Search:ess o ess

With Le Tact, Joseph Schiano di Lombo delivers a work of rare finesse, conceived as a posthumous conversation with photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Through seven meditative pieces - whose evocative titles echo the photographer's words when describing the art of creating an image - this album explores the instinctive and delicate relationship that connects music and photography to our everyday lives.

Presented for the first time on stage during the 20th anniversary of the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, Le Tact draws its inspiration from the photographer’s art: a sensitive and respectful approach, capturing the essence of things without altering them. This spirit of discretion and precision is distilled by Joseph into his music, blending composition and improvisation with intuitive elegance. While Joseph composed and performed the piano, organ, synthesizer, clarinet, and guitar himself, he opened his arrangements for the first time to other musicians. Agnes Wasniewska (oboe), Barbara Misiewicz (cello), and Tomasz Baye Zietek (trumpet) bring their sonic textures, enriching this work, which is both intimate and collaborative. The album was recorded between Paris and Sopot (Poland) during a residency organized by the CNM.

The album’s title perfectly encapsulates its essence: Le Tact. This simple word, evoking both the sense of touch and artistic intuition, reflects the way Joseph composes—with respect, humility, and attention to detail. Each note seems to float lightly, as if to preserve the serenity of the moment. Le Tact transcends genre boundaries. Between ambient music and contemporary art, this album invites listeners to slow down and truly listen. It is a tribute to the beauty of the world, captured with the subtlety of a photographer and the sensitivity of a musician.

The latest in Field Records' run of essential vinyl pressings revisits Stephen Hitchell's 2009 masterpiece under his Variant alias, The Setting Sun. As part of Echospace and also celebrated for his productions as Intrusion and Soultek, Hitchell is considered a leading light in dub techno, with the versatility in his sound to range from rhythmic, physical pulses to purely tonal, abyssal drone. His work as Variant, which debuted with The Setting Sun, capitalises on this scope to deliver a compelling ambient-with-teeth set richly deserving of a proper vinyl pressing.

The Setting Sun first emerged on Echospace as a download-only release. Hitchell was at pains to map out the tools that went into the sound on the album — field recordings of storms in Berlin, Germany and train rides in Narita, Japan, outboard synths and samplers. Crucially, he declared no computers were used, and it shows. When The Setting Sun was recorded, in-the-box production was largely dominating electronic music and the technology had yet to replicate the warmth and character of analogue equipment. Hitchell's looming chords come baked with harmonic overtones, surface noise becomes another essential layer and fragments of distortion add to the narrative of these glacial, monumental pieces.

Hitchell threads his dub techno tendencies in subtle ways, from the kick pattering underneath 'As Time Stood Still' to the quintessential metallic delay ripples that define 'A Silent Storm'. 'Someplace Else' has a defined, albeit delicate, rhythm section guiding its lighter shades of pads and chords. However, drums are never a dominant aspect of the music, simply another layer in an intentionally coagulated whole. At times, flickering tones hint at space where percussion once stood, since muted to leave the wet signal setting a new course for the sound, somewhere far beyond drum duties. The hushed ceremony of tracks like 'Adrift' are the perfect scenario in which to absorb these microfibres of detail, where the genius of Hitchell can truly be savoured.

In line with the limitations of record pressing and Hitchell's proclivity for long-form tracks, 'The Setting Sun' is reserved for the digital edition of this reissue. It's a logical move, as the sound palette widens to encompass tangible, organic instrumentation evolving over the best part of half an hour. The presence of piano keys feels stark in the Variant sound world, but Hitchell ably folds these coded elements into his process bathed in the same curious luminosity that lingers around all his work. Evolving at a painstaking pace, the plaintive humanity in the cascading keys and plucked guitar strings renders one of the most personal expressions in Hitchell's considerable canon — a unique piece that holds its own space comfortably, while also adding to the overall weight of The Setting Sun as a profound benchmark in a stellar discography.

Renowned producer Elliot Garvey, also recognised as Quartz, has unveiled a 4-track EP for us at System Music. This exceptional collection of unconventional yet functional 140 tracks solidifies Quartz's position as a boundary-pushing artist, showcasing his versatility beyond his renowned Drum & Bass repertoire.

