Buscar:dj melo

Next up on Nang it is time for a slice of spot-on male vocal house and disco. Liverpool based Thomas Lang made some fine albums in the 80s and 90s with John Murphy (who went on to carve a highly successful career in movie tracks) and David Hughes. Somewhere in between that and a string of recent albums (Torch Songs and The German Alphabet) he also managed to buy one of the finest recording studios in North West England, Parr Street Studios (the "Abbey Road of the North").

We are pleased here at Nang to see a new avenue turned in Tom's life, his first foray into the dance world. "Scared" was written with late Liverpool songwriter John Uriel quite some time ago. It first emerged as a b-side to Tom's comeback single "August Day" in 2011. Here at Nang we always loved the smooth and sophisticated vocal and melody. When Tom suggested some remixes we were on board.

"Scared" is a peak time vocal house track, here presented with remix options.

The a-side sees fellow Liverpool DJ crew The Imposters taking the track on a dubbed out trip, before flipping over for their hypnotic, swing-house rework which highlight the layered vocals and smooth sax. Camanchi take us for some peak time House action.

David Mayer's career and background is marked by a desire to keep moving and experiencing new perspectives. Having finally settled in Berlin, the German DJ and producer has built up an enviously diverse back catalogue on labels such as Connected Frontline, Objektivity, Gruuv, Audiomatique and Keinemusik. With his first release on Acid Pauli and Nico Stojan's Ouie label, Mayer brings his trademark groove to the fore once more.

'The Call' is a mid tempo chugger built around a kick, clap and 808 blip, before a more organic groove develops. The slowed down chants and wigged out synth line take the vibe into afro cosmic territory, without losing the original energy.

'Sooner' is a little more urgent - a crisp, forward leaning rhythm and a deep, subby bass lead the way, before another frazzled synthesiser takes us on a melodic walkabout.

After introducing Griffit Vigo 'the Gqom legend' on the Originators EP on Gqom Oh! Records back in February with the percussive anthem Ree's Vibe and the historical track featured on MTV Base Gqom Nation documentary "Gqom 5 - Gqom Oh! is finally ready to release Griffit Vigo's first solo single 'DJ' on a 7" vinyl, with on the b-side another Gqom viral Durban track coming from the numeric series "Gqom 6. Griffit Vigo, a real innovator in the Gqom genre who grew up in Clermont and started to produce music around 2007, has attained a legendary status amongst his peers as he was one of the originators of gqom, inventing sounds as Umshanelo (meaning broom in Zulu) and chopping vocals that everybody then started to sample. Many of his beats were appropriated or sampled, so now the time has finally come for him to show his talent and unique style and inspire the listeners in the same way he inspired everyone in Durban. This single introduces his forthcoming album on Gqom Oh!, to be released in September/October 2018 entitled 'Gqom is Alive'. As the Gqom sound has massively changed in the past year, taking over South Africa and the world, also by evolving into a more commercial-focused and melodic branch which derives from Sgubhu, Griffit Vigo's intention is to keep the original Gqom sound as pure and authentic as it was when it was first birthed whilst still pushing the sound forward in the future.

Banileue Records Boss Benoit B Lands On Facta And K-lone's Wisdom Teeth Imprint With A Spacious Four-track Set Of Dazzling New-age Steppers. The Record Follows On From Benoit's Excellent Japonaiserie Ep - A Stunning Tribute To Japanese Synth Music Released Last Year On Berceuse Heroique. Onvague À L'âme, The Melodic Ideas Developed On The Japonaiserie Ep Are Set To Work Against Broken Beats And Uk-leaning Rhythms, Bringing It In Line With The Output Of Wisdom Teeth Label-mates Duckett, K-lone And Don't Dj. The Ep Is Bookended By A Pair Of Euphoric Broken-beat Rollers: First, The Melodic Bleeps And Weighted Kicks Of The Title Track, And To Close, The Scuzzy Pads And Glissando Synths Of Kimono. Sat Between Them Are Two Lean, Smokey Half-steppers: The Record's Vocal Centrepiece, Gyvenimo Tekme (featuring Lithuanian Songwriter Dália), And Ice Valley - An Intergalactic Slowjam Built Around Dubbed-out Bleeps And Yearning Cluster Chords.

