quête:east 4

Jakarta/Indonesia based DJ/Producer/Akamady Records boss Gerhan Ferdinal & friend's project "KOMODO" made 2x floor killer tunes. Many people have been waiting for this 12" since Ene boss CHIDA played "Night Time" at his Boiler Room show in 2014. And "Make It Scream" is massive & heavy killer tune too. Underground music/party scene in East South Asia has grown up so fast these years. and still there are many great artists world unknown. Ene planning to release more Asian artist, new stuff from friends in the world in 2019.

Random Numbers comes back with "Islands" EP by BXP.

An ecstatic recon through the meaning of isolation where field recording unfolds the ambient/techno sides of BXP's production. Born from nature, crafted in studio: techno meant for wide landscapes.

"Islands" is the result of a long search spent seeking sounds on various islands during his journey through south-east asia with a Tascam recorder and several directional microphones. He captured natural sounds from jungles, dunes, beaches and wild urban landscapes, not to mention the deep sounds of the Earth's elements: the sea, the wind, the interaction between man and nature.

Next up on First Word Records, we welcome the return of Don Leisure, with an EP of beats that see his two alter-egos go head-to-head, 'Shaboo vs Halal Cool J'.

Probably best known as 50% of Darkhouse Family, along with Melange label boss Earl Jeffers, they released their acclaimed debut album 'The Offering' in 2017 and subsequent remix project last year, featuring DJ Spinna, Kaidi Tatham and more. The duo are coolly establishing themselves as Cardiff's very own Mizell Brothers, recently producing Kamaal William's latest work, featuring on Kutmah's recent Izwid compilation, and collaborating on the Chicago x London project 'Where We Come From', featuring Makaya McCraven, Joe Armon-Jones, Nubiya Garcia, Theon Cross and First Word label-mate Quiet Dawn, amongst others.

'Halal Cool J' appeared originally in early 2017 with 'An Ottoman Excursion' on our sister-label, Excursions. A series of edits born out of a decade-long love of Turkish music, and some record-digging expeditions in Istanbul, something Don Leisure did the very day after 'The Offering' release party, prompting another series of beats. Ahead of an all-new full-length Halal Cool J album, here we have two tracks to give you a taste, 'Kazakh Honey' and 'Kaymak'.

'Shaboo Strikes Back' on the flip-side, with a track of the same name, and 'Mango Season'. 'Shaboo' was the name of a beat album that came out on First Word in 2017, inspired largely by Don's Bollywood actor Uncle, Nasser 'Shaboo' Bharwani, and by memories of journey's with headphones hurling out Hip Hop, fused with the sonics of his Mum's interruptions, and her favourite Asian radio station. 'Shaboo' featured in several end-of-year album lists, with Piccadilly Records calling it "the best album of it's kind since Dilla's 'Donuts'. Unmissable."

Both prior projects got love from DJs and selectors far & wide, including Tom Ravenscroft, Lefto, Huey Morgan, Rob Da Bank, Om Unit, Simbad & Mr Thing. A truly global affair, the beat battle of 'Shaboo vs Halal Cool J' takes us on several short, sweet hikes across a variety of Eastern climes.

Join in the journey once again on 7" vinyl and digital on April 5th.

Connaisseur posthumously releases Daso's self-titled long player to create a final memento for his musical legacy.

