Benjamin Damage is back on ARTSCORE with a stunningly crafted record that explores the deepest parts of his mind.
We strongly believe that an Artist should have the freedom to express many phases of his thoughts, and doing it with the power of Techno is one of our main goals to inspire you. Benjamin is clearly on top of his game, and we are proud to deliver something very powerful here, done in one of the most elegant ways.
Dear listener,
On behalf of re:discovery records, it is with great excitement that we announce the release of Stryke – The Introspection Trilogy (1994-2022). rd011 features a track that is very close to my heart. My senior year in high school. I was heavily into chill-out music at the time. Labels like FAX, Instinct Ambient, Reflective, Astralwerks, em:t, Silent, Moonshine, Rising High, Warp, Exist Dance, Visible, Eye Q and others were giving me such a wide array of beautiful sounds of more subdued techno and rhythmic ambient music. I was buying every compilation I could at the time that looked remotely different based on the artwork, the unusual artist names or the tracks. I was soaking in everything I could under the chill-out style. That year 1994 I picked up the 2nd edition of Moonshine's 'United State of Ambience 2'.
It has so many good tracks on it. One track that always held a special place in my heart was Stryke's 'Introspection pt.1'. The simple but catchy melody layering. The easy atmosphere made me feel like I was floating in the ocean. The deep 808 bass notes (I hope one day you and I will hear this on an amazing sound system). The amazing strings reach a crescendo nearing the end. This track has so many simple but beautiful sounds on it. It's a great example of what I call sequencer-styled electronic music. At a time when producers layered tracks in more of a sequence then building or placing sounds. In 2021 I was able to get a hold of Greg Chin to see if he was interested in putting the track on my label and letting it breathe freely on its own side alone as the highlight of an EP. Greg was enthusiastic about the opportunity and told me that he always wanted to complete the trilogy he had in mind of a part 2 and 3. The ominous and eerie part 2 adds a terrific tension to the finale of part 3. The last being almost an updated part 1 really concluded the trilogy for me. Both parts melded together on side B pushing near 17 minutes. I want to thank Greg for letting us be a home to complete his journey.
- Tim Humphrey aka TIM aka errorsinspace
Berlin based sound artist Sa Pa delivers AI-33, titled ‘Atmospheric Fragments’. Originally intended as a soundtrack to accompany ten short experimental films as part of a physical exhibition in 2020 curated by Manon Bernard, Atmospheric Fragments was alternatively premiered online as a digital showroom - with its music performed and recorded both live and independently in 2021.
Atmospheric Fragments was conceived as a collaborative audio-visual project, positing the viewer inside a sonic boom of introspective parenthesis and offering a place for internal dialogues under the circumstances of a largely unknown and rapidly changing modern world.
Sa Pa’s work presents a fresh sonic reinterpretation of urban landscapes, skylines and modern environments, procuring from its source material a whole new kaleidoscopic world of its own. The record consists of two mixes - ‘Studio’ and ‘Live’ - which demonstrate a deep explorational study of our everyday surroundings, plunging the listener into a realm of heightened sense experience and microscopic detail. Where the ‘Studio’ mix embodies the precision and management of the studio workspace and is more ambient in nature, such intricacies are exchanged for a larger, livelier sound stage and alternative sonic material in the ‘Live’ mix.
A nebulous ocean of shifting spaces and effervescent textures, Sa Pa augments and modulates field recordings into a fluid and ever-evolving narrative. Seen through a viewfinder of deep and immersive observation, new transients, momentary artefacts and poetry in motion begin to reveal itself. In a world caught in momentary stasis, Atmospheric Fragments is a forensic inquiry into our perceptive environment, with its augmented lens placing us on the cusp of the ungraspable.
SHDW & Obscure Shape return to their mothership label From Another Mind with their six-track 'Vergessene Welt' EP, signalling the first material on the imprint for 18 months.