Opening track 'In The B' kicks off proceedings in no uncertain fashion. It's 100% wall shaker material, the type of techno music best paired with strobe lights and towering speaker stacks. It mesmerises with its low-slung undulating bassline and Detroit rhythms before giving way to some riotous old school Essex stabs and sharp claps. No messing, this is a certified 3 AM red light burner! Track 2 'Chocolate Biscuit' accelerates proceedings! Beginning with unfussy drums and a robotic, bleep-heavy melody driving it off into a wonderfully off-kilter direction. Its arpreggio'd rhythms may be brutish and wrestle a growling sense of menace out of the track, but the overall feel, however, suggests considerable care and attention has been paid to make it sound this way. There's clearly an uncommon musicality at play here to make something this complex feel so simple.
The BPM drops next on 'Jenny's Hall' but from the offset, there's enough funk and thrust in the motorised synth line to get bodies gently grooving without the beauty getting lost in the slower loop. This is blissed out, psychotropic techno - the kind of track where it feels like you're floating and falling at the same time, but all the while making sure you still remain fit for purpose on the dancefloor. Ian Blevins takes on remix duties this time and the Berlin-based DJ/producer offers up a sleek peak-time banger that fizzes, bubbles and percolates. He gives the rhythm on 'Jenny's Hall' less space to swing and ties it to a tight motorik beat turning it into a slice of shiny, modern techno but with extra shoulder-checking force. Its vibe drawing from a sense of outsider-party fun with a wry smile, and a knowing wink running throughout before bringing the package to a suitably left of field crescendo.

This record comes with a version for every time and mood of a club night: Jo Pariotas Cut of the Original Mix is the ideal warm up tune. Flowing on a synthline that calls Mike Huckabys Waldorf to mind, it is sweet and driving at the same time. The Original Mix by LOVEiTs own Nico Brun might be called - Casual Affair', but comes rolling on a phat wonky rhode that brings the groove! Between the crunchy drums, a relaxed vocal snipped and warm synth unfold like the first rays of sunlight. The JK & LDS reduction is punchy, minimal and dubby - with its pull and release kind of melody and the stuttered vocal sample it works perfect as a peak time DJ tool. Finally, the A.S.S. Amnesia returns Mix is something else entirely... you just have to experience it in its full 8 min breakbeat Aphex Twin-like glory.
- morri313

Very LIMITED album discs available now:

This is the first album Oscar Mulero has released under his own name, after two acclaimed LPs under the moniker Trolley Route. Well known for his skills as a hard-edged, raw and floor-orientated techno dj, his productions go far beyond, digging deep into the intricate landscape of intelligent techno, floating moods, reminiscent atmospheres, harmony and detail.

Grey Fades To Green is the affirmation of his maturity as a producer, using both hardware and software in the pursuit of a highly coherent and diverse album.

The concept is split into two parts: The Grey and The Green, each one with its own character. The first part is rougher and meant for the dance floor, although pays full attention to detail and complexity. The second part is quieter, has a slower pace and is best enjoyed at home.

In The Green Oscar goes deep into the intellectual side of techno music and is heavily influenced by the post rave sound emerging from the UK in the nineties: Aphex Twin, Gescom, B12, Plaid, Autechre.. but with a contemporary approach.

This part of the album brings you melodies, harmonies, endless atmospheres, and hours of studio work. Each sound has been carefully constructed, nothing is left to chance: Every stereo panning, every change to the synth's parameters has been meticulously designed for your listening pleasure; just what you want when you listen to techno on headphones. Futuristic music made with the utmost care.

