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We love pop music. You’ve probably noticed. Witness our vinyl love-ins with Kylie, Róisín and Cassie if this has somehow passed you by. So when Lou Hayter (London-based musician, style-DJ to the stars, one of our besties) asked us to put her sumptuous funk-lite hit “Cherry On Top” on vinyl it felt like a neat fit. But this isn’t just any old Be With record. We decided such a monumental track would make the perfect inaugural release on Be Pop, our new, most likely sporadically active, side-label.

For those not paying attention in 2005, Lou Hayter was the keyboardist in Mercury nominated electro-pop outfit New Young Pony Club (who were a really good band, beyond the hype, and arguably a little ahead of their time) and she is currently one half of electronic duo Tomorrow’s World, a project with Air’s Jean-Benoît Dunckel. Her comeback single “Cherry On Top” originally appeared in late October 2018, but as a digital only concern. Unsurprisingly it caused a blog stir (Gorilla vs Bear correctly gushed) and what seemed like 6 Music’s entire roster of DJs had it on repeat.

But it’s not a proper single unless you can buy it in a record shop. So accordingly we’ve issued it as a full picture sleeve 12", pressed on white vinyl. And just to make certain, the instrumental and a cappella are on the flip. This is our homage to the classic dance/pop 12" singles of the late 80s and early 90s.

Riding an infectious sample of Marc Jordan’s yacht-rock classic “Generalities”, it’s a glistening, sun-soaked daydreamy jam, perfect for convertibles, pool parties, and roller-discos. It’s quite delicious. Whilst it’s pop without question, it wouldn’t be a Lou Hayter track without ice-cool nods to other magical genres; with Italo flecks and dream-pop vocals, this is cherry coloured funk indeed.

“Cherry On Top” screams “Mighty Summer Pop Radio Anthem”. We might have just missed the end of Summer 2019, but this 12" comes out just in time for every summer from now until the end of time.

4 track EP “No Bad Decisions” is Pletnev's debut on Cologne based imprint Feines Tier. And here he matches perfectly with label requirements - hidden melodies, dozens of layers and sounds. Truly simple and addictive music for parties with soul, big or small.

For the recent few years Pletnev did a solid statement as a producer with releases for Lithuanian Le Temps Perdu imprint or french labels KUMP and Hard Fist where he always explored a variety of genres melting tribal, EBM and techno into one solid peace of gold. Originally Russian, Pletnev now settled in Vilnius where he represents incredibly booming local scene being a resident of Opium club.

Title tune “No Bad Decisions” is a noisy electronic boogie with drunk arpeggios & filtered bassline. Comemé based Ana Helder delivers more dance floor oriented version of the track. “Almost Equal” continues the general line of the EP with jumpy boogie beat & tribal percussions. “Norton Commander” makes a perfect balance and adds mystic darkness through running sub bassline & sliding atonal bells. And simple 808 beat makes out of tune a perfect trancy option for the late party hours.

Repress

Five years ago, the expression Russian electronic scene bore a tone of futurology and expectancies rather than a real state of affairs. It was possible to put together musicians of local and genre importance easily in general, but not of significance in national scale. With rise and further development of Gost Zvuk, Russian electronic music achieved power not only as cultural phenomenon within country s borders, but also fully proved to be a thing of international meaning. Starting operations in 2014, the label quickly defined its domains of authority and engagement and created full-bloody community of musicians, where everyone has a special view on his own work and unique sound. The projects presented on this compilation can be rightfully called the contemporary vanguard of Russian and global electronic music.

Each of resonant artists holds his own disparate creative field and impact. However, in this diversity the unity of creation of beauty and ingenuity is born, that distinguishes Russian independent electronica. All compiled tracks perfectly characterize the artists involved, sometimes from extremely striking sides; from HMOT s chaotic improvisations to kedr livansky s ethereal grooves, from unearthly landscapes of Gamayun to undistracted concisions by Ol or Buttechno. Both electric boffinry and club anthems merge into united vision, placed in graceful frame of Rashad Becker s mastering.

