'Soak by James Hadfield, featuring Danny Linton, is one of the main reasons for the launch of Me Me Me and a record I love so much I have done my first rem ix for the label,' explains Man Power. Further remixes from Axel Boman and Bird Of Paradise cement a stellar third release on the burgeoning Me Me Me imprint.
Soak is a distinct and uncategorisable piece of electronic music, with a rich thread of emotion running through it so strongly, it remains within each remix, albeit distilled in different ways. Fellow North Eastern Englishman Bird Of Paradise (Correspondant / HAKT) turns in two differing atmospheric interpretations of the track (one appearing as a digital exclusive), while Studio Barnhus supremo Axel Boman brings his own inimitable style to his rework, and Man Power's delivers a dreamy and forlorn infusion on this magnetic record.
James Hadfield has been releasing music over the last ten years under several guises including Lizards and Elizabeth Collective, although remains an elusive figure in the bubbling underground house and Balearic scene. Soak sees him teaming up with Danny Linton , best known as post dubstep producer Funk Ethics.
Man Power's ear for the more captivating and experimental side of electronic music is being championing through Me Me Me, putting discerning dance floors to the test through its releases. 2017 contributions include Mike Simmonetti, Chida, Fort Romeau, Hammer, Rex The Dog, Daniel Maloso and many more .
Cerca:guise
Hot on the heels of the co-release between Especial and Cocktails d'Amore Music of the Sfire Remixes EP (EES023/CDA013) comes an accompanying release with a pair of deeper, stripped back remixes from the inimitable Timothy J Fairplay and Willie Burns. Well known as producers, DJs and label managers with their Crimes Of The Future and WT Records respectively, as well as appearing on a who's who of electronic labels including Pinkman, Unknown To The Unknown and L.I.E.S, they have appeared in various guises on both Emotional Response and Especial. Here then are 4 remixes - 2 each per side - that take the unique original to new dance floor extremes. Timothy steps up first with his take on Sfire 2 via differing vocal and instrumental versions. His trademark, echo laden rolling percussion and "Carpenter" key lines take the original Synth-pop homage to the dark room. Adding Arps, a lifting, hedonistic breakdown and the scatter-stepper drums and claps found on the Instrumental version and this is pure COTF territory and the better for it. Willie meanwhile has long followed his own path for his take on Sfire 3, offering one of his deepest remixes to date. Thudding kick, brooding pads and dark strings force the vocals to go down, way down for examination. The distorted vocals of Remix 1 are countered by Remix 2 letting the track shine via a seemingly endless 4/4 beat. Psychedelic, trance inducing, pulsating, this is an ever growing mind expanse.Presented in sparse Hand Stamped sleeves, this one off Limited Edition pressing is a unique EP, taking Sfire to a different sphere that warrants investigation. It was only
Arttu presents CYBLO!
The Berlin-based producer is kicking off his label with a four-track single.
While he is perhaps not as name-checked as some of the hardware hawking house heads of modern times, Arttu Snellman has been working hard at gritty box jams for a good few years now. He first appeared under his Arttu guise in 2011 with the Nuclear Funk and Fear Diluted singles on Royal Oak and Philpot respectively, and then proceeded to wheel out tunes for 4 Lux and Chiwax over the ensuing years. Prior to the tough-edged pump of his current ventures, you could find Snellman indulging in a more laptop-centric kind of practice under the name Lump. This more minimalistic, glitchy house fodder could be found on labels such as Karloff, Morris/Audio and Süd Electronic amongst many others. Back in the here and now though, Arttu was last spotted on Clone Jack For Daze earlier this year with the Rave Dogz 12', and next up he's taking matters into his own hands.
Existing fans of Arttu will be more than pleased with the heavyweight, crunchy tackle that inhabits CYBLO01. This is dynamic business with same heft found on previous releases from Snellman, mixed in with the cheeky flair that has always marked his productions out in a crowded marketplace.
vinyl only track !
Fuse London have cemented their place in the worldwide underground with an unwavering belief in the DJ and production talents of an extended network of friends and they once again hit gold with Antony Difrancesco and Samuel Bellis dB Productions EP - 87-88 kicks things off with a distinctly Fuse-esque sound, a hazy tripped out groove and spoken female vocal ride a raw jungle tinged b-line.
One Way To Pluto is the EPs vinyl only track and keeps things deep but no less driving whilst Adderall adds an almost techno sensibility in its quirkier elements.
