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Repress!

Legendary NYC house label Strictly Rhythm is celebrating a mammoth 3 decades of cutting edge, roof-raising house music. Truly a benchmark. Originally founded in 1989 by the dynamic pairing of music industry man Mark Finkelstein and A&R expert Gladys Pizarro, Strictly tapped directly into the fertile New York underground & after hours club scene, helping to launch and bolster the recording careers of dance music luminaries like Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Ultra Nate, Todd Terry, Wamdue Project, DJ Sneak, Louie Vega,
and many more ...

Strictly Rhythm is easily one of the most recognisable and respected dance music powerhouses of all time.
Across 3 limited double vinyl offerings, the Strictly catalogue has been expertly picked over to present you with a snapshot of some of the most earth shattering house music to emanate from the streets of New York City.

A who's who of producers and artists, all killer and no filler. End to end classics that help to tell the story of one of dance music's most well loved labels. Classic cuts and essentials from Armand Van Helden, Logic, Roger Sanchez (Underground Solution), Photon INC and more all feature on part 2 in their unedited, 12" mix glory.

Fully legit, remastered and selected with love courtesy of Strictly Rhythm and Above Board distribution for 2020 - Happy birthday Strictly Rhythm!

Green Sleeve 2026 Repress

The earliest musical memories of young Prince Istari are of his mother beautifying the home with her piano playing. She would repeatedly play the tranquil pieces of Erik Satie. Skipping school and sitting in the sun, young Prince would listen to these catchy, calm compositions.

In the first week of 2024, the older Prince Istari rediscovered himself and found a box containing his mother's old sheet music. He transferred them to his computer and began spinning dub versions from them. It became a tapestry. As his mother used to say: "To weave a net, one must first spin." The form of the pieces dictated the direction each would take. The heavy dub transforms here into a light weightiness until it dissolves into a pure piano piece accompanied by a synthesizer. However, the last piece is much older, from the time when Prince was still known as Istari Lasterfahrer. The ending includes a distorted recording of Huberta, Prince's mother, playing a Gnossienne by Satie. At the end, she turns the sheet music, and the record can be turned back to the beginning.

In the essence of its material, this record rejects the Loudness War. The originality of the compositions guided the dub within their tracks, thereby imparting to each a form descriptive of its essence.

Twice Grammy-nominated, Mercury Prize and BRIT Award-winning artist Arlo Parks announces her new album, Ambiguous Desire, due April 3rd via Transgressive Records.



Ambiguous Desire is Parks at her most confident and experimental, supplanting live band sessions for modular synths, ableton plugins and samplers that channel the frenetic, vibrant spaces she was immersed in, all while spotlighting the acclaimed poetry and lyricism she’s beloved for.



Reflecting on the making of the record, Parks shares, "I danced more than ever as I made this record, I made more friends than ever too, found myself in the weird underbelly of New York juke nights, unleashed, laughed and laughed and laughed. This record has desire at its centre. Desire is a life force, it’s a wanting, a yearning, a momentum - we are all alive because there is something or someone we want - desire is an engine. But it is also mysterious, tangled, random, enlightening and HUMAN."



Parks crafted the album with producer Baird (Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract). Their process unfolded between NYC’s vibrant, community-rooted nightlife and long, introspective days spent in Baird’s downtown loft. The result is Parks’ most vulnerable, self-affirming, and euphoric work to date.

Die zweifach Grammy-nominierte, mit dem Mercury Prize und BRIT Award ausgezeichnete Künstlerin Arlo Parks kündigt ihr neues Album „Ambiguous Desire“ an, das am 3. April über Transgressive Records erscheinen wird.



„Ambiguous Desire“ zeigt Parks von ihrer selbstbewusstesten und experimentellsten Seite. Live-Band-Sessions wurden durch modulare Synthesizer, Ableton-Plugins und Sampler ersetzt, die die frenetischen, pulsierenden Räume widerspiegeln, in denen sie sich bewegte, während gleichzeitig ihre gefeierte Poesie und Lyrik, für die sie so geliebt wird, im Vordergrund stehen.



Über die Entstehung des Albums sagt Parks: „Ich habe während der Arbeit an diesem Album mehr getanzt als je zuvor, ich habe mehr Freunde gefunden als je zuvor, ich habe mich in den seltsamen Untergrund der New Yorker Juke-Nächte begeben, mich gehen lassen, gelacht und gelacht und gelacht. Dieses Album dreht sich um das Thema Begehren. Sehnsucht ist eine Lebenskraft, sie ist ein Verlangen, eine Dynamik – wir alle leben, weil es etwas oder jemanden gibt, den wir wollen – Sehnsucht ist ein Motor. Aber sie ist auch geheimnisvoll, verworren, zufällig, erleuchtend und MENSCHLICH.“



Parks hat das Album zusammen mit dem Produzenten Baird (Brockhampton, Kevin Abstract) produziert. Der Entstehungsprozess fand zwischen dem pulsierenden, gemeinschaftsorientierten Nachtleben von NYC und langen, introspektiven Tagen in Bairds Loft in der Innenstadt statt. Das Ergebnis ist Parks' bisher verletzlichstes, selbstbewusstestes und euphorischstes Werk.

Antivenom is the fourth album from Portland melancholic dark alternative trio Darkswoon, refining their blend of darkwave, post-punk, and shoegaze into a focused and emotionally charged statement.

Built on a hardware-driven electronic foundation, the album pairs cold mechanical textures with an intimate human core, carrying Jana Cushman’s ethereally soaring vocals as they con-front themes of loss, anxiety, fear, and inequality with unflinching honesty. Norah Lynn’s melodic, gritty bass lines weave through Rachel Ellis’ propulsive rhythms, while Cushman’s guitar creates a dense sonic web that occasionally drifts into more expansive shoegaze territory.

Cohesive yet urgent, Antivenom unfolds as an atmospheric whole filled with cautionary messages and the weight of words left unsaid, capturing a band confident in its evo-lution and singular voice within the dark alternative landscape

Santamaria Brothers are the latest incarnation of a lifelong musical journey rooted in rhythm, rebellion, and reinvention. The children of Peruvian and Ecuadorian immigrants to Australia, brothers Pat and Andrew Santamaria grew up steeped in the sounds and culture of Latin America - a deep inheritance that coloured everything they did, even as they moved through scenes and styles far from home.

In their youth, the brothers sharpened their first musical swords playing in globally touring indie bands. As the rhythm section of cult outfit Lost Valentinos, they had the opportunity to see the world and learn from the best; touring with, working alongside, and releasing music through the likes of Soulwax, Ewan Pearson, and Kitsuné. Taking those experiences home, they dove deep into the rave underground, co-founding of the crucial Sydney-centric techno label, warehouse party collective, and long-running radio show Motorik! In that guise,they helped shape the city’s electronic music scene over the past decade from the booth, the studio, the airwaves, and the street.

