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Following acclaimed singles from Powell, Blood Music, Shit & Shine and Prostitutes, the next release from Diagonal is a landmark. It marks both the London label's first full-length album release, and the return of abrasive and furiously funky hip-hop deconstructionists Death Comet Crew, one of the most quietly influential underground acts to emerge from the creative melting pot of 1980s New York.

Ghost Among The Crew documents the group's return to studio operations for the first time since the 80s, as well as their first ever full-length studio album. It's a remarkable trip: a consolidation of their early feral disassemblies of hip-hop and electro, but also broader in scope, chewing up and spitting out fragments of soul, jazz fusion, punk and industrial music.
Death Comet Crew were founded in New York City in 1983 by Stuart Argabright, a founder member of post-punk/industrial mavericks Ike Yard and the mind behind Dominatrix and later Black Rain. Their sound, then as now, was a singular proposition: urban in mood, exploratory, often compellingly danceable, yet confrontational. It emerged from the interweaving talents of the group's varied members: guitarist Michael Diekmann (of Ike Yard), bassist Shinichi Shimokawa (later of Black Rain) and Nick Taylor aka DJ High Priest, frequently joined by the late, great hip hop artist and graffiti writer Rammellzee. Having recorded two studio EPs - 1985's At The Marble Bar (featuring Rammellzee) and its follow-up Mystic Eyes - the group disbanded barely a year after forming. They left behind a reputation for their incendiary live performances, several recordings from which were gathered on crucial 2004 compilation This Is Riphop.
The musical climate that first birthed Death Comet Crew was one of fertile cross-pollination of styles. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the seeds of modern day urban musics - hip hop, punk and post-punk, no wave - were taking root in the streets of recession-struck New York City. Argabright recalls dancing at the downtown Mudd Club around 1980 to a bold mixture of styles, with DJs cutting from synth-pop and post-punk to funk, soul and early hip-hop: Bowie and James Brown next to Run DMC, Ultravox and Gary Numan. Indeed, the names of his New York contemporaries operating around the same time - the likes of Liquid Liquid, Run DMC, Afrika Bambaataa, Arthur Russell, ESG, Swans, Sonic Youth, Bill Laswell and more - have since been inscribed in modern music history.
With previous projects Dominatrix and Ike Yard having recently become inactive, in 1984 Argabright formed Death Comet Crew as a means of exploring new sonic avenues. He'd been experimenting with tape, recording and procesing the sounds of his surrounding environment and dialogue from films and TV. Joined by Shimokawa, Diekmann and Taylor, and using drum machines, turntables, spidery guitar and bass, the group assembled a scrambled collage of rhythms and sampled voices. Their live performances were, in Argabright's words, "aurally violent, sharp-edged, downright lacerating", hacking gleefully away at hip hop and electro's rhythmic frameworks. Rammellzee joined the group to vocal 1985 debut EP At The Marble Bar; his MC turn on highlight 'Exterior Street' is all the more remarkable for having been entirely freestyled in the studio. When Death Comet Crew reformed in 2003 for a string of live shows, he continued as an active member of the group, touring and working with them during the recording of Ghost Among The Crew, until he sadly passed away in 2010.
After reforming, Death Comet Crew began writing and recording new material. Now, following on from their just-released Galacticoast 12" through Citinite, Ghost Among The Crew - its title a homage to Rammellzee - hones the group's abrasive early experimentations while tripping into bold and astrally minded new territory. Alongside the core quartet of Argabright, Diekmann, Shimokawa and Taylor are new voices, including Rapscallion (a friend of Rammellzee's), Jessica 6/Hercules & Love Affair singer Nomi Ruiz, and Carolyn 'Honeychild' Coleman. Its eight tracks are steeped in the impulsive spirit of electric Miles and the deep space romances of Sun Ra, and possessed of an enigmatic yet undeniable pop edge. But equally they're pricked with urban paranoia and dread, traits that have long been hallmarks of Argabright's musical projects.
'Me Czar Of The Magyars' opens the album in a twist of tension like the turning of a ratchet. Its taut electroid shudder is paired with machine gunned cymbal hits and a voice telling of "wormwood and opium dens" - the sound of being teleported from everyday city streets into the astral plane, where every sensory input is heightened and the promise of danger or pleasure lurks unseen around every corner. Later, Coleman's lyrics pay tribute to Rammellzee on the sci-fi funk of 'Deep Space Woman'. 'Let The Clubs Ring' melts lounge bar organs and frazzled guitar into freakishly unstable shapes, while 'Drag Racing' matches its title, rocketing along frantically atop clattering drums. 'Moons On Titan's Seas' is halfway interlude pause for rest, like an exotic cocktail in a bar orbiting some as-yet-undiscovered new world. These varied strands are somehow all summarised in album closer 'Ignition Spark', which sets Ruiz's vocals alongside Taylor's and Argabright's. The zone the trio inhabit in this final track exists in perpetual push-pull between contemplation, memory, intrigue and violence, a decisive opening of a new chapter in Death Comet Crew's history.

As with all Diagonal releases, the initial vinyl pressing will be packaged in unique, specially designed artwork.

Where stars drench the sky in hues of infinity, amidst the chaotic waves of supernovas, Sleem Gleam emerges from the abyss to debut a fusion of electronic rhythms and reverberated riffs that crash against the shores of reality.

Riding on a hot acid groove and descending into an electric whirlpool, “Lava Barrels at High Tide” is a stripped-back oceanside bop that epitomizes the swell. Up next, “Totally Pitted” hits maximum wetness with an iconic bass line and blazing flanged-out hats guaranteed to jostle a noggin.

