When Kompakt came across Amsterdam-based Harm Coolen and Merijn Schotte Albers aka WEVAL back in 2014, we were blown away when we heard their slow-burning, darkly emotive tracks.
Their debut EP 'Half Age' on Atomnation featured painfully intimate and surprisingly kinetic electronic chamber pop that convinced us they were a perfect fit in Kompakt's family. Following two widely acclaimed EPs for Kompakt and playing numerous festivals including DGTL, Reeperbahn, Iceland Airwaves and Piknic Electronik, we now see the two tackle their self-titled debut full-length WEVAL. What you have before you is not a mere collection of tracks, but a complete listening experience with organic flow, emotional heft and a narrative thread.
Smitten with WEVAL's uniquely personal and catchy approach to producing dark electronic music, it didn't take much to win us over... and so came WEVAL's acclaimed 2014 label debut EASIER EP (KOMPAKT 318), followed by the bold and beautiful 2015 offering IT'LL BE JUST FINE / GROW UP (KOMPAKT 344) which saw the two soundsmiths digging deeper into the granularities of electronic funk than ever before. However, Harm and Merijn's music - while astonishingly fully-formed even in its earliest stages - always seemed destined for more, a bigger format, more space to explore the nooks and crannies of their rapidly evolving sound cosmos. Simply put, they needed to think about an album and their beloved living room studio wasn't cutting it anymore.
An old school building became WEVAL's new home, repurposed to house small creative businesses - but in the summer of 2015, it was abandoned most of the time, with everybody out in the sun while our heroes turned the building's attic into a sweet spot to make some noise, have 24-hour access and lose track of time. And apart from a sketchy tenant being evicted, the occasional soccer game with friends and live gigs across Europe, there really was no interruption to the focussed vibe. It's not like they were looking for distraction anyway: "working on the album all by ourselves in this bloody hot attic was all we had on our mind", the artists admit. And they decided that their album shouldn't sound too clean: "We try to find the beauty in imperfection. It makes things sound more human".
Weval draw their inspirations from no single genre of music but a cumulation of music that inspires them. The results present an astonishingly coherent vision - cuts like the dramatic THE BATTLE, bass growler I DON'T NEED IT or the trippy epic MADNESS share the same DNA of zestful nostalgia, a knack for immersive sound-sculpting and that certain kink in the groove. They also feed on deeply personal experiences and moods, as exemplified by the haunting electronic ballad YOU'RE MINE, the carefully layered, polaroid-tinted JUST IN CASE or the beautifully voiced closer YEARS TO BUILD. And sometimes, it's just an old, out-of-tune piano that stands in the hallway: "Whenever I'd pass by it, I couldn't resist playing it", says Merijn, "so Harm decided to start recording and it became an integral part of YOU MADE IT (PART I)". No doubt about it: this is WEVAL's most powerful and organic material yet - which means a lot, considering the amount of skill already on display in their small, but weighty portfolio.
(de) Als sich 2014 in Amsterdam Kompakts Wege mit denen von Harm Coolen und Merijn Schotte Albers aka WEVAL kreuzten, waren wir sofort Feuer und Flamme für ihre schwelenden, emotional aufgeladenen Tracks. Ihre Debüt-EP "Half Age" auf Atomnation präsentierte intimen und überraschend kinetischen, elektronischen Kammer-Pop, der wie angegossen zu Kompakt zu passen schien. Nach zwei vielbeachteten EPs auf dem Label und einer Reihe von Festvialgigs (inklusive DGTL, Reeperbahn Festival, Iceland Airwaves und Piknic Electronik) nehmen Weval nun mit dem gleichnamigen Release ihr erstes Album in Angriff. Und legen dabei nicht einfach nur eine Ansammlung von Tracks vor, sondern kreieren eine komplette Hörerfahrung mit organischem Flow, emotionalem Gewicht und einm roten Faden.
