Cerca:era

“All heads realize, recognize. Real heads on the rise, recognize. You better recognize”.

Another milestone of Hip Hop's Golden Era gets an official 45 rpm on 7" vinyl release to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Smif-N-Wessun's debut album "Dah' Shinin” .

Representing Brownsville & Bed Stuy Brooklyn, rap duo Smif-N-Wessun, Tek and Steele, first appeared on Black Moon’s debut album Enta Da Stage in 1993. Adding relentless rhymes to tracks "U da Man" and "Black Smif N' Wessun," the pair paved the way for the Brooklyn Supergroup Boot Camp Clik.

25 years later, the raw and gritty sound of Da Beatminerz productions cut through the noise that is often found in the present day music industry, and was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums of all time.

Mavericks of the musical landscape, Brooklyn’s finest genre-defying duo Dave + Sam release their anticipated debut album ‘No Shade’ on Classic Music Company this spring, a thirteen-track narration of the 21st century experience, told through the eyes of vocalist Dave Giles II and production maestro Sam O.B. With the aim to package love, empowerment and socio-political commentary into a collection of tracks that never compromise on groove or soul, this enchanting album never loses sight of its message as it journeys from deep Chicago house and otherworldly melodies to funk-laden jams and adventurous studio experimentation.

Hinged tightly by the soulful nuances of Moodymann, Mos Def and Gil Scott Heron, Dave’s captivating spoken word delivery is purposeful and considered, as Sam weaves rhythms and grooves so deep you can get lost in them – the two musical narratives working in perfect harmony. Impassioned cuts like ‘Facts’, ‘Worth It’ and ‘Sauce’ leverage hip-hop’s tradition of battle rap against white supremacist rhetoric, a message that remains ever more relevant in today’s political climate. Title track ‘No Shade’, ‘Day One (Oh Baby)’ and ‘Can’t Get Enough’ allow stories of love and loss to unfold to the listener, while the stripped-back grooves of ‘Round The Way’ and ‘You Da Shit Girl’ add another dimension to the album. Featuring a number of collaborators such as Chicago legend Mike Dunn, powerhouse vocalist Ramona Renea and fellow Brooklyn natives Cor.Ece and LATASHÁ, ‘No Shade’ is an evocative, powerful and joyful experience when played in its entirety.

Recorded in Brooklyn’s Bedford Stuyvesant, a neighbourhood bearing the scars of over-policing and encroaching gentrification, the vibrancy of the community and its unyielding history of creative expression shines through on the album’s entirety. As products of such environments, Dave + Sam’s music is resilient, revolutionary and organic in equal parts. An homage to their mutual reverence for early Chicago house and the golden era of underground parties in New York, ‘No Shade’ is a riveting body of work ready for you to lose yourself in.

After an intensive 2019, which saw Michal Wolski release a number of EPs, he’s starting 2020 with a return to Boddika’s Nonplus Records with ‘Chant’ - a 12 filled with deep, driving, detailed Techno. This new release, explores more nuanced and hypnotic territories of electronic music, placing off-beat and ambient structures alongside 4x4 Techno rhythms.

‘Chant’ is a sonic experimentation with modular synthesizers and a plethora of modern, digital-era tools.

In addition to Wolski’s original work, is a remix from one of the most visionary modern Techno producers of our time, Anthony Linell, co-founder of the Northern Electronics record label.

The music of Clan Caima´n is primitive and hypnotic. It is located in the pre-rock era and from there, it proposes a different evolutionary path for music from the 1950' s to present day. Like a different musical development in a parallel timeline. Gamelan, Hawaiian music, surf, exotica, rainforest or aquatic; these elements make up the palette which constructs a mystic and profound music that seeks ancestral connection.

Formed in 2016 by Argentinian musician, composer and producer Emilio Haro, looking to create music generated by group dynamics, Clan Caima´n differs from his past two solo albums ( 'Panora´mico' in 2007 and 'Estrambo´tico' in 2012, both on Radiaciones Armo´nicas) in that these were studio works and not meant to be played live.

The quintet's enigmatic sound is built upon the kalimbafo´n, an instrument created by Haro using several kalimbas, Diego Voloschin's wild and hypnotic percussion (no cymbals, no snare), Gonzalo Cordoba's lap steel and baritone guitar, Facundo Gomez's psychedelic guitar tones and Claudio Iuliano's dry and percussive bass sound. This debut album contains eight anachronistic and oddly familiar compositions that range from introspection to trance, tracing their own sonic landscape.

