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Stepping up for its landmark tenth release is label honcho Juan Sanchez, who drops four slices of heavy techno funk.. Over the course of nine releases, FORMAT Records have established itself as a very credible source for quality techno. Its tenth release again perfectly captures that frisky FORMAT sound. First up is 'Serpent, a mid-tempo and bass-laden belter that's followed by the darker, minimal-tinged 'Qualia'. 'A Different Place' merges Detroit-esque elements with tones of European techno, after which things close with no-beatsall-fx 'Stubborn Synth'. The tenth FORMAT release is a perfect snapshot of the label's signature sound, while paving the way for many more good things to come..

COMPILED BY PETE PASQUAL, ERICA OLSON & DJ KINETIC

Following on from acclaimed compilations like 'Down Under Nuggets' and 'Heavy Soul' (and two other new titles 'Running The Voodoo Down' and 'Dodgy Bossa (& Silly Sambas)' - details below), Festival Records presents another deep dig into the archives, this time shining a light on rare Australian soul-jazz, jazz-funk, and freaked-out groove rock from the late '60s and '70s.

BACK ON THE STREET AGAIN - AUSTRALIAN FUNK, SOUL & PSYCH (MOSTLY) FROM THE FESTIVAL VAULTS is a stunning 20 track CD and 2LP release that highlights a point when the previously disparate styles of rock, jazz and soul all started influencing each other, and exciting new genres were created. To quote the liner notes (by DJ Kinetic):

Australia produced some amazing music during the 60s and 70s that sat outside of the normal rock mould. Avant guard artists like John Sangster pushed boundaries and experimented with the fusion of local and overseas influences, artists like Dalvanius recorded soaring disco music that was lost amongst the popular music of the time, only to be rediscovered by DJs overseas who were searching for unknown sounds, composers like Brute Force and His Drum took risks and recorded left-field funky sounds hidden within their more mainstream compositions, and popular artists like Billy Thorpe occasionally strayed from their A&R directions and took leaves from the books of American artists who were largely unknown in Australia at the time. Beneath the veneer of bland rock and roll lay an unknown multitude of funky sounds hidden from mainstream view.

In addition to the artists that Kinetic mentions (and the compilation features two John Sangster tracks - stunning versions of 'Hair' and the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life'), the collection includes iconic names of the era like the Daly-Wilson Big Band (featuring Kerrie Biddell), Renee Geyer and the Johnny Rocco Band. '60s sides from Ross D Wyllie and The ID (featuring Jeff St John) reveal the various styles' roots in American rhythm & blues, and the unexpected inclusion of some legendary Australian rock outfits like Tamam Shud and Blackfeather reveals the psychedelic and progressive rock influences at play. The full range of the music is highlighted by the inclusion of both cabaret/daytime TV performer Al Styne and outrageous Kings Cross club act Count Copernicus & The Cosmic Fire as well as the in-house studio 'pops' orchestra, Festival Studio 24 Orchestra.

Co-compilers Pete Pasqual, Erica Olson and DJ Kentic to undertake interviews with specialist media around release. Facebook ad's around release.

Side A, put the needle to the groove for an opening introduction to the sound of Midu aka Nicolas Midulla (Funky Monks Records) - "Salcame Selva" is the name of the track and we are presented with some deep, soul-washed house, laced with delicate, shimmering chords and propelled forward by an infectious, rhythmic -baseline. On to track A2 and we find ourselves listening to the unmistakable sound of Tommy Vicari Jnr. Cooking and reshaping the original "Salvame Selva" in a cauldron of bubbling-funk, spring-loaded drum-beats and seasoned with just enough bounce, to elevate the most static of dance-floors. Turn the record over to the B side, where you will find the sound of Prang aka Quitter (Ammo84 / Charmin / Les Temps Difficiles). Meeting you head on and slicing through your consciousness like a scalpel blade, "Last Few Bars" has been designed with precision and intent, to direct the dance floor, enchant and hypnotize, with consuming charm. The finale for the labels second release, comes from Frankfurt, Germany - from the mind of Nils Diezel (Nixwax). "Moody Sundays" plays host to a track, which appears to invoke ecstatic and magical rites, elevating your mind, enveloping the senses and leaving the listener in a dream like state.

