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Black Truffle is pleased to announce the release of this genuine head-scratcher, the first collaboration between DJ/mixtape-compiler Kayo Makino and underground legend Tori Kudo. Originally created to be played between acts at the launch of Eiko Ishibashi’s acclaimed The Dreams My Bones Dream and then reworked and refined for LP release, the two side-long pieces are sonic environments constructed by Makino for Kudo’s piano to inhabit, or, as the LP’s credits suggest, a cinéma pour l’oreille in which Kudo’s piano plays the starring role. Beginning with a soothing field recording of crickets dramatically punctuated by smashing glass, the first side finds Kudo playing his way repeatedly through one of Satie’s 1897 Pièces froides. Best known to many listeners for his role as leader of the ecstatically shambolic rock unit Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Kudo’s performance of Satie’s whimsical yet haunting melody is alternately halting and fluid, delighting in the hesitations of unstudied technique and the subtle variations between repeated attempts. While the combination of Kudo’s piano and the background of crickets initially suggests a documentary approach to recording – as if the we are simply hearing incidental sounds creeping through an open window – things take an unexpected turn a few minutes in when Kudo’s piano is suddenly doubled. Layering two separate attempts at the same piece of top of each other, Makino’s unorthodox mixing blurs Satie’s original into a fog of stumbling echoes that becomes increasingly dreamlike as the chirping crickets are overtaken by pattering rain, German dialogue and traffic sounds. The second side begins in a similarly inscrutable vein, with snatches of birds and film music providing a gentle backdrop for Kudo’s improvisational variations on a chord progression that, as his performance builds over its twenty-minute duration, somehow begins to suggest the sadly swaggering grandeur of Mick Taylor-era Rolling Stones. Makino accompanies and eventually overwhelms Kudo’s piano with a bizarre layer of digitally processed voice and drums, stretched out into a disorienting haze before suddenly retreating to leave Kudo’s piano accompanied only by a barking dog. Seemingly unrelated to anything else being produced in the world of contemporary music, this is a striking collaboration between two unique musical personalities that bridges the mundane and the surreal, opening up a dream-space both haunted and hospitable.

It had taken him almost three years to record, but in 1985 Jake Hottell finally finished his debut solo album, Break The Chains. Inspired by his opposition to fracking, anger at government corruption and a series of profound spiritual experiences, a hundred copies of the album were pressed and given away to radio stations, friends and local business interests in Hottell’s home state of New Mexico.



The album would have remained an obscure footnote in musical history had it not been for the efforts of DJs Danny McLewin and Jeremy Spellacey. Between them, they tracked down Hottell to hear his story, offering the former electronics engineer and Nashville-based music producer the chance to get his music to a whole new audience. Now, some 34 years after the private press edition was produced, Spacetalk is giving Break The Chains a full release for the very first time. Hottell began recording the album in 1982 after reading Your Body’s Many Cries For Water, a best-selling book by Dr Fereydoon Batmanghelidj about the health benefits of clean, purified water. Remembering the poisonous, methane-laden water that came out of his mother’s taps in the 1970s – a by-product of extensive fracking activity in the area around the family farm – Hottell wanted to create a set of tracks that registered his concerns, reflected his recent spiritual experiences (many of which he still finds it difficult to discuss today) and offered a meditative listening experience.



The resultant set is suitably cosmic and emotive, with Hottell cannily fusing gentle drum machine rhythms and dreamy synthesizer motifs – influenced, he says, by a love of the contemporaneous new age output of former jazz label Windham Hill Records – with his own glistening guitar passages, which sit somewhere between the homespun riffs of country music and the classical guitar solos that have long been a sonic staple of Spanish styles such as Flamenco. Many of the tracks have stories attached. “Horizon” features a profound spoken word vocal from local man Darald McCabe – whose homemade purified water helped Hottell recover from serious illness – while “El Rio dos les Delores” was composed after discovering that fracking was taking place on a local Native American reservation. “The Truth Is All I Want”, meanwhile, reflects Hottell’s growing exasperation at the extent of corporate greed and government corruption in the United States.



This new edition of Break The Chains has been painstakingly re-mastered from the original master tapes, while extensive new liner notes shed light on the remarkable musical and personal experiences that inspired Hottell to create an obscure, overlooked classic.

Over the last decade, we’ve come accustomed to Jason Letkiewicz releasing material under a dizzying array of aliases, each utilized to explore a different side of his multi-faceted musical persona. Now, some 14 years after he made his recording debut alongside Ari Goldman as Manhunter, Letkiewicz has joined forces with Into The Light Records to release his first album under his real name.

