Obscura Pulse I marks the start of a new label series delving into contemporary pulsating sounds of underground wave-infused music. Selected tracks of previously unreleased material or available on vinyl for the first time.
The first edition moves through the realms of European wave music, with support from German EBM act XTR Human, Dutch/Romanian synthpunk act Badtime, Italian darkwave/post-punk duo Schonwald, German Age O.P.F., Dutch darkwave queen Camy Huot, Austrian minimal synth duo Mitra Mitra, Dutch minimal wave act Raderkraft, Belarusian goth/coldwave act Tout Debord, Dutch synthwave wizard Adam Tristar and Croatian minimal synth maestro Neon Lies.
Explore the shadow frequencies of the underground pulse: from the hard hitting warehouse EBM energy in opener “Sledgehammer” by XTR Human (remixed by Dancing Plague). The analog machinery mastered by Raderkraft in future minimal wave classic “Virtual Reality Check” or Adam Tristar exploring cinematic synth landscapes balancing between retro futurism and dark club momentum in “Goosebumps”. On the flipside, Schonwald’s “Starless” bolts menacingly on gritty drones, metallic drum programming and rumbling bass lines. Mitra Mitra crafts suspense in the elegantly synth-driven soundscape “The Lure of the Naïve” and Neon Lies closes the circle with moody synthwave melancholy in “Heavens”
IT Recordings presents ITR005 — a debut solo EP from Corium.
First spotted on the label’s V/A release and having played in some of the most iconic clubs such as Berghain or RSO, Corium steps up with a solo 4-track EP that perfectly mirrors his universe as a DJ — a complete vision, with a steady precision of groove and depth.
The opener, Liberation, catches immediately the attention with its infectious rhythmic drive and soaring vocal. An uplifting energy perfect for peak time.
Event Horizon follows as a playful and hypnotic building tool, woven with a deep drone atmosphere.
Tabula Rasa is an absolute beauty — Soft as silk, yet underpinned by a rolling, relentless bassline. A breathtaking moment of contrast and grace with emotional depth.
Total Eclipse closes the EP: atmospheric, playful and mental all at once. Equally effective as a peak-time weapon or a tension-building tool.
Taken together, ITR005 is a remarkably complete EP showing the artist’s ability to hold a floor from every angle. A perfect introduction to Corium’s world.
This auditory universe, conceived from Adel Force's 2025 'Human LP', pushes into its' outer reaches across Sacred Amulet EP. These four offerings are filtered through a more percussive and ritualistic lens, with an emphasis on physicality. Sacred Amulet marches forward across Adel Force's unmistakable landscape of symbols, emotional archetypes & sonic storytelling. It uncovers elevated harmonic motifs, unrelenting sections of percussion and esoteric influences - drawn from infinite timelines, free of borders.
Where 'Human' explored inner worlds and emotional constellations, these expressions journey outward - travelling through ancient villages, deserts & fragments of lost history. From the incantatory energy of Courage, to the triumphant victory lap of Closer, the EP carries the same narrative DNA as previous offerings - honed into its' most raw & energetic form thus far. Heavily textural and evocative to the point of transporting the listener entirely elsewhere, Sacred Amulet EP conjures up a menagerie of esoteric imagery throughout its' pages. It stands as a companion artifact to Human, two chapters of an ever-expanding story.
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.
Marking the second 12” on new Bristol label Northfield is the enigmatic Dalibor Cruz of Chicago. Pathos Peristaltica is a carefully calculated collection of 7 twisted & scuzzed out beats & interludes, expertly mastered by Beau Thomas @ Ten Eight Seven Mastering.
Echoes of Muslimgauze, Beau Wanzer, Laszlo Hortobagyi, 5 Gate Temple & Pablo’s Eye run throughout Dalibor Cruz’s work. However it seriously sounds unlike anything else out there, a true original in electronic music.
Previous releases of Dalibor Cruz have been on Natural Sciences & Chicago Research.
Bruno Berle is a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and figurehead of a contemporary Brazilian music movement. With a quiet mastery of songwriting and an astonishing voice, his music has won hearts around the world. Since the release of his debut album No Reino Dos Afetos (2022), Berle has performed across the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China, only leaving his home country for the first time in 2023. Shaped by these journeys, Berle’s third studio album, Sem Fronteiras (Without Borders), reflects a utopian vision of a unified world.
Recorded across London, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Germany, and Maceió, the album–co-produced alongside his longstanding musical partner Batata Boy–is the most expansive canvas Berle has worked on to date. Shot through with the imagery that has always animated his songwriting: open skies, morning light, vivid colours and the magic of human connection, Berle’s carefully crafted poetics and warm, delicate instrumentation drive this vivid body of work.
“I came from nothing”–Berle doesn’t take his rise to global prominence for granted.
Born to a working class family from Brazil’s northeastern Alagoas state, one of Brazil’s most economically deprived, Bruno moved frequently in his youth to follow any job opportunities his parents could find, before eventually settling in the coastal capital of Maceió. “I used to travel to Caruaru, Santa Cruz, Recife, Garanhuns, Arapiraca, which I loved and feel it made me ready to be in this rhythm i’, but at the same time I think not having friends from childhood and being in constant change made me a little numb to the constant upheaval”. On Sem Fronteiras, there is a similar duality at play. The album celebrates the collective joy and human connection that live touring brings, but it also sits with the darker realities of crossing borders. While music moves more freely around the world than ever before, our bodies are not granted the same privilege.
Though he’s never lacked self-belief, Berle recognises that talent alone doesn’t guarantee opportunity. “Before my second album No Reino Dos Afetos 2 everything I had ever recorded was made with the help and kindness of people who believed in my ability”. Determined to pay that kindness forward and help others from the sharp end of Brazil’s desperately unequal society, Berle produced and featured on the recent self-titled albums by his northeast Brazilian compatriots, Nyron Higor and Phylipe Nunes Araújo (both 2025), helping propel both onto the international stage. In turn, following the successes of Nyron & Phylipe’s albums alongside his own, Bruno finds himself at the forefront of a thriving community of artists now based in São Paulo, but primarily originating from northeastern states like Alagoas and Pernambuco.
Much like the famed Clube Da Esquina movement that spawned in 1970’s Minas Gerais, they operate with a free-exchange of ideas, writing songs with and for each other, performing on each other’s albums and on the live circuit together. Lead single ‘Manha’ flows from this ethos. It was written by Berle’s friend and fellow Alagoan João Menezes (writer of ‘Ate Meu Violao’ and ‘Te Amar Eterno’ from Bruno’s previous albums) and Marvin Viera, and originally recorded on their 2018 album Areia e Mar.
Sem Fronteiras opens with ‘Você Já Sabe Que Eu Te Amo’, just six beats of one nylon guitar chord ring out before changing key, paving the way for the gentle strike of fender rhodes and the arresting call & response duet between Berle and Higor. On ‘Amor Inteiro’, the album reaches a celebratory burst of catharsis, with the punch-packing drums of Pedro Lacerda and Nina Maia’s joyous backing vocals encapsulating the live energy that Berle and his band bring to the stage.
