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All killer no filler from the Greek duo „Pulse 2“. Wire up your circuits to these power loaded tunes.

Global pointing Brazilian jazz trio releases their new album Agôra, that sparkles with electric funk and Herbie-esque eclecticism. It features a myriad of guest vocalists and musicians including Brazilians Xênia França and Zé Leônidas, Jembaa Groove's Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu and South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo

Re-wiring the concept of 'fusion' for 2023, Agôra is Brazilian trio Caixa Cubo's resurgent new record with the title referring to 'now', based upon the intuitive and fluid nature of the trio's method, and this inspired recording. With shoots to black music culture, from Brazil to Brooklyn, Ghana and South Africa, Agôra is the group's ninth album yet is their first where they've invited guests, mainly singers, onto each track and follows their last, Angela from 2020, released on Heavenly Records, which won a BBC 6 Music Album of the Year (Huey Morgan's selection) granting them much deserved international recognition.

The core musical elements of Caixa Cubo are Henrique Gomide (keys), João Fideles (drums) and Noa Stroeter (bass), all from São Paulo, Brazil and where they met as teenagers and would continue their friendship and musical bond at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. Now all in their mid thirties, João and Noa live back in the city where it all started but Henrique has settled in Cologne, Germany where the recording of Agôra took place, over the course of 3 days, at the home cum studio of Chris 'Dusty' Doepke, their friend and owner of the label they signed to, Jazz & Milk.

In line with all their creations where flow and energy provide the magic, allowing what the moment provides, the album shines not only for its virtuosity but for its minimalism, the depth of space, and for the first time, the ability to figure in and outside of the jazz fold, as the trio decided, for the first time, to bring in singers and add a new aesthetic to their sound.

"Agôra is a wake-up call to reality, a reminder that the infinite possibilities of technological progress should not disconnect us from the earth, from eye-to-eye relationships, and from moments lived in person" the band are keen to point out. "And that we must not be consumed by greed, for all we truly possess.... is the NOW."

Turning hope and metaphor into music, the debut single Sábado, an electrified future- jazz-fizz reflects perfectly the spontaneity that permeated the entire recording of the album. "When we got to the studio, we had no idea what we were going to record. We started playing a groove, kind of inspired by Gilberto Gil's 80s albums, and our drummer João started singing this funny song 'Sábado Barrigudão' (Big Belly Saturday) alongside the bass groove and that was that". Inspired by their city of birth, São Paulo, it features long time collaborator and vocalist Zé Leônidas, with cuicas, tamborim, agogo and shakers providing the most obvious Brazilian affect from the album.

Dreams is the band's first foray into R'n'B melding the group's simple and sporadic instrumentation of drums, keys and bass into a Jill Scott inspired song that could have been born in Brooklyn yet sung by Brazilian singer and Grammy nominated Xênia França and Zé Leônidas in both English and Portuguese. Xênia recently performed online for hip-to-it website Colors and it's her latest collaboration with Caixa Cubo, having first met in 2009 for a series of live performances.

South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo come to the record with a wholly different approach on Ndiyakhangela, providing spoken word and vocal refrains on top of an Afro-Brazilian percussion jam with a delivery and verse in Xhosa, Zula and Ndebele. Asase is the album opener and features vocals of Eric Owusu who is part of highlife pioneer Pat Thomas's live band and most recently, co-leader of Jembaa Groove, an Afro-soul band from Berlin. It's a synth wig out with djembe grooves and offers a brand new take on Afro-soul-jazz.

Other contributions come from Cologne based jazz singer Rebekka Ziegler (Oblique Sunshine), São Paulo based guitarist Eduardo Camargo (Caio & Eric) and trumpet player Matthias Schriefl on Kismeti, a gorgeous and rolling number that ebbs and flows, exemplifying the group's effortless ability to craft a sound energised by a belief in one-self and the idea of having faith without the need to look at each other for verification.

As drummer and percussionist João Fideles perfectly surmised upon arriving for the recording session, "What drums do you have? Whatever you have, I'll use it". Agôra is testament to nearly 20 years of camaraderie, friendship and most importantly, trust.

Madrileans Ribé & Roll Dann debut on Klockworks with a massive four-tracker ready for the dance floor. After leaving their signature on labels such as Semantica, Soma and Mord the duo now delivers a sublime collaborative EP of fast paced yet truly minimalistic techno on Berlin’s legendary imprint.

On A-Side ‘Preludio’ is an effortless frenetic groover, offering mighty drops to stir any dance floor and it has been Ben Klock’s secret weapon for a reason. It is followed by the classy, moody cut ‘El Vinculo’ which showcases Ribé & Roll Dann’s connection and their production chemistry. On the flip side ‘Pugna’ is a raw and elegant, atmospheric cut, while ‘Delirio’ delivers precisely what the title promises.

