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After two years, Carl and Andreas present their second album, and once again, it opens up a wide associative space for us. What strikes us initially is the uncommon instrumentation: a church organ, harpsichord, glass tubes, and more. Like their first album (The Aporias of Futurism), it is mysterious and dark. But it also carries a strong touch of rebellion and adrenaline, sometimes quite pointedly. The pieces are now shorter and feature intricate yet irresistible rhythms. The impact is immediate, yet it maintains a sense of solemnity and ceremony. The Apollonian complexity of the rhythms and subtle melodic interweavings is transformed into a Dionysian, ecstatic, hypnotic, and at times tribal context. "Music for Unknown Rituals" oscillates between primitive instincts and avant-garde intrigues.

The process began in Döblitz, a small village on the Saale river in Germany, inside an old church that houses an organ built in 1886 by Johann Adolph Ibach. Carl and Andreas gained access and secluded themselves there for a few days, accompanied by the organ, an instrument made of glass tubes, and a set of modular synthesizers. After recording the basic tracks in Döblitz, the work continued in Munich and Berlin. Carl played electric guitars, harpsichord, bass, metallophone, xylophone, Indian harmonium, and various percussive instruments. Andreas added layers of electronic sounds, noises, and atmospheric drones. He also created percussive structures extracted and derived from recorded material of technical and industrial noises, which contrasted with the acoustic drums played by Carl. The antithetical approach continues with the dichotomous arrangement of the instruments, often panned hard left and right in the stereo field, creating an antiphonic communication. Some parts, especially the use of the electric guitar, evoke memories of the psychedelic sixties. However, this is anything but a nostalgic album—these musical references are merely remnants, set pieces, and fragments used from a contemporary, post-modern, post-youth-cultural, and post-romantic perspective.

Although Andreas and Carl continue on their chosen path of composing music with an almost literary narrative structure, this album is conceptually and formally completely different from their first effort. If “The Aporias of Futurism” was a revolutionary manifesto (in a pataphysical sense), "Music for Unknown Rituals" is more like the implementation in action; it is the practical application of the previous statement. To put it another way, if "The Aporias of Futurism” was the conceptual manifesto of a dark utopia of modernity, "Music for Unknown Rituals" is the staging of free will surrendering to the myths and catharsis of a Greek tragedy. And in response to this, the artwork features a leitmotif of histrionics with hands, the hands being the first and intuitive part of the body to express something: a ritual, a prayer, a defeat...

— Andreas Gerth is one half of Driftmachine, and Carl Osterhelt is part of F.S.K and collaborates with Hans-Joachim Irmler of Faust. Both became connected through their participation in the Tied & Tickled Trio.

Mustard coloured double vinyl housed in deluxe
gatefold sleeve. Includes double-sided printed art
poster and digital download card.
 Following his breakthrough electroacoustic soundtrack
for ‘Candyman’ and his score for the moody feature
‘Master’ comes a new soundtrack from the everunpredictable composer Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe.
 Filmed over the course of three seasons,
‘Grasshopper Republic’ follows a local grasshopper
trapping team in verité style, as these modern-day
prospectors who harvest and sell the insects push into
remote forests seeking their fortune by capturing this
elusive prey.
 Lowe’s electronic music soundtracks both the seen
and unseen moments that produced the film’s holistic
abstraction of the intersecting worlds of insects,
humans, and economy. “I wanted to be able to create
a world which was a justifiable language within that
space, and to be able to enhance that experience
because the film is experiential and immersive.” -
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe

Istanbul born performing artist, producer, composer and instrument builder Berke Can Ozcan, in collaboration with critically acclaimed Norwegian trumpet mastermind Arve Henriksen and Brooklyn-based baritone saxophonist Jonah Parzen-Johnson, takes you on a captivating journey through the depths of nature on the Lycian Way, immersing the listener in a mesmerizing soundscape that echoes the wonder and mystery of the trail leading to the ancient Lycia As Ozcan ventures deeper into uncharted territory, he stumbles upon a sight that would spark an artistic flame - the Twin Rocks. This collaboration weaves together a tapestry of sonic explorations that capture the essence of Ozcan's journey. The ambient-jazz album's delicate balance between organic sounds and electronic manipulation creates a dreamlike atmosphere that transports the listener to the rugged terrain of the Lycian Way. Mastered by three time Grammy winner Dave Darlington, each track on this ethereal album mirrors a different aspect of the journey to the Twin Rocks, meticulously composed by Ozcan, Parzen-Johnson and Henriksen with each section of the trail in mind. The album is infused with melodic bird songs and sound walk memories that add depth and texture to the ethereal soundscape. Ozcan's array of self- crafted instruments made out of bamboos, soda bottle caps, straws, house keys, terracotta flower pots alongside with his long time companions like his steel drums, chimes, gongs, and vibraphone, serve as the medium through which he expressed the reflections of his encounters in his own world of rhythm and melody

