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One year after its release, Quartet Series proudly presents the remix EP of Nachtbraker's successful debut album When You Find a Stranger in the Alps. A collection of remixes by some serious talent. These three producers were carefully selected by Nachtbraker because of their impeccable reputation and ability to bring something unique to the world of music.

Humble Danish maestro Central (Help, Dekmantel) flips "Flambo" into a Jori Hulkkonen'esque summer anthem with a highly addictive bassline. Preacher of wonkiness Frits Wentink (Wolf, Heist, Bobby Donny) took "LOL" and brought it some serious keys on a solid breakbeat while maintaining its jolly character. Flipping the record, Nachtbraker brings us the evolution of "Just Doing My Thang" turning it into a quirky dance floor tune whilst also showcasing his ear for detail. Up and coming talent Nemo Vachez (Forest Ill, Opia Records, Rakya) dives deep into "Horsepony" as if he's cruising the depths of a rainforest in a submarine. His surreal dub mix is the perfect final track of this fine piece of wax

2x7"

Brand new EP from the London's own Mowty Mahlyka aka Dark Angel, well know for his previous Moonshine Recordings killer release 'Propaganda'. Riddims for this double 7" beauty were cooked by the Moonshine all stars - Bukkha & D-Operation Drop. Expect some serious dubwise fayah!

2x12"

Dutch Techno master Orlando Voorn has opened up his archive for the first of what will be an ongoing artist focused series brought to you by new imprint Above Board Projects.The compilation will be spread across 2 double 12" volumes and will feature tracks from many of Voorn's pseudonyms including; Fix, Baruka, The Ghetto Brothers, Mute & many more. We are proud to introduce the first of a 2-part archival collection entitled 'Diligence'. Each track featured on the compilation has been carefully selected and programmed in conjunction with Orlando Voorn and the Above Board Projects team. Voorn has an extremely long and storied career in making music and is severely underrated as a producer in our humble opinion. His DJ skills are, of course, legendary, with him winning the prestigious DMC mixing championships in 1986 in his native Holland and making a career as one of the country's leading Hip-Hop DJ's. As a producer he has long been linked to numerous legendary producers and releases, counting labels such as Fragile, Metroplex and more as homes for his output. His association and collaborations with Detroit have been the stuff of legend since day one and some of the music contained within these compilations celebrate that while showcasing some of the more overlooked tracks from the man's more than extensive catalogue. Part 1 includes some serious rarities and some straight up, futurist Techno heat, take the majestic technoid melodies of comp opener 'Diligent' from one of Voorn's most well loved alias' FIX for example, completely worlds apart from the jacking and sparse Funk of Baruka's killer 'Technision'. Flawless selections from the early 90's sitting alongside later productions only go to show how diverse and talented an artist Voorn is and how fresh and vital his music still is today. An essential collection for any serious techno lover.

The Pendletons take a bold step with their first full length album, 2 Steps Away, releasing this spring on the Bastard Jazz imprint.

Recorded in San Francisco with a rock-solid band consisting of some of the best musicians in the Bay Area, including guitarist Carl Locket (Shalamar, Rick James) and Star Creature recording artist Elive, the duo taps into a classic soul/boogie sound that rides a wave of '70s and early '80s funk with ease but somehow remains true to the excitement of those classic recordings without being overly nostalgic. The music shines, as does the songwriting, which is honest, undiluted and spiritually inspired. Disco horns, heavy percussion and slap bass punctuate dance floor burners, which give way to sweet soul steppers, making for a blissful balance on the 9 song album.

The Pendletons is a long-standing boogie-funk and modern soul project of E da Boss (one half of Myron & E) and Trailer Limon. The group emerged with their very first release in 2010, a 7" inch of "Coming Down/Waiting On You" on the Slept On record label, which set the tone for the group to emerge... It instantly became a cult classic receiving constant play at nights like Sweater Funk and Funkmosphere, and fetching for serious sums among collectors.