'Last Regrets' shows how melancholic harmonies can be a perfect match for abstract beats and a dub-step reminiscence. A fine piece of sci-fi techno.

'Grey Fades To Green' makes a clean break by offering us an industrial drum'n' bass piece with a techno approach that mutates as the minutes tick by. A dub-step melodic track. Futuristic breakbeat for the decades to come.

The final track of The Green, 'Silent Air', picks up the homage to the intelligent techno sound of the beginning and returns to random grooves, crunchy samples, impossible hi-hats and massive synthesizer and step sequencer routines. A perfect ending to this sound journey from the heart of the dance floor to the core of your mind.

A mature work that confirms Oscar Mulero as one of the most qualified studio animals on the techno landscape.

Black Lodge Ist Ein Mysteriöser Produzent Aus Manchester, Der In Den 1990ern Mit Releases Auf Mo'wax Und The Trilogy Tapes Began, Mitglied Eines Okkulten Northern Soul-kollektivs Und Der Enigmatischen Formation Gescom Ist, Ferner Dj Eines Pirantensenders, Graffiti-künstler, Badly Drawn Boy-remixer Und Autechre-artwork-designer. Auf Dem Neuen Label Disciples Veröffentlicht Er Nun Eine Kollektion Mit Aufnahmen Aus Dem Lodgewars-archiv, Aufgenommen Im Obergeschoss Des Kings Arms-pubs In Salford, Manchester. Geisterhafte Drone-sounds Und -melodien, Die Die Ränder Von Ambient, Post-punk Und Industrial Besudeln. Die Streng Limitierte Lp-auflage Erscheint Auf Schwarzem Vinyl In Schwarzer Innentasche In Schwarzer Hülle Mit Sticker.

Producer Okzharp and vocalist-artist-dancer Manthe Ribane both hail from South Africa, where Manthe still resides, while Okzharp lives in the London where he is a DJ and producer, initially cutting his teeth in LV, who in 2007 were one of the very first acts signed to Hyperdub. Manthe has been at the forefront of South Africa's cutting edge fashion, art and dance worlds for over a decade. After leaving LV, Okzharp and Manthe started collaborating, going on to release two well-received EPs on Hyperdub, 'Dumella 113' and 'Tell Your Vision', recorded in Joburg and London respectively. The recording of 'Closer Apart' reflects the title. Okzharp says 'Most of the music came out of headphone moments in hotel rooms, planes and airports in the brief periods of time that we spent together.' Describing Manthe as a co -producer, he continues 'She selected instrumental sketches and we developed them together, sometimes just keeping the bare bones or a melody or rhythm, or trying different elements or sounds.' Even though the album was built long distance, the short periods they spent together were the ground zero for creativity. Okzharp recalls 'One particular moment in Milan last year, we had a whole free day before our flight so we visited the Salone di Mobile design show. We were so inspired by an installation there just walking around, listening to the amazing soundtrack. That evening our flight was delayed, so we sat on the floor of the airport terminal putting musical ideas down for 'Time Machine' on the laptop speakers and writing the lyrics. "Tic Toc time, we'll be fine / Airport queues, cerulean blues / Viper trails cross the skies / Lights reflect in your eyes...' ' 'Closer Apart' has a softness and openness that contrasts the tougher sound of the EPs. Manthe explains, 'The new music is a 360 turn, an expression of my 'Lady' side. I grew up listening to Jazz, Classic and Gospel, I am a very soft spoken person, and it resonates with being confident with that. It's been crazy finding balance and finding a smart way to strengthen my weaknesses, I had to trust the process.'

