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Often credited as the father of multi-media theatre, Alwin Nikolais (1910-1993) took complete creative control over his productions - including cutting-edge approaches to lighting and costume that transformed human bodies into shifting sculptural shapes, while also composing wildly innovative electro-acoustic and synth-based audio as accompaniment.

After initially experimenting with musique concrète and tape manipulation (as demonstrated on the 1959 LP Choreosonic Music of the New Dance Theatre of Alwin Nikolais) Nikolais became the first owner of Robert Moog's synthesizer at the Audio Engineering Society convention in New York in late 1964. Relying heavily on the Moog and later the Synclavier synth/sampler, these 21 tracks document Nikolais' highly-prescient compositions across the mid 1960s through to the late 1980s - existing not only as extensions of his other-worldly choreographic productions, but standalone pieces of foundational mid-century American electronic and experimental music.

"Born in Southington, Connecticut in 1910, Nikolais’s early years and early career were in acting, music and puppetry. It was not until the late 1930s that he began his work as dancer/choreographer in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was commissioned by the Avery Memorial Theatre, a part of the Wadsworth Atheneum, to create an evening-length work to the music of Ernst Krenek. Previously his work and study as a pianist-organist found him accompanying silent films. This sort of accompaniment required from the musician not only a playing skill but also a versatility in improvisation, matching movement to sound, and evoking mood to situation.

Nik was drawn initially to dance by his involvement with the percussion scores used by the illustrious early twentieth century German dancer Mary Wigman. In trying to learn more about percussion, he was lured into dance class and thus his career began. His development of music and dance occurred simultaneously. His introduction to the twelve-tone technique opened his mind to the expanding areas of atonal music, and his dealing with music as sound per se. In 1948, after being appointed director of the Henry Street Playhouse in New York, Nikolais formed the Playhouse Dance Company, later known as the Nikolais Dance Theater, and began his aesthetic orientation toward dance as a study of motion. By the 1950s, he had ceased creating literal dances and began his explorations and eventual milieu as an abstractionist.

Sound became an important part of his abstract theatre. For his first dances, which involved his new thinking of dance as both a visual and kinetic art, he used live percussion scores in which he directed his dancers to play instruments of all nature. There was a combination of children’s toy instruments as well as harsh and resonant automobile brake drums, and other pitched auto parts which he also used to accompany classes. Once he installed his own tape recording machines, he quickly used the limited range these instruments provided in a new way, slowing and increasing speed and reversing sound. He also made the sounds adhere to the choreographic structure (not the other way around), thereby giving the dance its independence from the musical phrasing. But the real need remained: the search for new sound. Nik made a sound library, recording noises and percussion and vocal sounds, which the French aptly called musique concrète. Needless to say, he became a master at splicing bits and pieces.

From 1956 to 1962 Nikolais composed eleven major scores for his theatre pieces using such techniques. In 1963, James Seawright, who at the time was assisting Nik in his productions and also working at the Columbia-Princeton Center for Electronic Music, recorded a sound bank for the production Imago (1963). With this material, Nikolais created his first synthesizer score. Imago won the Paris Grand Prix in 1968 and launched the Nikolais Dance Theatre towards its national and primarily international acclaim.

During the same period, Seawright came to Nik and told him of a young man who had invented and constructed a simplified synthesizer and insisted that Nik visit the electronic fair currently being held in New York. Nik did so and met Robert Moog. He was completely taken by the new machine and after making some suggestions to Moog, (which Moog made), Nik bought the inventor’s first machine with the aid of a Guggenheim Fellowship. Moog himself was astonished by what his machine could produce for Nik. This machine was later acquired by the Museum of Musical Instruments at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as the first Moog synthesizer. The Synclavier was Nik’s next source of sound and since the mid-1970s remained the major instrument in the Nikolais soundroom.

Alwin Nikolais has been honored and awarded throughout the world. He has received the French Legion of Honor, the Kennedy Center Honors, National Medal of the Arts, two Guggenheim Fellowships, as well as Mellon, Ford, and Rockefeller grants. He has been a recipient of NEA grants since 1966, been awarded five honorary doctorates, all for his remarkable achievements in Dance Theater. His genius has influenced several generations of artists."
—Murray Louis

Al Wahem (“The Illusion”) is the new full-length release by PRAED, the Swiss–Lebanese duo of Raed Yassin and Paed Conca. Recorded between Beirut and Berlin, the album returns to the group’s central aesthetic: a rhythm-driven weave of Egyptian shaabi, electronics, improvisation and the gritty pulse of street-level sound. Nearly twenty years into the project, PRAED have distilled their approach into four pieces that subtly shift the listener’s bearings, reordering grooves and fragments until familiar elements take on new identities.
The twenty-minute title track sets the tone. A tightly interlocking two-drum foundation from Pascal Semerdjian and Ayman Zebdawi shapes a structure that expands steadily: synth figures branch outward, clarinet and bass lines act as internal guideposts, and brief vocal calls from Yassin and guest singer Mayssa Jallad sit inside the texture rather than leading it. PRAED’s shaabi keyboard language is present, but the duo stretch it outward, building tension and movement through patient accumulation.

“Al Hathayan,” at 4:46, tightens the focus. Conca’s clarinet moves between melodic arcs and clipped rhythmic gestures, threading through electronic loops that surface and disappear. Zebdawi’s percussion adds a raw, tactile quality, placing acoustic patterns and electronics in direct conversation. The piece acts as a bridge between the album’s two long-form compositions.
Side B begins with “Al Maraya,” a thirteen-minute piece that relies on electronic, bass and clarinet interplay. The atmosphere nods to the breadth of PRAED Orchestra!, but remains anchored in the duo’s rhythmic foundations. Rather than building mass, the layering creates a sense of depth, as if new spaces were opening inside the groove.
The album closes with “Assarab,” featuring keyboardist Amr Said. Semerdjian and Zebdawi again form a dual percussive axis, while synths hover between melody and pulse, and themes recur in widening circles rather than building vertically. The porous boundary between electronic and acoustic sources — processed clarinet mistaken for a sequencer, rhythmic figures springing from live drums — is where the album’s theme of “illusion” shows itself most clearly.

Al Wahem follows a long arc: early releases on Annihaya, a key appearance on Ruptured Sessions Vol. 5 – Live at Radio Lebanon (2013), later albums on Akuphone, and the large-scale PRAED Orchestra! documented on Morphine Records. This new Ruptured/Annihaya co-release brings the duo back to a concentrated format, reorganizing their familiar materials with renewed clarity and intent.

