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Parallel Traces of the Jewel Voice by dj sniff is a project that takes inspiration from historical narratives and personal memories constructed around The Jewel Voice Broadcast (Gyokuon Hoso) that took place on 15th August 1945. Contrary to common belief, Emperor Hirohito did not speak live on air to announce the surrender of Japan on this day. Instead, two lathe-cut discs with his recorded voice were skilfully mixed and played by NHK engineer Shizuto Haruna. Haruna’s proto-DJ/turntablist performance was heard not only in Japan but also throughout the colonized territories in Asia, marking the end of World War II and Japanese rule.

Interested in these aspects which often have been overlooked within the Japanese narratives of this historical event, dj sniff conducted research in both Taiwan and Japan. Over the course of 3 years he collected various materials that include; interviews and field recordings, audio samples extracted from phonograph discs and recordings sessions with improvising musicians, and a re-reading of the Imperial Rescript on Surrender in Chinese. These were used to compose two compositions that are paired differently depending on their distribution format.

The vinyl release is a multi-sided disc with two parallel grooves cut on one side, which in effect plays a different composition depending on where the stylus is cued. The other side has no audio but features two silkscreened lines that refer to how Haruna played the original lathe-cut discs. For the digital release, each composition is independently assigned to the left and right channel and is heard simultaneously.

Additionally, an extensive text written by dj sniff accompanies this release. Sniff uncovers technical details of the recording and broadcasting of the emperor’s voice that took place over 75 years ago. He also reflects on his encounters with the elderly community in Taiwan who spoke fluent Japanese and shared their personal stories after listening together to records from their childhood.

DJ Sniff – Biography

dj sniff (Takuro Mizuta Lippit) is a musician, curator, and educator. His work builds upon a distinct practice that combines DJing, instrument design, and free improvisation. His collaborations include Evan Parker, Otomo Yoshihide, Paul Hubweber, Tarek Atoui, Senyawa, and Ken Ueno.

He was the Artistic Director of STEIM in Amsterdam between 2007 to 2012 and a Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Creative Media, City University Hong Kong between 2012 to 2017. He is now based in Tokyo where he is the Co-Director of AMF (Asian Meeting Festival) and teaches at Kyoto Seika University.

First Word Records is very proud to welcome back Don Leisure, with a brand new 25-track album 'Shaboo Strikes Back'.

Five years have passed since the first 'Shaboo' album was released. A collection of beats and pieces that documented the road trip of Don's youth - hip hop music interspersed with Asian radio station jingles of old, dedicated to Bollywood actor, Nasser 'Shaboo' Bharwani - Don Leisure's late uncle.

This album was heralded as "the best album of its kind since J Dilla's 'Donuts'" and deemed "unmissable" by the folks at Piccadilly Records. It also had strong support from BBC 6 Music's Tom Ravenscroft ("very, very good this indeed"), Huey Morgan ("my beat of the week"), Worldwide FM's Lefto ("defo down with this"), Rob Da Bank ("this is wicked") and the likes of Mathieu Schreyer (KCRW, LA), Alex Ruder (KEXP, Seattle), Kid Fonque (5FM, South Africa), Om Unit, Jon1st, Mr Thing, Rob Luis (Tru Thoughts), Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s), Tim Parker (NTS) and tons more from across the globe.

Don Leisure is a DJ and producer based in Cardiff, Wales, sometimes known as one half of Darkhouse Family, along with Earl Jeffers. He's been a prolific beat-maker for many years, releasing under a variety of monikers for labels such as Metalheadz, International Anthem, Fat City, Izwid, Earnest Endeavours and Group BraCil. His most recent release was a remix for Gruff Rhys, which was released on Rough Trade.

In 2020 he was nominated for the Welsh Music Prize for his 'Steel Zakusi' project, and has dropped several releases for First Word, including the acclaimed 2019 'Halal Cool J' album and various Darkhouse Family projects, including collabs with artists as diverse as Charlotte Church, Om'Mas Keith and Children of Zeus's Tyler Daley, additionally to remixes from DJ Spinna and label-mate, Kaidi Tatham. As a DJ he has provided mixes for BBC 6 Music, NTS, Rinse FM, Solid Steel and Boxout FM in India, as well as performing at The Jazz Cafe, Fabric and on Boiler Room.

'Shaboo Strikes Back' is a much-awaited sequel to the 2017 smash, and again features a modest 25 tracks. Psychedelic fuzzy samples and phat beats aplenty, Don Leisure once again takes us on a far-out trip across soundscapes. A real tapestry of flavours, from jazz to reggae, and from the soulful to the spiritual, this time round he's invited a few special guests to join him on his travels - most notably Welsh legend Gruff Rhys provides the vocals on 'Neon Drizzle (Hotel Shaboo)', whilst acclaimed multi-instrumentalist Angel Bat Dawid and Jazzman-signed harpist Amanda Whiting lend their talents to 'All Praises Due'. There is even a special cameo appearance from his young daughter, (aka Shaboo's great-niece!), Naima, on 'Naima's Dream'.

Once again, this is a journey into sound.

'Shaboo Strikes Back' is released on vinyl & digital by First Word Records, March 2022.

Dedicated to Nasser 'Shaboo' Bharwan
























x 24: Neon Drizzle (Hotel Shaboo) feat. Gruff Rhys

Hot Creations prepares to welcome in a milestone release this March, as Riton’s Gucci Soundsystem project makes its debut on the label with Fuck Me Right feat. DJ Funk & Vula. Made up of Grammy Award winning producer Riton and long-term friend Ben Rymer, the single features legendary Chicago house veteran DJ Funk and esteemed Basement Jaxx vocalist Vula.

The single begins with Vula’s enchanting vocals, the likes of which open into rapid kick-hat combos. A funky, guitar-like bassline swiftly complements proceedings, as 4x4 drum patterns march on to create that four-to-the-floor feel. It’s an outright party anthem - as to be expected from Jamie Jones’ flagship imprint - but one that retains a soulful underlying groove courtesy of DJ Funk and Vula’s signature contributions.

Riton is a globally-recognised artist in today’s music world. Crossing the bridge between contemporary pop and underground electronic music, the renowned British producer received a Grammy nomination in 2017 for one of the year’s biggest singles: Rinse & Repeat. He followed this up by winning a Grammy Award in 2019, for his production work on Silk City (Mark Ronson & Diplo) and Dua Lipa’s Electricity. Since then, Riton has continued to work with some of the industry’s most iconic talents, including Kylie Minogue, The Chemical Brothers and Gorgon City to name a few.

Ben Rymer has been a stalwart of London’s club scene for decades. One half of Gucci Soundsystem and formerly a part of The Fat Truckers, the likes of whom toured with Jarvis Cocker’s rock band Pulp, Ben’s club history boasts performances across some of the scene’s most respected night time venues, including Fabric, London and Space, Ibiza.

Very much at the forefront of the UK electronic scene, since 2001, Shelley Parker has innovated and thrilled with live performances, DJ sets, sound installations, and scores for contemporary dance.

Parker's recorded output is just a small part of her musical orbit. That said, a debut album 'Spurn Point' in 2014 and various singles, remixes and EPs for Hessle Audio, One Little Indie, Honest Jon's, Houndstooth, Structure Recordings and OOH-sounds have whet the appetite for more.

'Wisteria' lands on Hypercolour, and succinctly encapsulates Parker's layered and dense production aesthetic, as a myriad of concrete rhythms, breakbeat science, inner city ambience and industrial strength bass unfurl over eight uncompromising compositions.

‘Wisteria’ by Shelley Parker is available on 2LP/Digital from 25th March 2022 on Hypercolour.

Alister Fawnwoda melds an abundance of influences into a sound that is expansive, ambitious, and authentic to its core. With a creative practice that flows between painting, production, DJ’ing, and beyond, Alister is committed to exploring the boundaries of his talents and potential. Working with an impressive array of unexpected collaborators, including most recently with the legendary Omar S. His upcoming collaboration with Suzanne Ciani and Greg Leisz to be released through AKP Records as an album, “Milan” furthers the very timely discussion of new ambient composers and how they are reflecting our presently tumultuous world through sound experimentation. Alister is persistently building his repertoire as he makes a name for himself as one of the most promising artists in the City of Detroit. For lovers of classic house, experimental ambient, and everything in between, Alister’s music presents the possibilities of creative exploration.

Arriving 6 years after the release of his breakout EP, El Búho returns to Wonderwheel with a very special Deluxe Version of said Cenotes EP including 3 previously unreleased tracks: "Manana Tepotzlan (feat. Gotopo) Vocal Version," "Tecolotin (Chancha Via Circuito Remix)," and "Tecolotin (Dub Version)." The EP is also set to be pressed to vinyl for the first time with a special splatter 12" invoking the cover art.

"Cenotes" was originally released in 2015 to widespread fan acclaim, firmly planting El Búho in the upper echelons of the Latin Electronic pantheon. Recorded in Mexico City after relocating from Amsterdam, "Cenotes" marries his influence of Dub, IDM and Electronic vibes with the rhythms, traditions and melodies of Latin American & Andean folk and the organic sound of waterfalls, birdsongs and crackling leaves, resulting in a dreamy, deep, melodic journey that entrances as much through headphones as it does on the dancefloor. Having studied Latin American Studies in Glasgow, El Búho (aka Robin Perkins) spent time living, studying and working in Argentina and travelling throughout the continent. Alongside his music, El Búho is also an environmental activist, having worked for over eight years at Greenpeace, being a member of DJs For Climate Action and coordinating the non-profit project "A Guide to the Birdsong" a series of albums that raise funds and awareness for endangered bird species through electronic music.

"Cenotes (Deluxe Version)" hits all digital streaming services December 3rd, with the vinyl 12" to follow shortly after.

A staggering collection Detroit techno-soul music, beamed directly into your consciousness from 1994. Kenny Larkin should need no introduction to those whose ears are trained in the ways of the motor city and her musical sons and daughters. He is one of a handful of artists from the city whose original and unique sonic output has helped shape and advance techno as an art form and as a serious musical movement across the world and it's galaxies beyond, a formidable DJ and producer whose music continues to push the envelope today. 'Azimuth' gives us what would be Larkin's first full length offering, and across 11 tracks of blistering hi-tech machine funk, ambient, soul drenched rhythms and futurist club music he deftly crafted a classic. This is the album you hold in your hands now, here in 2021. Originally released on Warp Records, 'Azimuth' is back here in it's expanded form of a 2 x LP and bonus 10" reissue. A record that effortlessly sounds like it came to earth yesterday while being 25 years old, a true Detroit classic that still makes waves across the planet today. File under - 'Essential'.

'Azimuth' has been legitimately reissued for 2021 on Kenny’s own Art Of Dance imprint. Remastered from DAT tapes and original sources by Curve Pusher. Designed by Atelier Superplus

Reissue of this club classic from 1999, remastered for 2021!

Boot Records proudly presents the Jazz T remix of Roughneck Jihad & Senz Beats' track "Catastrophe", from their 2021 EP (also on Boot Records) "The Little Assassination Handbook". The B-side offers up an exclusive cut from Lex Boogie From The Bronx & Senz Beats entitled "War of the Worlds", featuring scratches by DJ Jazz T.

DJ Jazz-T, owner of Boot Records, was the 1999 UK ITF Advancement champion. He has laced cuts on hundreds of tracks since 1995 and produces under the name of Jazz T and Boot Productions, which is Jazz & genius Dr Zygote. He was Tim Dog's tour DJ before he passed away, and he currently DJs for Gawd Status, Jehst, Micall Parknsun, Ramson Badbonez, Leaf Dog & BVA, Joker Starr and Diversion Tactics.
Jihad the Roughneck MC started rhyming in the late 80's and was a member of one group before Third Sight (with Dufunk & D-Styles). He is originally from the city of Santa Clara in Northern California, relocating to the Los Angeles area in 2004. He has played shows in California, Nevada, Oregon and toured Japan twice with Third Sight.

Lex Boogie From The Bronx grew up as a kid around the jams in the parks. He carries The Bronx with him wherever he goes. His different chambers of production and raps have seen him work with the likes of Stahhr, Marq Spekt, Boog Brown, Vordul Mega, billy woods, Mike Flo & more.
Originally from Brussels, now based in Montreal, Senz' first approach to cutting records up was on a pair of Technics 1200s, which he and his best friend claimed mutual custody over (1 month each) in 1998. After over 15 years spent producing on MPC ("War of the Worlds" was produced on a 2000xl), 2020 saw Senz switch to Koala Sampler app, by Elf Audio. His crazy beats have grabbed the attention of legends such as Dibia$e & Grap Luva.

Oftentimes in this busy and chaotic world it’s challenging to draw a parallel between two congruent events. In this case drawing its inspiration from Detroit’s meteoric rise from the ruins
of the past, BerettaMusic a label founded in Detroit in 2002 who took a several year hiatus is back in a big way, also rising from the ashes like it’s birth city has done.

Ryan Sadorus who co-founded the label with Brian Kage delivers some next level quirky Detroit house jams. Already getting spins by local Detroit DJ’s and the verdict is in and the tracks are
dance floor ready and sure to get people moving. The release also features vinyl artwork by renowned midwest artist Jon Griffin featured on full color vinyl jackets.

First off is “Slippah”, a shuffling and quirky bass heavy stormer. The track builds through various levels dropping into syncopated and distorted vocal riffs, lifting its way into some pulsing
synth stabs with perfectly timed filtering which lends itself to the overall energy rise through the track. With a huge breakdown and vocal stab sequence, it’s sure to have them moving! “Hit
'em with da slippah!”

Expansive is a chugging deep house tune with atmospheric synth business to really set the mood anytime of the night. A deep bassline carries the tune along into a breakdown complete with a quote from the man himself, Carl Sagan.

Brian Kage delivers a stunning remix of Expansive, imprinting his own defined style he’s known for as he keeps things level grounded with evolving Detroit-inspired soulful elements.

Last but not least, “Flexxin” is ripping speaker work out of epic proportions. Another quirky, bass heavy jam that will definitely wake up the dance floor. Written and Produced by Ryan Sadorus, mixed by Brian Kage at The Bear Cave in Detroit Mastered by Dietrich Schoenemann Label art by Brian Kage & Juju / painted original portrait art by Jon Griffin Special thanks to: Juju, my parents and family, Brian Kage, Ronnie Perez, Sims Cabrera and the entire Guam crew, Norm Talley, Dietrich and to you for your support! - Ryan Sadorus

Khruangbin and Leon Bridges announce their latest collaborative EP, ‘Texas Moon’, out on Dead Oceans.

 An extension of the two’s chart-topping four-song ‘Texas Sun’ journey, ‘Texas Moon’ is an introspective stroll through the dark. “Without joy, there can be no real perspective on sorrow,” say Khruangbin. “Without sunlight, all this rain keeps things from growing. How can you have the sun without the moon?”