In 2013, they followed up with another 7" featuring K-Maxx, Jacqueline Mari and Songbird Remos and later a very limited flexi-disc release title "Winning Ova You". In 2016, they released the EP "Gotta Get Out". The title track caught the ear of renowned global tastemaker Gilles Peterson, who liked it enough to release it on his Brownswood Bubblers' compilation. In 2018 the group released the Funk Forever EP on the Bastard Jazz label to critical acclaim.

Now armed with a live band with a full horn section, a vast array of accomplished jazz and funk contributors, and a knack for quality song-writing, the Pendletons' sound has shaped into something fresh and unique. The duo release their debut full length album, 2 Steps Away, on Bastard Jazz this spring.

Two dope Island Boogie tracks by Experience, an Afro Reggae group hailing from Germany. - Very nice steeldrumming in these tunes..

Experience’s “Share It With You” and “Happiness” can both be found on the private LP release “Oh! What A Feeling” from 1982. The group consisted of Anthony Flaverney from Trinidad, Curvin Murchant from Jamaica, Daniel Kofi Jefferson from Ghana and John Innies from Trinidad and was founded in Hamburg.

Anythony Flaverney, the lead singer on both songs, was active as songwriter and musician in Germany since the mid-1970s, most notably appearing on the Peter Herbolzheimer arranged “Caribbean Rock“ album by Malcolm's Locks (be sure to check their funk version of Bob Marley’s “Get Up Stand Up”!). Curvin Merchant, a highly respected drummer from Jamaica, settled in Germany around the same time. Before forming Experience, he was a member in several groups, including highly successful pop acts like Boney M. Later he became known as "Germany’s Grandfather of Roots Rock Reggae", among other things buildung up the "Reggae Center" in Hamburg. Flaverney and Merchant are joined by Daniel Jefferson on bass and John Innies on steel pan. The band existed for about 2 years, touring in Germany and Europe, unfortunately recording only one album which features a unique mix of Reggae and Funk.

The first track “Share It With You”, should give any serious music lover goose bumps. It was written by Flaverney and features a deep groove, steel drum solos and fantastic soulful vocals. It’s that type of tune you will play in a DJ set and people will come up to you and ask what it is. The single version is slightly edited.
Side B continues with Happiness, an equally great track with positive vibe and attitude, written by Flaverney and Jefferson. Again, the steel pan sounds give it that special compelling “Island” vibe from Trinidad.

The single is limited to 300 copies and comes in a beautiful picture sleeve showing part of the original artwork from the “Oh! What A Feeling” album.

Amsterdam based imprint Taped Artifact welcomes Erik Anthony to their label. With only one contribution to the Dynamic Reflection label back in 2017, very less is known about the young Amsterdam producer. But here he makes a stellar techno debut with his first solo EP backed with a Vril remix.

On the a-side things kick off with 'Board Walk', haunting vocal chops combined with droning kick drums combined making it a serious big-room techno jam. 'Oclose' brings more soul to the game, subtle basslines and dreamy synths create an uplifting and joyful playground for endless dancing. Vril then stirs things up, his take on 'Oclose' has more punch, a different energy and his trademark hazy dub-techno twist. Last track 'Separate' is an emotive yet powerful techno workout that closes the four track affair that can be seen as a promising allround debut release.

