Compiled by cratediggers Loud E & The Wild, Discophilia Beligica' is a collection of next-door-disco and local spacemusic from Belgium 1975-1987. The tracks on this delightfully obscure collection are from ordinary folk. Most have day jobs. Yet as musicians, they go as far out as possible in to the disco universe and back again.
Put your hands together and please welcome Linda Lo to Shall Not Fade's Time is Now imprint. The LA producer/DJ's new 12" EP "Masa" drops 23rd Oct 2026 and f**k is it sick.
Linda Lo fuses* mambo, samba, and salsa with UK garage, dubstep, and club rhythms to make guaranteed rewind material that is gonna light up the dance…
* imma talk about this fuses sh*t in a minute.. First we need to get a bit philosophical. Cos rewinds and fusions aside, this EP is alive. It's part of something bigger and cyclical, without a start or an end. It is music. It was part of someone else's music before and it will be part of other people's music in the future. Right now though, it's Linda Lo's music.
Too esoteric? Let me elaborate and, let's talk about fusion. There is the fusion that is – steal a bit of genre X and culture Y, chuck it on the grid and strut about professing fusion – and then there's actual fusion: Music that is something "new" and real and genuine. Music that you end up describing excitedly as a "fusion of" things (even if it inevitably ends up doing it a disservice). Music that is simultaneously one thing and not that thing, and also something else and not that something else too. Music that is just "music" to the creator but is also part of the progression and evolution of music for others. Mala wasn't making "dubstep". Skream & Benga ended up not making Garage. Like many before and after they were making their music and Linda Lo is making her music so let's hear from her about it. Big up Linda. This is real.
Notes from Linda:
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“Like Croydon by way of Havana”
“Masa, or corn-based dough used to make tortillas and tamales, is a traditional staple food for many in Mexico and throughout LatAm. In the Maya worldview, people's flesh is made out of masa. In order to make masa, corn must be dried, nixtamalized, ground, and mixed (often by hand) to create the right textured dough. I find much of my music work is a collision and a mixing of many elements, all worked into one product. In this way, I've worked these songs, transforming raw rhythms and sub bass into hand-mixed tunes. ‘Masa - EP' presents four delicious heaters. The title track explodes with a fiery double-time dubstep groove. Mambo horn stabs bite through a bass inferno. ‘Cenote' looks down upon a subterranean pool of sound—still on the surface but impossibly deep. ‘Minifalda', pure flirt and gyration, calls in cuica and other voices from a samba bateria. Finally, claves stitch across ‘Mestiza', a fusion of blooming lush orchestration and jagged 2step rhythm.
Around 1960, my grandparents were regular dancers at the Palladium in Los Angeles: young, Mexican, and falling in love to dance music, specifically big band mambo. My mom, consequently, is a fantastic dancer, and her mambo collection along with my dad's exotica records formed the base of my own vinyl collection. When I first discovered garage and dubstep, there was something indescribably familiar to me, something mambo-like about the syncopated offbeat hits and drama. Later, as I began stitching together mambo claves and 2step drums, I assumed I was trying out something totally new. The farther I go, the more I see that I was wrong.
Dubstep, garage and jungle share a parental lineage back to dub reggae, originating from Jamaica. Mambo hails from Cuba, and sister genres of salsa to NYC & PR, and bachata and meringue to the Dominican Republic. Yet, these musical genres of the Caribbean have not developed in isolation. Reggae, mambo, dancehall, salsa, even son jarocho from Veracrúz, Mexico (where my family is from), all developed together, influencing each other fundamentally. Ultimately, all musics of the Caribbean have come from West African polyrhythmic musical heritages. Garage, mambo, dubstep, and salsa are points in time along one musical continuum.
I feel very honored to be a selector working in Los Angeles (and elsewhere!). I hope I can share some music for the next generation of young people to fall in love to. "
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I'm moved by what Linda writes here. #1 Doing what you love, and finding you are part of something bigger. Creating for yourself freely and hoping to inspire others with healthy amounts of care, humility, freedom, self awareness and enjoyment. (It is inspiring and I'm honoured we are now a part of sharing Linda's music). #2 There's something wonderful about finding connection and a sense of place. A place physical, spiritual and in time. Music can help us all find connection and be part of a place. Wheel it up wherever you are.
2026 Repress
In the ever-expanding universe of deep house, Julius Steinhoff is far from being a stranger. Half of the dynamic duo Smallpeople, founder and one of the steersmen behind Hamburg's Smallville empire (record store/ label/ party curator around the globe) as well as a producer and DJ in his own right, Steinhoff is closely associated with a group of like-minded people that unite fresh ideas and individualism with a certain consciousness of tradition. That 'Flocking Behaviour' is well embodied in Steinhoff's debut album by the same name. After a string of 12-inches for the likes of Live at Robert Johnson, Geography or his own-brand Smallville and the very well-received Smallpeople long-player 'Salty Days", Julius Steinhoff makes a submission that is all his. Rooted in the elegiac variety of the big three (New York, Chicago & Detroit) and a romantic concept of house music that is at times utopian, the album gathers eight tracks that evoke late nights, hazy mornings and walks on thin air. But 'Flocking Behaviour' is by no means anachronistic: Tracks like 'Under A Waterfall' could be made in just the same manner by a puerile Baby Ford in 1989 as they represent a swaying dance floor in 2014. 'Treehouse' or the title track 'Flocking Behaviour' are experiences that make you feel like meeting new people who instantly greet you like old friends. With someone that works and lives in the here and now, Steinhoff seemingly has no interest in revisionism, complains or antagonism, his approach is welcoming and caring, embracing and mesmerizing. Along the way, his musical apparatus never makes use of cheap tricks or antique clichés.
Following on from back-to-back hit albums, Bristol beatmakers The Allergies keep the heat coming with Beneath This Sun. The sample-heavy LP deftly mixes up musical styles, like one of the duo’s dynamite DJ sets.
Soul-stompers ‘Bye Bye Baby’ burn the floor, while double bass banger ’Dig It Up’ adds a boom to the bap that’ll have ’90s hip-hop heads throwing their hands in the air.
Other standout moments are stolen by the earth-shaking cinematics of psych-rock-meets-rap epic ‘Resistance’, featuring Knytro – The secret weapon MC for stadium acts like Chase & Status. And ‘Leave Me Alone’ – a dancehall-on-steroids breakup record brought screaming to life by self-proclaimed "sound system baby" Aziza Jaye.
More new faces to The Allergies camp include tongue-twisting Dutch mic master, BlabberMouf. And rising stars from the Bristol scene, HybridMP & KAI, who shine with their radiant jazz-hop lament ‘Lost My Soul’.
There's a moment during every great dance floor experience when the music takes over and everyone becomes part of something bigger. "SHOUT!", the latest release from 2SoulFusion Presents Ascension, captures that feeling in its purest form. Featuring the powerhouse voices and ad-libs of Dames Brown and Dawn Tallman, along with an all-star ensemble of master vocalists including Josh Milan, Rahsaan Patterson, Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Audrey Wheeler, Ramona Dunlap, and Lea Lorien, this joyful anthem is an invitation to let go, lift your spirit, and celebrate through music.
Produced, written, arranged, and mixed by 2SoulFusion—Louie Vega and Josh Milan—"SHOUT!" draws inspiration from the communal spirit of gospel while embracing the energy and freedom of house music. Driven by simple yet powerful affirmations—"Shout," "Sing," "Move," "Love," "Get Up On Your Feet," "Listen Up," and "Let This Music Take You Higher"—the song transforms into an experience where every voice becomes part of the celebration. It's a journey of anthemic hooks, soaring harmonies, infectious grooves, and unforgettable melodies designed to ignite dance floors, uplift hearts, and remind us that music has the power to unite people through rhythm, joy, and love.
The inspiration for "SHOUT!" was born from a creative exchange between Louie Vega and Charaf Tajer, founder and creative director of the internationally acclaimed fashion house Casablanca. Introduced by longtime friend Joseph Capriati, Charaf shared a bold vision—to bring together the worlds of fashion, gospel, and house music for one unforgettable Casablanca runway presentation in Paris.
Louie Vega recalls: “Charaf was introduced to me by my friend Joseph Capriati, who said Charaf was looking to meet me about an idea he had. His vision was to marry fashion, gospel, and house music within Casablanca's collection. At first, he wanted me to DJ and play gospel house music. I said, 'Instead of playing existing music, why don't I create an original song with a gospel house flavor?' I immediately got together with my 2SoulFusion partner Josh Milan, and together we came up with 'SHOUT!'”
That vision came to life during Casablanca's spectacular Paris presentation inside a breathtaking cathedral, where Louie Vega premiered the original twelve-minute and nine-second composition live. As the music echoed through the cathedral, Dames Brown joined the London House Gospel Choir in a soul-stirring performance while the models walked the aisle on Casablanca's carpet made of their signature green color and a dashing vibrating giant mirror echoing the runway visually. Renowned DJs Luciano and Chloé Caillet were among those who walked the runway, while friends of Charaf Tajer and special guests—including Jaden Thompson, Folamour, Dimitri From Paris, Kapela, and many others—were in attendance, making it an unforgettable gathering where music, spirituality, fashion, and culture merged into one extraordinary experience.
Inspired by that magical evening in Paris, Louie Vega and Josh Milan returned to the studio to expand the original composition into the powerful recording heard today. Built around rich live musicianship, Josh Milan's keyboards, organ, piano and synth bass provide the foundation alongside Axel Tosca's expressive grand piano recorded live, Sherrod Barnes' soulful guitar, and Gene Perez's unmistakable bass groove. Together they create an infectious, organic driving sound that allows the vocals to soar while delivering the unmistakable musical depth and musicianship that define 2SoulFusion.
