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Standards & Practices is proud to present the inaugural release on its new sister imprint, Double Standards, from NYC-based producer Jake Reif (Device Control). His third release working under this alias, Reif manages to amalgamate his dance music obsessions (EBM, bleep techno, Chicago house) in a totally unique way that feels fresh and idiosyncratic, avoiding simple genre exercises or nostalgia for the sake of it.

Lead track 'Spirit Module' is perhaps the finest summation of Reif's aesthetic yet: a mixture of bleepy, raw techno that, with its wild vocal samples and wide, 808-driven groove, comes across like a tougher, more modern take on the classic Sheffield/Richard H. Kirk/Robert Gordon sound. Label partner Ken Meier's first outing here as a remixer is a smashing success his version strips things down, keeping most elements of the original intact, but adds a driving, almost double-time metronomic machine rhythm that's aimed squarely at the dancefloor. On the flip, 'Tension' and 'Symmetry Obsession' row the boat further out, with their synapse-frying tones and jagged, randomized sequences reminiscent of Freddy Fresh at his best. All in all, a future classic destined to find favor with adventurous house and techno DJs alike.

Tompkins Square present the debut full-length by Welsh multi-instrumentalist, Gwenifer Raymond. Hailing from Cardiff and now residing in Brighton in the South of England, Raymond began playing guitar at the age of eight. Tompkins Square released her debut 7" on Record Store Day.

In Gwenifer's own words :

When I was about eight years old a pretty formative thing happened to me ... my mum bought me a cassette tape of Nirvana's Nevermind. Being so young I'd had no real interest in music prior to that, but I did have a 'My First Sony' cassette player that I used to listen to audiobooks. Anyway, I put the tape in, pressed play, and what I heard blew my little 8 year old mind. I don't know what it was about that wall of sound that so captured me, but I spent many hours hyperactively running around the house with headphones on, volume at full blast, and Nevermind on repeat. It was either for Christmas or my birthday that year, that I asked for a guitar.

I spent all my teenage years playing either guitar or drums in various punk and rock outfits around the Welsh valleys, but around that time I was also getting seriously into older stuff, Dylan, The Velvet Underground and the like. Through those cheap compilation CDs you could get then, I found that a common influence amongst these guys was pre-war delta and country blues, as well as Appalachian music. Eventually I stumbled upon Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James and Roscoe Holcomb, and they became the holy trinity of musicians I so wanted to able to play like. Eventually, I tracked down a blues man in Cardiff who could teach me and it was in studying these guys that I was introduced to John Fahey and the whole American Primitive thing.

I've always loved being in bands and the sonic chemistry it produces, but at the same time it's always a bit of a compromise that those sounds in my head have to pass through and be translated by someone else's. Sometimes it can be for the better, but sometimes not so much. American Primitive was the first time it had occurred to me that you didn't really need anything more than one solo instrument to fully express yourself, especially when those feelings and moods refuse to be articulated in words, sometimes it's a mystery to yourself what it is you're expressing. I still play in hard rock and punk bands and love to wail and hit my guitar with a complete lack of any subtlety or nuance, but in the end I think that all these things are really part of a circle, feeding back into itself. It's all just a lineup of strange mutations.

LP in printed innersleeve + download code. STUFF.'s highly anticipated new album is a cross genre groove, spanning broken hip-hop, electronica and jazz-influenced future funk, bringing forth a completely different and exciting sound.

STUFF.'s highly anticipated new album is a cross genre groove, spanning broken hip-hop, electronica and jazz-influenced future funk, bringing forth a completely different and exciting sound.


With fans that include Plaid, Kev Beadle, Kutmah, Lefto and Gilles Peterson, STUFF. began life in 2012 when drummer Lander Gyselinck was asked to play live music in-between DJ sets. Collecting together like-minded musician friends, they would keep the vibe of the room bubbling, with spaced-out jams and improvisation, taking elements of funk, RNB, electronica, jazz and hip-hop, forming their own compositions as a result.


Hotly tipped in Belgium as one of the country's brightest new hopes, they released their first EP the same year, which included the track D.O.G.G. and it caught the attention of bloggers, 22tracks and DJs across Paris and Brussels. Supports slots with D'Angelo and Robert Glasper soon followed and the band would go on to share the stage at the Dour Festival with Hiatus Koyote, Flying Lotus and Lefto.