Sometimes you know it’s coming, sometimes it’s unexpected, but the time to hang your boots will always come. It’s better when you have total control, even better if you end up on a high (or on a low). After seven years of sonic interferences, calibrating the soundscape of field recordings and helping to recreate the old sounds of today, Gonzo is retiring from music. It’s a goodbye, yeah, and a well-crafted one.
But “Ruído(s)” doesn’t sound like an intentional one. You won’t listen to it on any of the thirteen tracks that scavenge for a solution in the space between ambient music and field recordings. You won’t feel it in the intense connection between human and natural sounds and how sometimes everything oscillates in opposite states of mind. You won’t even read it in the intense, but subtle, humor present in some of the pieces. You won’t, because it’s not an intentional goodbye. You only know it is, because you’re reading this.
What is it then? It’s a celebration of random sound. How can you experience something scholastic and, simultaneously, deeply hilarious? Just think about the amazing triad formed by “A Fuga dos Grilos”, “Degredado(s)” and “Cantiga Parva”. First, you’re blessed with six minutes that build up on the idea that sound can be an intense religious experience, echoes going back and forth to create a fantastic Boiler Room feeling (one populated with raving Gonzos doing dabs in front of the camera) that eventually ends up with a cinematic touch: someone saying the title of the song out loud. One second after we are into the Flying Lizards world, with two songs that shake any pretentious seriousness of the previous track.
Is it serious or not? It is. But it doesn’t have to be. In “Ruído(s)” Gonzo recounts pop/electronic history through field recordings and weird-soft beats. More than compiling his seven-year history, Gonzo is more worried to understand where he’s leaving his ideas, Caretaker style. Speaking of Caretaker, Leyland Kirby should think about reviving Caretaker and do a whole album around “Brilhante Cortejo”: it’s haunted ballroom in a ‘cracked’ nutshell.
As the album progresses and the need to revisit it grows, it becomes clearer(?) that “Ruído(s)” is more than an artist self-indulging on his work – in a very good manner. It’s also a condensed catalog of Portuguese music and its sounds, a circular trip down the memory lane of a forgotten country and its landscape. “Ruído(s)” is a goodbye to a country and its traditions. It does it without sulking but with the most respectful loud laugh - the Gonzo way.

Secretsundaze welcomes Eliphino to the gala relaunch of their imprint for a thoroughly satisfying mini album of contemplative jacking and dulcet breakbeats.

Eliphino's most recent 'Realistic Sex EP' on the hotly tipped Meda Fury label boasts thunderous breaks, 303s and serious sub-bass pressure which has gained praise from tastemakers such as Jon K, Carista, Josey Rebelle, Moxie and Gilles Peterson.Having flexed with this darker edged EP after a long lay-off from releasing, while sharpening his skills and reconnecting with his musical inspiration, Eliphino is now ready to really cut loose with 'Breaking Up Is Hard' - a statement longplayer that dreamily investigates the dusty spaces between house, breakbeat, ambient, hardcore and acid. Tom This album came about as way of focussing my energy in the wake of a significant break up. I tried to experiment with melody and texture to convey some of the range of emotions that come with such a testing time. That being said, the B-side bangers are more dedicated to abandon and forgetting your worries.

Hailing originally from the Leeds, but with time spent in both London and Berlin, 'Breaking Up Is Hard' lands somewhere between the Hessle Audio crew, Joy O and Selected Ambient Works era Aphex.

Having previously released heaters for Brownswood and Hoya Hoya over the years, Eliphino stepping up for the debut artist LP on the reactivated Secretsundaze label feels like a natural fit as James Priestley explains:

""We've collectively had a connection and friendship with Tom that goes back several years and in fact it was receiving this work as demos that really spurred and inspired us into getting the label rolling again. It feels totally right to be working with him on this and for this mini-LP to herald the relaunch of the label as it moves towards a more artist led as opposed to EP driven approach.

Fusing hard bop and soul jazz and to create a seriously funky concoction, alto saxist Lou Donaldson’s classic 1967 soul-jazz album gets a vinyl reissue, his 16th and funkiest Blue Note record. Recorded at The Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on 7 April 1967. Featuring the young George Benson on guitar, plus Lonnie Smith on organ, Melvin Lasite on cornet and Leo Morris (AKA Idris Muhammad) on drums. Features the classic title track plus two other superb Donaldson originals (‘The Thang’, ‘Rev Moses’), plus Lonnie Smith’s effervescent ‘Aw Shucks’. A breezy, uplifting funk-fest from start to finish, with good grooves and great solos. The beginning of a long and fruitful partnership between Lou Donaldson and Lonnie Smith. Featuring a classic cover design by Reid Miles and liner notes by Del Shields.

Okinawan talent City1 has been making some serious moves with his unique dark productions as of late and we are honoured to welcome him to the Subaltern family.

* Speak Out feat. Rider Shafique
In the mighty title track City1 delivers a clinical slab of bass science which gravitationally pulls deep into a different dimension. The dreamy yet dark atmosphere and vibrant basslines are graced by the elevating bars of none less than the notorious Rider Shafique - one of bass music’s finest vocalists hailing from Bristol.