The Reflecting Pool sees Letkiewicz exploring the uncomplicated and uncluttered in the pursuit of pure aural beauty. While his recent album as Opposing Currents was dense, dark, urban and industrial, The Reflecting Pool is stripped back, quiet and melodious. The contrast between the two projects is marked, with The Reflecting Pool drawing more on Letkiewicz’s love of crystalline ambient, slow burn synthesizer soundscapes, early ’80s library music and the kind of obscure electronic new age music that has been a hallmark of Into The Light’s releases to date.

The set’s 12 tracks gently ebb and flow, with Letkiewicz making great use of dusty old drum machines, effects units and a range of vintage analogue and digital synthesizers. It’s a set-up that results in a range of complimentary mood pieces and interludes, from the delay-laden military drums and lilting lead lines of “Out of Body Experiences”, to the drowsy, sunrise bliss of “Sunspot”, the bubbling Tangerine Dream style shuffle of “Mind Awake Body Asleep” and the outer-space atmosphere of “The Kill Fee”.

Throughout, Letkiewicz showcases his seemingly intrinsic grasp of mood, atmosphere and melody. It can be heard within the glacial guitar motifs, occasional beats and elongated chords of “The Reflecting Pool”, the rhythmic bustle of “Numb Drums”, the glassy-eyed melancholia of “Arhythmia” and the cinematic paranoia of “Burning Off The Morning Fog”. It’s also evident amongst the classically beat-less ambient of closing cut “Weightless”, whose alien electronics, effects-laden pulses and opaque chords recall established masters of the genre.

With The Reflecting Pool, Letkiewicz has provided us with a much-needed dose of stress-free musical escapism, at the same time offering hope that in these troubling times, love may still save the day.

German producers Shuko and The Breed announce joint Westcoast Album "Dippin'"

The collaboration between producers Shuko and The Breed was love at first sight. Thanks to their preference for classic Westcoast sound, they immediately found a common denominator and harmonized excellently during the production. The result is the album "Dippin'", based on the song with the same name by Westcoast legend King Tee, who besides MC Eiht and Benny Sings is also the only rap feature on the instrumental hiphop album. After the song "Life in Los Angeles" with the Westcoast legends, the tune "Cali Sunshine" has officially announced the joint record of the producers, which is available on black gold in addition to the digital release at June 5.

The Breed and Shuko can already look back on a number of prominent productions in Germany and the world. The Breed was mainly responsible for the style-defining sound of Alles or Nix Records and is now mainly the house producer of Plusmacher, but has also built beats for famous German rappers like Olexesh, Haftbefehl or Marteria. Shuko is known in Germany as a producer for Casper, Cro, Farid Bang or Kollegah. Internationally he could already place beats on releases of Cypress Hill, Evidence, The Clipse, Lil Wayne or Nipsey Hussle. But besides their productions for rappers and singers they have always concentrated on their solo careers. Both are very successful in the field of instrumental HipHop and can boast impressive figures in the millions on Spotify. But what unites the two is their love for the Westcoast sound of the 90s. Therefore, they have now joined forces for a project on which they pay homage to classical G-funk, but also create a new modern version of this genre. This album is a tribute to the city of angels and its style-defining sound. The instrumental bangers fit perfectly into the summer and are the perfect soundtrack for sun, beer and BBQ.

Cochemea Gastelum is coming home to connect with his roots. After nearly 15 years of touring the world with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, the saxophonist offers a deeply personal album of jazz and indigenous-influenced rhythms. All My Relations¸ out February 22 on Daptone Records, is 10 tracks of mesmerizing and spiritually ascendant instrumentation. The first single 'All My Relations' is available now.

'All My Relations is a way for me to explore my roots through music. Some of it is a memory that is imagined from a time and place I've never been ('Sonora') or a musical impression of ritual ('Mitote'),' Cochemea says. 'I felt compelled to add the way I feel when I go to ceremony, when I feel connected with my ancestors, to the musical narrative.'

A California native with Yaqui and Mescalero Apache Indian ancestry, Cochemea grew up surrounded by music but without knowing much about his heritage. Both his parents were musicians, and they gave their son a heavy name meaning 'they were all killed asleep.' Cochemea has spent much of his diverse musical career - as a soloist, musical director, composer and ensemble player - exploring and iterating on roots music, and All My Relations is a capstone meditation on his own ancestry.