In 2014, STUFF. were invited to perform a Boiler Room session for the prestigious global, online music broadcasting platform, the first European live band to do so.
The band's self-titled debut album, released in 2015, received critical acclaim, with the Belgian press citing the release as the "record of the year" and "the best thing that happened musically in Belgium since the last 25 years". Mastered by Daddy Kev (Flying Lotus, Thundercat, Jon Wayne), several tracks from the album received airplay on leading dance and electronica radio stations across Europe, and included support from Gilles Peterson on BBC Radio 6 Music and Phil Taggart on BBC Radio 1.


STUFF. have performed sold out shows across Europe and have gained a growing reputation for their explosive eclectic live sets, playing over 150 shows on such diverse stages as the North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Pukkelpop (Belgium), Secret Garden Party (UK), Shambala festival (UK), Dimensions (Croatia) and Fusion (Germany). The band were also personally invited by Gilles Peterson to perform at On Blackheath, London.


Accolades in Belgium include two MIA's (Belgian Music Industry Awards) for 'Best Musician' (Lander Gyselinck) and 'Best Artwork' (Rinus Van de Velde).
STUFF. are Andrew Claes (ewi/sax), Lander Gyselinck (drums), Joris Caluwaerts (keyboards), Dries Laheye (bas), Mixmonster Menno (turntables)

In Sudan, the political and cultural are inseparable. In 1989, a coup brought a hardline religious government to power. Music was violently condemned. Many musicians and artists were persecuted, tortured, forced to flee into exile — and even murdered, ending one of the most beloved music eras in all of Africa and largely denying Sudan's gifted instrumentalists, singers, and poets, from strutting their creative heritage on the global stage.

What came before in a special era that protected and promoted the arts was one of the richest music scenes anywhere in the world. Although Sudanese styles are endlessly diverse, this compilation celebrates the golden sound of the capital, Khartoum. Each chapter of the cosmopolitan city's tumultuous musical story is covered through 16 tracks: from the hypnotic violin and accordion-driven orchestral music of the 1970s that captured the ears and hearts of Africa and the Arabic-speaking world, to the synthesizer and drum machine music of the 1980s, and the music produced in exile in the 1990s. The deep kicks of tum tum and Nubian rhythms keep the sound infectious.

Sudan of old had music everywhere: roving sound systems and ubiquitous bands and orchestras kept Khartoum's sharply dressed youth on their feet. Live music was integral to cultural life, producing a catalog of concert recordings. In small arenas and large outdoor venues, musical royalty of the day built Khartoum's reputation as ground zero for innovation and technique that inspired a continent.

Musicians in Ethiopia and Somalia frequently point to Sudan's biggest golden era stars as idols. Mention Mohammed Wardi — a legendary Sudanese singer and activist akin to Fela Kuti in stature and impact in his music and politics — and they often look to the heavens. A popular story is of one man from Mali who walked for three months across the Sahel to Sudan because the father of the woman he wanted to marry would only allow it if he got him a signed cassette from Wardi himself. Saied Khalifa is said to be the one of the few singers to make Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie smile.

Such is the stature of Sudanese singers and the reputation of Sudanese music, particularly in the "Sudanic Belt," a cultural zone that stretches from Djibouti all the way west to Mauritania, covering much of the Sahara and the Sahel, lands where Sudanese artists are household names and Sudanese poems are regularly used as lyrics until today to produce the latest hits. Sudanese cassettes often sold more in Cameroon and Nigeria than at home.

But years of anti-music sentiment have made recordings in Sudan difficult to source. Ostinato's team traveled to Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and Egypt in search of the timeless cultural artifacts that hold the story of one of Africa's most mesmerizing cultures. That these cassette tape and vinyl recordings were mainly found in Sudan's neighbors is a testament to Sudanese music's widespread appeal.

With our Sudanese partner and co-compiler Tamador Sheikh Eldin Gibreel, a once famous poet and actress in '70s Khartoum, Ostinato's fifth album, following our Grammy-nominated "Sweet As Broken Dates," revives the enchanting harmonies, haunting melodies, and relentless rhythms of Sudan's brightest years, fully restored, remastered and packaged luxuriously in a triple LP gatefold and double CD bookcase to match the regal repute of Sudanese music.
A 20,000-word liner note booklet gives voice to the singers silenced by an oppressive regime.