Australia post-punk duo The Native Cats - bassist Julian Teakle and singer and electronics operator Chloe Alison Escott (who released solo album Stars Under Contract via Chapter in 2020). Spiritual forebears to the current wave of speak-singing post-punk a la Dry Cleaning and Sleaford Mods, The Native Cats have grown a sizable cult following from their home in Tasmania (Australia's remote and chilly island state) since the late 2000s. Their minimal bass and drums rumble is offset by Chloe's lyrics which twist, confound and linger. The band have toured the US and played Memphis' legendary Goner Fest, been written up by the likes of Stereogum, NPR and Brooklyn Vegan, and performed at the Sydney Opera House. In 2020, they were riding a growing wave of recognition and admiration following their best run of records to date, culminating in killer double A-side single Two Creation Myths. But the pandemic and Australia's extended lockdowns brought with them a period of intense loneliness, isolation and despair. Chloe's confidence as a lyricist, singer and performer was at an all-time low. Even in those low times, the apparition of Native Cats LP #5 just kept on calling out. Julian never stopped recording instrumental demos and emailing them to Chloe. Chloe never stopped writing, and even began revisiting lyrics that had previously felt too raw or revealing to include.. Small moments of inspiration grew into more substantial ones. The band committed to weekly songwriting sessions, started to accept invitations to perform again, and had crowds fall instantly in love with their new songs. Recorded with producer Ben von Fürstenberg, The Way On is the Way Off takes a meticulous, painterly approach to the band's heavy, scorching songs. Every element is chosen for its thematic resonance and emotional impact. Chloe's lyrics arise from deep-rooted trauma and identity issues she is finally facing head-on, as well as reflections on post-punk history and lineage - the title of the album is drawn from the rules and principles David Thomas wrote for his band Pere Ubu. With the setbacks and self-doubt now a distant memory, The Way On is the Way Off is everything The Native Cats believed it could be when its completion seemed impossible, and everything they have been working towards since the day they began.

Rhythm Cult's unstoppable momentum continues after achieving consecutive number-one positions across online and physical platforms. RCM019, their most recent release, welcomes the incredibly gifted Chilian producer Dinky into the fold.

Dinky's hypnotic blend of deep house, strong techno, and precise minimalism has earned her a residency at the famed Panorama Bar, in Berlin confirming her position as a unique voice in the electronic industry.



The EP kicks off with the soulful and uplifting "Come Hold Me," a futuristic house anthem that effortlessly fuses tribal rhythms with intricate stuttering synth patterns.
Dinky provides the unmistakable and irresistible vocal hook that suggest this will be a summer anthem in the making. "She's Got Nowhere To Go" follows, riding on an insistent one-note bass line and yet more addictive vocal snips, complemented by disco stabs that complete the party vibe. Dinky's skilful use of stuttering glitches and inventive sample manipulation showcases her love for minimal detail and angular funk.


Finally, dOP turn in not one but two remixes of their unique and unconventional take on house and techno. First, their reinterpretation of "Come Hold Me" takes us on a journey to the deeper realms of house, riding on a low-slung acidic bass groove while enveloping the listener in waves of lush synths, perfect material for warming up dancefloors or setting the mood for the early hours. Then they wrap “She’s Got Nowhere To Go’ around an elastic bass and dosed with warped synth lines to create an irresistibly explosive dancefloor weapon.

The EP exudes sophistication, weaving intricate futuristic house sounds that are imprinted with the influences of Balearic, acid, and deep house. These heaters are undoubtedly set to light up dancefloors throughout the summer season. With this exciting collaboration, Rhythm Cult further cements its position as one of the industry's most cutting-edge labels, and Dinky's addition adds a distinctive dimension to their roster.

Prepare to find yourself absorbed by this exceptional release from two forces shaping the future of electronic music.

From Milano, Italy Manuel Parravicini is a young upcoming artist getting most of his
Inspirations from the Minimal electronic scenes and the likes of Ricardo Villalobos for his first ever release here with us at NG TRAX.

Manuel Parravicini was born in Germany but raised in Italy.
He started DJing and following electronic musical scene years ago.
First in local clubs, then as a resident in Amnesia Milano.
Later on he created his own events under the name “Jimmy&Grace” in different clubs around Milan, bringing many international underground djs.
He places his sound between house grooves and minimalistic techno. He is playing vinyl only dj set and releasing his first EP on NG TRAX soon this year.

Skream has become a shining example of the power of diversity, skillfully weaving together a variety of styles and influences in a way that makes sense.

Skreamizm Vol. 8 is a definitive release that represents an artist who is continuously evolving, while also driving the canon of electronic music forward effortlessly.

