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Techno Album of the month March 2018 in Mixmag UK!

Central to the Israeli club scene, Deep'a & Biri have long been defying expectations even within a community they helped construct. Serving as resident DJs, activists and bookers for Tel Aviv's legendary Barzilay Club, the pair helped build a transcendent club scene. Hugely influential artists such as Robert Hood, Derrick May, Rødhad, Ben Klock and Moritz Von Oswald passed through the club, enjoying legendary crowds and what they could surely sense was a genuine air of anarchy, rebellion and unadulterated rave pleasure.

As the duo held down dozens of parties with dozens of DJs, there was no 'eureka' moment for their emerging sound; just a steady stream of brilliant, inspiring electronic music, much of which left an indelible imprint on the pair. Now based in Berlin, for Deep'a & Biri, things are much the same, even if the landscape and the city is different. Always rooted in the fertile ground between machines and emotion, on their second full-length LP, 'Dominance', the duo demonstrate their unique grasp of the sensitive, unfolding relationship between man and machine. Steadfast in their insistence never to remain in one lane in terms of their sound, 'Dominance' flawlessly segues between forcefulness and weightlessness. From beginning to end, this is not a record afraid to show its teeth with an uncompromising, instantly recognisable techno palette that kicks the foundations of any sound system with menace, anger and determination, particularly on tracks such as the dense 'Voltage' and pulsing throughout the more industrial flourishes of 'Ecole De Nancy' and 'Seeking Solace'.

Beyond these grittier, although never mindless, moments of authority, a sense of escapism and curiosity imbues the album. 'Alpha Cephei' offers the first hint of Deep'a & Biri's more wistful concepts, producing a smoke trail of twinkling electronics out of a smudged but distinctive bassline. That understated sense of emotional catharsis carries throughout, to be found between the complex-yet-familiar bells that drive 'Flow Diverter's' rhythm to a Detroit-indebted landscape that will surely instantly elasticate any keen dancers, while 'False Memories' offers big-room techno fulfillment with none of the character or sincerity removed for cheap thrills. Saving the most remarkable moments for last, the pair sign off 'Dominance' with the poignant and purifying 'Astral Trails', fusing an ethereal, ambient landscape with the more pronounced rhythms of their hardware.

The album's distinctive artwork comes from the studio of Jewish orthodox artist Avraham Guy Barchil, who forged a powerful connection with Deep'a, both was immediately drawn to 'weird atmosphere, amazing technique and emotions involved with his work'. Perhaps one of the most interesting painters from Israel, Avraham is known for his unique perspective, taking his inspiration from the Zohar - the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. The ambiguous figures represent mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses), as well as material on mysticism and mythical cosmogony.
Ensuring their natural, conscious touch always remains at the forefront of this unapologetically machine-driven music, Deep'a & Biri have produced an album in the lineage of their heroes and greatest influences. Cerebral yet satisfying, deep yet always engaging, 'Dominance' both reasserts and evolves Deep'a & Biri's forward facing and singular sound.

Since composer Sean McBride unveiled his first utterance as Martial Canterel almost 2 decades ago, he has produced a body of work both substantial and alluring within the field of live analogue electronic music. Effortlessly fusing a variety of styles and influences, Martial Canterel is one of the premiere outfits utilizing analogue electronics and modular synthesizers. In particular FM synthesis is employed to produce clustered polyphonies and organic atmospheres - a staple of his signature style.Three years have passed since Martial Canterel's last full length album Gyors, Lassù was released on Dais Records. During this down time, McBride found himself in a state of flux, ebbing back and forth between material displacement and musical aestheticism. His expert pedigree in electronic sound and arrangement bridges the gap created by an undecidability between life at home and abroad - his new album, Lost At Sea, is an attempt for the artist to locate common ground, mutating fable with reality, exteriority and interiority.

The album's introductory track, Giving Up, has all of the hallmarks that Martial Canterel has utilized in the past...melodic chorus, upbeat rhythm and classic sequential dynamism. Where the song diverges is in its core theme of nature: nature's return to a period of restoration after the failures and recklessness of humankind. Although this first glance refamiliarizes one with the tight, upbeat appeal typically found within the genre, Lost at Sea quickly takes a more serious and sobering tone.The slower pace of songs like Scampia and Puszta yearn for McBride's complex love affair with far flung destinations. Re-evaluating the political strife and social unrest in these historical locations, McBride delves deeper into political and geological reference points creating symbolic representations using mechanized percussion, white noise and various sine waves.The conceptual nature of Lost at Sea reaches even deeper depths within the waveforms of Astralize, a track based upon academic Donna Haraway's pre-civilized theories of human neglect after the 'azstralization'.

New York City has had a long history of dance music fused with confrontational performance. Whether it came from within the late 70's No Wave canon projected through venues like the Mudd Club or the downtown avant-garde galleries such as The Kitchen, the feeling that influences and infects Brooklyn-based duo Wetware's overall being as a cohesive and confrontational unit is as much enigmatic as it is familiar. Formed in 2015, Wetware eased into its performative role with their live shows around their home base of Brooklyn, NY.

Vocalist Roxy Farman, who's familiar voice was last seen on Drew McDowall's 'Unnatural Channel' album, stole audience's attention from the moment they started, using her body in tandem with her voice as a weaponised vehicle for the band's anxiety filled performance. Matthew Morandi cut his teeth in the electronic music world through his solo tech-industrial project Jahiliyya Fields and partner to Inhalants, the techno collaboration of Morandi and Max Ravitz (Patricia). The synergy that developed between Farman and Morandi has been explosive. Wetware's live antics and behaviour has caused alarm and envy amongst their local audiences, causing Wetware the group to 'not be missed' on any particular bill that they are allowed to take part in.


Wetware stepped out from their live persona and self-recorded a selection of songs that viewers had grown accustomed to and were debuted on the flawlessly curated Primitive Languages imprint. Shortly following their recorded premier was an EP collection of demo recordings on the much praised Bank NYC label. Once the band reconciled with documenting their work, they set out, with the help of engineer Kris Lapke (Alberich / Hospital Productions) to formalise their most recent output in the context of their first full length album entitled 'Automatic Drawing'.

