Next up on Bosconi, the ever-persistent Italian outpost helmed by DJ sorcerer Fabio della Torre, comes a bold new chapter from label mainstay Lapucci—a familiar name to heads who remember his trippy debut Levitated Sensor Detector (LSD).
With Level of Control, the Florence-based Burbi Dub dubplate conjurer delivers a four-track EP that travels across moody electronics, psychedelic grooves, and off-world rhythms.
Kicking off the A-side is “Radio Controller”, a dark and melodic new beat jam with deep ‘80s roots—think obscure synths, rolling drum-machine funk, and a haunting vocoder line that crackles like forgotten transmissions.
Next up, “Einstein”. This one’s a jacking electro-techno burner, all drive and tension—built for those peak-time moments where things feel like they could go off the rails. There’s a cinematic sense of anticipation here, a nod to the cosmic weight of relativity and dancefloor gravity.
Flip to the B-side for “Level of Reality”—a trance-soaked electro weapon, laced with a screaming guitar-like lead and a soaring, emotional melody. It’s peak-time power with sunrise sensitivity—equal parts rave and revelation.
Closing things out is “Irabijanti”, a stripped-back, hypnotic afterhours tool with a fresh, effortless groove. Subtle nods to Middle Eastern scales and rhythms give it a dreamlike, drifting feel—like getting lost in the dunes of some alien desert.
Another must-have from the Bosconi mothership—Lapucci pilots us further out, not with a bang but with a slow magnetic pull into somewhere weird, warm, and wired.
quête:east 4
Harmony marches eastward with its 21st EP, reconnecting with its roots through a collaboration with Kohra and Monophonik. While firmly grounded in the label’s deep-techno foundations, this release leans into a sharper focus on functional, dance oriented grooves and basslines.
A-side is opening with weight and intent, shedding the EP’s melancholic hues for something darker and more forceful. The gently broken spirit of “Uyire” follows, gliding between drones and gated vocals, stitched together by tactile percussion and an underlying volatility.
“Wavefolding Dreams” lives up to its name—wickedly modulated waveforms rise from a slapping bassline that pour like upside-down rain, finally dissolving into soothing, dreamy pads.
“Eastern Timbers” starts B-side with a deep, driving momentum. Trancey basslines and swinging arpeggios ebb and flow with tidal pads, wrapping the EP in a hypnotic finish that pulses with forward energy.
Decompress with “Neuroresonance” situated on the inner ring of the B-side. Suspenseful sliding drones in a wide stereo field and a sustained chord that breathes nostalgia, covered by a playful filter in motion.
New split release — 4 tracks of raw underground sound.
Two sides, two visions — pressed together on one record.
Direct from Eastern Europe and the US underground.
Strictly limited edition, no repress, each copy unique.
Chloe Qisha makes her vinyl debut with Modern Romance: The EPs, a special 12" gatefold edition that brings together her acclaimed first two EPs in one beautifully crafted package. A rising figure who featured as one of British Vogue's 25 most important women this year & on the covers of NME & Rolling Stone, Chloe blends 80s art-pop with Abba melodies and Troye Sivan attitude. Selling out her debut show in 4 mins and after only 5 shows has supported both Sabrina Carpenter & Coldplay alongside slots at All Points East, Latitude & Pitchfork.
Housed in a striking gatefold sleeve with full lyrics and original artwork, the vinyl also includes an exclusive fold-out poster with printed lyrics all housed in a screen printed overbag.
DAYBREAKERS return with Volume 2 of their Music Station Traxx series, following the success of the first dive into Jeffrey Collins’ revered 90s imprint from Englewood, New Jersey.
This time, they go deeper, repressing the legendary full EP from the Nathaniel X Project — a true holy grail for deep house heads. Originally released in 1994, this four-tracker is a masterclass in soulful, spiritual, and uncompromisingly deep club music, and hasn’t seen a proper reissue until now. Now coming with an essential remaster - this record won’t leave the bag.
Each cut oozes raw grooves, warm chords, and the kind of vocal snippets that made Music Station a staple in the trolleys of US house DJs coast to coast. It’s a slice of East Coast house history, lovingly remastered, repackaged and repressed for today's dancefloors.
Don’t sleep — these are the kind of records that are built for the clubs. Essential gear for DJs and house heads alike.
Buy or cry.