At the turn of the 80's, a new generation of musicians appeared who saw synthesisers not as dehumanizing machines but as musical instruments that could be coaxed into creating modern, beautiful and decidedly emotional music. It was almost as if the musicians were intentionally creating this music to prove the doubters wrong. 

Compiled by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs, “The Tears Of Technology” celebrates this brief period when scruffy synth duos from the provinces broke through and took over British pop. Like mellotrons before them, synths could project a strange and deep emotion; listen to OMD’s ‘Sealand’, or the Human League’s ‘WXJL Tonight’, and it was clear that something in the wiring had an inherent melancholy.

In the 60's and 70's, the synthesiser had mostly been regarded as either a novelty or a threat. Tomorrow’s World warned us that the cold, heartless synth would soon make orchestras redundant. But by 1980, Korgs, Moogs and Rolands were becoming affordable for all, and post-punk had created a safe place for new groups to experiment with these new toys.

The influence of Kraftwerk – who had made a landmark appearance on Tomorrow’s World in 1975 – is all over this collection. Big names rub shoulders with obscurities by Turquoise Days, Electronic Circus and Illustration, all highly prized recordings among ‘cold wave’ and ‘minimal synth’ afficionados. There are pioneers like John Foxx and Thomas Leer, alongside unexpected synth sadness from Simple Minds and the Teardrop Explodes.

“The Tears Of Technology” celebrates an era of electronic melancholia, synthesized intimacies and insights – even Tomorrow’s World didn’t see that coming.

Danny Krivit's fine re-edit of Gary's Gang classic "Let's Lovedance Tonight" first surfaced on Nervous Records back in 2007, and has been something of an in-demand item with disco DJs ever since. This, then, is a more than welcome reissue. The genius of Krivit's scalpel job is that it merely emphasizes the sections of the original that dancefloors want to hear; specifically, the acoustic guitar and organ-heavy groove, killer drum breaks and winding saxophone lines. It's simple but devilishly effective.

"Let’s Do It" by Convertion is another era defining soul-infused disco classic from the Sam Records catalogue. Danny Krivit similarly works his magic bringing out those elements that make the track – originally produced by Greg Carmichael and featuring the legendary Leroy Burgess on vocals – such a must-have item for all collectors.

David Gray’s multi-platinum-selling album, White Ladder is presented in newly remastered audio in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
White Ladder spawned the timeless hits “This Year’s Love,” “Babylon,” and “Sail Away” and is one of the greatest and most heart-warming word-of-mouth successes in music. “What happened with White Ladder involved more than music. It was a sort of heart and soul moment of total surrender for everybody involved, for me and the
audience. That was it. It doesn’t get any better than that.” - David Gray

The expanded, deluxe edition features a remastered version of the iconic album plus a second disc; LP of previously unreleased and rare White Ladder-era B-sides and demos. LP 2x12" regular pressed & designed on 140g White Coloured Vinyl, Includes Printed Inner Sleeve, Gatefold & DL Card.

Calum Gunn has spent the past few years becoming a key figure in the European electronic avant-garde. As well as releasing his own music through labels like Entr'acte, FLUF and Tsuku Boshi, the Berlin-based Gunn also helms Conditional Records, one of the most forward-thinking computer-music imprints to emerge in recent times.

Gunn's Addenda EP, his debut drop for Central Processing Unit, contains some of his most dynamic work to date. While his commitment to experimentalism remains, these four tracks represent a clear shift in focus for Gunn - namely that, for perhaps the first time in his career, he is making music that is club-friendly. A whole host of dancefloor innovators are recalled when listening to Addenda - particularly Autechre, Analord-era AFX and several of Mark Pritchard's projects as well as Gunn's contemporaries Rian Treanor and Renick Bell.

These tracks never sit still, their rhythms constantly evolving and turning themselves over. Addenda's first two cuts use metronomic hi-hats to keep these ever-changing grooves in check. With its thwacking kicks and snares, opener 'Esephony' enters the fray with the heft of an early Wiley riddim. Atop these drums we find squeaky half-melodies interlocking and breaking apart, meaning that the overall effect is not dissimilar to the tweaking beats that Pritchard came up with as part of Africa Hitech. 'Esephony' is followed by 'Moebu', another track that harks to grime through its fluttering lead synth. The way that this single-note line snakes above a slow, steady drum pulse pitches 'Moebu' halfway between Last Japan and rRoxymore.