Now, after years behind the decks and on both sides of the mixing board, Santamaria Brothers return to their roots - releasing music under the family name for the first time. With We Got Latin Soul, they bring it all together on a 4-track EP of club-ready edits (via Sosilly Records). Reworking four towering figures of Latin soul; Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers, and Joe Bataan — the brothers inject each cut with tasteful touches of Balearic haze and chugging acid house pressure, honouring the originals while making them sing on today’s dancefloors.

This is Latin soul filtered through a unique blend of antipodean rave culture, crate-digging, and relentless reinvention. It’s joyful, percussive, and made for the club - a full-circle moment from two lifers forever finding new ways to move bodies.

DJ Support: Nic Fanciulli, Joe T Vannelli, Danny Tenaglia, Richie Hawtin, Nick Curly, Shiba San, Adam Beyer, Marco Bailey, Boris, Jamie Jones, Markus Schulz, Tom Novy, John Digweed, James Zabiela, Tiesto, Claude VonStroke, Roger Sanchez, Blond:ish, Adriatique, Paul van Dyk, Joris Voorn, Deer Jade, Vintage Culture & Paco Osuna

Few labels can claim true legendary status in dance music - where trends fade as quickly as they emerge and icons are made and broken overnight. Yoshitoshi stands as one of those rare exceptions.

The label makes its return with a statement of intent: a definitive new remix package of Alcatraz’s era-defining “Giv Me Luv”, a dancefloor classic that hasn’t seen fresh interpretations in over a decade. While the original has remained a staple for those who know, it’s now primed for a new generation of club enthusiasts.

“Giv Me Luv” represents everything Yoshitoshi has been standing for: raw energy, unforgettable hooks, and that indefinable magic that makes a track timeless. Bringing it back with new remixes after all these years demanded artists who could match its legacy.

Enter Sébastien Léger, the French maestro whose thirty-year journey has seen him perform everywhere from Coachella to the Great Pyramids of Giza. His interpretation delivers the sophisticated, hypnotic drive that has made him one of electronic music’s most respected tastemakers and the founder of the acclaimed Lost Miracle imprint.

Alongside him, progressive titan Jerome Isma-Ae, whose unique fusion of trance, techno and house has dominated Beatport charts and earned him breakthrough recognition from Armin van Buuren, unleashes his signature sharp, breathtaking power on the classic.

The vinyl also includes the original mix on the B-side, completing a package that marks Yoshitoshi’s triumphant return to form.

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

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

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

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

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

LA-based producer Real Bad Man and LA musician Genevieve Artadi announce their new collaborative album Everything Is Under Control, out October 3rd via the producer’s own Real Bad Man Records. Alongside the announcement, the duo are sharing two new singles from the forthcoming album, “Don’t Gotta Think About U” and “Little Claws”. The former is an electro pop banger that propels Artadi’s intoxicating vocals to the forefront and arrives with an accompanying visual. With Everything Is Under Control, Real Bad Man is proving his versatility as a producer, crafting intricate and lively electronic-forward foundations for an old friend in Genevieve to explore an eclectic, funky approach to her vocals.

Speaking about the single, Artadi says, "'Don’t Gotta Think About U' is about a person celebrating the explosion of her most recent unhealthy romantic relationship. Her spitefulness and delusion of freedom indicate she’s still inside the pattern she hasn’t yet realized she keeps signing herself up for. The sound is melancholic pop, the thread that has always tied Adam and me together despite our musical differences."

"I love juxtaposing dense drums and a very pretty voice," Real Bad Man says of collaborating with Artadi. "That’s what 'Don’t Wanna Think About U' is. We’re also trying to make something catchy at the same time, that’s what I’ve always been drawn to musically is blending genres and moods and get them to work together. As well as pulling Genevieve away from what she does with Knower and her solo stuff.

Real Bad Man’s collaboration with Artadi is a radical shift in approach for the producer, whose previous full-length projects this year were rooted in the distinct strain of underground hip-hop that he’s amassed an extensive catalog in. Everything Is Under Control marks an entirely different, and unpredictable, sonic approach for the duo, embracing experimentation and synth-led electronica that’s reminiscent of Artadi’s work as part with Pollyn (her former band with Adam/Real Bad Man) as well as current duo KNOWER with Louis Cole. Real Bad Man’s latest project extends his prolific run of collaborations this year, embarking in a new genre and sound entirely after releasing full-length projects with ZelooperZ (Dear Psilocybin), Boldly James (Conversational Pieces) and Willie The Kid (Midnight) in the first half of 2025.

Known for her complex, yet playful writing style, Genevieve Artadi has made a name for herself through four solo albums that stretch the gambit of jazz, dream pop and dance music. The last three albums were released on iconic label Brainfeeder Records and the fourth (Another Leaf) was made as part of her being a composer-in-residence with Sweden’s Norrbotten Big Band. She’s also been an accomplished collaborator with her bands Expensive Magnets, Pollyn and KNOWER, and performing and recording with the likes of Thundercat and Snarky Puppy.

Check out “Don’t Gotta Think About U” and “Little Claws” above, see below for more details on Everything Is Under Control and stay tuned for more from Real Bad Man coming soon.

Y-TRAXX'S "MYSTERY LAND" RETURNS ON VINYL WITH NEW REMIX BY ROY ROSENFELD:

The legendary trance anthem Mystery Land by Y-Traxx returns to the spotlight. First released in 1995, the track achieved iconic status after featuring prominently in the 2000 box-office No. 1 movie Kevin & Perry Go Large. The original track is now being reissued on vinyl. The release includes the Original Mix, the classic Sickboy Courtyard Mix, the Søluna Remix - winner of the Beatport Remix Contest - and a brand-new remix from Roy Rosenfeld. Available from 3 April via Serious Beats Classics.

With its hypnotic melodies, driving beats, and mysterious atmosphere, "Mystery Land" became a symbol of the 90s trance scene and grew into a cult classic. The track was picked up worldwide by influential DJs, including Paul Oakenfold, and featured prominently on his mix album Perfecto Fluoro (1996).

The new remix by Roy Rosenfeld brings a fresh, modern take to the iconic track, preserving the emotion of the original while adding a powerful peak-time, sunrise energy. Rosenfeld comments: "Remixing Mystery Land was an honor for me. I've loved this track for many years, so the process was very natural and fun. The vision came quickly, keeping the emotion of the original and pushing it into a peak-time, sunrise energy."

ABOUT ROY ROSENFELD:

Roy Rosenfeld is a leading DJ and producer in the house music scene, known for his warm, melodic, and instantly recognizable sound. Since 2009, he has built an impressive international career with releases on labels such as All Day I Dream, Lost & Found, and Rumors, and with iconic tracks like Epika and Kala. His music receives worldwide support from top artists including Solomun, Black Coffee, and Keinemusik. Alongside his studio work, Roy is a highly sought-after performer at clubs and festivals around the globe and the driving force behind the successful No Drama event concept in Tel Aviv.

