2016 was another strong year for ZR as it continued its commitment to high quality compilation releases with Joey
Negro's hugely successful Remixed With Love Vol.2 album topping charts everywhere and receiving across the
board DJ and Radio support. There was also the 5th instalment of the ever-popular Under The Influence series which
saw long time ZR album co-compiler Sean P select some of his long held secret weapons.For 2017 Z Records will be back in the funk hot-seat, but this time Joey Negro presents a snapshot of the edgier, robotic sounds of the emerging early 80s Electro scene. From stone-cold classics such as Hashim's 'Al Naafiysh (The
Soul)', Tyrone Brunson's 'The Smurf' and Key-Matic's 'Breakin' In Space' to revered party anthem's such as
Aleem's 'Release Yourself (Dub)', Two Sisters 'High Noon (Part 2)' and Dwayne Omarr's 'This Party's Jam Packed' to
electro oddities like Paul Hardcastle's 'Rain Forest' and The Packman's 'I'm The Packman' we get a genuine labour of
love and a timely reminder of the raw drum machine sounds that were soon to define the beginning of the house
and techno scenes we have today
Beautiful Full Cover Art, Limited to 300 - Lumière Noire - The new label by Chloé!
Il Est Vilaine aren't from Brittany, but they sure are tricksters. The Francophiles among you might have caught on to the corny pun in their name (beating a certain presidential candidate to the punch all while turning the name of the pastoral Ile-et-Vilaine region into, literally, 'he's a nasty woman") but the real takeaway is that these born-and-bred Parisians don't take themselves too seriously - especially in an era in which there is much too much of that happening. It was in 2014 (and on Dialect Recordings) that Florent and Simon tossed their debut 12 into the ring, the rightfully named Scandale - a tight little bombshell released that roused the electronic music scene out of its complacent little catnap.So there we had it, two outcasts refusing to eat at the same table as the tech-house scene queens, serving up three whiplash-on-the-dancefloor cuts drenched in sweaty hedonistic disco and wrapped in a battered motorcycle jacket (with a gooey post-punk-pop core for good measure.) A clear mission statement right out of the gates, watermarked with mystical incantations and throbbing with rock 'n' roll's primitive drive. Everything and the kitchen sink, and a bag of chips - an invitation to just let lose that's even better than the sum of its parts. Moving on to this new platter. We set the scene: motorcycles blazing from the airport strip to the strip joint, our heroes traded their Oberkampf stomping grounds for a sleepless weekend of Spanish groupies, discount bikinis, whiskey and bukkake. And a creative spurt that left us with a mutant of a record, the sound of rock and techno crashing through a drum kit mid-coitus, interrupted by La French Chanson
Searing platter of krautrock with scorching doses of The Stooges & Judas Priest. Another ripper from this legendary Finnish horde!
Circle are the very definition of genre-defying, a rare feat for any band, but effortlessly achieved by this prolific Finnish collective. Circle's latest album Terminal is pure hedonistic pleasure. Never content on staying the same, they have created an idiosyncratic cocktail of sonic fusions, conjuring an impulsive, dizzying energy that stirs a spirit of curiosity within the listener, and has the ability to possess all who encounter them.
Whilst many would run out of creative steam (certainly after 30+ albums), Circle continue to boldly explore sonic soundscapes, venturing curiously into terrains of Stooges-esque swagger, trance-inducing kraut rock mantras, beautiful electronic ambience, psychedelic rock noodling, arena storming AOR weirdness, 70s prog rock extravagance, glam pop pomp, and of course their core sound, heavy metal, not to mention other peculiar and daring sounds that simply cannot be pigeon-holed. Terminal is gloriously fruitful in tones, shapes, colours and sounds. Eccentric, accessible, delightful and thrilling.
Deconstructed royal-court music from the forgotten kingdoms of the Buganda, reconstructed electronic wedding music, fluorescent pink African pop, crunched 8-bit drum machines and a 10-foot long monster xylophone are just a few of the many sounds of Ennanga Vision.
This post-modern African soundtrack follows London producer Jesse Hackett's heady musical journey into the heart of Uganda - recording with chief collaborator, multi instrumentalist and singer Albert Ssempeke and featuring assorted vocal legends from the north of the country. The music blends a fully electronic sensibility with unusual, hand-crafted, African one-string fiddles, a 200-year-old harp and an enormous, group-played xylophone. It mixes traditional Ugandan folk songs and modern pop forms into a new PLASTIC ORGANIC VISION.
Hackett is influenced as much by the music of the African continent as he is by European electronic compositions and soundtrack scores. The sounds of hauntingly-dark vocoded vocals, crushed electronics, and poly-rhythmic drum machines sit alongside chiming African fiddles, rippling harps and children's laughter. He is a member of Owiny Sigoma band having sung on and co-written a lot of their work spanning three albums. He is also touring keyboard player for the Gorillaz and has released records on Stones Throw, Honest Jon's and DEEK Recordings, to name a few.
Albert Ssempeke is the son of a prestigious royal court musician who played in the days of the old Buganda kingdom - one of more than twenty five musical siblings, Albert is simultaneously an educator, performer and preservationist of this intricate and complex traditional form of music. Here he plays over ten traditional Ugandan instruments including Amadinada (xylophone), Ngindidi (fiddle), Endongo (harp), Ennanga (flute) and many more
Deconstructed royal-court music from the forgotten kingdoms of the Buganda, reconstructed electronic wedding music, fluorescent pink African pop, crunched 8-bit drum machines and a 10-foot long monster xylophone are just a few of the many sounds of Ennanga Vision. This post-modern African soundtrack follows London producer Jesse Hackett's heady musical journey into the heart of Uganda - recording with chief collaborator, multi instrumentalist and singer Albert Ssempeke and featuring assorted vocal legends from the north of the country. The music blends a fully electronic sensibility with unusual, hand-crafted, African one-string fiddles, a 200-year-old harp and an enormous, group-played xylophone. It mixes traditional Ugandan folk songs and modern pop forms into a new PLASTIC ORGANIC VISION.
Hackett is influenced as much by the music of the African continent as he is by European electronic compositions and soundtrack scores. The sounds of hauntingly-dark vocoded vocals, crushed electronics, and poly-rhythmic drum machines sit alongside chiming African fiddles, rippling harps and children's laughter. He is a member of Owiny Sigoma band having sung on and co-written a lot of their work spanning three albums. He is also touring keyboard player for the Gorillaz and has released records on Stones Throw, Honest Jon's and DEEK Recordings, to name a few. Albert Ssempeke is the son of a prestigious royal court musician who played in the days of the old Buganda kingdom - one of more than twenty five musical siblings, Albert is simultaneously an educator, performer and preservationist of this intricate and complex traditional form of music. Here he plays over ten traditional Ugandan instruments including Amadinada (xylophone), Ngindidi (fiddle), Endongo (harp), Ennanga (flute) and many more
Some try it with mouth-to-mouth insufflation and cardiac massage. Others with
psychopharmaceuticals or group therapy. Still others with divorce. By going cold turkey. With a new profile pic and a matching hairstyle. Seen it all at Robert Johnson, already endorsed everything - at least as long as it helps: as a lifesaving measure.
But since the year dot, the Offenbach-based club with its affiliated label recommends to all which are undecided or have doubts particularly one thing: Music. And dance.