With the abundant talents of this musical community at its heart, Sem Fronteiras releases 10th July 2026 via Far Out Recordings, supported by a summer tour across Europe. Bruno Berle will perform in a four-piece band alongside Nyron Higor, Phylipe Nunes, and Batata Boy, culminating in an appearance at Roskilde festival, Berle’s biggest live show to date. He’ll continue to carry a hopeful vision of a world where artists and musicians can move as freely as their music flows.
Tracklist:
A1 “Você Já Sabe Que Eu Te Amo”
(Nyron Higor / Bruno Berle)
Nyron Higor – drums, bass, acoustic guitar, electric piano, synthesizers, vocals
Bruno Berle – piano, vocals
Batata Boy – piano
Jorik Bergman – score preparation and conducting
Klara Gronet – violin
Ségolène de Beaufond – violin
Cristina Ardelean Montelongo – viola
Ilektra Stevi – cello
A2 “Não Posso Viver Sem Você”
(Batata Boy / Bruno Berle)
Batata Boy – electric piano, organ, synthesizer
Bruno Berle – drums, bass, synthesizer, vocals
Jorik Bergman – score preparation and conducting
Klara Gronet – violin
Ségolène de Beaufond – violin
Cristina Ardelean Montelongo – viola
Ilektra Stevi – cello
A3 “A Noite de Estrelas”
(Nyron Higor / Bruno Berle)
Nyron Higor – synthesizers
Bruno Berle – bass, drums, vocals
A4 “Outra Noite”
(Bruno Berle)
Nyron Higor – drums
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, bass
Felipe Berle – congas
Lucca Francisco – guitar, vocals
B1 “Amor Inteiro”
(Bruno Berle)
Pedro Lacerda – drums, choir
Nyron Higor – bass, choir
Batata Boy – guitars, organ, electric piano, choir
Nina Maia – choir
Bruno Berle – guitars, acoustic guitar, congas, vocals
B2 “Ideias Mágicas”
(Batata Boy / Bruno Berle)
Heloisa Alvino – trombone
Batata Boy – synthesizers, beats, electric piano, organ, bass
Bruno Berle – synthesizer, vocals
B3 “Vim Dizer”
(Batata Boy / Bruno Berle)
Batata Boy – electric piano, organ, synthesizer
Thomas Stankiewicz – synthesizer
Nyron Higor – synthesizer
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, bass, vocals
B4 “Tô Assim”
(Bruno Berle)
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitars
Batata Boy – synthesizer
Nyron Higor – bass, synthesizer
B5 “Manhã”
(João Menezes / Marvin Silva)
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, vocals, congas, shaker
Batata Boy – piano, shaker, electric piano, vibraphone, synthesizers
Nyron Higor – drums, bass
B6 “Sem Fronteiras”
(Bruno Berle)
Filipe Mariz – guitar
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, vocals, bass
Jennifer Souza – vocals, acoustic guitar
Rudson França – drums
Credits:
Produced by Bruno Berle and Batata Boy
Mixed and mastered by Bruno Berle, Batata Boy and Felipe Berle
Audio engineering:
Nyron Higor (track 1 – production; track 4 with Felipe Berle)
Joe Osborne (tracks 7 and 9)
Victor Gelling (strings on tracks 1 and 2)
Filipe Mariz (track 10)
Photography: Claudio Virgínio
Design: Minchai
Recorded in:
Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil
Tamandaré, Pernambuco, Brazil
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
London, England
Cologne, Germany
The Komudo series is about "exploring the past and future of trance-infused techno" and this second volume looks to the origins of those styles with French producer and live performer Sindh at the helm. He kicks off with a lithe blend of kick and bass infused with wiry electronics and spoken words that bring a psychedelic edge. 'Kulkan' is bolder and more textured, with well-swung kicks and darker bass, while 'Atm Venom' has a mix of deft clicks and subliminal bass and more prominent synths blowing in the wind. It's a pared-back but impactful style that is endlessly lively. '2058' closes with deep space ambient pads, glassy daubs and distant details that make it brilliantly mentally nourishing.
Brutkho strikes back on Goldmin Music with his very first vinyl release. A first physical release is always something special and exciting, So of course, it had to be a very personal and deeply touching package of music. Horvath Tamas alias Brutkho is actually one of the artists we feel since the first listen of his music. This hungarian producer has the power to play with the unexpected, to build captivating structures without losing sight of the essential simplicity this music needs."Now & then", his first ep on Goldmin Music and "Magic 32" on the compilation were already authentic demonstrations of this guy's assertive personality and aspirations but he definitely pushed the process further on this record.
Gabriella and Coleman are two massive deep-techno stompers focused on the atmosphere, the texture, the immersion which will play with your senses from the beginning to the end and fool your previous certainties without any doubt.Tel-Aviv based producers Deep'a & Biri who recently joined Derrick May's Transmat agency and who deliver some of the finest dub techno cuts of today catched the original track delicious pianos and dropped them into their sumptuous cinetic industrial groove.French producer Jan Hendez drives it into a pure rhythmic and organic piece of music unbound by usual genre limits. Menacing, very cold yet still deep and sexy remix that reminds both his first releases and his newer strictly atmospheric and mental approach.That's exactly the point with this record. It's a meeting of spontaneous artists who never stop their musical research, who don't mind about fleeting trends and who push boundaries further on every single track they do.
Defected’s annual Ibiza ‘In The House’ mix series returns for 2026 celebrating the label’s new summer residency at Chinois Ibiza. This 3LP vinyl format collects 12 full-length standout tracks from mix compilation that perfectly capture the soundtrack of what a night at Defected in Ibiza sounds like.
Featuring the global hit ‘Edge of Desire’ from Jonas Blue, underground club tracks from Nick Curly, Dam Swindle and Groove Armada plus productions from some of the biggest DJs in Ibiza right now; ANOTR, Rampa, Honey Dijon and more.
LP,180, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART
The two sides of 1973's Big Business / Wind of Change are mainly the work of thegreat Keith Mansfeld but there's a killer cameo each from Alan Hawkshaw and David Snell to help deliver a thematic suite, diverse in mood, applicable to dramatic and environmental situations'. A Be With favourite and truly one for the heads.
The Big Business of side A is all the work of Keith Mansfeld. It's heavy on the suspense and features the vital Hot Property', an insistent groove so good that Madlib sampled it to lace the ace Long Awaited' by Lootpack with Dilated Peoples.
Sleeping Giant 1' is a more feshed out version of the equally-dazzling Fatal Error', evoking the orchestral magic of David Axelrod. Indeed, it conjures images of Diamond D falling over himself in the early-to-mid 90s to loop its intoxicatingly
eerie soundscape. Complete with guitar flls that recall Paris, Texas-era Ry Cooder, you need this record for this piece alone.
