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Following two EP releases on Delusions Of Grandeur the time felt right for thatmanmonkz to get working on his debut LP. The Sheffield b-boy is no newcomer to production having been releasing music since the mid-noughties but has seen a definite rise in interest the last few years following essential releases on his own Shadeleaf label as well as remixes and productions for the likes of Classic, Kolour LTD and Kon's StarTime.
With his first musical love being Hip Hop it's easy to understand how his approach to house turns out so refreshing. Inevitably MPC's, big, bold samples, Jay Dee inspired grooves and a raw, underproduced sound all play a big part and never one to shy away from an interesting collaboration he has enlisted the skills of several vocalists including Detroit MC Ta'raach (whose credits include Slum Village and Jill Scott), Erik Rico (collabs include Ron Trent and DJ Spinna), Khalil, Dave Aju, Pete Simpson (as A Brother Is...) and Malik Ameer.
Things kick off with a low-slung soul jam entitled Air featuring Kahil Anthony complete with sparkling Rhodes arps and a dub-wise bassline underpinning a beautifully lazy groove. Jus Anutha Wunna Deez follows with a rough and ready house jam that clearly doffs its cap to those old Sound Signature and Mahogoni Music releases we know and love so much. Next up we have Boogie Down with Erik Rico rocking some Parliament inspired vocal business bringing the feelgood vibes to this rolling P-Funker. Some Ol' Nex' Ish goes for a jazz samba meets house fusion whilst A Fly New Tune goes strictly old school with a classic combo of dusty break, filtered fusion rhodes n bass sample, movie dialogue snippets and a masterful flow delivered by Ta'raach. Dave Aju steps up next on Turn It Out laying down a unison vocal refrain to compliment the bumping disco groove complete with a call and response section for some singalong party participation!
As we continue, Another Night Under The Glitterball sees thatmanmonkz back in familiar territory with a rock solid, deep jazz-house jam. On I Can Hardly Breathe we're treated to a downtempo gospel-infused affair which leads us perfectly into the most bumpy club- friendly track of the LP For Bae. Moon On The Hill is a collaboration with Italian DJ Kali and his Raw Standard crew and treats us to some distinctly mid 90's Kruder and Dorfmeister vibes to zone out to before heading off in an altogether more bonkers, psychedelic dancehall direction on Vampires. Baked is another classy thatmanmonkz take on Hip Hop featuring Malik Ameer on the mic. Take U 2 My House sounds like something Prince might have made in the mid-80's if he'd just come off a 3 day bender at Panorama Bar. And closing the show in perfect style and fashion we have For Those I've Lost Along The Way which is a blunted yet beautifully optimistic number that has echoes of Lonnie Liston Smith and a brilliant spiritual vocal sample which provides the perfect closer to an amazing debut LP.

A sweet groover from the Italian scene of the 70's - music that's got a lush feel, but a funky one too - a great mix of strings and electric instrumentation that rivals the best cop/crime work of the time - yet also has a nice sexy feel too! There's almost a blaxploitation vibe to the record at times - and although some instruments solo at points, the real groove lies in the tight vamping of the orchestra - which hits all the right notes to really send the whole thing soaring - often with a nice use of tone and color too!

Reaching the milestone of its 100th single/EP release, Circus Company welcomes back Aquarius Heaven with a new EP of poignant, uplifting house music loaded with a meaningful message for these transient times. It's nearly three years since Brian Brewster delivered the Parallela Mundi 12', and in that time he has been on a relentless mission to spread his unique blend of house music, Caribbean roots and psychedelic magic across the globe in a whirlwind of live performances and collaborations. In a manifestation of his well-travelled soul, these new pieces call upon traditional influences in amongst the modern motifs that Aquarius Heaven has been built on, while lyrically dealing with the pressing issue of refugees escaping conflict, poverty and famine. The proud drum throwdown and carnival bleeps of 'Bato Chargé' conceal the seriousness of its theme. In Brewster's native tongue Creole, bato chargé translates as overloaded boat. With the Caribbean as equally rooted in the history of displaced humanity at the hands of sinister powers, the groove of 'Bato Chargé' takes on a defiant, hopeful tone directly inspired by the traditional percussive music style Gow Ka. '50 Drops' by way of contrast takes on a noirish tone with its gritty, street-weary tale and nocturnal melodics played out through enchanting arpeggios and warbling leads. Cooling off the tempo and heading into a digi-dub skank that plays off Brewster's roots in reggae and dancehall, 'Marie Galante' takes those same warm synths and runs them through a low-but-heavy stepping landscape; the perfect backdrop to the vocalist's dexterous ramblings on the mic. It's not often you hear Creole New Release Information delivered in contemporary electronic music, with a rare exception being the legendary work of Tikiman et al with Rhythm & Sound in the 90s.

MONOS/UD is Opcion´s debut album under this moniker, released on the austrian vinyl-label for contemporary music GOD Records.

MONOS (Side A) offers three solo works of heavily processed dark ambience and swelling noises, accompanied by harsh stammering beats.

On each track of UD (Side B) Opcion joins forces with one of the guest instrumentalists Maja Osojnik (Paetzold Bass Recorder), Bernhard Loibner (E-Bass) and Kurt Bauer (Violin), to create three works based on ruptured improvisational recordings which were later edited to become fully constructed pieces.

With a solid collection of productions and remixes to his name, Arturo's music has helped define the unique and emerging Silicon Valley sound. This approach blends the driving, beat-laden beauty of techno with the soulful, deep melodies of house.

Born and raised in San Jose, California, Arturo Garces has been surrounded by dance music his entire life. The son of a serious collector of funk, soul and disco records, Arturo grew up listening to the roots of house music. Interested in making his own music, Arturo got hold of a sampler in 1995 and hasn't looked back since. These early influences are evident in his works as a DJ and producer today for labels such asMagnetic Recordings (DJ Sneak) and Phil Weeks' Robsoul imprint.

He has new projects and remixes coming out continually on the underground scene, hitting the right mood for the dance-floor consistently. In addition Arturo is the label manager for San Jose's house imprint Jump Recordings, Beat Bum Music, and techno label Resource Records. He also has a new Tuesday night residency in downtown San Jose, Ca Rhythm Ritual. With his hard work, dedication and passion for dance music, Arturo is definitely one to watch.

This is Arturo's 3rd release on Cross Section with the label boss Chris Simmonds on remix duties.

Gone with the flow - after a little break the German musicians Julius Steinhoff and Abdeslam Hammouda revived their musical adventures and left all electricity untouched this time. For their new acoustic project the duo has chosen the alias Tonight Will Be Fine - a name that is familiar to those who followed their work in the past years. As Steinhoff & Hammouda they used the name for their first 12" on Smallville Records, the worldwide acclaimed house and beyond label and record store that Steinhoff co-runs. Now they reheated the phrase and chose it as the alias for a bittersweet acoustic singer/songwriter project. Their wonderful, captivating new musical venture came into life due to happenstance and old ferventness. After their trips into house music the duo parted geographically. Hammouda moved away from Hamburg while Steinhoff strengthened his label Smallville, built up a global DJ career and produced acclaimed house records on diverse labels - solo" and with his buddy Dionne as Smallpeople. In all the time Steinhoff and Hammouda never stayed out of touch, bound together through deep friendship.