Every two years, when life newly blossoms during spring, Live At Robert Johnson opens its windows widely, lets new music out and fresh air into the house. The beguiling scent of nature and aviation fuel blends with the scent of sweat and dry ice fog - and causes sundry healing confusion. As soon as the first tone of the Lifesaver Compilation 3 is heard, the swelling grunt of Vincent Feit's 'X04', the scenery of the dancefloor right at the Main river appears before one's eyes.
On Saint Monday Iconoclasts rebel against the age of self-optimization. A crack goes through the parquet of the dance floor (or the dancing party itself). The post-unambiguities era is beginning. The images become blurred. Bass case. Alternative facts. Resonance hole. No reception. And then it's only the queue answering the club emergency hotline. Finally there is a buzz on the line. 'Just drop the images!', it says.
'It's all not that tragic.' This helps.
The Lifesaver 3 Compilation, the yet most comprehensive package of the lifesaver history, sounds like electro, sharp-edged like the vault in a Hague bunker (Lauer), provides data pop with piano crescendo (Fort Romeau), brings the style characteristics of German Schlager music to the breakdance mat (Rolande Garros), lets the bulky lily-of-the-valley bells clang and sends the reverb tails away with the wind (Benedikt Frey). There are several new names to discover: Felix Strahd, Benjamin Milz, Vincent Feit; and of course there a many old acquaintances: Massimiliano Pagliara, Orson Wells, TCB, Chinaski. Roman Flügel brings us 'Good News', however: 'From Another Planet.' And Fort Romeau feels 'Lost, Again', but in such somnambulistically beautiful manner that you want to get lost with him instantly and jointly find the great joy.
Again and again there are mysterious chants. It's not required to decipher the specific words in order to get the message: Salvation is near. Salvation is here:
Jigsawtooth is the third album from Hendrik Kroez's Miwon project.
Limited randomly packed red or white vinyl. Non-Returnable.
On this long-awaited follow up to is critically revered A to B (City Centre Offices) Kroez displays his skill in marrying motorik techno infused rhythms and soaring pop ambient melodies.
This is most evident on 'Charezza' which could very well be the most uplifting track in the n5MD cannon. Other cuts on Jigsawtooth utilize sweeping synth-work that encourage a near kraut/kosmische travel worthy flavor to the proceedings.
Other genre signposts are evident on Jigsawtooth but that's something that's always been a constant with Kroez's work as Miwon. In his hands such coalescence sounds cohesive, natural and is some much welcomed diversity to nought-era electronica.
Tropical Odds is the second album by White Sea, the solo alias adopted by gifted American singer, songwriter and producer Morgan Kibby of M83
Born in Alaska, and now a resident of Los Angeles, Morgan fronted The Romanovs before joining acclaimed electronic music group M83 in 2007, co-writing, arranging and playing keyboards on the albums Saturdays = Youth and Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, as well as completing several world tours.
As White Sea, her first solo album In Cold Blood arrived in 2014, a dramatic debut praised by Billboard for its 'canyon-sized hooks, knowingly grandiose melodies and succulent vocals' and judged 'pop's newest break-up classic' by Flavourwire.
Outside of M83 Morgan has also collaborated with artists such as Greg Kurstin, Panic! at the Disco, Mark Ronson and School of Seven Bells, remixed Ellie Goulding and Britney Spears, and composed the award winning soundtrack to Eva Husson's provocative 2016 movie Bang Gang (une histoire d'amour moderne).
New album Tropical Odds stems from an interactive project launched via White Sea's website featuring digital singles and videos released at regular intervals throughout 2015 and 2016. Explains Morgan: 'Generally being able to create and mix and master my solo material within days has given me the direct freedom to share songs I want people to hear. In short, if I write something that I like, I put it out!'
Now gathered together in album form, the musical moods on Tropical Odds range from the sombre reflections of Gangster No. 1 and Yesterday to the hedonistic rush of Stay Young, Get Stoned and Never a Woman, high drama on Bloodline and Arcadia, and heartbreaking balladry on Secret, One Bad Eye and Lessons.
Hyboid ist zurück mit spacigem Electro-Pop der dritten Art: "UFOs over Berlin" erzählt die Geschichte von einer UFO-Invasion in unserer Hauptstadt. Das Mini-Album knüpft mit seinen 6 Stücken an Hyboid-Werke aus der Frühzeit des Astro Chicken Labels an. Analoge Klänge und sphärische Melodien und Pads lassen keinen Zweifel: Space is the place!
Cologne's electronic music community keeps on giving, drawing on a dense plethora of fresh talent ready to shake up our little big grassroots industry. The latest ace up the city's sleeve must be Tim Engelhardt, part of a new breed of incredibly versatile young producers that get their cues from all sorts of genres and listening situations, combining profound musical knowledge with intuitive playfulness and multiple perspectives on sound. In Tim's case, we're dealing with a solid pianist background - which becomes rather obvious in the great care he takes over harmonies and an expanded melodic structure. However, that's just one side of the story, as the organic fluidity and atmospheric dexterity of his music most certainly hark back to an upbringing among the rolling hills and sprawling forests of Germany's Westerwald - one of the country's best known mountain ranges that has already inspired artists such as Dominik Eulberg or Gabriel Ananda. Having released your first recordings at the tender age of 14 - as Tim did in 2012 - might put you in a 'wunderkind' category - a flattering, but ultimately risky proposition, finding many a prodigy overwhelmed with the dubious honour. Not so much our hero, who chose to put his skills to work: in only four years, he grew his portfolio with plenty outings on labels such as Traum Schallplatten, WIR, Babiczstyle, Amuse Gueule, Ostwind Records, Popart Music, Playmusic Productions, Parquet Recordings, Manual Music and more - but his breakthrough release was hands-down the 2015 EP 'Everything Is All You Have' on Steve Bug's iconic Poker Flat imprint, followed by 'Enigmatism' on the same label.
3xLP+CD Artbook
(en) - Nearly two decades after the last official GAS album release, Wolfgang Voigt returns to his iconic Ambient project with a brandnew full-length.
- NARKOPOP continues the classic GAS aesthetic of symphonic scope and subtle variation, taking the listener on an otherworldly journey to the depths of rapture and reverie.
- Available as luxurious hardcover CD incl. 24 pages booklet.
In the body of work of Cologne artist Wolfgang Voigt - who, like few others, has informed, shaped and influenced the world of electronic music with countless different projects since the early 1990s -, GAS stands out in particular as a saturnine sound cosmos based on heavily condensed classic sequences. Even after nearly 20 years, the sound of GAS doesn't seem to have lost any of its luster, as shown by the commanding success of Kompakt's fall 2016 re-release of the essential back catalogue as a 10xLP/4xCD box set.
The overwhelming feedback from a loyal international fan community and worldwide media outlets attests once again to the sheer timelessness of GAS. Which is why it will feel like hardly a day has passed since the release of the last official album 'Pop' nearly two decades ago, when Wolfgang Voigt resumes this specific creative path with the upcoming new full-length NARKOPOP.
Even in the here and now, the unmistakable vibe of GAS immediately hits home, taking the listener on an otherworldly journey with the very first sounds, drawing him or her into an impervious sonic thicket, down to the depths of rapture and reverie. From wafts of dense symphonic mist emerges a floating and whirling feeling of weightlessness, before the listener steps into an eerily beautiful forest of fantasy, pulled in by the allure of a narcotic bass drum.
