Dj Vastapallo. Soon they were joined by the other members of what would become Turmion Kätilöt: Master Bates, Run-Q, DQ and Spellgoth as a second vocalist. With a couple of line-up changes as Dj Vastapallo left the band in 2009 replaced by Bobby Undertaker on guitars (ex-Deathchain) and Spellgoth leaving in 2017 replaced by Shag-U (Fear Of Domination) on vocals, Turmion Kätilöt has become the mean disco metal machine they are today.
From the very beginning Turmion Kätilöt has had a reputation of being a great live band. Disco beats from the 90’s, metal to the pedal, melodies, sing-a-longs, you name it – there are no rules. Yet still if you peek under the skin you can find the darkness pointing its finger to you. Their live shows have been praised to be the fiercest and craziest mayhem to be witnessed creating the twisted world of Turmion Kätilöt.

 Love And Rockets are the seminal groundbreaking trio of
Daniel Ash (vocals and guitar), David J (vocals and bass)
and Kevin Haskins (drums). They formed in 1985 after the
first split of their band, Bauhaus. Love and Rockets
provided a clean slate and an opportunity to plumb the
depths of imagination and influences.

 The band’s 1985 debut album, ‘Seventh Dream of
Teenage Heaven’, was an unashamedly psychedelic
adventure, far removed from the dark, angular
soundscapes of Bauhaus. Yet they had to fight hard to
avoid being branded ‘goth’, citing Syd Barrett, Marc Bolan
and the later period Beatles as primary influences. This is
a single black LP with a gatefold sleeve.

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Ben Marc, who's emerged as a key figure of London's cutting edge jazz scene, has just announced his debut full length, a follow up to last September's widely acclaimed Breathe Suite EP (heralded by NPR, Pitchfork, The Wire, The Guardian, and more)

Glass Effect is an assured and accomplished 13-track realization of a singular vision that unifies a multitudinous profusion of influences (free-jazz, broken beat, hip-hop, electronica and beyond) into a sublime whole, underscoring the evolution of his quest for a distinctive sound: lambent, low-key, and yet dizzyingly intricate.


It's a rare talent that can link Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood, Ethio-jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, Afrofuturists Sun Ra Arkestra, and grime legend Dizzee Rascal, but Marc has long blurred musical worlds and criss-crossed boundaries. One of the reasons that he started writing Glass Effect, says Marc, was going to nightclubs in Ibiza and experiencing the heady sun- dappled euphoria of a summery dancefloor, as well as the beat-driven production of artists like Four Tet, Bonobo, Machinedrum, DJ Shadow, and Madlib.

MASK unveil the final entry in its untitled release series.
Berlin-based label MASK records has become known for releasing a string of vinyl-only EP’s by unnamed producers which have seen the support of respected artists such as Jimpster, DJ Bone, Ben Sims,
Santiago Salazar, Laurent Garnier, Ryan Elliot, Marcel Dettmann, and the Blessed Madonna amongst others. Now, the tenth and final instalment of the series consists of an eclectic collection of techno and house cuts, all recorded on tape during an analog live session in the artist’s studio.
The A1 eases you into the record through glitchy textures, swelling synths and broken beats before the A2 gets you into a rapturous tracky groove offset by lo-fi vocals and dreamy pads. The A3 takes a darker turn through hypnotic drums and a droning bass, readying the listener for the B-Side which continues this raw energy.
The B1 picks up the pace with energetic drums and clean ride cymbals while the B2 incorporates floaty arps and a tantalising repeating vocal. ‘B3’ closes out the release with a retro 80s synth feel, putting a wrap on yet another incredible vinyl EP by this exciting underground label.

A new entity has made musical contact with Shipwrec. Alpha Vistor. The newly minted moniker of musician and sound designer Ivan Zapico, this four tracker debut is steeped in the traditions of electro. In the ghostly "Ciudad Fantasma" threats lurk in the murky shadows of basslines and beats, an unsettling atmosphere of menace penetrating speakers from the outset. Clinical percussion and an overarching unease introduce "20202020." Dark undercurrents of melody brood below shimmering glass chords in this foreboding work. The flip comes to life with "Malos Tiempos para la Guerra," an ominous prescience coming to bear in the track title. A hi-hat haze is broken by sweetened strings, a kick drum maintaining the intensity. When a snare arrives, it is accompanied by greasy acid basslines; brightness countered with shadow. The final encounter comes with "Templo de Cova." A soaked beat surfaces amid stabbing sythlines and twilight tones that break to triumphal highs, a reflective culmination to this ruminative record.

The Vivid label is yet another one from Burnski who also runs Constant Blanc and Instinct. He is s single handed garage hit making machine and he knows how to tap into the next gen, too. Here he calls upon Peaky Beats for a naughty and nasty three track affair that has retro feels but contemporary style. 'Can't Stop' opens up with a 2-step shuffle and steely hits, then 'Get Ready' gets more free and melodic with some boxing little melodic patterns and oscillating bass. Last of all is the most menacing and dark - 'Wildcat' flips into a dub wise swagger mid-way through that is going to blow up the clubs.

Flaminia’s first solo release on 47 features four mesmerizing techno rollers. London-based artist Flaminia makes her solo 47 debut with four sophisticated techno tracks that perfectly balance brooding intensity with dreamlike atmospherics. A producer with EPs on Samurai Music, VSK Series and her own label, Metempsychosis Records, Flaminia builds on her canon of previous work with 47033, adding to the label roster’s growing arsenal of expertly honed dance floor releases. On the A-side, two four-to-the floor heavyweights—”Pure” and “Burn Loudly”—offset bone-shaking kicks with plangent melodies that make these tracks uplifting despite their ferocity. The B-side takes a darker turn; “Back To Zero” is an icy broken beat that shines in its stuttering rhythmic complexity, while the closer, “Dissolved,” is just as foreboding: synths scrape and shatter like shards of glass against a spare and crunchy kick while Flaminia’s voice reverberates in the background. The entire package will be

Belgian artist Melawati steps up to Ellum Audio with an arresting debut album, Artimia. Produced with an array of modified machines and modular synths, it is a testament to finding beauty in chaos.

Martijn Ravesloot aka Melawati makes music out of mistakes. He comes from an indie background but has always admired Aphex Twin while playing in bands such as The Subs and working in theatre. He has a love of experimenting with soundwaves that gives rise to his complex, experimental and improvised sounds. He first met Maceo Plex while jamming and that session turned into the track 'Daliah' which dropped on Ellum Audio and was remixed by Tale of Us.

After that, Melawati wrote this most absorbing and beautiful album during the pandemic in a dark studio attic in the heart of Brussels. He set about recording live experiments on analog synths and then deconstructed and reconstructed them into the tracks presented here. The angelic tones of guest vocalist Lisa Jane feature on two tracks though the pair have never met, and Melawati is now set to take his impressive live show to Tomorrowland. His life has changed since writing the album, he now has two children and lives on a farm, but the power of this music where organic and alien worlds intersect remains utterly compelling.

Opener 'I Just Want To Go Walking' pairs a heavenly vocal with celestial chords and a bustling broken beat that strikes a powerful emotional note right from the off. The excellent 'Riddles' showcases more majestic synth work and molten melodies that suspend you in mid-air while 'Slow Pulse' is an intense layering of drones and heavy drum tumbles that again offsets light and dark, tension and release. 'Red Herring' rests with beautifully pensive synth patterns that twinkle, warp and melt before your very ears and 'You And I' takes off on a rubbery groove overlaid with heart-aching keys and shimmering, wordless vocals. 'Somebody' is brain-soothing synth bliss with lush patterns and icy drums that gently unfold to get you in a trance and the gorgeous 'Radiate' then offers a widescreen and cosmic ambient interlude. The heartbroken synths of 'Let Your Love Wash Over Me' speak of the end of a cosmic love affair and 'Violent Thoughts' rebuilds on smooth arps and smeared pads over downtempo drums. The final trio of tracks offers rousing breakbeats on 'New White Noise', uplifting synth catharsis on 'Pain And Pressure' and a melancholic lullaby on 'Stellar'.

Artimia is a beautiful mix of harmony and dissonance, of real emotional power and improvised musical elegance.

After a recent 7" single release, Bongo Joe Records follow the debut album from Nyati Mayi & The Astral Synth Transmitters. Nyati Mayi, a Belgo-Congolese multi-instrumentalist, singer and improv dancer has joined up with DJ & producer Sofa Elsewhere. After a performance at this year's BBC Radio 3 After Dark Festival the duo have a busy live summer in Europe including a show a the Best Kept Secret Festival. Early support from Worldwide FM, Late Junction and AfroBase.

Terapia Records is thrilled to introduce you the very first release of its catalogue, a stunning LP by the two founders Luca and Michele (aka Complementary Minds) called Butch Haynes introduces Complementary Minds Vol. 1. The newborn label launches its ambitious, yet very much considered project, after the debut of one of the two head-honchos Luca Ferrara aka Butch Haynes on Apparel Music and Sistrum Recordings. He metaphorically introduces the first LP by the Milan born and bred duo, who share a deep love for music and a great productive connection. They deliver a brilliant eleven-track album, full of diversified sonic influences and quite representative of their bright talent. The record, which will be presented to you both on vinyl and digital, starts with a couple of masterly produced beats (Fantastic/Teacher Carey), both with an analogous mellow, warm energy, some brilliantly crafted bass-lines and a substantial harmonic presence. The album keeps rolling with the Deep feeling of Flower Diva: its soulful, skilfully arranged vocals and the dreamy synthetic chords help the pair to perpetuate this passionate, balmy vibe. Insomnia ends the first quartet of sexy tunes with some seductive improvised spacey key stabs and its delicate pensive chords while Q Orchestra (the lost tape mix) speeds up the heartbeat and leads to the closing track of the A side, Bebi: a gorgeous groovy interlude. B side kicks off in style with the slightly darker feel of Myers Boogie Man where the pitched sampled vocals, the solid rhythm section, a profound array of sonic details and a marvellous warm synth melody towards the end of the track make it a true ghetto hit! Right On, with its broken-beat and a radiant harmonic progression, Contact 911 with its tight kick-snare connection and some far-out, whimsical chord evolution and G Buster with its irresistible slightly acid driving force, pave the way for the grand finale where Maam, a proper club banger, ends this amazing LP in epic fashion. Butch Haynes introduces Complementary Minds Vol. 1. is such a cohesive, yet incredibly diversified album and their authors, Luca Ferrara and Michele Fallabrino, achieve the challenging task of telling their sonic story with a flawless work. What a way to start Terapia Records’ experience.

