This is the debut release from Frankyeffe on Noir Music and something we have spent a lot of time putting together. Three original tracks have been crafted perfectly over time. Two of them (Determination and Out Of Focus) are banging acid tunes and the last one (Seriousness) has a little more laid back and melodic vibe.
Tauchen has done an excellent remix of “Determination” making it
more industrial underground and Industrialyzer has brilliantly made
“Seriousness” a prime time stomper. In short a fantastic package from which you will probably end up playing more than one track/version.
Upsurge is the 5th LP on Ilian Tape and the musical journey of a sensitive soul.
Over the last 8 years Stenny has become one of the core artists on the label, continuously evolving his own style and exploring new territories. His debut album flows through ups and downs and reflects the highs and lows we all go through.
Klute, a.k.a. Tom Withers is no stranger to the LP format, Whatever It Takes is his 9th solo album. It was recorded over a period of 18 months in his own PBJ Studio, located in Suffolk.
Whatever It Takes contains Klute's signature blend of Drum & Bass, Hardcore, Jungle, House, Techno, Electro & Ambient stitched together with Klute' typical disregard for the rules of each genre.
Split into two halves, the album begins in high gear with 8 tracks of Drum & Bass. A rich pallet of D&B styles delicately layered with hidden depths and melancholic harmony. The album then shifts into Klute's own brand of House Techno & Electro, fully revealing his vivid tapestry of musical influences. The end result is highly original, individual and unique. Nobody sounds like Klute.
Klute on the album: "...with so much going on in the world and all the noise created by a growing instant culture I felt compelled to retreat into my own imagination and write individual chapters in melody and rhythm as a form of distraction and personal remedy. Early on in the process I made a conscious decision to make a wholly solo and instrumental record - the first time since my debut album CASUAL BODIES in 1998".
"There's something powerful in the mystique and imagination of music, closing your eyes and letting your mind and body loose to create its own visions. I feel that there is a lot of "surface" music around at the moment that physically dictates what you are supposed to feel. The music I love the most, the music that stays with me the longest is always the stuff that enters my subconscious state."
"Whatever It Takes" is an album for the long haul, to stand the test of time. Take your time, switch off your phone and listen and keep coming back for more.
Facts on Klute: Over the past 25 years Klute has established himself as a leader not just in the world of Drum & Bass but the entire Electronic music spectrum, counting a diverse range of luminaries amongst his fans, including the likes of Goldie, Laurent Garnier, Sasha, Mary Ann Hobbs, Doc Scott, Lee Burridge, Zane Lowe, Nastia, Andrew Weatherall, BT, and the sadly passed Marcus Intalex, David Bowie and late great John Peel.
Klute continues to tour the world as both an in demand DJ and drummer and singer in his hardcore band The Stupids.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS RELEASE WILL BE DISTRIBUTED IN THE 'US BY FAT BEATS' & 'BENELUX BY V2 RECORDS'. PLEASE EXCLUDE ALL PARTNERS IN THOSE TERRITORIES. NO SALES TO JAPAN
Kraak & Smaak's 6th studio album - 'Pleasure Centre' is the culmination of two years hard work since their critically acclaimed 'Juicy Fruit' LP and their first Kraak & Smaak LP released on their own label – Boogie Angst. As expected it's a glorious record packed with future classics, flitting between funky dancefloor focused jams and more relaxed downtempo affairs.
The album has a definite US West Coast vibe to it and sees them fuse classic 70's and 80's yacht rock, dream pop, and indie influences in with their signature electronic funk sound. And this result is no mere accident or emulation… Working on the demos in their own studio before travelling to LA for a month last year to meet and work with featured artists, they stayed in Echo Park and recorded in local studios and sometimes even in the homes or backyards garages of their collaborators.
Hand- picking the best of the local talent: dance diva - Gavin Turek, indie upstarts - The Palms and dream pop dealer – Satchmode all contribute their talents to the cause.
The Dutchmen have earned a deserved reputation in particular for the A&R side of the industry, with both the discovery and collaboration of new rising acts high on their agenda. Previous successes include working with Parcels, Alxndr London (championed by Annie Mac) Eric Biddines (6Music playlisted) and Cleopold (signed to Nick Murphy fka Chet Faker's own label). And they continue to uncover hidden gems outside of LA on this record too...
Moon Boots collaborator – Nic Hanson, Jalapeno Records' gospel/soul powerhouse - Izo FitzRoy and soul man Wolfgang Valbrun (Ephemerals/Kungs), New Zealand's imugi이무기and previous collaborator and soul songstress - Sanguita are accompanied by regular members of the Kraak & Smaak live band - IVAR and Berenice Van Leer across 15 fantastic new tracks.
'Pleasure Centre' is everything you'd want in an album and everything we've come to expect from these dance stalwarts – innovative, relevant, and modern tracks with great production and exciting guest features that are guaranteed to fire up your own pleasure centre!
After the creation of his own label and four EPs (Intuitive, Blend, Exil, Singles), here is Thylacine with a first album called Transsiberian, named after a recent trip to the other side of the world.