Maybe this compilation won t close the question What is the Russian Sound? , which has been arising for more than twenty years. Nevertheless, it is able to give an extensive view on the evolution of Russian electronica in the 2010s.

For the first time this massive tune by Esnard Boisdur is pressed on record..One of the standouts in the Gwo-Ka genre.. Comes with a rework on the flip by Africaine 808 (Hans Reuschl & Dirk Leyers) - they used the original stems and added drumcomputer and extra live percussion, synthlines, little dub effects.. Not the ''usual standard threatment'' here!! This is class!

“You don’t need to be a fan of Gwoka or even Antillean music in general to fall in love with the deep, expressive voices of the singers of the genre. Artists like COSACK, ANZALA and ESNARD BOISDUR have fascinated music lovers around the globe for decades. It’s not only the drumming style accompanied by their beautiful melodic intonation, but also the revolutionary spirit of these songs that make them a unique and powerful document of the culture and the history of the Antilles and the Caribbean.

The Souljazz Orchestra return with a brand new studio album for our troubled times, 'Chaos Theories', released on Strut.
Always known for their uncompromising social and political messages, the Canadian collective hit harder than ever on 9 new tracks, outing the hypocrisy of modern day politics, police brutality and the everyday struggle of the working man. Led by chief songwriter and arranger Pierre Chrètien, the band continue to evolve their sound, drawing on a broad palette from their trademark Latin, Afro and Caribbean styles to some of the UK's political sounds of the early '80s, the era of The Clash, The Police, 2-Tone and frontline reggae.

The legendary Blade is back on vinyl with this limited edition 7" and digital release from Boot Records! These are 2 killer tracks from the archives, "Dark Friends" and "Make it Connect", both with cuts from Boots Jazz T. The cover art is by Stilts cementing this as a record not to be missed!



General Information

Title: DARK FRIENDS

Lyrics Written & Performed by: Blade

Produced by: The Manos

Recorded @: The Lion's Den

Mastered by: N/A

Label: 691 Influential

Catalogue Number: N/A

Recorded: 2003

Blade had met a couple of young guys whilst selling his records on the streets around 1991 and kept in touch on a regular basis as they both had a love for the creative side of music making. At this time the guys were just fans of Blade's music but one day turned up at Blade's flat to produce a beat with Blade's help and ever since then have been good friends and later went on to be called THE MANOS

12 years later and with the release of Blade's "STORMS ARE BREWING" album, his distribution company had declared bankruptcy and left him on the verge of losing his house. Not being able to provide for his family, he called up on his close friends THE MANOS to produce a couple tracks while he focussed more on just writing and performing the lyrics while doing what he needed to do to make sure the bills were paid and his house saved from repossession

The first helping of their production skills was showcased on Blade's "SOLDIERS" track which also featured LIFE MC & RESPEK BA. "SOLDIERS" was officially released in 2003 and around the same time Blade & THE MANOS hit the studio again and recorded "DARK FRIENDS"


Due to constant unexpected and sudden unpredictable changes in Blade's personal life, "DARK FRIENDS" never got to see an official release and was shelved as an incomplete demo until years later when it saw an underground release on "BOOT RECORDS". At this point the track was still missing the scratching and now again almost 10 years later and with Blade's very close friendship with DJ JAZZ T and with the addition of the scratching by the one and same, "DARK FRIENDS" now complete with sharp and to the point cutting finally sees the light of day.

Blade retired in 2006 and has been off the radar since until December 2018 when he became a little more active on Facebook and has reconnected with a lot of the fans and friends, with which obvious conversations about unreleased material was bound to surface and as a result "DARK FRIENDS" now is finally released on a limited edition 7" vinyl

General Information

Title: MAKE IT CONNECT

Lyrics Written & Performed by: Blade

Produced by: Blade

Recorded @: The Lion's Den

Mastered by: N/A

Label: 691 Influential

Catalogue Number: N/A

Recorded: 1997

"MAKE IT CONNECT" is one of those rare demos that Blade just threw together in about an hour to pass time and over the years turned out to be one of his favourite tracks, but at the time being completely broke and homeless, living in the basement of a local equipment store in New Cross, releasing this was simply not possible. This track has been sat on a cassette tape for over 20 years and having been played over and over again the quality has completely worn down. Unfortunately the version on the cassette tape was the only version available so separating the channels to get a proper mix is not possible either

