quête:electro
Ngwaka Son Systéme’s debut album Iboto Ngenge means “power struggle” or “seizing the opportunity” but while words can only be roughly translated, the music reaches listeners unambiguously: A potent mixture of techno, rumba, soukous, zagué and dancehall with the unique “Kinoise” brand fresh out of Kinshasa, the Congolese megacity that never stops innovating in the music landscape worldwide. Ngwaka Son Systéme is led by musicians Love Lokombe and Bom’s Bomolo, having previously founded the band KOKOKO!. This new project continues the contemporary Congolese tradition of reinventing electronic music by shaping and crafting music instruments made of household objects. As a means to continue strengthening the links between Africa and Latin America, Eck Echo has tasked Colombian dub engineer Diego Gomez with the analog mixing of the stems, originally recorded by Levy David at Timbela Ba Studio in Kinshasa. With the aim to bring the lexicon of shared Colombian and Congolese music into the next chapter, we proudly present to the world the magnificent music of Ngwaka Son Systéme. The inadvertently techno-oriented Lakala, a trance-inducing experience where listeners can quickly relish to the lyrics even without speaking Lingala, for the shapes of the words are already inviting listeners to dance, sing and smile, all the while virtuoso percussionist Steroy operates the DIY-drum kit at high-tempo. The call-and-response effect, where each musician lends their voice to the choir, is particularly felt in Bo Lobi Pe, where the vocals guide us ever so playfully to the tune of an acoustic guitar that invites us to take off our shoes, kick back and relax. Zanga Mbongo (translated as “there is no money”) is lyrically a proud anthem to celebrating life in spite of economic scarcity, and musically it is a triumphant renewal to the legendary soukous genre of the 1970s, championed by worldwide renowned stars such as Pepe Kallé and Sam Mangwana.
Following two acclaimed European and Asian tours, UK producer Tom VR returns to "all my thoughts" with a special vinyl release of his latest single, "Acheless."
The vinyl features the original tracks "Acheless" and "Couldn't Find the Words," plus a brand new VIP edit
exclusive to the format. This edit showcases Tom VR's signature sound: a tapestry of textured electronica that's both driving and dark, yet punctuated by flourishes of vibrant color.
While the original "Acheless" unfolds melodies within its framework, the VIP edit takes a different approach. Here, the focus shifts to the pulsing rhythm section, with the signature plucky melodies subtly restrained.
After the great response to the launch with Deer Jade and David Hasert/Niconé, our lively split EP format is going into the next round. Always true to the motto: Only killers, no fillers!
Brazilian born come Berlin resident Joyce Muniz teams up with Algerian born come Rome resident DJ producer Sara Bluma for their phenomenal Kompakt debut “Beats & Lines”, an uplifting electro disco affair with plenty of pop appeal. “I met Sara Bluma a year ago, when she booked me to play at one of her parties in Rome. We connected straight away. It was a matter of time that we decided to make some music together. I had this idea for a while, so I sent it to Sara and asked her if she would like to do some vocals. She came up with this great fun text. This tune interprets the energy from both of us. Which is supposed to be fun!“. Mission accomplished… The good vibes between Sara and Joyce are definitely contagious!
London’s Hardt Antoine is back to the mothership with a bang! “I Will” is a sensual, percussion-driven house anthem for those morning hours, when spirits are high and the sense of unity is palpable. “La Mosca” is taking a more hypnotic approach, putting a joyous chant of unknown origin to good use. Something tells us that 2024 will become a banner year for Antoine!
Runar Magnusson is an Icelandic/Danish sound artist and musician, currently based in Austria. With a masters degree in Electronic Music Composition from The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark, he is inspired by the sounds of nature, noise, and meditation. Magnusson specialises in atmospheric disturbances through minimalist compositions. A sly humour cuts through the dark hues of his works.
