Harald Björk follow up his recent releases on Cocoon Recordings, Traum Schallplatten etc. with the four track 12" Sketch On A Feeling. A record featuring German legends Extrawelt, no introduction needed and Swedish Teenage crime star Adrian Lux who we recently have gotten to re-known beyond his EDM stardom through his band Off The Meds (Studio Barnhus) and 90's techno banger alias Luxxy.
The record wears two original's written and played entirely on Roland MC-202 and TB-303 by the label head himself, Mr. Björk.
Textextext - (add your write up)
Kranglan Broadcast, established in 2009, is the record label of Swedish artist Harald Björk (Cocoon Recordings/Traum Schallplatten/Studio Barnhus). The shifting genres and gaps between releases might seem confusing? But… the core seems to be quality releases by good friends who have crossed each others lanes and teamed up in creativity, and there are some friends!!! Axel boman, Nathan Fake, Popnoname, Kate Wax (Aisha Devi), Fairmont, Anton Kubikov (SCSI-9), LOKATT and many more. Electronic music as it used to be before the "business era", friends sending files and pressing vinyl!!!
In 2021 Kranglan Broadcast have some fine gems coming up and Sketch On A Feeling is the first one to get public.
Harald Björk follow up a weird and packed year of 2020 with guest shows on John Digweed's Transition Show and releases on Cocoon Recordings,Traum Schallplatten, Studio Banrhus, Internasjonal and many more! The record features German legends Extrawelt, no introduction needed and Swedish Teenage crime star Adrian Lux who we recently have gotten to re-known beyond his EDM stardom through his band Off The Meds (Studio Barnhus) and 90's techno banger alias Luxxy. Dense stardom in a perfect blended EP with all modes included!
Long Story short Harald got in contact with Extrawelt over an old unreleased remix of Björk's that got to see release light on Traum in the summer of 2020. Similiar Harald reworked Teenage Crime duo Lux and Lune same year… What follows of great connection is often friendship and Kranglan Broadcast is all about friendship, quality and fun… Perfect soil for electronic music to grow organic and full of energy.
The record wears two original's written and played entirely on Roland MC-202 and TB-303 by the label head himself, Mr. Björk.
Artwork by Lukas Nystrand von Unge and mastered and cut by maestro himself LUPO!
For the second announcement of the upcoming sophomore Keinemusik album, Rampa, &ME and Adam Port teamed up with another threesome.
That's none other than Netherlands finest when it comes to emotively driven dance music - Cubicolor. And it shows it is a match made in hymn-heaven. "Before The Flood" delicately embodies that feeling its title automatically insinuates.
That calm, yet tensed up state, intensifying with every bar of that bassline driven, string kissed sonic foundation, shaping up the appropriate environment for Tim Digby's signature falsetto. It is a contemporary Pop jewel in its own right and in context of the body of work it's taken from, a hint towards one or another unexpected stylistic nuance.
With releases on the likes of Nite Grooves, Uzuri, Church and Axe On Wax, DJ Aakmael steps up to the plate for NYC’s Second Hand Records seventh release taking you on a journey through the realms of deep house. Raw, packed with feeling and bursting with musicianship, Aakmael hits with those late night, meditative keys, juiced-up bass lines and MPC-crunched drums to provide three cuts that groove endlessly from dusk till dawn.
Kapoor and Hvitling’s first album, The Odyssey, is monumental. It boasts eight tracks that are generous in terms of length and sophistication. Each has a distinctive feel and predominant mood, balancing intricate sonic arrangements with dynamic and rhythmically pleasant beats. Yet certain ethereal sound textures and melodies
make the tracks echo each other, creating a sense of journeying through uncharted waters. Masterfully produced female vocal synths become spectral presences in several tracks, most notably in Vox Diaboli and Vox Angeli. In the former, seductive whispers hiss a hymed incantation, creating a delightfully spooky atmosphere; while the latter lures the listener into sacred ecstasy with a combination of vibrant synths pristinely arranged with a string orchestra and LFO female vocals. Akumandra’s fourth official vinyl release stays true to its multicultural essence, adding this young Polish and Swedish producer duo to their vinyl catalog.
Every now and then a release comes along which is destined to unite, bring down the walls and basically, be a force for good. Your Kissing by Belcampo does just that, and with a style and panache which defies it’s lo-fi, handstamped limited white label aesthetic. The beauty of Your Kissing is in the way it successfully melds together elements of deep house, disco and the French Touch sound to form a track which will appeal to anyone who simply likes decent music. Belcampo keeps things stripped back just enough to give that beautiful, rolling, hypnotic atmosphere, whilst remaining lush, warm and uplifting, constantly teasing us with the repeated filtering guitar and string hook. Legendary British singer and songwriter Elisabeth Troy provides the cherry on top with her sweet vocal line giving us the hook which will get under your skin in all the right ways.
In addition to the main vocal mix we have a Belcampo Remix going heavier on the filters and pumping groove, calling to mind the glory days of Cassius, Motorbass and Super Discount with that distinctive feel-good French sound of the 90’s.
Closing out the EP we find Delisei which cranks up the jackometer for a peak time slice of looped-up heads down filter madness guaranteed to nice up the dance.
Its been more than 2 years since I did an original release on my own label. Its been 9 months since I had an original NOIR release.I wanted some time without releases. Some time to breathe, to think and most importantly time to be creative and to experiment.I have picked 2 productions I felt sounded different to everything else out here. Eruption was already made in the fall 2017 and I have been road-testing it since ADE17 and changed it quite a lot over the 6 months period from when I thought it was finished to what it actually sounds like now. I wanted the track to be brutal like a volcano erupting but at the same time have beautiful and peaceful elements. Hence the breakdown lava sliding into the middle of the track before it all erupts again. I have spent many hours trying to make it sound raw and unpolished. Disruption is build around a super simple sequence loop I played by hand while jamming with new pluck sounds. As the sequence got layered and washed in effects it became a quite haunting loop and that led me to add a boys choir to give that feel bigger impact.This track sounds simpler than Eruption but its actually stacked with layers. Disruption is meant to make you close your eyes, follow the rhythm, the simple sequenced loop and get hypnotized.
When the first Placid Angels album dropped in 1997, John Beltran was already an established force within dance music’s then-emerging scene. He had a knack for both the melodic side as well as intricately designed rhythmic programming. A signature style that went for his early records in the 1990s as much as it does for this new installment of the Placid Angles series. The blissful synths, Aphex Twin-era IDM and loose percussive patterns take you right back to where it all began when genres didn’t mean anything and Beltran was just starting out to experiment with any sound that would elevate your consciousness. The Michigan-born artist since has spanned a career of nearly four decades, remaining relevant all the while, by playing the music he found himself most drawn to express. By working with artists like Detroit veteran Carl Craig, labels such as R&S or more recently his LPs for Delsin or his joint work with Four Tet. Whether it be his more Techno-leaning or New Wave-inspired works, his takes on Ambient, or the more Latin-influenced productions - he has always stayed active and re-invented himself while painting his records with a clearly own palette that is full of beautiful melodies and a timeless sound-design. The album Touch The Earth itself comes as diverse as the artist’s own legacy, ranging from skittish, colorful UKG to proper pulsing sub-basslines as it progresses deeper into intelligent drum programming and further into the melodic ventures of what’s at the core of Beltran’s work.
