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Project Runaway brings together two of Tel Aviv's new breed of talented DJ / producers in a meeting of tripped out, expansive, psychedelic, club music. Landing on Especial to expand horizons is Met, their debut EP of deep, percussive dubs for late night tribes. A name on many leftfield lips, Alek Lee's journey continues following two acclaimed solo releases for the wonderful Antinote crew and new project, Shame On Us (alongside Naduve and Yovav Arzi) for that brightest star, Hivern Discs. Teaming up with the sound production skills of Stephan Bazbaz they create Project Runaway. Holding down his own citywide residencies, Bazbaz has developed a studio mastery of minimal dub, crispy house and trippy techno via a growing stream releases on numerous labels, as well as setting up his own No Wave records in 2016. After their welcoming, simple, yet wall quacking remix of Persian (EES031), Met, or 'dead' in Hebrew, bring their strands together as one sound. In original form, a vibrating drum takes on bass backbone is broadened with tight layers of percussion overtones and warped vocal interplay. Lee's psychedelic imaginings are a perfect fit across Bazbaz's wide production expanse, before horns raise the heat to extreme. For deeper DJs and big system dwellers, Met (Dub) does as it should, stripping away and opening wide. Hand percussion and vox ride the channels, coming in and out of the mix, while dub stabs transfix and could run for days. A meeting of minds, drums, psychedelics and pure club love.

We are delighted to present our fourth release on 12” format, a very special collaboration with legendary Jamaican trombone player Vin Gordon.
"Bowl go, packy come" is an old Jamaican proverb equivalent to “what goes around comes around”, or in a more positive form “one good turn deserves another”. In this EP it symbolises the migrations and cultural exchanges between Jamaica and UK and back from UK to Jamaica and the rest of the world, pretty similar to the life journey of Vin Gordon himself. The music and the artwork here try to represent that continuum of exchange between both shores.
The Ep contains two uptempo instrumental tracks that are a mix of classic Jamaican sounds with a UK influence, combining classic live instrumentation and modern programming. Each track comes with it’s own dub version mixed analog live by Ojah in traditional fashion.
Also available complementing this release is ALDBS7008 “What Goes Around Comes Around”, a 7” that contains an additional Hammond and melodica solo version and an additional dub of the “Packy” riddim.
Limited edition of 600 copies, 180g heavyweight 12” vinyl, hand-numbered, served in a spined sleeve with outstanding artwork by Victor Castro.

Hammond & melodica recorded by Nik Torp at Squat Sound Studio, London, UK, 2015
Percussion & keys recorded by Ojah at Rollover Studios, London, UK, 2015
Trombone recorded by Jamez at Black Lindy Studio, London, UK, 2015
Guitars recorded by Puppa Shan at Discoinferno, Madrid, Spain, 2018
All tracks produced, mixed and mastered by Oscar Pablos “Ojah” at Alchemy Dubs Studio, London, UK, 2018
Graphic design by Victor Castro

Heist is first and foremost a label dedicated to quality house music with an eccentric angle. Promoting great music from the Netherlands comes as a close second. After presenting a lot of notable artists from our country, it’s great to showcase another young Dutch talent with our latest release: Perdu.
You might know him from his solo debut on Let’s Play House or the follow up on Optimo Music last year. Perdu’s music gets played by the big ones in the game like Hunee, Optimo and Palms Trax to name a few; and obviously, by us. We’re proud to introduce you to his “Skye EP”. His new release includes 3 varied originals and a rave anthem made by none other than our fun loving Ozzie friend DJ Boring.
The A side kicks off with “Jane’s World” and is the track that made us fall in love with this EP when we heard the demo. It’s a worldly tinged house monster, filled with harmonized drum rolls, a counting Frenchman and a funky arpeggio for good measure.
“Sacramento” takes a more introverted approach, leaning on a broken beat and atmospheric pads. The consistency of the kalimba with the vocal gives it a certain swing that got our ears longing for more.

The B-side starts with “Morbid”, a life-affirming electronic anthem, where Perdu shows his mastery of creating a proper build up. Over the whole course of the track, there’s a lead that slowly but surely opens its filter. There’s bells, harps, hand percussion and rides that all build up towards a lovely climax towards the end, while the track never feels like it’s forcing itself upon you.
Where the 3 originals are all, to some extent, quite introverted and modest, DJ Boring’s remix is anything but that. His version of “Jane’s World” is all about ravey leads, powerful percussion and huge breakdowns, which will do wonders at any festival or club closing set.
We hope to pleasantly surprise some of you, and as always, make a musical impact on your moment in the club, at home, or wherever it is you enjoy the music of our new Heist release.

Yours Sincerely,

Maarten & Lars.

This score is pound-for-pound the funkiest with its heavy bass and drum groove throughout each movement of the score. Most of the pieces from this soundtrack also include killer samples and breaks, my favourites being 'The Diamond Fortress' with Ronnie Scott on solo sax and Chris Karan on Drums and 'Thief On The Prowl' featuring Tubby Hayes and Daryl Runswick on Bass. This release also has an exclusive edit. The Main Theme (vocal by The Three Degrees) and instrumental scores have been combined to deliver an unforgettable version of this great title theme. Now for the first time, Dynamite Cuts brings you yet another exclusive 2x7' 45 collection featuring some of Roy Budd's finest work.

DIAMONDS Musicians

Roy Budd Key boards - Harpsichord, Clavinet, Electric Piano

Paul Fishman - ARP 2600, Electronic programmed

Daryl Runswick - Bass & Double bass

Brain Daly & Judd Proctor - Guitar

Ronnie Verrell - Drums,

Tristian Fry - Percussion

Frank Riccotti - Vibraphone

Ronnie Scott - Alto Sax

Tubby Hayes - Baritone & Flute

The Three Degrees - vocals on 'Diamonds theme'

String orchestral parts led by violinist Sidney Sax: 1974 The National philharmonic

Recorded at CTS Wembley

Roy Budd - Arranger

In 2017 Blair French came out of hibernation to release contrasting but similarly sun-kissed EPs on Rocksteady Disco and Claremont 56.

Here, he returns to action with a scintillatingly sunny and sensual six-tracker on NuNorthern Soul that may well be his strongest release to date.

Given French's chameleon-like musical history, that's certainly a bold claim.
Over the years, he's been a member of a multitude of musical collectives - most notably Cosmic Handshakes and Formless Figures - established his own DIY record label (Fat Finger Cosmic) and released music that touches on a dizzying array of styles, from award-winning movie soundtracks and Afro-fired deep house, to skewed techno, blissful ambience and experimental hip-hop.

On Patio Pastel, French is in full on sand-between-the-toes Balearic mood, delivering a range of lucid, ear-pleasing compositions that will sashay their way into your consciousness.
Contrast, for example, the drowsy organs, glistening pedal steel and undulating hand percussion of opener 'Patio Pastel' with the Serge Gainsbourg style chanson-goes-tropical bliss of 'La Playa De Tercipelo', which features some deliciously breathy vocals from Stephanie Lyon.

Then there's 'Morning Sail', a sumptuously evocative soundscape rich in toasty, dub disco bass, shuffling percussion and lilting, Jonny Nash style guitar solos (see also the effortlessly horizontal Lounsbury Gardens'), and the kaleidoscopic, saucer-eyed Balearic pop brilliance of ;'Human Make Human', where new age synthesizer melodies and the fuzzy vocal refrain of Kasi Seguin gentle dances above an Afro-flecked, mid-tempo groove.