At some point they met again for musical missions and started to record music that had nothing in common with their prior work. Steinhoff re-activated his self-taught guitar abilities and entered the studio of his friend Lawrence in the back of the Smallville record store to capture some steeldrums and vibraphone sounds. Hammouda brought more instruments like a banjo, a violine and tablas and they just started to record sketches and songs. Hammouda's musical backround leads to a widespread range of influences while growing up, before he got into producing hip hop and electronic music. For Steinhoff, the transformation from an electronic music producer into a singer/songwriter wasn't that new too, as his first musical steps have been routed in band music. Until his late teenage years, when he discovered house and techno, he played drums in a local indie group in Freiburg and for Tonight Will Be Fine he now also freed his old drum kit from cellar dust.

After the duo felt that their musical communication elevates into something more profound then a session thing, they provided themselves with additional instruments like new guitars, claves, an accordion, a piano and more. Initially the songs were very rough and sketchy. Musical ideas that did not have a real song structure. Then we started to arrange the tracks and added our voices and lyrics.' both reveal. Their charming singing covers almost the whole album with a characteristic sense of deep winking melancholy. Their lyrics are exercising the possibilities of words and are inspired by life, the world and all the those questions a human can ask in his time on earth. At some point both started to show their new songs to some friends and they liked it and encouraged the duo to move on. Somehow one of the tracks landed in Toshiya Kawasaki's mailbox. He instantly fell in love with it and asked if they would like to do an album for Mule Musiq. They did what was asked and after some reformatting and reinventing Tonight Will Be Fine originated 13 songs full of sweeping acoustic guitars, airy rhythms, piano melodies, gloomy accordion emotions, touching voices and a bunch of other exotic instruments, done without the help of electronics. They all form Elephant Island' - an incredibly inspirational place where impressionistic lyrics dance gently with kinetic acoustic music that comes out of plain jamming fun. The melange of a structured song base and free improvisation injects all songs a loose feeling. And shows two handsome fellas carving out their own musical utopia. It is a warming one, full of hope and musical freedom powered by an unabashed instrumental playfulness.
nstrumental playfulness.





É a5 | soliloquy

Here we are, finally ! After numerous months of hard work,
today is the release day of " Good Vibes "
from SoulChef on Délicieuse Records !


This is definitely a 2.0 project : a beatmaker based in New-Zealand, a french label, some french scratches, some english, north american, swedish emcees, etc. it's a countless number of emails that allowed us to release this beautiful project that you can listen today.


We're so f****g happy to finally be here ! This album sounds old-school, but it's message and conception are definitely modern. Enjoy, Love is the Message !


Soulchef revives with Good Vibes the original spirit of Hip Hop.


The New Zealand beatmaker gives new life to this still living memory that we're honouring on Delicieuse Musique since our inception. Taking us back to our classics, Soulchef shines a new and personal light on hip hop : the result is positive, groovy and true to its initial roots.


Good Vibes is the result of an exchange of more than 18 months between the producer, the label and various rappers. The album is a mapping of a league that helds the oldschool hip-hop standard : there can be found a whole bunch of more or less notorious MCs on it from Declaime to Croosh, a young talent spotted on Soundcloud.


Gathered around the unifying aura of Soulchef, Delicieuse Records decided to step out of its usual field, offering to its public its first Hip Hop release.

Marcos Valle - EstrelarMarcos Valle is back again, this time with the almighty 'Estrelar', his most well-known disco/boogie track co-written with Leon Ware. Added hints of Yacht Rock too!
Marketed as workout music" at the time, 'Estrelar' was his best-selling record with a total of around 90,000 sales.'Estrelar' is taken from his 1983 self titled LP released on Som Livre. 
Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti - AlleluiaTwo of the masters of the Brazilian Boogie sound joined forces to make a self-titled LP released in 1982 that epitamised the sound of early 80's Rio de Janeiro. Synths and keys float over razor sharp samba, jazz and 2-step drum grooves backed by huge layers of horns. Production is as shiny, bright and ultra clean as it ever got!'Alleluia' is a mid tempo groover, with rich horns, guitar, synth and vocal lines. An end of the night jam if ever there was one.Released on the LP mentioned above and also on 7' in 1983.

The second outcome on Retrograde signifies the first release of head-honcho Marlon Hoffstadt on his and Natureboy Gold's new imprint. After a short timeout the young Berlin producer presents his new work on this four-tracker in collaboration with Chicago House Music icon and pioneer Paris Brightledge, accountably for releases since 1987 on substantial labels such as DJ International Records. He recently delivered the vocals on Paranoid London's killers 'Paris Dub 1 & 2'. 'Smile' the title track of the EP, highlights Paris' ability to hypnotize the dance floor with his unique voice combined with Marlon's production smoothness. With 'Smile' Paris displays: 'torn from the angst of my soul concerning the tragedy of love and life lost'. 'Smile' got a special treatment by Detroit's very own Kris Wadsworth. His Venus Rx Remix lived up to its name and has some 'pretty nasty analog stuff going on' to catapult yourself right into the atmosphere. The B-side 'Lies' discusses how coming from the streets doesn't always allow feelings to be displayed in life or in love. It's a percussion driven, 303 based club workout. No rest for dancers on this one. Remix comes from label artist Matteo Luis, providing a more synth accented version, introducing an engrossing sound that will be continued on his upcoming RTGD 003. The EP is Paris' and Marlon's first collaboration and we can already promise it won't be the last one on Retrograde. Every copy comes with a full cover artwork by Hermann Reimer.

Syberian is a new pattern by Sergey Yakovlev. As his first project called Gedevaan this another also focused and keep on the fine tune electronic music entering deeper to techno, house and experimental constructions among them. Syberian is pitched hypnotic, cosmogonic shade of melancholy which sincerely looks on the world background. It has an authentic perception imprint and a set of sedate witness. The first release by Syberian 'An Object by a Human Being' contains four basic tracks.

Opening with 'God Race Female' which gloomy drifts you with a distant fibrous structures. Industrial howl and clave push stream over dope endless barrel strokes. That is sound what reach out to a child inside a female womb.

Next one is 'Male of Human Race' with a resilient stained beat that works with onground greasy texture. Ambient flutter set you a synthetic tranquil mood.

On a flip side 'Secret Alien Video Tape' is a kind of hypnotic and scholastic spacewrap abyss. Drag inland thru distortions and imaginary vortexes your mind still contemplates.