Debut album by Dutch producer w1b0, who passed away in August, to be released in November on U-TRAX.

Wibo Lammerts' sudden death on August 15thshocked the worldwide electro community, and also left the record label, that had been working on the debut album with the artist known as w1b0 for the past two years, dumbfounded and in grief.

Wibo had jokingly always called his upcoming debut album 'his legacy', which now sadly has become a painful truth. With the support of Wibo's family, U-TRAX is now doing the only thing that doesn't feel totally wrong: proceed as planned, and release 'When Humans Ruled The Earth' on November 11.

W1b0 made quite a name for himself with heavy electro tracks that he released on labels like Bass Agenda, Hilltown Disco and Discos Antónicos. Standing at 202 meters, and combined with a cheerful character, most people remember him as the gentle giant of electro.
For this album, Wibo wanted to steer away from the dark and heavy electro he mostly made until then. The idea of having a platform to create delicate electronic music in different styles, and make it a showcase of his versatility, was very appealing to him. And that is where he and U-TRAX found each other.

The full-length album (over 75 minutes on cd and digital) comes after 'The Pilex Program EP', released in October, that featured a remix by Detroit's Ectomorph of 'Pilex Driver' and saw 'Program Yourself To Feel' remixed by a well-known Dutch producer that recently created the new 'techno alias' Human Form.
As usual with U-TRAX, the album comes in three different editions, with the 11-track double vinyl version containing the Ectomorph and Human Form remixes. The CD and digital version boast original versions only, plus four additional tracks: 'Alternate Reality Interface', 'Mixed Matter Fluctator', 'Synthetic', and 'In There'. The cassette version more or less has the same track list as the CD/digi version, but has both aforementioned remixes and a bonus track in the incredibly hypnotizing 'I Wanted You', a track that unfortunately couldn't be on the CD and vinyl versions.

Buyers of the physical releases get treated on superior quality products, another trademark of U-TRAX. The vinyl edition boasts over one hour of music, on two 180 grams, green vinyl discs, in a black & white & neon green gatefold sleeve. The eye-catching artwork is created by Utrecht artist Leffe Goldstein, known amongst others for his psychedelic beer can designs for Utrecht brewery Maximus. Wibo, being the beer lover he was, had zero doubts about having Leffe Goldstein do the cover for his album. The CD has a total playing time of 75 minutes and comes in a beautiful 6-panel digipack, while the cassette will have full-color on-body print and comes in a plastic-free Maltese cross fold-up sleeve.

Buyers of the physical releases get treated on superior quality products, another trademark of U-TRAX. The vinyl edition boasts over one hour of music, on two 180 grams, green vinyl discs, in a black & white & neon green gatefold sleeve. The eye-catching artwork is created by Utrecht artist Leffe Goldstein, known amongst others for his psychedelic beer can designs for Utrecht brewery Maximus. Wibo, being the beer lover he was, had zero doubts about having Leffe Goldstein do the cover for his album. The CD has a total playing time of 75 minutes and comes in a beautiful 6-panel digipack, while the cassette will have full-color on-body print and comes in a plastic-free Maltese cross fold-up sleeve.

Opener 'Acid Whip' is one of the oldest compositions on this album, in which a dark 303 bassline hums over layers of spacey strings. Wibo named it after the legendary Whip It party in Amsterdam's De Melkweg. 'Alternate Reality Interface' then presents bouncy rhythms toying around with all sorts of analog (bass) synthesizers, before we go really deep with the epic ambient techno track 'Wandering Souls'.
Then things get a little lighter spirited: 'Mixed Matter Fluctator' is an electro track that builds on sounds created by Matt Buggins. It has very strong Detroit influences, the city Wibo loved so much and that he made a pilgrimage to with a group of friends that called themselves 'The Techno Tourists'. The tempo goes up a notch in 'Program Yourself To Feel', that halfway opens up in wide science fiction strings that evoke memories of Star Wars, the movie series that Wibo was a great fan of, and that was the source of many of his tracks' names. The Human Form remix opens the vinyl edition of this album and is a downright belter of a track.

Next is a somewhat experimental intermezzo named 'Synthetic'. Erratic beats and pounding bassdrums get accompanied by very subtle eerie-sounding strings, before melancholic synthesizers and piano chords take over. This is an excellent prelude to the epic 'Hologram Computing', a track that is one of our favorites. It slowly and softly builds and builds, before a pounding bassdrum breaks loose and a hypnotic arpeggio takes you to higher planes.
Not ready to letting the listener relax, w1bo then serves 'Beilstein Reference', which again presents his trademark cocktail of down-to-earth electro rhythms and catchy melodies, covered in all sort of little sounds and noises, giving the song a lot of energy. What follows is 'Hit me', a track loosely based on a song by Dutch indie rock band Mr. Joe Abe. Wibo met the band's singer on a camping site while being on holidays and the two decided Wibo should do a remix of one of their songs. Nothing was left of the original except the vocals, and the result is a remarkable cheerful, poppy electro song.

'Anticipated Input' is one of the more recent tracks Wibo made for this album, combining electro, acid and, yes: epic strings. But not all is peace and quiet on this album, as 'Pilex Driver' shows. This is w1b0 going experimental in a danceable fashion: Industrial sounds make the track sound like we're passing a construction site that is playing loud electro music. On the vinyl version of this album, Ectomorph totally decomposed the original and made it into a mysterious, almost subdued, and totally brilliant electro track that sees a main role for the retro Roland CR drum machines sounds.

TFHats, Wibo's fellow member of the Transhumanism collective, added lyrics to 'Cartesian Coordinates'. His vocals add a pleasant New Wave flavor to this song, that has breaks that remarkably reminds one of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'. What follows is the most personal track on this album. 'Fornan' is a song that Wibo made for his wife Nanette, and was added as the last piece of the puzzle that creating an album is. The warm Detroit techno atmosphere in this electro song couldn't be a more beautiful tribute to his love, and mother of their two young boys.
The album then takes a surprising detour through a 1980s landscape with 'In There', that features the Joy Division-esque vocals of another one of Wibo's friends, indicated only as Vincent. The super slow and gloomy track is a treat for anyone that loved the darker side of New Wave. The album has a worthy closer in the sensitive, yet playful 'Schlegel Diagram'.








h 08: Hit Me (w1b0's Slugfest Assault Dub) feat. Mr Joe Abe

clear green vinyl

Germany based MC Fava releases his first solo EP on Beatalistics, the imprint he co-runs with Freiburgs soulful tag team partner Enea. This has been a long time coming and it couldn't be more emotional. The 5 track strong "Destiny EP" reveals more of the hopeless romantic songwriter's soul and once again showcases his immense versatility. Finish Drum 'n Bass legend Muffler adds his inimitable minimal melodic touches to the title track and underlines Fava's personal lyrics with his trancy trademark signature. Shooting Star Mountain from Japan shows his unique talent and musical approach on the 80s Synth-Pop influenced "Midnight", a rock-bass driven song characterized by its harmonised vocals arrangement. Teaming up with British vocalist Becca Jane Grey and Slovakian Smote, "Sarah" is a soul touching piano based liquid roller with a long acoustic drum intro which perfectly leads into the highest emotions. Enea himself takes you into deeper shades of colour with the moody "Green Velvet". Hypnotizing pads complete the warm bassline pattern which wraps the simple but distinctive drums perfectly around Fava's mesmerizing vocals. The Green Man from Cologne, Germany concludes the emotional rollercoaster ride with the Downtempo Chill-Hop "Alone in the Dark". Smooth horns and breathy pads create the perfect atmosphere for the German vocalist who playfully mixes melodic singing hooks with calm spoken words and repetitive chants. Outstanding on all levels!

RIYL: ESG, LCD Soundsystem, Liquid Liquid, Hercules & Love Affair, Talking Heads. Melbourne, Australia "heat beat" icons NO ZU regroup after the passing of vocalist Daphne Camf, to release their first new original music since 2016. NO ZU have played Barcelona's Primavera Festival, performed live on French television, and toured Australia with no wave icons ESG and James Chance. Led by the magnetic, tireless Nicolaas Oogjes, NO ZU's multi- limbed, mutant punk funk has evolved over the last decade to make them one of Australia's most distinctive and debauched groups. Daphne’s passing in 2021 left a huge hole in the band, and they fell into a long silence. Now they return with an EP featuring her final recordings with the group. Heat Beat, named after the band’s own trademarked genre, is classic NO ZU. Dark and playful, layered with cryptic allusions and implausibly danceable, the EP shows NO ZU at their restless, exploratory best. 2016 second album Afterlife took NO ZU to Europe as well as US shows where they collaborated with members of Liquid Liquid. 2017 remix EP BODY2BODY2BODY saw Afterlife tracks reworked by the band's 80s idols A Certain Ratio and Jonny Sender of Konk. In 2020 they released a double A-side single covering Hunters & Collectors’ Talking To A Stranger and Bryan Ferry’s Sensation, and played their last live show in Feb 2020. Now NO ZU return with a joyful, celebratory EP of their final recordings with beloved vocalist Daphne Camf. Like a post-punk band discovering the joys of dub, disco, and Afrobeat” – Pitchfork // “Melbourne’s freakiest multi-limbed ensemble are masters of percussive lunacy and wild x-rated boogie” – The Vinyl Factory // Side A: 1. Liquid Love 2. Mind Melt.. Side B: 3. Cosmetic Beat 4. Heat Beat Head 5. Phone Call Melt Down

Lobster mainstay and breakbeat wizard Coco Bryce follows up last year's Deep Into The Jungle EP and a wicked label-artist clothing collaboration with four varying cuts of 160 energy; spanning half-time chops, devastatingly beautiful jungle and lounge-bar breakbeat aesthetics.