We first came in touch with Daso when we saw him performing live at the
Dachkantine in Zurich around 2006. He really had this stage talent which
fascinated us straight from the beginning. At this party we agreed on the first release on Connaisseur, the "Adventure EP" including the strong "Sam n Max", which was a great presentiment of the many releases to come.
Daso was a unique character with a lovely sense of humour, and surprising quirks which could be like marvels to us. One moment, we would be worried just seeing him crossing a busy street and in the next, he would be rocking the stage with major self-confdence and the attitude of a real rock star.
In our history of Connaisseur, he defnitely was one of our most important
artists, and some of his best music was released with us. He played many label nights, and together we enjoyed uncountable laughs, discovered cities and countries while touring and collected invaluable memories.
It is the way of the world that we as a label eventually focussed on new artists, and Daso, too, embarked in new directions. We still stayed in touch, even though the gaps between our contacts became bigger with time. The frst time we realized that Daso was ill was in the frst quarter of 2016. We had invited him to our 10th anniversary party in Berlin, but he didn't feel well enough to be able to come. Shortly after this, he went to the doctor and was diagnosed with cancer. We were shocked. Daso was always such a positive person, it simply didn't add up for us that someone like him could get sick.
Obviously an irrational and unjust thought, but it just felt so unfair.
When he started chemo therapy I spoke to him on the phone, and my label partner Martin, who lives in Berlin, gave him a frst hospital visit early in summer of that year. A bit later we visited him together, and yes, he was optimistic, still full of humour and also motivated to pick up his career again as soon as possible. This impression was of course only from a distance, but I was delighted to see how confdently he presented himself on socials after all his treatments, and how after recovery he started playing gigs again.
At some point I realized Daso hadn't been active on his socials for a while, which concerned me. This was in the frst quarter of 2018. His last post on Facebook had been made on November 30th and I knew this couldn't bode well. After contacting some common friends I was told his prospects were not good. I was about to go on an Easter holiday but planned to visit him on my next monthly trip to Berlin. I didn't have the chance. On Easter Monday, April the 2nd, 2018 Daso passed away.
At Daso's funeral, which was on a wonderfully sunny day in late spring, his father came up to me and asked if I might be interested in releasing this album, which Daso had been able to fnalise in the last months and weeks of his life. We didn't decide on doing so lightly, knowing that the release of a post-mortem album can bring up certain issues. However, in the end, we agreed to do it, as we sincerely strive to create a fnal memento for Daso's musical legacy.

The self-titled album Daso will be released on April 5th, three days after the first anniversary of Daso's obit.

The late Deben Bhattacharya was a noted Bengali record producer, ethnomusicologist, poet, documentarian, radio producer, and all around renaissance man. Having moved from Northern India to London as a young man, Bhattacharya began working for the BBC as a radio producer. In 1955, having worked all possible angles to securing funding, Bhattacharya traveled to India to record musicians. The success of this trip allowed him to travel again soon after to the countries of the Middle East. With recordings from Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, as well as India and Pakistan, this LP is one of the best and earliest documents of the diverse and rich musical traditions of the Middle East. Subtitled 'A Sound Travelogue by Deben Bhattacharya', 'Music On The Desert Road' is exactly that, a beautiful and flowing document of the region's sound.

* Second Album From La Stampa, The Six-piece Band From Berlin, Hamburg & Geneva.
* Includes A Bespoke, Full Colour, Fold-out Poster
* Artwork By The Acclaimed Artist, Shirana Shahbazi.
* Design By Manuel Krebs From Norm.
* Edition Of 500

Closely Working With Legendary Producer Tobias Levin From Hamburg, The Band Have Developed And Recorded The Ten Songs Over The Course Of Two Years. Picture Northern Creatures Sweating Out Their Melancholy In The Southern Sun. As The Wind Carries The Beats From The Beach Disco Across The Bay, Chopin, Vodka Shot In Hand, Imagines Writing Music Based On The Build Of Crystals. To The Side Of The Composer, The Rhythm Section Gets Restless. The Thrum Of Eastern European Electronics Pulsates In Their Brains. 'don't Work Yourselves To Death', One Of Them Shouts, 'it's Not Our Fate. Let's Go Dancing, Everything Must Change', Adds Another, And 'sun Screen's On The House!' This Is A Glimpse Of The World Bonjour

This is an 18-song project featuring some of the most legendary emcees alongside some of today's newest emcees. Every song has scratches on it and each track has that traditional Boom Bap Hip Hop feel.

Los Angeles based DJ and Producer Tone Spliff drops his full-length LP Ardore Melodico (roughly translating to 'blazing melody'). Grounded in an east coast sound and steeped in tradition with an ever-present emphasis on the DJ, Tone links up with some talented emcees to deliver a solid album. Sounding like a beast on the drum machine and the 1's and 2's, it's apparent Tone Spliff has some skills to flex on his latest project.