On the flip side, the upbeat electro jam “Cosmic Rip Current” presents a hazard to beach-goers in the form of a thick and psychedelic stellar blip-swirl. Lobotomy Party sends it home at high speed with twacked-out vocal samples and surreal pulsating bass.

Sleem Gleam is the new surf-inspired alias of Minneapolis-based Kajunga co-founder Ry Johnson, aka Ryote. He has been making and releasing electronic music since 2007 and DJing since 2011.

Aural Imbalance has enjoyed a colourful and celebrated journey through music over the years, taking in ambient soundscapes, deep house and of course, a pioneering role in atmospheric drum & bass. With Spatial, he has unearthed a pure, varied musical prowess seldom seen, with the ability to control both the lighter aspects of the mix as well as expert breakbeat craft. Infinity Spectrum showcases the breadth of talent Aural Imbalance possesses in one incredible package, not to be missed.

A1 - Aurealis
Opening the album with a wonderfully serene track, Aural Imbalance delicately rolls out his trademark smooth ambience with building cymbals and an energetic break merging perfectly in the mix - along with a great, pounding undertone of bass. Riddled with old-school sensibilities, Aurealis layers the building blocks until the track opens up further through a superbly lush breakdown, blooming like a flower in the summer sun before the breaks return.

A2 - Glistening Stars
Washing strings and the chitter-chatter of playful effects introduce Glistening Stars, before familiar, crisp old school breaks steal the limelight. A happy earworm melody soon reveals itself, and the breaks are gradually filtered back in following an other amazing breakdown before the melody takes on new life. Packed with detail and soul, this track will repeat on you long after you've moved on.

B1 - Alpha
Curious, apprehensive tones punctuate a fascinating intro, with a deep old school bassline creeping out first to greet us, before the hi-hat laden break loses its inhibitions and roams free.
Crafting a deliciously textured atmosphere, Aural Imbalance continues to showcase the breadth of his production techniques in his Spatial form, flecking the track with sumptuous melodies to create yet another gem.

B2 - Stargazers
This piece opens with a special blend of quiet, epic serenity, evoking hope and wonder as amen cymbal work and a stabbing snare-heavy break pattern rise and fall in the surrounding symphony. The quietly musical bassline plays a key role in the aural world-building here, complementing the breaks it harmonises with superbly. Aural Imbalance allows the composition to breathe and flourish for a superbly executed final act. Delightful.

C1 - Slow Motion
Introduced with quietly filtered breaks, Slow Motion dials back the pace with a break pattern which relaxes the snare while still maintaining a playful energy as the kicks and bass bumble along below. A uniquely atmospheric yet eccentric melody takes shape with dreamy pads filling the backdrop, and calming scatterings of echoing effects colliding and combining to generate a blissful collage of sound.

C2 - Apparition
Switching up the vibe we have Apparition, which boldly utilises long, tranquil yet purposeful pad work before an immense break pattern riddled with stark snares and a jumpy bassline which rides the smothered kickdrums so well, they appear to be fused as one. The breaks on this are truly special and will move the discerning dancefloor for sure, Aural Imbalance continuing to reveal a never-ending depth to his sound.

D1 - Artificial Satellite
Introduced with smooth synths and DJ-friendly hi hats, Artificial Satellite sees Aural Imbalance laying down a fresh showcase of old-school breakbeats, laced with that inimitable Spatial flavour. A swirling low-key sci-fi vibe punctuates the breakdown before the beats re-emerge. A deep, brooding bassline pulses beneath throughout, while the perfectly executed breaks enjoy their final flourish.

D2 - Unknown Forces
Finally, up steps Unknown Forces for a blistering finale to the LP. Aural Imbalance is at his amen-editing best here with a truly superb showcase of analogue break patterns to nourish the ears and set pulses racing on the dancefloor. Deep bass elevates the gentle intro before thumping kicks begin an epic workout, chopped to perfection with synths and strings flying gracefully above. We couldn't have a Spatial LP without an amen banger could we? What a way to end

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial/Red Mist)

From multiple Emmy Award-winning creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (Game of Thrones), and Emmy-nominated Alexander Woo (The Terror: Infamy, True Blood) comes 3 Body Problem, a thrilling story that redefines sci-fi drama with its layered mysteries and genre-bending high stakes. Based on the acclaimed, international bestselling book trilogy, The Three-Body Problem. A young woman's fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time to a group of brilliant scientists in the present day. As the laws of nature unravel before their eyes five former colleagues reunite to confront the greatest threat in humanity's history.

The anticipated series features a score by the multiple award-winning composer Ramin Djawadi, who is best known for scoring memorable themes and dynamic pieces for films and series including Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and Westworld. The acclaimed composer has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, was nominated for five more, and received three nominations for a Grammy Award.

3 Body Problem is available as a limited edition on translucent blue coloured vinyl, includes an insert and sticker sheet.

Following on from 2022’s Sweat Your Prayers, Byron Yeates returns to Radiant Records with Time Machine, his second full release. The label head has established a signature production sound in an impressively short amount of time. Motifs teased in his previous output and that frequent his DJ sets are all at play here in a delightfully restrained fashion: Astral atmospherics, slick, pumping rhythms, playful basslines with skitting and flitting vocal chops are condensed into lush, club-ready arrangements that demonstrate Yeates’ deep dancefloor knowledge and razor-sharp production chops.

EP opener Liquid Sky drifts beyond the clouds and into the club for a hot and heavy hard-house hybrid workout: undulating low end, sumptuous stabs and ethereal pads are meshed together into a mature, modern any-time-of-the night club tool for discerning deejays and dancers alike.