Given Wetware's penchant for endurance, as displayed by their 3 hour long production at Koenig & Clinton Gallery in the Summer of 2017, one would expect the usual restlessness on Wetware's debut full length. All of the apprehension and unease in Wetware seems to have been channeled into a string of cohesive electronic statements found on songs 'Frequent Dreamlands' and 'Ode to Joe'. Industrial dance rhythms bounce around Farman's poetic stance on 'Where Ever You Were', causing flashbacks of an early 80's dystopia that jumps around a confusing, uncomfortable backdrop. Inter-spliced with modular electronic instrumentals like the album's opener 'Pantomime', Wetware's devastating portrait is that of a society in peril.

The Grateful Dead forged its legend on the road, traveling countless miles between 1965 and 1995 to perform a world record 2,318 shows for millions of devoted fans. The band's refusal to ever play a song the same way twice has endeared generations of fans, many of whom prefer certain live versions of songs over their studio counterparts, and garnered the popular phrase among Dead Heads: There is nothing like a Grateful Dead concert.'

The live albums the band released during its 30-year career are the primary source for the collection, including tracks like Bertha' from Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) (1971), Fire On The Mountain' from Dead Set (1981), and The Music Never Stopped' from One From the Vault (1991). A testament to its ongoing popularity, the revered double-album Europe '72 (1972), is represented by no less than five tracks, including Sugar Magnolia,' Jack Straw' and a searing rendition of Morning Dew.'

Other performances on the set were selected from the growing number of live releases that have emerged since the death of founding member Jerry Garcia in 1995. Some of those recordings include Touch Of Grey' from Truckin' Up To Buffalo (2005), a 1990 version of Eyes Of The World' with saxophonist Branford Marsalis featured on Wake Up To Find Out (2014), and Estimated Prophet,' which debuted earlier this year as part of Cornell 5/8/77, a recording of the Grateful Dead's mythic show at Cornell University in 1977, thought by many to be the band's greatest live performance.

Made for die-hard Dead Heads and new fans alike, The Best Of The Grateful Dead Live Vol. 1 1969-1977 will be available as a on 180-gram vinyl as a 2-LP set, covering the first half of the album, on March 23rd. The music will be available through digital and streaming services as well.

Dark Entries present the debut album from Bézier titled 'Parler Musique'. Bézier is Taiwanese-American musician Robert Yang who is also part of the Honey Soundsystem crew. A multi-instrumentalist, Robert grew up in Southern California then planted his roots in San Francisco in 2005. Over the years in SF he has built an impressive analog synth-based studio, which also serves as the creative hub for his riveting live performances.

Parler Musique clocks in at over 52 minutes with 8 tracks are spread across four sides for maximum loudness. The album title is a French transliteration on the phrase Parlor Music' and is evening music for a meeting of minds in a drawing room or a literary salon. To 'talk about music', the actual translation of the title, the album is a hotbed of ideas. Different genres are crisscrossed: punk, synthpop, jungle, new romantic, industrial and new wave. Airy melodies, surging arpeggios and symphonic breakdowns counterpoint cold digital drum sounds to convey beauty within inescapable and impending daily processes. The track titles for 'Parler Musique' zoom in on Romantic preoccupations with mystery, unknowns, depths--where themes combine to form an occult revelatory experience.

All songs have been mixed by Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated) at Room 5, San Francisco and EQed for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The vinyl comes housed in a jacket featuring a surreal circuit board pattern with pink bubbles flickering on an abstract horizon of water designed by Eloise Leigh. Each copy includes a postcard risograph-printed in fluorescent pink and dark blue with Dadaist text by Justin Aulis Long.

Is the drum the successor of human sacrifice or does it still sound the command to kill' Adorno, Motifs (1951)

the first release of our new project studio mule' is a cover of japanese 80's dance classic carnaval by taeko ohnuki'.
is studio mule a band unit we never have fixed member except kuniyuki takahashi as a track maker.
we invite who we love.
the first gest is our beloved miyako koda aka dip in the pool.you remember the reissue of on retinae' on music from memory.
miyako koda is one of the most carisma model in japan in 80's and the vocalist of experimental pop band dip in the pool'.
dance edit on a side is true to the original.off course more playful than original.
extended edit on b side is more club friendly house version.

more talking all that jazz, more high aiming music by fumio itabashi: mule musiq is ready to release another record by the legendary japanese jazz pianist, born in ashikaga, tochigi in the year 1949.
this time his first solo record ever: the heavy jazzing 'nature', which has never been reissued on vinyl since its birth in 1979. it has been recorded at nippon columbia 1st studio, tokyo from march 13 to 15 in the year of its release.
it features itabashi making feverish love with the piano and sharing the studio with the great bass players hideaki mochizuki and koichi yamazaki, drummers kenichi kameyama and ryojiro furusawa, soprano saxophonist yoshio otomo and vibraphone wizard hiroshi hatsuyama.
they all joined him to perform his very own songs, composed by itabashi himself and produced by ryonosuke honmura, who also produced japanese jazz heroes like saxophonist keizo inoue during his career.
but enough background information. what counts is sound. it is fresh, propulsive, twitchy and melodi-ous from the first to the last tone. sometimes the instrumentalists play a classic solo in an overall deep modal jazz atmosphere that seems to be made for cats that love the good old stars and inventors - from john coltrane to mile davis, from thelonious monk to art blakey.
'nature' also shows how deep itabashi studied the history of the genre, while keeping his very own vision of jazz alive. the man that made his professional debut as a member of the sadao watanabe quintet in 1971 and that also was a member of the elvin jones jazz machine world tour from 1985 to 1987, plays the piano in all tempos: nervous high-flying quick, deeply blue blues style slow.
besides the traditional jazz flavours, you get a feeling of mind-expanding spiritual jazz, that grand mas-ters like pharaoh sanders or gary bartz turned into a sacred music genre. a master-class record in ravishing big city jazz music, adventurous, sometimes meditative, sometimes faster than the speed of light, always grooving with a bright, pure-toned sensibility and deeply soulful melodic imaginations.
it extends the jazz history with a fine balance between tradition and innovation. and it stays infectious all the time while sounding surprisingly fresh due to a lot of thrilling musical spontaneity that touches profoundly even though all notes have been written down by fumio itabashi before he and his combat-ants entered the studio.
and maybe that's the mystery of these timeless five at times epic recordings: all notes been written on paper but each musician had the freedom to dance with them in his very own unique way. so, turn the volume loud and get ready to be steamrolled by fumio itabashi's 'nature', an inebriant album that is talking all that jazz deeply!

