We welcome Alpharisc to Warg Records for the thirteenth release on the label.
Shane's six track EP featuring two digital bonus showcases the fundamental elements that made early 90's techno so distinguishable. This combination of rythmic low end, raw percussion and cinematic synths makes this release unique amongst modern day influences.
Bruno Bar returns to Beast River Records with “Movin’”, an almost-peak-time but still classy New York house workout featuring Marie Berson’s whispered vocal that blooms into a soulful hook, in that Floorplan-inspired space of gospel energy and driving drums. Tour-Maubourg flips it into a
dubbed-out Balearic trip with Rhodes, strings and elastic bass for longer sets. “Feel The Dub” goes deeper with bass up front and tasteful vox, while “U Can Dance 2 Jazz” closes with jazzy chords, a sophisticated sax line and a garagey lift
In the late summer of 1994, Upadhmanyia (John Mackaay & Michel Rehatta) invited Leo Verhoef (LFU) to collaborate on a track. They met a few more times afterward at a power station converted into a studio in IJsselstein, The Netherlands. "Hasiya" was quickly born and was already in stores by early November 1994. John & Leo drove to house club iT in Amsterdam, where they gave the track to DJ Marcello, resulting in an iT hit! The track was quickly picked up by DJs worldwide, and Richie Hawtin used it in a live set in Denver on November 19th of that year, which can be heard on SoundCloud (Hasiya is mixed around 43:00). The track was also a huge hit on dance floors in England and Spain.
In late 1994, Hasiya appeared on a CNR Music EP titled "Welcome To The Club," along with four other hits from producers like Pete Lazonby, The Shaker, and Drum Club. A double CD of the same name followed in early 1995, released in Belgium, featuring Hasiya alongside artists like Robert Miles, Digital Express, Aura, Natural Born Grooves, and other hits of the era. In early 1995, Arcade released "House Party '95 the Kinky Klubmixx," mixed by Koen Groeneveld & Addy van der Zwan. The same CD was released in Scandinavia as "House Party '95 (5)." Hasiya flourished among the most popular house tracks of the time. The record spent three weeks in the Dance Music Mega Top 30 and peaked at number 22 around the holidays of late 1994.
For 31 years, Hasiya was only available on record, CD, tape, or YouTube. Starting November 21, 2025, it will be resurrected from the underground into the world of digital downloads and streaming. The 2025 Remaster, along with five new mixes, will be widely available, including a limited vinyl release of 350 copies. The 30 test pressings have already been received with open arms by various DJs and received immediate support from Eris Drew and Octa Octa during ADE.
Because Hasiya was created in 1994, the only available remix material is the original DAT tape, which, thankfully, was still stored in an old box in a dusty attic. Most of the sounds for the new versions have been recreated and re-recorded.
Rehatta's Reanimated Mix:
This remix - created by one of the two founders of Upadhmaniya - combines driving, percussive beats with a thrilling, progressive break featuring ascending, dizzying strings. This trick returns shortly afterward to rev things up again. An accessible remix for dance floors worldwide.
LFU 2025 Version:
This straightforward, raw techno version with a touch of acid is ready to rock dance floors. LFU's updated version of the 1994 original, which he created with Michel & John, will undoubtedly remain a head shaker from here on out.
John Consemulder Metaphysical Mix:
With a pumping groove and a funky bassline as an intro, John Consemulder's remix immediately strikes a chord. A refined and elegant approach to the original, with sounds as mysterious and exciting as the flowing lava in the 'Gruta das Torres' - a cave in the Azores - the setting where this tech-trance remix was created.
Davje Remix:
Davje's version begins with the typical club and hard-trance bassline of the late '90s. You're drawn into a trance journey where beat changes sometimes try to throw you off track. Davje's creative Hammond organ interpretation of the Hasiya theme surprises and transports you back to the hippie era by the end of his remix.
Bojcot Remix:
Junglist Bojcot creates an exciting, nuanced, and mathematical remix with a beat that feels like jungle and half-tempo. He conjures up the sounds of LFU's 2025 Version, creates a bassline that sounds like a disturbed bumblebee, and adds a surprising string section. Massive!