The groove keeps giving-giving on Hyper-Hyper with stomping in-your-face drums, marching bass and vintage house themes stripped apart and put back together to form a track that sits comfortably in the sweet spot between contemporary techno and the more classic club moods Yeates’ has built a reputation for.
So too with Time Machine- the track’s swung bass and percs lay the foundation for a potent dance floor-ready number that touches on the classier strands of 90s tech and euro house, warped and reconstructed for 2023 dancefloors through Byron’s sleek and flirtatious sensibilities.

The EP rounds off with a collaboration Trip To Eclipse with fellow Irish trance auteur Spray. The result is a sophisticated exercise in groove control: Spray’s signature rolling bass sits delicately alongside Yeates’ vox chops and celestial synth moods to form a cutting edge, dreamy, trance-not-trance roller that concludes a sophisticated and refined statement of intent from Byron Yeates.

Turning his attention to dance for his latest album, Fearless Movement out this May on Young, Kamasi Washington resumes his ongoing study of music as a means of connection. His 2015 album The Epic, as well as 2018’s Heaven and Earth were received by critics and audiences as a reimagination of modern jazz showcasing Washington’s larger-than-lift compositions full of celestial grandeur and his distinct blend of jazz, Latin, funk, classical, hip-hop and soul. Fearless Movement, however, offers something different: terrestrial rhythms and collaborations from rappers, musical icons and even Washington’s own daughter. Features include: Thundercat, Taj Austin, Ras Austin, Patrice Quinn, DJ Battlecat, Brandon Coleman, D-Smoke, George Clinton, Bj the Chicago Kid, and Andre 3000.

Tanz ist das zentrale Thema des fünften Studioalbums "Fearless Movement" von Kamasi Washington. Dass er sich dem Tanz zuwendet und das Publikum mitnimmt, ist eine natürliche Weiterentwicklung von Washingtons fortwährender Beschäftigung mit Musik als Mittel der zwischenmenschlichen Verbindung. "The Epic" von 2015 und "Heaven and Earth" von 2018 waren Alben, die Genregrenzen überwunden haben und eine neue Generation in die Jazz Musik einführte. Beide Platten waren musikalischen Epen mit viel Chor und Streichern, "Fearless Movement" hingegen bietet etwas anderes. Es klingt immer noch gewaltig, aber rhythmischer - denn dieses Mal hat er den Rap in seinen musikalischen Kosmos geholt. "Die Welt ist stehen geblieben, aber ich habe definitiv nicht aufgehört", sagt Washington. "Fearless Movement" begann in den Tagen der globalen Pandemie. "Meine Tochter wurde genau in der Mitte davon geboren. Das sind zwei ziemlich große und monumentale Dinge, die gleichzeitig passieren". Das Elternsein hat Washington ein neues Gefühl der Dankbarkeit gegeben. Während die Tourneen pausierten, verbrachten sie die ersten Jahre damit, gemeinsam Washingtons Lieblingsplatten von John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman und Eric Dolphy zu hören. "Ich wollte ihr all die beste Musik zeigen", sagt er. Und eines Tages, als sie knapp zwei Jahre alt war, fiel ihr eine Melodie ein. "Wir spielten auf dem Klavier, und sie spielte sie einfach immer wieder", sagt er. Aus dieser Melodie wurde der Song "Asha The First". Washington und seine langjährigen Bandmitglieder nahmen die Melodie auf und ließen einige Lücken offen, die ein potenzieller Gast füllen sollte. " In Leimert Park, wo ich aufgewachsen bin, ist die Schnittmenge zwischen Jazz und Hip-Hop sehr groß". Also zog er Taj und Ras Austin hinzu, das Rap-Duo Coast Contra und Söhne des L.A.-Rappers Ras Kass, die er beim Herumstöbern auf YouTube entdeckt hatte. Washingtons langjähriger Freund und Kollaborateur Thundercat ist ebenfalls auf "Asha The First" zu hören. Washington ist nicht der Einzige, der auf "Fearless Movement" mit den Konventionen bricht. Andre 3000, der vielleicht beste Stilist des Rap, spielt sein allererstes Flötenfeature auf "Dream State". "Fearless Movement" vermittelt ein Gefühl der Verbundenheit, das Washingtons Arbeit über die Zeit hinweg mit der Black Music in L.A. verbindet - von der Vergangenheit über die Gegenwart bis zur Zukunft. Auf dem entspannten und funkigen "Get Lit", bei dem es darum geht, das Licht in jedem von uns zu nutzen, um unsere Gemeinschaften aufzubauen, bringt Washington den legendären Bandleader George Clinton und den Rapper D Smoke für einen der coolsten Tracks des Albums zusammen. Dieses Ethos der Elastizität und der Möglichkeiten erstreckt sich auch auf die Mitglieder von Washingtons Band, von denen einige auf dem Album zu hören sind. Unter ihnen auch Sängerin Patrice Quinn, Saxophonist Terrace Martin, Bassist Thundercat und Schlagzeuger Ronald Bruner Jr., DJ Battlecat und BJ The Chicago Kid. Die stetige Bewegung und Flexibiltät verleiht den neuen Songs eine gewisse Geschmeidigkeit, sowohl thematisch als auch musikalisch.