Next up on Francis Harris' exceptional imprint Scissor & Thread comes a collaboration with American Producer, DJ Aakmael. Aakmael has built a reputation for some of the deepest, rawest house music sounds coming out of the States, releasing well-received tracks on the likes of Freerange Records, Release Sustain, Kolour Dogmatik and NDATL. Returning to Scissor & Thread, Aakmael and label boss Harris cook up an intoxicating vibe across this 5 track EP. Each shares a track and work together on the fifth, while also remixing each other's solo cuts. First up Aakmael's Deep Muzik- a quintessential nod to its self-proclaimed mission statement. Skittering drums, a shuffling groove, deep keys, and chords make up this essential opener. Frank's (aka Francis Harris) All That Light Mix shows another side, finding pockets of space and developing the fizzing percussion to produce an equally affecting piece of dancefloor bliss. Sharing production duties from the outset on Mercy of Means, the guys slip into an easy mid-tempo groove with plenty of depth - the rhythm rolls along and offers the perfect basis for some sublime melodic touches. Frank's Part Song also hones in on the subtle deep grooves. Bumping, slightly filtered and saturated drums provide the main body, with beautiful washes and keys finding their way through, Aakmael's remix beefs up the groove somewhat, making the snares snap harder and kick hit a little stronger, but the essence of the tracks melodic atmosphere remains perfectly in place.

In 2017, Benedikt Frey released his breathtaking debut album with the ESP Institute, Artificial, and now as we finally come up for air, we're more than proud to offer an eclectic collection of remixes that's nothing short of essential. Side A leads with H For Hysteria remixed by a beloved hero, Nicolas Chaix a.k.a. I:Cube, one of the most prolific and respected electronic artists Paris has to offer. His touch is considered and elegant, imbuing the track with a tasteful 303+808 backbone to support an array of patiently floating melodies and angelic vocal samples. Following this, Tolouse Low Trax of Du¨sseldorf's infamous Salon Des Amateurs remixes the same track, stripping instrumentation down to a skeletal palette of bass guitar and stabbing percussive punctuations, chopped up inna minimalist stylee that has become his beat-making signature. Side B leads with a remix by another Du¨sseldorfer, DJ Normal 4, whose re-imagination of Private Crimes takes us for an even more menacing ride, half-timing the tempo and skillfully rolling out a barrage of jungle snares from rave days of yore. Closing the release is the most aggressive remix of them all, a bonafide techno beatdown of the same track by DALO, the co-producing artist to whose haunting vocals lace the original version. Her dark vision opens with sparse industrial drums that blossom into a driving assault of raw machinery, definitely not for the faint-of-heart. An all-around solid release here, fun for all the family... more than just the tip!

"phantom Dancehall" Is The Exploration Of The Greensleeves / Vp Records Catalogue By Dj Spooky Aka Paul Miller. The Musical Tapestry Is Built On Samples From Familiar (and Not So Familiar) Reggae Tracks Over Electronic Beats And Melodies Produced By Miller And Protégé Stephen Levitin (stage Name Apple Juice Kid). Selected Tracks Include The Keyboard Work Of Alex Thompson Aka Fourth Shift. Guest Vocals From Walshy Fire (major Lazer) And Dancehall Newcomer Sanjay Added To Vocal Samples Of Busy Signal, Lady Saw And Garnett Silk Give The Project An Eclectic, Modern Dancehall Flavor!

Paul Miller, Better Known By His Stage Name Dj Spooky Is A Music Producer, Arranger, Dj, Author And Performance Artist. His Unique Brand Of Experimental Hip-hop, Dubbed 'illbient' Has Resulted In Collaborations With A Diverse Range Of Artists Including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kronos Quartet, Lee "scratch" Perry And Killa Priest. With Remix Projects For Trojan Records, Manifold Records And Six Degrees Among Others To His Credit, Miller Created "phantom Dancehall" For His Exploration Of The Greensleeves/ Vp Records Reggae Catalogue.