 Crediting their mutual home state for inspiration, ‘Texas Moon’ pensively examines Texas’ musical perception, while paying homage to the marriage of country and R&B that’s become synonymous with the lone star state. Propelled by rolling guitar licks, conga and bongo, lead single ‘B-Side’ meditates on meeting in a dream and frolics across the nearing contemplative night-time state with its longing joy.

 Elsewhere on ‘Texas Moon’, the artists channel a newly intimate musical scope that’s illustrated most dramatically when the spacy sensuality of the minimalistic ‘Chocolate Hills’ leads into the stark spirituality addressed on ‘Father Father’, a reminder of both acts’ gospel roots. Over a simple rolling guitar figure, Bridges pleads with the heavens - “Look at the mess that I made / Just a man with unclean hands” - only to be reminded of God’s eternal love.

 For Khruangbin, one song in particular was indicative of the trust that Bridges put in them. “The song ‘Doris’ is about his grandmother making the transition from this world to the next realm,” says Khruangbin’s Donald Ray ‘DJ’ Johnson Jr. “It’s a very somber, very deep record. And when someone places that kind of work into your
hands, the last thing you want to do is junk it up, overproduce it, or do too much. We treated it with the respect it deserved, and treated Doris with the respect she deserves.”

 “It’s like a short story...,” says the band’s Laura Lee of the music. “And it leaves room to continue having these stories together. It’s not Khruangbin, it’s not Leon, it’s this world we created together.”

 Upon its release, ‘Texas Sun’ soared to the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart along with landing the No.1 on spot on Americana/Folk Albums, among many others. Significantly, both parties’ musical directions were deeply affected by their time working together on ‘Texas Sun’.

 Khruangbin’s most recent studio album, ‘Mordechai’, moved their own vocals to the forefront, a change they readily admit was a direct result of working with Bridges.
Their sound was also tapped for remix / reinterpretation of a Paul McCartney song for the ‘McCartney III Imagined’ project. Meanwhile, in addition to his genre-defying Grammy-nominated album ‘Gold-Digger’s Sound’, Bridges has put out several other challenging, shared collaborative tracks, including work with John Mayer, Lucky Daye and, most recently, Jazmine Sullivan. Each of the artists appeared recently on Austin City Limits and will tour throughout the new year.

WPH label boss Red D has always considered Adham Zahran to be the Moodymann/Theo Parrish of Egypt, so it is only fitting that for his second release on the label Adham joins the WPH U.S. Series ranks. His deep dusty house sound oozes soul and groove and this release is no exception.

Opening track ‘Flowing Green’ kicks off the E.P. with shining chords that will go down like a treat on any house dancefloor in the hands of the right DJ. ‘No Sorrow’ takes things more heady, but make no mistake, it kicks like the proverbial mule if you let it roam free. On the B-side we first have Detroit’s mainstay Brian Kage on remix duties for the final track ‘Picture Of The Tree’, providing that extra motor city funk we all love. The original finishes the proceedings in – dare we say it – deepest fashion to round off another quality outing from the WPH camp.

A Long Hot Summer is the fifth studio album of Masta Ace, and follow up album to Disposable Arts. The album is about Masta Ace's journey as an underground rapper through his "Long Hot Summer" in Brooklyn, together with his unofficial manager and pal Fats Belvedere. This album includes fan favorites such as "Good Ol Love", "Da Grind", "Beautiful", "Bklyn Masala" and guest appearances like Jean Grae, Big Noyd, Wordsworth, Edo G, The Beatnuts, Rahzel and more, along with production from 9th Wonder, Khrysis, DJ Spinna, Dug Infinite, Marco Polo and others. A Long Hot Summer is a classic Ace album through and through.

Khruangbin and Leon Bridges announce their latest collaborative EP, ‘Texas Moon’, out on Dead Oceans.

 An extension of the two’s chart-topping four-song ‘Texas Sun’ journey, ‘Texas Moon’ is an introspective stroll through the dark. “Without joy, there can be no real perspective on sorrow,” say Khruangbin. “Without sunlight, all this rain keeps things from growing. How can you have the sun without the moon?”

 Crediting their mutual home state for inspiration, ‘Texas Moon’ pensively examines Texas’ musical perception, while paying homage to the marriage of country and R&B that’s become synonymous with the lone star state. Propelled by rolling guitar licks, conga and bongo, lead single ‘B-Side’ meditates on meeting in a dream and frolics across the nearing contemplative night-time state with its longing joy.

 Elsewhere on ‘Texas Moon’, the artists channel a newly intimate musical scope that’s illustrated most dramatically when the spacy sensuality of the minimalistic ‘Chocolate Hills’ leads into the stark spirituality addressed on ‘Father Father’, a reminder of both acts’ gospel roots. Over a simple rolling guitar figure, Bridges pleads with the heavens - “Look at the mess that I made / Just a man with unclean hands” - only to be reminded of God’s eternal love.

 For Khruangbin, one song in particular was indicative of the trust that Bridges put in them. “The song ‘Doris’ is about his grandmother making the transition from this world to the next realm,” says Khruangbin’s Donald Ray ‘DJ’ Johnson Jr. “It’s a very somber, very deep record. And when someone places that kind of work into your
hands, the last thing you want to do is junk it up, overproduce it, or do too much. We treated it with the respect it deserved, and treated Doris with the respect she deserves.”

 “It’s like a short story...,” says the band’s Laura Lee of the music. “And it leaves room to continue having these stories together. It’s not Khruangbin, it’s not Leon, it’s this world we created together.”

 Upon its release, ‘Texas Sun’ soared to the No. 1 slot on Billboard’s Emerging Artists Chart along with landing the No.1 on spot on Americana/Folk Albums, among many others. Significantly, both parties’ musical directions were deeply affected by their time working together on ‘Texas Sun’.

 Khruangbin’s most recent studio album, ‘Mordechai’, moved their own vocals to the forefront, a change they readily admit was a direct result of working with Bridges.
Their sound was also tapped for remix / reinterpretation of a Paul McCartney song for the ‘McCartney III Imagined’ project. Meanwhile, in addition to his genre-defying Grammy-nominated album ‘Gold-Digger’s Sound’, Bridges has put out several other challenging, shared collaborative tracks, including work with John Mayer, Lucky Daye and, most recently, Jazmine Sullivan. Each of the artists appeared recently on Austin City Limits and will tour throughout the new year.

TIME magazine counts Gifted Gab amongst the top female rappers in America. "Cause & Effect" is her vinyl debut, showing off Gab’s singular style, mixing complexity with wit, confidence with seduction, bars-upon bars of rapping with R&B melodies. Half of the album is hard-hitting gangsta murder music, while the flip side is effortlessly smooth. "It's for the after-party, the kickback. When you finally got the one you’ve been vibing with all night up close and personal,” as DJ Mike Ramos describes in the liner notes. Seattle underground hip-hop label Crane City Music is proud to release a special, limited-edition vinyl version of “Cause & Effect” on transparent red wax. The record is the color of blood and love, both appropriate analogies for its twin sides. It has been specially mastered by Adam Straney, has liner notes from DJ Mike Ramos, and is limited to 1,000 numbered copies.

Pressed on DJ-friendly 7” vinyl in multiple colors - "Wakanda Funk Lounge” is a svelte four-song slab of hologram funk. Inspired to create a new, unofficial soundtrack to Marvel's Black Panther, SassyBlack says the EP “is about black freedom... Star Trek and Star Wars have always had bars and concerts. There’s no culture without music. And so when M’Baku invites me to come and perform in one of Wakanda’s funk lounges, this EP is the music I'd perform there." SassyBlack has been described as a “blaxploitation, sci-fi warrior queen.” She's also a multi-talented, space-aged songwriter, beatmaker, composer, and singer. Her music has been described as “electronic psychedelic soul,” with roots in experimental hip-hop, R&B, and jazz. Before going solo, she recorded and performed as half of the Afrofuturist hip-hop duo THEESatisfaction. Her music has received attention from Okayplayer, Afropunk, The Fader, Pitchfork, Bitch magazine, and others. The “Wakanda Funk Lounge” EP is a limited-edition, individually-numbered 7” single. Every copy is a different color. The cover was designed by visual artist Wutang McDougal. Drop the needle on any track and discover funky new tunes that remind us Wakanda’s main export is “VIBE-ranium.” This record is perfect for DJs who love 45s.

Jessy Lanza has always made music that perfectly suits the mood - whether it's the heads-down trance of the dancefloor or that hazy, post-club bliss. It's no surprise for an artist that takes electronic music's most intoxicating sensibilities and effortlessly reimagines them as experimental pop and R&B. The Canadian singer, producer and DJ from Hamilton, Ontario, has trodden an inspiring path which led to 2013's boldly minimalist debut Pull My Hair Back, released on revered UK label Hyperdub. Gorgeously complex follow-ups Oh No - shortlisted for Canada's prestigious Polaris Prize - and 2020's All the Time crowned her as a singular talent in the left-of-pop sphere. It's with this genre-bending approach that Jessy Lanza presents her entry for the DJ-Kicks series - a sprawling, club-indebted odyssey that draws you in closer and closer with each listen. Recorded this summer, the mix is an incisive snapshot of her emotional landscape during the past 18 months. In 2020, with nothing but a van, a few personal belongings and her musical gear, Lanza and her partner relocated from New York City to the Bay Area to ride out the pandemic. A change of scenery, buoyed by the slower pace of their new home, gave her a fresh perspective during a worldwide screeching halt. Jessy Lanza's DJ-Kicks mix also arrives as a divine stroke of timing. As the world slowly starts to re-open, it's a portal into the ecstatic energy of the dancefloor; an emblem of genuine healing - both personal and communal - that transports listeners to a state of pure euphoria.

- Followup to 2015's Insides. - RIYL: Jacques Greene, Leon Vynehall, DJ Seinfeld, Project Pablo - Features cover art by Salvador Dalí protégé Steven Arnold. - Silver halide (gray + black marble) vinyl limited to 1,500 copies worldwide - Vinyl is housed in a black dust sleeve inserted in to a matte varnish jacket with metallic silver spot color // After a run of critically-acclaimed singles and EPs, British producer Michael Greene, aka Fort Romeau, returns to the full-length format with Beings of Light, the long-awaited follow-up to 2015's Insides and his second LP on Ghostly International. While a prolific DJ who orients many of his productions for the dancefloor, Greene still sees the album as the ultimate statement of intent, "a space to stretch out, to speak in full paragraphs rather than stunted sentences." He has explored several stylistic fragments in recent years (including the summer 2018 anthem "Pablo," hailed a Best New Track by Pitchfork), but when faced with the extended pause to the dance community in 2020, Greene felt compelled to focus on a larger body of work. Embracing a back-to-basics mentality, he amassed over a dozen hours of sounds, asking himself throughout the sessions: "Does the music move you? Is it honest?" He came out the other end with Beings of Light, an expressive collection traversing rainy day ambient, moonlit disco, and dream-like techno in pursuit of the power found within our subconscious. Album opener "Untitled IV" ushers in a sprinting tempo in its exploration of the human voice, a recurring device in the Fort Romeau project. Greene uses it as a compositional layer, disembodied with its context often opaque or reduced to a single phrase. Here the voice is scattered in percussive twitches, colliding with a kick drum to induce a near state of hypnosis as horns sound off in the distance. Propulsive standout "Spotlights'' is Greene's ode to the romanticised New York City that lives in our hearts, nocturnal and carefree. A vocal snippet repeats the title with a breezy poise, reminiscent of classic house cuts. "Ramona'' honors the beloved Robert Johnson club in Offenbach, Germany. Hazy, spacious, and sustained, Greene designed the beat with their system in mind, "also with a strong nod to the more modern lineage of exceptional minimal house music from Frankfurt," he says. Two ambient pieces surround the track, "(In The) Rain" sets the scene and "Porta Coeli" (a Latin phrase which loosely translates to "heaven's gate") soundtracks the comedown. The album's closer, the title track, is an arc constructed with atmospheric textures, euphoric swings of percussion, and a well-placed piano refrain, "Beings of Light" is adaptive; one could imagine it reverberating from a club, scoring the emotional apex of a film, or radiating through the realm of dreams.

"In the beginning of the 2000's being a producer or a DJ wasn't cool, it was something for nerds. And no one was so crazy to spend all their money in machines. I was going to the clubs in the weekend and when everyone was going to the afterparty i was going to work for a little money to be able to make music, music that I wanted to be play by all these big DJ's I had the chance to see, and I made it."
- Tells Hector Sandoval AKA Tensal Aka Syndromania to me and some other younger DJS (P.E.A.R.L, Jheal Bashta) while we drink a beer in Gijon north of Spain, city close to the town where Syndromania is based. -

After hundreds of records released and the recognition of every single artist of the scene. Few has changed for Syndromania, he keeps getting immersed in his studio with the same love although now with another point of view plus the experience to twist it to the next level.

DJing since 1993 his musical knowledge may be in the top 5 more knowledgeable people I ever met. As you can hear along the 6 cuts of this Sacrilegio EP it's fully rooted on straight messages and codes that have been filling up years of rave culture with a new take on them in order to optimize them for a contemporary rave experience.

From UK infected electro, mechanical-industrial techno music, leaning Chicago house cut to a tremendous take on techno-trance. This record is one of my favorites ever released on OAKS/KAOS and one of the ones that I'm sure that sets the level to inspire many to reinvent and develop our culture.

To be honest Sacrilegio is one of the records I'm more proud about of all in our catalogs. Thanks to Syndromania for this extraordinary piece of art and DJ apex tool which won't ever leave my record bag, neither probably yours."
Respeto.
Hector.

#oftenplusneverminus8

250 copies available to move, it is a 7” release on Fools Gold Records based in New York City. Side A is on the Electro side with the B being more early 80s Funkadelic/Zapp.

Originally released in 2010, Mirage is the fourth studio album by renowned Dutch trance DJ and producer Armin van Buuren. The album was preceded by the single “Full Focus”, which peaked at #24 on the Dutch Single Charts. Mirage features many great collaborations with furthermore Sophie Ellis-Bextor on “Not Giving Up On Love”, Christian Burns on “This Light Between Us”, Nadia Ali on “Feels So Good”, BT on “These Silent Hearts”, Adam Young (Owl City) on “Youtopia”, and Ferry Corsten on “Minack”.

The album Mirage debuted at #3 on the Dutch Album Top 100, as well as reaching the top 5 of the US Top Dance/Electronic Albums and debuting at #148 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold in several countries.