This opus was recorded in a room transformed into a studio, where countless hours of work happened on an old computer, with trips back and forth to the grocery to buy liters of soda.
In between soundtrack, jazz-funk and house, the beginnings of this EP find their roots in the encounter between Lucien and DJ Gregory (Point G), spiritual guide, who pushed into an introspective work, where the feelings were ultimately revealed sincerely. This EP is also the meeting of 4 musicians who've known each other for a long time and, together, form Lucien & The Kimono Orchestra.

The mysterious Cecil Moses & The S.G.'s (Oliver Klomp - drums, Colin Higgins - guitar, Bob Heinemann - bass, and Marc Hager - keys) unite with deep funk pioneer Lucky Brown to interpret Lucky's original "Mesquite Suite," a collection of spiritual folk/jazz modal melodies fused with earthy and arcane rhythms composed in the summer of 2015 in an ashram in the Texas Hill Country.

The S.G.'s, who specialize in their own brand of great quartet instrumental soul ala Booker T. & The M.G.'s and The Meters, adapted quickly to Lucky's experimental, rudimentary, vernacular, and minimalist approach. One thing you will notice in these tunes is that the vast space created by the musicians and the composition is what allows the FEEL to filter through, and for Lucky Brown, FEEL is what it is all about.

This first single presents the themesong of their collection, a deep tribal shuffle, "Mesquite Beat," upon which Jason Cressey - trombone, and Thomas Deakin - sax, offer their own explorations. The flip is an upbeat and minimal pentatonic anthem entitled "Justice," featuring Lucky Brown himself on funk flute.

With this release, we are proud to introduce the first installment of the "Mesquite Suite" collection on Tramp's own special limited imprint: "Tramp Tapes," a suite of original, raw deep funk inspired as much by Mulatu Astatke as it is James Brown.

Translated from Spanish as 'The Shade', Chip Wickham's debut album La Sombra drops after a 25-year career touring, recording and experimenting across three decades of jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, Latin and electronica. La Sombra is a monumental record for Chip as it symbolises the moment he stepped out into the light as a director of his creations with freedom to explore his roots, express and tell his version of jazz and pay testament to his heroes Roland Kirk, Yuseef Lateef & Harold McNair.

Now living in Dubai after an intense and productive six years in Madrid, it was Manchester where Chip studied in the late '80s and became enmeshed in the chaotic and thrilling music scenes emanating from one of the world's most culturally prominent cities of the time. Recording and generally 'keeping things real' with Manchester's hip-hop collective Grand Central Records, Rae & Christian, The Pharcyde, Fingathing, Nightmares on Wax, Graham Massey (808 State), Chip was in a city that was undergoing a music revolution with the Haçienda as its temple. Yet it was the headlights of the M62 motorway and not the strobe lights that were lighting Chip's path during his student years ('88-'92). The lure of the jazz and funk clubs of Leeds, where The New Mastersounds were breaking out and building the blocks that would lead them to UK funk royalty status, proved too strong.

In the 1990s Chip continued to refine his craft in the rainy city and the gigs booked were growing in stature. It wasn't long before he was on the road with Roy Ayers and Badly Drawn Boy. Around that time Chip met up with trumpeter Matthew Halsall that was the beginning of a friendship that lasts to this day. Chip was a recording artist on Matthew Halsall's breakout album Sending My Love and continues to work with him, with live dates confirmed in spring 2017. This close connection with Halsall gave rise to other collaborations, such as with Nat Birchall and Go Go Penguin's Rob Turner.