Drumcode launches a new V/A series ‘DC4’ inspired by their popular A-Sides compilations. ‘DC4’ showcases a quartet of sure-fire heaters from the label’s extended family of artists. The EP features two mainstays of Drumcode, Timmo and Mark Reeve, while fleshing out the techno sides of Kaufmann and Goom Gum (in collaboration with rising London artists RDNK) after they debuted on Truesoul in recent times. Kaufmann’s curiously titled ‘Broncho’s Sandman’ kicks things off, a punchy slice of dancefloor tackle marked by a catchy vocal line, with a foot in techno and progressive alike. Timmo follows up last year’s tidy contribution to A-Sides Vol.13, with a technicoloured techno cut that bubbles with bags of personality, as any cut titled ‘Miami Vice’ should! The Bulgarian has poured plenty of hours into the creation of the track, which espouses an otherworldly celestial energy. It's been four years since Mark Reeve’s last contribution on Drumcode, with the excellent mini album ‘Breathe’. The Frankfurt-based British producer makes a timely return with the storming ‘Stop, Go’, that fuses together elements of techno, hard trance and pop for an inspired five minute dancefloor workout. Goom Gum & RDNK team up for the first time ‘It’s Time To Get High. The track begins life as a crisp melodic cut, before transforming into a trippy slab of psychedelia in the second half. This is begging to be rinse in an outdoor party setting.
Swimming Paul’s music has always lived in the push-and-pull between euphoria and melancholy; the rare kind of electronic music that can make you cry while your body keeps moving.
On Smiling Through the Pain 2 (out October 24 via Headroom Records), the French-born, London-based producer doubles down on that emotional duality, delivering an album that feels as much like a diary as it does a DJ set.
Over the course of 15 tracks, Paul stitches together late-night catharsis, suburban nostalgia, and the jagged tenderness of early adulthood. The record is sequenced like an unbroken night out: the giddy anticipation, the sudden moments of reflection, the quiet comedown as the sun edges in. It’s an album that refuses to treat joy and sadness as opposites, they coexist here, often in the same chord progression.
“I don’t want to escape the feelings, I want to bring them with me” Paul says. “If you can’t stop thinking about something, you might as well dance with it.”
That philosophy runs through the singles: the emotional release of Holly (with Junior Simba), the aching nostalgia of Different Time, the hypnotic haze of Hard 2 Sleep, and the house-driven Drinking to Get Drunk, a bittersweet ode to nights spent outrunning your own thoughts. Elsewhere, Liza M1 folds heartbreak into an almost triumphant piano hook, while Shine a Light urges listeners to take risks and live without hesitation—as if youth’s boldness could be bottled.
Since debuting in 2023, Swimming Paul has quietly built an empire on emotional resonance: 150 million streams across platforms, 1.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify and more than 50 editorial placements (including Dance Party, Crying on the Dancefloor, Electronic Rising….), 10,000+ radio spins worldwide, and sold-out tours across Europe and North America. His sound has earned co-signs from BBC Radio 1, Triple J, KCRW, Sirius XM and a wave of DJs who value melody as much as momentum.
But Smiling Through the Pain 2 isn’t chasing charts, it’s chasing connections. Paul’s global fanbase, nurtured through a lively Discord community and nights on the road, has become a two-way conversation, with fans’ stories feeding back into the music’s emotional core.
This autumn, Paul takes the album to stages that match its ambition, from London to a string of US club dates, festivals and intimate pop ups designed for shared release.
Smiling Through the Pain 2 is an invitation to feel everything at once. To sweat through the sadness. To let your guard down under strobe lights. To realise that the best nights out don’t make you forget; they help you remember.
RAWAX proudly presents Acid Jesus aka Roman Flügel & Jörn Elling Wuttke with her groundbreaking debut album called "Acid Jesus" from 1993
Following the title of the classic Ecstasy Club record - be it a direct influence or merely a coincidence - Acid Jesus was the first of many collaborations between Roman Flügel and Jörn Elling Wuttke.