Throughout the EP, French mixes electronic and acoustic instrumentation, drawing together musical elements from a myriad of styles to create sumptuous new fusions.
It's particularly evident on superb closer 'Belle Isle Sunsets', where colourful synth motifs, eyes-closed guitar riffs and Mediterranean-warm chords wrap themselves around a gently pulsating, impressively layered groove.
Like the rest of the EP, it's perfectly pitched, expertly executed and wonderfully atmospheric.

With 2019 marking 50 years since David Bowie's first hit, Space Oddity, Parlophone is set to release a 7" vinyl singles box set of nine previously unreleased recordings* from the era during which Space Oddity was first conceived.The title 'Spying Through A Keyhole' is a lyric taken from the previously unknown song, Love All Around, and though most of the other titles are known, these versions have never been officially released until late last year. Most of the recordings are solo vocal and acoustic home demo performances, unless otherwise stated. 
The design of each single label is presented to reflect the way David sent many of his demos to publishers and record companies, featuring his own handwritten song titles on EMIDISC acetate labels. The singles themselves are all mono and play at 45 r.p.m.
 
Due to the nature of some of the solo home demos where Bowie accompanied himself on acoustic guitar, the recording quality isn't always of a usual studio fidelity. This is partly due to David's enthusiastic strumming hitting the red on a couple of the tracks, along with the limitations of the original recording equipment and tape degradation. However, the historical importance of these songs and the fact that the selections are from an archive of tracks cleared for release by Bowie, overrides this shortcoming.

Repress!

Following on from the standout D.J. Rogers release, South Street Disco turn their sights to reissuing two seminal and much sought after '70s jazz funk Loft classics. One side houses Miroslav Vitouš' cosmic disco delight 'New York City', the other uncovers the Latin infused whirlwind 'Whistle Bump' from Eumir Deodato.

First up, the Czech jazz bassist and founding member of Weather Report, Miroslav Vitouš, supplies the infectious vibrations of 'New York City'. Harnessing the spirit of the bubbling NYC underground club scene of the mid '70s, Vitous lays down a proto Arthur Russell flavoured jam, that blends whirling new-wave-esque vocals and brazen basslines over trademark cosmic keys from the master, Herbie Hancock. Combined with tight drumming and fiery, overdriven riffs it paved the way for this to become a dancefloor hit and a clear precursor to the early house scene. With originals trading hands for £120+ it's high time 'New York City' got an official remastered reissue.

On the flip side, a timeless Brazilian instrumental jazz-funk gem from Eumir Deodato that likewise became a certified classic through heavy rotations on New York's revered dancefloors, most notably via David Mancuso at The Loft. Feel good feelings amplified by spirited Rhodes, psychedelic strumming and that sure-fire Latin infused bongo / whistle carnival combo. Carefree, unbridled energy that sees Pops Popwell's funk bass perfectly accompanying blazing guitar solos and a horn section from heaven, it's impossible not to get down to. Pure South American sunshine bottled up and ready to be supplied at will.

BT33 drags back Marco Bernardi for his 3rd solo EP on brokntoys.Plat + Form P.F. finds Marco run ragged through time, revisiting his sleeper-project Octogen's lost 3rd (!) album alongside his latest productions Cruising the dystopia, the EP moves through unnerving melodies hung against stuttering rhythms.
Handstamped and with screenprinted sleeve.

Gary Holldman returns to International Day Off for a solo work , delivering four original & trippy techno tracks on hand-stamped vinyl.

Ronnie McNeir has been associated with Expansion for over 30 years through his own Setting Sun label. Now on 7' for the first time in the UK Expansion bring something special for Record Store Day, 500 hand numbered copies of the 1981 Detroit soul single 'My Baby'. An original copy will set you back £100 and these limited edition RSD pressings will become sought after too. 'Hold On' comes from the 1989 Expansion album 'Life & Love', and is released for the first time here on 7' single. Ronnie currently tours as a member of The Four Tops and is back to perform a rare solo concert in June 2019 as part of this year's Blackpool International Soul Festival.

Laid back and chilled out, Andrew never lets anything or anyone bother him. He has an air of mystique about him which others often envy.

(Andrea Solitario) ANDREW SOUL Andrew from his real name, Soul as the part where his inspiration come from, is a native italian producer born in 1986.

Music has been the first and everlasting love for this guy who soon came into his city's underground scene: he was 15 years old when he walked into a club for the first time. Then everything came by itself: a fusion of house and techno, the passion for the acidized sounds filled his mind and his heart.

But listening wasn't enough: the love for the music was to much for not to create something.

So Andrew started a path made by wicked grooves, dropping acid synths and emotional vibes, huge baseline, soulfoul vocals, roland tr-707 on the drums: these featuring characterize at best Andrew's sound.
The love for the analog sound push him over the years to purchase some vintage drum machine and keyboards, to make his sound as better as he can, and to add to his sound some cool old flavour.

Having DJd for years in his native Italy, Andrew turned his hand to production a few years back and promptly set about making some of the most emotive and engaging analogue house and techno around.

Vinyl collector, record lover, for him there's nothing better than watching a wax riding a turntable and listen the music that come from it.
As an eclectic artist, in his sets, Andrew likes to mix from deep to techno, through the house, but people never know what to expect from his large underground music knowledge; old, classic, brand new tunes and own productions makes his set really sophisticated and different each time.

After working on music collaborations for several years, with some friends , early 2011 was time to start sharing solo productions with his first release on Paulatine Records, wellknowed Uner's label. 4 tracks that take attention of many wellknowed djs, like X-Press2 that played the tracks at MOS and on their radioshow, Adam Port who said "Finally something different..." and many others..
Then two vinyl release: first one on the great Barcelona based Kiara Records "Too Much Love Will Kill You", Julien Chaptal on remix, and second one on the New York based imprint Stranjjur Inc, on remix Kris Wadsworth and Baldo; "Close To You" placed 29th on RA Chart.
A great tune with the close friend Frank Naht alongside a remix for Fabio Monesi on friend's label Blackrose Records, and an EP on Espai Music to follow.
End of 2012 was good: EP come out on the Defected's sub label "Tenth Circle"
November 2012 was also time for releasing on Safari Numerique with David Labeji on remix, and the track "No Way" played by Richie Hawtin.
2013 full of work and innovation, with 2 remixes on italian Moan Rec for Meeph, and U.S. based Undulate Recordings for Frank Nath, a really deep EP on his new family Popcorn Records, and jacking mode on for the new release on Safari Numerique.
2014 starts with a vinyl only release on Popcorn Records Ltd, special collaboration with Peter JD and remixes from Amir Alexander and Franco Cinelli.

The path is long and Andrew's research is still long way to end...