After a 10 year hiatus he revives his groundbreaking dubstep series Skreamizm and joins the dots between his house and techno releases, through to grime, dubstep and more.

An EP based on nostalgic feelings of bygone days. Deep electronic grooves and melodies are mixed with intense emotional musicality that transports you to the past… Resulting in a 'hands up in the air' feeling, where the rush of music bathes you in warmth and remembrance, showcasing Wink’s diverse range of production and artistry on each cut.

"12 months of Longing" begins with a pounding 909 kick that soon gets flooded with funky percussion building up to the 1st break of lush keys and swirling beats. The production continues leading into bouncing bass and a serious groove, that evolves into a rhythmic pause where soaring strings, and melodies build and build leading to an intense crescendo that will blow the roof off.

"Sexy Bot” is a title which suits this sexy tune. It’s journey begins with latin rhythms and is quickly joined with repetitive stabs and ascending pads, that spirals around you, directing the path of music that unfolds into a Detroit inspired musical progression. Symphonic string plucks leads you into a break of serious sexy melodies that explodes into a rolling bassline that will elevate any listener into another sexy feel good echelon.

“Used to Be” quickly guides you to a signature wink acid bassline, that writhes its way to an infectious groove that is soon complimented by a hauntingly smooth analog synth, advancing into a sensual musical progression. Wink then adds his voice to the song, with simple and effective contemplative words “The way I used to be”, endorsing the overall nostalgic feeling of this unique and diverse EP.

Matt Tolfrey’s Leftroom imprint makes a triumphant return here with a remix package featuring Mathew Jonson, Silverlining, Maher Daniel and Sakro, all reworking cuts from his 2020 ‘All Shapes And Different Sizes’ LP. Across the past two decades the UK’s Matt Tolfrey has been at the forefront of the underground House and Techno scene, releasing material on many seminal labels in the industry such as REKIDS, Cocoon, Music For Freaks, Crosstown Rebels, mix compilations for fabric and Classic, and of course his very own Leftroom which returns here following its last vinyl release back in 2020 from Detroit’s Norm Talley and Ataxia.

Up first on remix duties is Canadian machine maestro Mathew Jonson who remixes ‘How It’s Gonna Be’ featuring Tim Fuller, offering up his signature twitchy synth work, robust analogue drums and cinematic leads running alongside the original’s hooky vocal lines. Maher Daniel steps up next to remix ‘Feel The Same’, opting for an intricate electro tinged drum workout, wavey subs and hypnotic vocal chants.

London’s Silverlining then reworks ‘Fantasy’ featuring Shaun J. Wright next, diving deeper via a skippy, swinging drum groove, airy dubbed out chords, snaking bass groove and soulful, intricately processed vocal licks. Lastly to round things out, Sakro remixes ‘Under The Skin' featuring Lil Mark, the Mexican artist reshapes the original with his unique drum-led, groove driven style, fusing crisp snares and shuffled percussion, alongside an amalgamation of choppy bass hits, bleepy synths and sweeping atmospherics.

London based multidisciplinary artist and DAYTIMERS internal team member Zar (Arun) is returning once again in 2023, this time on The Tabula Rasa Record Company, to release his second EP: “Unfurl”.

It is the next expression of progression in sound for Zar, a movement further into, above and beyond the foundations laid down from his debut EP “Practice Makes Miracles” - which was listed on Bandcamps’ “Best Electronic Music of March 2023” and described by DJ Mag as “a striking solo debut that sets Zar out as an exciting prospect in the sphere of electronic composition.”

Sitting at that murky midpoint between UK Garage, Tech-House & Bass, the songs literally bloom outwardly, wrapping around the listener leaving trails of familiarity, and feature the tendrils of earworm worthy melodies that strike a balance between serene, uplifting, dense and thoughtful, all whilst resting upon deep thumping drums, clever vocal sampling and unconventional song structures. As a follow up to an already ambitious debut EP, Unfurl is an incredibly full-filling listen.

Five groups, one mythical studio - documenting the emergence of a generation!

The initial postulate was simple: five groups, one emblematic studio and 24 hours for each to imagine and record two unreleased tracks with one objective - the will to document a French jazz scene in the midst of renewal.

In these last few years, several innovative currents have shaken up the world of jazz and attracted new fans. They have bubbled up from Los Angeles, impregnated with hip-hop culture (Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Thundercat), or from London, tinged with African rhythms (Nubya Garcia, Kokoroko, Ezra Collective). Meanwhile, in France, a new scene is emerging, carrying with it more of a dancefloor-oriented sound influenced by electronic music - an obvious kinship with the French Touch explosion of the late 90s.