Situated in Germany’s then blistering techno scene and especially a mirror of Frankfurt at the time, the early recordings are also a feedback loop to what was happening in the UK and the USA before and at that very time. With many definitions and interpretations of techno already in place, and while its triumphal procession slowly geared itself into exhaustion, Flügel and Wuttke succeeded with their own and unique take on it, that owned as much to Underground Resistance and the Belleville Three as it did to Sven Väth and Andrew Weatherall. Depicting the booster detonation of what was to become the holy label trinity of Playhouse, Klang and Ongaku, this is a collection of tracks and experiments in sound that won’t sound dated, yet classic, mesmerizing and eternal. Jesus loves the acid and vice versa.
DOUBLE VINYL ALBUM RELEASE
Kraak & Smaak Announce New Album Velvet Seas.
Dutch electronic pioneers Kraak & Smaak return with their highly anticipated seventh studio
album, Velvet Seas. Penned and produced between their hometown of Leiden and the sun-
drenched sprawl of Los Angeles, the album channels a rich seam of West Coast psychedelia,
deep funk roots, and that unmistakable K&S groove, all wrapped in shimmering synths and
electronic soul.
The record captures the essence of the band's genre-defying journey, blending radiant nostalgia
with forward-thinking production. True to form, the Dutch trio have enlisted an eclectic roll-call of
collaborators: from the dreamy stylings of Kosta G (formerly known as PWNT and memebr of Rio Kosta) and Butter Bath to the powerhouse
vocals of Izo FitzRoy, plus contributions from The Undercover Dream Lovers, Kainalu, Iogi, and
longtime live partners IVAR and Berenice van Leer.
With hundreds of millions of streams under their belt and a legacy as industry tastemakers, Kraak
& Smaak are set to take Velvet Seas to the global stage, with a world tour slated for next year.
BQD050–Arno: "We Perfectly Understand Each Other Until We Start To Talk – The Remixes"
To mark the 50th release on Brouqade, we reach back into the catalog and release as a set of remixes Arno's album “We Perfectly Understand Each Other Until We Start To Talk” a work that touches on the finer problems inherent to human communication.For this unique Album, released in 2019, three distinctive reworkings offer new breath to the original tracks: Baby Ford conducts a lean and hypnotic revision played in minimal fashion, Kuyateh widens out textures with deep organic rhythms and Dana Ruh puts her distinctive groove-orientated stamp on the material.
The bonus on the release is from Arno — a meditative composition that acts as middle ground in terms of his musical language.
In operation midway between introspection and movement, BQD050 depicts the very spirit of Brouqade: depth, warmth, a timeless dancefloor poetry.
Punching in with his debut vinyl EP for Fluid Funk, Chilean house producer Massiande follows up to a string of head-turning releases on an array of labels, including Jimpster’s Freerange Records. His much anticipated new offering, “Essential”, packs all the attributes of his vivid, floor-focussed vision, taking us on a bouncy ride across densely forested coastal house scapes and heavy-lidded electronics. Draped in washed-out pads and cottony textures, Massiande’s tracks have us floating in a chromatic daze of sorts, light-hearted and somewhat nostalgic, but above all hopeful and resilient.
A textbook slab of Massiande’s ever-expanding palette of woozy house tropes and silken disco touch, A1 “Tears” (also presented in bare instrumental form on the flip side B2) has it all, from the euphonic synths arrangements to the no-nonsense, club-igniting jack and irresistible footwork, via the infectious bass and Chicago-style soulfulness of its vocals. Proper fiery number and absolute weapon for any DJ seeking either impactful elegance in a peak-time context or to rekindle the flame when the after gets a bit too prosaic and requires that extra funky boost to get back on tracks. Grooviness exemplified.