Originally conceived during Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings' final year of touring, Cochemea and Daptone's Gabe Roth cast a varied but familial set of New York musicians to bring All My Relations to life. A large portion of the album was created through improvisation and collective writing, where its 10 musicians created a melodic, percussive conversation. 'It was a beautiful experience - people would start playing and we'd work up these arrangements on the spot, then record it.'

'In a sense, this record is a prayer for unity, love and the recognition that we are all part of a web, and everything we do effects everything else,' Cochemea says. 'These days there's so many lines being drawn, I wanted to focus on what unites us.'

Cochemea has a long history of uniting multiple genres with his powerful polyrhythmic sensibilities. His roots in jazz, Latin, funk and rock led to multiple tours with funk-jazz organist Robert Walter's 20th Congress, and connected him with Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings for their 2005 Naturally tour. Cochemea also played tenor sax with The Budos Band and Antibalas, and Baritone sax on the Amy Winehouse sessions, before becoming a full-time Dap-King in 2009.

In between marathon tours, Cochemea recorded a critically acclaimed solo album of soul, funk, and afro-Latin jazz, The Electric Sound of Johnny Arrow, all while doing session work for the likes of Mark Ronson, Rick Rubin and Quincy Jones. He's performed alongside Archie Shepp, Beck, David Byrne, Public Enemy and The Roots. Cochemea was also a featured soloist in the award-winning Broadway play Fela!, which led to historic performances in Lagos, Nigeria.

Véronique Sanson is one of the most famous French pop oriented female
singer, songwriter, and composer of the 80s. She began her career in the 70s,
and was the girlfriend of genius composer Michel Berger. Her world turnt
upside down when she met Stephen Stills of Crossby Stills & Nash. One Day,
during a recording session in Paris, she left the studio pretending to go buy
cigarettes, but never came back... She flew overnight to the USA, where she
married Stephen Stills. In LA, she records new music with superstar
composers such as Ray Parker JR and Harvey Mason. "On m'attend là-bas",
produced in 1974, was one of the single of the album Le Maudit.
Funky French League is an intergenerational collective (based in Paris)
formed by Young Pulse (Gamm) , Dabeull (Roche Musique), Arthur Chaps,
Woody Braun (Malka Family), Mr Willy, DJ Asko et Uncle T (Groove
Deluxe). All coming from different universe from hip-hop, to electronic music,
but united by their love for the groove and the funk.

A world premiere of AI-generated symphonic music!

All three audio files are compiled from two live recordings with different microphone settings. The cover image is generated by algorithms trained with the following image searches: migration, mediterranean, boat, Libyan coast, EU. Different search engines were used. »Land der Musik« celebrated its world premiere on 7 October 2018 at steirischer herbst '18 - volksfronten in Graz, Austria. Commissioned and produced by steirischer herbst in cooperation with ORF Musikprotokoll.

A1. soundalikeStrauss (an audio reverse-engineering tool is used after the initial cross-fade) A2. AIstrauss (algorithms are trained with midi-files of Johann Strauss waltzes) B1. AImahler (algorithms trained with midi-files of Gustav Mahler symphonies) B2. (untitled)

A new standard of beauty. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can now group photo pixels or audio waves into meaningful categories. This is similar to how our brain operates, yet the outcome seems distinctively non-human. At the same time it appears that the sphere of our appreciation and imagination may just have expanded. The question of whether we are still able to see and hear the difference between automated and so-called autonomous artifacts should be left to historians. On the other hand, producing this analog audio record with this image on the front cover really is an antagonism. A more appropriate medium might be a tracking chip of your online and offline activities generating customized results in real time—be it images, music, or whatever.

If AI is communist (to quote the libertarian Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel), then this statistics-based technology might actually reinforce centralized monopoly capitalism and the coming crisis of inequality, just as it might accelerate into Deleuze's notion of the Society of Control. But it might also be seen and heard as a demo, a new standard of beauty, for the redistribution of wealth and for solidarity; in short as a utopia freed from exploitation, nationalism, and racism, liberating us from our own perception of this world. »Land der musik - The Graz AI Score« demonstrates how machine learning might help us to finally create the perfect Austrian national music identity. Yet in doing so, our ultimate aim is to get rid of the construction of national identities all together.