Take a sail down the Blue and White Nile as they pass through Khartoum, carrying with them an ancient history and a never-ending stream of poems and songs. It takes two Niles to sing a melody.

The man, the myth, the legend ... back in the 80s Jesse Rae, along with Roger Troutman and Bernie Worrell, was part of the P-Funk movement that was hugely influential to Detroit's early electronic experiments. Lesser known is that the enigmatic Scot-funk warrior later produced underground electronic tracks in the 90s. The inaugural release on Glasgow label Southside Shufflers presents two of Jesse's Shufflers on vinyl for the first time on the Global 95 EP- a sampler from his pioneering 1995 album 'Compression'. Ever the innovator, Jesse recorded the album collaboratively using live ISDN technology spanning three continents, with the resultant tracks fusing African, US electro-funk and old Scots influences. 23 years later, Jesse's under the radar Shufflers sound more relevant than ever.
Southside Shufflers are a record label and sports collective based in Glasgow with outposts in London and Amsterdam. SSS- ain't no half steppin'!

The 8 track album features new collaborations with DJ Phil, Gantman, DJ Paypal, and Sirr Tmo, and a previously unreleased classic from 2013, co-written with DJ Rashad. WFM will be available in Vinyl and digital formats on September 7th 2018. Listening to WFM, the first thing that jumps out at you is Heavee's masterful use of synthesizers and sound design. You get the sense that these elements have been lovingly crafted during countless hours of sonic experimentation and invention in the studio. As Heavee explains, the primary focus on synths represents a departure from his usual creative process: 'Usually in my method of production, synths or sounds come somewhat close to last, likely after I find structure or rhythm. Basically, it's not something I particularly go for first, but this time around they became the building blocks'. Heavee has made a conscious decision to challenge himself, adopting a different approach to his past productions. In doing so, he moves away from the familiar sampling techniques which characterised his earlier work: 'I am a child of the last days of ghetto house culture as it shifted into juke/footwork. My parents, aunties, and uncles played house and ghetto house music at family functions, BBQs and house parties. That's my roots and where I came from. However, on this record, I chose to stray away from vocal samples, to give myself room to grow in different areas.' Heavee finds his voice in emphatic fashion on Cloud Ride feat. DJ Phil. His lyrical content and flow are on point as the track flips seamlessly from hip hop to footwork and back again. DJ Phil features on 3 tracks in total, a reflection of Heavee and Phil's close friendship and musical connection. As Heavee explains: 'Phil's studio is a safe space for me. Whether he is in the room or not, I don't feel weird about trying something that might be silly, taking it to the next level, or coming from a place of pure inspiration. Phil has historical, musical and cultural knowledge relevant to Chicago. He shares a lot of invaluable knowledge with me' WFM features It's Wack a classic collaboration with DJ Rashad that still sounds fresh today. Heavee remembers how Rashad would always stay connected, even during his relentless touring schedule: 'We'd get calls no matter where he was. We would talk about everything! He ALWAYS had new info; what new music was popping, scenes that were really accepting or supportive of what we were doing, blends that made the party go off, sites, adventures and just fuel us with support from him and give us living proof of the global support that was to come and the journey that was ahead of us.' Although Heavee makes music with the dancefloor firmly in mind, the sheer quality of his music transcends that space. So sit back and enjoy the next chapter in the Teklife story. All that remains is for Heavee to sign out with a message for the worldwide Teklife family: 'First, Thank you to everyone who supports what I do as an Individual, and Teklife Music as an entirety. You don't understand how much your support means to us, it literally keeps us moving. The takeover is far from over! Second, thank you to everyone involved in this project, I couldn't have made it without you. This process taught me so much about what it takes to become the person you want to be. It starts inside of you, and you have to really work for it, you can't wait and wonder. I feel beyond blessed to present this gift to the world, walking this journey of self -discovery through music with you!!!

