quête:hearts hearts

Don't wanna move to Southern California / I wasn't really meant for LA...' So sang Dent May once upon a time, now he's eating those words with a side of avocado toast in his new Los Angeles bungalow. What made the lifelong Mississippi boy pull up stakes and head west No one looks at you funny if you wear a tuxedo to the supermarket.' What he means is he moved there to shake up his surroundings, clear his head, and write the most accomplished record of his young career, the magical mystery tour de force Across the Multiverse.

Following the lead of musical-polymaths-with-LA-ties before him like Brian Wilson, Van Dyke Parks, and Harry Nilsson, Dent's style on Across the Multiverse will be familiar to fans of his previous work. Yet there's something more refined about this collection... Stately strings mingle with boogie piano like old friends. Synths weave a celestial backdrop throughout. Every verse, bridge and chorus in its right place, giving it the unmistakable feel of a true songwriting craftsman at work. Lyrically Dent has never been sharper, musing on themes like modern romance ( Picture on a Screen', Face Down in the Gutter of Your Love'), existential dread ( Dream 4 Me', I'm Gonna Live Forever Until I'm Dead'), and the distance to the moon ( Distance to the Moon') as he searches for meaning among the infinite scrolling feeds of our 21st century augmented reality. The title track, a duet with Frankie Cosmos, is a deep space love song about finding love beyond impossible boundaries.

Across the Multiverse was written and recorded in a sunny bedroom in LA's Highland Park neighborhood, with Dent producing and playing nearly every instrument himself. The tracks were selected from dozens of songs written after the LA move, a gold rush of productivity inspired by late nights DJing rare disco funk cuts at local watering holes. It's his first record for new label Carpark and will be released August 18th.

Dent May is a self-described hotel bar lounge singer and aspiring daytime TV talk show host - has been charming his way into the hearts of music fans since the release of his debut album The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele on Animal Collective's Paw Tracks label in 2009. The Mississippi-born, Los Angeles-based songwriter, performer, and Dolly Parton enthusiast has since released two more acclaimed records, Do Things (2012) and Warm Blanket (2013), dropped the holiday smash I'll Be Stoned For Christmas', and played hundreds of shows from Shanghai to Chicago. His latest album, Across the Multiverse, is an interstellar voyage of mythic proportions.

Obrani Records are proud to present 'Strangeman' - an EP from the young and talented producer Plantae, who has conquered the minimal hearts of techno and house heads alike. The intensity and broadness of Plantae's musical pallet, reflected in every crease of the release, will appeal to diggers from all scapes of the globe. From grassroots break-beat to snappy hats and bold percussion, occasionally visited by passing high notes, like comets in a coma of ever-changing motive. If forced to reduce his sound to words, musical abstractionism would hit as close to home as the 808 bass drum. Undoubtedly, 'Strangeman' made it's way to the Obrani Records collection.

With his 3rd album Dear Stranger, Duesseldorf artist TG Mauss appeared 2013 for the first time on Berlins quality music label Karaoke Kalk. Proving once more his skills in meshing up folk pop with electronic music, he left a big mark at Hans Nieswandt (Whirlpool Productions), who now throws the track Ghosts into the club: a grooving funk bass played by Levent Canseven meets a rattling hi-hat and spacey soundeffects. Mauss voice makes the disco ball and our dancing hearts pause for a moment, just to explode on the dance floor. That's what you call state-of-remix-art.

The mighty one-man-band with the most notoriously misspelled airport pick-up signs in music history returns to his beloved hometown imprint Musique Risquée with a scorching three-track can of shake-ass. Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts is never one to shy away from fresh contrasts in his works, and we have no exceptions here - all manner of dark-to-light, flacid-to-hard, and identifiable-to-WTF moments, sounds, and vibes abound. Lead-off piece 'Histories Vraies' brilliantly soundtracks the inevitable future moment when a season-premiere costumed viewing party for Game Of Thrones unknowingly gets their punch spiked with moon rocks and teleported right to the middle of Panoramabar at peak time. A2 jam 'Far Is The Field' counterattacks with the next level fusion of Sun Ra Arkestra-esque transmissions wrapped around a Humpty Dance-on-steroids Bassline, twisting and shifting away from the hands on the clock with beautiful ease - 'I am Music..' indeed. Finally, B-side long-burner 'Whatever's Inside' rocks a sultry belly dancer's theme song at an FM and modular synth Bazaar on Uranus, with G & the CD's patented sharp percussion fills ensuring that the resulting melted faces and hearts will still be set in motion by the all-important collective flexing of the Gluteus maximus.

