quête:dr break

Hemlock founder Untold is back on the label with his first vinyl EP since 'Doff' on sub-label HBLK back in 2015. This release follows appearances on last year's #savefabric compilation, and more recently on 'Magic City III' compiled by Mixpak boss Jubilee.

HEK029 follows a rewarding period of A&R for Hemlock that has so far delivered EPs from Bruce and Parris, with several more scheduled to drop throughout 2017.

This EP's two winding tracks are a natural progression from the fiercely textural drum work of Untold's previous singles and album 'Black Light Spiral.' Here the material is given more space to breathe and released from the grid creating a lighter more footloose feel.

'Tear Up the Club' carries the weight of DMZ era half-step using a loose web of elasticated breaks and builds to reveal a striking melodic line.

On 'Watton Res' exotic tones are further compressed and expanded in sequence, encasing drum machine, keyboards and guitar work within a delicate shell.

''Noir Jungle Part II'' finds the Italian producers 'Cardace & Perazzini' once again demonstrating originals and exciting modes of expression, not to mention the extraordinary level of detail in their music. It rounds the project off, with yet more unpredictable diversions of their immersive sound design to paint a vivid and unique landscape at its most dynamic framework. 'Swinging Plans' places the drums at the forefront of the mix, using incredible layers of brushed, rolling an expressive live recordings to create a truly thrilling experience that speaks to the deepest human instinct for rhythmic sound. 'Internal N.5', intensify the Techno-influenced energy as it races ahead on a tightly wound rhythm, adding a rich array of sounds into the mix to create a focused and detailed trip loaded with cinematic tension. 'George Is There', takes rich chords running through delay and reverb while maintaining a pronounced house groove with perfect and subtle touches of jazz into the track, invigorating sonic experience aimed at both, the mind and the dancefloor. 'Below the Earth', This is a perfect example of Cardace & Perazzini's exercise of restraint, keeping the mood simmering while still displaying their love for ear-snagging samples in between the folds of the track. 'Really Low Mind' sets a thrilling tone straight away with a rolling drum beat taking the lead and subtle tonal sweeps filling in the space around. It's a testament of skills when sequencing drums, not least when it peaks after a tantalizing breakdown. 'Night Train' sits easy on the ears but there is a deep level of production at work that reveals itself as the heavily processed samples of instrumentation starts to unfurl halfway through the track.

Oberst & Buchner are next up on Freeride Millenium and the two Bavaria born, Vienna based producers deliver an EP that offers their interpretation of what 'modern summer togetherness sounds like.' The talented pair started making music together aged 15 and aim to cook up emotionally driven jams. They do so on labels like Heimlich, Underyourskin Records, Schönbrunner Perlen, Lokd, and always get the juices going, as they do once again here. Beginning with the brilliant 'Greg' we dive into a breakbeat bath of summery chords as playful claves dance on the horizon. It is a melodically rich track with spiritual feelings that really bliss you out. On the moodier 'Emile' night time arrives and warm chords mix with jangling, organic glass and percussive tinkles that reflect rays of light. It's a perfectly jazzy and loose number that really suspends you in a rueful place. Last but not least, 'Embrace' is a fluid intergalactic convention with sparse drum kicks weighed down by sombre synths. A skittish, dubstep style groove then comes in and elevates the track with gentle guitar licks and slithering synths adding colour, and overall it has the same zoned out feel as a thousand-yard stare. This is a brilliant mood EP that mixes up the synthetic with the organic, creating some fascinating grooves as a result. The release once again features original artwork from the ever talented Daniel Rajcsanyi. Thanks for purchasing a real copy!