There is nothing quite like an evening under the rhythmic spell of the legendary David Morales. Stepping on the dancefloor while he's behind the decks requires full trust and surrender. You agree to hand the reins of your mind, body, and spirit to his intuition and ability to guide you to where you need to be at all times. It will occasionally be cathartic and intense. It will often make the hairs on your body stand on end, and make you sweat more than you ever have before. The endorphin release will be powerful. You will feel like you can touch joy and euphoria it in the air around you. As he gently brings you back down to reality, you will feel renewed and ready for anything life brings your way. This is more than a night of dancing. This is an experience at the hands of a magical maestro of music. How is this possible from a night on the dancefloor? Well, it begins with the brilliant mind of an artist at the peak of his creative power, imbued with the empathy necessary to connect with what has become a global legion of fans. "If there is any secret, it's really simple: I love what I do with all of my heart," Morales says. "I'm a DJ first. I thrive on human interaction. I am always adjusting my sets based on what the people in the room need. Each night, we form an emotional connection that inspires the music as it comes."

For Morales, "working in the studio is important, but it exists as a way of supporting the DJing experience. It's all to inform how it will work on the dancefloor."

To that end, you're reading these words as you dive into a new collection of Morales classics. Ever the collaborator, he has enlisted the input of a wide range of voices and talent. There is the diva power of fellow legend Ultra Nate, who brings her signature sass to "I Can Dream," while Michele Perera's explosive chemistry with David is all over the inspiring "Life is a Song" and "Never Give Up", as well as the impassioned "Addicted."

Morales reminds the listener of his ever-evolving musical scope in collaborations with blondewearingblack ("What Can I Do"), Lea Lorien ("Never Looking Back"), and Blakkat ("Can't Get Enough"). There's the clubland supergroup of David with Mr. V, Scotty P. and DJ Rae on "The Feels." Rounding out the set is a reunion with longtime muses Elle Cato ("I Feel Love") and British soul icon Joe Roberts ("Easy"). Just be sure to listen closely, because there's bound to be a surprise tucked between these grooves to tickle your ears and move your body.

The beauty of this sparkling new foray into electronic music is the heightened intimacy between Morales and the music. What you are hearing here is almost exclusively from the man's own fingertips. "The technology has evolved in the most extraordinary and liberating ways," he says, adding that he is now able to be far more directly hands-on during the building of each track. "Back in the '90s, I had to have more people involved, With the changes and growth in technology, I can now do it, myself. I don't even have to be in the studio anymore. It's smart, financially, but it's also way more fun and creative."

David adds, "I don't have to wait to manifest an idea anymore. I can just build my ideas as they come to me." In fact, he reveals that many of these new tracks were born in unique places, like planes, cars, his bedroom, and a host of other settings. "Music is always spinning around my mind. I no longer worry about losing an idea."

Surviving the highs and lows of an ever-changing world has also brought Morales back to the basic essentials of life and music. "The pandemic has brought things full circle for me," he says. "I love what I do and I still have the passion of a kid who is just getting started"

Yet, we know that Morales has been in the game for longer than a minute. He's a Grammy award-winning producer, remixer, and songwriter. He has lent his skill to countless of records by icons that include Mariah Carey, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Seal, and Jamiroquai. As a turntable artist originally from New York City, he earned his bones of credibility back in the '80s and '90s in clubs like the Paradise Garage, Red Zone, Tunnel, and Club USA. He initiated the concept of DJs touring beyond their hometowns with countless, wildly successful treks that have taken him the farthest-reaching corners of the world. As electronic music thrives on pop radium, David tops the list of every young artist and DJ as a primary influence.

Even with such a staggering legacy, Morales never looks over his shoulder.

"That is how you stumble and fall," he says. "If you get all caught up in the past, you're going to lose sight of what is right in front of you. You lose the excitement of discovery. That is what gets me off; taking what I know and combining it with what I don't know as I learn it. There is nothing better than experiencing how it all comes together. It's different every time."

And that is the ultimate secret to that extraordinary spell that David Morales casts over us all every single time.

Kryptox label member Niklas Wandt comes with his second vinyl release on the German jazz-tronica label. The German DJ, drummer, producer and radio host is by now one of the key figures in everything wild that's coming from Berlin these days: His jazz stuff on Kryptox is just one of his many sonic faces. He is the head of German indie-pop band Neuzeitliche Bodenbeläge as well good friend of Jan Schulte aka Bufiman- and know for several collabos with him. Now Wandt comes up with what could be his most advanced release. A free-jazz album recorded with Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö. And it might sound strange to some, but Berlin is becoming an international center of free improvisation. It makes sense as the city has been the center of techno for years - the music that is extremely formalistic and all about repetition and standardised sounds and grooves. Free jazz is the extreme opposite to that formalistic tool music of the last years.

Following on from his 2021 debut on Phantasy, ‘Qué Sientes’ ft. Tee Amara, Cromby returns with another release that’s long been a secret weapon in his high-energy DJ sets everywhere from Berlin to his home city of Belfast, accompanied by an expertly-executed remix from Head High. Once again, Cromby provides one of his own sublime paintings as the artwork for 'Loving'.

Distinctly playable as either high-velocity house or pure rave with a refreshing streak of suspense, ‘Loving’ fires out the gate with inspired wonkiness, tripping on hardcore chords and a vocal sample manipulated to lunacy. Cromby reaffirms his instinctive ability to tip a dancefloor over the edge, planting multiple explosions of serotonin, the sort of drops that might shatter the windows of his beloved Panorama Bar, then confidently returning to a timeless groove.

Given the material, Head High, the alias of René Pawlowitz (AKA, Shed), proves a sublime choice to take on ‘Loving’. Delivering his first remix in a number of years, Pawlowitz induces a different kind of pressure, once again indulging in his lifelong devotion to classic organ chords, timeless breakbeats and the kind of chemically enhanced atmosphere bottled firsthand on the Frankfurt rave scene of the early nineties.

Complimenting the valleys of energy previously sculpted, Cromby winds things tighter on the rolling ‘Acid Trifle’, weaving percussive passages that speak for a reverence to Latin-House rhythms amid an undulating acid journey.

Industrious Polish DJ, producer and live performer Szafran is summoned to Thabo's Berlin-based house imprint Home Again, debuting a new alias and sound in his arsenal as he reaches the spaces between house, breakbeat and acid house. The label's third release, Thabo grabs revered Parisian producer Leo Pol for a killer remix.
Previously releasing and performing as Oskar Szafraniec, he broke through under the mentorship of acid house legend A Guy Called Gerald, touring extensively together and developing his live show. His releases have come through notable labels Rawax, Deset and Cyclo, while collaborations with heavyweights Ricardo Villalobos and Pier Bucci brought more discerning ears, and basing himself in Berlin ensured that he'd play across the city's hallowed haunts, including Club der Visionaere, Watergate, Tresor and Salon zur Wilden Renate.

"After eight years in Berlin, I relocated to Croatia's Dalmatian coast last year. There was the enforced break from touring, but I also took a break from producing. I wanted to step back and find new inspirations. I was listening to a lot of Warp Records, feeling hugely inspired by the melodies in Aphex Twin and Squarepusher's '90s releases. My musical direction changed and I wanted to present these influences with my own touch. I feel my music is more emotive through the way I'm contrasting analogue, digital and organic elements and I hope people feel that." - Szafran

Packing punch and propulsion in equal measure is 'It's Just A Feeling', a striking, emotive track that cuts through with the sonic signature of the Roland TB 303. Prolific mastermind Leo Pol picks up the pace, giving the track a rerub with all the bang and bustle to vitalise a dancefloor. Prodigious outing 'You Don't Know' enters the field full of vigor with the breakbeat drum loops and 4 X 4 kick drum sequences giving it a propulsive, rousing pace, while 'Infuse' reaches through and closes the EP with a laidback flex.
Artwork by Ken Hanamura

Nervous Records, the iconic label synonymous with the rise of house from the streets of New York City, will mark 30 years in the music industry by releasing the celebratory compilation LP ‘Nervous Records: 30 Years’ on October 1st (Part 1) and October 15th (Part 2).

Featuring original mixes of the label’s biggest tracks, plus remixes by some of its most celebrated acts, ‘Nervous Records: 30 Years’ is both a celebration of the past and of the future. Featuring a who’s who of electronic dance music, the long player sees names including Louie Vega, David Morales Darius Syrossian, Tensnake, Monki, Franky Rizardo, Danny Howard and more take on iconic Nervous cuts: ‘You Make Me Feel Mighty Real’, ‘Treat Me Right’, ‘Future Groove’, ‘Feel Like Singing’, ‘Get Up Everybody’, ‘Break You’, ‘Hot’, ‘End This Hate’, ‘Unspeakable Joy’, ‘Can Ya Tell Me’, ‘Jerk It’, ‘The Anthem’, ‘It Makes A Difference’, ‘Learn 2 Luv’ and ‘Don’t You Ever Give Up’.

The album marks one of the most enduring, extraordinary legacies to grace America’s illustrious music history, not just in electronica but far beyond. Founded in 1991 by Michael and his father Sam Weiss, and recognizable immediately by its distinctive character logo, the label grew rapidly, in no small part due to Michael Weiss’ practically unmatched passion for discovering new music.

“Louie Vega and Kenny Dope woke me at 4am on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning from their studio telling me they had something really different that I needed to hear,” Michael recollects. “I asked if they could play it over the phone. They said if I wanted to hear it I had to come to the studio. So of course I got myself up, got dressed and went there. That “really different track” ended up being ‘The Nervous Track’, a tune that became our signature release and was also highly instrumental in the emergency of London’s ‘Broken Beat’ movement.”

The label’s willingness to take chances on fresh sounds and innovative concepts rising up from the melting pot sidewalks of NYC ensured a body of work that has become a living musical history of the city. House cuts ‘Unspeakable Joy’ and ‘Nitelife’ (Kim English), ‘Get Up (Everybody)’ (Byron Stingily) and ‘Feel Like Singing’ (Sandy B) bump up against hip-hop anthems like ‘Who Got Da Props’ (Black Moon) and “Bucktown” (Smif-n-Wessun) and reggae cut ‘Take It Easy’ (Mad Lion); soulful flows from Mood II Swing (Kim English ‘Learn 2 Luv’, Loni Clark “Rushing”), Armand Van Helden (‘The Anthem’) and Nuyorican Soul (‘Mind Fluid’) sit alongside seminal techno singles like Winx’ ‘Don’t Laugh’. The young artists and producers who joined the Nervous Records’ family have gone on to become some of the most hallowed and celebrated dance acts of all time: Louie Vega, Kenny Dope, David Morales, Tony Humphries, Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Kerri Chandler, Kim English, Byron Stingily, Josh Wink, to name just a handful.

“We did a release with Josh Wink under his Winx alias entitled ‘Nervous Build-Up’,” Michael said. “It did well and it was obvious how talented Josh was. Subsequent to that release I was pretty persistent in asking him to continue to play me his new demos. During one phone conversation he said, “Mike I’m gonna play you something over the phone but don’t laugh when you hear it.” That demo ended up being ‘Don’t Laugh’, which became one of our biggest international hits and still to this day is one of America’s earliest and most impactful techno hits.”

As much a celebration of the label’s future as it is of their past, Nervous Records: 30 Years is but a marker in the imprints’ history, a clear sign of where they’ve been and also where they’re going. With 30 years behind them, the label’s determination to unearth new raw diamonds in the rough is as unwavering as ever.

“I’ve always been one to look at what others are doing (the industry at large) and think, “ok, are they doing this specific thing for a reason, or doing it because everyone else is doing the same thing” and make my decision based on that,” says Nervous Records’ General Manager Andrew Salsano. “In an age where data metrics and analytics reign supreme, I remain steadfast that they should be complementary to your decision and not the sole indicator to make one. So many songs today are written with 15 second hooks in mind for social media, and while there’s nothing wrong with that business model you will always be chasing the wave instead of carving out your own path and identity.

“My primary focus for the sound of the label has and will continue to revolve around signing good songs and music that has the ability to react at the street level first. The best results come from artists that are firstly given a bit of local love that grows into a global impact. Fresh ideas that express child-like curiosity and artists showing vulnerability in their music are also something I look for, artists and producers that are not making music with certain markets in mind, but rather their own style and signature that is unique but able to straddle the fine line of underground and overground.”

Still as raw, as underground and as finely tuned to the dance floor as they ever have been, perhaps the secret to the success - and the longevity - of Nervous Records has something to do with that hard, dogged, no-holds-barred NYC edge that runs through the veins of the label. With the next generation of producers rising from the clubs of New York, one thing is certain; Nervous Records will be there to find them, nurture them and bring them to the world at large, over the next decade and beyond.

Collaboration between Live At Robert Johnson & Public Possession, both selecting some key label artists to remix “Gingko” a track taken from “Aksel & Aino”s debut Album “Lullabies for Insomniacs”. Including Mixes by Gerd Janson, Lauer, DJ City & Nice Girl ranging from Big Room Balearic Pop to tripped out Techno and classic house.

The second release in January to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Frank de Groodts career as a recording artist is a re-press of his legendary Sonar Bases 4 10 double 12 . Exactly 21 years ago, in January 1997, Frank elevated to electro stardom with this astonishing combination of dark electronica and electro beats.

Frank at the time lived just outside the city of Amersfoort, which is where he was born and lives again these days, some 30 minutes northwest of Utrecht. His first ever release in January 1994 was a techno EP on U-TRAX, as Pieces of a Pensive State of Mind. Later that year, he released his first 12"-es on Djax records as The Optic Crux, and he continued to keep making up artists names in the following 25 years, like Fastgraph and The Operator. He is also one half of the live outfit Random XS (together with DJ Zero One), collaborated with Arno Peeters (a.k.a. Spasms) as Urban Electro and with Detroit's Dennis Richardson as Ultradyne. And that s not even all of his alter egos.

The sound of these eight unique tracks called for a new moniker back in the nineties: Sonar Base (ironically misspelled on the original release as Sonar Bass). All track on this re-press have been remastered for maximum impact. The double vinyl goodness kicks off with Earth Probe, that very subtly creeps towards us, before it kicks in with a rather obese bassdrum. As if Frank wanted to ease his listeners into his then new sound, this track basically is in techno/acid style, but has the slower tempo that characterizes the rest of the electro tracks of this release.

Immediately following, is the unrivaled beauty of Welcome To Sonar Base #4, a track that slowly builds up before it takes us on a deep space journey at two thirds. The 11 minute Sonar Base #5 has been a DJ favorite for 21 years, reaching out to both electro and techno lovers, while Sonar Base #6 is the type of ultra-pure electro that really puts your woofers to the test.

Arrival At Dwell Probe is another one of our favorites, with superfine beats, desolate voice samples and deep and moody synths. Very musical, truly a top piece that will leave you totally unprepared for Blunted. This track has the rolling type of hiphop-style beats that mix well with LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out, but of course has the space-station atmosphere that makes it unmistakably a Sonar Base track.