This release combines nostalgia with contemporary trance production, offering both longtime fans and a new generation the chance to experience this timeless classic in a refreshed form.

Glasgow, Scotland duo Thomas + James deliver their silky-smooth dub laced sounds for Federsen’s Alt Dub with the four-track ‘Realtime’ EP.

Thomas + James are a Glasgow-based DJ and production duo whose sound reflects a deep immersion in electronic music. Raised in the city’s west end and shaped by early exposure to techno pioneers like Luke Slater, Slam and Jeff Mills alongside the atmospheric legacy of ’90s drum & bass, their productions lean into a dub infused, forward-looking aesthetic.

Drawing equally from house traditions via influences such as St Germainand Laurent Garnier, the pair blur the lines between dub techno, deep house, acid and minimal.

Their new EP onFedersen’s Alt Dub captures that hybrid vision with a maturity that belies their years, being born in 2006,marking them out as a quietly compelling new voice from Glasgow’s next generation.

Leading the release is the original title-track ‘Realtime’, setting the tone with a sturdy yet pared-back rhythm section, oscillating synth flutters, bouncy sub-bass and hazy textures that subtly shift across the arrangement.

Label boss Federsen steps in next with his interpretation, reducing the track to its deepest foundations and recasting it as a delicately drifting soundscape of evolving spatial echoes, weighty low-end pressure and restrained, muted drums.

On the flip, Thomas + James return with ‘Armonia’, an ethereal, dub-leaning deep house cut propelled by billowing pads, delayed vocal chants, fluid dub chords and a heavily swung, minimalist groove.

The EP closes with ‘X-Intense’, further highlighting the duo’s groove-driven signature sound as reverberant, airy stabs weave through breathy vocals and shuffled percussion to bring the release to a hypnotic conclusion.

"After being praised as one of the best releases of 2025 by multiple platforms, the highly praised debut album from Obeka lands on vinyl via YUKU.

The rhythmic dynamics and emotive attitudes of A World No More captures the density of soundsystem culture in Obeka's ancestral roots. YUKU presents the Bermudians debut album capturing a Neo-Colonial dystopia, protest and Afro-Futurism hyperextended through decaying sonic structures of a dark past and its grievances which very much exist today.

Growing into adulthood within the walls of British and European Colonial systems meant the disconnection and lostness in a new country hid me from the world at a young age. Unlike London's vast and culturally engaging migrant communities, the industrial milling town of Stockport introduced a coldness towards people from other countries I experienced in my first year after relocating from Bermuda. I couldn't understand why. Whether cold words thrown towards me or actions upon other people who look like me, it has shown to be a dooming societal virus with no cure. The most comfort was found through what was familiar - drums and rhythmic spirituality of my homeland. It was a safe-haven, a place to empty the anger and confusion. It's been 15 years since relocating and as my sound evolved, it seems classism, racism, oppression and civil control of ethnic peoples has become worse - even now more legalised and normalised. Ogun (a powerful Yoruba deity associated with anger, justice and war) acts as the opening sequence of the record and its symbolism. Using distorted bass frequencies and dissected Regga-Dub immersed in live-sampled ghostly voices of the lost ones. This sonic exercising is also applied in Drillaman - a stampede of industrial framework and metallic instruments wielded over moody Dancehall MC'ing, magnifying two parallel worlds in cocooned evolution. The resurrection of Transatlantic African cultures and identity have never been silenced, rather carried elsewhere through trade routes of enslavement, which was pivotal when composing and completing the album upon returning home to the Caribbean for the first time ever. After reconnecting with my heritage my blurred vision of what's wrong in the world became so clear. Guidance in empty plains seek truth throughout the pain - A statement of finding oneself expressed on the poetic closing track A World No More.

On Fawohodie (A West African Adinkra symbol that represents independence, freedom, and emancipation stamped on the album cover) the motive and atmosphere begins to change. Afro-Caribbean idealism which refers to the philosophical concept that emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the importance of community, often contrasting with Western individualism, begins to take shape in a new universe. We can co-exist. The track framework uses machine-led software forming frequencies we have no control over, then manipulated through decomposing soundscapes, scattered hand-drums and human-made weapons of control - exposing the hidden disparity that's been carried over generations whilst balancing hopeful and musical foundations towards equality and peace. On Pressure and Kuduro! the writing direction attempts to wake people up. Not settling for a composed approach like in past projects, quite the opposite. A call for native sonic awareness, dismantled vocals of protests, eroded percussion using chains, gears and motorised harmonies sculpted in challenging abstract behaviors far outside my comfort zone. A direct abrasiveness and weight I want people to feel, whilst finding hope and solace through enchanting choirs and hypnotic basslines in complete synchrony.

"Purity in sound manifests when you least expect it. The smallest memory or feeling grows from a seed into a sonic language that you, and only you can interpret and release back into the world." "

Nachdem er Songs für die Beach Boys geschrieben und Alben für die Byrds produziert hatte, ging Gary Usher ins Studio, um sein eigenes Projekt zu starten. Während dieses Prozesses wurde Curt Boettcher von der Gruppe The Millennium zu einem festen Bestandteil der Sessions, produzierte zwei Songs und schrieb sieben. Die Männer erhielten auch Unterstützung von prominenten Persönlichkeiten wie Bruce Johnston (The Beach Boys) und Glen Campbell, was das Album zu einem einzigartigen und beliebten Studioalbum machte.

Die Single »The World Fell Down« war mit Platzierungen in den unteren Regionen der Billboard Hot 100 am erfolgreichsten. All dies führte dazu, dass das Album zu einem echten Kultklassiker wurde. Fans sehen es nach wie vor als eines der wichtigsten Alben der Musikszene von Los Angeles in den 1960er Jahren an, und es wurde auch in das legendäre Compilation-Album Nuggets von 1972 aufgenommen.

»Present Tense« ist eine limitierte Auflage von 1000 einzeln nummerierten Exemplaren auf orangefarbenem Vinyl.

2026 Repress

Producer and bassist Huw Marc Bennett presents ‘Tresilian Bay’, a new project that draws from artists such as Tim Maia, Augustus Pablo and Idris Muhammed as much as the jazz scene and community he has found in south-east London. The languid, sultry sound fuses both modern and vintage, travelling from South London electronica, to Brazillian groove, Nigerian Afrobeat and Ghanaian Highlife along with a streak of Welsh psychedelia.

‘Tresilian Bay’ is a nod to hedonistic summer nights, whether spent on the Glamorgan coast or the hot Lewisham streets. The album is titled in honour of the bay near where Huw grew up, an area steeped in stories of ancient Welsh royalty, smugglers and pirates.

