quête:house pepper

The Outer Circle drops a debut release full of flavour and grooves reminiscent of the golden era of UK/US tech house from Glasgow's Craig Hamilton, alongside London's tech house veteran Silverlining on remix duties.

"Let You In" a deep rolling sub laden groove sets the mood of the EP. Tight percussive elements drive the track, incisive from the offset as spacious chord stabs dominate over arpeggiated tones laced with an appealing fragmented vocal throughout. "Monday Groovin" the deeper of the cuts follows on with slick rhythms and choppy female vocals scattered over smokey pads and mesmerizing overtones.

Before continuing on the flip with the Silverlining remix of "Let You In". The tech house originators interpretation is a far darker bass driven analog work out. Upfront beats and spaced out atmospheric layers meander among rolling snares and peppered chord stabs with satisfying vocal elements, leaning this towards the deeper end of the spectrum.

Keep It Moving is a 6 track groove-oriented release that ventures between techno, beatdown, and downtempo styles. The release starts out with a pair of harder-edged techno cuts. The pensive, smoky "Martial State" leads the way, followed by "Struck Down Strike Up."

Next, the Chicago-based artist dives into slower tempos with the pleasingly dissonant "Cyborg Proposition" and the acidic, atmospheric, "They Don't Know". The record picks up in terms of mood and tempo for the house-leaning, "Rising Poem", before closing out with the catchy, head-nodding title track.

Samples are peppered throughout the release that help guide this record's narrative. Artwork by Chicago-based artists Ruby T. and Betty Heredia help capture the mood of the A-side and B-side respectively

Chicago-based Matt Warren has been a DJ for forty years and has been a producer since 1984, when he released his debut single Rock The Nation. This inspired Matt to cofound Sunset Records in 1985, which released several house classics. However, in 1987, Matt resigned from Sunset Records and founded AKA Dance Music.

The first single that AKA Dance Music released was Bang The Box, which sold over 50,000 copies in America and nowadays, is regarded as the first hard house track. Bang The Box was the first of seven singles that AKA Dance Music released between 1987 and 1988. By then, Matt's second label was part the history of house music.

After the demise of AKA Dance Music, Matt Warren continued to travel the world DJ in some of the top clubs. Meanwhile, Matt continued to produce new music, remix tracks by some of the biggest names in music.

By the nineties, Matt was also writing, arranging, mixing, and producing a wide variety of artists and bands. He sometimes was asked to play on a number of albums. However, he still loved house music, and worked on several releases.

As the new millennia dawned, Matt continued to work in a variety of roles in the ever-changing music industry, and occasionally released some new music. Over the next few years, Matt has been working as a producer, engineer and remixer, which meant he had to put his own career on hold, until he began working with a familiar face.

In 2016, Matt was reunited with house diva Pepper Gomez, who was now running her own label Wake Up! Music. By then, Pepper Gomez had dawned the MyMy Lady G moniker and embarked upon a career as producer. She had travelled to Chicago, to record Elena Andujar's genre-meting album Flamenco In Time at Matt's Sound Studio Recording. Matt took charge of engineering, programming, mixing and production on Flamenco In Time while MyMy Lady G added backing vocals and assumed the role of executive producer on this groundbreaking project. After the completion of Flamenco In Time, MyMy Lady G asked Matt Warren if he would like to record an album

It didn't take long for Matt to answer in the affirmative, and in early 2018, he hit the comeback trail. He was accompanied by a group of talented musicians and vocalists including gospel singer and soulful diva Jan McGhee, Elena Andujar and legendary house diva Pepper Gomez who plays a starring role on the album. That album was recorded over the course of several months, and eventually became Music Is My Life which marks the comeback of Mark Warren.

Matt Warren has been away to long, now one of the pioneers of Chicago House makes a welcome return with a groundbreaking new album. This is Music Is My Life, the first ever Nu House album, which is guaranteed to transform Matt Warren's career and become part of dance music history.

Metric Systems is the name of a covert project of over 20 years duration. It has moved across multiple continents, under multiple names. The 8 songs that make up 'People in the Dark' were recorded between 2000 and 2016 in various locations across Sydney, Melbourne and New York. The bright-eyed sci-fi fascination of Australia's Clan Analogue collective intertwines with the more sinister facets of modern technology - echoed voices pepper the album like fragments of a surveillance tape collected by our digital panopticon. A pervasive sense of paranoia and unease winds its way through these 8 tracks that move between techno, downtempo and more abstract strains of electroacoustic experimentation. Fittingly housed in a striking sleeve by American photographer Trevor Paglen, whose MacArthur-winning work revolves around these same themes of omnipresent surveillance and data mining.