Following the passing of our dear friend DJ Romain earlier this year, we've spent a long time reflecting on when to share some of the new music he entrusted to Hard Times Records. The incredible response to 2024’s 'The Lost D.A.T.S.' EPs reignited Romain's creative spark at a time when, unbeknownst to many, he was quietly battling serious ill health. After relocating from his beloved New Jersey to Cleveland, the studio once again became his sanctuary, inspiring a remarkable new chapter of music. The 'New Jersey' and ‘Cleveland’ EPs were the first recordings from that period.

Funky Streets completes the first trio of new EPs, but it is also just a glimpse of the wealth of music Romain crafted before his passing. His final studio sessions became an escape from his daily battles, inspiring a remarkable outpouring of new material that he was determined to finish, knowing his beats would continue to warm dancefloors and further cement the legacy of one of house music's true masters.

Opening with the horn-driven swagger of the title track, the EP moves seamlessly into the soulful groove of 'I Like To Boogie' before culminating in the deep, organ-led dancefloor energy of 'This Is Where I Wanna Be’. Romain signs off with 'The Chocolates’ - an uplifting, guitar-laced boogie jam filled with warmth, joy and unmistakable soul.

Beautifully crafted from beginning to end, Funky Streets stands as a lasting testament to DJ Romain's extraordinary talent, timeless musicality, and enduring contribution to House music. His legacy lives on in every groove.

Ruf Kutz reaches release twenty-two with something close to heart...

Mike Kee is a face from the early days - red-lit rooms of the Bodega mushroom squat parties in Sydney. This is a second release for Mike Kee on Ruf Kutz since 'Seeing Crystals' on RK2 in 2010.
Recorded in the rainforests of Bundjalung Country (northern NSW, Australia). Making good use of a Fender Rhodes and a JX-8P synthesiser.

WHITE CLOUD PLACE is a destination that doesn't exist. Glimpsed once on a street sign, filed away in the imagination and allowed to bloom into an imagined geography of warmth and weightlessness.
The music is lush dream house that elicits euphoria out of the speakers and into the body. Mike Kee has been chasing this feeling across his music and here it lands cleanly.

Flip the record and the temperature ratchets up. BANANA MOON is one for the dancers - shuffling congas push the pace while Rhodes chords and those big analog synth strings hold the whole thing aloft.

Where the A-side invites you to float, Banana Moon keeps it pitched up and jazzy.

UK tech house pioneer Dexter debuts on Endell Street with a release deeply rooted in London’s underground tech house history. For years, Tangent Boy has circulated as a mythical weapon, passed hand to hand through London’s underground and closely guarded by those in the know. This marks its first ever vinyl release. On the B-side, the sought after Funk Warped finally returns newly remastered, preserving its original grit while sharpening its analog edge.

Steeped in the dub-tech traditions of early London, this is a masterclass in restrained, functional sound design, capturing a defining moment in time from an artist who helped write the genre’s vocabulary.

Luca “DJ Rocca” Roccatagliati isn’t just a producer, he’s a shapeshifter of sound. Emerging from the late ’90s under the Maffia Soundsystem alias, he’s spent decades bending genres, dissolving boundaries, and reconfiguring the DNA of club music.

From cosmic disco to leftfield house, Rocca’s catalogue reads like a map of underground excellence. He’s collaborated with a roll call of innovators—Howie B, Dimitri From Paris, Daniele Baldelli, François K, Jazzanova, Zed Bias and many more. Crafting releases for some of the most respected imprints in the game: like Rekids, Toy Tonics, International Feel, Defected, Rush Hour, Hell Yeah, Rotters Golf Club among others.

His output is prolific, restless, constantly evolving.

Partnership is central to Rocca’s universe. With Dimitri From Paris, he co-created Erodiscotique, a sleek electro-disco project that fuses vintage sensuality with future-facing production. Alongside Daniele Baldelli, he’s explored deeper, more psychedelic terrain, delivering albums like Podalirius and Quagga—records that blur the line between Balearic mysticism and dancefloor propulsion.

His aliases Ajello, Supersonic Lovers, Crimea X are parallel auditory dimensions. Each one pushes a different facet of his sound, from Italo-tinged grooves to raw, analog-driven club cuts. As a remixer, Rocca has reworked everyone from Andrew Weatherall to Soul Clap, always imprinting his unmistakable signature.

To say we are excited about this new EP is kind of a massive understatement……

Having been huge fans for over two decades, when he reached out to us it was a bit of an eye rubbing and arm pinching moment.

We have been graced with a 3 track EP titled “Tonight is the Night”

A1. Sun Deck – A link-up with Athens mainstay Lex, drifting somewhere between yacht funk and late-night boogie. Sun-washed grooves, crisp synth leads, and just enough 80s energy to keep it moving without trying too hard.

B1. Italo Boogie Stomp – Does exactly what it says. Rolling Linn drums, sharp synth lines, and a nostalgic flute motif that nods to NYC’s street soul era without getting stuck in it.

B2. Ferroso – Picks up the pace slightly. Deep house drums meet a driving electro bassline, with arpeggiated synths and warm pads rounding it out—focused, functional, and built for the floor.

Joining the ranks of Razor-N-Tape’s 45 series, London producer Danny Kane drops a pair of disco heaters under his D’Swing moniker. Pulled from the archives of his 90s street soul and UK Garage project D’Swing, these tracks were brought back to life from the original masters, and flipped as modern disco cuts that preserves their authentic vintage quality. Snappy drums, dexterous live instrumentation, and soulful vocals feature on this pair of summery floor fillers!

In the rapidly shifting tectonic plates of the global Afrobeats scene, few arrivals have been as seismic as that of Ahmed Ololade—better known to the world as Asake. With his breakout project Mr. Money With The Vibe, the artist didn’t merely debut; he effectively recalibrated the tempo of the Nigerian pop soundscape. The EP functions as a masterclass in synthesis, pulling from the ornate, percussive history of Fuji music and grafting it onto the driving, bass-heavy architectures of contemporary Amapiano. It is a calculated, deeply rhythmic hybridization that manages to feel both nostalgic and jarringly modern.

From a critical vantage point, Mr. Money With The Vibe is defined by its brevity and density. Asake treats each track as a focused vignette, utilizing a vocal delivery that oscillates between a melodic, almost liturgical chant and the staccato urgency of a Lagos street orator. The production—characterized by sharp, frenetic percussion and deceptively simple melodic loops—creates a high-intensity atmosphere that mirrors the relentless pace of urban life. He avoids the pitfall of bloated experimentation; instead, he doubles down on a "street-pop" ethos, prioritizing accessibility without sacrificing the complex rhythmic interplay that gives the genre its distinctive texture.