Leading the celebration are Dames Brown and Dawn Tallman, whose commanding performances are elevated by an extraordinary choir of world-class vocalists. Dames Brown's spirited sermon and ad-libs, and Dawn Tallman’s powerful ad-lib vamping out together with the soaring harmonies of Lisa Fischer, Cindy Mizelle, Audrey Wheeler, Rahsaan Patterson, Ramona Dunlap, Lea Lorien, and Josh Milan, recreate the feeling of a joyful gospel congregation—not confined to four walls, but alive on dance floors around the world. Every chorus encourages listeners to get up, listen up, feel it, sing, move, love, and become part of the experience. Recorded between Honeycomb Studios in Pennsylvania, The Hub Ibiza and Manhattan Center Studios, New York City, and mixed at The Hub Ibiza, "SHOUT!" reflects the continuing vision of the Ascension project, where spirituality, musicianship, community, fashion, and dance music become one.
Life In Patterns welcomes Uncertain for his first appearance on the label with “Defeat”, a five-track EP bringing together five warehouse-focused techno tracks, moving between darker industrial tones and the classic rave influences that have long been part of his sound. “Defeat” will release on vinyl and digital formats on 16 October 2026. Across the EP, Uncertain explores a broad range of peak-time energy. “Anxiety” and “Dismiss” take a darker route, built around tense atmospheres, heavy percussion, and industrial textures, while the remaining tracks introduce classic rave chords and a more open, melodic character. Despite the differences in tone, the five tracks share the same directness and focus, designed with the dance floor firmly in mind. Uncertain, formerly known as Boriqua Tribez, has been active in electronic music since 1989. Over the past two decades, he has released and remixed more than 50 tracks for labels including KMS, Recycled Loops, and Ingoma, before starting a new chapter under the Uncertain name in 2018. Since then, his more frantic approach to techno has found a home on labels such as Rekids, Symbolism, Beard Man, H-Productions, WRKTRX, ANAOH, Illegal Alien, Mind Medizin, Intec, and Uncage. Alongside his productions, Uncertain is an experienced DJ known for fast, precise three-deck sets, with international performances and support from artists including Ben Sims, Radio Slave, Truncate, Mark Broom, Carl Cox, Blasha & Allatt, Chris Liebing, Richie Hawtin, Luke Slater, DJ Rush, DJ Bone, and others. With “Defeat”, Uncertain makes his Life In Patterns debut with a focused collection of five techno tracks — from dark industrial pressure to classic rave energy, all built for the warehouse.
The third and final volume of remixes of 'Come Into My Life' by Nathalie Capello and Rose Lonegran is yet another doozy for lovers of emotive, meaningful deep house. Another bunch of heavyweights step up, starting with Mystic Bill who teases out a steamy-hot lead and builds a vibe around it. UK mainstay Jimpster plays with a dubby and bubbly low end, while Move D finds jazz-funk in the squelchy bass. Last of all, Underground Quality head DJ Jus-Ed steps up with his remix and explores more dusty textures, a slightly unsettling synth vibe and roomy, hypnotic grooves for late-night dancing.
The fifteenth release of Barro comes with an exclusive: behind the Transylvanian mask of Orlok 101 lies Nöle himself, the boss of the label.
Remember that he used this vampiric AKA to kick off Barro—his The End Of The Beginning being the first release, published in late 2018. That same year, his techno-industrial sound—packed with references from the famous work of Bram Stoker and nightmare atmospheres—helped launch another label: Soil, the Valencia-based imprint, with a project that included a suitably fitting remix of The Horrorist. The following year, he released an EP with five original tracks, titled Runaway, while also “spreading blood” on Antikhrist Visions Vol I alongside his Industrias Mekanikas comrades.
His dark influence has been felt across Barro’s catalogue, whether through his own tracks or remixes—sinking his teeth into artists like The Hacker (under his real name, Amato) or Nebula Circuit. In 2025, Orlok made his debut on Aspecto Humano with a powerful EP, equally gritty and dark. In Barro, we’ve recently had Nöle—the most techno side of Imanol Pagola—with the EPs Electro Bloody Music and Demencial Chico Aceleradom, two great showcases of his ability to keep us dancing nonstop, following the popular Mendekua, released by Xtraperlo.
For Barro 15, the two sides of the producer and DJ come together on this EP, titled Sex With a Cop—four tracks released on vinyl and digitally, plus an alternate version of the final composition as a bonus track.
Nöle's knowledge of the dancefloor and Orlok 101's ability to create atmospheres that will give you goosebumps come together on this EP to create an explosive mix.
Sex With a Cop starts with Hilerri, a techno EBM track where Orlok provides repetitive, screeching sounds and a ghostly melody, while Nöle adds incisive synths and a catchy, addictive vocal sample that warns you of the danger of the material you’re listening to. Orlok then takes over with his industrial and metallic sonorities on the next track, Amets Fabrika, although Nöle’s influence still comes through with his powerful bass and addictive synth lines. A stifled scream and a production packed with a thousand details create an unsettling atmosphere that will surprise you on the dancefloor.
The flip side begins with No Voy A Quedar Con Nadie, a track closer to Nöle’s technooid world. Even with its unsettling opening, it doesn’t take long to turn into a danceable bomb, with that dark touch typical of the Navarro producer.
Surprisingly, he saves the best for last: Harina de Huesos Humanos is one of the most interesting tracks created by Imanol Pagoda, and we can hear it in two versions, one as a bonus track. Thanks to complex production full of details and sounds that come and go, a punchy, hard as granite kick drum, and a carefully crafted industrial atmosphere, it all ends up being the perfect union between the two sonic worlds. A spectacular finale for the label’s fifteenth release.
Back in November 2015, after years of collaborations with such as Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Obie Trice, Sean Price, Kool G Rap, Eternia and countless others, Toronto-based producer MoSS released his debut producer album entitled "Marching To The Sound Of My Own Drum". Since the beginning of his career, the Canadian beatsmith, record digger and music connoisseur has been making a name for himself with his signature sound and on this record he gives an amazing display of what he's capable of doing being backed up by an all stars team that features AZ, Havoc, Slum Village, Onyx, Inspectah Deck, Ill Bill, Skyzoo, Guilty Simpson and 20+ other legendary MC's. A few years after its original release, we've decided to team up with MoSS to bring you this masterpiece on wax and, for the occasion, he's also added an unreleased bonus track called "We Here" that features Smif-N-Wessun that, together with "Emotional Redux", we've put on a 7" together with its instrumental. Limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies, with the first 200 pressed on orange/black A-side B-side vinyl, and 300 on black vinyl.
BONUS 7”
A1. Emotional Redux (feat. Big Gov, Guilty Simpson, Jon Connor, Vstylez, Willie The Kid)
B1. We Here (feat. Smif-N-Wessun) UNRELEASED
B2. We Here (Instrumental)
New York-based Japanese jazz and electronic music polymath Takuya Nakamura presents his debut album Shape The Future - almost 35 years into his storied musical journey.
An expansive double album, the album’s first LP documents a spellbinding live performance by Nakamura recorded at fabric. A hybrid set combining DJing, live electronics, vocals, and trumpet, the set also features studio versions of special collaborations with Shigeto, Currency Audio and Tim Reaper. The second LP complements the first by assembling studio recordings of select album tracks. Altogether the two volumes make for a definitive display of Nakamura’s exceptional musicianship across jazz, DnB, jungle, broken beat, deep techno and more.
Across his career, Nakamura has played Brazilian music, merengue, salsa and straight-ahead jazz. He’s opened for Sun Ra Arkestra, performed with David Byrne, Laurie Anderson, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Wu-Tang Clan, and Arto Lindsay, appeared on sessions with Terry Riley, ASAP Rocky, Goldie, and TV On The Radio, and remixed the likes of Quincy Jones, Sun Ra, Billie Holiday, and The Streets. He’s also played under director and playwright Robert Wilson.
Although the musical past and present of the Tokyo-born, New York-based DJ and trumpet player is undoubtedly eclectic, Nakamura is abidingly steeped in the sounds of jazz and jungle. This’ll be obvious to casual observers who may have seen any viral videos of him. But there’s more to this. The depth of Nakamura’s engagement with these kinds of music, the way they’ve made him into the person he is, the decades-long path they’ve taken him on; to now arrive at the summit of a solo album is all truly remarkable. Shape The Future resonates with every chapter in this story.
In high school, Nakamura’s friends started listening to jazz and jazz fusion, which piqued his interest, especially when they started going to clubs to see it live, where they managed to see US legends like Sonny Rollins play. Eventually he began to play jazz every day and his musical skill emerged early. He soon became obsessed with getting closer to the source of this music, which led to his studies at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston with George Russell, an influential figure who had taught Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Nakamura drank it in: not only the technical aspects but the sense of a direct connection to “a music culture where Russell and his friends changed harmony forever. I wanted to know how that was possible!”.
This was a radical experience in itself, but then another revolution happened for Nakamura. He was playing in a venue called The Western Front, near Boston and discovered that the elderly owner had his own soundsystem and was playing what was then - in 1992 - only just becoming known as jungle. This was as freeing a musical revelation as his proximity to the giants of jazz was, and in that instant the two things fused. He understood that using technology to fill a dancehall with sound and a jazz musician’s reflexes are all working to the same ends: “You’re always making decisions,” he says, “but it doesn’t have to be really difficult. It’s the truth of the frequencies, and how they’re affecting people’s minds.”
From that moment on, his life path was set. Moving to New York City, he sought out jungle and its offshoot sounds wherever he could find them, gigging and collaborating relentlessly, and gradually developing his own live and hybrid live/DJ shows. Through regular appearances at New York fixtures Zebulon and CBGBs, and continual shows elsewhere in the city, Nakamura developed his live performance and DJing and it was in these environments that he gradually weaved together his twin loves without compromising either, building an international reputation in the process.
It’s only fitting then that his first album, almost 35 years after he first found his musical direction, should be a live one: a window into this never-ending process. Even here, he had to be persuaded that he should make a record. A member of the fabric team got turned on to his music after their daughter saw him play. Of course, as a jungle lover, Nakamura knew fabric – which has a special place in the history of jungle and drum’n’bass – and “had wanted to play there since I was very young.” You can hear the club in the record: this isn’t just a live show, in keeping with his jungle roots, it’s Nakamura duetting with the soundsystem, and you can feel how the emotions in the room would have ebbed and flowed.