Seven years ago, Max Tundra sent Daphne and Celeste a tweet, asking if he could write and produce their comeback single. Four years later their song You & I Alone ripped through the internet. Today they announce the forthcoming release of the most unlikely comeback album of 2018.

Three years after their comeback song, 'BB' arrives online as their new album's appetiser, an uncompromising takedown of the anodyne and anonymous. BB stands for Basic Busker,' explains Max, any one of countless identikit instigators of mundane melodies that have brought the mood down in recent years. Pop music should lift the spirits - so why are the airwaves full of these mundane strummers'

The world has changed a hell of a lot since Daphne & Celeste stormed up the charts with their effervescent earworms U.G.L.Y. and Ooh Stick You, back near the birth of the 21st century. So you'd be forgiven for failing to predict the fruitful union of D&C with a maverick electronic producer known for his records on Warp and Domino Records. But Max Tundra has long held an ambition to become a pop producer, and this new album is an addictive combination of the eccentric, creative and melodic.

After an initial sharing of tracks and ideas around the release of that first single in 2015, Max Tundra set about writing an album's worth of material, inspired by the unique kinship, born of shared experience, between Daphne and Celeste, and his own unexpected part in their story. Last year, Tundra brought his suitcase full of songs to a desert retreat near Joshua Tree, where he joined D&C for the 'working holiday' that produced Daphne & Celeste Save The World.

A full-length album of giddy, ridiculous, genre-bursting pop, 'Daphne & Celeste Save The World' finds our friends in fine, soaring, melodic voice, with Tundra's restlessly inventive production a toothsome, chordy, maximalist feast. These 13 songs touch on subjects as varied as time travel, succulents, pipelines under the ocean, cabins in the wood, unadventurous guitarists and different regions of the brain, but above all the sweet, enduring friendship of those two people who, long ago, told us all to Ooh Stick You.

2x12"

Helsinki based HPTY Recordings run by TREVOR DEEP JR. celebrates and honors Finnish dance music and some of its champions operating close to the main source by releasing an anniversary double vinyl package of underground rhythms cross the genres!

Big Crown Records is proud to present this tough as nails split 7' The A side is Paul Ramos version of the Mandrill classic Fence Walk'. Originally released on the Harlem label, and later licensed to Falcon only to oddly appear on their Kris Bravo LP. Ramos stays close to the original, but adds enough to the tune to make it a must have for funk collectors. The B side Funky Resurgence' comes by way of vibes player/bandleader Ulysses Crockett who was a stalwart on the Bay Area scene of the 1960's first with his Latin Jazz group Afro Blue Persuasion and later Ulysses Crockett Magic. He also played in The Skins w/ the legendary Bill Graham. "Funky Resurgence" was one of several compositions he wrote for the 1971 play "Resurgence." During this period, Ulysses was also going through law school and he remains a legal voice, writer and activist in the Bay Area.

2x12"

Scandinavian duo KSMISK return to Norwegian techno imprint PLOINK to drop their debut album this
February. Real names Truls Kvam and Robin Crafoord, KSMISK made a name for themselves as Trulz & Robin with releases on Planet Noise and Cymasonic, not to mention Prins Thomas' Full Pupp and Rett I Fletta. Since launching their KSMISK project in 2015 the pair have returned to some of these labels whilst also dropping two releases on renowned Bergen-based techno label PLOINK, of which 2017's 'Magma EP' is the precursor to their inaugural album 'Mikrometeorittene'.
Opening the package is the ominous and beatless 'Lonsdaleite', setting the tone for an otherworldly aesthetic throughout. Off-kilter kicks then rain down in 'Silicate' as sinister drones ebb in and out of the mix before meandering back into a ghostly ambient cut named 'Vesta'. Crunchy percussion and tantalising atmospherics then make up 'Blitz', moving into the twisted and syncopated 'Marinate' until the raw sounding 'Spherules' exhibits a compelling groove combined with echoing effects. The dusky 'Wustite' sees the album retreat from 4/4 once again, returning for the effervescent 'Westergas' before concluding on a melancholic outro entitled 'Chondrites'. For this release 2x12' LP PLOINK will release 100 numbered and limited grey vinyl as well as the usual black vinyl.

Ben Gibson & Mary Velo step up with two tracks each that are sure to find it into many record bags.

On the A side Ben Gibson steps up with Now Here. Massive strings and hats with a solid groove that is sure to inspire dj sets and have guaranteed crowd reaction, it's a stomper. Ben Gibson follows on with Trsuru River, modulated synths whirl, it has an infectious groove. A sure fire record for the bag.

On The B side, Mary Velo steps up with Code Of behaviour, a deep cut that grooves and has infectious synths, one for the early hours or beginning of the night. Following on Rack steps up, its a big room stomper. Massive kick and big hats whirl and enhance its' presence. A peak time affair that is sure to find its' way into many a record bag.