In the spring of 2015, William left for Russia with a video crew. The goal: to get carried away by the famous Trans-Siberian, which connects Moscow to Vladivostok, and stop at the option of fixed and impromptu meetings with local personalities. Time is divided between intense encounters and long train journeys where William locks himself in his cabin to compose. At the option of these stops which, over the days, nourish William's inspiration, he has the right to a concert offered as a welcome by the old ladies of the native village of the graffiti artist Artemiy, polyphonies in Irkutsk, a bell ringer of bells, a traditional musical trio in Kazan, surfers in Vladivostok. A shaman welcomes him in his yurt on the shores of Lake Baikal, with his two little daughters, Aikhai and Mandukhaï. All can be found on Transsiberian, a concept album that places the taste for travel and his curiosity about others at the heart of his contemplative songs. Evolving in the world of contemporary art, for which he composes regularly, William sees an album as a work where performance counts but also emotion and, above all, manner of doing things. "The process of creation matters as much as the end," he says.
We are honored to release the debut album from Violet, the alias of Inês Borges Coutinho, Lisbon born and raised DJ, producer boss of Naive records, co-founder of Rádio Quântica, and mina resident. Violet began producing music in 2012 and has released music on One Eyed Jacks, Love on the Rocks, Paraíso and Naive. Inês uses her seemingly boundless energy to amplify other artists all the while progressing her own creative practice.
‘Bed of Roses’ contains 10 songs made as a sort of childhood-teenage memories diary, a return to things Inês liked then and also the difficult things she’s been through. The feeling behind the album is self forgiveness in an optimistic way but also in an adult way, aware of the bruises (thorns) but also of the invaluable love and life experiences (roses). The title comes from the Bon Jovi song that Inês loved as a 9-year old and doubles as an intent of positivity paired with the inescapable darkness of life. Inês says, “I wrote this music as a healing device that I hope can somehow help heal others too.” All songs have been mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The jacket features an original design by Eloise Leigh that incorporates themes of self-inspection and hope mixing a teen bedroom girly vintage scrapbook aesthetic with contemporary 3D mapping techniques. Each LP contains a postcard featuring a childhood photo of Inês with notes.
High quality laquer cut LP with silver and pink pantone colors on cover.
Mutual Intentions is proud to present "Astral Traveling" which is Byron The Aquarius' debut album. A stunning piece of fusion built from everything between jazz, soul, hiphop and house makes Mutual Intentions a perfect platform for the release. String compositions is an on-going theme throughout the album. From the first chord on "Love Is 4U", until the very last second of "Spazzing Out", where Byron raps over a beautiful backdrop consisting only of Fender Rhodes, electric bass & strings. Byron jumps seamlessly between different genres throughout the whole album. From the acid house inspired "Sorry Kari", to 70's prog jazz sounding cuts like "Lost In Love". Once you put the needle on side B, you'll hear "Deep In That ***** feat. MDMA" which sounds pretty much like if Dexter Wansel took MDMA in 2019, inside Legowelt's studio and tried to re-create his classic cut "Theme From The Planets".
talo-Iranian producer Sciahriar Tavakoli, commonly known as Sciahri, after releasing on renowned label as Ilian Tape, Mord, Opal Tapes/Black Opal and MANHIGH finally presents his first long playing record “Double-Edged”, and he does it on his own imprint, Sublunar Records.
The LP is an extended, carefully compiled exploration of the many facets of his signature sound, where emotional melodies collide with dense and rasping basslines.
The artist aims to express emotions with unsettling simplicity, showcasing techno compositions that are both thoughtful and primal.
Within the space of ten tracks, Sciahri’s sound design reveals his structure, pushing the listener through a labyrinth of textures and rhythms.
One of the all-time classic ambient albums finally available on strictly limited edition 180gr vinyl. The vinyl edition of Substrata is released by Geir Jenssen's own label Biophon Records. It comes as a double gatefold album featuring the bonus track Laika (14:35). Biosphere is widely regarded as one of the legendary names in ambient / electronic music. Residing in Norway, near the Arctic Circle, he has found the focus to slowly and steadily create a self-contained aural universe, made up of reflective and immersive sound sculptures. For almost fifteen years he has released a string of critically acclaimed albums. Substrata, which marked Jenssen's embarkation towards an intensely minimal style, is not only often considered to be Jenssen's best work to date, but is also seen as one of the all time classic ambient albums. David Stubbs, Melody Maker, 1997: "The best ambient album I've heard in an ice age, an album of terrifying, desolate and all-enveloping beauty". Re-mastered by Stefan Betke @ Scape Mastering, Berlin. New artwork by David Coppenhall.
Four years on since the landing of his immersive debut full-length "Marianne Brandt", Noorden main operator Alex Ketzer returns with his second studio album, "OTC"!
Perpetuating the non-linear narrative arc initiated by its forerunner, all the while establishing further club-functional bridges over the course of its eleven tracks, "OTC" weaves a fine tissue of lushly textured electronica, downtempo elegies and spacious tech-mospheres and old-school rave motifs through intricate combinations of sorts, marrying the entrancing primal power of the beat with a pastel-coloured palette of Rephlex-nostalgic electronics.
True to his genre-busting, non-formulaic standards of composition, Ketzer once again opted for the fragmentary rather than the straightforward, putting on a collection of variedly contemplative, dark, energetic and motion-inducing cuts in exploded-view.