While earlier GAS tracks were often based on the hypnotic effects of looping techniques, the 10 new pieces on NARKOPOP unfold their magic in a more entwined manner, sometimes with the sonic might of an entire philharmonic orchestra, sometimes as subtle and fragile as the most delicate branch of a tree with many. A main characteristic of Voigt's oeuvre, the coalescence of seemingly contradictory stylistic aspects such as harmonious and atonal, concrete and abstract, light and heavy, near and far is also a decisive feature of NARKOPOP.
In accordance with the transgressive spirit of his collective work, Voigt carries the aesthetic conceptions of his music over to the realm of the visual. Based on his abstract forest pictures, the GAS artwork addresses Voigt's artistic affinity to romanticism and the forest as a place of yearning. For the first time, a closer look at the cover of NARKOPOP reveals signs of architectural fragments which hint at another, maybe parallel world behind Voigt's forest. Truth is the prettiest illusion.
(de) - Fast zwei Jahrzehnte nach dem letzten offiziellen GAS-Albumrelease kehrt Wolfgang Voigt mit einem brandneuen Langspieler zu seinem legendären Ambientprojekt zurück.
- NARKOPOP setzt die klassische GAS-Ästhetik zwischen symphonischer Grösse und subtiler Variation fort, eine Reise zu den Untiefen von Rausch und Entrücktheit.
- Erhältlich als luxuriöse Hardcover CD- Erhältlich als luxuriöse Hardcover CD inkl. 24-seitigem Booklet.
Aus dem Gesamtwerk des Kölner Künstlers Wolfgang Voigt, der mit seinen unzähligen unterschiedlichen musikalischen Projekten seit den frühen 1990er Jahren wie kaum ein Zweiter die elektronische Musikwelt geprägt, gestaltet und beinflusst hat, ragt sein Projekt GAS, ein auf stark verdichteten Klassiksequenzen basierendes, düsteres Klangkunstwerk, in ganz besonderem Maße heraus. Dass der Sound von GAS auch nach fast 20 Jahren scheinbar nichts von seinem Zauber und seiner Kraft verloren hat, zeigte eindrucksvoll der große Erfolg des im Herbst 2016 als 10xVinyl/4xCD Box auf Kompakt wieder veröffentlichten Backkatalogs.
Die überwältigende Resonanz, sowohl seitens der treuen internationalen Fangemeinde als auch der weltweiten Presse, bezeugte einmal mehr die schiere Zeitlosigkeit von GAS. Daher fühlt es sich auch an, als sei kaum ein Tag vergangen, wenn Wolfgang Voigt nun mit NARKOPOP genau da den künstlerischen Faden wieder aufnimmt, wo das letzte offizielle Album »Pop« ihn vor fast zwei Jahrzehnten hat fallen lassen.
Auch hier und heute verfängt der unverwechselbare Geist von GAS unmittelbar und nimmt den Hörer bereits mit den ersten Tönen mit in eine andere Welt, zieht ihn hinein in ein undurchdringliches Dickicht aus Klang, hinunter in die Untiefen von Rausch und Entrücktheit.
Aus dichten sinfonischen Nebelschwaden entsteht ein Schweben und Taumeln, ein Gefühl der Schwerelosigkeit, bevor der Zuhörer von der Anziehungskraft einer narkotischen Bassdrum wieder hinunter in den schaurig-schönen Fantasie-Wald gelockt wird.
Während frühere GAS Tracks oft auf der hypnotischen Wirkung des Loops basierten, entfalten die 10 neuen Stücke auf NARKOPOP ihre Magie auf verschlungeneren Pfaden, mal mit der klanglichen Wucht eines ganzen Philharmonieorchesters, dann wieder so zart und zerbrechlich wie der feinste Ast eines weit verzweigten Baumes. Das für Voigts Arbeiten so typische Ineinanderfließen scheinbar widersprüchlicher stilistischer Aspekte wie harmonisch und atonal, konkret und abstrakt, leicht und schwer, nah und fern ist auch auf NARKOPOP essenziell.
Im Sinne seines grenzüberschreitenden Schaffens, überträgt Voigt die ästhetischen Konzeptionen seiner Musik auch auf die Ebene des Visuellen. Das auf seinen abstrakten Waldbildern basierende GAS Artwork thematisiert Voigts künstlerischen Nähe zur Romantik und dem Wald als Sehnsuchtsort. Wer einen genaueren Blick auf das Cover von NARKOPOP wirft, der wird erstmalig Andeutungen architektonischer Fragmente entdecken, die eine andere, vielleicht parallele Welt hinter dem voigt'schen Wald erahnen lassen. Wahrheit ist der schönste Schein.
1983, in the history of synths, is a key year. During the January edition of NAMM (the most important music fair in the US), indeed, MIDI - the standard protocol for electronic instruments interaction - was introduced to the world. Until then, programming and making synths work together was something practiced by a restricted elite of 'wizards", explorers armed with cables and analog patches, who could create new sonic worlds - but totally temporary, not replicable. Real superheroes of sonic synthesis, scientists of filters who, nowadays, are highly considered by musicians all over the world, after decades of forced exile. In Italy, the seeds of this tradition were planted in RAI's Laboratory of Phonology (in Milan), in the middle of the 1950's; later, pioneers like Piero Umiliani, Federico Monti Arduini (aka Il Guardiano Del Faro), Marcello Giombini, Giampiero Boneschi and Fabio Borgazzi (Fabio Fabor) introduced electronic music in pop. Fabor (together with Antonio Arena) is the protagonist of 'Superman", an album of library music released by the World label (owned by Minstrel group) in 1984. Borgazzi, born in 1920, lived through the whole saga of Italian easy listening music (from big orchestras to the digital revolution), always keeping up with the latest styles and trends. So it's not a surprise, here, to see him using a LinnDrum and the first Japanes synths; and it's perfectly natural to find some electro-funk touches
Fabio Borgazzi - aka Fabio Fabor - played literally every known style of music, from baroque to 'satanic' electronic, in his library music albums released during his career which lasted almost seven decades. Born in Milan in 1920, Fabor was one of the great artisans of post-war Italian popular music. Author, arranger and conductor with a classical background, he started writing songs (in the 1950's and 1960's) for popstars such as Nilla Pizzi, Johnny Dorelli and Milva; he then turned to music for theatre, cinema and tv, to which he dedicated the rest of his career. In 1981, when he released 'Galassia M81, Fabor was a veteran in the scene of library music, both as an author and an editor. It was the so-called golden age for the genre, just a moment before the advent of MIDI - which made everything easier, but flatter too, putting an end to the 'Italian Touch". The tracks featured here (credited to the fictional combo The Astral Dimension: Fabor together with his friend Antonio Arena) still have a definite Seventies taste, reminding the wave of German kosmische musik (especially the Darmstad school), but they also reflect the Moog-mania raging in pop music after the big success of Walter/Wendy Carlos with the 'Switched On' series. Avant-garde and kitsch hand in hand, ambient for documentaries and background music for horoscopes... all in sequence, with the only purpose of being used and generating royalties.
Acclaimed Russian producer, DJ and live musician Kito Jempere is back with a stunning second album, this time on Italian label Hell Yeah. Entitled Sea Monster and due for release in early 2017, the nine track album is a fantastic fusion of live instrumentation and electronic production.