Conclusive back to the home track 'Harmonic 343' is game way to keep junctions with a physical world. Body is only part of a human. Understanding the principles supply the workflow.

Sheffield DJ/Producer Louis 'Taiko' Robson has consistently agitated the boundaries of dubstep music, manipulating eclectic influences in to his productions with bold, original arrangements, intricate percussion, experimental instrumentation and unforgettable subs, and he's not held back with ALBION002.

Title track Splinted dons the A Side of the release and sets the standard high with its heavy sub, percussive melody, and string lead. Robson has taken inspiration from contemporary orchestral composers such as Terry Riley and Steve Reich initiating the creation of the drums and percussion, which add a rich analogue sound to the track, and with that an almighty atmosphere. Folk-like scratchy strings take the lead which is a theme set for the EP and highlights Taiko's tenacity for sound design and disregard for convention. Each eclectic element of the track compliments the next resulting in a guttural, energetic dance floor cut, with dark undertones making the listener feel agitated or anxious. A pulse raiser strictly for sound system use.

Over on the flip side, starting with the outer, Taiko offers a much warmer vibe throughout Fractal, flexing another experimental set of instrumentation, this time round building rhythm with an accordion sample. An enormous rolling sub bass instantly becomes dominant after the short intro and meticulous percussion exaggerates the astounding impact from the drums. In the break expect a much murkier tone with a grimey string sample leading to the second drop. Robson achieves a certain level of feel-good whilst maintaining a dark and aggressive tone in his unmistakably raw track.

Nickel takes the inner side on the flip, following form to the prior with its accordion sample adding a distorted guitar drone for the melodic intro. The acoustic instrumentation couples up with irregular drum work solidifying the EP's 'live' aesthetic, whilst maintaining a dance floor orientation. Tonnes of energy meets masses of bass, Nickel is a recommended set opener and a great close to the EP.

(1lp vinyl version - hq cover art)
Jakob Häglsperger AKA Kalipo is a busy man. Operating as one third of German electro-punk band Frittenbude, his solo alias was brought to life in 2014 with debut album Yaruto", released on experimental label Antime Records. The multi-faceted producer now returns to Audiolith with the Wanderer EP", after having released the gorgeous Mäusemarsch' this summer on the label's electronic-focused Stiff Little Spinners compilation series. Wanderer is a restless record which sees Kalipo work his way through the deeper ends of four to the flour with a refreshingly experimentalist approach to production, with defamiliarized samples and analogue gear running the show. The music has changed since the Berliner's debut album, becoming more propulsive, more physical and geared towards the dancefloor. Composed mostly on tour or over extended periods of travelling, the track names on Wanderer' each come with their particular story, referencing places Kalipo has previously played or traveled to. Monolithic opener Donau Sunrise' sets the tone straight from the start with sanguine arpeggiators that work their way across a mystical backdrop. Melancholic themes infiltrate the cracks of the album and stand out tracks Banana Garden", written when Kalipo was stuck in a bamboo hut in the middle of thai jungle with a 40 degree fever and nothing else but headphones, a sampler and penicillin for company, and the stunning Institute Of Cotton Wool' are set to become earworms of the highest order. Wanderer' sees Kalipo right in his element.

"Rise Above is an album that fell through the cracks - in 1992, records by singer-songwriters were more likely to be ignored than they were 20 years before in the early 1970's or would be 20 years later in the early 2010's. It was certainly critically acclaimed but unnoticed by the world at large. Time, surely, for these dozen classic songs to be re-assessed. (Chris Coleman)

"Rise Above is a work of pensive autumnal fragility and of such high quality, that it would be a monumental injustice to halt the fresh flow of Epic's muse." (Melody Maker)

"one of the "10 Best Albums Of The Year" (Spin)

" a gem out of left field....a bounty of delightfully anachronistic rock tunes here, in league with the best of Alex Chilton." (Billboard)

"....it's even Mr Soundtracks' version of Dennis Wilson's "Pacific Ocean Blue". People will come across "Rise Above" in ten years' time and wonder where the hell it came from. For now, here's the out-of-the-blue album of 1992." ( Select magazine's Andrew Perry)
"...the lyrics are well-crafted, the musicianship's flawless, the production is beautiful (and) the songs are melodic and emotional." ( Dave Thompson in Alternative Press)

· Clasic debut album by Epic Soundtracks reissued on vinyl for the first time

· Collaborations by Lee Ranaldo and Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth), J Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) , Rowland S. Howard (The Birthday Party) and Martyn P Casey (The Bad Seeds)

· Insert with unseen pictures and liner notes by Chris Coleman

*Repress*

This 7-inch is a gift from the past, reissuing two rare Thai treasures from the late 1960s, big hits from that time which were actually covers of Japanese songs.
Pan-Asian music produced by Surin Paksiri, a legendary presence in the Isan music scene from the 1960s until the present. The first song "Ya Deon Show" was Paksiri's first hit, a Thai-language version of "Soran Bushi", a traditional work song of Hokkaido fishermen, sung here by popular actor Banchop Chaiphra. The song fuses a Luk Thung arrangement with a Japanese "Dodonpa" rhythm. The second singer here is Samai Onwong, a key force in the development of Thai pop music, with "Sakura La Kon (Goodbye Sakura)", sung in both Japanese and Thai. The original was a 1968 hit by Pinky & The Killers and features some fine Khaen playing by Samai, lending a bittersweet Thai feeling. With English lyrics and liner notes, this is a lovely treat, guaranteed to bring a smile and perhaps a tear.

There are some elements in electronic music that make them timeless, elements that if melted togheter they can give an impressive result, to the mind and to the body. Sawlin - Ursprung is the first album of the career of Sawlin, after his debut in 2010 he evolved like a wonderful orchid, an orchid that never followed the flow of the other flowers around him, but found his own way to the music. Ursprung is the result of an interminable evolution in the mind of the artist, 8 elements that complete a circle
builded on a very mysterious athmosphere, like a film that you never saw, but you always had in your head,
something more bigger then a memory, and something more deep then a picture. This 8 elements are the blueprint of the work that comes from the background of the artist, Deep raw imaginary pictures, mixed with oldschool wallpapers of a new wall based on an old concrete. Sawlin Mix the new to the old in a way that no-one can do, and probably no-one risked to do. This is the power of an artist that needs more attention and more time, you can feel at the first listening
that there is something really big going on, but you need time to understand what he wanted to create, miticulous details that he wanted to paint, in a way that we cannot see them at first, but we find them quite impressive after.
Sawlin present himslef in the most modern way he can, no compromises, he don't want to please you, he want to paint the future. in the most Artistic way possible. This is Sawlin - Ursprung LP on ARTS.