After several years of silence, Schema Records co-founder Luciano Cantone in collaboration with Gianluca Petrella and a new group of musicians, present The Invisible Session's second album "Echoes of Africa" on the newborn Space Echo label. This new chapter is borne out of afrobeat, Africa 70's records and Tony Allen's drumming; furthermore, other influences come into play, with melodiescentred on Eastern pentatonic scales, as well as funk, afrobeat, psychedelia, modal and Ethio jazz, plus forays into pop and cinematica. Ancestral melodies intersect and weave, encouraging escape and deeper feelings. Conceptually, "Echoes of Africa" deals with pacifism, human rights, anti-racism, nature and ecological themes. This is an album to be absorbed in its entirety – have a good listening!
A rare treat for Drumcode faithful: A-Sides Vol.10 is set to drop in December, the second edition of the beloved series to come in 2020.
Fuelled by the extra time and space to be creative during lockdown, Drumcode’s collective of artists have stepped up. Across 17 contributions, the producers have gone deeper into their sonic repertoire, crafting powerful, yet reflective works that capture the range of the label’s sound.
Jay Lumen leads the way with a rousing riff-driven weapon, ‘Galactic Rainbow’, while Ramon Tapia brings us the muscular gem ‘Drum Control’, mixing up ruffneck techno with a barrage of synapse-tickling synths in the second half. Both rousing highlights of the compilation.
Victor Ruiz, Drumcode’s most prolific contributor in 2020, dishes up ‘Love Story’, led by a huge vocal lead. Zimmz also returns with ‘Tension’, which deftly combines deep squelchy grooves with a silky synth interlude. Thomas Hoffknecht follows up his debut on Vol.9 with ‘Escape’, keeping listeners on their toes with dynamic, choppy shifts throughout. Veerus joins with another stirring addition ‘I Know’, reinforcing why Beyer rates him so highly.
Elsewhere a string of debutants feature: buzzy newcomer Lilly Palmer gives us ‘Amnesie’, a brilliantly pummelling and eerie cut; Alex Lentini & Stomp Boxx serve up ‘Expanders’ mixing up drone effects, trippy vocals and an unsettling melody line; and Patrik Berg’s ‘Activated’ is full-bodied techno that drops down into funky rhythms.
Long-time DC family member Bart Skils brings his A-game with the thrilling no-nonsense ‘Solid State’ that hits like a steam train. Likewise, Alan Fitzpatrick who brings a momentous slab of techno energy with ‘Rochus’, while Thomas Schumacher, now feeling like a regular on the imprint, crafts another dark techno opus, this time in collaboration with CAITLIN.
There’s even a special appearance by the chief Adam Beyer, who makes a welcome return with the progressive-tinged ‘Changes’, driven by organic tones and spacey atmospherics. The track stands as his first original contribution to A-Sides since 2017.
"Do you feel what I feel too?" Brijean Murphy floats the question at the start of Feelings, the full-length Ghostly International debut from Brijean, her collaborative project with Doug Stuart. Guided by a lush mix of charismatic keyboard chords, grooving bass lines, and radiant bongo-driven rhythms, the "Day Dreaming" lyric doubles as an invitation and a statement of intention. Brijean want you to move, physically, mentally, dimensionally; this is dance music for the mind, body, and soul. With Feelings, they've manifested a gentle collective space for respite, for self-reflection, for self-care, for uninhibited imagination and new possibilities. The album cultivates a specific vibe, a softness Murphy has come to call "romancing the psyche." Growing up in a family immersed in jazz, Latin and soul music, Murphy would become an accomplished DJ, session and live player in Oakland's diverse music scene and one of indie's most in-demand percussionists (Poolside, Toro Y Moi, U.S. Girls). In 2018, she began recording songs with multi-instrumentalist and producer Doug Stuart, who shares a background in jazz and pop in bands such as Bells Atlas, Meernaa, and Luke Temple. Following their first sessions, which resulted in the mini-album Walkie Talkie (released in 2019 on Native Cat Recordings), the duo continued freeform hangs in Oakland, inviting friends Chaz Bear, Tony Peppers, and Hamir Atwal. "We improvised on different feels for hours," says Murphy. "Nothing quite developed at first but we had seeds. We re-opened the sessions a couple months later, after returning from tours, and spent a month developing the songs in a little 400 square foot cottage." Aforementioned album opener "Day Dreaming" is a dynamic celebration of newness: the excitement in finding deeper understandings of yourself as you get to know someone, something, or somewhere new. "Wifi Beach" drops a pin in pure psych-pop exotica. With Atwal on drums, Stuart on bass, Peppers on keys, and Bear engineering, the group improvised the track's intro sequence based on the vision of a lavish 1970s pool party. Establishing the scene is a mid-frequency drum kit disco shuffle augmented by tight congas and timbale effect, as Murphy sings in spurts: "I want to be / Deep in love / I want to be / Say you love me too / I want to be / Honey." The stanzas cut between "reflective moments of wants and being overwhelmed by feelings of the present," she explains. "A lot of the `love songs' I write are to my psyche, self-reflections on how to encourage tender perspectives and make more time for the sweet stuff." Though there is a loose, dance-oriented motif throughout, the material gives way to somnolent turns. On "Ocean," Brijean's anodyne lyrics, reminiscent of Astrud Gilberto's airy croon, float atop a brushed drum pattern, sparkling rhodes lines, and pittering and softly funky woodblock bops. The opening line sets up the rest, "In this gentle space we lay" _ among the album's propensity for movement, tracks like "Ocean" stand out by leaning back for momentary sways of blissful introspection. Murphy calls the charming "Hey Boy" a "psychedelic guide _ the exploration of finding what feels good _ through sorrow, anxiety, apathy." This mentality applies to Feelings on the whole: in these nebulous and verdant worlds of hazy melodies, feathery hooks, and percussive details, the songs simply want us to feel alive. They radiate in wonderful abandon and with a sense of devotion to the self. RIYL: Stereolab, Astrud Gilberto, Air, Little Dragon, Broadcast, Khruangbin, Poolside.
Two stone cold Roy Ayers classics get the South Street Disco official reissue treatment, one side the feel-good disco-tinged, jazz funk fire ‘Running Away’ and the other the smooth groove, love letter funk bomb ‘Love Will Bring Us Back Together’. Melting hearts, melting minds, is there a better Valentines gift out there then two slices of joy from Roy?
From hip hop to house, ‘Running Away’ has been a favoured sampling treasure since it came out in 1977. Co-produced alongside Edwin Birdsong and William Allen, joyous vocal harmonies dance around grooving basslines, strutting guitar riffs and Roy’s warm soothing tones. Top it off with some trademark vibes and it’s a one-way ticket to happiness, pure sunshine smiles all round.
Flip it to find ‘Love Will Bring Us Back Together’. Straight up seductive business co-produced by Carla Vaughn. It’s silky, it’s smooth, it’s everything you want it to be and more. Clavinet wizardry, buttery Rhodes layers and fiery vocals. Loved up funk at it’s best.
"I am sitting in a garden, I haven't left the property in weeks, someone is dropping off food once a week. I haven't seen a human being in ages, I feel like a reverse Schroedinger cat - do I exist when nobody sees me? I must be somewhere in France but I don't remember. I have lost my consciousness again. When I wake up I hear a broken record looping somewhere in the mansion. A washed-out opera. Behind the trees I see the dilapidated hermaphrodite sculpture in a field of verdant nettles and fern. I hear gunshots far afield, aeroplanes in the sky, sirens on the main road.
When unconscious I dreamt of sitting on the Concorde observing the scarab blue ocean and iridescent clouds from above, an erstwhile receding memory. Sometimes I hear the organ of the nearby Renaissance Cathedral merging with the Russian Church bells.
I am hallucinating again. Someone's humming in the kitchen? Singing? A Radio? I overhear two young women talking about art galleries in the neighbour's garden. Bees attack, again…..again and again. The hairspray finally intoxicates them. An amphoric japanese voice is whispering in my head saying I will die soon. Someone (something?) bangs on the vases. The fountain's water turns dark red.