Kito Jempere is a musical polymath. The Russian artist, producer, multi-instrumentalist and band leader has been involved in many projects over the last ten years plus. These range from rock to acid jazz to electronic bands and often call upon a rotating cast of other members who are all equally talented.
From playing in small bars to headlining big shows for thousands of people in Saint Petersburg, he has put out a number of albums and singles on labels like Freerange, Room With A View and Hell Yeah and DJs around Europe.
Jempere plays live as the Kito Jempere Band, and here he calls upon his bandmates for their many skills to lend the album a richly musical feel.
Mixed and co-produced by band member Roman Urazov, the album features Artemiy Gunbin aka Noteless, the voice of the Kito Jempere Band and front man of his own rock band Videatape, as well as Ruslan Gadzhimuradov, a long time drummer on many projects, plus Matvey Averin, the bassist but also co-producer for cult group Manizha and finally Sergey Lipsky who here plays guitar and is also half of Simple Symmetry as well as having played for Kito's other project Saint Petersburg Disco Spin Club group.
Sea Monster kicks off with Lifetime Theme, a heavenly groove with loose drums and percussion and gorgeous keys. Form there, Artemiy Gunbin's ethereal and crystal clear vocals take centre stage amongst balearic guitars on album single 'Ampa', and then 'To Talk' is a deeper cut with bumpy drums, long tailed pads and shiny synths all making for a curious and whimsical atmosphere.
'Grid Cells' is a lush instrumental track with clever revel and echo adding a sense of grandeur to the freeform jazz drums and frazzled synths, 'Uohha' is as sunny and laid back as an afternoon on the beach and 'Puzzled' then layers up scuzzy basslines, popping hits and suspenseful synths into something smooth and seductive.
The final third of the album closes out with blissful guitar licks, lazy broken beats and brilliant drum playing that all have you wishing it was summer again.
This is an album with elements of jazz, house, disco, balearic and many more sounds all smoothly blended into one coherent and captivating album full of soul and musical skill.
Coyu's remix for 'Natural Blues' was just the prelude for our big hommage to one of the biggest pop and electronic music artists of the 90's, Moby.
We are proud to have this great bunch of remixes of some of the classic Moby's anthems, with different options from Deep House to Techno, for a wide range of DJs and music lovers.
Four awesome artists, Victor Ruiz, Julian Jeweil, Reinier Zonneveld and Oxia deliver seven remixes of tracks like 'Natural Blues', 'Go', 'Porcelain' and 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad'. Enjoy the package!
RAWAX welcomes Maartenvan der Vleuten to the family!
We have the honour to present you some unreleased tracks from the 90'!
The Dutch producer, composer and recording artist born in Vught, The Netherlands in 1967.
From 1987 to 2007 he has used over two dozen aliases producing Detroit techno, electro, house, experimental and ambient tracks and remixes.
Early 2008 he announced to only use his real name (or his initials MVDV) for future releases.
During the 90's he recorded mainly dance/techno for R&S Records, Outrage Recordings, Apollo Records (Belgium), Djax-Up-Beats, See Saw, ESP and Klang Elektronik and several other labels. Since 1996 he is also releasing music on his own label Signum Recordings. The two sublabels of Signum; Passiflora and Glam, are now both defunct.
He is the founder of Signum Recordings, Passiflora Records and Glam Records.
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Fit of Body (aka Ryan Parks) is part of a new generation of ATL producers; underground artists who draw on the space and grit of Southern hip hop and team it with curveball electronica discovered on late night, weed-fuelled web trawls.Having honed his sound on a string of feted self-released cassettes released on his own Harsh Riddims label - which has also put out everything from bizarro hip hop to gleaming synth pop - and dropped a hyped 12' released on the CGI imprint, the Healthcare EP finds Fit of Body delivering his most accomplished work to date. Five woozy original tracks jammed out on second hand drum machines, bass guitar, cheap mics and creaking synths, this is techno as it was first imagined; raw machine soul made for strange times and unknown futures.
Finding a commonality between Arthur Russell's vocal delivery, Jermaine Dupri's club shaking bass, and the militant drum attacks of Underground Resistance, the EP ghosts past rigid categories, instead taking a journey through heat and haze. On the A side, Parks switches between the languid analogue house of 56k, the melancholic Drexciyan electro of Ridin 2 That Trap or Die, and the lo-fi post punk grooves of 770-997-2341. On the flip he offers the late night 808 soul of Antonio Girl, followed by the uptempo techno ballad All This Time (Since), a song sad and euphoric in equal measure. On 12', the EP is closed with a remix from fellow ATL producer Divine Interface who stretches 56k into a glistening shard of time-stretched trip hop.
Nach unzähligen Releases auf Labels wie Sub Pop, Troubleman Unlimited oder Jack Whites Third Man und zahlreichen Kollabos mit Acts wie Sonic Youth, Anthony Braxton, Andrew W.K., Hieroglyphic Being oder Morton Subotnick, veröffentlicht das Detroiter Post-Industrial/Noise-Trio Wolf Eyes sein neues Album "Undertow" auf dem eigenen Imprint namens Lower Floor Music. Auf den fünf neuen, teils überlangen Tracks graben sie weiter in den Untiefen ihrer ureigenen, durch Electronica und Free Jazz infizierten Noise-Welt. Die LP erscheint mit Download-Code und doppelseitig bedrucktem A2 Poster.
Progression..., like a spark shooting through fiber optic cable or a bullet train churning through the next tunnel, the acid-techno arrangements of Detroit-based DJ/producer Rebecca Goldberg have a velocity to them that's spurred by reverence for the roots of electronic and techno music conceived in her hometown, from the Belleville Three to 'the Godmother of House Music,' DJ Stacey 'Hotwaxx' Hale.
Palpable in the pulse of Goldberg's latest EP 313 Acid Queen is an urgent and inspired, cool and confident sense of picking up a proverbial torch, of propulsion along with preservation, of continuation as well as re-invention. Born vigorously forth upon the blooms and grooves of her synth scores for these five songs is the sharpest demonstration, yet, of her signature sound and vision.
313 Acid Queen reaches to and re-enlivens the traditions of Detroit techno with Roland's contemporary iterations of the 808, 909 and 303 drum machines, quintessential sonic characters utilized by the region & genre's seminal producers. The title refers, also, to the Detroit area's predominant telephone area-code, as she audibly reaches out to touch the essence of her city's distinct and dynamic neighborhoods and landscapes, most evidently with the field recordings from city streets and the animal populace inhabitants in the majestic Belle Isle Aquarium.
These kinetic, contemplative and coolly exhilarating tracks were conceived to carry on the tradition of Detroit acid techno in the contemporary world. Fittingly, Goldberg's first vinyl release comes on March 13t h (3/13), distributed internationally through Detroit Underground, a multidisciplinary arts collective & record label. Goldberg's fellow Detroit producer Ryan McCray has a deep sound and keen sensibility for acid techno all his own; he fell in love with the 313 Acid Queen track 'Aquarium' and remixed it to be an exclusive bonus track for the vinyl release.