Much may have changed over a two-decade period, but Drumcode's commitment to releasing the scene's most cutting-edge and refined techno remains resolute. 2016 saw releases from heavy hitters such as Adam Beyer, Alan Fitzpatrick, Dense & Pika, Sam Paganini and Joseph Capriati, as well as a much coveted Moby remix package. The label pushes forwards again in 2017; bringing fail-safe, club-ready music to the techno community. 2016 was a standout year for Alan Fitzpatrick, with the Drumcode stalwart racing out of the gates in spectacular fashion with the release of his fabric 87 mix. A substantial amount of high profile shows followed, including appearing at the inaugural Junction 2 festival and closing the car park to a packed-to-the-rafterscrowd at Drumcode Halloween.
He returns to Drumcode with 'Brian's Proper Dun One', marking his first appearance on the label since late 2016 when he remixed Moby's seminal 'Porcelain'. The release opens with 'Brian's Proper Dun One', a track which caused a Twitter meltdown on Alan's profile when he first started playing it at the tail end of 2016. Loaded with sharp and pounding drums, this is an ethereal experience from start to finish and packs a real punch. It's a no holds barred, certified main room anthem. 'Wait A Second' feat. mc r1bbz has been a staple of Adam Beyer's sets of late and has been getting a lot of air time on Drumcode Radio.
This rave inspired track takes a raw, stripped back approach and delivers a real killer blow. Alan sampled the vocals of mc r1bbz from an LTJ Bukem tape pack from the early 90s and the record tips its cap to early jungle raves around the M25.
The release closes with 'Trance, Init'; A homage to Alan's days first and foremost as a raver before he became a DJ, with his non-purist attitude when it comes to electronic music shining through. The breakdown is sure to be a hands in the air moment at festivals all over the globe this summer.

The latest VINYL ONLY entry on Infuse finds 'Karousel' stepping up for production duties. 'Outback' is first a tripped out female vocal imbuing the track with a distinctly hypnotic vibe for those late night sessions that's already seen label head Enzo Siragusa drop it on Amnesia's Terrace to great effect.
'Jungle Heat' ups the energy with a raw house groove whilst 'Coastin' heads up the flip with a deeper melodic groove before label favourite Seb Zito takes on 'Outback', harnessing London's underground with breakbeats and a steppers' b-line.

Breakbeat Paradise Recordings is back with another big vinyl release from the amazing producer due Lack Jemmon, which consists of DJ Clairvo and Kid Panel, who are both well-established producers, DJs and label owners on their own. Together they are an explosive cocktailed of big funky grooves, filthy glitcy basslines and banging beats!

Lack Jemmon has been around for a couple of years and quickly signed up with the successful ghetto funk label Scour Records where they have dropped a few tunes and remixes. When the boys reached out to us and said they had 4 bangers they wanted to drop on vinyl we didn't hesitate to say Hell Yeah!

The self-titled EP showcases their style of heavy breaks and funky basslines perfectly across the 4 bangers that are tried and tested for complete dancefloor destruction.

You can always count on BBP for your doze of party rocking beats - and for keeping the vinyl alive...

Hedonism in its purest form means nothing but adjusting one s life and ambition towards pleasure and joy as well as the prevention of pain and sorrow. Following that concept, Wice s first EP takes the listener along on a journey of extremes: persistently strolling between sensual desire, ecstasy and lust as well as the deepest abysses of human sensitivities.
Coherently, just kiddin drags the listener right into Wice s universe of fabulous oppositions without any prior warning: the Peak Time Killer, inspired by the love of Detroit Techno of the 90ies, exhibits irrepressible energy, velocity and surprising twists and turns. Driven by the progressive drive of the drum patterns, the voyager, trapped in a mesh of percussions, wanders confused and disoriented on dance floors looking for support and, as if out of the blue, finally gets released by the warm synthline and gently taken by the hand. Simply just kiddin.
When legs are broken, things have to be done can be described as a small masterpiece of urban, intelligent dance music. The composition, which ranges in between complexity and simplicity, with its breaking beats in combination with spheric pads shows up the necessity that one should, despite setbacks, consistently remind oneself that life, love and music reveal their most beautiful aspects in a balanced and smooth flow.
The eponymous track hedonism draws a painting of obscure and rugged techno landscapes, which attract the listener magically, even though their beauty and grace can only be assumed at first glance. Once identified, the shimmering pads, the forceful bassline and the impulsive percussions unfold a world riddled with the most beautiful abysses and animality hedonism in its purest and most sinful form alike.
With blind certainty a downtempo piece rounds off the EP, which is supposed to be comprehended as a reminder for all hedonists that blind trust may have positive as well as negative consequences.
The hopeful basic mood of the song, however, always lets the light at the end of the tunnel shine through, which emphasizes the optimistic exit of Wice s world of hedonism.