However, thanks again to DJ JAZZ T that only made it more interesting to make something of this gem of a track. Blade having been retired now for 13 years, it would only really take one of two things to see Blade on tracks again for public consumption

Gilles Aiken is not short of space in which to express his distinctive ideas about fusing dancefloor minimalism with a global palette. While his more streamlined house and techno fare is generally released under his Edward alias, Desert Sky has carried some of his wilder ideas with stunning results. The first few releases came shrouded in mystery on a self-titled label, but since then Desert Sky has landed on Assemble Music and Baby Ford's iconic PAL SL. Aiken returns to the latter now with a hefty album project that gives Desert Sky the appropriate room to breathe, and Aiken sounds free spirited and expressive through every inch of tumbling percussion, deft handclaps, spooked out textures and more besides. It's a heady trip through dusty samples configured in fresh, invigorating ways, ranking among the strongest artistic statements Aiken has made to date thanks to its worldly inspiration and otherworldly end results.

Welcome to the exhibition! After his renowned tour de force on Cocoon Recordings, Rico Puestel continues with his dedicated streaks of unique and progressively driven Techno on his brand-new imprint 'Exhibition'...

Planned and intended to come into existence for almost 15 years now, Puestels' 'Exhibition' imprint combines the intrinsic exposure of his artistic repertoire, the vast unreleased material from his vault back stock and the visual artistic streak of exclusively crafted paintings for each record, providing a dignified completeness of art and a general haptic experience.
'Exhibition' represents Rico throughout the realms of his widespread techno modes, enriched with his in-depth compositional pathos to form a force of an unbound essence and unbridled passion, paving the way for consecutive exhibits throughout the realms of 'Exhibition'.

Eduardo De La Calle presents his new 12 inches in the new Rhod platform...

4 very sequential techno cuts with synoptic reviews and clearly syncopatic reactions produced with the intention and need of an intense search for new sounds and structures.

Eduardo always shows influences from the early and old pioneers who took control in the techno music business on previous decades...

we can name a few artists like New World Aquarium, Luke Slater or more recently Aubrey that have strongly influenced Eduardo in recent and format times also labels like Shelter Records or Solid Groove are important to be mentioned, they are platforms where Eduardo has also received notable influences when making this record.

In general terms a very solid 12" inch with character an over all... a work with personality for the most demanding DJs.

Mastered by Javier 'KTC Mastering'
Design - Antonio Romero

Rhod Records.

Wilcoxia poselgeri can be found primarily in South and West
Texas, as well as the adjoining Mexican state of Coahulia.
Sometimes referred to as the “Lead Pencil Cactus” or “Dahlia
Hedgehog Cactus” due to its slender stems and tuberous
Dahlia-like root system, Wilcoxia poselgeri grows in the sandy
soils of hills and valleys on either side of the Rio Grande. When
in bloom Wilcoxia poselgeri produces large, moderately
fragrant pink flowers that open during the day and close at
night. Initially erect, Wilcoxia poselgeri gradually begins
sprawling amongst its surroundings as it matures to support
the growing weight of new stems. Regarded as a slow-growing
yet uniquely beautiful specimen, Wilcoxia poselgeri’s relative
ease of cultivation makes it a remarkable addition to any
collection. Our botanists strive to source and produce highquality specimens to enrich your mind as well as your ears.
After many months in the field our team has returned with a
diverse selection of sonic seedlings. Following a series of
meticulous experiments in our research facility each seedling
has been deemed safe for general propagation and cleared for
release.

On ‘Ways Of Seeing’ Konx-om-Pax has switched up the mood and hit gold. He has made an album that is filled with joy and sunshine, saturated with the classic feel of Berlin Techno.