To round the EP off label head Enzo Siragusa once again joins forces with Alexkid under their Kilimanjaro guise to provide a sleek dub interpretation of 87-88
The BTRAX records label is back after few years off, and we are sure that new EP will not disappointed you. We are very proud to put out 1 stunning track made by one of the label artist : Camille Rodriguez from Paris - France.Electronic music drives his life for over 10 years now, he has developed his own style incorporating all his influences. He is passionate about the live, and create that way with synthesizers, sequencers, BAR and samplers... He likes pushing himself sweating behind his machines, improvising at every moment, keeping control of every sound in order to play more intuitively, getting a better communication with the crowd...
'Andalusian 2.0' comes in two guises, the Original Mix which delivers some perfect techno keys and claps over its stomping techno beat, giving it live performance style flavor. The Traumer Remix takes it into darker warehouse territory but still retains the warmth and groove. Kaine's Remix delivering some tough dub techno workouts that still have just the right amount of funk and groove.
Turning into the home stretch, Figure hands the penultimate release of its SPC-series to an anonymous yet auspicious talent.On his first output under the UBX127 guise, the producer reveals his wares, combining classic bleep techno with just the right dose of acid. The four driving tracks thrive on their distinct synth-modulations, each scurrying atop a firm groundwork of brooding basses. Apparent analogue sequencing pervades the whole EP, infusing it with a feeling of constant motion and liveliness.
San Fransisco meets NYC for the third release on Fifth Interval.
Rose Bay from Federsen sets the tone for the record: drenched in tape hiss, the warm pads and delays create a richly textured environment for deeper club sets or for 2am sessions on headphones.
Dub Techno luminary Brendon Moller offers up two versions of the title track to complete the EP - one in his own name and the second under his Ecologist guise. Fans of the label will no doubt be well aware of Moller's formidable discography, which includes 10 albums under a variety of aliases, exploring the outer reaches of dub music.
Coaxing two captivating versions from his studio in upstate New York, Moller focusses on the chord stabs from the original for the Echologist Dub, pushing the stabs and percussion through the desk, twisting the tails through tape delay and creating new vistas through crafty use of panning and bona fide dub production techniques.
Closing with the outstanding Tidal Dub, Moller dons his Beat Pharmacy cap and pushes the mammoth bassline to near speaker-crushing levels to create a deeply hypnotic groove that is accentuated by waves of ferric pads and fractured percussion.
We were very excited indeed to see the third release from the quite promising Love Notes from Brooklyn imprint! Marco Zenin was a featured artist on the last release under his DJ Octopus guise, and this time he's featured again with his other project, the more techy/ more minimal Die Roh, who recently had an underground athem with their release on Black Venison. The duo here seemingly lean their sounds in the direction of the label's and offer two-cut EP which is their deepest effort yet to date. Surely more DJs will play the dancier A side, Behind 6000, but for us, the groovier B side and title track Genghis Kahn is the choice cut. Label owner, Nathaniel Jay, continues in the precendent he's set with each release having its own unique "Love Note", authored by him, making every one of these records collectable.
Alphahouse imprint deliver the 'YY' EP from Italian duo MFS: Observatory, backed with a remix from label-head Butane & Alexi Delano.
MFS: Observatory is the collaborative guise of Italian duo Matthias Tuchetti, Francesco Cozzolino. The outfit are relative newcomers having only released material since late 2014 and here we see them take a huge leap in their career stepping into international water via the Alphahouse imprint, slotting them alongside heavy hitters like Skudge, Mark Broom, Alexi Delano, Butane, and Ricardo Villalobos on the stellar roster. With a Little Helpers release also confirmed in 2015, this is a duo on the rise.
Opening up the EP is 'Observatory Y1' which see the duo deliver a haunting slice of electronica fueled by smoky atmospherics, meandering arpeggio synth hooks and raw weighty rhythms to smoothly set the tone for what's to come. 'Observatory Y2' provides a more reduced, but still heavy, groove with bubbling synth drones, menacing stabs, a bumpy bass hook and mesmeric vocal murmurs.
On the flip side Alexi Delano collaborates with Alphahouse founder Butane to reshape 'Observatory Y2' into pure vibe. The duo provides a typically infectious groovy number, which evolves over six and half minutes with a subtle dubbed out hook taking over the last half of the track. 'Observatory Y3' rounds things off afterhours-style, laying the focus on a sparse rhythmic foundation while howling sweeps and spaced out vocals fuel the psychedelia.
