quête:dj p lon

Record Producer/ DJ / Record Plugger and Record Shop Owner Herman Chin-Lay operated out of his Aquarius Record shop at Half Way Three ,Kingston ,Jamaica.
It is from this base that he started his recording studio where he not only put out the first ever Dub album 'Aquarius Dub' but was also responsible for naming future artist Horace Swaby.
By allowing him to use his exotic fictitious working name 'Augustus Pablo' for his own recording career.
Although called 'Aquarius Dub' the tacks that make up this album were cut at Dynamic Sounds, Harry J's and Randy's Studio 17.
It was not long after this release that Herman opened the first ever twenty four track studio Aquarius Studios.
We have compiled this set of Dub tracks that were worked on at Aquarius studio's itself.
Using the legendary studio for some of the recordings and/or it's mixing and voicing facilites.
Hope you enjoy the set...Dubbing at Aquarius Sounds...

Rayko the Spanish Disco Producer and DJ extraordinaire has been busy in his Madrid based Studio burning the midnight oil to deliver Vadillo Vice Volume two.

Four reworked funk fuelled bass heavy cuts, tried and tested by the man himself on dancefloors across the globe and due to be released on vinyl only later in the year.

Deeply rooted in the golden era of the 70s and 80s, Rayko’s influences are masterfully interpreted and transformed into modern day dancefloor bombs, and are a key signature sound of his long established label Rare Wiri (Since 2008) an outlet for his productions alongside other likeminded artists such as Daniele Baldelli, Man Parrish, Gazeebo, Ilija Rudman, Ichisan, Spirit Catcher, Mushrooms Project, Eric Duncan among many others.

Optimo (Espacio) started life as a weekly club night. It was born at The Sub Club in Glasgow on a wet, windy, wintry November Sunday night in 1997. Run by JD Twitch and partner in crime Jonnie Wilkes. Optimo was a reaction against what felt like an increasingly conservative musical soundtrack in clubs here at that time. Clubland felt as if it had become very bland and a bit too serious; it was the era of the dawn of the Superstar DJ. Clubs often felt like bastions of male energy. It seemed dance music and culture was going somewhere far, far away from where it was meant to be. The notion of fun had got lost.

It was no longer the world they had devoted ten years of their lives to already, and lots of their friends felt the same. When the opportunity came up to do a Sunday night at The Sub Club it felt like the perfect opportunity to rip it all up and start again. So they did. There was nothing in the city (or possibly anywhere) like it. As the club believed wholeheartedly in what they were doing, there was no pressure from The Sub Club to fill the club. So, they embraced the freedom. Groups of people who had never been in the same room at the same time before came together. A community of kindred spirits started to emerge.

Word spread, slowly. Lots of people checked it out. Many loved it, some hated it. The core of the Optimo idea was to embrace music they loved that might work on the dancefloor from whatever era or genre they thought felt right. It might not seem very radical now but at that time it was revolutionary.

After about a year and a half, the club went from having 100 people attending most nights to suddenly one week having 500 people turn up. It was very weird. It was as if a collective light bulb went off in people’s heads in Glasgow. From that week on, until the very last weekly Sunday night at the Sub Club, in 2010, over a decade later, it was packed.

There were 550 Sunday Optimo nights. A LOT of music was played. So, what was the music? People often find it hard to pin down exactly what Optimo is. This has been a positive but also a negative as we live in a world where people want easily defined “brand identities”. The simplest definition of the music played is “music for dancing”, which of course is a very broad definition. Even better than trying to define it in words, we have these 2 volumes of music that give a hint of what that might be.

This is not a “Best of Optimo” or a “Greatest Hits of Optimo” compilation. For people who come to, or used to come to the nights there are of course “Greatest Hits”. But, over such a long timespan they are “hits” belonging to a certain moment in time and space. Someone who came to Optimo in 1997 would have a completely different notion of the big tracks at the club to someone coming in 2003, or 2010, or today. This compilation is just a snap shot missing several genres that might make up the DNA of Optimo. There is though a broad sweep through lots of music Optimo loves, that they believe is amazing. Music that they know will rock a dancefloor, that they have played between 1997 and 2023. Of course Optimo nights were not all about rocking the dancefloor. The first hour was always a time for them to play music they loved that often was far removed from the dance. Side 1, Volume 1 of this compilation is the kind of music one might hear at the very start of an Optimo night.