Tanz ist das zentrale Thema des fünften Studioalbums "Fearless Movement" von Kamasi Washington. Dass er sich dem Tanz zuwendet und das Publikum mitnimmt, ist eine natürliche Weiterentwicklung von Washingtons fortwährender Beschäftigung mit Musik als Mittel der zwischenmenschlichen Verbindung. "The Epic" von 2015 und "Heaven and Earth" von 2018 waren Alben, die Genregrenzen überwunden haben und eine neue Generation in die Jazz Musik einführte. Beide Platten waren musikalischen Epen mit viel Chor und Streichern, "Fearless Movement" hingegen bietet etwas anderes. Es klingt immer noch gewaltig, aber rhythmischer - denn dieses Mal hat er den Rap in seinen musikalischen Kosmos geholt. "Die Welt ist stehen geblieben, aber ich habe definitiv nicht aufgehört", sagt Washington. "Fearless Movement" begann in den Tagen der globalen Pandemie. "Meine Tochter wurde genau in der Mitte davon geboren. Das sind zwei ziemlich große und monumentale Dinge, die gleichzeitig passieren". Das Elternsein hat Washington ein neues Gefühl der Dankbarkeit gegeben. Während die Tourneen pausierten, verbrachten sie die ersten Jahre damit, gemeinsam Washingtons Lieblingsplatten von John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman und Eric Dolphy zu hören. "Ich wollte ihr all die beste Musik zeigen", sagt er. Und eines Tages, als sie knapp zwei Jahre alt war, fiel ihr eine Melodie ein. "Wir spielten auf dem Klavier, und sie spielte sie einfach immer wieder", sagt er. Aus dieser Melodie wurde der Song "Asha The First". Washington und seine langjährigen Bandmitglieder nahmen die Melodie auf und ließen einige Lücken offen, die ein potenzieller Gast füllen sollte. " In Leimert Park, wo ich aufgewachsen bin, ist die Schnittmenge zwischen Jazz und Hip-Hop sehr groß". Also zog er Taj und Ras Austin hinzu, das Rap-Duo Coast Contra und Söhne des L.A.-Rappers Ras Kass, die er beim Herumstöbern auf YouTube entdeckt hatte. Washingtons langjähriger Freund und Kollaborateur Thundercat ist ebenfalls auf "Asha The First" zu hören. Washington ist nicht der Einzige, der auf "Fearless Movement" mit den Konventionen bricht. Andre 3000, der vielleicht beste Stilist des Rap, spielt sein allererstes Flötenfeature auf "Dream State". "Fearless Movement" vermittelt ein Gefühl der Verbundenheit, das Washingtons Arbeit über die Zeit hinweg mit der Black Music in L.A. verbindet - von der Vergangenheit über die Gegenwart bis zur Zukunft. Auf dem entspannten und funkigen "Get Lit", bei dem es darum geht, das Licht in jedem von uns zu nutzen, um unsere Gemeinschaften aufzubauen, bringt Washington den legendären Bandleader George Clinton und den Rapper D Smoke für einen der coolsten Tracks des Albums zusammen. Dieses Ethos der Elastizität und der Möglichkeiten erstreckt sich auch auf die Mitglieder von Washingtons Band, von denen einige auf dem Album zu hören sind. Unter ihnen auch Sängerin Patrice Quinn, Saxophonist Terrace Martin, Bassist Thundercat und Schlagzeuger Ronald Bruner Jr., DJ Battlecat und BJ The Chicago Kid. Die stetige Bewegung und Flexibiltät verleiht den neuen Songs eine gewisse Geschmeidigkeit, sowohl thematisch als auch musikalisch.

Irlam's infamous upstarts DJ Absolutely Shit are at it again with four more tracks to rattle yer spines and rupture yer spleens.
Utilizing the classic approach of sourcing a sick sample, adding a rugged breakbeat, then tweaking out the buzz for maximum enjoyment, the pair deliver an explosive EP of global hypercoloured mayhem that burns hotter than an oz of 'Ells Angels sputnik.

'Bridge To Your Heart' grabs Sade by the hand, shoves two purple doves down her throat and queue-jumps to the front of Bowlers for an endorphin-rushing hardcore workout full of modern beat engineering and sample manipulation.

Switching approach, 'Bolivia' shuns the dreamy feminism for an altogether more masculine affair - roping in the Wu for an argy-bargy, elbows-out speaker shaker full of hi-definition laser stabs and destructive, land mine subs.

Hitting the accelerator, 'Rocking You Eternally' traverses the jungle boarders in a blacked out Nova, Ab Shit's flair and panache at drum programming and contemporary production chops beautifully on show throughout this big system roller with a carp-hunting vocal hook.

'Gong' closes off proceedings, merging moods inna more seductive flavour. E-soaked pianos and a gentle throb coaxing us to that end-of-night climax that'll have us humming the piano line all the way down the M65 home.

No jokes cru, this is some of the best tackle to emerge outta the DJ Absolutely Shit studio to date. One of two, vinyl-only EPs and ahead of their debut album that follows on C90 tape.

Boing boing boing, boing boing boing, boing boing!!

About 20 years ago, Carlos Giffoni quickly made a name for himself both as a noise guitarist and a laptop noisician upon arriving in New York (via Florida and Venezuela). His expertly curated annual No Fun Festival, as well as his No Fun label, further solidified him as a key figure in the international noise scene. The festival's success proved the formula for experimental and improvised music fests could work with the noise underground as well, but it also capitalized on the faster rate of connections being made between geographically disparate artists as a result of the (still relatively nascent) internet. Back then Carlos would play his laptop like a pinball machine, in contrast to the static stage presence of most laptop performers, and his solo music, like many others' at that time, expressed a less dark and dour vision of the implications of harsh noise. By the close of the 2000s, he had stopped doing the festival, switched gears musically to playing the lighter No Fun Acid sets, and moved to LA. Now he has re-emerged in a big way with Dream Walker, his first full-length since 2018's Vain (and only his second since 2010). Inspired by the masterful performances and diffusions he heard at the February 2023 GRM electronic music festival in Paris, particularly sets by old friends Lasse Marhaug, Jim O'Rourke, and Eiko Ishibashi, he began conceptualizing new music of his own in response, turning to synthesizers and other hardware to produce a work more firmly in the tradition of European electronic music than anything else he's done. Intended as a late night listen that evokes the edge of consciousness, with Carlos getting as close as possible to a trance state during the actual recording and mixing, each of the eleven tracks transition into one another rather than being standalone discrete pieces, forming two side-long suites that proceed like stages of a dream. Unabashedly tonal and repetitive, the glistening opener "Now Dream," the droning "Sleep Walker," and the closing triptych of "Lost in Descanso," "Sunrise," and "The Hidden Path" occupy a power electronics-ambient nexus that feels spiritually close to the Mego label. Elsewhere, "Ticking Clock" is reminiscent of Stereolab's non-easy listening vintage electronic side, while the two-part arpeggiated "Euphoria" recalls early Oneohtrix Point Never (which Carlos released on No Fun). The contrast between "One Breath"'s crackling opening and its remarkably fluid and soaring sustained synthesized chords is a distillation of the album's lingering tension between electronics' ability to project mechanical rupture as well as the organic and the infinite _or "walking between dreams," as Carlos himself puts it. Produced by Lasse Marhaug (who also mastered Carlos' first solo album, Welcome Home, back in 2005), released by Stephen O'Malley (who I remember DJing at the No Fun fest), with cover art and photos by personal friends, Carlos considers the album a family affair. But Dream Walker most of all heralds a maturation of the artist, and stands as a record that exists out of pure desire, rather than obligation or force of habit; a statement of reconnecting with music not by merely revisiting it, but by building on what's come before, both in his own work and in the music he loves. -Alan Licht, New York, December 2023

