Keith Farrugia aka The Maltese Magician aka Sound Synthesis has been changing the face of the electro/techno community for many years now with his deep audioscapes. Taking you on a musical journey that’s deeper than Atlantis!
With previous releases on Ralph Lawson’s 20/20 Vision, Nocta Numerica, Gated Recordings, Planet 17 and Exalt to name but a few, Keith is a producer in high demand and we are grateful that he graced AmenTec with two incredible tunes that take the listener on a journey of musical imagination.
On the flipside, Amen Brother supplies the remixers for this release. Firstly, we have Cridge & Powder, two Bristol old school dons and royalty of the hardcore and jungle scene. Cridge is a member of the Bristol band Up, Bustle & Out and label boss of Tribe Recordings. Powder is part of the old skool hardcore group Fruit & Veg, who have been repressing their music on Vinyl Fanatiks recently. The guys turn in a rolling hardcore joint.
Next up on the remix are the Moving Shadow legends that are Tone Def, straight outta Bournemouth Town. The guys ease of the BPM a little and add an addictive vocal hook to their mix, showcasing the broad spectrum of the hardcore rave community. Rog from Tone Def is also the owner and creator of the Void soundsystems!
An EP with many layers!
c b1. Electrical Synapses Cridge & Powder 'Fruit & Veg' Mix
Tone Def Remix
Buscar:i vision
Switzerland's music trailblazer embarks on an exhilarating journey as LOT Records launches its inaugural release with the sensational album, "Slam 1987," presented by the visionary artist Quenum. This album represents a true testament to Quenum's unwavering commitment to his distinct minimalistic style.
With a keen focus on crafting a sonic experience that resonates with the most discerning of audiences, Quenum's years of expertise shine through in each of the album's four classic tracks. Expect a mental, atmospheric, and rhythmically dense exploration, artfully constructed with razor-sharp beats that captivate the senses, taking your auditory senses on an unforgettable voyage.
"Slam 1987" is a sonic masterpiece, pushing the boundaries of experimental and minimal music, featuring mesmerizing drone pads and precision-engineered beats that cut through the air like a knife. This musical gem is further enhanced by a groovy deep tech remix by the talented Argentinian artist, Lucio Agustin. His remix is a versatile gem that seamlessly fits into warm-up sessions and peak-time sets, delivering a bass-driven groove complemented by a tantalizing amen break, infusing a touch of spice that truly delights.
Moreover, "We can do it" and "Recyclade" redefine the frontier of experimental and micro-house, enveloping listeners in an otherworldly, mental, and atmospheric embrace. Their meticulous attention to detail within the rhythmic fabric is a testament to their years of experience, resulting in an auditory adventure that will enrapture music enthusiasts across the globe. "Slam 1987" is not just an album; it's a sonic odyssey that invites you to immerse yourself in the boundless creativity of Quenum. Prepare to embark on a unique and mesmerizing auditory journey that will leave an indelible mark on your musical soul.
Dead Fader is the alter ego of John Cohen - former Brighton resident, now based in Berlin - who has worked relentlessly since 2007 to realise his vision of electronic music. His tracks are characterised by pioneering sound explorations, which on one hand oscillate between sonic extremities and on the other hand carefully craft cinemascope sound worlds. The album became a very personal exploration for Cohen, as the themes are inquiring emotional states, and the writing process was predominantly influenced by falling in love whilst making the album. Furthermore, the film Interstellar visually influenced the album, mapped as an image for Cohen's tracks to exist in. I have watched his talent, his confidence in his ability and his output just grow and grow beyond what most humans are capable of imagining, never mind making. I think that comes from a place of wonder and exploration, a place where emotion, energy and experience are important, the long and narrow, the deaf arena, the blood forest and the glass cathedrals. Dead Fader rips you backwards through the portal as existence explodes around you, but you don't perish in the fire. It's just a ride.' - Barry Pendergast, former partner in Dead Fader T
- A1: Flug 8 - Puerto Rico (The Velvet Circle Mix)
- A2: The Black Frame - Sacrosanct (Mount Obsidian Remix)
- A3: The Novotones - Liberty Bell
- A4: Sascha Funke - Mathias Rust
- A5: La Finca - What Clouds Say
- B1: Paulor - The Last Coke In The Desert
- B2: Mount Obsidian - Fade Feat Charlotte Jestaedt
- B3: The Velvet Circle - Our Tribe
- B4: Seb Martel Feat Las Ondas Marteles - Dark Mambo (Joerg Burger Mix)
- B5: Mount Obsidian - Marole Feat Charlotte Jestaedt
Kompakt unveils the third volume of Jörg Burger’s Velvet Desert Music compilation series, dedicated to music that hits the sweet spot between the cinematic, the (pop) ambient, and the psychedelic. With Velvet Desert Music Vol. 3, Burger and his friends wander afar, taking trips away from, or adjacent to, the dancefloor that’s acted so long as the crucible for the Kompakt aesthetic. Like its predecessors, it’s a gorgeous, lambent collection of late-night mood music.