The fast pace and merciless beats of Intergalactic Anecdote rush us to the finale: Sonar Base #10, a worthy closing track, with deep bassdrum patterns and melancholic strings that also please fans of broken beats. It stops and goes and keeps demanding your attention, making you wanting to go back again to the first track disc and start your Sonar Base trip all over again.

H- side is etched
The American cable-television industry exploded in the 1980s, pushing broadcasts of diverse programming and emissions of low-laying cultures into homes. Community stations piggybacked on the digital developments of the time, extending their existence through telephony and broadcast a iliates. For those growing up in this time, in locations such as New York City, the localized communications beamed into their homes exposed them to an impressionable array of disparate sounds and visions.
Move into the 1990s and New York was filled to the brim of emergent cultures drawing from this ebullition of communication. From Rammellzee’s shapeshifting to the late Judy Russell and Frank and Karen Mendez’s Nu Groove imprint fusing reggae, poetry and house, nascent ideas emanated from the city walls, from within stores such as Sonic Groove store and on VHS releases such as Stakker’s The Evil Acid Baron Show, a legendary technicolor psychedelic trip along the wildest frontiers of acid house. As scenes expanded and identities developed, such individuals weather the events of the visceral now, expressing themselves right into an unpredictable future.
Function’s long career has seen him uncover a vast range of sonic identities, a mainstay through house, techno and industrial with collaborations with the likes of Regis, Damon Wild alongside his highly influential Infrastructure imprint. With influences deeply tied to pop art, rave and gay scenes, and early memories of block-parties emitting Kraftwerk and Strafe, he found himself seeking out the undercover illegal nights of the 90s on a quest of sexual unearthing, mixing the ever-yearning escapology mission of disco with the influential DJ sets of Jeff Mills.
For his new album Existenz, he marks a clear step away from the corporeal techno of his recent releases. Pivoting around themes of religion, sexuality, trauma and healing, it is a work expansive and celebratory, a clear liberation from a deeply internalized past. Formed from a collection of recordings made in a period from late 2016 to mid 2019, Existenz takes the form of a creative outburst in reaction to a number of traumas - recent, childhood and throughout Function’s life. Life partner Stefanie Parnow assisted the production process in its entirety, providing inspiration, spiritual healing and featuring vocal contributions.
Cosmic synths soar and swoop in ‘Pleasure Discipline’ through towering stacks of rhythm that stutter and creak to a halt before rebooting, a firm robotic response to human intervention. ‘Zahlensender’ reflects a spatial tetris of urban life, as digitalization set within an XYZ matrix confronts the sprawling city. Constant arpeggiated meditations echo synaptic transmissions, e ecting a dissolution of boundaries. ’The Approach’ recalls the unification of the self, a state of delirium non-subjective and smooth, as all connections and functions give way to simple intensities of feeling, crossing the threshold into spirituality. ’Golden Dawn’, featuring Stefanie Parnow, marks a further elevation of dubbed-out euphoria, as once more positive rays emerge. His ode to the effortless short-trip urban navigation 'Kurzstrecke' finds Function in motion, upfront and bold, snapshots of conversation and flickers of light. 'Ertrinken' finds metallic bass jabs swamping snipped synthetic voices, with hidden stores of emotion set as a nod to the history of vocoders as a tool for encrypted military communication. House icon Robert Owens features on 'Growth Cycle' and 'Be', entrenching a celebratory atmosphere over Function's clubwise leanings. Closing track 'Downtown 161' reflects the unmistakeable filtered and squashed interjections of television, and sampled dance vocals - a sound for the curious, dreamers and dancers.
With Existenz, Function reveals an essential body of work, spread over 4LP - thought experiments on the role of identity and spirituality after a lifetime of upheaval and trauma. Leading up until the release date, Function will undertake an album promo tour with select dates - A/V shows at Berlin Atonal and Rural festival in Japan, and three dates as part of his Bassiani residency.

Legendary Utrecht DJ and producer P.A. Presents (Peter Aarsman) returns with his first new release since 2000 with this vintage techno stunner, Swirling Gas. This EP also marks the first new music on U-TRAX in more than 21 years, kicking the label s comeback into a higher gear.
Peter ironically is the only artist on U-TRAX that actually is born and bred in the city of Utrecht. Even more irony lies in the fact that he hasn t lived in the city (or stadsie in Utregs, the local dialect) for the past 25 years.
Peter knew he wanted to be a DJ since he was ten years old, in a time when this was still a very unusual career to dream about. Long before house music had landed in Europe, Peter was fiddling around with disco and italo 12 -es and all those years of training is what made him the superior DJ that he still is today. In terms of skills, flair, energy and feel for the dance floor, there are probably not a lot of DJs that can rival with Peter.
While the era of house of techno of the late 80s and the 90s brought him countless DJ gigs, his reputation didn t cross the city borders much, until he bought his first gear and started producing techno music himself. Again, his DJ background proved helpful with producing his tracks, as most of his tracks are dancefloor orientated and usually have an impeccable timing.
Peter debuted with the mini-album Salicylic Acid on U-TRAX in 1993, followed by the Flight Stimulator EP a year later. Both are classics today, but neither brought him as much fame as his 12 Entangled did on Deviate, a record label that was started by a couple of our friends from Utrecht a year prior to U-TRAX. Entangled made it to many charts and compilation albums, including Carl Craig s mix CD as part of !K7 s DJ-Kicks series.
Besides two releases on U-TRAX and three 12 -es on Deviate, Peter recorded a full length album for the latter label. Unfortunately, before the album ever saw the light of day, Deviate closed their doors and the tracks remained on the shelves for the next 17 or so years. These tracks still sound surprisingly fresh and original today and we are super excited to be able to release some of them on this Swirling Gas EP!
The title track Swirling Gas obviously gets its name from the documentary sample that the track kicks off with. The almost heartbeat-like electro rhythms, layered choruses and dreamy synths will give you goose bumps all the way to the soles of your feet.
Raw is quite another thing, but way more complicated and sophisticated than the title suggests. An in-your-face electro bass drum pattern supports layer after layer of additional rhythms, some even touching on salsa, and then big fat layers of pulsating synths take you away into deep space. A unique track that will instantly reward the DJ that has the guts to play it for her/his audience.
Drum Magic on the flipside is exactly that: a magic techno trip built around complicated syncopated drum rhythms, which should serve the adventurous DJ well as a foundation for mixing all sorts of weird stuff on top of. We can t wait to see videos appear with creative mixing ideas.
Final track Freaky is opening with some heavy pounding, yet jumpy beats before it opens up into a bit of a space trip around the 3 minute mark. Though the track has a touch of the Basic Channel sound, its echoing synth tones are very distinct and will light up any venue, no matter how big.
All tracks have been revamped and edited into more current lengths by DJ Zero One, blessed by DJ White Delight and mastered by Thee J Johanz. Label art by Bonk Artwork.

Legendary Utrecht DJ and producer P.A. Presents (Peter Aarsman) returns with his first new release since 2000 with this vintage techno stunner, Swirling Gas. This EP also marks the first new music on U-TRAX in more than 21 years, kicking the label s comeback into a higher gear.
Peter ironically is the only artist on U-TRAX that actually is born and bred in the city of Utrecht. Even more irony lies in the fact that he hasn t lived in the city (or stadsie in Utregs, the local dialect) for the past 25 years.
Peter knew he wanted to be a DJ since he was ten years old, in a time when this was still a very unusual career to dream about. Long before house music had landed in Europe, Peter was fiddling around with disco and italo 12 -es and all those years of training is what made him the superior DJ that he still is today. In terms of skills, flair, energy and feel for the dance floor, there are probably not a lot of DJs that can rival with Peter.
While the era of house of techno of the late 80s and the 90s brought him countless DJ gigs, his reputation didn t cross the city borders much, until he bought his first gear and started producing techno music himself. Again, his DJ background proved helpful with producing his tracks, as most of his tracks are dancefloor orientated and usually have an impeccable timing.
Peter debuted with the mini-album Salicylic Acid on U-TRAX in 1993, followed by the Flight Stimulator EP a year later. Both are classics today, but neither brought him as much fame as his 12 Entangled did on Deviate, a record label that was started by a couple of our friends from Utrecht a year prior to U-TRAX. Entangled made it to many charts and compilation albums, including Carl Craig s mix CD as part of !K7 s DJ-Kicks series.
Besides two releases on U-TRAX and three 12 -es on Deviate, Peter recorded a full length album for the latter label. Unfortunately, before the album ever saw the light of day, Deviate closed their doors and the tracks remained on the shelves for the next 17 or so years. These tracks still sound surprisingly fresh and original today and we are super excited to be able to release some of them on this Swirling Gas EP!
The title track Swirling Gas obviously gets its name from the documentary sample that the track kicks off with. The almost heartbeat-like electro rhythms, layered choruses and dreamy synths will give you goose bumps all the way to the soles of your feet.
Raw is quite another thing, but way more complicated and sophisticated than the title suggests. An in-your-face electro bass drum pattern supports layer after layer of additional rhythms, some even touching on salsa, and then big fat layers of pulsating synths take you away into deep space. A unique track that will instantly reward the DJ that has the guts to play it for her/his audience.
Drum Magic on the flipside is exactly that: a magic techno trip built around complicated syncopated drum rhythms, which should serve the adventurous DJ well as a foundation for mixing all sorts of weird stuff on top of. We can t wait to see videos appear with creative mixing ideas.
Final track Freaky is opening with some heavy pounding, yet jumpy beats before it opens up into a bit of a space trip around the 3 minute mark. Though the track has a touch of the Basic Channel sound, its echoing synth tones are very distinct and will light up any venue, no matter how big.
All tracks have been revamped and edited into more current lengths by DJ Zero One, blessed by DJ White Delight and mastered by Thee J Johanz. Label art by Bonk Artwork.

Utrecht label U-Trax welcomes 90s legend P.A. Presents for an enhanced re-release of his first two releases on this label, namely "Salicylic Acid" and "Flight Simulator".

Ironically P.A. Presents aka Peter Aarsman is the only artist on U-TRAX that actually is born and bred in the city of Utrecht. Even more irony lies in the fact that he hasn't lived in the city for 25 years and has only recently returned home. He was an early player in the hip hop and boogie scenes and long before house landed in Europe he was playing disco and Italo which helped establish him as a truly vital DJ talent. The two reissue EPs presented here marked his production debut back in 1993, both of which are hugely sought after and pricey techno records on second hand markets. In 2019 he returned to the music scene with two new EPs on U-Trax in the the form of Swirling Gas and Sax Madness and new releases are planned for 2020.

The release kicks off with 'Mesopmorph', an effervescent, nostalgic cut with a deeply buried techno rhythm that eventually takes over in tribal style. 'Pop' is a brilliantly tense and dense track wired up with fizzing synths, chattering claps and haunting effects as well as pending drums, then 'Theme' is cosmic industrial, with powerful hits and metallic sounds married to searching laser synths.

'Vera S' is classic 90s techno with mad vocal sounds and frantic synth lines darting about the mix, then things grow deeper and more heady on the stripped back intergalactic journey that is 'Flight Simulator.' The timelessness continues on the dancing analogue drums and hi hats of the classic Detroit styled 'Experiental' and 'A Gasp' before 'Vexillum' brings more warm solar winds and molten techno grooves whist 'Long Metal' closes out with pounding kicks, skewed synths and real sense of space travel.

These are essential early techno tracks that sound as fresh and relevant now as ever and come with remastering and restoration from Thee J Johanz.

Pressed on 2x12" 180 grams grey marbled vinyl.

What is probably the weirdest U-TRAX release ever, is now available again on original heavy weight vinyl and has been remastered for digital download and streaming.

Jo-I is Johan Sagel and nine of the drumtracks he made in the 90s with his quite un-hip Roland R-70 drumcomputer ended up on this heavyweight vinyl EP. Label boss DJ White Delight also abused Johan's R-70 together with DJ Zero One, adding a trancey acid re-interpretation of the Jo-I tracks to the EP.

Back in 1995, Johan was a young advertising professional, originating from the far Northern part of Holland, where only potatoes grow and very few people live. He later moved to the city of Groningen and became very active in the scene there, that included Thee J Johanz, of Bally Hoo fame. Johan teamed up with Reyer Caderius van Veen, who released a 12" as Lynx on the U-TRAX sublabel Phoq U Phonogrammen. Together they performed and recorded as Live Acid Performance (L.A.P.) 01 in the 90s.

Original release date: March 1995.
Available again on original 220 grams vinyl

This is the 30th release and 3rd Anniversary of our first tape, so to celebrate the label has brought together friends new and old for a spectacular compilation ranging from ambient to dreampunk to uk garage to house. All proceeds from this release will be donated to the Coral Reef Alliance.

"Emotional Response celebrates its 50th release with a special limited-edition from label stalwart Roy Of The Ravers. Following 2019’s magnum opus White Sunrise II is the accompanying “Soliel”, where our nom dee plume delves further into his archives of recently rediscovered disks to present an 8-track double pack, cut loud for DJ play.

The music too is more expansive, with the ambient and techno signatures matched with touches of jazz keys, Balearic sampledelica and even acoustic outtakes, all with that Ravers humour included.

The opening cinematic symphonies of The Smell Of Orange Peel and Kliszewicz Klopcic Klim highlight again a side not seen on his more acid / club cuts found on various labels. However, it’s the B side that compounds expectations with the deep house meets techno melodics of City Limits, before the ever-expanding feel-good vibrations of center piece Feathers hooks all. Sometimes a simple groove and catchy vocal sample is all you need to create a classic.

The second half then glides with 14 minutes of house dramatics via Versace 101624, a master of arrangement and beats, preempting the interlude of Clock House’s return. To close, EL-9400’s intense scatter percussion melds with anthemic acid undertones before its 2nd half melts to a choral ambience, leading to the closing acoustic jam dub curiosity My Brother And His Mate and the curtain for another stage in the Roy sagas. "

KiNK is back with number six on his sometimes experimental, often exemplary, but always exciting Sofia outfit. The driving force of Clap On 2 are the tropes of acid and its numerology (101/202/303/). The opener Disco Spectrum shows why the sound rose from the shards of smashed mirror balls in Chicago – updated and optimized for today. Turbo – nomen best omen – takes it even further, faster and fiercer, while the theme song completes the pogo picture. Finally, Almond Break lulls you into a false sense of security (think yoga camps, namaste cults, kale drinks and Balearic sunsets), before it turns into a pagan ritual to complete this acid test. Remember: wo wants to own the future needs to conquer the past!