More of a straightforward affair, A2 “Essential” unflappably beckons us on the path of utter vaporous escapology with its pulsating tableau of FX-soaked machine talk, semi-acidic bass and zero-G synthwork painting the sky all shades of pastel. The result is a rather captivating piece of weightlessly intuitive though carefully engineered sonic daydream. Injecting further oomph to the groove, B1 “Come On” pulls out a symbiotic collage of Sino-flavoured melody, Stax-ian vox sampling and straight out Detroit house-indebted propulsion, neatly showcasing both Massiande’s broad spectrum of influences and that idiosyncratic take of his on the said genres’ tried-and-tested leitmotivs.
Souldynamic swings back onto the Samosa label with the mesmerizingly rhythmic West-Side Of Afrika Vol. 2.
We kick off the A-Side with ‘Touma’ – a truly hypnotic tribal afro vapour that entices you into the fire-lit night. A heavy dub-style bass just about dominates above the rhythmic ensemble, whilst the haunting chanted vocals elevate the track to ethereal levels. Stunning. No wonder Ron Trent has been spinning this one in his sets for the past few weeks – it’s right in that spiritual zone where deep house meets ancestral ritual.
Second track on Side A is the happiness trip that is ‘M.I.L’. Rolling drums, marimbas and a killer bassline merge with the flighty guitar riffs and smiling vocals. You could be in a bar listening to the music live in the room, smoke filling the spaces and dim lights offering a glimpse of good times.
Heading over to Side B and you find the enchanting ‘DJA’ awaiting. A deep roller of a tune, Souldynamic shifts the gears whilst serving the entrees. A truly magnificent slice of West-African vibes, ‘DJA’ has it all from the gorgeous vocals to the chugging, hypnotic beat.
Track 2 on Side B is the sultry ‘N.T.F.P’. The BPMs are touched down a notch for this one but don’t let that fool you. ‘N.T.F.P’ is a musical celebration of joyous beats, slaps, claps, brass and Afro vocals. You don’t get it much more authentic than this.
West-Side Of Afrika Vol. 2 is like a shapely hand in the perfectly fitted glove that is the Samosa label. A truly stunning piece of vinyl with every track as strong as the last. A sure-fire winner.
Heralding 10 years of relentless club futurism, Timedance strikes forward once more with TD10. Batu's label has nurtured experimentation between techno propulsion, soundsystem pressure and innovative sound design since the beginning, rarely resting in one space and always reaching for new ideas. Across 23 forward-facing cuts, this compilation continues that tradition with a strong cast of scene-leading heavyweights and crucial emergent talent.
The wide-ranging styles across TD10 are bound together by a shared affinity for bassweight presence and vibrant, three-dimensional production. Fractured, artful deconstruction from Daisy Moon, Marco Shuttle and Verraco sits alongside the snarling half-step pressure of re:ni and Lurka and the jagged drum intensity of Lechuga Zafiro, 33EMYBW, Ayesha, and Jabes. There's space for big room anti-anthems from Pearson Sound, Bambounou and Batu himself, wildcard swerves from Minor Science and Skee Mask and more emotive melodic sensibilities from Polygonia, El irreal Veintiuno and BADSISTA. At every turn, the ideas are fresh, toying with the idea of an all-encompassing sound for the label and throwing open the possibilities for what it might represent in the future.
Timedance has thrived in an era where technology has eroded the boundaries between the generic formulae of dance music's past, helping set the pace for innovation and presenting compelling, immediate music across the tempo range. TD10 responds to that legacy with its gaze fixed firmly forwards, ushering in the label's next chapter in proudly unpredictable style.
“The high priest of country cool” - Rolling Stone
“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt
“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy
“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood
“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson
Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.
In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.
The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”
His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.
"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."
Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!
The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!
The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.
The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.
The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."
With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. 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 artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.