Historically, every movement has been assimilated to a certain neighbourhood, to specific clubs where late at night, young guns stayed up to imagine the jazz of tomorrow - the Cotton Club for the jazz of the 20s, Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem for Be-Bop, the Black Hawk in San Francisco for West Coast jazz, Birdland in New York for Hard-Bop or a lot more recently, the Total Refreshment Centre which has been the playing field for the new London scene.

In Paris too, this new sound is associated with actual venues, places which have allowed these groups to form, create a repertoire and forge an aesthetic - Le Baiser Salé for Monsieur Mâlâ, La Gare/Le Gore for Photon, La Pêche in Montreuil for Ishkero, La Petite Halle for Underground Canopy and also le Duc des Lombards and le 38 Riv’ for Alex Monfort; it’s in a live context that this music will always continue to evolve.

Keeping this “live” spirit, with all its spontaneity, was actually the guiding line for the elaboration of this Studio Pigalle compilation. Each take was recorded in the most organic way possible, bringing all the musicians together in the same room to limit post-production alterations before the final cut was assembled, in just one day, by studio in-house sound engineer, Felix Rémy.

A feeling of urgency permeates a record guided by an artistic production taking care to crystalise the essence of this artistically free-range generation whose childhoods were rocked just as much by Bill Evans and Roy Hargrove as by J Dilla and Jeff Mills. One of the two tracks recorded is geared towards the dancefloor, and the other, more cosmic/ambient gives freer rein to individual interpretation.

There were therefore many possible ways of interpreting these guidelines for the five formations which number among the most distinctive on the current French musical landscape, and the occasion, for some, to rummage through their archives! With Transe (Mbappé) and Da Verdere (Vella), Monsieur

Mâlâ present us with two unreleased tracks issued from the very first rehearsals of the quintet reworked especially for this compilation. “Seen the aesthetic range of this group, it all worked out very naturally in the studio”, recounts keyboardist Nicholas Vella “Recording like they did in the sixties with all the channels live and working with small imperfections was a very interesting task, even when it came to the mix, we had to make do with the takes we had... “

“Our group is very recent, and with this session, in just two tracks, we had the opportunity to present the entirety of our musical universe,” says Photons pianist Gauthier Toux. “All too often, we assimilate this fusion between jazz and dance music to computers and post-production modifications. For “Dessine”, we kept the first take, and we must have recorded just three or four for the other track with more of a techno bent. In one day, we understood that we could play our entire repertoire live, from A to Z”.

“When the Komos label offered me this project, it immediately spoke to me”, remembers Alex Monfort “Straight away, I thought of “Since I Met You”, a track with a nine/four time signature which really is reminiscent of a new- soul groove, but with this extra cosmic vibe! I wrote the words to the chorus and Nina Tonji placed her voice on the track, adding her own verses. For “Tonight”, the up-tempo track, I wanted to head off in more of a hybrid direction inspired by Kaytranada or the Black Radio series by Robert Glasper. A cross-over between jazz and hip-hop which really does represent my world, and I also tried to place vocals centre stage (Emcee Agora)”.

“We truly resonated with the way Antoine Rajon imagined this compilation and the recording session”, confide Warren Dongué and Jérémy Tallon from Underground Canopy. “When arriving in this studio we felt as if we had gone backtothe70s! Inkeepingwiththespiritofthisera,heknewhowtoletus keep our spontaneity, without recording in too many takes, and that’s how we like to work”.

“We managed to adhere to the themes of the compilation without changing our instrumentation, we wanted to remain faithful to the sound of Ishkero on these new compositions and take them somewhere else” – says drummer TaoEhrlich -“Withoutaddinganyelectronics.Thesessionwassupervisedin a truly subtle and benevolent manner. From a human perspective, it was also a wonderful experience”.

Whether turned towards hip-hop, ethnic or electronic music, the artists featured on this Studio Pigalle compilation represent the eclecticism of a new generation in the process of writing the first chapters of its history. Open to experimentation, these artists continue to hold high an immutable love for improvisation and creation in the moment... another definition of the word Jazz!

Auf Album Nr. 4 wendet die britische Electronic Music Komponistin, Produzentin und Musikerin, die auch mit Ihren Filmscores für einiges Aufsehen sorgen konnte, ihren Blick nach innen, setzt sich mit Trauma und Trauer auseinander und konfrontiert ihre Ängste. Für Fans von u.a. Fever Ray.

Elizabeth Bernholz (geb. Walling), geboren 1981 in Canterbury, England, besser bekannt unter ihrem Künstlernamen Gazelle Twin, ist eine Electronic Music Komponistin, Produzentin und Musikerin, die derzeit in Leicestershire, England, lebt.