RedNilo is an Italian-Moroccan duo composed of Reda Zine and Danilo Mineo, two musicians based in Bologna linked by a deep passion
for world music, particularly African music. Their ongoing and tireless musical exploration has led them to collaborate for over a decade
on numerous artistic and recording projects. Their new album, eponymously titled RedNilo, features six tracks characterized by a sound
reminiscent of Gnawa, Hassani, Tuareg, and experimental rock. The psychedelic, raspy riffs of the electric guitar, the repetitive rhythms
of the percussion, and the rhythmic-melodic lines of the guembri represent and evoke their journey. The resulting sound material is the
culmination of their journey and their encounters with masters, artists, griots, artisans, and instrument makers in the Draa Valley in
southeastern Morocco, bringing together the two musicians' urban and experimental backgrounds and souls. The album's artwork was
designed by Moroccan artist Aali Wica, initiator and mentor of their spiritual and artistic journey to the southern African continent,
across the long black snake.
Réda Zine, a musician and documentary filmmaker born in 1977 in Casablanca, launched his musical career in the 1990s, contributing
to L'Boulevard, Africa's largest independent festival. Raised in the Casablanca medina, he was introduced to Gnawa music by various
Maallems. After studying at the Paris 3 Sorbonne University, he founded Café Mira, a project that has performed at several international
events.
From 2011 to 2014, Zine was artistic director for Creative Commons (Middle East and North Africa), where he won the #CC10 Korea
award in 2012 with the project "It will be Wonderful," which brought together musicians from over 12 countries. He has also been
involved in exhibitions on music and censorship, participating in events in major cities such as Paris, Buenos Aires, and Seoul. In Italy,
he continued his musical research with the Hardonik project and was part of the Afrobeat group Voodoo Sound Club, recording the
album Mamy Wata. Zine collaborates with artists such as Seun Kuti and has initiated educational activities related to Gnawa music,
contributing to initiatives such as the African Symphony Laboratory for improvisers. He is the co-founder of Fawda, a Gnawa-based
project, and is part of the Gnawa Rumi collective, which explores the music of the Moroccan diaspora in Italy. He directed the documentary "The Long Road to the Hall of Fame" about Public Enemy, which won an award at the Pan African Film Festival in 2015.
Danilo Mineo graduated as a national educator from the AMMnationalscholl music academy in Milan, with a thesis entitled "Afro-Cuban
Music and the Rhythm Section." Over the years, he has attended workshops and masterclasses with international artists and masters
of percussion and drums, including Horacio El Negro Hernandez, Airto Moreira, Trilok Gurtu, Luis Agudo, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Dudu
Tucci, Dom Famularo, Karl Potter, Rodney Barreto, and Eno Zangoun, exploring the rhythmic language of various musical genres and
styles.
In addition to publishing several educational manuals for percussionists, music critics consider him a versatile percussionist, active in
various musical productions and recordings: Mop Mop, Fawda, Guglielmo Pagnozzi "Voodoo Sound Club," Fabrizio Puglisi "Guantanamo," Panaemiliana, The Mixtapers, and many others, with whom he has performed at numerous national and international music festivals (in Europe and Africa). As a percussionist and side man he has recorded numerous albums and collaborated with Italian and
international artists including: Giancarlo Schiaffini, Gianluca Petrella, Roy Paci, Roberto Freak Antoni, Famoudou Konate, Melaku Belay, Baba Sissoko, Kalifa Kone, Jamal Ouassini, Deda, Dj Lugi, Bioshi.
Black VInyl[13,03 €]
Based in the small but rather cool northern UK town of Todmorden, Tea Breaks is making a big name for itself, much like the local hotspot The Golden Lion, which has long been booking top-tier DJs and throwing proper good parties. Now the label delivers another standout release that collides legendary hip-hop with global rhythms. Opener 'Breathe & Stop' fuses Bollywood vocals with classic East Coast bars while 'Tea & Beer' drifts on woozy rhythms, world percussion and smooth female bars. 'Broad Nod Factor' brings golden-era goodness and sunny flutes, and 'Ms Fat Booty' closes with dark soul swagger that defined NYC in the mid-90s. These are, once more, four inventive mash-ups that bridge cultures and eras with effective style.
classic East Coast bars, 'Tea & Beer' has drunken rhythms and world percussion with silky female rap tones, 'Broad Nod Factor' rolls deep with a golden-era edge and sunny flutes and 'Ms Fat Booty' shuts down with dark soul swagger. Four great mash-ups.