SOFIA: Founded by Strahil Velchev and Konstantin Petrov, Sofia is not only the physical location where this music was made, the city where they met and developed as artists, but also a paradox that is reflected in the art and music that comes from the place. Beautiful and ugly at the same time, clean and dirty, brutal as well as romantic, it’s a place where aesthetically seemingly incompatible styles come together in a twisted, yet unifying form. The photographs for the sleeves are made by influential local selector DJ Valentine, effortlessly capturing the local reality.

A stylish selection of city pop, funk and modern soul from Japanese label Nippon Columbia, selected by DJ Notoya and featuring cult classics and rarities by Hiroshi Sato, Hatsumi Shibata, Hitomi 'Penny' Tohyama & many more.

Annotated by Notoya with journalist Nick Luscombe and artwork by Optigram.

Newly remastered audio.
The selection on ‘Tokyo Glow’ starts with 'Kimugare' a relaxed mid-tempo track by Kumi Nakamura, actually a famous actress who only recorded one album in 1980 for Columbia.

The set continues and flows effortlessly with the sunshine grooves of Miyuki Maki, Hatsumi Shibata and cult keyboard player Hiroshi Sato before the pace starts going faster and funkier with New Generation Company, Kengo Kurozumi - with his superb boogie, 'Juggler'
- and one of the queens of the genre, Hitomi 'Penny' Tohyama with 'Tuxedo Connection'.

Another fine example on the set is the mid-tempo groove of "I Wander All Alone Part III" by New Generation Company, an aggregate group of some of the best Japanese session musicians led by arranger Katz Hoshi and including Hiroyuki Namba (key), Kazuo Shiina (gtr) and Yutaka Uehara (ds) who all played with Tatsuro Yamashita among many others.

There are many other excellent examples in 'Tokyo Glow', showcasing the diversity and specificity of Japanese City Pop during the late 70s and 80s.

Nippon Columbia opened their much-guarded vaults to curator DJ Natoya. Tracks were remastered in Tokyo and the result, ‘Tokyo Glow’, is a unique insight into a most creative period in Japanese music.

 In November, the new ABBA album, ‘Voyage’, will
be released, after 40 years. Just in time for the
music comeback of the year, and as a tribute to the
Swedish supergroup, a classic is now being
released on vinyl for the first time: ‘Funky ABBA’ by
the Nils Landgren Funk Unit from 2004.
 Fans and music magazines count the cover
numbers by Mr. Redhorn and his cult band among
the best in the world, and even today they are
played on the radio and in clubs by DJs. Landgren,
who once played trombone himself on the ABBA
hit ‘Voulez-Vous’, personally asked ABBA
mastermind Benny Andersson for his blessing for
the album: “ABBA was never funky. But if you can
do it, then do it!” replied Andersson. Andersson
was so enthusiastic about the project that he was
also present at the legendary Polar Studio during
the recording sessions and did not miss the
opportunity to record a bonus track for the album
himself as a duo with Viktoria Tolstoy.
 The result was celebrated, and ‘Funky ABBA’
became the best-selling Funk Unit album of all
time. “It's hard to believe: ABBA grooves, and
how!” claimed STEREO in their review after the
CD’s release.
 For this vinyl edition, the album has been
remastered.
 180g vinyl with digital download code.

Before relocating to NYC in 2020, Pontchartrain invited colleague Javonntte over to record several songs together at Pontch’s east-side Detroit studio.

The collaboration yielded several songs that blend Pontch’s studio prowess and dramatic sound, with Javonntte’s wide ranging performance skill, and soulful style. “Cirrus”, as the name suggests, is a deeper cloudy synth-heavy house track, previously selected by DJ Holographic for release on Carl Craig’s Detroit Love vol 6 compilation, but get’s an updated mix & master, as well as a seriously heavy remix by fellow motor city deep house honcho, Delano Smith.

“Keep Dancing” features additional vocals by Javonntte in a hard hitting and highly playable “Detroit” version, as well as a completely different version re-mixed and produced in Pontch’s Harlem studio.

Deep Groove drop the second of the labels releases from firm favourite Glenn Davis. The Irish producer channels that trademark classic house groove drenched in tantalising synthlines and deep powerful bass via 'Make It Happen' and 'Hold Tight'.

On the B side, Ashley Beedle steps up on remix duties taking the title track in a brilliant boogie direction with choice horns and uplifting vibes for his two North Street West remixes.


DJ Support:

Fish Go Deep, Ashley Beedle, Jimpster, Craig Smith, Getdownedits, Rainer Truby, Lay Far, Southbound

Tape

SectorSept’s ‘954’ is a boldly original record, one which announces the arrival of a singular musical mind. Its creator states that he crafted this EP by trying to make tracks that were ‘a representation of how I believe music would sound in some distant land in the future’. On ‘954’ this vision takes flight in the form of eight multifaceted, genre-defying electronic productions.

To unpack this record one must first understand the myriad influences which feed into SectorSept’s style. The producer grew up between the UK and Florida - indeed, the record’s title references the area code he had while in the USA. His formative years were spent soaking in the dancehall sounds he heard around him in his Jamaican household as well as techno, jazz, Miami bass and the city’s ‘Love 94 Smooth Jazz’ radio station.

All of this and more can be heard in the fabric of ‘954’. The drum programming alone reveals SectorSept to be someone with extremely wide-ranging musical tastes. Cuts such as ‘Get Ready For The Programme’ and ‘Be There’ are powered by deft beats that have Miami bass, Jersey Club, juke and more in their make-up. Drexciya-adjacent machine-funk creeps into the mix in ‘954’s mid-section, ‘Golden Third Eye’ touches on trap, and closing duo ‘Tropic Universe’ and ‘Prize’ bring dancehall dembows to the fore.

The productions of ‘954’ are simultaneously driving and chilled, coasting nicely yet still plumbed with enough bite to do damage on the dancefloor. It’s a feeling which is heightened by SectorSept’s gorgeous textural work. Several of the tracks here soften up collages of vocal clips with wistful, dreamy synths - see the way that club-caller snippets orbit Boards Of Canada-esque keys on ‘Get Ready For The Programme’ or how closing cut ‘Prize’ works both the classic Warp/Planet Mu sound and the pitched-down stylings of DJ Screw. It’s a rich and fully-formed artistic aesthetic, something which is all the more impressive when you consider that ‘954’ is SectorSept’s first official release.

That said, while the overall flavour of ‘954’ is SectorSept’s and SectorSept’s alone, one also finds links to Gobstopper’s previous output here. Those dancehall influences on ‘Tropic Universe’ and ‘Prize’ line the record up with Gobstopper drops like Otik’s ‘Thousand Year Stare’ while the emotive, soulful synth work that has long been a Gobstopper calling card is also in evidence here. Perhaps the thing about ‘954’ which makes it feel most at home on Mr. Mitch’s label is SectorSept’s imaginative futurism. SectorSept is a keen scholar of anime composers Kenji Kawai and Joe Hisaishi, and as such it is no surprise that there is a slightly fantastical quality to ‘954’. This is most boldly expressed on ‘Intuition Segment’, a magic-realist vignette which looks to Oneohtrix Point Never.

Blending ethereal textures with hybrid electronic grooves, SectorSept’s ‘954’ EP uses the sounds, influences and cultural experiences that have shaped its creator in order to build a vibrant vision of the future.

Repress!

With Robyn, South London's cktrl shares his most ambitious work yet, collaborating with the likes of Duval Timothy, Coby Sey (Micachu, Tirzah, Dean Blunt) and Purple Ferdinand to create a vital exploration of contemporary-classical from the black perspective; out via Errol and Alex Rita's Touching Bass. Spurred on by the overpowering feelings of heartbreak, Robyn impressively creates emotive and heartfelt clarinet and saxophone-led soundscapes about the all-consuming power of love. On the project, cktrl says: "'Robyn' at its core is heartbreak and is just really sentimental. It's a journey of losing a love but it ends with optimism as you find strength to love again." Born and bred in Lewisham, cktrl aka Bradley Miller is an integral part of London's pioneering musical underground. One of the only remaining original DJs on NTS, cktrl has previously worked with and played alongside the likes of Sampha, Sango, Kelela and Dean Blunt. Throughout his career to date, cktrl has also been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs including Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Nicholas Daley and Jenn Nkiru who recently secured him a cameo in Beyonce's heralded 'Black Is King'. With a shared ethos of elevating and amplifying leftfield black music, he partners with London based label, Touching Bass, themselves a key cog within the city's bubbling musical underbelly.

Does returning to a place have a sound? Can the ear have a memory? And what if places which we return to are just empty shells? Choreographed rooms which we need to play, fill from scratch each time with fragments from the past and present, layer upon layer, familiar and still somehow always new and differently assembled. Paula Schopf’s Espacios en Soledad are acoustic walks around present day Santiago de Chile, the city where she was born - which she always left, had to leave and to which she always returns - but more than anything also through her own memories which resonate throughout the public places, squares, streets though still in their own way remain strange.

„Every immigrant in the world has a piece like this - a kind of missing link, something which is incomplete. And every time one returns to the home country you are looking for it. For me it was a matter of sound.“ (Paula 2019).

In the mid 70s leaving Santiago was a flight of exile as a child with her family. Leaving in 1990 was an autonomous decision to head for Europe, Berlin, where the wall fell, where the heavens opened up all at once and electronic music became a kind of new home to so many. Paula Schopf belonged there. For her the Ocean Club at Tresor club was a central place where friends and mentors like Gudrun Gut and Thomas Fehlmann made it possible for her to get really into it. Dancing, being and feeling your body, forgetting oneself in the bass and beats, who one is and where one’s from, to becoming the DJ Chica Paula. Chile was very far away during this time, Latin America was more just a code, a musical and habitual cliche to be cautious of. This was especially true for the culture of the Chilean exile, the pathos of the “Canto Nuevo”, the sound and ideologically charged instruments of the „música andina“, for example the Zampoña, Quena or Charango. Techno was the greatest thinkable alternative to this even if or perhaps because so many kids exiled from Chile became key figures in the German and European scene: Ricardo Villalobos, Dandy Jack, Cristian Vogel, Matias Aguayo and many more.

How does returning to a place sound? Does the ear have its own memory? The field recordings which were recorded in Santiago de Chile in 2016 and form the central sonic material for Espacios en Soledad represent the paradox for Schopf’s return to her home country after emigrating: the inevitable drifting apart of her own lived time from that of her former home. Already the Venezuelan and Colombian hawkers are unmistakable signs of the deep change in Chilean society which has happened in recent years due to immigration. Which is in contrast to the old lady who sits on the floor in a pedestrian zone and without break sings the same three songs by Violeta Parra and then keeps falling asleep while doing so. The fragile presence of her voice is joined with a repertoire which is almost mythologically timeless in Chile in a particularly moving way.

By layering, ordering and conjoining such found sounds from modern day Santiago this piece become about the urban sound of Chile’s present. But more than anything by doing this Paula Schopf becomes an arranger of her own sonic memory or sound-triggered memories of returning to this city. Just as techno and Berlin helped her for such a long time to get away from too strong of an identification as a Chilean in exil, now with Espacios en Soledad she has found a way to bring these two seemingly disparate lives and remembered worlds together.

Matthias Pasdzierny

Repress!

With Robyn, South London's cktrl shares his most ambitious work yet, collaborating with the likes of Duval Timothy, Coby Sey (Micachu, Tirzah, Dean Blunt) and Purple Ferdinand to create a vital exploration of contemporary-classical from the black perspective; out via Errol and Alex Rita's Touching Bass. Spurred on by the overpowering feelings of heartbreak, Robyn impressively creates emotive and heartfelt clarinet and saxophone-led soundscapes about the all-consuming power of love. On the project, cktrl says: "'Robyn' at its core is heartbreak and is just really sentimental. It's a journey of losing a love but it ends with optimism as you find strength to love again." Born and bred in Lewisham, cktrl aka Bradley Miller is an integral part of London's pioneering musical underground. One of the only remaining original DJs on NTS, cktrl has previously worked with and played alongside the likes of Sampha, Sango, Kelela and Dean Blunt. Throughout his career to date, cktrl has also been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs including Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Nicholas Daley and Jenn Nkiru who recently secured him a cameo in Beyonce's heralded 'Black Is King'. With a shared ethos of elevating and amplifying leftfield black music, he partners with London based label, Touching Bass, themselves a key cog within the city's bubbling musical underbelly.

Drums, please! Fortunately, Manuel Tur has plenty of them. The well-versed producer is no stranger to Running Back and a most-welcome returnee. Following the box-office success of 121 BPM on the very first Rhythm Trainx edition in 2015 – not to be confused with 121 BPM (1) on here – Tur prepared a whole collection of beating, driving, percussive, pulsating, fast and slow DJ tools, rhythmic repetitions and acrobatic adventures. A dozen tracks (including digital exclusives) Ranging from 100 to 150 Bpm, you get it all and then some: from tribal trace elements to Windy City patterns, New York house fabrics, robotic funk and some of techno’s DNA. Saves the (last) night of any DJ and your next mixtape.

It's been already 10 years since the first DJ's Choice parties in basements and squatted social centers in Rome. Many things have changed, but the approach remains the same: using music as a form of expression and a means to affirm one's identity.

RM stands for "Rebel Music" (i.e., music by DJ's Choice founder The Rebel), but is also short for "Rome", a city represented in track one by the 'Jedi Master' of Roman hip hop: Danno, from the pioneering underground crew Colle Der Fomento.

Also performing on The Rebel's instrumental are New York hip hop duo The Good People in track two, ''Body Rockin''', remixed by another Italian hip hop legend, Ice One.

Rome and New York are two worlds, two styles, but two sides of the same coin. Our Rebel Music brings them together as if they were two stops on the same subway line.





e 05: Body Rockin' (Hip Hop Room Remix) feat. The Good People

Following his summer anthem ‘Nah’ which has achieved 6M global streams in the first 5-weeks, Sonny Fodera announces his new album Wide Awake.

Releasing on 22nd October, Sonny gets ready for his most ambitious studio album to date. Including a variety of a-list collaborators and vocalists including Sinead Harnett, Diplo, Ella Eyre, Sam Tompkins, Dan Caplen, MK, Vintage Culture, Bru-C, and many others. Sonny is set to showcase his versatile and in-demand production palette with dancefloor weapons, crossover anthems, a touch of garage and more.

The new album will also land in the midst of Sonny’s sold-out UK and US tour, where his new album will come to life. This summer has already seen him sell 12,000 tickets at his Back To Love co-headline festival with Gorgon City in London, with more sold out shows at the likes of Liverpool’s Bramley Moore Dock, Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, and London’s Printworks to come, as well as a double header in Los Angeles at Exchange + Academy.

With over 300M streams to his name in the past year alone, Sonny Fodera’s Wide Awake album is set to cement the elite producer and DJ’s legendary status in the dance world and beyond.