Autre fell asleep in a gondola and awoke in the Krankenhaus. This is his first offering for the ESP Institute. Side A's Everybody In The Past is sharp techno aimed for the alleys of your mind — gritty, driving, and melodic combinations of blown-out drums and classic electro riffs that relentlessly sprint for a good 4 minutes before a squelching arpeggio and angelic solo kick in — tugging the heartstrings and lighting a beacon for those noble morning dancers lost at the front left speaker, channeling from the deep. On Side B, Frigo completely dismantles any expectations you might have after listening to its predecessor. An undoubtedly seductive Samba rhythm comprised of distant snares, rim shots and cowbells holds together an aggressively active bassline, a steel drum harmony and synth solo that crawl all over like a funky worm. This track is truly something special, a gift for the prodigious selector — when dropped in the deserved context, it has the potential to unlock unprecedented levels of euphoria. These two songs are as fluid as a paintbrush yet precise as a scalpel.

On Respective Edges Of America — Oregon And Maine — Keith Kenniff Records Quiet Music At Night. 'when Things Are Calmer,' He Says. 'my Mind Is Less Distracted When I Know That Everything Is Dark Outside.' For Over A Decade, Such Has Been The Mode — Nocturnal, Unrushed, Using The Same Mini-cassette Recorder, "a Lovely Little Imperfect Way To Treat Sounds" — For One Of The Country's Most Understated Composers. Kenniff Has Housed Dozens Of Ambient Releases Under The Name Helios Since 2004, Alongside Post-classical Output As Goldmund, Shoegaze Pop With His Wife Hollie As Mint Julep, And Commissions For lm And Television. It Is A Reliably Transportive Body Of Work That's Earned Kenniff A Cult Following, And A Genuine Modesty That's Kept Him On The Fringes, Right Where He Prefers, In The Dark.

Kenniff Mostly Lets His Music Breathe Free Of Explanation, Open To Interpretation. As Listeners, We Follow Subtle Suggestions — The ery Sky On The Cover Of 2012's Moiety, The Countryside Daydream Of 2015's Yume — Extracting Meanings From Imagery And Inscriptions. Veriditas, The Sixth Helios Full-length, Shares Its Name With Twelfth-century Philosopher Hildegard Von Bingen's Notion Of "the Greening Power Of The Divine," The Term Derived From The Union Of Two Latin Words: Green And Truth. Bingen Saw The Abundance Of The Earth As Vitality To Be Cultivated, Interconnected With The Body And Spirit. Take The Concept In Concert With Veriditas' Vistas Of Sound, Gazing Beyond The Tree-lined Wonder On Its Artwork, And We Undoubtedly Recognize The Album's Rooting. Kenniff Elaborates, "while I'm Not A Very Spiritual Person As It Relates To A Religious Belief, I Do Feel An Overwhelming Connection Between The Aesthetics I nd Pleasing In My Experience Of Nature And My Experience Of Writing Music."

For the dance film essay - The Body as Archive Gregor Schwellenbach chose a simple yet radical approach: he created a kind of catalog of sounds, clearly structured, presented with sobriety and boldness. The sounds are not embedded in the familiar frame of rhythm-harmony-melody, rather, they are introduced smoothly, presented one after the other, sometimes going together, then standing alone. It is a sensual approach, at the same time executed strictly systematically. Or vice versa: Schwellenbach's composition is strictly systematical, giving maximum space for sensuality and the unfolding of sounds.

Schwellenbach strives to create a system that doesn't become rigid, by treating the material gently and with sincerity.

In composing - The Body as Archive he sets clear rules: everything is played by hand, he only uses instruments he plays himself: Keyboards (Rhodes, piano, synthesizer) and double bass. Almost all material is played in the same key, the chords can be used in any combination, everything fits to everything. The ten parts of - The Body as Archive , mastered by Taylor Deupree, could be played all at the same time without sounding cacophonous.

Everything is pure presence, a gently woven stream of elegance and attentiveness. The organization of sounds - usually an action of preparation, didactic and discipline - turns into poetry.

Thomas Fehlmann steps away as co-member of The Orb following two acclaimed full lengths on Kompakt (COW - 2016, Moonbuilding 2703 AD - 2015) and embarks back on his solo career with a career defining album 'Los Lagos' - from Detroit to Schaffel techno he conducts a broad spectrum of electronic music into a seamless flow.