The SILVER SKYLARKS team up with jazz legend RONNIE LAWS on two new tracks: "NATURAL HIGH" and "THAT'S THE GAME". 5 mixes including the jazzy originals plus a peak hour house remix of "NATURAL HIGH" from NRG (LUKE SOLOMON and CHRIS PENNY) and an extended disco edit by EASTWOOD DISTRICT of the flip.
Interpit celebrates its tenth edition in glorious fashion. This anamalous record sports 2 remixes recorded by label founder Ohm Hourani.
The original songs are by George Wassouf, one of the most iconic singers in Middle Eastern music and an absolute living legend. Wassouf is a musical phenomena that will never be repeated, and an international treasure.
"Helef El amar" on the A-side is a song that has captured the ears and the hearts of millions since its release in 1988, and still does to this day. Play through the first bar or two to coax forth a smile on the listener's face or a tear on a lover's cheek.
On the B-side you'll find a more mysterious and trippy journey with a remix of an even older El Wassouf classic entitled “Dibna/inti ew ana ya rait anna kookh.” The remix is designed to make you visit places deep within your soul.
The creation of this record is a lifelong dream that carries an immense amount of emotion, and therefore we can't wait to share it with you.
The fifth installment of Greyscale’s Exposure series is nothing short of essential. Pressed on stunning clear 180g vinyl, Refractive Index is a masterclass in dub techno and dub house - deep, textured, and endlessly playable. Built for selectors and sound purists alike, this release embodies the timeless beauty of the genre and the label’s unwavering commitment to vinyl culture. A future classic.
Fradinho (Rui Fradinho) is Lisbon born Portuguese, having lived in London for 12 years and returning to Portugal in 2020.
Rui's musical base stems from a diverse range of music: rock to pop, house to techno, through jazz, soul, funk, world music, hip hop, drum and bass and from breakbeat to his main passion and current music production focus, broken beat / bruk / nu jazz.
Rui runs his own record label, Eclectic Beats Music, with 6 vinyl releases, and has released remixes for artists like Sentinel793 (Universal Magnetic), Deborah Jordan (Futuristica Music), Str4ta (Colin Curtis Presents), David Borsu (Broadcite) amongst other artists and labels.
Highlights of his DJ career so far (other than his 6-year residency at Sociedade Anonima), are the Bicaense Cafe and Lux club in Lisbon. Earlier in 2017, he did a stint on London’s Back2BackFM, playing at Dalston’s Club Makossa, the BBE Store in East London, closing the Chill Out Gardens stage in Portugal’s Boom Festival 2018, DJ’ed at Gilles Peterson’s first edition of We Out Here festival in 2019, played Lisb-On festival in 2022 and currently guests at Birmingham’s BrukUp broken beat night (having played there 5 times with Adam Rock, Laura Crossley, Bruk Boogie Kru, Marcia Carr & Kwai and Yoofee).
Regarded as one of the leading figures within the modern jungle scene, Newcastle’s Nectax returns with his second EP of the year, ‘Star & Shadow’, this time landing on London-based label Up Ya Archives. Dedicating this release to where he grew up, the EP echoes the heart of the North East - industrial spirit, late-night rhythms, and a fierce sense of community.
Blending classic breaks, soulful vocals, and playful pad patterns, ‘Star & Shadow EP’ is another knockout release in Nectax’s discography, following records on Hooversound, Future Retro, Over/Shadow, and his own Stereo 45 imprint. Championed by DJ Flight, Nectax was the first release back on her label play:musik after 14 years with Body Talk EP. At the end of 2024, Nectax was nominated for Breakthrough Producer at DJ Mag’s Best of British Awards, further solidifying his position as one of the scene’s essential contemporary artists.
- A1: She's Getting Married In August
- A2: Evenin' Rain
- A3: Les Papillons
- A4: Zeena
- A5: Virgin Morn
- A6: Seeds
- B1: Crystal Blue
- B2: Lady Carole
- B3: Lotus Child
- B4: Last Prayer
- B5: Hymn For Today
- C1: Boston
- C2: Blackbird Charlie
- C3: My Sun
- C4: Closer To The Truth
- C5: Strange News
- D1: Moonchild
- D2: Red Shoe Truckin
- D3: Beautiful
- D4: Opal Blue Sunday
First time vinyl reissue, expanded and deluxe double gatefold 140g double vinyl, remastered audio with restored artwork and fresh liners written by Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours)
Alan James Eastwood's glorious Seeds is a certified folk-funk lost-classic.