Ultimately, Mr. Money With The Vibe stands as a pivotal document of the current era, capturing the transition of Afrobeats from a regional powerhouse to a dominant global force. By blending the aspirational "hustle culture" narrative with an increasingly sophisticated sonic palette, Asake established a blueprint that has since influenced a new wave of artists. The project is a testament to the idea that authenticity, when paired with relentless precision, remains the most effective currency in contemporary music.

The highly anticipated collaborative album, GOLDFISH, sees two of contemporary hip-hop's most revered and distinct production minds, Hit-Boy and The Alchemist, finally join forces for a full-length statement. Far from a simple beat-swap, this project is a masterclass in sonic cohesion, blurring the lines between their signature sounds to forge a new, golden-hued identity. Beyond production, the duo step from behind the boards to behind the mic to trade verses throughout the project, adding a personal layer to their creative vision.

GOLDFISH is a deeply immersive listen, perfectly balancing the West Coast muscle and polished, anthemic quality of Hit-Boy's work with the dusty, abstract texture and cinematic suspense that defines The Alchemist's aesthetic.

The result is a sound that feels both street-tested and museum-worthy. A collaborative manifesto, showcasing the infinite possibilities when two generational talents decide to link up, creating an instant classic in the canon of producer/MC albums.

Curió Curió came to flight by chance. Two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had separately reached a fork in their journeys. An opportune encounter soon blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation. In their own words Curió Curió’s sonic vision “is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic”.

A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult. Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome. Highlights include ‘Bem Querer’, built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and ‘Vem pra Casa’ with its cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Luiza reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.

The Doobie Brothers faced a serious predicament as they prepared to record Takin’ It to the Streets. That the group navigated a potentially serious personnel problem that would’ve tanked lesser bands and scored its fourth straight Top 10 album — while again expanding its range — speaks to the collective’s chemistry, broad-mindedness, and songwriting abilities. Known as the effort on which vocalist-keyboardist Michael McDonald makes his debut, the 1976 set stands as an all-encompassing representation of the various styles the Doobie Brothers explored during their heyday.

Sourced from the original analog master tapes, mastered by engineer Krieg Wunderlich, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing in California, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s numbered-edition 180g 45RPM 2LP presents Takin’ It to the Streets in definitive sound. Given the luxurious room of a 45RPM version for the first time and benefiting from the wider grooves, the music unfolds amid large soundstages replete with ultra-quiet backgrounds, big dynamics, and accurate imaging. By then a key component of the Doobie Brothers' success, Ted Templeman’s production is brought to light with stellar clarity and definition.

As is the case on Mobile Fidelity's four other acclaimed Doobie Brothers 45RPM reissues, myriad facets that help make Takin’ It to the Streets timeless, natural, and organic — minimal overdubs, voices that realistically rise and fall, notes that properly carry and decay, warm tones, bass lines that pop with color, well-placed percussive accents, defined separation between the players — emerge with incredible presence, openness, and fullness. Nothing is overdone or out of place. No small feat given Templeman and company didn't know how everything would unfold when they first met up in Southern California.

Confronted with a change in plans by co-founder Tom Johnston, whose contributions to the band up to that point in its career identified him as an indispensable member, the Doobie Brothers were thrown for a loop when he curtailed pre-planning work and retreated home to deal with ongoing health problems. Thankfully, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, the group's newest full-time recruit, had a possible solution in his former fellow Steely Dan colleague McDonald. The singer-keyboardist had already sat in with the Doobie Brothers on their recent tour. So, why not give it a shot?

McDonald's prodigious talents notwithstanding, he couldn't technically replace Johnston. For starters: McDonald's soulful timbre bore little resemblance to Johnston's grittier voice. And McDonald played keyboards, not guitar. No wonder Templeman initially expressed reservations. He also knew the Doobie Brothers needed additional material before they could consider wrapping the record. Yet the skepticism began to dissipate on the first day of the sessions. Still waiting for second drummer Keith Knudsen, the band gathered in the studio with former roadie Bobby LaKind on congas and Little Feat drummer Richie Hayward for a live run through "Wheels of Fortune." The instrumental parts of that take landed on the record. Johnston would even return to share the lead vocal duties with Patrick Simmons.

Those magical results, and the experience of hearing McDonald woodshed the title track at the piano, turned Templeman into a believer and cheerleader. Spurred by their veteran producer's encouragement and McDonald's ideas for songs, the Doobie Brothers embraced new directions just as they did after their debut LP and on subsequent efforts with orchestral and horn treatments. The latter return on Takin’ It to the Streets courtesy of the five-piece Memphis Horns. Yet outside of viola accompaniment on "Losin' End," string elements step aside in favor of McDonald's pianos, synthesizers, and clavinet. And, on five cuts, lead singing.

As the new face of the band, McDonald ended up crafting all or portions of four tunes. His fingerprints are all over two of the singles, including the jazzy, blue-eyed-soul delight “It Keeps You Runnin’” and irresistibly melodic title track, which cracked the Top 15 and became one of the Doobie Brothers’ signature numbers. He and Baxter’s penchant for smoothness, and a precursor to the band’s coming transition into rhythmically oriented yacht rock, informs the brassy sway of “Carry Me Away.”

Further enriched by Tiran Porter’s gorgeous, time-signature-shifting ballad “For Someone Special,” Simmons’ peppy, spring-loaded “8th Avenue Shuffle,” and Johnston’s “Turn It Loose” — the move-your-feet boogie serving as kind of apt farewell to the band’s prior rock ‘n’ roll sound — Takin’ It to the Streets spun uncertainty into gold. Altered yet unbowed, the Doobie Brothers once again offered countless listeners “the best kind of remedy” with feel-good music that holds up amid any era.