What attracts us to Chilean-born artist Ricardo Tobar is the notion of intersection, and although fusion is nothing new, as a concept it will always pull our heartstrings. Applying influence is amateur, we see this over and over again as we endure trend-driven appropriation of cultures the world over, but the epiphany when an artist finds true synergy between heritage and influence is a pivotal moment that the inspired will seek, even though it may take the length of one's career to behold. As pretentious as that may sound, it is precisely the hybrid born from that place of intersection that
excites us at the ESP Institute, the 'A plus B that equals 3'. We hear this in Ricardo's music — the Latin American instinct in his drums and percussion, sometimes tightly aligned with body movements and other times hauntingly mis-aligned and chaotic, intersects with his rock influence of ethereal (micro) melodies that slowly layer and layer until we're climbing a glorious (macro) wall of sound — but most importantly we hear where these different parts of his life come together to further create one unique voice. On both sides of his ESP Institute debut Liturgia, Tobar couples one pulsing dance-driven track with another atmospheric and immersive track, requiring we educate ourselves in the polarity of this language he's building, one that will expand to tell a broader story later this year with his debut album. We welcome Ricardo Tobar, another forward-thinking artist, to the ESP Institute, and are proud to support any direction his compass points from here, as we believe he'll never follow but will always lead.

Idle Hands continues its quest to support new talent coming out of Bristol with a fresh 12" from local beatsmith Crump. Up to this point, he's been quietly slipping out razor sharp reduced house cuts on various artist releases for Extended Play and Banoffee Pies, but it's high time he had a 12" of his to truly showcase his sound.

The two tracks on this single tap into a consistent thread on Idle, fusing the minimal sensibilities of contemporary European house music with a swung, dub-weighted presence fit for soundsystem consumption in the fair city we call home. Much like previous releases from Leif, Christian Jay and Matt Karmil, this is a demonstration of stripped down music loaded with swagger.

"Ice & Spheres" pivots around an ear-snagging 2-step shuffle that cuts through any mix, but there's scores of subtlety woven in between the drums to reward the attentive listener. Snatches of vocal, distant field recordings, low-blowing synth licks and other unidentifiable sonic matter lurk quietly in the mix to cast a spell on the sleep-deprived twitcher and warm-up head-nodder alike.

Sporting a brighter disposition thanks to the sheen of its chords, "Mechanisms" provides a different vibe on the flip. The beat throws down with a rugged nod to West London broken styles while still tapping into that aforementioned continental 4/4 sensibility, injecting a refreshing variation into the densely populated minimal house landscape while maintaining the meditative qualities that keep the genre close to our hearts.

Warehouse Find

This June Session Victim returned to Delusions Of Grandeur imprint with their third studio album.Listen To Your Heart is the result of a year of cross-continental scripting, started in their Hamburg studio and wrapped up stateside in San Francisco's Room G Studios where the duo had worked on their 2014 LP See You When You Get There. Here we present the third of three LP samplers containing four tracks each, cut nice and loud for the vinyl crew.
We kick things off with Almost Midnight, another uplifting summer jam loaded with trademark Session Victim energy and positive vibrations. Next up we have Castle For Sale which drops the bpm's for a dub influenced, spaced out jam session sounding like King Tubby and Nightmares On Wax getting stuck in the proverbial lift with a large bong for company.
Flipping over we have a Head Over Heels, which goes heavy on the lush orchestral strings and a brilliant bouncing Moog bassline bringing a deft touch. Finally we're treated to Thermal Explorer, which incorporates some wonderful Larry Heard-esque keyboards for a perfect wind-down track to close the release.
An impeccable demonstration of retro-inspired yet forward thinking house and downtempo music,Listen To Your Heartsees Session Victim at the top of their game.

ALFIE DAVISON first came to prominence in the early seventies as a DJ on the New York dance scene breaking cutting edge singles such as Soul Makossa' by Manu Dibango. Eventually he hit with his own song -- Who's Gonna Love Me' -- recorded by The Imperials and breaking the U.K. Top 20 in December 1977. Davison did record his own version which saw a release in the U.S.A. on the RCA imprint, but it failed to chart.
However, it was his sublime single - Love Is Serious Business' - that propelled him into the Northern Soul Hall of Fame. Released on Mercury Records in 1979, in both 7 and 12-inch formats, it was an instant hit in the North of England where it packed the floor at Wigan Casino courtesy of the forward-thinking DJ Richard Searling who, at the time, favoured the rare 12-inch import.
Sadly, the song failed to chart despite a favourable reception in the trade magazine Billboard, although, oddly, it was reviewed in the Pop', rather than the Soul' section. Davison was completely unaware of the serious' club action that the song received in the U.K. and he never performed it in public, until Ian Levine met up with him at the dawn of the new millennium, in Brooklyn, for the filming of The Strange World Of Northern Soul'.
Alfie Davison passed away in 2014 and leaves behind a small but precious legacy that will be forever cherished in the Hearts and Souls of Northern Soul fans worldwide.