Panorama Bar resident Nick Ho¨ppner gets to Work on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop.
Work as in labor. An axiom that fuels the capitalist system just as the Techno/House scene economy says that one needs to keep oneself busy to make a living. As a musician, things are complicated of course. It's a long way from the romantic idea of creating music simply for the sake of art to becoming a full time musician. Those who have accomplished this feat often find themselves in a professional loop of writing the music, producing it, promoting it (with an info text like this), releasing it and then hopefully selling it. After leaving his full time job as Ostgut Ton's label manager in 2012, Nick Ho¨ppner went fully freelance, focusing on his musically diverse, deep and dynamic DJing in and outside Berghain's Panorama Bar, but more importantly spending more time in the studio. The result was his critically acclaimed debut album Folk (Ostgut Ton, 2015), various 12' releases and remixes, and now his sophomore LP, Work, which, more than ever, lays out his refined production skills and his talent to work the machines until they reveal their inner ghosts: nine new songs that now dodge the dance floor, then fully embrace it.
Work as in body of work. A record is more than the sum of clocked up hours at the studio, but the result of an artistic-creative process. On Work, Ho¨ppner shows his everlasting lust for musical detail, his increasing technical skills and compositional finesse. Work is a very personal, soulful and deep record that breaks through the usual club/dancefloor narrative by documenting Nick's interest for hybrid sounds and combining elements from varying musical genres. Work's lead single 'All By Themselves (My Belle)' is a very atmospheric, intimate and steadily unfurling IDM piece with ethereal synth and vocal pads; on the album it's contrasted by 'Clean Living' with Tram 78, a modern Ho¨ppner club classic: powerful, kick-heavy, muscular, cheerful and uplifting. It's a very personal track resulting from a recent reencounter with an old friend. Having spent countless hours together in Berlin's clubs in ever changing states of mind a decade ago or longer, things have since changed for both towards a more - clean living'. Connecting to this musical vibe 'In My Mind' follows with a slightly darker tone putting emphasis on bassline, percussion and squeaky sound detailing. 'Hole Head' pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Nick's love for UK club music, when a dashing melody of synths and vibraphone is matched with clattering breaks and syncopation. The dubby, mesmerizing 'The Dark Segment' not only impresses with its hypnotic synth figurines, but also by morphing to a shuffling Jazz rhythm towards it's middle part; 'Forced Resonance' uses Oberheim synth brass stabs to dramatic effect; the percussion- and clap-laden 'Fly Your Colours' comes with an irresistible piano melody atop an energetic kick; and finally the album-closing, shuffling but rhythmic, noisy yet bluesy 'Three Is A Charm' featuring the duo Randweg on clarinet, cajo´n and acoustic guitar is a coherent departure heading towards Indie Pop territory. It sees Nick collaborating with acoustic instrumentalists for the first time in his ten-year- spanning Ostgut Ton release catalogue.
Work as in artwork. Staying in line with the Folk album, the visual companion for this record comes from German collage artist Frank Bubenzer. As with the artwork at hand, Bankentsunami, and his other works, Bubenzer cuts up print magazine advertisements and recontextualizes them into new motifs, removing all human depiction from the source material, here as a commentary on the world of business, big money and the banking crisis.
Work as in work it. As a slogan 'work' has always been one of the genre's most utilized paroles, coined and put on wax by pioneers like LNR, Blake Baxter or Steve Poindexter, to name a few. Not only calling for the crowds to get moving on the floor but also to fully express themselves and their unique individuality inside an all embracing environment. A mindset rooted in House Music that has been an integral part of Nick Ho¨ppner's identity as a DJ and producer from the beginning and all through his decade-spanning residency at Panorama Bar. Work it!