Released in 1982, "Weltweit" was the sole output of the band. It has appropriately become quite rare and difficult to find with the resulting high prices to obtain an original copy. Inspired by the greats such as Kraftwerk, YMO and Klaus Schulze, the three members crafted an exquisite collection of electronic pop songs played on a very impressive collection of analog synthesizers (Arp Odyssey, Korg MS series, MiniMoog, PolyMoog, Moog Modular System 55, PPG 360, some Rolands, and Doepfer sequencer), self-builds and drum machines (Roland TR-808) that were considered cutting edge at the time. The band would have recorded a second album but split up before that was possible. Members of the band continued to be involved in the music industry at least peripherally but didn't participate in further collaborations or bands. Also interestingly, MONOPOL was basically a studio-only project and actually never played live (despite some TV appearances).
Definitely a must-have for fans of NDW such as Bal Paré, Grauzone, Piefke & Pafke, Rheingold, Stahlnetz, Ti-Tho and the like.
Not Waving takes 2017 by the scruff with his Populist EP, consolidating the myriad stripes of his acclaimed Animals album in four extended peaktime hammers forged for darkrooms, basements and warehouses alike.
If last year's LP saw you thru from day-into-night, or vice-versa, this one is aimed squarely at the gurny hours of abandon in between, with ferocious acid lines and jabbing drums stripped down and strapped up to prompt reckless behaviour on the 'floor.
Containing his first material written in the wake of Animals, the Populist EP is Alessio Natalizia a.k.a. Not Waving's strongest dancefloor statement since the one-sided Get Serious (2015) bullet.
It finds him taking the opportunity to make straight-up bangers, rather than 'songs', which were thoroughly tried and tested over successive tours of the USA and ountless shows in Europe too in
the last 9 months.
Too Many Freaks is an anthem in waiting, harnessing a barely-hinged sense of chaos between its careening synth lead, acid squabble and velvet-clad kicks, before the dry-rutting jag and plaintive vox of Vibe Killer takes a dog-grip like This Heat meeting Tuning Circuits.
Top marks go to the check-your-stylus intro for Control Myself on the B-side, which holds its fizzy line into a fetid crevice of what sounds Russell Haswell ramping with Powell, whereas the
crooked clampjaw groove of Ur Lucky Ur Still Alive pivots around a sample a lone raver at Atonal, Berlin 'who had no idea how she got there and what she did the night before'. A ruddy good night
all-round, then
Not Waving co-owns the Ecstatic label alongside Sam Willis. Not Waving is widely regarded a connoisseur of Italian new wave and post-punk music - he compiled the Mutazione (Italian
Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988) set for Strut - and has issued a series of acclaimed, sought-after, playfully anachronistic twists on that sound since 2013.
Klyne first caught everybody's attention with their critically acclaimed debut Paralyzed EP for Aesop, as well as their maiden remix, a rework of Disclosure's Omen feat. Sam Smith. Water Flow is their follow up to the acclaimed Don't Stop, their Because Music debut released earlier this year; its stunning video was directed by acclaimed choreographer and film maker Holly Blakey (Florence and the Machine, Jungle, Coldplay, Young Fathers) and is nominated for a UK Music Video Award. The duo supported Years & Years and label mate Christine and the Queens on tour this year, and performed their first UK headline show for the sold out Dummy presents Because Music event at the Ace Hotel, London in the summer. More shows will be announced shortly. Vital Sales Points: "mellow electronic pop that's like a long-lost cousin of Jai Paul" - The FADER "infectious and effortless... groove-laden soulful masterstrokes" - VICE / Noisey "minimalist vibes, captivating vocals... impeccable melodies" - Pigeons & Planes "gorgeous electro-pop" - Spin "more fire from the young Dutch duo... the boys are off to a strong start" - i-D
Fans donated €25,000 to Emika for the project
Fans paid for the album before hearing any music
Electronic & Neo Classical. Fits 2 genres / Cross over
The composition is inspired by electronic music
Emika hired double the amount of bass players in a normal orchestra
Emika created a new seating plan for the orchestra, to sound more like a wide stereo pop album
Echo concepts (electronic music)
Romantic piece, lyrical piece, universal themes of love and sadness, huge beautiful melodies
50 piece symphony orchestra
Silver-toned soprano Michaela Srumova
Composed in Berlin
Recorded in Prague at Czech Radio Studios.
* The crossover between electronic music and classical composition has never been in more vibrant and dynamic health. Multifarious musician Emika explores this fertile ground on her ambitious new opus 'Melanfonie': her first orchestral composition, some four years in the making.
* Funded by a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign that exceeded its target by an impressive €25,000.
* While many rebel from their classical training never to return to it explicitly, Emika has always been attracted to the potential and freedoms offered by the symphony form.
* As well as taking inspiration from her electronic music background in composing the music itself, Emika also applied some of production and playback principles from that realm to create a piece whose every element has been carefully considered.
* Emika is on a quest to try and change what we mean when we talk about 'classical music'. For her, the magic of the 'genre' is about the instruments themselves and more importantly the people who play them; not the restricting traditions and conventions of the classical world itself.
* I want to change the face of classical music and give it a more honest and real image. It is time we had something other than pomp and circumstance and avant-garde squeaks and pops..
Supported by
Chilly Gonzales, Zola Jezus, Ellen Alien, Nina Kraviz, Mala, Christian Kellersmann, The Barbican, Francesco Tristano.
Hot on the heels of the co-release between Especial and Cocktails d'Amore Music of the Sfire Remixes EP (EES023/CDA013) comes an accompanying release with a pair of deeper, stripped back remixes from the inimitable Timothy J Fairplay and Willie Burns. Well known as producers, DJs and label managers with their Crimes Of The Future and WT Records respectively, as well as appearing on a who's who of electronic labels including Pinkman, Unknown To The Unknown and L.I.E.S, they have appeared in various guises on both Emotional Response and Especial. Here then are 4 remixes - 2 each per side - that take the unique original to new dance floor extremes. Timothy steps up first with his take on Sfire 2 via differing vocal and instrumental versions. His trademark, echo laden rolling percussion and "Carpenter" key lines take the original Synth-pop homage to the dark room. Adding Arps, a lifting, hedonistic breakdown and the scatter-stepper drums and claps found on the Instrumental version and this is pure COTF territory and the better for it. Willie meanwhile has long followed his own path for his take on Sfire 3, offering one of his deepest remixes to date. Thudding kick, brooding pads and dark strings force the vocals to go down, way down for examination. The distorted vocals of Remix 1 are countered by Remix 2 letting the track shine via a seemingly endless 4/4 beat. Psychedelic, trance inducing, pulsating, this is an ever growing mind expanse.Presented in sparse Hand Stamped sleeves, this one off Limited Edition pressing is a unique EP, taking Sfire to a different sphere that warrants investigation. It was only
Julian Stetter might be best known as 'one half of the electronic pop duo VIMES', but he is no stranger to the Cologne club scene. His debut EP 'Insides' stems from a long history of djing and organising underground parties across the city. A resident DJ and collaborator at Cologne's famed JackWho club, it was these surroundings that drove Stetter to dive deep into producing. His first solo project is now set to be released on the label PNN. It features three tracks plus a remix by Beyou. Stetter's sound is polished and the precise production of each three tracks make this EP feel far from debut. 'Emily' is the first track set to be released this Friday. It draws you in on shimmering waves that rise and break into a deeper and spacier sound. Warm beats are interjected with random snippets of whale song. Listening to Emily feels like receiving a welcome hug at an after party.