This dynamic translates to a transfixing record. Setting the tone with lushly textured ambient and reverberant jazz, Nakamura segues into cinematic breakbeat and stellar fusion, infusing it all with intoxicating low end and hypnotic rhythms. The LP’s midway point locks into mesmeric percussion heightened by resonant echoes of piano and trumpet. There’s an endless pull to this music. Nakamura adjusts the levels for maximum impact throughout, and the overall effect begins to evoke some harmonious hybrid between a jazz ensemble, a classic Metalheadz 12” and a Theo Parrish DJ set. His electric form continues through surreal jazz, intricate electronics and rolling sub-bass velocity, right up to the subtly devastating final cover of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s ‘Don’t Give Up’, with Nakamura’s fragile vocal sitting in the heart of a huge sound.
From Tokyo jazz nights to formative studies and encounters in Boston to his artistic development in New York, Nakamura reaches another milestone with his monumental debut album. It’s a release that happened just the way a Takuya Nakamura record should. In the same way his instincts led him to musical revelations, taking his own sweet time has led him to make one of the most extraordinary debut albums imaginable, all executed in his own singular style. In Nakamura’s world, the universe finds a way.
We are honoured and excited to share the fourth Dream Space EP with the world: Domenic Cappello - Celestial Wave.
For more than three decades, Domenic Cappello has been at the helm of Subculture - the innovative and vastly influential Saturday night at Glasgow’s Sub Club. A true master DJ with deep rooted influences from Detroit & Chicago, Dom has consistently pushed things forward over the years and remains at the cutting edge of modern dance music.
Throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s, he put out high-quality records under various monikers on labels such as Soma, 20:20 Vision & Seventh Sign. Fast forward to recent years and Domenic has been on nothing short of a hot streak - releasing music under his own name on Craigie Knowes, Clone Royal Oak and his outstanding ‘Basement Philosophy’ LP on Alien Communications.
He brings the heat once more for this record; blurring the lines of house, techno and electro to deliver four awe-inspiring cuts of electronic music.
‘The Secret Moon Party’ sets things off, nodding to a certain Highland gathering by some of Scotland’s finest purveyors of quality tunes. A warm, gritty bassline carries the track, evolving into a symphony of precise sound design that is in equal parts playful and euphoric.
Dom’s knowledge of the dancefloor shines through on ‘Acid & Love’. This early night floor filler is the alchemy of just about everything you want to hear when things are getting going. Pure warmth and bliss throughout, also holding its place played deep into the late hours.
‘We Loved Your Ears (in memory of Keith)’ is a heartfelt tribute to the one and only Keith McIvor aka JD Twitch of Optimo. Dom wrote this track as something he thought Keith would have loved, and for this one, we’ll let the music do the talking.
Keith was, and continues to be, an enormous inspiration for us and so many others. In his memory, all proceeds from the digital sales of ‘We Loved Your Ears’ and 25% of all vinyl sales will be donated to Beatson Cancer Charity and The Scottish Brain Tumour Research Centre of Excellence.
Closing the EP is title track ‘Celestial Wave’, which does exactly what it says on the tin. A beautiful piece of music and fitting soundtrack for star gazing, moon dancing and dreaming.
Omar Neri aka Omar J Born & live in Arezzo, Dj Professionist from 1991, play and produced under name PRESSLABOYS with Luigi Gori since 2011. In1996 instead, while they were in his basement during a storm, the study got flooded and they looked like homeless people holding all them instruments. Here born Presslab Records & two Years later Presslaboys Team, after various names used before. Today, never forget but never look back, keep moving forward, it’s time to fly… my creature, Tapemann, who lives the eternal dilemma linked to his nature, of tapa, grappling with the future, progress and the loss of certain values that leave room for AI. So, let’s start this totally hybrid journeys, in sounds ranging from house to prog house contexts (sometimes Deep and Dub) but with a sound and structure that recalls minimal, in the choice of reverbs and lengths of the sounds... all immersed in a decidedly acidic context. A melting pot from an artist who has spanned three decades of music, we couldn't expect anything different.
Sometimes things go quickly. After meeting Canadian artist Pascale Project early this year (twice in one month) on the same dancefloor of a crusty underground club in Neukolln, we sent this Berlin-based DJ and producer a short appreciation email to show curiosity and interest in her unreleased music. Our hope was to listen to it and maybe just maybe start a record-release project. Pascale sent back quickly, and she shared some fantastic club music with us. We had separate listens to the full playlist, and, funnily/coincidentally, we chose the same 4 tracks as highlights from the big playlist. One week later, Pascale emailed us back, mentioning the tracks she would feel/see/love to be released on the label, and they were the exact same ones we had naturally and unanimously chosen. Stars aligned for sure. Having long been active in the Montreal music scene, Pascale absorbed the essence of all her different experiences and years of training and creating, and then let it all start Sparkling into the 22nd Basic Moves release entitled "Watch EP". The record is based on the concept of losing and breaking things up, and eventually finding it all back. Reflecting hope in between the fog of life. It is clever modern underground club music rooted in the textures and energies of the golden days of progressive house, breakbeats and (real!) tech-house. These 4 tracks reflect an artist who expresses herself honestly, fully understands how to creatively arrange and produce club music, and never loses sight of the dancefloor, as she is often found on that dancefloor herself. Dive in and let us know what you think of it. We are stoked to play out and vibe on these tunes for real!
Hector Ram and Ricky Ramirez are starting to celebrate ten years of Short Attention Records and it's US house stalwart DJ Aakmael they've enlisted to pop the champagne cork and cut the cake. He's one of those artists who turns out plenty of music, much of it sounding within the same consistent deep house framework. But there's always a little something to his tunes that keeps you coming back for more - a perfectly chosen sample, a nagging bassline, a sense of melancholy that you cannot escape. All of that is true on his latest. 'Things Always Happen' has keys that convey beautiful pain, then 'If You Believe' is a deep house haze with smudgy samples and blues-y ache. 'Free' is more light with trilling jazz-funk keys and earthy guitar frets sprinkled into the mix. 'Stopmotion' shuts down with a signature Aakmael bump. Just timeless stuff.
Originally released in 2009, this massively in-demand record has been changing hands for anywhere between £50 and over £100 now finally available once again. You only need to check the width and depth of the DJ support tells you all you need to know.
DJ Support: A-Trak, Andy & Jaymo, Annie Mac, Brodinski, Cagedbaby, Damon Martin, DJ Mehdi, Erol Alkan, Filthy Dukes, Groove Armada, Hell, Jesse Rose, Joe Ransom, Kissy Sellout, Kris Menace, Pedro Winter, Riton, Rory Phillips, Seth Troxler, Severino, Shit Robot, Simian Mobile Disco, Thomas Schumacher, Trevor Jackson and The Whip
Retro Grade, (Serge Santiago and Tom Neville) an exciting act on the electronic music scene, revolutionising the world of Italo House with their release titled "Moda." This captivating track, infused with nostalgic vibes and infectious grooves, promises to transport listeners back to the heyday of '90s dance music while maintaining a fresh and contemporary sound.
"Moda" showcases Retro Grade's ability to seamlessly blend classic Italo House elements with modern production techniques. The track features pulsating bass lines, and euphoric synth melodies all meticulously crafted to create an irresistible sonic experience. From start to finish, "Moda" exudes an infectious energy that gets floors moving.
Not content with delivering a stellar original track, Retro Grade enlisted the talents of acclaimed artist Sound Klash to provide a mind-blowing Remix of "Moda." Sound Klash, known for this boundary-pushing approach to music production, puts his unique spin on the track, infusing it with his signature dubbed-out house sound. The result is an extraordinary reimagining that takes "Moda" to different heights, showcasing Sound Klash's unparalleled ability to reinvent and elevate electronic music.
"Moda" and its captivating Sound Klash Remix are set to make waves across the scene.
We are finally ready to unveil one of the most exciting projects we have worked on in our label's history: a new release by legendary disco project Hudson People, best remembered for their essential classic "Trip to Your Mind" - which just received its anniversary issue on our label!
Now it's time for "Hold On" - a brand-new single featuring several mixes based on an original recording from the late 1980s, with the completely unheard yet incredibly soulful voice of singer Rickey Owens, whom composer and producer Reginald Hudson worked with at the time.
When we first got in touch with Reg Hudson several years ago, we were originally interested in releasing his "Shake It - Make It Loose" album, which he recorded with John Davis (later known as one of the real voices behind Milli Vanilli). While talking about John Davis (RIP) and other great GI singers such as Karl Keaton, Reginald Hudson immediately mentioned Rickey Owens as one of the best singers he had ever worked with.
Of course, we had never heard of him, as none of his music had ever been released. But when Hudson showed us some old demos and sent us the original DAT recordings, we were immediately hooked.
"Hold On" was recorded in or around 1988 with a simple drum machine and keyboard accompaniment - essentially a demo intended to be recorded properly in a better studio. But the vocal performance was simply stunning, complete with beautifully recorded ad-libs. Owens had a truly remarkable, clear voice with an incredible amount of soul. Luckily, Hudson had his old DAT tapes digitized several years ago, so the acapella recordings survived in excellent shape.
We immediately reached out to several producers to create reworks of the track. The 12" EP compiles some of the most club-friendly of these new mixes - but there is more to come…
First up is Thomas Redfern, a senior producer, professional studio musician and keyboardist from London, UK. His version is a catchy, funky yet deep House track that could easily become a favourite on dancefloors around the globe. Redfern also blessed us with a dub mix that takes things even deeper.
But it gets even catchier on side B of the vinyl. Tom Quick sped up the tempo, added filters and delivered a rework that could make fans of Chromeo, Daft Punk, Stardust and any late-'90s French House afficionado go completely nuts. Yes, we mean it! With a fresh twist on the original, the track has a massive club appeal that we hope both DJs and dancers will dig.
The vinyl single is completed by a mix from German legend DJ Friction, whose version is based on synth layers from the Tom Quick mix. Friction added new drums and bass, giving the track the distinctive modern electro boogie funk vibe he is known for. His mix brings to mind classics such as Shannon's "Let the Music Play" and works of Freestyle's Tony Butler.