Rudie will recognise Bobby Sarkie from The Tartans and The Immortals (not to mention his solo roots killer Better World). His singing here is expertly reined in by desolation, numbness and regret, over a hollowed-out, mesmeric rhythm, with some nasty synth-work and casually brilliant effects on the drums. The vocal cut is more than a minute longer than the version which opens the Jah Son Invasion album with such a flourish; and the mix is different, with more prominent keys, and toned-down bass. It's previously unreleased, like the dub.The B-side is booby-trapped with sensational instrumental excursions on Junior Delahaye's Working Hard For The Rent Man and Jackie Mittoo's almighty Drum Song, which conclude the same original tape-reel as Over And Over. Rent Rebate features masterful, boppish soprano saxophone-playing by Roland Alphonso, and restrained guitar interjections by Barry Vincent, with a Spanish tang. The superb hand-drumming on Mount Zion is by Ras Menelik; and it's Mittoo himself on organ (or just maybe Clive Hunt, Wackies can't quite remember).

Following his 2017 solo debut EP, "Resisting in the Darkness", Tyler Dancer takes a step toward the light in his second outing for DBA, "62 Miles High".

Written in Hasselt, Belgium, "62 Miles High" finds the Shake-collaborator drawing upon his Detroit and Midwest influences to reveal another page from his sonic journey.

"I Remember When" is the sixth album from Tokyo based nostalgic ambient soloist Ex Confusion.
The album finds Atsuhito Omori bringing Ex Confusion back to n5MD after a release each with Plancha and Orchid Tapes. 'I Remember When' finds Omori carefully carving music out of hazy memories. Emotive, abstracted, and overcast (as the cover art itself alludes to). Omori excels at his brand of heart to hands clouded ambient by utilizing faded repetition with ghostly percolating guitars printed to old formats. Omori has been doing this type of minimalist modern compositional ambient for nearly a decade but never has it sounded so focused in its conception.
As a bonus to an album of such understated beauty Omori includes a recent collaboration with Thomas Meluch's Benoit Pioulard pseudonym which further adds to the faded photograph characteristics of "I Remember When."

A third of Italian production act Agents Of Time, Sharp Felon loops out of the trio's orbit to land his debut solo EP on Maceo Plex's Lone Romantic, 'Let The Game Begin' - featuring three stunt-driving cosmonautical bangers that aim to abolish all sense of gravity in the club and beyond. Breaking in at fierce speed, 'Devil Trail' attacks pedal to the metal and leaves prismatic wisps of vapor in its wake. A proper electro-magnetic dasher, the track alternates steady shooting sequences of 303-marinated bass with eloquent kosmische-indebted synth maneuvers and laser-precise breaks, all joining forces to have your feet shuffling and mind drifting up into higher spheres of consciousness in one potent backhanded caress.

A more straightforward affair, B-side opener 'Telework Titan' lifts its listener off to a further compelling state of meditative balance through a nonetheless muscular groove and epic-sized sub-bass moves. Cruising in the upper layers of the stratosphere, Sharp Felon's stamps on the accelerator of his shark-mouthed spaceship and hedgehops across craggy alien reliefs with personal hands-on skills. Intergalactic transmissions announce an imminent extra-terrestrial invasion, it's time to tune out and enter the melee. Laser guns blazing and acid stabs smoking, 'Cyber Fex' nose-dives in an enemy-occupied territory and washes over the ground brawl like a hi-tech tsunami. Purebred Donald-ian face-melter in sheer Dopplereffekt meets Arpanet fashion, this one lacks no oomph.

PAUL LABRECQUE (SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN) and GHAZI BARAKAT (PHAROAH CHROMIUM) present two epic cosmic, dystopian tracks where guitars, synths and traditional instruments blend into an anarchic sound system.

After excessive years in rock bands like THE GOLDEN SHOWERS or his solo project BOY FROM BRAZIL, time had come for the German-Palestinian artist GHAZI BARAKAT to develop a new aesthetic - the birth of his alias PHAROAH CHROMIUM where BARAKAT creates "meta-music for meta-people in a meta-world", or in other words:a mutoid blend of post-krautrock, psychedelism, free jazz, ancient rituals, science fiction and electronics. So far the Berlin based sonic performer released a couple of solo albums on labels like GRAUTAG or TAPEWORM and a triple LP with krautrock legend GÜNTER SCHICKERT. For his latest output he decided to simply use his civilian name BARAKAT, as does PAUL LaBRECQUE (SUNBURNED HAND OF THE MAN) who contributesguitar and synthesizer to the two side-long tracks. "Jajouka Pipe Dream" is a clear reference to the MASTER MUSICIANS OF JAJOUKA, with lots of flutes and percussion, a very rhythmical, ritualistic track, while "Planet R-101" turns out a spacey trip with elements of krautrock and Kosmische Musik / Berliner Schule.

What may sound contradictionary on paper functions perfectly on LP - freeform / free-floating music, absorbing and integrating a wide range of influences and inspirations, sounds and styles - and highly psychedelic!

Credits:

Ghazi Barakat: guembri, moog synthesizer, beats, Rauschpfeife

Paul LaBrecque: guitar, synthesizer

Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin

Artwork + photography: Nicolas Moulin

Planet E present the Michele Chiavarini and DJ Steve Crawford remixes of 'Just Like Muzik' and 'The Sabath' taken from Terrence Parker's 2017 album 'GOD Loves Detroit'. The three-track remix EP is due for release March 8th. Handpicked by Terrence Parker himself, both remixers offer fresh takes on two of the standout tracks of the original LP. For the first and last track of the EP Michele Chiavarini reworks 'Just Like Muzik', with a bass lick which dances in and out of shuffling hats, channelling the high energy of the original house patterns and stabs into something different. Soulful pad progressions merge with Merachka's original vocal, before energetic strings and vibraphone solo take over, carrying the listener along. DJ Steve Crawford's remix of 'The Sabath' sees him transpose the arpeggiated synth rhythm and pads of the original into a fresh grooving 4/4 affair. Congas and punching kicks meet with harmonious string melody and slapped bass, creating a head-nodding reimagining of the master.

As humans living on the planet today, we have become so removed from our original, natural habitat—the forest—that we forget our wild roots, our primal, animal origins. Music is one of the things that can bring us back to that place, that can put us in contact with a felt world of instinct, immediacy, and presence: a world where language and the problem-solving mind are not needed, where the music keeps your mind and body in the present moment, and the point of dancing becomes the dance of our inner wildness and animality itself. Hans Berg's Sounds of the Forest Forgotten affirms that music can bring us to a state of mind and body that can help us feel what we've forgotten from the forest. The overlaying project of the album is to conjure musical and conceptual resonances between mysticism and nature, summoning the incredible depth and force of nature that we usually miss, especially living in contemporary urban cities. Sounds of the Forest Forgotten channels the creativity, playfulness, and freedom of a life both before and beyond ours through the sounds of analog and digital synthesizers, a modular system, drum machines, and computers. Recorded between Hans's studios in Berlin and on the Swedish countryside, the album similarly shuttles between contemplative and ecstatic, between delicate and powerful, mixing sublime psychedelic techno compositions like 'Emerald Sea' with acidic dance-floor bangers like 'Storm' and 'Milk Thistle,' all nestled between contemplative and textural ambient compositions like 'Butterfly' and 'Glow Worm.' Berg is known for his enthralling productions and energetic livesets that capture dance floors with his particular brand of hypnotic techno, replete with angular lines, affecting melodies, pulsating basslines, and big drums. He also produces atmospheric scores and ambient soundscapes to accompany the video art and installations of long-term collaborator and celebrated artist Nathalie Djurberg. Berg's live sets have found a home in nightclubs around the world, with recent gigs in Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Tokyo, and Melbourne, to name a few. In addition to 2MR, he has released his solo work on record labels including Ian Pooley's imprint Montage, Klasse Recordings, and The Vinyl Factory. His ongoing collaboration with fellow Swede Johanna Knutsson - as Knutsson/Berg - has led them to start the label UFO Station Recordings, on which they release their own material. The duo also has released on labels such as Idle Hands, Default Position, Kann, and Random Island.