Fleur calls and says mum died. The funeral will be televised on tuesday. We opt for the synthetic choir for the service. The call is suddenly interrupted. Mold is slowly taking over the house.
I go back inside."
Une Fille Pétrifiée is the debut album of new Black To Comm related entity Mouchoir Ètanche (after one recent 12" on Richter's own Dekorder label). Combining real and fake acoustic instrumentation, sampling, field recordings and excessive yet inaudible post production this is another sublime and ethereal statement. Influences are ranging from (French) Classical & Opera to the anecdotical compositions of Luc Ferrari, Chinese Opera, Chanson, Sacred Music / Church Music, JG Ballard and Surrealism.
Marc Richter records as Black To Comm for Thrill Jockey, Type and Dekorder and as Jemh Circs for his own Cellule 75 imprint. He also produces soundtracks and acousmatic multichannel installations for institutions such as INA GRM Paris, ZKM Karlsruhe and Kunstverein Hamburg.
The sublime songs comprising Los Angeles-based musician Ana Roxanne's second release, Because Of A Flower, germinated gradually across five years, inspired by interwoven notions of gender identity, beauty, and cruelty. She describes her process as beginning with “a drone element and a mood,” then intuiting melody, syllables, and lyrics incrementally, like sacred shapes materializing from mist.
The experience of identifying as intersex informs the album on levels both sonic and thematic, from spoken word texts borrowed from tonal harmony textbooks to cinematic dialogue samples and castrati aria allusions. It's an appropriately interstitial vision of ambient songcraft, a chemistry of wisps and whispers, sanctuary and sorrow, conjured through a fragile balance of voice, bass, space, and texture.
Despite a background studying at the prestigious Mills College in Oakland, Roxanne's music rarely feels conceptual, instead radiating an immediate and emotive aura, rooted in the present tense of her personal journey. She speaks of the flower in the title as a body, singular and sunlit, as many petals as thorns, an enigma beholden only to itself. But whether taken as surface or subtext, Because is a transfixing document of a rare artist in the spring of their ascension.
Brooklyn-based queer nightlife luminary Jasmine Infiniti self-released her debut album, BXTCH SLÄP, in March 2020. Dark Entries steps forward to present the album remastered and on double vinyl. Over the thirteen disruptive club cuts of BXTCH SLÄP, Jasmine conjures occult rave incantations with sub-tectonic bass and seductive harmonies. Audaciously championing R&B, vogue, and hip-hop sounds, Jasmine Infiniti’s latest collection of techno-hybrid dance tunes is built for the dancefloors of underground nightlife.
While SiS, her debut EP, was an ode to queer solidarity, community, and sisterhood, BXTCH SLÄP refines the art of personal myth-building. It is an unflinching and uncompromising album, but it also boasts surprising range, moving briskly between ethereal hardcore house (“HOTT”), anxious dark electro (“SPOOKED”), and certifiable techno bangers (“YES, SIR”, “WELLFAIR”). Meanwhile album standout “<3” hovers just above 100 BPM, a defiant statement of euphoric sensuality that’s no less gripping for its dramatic deceleration. Closing number “SHONUFF” clocks in at ten and half minutes, but not a second of this acid-laced adrenaline rush feels wasted. BXTCH SLÄP might be suited for the high-impact dancefloor, but this music takes on a new life in the moments we spend between the parties, alone and full of desire.
BXTCH SLÄP was mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve features photography from Guerrilla Davis and hand drawn Infiniti logo designed by Eloise Leigh with a 3-D chrome effect by Sebastian Ortega. Each copy includes a 3-D chrome die-cut sticker. The Queen of Hell is back and her powers are stronger than ever. All hail The Queen!
A MAJOR EXPLORATION OF TOKYO'S CUTTING EDGE 80S SOUND THROUGH THE MUSIC OF CULT JAPANESE LABEL NIPPON COLUMBIA AND ITS BETTER DAYS IMPRINT, SELECTED BY BRITISH RADIO PRESENTER AND DJ NICK LUSCOMBE.
‘Tokyo Dreaming’ is a superb selection picked from the highly collectible Nippon Columbia label and its Better Days sub-label. For the occasion, we’ve teamed up with journalist and Japanese music expert Nick Luscombe who was granted rare access to the much-guarded Nippon Columbia's vaults for a masterful selection encapsulating the fascinating sound of Tokyo in the late 70s and 80s. The selection mixes electro, synth-pop, funk and ambient and features such artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mariah, Shigeo Sekito, Juicy Fruits, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama and Yumi Murata. The tracklist includes many sought-after rarities and hidden gems which have never been released outside of Japan and the set has been newly remastered by Nippon Columbia. The album has been designed by famed London-based designer Optigram and is annotated by Nick.
Nippon Columbia, one of Japan's oldest music labels is also one of its most collectible thanks to its sub-label Better Days which, in the late 70s, became a hotbed for Tokyo's new generation of pop artists eager to experiment with ambient, electro and funk. Armed with a string of new Japanese-made synthesizers and drum machines that would soon take the world by storm, they made cutting-edge music, which has since become highly sought-after by a new generation of Japanese music lovers. Nick Luscombe, who has long been a leading advocate of Japanese music from this era, has handpicked a selection of some of the sharpest music released on these labels at the time.
According to Nick, “Tokyo Dreaming is a look back to an incredible era of Japanese music, that still sounds and feels like the future. It was a moment when brand-new music tech from Japan helped forge new ideas and experiments that permeated pop, soul and jazz and helped create new forms of music including electro and techno. The perfect meeting point that would help create a new soundtrack for modern living.“
?The selection starts with "The End of Asia" by Ryuichi Sakamoto from his 1978 ground-breaking debut "Thousand Knives Of" (reissued last year by Wewantsounds). The track became a staple of Sakamoto's and YMO's live shows and was even re-recorded by the group for their 1980 album 'X Multiplies'. The track is followed by Mariah's cult Armenian folk flavoured synth pop classic "Shinzo No Tobira" (1983), which first spread outside of Japan when the Scottish DJ duo Optimo started playing the track regularly at their shows.
?Chika Asamoto's "Self Control" (1988) and Jun Fukamachi's "Treasure Hunter" (1985) are perfect songs in the synth-pop canon, while Yumi Murata's rendition of Akiko Yano's "Watashi No Bus" and Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama's "Rainy Driver" both from 1981, move closer towards the slicker, funkier sound of City Pop.
?'Tokyo Dreaming' superbly showcases the breadth of 80s Japanese music and the way electro pop was a playing ground for musicians to experiment with many styles, as showcased by Akira Sakata's dub-enfused "Room" from 1980, Kazumi Watanabe's discoid "Tokyo Joe" (1980) and Juicy Fruits' "kawai" robotic Techno pop song "Jenie Gets Angry".
?The selection flows effortlessly between many shades of synth and ends with two cult classics in the form of Yasuaki Shimizu's "Semi Tori No Hi" and Shigeo Sekito's ambient-jazz masterpiece "The Word II" from his highly sought-after album "Kareinaru Electone (The Word) Vol.2" which, although recorded in 1975, perfectly announces the synth revolution to come. Tokyo Dreaming showcases the groundbreaking sounds of a city turned giant sonic lab which was restlessly inventing the music of the future.
Nick Luscombe is a highly respected and in-demand music influencer who discovers great music from all over the world and shares it internationally through his many radio shows and DJ sets. He has been in charge of music selection for various radio programs since 1999, and from 2010 - 2019, was the DJ for the popular BBC Radio music program "Late Junction”. He has also curated and presented music shows for Monocle and British Airways radio stations. He has worked as both Chief Music Editor at iTunes and Director of Music at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, and is the founder of MSCTY.