Our latest examination of Esoteric, Modal & Progressive Jazz of the 20th Century has taken us to Japan. The liberating force of jazz has been created and felt all around the world, but few nations on earth embraced the jazz message with the passion and intensity of Japan. From the dawn of the jazz age to the present day, Japanese audiences have been renowned tastemakers, enthusiasts and champions of the music - in the 1980s, Japan was the biggest per capita market in the world for jazz records, and it has even been said that Japanese jazz fans kept the jazz record industry alive through the lean years of the 1970s, when the music fell from commercial favour in the land of its birth.

But while the jazz aficionados of Japan are celebrated as sophisticated fans and consumers of the music, comparatively little is known outside Japan of the remarkable and abundant music produced by generations of Japanese jazz musicians. Numerous Japanese jazzers have found enormous success on the international stage - Toshiko Akiyoshi, Sadao Watanabe, Teramasu Hino, and many others are household names among jazz listeners all over the world, and with good reason. But if such global figures are put aside, the stunning heritage of Japanese jazz remains poorly understood outside Japan. As a result, the work of many celebrated Japanese jazumen has remained largely unknown to international audiences, and the extraordinary scope and depth of Japanese jazz has not been widely recognised.

Compiled for the Spiritual Jazz series in collaboration with the celebrated collector and DJ Yusuke Ogawa (Deep Jazz Reality, Tokyo), this 2CD/twin set of double LPs aims to correct that omission by uncovering the uniquely deep sound of esoteric, modal and progressive jazz from Japan - music of the heart, soul and Japanese spirit!

Each 2LP set comes complete with OBI strip and thick, textured sleeve. Our extensive liner notes extend onto printed inners, and are in both Japanese and English.

Garden City Movement's debut album 'Apollonia' is set for release on 16th March 2018. The trio of Roy Avital, Yoav Saar and Johnny Sharoni produce a blend of sounds drawn from their diverse cultural worlds, ranging from art-pop to experimental house to horizontally-aligned vibes.

Since surfacing at the close of 2013 with their breakout track 'Move On', Garden City Movement have released 'Entertainment' and 'Bengali Cinema' EPs, the 'Modern West' 12' in collaboration with The Vinyl Factory, climbed the Hype Machine Popular Chart with multiple singles, recorded live sessions for Boiler Room, Majestic Casual and FACT, opened for Bonobo, Caribou, Alt-J and played all over the world. The band's music video for 'Move On' received a nomination for Best Music Video at the LA Film Festival, won Best Video of The Year' at the MTV Israel Music Awards and the video for 'She's So Untouchable' screened at Raindance Film Festival in London.

Recording through 2017 at their studio in Tel Aviv, Garden City Movement took the time to explore their sound as a band. From the combination of dream-like vocals and cinematic-RnB in singles 'Slightly All The Time' 'Before I Fall' and 'A Means To An End' to the leftfield four-four of 'Mediterranea' and 'Sans Titre' or the ethereal jazz of 'I Knew Before I Met Her (That One Day I Would Lose Her)' and worldly influences of the title track - the heightened craft in their production is firmly felt across the album's 18 tracks.

After releasing three EPs, which each had a very tight deadline, recording the album has been a chance to grow. It's the first time we have been able to really take the time and experiment a lot in the studio, try to develop and deepen our language, come up with new sounds, and take our techniques even further'. - Garden City Movement

The album takes a darker path lyrically, exploring the breakdown of a fading relationship and the depression, loneliness and abuse that follows. While not explicit, this melancholy grounds the album in the real world. The fusion of forward facing production and confessional account of human-interaction frames an emotional and honest album of modern soul music.

It was May 2017 when Earthboogie's debut release dropped on Leng. The soundsystem-loving East London duo rightly won praise for a fne EP that brilliantly joined the dots between all things intergalactic, terrestrial and tribal.
Having spent the last ten months recording their adventures, Izaak Gray and Nicola Robinson return with Silken Moon', the frst single from their forthcoming debut album, Human Call.
In typical fashion, Silken Moon' cannily combines musical elements from a myriad of styles - most notably Afro-disco, samba and mid-tempo Chicago house - to create a humid hybrid that defes easy categorization. There are bouncy organ riffs, undulating acid lines, clipped Afro-funk guitars, tons of tropical percussion and the chanted, carnival-friendly vocalizations of guest singer Nina Miranda.
The release comes backed with remixes from two members of the extended
Leng family: long-serving producer Felix Dickinson and Turkish rising star Ali Kuru. Dickinson sticks close to the original of Silken Moon' with a mix built around gently jacking machine drums and Earthboogie's sweaty guitar licks while Kuru takes Human Call' in an altogether more cosmic direction. Pushing the track's psychedelic TB-303 lines and tropical textures to the fore whilst
adding his own mind-altering electronics - most notably a fat new synth bassline - Kuru cleverly re-casts the track as a pulsating, late night throb-job.

After last year's stellar EP on L.I.E.S. Records, veteran, Brooklyn-based producer and DJ Jake Reif (Savage Hymn, Upsetting Keys) continues to make waves with his Device Control brand. The first side of the new "EP2" begins with Silhouettes: a robotic, techno-funk work out with a nasty kick drum, swirling modular sounds and a Timothy Leary inspired vocoded vocal. An instrumental version has been included for selectors who prefer tracks to songs.

On the flip, Joystuck continues the aural assault with a slightly more stripped-back approach. Hard-hitting metallic percussion and screaming, alien-esque synth bleeps are all that's necessary here to decimate a dance-floor. Finally, Divisive rounds out the EP with a stomping vengeance, its jacking claps and dissonant harmonics have been carefully designed to deliver a sonic gut-punch, taking no prisoners when played on a club system.