»God created man because he dreamed him. / But man forgot God and created the machine because he dreamed it. / At the end of the twentieth century, however, the machine has forgotten man. / Who could predict who or what she dreams of« (Friedrich Kittler)

Claremont 56's latest release is very much a family affair. It sees Idjut Boy Conrad McDonnell - a regular remixer of Claremont 56 releases since the label's inception - serve up two spaced-out, dub-wise revisions of a little known cut by Bison, the imprint's very own 'super-group'. The 12' has extra emotional resonance for Bison's Paul 'Mudd' Murphy and Ben Smith, as it marks the band's first release since the passing of fellow founder members Holger Czukay and Ursula Kloss.
Clutching his cherished space echo and tape delay units, McDonnell has delivered two tasty new dubs of 'Salmon Spungcake', a spacey, gently throbbing Bison cut that he co-wrote, produced and mixed for Claremont 56's 10th Anniversary box-set in 2017.
While the original version shied away from the dancefloor in favour of creating a hazy, horizontal mood, McDonnell's 'Zip It Shrimpy Mix' re-invents the cut as a hypnotic dub disco shaker rich in weighty bass, layered hand percussion, locked-in kick drums and spaced-out vocal snippets. In true dub fashion, flashes of the band's original instrumentation - effects-laden guitars, hazy electronics and meandering, deep space chords - float in and out of the mix at irregular intervals. It's the kind of remix you want to get lost in while wearily shuffling at 5am in a dark, sweaty basement.
The glassy-eyed, head-in-the-clouds fun continues on the 'I Think I've Got Gout Mix', an even more spaced-out affair that recalls some of the other inspired dancefloor dubs McDonnell has produced alongside Idjut Boys partner Dan Tyler. Stripped back, heavy, percussive and driven forward by sturdy kick-drums and the track's rich, warm bassline, this is a deep space dub disco tailor-made for space cadets and intoxicated sunrise dancers.

Véronique Sanson is one of the most famous French pop oriented female singer, songwriter, and composer of the 80s. She began her career in the 70s, and was the girlfriend of genius composer Michel Berger. Her world turnt upside down when she met Stephen Stills of Crossby Stills & Nash. One Day, during a recording session in Paris, she left the studio pretending to go buy
cigarettes, but never came back... She flew overnight to the USA, where she married Stephen Stills. In LA, she records new music with superstar composers such as Ray Parker JR and Harvey Mason. "Bernard's Song", produced in 1976, was the first single of the double gold album Hollywood.Funky French League is an intergenerational collective (based in Paris) formed by Young Pulse (Gamm) , Dabeull (Roche Musique), Arthur Chaps,
Woody Braun (Malka Family), Mr Willy, DJ Asko et Uncle T (Groove Deluxe). All coming from different universe from hip-hop, to electronic music, but united by their love for the groove and the funk

Apollo welcome Metalheadz veterans Om Unit AKA Jim Coles and Kid Drama / Jon Convex AKA Damon Kirkham for a 4 track EP of blissed out autonomic dnb.

The duo originally met on the DJ circuit, Coles had been a longtime fan of instra:mental, Kirkham's pioneering project with Alex Green AKA Boddika
"I had their fabriclive CD with dBridge in my car on repeat," Coles enthuses. "What those guys were up to felt like a new start for my appreciation of modern drum n bass music. It was like a new form of architecture."

Kirkham picks up the narrative; "Yeah it would have been during my Convex period, I was bouncing back and forward between London and Sydney and playing with people like Machinedrum and Mark Pritchard. I'd heard some of Jims stuff and we had a long chat and in 2013 we did a collab on Exit with my Kid drama alias.

Immediately hitting it off over a shared affinity for cold architectural aesthetics, a friendship blossomed; "Getting to hang out with Damon here and there over the years has always been insightful, we both think about stuff deeply, we come from a fairly broad appreciation of music in general, rooted in rave stuff but loving loads of types of music."

The pair continued to send tracks and ideas back and forth for subsequent years but nothing was finished, until recently when something shifted and progress began to come quickly and the four tracks of 'The Untitled Works EP' began to form. The release sees the duo explore their affinity for widescreen synth pads and hypnotic rhythms with a rich seam of jungle influences shooting through the gossamer ambiance. While well suited for headphones, in the right hands a couple of the tracks will cause dancefloor damage.