Limited Edition Of 500 Copies On Black 2lp Vinyl. Comes In Gatefold Sleeve With A Funky Artwork By Boggie Cramb! Skipping Through Endlessly Boring 70s Flics From Eastern Germany And Digging In The Crates For 1€ Records Crammed With Scheisse Volksmusik Is Something Torky Does All The Time. Don`t Ask Yourself Why. Listen!

Alt. folker Will Oldham - better known as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - is set to drop a joint record with gently psychedelic crew Trembling Bells

Just four years after their debut album Carbeth, Trembling Bells are amassing a formidable body of work at a startling velocity. Just twelve months after the release of their critically acclaimed third album The Constant Pageant, the Glasgow quartet return to share the billing with a similarly restless creative spirit. A few thousand miles separate Will Oldham and Trembling Bells' drummer and principal songwriter Alex Neilson, but their stories intersect as far back as 2005, when the young Leeds-raised Neilson found himself playing drums on Alasdair Roberts' No Earthly Man, with Oldham producing. In time, a friendship between mentor and student became one between two kindred musicians. Neilson augmented his work with free-psych-drone practitioners Directing Hand by playing with the Bonnie 'Prince' Billy band. The drummer's eagerness to experience new epiphanies yielded unforgettable memories. In Big Sur, he recalls, 'we took mushrooms at midnight, then visited a natural hot spring built into the dramatic cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The stars were as vivid as frozen fireworks.' All of which is worth dwelling on, because without that background of mutual openness and empathy, it's hard to imagine The Marble Downs existing.

Neilson recalls a conversation about a 'collaboration' in the summer of 2010, though stresses that it 'was nothing too formal at first'. By the end of that year, a limited-edition seven-inch New Year's Eve Is The Loneliest Night of the Year showed what an inspired match the vocals of Trembling Bells singer Lavinia Blackwall and Will Oldham made. The cut-glass precision of the classically-trained student of medieval music and the worldly, careworn tones of Oldham created an unlikely chemistry. It must have seemed that way to Neilson too. He set about assembling a cache of songs with the purpose of further harnessing that chemistry. The result is an album that has, once again, redrafted the boundaries of what Trembling Bells can achieve together. Indeed, genre-lines aren't terribly helpful this time around. Yes, Trembling Bells' love affair with traditional music remains a constant — most emphatically so on the unaccompanied Blackwall/Oldham two-hander, My Husband's Got No Courage In Him. Then there is Blackwall's musical setting of Dorothy Parker's poem Excursion Into Assonance — and the thorough-going new-found classicism of Neilson's increasingly assured songwriting. Albeit delivered with Trembling Bells' rain-lashed sense of abandon, Love Is A Velvet Noose sounds like a standard of sorts — a warped consequence of Neilson's increasing fascination with the songbooks of Cole Porter and Hoagy Carmichael. 'I'm not saying I stand any chance of emulating them,' he adds, 'but the appreciation is definitely there.'

The knowledge that Oldham and Blackwall would be sharing centre-stage on The Marble Downs gave Neilson extra impetus to flex his songwriting muscles. I Can Tell You're Leaving finds both vocalists on irresistible form, dissecting their dying relationship with no heed to the other's feelings. 'You treat me like a child,' sings Oldham. 'I need a man,' she responds, barely catching breath. 'Now like Merle Haggard, you'll see the fighting side of me,' he later promises. 'I guess that's one of the lighter moments on the album,' ponders Neilson, 'I was trying to get a Planet Waves-era Bob Dylan feel there, with the piano and walking bassline.'

Here and elsewhere, the band — Blackwall, Neilson, bassist Simon Shaw and guitarist Mike Hastings — has never sounded more psychically attuned to one-other. On the slow-reveal sonic establishing shot of I Made A Date (With An Open Vein), two minutes of manic modal chaos elapses before Oldham takes the narrative reins of a majestic call-and-response folk-rock epic. The electrifying free-folk portent of Riding — a revival of the Palace Brothers classic — is no less compelling, calling to mind the words of broadcaster Stuart Maconie when he praised Trembling Bells for their ability to invoke simultaneously 'the charm of folk music and the power of rock.' Ditto Ain't Nothing Wrong With A Little Longing, in which Neilson slams down a four-to-the-floor beat over a synergy of demonic krautrock keys and a dialogue between Oldham and Blackwall that scales Nancy & Lee levels of romantic intrigue.

With nine songs gone and one remaining, the album's sonic undulations find an arresting denouement in the form of an inspired cover. Adapted from Robin Gibb's 1970 solo masterpiece Robin's Reign, Lord Bless All sees Trembling Bells tease out the hymnal qualities of Gibb's original with a slow volcanic upswell which — on four minutes — explodes into heavy psychedelic technicolour. What pleases Alex Neilson when he listens back is 'a sense of a common vocabulary and identity being forged.' If, by that, he means that there isn't another band on the planet that quite sounds like Trembling Bells, it would be hard to disagree. The evidence is right here.

'I didn't know anything about Trembling Bells. I just heard them and was knocked out. I instantly became a fan.' Paul Weller

'Trembling Bells are my kind of band.' Joe Boyd

"Jesus fucking shit! These jamz claw so hard at the tatties below methinks the Lord misnamed them, having intended to say Trembling BALLS." Will Oldham

'A poetic incantation of British identity far brighter than Michael Gove's GCSE syllabus.' Stewart Lee

'This time, I'm attempting to reclaim the art of songwriting from the charity shop bargain bin.' Alex Neilson

Corey Fuller Is One Half Of The Duo Illuha On 12k And Break Is His Frst Solo Recording For 12k. A Crashing Wave, The Breaking Dawn, An Impact, The Crushing Of Emotional Spirit... The Breaking Of A Storm. These Are All Relevant Ideas Behind His Choice Of A Title For This Highly Emotional Abum. Fuller Has Addressed The Universality Of Human Struggle Without Going Into Specifcs Of His Own Personal Waves. The Ideas That We As Humans All Share Many Of The Same Diffculties Is Both A Launching Point And A Message He Wishes To Share With Break — The Catharsis.
While Illuha's Music Is Known For Its Attention To Small Sounds And Light Textures, Break, While Equally As Fragile, Sees Fuller Working With Much Heavier Elements. Still Highly Melodic, The Work Pulls And Churns Between Harmony And Tension, Weight And Air, The Crash Of A Wave, The Pull Of The Undertoe. The Album Is Focused Intensely On Melody And Harmony, Progressions More Carefully Composed Than The Serendipitous Found Sound Of His Work With Illuha.
The Piano Is Often At The Center Of These Songs, An Instrument (his Own) That Has Become Much An Extension Of His Own Body. His Own Voice Plays An Important Role As Well, Sometimes Lyrically Ethereal And Sometimes Just A Breath Signifying The Ever-fragile Thread Of Life. Beautifully Recorded
In His Tokyo Studio, The Sounds Are Captured With All Of Their Inherent Physical Faws. As Fuller Himself States About The Piano Being recorded In A Way That You Can Hear The Bones, Like An Open Ribcage, Moving Contorting...' Everything On Break Is There For A Reason, Not Just The Sound And Soul Of The Piano But The Electronic Elements As Well, Rattling Bass Tones And Dramatic, Emotional Waves Of Synthesizer Rising And Dissolving.
If A Single Word Can Be Used To Describe Break It Is Physical. From The Instruments And Techniques Used To Produce The Album To The Concepts Of Vulnerability Of The Human Body. Break Is An Emotional Riptide Where Violence And Rest Struggle To Be The Last Voice.


i) Adrift
ii) Asunder
iii) Aground

Two sun shine soaked, Latin infused Eddie Palmieri joints from the 1978 album Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo get the official, remastered reissue treatment - with original copies of the 7' trading hands for upwards of £60.