Angetan vom einzigartig persönlichen und mitreissend düsteren Klang WEVALs brauchte es nicht viel um uns zu überzeugen... und so kam es 2014 zum gefeierten Labeldebüt EASIER EP (KOMPAKT 318), gefolgt vom kühnen und wunderschönen 2015er Release IT'LL BE JUST FINE / GROW UP (KOMPAKT 344), für das die beiden Soundtüftler tiefer denn je in die Granularitäten des elektronischen Funks abtauchten. Nichtsdestotrotz - und obwohl sie schon von Anfang an ausgereift klang - schien die Musik von Harm und Merijn auf dem 12"-Format stets bestimmt für mehr: mehr Freiraum um auch die äussersten Winkel ihres rapide expandierenden Soundkosmos zu erkunden. Sie mussten schlichtweg zum Langspielformat wechseln, und ihr heissgeliebtes Wohnzimmerstudio konnte da nicht mehr mithalten.
Ein altes Schulgebäude wurde schliesslich WEVALs neues Zuhause, umfunktioniert für kleine Kreativunternehmen - doch im heissen Sommer 2015 stand es zumeist leer, da alle draussen in der Sonne badeten, während unsere Helden im Schweisse ihres Angesichts das Kellergeschoss in ein lärmfestes Aufnahmestudio verwandelten. Mit Studiozugang rund um die Uhr liess es sich bestens die Zeit vergessen. Und abgesehen von der Räumung eines zwielichtigen Nebenmieters, dem gelegentlichen Fussballspiel mit Freunden und natürlich Live-Gigs in ganz Europa, gab es auch keine Ablenkungen vom hochkonzentrierten Kreativfluss. Ablenkungen, die das Duo ohnehin nicht suchte: "ganz allein in diesem verdammt heissen Keller am Album arbeiten war alles, was wir im Sinn hatten", geben die Künstler zu. Und sie entschieden sich, dass ihr Album nicht zu sauber klingen sollte: "Wir versuchen die Schönheit im Makel zu finden. Es lässt die Dinge einfach menschlicher wirken."
Weval beziehen ihre Inspiration nicht aus einem einzelnen musikalischen Genre, sondern eher aus einer Akkumulation von Musik, die sie inspiriert. Die Ergebnisse zeichnet eine beeindruckend kohärente Vision aus - Aufnahmen wie das dramatische THE BATTLE, der Bassknurrer I DON'T NEED IT oder die Trip-Saga MADNESS teilen diesselbe DNA aus schwungvoller Nostalgie, einer Schwäche für immersive Klangschnitzerei und einer gewissen Delle im Groove. Sie nähren sich auch aus zutiefst persönlichen Erfahrungen und Stimmungen, wie zum Beispiel bei der eindringlichen elektronischen Ballade YOU'RE MINE, dem vorsichtig geschichteten, polaroid-gefärbten JUST IN CASE oder dem wunderschön gesungenen Schlussakt YEARS TO BUILD. Und manchmal ist es nur ein altes, verstimmtes Klavier, das im Flur herumsteht: "Immer wenn ich dran vorbei lief, musste ich darauf herumklimpern", erklärt Merijn, "also wurde es ein zentraler Bestandteil von YOU MADE IT (PART I)". Kein Zweifel: dies ist WEVAL's stärkstes und organischstes Material bisher - was durchaus was bedeutet, wenn man das Talent bedenkt welches bereits in schmalen, doch gewichtigen Portfolio der Band steckt.
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Mammal Hands are a trio of like-minded musicians: Nick Smart piano, Jesse Barrett drums and tabla, and Jordan Smart saxophones. Floa is their second album for Gondwana Records and in the 18 months since their debut, Animalia, they have carved out a growing following both here and abroad for their hypnotic fusion of jazz, folk and electronica: winning fans from Bonobo and Gilles Peterson to Jamie Cullum. Landmark live performances have included shows at King's Place in London and the RNCM in Manchester, as well as a barn-storming debut at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Drawing on a rich well of influences from Sufi and shamanic African trance music, Irish and Eastern European folk music, to Steve Reich and Philip Glass and more contemporary electronica influences, their music is built around deceptively simple sounding ideas that are lent power through the use of repetition and rhythmic loops. They have been compared to both Portico Quartet and GoGo Penguin for the way in which they navigate the choppy waters between contemporary dance music and jazz. Floa (an old Norse word that means to deluge or to flow) is the sound of a more confident, experienced band: one that has grown together naturally through touring and gigging and through mammoth writing and rehearsal sessions where all three bring rhythmic, improvisational and melodic ideas to the table. Floa was recorded at Gondwana's home from home, 80 Hertz Studios in Manchester, reuniting the band with producer Matthew Halsall and features some of the Gondwana Orchestra strings who played on Halsall's acclaimed album Into Forever. Together they have crafted a wonderful sounding record, the richness of which perfectly illuminates the band's music. Artwork is from Gondwana's in-house design maestro Daniel Halsall whose artwork of symbols created from older symbols perfectly illustrates the creative ideas that drive the band's music.