'World' is the debut album dreamt up by Barcelona based DJ / Production duo Memorial Home. Comprising of Paul Roux (France) and Jeremy Pinchasi (Belgium), 'World' is the exciting result of their shared desire to push the limits of their own brilliant musical foresight. It's an ambitious 20 track longplayer which effortlessly showcases the incomparable sonic space shared between both musical masterminds.
Sitting somewhere just to the left of Nicolas Jaar, Radiohead, Massive Attack, Mike Dehnert and Ostgut Ton, Memorial Home has managed to craft an album absolutely unique to their sound, impossible to categorise and sure to catch the attention of music lovers of all shapes and sizes. Techno without a dancefloor, experimental electronica fit for the warehouse raves. It's an exciting, perfectly confusing album which simply works wonderfully.
Heavily textured in incredible atmospherics, dub effects and crisp, clear percussion, 'World' spreads over an excellent array of individual tracks full of groundbreaking musical magic. Incorporating a stunning fusion of live instrumentation and electronic craftsmanship, 'World' is an audio adventure into emotive soundscapes, with a clear focus on the subtle saturation of melancholy. It's a soundtrack for a dystopian film yet to be written. A sonic painting for the coming winter months where the trees are all but dead and frozen; and the ground a thick layer of glowing white snow.
Memorial Home are the founders of the independent label Rapid Eye Movement, which has seen a breadth of incredible EPs riding the balance between experimental Techno and introspective electronica. They first met by random chance in their newly adopted home of Barcelona, Spain. This unexpected encounter quickly developed into a full-fledged musical kinship through their shared interest in crafting cinematic, experimental techno music. Each release from the label and duo showcase their clear passion to unearthing sounds beyond the expected. With their debut LP about to drop, the future is looking certain for the duo, the label, and the changing face of modern day electronic music.
Process Blue was formed in the fall of 1981, at Antioch College near Dayton, Ohio. The group essentially consists of Chel White (tapes, keyboards, percussion) and Dan Gediman (keyboards, vocals, bass). Additional members contributed at various points to both recorded works and live performance. Process Blue's original interest was in electronic music and the interfacing of electronic sounds with acoustic instruments, non-musical instruments, and tape-manipulated sounds. The group's primary objective has been to strive for creative experimentation within the format of contemporary pop music.
We are proud to release a 12-song LP featuring music recorded between 1981 and 1982. 7 of the tracks were originally self released on a cassette album in 1982. The only song in this batch to ever appear on vinyl is 'Control Panel' released on a French LP compilation called 'Folie Distinguee Alternative Funk.' The songs range from experimental dance music to quieter, more melodically-oriented pieces. They used an array of synthesizers used were Moog Sonic-Six, Casiotone MT-30, Korg MS10, Roland SH 101, Casio VL Tone. Analog instruments included electric guitar and bass, and drums. Guest musicians included Gil Belton (melodic rototoms percussion and synthesizer bird sounds) on Industrial Park, Eric Zimmerman (Korg synthesizer) on Up to $100 and Subterrania, Patricia Yarborough (vocals) on Pink Razor and Air, Mike Pummel (engineer) on Control Panel, and John Flansburgh (of They Might Be Giants) engineer on Up to $100. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. Each LP is housed in a jacket designed by Maycec featuring original drawings by Chel White and include a double-sided insert with photos and lyrics.
Reclaiming her original moniker of Kittin, electroclash pioneer - formerly known as Miss Kittin - presents Cosmos, a continuous twelve-track LP of organic, leftfield electronica due 2 November on Dark Entries. Throughout her illustrious career, Kittin has carved a considerable niche for herself, assimilating references from New Wave and 90s techno to form an inimitable sound that resonates with electronic music fans the world over. Despite being most recognizable with 'Miss' before it, Kittin was in fact her original artist name - the prefix often added without her consent at promoter's will and eventually becoming the norm.
Cosmos is her most spiritual release yet, influenced by her time in the French countryside after a bout of touring exhaustion. She gives up any formulas from her past; verses/chorus, pop or club beats, to come to the essence of chords and textures, peeling away the non-essential to find joy in music yet again. In retrieving her chosen name from more than 20 years ago, Kittin also returns to the essence of her musical journey. By liberating herself from the constraints of formal structure she opens the door to a new set of aesthetics, exploring her influences without restraint. Sonically, the voice acts a central instrument, whilst the album drives continuously forward with no breaks, paying homage to her love for ambient and electronica whilst wandering calmly into the unknown. 'With Cosmos everything is energy. We go back to the core with curiosity and freedom.' - Kittin
The Austrian electronic music label fortunea is operating since over 4 years. 9 records have been released so far. For the 10th issue they laced a very special vinyl package! 8 tracks by Viennese and Upper Austrian local heroes have been placed on 2 vinyl.
The A-side begins with an uplifting opener by Step Back Trax honcho Jon Gravy, followed by a deep, raw house stomper by Peletronic.
Klaus Benedek calls out - The Power of Sweat on B1, while celeste resident dj HANZO, the new member of the bunch, shows his love for experimental lo fi sounds in - Veni Vide .
Alex Kolodziej comes back with a saxophonist to curb vulgar utterances, while Roman Rauch and Precious K team up again after more than 5 years as their Twinpeaks moniker.