Born in New York to Puerto Rican parents, multi Grammy award winner Palmieri is a stratospheric salsa master. And for the Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo LP he assembled a powerhouse, 30 strong jazz orchestra, featuring the likes of Dom um Romao, Steve Khan, Lew Soloff, Jon Faddis, Hiram Bullock and Palmieri's brother Charlie.

In an era dominated by disco, 'Spirit Of Love' took to the dancefloor, drawing on the glamour and magnetism of the late '70s. Palmieri's distinctive style still weaves its way through though, melding Afro-Caribbean rhythms with modern jazz. 'Spirit Of Love' is full to the brim with striking vocals, cow bells and big horn sections, blended with psychedelic guitars that riff off against clavinet touches and expressive Montunos melodies. Spirit of the salsa, for the disco dancer!

On the flip 'Lucumi, Macumba, Voodoo' is a masterpiece of Latin fusion, with Palmieri's unique arrangements squeezing that Puerto Rican flavour out of every added instrument. Trumpet blasts and sax solos marry with woops and whistles and Latin chants. Couple that with sensuous piano melodies and irresistible percussive elements and it's a recipe of Caribbean spice that'll liven up any record collection.

The Seeds of Fulfillment by David Drazin (November 2018)

Andrew Venson founded Seeds of Fulfillment (SOF) in early 1978. In the 1960s he had played electric bass with Arthur Conley, and later the original Peaches and Herb. On the same bill with Big Brother and the Holding Company, he hung out backstage with Janis Joplin. Yes! Vince was hoping SOF would get all of us to the top. He composed three tunes for the band, and we always had a ball playing them.

Roger Myers is a marvelous drummer. We co-composed Namaste. Roger would settle on a drum pattern of four measures at a time that he wanted to keep, and I'd put chords and melody right on top of his pattern. When he layered a second drum pattern on top of the first one, we'd get two melodies at the same time. We thought we were going to collaborate on more songs this way, but it didn't happen.

Lee Savory is a very inventive jazz man. He's musically literate, and wrote excellent transpositions. I remember Lee's asking for my input while he was composing Tight Squeeze, but it was clear he had it down. Once when I was visiting a DJ who played the album in a local radio station, the total of checks next to Tight Squeeze for number of plays was by far the highest!

Randy Mather's sax playing always knocked me out. I could hardly wait to hear him solo. When he left SOF to go with Woody Herman's orchestra it was amazing, but true.

Jeanette Williams had recorded 45s for the Duke and Peacock label when she was 17 years old. Her powerful singing was incredible to me. When we needed an original for Jeanette, Vince composed it, and Roger's wife Linda wrote the lyrics.

In 1978 I was in my senior year at Ohio State University when I met Vince. He came into a bar called My Brother's Place where I was playing with a trumpet player named Bobby Alston. When I was a freshman at OSU I'd played in an off campus band called Akadama. Before that I played in my home town of Cleveland, Ohio in the Brush High School Stage Band and a jobbing band called The Midnight Combo.

Everyone in the band contributed something to Egg Cartons in a composition jam session. We rehearsed in Vince's basement, and he had covered the walls with egg cartons to make the room sound more like a recording studio. The Provider was inspired by Country Preacher by Joe Zawinul. In those days I especially admired the way Zawinul would get his soulful feelings across, but also loved Herbie Hancock and to a lesser degree Chick Corea too. It took two years (with a break of several months) for the band to conquer Self-Fulfilling Prophecy. It shows you what consideration and dedication is, that ultimately they felt it was worth learning.

We recorded at Fifth Floor Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio. While we were there I got to shake hands with Bootsy Collins, who was recording in the rooms downstairs at the same time. Years later, Fifth Floor burned down and all the master tapes were destroyed.

Jurek Przedziecki's solo Epi Centrum project thunders back with a brand new LP out on Damon Wild's Synewave Records imprint. After a handful of enthusiastically received (supported by, among others, Laurent Garnier, DJ Hell and Joey Beltram) records on numerous renowned Euro labels, Warsaw-based classically trained composer and Buchla System 200e affictionado, delivers a massive dose of muscular-yet obsessively detailed acid funk techno. His 8-tracker - Excrescence" mixes old and new, tapping on seminal Detroit retrofuturism and heavy-duty pounding mania. One can also hear ghostly echoes of his 90s post-industrial faves like Coil or SPK. Record, quite varied in itself, ranging from relentless bangers ('Association') to mental acid cuts ('Blaming Others') and slow bass pulsations ('Limited Useful Life'), should fit nicely in the Synewave repertoire. Simply unmissable.

After the release of their playful debut album "Worldstyle" the Budapest duo are now returning with their 2nd album "Brotherhood" and this time their message is more serious. The music if often summons blues elements but also influenced by dub, funk and a little hip-hop while the lyrics are mainly about the social and personal problems of our time interpreted by talented guest vocalists from all over the world. The guest performance of KRSA puts the point on the letter 'i' in 'Brotherhood' and in the other reggae-inspired song 'Pass It On'. Being one of the dominant figures of the Hungarian ska movement he is an
important guest on the album. As the main driving force behind the 90's very popular and recently revived British band Freak Power Ashely Slater needs no introduction. He has worked with Dub Pistols, Dublex Inc., or Fort Knox Five, and his
talents and professional performances are turbocharges three
completely different songs. 'Revolution!' has previously released in 2016 as a 7' single and features dazzling electro blues and Ashley's food for thought lyrics. In 'Life Is Love' he proves that his talent has no barriers whether he sings lonely doo-woptempo or the dub-ska of 'People Kill People' which is a unique cover of Éric Serra's seminal 80's cult classic 'Guns & People'.
Denise M'Baye known as the MC/singer of Mo'Horizons is featured in two downtempo tracks. 'Wings' is a laidback song about love while and 'All My Life Is In This Bag' smuggles back a little bit of the mood of 'Worldstyle'.Fedora is the best-known female MC/singer of the Hungarian bass music life. She made her own solo album in 2017. With 'Come Away With Me'
she proves that she's not only an bass music MC, but a great singer with deep emotions. Another guest from Hungary is the lead singer of the downtempo-funk band Mystical Plants. Bryant Goodman contributes to the album in two different tracks with his gravelly voice. 'Bad Man's Ballad is bittersweet song about the average politician of our age while 'Keep Going On' on
the other hand is full of playfulness and delivers a short but positive message.
At last but not least we have the Ghanaian M3NSA on the board from Fokn Bois and RedRed. His lyrics in 'It Works' is very motivating for everyone and spreads the message of not giving up even if the world is seemingly against you.
Savages Y Suefo's new album 'Brotherhood' is a lot different from their previous one in many ways but it remained just as eclectic as its predecessor 'Worldstyle' and still proves Savages Y Suefo's wide interest and openness in music that is needed today... and not just in music.