* Koroga
Going even darker, City1 opens up another world in this trip of a track. Koroga rides on relentless dark synths and keeps switching up the pace, leading the listener through a maze of eerie sounds - be careful though, the walls are closing in. Dangerous!

* Zee
Zee is just as otherworldly as the first two tracks. With heavy hitting basslines and snappy percussions, City1 delivers yet another absolutely unique roller. Whenever you thought the track had arrived at its peak, it takes another, even wilder turn.

In-demand deep modal jazz tune from Belgium featuring Babs Roberts!

The lesser-spotted jazz atoms that formed the fusion of Futurist Flanders! It might sound like an ambitious claim but having been a firm fixture at the top of many European jazz collector want lists over the past decade Finders Keepers wouldn’t be alone when proclaiming this extremely rare, lesser-known two-track 7” from 1969 as one of the best jazz 45s of all time! Alongside Polish pianist Krzysztof Komeda’s soundtrack 7” for the film Cul-De-Sac and ranking closely with François Tusques’ commemorative Le Corbusier exhibition 45 (featuring Don Cherry) this format-specific release known only as Brussels Art Quintet might well sit at the top of the podium while striking similarities and arguably combining the best stylistic traits of both aforementioned contenders.

This is all speculative and clearly a matter of individual opinion but it’s not often that one should find a recording from this era, comprising such high production qualities, keen compositional values and robust craftsmanship spread across two equally spellbinding individual tracks, all of which awards this record justified hyperbole albeit subject to a 50 year delay. It is safe to say that this unique release is “rare” on many levels. Like all privately pressed art projects this 45 comprises some serious outsider art trappings. However, on closer inspection it also stands as a pivotal record in the micro-genre of Belgian jazz, pin-pointing an early axis for some vital progressive jazz players who went on to become sturdy pillars of the central European happening.

Essentially as a five-piece, the short-lived Brussels Art Quintet neatly combines members of both the mythical Babs Robert Quartet (early exponents of Belgian spiritual jazz) and key players from the leading progressive jazz/rock/funk unit known as COS (formally Classroom) who would stand as close affiliates of the likes of Marc Moulin, Kiosk and Placebo through the 1970s. Reproduced in close collaboration with COS leader Daniel Schell, who, under the early guise of Daniel “Max” Schellekens, authored both tracks that make up this facsimile 45 single, this one-off single includes the only known output by the Brussels Art Quintet thus marking the essential in-road to instantly start and complete your entire BAQ collection not without reliving the early germination of the froward-thinking jazz fusion that came to shape Belgium’s truly unique movement.

Hamburg-based Mireia Records is ecstatic toannounce their thirteenth release: Julian Stetter’s “Sensual EP”.
You’ve probably crossed paths with Julian in thelast couple of years. Not only because he’s the tallest guy in Cologne, but the producer and DJ has been actively shaping modern dance music
with his flourishing, melancholic sound. He’s been releasing music with Permanent Vacation, Kompakt, Correspondent and hometown labels Ancient Future Now and PNN.

It’s also not his first time on Mireia Records. Remember the beautiful “Porto” on “We’ll Sea
Pt.1?” Here, Julian presents two original tracks which are reinterpreted by SONNS and Matt
Karmil.
The title track “ Sensual ” manages to erase the mundane, the world’s vanishing around you.
It’s pitched shaker and airy bells evoke introspective tones. The bassline on the other hand
keep you steady - the dancefloor is still visible through the clouds!
“ Rumors ” picks up the pace. Kick drum and syncopated hi-hats set the stage for a serious
bassline, interwoven with fleeting melodies.
Bright and euphoric brushstrokes from Julian’s synth elevate the pace and catapult the track
towards a crescendo. Booming snares signal the peak.
New Release Information
Strobe lights, sweat and ecstasy.
SONNS opens up the B side with the first remix by whispering “ Rumors ” in your ear. A
brooding bass line takes you on a trip to the dark corners of the city. Hypnotically chugging
toms highlight the sights. Let’s get lost tonight!
With his releases on Kompakt and strong DJ Sets SONNS’ been a long time favored entrant
into Mireia Record’s catalogue.
Matt Karmil’s version of 'Sensual', although on B2 of the vinyl, doesn’t hide its assets.
Kicking off with frantic high hats and a distorted glitch, he pushes the track forwards
intriguingly. Arpeggiated melodies layered supremely over the percussion drive the track
forwards, the simplicity of the track and sharp cuts and drops create an interesting dynamic
to the single creating a perfect juxtapose to the other tracks on the release.
Matt’s also been on Mireia’s radar for a long time. His atmospheric adventures for Studio
Barnhus, Smalltown Supersound or Beats in Space always convey a spirit of living, breathing
leeway.