Because it’s such a broad church, Velvet Desert Music admits all kinds of new experiences, as well, with Burger looking for music that "leads out of the desert into the velvet universe". Indeed, of all the volumes in the series, this third instalment feels closest to an album made by a true collective. The roster has changed, with new contributors Flug 8 and Seb Martel, both with his trio Las Ondas Marteles and with Chocolate Genius and Zsela as La Finca, joining regulars The Novotones, Mount Obsidian, The Golden Bug, Paulor and Sascha Funke.
Burger himself reappears, too, alongside Fritz Ackermann (of The Novotones), Max Würden and Thore Pfeiffer, in The Velvet Circle. Their contributions are pure lush life electronica: “Our Tribe” hitches a ride with a low-slung groove, flickering psychedelic reels of acoustic guitar traipsing across moody bass and taffeta layers of drone; their opening remix of Flug 8’s “Puerto Rico” gently introduces the album with softly tangling electronic tones, while guitars, drenched in reverb, pirouette in the background. A Mount Obsidian remix of “Sacrosanct” by Burger’s The Black Frame -project is a swirling treat for the ears.
La Finca’s electronics and voice miniature, “What Clouds Say”, is a masterclass in poetic restraint; Martel’s “Dark Mambo”, remixed by Burger, is one of the collection’s big surprises, for it indeed does what the title says, a drifting, surrealist take on the mambo form, full of pensive chords, rich with unrequited longing, a breathy saxophone whispering under the song’s sly rhythmic carriage.
Elsewhere, The Novotones chime in with a slyly propulsive, Krautrock-esque charmer, “Liberty Bell”, and the guitar-led tone-drift of “Valley of Oblivion”; Paulor’s “The Last Coke in the Desert” is a chiming, lilting dreamscape; Mount Obsidian are joined by vocalist Charlotte Jestaedt for two modern takes on early-hours art song, “Marole” and “Fade”; Sascha Funke’s “Mathias Rust” is a lavish dancefloor dream, vocal samples drifting through the song as it slowly envelops the listener in its opulent radiance.
This is just a taste of the rich pleasures of Velvet Desert Music Vol. 3, a triumph of a compilation that takes the psychedelic visions of its predecessors and looks for the desert within, a dusty kiss, a road-movie hallucination flickering on the listener’s eyelids, a cinematic projection from deep inside the mind.
POH (Point of Hue): It’s all about colors. Closet Yi sees the world in vibrant hues, as a sonic exploration of her kaleidoscopic vision. Seeing herself as more of an observer than a doer, she testifies her unique perspectives of the world in each track with all different hues and emotions.
Instinctively catchy and affecting, the four track dance EP is full of intricate textures, unexpected harmonies, and subtle sonic flourishes that reveal themselves with each listen. Written and mixed in her hometown, Seoul, the infectious EP is a collective of warm, floating yellow purple molecules in the air with introspective shades of cobalt and sage.
As much as she has a wide spectrum of taste, Closet Yi cements her core to its place where the most exciting and new coming artists are now.
Soom T aka “The Raggamuffin Queen” will release her sixth studio album “The Louder The Better” on October 13, 2023. A combination of live band studio recordings and digital compositions, it took only 3 years to fully realize from the very first live band recordings in Brazil during the 2020 pandemic to its release this year. Entirely self-produced with her own music label Renegade Masters with Kunta as executive producer, Soom T called on her most trusted collaborators to produce this new Reggae/Dub gem, and it’s sunnier than ever.
“Path of the Wanderer” with its poignant and deeply emotive vocal, irresistible rolling bass line and driving rhythm was composed by French production maestro Tom Fire with “Ezekiel’s Vision” and “Michael” being the fruits of live band recordings at Pangea Studios in Sao Paolo Brazil under the skilled direction of Mauro Rabello.
“Fly My Bird” and sunny pop anthem “Good Will Come” are original compositions by Terry Vibes out of the USA while “Bad Road”,“Emergency” and “Normal People” were stylised digital productions by France’s own Dr Bud reminiscing on Soom T’s first love of digital. Additional synths were added by executive producer Kunta and studio partner Green Teddy of Highly Seen.