For Fans Of: Major Lazer, Dj Shadow, Kevin Yost

The Four Tracks Composing All My Time Reveal A Unique Bird's-eye Perspective Over The Contemporary Pop Landscape, With Its Ambiguities And Fictional Public. By Developing A Personal Approach In The Bosom Of A Universal Notation, Mechatok Informs Naturally His Compositions With A Deep, Emotional Insight. Ornate But Undisposable, All My Time Glides Through The Skies Of Today's Music With A Rejuvenating Melody. Limited Edition Vinyl. Includes Dl Card.Timur Tokdemir Aka Mechatok Hails From Munich But Now Calls Berlin His Home. With His 2016 Debut 'see Thru' Ep On Staycore The Young Producer Exhibited A Rare Gift Of Honing A Distinct And Unique Style At Quite A Young Age. The Title Song Was Accompanied By A Captivating Videoclip Shot By Benjy Keating On The Stairs Of Athens' Panathenaic Stadium, Able To Reflect Both The Wide Scope And The Intimacy That Defined The Compositions. Mechatok Also Attracted Attention Thanks To The Single 'still Life' (co-produced By Toxe) Which Scored The Kenzo Fw 2016 Prints Presentation. The Allure Of Mechatok's Compositions Can Be Partly Traced Back To The Fact That He's A Classically Trained Guitarist, But A Distinct Expertise Can Also Be Recognized In His Dj Sets, Where He Instinctively Juggles Melodic Pieces With Club And Pop Music, Conveying Feels From Vulnerability To Bliss. In His Mixes For Dazed And Mixmag, Mechatok Tells Stories Of Melancholy, Always Radiating With A Moving Energy. Mechatok Has Also Shown His Face As A Top-notch Pop Producer, By Providing The Instrumental For Uli K And Yung Lean's "schemin" Or By Remixing Sinead Harnett's "rather Be With You" Or Mr Mitch And Palmistry's "vpn", Which Got Recently Published On Planet Mu.

After bursting onto the scene in late 2017, Hyperloop makes his Drumcode debut with Green Velvet in toe.His 'Mentalizm' EP is a classy example of his versatility, a trio of original works, accompanied by two DJ tools. Beginning on a menacing tip, 'In Your Mind (Reflections)' is a low-end brew of industrial stabs, eerie melodies and subterranean vocals.
'S-Sound' is his collaboration with Chicago legend Green Velvet and is a percussive masterstroke of loops and drum riffs which drive the eight-minute track with all the puffing ferocity of a steam train. 'Spring on the Battlefield' is the perfect contrasting accompaniment, as a warm rush of strings covers a bed of intricate analogue effects and stomping kicks.

RSN ist Produzent, DJ und Musiker aus der griechischen Metropole Athen. "Strange Eyes" ist bereits sein viertes Album und gleichzeitig sein Debüt auf Agogo. Es enthält 13 Songs, die von Electronica und Trip-HopSounds beeinflusst sind, die typische Elemente aber mit ganz ungewohnten Klängen zusammenbringen. HipHop-Beats mit fetten Basslinien treffen auf effektvoll melodische Gitarren, eine Hammond-Orgel und atmosphärische, analoge Synthesizer schaffen einen idealen Klangraum für die Musik des Griechen. RSN hat zudem zahlreiche außergewöhnliche Sänger und Musiker als Gäste für diese Produktion eingeladen. Seit 2009 ist er als DJ bei der bekannten britischen Band Belleruche aktiv. Mit diesen Meistern des Souls tritt er regelmäßig bei vielen Konzerten in Griechenland und im Ausland auf, sei es in Serbien, in der Türkei, Russland, Schweiz, Frankreich, England oder Ukraine. In den vergangenen Jahren ist er so auf den großen Festivals in der ganzen Welt zu Gast gewesen. Als DJ hat er selber die Live-Shows von Top-Künstlern wie Alpha Blondy, Wax Taylor, DJ Krush, Parov Stellar und anderen eröffnet.