This year, First Word Records celebrates its fifteenth year in the game. The year commenced triumphantly with First Word being named "record label of the year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards 2019. Over the past six months, we've seen new music from 14KT, Souleance, Myele Manzanza, Teotima, Don Leisure, Children of Zeus and a range of artists across Europe, on the 'Music! Musik! Musique!' compilation.

To commemorate the 15th anniversary, First Word has a series of releases in the works for the second half of the year which see collaborations by artists from the label's current roster. To kick off, we have this special double-AA sided 7" single featuring Darkhouse Family, Kaidi Tatham & Tyler Daley.

Darkhouse Family consists of two Cardiff beatmakers & musicians, Earl Jeffers - founder of Melange Records and producer of 'A Library Excursion' from 2018, and Don Leisure, who recently provided us with 'Halal Cool J', the beat-tape sequel to 2017's 'Shaboo'. Over the years they've had releases, solo & individually, on Fat City, Metalheadz & Earnest Endeavors to name a few, bridging the gaps between various strains of dance music, beats and hip hop, with the organics of jazz and funk. Recently making noise across the UK with their new live band, and production work for the likes of Kamaal Williams, this is their first new release since their highly-acclaimed 2017 debut album 'The Offering' & subsequent remix project which also featured DJ Spinna, and one Kaidi Tatham.

Kaidi Tatham is one of the most revered multi-instrumentalists in the game. His endless contributions have included Bugz In The Attic, Amy Winehouse, Slum Village, Mulatu Astatke, Soul II Soul, Moonchild, Leroy Burgess, Amp Fiddler and loads more. Dubbed by Benji B last year as "the UK's Herbie Hancock", his versatility as a musician is actually more akin to Prince. He can play most things, and play them well. Providing flute duties on this track, he also graces the flipside with a full "flutestrumental" version. Aside from numerous other projects, Kaidi released three EPs on First Word to date, 'Changing Times', 'Hard Times' and 'Serious Times', and an album last year, entitled 'It's A World Before You', which featured daddy of 2000 Black, Dego, son of Jazzy Jeff, Uhmeer and Children of Zeus, Konny Kon & Tyler Daley.

Tyler Daley hails from Manchester, alongside son of Zeus, MC / DJ / beatmaker, Konny Kon. Somewhat of a veteran in the game, Tyler is currently one of the most-recognisable talents in the British soul scene, also lending his talents to dance music royalty along the way, including the likes of Goldie, Zed Bias, DJ Marky & Lenzman. With Children of Zeus, the duo have had a whirlwind 12 months since the release of their debut album 'Travel Light', performing shows across the globe & gaining new fans daily. The record was named "album of the year" by Complex magazine and BBC 6 Music's Huey Morgan, amongst a number of other notable tastemakers & selectors. Hot on the heels of the 'Excess Baggage' EP, Tyler laces this one with his inimitable brand of bars and soul.

A veritable super-group amongst the First Word stable, this low-slung slinky joint sees the guys work up a unique blend of jazz, soul, beats and hip hop - guaranteed to go 'All The Way'…

'All The Way' is released on First Word Records on July 26th 2019, limited 7" vinyl & digital.