The horn-and-fute-led "Tycoon" is a head-nodder and "Power Complex" has some fantastic percussion. Other highlights include the breezy glide of Whistle Stop Tour' and its sister groove Clean Air.'
Over on Side B is the more expansive Wind Of Change, which includes the David Snell and the Alan Hawkshaw contributions. But these ain't no fller. Snell's shufing International Flight' sounds like a smooth Dorothy Ashby track tossed from the heavens. Hawkshaw's Road And Rail' is about as luxurious and strung-
out as the great man gets and it might just be the highlight of this whole set.
Not to be outdone, if Mansfeld's Balance Of Power' doesn't make you feel like king of the world then you must be playing it wrong. Oh, and did we mention World In Action'!
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Big Business / Wind of Change comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regularSimon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's
brand identity.
Mermaids is many things at once: The debut single by Fila Brazillia (named after the mishearing of a Brazilian mastiff breed mentioned on the radio), the second release on Pork Recordings, a deep house master piece, the brainchild of the summer of love, a pen friend to A Man Called Adam’s Barefoot in the Head and most of all pure balearic bliss. Originally released in 1991 and subsequently featured on Old Codes, New Chaos, which according to Frank Tope at Mixmag, is "the Best Dance LP ever made”, it marked the beginning of a long and illustrious partnership for Hull natives Steve Cobby and David (Man) McSherry.
Mermaids still sounds as good and as addictive on any kind of beach or natural environment as it supposedly did on Boris Dlugosch’s Front dance floor or any other basement suffused with strobe lights at the time (or any hedonistic place for that matter). Having been already part of the latter’s and Klaus Stockhausen’s Mastermix Front Compilation, it has now been dusted off and remastered for an individual performance. Added for the first first time though is the original demo version that makes use of a different yet not less enchanting bass line.
Also included is Fila’s 1994 trippy, dare we say progressive, UK house blueprint Slacker. A seismic shift from the traditional tropes of house, it set an example for what should rock the dance music boat just a few years later. Delivered in a previously unreleased extended version for your utmost enjoyment.
Artwork note: The sleeve photograph is a proto-selfie taken by Steve in 1983 (the year the two first met). Man still has those braces.
Sonderedition auf ,Baby Pink"-Vinyl zur Sky-Original-Serie ,The Death of Bunny Munro", mit Originalmusik von Nick Cave und Warren Ellis. ,The Death of Bunny Munro" ist sowohl eine wilde Mahnung als auch ein zärtliches Porträt der Beziehung zwischen Vater und Sohn. Der Original-Soundtrack greift die rohe, unbändige Energie der Serie und des Romanvorlagens auf - ganz im Stil der für Cave und Ellis typischen emotionalen Intensität. Aufgenommen wurde bei Soundtree Music in Shoreditch, East London; Toningenieur und Co-Produzent war Luis Almau, der bereits bei zahlreichen Film- und Dokumentarfilmprojekten von Cave und Ellis mitgewirkt hat. ,The Death of Bunny Munro" ist ihr neuestes Soundtrack-Projekt; zu ihren weiteren gemeinsamen Arbeiten zählen ,The Proposition" (2005), ,The Road" (2009), ,Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" (2022) und zuletzt die Amy-Winehouse-Biografie ,Back To Black" (2024). Die Serie basiert auf dem Buch von Cave selbst und hat Matt Smith in der Hauptrolle. ,Wenn ich Bunny anschaue, sehe ich keine Abweichung - er ist ein Mensch mit Fehlern, der mit Trauer, seinem eigenen Vermächtnis und all den Dingen kämpft, die uns zu Menschen machen." - Nick Cave
UK electro producer Emile Facey aka Plant43 doesn't leave it long between releases and so it is that he's back with a new EP on his own label, which once again heads to the outer edges of our galaxy. This latest electro cruise gets underway in smooth fashion with 'Glide Ratio' that rides on frictionless breaks with bleeping synths passing by as your eyes glaze over. 'Perfect Mask' has a more defined kick to it and plenty more sugary pads and pixelated arps, then 'Glowing Undertow' rides on rubbery drum patterns with nice brushed metal snares and glassy chords that reflect the light of the distant sun. 'Octagon Path' offers contrast with a darker sound and more menacing low end. Pure class as ever.
Haas Hunt Hauff is the coming together of dark technoist Helena Hauff, her band Children Of Leir (which also features Gregg Hunt and Stuart Gray) and LFT aka Johannes Haas. The sounds are ragged, angular and rigid grooves drawn from EBM, post-punk, dub sleaze and acid-tinged electro. It's stark body music with a dehumanised core that is hella alluring: 'Transmission' has an off-kilter wobble and echo-drenched vocals, 'Tod Der Symmetrie' is in such a crush it falls over itself and 'Nein!' has shimmering synths and menacing bass that somehow brings to mind The Fall as well as Drexcyia. Brilliantly unhinged.
After the success of the first two chapters, label owner Sciahri returns with the third installment of Pareidolia, further expanding the series' distinct sonic narrative.
The EP opens with No More Time, a perfect balance of power and finesse, where hypnotic vocal loops elevate the tension. It then transitions into Near the Bar, a groove-driven gem with refined textures that make it simply irresistible.
On the flip side, Two Letters follows up on the iconic One Letter, bringing back its unmistakable, heavy-hitting bassline and perfectly placed vocals that make it truly unique.
Closing the EP is Hit and Run, a deeply hypnotic yet driving cut, blending mental intensity and epic energy into a captivating sonic experience.
Forbidden Teachings is honoured to welcome back Italian artist Nigh/T\mare for the release of his first full-length album on the label. Across ten carefully crafted pieces, “Through” channels the artist’s singular sound, one that resonates through the bones and awakens what lies dormant within. Through pain and despair, through love and hope, the album becomes a passage through impermanence itself, revealing the fragile veil that both binds and defines us. Can the soul ever truly break free, or are we destined to remain shaped by these shifting forces? “Through”offers no answers, only a mirror for those willing to look.
The 2nd 3AM Eternal EP brings 2 tracks from Huddersfield based artist Duburban, who has been releasing an impressive amount of quality EP's on a variety of labels the last couple of years. Both tunes expertly blend the ruff with the smooth. Rare groove infused jungle with soundclash mentality at its finest! FFF returns to the label with 2 tracks on the B-side. Both are a bit more subtle than his usual output but still plenty of choppage, vibes moving between dark and light, euphoric and energetic.
London-based DJ and producer Zeynep Erbay launches her label, Moments on the Floor (MOF), with the Sky High EP. A set of deep, hypnotic house tracks, the release blends nostalgia with futuristic elements, subtly informed by the 90s. Written for late nights and early mornings, the EP evokes intimate dancefloor moments.