Reminiscent of the infamous quote 'There are four lights", the release kicks off with an homage to the will of resistance. From Captain Picard to Orwell - may the (referential) chain of command is not as evident as H4L's sci-fi passion, the title track's power structure couldn't be wielded more efficiently: While stomping kick drums and subtle hi-hats build up a foreplay full of suspense, the witty melody with its warped and distorted sounds grants 'Four Lights' the perfect authority. Following a similar approach, 'Fesch' with its bouncy and mantra-like groove, in which synths playing a ping-pong game, completes the swinging A-side. Deep'a & Biri, the Israeli DJ and producer duo from Tel Aviv, start the flip side with their interpretation of 'Four Lights". By using breaks and greater attention for details, the remix not only redirects the originals' energy into more hypnotic realms, Deep'a & Biri extract the melody's keys in order to create a moody and dense version. Resonating from two decades of warehouse reverberation experience, 'Disc 2 Dysnomia' finishes the release with an IDM-drenched workout, full of UK bass knowledge, unpolished electro grooves, and swirling synth poetry. Absolute freedom means absolute lawlessness.

Bluestaeb's Evolution From A Beatmaker To A Producer Is His Sophmore Album everything Is Always A Process'.

He Is One Of The Key Figures Of A New Generation Of Up And Coming Hiphop Beatmakers, Who Have Emancipated From Genre Thinking And Instead Merge Old School Aesthetics With A New School Attitude And Organic Instrumentation.

Everything Is Always A Process Re-iterates Bluestaeb's Overall Approach To Life (and Thinking), But Also Has Direct Reference To The Making Of The Album Itself, Which Began With Moving From Berlin To Paris In 2015 In The Search Of New Influences And A New Creative Environment.
Created Between 2015 And Early 2018, Eiaap Embodies The Process Of This Transition - As Well As Collaboration With Instrumentalists And Vocalists From All Over The World And Recording In Different Studios In Paris, London & Berlin.

"meeting All Those Musicians And Trying Out New Ways Of Producing By Using Real Analogue Synths, Rhodes, Drums And Percussion Etc. Made It Possible To Overcome The Creative Boundaries Of A Home Studio With Just A Midi Keyboard" / Bluestaeb

Influenced By Madlib's "shades Of Blue" And Trained In African Drum Techniques Such As Djembé And Daruka, Bluestaeb Had Been Crafting His Own Beats Since His Teenage Years And Gradually Found His Sound Identity Through Experimenting With Hiphop And Jazz - First To Be Heard By A Broader Music Community In 2013, When He Released His Debut Album "1991 Extraterrestrial" (radio Juicy). Since Then The Prolific Young Artist Has Released Numerous Solo And Collaboration Projects ("b.l.u.e. Friday" In 2015 And - sidekicks With S. Fidelity In 2016). In 2016, He Produced Collaborative Album "lit - Lost In Translation With Rapper Juju Rogers, A Keen Manifesto Against Racism, Xenophobia And The Rise Of Anti-heroes Such As Donald Trump.
Today, Bluestaeb Lives And Works In Paris And Berlin And Is Set To
Release His Third Solo Album everything Is Always A Process', A
Smooth Neo Soul-induced Epic Featuring Artists Such As Noah Slee, Harleighblu And Melodiesinfonie, Via Jakarta Records In 2018.

African Scream Contest 2

A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally well- drilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.

Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasure- trove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks o Les Sympathics' pile-driving opener, it's clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you're trying to get o the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces' Asaw Fofor" would've been a killer instrumental but once you've factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it's a total revelation.

The screaming does not stop there, in fact it's only just beginning. But the

strange thing about African Scream Contest II's celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "search and destroy" enemies of the country's (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.

Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined military band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon André vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb's behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he'd been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter's impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s. Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to oer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.

Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the

continent's musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb's determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends.

Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and eortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon André - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin's vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the turntables that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a factory that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.