Magnusson writes: "The two works which make up "Inside Out of Chaos" are somewhat related. They were made at the same time and share the same source materials somewhat – a pool of sounds I had been experimenting with for a couple of years. Two separate projects created the opportunities for me to realise them in these finished forms.
At the beginning of 2020 I was invited to participate in an acousmatic concert series at the Traktorfabrikken in Vienna. Curated by Austrian composer Christian Tschinkel and performed on his Akusmonautikum sound system this particular event, titled Kill & Kaoss, was the last in the series. I named my piece after the event and dedicated it to Tschinkel´s Akusmonautikum system. Without my knowing, I had witnessed this system in action half a year earlier at a concert at the Hermann Nitsch Museum in Mistelbach, with Hermann Nitch playing the organ and Tschinkel operating the sound system – a profoundly enjoyable performance. I was very happy when I connected the dots soon after the invitation to participate. I intended my work for Kill & Kaoss to be a way to greet the new lunar year of the rat – a year which held many surprises… The event took place on 22nd of February 2020 at Traktorfabrikken, Vienna.
"Inside Out (for Trattner)" was composed for Austrian artist Josef Trattner. It was the soundtrack for a film that was a part of his exhibition "Inside Out" at the Kiesler Foundation in Vienna, 2020. I assisted with the installation of the exhibition, itself a filmed action that evolved into the movie of which this is the score. The installation was a very hard physical process that left me bloody and blistered. It was also a fascinating, trance-inducing experience. Mining with ones bare hands, digging out this huge structure and creating a womblike cave, a tunnel system, a playground, a hideaway while experiencing ever-increasing pain in the fingers and hands. The exhibition ran from 27 February 2020 until 23 December 2020.
I consider this release as the final part of a trilogy I refer to as "the three sisters of sorrow". These three releases are an insight into my state of mind at the time – a mental collapse, somewhat triggered by a move to a new country, the death of my friend Jóhann Jóhannsson and the loss of my father a year later. Between 2018 and 2021 I had the trilogy almost ready but had not been able to finish them. I sought professional help to lift me up from the deep and was diagnosed with ADHD, which explained many things in my life. Only after the darkness had lifted could I see that these three releases were connected. They depicted both the mental state I had been in – an incapacitating downward spiral, a crushing chaos – and also my search for the light, a way out of the maze and my path up to the surface."
Runar Magnusson, Vienna, 13 November 2023
They’re back! This time the Finnish seers Mahti venture even deeper into the unknown on their third release Musiikki 3, assisted by the creativity of English musicians Richard Dawson and Sally Pilkington.
LIMITED MIRAGE BLUE/GREEN MARBLE COLOURED VINYL LP WITH DOWNLOAD CODE. NON-RETURNABLE.
The music reaches for space and roots at the same time bringing forth Mr. Dawson's earthy guitars and angelic voice while Ms. Pilkington weaves ethereal layerings with her synths and joins occasionally the choir.
Hannu Saha conjures ancient Karelian spirits with his kantele while Muumu, Lehtibabba and Mätky mesmerize the listener with their unique mix of electro, rock and noise.
The end result is an album full of Musiikki unlike you've never heard before!
“These ancient musicians played their ‘mahti’… and the sound they produced was called ‘musiikki’”
Hannu Saha - string kanteles ,Tomi Leppänen - sequencer/drum brain/synthesizers , Jussi Lehtisalo - noise/vocals, Teemu Elo - guitar/synthesizers, Richard Dawson - guitar/vocals , Sally Pilkington - keyboards/vocals
After honing his craft over a decade, British pop singer-songwriter Benedict Cork releases his album ‘Notes On A Hopeless Romance’ – a love letter to relationships, past and present. Benedict first found his feet penning a series of acclaimed EPs and consequently this album’s new sound comes as a big melting pot of brash, electronic, melancholic, gospel-inspired pop music. Hailed as BBC Introducing Artist of the Year, Benedict’s refreshing vulnerability and distinct brand of melancholic pop has also gathered praise from Billboard, Clash and Wonderland. Of the album, Benedict says ‘I hope this album makes you feel things and gives you some comfort in the chaos of finding love, especially queer love! It’s dedicated to all the hearts I’ve known, all the hearts I’ve fallen for a little too quickly, and all the hearts that have screwed me over, even if I’m still a bit bitter’. Other achievements to date include touring with AlunaGeorge, MØ and Tom Walker as well as supporting Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie at BST, Hyde Park alongside selling out a handful of UK and European headline shows.