The vinyl 12" with 4 mixes is released on The Outer Edge's brand-new sublabel, 1st Floor Records, which focuses on more dancefloor-oriented material. More mixes are available digitally and should not be missed.
PR Feedback:
„Killer“ – Gilles Peterson
„Disco, deep house and boogie all in there! Superb!“ – Groove City Radio
„Dope!!“ – DJ Craze
„The boogie mixes are so good!“ – Selvagem
„Awesome and Huge Package“ - Leon El Ray
„Wow, Trip to Your Mind is so good and this is a real grower“ - Ibiza Sonica
„Really liking the Balearic & Redfern Mix, thanks!“ – Mystic Bill
„Both Thomas Redfern mixes are ace!“ – Deeper Shades of House
With the stunning Planes In Reverse, Sascha Funke, the Berlin-born producer and DJ, and long-time member of the Kompakt family, releases his first album in almost a decade, since 2017’s Lotos Land. It’s a welcome return for one of the most eloquent and elegant producers in electronic and dance music, someone who’s always been able to say more with less, and the ten tracks here, moving effortlessly between techno, house, minimalism, disco house, and home listening tunes, are all gorgeously sculpted miniatures. With guest appearances from partner Julienne Dessagne (Fantastic Twins), with whom Funke has also worked in Saschienne, there’s something homely and family about it, too; a family of sounds, a home of tone. There’s also something consummate about Planes In Reverse, as though Sascha Funke has perfected the album format. There’s no flab here, no excess – it plays out like a perfectly designed experience, ten tracks, coming in under fifty minutes, an album where every moment matters.
It’s full of variety, but everything has the unmistakable Funke thumbprint, one that was developed during the late ‘90s / early ‘00s minimal techno and microhouse moment, but which was always open to other ideas and other sounds, too. Planes In Reverse came together quickly for Funke: “Last winter, I had two or three new tracks, which gave me a core feeling: ‘Ah, this could be the direction of something like an album.’ Sometimes it can be very easy that you wrap it up and then it becomes something coherent and solid. This happened within two or three months; it was very fast and direct.” Everything fell into place – the ten tracks revealed themselves, the album sat together as a whole, and the final piece of the puzzle was returning home again to Kompakt, who have supported Sascha Funke from the very start, releasing his first single, “Campus”, back in 1999.
Planes In Reverse opens stealthily with “What You See”, where rhythms percolate and bass prowls while gaseous textures fill the sonic spectrum. It’s also the first appearance of Fantastic Twins on the album; here, she speaks a hypnotic mantra, a prelude to the title track, where Dessagne has a pure pop moment, her voice ecstatic and vibrant. Indeed, Planes In Reverse plays out like thesis and antithesis ending in synthesis, the tracks nestling next to each other even as they shuttle between sounds, genres, perspectives. There are some beautiful moments dropped throughout Planes In Reverse – the heavenly textures that make the title track feel so cloud-bound; the glassy and orbital tones that drop from the skies through the disco house inspired “Karat”; the clamour and clatter of hyper-edited voices shuffling through “Splitter”; or the field recordings of Sascha’s son football training session that drop “Zockers” into a different place and space, slowly giving way to a beautifully paced electro-pop mantra. “In Germany,when the kids play a computer game, or when they play football, we describe it as zocken. They’re the players, they’re the Zockers.“ Funke explains.
Planes In Reverse winds down with the beautiful “Kruso”, where ticklish, loving arpeggios careen around the room, and drift-work chords shimmer and shuttle between your ears. It’s a perfect comedown to an album that feels breathes in and out at an organic pace, nothing above 130 BPM, everything sitting together just so. Indeed, that’s the feeling you take away from Planes In Reverse; it sums up the spirit of Sascha Funke productions perfectly, while also existing beautifully as its own world dreamt unto itself. It’s Sascha Funke down to the very essence. Nothing unnecessary, nothing extraneous: Pure Funke.
Tiger Stripes continues the ‘A Tiger Never Loses Its Stripes’ EP series on Rekids, with part two arriving 30th October 2026. The EP follows part one, released earlier this month, and previews his upcoming sophomore album, his first in two decades, due out later this year.
First up, Tiger Stripes’ 'Strike' is a raw, heavy, swinging warehouse cut with stark lasers and a moody vocal refrain that will lock the floor into a steady march. 'ID' flips the script with funkier bass riffs and dub effects hanging above a lighter, funkier groove, but still locked into irresistible loops. There is a playful touch to 'Nothing To Do', too, where dusty drums, darker synths and prying bass motifs all shuffle and swing with confidence. The soulful 'Free As A Bird' closes with a delightfully dubby skip, lush chords, and expert sound design that brings immeasurable character alongside a well-worked vocal.
Founder of the Strange Idols label, Tiger Stripes has spent over two decades forging his own path with standout releases on Hot Creations, Kaoz Theory, Kwench Records, and more. After stepping back to focus on his indie-rock project Little Lies, he made a full return in 2024 and quickly recaptured the form that’s made him an international favourite.
Radio Slave’s Rekids was founded in 2006 and has since spawned successful offshoots with the Techno-focused Rekids Special Projects in 2017 and its newest sublabel, REK’D, in 2024. With Matt Edwards as the sole A&R, Rekids has been crucial in developing early artist careers and has become a haven for established acts in House and adjacent genres, recently featuring Harry Romero, Tal Fussman, DJ Minx, The Hacker, and many more.
HUMAN is a vinyl-only electronic music label based in Manchester, focused on music, art, fashion, and culture. We press records we believe in with no shortcuts.
HUM001 is the label's debut release, featuring E-Funk / Twisty by Scarper.
Scarper is a London-based producer and DJ known for blending melodic electronica, broken rhythms and left-field club ideas into a sound that’s entirely his own. Over the past decade, a deep catalogue of albums, EPs and remixes has taken shape, alongside work in advertising, gaming, TV and short film.
‘E-Funk’ is a hybrid club weapon - part 2-step, part house, part breaks, all energy. A certified floor starter that lives in the bag and lands every time, especially when the room hits its stride.
‘Twisty’ is probably the most dancefloor-ready cut, but the solid broken grooves dancing around acid bass lines and bleeps on each of these nine thumping tracks could work any room at the right moment.
Every coastline develops its own rhythm. The Adriatic is no exception.
For decades, Italy’s eastern coast has been shaped by funk, Cosmic Disco, Balearic sounds, Italo Disco, House, Latin rhythms, Brazilian music and countless other influences. Rather than blending into a single style, these musical worlds have lived side by side, constantly inspiring new generations of DJs, musicians and dancers. For more than fifteen years, Soul Fingers and Funk Rimini have explored that landscape from different perspectives. Founded by Claudio Cavallaro in 2013, Soul Fingers grew into a vinyl-driven community where groove matters more than genre. Its philosophy has always been simple: if the groove is right, genres stop mattering. Brothers Ricky and Francesco Cardelli developed Funk Rimini into a project rooted in funk, disco, live performance and electronic production. Anima Adriatica is where these two journeys meet.
The project didn’t begin with the ambition of making an album. It began behind the turntables. As DJs, Claudio Cavallaro and Ricky Cardelli found themselves constantly searching for records capable of connecting distant musical worlds inside their sets; from Afrobeat into disco, from hip hop into Latin, from Brazilian grooves into boogie, from cosmic electronics into deep funk. Sometimes those records existed. More often, they didn’t. So they stopped searching and started writing them. Not records designed to belong to one genre, but records designed to travel between genres. That space between musical worlds became Anima Adriatica.
The music grew through spontaneous jam sessions with Ricky and Francesco Cardelli, drummer Enrico Mao Bocchini and, gradually, a wider circle of musicians, singers and longtime friends, making Anima Adriatica less a traditional band than the beginning of an open collective. Recorded at SynthPosio Studio, founded by Ricky and Francesco Cardelli inside Rimini’s iconic skyscraper, the project also carries a symbolic connection to the building itself, where many Italo Disco classics (including records by Betty Miranda, The Creatures and many others) were recorded decades earlier.
Betty Miranda returns not as a nostalgic guest, but as a bridge between generations. On the title track she performs a spoken-word text written by Claudio Cavallaro, reflecting on the invisible thread connecting the Adriatic dancefloor across time. From Baia degli Angeli to Cocoricò, from the legendary clubs of Riccione to today’s independent communities gathered around projects such as Soul Fingers and Funk Rimini, the places have changed, but the dancefloor continues to tell the same story. Much like Pier Vittorio Tondelli’s Rimini captured the Adriatic through literature, Anima Adriatica imagines its soundtrack.
Brazilian musician Daniel Plentz (Selton) expands that vision on Açúcar and Alegria, bringing another coastline into the story. Across its four tracks, the EP moves naturally between analogue funk, boogie, Brazilian music, underground disco, cosmic textures and the wider Black musical tradition, with All Down The Line paying tribute to the Paradise Garage era.
Released by Bordello A Parigi, the project found its natural home through a shared love of adventurous dance music, records and club culture. More than the title of an EP, Anima Adriatica marks the beginning of an open collective; a meeting point where musicians, DJs, producers and friends continue building bridges between genres, generations and communities.
Because Anima Adriatica doesn’t live inside a genre. It lives between genres. If soul music has always reflected the places where it was born, Anima Adriatica is simply our own Adriatic Soul.
XL Middleton brings you the anthem for "Indeed Indeed," the bi-monthly funk night hosted by Moniquea, Zackey Force Funk, Kaistar, & XL himself. Moniquea & ZFF join XL for a coastal trip right back to the backyard boogie where it all started. Backed on the flip with "Take Control Remix," sure to be the next big thing among funk DJ's, poppers, & every purveyor of all things on the one. It's a remix of a boogie track originally released circa 1982, reworked from a drumapella version and given new life with XL's signature synth brass chords & squiggly leads.
Across the cosmic boundaries via spiritual exploration and in the void between shimmer and shadow you will find the astral soundscapes of Birds Of Pandaemonium...