Cut from the same cloth as last year's double-cassette, 'Like All Mornings,' Vanessa Amara's new album trails shorthand piano pieces and wilted strings through magnificent, electro-acoustic surrounds, often settling into buzzing, syncopated reveries. 'Manos' takes its name from an abbreviated term of endearment. Spoken in this form, it's an affectionate and inclusive gesture from friend to friend, or indeed from gang member to gang member. Vanessa Amara seemingly take their cues from either usage. Their new album feels hesitant to reveal its parts, and is perhaps a document of the limits of what can be revealed, a memorial to its own process as it winds itself in and around its delicately hued landscape. Though beginning with a morose gait, the album quickly turns over. And revealing its softer self, the clarity of the moving string arrangements hang in the air like fine mist. Everything settles against surfaces as the day breaks, opening up the space, though eventually condensing into the unnerving crescendo of the album's final piece. A recurrent, gentle whirring, much like a gramophone's needle, tracks through much of 'Manos.' It carefully steadies the listener into a mode of measuring duration, a meditative self-awareness that deliver's Vanessa Amara's world. Always intricate, and effortlessly tender, 'Manos' is an album as textural as it is melodic, and it is certainly the most exquisite suite of works to have been presented by Vanessa Amara thus far.

Akelarre' is the fourth studio album of Synths Versus Me. Its black (sadness) and white (happiness) design explain the concept and feelings behind it creation, majorly composed and written during the death by sickness of a very close friend of the duo to whom the album is dedicated, it swims between the positive and negative feelings felt by SVM during this hard process suffered. Is remarkable that in this occasion SVM counted with the collaboration of the british band The Underground Youth for a new remixed version of 'The Rules Of Attraction' originally released by TUY back in 2009. This special edition arrives on 2×12 EP format and produced in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 200 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality black and white vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Eric Van Wonterghem

Since the very first release of Tommy's Turbojazz project, we wanted to have him with us on the boast. This excellent Ep proves his great musical skills and we are thrilled to release this wide range music. Bangers with solos, Acoutstic deep house, hiphop interludes, regular hiphop house sampled song or even a smashing 'emotional disco' track done in collab with S3A complete this EP. We would highly suggest you to dig (literally) this release for home listening or dancefloor play.

We got to know Dan Only, an exciting emerging artist from the Toronto underground, when he collaborated with Jesse Futerman on our recent 'Deep Love 2017 compilation. His debut record, released on Adam Marshall's 'New Kanada' imprint, introduced his deep instinct for electronic music and unique, boundless approach to deep house. An avid collector of old school gear you can hear the analogue warmth throughout this intricately detailed yet heavy hitting four-tracker. 'It's Clear' opens. A solid House jam, its thumping drums and resonating melodies follow a steady bass groove ready to heat up the dance floor. 'Be Major...Believe' leads in more gently before warbling key lines and synth details layer over gritty percussion pushing the mood closer and closer to bursting. This one conjures images of summer nights and distant coast lines. On the B, simmering vocals and tropical rhythms dance amongst straight forward house energies on 'Don't You Understand". Rich with subtleties, it's somehow smooth while seriously impactful. Finally we have 'Truffles". A very modern twist on Disco vs House it's an original Italo infused gem with an edit feel, that maintains the vibe of an 80s era hedonistic night throughout. Perfect as a peak time mood elevator or blissful, hands-in-the-air closing record. We're convinced Dan Only's future is bright and are overwhelmed by the quality and musicality of this, his first solo EP on Dirt Crew Recordings.

Hey boys and girls,

after a year with long nights and days sitting in the studio and shaking our bodies off, we expand our repertoire of tracks. So please understand why it took a year for the second life sign. Fasten your seatbelt and lean back and check out the sounds of birds we captured somewhere in the Canadian forest of Offenbach. Also we found Jacky upon a famous hill and took her with us in the studio. The third in a row is dedicated to a big musical influence of us.
Enjoy it, have fun and watch out! The next two releases are already in the starting block.
Cheerio

"We Are What You Think We Are" is a 3 part compilation celebrating 10 releases from New York-based label and promoters Lost Soul Enterprises. The groupings of artists on each 12" represent slightly different sonic territory, from darkwave and synthpop, to acid and electro, to industrial techno, all of which together have come to define the identity of the label and the community surrounding its legendary parties.

When we started The Bunker New York label in 2014 there was a short list of artists whose music we knew that we wanted to get out into the world. Lori Napoleon, aka Antenes, was high up on that list, although at the time the Brooklyn-based Chicago native had yet to release her recorded music at all. Five years on, after acclaimed records on L.I.E.S. and Silent Season, residencies at Issue Project Room and Bell Labs plus a busy global touring schedule as both a DJ and live performer, we are proud and excited to present Lori's Ante Meridiem EP under her Antemeridian production moniker. She tells us that the Antemeridian project is a special outlet for her more melodic synthesizer compositions and the name Antemeridian refers to morning light and the meridian lines of the planet, the view you would have from above if you were already in the sky/space/seeing the atmosphere also from a great distance.'
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With this EP, Antemeridian has created nothing less than a masterwork of synthesis comprising unique soundscapes unbelievably detailed and crisp. We asked Lori to tell us a bit about her production techniques, which include home-built machines from unorthodox source materials including vintage switchboards and telecommunications equipment. She actually built her first synthesizer out of an antique telephone switchboard we donated to her from The Bunker HQ! I use a combination of synths and controllers/sequencers that I've made along with commercially available/ bought or modded analog synths and field recordings that have gone through a number of effects chains. There may be a crackling sound that emerged from the modular which made me think about a flame sparking and burning out, recalling a very organic process in nature - but in a composition it's a drum element. Perhaps the sense of detail comes from how I work on finding sounds before arranging them in a track so when I find one with little nuances and textures, then I'll be inspired to compose with it. Visceral sounds are very important to me, and sounds that you may not instantly identify with this or that synth model - which is why I like the idea of designing my own palette for portions of tracks.'

TONE SERIES (TS) is glad to introduce to you to its second release TSRS02. In 2016, we launched TONE SERIES. So far, we've have released five EPs (consisting of two tracks each) all composed by French musician David K.