Three decades after his late night excursions to Leeds, Chip found himself recording with Eddie Roberts from The New Mastersounds in Madrid, as part of their new band, The Fire Eaters, which he'd formed soon after he moved to sunny Spain in 2007 - the same year he released the Fried Samba album under his moniker Malena, his electronic Latin band that became a hit at the turn of the century for Freestyle Records. During his time in Spain he connected with the local scene and brought together many of his musicians colleagues from the UK to Spain and it was for a local and well established label, Lovemonk, that he released two 45s blending raw funk and Latin. These new roads and musical leanings led to an invitation to play for the prestigious Craig Charles Fantasy Funk Band. Based on a poll from Craig Charles' top rated BBC6 radio show, Chip was chosen to play alongside the cream of the UK funk & soul scene: James Taylor (JTQ), Snowboy, The Haggis Horns (Mark Ronson), John Turrell (Smooth & Turrell), and Mick Talbot (The Style Council).

La Sombra takes an altogether more rooted direction than Chip's recent collaborative work, with the jazz of the late '60s and early '70s a dominating influence to the recordings. Comprising of seven tracks recorded in Madrid with musicians assembled by Chip from Madrid's jazz scene, it combines contemplative explorations akin to Yusef Lateef's early work on tracks like 'La Sombra' and 'Pushed Too Far'. There's a fiery cover of Camarón de la Isla's classic 'La Leyenda Del Tiempo' and tracks like 'Sling Shot' and 'Red Planet' are locked in a groove harking back to Freddie Hubbard's Blue Note era and Luv N Haight's Nathan Davis.

August 2016 saw Running Back release a first volume of live tracks from Redshape, but January 2017 sees the much loved artist return to Delsin, his most regard label, for a second offering of the same. This time the EP has one track made in Paris, and one in London, and both are filled with the sort of beautifully bleak and lo-fi sounds that have made this man such a standout artist over the years. Up first is 'London,' a chugging track that builds in pressurised layers of coarse hi hats, gurgling bass and pinging kick drums. It is a hypnotic groove that teases you as elements drop in and out and hisses of static and broken little guitar riffs add some cheeky funk. On the flip-side, 'Paris' is much more playful, with colourful pixelated melodies dancing about the mix, industrial drums working down low and steppy synths fleshing things out. Overall it sounds like a future disco for inebriated robots and is one of Redshape's more party starting tracks.

Finally, the battle is about to reach its thrilling finale after three exhausting rounds. Our pugilists are staggering on their feet and the bookies are running around frantically, taking the final bets. Will the Bad Guys suckerpunch the Good Guys into oblivion, or does team Good have an epic deathmove in store for its malevolent adversaries Amsterdam native Nachtbraker steps back into the arena for the fourth chapter in the saga. The Quartet Series label boss and Heist and Dirt Crew mainstay has defected to the bright and sunny Good Guys. Piano chords, chopper effects and toms are the main ingredients of his funk-laden and groovy energy drink. Better than steroids they say. Laurence Guy (Church, Rose Records) joins forces or heads in this particular case with a much-needed supplement that tugs on your heartstrings with its lush keys and deep pads. This London lad has been stirring up the scene with his flawless and addictive chords, not to mention the big support he's getting from maestro Move D. Will this dapper duo be strong enough to floor the misfits featured on the flip Great precaution is imperative with two heavyweights in the other corner. First mr. Tommy Vicari Jnr (Cabinet Records, YAY Recordings, AMMO84) comes barging in. This Sheffield veteran has been making killer cuts for years now and is about to step into the ring with his slamming snares, and wonkly wobbly bassline swinging around a phat kick. To keep both The Bad Guys feet on the ground LK (Shall not Fade, Hokkaido Dance Club) adds some extra meat with a deep, heavy bassgroove, while a sexy vocal and steady chords create that gangsta vibe that will boost the Bad Guys' confidence.