It's been a minute since we heard last from Montreal's CLARIAN on KOMPAKT (KOM 356 - ANKH EP ) but by no means has his universe stopped expanding as he released the 2017 full length SYNTH WAVE (BALANCED) and collaborated with TIGA on STAY CLOSE and THEY JUST WANT 2 B U (w/ JAMIE PRINCIPE and FELIX DA HOUSECAT) singles. We welcome back CLARIAN with TIME SAFARI. The majority of the EP was a 2 year long process from recordings made in South Africa as a team effort ofRICHARD MARSHALL, BLANE VENTER and of course CLARIAN (along with many locals along the way) with the 'ambient aspect' of the EP finished in India in summer 2018. By no means is this EP to be perceived as experimental recordings as each club track has a theme that is loyal to the dance floor with a goal of incorporated ambient recordings to create an immersive environment. The aim CLARIAN has with TIME SAFARI is to attempt to empower the idea that club music can go beyond simply being labeled as a genre and club motif but can also explore alternative, creative and most of all be a conduit to bring unity through all variations of art mediums into the night life scene. The ambient aspect of TIME SAFARI is CLARIAN's homage to his heroes. Think if TUXEDOMOON collaborated with CARL SAGAN to create a weirdo version of COSMOS. In the case of this EP - a mega brief journey of human evolution through South Africa.

Second elease on newly minted Souk Records (Discrepant), coming swiftly after the mind blowing Palestinian beat LP Muqata'a Inkanakuntu (SOUK01).

For the second release we chose someone who is already part of our Discrepant family - the Colombian tropical masters Romperayo aka Pedro Ojeda.

Back in 2015 we released their self titled debut and now it's time for the follow up, 'Que Jue', ten up-tempo bangers filled with the unique sounds of psychedelic 1970s Cumbia.

Whilst the first Romperayo LP united several musicians around Pedro Ojeda's frantic drum style, Que Jue sees him take the reigns solo armed with instruments, samplers and his trusted drum skills!

'Que Jue' is a fever rhythm joy, an intense voyage to the diverse landscape of Colombian folklore and psychedelic scene. It's also a combination of old and new, an exploration of sample techniques that throwback to classic cumbia but with an electronic minimal vibe that seeks the intense repetition of some dance music produced recently.
All for the sake of pleasure, Romperayo's music is magnetic, impulsive and addictive. The repetitive patterns are mixed astutely and sweaty percussion changes the rhythm whenever it's needed: you don't know that, but they do, and they deliver it frequently with awe. Tropical fusion, new cumbia or salsa on acids You decide.

Black Truffle is excited to announce the release of the first-ever vinyl reissue of Ruedi Häusermann's Galerie Randolph, a masterpiece of solo multi-tracking originally released on CD by Unit Records in 1995. Born in 1948 and residing in the medieval Swiss town of Lenzburg, and virtually unknown outside of the German-speaking world, Häusermann is a multi-instrumentalist and enormously prolific composer who works primarily in the medium of absurdist music-theatre. A virtuoso wind player and free improviser who also composes for traditional classical instrumentation, his work is characterised by subtly surreal humour and the unlikely combination of extended technique and simple, at times almost child-like, melodic ideas. Named after his rehearsal room in Lenzburg, Galerie Randolph uses an enormous array of instruments to craft a work of singular compositional vision. Each of the twelve pieces begins from the same two elements: a woozy, sliding scatter of tones played on a home-made contraption stretching two guitar strings between the top of Häusermann's alto saxophone and an amplified cup, and a series of uneasy block chords sounded on accordion and reeds. On each piece these two elements (whose pitch gradually raises throughout the record) are complemented by entirely different material, all of it played by Häusermann. Ranging from layered flutes to one-finger piano melodies to unintelligible vocals to musique concrete interjections to free jazz saxophone explosions, these additional layers combine with the endlessly returning idée fixe of the foundational elements to create a truly dream-like listening experience, a gently deranged realm in which we lose all sense of linear time. Calling up the most unlikely combinations of possible predecessors - Erik Satie, Gerry Mulligan, and Helmut Lachenmann perhaps -Galerie Randolph ultimately defies comparison. Almost unknown except to a select group of cognoscenti such as Jim O'Rourke, yet destined to become a cult classic, Galerie Randolph is an instance of that most rare thing: music the likes of which you have never heard before.

Presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with gorgeous archival images by the composer. Design by Stephen O'Malley. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin

Key selling points: - Black Truffle is excited to announce the release of the first-ever vinyl reissue of Ruedi Häusermann's Galerie Randolph, a masterpiece of solo multi-tracking originally released in 1995, the album utilises an enormous array of instruments to craft a work of singular compositional vision.

- Calling up the most unlikely combinations of possible predecessors - Erik Satie, Gerry Mulligan, and Helmut Lachenmann perhaps -Galerie Randolph ultimately defies comparison.