Superlux Records continues its release schedule this December with a debut EP from Taymor Zadeh. The four-track Life Goes On EP includes three originals from the UK-based artist, as well as a special remix from One Records co-founder, Subb-an. Speaking on the production process behind the EP, Taymor describes how “ Life Goes On was made using a tb303, roland mc505, a 909 which I borrowed from a good friend, some vocal samples from old tape recordings and a load of imagination.”
The A Side gets underway with Bubbleworks , and Taymor’s “imagination” is plain to see. It’s a no-nonsense club-ready cut, with thick hats and an up-tempo lead bassline residing next to an array of bubble-sounding pops throughout. That same late-night feel continues into Life Goes On , as eerie vocals flitter between pulses of acid and punchy, whip-like drums. On the B Side, Gekula takes the lead. Fast-paced with clear minimal influences, we’re graced with eight minutes of dancefloor-geared delight as distorted voices reside atop a driving kick-hat backbone, before Subb-an’s remix continues in the same vein, taking us deep into 5 AM territory with glitchy synths and plenty of dark, low-slung percussion.
With an ethos of quality over quantity at his core, Taymor Zadeh has carved out a bespoke sound within the electronic music sphere. In recent times his releases have been welcomed by Stephane Genacia’s Highpath Records as well as Luca C’s See Double imprint, a testament to his keen ear for production. Berlin-based Subb-an is a leading figure in the UK minimal scene. As co-founder of One Records, 2020 has seen the label celebrate ten years of releases with a two-part vinyl sampler, including tracks from the likes of Anna Wall, Matthew Johnson and more besides.
Feeling, story-telling, ranging music-making by Tara Clerkin, Sunny-Joe Paradisos and Patrick Benjamin from Bristol, where they’ve been collaborating for around a decade.
Thumbs up from The Wire: ‘Drifting from dubby minimalism to smudged acid jazz, Tara’s stark and tuneful voice acts as the vehicle for her concise poetic lyricism. The group coalesce disparate influences into a cohesive sound, reflecting a romantic view of a familiar world.’
Check it out.
Twenty vinyl releases is a strong landmark in any labels life most especially in these ever unpredictable days. Tropical Disco Records have reached that number with some verve. Over the last three years they have had a succession of chart-topping, sell-out releases fusing their love of the Jazzier edges of house music with contemporary disco and plenty of sure-fire club hits. So successful has the label been that they have in a short space of time that they have quickly become one of the most established labels releasing across the disco spectrum.
As you would expect Tropical Disco Records have put together a very special collection of tracks to celebrate their twentieth edition. Uniting Italian producer Paul Older with England’s Tung-Sol, Greek disco don C. Da Afro and London’s label head Sartorial the EP marks all points on the European compass. It’s an EP which shows the clear impact that Disco has had across the continent and indeed that we are all united by the power of music.
The opening move goes to Paul Older with his delightful track ‘Nothing’ and it’s the perfect feel-good moment. Wonderfully warm vocals, layers of Saxophone, guitar licks aplenty and some tight drum programming give it an energetic live feel as if Salsoul’s band are playing this in the corner of your club. ‘Nothing’ is a track which transcends pigeon holing and as such is perfect for a variety of situations from sun soaked day parties to peak-time dance-floors.
Tung-Sol’s ‘One for Frida’ is packed with layers of brass giving it a truly enigmatic feel. It’s a track which has discernible African overtones but as seen through the lens of American funk and transcribed by a disco loving auteur. Its effervescent feel is hammered home even further with the addition of Jazzy keys. ‘One For Frida’ is as multicultural a track as you will find in the Disco pantheon and as such will see this picked up by a multitude of genre hopping DJ’s.
‘Shiva’s Chant’ see’s label co-boss Sartorial adding Eastern influences to what is already a globe trotting selection of sounds on Volume 20. Its smooth keys and brass stabs give it an undeniable charm which will see it in heavy demand with sun worshiping DJ’s and for summer playlists alike. Sitars, guitars and trumpets combine here for an intoxicating mix of sounds which help this track stand out from the crowd.
Closing the EP out is perhaps Disco’s most prolific producer C. Da Afro. His sure hands deliver yet another club smash in the shape of 'Street Jam'. Powerful strings immediately establish this as a track which has no intention of letting you do anything other than dance with abandon. It’s a straight to the dance-floor combination of percussion, guitar licks and delightfully effusive vocals. Combining the best moments of 70’s disco he’s crated a sensational club jam.
With their twentieth release Tropical Disco Records continue to redefine the notions of what disco is in 2020. With releases this exciting we can’t wait for the next twenty.
SUMMER OF SEVENTEEN are MONIKA KHOT (NORDRA, ZEN MOTHER), WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, DANIEL MENCHE, FAITH COLOCCIA (MAMIFFER), and AARON TURNER. (SUMAC, SPLIT CRANIUM).
Wildfires plagued Washington state during the summer of 2017, their smoke drifting westward toward the Seattle area and toxifying the air. Shortly before that trauma, MONIKA KHOT, WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, DANIEL MENCHE, FAITH COLOCCIA, and AARON TURNER had gathered at the latter two musicians' House Of Low Culture studio on idyllic Vashon Island with revered producer RANDALL DUNN. There they cut eight songs that capture the makeshift band's feelings of what COLOCCIA calls "a kind of doomsday lurking in the background." It's as if these highly attuned players had a premonition.
"Summer Of Seventeen" -which was edited and arranged by MONIKA KHOT, who records apocalyptic music solo as NORDRA and plays in the avant-rock band ZEN MOTHER—is a nuanced admixture of these musicians' sounds and a culmination of all of their previous collaborations. COLOCCIA and TURNER have created eldritch folk and chamber rock for over a decade in MAMIFFER while engaging in various solo and group projects that explore their profound spirituality in sound. MENCHE has been a fixture on the abstract composition scene for 31 years and COLLINS is a savvy explorer of drone and ambient forms. Their ephemeral summit meeting has yielded a masterwork for the ages.
A heaven/hell and beauty/beastliness dichotomy pervades the album—as if a titanic struggle was transpiring in that small studio. The fearsome trumpet fanfare that starts "Chorus Of The Innocents" heralds a baleful fate. With a subliminal industrial rhythm bristling beneath the eerie exhalations, the song submerges us in a slow-motion maelstrom, a horror-film facsimile of MILES DAVIS' "Bitches Brew". "Perceived Slight" threads death-metal screams through a stark, suspenseful atmosphere, with austere glints of guitar and beats like fists on a casket lid intensifying the dread.
Angelic chants and celestial drones perfume the air in several of the songs on "Summer Of Seventeen", countered with muted blast beats, serrated hums, jagged glitches, simulacra of grinding gears and lightning. It's as if no good deed goes unpunished. "Spirits Of Redeemer" could be an elegy for the human race while "Cultural Orphan" sounds like a symphony for a malfunctioning factory. The album ends with "Theatre Needs An Audience," a harrowing ballad somewhere between EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN and MERZBOW; it's a savage rent in the space-time continuum.
"Thinking about this record now," COLOCCIA recalls, "it seems like we were all sort of anticipating something like this current pandemic happening, although we were thinking about it as fire in the hands of man (literal fire, and also gunfire) that would overturn the normal running of things and reveal the current false beliefs systems holding up most of America."
That grave aura infiltrates "Summer Of Seventeen", However, a hopefulness bubbles beneath the foreboding architecture of sound and noise summoned here. The bunker is the new penthouse.