From the whip-like crack of Yako's signature staccato vocals and impossible-to-memorize lyrics to the relentless overdrive tempo of their oneof-a-kind prog-core, Melt-Banana have long resided in a cybertopia of their own devising where the limits of technology and human capability are old-world concerns as quaint and cumbersome as bartering with a blacksmith. The demos for Fetch, their first studio album since the severely fried pop-punk of 1997's Bambi's Dilemma, were completed in March 2011, but the Fukushima earthquake changed everything, including
their ability to concentrate on recording. Which stopped completely.
Once they felt ready to return to their music, they decided to approach the songs on a sound-by-sound basis, choosing each tone with meticulous attention to detail, affirming their personal connections, being themselves naturally and openly.
Fetch scrapes glam shimmers off punk's outermost fringes and forges them into a rather intensely technical Deanscape packed with fantastical hybrids. Agata's guitar riffs, seemingly composed in tandem with skipping CD players, are more bad-ass than ever, bright and fractured like the soundtrack for a CC-Hennix-scored biker flick. The album is juiced with electronics and post-rock production, tempering what could easily be a
tiresome and predictable frenzy, yielding unexpected associations: Kate Bush climaxing on Walter White's blue meth; demos of late-period Wire playing metal run through Wasp synthesizers and Autotune; unripe wild
lychees keeping time on an Ankgor Wat tin roof during a monsoon.
They've been performing live as a duo since summer 2012, and will do the same for their '2 do what 2 fetch' tour in support of the album. After nearly 20 years of playing with a live rhythm section, their use of a PC, while opening possibilities for a variety of drum and synth voicings, does not signal a move away from the traditional live band sound, as heard, for example, via the future transmissions from downtown Noiseapolis on
2009's Lite Live: Ver. 0.0. Yako and Agata say they need to feel real band sounds onstage as much as someone in the audience. This is a group that routinely excels at several kinds of impossible simultaneously, so of course any new challenge they come up with for themselves is sure to blow the doors off your Mini Cooper. - First record as a duo expands the M-B sound
into multiple dimensions - LP includes digital download card; first
pressing on clear vinyl
Bordello A Parigi. Ali Renault. A gin and tonic combo if there ever was one. The UK synthesizer savant lands with a four tracker of leftfield electro pop. 'Altro Mondo' screams out of the traps, bulbous bass lines elbow sweetened chords and snapping beats. 'Fume' grows from the same soil. Analogue warmth is brushed, even bruised, by the crack and whip of rhythms; a touch of EBM bitterness blended with Italo hope. Nowhere is this more evident than in...'Nowhere', a buckled dancefloor romp with the king of Milano, Fred Ventura, offering vocals. Uabos maintains the tension for the finale, uplifting house currents coursing through his remix of 'Lenticular'.
'I take my guitar and strum and sing some tings and blow people's mind. But I ain't trying to do anybody's music. I'm doing what I feel' - Shadow
When it came out in 1984 the far-out album Sweet Sweet Dreams by Trinidad & Tobago's Shadow (aka Winston Bailey) was described as 'way ahead of its time'. Undeservedly it was panned by critics and, unable to reach markets, disappeared into the dusty record collections of a few music aficionados. Now, more than three decades later that cosmic dance-floor UFO is about to take off again, change all that and set the record straight. Remastered and cut by Frank Meritt at The Carvery the album is truly a masterpiece.
But who is this Shadow behind Sweet Sweet Dreams Shadow is a man of understated magnitude. A truly enigmatic artist, he first emerged in Trinidad and Tobago during the 1970s, becoming a part of the tapestry of Caribbean music and reinvigorating calypso at the time. Calypso, the indigenous folk music of Trinidad and Tobago, has roots in West African kaiso rhythms, French Creole influences, and the hardships endured by the African slaves brought to Trinbago, whose descendants still use it as a tool for satire, self-expression, and social commentary. Calypso has also given birth to several other music genres, including soca, with its uptempo beats and festival context. Shadow effortlessly moves between both.
Shadow came from a humble but musical family and started writing songs as a youth while tending cattle in the fields. To his family's initial chagrin he chose calypso over church music but his talent and drive were undeniable. In the early days of his career Shadow's style was cramped when working with some of the more conservative music arrangers who felt that calypso and soca should fit a mould. But after a while Shadow teamed up with more innovative arrangers, including Arthur 'Art'de Coteau, who followed their and Shadow's intuitions resulting in a long line of hits.
'The first time we met for me to arrange his music we had a heated argument on the arrangement for one of his songs, I was theoretically correct but Shadow was musically right. Shadow broke all the traditional musical rules and made his own and that made him a musical giant. He changed the face of Calypso music in 1974 with the release of "Bassman" a tune in which Bass and magnificent horn line took central stage changing Soca music for ever. What Shadow did with his music was to put calypso on the International Dance circuit, giving it a totally different groove. You could take his music and swing it in any direction, Disco, Pop, Calypso, you name it. His music was different from anything that existed before'. - Carl "Beaver" Henderson, one of Trinidad's veteran producers.
This inert creativeness culminated in Sweet Sweet Dreams which was arranged by Shadow and deals with burning and ever-relevant themes like love and the ups and downs of relationships. a surprising fact for someone mainly known for his satirical and political lyrics. It prompted his manager to wonder if Shadow had written the lyrics while in a state of 'tabanca' (a word used in Trinidad and Tobago to describe lovesickness).
Sweet Sweet Dreams was recorded at the legendary SHARC studios, located on a hill in Chaguaramas (near Port of Spain) and despite a fantastic sound and monster Soca-boogie tunes like 'Lets get it together', 'Lets Make it Up' and 'Way, Way Out' the album was a commercial flop, probably due to the fact that it didn't sound like anything else coming out of Trinidad & Tobago at the time: It fused a range of different rhythms and new sounds, primarily heavy synth riffs.
Shadow took the album's lack of success in his stride with usual aplomb:
'When I did Sweet Dreams I expect something could happen. But nothing big happen because I have no big market and no distribution and all this thing now. So I just cool myself and move on to another song. I wasn't doing just one song. I used to always have plenty songs at the one time. And be writing music'.
What Shadow didn't realise back then was that the proto-electronic cocktail he had mixed in 1984 would only find the recognition it deserved three decades later. Life has swung full circle: Sweet Sweet Dreams has come true and been elevated to holy grail status becoming one of the most sought-after Caribbean disco records in existence.
For this re-release we carried out extensive interviews with Shadow and the musicians and have included as bonuses exclusive photos from Shadow's personal collection and the dancefloor filler tune 'D'Hardest' was added as a bonus track.
Back in the days at the west-Saxon highlands there was a missile, which marked the starting point. When Credit 00 saw the legendary rocket rise on Tetris' final screen, it was the first time he became aware of electronic music at all. Since then it actually hasn't changed that much. He keeps pushing that buttons that belong to the impressive pool of music machines towered up next to his bed.
After moving to Dresden in 2000 to study fine arts, his passion for synthesizers and drum machines got nurtured through visits of Dresden's club-canalisation. He quickly made himself a name as a DJ, who is just doing his own thing and got popular for that reason. As a part of the Idealfun-crew he started hosting parties always in the twilight zone between legal and illegal. This led to Robo Dance', Dresden's only and (also for some other reasons) best Electro club night featuring guests like DMX Krew, Luke Eargoogle or Imatran Voima. The track Credit made with Randy Barracuda of Imatran Voima has probably been created some time after the show. Apparently, Randy was not in good shape anymore and so Lebensraum' unmistakably bears Credit's hallmarks.