Founded in 2015, the launch of SHDW and Obscure Shape's label From Another Mind saw the Stuttgart-based DJ/producers establish themselves via a wealth of self-released material while welcoming a long list of high-profile remixers, including Rodhad, James Ruskin and Dax J. However, the pair's evolution saw new ventures explored and attention focused wider afield with the launch of their second label Mutual Rytm in 2022. Utilising their A&R skills, the label has seen the duo curate and invite a selection of up-and-coming and established names while also delivering their first EP on the label in Summer, 'Poetic Justice'. Exploring the techno sounds of tomorrow while drawing on influences of the past, the label quickly turned heads and has become a go-to for many. Following a brief hiatus, the attention is now turned back towards From Another Mind as the pair explore their origins and the signature FAM sound once again, opening the New Year with six fresh productions across their 'Vergessene Welt' EP.
Opener 'Planet Der Sturme' is an exhilarating ride through driving basslines, menacing synth lines and hard-hitting percussion to march towards the peak hours and set the tone for what's to come. 'Der Urknall' is a trippy and murky dive through off-kilter textures and regimented percussion, while 'Das Gefallene Konigreich' ups the energy levels further with sharp metallic tones, skittering hats and subtle haunting melodies launching deep into the late night hours.
On the flip, 'Geburt Der Erde' brings a slice of paired-back, groove-led techno as a slick acid line takes control and ebbs and flows throughout the track's six-minute duration, before closing the physical record via the delicate yet compelling sonics of title cut 'Vergessene Welt' - showcasing a deep dive into far-reaching corners of the genre.
Northern Soul legend Billy Prince returns with his next Common Good Records dancefloor filler. Following up the sold-out Angel/I Need You 7” with a Detroit-styled uptempo heartfelt offering. Born and raised in the Motor City, Billy developed a passion for music at a very young age, in part due to him spending much of his childhood in his father’s record shop during the Detroit soul explosion. Billy is one of the founding members and lead singer of The Precisions, who are best known for the legendary Northern Soul stomper, “If This Is Love (I’d Rather Be Lonely)”.
August Greene culminates years of mutual respect and friendship, channeling the musicians’ various talents into a cohesive project. The perfect marriage of jazz, hip-hop and soul, it’s music that just is. This is black expression the way God intended: earnest, unfiltered, and harmonious. Throughout August Greene, you feel the abundance of Glasper’s rolling keys, the sheer honesty of Com’s lyrics, and the nuanced subtlety of Riggins’ drum work. It’s a fluid sound that’s sorely needed in today’s landscape, and a teachable moment for the next wave of creators. “I feel like we need to set the bar for this generation of musicians and producers,” Riggins says. “There’s a lot of computer-driven music. This is the opposite of that. We’re showing you can still use your creative muscle on an instrument to generate your own sound.” August Greene is a meditative offering that stands tall against the era of “fake news.” “They body snatching black girls in D.C. / Politics and propaganda on the TV,” Common observes on the opening track. On “Nirvana,” the lyricist uses a stuttering percussive loop and faint piano chords to search his inner being: “Thought I was gonna fly when Obama became the king … when it’s all done, will I have heaven’s dress code, and been able to let God and let go.” As Com puts it, Glasper and Riggins’ soundtrack allowed him to open up in ways he hadn’t done previously. Like on “Fly Away,” for instance, where he riffs on the public relationships he’s had. Other songs, like “Black Kennedy,” feel spacious and scenic. “I got to go new places with the music, and it didn’t have to fit within a genre for me to participate on it,” he says. “This gave me an experience I haven’t had in a long time, so I want people to feel that. I want this to be a cleansing of whatever doesn’t feel good or inspiring.” In the end, August Greene speaks to those pushing through the dark for brighter days. It's a masterpiece from which virtue can shine. “I want people to go on the ride and be open,” Glasper says. “We just created and it became a sound. I want people to approach this with an open mind and without expectations.” —Marcus J. Moore
It was in the year 1981 when Belgian electronic musician Michel Huygen and his Spanish colleague Carlos Guirao, both better known as Neuronium, met with Evngelos Odyss as Papathanassou, better known as Vangelis, to record a joint session in London.