After a two year hiatus, DJ Spinna and Kai Alce return to BBE Music with the 5th instalment of their 7” vinyl series ‘Foundations’, this time showcasing Ralphi Rosario &Xaviera Gold’s undisputed club classic: ‘You Used To Hold Me’. With global interest in ‘45s on the rise, ‘Foundations’ aims to fill those frustrating gaps in all our collections by releasing specially crafted edits of classic house tracks on 7” vinyl for the very first time.

The youngest member chosen for Chicago’s ‘Hot Mix 5’ on WBMX back in 1981, Ralphi Rosario is nothing less than House Music royalty, and 1987 smash ‘You Used To Hold Me’ is surely his most enduring hit. Featuring fellow WBMX DJ and vocalist Xaviera Gold, the song has seen several cover versions, remixes and reissues over the years, but has surprisingly never before appeared on ’45. Spinna and Alce have chosen to create special edits of the ’87 ‘Riviera’ version and the ‘(You Used To Beat Me Black and Blue) Bonus Beats’ for this double-sided slice of Dance Music history.

“This is the blueprint to vocal House music and how it should be delivered” says Kai Alce, “and to have the opportunity to present it on 7" for the first time with Ralphi's blessing is overwhelmingly gratifying!”

“You Used To Hold Me seems like one of those anthemic jams that you pretty much heard everywhere- it was massive” recalls DJ Spinna. “I remember hearing it at the Paradise Garage in 1987, but it may have already been a hit on NY radio by that time. It’s one of those classic vocal tracks that impacted the House world as hard as Ten City ‘Devotion’ and ‘Move Your Body’ by Marshall Jefferson. The Bonus Beats on the 12” was a great tool for the DJ. You often heard it used in blends with other tracks.”

The making of “I Dreamed of Electric Sheep” was heavily influenced by the situation everyone had to face lately. “We were forced to work under very peculiar circumstances, often interrupting our studio activity because of the lockdown”, says Franz Di Cioccio (lead vocals, drums). The whole process took one year spent mostly working at home, sharing ideas and meeting at Patrick Djivas’ (bass, keyboards) home studio, before the band was able to record the album at White Studios in Milan, Italy. Being the rhythm section Cioccio and Djivas make a perfectly working team. “We both have a great passion for SciFi movies. In the past we watched many of them together. In the case of ‘Blade Runner’ we were hit by the question: Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep? - The world has been changing around us. Computers are taking over and Covid has accelerated the process. However, we strongly believe in the power of people to use their imagination and fantasy. To us this is what really makes the difference between human beings and androids.” The band considers themselves being in a similar place when it comes to music that Impressionists were in when it comes to painting: They didn’t paint fixed somatic traits for their figures with their brush strokes while PFM (Premiata Forneria Marconi) do not consider themselves limited to a specific genre. While the album tells multiple stories they are all linked to passion, love and the power of imagination. As a real treat PMF invited a couple of musicians they have been friends with for a long time: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) on flute and Steve Hackett (ex-Genesis) on electric guitar. “I Dreamed of Electric Sheep” is simultaneously released in both English and Italian versions, hence the Italian subtitle, “Ho Sognato Pecore Elettriche". PMF’s “I Dreamed of Electric Sheep” is available in the following formats: Special 2 CD Digipak with O-Card, Gatefold 2LP+2CD & Special LP-Booklet and Digital Album.

Following critically acclaimed releases with Dance Regular and Rhythm Section (releasing under SAUL with Jack Stephenson-Oliver), London-based producer/DJ Footshooter lands on Astral Black with his full-length debut, the 'Southside Hymns' LP.

'Southside Hymns' is a decadent tribute to the community, club nights and culture of London that Barney Whittaker (Footshooter) is intrinsically a part of. This ethos is embodied in the skippy, broken-beat of the MA.MOYO featuring 'Passing Clouds' (a tribute to the community-ran venue of the same name), whilst the piercing synth stabs and horn laden grooves of 'Juno Café' is a nod to the South East London club space it's named after.

Following the Albertina-featuring single 'Twilight', the EP transitions from a dusk drive through the city - taking in the sights and sounds of Whittaker's favourite foliage-flaunting haunts, to parking the listener firmly on the dance floor with the trunk rattling bass of 'Untether' and the Natty Wylah featuring 'Bloom'.

Through enlisting a guest cast including the likes of vocalists MA.MOYO, Natty Wylah & Albertina, guest instrumentalists and long-term collaborators Wilf Petherbridge, Isobel Risk, Ebyan Rezguli & James Mollison, as well as artwork by Illustrator & NTS resident Anu Ambasna - Footshooter has ensured that 'Southside Hymns' at once embodies the contemporary London music community that it is also a dedication to.

'Southside Hymns' drops October 1st on 12" vinyl & digital DL via Astral Black Records.

Raven returns to Rekids with ‘Mania’ this September.

Born in Canada and now based in Berlin, having spent time in Los Angeles, Chicago, Barcelona, Toronto, and Mexico City and more in between, Raven is a singular artist distilling influences ranging from Techno, Electro, R&B and more into her own genre-spanning, vocal-driven productions. Following her debut EP ‘Flames’ on Rekids in 2020, which picked up support from the likes of Joy Orbison, Deetron, and many more, as well as an appearance on Amelie Lens’ Exhale imprint earlier this year, Berlin-based DJ/producer Raven returns to Radio Slave’s imprint once again with the fierce ‘Mania’ 12”.

With ‘Flames’ featuring five original tracks, Raven narrows her focus on ‘Mania’, turning in two killer techno cuts backed with alternative mixes of each. Leading the A side is ‘Nobody’, a hypnotic late-night affair peppered with emotive vocal hooks and trippy synth leads, followed by the ‘Sudden Urges’ mix, which sees the track stripped of its pulsing 4/4 and replaced with haunting atmospherics, breakbeats, and additional synth work.

On the flip, ‘Cold Sweat’ returns to the club with a dose of speaker-rattling kicks, mind-bending leads, and siren-esque effects before the ‘Comedown Mix’ brings a subtler approach, with electro-flecked drum patterns, dense ambience, and spacious reverberations rounding out a standout second release from Raven for Matt Edwards’ Rekids.

Yellow Vinyl

The first release on Optimo Music founder JD Twitch’s new compilation-focused label Cease & Desist will be a collection of pioneering turn-of-the-90s British “Bleep & Bass” techno tracks curated by author and music journalist Matt Anniss.

Join The Future: UK Bleep & Bass 1988-91 is a partner product to Anniss’s critically acclaimed book on the foundations of British dance music’s ongoing love affair with sub-bass, Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Bass Music. The book, which was published by Velocity Press in December and features a foreword by JD Twitch, documents in vivid detail the previously untold story of the Yorkshire-pioneered style and the impact it had on the development of UK dance music.

The compilation is the first to focus on Bleep & Bass since the sound’s heyday in the late 1980s and early ’90s. It features a mix of historic cuts, period classics, overlooked gems and unreleased material. It was mastered for release by Warp Records co-founder and Forgemasters member Rob Gordon, a producer, remixer and studio engineer who arguably did more than anyone else to define the sub-heavy sound of the style.

Gordon also contributed a previously unheard version of Alfanso’s “Dub Feels Nice”, a near mythical track he produced in 1991 that has never received a proper commercial release. The cut has been a secret weapon for a handful of Sheffield DJs for almost 30 years, most notably Gordon’s fellow Forgemasters member Winston Hazel. Fittingly, the compilation also includes the original unreleased instrumental version of Tuff Little Unit’s Steel City classic “Join The Future”.

Many of the other tracks on the compilation are rare, hard to find or have not been issued on vinyl or digital since their initial release. It opens with Unique 3 and the Mad Musician’s “Only The Beginning” – the 1988 A-side of the first ever Bleep record – and also includes tracks and remixes from fellow scene pioneers Ital Rockers (an early alias of dub hero Iration Steppas), Nightmares on Wax, Cabaret Voltaire and DJ Martin and DJ Homes, the previously unheralded Chapeltown duo behind the influential Leeds-based studio and record label BASSIC.

Elsewhere on the compilation you’ll find Birmingham producer Demonik’s sought-after debut single “Layrinthe”, a hard-to-find cut from Bedford-based men of mystery Original Clique, two classic cuts from the vaults of influential Midlands label Network Records and a glassy-eyed slab of Bleep/deep house fusion from 100 Hz.

Join The Future: UK Bleep & Bass 1988-91 will be released on double vinyl and digital download. The 10-track vinyl version features an insert with extensive liner notes by Matt Anniss. It also comes with a code to download the 12-track digital download version. The compilation will be released by Cease & Desist on March 25th 2020.

To mark EPM’s 20th anniversary we’ve been releasing a series of EPs, each one focussing on a different genre. In May we brought you a taste of Techno with Robert Hood, Ben Sims, James Ruskin and Mark Broom each delivering their distinct production skills, whilst this September sees the release of our second EP bringing together cuts by some of Electro’s leading lights - The Advent & Zein Ferreira, Carl Finlow, Detroit’s Filthiest and Modulator (a.k.a. Freddie Fresh).

For the third and final EP in the series we turn our attention to House music, and once again we’ve commissioned four brand new and exclusive tracks from artists who we’ve had the pleasure to work with over the years.

First up is none other than a Detroit Techno founding father and the TechnoSoul innovator himself Eddie Fowlkes, who delivers a classy opener in ‘1-2-3’ that’s deep yet vibrant and showcases his legendary status. Next is a fellow Motor City modernizer, Jon Dixon whose musicianship and productive talent takes him from jazz to techno which he skilfully brings to ‘Mack & Bewick’. Motech Records’ founder DJ 3000 brings us the spirit of ‘Summer 1995’ as he briefly steps away from techno to give us this uplifting sun-drenched stunner. Final track ‘The Beat’ comes from Rico & Sonny, the pseudonym of Chicago based DJ duo and production team of Adam Stolz and the talented Tim Baker, recorded before his devastating and untimely passing. His music lives on and we’d like to dedicate this EP to him.

The ‘EPM20’ compilation which features all the tracks from the EPs plus additional cuts from a host of other artists and EPM friends will follow this autumn.

Session Victim and Erobique join forces once again for a beautiful cover version of Mark- Almond's "The City", starring Jamie Lloyd's enticing vocals and featuring Linnart Ebel's subtle rhythm guitar. Ever since Hauke Freer stumbled over Mark- Almond's final studio album Other People's Rooms at Montreal record store Death Of Vinyl a few years ago, the pair would regularily finish DJ nights with this 1978 recording of their hit single "The City" - and since then, the idea of recording their own rendition had been tossed around frequently. Carsten "Erobique" Meyer was not the first but really the duo's only choice to see this through and well, just listen to the impeccable Rhodes/Clavinet combination he came up with. However, it is Sydney's Jamie Lloyd who steals the show and takes the song into his realm, putting his very own stamp and character on this certified classic. Long time collaborator Linnart Ebel complete's the band with his ever subtle rhythm guitar. The two, three, four, five man house, not house band branches out for all the right reasons and this is the result.

This summer, Saft welcomes Dubbyman after a three-year hiatus from releasing music. He serves up a gorgeous new EP in the SAFTX series that features a remix from Detroit mainstay FIT Siegel.

Dubbyman is a master of the deep. As a DJ and producer, he explores warm and heady soundscapes that are rooted in house and techno but decorated with much more. His musical synths and compelling rhythms have resulted in countless vital EPs on labels like Ferrispark, Soul People Music and the Deep Explorer label he co-runs. Now, after a break, he is back and in brilliant form.

Opener 'En La Ciudad' is an effortlessly loose and languid house track. The hip-swinging claps and funk bass riffs bring a sunset vibe, with wordless vocals from Carlito Brigante Rojo and dreamy pads really soothing the soul. Remixing is legendary FIT Sound label head, FXHE associate and pillar of the Motor City scene FIT Siegel. His famously no-nonsense approach results in a track here that is laced up with smoky soul. The dusty beats roll deep, the twisted synth work brings light and lush pads soften the whole groove with a real sense of heart.

"Up Again" strikes another perfectly seductive pose with its jazzy keys, soulful vocals, and rough-edged beats that make you want to dance. It's a tune packed with feelings and irresistible funk, and is sure to be the soundtrack to many outdoor parties this summer. The Deep Explorer Mix is a little more direct, with dynamic house drums, sunkissed motifs and warm pads taking you straight to the Mediterranean. Last of all, "Tropic" featuring Arturo Sanchidrian on bass is a downtempo classic, with beachy vibes, gently breaking synth waves and soft-focus melodies sinking you deep into a
reverie.

This is an EP of life-affirming, heart-warming house sounds that take you to a better place.

180g Heavyweight Black vinyl. Mansur Brown is a 24 year old Artist,
Producer and Multi-Instrumentalist, from Brixton, London.

Mansur released his debut Album “Shiroi” in 2018, followed by EP “Tesuto” in 2020. Mansur’s forthcoming album entitled “Heiwa” is due for release in September 2021, and will be the debut record released on Mansur’s own record label, Amai Records.

“Heiwa”, which means ‘Peace’, is an album about “the journey of life and all the emotions that are faced throughout life in the quest to attain true peace of mind and happiness within.”

Mansur’s sound rolls out across “Heiwa” like an expansive film score backdrop to the conflict between city and nature and the cycle of life, and spans genres of R&B, Hip-Hop, Ambient, Rock and Electronica.
Radio play from Benji B and Bradley Zero (BBC R1), Soulection DJs,
Giles Peterson (6 Music)

Album launch at Wilton Music Hall - August 26th

Early support by: Laurent Garnier, AME, Marco Bailey, Jennifer Cardini, Terrence Fixmer, Kyle Geiger, Marcel Dettmann, Apparat, Richie Hawtin, Vril, Charlotte De Witte, Sasha, Benjamin Demage any many more..



Fresh off of a remix for Grimes’ “My Name is Dark”, producer Julien Bracht has been powering through CV19 studio seclusion on full-power, with a distinct vision for brighter days ahead. Bracht’s new album, “Now Forever One,” an emblem of dark analog synthwave, is set to drop June 11. Bracht’s first solo album under his own namesake is cut with surgical precision for the shoegazing astral sound travellers who long to break out of their pandemic quarantines, and reconvene for techno-induced ascension. The album’s first single, “Melancholia,” and it’s accompanying video, is already breaking hearts and charts. An exquisite sonic hybrid of communal revelry and profound introspection, “Now Forever One,” focuses Bracht’s multilayered craftsmanship on resolving this era’s angst with sensory exploration and optimism.