Dieses Jazzensemble ist durch und durch skandinavisch. Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist stammt aus Schweden, Pianist Tuomas Turunen aus Finnland und Bassist Max Thornberg ist ebenfalls Schwede. Seit etwa drei Jahren bilden sie das Emil Brandqvist Trio – mit großem Tatendrang und großem Erfolg. »Falling Crystals« heißt ihr drittes Album.
Auch ihre Musik ist typisch skandinavisch: geprägt von unaufgeregten, meditativen Klängen und nordischer Melancholie.
Und obwohl man von einem Trio, das nach seinem Schlagzeuger benannt ist, eigentlich das genaue Gegenteil erwartet, zeigt Emil Brandqvist auf »Falling Crystals« ein weiteres Mal, wie gut musikalische Zurückhaltung klingt. Das hat er bereits mit seinen beiden Vorgängeralben »Breathe Out« (2013) und »Seascapes« (2015) bewiesen, für das der Schlagzeuger unlängst für den Echo Jazz 2016 in der Kategorie »Instrumentalist/in des Jahres international Drums/Percussion« nominiert wurde.
Neben all der Leichtigkeit und Stille des neuen Albums, darf aber nicht vergessen werden, dass es sich dabei auch um herausragende, starke Kompositionen handelt, in dessen Zentrum das Klavier steht.
Beim Emil Brandqvist Trio treffen technische Finesse und punktgenaues Zusammenspiel auf bildhafte, berührende und vor allem eingängige Melodien. »Falling Crystals« bleibt also lange im Gedächtnis – wie der letzte Skandinavienurlaub.
Rezensionen
»Emil Brandqvist scheint ein ausgeglichener Mensch zu sein, der mal ausgelassen und fröhlich daherkommt, aber auch seine nachdenklichen, leiseren Seiten hat. Jedenfalls versteht sich der Schlagzeuger darauf, mit seinem Trio heiter, schwungvoll, aber auch bedächtig aufzuspielen. In „Through The Forest“ hüpfen die Töne von ihm, dem Pianisten Tuomas Turunen und dem Kontrabassisten Max Thornberg so fröhlich, als hätten sie sich durch Hits von ABBA zu einem Tänzchen inspirieren lassen. Mit „Shine“ hingegen bringen sie eine kleine Melodie zum Strahlen, und die Ballade „Longing“ gewinnt durch ausdrucksstarke, stellenweise an Frank Sinatras Intonation erinnernde Klaviermelodien und ein klares Fundament von Bass und Schlagzeug Ausdruck. Zu dritt oder im Quartett mit dem Perkussionisten Martin Brandqvist verzichten sie auf virtuose Hochgeschwindkeitspassagen – ihre Stärken sind einerseits das gelassene Ineinandergreifen von Piano und Begleitung und andererseits die Fähigkeit, kurze und einprägsame Melodien abwechslungsreich auszugestalten. Mal greifen sie dabei auf minimalistische Variationstechniken zurück, mal setzen sie Brüche, gliedern in Abschnitte, setzen einzelne Segmente hintereinander. Im Eröffnungsstück „While We Are Here“ und dem abschließenden Epilog „The Oak Trees“ und „Early Spring“ unterstützt sie das Sjöströmska String Quartet mit flächigen Klängen und aufgefächerten Akkorden, während das Trio in „The Sea Begins To Freeze“ eher auf die Tradition der Minimal Music zurückgreift. Die im Titel angesprochenen Kristalle fallen nicht nur, sie funkeln auch.« (RONDO, Werner Stiefele, 12.03.2016)
»Die wahre Schönheit zeigt sich hier nicht an der Oberfläche. Brandqvist, Turunen und Thornberg sind wahre Meister darin, elaboriert-komplexe klangliche Architekturen mit einer fein gezeichneten Gradlinigkeit zu entwerfen…Wunderschöne freigeistliche und anrührende Musik.« (JazzPodium)
»Waren schon die beiden vorherigen CDs (s.u.) wertvolle Kostbarkeiten in Sachen Piano-Jazz, so kann das Album Falling Crystals noch mal einen draufsetzen. Ein dermaßen relaxtes, zeitloses und Musikliebhaber aller Couleurs ansprechendes Album hat man selten gesehen.« (sound&image.de)
»Falls Ihnen der Name bekannt vorkommt: Vom schwedischen Emil Brandqvist Trio haben wir schon mehrfach geschwärmt, das wunderbare ›Seascapes‹ Ende 2015 gar zu einem Album des Jahres gekürt. Nun folgt mit ›Falling Crystals‹ der nächste große Wurf. Wieder gelingt es den drei Musikern, ganz simple Ideen zu Stücken von zerbrechlicher Schönheit und anmut zu formen. Mal klingt das Trio fast wie Popmusik, mal erweitert es sein Klangspektrum durch ein Streichquartett. Dann scheint die berühmte nordische Melancholie noch etwas stärker durch die beührenden Melodien.« (Stern, 31.03.2016)
»Dem Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist gelingt mit seinem Jazz-Trio nun bereits zum dritten Mal ein gar nicht mal so einfaches Kunststück: hinreißend schöne, cineastisch ausgreifende Melodien zu schreiben.« (dpa + Focus)
»Typisch romantische Brandqvist-Art: Eine eingängige Popmelodie wird von schwebenden Streichern unterstützt, fern von darüber gezogenem Pathos.« (Jazz thing)
»Die klangmalerischen Landschaftsbilder des Trios …entwickeln einen hypnotischen Sog.« (Hörzu + Gong)
»Erstklassiger Piano-Jazz.« (In Music)
»Eine stilvoll und -sicher arrangierte Kreuzung aus Pop-Jazz und eingängiger Kammermusik.« (Nordische Musik.de)
»Dieses Trio besticht durch herrliche Melodien, welche tief ins Herz gelangen. Sounds welche man so schnell nicht vergisst. Es scheint als würden die Musiker ein Gemälde von unsagbarere Schönheit malen. Dieses Album sticht aus der Masse deutlich heraus.« (Jazzdrummerworld.de)
»Um es vorweg zu nehmen, mit Falling Crystals liefert das Emil Brandqvist Trio sein Meisterstück ab. Bereits in den letzten Jahren hat sich der Göteborger Schlagzeuger Emil Brandqvist auf vordere Ränge des europäischen Jazz gespielt, sein Trio steht für unaufgeregte, bildhafte und berührende Melodien und Sounds, die lebhaft in Erinnerung bleiben.« (Medien-Info.com)
Konzert-Reviews
Poesie- und Literaturfestival Bad Homburg – Lesung mit Max Moor:
»Unterbrochen werden seine Sequenzen vom Emil Brandqvist Trio, einer virtuosen großartigen finnisch-schwedischen Band, die mit magischen und häufig melancholischen Klängen, mit Jazz ganz eigener Prägung, den Inhalt der Geschichte aufgreift, intensiviert und weiterführt. ..« (Taunus Zeitung)
»Mit ihren besonderen Klangreisen hinterließen sie ein andächtiges und zugleich euphorisches Publikum, das die einzelnen Songs lautstark beklatschte…Einfach exzellent…mit seiner raffiniert gewürzten Lyrik des Nordens. Dieser teils magische Jazz bleibt in Erinnerung.« (shz.de)
»Klassisches Maß und große Kraft.« (HNA)
»In die Musik des Emil-Brandqvist-Trios kann man sich wunderbar versenken und sich darin verlieren…« (Haller Tagesblatt)
Jungle by Night Speaks Out on their latest full length album, Bar Dancing: An Ode to Friendship, the Dance Floor, and the Voice
Since their teenage years, the Amsterdam-based groove collective Jungle by Night has been conquering music venues and festivals with their ever-expanding mix of styles—krautrock, nu-disco, electro-pop. After six largely instrumental studio albums, the group—now consisting of six musicians—changes course on their seventh long-player. On Bar Dancing, set for release in early 2027 via the Amsterdam-based Rush Hour label, the band does something they have never done before: they sing.