Welcome back, hope you've had a good trip so far. While we're digging global tunes, let's not forget what's cooking in our own yards. No less then a new dub don has risen from the wastelands of bratwursts, nutcrackers and garden gnomes: Toni Wobble is looking back on over 20 years of roots in punk, free parties and political movements. From anti-nuclear activism to the Gaggeldub performances, Toni's dug deep into the Dub universe: from Dubstation to Rootsbase to Subardo. By 2012, Toni became a respected operator of Leipzig's Plug Dub Soundsystem. Soon after, he didn't hesitate to create the very own solarpowered Sunplugged sound. Toni's live dub sets hit with all depth and energy of low bass sound culture, shaking the foundations with refreshing freakuency adventures. After a guest spot on our 18th release, helping RUZ dubbing out a deep b-side, it's time to unleash the full Wobble fury on 45Seven!
Out In Da Streetz was born in a lockdown, when urban life got stall, opening space for experiments. Inspired by Juke and Footwork at nights such as Bassmæssage, Toni ventured into Jungle production - the genre him love from way back. The result is an opus of subs, breaks, skanks and dubs. Expect 30 Hertz bass, wobbly midranges, halftime snares and Jungle edits sharp like razor. Don't miss the Ini cameo and hand-made skank work straight from the lab. The result ain't just a track, it's a state of inner and outer emergency, a deep dive into groove, texture and creative chaos.
Irie Cruise rolls up like a cloud of green smoke riding through the streets with a sick ride in a surreal vibe. Rootsy rhythms meet subtle Jungle twists inbetween the twinkles of Dub and the flickers of breakbeats. When the hook drops, the impulse fires up, the lowrider bounces through the turns of skanks, throwing dub delays and gliding deep into the night. By the final tone, you didn't just take a ride, you're actually a bit closer to the sun.
Toni Wobble is giving the full hundred. Dub ain't just a genre, it's a portal to infinite spaces of sound. It's a culture, a process and an attitude, all about echo, bass and space. But it's also about experimentation, consciousness and transformation. Each delay loop is reshaping reality, tearing it down and rebuilding it from the ground up. D.U.B. equals to deep universal beats, the universal frequency... Deep, wide and open. Tune in and dub out!

4 Way Street is the second and live album by David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and Neil Young. It was released in 1971 with the live recordings taken from the band's shows during their 1970 tour around the USA. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and was awarded a gold record. This is the first 2LP reissue since 1986 and it contains two bonus tracks on sides C and D: the at-the-time unreleased "Black Queen" from Stephen Stills and a medley made up of “The Loner - Cinnamon Girl - Down By The River” performed by Neil Young.

In the early 2000’s, David Coker, Timmy S and Justin Bailey were right at the heart of the UK tech house scene, producing some of the finest classics the genre has known to date. The projects they worked on together quickly became standout staples and over time those records have turned into proper collector’s pieces.

This reissue on Endell Street brings back one of their most sought after releases. It features the two main tracks from the original release, both carefully remastered and cut one per side. A long lost slice of UK tech house, brought back to life.

Curió Curió came to flight by chance. Two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had separately reached a fork in their journeys. An opportune encounter soon blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation. In their own words Curió Curió’s sonic vision “is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic”.

A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult. Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome. Highlights include ‘Bem Querer’, built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and ‘Vem pra Casa’ with its cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Luiza reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.

UK born, Fremantle-based producer Jon E. makes his return to Natural Element, after his sell-out debut release ‘Smoke’ in 2025 captured the attention of DJs and dancefloors around the world.
Here sees the first of a two-part series of EPs that displays the fruits of a deeply creative phase following an injury that had him bed bound for months. The sonic progression from his debut is tangible across all four tracks, with an enhanced palette and clear versatility. The EP is a deeper expression of his production skills and unique, authentic sound. Natural sounds of the city make for an organic touch throughout, giving tracks an atmosphere that makes them feel alive. ‘One More Time’ sets the pace with an irresistible groove that is both bold and refined, steeped in jazzy tones and calling to mind summer day parties. ‘We Can Make It’ is a blissful and uplifting jam that goes on a journey of its own, leaving a lasting impression with the delicate, distinct vocals of Roxanne forming a perfect match. On the flip, ‘Raise Them Up’ takes things a little deeper with a moody roller inspired by Moodymann, and ‘Day n Night’ rounds off the record in style with a more lo-fi groover exhibiting loose drums, intricate percussion and floating brassy licks.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Curió Curió came to flight by chance. Two artists, Rio-born, Austria-based singer and actress Luiza Monteiro and German producer Dustin Braun, had separately reached a fork in their journeys. An opportune encounter soon blossomed into an uplifting, heartfelt Brazilian MPB-groove project shaped by psychedelic disco and studio experimentation. In their own words Curió Curió’s sonic vision “is not straight disco, not straight samba, not strictly old-school but inspired by all of them, creating something contemporary but still nostalgic”.

A modern fusion influenced as much by Gal Costa and Jorge Ben Jor as Say She She and Bala Desejo, their sound deftly plots a course all of its own. A celebration of freedom, movement, love and life, intertwined with introspective moments of reflection. Treating tradition as something alive, migratory and unresolved, the album is not simply bound by a shared love of Brazilian music, but by a deeper question that runs through every track; where does one belong when home becomes plural? As a Brazilian living in Europe, Luiza's lyrics explore themes of identity, culture, and existence. The tracks move between cities and emotional registers without settling, tracing a sense of identity that shifts rather than resolves. Songs like ‘Amor Doente’ and ‘Mar sem Dar Pé’ circle around relationships that resist clarity, while ‘Menina Passarinho’ captures the fear and necessity of committing to music as a path. For Luiza, deepening her commitment to music alongside years in theatre was both inevitable and difficult. Braun’s production follows a similar logic. Initial ideas were often built without obvious reference points, only later incorporating rhythmic and vocal elements that hint at Brazil without reproducing it. Analogue techniques, tape, ribbon microphones and live ensemble recording bring a tactile quality that reflects the duo’s interest in process as much as outcome. Highlights include ‘Bem Querer’, built on an authentic samba street vibe with a super-catchy sing-along chorus, and ‘Vem pra Casa’ with its cosmic-tinged Brazilian boogie flavour. The album closes with ‘A Cor do Meu Sonho’, a quiet act of insistence. A refusal to shrink in unfamiliar environments, and a belief in the strength of difference. It is less a conclusion than a continuation, leaving the central question open. “I started to understand that I can belong to many places at once”, Luiza reflects. “And that can be something to embrace”. Lyrics from the song ‘Raiz’ translate in English to “I value a burning sun and the cold in the air. Constant change is my companion”. With Curió Curió, that idea is lived through sound, story and collaboration. A debut that feels both searching and assured, grounded in heritage yet shaped by distance.

The free folk/jazz sound of modern Los Angeles. Featuring a heavy bunch of musicians and vocalists including Moor Mother.

"Fearlessly Accessing the Divine Spirit From Here on Out" is the vinyl debut from pianist, composer, and producer Diego Gaeta. He has previously released projects as Club Diego and with the trio Human Error Club (whose members Mekala Session and Jesse Justice helped produce this record). He has quickly become a fixture in a number of Los Angeles musical environments, working with Lionmilk, The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Carlos Niño, Black Nile among others. This album is a synthesis of these many LA environments, and carries chamber, jazz, ambient, and folk influences, ultimately giving it an uncategorizable feel similar to works by Arthur Verocai or David Axelrod.