"A Place For Love" is a captivating electronic house music endeavor, expertly crafted by the synergistic partnership of San Proper and Figi, hailing from the vibrant city of Amsterdam. The project boasts an impressive roster of guest contributors, including Tom Trago, Seth Troxler, and the esteemed label heads of Guti & David Gtronic, each imbuing the compositions with their signature style. The project exudes a funky, charming, and inviting energy, inviting listeners to fully embrace their individuality and lose themselves in the hypnotic beats. Whether it be the electrifying dubby techno, the shimmering and ethereal twists, or the razor-sharp edges injected into the club-ready tracks, "A Place For Love" offers a diverse array of auditory delights. It is truly a sanctuary for those seeking to indulge in the boundless beauty of electronic music and the euphoria of self-expression.

One of Drumcode's solid MVP's Wehbba comes strong with a sci-fi themed trio of tracks to kick off 2023.

The Brazilian enjoyed another stellar year in 2022, with highlights include the excellent 'Dynamo' EP on Drumcode in April, a contribution to A-Sides ‘The Next Step' and collaborating with Adam Beyer to remix the classic Planetary Assault Systems cut ‘In From The Night’.

He likewise played Drumcode's WHP, our NYC event at Avant Gardner and Drumcode São Paolo to round out the year.

His latest EP on Drumcode ‘Premonition’ is an atmosphere-rich, intergalactic-themed trip that plays out deliciously over three cuts. The title track is imagined as a kind of travel through space and time, propelled by sci-fi synths, Wehbba’s trademark full bodied basslines and a cleverly placed sample from a David Bowie interview.

‘The Message’ is a dynamic beast of a track driven by robotic synth stabs, a catchy melodic riff and memorable vocal refrain ‘Mars Needs Women’ sampled from a 1950s sci-fi film. It has all the ingredients to be another classic addition to Wehbba’s discography. ‘Inertia’ is led by a hypnotising riff that builds over six minutes.

“I love to play this track after a series of rave bangers to keep the energy levels up while taking people on a trip,” shares Wehbba.

Sidney Charles welcomes M-High to his leading Heavy House Society imprint and the Dutchman drops a classy four track EP of exceptional high quality laden with groove style and panache.

M-High is known to many within the Minimal and Deep scene through his releases on prominent labels such as Locus, META, Rutilance, Politics of Dancing PIV and more. These releases have been supported by a who’s who including Archie Hamilton, Chris Stussy, Phil Weeks, Jamie Jones, Sam Divine and many others. This support coupled with always fire releases and his highly impressive record selection in his sets has seen him being booked at in demand venues and festivals including Fabric London, BPM Costa Rica, Mint Warehouse Leeds, Thuishaven Amsterdam, Defected Croatia and more, and now Sidney Charles welcomes him to his Heavy House Society imprint and once again the young talented Dutchman does not disappoint.

His ‘Up The Attic EP’ is a luxurious blend of house ranging from the more jackin’ warehouse style of ‘Jackstion’, to the sensuous bassline roller ‘Let J Say’. He then takes you on a powerful deeper journey with ‘That Reminds Me’ and he rounds off the EP with the lofty and effervescent title track ‘Up The Attic’, making this an essential must have for those who like their music, intelligent, understated yet highly danceable and chic.

On April 7th electronic luminary Nathan Fake presents the new longplayer ‘Crystal Vision’ on his own Cambria Instruments imprint, which features collaborations with Clark and Wizard Apprentice.

This is music for music’s sake – recorded without angles, agendas and themes – so Fake was free to simply continue honing his craft and express himself non-literally. Aptly titled, there’s a clarity of execution and ambition, and a peak effectiveness to the record that just sounds right.

Continuing to set a personal bar higher and topping his own best, the mark of master craftsperson is everywhere, but that doesn’t mean it’s polished; There’s plenty of rawness evident, with spiky sonics keeping ears on high alert – full of endorphin-flooded rave energy.

Following a short, scene-setting ‘Arrival’ – a simple major chord arpeggio played on a Jupiter 6 which sounds like curtains opening at dawn, things begin apace with ‘The Grass’, which hurtles like a precision-tuned bullet train through Arctic tundra. The undulating effect of compression is emphasised by the classic techno trope where 2 rhythms jar yet interlock, creating an exquisitely disorientating strobe-like flutter. On the track’s guest, Fake comments, “I fell in love with Wizard Apprentice's ‘I Am Invisible’ and felt our musical styles were similar. Their vocals are smooth and clear and sharp at the same time. They’re like a calm within the storm.”

Inspired by Italo disco but sounding wholly alien and futuristic, ‘Vimana’’s fizzing buzzsaw arpeggiated bassline, popping snares and bright whirling melody are equally an electro trance melange, with an effervescent major chord Arp that kicks in midway.