As a lifelong drummer, Bracht’s insatiable musical energy lead him to bang out his first 3 EPs within one year of first being signed in 2011-12. In 2015 he founded the band Lea Porcelain with Markus Nikolaus in London. Their hypnotic post-rock debut release in 2017, “Hymns to the Night,” gained instant acclaim from UK tastemakers Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe, to name a few. The lads broke back onto the international stage with dates on several major festivals around Europe, including the Leeds/Reading Festival, Great Escape Brighton and Latitude. Rich output combined with the inclusion of live drums in his solo live sets quickly gained Bracht recognition and slots on the global tour circuit.

“Now Forever One” forges Julien Bracht’s transition from techno djing, while continuing the explorations of texture and timbre over functional song structures from Lea Porcelain, to a more open-ended search for the aural sublime — the substrate on which music, life and light glide to create momentary nodes of meaning in an increasingly meaningless sociopolitical atmosphere. These are crucial themes to Bracht’s process and approach. “The intention in my music is to strengthen people’s awareness and minds… I want us all to gather in spirit and stick together.”

The album exemplifies Bracht’s hunt for elemental juxtaposition with the warm Prophet 6’s sawtooth howls and bright pads against chillingly indifferent pulsing basslines and percussion. Clocking in at just under 65 minutes, “Now Forever One’s” tracks are sequenced to take the listener through the full emotional arch of a 15-hour rave, with an emphasis on those moments of collective epiphany where heaving techno floors become the perfect microcosm for an idealistic and interconnected future. Interspersed with improvisational one-takes, the album submerges the listener in polyrhythmic meditations, of which “Streets” and “Nocturne” are standout examples, and soars on the vaulted synth melodies of future dance floor favourites “Melancholia” and “Dreams of Euphoria.” Sascha Ring of Apparat & Moderat puts it perfectly: “I played “Melancholia” the night I got it at Mutek Festival in Mexico City, and instantly knew it’ll shine on a big floor at the right time. It’s just the right balance of majestic melodic deepness.” The sounds are both triumphant and exploratory.

Greater than the sum of its parts, Bracht’s latest release hints at the artist’s emerging potential for nailing our moment’s zeitgeist; learning to live smaller while constantly seeking higher heights. Inhabiting the fertile ground between solitary rumination and dance-floor convenance, the launch of “Now Forever One’s” lunar expedition into the techno oblivion of pandemic lockdown is oddly fitting.

Born in Brixton, a child of the Windrush Generation, Letts’ slippery and unorthodox career is somewhat hard to define, without taking a few detours around London, New York and Jamaica. He began his working life managing the dauntingly hip Acme Attractions on Chelsea’s Kings Road, where he made a mark with his attitude, dress and, especially, the pounding dub reggae that vibrated the shop’s walls. His first gig as a DJ at the short-lived Roxy in Neal Street, became mythical for turning a generation of punks on to reggae. They in turn hipped him to their DIY ethos resulting in his reinvention as a filmmaker. This led to a shed-load of music videos (Linton Kwesi Johnson, The Clash, Bob Marley) not

to mention documentaries on the likes of Gil Scott-Heron, George Clinton and Sun Ra.



In the ’80s, he was part of Mick Jones’ new venture, Big Audio Dynamite and his innovative use of samples were a core part of their sound. Listeners of his weekly 6 Music radio show are taken on a musical safari that moves seamlessly between time, space and genre. It’s not called Culture Clash Radio for nothing. So this latest bulletin from Letts HQ is merely one angle of a multifaceted personality, his take on the JA tradition of the cover version.



The history of Caribbean music owes a debt to R&B as many of the early island releases were cover versions of US 45s. Ska’s breakthrough commercially, Millie Small’s ‘My Boy Lollipop’, was originally recorded by Barbie Gaye in ’50s New York. Cover versions became quite a thing in Jamaica and Don, following in that tradition, has dug deep with a selection of interesting dubbed out covers including thirteen exclusives.



“A disciple of sound system, raised on reggae n’ bass culture my go to sound was dub. Besides being spacious and sonically adventurous at the same time, its most appealing aspect was the space it left to put yourself ‘in the mix’ underpinned by Jamaica’s gift to the world - bass. But that’s only half the story as the duality of my existence meant I was also checking what the Caucasian crew were up to not to mention the explosion of black music coming in from the States. That’s why this version excursion crosses time space and genre, from The Beach Boys to The Beatles, Nina Simone to Marvin Gaye, The Bee Gees to Kool & The Gang, The Clash to Joy Division and beyond. You’d think it impossible to draw a line between ‘em but not in my world. Fortunately, the ‘cover version’ has played an integral part in the evolution of Jamaican music and dub covers were just a natural extension.”



There’s a diverse mix of classic and new, with legendary figures like John Holt, The Tamlins and Cornell Campbell, mixed in with British veterans Mad Professor and the irrepressible Dennis Bovell, while (relatively) young striplings Kiko Bun, Emily Capell and Prince Fatty deliver the goods, with laidback Texan groovers Khruangbin also offering an exclusive bass heavy-delight.



The song choices are diverse, from French dubsters’ OBF’s renditions of ‘Sixteen Tons’, the miners’ paean popularised by Tennessee Ernie Ford in the 1950s, to Ash Walker’s refix of Omar’s ‘There’s Nothing Like This’ and ‘All I Do Is Think About You’, immortalised by the ill-fated Tammi Terrell and preserved here by Quantic (the latter two both exclusives). Being a Rebel Dread compilation, there’s a cover (by Wrongtom Meets The Rockers) of The Clash’s ‘Lost In The Supermarket’ while Don’s exclusive, naturally, is a rendition of Big Audio Dynamite’s debut hit, ‘E = MC2’.



“Truth be told I’ve wanted to work with the Late Night Tales crew from the get go. We’re talking nearly two decades such was the allure of their musical aesthetic typified by curators like Nightmares on Wax, The Flaming Lips, MGMT, Trentemoller, Khruangbin and countless others. Now being as old as rock n’ roll (born in ‘56) and having nearly 20 years of Culture Clash Radio under my belt I figured I was tooled up to musically juggle with the best of ‘em. But I wanted to carve out a space that was distinctly my own - something that reflected my musical journey and the culture clash that’s made me the man I am today.”

Take One is the cinematic debut release from the minds of Hampshire born emcee Deeflux and seminal producer Kraze. Created through a chaotic and turbulent life journey, the project was born out of the collective need to change direction musically by both artists.
The results are an accomplished and often brutally honest prose, overlaid across a wide range of soundscapes sca-ling the spectrum of alternative rap music. Themed around cinema, each track tells a story like a window into the ar-tists lives covering a range of topics and emotions with Deeflux’s trademark labyrinthine wordplay weaving effortlessly over Kraze’s diverse production.
The LP, originally intended as a mixtape and picked up and pressed by Broke Records was fraught with tragedy. From faulty metal work, lost livelihoods and the eventual loss of all stock it sadly never saw the proposed release until now. Certain Sound received a phone call out of the blue after the stock was
re discovered and have re packaged with the full intended “Directors Cut” as downloadable content in a limited run of coloured and heavy weight black vinyl.
Take your seats and enjoy the show! Artist Bio - Deeflux
Deeflux comes from a diverse musical background. After falling in love with heavy metal at 6 years old he spent his early years as a song writer and guitarist in ska, punk and metal bands before re discovering hip-hop in college where he used the college computers to start his journey beat making.
Finding his voice at 18 he began to craft his style. Influenced by his home town stable of graffiti writers, MCs and beatmakers. he went from working with Reklews (BLAH) to collaborating worldwide on projects such as Oddio Kin.
He has a number of physical releases with his group C O R N E R S (Deeflux, Beit Nun and Benny Diction), live group Natural Selection and last year released 52 singles with his long running DJ Miracle (Boot Records).

Kraze is somewhat of a musical prodigy. In his early teens he was at the epicentre of the first wave of grime and Began DJing on pirate radio & producing music. He eventually landed an artist development deal with EMI & later Sony/ATV.
He was responsible for Devlin’s standout London City and earned two cuts on
his Bud, Sweat and Beers album. During his time with EMI & Sony, he worked with producers such as Naughty-boy, Mojam & Stargate and a variety of artists before eventually leaving the industry to pursue other opportuni-ties. Take One will be his first solo release.

A selection of exclusive tracks from a dusty shoebox full of cassettes and DAT tapes, recorded by Facehugger and Deviant between 1995 and 1997.

The Parasite EP showcases their first batch of live analogue jams that mash the boundaries of experimental house, deep electro, acid and the hazy bustling sounds of the city – a soundtrack of travelling to raves, staying up late, coming home and making wild mixtapes until early Monday morning.

Despite the untimely passing of his production partner, Deviant, in 2009, Facehugger has remained a dedicated and unique beatmaker, close personal friend and unsung hero of the scene, not to mention “unofficial” manager of the Plates record shop, known for his outspoken, boisterous and loud opinions about any new releases which came in!

Now, nearly 30 years on, nestled in the quiet suburb of Carlton (Nottingham), Facehugger loads up his drum machines and starts to create, with the promise of a new wave of music on the horizon…

DJ support from: Charlie Bones (NTS), Bradley Zero, Coco Bryce, OK Williams, Glenn Astro

Parisian Soul debut on Local Talk is intelligent, warm, jazzy, peak time house music.
It has the underground vibe yet speaks to everyone, timely thought out chords that gives you positive rush to your ears and give your heart a great big hug.
On the flip legendary producer Olivier Portal aka Playin' 4 The City delivers a mix that is screaming to be played as much on a sunny afternoon as it is at a night party, it is heavenly!

Artist info : In the early 80's, when he was still a young boy, David Hachour involved himself totally in Hip Hop culture. He bought turntables and became a Hip Hop DJ. He threw parties, participated in graffiti contests, became a high level BMX competitor. Having moved to London, David ditched the Adidas and the paint bombs for electronic music.

In 1998, David Hachour founded Oscar with his friend Florent Sabaton, releasing 3 albums and many singles. David traveled all over the world to play alongside famous DJs such as Rainer Truby, Louie Vega, Shazz, Carl Craig, Grand Master Flash, Kenny Larkin, Dixon.

In 2016, David started working on Parisian Soul with his friends Alexandre Destrez (St Germain, Dimitri From Paris) and percussionist Edmundo Carneiro (St. Germain, Bob Sinclar, De La Soul).

Last autumn Leng Records welcomed a new name to the roster, Greek DJ/producer Lex, via some warming and colourful tracks on the label’s 10th Anniversary LP and sampler EP. Now the Athenian has returned with his first full release for Paul Murphy and Simon Purnell’s popular imprint.



Real name Alex Andrikopoulos, Lex first rose to prominence in his home city of Athens when he ran the Radical Soundz record shop during the first decade of the millennium. More recently his reputation has spread worldwide thanks to his association with Leng, a recent 12” on B2 Recordings and DJ sets that frequently join the dots between disco, house and techno.



His first full EP for Leng is arguably his most musically expansive collection of tracks to date, with a swathe of guest players – keyboardist Artis Boriss and drummer/percussionist Harold Perez most prominently – swinging by to help bring Lex’s vivid musical visions to life.



For proof, check out lead cut ‘Punta Allen’, an eight-minute chunk of organic dancefloor goodness in which Lex and his musical associates layer steel pan style melodies, spacey synthesizer flourishes, eyes-closed electric piano solos, warming chords and jangling guitars atop a heady bass guitar line, unfussy drums and sweaty pots-and-pans percussion. The track’s effortless evolution, which slowly unfurls before rising towards a gorgeous and joyous conclusion, is testament to the Greek producer’s dancefloor instincts.



You’ll find more low-slung, dub disco-influenced bass on the exotic ‘The Jamail Pass’, where mazy and feverish organ solos and rolling hand percussion provide a platform for Paqua member Alex Searle’s Nile Rodgers style guitar sounds. The track’s inherent funk – emphasized by occasional bass guitar solos and fills, as well as some tumbling synth sounds – is apparent throughout the track, something that only adds to its smile-inducing allure.



Closing out a very impressive first EP on Leng is ‘Angels of Rhythm’, a hazier, faster and more intergalactic excursion that cannily combines the low-slung bass of dub disco with the intoxicating vibes and warming dreaminess of deep house. The track’s intoxicating late-night feel is partly due to an undecidedly cosmic spoken word vocal from sassy singer Harrier Summer, though Artis Boriss’ pitch-bend-sporting synth solos and fizzing electronic noises certainly help. Driving but also deep and groovy, ‘Angels of Rhythm’ offers a memorable conclusion to a very impressive EP.

Two Underground London Jazzfloor hits from Paul Murphy's Jazz Room Records.

On the A side Latin Supergroup's wild and infectious "Caliente" with Paquito's Banging piano riff and heavy Bass Line action from Descarga originator Cachao overlaid with Driving vibes from Tany Gil and a Percussion Meltdown from Walfredo De Los Reyes.

On the B side the Vienna Art Orchestra provide a dark and mysterious version of the Bud Powell classic "Un Poco Loco" keeping that Be-Bop Afro-Cuban vibe but adding that East of the Border darkness you'd expect from a sound recorded at the time the city was on the Cold War fault line.

Gilles Peterson (Worldwide / Brownswood):

"Paul Murphy found almost every jazz dancefloor classic. He is the original messenger of jazz. He opened the door to an alternative way of being a Dj. The rest is history.

In 1979 as a 15-year-old Eddie Piller was perfectly placed to be at the epicentre of the Mod revival. An inquisitive passion
for music, a family connection to Mod royalty The Small Faces, and an attitude that saw him travelling his home city, then
the country and then the world to take in the sounds that were emerging. In the years since, Piller has been a legendary
figure within the music industry setting up and continuing to own the ground-breaking Acid Jazz label, signing multiplatinum artists such as Jamiroquai and The Brand New Heavies collaborating on compilations with Martin Freeman and as
an award winning broadcaster even setting up his own Totally Wired Radio station. In The Mod Revival he looks back at the
movement that set him on his way.
• Mod is a sixties youth movement original built on sharp clothes, American soul music and nights on the town, that has never
really died. The originals added young British groups to their likes and then moved on, but their influence echoed on
through the 1970s in Northern Soul clubs, and in the sixties influenced bands of the pub rock era. When punk arrived, it was
supposed to sweep away the past, but instead the Sex Pistols were covering the Small Faces. The Clash brought in Mod DJ
Guy Stevens to produce London’s Calling, The Buzzcocks sounded closer to the Hollies than The Ramones and in The Jam’s
Paul Weller there was a musical and sartorial nod to the past of The Who, The Beatles and pop art arrows.
• Weller had spent the 1970s becoming obsessed by mod and saw punk as having a similar youthful energy to the era he had
missed by being born a decade too late. For others Weller’s style proved an inspiration, and as the Jam broke through in late
1978, they saw a wave of bands follow in their wake, and they themselves influenced others to form their own groups. But
there were other things. In bleak late 70s Britain the glorious optimism of the 1960s looked bright and shiny, and as it was
only a decade or so in the past, it was easy to pick up original records, clothes and books for pennies, and as you bought
these you met other like-minded souls who did the same. For those a little too young for punk, it was a community of gigs,
scooters, clothes, bands and records, and for many it developed on through.
• Eddie never stopped being a mod and has a unique perspective having now lived through four decades of being intimately
involved in the music that has emerged from the mod scene. In this part two double vinyl edition (Part 1 and its CD
equivalent reached #14 in the UK compilations charts) Ed guides us through some of his favourite music from the scene. He
guides us through a plethora of bands whose influences include The Who, The Kinks and the Jam, to sixties soul and R&B,
those with an eye on psychedelia. The records have a vitality and a certain stylish swagger to them, that marks them out as
mod. In the deluxe booklet, Piller has written a 5000 word note describing what it meant to him and has granted access to
his own scrapbooksfrom his many years of gig-going from which pages and memorabilia are reproduced.
• Eddie Piller’s Mod Revival is a personal appraisal from the founder of The Modcast, on what the mod explosion of the late
70s and 80s means to him…

Repress on Black Vinyl

GENX003 is a four track EP tribute of the classic "Boy's Interface". Starring the legendary DJ Rob with a remix of himself, Rotterdam City and label owners Deep Dimension. Relive the old vibes of Parkzicht with a techno twist.