Tom Scholefield has moved on from the dark ambient and brittle rave of the first two Konx-om-Pax albums, which were a reflection of his hometown Glasgow's electronic music scenes. After a recent move to Berlin, the textures of Glasgow's musical strains have fused into an accessible and friendly mix of poppy melodic electronica built from a stricter 'less is more' sound pallete, closer in spirit to the music of his adopted city. It is also a record which was made in opposition to recent music he has been hearing, in particular the troubled, dark and noisy experimental music coming out of Berlin. Tom wanted to focus on more joyful qualities, making this a record imbued with warmth and happiness, a panacea to the darkness and disorientation all around in 2019.

Having a social scene full of producers has also influenced the album. The opening track 'LA Melody' came from staying with Ross Birchard (Hudson Mohawke) at his house in LA, hanging out in the glorious sunshine with him and Lunice working on tracks.
"Initially Ross asked me to write some melodies to use in a project he was producing, but I ended up liking it so much I decided to keep the riff. I generally write music alone, but being around other producers gave me a certain excited energy that reminded me of after-parties back in Glasgow where Ross and myself spent our youth together. Spending time in Clark's studio also helped me improve my workflow and sequencing the album by seeing the way he does things". On 'Säule Acid' he collaborates with Silvia Kastel and in 'I’m For Real' the vocals of Glaswegian DJ/producer Nightwave filter around the track.

In a landscape increasingly dominated by surface-level sonics and a lack of true organic – man-made-machine-driven - sound, the newly found and London-based Gaia Tones project rises with an unforgiving grasp over the science of improvisation and mystery. Like a gust of wind from Mother Nature herself, the duo comprised of John Swing and David Soleil-Mon breathe a new, highly perceptible form of life into the UK’s long ‘dub and ‘bass’ dynasty.

Contrary to the consumer plastics found across much of the ‘digital’ musical spectrum, the two artists impose their own vision and aesthetic to a framework of sound that has somehow always existed but never fully explored before. Heady, stoned-out and surely emanating from physical matter, their two debut tracks are set to redefine the standards going into the next decade.

The A-side “Lychees”, stutters its own brand of dread paranoia over a sea of complex, morphing percussion that together create a whole new palette of exploratory sound, loosely tied up into a hazy, nomadic groove. On the flip, “Wonkadonk” feels like its natural extension, evolving that familiarly off-kilter assembly of drums to work around a devotedly dystopian swell of bass that pushes further and further out into the ether.

In the end, the universe tends to unfold as it should.

Label artwork by Egidio Sterpa

A cryptical presence hiding behind many different aliases spread across a range of underground labels: co-owner of LiveJam Records alongside EMG, John Swing begins producing with a live and spontaneous approach that pushes the boundaries and general conceptions of club music while digging deeper into the techniques of the past.

The production process through ananlog equipment that John Swing so strongly supports with an uncompromising attitude is the key to his underground success and esteem.
With a back catalogue of over seventy releases including collaborations with established artists such as Mr. G and Ben Sims, the London based talent has been receiving recognition by established artists including Floating Points, Gerd Janson, Levon Vincent, Theo Parrish and many others.

Inspired by London's Plastic People and it's bonding vibes, through a well refined spectrum of musical knowledge John Swing engages with the dance floor in a physical yet emotional way: the strength and power of pure house is blended with black soul music in a constant crossover between underground aesthetics and cherry-picked funk and disco. His subtle understanding of the dance floor guarantees a deep-rooted experience for the mind, body and soul.

Hot news: There's significant evidence that the material for Schnitzel Cuts 5 has been created on steroids and therefor unfit for serving to the general public. Those seekers of pan fried & breaded perfection should be cautious.

Both sides have been seen to cause serious energy boosts on the dance floor. The heavy low end and suspense of the 'Strategy" and the all-out string and horn extravaganza of 'Were you ready for that" make this an energy packed dish that's best served with extreme care.