Emerging from Brooklyn's late-night music ecosystem, 'Hazy James' Armstrong and Tim Wagner met nearly 20 years ago through the city's DJ and club scene. Each with different but complementary musical backgrounds which included a mix of folk, guitar, DJing, synths, drum machines, country rock, disco, jazz, and rhythm-heavy club music (being just a few!), the duo began various musical endeavours together & "exploring the darkness while pursuing light" which eventually lead to the birth of Birds Of Pandaemonium.
It was only a matter of time that the stars aligned (via an introduction from Shane Watson of Causeway) to bring the Birds onto the musical radar at Sprechen which led to the release of 3 renowned E.Ps and ultimately, their debut album, Eudaemonia. Obscure covers including Idris Muhammed's Loft classic 'Could Heaven Ever Be Like This', the rave defining Born Slippy by Underworld and the post punk/new wave 'On Islands' by New Musik sit alongside original songs shaped by fresh reflections on life, grief, and love with elements of dream pop, shoe-gaze & gothic pop to give wistful and pulse-driven listening experience that is hazy, romantic, and deliberately genre-blurring.
A truly unique listening experience that delivers broad strokes of sunsetting psychedelia and bleary-eyed optimistic, astral dream-pop across all 8 tracks.
Is it balearic? Not really, it's pretty much a genre all on its own (answers on a postcard).
Sentimental Ultra marks DJ HEARTSTRING’s debut proper on Steel City Dance Discs, and their first album project, releasing November 13th 2026. Starting life as a mixtape before a happy accident or two took it down a different path, the 15-track album finds the pair chasing not just peak-time euphoria and what they can conjure in a club setting, but everything around it, too. The befores and the afters. The soft and the supercharged. What life felt like when they were young. Featuring collaborations with SWIM, Spriitzz, BAUGRUPPE90, Sam Gellaitry, Saidah, DMA’S, KennyHoopla, Monk, 3NDLES5, David Jackson and secret act, they fold formative years influences such as indie rock, rap, ambient and breakbeat into their sought-after sound, and balance them with contemporary-coded ideas.
This blend of worlds is at the crux of the album’s concept visually as well. Sentimental Ultra is an exploration blurring the lines of hard and soft, taking inspiration from subculture communities around football hooliganism and skateboarding. The cover is shot by iconic British photographer Ewen Spencer, renowned for his work around Skins, The Streets and more. The collaboration has seen DJ HEARTSTRING land features in Numero Berlin, Notion Mag and other cross-cultural editorial platforms ahead of the album announcement.
To date, the project has already received various milestones across international radio, including Arielle Free’s Big Whopper for third single ‘Another Year Alone’ and DJ HEARTSTRING landing a coveted BBC R1 Residency in November. Adding to this is the slew of digital looks and accolades for DJ HEARTSTRING’s set recordings including their closing set at Soenda Festival earlier this year which is on 115k views since being published in May 2026, their Melbourne Boiler Room published in 2025 with +1 million views and their Belfast Boiler Room published in 2023 with +1.1 million views.
Since DJ HEARTSTRING’s 2021 debut, when they rollicked through the club door with their Destiny of the Moment and Eternal Euphoria EPs, alongside a slew of self-released, pop-and-R&B-indebted edits, DJ HEARTSTRING have followed their hearts and won over legions more with an emotional dance music style that’s fast become synonymous with their name.
There’ve been big releases such as 2025’s You Are The Sun, I Am The Sky EP, and buzzy collaborations with fellow synapse-igniters like SWIM, Narciss, southstar and S.C.D.D.’s KETTAMA. The past few years have also seen remixes for Charli XCX and Sam Smith, Romy, Sugababes and Empire of the Sun, sets everywhere from Berghain to London’s 3000-capacity Roundhouse, their own Teenage Dream parties and a must-listen contribution to the BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix series, which showcased just some of the sonic inspirations behind their signature, like Eurodance and trance, plus heaps of DJ HEARTSTRING material.
And now, Sentimental Ultra arrives off the back of DJ HEARTSTRING’s busiest summer to date with landmark festival plays at Awakenings in the Netherlands, Lost Village and Maiden Voyage in the UK, We Love Green in France, Lost Paradise in Belgium, Movement Festival in Detroit and Arc Festival in Chicago. Hot off the heels of their festival run, the Berlin duo show no signs of slowing down with a 3-date Australia tour at the end of September whereby they sold a cumulative 15,500 tickets across Melbourne, Sydney and Perth shows, all on presales. In addition to some pop-up in key markets around album release including Ireland, Scotland, Berlin and London, the Sentimental Ultra official tour also encompasses a European hard ticket run including Belfast’s Telegraph Building (2,000 cap), Brussels’ Braindance (2,000 cap), Paris Phantom (3,400) and DJ HEARTSTRING’s biggest London show to date - Brixton Academy (5,000) - an apt follow-up after selling out Magazine (4,000 cap) weeks in advance in February 2026.
There’s plenty still in store, and plenty of places to catch them throughout the rest of what’s set to be a landmark year. Shows from Miami to Manchester (for the sold-out KETTAMA presents Steel City Dance Discs WHP takeover) to Dublin’s District X, a hometown Teenage Dreams event and 2 colossal ADE headlines at Dockyard and Sugar Factory - with more plans bubbling behind the scenes. DJ HEARTSTRING season is well and truly upon us.
Eight years ago, a deep tragedy struck the West Coast and global electronic music world when Navid Izadi and his mother, Floria Hakimi, died in a plane crash in Southern California. Navid was a true rising star, as anyone who heard his earlier works or felt his magnetic stage presence can attest to, and we all mourn the loss of his creative gifts and one of a kind spirit. In the years that followed, through the diligent efforts of his cousin, Lily, and brother, Aden, Navid's destroyed laptop and hard drive were miraculously restored, recovering crucial files for his work-in-progress debut album, Ayande. Those files were then placed in the adept and careful hands of fellow studio maestro Dave Aju, to complete Navid's mission, along with a gathering of musical family collaborations throughout the wondrous LP
"Birds Of Prey" kicks things off, setting the scene with the deep, spacey, soulful feels Navid was well known for. It includes live drums by John Bryars and additional production work by Tavish DJ & Dave Aju (aka DX3) that send the otherworldly vocoder and arpeggios into the next dimension. Keeping the interstellar vibe high, Diagnostics/Escape" sees Navid take the Trans-LA Express electro flex a step further with cyborg vocals waxing love poetic, leading to an entrancing second movement to finish as an Escape, indeed.
"Andromeda" follows with excellent updated production work by Charles Levine of Soul Clap/Crew Love fame, along with harp bliss from Caroline Campbell, vocal chorus duties by Ayako, Jackson Englund, and Shuggie Quezada, with some bonus piano plot twists and turns from Rodney of Elbow Grease.
"Islands" is an irresistible West Coast boogie jam of the highest order, with the gorgeous lead vocals of Angelica Bess blessing the floor-filling piece perfectly.
"Chica Go,” as the title implies with a wink, functions as a beautiful homage to the windy city, which tactfully ropes in not just deep house flavor but also hip hop via a couple of witty Nav freestyle verses, as well as Chicago blues and jazz motifs via harmonica and trumpet stylings by Matias Tasley and Greg Paulus, respectively.
"IMX" acts as an excellent mid-tempo interlude piece, with bonus hypnotic production by former studio mate and fellow Cali to Berlin brethren Lando Roy, before "Keep It Movin" sends us through the stratosphere complete with a trippy narrative intro by Nima Barsarani and soaring build-up to bridge vox by long time collaborator Sammy D of Pillowtalk. The family collabs continue at scorching temps on "Space Race" where Jesse Rennix lays down beyond heavenly vocal layers, and other other studio sistren Dina Moursi then drops an emotive posthumous duet on "Fingertips" with Paulus again tying lovely horn ribbons in.
"Stardust" launches straight into the cosmos with crisp co-production work by C-Love and appropriately free vocal finesse by Sisters Of Z, before Navid's brother Aden Hakimi offers up a stylized lyrical intro to the new jack-shouting production-prowess touting "Mm Mm,” followed by the grand finale "Never" which flows to a finish lushly with sultry Navid vox, classy harp touches by Campbell again, along with guitar by Chase Aldridge, E-Bow by Cole Odin, and very special guest flute blessings by King George of Sade fame.
Executive produced and mixed by Dave Aju at the Point Winona Sound Labs studio in LA, mastered by Thomas Baanks of Psychemagick, with album cover artwork hand-bedazzled by Sundeep Grewal and package design by Lando Roy,
Ayande (meaning Future in Farsi) is equal parts an incredible debut album and a true family affair tribute to one of the most inspired creative souls we've ever known and so dearly miss. It is dedicated in full to his beloved son, Tesla.
__________
Early DJ/Radio support feedback:
Sandro Bianchi:
"What magic to have this gem, it's like a miracle. Love the whole release, hard to pick a fav. He's still with us thru his music! Honored to receive this one!! Eternal!"
Horse Meat Disco:
“BEAUTIFUL”
Masha Mar:
"incredible from start to finish. I just played islands on NTS yesterday, will be listening to and playing this album forever. Navid is so missed and his legacy and music lives on
Ashley Beedle:
"Downloaded for forthcoming Mixcloud mix."
Brett Johnson:
"Wow, this is massive. Sadly i never had the pleasure of knowing Navid but remember his passing. So far everything I've heard sounds great, looking forward to absorbing the rest. Thanks and RIP."
Sean Innit/Midnight Riot:
"Wonderul to see these tracks see ethe light of day against the odds . Really feeling the slower jam IMX here Chica Go and Andromeda are really heavy too. I'll be playing some oif these out and giving them the attention they deserve. Thank you for Sending."
Rainer Trueby:
"i just love everything that Navid touched musically. His talent was very special. I really wish he would be still with us. This is great. Thanks for revealing & retouching this. May his legacy live on xxx"
Ross Allen/NTS:
"Lots of great tracks here Never, Birds of Prey, Diagnostic/Escape, Andromeda, Chica Go - IMX - Fingertips - Stardust - All have something for me.