Dublin based disco imprint Fatty Fatty Phonographics return with the 4th instalment of their 'Downtownsounds Classics' series, this time throwing three stone-cold classics onto one 12, all given the re-edit treatment by in house producers Pablo and Shoey.
Voiced by Leroy Burgess, with drums by hip hop legend Marley Marl and production by The Aleem Brothers, 'Release Yourself' was a huge across-the-board anthem in the clubs of NYC on its release in 1984.
The lads have superglued elements of both the vocal and dub sides together for an epic end of night take on this beloved classic.The B side features two under appreciated classics from the pen of one Billy Nichols, a man known for his work with West End Records (the Levan mixed 'Give Your Body Up To The Music') and the funky band of brothers that was BT Express.
On 'Take Me...' Nichols' hooked up with disco master Patrick Adams for an emotional, string drenched disco belter that has found favour with the likes of Dimitri from Paris, Floating Points and Hunee.While 'Dance If Off' is a wonky proto Acid-Disco trip beloved of Rahaan and Eric Duncan of Rub 'n' Tug. With copies going for over 300 euros, you can do your bank account and your dancefloor a favour here...

Fall of 2016 sees Midnight Magic ready to enchant us once more with the much-anticipated birth of their 2nd studio album, the wondrously eclectic Free From Your Spell. Going back to their roots in Los Angeles, Morgan Wiley, and Tiffany Roth, alongside the rest of the boogie nonet, have prepared a refined feast of genre-bending songs. The ever so diverse moods of Free From Your Spell make it a seductive journey. With each song mixed seamlessly into the next, the record coalesces into one long disco odyssey, reminiscing Giorgio Moroder and Donna Summer's concept albums "Four Seasons of Love" and "A Love Trilogy". Moods, genres, and styles intertwine like an aural kaleidoscope, the album electrifying with its striking harmony. Whilst exuberantly borrowing from past decades, Free From Your Spell more than holds its own as a self-assured, innovative body of work. Midnight Magic's Free From Your Spell is an offer one can't refuse. An attractive deal in the form of disco escapism, traveling through its various shades, emotions, and incarnations, a comprehensive revival of the genre for modern ears. It's Studio 54, It's Moroder,Amanda Lear, Gino Soccio, and Grace Jones. It's a whole palette of 1980's R'n'B and cosmic funk. Despite all the music references of past eras Free From Your Spell is very much a current album, a mature demonstration of genuine skills in songwriting, a multi-instrumental banquet of sounds, a coherent collection of ambitious dance tracks and a beautiful celebration of eclecticism. Add to this some of Tiffany Roth's most memorable vocals to date and you arrive at one of the year's most exciting releases. There is a strong reason for both "midnight" and "magic" in the name of the band after all.

For those of you wondering what Adesse Versions was doing at our Heist Boiler Room this summer in London, the answer is here. The "Push it along" EP for Heist is Adesse Versions first appearance on our label and features 4 stunningly raw and warm originals, and an amazing remix by New York's ambassador of funk: Ge-Ology, together with multi-instrumentalist Marc de Clive-Lowe on keys.
After having released numerous records for Jackmaster's Numbers, Local Talk and Toy Tonics, we're happy to welcome Adesse Versions to the Heist family. When he sent us his demo's we had the tough job to choose the right tracks, cause there were just too many. The selection on the "Push it along EP" features what we feel are his purest work up to date. With only a small amount of elements, he manages to create such a big and warm sound, finding a great balance between gritty percussion, rich analog synths and funky sampling work.
Opening track Tout it is built around an ever evolving arpeggiated synth, a dancehall-esque percussive riddim and lovely pad work. It builds up slowly, without ever becoming dull, changing small elements and adding momentum with each step.
E to E is based on a chopped vocal looped to bits (only shouting: (E, E, E, E, E..), dancing hihats and a rolling bassline, whereas Geology flips the high energy original into a classic deephouse tune that fans of Larry Heard will love. The steady bassline and trianglework form a perfect canvas for MdcL's work on various synths, adding layer after layer of melodrama.
The title track goes for the same recipe as Tout it, with fierce snares laying down the rhythm and a far away disco sample adding the right dose of funk. Ebony Roses is the final track of the EP: A beatless groove built around a spoken word vocal with dreamy piano work around it building up suspense as the track evolves.
We've been playing this EP over the course of the last few months and it's been getting great response, so we're happy to finally share it with you.