Only 150 worldwide

After more than 10 years in the game and a string of successful
EPs to his name, Idriss D releases his first proper album on his
own Memento Records. At first conceived as a succession of
singles for his Dib 00' series (the first two being Constantine
and Alger), the project then became more of a collection of
dance floor tracks influenced by what he likes to play in his DJ
sets. The title Amalgamation' comes from the desire of
bringing together his life experiences over the last few years,
both music-wise and from a marketing and management angle,
this time exclusively focusing on himself and gathering all the
inputs in one single piece of work. Transition''s atmospheric
vibe and ethereal sounds open the LP with a blast of hazy
vocals and noises, followed by the percussive and trippy Casa
Baratas', a nod to the early 90s Acid House movement.
Karma''s pounding kick drum and stripped down arrangement
are a true example of Minimalistic Techno at its wildest. The
more personal RIP Ouarda' was composed in memory of his
grandmother who passed away: dark and hypnotic, it stands
out as one of the most experimental on the album. Title track
Amalgamation''s landscape of lush eerie synths makes it a
blissful comedown number, while Parall-el''s bouncing rhythm
speeds up the pace to high effect. Strong Hayet' is dedicated
to his mum, a source of continuos strength in Idriss' life,
both in good and difficult times: the heavy bass line and almost
obsessive looping vocals and hi-hats are icy and dramatic.
Barn''s pitch shifts and manic vocal samples swing through a
maze of rim shots and toms, its stomping groove and pulsing
beats closing off the album with a bang.

I'm in Love is back on the main label with a huge two track package. Joschka Tschirley und Sebastian Habben, together well known as Raucherecke, contribute one track each. On the A-Side you'll find an epic techno bomb - Tschirley-Style - that shows some similarities to the duo's early works... On the flip Sebastian Habben delivers a groovy techno jam matched by some really deep synths! You also got to check the yellow vinyl and it's fresh design!

As the first output of our new label we present you RTGD001: the Won't Cry' EP by Matteo Luis & Lo, both part of the fam & currently finishing the last touches of their upcoming debut album. The young cologne natives offer a warming and moony/dreamy/atmospheric work from their archives to start the labels catalogue as smooth as possible. Alongside Matteo's deeply driven signature sound, Lo's lyrics will lead you into a dreamy state with blue pills in backstreets and babies and pigs in the sky. The original was reworked trice by amongst others, friends of the emerging label as well as long time role models of the label heads Marlon Hofffstadt and Goldberg. The former delivers a drifty and impulsive close to the floor interpretation of Won't Cry, whilst buddy Johnjons remix gleams through percussive sequence sounds and a further deep touch. Besides these two auspicious interpretations, no other than Running Back boss Gerd Janson and fellow Philipp Lauer are highlighting their perspective on the title track in appearance of their renowned and outstanding supergroup Tuff City Kids. The duos' outcome is an ingeniously constructed rework of Matteo Luis and Lo's original that never fails to raise euphoria throughout the whole track. Each copy is fully printed with an artwork of Berlin based surrealist Hermann Reimer.

This project is a long distance collaboration between two amazing artists : Andrea Noce and David Kristian during the year 2013. Each track have been made after set up basic guidelines (style, tempo, structure, and workflow). « It was exciting to think two people on different continents, using different setups, and software, could find a way to exchange loops and build a track in the space of 36 hours. » In the line of label such as Innovative Communication or Edition EG , this record is completely intemporal, made for the past, the present, the future, with marvelous atmospheric and space sounds, escape from your body and synchronise. We are really proud to lunch it on Macadam mambo today.David Kristian has been making electronic for over 20 years, composing everything from experimental music to IDM, electro and synthpop. With over a dozen albums and countless 12"s and compilation appearances, David's discography continues to grow. David's soundscapes and soundtrack can also be heard on everything from science-fiction and horror movies to promotional spots for an X-rated cable channel.Andrea Noce is a very talented singer, producer, polynstrumentist and visual artist based in Berlin, she has many different projects in solo (Eva Geist), in group (Vera Mona, Le Rose) or collaborations.

It is certainly not a small feat to have an ambient compilation series running for over a decade and keep it fresh and interesting - especially when the core aesthetic idea is as well-defined as POP AMBIENT's. However, this didn't keep last year's instalment (KOMPAKT 315 CD 120) from finding a compelling balance between veteran contributors like JENS-UWE BEYER or LEANDRO FRESCO and new, idiosyncratic voices like MAX WÜRDEN or THORE PFEIFFER. They all return for POP AMBIENT 2016, joining a captivating cast that also includes heavy-weight soundsmiths, experimental composers and ambient confidants like THE ORB, ANTON KUBIKOV of SCSI-9 fame, MIKKEL METAL, GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH or STEPHAN MATHIEU.

Starting off with a surprise guest, POP AMBIENT 2016 presents electroacoustic composer and installation artist STEPHAN MATHIEU, whose highly textured opening drone APRIL IM OKTOBER bears all the hallmarks of a pop ambient classic, stealthily weaving in layers of sound and moving fluidly between territories. The man clearly knows what he's doing - after all, he has worked with luminaries like Taylor Dupree, Ekkehard Ehlers, Janek Schaefer or Sylvain Chauveau (see also Pop Ambient 2009). Meanwhile, THE ORB show off the full extent of their experience in the field and have their own little ambient collage opera going on in ALPINE DAWN - a slight detour from their beat-laden full-length MOONBUILDING 2703 AD (KOMPAKT 330 CD 124), but just on that same level of masterful sonic dexterity.

Moving forward, SCSI-9's ANTON KUBIKOV builds momentum with a sweet melody slowly evolving to the atmospheric backdrop of a light synth rain, while MAX WÜRDEN imagines a dreamy, yet twisted underwater world with lots of space to get lost in. He later returns for a collaboration with THORE PFEIFFER (not on vinyl), the other newcomer hero from Pop Ambient 2015, and the result is a fascinating amalgamation of both producer's distinct sonic sensibilities - the grittier, drone-based approach from Würden and Pfeiffer's penchant for roaming samples and skewed loops. Another dedicated collab comes from SICKER MAN & GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH who team up for string-infused, cinematic epic TURNS.

Longstanding Kompakt ally MIKKEL METAL presents the surging TITAN, followed by LEANDRO FRESCO's magistral rework of DAVE DK's VEIRA from his VAL MAIRA album (KOMPAKT 326 CD 121). A very special bonus adventure can be found in THORE PFEIFFER's "megamix" of WOLFGANG VOIGT's RÜCKVERZAUBERUNG (not on vinyl) - an entire concept series succesfully reimagined as one sweeping cut. JENS-UWE BEYER continues his expeditions into hypnotic, semi-acoustic soundscapes on THE BREMEN, transitioning into the windy mountaintops of LEANDRO FRESCO's mysterious, multi-layered CONFIGURACION DE ATAQUE (not on vinyl). THORE PFEIFFER has the honour to conclude POP AMBIENT 2016 with the appropriately titled IDYLL, a soothing, swirling synth study giving the listener ample opportunity to return to mundane reality at his own pace.