Optimo have always loved a good slogan. The most long lived, and fitting Optimo slogan is "We Love Your Ears", which is in essence what it is all about to them.

Optimo (Espacio) started life as a weekly club night. It was born at The Sub Club in Glasgow on a wet, windy, wintry November Sunday night in 1997. Run by JD Twitch and partner in crime Jonnie Wilkes. Optimo was a reaction against what felt like an increasingly conservative musical soundtrack in clubs here at that time. Clubland felt as if it had become very bland and a bit too serious; it was the era of the dawn of the Superstar DJ. Clubs often felt like bastions of male energy. It seemed dance music and culture was going somewhere far, far away from where it was meant to be. The notion of fun had got lost.

It was no longer the world they had devoted ten years of their lives to already, and lots of their friends felt the same. When the opportunity came up to do a Sunday night at The Sub Club it felt like the perfect opportunity to rip it all up and start again. So they did. There was nothing in the city (or possibly anywhere) like it. As the club believed wholeheartedly in what they were doing, there was no pressure from The Sub Club to fill the club. So, they embraced the freedom. Groups of people who had never been in the same room at the same time before came together. A community of kindred spirits started to emerge.

Word spread, slowly. Lots of people checked it out. Many loved it, some hated it. The core of the Optimo idea was to embrace music they loved that might work on the dancefloor from whatever era or genre they thought felt right. It might not seem very radical now but at that time it was revolutionary.

After about a year and a half, the club went from having 100 people attending most nights to suddenly one week having 500 people turn up. It was very weird. It was as if a collective light bulb went off in people’s heads in Glasgow. From that week on, until the very last weekly Sunday night at the Sub Club, in 2010, over a decade later, it was packed.

There were 550 Sunday Optimo nights. A LOT of music was played. So, what was the music? People often find it hard to pin down exactly what Optimo is. This has been a positive but also a negative as we live in a world where people want easily defined “brand identities”. The simplest definition of the music played is “music for dancing”, which of course is a very broad definition. Even better than trying to define it in words, we have these 2 volumes of music that give a hint of what that might be.

This is not a “Best of Optimo” or a “Greatest Hits of Optimo” compilation. For people who come to, or used to come to the nights there are of course “Greatest Hits”. But, over such a long timespan they are “hits” belonging to a certain moment in time and space. Someone who came to Optimo in 1997 would have a completely different notion of the big tracks at the club to someone coming in 2003, or 2010, or today. This compilation is just a snap shot missing several genres that might make up the DNA of Optimo. There is though a broad sweep through lots of music Optimo loves, that they believe is amazing. Music that they know will rock a dancefloor, that they have played between 1997 and 2023. Of course Optimo nights were not all about rocking the dancefloor. The first hour was always a time for them to play music they loved that often was far removed from the dance. Side 1, Volume 1 of this compilation is the kind of music one might hear at the very start of an Optimo night.

Optimo have always loved a good slogan. The most long lived, and fitting Optimo slogan is "We Love Your Ears", which is in essence what it is all about to them.

Roberto Agosta, or just Agosta as he likes to be called, is a Sicilian DJ and producer from Catania active all along the eastern coast of Sicily, a place that proved to be a soulful place and a training ground for a long career, making him an excellent music selector and a reference point in the spread of alternative music.

A soundtrack music enthusiast since he was a child, now a vinyl "serial gathere", Agosta has always put his vast knowledge at the service of a very personal sound that sums many different music styles and contaminations, simple and profound but straightforward and direct at the same time.

Agosta’s eponymous album, released on LP, CD and digital formats, was conceived during the Covid-19 lockdown, thanks to the precious collaboration of friend DJ and producer Massimo Napoli aka Galathea, with whom Roberto has already started another project called AN-AN that will produce a new record for Space Echo at the end of 2022.

This record highlights a typical chill-out aesthetic, thanks to its trip-hop and ambient rhythms and atmospheres, while a deeper exploration reveals the psychedelic essence of the entire work, a daring and exciting journey in the most primitive Sicily, and the energy that sustains all of its ten tracks.