But who was Alan James Eastwood? He had never hit the big time and commercial success eluded him. By the mid-1970s, his musical career was pretty much over and he was almost unknown except among deep heads, amongst whom he would gain cult status.
Original copies of the 1971 vinyl release of Seeds exchange hands for high sums, if you can find one. This expanded 2LP contains an extra record, collecting 9 rare non-album singles and is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned liner notes courtesy of Paul Hillery (Folk Funk & Trippy Troubadours).
With the long overdue deluxe reissue of this prized artefact, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Alan James Eastwood. RIYL Nick Drake, Rodriguez, Richie Havens.
Alan James ‘Bugsy’ Eastwood was a renowned musician and singer who came to prominence in the late 1960s with The Exception, an unsung but excellent band from Birmingham. The Exception released many singles, the first featuring friend Robert Plant on tambourine, before an album, The Exceptional Exception. However, by this time, Bugsy was feeling constrained and restless; he left the band within weeks of the release.
Having vanished from the scene, he was honing a deeper, introspective edge to his songwriting. His demos found their way to the sound engineer and producer Mike Cooper at Pan Music Studios in Denmark Street. Loving what he heard, Eastwood soon entered a recording session with Cooper. The session was just Alan, his guitar and harmonica and - by all accounts - it was remarkable. With the songs, the voice and such an exceptional talent, it was hard to go wrong. Says Mike: "We had John Hawkins do the big string arrangements and Richard Hewson arranged the string quartet. We overdubbed the orchestrations on Alan's original session recordings, adding Chris Karan on tabla and various percussion. We considered re-recording the vocals but found that the magic on that original session was so exceptional overdubbing would not be as good as the atmospheric 'live' performance."
Mike and Alan viewed each track as a different entity, giving the album a diverse sonic palette. Assessing each song individually, they decided which would be suitable for each arranger. Top-flight session musicians were added to the roster to complete the sound, with Byron Lye Fook (father of musician Omar) on drums, bassist Mike Ward, Brian Pickles on marimba and jazz drummer Chris Karan on tabla and percussion. Recorded in a matter of days in Pan's small 8-track studio, they carefully added overdubs, rhythm sections and four string sessions arranged by Hawkins, with Hewson's arrangements recorded at Trident Studios.
Seeds was Alan James Eastwood's debut solo album – indeed, his only solo album - and was originally issued on President in 1971. It melded Eastwood’s impressive rock sensibilities with a folk thread to superb effect. His arresting voice - its deep, rough-hewn soulfulness - coupled with gorgeous string-drenched backing, make this a phenomenal listen. It really is a great 70s singer-songwriter record - with touches of acid-folk and folk-funk throughout.
It opens with "She's Getting Married In August", a mellow tune with Richard Hewson's strings arranged around Alan's straightforward guitar structure. Up next, the joyous, sun-dappled guitar and strings workout "Evenin' Rain" glides by before the fragile, accordion-enhanced "Les Papillons" breezes out of the speakers. The bluesy "Zeena" follows, featuring vocals and acoustic guitar and showcasing Eastwood's effortless harmonica. Starting out as a ballad, "Virgin Morn" builds with soaring strings and gospel-tinged backing vocals from Marilyn Powell and jazz singer Josephine Stahl. The A-side closes with the title track, "Seeds". With a chugging mid-tempo beat, soulful vocals and a beautiful Bacharach-esque string arrangement, it truly is stop-you-in-your-tracks spectacular.
Side B opens with "Crystal Blue", gilded by Lye Fook's marimba, lush gospel-esque backing vocals and handclaps. Eastwood's acoustic guitar begins "Lady Carole", which starts as a bluesy ballad and builds with more string arrangement, lifting the track to another height. A towering highlight of epic proportions, "Lotus Child" is a true masterpiece of arrangement. It opens with simple yet stunning do-do-dah vocal harmonies blended with John Hawkins's strings, bass lines and rhythmic beats, forming a vibe very much in conversation with the sounds coming from LA's Laurel Canyon. Next up, the heartwarming "Last Prayer", dedicated to Alan's first and last love, contains a melancholic vocal with a wistful string-drenched arrangement that would sit comfortably in a Federico Fellini score. Bringing the album to a close, "Hymn For Today" is a melodic raga with tabla, strings and a soft-psych feel. Eastwood's prophetic whisper - "I am real. At last, I am real" - profoundly hits home.