Gaeta recorded the initial ideas for the album by himself after experiencing a burst of creativity during the lockdown of 2020, in the aftermath of a season of protests in Los Angeles, on a piano at his home in El Sereno. "I was constantly not in tune with myself, always awaiting outrage and tragedy in a very unstable world. However, hitting the streets in support of various ongoing pandemic community actions felt necessary and it marked a point in time that ushered in large societal changes. The weight of that era made me feel allergic to making art at the time. All of these ideas came after that period, expressing my reflections subconsciously. I remember that the ideas came in a short amount of time, and then they developed."

Once he had created the tracks as Ableton sessions, he realized the gravity and context of how he was processing his ideas so he, as he puts it, "felt like taking them outside the hands of midi and into the hands of friends." Gaeta was able to assemble his dream band, which ended up being a 9-piece ensemble, or a nonet. "I felt that at some point I was channeling the geometrical balance of that nonet...it's almost as if I had a sextet and then the three of the sextet that's not the rhythm section were doubled. It's a really dense sextet, that's how I see it."

The recording process began the following summer in June 2021 as the musicians were all adjusting to the newfound dynamic of getting tested for COVID, waiting a few days, and then meeting up to record. "We were eating Indian food, some of us were smoking, it was a nice memory, but I felt a little stressed, because I was the bandleader, and I felt the emotional weight of my music."

The title track and single, featuring vocals by Jimetta Rose, begins with a speech by Gaeta delivered when playing with Black Nile in 2019 at the Levitt Amphitheatre in MacArthur park. Gaeta provides the following account: "Even though it was in 2019, socio-political tensions and issues were at the forefront for me at that time. I wrote a speech that was intended to be critical of the US but it ended up becoming a collage inspired by different women that had messages of freedom that spoke to me the most. I quoted Nina Simone and Georgia Anne Muldrow, it wasn't something that I read but something that she said "kicking it with consciousness and style" that phrase stuck with me, so I used it in that speech. Although critical, the speech had a positive feeling to it, and it was hopeful. I gave that speech while fireworks were going off."

Moor Mother & Zeroh are found on their respective tracks, Memory Screen & Eccolo - both delivering a distinct, commanding vocal performance. Low Leaf colors the track Soft Spot with harp, a beautiful ballad nestled in the center of the album. Other players include Gregory Uhlmann on guitar, Jon Kaye on violin, Devin Daniels on alto saxophone, Caleb Buchanan on bass, Dante Luna on vibraphone, Patrick Behnke on viola, Bryan Baker on tenor saxophone/flute, and Mekala Session on drums.

"I’d like for us tonight to embody a freedom oriented life. Freedom isn’t just a dream, it’s a place we must all arrive at together, as one by one the people of the Earth help each other to be Free of power, hate, and insecurities. Let’s kick it with consciousness and style. Can y’all dig that? YEAH. I can too. So now we’d like to present to you a spiritual transmission I like to call: 'Fearlessly Accessing the Divine Spirit of Freedom From Here On Out.' YEAH" - Diego Gaeta

Fionn Regan’s eighth album, Berlin, Berlin, is a stark, intimate and instinctive collection of songs, written and recorded in just five days in East London. Arriving swiftly after the acclaimed O Avalanche, it embraces minimalism, atmosphere and poetic storytelling, unfolding like a half-remembered film glimpsed in the small hours.

From the spectral opening of ‘Hurricane Bruise’ to the nocturnal title track and the warm devotion of closing song ‘Love Blood’, Berlin, Berlin moves through winter light, rain-soaked streets, lost characters and fleeting romance. Raw yet richly cinematic, it feels less constructed than discovered—a record shaped by instinct, intuition and the mysterious pull of the songs themselves. A natural storyteller whose career stretches back to his Mercury Prize shortlisted debut The End of History, Regan has created a record that feels timeless and quietly radical: a lost cult classic waiting to be found.

Finland-based producer Slowct is a new name, but his Panelia EP — the second 12″ to come from the rising DISCO.VERY imprint — lands with a quiet confidence and a rich, sunlit warmth. Pressed in an edition of just 300 copies, vinyl only, this is music that nods to the 90s without ever sounding trapped there: the chord language, the swing, the palette all carry echoes of that golden era, yet the production breathes with a fresh, contemporary clarity.

Across four tracks, Slowct blends house music with hip-hop shuffle, street-soul texture, and Balearic drift. There’s an unhurried, melodic quality here — drums with weight, chords that float rather than pound, melodies that feel both familiar and pleasantly unexpected. Made for summer parties, late drives, and those hazy moments when the sun sits low and the speakers are just loud enough.

On the remix front, GFH (Grooves From Heaven) steps in on “Panavia” and delivers something genuinely singular. Lush and humid, yet unmistakably futuristic. It’s a remix that twists the original into new and wonderful shapes.

Founded in Puebla City in 1998 by Alberto Tlahuetl, Grupo Soñador played a key role in shaping a distinct regional take on cumbia at a time when the genre was largely dominated by Mexico City and the coastal scenes. Working with minimal resources, home recordings, cassettes, and affordable keyboards, the group developed a clean, melodic, and dance-driven sound that resonated deeply within the sonidero circuit. Their breakthrough track El Paso del Gigante (2001), spread organically through DJs and street dances, establishing Grupo Soñador as a cornerstone of Puebla’s emerging musical identity. Without a formal label structure, their music travelled hand to hand, from local fairs to migrant communities in the United States, becoming part of a wider underground network of circulation. Blending electronic instrumentation with sonidero rhythms, Grupo Soñador helped place Puebla on Mexico’s cumbia map, not through industry infrastructure, but through the dance floor.

KOIZUMIX PRODUCTION, a collaborative project between Kyoko Koizumi who worked under a different name in the 1990s and club culture artists and creators,
is finally being released in analog format. These two works, now difficult to obtain, are making their long awaited debut on vinyl.

The release is a complete analog version of the 1998 CD, which could be considered a KOIZUMIX PRODUCTION remix best-of.
It includes all tracks from the original CD, plus additional remixes that were previously available only on vinyl, compiled into a 2-disc set titled “89–99 COLLECTION”.