So sad he's not here. What a great record"
Jaye Ward/Netil Radio:
"wow what a tribute to lost talent!! beautiful set of super deepness. it's an honour to recieve. thx x"
214/Klakson:
"This is a beautifully finalized album that I'm glad was completed"
David Lopez/KZSU
"Wow, the talent really shines through on this moving release. Especially like the cerebral ones."
Jensen Interceptor:
"Love at first listen! thank you for sharing and congratulations on a very fab album
Tottie/SOS:
"Rest in peace to a legend, so nice to see the music genius out in the world."
Mr Beatnick/NTS:
"Really like diagnostics escape, birds of prey and andromeda in particular!"
James Zabiela:
"What a wonderful body of work! Big love x"
Fracture dips back into the rich Astrophonica back catalogue for another slowed-down, Chopped & Screwed mixtape built from all-new, exclusive edits and remixes. A reverb-drenched and bass-heavy exploration of ambience, texture and sonic disintegration, taking cues from the dubwise experiments of King Tubby, the ambient soundscapes of Brian Eno and, of course, DJ Screw.
What started as an ode to DJ Screw, Slow Astro has become an alternative history of Astrophonica, where existing music is dismantled, recontextualised and reconstructed into something entirely new. The diversity of the Astrophonica catalogue draws on organic, breakbeat-driven Jungle, frantic and scatty Footwork, synth-heavy and dystopian Electro, head-nodding Hip-Hop, silky Garage and other experimental forms of electronic music. Originally created across different eras, tempos and musical contexts, these sounds are already woven together like a tapestry of taste and curation, but Slow Astro brings them together in a new environment and recasts them in an entirely different light. Slowing all this music down to the same tempo, drenching it in reverb and cranking up the saturation reveals unexpected relationships, shared textures and hidden musical connections – a place where Client_03 and Philip D Kick share the same tranquilised groove while Sully and Lewis James float together in a watery, weightless limbo.
Slow Astro drills deep into Fracture’s love and knowledge of the catalogue for a world-building flipmode performance, built on meticulously pulled-apart and stitched-back-together edits that go way beyond the scope of a standard mixtape. It's put together as a collage-meets-live-dub experiment, making use of delay throws that spiral back on themselves, reverb washes that extend breakdowns far beyond their original intentions and the iconic crunch of a Mackie 1604 mixing desk. The result is immersive, psychedelic and transportive. Slow Astro is a mood, Slow Astro is its own thing. So sit down, slow down and turn it up.
Next year the iconic anthem Cafe Del Mar will celebrate its 30th anniversary, a landmark that will be celebrated with a series of brand new remixes alongside the finest existing remixes in specially remastered versions.
Launching the series of vinyl releases in September is a remastered vinyl-only release of the original mix, as well as the best-known version of this classic track, the iconic Three ‘N One Remix.
Nearly 30 years ago, Paul M aka DJ Kid Paul recording as Energy 52 unleashed a record onto an unsuspecting public that would go on to define club culture for an entire generation of dance music enthusiasts. Named as an homage to the legendary Ibiza sunset spot, Café Del Mar broke down boundaries between the underground and
the mainstream, charting in the UK singles charts on three separate occasions and named as the “best tune ever” by Mixmag at the start of the new millennium. In terms of cultural and emotional impact in dance music, it’s hard to find a record that comes close.
Café Del Mar has come to represent the most euphoric and hedonistic pleasures of dancefloors - in Ibiza and all around the world - and has been remixed by some of the biggest names in the industry. Now, 30 years after its original release, Superstition Records will be putting out a new series of releases, with brand new remixes as well as remastered versions of some of the many remixes from across the last three decades. The vinyl-only remastered version of the original and Three ‘N One mixes will launch the series, with further details about the rest of the series announced in the coming weeks.
In 2021 Paul Van Dyk’s Café Del Mar remixes launched a series of vinyl and digital re-issues on the Superstition Records imprint after an almost 20 years hiatus. From 1993 until 2003 Superstition Records was a groundbreaking Techno, Tech-House and Trance Label and released some of the biggest and most revered records of the early German electronic scene.
COUNTRY GREAZE is the 2nd independent album released by multi-Platinum-selling artists, Sigma - their 5th studio album overall. COUNTRY GREAZE is a bold, high-concept body of work that visually and sonically collides the raw, underground energy of Drum & Bass with the refined grandeur of a country manor backdrop. Sigma’s idea of blending high-octane basslines, heavyweight lyricism and tongue-in-cheek cultural contrasts flips expectations — pairing gritty rave culture with aristocratic imagery to create a striking, rebellious aesthetic. Its muddy boots on marble floors, signet rings next to gold chains. Sigma say, “The COUNTRY GREAZE concept was to create an exaggerated version of our lives in the countryside and then pull our guest vocalists into to it to see what happened. Obviously, we don’t live in grand manors, but for this we do! Its great having the creative freedom to bring an idea like this to life and we’ve had a lot of fun making it.”
The 12 tracks incorporate a variety of influences including the reggae-infused WATCHIN’ U, the hip-hop inspired NEED U NOW and BACK 2 LIFE featuring legends of UK Sound System culture, Soul II Soul. These influences, together with garage, jungle and grime, can be heard throughout the album. One of Sigma’s aims for this album was to celebrate the scenes and artists that have shaped their journey whilst pushing their sound firmly forward. COUNTRY GREAZE has certainly delivered on this with the project showcasing fresh sounds whilst bringing together a heavyweight cast of UK talent including Danny Byrd, Professor Green, Kurupt FM, Basslayerz, Dutch & Graft and many more. In addition to the 6 singles that Sigma have released in 2026, COUNTRY GREAZE unleashes another 6 bangers which have only been heard in their DJ sets this Summer and whose release has been highly anticipated by many fans of Drum and Bass. In addition to the 6 singles that Sigma have released in 2026, COUNTRY GREAZE unleashes another 6 bangers whose release has been highly anticipated by DnB fans since Sigma started playing them at their 45 gigs this Summer.
The first of these is the album’s focus track, THE DAYZ, featuring the spoken words of Jude Moore who hits the proverbial nail on the head with his nostalgic look back at life growing up in the UK around the turn of the millennium. It’s no surprise that he has a massive 670k TikTok followers as his words speak profoundly to an entire generation. With talk of house parties and care-free fun layered over space-disco synths, THE DAYZ exudes a nostalgic vibe before skilfully blending it with punchy drums and a chunky bassline bringing it straight to the here and now. This uplifting track is guaranteed to inspire any listener to think about the best nights of their lives and say, “Ah geez, those were the days!” Similarly, FABRIC, named after the club that helped shape the Sigma sound back in the 2000s, has the same ethos – classic sounds with cutting edge production. Its euphoric multi-layered synths and deep sub bass fully encapsulate the many late nights spent by Cam and Joe in Room 2.
Sigma also unleash the mighty ALLIGATOR. This much-hyped track has been killing dancefloors one snap at a time since the start of the Summer. The old movie samples and ominous synths in the intro give warning of the impending doom before attacking the listener with its enormous bassline and ferocious drums. Its 36ft long and weighs over 2000lb and its coming to a dancefloor near you.
We are heartbroken to announce this very special release — a tribute to the genius of Keith McIvor aka JD Twitch (Optimo), who sadly left us on September 19, 2025. Over 20 years ago, when Skylax had no money and was just starting out, Keith was among the very first to believe in us. He delivered four unforgettable remixes of Denise Motto – I M N X T C, sharp, uncompromising cuts that defined the true spirit of underground dance music. At the time, due to limited means, only one made it to vinyl. Now, for the first time, we are proud to present the complete set: four remixes — the unreleased acid mix, blackrabbit whorehouse mix, industrial mix, and alternative mix , all cut loud and mastered with love. This release is more than a record; it is a homage to Twitch, a true pioneer and tastemaker, our generation’s John Peel. His art of digging, his fearless intelligence in music choices, his no-compromise vision — all of it stands in stark contrast to the disposable culture of today’s Instagram DJs. What we celebrate here is the real thing: edgy, sharp, timeless. A piece of history, pressed in vinyl forever. Featuring a stunning artwork by H5 (Daft Punk, Air, Logorama), specially designed to pay homage to the legend. Ultra-limited, no repress.
Italian-Iranian DJ/producer Sciahri lays down a deeply hypnotic seven- track EP on return to Mutual Rytm. Heading up the agenda-setting Sublunar label, which is one of Mutual Rytm boss SHDW's personal favourites, Sciahri has been deep in the scene for more than a decade ever since he turned heads with a debut on Ilian Tape in 2014. Well respected for his carefully balanced love of the classic sound with new school influences, always delivering cuts with a refined and personal touch, highlighted and showcased via his widely-loved ‘Pareidolia’ release series. Returning on the label following his appearance on the ‘Federation of Rytm IV’ compilation, he lands with a freshly evolved EP that kicks off with the much hyped ID, ‘Moonwake’. That cut is built on robust, rumbling drums and layered up with flashy synths that bring stark futurism to the dance floor. ‘Liminal’ follows a similar linear path with musical drums and synths that twist and twitch, firing your synapses while your body is locked to the rhythm, before ‘Night Sentinel’ transports you to a more eerie world of anxiousness and tension - the synths are spooky, and the sonar pulses keep you on edge as immersive drums race nonstop. ‘Unmoved’ lands heavy, the bulky kick drums coming on like a storm with howling synth winds adding to the all-consuming atmosphere. ‘Too Much Time’ closes out with a wall-rattling groove and subtle synth motifs that creep in the shadows. As always with the label, digital cuts ‘Silent Frontier’ - which gets dancers on their toes with a backlit synth glow - and ‘Louisiana’ - which brings a more psychedelic energy and hard, hammering groove, rounding out a stylish, meticulously produced offering.