Eagle-eared listeners will have listened to these already through the Dutch producers Balamii Radio show, where he has welcomed fellow label regular Amy Dabbs and footwork-jungle flag flyer Sherrelle recently. Through various aliases and musical projects Coco Bryce has always had an infatuation for bass-heavy sound, and the last couple of years have seen him settle quite nicely into one of jungles finest contemporaries alongside the likes of Sully and Tim Reaper.

‘D.L.P’ showcases this wicked ‘n’ rough energy brilliantly; old-school movie samples add a degree of depth and emotion to whiplash breaks and eerie pads before ‘Velocity Of Love’ takes us on a romance-induced trip through arcade-style keys and driving percussive beats. An explosion of love and lust in the club.

‘Twenty One Lies' swaps the club setting for a dimly lit bar in Peckham; jazz influence shines across this energetic yet home-listening ready cut of breaks, before ‘Wuthering Heights’ half-time identity transports us to the roof of the building, peering through the concrete jungle as dark turns to light.

“A rather gorgeous and engrossing collection, that borrows stealthily from a rich history of sound effect and soundtrack to build a tender poem to the night time.” - CLASH
“The plan was to make twenty 90-second tracks designed as TV themes,” says Arab Strap’s Aidan Moffat, of the initial thought behind his new instrumental album as Nyx Nótt “But it wasn't a satisfying listen, it was too gimmicky and silly.”
So instead, Moffat decided to stretch the idea out, plunge deeper, and expand the music into full tracks, “making some of them quite long and dramatic, with the odd swift turn here and there.” In fleshing these tracks out into more fully realised songs he began sourcing samples from professional TV and film music libraries. “The focus then turned to making a proper album out of these modern library sounds,” he says. “I decided to stick with the Themes From title and named the tracks after the sorts of shows they made me think of when I listened back.”
The result is a record that explores genre themes such as: ‘Thriller, ‘Porno’, ‘Caper’ and Swashbuckler’, and acts as an audio equivalent of channel hopping through a unique TV station programmed by Moffat. “I still wasn't sure about all this until I did the album cover, which brought it all together,” he says, of the artwork that places an old smashed TV unit front and centre with a woman perched on top. “It has echoes of old TV compilations but is pretty cheeky and slightly sexy in that old 70s compilation style. I wanted this one to look a bit more fun than the last one, as well as hopefully sound a bit more fun too.”
Aside from being a fun experience, it is also a stirring and immersive listen, one that allows the listener to imagine their own accompanying visual scenarios to each musical theme. The opening ‘Docudrama’ marries a gently creeping beat with strings that glide from tense to sweeping, while ‘Porno’ is all seedy smoky jazz that feels plucked right out of Travis Bickle’s late night trips to porn cinemas in Taxi Driver.
Touches of jazz pop up in other places too, on ‘Hardboiled’ this merges with subtle pulses and gargles of electronics that build to a rousing crescendo of horns and bleeps, and on ‘Caper’ there’s a vivacious full jazz band skip to the lively swinging rhythms. “There's a few more jazzy elements here,” Moffat says. “Although I'm not quite sure where that came from. Although, like everyone else, I've had plenty of time to be introspective recently, so I decided the next Nyx Nótt album should be more upbeat and encourage some occasional foot-tapping.”
However, what becomes apparent, the longer you spend in the world of Themes From, is how singular and unique the tone of each composition is. “Each track has its own individual feel,” says Moffat. “The idea was to sound like a different composer and band throughout.” It’s a stylistic leap that continues Nyx Nótt’s trajectory as one that shares no direct link to Moffat’s other projects. “I approach them in completely different ways and with a different purpose in mind,” says Moffat. “I don't think Nyx has ever heard of Arab Strap, and certainly doesn't own any of their albums.” It’s also a notable shift from the debut album under this moniker, and suitably given the theme, Moffat has created a visual comparison between these two sonic worlds. “If the first Nyx Nótt album was like looking out on dark prairies before dawn, this is more like a walk through a neon Soho after a few cocktails.”

Creative offspring of Tushen Rai and Cornelius Doctor’s musical fantasies, Hard Fist has been a non-profit project encompassing producers, graphic designers, djs and dreamy party worshippers since its inception in 2017.

“We would never have thought that this collective story would bring us this far, that it would take such a place in our lives and that it would bring us so many beautiful encounters. It was only possible to celebrate our 5th anniversary with the unreasonable idea of making something out of the ordinary.

So we thought big, a digger’s dream: a double vinyl in limited edition with 20 artists from 17 countries gathered around exceptional collaborations: producers who have marked the history of the label these last 5 years, friends, but also peers, people who inspired us and gave us the desire to create Hard Fist.

In this Unidentified Noisy Object (U.N.O), you can expect borderless music flirting with Nu-Rave and No Wave, Cosmic Dub and Post-Punk, a slice of Psychedelic Electronica, a lot of Acid and a bit of Slow Goa Trance. As well as some beats of Krautrock played with an Afrobeat groove and a few Darkwave’s synths. But not only that. It’s never only that. But what is it then? Just a label without label, to dance and to explore.

Cosmoba is a brand new Manchester based imprint from Kalcagni. Fresh from releasing his ‘Manners’ EP on Distrito 91, Kalcagni dishes up 4 slices of funk fuelled electro for this label debut.

Lead track ‘Lost In The System’ features retro stylings and gritty electro bass hooks. This is swiftly followed up by ‘Multislacking’, the result of a weekend spent twisting up a modular rig, with wonky bass squelches and 80s pads underpinned by slamming beats.On the flip side, ‘Culture Vulture’ introduces some heavy 303 workouts, before 'After The Fact’ rounds off the EP nicely, taking the acid vibe in a slightly darker direction with wonky reese synth fills and jacked up breaks.

Full Artwork Sleeve. Remastered and Recut for 2022 by Lewis Hopkin at Stardelta Audio Mastering

The Vinyl version features six D&B tracks on 3×12' Vinyl. From the bright, florescent metallics of 'Celestial Navigation,'(feat S.P.Y.) through to the darker tinges of the sharp-edged, sparse landscape of 'Hot Hands.' D&B gets a slightly more menacing dub makeover, while 'Paulista' (feat S.P.Y.) & 'Wacky Races' both hold the layered, tightly produced drum programming that Intalex is known for. 'Meltdown' is a typically immaculate, roller that stems from collaborating with Calibre. The album's standout is the beautifully emotive 'Climbing Up The Walls, which features the vocals of Drum & Bass producer Danny Fierce, and stands as a breathtaking, adventurous take on Radiohead. These tracks are currently being championed by the main beat seekers of D&B such as Radio 1s Fabio & Grooverider, Hype, Friction, Tony Coleman, Nu Tone. Ant TC1, Andy C.

After a recent 7" single release, Bongo Joe Records follow the debut album from Nyati Mayi & The Astral Synth Transmitters. Nyati Mayi, a Belgo-Congolese multi-instrumentalist, singer and improv dancer has joined up with DJ & producer Sofa Elsewhere. After a performance at this year"s BBC Radio 3 After Dark Festival the duo have a busy live summer in Europe including a show a the Best Kept Secret Festival. Early support from Worldwide FM, Late Junction and AfroBase.

"A new force, LEAGUE OF DISTORTION, unite to defeat the shadows cast upon the music scene with their fresh sound and style! Back in 2017, Anna Brunner celebrated remarkable international success with her symphonic metal band Exit Eden, and now, teams up with notorious guitarist Jim Müller - known from his famous heavy metal band Kissin’ Dynamite. Together, they’ve formed one of the hottest modern metal upstart bands of the year, combining their signature sounds to create a powerful soundscape. Now, having recently signed with Napalm Records, they are ready to fight the darkness yet again with their 2022 full-length, self-titled debut album, League of Distortion. Lifting the dark veil of stagnation caused by the pandemic, LEAGUE OF DISTORTION introduce a new sound that resonates with the uncertainty of this period. “Wolf or Lamb” - the addictive first stand-alone single that introduced the band as a force to be reckoned with - ushered in a completely new era by serving modern, melodic rhythms and technical prowess, igniting the fire of the full album, League Of Distortion. “Rebel By Choice” and “The Bitter End” show the band’s burning passion and dedication to the genre, while “My Revenge” convinces with a catchy hook and bashing guitar riffs. The elemental force of Anna “Ace” Brunner’s distorted, powerful voice merged with chunky riffs played by Jim “Arro” Müller, steady and strong beats delivered by Tino “Aeon” Calmbach and edgy bass by Felix “Ax” Rehmann unifies them, forming a strong blast of an album that cannot be missed! LEAGUE OF DISTORTION showcase the individual musical expertise of its members without ever becoming stagnant or pretentious - unabashedly distorting the order and launching a new age of metal. Songs like “I’m A Bitch” and “It Hurts So Good” abandon all rules, while catchy hooks like in “L.O.D.” mark anthems to claim their new reign. With songs like “Solitary Confinement” and “Sin”, the band shows their lyrical depth by turning their sadness into a powerful war cry, providing expressive pieces and hymns for the lost. LEAGUE OF DISTORTION convince with classic pieces featuring strong instrumentals, on-the-nose lyrics and energetic vocals, proving their penchant to stand out from the pack. They’ve transformed their frustration into a musical statement beyond compare. With “Do You Really Think I Fucking Care”, the band lands the final punch of the album to make the message clear: LEAGUE OF DISTORTION are here to set the scene ablaze! "

Especial Specials and Chillmountain Recordings present the 2nd EP in the Enjoy Your Self EP, diving deeper into the Osaka based labels music to showcase their roster in detail.

The EP starts with label head, Ground's mesmerising Beatdown meets Trance inducing Utau Narukoyuri. A slow burning, late night trip out for deep parties or 'afters'.

Next, Especial 'favourite' Akio Nagase appears for the first time in the series with the heavy, tribal percussives of Arauma (Kobato Dub). The original link between the Chillmountain and Especial, Akio's name is on the rise and here the heavyweight dub basslines and ethereal, new age flute is perfect for late night dark room, psychedelic adventures.