Stuck in the depths of a dark alley, blocked by yet another breeze, hitting a stone wall, road sign ahead: Dead End.
Impasse. "Cul-de-sac".
Hip‐hop. The original, some would say, official music of the late 20th Century Bronx.
Some say it has endured it's fair share of distractions, detractors and defectors. Some say it has murdered itself, having been abandoned by its so‐called best men, those who have gone off in other directions, or who have, simply, just beat‐retired. Yet, there are plenty of Soldier Monks still out there, prepared to sweat it out in the Temple of Machinery and Mics.
Low Cut honored this cause four years ago, with his MPC crafted minimalist version of NY Minute and he's back to ring the bells and unsheathe the samples!

The starting point of Dead End's production remains the 90's boom-bap, but the will to carry it even further brings it to its destination. By decorating it with rich samples flushed out after digging through vinyls pressed several decades ago, it is guided by a compass pointing deposits to the East. With sound quality inherited from a fastidious composition and mix works, using inspiration rather than just being a copycat, Dead End celebrates it without setting it up as a museum piece.

Picturing the beatmaker stuck in the depths of a dark alley, ended with a brick wall, is easy. But far from isolated in his Parisian basement, Low Cut has rung phones in New York, Baltimore and Detroit, rounding up the faithful. He magnetized the hidden but sharp forces, and gained attendance of legends. The casting of Dead End : Ruste Juxx & Nutso, Dirt Platoon, Guilty Simpson, Torae, Rasheed Chappell and the stainless Masta Ace, among other beat crushers. Also starring DJ Duke, Nix'on, Topic and Ordoeuvre with their DMC titles crates, for a deep beatfight on bars scarified of scratches.
Heavy atmosphere, martial beats and street soul, Dead End is also the final episode of the projects initiated by Low Cut, based on the model of a producer inviting various MCs.
He will then replace his turntable needles, refresh his sample banks, and settle the BPMs of his productions on more abstract frequencies.

Legendary DJ SPINNA creates a cosmic future classic w/ his remix of TAMARA WELLONS' vocal masterpiece. A perfect dance floor groove drenched in intergalactic synths, in a deep & soulful setting. On the flip COFLO gives a double dose of two wildly different iterations of "YOU ARE".

WRWTFWW Records is flying high as it announces the reissue of the 1997 ambient masterpiece Quiet Logic by electronic music visionaries Mixmaster Morris (The Irresistible Force), Jonah Sharp (Spacetime Continuum), and Haruomi Hosono (Yellow Magic Orchestra). For the first time ever, this iconic album is available on vinyl as a double LP with a heavy 350gsm sleeve, as well as on digipack CD and digitally.
Quiet Logic invites listeners to embark on a captivating sonic odyssey, blending intricate rhythms and celestial environments that push the boundaries of electronic music. Co-crafted at Haruomi Hosono's Tokyo studio in 1997, this album represents a time of rapid transformation in the genre, with these three artists at the forefront of redefining soundscapes.
With its unique blend of influences from Hosono's immense contribution to electronic, pop, and experimental music to Morris' worldwide chill out DJ performances and Sharp's pioneering label, Reflective, Quiet Logic remains a timeless piece of ethereal electronica. It was originally only released in Japan in CD format on the Harry Hosono-curated Daisyworld Discs label.
Remastered for 2024, this reissue is a must-have for fans of Haruomi Hosono / YMO, The Irresistible Force, Spacetime Continuum, Dreamfish, Tetsu Inoue, FFWD, H.I.A., Fax +49-69/450464, and mind-expanding musics.
Immerse yourself now.
Quiet Logic is pressed on biovinyl, a sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl. Biovinyl replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases, resulting in 100% CO2 savings in bio-based S-PVC production. Furthermore, it is 100% recyclable and reusable, embracing the circular economy ideology.

We Release JAZZ is very happy to announce an exciting new body of work by Joseph Deenmamode aka Mo Kolours. The singular musical spirit’s new 21-track album Original Flow is available as a double LP housed in a heavy 350gsm sleeve with original artwork by Mo Kolours himself and the classic WRJ obi strip, as well as in digipack CD and digital formats.