From the suburbs of Linz comes Johann Destroy. In - Wax Mining he collaborated with Vöcklabruck's house boy Lukas Poellauer (here as LP.) on a peaktime crossover tune.
Last but not least Lee Stevens from Luv Shack Records finishes this compilation with a sunny, chill out vibed for the - Magharibi (sunset, translated in swahili).
Modularz Label owner Developer presents his first LP Sold in Three Parts A,B&C
The Title named "In Pure Form' is a real wealth of work that developer has been creating over the last year. Its a fairly large catalog of music focusing on raw rhythms, strong tools and powerful funk fueled techno.
We do advise that this is not your average concept album with ambient and break beat type pieces that the market is flooded with - but instead a more straight to the point no filler type of LP.
This is a massive selection of functional tracks direct from the Developer factory of techno. Already a huge amount of support and positive feedback received on this release from the global heavyweights currently playing a selected amount of tracks from this killer release.
First pressing CLEAR vinyl
Drumcode has become a label synonymous with some of the most-cutting edge and forward-thinking techno over the last 20 years. Their artists include both emerging and established names, and one of those well recognised is Enrico Sangiuliano. Now announcing the very first concept album of his career.
iomorph is born. A very special concept album designed to take the listener on a journey of evolution. A musical adaptation describing how biological and technological advances over numerous generations of time have all started from the same first step in our own biological journey.
Divided into 4 parts, Organisms opens with atmospheric tones, gradually blending complex textures and timbres to begin the evolutional process. The beginning of this section combines full sounding arrangements before stripping it all back to basics. From here it dissolves into the atmosphere. Organisms then progresses into a break-beat influenced, down tempo track using synths to add complexity to the straight, broken rhythms.
Galactic, futuristic elements are found in both tracks in Cosmic Forces. Upbeat, groovy, electronic synths resonate, before 'Hidden T' brings the tension to get things pumped up with stratospheric swirls and twirls to lay down one of the most mind meltingly deep drops.
Metamorphosis is mysterious, its opening beat is a deep and piercing tone that sends the listener into a sensory awareness of their surroundings before breaking into a fully charged, techno track, with Enrico's trademark sounds and textures.
All evolution has an ending.
Two Probabilities shows the positive, starting out evocative and emotional, with a gentle harmony, gazing towards a 'New Dawn'. On the other side of the spectrum lies the negative. This is influenced with a rhythm that articulates the beat of death, mathematical, cold and metallic in texture, it shows the unsustainability of its nature, with a hectic, anxious break beat influenced ending.
Otis Stacks, three syllables. A name and a first name that recall a mythical singer as much as the Memphis music label that got him to it's days of glory. A name that evokes him in particular and soul music in general. Behind a name that sounds familiar are Elias Wallace and Justmike, two men united to become one: Otis Stacks. In truth, the optimized version of a work started long ago, when Justmike was producing the Danish hip-hop sound of Dafuniks and decided to get in touch with Elias after hearing his voice on a friend's tune. He first wanted him to lay his voice on a
chorus, then a verse, and ended letting him take over the lyrics of 'All I Want', the song that would later bring Dafuniks on air and around Europe. After traveling miles and miles across the ocean and the seas separating California from Denmark, Elias undeniably became a member of the group. As gigs went on, stages after stages, Justmike got inspired by Elias's voice and presence. Thus, the idea of a duo collaboration between the two men geminated and grew in his mind. As the evidence of their getting along, 'Fashion Drunk' became the first tune to
infiltrate Nova and FIP radio playlists, as its music video reached 8 million views. This now obvious complicity as extended in the form of an album, also called Fashion Drunk, released by Underdogs Records. With this French stopover, the line between California and Denmark is now completed. The result is an artistic fusion in which Justmike has plugged his instruments to the machines he uses to compose, letting Elias in charge of the
lyrics and singing. Here, the soul music is printed as a guideline in an organic and digital composite matter. In an ethereal and aerial production that perches its arrangements in the air of the mix or buries them in its bases, letting electro music spread on a groove punched with black and white keys. Each element intervenes with discretion to let Elias stories be related with elegance. Frustrated, disappointed or aborted love stories.
Instant is the trio of Bernd Schöll (Bass, Vocals, Rhythm), Mike Hauer (Guitar, Synth, Percussion), and Marion Siekmann (Vocals) from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1980 after meeting through mutual friends attending the local art and graphic design school. The trio were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. Inspired by the Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder, they set out to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle fusing Dada, disco, and Krautrock.
Over the course of 2 weeks in Summer 1980 the band teamed up with local producer Mario Strack to record 6 songs. These would make up their debut eponymous album that was originally self-released on 10' vinyl in 1981. They utilized a simple set up of guitar, bass, and keyboards, plus the BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Metal scraps clanging appear on the tracks 'Do Not' and 'Optimate Minimum', and a washing machine was sampled on the track 'Joyboy', which features Marion reading from the appliance's instruction manual. The A-side features 4 tracks in 11 minute, while the B-side hosts 2 songs in the same stretch of time. 'Charade' features no wave saxophone accompaniment from Kai Taschner of Munich New Wave band Luna Set. Marion's vocals are between Nico's Teutonic chill and Alison Statton's (Young Marble Giants) playfulness, while Bernd takes a monotone approach. Lyrics for 'My Boy' and 'Everybody's Gotta Mutate' were adapted from 'Rotwang', a fragmented novel written by Tim Hildebrandt, one of the brothers famous for illustrating the works of Tolkien.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a replica of the original jacket design, which features a neon red screen-printed drawing of a cut-out doll family on a stark white background. Each LP includes a postcard insert with lyrics.