From the Lands that time forgot Birdie is proud to bring you an EP of the highest quality from the artist currently know as Causa. Hailing somewhere from up in the hills on the border between deepest darkest East Lancashire and West Yorkshire (thats up north to you lot) Causa "Joe" is a long time friend of Trevino "Marcus". Joe is underground and a lover of proper house music and has never been interested in music trends (he is a fisherman for christ sakes). He has been making music under various guises for 15 years with an apparent 6 year gap to go fishing.. He has had releases with 202/20 vision tusk wax and paper recordings to name but a few. As Marcus and Joe still meet regularly for a pie and a pint its no real surprise then that this EP of some of Marcus's favourite music of Joe's has come to pass. Enjoy.
Deep and organic analog tracks. Features interpretations by Sisterhood & Ben Sun. 300 copies pressed. Tip!!
The second instalment from the ensemble imprint offers four tracks courtesy of Belgian house ambassadors, Gratts and Xan Xoda, under their cheeky 'De Ambassade' guise.
On A1, Belgian ambassadors in Berlin Xan Xoda and Gratts treat us to some delicious 'Gebakken Lucht', a Belgian expression that you'd have to look up yourself.
Next up is Raw Sketches aka. Eklektiker, one of Belgium's finest DJs and a resident of the ensemble nights. His analogue workout 'Intiem' pushes all the right buttons and charmed us straight away when we first heard it.
Our favourite Australian poster boy of house music Ben Sun then gives a fresh perspective on 'Gebakken Lucht'.
And finally the great Sisterhood lads from London round off the EP with their rework of 'Intiem', turning it into a trip into space, where bass is the place!
Bell Gardens combines the musical visions of Kenneth James Gibson (formerly of Furry Things, now recording as
*Bell Gardens' origins began arguably as more of an experiment than the duo's current 'experimental' projects - McBride's drone- and string-laden ambient symphonies, and Gibson's ventures in dub and minimalist techno - as they sought to manifest their mutual reverence for folk, psychedelia and chamber pop in a traditional band structure without cannibalising any particular past genre. Bell Gardens' sound is less reliant on effects and studio trickery than the pairs' independent guises, laying bare as it does vocals and live instruments with emotional sincerity, and presenting songs imbued with an almost pastoral or gospel simplicity and timelessness.
Slow Dawns for Lost Conclusions was again recorded mostly at home studios, but additionally the band made use of a friend's desert cabin in Wonder Valley, California, and it seems this willingness to retreat from the city has lent an expansiveness to the tracks, in particular the spacious, ceremonial 'Silent Prayer' (written in a snowbound mountain cabin in Idyllwild, C.A.) and the crepuscular 'She's Stuck in an Endless Loop of Her Decline' (mapped out under the stars in the desert).
While the addition of strings (contributed by Lauren Chipman of The Rentals and The Section Quartet) and trumpet (Stewart Cole of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros) provides a double rainbow of tonal textures throughout, the nine tracks of Slow Dawns for Lost Conclusions are united by an understated elegance belying the newly expanded, communal effort in the studio: each instrument earns its place, nothing is overwrought or conspicuous. Moreover, it is McBride and Gibson's artistry in building stirring soundscapes from the barest of materials in their other guises that lends such assurance and sophistication to these arrangements.
The band is a result of the complimentary cross-pollination of Gibson and McBride's musical tastes - borne from a late-night conversation between the two that grew wings - and it is the universality of the sentiments and their restrained, reflective approach to writing and recording that allows the music to simultaneously straddle the past and the present. The music avoids pastiche, its pedal steel, sleigh bells and harmonies giving a nod to the ghosts of musical genres past, but never overriding or distracting from the emotional content of the sum of its parts.
The album ends with the glorious 'Take Us Away' - one of the first demos Gibson gave McBride when he was on tour with Stars of the Lid - neatly bringing their work to date full circle and exemplifying the band's mindfulness of their own serendipitous beginnings: the dawning of an auspicious, unique musical force.
Bell Gardens - Take Us Away -
Harmonies alert!! Actually, this is rather lovely. Slow-tempo, just the right side of 'twee' and packed full of strings, as if Air and Midlake had been taking balloon trips over the mid-West and sprinkling good-vibes dust across the land. From L.A. and subconsciously plugged into the '60s dream-pop scene, taking in a little bit of Mercury Rev and Brendan Perry en route, stopping off at Pearls Before Swine and Big Star's house for inspiration, before getting stoned with '70s era Brian Eno and Harold Budd.