'People in the Dark' opens with the wordless vocals of 'Your Room', drifting over the unspooling synthesizer sequence that seems to swell and recede from the foreground like the ebb and flow of a lapping tide, lapsing into dreamy ambience before the drums come back in. The smartly programmed drums are the focus of 'Chinatown Warehouse', whose hip-hop swing gives a distinct 'nod factor' to the otherwise hazy mechanics of the track. On 'Laika', a 303 line weaves its way across the subdued mid-tempo groove, gently recalling the ambient-acid of Susumu Yokota's 'Ebi' project. The penultimate track, 'Stellarwind' starts with a dark, foreboding drone before shining pads arc over like a glimpse of light through the track's murky darkness, the tension between these two poles moving together as the song unfolds.

This record reflect just a small selection from a large archive of recorded materials. All songs written and produced by Kate Crawford and Bo Daley.

Phonogramme, the house subdivision of parent label and integral Parisian record shop Syncrophone dedicates itself directly to the French music scene, with previous releases from the likes of Professor Inc, John Jastszebski, Aleqs Notal and a handful of other local heads. Phonogramme continues to keep things close-to-home through the labels next edition presented by Gibs, who's most notably known for works on his own imprint, 'An.Art Records' - a family run label with music shared by himself and his two brothers.

'Find an Oasis' kicks off the release with rolling organic percussion before progressing elegantly into layered emotive lead synths and mellow bass stabs. 'Jarkarta' is a subdued deeper house cut, filled with an uplifting, undulating melody and raw lo-fi elements collectively creating a luscious calming effect. Last up, 'Der Germain' offers up a fluid, groove filled number balanced with charming, jazzy flutters and tender keys providing a warm, breezy atmosphere to the end the release.

"The more I hear this the more I'm loving it. As a starter while we wait for the main course which will be the album this is just perfect."Craig Charles on S.T.A.Y. (feat Eric Boss)

"It's fabulous and it sees the return of one of my favourite UK vocalists - the pocket rocket that is Gizelle Smith" - Craig Charles on S.T.A.Y. (feat Eric Boss)

"such a powerful singer...a real british soul talent" - Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz)

Radio support:

BBC 6 Music: Craig Charles - 'STAY' (25.11.17) (2.12.17) (9.12.17), 'Sacred of Something' (13.01.17)

KCRW (USA): Garth Trinidad - STAY. Jazz FM (UK): John Osborne - Sweet Memories'

3Fach (playlisted), Delite (playlisted), Mi Soul , NTS, Solar, 1BTN, Radio Krimi, Ibiza Sonica, Radio Pepper, Republic 100.3, Kane FM, WUTK 90.3, Juice brighton (playlisted) , Colourful Radio, Crackers Fresh, Radio Cardiff, Starpoint Radio,

DJ: Felix Da Housecat, Benoit C, Yamwho,Doc Scott, Basement Freaks, Dom Servini, Mat The Alien, All Good Funk Alliance, Marc Hype

Lost In Time has laid down some killer 12"s to date from the likes of Ralph Lawson and Tuccillo, and now they welcome London-based scene staple Alex Arnout to the label with an on-point EP of explorative house music variations. "No Borders" features long time US house veteran Jovonn, and the pair whip up a tracky tech house roller with serious percussive pressure and a subtle lick of dub in the mix. "Downtown 500" is a rough and tough, bashy house jam with a fresh drum palette, and by contrast "Riddim" brings a straight up deep house vibe with classic organ licks aplenty, that almost sound like they should be the handiwork of Jovonn as well. "Jam The Dance" finishes the EP off with a twitchy house cut peppered with vocal slices.

Promo Support for new album 'Ruthless Day'

"The more I hear this the more I'm loving it. As a starter while we wait for the main course which will be the album this is just perfect."