The album started out as a lost live session recorded at the Total Refreshment Centre studios, featuring Chelsea Carmichael (sax), Rosie Turton (trombone), Shirley Tetteh (guitar) and Jake Long (drums) with Huw at the helm on bass and compositions. With glorious vocal contributions from Miryam Solomon; Huw utilised his human style of production and multi instrumentality heard in his Susso project (Soundway Records, 2016) to mold these recordings into this mature and emotional debut.

The album was mixed and mastered by Albert's Favourites co-founder Adam Scrimshire with artwork by Jonny Drop.

2026 Repress

A landmark release for both the label and its founder as Kasra releases his debut solo EP. The Ski Mask EP features 4 tracks of rolling low end and marks the start of a new phase for him to make his mark as an artist as well as DJ.

Kasra says, "After 16 years of running the label I thought it was time I released a body of work of my own. It's quite daunting after all the incredible music the artists have given me to be doing this for the first time. I hope you enjoy it for what it is: raw, honest drum and bass."

Dialog strips back the vocal cuts from their first two DOT releases to their essential rhythmic foundations, offering a fresh perspective on their dubwise electronics. Highlighting the production architecture and opening up new spaces for the music to unfold

Repress!

Legendary NYC house label Strictly Rhythm is celebrating a mammoth 3 decades of cutting edge, roof-raising house music. Truly a benchmark. Originally founded in 1989 by the dynamic pairing of music industry man Mark Finkelstein and A&R expert Gladys Pizarro, Strictly tapped directly into the fertile New York underground and after hours club scene, helping to launch and bolster the recording careers of dance music luminaries like Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Ultra Nate, Todd Terry, Wamdue Project, DJ Sneak, Louie Vega and many more. Strictly Rhythm is easily one of the most recognisable and respected dance music powerhouses of all time.

Across 3 limited double vinyl offerings, the Strictly catalogue has been expertly picked over to present you with a snapshot of some of the most earth shattering house music to emanate from the streets of New York City. A who's who of producers and artists, all killer and no filler. End to end classics that help to tell the story of one of dance music's most well loved labels. Classic cuts and essentials from Danny Tenaglia (Code 718), George Morel, Kerri Chandler (KCYC), Louie Vega and more all feature on part 1 in their unedited, 12" mix glory.

Fully legit, remastered and selected with love courtesy of Strictly Rhythm and Above Board distribution for 2020. Happy birthday Strictly Rhythm!

Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer in the mould of the greats, with a legion of fans, a host of honors and awards including a Grammy nomination, album sales in excess of 2 million and more than one billion streams, and Platinum, Double-Gold and Gold-selling albums that have reached a series of chart-topping positions.

Stacey, a comparative literature graduate with a passion for music, travelled to Europe to further her studies after receiving her degree from Sarah Lawrence College in NY. Through a series of twists of fate, she found herself in London where she enrolled in a graduate music program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she met her future husband and musical partner, Jim Tomlinson.

Kent's musical journey began with childhood piano lessons. A keen ear and true voice lead her to search out opportunities to express her love of music. However, nothing suggested the shift from the academic path to the one that propelled her to international recognition as one of the foremost jazz singers of her generation. With a catalogue of 13 studio albums, including the Platinum selling, Grammy-nominated Breakfast On The Morning Tram (Blue Note/EMI 2007) and an impressive list of collaborations, Stacey has graced the stages of nearly 60 countries over the course of her career.

Her worldwide fan base is testimony to her ability to express the emotional heart of her songs with delicately nuanced interpretations that transcend borders and defy categorization. Her unique multi-lingual repertoire includes standards, chanson, Bossa Nova, and originals written by Jim Tomlinson, her saxophonist/producer/composer/arranger husband in collaboration with the Nobel Prize-winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro with whom they have worked since 2006. She has also recorded with Brazilian legends, Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi, and the celebrated French string quartet, the Quatuor Ébène.

Stacey's last studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me, was released in November 2023 on Naïve Records. A collection of fans' requests from her as yet unrecorded concert repertoire, Summer Me, Winter Me entered the French jazz charts at number 1 and has quickly established itself as a new highlight in her discography. She now returns with A Time For Love.

No Drama, the label founded by Roy Rosenfeld, continues its vinyl and digital series with a new release from Eli Nissan, an artist whose work consistently rewards close listening.



The musical material unfolds over 15 minutes and 4 seconds, offering a concise yet layered statement.



While Hedonism opens with driving percussion and a flexible groove, layering textures and effects into a high-energy, immersive cut built for peak-time moments, Shout closes the release with a deeper, more introspective direction, blending vocal samples with a laid-back, psychedelic flow balancing repetition and variation to create a sense of elevation and continuity.



Concise, versatile, and DJ-ready, the fifth edition of the No Drama catalog continues the path with clarity and purpose.

Calibre steps up with two outstanding reworks of jazz/hip-hop/funk legends Brooklyn Funk Essentials’ ’Take The L Train (to 8th Ave.)'.

The A-side is vintage Calibre: crisp breaks, deep subs, silky musicality - a pure, rolling DnB number. Flip it over and he drifts into a lush ambient dub version, stretching the original into a drifting, atmospheric gem.

He has been closing his set with this record since and it has recently found its way into the sets of Moodyman, Fabio, Marky and Goldie.

Bruce Hornsby’s newest album, Indigo Park, is a concept album of sorts, an extended multi-dimensional inquiry into the nature of aging and memory, often with a lightness of tone – the ways certain scenes linger placidly while others balloon into imagined catastrophe, the ways we remember and the ways we forget. Throughout, Hornsby contemplates moments from his deep past, sometimes trying to “resolve” them, other times looking for clues about his present-day outlook. “It's just an old bastard looking back, while hopefully pushing forward to adventurous and new musical & lyrical areas,” Hornsby says of his new songs, with a smile of characteristic self-deprecation. “To be honest, I've found a way, a path to….grow old gracefully, with help from some newborn friends of mine.” The album is produced by Tony Berg, Will Maclellan and Bruce Hornsby with contributions fro

Renowned producer, dj, artist and author Justin Robertson fresh from the success of his Five Green Moons project joins forces with composer and Stone Club co-founder Matthew Shaw on their tribute to mythical band MineralTail. An 11 track cosmic trip through krautrock, weird ambience and loose-limbed grooves that accompanies the story contained in Justin's new novel of the same name. Expect hypnotic electronics and ritualistic rhythms, swirling melodies and glorious riffs.

'Critics agree that the greatest album ever recorded is the self-titled debut by the MineralTail. Recorded after the extinction of humanity by the combination of a Megalithic stone and two dogs, the record remains peerless in its ingenuity, passion and inventiveness. An album that consistently remains at the top of all rankings and charts. Though all such accolades are meaningless, nonetheless its enduring appeal is obvious. Here, at last is the first reliable account of how that record was made. The recording techniques, the creative disputes, the true source of the sound. It is a story of sublime inspiration, skulduggery, time travel, beauty and conflict. But most importantly it is the story of music itself. Because held within the grooves of the MineralTail's breathtaking debut is the voice of God's most dazzling accident. Music.'