The release is supported by an extensive UK tour including dates in Norwich, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and beyond. The band support Matthew Halsall at St John's Hackney on May 26th and have their own head-line show at the Jazz Cafe, Camden on 31st May. Confirmed airplay from Jamie Cullum BBC Radio 2, Gilles Peterson 6 Music, Radio 3 Late Junction, BBC Scotland Jazz House, Jazz FM, John Kennedy X and full servicing to all specialist and online radio stations. Reviews from The Guardian, Mojo, Record Collector, Jazzwise, Nos Magazine, Nowthen and local press. Online support from AllAboutJazz, Quietus, Access All Areas, Bebop Spoken Here and beyond.
he second time around: fred p aka fp-oner is back on mule musiq with another record that demonstrates the many cosmic qualities of his deeper shade of soul.
it is the second part of a trilogy that features his detailed sonic landscapes that are full of mystery and power. while his last fp-oner album 5' was leaning more to the jazzier, relaxed and atmospherically side of his artistically deep house expressions, the runner-up grinds even deeper into spherical worlds that enhance deep meditative highs.
they are not made for club use only. in fact all eleven compositions work also massively without big speakers. again the new york city native that is working on his very own music for almost 20 years produced a journey inwards that is compelling, mesmerising and enchanting.
you find cosmic dust in it as well as dark entropies, percussive power, sweet seducing melodies and rolling bass power that shakes your inner and outer profoundly. the tracks are listening to names like awakening co creator', alternate reality' or adjusted perception' and the album title 6' stands for a meaning,
that fp-oner describes like this: 6 represents the number of man and his or her limitations, weakness and imperfections.
this body of work examines and looks towards one awakening. adapting to a new way of being creating an alternative and reaping a higher state of mind and being. enhanced by love and serenity, satisfaction and joy.'
all tunes are produced around the world, as he is a guy who never stops feeling in sound. that is why he caries his studio around to get up in the middle of the night or right in the morning after a sweaty party to transfer his emotions directly into sound. the result is massively powerful music with slow, intimate passages for treacly melodies, stirring synth-lines and little rhythmical quaintness.
an almost lyrical house journey that works like a musical sculpture in which organic machine grooves float along keys on air. the evolution of the each track is impeccable and their power grows with any new listening session. fp-oner himself characterizes his art like that: 'my music is designed to enhance deep meditative, or altered states, to allow the listener to personally connect to the creator of all that exists in the universe.
my music style is to first create a foundation using cyclic, polyrhythmic music, then build several layers of improvised leads and rhythms that allows you to transcend time and space... we have memories of past lives that reverberate in our hearts like echoes from ancient caves'.
there is nothing more to add, except that those who do not know fp-oner so far should know that he danced in his younger years in legendary new york city clubs like the red zone, sound factory or tunnel to dj sets of larger-than-life selectors like david morales, frankie knuckles or danny tenaglia.
during those nights he learned that sometimes less is more. and that he should rather listen to your heart and soul, then to the susurrus of the music market. most of the eps and albums that he produced under his other monikers like fred p or black jazz consortium have been released via his very own label soul people music, which exists since more then ten years.
as fred p he also dropped 12inches on jus-ed's underground quality imprint as well as on toshiya kawasaki's mule musiq label. for the latter he now is working on a trilogy under the fp-oner alias. this little paper introduces the second part of it. the final one will hit your heart and soul in an unwritten future. whatever circumstances of life will be around by then: you can be sure that fp-oner will transfigure them into a dynamic emotional and spiritual terrain.