Entitled "Apparitions," this EP showcases Quartz's ability to craft mesmerising compositions while staying true to his signature sound, which is both acoustically dense and hyper-futuristic, typically defying traditional structures.

Elliot's mission to fashion music with absolute integrity and sincerity yields an authentic and credible experience yet again. The rugged and gritty essence of this 4-tracker serves a purpose, with its distorted and offbeat character making Quartz one of the most inventive mavericks of recent years.

Early support by Gerd Janson, Moxie, Tim Sweeney, James Zabiela, Prins Thomas

Berghain’s Panorama Bar resident and Love On Rocks founder, Paramida delivers her take on Deep Dish’s classic ‘Say Hello’.

For the Lisbon based, international superstar DJ and producer, it’s a full-circle moment. As a teenager living in Tehran, she listened to “Say Hello” on her daily car rides to and from an internship at an Iranian newspaper while attending a German school.

Paramida explained the remix idea came together very quickly, in a single take, with everything falling perfectly into place.

An essential remix that is sure to be played everywhere from sweaty basements to festival throughout the Summer.

Daybreakers keep it rolling in 2026 after two essential Vick Lavender samplers, this time back east with some DATs from the Jersey boys “Raw Tunes” Little to nothing is known about those two. We will keep it that way and let the music do the talking.

Medlar sends us a less anonymous remix straight from the Cayman Islands too... Hard hitting deep house perfect for the peak time, What more do you expect from us at DAYBREAKERS?

Buy or cry.

First instalment from Silk Cuts, essential tracks from the vaults lovingly reworked by this nameless and shameless edits label, on point 7 inch ammunition for any party starter, turntablist or hip hop collector. Highly recommended and only available on limited edition vinyl, more releases to follow….. Silk Cuts indeed

Falling Ethics continues its relentless momentum with FEX029, welcoming dc11 to the roster for the uncompromising 'Stuck In The Overhead EP'. Being true to the label's tradition of exploring the darker, more industrial-leaning corners of techno, this four-tracker serves also as a masterclass in precision, stripped-back aesthetics, mechanical grit and minimalistic sound design. Essential, heavy-duty techno.

A warehouse find of 100 copies, 747's Paleo gets a second chance at the hands it deserves. One of Aquaregia's most essential records, with lost copies finally back in circulation. Originally released in 2018, the Canadian producer's first long-player spans eight tracks of diverse acid on a time-travelling trip through geological history, spanning prehistoric landscapes, roiling subaquatic vulcanism and the deep pull of ancient seas. A vinyl-exclusive D side closes out the journey.

dgoHn (pronounced “John") is the moniker of John Cunnane, who hails from somewhere between London and Essex. ‘Tessares,’ his fourth album but his first for Planet Mu, is playful, unconventional drum & bass that contrasts sparse effects and melodic elements with complex drumfunk and breakcore. He often uses unusual time signatures and head-spinning polyrhythms inspired by jazz and math rock, sometimes within the same track. Somehow he makes it sound effortless, and occasionally pretty as well, keeping a fine balance that never feels punishing; exploratory without getting lost.

He's built a name for himself over the last two decades performing live at festivals and events around the world, while collaborating with fellow artists such as Macc, Nic TVG, Jodey Kendrick and Badun as well as solo releases.


The album opens with ‘Waiting For’ which combines complex breaks with melodic fills, spacey effects and dubbed out vocals that feel like snatches of lost conversations - a combination he uses throughout the album giving it an eerie touch of humanity. Lead single ‘I Couldn't Remember So I Made Something Up’ is in 15/8 time. It feels like a conventional melodic drum & bass track, but the time signature disrupts the listeners’ expectations, while the detuned melody eases its sense of dislocation. ’Whistling On A Tuesday’ opens with a light echoey piano countdown into bass stabs which introduce heavy whirling amen breakbeats that switch between 180 and 120 bpm. ’Holly Can Swim But She Doesn’t Really Like It’ is the most rhythmically challenging track here. It feels hard to hang on to as its knotty breaks play out over bell chimes, like something Autechre might make if jungle was in their DNA. The album ends on the dubbed-out drumfunk of ‘7 Years Or More,’ with an arrangement that builds a filmic, dusty atmosphere of chimes and electric guitar, layering in vocals, vinyl crackle and echoing synth giving way to tough drums, before all that is taken away so that just a voice remains.