Iptamenos Discos kündigt Houdini an, die neue EP der Labelgründer Local Suicide. Die Platte enthält drei ihrer dunkelsten und kraftvollsten Originaltracks bis heute, ergänzt durch markante Neubearbeitungen des französischen Electroclash-Pioniers David Carretta und der aufstrebenden griechischen EBM-Kraft Alpha Sect. Die Houdini EP entstand im Berliner Studio von Local Suicide während zahlloser nächtlicher Sessions mit Skelesys in derselben kreativen Phase, die auch ihren gemeinsamen Hit Moustache, die Surface Of The Sun EP und Faster Faster auf Curses’ Next Wave Acid Punx-Compilation hervorbrachte. Das Ergebnis ist ihr bisher düsterstes Material, das ihren Technodisco-Sound in noch härteres Terrain führt - mit hypnotischen Basslines, industriellen Texturen und analogen Vintage-Synths. Damit zählt es zu den mutigsten Releases im Katalog von Iptamenos Discos. Die EP eröffnet mit Obsessions, einem Track zwischen Darkwave und Techno, aufgebaut auf einer brutalen Bassline, analogen Synths und eindringlichen, mantraartigen Vocals. Die wiederholte Zeile „Obsessions, they come and go“ spiegelt den unerbittlichen Sog des Stücks wider und unterstreicht seine klaustrophobische, sich ständig wiederholende Energie. Submission, eine Zusammenarbeit mit Langzeitkollaborateur Skelesys, steht dem in nichts nach: ein düsterer Low-End-Sound, verzerrte, stark bearbeitete Vocals und der Sprechgesang „Resistance, no submission“ durchziehen den Track wie eine Trotz-Erklärung, die Spannung in Kraft verwandelt. Der Titeltrack Houdini ist etwas zugänglicher, behält aber die gleiche schattige Atmosphäre. Unheimliche Orgelmelodien und der Text „The great Houdini, the big escape“ beschwören Transformation und Befreiung herauf, zollen dem legendären Illusionisten Tribut und verleihen der Nummer eine theatralische Note. Der französische Kult-DJ und Produzent David Carretta interpretiert Obsessions neu mit seiner unverkennbaren retro-futuristischen Handschrift. Seit den 1990ern bekannt für die Fusion von industrieller Präzision mit Italo-inspirierten Synths, hellt er den Track mit glitzernden Disco-Melodien und einer erhebenden Stimmung auf – eine Version, die sich bewusst vom dunklen Original absetzt und sofort für die Tanzfläche taugt. Der in Straßburg ansässige Alpha Sect, das Projekt des griechischen Künstlers George McCall, führt Submission in kompromisslose Dimensionen. Verwurzelt in Electro und Body Music mit Punk-Einflüssen, beginnt sein Remix als wuchtiger EBM-Stomper und entwickelt sich zu einem clubtauglichen Track, der Intensität mit Katharsis in Balance bringt.
Das Avant-Rock-Sextett aus Beirut verschmilzt auf diesem großartigen Nachfolger seines gefeierten 2023er Debüts "Mais Um" Psych/Kraut, Improv/Skronk, Elektronik, Gothic und Jazzelemente mit traditionellem ägyptischem Gesang und moderner arabischer Poesie. Produziert von Radwan Moumneh (Matana Roberts, Sarah Davachi, Jerusalem In My Heart). Der Titel des zweiten SANAM-Albums ist ebenso vielversprechend wie die Musik der libanesischen Band. "Sametou Sawtan" bedeutet aus dem Arabischen übersetzt "Ich habe eine Stimme gehört". Spukhaft oder spirituell, wie auch immer man die Phrase liest, sie spricht von der Fähigkeit von Klang und Sprache, innezuhalten, Aufmerksamkeit zu stehlen und uns für den Moment zu öffnen. In ähnlicher Weise vermischt die Musik von SANAM zarte Rasereien und feuerverbrannte Balladen, indem sie frei fließende Rock- und Jazzgerüste mit der tief verwurzelten arabischen Tradition