'Nothing' is Kode9's first solo album and is about nothing. The album throws horror soundtracks, sampled library and j-pop records into a no man's land between grime, early dubstep and Chicago footwork. Mostly instrumental, it zigzags between hypnotic, downcast loops, growling drones, and jagged cut-ups of androids gone haywire, threaded through twitchy, transatlantic rhythms and sub-bass inaudible through your laptop speakers. Building slowly, but more upbeat than previous albums, many of these tracks have more in common with Kode9's recent singles from the last few years than they do with his two previous albums with collaborator The Spaceape, 'Memories of the Future' (2006) and 'Black Sun' (2012). Yet 'Nothing' is haunted both by The Spaceape's presence (he died in 2014 after a prolonged battle with cancer), on 'Third Ear Transmission', a communiqué from a zone of digital immortality, and his absence, on 'Void', whose spaces were originally intended for the vocalist, and 'Nothing Lasts Forever', which closes the album with a 9 minute silence. Now confirmed for release as a double-LP, the initial run will be a limited edition pressing on glass-effect translucent vinyl, housed in a high quality gatefold jacket and inner sleeves displaying Optigram's remarkable artwork to its fullest effect. Also included is a complimentary mp3 download code.
- A collect phone call is a form of communication based on the understanding that the receiver pays the cost of the message sent
- A collection agency buys debt at a fraction of its balance based on the reduced likeliness of the debt being recouped
- To collect is to gather, to source and to inventory
18+ return with their thirteen-track second second album, 'Collect', which explores the duo's aggressive evolution as musicians. Frequently radical and genre-defying, together Justin and Samia have produced their most ambitious and powerful work to date. On 'Collect', the duo explore the relationship of public vs private in a more invasive style, exemplified by the sampling of phone calls and personal field recordings intertwined between tracks.
Recorded collaboratively between Justin and Samia's respective Berlin and Honolulu residences, the album is a product of their physical geographical distance and autobiographical individual growth: the fragmented meeting of displaced minds, reflecting on the way we now interact in a variety of contexts, from platonic, to professional, to economic.
Supernovas originally formed the basic chemical elements which subsequently merged in a myriad of variations, creating life as well.
All the components of our world descend from that single original replicating molecule.
In a primitive stage, a functional distribution of energy was regulating the self-selection as the only workable explanation for the design and variety of all life on this planet. Such harmony meant prosperity of hearth as a whole unique entity, a perpetual thriving of life cycles.
Meanwhile, humans developed their own ego to the point to think that they were fallen angels rather than risen apes. Their unique highly developed intelligence made humans the only rational beings on the planet, but it is by rational choice that they consciously keep inflicting pain and humiliation, a planetary torture running through the ages.
Proliferation of humans doomed the dynamics, tampering with the energy fluxes and distorting the relationships amongst the entities. By rationally choosing to ignore their native compassion, humans become guilty and they self-sentence their own end. We have gone too far and sacrificed too much to disdain the future that we designed now, while the metastasizing process of the planet grows, the past increases and the future recedes.
Tensal is a solo project of Héctor Sandoval, a leading Spanish techno artist with an accomplished discography spanning 20 years, primarily as half of Exium. The four tracks on his 'Opposite Inertia' EP are each marked by the classic synth focus that defines the Tensal project, but cover separate moods within techno.
'Inertia 1' rolls out with unusual and off-kilter groove, whilst hi hats and sliding sub notes grow in intensity to the end. Inertia 2 and 3 are the peak time cuts. The first is all synth bleeps and a pumping low-end, the second more hyperactive with its flurry of tightly-wound bass and steely percussion. 'Inertia 4' brings the pace back down to a measured and more atmospheric close, tailored to the warm-up or time-out moments in a DJ set.
Mastered by Neel (EnissLab Studio, Rome). Pressed on 180g, 12' vinyl at Optimal Media, Germany. Packaged in a house sleeve. All artwork designed by Christopher Honeywell.
You can call them a »supergroup«, but Moderat understands that it's the »group« aspect that makes them interesting.
Gernot Bronsert, Sebastian Szary (aka Modeselektor) and Sascha Ring (aka Apparat) have been working together as a trio almost as long as their two separate projects have existed. We've seen their collaboration grow from »laptop boy-band,« (as Ring playfully puts it) in 2003—with computers synched using software Ring himself had written, because at the time, »there was just no live performance software around.«
Ring confesses that Moderat wasn't »really meant to be a recording act ,« with Bronsert agreeing that, »it was really just about fun.« This maybe explains the six-year break that followed Moderat's first EP before they finally returned in 2009 with their selftitled debut album. Intent on creating something that contrasted with their own projects, the group started the cycle which blossoms on their second album, aptly titled II, culminating now in the trilogy's completion, III. Whereas I was the combination of two separate entities, II brought the members closer together, and in III, the final chapter in the trilogy, Moderat sounds like one band.