Much of their author and his lifestyle - mainly based on meditation, the search for spiritual elevation, the relationship with nature and the regaining of contact with those particular places and with the people who live there - is revealed by those tracks that constitute a soundtrack for this spiritual but also extremely physical journey.

The song titles are, in fact, intrinsically linked to Roberto’s real life: the Gorna and Ilice mountains at the foot of Etna, the Carricante vineyard and its excellent wine, Unna, Three Chestnuts, Varanni, Don Alfio, Lady G. Each of them represents a pleasant and dreamlike narration and the escape from the complex dynamics of a city like Catania, among echoes of the most dreamy Pink Floyd, the softer side of ’70s krautrock, but also the Massive Attack and Tricky’s Bristol scene.
There’s also an excellent choice of synthesizers and overdubbed guitars, thanks to the talent of the multifaceted musician and producer Salvo Bruno Dub, and of Manuela Amalfitano, Loredana Poidomani and Deran Obika’s voices.

Agosta is an introspective, deep work with a cinematic vocation, perfectly rooted in the territory where it took shape, among sunny landscapes, lush with vegetation but also deserted and arid lands. From Sicily to the cosmos... enjoy!

Jason Grimez is a Cincinnati-based DJ and producer. He has a long history of record collecting, sampling, and creating new sounds with analog gear. Grimez works with some of Cincinnati's finest studio musicians to create raw, soulful, instrumental hip-hop under the moniker Doctor Bionic. The next LP, In The Infinite, is due out 12/01/2023 via Chiefdom Records. Grimez fell in love with music during the golden era of early 90's east coast hip hop - when digging for jazz and funky samples were the backbone of beats. He became comfortable scratching on a pair of 1200s and sampling records with an MPC 3000 in high school. After years of collecting music and working on his sound behind the scenes, he has compiled a huge discography of original songs. In 2015, Grimez started his independent label Chiefdom Records. His studio persona Doctor Bionic was one of the first to see a release on the new imprint. The project features a studio band of session musicians. Grimez is responsible for writing, recording, producing, mixing, and releasing the records. He gathers a group of musicians in his studio, presents a few ideas, and hits record. Due to a rotating cast of musicians and ever-changing inspirations, no two sessions are alike. "There's no set pattern," Grimez explained. "I'll invite some session players and have them jam on a few ideas. Sometimes we'll start with a drum break and add melodies over top. It's mostly improv, and I can always go back and chop it up." One common thread is the fresh, original sounds. "I like to call it Organic Groove," he shared. "I'm inspired by all kinds of music - instrumental hip-hop, soul, classic rock, jazz, you name it. When we get in the studio, all of the pieces add up to a new sound." In The Infinite features some of the best players in the Cincinnati music scene. Cameron Brown played guitar on several tracks. Brian Batchelor-Glader, an award-winning pianist, was also involved. All 12 tracks provide the perfect backdrop for hanging with a group of good friends or cruising in the car. The drums are solid, consistent, and lay an effortless foundation for all kinds of instrumentation. Jazzy trumpet lines, ethereal keyboards, choppy soul guitar licks, and much more. "Do You Remember?" (track 2) heroes a busy, poppy guitar and a head-bobbing bassline. The record scratching and tape-recorded drum tones on "Plastic Art" (track 7) feels like a hip-hop instrumental from the early aughts. From top to bottom, this record has a lot to offer. Pick up a copy of In The Infinite on vinyl or stream the album on 12/01/2023

Boomstraat 1818's newest release 'Durgan's Odyssey' is a warm and melodic Detroit techno ep, inspirited by summer visits to the Cornish coast at Glendurgan.

Kuba Sojka delivers the A1: 'Root Loop', a dj friendly peaktimer, tested on multiple crowds with an ascertained result. We are blessed to release this track on our label.

'Remain' is the A2 of the ep, in The Parallel's typical deep Detroit style: combining warm pads with classic Roland percussion.

Aztronouth is a longtime friend of the label and founder of the legendary Amsterdam based Mechanism parties. He takes care of the A3 with his track 'Tears From Detroit', a clever analog 'one take' electro recording paying his respects to the Motor City.