Gunn increases the tempo in Addenda's second half. 'Ternenmarz' introduces itself with more blarts of bass, but whereas these were steady on 'Esephony' they now jump around unexpectedly. Gunn holds the erratic kicks in place with twittering hats and snares - indeed, when you factor in its gnarly synth lines, 'Ternenmarz' steers closer than any other cut here to the high-grade electro drops that CPU has made its name with. Closer 'Pins' supercharges the snap of 'Esephony' to 145 bpm before Gunn softens up the track with reverb-drenched synths that nod to the sombre post-grime of Mr. Mitch's Gobstopper Records.

With the Addenda EP, Calum Gunn has achieved something that proves elusive to so many producers - making club tracks that are at once innovative and immediate, their experimental tendencies serving to elevate their dancefloor impact.

RIYL: Rian Treanor, Africa Hitech, Autechre, Renick Bell, Brainwaltzera

M!R!M is the solo project of Jack Milwaukee, italian multi-instrumentalist based in London since 2011. Inspired by early 80's synth pop, cold and dark wave, M!R!M has been releasing on labels as Fabrika and Manic Depression. Since his debut album, he’s been touring and playing shows all around Europe building an important following and a significant name within the scene.

On January 31st, 2020, Avant! Records will release his third full-length, The Visionary. Still featuring Milwaukee at the helm along with selected collaborators as supplementation, The Visionary is a further evolution in M!R!M sound, which showcases how the musician’s vision has evolved throughout the years.

Holding firmly to the vibes that recall the most dreaming 80’s, Jack Milwaukee this time blends together that typical FM synth timbre, which has always characterized the artist, with deeper and sumptuous sounds found within the notes of Mellotron and sax; overcoming previous Lo-Fi approaches to undertake a solid, prominent and more mature path.

The Visionary is a collection of songs pieced together in a meaningful and harmonious way where the storytelling is very vivid and fundamental. Trapped between hope and melancholy each track evolves smoothly into another one until it gets to a mystical end, a point of no return. From syncopated punchy bass lines drove by solid drum beats to elegant violin quartets accompanied by almost religious choirs, The Visionary is an engaging work that doesn’t remain only inside the robes of shimmering synth-pop tunes but also explores more intimate and private territories as an ode to the most deep feelings.

Pulling from the ‘pop’ approach of mid 80’s synth-pop pioneers like New Order, The Wake, Tears For Fears to most iconic figures of the Italian 80’s era, M!R!M dialed in on a clear understanding of it's own specific sound, which has since evolved. The Visionary is the ultimate unified vision of M!R!M’s work, it’s the sweetest transition of the most nostalgic daydream.

2x12" 180 grams / white vinyl

"The universe,
purity, simplicity and deceits,
profundity, solitude and hardness.
A brilliant yet dark setting.

A place of fleeting ephemeral encounters, real and intense nonetheless, where the forces sustaining it all are neither dark matter nor dark energy, but rather the outcome of the explosion of infinite ancestral love between the creation and its creator, in an era where one was still everything.

Gravity Darkening is an astronomic phenomenon, in which the light emanating from a star is distorted to the eyes of the beholder. A bridge of playful mirrors between reality and its perception in a binary code world, where man can dream unconditionally when reflecting himself in the absence of light.

This album is an expression of the allegorical essence of my lived experience and its resulting analysis, projected into another timeline, parallel to ours".
- Specialivery

Canyons are places of mystery and beauty. The interesting thing is, while they are one of the great wonders in the history of planet earth and attract scientists of all kinds of disciplines, they have also been a popular retreat for artists and musicians. You will have heard of Topanga Canyon, Rickie Lee Jones and Chicago recorded here. Laurel Canyon is even more well known, a mythical place where Crosby, Stills & Nash developed their unique vocal sound while hanging around Mama Cass' place. Or was it in Joni Mitchell's house on Lookout Mountain? Ok, you get the picture. There is something unexplainable, almost magical going on in canyons.

Maybe that's why Andy Platts and Shawn Lee were thinking of "Canyons" when they wrote and recorded their third album as Young Gun Silver Fox. With "West End Coast" and "AM Waves" these two very talented musicians, singers, songwriters, arrangers and producers already explored all things Westcoast, AOR, Softrock and Boogie. But - especially if you are a into the golden age of this sound running from circa 1976 to 1984 - you will be aware that there is no return once you started digging these unconditional musical delights with their timeless compositions, untouchable musicianship and refined arrangements. The great albums from that era appeared when punk broke and the musical establishment was shaken to the ground. Today they sound more up to date than ever. Who would have thought back then?