Thomas Fehlmann has been active since the late 1970's from Palais Schaumburg, the Tresor defnining trio 3MB (with Moritz von Oswald and Juan Atkins), Ocean Club (together with Gudrun Gut) and of course The Orb.

Artwork direction and design by DESIGNERS REPUBLIC.

'Los Lagos' is Thomas Fehlmann's seventh solo full-length, his 4th for Kompakt following his Berlin inspired 2010 full length 'Gute Luft'. in the musician's own words it's about "checking the juice".

Establishing a picture of his current artistic condition, as suggested by the title - los lagos / die lage / the situation (literally translating to 'the lakes' but taking the meaning of 'wassup' in the context of a relaxed discussion between friends), the album refers to Fehlmann's "musical motivation, dreams and wishes" through the language of music exclusively: a way to "allow myself to techno" he says, "to techno as a means to deconstruct and rebuild again. Set up an area of tension, loose it in the flow of the grooves. Magnifying some detail out of proportion, regroup around that and slowly knit a texture. Expand."

"It was time to take a bend and head where the sun rises or sets, wherever my heart drives me." This is pretty much the kind of decision Thomas Fehlmann has made. 61 and shining, longstanding member of The Orb, multi-talented composer and boundless experimentalist, had to make in the twilight of his collaboration with Alex Paterson, eager to taste the flavours of the unknown on his own again. "It was the moment when felxibility would have become compromise'. Far from being the demise of their joint dream, this was bound to split it in two distinct, parallel fantasies - rich of their own singularity.

As goes with that essential love of his for the free-flowing nature of electronic music, a fascination born out of its "lack of borders", capable of "inventing, changing the emphasis, experimenting with an unpredictable outcome", 'Los Lagos' "freely connects disparate extremes. Art, disco, minimalism, schmalz, jazz and funk". As he likes to say, Fehlmann's head functions as a sampler, capturing elements and re-assembling them under his own embracing perspective ; not afraid to leap from a deep, dubbed-out hypnotism ('Window', 'Morrislouis', 'Freiluft') to the playfulness of '90s-style bleepy schaffel ('Tempelhof' featuring Max Loderbauer), through out-there, muscle-flexing dancefloor cuts ('Triggerism') onto the calmness of ambient ('Geworden').

In need to keep his inner balance in check, Fehlmann committed himself to "switch off the control" and follow his intuition, which isn't so much of an easy process as he also wanted to incorporate the side disturbances experienced: "it's a complex process of search and destroy to bring out a new beauty trying to expand my vocabulary". With 'Los Lagos', Fehlmann looked at finding "the structure that's surprising, disturbing and rewarding". The artwork for the record, courtesy of contemporary artist and friend Albert Oehlen whom he shares lots of artistic ambitions with, echoes the producer's "funky use of shape and space, sludge and clarity" like a second skin. A search for light and harmony that Fehlmann sums up eloquently: "Does your inner musical voice respond", that is the question. Then "doors open up in unexpected corners, rays of light appear; you follow through and you're in - in your oasis."

Dark Entries reissue the 3rd full length from Carolyn Fok / CYRNAI, an Asian-American female solo artist from the Bay Area. Carolyn's adventures in sound began with recording stories on a tape recorder at age 9 in 1976. A short time later, exploring the scattering of musical instruments and effects units her father left lying around the family home. She became especially fascinated by his TEAC reel-to-reel recorder that set off a lifelong fascination with sound design. By the age of 16 Carolyn had become inspired by industrial electronic act Cabaret Voltaire, as well as anarcho-punks Crass. Creating the stage name CYRNAI, a rearranging alphabet of Carolyn Fok, she played in several Bay Area bands including Treason, A State Of Mind, Trial and Rhythm & Noise between 1983 and 1991.

In 1987, towards the end of art school, Carolyn won another award from the New York Society of Illustrators. During the trip to New York to accept the award, she met electronic/dulcimer musician, Dan Joseph. After writing some letters they decided to make a split cassette titled 'Hypno-Seizure'. CYRNAI contributed 30 minutes of music to Side A of the cassette, 10 untitled pieces that ran into each other. She had just bought a round-the-world ticket going from China to Europe via Eurails, to Egypt, where she liked to wander. She picked up instruments from several countries and recorded the sounds of her new surroundings. Technology was changing into early sampling and she used a Commodore 64 with large floppy disks to record loops. Originally self-released in 1988, this reissue adds 3 unreleased bonus tracks recorded during the same period. Each copy includes a double sided insert with lyrics, photos and notes by Carolyn. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios.