Acclaimed French techno veteran Taho is on B1. Well known for his classics such as Mutant Fight the Creature and Forest of Wonders. His track 'Dub Jazz' says it all: it sounds like Brendon Moeller and Saint Germain had a love baby.

On the B2 Boomstraat 1818 label owner Stroef combines his analog 808 drums with strings and pads to deliver a warm and captivating melodic Detroit track called 'Main Gate'.

Justin Drake and Clive Henry, recognised as the legendary Peace Division, stood out as one of the UK's most successful tribal/tech house production duos from the late 90s to the mid-00s. Their contributions extended to renowned British labels such as NRK and Junior London, as well as releases with Hooj, Crosstown Rebels, and major label remixes.

Lesser-known but equally intriguing was their venture into a different musical realm under the alias Soul Purpose. Shifting towards a deeper shade of house, Soul Purpose featured tracks characterised by lush chords and rolling basslines, placing a strong emphasis on the soulful elements.

Originally released on Low Pressing Limited, an offshoot label of Clive Henry and Rocky (X-Press 2) iconic Low Pressing, the four Soul Purpose titles emerged between 1997 and 1998. Despite being somewhat under the radar, these tracks gained recognition among DJs in the know. Now, the Selected Works release, compiled from the original DAT tapes and fully remastered, reunites the entire Soul Purpose catalogue for the first time in 27 years since their initial release.

As a renowned Italian DJ and producer, Mario Piu achieved his breakthrough in 1999 thanks to the groundbreaking single „Communication“. Now his greatest hits are available on coloured vinyl! Enjoy and get down to selected mixes in the extra-long club versions of „Your Love“, „Techno Harmony“, „Elixir“ and many more!

Record Kicks presents two northern soul belters on limited edition 45 from The Tibbs

Record Kicks presents a new Soul 45 from Dutch combo The Tibbs that features two northern soul belters taken from the new album "Keep It For Yourself". The 45 will hit the streets on January 12. On the A side the soul stomper "Ain't It Funny" which is also the first single taken from the upcoming album, while on the B side "Give Me a Reason" an uptempo R&B soul stomper. Copies are limited to 500 worldwide, which makes it an instant collector's item and an essential buy for soul fans and djs.

Produced by Paul Willemsen (Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions) both tracks are taken from the new album Keep It to Yourself, the third Long Play from The Tibbs that is set for release on January 26th on LP, CD and digital format. Based around Amsterdam, The Tibbs took off in 2012 working right from the start with producer Paul Willemsen (Beans & Fatback, Lefties Soul Connection, Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions). In 2016, their first LP Takin' Over marked their debut with Milan-based imprint Record Kicks. The release of Takin' Over delivered the band rich rewards, like playing sold-out shows and wonderful festivals across Europe. In late 2018, singer Elsa decided to focus on a solo career and The Tibbs duly began their search for a truly worthy successor, bringing astonishing vocalist Roxanne Hartog and the band together for the first time with their sophomore album Another Shot Fired, released in November 2020. Now, with new recordings in the bag and an astounding third album ready to be released, The Tibbs are once more ready for lift off.

Belgian independent label De:tuned celebrates 15 years with an expansive series of new releases throughout 2024. Founded in 2009 by Ruben Boons and Bert Hermans, De:tuned and British influential electronic music pioneers The Future Sound Of London team up to mark the beginning of its momentous 15th anniversary.
The inimitable Future Sound Of London grace De:tuned with 'Pulse Five', the 5th installment and follow-up to the classic Pulse EP series. 'Pulse Five' contains 8 tracks of previously unreleased DAT tape material from the early 90s. These unheard vintage recordings date back to the era of FSOL's much sought after classic singles and highly acclaimed Accelerator album. Brace yourself for visionary techno-driven rave work under their iconic aliases such as Mental Cube, Indo Tribe, Yage and a rare Smart Systems track. This is the sheer brilliance of the iconic duo in full effect.
The impeccable Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the matching graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis to ensure the highest quality. De:tuned would like to thank you for the continued support, stay tuned!