“Prophets”, “Free the Man”, “There is love”, “No worries” and “Don’t Make Me” composed and curated by Christian Cowlin who is the live sound engineer for The Wailers USA, takes the journey into a more roots direction with some solid harmonies and flashbacks to a bygone era. Many of the instruments on these songs were performed by Mr Cowlin himself among other seasoned musicians and recorded at his studio in the UK. Led by her great respect for activists whose aims and efforts are rooted in making society movw forward with dignity and honour, Soom T denounces the incarceration of businessman/politician Schaeffer Cox, unjust in her eyes and tens of thousands of others globally, in a call to “Free the Man”.
If “The Louder The Better” has definite roots influences, “Like a Dog” composed by French label and music production studio Irie Ites and “Walk the Earth” performed by legendary British drum & bass duo Mafia & Fluxy, added some more digital delight alongside a sweet roots trip for the listener to indulge in a medley soup of varying influences throughout this album, mixed by Mista Maff and mastered by Simon Capony at Basalte Studio.
« Hail to the Watchman », an easy favourite for more traditional reggae lovers was composed by Kunta in conjunction with Green Teddy, both of whom contributed to the production of the 2017 ‘Arch’ LP.
Finally, with this new reggae album, Soom T sticks to what is closest to her heart covering a multitude of topics from the corrupt state of the world, to the emptiness of politics and the urgent need to awaken to the reality of the condition of society.
Behind the need to inform and urge society moving forward, « The Louder The Better » delivers a positive and inspiring message, led by melodies and vocals at the crossroads of genres, that fans will love to listen to at any time.
See you on October 13, 2023 to discover this new opus by Soom T.
'Imagination Is A Weapon' lautet der Slogan des neuen GUNSHIP Albums. Diese Aussage fasst das Kernthema ihrer dritten Platte zusammen. GUNSHIP lädt seine Zuhörer ein, die Macht der Vorstellungskraft zu feiern und sich auf die Suche nach dem Einhorn in ihrem eigenen Leben zu begeben. Taucht schwelgend ein in die Fantasie – findet Euer Einhorn. Die entschlossenen Träumer werden die Welt verändern, wenn ihre Visionen in die Realität umgesetzt werden. Mit ihrem dritten Album UNICORN sprengen GUNSHIP weiterhin die Grenzen des Synthwave-Genres. Zu den besonderen Gästen zählen: John Carpenter, Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Carpenter Brut, Timmy Cappello (Lost Boys), Health, Tyler Bates (John Wick, Guardians Of The Galaxy), Lights, Power Glove, Charlie Simpson, Britta Phillips (Jem) und Milkie Way (Wargasm).
It’s been a few years since Captain Mustache took a ride with Kompakt – 2021, to be exact, when he released the “Everything” single, and subsequently made an appearance on that year’s entry in the Total series. But this visionary French producer has been busy, indeed fiercely productive, ever since, appearing on Helena Hauff’s Return To Disorder and John Digweed’s Bedrock, collaborating with Dave Clarke, Popof, The Advent, Paris The Black Fu, Keith Tucker from AUX88... and two beautifully eloquent albums, Tourbillon Nocturne and Indigo Memories. But with The Super Album, Captain Mustache returns to Kompakt with his most sublime collection yet. On The Super Album, the Captain soundtracks an imagined “whole day for party people.” He welcomes friends old and new on board: opening with the poetic club banger of “About Love”, with guest appearance from Speakwave (aka dynArec), The Super Album shifts gears into the lush, sunny “Shifting Basslines”, where Captain Mustache’s pulsing electro-disco is the perfect fit for a third collaboration with electroclash pioneers Chicks on Speed. After the deep techno pulsations of “Laser Me” and the glitzy pop shine of “Gimme Ya Mustache”, more guests arrive: Arnaud Rebotini of Black Strobe on the slinky “I Love Watching U”, and then a spoken cameo from the truly legendary French disco diva Amanda Lear on “Mustache Of The Universe”, a glitzy glitterball of a song that’s shrouded in ghostly synths. All those tracks appear on the 12” version of The Super Album – download the digital version and you get six more slices of Mustache magic. Here, the narrative turns more insular, more dancefloor focused – the party people have moved through the daytime and they’re in their element, diving deep into the night-time economy. The album spirals, beautifully, into stark electro, driving techno, with great moments of beauty and melancholy – see the pointillist arpeggios of “Everything” (which features Play Paul), the disco stomp of “Acapulco Citron”, and a breath-taking double-bill of stripped back psychedelic electro on “Pulsions Organiques”, and the layered, luscious, swooning “Clair-Obscur”. From there, it’s an astral glide into the Dopplereffekt-ish “Galaxian Symbiosis” before Foremost Poets join Captain Mustache to wave the night goodbye with the brittle, brilliant “Floorwax”. It’s a day in the life, but all in service to the pleasures of nightlife; the dancefloor is The Super Album’s beacon, your body the pliable material moulded into evocative new shapes by this dense, hypnotic, brilliantly pop album.