Who says that there is no techno in bavaria Not only the bavarian based label itself as a kind of lighthouse for the more energetic sounds deep in the bavarian heart is a proof, also the young and crazy Dirty Basscore is emerging from there with his very own, unique, freaked out, crazy, uncomprimising style. Compared to his outlets so far this one might not be the craziest and freaked out stuff he did, but for sure this is a massive debut and introduction of his trademark and unlimited talent here on Credo. Perfectly timed and playable tunes with only one goal: working on the dancefloor! And as this wouldn`t be enough we even top it with an excellent repaint by another bavarian techno-stallion. Klaudia Gawlas, who probably doesn`t need any introduction, delivered a superb interpretation of the titletrack.

There have been many different ways in describing the personal stories behind the protagonists of the electronical music scene in the 90ies. It´s in the nature of things that especially producers, whose place of work is the studio, remained rather in the background.
One of them is Ralf Hildenbeutel. He was the producer of Sven Väth´s most important releases such as "L'Esperanza" or "Fusion" and an essential creative part of the Eye Q label in the 90ies. His "Earth Nation" project was the first live act from that genre who was taking a drummer on the live stage, playing on international festivals and stages including the "Montreux Jazz Festival". The vita continues. While many other musicians kept on working on techno, Hildenbeutel composed for artists such as Laith Al-Deen or Phil´s son Simon Collins and wrote filmmusic for movies such as "Hommage á Noir" which won the Goldmedal for music on the New York Filmfestivals. The film adaption of Martion Suter's "Der Koch", "Ausgerechnet Sibirien", TV thriller such as "Kommissarin Lucas" or even the series of "Verbotene Liebe" have been scored by Ralf Hildenbeutel. His filmmusic for the international multi-awarded shortmovie "Momentum" was nominated at the Newport International Filmfestival. On "Moods" Hildenbeutel finds more back to electronical music. Fans of artists such as Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm or Jon Hopkins will enjoy this longplayer. Hildenbeutel mixes complex string-arrangements and piano pieces with clicks & cuts and invents his own coherent language which allows both directions to live in harmony. Elegiac compositions and vivacious, percussive breakouts as in "Spark" (for which an video by award-winning filmmaker Boris Seewald will be made) meet on this album.
An album which grows and gains depth with each hearing.

Essen's own Glenn Astro has called his first album Throwback, and the name is at once a perfect fit and not nearly the extent of the story. On the one hand, Astro has filled the double-LP with a wealth of old-school gestures and textures—the warm whoosh of analog synths, the rattle of Rhodes tines and the sizzle of jazzy drums,all held together by the comforting glue of tape hiss and vinyl crackle. If you're used to the clean sonic lines and stylistic streamlining of so much contemporary house music, then Throwback is sure to feel less like a record you just pulled out of plastic wrap than a well-seasoned one salvaged from a flea market or unfinished basement. And yet like so many Tartelet releases—particularly the label's last two full-lengths,
Max Graef's Rivers of the Red Planet and Uffe's Radio Days—it feels fresh and keenly contemporary no matter how vintage the fabric. Rather than throw back to any one moment, he's given us a collage of styles that's quite literally timeless. Astro makes brilliant work of his influences, drawing on hip-hop, house, funk and soul in such equal measure that it's hard to argue that one impulse dominates the other. The sound certainly flirts with the dance floor, with Astro applying highpressure
deep house pads on the title cut, gliding on shimmering keys for "One For Viktor," and taking us on a vibraphone-fueled workout with "Kilometer Disco," one of a pair of cuts featuring Max Graef. But Astro obviously relishes the time he spends on the sidelines absorbing the atmosphere, or at home head-nodding to the dustiest corners of his record collection. For every house beat you hear, you'll also dip into juicy, 90's-style beat science, toasty ambience and buttery chord progressions.
Expertly paced but never hustling you along, Throwback begs to be heard as a whole but explored at your own easy pace—a record for hazy mornings-after, vibey
nights in and endless summer afternoons.

One half of Scottish duo Clouds, Perth Drug Legend tear off a solo EP of rugged, apocalyptic bloke-techno. Stunners, all of them. Freak genius at work.
What more can be said about Clouds, young prodigies who have put out as much innovative techno in the past few years than anyone. The story takes a twist with a wealth of material being released by PDL, hot off a remix of Tiga's Bugatti and releases on Resin and Westend Communications. The sound is reminiscent of Ghost Systems Rave, but there's the feeling that things have gotten even more refined, something that smacks of a real subcultural movement.

Opener Balquhidder Ruins is a stomping gate-crasher, the tempo pulled back just enough to feel the grit of industrial funk, everything restrained to it's bare essentials. Monzievaird swings heavily around a few twinkling bleeps, sparse, chunky kicks that thunder through the greased hats. Pushing things even more into the dark corners with overdriven, haunting resonance is Clackmannanshire Crusaderz, which sounds like the soundtrack to being blacked out on the ground in a Berghain tunnel. Thisistullohnottibetpal adds a mystical, multi culti dimension with some mountain flute inexplicably soaring through the air before a bell breakdown zens things into a forceful yet tranquil climax.

If that madness weren't enough, there's a digital bonus track which is an absolute bomb if you're into lower tempos and hip hop inflected bangers.

Stunners, all of them. Freak genius at work.

Toby Tobias has been responsible for some fine quality music over the past 10 years with labels such as Rekids, Nang, Let's Play House and Quintessentials all dropping his unique brand of raw, analogue house and techno. A DJ's DJ who always seems to pull out a lesser known gem and make it sound like a classic, Toby knows his music as well as his studio, inside out. We've been proud to deliver three EP's from him on Delusions but we all felt the time was right for a full length, especially considering that 7 years have passed since his debut LP Space Shuffle on Rekids. Toby fully embraced the scope and breadth that an LP affords a producer, holing up in his Hackney studio and losing himself in his machines. Rising Son is the result of those sessions and it's brilliant!

From the opening machine funk of The Wonder featuring vocals from Atwell we can hear that Toby is quite sure about the direction he's taken for the LP. 808 beats bring vintage electro vibes whilst Atwell's vocal hints at the golden era of Chicago house, adding a soulful touch to the rigid groove. Love Affair continues the theme of off-world utopia where the droids have a heart and soul and sing torch songs of love lost, the Moroder-esque influences bringing a retro sheen to the LP. As we continue through tracks such as Sloflava and Sending Signals we find blissful, downtempo jams which perfectly soundtrack this imagined night time world which Toby seems so happy to immerse himself and his listeners in.