Black Truffle is pleased to make Oren Ambarchi's Grapes from The Estate available once more on vinyl. Originally released on CD on Touch in 2004 and reissued on Southern Lord as a limited double LP in 2006 during Ambarchi's tenure as a member of Sunn O))), Grapes from the Estate was a landmark release for Ambarchi, seeing him expand his sonic palette beyond the clipped, bass-heavy electric guitar tones he was known for at that point. Incorporating subtle layers of strings, keyboards, percussion over a bedrock of his signature guitar tones, in retrospect this album can be seen as the beginning of a broadening and evolution in Ambarchi's work that would lead to his acclaimed, densely layered epics for Editions Mego, Quixotism (2014) and Hubris (2016). Beginning with the shuddering pure tones of opener 'Corkscrew', which looks back to previous guitar-only releases such as Suspension (2001), the album's next two pieces show a progressive broadening of the instrumental palette and a corresponding move away from textural abstraction and sustained tones towards more traditional notions of musicality. This reached its high point on the album's third piece, the fifteen-minute long 'Remedios The Beauty', where guitars, both acoustic and electric, strings, piano, and bells build from a murmur to an interlockinging web of repeating melodic patterns over gently swinging brushed snare and cymbals. The epic closer, 'Stars Aligned, Webs Spun', returns us to a space populated only by the electric guitar, but unlike everything Ambarchi had produced up until this point in his career, the piece has a liquid, psychedelic edge that looks forward to the shimmering harmonics of his more recent work. As Brendan Walls wrote at the time of the original release, this is 'another outpouring of personal, intimate and enduring music from Oren Ambarchi'. Presented in a stunning gatefold sleeve featuring the original artwork and design by Jon Wozencroft. Redesigned by Stephen O'Malley Remastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin.
DsorDNE (pronounced Disordine) is a project from Torino, Italy that evolved as group out of the electronic experimental post punk project Novostj in 1987. At the core of DsorDNE is Marco Milanesio, musical engineer and co-founder of the HAX record label, joined by a revolving cast of musicians. Their spectrum ranged from experimental to structured electro-poetry and Soundtrack like instrumental electronic music. In 1987 they released their first track on a split-single with The Legendary Pink Dots. Between 1987 and 1994 they released 6 full length albums, 3 split-EPs and appeared on various cassette compilations. à Un Sole (Itâs a Sun) was the groupâs only vinyl full length originally released in 1990 on HAX. Itâs 8 tracks of electro-beat poetry and experimentation recorded between July 1989 and January 1990 by Marco Milanesio (music) and Roberta Ongaro (vocals) with guests Claudio Burdese (guitar), Danilo Beltrame (guitar) and Cristiana Bauducco (vocals). The album is broken up into two distinct halves. Side A contains four chunks of hard hitting, percussive patterns and rushing bass sequences. Dark, moody female vocals force their monologues through the machinery in their native Italian tongue. The traditional song structure is carefully avoided by giving lyrics equal opportunities be they recited, half-sung, whispered or spoken. Side B displays moodier moments, less savage attacks and subtler sensuality, veering towards the more melodic and existential. All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record is housed in an exact replica of the original jacket featuring a black and white drawing with silver metallic spot color housed in a clear PVC plastic cover with a three color screen-printed design. Each copy includes a 11x11â double-sided lyrics sheet with English translations as well an 8x11â sheet with original press notes from 1990 by Marco Pustianaz.
Mannequin's 100th - a comp looking forward featuring an international and serious cast... BIG TIP!
The modern synthwave scene would be significantly poorer without the keen ear and tireless efforts of the Mannequin label run by Alessandro Adriani. Geographically situated within the nerve centers of Rome and Berlin, yet with a musical spirit that easily transcends these boundary lines, Mannequin's back catalog has been an important component in the modular assemblage that makes up electronics-based independent music in the 21st century, and an important reference point for those who need to defend against the lazy accusations that this such is purely retro' in its form and content. Recent accolades and accomplishments - being named Resident Advisor's label of the month' for May of this year, starting the 'Death of the Machines' 12' series, and being given the 'green light' for bi-monthly parties at the Säule room in Berghain - have been earned through Mannequin's unflagging commitment to sonic diversity and Adriani's own realization that the anxious and sharp-edged sounds associated with, say, the Cold War of the 1980s can convey a completely different message today. Adriani says it best when claiming that there is no such thing as 'old' or 'new' music...only the music of now'. With this cogent statement of intent, Mannequin continues to go on exploratory missions to find the best and most relevant aspects of genres like acid, industrial, EBM, post-punk, coldwave and still more.