Will Long is an American artist. He curates and manages the label Two Acorns, as well as producing music since 2005, in various forms under his own name for Terre Thaemiltz's Comatonse Recordings, and as Celer for his own label and many others.
Here he joins the perfectly aligned Scissor and Thread label of Francis Harris and Anthony Collins for the Too Much EP.
"Too Much" is a deep cut from the same grooves as the Long Trax series," says Will Long, "a further entry for the downtrodden, the overwhelmed, and those that think change has come. A midnight meditation of intentional simplicity, strained, and on that night train."
The title track is lush, loose deep jam that combines wistful, warm pads with an insistent groove and choice samples.
Francis Harris steps up to provide one of his signature reforms, adding a little more percussion and drive to the track, while DJ Aakmael (Greg Stewart) offers up another version that takes the track somehow even deeper, adding some additional instrumentation and raw sounds.

Cam Cameron appears to be another one of those performers from an infinite list of Black American artists that cut a solitary 45 single and then disappear into obscurity never to be seen or heard from again. Couple this with the passing of any of the relevant protagonists from the time along with any of the surviving ones ever diminishing memories and the job of collating events and artists back stories from over 50 years ago becomes that much harder.

Cam Cameron appears to be one of those artists (although our investigations are ongoing). Therefore, from the information currently gleaned, the artist Cam Cameron was none other than Alvin Cameron the writer of the featured song “You Say”, with Cam being a kind of nickname. The string arrangements on both “They Say” and “I’m A Lonely Man” were provided by the late John Andrew Cameron a hugely respected arranger, producer and songwriter within the Chicago music scene of the 1960’s and early 70’s, more often credited as Johnny Cameron. Johnny’s credits can be found on many recordings of the time often working with fellow Chicago music scene producer Clarence Johnson, some of the highlights from this liaison being the song “I Really Love You” recorded by both Jimmy Burns (Erica) and Bobby James (Karol) and the girl group, ‘The Lovelites’, on their acclaimed album “With Love From The Lovelites” (Uni). Johnny’s involvement with the Scott Brothers goes as far back as 1965 when he provided the musical arrangements on The Howard Scott penned song “I’ve Got To Get Over” recorded by Syl Johnson for the TMP-Ting label. Although they share the same surname, Alvin (Cam) Cameron is believed to be of no relation to Johnny Cameron.



“You Say” would gain a release on the independent Capri label owned by Sephus Howard Scott who together with brother Walter Scott composed the 45’s flipside “I’m A Lonely Man”. Howard also featured as one of the songs producers alongside the mysterious Edgar Mullins (a name which has been found on a couple of other tape boxes, the investigations continue).

Musical accompaniment was provided by The Scott Brothers Band, with both songs being recorded at RCA Victor’s Chicago number 2 Recording Studio at 445 North Lake Shore Drive, in the Navy Pier section. on the 10th of August 1967 and released on Capri Records during the month of February 1968.



Cameron’s “You Say” was another 45 that was first introduced to UK Soul Collectors via those much lamented and fondly remembered soul packs, always regarded as a quality collector’s 45 the only regular turntable action remembered was provided by Northampton’s very own discerning DJ Cliff Steele at venues such as ‘Detroit Academicals’, ‘Bretby Country Club’ and later ‘Albrighton’ during the leaner days of the UK Rare Soul Scene?! Hopefully a wider appreciation of both sides of this soulful Windy City 45 beckons! The second release in Soul Junction’s Capri series.

PRESSING OF 200 COPIES ON CLEAR VINYL.

RIYL Zero 7/ Plaid / Hot Chip / Weather Report / Isolee / Baby Fox

Old friends Julian Bates and Alex Gray —working together as Mighty Truth for the first time since 1995’s From The City To The Sea — filled a car with old analogue synths, kids’ noise toys, and collected field recordings took a road trip down to hole up in an old water mill in southwest England’s bird-twittery, bee-loud Quantock hills.

Things got cinematic: unequal measures of early Weather Report, Wim Wenders, and Serge Gainsbourg kept them wonderfully lost in their imagined world. Back in London with guest singers Allonymous (Paris via Chicago) and Wayne Paul (London), they completed the album and decided to just call it Mighty Truth. With an aim to present the live show at moonlight pop-up cinema venues, Mighty Truth are here for the next chapter in their epic saga.

Back then….