- Each of the twelve pieces begins from the same two elements: a woozy, sliding scatter of tones and a series of uneasy block chords sounded on accordion and reeds. On each piece these two elements are complemented by entirely different material, ranging from layered flutes to one-finger piano melodies to unintelligible vocals to musique concrete interjections to free jazz saxophone explosions, these additional layers combine with the endlessly returning idée fixe of the foundational elements to create a truly dream-like listening experience, a gently deranged realm in which we lose all sense of linear time.

- Almost unknown except to a select group of cognoscenti such as Jim O'Rourke, yet destined to become a cult classic, Galerie Randolph is an instance of that most rare thing: music the likes of which you have never heard before.

- Galerie Randolph is presented in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with gorgeous archival images by the composer with design by Stephen O'Malley. Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin

Günter Schickert, four decades of multi-instrumental cosmic explorations, under Berlin's sky, above genres, and compromises.

It was memorable the time when I firstly listened to his debut LP of 1974, the monumental Samtvogel. It overwhelmed me with layers of echoing guitars roaring into space, causing a powerful release of dopamine spreading through my skin, in the way an Interstellar Overdrive', or a Richard D James Album would do. It was a proof of the divine to discover Günter Schickert, it is a profound honour today to present on Marmo his seventh album to date, Labyrinth, the first to be released on vinyl format since 1983`s Kinder In Der Wildnis.

Schickert's Samtvogel, self-published first, then licensed to Brain, equaled the imaginative leap and sonic power of the early Pink Floyd, Manuel Gottsching's Inventions For Electric Guitar or A.R. & Machines's Die Grüne Reise. What followed, from his second LP Überfällig on Sky Records to his collaborations with Klaus Schulze, Jochen Arbeit and Schneider TM, even if little acclaimed, spans a large spectrum of music styles, always through a distinctive and personal aesthetic, that is deeply linked to the one he firstly crafted back in '74, when Schickert pioneered the use of echo effects applied to guitar playing.

And now Labyrinth, a record that stands for versatility, where genres do not matter, soundscapes or life situations take over, song-writing emotions pop out, handing out a spectrum of surprises to the listener. You may find yourself flying low along steep cliffs and with a blink of eye you are thrown into a Middle Eastern scenery.

The album is divided into two parts, two different production bulks and periods of Günther Schickert's life. Side A features a selection of tracks recorded in 1996, appearing on the 2012 album HaHeHiHo, released via Pittsburgh based VCO Recordings, on a limited press of 100 units, tape format only. I felt that the visionary and emotional richness of these pieces deserved the vinyl format and a chance to reach to a wider audience.

The Raga-inspired Morning' opens Labyrinth with exotic charm and bitter-sweet nostalgia. Sieben' kicks off with the same guitar scales of the previous theme, before the motorised progressions of a Korg MS-20 synth surprisingly storm in, carrying along an intersecting multitude of filters and sharp guitar effects, flowing into an epic, paradisiac ending. Ninja Schwert' remains on astral dimensions, it is a struggle of cosmic forces, where the steady ride of a pounding beat gets embraced by different guitar layers and analogue electronic filtering. The side closes up with HaHeHiHo', a slow ballad featuring Mr. Schickert on vocals, guitar, bass guitar and drum machine - an example of simple, stripped down yet gifted songwriting that is capable to reach the heart of the listener.

Side B contains material produced between 2007 and today. The intricate, bewildering Tsunami' shows the multi-instrumental and recording abilities of Günter Schickert: a field-recorded storm with mesmerising powers, a peculiar progressive approach to guitar playing. Mysterious sinister spirits and sounds are emerging and the feeling of being lost in a pleasant trance arises. In contrast, Oase' muffles the intensity and jumps into a completely different soundscape, where in liaison with the sounds of a rolling drum tom and a desert-like trumpet, the microphone carefully captures the found sound tones of everyday-life objects and actions. Like HaHeHiHo on side A, Checking' represents the vocal gem of the B side, in a raw and direct way of songwriting like if Syd Barrett was his invisible helper. Palaver' (which means unnecessarily talk' in German) assembles different vocal recordings of Schickert into a bizarre free-style conversation through a mysterious language, where he attempts to emulate illiterate children conversating. The final track, Morning (Slide)', reprises the opening theme, this time solely performed through the caressing dilated sounds of Günter's slide guitar.