German electronic originator Gudrun Gut's latest solo collection distills a lifetime of persuasions and obsessions into a compelling 14-track statement: "Moment." Stark, somber, sultry, and clever, the sides slide between ballad and lament, synth-pop and spoken word, anthemic and abstract.

Gut's background as a key figure in Berlin's first-wave industrial uprising still casts an aura in the music's mechanized rhythms and frozen emotional palette but decades of improvisation and collaboration have deepened her sense of composition and melody beyond any easy genre categorization.

If anything "Moment" finds Gut's muse at its most enigmatic, threading shades of motorik hypnosis, technoid laboratory, coldwave pop, glitchy gauze, and even a gender-bent Bowie cover ('Boys Keep Swinging') into its eclectic web. It also showcases the depth and detail of her voice, reserved but suggestive, intoning blunt truths and opaque poetry in both German and English.

This is music of history and heartache, modernity and desire, alienation and expression, by a singular creative committed to the complexities of sound. - Britt Brown

Gudrun Gut's story spans many years, scenes, and sounds, from the 'ingenious dilettantes' subculture of early 1980's Berlin as part of Mania D, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Malaria! to her twilit industrial pop trio Matador into an expansive solo catalog of later work scoring films, videos, and radio plays. Her talents extend beyond musician, however, to include founding record labels (the influential imprints Moabit Musik and Monika Enterprise), club nights (progressive electronic pop collective Oceanclub), and experimental feminist collaborations (Monika Werkstatt).

Gut also works extensively in the technical sector of the recording industry, as a producer. Recent projects have included collaborations with Antye Greie (AGF) and Hans-Joachim Irmler of Faust, participating on the advisory committee for Musicboard Berlin, and performing at The Royal Albert Hall with Âme as part of an Innervisions label night.

*Landing on Alchemy Dubs is our third release on 12' format, a very special collaboration between Ojah, Fikir Amlak, Don Fe and Nik Torp.

The A side contains the track 'On my mind', a vocal version of Ojah's 'Mind' riddim that features beautiful vocals and harmonies by Fikir Amlak paired with inspiring and emotional lyrics. The second cut is a vocal dub version mixed in analog live by Ojah.

On the B side we find Don Fe's excellent flute version 'Remind' that takes the riddim to a different dimension with its deep and meditational melodies. The second cut on this side is a haunted flute dub version, also mixed live by Ojah in classic fashion.
The Hammond and melodica featured on both sides have been played by Nik Torp (keyboard player from The Specials) and masterfully recorded through an MCI desk that used to belong to Island Records (hundreds of seminal records where recorded through it, including for example Bob Marley's Exodus).

Also available complementing this release is ALDBS7007, a 7' that contains an additional Hammond & melodica solo version and an additional dub.

Limited edition of 600 copies, 180g heavyweight vinyl, hand-numbered, served in a thick custom sleeve with amazing artwork by Victor Castro.

Produced by Ojah, recorded at Alchemy Dubs Studio, London, UK
Hammond & melodica by Nikolaj Torp Larsen 'Nik Torp', recorded by George Murphy at Eastcote Studio 1, London, UK
Vocals on A1 by Fikir Amlak, recorded by Manuel Guerra Rubio at Arkchant Studio, Barcelona, Spain
Flute on B1 by Don Fe, recorded by Don Fe at Don Fe Studio, Murcia, Spain
Mixed & mastered by Oscar Pablos 'Ojah" at Alchemy Dubs Studio, London, UK
Graphic design by Victor Castro

The first release on ALIM Music is presented by BBE insider Mr Thing and features an extended edit of the J Dillaclassic 'Rico Suave Bossa Nova', with 'Come Get It' on the flip side; both taken from Dilla's stunning solo debut album 'Welcome 2 Detroit'.

ALIM Music releases will be issued on strictly limited, highly collectible, dinked and hand stamped 7' vinyl, available only at The BBE Store in Hackney or via the BBE Music website.

About Alim Music:
Celebrating its 22nd year of barely breaking even, respected underground label BBE announces the birth of ALIM Music, a daughter label releasing 7' vinyl in strictly limited numbers. Digging deep in the BBE archive as well as issuing exclusive edits and original material, Alim Music offers up a series of choice cuts on that most magical of formats, the vinyl 45.

The name Hugo Mari might not ring a bell just yet, but we've got a feeling this is about to change real soon. He's released a handful of EP's under his former alias Books on Omena and XVI including his own edit series on the latter label (check out his killer track 'in the groove or his jazzy deep house collaboration with Zodiac called 'Feel it in my Bones'). Considering he's also remixed well known artists like afrobeat legend Dele Sosimi and grime master Trim, you might share our view of this amazingly talented and versatile producer. His 'Change ur ways' EP for Heist is soulful, jazzy, deep and energetic with three varied originals and a classic soulful house remix by man of the moment, NDATL label head Kai Alcé.

'Get Loose' features the silky-smooth vocals of Zodiac, some lovely solo work on the Rhodes and a 'free jazz' vibe on the horns. There's a constant funk bassline looping throughout the track to keep the energy going while the loose arrangement as well as the drum programming give the track that care-free feeling of a never-ending live jam. With that, 'Get Loose' is a great club track that crosses the boundaries between funk, jazz and house.

The title track still has that jazzy feeling but moves towards a quirkier territory with some 'Frits Wentink' style harmonization, detuned piano's and loosely chopped samples. There's a definite gospel feel to the track, thanks to the choice in vocal chops, which is complemented perfectly by a filtered disco bassline. The percussion layer and rhythmic elements are full of energy without ever crossing the line where of subtlety that makes this track so catchy.

On the flip, there's 'Feel ur senses', the most straightforward deep house track of the release, that gets its mood from an ongoing tremolo on the Rhodes pads. Space bleeps, bells, a hidden arp and 'reverbed-out' hits give the track an almost balaeric sound that will certainly put a smile on your face.

The B side is complemented with a vocal and instrumental remix of 'Get Loose' by Kai Alcé, who has been throwing out one killer tune after the other, remixing Volcov's Isoul8 project (one of our favorites of the year), as well as kicking out releases on his own NDATL label. Kai goes for a full-on soulful house vibe, giving his own chord progression center stage along with a set of rimshots. He chooses to leave the horns out, and instead work the vocal, Rhodes, and cowbells from the original to great effect, adding a little solo work of his own on a bell-like piano where he freestyles happily throughout the track and copies the vocal for added harmonies.
The instrumental version is perfect for those moments where you're done with all the vocals and just want a tight soulful groove.

We couldn't be happier with this release so play it loud and get loose!

