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Italian DJ and producer Francis De Simone debuts on Lee Foss and Jamie Jones' label Hot Creations with London Bass. Having built a solid back catalogue in recent years, his first Hot Creations release embodies the dynamic sound of the Palermo-born artist, channelling chunky tech house and disco-flavoured melodies.

De Simone explains his creative thinking behind the EP. "These tracks fully express my devotion to music. I ranged a lot, trying to remember an 80's sound up to a more raw and synthetic groove with Latin vocals to embrace the different ethnic groups." Reflecting his thoughts to a tee, the title track rumbles with a massive bassline and chopped-up vocals that add an instant burst of energy. Things get weird on Saludos A Todos, as thumping kickdrums collide with a trippy melody and even trippier vocals, creating a wavey atmosphere. The ideal club curveball. On Off White, De Simone delivers a pacey number packed with burbling beats and clicky percussion, complemented by dreamy vocals. The hint is in the name on closing track, This Is Undergound. A big room delight, De Simone drops a stripped-back banger, where the lyrics do the talking in tandem with a driving bassline. An excellent addition to the Hot Creations discography.

Based in Palermo, Italy, Francis De Simone stems from a family of musicians. Having played the drums from age two, the versatile artist can make anything from rock, pop and jazz, but these days, De Simone pens electronic music. His father worked as a bouncer for various local discos and exposed De Simone to dance music from a young age, later inspiring him to produce house and techno with an uplifting tint. Releases on Glasgow Underground, LW Recordings and REALM Records have helped shape the profile of this flourishing artist, with plenty more to come further down the line.

The Moment Is Forever' by Draso finally on vinyl.

After the first EP released in 2019 with Mother Tongue label, the French band never stopped reinventing itself. Oscillating between future jazz, house, the alchemy found within the band proves to be quite unstoppable. Whether it’s live or in the studio, the Gin Tonic Orchestra reinvents, innovates and experiments constantly. The idea is to create a live experience that resembles a DJ set, strongly influenced by club culture and jazz. For the first album « Shyance », the collective starts with a cataclysmic intro that introduce « No I Can’t Be Free » which connects Stefania EP to the new album. The other tracks cross Fusion (Shyance), Hisaishi harmonies (Yubaba), DnB (Rage Jaune), Deep House (La Couenne Rance), Cosmic Disco (Crush) and Thrash R&B (Can U Plug My SM58 Tonight).

2023 Repress

Originally given a digital-only, Bandcamp-only release back in the summer of 2016 RVDE's '90s Hammer' has become a sleeper hit, slowly but surely growing through word of mouth, YouTube plays and DJ support. Now Perc Trax has licensed it from its original home T/W/B, added two brand new remixes and given it the vinyl release it always deserved as the label's final release of 2019.

It all starts with the original mix, a whirlwind of heavy kicks, triplet synths and gangster shout-outs. Heavy music isn't often as hook laden as this and you can see why Perc has been a huge fan of the track since its original release.
Next up Perc Trax welcome's Slovakian legend DJ Boss to the label for the first time. Boss is already a hero to many Perc Trax artists including Sawf and Perc and as usual he doesn't disappoint with a sub-heavy rolling 4/4 mix.

Flip it over and up steps Perc for the second of the new remixes.
The Perc Trax boss pulls no punches as he adds gun shots and his trademark slicing snares to an explosive arrangement that has been a highlight of his sets around the world since summer.

Finally Anthro's excellent remix from the original T/W/B release completes this four track 12". The noisiest and grimiest of all the mixes on show here, it rounds off one of Perc Trax's most solid pieces of vinyl in a long time.

The next issue in the on-going Mastermix series features a centerpiece of Frankfurt’s club history: Wild Pitch Club.

A predecessor to the esteemed Robert Johnson and a stepping stone for Panorama Bar’s very own nd_baumecker.

Founded by Playhouse masterminds Ata and the late Heiko M/S/O it was a Thursday club night that heavily featured house music as a prescription to the ongoing techno fever. Enamored with the US-American roots of it and all things deep, it not only presented the right records, but also their creators and protagonists. With a string of guest DJs from Robert Hood and Claude Young to Kerri Chandler and Theo Parrish as well as talent from the UK and Europe, it was one of the culture’s hubs at the time.

Here you have its testimony. Selected and mixed by Ata and nd_baumecker, it’s an authentic snapshot of the club’s vibe and spirit, spread over two 2x12” volumes, a collectable tape (download included) and a pleasant streaming version, it’s the full dosage. Like Roach Motel confessed: Wild Pitch, I love you.

Tape

International Chrome continues its Data Planet cassette series with a cinematic long-player by The Thousand Order, a collective comprising Detroit's Francois Dillinger with British producers Cyphon and Obzerv.

A darker offering than standard International Chrome releases, The Thousand Order follows classic sci-fi themes of assimilation and networked hive minds across ten tracks of upfront electro.

HAVEN are back and charging in to the beginning of the year with a new catalogue number and compilation series. 'Vague Weight Vol. 1' launches the black label series that will be focused on the intersection of grime, dubstep, break-beat and other UK bass flavours with the hard and gritty techno sounds the label has become renowned for.

The A1 thrusts us straight in to this sonic world with an icy 4-4 slammer from Otautahi local legend and 1985 signee Ebb. Grimy cold square waves, gun reloads and some of the chunkiest drum programming in the South Pacific come together in this perfect representation of what the black label series is about. The A2 follows on with this theme with a huge bassy dance-floor anthem from London-based Irish artist Witch Trials featuring ghostly melodic hooks, creeping atmospheres and stepping rhythms to close out the A-side.