Where brass, percussion, and synths previously told the stories, lyrics and vocals now demand their space as well. It gives the band room to put words to the topics that occupy their minds: the pitfalls of digital addiction, the dark sides of fake news, toxic masculinity, and the connection they experience while touring together.
The title Bar Dancing captures the essence of the album. It is an ode to friendship, connection, and the night. The record radiates the atmosphere of a pub where you sit at the bar discussing life, only to find yourself dancing in that very same bar moments later. Analog and warmly produced, the album builds on influences from '80s pop, krautrock, and Neue Deutsche Welle. Think of the playfulness of Talking Heads, the dub influences of UB40, the electronic layers of Air, and the tight "computer love" of Kraftwerk.
Band member Hy Tienson explains: "For the first time, we are literally giving a voice to our thoughts. It makes the music more personal, more direct, and more layered, without losing that signature, uplifting Jungle groove."
With Bar Dancing, Jungle by Night delivers an album that invites both listening and dancing. It marks a new phase for the band, taking another step forward with a renewed sound and their own lyrics.
Techno architect Damon Wild returns to Sonic Groove with a masterclass in deep-space hypnotism. The Synewave founder bridges classic 90s grit with sharp, modern production across six tracks of driving, futuristic acid and mental, dubbed-out atmospheres. From broken beats to haunting vocal snippets, this is deep, spontaneous music from a true pioneer of the hypnotic sound.
Much like the fusion resulting in the output of light and heat within a star, the last seven years for Dave Sumner, aka Function, have been defined by immense change and an outpouring of creative energy. What began in late 2016 as a period of burnout from a relentless touring life became a catalyst for the most prolific recording era of his career. At the time, the studio became the only viable escape, a space to transmute exhaustion into a gestalt work.
Aeternum (Existenz) serves as the missing element in this creative arc. It acts as the final chapter of a cycle, that began with the 2019 album Existenz and moved through Subject f (Transcendence), Awakening from the Illusory Self, and Green EP. Drawing inspiration from the seven stages of alchemy, this mini-album represents a cathartic process; a natural end point of a psychological cycle and the beginning of a new curve.
Across the six tracks on the mini-LP, recorded 2016-2019, Function builds a unique world, one which underlines his place as one of the luminaries of contemporary techno. Opening track, Ascent, traverses the space between ambient and techno; second track City Of Luz almost fades into itself across its twelve minutes before Transmutation brings around a reawakening with a beat that would not have sounded out of place on an early Rephlex or even a Sähko release. Final track on the 12”, Growth Cycle is fittingly a re-version/re-vision of a track on the Existenz LP; Robert Owens’ soulful vocal now Stefanie Parnow's floating Siren-like voice with music that feels reborn: fresh, strong and insistent. The digital pack contains two further tracks, the deep electro of November 29, as well as Rubedo, a spacial ambient track that feels like the final glowing red embers of a fire turning to ash as the sun rises to reveal a new, golden dawn.
Aeternum (Existenz) is the final chapter of the soundtrack to Function’s spiritual awakening, the closing of a door and the clearing of a path. It’s a sonic manifestation of the Magnum Opus completed, a moment of total integration, where the leaden weight of the journey is finally perfected into the incorruptible gold of the spirit.
It is dedicated to John Mendez, aka Silent Servant, Sumner’s dear friend and lifelong collaborator.
Chami and DHAEUR step up for the first release on DIG Curated, the sub label of Dust in Grooves (DIG), a pioneering force in the world of vinyl techno, born in Berlin. This passion project, launched by Olivia Mendez and Chami, spotlights emerging artists who embody the essence of the imprint's signature style--sophisticated, timeless, and groovy. With each release, a new talent is endorsed by a seasoned digger from the scene, aiming to push forward undiscovered sounds and empower the community.
After years of refining his palette as a dedicated DJ and acoustics master, the Italian-born, Berlin-based DHAEUR
has developed his distinct creative vision rooted in sound quality and stylistic research. At the time of crossing
paths with Chami, DHAEUR had already produced a handful of immersive tracks, exploring unknown territories
while keeping things minimalistic, giving DJs the freedom to construct their preferred sonic environments. Four of these tracks are pressed on DIG Curated 001, marking the beginning of a chapter for the sub-label that brings forth the future sound of techno.
The opening track of the release SUBJECT ZERO is a cinematic, mental, elegant journey, playing with the
perception of built up anticipation. This boundless, loopy soundscape is designed to induce inner quests on the
dancefloor and is a grand point of departure to unknown adventures ahead. This interlude of primordial grooves sets the scene for a voyage through a not-so-distant world where dystopian visions and technology merge with hypnotic synths. Evoking human emotions and desires is the hot and groovy track MIN(E)D, with vocals that could be from a female replicant building her own sonic web3 through the soundsystem of a steamy dancefloor.
On the B side, things quickly gain power and intensity, with STEPS racing through pounding beats, enigmatic
pads, and unpredictable claps, only tamed by DHAEUR's impeccable acoustic design. The EP closes with the cryptic, mechanical sounds of HEX 1904d1, deconstructing old patterns and programming a new form of evolved consciousness--inspired by precision and a reverence for organic movements.
Five Special were a five-man harmony vocal group all from Detroit, formed during 1975. Founding members Mike Pattillo of ‘The Explosions’ and Steve Harris of the group ‘Trouble’ both unhappy with their then situations decided to unite to form their own group. They were soon to be joined by Zeke Stanley of “Deep Velvet”. As a threesome, the sound they created was fantastic but they all agreed a five-man group with five potential lead singers was the way forward.
It was around this time that Mike Pattillo’s lifelong neighbour Ron Banks (of The Dramatics’) introduced the guys to Charles “Chuck” Underwood. Chuck had been involved in the music business from the early 60’s as a show promotor, one of many acts he promoted was The Dramatics. Chuck had known the group from their earliest days and later became their road manager. After a failed attempt to buy the Dramatics contracts from Groovesville Music, Chuck pressed ahead with his plans to form T.E.A.I Record Corporation (T.E.A.I being an abbreviation for “Tellin’ Everybody About It”) with Ron Banks joining the label in an executive role only. This young and aspiring record company sprung into production during 1974 with initial releases on a local artist’s Renee Williams “Special To Me/Are You My Brother”, followed by ‘The Gaslight’ “Just Because Of You/It’s Just Like Magic” in 1975.