Since launching in 2018, Innate has been synonymous with cultured techno and now, finally, we get to hear from co-founder Gilbert with his first full release on the label. overdue. The Bristol producer delivers three originals rooted in electro futurism, deep house emotion and Detroit lineage. 'Passage Of Time' rolls with acid detail and warm chords, while 'We Are All Made of Stars' leans into melancholic melody and gentle propulsion. 'Natural Dimension' pushes outward with driving rhythms and shimmering motifs. The remixes are on pint too - Nuron reshapes 'Furthest Planet' into raw, emotive electro, while Apiento and Diego Herrera rework 'We Are All Made of Stars' into hazy, analogue proto-house.

Especial welcomes the return of Akio Nagase, Osaka's own 303 specialist, with a second EP of acid infused world music. After the success of his Asia orientated EP, here his ethno-inspired dance comes to and from Africa, the mother.

With a history of making reggae influenced electronics under the Makedub alias, his development to acid master continues to showcase a skill at fusing samples, effects and found sound in a dub-desk mix that is body moving and catchy at the same time.

With a mission to bring the music of the world closer, Acid Maasai Collecthiv sets the scene with TB 303 weaving around dub heavy bass, crossing the Athi river, seeking spirits to bind. Countries and continents are tribes and with a reopening world, the dance can encompass all; open minds to bring unity.

This is exemplified on the ethereal Morisyen Acid. Sound design, Mauritian samples and creole vibrate perfectly with Akio's acid work and simple but effective "predominately" repetitive beats to uplift like the Tamarind sunrise.

Acid mantra as mind-gateway continues with Serengeti Summer. An heir to Whoktish, this is Not Reggae, the 808 and 303 in harmony; a jam of man, machine and samples to bring today's ethno-blue storytelling through consciousness.

Closing is Jua, interweaving the fabric of life, passing down from generations the primal with the psychedelic beat to communal gathering, Akio presents the music with love and respect.

*Kissa* is an immersive ambient electronic project crafted by Mathias, drawing inspiration from the serene and evocative atmosphere of Japanese jazz kissa cafés. These intimate spaces, known for their deep reverence for music, serve as the foundation for *Kissa’s* sonic landscape—where warm nostalgia and futuristic minimalism intertwine. Consisting of eight expansive compositions, *Kissa* abandons traditional rhythmic structures, allowing sound itself to guide the listener. Ethereal textures, evolving drones, and subtle harmonic shifts create a meditative experience that blurs the lines between memory and imagination. Each track is a portal—an invitation to lose oneself in sound, to explore the spaces between notes, and to embrace stillness as a form of movement. With *Kissa*, Mathias redefines the boundaries of electronic music, crafting an experience that is at once deeply personal and universally resonant. Whether serving as a soundtrack for introspection or a companion for late-night contemplation, *Kissa* embodies the essence of timeless listening—where music is felt, not just heard.

Dialog strips back the vocal cuts from their first two DOT releases to their essential rhythmic foundations, offering a fresh perspective on their dubwise electronics. Highlighting the production architecture and opening up new spaces for the music to unfold

Oinimod Records proudly presents its first-ever vinyl release, Gravity EP, a statement of intent rooted in deep grooves, timeless house aesthetics, and club-driven energy.

Written and produced by Duccio Lopresto, Gravity EP delivers two original cuts that explore different shades of House music, complemented by a powerful remix from Gearmaster, one of Estonia's most respected House talents.

“Gravity” opens the EP with a deep and groovy House journey inspired by the classic Detroit House legacy. A strong rhythmic foundation drives hypnotic acid lines and rich, expressive synths, creating a track that is both raw and elegant, built for the dancefloor yet deeply musical.

“Mirage” reveals a more dreamy and introspective atmosphere. This Deep House track flows with a timeless rhythm, warm grooves, and relaxing yet melodic elements, offering a soulful and immersive listening experience that transcends trends.

Closing the EP, Gearmaster delivers a pure Club House banger remix of Gravity, reinterpreting the original material with precision and power. Tight rhythms, infectious groove, and a modern club sensibility turn the remix into a peak-time weapon, showcasing Gearmaster’s unmistakable touch and deep understanding of the dancefloor.

Gravity EP marks the beginning of Oinimod Records’ vinyl journey — a release that bridges classic influences and contemporary House music, crafted for DJs, collectors, and true House music lovers.

So… what are we actually supposed to tell you about HCL? Honestly, it’s a pretty nice story. A collaboration the way it’s meant to be.

HCL stands for Horkheimer, Consti aka Zeitstill, and Delenz — not hydrochloric acid, but liquid music. One shared idea of sound, without a fully mastered plan. Most of the tracks were born during long studio sessions — long nights, extended jams, ideas taking shape naturally. No big concept, just working it out together and seeing where things go (or not).

After the first two HCL tracks found their way onto various samplers — including the 25 Years of Live at Robert Johnson compilation and Freeride Millennium’s own Queer Base Vol. 2 — it felt like the right moment to take the next step and release the first pattern. Not as a conclusion, but more as a checkpoint. This is far from the end. There are more patterns, more sessions, more ideas already waiting to be published.

Describing the genre is, as always, not that easy. It drifts somewhere between techno and all the other things orbiting around it. Purely electronic music, rooted in the club, but not obsessed with functionality. In a way, it reminds us of the early 2000s — deep, slightly twisted, hypnotic, driving but never aggressive. Music that takes its time, creates space, and pulls you in rather than pushing you forward.

For moments that are meant to last — tracks you don’t want to hear mixed out. For getting lost on the dancefloor, for forgetting the noise and madness outside for a while, for drifting into yourself and letting time fly. Honest club music, built for immersion.

Enjoy the music. Enjoy yourself. Love.

Yours, HCL

Spectral Bounce’s latest offering comes direct from Norway, courtesy of Anders Hajem — co-founder of Boring Crew Records. To date, the Oslo producer’s previous releases have been vessels for the exploration of myriad dance musics, seeing the artist fluently turn his hand to soulful house, dub techno and 2-step.

SPEC07 — the Myr EP — is a much more focused affair, finding Hajem in techno mode across 4 potent cuts typified by undulating drums and swelling echoes. Despite its emphasis on percussion, atmosphere has not been sacrificed for rhythm: vivid FX and meticulous attention to detail bring these tracks to life beyond the context of the dancefloor. This is music that can be stepped into and explored, productions that reward repeat listens.