The scene documented here couldn't have been born anywhere else but in the Benin Republic , and the prime reason for that is Vodoun. It's one of the world's most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from that country were no less diverse than that army of dierent Gods. At once restless pioneers and masters of the art of modernising their own folklore, the mystic sound of Vodoun was their prime source of inspiration.

One especially irascible Vodoun-adept was Antoine Dougbe, who styled himself The devil's prime minister' while turning ancestral rhythms into satanically alluring modern beats. As Orchestre Poly-Rythmo songwriter Pynasco has observed sagely, Evil is not elsewhere, evil extends into the house'. And African Scream Contest II is a gloriously cinematic road-trip through an undiscovered realm of music lore whose familiarity is every bit as thrilling as its otherness.

Written by Ben Thomson, March 2018

Mike Huckaby, Bergqvist, DJ Sports, Raam and LNS remix 'Deep Soundscapes', Takecha's album recently released on Sweden's Love Potion.

Released in March, the album incorporates Takeshi Fukushima's work between 1990 to 2013 and affirms why the producer is such a respected figure within Japan's electronic music scene. Now his compositions have been remixed by some of house music's best, featuring renditions from Detroit's Mike Huckaby, Aniara's Henrik Bergqvist, the elusive Raam, Firecracker and Regelbau's DJ Sports, as well as Wania and Freakout Cult's LNS.

Mike Huckaby inaugurates the release with his sultry take on 'Low Sentiment', blending deep synths with murmuring vocals to forge a proper deep house cut. Bergqvist then remixes 'Rhodes Deep' creating a bouncy minimal cut incorporating the original's scintillating melody alongside meandering percussion and twisted effects, making way into DJ Sports' remix of 'Gradual Atmosphere' with its intricate breakbeat drums and dreamlike atmospherics. Raam then reinvents 'Calm Imagination' taking it into subterranean territories complete with infectious keys, until LNS ties it all together with her mesmerising beatless reimagining of 'Factory 141'.

Danny McLewin (Psychemagik) and Jamie Cruisey have a new label of original signed artists called SPIRITS. The first release is from Mexican hotness 'Lokier' of She Made Monster and 'Jason Greer' aka 'The Machine', one of the Californian undergrounds best kept secrets. They met in 2015 at a festival in London and after spending a few days together, became musically obsessed with each other. That summer, as Jason bounced around Europe, he stayed with Lokier in Barcelona for some weeks and after long night walks, some tapas and absinthe bars they came up with their first EP together.

A1 "White Room's" slo-mo headnod film score, kick starts the EP, brooding synths buzzing with electric cocaine gloss, their oscillators fluttering like cyborg butterflies around the pulsating strobelight beat. Creepy.
A2 "Stained Glass" hits tough straight out the gate with subterranean bubbling acid bass and charges headlong into deep psychedelic territory with a goth-inspired guitar, reverb on 11, turning the track into a next-level robo-Giallo monster!

B1 "Pearly Hate" begins as if a menacing swarm of bionic rave bees is slowly surrounding you, the tension of their impending drone amping up steadily as your brain thinks: Do I run This midtempo Carpenter-esque jam is atmospheric putty in the hands of sleazoned DJ's and sounds like the beginning of a long, strange trip.
B2 "Red Floor" is a chugging, barely restrained dark disco beast, flagrantly wearing its Weatherall and Neu Beat-ing heart on its tattered sleeve, elliptical melodies keeping you from your sanity with a solid drop for the dancefloor - another one for DJ's who ride it rough.

Thus completes the first release for new label SPIRITS. Four tracks exploring another corner of otherworldly analogue hedonism for extra-dimensional travel. Keep your ear on "Red Floor", as its potential for dancefloor uplift is proven and Machine-ready! Stay jacked in for more missives soon...

Ivan Smagghe:
"When your best Mexican chola low-rider meets our favourite Californian mechanic, you get a proper slice of (Lokier and) Machine funk. This is grease electronics, black leather under the very dark sun of 'Pearly Hate' or in the bright isolation tank of 'White Room''