verbindet. Sie in vollem Flug zu hören bedeutet, in der Gegenwart gehalten zu werden und sich neu zu orientieren, um einen offenen Horizont zu eröffnen. Die Arbeit an "Sametou Sawtan" begann im Frühjahr 2024. Die ersten Ideen, die in den Tunefork Studios in Beirut entstanden, wurden im April während eines Aufenthalts in Beit Faris, einem mittelalterlichen Haus in der Küstenstadt Byblos, weiter ausgearbeitet. Das Sextett: Sandy Chamoun (Gesang), Antonio Hajj (Bass), Farah Kaddour (Buzuq), Anthony Sahyoun (Gitarre, Synthesizer), Pascal Semerdjian (Schlagzeug) und Marwan Tohme (Gitarren), wurde vom Produzenten Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem In My Heart) unterstützt. Die letzten beiden Tracks des Albums sind Aufnahmen aus den Beit Faris-Sessions, während der Rest in den La Frette Studios in Paris während der Europareise der Band im Sommer 2024 aufgenommen wurde. Die Platte verarbeitet Gefühle der Distanz und der Entwurzelung. "In den letzten fünf Jahren hatte ich das Gefühl, dass jeder den Libanon verlässt", erklärt Chamoun. "Das Album handelt nicht wortwörtlich davon, sondern von der Vorstellung, dass dich etwas verlässt. Eine Distanz zu den Ereignissen, obwohl du in ihnen lebst, eine Distanz zu deinem Haus, obwohl du in ihm wohnst." Ob in der sehnsüchtigen Ballade "Goblin" oder dem langsam brennenden, autotune-überladenen Freakout von "Habibon", Sametou Sawtan fängt das Streben nach festem Boden in einer Welt ein, die diesen nur selten bieten kann . Das Album hat die hypnotisierende Intensität des SANAM-Live-Erlebnisses, während es der Musik Nuancen, Tiefe und eine enorme dynamische Bandbreite verleiht. Wie bei ihrem Debüt sind die Texte vieler Tracks entliehen, Worte, die in neue Kontexte gestellt werden, um die Gegenwart zu verarbeiten. "Hamam" interpretiert ein ägyptisches Volkslied neu. In "Hadikat Al Ams" treibt der krachende Hardrock-Stampfer den Text des zeitgenössischen libanesischen Schriftstellers Paul Shaoul an. Und sowohl "Sayl Damei" als auch der Titeltrack verwenden Gedichte des iranischen Dichters und bahnbrechenden Mathematikers Omar Khayyam aus dem zwölften Jahrhundert. "Wenn man etwas von Omar liest, fühlt man eine Verbindung zur Gegenwart", sagt Chamoun. "Das Gefühl, dass es keinen klaren Weg gibt." "Sametou Sawtan" enthält auch zwei Lieder mit Chamouns eigenen Texten, darunter den Opener "Harik". Es war die Keimzelle des Albums, geschrieben von Chamoun im Februar 2024, wobei die Band den Track um ihre Worte herum aufbaute. Es beginnt mit einem Schauder, zerfetzter Elektronik und einer keuchenden Stimme, die das Schlagzeug durchdringt, bevor sich die Band zu einem triumphalen Aufstieg aufschwingt. Es geht um Eintauchen in "ein unendliches Feuer", verrät Chamoun. Den Text zu "Tatayoum" schrieb sie allein, bevor sie ihn der Band vorlegte. Er spiegelt eine andere Art von Intensität wider, "eine Schleife, eine Besessenheit", wie sie sagt. Buzuq webt durch schwebende Elektronik und drängende Trommeln, während Chamoun arabische Worte rezitiert, die die Liebe beschreiben. Die unaufhörlichen Energien, die in diesen Tracks erforscht werden, sind nicht unbedingt negativ. Sie vergleicht deren Intensität mit der eines Schriftstellers, der in einem Gedankengang gefangen ist, im Guten wie im Schlechten. "Es geht nicht darum, deprimiert oder traurig zu sein", sagt Chamoun. "Es ist eine Falle, aber sie kann auch magisch sein." "Sametou Sawtan" wurde von Farah Fayyad mit ikonischen Grafiken und Design versehen.