The lines of genre have blurred beyond recognition. The landscape flickers between haunting ambiance and noisy immersion, electronic and acoustic elements expressing emotional and mental states that are ever changing. "Somebody Else's Song" was their first true "New York album" since the band's relocation from Chicago, and much of the weight comes from the personal change inherent from living in a new place as life continues to whir around us. The duo took their time, the ideas coming into formation over the course of two years. That patience is apparent as the album unfolds, a balance between vulnerability and enormous shapeshifting rhythms.
- A1: Gwaing Reverie
- A2: Lucelle Sista Of The Soil
- A3: Mantis Praise
- A4: Amaseh Amen
- A5: For Peter & Ruth
- A6: Terug Blik
- A7: Threnody For The Khoisan
- A8: Ambient Khoi
- B1: Mcinci Song I
- B2: Morenga
- B3: Evidence Of Things Unseen
- B4: Lockdown Duet Milano-Cape Town
- B5: Roesdorp Requiem
- B6: The Ascension Of Milford Graves
Garth Erasmus is an artist and musician based in Cape Town, South Africa. 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' is his first album under his own name. Since 1985 his artistic interests have broadened to include music-making, designing and making his own instruments based on indigenous KhoiSan knowledge. From 1999 to 2012 he was a member of the South African First Nation activist group Khoi Khonnexion. In the past couple of years Garth Erasmus has also been a pivotal part of various international performance pieces and exhibition projects which brought him regularly to Europe. Most of these activities were developed and performed in collaboration with the Hamburg based band Kante and his band Khoi Khonnexion. In April 2024 Garth Erasmus will be part of the group exhibtion 'Oscillations' at Akademie der Künste, Berlin.
His works in music are predominantly characterized by a restless quest for alternative forms of expression and materials including self build instruments, field recordings or various electronic music devices.
In this context the music on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' takes on a primal and metaphorical meaning. Rather than a formal, physical initiation, this process is more spiritually inclined, yet it is a spirituality which is consistently put into action.. “Ever since I was an art student I have experimented with alternative materials to release me from the Western education values I received. When I started to make these instruments in the 1980s, my intention was to create art objects but when I discovered the sound they made, it unlocked a door that transported me deeper in my quest in the realization that I was on the right path.
In fact all instruments which appear on 'Threnody for the KhoiSan' are products of a process of discovery starting from square one. All this is based and founded on the beauty of simplicity and minimalism as symbolized by the single string Khoisan musical bow and arrow as trance musical instrument. In this sense it soon became manisfest for Garth Erasmus to combine the bow instruments with various electronic instruments. Besides developing his own unique language in music he also shared an expressed interested in experimental sound aesthecis, Avantgarde composition and Free Jazz. However, his non - academic approach towards sound and music was always fueled by the desire for a reconnection to the land and to the idegenious knowledge of the KhoiSan, whose struggle for First Nation status continues.
Song for Morenga
This song is dedicated to a guerilla leader, named Jacob Morenga, who was the leader of the nama/herero anti-german uprisings that occured between 1904 and 1907.
Amaseh Amen
This is a classic mouthbow piece that conjures the spiritual nature of Khoisan cultural praxis.
Gwaing Reverie
It was composed as a personal gift to the other members of newly formed electro-acoustic trio „Gwaing". „Gwaing" is an ancient Khoisan place name, meaning the mouth of the river.