For his own music he's inspired by cannibal movies, number theory and birds. Still, his music is not easy to pigeonhole. After all, he loves Synth Wave, Electro, Afro, Kraut, Kosmische, Disco, Italo, Miami Bass and other Proto stuff - a lot of machine music.
The Micronaut creates the soundtrack for those moments when the screeching of the subway and the steps on the wet pavement have echoed away into the dark city sky. Those moments when the ghosts of fumes and stop lights haunt the empty streets, when behind glowing windows dreams and urban exit strategies get ready for bed. When everybody is close to each other, but everyone is on his own. When the city comes to a standstill, but the wheels inside the heads of its inhabitants keep spinning. Stefan Streck discovers the musical equivalent for this epic atmosphere somewhere between Bass Music, Electronica and Pop. The cinematic soundscapes of his nocturnal City Blues have a somewhat tragic vibe, which is very noticeable both during the impulsive, passionate live shows of The Micronaut and on 'Forms', his third studio album on Acker Records, distributed through Kompakt. Between moments of deep melancholy and sudden eruptions of blissful euphoria he creates a feverish state of tension.
* 'Limerence' is not only Misantrop's debut outing, it is also the inaugurating release of his own label Foul-Up.
* The sound pops out of an industrial mindset, but the title piece reverses out of garage/classic house that nods to 90s r'n'b. On 'Nocturnal Emission' friend Jon Marius Brogaard Aeppli's guitar solo is vogueing out on the floor, psychedelic rock meets psychotic blues by way of sheer UK sound.
* Featuring a wobbling bass on the techno-leaning 'No. 3' - adorned with a reference to classical composition in the cluster strings. 'They Don't Know' puts on a bit of electro, noise and some giallo synth arpeggiation. There's shine, atmosphere and a rather fascinating depth of field.
* 'Limerence' draws its inspiration from all over contemporary music and noise grounds - not wearing its 'influences' in the most opulent manner but well declaring its material with confidence. If the finished product doesn't have the uniformity of a proper industrial product, so much the better...
* Misantrop is out to change the way you listen to music, no matter how chaotic the journey is, showing off a vision that's both deeply human and richly transcendent.
For fans of: Kyle Hall, Actress, Shed, Drexciya, Levon Vincent, Helm, Anthony Shakir, Drexciya, Actress, Mica Levi, John Carpenter, Burial, Aphex Twin
POP AMBIENT - our longest-running compilation series after Total - sees a new instalment for 2017, featuring exclusive material from acclaimed genre veterans and series newcomers JENS-UWE BEYER, YUI ONODERA & SCANNER, MAX WÜRDEN, LEANDRO FRESCO, THORE PFEIFFER, KENNETH JAMES GIBSON and SOULSAVERS remixed by WOLFGANG VOIGT.
Following his own cues from preceding entries, Pop Ambient chief curator Voigt again strikes a perfect ratio of established producers and debuting guests: our complete Pop Ambient solo album crew makes an appearance, from JENS-UWE BEYERs atmospheric soundscapes on the tracks FINAL 9.1 and FINAL 10, to THORE PFEIFFERs glitch romance GOOD LIFE, LEANDRO FRESCOs beatific drone fests SONIDO ESPAÑOL and EL ABISMO, as well as KENNETH JAMES GIBSONs melancholic epic HER FLOOD KNOCKED ME TO THE GROUND (BUT I WAS ALREADY THERE. Other returning artists include ANTON KUBIKOV of SCSI-9 fame (with electronic reverie DEKKA) and Cologne soundsmith MAX WÜRDEN, who was last seen releasing wonderfully immersive albums on BineMusic and Wolfgang Voigt's very own Exponate series. His guitar-infused, dubbed-out cut FERNFELD and the mysterious electronic mantra 186.000 MILES PER SECOND are particularly striking renditions of the rich sonic narratives possible in Pop Ambient.
For the 2017 release, we welcome Tokyo-based Pop Ambient novice YUI ONODERA with his tracks CROMO1 and CROMO2, which both serve as opener: a trained musician and architectural acoustic designer by trade, Onodera embeds diverse influences from traditional sound design, film scores, contemporary composition and electro-acoustic experimentation in his work, resulting in intricate drone sculptures and sound skylines. This skill set gels naturally with the sonic sensibilities of iconic experimental composer SCANNER who teams up with Onodera for the cut LOCUS SOLUS - it's an incredible honour to have such a towering figure in advanced electronic music on board. Wolfgang Voigt himself makes an appearance as remixer, turning the track HAL from electronic-rock-gospel duo SOULSAVERS' 2015 album "Kubrick" into a voluptuous and immersive sound journey. It's the cherry on top of a particularly fluffy cake that will prove irresistible to any connoisseur of ambient music.
Beautiful Deluxe Artwork, Limited ot to not to is an experimental RnB project by VA native Ian Mugerwa that combines low fidelity electronic recording techniques with unconventional song structures to produce music that serves as homage to dusty old blues recordings. At 19, Ian left his hometown of Fairfax for Richmond, where he slept on friends' floors for several months while recording Goshen. During the day he would "hunt dussy" and during the night he would haul borrowed equipment over to the VCU music facilities and record until the morning. He was moderately successful on both fronts. The resultant recordings form a coming of age album, a snapshot of Ian from the ages of nineteen to twenty. Ian's goal was to explore new aesthetics in black music through use of nontraditional methods, creating less polished, less sterile RnB in the process. Such methods included layering 40+ cello tracks to create the illusion of an orchestra, or collaging four, separate, 4-minute tracks of improvised percussion into one. Most drums were recorded last. Despite the focus on experimentation, it was important to Ian that he be crafting pop music. It is his belief that an impactful artist has, at least to some degree, a moral responsibility to deliver their art to the maximum amount of people (to efficiently help art as a whole progress). In other words, if restraint can be exercised, it ought to be. Similar artists include James Blake, Phil Elvrum, Mark Hollis, and D'Angelo.
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Sebastian Maschat a.k.a. Stoneage Kid has been around in the House Music scene for about 15 years now: Cult Stoner House with - Extra Produktionen', drummer in Erlend Oye's - Whitest Boy Alive' and numerous other projects.- Stoneage Kid' is an hardware / MPC based act, with own vocals and a very distinctive Electro Pop aesthetique. His first EP on - Smile for a while' creally sounds like Captain Comatose meeting Isolée in some purple haze panic room...You'll find melancholic Drum machine jams, some serious synths, lotsa vocoder and a lot of bassline-bumping. Phillip Lauer delivers a refreshingly cheesy remix with God singing solo and the Holy Ghost on drums - just as expected.- Hang On To A Dream' is quite a special tune, written and sung by German Indie veteran Otto von Bismarck. This Remix version is really something for intimate connoiseurs of both Pop and House Music.