Kicking off the extra disc is the sparsely funky and country-tinged "Boston", released as the flip to the astonishing "Seeds". Next up are the two tracks that comprised Alan’s debut solo 7" single from 1968. The laconic, Bobby Charles-esque "Blackbird Charlie" evidences a real depth and charm in Eastwood's songwriting whilst the starkly brilliant flip, "My Sun", was a horizontal, atmospheric folk-tinged soundtracky precursor to his later work on Seeds.
In 1972, two further standalone singles followed. The first was the evergreen flute-driven folk-funk bomb, "Closer To The Truth", backed by the funky blues of "Strange News". The second, a deeply moving Havens-inspired "Moonchild" - rightly fawned over to this day - was flipped with "Red Shoe Truckin'", a groove-infused track. Eastwood also paired up with Marilyn Powell for a single produced by Powell's partner, Mike Cooper. Under the name Eastwood & Powell, they released their staggering rendition of "Beautiful", a rock-blues-pop song arranged by Ivor Raymonde and written by Carole King. Over on the flip, a funky Eastwood original "Opal Blue Sunday" lurked. This is not to be overlooked.
Over the years, Alan remained active on the music scene, but problems with alcohol and health complications from diabetes severely impacted his career. He spent his latter years living in London until his untimely death from heart failure on 25 October 2007, just one day before his 62nd birthday and without his music having received the real acclaim it so dearly deserved.
This deluxe reissue, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to rectifying this tragic fact. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The original artwork has been lovingly brought back to life at Be With HQ, with the addition of passionately written liner notes specially for this landmark reissue by none other than Paul Hillery.
- A1: John Simmons - Ain't Nothing Like The Love (3 48)
- A2: Le Cop - Law, Order & Peace (2 47)
- A3: The Medlows - Love (Part 1) (2 57)
- A4: The Whale & Flea - Ridin' On (4 00)
- B1: Liberation Of Man - Lovely Day (3 11)
- B2: Thrills - Telephone (4 00)
- B3: East Wind Band - Read The Fine Print (3 31)
- B4: Late Nite Music Band - Sundance (4 45)
- C1: Gulden Karabocek - Dokunma Keyfine Yalana Dunyanin (3 29)
- C2: Nukhet Ruacan - Golge (3 11)
- C3: Carlos Bivar - Amargo Amar (3 50)
- C4: Art Carey & Magnum Force - Good-Bye My Love (4 37)
- D1: New Way - Holding On (2 46)
- D2: Flashback - Piece Of Mind (4 30)
- D3: Spectrym - In Flight (3 58)
- D4: John Academia - Open Our Eyes (4 45)
Black Vinyl[28,53 €]
With two critically acclaimed compilations already under his belt, DJ / collector miche returns to Mr Bongo with the third instalment of his With Love series. Testament to his ever-expanding taste, Volume 3 isn’t just a subs bench call-up from the past compilations, it’s an evolution and progression casting the net deeper and wider than before.
Keeping true to the series, but with some fresh surprises along the way, this carefully curated compilation is a celebration of soulful, independently released music from across the globe, and the amazing (often unsung) musicians and vocalists that made these sublime records.
Across the third volume, miche explores a jazzier side of his tastes. “The deeper I went, the more I found myself gravitating towards jazzier music - not leaving soul behind, but following that same feeling into new territory”, he explains. Tracks like the gliding jazz funk found on Late Nite Music Band’s ‘Sundance’, or the glorious jazz-soul number ‘In Flight’ by Spectrym are shining examples of this.
That defining soulful thread of previous volumes is still in full effect throughout this latest edition. “There’s a healthy dose of impossible-to-find soul gems that have that unmistakable, heartwarming feel. Tracks like John Simmons' 'Ain't Nothing Like The Love', which I've adored ever since Zaf Love Vinyl played it, sit perfectly alongside records like Le Cop and New Way”, states miche.