After what can only be described as a storming start to their label, Luke Hazell, Ben Murphy and Elliott Owen continue the exciting evolution of their brand Music Related with their first vinyl release and it's nothing short of sublime.
This spring, Music Related makes its bold entrance into the ever growing vinyl market with a heavy dose of minimal and house cuts in the form of a 4 track Various Artists, EP. MRRV001 drafts in the talents of Salva Stigler & Dubquest, Pat Ondebaak, Duky and Manuel De Lorenzi, and it's easy to see why as these 4 artist each bring a unique flavour to this well rounded minimal infused record.
The listener is welcomed on the A side by Salva Stigler & Dubquest - 'Dead Men Tell No Tales', which teases dark techno elements with a rolling progressive baseline. Definitely a track for the later hours, this dance floor weapon is sure to send heads tripping with the dark eerie vocals taunting the equally as impressive clicky percussion.
A2 takes a more laid back approach from A1 as Pat Ondebaak's track Matter offers up a low slung dubbed out groove with a sprinkling of crisp skippy high hats and a highly seductive mix of low and high percussion elements setting deep in the mix.
As we flip the record, Deep Tech records head honcho Duky brings an absolute club banger in the form of 'It Takes One'. Built around an old school drum break this hypnotic hard hitting track seduces you with its repetitive vocal stabs only to find yourself slapped hard in the face with the powerful 4 or 5 note synth line. Built for the big systems this high impact track is a certified party starter!
Closing of proceedings we have Manuel De Lorenzi's slightly more house oriented 'Whole Night'. This deep groove conveys a sweet mix of bouncy baseline, heavily swung hats and rides with a spaced out mix of filtered chord stabs and pads. Manuel's warm up vibe really rounds off what is a brilliant entry into the vinyl market for Music Related.

The first release of "Syncretism" is a strong declaration of techno made by Cressida. The Ep includes 4 tracks, 3 written and produced by Cressida and 1 additional mix is made by UVB. All the tracks have got a solid raw sound, an excursion between the hardest industrial, the classic UK acid sounds and new wave.
The first track, Toxic Masculinity, is a punching tune haracterized by raw drums, rough synth and break sequencies. Second track, the UVB Testosterone mix, represents the masculinity killer track, with a screaming human being in a dark environment.Third track, Snakecharmer, is the anthem killer track characterized by acid and big room sounds.Neurotic X represents the other side of the label where the artist experiments his tone bringing you in a post industrial and wave scenario.

*The first ever personally endorsed and officially licensed remix of Ned Doheny*
*Record Store Day 2017 Worldwide Exclusive*
*Original artwork by globally acclaimed illustrator Pete Fowler*
London/LA producer Kenny Dickenson crafted his stunning remix of Ned Doheny's "Labor Of Love" to mark the Be With Ned tour in March 2015. The gentle disco re-rub was leaked by influential blogs and has been wreaking elegant havoc on both sides of the Atlantic ever since, setting a new gold standard for AOR remixes. Beloved of everyone who's heard it, we've been inundated with requests for a physical version.
As RedKen, Dickenson came to prominence with his cult edit of Steve Perry's "She's Mine" - an instant hit on the AOR Disco scene - whilst his double A Side Fleetwood Mac 12" with Psychemagik was number 1 across Juno, Piccadilly and countless others, gaining him further notoriety. Here, taking Ned's stellar version and creating new melodies by twisting original sax solos inside out, Kenny's remix is elevated further with the introduction of his sophisticated keyboard work and additional white-hot production.
Completed the day of Ned's penultimate show, Kenny bounded up to Pete Fowler - on DJ duties - and handed him the demo. Ever the showman, Pete played it seconds after Ned finished. Momentarily mortified at the chutzpah involved, we realised we were listening to something sensational. The key element would be Ned's opinion. He aired it the next day, breaking a drained silence as we boarded a flight to Berlin: "There was a remix of my song played last night." Heart in mouth, we were in for a deserved dressing down. "Pretty good, I liked it." And with that, we were determined to commit this wonderful reimagining to vinyl.
After two years of major label wrangling and artist nudging, Be With Records are delighted to finally present this as an officially authorised, one-sided 12". Enhancing the package, the record comes appropriately adorned with striking new artwork from Pete Fowler himself and liner notes from all parties involved. Limited to just 500 copies, these are sure to fly.