Tip! Amazing Dub House and Techno. REFRACTION returns with Opal (Remixes), the label’s second vinyl release, revisiting one of its most refined collaborative projects to date. Following the strong impact of the original EP by Pedro Capelossi and Aeikus, this vinyl edition brings together three reinterpretations by Federsen, Tm Shuffle and Dubtommy, alongside the original version of Opal, expanding the sonic spectrum while preserving the essence of the release.

King Street Sounds Sampler Vol. 7 continues the long-running series from the legendary King Street Sounds catalogue, bringing together a selection of classic house cuts from some of the label’s most respected artists.

Featuring productions from Mood II Swing, Jovonn, Roy Davis Jr. and Osunlade, the release highlights the soulful, groove-led house sound that has defined King Street across decades of dancefloor culture.

Including standout tracks such as Mood II Swing’s Nafara and Osunlade’s The Fifth Dimension, the sampler brings together several proven records in one DJ-friendly vinyl package.

With warm grooves, musical depth and timeless club arrangements, these proven King Street records offer strong crossover appeal for both long-time house collectors and DJs looking for reliable dancefloor material.

As the seventh edition in the King Street sampler series, this release presents a selection of essential house cuts on one highly playable vinyl release.

A strong catalogue addition for stores serving soulful and deep house buyers.

Gadea’s original soundtrack to In the Beginning, the new animated short film by director Ala Nunu, unfolds across three surreal, yet surprisingly real, stories about people and the world around them: a lunar probe’s tardigrade cargo, 16th-century myths surrounding birds of paradise, and Hong Kong’s pandemic-driven hamster cull. The film is a tonally absurd documentary-fiction essay on anthropocentrism and the human need to control narratives.

This is Gadea’s first musical accompaniment for animation. Collaborating with Marina Herlop on vocals, Gadea’s sonic palette sits somewhere between field-recording minimalism, chamber electro-acoustics, and the more fragile end of speculative composition.

Atkinson first saw Les yeux sans visage when she was a teenager, around the turn of the century. The film made an impact for its iconic imagery and the way Franju draws on the aesthetics of early filmmaking, from its score that relies on stylistic markers typical of the 1940s or 50s to the decision to shoot in black and white. Even four decades after its first release, it was clear that this was a work that stood outside of the cultural moment that birthed it, speaking through time in ways that were uncanny, but profound.

A quarter-century later, Atkinson was approached by the Belgian cultural center VIERNULVIER to create a new score for Les yeux sans visage for its celebrated Videodroom series, which has seen artists like claire rousay, Mabe Fratti, Lee Renaldo, and many more create new original scores for cult classics and genre cinema. Atkinson's music, with its sublime meditations on space and proximity, its elusive sense of narrative development, mirrors the pacing and mystery at the heart of horror filmmaking. There is a shadow at the heart of her soundtrack to Les yeux sans visage, an ever-shifting wisp and an insinuation of encroaching transfiguration. Echoing a climactic moment in the film, the music obliquely points to "the Beyond," an impossible place of discovery and revelation.

Atkinson envisioned her music as something akin to the air moving throughout and beyond the many cages that appear in the film, unconstrained by the bars and with undefined borders. Those cages hold the victims of a madman surgeon, determined to graft a new face onto his daughter, the protagonist Christiane Génessier, who lost hers in a car accident while he was behind the wheel. Atkinson was reminded of her predecessors at the pioneering French studio the GRM, who approached sound in a less sinister, but similarly surgical manner, and took inspiration from their playful approach to cerebral soundmaking for the electroacoustic topography into which the piano is embedded. As such, Atkinson’s reactions to the larger themes and the minute-by-minute happenings onscreen are both audible simultaneously.