Now under the auspice of Chuck, Mike, Steve and Zeke were introduced to Greg Finley formerly of the ‘Innovations’. Now four, the quest for a fifth member continued. After months of disappointing auditions, Ron Banks decide it was time for his younger brother Bryan to embark on a professional career after initially resisting due to him being a 16-year-old school boy. After many daily rehearsals in each other’s respective basements until Bryan’s graduation the full and dynamic sound of these five young men was finally honed. Still nameless, it was Steve Harris that came up with the group’s name ‘Five Special’ stating that these five young men were “very special and unique entertainers, with each member being a complete show in himself” with Bryan on lead they sometimes sounded like “The Dramatics” with Mike they sometimes sounded like “The Temptations” high comparisons indeed.
Five Special’s first recording for T.E.A.I was the 1976 joyously uplifting dancer “The More I Get To Know You” a Jimmy Roach and Marcella Henderson composition featuring Bryan on lead, released as a part I and part II deemed to be a more disc-jockey friendly practice at the time. The record was popular with radio stations throughout the Detroit metropolis and Chuck went on to precure a deal with Polygram which resulted in a release on their nationally distributed Mercury label. A second Five Special release followed in 1977, the Jimmy Roach penned mellifluous “(Let’s Stop Making) Small Talk” backed with the Ron Banks/Paul Clark penned psychedelic soul styled “Oh, Oh (Look What We’ve Done)” with Greg Finley and Zeke Stanley exchanging tenor and baritone parts throughout.
Through our ongoing working relationship with T.E.A.I we have gained access to some previously unissued material on Five Special. From the tapes we have taken “The More I Get To Know You” in its 5:50 minutes entirety backed with the previously unissued mid-tempo delight “You Got To Be The One That I Love” with interchanging leads from Bryan and Steve. The second b-side track is the psychedelic soul “Oh, Oh (Look What We’ve Done)” with interchanging leads between Greg and Zeke. Three songs, three different styles all of the highest quality, with more to come from Five Special, so watch this space!
Seit der Veröffentlichung seines von Kritikern hochgelobten Debütalbums 'Come Around and Love Me' im Jahr 2023 hat Jalen Ngonda eine kometenhafte Karriere hingelegt. Der Song 'If You Don’t Want My Love' wurde zum viralen Hit und wurde bis heute 253 Millionen Mal gestreamt. Jalen war in einer Reihe von großen Fernsehsendungen zu Gast, darunter 'The Graham Norton Show', 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' und 'Later with Jools Holland'. Er war Support-Act für Thee Sacred Souls auf ihrer US-Tournee und hat als Headliner unzählige Clubkonzerte auf der ganzen Welt ausverkauft. Jetzt, im Jahr 2026, während die Glut seines Debüts noch hell lodert, bereitet sich Jalen Ngonda auf die Veröffentlichung seines mit Spannung erwarteten zweiten Albums 'Doctrine Of Love' vor.
Die harte Arbeit und die unermüdlichen Tourneen nach seinem Debüt haben sein Handwerk gestärkt. Seine Botschaft: 'Die Lehre der Liebe besagt, dass jeder Gedanke und jede Handlung in erster Linie von Mitgefühl für andere geleitet sein sollte, denn Liebe ist der höchste Maßstab für den Wert eines Menschen.' Die Titel des neuen Albums sind aus diesem Credo entstanden. Mit seinem tiefen Wissen und seiner Liebe zum klassischen Soul vermittelt Jalen Ngonda Authentizität in Hülle und Fülle. 'Doctrine Of Love' verbindet Pop-Sensibilität und soulige Melodien mit roher Kraft und Groove und erweitert die orchestralen Arrangements von 'Come Around And Love Me' um bläserreiche und gospelartige Backing Vocals, wodurch ein äußerst stilvolles Beispiel für moderne Soul-Kunst entsteht. Tipp!
COS 010 - Environmental Architecture A fusion of ambient, techno and IDM, often described as a form of “mental abstraction.” Created by Mark Cheney in a bedroom in Clapham, this release captures a moment defined by raw imagination and open-ended experimentation. It sits alongside artists of that era such as B12 and The Black Dog.
It stands as a perfect reflection of that era – raw, inventive and deeply evocative – leaving a lasting sense of nostalgia for those who experienced it. For the first time, this release has been remastered and cut by Mike Grinser at Manmade Mastering. Pressed on 180g vinyl, it sounds exceptional - rich, detailed and full of depth. Originally intended for home listening, it’s been cut loud so it can be played in a club setting.
A cult electronic artefact from 1999 resurfaces here as DHS's 'From Outer Space' lands once more on wax. Ben Stokes' project has always thrived on the fringes of breakbeat and acid experimentation. Stretching across 12 minutes, 'From Outerspace' is a patiently unfurling trip built on hypnotic loops, eerie atmospherics and a restless low end that never quite settles. Fairground oddities, UFO signals and disembodied shrieks drift in and out of focus to tease the floor before locking into a rugged, heads-down stride. On the flip, 'DHS Theme 2014' and 'Voodoo Breaks' extend the sampledelic ritual with squelch and understated menace.
Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep were already untouchable by the time Hell On Earth arrived, but this was the record where Havoc and Prodigy stopped sounding hungry and started sounding completely numb to everything around them. The production is brutally spare. Tiny piano fragments repeat for minutes at a time while drums hit with the force of metal doors slamming shut somewhere down the corridor. 'G.O.D. Pt. III' still feels poisonous nearly 30 years later, Prodigy rapping with such flat menace it barely even registers as performance anymore. 'Drop A Gem On 'Em' turns a diss track into psychological warfare, and then 'Nighttime Vultures', alongside Raekwon, moves through the album's nocturnal haze with exhausted precision. Even now, the whole thing feels airless in a way few rap records manage.
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)
The Dead Mauriacs is the project of French artist Olivier Prieur, "Paravents et miroirs, une cérémonie" is a live soundtrack.
The Dead Mauriacs describe their music as "Exotica Concrete" - their music is composed of field recordings made on a daily basis, as well as a diverse collection of sounds, including piano, Indian harmonium, violin, ukulele, didgeridoo, pieces of wood, glass, paper, and metal plates. The album is a spectacular 40-minute sound collage, assembled by sampling Exotica music represented by musicians and arrangers such as Les Baxter and Arthur Lyman, who were active in the 1950s.