Mcinci Song
A typical meditation on the traditional Mcinci flute. This flute was originally played by shepherds and was made of reed.
The Ascension of Milford Graves
This piece attends to capture the risen spirit of the legendary African American drummer Milford Graves. It was composed soon after his death in 2021.
Song for The Sisters of the Soil
A live improvisation dedicated to Lucelle and Melissa (The Sisters of the Soil) on the occasion of visiting them at their residence, known as „Oppieyaart" on the Cape Flats. On 10 September 2022 there is an online event with them at Kunsthaus Hamburg.
Glasgow’s Somewhere Press return with their inaugural vinyl release, a new album from Madelyn Byrd aka Slowfoam. Mining the seam between ecology and technology, Byrd offsets syrupy, dissociated electronics with sparse acoustic instrumentation and expressive field recordings.
The polyrhythmic pulse of the natural world surges through Byrd’s productions, and though the sounds are mostly electronic and strictly metered, a landscape teeming with insects, birds, and wildlife fills the horizon. We’re languidly ushered through the gates on the opening 'Enlightened Smudge on the Machine', juxtaposing glassy tones with flute (from Berlin-based sound artist Diane Barbé) and skittering percussion that could have been lifted straight off Björk’s 'Vespertine'. "No traffic, under the stem," a stoic voice muses while sounds dissolve into waterlogged ambience. There are hints of vintage West Coast new age music, but Byrds' over-arching theme is one of a contemporary digital reality slowly harmonising with its distant, bucolic past.
Field recordist Pablo Diserens provides some of the album's most arcane material, handing over environmental recordings of sulphur pools, Arctic terns and glacial streams. The lengthy 'Divine Morpho, Shimmering' deploys a swarm of insects, forming a looped, uneven rhythm that counters Byrd's pulsing electronics. Choral stems mesh with uncanny strings, blurring the line that separates artificial from organic sound sources. Byrd uses mutation and reconstruction as a form of "speculative melting" to bring us closer to utopia. On 'Like Phantom Memories In The Slinking Storm’, one of the album's most levitational moments, they tease twangy harp-lyre plucks into dubbed-out smudges, eventually given a reprise on 'Grief Rituals' where the same riffs are stretched into slower phrases, queered against giddy, xenharmonic drones.
Bird calls and tremulous exotica mark the brilliant 'Fragrant Dusking', and ‘Soft Body Virisdescence' takes us to a gurgling, kaleidoscopic climax, with electronic processes thrust into the foreground. 'Of Data & Delight' distills all the album’s sonic elements into a sort of delirious fever dream, using pitched animal calls to signal sensuality. It's not ambient, exactly, even if it shares space with the 3XL crew's sludgy eroticism, and it's not wholeheartedly electro-acoustic either. The record exists at a place of convergence, as one era wrestles with a new dawn, and real life glimpses high fantasy.
Another well kept secret from the Italian cult electronic music imprint - Interactive Test. A 4 track EP with a wide range of flavours in "house" music, very much dependent on the different samples employed. A side starts off with a deep house track echoing similar atmospheric qualities as to some of the dancefloor oriented productions making their way into US underground scene around that time, specifically Chicago and Detroit. The Percapella Mix makes the dedication to the Canadian Disco legend Gino Soccio very clear with a lengthy sample of "There's a Woman", a track which uses early electronics in a pioneering way, with what could possibly be one of the first examples of an Acid Bass line. On the B-side, things slow down a a notch with more clear cut explorations in Acid house featuring layers of synths and percussive samples and occasional placement of vocal samples from countries far away from Italy, all made possible thanks to the new exciting technologies that had recently been made available to producers at the time. Remastered by Man Made Mastering in Berlin and re-released with new full cover artwork.
Splash splash what huh! Millennial breeze is the new EP by duo Lander & Adriaan - whirling like a 90s underground rave. Rapid rhythm roller coasters, breaky bumper car rides & retro-futuristic sound sweets - raw & glossy at the same time!