A catalog of critically acclaimed records, including his self-titled debut (2014), ‘Texture Like Like Sun’ (2015), 2018 album ‘Inner Symbols’ and three companion EPs, established Deenmamode as a prodigious musician and vocalist. Pitchfork extolled his “hypnotic, tribal-infused dance grooves”, DJ Mag appreciated the “colourful celebration of soundsystem culture”, and Resident Advisor advocated that “no one sounds quite like Mo Kolours”. Musical analogies were drawn by The Guardian as “The best album Curtis Mayfield never made with A Tribe Called Quest and Lee Perry” and Mojo as “like Marvin Gaye produced by J Dilla”.

Five years ago, Deenmamode moved to the Japanese countryside. Far away from familiarity, he contemplated his place and further questioned his identity. “I had none of my ‘own’ people around. I had time to really find what makes me tick musically. Japan has helped me go back to those subconscious leanings, really go deep, and reflect the aspects that make up my story”.

The tracks on ‘Original Flow’ have been constructed from sessions, improvisations and soundbites captured around the world during this time; collecting contributions from musicians including Deenamode’s brothers Reginald Omas Mamode and Jeen Bassa plus Andrew Ashong, Charles Bullen, Dwaye Kilvington, Eddie Hick, Stefan Asanovic, Myele Manzanza, Ross Hughes, and Tom Dreissler. Deenamode says “I’m proud of this album’s creative process. Coming from a tradition of scouring through hours of records, I wanted to create my own samples, to find that perfect loop that no other producer could put their hands on. I decided to invite a group of friends and acquaintances, who also happen to be incredible musicians, to a studio in Crystal Palace to improvise based on some loose ideas I had. We spent all day, and recorded everything”.

‘Original Flow’ is an album of UK street-soul nouveau, future indigenous jazz fusion, Rasta Segga, Nyahbinghi jazz, Malagasy Hebrew hip hop. While retaining a spirit of exploration and improvisation, it sees Deenmamode grow and flex beyond beat tape brevity, expanding composition and stretching his musical muscle to play live with other musicians. Themes of empowerment, overcoming adversity, and mental liberation coexist with notes from ancient history, futurism, and science, as well as musings on family and togetherness.

‘Magik Momentum’ springs from a discussion that features at the start of the song, an inspiring mentor answering a question from Deenmamode about improvisation and what role it plays in life when planning and manifesting the future. ‘Rockets to Mars’ questions the lack of care for the billions of people with nothing, while governments plan to explore space. “This sparked a comparison in my mind to a Sonny Okuson song that I would reference when performing. Okuson’s song talked of the lack of resources in many communities in the world, while governments go to the moon”.

He says the music behind ‘The News These Days’ is “possibly my favourite on the album”. Looped like he would a late sixty jazz-fusion sample, there was nothing added and the track was complete within a matter of minutes. “It was the first and best moment from the entire Crystal Palace session”, he adds. The album’s contrasting title track with minimal instrumentation played solo by Deenamode. While frustratingly searching for gems in past recordings, he thought in a burst of ego, “I don’t need no-one else to make a dope beat!” picked up his ravanne, (the traditional frame drum of his fathers home-land of Mauritius), pressed record, and started to play. He says, “In my thoughts were the rhythms of the Nubians in Upper-Egypt and Sudan, the swing of the huge drums played by Mauritanian women, of-course the Sega beat of Mauritius, and the ever inspiring beat of James Yancey”.

Driven by UK broken beat, Cuban congas, Nigerian and Mauritian inflections, ‘Love Vibration’ follows the concept that all emotions carry a vibratory frequency and pays homage to the frequency of creation and the power of love. The two part ‘Tatamaka’ tells of the history of Deenmamode’s ancestors, the maroons of Mauritius. “We are people who managed to run from our oppressors and find refuge in a corner of the island called ‘Le Morne’ where they could not reach us. One bloody day they came in numbers to re-capture, to revenge. Many of us chose to jump to our deaths, rather than be taken back into subjugation. The poem by Creole Richard Sedley Assonne says; “there were hundreds of them, but my people, the maroons chose the kiss of death over the chains of slavery”. Tatamaka was the name of a famed maroon leader who was murdered for claiming his, and our people’s freedom. The song is the imagined journey of escape and freedom by an ancestor of the maroons of Le Morne”.

Born in the west midlands and raised on the traditional sega music of his father’s Indian Ocean homeland of Mauritius alongside records by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Michael Jackson; his influences expanded with late 90s jungle and drum and bass nights in Bristol, experiments at art college in Camberwell, and the rich culture of Peckham, “at the time we called it the Afro Quarters of London” says Deenmamode, adding hip hop, dub, soul and soundsystem styles to his individual sound.

He explains, “I love drum music, from hand-drums to 808s. I love music from the ancient past, heritage music, indigenous music, traditional music passed down from the beginning of time. Music from the body, hand claps, grunts and foot stomps. Music with audible depth, busy, bustling, highly charged. Music from the soul, the music from beyond. I love music from the islands and the mountains. The music of the streets, hustle music, alleyway beats. Club music”.

He describes the creative process as thinking in images. “The visual world and the world of sound seem to intermingle in my thought process. When I play the drum with my eyes closed, a world of imagery dances and moves with beat. Improvised drumming feels like I am listening to what I want to hear, rather than trying to play what I want to hear. Following the rhythm and finding new pathways to walk within the patterns is what I experience. In this way I often feel I am just a listener, instead of the player”.
Original Flow is pressed on biovinyl, a sustainable alternative to traditional vinyl. Biovinyl replaces petroleum in S-PVC by recycling used cooking oil or industrial waste gases, resulting in 100% CO2 savings in bio-based S-PVC production. Furthermore, it is 100% recyclable and reusable, embracing the circular economy ideology.