Michel Huygen remembers: "The music we played together starting from my score, was flowing, flowing so fast and smoothly between the 3 of us, that I can now, many years after, say: We recorded all the music's parts in one single "shot", since the result was absolutely what we all wanted and Vangelis told us: "Don't touch what we have recorded, it is lovely " and so we did."Now, after some rather unofficial releases, the opus "In London" is finally released for the first time in its entire length, titled "In London - The Platinum Edition", fondly reworked, remastered and sonic refined to perfection exactly 45 years after Neuronium released their first album on the famous Harvest label.
Michel Huygen had intended to celebrate this anniversary with Vangelis in Paris. But fate had other intentions, on May 17, 2022, Vangelis died as a result of a Covid-19 disease.
Huygen: "I feel honored to have been able to meet him, to play music with him and to have him as a funny friend too. And mainly to have been able to meet a huge musician, a classical composer for the forthcoming generations, without doubt. R.I.P, dear Vangelis."
Nous'klaer audio presents Oceanic's debut album Choral Feeling. A rhythmically diverse electronic album full of sonic explorations and beautiful moments, all bound together by a sense of colour. The album touches on the core of what music can be for: a sense of togetherness, finding meaning in moments, a way to cope with loss and soundtracking dreams about a different future. The music on this album reflects that in the most personal way. Each track consists almost entirely of his friends' voices, recorded and transformed into the sounds you'll hear. No, you can But how Just think of anything How can it just be anything Why does it need to be more Because they're afraid of it. They're not afraid of the words Then what are they afraid of The power behind the words How can words have power If you say something, only you, maybe I can hear it. Perhaps someone sitting over near that tree can hear it too. If we say it together, maybe we can reach past that tree and reach that rock. But if us and a million others say them same thing, all at the same time. Then every tree and every rock everywhere will hear us. Trees and rocks don't have ears. No they don't but they do. Why don't they just cover their ears Because then they need to do that every time we use our voice. And use them we did and use them again we shall. They got tired of covering their ears, so they decided to cover our mouths. Won't they hear us now? We're safe here. For how long will we be safe? For now. Perhaps until later. Just try. Read the words like I've written, but do so like the birds in the trees. You are my sunshine A little louder You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy When skies are grey You'll never know dear How much I love you Please don't take my sunshine away Beautiful. Shall we go teach the others When will we have enough to free ourselves We'll always have more than they do. We only need to not forget I'll never forget Sing it again. Artwork by Bob Verhoeven. Text by Gregory Markus.
James Curd presents the fourth instalment from his already essential PRONTO label, delivering a hyper-infectious original alongside a bumper pack of top-drawer remixes on ‘I Am One, I Am Many’.
First up, Curd’s original version of ‘I Am One, I Am Many’ bursts from the blocks with its lively tempo and feel-good groove. Built around an empowering spoken word vocal and pitched somewhere in the fertile soil between disco and house, the funk-laden jam rolls over thick bass, dramatic strings and jaunty guitar licks, with irresistible horn motifs lifting spirits as the dance-ready arrangement unfolds.
Next, renegade UK collective Adelphi Music Factory maintain the uncompromising approach that has seen them garner universal tastemaker heat thanks to impactful releases on Shall Not Fade, Nervous, and their own Beat Factory label. Adding weight to the drums, they stay true to the intention of the original, retaining the track’s key parts while tastefully reforming them as an unfettered main room banger.
The UK remix flavour extends into the third iteration, with notorious party-starters Make A Dance continuing their club-focused manifesto with their brilliantly atmospheric revision. Here, M.A.D. carry on the fine work they’ve been manifesting on their eponymous label, constructing an almost entirely new track around the iconic vocal. A contagious organ hook drives the energy as saucer-eyed sweeps and off-kilter synths meander across the panorama, the sturdy house rhythm expertly powering the kinetically charged groove.