Sincerely yours, Lars & Maarten

The Tiger is back - finally on full length again! The second studio album for Tiger & Woods not only marks a desired return to a specific format, but is also a huge leap forward in their area of expertise: their brand of fun and functional dance music gets broadened by influences from electronica, italo disco and up-tempo house, while keeping a groove that is distinctly linked to what some people refer to as boogie. After travelling the world from left to right and from top to bottom with a live-set to boot and skilful DJ sets that resemble that genre melting approach, "On The Green Again" is the result of spending valuable studio time at the "Tiger's Lair" - a carefully-built new work place that plays its own part in the creative process of one of the most prolific production teams of our days, while simultaneously starting T&W Records for all sorts of adventures that are linked to Tiger & Woods, but not narrowed to a specific sound. See "Unleashed Tapes Vol. 1" for further reference. A double A-sided 12-inch that owes as much to disco as an influence as it pays homage to the funkier and brighter sides of house and techno. Honing a craft that is rooted in edit culture as an ethos, but has since long left that bumpy road dependable on samples and their clearance, T&W make "On The Green Again" work as the second album that defies the difficulty usually attached to such ventures. 10 brand-new tracks (and three previously released bonus tracks on the CD version) make up the course between peak-time prime cuts similar to "RockMeLoveMe" or "Come And Get My Lovin" and an almost heart-aching track like "Endless Affair". Mixed with bits and pieces in-between and neatly placed between a classic intro and outro segment, those tracks are testament

Meet Thorsteinssøn. The Iceland-born-Denmark-bred Gunnar Thor Viggosson better known as one half of 76-79 with Tommy Vicari Jnr and bossman at Comfortable Records and Vanity. Right now, though, we're calling him the man behind the first Pets artist album this year... Deliciously cosmic and cheerily schizophrenic, 'Academy Of Heroes' is inspired by a brilliant creative project Thorsteinssøn practiced during his years living in Amsterdam: Solar Industry Radio. A project that would begin with a made up artist or band name in styles ranging from cosmic funk,scandinavien disco to noise collages of the galaxies. A joyously backwards project that inspired a rich rainbow of styles, the content was then represented 24/7 online, collaged with strange jingles and sifi snippets. Genius. Returning to those creations, Thorsteinssøn and Pets have weaved together a full album that cherry picks from his thunderous proliferation: from the strutting west coast deep house of '1976' to the introverted electro boogie of 'N M T F R' by way of the poignant chords of 'Untitled Disco Six', the wry acid wriggles of 'Channel DISQ' and the Trans Am twinkles of 'Beneath A Steel Sky', the 14 collection acts as an immersive, timeless collage. A smorgasbord of synthetic exploration, rich in sci-fi, space and robotic sympathy, pieced together with the same spirit of his cult radio transmissions, it works just as well on the cans as it does in the dance... And it's en route with an equally alluring package of remixes. An album, a radio show for freaks or simply a journey into Thorsteinssøns world.. Whatever... He really is a creative maverick. !

20 track Album from Various Artists released by Dub Store Records

Announcing the first release by Shift Imprint, "Hynek's Scale"!
What magic results if we merge the spirits of Detroit, Chicago, Amsterdam and Lisbon, all in the same record
Hynek's Scale is a smoking' Audiopath collaboration with ex Parliament/Funkadelic member Jerrald James AKA Jerry The Cat, who, besides being an amazing percussionist and great vocalist, is also a serious old school DJ and producer with collabs with names like Derrick May, Theo Parrish and Moodymann.
Together they carefully crafted the main theme "Hynek's Scale" with raging synths, thunderous kick drums, heavy baselines and last but not least, Jerry's sweet voice. This one is a house track you will remember for quite a while! Besides the original mix, there are two remixes, one from a guy that needs no introduction, Mr. K-Alexi Shelby from Chicago (Transmat/Trax/Djax-Up-Beats). K turned the whole main idea upside down and produced a real funky big beat slammer! We love it and we know that you will love it too, trust us! The second is a remix coming from Mechanique (Kaos Records/Affin), a talented Portuguese producer based in Amsterdam. He takes his mix to a very far, deep and beautiful place, a totally different atmosphere from the title track. Finishing the record, Audiopath delivers a banger that he's been anxious to release, "Good Foot", a heavy, heavy, heavy electrofunk track; watch out for this one, it can bite! In short, we sincerely advise you to immerse yourself in the beats and atmospheres explored by these guys, we're sure that theres a track here for each and everyone of you. The record is an immediate encounter with nothing but exquisite music!
Big support by Laurent Garnier!