"It's fabulous and it sees the return of one of my favourite UK vocalists - the pocket rocket that is Gizelle Smith" - Craig Charles (BBC)

"such a powerful singer...a real british soul talent" - Eddie Piller (Acid Jazz)

Radio support:

BBC 6 Music: Craig Charles - 'STAY' (25.11.17) (2.12.17) (9.12.17), 'Sacred of Something' (13.01.18) (17.02.18)

KCRW (USA): Garth Trinidad - 'STAY'

Jazz FM (UK): John Osborne - 'Sweet Memories'

Delite Radio interview w/ Chris Forbes

Colourful Radio interview w/ DJ Sly

3Fach (playlisted), Delite (playlisted), MiSoul , NTS, Solar, 1BTN, Radio Krimi, Ibiza Sonica, Radio Pepper, Republic 100.3, Kane FM, WUTK 90.3, Juice brighton (playlisted) , Colourful Radio, Crackers Fresh, Radio Cardiff, Starpoint Radio,

DJ: Felix Da Housecat, Benoit C, Yamwho,Doc Scott, Basement Freaks, Dom Servini, Mat The Alien, All Good Funk Alliance, Marc Hype

Online and print press: Blues & Soul, Echoes, Afropunk, EARMILK, The Cocoa Diaries, Vents Magazine, FIP, Wax Poetics, FleamarketFunk, Monkeyboxing, Monkeyboxing, Blue In Green Radio, Groovement, Reductive Reviews,

Solar Phenomena welcomes singular rhythm master STL for a new EP that offers four fantastic tracks of dubby house. It is the label's fourth release and finds the Something label boss in a typically inventive mood.

First track 'Spy vs Spy' opens things with shuffling drum loops and eerie synth details that hypnotises over seven minutes. 'Atomsmasha' has wooden hits and rough shakers peppering a soft, imperfect groove as awkward chords bring an unhinged edge to the mix. On the flip, 'Summer Breeze & Brotherhood' has loose keys doing an off kilter dance over STL's trademark low-key drums where 'Freebird' zones you out with long held chords and detuned keys as cloudy, dusty kicks bring a barely-there groove deep down low. You know what to get from STL by now, but at the same time you can never get enough.

2022 Repress

HQ Gatefold, 3x12 140g Vinyl, black innersleeve, download code
EXTRAWELT are back! Although in fairness, they were never gone. On the contrary, since their first release on James Holden's Border Community Label dropped in 2005, Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe have been responsible for a plethora of classics including "Schöne Neue Extrawelt" and "In Aufruhr", their two seminal albums on Cocoon Recordings. The duo are one of the most booked live acts worldwide, commanding a huge fan base. Their performances are the stuff of legend, making them the absolute highlight at every club and festival they play. So it's with great pride and respect, that we can announce the release of Extrawelt's third album for Cocoon Recordings. "Fear Of An Extra Planet" completes the Cocoon trilogy and the excitement growing among their fans represents a new high in the history of EXTRAWELT!
Musically, of course, there's enormous pressure on EXTRAWELT to deliver, but this is dismissed with a playful disregard and they are clearly focused on the job in hand. The album title "Fear Of An Extra Planet" sounds cinematic, like some art-house science fiction film, without giving too much away.
However, from the first seconds of the opening track "Superposition", the album title makes 100% sense and sets the scene for the rest of the trip. We are immersed in wide open spaces and invited to explore dark and dusky worlds that transport us back to their Border Community years. Timeless and elegant, "Superposition" perfectly captures the epic, dream like quality that made James Holden's label so influential.
New Release Information Second up, "Gott ist Schrott" takes a much more minimalist approach with its retro 80s drum programming, monster bass lurking in the breaks and playful Rhodes/synth riffs that span the divide between early German techno and deep Detroit electro with a distinctive film soundtrack aesthetic. "Oddification" continues this theme, adding extra spice reminiscent of the techno-synth vibe of Detroit with a punchy, almost Prodigy-style breakbeat complete with shredded vocal samples that gives us a taste of what's in store. "Gentle Venom" then takes the breakbeat motif to the next stage. The main focus here is the classy sprinter of a bassline, peppered with a flurry of intricate and subtle effects and modulations, that immediately trigger an intense, movie-like 'in pursuit' feeling.
With - Das Grosse Flimmern" we cautiously approach the album's high point. It's still in keeping with the soundtrack aesthetics, but faster and with more urgency. Almost hypnotically, Extrawelt invade us with an energy and impetus that always radiates from their music. Next in line is "Silly Idol" and here Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe opt again for a more minimal tack, focusing even more intensely on the dance floor to reveal a pulsing, twisted heart to the album.
"Punch The Dragon" is the hidden gem of the collection, utilising and melting together the most bombastic and playful elements. This one is totally off the hook, a sensory overload in an acoustic widescreen format! Then we have the title track "Fear Of An Extra Planet" which perfectly sums up the album concept. It opens up like a film score, with minimal passages following dark sequences that morph into dreamy melodies, all grounded by cool, constantly alternating analogue drum patterns. If you're not listening closely, you might get the impression that three or four different titles are mixed together; such is the effortless flow of the album.
As we near our destination, "The Friendly Coroner" really does honour its name. The morbid charm of the title is captured by a fluid bassline and melodic arrangements that border on the absurd, until the funky drum beat finally drops. In our mind's eye we see a cheerful medical doctor removing his bloody gloves, hanging his smock in the closet and vibing out in his neon drenched workspace. And there we sit, glued to our cinema seat, submerged in the different textures EXTRAWELT have conjured up on "Fear Of An Extra Planet". Over the course of the last title, the strings usher in the final acknowledgments as the credits roll. The dramatic end of "2084" leaves us transfixed in front of a black screen in a large, dark room safe in the knowledge that we've just witnessed a science fiction epic.