Midway between the first release TS10 and the last one TS01 (TS06 came out at the beginning of September 2017), we thought it would be interesting to ask artists we like to reinterpret one of David K's creations. As a result, we're delighted to present you TSRS02, 2nd EP of the TONE SERIES Remix Series, 2nd EP of the TONE SERIES Remix Series ... consisting of :

A-SIDE: 24 BARS PER DAY (TS08) remixed by English music producer, live performer and Mosaic label owner Steve O'Sullivan,

B-SIDE: FRIENDS (TS06) remixed by French music composer, DJ and C.S.R. label owner Cesar Merveille.

TONE SERIES is an ephemeral French music label dedicated to deep-house music. The project is originally inspired by David K and the different colours that emerge from his music. The name 'TONE SERIES' brings together the idea of interdependence between music and design: what colour follows on from music and, in return, which musicality comes out of a colour.

Repress

Nektar Agu is next up on Fake Records with his 1111 EP. Two originals: '1111'and 'Vaeeke' that have been supported by S.A.M and Arapu and it comes with two Remixes by Cocoon Heavyweight and Raum Musik boss Markus Fix & Dorian Paic under their MFDP moniker, and also one from the man of the moment Jorge Savoretti who has recently released on Dorian's Raum musik and Priku's Atipic.
12" Vinyl. LTD press

It is Melodies International's greatest pleasure to bring forth its latest reissue comprising two stripped-back, reflective pieces of US folk soul.

Largely forgotten for the past forty-odd years, Bobby Wright (now Abu Talib)'s "Blood Of An American" and "Everyone Should Have His Day" resurface as politically-infused works that shine bright and still hold meaning to this day.

The 60s and 70s constituted an exceptional era for its unique blend of popular culture and political radicalism. Household names such as Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye and Gil Scott-Heron used art to express their discontent with the current state of affairs, namely the US government's involvement in warfare and their inability to deal with critical social issues of the time. Though not a musician, Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Clay Jr) was advocating a similar anti-government stance in the boxing ring, and his objection to serving in the Vietnam War sealed his status as an icon for the wider counterculture generation.

Meanwhile in Queens, New York City, Abu used to work several jobs as a construction worker and cab driver - but still found time to play with his band in clubs for $100 a night to support his family. Against the backdrop of international conflict and violence, most of his surroundings failed to listen to how he felt. However, he considered music to be the greatest form of communication with the world and it was his belief that a positive message should be spread to future generations.

After one band member was killed in Vietnam and another went into the service, Abu resolved to pick up his guitar and record these songs as a duet in 1974 with his bassist - the only other remaining band member. Combining guitar, bass and a voice that quavers with emotion he self-released the record in 1974, one which holds its own alongside the all-time greats.

These songs of introspection remind us of the beauty there is in simplicity and how moving art can be when the feelings expressed come from the heart. MEL009 will be released in its original 7" format alongside a 16-page Melozine, featuring words from Abu Talib, social studies professor Paul Rekret and much more.

NYC native Eric Maltz has been a professional producer and pianist for more than 20 years. After landing on the techno scene in 2017 with the double vinyl 'NS-17' EP on Levon Vincent's Novel Sound, Eric Maltz releases his first single on his own label Flower Myth.Opening on the title track , a bruising slice of machine techno, the live touch of the New-York producer stands out throughout 'Pathway'. On 'Ah-Shu-De-Ohu', paranoid chimes swirl out of focus while chopped up vocals command attention. Free floating chords glide through a meditative soundscape on closer 'Line Through'. Flower Myth will release 4 more singles from Eric Maltz throughout 2018, one of them a collaboration with Cristina Valentina, the powerful voice from 'We Have Power' (NS17).Having recently signed with Uzuri booking and artist management, Eric will soon be bringing his singular live techno to his home-base city of Berlin and other major cities across Europe and the World.

Led by Saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the u.k. music scene, touring constantly in the promotion of their debut LP "Dilla" and steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase.Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40 piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material.The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets, and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene, who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva and Amy Winehouse.

"New Day" is the eagerly anticipated new single and features rapper and J Dilla's brother Illa J on vocals. Supported by a U.K. tour with Illa J throughout February, "New Day" takes the blueprint laid out on last years LP "Dilla" and expands it with Illa J's understated vocal delivery. Radio support anticipated from BBC6's Gilles Peterson who has been an advocate for Abstract Orchestra on both his BBC6 and Worldwide FM shows, as well as Huey Morgan (BBC6), Shawn Lee (Soho) and Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s). "New day" is the first original work by Abstract Orchestra and builds on the foundations laid on their debut. Flutes and electric piano lay out a gentle pad, propelled forward by Joost Hendrickx's insistent drums. Occasional fragments of saxophones add an urgency to the insouciant groove laid out by the rhythm section as soft trumpets and trombones are gradually added to the flutes. This provides the perfect foil to Illa J's laid-back vocal delivery as he describes a typically relaxed Tuesday morning spent contemplating the day ahead. The B-side is the AO remix which takes the instrumental performances of the A-Side, chopping and fragmenting them and re-framing the original with a slightly harder edge, which should be popular with those DJs and listeners looking for something with a tougher sound.

Having previously appeared alongside Tommi Vicari Jr on a 12" last year, Opto Mystics strike out on their own with this 12" for Italian powerhouse Vibraphone. New Horizon very much represents the new school approach with the long serving Italian house label, keeping that deep, melodic quality but embracing new rhythms, tones and approaches. "New Horizon" almost has an Akufen quality to it, while "Bucky Triangle" could easily transmit from the Motor City house scene. "M.I.Y.E." is a swirling blur of gorgeous synths, and "Suddent" finishes the EP off on a surprisingly experimental tip.

Strata-Gemma's eponymous debut album is set to provide a soundtrack to 2018.

The trio hail from Modena, the Northern Italian motor city. As with the Ferrari and Maserati cars that are designed and manufactured in Modena, Strata-Gemma produce a music of beautiful symmetry.

Strata-Gemma create jazz for the head, the heart and the body. Their sound is shaped by the ambient adventures Miles Davis and Ron Carter engaged in alongside the electronic pulse Mo' Wax and Ninja Tune carved out of clubland. Add to this a touch of Nino Rota's Fellini film scores, employ a pinch of Balkan and klezmer brass arrangements, and you have an instrumental trio who create music so fresh it stimulates the senses.