Die unnachahmliche Róisín Murphy veröffentlicht ihr mit Spannung erwartetes neues Album, 'Hit Parade' das sie in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Virtuosen der elektronischen Musik DJ Koze produziert hat. Das 13 Tracks umfassende Kompendium aus genreübergreifenden Perlen wird am 8. September 2023 auf Ninja Tune veröffentlicht.
Die warmen Klänge des HipHop, die psychedelischen Elemente und die eleganten, gefühlvollen Grooves sind allesamt Teil der Vision von Murphy und Koze, was zu einem Album führt, das man endlos wiederholen kann, während die Melodien darauf sich im Gehirn festsetzen. Die 13 Tracks, die zu dem mühelosen Glanz des Albums beitragen, wurden in sechsjähriger Arbeit fast vollständig aus der Ferne zusammengebastelt. Fans beider Künstler:innen werden wissen, dass diese inspirierte Zusammenarbeit aus Murphys Beiträgen zu Kozes 'Knock Knock' aus dem Jahr 2018 entstanden ist - insbesondere 'Illumination' und 'Scratch That' - und als Murphy mit Koze an 'Hit Parade' arbeitete, fand sie den gemeinsamen kreativen Prozess auf seine eigene Art und Weise aufschlussreich.
Seit sie in der irischen Stadt Arklow aufwuchs, schien die Musik Murphy fast sofort zu rufen, von dem Moment an, als sie im Alter von 10 Jahren die Kraft ihrer eigenen Stimme entdeckte, indem sie den ewigen Showtune-Klassiker 'Don't Cry For Me, Argentina' bei einem lokalen Poesie-Festival vortrug. Murphy stürzte sich kopfüber in die Musikszene, nachdem ihre Familie nach Manchester umgezogen war, als sie noch ein Teenager war. Nach einem kurzen Flirt mit Noise und Punk in Manchesters Umgebung trampte sie mit 19 Jahren nach Sheffield, um in die Clubszene einzutauchen. Ein zufälliges Zusammentreffen mit dem örtlichen Bassisten Mark Brydon führte die beiden zur Gründung der gefeierten Gruppe Moloko. Seitdem hat Murphy eine beeindruckende Solokarriere hingelegt, die sich über fünf hochgelobte Alben (mit einer Nominierung für den Mercury Music Prize für 'Hairless Toys' in 2015), gefeierte EP- und Single-Kollaborationen und in jüngster Zeit auch über Auszeichnungen für Videoregie und Schauspielerei erstreckt.
Tiella Sound is a project born in 2019 from the mind of Italian DJ Luca Bigote that started as a radio show currently airing on French LYL Radio, and now debuting in the record label ecosystem with its first official release, pressed in a limited edition of only 200 copies.
The vision and mission of the entire project are quite clear and based on the principle of musical eclecticism. Luca Bigote, in fact, from the very beginning has never wanted to set boundaries to his creature, which, following an open-minded approach, flirts with the most disparate sounds, not exclusively club-oriented ones, focusing on the quality and research that have always distinguished his path.
For its first release, Tiella Sound has chosen Perugia-born DJ and producer Daniele Tomassini, already known for his records under the Feel Fly moniker, who presents us with the first LP from his alter ego VAISA.
This work consists of unreleased tracks composed between 2014 and 2016, during the intense creative period that saw him involved in more experimental and alternative projects such as Palenque Pacal trio and Wunder Camera duo. This material finally sees the light, a few years after the inspiring live performance during the second edition of Esperimenti (January 2017), the music festival curated by Luca himself together with his friend and colleague Matteo Lieto in Gaeta, Italy.
“VAISA is a dense, raw, evocative project. A lo-fi maelstrom of field recordings, sound collage, mysterious vocal samples from ancient cultures, obscure rhythms and layered tribal percussions, ambient clouds, dub echoes, with the martial tolling of the kick drum beating out the slow electronic ritual” (Caveargento): a deep and timeless journey, ready to drive all the lovers of the most abstract and primitive sounds into ecstasy.
"Multila" was the third album by Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti under the moniker Vladislav Delay. It compiles the "Huone" and "Ranta" 12"EPs Ripatti released on Basic Channel's Chain Reaction label in 1999 and 2000. The album features six hauntingly murky dub ambient tracks and the impressive 22-minute techno odyssey "Huone."