What's the point of the howl of string to speaker, the hammering of stick-on skin? Is it transcendence, elevating the human spirit by catharsis in sound? Or is it summoning chaos, a purgatory in which to bask in all that’s unclean, the better to feel alive?
Why not both? Because that’s what’s on offer on Diet Of Worms, the second Rocket release by The Shits, Leeds via Newcastle’s titans of disgust and deliverance. This is a feast for the senses in the worst way possible - primal rock boiled down to its essence and flung full in your face. Using repetition, tortured vocal invective and heads-down intensity as blunt instruments, these eight tracks are an unprecedented torrent of acidic salvation. Whilst lurking somewhere on the decadence-destruction axis between the nihilism of prime Stooges and the bloody blackout of Braimbombs, Diet Of Worms is possessed of a legitimately uncompromising hostility that both elevates and debases it to co-ordinates unknown.
There are revelations here in the riffage and the rancour, even if they are the kind that occur in the bleary miasma of the lock-in, or witnessing the streetlight blur of the subsequent stagger home. Even more single-minded and remorseless than the band’s Rocket debut ‘You’re A Mess’, this is a record that demands full immersion. Whether it’s ‘Then You’re Dead’ hammering on a pulverising garage-stinking riff until it begs for mercy, or ‘Change My Ways’, whose Creedence-In-Hell swagger and lurch is that of abjection transmuted into joy, this is psychedelia forcibly removed from its comfort zone of pastiche, and thrust into a bad-trip realm of the vivid and nightmarish.
But rarely has the process of making beauty and horror indivisible seemed like so much fun. If Werner Herzog was right, and the only harmony in the universe is that of overwhelming and collective murder, then The Shits are the true music of the spheres.

Guy From Downstairs brings a deeply human touch to the machinery with the Brighter EP.
It opens with "No Fun," where a dry, stripped-back rhythm plays hard to get, anchored by an emotive, raw vocal that cuts straight through the tension—it is a smirk with actual soul behind it. Just as that mood settles, the title track cracks the window open, letting in an unpretentious, genuine warmth that completely changes the temperature of the room. "Beat Street" picks up the pace, locking into a tough, street-level stride, before the EP bows out with "Untitled," a hazy piece of 7 AM introspection.
This is a record that doesn't just play; it breathes with you.

A-side is Bill Withers' Harlem, taken from a rare recording and reworked into a slower, DJ-friendly version that really opens it up.

On the flip is FPI Project's Everybody Around The World, completely rebuilt from scratch, slowed down and driven by the piano. A real Balearic, feel-good summer record.

Discothèque Credits – Forgiveness Not Permission EP 4:
Four, soul-feeding edits drop just in time for sunshine. ‘Harlem’ serves up a light-touch edit approach, preserving the original street-corner poetry of ‘Harlem’ - with two versions supplied: Mix one for DJs with a clean intro and outro, plus an alternative second version with a tempo shift and fade. Backed with unmistakable, loved-up and iconic poolside pianos – ‘Everybody (All Over The World)’ now stripped into a global Balearic pulse: built for sunlit dancefloors & late-night gatherings.

2026 Repress

Two stone cold classics right here from the Roy Ayers masterminded RAMP, taken from the holy grail album Come Into Knowledge. Sampled the world over, influentially positive and as prized as they get, South Street’s new sub-label South Street Soul couldn’t have picked a more perfect double header to reissue as their inaugural release.

Although the RAMP acronym Roy Ayers Music Productions bared Ayers’ name, he did not perform with the Ohio band instead writing, arranging and producing the tracks alongside Edwin Birdsong and also William Allen. Drafting in some of the best session musicians in the game, from vocalists Sibel Thrasher and Sharon Matthews, The Spinners drummer John Manuel, guitarist Landy Shores and Cincinnati bass maestro Nate White, the result was pure ethereal excellence.

Rare groove at its finest ‘Daylight’ is one of the standout cuts from RAMP’s only album - soulful, sumptuous and laced with a celestial touch that takes this track to another realm of conscious. A track that was famously sampled by A Tribe Called Quest for their hit ‘Bonita Applebum’ and J Dilla’s remix of Common – Come Close.

On the B side, a Roy Ayer’s masterpiece 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine' given the RAMP revamp, an end of the night masterpiece, a hazed-out dreamer - just downright blissful grooves from start to finish. Ready-made to ride out into the sunset with.

DJ support from Dan Tyler (Idjut Boys), Eric Duncan, Justin Strauss, Severino (Horse Meat Disco), and PBR Streetgang.

High-energy disco, Balearic, and synth-funk weapons backed by an elite DJ vanguard. This release delivers dancefloor-tested versatility, moving seamlessly from sun-drenched daytime grooves to late-night afterparty anthems. Motor Mouth Drum Ensemble present their Highballs At The Beach Club EP on Creative Use. Kicking things off on the A side is “Singapore Ray” A cheeky mid-tempo Asian disco-pop stepper, a neck dancer’s dream! Over on the flip “Night-Mine” a Dramatic low & slow balearo-funk to launch your ships to. Rounding off the EP “Fool You For Real” which is a Icy digital synth funk built to halt your after-party waffle.

In the evolving landscape of modern Southern hip-hop, the pairing of Starlito and Bandplay stands out as a unique bridge between street-level authenticity and refined, calculated musicality. Their collaborative project, Not The Country You Know, functions less like a standard release and more as a manifesto—a masterclass in the chemistry between a seasoned, introspective lyricist and a producer who possesses an intuitive grasp of the region's pulse. It is an exploration of legacy and adaptation, capturing the tension between where they came from and where the culture is currently headed.

Bandplay, long recognized for sculpting the sonic identity of Memphis icons, brings his signature, trunk-rattling 808s to the project, yet he manages to pivot here. The production feels remarkably expansive, masterfully blending the raw, stripped-back aesthetics of classic Tennessee rap with forward-thinking textures that refuse to be confined to a single sub-genre. Complementing this, Starlito operates with his trademark mix of cynical observation and genuine vulnerability. He navigates these beats with the weary grace of an artist who has weathered the music industry's relentless cycles, treating every bar like a necessary piece of a larger, ongoing story.

The album’s title serves as a direct commentary on these shifting tides. Across the tracklist, the duo investigates the growing disparity between the romanticized South and the cold realities of the streets, alongside the inevitable evolution of the music business itself. There is no frantic chasing of streaming-era trends or algorithmic bait here; instead, the project remains a stubborn, confident assertion of artistic identity. By weaving together Starlito’s "voice-of-reason" flow and Bandplay’s evolving, genre-bending sound, Not The Country You Know challenges the listener to abandon their preconceived notions of the region, offering instead a complex, urgent vision of a South that is as haunting as it is vibrant.

Hit the North is a DJs’ movement
Not a label. Not a revival. A discipline.

Over the years, the collective travelled across multiple states in the US and parts of the UK, digging deep into private collections, basements, garages, storage rooms and forgotten boxes.

They weren’t looking for classics.
They weren’t looking for hits.
They were looking for attempts.

Artists chasing something bigger than themselves.
Trying to sound like Motown.
Trying to sound like Detroit.
Trying to sound like the records that saved them.

Many of them dreamed — at best — of becoming a one hit wonder.
Most never got that far.