With his new album "What's Fruit", Schlammpeitziger touches the dancefloor more than ever before in his 22-year long career. Yet his dancefloor is a playful one. The Cologne based composer's sounds electrify with their multi-layered melodic structures. He weaves countless details in perfection, to a high density of musical activity, always focusing on the slow, driving beats which hold everything together. Each of the eight tracks represents shades of the unique humour we love about Schlammpeitziger: The tricky question about what's those things we call fruit, or his mantric German lyrics on "Schneid ein Stück aus der Zeit" are charming messages which never fail to be heard in the guise of those lovely synth hooks. This new Schlammpeitziger disco has its source in a situation which does not quite promise relaxed creativity: In the past year Schlammpeitziger's studio in Cologne has been surrounded by construction works. Locked up in his private space between massive hums, squealing saws and pulsating jackhammers, he delivers this indeed relaxed album with eight tracks. It comes across with the freshness of a debut work. Contrary to his previous records which had been mostly made with analogue synths, this album has been produced with iPad synths at 90% of the time, before taking the mixes to Stefan Mohr's (ex- member of the band "Workshop") mixing console.
Pink marble vinyl / Sleeve artwork by ' The 'Warm'
Friendly Feeling Embodied in a Red-Pink One 1961 by Mcdermott & McGough.
ISNISNT offers it's second release of forward leaning electronics with a diverse group of modern techno from label head Jesse Siminski. Acting under his Heartthrob guise, Jesse initiates the release with 'Someone Called Again' a tough, but funky, bass driven tune that marries detailed production with his signature ominous melodies to great effect. Subtle modulating percussion work against harder, swung snare and synthetic drums workouts, as surprising analog synth bursts glue things together. Building smoothly into a headfirst groove, the track pressurizes and never loses it's drive as heady synth riffs keep things musical and emotionally interesting. In an even funkier tangent the two mixes of 'Cougar Juice' draw together an irresistible bass line with pushing breakbeats and precise synth stabs. These horn like synthesizer bursts mark surprising turns and recall similar moments in classic Hip-Hop jams or even tracks from Detroit's Anthony Shakir or Robert Hood- two of Jesse's production heroes. The 'Driving Past the Jail Mix' incorporates these synth stabs hypnotically within the melodic structure, while the 'Reduced Dub Mix' dials things back and focuses on the bass line, drums and dubbed out flourishes. With their funk driven momentum constantly moving forward, either mix will bring something unique to either a house or techno set. And finally 'Let Them Go' rounds out the group in a deep, yet still driving fashion. It splices sub bass pulses, a melancholic synth atmosphere, absurd bleeps and submerged voices amongst stripped down drums into a steadily building hybrid cut- not quite house and not really techno.
Next up on Magic Feet is a release by Dark Strands.
Tony's first release came via the first Magic Feet label sampler. Since then his releases have caught the attention of a number of acclaimed DJ's, with Daniel Avery citing one of Tonys tracks as one of the best he had heard last year.
This is Tonys first full vinyl release and shows exactly what he is capable of.
The title track 'Return Of The Oscillator' has had people running to the booth every time its been played from London to Croatia, as well as being fully road tested at ALFOS by Sean Johnston who also provides a superb remix under his Hardway Bros guise.
The second track 'Galactic' slows the pace down and is perfect for those warm up sets.
Traversing with an understated technical assuredness, the ambitious shapes of Steely Dan, the popping lounge funk of McDonald era Doobie Brothers, the sweet mourning of the Stylistics and Delfonics, and the exquisite song-craft and flawless harmonising of CSNY, Daniel Collas (The Phenomenal Handclap Band), Bart Davenport and Quinn Luke aka Bing Ji Ling have recorded an absolute darling of an album under the name Incarnations. They are three friends with enough musical guises, side-projects, collaborations and production jobs to fill the annual itinerary of your average musician twice over. When three CVs like these get together on a regular basis, it's only logical they speculate and hypothecate on the possibility of an album together. But, how to make those congested diaries synchronise? Bart lives in Oakland and Quinn and Daniel are in New York, all three of them are on tour for the better part of the year. One sunny day in Madrid, Spain, a plan was hatched and a proposal was made. Lovemonk, a small, eclectic and affable Spanish label, dangled the carrot that clinched the deal; 'find two weeks between gigs/productions/recordings and head down to this little place we know in Tarifa, Southern Spain'. A family-run studio, in a house 5 minutes from a wild beach and a short ferry ride from the coast of Africa; the perfect ambience for the fleeting melody and sultry grooves of the Incarnations debut album, "With All Due