More than 20 years after its original release as a full-length CD album (Chain Reaction), these iconic recordings of modern electronic music are now available again as a double vinyl edition, featuring a revised artwork by Marc Hohmann that matches the new design of the "Whisteblower" and "Entain" reissues.
"Life films us exactly. Our experience of it, though, lies beyond images and descriptions. Emotions, coming in irrational flashes, are non-figurable. We lose our little connection to them very quickly. We look for forms which promise to take us to our own experience. We construct forms with this in mind: that they can take us to meet the subconscious. Multila's construction is principled this way. Fragments of experience, moments without definition or localisation are captured within tiny fragments of time and then within one's mindspace. We can look into it and see that experience has left some of its data to us. As we receive it, again and again, we are connected and reconnected to certain indefinable moments. Both during and after its recording, Multila is a tool to learn about the unintentional states of us. It is a way to see our own emotional loops. Multila is a soundtrack for vision." - Vladislav Delay in the year 2000
Welcome to the unmissable second part of this momentous collection, collecting the output of a true outlier in UK creative culture, an artist that has helped change the landscape of electronic music, KRUST.
Introducing 'Irrational Numbers,' a meticulously curated collection of five parts, available on both vinyl and digital formats. This compilation is a treasure trove of hand-picked records and archival gems from Krust's extensive discography, thoughtfully remastered and presented anew for both devoted fans and newcomers.
'Irrational Numbers' features a dizzying array of self-released 12" cuts, exclusive unreleased VIPs and dub-plates, alongside epic major label widescreen classics. It's an unmissable journey through the sonic output of one of the UK's most distinctive and forward-looking producers.
This 2nd volume of seminal and forward thinking music from the legendary Bristol producer and DJ boasts a plethora of unmissable cuts; the staccato and clipped jazz funk of 'Blaze Dis One', the widescreen epic futurism of 'True Stories' and the all-time classic anthem 'Warhead' all feature, proving what a formidable and original force Krust is.
For longtime Krust enthusiasts, this project serves as a fond reminder of the boundless creativity and originality that flourished during the early 1990s and beyond. For those new to his work, it presents an enthralling introduction to innovative electronic music that has comfortably set the tone for generations to come. Get ready to experience the evolution of sound and immerse yourself in the visionary artistry of Krust.
A Beautiful Place is excited to introduce "Lisbon Story," a captivating EP by Noha, the label's visionary founder.
Inspired by the vibrant city of Lisbon, this new release showcases Noha's exceptional artistry, as he skillfully weaves together a melodic narrative that traverses through diverse moods and soundscapes. Each track is a testament to Noha's commitment to pushing the boundaries of music, captivating listeners both on the dancefloor and during moments of reflection.
More than a decade after the release of ´Land Lines', the mythical Humboldt County, California based duo of Brian Pyle and Merrick McKinlay reappears seemingly out of nowhere with 'Atheistsaregods'. With past releases on such cult-like labels as Root Strata, Weird Forest, Blackest Rainbow or Digitalis, Starving Weirdos were an indelible part of a sprawling and loose network of artists in Northern America whose DIY work ethic and extreme activity revolved around shoestring-budget constant touring, numerous limited editions on CDR, tape and vinyl and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of genre.
Out of that cauldron, Starving Weirdos stood out as one of the most persistent and visionary acts, developing a mind altering body of work that went from warm soundscapes through droney digressions, freeform improvisation and raucous noise summoned from a myriad of instrumentation and low budget processing - vocals, keyboards, violin, flute, percussion and an assortment of less identifiable sound sources. 10 years on their legacy remains a timeless and wildly under-appreciated one, but hopefully this new album will shine a light on their idiosyncratic approach. As time itself was never a constraint. This is music suspended outside of it.
Right from the start with the echoing percussion, dissonant keys and processed vocals of 'Haiku Nagasaki', 'Atheistsaregods' draws a continuous flux of psychedelic elevation that goes from the gloomy electronic motifs not unlike the early Cluster vibes of 'Invocation' into the dank percussive maze of the appropriately titled 'Barulho do Samba'. The self titled track induces a sense of post-apocalyptic vertigo via hallucinatory scraps of voice, suspended synth tones and reverberating field recordings, connecting into the droney mystics of 'Dudukahar (Reed Prayer)'. Coming full circle, 'For Vinny' brings back the echoing percussion amidst hypnotic cello lines until it drifts off into the unknown. With the same palpable sense of urgency, Starving Weirdos feel as vital as ever. And even if we didn't realize it we were in need of them. Welcome back.