The label's collaborative approach shines as Equador duo Josefina Gandara and Juan Diego Illescas are welcomed. Members of electronic cumbia project, Categal, his backgrounds in film and sound composition, sound design and visual media, highlights Illescas' mastery of the conscious sounds of the pueblos, working with Ground's dub minimalism, all elevated with the awe and lanquitidy of Gandara's natural vocals.

To end Akira Arasawa returns, here with Kun and Franky-Ch, and a meandering Balearic journey of hazy beats, guitar, Hoomii (Mongolian) throat singing, found sound, bird song and folkloric strings, beautifully together for the perfect come down.

Renude19’s debut single Blah Blah Blah is a Synthpop protest song; an original piece of music sampling Greta Thunberg’s famous Blah Blah Blah speech from the Youth4Climate Conference in Milan, in September 2021.

The feel of the track is reminiscent of Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire and early Human League, a dark marble slab of electro, sat on a mid-tempo break beat and underpinned by classic synths that give the piece a beautiful retro feel. The track has the vibe of a house record, a slow builder that reaches a subtle climax and makes a hard hitting point about climate change.

The song itself is powerfully delivered by Brighton based vocalist Christabel, who has recorded with artists such as the Freemasons and Skylab 9. The piece has an unusual song structure with Greta Thunberg sampled in the chanted chorus, and her speech used to dramatic effect.

Recorded in Brighton UK by producer Ash Huntington; engineered by veteran techno artist Iain Rive (Cydonia, Semsis, Universal Sound); mastered by the wonderful Walter Coelho; and the sleeve design was created by the world class album sleeve designer Pete Hayward, who has designed for Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Simon Cowell, Universal Music, Sony and Wham!

The single is being promoted with Facebook and Youtube campaigns, has already had over 65’000 plays on Youtube, and is gaining radio support from 6music DJs.

Dressed in a powder blue suit with the frilly shirt to match, DJ Yoda invites you to be his +1 for ‘Prom Nite’, his new album promising retro Americana full of daydreaming reverie, international megastar guests, trip hop acknowledging the likes of Morcheeba and Nightmares on Wax, and the turntable extraordinaire’s bread and butter of cuts, beats and rhymes.

Certainly no stranger to retro sounds having famously peppered his DJ and AV sets with the unexpected the world over, and his ‘How to Cut n Paste’ mix series going all the way back to the 30s, Yoda’s harp-laden puppy love vibe spreads from the sweet and mellow sound of 2019’s ‘Home Cooking’, an album described as ‘boundary-breaking’ by Mojo upon slotting nicely into the UK’s blooming jazz canon. Think deliciously harmonised doo-wop murmuring ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ with an eye for dreamboats en route to Makeout Point – on ‘My Energy’, Eva Lazarus takes the form of an earth angel, with Yoda on jukebox cut-ups, taking it back to starry-eyed, clean cut days of wonder (or more recently, Little Mix’s ‘Love Me Like You’).

Beginning enigmatically with the assistance of Hollywood A-lister (and former next-door neighbour) Lily James, ‘Breathe’ demonstrate Yoda’s continued evolution as a musician (not to mention shrewd decision maker), with James’ vocal confidence - a little Lana del Rey to her breathiness - returning on the velvet-smooth ‘Airplane Mode’. It’s a smartly executed soundclash accentuated by LA rapper Choosey, the star of the album’s straightest hip-hop shooter ‘Harder I Rock’. Homeboy Sandman adds some kick to the prom punch with typical wordplay sent down ‘Coconut Grove’, and Liam Bailey is perfectly cast for the darkly cinematic sway of ‘Don’t Even Try It’.

On an album of many talking points, the LP’s crowning glory is opening single ‘Feel Like Home’: featuring the vocal comforts of the House Gospel Choir, it’s your go–to pick-me-up when the chips are down, targeting the hairs on the backs of necks like a softer focus version of Jamie xx’s ‘Loud Places’. Extended into an alternative, equally uplifting form by Beardyman’s ‘Don’t Mean Thing’, summer festival season already has its homecoming anthem.

With tongues wagging, the twists and turns step away from Heartbreak Ridge when O Love tucks into the mouthwatering shopping list funk of ‘Way Home’; and ‘Lesson 1956’, featuring Jamie Cullum and DJ Woody, jauntily pays homage to classic Cut Chemist alchemy, Yoda’s celebrated turntable tomfoolery back in full effect and extending the flavours found in ‘Home Cooking’.

Again maximising the experience and enjoyment gained from recording live instruments and prioritising songs over beats, Yoda continues to progress with a mixture of risk-taking, elite musicianship, nostalgia brought bang up to date, and ultimately, good clean fun capable of stirring your soul, making ‘Prom Nite’ a date to remember.

Magpie artwork supplied by London’s ENDLESS, whose signature style has tagged Liberty and Lagerfeld as but two high profile clients, Yoda again maximises the experience and enjoyment gained from recording live instruments and prioritising songs over beats. His continued progress mixes risk-taking, elite musicianship, nostalgia brought bang up to date, and ultimately, good clean fun capable of stirring your soul, making ‘Prom Nite’ a date to remember.

Featured 7” Vinyl singles:
Feel Like Home (feat. The House Gospel Choir)/ Don’t Mean A Thing (feat. Beardyman)
My Energy (feat. Eva Lazarus)/Lesson 1956 (feat. Jamie Cullum & DJ Woody)

Italian The Villains Inc. moves up a gear with its fourth release to date and already the second in less than a year!

Conscious “Time To Go Back EP” introduces the exclusive collaboration between label owner Gab.Gato (Dominance Electricity, Drivecom, SolarOne) and his partner in crime Jack Bags (La Sabbia) from Milan.
Together, they drop an untouchable dancefloor oriented five tracker based upon a terrific concept.
Coming from the year 2106 with a preventive message to save Earth from manhandled destruction, scientist Dr Boomer understands how much it’s too late to prevent the planet from Armageddon.

A side opens with insane “Man Of The Future”: a pure analogical time machine merging whispers a la Egyptian Lover to heading vocoder sequences over a sharp 808 programming.
Luminous and hypnotizing at the same, this oldschool anthem is instantly followed by enthusiastic “No Permission”.

A groovy bassline melt with acidic loops turns the song into a masterpiece enhanced by funny vocal scanding “You Have No Permission To Get Into My Head”.
Top notch! With its fierce rhythm and relentless beats, title track “Time To Go Back” coming next signs an ode to the glorious days of West Coast electro sound.
Vintage sonorities fuse into cutting-edge drums while a funky atmosphere will propel you through time and space. Ace!

The flipside goes deeper into the realm serving up what appears as the climax of the EP. Combining gloomy strings to progressive swirls and ethereal chords, well named “Darkness” delivers a scary yet prophetic message from the future that will spread guilty feelings to any listener: “There Will Be No Light, No Hope…”. You have been warned! Last cut “The Bad Place” concludes the 12” on a soulful note regarding the state of our world controlled by government and technology.
Completed by a fantastic comic style artwork, awaken and despair “Time To Go Back EP” offers an outstanding retrofuturist release from which no one will come out unscathed.

One of the best outings in The Villains Inc. so far, rush on it!

*Ltd Coloured Vinyl on Transparent Blue Vinyl* London-based musician and producer Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, creates driving, experimental electronic music that makes synthesisers sound human. His consistent desire to create a more organic, living sound, sees him forming pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the machines.

‘Now Is’ marks a new chapter in an ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. More playful and melodic, the album draws from much experimentation in minimalist songwriting and seamlessly blends synthesisers and acoustic instruments. “There are some pieces that are influenced quite strongly by the isolation and anxiety of these times. There are also pieces which are more optimistic and vibrant, which I think is a consistent attitude of my records, as I want art to express many aspects of life.”

From the elevating arrangements of ‘Beginnings’ and motorik beats of ‘World Turns’, to the isolation of ‘Frontiers’, influenced by the barren landscapes of Iceland, Rival Consoles’ eighth studio album subtly morphs and evolves. “The title of the record ‘Now Is’ interests me because it is the beginning of a statement, but it is incomplete. I like art that is open and suggestive of ideas even if they are inspired by very specific things. With my previous record ‘Overflow’ being very dark, heavy and almost dystopian, I wanted to escape into a different world with this music and ended up creating a record which is a lot more colourful and euphoric.”

For the sonic ‘Vision of Self’, West looked to create the kind of movement and colour a string section in an orchestra would construct, but with synthesisers. “I think there’s a lot of synergy between the two worlds. I wanted to create a hypnotic journey, where the synths and sounds weave in and out of each other, so you get lost in the music and don’t know where one sound starts or another ends.” This “journey” West refers to is symbiotic of the way he has approached music throughout a progressive career – an ongoing project that is never static and always moving forward.

A sense of euphoria is reached with the pulsating title track which bursts into colour like the appearance of the summer sun, while ‘Echoes’ is a vivid exploration of rhythm and sound for summer nights. The track starts with a dense collage of modular synths, fragmented metallic tones, broken sounding drums and a downcast melodic synth line. “This is a piece where the main melody has been in my head for a long time and was just waiting to come out. I kind of think of it as the sonic equivalent to an impressionist painting in that I wanted to explore the sensation of lots of small layers of different colours and textures that are constantly moving around each other.”

Rival Consoles is set to appear at festivals across Europe this summer, with headline shows expected to follow in the autumn.

After his latest ‘Youth EP’ that experimented with spacious vocal chops and whimsical soundscapes, Nocow returns with a relentless flurry of blows on the heavily computerized ‘Magnit EP’ released on npm. Featuring gloriously broken melodies and hard-hitting rhythm, Nocow explores the darker, more formulaic side to his sound. Brooding acid-infused synths shimmer across the four tracks, morphing between moods as the EP progresses. ‘Magnit S’ kicks off the EP with scattered bass hits, driving dark techno arpeggios, and a hint of footwork-esque percussion. The intense atmosphere is a relatively new direction for Nocow, straying from his more meticulous, introverted beats prior. ‘Kali’ incorporates warbled synth with a more subdued rhythm, playing with a modular sound and distant echoes of robotic vocals. This fragmented track is more akin to his 2018 sound of the Voda/Vozduh/Zemlya trilogy as the kinetics of sound play a strongly defined role in the overall sonics. ‘Sputnik’ commences with a blistering arpeggio of bit-crushed synth and chimes. The rocket-propelled pacing creates a frantic, yet ultimately controlled piece, worthy of a place in a club 300 years from now. Yet, after the frenzy comes the calm. The closing track ‘Extasy’ grinds the EP to a kaleidoscopic halt. Vocoder passages drift across the dense soundscape as Nocow transports you to an other-world, filled with spacey percussion. This closer is a well-deserved return to solid ground, following the perpetual trio of dark, yet utterly compelling techno pieces. Once again, Nocow exhibits his multi-faceted approach to electronic music that truly sets him apart.