Tel Aviv’s Nenor rounds off the remixes, the esteemed producer and DJ showing the kind of sparkling form that has seen his work appear on benchmark labels including Mahogani, Strictly Rhythm, Heist, and Razor N Tape among many others. Transposing the track into deeper territory, Nenor strips back the instrumentation to serve a mesmerising heads-down roller. The vocal soars over brooding bass and syncopated chords, with loose rhythms and subtle textures combining to hypnotic effect.
Angelo Sindaco is the producer’name behind the self-titled project, Sindaco, active since the mid-80s in the experimental and industrial electronic music’ circuit up to the most innovative house music now lands
on Simona Faraone’s label, New Interplanetary Melodies with his latest work, Spiritual Safari (NIM010).
For this release, Sindaco took the help of some of his longtime collaborators and friends such as DJ and producer Andrea Salomoni, here with his aka Abyssy, Brazilian Kraut-classic singer Marcela Dias and musician Nico Pasquini aka Stromboli.
Spiritual Safari was born from a particular sci-fi vision of Africa as the last border of post-post-modernism, in which, Sindaco’s artsy approach combined with Abyssy’s more exquisitely Detroit feel blend to perfection giving birth to tracks with a more ecstatic flavor such as Absenthium (1) and Gommaflex feat. Stromboli (3) or more sinuous and deep like Bem bem bem (2), graced by the sweet voice of Marcela Dias or Monolite (4) feat. Abyssy that transports us to a Techno dimension of rare elegance.
With Atlantic Road (5) the mood becomes more rarefied despite of the pushing rhythm, while in Son (6 feat. Abyssy) field recordings and synths turns more airy and shimmering bringing to mind some typical early 90s house productions. In Amazonas (7 feat. Marcela Dias) sounds comes from idm matrix while The Cave (8 feat Abyssy), the track that closes this beautiful record, you are enveloped by a soft tropical cloud thanks to its wrapping bass line and foggy synths that will conquer the most demanding users as by now a tradition for all the records curated by New Interplanetary Melodies.
Spiritual Safari was written and recorded between Bologna and Rio de Janeiro during 2022.
Bernard Szajner is a French composer, musical theorist, visual artist. He is credited with the invention of the laser harp, which he patented.
Between 1979 and 1983, Szajner released five albums of innovative and Avant-garde electronic music. He became renowned as a light and visual effects technician with artists such as Magma, Gong, Stomu Yamashta and The Who.
During the 1970s, he became a pioneer in the field of using laser technology as an artistic tool. As a measure of his success, he became renowned by his work with companies such as Cartier and Renault. In 1980, inspired by the novel, Nova, by Samuel R. Delany, he first created the laser harp. The laser harp became so successful that Jean-Michel Jarre ordered a version from Bernard Szajner for his tour of China. Despite all this, Szajner would only occasionally use this instrument in his own performances. He has stated that he would rather the public not know him solely for his work on the laser harp, and that it not be allowed to take precedence over his work in musical composition that it enables. This is also why he continues to develop other instruments which use other innovative methods of interaction, such as tactile or holographic.
Towards the end of the 1980s and disgusted with the music industry, he chose to abandon music entirely, and shifted his focus towards digital and visual arts, and theatre.
From Bernard Szajner : “These tracks are my preferred ones .... Ever ! ... For a long time I've been waiting for a record label to release what corresponds to what I like playing these days... Until Sleepers records decided to release this compilation which contains most of the tracks I enjoy playing live on stage ! At last my wish is fulfilled !”
Reissue of a traditional French Experimental/Folk rarity.
Be ready for a spaced out trip through French medieval times. Ancient instruments, musique concrete, spoken word, old Occitan dialect minstrel songs, drone, from dark ambient and minimal percussive tracks to Middle Ages fuzz delirium. File under : medieval folk / ambient / experimental.
![Camilo Gil & [ØNE+1] - Privilege EP "In loving memory to Octavio Gil ...1952 / 2017"](https://www.deejay.de/images/l/6/4/1000064.jpg)
FAFO RECORDS Welcomes Camilo Gil from Chile and ONE+1 from Spain to the artists' family.