Following a killer debut on Optimo Trax Michele Mininni debuts on R&S with the heavy hitting psych detonation of 'Rave Oscillations'
Hailing from Southern Italy, Mininni's influences run to kraut, post rock, new wave and electronic amongst others, a long time DJ he manages to condense his influences into beguiling productions that come as a welcome breath of originality.
Taking a heavy dose of inspiration from seminal kraut groovers Silver Apples, 'Rave Oscillations' builds from the hypnotic motorik groove and off kilter bass into a pulsing peak time anthem.
On the flip, 'Vortex Stasi' takes things into a more psychedelic direction - dubbed out piano, jittery rhythms and spiralling swathes of guitar blossom into a truly tripped out, squalling, breakneck concoction.
Mininni's kaleidoscopic musical vision is a truly unique proposition, a myriad of different styles and genres deformed under his oblique lens to create sun-drenched space music.

"Alpha percussion", recorded in 1985, is a cult groovy ambient album of acoustic percussion, pleasant to listen to and full of samples and break known very well by Djs and artists likes Danny Brown (which uses a sample in "Really Doe", a song of his latest album on Warp Records).
Giovanni Cristiani is one of the most prepared and complete Italian percussionists. Born in Rome in 1952 he graduated in percussion in young age and began playing professionally in Italy and abroad. In 1979, after years of activity at the side of the most popular jazz musicians, constitutes the Music Workshop A.D.E.L., playing drums and percussion courses. Pentaflowers (BEAT Records sub-label and publisher) asked him to make a solo percussion library music album in full artistic freedom that was pressed in limited edition for insiders; so was born "Alpha Percussion", a gem now finally accessible to all thanks to Mondo Groove label.

Critical Music reaches its 100th release in its 15th year, celebrating with the landmark album Fifteen Years Of Underground Sonics. Spanning the broad spectrum of drum & bass that the Critical sound represents, the exceptional 15 album is as bold as it is beautiful and looks to serve the test of time in the D&B history books.

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Kasra Critical

Some try it with mouth-to-mouth insufflation and cardiac massage. Others with
psychopharmaceuticals or group therapy. Still others with divorce. By going cold turkey. With a new profile pic and a matching hairstyle. Seen it all at Robert Johnson, already endorsed everything - at least as long as it helps: as a lifesaving measure.
But since the year dot, the Offenbach-based club with its affiliated label recommends to all which are undecided or have doubts particularly one thing: Music. And dance.
Every two years, when life newly blossoms during spring, Live At Robert Johnson opens its windows widely, lets new music out and fresh air into the house. The beguiling scent of nature and aviation fuel blends with the scent of sweat and dry ice fog - and causes sundry healing confusion. As soon as the first tone of the Lifesaver Compilation 3 is heard, the swelling grunt of Vincent Feit's 'X04', the scenery of the dancefloor right at the Main river appears before one's eyes.
On Saint Monday Iconoclasts rebel against the age of self-optimization. A crack goes through the parquet of the dance floor (or the dancing party itself). The post-unambiguities era is beginning. The images become blurred. Bass case. Alternative facts. Resonance hole. No reception. And then it's only the queue answering the club emergency hotline. Finally there is a buzz on the line. 'Just drop the images!', it says.

'It's all not that tragic.' This helps.
The Lifesaver 3 Compilation, the yet most comprehensive package of the lifesaver history, sounds like electro, sharp-edged like the vault in a Hague bunker (Lauer), provides data pop with piano crescendo (Fort Romeau), brings the style characteristics of German Schlager music to the breakdance mat (Rolande Garros), lets the bulky lily-of-the-valley bells clang and sends the reverb tails away with the wind (Benedikt Frey). There are several new names to discover: Felix Strahd, Benjamin Milz, Vincent Feit; and of course there a many old acquaintances: Massimiliano Pagliara, Orson Wells, TCB, Chinaski. Roman Flügel brings us 'Good News', however: 'From Another Planet.' And Fort Romeau feels 'Lost, Again', but in such somnambulistically beautiful manner that you want to get lost with him instantly and jointly find the great joy.
Again and again there are mysterious chants. It's not required to decipher the specific words in order to get the message: Salvation is near. Salvation is here:









[)] e1 | Roman Fügel - Chang

* Includes a DIN A2long poster inside the 12" sleeve with edition number and music download code

* Rogue Style 1 EP is an international homage to b-boy culture, where the worlds of breakbeat music and breakdance collide. Sinistarr (USA), Kiat (Singapore), Kabuki (Germany) and HomeSick (Canada) are connected in many ways, now they lay bare their hip-hop roots and give something back with a fresh take through the eyes of drum & bass and juke/footwork. Here is what they have to say:

Sinistarr: "As a teenager I grew up as a b-boy, dancing anywhere I could: schools, parks, festivals, you name it, my crew was there with cardboard and a speaker. I eventually got deeper into DJing and making music and learned to bring a sound that's not just for the crowds and the purists, but also for all the dancers!"