Old friends Julian Bates and Alex Gray first met through their shared obsession with classic cars (both owned old SAAB 96s). At the time, Julian’s band Nightrains was signed to ACE Records in the UK whilst Alex worked first as a session keyboardist for the likes of Edwyn Collins, Billy Mackenzie, and Busta “Cherry” Jones, and later as a mixer and remixer working with S’express producer Pascal Gabriel, Malcolm McLaren, and soul DJ legend Dr Bob Jones.

Working together in the studio for the first time producing Vanessa Freeman (4 hero), Alex and Julian decided to embark on a drop-tempo jazz trip project they named Mighty Truth. Dr Bob heard that first self-released vocal track “Rebirth” and started dropping it on Kiss FM (UK). After guest DJ slots on Coldcut’s Kiss show, Alex and Julian signed to Tongue and Groove records.

The album From the City to the Sea produced a number of singles and both “Rebirth” and “Is it a Wizard or a Blizzard” were licensed to many compilations both in the UK and internationally (eg. Dope on Plastic, Mole Listening Pearls, Eight Ball).
The Sound of Sinners is a NYC boutique record label focused on vinyl and digital releases by Indie, ambient, avant-garde and electronic artists.

The Bollock Brothers are a British punk act formed in 1979 by the London promoter, DJ, and manager Jock McDonald. They are best known for their English language cover of Serge Gainsbourg’s song “Harley David (Son of a Bitch)” (originally in French) and Alex Harvey’s “Faith Healer”. ​

As well as being known for their original songs “Horror Movies”, “The Bunker”, “The Legend Of The Snake” and "The Slow Removal of The Left Ear of Vincent van Gogh" which featured Martin Glover of the band Killing Joke, they are known for their release of cover versions by artists Led Zeppelin, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Steppenwolf, David Bowie, and Vangelis among others.

Repress 2024

Servus everybody!

Why "the hell" didn't anyone think of this before? It was so obvious: When the same music goes the same way, the truth always lies on the turntable.

KOMPAKT presents the long-awaited "two-tracker", cold-pressed and remixed. The Voigt brothers meet Helmut Geier and vice versa, or: Kölsch meets Löwenbräu, because we stand by you, star of the south.

So let's welcome the megahit "W.I.R." by Wassermann from 2000 in a brand new DJ Hell remix, and a remix by Voigt & Voigt of DJ Hell's "Anything Anytime" anthem from 2017. Two classics that go down like liquid gold. It comes from the heart.

Ja, Servus mitanand!

Warum ist da eigentlich niemand vorher d’rauf gekommen, es lag doch immer auf der Hand: Wenn gleiche Musik denselben Weg geht, liegt die Wahrheit immer auf dem Plattenteller.

KOMPAKT präsentiert Euch den lang erwarteten Zweiteiler, kalt gepresst und geremixt. Die Voigt-Brüder treffen auf Helmut Geier und vice versa, oder: Kölsch trifft auf Löwenbräu, denn mer stonn zo Dir, Stern des Südens.

Begrüßen wir also den Megahit "W.I.R." von Wassermann aus dem Jahr 2000 im neuen DJ Hell-Remix und den Remix von Voigt & Voigt zu Hells "Anything Anytime"-Hymne aus dem Jahr 2017. Zwei Klassiker, die runtergehen wie flüssiges Gold. Et kütt vun Hätze, oder wie der Bajuware sagt: ’S kimmd vo Herzn.

Delasi, the Koforidua-based producer, singer and rapper has released his new single ‘Amplifier’ featuring Nii Noi Nortey.

Prophetic, spiritual and frenetic, ‘Amplifier’ is Delasi’s testimony in musical form. A manifestation of Delasi emerging triumphant after many years in limbo as he searched for a long-awaited breakthrough in the music industry.

Produced by Delasi himself alongside Morgan Greenstreet, ‘Amplifier’ is underpinned by the texture of coastal rhythms indigenous to Accra and tightly ornamented with bustling drum breaks, electronic synth lines and jazz sensibilities.

Veteran Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Nii Noi Nortey appears on the track to deliver an explosive and rhythmically intense saxophone performance throughout as it tastefully builds to an emphatic crescendo.