Opening at full throttle, “Myr” is a jackin’ percussive workout, harnessing punchy drums for maximum effect. Its pulsating low-end runs in tandem with trembling synths that perpetually reflect and refract in the stereo field. Atop its rolling drums, hardgroove-inflected “Sprett” utilizes timestretched vocals, cavernous reverb and ecstatically quivering tones, elevating this 2000s-era framework to new heights. “Existence” brings things to a deeper and more hypnotic place: delays are turned up, siren calls reverberate and timbres ebb and flow. Hajem goes more chasmic still on “Concussion”, hitting the brakes for a much slower cadence and allowing space for a truly expansive listening experience. Heady and mystical, entrancing and otherworldly — listen close enough; beneath the dizzyingly shifting pulses and rattling drums you’ll hear incantations, while bass tones pulse in the depths.

SPEC07 — immerse yourself!

Credits:
Art by Susanne Janssen
Mastering & Cut by Marco Pellegrino @Analogcut
Words by Cameron Leaf

Manchester's Andrew Hargreaves, known for Tape Loop Orchestra and as a founding member of The Boats, returns under his Beppu alias with a refined full-length for dub techno favourites Lempuyang. Fresh from a celebrated double-LP reissue on Organic Analogue, Hargreaves delivers deep, dust-textured techno that is meticulously sculpted and atmospheric. These grooves move with a slow, hypnotic gravity as rhythms become submerged yet remain gripping. The palette is warm, grainy and future-facing so perfect for the real heads. File this somewhere between Detroit Escalator Company and Bluetrain, an immersive, meditative drift that's sure to become a classic.

Hate Love Trio made a low-key debut last year on this label with the slow, dreamy, dance-pop charms of 'Chan-O-Rama'. We have found out little more about the producer or producers behind it but here they or he or she returns with a full-length album of elegant and inventive downtempo and Balearic that starts off with those singles. Elsewhere, slow, mournful rhythms and melodies encourage inward reflection. 'Loosey Goosey' is a funky dancer for grown-ups, 'Billie Brownie' merges dub pacing with sunny guitar echo and 'Sunday I Don't Know' is a shimmering, jazz-flecked neo-classical warmer for intimate moments. An accomplished and adventurous album that is as good for the mind as it is body and soul.

2026 Repress

A gift to the overthinkers and overworked. Those who are over-concerned and always preoccupied. This is an invitation to hang up the bootstraps, take a load off, and visit a place in the mind where the sun is shining, the breeze is soft and the waves lap softly at your feet. Vacation From My Mind is a sonic realignment of melancholic soul, breezy soft rock, & mellow jazz-funk.

This album is a thoughtfully curated collection of 12 rare and obscure tracks from 1973 to 1981. From Jeanette Baker’s hypnotic 70’s soul title track “Vacation From My Mind” to the Latin rhythms of David Buckland’s jazz-funk “Celia”, this compilation was lovingly crafted to ease the stresses and worries of modern life. The Care Package’s song “The Storm” is a larger-than-life production of dreamy harmonies not often found on privately released 45s. Utopia’s “Lejos De Mi” is a slow-burning slice of Bolivian psych that will have you searching for similar sounds. Whatever your preference, we hope that this album will give you a vacation from your mind.

mixed by aloisius

mastered by Amir Shoat

tracklist poem written by Isaiah Hull

releasing on digital + physical (Vinyl, CD & Cassette) 9th April 2026. Physical editions will feature a secret unlisted bonus track.

aloisius is a prolific, artist and producer, who recently produced a full length album for Pretty V, which released via life is beautiful records (and sold out at Big Love & Rough Trade). aloisius has also collaborated with artists such as: James Massiah, CTM, Nova Varnrable, DJ Spanish Fly, Cities Aviv, zukovstheworld, Kenichi Iwasa & many others.

‘vernacular’ is the debut studio album by improvisation-based artist, and founder of life beautiful, aloisius.

Built entirely from layers of improvised instrumentation recorded via laptop microphone, using various instruments such as guitar, piano, cello, trumpet, saxophone, drums & voice. vernacular is inspired by the spirit of collective improvisation, and embodies aloisius' instinctual & organic approach to musical composition.

Crafted solely by aloisius (except for track 6, which features a layer of piano by life is beautiful member, friend & collaborator Bianca Scout).

To celebrate the release of the album, a semi-improvised interpretation of the project will be performed live by ‘orchestra379’ (a collective improvisation project curated by aloisius, consisting of a fluctuating lineup that differs on each occasion of performance). Initially in London, then at a select few cities across Europe.

mixed by aloisius

mastered by Amir Shoat

tracklist poem written by Isaiah Hull

releasing on digital + physical (Vinyl, CD & Cassette) 9th April 2026. Physical editions will feature a secret unlisted bonus track.

aloisius is a prolific, artist and producer, who recently produced a full length album for Pretty V, which released via life is beautiful records (and sold out at Big Love & Rough Trade). aloisius has also collaborated with artists such as: James Massiah, CTM, Nova Varnrable, DJ Spanish Fly, Cities Aviv, zukovstheworld, Kenichi Iwasa & many others.

‘vernacular’ is the debut studio album by improvisation-based artist, and founder of life beautiful, aloisius.

Built entirely from layers of improvised instrumentation recorded via laptop microphone, using various instruments such as guitar, piano, cello, trumpet, saxophone, drums & voice. vernacular is inspired by the spirit of collective improvisation, and embodies aloisius' instinctual & organic approach to musical composition.

Crafted solely by aloisius (except for track 6, which features a layer of piano by life is beautiful member, friend & collaborator Bianca Scout).

To celebrate the release of the album, a semi-improvised interpretation of the project will be performed live by ‘orchestra379’ (a collective improvisation project curated by aloisius, consisting of a fluctuating lineup that differs on each occasion of performance). Initially in London, then at a select few cities across Europe.

For more than two decades, Eamon Harkin has helped shape New York’s communal pulse. As a founder of Mister Saturday Night, Mister Sunday, Planetarium, and Nowadays, he’s created and DJed in spaces where dance, listening, and connection blur into something deeper — places where people come together to make sense of the world through sound.

On his new album, The Place Where We Live, Harkin turns that lens inward. Drawing on 25 years as a DJ and curator, he moves between house, techno, and ambient currents with a sense of stillness and searching. The result is a record that feels both physical and introspective — the sound of the dance floor seen through memory.

The title comes from psychoanalyst D.W. Winnicott’s idea of “the place where we live,” the psychic space between the inner and outer world — where play, art, and culture help us build meaning. For Harkin, an Irish immigrant long settled in another land, that idea resonates both philosophically and personally. The Place Where We Live captures the tension and beauty of the pulse of the club and the quiet of reflection — an album about belonging, transition, and the quiet resonance of finding home somewhere in between.

Daniele Baldelli
"A pleasant surprise to find in this release various atmospheres and sounds that have always been part of my DJing. It even made me rediscover M’Bamina, whom I used to play back in 1974 at the Tabù Club in Cattolica.
There are afro vibes as well, with Black Line – Myele, which is featured on one of my Cosmic tapes, and Nowhere by the Stratosferic Band recalls a track I used to play at the Baia degli Angeli…
Excellent work!"