Supported by: Charlotte de Witte, Chris Liebing, Dave Clarke, Len Faki, Rebekah, Speedy J, and Thomas P. Heckmann, Perc, 2000 and One.

Acid Dad is an American alternative-rock band composed of singer-guitarists, Vaughn Hunt and Sean Fahey, and drummer, Trevor Mustoe. Vaughn first started recording the band in his Bushwick, NY basement releasing singles “Brain Body” and their first EP “Let’s Plan a Robbery.” Appearing live in the New York City rock scene in 2016, Acid Dad quickly moved to a world stage with their self-titled debut album, released by Greenway Records in 2018. During 2020, the band spent their time building a new studio space in Queens, NY, while continuing to independently produce all their own music, art and even building their own guitars. With a new space and vision, the band produced their second LP, “Take It From The Dead,” set to be co-released in June 2021 by Brooklyn’s Greenway Records and psych powerhouse LEVITATION’s label, The Reverberation Appreciation Society. “Take It From The Dead” features an array of different influences ranging from 90’s neo-psych, modern post-punk and 70’s rock-n-roll. Acid Dad has crafted a record that sounds new, yet feels nostalgic. In contrast to their earlier work, they make use of slower tempos and expand their sound to include songs that are both more intricate and more hypnotic. To accompany the new record, the band spent the last year collaborating with video artist Webb Hunt, producing psych and glitch art videos that form a visual counterpart to the dreamy distortions of their sound. Take It From The Dead is out June 11th via Greenway Records / The Reverberation Appreciation Society on Deluxe LP & CD.

Detroit Parties Rock like This......................another repressed Detroit stomper from the Duo Keith Tucker and Blak Tony. Equipped and programmed for the dance floor, K1 and Blak Tony’s acapella is sure to start any set off if you bold enough to do it. “Rock Like this” is A electro rap assault into the Detroit parties of the past. This track is a anthem from the city that gave you some of the funkiest electro ever created. This ep never disappoints a favorite of Dj Stingray.

Director David Lynch once said "I long for a kind of quiet where I can just drift and dream. I always say getting inspiration is like fishing. If you're quiet and sitting there and you have the right bait, you're going to catch a fish eventually. Ideas are sort of like that. You never know when they're going to hit you." Inspired by this quote in both name and spirit, Hollie Kenniff's The Quiet Drift is an ambient gallery of cloudlike synths, seraphic strings, echoing guitars, and other celestial textures guided to cohesion by Hollie's own wordless singing. Though the album certainly creates (and originates from) the kind of space where Lynch's proverbial "fish" can be caught, The Quiet Drift is a fitting title for Hollie's own history, both recent and distant. During the course of the album's creation, Hollie and her family moved cross-country from an island in Washington state, to an island in Maine before ultimately relocating to Canada. "As a child I visited Ontario year-round," she explains in her own words. She continues "More than any other landscape, I think the lake, rivers, and woods there left the most enduring impression on me. The landscape and pace of life of these places will always stay with me." But the reverberant spaces Hollie crafts need no physical headquarters. Instead of conjuring views of nature at the ground level, her sound more readily evokes a top-down perspective, with the distinct features of the land shrinking underfoot as the listener becomes untethered from geography altogether. The Quiet Drift belongs more to the liminal spaces between life and afterlife, memory and fantasy, landscape and dreamscape, than any mappable locale. Describing her formative years, Hollie says "As a dual US/Canadian citizen who spent my childhood in a rural town-- one that I haven't returned to in many years - I have a sense of not entirely belonging anywhere. When I was a teenager my close friends were male musicians, so I was also an outsider to the degree that they were wild and anarchic in a way that I wasn't. I was a quiet book reader and avid music listener who enjoyed being around a creative group. I was also a radio DJ for alternative and punk music throughout high school." In this light, The Quiet Drift attests that creativity is placeless, and calls into question the stereotype of artists as scene-centric city dwellers. Having come of age in the absence of metropolitan sensory overload, Hollie learned to spot the muse in nature, and within herself, instead of the echo chamber of a frenzied peer group. On The Quiet Drift Hollie Kenniff wholly escapes from such pop-culture feedback loops into transcendent, shimmering realms, and she brings the listener along with her. In this age in which we have all been called to reevaluate our relationship to indoor spaces, and seek refuge in the great outdoors, The Quiet Drift provides an apt soundtrack for such rebalancing.

Tape Crackers: An Oral History Of Jungle Pirate Radio. Rollo Jackson is a London-based filmmaker who grew up immersed in the city's dance music culture of the mid-90's. His films, whether for the likes of Hot Chip, Man Like Me, or Warp Records bare the traits of someone whose formative years were spent clad in the brash hues of a Versace print shirt and the bright white of a fresh pair of Reeboks. Whatever his subject, the spirit of too many late nights spent doing homework to the crackling sounds of pirate radio, or of weekends spent in booming, sweaty warehouses on the outskirts of London is always threaded throughout. Rollo presents a documentary DVD entitled Tape Crackers, an oral history of Jungle music and an affectionate, touching, and, at times, incredibly funny, tale of bedroom obsessiveness. Told through Michael Finch's tape collection which he recorded while growing up in Islington, North London, it's also an untold (or more accurately unheard) history of UK underground music of the last 10 years - Jungle, Garage and Grime are all knitted into the story through the MCs and DJs who manned the decks and mics. Movers of the underground today such as Riko Dan and B Live are on some of the tapes played in the film. The D90s might be dusty but this music still sounds ultra-crisp. Warning, may contain: late days of Dream FM, middle days of Kool FM/MC Ruff and DJ Uproar on Dream FM/MC Fize and DJ Swiftly/Riko Dan on Pressure FM/Evil B on Rude FM/DJ Target and Maxwell D on Rinse FM/DJ Brockie, MC Five-O and MC Moose on Kool FM in 1993/DJ SL with Strings, Koji and Flinty Badman (Ragga Twins) + Demon Rockers.

This is the very first original soundtrack of our new Japanese Anime Collection!

MEGALOBOX is the tribute animation to the legendary Ashita no Joe, produced by TMS Entertainment and broadcasted worldwide since 2018 with a dazzling success.

MEGALOBOX Original Soundtrack is produced by mabanua (Manabu Yamaguchi) and features several renowned artists such as DJ TAKU, KOMA-CHI or Michael Kaneko. It was acclaimed by the critics for its unforgettable rhythm and melodies, inspired by a broad variety of genres such as hip hop, black music and rap.

This soundtrack is now entirely remastered for the sumptuous vinyl format!

The Megalobox Vinyl Edition features:

- The illustrated gatefold with Joe and Yuri

- 2xLP black color, housed in two illustrated sleeves

- A 12-page booklet with comments from the composer and the team (Yo Moriyama, Keiichirô Miyoshi) and the English translated lyrics from the songs

I attended a trade fair in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In this show, we met producers, label and festival managers. It is a privileged moment when it is possible to learn about new trends, new musical forms, emerging groups. The timing of the meal is undoubtedly the most important. We take the time to introduce ourselves and discover each other. When my turn arrived, I took out my little map to locate the town of Sète on the map of France. There, an American promoter exclaimed "Yeah! You live in this beautiful city. Where there is this incredible music. ” I admit that at the time I didn’t quite understand what he meant but flattered by his remark I told him yes. Later, I realized that he was talking about gypsy music that made the whole world dream.



When my friend shared this anecdote to me, it resonated deeply with me. Indeed, for us, people of the south of France, this was nothing exceptional. Indeed, every day you could meet in the street a gypsy musician performing a rumba, another declaiming a fandango or another who liked to paraphrase the maestro Django. It is part of our daily environment, but it is indeed a peculiarity of this region. The territory of the Mediterranean arc, from Arles to Perpignan, is indeed the cradle of gypsy music in France. In addition, we must underline the major influence of the Gypsy artists of Catalonia in the development of these different artistic forms. Through weddings and family reunions, the repertoires have shifted to be reinterpreted according to the identities specific to each and the territories of residence.



With this new collection, we wanted to show, to hear all the musical richness of Gypsy and Manouche artists populating the territory. From appropriation to recreation, they never stop bringing this music to life, re-enchanting it and offering it a resolutely modern reading, open to the world. In this first opus, devoted to the guitar, we will take the routes of latin music, flamenco or jazz alongside renowned artists and young talents. With "The sound of guitars", it is a first door open to the gypsy music of the Mediterranean Arc, that we will discover gradually through the "Mediteranean Gypsies roads" collection.

More a family than a band, BANDA MAJE formed in a home studio in the historic district of Salerno, in Southern Italy, on the initiative of Peppe Maiellano (composer and keyboards) and Tonico Settanta (producer, rapper and DJ). The collective has an ever-changing number of members, all of whom – a bit like the lively port city they are from – exist at the crossroads between Italian melodies and imported genres like funk, soul and disco.

Released by Four Flies Records, a label specializing in vintage Italian soundtracks and brand new productions with a strong cinematic feel, Banda Maje's debut album "Ufo Bar" transports you to an imagined version of Salerno that combines local tradition and 70s pop and film culture.

Listening to the album's eight funk- and soul- infused tracks also means seeing stories unfold in the streets of this re-imagined city: from the jubilant uprising organised by the women from the Rione Fornelle neighborhood in "Fornellesse", to the cigarette smuggling story in "P' ciel, p' mar, p' terr"; from the distinctly southern Italian pucundria (bittersweet melancholy) in "Sunday Embarcadero", to the saga of provincial nightlife in "Living Disco Club".

While the LP's Side A is sunny and cheerful, its Side B is more nostalgic, almost nocturnal, with bittersweet vibes in "2010" and new wave-influenced synths in "Ago". This variety of moods reflects the emotional depth behind the music of Banda Maje: "We want to leave a trace of what we experience: the narrow little streets brimming with life; our love for Neapolitan music, for Italian soundtracks from the 70s, for B-movies and the saga of cigarette smugglers; our passion for vinyls and cassette mixtapes, not to mention second-hand love affairs and dusty afternoons spent watching third-division football."

Bottin teams up with Francisco (Jolly Music, L.U.C.A.) for a drugged-out, sexed up, slo-mo psych-rock aptly titled LOVE LIFE. Old acquaintance Rodion steps in on remix duties, working deranged synth magic in the extended dj version. On the flipside, Argentina's Fernando Pulichino (2020 Soundsystem, Silver City) joins in with his flamboyant bass and shimmering guitars on DELTA TIGRE, an afro-cosmic sound contraption. The IchiSan remix heads up to the sky, all the way to synth heaven. Overall a compelling, throbbing disco-not-disco EP for adventurous djs and dancers in-the-know, who want to hear something different and juicy.

Everything has its right moment in space and time. And Rhode & Brown’s debut album “Everything in Motion” is no exception to this rule.

But first things first:
Hailing from Munich, Germany, Friedrich Trede and Stephan Braun are the DJ and producer duo Rhode & Brown. Growing up in two neighbouring villages near Munich both of them had been music enthusiasts since their early childhood. Friedrich played drums in punk bands at school and recorded rap songs in his bedroom, while Stephan, as childhood friend of Harold Faltermeyer's son, had the chance to experiment in the impressive studio of the legendary Donna Summer producer in his early teens.

By the late 2000s older friends started supplying them with DJ mixtapes and helped them sneak into clubs they weren’t allowed to visit, yet – cultivating their love for electronic music and club culture. And, of course, the Internet was their go-to source for finding the latest blog house tunes back then, too.

It wasn’t until October 2009 that their paths would cross for the very first (but almost last) time when introduced by a mutual friend: Back then Stephan was selling his old CDJ-player and Friedrich, who wanted to hone his DJ skills, ended up buying it: „When I got home and unpacked the player I realized that it was the wrong model. I thought Stephan was trying to rip me off - so I called him in a rage and demanded my money back.“ Friedrich laughs. To cut a long story short, the two met again the same evening, money and CD-players were exchanged, but luckily so was their passion for house and disco music. It was at that very moment that Rhode & Brown was born.

A lot has happened since the two played their first gigs together and made baby steps in music production. In the past 10 years they established themselves as one of the most reliable house producers around with rock solid releases on Toy Tonics, Shall Not Fade, Public Possession or their own Slam City Jams imprint. As well as becoming a household name in the DJ world, sharing the booth with the likes of Palms Trax, Dam Swindle, Jamie Tiller or Octo Octa - spreading their infectious "Dancing Deejays" vibes around the globe.

Following the great reception of last years „Aku Aku“ EP, June 2021 will see the release of Rhode & Brown’s debut album on Permanent Vacation. A record that showcases their open minded approach to making music and a passion for the nuances between genres - „We found inspiration for this album in all corners of our record collection. That means we are as much influenced by disco or 80s synth-pop as by house and techno of the last decades or the latest viral trap hit on Spotify“, the guys say.

On "Everything In Motion" you'll hear piano house / Italo disco hybrids alongside dreamy Balearic soundscapes and '90s-infused acid breakbeats flawlessly accompanying '80s synth pop anthems. Always infused with that signature Rhode & Brown magic. The album also finds them collaborating with some of the finest vocalists of the moment: Peaking Lights' own Indra Dunis is lending her voice to the title track for this special laid back California vibe, while Berlin's hottest export DJ City evokes a neon light romance affair on "Memory Palace", with a longing poem that makes you wander the rainy streets at night with your walkman on.

At a time when suddenly everything seems to be standing still, Rhode & Brown undeterred moving forward... true to their LP’s title.