The beat-creator, originally from Utica, NY, said he made around 70 beats between February and April of 2017. He then started hitting up emcees he's worked with in the past and new emcees he wanted to work with for the album. Tone details that 'All of these tracks were made in 2018, so some of them have only been stashed for a few months.

Combo Lulo returns to Names You Can Trust for their sophomore single, digging deeper into the diversified sounds of the Caribbean that helped define their debut. While the first single took a Jamaican foundation south into the neighboring continent, fusing the sensibilities of rock steady with those of classic Afro-Latin orchestras, this single goes far east. Inspired by the heady and sublime sounds of foundational ska mixed with East African influences, (think Buster's Islam, Don D's Addis Ababa or Further East), The Sieve & The Sand is a brand new composition within this natural order, albeit with the fortune of different reggae eras and studio styles to draw from. Divided into two parts (but also available seamlessly as it was played in the studio), Combo Lulo's talented players move effortlessly from the galloping shuffle of ska into a deep and dark, Roots Radics-styled instrumental. It's a lovely ode to the original styles of reggae, but also another impressive accomplishment that will surely leave listeners and new fans in anticipation of the shape of things to come for Combo Lulo.

Right here, right now ADF are the most important band in Britain. NME 1997
Rafis Revenge originally peaked at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart and was shortlisted for the 1998 Mercury Music Prize, with Bobby Gillespie hailing them at the time as the best live act in Britain. This 21 year anniversary reissue includes a limited edition, coloured 2xLP plus expanded digital & CD editions with bonus tracks selected by Adrian Sherwood. To celebrate the release the band are playing at Rich Mix, London on 28th March.
By the time they recorded Rafis Revenge in 1998, Asian Dub Foundation were primed to explode. Having initially emerged from East Londons grassroots Community Music project as a largely studio-based collective, the band had galvanised themselves into a riotously exciting touring machine by the late Nineties. Their extraordinary live shows around this period were electrifying to witness, kinetic and dynamic, incendiary and euphoric, confrontational yet celebratory. For sheer roof-raising energy, they were unrivalled. ADF have evolved enormously over the last two decades, of course, but their breakthrough album remains a fascinating chapter in the real, complex, unwritten history of Britpop. Expanded and enlarged for this anniversary edition, these multi-layered musical treasures still dazzle and delight with their grandiose ambition and riotous energ

We are very excited to present you this new signing and debut EP by Dampé. A studio and live project from South East London. Since moving to the city, Dampé has been intimately involved in its club culture " from running warehouse spaces and booking venues to DJing and performing in groups across the city and Europe, under a slew of different aliases.

The music is made on a boat on the Thames and is a combination of dusty analogue gear, live instrumentation, and samples. For Dampé, influential parties were "Co-Op, FWD>>" and "You're A Melody" and echoes of those dances can almost be felt in the sound. Across five original tracks, the EP explores weirder and worldlier ends of house music, all with a nod to undeniably UK sounds.

"Peach Shuffle" is a made-for-the-floor, broken beat work-out that has this great warped and chopped Persian vocal sample giving the track a unique and world-wide touch, followed by "St James" Road", a crunchy live Rhodes jam and ode to a favourite street south of the river. "Move Me" is all garage-infused vocal loops and singing bowls and acts as an experiment-come-DJ tool. "Carn" is a super-swung hip hop beat featuring "SMBD" aka "Simbad" providing additional keys. Closing out with "Zongo Junction, At Night", a late night roller with material pieced together from saturated CR 78 samples and field recordings made when Dampé was recording sound for a film about witchcraft and the internet across rural Ghana.

To round up this exciting EP we ask a fellow SE London enthusiast "Nebraska" to make a remix of the title track "Peach Shuffle". Cutting up the vocal of the original, adding some mean bass and pouring a smooth "dance floor" sauce over it. The delicious end result is something we are very proud off and we hope you will enjoy as much as we do!