Both Szary and Ring will tell you that Moderat moved progressively from making tracks towards a more traditional writing approach of making songs - a process more fully realized on III. That's partly why the vocals have become more prominent. Mostly, you hear Ring singing (there are no guests this time), as he so often does as Apparat, but listen closely to »Ghostmother« to hear Bronsert and Szary backing him up. Stepping out of their comfort zone is the kind of thing that helped create their interplay between pop and electronics; doing it right won them the Resident Advisor Best Live Act honor as early as 2009, and they continue to gain popularity while remaining independent and underground.
Szary describes the idea behind Moderat as, »imagin(ing) yourself sitting in the cinema and watching a movie with an incredible soundtrack.« This is true with Moderat in general, but III in particular pairs an emotional pull with sensual imagery, creating dynamic sound and depth with lyrics such as »the calming scent of lavender fills the air,« or »burning bridges light my way.« You'd have
to ask them whether they're intending to manipulate the listener in the same way that John Williams or Hans Zimmer might with traditional orchestras.
One of the best parts of Moderat is their use of electronics to achieve orchestral diversity. They update the songwriting tradition with an intriguing palette, borne of careful attention and skill, informed by their »experiences with sounds of nearly 25 years of suband club culture.«
Let's not forget that these three were brought together by Berlin's now legendary rave scene. With this as their common foundation as individuals, III signifies Moderat's maturation in modern pop — an achievement shared under their collective belt.
Bronsert explains that, »the new album isn't based on jams. We went into the studio and knew exactly what we needed to do.« This is reflected in the sophisticated themes explored in the music. Take »Ghostmother,« which ponders inner peace, acceptance, fear of the unknown and how facing that fear often reveals something not so scary. Or »Running,« which is about being part of a mass that constantly needs to move to function, but doesn't have the power to decide the direction of motion. Or how about the wisdom of »Reminder,« which recognizes the world for its flaws and our role we've each played in that, but choosing to act differently and light the way to something better.
Given that, it's a bit of an understatement when Bronsert says, »I'd say our music has definitely matured.« Successful in their own endeavors, now they've mastered the »group«. It doesn't mean the end of Moderat, but it does mean they'll have to find something else to excel in.
Consider this a warning - tearing out of 2015 on the gale of our compilation with the legendary duo of Jeroen Search and Dimi Angeli´s carrying us on their winds into 2016, Chronicle steps into the eye of the hurricane for its second release this year, by the mighty Mike Storm. A xture in the Dutch techno scene since the late '90s, it was when Michael de Winde moved to hardware live sets that he found his true inspiration, continuing to this day
to use only analogue equipment in his restless search for techno perfection. Consistently released since 2012, initially on Subsist, a label notable for
early work of SHXCXCHCXSH and Stanislav Tolkachev, he then moved on
to respected underground sources such as Ars Mechanica, Orbis Records, and Belief System, where he released his 2014 album 'Pulsars'. Supported by Mills, A&S, Arnaud Le Texier, Tadeo, Antigone, and others, we are proud to give Mike Storm the twelfth entry in the series with 'Where the WolvesCome From'.
It begins 'At Certain Points', channeling the jazzy mid-2000s Mills of his most abstract era with subtle string swells, cosmic bleep patterns and equally subtle Detroit-style percussion lls. 'The Day We See' moves into morning, with its complex, melodic bass gures and shimmering strings taking
the nocturnal intro into morning following a tense lead line that enters.
Again referencing Detroit but falling closer to the dystopian feelings of contemporary Terrence Dixon, 'New Light' is an exercise in tension between taught drum lines, dissonant keyboards, and a metallic sequence pattern. Stripping down for the hunt, the title track stalks more aggressively, razor- sharp hats and growling bass accelerating as the predator closes in on its prey, an eerie forest wind bringing terror in its path until the final struggle.