Call it keta-jazz, gabber wave, neurodance, nu-step, call it heartcore business. Free your mind, let your body go!!
"SOME kind of mind blowing jazz version of Rustie, Hudson Mohawke and the bangers released on Hessle Audio." - 3 VOOR 12 (NL)
“Ecstatic jazz, overwrought electronica and hi-NRG post-club oddities crossed with instrumental drum & bass” - INVERTED AUDIO (UK)
FERMA strikes back by announcing the 2nd installment to the label’s physical catalogue called “Code of Conduct”. An eclectic 12inch compilation delivering fascinating sound sonics from bright artists across the world within electro and techno sound spectrum.
On A side, Alonzo with “Jealous Eyes” proves once more why he is a key persona within electro scene with an eyes-down and fully optimized dancefloor tool. Betek builds on that through “The After March”, a tension-building track highlighting his characteristic atmospheres and arpeggio compositions.
On B side, Nina Indi with “East Wind” delivers on what she is known for, an impactful breakbeat-infused banger that for sure will create many memorable moments across dancefloors. Fobos Hailey follows with “Close Your Eyes” fusing aggressive syncopations and industrial soundscapes.
Step into a time machine and groove back to the electrifying era of the mid-80s, where undiscovered US tracks found their sonic sanctuary on Morgan Kahn’s groundbreaking Street Wave record label. The reverberations of this musical revolution rippled from the gritty streets of NYC, transcending borders to captivate the entire globe. Picture it: 808s pulsating, synthesisers painting the airwaves with vibrant hues of rhythm and nostalgia. In the heyday of the eighties, rap wasn’t just a genre – it was a movement, a cultural force with a message that resonated through the beats and break moves. The lyrical poets of the time wove tales of real-life struggles and triumphs, creating a tapestry of sound that still echoes with relevance today.
Fast forward to the present, and the spirit of the 80s lives on in a classic track that encapsulates the magic of that unforgettable era. The torchbearers of timeless tunes, High Fashion Music, recognised the gem that was waiting to be polished. Enter Ben Liebrand, a musical maestro tasked with breathing new life into this iconic piece. Liebrand, has conjured three versions of this classic anthem. First up, the Nu-Disco funk-boogie rub, a groove so infectious it’ll have you hitting the dance floor in a heartbeat. Then, there’s the percussive-led Funk Mix – a rhythm-driven journey that takes the original to new heights. And for the pièce de résistance, the outrageously good nu vintage Electro Mix, a sonic masterpiece that bridges the gap between the past and the present with unmatched finesse.
Join us on this sonic voyage, fast forward into the future, as we celebrate the resurgence of an 80s cult classic, transformed by the wizardry of Ben Liebrand.
Portland based act Dancing Plague has been a steady presence in the dark/cold electronic music scene for quite a few years now.
Since 2016 Conor Knowles’ solo project has been putting out one constant flow of independent releases on multiple formats such as vinyl LPs, EPs, tapes and CDs, creating one sonic palette rich with Ebm, goth, industrial and synth influences.
On their 5th studio album, Dancing Plague continues to flesh out and perfect their unique brand of crushing darkwave.
Elogium explores themes of loss, regret, rebirth and growth coupled with throbbing basslines, rave synths, and pounding drums. Knowles balances aggressive waves of electronics with enough pop sensibilities and catchy hooks to be inviting to those new to the genre.
His skills can be clearly appreciated on tracks like the first single Fading Forms which explores the somber feeling of the years passing you by. Knowles’ emotive baritone crooning paints a melancholic picture of the slow fading of time as you feel like you’re fading with it. The words fall like snow onto cold fields of pulsing 80s synths and pounding drum machine rhythms that bring forth nostalgic familiarity but feel fresh at the same time.
Fans of classic icons such as Depeche Mode, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails as well as contemporary torchbearers Cold Cave and Kontravoid do not sleep on this.