Respect". Arriving with bits and bobs of half-songs, grooves and melodies, Daniel, Quinn and Bart, sketched and improvised their way to the most intensely evocative songs you'll hear this year. Punctuated by a day trip across the water to Tangiers, all 9 songs were written and recorded inside a fortnight in October 2009 and laid to rest while our protagonists jetted off to their respective diary appointments. Whether it was the beach, the soft weather, the fact that you can smell Africa from the studio, the home cooked Spanish food or the relaxed environment of the recording room, when the band returned to the songs at a New York studio earlier this year, they found an album as fresh and resonant as the moment it came into being. Quickly mixed down with no over-dubs or re-records, "With All Due Respect" captures the combined gifts of Tarifa and the three very talented friends that paid a visit. Incarnations are: Daniel Collas: DJ, drummer, organist, and one half of production team Embassy Sound Productions, the minds behind The Phenomenal Handclap Band. Plays - drums, percussion, organ and synthesizers. Bart Davenport: Collaborator with Greyboy, General Elektriks and The Phenomenal Handclap Band; Singer-songwriter with The Loved Ones, The Kinetics and Honeycut, and most recently a touring member of the Kings Of Convenience. Plays - guitar, bass and vocals. Quinn Luke a.ka. Bing Ji Ling: Part of The Phenomenal Handclap Band, one half of DFA recording artists Q&A and long time member of Tommy Guerrero's band; Solo artist on labels Ubiquity and Lovemonk among others. Plays - guitars, keyboards, vocals The band are named after Encarnacion "Nini" Sagrista, owner of the recording studio in Tarifa, who housed and fed them during their stay.
This return of Ferox records sees an enthusiastic response from all. The label has forthcoming releases from many original Ferox artists and some new recruits and collaborations along the way. This, the first release in 5 years, sees label head-honcho Russ Gabriel in action under his Too Funk guise. From the first 'Return Of Too Funk EP' to the later 'Hotel Ibis' and Derrick Carter's remix of 'Venus Fly Trap', Russ's Too Funk grooves have been jacking dance floors on both sides of the Atlantic since 1995. This latest offering, 'Phase 3', is a 45 rpm two tracker of House goodness only available on vinyl. No clear favourite has emerged from the two sides, among the selective few that have heard it. Like much of the wealthy Ferox catalogue before it, this is proper House Music with an electric twinge.
17 years after first releasing a cassette EP from label boss Marsel van der Wielen under his Peel Seamus guise, Delsin is soon to hit the landmark category number of 100.
Truth is, taking into account choice re-issues and specials such as the recent house series, there have already been scores more than 100 releases. Nevertheless, in that time the Dutch label has become synonymous with a wide range of timeless sounds from house to techno to dub to electronica, nurturing and championing some of the most respect names in the scene.
To mark the occasion, the label is to release five new various artist EPs (100 copies will be special, limited and coloured vinyl exclusively available through the Delsin web shop with a collector's box) that will be compiled onto one special CD compilation come the final release.
'After many different life cycles, with this compilation I try to go back to the core of Delsin, to showcase more otherworldly/dreamy/soulful but still raw techno sounds from a selection of key artists who best represent the label,' says Marsel. 'The tracks are all individual offerings but are tied together with the common themes of the label, and as a compilation will paint a nice overall picture that is not shy of moving away from the dancefloor side of things.'
Across the five EPs you can expect tracks from newbies and old favourites alike, including Sawlin and Delta Funktionen, John Beltran and Bleak, Redshape and Convextion and plenty more. The first - like all of them - features three tracks, one each from Gerry Read, Unbroken Dub and Claro Intelecto.
New Jersey based producer Jorge Velez returns to Echovolt under his brand new guise Bridge & Tunnel Kids with three tripped out, psychedelic journeys of the Detroit kind plus a remix by fellow 'outsider' Willie Burns!
DJ / Press Quotes
2012 was a prolific year for the New Jersey based producer Jorge Velez also know as Professor Genius. He recently spread even more his name with his 'MMT Tape Series' release on Rush Hour Recordings and the blinding sountrack-ish 'Hassan' album on the notorious L.I.E.S. from New York.
Jorge Velez and William Burnett joined their forces in 2009 and their collaboration tracks became the first release on the Echovolt label's catalog. Their debut EP came under the name 'PG&S - Motorik EP' and contained some freaky krautrock electronics.
After four years, Jorge Velez and William Burnett (aka Willie Burns) return to Echovolt. This time Jorge Velez delivers three tripped out, psychedelic journeys of the Detroit kind under his brand new guise Bridge & Tunnel Kids. This fresh Echovolt release is topped off by a remix by fellow 'outsider' Willie Burns with his unique sound signature!



