We are very happy to present you the Privilege Ep ..... in loving memory of Octavio Gil, a fanatic music lover, and father of Camilo Gil.
The EP is already a superlative category as it contains two original tracks plus Dubbie House like PRIVILEGE, and a powerful remix, from the golden child of Frankfurt as the great Sascha Dive is in the legend category, with his groove and deep house.
And the other side, we have already immersed ourselves in the house of law, with Venganza Poetica that makes you dance at any time of the day in its original mix, and needless to say that the remix, by a creator of Detroit's first generation of techno, the same as Juan Atkins - Derrick May - Kevin Saunderson - Shake Shakir - Blake Baxter, and we have in the FAFO family the legend in life like Santonio Echols, from the motor city.
A very creative ep that delivers, dance and culture at the same time.
FAFO Records All rights reserved.
2024 Repress
Egypt-born Barcelona resident Ahmed Raxon has proven himself to be one of the most consistent DJ producers of his generation. His ability to make big room techno FUNKY and highly entertaining has landed him releases on some of techno's finest powerhouses like Cocoon, Drumcode or Ellum. His new double header for Speicher again ticks all the right boxes. "Slipmode" is a robotic workout with that trademark irresistible Raxon drive. "Nu Waze" is more of a cheeky affair, combining an arab quarter tone hook with an ultra funky back beat that would make "Phunk Phenomena"-era Armand Van Helden proud.
Der in Ägypten geborene und in Barcelona lebende Ahmed Raxon hat sich längst als einer der konsistentesten DJ Producer seiner Generation bewiesen. Die höchst unterhaltsame Art und Weise, wie er Big Room Techno FUNKY macht, hat ihm unlängst zu Releases in den feinsten Technoschmieden wie Cocoon, Drumcode oder Ellum verholfen. Seine neue Doppel A-Seite für Speicher hat wieder alles, wofür man ihn lieben gelernt hat. "Slipmode" ist ein typischer Raxon Stomper: robotisch, prägnant, sexy. "Nu Waze" kommt deutlich frecher daher... Ein arabischer Viertelton-Hook paart sich mit einem superfunkigen Backbeat, der Armand Van Helden in seiner "Phunk Phenomena" Phase alle Ehre machen würde.
'Intensely textured, interlocking guitar riffs weave together on New Bright Object, the debut album from Berlin and Edinburgh-based duo I’m Not You.
Working under the name I’m Not You, artist Alex Gibbs (bass & vocals) and sound designer Niall McCallum (guitar & drums) have honed a sound that draws in equal measure from jazz funk of Weather Report and the math rock of Don Caballero. Their debut album, New Bright Object is their most developed statement to date, an intricate, robust and unique collection of songs born from serpentine jam sessions in rural idylls.
The duo make no secret of their admiration for bands like Battles and Tortoise. They reference Jim O’Rourke’s lounge numbers and the droll lyricism of Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman. There’s a touch of Vini Reilly in their sparse and serpentine guitar lines. A hint perhaps of Mogwai. All these names place New Bright Object within a constellation of albums made with bigger budgets for wider audiences.
New Bright Object opens In a flash of light, comet-like, with the sound of ‘Mr. Wind- Up Bird’. The threads they weave are full with intent, as moments of density rise like hills from the track’s quieter valleys. It’s easy to imagine the pair looking out over the rolling fields of the garden studio in East Lothian where they recorded the album, as they assiduously try and draw their own landscapes in sound.
Similarly, there is a crispness to ‘A Certain Arrangement Of Atoms’ - every clipped hat, rim-shot snare and tightly wound tom a fine-tipped mark on the score. It is intricate and precise, a result perhaps of Niall’s attention to detail. Then there is the piano, Alex’s grandmother’s, slightly out of tune, which adds a few expressionist strokes to this pointillist composition. The piece loosens, until all we’re left with is the bass.