A film about a man who destroys the lives of young women marked by their beauty and similarity to his daughter in a shame-fueled rage has clear, continuous cultural resonance. "Through the music, I decided to bring back their empowerment despite what they endure," says Atkinson. "This is why the record is also dedicated to Gisèle Pelicot, whose trial happened while I was in the process of composing the music and kept thinking of her strength and her decision to share her trial in order to reverse the shame."

This recorded version of the soundtrack is a 34-minute synthesis of the full 90-minute score, presented on LP along with an essay by writer-musician Claire Cronin and drawings by Momo Gordon, together forming a complex reflection on the film's themes. If these sounds move as if the bars of cages are no barrier, they also intimate the freedom and power of those held behind them. Rather than simply mirroring the fear and confinement shown onscreen, Atkinson offers an elusive escape, a beacon for the characters, and the listener, to follow as they reckon with the narrative and move through it.

The mysterious Gluten People return to the fold, handing over their next vinyl-only transmission. For this second helping of "glutenous" dancefloor heat, the duo has paired up with Giacomo XL, following the massive demand for their debut EP.

Expect more of the same raw, rhythmic energy that made their first outing a must-have for heads and selectors alike. This is essential, no-nonsense club material built specifically for the wax-only connoisseur.

Early Support from: Archie Hamilton, Liquid Earth, Enzo Siragusa, Huxley, La Fleur, Sean Johnston, Make A Dance, Baby Rollen, Ysanne, Eliza Rose, Bartolomeo, Ryan Clover, AGELESS, Alec Falconer, Call Super, Bas Ibellini, ADMNTi, Gearmaster (fka Abdul Raeva), Timo Maas, Christopher Ledger, Moodymanc, Nathan Colinet, Gabski, Greogorio Soave, and many more.

Altiin Gün, die türkisch-psychedelische Band aus Amsterdam, veröffentlicht ihr sechstes Studioalbum "Garip", ein ehrgeiziges und vielseitiges Werk, das als Hommage an die türkische Volksmusiklegende Neset Ertas (1938-2012) dient. "Garip" enthält zehn von Ertas" ikonischen Kompositionen, die von Altiin Gün auf einzigartige Weise neu interpretiert und musikalisch erweitert werden. Die Band verbindet dabei eine Vielzahl von Einflüssen, von der klassischen Anatolischen Volksmusik über Arabesque und Bollywood-Soundtracks bis hin zu westlichen Rock- und Synth-Vibes. Das Album ist eine kreative Weiterentwicklung des bereits etablierten Sounds von Altiin Gün, der Elemente aus Funk, Rock, und türkischer Folklore miteinander vereint. Mit hypnotischen Basslinien, kräftigen Schlagzeugrhythmen und filigranen Synthesizer-Arpeggien schafft "Garip" eine Atmosphäre, die die Essenz von Ertas" emotional aufgeladenen Liedern einfängt und gleichzeitig die experimentierfreudige Energie der Band widerspiegelt. Die Band, die für ihre packenden Live-Auftritte bekannt ist, beweist mit "Garip" einmal mehr, dass sie zu den innovativsten Vertretern der modernen türkischen Musikszene gehört.

2026 Repress

The debut release from a brand new imprint on the market - Patent by Gockel - a heavyweight 5-track vinyl journey into the world of the echo chamber, where baselines roll deep, claps crack like thunder, and each artist brings a unique flavor of dubwise pressure. From smoky steppers to spaced-out experiments, this compilation distills the essence of dub infused Techno into pure wax.