About the label:
under the cold stars we dwell
nothing but emptyness in our hearts
divided and alone
while drifting towards an inevitable void
we are dancing
we are dancing as if this void does not exist
and our nakedness is just another protecting shield

About Meer:
Meer is the experimental and ambient project of the techno rave producer Ambre. In between industrial sonorities, occult rhythms, arabic references and electric guitar improvisations, Meer aims to combine the occidental and oriental cultures. Through dark atmospheres inspired by his North African roots,
he composes his first EP on Voidance Recordings, 'Yawm Alhissab, Rabbok Sayakouno Aadowok ».

About the EP:
A1: Rouhk Hia Sada Al Aadam is starting the EP in a frenzy. Drones and blasts of noise are echoing the nothingness buried deep within our souls while constantly pushing hard against battering percussion as if trying to a way out of this agony.

A2: Al Nasr Wa Al Hazima in contrast is an ambient tune, with field recordings and arabic references resembling some kind of solace at first, before turning into a more discomforting mood with a slow and steady beat kicking in after the first third of the track.

B1 Aindama Yahino Al Nar, Kolo Chayin Sawfa Yahtark is raising the tension again, machinegun-like percussion is pushing the track forward, while deep drones are opposing a contemplative mood, thus evoking the feeling of a disaster lurking just around the corner.

B2 The Nastika Remix of Aindama Yahino Al Nar, Kolo Chayin Sawfa Yahtark is turning the original track inside out. The mysterious producer(s) emphasize the more occult parts while piling up layers of layers of sound and in doing so create an even darker mood.

First & foremost - thank YOU for supporting this album, and for your patience. Special thanks & love to my family, friends - you know who you are. Your love & support means everything - I wouldn't be here without each one of you. Much love & P.E.A.C.E. to my Bruvz - RaSoul & Testament, for blessing our track & always having my back! Huge thanks & love to Relic/Rel McCoy for the hilarious impressions & Skydiving with us! Mad love & respect to Timbuktu for steering the ship & keeping us laughing at all times. Tremendous love & thanks to Evul & the entire Droppin' Science family - a dream come true! Massive love to my UK fam - DJ Rumage & Ruztik Records, for connecting us with Mr. Fantastic & the AE Productions crew - so thankful to be working together! And last, but never least - to my partner in rhyme, Ghettosocks - nothing but eternal gratitude, love & respect for you, your unmatched artistry, & incredibly selfless dedication from day one. Thank you for saying yes.

Valkyrie is a voice for the Warrior. It is dedicated to those who have faced adversity, and been tested in life. For those courageous souls who push through to the end, prevailing against all odds. It is especially for those who feel like giving up. You will make it. You are powerful. Keep going. Surround yourself with the truth-sayers. Educate your minds, hearts and souls. Show love. Give love. Be love. Connect with all of our generations. Be strong. Be brave. Be real. And above all, remember - always stay true to yourself.

Musically and emotionally, Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally.

And full-length it is:

The Golden Ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period.
The sixth piece of The Golden Ravedays puzzle will be released on Hippie Dance in June 2017.

Number 6 of the series introduces two further tracks of the sound adventure that Superpitcher is taking us on this year.
Side A features Protest Song. If music is a way of transporting us to other places, Protest Song takes us to a desolate, scary and loveless environment, a burnt-down, burnt-out place where the flesh of its former inhabitants is smouldering, void of goodwill and kindness in a cloud of toxic and greedy smoke. It's all Kafka and Orwell and Suffering - the most twisted and eerie track so far in The Golden Ravedays saga. What is undeniably clear is an acute sense of regret and loss - a warning that it could have been avoided, had we only listened to our hearts and protested.
In the same vein on Side B we hear powerful Resistance. Produced after the Paris attacks of 2015 Superpitcher outdid himself with this strong message of Resistance. Where Protest Song paints a picture of under-worldly doom, Resistance's techno beat and insistent refrain sweeps us to the surface of the muck of hatred and intolerance we've politically been dumped in. A voice that seems like a trapped animal is calling out to us. What is it trying to say Is it crying out for help Is that animal all of us Resistance represents hope and encouragement and could be the perfect marching track to any demonstration against negative forces. Much needed in this age of bigotry where it seems like time has leaped backwards to a darker side of history. As for the dancefloor - Resistance is irresistible!