We really think there are no accidents in life, or rather it's chance that makes things happen. When we started our project 'In The Meantime' we could immediately feel a connection, that invisible line joining people who have the same passion and feeling
towards music. We shared emotions and ideas, making music in harmony and mixing our visions like if we knew each other since longtime. This collaboration was a great opportunity for us both artistically and personally.

'In The Meantime' is a project that aims to find new ways of expression mixing ambient, electronic, techno and drone music into original dimensions and evocative atmospheres.

A love beyond...

Dark Entries reissue the 2nd full length from Carolyn Fok / CYRNAI, an Asian-American female solo artist from the Bay Area. Carolyn's adventures in sound began with recording stories on a tape recorder at age 9 in 1976. A short time later, exploring the scattering of musical instruments and effects units her father left lying around the family home. She became especially fascinated by his TEAC reel-to-reel recorder that set off a lifelong fascination with sound design. By the age of 16 Carolyn had become inspired by industrial electronic act Cabaret Voltaire, as well as anarcho-punks Crass. Creating the stage name CYRNAI, a rearranging alphabet of Carolyn Fok, she played in several Bay Area bands including Treason, A State Of Mind, Trial and Rhythm & Noise between 1983 and 1991.

In 1986 Carolyn moved into her family's building in downtown San Francisco providing a space to develop her own art and music for the next two decades. She was the only tenant of the five story building. The top floor had 36 abandoned rooms with building materials and holes between floors, staircases that created natural reverb. It was during this isolated time that Carolyn would start working on her second release, 'Parts of The Insomnic Wheel,' 60-minutes of ten untitled pieces that ran into each other. This was also the first release on cassette due time constraints of the LP. She spent many nights at the 24-hour diner across the street chatting metaphysics, parallel universes, the 5th dimension and astro-projections. Carolyn would sleep next to paper/pencil and report dream states, experimenting with mental techniques, investigating how far her mind could go. It was a journey to unravel the 'dark night of the soul'. Utilizing her industrial surroundings, Carolyn would bang on sheet metal and record percussion on found materials. Originally released by Ladd-Frith in 1986, this reissue adds 4 unreleased bonus tracks recorded during the same period. Each copy includes a 16-page zine with lyrics, photos and notes by Carolyn. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios.

New 4-track Ep From Austin, Texas Analogue Hardware Enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed In The Early Days Of The 90s Midwest Rave Scene, Bill Began Djing At A Young Age In Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries Such As Claude Young, Traxx, And Derrick May Were Key Early Influences. Techno, Noise, Ambient And Tape Processing Are All Part Of His Uncanny Sound Palette. His Debut Album 'meditations/industry' Was Released On Cassette In 2013 And Edited For A Vinyl Release On Dark Entries In 2016 Followed By Two 12' Singles 'warehouse Invocation' And '7 Of 9' The Same Year. In 2017 Converse Released His Second Album 'the Shape Of Things To Come' Followed By The Double Ep 'salt Of Mars'.

'hulled' Is A 25 Minute Journey Spread Across 4 Tracks Of Glacial Abandon. All Tracks Were Recorded Directly To Tape With No Overdubs, Made At Converse's Home Studio. Bill Says These Tracks Represent 'ocean Waves In Stormy Conditions, Dark Grey Blue Water, Or More Generally Speaking Something Ominous And Beautiful.' The Songs On This Album Reveal A Sublime Influence From Detroit Techno, Idm, And Acid. Built Around Vintage Synthesizer Lines And Gritty Drum Machine Percussion, The Tracks Ebb And Flow Like The Effect Of Sun Shimmering On Water, Woozy, Gauzy And Ephemeral. All Songs Were Mastered For Vinyl By George Horn At Fantasy Studios In Berkeley.

Each Ep Is Housed In A Die-cute Jacket Designed By Eloise Leigh With Peachy Pink Patterns Landing On An Alien Water Planet And Seeing Mysterious Playing Forms Under The Turquoise Water. Each Copy Includes A Postcard Featuring Photo Of Bill With Notes.