The addition of some top-tier Turkish music showcases another side to his ever-broadening taste. Nükhet Ruacan's 'Gölge' is something unique, a floaty Brazilian-inspired gem recorded in Turkey and not what you’d typically expect from Turkish records of this era.
It also wouldn’t feel right to leave out a stop in Brazil, with miche looking to the work of Carlos Bivar whose track 'Amargo Amar' carries that undeniable groove of samba-funk from Rio.
Spreading the With Love message far and wide the series has led to miche DJing across the globe, “from batucada sessions in Timisoara, to all-night sets in a club in Beijing, and even an eight-hour Root Down With Love stage takeover at We Out Here festival, joined by Danilo Plessow, Jeremy Underground, and of course, my mentor and buddy Rainer Trüby.”
Volume 3 then, carries that message even further. It’s an eclectic but intentional collection, built for the music lover who wants to discover something new. Working just as well as a soundtrack to cook dinner to, as it does keeping a packed dancefloor moving into the small hours.
Hommage is the 20th studio album from prolific Detroit rapper Boldy James. In following the formula that has brought him success, Hommage continues the series of full-length collaborative albums that his fans have come to love, and marks his first project with fellow Detroit producer, Antt Beatz (formerly of Team Eastside, production credits for Lil Baby, 42 Dugg, Eminem, Tee Grizzley). Steeped in the styles and sounds of Detroit, Hommage does exactly that – pays homage to the city that Boldy & Antt Beatz came up in. From the beats, to the tasteful features (all from fellow Detroit artists), to Boldy’s iconic style, it’s hard to come across an album that represents The Motor City better - polished and magnificent yet undeniably gritty and humbly hardworking. Previously released singles include “Super Mario,” “Dead Flowers,” & “Street Cred.”
Gladstone Deluxe is one of the most exciting musicians in the US right now. They make futuristic, deep, percussive yet smooth techno, deep house and electro. They also play timbales in NYC queer and trans salsa band Las Mariquitas, and are a frequent collaborator with fellow East Coast sonic trailblazers Kiernan Laveaux, Johnny Zoloft, and Mira Mira. They have released on Black Techno Matters, Data Disk, Misc, Innocent Music, How Things Are Made, and now Fixed Rhythms is excited to add to the Gladstone lore with their new offering, “No Haterade EP”.
A1 “Cleanse” is zippy tech-y house…think groovy, up-beat, sexy, like something you’d hear in a Titonton Duvante set. A2 is a remix, “Teakup – Where’s My Snare (Gladstone Deluxe Remix)”. Now the EP takes a turn towards psychedelic electro. Spacey trippy vocal manipulations, swelling deep space gravitational waves swelling and resolving. The B side opens with the “No Haterade” track. Arpeggiated electro that slaps with swagger. The final track is a longer, 9 minute driving deep housey techno tune. A bass line that you never want to stop, luscious pads, brain-tingling pings, melodic percussive synth runs, and a touch of acid.
If Gladstone is not already on your radar, take heed! Big tunes here!
- A1: Reise Der Schatten (Titles)
- A2: Sans Visages #1
- A3: The Wind Comes From The East #1
- A4: U?Berwacht #1
- A5: Pyrapulse
- A6: The Silver Tree #1
- A7: Tod Und Der Affe #1
- A8: The Wind Comes From The East #2
- A9: U?Berwacht #2
- A10: Candle With Wings #1
- A11: Tage Ohne Stunden #1
- A12: City Symphony
- B1: Candle With Wings #2
- B2: A Friend From The Deep #1
- B3: The Silver Tree #2
- B4: Paper Moon
- B5: Mechanocrab #1
- B6: Tage Ohne Stunden #2
- B7: Mechanocrab #2
- B8: Island Interlude
- B9: Mechanocrab #3
- B10: U?Berwacht #3
- B11: A Friend From The Deep #2
- B12: Mechanocrab #4
- B17: Tod Und Der Affe #2
- B13: Sans Visages #2
- B14: U?Berwacht #4
- B15: Assimilation
- B16: Sans Visages #3 (Credits)
»Reise der Schatten« (»Journey of Shadows«) is the soundtrack to the eponymous debut feature-length animation film by Swiss artist Yves Netzhammer. Composed by Anthony Pateras and released as a stand- alone album through Hallow Ground, the 29 pieces are based on »weird folk melodies ornamented with electro-acoustics to give the film a more fantastical, fairy-tale feeling,« as the composer puts it. His extensive international recording sessions with a slew of guest musicians results in a record imbued with a sense of mystical surrealism, otherworldly and haunting.