Reminiscent of what used to be called ‘funky techno’ but with sparklier sounds, ‘Boss Core’ blinds like sunshine bouncing off ice. Using his trusty Boss DR550 drum machine, and inspired by Autechre's ‘Vose In’, the track peaks by reaching that melancholic/euphoric axis for which he is loved.

With chugging slow breakbeats not a million miles from Board Of Canada or trip hop, ‘Crystal Vision’ rolls along, with the melody opening up, revealing more hidden notes as it progresses, building into a fractal, kaleidoscopic mosaic.

An emotional outpouring with serotonin surging through the circuitry, classic breakbeats and layers of lazers, ‘Bibled’ has all the hallmarks of a classic. This is a bonafide festival-set closing, hugging-your-mates, moment – or, with its guitar solo, “a power ballad” – as Nathan calls it.

A minimalistic moment of calm midway through the album, ‘CMD’’s gently comforting dreamscape is conjured with FM stacked and detuned sine waves which are left to breathe, whilst the chunky Chicagoan house jack of ‘Hawk’ brings to mind classic Relief records, but even more detuned and wibbly, and laden with synths.

As the title suggests, ‘Amen 96’ is in Fake’s own words, “me having a go at jungle. I grew up listening to it, and I remember as a teenager it sounded like the most intense and otherworldly music ever. It still does. This track is an experiment to see how my melodic style works against amen breaks”. Closer to the braindance end of the spectrum than ‘proper’ jungle (and all the more interesting for it), Fake channels the spirit of Squarepusher but makes it his own, brimming with melodious twinkle.

A collaboration with Nathan’s close friend and genuine musical hero Clark. ‘Outsider’ finds this dream team alchemising pure gold that’s bigger than the sum of their parts. Skittering, intense, far-reaching end epic, the pair close proceedings on a grandly dramatic note. In 2020 Nathan released the album ‘Blizzards’, which was described by The Quietus as “his best work”, and “his best LP yet” yet by Resident Advisor. The equally well received ‘Blizzards Remixes’ EP which featured Afrodeutsche and Irene Dresel followed in 2021, as did a nationwide UK tour.

An in-demand remixer, Fake has added his magic to tracks by Radiohead, Clark, Perc, Jon Hopkins, GoGo Penguin, Dominik Eulberg, Christian Löffler and Damian Lazarus, working for labels including Ninja Tune, Domino, Warp, Blue Note and Kompakt.

Free-roaming French techno talent Angioma lands on Lady Tazz's Mind Medizin with a new single that comes remixed by the legendary Kaiser, Fixon and Toru Ikemoto.

Angioma does it all from peak time and hypnotic techno to jacking house, all with his own signature exotic twist. He is currently Berlin-based and has released on Made of Concrete, but also co-runs with BLANKA the Room Trax label and Room Lab, contemporary local art and networking space. With increasingly high-profile sets in clubs like Egg London and Anomalie Berlin, Angioma is an ever more crucial part of the modern techno landscape.

The brilliant 'Unusual Suspect' is darkly seductive with its high-pressure techno rhythms and silky synth lines. Pulsing keys bring late-night hypnosis, and the icy hi-hats draw you in further to this shadowy and tunnelling groove. It's a warm, Mills-inspired sound that is stylish and dynamic.

The A Side also features a heart stopping Detroit infused remix courtesy of Mexican based Fixon (part of the Illegal Alien crew). On the flip and Gianluca Caiati aka Kaiser has been tearing up the techno scene for 15 years. His superb remix pairs things back but the pummeling, rubbery drums remain the focal point as whip-snapping snares lash about up top, incendiary hi-hat pressure grows, and the sleek synths intensify the trip. Finally, Japanese Techno hero Toru Ikemeto delivers an off-kilter slice of driving take on the original.

DJ Eddie Fowlkes created the techno genre alongside Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. Now the 'Godfather of Techno Soul' uses his extensive knowledge and experience to create a dynamic wax release drenched in Motor City inspiration - this four-track vinyl package is both a love letter to his musical roots and an inspired representation of the left-of-centre house that Classic is known for. For the lead track, 'AHYEE', Eddie carves out his own sound in a low growl as distorted percussion whirs over a four-on-the-floor beat. 'Blow' goes tougher, with an undulating bass that adds a wonky unease to the rhythmic kick and syncopated decoration. On the B-side, ‘Talking To Me’ makes use of a distinctive spoken-word vocal over an expansive and rhythmically intricate accompaniment, celebrating the culture through expert sampling and production techniques, whilst ‘Complex’ is more beat-focused with driving synth rhythms. Coming from producing some of the first techno records nearly 40 years ago, unique releases like this continue to prove Fowlkes' status as a constant innovator, and his ear for house music is undeniable.