Some never crossed a state line.
Some never crossed the street at the end of their block.
Some never played outside their hometown.
Some never played at all.

What they left behind were fragments.

Raw versions.
Unfinished recordings.
Alternate takes.
Rejected mixes.
Test pressings.
Acetates passed quietly from hand to hand.

Sometimes with real credits.
Sometimes with fake ones.
Sometimes with handwritten labels leading nowhere.
Titles that didn’t match the music.
Stories that changed every time you asked.

Often, the trail simply disappeared.

What remained was intention.

Energy.
Urgency.
Hope pressed into sound.

So the collective worked on it.

They edited certain parts.
Extended others.
Cut what didn’t serve the floor.

Not to modernise.
Not to rewrite history.
But to unlock the power that was already there.

The result sounds like Northern Soul pushed to its breaking point.
Fast. Physical. Emotional.
Built for movement.

Some circulated privately.
Others were never pressed at all.

Recorded in personal studios, borrowed studios, friends’ rooms, temporary spaces.
Always outside the system.

This is not nostalgia.
This is unfinished business.

Welcome to THE VAULT for 1985. A collection that digs deeper into the year’s musical landscape – uncovering singles that may not have always reached the highest chart positions but remain essential to the rich and diverse pop story of 1985. Some were overshadowed at the time, some were highlights from albums that had already sold huge amounts, some found greater success internationally – but all deserve their place in this continued celebration of 80s pop.

45 tracks across 3-LPs – pressed in gorgeous green vinyl – NOW Yearbook – The Vault: 1985.

LP1 opens with a trio of tracks from huge-selling albums:- Bruce Springsteen’s ‘My Hometown’, the sixth single in the UK from ‘Born in the U.S.A’ - one of the best-selling albums of the decade, followed by Bryan Ferry with the stunning ‘Windswept’ from ‘Boys And Girls’ and Sting’s ‘Love Is The Seventh Wave’, taken from his solo debut ‘The Dream Of The Blue Turtles’. Next up, Go West with a U.S single release ‘Eye To Eye’, Scritti Politti with ‘Perfect Way’ – their biggest hit in America, and ABC with ‘Be Near Me’. The first side closes with two established bands; Heaven 17 and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark… Flip the LP over for Adam Ant with ‘Vive Le Rock’, Midge Ure, Blancmange and the second collaboration between Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder with ‘Good-Bye Bad Times’. The Style Council’s ‘Welcome To Milton Keynes’ leads to LP1’s closer’s from Simply Red and Fine Young Cannibals who followed their debut ‘Johnny Come Home’ with ‘Blue’.

LP2 opens with Cocteau Twins and the dream-pop atmospherics of ‘Aikea-Guinea’, ahead of The Jesus And Mary Chain with ‘Just Like Honey’, and The Dream Academy with ‘The Love Parade’.

Brilliant with their cover of James Brown’s ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ and jazz-influenced pop from Matt Bianco are up next ahead of the sublime ‘Castles In The Air’ from The Colourfield and Elvis Costello & The Attractions, who released the 1979 track ‘Green Shirt’ to promote their ‘Best Of’ collection … and the side closes with The Clash’s ‘This Is England’ which would become their last originally released hit…whilst on the other side…celebrate the dancefloor, with a vibrant mix of Hi-NRG, soul, electro and club-influenced pop:- Opening with Sheryl Lee Ralph’s ‘In The Evening’ and Barbara Pennington’s equally superb ‘On A Crowded Street’, the hi-energy continues with Miquel Brown and Hazell Dean ahead of a US hit from Laura Branigan (‘Spanish Eddie’) and Divine’s cover of ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’. LP2 finishes with a massive U.S. dancefloor smash for Eddie Murphy with ‘Party All The Time’.

The final LP kicks off with a bunch of singles that achieved bigger hit status in the US than here and opens with Billy Joel’s ‘You’re Only Human (Second Wind)’, a track written exclusively for his ‘Greatest Hits – Volume I & II’ compilation, ahead of pop-rock from John Mellencamp plus an anthemic smash from Bon Jovi. Pat Benatar’s ‘Invincible’ features ahead of The Power Station’s third US Top 40 hit…whilst back in the UK Chris Rea enjoyed his biggest chart hit to date with ‘Stainsby Girls’ and the side is completed by Marillion with ‘Heart Of Lothian’ the third hit from their huge ‘Misplaced Childhood’ album… Flip to the final side for the stellar vocals on ‘Act Of War’, the huge collaboration between Elton John & Millie Jackson ahead of dancefloor smash ‘New Attitude’ from Patti Labelle and ‘Show Some Respect’ a U.S. single from Tina Turner. Sophisticated pop-R&B from Michael McDonald and Daryl Hall & John Oates come ahead of the collection’s closers- and two outstanding vocal performances: Chaka Khan’s ‘Through The Fire’ and the U.S. breakthrough hit from Whitney Houston with ‘You Give Good Love’ – signalling the arrival of one of the decade’s brightest new stars.

NOW Yearbook – The Vault: 1985 – A deeper dive into an unforgettable year in pop.

Luke Una introduces a new series of original, dancefloor-focused productions on his É Soul Cultura imprint, in partnership with Mr Bongo. True to the label’s ethos, the series pushes sonic boundaries into deeper, more expansive territories, delivering forward-thinking music for discerning dancefloors. The first release brings together UK garage royalty Zed Bias and the underground talents of MJK, as we’re served up a double hit of hypnotic, futuristic techno and house.

Zed Bias is an artist that needs little introduction. The main moniker of Manchester’s Dave Jones, over the past 25+ years he’s cemented himself as a crucial figure in UK garage and dance music as a whole. He’s remixed hundreds of artists including Whitney Houston, The Streets and Azymuth, been nominated for a MOBO award and, through his more experimental take on 2 step garage, helped lay the foundations for the development of bass music into dubstep. For this new release he teams up with Ghanaian-British producer and DJ, MJK. Earmarked as ‘One To Watch’ by DJ Mag, and similarly championed by Mixmag, MJK’s sound draws from the worlds of bass, grime, house and beyond.

Opening track ‘Keep On Livin’’ sees Zed Bias and MJK coming together in the studio. Passed to Luke by his manager If Khan, it’s a sonic alchemy rooted in black heart soul music yet seen through a prism of bass futurism. A heads-down cut of driving techno, with nods to Detroit, and firm UK foundations, that is both bass-heavy and otherworldly. It’s a simple yet effective, entrancing combination of percussion, bass, and keys, peppered with old soul samples that lock you into a groove and never let go. A track built for dancefloors big or small.