"Exotica is a musical genre or sub-genre that emerged in the 1950s in the United States with musicians and arrangers like Les Baxter or Arthur Lyman. It is an extraordinary music because it is false: bird calls imitate bird songs, you can hear the sound of the waves, it is a Western fantasy, particularly North American, of a world and an imagery that never existed. It is a music associated with mass tourism, mass entertainment, consumerism. Arthur Lyman recorded about 30 records in 10 years in Waikiki. With his band, they played and recorded under a geodesic aluminum dome. The dome belonged to the owner of the hotel he played for every night. They did this at night to avoid noise. It's music that is both profoundly naive and totally flawed. In this, it is seductive and intellectually interesting. It is music that could easily be criticized today, but it is an imaginary in itself, like the Italian film music of the 1960s and 1970s." (Excerpt from the calax's interview)
The Dead Mauriacs are not only involved in music, but also in a wide range of other creative endeavors, including video and painting. He also repsonsible for the artwork of this LP. The inside of the product is also accompanied by an 8-page interview with Mauriacs and compiled his amazing artworks.
The Dead Mauriacs
Paravents et miroirs : une cérémonie / Screens and mirrors: a ceremony
Side A
Courte dérive, une ouverture / Short drift, an opening
Le retour des insectes électriques / The return of the electric insects Les oiseaux étranges / The strange birds Tension, terreur factice / Tension, false terror
Dénouement malais / Malaysian ending
Rituels et vanités 1 / Rituals and vanities 1
Rituels et vanités 2 / Rituals and vanities 2
Italiens dʼHambourg / Italians in Hamburg
Side B
Secrets pour piano / Secrets for piano
La suite Monory, Padoue-Le Caire-Nassau / The Monory Suite, Padua-Cairo-Nassau Hommes à découper / Men to cut out Lassitude moite / Clammy weariness
Le soleil artificiel du pont croisière / The artificial sun on the cruise deck
Pirogues et palmiers, vus de la scène / Pirogues and palm trees, seen from the stage La traversée / The crossing Rideau / Rideau
Fields recordings : Semproniano and Siena, Italy, Figueira, Portugal, Charentes, France. An electrical wire with a frequency shifter gave birth to the insects. Real and fake piano. Everything made with a computer and a midi keyboard.
Music premiered at Hörbar, Hamburg, 28th of December 2017. Music (and video) Olivier Prieur.
Thanks to Thorsten Soltau and all people at Hörbar.
Hello to Felix Kubin & Marie-Pierre Bonniol, Julia & Jan Warnke. Kisses to Hélène.
Hopeful, defiant, effusive, and ecstatic, Radio!! Radio!! is the 20th album from Erasure, one of pop’s most beloved songwriting partnerships.
The record finds Andy Bell and Vince Clarke continuing to refine and deepen the pop edifice they’ve been building over the past 40 years with a set of 10 songs about love, loss and injustice that speaks, powerfully, to our empathy-starved times.
A uniquely personal album, it was shaped by a period of profound grief. When the duo got together to write the album, it was as much in the spirit of uplifting an old friend as it was work – you can hear this thread of warmth and mutual care throughout.
The album that transposes the dazzling hugeness of the duo’s best work onto avowedly more personal, more reflective songwriting. Bell acknowledges that it would be easier, perhaps, for he and Clarke to go on autopilot, 40 years into their career. But how would that pass as Erasure? “It’s a two-person brain, and everything that we’ve gone through comes into it,” he says. “We have a sense of responsibility. We couldn’t ever do something throwaway.”
Radio!! Radio!! is rooted in Erasure’s unique synth-pop palette with some key augmentation: when working on the sound of this album, Clarke was unusually drawn to piano, as well as acoustic guitar. The use of these instruments adds drama and depth to their sound whilst leaving room for the kind of glassy synth pop that Erasure made their name on.
Hoffnungsvoll, trotzig, überschwänglich und euphorisch: Radio!! Radio!! ist das 20. Album von Erasure, einem der beliebtesten Songwriting-Duos der Popmusik.
Auf dem Album entwickeln Andy Bell und Vince Clarke das musikalische Pop-Gebäude, an dem sie seit 40 Jahren arbeiten, konsequent weiter und verleihen ihm zusätzliche Tiefe. Die zehn Songs handeln von Liebe, Verlust und Ungerechtigkeit und treffen damit auf eindringliche Weise den Nerv unserer Zeit, in der es so oft an Empathie mangelt.
Es ist ein ausgesprochen persönliches Album, geprägt von einer Phase tiefer Trauer. Als sich das Duo zum Schreiben der neuen Songs traf, ging es dabei ebenso sehr darum, einen alten Freund wieder aufzurichten, wie um die gemeinsame Arbeit. Diese Wärme und gegenseitige Fürsorge ziehen sich hörbar wie ein roter Faden durch das gesamte Album.
Das Album überträgt die schillernde Größe der besten Arbeiten des Duos auf ein bewusst persönlicheres und nachdenklicheres Songwriting. Bell räumt ein, dass es für ihn und Clarke nach 40 Jahren Karriere vielleicht einfacher wäre, einfach auf Autopilot weiterzumachen. Aber wäre das noch Erasure? „Es ist wie ein gemeinsames Gehirn zweier Menschen, und alles, was wir erlebt haben, fließt darin ein“, sagt er. „Wir verspüren eine gewisse Verantwortung. Wir könnten niemals etwas Belangloses machen.
“Radio!! Radio!! ist fest in Erasures unverwechselbarer Synthie-Pop-Klangwelt verwurzelt, erweitert diese jedoch um einige entscheidende Elemente: Bei der Arbeit am Sound des Albums fühlte sich Clarke ungewöhnlich stark zum Klavier und auch zur Akustikgitarre hingezogen. Der Einsatz dieser Instrumente verleiht dem Sound zusätzliche Dramatik und Tiefe, lässt aber zugleich genügend Raum für jenen glasklaren Synthie-Pop, mit dem Erasure berühmt geworden sind.
Hopeful, defiant, effusive, and ecstatic, Radio!! Radio!! is the 20th album from Erasure, one of pop’s most beloved songwriting partnerships.
The record finds Andy Bell and Vince Clarke continuing to refine and deepen the pop edifice they’ve been building over the past 40 years with a set of 10 songs about love, loss and injustice that speaks, powerfully, to our empathy-starved times.
A uniquely personal album, it was shaped by a period of profound grief. When the duo got together to write the album, it was as much in the spirit of uplifting an old friend as it was work – you can hear this thread of warmth and mutual care throughout.
The album that transposes the dazzling hugeness of the duo’s best work onto avowedly more personal, more reflective songwriting. Bell acknowledges that it would be easier, perhaps, for he and Clarke to go on autopilot, 40 years into their career. But how would that pass as Erasure? “It’s a two-person brain, and everything that we’ve gone through comes into it,” he says. “We have a sense of responsibility. We couldn’t ever do something throwaway.”
Radio!! Radio!! is rooted in Erasure’s unique synth-pop palette with some key augmentation: when working on the sound of this album, Clarke was unusually drawn to piano, as well as acoustic guitar. The use of these instruments adds drama and depth to their sound whilst leaving room for the kind of glassy synth pop that Erasure made their name on.