Cat.no.: De 222
Format: Ep

Tracklisting

Artilect's varied musical background is one of the primary reasons why his production is so coveted throughout the back catalogue of the labels he's released on. Beginning his career in Manchester during the mid 90s, his love of breakbeats lead him into the world of hardcore and jungle, where his appreciation of electronic music grew year by year, whether that was the sounds of Detroit or Acid Techno. Having supported artists like the legendary Marcus Intalex at Guidance, his part in the Northern collective Audiosalad helped promote his finely honed craft to a more widespread audience. And now he joins the roster of Horizons Music, an imprint who strives to only deliver the most cutting-edge records from the underground; it seemed like the perfect home for an artist who has only offered the same standard with every track he's released. And the 'Black Fire' EP is no different, with its full spectrum look at the influences which have enabled Artilect to reach this monumental stage in his career.* Title-track 'Black Fire' is chaotic with its swathes of crashing percussion; its impact gains more and more momentum as it gradually builds and crashes along its finely-chiselled bassline. 'Hoax' has the same old-school feel, paying homage to the producer's roots whilst he flexes his ability to create hard-lined breaks which crash against the record's firing drum sequences. 'Deep Signals' is moodier in its approach, with each weighty bass pad lowering the tone as it draws you in gradually. Whilst 'Deep Signals' still nods its head to the type of music which made drum & bass so infamous during its explosion, it alludes to its more contemporary world, with Artilect enabling you to become fully immersed within it. Finally, 'Tryptamine' once again offers a darker edge although this time is goes to even filthier depths, taking you along for the journey through shaking subs and cranking atmospherics. It has a creeping blow, proving that Artilect reigns supreme over his soundscape; another reason why Horizons brought him on board to deliver such a mind-bending release, alongside his eloquent production standard and refusal to bow against commercial pressure. 

Originally from West Yorkshire, but now resident in Manchester, composer, bassist and producer Phil France is probably best known as a key collaborator alongside Jason Swinscoe in the Cinematic Orchestra, where he co-wrote, arranged and produced on classic albums including Everyday, Man With The Movie Camera, Ma Fleur and also the triple award winning soundtrack for The Crimson Wing nature documentary. In 2013 France released his debut solo album, The Swimmer (GOND016), an emotive, epic record influenced by the great second wave of film composers including John Carpenter and Vangelis, as well as minimalist composers such as Steve Reich and Philip Glass

Five years later, France presents the follow up, the enigmatically titled, Circle, which again represents a very personal journey for the artist. For France the album is an extension of work he began on The Swimmer. A process he has described as: " blocks of sound containing intricate minimal arpeggiated patterns and electronic textures that develop and shift in subtle, original and melodic ways. The trancelike quality, mood and electronic character of title track Circle led France to think of the circular patterns which eventually became a potent concept for the album. "Ideas and fashions repeat themselves in cycles. Events are said to travel 'full circle' and this is important to me because it represents my own recent personal and musical journey after 15 years touring as bassist and composer with The Cinematic Orchestra. I consider circles to be a strong symbol of unity, strength and inclusiveness and ultimately I've aspired to make something beautiful with those values at its heart".

The album opens with the title track, Circle, built on a minimal looped pattern with melodic embellishment and shifting additional harmonic textures. Bells was developed from the arpeggiator and offers a nod to the melodicism and atmosphere of French electronic music. The Jackal features an idea originally developed for The Crimson Wing score but which finally bears fruit here. Cathedrals features an improvised intro, Philip Glass inspired organ and vocal textures inspired by the work of Colin Stetson. Finally, the album ends with a reprise of Circle this time featuring layered pianos. But it isn't the conclusion of the journey, for France: "The Circle is infinite - During the process of making this record, I have been constantly reminded that nothing ever stays the same and that all is in constant flux. The challenge for me is always to respond positively, be aware of and seize the opportunity for progression constant change provides" And it is that sense of movement and flow, but also calm and beauty that permeates Circle and make it such a worthy successor to The Swimmer.