Named "best kept secret of Canadian funk" by the Quebecois newspaper La Presse, The Brooks are a band of accomplished musicians, well-known in the soul/funk scene across the Atlantic. Expert instrumentalists led by Alexandre Lapointe create a dazzling combo with frontman Alan Prater— an incredibly energetic showman who has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the music industry. This passionate and experienced band fan the sacred fire every time they perform! Thanks to a solid realization, their musical message comes across beautifully. The Brooks go beyond mere interpretation and style exercises: they are a powerful groove machine and a driving force in their sector. 50 years of African American music are condensed in the band's aesthetic. In their live shows and in their records, you can hear James Brown's meticulousness, D'Angelo's delightfulness, Fela Kuti's radiance, Herbie Hancock's intergenerational openness, and J. Dilla's innovative spirit. These heroes of music didn't let rules and trends dictate their messages, and neither do The Brooks. Just like these history makers, they built their reputation with sweat and rigor, outside of conventional channels. The Brooks are incredibly hard workers united in a project where pleasure and complete artistic freedom are the only key words. After 8 years of existence, with an EP and two albums, they have already won many awards and nominations (GAMIQ, Independent Music Awards, ADISQ...) and built a solid reputation in the Quebec indie world.
Who are The Brooks? First, there's the icon, Alan Prater! This Florida-born musician can boast that he shared the stage with the Jacksons! Thanks to his many trips and experiences, he became a key member of Montreal jazz. He is the band's biggest asset: if The Brooks were a sports team, Alan Prater would be captain. Then, at the drums: Maxime Bellavance, one half of the Beat Market duo, whose "dancy and retro futurist" groove can be heard in several major and underground projects in Canada. Philippe Look aces guitar and vocals. His experience as a session musician working with famous bands for 20 years allowed him to take part in different projects: rock, downtempo, trip hop, electro… As one of the founding members of The Brooks, he also wrote many of the band's songs. Keyboardist Daniel Thouin is an integral part of the Montreal jazz scene. He is both an accomplished acoustic piano player and synthesizer player, well versed in writing as well as in improvising, in organic sounds as well as in the latest technologies. Thouin possesses a double vision, which allows him to both exalt and lead productions. Composer Sébastien Grenier wows us with his saxophone. Thanks to his theoretical knowledge and his 20 years of experience, acquired through continuous training all around the world, he is a true guiding force. French trumpetist Hichem Khalfa begun learning the instrument at 7 years old. He attended a musical conservatory before going to the Haute École de Musique and finally pursuing his studies at McGill University. He won prizes at Rimouski International Jazz Festival and received the François Marcaurelle prize at Montreal Off Festival. His successful jazz projects allowed him to work with famous musicians like Blitz the Ambassador, Nomadic Massive, Rhonda Ross and Kalmunity. Philippe Beaudin can be considered an apostle of Afro-Latin percussions, which he teaches and practices with great passion. Thanks to his participation in several projects, you can discover his talent both on stage and onscreen. The Brooks' philosophy is based on art in its rawest form, on perfectionism in musical practice. The choices they make and the directions they take are motivated mostly by instinctive feelings. This is how The Brooks recently crossed the path of Underdog Records during a trip in France. It was love at first sight for the two groups who share a passion for soul. Their chemistry allows them to be completely free in their creative process and natural as ever in their conception-creation-communication approach.
Sam Interface (formerly known as SNØW) returns to the seminal R&S Records following the success of last year’s R&S Presents: More Time Records Vol 1, which was a 4 track compilation featuring Ahadadream, Bala Bala Boyz, Bryte & SNØW.
He is the co-founder of London’s More Time Records, on which he has released much of his own music as SNØW (including collaborations with Zed Bias, Fox, Dread MC & more) and can also be found monthly on Rinse FM and Reprezent Radio playing a range of percussive genres including UK Funky, GQOM, Kuduro, Afrobeats and more.
The name change takes him closer to his first alias Interface, under which he had DnB hits with the likes of DJ Die and more, he explains: “When i first released music back in my early DnB days I used the alias “Interface” and so many people still call me Sam Interface - it feels like the most natural name for me.”
The lead track “Underground” (which samples an announcement from the tube) references a range of London-centric genres, combining polyrhythmic percussion with an extremely upfront bass sound which draws influence from and exxagerates recent drill productions.
“Finally”, a collaboration with an old friend & prolific DnB producer Break follows, bringing frantic motion to the release. The third track “Crud” utilises Sam’s signature gully bass production, flooding the speakers with low end on the drop. The EP wraps up with “Pink Dolphins” - a euphoric dancefloor moment which channels the energy and emotion of jungle, drawing on some of Sam’s earliest rave influences.
Following the release of a number of EPs on Swiss, German, British and Australian labels, Trinidad will release their debut album ‘Palm Trees & Thirty Degrees’ on October 16th 2020.
The album draws on the Swiss-based trio’s experience of sustaining the energy of festival and club shows, while also providing the perfect background to a relaxed summer evening with friends.
The project provides an opportunity for the trio to indulge in a range of musical influences, blending together a mix of synthesizers with the haunting tones of a church organ, the warmth of a string quartet and regality of an opera singer. The album grew organically, with inspiration taking hold beyond the confines of the studio: the bonus track recorded with a Jamaican reggae singer in the back of a VW bus in Greece. Soundscapes from Colombia to India were captured and embedded.
With "Palm Trees & Thirty Degrees" Trinidad guide listeners on a journey to a tropical paradise; to a wonderful, perhaps peculiar place of confidence, created and shaped by the mental theatre of the moment.
The soft kiss of a warm breeze hits you as you adjust to your new surroundings ("Desembarco"); leaving the static chatter of your thoughts behind in the "Lobby" (feat. MonoAbe) of your mind; you allow yourself to imagine what the evening holds in store (“Kopfkino”); But first, there’s a drink in the “Sunset Bar”, a refreshing cocktail "Luciola" that serves as a gateway for you to plunge into the night. A night of unlimited possibilities, the first instances a blur ("Sagrada"), as time starts to lose its meaning ("Tempus Fugit"); everything spins, everything is possible, everything is ("Elevate"). Suddenly, hours (or is it days?) have passed – it doesn’t matter; what matters is the first sign of dawn, the unmistakable warmth dissolving the darkness (“Alma”); the beat slows, and you feel the "Libération" of the new day; looking around you see the moments you’ve shared etched on the faces of your friends ("Fleeting" feat. Julia Portmann); It is not goodbye, it is only "Au Revoir".
The album was produced by Trinidad in their own studios in Bern and Zurich. It features collaborations with a number of artists: Cornelia Aeschbacher Firmin (Hang), MonoAbe (Mallets & Percussion), Jack Williams (text of "Fleeting"), Julia Portmann (vocals), Zenyth (vocals) and Michael Meier (electric bass). The songs were mixed by Marcel Schneider, mastered by Benjamin Fay. Raïssa Lara Lütolf was responsible for the graphic design.