I Robot follows, providing the one cover version on the LP from the Alan Parsons Project as well as being an LP defining focal point. A track which shows that when the machines are working for you, it could just be a perfect world. But Broken Computer soon shows us what can happen when things go wrong. Incidentally, this is from a genuine computer crash which Toby managed to capture using his phone. A beautiful glitch in the system which spewed out such a mournful noise and a very happy accident that would be completely impossible to create if you set out to try.

As we continue we're treated to the likes of Friday Analogue Jam, Whisper It and Weird Danger, all echoing bleeps, squelching bass notes, heavenly pads and precision beats. In some ways we get a feeling of a land that time forgot, in others something of sublime beauty and futurism. That Toby can paint pictures with his music in this way speaks volumes, knowing instinctively when to draw out a mood or feeling or flip things on their head to command your attention and beg another listen. And another.....

After impressing with his debut album, 'Buy The Ticket, Take the Ride', on Tsuba last year, Magic Feet label boss Craig Bratley is back with a hot new EP on his own label that features tracks by Unisexl Audio Club, Beato Cozzi and the man himself.

Since 2014's LP release, Bratley has been remixed to great effect by Ewan Pearson and has continued to take his machine made, darkened disco sounds to clubs and festivals around Europe.

His sound is robust and analogue, has come out on labels like Andrew Weatherall's Bird Scarer and Is It Balearic and now for the first time arrives on his own Magic Feet, a label that has showcased sounds by Timothy J Fairplay, Antoni Maiovvi and Tommy Awards amongst others.

Up first here is Unisex Audio Club with 'Event Duality,' an elastic, low swinging, mid tempo track with frazzled synth lines, pixelated melodies and lots of dark energy. Flabby bass adds serious weight to this most arresting affair.

Beato Cozzi offers up 'Killer ', which comes on like a long forgotten Italo B-side, a chugging rework of a solitary 1990 chart hit that sounds all the more resplendent for its rainy alien melodies, extra visible and twinkling chords and invitingly laboured drums.

Then comes Bratley with the first of two cuts. 'Photons' is seven minutes of loose and lush house music with arcing pads, feel good chords and emotionally swollen melodies. It's the sort of breezy, al fresco tune that would sound great at a boat party and shows a more tender, vulnerable side to Bratley's work.

His second, 'Analogue Voodoo', is a slow and sparse affair where futuristic synth lines, apocalyptic drums and darkened spoken word snippets all conjure an unsettling, industrial mood. It's a fresh sounding cut that is destined to stand out on any dancefloor.

This is another fine offering from Magic Feet that offers disco lovers of all shapes and sizes something to explore and enjoy.

4th studio album by their very own Dapayk Solo. Titled - #nofilter the album will be out on Oct 12, 2015. Since 1996 producer Niklas Worgt is regarded as one of the most creative and versatile protagonists of Europes club scene. Several projects for his label Mo's Ferry Prod., like the - I LOVE VINYL - Festival or the work on new Dapayk & Padberg releases have kept him busy during the last 5 years. But finally he came around to spend some - solo time in the studio. After having turned to a more melodic and gentle side on his last two album releases as part of the german electronica duo Dapayk & Padberg, - Smoke (2013) and - Smoke- The Family remixes (2014), Worgt is now being much more experimental and edgy in his productions. - I wanted the sound to be very focused - he says about his vision for album #4. More straightforward, more reduced, more analog and dirtier than - anything i have done before . On - #nofilter he combines elements from his early days in breakbeat and drum'n'bass with minimal and techhouse to his very own and very unique signature sound - far off the beaten club sound track. Worgt aims to challenge his audience, willing them to see that there is more than just one way of doing things. Well aware of the fact that: - ..some of the tracks might not be for everyone at first glance. But it's always good to do things in an unexpected way, to change the listeners perspective. Niklas Worgt also proofs his provocative and humorous side with the album title - #nofilter , statistically prooven to be one of the most commonly used hashtags. A keyword, often headlining the fact that a filter has been used.

Where Are You Now is the fourth proper album from Italian widescreen dancegaze trio port-royal.

Limited Edition Clear and Cyan Vinyl w/ Download Card

It's been nearly six years since their previous full length Dying in Time (n5MD) and not counting compilation appearances, remix and rarities anthology 2011s 2000-2010: The Golden Age Of Consumerism (n5MD) and the Diamat album that port-royal architect Attilio Bruzzone orchestrated in 2013 port-royal has appeared somehow eerily silent. We now know that they've been very hard at work.

The old adage that good things come to those who wait has never been more true. Where Are You Now spans the six year gap effortlessly with the band's familiar and reoccurring themes ever looming while adding newer complimentary components to their soaring tapestries. Such elements are present in the pop shimmer of tracks like "Death of a Manifesto" and "Alma M." to the more muscular almost industrialized beat mangling included in select sections of "Karl Marx Song" and "Theodor W. Adorno".

To those that may be worried at such additions, they, in port-royal's hands, are now inseparable components with the band's already signature blend of post- rock, dream-pop and dance music.

Russian imprint GOST ZVUK announces a new 10'' sublabel INSTRUMENT with a release by Ukranian techno veteran Stanislav Tolkachev. A-side comes with an amazing ambient trip, while classic Tolkachev sound is represented on the B-side with a 9-minute techno banger. The aim of the label is to provide professionals with everlasting soundscapes thus transforming records into real instruments. This metaphor is further expressed through artwork with stamps of real working tools, chosen by the artists themselves. Limited coloured 10'', hand stamped.

Repress!

As Sure As Night Follows Day is Russell Haswell's landmark second album for London's Diagonal Records. Consolidating a quarter-century at the coal face of extreme computer music, techno and death metal in 19 tracks and 49 minutes, it's Haswell's most coherent yet varied burst of activity to date — zigzagging from improvised n0!se outbursts and asphyxiated R&B to a brace of thundering acid bullets that positively froth for the 'floor.

The album was extracted over a fast-working period in late 2014, and is best perceived as a sort
of fractured regression to his formative influences: you can hear the picnoleptic recollections of
grindcore shows in the Black Country, the refracted shades of mega-raves at Coventry's Eclipse,
the conflating toxic texture-memories of early Japanese noise, and the incandescent stomp of
Mills and Hood in that early 90s phase.

Fortunately for the ravers, this album includes some of Haswell's most direct dance floor attacks to
date. 'Hardwax Flashback', for instance, finds him in pure tekno panik mode — a four-to-the-floor
wrecking ball groove that someone, somewhere, may even be able to mix. 'Gas Attack' distils his
penchant for all things Belgium into a vicious strain of New Beat lactic acid. Haswell then doffs his
cap to Detroit electro legends Drecxiya on 'Underwater Electronic

Struggle' — a story goes that he once thrashed a jet-ski all over the Mediterranean while listening
to 'Wave Jumper' in his 'phones — before he does the salty freestyle electro flex 'ting on 'Industry
Knowledge (For Oscar)' while reminding his trusty apprentice, Powell, that he still has a lot to
learn. In between these 'floor-flexers, we find more freakish disturbances and intrusive drum-box
improvisations: the modular mind-floss of 'Rave Splurge Noise' or 'Noise Rave', for instance, or the
self-explanatory 'Improvisation #1'. 'In The Air

Today' investigates warehouse-ready electro-acoustic percussion, while the chaotic clusters
of 'Interlude' swarm and invade your senses with psychoacoustic incision. This is Diagonal and
Russell at their most f**ked up and fizzy, and an important reminder of the artist's stream-of-
consciousness genius — and the pressing need for more chaos and unpredictability in electronic
music today.