When it comes to the music of Miajica, there is always a variety of influences, shameless sampling and me- lodic patterns involved that touches our hearts. His love for records is a never ending story and this makes him a fantastic DJ and selector. Miajica's passion for the extraordinary is what made us at Light of Other Days fall in love with his music when we first met him several years ago.

Miajica might mostly be known for his work with Alma Negra but he is a prolific producer of his own and had some amazing releases in recent months. He also just launched the label Fleeting Wax with Mehmet Aslan - which is already getting some great attention in the balearic scene all over the world.

Miajica's first EP on Light of Other Days «Drive Down» was created from some of his recent and most striking influences: «Breathing Again» indicates the feeling after he stopped smoking and discovered this whole new world of intense emotions and sensual experiences. «L'Ae´roport» was created in one of those lost moments when you're overtired at the airport and have to wait to board another delayed flight to your next destination while the third track «Mediterraneo» is an uplifting homage to his heritage and roots in Spain.

12" with transparent sleeve, 180g Vinyl The Press Group's new issue is a tale of lost love and broken hearts. 'Blaine Mcconchie' is a con-stantly evolving minimal-heyday-inspired trip through bleeping artifacts driven by an organ chord, while on the flipside 'Dog Park' is a classic groover for lush summer evenings. On B2 Frankfurt's Phil Evans gives 'Blaine Mcconchie' his treatment taking the central melody and building a sparse rhythm workout around it.
Third 12" from The Press Group co founder Rupert Marnie including a remix by Phil Evans (Pager Records/GOSU)

We at Finale Sessions are excited to have Mor Elians added to the Finale Sessions family . Mor is one of the younger generation artists that we have been keeping our eye on for sometime now. Hailing from Tel Aviv and now living in Los Angeles and Berlin and now travelling the world bringing her style of forward thinking House and Techno so let's get with the music and we start with the track " The Orionids " one of my favorites of the ep with it's bouncing drums and the industrial flexing pads and the filtering synth's that give it the deepness for day's . Then we move to the second track " Light Pollution " Another proper deep rendering if I may add and those high hats that just move the track into the proper scenic vibe, very minimal but to the point with the pads just poking its head out to go forth with the flow of the vocal . Last but not least we have "Echopark"this track closes out the ep with its very bouncy acid sounds and it's minimalistic drum patterns makes for a very melodic sound ....We at Finale Sessions want to thank you from the bottoms of our hearts and we love you very much

If Aphex Twin and Mike Dred had a kid, they would have called him Analogue Bipolar Boy for sure. Colin Q Smith belongs to the old guard of ravers who grew up to the U.K. and Belgium sound in the early 90's.
Follow up to his must have Tales From An Analogue Graveyard EP' on Acid Night label last year, Into Darkness EP' sees the London based don finding again another french im-print, New Flesh Records, to serve up six wild, untouchable, brutal, old school-acid-industrial songs of his trademark. From the sinister overture of the beat less Into Dark-ness Theme', to the analog madness of Entangled', passing through the evil vision of Sad Robot', ABB blends an obsessive use of analogue synths textures, fusing with his un-limited talent horrific sororities to merciless rhythm constructions.
Many tracks were buried deep in a safe located on a secret analogue graveyard a long long time ago only to be recently unearthed onto the world... The recordings using only old analogue synths and you will probably notice the difference! Not for the fainted hearts, Into Darkness EP' is no doubt one of New Flesh most savages and intense EP's to date. In the AFX vein! Hear it and fear it.

Musically and emotionally, Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and depth of style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally.

And full-length it is:

The Golden Ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period by record label, HippieDance.
We are thrilled to bring you the third chapter of The Golden Ravedays saga, released in March 2017.

Number 3 of the series introduces two further tracks of the haunting sound adventure that Superpitcher is taking his fans on during 2017.

Side A features 1984.

It has nothing to do with George Orwell's magnificent book but it could remind some of how the apocalypse might sound one day.

1984 is as sweet as the very first track, Little Raver, of The Golden Ravedays album but it stresses the fact that even though Superpitcher produces music mainly intended for the dance floor, he creates sound that is bordering on the shamanic.

1984 might as well be the meeting of a group of supersonic bottlenose whales that are overly excited to see each other after being separated by many an ocean and moon.

Side B of this edition brings us Pocket Love.