BBC Radio Quotes:
Zoe Ball "Frippin LOVE LOVE it!" - It Just Goes
Craig Charles: "It's a tune!" - It Just Goes
Tracks taken from the album have so far received 7 Plays on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music from Zoe Ball and Craig Charles.
Regional spot plays on BBC Radio Cornwall, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Jersey, BBC Radio Devon, BBC Radio Guernsey and BBC Radio Somerset. Specialist plays on Jazz FM and Mi-Soul (Deadly's Mi-afternoon delight, Dave VJ,)
It Just Goes was Playlisted Delite Radio and Radio Krimi
Other spot plays on radio from RTE Pulse, KaneFm, Solar Radio, Eastside Radio, 1BTN, Dubmission Radio, Republic 100.3 Thessaloniki, Ketch A Vibe, WBAI 99.5FM, Milk and Chocolate Radio, Radio Pepper 96.6 Greece, AllFm Manchester.
DJ support comes in from Satin Jackets, Marc Hype, Mat the Alien, Basement Freaks, All Good funk Alliance and Noble & Heath

Unprofessional's Debut Featuring Four Unrelenting Tracks That Echo The Golden Years Of Italy's, Everything Goes, Rave Heyday. Her Tracks In This Release Are Characterized By Epic Synths, Jacking Hi-hats, And Lo-fi Hip-hop Style Sampling. Beyond Musical Characteristics, A Fantastical Sense Of Humor Pervades The Release With Self-conscious Samples Embedded In Many Of The Tracks And Overtly In Titles Like civilization At The Bio Store' Or grand Unified Theory.' Before This Release, She Has Been Performing Live The Darker Corners Of Europe's Electronic Music Scene. In The Last Year She Has Been Featured In The Mixes Of Alienata (killekill), Bill Kouligas (pan) Or Pure (praxis Records, Aufnahme + Wiedergabe).
Unprofessional Herself Comes From A Small Town On The East-coast Of Italy. She Began Producing In Her Early 20s In Milan Before She Moved To Berlin And Began Organizing Small Uncompromising Local Parties, Which Featured A Pretty Disparate Group Of Musicians.-
Mastered By Mike Grinser (d&m)
Artwork: Bartosz Zaskorski
Design: Teo Schifferli

Killer trip into unknown South-East Asian Melayu & Pinoy Funk -
Rare Groove - Deep Soul - Disco & AOR!

Killer trip into unknown South-East Asian Melayu & Pinoy Funk -
Rare Groove - Deep Soul - Disco & AOR!

Man Power's Me Me Me signs up long-time friend Ian Blevins for his long overdue label debut. Blevins's originals are backed by stellar remixes from Austin Ato and Kiwi.

Blevins hails from the North East of England and has released on ESP Institute, Futureboogie, Not An Animal and Culprit. The prolific producer was a long time resident of the legendary We Love Space in Ibiza and is an enduring favourite on the UK scene with plenty of musical tricks up his sleeves.

'Both tracks on offer showcase the mongrel sound that I hear coming out of the North East region,' Says Man Power. 'Partly tough, partly playful, not simply techno, not simply house, and certainly nowhere near the most common contraction of the two words.'

Innovative opener 'The Serpent' is a suitably snaking, slithering groove with acid twitches, rubbery drums and raw percussive energy. It pings about in dynamic fashion and really keeps you on edge. First up to remix, Austin Ato makes his return to the label after his huge 'The Sound Of' EP in summer 2018 and gives further credence to Man Power's suspicion of his impending super stardom. He takes the 'The Serpent' on a luscious and deep trajectory that would make Larry Heard proud.

The second standout original is 'Unse', a dark stomper with cosmic rays that strike right to the heart of the dance floor. It's menacing and absorbing music that is steely and unlike anything else. To remix is 17 Steps regular Kiwi, who is responsible for two of Man Power's favourite tracks of 2018. Here he continues his run of astounding form while taking 'Unse' in a tougher and more robust direction that will really make you sweat.

As ever this is a brilliant and stylistically diverse package from Me Me Me.