Voom Voom Music was an independent Italian record label based in Turin, founded and managed by record producer Ivo Lunardi (Turin, December 6, 1940 – December 9, 2010). A pivotal figure in the Piedmont music scene, Lunardi was active both as a DJ and as the owner of several disco clubs.

The label operated for several years in the latter half of the 1970s, releasing mainly productions connected to the Italian dance and pop scene.
Since 2016, the original master tapes from the Voom Voom Music catalog have been owned by Gianluca Pandullo (I-Robots), a close friend of Ivo and Luca Lunardi. Through his labels Opilec Music and Turin Dancefloor Express, Pandullo oversees their preservation and historical enhancement.

The artistic direction of Voom Voom Music was marked by a distinct sonic identity — eclectic yet visionary. The Turin-based label founded by Ivo Lunardi embraced a sound that blended disco, pop, and rock influences, interwoven with African American grooves in a pioneering, international perspective.

Voom Voom Music was among the first Italian labels to introduce this kind of musical language in the country. A prime example is the Italian edition of the debut album by B.T. Express, Do It ('Til You're Satisfied), released in LP, 8-Track Cartridge, cassette, and 7" single formats.
The label’s productions clearly reflected the influence of black and funk music, as evidenced by the references and inspirations running through its catalogue. The track “Lady Pick-Up”, for instance, includes direct nods to “Do It Good” by KC & The Sunshine Band and Manu Dibango’s iconic “Soul Makossa”, revealing a musically refined and contemporary sensibility.

Among the label’s most representative works is Splash (1977) by the Stratosferic Band, a project conceived by Luigi Venegoni — producer, songwriter, and guitarist of Arti e Mestieri. Venegoni’s artistic journey spanned from progressive rock to space and Italo disco. The album artwork was designed by Piero D’Amore (1944 - 2022), a charismatic and multifaceted figure of Turin’s art scene (one of his works was even acquired by the MoMA in New York).
The record includes a disco reinterpretation of Van Morrison’s classic “Gloria”, and “Splashdown”, a track fusing the disco-rock energy of Rockets and Space. In contrast, “Nowhere” revisits the 1975 single by Hokis Pokis, a soul/disco band from Nassau County (New York), transforming it into a vibrant disco-funk number.

Another significant expression of the label’s catalogue is the afro-rock sound of M’Bamina, an Italo-Congolese group whose rhythmic energy and dialogue between African percussion and Western funk evoke the style of international formations such as Osibisa — themselves linked to a rich artistic history in Italy.

HAVEN co-founder Keepsakes is finally back on his own imprint with 5 fresh originals filled to the brim with warped alien sound design, driving and grooving drum rhythms, and acerbic track titles fresh out of a twisted after-hours chat. Following on from releases in recent years on KAOS/OAKS, Turbo Recordings, Perc Trax, and Boys Noize Records, this latest EP maintains his signature toughness alongside his fun and quirky sound choices while taking his sound further in to jacking and groovy territory.

The EP launches with 'Vocoding Your Nan Out Of Existence' on the A1 - full of growling and tortured alien vocoder melodic experimentation combined with driving funky drum work and organic atmospherics, this slab of freaky techno weight is aimed directly at the most debauched of dance-floors. 'Get To Know It In The Flesh' follows up on the A2 with rolling, grooving rhythms and dramatic string stabs alongside outlandish synth melodies, looping vocals and eerie creatures lurking in the background.

On the flip 'Ready2BeginWot?' gets things jacking with swinging rhythmic funk and and ear-worm repeating vocal line in a fast house-inspired slammer. 'Hollow And Suited' follows on the B2 with its tribal driving drum work and mutating resonated vocals sitting alongside debased synth melodics for the most haunted club creatures. Finally, 'Corvid House' closes out the record with its swung and grooving drum loops, bird call sound effects, vocal hooks and euphoric pad bliss to finish off another plate of dance-floor degeneracy.

DISPLACES represents Fabris' most personal musical journey to date, inspired by the concept of hyperobjects and cartographic practices. The album sculpts a high-dimensional phased time-space composed of concrete materials and digital archetypes in a state of constant displacement. It delves into the symbolic and philosophical realms of mapping as one of the greatest sense-making mechanisms for life, in dialogue with object-oriented environments, superimposition and non-locality applied to cosmic, temporal, and emotional memory.

The sonic ecosystem expands on the image of navigating a path through a set of places, from the microcosm of quanta to the macro force of dark matter, from underwater depths to overland terrains, encapsulating the cyclical flow between birth and death, both in ecological and anthropological sense. The intersection of these shifting states is explored through the extensive processing of the langspil, Iceland's only traditional instrument, intertwined with manipulated field recordings of biophonies and geophonies captured across Icelandic and Venetian territories. These recordings form the backdrop for a meditative process that relocate familiar objects into unfamiliar realms, reflecting on the transformative power of self-reflection while encapsulating the fragmentation and entanglement found in nature and the human state. The record plunges the listener into a disconcerting and physical soundscape, as a “ghostly spectrality that comes in and out of phase with normalized human spacetime,” evoking sensations of suffocation and release as each layer continuously unfolds the palimpsest of the enclosed labyrinth.

“Extraction of the I” embodies a subatomic reaction—erupting as a molecular force that rises, only to re-submerge with a solitary exhale underwater. In this mutated dark space, beluga whales breathe into "Xanadu Phasing," creating a pulsating tension that releases only to unveil a frozen landscape.

In “Barricading the Ice Sheets” the glacial material morphs into a liquid tunnel of digital artifacts, building a wall of noise that shatters into scattered fragments of ice, resembling bird calls from another world.

A moment of stasis is offered with the appearance of an asymmetrical loop in Monolith I, evoking a primitive rite before an unknown force emerges.

The physical intensity of subsonic material in "A Quake in Being" interrupts the hieratic tone, detuning into polluted sonic matter sourced from relics of the First World War in the Venetian Prealps. The geography of this place reconciles with the original homeland in "The Map is the Territory," blending negative space with anthropogenic elements and exploited sounds of the langspil.

The burning density of "Wolf-Rayet" projects into the void, echoing the residual sounds of a local church as relics of fossilized religions. Wolf tones are the remains in Monolith II, introducing the final track, "Topography of Extinction," where evolving psilocin textures invite the listener to uncover deeper layers of meaning and dislocation.

Dompe Delivers Peak-Time House Energy on New Reload EP.
Definitive Recordings welcomes a brand-new three-track EP from Dompe, showcasing his unmistakable blend of classic house foundations, driving grooves, and modern club attitude.