On "Canyons" Young Gun Silver Fox turned it up to eleven. They are nothing but "Kids" cruising in the fast lane, totally over the top searching for the "Dream Woman", touching down in Tokyo caught in a "Long Distance Love Affair", imagining the theme for a lost 70s TV series starring "Danny Jamaica", being on the winning side in a "Private Paradise", getting deep and soulful in "Things We Left Unsaid" and wondering how to spread "All This Love". Their bass lines, sound layers, brass arrangements and harmony vocals are immaculate. Everything fits perfectly. Just like this. "Who Needs Words" when everything is crystal clear? Exactly!

"Canyons", after all, are magical places of rare beauty. (Mr. Mellow - Porcaroc Club/Mr. Mellow's Sunday Scene/Soho Radio).

17 Steps present ‘New Atlantis’, a 5 track EP from versatile DJ, producer and dance music historian Chrissy.

The EP takes its name from an unexpected source – a 17th century utopian novel of the same name by Sir Francis Bacon, depicting a future society in which science has become the ruling principle. It’s an inspiring idea for Chrissy – an antidote to the assault on truth and intellectualism led by climate change deniers, anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, creationists, unfit-for-office demagogues and the slow suffocation of fact-based journalism.

‘New Atlantis’ explores the utopian worldview implicit in early rave music, drawing on classic Chicago house, UK hardcore and Drexciyan electro. The result is a collection of jacking breaks and bass infused dance music washed with a bittersweet euphoria – celebrating and lamenting an era’s forgotten optimism.

Algiers return with third album 'There Is No Year', released on Matador Records. ‘There Is No Year’ solidifies and expands upon the doom-laden soul of their foundation, toward an even more epic, genre-reformatting sound, one somehow suspended in the amber of “a different era,” as described by guitarist Lee Tesche. This latest offering is available on CD and LP. Vinyl comes with a bonus 7” flexi disc

A member of popular techno trio Agents of Time, Italian artist Fedele goes solo AF on his Turbo debut, No Mercy for Beginners. Against the backdrop of a nightmare international tour experience, Fedele channeled his negative feelings away from people and into creating darkly euromotional dancefloor catharsis. Try it sometime.

Sharp-eared lovers of listening may notice that lead track “Riot Revolte” purloins the loin jewels (the street-tough vocals) from Tiga’s 2004 classic, “Pleasure from the Bass.” DJ Hell noticed the shit out of this, introducing a mutant variation on the PFTB baseline into his lurid after-hours remix. Moreover, the entire EP recalls the legendary run of killer electro records that kicked off what many, many people refer to as Turbo’s Silver Age in the early-mid 2000s. This may be utterly meaningless, or it may herald the coming era of compressed cyclical time that will dictate dance music taste in the 2020s with the sort of mathematical precision rarely found outside pie chart software. Either way, you heard it here first.

Our little reissue label is back in the game with a solid four tracker, written and produced by Doug Cavender and Mark Orosz - under the ILK alterego. Four Freqs EP was originally released almost twenty years ago on the Los Angeles based imprint Straylight Recordings. Proper cuts balancing well between techno and house from an era where unique ideas were easily melted into raw and uncompromising compositions without any genre standards. - Tape Hiss Crew

Greek artist June makes his debut on Mannequin Records with the 'Silver Demon' LP. The album explores a futuristic dystopian world where transcendence and oppression coexist, where claustrophobia and infinite openness coincide. A world of contrasts that is the product of the artist‘s active imagination and conscious effort to confront the subconscious.

The album was recorded using original techniques from the golden era of electronic music (late 70s to mid 80s) with an arsenal of vintage analog synthesizers, drum machines and effect processors (originating) from the same time period. While the aesthetics of the classic precursors emerge through the minimal, deep, dark architecture of June's music, Silver Demon prevails with the artist's characteristic originality.

Mastered by Rude 66.
Graphic design by Lee Douglas.

The 'OTHERLiiNE' project sees the pair fly in the face of maximalist music culture that so often demands constant releases and sudden drops. Here, George and Sila work with a considered approach, producing only quality manifesto of work ready to release into the new era of club culture and beyond. Featuring 7-tracks complimented by a set of interludes, the 'OTHERLiiNE' project guides the listener through an emancipating journey of outstanding elegance and otherworldly joy.

Classic creative bop melodies and golden era beat memories woven into a vibrant new thread of psychedelic soul jazz. The New Breed received “Best of 2016” honors from NPR Music, Observer, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Aquarium Drunkard, and Bandcamp.