The Third Room launches its new curator-led series with Oscar Mulero, one of techno's most uncompromising and influential voices. Through decades of releases, DJ sets and his work with PoleGroup, Mulero has helped shape a sound defined by tension, reduction and depth, leaving a lasting mark on contemporary techno culture. For this first chapter, he brings together artists who reflect that same discipline and sonic clarity. Rather than focusing on solo authorship, Mulero shifts towards dialogue - connecting with producers who operate within a shared language, while bringing their own distinct perspectives to the record. He opens with Sonic Synergy, the only solo track: restrained, dub-influenced and immersive, built on warm low-end and gradual development. The centrepiece of the record follows with Reaction Pair, a collaboration with DVS1. Bringing together two of the scene's most established voices, the track unfolds as a fluid, open construction: a rolling, slightly woobly bassline meets evolving chords that build and dissolve tension in continuous cycles, creating a sense of forward motion without obvious peaks. Seven, with Luigi Tozzi, introduces a more spatial dimension, merging Tozzi's atmospheric depth with Mulero's steady drive. Closing track Between the Stars, with Isabel Soto, leans into a timeless, understated energy - functional without ever becoming forceful. Across all four tracks, the EP remains consistent in tone: spacious, spheric and focused on long-form movement. As the first entry in the series, it sets a clear direction - reduced, hypnotic techno built for longevity. ? 2026 The Third Room A1 Written and Produced by Oscar Mulero | A2 Written and Produced by Oscar Mulero & Zak Khutoretsky | D1 Written and Produced by Oscar Mulero & Luigi Tozzi | B2 Written and Produced by Oscar Mulero & Isabel Soto Mastered by Ahmet Sisman (The Third Room Studios) Artwork by Charlotte Ernst Design by Daniel Bornmann (STUEDIO.XYZ) Distribution by Clone Pressing by Matter Of Fact
Children of Zeus return with their third studio album ‘As The World Burns…’
Five years on from their highly-acclaimed sophomore album ‘Balance’, Manchester’s kings of hip hop soul, Tyler Daley and Konny Kon, bring us a brand new 16-track opus.
Sonically the duo continue their story where they left off; crafting an amalgamation of street soul, alternative r&b and boom bap hip hop, with a sprinkle of flavours taken from their original multi-genre pirate radio influences, and a dash of forward-thinking new sounds, ensuring all tracks are destined to become future classics.
The features are sparing but powerful, enlisting the talents of revered UK rapper Knucks (‘Before We Drown’), Colorado-native Young Old Soul (‘Dopamine’), MCR family K S R (‘Do You Want To Get High’, & Australian/Mauritian up & comer Anieszka (‘Water & Vibes’).
As with previous projects, this album is largely produced by the duo themselves, though there are guest productions from previous collaborators too, including Grammy Award-winner Beat Butcha, Grammy-nominated Teo, and broken beat pioneer K15, along with an assortment of new players making moves in the underground neo-soul & beats circuit.
Conceptually, this project continues on with the story to date. An eternal search for sunsets and soulfood, as a respite to the anxieties of the modern world; personally, professionally and globally. Assertive swagger is matched with brutal but sincere candidity. As ever, it encapsulates the rough with the smooth, with reflections on where they’ve been, where they’re at and where they’re headed. There’s no preaching to be found here; just an acceptance of things as they are, an embrace of the environment and people they were nurtured by, and a celebration of some of the finer things in life; slow jams, weed & rum, water & vibes. Raps for listeners, blunt heads, fly ladies and prisoners. All packaged together as another perfect sonic love letter to sound system culture. 50 minutes of big people music.
Since the release of their anthemic debut single ‘Still Standing’ a decade ago, to the subsequent EP ‘The Story So Far’, and their critically-lauded debut album ‘Travel Light’, the duo have received numerous accolades, including nominations for AIM Awards & Worldwide Awards both, along with tons of ‘Album of the Year’ nods care of Clash Magazine, Bandcamp, Complex, Wordplay and many more. This along with huge swathes of support from DJs, radio stations, press outlets, tastemakers, luminaries & fellow artists across the globe.
Children of Zeus have performed sessions for COLORS, Soulection (Apple Music), DJ AG, Boiler Room, BBC 6 Music and at the infamous Maida Vale studios for BBC 1Xtra as well as touring across Europe, Australia and South Africa. This is in addition to collaborating & touring with Mercury Award Winner’s Ezra Collective, including a Wembley Arena show. Other collaborations over the years have included Shy FX, Juls, Goldie, Black Milk, Kofi Stone and the late great Lenzman.
From the Broke ’n’ English / Hoodman-era, to the present day, Children of Zeus have been omnipresent in the fabric of British black music. Proud ambassadors of Manchester music, and of UK soul, it really is “Zeus to the world”.
Children of Zeus have been adorned with plenty of flowers over their career. The unbridled quality and poignance of the music and the message on display throughout this project will see the algorithmic needle move some more. It’s undoubtedly set to be a Zeus Summer. As the world burns…
Available on all digital platforms and physical formats, Friday September 4th 2026.
t 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. K S R ) - Children of Zeus03:26
t 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. K S R ) - Children of Zeus03:26
[t] 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. [ K S R ]) - Children of Zeus03:26
[t] 07: Do You Want To Get High? (feat. [ K S R ]) - Children of Zeus03:26
[g] B3 | Do You Want To Get High? (feat [ K S R ]) - Children of Zeus03:26
Retro Addict Vinyl Collection - A new series is born.
Five years of parties. Countless memories. Now, the music lives on.
After five years of bringing legendary club sounds back to life, Retro Addict takes the next step: bringing the energy of the dancefloor straight to your record collection.
Introducing the Retro Addict Vinyl Collection:two double-vinyl editions curated by DJ Furax, celebrating retro classics, trance anthems and early rave sounds that defined a generation of clubbers.
The Red Edition features iconic tracks including Rave 93 and Stress, while the Blue Edition brings together dancefloor favourites such as The Jumper and Orgus 69. Two distinct collections, united by one shared passion: the timeless music that made club history.
Whether you're a longtime fan, a vinyl collector or simply want to relive the magic of the dancefloor, these releases are an invitation to rediscover the sounds that started it all.
The party goes on!
For the past five years, Retro Addict has brought the spirit of legendary club nights back to life, creating unforgettable events dedicated to the sounds that shaped an entire generation.
And this is only the beginning. The music continues, the memories live on, and the dancefloor is waiting.
Join us at our upcoming Retro Addict parties and keep the spirit alive.
Retro Addict Vinyl Collection - A new series is born.
Five years of parties. Countless memories. Now, the music lives on.
After five years of bringing legendary club sounds back to life, Retro Addict takes the next step: bringing the energy of the dancefloor straight to your record collection.
Introducing the Retro Addict Vinyl Collection: two double-vinyl editions curated byDJ Furax, celebrating retro classics, trance anthems and early rave sounds that defined a generation of clubbers.
The Red Edition features iconic tracks including Rave 93 and Stress, while the Blue Edition brings together dancefloor favourites such as The Jumper and Orgus 69. Two distinct collections, united by one shared passion: the timeless music that made club history.
Whether you're a longtime fan, a vinyl collector or simply want to relive the magic of the dancefloor, these releases are an invitation to rediscover the sounds that started it all.
The party goes on!
For the past five years, Retro Addict has brought the spirit of legendary club nights back to life, creating unforgettable events dedicated to the sounds that shaped an entire generation.
And this is only the beginning. The music continues, the memories live on, and the dancefloor is waiting.
Join us at our upcomingRetro Addict parties and keep the spirit alive.
DJ Linus came up with the basic idea for You Are House Music while DJing. He provided the vocals himself and refined them through numerous tests during his DJ residency at Munich's Pacha club. The track is a tribute to the party people and became the secret anthem of Pacha during its six-month production period. The vocals seem to work...
A.O.D.S. - DJ Linus' self-created genre: Adults Oriented Disco Soul. He organizes parties and plays vinyl records from 1975-1985, covering everything from AOR to soul and disco.
Senium refers to DJ Linus's newfound love for the chillwave/retrowave genre, for which he has acquired a small new record collection.
DJ Linus spent a whole year working on the EP, including relentless testing and sound adjustments. DJ Linus: “I am very happy with the result—thank you!”
By the way: DJ Linus released his first records on Compose, Compost's 90s house label.
About DJ Linus
DJ Linus is one of the very first House DJs in Munich and in Germany. He started way back end of the 80s, early 90s.
Linus is said to be a great influence to many a famous Tech House DJ today.
His solo album “Fantasmagorique“ was the first german House Music long player of its kind.
Linus was owner of two record shops and the famous “exun records“ label.
Nowadays he is resident at the incredible Pacha Munich – since 18 years now – and is running his current label “Sujet Musique” with great success since 2013.
Linus is also resident at the legendary “Palais Club” and the asian, high class restaurant “Izakaya“.
He works as a mastering engineer and as a lecturer for DJing and Producing @ Musicversity. DJ Linus won twice the Munich Night Life Award for best DJ “House/ Techno“ in 2013 and 2019.
DJ Quotes:
“Loving the sound of You Are...! Just the kind of percussive, bassline-led house I love to play out!” – Jimpster
“Very nice!” - Fred Everything
“Tune(s)! Big up Linus.” - Bill Brewster
“Nice funky stuff.” – youANDme
“YOU are house music ! :-):-)” - Acid Pauli
“Enjoying the original You Are House Music track. ” - Josh Wink
“Beautiful!” – Reznik
“Mega EP” – Sandrino
“Really like all the tracks on this EP, Linus has been always special about his production work. Will play the tracks out for sure” - Kiko Navarro
“What a beauty!“ - Phuncadelica
Links:
Sweep returns with its second release, bringing together Jigit co-head O.Bee and Unreleased boss Cem G. ‘Makes Me Feel’ is the first music to see the light from a long-standing friendship and collaboration shaped between their two homes, New York and Istanbul, and comes backed with a stirring remix from Giegling’s Edward.
O.Bee and Cem G bring forward a sound rooted in Istanbul’s music culture, developed through ReSolute’s warehouse parties on the outskirts of Brooklyn and refined at Berlin’s Club der Visionaere. It’s music that feels equally at home in all three settings. Dyed Soundorom’s Sweep is built around underground sounds with depth and groove — much like his own DJ sets — and this second release sits naturally within that world.