E23 Records is an independent label from Amersfoort that releases music moving between electro, wave, EBM, and acid—sounds that feel familiar, but not quite at ease. Each release is built with care, made to be both an object to collect and a small joke at the universe’s expense. Patterns appear where they want to, chance plays its role, and sometimes the numbers line up in ways that feel more than coincidental. Tune in, and see what reveals itself.
E23 Records launches its catalog with three dark electro transmissions from Amersfoort residents Son of 8-Bits, Mavanov, and Law Of Fives. Opening with Son of 8-Bits’ “Deliverance”, the record sets an ominous tone: heavy bass pressure and sharp machine rhythms push forward with a cold, driving pulse built for late hours. Mavanov’s “Dark Romanticism” drifts into sparse, hypnotic territory, where cold mechanics meet faint traces of emotion. Law of Fives’ “Primer” closes the trip with an urgent workout that turns rhythm into a labyrinth—metallic strikes, pulsing bass, and restless sequences coiling together, building toward moments where chaos threatens to take over but never quite does.
Together, the three cuts form a statement of intent: E001 is moody, uncompromising electro with just enough strangeness to keep the floor on edge. A first chapter that hints at many more signals to come.
Theory Therapy is pleased to present ‘we’re here all the time’ by jp (aka J.P Wright) – the New York producer behind one of last year’s shinetiac remixes on the OST label, and a member of Housecraft Recordings’ trip-bient group Ahem.
Compiling several years of well-worn material, the Brooklyn artist’s debut solo LP was the result of many hours of hardware jams and happy accidents, later meticulously edited down into these seven arrangements. Blending first-thought-best-thought spontaneity with extended DAW labouring, Wright delivers some of the most immediate music yet on Theory Therapy.
The album is reminiscent of ’90s and early-’00s IDM. Syncopated rhythms and atmosphere swirl into a mutable whole, as hardcore breakbeat, ambient trance and acidic electro bleed together into a liquid mélange. The sequencing drifts from gauzy, ethereal openings into tensile, club-ready pressure before swerving toward moments of stillness – like lingering in an emptied club hours after the crowd has gone.
There’s a distinct physicality to the music too. Kick patterns jitter like loose live wires, delays ripple through the fog-soaked air, yet the album’s finest moments lie in its more subtle textures and tonal shifts. This is proper braindance that keeps you suspended in its pulse, caught in non-linear time. Wright lets the music wander in unpredictable arcs, moments folding back on themselves, stretching in multiple directions at once – tracing and retracing a memory that refuses to settle.
Mastered and cut by Beau Thomas
After two self-produced EPs, Sarah Maison (2018) and Soleils (2021), and the EP Karma (2021) with Anoraak, French singer, musician, author, composer, arranger, and producer Sarah Maison finally unveils her first album, DIVAD, the fruit of four years of creation. Sarah opens up, tackling personal themes through an exploration of the soul and existential questions. She also ventures into more autobiographical subjects such as melancholy, derealization, the search for meaning, and the breakdown of romantic or friendly relationships: often through coded language but always with a touch of humor. DIVAD is a manifesto of artistic independence, boldly and uncompromisingly fusing French chanson, Egyptian music, 70s disco, synth-pop, and English pop. Her influences draw on musical history while reinventing it, bringing together Alan Vega and Martin Rev, the 70s Egyptian band Al Massrieen, the king of Iranian psychedelia Kourosh Yaghmei, as well as Brigitte Fontaine and Françoise Hardy. Each track is a cinematic tableau, where the artist"s theatrical voice, both imperious and vulnerable, carries an intimate narrative with universal overtones. Co-produced with Steve Surmely (sound engineer) and Timotée Pédron (sound designer), the album blurs the lines and asserts an artist who defies categorization. Throughout these twelve tracks, we witnessa rebirth, with Sarah fully embracing her character as a dark, grandiose, and tragicomic diva straight out of a Dario Argentofilm, a sort of tribute to her Italian muses. Danceable, elegant, and elusive, DIVAD is a flamboyant work that reflects Sarah Maison"s image: free, sunny, and daring.
Better Together Records is pleased to welcome the duo Hiworld into the BTR family with their etheral and multi genre project “Temple do Sol”.