Gone with the flow - after a little break the German musicians Julius Steinhoff and Abdeslam Hammouda revived their musical adventures and left all electricity untouched this time. For their new acoustic project the duo has chosen the alias Tonight Will Be Fine - a name that is familiar to those who followed their work in the past years. As Steinhoff & Hammouda they used the name for their first 12" on Smallville Records, the worldwide acclaimed house and beyond label and record store that Steinhoff co-runs. Now they reheated the phrase and chose it as the alias for a bittersweet acoustic singer/songwriter project. Their wonderful, captivating new musical venture came into life due to happenstance and old ferventness. After their trips into house music the duo parted geographically. Hammouda moved away from Hamburg while Steinhoff strengthened his label Smallville, built up a global DJ career and produced acclaimed house records on diverse labels - solo" and with his buddy Dionne as Smallpeople. In all the time Steinhoff and Hammouda never stayed out of touch, bound together through deep friendship.
At some point they met again for musical missions and started to record music that had nothing in common with their prior work. Steinhoff re-activated his self-taught guitar abilities and entered the studio of his friend Lawrence in the back of the Smallville record store to capture some steeldrums and vibraphone sounds. Hammouda brought more instruments like a banjo, a violine and tablas and they just started to record sketches and songs. Hammouda's musical backround leads to a widespread range of influences while growing up, before he got into producing hip hop and electronic music. For Steinhoff, the transformation from an electronic music producer into a singer/songwriter wasn't that new too, as his first musical steps have been routed in band music. Until his late teenage years, when he discovered house and techno, he played drums in a local indie group in Freiburg and for Tonight Will Be Fine he now also freed his old drum kit from cellar dust.
After the duo felt that their musical communication elevates into something more profound then a session thing, they provided themselves with additional instruments like new guitars, claves, an accordion, a piano and more. Initially the songs were very rough and sketchy. Musical ideas that did not have a real song structure. Then we started to arrange the tracks and added our voices and lyrics.' both reveal. Their charming singing covers almost the whole album with a characteristic sense of deep winking melancholy. Their lyrics are exercising the possibilities of words and are inspired by life, the world and all the those questions a human can ask in his time on earth. At some point both started to show their new songs to some friends and they liked it and encouraged the duo to move on. Somehow one of the tracks landed in Toshiya Kawasaki's mailbox. He instantly fell in love with it and asked if they would like to do an album for Mule Musiq. They did what was asked and after some reformatting and reinventing Tonight Will Be Fine originated 13 songs full of sweeping acoustic guitars, airy rhythms, piano melodies, gloomy accordion emotions, touching voices and a bunch of other exotic instruments, done without the help of electronics. They all form Elephant Island' - an incredibly inspirational place where impressionistic lyrics dance gently with kinetic acoustic music that comes out of plain jamming fun. The melange of a structured song base and free improvisation injects all songs a loose feeling. And shows two handsome fellas carving out their own musical utopia. It is a warming one, full of hope and musical freedom powered by an unabashed instrumental playfulness.
nstrumental playfulness.
É a5 | soliloquy
The Europe-centered techno scene might be thinking: Where is techno in a city as vast, dynamic and electric as New York It's alive and well, and keeps growing through aptly-named NEW YORK TRAX. Founded in 2015 and based in Brooklyn, NEW YORK TRAX is an outlet for New York music, by New York artists, in New York city.
NEW YORK TRAX storms out of the gate in 2016 with a crushing release from none other than RICHARD HINGE. Mr. Hinge, a pioneering proponent of NY techno since the early 90's, has outdone himself once again with this no-compromises gem, plumbed from the depths of his hardware based Brooklyn studio. Having taken a hiatus from production since his seminal releases on Conrail, Sonic Groove, Hidden Agenda, Disko B and Path Records, Hinge triumphantly reclaims his seat at the table of NY techno greats with this 12'. Only available on NEW YORK TRAX.
Changes' is a track which sounds like changes. Steadily and intently, it evolves and progresses until it breaks the surface and becomes part of your reality.
Ever had voices in your head Auditory hallucinations Well, you like techno, so likely the answer is yes. Now, imagine those voices over a heavily distorted beat. Unless you're headstrong, Voices in my head' might be your worst nightmare, but given the right dance floor, time, and space, serious damage can be done in the best possible way.
Movement', a deep and dreamy affair, rounds out the EP. Here Hinge has no mercy and he wakes you up from that sweet dream with a short rain of intense hi-hats and throbbing subsonics.
Here Hinge has no mercy and he wakes you up from that sweet dream with a short rain of intense hi-hats and throbbing subsonics.