Produced & mixed by Darkhouse Family

Vocals by Tyler Daley (Children of Zeus)


b B1. All the Way (Flutestrumental) [feat. Tyler Daley & Kaidi Tatham]


[b] B1 | All the Way (Flutestrumental) [feat. Tyler Daley & Kaidi Tatham]


[b] B1 | All the Way (Flutestrumental) [feat. Tyler Daley & Kaidi Tatham]

Known as the Queen of Morna, Cesária Évora brought the traditional music of Cape Verde to international recognition and became recognised as one of world music's great female voices. Raised in an orphanage, Évora started singing as 16-year-old in the bars and sailor taverns of the West African island and sang on cruise ships before performing in Portugal at the invitation of Cape Verdean singer Bana. After being discovered by Portuguese producer Jose Da Silva she went to Paris becoming a serious global star. . Madonna asked her to perform at her wedding and again for her birthday, but Evora turned her down both times
Influenced by Brazilian rhythms, creole flamboyance and the heartworn sadness of the blues, the "barefoot diva" was compared to Billie Holiday and found great acclaim in). A heavy drinker and smoker, Évora's romantic, humble visions of Africa led to a Grammy Award for Voz d'Amor (2003), but ill-health forced her retirement in 2010 and she died - aged 70
The Barefoot Diva, and she continued to always perform without shoes on, proudly proclaiming her humble roots. She is also remembered for her stage appearance, always modestly dressed, with a bottle of Cognac on stage and a cigarette in her mouth.
Cesaria Evora is the world's foremost singer of the morna, the indigenous style of Africa's Cape Verde Islands. The morna evolved as a hybrid of Portuguese fados, British sea shanties, and African rhythm, reflecting the island's history as a Portuguese colony and spot for British coal mining. Some say it was also influenced by the modinha, a Brazilian song form. Full of mournful melodies and slow tempos, Evora's music encapsulates the essence of the morna in its sadness, longing, and nostalgia.

A year on from the highly-acclaimed album 'It's A World Before You', Kaidi Tatham brings more new music to First Word Records - a continuation of his previous EP's for the label (2017's 'Changing Times' & 'Hard Times'), here we enter 'Serious Times'.

Kaidi Tatham is one of the most revered multi-instrumentalists in the game. Dubbed by Radio 1's Benji B last year as "the UK's Herbie Hancock", his versatility as a musician is actually more akin to Prince in the sense that he can play most instruments, and play them well. His contributions as a musician, composer & producer have included work with Bugz In The Attic, Amy Winehouse, Slum Village, Mulatu Astatke, Soul II Soul, Moonchild, Leroy Burgess, Amp Fiddler and loads more over the years, additionally to being a key player on Jazzy Jeff's PLAYlist album 'Chasing Goosebumps' along with Masego, Stro Elliot, 14KT, Tall Black Guy, Rich Medina and the like, and various projects alongside Dego (2000 Black) and First Word label-mates Eric Lau, Darkhouse Family & Children of Zeus.

'Serious Times' is another 4-track set comprised of Kaidi's unmistakable style, encompassing broken beat, jazz, boogie and hip hop. The EP starts off with the hype jazz-funk bruk of 'Cost of Living', maintaining the tempo into 'Don't Cry Now' which leads with a sweet latin-tinged piano riff. Onto the flipside, and we're treated to the slinky synth-boogie of 'Sugar' before dropping the tempo down & closing the selection with a warped but jazzy instrumental boom bap piece entitled 'Zallom'.

Kaidi is a national treasure quite frankly, and this EP is another mere taster of this man's endless talents and unique vibes. Some grown folk music, perfect for these 'Serious Times'…

Vinyl & digital released on Friday 19th July 2019 on First Word Records (Worldwide Awards 'Label of the Year 2019').

Official repress of Love & Regret, the long out-of-print 2012 debut album from LA-based post punk outfit Cold Showers.