Although the album orbits around the pendulum sway of ‘The Older I Get’, it is ‘What Cats Think About’ that stands out most. That it does is by design – a nod to the Sun City Girls and albums that like to throw their listeners a curveball every now and then. Pleasantly ramshackle, confusingly domestic, agreeably strange.
All this speaks to the spirit of the album and the creative relationship between two best friends whose differences seem to have been the only things they could agree on.'
Andreas Koeper is a German contemporary/experimental composer and drummer with a background in Philosophy and Art history. “Niemand Tanzt” was originally released in 1989 and in the past years it has become a sought after obscurity amongst diggers ever since Chee Shimizu put it on the radar after unearthing it throughout inspection rounds in Berlin record stores. Although the A-side might have been the essence of the single at the time, it's the B-side's “Pink Rhythm” that puts this release on the map for DJs, the track's gradient from an empty half tempo to rich 4 on the floor patterns serves any well versed DJ as an on-ramp for new gears to be put into place as the track grows into various ramifications of Andreas' studio production techniques: playful percussive elements, provocative guitar riffs over a solid rhythm section. Freshly remastered by manmade in Berlin.
The musical project of Jake Webb, Methyl Ethel have always been a surrealist outfit - a dark and obscured expression of life set to the backdrop of dream pop hooks.
'Triage' is a more reflective album than their previous two however, featuring 'Scream Whole' and 'Real Tight' it explores the notion of coming of age, only to reference it for the snapshots and passing memories that it has become.
Enjoying phenomenal successes over the last few years, the single 'Ubu' was recently accredited Gold in Australia (helped by it landing at #4 in Triple J's Hottest 100) and their tourdates in Australia and the UK since 2016 have all been sellU outs.
Official AFRODELIC reissue of the ultra-rare Tunde Mabadu’s debut album. Originally released in 1978 on Blackspot label (DECCA’s West Africa division), Bisu, which includes the supergroovy ‘Red Jeans’, differs from the later 1980 ‘Viva Disco’ album by a much more pure African style.
A beautiful and soulful production in which Tunde’s deep voice and sax move on the excellent horns arrangements, percussions, the wahwah rhythm guitar and weird keyboards and synths (at times psychedelic as in the ‘Blue Bird’ 9 minutes).
As wrote on the original liner notes of the era “His music will mesmerize you from the first track. A dedicated Musician especially to his African Roots with so much to offer Musically”.
Repressed for the first time. Limited Edition.
Franco Esse is the moniker of Francesco Semproni, who in the late 60s began working as a music and recording assistant in major recording studios in Rome, Italy. He started out at Dirmaphone (then located in Via Pola) under sound engineer Gianni Fornari, before following him to the Emmequattro studios in Viale Mazzini, which at the time were the headquarters of Edipan, the record label founded by composer and conductor Bruno Nicolai after parting ways with friend and fellow composer Ennio Morricone.
Semproni tried to become a singer-songwriter in the early 80s, when he recorded a number of demos with the session musicians who gravitated around the studios. None of these demos was ever released though, for reasons that are still unclear today – his thorny and stubborn personality may have been a factor, since it apparently made him reluctant to compromise with the major record labels of the time.
The unsuccessful efforts to launch his solo artist career led to a personal crisis, and Franco Esse eventually quit music to go to work as a sales assistant in a toyshop in Rome's Prati neighbourhood.
Today he seems to have vanished without a trace, but after extensive research, we managed to dig some of his demos out of an abandoned archive and miraculously bring back to life two semi-instrumental tracks he recorded in 1983.
Both of them reveal Franco Esse as a refined musician with a reserved personality, an almost minimalist approach to lyric-writing, and a strongly cinematic synth-pop style that is in line with the musical trends of the time and gives a nod to the soundtracks of Fabio Liberatori, falling somewhere in between slow-wave and new-romantic.
These two ballads would have been the perfect soundtrack to cold winter nights in the early 80s, with snowflakes floating down on ski slopes, people clad in puffy down jackets, and music pouring into headphones from walkmans kept in back jean pockets.