Self-described as a prayer, the track’s maximalist and percussive instrumentation is cleverly juxtaposed with minimal lyrics where Delasi’s faint vocal repeats a series of repeated phrases like evoking the mood and semblance of a meditative chant and religious experience. Harkening to the work of afrofuturistic jazz musicians like Sun Ra and Pharaoh Sanders.

Speaking on the track’s meaning, Delasi said: “‘Amplifier’ is my prayer and like with other songs of mine it can scare me because I write things and then it’ll manifest in exact detail. The song is basically outlining how hard I’ve worked and how I need an amplifier to have my desires fulfilled. It's like a mantra and that’s why it's not so lyrical”.

‘Amplifier’ marks Delasi’s first release as a lead artist since his 2015 self-released project ‘#thoughtjourney’ which garnered support and praise from Rolling Stone, BBC6 Music, Worldwide FM, KCRW, Afropop Worldwide, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, NRK and legendary French DJ/Producer Laurent Garnier. Additionally parlaying into touring and festival gigs across Nairobi, Berlin, Morocco, Denmark and Sweden.

Delasi is an artist that has been quietly prolific for over a decade. Honing his musicianship exploring sonic possibilities with Ableton and Teenage Engineering. Eventually entrenching himself in the Ghanaian rap scene via collaborations with Hammer of The Last Two, Reggie Rockstone and Yaw P with whom he would release a joint project ‘Imperfections: The Break Up Vol 1’ in 2013.

He was musically raised on a diet heavily influenced by his father who exposed him to the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bobby McFerrin, Jim Reeves and Billy Ocean alongside the soundtracks for movies like Doctor Zhivago, The Sound of Music and La Bamba. Delasi’s own tastes would be heavily informed by linchpins of US Hip-Hop like Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Onyx and M.O.P in addition to alternative R&B artists Frank Ocean and James Blake.

After many years of operating as a proudly independent and self-contained artist, Delasi has now partnered with Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings. One of the world’s leading indie labels, famed for their instrumental role in breaking the likes of KOKOROKO, Yussef Dayes, Swindle, Joe-Armon Jones, Shabaka And The Ancestors, Zara McFarlane and Ghostpoet.

With Delasi now being granted resources to give his music the grand and worthy footing, he is now on the cusp of the artistic breakthrough that was long out of reach. Speaking further on how the deal with Brownswood inspired the new single, Delasi said:

“The music I’ve created this go round is so strong that I can’t handle it all by myself. Though I had a lot of fun doing it all by myself with ‘#thoughtjourney’, this time around I needed it to be with a home who could properly amplify it.”

Emmavie is one of the London R&B's scene most exciting talents - equally shining as both a leading vocalist and a one-of-a-kind producer. Known for her collaborations with Alfa Mist, Soulection, The Alchemist, IAMNOBODI, ROMderful and an outpouring of public support from respected names the like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Phonte, and Knxwledge - Emmavie has quickly become the talk of the town in many music circles at the moment, with her refreshingly unique original production (think late 90's Timbaland meets neo-soul era J Dilla), sharp writing skills, and a voice that instantly pulls you in.

The latest by Texan-turned-Angeleno progressive vaporwave producer Carlos Ramirez aka AURAGRAPH finds him shifting focus to the dance floor across eight chrome clockworks of cosmic acid house and liquid rave glide: 'New Standard'. Inspired by lessons learned during a 5K mile American road trip tour in the summer 2022, he set to work in his Simi Valley Tuff Shed of synths and hardware, pursuing an explicitly DJ-friendly muse: "I realized I wanted to make a record where every track could go off in a live setting."These cuts do just that, revved and rhythmic, peppered with slap bass, Madchester whistles, filtered acid, gated snares, baggy cowbell, and sample pack classics - record scratches, orchestral stabs, the "Yeah! Woo!" from Lynn Collins "Think (About It)." Ramirez describes the process as immediate and instinctual: "I'd turn on the MPC, pick a tempo, and just improv - it was incredibly fun."From sleek freeway techno ("110 Cruising") to arcade lurker acid ("Coast 2 Coast") to big room bangers ("666 Ambience"), the tracks time-travel across the canon of club music, sifting tricks and styles to fashion fresh anthems of hypnagogic jack. It's an album channeled as much as crafted, tapping into the decks of mythic warehouse infinities past and present, where the system rips all night and acid never dies.