On the flip, MJK steps up solo with ‘Late to Camberwell’, diving into deeper, late-night territory. Known for his three-deck DJ mixing style, MJK has a real understanding of how to layer elements to keep people moving. A swirling cosmic feel reverberates through ‘Late to Camberwell’. Drum hits, shakers and synth loops are weaved together in style, creating a dose of deep, immersive rolling house. In Luke’s own words, “I found it very exciting to hear a new artist create such a beautiful sound that reminded me of Detroit and Artwork's late ‘90s techno alias Grain. It’s stripped-back raw house music of the highest calibre”.

(*Previously unreleased)

Telling a tale of house music’s early days or roots without mentioning Tony Humphries as a club DJ, remixer and radio disc jockey would make it an incomplete, forged and most of all a bit of a yawn.
Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Humphries’ musical journey is synonymous with New York City’s dance music history and the evolution from uptempo soul music to house: from being a dancer at David Mancuso’s infamous Loft parties to becoming a mobile DJ and getting the call from Shep Pettibone to become his right hand at
the then new Kiss FM radio station, followed by countless remix offers and a legendary residency at Newark’s Club Zanzibar. Next to that one, is was especially his work as a radio disc jockey for said station during most of the 1980s until 1994 that gave him majestic clout. Breaking new records week in, week out,
putting New Jersey acts like Adeva and Jomanda or countless up-and-coming producers from there on the musical map, while simultaneously playing the hottest imports from Europe, trax from Chicago, dance classics and all things straight from New York’s music factory that never seemed to stop.
Going to his vast and almost complete archive of radio shows from way back when he graced those airwaves, we at Running Back Records have pickedNew Release Information original recordings that symbolize his importance as an industry giant and ambassador of this style of music.
„But one thing I would like to point out is that, as a DJ, the music I play is not my music. I want to make it perfectly clear that it is music that is released, and it’s everyone’s music. I do not take any other credit than being the middle person exposing this music.“
(Tony Humphries in: What Kind of House Party Is This?, Jonathan Fleming, 1996)

UK Street Soul, electronic, Deep House

After enticing tastemakers and fans the world over with her 2-track junket into street soul, Be Loved / What Could Happen, Kuzco doubles down with the after-hours antidote. Bound to Be presents the final two tracks to complete the 4-track EP, plus 2 remixes from Ladymonix and Black Moonchild.

Ladymonix delivers an uncompromising scat dub of Be Loved - a niche and signature style to emerge from the Detroit underground that Ladymonix champions. This one is strictly for the house dancers. The B-side features "Waaalk" and "Ha Ha Ha", a sultry and energetic jaunt into ghetto tech and electro. If it wasn't already evident, Kuzco is clearly making a stand and representing the FLINTA and queer club spaces that she embodies.

The B-side is perfectly complemented by an outstanding remix from Detroit powerhouse Black Moonchild - a superbly deep and hypnotic techno groove reminiscent of UFO activity over the Motor City, with bleeping electronic signals passing through jittery hi-hat and drum passages, married with Kuzco's saucy spoken word.

Ghetto Records was Latin music legend Joe Bataan’s way to get over on The Man and out of the ’hood, a bold move by an artist looking for independence and creative control in an industry that had exploited his talents and treated him like chattel.



As Bataan puts it today, “Ghetto Records was part of my journey, a stepping stone to everything else that I’ve done. I learned enough that it enabled me to get out of the box with my thinking, it showed me how to deal with adversity.” Like many dreams and schemes born of the street, this one was audacious, perhaps even reckless to a fault.

Hatched from desperation yet full of hope Ghetto Records came crashing down shortly after its inception. The seven albums in its discography languished out of print - until now.

Ten years ago, in a sharehouse on Chapel Street, four 20-year-olds with zero expectations wrote and recorded an EP in a single afternoon. Those six blistering minutes of music became Giddy Up. An hour later, Amyl and The Sniffers had a name, a Bandcamp upload, and the beginnings of a legacy.
Following a year of backyard gigs, playing for friends and partying across Melbourne's sticky carpet music scene, the band released their iconic second EP Big Attraction in 2017.
Now, to celebrate a decade of raw power and reckless spirit, Giddy Up/Big Attraction returns in a definitive 10th anniversary 12-inch vinyl edition — fully remastered for maximum punch.
Featuring early classics like “I’m Not A Loser” and “Stole My Pushbike,” plus enduring live favourites “Balaclava Lover Boogie” and “Westgate,” this is the sound of Amyl and The Sniffers before the world caught up — feral, funny, and unstoppable.
The LP is housed in a gatefold sleeve showcasing Chris Sutherland’s iconic 2017 band photo, alongside an exclusive new essay from Amy Taylor and a heap of never-before-seen behind-the-scenes shots from the band’s earliest days by Jamie Wdziekonski. As Amy recalls: “We recorded and wrote over the afternoon… we’d never played together before that day… it’s spontaneous, and fun and achievable in that time because to us it sounded more than good and we weren’t perfectionists and it didn’t matter.”
From DIY house shows in Melbourne to international stages, it all started here.

Gidia, the collaborative project of Giorgos Lemos and Kondaktor, deliver a bold release that marks a new chapter for both the artists and the evolving sound of REVOLT.
Born between global influence and local greek reality, Gidia operate at the intersection of club culture and street memory. Their sound moves freely across house, techno, electro and acid, drawing from West Coast grooves, disco-house energy, early Daft Punk aesthetics, boombox culture and the raw attitude of B-boys music.

A brand new repress of this highly sought-after classic deep house/tech house 12" from Da Sunlounge that is currently fetching up to €100 on second-hand markets! This is high-caliber, bumping dancefloor house that's been igniting dance floors since 2003.


Back in the day, it received support from prominent artists such as Ralph Lawson, Silver City, Fred Everything, Inland Knights, and David Duriez. Da Sunlounge has released music on labels including Cajual, Salted Music, King Street, and Mother Recordings, and has remixed well known artists like Mood II Swing and Roland Clark, among others.

King Street Sounds Sampler Vol. 6 continues the long-running series from the legendary King Street Sounds catalogue, bringing together a selection of classic house cuts from some of the label’s most respected artists.

Featuring productions from Dennis Ferrer, Mood II Swing, Studio Apartment and Blaze & Palmer Brown, the release highlights the soulful, vocal-led house sound that has defined King Street across decades of dancefloor culture.

Including standout King Street favourites such as Dennis Ferrer’s Touched The Sky and Mood II Swing’s Closer, the sampler brings together several proven catalogue moments in one DJ-friendly vinyl package.

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

As the sixth edition in the King Street sampler series, this release presents a selection of essential catalogue moments on one highly playable vinyl release.

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