Plenty of disturbing beauty to be found in the depths of the underground
- A1: Forro Violento (Instrumental)
- A2: Grao De Areia
- A3: Nao Vou Reclamar De Deus
- A4: Toda Beleza
- A5: Put@Ria!
- B1: Rubelia
- B2: Posso Dizer
- B3: Vinheta As Palavras
- B4: As Palavras
- B5: Forro Violento
- C1: Torto Arado
- C2: Lua De Garrafa
- C3: Na Mao Do Palhaco
- C4: Doutor Albieri
- C5: Samba De Amanda E Te
- D1: Amor De Mae
- D2: Vinheta As Palavras Ii
- D3: Assum Preto
- D4: Forro No Escuro
- D5: Toda Beleza (Pelos Loirinhos)
Pink Vinyl[29,96 €]
Some albums are game-changers in a genre. Take OutKast's Speakerboxxx / The Love Below or Primal Scream's Screamadelica, they observe, study, and then flip what an album can mean to a genre or moment in time.
From the very first listen of Rubel’s Latin Grammy-nominated third album As Palavras, Vol. 1 & 2, you can feel its transformative force for the MPB genre. Here we see one of Rio’s brightest stars, fusing the contemporary with the classic, soaking up the richness of Brazil’s musical heritage. The result is a marauding 20-track epic, incorporating traditional styles such as forró, MPB, pagode and samba with modern baile funk, rasteirinha and hip-hop.
The album exudes a sense of freedom and creativity, playfully and provocatively juggling the familiar with the forward-thinking. The tracks are divided across two records, navigating feelings of love, heartbreak and discovery, whilst balancing themes of violence, passion, irony and affection. Collaborating with some of the country’s most esteemed artists such as Gabriel do Borel, Liniker, Luedji Luna, Tim Bernardes and Ana Caetano, Rubel takes this fusion of styles, subjects and flavours to the global stage.
The grand, forró-blending, choral opener, ‘Forró Violento (Instrumental)’ sets the tone for the album, with references and links between tradition and modernity everywhere to be seen. From the Ana Frango Elétrico produced, funk flexing, samba-soul brilliance of ‘Não Vou Reclamar de Deus’, to the album’s title cut ‘As Palavras’, in collaboration with Tim Bernardes, that melds MPB influences with electronic elements and hip-hop touches.
Across both sides of the album, Rubel’s story-telling gift is given space to shine. ‘Torto Arado’ featuring Liniker and Luedji Luna, beautifully references the racial injustice, tragedy, hope and ambition found in one the most celebrated Brazilian novels of recent times by Itamar Vieira Júnior. Elsewhere, ‘Na Mão do Palhaço’ manifests a satirical march about a suicidal conservative middle-aged man, who is rescued by the miracle of the carnival.
At times the album is gentle and intimate with tracks like ‘Toda Beleza’ featuring Bala Desejo, or the ode to friendship ‘Lua de Garrafa’, composed with the legendary Milton Nascimento. At others, the grooves hit harder, with sounds from the favelas laced within. ‘Put@ria!’, explores the universe of baile funk, with BK’ and MC Carol trading off on the mic, as ‘Rubelía’ moves between reggaeton, funk, and hip hop. The latter is a tribute to a key influence of the album, Spanish star Rosalía and her parallel mix of current with classic.
Ultimately though the beauty of this album lies in its concept. In the midst of a country divided, ‘As Palavras Vol. 1 & 2’ sets out to bring together genres and generations, grounded in rhythms and words that have helped define Brazil through the ages.
Music From Memory is delighted to present ‘Elevations’, a new album from Manchester based artist Tom Burford, aka Contours.
Drawing heavily on his background as a drummer and percussionist, ‘Elevations’ began as an exploration of the Balafon, a Malian tuned percussion instrument, before organically growing into its final form; a delicate suite of compositions centered around rhythmical interactions of percussion, synthesizer and strings.