New project from Massimo Vanoni in which his black streak with Slow-Down & Nu-Disco-Funk features prevails.
The tracks have strong groove rhythms, with intense, rather thick and ascent.loops. The contaminations collected
by the club consoles seem to merge in the creation of unreleased songs which recall an interesting return to the
old beat with dynamic rhythm. Deluxe package Artwork.
For fans of Frank Booker, LTJ Xperience, Stereo 12", Tee Mango, Fouk, Inkswell, The Revenge, Session Victim, Debonair...

When faced with the decision to take a different direction at the risk of getting lost in a synthetic sound or to further explore the same musical path, Vaudou Game didn't need to consult the oracle for very long when putting together their new album. Since their first acclaimed album, Apiafo and its irresistible single "Pas Contente", these Lyon natives never turned down the heat on over 130 stages across Europe, Africa, America and Asia. Peter Solo has displayed his amulets, charisma and yellow pants around the globe.When time came for them to harness their Afro-Funk sound for the second time, they turned their attention once again to their analog strengths. Vintage material, instruments produced in the 70's and cassette tapes were the "grigris" (or lucky charms) which proved most effective to ward off digital corruption of their music and return them to a tight-knit group with a solid groove.This unbeatable trance rhythm, inherited from James Brown and Fela, icons of Funk and Afrobeat, becomes trident when joined by Mawu, the creative voodoo divinity hidden in each of the group's notes. This inspiration transcends their spirit of communion, plunges them deeply into Mother Earth and results in the telepathic trance which is directly connected to Togo Peter's native Togo.Each song then becomes a celebration where the listener becomes the group's voodoo doll, embraced by the rhythm, submitting itself to the mercilessly metronomic cutting of guitars, struck by the copper-colored flashes of lightning forged by the African voodoo deity Hevioso, pierced by the psychedelic visions generated by the organs and a six-string guitar, cheerful songs, and hypnotic incantations.KIDAYU means "sharing" in Kabye, the language spoken in northern Togo. Sharing, is the philosophy of Vaudou Game - both in their recorded music and on stage.Vintage African funk tinged with voodoo chanting: Togolese Peter Solo and his fellow musicians from Lyon electrify us in a frenzied ceremony" - Télérama

RAWAX proudly welcomes Mr. Lamont Norwood aka Dj Di'jital to the family! A true pioneer from Detroit!

Truly an old school Techno Bass jewel, DJ Di'jital has been a key player in the development of what some call the "Second Generation" of Detroit Techno. Having released on classic Detroit labels like Metroplex, Direct Beat, and Twilight 76, there is plenty of good reason why his name and his work have become so legendary over the years.

Influenced by early groups like Kraftwerk and Parliament, it was no surprise that the 80's fusion of Electronic Music, Funk and Hip Hop that brought about the Electro Funk sounds, would have such an impact on him. As a kid, Lamont Norwood aka DJ Di'jital became acquainted with the idea of mixing two songs together using tape decks, which while being limited, still gave him the drive and passion to pursue a career as a professional DJ. Over the years he played many different house parties and underground clubs, even spending some time as a Cabaret DJ.