Auf ihren bisherigen drei Studioalben hat Gazelle Twin nach außen geblickt: auf Städte, auf einen gequälten Körper, auf die sich windenden Eingeweide des ländlichen Großbritanniens. Auf ihrem ersten Album für das neue Label Invada Records wendet sie ihren Blick jedoch nach innen. Black Dog ist ein Album über die Konfrontation mit der Angst und die Erwartung, dass die Dinge, die in der Dunkelheit lauerten, als man ein Kind war, verschwinden werden, wenn man erwachsen wird.

Black Dog erzählt eine Geschichte, die sich wie ein Film entrollt. Es geht darum, wie unsere Kindheit unser Erwachsensein geprägt hat: wie sich jedes Gefühl von Trauma und Trauer für immer in die Erinnerung eines Menschen einbrennt, egal wie sehr wir versuchen, ihm zu entkommen. Black Dog deutet an, wie diese Gefühle in besonderer Intensität zurückkehren, wenn man Eltern wird, wenn man sich selbst dabei beobachtet, wie man Dinge weitergibt, von denen man sich wünscht, sie nicht gehabt zu haben, nicht zu wollen.

In gewisser Weise läutert sich Bernholz auf diesem Album selbst. Im Gegensatz zu ihren maskierten Charakteren bei früheren Veröffentlichungen ist ihr Gesicht erkennbar, und sie erklärt, dass sie sich „dieses Mal nicht so weit entfernt hat" von ihrer Persona. Sie stellt sich als Medium für die Stimmen in ihrem Inneren vor, anstatt sie mit anderen Ideen zu verdrängen. Dabei wirkt sie groß und innig, ihre Stimme wechselt von feinfühliger Zärtlichkeit zu doomiger Kraft.

Dies ist ein Album, bei dem alte Geschichten geplündert, verdaut und wieder hochgewürgt werden müssen, um neue zu schreiben, bei dem wir uns selbst völlig in Frage stellen müssen. Black Dog blickt zurück und blickt hinein. Wir verschaffen uns Zugang, während wir zuhören. Unser Innerstes nach außen gekehrt.

Beloved Polish downtempo / nu jazz masters Skalpel present an exquisite collection of the older Skalpel’s classics and some exclusive material performed live by a masterful 17-piece Big Band. Skalpel’s “Big Band Live” brings mellow, smoky vibes, hypnotic grooves and vibrant, occasionally blissful mood. Polish jazz at its best!

Skalpel is a nu-jazz classic. On their debut and sophomore albums “Skalpel” and “Konfusion” (Ninja Tune) they were able to resurrect the dusty spirit of the 60s & 70s jazz and reimagine it for the 21st century audiophiles. They created emotionally charged music, sophisticated in its structure. After ten years Skalpel returned in 2014 with “Transit” an album that segued from sample-based music into compositions created on virtual instruments. Their critically acclaimed 2020 album “Highlight” together with the follow-up: „Escape Remixes EP” (which included a remix by rising modern classical star Hania Rani and globally respected house duo Catz‘ N Dogz ) had almost 6 million streams on Spotify alone. Their last studio album „Origins” was an inspiring contemporary vision adapting various currents of electronica and dance music of the millennium era. The latest release earned them a „Polish Grammy” - Fryderyk Award.

The journey continues as Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudło present Skalpel Big Band. Patryk Pilasiewicz, composer and musician from Poznań, who is the originator of the idea, dissected and revised Skalpel’s music for a seventeen-person Big Band. The idea was to weave new, acoustic interpretation of Skalpel’s compositions with their original electronic sound.

Perth-born, Naarm-based duo Special Feelings, aka Naomi Robinson and Poli-Pearl, are stepping up on Bradley Zero’s Rhythm Section label with their first long player – released on November 10, 2023. Across its 9-tracks, Special Feelings combines the electrically improvisational feel of live performances, with snappy broken beat-esque percussions and house-inspired looping synth hooks. Tapping into the infectious collaborative spirit of Naarm’s jazz community, Special Feelings are joined by a crew of the city’s rising artists.

Early iterations of Special Feelings’ music drew on psychedelic sun-dappled rock, with Naomi playing guitar and singing alongside Poli-Pearl on the drums. Over the years, this has shapeshifted into Naomi on bass and rhythms, with Poli-Pearl helming synths and keys – rooted in the sounds of Perth’s and London’s jazz of the moment, intertwined with Brainfeeder-nodding electronica. Today, Special Feelings’ influences span from the deep grooves of Moodymann to the freewheeling horns of Emma Jean Thackray to the stepping drums of Kaidi Thatham, and beyond.

Both Naomi and Poli-Pearl are self-taught multi- instrumentalists and producers; Naomi got her start playing in high school dream pop bands, before moving to Naarm to immerse herself in its musical communities, and study classical guitar at the University of Melbourne.