"The electroclash genre sure has been having a bit of a renaissance moment. During its first coming an odd 25 years ago the French act Sweetlight was a favorite over here. Originally active between 2002 and 2010, they quickly positioned themselves within a refined strand of the global underground scene: inspired by 90s acid house club culture, they rose to prominence by releasing a sparse selection of original tracks and a multitude of remixes that were both dancefloor-effective and immediately recognizable. After the EPs stopped coming, the project seemed to have faded. But their tracks never left our bag: they combined minimalism with ambiguous elegance and retained a distinct, timeless quality, easily transcending the turn-of-the-century style they were most closely associated with. We are delighted, in what we consider nothing less than a full-circle moment, to release "Selected Recordings: 2004 - 2006" and shed light on an underrated yet, in our eyes, absolutely essential project. ALT022 is an anthology release featuring four extensive, remastered cuts. Abusator, arguably the act's hallmark track and a crossover hit, kicks off the EP. It is joined by Mecaniques Remontees, which opened the milestone Suck My Deck mix by Ivan Smagghe, and Too Shy, both initially part of the same EP back in 2004. Noir Comme Le Beat, an unreleased curiosity from the same era, closes the record. You will find dark, endless, ever-modulating arpeggiator basses, Detroit-via-Paris chord progressions, and spartan drums. The work is, in the artists' own words, low-profile, detail-oriented, and built for late hours. It's an ideal compilation or - depending on the case - introduction, especially now that new work is rumored to be finally on its way."

EU/UK Exclusive

Japanese pressing

From Universal Music's vast catalogue, the essence of Japanese AOR, all tracks are selected and played in Muro's mix cd 'Diggin' Japanese AOR' released in 2017 and now released on 2LP.

This includes some of hidden gems such as Maki Asakawa's 'American Night', Yoshio Harada and more from the late 80's to early 90's - the golden time of Japanese AOR.

Melody As Truth and Future Days Radio present ‘At the Emerald Pool’, an album by Tomo Katsurada and Jonny Nash.

Netherlands-based artists Tomo Katsurada (Ex-Kikagaku Moyo / Future Days Radio) and Jonny Nash (Melody As Truth) combine forces for an exploration into the sonic potential of the guitar duo, rooted in their experiences performing together over the last 12 months.

Friends and admirers of each other’s work for a decade, their musical collaboration began in 2024 with Katsurada asking Nash to contribute guitar to his debut EP ‘Dream Of The Egg’. Sensing the need to explore this further, they spent the following year performing together in different configurations, with Nash joining Katsurada’s trio and Katsurada in turn playing with Nash as a duo, across a wide spectrum of spaces, from churches and temples to concert halls, theatres and outdoor festivals. With new ideas developing organically out of these performances, recording new material became the next logical step. A short period of three days was set aside with a clear goal: to capture the essence of their fluid, intertwining melodies and guitar playing in a way that felt as direct and unfiltered as possible. Working from a handful of pre-existing sketches, they left ample room for experimentation to unfold within the process.


The results are presented on ‘At The Emerald Pool’, a collection of ten pieces that offer the listener a full immersion into the pair’s sound. With guitar as the primary instrument for both artists, it is no surprise that the core of the album lies here, specifically in the fluid interplay between the two players. Layers of gentle, delay-soaked fingerpicking often make it almost impossible to distinguish where one player ends and the other begins. As soloists, both Katsurada and Nash have a gift for crafting melodic lines that feel open and ascending, expressive and hopeful without becoming saccharine. Longer, more abstract pieces are counterbalanced by a series of shorter songs, with five vocal tracks appearing across the album. The decision to share vocal duties lends the record a unique quality and a strong sense of variation, bringing a wide expressive range out of a deliberately focused musical framework.


‘At The Emerald Pool’ represents the first chapter in an ongoing musical dialogue, an attempt to capture a moment of connection, openness and discovery, laying the foundation for what continues to unfold.

Cymbals' second album, ‘Mr. Noone Special’, released in 2000, makes its debut on vinyl.
Building on the pop sensibility of their first album, this record evolves into a more soulful and mature sound.
Featuring expressive vocals by Asako Toki and mellow, refined compositions by Reiji Okii, it includes classics like “Do You Believe In Magic” and “Highway Star,
Speed Star.”
A defining work from Cymbals' mid-period, distinguished by its sophisticated, urban sound and assured melodic sense.
This essential album for any discussion of Japanese pop from the 90s to the early 2000s finally gets its long-awaited first vinyl release.