Over the course of five albums, Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall has carved out a niche for himself on the UK music scene as one of it's brightest talents. His languid, soulful music has won friends from Jamie Cullum and Gilles Peterson to Jazz FM and Mojo as well as an ever-growing international following. His new album Into Forever, puts the spotlight on Halsall the composer, arranger and producer. Halsall draws on a diverse range of influences from Alice Coltrane, Dorothy Ashby, Phil Cohran and Leon Thomas to the more contemporary sounds of The Cinematic Orchestra, Max Richter and Nils Frahm to deliver his most complete recording to date. Into Forever features renowned Manchester based soul poet Josephine Oniyama and rising star vocalist Bryony Jarman-Pinto (Werkha) as well as regular collaborators, flautist Lisa Mallett, harpist Rachael Gladwin, koto player Keiko Kitamura, pianist Taz Modi, bassist Gavin Barras and drummer Luke Flowers (The Cinematic Orchestra) and two percussionists Sam Bell and Chris Cruiks. The result is arguably Halsall's finest record, asublime melding of stripped back soulful funk and deep, minimalist, spiritual jazz, that will take you on a journey deep into forever!
Confirmed reviews Mojo, BBC Music Mag, Jazzwise, Record Collector Independent On Sunday, Guardian, Quietus, all main jazzy blogs, Airplay from Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, 6 Music, Jazz Line-up, Patrick Forge, Ross Allen and many more
9 date national tour including Liverpool Capstone Theatre Oct 1, Bristol St Georges Oct 15, Manchester St Peter's Church Oct 23, St Mary's Hastings Oct 28 and London Union Chapel Oct 29 plus Uber Jazz Hamburg Oct 31
With the inaugural release "Show Yourself", Xosar introduces her new label Gyrocyre. When people on our planet hold built up psychic tensions under the skin, the energy gestates in a womb-like growth until it's ready to burst through the flesh manifest as a creature called a Gyrocyre. Many people opt out of ever letting the beast emerge, happy to function at levels they can predict without having to face the challenge brought on by the Gyrocyre. It grows heavy and bloated with untapped potential. Those who embrace the change slice through the flesh and let it out. It fuses with the host, covering his or her skin like a mask. Depending on the nature of their heart, it gives them tools to save or destroy the world. We invite you to embrace the change and let your Gyrocyre out.
*Repress*
Compuma, a.k.a. Koichi Matsunaga, reaches back through time to 1970s Hawaii to perform a mind meld, his old-school Roland drum machines and present-era compumagic vulcanizing and reshaping Haku's original home-grown analog synth madness. Not merely a remix, this a synergistic reconstruction, a transformation at the molecular level in which Haku's source-code DNA is reborn in 2015.
After the Alma EP' by Shanti Celeste, secretsundaze' s 19th release comes from another UK home grown favourite Wbeeza.
Beeza is a firm part of the secretsundaze family and although it's his first release on the label, he has been a regular fixture at the parties now for 5 or 6 years playing at both the London events and touring internationally with Giles and James as a live act, as well touring extensively by himself.
We hope his music needs no introduction - his sound is quite simply fresh; an amalgamation of so many things from house, techno, jazz, hip hop to more UK leaning garage vibes. Born and bred in South London and the youngest of 6 brothers he has dance music pumping through his veins.
Black Moon EP is up there with the very best of his work and all 3 tracks show a level of maturity that comes from releasing over 14 EPs and close to 2 LPs (his second LP entitled Visions of Love drops next month on Third Ear)
Title track Black Moon is a murky, growling techno workout with syncopated lo fi beats, a thunderous bass line that is eq'd to within an inch of its life, and white noise FX. Within the right hands this should be a deadly weapon.
Like Butta is a hazy, percussive tool that keeps the tension high while B side track Ferguson is arguably the strongest track of the EP. Referencing the Ferguson case in Missouri that sparked vigorous debate about the relationship between the police and African Americans, the track is a timeless groove, coming on like a modern day version of Maurizio's 'M4' with its heads-down, hypnotic deep techno flow that one could simply listen to on repeat. Wbeeza on secretsundaze.....Need we say more!