16)- return with their heaviest and most devastating record to date, Into Dust. The new album, a collection of cautionary tales of survival and redemption, is set to an amalgamation of sludge, punk, metal, hardcore, and stoner riffs, that could only be built through 30 years of commitment to their dark sonic craft, which -(16)- continues to improve upon. From the frantic opening of "Misfortune Teller" to the undeniable pounding and swagger of "Scrape the Rocks", Into Dust lives up to its name, as -(16)- beat the listener into submission through the lowest of ends and the sour, palpable malaise prevalent throughout the album's dozen tracks. "There's a story arc in the lyrics that start with an eviction notice served amid the ruins of Hurricane Irma in the Florida Keys, to running aground metaphorically and drowning in midlife, bearing witness to the modern suffering of hunger and poverty on the Mexico California border," guitarist and vocalist Bobby Ferry says. The negativity persists on tracks aptly titled "Null and Eternal Void", and the dizzying, pill-induced "The Floor Wins". Elsewhere, "Born on a Bar Stool" sends the listener off with a sobering album closer; ending on a foggy and rainy jazz-tinged San Francisco night, with an anti-drinking drinking song, proclaiming "Raise your glass all things pass".

Jozef Van Wissem- Lute, Electronics, Beats, Electric Guitar, Found Bird Sounds. In 2013 van Wissem won the Cannes Soundtrack Award at the Cannes Film Festival for Jim Jarmusch’s “Only Lovers Left Alive “. In December 2017 Jozef van Wissem was invited to perform the madrigal depicted in Caravaggio’s painting The Lute Player (1596) at the Hermitage museum of Saint Petersburg. In 2022 three of his works were used for in the soundtrack and trailer of Irma Vep (HBO). His completely unique musical world can be easily verified by his collaborations, especially that these relationships are also strengthening his own musical character. He worked together with Zola Jesus, Tilda Swinton, Jarboe as well as with his long-time collaborative partner, also his friend, Jim Jarmusch. “La Cinémathèque Française in Paris commissioned me to write and perform the score at the presentation of the restored version of Nosferatu. I was a bit overwhelmed by its success. It was sold out. I wasn’t going to repeat it. But people kept asking. In the beginning the soundtrack was more improvised and reactive to the images but after a few times the audience kind of showed me the way. To start with a few notes and building the score slowly to a dense slow metal ending. I found an old 7-inch single with recordings of extinct birds on a market, I electronically processed and added them to the score . “ Manipulating the sounds of electric guitar in alternate tuning he manages to create the feeling of fear, equal to the experience of the victims of Count Orlok. “To me Nosferatu personifies this Death Bird of the Plague. The Black Death depicted in the film offers a timeless parallel with contemporary society. The vampire Count Orlok infests the city with rats and people are infected with the plague. They must quarantaine. This provokes hysteria. Much like nowadays”. With a melodic almost medieval magic and mystery Jozef van Wissem has reignited the light through the filters of dark energy post punk and even black metal into a wondrous new melodramatic cinematic space…- John Robb (Louder Than War) Beginning with a solo played on the lute, his performance will incorporate electric guitar and distorted recordings of extinct birds, graduating from subtlety to gothic horror. – New York Times Delightfully macabre, intense and electrifying – MXDWN

This is a real treat for fans of original minimal house sounds: a remastered and recut repress of the still hugely in demand first EP from Aspect Music. Opening up are the one and only Soul Capsule with 'Forever Love', a restlessly, tightly looped track that has pent up energy that really gets under your bones. The F Macmillan mix is more cut up still, with puddles of melody, late night freakiness and dry beats all taking you for a trip. Dark Boys then get more direct with the pinging kicks of 'Pluto Rising' and Softcore closes out with a classically colourful melodic house workout.

“24” is Minuit Machine’s 4th LP. Electronic masterpiece, subtle mix of dark wave, techno and electropop, “24” is both surprising and seductive. Authentic, emotional and powerful, “24” is a real immersion into Minuit machine’s dark, dystopian and futuristic world. Through this LP, Hélène and Amandine are facing all obstacles and disappointments life brings on their way. Each track is a self-affirmation, a rallying cry and an urge to live. The instrumental part is clearly marked and contributes to create the band’s unique sound. The strong beats are a call to dance while the synths, stabbing and emotional, will definitely move you. Finally, the deep basses give the tracks an “EBM” touch. Vocal lines are more pop, with less reverb. They are meant to obsess and stay in your head all day long. They were thought of as a 90's dance music chorus, but with feelings. As usual, the lyrics are very personal and describe several states of mind. Since their creation, Hélène and Amandine kept on reinventing themselves in order to translate their inner questioning and emotions into music. From this point of view, “24” could be Minuit Machine’s most accomplished work since each track sounds like a confession.

Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy, x2 LPs of long-form, lyrical, groove-based free improv by acclaimed guitarist & composer Jeff Parker's ETA IVtet. Recorded live at ETA (referencing David Foster Wallace), a bar in LA’s Highland Park neighborhood with just enough space in the back for Parker, drummer Jay Bellerose, bassist Anna Butterss, & alto saxophonist Josh Johnson to convene in extraordinarily depth-full & exploratory music making. Gleaned for the stoniest side-length cuts from 10+ hours of vivid two-track recordings made between 2019 & 2021 by Bryce Gonzales, Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy is a darkly glowing séance of an album, brimming over with the hypnotic, the melodic, & patience & grace in its own beautiful strangeness. Room-tone, electric fields, environment, ceiling echo, live recording, Mondays, Los Angeles. Jeff Parker's first double album & first live album, Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy belongs in the lineage of such canonical live double albums recorded on the West Coast as Lee Morgan’s Live at the Lighthouse, Miles Davis' In Person Friday & Saturday Night at the Blackhawk, San Francisco & Black Beauty, & John Coltrane's Live in Seattle.

While the IVtet sometimes plays standards &, including on this recording, original compositions, it is as previously stated largely a free improv group —just not in the genre meaning of the term. The music is more free composition than free improvisation, more blending than discordant. It’s tensile, yet spacious & relaxed. Clearly all four musicians have spent significant time in the planetary system known as jazz, but relationships to other musics, across many scenes & eras —dub & Dilla, primary source psychedelia, ambient & drone— suffuse the proceedings. Listening to playbacks Parker remarked, humorously & not, “we sound like the Byrds” (to certain ears, the Clarence White-era Byrds, who really stretched it).

A fundamental of all great ensembles, whether basketball teams or bands, is the ability of each member to move fluidly & fluently in & out of lead & supportive roles. Building on the communicative pathways they’ve established in Parker’s -The New Breed- project, Parker & Johnson maintain a constant dialogue of lead & support. Their sampled & looped phrases move continuously thru the music, layered & alive, adding depth & texture & pattern, evoking birds in formation, sea creatures drifting below the photic zone. Or, the two musicians simulate those processes by entwining their terse, clear-lined playing in real-time. The stop/start flow of Bellerose, too, simulates the sampler, recalling drum parts in Parker’s beat-driven projects. Mostly Bellerose's animated phraseologies deliver the inimitable instantaneous feel of live creative drumming. The range of tonal colors he conjures from his extremely vintage battery of drums & shakers —as distinctive a sonic signature as we have in contemporary acoustic drumming— bring almost folkloric qualities to the aesthetic currency of the IVtet's language. A wonderful revelation in this band is the playing of Anna Butterss. The strength, judiciousness & humility with which she navigates the bass position both ground & lift upward the egalitarian group sound. As the IVtet's grooves flow & clip, loop & repeat, the ensemble elements reconfigure, a terrarium of musical cultivation growing under controlled variables, a tight experiment of harmony & intuition, deep focus & freedom.

For all its varied sonic personality, Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy scans immediately & unmistakably as music coming from Jeff Parker‘s unique sound world. Generous in spirit, trenchant & disciplined in execution, Parker’s music has an earned respect for itself & for its place in history that transmutes through the musical event into the listener. Many moods & shapes of heart & mind will find utility & hope in a music that combines the autonomy & the community we collectively long to see take hold in our world, in substance & in staying power.

On the personal tip, this was always my favorite gig to hit, a lifeline of the eremite records Santa Barbara years. Mondays southbound on the 101, driving away from tasks & screens & illness, an hour later ordering a double tequila neat at the bar with the band three feet away, knowing i was in good hands, knowing it would be back around on another Monday. To encounter life at scales beyond the human body is the collective dance of music & the beholding of its beauty, together. – Michael Ehlers & Zac Brenner

Like the flower from which he takes his name, which is very rare and only grows once a year in one region of the world, the music of Rose Noir cultivates a form of dark and fascinating elegance. Traces of its genesis can be found in the sampling practice of the golden age of hip hop dear to the musician, but it also manages to retranscribe the total aesthetics of the culture of the 60s and 70s, when the stars aligned to give birth to a music bathed in cinematographic influences in the wake of Marc Moulin, Brian Bennet, Azymuth, Janko Nilovic or David Axelrod. Assembled with the help of instruments, Rose Noir’s music has nonetheless benefited from the hybrid background of its creator, an unrepentant digger with a wide-ranging and curious musical culture.

Rose Noir embodies a new phase in the development of a master craftsman, the sound of the French producer is halfway between beat making and majestic arrangements. Though the tracks of this new project Bloom EP wouldn’t be out of place in the soundtrack of a suspense film from the past, they are the reflection of a man in complete control of his art, guided by the same instinctive and passionate searching that has allowed him to evolve from his first starts, by following a trajectory that belongs to him alone. Rose Noir’s compositions are lush and varied, using as much space as they do sound for dramatic and dynamic effect.