Despite a discography that stretches right back to the late noughties, little is known about Turkish producer Ali Kuru. Perhaps he's publicity shy, or simply wants to let his music do the talking; either way, the music he makes is magical, and undoubtedly worthy of wider acclaim. Kuru came to the attention of Leng late last year, releasing the Luna 12' his frst vinyl release for six years - in January 2016. That EP boasted two typically exotic and fragrant tracks, both of which effortlessly joined the dots between dub disco, hazy house, gentle downtempo movements and snaking, Middle Eastern instrumentation.
Here, the Istanbul native further explores his unique musical perspective, serving up a quartet of tracks that eschew easy categorization. Twittering birds, throbbing dub basslines, crisp hip-hop beats, trippy vocal samples, and distant chimes combine on the moody 'Mandari', while 'Causa' peppers a jangling, acoustic guitar-laden loop-groove with futtering futes, deep space electronics and rolling hand percussion.On the fip, his more exotic musical inspirations return to the fore. There's 'Zurna' - the musical equivalent of a panicked dash through a bustling late
night market full of drunken jazz drummers, metronomic groove merchants and snake-charming pungi players - and the low-slung stomp of 'Avaz'. Here, sampled vocal chants and Bollywood-inspired instrumentation wind their way around a rubbery bassline and handclap-heavy rhythm track. If
there was such a thing as Turkish-Hindi jazzdance - and maybe there should be - then this would be a guaranteed foorfller.
All four tracks offer further glimpses into Ali Kuru's fertile imagination. It's the perfect teaser for the Turkish producer's debut album, which will be released by Leng in early 2017.

To anyone with even a passing interest in the weirder end of good-time party-ready house music, Freaks should need little introduction. Luke Solomon and Justin Harris have been keeping our preferred kind of dancefloor vibrating to the cheekiest manifestations of house music since the mid- 90s, never letting up and moving in the same oscillations as the good ship Circus Company. From first emerging on Phono through to setting up their Music For Freaks label, stopping by Playhouse, Wash House and Rebirth amongst countless other labels along the way, the UK duo have constantly given the traditions of house music a tickle in the ribs without losing that fundamental funk that makes a record great to dance to. We were thrilled to welcome Luke and Justin to remix Dave Aju's 'Nu Threads' at the end of last year, and now we follow up on that connection with a special EP of gems from the extensive Freaks archives. On 'Shrunken Heads (One Pro Mix)' the rock solid foundations of filter house music collide with flamboyant synth noodlings for a truly cosmic end result, while 'Absolut Zero' finds solace in a slower, deeper groove peppered with oddball effects tweaking and disembodied vocal samples. Heading further into loose-fit, slippery territory, 'Funk You (Who Do You Trust Dub)' lets soulful sample licks wriggle and writhe through a decidedly laid-back atmosphere that shows off the range Freaks have always sported in their output since day one. In many ways this coming together of Circus Company and Freaks feels like a logical development for two bastions of the oddball house music community, not to mention a great opportunity to hear tracks that otherwise might never have seen the light of day.