»Reise der Schatten« tells the abstracted story of a genderless being coming to terms with its identity and place in a world full of conflicts and systems of control. »The film was made with old animation software that only works on Mac OS 9. So already, we are in a very hermetic, unique space,« says Pateras. Having tried (and failed) to compose something »typically experimental,« he went for long walks in the Australian bushlands and came home with something else: the idea to create a soundtrack that would create »a kind of distance, or perceptual shift, but also a narrative drive and emotional context which is not always clear.«
While recording the album, the tētēma co-founder did not use digitally generated sound, instead workingwith live instrumentation whose sound palette was enriched by the use of feedback, tape delay, analogue synthesizers, and samples from vinyl records. Wanting to work primarily with acoustic instruments suchas the clarinet made Pateras embark on a complicated journey of his own. The initial recording sessions took place in Basel on metallophones that were designed by Domenico Melchiorre’s Lunason company and laid the foundation for everything that came after.
Pateras recorded with musicians such as guitarist Alexander Garsden, viola player Erkki Veltheim, clarinetist Aviva Endean, multi-instrumentalist Justin Marshall and Lizzy Welsh on the viola d’amore among other instruments. He recorded percussion and recorders with Rohan Rebeiro and Natasha Anderson in his hometown of Castlemaine, double bass with Benjamin Ward in Sydney, bass and flutes with Jon Heilbron and Rebecca Lane in Berlin, and electronics in Zürich with Netzhammer. »Reise der Schatten« was thus a literal journey, made with a »big, international electro-acoustic ensemble.«
As a stand-alone album, »Reise der Schatten« opens up a space of its own. Its stylistic diversity makes it atmospherically and emotionally multi-faceted. As its composer notes, »music for screen can be very virtuosic, sophisticated, and variegated!« His own work is a testament to that claim.
ele
- A1: Talisman & Hudson - Warmth Re-Heated
- A2: Conscious - Morpheus
- B1: Treacle People - Rupununi Rhythm
- B2: The Obsession Project - The Dream
- C1: Interphaze - Aman
- C2: So-Low - The Hourglass (Time Mix)
- C3: Jay Trance - Ridiculous
- D1: Connective Zone - Multiple Sensory Contact
- D2: Cxx - The Comfort Of Strangers (Rhythm Doctor Mix)
- D3: C Hudd & P. Lazonby - The Colours (Mix 2)
Barking-born Jane Fitz, and Transmigration label founder David Fogarty, curate a collection of tracks from East London and Essex’s rich but largely overlooked constellation of independent record labels and distributors operating from London’s E16 to the edges of the Thames estuary during the 1990s.
Mysterious Vastness documents a hidden and largely detached scene that only forms into something coherent with hindsight. From a time when record labels could press and hand-distribute 1000 copies locally, the late 80s acid house and outdoor rave scenes were moving from the fields to the clubs of London and DJs such as Colin Dale, Colin Faver and Darren Emerson were dominating the airwaves and parties with a distinct mix of other-worldly techno, trance and out-there house music. Among the seemingly bland post-war housing estates and factories, a scattered handful of producers were experimenting with early versions of music production software to create an exotic, end-of-the-century soundtrack to the suburban-meets-industrial landscape.
The compilation features a selection of finds from East London’s second hand record or charity shops over a period of 15 years. Many of which have featured in Jane’s sets over the years, most notably the “Beyond The A13" Podcast for Furthur Electronix. A mix she described at the time as the soundtrack to an area of London “totally bereft of natural beauty, but to me, somehow always full of mystery and wonder.”
Departure Lounge welcomes Andy Ash to the lineup with his four-track EP, "When The Sunlight Comes." Warm and deep - Andy traverses the euphoric realm, as well as acid influences on the a-side, before a slung out b-side cements a satisfying reflection of his range. Over a year in the making, this is a truly special release, and a testament to Andy's craft. As a final touch, Flabaire closes out the record with a tasteful remix of "Sunrise Acid."




