International Black's 6th release comes from critically acclaimed electro supergroup London Modular Alliance. Operating from a refreshingly simple credo of: 3 men, 0 computers, many patch cables - LMA create their music on the fly using soley modular synthesis. Consisting of Koova (brokn toys), Pip Williams (Central Processing Unit) and Yes Effect, these three experienced producers have blown minds with their ecstatic live performances across the globe. Coming in hot after releases for Kirk Degiorgio's A.R.T. Records and Hypercolour, their release for International Black takes no prisoners. Opening the A side is 'Same Repeated Cycles', an ice cold electro inspired groove featuring LMA's signature modular synthesis. Engineered to perfection and mastered by Matt Colton, this cut delivers a new level of toughness to the International Black catalogue. On the B Side, 'Acid Lab' takes a more gentle approach: slo-mo electro drenched in acid. The lead tb303 riff floats in an abyss of dubbed-out dystopian psychedelia. Closing the record is 'Volatile State' , an otherworldly piece of alien sound design which simmers ominously for over 2 minutes before exploding with an extra-terrestrial electro force which simply can't be ignored. Each listen reveals a new detail of this impossibly intricate yet incredibly effective record. Designed for the club, engineered for the mind.

Los Angeles - September 7, 2018 - Billy Idol's 1980's remix collection, Vital Idol, is getting a modern-day upgrade with Vital Idol: Revitalized, set for release on CD and digital by Capitol/UMe on September 28. A 2LP 180-gram black vinyl in addition to a limited edition, color variant will follow on November 16.
More than 30 years after his groundbreaking Vital Idol compilation cemented the vibrancy of the dance-rock remix genre in the second half of the 1980's, Idol's Revitalized collection features 11 brand-new remixes of his most classic and enduring hits. Lending their hands to the Revitalized proceedings are electronic dance luminaries Moby, The Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold as well as current innovators including Tropkillaz, Shiba San, Juan Maclean, CRAY and RAC, who's remix of 'Dancing With Myself' debuts today.
Vital Idol, initially released in Britain in 1985 and subsequently issued in the United States in 1987, was the first remix record released by a rock superstar. Besides being certified platinum, Vital Idol was accompanied by a version of 'Mony Mony' that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, as well as hitting the Top 10 on the U.K. Singles chart.
Highlights found within the grooves of Revitalized include The Crystal Method's percussive, explosive stab at 'Rebel Yell,' CRAY's bass-and-keyboard-blessed 'White Wedding,' Tropkillaz's trop-house framing of 'Eyes Without A Face,' St. Francis Hotel's shimmering stop/start caress of 'Flesh For Fantasy,' and RAC's retro-harmonic, fist-pumping 'Dancing With Myself.'
Meanwhile, the digital version of Revitalized features four additional exclusive remixes, namely the brand new Billy Idol/Steve Stevens Remix of 'Mony Mony,' Paul Oakenfold's Extended Remix of 'One Breath Away,' Moby's 'Half Time Version' of his take on '(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows' and 'Save Me Now (Lost Dog Remix),' reworked by Billy Idol's son, Willem Wolfe with Brandon Rauch and Ed Bedrosian.

In 1990, raising their voices over the sound of Neuropolitique's 'Mind you don't trip' Sebastian S. and Mike DMA (Direct Memory Access) met, breaking the ice by swapping opinions on LFO and 808 State. They later went on to create the first live configuration of BWP Experiments (Bad Woofer Posse Experiments, for more info see basicmoves), and produced dozens of tracks together which, for the most part, were live takes and remain unreleased. Only
a few made it out into the world, and to this day have stayed well under the (discogs) radar:
Our Techno Theory' was put out on an 8-tracker cassette by Research and Development,
while only two productions 'Escape' and 'Pay your taxes' were pressed on vinyl for the same
imprint. Now Sebastian S. (aka Caustic 14) returns to the label with two previously unreleased tracks
found in his personal archive. 'Excalibur' was produced in tandem with Mike during the last
session the pair ever did in Sebastian's studio (Z'ha'dum) in 1996. It's a vibrant hommage to
their common passion outside of music: Sci-fi. This track refers specifically to the series Babylon
5 , which was a revolution in the genre, and the first tv series to outdo Star Trek (the intergalactic
reference since the early 1960's). The idea of being 'united against darkness' was key to the
series, and the motto remained essential for Sebastian, Mike and Deg's music productions,
collaborations, live shows and dj sets. The influence of what had been a passion since
childhood can be felt in their sound: unconsciously they had dreamt up the soundtrack to their
own space journey. The second track 'Cliffhanger', a solo production by Sebastian S., is a dig from several years
earlier (1994). The Detroit influence is strong here, yet the signature Caustic 14 "space opera"
melodies hold their ground and shine out.
We are very proud to propel this Belgian electronic music heritage out into the world.