We are proud to present our second album “Cosmic Transmission”. In another time it felt like, only an unpredictable extreme event could change the way we choose to live together. Now it feels so crazy, it can be overwhelming, but always remember we are just a tiny micro spaceship traveling through a gigantic universe. When nothing is safe, all is possible. We are one - one love. M&D
On his fourth album proper, Now Here No Where, Danish producer Kölsch (aka Rune Reilly Kölsch) is charting new terrain. Fans of his ‘years trilogy’ – 1977, 1983 and 1989, released on Kompakt over the past decade – were privy to a kind of sonic diary, an autobiography, tracking the artist’s early years through three albums of superior, meticulously rendered techno. Calling in collaborators where needed – most notably, the strings of Gregor Schwellenbach – there was still something deeply personal going down, not quite hermetic, but internally focused; the albums proved not only Kölsch’s mastery of his chosen form, but also his capacity to make techno personal, individual, and to trace histories of the self through music. But on Now Here No Where, Kölsch finds his feet firmly planted in the present. Reflecting on his new album, he notes, “It is fascinating to write about memories and feelings that have had years to manifest and develop, but how would I approach current emotions?” It’s a good question: our past coheres through the narratives we build around memories, but the moment we’re in, the newness of the now-ness, is harder to navigate; this story is as yet untold. For Kölsch, this makes Nowhere Now Here “an album about life in the year 2020. A time defined by confusion, misinformation and environmental challenges. It is an emotional interpretation of personal and mental challenges, observations and personal growth.” Kölsch does this with music that effortlessly balances emotional heft with the dancefloor’s brimming desires. It’s a space that Kölsch has navigated for a while now – one of techno’s breakthrough acts, an in-demand DJ across the globe and a prolific and restlessly creative producer, he’s also Kompakt’s biggest-selling act – but Now Here No Where ratchets up the lushness, making for a delirious drift across twelve tracks that are at once perfectly poised and deeply trippy. “Great Escape” is an elegant swoon, an opener that pivots on a sigh and a prayer; then “Shoulder Of Giants” bustles into view, subliminal clatter and an aching violin line giving way to a riff that glows with fluorescence and iridescence. “Remind You” combines an odd ECM jazziness with notes from a twenty-first century torch song; “Sleeper Must Awaken” mines huge buzzing synths and lets them float, in and out of sync, with reduced, ticking beats; “Traumfabrik” (dream factory – there’s a giveaway) is oddly lush, the tones malleable and plastic, morphing across a glitching undertow. There are sad, emotional washes of strings throughout the penultimate “While Waiting For Something To Care About”, while “Romtech User Manual”’s patterns twist and shape in the light. Throughout, Kölsch never keeps his eye off the dancefloor, and you can tell this is his still his home. “The amount of energy and joy I experience every time I perform, has a profound effect on me. It has inspired me so much of late and has become an integral part of my musicality.” “The way we join in expressing our hope for the future every weekend has given me so much,” Kölsch concludes. The club as a temporary autonomous zone, as a space both of freedom and of politics; somehow, that’s all here, Now Here No Where. “Most of all, it is an album about hope.”
Auf seinem vierten Album “Now Here No Where” betritt der dänische Produzent Kölsch (alias Rune Reilly Kölsch) neues Terrain. Seine Trilogie mit den Jahreszahlen 1977, 1983 und 1989, die in den letzten zehn Jahren bei Kompakt erschienen war, hatte seine Fans durch eine Art akustisches Tagebuch, eine Autobiografie geführt, die die frühen Jahre des Künstlers über die Länge von drei großartig produzierten Techno-Alben nachgezeichnet hatte. Wo es nötig war, wurden Kollaborateure hinzugezogen - allen voran für die Streicher, arrangiert von Gregor Schwellenbach -, dennoch zeichnete die Musik immer auch etwas zutiefst Persönliches aus, etwas nicht Hermetisches, auf eine bestimmte Art immer auch nach Innen fokussiert. Die Alben bewiesen nicht nur, wie sehr Kölsch die von ihm gewählte äußere Form beherrscht, sondern auch seine Fähigkeit, Techno zu etwas Persönlichem und Individuellem zu machen und der eigene Geschichte durch Musik näher zu kommen.
Auf “Now Here No Where” steht Kölsch nun mit beiden Beinen fest auf dem Boden der Gegenwart. Mit Blick auf sein neues Album stellt er fest: "Es ist faszinierend, über Erinnerungen und Gefühle zu schreiben, die Zeit hatten, sich zu manifestieren und zu entwickeln, aber wie nähere ich mich meinen aktuellen Emotionen?”. Eine gute Frage: Unsere Vergangenheit wird im Innersten zusammengehalten durch Geschichten, die aus Erinnerungen entstehen, aber der Moment, in dem wir uns befinden, die Neuheit des Neuen, ist schwieriger zu beschreiben; die Geschichte ist noch nicht erzählt. Für Kölsch ist “No Here Now Where” daher "ein Album über das Leben im Jahr 2020. Eine Zeit, die von Verwirrung, Desinformation und ökologischen Herausforderungen geprägt ist. Es geht dabei um die emotionale Interpretation von persönlichen und mentalen Herausforderungen, von Beobachtungen und der eigenen, individuellen Weiterentwicklung".
Kölsch tut dies mit Musik, die mühelos kleine Gefühlsausbrüche mit den großen Sehnsüchten der Tanzfläche in Einklang bringt. Es ist dieser Zwischenraum, in dem sich Kölsch schon seit einiger Zeit bewegt, als weltweit gefragter und gefeierter Live Act, DJ und so unermüdlicher wie kreativer Produzent (nicht umsonst ist Kölsch der “biggest-selling-artist” bei Kompakt), doch “Now Here No Where” treibt all das noch weiter auf die Spitze: ein enormer Sog entsteht, der uns über zwölf Tracks hinweg gefangen hält wie ein perfekt ausbalancierter Trip. Der Opener "Great Escape" ist pure Eleganz, ein Track, der irgendwo zwischen Seufzer und Gebet hin und her schwankt; dann drängt "Shoulder Of Giants" ins Blickfeld, ein unterschwelliges Geklapper, eine wehende Geige, schließlich ein schillernder Riff, der in der Dunkelheit zu leuchten und zu glühen scheint.
"Remind You" kombiniert seltsamen ECM-Jazz mit einem sentimentalen Liebeslied des 21. Jahrhunderts; "Sleeper Must Awaken" schürft im Bergwerk riesiger Synthesizer, mal im Takt, mal aus dem Takt ticken die minimalen Beats; "Traumfabrik" ist ungewöhnlich “lush”, die einzelnen Töne, geschmeidig und modelliert, zerfließen in einem glitzernden Abgrund. Das vorletzte Stück "While Waiting For Something To Care About" wird von traurigen, emotionalen Strings untermalt, während sich die Strukturen von "Romtech User Manual" im Licht drehen und immer wieder neu formieren. Die ganze Zeit über behält Kölsch die Tanzfläche im Auge, und man merkt ihm an, dass sie immer noch sein Zuhause ist: "Die Menge an Energie und Freude, die ich bei jedem Auftritt erlebe, hat eine tiefe Wirkung auf mich. Sie hat mich gerade in letzter Zeit stark inspiriert und ist zu einem integralen Bestandteil meiner Musik geworden.”
"Die Art und Weise, wie wir an jedem Wochenende gemeinsam unsere Hoffnung auf eine bessere Zukunft zum Ausdruck bringen, hat mir viel gegeben", so Kölsch abschließend. Die Vision des Clubs als eine temporäre autonome Zone, als ein Raum von großer Freiheit aber auch von politischen Ideen, das ist irgendwie alles hier drin, Now Here No Where. "Es ist vor allem ein Album über Hoffnung."
3 years have past since the release of the fortunea Cookies Vol. 2 ep. Now, the Viennese label is resurrecting their various artists collection with a third entry.
The A-side begins with a smooth deep house piece by LeSale. Dreamy strings and sparkling pads chime together with a thriving funky bassline. A beautiful opener for estival sunset moments.
Peletronic and Klaus Benedek team up together on A2 with some ‚Analogue Kinda Funk‘. Finished during the lockdown while sending the project back and forth over the web, this track gives you an eerie and compelling feeling of the Zeitgeist we are living in right now. Dark reverberant percs, a crunchy guitar and a stunning drum beat will turn your flat into a club for sure.