The French musician and producer Rose Noir appears to float across different musical time periods, as if touched by grace. But it’s thanks to his iron will, combined with a highly personal and creative approach to music, that he has managed to define new territories and reinvent himself constantly.

Endlec starts his label "Renegade Methodz" with one of his most powerful & personal EPs.

"Year Of The Kill" is a product of its time, having been written and produced during one of the most challenging and unique periods of the modern age, between March and April of the "lethal" 2020.
When the world was in a state of full lockdown, a moment in history that we, as a generation, forever will remember.

It's a pessimistic piece of work, that, across it's 3 trax, features, dark & melancholic melodies, sitting on top of heavy beatz, with Endlec's signature, dirty texture, and his unique brutal kinetics raising the energy, forcing you to take notice and dance until u release WHATEVER THE FUCK bothers u!
Scream from anger, scream from joy.
Cry from happiness, cry from sadness.
Raise your hands in the air and just let your self go.
Listen to the music, in whatever corner of the world u are, alone, with friends, with your lover or with whoever TF u care about and just feeeel.
BE IN the moment.
And dance, dance, DANCE U MTF!

So, at the end "Year Of The Kill" is a very personal work of art,
It is what it is, and if u like it that's great, if u don't, then fuck off
and try figure what's wrong with your ears!!

WE are who WE are, WE do whatever the fuck WE want,
WE ARE RENEGADES!
AND THOSE ARE OUR METHODZ.
credits

A+ record ... My first reaction was "since when is Tamil making dance music, what can't he bloody do", I'm so here for it. ‘Robert Street’ and ‘Burning So Hot’ are simply future classics IMO.’ - CC:DISCO!

Born in the heartland of Melbourne suburb Fitzroy, Steady Weather (comprised of scene stalwarts Ben Grayson and Tamil Rogeon) bring to light organic dance music from Melbourne’s rich neo-soul and jazz community. With a lineage that leads directly to the founding of groups like Australian funk royalty The Bamboos and orchestral beat music pioneers The Raah Project, Rogeon and Grayson not only bring that heritage to their music, they bring a philosophy of raw emotion and soulfulness to their productions. Tamil also plays strings for Harvey Sutherland’s Bermuda, with the group’s musical DNA echoing in Steady Weather’s productions.

Emotional Rescue reaches its 100th reissue in its 10th year with a landmark, a collection of previously unreleased songs from Brenda Ray. Encouraged and cajoled since the label's inception, Brenda Ray's (Kenny) music has gone from cult curio to cult status in that time, as her mix of DIY/post punk, dub reggae, jazz and pop transcends reached admiring audiences.

Following the completion of Naafi Sandwich in 1985 and the subsequent recordings as Brenda And The Beach Balls - the sought after Volume 1 LP in 1986 and three singles on Siren/Virgin in 1987/88 - her releases might of stopped for almost two decades but she never stopped recording.

The 10 songs show not only continuous activity in her North-West home studio, but to be consistently creative, moving forward and relevant. Hip-Hop, Street Soul and House all feature alongside Brenda's unmistakeable Be-Pop-Dub-Pop song writing. Working as always with partner Gerry Kenny aka Sir Freddie Viadukt, plus a cohort of friends joining across the sphere.

Starting with 'Universal Purpose', poet and friend Eugene Lange delivers a lanquid breakbeat-dub sermon on struggle and love, as Brenda's vocals accompany. 'Spirit's So High' captures House music's dawning optimism to perfection, a swirling, uplifting 4.30 minutes as you'll ever hear. The doo-wop shuffle of 'MMMMoon Warp' experiments with Coldcut-lite sampledlica cut ups, alongside Brenda's unmistakable breathing-singing delivery, before 'Love's The Most' and 'Hope' are classic Ray love sentimental paeans, backed with latter day Balearic musicality.

Eugene Lange returns with the rap attack of 'Dancehall Exocet'. A conscious poetic stream over "Minister of Noise" industrial beats with backing and counter from Brenda, shows the breadth she was exploring at this time. Crude synth bass and chiming 4/4 percussion follow on 'This Was No Dream' with soft, humming vocals encapsulating some proto-house romantic escapism, before Eastern influences mix with flute, strings, bells and a doo-wop skiffle on the aptly named 'Tequila Sam'.

The album closes with a nod to what's gone before, in 'Return Of The Theme From A Tall Dark Stranger', an update on her "Volume 1" classic, all is replayed, overlayed and "mad"-mixed, Brenda's studio mastery shining through. An acoustic return of 'Love's The Most' bring the album to completion, but this is by no means the end but hopefully, the start of more undiscovered and discovered mini-masterpieces from Brenda Ray and friends to see the light of day.

FULL PLATE presents: the 10th Anniversary edition of the debut full-length from Qwazaar & Batsauce - pressed on wax for the 1st time ever! Originally released in 2011 on Chicago's Galapagos4 label, 'Bat Meets Blaine' features Onry Ozzborn of Dark Time Sunshine, KP of The Pacifics, Denizen Kane of Typical Cats, Offwhyte, DJ Bizkid & Lady Daisey. Initially available on CD only, this dueling 'Red Meets Black' colored vinyl edition is the proper treatment to celebrate a decade of an indie underground classic.
It was around 2010 when Qwazaar, hailing from Chicago’s celebrated rap supergroup, Typical Cats connected with the up & coming beatmaker, Batsauce - who was making noise in a rap group called The Smile Rays helmed by Paten Locke, and producing for icons such as George Clinton. The two auteurs met in Europe on tour and formed an instant chemistry, rapidly amassing a formidable catalog of music - a pair of mad scientists, working feverishly in Bat's Berlin abode. What culminated from those sessions was a collection of EPs (Style Be the King, Stress Chasers) and the capstone LP, Bat Meets Blaine - the prelude to their 2021 release, Stoned Giant.


TRACKLIST: 1. A Choice 2. I Know 3. What Love 4. Chop Em Down 5. Eye to the Sky 6. Never Weaker feat. ONRY of Dark Time Sunshine, Offwhyte & DJ Bizkid 7. Surrealism feat. Lady Daisey 8. Power 9. If it Seems Wrong 10. I'm Gone 11. A Feeling feat. KP of The Pacifics & Denizen Kane of Typical Cats 12. The Dream 13. Til it's Done 14. Thank You

THERION have always been a band that have challenged themselves to explore new paths, while remaining true to their musical core values. For their 17th studio album, mastermind Christofer Johnsson and his collaborator Thomas Vikström have created something that has been previously unthinkable to the guitarist and the singer. "We have done the only thing that was left of all the different angles to explore", explains Christofer. "We have decided to give the people what they kept asking for. 'Leviathan' is the first album that we have deliberately packed with THERION hit songs."

True to the Swede's words, the album opens with the catchy and swift tune 'The Leaf Of The Oak Of Far' featuring female and male antiphonal singing as well as a choir that seems to have evolved straight out of THERION's breakthrough full-length "Theli" (1996). This is immediately followed by the obvious highlight 'Tuonela', in which Christofer cleverly underscores this hit-track's Finnish vibe by employing NIGHTWISH’s "metal voice" Marko Hietala. Next up in this parade of future fan-favourites is the title track 'Leviathan' that offers classic THERION material with operatic female vocals and a massive choir.

Christofer Johnsson's passion for classic voices, choirs, and orchestral elements as well as his penchant for epic melodies in combination with rock and metal shines clearly through the following sing-along ballad 'Die Wellen Der Zeit', which indicates another nod to German romantic composer Richard Wagner. "Ever since 'Theli', Wagner has been and will always be at the core of THERION", emphasises Christofer. "When we started to combine metal and opera, it was something new and original. Today, symphonic metal has long been a firmly established genre." When THERION came into being in 1988 by changing name from the already existing band BLITZKRIEG, which was founded a year earlier, Christofer had rather taken inspiration from SLAYER's "Reign In Blood" among other classic metal albums.

At the beginning, the Swedes were firmly rooted in death metal, a genre which they helped to define, as witnessed by their debut album "Of Darkness...." (1991). Yet even back then, there were hints of "something else" lurking beneath the rough surface. The use of female vocals is another core ingredient of THERION today, which developed gradually. CELTIC FROST had basically introduced the female element to extreme metal on "To Mega Therion" in 1985. THERION began with both a female and male vocalist emulating a church like choir already in their sophomore full-length 'Beyond Sanctorum' (1992). With Symphony "Masses: Ho Drakon Ho Megas" (1993) and "Lepaca Kliffoth" (1995), Christofer continued to developed his trademark sound by gradually drifting towards cleaner vocals and more keyboards.

With "Theli", the Swedes had firmly established a reputation of pushing the boundaries of metal in the 90s –among such acts as their compatriots TIAMAT, THE GATHERING, and MOONSPELL that were often referred to as "gothic metal" at the time. THERION continued to break new ground leaving inspiration for others to follow in their wake: On "A'arab Zaraq -Lucid Dreaming" (1997), Christofer further explored the use of Near Eastern music in metal which he had already begun in 1992, while "Secret Of The Runes" (2001) dared to have Swedish lyrics in some songs.

While critics were left confused and fans challenged, THERION were often ahead of their times and vindicated in hindsight. Even the band's 25th anniversary excursion "Les Fleurs Du Mal" has by now overcome the initial shock the album caused and is only beaten in terms of streaming by the classic "Vovin" (1998). When Christofer faced the question of where to go next after the dramatic "Beloved Antichrist" (2018) had finally fulfilled his musical mission, his answer is "Leviathan" named after a giant sea monster from Judeo-Christian myth that has roots in Babylonic lore: THERION have created a giant hit album –and for the first time in the history of the Swedes, their fans are not asked to explore something new, but simply to lean back and enjoy the best from their band!