Kiat: "Hip Hop has taught me to keep evolving, to explore new forms in all my art. Progression is the key to evolution. -- I met Sinistarr online thru myspace and we had a musical connection which led to our first collaboration 'Black Diamonds' which is still one of my personal favourite tunes I've been fortunate to be part of it's creation. With Kabuki, i've always been a fan of his work since his 'Makai' alias on No U-Turn, despite meeting him only recently thru the label.I've always known him to be constantly progressing his ideas in his music which I respect alot."

Kabuki: "B-boy culture has always been a strong influence on how I pursued my art, mainly because of its DIY ethos and attitude of perfecting your craft. Incidentally these were also the aspects that drew me to Jungle when I first discovered it in the nineties. -- I'm happy to rub shoulders with Kiat, Sinistarr and HomeSick on this release, as I'm a fan of their music foremost, but also because we became friends through the music."

HomeSick: "I was only a child in the 90s and as a result I feel like my understanding of b-boy culture was experienced second hand thanks to 90s/early 2000s hip hop music. I appreciate the parallels I can see with footwork culture, particularly the similarities to the community mentality of break dancing. -- I know Sinistarr through booking him for our local party night in Alberta, Canada called Percolate. Our city must have left an impression on him because a year later he made the move here from Detroit. Had the pleasure of hosting him as a room mate for a little over half a year, the home was a very potent creative space during this time. Kabuki hit me up a few years ago and we very quickly got to sharing tracks and collaborating together. Mans a master of production and a super important part of the global scene."

The idea for a reminiscence of b-boy culture stem from label owner Booga:

"Why am I interested in this so much I grew up in East Germany and as the movie "Beat Street" premiered in 1985 over here I was age 13 and blown away by the energy, the music, the wit, the style - everything in this movie was better than everyday life in Leipzig. So I started saving for a cassette recorder and taped music shows from West German radio and prepared tapes for school disco gigs to the hope somebody would do the "robot" to Arthur Baker "Breaker's Revenge". Unfortunately that never worked out hahaha. But I was hooked since then and as the wall came down in 1989 I travelled to West Berlin just to buy the Beats, Breaks and Scratches 1-4 vinyl box by Simon Harris. The fascination for breakbeats never stopped and before I discovered Jungle around '94 I was down with the British cut up house thing from the likes of Marrs, Krush and Coldcut as another form of breakbeat music. The "do it yourself" spirit from hip hop culture inspired me to start a local website called breaks.org in 2000 to locally promote the drum and bass scene with emerging producers, djs and mcs for a wider audience and I threw in some interviews with Storm, Kabuki, Rob Playford, Klute and John B. That turnt into a multi author blog called itsyours.info in 2004 which still exists - that is where I had the pleasure to introduce Kiat and Ash in 2007. All these years I was listening and playing drum and bass tunes when the occasional "bboy tune" came up, some were obvious like Alex Reece "B-Boy Flavour", Lemon D "B Boyz", Commix "Change" and some were not so much self-explanatory like Digital & Spirits "Phantom Force" and the remixes by T-Power & Codeine or Fracture's Astrophonica Edit - but I felt the hidden force of breakdancing nevertheless. With the Rogue Style series I have the first class opportunity to ask established and new Defrostatica artists to present a current interpretation of b-boy culture. This is a dream coming true."

Lars Huismann Artefact, a smooth groover that has all the markings of a great producer. It's a smooth groove machine, percussive and acidic in equal measure.
Lars Huismann Drag You Inside A Hole, is percussive again, with his hall mark signature groove, it's infectious as it is long, a great booming techno number.
Lars Huismann No Merci , a peak time affair, booming and dark, think Aliens, it's the title for a reason, it stomps and delivers.
Lars Huismann Shelter, a breaks outing, subtle and melodic. A perfect finishing or opening track to a set, and one of our favourites on this release. It's as magic as it is prophetic, simplistic beauty at it's best.