Especial Specials always deal in releases with a story often as interesting as the music itself. This time out they enlist DJ and producer Dreems for a fine collection of limited-edition 12"s. Angus Gruzman aka Dreems is the man behind the vital Multi Culti label and has dropped his own wares on the likes of Kompakt, Pinchy & Friends and Futureboogie but somehow remains rather in the shadows. This deep dive into his vaults should change that - these are edits and dubs that come doused in psychedelia as they trip through several genres. There is off-kilter dub, melon-twisting dub, intensely percussive and tribal dub, and more besides across the five fantastic tracks.

Edoardo Florio Di Grazia is a Cantautore (singer-songwriter) and story collector from the Amalfi coast, born in Florence and living in Paris, of a Neapolitan family..
Edoardo tries, like an antenna, to pick up signals and transform them into songs. Writing songs allows him to travel and unite distant worlds, to create imaginary landscapes on which to dream up new music: the Amalfi rocks of Tangier harbor can lead directly to a house in Belleville overlooking a Florentine piazza.

Edoardo is also a writer, with a PhD in medieval history from the University of Florence, a podcast author, radio show host, and DJ Selector, a compulsive Digger constantly on the lookout for the rare gem. He will publish next spring "Italia Express" the podcast produced by Radiooooo. It is a journey in five stages through the main Italian cities (Naples, Rome, Bologna, Milan, and Genoa) to discover music and history, from the post-war period to today.

After a first EP “Indossare Il Mare” released in June 2023, the spring of 2024 will see the release of “Ambra e Corallo”, Edoardo Florio Di Grazia’s first album, produced by the Parisian afro-beat label Comet Records (Tony Allen, Ebo Taylor, etc.). 9 songs about journeys, a small collection of stories found in the deep and mythological Mediterranean Sea. Like bottles in the sea, these songs belong to no one and are timeless, messages whispering us the dream of a new path to explore. The story of his first album, "Ambra e Corallo" has the flavor of a novel, the aftertaste of a contemporary fairy tale.

The vinyl includes a QR Code booklet featuring lyrics, liners notes, photos..

2024 RSD Release

Originally released on the cult V4 Visions label in 1991 & 1994, Ashaye’s 'Dreaming' and 'What’s This World Coming To' showcased the sound of Steet Soul, a genre that emerged in the 1990s, blending elements of soul, R&B, and hip-hop, that could be heard playing across London’s pirate radio stations. As the popularity of UK soul has grown in the last 5 years, DJ’s and tastemakers have put 'Dreaming' and 'What’s This World Coming To' into heavy rotation which has only increased demand & price for the original vinyl considerably. At present this demand is so high that it’s not even possible to purchase 'Dreaming' on the second hand market, while copies for 'What’s This World Coming To' are changing hands for £50+. On this fully licenced, RSD release, two of Ashaye’s biggest tracks are together on one 12 inch for the first time! Don’t sleep on this double header of premium UK street soul on South Street International's debut foray into vinyl!

Reissue of early Japanese house outing by Junichi Soma, Shuji Wada and Katsuya Sayo. Comes with insert with liner notes.

All musical movements require a spark to set them alight; in the case of Japanese house music, that spark was provided by the forward-thinking resident DJs of The Bank in Roppongi, Tokyo. In 1989, to celebrate the ground-breaking club’s first birthday, the venue released a 12” EP featuring first-time productions from three of its DJs, Junichi Soma, Shuji Wada and Strong Katsuya AKS Katsuya Sayo.

Widely considered to be one of the first ever EP of house music produced in Japan, 1st Unit was never officially released. Instead, 500 of the 1000 copies pressed were given away at The Bank’s first birthday party, with the rest initially being sold not in local record stores, but rather the venue’s own in-house shop. Three decades on, the 12” is finally set to get its first worldwide release via Rush Hour’s Store JPN Series.

The record has its roots in The Bank’s willingness to give its ever-changing roster of DJs a free hand to play what they liked – at the time a rarity in Tokyo nightclubs, whose musical offerings usually revolved around strictly defined playlists. At The Bank in 1989, it was not only common to hear European body music and the kind of post-disco New York productions associated with Larry Levan’s sets at the Paradise Garage, but also acid house – something not offered at the time by other clubs in the city.

This cutting-edge blend of sounds, combined with the venue’s unique decor (it was modeled on the inside of a London bank, complete with a cashier’s window to take entrance fees), made The Bank a go-to spot for young party-goers, celebrities and forward-thinking Japanese musicians (Ryuichi Sakamoto was reportedly a weekly visitor).

When it came to celebrating the club’s birthday by cutting a unique record, it made sense for The Bank’s owners to turn to three of their most exciting resident DJs, who were assisted by Heigo Tani and Jun Ebi. The collective name, 1st Unit, was chosen to reflect the fact that all three resident DJs were debutants with no previous studio experience.

As this reissue proves, the music remains timeless, magical, and authentic to the sound of American house productions of the period – albeit with occasional twists,. Katsuya Sano’s EP opener, ‘I Need Love’, sounds like a twist on Larry Heard productions of the period – all jacking TR-909 drums, undulating analogue bass, dreamy JUNO synthesizer chords and evocative vocal samples.

The influence of Chicago acid house is also evident on Junichi Souma’s ‘Ubnormal Life’, whose unusual title contains what he says was an intentional misspelling. Driven forwards by restless drum machine handclaps, sweet chords and rising and falling melodic motifs, the track is an energetic and uplifting treat.

Perhaps the most influential of the three tracks at the time – within Japan at least – was Shuji Wada’s similarly misspelled ‘Endless Load’. Deeper and more melodic with a more expansive arrangement, the track’s combination of marimba-style lead lines, tribal drum patterns, dreamy chords and jazz-funk influenced bass offered a loose blueprint for the more successful and better-known Japanese deep house tracks that followed.