Throughout this time, Di'jital became an incredibly skilled turntablist, quickly gaining the reputation of being a formidable force behind the wheels of steel. The year 1996 would prove to be quite a momentous one for Norwood, not only signing to the already well established label Direct Beat, but also becoming the official DJ for one of the label's finest and most important artists, Aux 88. Having already released his first EP, "Prototype", on Direct Beat, this would become a great opportunity that would help seal him as an icon of what was now known as the Detroit Techno Bass scene. Over the next few years,

Di'jital continued recording for Direct Beat, releasing some of the greatest and most unique Techno Bass classics to date, even doing a few remixes for some of Aux 88's most well known releases like "Electro/Techno", "I Need To Freak", and "Break It Down". Hit EPs like "From The Mind Of The Master", and "360 Degrees" became instant classics, still very sought after to this day. He also had some of his songs appear on some of the various Direct Beat compilations that were released between the years 1996 and 1999 like "Xperience De Bass II", which released "Radar2Bass", one of his most notable works, as well as the all time collector's album, "Techno Bass: The Mission".
Perhaps what may have been one of the biggest signs that his career was becoming exactly what he had hoped for, was the opportunity presented to him to remix Aaron Carl's classic "Down", which was released on the iconic Metroplex Records in 1998; Something that to any Detroit native would have been an honor and a milestone, given the reputation and level of success and influence that Juan Atkin's imprint had on the Detroit Electronic Music scene, as well as the global Electro/Techno movement.

Between the years 2000 and 2002, there was a small hiatus in complete EPs or albums being released by DJ Di'jital, although there were 2 different tracks released on the labels Bipolar and Studio iK7. In 2002, he went on to sign to another of Detroit's legendary imprints, Twilight 76, where he released 2 EPs, "Bass Programmers", and Di'jital's Revenge". In 2005, already a veteran and having amassed the necessary skill and knowledge needed to be a true beat warrior, Di'jital was now ready to join the resistance...Underground Resistance that is! Featured on the Interstellar Fugitives Vol. 2 compilation ( also later released as a 2xCD/DVD set ), Di'jital also released on the Electrocuter EP, which featured the previously released "Bang", as well as "Track 19".

In 2006, already well into the digital age ( no pun intended ), Norwood would release his first set of downloadable works, starting with an album called "The Prototype", on Twilight 76, which was completely unrelated to his first EP which was also called "Prototype". Recently, Twilight 76 has also released what is so far a 2 volume set of battle cuts dubbed "Electro Battle Tools".

The only known material that is known to be in the future for DJ Di'jital at the moment is a remix of Morphogenetic's "Techno Bass Is Back!", which was originally released as a free download to members of Technobass, but will soon be released on a 12"/Digital release that will launch the site's own label "Techno Bass Music". There will also be a follow EP by Di'jital, so stay tuned! Over the years, DJ Di'jital has proven to be an unstoppable force in the Techno Bass scene, tirelessly working to push the boundaries of Electro forward with his futuristic and visionary beats that have unleashed mayhem across the globe, not just in his published works, but also in his incredible DJ acts, where one can truly witness one of the few actual turntablists in this style of music. Expect more in the future as Di'jital's revenge continues to spread across the globe with his out of the ordinary approach towards Techno Bass music.

THE ASSISTENZ is the culmination of a four year creative hot streak as vivid as any part of CRISTAN VOGEL's long career. The trio of dance oor-oriented records formed by 2012's The Inertials, 2014's Polyphonic Beings and now THE ASSISTENZ are sensual pleasures rst and foremost: a lifetime of study of frequencies and rhythms on the frontline of the world's clubs has been put into the creation of sounds that interface with the nervous system and emotional re- sponses with extraordinary immediacy. But there's much more too: together with the more ab- stracted album Eselsbru¨cke, these form an enticing sonic narrative, encoded themes running through them, each part revealing more about the whole. THE ASSISTENZ, then, is many things: a personal document, a tribute to Copenhagen where it was recorded and after whose famous cemetery it is named - but also the nal piece in this bigger puzzle, which unlocks untold secrets from the previous three records.