Farron continues the course of Shaw Cuts with his 'Legend Of The Bat' EP, following in the footsteps of Chu Liu Hsiang: the journey to Bat Island.
The voyage begins with 'C.I.T.G', its relentless break-beat fundament combined with coarse synth lunacy to wipe out the first dark shapes - moonlit slaughter.
Joining forces with rivals, Chu Liu Hsiang is no longer alone as he advances on Bat Island. 'Semi-Final Thoughts' accompanies the newly-formed crew to the mysterious ground - a melody of warm synth and light churned by industrious oldschool drums. But who to trust
The fleeting harmony ends when several combatants unveil their guise and true motives. Loyalties revealed, massacre ensues. 'Unlimited Mind' pulsates, its bassline and sharp percussions decapitating those who dare to deceive.
'Derby' epitomizes the tension of the final showdown with low rolling tones, echoing chords and heavy percussion weaving the air like the rival in pursuit. With teamed forces and clever combat the traitor is annihilated from head to toe - bloodbath and game over...

Tropical Odds is the second album by White Sea, the solo alias adopted by gifted American singer, songwriter and producer Morgan Kibby of M83
Born in Alaska, and now a resident of Los Angeles, Morgan fronted The Romanovs before joining acclaimed electronic music group M83 in 2007, co-writing, arranging and playing keyboards on the albums Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, as well as completing several world tours.
As White Sea, her first solo album In Cold Blood arrived in 2014, a dramatic debut praised by Billboard for its 'canyon-sized hooks, knowingly grandiose melodies and succulent vocals' and judged 'pop's newest break-up classic' by Flavourwire.  
Outside of M83 Morgan has also collaborated with artists such as Greg Kurstin, Panic! at the Disco, Mark Ronson and School of Seven Bells, remixed Ellie Goulding and Britney Spears, and composed the award winning soundtrack to Eva Husson's provocative 2016 movie Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne).
New album Tropical Odds stems from an interactive project launched via White Sea's website featuring digital singles and videos released at regular intervals throughout 2015 and 2016. Explains Morgan: 'Generally being able to create and mix and master my solo material within days has given me the direct freedom to share songs I want people to hear. In short, if I write something that I like, I put it out!'
Now gathered together in album form, the musical moods on Tropical Odds range from the sombre reflections of Gangster No. 1 and Yesterday to the hedonistic rush of Stay Young, Get Stoned and Never a Woman, high drama on Bloodline and Arcadia, and heartbreaking balladry on Secret, One Bad Eye and Lessons.

Cologne's electronic music community keeps on giving, drawing on a dense plethora of fresh talent ready to shake up our little big grassroots industry. The latest ace up the city's sleeve must be Tim Engelhardt, part of a new breed of incredibly versatile young producers that get their cues from all sorts of genres and listening situations, combining profound musical knowledge with intuitive playfulness and multiple perspectives on sound. In Tim's case, we're dealing with a solid pianist background - which becomes rather obvious in the great care he takes over harmonies and an expanded melodic structure. However, that's just one side of the story, as the organic fluidity and atmospheric dexterity of his music most certainly hark back to an upbringing among the rolling hills and sprawling forests of Germany's Westerwald - one of the country's best known mountain ranges that has already inspired artists such as Dominik Eulberg or Gabriel Ananda. Having released your first recordings at the tender age of 14 - as Tim did in 2012 - might put you in a 'wunderkind' category - a flattering, but ultimately risky proposition, finding many a prodigy overwhelmed with the dubious honour. Not so much our hero, who chose to put his skills to work: in only four years, he grew his portfolio with plenty outings on labels such as Traum Schallplatten, WIR, Babiczstyle, Amuse Gueule, Ostwind Records, Popart Music, Playmusic Productions, Parquet Recordings, Manual Music and more - but his breakthrough release was hands-down the 2015 EP 'Everything Is All You Have' on Steve Bug's iconic Poker Flat imprint, followed by 'Enigmatism' on the same label.