Spirit of Sundaze Ensemble (SOSE) is the latest evolution from London based DJ / producer, label and party series Secretsundaze. Sitting at the intersection of live music and electronic music innovation, leading contemporary musicians reimagine, record and perform a selection of tracks which have been foundational across Secretsundaze’s 20+ year history, embracing a myriad of influences from Balearic to synth pop to Brit funk.

EP 1 opens with their first single, a re-imagination of Photek’s seminal ‘Mine to Give’. Featuring Wayne Snow on vocals and garnering wide support from the likes of BBC 6 Music heads Gilles Peterson and Nabihah Iqbal, through to NTS and Worldwide FM tastemakers including Zakia, Moxie and Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy, the tempo is slowed and explored in a more synthy 80s production style.

Next is their take on Joyce Sims’ (RIP) ‘Come into My Life’, moving the original Mantronix production into a more contemporary UK / Street Soul / Balearic territory.

The B-side sees them take on beloved Phil Asher (RIP) production, Nathan Haines’ stunning ‘Earth is the Place’, a classic Secretsundaze record if ever there was one. Featuring the vocals of Cherise, the SOSE version is a dance floor ready update which will appeal to all lovers of proper deep, soulful-leaning house music, one for the heads.

Closing the record is a flip of Wbeeza’s ‘Coast Spotting’. Featuring synths from the excellent Hinako Omori, this one goes in with an extended late night transcendental electronic / jazz rework with the original’s looped lead line modulating throughout the piece.

Leading musicians feature on the record including Myele Manzanza (Theo Parrish, Sound Signature), Lewis Moody (Zeitgeist Freedom Energy Exchange), Nikos Ziarkas (Theon Cross, Chelsea Carmichael), Oli Savill (Basement Jaxx), and Johnny Brierley (Fofoulah).

Following their debut sold out show at Southbank’s Centre Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Ensemble next take to the London stage at the iconic EartH Theatre, Dalston on September 21st for an EP launch party as well as a headline open-air concert at Las Dalias, Ibiza as part of Beat Hotel on September 30th.

All in all, an impressive debut showcasing the breadth and scope of this exciting new live project from Secretsundaze founder James Priestley, one to watch.

After a three-year musical odyssey into the unknown, Renceau steps back into the limelight and unveils EXPLORE001, the first release on his new label EXPLORE.

Available in beautiful blue marbled vinyl, this EP features a handpicked selection of four tracks from Renceau’s treasure trove of unreleased material.

Side A packs a punch with two hard old school tech-housey club-killers, that harken back to the golden era of electronic music, evoking the spirit of iconic artists like The Sharp Boys, Umek and Player, while infusing a modern hardgroovey touch reminiscent of X-Coast. Guaranteed floor-fillers!

As you flip to side B, you’ll discover the intimate and introspective side of Renceau. These tracks delve into the soul, serving as a heartfelt dedication to his grandfather, who passed away a few years ago, but also as a dedication “to you”, as written in the deadwax.

This versatile 12”, full of tools, is one to keep in the bag. With EXPLORE’s promising future, anticipate a wide arrange of very diverse releases ahead. Buy on sight!

'Bruno & The Birds' is an album by Jullian Gomes that dives into the depths of the internal battles we face and the courage required to break free from our comfort zones. With forward thinking production and introspective messages in the music, the album takes listeners on a transformative journey of self-discovery. Throughout the album, Jullian Gomes skilfully weaves a narrative centred around the character, Bruno, who serves as a metaphor for the struggles and conflicts we encounter within ourselves. The songs delve into the inner demons that individuals face, representing the personal challenges and doubts that affect us all. The album is thought-provoking and emotive, resonating with the universal themes of self-doubt, fear, and the quest for personal growth.

With its dynamic soundscapes and diverse musical influences, 'Bruno & The Bird' invites listeners to embark on their own introspective voyage. Jullian Gomes combines elements of electronic soul and jazz, and pushes the ideas of traditional house music, creating a rich and immersive sonic experience.

The album features the likes of Jordan Arts, Sio, Kuniyuki Takahashi, Sabrina Chyld, Dwson, NLite, Robin Fassie & KJM Cornetist which all add their unique touch to this soul-stirring album.

2023 Repress

Reiko Kudo first debuted on the Tokyo underground music scene in 1980 with NOISE, a duo which apart from herself under her then maiden name Reiko Omura on voice, guitar and trumpet featured Tori Kudo on organ. Their only album TENNO (1980 on Engel) is probably one of the most outstanding and uncompromising records of all time.

Like other pioneering female producers from Japan such as NON (of NON BAND), PHEW and HACO, who had all begun their startling careers in the early days of the japanese Punk era, Reiko Kudo can surely be regarded as one of the most unique, uncategorisable and daring voices in the entire field of electronic and experimental music ever.