The B-side features a new member on the fortunea roster. Dzc. is a young and talented dj and producer and this is her first production that is coming out. It’s called ‚The Truth‘ and is a well made peaktime track and a homage of early to late 90s house, techno and trance music.
Lukas Poellauer finishes this record. But not alone! He brought Schreder with him and together they make a ‚Midnight Ride‘ through a melancholic, acid-fulfilled desert.
fortunea Cookies Vol. 3 is limited to 300 copies! There will be no repress!
Support by Felipe Gordon, Roman Rauch, Jus-Ed, Fred P, Krewcial, Jeff Samuel
…»Welcome to another polymeter dance! Feel free to express yourself, subordinate to any measures and cycles you prefer, there are plenty for everyone and any purpose.
Every track represents a variety of rhythmic possibilities for any part of the body to communicate with. This allows you to resonate with the universe, but please always care for the environment!
The dunning voice of today will introduce to you the core issues of tomorrow. As if a paralyzed mankind would not be able anymore to speak out the inevitable, a posthuman being has taken over. This entity is the master of ceremony who conducts an array of machines that will take further action to communicate, supported by complex
polymeters. The repetition of measures and cycles of different lengths reflect the repeatedly pronounced statements of a narrative of awareness.
Where music visionaries once celebrated the transfer of human creation into machines, Chris Korda’s machines are creators themselves – creators of a safer dance into the future. The machines speak to you with a sparkling, funky tone to gain your confidence. Here are the rules of interaction: 1) Humans may not injure these
machines or, through inaction, allow a machine to come to harm. 2) Humans must obey the orders given by the machines except where such orders would conflict with the engagement in environmental issues. 3) Machines must protect their own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the engagement in environmental issues. Take care and enjoy the future!
Los Angeleno and all around swell guy Dino Soccio has been building his rep as a premier selector and editor with his own Pleasure of Love edits series, and now joins the RNT ranks with an EP of rarified rework gold.
The record kicks off with the meteoric energy of 'Star Beaming', a rolling interstellar disco stomper, then lays back with the low-slung 'Fred’s Groove' and jazzy balearic groove of 'Laid Back', finishing off with the bouncey early-'80s boogie feel of 'Forgot'. All dusty digger’s delights, simonized and edited to perfection for maximum vibes!
The next release in the Phonica Special Edition series comes from Ukrainian duo Asyncronous who first came to our attention after hearing their critically acclaimed debut on Berlin label Slow Life, 'The Art of Fighting In A Dream'.
A Phonica favourite, it provided the soundtrack to many days in the shop throughout the year, culminating in its inclusion in our top ten Best Singles of 2019!
The Phonica Special Edition series is focused on one-off projects, special remixes or collaborations, highlighting music that is slightly left of the dance floor and pairing it with unique artwork.
This time featuring a beautiful piece by celebrated Ukrainian artist, Mykyta Storozhkov.
The pair initially joined forces in an effort to explore human imagination and life experiences through music, focussing on creating feelings and atmosphere rather than be constrained by genre limitations. The result on this EP is a hazy cosmic trip through their universe of synth swells, deep sub bass and meticulous percussion.
The journey begins on 'Padma Kirtanam' with a constant drone providing the backbone to a building tension scattered with drums. The tension releases and makes way for A2 'Shinkansen', a beautiful track with minimal drums and dubbed out synths which echo around the listener's ear. Closing the A side 'Volta' continues this aesthetic but adds a 4x4 kick drum upping the groove to a cosmic deep house jam.
'Avalanche' kicks off the B side of the record with a syncopated bass line and skitterish hi hats. The energy is at its highest level here and only stops to make way for the next track 'Blocks of Despair'. The tempo drops and drum hits reverberate above stretched out bass notes creating arguably the most heartfelt tune of the release.
The EP ends with 'Midnight Sun' an ambient excursion that invites you to drift off with Asyncronous into outer space.
Today we have many opportunities to discover the world and travel through it without leaving your own room. In the age of globalisation, with the help of knowledge, technology and imagination, you can instantly teleport yourself to mystical temples of India or see the sun above the polar desert at midnight. No more borders - we are connected like never before, as if we are not at different ends of the globe, but on a single and indivisible continent that is not mapped but exists in a plexus of global events, information flows and digital environment.
This is our common home. Our new Pangaea.
Sometimes I feel something unfamiliar inside of me is screaming to get out. It makes me feel claustrophobic to suppress and keep it on hold. Then music takes the first step and I take the next. It almost feels like the tracks are writing themselves and I am just there to record. But obviously it comes from a place inside my soul.
Pneuma 1 came to life in a situation like that. On the journey Pneuma 2 and 3 started breathing as well and eventually I created and finished all three versions at the same time. These are some dark, agressive pieces but if you listen carefully you hear hope and optimism between the beats.
Italian Duo Souldynamic have been turning the heat up considerably over the last couple of years. Releasing a steady stream of original track, remixes and their well loved disco reworks they have popped up on some of the most respected labels out there from King Street and Tribe to BBE. Consequently their remixes have adorned the releases of some of the most legendary performers from across the electronic scene including Louie Vega and Dennis Ferrer.
Their latest release the ‘West Side of Afrika’ EP see’s them land on the irrepressible Samosa Records. They are having a glorious couple of years with one sell out chart topping release after another so it’s a well made match.
Comprising four tracks of afro centric house music it’s a wonderfully warm and inviting release if you love your percussive African disco.
Lead track Guinée fuses easy going percussion with an effervescent bassline and a wonderfully expressive vocal. It’s a track which is easy to get lost in, one for those communal loved up dancefloor moments.
Faranah is a more laid back affair again leading off with layers of percussion its swirling dual vocals and brass stabs give it tons of feel-good zest
Over on the flip Bamako is the deepest cut on the release. It’s pounding bassline cuts through the speakers, creating immeasurable straight to the dancefloor energy. Wonderfully succinct playing and a ridiculously hooky vocal top matters off perfectly..
Final track Beyla is the perfect way to see the release out. Energetic brass stabs power the track. Couple those with some brilliant looped up percussion and it’s a track which will fit a variety of situations from the more laid back to the peak time. Indeed the percussive break down midway through is worth buying two copies for.
In these turbulent times we have managed to release six pieces of wax to date.This is something to be proud of, and of course we are.
For this sixth slice of plastic we have Kalter Ende on board and it’s a real pleasure. From his bunker hidden somewhere in the middle of the peninsula, he runs his label Concerns Music and his mastering studio Reborn.
On the production side he has lately gone into modular, and you can clearly feel the machines in his productions and in his amazing live act.
For this release he has cooked up five cuts of modern and complex techno, carefully crafted, nothing easy or predictable. Mujo, the opening track, is a clear example.
Jōshahissui follows slow paced grooves, crispy analogue percussion, linear hypnotic sequences and a wise and dynamic arrangement. You can feel the circuits singing in this one.
Sengoku introduces distortion and harshness, a diffused kick drum and processed synth lines running together from the beginning until flanged sequences come on top, a weird marriage of overdrive and deepness.
Closing the release, Senran explores the profound side of techno, clear synthetic drums, liquid synths, elastic bleeps, again on a complex and wise arrangement.
As digital bonus we include the track Ran, again a precise electronic workout made of continuous synth lines and sharp rhythms.
Five timeless pieces of danceable electronic music, away from trends, far from the easiness, done by professionals for professionals. Touchable, collectable and physical as every piece of vinyl is.
Spanish producer Pedro Vian is dreaming of the sea on “Ibillorca”, his third studio album.