Joe Hart and Scott Fraser's Body Hammer, London's legendary jack party has been capturing the hearts, minds and feet of Londoners for 11 years strong. Having kicked off in 2008 at the Korsan Bar, and now comprising only of residents Scott & Joe, it takes place in various venues every month. Their open minded music policy commands a friendly, spirited, diverse and fiercely loyal crowd making it consistently one of the best nights out in the city, hands down. More recently, taking the party out of London they have been touring at clubs and festivals from New York to Berlin in and everything in between. They now have their own label and its 100% Body Hammer dancefloor certified.

The first release, of course, features two banging club tracks written and produced by Fraser and Hart at Fraser's East London basement studio, mastered and cut by Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher.

The A side, 'Spit from the Sun' is a peak-time jacking acid number which will set any dancefloor on fire. Its rattling drums and pulsing bass stabs capture all the intensity of the convict poet on the vocal telling his story and lamenting the waste of his life behind bars.

Over on Side B, 'Igniter' strikes a more subtle tone with its gently rising strings and breathy vocal. But don't let the subtlety deceive you as those kicking drums and thumping bassline come through to get the dancers screaming for more as it hits its crescendo.

Limited Edition Of 500 Copies On Black 2lp Vinyl. Comes In Gatefold Sleeve With A Funky Artwork By Boggie Cramb! Skipping Through Endlessly Boring 70s Flics From Eastern Germany And Digging In The Crates For 1€ Records Crammed With Scheisse Volksmusik Is Something Torky Does All The Time. Don`t Ask Yourself Why. Listen!

Mutima is the debut album led by bassist Cecil McBee recorded in 1974 and first released on the Strata-East label. In his review for Michael G. Nastos called it "A landmark recording in early creative improvised modern music" and states "McBee as a pure musician has staggering technique, rich harmonic ideas, and an indefatigable swing, but it is as a composer that he is set apart from other musicians of this mid-'70s era... Mutima (translated as "unseen forces") undoubtedly solidified his stature and brilliance as a major player". Dustygroove now calls it: 'A great bit of spiritual soul jazz - and one of the few albums as a leader recorded by the legendary bassist Cecil McBee! Cecil's joined here by a large group of players that includes Billy Hart on drums, George Adams on tenor, Onaje Allen Gumbs on piano, Jimmy Hopps on percussion, Art Webb on flute and Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals - adding in just a touch of soulful color to the record as she did on a few other 70s sides like this.' Plus: 'The music's got that essential Strata East sound, with a rich and spiritual vibe on all tracks, and slight bits of funk hiding somewhere in the mix! Tracks are long and freely expressive - but never too outside, either.' A long lost classic we call it. And this latest reissue is the best vinyl version ever since it first appeared almost 45 years ago!

Jason Leder, otherwise known as Method One has been a mainstay of the American Drum & Bass scene for a very long time. Originally hailing from the east coast his earliest claim to fame was remixing DEEE-LITE - "Call Me" in 1994 for Elektra records after Lady Miss Kier heard his cassette demo. Eventually he headed out west to San Francisco where he has remained for over 20 years.

The Stomping Grounds EP is Jason's tribute to the music that originally inspired him. Two harder tracks that echo Tango & Ratty era Formation Records and two deep & melodic atmospheric tracks that nod towards golden era Good Looking. A Method One release is a rare treat and is his first solo release since 2015's "Blackwood" EP on Auxiliary Transmissions.

Check other releases from Method One on - Doc Scott's 31 Records, Seba's Secret Operations, Samurai, Auxiliary and Commercial Suicide amongst others.

Welcome to the richly rhythmic and deeply esoteric world of Zaliva-D. Based in the Chinese capital of Beijing, they've been circling the country's borders for more than a decade due to the extreme difficulty of streaming music there. Zaliva-D consists of musician Li Chao and Aisin-Gioro Yuanjin, who's responsible for their stunning live visuals. We're very proud to present Forsaken, their 4th album, but first ever vinyl release. Wrapped around a core of gut wrenchingly ferocious kicks and haunting vocals, these tracks possess a mantra-like quality and drown the listener into a world of Chinese and South East Asian textures. Forsaken, mastered by Wouter Brandenburg, is their most well-written, organic and esoteric record to date, showing a more fragile, sensitive side. Soon Zaliva-D will perform on European soil, accompanied by this Knekelhuis debut.