RICE FIELD SLOWLY RIPING IN THE NIGHT was REIKO KUDO's second album under her own name. It features TORI KUDO (MAHER SHALAL HASH BAZ) and SAYA and TAKASHI UENO (TENNISCOATS) on various instruments. The recordings took place in 2000 at Reiko' s and Tori's house in the rural surroundings of Shikoku island.

All recorded music on this album sounds like it originates in a parallel dimension where time and key signatures simply don't exist, Some might describe this as outsider music, but this doesn't really begin to do justice to the quality of the tracks, there is nothing accidental or forced here, this is simply music created in a very different way. Yet again REIKO KUDO had conceived of something utterly beautiful.

"After producing the album "Souvenir de mauve" with Maher Shalal Hash Baz which we released on our label Majikick, the idea came to us, to release Reiko Kudo's work. For Reiko's work, we brought our recording equipment from Tokyo to Shikoku and recorded the entire album at her house.

The piano was positioned in a room with a high ceiling. We would set up our small recording equipment in the room and started to record. The basic tracks were recorded without any rehearsal and just a few overdubs were added on top of it. To have a distant sound on the recording, Tori played trumpet in the next room. The choir was standing outside the house, singing "Enya-totto, enya-totto" through the open window. It was early spring, I remember that it was still a bit cold and the members of the choir were freezing outside.

Reiko plays only at certain times of the day, so that we were able to complete only two or three recordings a day. Therefore we had plenty of free time. We went to a hot spring, to a cafe, or we tried pottery on a spinning wheel at Tori's workshop. It was a very rewarding time.

When this album was finished, we brought it to her to listen to. She said happily "I think this is the best work I have ever done." We felt that all our efforts were richly rewarded. Secretly, we thought the same, so we are delighted that this album will be re-issued." - Saya and Ueno (Tenniscoats), Tokyo 2018

Originally released on Majikick Records, Japan, 2000 Restauration and mastering by Detlef Funder at Paraschall Mastering, Düsseldorf. Vinylcut at Calyx, Berlin Translation by Miki Yui and Claus Laufenburg. Many thanks to Reiko Kudo, Tori Kudo, Saya and Takashi Ueno, Satoru Higashiseto.

The last twelve months have been a whirlwind for Henry Counsell and Louis Curran, the men who make up Joy (Anonymous). Having established themselves during the Covid-19 era by playing impromptu meet-ups on London’s South Bank, they have graduated to bigger venues, travelled to far-flung locales and recorded their second album, Cult Classics, while maintaining the spontaneous energy and irrepressible joy that made their name. Their music revels in the euphoria of being alive and all the feelings, good or bad, that come with it. It invites us into a community, draws us close and promises the night of our lives.

Recorded over the course of a year, the blueprint for Cult Classics was laid down over a two-week span at Imogen Heap’s Round House in east London. Joy (Anonymous) invited friends old and new to visit - they’d record live instruments in jam sessions upstairs and then retreat to a second room to flip and loop and generally mess with the sounds, moulding them into sizzling dance tracks. “Loads of people were coming up to me like ‘I thought this was going to be a dance record?’” Louis says, remembering the quietly beautiful music they’d be recording. “I’d be like, don’t worry about that, just keep playing.” He’d send it back to people later and they’d be floored - “That was my bit and you’ve made it... jungle!”

It was an organic and creatively fulfilling approach, one that didn’t allow any of the music to get stale or stagnate. As they built the tracks from the sounds they’d collected, Joy (Anonymous) would weave the new songs into their famously improvised live sets, testing them, refining them, taking note of the audiences’ reactions. In a year punctuated by a lot of travel, they’d also incorporate the voices of people they met along the way - “Beazley’s Poem”, which opens the record, features the words of a man who was working security at a Fred Again show at New York’s Terminal Five. “He was basically doing the opposite of his job and being a hype man, climbing on the fence and ramping up the crowd - we ended up hanging out with him - like, who’s this legend?” Louis explains. “He just speaks really amazingly about his life, all these amazing thoughts and opinions - he started jumping on the mic when we were playing, preaching these amazing messages to the crowd, like that we all need to be nicer to each other. The first time we played the record in its entirety, he introduced us and that’s the recording we’ve used.”

Joy (Anonymous) remain dedicated to the spirit of spontaneity. They shut a street down with a surprise waterside party in New York. On a trip to Copenhagen they played an impromptu set in a cafe, which turned into a house party and a night-long good time. In Lithuania, they ended up playing in a decommissioned prison. It’s harder, perhaps, to keep that spirit alive now that they are operating more within the confines of the music industry but they will keep lugging their kit to wherever the party calls for as long as they can. “I think if we lose that, we’ve kind of lost what makes us us,” Henry says.