The B1 begins the flip with UK hardcore stylings from Voitax regular and bass experimentalist Cressida. Broken beats, monstrous bass pulses, faded rave synths and diva vocals combine in this huge slab of break-beat weight from the Berlin-based producer. Finally the compilation closes with an odd-ball chunk of 4-4 dub experimentation from Swedish HAVEN legend Peder Mannerfelt, following on from 2020's 'Ensnared' EP. Four-to-the-floor kicks flow alongside half-time rhythms and grungy synth work to close out this new chapter in the HAVEN discography.

The second EP from this mysterious edit series and they definitely don’t disappoint!
On the edit block this time... Tropical Jazz funk, African boogie, killer lost female AOR, & a Rare Gospel meets Street Soul cut. The first EP sold out fast so don’t sleep on this one folks!

A release that doesn't bow to genre conventions, deeply emotional at its core. Sometimes cinematic, often infectious, and always loosening limbs on the dance floor. This is Man Power music.

Geoff Kirkwood's first vinyl release of 2023 comes courtesy of Helsinki's Echocentric Records. Kirkwood is just as comfortable writing and presenting experimental symphonies, ambient hauntology, and audio-visual orchestral performances as Bed Wetter or delivering raucous kinetic techno as MPX. For everything in between, he is Man Power

Two rarities from Deadmau5’s illustrious collection get a much deserved repress. First up ‘People Are Still Having Sex’, a cover version of the 1991 original by LaTour that was produced in Deadmau5’s mid-2000s heydays and has never been released on vinyl before. Trademark big beats and electrified synths lay the foundation for the looped-up hook vocal to run wild.

On the flip the twisted, tribal channelling John Made remix of 'Desynchronized' from 2009 that has previously only ever been available on a bootleg release, now officially released for the first time.

‘Horsepower’ marks the Dutchman’s third credit on Drumcode this year, following a strong collaborative work with Weska ‘Shades of Summer’ and the new remixes of ‘Your Mind’ from Charles D, his classic with Adam Beyer from 2018. Bart’s also been busy throughout the summer season, a fixture at our Off Sonar, Drumcode Miami and the Drumcode Ibiza event

His latest two tracker continues this reach vein of form. The title track is vintage Bart Skils; a searing festival-ready bomb built around a dreamy vocal sequence and long mid-section break that drops back into stomping techno territory. ‘Sunshine in the Dust’ brings the party with lively percussion, flamboyant vocal samples and tough bottom end. A super fun track bursting with Latin flavours.

"Onyeabor 80" draws equal influence from War, William Onyeabor, and Isaac Hayes. This steady groover is sure to keep the dance-floor moving! On the flip side we have "Bongo Grove", an Incredible Bongo Band influenced, upbeat horn-driven anthem. This one features Mitchum Yacoub on Bongos. Members of The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Mestizo Beat, and Mitchum Yacoub exploring new tones and directions!

Finally the cult italo disco 12″ from 1984 by Riccardo Cioni repressed in limited edition for the first time.

The first release of 2023 on SHERELLE and NAINA’s Hooversound imprint comes from London based DJ, producer and AV artist, Drumskull.

Drumskull is the moniker of Joel Harrison, started during lockdown in 2020. His debut album, ‘Interlocked’ garnered support from the likes of Addison Groove, Ahadadream, Doc Scott as well as receiving radio support from Tom Ravenscroft on BBC Radio 6 and Avalon Emerson on her BBC Radio 1 Residency.

In joining the Hooversound family, he again showcases his style of meshing jungle, footwork with deep house and breaks across two tracks. 'Muscle Memory’ also features two huge remixes from Nottingham’s Lone and LMajor - both making debuts on the label.

The EP wraps up a busy year for Hooversound who also put out releases by RAVETRX, Prayer, Thugwidow and Bruised Skies as well as remixes from Response and Denham Audio. Since launching in 2020, Hooversound has become a go to label that pushes the bass continuum, being championed globally by Resident Advisor, Crack Magazine, FACT, Groove, Mixmag and more.

Double Touch return to All Day I Dream label to release their four track EP, Storm. The duo is joined by Reigan, who contributes vocals for two tracks on the EP.

The EP kicks off with its title track, which features vocals from Reigan about power, control, and the bliss of surrender. Reigan and Double Touch are frequent collaborators; Reigan has contributed vocals for past Double Touch EPs released on All Day I Dream, TRYBESOF, and Magician on Duty.

Complex layers of percussion commence the record. Over the course of the introduction, melodic elements are slowly incorporated, crescendoing as Reigan begins to sing the first verse. The track breaks down around the midway point - as the percussion fades away, Reigan’s voice is highlighted, and tension builds. After the next chorus, the drums are reincorporated, as latent energy is released.

Regarding her lyrics, Reigan said: “The feeling of surrender comes during the melodic change in the chorus. I say “take hold of me” twice and then when I say “and you take all of me” the lift in the note feels euphoric. This is the surrender to power. ‘Storm’ is a dance of power and passion, pleasure and control. It’s leaning into the bliss of surrender while exploring the indirect holders of power in doing so.”

A1. DUBrazil – Untitled 1 07:10
A2. DUBrazil – Untitled 2 07:34
B1. Jordan Fields – Wanna Feel The Music (Piano Mix) 05:39
B2. Tracky Disco – Keep It Going 05:15
B3. Afrolectro – Needs Love 06:20