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As Claremont 56 speeds towards its' ten-year anniversary, label founder Paul Murphy continues to champion little known producers and previously unheard artists. Over the past 12 months, the label has showcased material from rising talents
such as Bella Figura, Simon Peter, Paraiso and Oma & Amberfame. Now, Claremont 56 is adding another new name to the roster: Statues. Essex-based trio Bradley Lucke (production/bass/percussion/keys), Mark Crooks (keys/production) and Grant Carruthers (vocals/guitar) has been making music on-and-off together since they were teenagers, and last year decided to come together under the Statues alias. They submitted a number of demos to Paul Murphy, who was so impressed by what he heard that he offered to help produce and write an album with them. As debut singles go, 'Alaula' is stunning. Reminiscent of many softly spun
moments from the Claremont 56 back catalogue, it builds slowly and breezily via subtle waves of organic and electronic instrumentation. Carruthers' impassioned vocals pop in and out of the mix at opportune moments, peeping above alluring acoustic guitar, bass, synthesizer and Rhodes parts. Throw in
tumbling, life-affrming piano lines and swelling cello parts - both provided by friend-of- the-family Robin Lee of Faze Action - and you've got another near- perfect chunk of sunset-friendly, horizontal brilliance. On the fip, Murphy dons his familiar Mudd alias to provide a superb Piano Dub. Building the action around a sparse, delay-laden percussion track, Murphy teases out the track's most potent moments, in the process creating something
that lingers even longer in the memory. Lee's superb piano and cello work naturally takes pride of place, as Murphy expertly emphasizes the track's impeccably atmospheric nature.
Gerd Janson and Phillip Lauer are creatures of habit. Every week, the two club veterans meet up at Phillip's studio and spend an entire day making tunes. And while Gerd often likes to joke that his role in the arrangement is limited to making coffee and looking at his cell phone, it's clear that the two men have forged a potent partnership, one that's been responsible for an astonishing amount of dancefloor heat over the past few years.
Incredibly, this German pair has managed to maintain a relatively low profile, despite the steady stream of music they've released via well-respected labels like Unterton, Delsin, Internasjonal, Permanent Vacation and Live at Robert Johnson. And then there are the remixes—Azari & III, Scuba, The Juan Maclean, Fort Romeau, Avalon Emerson, Massimiliano Pagliara and Sinkane are just a small sampling of the artists who've enlisted Tuff City Kids to work their studio magic.
Throughout it all, there have been whispers of a proper Tuff City Kids album, and now that Adoldesscent has arrived, it will be all but impossible for the duo to linger in the background. After all, the LP is anything but shy—thanks in part to hooky vocal turns from the likes of Annie, Joe Goddard, Kelley Polar and Jasnau—and even the album's instrumental cuts feature some clear nods to various eras of dance-pop, from the boogie-inflected funk of 'Wake People' to the breakbeat techno of 'Boilered' and the tweaky rave nostalgia of 'Nordo.' Elsewhere, first single 'Labyrinth' is an infectious bit of new wave, while the guitar-driven 'Scared' recalls the gloomier side of '80s pop and 'Tell Me' is perhaps the record's most playfully soulful moment.
DJs will likely gravitate toward the darting strings of 'Aska' and breezy vibes of 'Farewell House,' yet Adoldesscent isn't entirely focused on the dancefloor. Dreamy opener 'Ophmar' evokes the legacy of John Carpenter, while the crunchy 'R-Mancer' offers up a sort of psychedelic synth freakout.
Much like the Tuff City Kids themselves, Adoldesscent isn't about any one style or sound in particular. It is, however, a cohesive effort, along with proof that the different corners of the electronic spectrum have a lot more in common than we'd all like to admit. More importantly, it's a whole lot of fun, and isn't that what dance music is supposed to be about anyways
Bocal 5 were a No Wave art group composed of Doc Pilot (synths, vocals), Zouka Dzaza (bass), Florian Guillou (synths), Mickey Lepron (electronic drums, bass) and Evy Tinguette (lead vocals). The project was born in November 1980 in Tours, France as the brain child of Doc Pilot. Between 1981 to 1986 Bocal 5 recorded one 7' single and a cassette-only album before taking a year off in 1984 to launch X-Ray Pop. Influenced by Erik Satie, Brigitte Bardot, Suicide and Young Marble Giants, they call their music "minimum naive new wave."
Musique Électronique' is a 19-track compilation of songs recorded across 1983, most of which have never been released on vinyl before. 16 tracks appeared on the From Bocal 5 To X-Ray Pop' album originally released on cassette by Sound of Pig in 1984. Both tracks from their debut 7' originally released in MB5 1984 are included and show a progression in sound as a result of newer recoding equipment and techniques. Also present is a song from the tape compilation Andreas N°3 L'Animal" released by Fraction Studio in 1984. Armed with a Korg 770, MS-10, Prophet Pro-One, Roland TR-707 and TB-808 they crafted their own brand of quirky synthesized electronic pop. Songs are short, concise and well structured, richly textured, moving at a quick speed with hardly a pause. Evy's pouting, tongue-in-cheek vocals (sung in French) come together for a catchy, sensuous, danceable, eccentric psychedelic ride. This collection shows the group's sense of humor, vitality and carefree playfulness.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each jacket displays a bright neon green collage of photos and ephemera from the band's archives designed by Eloise Leigh that exudes the project's DIY spirit. Each copy includes a 6-page xeroxed booklet with photos, original artwork and press clippings.
Xerophkz is back with a second EP on the self titled label. The second release furthers his journey into uncompromising, expressive electronic music, and there is a lot to choose from on this record. From lush ambient electronica and emotive synth driven soundscapes, to frantic almost rave influenced techno and abrasive textural show stoppers this release represents a fresh and unique counterpoint to the popular structures and formats of modern techno. With only two releases to date this artist is already one to watch.
Quintessentials is very happy to present their 50th release! To celebrate this, we invited some buddies to bring the deep beats. And damn they did! Mat Chiavaroli, one of your main artists who is getting stronger and stronger, opens this jubilee release with upbuilding powerful tune, just the tune the get Quintessentials 50 started! Great to see profilic dutch producer Nachtbraker (Heist, Quartet Series) on the label too. We love his style and he will soon be as popular as Ajax Amsterdam! His subtle and dirty "Bronco" fits in perfectly. The definitive club tune that grooves and grooves and grooves comes from Ponty Mython (Dirt Crew). Alexandr is a cool guy and this is defo a cool tune. Last but not least is Soul of Hex (Freerange, Vicario). Our mexican friend is going very raw this time. Yes, why not call it electronic body music (remember)! As we are gentlemen, we added a Quintessentials sticker in the vinyl edition. Go and get it!
Synths Versus Me is a prolific duo formed by Vanessa Asbert and Nico Cabañas. They already put out a bunch of releases edited by Oráculo Records. Minimal Synth, EBM and Cold Wave from Lloret de Mar (Spain).
This 12' EP (ltd. 300 copies) includes two brand new tracks and two exclusive remixes. The original version of 1987' is an atomic bomb of pure vintage EBM in the vein of Signal Aout 42 and Front 242. The remix done by Dirk Da Davo from The Neon Judgement keeps the feeling of the track but adding some drums, guitar samplers and sequences trademarked by this Belgian legend. On the b-side there is the original mix of Aimless Device', an electro-pop tune with catchy melodies, analogic bass lines and female voices. The remix prepared for this track by the new american sensation Boy Harsher is a surefire dancefloor full of hypnotic beats and dark atmospheres. All tracks remastered by Eric Van Wonterghem at Prodam Studios (Berlin).