The second reference from Distortion Records is signed by the label Head "Hankook". His style is characterized by very powerful and refined drum beats on which classic acid and bass lines blend perfectly, turning his tracks into authentic tools for DJs looking for burning the most demanding dance floors. Exquisite old school sounds, funk vocals, vision and experience when creating effective tracks that work in any dj set. Many years in the best South Spain parties and festivals support the DIST002 proposal, which is undoubtedly one of the records of the breakbeat season. In this his first solo vinyl, the artist has had the privilege of making a stellar collaboration with former member of the band The Prodigy, Leeroy Thornhill, in addition to collaborating with his partner in front of Distortion, Orebeat, who is also one of the main responsible for the Distortion Records sound. Along with these collaborations, Hankook offers us two original cuts Funky DJ and Fucking Beat. A spectacular EP signed by one of the most relevant artists of the Spanish breakbeat genre that shows his influences and vision. Mastered by Simon Davey at The Exchange Vinyl, a final touch that makes this album an authentic masterpiece, made to last.

Bruno Berle, the young songwriter and poet originally hailing from Maceió, the capital of Brazil’s Alagoas state, crafts songs that are simple, direct, and full of tender nuance. With his first album No Reino Dos Afetos (which translates to "In the Realm of Affections” and was released in 2022), Berle firmly established himself as a unique and important voice in the burgeoning scene of new Brazilian artists making a global impact, including peers like Ana Frango Elétrico, Tim Bernardes, Bala Desejo, Sessa and more. Now back with his second album, No Reino Dos Afetos 2, he stretches that further.

Bruno Berle’s music lives between two worlds – a traditional Brazilian folk talent steeped in history, and a contemporary, dreamy electronic pop; the result is songwriting that’s genre-bending, intentional, iconoclastic and consuming, spacious and sinewy and singular, a striking reflection of its composer while leaving space for the listener to settle in. The album follows Bruno’s relocation to São Paulo, and the songs are a reflection of his past and present. A rebuke of former categorizations of his work in Brazilian music scenes, and an idea of where his music can move, unfettered.

Berle’s music is purposeful in being a true portrait of himself, and a reflection of the music, art, and fashion scenes he personally moves through. Berle aims to provide an entrypoint for Black queer joy in his music, in his storytelling, in his presence and vision as a creative. For him, it feels subversive to be playing MPB laced with dubstep and lo-fi, a sort of intentional sacrilege, capturing a dialogue of modernity in traditional music.

Berle wrote most of the arrangements and co-produced his new album, Reino Dos Afetos 2 with longtime friend and musical partner Batata Boy, who is also from Maceió; the album was recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Maceió, and São Paulo, his new home, and picks up the conversation begun in 2022 on Berle’s debut album No Reino dos Afetos. Both records are the result of a nonlinear but coherent seven-year music creation process culminating in these albums, holding hands across space and time.

“Tirolirole,” the first single from the record, was released at the end of 2023; sun-soaked rhythms and soft voice coat the song, the lilting refrain of “Tirolirole” throughout – hushed, gentle, but somehow almost tactile, a golden-hour moment unlocked in the mind. “Tirolirole” is a triumphant future classic about the temporality of a blossoming love, with Bruno’s stunning vocal soaring over melodies which ebb and flow like the waters on the Atlantic shore. Of the track, Berle explains: “Despite ‘Tirolirole’ being an expression that evokes my childhood, just like the light words about nature, the harmony, and the poetry are epic, carrying a great hope for love.”

In fact, the guiding theme of No Reino dos Afetos 2 is a relationship, unfolding in the arc of a weekend. It traverses the innocence of an early young love, how that can be formative, can stretch on to take new shapes, or shape you. The album happens at the genesis of meeting someone and falling for them, before the relationship is thrown into overdrive – set in a big city, against a backdrop of major life changes, rising energy, the sound of São Paulo.

Something transcendental emerges in “Dizer Adeus,” with an arrangement that echoes a gospel atmosphere (evangelical and Catholic environments were pivotal to Berle’s upbringing). On “É Só Você Chegar,” piano and flute gracefully intertwine, a dance, while “Quando Penso” skews sparser, the voice-and-guitar minimalism somehow cultivating an entirely different shape – somehow both cozy and melancholy, with the background sound of a rainy day. Coupled with the lo-fi aspects that shape much of the album’s personality in the vocals and the production, No Reino Dos Afetos 2 is meticulously elaborated by Berle’s sonic alchemy, like on the mid-album instrumental “Sonho,” which feels like floating. “It’s the apex. It’s when lovers are sleeping together,” Berle explains of the feeling he wanted to encapsulate in the song.

On “Love Comes Back” Berle interprets Arthur Russell, the late Iowa musician who only reached greater visibility after he died in 1992. “His way of making music is similar to mine,” Berle explains. “He sings in a more fragile way, has more of an experimental way of recording, letting ‘chance’ appear in the final work.”

Even so, Berle doesn’t want his music to be buried in sentimentality – and the purposefulness of his craft serves as a sort of north star. The production, the arrangements, his restraint and intentionality in crafting his songs feel just as vital as their emotional cores. His songwriting is amorphous, fluid, an encompassing genre-bending movement in-and-of-itself, quietly daring. The songs are often in conversation with other works – drinking in fountains as diverse as the filmmaking of Ingmar Bergman, the poetry of Walt Whitman, the rhythm of Djavan, and the painting of Maxwell Alexandre. Musically he weaves together a rich tapestry of Brazilian folk, UK 2-step garage/dub, trip hop and sun soaked west coast songwriters; something akin to the worlds of Milton Nascimento, Arthur Russell, James Blake, Feist, and Sade colliding into one. But even then No Reino Dos Afetos 2 floats separately, a romanticism driven by a simplicity and intimacy, an open-ended possibility, Berle’s singularity as an artist at the helm of the ship.