On The Latest Release From Make Mistakes, Roy England And Friends Take Us On A Ride Into The Beautiful, Soulful Depths. From Uplifting Love Jams, To The Chunkiest House Funk, As Always, The Gang Has You Covered.
Roy England's Original Mix Soars Through The Night Skies. Pitter-patters, Emotive Pads, And A Driving Groove Bring Us The Softer Side Of Our Little Boogie Baron. Perfect For The Euphoric Abandon Of A Sweat Soaked Dance Floor.

Alexi Delano, A Man Who Needs No Introduction, Kicks Things Up A Notch, Taking The Original And Giving It A Restructured, Pumping Groove. A Dubby Line Runs Through, With Echoing Pads, A Pulsing Bass, And Fluttering Keys And Synths. A Beautiful Dance Floor Meditation, With Plenty Of Junk In The Trunk.

Fredy Grogan Takes A Hard Left, And Steps Confidently Into A Psychedelic, Tribal Funk. Teasing New Vibes Out Of The Original Material, Grogan Transforms Beauty In Rhythm Into A Classic House Groove, Before Settling Us In To A Hypnotic Groove.

Make Mistakes Keeps On Keepin' On. That's All We Know. the Tears Of The World Are A Constant Quantity. For Each One Who Begins To Weep Somewhere Else Another Stops. The Same Is True Of The Laugh. Let Us Not Then Speak Ill Of Our Generation, It Is Not Any Unhappier Than Its Predecessors.

Samuel Beckett, Waiting For Godot

Patterns Of Consciousness is the powerful second full length from analog synth composer Caterina Barbieri. Highly recommended to fans of Alessandro Cortini and Eleh, Barbieri can be seen/heard/felt live at major electronic music events across Europe and beyond.Gorgeous high resolution analog textures and algorithmic melodies unfold under Barbieri's careful control, exploring the basic nature of sound and consciousness. These pieces are minimal in arrangement but maximal in presence asserting Barbieri as a unique voice in contemporary electronic music composition."Patterns Of Consciousness finds Caterina Barbieri at her best, elegantly moving between melodically pleasant yet twisted sequences and comforting, reassuring sonic spaces. Every piece, while given a singular identity, is part of the bigger picture: a work of art that will push you, pull you, and then eventually leave you with your back against the wall once you get to the last track. " Alessandro Cortini (Nine Inch Nails)"A pattern creates a certain state of consciousness. Once it is created, the pattern stands as an object exactly like the sound waves which generate it. We are at the same time inside and outside of the object. While being it, we observe it. Over time we become familiar with the inner structure of the pattern. We decode its gravitational centres, where our psychomotor attentionis attracted, where everything seems to be drawn. When a change in the pattern occurs it causes a perturbation of the previously established field of forces. This causes consciousness to fracture, potentially unfolding layers of perceptions we weren't aware of or simply suggesting that we access only a fraction of our psychic potential.The layered nature of consciousness and the relativity of perception are some of the biggest secrets we can experience through sound." Caterina Barbieri

Of all the releases on Italy's legendary Cramps Records, Raul Lovisoni and Francesco Messina's seminal LP from 1979 has long remained among the most beloved. Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo not only introduced the world to the work of two gifted composers, but also is notable for being produced by electronic pioneer Franco Battiato. A sister album to Prati Bagnati would be Giusto Pio's breathtaking Motore Immobile, likewise graced with the maestro's gentle hand around the same time.Lovisoni and Messina are both central figures within the Italian avant-garde. Part of a generation of artists who contributed to a radical rethinking of musical practices and composition, they reveal Minimalism as it's rarely known: delicate melodies, subtle harmonic interplay, incorporating diverse creative traditions and slowly giving way to an ever-expanding open space.Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo's meditative title track, inspired by René Daumal's surrealist novel Le Mont Analogue, features Messina on synthesizer and Michele Fedrigotti's impressionistic piano, while on Lovisoni's "Hula Om" and "Amon Ra," solo harp, crystal glasses and Juri Camisasca's radiant vocal drones further ascend into the stratosphere. Skirting the outer edges of ambient, new age and experimental music, Prati Bagnati has a transformative beauty unlike anything else.Superior Viaduct's edition reproduces the original sleeve design and is recommended for fans of Jon Hassell, Luciano Cilio and Popol Vuh.