Hiworld is the collaborative project of Eora based artists Mondowun and Toaka. Born from a long-standing friendship and shared passion for the world of electronic music. Inspired by their Portuguese and Polynesian backgrounds, nostalgic 90s culture, and reality-altering records. Their forthcoming EP ‘Temple Do Sol’ captures a world where technology does NOT reign supreme and people’s bonds are built through reality and NOT the digital realm. The record builds evocative atmospheres and distinct worlds, offering listeners a space to access personal memories and create new experiences.
As always, Solace in unity at the end of eternity.
In the mid-90s, Ken Ishii rose to prominence, with a futuristic sound rooted in Detroit’s machine soul yet unmistakably his own. Hailing from Sapporo, Ishii quickly became synonymous with futuristic, cutting-edge productions, and ‘Jelly Tones’ – originally released on R&S Records in 1995 - was the breakthrough release that propelled the Japanese producer to global notoriety.
Driven by the success of its lead single ‘Extra’, whose iconic and surreal, anime styled video directed by Koji Morimoto (of Akira fame) became a cult classic - the album cemented Ishii’s status as a pioneer who seamlessly fused Detroit techno influences with forward looking sound design and uniquely Eastern melodic sensibilities.
Now reissued on vinyl for the first time since 2008, this 30-year anniversary edition of ‘Jelly Tones’, celebrates the album’s lasting legacy and continued influence with the dynamic rhythms, crystalline synth textures, and sophisticated arrangements that set Ishii apart - from the propulsive elegance of ‘Stretch’ and the layered complexity of ‘Pause in Herbs’, to the tribal, otherworldly darkness of ‘Moved By Air’ and the lush close of ‘Endless Season’.
Integral to this collection as well as the dazzling energy of tracks like ‘Extra’, comes the shimmering synthscapes of ‘Cocoa Mousse’, and the intricate futurism of ‘Pneuma’ - all of which highlight Ishii’s masterful command of both the dancefloor and more cerebral electronic spaces. ‘Jelly Tones’ remains a testament to Ken Ishii’s vision and to a moment when techno became a global language.
Fragments was a completely new way of working for us. We’ve always worked with an internal brief, creating documents, pictures and videos, simply because keeping an idea on track with three individuals can be difficult. It's easy for someone to be edged out of the creative process when the focus is not clearly defined.
It’s a formula we’ve used since the early 2000s, but things have changed a lot since then, particularly when we decided to dip our collective toes into supporter memberships with Patreon. It made us think about what we could do directly for our support- ers rather than just the next album or project. At first, the whole thing felt odd and uncomfortable, but we decided that we’d try a few things and ask for feedback.
"Fragments" was initially a way for us to see how we could include others in an ongoing creative process. There was no over-arching concept, no defined characteristics or purpose, just the promise that there would be at least one new track for members to download every month. Consequently, we never knew what was coming next, so the old, very focused working method was irrelevant. It was difficult for us to let individual tracks go without knowing what was coming next, but this also made the project more interesting.
And then C19 hit and we were forced to continue the project remotely from our home studios. As difficult as the disruption was, it was during this period that we realised we could re-organise and remaster the individual tracks into a coherent album, captur- ing a specific moment in time and drawing a line under the first phase of the project.
Like our "Allegory" EPs, we’ve tried to keep everything stripped back. We used to hide many subtle elements within the layers, but not so much this time.
Fragments is our journey through many changes, both self-im- posed and those imposed upon us, and it ultimately led us to create things differently. We hope you like it.
b A2
r D1 b Yes Hello (Remastered BONUS) 1:53
s D2 No JuJu (Man Power Version - Remastered BONUS) 4:27
t D3 Cup Noodle (Unemployed Youth Version - Remastered [BONUS]) 5:43
[u] D4 Black Smoke (They Never Got Started) (Remastered [BONUS]) 2:18
[v] D5 Concrete Concentration (Remastered [BONUS]) 3:21
[b] They All Live In The Past (Remastered [BONUS]) 1:06