Recorded during the pandemic and the period following, the album reflects a desire to lose oneself in the expanse of nature - the title ‘Elevations’ being a direct nod to the mountainous area of Cumbria where Tom grew up. The album also represents the joy of creating with friends; it features performances from several of his musical contemporaries, many of which were recorded at his home in Manchester. Slowly taking shape, the final result is a record that seamlessly blends electronic and acoustic, operating at the intersection of Minimalism, Jazz, Fourth World and Contemporary Classical music.
Cotenius X is an exploratory improvisational project of the Ukrainian sound artist Daria Redkina and the Russian experimental vocalist Varya Pavlova aka Lisokot. Improvising together since 2017 they incorporate folk, electronic and musique concrète elements into their spontaneous compositions. “Plastic Bag” is a testament to collaboration - an archival reflection of the time the duo spent experimenting together. Their theatrical performances involve impersonation or adoption of different characters and are informed by social, political, historical, and site-specific narratives. The duo has been compared to The Residents and see themselves carrying the psychedelic absurdity of the US group forward by giving it a feminine twist.
Identity Theft is the solo electronic music of Michael Buchanan, commencing in 2011 with the album Night Workers. He has previously released music on labels such as Oráculo Records, Treue Um Treue, Record Label Records, and Katabatik. Rooted in Düsseldorf-school electro with strong leanings towards the more abstract Krautrock origins of the genre, Omnia Vanitas presents the listener with a narrative arc moving beyond the ‘modern problems’ which previous Identity Theft work was concerned with (e.g. themes of surveillance and paranoia).
Presented in ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid BLACK vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).
Alex Andrikopolous AKA Lex (Athens) released his brilliant debut album Waving in 2022 on Leng and he now returns with an EP combining fine remixes of tracks from Waving alongside two new previously unheard cuts.
The remixes are undeniably special. Fittingly, the EP begins with the first of these, a sensationally sun-soaked revision of one of Andrikopolous’s most Balearic moments – previous single ‘Punta Allen’ – by former Nuphonic fusionists and FAR label founders Faze Action. The Lee brothers’ take is one of those sunset-friendly workouts that wraps glistening guitar licks, steel pan style motifs, Lex’s gorgeous lead lines, hazy electric piano solos and life-affirming keyboard riffs around rolling nu-disco beats and a new rubbery bassline courtesy of Robin Lee himself. It has the feel of a pool-side anthem in the making.
Just as potent is the typically quirky and hard-to-pigeonhole revision of ‘Prezend’ by Manchester maverick Ruf Dug. Here he offers up a genuinely revolutionary rework, re-imaging the track as a sparse-but-colourful fusion of vintage acid house bass, saucer-eyed piano riffs, dubbed-out synth sounds, jacking lo-fi drum machine beats and squelchy TB-303 tweaks. While fresh and undeniably contemporary, the remix has an alluringly nostalgic, retro-futurist vibe.
Clustered around these two top-notch revisions is a pair of previously unreleased Lex originals. He joins forces with regular collaborator Locke once more on ‘Libre De Amor’, an infectious chunk of, low-slung dub disco marked out by weighty bass, jammed-out electric piano motifs, spacey pads, intergalactic effects and mazy synth solos. Dotted with additional percussion hits and echoing female vocal snippets, it’s one of the pair’s most potent dancefloor workouts of recent times.
To round off a rock-solid EP, the Athens-based veteran blurs the boundaries between stripped-back, late-80s house nostalgia and nu-disco. ‘Super Awake’ boasts cowbell-sporting Chicago house beats and acid house inspired bass, on to which he’s layered all manner of colourful synth sounds, jangly piano stabs and spacey electronics. Throw in some typically immersive chords and progressively more psychedelic TB-303 motifs, and you have a genuinely triumphant conclusion to a formidably floor-focused EP.




