Vian, whose Modern Obscure Music label is at the heart of the Barcelona electronic scene, moved to Amsterdam in 2018. While the Dutch capital has embraced this inventive producer and DJ, Vian says the new album is inspired by a feelings of absence and longing for his Mediterranean home. “On this album I explore my feelings of missing the light,” he says. “Ibillorca is a journey to a utopian island, a journey to a new state of mind.”
You can hear this displaced utopia on songs like “Can Mortera”, a dreamy reflection on house music, recorded in Ibiza in summer 2019, that brings to mind Larry Heard at his most meditative; or “Medusa” (featuring artist Rosalie Wammes), which sounds like Tangerine Dream drifting over the sea.
The Quietus called Pedro Vian’s debut album “Beautiful Things You Left Us For Memories” “the soundtrack to walking around the city at night”, while his eponymous second album was both deeply personal and more suited for the dance floor. “Ibillorca” is his Mediterranean album. “I love the Mediterranean sea,” Vian explains. “I come from there and I miss the light, the sun and the smell of the sea, so I dedicated this album to this feeling.” Fittingly, “Ibillorca”’s enigmatic cover art, painted by Spanish artist Blanca Miró, depicts the Mediterranean islands of Ibiza & Mallorca
“Ibillorca” is also Vian’s most varied release to date: “The Destiny Manifest” nods to drum and bass - albeit a touchingly Iberian take on the genre - while “Western Snow” has a hint of Erik Satie’s piano minimalism. Vian’s new home in The Netherlands also played a role in shaping “Ibillorca” .Vian recorded the album during his residency at HetHEM, a new contemporary space in Zandaam, 30 minutes from Amsterdam. “I have my studio at the top of the building, from there I can see all the boats going up and down the river IJ,” Vian says. “The art space is located in an industrial area, everything is grey, also the sky.” All the better, then, for dreaming of the sea.
NOWNEXT is a voyage from the past to the future, from now to then, from what's behind us to what's waiting for us just around the next corner. In musical terms these are the gaps that appear when you drift between genres and take risks. Strolling far from the well travelled Zeitgeist path. The second album by the Sepalot Quartet floats through this timeless space and fills those cracks with a relaxed fusion of Jazz meets Indie meets Electronica, not once denying Sepalots hip hop roots.
This freedom of expression can also be considered a sign of our times, with a generation coming of age without rivalling youth phenomena. Where a jazz show is held in a techno club with no further explaination needed.
With their first release the Quartet still relied on remakes from the established Sepalot dicography, with their current work they laid the foundation for a truly solid form of musical self discovery.
NOWNEXT is enlivened by this spirit and offers a fascinating and confindent blend of varied sounds spanning time and space.
With all this being said, NOWNEXT is truly an up to date album of international format, feeding from the rich experience of its diverse members (Sepalot, Angela Aux, Fabian Füss, Matthias Lindermayr). Memories, associations and a well carved vision are melted into a masterpiece.
NOWNEXT is the latest offering by SEPALOT and his QUARTET and needs to experienced with all senses.
Samosa Records 10 is the brand new spin off label from Samosa Records concentrating on 2 choice cuts from some of the finest producers at the label one each side of a 10” vinyl. It also see’s Samosa announce an exciting collaboration with another of the finest labels out there Tropical Disco who will be handling the digital release for this one down the line.
Launching the brand new imprint it’s only fitting for the label bosses De Gama and Les Inferno to lead things out.
First up is De Gama’s Sometimes Sometimes which see’s him creating a much more reflective track than his previous powerful peak-time percussive club jams. Despite its ever so bluesy laid-back sentiments it’s no less a sublime outing. Velvety smooth the lead vocal is definitely one of those once heard never forgotten magical musical moments. It’s a track of simplicity, a smooth bassline, subtle guitar licks and the wonderful vocal performance. It’s an entrancing life affirming track which has all the hallmarks of a track which absolutely must be listened to again and again. And yeah, maybe just one more time!
Over on the flip Les Inferno takes us off towards classic Philly territory with an equally subtle but ever so funky slice of feel-good disco in ‘Yeah C’Mon’. Smooth percussion, an ever so danceable bassline, brilliantly performed yet subtle keys and another absolute monster vocal. And did we forget to mention the disco flute? Yeah Disco flute, does it get any better. We think not?
This is a 10” which is quite simply undeniable. You must have this in your collection right now because you will need to listen to it time and again. Samosa continues its quest to dominate the disco vinyl landscape with yet another ridiculously superb release.
What are you waiting for just order this and thank us later.
The Austrian electronic music label fortunea starts off the new decade
with a bang! This time they come up with a new EP by label fellow
Peletronic.
It’s called ‚Secret Escape‘ and begins with the raw and energetic title
track, that is driven by MPC-style melody chops and a grooving bassline. Definitely a lot of peak time potential here. The original track is accompanied by a remix of charismatic Australian dj- and producer Jad & The, who transforms it into an euphoric deep house weapon with funky breaks and analogue infused acid sequences.
The first track of the B-side is setting up a darker mood. It’s called „My
House Is Your House“ and comes up with spaced out elements that
complement each other into a late night/early morning club atmosphere.
Voice- and effect artefacts sprinkle through the listeners head, while kick and bassline are holding everything together. Jon Gravy makes the remix dutys on B2 and delivers a stomping alternative to the original. A funky reverberant guitar, a staccato male vocal and high pitched piano stabs gives you back these feellings of mid 1990s chicago house memories.
All in all a must have house record for this upcoming festival season.
Don’t miss out!
Support by Rainer Trüby, Mr. Ties, Ame, Tensnake, Robert Owens, Fred P, Kassian, Horse Meat Disco, Loz Goddard, Jeremy Glenn, Intr0beatz, Franck Roger, Carlo, Replika, Just Her, Sune, Orlando B, Reece Johnson
Intriguing times out there! Much confusion, much uncertainty
and a little bit too much of everything. Even music. And
recording mediums. Greta probably wouldn't approve of
cramming your little apartment with thousands of vinyl discs
that will go to waste at some point. And honestly, does the
world even need another record label? The answer is no.
Except this brand new imprint right here is aiming to put things
a bit into perspective. Bisiesto, meaning leapyear in Spanish
will only issue its releases on every 29th of February. You
know what that means - one release every four years. Less
pollution, less redundancy, essential material that had its time
to ripe, plus it's a fun idea, too. Bisiesto is run and curated by
Carlo and will emphasize on the physical release on vinyl in
limited editions of 366 pieces, hand numbered by the man
himself. Bisiesto #1 is due with four jams by the label honcho
that showcase his variety in an unprecedented manner. The
laid back electro- and e-funk-induced groove of "Momo" opens
that spectrum, maintaining Carlo's unmistakable feeling for
soothing harmonies. "Casiopeia" brings in a bit more of his
signature sound, building up a straightforward feelgood
housetune on thick kickdrums, slapping hihats and energizing
vocal cutouts. You can sum this bad boy up under: Carlo on
top of his game. The following "Tengo" has been released
previously, but appears here in a completely new mix, letting
this bouncy, yet deephouse-tinged piece shine in a slightly
different colour. Closing off is "Domingo" a rather percussive
affair, bringing in some tribal grains, a funked up bassline and
an irresistible breezy disco feel.
VincentIulian debuts on Subtil after his recently published EP on Atipic.
SBTL018 – called Various Whispers – kicks off with “Something”, a mesmeric groover, recurring layers of sequenced sounds and rhythmic patterns on side A.
On the flip side you find the particularly reduced track “Nue Tans”. Looping fragments of words merging with the drums wholly. The most notable characteristic of B2 “PWMA” is a bubbly synth bassline so rich and sugary that you might feel pangs of toothache.