Which brings us to Mannequin's newest project and 100th release overall: the Waves of the Future double LP compilation, which itself is not a conventional retrospective collection. Case in point - none of the artists appearing on this collection have put out their own releases on Mannequin yet, despite acting as Mannequin's unofficial ambassadors (via DJ sets and other means). This makes the set even more compelling rather than less so, since it shows how Mannequin fits into a larger picture that includes other scene leaders and label owners including Beau Wanzer, Willie Burns (WT Records), Silent Servant (Jealous God) and Ron Morelli (L.I.E.S.). Of equal importance is how Waves of the Future projects a sense of aesthetic resilience and continuity, showcasing just how well the current artists allied with Mannequin employ and re-interpret the sonic lexicon that appears on that label's reissues of 'classic' acts such as Nocturnal Emissions, Bourbonese Qualk, Din A Testbild and Doris Norton.
However, none of this would matter as much if the music itself didn't have strong potential for lighting a blaze in the dark corners of the human imagination, and of course for forcing bodies into motion. Each track here pivots around a couple of key sound elements that seem to set the stage for the next track to come: see the sputtering / chopped ghost voices on Morelli's Charges Won't Stick,' which easily informs the slicing drone and authoritarian beat of Shawn O' Sullivan's Ill Fit,' which then lays down the emotional foundation for the sequencer-powered With You' from An-I & Adriani or the glassy landscape of Illum Sphere's Exhaustion'. Elsewhere, the wired mischief of Not Waving intersects easily with the spherical electro-funk and coded commands of Beau Wanzer. When all the disparate parts of Waves of the Future are soldered together, it perfectly illustrates Mannequin's non-linear philosophy and Adriani's suggestion that Mannequin listeners directly engage with the music rather than trying too hard to analyze or dissect it.
A modular synthesiser and an urge to find interesting tones, textures and timbres...
ekke 's second LP Klangfarbenmodular is due to bevreleased by Detroit Underground . It is electronic music with compositions that deal with abstract textures, glitchy beats, nostalgic synth melodies, and sound design. Like the title of the album suggests, one of the main interests for ekke has been finding different interesting tone-colours, textures and timbres. Second very important inspiration for ekke while composing this material was his instrument - modular synthesiser. He has been studying free improvisation and composition on that instrument for years and the instrument has become like a good friend and music teacher for him.
The album was composed and recorded during 2015-2017. Most of the material has been recorded as studio jam sessions. All the pieces have then gone through many reincarnations. Although most of the material comes from machines, there is a track where all the sounds are field recordings registered in Tallinn, Estonia, which is a current home for ekke .
Captivating, ethereal and majestic, Mammal Hands (saxophonist Jordan Smart, pianist Nick Smart and drummer and percussionist Jesse Barrett) has carved out a refreshingly original sound from a disparate array of influences: drawing on spiritual jazz, north Indian, folk and classical music to create something inimitably their own. Hailing from Norwich, one of Britain's most isolated and most easterly cities, they have forged their own path away from the musical mainstream and their unique sound grew out of long improvised rehearsals. All three members contibute equally to the writing process: one that favours the creation of a powerful group dynamic over individual solos. Their records are entrancing and beautiful affairs, while their hypnotic live shows have seen them hailed as one of the most exciting bands in Europe as they push their unique line-up to the outer limits of its possibilities.
Shadow Work is their third album and the first they have self-produced. Recorded at 80 Hertz Studios, Gondwana Records home from home in Manchester, it is the result of 18 months of intensive touring and mammoth writing sessions. The energy from their exhilarating live performances has fed into the writing process and yet there is a quiet reflective side to this album, giving it an expanded emotional range that draws the listener deep into Mammal Hand's sound world. One that builds on the sound of their previous recordings, Animalia and the beautiful Floa, but is wider than ever, with the use of prepared piano strings, more prominent effects and field recordings all adding to the band's most ambitious and accomplished album to date. The striking artwork is by Daniel Halsall and reflects the organic, natural influences underpinning the band's music alongside a darker, modern minimalism.
- A spectacular reimagining of one of the all time greatest
Northern Soul tunes, Timi Yuro 'It'll Never Be Over For Me'
whilst the original can change hands for upwards on £2000 a
group of young Argentinian Mods and rude boys have come
up with a reggae version.
- On paper it shouldn't work but it does. The most requested
song on Eddie Piller's Eclectic Soul Show on Soho Radio in
2017 following a chance meeting with guitarist Kevin Finigier
from Los Aggrotones in the studio.
- Acid Jazz are proud to release this as a limited edition vinyl
single (backed with one of the bands original organ
instrumentals) as a taster for the labels release of their
European debut LP later in 2018.
Gray sky, desolate moor, cold wind and almost anechoic silence, that melt with raw and intimate sounds, acid synths and powerful rhythms. This is the vision of 'Scena_731' label, with base in the hard city of Rotterdam, Holland. In this release the trio Yari Greco, Ontal and Ryuji Takeuchi, has clear ideas; a label careful to the digital, but that finds its true and primordial analogical essence in vinyl, in order to "set/fix it", some of the best releases in limited editions. The third release is on vinyl; 'SC731003 LP' is the summary of an exactly "archived" path, collected and matured in the years from combined experiences of its producers.Supported by Bas mooy, Orphx, Violet Poison, Violet Poison, Paula Temple, Isolated Lines, Orde Meikle, Eomac, Mindcut Music, The Zone FM, Reclaim Your City, and more...