Finale Sessions is really pleased to launch new series Finale Sessions Limited with Berlin up and coming act Arcarsenal. Duo comprised of Alan Mathias and Etienne Dauta, both founders of Bass Cadet Records and its dedicated vinyl store located in the heart of the german capital, they are also active members of the large Underground Quality family. Arcarsenal have already started to establish themselves as proponent of a crossover sound, mixing many influences from jazz, house, ambient to dub and techno. They are always giving a prominence to jam, improvisation and textures work in their studio routine. This EP called « Dark Skies & Wetlands », even if slightly grittier than usual, is no stranger to the rules of the duo. The opening track « Different Planet » is an epic dark deep house cut which develops itself over a course of 8:40. Starting with a stamping ground bassline and hazy atmosphere, the track opens up with synth attacks, dub echoes and slowly brings in a blissful melody that ends up linking all the elements. « Substance Of Arjuna », the following track on the A-side, is a-contrario a short but intense ambient work. Shot in one take, this subtle cut showcases the kind experimentations that Mathias and Dauta can end up doing late at night in front of their machines. The b-side of the EP leaves all the space to « Racoons », one of the weirdest and yet most powerful work of the duo to date. Tribal techno could be a short try to define what they achieved here, but the track goes far more than this. Built on a gritty mental acidic bass and a huge drum kick, the frenchmen bring over aggressive synth work that could sound like an orchestra on rehearsal, pachydermic screams or an overdriven guitar larsen. Underlined by a complex percussion pattern recorded live in their nest and chopped up to the best effect, the track ends up in a looping transe from which the listener might not leave in a normal state.

Atlanta's TWINS returns with an album of club-ready synthwave for CLEAR. Nothing Left lives on the axis between Wax Trax and WBMX, generating mutant industrial pop for sweaty basement ragers. The record begins with drum machine workout "Can't Go Back", cruises past the electrifying gloom of "Treat Me Like A Freak" and drives straight through to the finale, mechanized torch song "That's What I Never Saw." Matt Weiner, the single entity behind TWINS, is also at the controls of CGI records, a dependable outpost for extraterrestrial club jams. Both solo and as half of Featureless Ghost he's released on Crash Symbols, Night People, Geographic North, Clan Destine, and more. His work has been featured on XLR8R, Pitchfork, Resident Advisor, and Decoder. Forthcoming records from Chicago's CLEAR include two twelves of mind warping techno from locals Mike Broers and Dar Embarks. TWINS may be the first out-of-towner on the imprint but Nothing Left truly echoes the vibe of the city's underground past and present.

Introverted Dancefloor is Bevan Smith, a New Zealander who has released music under names like Signer and Aspen, and who has played in the Ruby Suns and Skallander throughout the last decade. His prior output has been spread over many international labels and has touched on sundry genres (like techno, IDM, folk, ambient) while featuring restraint and sophistication as compositional hallmarks.

As Introverted Dancefloor, Smith has kept those features as guiding principles while allowing a more propulsive low end to dominate the construction of this music, winding up with understated but energetic dance tracks. Gestation, too, is a prominent attribute of this music, though not necessarily an obvious one. Smith started these songs with hundreds of layers, which he then pared down to a few core elements before rebuilding again.

For Introverted Dancefloor, Smith limited himself to the use of two synthesizers, one mic, one filter, and one effects processer. This constraint is not obvious upon listening as the album works across the idioms of electro, Detroit techno, pop house, and leftfield disco, playing with the line between fluid melody and drum machine programming. Each track has a playlist as its scaffolding, Smith's goal being to filter a certain set of varied influences through just a couple of instruments. Metro Area's Miura' (Original Mix) turned into Introverted Dancefloor's Happiness is such a mess/Pipedream.' If there can be such a thing as a subtle banger, then Smith may have earned that distinction here. Take it high' seems to be a constant ascent with its climbing bass and layers of chords, relying on no hackneyed drops or releases for its crescendo. Smith's layering practices show their precision on tracks like Even if you try' and Tiger bones,' in which disparate elements contribute to pointed melodies, an unidentifiable percussive part entering the same expressive plane as a sung line.

One of the record's most striking features is Smith's inclusion of certain elements of a song in a neighboring one (vocals from Pipedream' in Happiness is such a mess,' a synth line from Even if you try' in Always turn your head') to lend a phantasmagorical effect to the procession, blurring the distinction between a track and its reprise. The result is a song cycle wrought from painstaking labor, while nonetheless retaining core values of amorphousness and motion.