After two decades of releasing music on 12" vinyl under multiple pseudonyms the duo from Even Drones have completed their first LP.
The 20 track double vinyl carries the classic "album era" approach of the 60s and 70s into a modern contemporary work.

Each of the 4 sides of "Ethics" feels like the chapter of a story balanced into a synthesis of counterpoints from piece to piece. Twisted arrangements are stringed together with dance-able tracks and are woven into finespun transmutations of sounds. Sometimes peaceful and regulated, sometimes abstract and complemented with tamed feedback, noises, crackling and delightful patterns.

Like a continuous thread through all titles of the album, the multi instrumentalists somehow managed to harmonize a twisted array of methods and structures into a coherent listening experience.
This full feature-length metamorphosis with no boundaries of styles or genres is released just in time for the 10th anniversary of the band on Freund der Familie.

Lobster Theremin ambient sub-label Lobster Sleep Sequence announce their double LP + 7” album from Dutch producer nthng - featuring a limited run of copies on deep green vinyl. Themed around events in the artist's life, Unfinished is a deeply personal journey, yet there’s something very relatable to the world he has conjured. Lockdown has forced us to look inward, explore realities within ourselves and the fragility of our forgotten world. The album is a series of peaks and troughs - hopeful words, ominous tones and other-worldly soundscapes, giving way to a journey in no way linear - but a true reflection of our times. The title track sets the scene perfectly, while Son features deep bass notes, dreamy keys and spoken word - creating a visceral and unsettling scene. Subnautica resides in the fringes of ambient and techno - as tribalistic drums are suspended in our new rendered reality.

The marching bass and howling synths of Wrath of the Demon lull conspicuously in a vacuum, while the hauntingly beautiful vocals featured on Disappeared But Not Forgotten evoke a poignant, powerful reaction across the record’s B-side - “Everything stopped, you just disappeared...”

At its most tranquil Our Time offers a sense of rest - a space to appreciate, as we leave the window open, peer outside and feel the gentle breeze brush across our face. Saafe continues this theme, and feels like a warm embrace - “She saved my life in a matter of speaking, when she gave me back the power to believe.”

Ending Theme is beautifully organic as you hear the sound of the piano pedal touch the floor, tones are introspective and vulnerable - while the looming presence of uncertainty subtly takes form in thinly layered pads.

The album also sees the release of a digi only bonus track Only a Flash of Light and invites you outside while the stars are at their brightest.

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One of techno's most joyous experimentators delivers two intriguing uptempo tracks. Instead of hitting hard and heavy 'In Aggregate' and 'Carob' float delicately, with explosive detail blooming freely and high above what feels rather like a bass-ladden undercurrent than a persistent kick drum foundation.
Both tracks expand on Stefan Goldmann's extensive polyrhythmic research and integrate tonal and metric functions within the same units of sound. Somewhat radically, the central sound of 'Carob' is all
in one: beat, bassline and single-note melody. By contrast, 'In Aggregate' unfolds lush layers of exuberant percussion, countered by rounded drops of bass and an occasional vocal snippet ricocheting off of claustrophobia-inducing walls of glass.
As future-forward as they are organic, these offerings come with appropriately idiosyncratic artwork by Jorinde Voigt.

"Le Disque De l'Art Gué" highlights in a 10-track compilation the avant-garde and dreamlike work of Fizzè, in between medieval ballad, acoustic industrial and psychedelic world music. It includes original tracks from "Kulu Hatha Mamnua" and "Manoeuvres d'Automne" albums released in 1987 + unreleased materials and remixes by Fizzè.

Compilation, concept and production by Fizzé, Orsett & Fischer

Analog mastering by Tim Stollenwerk

Drawings, obi strip and insert layout by Anne-Marie Gratton

The record cover represents the acrylic painting "Till" by Alex Rabus

Running Back welcomes Firas Waez and his studio character 9th House for a flock of heartfelt and intuitive house tracks. Centered around uplifting chords and joyous melodies, upbeat drums and shuffling hi-hats, it feels like being in a circle dance, watching flowers turning into fruits or caterpillars into butterflies.

Made with the tools of today, but with a burdening love for the ancient magic and positivity of this music. The results being highly contagious. Whether its any of the 9th House’s solo works like Reuben or the collaboration with Matrefakt, it’s impossible to hold still. But as no one can live off love alone, there is also an odd one out. The eponym Midas swaps vintage techniques and the love potion of its counterparts for sharp and exact peak-time magic that makes endorphins rush and cheeks blush. Whichever you finally pick of the five tracks, any of them are an amulet against bad times. A Midas’ touch indeed! Happy house painting artwork courtesy of Luciano Calderon via ruttkoswki;68.