Cold Showers, a unit formed in Los Angeles, CA in 2010, fuses the brash power of their shoegaze predecessors with the smoky compulsions of accessible synth pop standards. Cold Showers fits comfortably within the dusty catalog of Factory Records, if only for their modern interpretation of the romantic isolation that signified that long past era. Piston-precision rhythms and angular guitar patterns that drive along songs such as “Alight” and “BC” sit comfortably alongside the opposing raucous-tinged tracks such as “I Don’t Mind” and “Seminary”. This is the pervasive pop mode against which Cold Showers cast themselves. Versatile, memorable and romantically wistful are all common themes that listeners relate to when diving into Love & Regret.

Looking back on the past seven years and the album’s ultimate impact, Love and Regret created and solidified the band’s stark identity in a single, well crafted release. While their early singles on Art Fag & Mexican Summer introduced listeners to Cold Showers simply as a band, Love & Regret debuted the group as something to be taken more seriously. Songs that are intended to be personally unpacked with the listener’s pleasure and heartbreak as personal reminders of more innocent times.

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.

Producers at the heart of the broken beat revival, EVM128 and James Rudie met through the CDR project, and soon after started to mess about collaborating with Gonzi. After coining the concept of INPUT, they found a home via Tony Thorpe at Studio Rockers and the seed was sewn. The concept is simple, make a beat, pass it on, and let someone else add to it. Its about letting go of self and letting the music go somewhere it wouldn't have gone otherwise. It was a labour of love until each track felt right. Talented musicians, producers, singers and rappers came on board to fulfill the brief, and the end product is a modern day broken masterpiece. It's about collaboration, whether in the mixing and arrangement, performance, keys, percussion, synth, bass, - everything was a joint effort.

INPUT is released on Studio Rockers on 19th July 2019 as a double vinyl release.

A LITTLE ON THE ARTISTS INVOLVED :

Written by curator EVM128, James Rudie and Gonzi are both killer producers who met me at CDR and also became part of Co-Op presents Selectors Assemble with IG Culture and Alex Phountzi. You can hear them both on Naughty Groove and Gonzi on Gut Level.

ISHFAQ is an elusive producer that has been making beats for time but is still under the radar. He's a force to be reckoned with. Watch him cos he's dangerous! Hear him all over Naughty Groove on Keys and on Complete Me ft Natalie May. He just knows where to fit into a tune... He has an acute ear!

TurboJazz met me after Djing together in Milan and working together on remix jobs, where I remixed Turbo's 'Please You' ft David Blank on Local talk Records. In return Turbojazz remixed the EVM Beyond ft Uk Soul legend, OMAR. It was only natural to get them involved with this project.

iLL Smith aka MR K is a heavyweight producer making serious waves in the new Dubstep 140 low end scene. He gave me a couple tracks that were broken beat he had been sitting on and said "You should do something with these". One of which is GOLD which I only really added a Clap to and worked the arrangement and first mix down. I called on Daz I Kue for a rapper I'd heard on one of his tracks which had the right energy. Daz hooked me up with Nesha Nycee, a fierce rapper from Atlanta Georgia. She smashed it straight away and the tune just worked. This was probably the easiest out of all of them!

Nesha Nycee is a REAL rapper.

Shy One is a friend of mine and has worked with me on music a few times in the past. I always love when she sends me a beat, she has that lo fi dirty grime kind of approach, then I add my style to it and it just seemed to bode well. We worked together on Mother Nature on the Nova LP and this track for INPUT (One Design) which we were sitting on for a while. Tony got Steve Edwards (All Seeing I, Sheffield) on the vocals. This was an unexpected turn on this track that we couldn't have imagined, but it worked! This track is the epitome of INPUT in that, it went somewhere completely different!

Steve Edwards is a singer songwriter from Sheffield who works on projects with All seeing I. He has a great energy and the lyrics made me cry! Really amazing heartfelt lyrics that speak of now and has a positive uplifting vibe to it that we can all relate to. It will stick in your head for ages believe me.

Natalie May met me through soundcloud. She's been releasing UK Funky tracks for a while and worked with Rudimental. She reached out to me after hearing the Nova LP and the stuff on CoOp presents. She went to the studio with me after already writing to some instrumentals. Very professional and on point in the studio. Her voice is sweet and the perfect juxtaposition to the rough bass and drums on 'Complete Me' and when ISHFAQ got his hands on it, well... Nuf said really !