Effortlessly dismantling the barriers between R&B, soul, funk, disco and jazz sounds, MF Robots present long player ‘Break The Wall’, on BBE Music. Astonishing musicianship, pristine production and top-tier songwriting, ‘Break The Wall’ immediately calls to mind those iconic American rhythm sections of the 70s and 80s. The music is energising, uplifting and the potent result of a highly accomplished musical partnership maturing, growing and hitting their stride together in lock-step. Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph met as members of one of the UK’s most successful Acid Jazz bands, which influenced Mark Ronson, D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu and The Roots to name a few. Founding the Brand New Heavies was an important chapter for Jan, but once he and vocalist and songwriting partner Dawn began working together, the chemistry was instant and irresistible. It was time to turn the page, and soon MF Robots was born. “When we made our first album, we didn’t have a band as such. We basically made a lot of the record at home and called on other musicians as and when we needed them. Our sound was developing organically, and when we finally released the record to great critical acclaim, it was time to get out on the road,” says Jan. “We put together a band of like-minded young musicians, playing intimate gigs and big festivals all over Europe and beyond, growing tight as a unit, so that when it came time to think about making this, our second album, we knew we had an extra level of musicianship full of personality that could realise our vision.” Inviting band members Alex Montaque (keys), Naz Adamson (bass), Mark Beaney (guitar), Jack Birchwood (trumpet), Ben Treacher (sax) to improvise and contribute their own ideas over song-sketches laid out by Jan and Dawn gives ‘Break The Wall’ a special sense of off-the-cuff brilliance. Even on the polished final product you can detect a collaborative, fluid and unhurried approach to production that’s all-too rare these days. There’s guest performances from bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (‘The Love It Takes’, ‘Make Me Happy’) and guitarist Cory Wong ('Shine', 'Make Me Happy'), the former a top-flight session player who’s collaborated with Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie among others, the latter a member of the incredible Vulfpeck collective and an accomplished solo artist in his own right.
- A1: Here Lies Love Feat. Florence Welch (Florence & The Machine)
- A2: Every Drop Of Rain Feat. Candie Payne & St. Vincent
- A3: You'll Be Taken Care Of Feat. Tori Amos
- A4: The Rose Of Tacloban Eat. Martha Wainwright
- A5: A Perfect Hand Feat. Steve Earle
- B1: Eleven Days Feat Cyndi Lauper
- B2: When She Passed By Feat. Allison Moorer
- B3: Walk Like A Woman Feat. Charmaine Clamor
- B4: Don't You Agree? Feat. Róisín Murphy
- B5: Pretty Face Feat. Camille
- B6: Ladies In Blue Feat. Theresa Andersson
- C1: Dancing Together Feat Sharon Jones
- C2: How Are You? Feat. Nellie Mckay
- C3: Men Will Do Anything Feat. Alice Russell
- C4: The Whole Man Feat. Kate Pierson
- C5: Never So Big Feat. Sia
- C6: Please Don't Feat. Santi White
- D1: American Troglodyte
- D2: Solano Avenue Feat. Nicole Atkins
- D3: Order 1081 Feat. Natalie Merchant
- D4: Seven Years Feat. Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond)
- D5: Why Don't You Love Me? Feat. Tori Amos & Cyndi Lauper
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s acclaimed 2010 album Here Lies Love receives its first-ever vinyl release to coincide with a new production opening on Broadway this summer. Here Lies Love is a double-disc song cycle – improbably poignant, decidedly surreal, surprisingly thought provoking – about the rise and fall of the Philippines' notorious Imelda Marcos. It was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and DJ/recording artist Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B and pop. Byrne's taste in collaborators is as imaginative as it is impeccable, including Cyndi Lauper (who recounts, to lighthearted disco beats, Imelda's courtship with Ferdinand Marcos), Steve Earle (as the power-hungry Ferdinand), Dap-Kings vocalist Sharon Jones (recalling Imelda's introduction into New York society) and Natalie Merchant (as spurned Imelda confidante Estrella, anticipating the onset of martial law). Along with vocals turns from such stars as Tori Amos and the B-52's Kate Pierson, Byrne works with rising indie rockers St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond; New York chanteuses Nellie McKay and Martha Wainwright; and dance-music divas Róisín Murphy and Santigold. Byrne himself appears as the voice of imperialistic America on ‘American Troglodyte’, a send-up that wouldn't have seemed out of places in Talking Heads' True Stories.
Byrne originally envisioned this as a musical theatre piece, to be mounted in disco and nightclub settings, reflecting the globe-trotting Marcos' taste for such velvet-roped spots as Studio 54 and Regine's. In 2006, he performed work-in-progress versions to enthusiastic audiences at New York City's Carnegie Hall and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. While plans for a US theatrical production continued to evolve, he delivered this unique recording. The award-winning theatrical production eventually premiered at The Public Theater in New York in 2013, travelled to London’s National Theater for a sold-out run (2014–15), and was remounted at the Seattle Repertory Theater (2017).