Strata-Gemma are a collaboration between Billy Bogus, Luca Cacciatore and Andrea Moretti. The trio first took shape as a club jam between DJs and musicians. Their ability to create atmospheric music, pulsing with rhythm but never solely reliant on beats, music that breaks free and explores sonic possibilities, quickly won notice and lead to the trio playing their freeform music in clubs, music venues and festivals across Italy.

Strata-Gemma consist of producer Niccolò Bruni (aka Billy Bogus), horns player Luca Cacciatore, double bassist Andrea Moretti. Bruni is a DJ, producer and founder of Pizzico Records. Over the past two decades he has striven to mix jazz, beats, soundtracks and funk. Coming together with Luca and Andrea allowed Bruni to explore a vision of post-club jazz that is as rich as Modena's food and as elegant as Modena's cars. Strata-Gemma create a sensual sonic storm, music to be savoured and explored, the opposite of much of today's fast-food music.

Lorenzo Bandiera, the London-based Italian founder of Fly By Night Music, heard a Strata-Gemma demo via friends and was immediately impressed. "I thought 'this is great!", he says. "Music as strong as this can't be ignored. I'm excited about releasing Strata-Gemma."

Inside Out is a brand new series that invites DJs and producers to blur the boundaries between traditional artist albums and mix compilations. Coming from Aus Music label head and DJ-Kicks curator Will Saul, the concept encourages artists to showcase their own music and or the music of those in their own individual circles. The mix will be release digitally and on CD, while a selection of the tracks will also be available on double gatefold vinyl. Each instalment will feature 100% new and unreleased music. It is a chance for artists to take sole creative charge, A&R as they see fit and then commission brand new music specifically for the cause. Depending on who is at the helm, Inside Out will take different forms: producers may wish to represent their own sound with only music they have made themselves or with close collaborators, while DJs and label heads may wish to reflect the sounds and scenes that surround them. The results will be a window into an artist's world that works as a coherent mix, but also as a treasure trove of fresh new music that steps outside the usual lines of a dance album. The idea stems from Will Saul's own approach in the club, which often finds him seeking out brand new and unheard music to play for the first time. That feeling of taking people into the unknown is one that reminds him of the energy and excitement of his early days as a dancer.

Bleu Nuit (BN) is glad to introduce to you to its second release Red Light City (BN02) by Nice-based French duo Gabardines.
Rising French DJs from the South of France, Gabardines is composed by Olivier aka Ghini-B and Régis aka Redj.
If Ghini-B and Redj already have a couple of vinyl-only releases to their respective solo alias, Gabardines is about to release his first EP under this name. Indeed, in 2017, Gabardines brought out Sweat Things EP on Simple Things Records via bandcamp as well as a remix of Lady B's Liaisons on their own imprint Swipe White Limited a couple of years before.
Red Light City EP follows the lead or rather, the musical line, introduced by both the label and Gabardines' predecessor Flavio Folco (BN01). As can be listened from all three tracks, Gabardines are sticking to these break and gangster beats, offering a balanced release with some warmup (A1), peak-time (A2) and closing/after spirit (B1).

People Places & Things is the single project of Manchester born & London based Mike Checuti. Mike grew listening to a heavy mixture of horror & film soundtracks an equal dose of the early electro via the legendary Spin Inn records & then the hedonistic sounds of The Hacienda & the more underground Thunderdome nightclub.

Mike was encouraged to press ahead with the project after a visit to Los Angeles & spending time in the studio with Atticus Ross (Gone Girl & The Social Network soundtrack composer).

Treating Patient A is the first in a trilogy of releases by People Places & Things each pulling from the above mentioned influences but each EP having it's own variation whilst keeping the references points clearly audible along with People Places & Things own take of these sounds at the forefront.

People Places & Things along with Gabe Guernsey of Factory Floor have recently just composed the soundtrack for the latest film for the forthcoming Adidas Spezial range which commemorates 30 years of Acid house.

Artwork for each 12" is designed by Andrew Jackson & each sleeve is individually hand printed thus having its own unique imprint and limited to only 200 copies.

The press & publicity for the release and project as while will be handled by 'The Rest is Noise'

Deadly styles we've got many, deadly vibes we've got plenty...
45 Live is proud to welcome the new record 'Ready', a masterclass to mash up yer dance from club dub doyens The Nextmen, featuring badass Bristol babe Eva Lazarus (Mungo's HiFi/Gentlemen's Dub Club), the goddess with the golden pipes.
'Ready' is a sweet slice of dancehall that feels tightly sprung, with songbird Eva Lazarus rolling on the rhythms' rise from sweaty and soulful to saucy, priapic pop. You will want to wiggle. This joint feels infectious.
Much loved music makers The Nextmen have been busy twiddling knobs and working wires purely for people's pleasure over two decades deep, having worked with everyone from Public Enemy, Wilkinson, The Pharcyde, Ms Dynamite, Groove Armada, Plan B, Chali 2na, Tippa Irie, Cutty Ranks and a million more.
Good. Grooves.
Crate diggers quickly quickly, make it snappy to make Daddy happy, this limited edition 45 release is exclusively vinyl only.
Pressed loud on 45.
'Ready'. The whole room knows it's on...

Following the success of the Retro-Zouk mixtapes series (4 volumes / 15k plays on Soundcloud), Secousse Radio proudly presents its first official vinyl reissue of a long lost Zouk banger.

Originally released in 1993-1994, those two tracks have been road-tested in various clubs and parties for months and the feedback is clear: it's dancefloor devastation business.

Their author is Jules Henri Malaki, an established and self-produced artist from Guadeloupe, a French overseas island in the Southern Caribbean Sea.

As the popularity of Zouk music keeps growing every day in Europe, America and Asia, just whisper the name Makiyaj' to any of the best DJs from the current tropical diggers scene and watch their eyes scintillate... This secret weapon shall not remain secret very long.