Daiva from the Lithuanian band KeyMono has worked with me for a good few years. We met in Lithuania when I was teaching music production to young people through MTV, I met their manager Istvan. She was on my Naked Truth EP and the Nova LP. I Love working with Daiva she's great! Her voice is amazing as is her professionalism. She sounds somewhere between Erykah Badu, Little Dragon and Fatima. She's always my go to for any collaboration! Hear her on 'The Edge'. The lyrics were written by Kermit (Black Grape / Ruthless Rap Assassins).

Renato Paris.. wow ! I mean what!!? We sent the backing track and two days later he sent back the vocal and we fell over! He has a voice that echo's Stevie Wonder and Omar! Really professional work ethic too. Still cant get over how good he is. This guy can REALLY sing and play keys. Watch out for more from me and Renato... Bruk meets RnB / Jazz.

We have created something special and unique where you can hear each persons input in the

tracks. We love it and hope you will too.

After presenting Detroit Swindle’s sophomore album High Life in 2018, we felt it was the right time to serve you up a tasty selection of remixes from all over the world and all over the sound palette. We’ve got some dub and boogie from Australia and the Netherlands, classic deephouse from Detroit, dark and dreamy deephouse from the UK and some high energy house from Germany. This set of remixes comes from 5 artists we hold in high regard and have made a serious impact on their part of the scene; some recently and some already a long time ago.

We invited Dutch techno -plot twist alert!- legend Steve Rachmad to come up with a re-interpretation of ‘Yes, no, maybe (feat. Tom Misch)’. His Sterac Electronics remix actually has nothing to do with techno but is an uplifting modern boogie version of the already funky original. Glimmering electronics, some added harmonics and a tight 80’s groove is what this version is all about.

The A2 is reserved for Cinthie, who took the high energy afro funk track ‘Call of the wild (feat. Jungle by Night)’ and turned it into a full on house frenzy with solo’s all around and a groove that just keeps on going and going.

The A side is completed with a remix by Jura Soundsystem, who has impressed many of us with his balaeric influenced synth-boogie, and dub on his own label ‘Isle of Jura’. Here, he chose to remix ‘High life (feat. Lorenz Rhode)’ and has done an excellent job in re-imagining the track into a tamed down, dreamy dub.

On the flip, there’s Matt Karmil’s take on one of the album’s beatless tracks ‘Ketama gold’. He goes in deep with some dusty drums and an arrangement that keeps on building and building, keeping the chord sequence from the track’s outro as a main loop and adding subtle FX, toms and acid hits and a final delivery where electronic cowbells up the energy level by a notch or two.

We finish off the compilation with a moody deephouse re-interpretation of ‘Ex machina’ by Detroit legend Gari Romalis. The twisted machine funk of the original is craftfully replaced by a dusty house loop, dreamy pads and smart usage of the original’s drum effects to build momentum.

This remix package brings a lovely new chapter into the story of ‘High Life’ and we hope you’ll enjoy these reworks as much as we do.
Yours Sincerely,

Maarten & Lars.

Regis is the founder of one of techno’s most influential and
uncompromising labels, Downwards Records. His inimitable hard
techno sound, and collaborations with Surgeon as British Murder Boys,
have cemented his legacy as the definition of the Birmingham techno.
Luke Lund is one of the Finland’s fastest rising young composers, with
the ability to move seamlessly between the marshes of dark hop to the
silkiness of deep techno. His own Terranean Recordings label has
been fearlessly documenting the Finnish underground and beyond
since 2010. King Pin Frankie is treasure untold – a live Regis recording
from New Year’s Eve 1997 in Chicago. Pounding classic minimal TR
909 with an accelerating/decelerating arppegiator make this A side a
serious find, with distorted synth moving platforms occurring as the
track winds out. TIP! Luke’s Scourge is an electronic composition
masterpiece – pinning a straight kick underneath a shifting snare,
leaving the question open – is it techno? Is it dark hop? Whatever it
may be, the bass underneath tells it big and fills up a subwoofer.
Limited Edition Print by nem0