In memory of Matt Cogger.

walrus & islas , September 2018.

After a break of 6 years, Atlanta based electronic musician, producer and sound designer Richard Devine returns with a new album 'SortLave' on Venetian Snares' Timesig imprint. Recorded between 2016 and 2017 using Richard's custom built Eurorack modular system and two Nord G2 Modular units, SortLave features 12 tracks of intricate electronica that ranges from abrasive percussive experiments such as 'Revsic' to 'Astra's dazzling juxtaposition of sounds and onto the radiant ambience of the album's closer 'Takara'.

Talking about the album's genesis Devine explains 'I've been using modular synthesizers since I was 17, but have never written complete tracks using these newer systems. This was my first experiment to see if it would be possible and I probably spent about 5 years building up the systems that I used on this album.' 'I wanted the record to sound very different to my previous works which had been more cold, digital, clinical even, and had all been made using computers. The aim here was the complete opposite, to create something that felt very organic, detailed, spacious, big and warm and just as importantly, a record that you could put on and play all the way through that flowed in a seamless way.' This new approach was to prove fruitful and enabled Devine to create music in an entirely new way. 'I really wanted to break free from timeline-based music creation and do things with my hands on the fly,' he explains. 'So the tracks are more like captured snapshot performances where I could experiment and play around with the idea of probability-based sequencing for every patch, string multiple sequencers together that would feed other sequencers to come up with interesting rhythms and melodies. It was really fun coming up with new sounds this way too, I felt like I created several I haven't heard before with this album. Some of the tracks on the album were complete accidents and evolved from something that happened spontaneously. In the end I feel this is one of the best records I have released to date, so I'm very excited to share it with the world.'

Making his debut in 1995, Devine's releases for labels including Schematic, Warp Records and Detroit Underground have established him as one of the leading figures within the electronica community. In addition to his musical productions, Devine has enjoyed a lengthy and successful career in sound design, developing patches for many of the world's leading music technology businesses and working with companies such as Google and Nike.

'GOTH-TRAD formed new unit 'EARTAKER' with Diesuck(vocal) and Masayuki Imanishi(noise) in 2017. Their doomful & dissonant sound with Diesuck's low scream feels like music that can be heard from the gap between end of the world and the new world. It is hard to categorise to any genre. This is the unit's first LP.'

Quest, transit, chaos, mutation, transfiguration, ascension and illumination. These are some of the steps followed in the journey of life that are embodied on each track of the album Adonai. The solo debut of the multi-instrumentalist composer Marco Paul condenses a career of more than ten years, in which, the search for the truth of oneself and authentic sound has traveled and nurtured from different genres and cultures. Adonai is an odyssey that combines sounds and images of the earthly and oneiric worlds: an audiovisual work that opens several windows to the different perceptions of the facts that make up the life of the human being.

After 9 years of constant international touring, 6 albums and more than 400 live performances with the bands Sour Soul, Ratbot and Funk My Jesus, as well as the conception and musicalization of the award-winning short films "Undermine" and "24K All You Need Is Gold", Marco Paul decided to retire to an island in the Caribbean, where he found and refined his sound. Thus, between 2014 and 2016 he created the music for Adonai, a work produced by Aitor Etxebarria under the label of Forbidden Colours.

The recording includes guest musicians from different countries such as Aitor Etxebarria (synthesizer, electronic magic) and Hibai Etxebarria (double bass) from the Basque Country; Michael Alan Hams (drums and percussion) and Joe D'Etienne (trumpet) from the United States; and Fatima Gozlan from Hungary (Ney and Derbake).

The consummation of the work is a mid length film created in 2018. It consists of 5 chapters directed by 5 different directors.

The audiovisual journey begins with the conception of the philosophical "Filius", an alchemical symbol that represents the inner child, which transforms the experiences of life into the soul's gold. Later, in "Sylvian" (title that refers to the brain fissure that contains the auditory cortex), by listening to the subtle message that surrounds us, our consciousness and perception expand. Then, in "Tiamat", the pristine chaos that gave birth to the gods, embodies chaos, the confusion generated by the multiple voices: on one hand the moral and imposed precepts, on the other hand, the inner voice that seeks the liberation of the infinite possibilities. In "Hawa", through the recognition of the power of solitude and introspection self-reflective awareness is reached. Finally "Adonai" is the ascension to enlightenment: the further connection with the absolute. As an encore (only available in vinyl) "Teurári" is a gift: a tiny flower where all the points of the universe merge.