Yours Sincerely,

Maarten & Lars

Major Keys is a brand-new audiophile label focusing on fully licensed reissues of jazz classics, pressed on 12' for a fuller, louder version compared to the original album cut. What better way to kick of the series than housing Herbie Hancock's imitable 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man', loud and proud on either side of a 12' - remastered and cut by the engineer of the original Head Hunters LP from 1973.
They don't get much more iconic than 'Chameleon'. Nestled on the incredible 1973 'Head Hunters' album it's a 16-minute exploration of legendary jazz funk - having all the sensibilities and solos of a jazz record, yet grounding its rhythms in funk, soul and R&B. Even, as its title suggests, morphing from a low slung slow jam into a full-on, fast paced spiritual gem. Lock in for one of the most iconic basslines around courtesy of Paul Jackson, alongside some of the sweetest synth and Rhodes playing you're likely to hear from Herbie, all tied together with Harvey Mason's mythical drumming. Sampled the world over by the biggest and the best this is a truly timeless and hugely influential piece of music.

On the B side, the equally intriguing 'Watermelon Man'. This version, again taken from the Head Hunters LP, differs from the Blue Note bop '62 original, with Hancock developing it into a jazz fusion expedition. Bill Summers top and tails the track with a style of beer bottle blowing imitating a type of whistle playing found in Central African Pygmy music, giving a unique flavour to Hancock's jazz funk stylings that focus on the rhythmic interplay between each instrument. From Dilla to Digable Planets, Madonna to Massive Attack it's a classic that's sampled time and time again for good reason.

LP,180g, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART

James Clarke's Mystery Movie was released in 1974 as modern, small group compositions in various moods. Ideally suited to the new Americanised style of T.V. and cinema flm where music is used to create the mood and carry the action'.
So this collection covers a lot of bases, but it does so brilliantly and has absolutely no right to be such a fantastic listen from start to fnish.Mystery Movie is best known for the slick drum breaks underpinning the top-notch jazz-funk chase theme Car Patrol', the fuzz rifng and ARP soloing of The Heavies' and the slow-mo strut of Mystery Moll'. Study In Fear' and Empty Streets' are horror soundtrack fodder of the fnest sort.
However, it's the understated, plaintive pieces that we fnd the most rewarding.
Ambient feels and strung-out fried-folk treats, full of cyclical naïve melodies.
Music that evokes the 'downlifting' Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood instrumentals from their great Mahoney's Last Stand LP, as well as the beautiful soundtrack work of Jack Nitzsche and Ry Cooder. You might also recognise Waiting Game' from being sampled by melodic downbeat masters Express Rising.
Check Relaxed Theme', Quiet Girl', Routine Procedure' and Quietness Sustained' for a melodic, melancholic set, with the last three performed on just acoustic guitar and harp. Gorgeous work.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Mystery Movie comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current custodian of KPM's brand identity.

LP,180g, 2018 REISSUE - REMASTERED FROM ORIGINAL TAPES, CAREFULLY REPRODUCED ORIGINAL ART

Released in 1976, Distinctive Themes / Race To Achievement is legendary arranger Nick Ingman exploring the two distinct ideas of 'impressive themes varying in style from 'Basie to Elgar'' and 'a study in the pressure and rewards of achievement'.Distinctive Themes is a veritable indulgence of variously-tempoed, full orchestra, big band workouts, from relaxed swing to more propulsive themes. The progressively building 'Expanding Markets' is a true highlight, with its rolling pianos, contemplative electric guitar solos and moody horns over skipping beats.
The dramatic 'Against The Odds' is another stand-out.
Race To Achievement is all rugged funk with stabbing chords and strutting horns and it's probably our favourite side. Of course we have to acknowledge the fantastic 'Tense Preparation', sampled by Prince Paul and Dan The Automator for Handsome Boy Modeling School's seminal 'Magnetizing' with Del Tha Funky
Homosapien. But the whole side's range from tense underscores to fast and punchy chase themes makes this is a gem of the KPM catalogue.
As with all ten re-issues, the audio for Distinctive Themes / Race To Achievement comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. We've taken the same care with the sleeves, handing the reproduction duties over to Richard Robinson, the current
custodian of KPM's brand identity.

For the third chapter of Refined Productions Aleksandra Grünholz aka We Will Fail delivers her third full length album entitled Dancing on her recently launched label with Jakub Mikolajczyk, head of MonotypeRec label and MonotypePressings. Here she tells the story:

'Taking a break from rationality, my first thoughts about the theme of this album were about the night, when our sight is limited and thoughts are corrupted by fatigue. I don't dance anymore, I don't party, I don't let myself go. Some time ago that part of life slipped away from me. This album is like silently entering into a place you shouldn't be in. A lot of rave inspired sounds were used on the album, dreamy pads, arpeggios, simple melodic structures; but this album is not easy and simple.

As head of a graphic design studio in Warsaw, last year was very hard for me, the amount of work started to overwhelm me; I started to feel stupid and possessed by the work, this is how the tracks 'Very Urgent' and 'Economic Maladies' were born. While the track 'Reason' is about losing rationality and how easy it is to do.

'Put Your Hands Up in the Air' encompasses the rave. It's also a kind of question, can music itself tell a story Very often in EDM or trance music there is a story and I like to call it catharsis. A moment, when the beat slows down and melody/pads become solo. I tried to extract this moment, without adding drops and aggressive rhythms.

'So Who's the Man' is about regaining the power, slowly but consequently. This album is a about feeling bold, monstrous and strong. Like looking insolently into someones eyes. You have to be patient with this one, because it builds up slowly. If you listen only for a fragment you miss the whole idea.

'Beasts from the East' was inspired by the thought of being a small peace loving person in a chaotic world that is dominated by stupidity.

The track '2018' epitomises the rave, but more complicated. Each of the layers are a but simplistic and could construct a dance track, but as there are so many sounds simultaneously, it can become disturbing in the perfect way.

'Diving in Plastic' was fit for the last track, I didn't want the album to have a perfect conclusion, I wanted to leave the listener hanging and ready for more.'

A trio of guitar, bass and drums, Elektro Guzzi overcome the boundary between analogue versus digital, performing techno live with the drive of a machine and the sonic detail of an instrument - without any computers or loopers. For their upcoming album Polybrass, Elektro Guzzi have drastically expanded their sonic repertoire: both in the studio and on stage, they are joined by an ensemble of three trombonists, opening up a whole new realm of possibilities. With Hilary Jeffrey, Daniel Riegler and Martin Ptak, the band are joined by three brass heavyweights, each of them well renowned for both their solo ventures as well as projects such as The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Sand and Zeitkratzer. By treating the three trombones not simply as a set of extra instruments but rather as one coherent body of sound on its own, Elektro Guzzi dissociate the brass instruments from their conventional use and repurpose them into something completely different: a modular synthesizer, with each trombone representing one oscillator. In doing so, Elektro Guzzi add new layers of depth to their music, emphasizing a more cinematic side of their music: like the soundtrack for a movie, Polybrass is bigger, darker, more dramatic, more intimate. Warm and fuzzy textures float weightlessly above fragile soundscapes and complex sonic fragments. At the same time, the band's signature sound runs distinctly through the entire album: solid percussive grooves, stripped down to the absolute minimum it takes to make your body move. Hypnotic repetition, building tension and suspense up to a point where the energy of the music gets so intense you feel like you can physically touch it with your hands, interlaced with organic patterns of sound, constantly changing and evolving, pulsating and oscillating. Vinyl: heavy sleeves + heavy printed inner sleeves, 180g vinyl with download code.