On side A, the original mix of ‘Makes Me Feel’ rolls out with a sturdy groove from the start. O.Bee and Cem G build the energy carefully, peppering the ethereal atmosphere with a repeated vocal clip as the tension grows. A variety of percussive layers and pads add depth, keeping you locked in. Halfway through, the vocal goes into full flow — scattered words bounce around like a jumbled poem, evolving into a call and response of dissipating voices on top of the rolling bass, fully hypnotizing. Underground music par excellence.
The flip features a rework from one of Giegling’s central figures, Edward, who adds a tougher edge to the original. Still operating in the deeper end of the spectrum, the remix plucks out the ‘Make me feel’ part of the vocal and uses it throughout. Dark, brooding and enchanting, Edward’s reinterpretation progressively adds more layers, increasing the dynamism while bringing further nuance to the atmosphere. A real treat for Edward fans…
If you caught Dyed Soundorom playing anywhere, you surely would have heard these cuts in the mix. Perfect dancefloor groovers… Now they’ve finally arrived on Sweep — c'est l'heure de la fête!
Repress! Back by popular demand–VSR 001 is designed to take you to the outer reaches of where you need to go. Wiersma has created a world where with your eyes closed and head down, the dance-floor can transport you to the outer reaches of space and back again for another beautiful night with all your favorite people.
Vermilion Sun Records was started as a passion project in 2025 with a belief in the magic of physical media juxtaposed against the incursion of AI. The original release featured just 100 copies and utilized US-only distribution; it was sold out in less than 5 months. After being brought across the pond from Boston to Brussels by local DJ & tastemaker Rasaaq, it was subsequently shared, quickly gaining popularity on Discogs. This repress is a testament to Vermilion Sun’s core belief; that is meant to be shared and enjoyed by everyone, and there is magic in that ritual.
Wiersma is a cherished member of the electronic music scene in Boston/Cambridge, MA. A DJ, partygoer, and prolific producer, he has played many of the city’s favorite nights sharing bills with other local talent and setting the stage for international acts like Bradley Zero, Garrett David, and Cinthie. Tapping all of these channels brings forth a creativity where memories from nights in Boston and other global travel transform his unique productions. His release VSR 001 showcases this style, exploring the darker and proggier sides of the house universe while making sure to stay tethered to a reality with firm roots on the dancefloor. A1 begins with Once Around Vega where a cinematic opening draws you into groovy and spacey loops demanding you to move. Syntactic Roles churns more deeply, incorporating layered dystopian vocals, rolling basslines and light acidity that is sure to help you close your eyes and put your head down for a dance. The B side keeps the space station grooving with Transmission from L3, and closes out with Rules of Teleportation incorporating more vocals over chugging electro infused grooves.
Disco Collected celebrates the dance music which originally developed from R&B, soul, and funk from the late 60s and 70s and turned into a mighty subculture in discotheques, with Studio 54, Manhattan, New York as one of the most famous and extravagant discos all over the world. Disco used a steady four to the floor beat, string sections, horns which created a perfect setting for DJs who mixed their special 12 inches to an eager dance crowd.
Movies like Saturday Night Fever and Thank God It’s Friday contributed to disco’s mainstream popularity. Compiled on Disco Collected are some of the best, well-known and great disco hits by Rose Royce, Chic, Kool & The Gang, The Trammps, Thelma Houston, KC & The Sunshine Band and 16 more guaranteed floor fillers.
The 2LP Disco Collected is available as a limited edition on disco ball silver vinyl and includes an insert.
1986 was a very good year for Mike Mareen. It was the moment when something changed in his music. After years of searching for the right sound, Mike decided to change his production team and it turned out to be exactly the right decision. The first major result was “Love Spy”, with Lutz Rahn playing a crucial role in shaping its sound. The record simply exploded. Even without the kind of massive promotion normally associated with an international hit, “Love Spy” became one of the defining records of that peculiar German intersection between synth-pop, electro, Hi-NRG and Italo Disco. But Mike and Lutz were only getting started. Soon afterwards they wrote and recorded “Agent Of Liberty”. And once again, everything worked. The single travelled far beyond Germany, appearing in places as distant as Mexico, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Venezuela and South Africa. It was another demonstration of how sophisticated Euro Disco could be when it was treated as serious electronic music rather than disposable dance-pop. The sound was simply dope. Sharp digital synthesizers, metallic FM textures, punchy electronic drums, dramatic arrangement changes and the kind of bright, futuristic timbres that made the Yamaha DX7 era so instantly recognizable. But the biggest change… was Mike himself. This was no longer the romantic lover of “Dancing In The Dark”. On “Agent Of Liberty” he sounds tougher, sharper and more confrontational. His half-spoken, half-rapped delivery cuts through the production with almost streetwise confidence, while huge uplifting backing vocals and highly melodic synth lines keep pulling the track back towards the dancefloor. And beneath the attitude there was something much more interesting going on. “Agent Of Liberty” announced a new chapter in Mike Mareen’s music, a direction that would later be developed much further on the “Let’s Start Now” album. Mike wanted to belong to the intelligent side of the electronic scene. And, just as importantly, he wanted to help shape where that scene was going next. “Agent Of Liberty” is probably one of the clearest examples of that ambition. It has all the ingredients of a huge club record, but there is tension in it, drama, attitude and a sense that something bigger is happening behind the beat. Four decades later, it still sounds completely distinctive. Not merely like a record made in 1986, but like a record that captures what was exciting about 1986 in the first place.
For its 40th anniversary, Vintage Pleasure Boutique brings “Agent Of Liberty” back to vinyl in newly remastered form. The release will be available on classic black vinyl and in a striking bright orange edition. And because this is not meant to be just another archival reissue, we have added two brand-new interpretations. Disco Computer takes the track into more adventurous territory. His remix is the more unconventional of the two, approaching the original from a slightly more modern and experimental angle while keeping its unmistakable melodic identity. A.P. Mono takes almost the opposite approach. Rather than trying to reinvent “Agent Of Liberty”, his version works more like a contemporary DJ edit. The original character remains intact, but the structure has been reshaped for the modern dancefloor, with stronger build-ups, clearer mixing points, carefully controlled changes in dynamics and moments designed to let the tension rise before the track hits again. The idea was simply to give DJs two new ways of playing it.
Forty years after its first release, “Agent Of Liberty” remains one of the most characteristic records not only of Mike Mareen’s career, but of the entire German electronic dance scene of the 1980s. Powerful, melodic, intelligent and wonderfully excessive. The Agent is back.
SHORT INFOS
Because Music celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Cerrone's debut album "Love In C Minor (Cerrone I)" .
A record which is one of the mots important of its time. It brought French Disco to the World and established Cerrone as the French King of Disco.
- Pressed in exclusive 2026 Apple Green Crystal Clear vinyl
- Original 1976 artwork - Digitally remastered from original tapes.
BIOG
Cerrone I
Love in C Minor (1976)
The story behind Cerrone's first album could be summarised in the libertarian atmosphere and the creative energy of the 70s, inherited from the 60s revolutions, spiritual, aesthetic or sexual. Looking back now, this record is one of the most important of its time. It helped creating the sound of an era and brought French disco to the world. It is also, and this is fundamental to understand its success, the result of a man's vision: Marc Cerrone, a free spirit inhabited by music, who ended up with a major work of art. With this album, Cerrone accumulated the main elements that make a record timeless, even bigger than its creator: the pure originality, the madness of a vision without compromise, a sense of the market and a great dose of luck too. To some extent, this is the perfect record to start a career, even though Cerrone's one already existed in an implicit way. He actually began in a rather popular band, Kongas, signed by Barclay. Between 1972 and 1974, the band was famous and made it abroad, particularly in Japan, where people loved its sound. Despite this success, probably fed up with the music and not ready to follow the orders of a label that wanted the band to sound more pop, Cerrone disbanded Kongas. He had the sound of his instrument in mind and mostly its central element: the bass drum. The idea of this first solo album came to him after a detour via selling records. Wishing to forget about the studios, he took the head of a small chain of stores, selling records imported from the States. That's when he discovered a daring new sound coming from New York: disco music. This energy inspired him to record again. He then remembered the crazy reaction of the audience when, during the Kongas' concerts, he used to hit his bass drum hard. Cerrone felt like going back into the studio but to make something different. He decided to record a sixteen minutes long track, driven by its beat, that would fit on its own on one side of a LP (during these vinyl days, musicians used to think in terms of sides…), with girls' voices simulating sex. This concept of musical and physical orgasm was recorded at Trident Studios in London (where pop stars used to record at the time… ) with Don Ray, of Kongas, man in the shadows and brilliant arranger who'd follow Cerrone during his whole career. Obviously, like always in pop music (it happened to the Beatles), record companies started by turning this weird track down, convinced that radios would never play sixteen minutes of beats and moaning. Cerrone, a born fighter, decided to trust his instinct (a mix of ego and business sense) and chose to believe that if the radios wouldn't play the track, people would dance to it in the clubs. He released the record himself, with a sexy cover a bit provocative where he wore a black bathrobe, a young short-haired girl leaning on him. Being played here and there, thanks to Cerrone's own network, the record started to work a bit in France. But luckily, things really happened in the States. Due to a mistake, a box of "Love In C Minor" albums were sent to the States via Cerrone's record shop instead of some unsold American LPs. Once in New York, the box was opened and the record with its intriguing cover was instantly loved and passed through the hands of radio and club DJs. All of a sudden, and unknown to its creator, the track that was turned down by every French label, became a hit on the New York disco scene. Casablanca, the US disco label, released a cover recorded by an ad hoc band because nobody knew Cerrone of how to find him. Once he discovered what was happening in the States, Cerrone flew to New York. He realised he had a hit, one of the biggest then, that opened the doors to every record company and especially Atlantic. He was welcome by Ahmet Ertegun, one of the main visionaries of the American music who, among other artists, signed Aretha Franklin and John Coltrane. It's believed that Ertegun understood that the French young musician, like some Atlantic artists, was about to define the sound of his time and that his work would live long after its birth date. "Love In C Minor" was the first step, adamant and successful.
![Denise Motto - I M N X T C (Jack Your Body To The Beat) [JD Twitch Remixes]](https://www.deejay.de/images/l/4/8/1232548.jpg)