* Welcome to the DUB SOUND from Jamaica. The vocal records cut back to the bones of bass & drums, with the instruments and vocals faded in and out sometimes with echo and reverb to make a great new VERSION!!. Although remembered as an early 70's phenomenom, the dubbed sound can be dated back as early as 1968. But by the mid- seveties it became the norm for records to carry a Version (dub) b-side and in fact many records were brought for this reason especially if they were known to come from the hands of the dub master himself King Tubby. So sit back and enjoy this dub excursion, many from the hands of King Tubby but all classics in their own right.
1 Why Fight The Dub
2 Conversation Dub
3 A Better Version
4 General Dub
5 The Jehovah Version
6 Care Free Dub
7 A Wicked Dub
8 A Truthful Dub
9 Rocking Dub
10 Step Inna Dub Style
11 A Good Version
12 My Brethren In Dub
13 Rub This Dub
14 Creation of Dub
15 Invasion Dub*
16 A Lonely Dub*
*CDBonus Tracks

Stenocactus crispatus is native to broad swathes of Mexico's
Chihuahuan Desert, specically the Northern and Central areas
of Hidalgo, Querétaro, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Oaxaca,
Guanajuato, Tlaxcala, and Puebla. Colloquially known as the
'Brain Cactus' due to its unique undulating ribs, Stenocactus
crispatus can be found primarily in xerophilous pastizal
ecosystems as well as open piñon-juniper woodlands.
Stenocactus crispatus is a solitary plant, meaning it rarely
branches, and is covered in wavy ribs protected by long
attened spines. Regarded as an ideal specimen for home
cultivation, it produces small yet vividly attractive magenta and
pale pink owers when in bloom. Our botanists strive to source
and produce high-quality specimens to enrich your mind as
well as your ears. After many months in the eld our team has
returned with a diverse selection of sonic seedlings. Following
a series of meticulous experiments in our research facility each
seedling has been deemed safe for general propagation and
cleared for release.

Just say Background Disco and you're quickly reminded of the super-groovy sound that pervaded certain sequences of 1970's Italian films, generally set in discos or clubs with a strong presence of music. Soul, disco, and funk tracks playing in the background, between a dance on the floor and a glass of J&B at the counter, that were supposed not to overcome the dialogues. Two of these jewels, signed by Alessandroni for the sexy comedy FRITTATA ALL'ITALIANA (1976, Alfonso Brescia) and previously released by our label in the collection LOST & FOUND (Four Flies Records 2017), definitely deserve the upgrade to the 12'' format. Therefore, they are proposed in a new edit designed for the dancefloor, each in a double version: the sung one (by lesser known Lorena, a member of Alessandroni's vocal band I Cantori Moderni) and the instrumental one.

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.

NCZ007, 'In Memory Of,' brings together Stanislav Tolkachev, VSK, JoeFarr and ONTHEGROUND for a 4 track compilation. Each artist has contributed a track to the general theme of 'broken techno,' with outstanding, stylistically diverse results.

'Ant Parade' by Stanislav Tolkachev opens the record with a hypnotic march. Over a gently lulling rhythm, a bright melody repeats over an eerie and disorientating soundscape. VSK's 'Blue Snake' ratchets up the energy, with skittering percussion and tense, murky bleeps propelling the track frantically onwards.

Nicz records owner Myztical teams up again with Diagnetic Origin as ONTHEGROUND on 'Interstellar Gardening.' A sonorous melody emerges from rattling beats, serving up a heady communion of intangible, elusive euphoria and melancholy. JoeFarr concludes the record with 'I am a Visitor.' Staccato kicks and fuzzed out synths stretch and twist, while a dislocated, brash voice announces itself to the listener.

After many releases under various aliases on labels such as Nervous, Trax, 124 Recordings, Luv Dancin, Vicky Rodriguez emerges from the shadows to defend the music that is close to his heart: the Latin House, raw with Nuyorican accents, as evidenced by his new release Latin Tools EP.

Founder of MLH, Victor is a Franco-Venezuelan-Polish living in Paris and influenced by the 90's Latin House movement and artists like Armand Van Helden, Juzt 2 Brothers, NortyCotto, Ralphi Rosario, El General, Erick Morillo, ProyectoUno ...