Alésia Cosmos was a collective of musicians led by Bruno de Chénerilles formed in the early 1980s in Strasbourg, France. The group consisted of Pascal Holtzer (guitar, synthesizer, tapes, drum machine, vocals), Pierre Clavreux (vocals, gong), Marie-Berthe Servier (vocals), Bruno (guitar, tapes, synthesizer, drum machine, vocals) and Tunisian percussionist Lotfi Ben Ayed (darbukas, bendir). In 1981 Bruno composed and wrote some sci-fi radio plays for French state radio channel France Culture. Under the influences of William Burroughs, John Cage, Pierre Henry and others, he developed tape music studio work. By 1982 he appeared for the first time under the name Alésia Cosmos Furi Show. It was a solo performance on guitar, voice, analog synth and tapes. This experimental show lead to a music project based on Bruno and Pascal's compositions to be performed and recorded with other musicians in the beginning of 1983.
Exclusivo! was the group's debut album recorded and self-released in 1983 on Planetarium. Pascal and Bruno would compose tunes in their personal home studios. Then they would bring the tapes, electronics, guitar lines and lyrics to experiment and rehearse with the other members of the group. Improvisations and adaptations brought more ideas and the album was recorded in a few days. The result was a musical mixing of electronic music, field recordings, North African and Asian percussion, electric guitars and voices, compositions and free improvisations. All four musicians take turns singing onomatopoeic phrases and backing vocals, even sometimes in an unknown language, a sort of mixed bag between Breton and Japanese. All songs have been remastered cut by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a replica of the 1983 cover and includes a 6-page insert with photos, lyrics, reviews and liner notes by Bruno de Chénerilles.
After dropping several tracks and performing at select festivals throughout the years, Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen dedicated the year 2014 to explore the area in-between Ólafur's more acoustic, piano-based solo work and Janus's synth-heavy electro pop, with their collaborative electronic project Kiasmos.
By focusing solely on their self-titled debut album, Ólafur and Janus have been able to combine and further develop their unique sound aesthetics to complete an album driven by their mutual love for electronic music. Made in Ólafur's newly build studio in Reykjavík, Iceland, a majority of the album was recorded using acoustic instruments next to a variety of synthesisers, drum machines and tape delays. It features a live drummer, string quartet and Ólafur performing on the grand piano, producing an ambient, textured sound, which makes it a perfect home listen and equally danceable record. If you listen closely, you can spot them record the thumb piano, finger snapping and even the sound of the metal grinder of a lighter slowly to replace the usual electronic hi-hat sounds, giving the album a far more intimate and unique atmosphere.
We decided to start almost completely over with this record, so most of the material is written this year with the idea of making a record that can stand as one piece rather than a collection of songs. I am very excited to get a proper record out exploring a different territory than I am used to. I touch a lot on electronic genres in my own music but never have the opportunity to go full out electronic like we do here.' - Ólafur Arnalds
The Kiasmos project has been around since 2007, but because of all our other projects we never really got the time to sit down and write all the tracks we always wanted to. So when we early this year finally found the time to sit down and make a full length album there was so much we wanted to try out. The result surprised us a bit, it's deeper and more emotional than we imagined it to be, but that's the beauty of being able to make an album.' - Janus Rasmussen
Long-term Erased Tapes graphics collaborator Torsten Posselt at Feld Studios in Berlin created the cover artwork. Feld Studios was a natural choice for Kiasmos, seeing he also designed the cover for their Thrown EP, released previously.
Kiasmos is made up of Icelandic BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Arnalds, known for his unique blend of minimal piano and string compositions with electronic sounds, and Janus Rasmussen from the Faroe Islands, known as the mastermind of the electro-pop outfit Bloodgroup. Based in Reykjavík, Arnalds used to work as a sound engineer, often for Rasmussen's other projects, where the two musicians discovered their common love for minimal, experimental music. They eventually became best friends, often hanging out in their studio, exploring electronic sounds.
Group Rhoda is the solo electronic music project of Mara Barenbaum, based out of Oakland, California. The project started around 2009 with a debut album 'Out of Time, Out of Touch' in 2012 on Night School Records and '12th House' in 2013 on Not Not Fun. She is also one half of Max and Mara who released the album 'Less Ness' in 2013 on Dark Entries Records. She is committed to live performance, situated within the analog synthesizer and drum machine medium.
'Wilderless' is Group Rhoda's third full length and first for Dark Entries Records. Each of the these 7 songs draw forth tones of tropical darkwave and soft industrial, while negating the sound of conformity and control. The album explore themes of societal and spiritual displacement, contemporary serfdom, the depths of empathy, regeneration through destruction, and the tyranny of claiming recognition and power. Lyrics are poetically expressed through allegory and explore archetypes rooted more in abstract observation rather than hard line experience. Through transgression and imagination, Group Rhoda explores the arc of songwriting interwoven into stark electronic environments, and creates a bridge between the corporeal and the dream worlds.
Each song was mixed by Mark Pistel at Room 5 in San Francisco and mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is packaged in a jacket featuring a colorful custom made collage by Hugo Barros and includes a full color sticker and digital download card.
Castanea Records returns with its seventh release, we are talking again about an LP this time signed by Paradroid. The artist is the new entry in the label and returns after a long time with an album that draws a definitely microhouse sound which characterizes him being a pioneer of this genre.