Hoffnungsvoll, trotzig, überschwänglich und euphorisch: Radio!! Radio!! ist das 20. Album von Erasure, einem der beliebtesten Songwriting-Duos der Popmusik.
Auf dem Album entwickeln Andy Bell und Vince Clarke das musikalische Pop-Gebäude, an dem sie seit 40 Jahren arbeiten, konsequent weiter und verleihen ihm zusätzliche Tiefe. Die zehn Songs handeln von Liebe, Verlust und Ungerechtigkeit und treffen damit auf eindringliche Weise den Nerv unserer Zeit, in der es so oft an Empathie mangelt.
Es ist ein ausgesprochen persönliches Album, geprägt von einer Phase tiefer Trauer. Als sich das Duo zum Schreiben der neuen Songs traf, ging es dabei ebenso sehr darum, einen alten Freund wieder aufzurichten, wie um die gemeinsame Arbeit. Diese Wärme und gegenseitige Fürsorge ziehen sich hörbar wie ein roter Faden durch das gesamte Album.
Das Album überträgt die schillernde Größe der besten Arbeiten des Duos auf ein bewusst persönlicheres und nachdenklicheres Songwriting. Bell räumt ein, dass es für ihn und Clarke nach 40 Jahren Karriere vielleicht einfacher wäre, einfach auf Autopilot weiterzumachen. Aber wäre das noch Erasure? „Es ist wie ein gemeinsames Gehirn zweier Menschen, und alles, was wir erlebt haben, fließt darin ein“, sagt er. „Wir verspüren eine gewisse Verantwortung. Wir könnten niemals etwas Belangloses machen.
“Radio!! Radio!! ist fest in Erasures unverwechselbarer Synthie-Pop-Klangwelt verwurzelt, erweitert diese jedoch um einige entscheidende Elemente: Bei der Arbeit am Sound des Albums fühlte sich Clarke ungewöhnlich stark zum Klavier und auch zur Akustikgitarre hingezogen. Der Einsatz dieser Instrumente verleiht dem Sound zusätzliche Dramatik und Tiefe, lässt aber zugleich genügend Raum für jenen glasklaren Synthie-Pop, mit dem Erasure berühmt geworden sind.
Sciahri and his label Sublunar are thrilled to present "VEIL OF ECHOES," a new project that brings together both emerging and established talents from the label.
This release showcases
a fresh dimension of techno and electronic music, celebratingf originality by combining timeless cuts from the past with cutting edge sounds of the present and future. The journey begins with "IIum" by Temudo, an entrancing track with hypnotic synths that seamlessly transitions into Troys Awakening, featuring an irresistible and cerebral groove. Neel takes over with Follow Me, pushing the boundaries with intricate sound design crafted to move your body, followed by Marcal's Ancient Swing, renowned for its unique sound and processed vocals. Kameliia's Insolitam then transports you to another dimension with its deeply immersive and mental vibes.
Kaiser kicks off the next phase with Fearless Attitude, a powerful yet refined track, while Roll Dann continues the momentum with "Area 24," offering a softer yet penetrating synth line.
On side D, Cirkle's "Mooree" showcases his talent for
creating minimalistic yet razor-sharp tracks, leading into Juri Heidemann's "Reger," a mysterious piece with a groove designed to carry you to another realm. The project culminates with Kerrie's Jump The Gun, featuring intricate synths and a mind-bending bassline.
With "VEIL OF ECHOES," Sublunar aims to share a visionary collection that encapsulates the essence of techno and electronic music, bridging past influences with future innovations.
This new volume of Casquiat diesel into the streets of LA and mixes up the raw realities of life and plenty of lyrical and production innovation across mutant rap, hip-hop, breakbeat and dub sounds. 'Mexican Illegals' is a big opener with distorted bass blasts and ice-cold analogue beats with a stylish delivery up top that twists and turns between the drums. 'Fuck Ice (bonus beat)' is menacing and full of swagger with saw tooth synths and infectious syncopation, then 'Pistol Grip Pump' (Casquiat remix) is an early rap sound made freaky with sci-fi production touches and larger than life bars.
SLF IMG is a dark synth pop project channeling the shadowy elegance of the 80s while injecting raw EBM drive and the hypnotic, sun-bleached nostalgia of classic italo disco. Their forthcoming EP “Carne” – Italian for meat – sinks its teeth into the genre with sleek, modern production, razor-sharp hooks, and basslines so catchy they feel almost carnal. Seductive yet menacing, “Carne” strips the sound back to its pulsing, flesh-and-wire core: dancefloor-ready grooves wrapped in velvet darkness.
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)
In the early 1990s, at the intersection of New Beat, early techno and EBM, a wave of raw, experimental club music emerged from Germany—dark, mechanical and often strangely playful. Among its most distinctive voices was Scrot, the project of producer Lars Janzik (Base Scan, Decade V, Technoline).
Originally released on ZYX Records, Scrot’s three seminal singles—“Teufelsrhythmus”, “Der Rhythmusmensch” and “Der Amokläufer”—captured a unique moment in early European techno. Built on hypnotic drum machine patterns, lo-fi sequencing and spoken-word German samples, these tracks combined industrial textures and unconventional vocal treatments with early techno production techniques and a peculiar sense of humor.
Limited to 300 copies on black vinyl and 200 copies on orange vinyl, and accompanied by an exclusive postcard, “Teufel & Mensch” brings together some of the project’s most iconic tracks and remixes, alongside the previously unreleased Knauer Remix of “Teufelsrhythmus”.
More than a retrospective, “Teufel & Mensch” stands as a document of a transitional era—when techno was still forming its identity, and artists like Scrot were pushing its boundaries into strange and uncompromising territory.
In the early 1990s, at the intersection of New Beat, early techno and EBM, a wave of raw, experimental club music emerged from Germany—dark, mechanical and often strangely playful. Among its most distinctive voices was Scrot, the project of producer Lars Janzik (Base Scan, Decade V, Technoline).
Originally released on ZYX Records, Scrot’s three seminal singles—“Teufelsrhythmus”, “Der Rhythmusmensch” and “Der Amokläufer”—captured a unique moment in early European techno. Built on hypnotic drum machine patterns, lo-fi sequencing and spoken-word German samples, these tracks combined industrial textures and unconventional vocal treatments with early techno production techniques and a peculiar sense of humor.
Limited to 300 copies on black vinyl and 200 copies on orange vinyl, and accompanied by an exclusive postcard, “Teufel & Mensch” brings together some of the project’s most iconic tracks and remixes, alongside the previously unreleased Knauer Remix of “Teufelsrhythmus”.
More than a retrospective, “Teufel & Mensch” stands as a document of a transitional era—when techno was still forming its identity, and artists like Scrot were pushing its boundaries into strange and uncompromising territory.