Here Lies Love has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim's own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne's recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos' increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, "For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What's more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick." Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda's infamous shoe collection.
Many of Byrne's lyrics are, astonishingly enough, constructed from actual Imelda quotes, including the project's title, the words that Imelda, now returned to the Philippines from US-assisted exile in Hawaii, would like to have inscribed on her gravestone. In addition to his new liner note, Byrne illustrates the story with archival photos. In a detailed preface, he reveals what drew him to this subject and the bumpy route he took to launch the project and, ultimately, record this album. The booklet is indeed a page-turner, just as Here Lies Love is a wonderfully old-school album that rewards start-to-finish listening. Once again, Byrne – beloved as musician, thinker and bicyclist-about-town – reveals the breadth and singularity of his vision.
The new production of Here Lies Love will premiere at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Performances begin June 17, ahead of an official opening night on July 20. Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (direction) and Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson (choreography) reunite with Byrne (concept, music, and lyrics) and Fatboy Slim (music) to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway, continuing a ten-plus year collaboration on the project. Tom Gandey and J Pardo contribute additional music. Here Lies Love is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. The staging at the Broadway Theatre will transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors. A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available throughout the theatre’s reconstructed space. The producers of Here Lies Love said, “As a team of binational American producers – Filipinos among us – we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”
David Byrne’s recent works include the launch of Reasons to be Cheerful, an online magazine focused on solutions-oriented stories about problems being solved all over the world (2019); Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, a theatrical exploration of the historical heroine that premiered at the Public Theater in New York (2017); The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments created in conjunction with PACE Arts + Technology that question human perception and bias (2016); Contemporary Color, an event inspired by the American folk tradition of color guard and performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (2015); Here Lies Love; Love This Giant, a studio album and worldwide tour created with St. Vincent (2012); and How Music Works, a book about the history, experience, and social aspects of music (2012).
Byrne curated Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival in London in 2015. A co-founder of the group Talking Heads (1976–88), he has released eight studio albums as a solo artist and worked on multiple other projects, including collaborations with Brian Eno, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Jonathan Demme, among others. He also founded the highly respected record label Luaka Bop. Recognition of Byrne’s various works include Obies, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Evening Standard awards for Here Lies Love; an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads. Byrne’s work as a visual artist has been published and exhibited since his college days, including photography, filmmaking, and writing. He lives in New York City. In addition to 2019’s cast album for American Utopia on Broadway, Nonesuch has released eight other David Byrne records since 2003, including 2018’s American Utopia studio album and two versions of his musical Here Lies Love.
q C6. Please Don't feat. Santi White Santigold
microCastle’s third offering of 2023 welcomes Ditian back to the label for his first artist EP. Splitting time between Buenos Aires, Berlin and Barcelona, the Argentinean artist has carved out a unique place in the electronic underground over the last half decade. With an immediately recognizable sonic signature, Ditian channels languages of varied musical landscapes, churning them into his own complex rollercoaster of intricate electronica. A sound that is equally at home on rebellious dance floors around the world or in the sweet spot of a late-night leftfield listening session. A short but meticulous discography reflects Ditian's choosy nature; with Exit Strategy, Innervisions and TAU serving as the primary landing spots for his musical output. Having remixed Ivory’s ‘Arpstairs’ for his microCastle debut last summer, a project which was followed by a contribution to Dixon and Ame’s Secret Weapons 15 collection to begin the year, Ditian now returns to the label with a four-track showcase entitled ‘Serpenta’.
The crushing title track crashes in and sets any preconceived ideas of Ditian’s music alight, forecasting jet force propulsions and wild signal bending synths. As somewhat of a departure from his previous experiments, Ditian’s clustered pungi mutations provide an enduring main theme, while a wonderfully warped break is sure to cast a paranoid spell over the dancefloor.
‘Venena’ follows in fine style and further hammers down Ditian’s elusive vision. Dizzying, rapid-fire sequences of rhythm, granular textures and heavily manipulated synths travel to the very edges, while maelstroms of drums and contorted basslines highlight a high-octane second act.
‘Inertia’ lands at the collection’s midway point and does so in remarkably twisted fashion, stepping decisively on the gas and steering into shadowy transgressions. Never one to shy away from darkness or pushing boundaries, Ditian’s metallic storyboarding rises and falls across act one, consciously withholding energy, as grooves pulse and effects orbit, creating tension that eventually gets resolved as clusters burst open and oscillate in kaleidoscopic fashion.