An old school sound unique and characteristic perhaps missing in the market since long. 8 tracks cared in minimum and the high quality details mixed and registered 100% in analog tape.
This icing cannot miss in the disk bag of any connoisseur in gender or non. There will be a novelty even on artwork level, this time we have decided to adapt to release a beautiful gatefold rough collectible cover.
When we started Ilian Tape 10 years ago in 2007, we were both basically kids at the ages of 23 (Dario) and 18 (Marco). There was no plan behind it, no concept, no promotion campaign or any budget, but just an early vision of where it could go. We wanted to build something that lasts. After a few years of playing at parties and producing music, it was the next logical step to start a label. You can clearly see us growing up through the label in terms of artwork, compiling the records and handling things. We made some mistakes along the way and there are surely things we could have done better, but looking back after 10 years now it all makes sense as it was a natural and human development with all its ups and downs.It was always a very personal project, never about making money, but about creating a platform for music we believe in and building relationships with artists in a transparent and fair way. We really appreciate that we were able to work with so many great artists, who shared the same vision and trusted in us, over all the years. A while ago we moved away from the ordinary release info write ups, because in general writing about music is tricky and who isn't tired of the typical, full of praise for every detail of a record, release textsBut this might be starting to get boring for you too, so just buy this lovely triple vinyl package including a poster and download code, light one up and turn up the volume!One last thing though - we want to deeply thank our parents for teaching us to live our dreams and find out who we really are, our friends for the vibes and honesty, all the artists releasing on the label, all the supporters & fans for buying vinyl and files, all the DJ's playing out the stuff, all the diggers selling the stuff overpriced on Discogs, all the dancers working out on the dancefloors & all the clubs doing label nights over all the years.
Curtea Veche are proud to present the Exclusive debut album from one of Romania's finest talents Herck.
The Vinyl Only LP will come over 2 parts, Part 1 showcasing Herck's Musical side, 6 beautifully produced tracks over 2 records.
Part 2 coming a little later with 4 huge club tracks on a single 12"
that will finish off the LP.
Already getting played by some of the biggest names in the industry like Raresh, Sepp, Cap, Nu Zau & Archie Hamilton amongst others. 300 limited press
Curtea Veche are proud to present the Exclusive debut album from one of Romania's finest talents Herck.
The Vinyl Only LP will come over 2 parts, Part 1 showcasing Herck's Musical side, 6 beautifully produced tracks over 2 records.
Part 2 coming a little later with 4 huge club tracks on a single 12" that will finish off the LP.
Already getting played by some of the biggest names in the industry like Raresh, Sepp, Cap, Nu Zau & Archie Hamilton amongst others. 300 limited press
Madame E. is a musical setting of Georges Bataille's 'Madame Edwarda', a short novel that interlaces themes of eroticism, religiosity and death, and was written under the pseudonym Pierre Angelique in 1941, during the occupation of Paris.
Composer Mirco Magnani wrote eleven electronic pieces and presented them to actor/singer Ernesto Tomasini. They turned them into songs by adding vocal melodies and together they produced a libretto based on Bataille's French text. The result of their dynamic interpretation is a hypnotically spellbinding performance where the audience is transported through worlds - ancient and new - and where Tomasini's haunting falsetto conveys the tormented emotions in Bataille's work and becomes the instrument that articulates the writer's famously obscure themes.
The experimental operatic performance captures the atmosphere of heightened human passion, reminiscent of opera seria and revisited through hazy and minimalistic lens. The resulting dark and twitchy mood amalgamates old vintage electronic devices, string piano and Stella Veloce´s touching violoncello. The stage becomes a space where Eros and Thanatos, real and virtual, analogue and digital, cluster and melody, spirituality and technology are intermixed and turned unidentifiable, hence collapsing the binary logic of dualism.
Written by Magnani/Tomasini and produced by Mirco Magnani, with lyrics taken from "Madame Edwarda" by Georges Bataille, Madame E. was developed between Berlin and London where Magnani and Tomasini are respectively based. Recorded in Berlin, mastered by Murcof and released by Magnani's label Undogmatisch, a collective that also includes Nicolas Defawe (Urban Spree) and Valentina Bardazzi, the painter responsible for the album artwork.
With immaculate vocal turns and sleek production, Views is Drake's tour through the city that made him. A meticulous contrast to the off-the-cuff brilliance of recent mixtapes, he taunts adversaries with speaker-rattling anthems ('Hype,' 'Still Here'), revisits his humble beginnings ('Weston Road Flows'), and rekindles the seductive chemistry with Rihanna ('Too Good'). Those extremes—the Caribbean warmth of 'One Dance' and the icy lament of 'Fire & Desire,' the unflinching vulnerability and unapologetic self-assurance—make Views a riveting victory lap from Toronto's game-changing MC.
After 20 years of onset record of Robert Miles Self and Smilax Publishing have no exclusive for the World "Dreamland" in a special double LP "Deluxe Edition" which includes the most successful singles like CHILDREN, FABLE, ANE AND ONE and FREEDOM with the old so-called "Dreamland" in homage. unique debut album that holds the record as the most Italian dance 'album sold in the World of all time, but also as a representative of the only Italian manufacturer to have won the prestigious British award !!!!!!