In the late 1990's label manager Nik Weston was working for Island Records and in particular the label imprint Island Blue set up by Ross Allen. It was here that he first heard the timeless jazz version masterpiece of Amalia from Kirk Degiorgio's As One. The track featured on a promo cd but never made it to a commercial release for Island Blue and was later featured on the full length album release for San Francisco label Ubiquity Records a few years later in 2001. 'Amalia' is a sultry jazz classic featuring gorgeous keys from Jamie Odell aka Jimpster. As relevant today as it ever was when initially made and here presented as a single in it's own right for the very first time. On the flipside another track that never made it to single in this version was the unique jazzual 'Spiritual Rotations' by Butti 49 from Norway. Nik had later worked with Butti 49 whilst working for Exceptional Records for the Habit album in 2004 but 'Spiritual Rotations' itself initially featured as an exclusively album only track for Future Sounds Of Jazz Volume 8 in 2001 for German label Compost. So there you have it... two welcome killer Jazz classics that deserve a revisit for your attention cut on limited 180 gram vinyl for your ears, your turntable and your dancefloor....

Off the back of Rudeboyz follow up EP entitled Gqomwave, Goon Club Allstars are back with an EP from UK Funky producer KG. In 2007 Karen Nyame, otherwise known as KG, was at the Nottingham Trent University producing beats on Fruity Loops. Slightly isolated in Nottingham - away from the UK Funky scene's London epicentre - KG posted her tunes on popular UK Funky message boards and Facebook pages, but never had an opportunity to properly stake her claim as one of the scene's heavy hitters. 808 and Midnight (Flute Riddim) are two lost anthems from that era, although receiving support from the likes of Marcus Nasty and others, they were largely forgotten amongst the numerous stand out tracks of the era, appearing rarely in mixes of those lucky enough to have digital copies. 808 is the party anthem, it's joyous, quivering melodies ascend above the thumping kick drum, while relentless crashing snares and carnival whistles rain down - guaranteed to heat up the coldest of dancefloors. Midnight (Flute Riddim) on the flip side is the softer, slinkier bubbler. Built for smouldering club action and hot sunny days. BSNYEA is a new addition to Goon Club Allstars' burgeoning family of artists. Hailing from the Bronx he is a veteran of the Borough's Litefeet genre that soundtracks the performances of subway dancers cross New York City's transit system. On his remix of 808 he focusses on the whistles and gutter synth lines adding in booming bass drums and lock inducing chants. Hitmakerchinx comes fresh from his anthemic Night Slugs compilation. Bringing his signature FDM energy he drops the tempo and builds on the light, airiness, letting the flutes play out softly underneath the thumping drums.

This is the first album of Borusiade, in which she takes her music to a new level, finding her very own expression, that is making us first shiver then sweat, then chill and finally melt.

Cómeme starts 2018 by proving again to be a safe haven and a sanctuary for sensitive plants and unique characters devoted to music - just like Miruna Boruzescu aka Borusiade - from Bucharest - who conquered the radio stations of our parallel worlds and utopian desire. 'Dream catcher' was the name of the show, and 'Jeopardy', a nocturnal EP, her first release on vinyl.

Now, after adventurous travels through night clubs, theatres, windy cities, snowy fields and merciless deserts her desires and imagination have manifested themselves in her very first album, carrying the intriguing title: 'A Body'

The record sleeve features the back of her head, making us wonder what she sees, on the other side. Her visions unfold through 8 pieces of music that follow a dreamlike narrative of associations and transformations. Somber synthetic atmospheres, sparse and spatial rhythmical arrangements, strangely seductive melodies and lysergic ally pulsating bass lines lead us away from a dystopian present towards a sensorial experience we long to repeat as soon as it's over.

'A Body' is a deeply poetic work in which again and again you will hear Borusiade's voice, sometimes dissolving and recreating meanings in mantra-like repetitions, sometimes layering itself to pagan choirs of smooth ecstasy. Then again you will also hear that voice close to you, singing, sharing an experience or a thought. It is always soft, effortless and unpretentious, but always strong, clear and precise, like the voice that speaks to you in an altered state of consciousness. It seems to come from the same person that is holding your hand, when everything else seems to fade into uncertainty while wandering through strange times and places...

Starting with the song CLUSTER the effect is kicking in, we sink into the universe of the album through this throbbing ambience that seems populated by a reverberated ant colony that broke into a synthesizer. The introduction of this album is a complex emotional soundscape that is followed by a song: BREATHE, which sounds like a classic you never heard. With its catchy melancholia, it creates a déjà vu like strange familiarity of the unknown - a memory from the future. And though our minds were just twisting and turning in an overflow of information, we suddenly leave our bodies and observe ourselves breathe.

Other tracks, like DORMANT are more focused on the narration of the body and its state. Words, describing it in many ways, softly and incessantly repeated, are mixed deeply into the soundscapes of a track that features a bass drum so soft it could be a heartbeat. Foggy moments like these dissolve in a track like AN ACUARIAN FEELING, which is queer synthesizer love, shifting in shape and momentum, a ray of light that pushes itself through the nightly atmosphere that was preceding these moments, a similar landscape in different times - a choir enters, cheerful drums, climbing and descending melodies and rhythms of hope. Just like the utopian vision in the title track A BODY, that stands at the end of this journey, which in itself just opens another new horizon.

Matuss continue to deliver deep and soulful techno via her vinyl only imprint Absence Seizure, which she helms alongside Abe Duque.
Opening with 'Whistler', Matuss delivers heavyweight bass tones, dubbed out drums and obscure synthesiser transitions before 'Zoya The Destroyer' provides eerie atmospheres, crisp percussion and subtle mid-range motifs which sit on top of a melodic low-end.
On the flip side we have 'Stranger things', which sets an ominous tone with murky ambiences and ethereal pads underpinned by a powerful kick, rumbling sub-bass and percolating rhythms to close the release.