Dompe aka Dominic Wagner is a DJ and producer driven by relentless passion and an instinctive feel for the dancefloor.
Known for pairing distinctive vocals with finely crafted basslines and arrangements, his sound is always moving forward while staying rooted in house tradition. Based in Berlin since 2011, Dompe founded Jackfruit Recordings in 2017 as his personal creative playground, releasing a steady stream of music that has earned both national and international attention. His doublevinyl album ‘Hippie Crack’ sold out quickly and charted strongly on Beatport, followed by ‘French Collection’. In 2025, Dompe made his debut on Definitive Recordings with a standout remix of the label classic ‘Let It Go’ by John Acquaviva, Olivier Giacomotto and Dan Diamond further cementing his connection to the imprint.
Now returning with a full EP, Dompe opens with ‘Reload’, a classic house groover built around a tight rhythm, a looping piano motif, and a chopped, repeated male spoken-word vocal that locks into the groove. It’s raw, hypnotic, and instantly effective on the floor. ‘Wave’ shifts into more percussive territory, drawing on classic tech house energy. Built almost entirely around drums, the track evolves through rolling percussion, catchy vocal snippets, and sharp house synth work before snapping back into a full percussive drive designed for late-night momentum. Closing the EP, ‘Sundown’ delivers a no-nonsense house stomper. Big 909 drums, a 90s-inspired piano theme, and a vocal sample declaring ‘ecstasy’ capture the peak-time feeling of a packed club
in full flow: direct, euphoric, and unapologetically house.

Our latest Holy Grail reissue is this private press spiritual jazz gem out of California from Rickey Kelly and his vibes & marimba. Features Diane Reeves (vocals) & Adele Sebastian (flute)!

Heavyweight 180g LP with tip-on sleeve, individually numbered 1-1000, card enclosed for liner notes & audio download

"Rickey, I know these are your friends, the guys you went to school with, but if you wanna record an album, you record with musicians who have been playing their whole life; whatever you write, they'll put their whole life into it. You play with your friends; they may not even play in tune."

These are the words of Slave guitarist Kevin Johnson, and they were to change the course of young Rickey Kelly's life.

It was 1978, and music student Kelly had approached Johnson with a tape of rough demos of some songs he'd written. A San Francisco native, Kelly had recently moved the short distance south to study music at LA City College in East Hollywood. He was a member of E.W. Wainwright Jr.'s African Roots of Jazz, and was spending up to 10 hours a day in practice on both vibes and marimba. He also played with Horace Tapscott, and had his own band made up of fellow students, but it was his ambition to make an album that led to the conversation with Johnson. It was a turning point in his education, and a decision was looming.

The next thing Johnson said was "You call the best jazz musicians. How'd you like to play with Billy Higgins?", a line that would seal it for anyone; for a youngster like Rickey just starting out in the business, you just don't turn down the opportunity to play with the likes of highly accomplished musicians, especially those of the calibre of legendary jazz drummer Billy Higgins.

Some calls were made and the date was set to record at Studio Masters on Beverly Blvd, a studio set up just a few years previous in 1973, owned and operated by Dot Records founder Randy Wood with his son John. Some of the other music professionals set to record with Kelley that day were flautist Adele Sebastian, bass player Tony Dumas, saxophonist Charles Owens and vocalist Diane Reeves, none of whom had previously played with Kelly before.

Kelly was impressed with the studio, with the gold records displayed on the walls and the famous musicians hanging out. 'It took a lot of humility for me to record with them, I mean I was nobody, nothing, and for not a lot of money either' remembers Rickey in a later interview with Calvin Lincoln, 'It taught me a lot, to practice hard, and study for the rest of your life, to give your all, and there's a lot of all to give'.

As the recording session took place, John Wood was listening in. He was impressed. Kelly didn't have the funds to manufacture and release the album himself, so Wood suggested it was pressed up on his in-house studio label, Los Angeles Phonograph Records, and thus the LP 'My Kind of Music' was released early in 1979. The album also saw a subsequent pressing soon afterwards on Dennis Sullivan's New Note label.

Kelly remains humble and proud of his debut album to this day. 'I was still a beginner' he says, 'These masters walked in, smiling, and gave me something worth gold'.

Oliver Koletzki Releases Twelfth Studio Album 12

The beautifully crafted twelve-track opus is out now via Stil vor Talent.
Berlin-based artist, DJ, producer and Stil vor Talent co-founder Oliver Koletzki today releases his twelfth studio album, “12” — a deeply considered, emotionally rich long-player that marks the next chapter in a career spanning more than two decades at the forefront of electronic music. The album is out now on Stil vor Talent in digital formats and as a 2x12” gatefold vinyl.

Serving as both a milestone and a manifesto, “12” distils Koletzki’s evolving sound into its most refined form yet. Across twelve tracks, the album explores atmosphere, restraint and emotional clarity, balancing slow-burning club energy with introspective storytelling. It’s a record shaped by experience, patience and an unwavering attention to detail; qualities that have long defined Koletzki’s output as both an artist and a label curator.

The journey begins with album opener “Petrichor”, a quietly powerful introduction built around wistful organ chords that gradually unfold into a warm, hypnotic groove. Acting as the album’s emotional threshold, the track sets the tone for what follows: music that rewards immersion, thrives on nuance and unfolds with deliberate pace. From there, 12 moves seamlessly between introspective moments and more direct dance floor statements, always guided by Koletzki’s unmistakable melodic sensibility.

Singles released in the lead-up to the album offered carefully sequenced glimpses into its breadth. December’s “Trip With Me”, a collaboration with Frida Darko, brought playful energy and sharp modern club dynamics, while January’s “I Don’t Need Your Love” delivered a confident, emotionally charged statement rooted in Koletzki’s introspective yet club-ready DNA. February’s “Petrichor” revealed the album’s cinematic depth, followed by “Schnapsidee” in March — a track that leans into groove, character and subtle eccentricity.

Elsewhere on the album, tracks like “Logic”, “It’s All Gone” and “Tick Tick” showcase Koletzki’s ability to create tension and release through finely balanced arrangements, while “La Hora de Mosquitos” and “Calle Sur” hint at the global influences that continue to shape his sound. The closing stretch — from “About the Fox and a Tiger” through “What Remains” to “Voice or Noise” (with Frida Darko) — brings the album to a reflective, yet characteristically playful conclusion.

As a whole, “12” feels purposeful and cohesive, guided by a clear narrative arc rather than fleeting trends. It reflects the maturity of an artist with nothing left to prove, yet still driven by curiosity and a desire to evolve. Much like Koletzki’s previous albums, “12” stands as a self-contained world, inviting listeners to step inside and stay.

Released on Stil vor Talent, the album also reinforces the label’s ethos of artistic freedom, quality and long-term vision. Now over 20 years strong, the imprint continues to shape contemporary electronic music while remaining deeply rooted in underground culture: a balance Koletzki himself has embodied throughout his career.