Ditian’s creative attitude reveals itself further on collection closer ‘Influenza’. Presenting some of his most club-adjacent rhythms yet, it’s a clever coax of billowing tones and scrappy melodica which get wrapped up in a concordant fog, eventually getting washed away; because after all, the oceanic drones are all the better when they’re magnified to full size.
Cover art: Mauricio Seidel
- A1: Wrong (Album Version)
- A2: Wrong (Thin White Duke Remix)
- B1: Wrong (Trentemøller Club Remix)
- B2: Wrong (Caspa Remix)
- C1: Wrong (Magda's Scallop Funk Mix)
- C2: Wrong (D I.m. Vs Boys Noize Remix)
- D1: Wrong (Trentemøller Club Remix Dub)
- D2: Oh Well (Black Light Odyssey Remix)
- E1: Peace (Single Version)
- E2: Peace (Sixtoes Remix)
- E3: Come Back (Jonsi Remix)
- F1: Peace (Ben Klock Remix)
- F2: Peace (The Japanese Popstars Remix)
- G1: Peace (Sid Lerock Remix)
- G2: Peace (Justus Köhncke Extended Disco Club Vocal Remix)
- H1: Peace (The Exploding Plastic Inevitable Jk Disco Dub)
- H2: Peace (Pan/Tone Remix)
- I1: Fragile Tension (Stephan Bodzin Remix)
- I2: Fragile Tension (Kris Menace's Love On Laserdisc Remix)
- J1: Hole To Feed (Popof Vocal Mix)
- J2: Hole To Feed (Paul Woolford's Easyfun Ethereal Disco Mix)
- K1: Perfect (Roger Sanchez Club Mix)
- K2: Perfect (Ralphi Rosario Dub)
- L1: Peace (Hervé's 'Warehouse Frequencies' Remix)
- M4: Fragile Tension (Laidback Luke Remix)
- N1: Fragile Tension (Peter Bjorn And John Remix)
- N2: Hole To Feed (Joebot Remix)
- N3: Perfect (Ralphi & Craig Club Mix)
- N4: Fragile Tension (Solo Loves Panorama Remix)
- L2: Peace (Sander Van Doorn Remix)
- M1: Fragile Tension (Radio Mix)
- M2: Hole To Feed (Radio Mix)
- M3: Come Back (Sixtoes Remix)
Sounds Of The Universe | The 12" Singles, a deluxe collector's
edition box set, contains seven 12" vinyl discs presenting
singles--including Wrong, Peace, the double A-side Fragile
Tension/Hole To Feed--alongside B-sides, remixes, dub
versions and other recordings contemporaneous to Depeche
Mode's 12th studio album, Sounds Of The Universe, originally
released by Mute Records in April 2009.
Sounds Of The Universe | The 12" Singles offers a full range of
ear-grabbing mixes--radio, club, dub and more--of Depeche
Mode originals with three discs (Discs Two, Four and Seven)
newly compiled for this collection, bringing together B-sides
and mixes first released across CD and maxi-singles
contemporaneous to the album's release.
When it came time to record the Sounds Of The Universe
album, DM's classic core (Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andrew
Fletcher) returned to the studio to make their second album
with producer Ben Hillier, whose intuitive contributions to
their previous studio album, 2005's Playing The Angel, had
created new sonic possibilities for the band expanding
Depeche Mode's vision and repertoire while continuing their
tradition of issuing monumental 12“ singles.
Nina Kraviz returns to Rekids with remixes of ‘Taxi Talk’ from David Löhlein and Sterac Electronics.
In the years since Nina Kraviz dropped some of her earliest music on Radio Slave's Rekids, she has become a bonafide global superstar. Founding two record labels трип (trip) and Galaxiid, she regularly headlines the world's largest music festivals and has continued to stay at the forefront of electronic music.
'Taxi Talk', initially released on Kraviz’s lauded eponymous debut LP in 2012, still stands the test of time with its spoken word vocals and smoky deep house grooves. Remixing the track alongside its reissue is Vision Ekstase founder and Lehmann Club resident David Löhlein who turns in a fresh remix, and Dutch techno mainstay Steve Rachmad, who unearths a remix made under his Sterac Electronics guise that had, until recently, been unreleased.
Löhlein’s remix sees the Stuttgart-based artist reach for his trademark ’snake sound’, delivering a sleek version flipped into a quick and urgent cut with pulsating synths and dynamic minimal drum funk. Sterac Electronics brings a distinctive sense of electric funk with a boogie-tinged remix full of colourful synths and hip-swinging drums that cannot fail to light up the floor.




