Richard Fearless delivers some Transatlantic love with his third Drone instalment, and the fifth release from this growing label. Overview Effect is dubbed out Detroit-esque techno with with an epic two and half minute string workout and a cognitive shift to pure Fearless magic.Metal Dub is stripped-down, metallic, hypnotic techno with haunting pads, and it's been smashing it in the darkest of rooms of late. A deep, heavy release on Drone.
Luke Hess and Dj Richard remixes to come.
This project is a long distance collaboration between two amazing artists : Andrea Noce and David Kristian during the year 2013. Each track have been made after set up basic guidelines (style, tempo, structure, and workflow). « It was exciting to think two people on different continents, using different setups, and software, could find a way to exchange loops and build a track in the space of 36 hours. » In the line of label such as Innovative Communication or Edition EG , this record is completely intemporal, made for the past, the present, the future, with marvelous atmospheric and space sounds, escape from your body and synchronise. We are really proud to lunch it on Macadam mambo today.David Kristian has been making electronic for over 20 years, composing everything from experimental music to IDM, electro and synthpop. With over a dozen albums and countless 12"s and compilation appearances, David's discography continues to grow. David's soundscapes and soundtrack can also be heard on everything from science-fiction and horror movies to promotional spots for an X-rated cable channel.Andrea Noce is a very talented singer, producer, polynstrumentist and visual artist based in Berlin, she has many different projects in solo (Eva Geist), in group (Vera Mona, Le Rose) or collaborations.
* Quotes:
Randall - 'Heavy tunes Quarantine are cooking up' Ant TC1- ' Another release simply verifying further that Quarantine is a label that can do no wrong, constant and consistent quality, a shining light of an imprint, always has been'
Fabio- 'Drum and Bass the way its supposed to be from one of my favourite producers.
Rolling beats for the dance floor and a little something for the heads.'
Kasra (Critical) - 'This is great!'
* Quarantine's ever growing arsenal continues this time with debut single from Zero T.
* Hot on the heels of his 'Golden Section' LP on Dispatch Recordings.
* ''Lowball'' is an evolving, stomach churning piece of gutter tech. Leveling dance floors across the globe. Maybe even as you read this.
* "Thick and Thin" Demonstrates Zero T's command of Rolling beats and bass
pulled through a cascade of soothing summertime Rhodes. A musical DJ weapon.
* Both these tracks continue to establish the return of Quarantine and have been getting supported and played by Friction, Fabio, Doc Scott, Randall, Hype, Bailey, dBridge, Marky,
Ant Tc1 and many more.
Dense, roiling drone show from Joe DeNardo, who's best known as Growing but, adopts the Ornament moniker to signify something altered from his usual practice. It starts out with a folksy sort of dissonance and soon starts to curdle and keen in fascinating formations. "Protest Music" is the first release by Ornament.
There have been many different ways in describing the personal stories behind the protagonists of the electronical music scene in the 90ies. It´s in the nature of things that especially producers, whose place of work is the studio, remained rather in the background.
One of them is Ralf Hildenbeutel. He was the producer of Sven Väth´s most important releases such as "L'Esperanza" or "Fusion" and an essential creative part of the Eye Q label in the 90ies. His "Earth Nation" project was the first live act from that genre who was taking a drummer on the live stage, playing on international festivals and stages including the "Montreux Jazz Festival". The vita continues. While many other musicians kept on working on techno, Hildenbeutel composed for artists such as Laith Al-Deen or Phil´s son Simon Collins and wrote filmmusic for movies such as "Hommage á Noir" which won the Goldmedal for music on the New York Filmfestivals. The film adaption of Martion Suter's "Der Koch", "Ausgerechnet Sibirien", TV thriller such as "Kommissarin Lucas" or even the series of "Verbotene Liebe" have been scored by Ralf Hildenbeutel. His filmmusic for the international multi-awarded shortmovie "Momentum" was nominated at the Newport International Filmfestival. On "Moods" Hildenbeutel finds more back to electronical music. Fans of artists such as Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm or Jon Hopkins will enjoy this longplayer. Hildenbeutel mixes complex string-arrangements and piano pieces with clicks & cuts and invents his own coherent language which allows both directions to live in harmony. Elegiac compositions and vivacious, percussive breakouts as in "Spark" (for which an video by award-winning filmmaker Boris Seewald will be made) meet on this album.
An album which grows and gains depth with each hearing.




