There's a deeper history, of course. CRISTIAN's productions going back to the start of the 1990s have woven their way into the fabric of underground culture. His own recent remasters of his early albums, and the Sub Rosa Classics 1993-1998 collections have shown just how potent his early work remains. But his new work exists in a very different world to those past works, and is far removed from the recent electronic generations who he has in uenced too. In fact, as you listen to THE ASSISTENZ, you realise that there's no point making comparisons with other elec- tronic producers at all. While you will certainly hear some of the most fundamental and enduring vectors of underground music - dub, electro, acid, funk - owing through the tracks, even those things are rebuilt from the molecular level, created completely afresh with new, precise, but some- what skewed vision.

CRISTIAN's understanding of music now is spectral. That is to say, with every step through his exploration of sound over the years, he has made more and more detailed analyses of the specif- ic frequencies that make up speci c sounds and produce speci c effects on the human mind and body. And as a result, his own sound synthesis - increasingly done via the Kyma programming platform - is more and more able to reach beyond the 'synthetic' and impact in uncanny and wonderful ways. The most obvious sense of this is the way his sounds touch on the human voice: not just in the chattering, shimmering, singing tones of THE ASSISTENZ's ghostly centrepiece 'Barefoot Agnete', in the alien radio signals of 'The Merman's Dream' or even in the subliminal 'aaah's hiding in the background of the noisy 'Vessels', but in the way any sound, anywhere in any track can sound peculiarly vocal, heard from the right angle.

And it's not just the boundary between human and non-human, or that between acoustic and synthetic, that get blurred to the point of non-existence. CRISTAN's creative methodology now is all about leaving you so uncertain about where anything came from, or what scale the sounds are operating on, that you have no choice but to let go of preconceptions and standardised criti- cal faculties and go with it. Sometimes that can take you to places where darkness and physical- ity close in on you as on 'Vessels' or 'Telemorphosis', or into haunted spaces on the edge of the void like those of 'Snowcrunch' and 'Barefoot Agnete', but even in those, there is euphoria. And in the voluptuousness of 'Hold' or the body-rocking funk of 'Cubic Haze', all the abstraction is grounded in the sheer pleasure of your own bodily responses to the sound.

So many of the science ction dreams of the 1990s are now (virtual) reality. We live in a time when social networks consciously manipulate our emotions, where data is money, where ma- chines learn, where images can't be trusted, and where the synthetic can feel more real than real. Over some 25 years, CRISTIAN's experiments have traced much of this weirdness and evolved with it, and his understanding of synthesis and algorithmic processes to create structure makes him one of the most important composers working today. But THE ASSISTENZ doesn't just ex- periment with the interfaces between mind, body and machine: it expresses those relationships in ways that are beautiful, troubling, moving and scary, and which even make you want to dance. Together with the preceding three albums it enacts a glorious, endlessly-explorable mapping of just what electronic music can do.

Phil Collins revisits a career that can boast over 100 million sales and numerous worldwide #1 albums. Both Sides will be remastered by Nick Davis, who earned a Grammy nomination for Best Surround Sound album for his work on the Genesis '1970-1975' box set. Davis has also worked on all of the Genesis retrospective reissues.

Entirely curated and compiled by Collins himself, his idea for the 'Take A Look At Me Now' concept is to examine how his songs have evolved over time, with the majority of the additional content throughout the series focused on live versions of the tracks. By contrasting the original studio versions of the material with later performances, the series demonstrates how Collins' songs take on a life of their own once they're freed from the confines of the studio.

Collins returned to #1 in 2010 with 'Going Back' which represented his first studio album since 2002's 'Testify'. 'Going Back' was a personal labour of love project that found him faithfully recreating the soul gems that played such an influential role in his musical life.

The concept, he said at the time, 'Was not to bring anything 'new' to these already great records, but to try to recreate the sounds and feelings that I had when I first heard them.' That objective was achieved with the help of special guests including three surviving members of The Funk Brothers: Eddie Willis (guitar), Bob Babbitt (bass) and Ray Monette (guitar). 

'I decided to call this version of 'Going Back' 'The Essential Going Back',' he explains. 'In retrospect, I included too much music on the original version, and I believe that too much is not always a good thing. Hence this trimmed down selection of my favourite Motown songs.'