This two sided split record between Roberto Auser and Melting Dogmas is a showcase of two sides of contemporary elektro… on one side there is the music of electro veteran Roberto Auser… his modular synth sounds are minimal electronics and 80’s inspired… but these two tracks are a bit different then the beat driven music he released mostly these past few years… despite his recognizable sound these two tracks deliver something new to his repertoire… less beat driven but still very much rhythmic… some industrial and pulsating sounds keep these tracks going and even suitable for the dancefloor late at night or early in the morning… I wish for more of this from Herr Auser! Melting Dogmas is 4Cantons together with Numèric… if you are familiar with the debut EP by 4Cantons then you will recognize his dark elektro sound… but these two debut tracks of Melting Dogmas are a bit more complex… without losing their club minded attitude… the sounds of Melting Dogmas is idm driven with elektro and techno elements all there in a perfect mix and maybe even making these tracks punchier as the music by 4Cantons… and at the same time also a bit more daring… the structure is less straight forward with a good balance between building up the tension and full out beat parts… just like 4Cantons I cannot recommend enough to keep an eye out for Melting Dogmas… it is very hopeful to have musicians like this around with such good and daring sounds…

Ekkehard Ehlers' seminal plays series was originally released on three 12inches (Staubgold) and two 7inches (Bottrop-Boy) in very limited runs. The entire series was previously only available as a CD compilation or digitally. Keplar finally presents it on double vinyl for the first time, featuring a new cover artwork.

Domestic ethnology: Ekkehard Ehlers plays.

‘Play’ is a word in English with many meanings attached. Each one sends you down a different cognitive pathway. When I think of ‘playing’, in the sense of a game, I think of an activity involving more than one person. When Ekkehard Ehlers plays, he is very much on his own. Or, at least, alone but at the same time keeping intimate company with the artistic innovators named in his titles. Robert Johnson. John Cassavetes. Albert Ayler. Cornelius Cardew. Hubert Fichte. Is he playing with them, against them, about them, for them, to them? This can never be known.

It is certainly a mistake to try to hear the ‘work’ of these originals in the sounds played by Ekkehard. They’re not cover versions. They’re hardly tributes in the conventional sense. Cassavetes and Fichte are not even musicians, although music played an important part in both their careers. Sure, there are little nods and flashes of recognition – tiny guitar licks among the minimal beats of ‘Robert Johnson 2’; rich bowed instruments in ‘Albert Ayler’, recalling the violin, cello and double bass arrangements on Ayler’s 1967 Live in Greenwich Village LP; the elongated organ lines of ‘Cornelius Cardew 1’ gesturing towards passages in Paragraph 1 of the British composer’s 1971 Marxist monolith, The Great Learning. Ekkehard is not so much playing these figures as allowing himself to be played by them.

Playing as an activity also suggests freedom. Maybe the only thing all five named persons have in common is that they were all quiet radicals. In music, literature and cinema, they all stepped, without self-promotion or fanfare, into unmapped territories. Once there they found it necessary to invent new languages in order to survive. Necessity was the mother of their inventiveness. They were also uncomfortable avant gardists. Lonely types, fighting their corners out on the margins, with little reward, often misunderstood, ridiculed or ignored.

All died unfairly young. Fichte a victim of HIV/AIDS, Cassavetes of cirrhosis of the liver. (‘Cassavetes 2’ sounds like a tender farewell played across the 59 year old alcoholic director’s death bed.) The deaths of Johnson, Ayler and Cardew have never been satisfactorily explained, and remain shrouded in myths and conspiracy theories. The pioneering expeditions of all five began in that spirit of playful freedom, but inexorably drew them towards the heart of darkness.

So these ‘plays’ are micro-dramas, sonic soliloquies, monolog-ins to the private accounts of various geniuses in Ekkehard’s ‘follow’ list. Hacked sensibilities. Artistic manifestos boiled down and distilled, skinned and dried in the digital smokehouse. (Ekkehard Ehlers Flays.) Each of these plays was originally floated out into the world alone on its own disc. The collected works play well as a team – a tranquil, introspective experience where each artist has his own identifiably unique sound character. As an album, Plays is a ‘Plattenragout’ – a ‘record stew’ – which was the title of Hubert Fichte’s LP review column in the leftist culture magazine konkret in the 1960s. The novelist’s work investigating the cultures of South America and the Caribbean islands has been called ‘domestic ethnology’. The writer himself referred to his ‘ethnopoesie’. Ekkehard Ehlers’s intuitive electronic portraits are a form of domestic ethnology in themselves. Invoking another of Ekkehard’s musical aliases, they are portraits of cultural ‘autopoiesies’ – creators whose works were strong enough to have their own self-regenerating life force. (by Rob Young)

All tracks written and produced by Ekkehard Ehlers.
Featuring Stephan Mathieu, Joseph Suchy, Anka Hirsch.
Tracks A1 to C2 originally released on three 12inches via Staubgold.
Tracks D1 to D4 originally released on two 7inches via Bottrop-Boy.
Plays originally released as CD compilation in 2002 by Staubgold.
Mastered by Rashad Becker.
Cut to vinyl by Lupo, Berlin, 2022.
Redesigned by Sandra Kastl, 2022.
Photos by Ludger Blanke

Heist Recordings has been pushing the envelope for house music since day one and we’re always on the lookout for artists that represent our vision on electronic music. Our next guest on the label fits that profile and more. He is the embodiment of modern-day electronic funk and a true wizard on the keys: Atlanta raised cool guy Byron the Aquarius.

Byron has a solid history on the label: He remixed Parker Madicine back in 2017 and did a mad solo on the 2019 released Dam Swindle track ‘The life behind things’. We’ve done some shows together and stayed in touch while Byron was working together with Jeff Mills on his 2020 jazz crossover record ‘Ambrosia’ on Axis. Now, after a solid string of releases on labels like Shall not Fade and Purveyor Underground, Byron is making his solo appearance on Heist. His ‘Akira’ EP goes from dark basement grooves to dreamy broken beats and features a remix by New York dance music wizard Kush Jones.

The Akira EP kicks off with ‘I love yo’. In this track, Byron decides to leave his keys at home and goes in deep with a moody club workout. ‘I love yo’ is a track that juxtaposes dreamy samples with rough percussion and vocal chops with a clear nod to the work of Mr. G. The melody is mellow, but don’t be deceived; clever drum programming and plenty of sub take this track into the club vibe just the way Byron likes it: warm, hazy and sexy AF.

Byron is not known for delivering straightforward house tunes, but when he does deliver them, he does it in style. Enter ‘Get up’; the A2 of the EP. There’s everything we love about house music: smart vocal chops, driving percussion, classic house keys and a booming sub to get you bumping to this beat.

The B-side sees Byron up the tempo and take a deep dive into bass territory with ‘Love’. In this track, there’s lush pads running over a percussive broken beat and chopped R ’n B vocals to add some serious sex appeal. It’s deceptively simple and clean but ever so catchy, which clearly shows Byron’s prowess as an electronic music producer.

Going back to classic house mode, we’ve got ‘Success’: A spoken word house track that fits right in with the classics. Byron sets the mood with some bumpy key-and synth work while brainstorming about originality and blackness throughout the track. Even though the message underneath might be a serious one, Byron succeeds in delivering this in a fun, uplifting way that never gets pretentious or divisive.

The EP finishes with a remix by New Yorker Kush Jones. This is an artist who understands how to build a groove. He could take you anywhere from house to juke, footwork and techno, which is exactly why he’s been getting so much love for his music recently. Kush is an artist who sees no boundaries in his music and still manages to create his own sonic universe. His remix of ‘I love yo’ takes a dreamy approach with soft chords running over an electronic groove with a pure and improvised feel. All elements fit together perfectly and it’s the clever ad-hoc programming and arrangement that suck you into his unbounded world from the first beat.

As always, enjoy the music and play it loud.

Yours sincerely,
Maarten & Lars

Purple Vinyl in PicCover

"Since it's inception, the various artist compilation series SATURATED! has proven to be the epitome of curation in this small niche scene called bass music or whatever.
Each volume is carefully hand picked and is a picture in sound of the music at that point in time but overall has proven to be timeless.
The arrangement works in such ways that each tune flows perfectly into the next one and actually (given that you have two vinyls like a real dj), you could mix seamlessly from the first through the last track.

Saturate Records has become a hotspot for those seeking fresh sounds from well known and emerging artists within the scene.
Channeling the quintessential stylings of low-end driven beats from across the globe, they have been leading the way in all things bass heavy, broken-beat, experimental, glitch, hip-hop, psychedelic and trap for years now. Having featured releases from names like heRobust and G Jones early on in their careers, SATURATE! continues to help push the new school, hip-hop influenced sound forward with their fingers firmly on the pulse of future freshness.
A weird, wonky and wonderful journey through the raw attitude of the blistering beat driven electronic music scene.

What Are People For? make the perfect kind of dystopic dance music for our times. Born from a collaboration between artist Anna McCarthy and musician/producer Manuela Rzytki, the band could be the illicit lovechild of Tom Tom Club and Throbbing Gristle, displaying the ideal balance of hip shaking vibes and dark provocative content.

On their collaborative debut, McCarthy and Rzytki share songwriting duties. The album was produced by Rzytki herself. They are joined by Paulina Nolte on backing vocals and Tom Wu on drums, while Keith Tenniswood mastered the record.

The whole project stems from a publication and exhibition by McCarthy laying the foundations for the content and lyrics of the album, which is humorous, poetic and political. As a lyricist, McCarthy uses her storytelling ability to explore anxieties and desires, digging into free surreal word associations reminiscent of Su Tissues’ tongue in cheek experiments with Suburban Lawns, but also explosive and gripping like a Kae Tempest rap.
Rzytki’s precise sonic palette and talent at penning structured bangers perfectly complement McCarthy’s playful and subversive language manipulations. Rzytki's beats are rooted in old school Hiphop loop principles and an authentic love for the analog. Her use of an array of synthesizers and other "real" instruments adds to WAPF's depth, soul and sincerity.

The album opens with a joyful anthem, full of energy and melodic hooks. The audience is confronted with the quintessential titular question What Are People For? and told that they are just a mere disposable commodity. Throughout the album, lyrical themes revolve around underground aspects of society, violence, political ideologies, sexuality and mysticism. The content is deep but the album is as danceable as it is biting.