Following almost two years of driving bass music promotion, in the form of compilation albums, free download round-ups, reviews, guest mixes & mix series CDs, the time has come to transcend from what first began as an online blog into our very own music label. After working with renowned artists such as El-B, Quest, BunZer0 and Phaeleh, as well as fellow promotional platforms FatKidOnFire & Deeper Vibrations - the Albion community has developed and grown to become recognised across the board of the bass music spectrum. This extension of our brand will help in pushing this music even more, enabling us to curate a fundamentally diverse sound beside the culture that we so passionately enjoy.The launch of Albion Collective Recordings is to be set in motion with In Pieces, a collaborative down-tempo effort conceived between Vaun and Jafu which is radiant in textural soundscapes. This particular piece has been doing the rounds as a clip on Deeper Vibrations' YouTube channel since 2013, inducing longing excitement for the song to finally surface.
Bristol based Daniel Brown, aka Vaun, has prospered into one of the scene's most prolific producers, covering multiple styles and turning out numerous releases for MindStep Music, Redshift-One and Soulstep Records. After recently hinting at the imminent release of an album, Brown can also reap in the keepsake of ALBION001 alongside Canadian artist James Fuller, aka Jafu, who likewise has blossomed astutely alongside his soulful Chord Marauders collective.In Pieces falls somewhere amongst immersive trip-hop and jazzy 2-step, an affectional arrangement that makes wonderful use of Marvin Gaye's a cappella in his classic Sexual Healing. The composition will certainly induce healing of the cerebral kind, with its stripped and delicate percussion work, dubbed out horns and soothing string sections. Encapsulated within Vaun & Jafu's musical offering is our label's statement of intent. That is, to champion unique music that emanates elegance such as this collaboration - and such as J.Sparrow's remix treatment. Ryan Wild aka Jack Sparrow, a Deep Medi Musik signee and one half of dubstep extraordinaire duo Author, has granted the scene with his tenacity to build profoundly stunning electronic music. Wild has the tempo notched up for his In Pieces edit but remains true to Vaun and Jafu's approach in the sense of its lavish spatial touch. The atmospherics breeze over with a soft vibrancy, as the electronic guitar solo recording from the original plays over the initial main section charmingly. This is all resulting in a simply sumptuous mix which goes right up there with his top drawer remix work for Annie Drury and De Niro & Y. To compliment J.Sparrow's sublime contribution and to also complete the package, the Black Butter Records assosciated and Bristol-based outfit Sly-One have whipped up an outright banger of a remix. Joe Cannon, Dave Constant and Oliver Read can already boast an admirable set of releases in the four years since they've joined forces, featuring on Shifting Peaks, Lost In Translation and 877 Records. Add that to a rude collaboration with fellow Bristol head & rasta emcee Buggsy and a remix for Bad Mojo on Meanbucket, Sly-One had clearly meant business from the offset - and have shown absolutely no let up for us at Albion Collective. Served with a side order of the trio's classic subtle cowbell hits, their 2-step/bassline fusion works wonders with the vamped-up vocal sample and is ready and waiting to rumble clubs & festivals for this summer and beyond. Early DJ support for the release has been noted from artists including Phaeleh, Quantum Soul, Thelem, J. Robinson, Walsh, K-Man, Nanobyte, Syte, Trashbat, Majora and D-Operation Drop & Foster. Radio airings to date stand at Sub FM on the BunZer0's legendary FOB Show, BBC Introducing showcased the release and Monki played the Sly One Remix on BBC Radio 1 Extra. The almighty
Dubstep duo Truth added the J.Sparrow Remix to their recent 'Chronicles' mixtape on Soundcloud, which was posted to their 75,000 plus following, Biscuit Factory Records owner and dubstep legend Walsh opened the edit on his latest podcast and J.Sparrow is set to showcase the version in a mix for the iconic Deep Medi label. Support is confirmed from digital publications such as FatKidOnFire,
GetDarker, Trusik and MTV Wrap up, which will involve a number of featuresm reviews, track premieres and artist spotlights. A review will also be printed in November's edition of Mixmag on Tomas Fraser's Grime/Dubstep page

limited to 300 copies
New EP by Alixander III. After AZARI & III have finally split up, main man Alixander III joined the Toy Tonics records crew. Like his first TT release also this new one consists of raw and heavy machine funk. It's techno - but with a heavy dose of soul! The one that makes you swing. Not stomp! 'Heavy Friends 2 is a collaboration featuring guest vocalists and producers from his hometown of Toronto, Canada. A tight package of vintage, old school, Detroit soul techno. Bulging with hooks and unusual textures. A vast soufflé of bittersweet melancholy, a polished yet irreverent statement that congeals the far-reaching influences and intricate techniques that have defined Alixander's work since long before Azari & III met the world.

Composer, musician and producer Nils Frahm steers the new edition of Late Night Tales, set for release on 11th September. A hypnotic voyage through modern and classical composition, experimental electronics, jazz, dub techno, soundtracks and soul; Frahm's Late Night Tales haunts and beguiles. It's not mixing, so much as gently layering, like a particularly fluffy goose-down duvet folding in on itself, the folds part of the attraction, the layers part of the overall picture being painted. Many of the tracks have been edited, effected and re-made. The subtly overdubbed parts on Rhythm & Sound's 'Mango Drive' adding to the haunting hypnosis, while choral interruptions aid Miles Davis' 'Générique' on its journey towards the light. Meanwhile, on Boards Of Canada's 'In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country', the tempo is somewhat sluggish, the organs slurred, as Frahm slows it down to a funereal 33rpm that nevertheless fits perfectly. The purring of his girlfriend's cat Cleo transitions playfully between Nina Simone's definitive version of 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' and unearthing the gentle electronics of Dub Tractor. Eddy Arnold's 'You're The Only Star', a country tune that sounds like its transmitting from a mid-west diner wireless circa 1947, is straight from the soundtrack to an imaginary David Lynch movie, comforting and dismaying all at once. This crackly reality abounds, as on Finnish band Gentleman Losers' 'Honey Bunch', that adds an unsettling texture, with a sound that is modern but as nostalgic. Frahm's own tracks bookend the mix, opening with an inspired "rework" of the infamous silent John Cage piece '4:33' ("I sat at the piano in silence and worked from


there. I listened and took in the atmosphere and this is what came out of it") and ending with a solo piano version of 'Them', taken from his recently released score of the film 'Victoria'. The traditional Late Night Tales spoken word epilogue is voiced by actor Cillian Murphy (Inception, Batman, 28 Days Later), reading a short story by Edna Walsh (Hunger, Disco Pigs).

The stage is set from minute one on Clay Wilson's new 4-track EP, "Skandha," his second release for The Bunker New York.
The eponymous first track begins with a familiar techno throb, but is quickly overcome by a blooming swirl of coruscating synthesizer pulses that seem to gather inside the listener's head, a phenomenon Wilson seems particularly interested in: "I've never been into really straightforward club techno that works in neat 8- and 16-bar sequences," he says. "I'm always looking for things that have forward momentum, ways to escape that 'block-y,' downbeat-centric feeling that you find in so much contemporary techno. For me, it's the drone—what's going on in the background—that serves to hold my interest."

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the record's second track, "Cataleptic." The meat of the track is its tightly-wound techno core built from insistent, hypnotic percussion, but it's what's happening in the background that keeps you coming back for more: The sound of a babbling brook and a plaintive, meandering bird call ("the only actual recorded animal sounds on the record," notes Wilson) gently give way to the tintinnabulation of a distant bell, whose meditative timbre brings to mind a Tibetan singing bowl. It turns out that the naturalistic, organic sounds in many of Wilson's tracks are often just that: "I make field recordings all the time, actually—on my phone," he says. "I've found field recordings have been a great way to pull things along, never repeating themselves, but also never being so upfront as to draw your attention away from the synths and drums."

That's a key point, and make no mistake—for all the flora and fauna lurking in the background of Wilson's productions, they're designed for the dancefloor through and through. "Feres," the EP's third track, slows down the pace a little bit, keeping time with a static kick-hat pattern while chunky, stepped percussion laid on top makes the track feel remarkably dynamic. The final cut, "Pict," seems to slowly unfurl like flowers at dawn, while a ghostly vocal sample (or merely something approaching it) repeats itself underneath it all.

While at times the drawn-out shimmering tones in Wilson's work may recall modern minimalism, "getting into techno, and more specifically techno production, was kind of a way for me to get away from (formal, classical musical) training," he recalls. "I had been headed down an open-minded, anything-goes path with a compositionally-geared approach, and ... all those paths led to techno." And for that, we're glad.