SHIRLEY WAHLS had a remarkably short lived solo recording career for someone with such a strong, emotive, deep soul voice. However, her debut single for King Records has to be regarded as one of the greatest double-header Northern Soul 45s of all time. When Shirley's voice kicks in at around 15 seconds you know, in that spine-tingling instant, that you're listening to something very special. At the hands of producer Bill 'Bunky' Sheppard Shirley delivers an incredibly emotional performance straight out of the church where she was somewhat of a star working with the likes of the Argo and Ward Singers. And the B-side is equally stunning!

No one had been through those doors in years. Unchanged, seemingly untouched, just a Guard watching over it, one wondered whether the place would ever see the light of day again. Built in the 70s by Scotch, there were only twenty such places in the entire world. Twenty studios, all identical. Most had undergone a digital makeover in the 80s, but not this one; situated in Lomé, this studio had stayed true to its original form. Silent and uninhabited but waiting for one thing, and one thing only: for the sacred fire to be lit once again. That of the Togolese Recording Office, is studio OTODI for those in the know. Through thick layers of dust, the console was vibrating still, impatient to be turned on and spurt out the sound so unique to analog. That sound is what Peter Solo and his band Vaudou Game came to seek out.

The original vibrations of Lomé's sound, resonating within the studio space, an undercurrent pulsing within the walls, the floor, and the entire atmosphere. A presence at once electrical and mystical sourced through the amps that had never really gone cold, despite the deep sleep that they had been forced into. In taking over the studio's 3000 square feet, enough to house a full orchestra, Vaudou Game had the space necessary to conjure the spirits of voodoo, those very spirits who watch over men and nature, and with whom Peter converses every day.

For the most authentic of frequencies to fully imbibe this third album, Peter Solo entrusted the rhythmic section to a Togolese bass and drum duo, putting the groove in the expert hands of those versed in feeling and a type of musicianship that you can't learn in any school. This was also a way to put OTODI on the path of a more heavily hued funk sound, the backbone of which maintains flexibility and agility when moving over to highlife, straightens out when enhanced with frequent guest Roger Damawuzan's James Brown type screams, and softens when making the way for strings. Snaking and undulating when a chorus of Togolese women takes over, guiding it towards a slow, hypnotic trance. Up until now, Vaudou Game had maintained their connection to Togo from their base in France. This time, recording the entire album in Lomé at OTODI with local musicians, Peter Solo drew the voodoo fluid directly from the source, once again using only Togolese scales to make his guitar sing, his strings acting as channels between listeners and deities...

Return of the UK producer Allen Saei aka Aubrey on the mighty Barba label is another bold statement in the discography of this well-versed artist. Building on the relationship with the Burek/Barba/Pomalo family established through remixes of Information Ghetto's "Inspiration" track (Burek 2013), DJ Stingray's "Communication System" (Barba 2015) and his solo "Clock Funk EP" (Barba 2017), for this record Aubrey presents us with a continuation of his previous Barba release, simplistically titled "Clock Funk 2" EP. As is to be expected from a guy who's been spending time in the studio for better part of the last three decades, this 12" is pure techno, in the best sense of the word. As mature and consistent as the previous record of the series, we have Aubrey building on that ground and expanding the range into more abrasive and rough on one side, and even more subtle and humane on the other. A1, titled "Clock Funk 2" is among the subtle ones. Beautiful cascading keys, glitchy synth bleeps and lead lines intertwine into a gorgeous composition grounded by a driving bassline and counterpinted with distorted ride cymbals. Uniquely sounding track which draws influences from many corners of the planet. A2, titled "Sel Moulo" sets a point for the other side of the spectrum. The heaviest and roughest, it locks the frame in which this EP works. Direct, abstract and firmly aimed towards the dancefloor, this cut is for the peak moment of the night when its combination of jacking beats and trippy leads will just push the craziness off the edge. B1, the most humane and gentle track on the EP, "Triads" is a perfect match for the A1 cut, although slower and calmer. Again, the similar approach is used, where the perfectly tuned combination of small synth and keys elements form a complex image which will stay ingrained into anyone's mind once you play it in the right moment. Again, it's hard not to reach for the word "beautiful" when describing this one. B2, Ghost Mist, is on the other hand a match for the heavy A2, but also not as intense. A repetitive affair, with abstract synth lines and disharmonic pads serving as an emotion injection just when they're needed. Common thread moving through all four cuts is an infectious groove intertwined with synth lines that would not be misplaced amongst the best examples of space-influenced techno music firmly grounded on the floor. All that, pressed onto a heavy duty 180 gram vinyl and beautifully packaged in an original artwork by local artist EmaEmaEma.

A girl stands at an arcade machine, her eyes fixed on the glowing screen with her back turned on the world. She seems to be alone, somehow lost and yet at one with herself. The cover art (by Carmen Alt-Chaplin) for Peter Zirbs' debut album as a solo artist conveys escapism - being totally immersed in another reality, in the virtual world. His equally futuristic and retro-futuristic aesthetic is permeated with melancholy. What if we really don't exist

Peter Zirbs himself also knows how to escape: how to hunker down in the studio, hide from the outside and lose himself in the music. He emphasizes that such an escape is healing, leading to the world of the romantic. The Viennese musician and producer has always felt most comfortable straddling genres, whether techno and rock in previous band projects, or now as a solo artist combining post-minimalist dramatic synth/piano ("Firmament") with modern wave pop ("Are You Reality") and poignant ballad-kitsch ("Dreamescape"). Here there are subtle changes in emphasis gracing otherwise repetitive harmonies; there a true appreciation of pop. Ten songs - five with lyrics, five without - some threatening, some heartbreaking, all stirring. They project a world - sometimes concrete, sometimes abstract - in which can be found beauty and disquiet, love and fear, failure and perseverance. A world one is happy to get lost in while the cinema in one's head tells its own stories. (by Manuel Fronhofer)

As part of the Viennese rave and techno scene of the 1990s, multi-instrumentalist and electronic producer Peter Zirbs has released music under several pseudonyms, produced and remixed various artists, and scored a range of experimental films. He has broken down genre boundaries over the years with the variety of his output. The circle closes now. In 2018 Peter Zirbs finally steps into the spotlight as a solo artist.

"What If We Do not Exist" by Peter Zirbs is released on 19th October 2018 by Fabrique Records. Guest vocalists include Monika Heidemann (Heidemann, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Juan MacLean / DFA Records), Tom Walkden (Wolventrix) and Gerard McNeice.

Portland, Oregon resident Mary Sutton's solo debut materialized in the wake of a performance she gave at a clothing-optional soaking-pool sauna: 'I had never composed for synth before but wanted to make something people sitting motionless and naked in hot bubbly water would want to hear.'
It was while in this headspace that she reconnected with Satie's entrancing cyclical motifs, particularly the way 'he subtly spins melodic fragments, and pivots harmonies and phrases so the repetitions feel new and surprising yet soothingly familiar, as if casting a spell.'
The nine intuitive instrumentals comprising The Deep End accomplish exactly that, threading complementary shades of soft-hued hypnosis, dazed modal introspection, icy amusement park reverie, and lunar lullaby into a prismatic suite of contemplative melody and synthetic communion.
Sutton's songs are active rather than ambient yet their structure is more suggestive than scripted, full of lulls, asymmetries, and daydreams. Each track was written specifically to be played live on an analog synthesizer, with no overdubs or post-production wizardry. The sound of Saloli is one of warm-blooded wiring, turned on and tapped into, emotive and electric, storied machines speaking through all too human hands.