73, with its drum machine hysteria and hypnotic synth basses is a a text collage written on the 73 bus through London, consisting of situations and conversation snippets encountered along the way. Drones indulges in the narrator’s paranoia as they feel they are being watched by cigarette machines, whilst the haunting choir is half spoken, half sung, ending on the orgasmic chanting of the word “mummy”. Nursery Rhyme brings more soothing incantations. There is definitely an affinity for fairytales, albeit adult ones and especially the anarchistic ones such as The Moomins, who were a consistent influence on the band. The artwork for the record, created by McCarthy, is a beautiful children's book-style painting of the group in a forest, seemingly about to engage in a magical encounter to which we are invited.

WAPF? have absorbed and digested a variety of influences. Trip hop, Punk and Techno are rubbing shoulders on Party Time. 1977 was coined “Summer of Hate” in the UK and unsurprisingly in WAPF?’s Summer of War, ethereal singing alternates with a powerful marching Garage/Grime chorus reminiscent of street protests and UK culture.

Mz. Lazy starts like an invitation to meditation and references Gertrude Stein’s book Ida in which she develops the idea that publicity is a new religion and people are now famous for being famous. Repressed anger explodes into violence and freedom at the end of the song as our heroine eventually grabs an axe to destroy her oppressors.
Fantasize, on its part, is raw, sexual and liberating while the closing track Bring Back the Dirt is a welcome hymn into a world that is becoming more and more sanitised.

While exploring deep subject matters throughout their album, WAPF? manage to remain satirical, exciting and funny. Each and everyone of their songs have a cathartic quality.

The visual identity of the band is intrinsic to their appeal. Live, they are eccentric, wild and unapologetic, wearing see-through costumes, bright miniskirts and intricate headpieces while delivering their songs with sharp intensity. Their performances radiate queer sexiness and transcend B52's thrift store aesthetics, creating a space for collective dreaming.

WAPF? is a rare combination of contemporary punk energy, irresistible groove, absurdist dry humour and astounding depth of field. They have the mighty power to create a party with their music and soon you will find yourself lifting your arms as if controlled by an external force, to chant: WAPF? WAPF? WAPF?

– Marie Merlet (Malphino, Little Trouble Girls, London)

Available on limited edition translucent gold vinyl and very limited vinyl-style cd. "The Young Ones' Flaming Lips meet Jacques Brel in a pean to lost youth, 'Comme dans un Reve' Dream bossa chanson a la Gainsbourg/ Birkin. ‘Dreams’ is the second of the final trilogy of albums by critical darlings The Real Tuesday Weld following last year's acclaimed noir-themed ‘Blood'. This collection references late sixties songwriting a la Lee Hazlewood, Jimmy Webb and Burt Bacharach with nods to Flaming Lips and Tin Pan Alley, all mixed up with hazy lo-fi electronica, ghostly atmospherics and cinematic instrumentals. Guest vocalists A Girl Called Eddy, Sephine Llo and Oriana Curls provide a counterpoint to main man Stephen Coates' Gainsbourg-like crooning. Continuing the band's long preoccupation with dreams, the songs were written in the early morning or late evening on 'either side' of sleep: ‘I’d rise super early and go straight to it with the emotion of the night’s imaginings still heavy on me or work in that strange space-time just before sleep claims us”. The album is sequenced in an approximation of a life, from youth to age, with the band’s perennial focus on London, love, the English landscape and time passing. ‘Bone Dreams Blood’ in particular is a sonic memorial to friends loved and lost in the life of London. "beautiful...giddily recalls Gainsbourg, Pulp, Cole Porter, early Disney soundtracks and seedy postwar revue bars" SUNDAY TIMES // "Utterly unique, utterly delightful" THE TELEGRAPH // "These heart-pricking songs speak to us all" WORD // 'Utterly decadent and darkly humorous' TIME OUT LONDON // 'Superbly atmospheric' UNCUT // Track listing: 1 The Young Ones 2 Kinky Love 3 Bone Dreams Blood 4 I Awoke to Find I was Dreaming 5 Ever After 6 Lost Endeavour 7 Curtain Call 8 Comme Dans un Reve 9 Bodhisattva of the Gulag 10 Everything 11 Last Light

Frogs 11 A side 'Studios, Squats and Trucks' is an epic 'Frogs' classic. You can only wiggle and smile once the fanfare driven groove starts. This tune will take you from a cabaret gipsy step to a hektic jungle knees up banger and finally wrap its cushty dub vibes around you. This progressive yet cohesive anthem nails the definition of Clown-Step once and for all.

This huge dance floor killer is the result of the collaboration between Ed Cox (Accordion/Prog), DJ Stivs (Drum Prog), Bang Crosby (Vox), Freddyfrogs (Prog), Waynes Maslin (Trombonne), Carl Davies (Clarinette/Sax) Frogs 11 B side 'Fucked up with you' will convince any raver to stand up and dance! This hard techno banger rests on its bassline to deliver the mighty vocal 'Get Get Get fucked up with you'. The huge drop transitions from the DnB beat tand tips your rave into its darkest hours.... Frogs 11 B side 'The way to go' offers a radically different atmosphere from the other tunes on this release. Freddyfrogs explores here the tribal force of an emotional heart beat. The nagging build up reaches it's climax to fall into death itself and rebirth into the light. Let your mind wonder into its deepest corners....

Originally from France and now based in Berlin Isolated Material has dropped a steady run of heavy hitting releases on labels including; Brokntoys, Haws, Ukonx, 909 Connection and Mind Controlled Rectifier before joining us for his debut EP on 20/20 Vision.

'Hidden Node' kicks off the wax with a jarring excursion of futuristic breaks and abrasive sound design firing on all cylinders with complex drum patterns, bleeps and glitches. 'Asynchronous Funk' sees Isolated Material serve up an abstract slice of electro funk with a solid broken beat groove peppered with unexpected moments of off-kilter magic.

On the flip side - title track 'Hidden Node' offers up a dose of Drexciyan inspired funk primed for a set on the dark side of the moon with; high octane breaks, quick fire drum programming, intricate synth patterns and ominous undertones. Wrapping up the EP 'Unmarked Sequence' is an equally potent chaser for the wide eyed deep space traveller in need of body jerking breaks.

Not content with a double 12” of acid drenched delinquency, Schrödinger’s Box have drafted in four 303 addicts to bring their own acrid fire to Hard Ton’s Bigger is Better.

To get the bitter ball rolling, Larionov opens. Known for his dark electro and EBM leanings, this reinterpretation of “Transcend Your Body” is a bruiser of throbbing pulses, lancing lines and stabbing synths to pierce the fog and strobe. Rude 66 follows with his beloved vocoder doing battle with Massimo Bastasi’s original vocals. The result is a duel of distant rhythms and shimmering wordplay. The flip sees Nightwave on the attack. Brawny beats elbow lyrics in this driving audio onslaught. Bulging rusted basslines crush speaker cones as a blistering remake takes hold, blasts of body bending brutalism turning Hard Ton’s original into an even sweatier brute. An artist born and raised on analogue squawk and squelch finishes. Posthuman, one of the infamous figures behind the I Love Acid nights, takes the tongue-in-cheek Brit Pop flashback of “Girls and Boys” and contorts it into a grimy Chicago jam.

Empathy is the codeword when it comes to The AM’s second solo EP: The ‘Sexworker’ EP. A short story through music and art, allowing you a moment to walk a mile in another seasoned professional’s shoes… Imagine life through her eyes, her thoughts, her feelings, her actions and motivations as her work takes her from flirty fun to a much more severe and fierce role as a vigilante, fighting for justice and retribution for women who’ve been abused and wronged. As the EP progresses, the further we’re plunged into this dark nocturnal world of carnal chaos, deceit and danger.

Sat in a not-so distant neon tomorrow, downtown Detroit, this is the vivid concept and narrative conjured by Detroit native, violinist-turned-techno artist The AM (Ann-Marie Teasley) Sliding into our collections since her debut tracks last year as one half of HLX-1, 2022 has been all about The AM solo releases; in March we had ‘Black Majik’ on Tresor. Now on Deeptrax ‘Sexworker’ is another revelation from the agenda-setting artist who’s crafted a completely immersive narrative that ranges from the playful electro beats of ‘Intercosmic Lap Dance’ to the runaway juggernaut ‘Black Galaxy’ (a collaboration with Scan 7's Track Masta Lou). Each track adding layers of tension and intrigue, cutting through the late night sleaze and exploitation with raw machine soul, ‘Sexworker’ is steeped in detail… But loaded with enough space for your imagination.

Fronted by a stark futuristic city artwork, ‘Sexworker’ takes place in The AM’s stomping ground but could just as easily happen anywhere in the world… Amsterdam, London and right now, our speakers. This bumps in an exciting yet timeless way. It’s AM 24/7 right now.

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The Posies released their third studio album Frosting On The Beater back in 1993. It featured a darker sound than their prior work, partly due to the production style of Don Fleming, who previously worked with Sonic Youth and Screaming Trees amongst others. The album spawned three singles, “Dream All Day”, “Solar Sister” and “Definite Door”.

Frosting On The Beater is available as a 2LP and includes an insert.

White Vinyl

To celebrate the 30 year anniversary of Shakespears Sister’s seminal album ‘Hormonally Yours’,London Records have announced special edition releases across multiple formats.
A double platinum and top 3 UK album ‘Hormonally Yours’ secured Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit a place in British pop history, spawning the single Stay - which spent a staggering eight consecutive weeks at the top of the UK charts - and winning the duo an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection.
‘Hormonally Yours’ also features singles ‘Goodbye Cruel World’ and ‘I Don’t Care’, tackles friendships gone wrong on ‘My Sixteenth Apology’, powerful, dangerous attraction on ‘Emotional Thing’ and documents a friend’s coming out on ‘Are We In Love Yet?’ Fan favourite ‘The Trouble With Andre’, the full-throttle glam-blues of ‘Cat Woman and glorious finale ‘Hello (Turn Your Radio On) is the album’s glorious finale: an exhalation; a glorious, earth-shuddering moment that recalls the epic melancholy of David Bowie’s ‘Five Years’ and The Beatles’ ‘A Day In The Life’.
Shakespears Sisters second LP, Hormonally Yours, provided the perfect encapsulation of Shakespears Sister’s musical ying and yang; a deftly delivered balance of pop melody with a spikey alternative darkness