Or shall we rather say, Side B gifts us Pocket Love

Because we believe this is nothing other than a gift to us all.

Imagine looking into a kaleidoscope and turning the dial and experiencing all those colors as pockets of love rushing your way and exploding in satin wonderment the moment they past your eyes and ears. Imagine how it must sound like if all the e mails, tweets, facebook posts, instagrams, pinterests, grandma's postcards, text messages, letters on rice paper, hearts scratched into trees, declarations of eternal loyalty written in sand, phone calls and videos of the whole universe were all messages of love stuffed into pockets and sent to you.

Imagine the treasure you will receive!

Imagine being one big ear drum and listening to the very energy that this love exists of - imagine it and you will find yourself inside Pocket Love.

Inwave is pleased to present its 8th vinyl only release, made up of the production by the Villalobos-Luciano boys Felipe Valenzuela, Felipe Venegas, Dani Casarano and the eclectic Inwave homeboy producer Niimm.
Journey through unique brand of melodious and elegant techno, minimal-house sounds delivered in a totaly underground and manner style, open to diverse sounds from around the globe- this Wax is full of grooves.
From Italy to Chile, to Europe and beyond, this four tracker is going to win the hearts of open-minded DJs and dancers alike...
Warm, trippy percussions and joyful, hypnotic vocal samples sure to bring smiles to every dancefloor.

Italian Roberto Clementi has really struck a chord in the hearts of Northerners, with releases on Scottish Soma, Danish Echocord Colour and Swedish Kontra-Musik. Perhaps it's his ability to create evolving and often emotional melodic landscapes over raw, punchy beats that's especially appreciated north of The Wall. This is very much true for True Rotary Recordings, in any case, bringing Roberto Clementi in for the label's second release. 'To Balance a Tide' is perfectly set in the True Rotary Recordings universe, combining analogue warmth with genuine musicality. There's no question Roberto Clementi has soul and has willingly poured some of it into this release, the music has a considerable thickness to it that's very pleasing to the ear, yet it's still exceptionally artful. Clementi's soul seems to be an ancient one, given the timelessness of his tracks - old SVEK releases come to mind but with an added futuristic twist. This is music for dancing and music for dreaming, all in one package.
True Rotary Recordings is run by Joel Alter and Ena Cosovic. Stemming from a longstanding mutual appreciation for the combination raw techno with more seductive sounds, the label is a natural development of Joel's and Ena's musical and personal partnership. True Rotary Recordings represents their mutual musical vision and vibe that they love. Keeping it raw and genuine.

7"

Dürerstuben are back at them ivory keys to prove once again their broadly spread outcome of funk and groove.
Being responsible for mothership Luise's first release and hence smoothing the way for a whole lot of pleasent memories we can look back to by now, it's that kind of re-(re!)-animation which puts our hearts to pleaseant warmths. Saddle your moped, pull up your Levi's and straighten your backs: Trays'n'Hits is the right compagnion for long lasting late-night drives, self proclaimed city slackers and mother earth's first outcome of country music you are bound to be proud of listening to. Spin it, Johnny!

Finally, the battle is about to reach its thrilling finale after three exhausting rounds. Our pugilists are staggering on their feet and the bookies are running around frantically, taking the final bets. Will the Bad Guys suckerpunch the Good Guys into oblivion, or does team Good have an epic deathmove in store for its malevolent adversaries Amsterdam native Nachtbraker steps back into the arena for the fourth chapter in the saga. The Quartet Series label boss and Heist and Dirt Crew mainstay has defected to the bright and sunny Good Guys. Piano chords, chopper effects and toms are the main ingredients of his funk-laden and groovy energy drink. Better than steroids they say. Laurence Guy (Church, Rose Records) joins forces or heads in this particular case with a much-needed supplement that tugs on your heartstrings with its lush keys and deep pads. This London lad has been stirring up the scene with his flawless and addictive chords, not to mention the big support he's getting from maestro Move D. Will this dapper duo be strong enough to floor the misfits featured on the flip Great precaution is imperative with two heavyweights in the other corner. First mr. Tommy Vicari Jnr (Cabinet Records, YAY Recordings, AMMO84) comes barging in. This Sheffield veteran has been making killer cuts for years now and is about to step into the ring with his slamming snares, and wonkly wobbly bassline swinging around a phat kick. To keep both The Bad Guys feet on the ground LK (Shall not Fade, Hokkaido Dance Club) adds some extra meat with a deep, heavy bassgroove, while a sexy vocal and steady chords create that gangsta vibe that will boost the Bad Guys' confidence.