Bursting with multi-genre reference points and disparate influences, Cult Classics is very much a dance album. The samples we made ourselves or we took from music that is quite different to dance music, but we definitely wanted to shout out a lot of the dance influences that we love,” Henry says. They listened to a lot of Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx as well as The Prodigy (“more rage stuff”), taking songwriting tips from their dance forebears, but also recording bits that felt more like jazz and motown (see: A Place I Belong and the lovely album closer, You’re In Or You’re Out). Emir Taha’s gentle classical guitar runs like a thread throughout Cult Classics, washing into the undertones of the record, tying it all together.

The album follows the beat of a night out, from frenetic, sweaty movement to the gentler winding down as the dawn breaks. At times it is euphoric, celebratory and pure, whirling fun, at others it seeks the joy in the darker emotions that life throws our way. 404 is designed to encapsulate everything about the Joy (Anonymous) journey so far. Skittering beats and ghostly vocals give way to vibrating house chords: sirens blare as we approach a dubstep drop. It’s dramatic and wild, ratcheting up, seeming to settle then hitting you with an intense and frantic breakdown before the ghostly vocal returns to lull us back into the world. It has the feel of a hungry cat playing with a mouse, toying with it before letting it get away.

What sounds like someone playing the spoons on playful, housey How We End Up Here is actually Louis’ restless habit of clicking his rings on everything, one of a myriad of calling cards and easter eggs that day one fans will recognise. They rework Miley Cyrus and Swae Lee’s Party Up The Street into a French-electro-inspired future classic, adding a note of melancholy to a tune that you can imagine hearing blaring from every car on a summer drive. The lyrics on Cult Classic are generally reassuring, inspirational, originally drawn from Henry in stream-of-consciousness freestyles. You’re fine the way you are, they seem to say - the repeated “No need to try” of A Place I Belong, the assurance that “It’s in me all the time” on In Me All The Time. Even the summery but regretful Did You Wrong hints at the growth that is possible from less than ideal behaviour. For Joy (Anonymous), joy isn’t about just being “happy” all the time - it’s about relishing every element of your being.

The name ‘Joy (Anonymous)’ is taken from the work Henry did with Alcoholics Anonymous groups: it is a way to build a community around sharing joy. Their impromptu live sets are known as ‘meetings’; they encourage fans to share moments of joy to their website. They care deeply about the scene they’ve come up in and are determined not to leave it behind. Every show is another chance to reach out and connect with people who love to come together and revel in music as loud as it can go.

Support slots for Fred Again and The Streets, wild B2Bs with Fred and Skrillex, and a set at Four Tet’s Finsbury Park all-dayer this summer have given the duo the opportunity to live out childhood dreams and introduced their infectious live shows to new audiences at huge venues.

With an album as assured and joyful as Cult Classics on the horizon (and a killer collab with The Blessed Madonna coming up), they’re only going to reach higher heights. But the essence of Joy (Anonymous) remains on the South Bank. Between shows at Ally Pally in September, they dragged their camping chairs and gear back down to the banks of the Thames: and it just felt right.

Just what the doctor ordered...

Next up on Q1E2 Recordings - for the label's fifth release so far - is Dr Sud. He's a Rome-born, Berlin-raised producer whose music is a fusion of percussion-centric soundscapes and integrated jazz-leaning harmonies, drawing inspiration from diverse genres like electronica, funk, and house.

On 'Heading South', the broken beat don serves up his specialist percussive sound, folding all manner of drums into synth-smothered house. The EP explores the undulating cycle of morning into night, back into morning, inviting you to dance your way through it all.

'Brina', a word which in Italian refers to morning dew - perhaps found on a tent on the morning of a festival - represents the breaking of dawn with broken beats. The track breaks and squints into the start of the day with spacious kick drums leaving room for warm, almost familiar pads and keys.

Then, 'Life Itself' reflects daytime, revolving around an arpeggiating synth that soon makes way for luscious keys.

An excursion into percussive bliss concludes side A in the form of the magical, grin-inducing 'Evening Breath'. This, as you might have guessed, is where the listener cruises through smoothly into the final stages of the day. It encapsulates that last burst of light as the sun sets and a slight shiver of the evening air slivers up your spine.

Then, before you know it, the mysterious night arrives. Flip to that B side, and 'Tramontana' will greet you, inviting you to dance deep into the late hours.

When you're there, the chugging '3/4AM' will hit the spot like an unforgettable dance floor moment, bursting with low and slow Balearic tendencies.

Finally, 'Mondgesicht' - "Moonface" in German -fittingly concludes proceedings with deep lounge vibes. Mumbles of effortless trumpet manoeuvre through a swaying sea of percussion and delicious, wavering synth solo. The day is here again. The cycle is complete.

This is some seriously high-quality music on show here from Dr Sud. The EP is out on Q1E2 Recordings in October.