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Building on their shared exploration of forward-leaning UK club sounds, EM + STAV herald the arrival of their new label JoyLift with the Endless EP. Having entrenched themselves within the free-spirited landscape of Bristol’s music community, the pair home in on a focused sound which draws on the city’s storied bass mutations as a springboard for their own take on modernist dance music.

There’s a tough, brooding quality to Endless EP which speaks to the meditative pressure of soundsystem immersion, but equally EM + STAV build out evocative, shifting narratives within that club-ready framework. From dubwise processing to deft sound design, a broad church of processes are wielded to shape out these pieces, and physicality comes in many forms whether in weightless sub lines or pointed, angular drum programming. Given their long-standing connection to developments within the underground music scene, there’s a keen instinct for the dynamic shifts which can set a dance alight, while the ill- defined shape of the wider genre-not-genre allows plenty of space for movement and experimentation.

Alongside the three original productions from EM + STAV, kindred spirit Forest Drive West steps up for a remix of ‘Odd' which aligns with the aesthetic intentions of JoyLift while demonstrating the idiosyncratic qualities associated with the scene’s most vital artists. The cohesive feel of Endless EP extends to Luke Griffin’s artwork, in which natural source material undergoes heavy processing to wind up in a striking new form, shot through with colour but ultimately shrouded in a moodiness that harks back through the lineage of hardcore-rooted UK dance music.

By its very nature the future is unwritten for JoyLift, but EM + STAV’s new project commits itself to an ever-evolving palette of sound, rendered as music with a strong sense of identity - tracks to shake the dance without resorting to obvious tropes, responding to and feeding into the inspiring tides of ideas emanating from the environment around them.

2lanes is proud to announce the next single, TINCTURE/ MY SIMULACRA, from his recently minted label AUTO SHOP. The two-tracker finds the artist both deepening his expansive sound and honing it to weave seamlessly into any DJ set. “TINCTURE / MY SIMULACRA” solidifies the cinematic textures and rusty low-end percussive drive of 2lanes’ earlier releases this year, “Diamond Rain EP'' & “Sid Ranger Redux EP.” Spending much of this past year on the road, 2lanes dove headfirst into the contemporary electronic music world, meeting an array of new and exciting producers, some of which are featured remixers on this release.

On the A side, take a dose of TINCTURE and see just how far the rabbit hole goes. Inspired by raving all night with friends, 2lanes linked with Detroit-based singer AKILLACO for a wild talking track like none other. We all know those moments at the party when both nothing and everything makes sense. You want to be prophetic but you just make everyone laugh. You think about the past, future, & present all at once. This is the ultimate message of TINCTURE, which AKILLACO emphatically points out. The long-winded musing is underlined by a heavy swung style beat that 2lanes fans have come to know well. Frequent 2lanes collaborator Salar Ansari joins the fun for the steamy, guitar-laden Howling Diablo remix that could as easily be played at a forest rave as a sleazy dive bar a la Coyote Ugly. Purelink’s MILLIA reduces the solution to an even dubbier chill out mix that begs to be played in the early mornings.

On the B side, we have the bass-heavy vision quest MY SIMULACRA. Ancient percussion meets modern sub bass–and together, they transport you to a new plane of being. This track also features performances from a few regular 2lanes sonic cohorts. Detroit keyboard prodigy Ian Fink (Scott Grooves Ensemble, Omar S) evokes celestial moments with a memotron solo, and Jonah Baseball (Overtone Series) provides a stargate-sounding break beat. MY SIMULACRA features two amazing remixes. The First is from Baltimore-based club aficionado JIALING and the second is a prime cut of rough and ready machine phunk from Los Angele’s 1morning.

Initially recorded at 2lanes’ home studio over Halloween in 2021, TINCTURE has since evolved to its final form that we see now. The tune has even shown up in sets from electric selectors like Scott Zacharias and Livwutang. The record label features beautiful artistic renditions by Norway-based Sverre Brand, whose work can be found on releases by Priori and Dust E-1.

Aarset and Bang have collaborated since the early 1990s in constellations with, among others, Nils Petter Molvaer, Bugge Wesseltoft, Sly & Robbie and Jon Hassell. 'Snow Catches on her Eyelashes' (2020) was their first recording as a duo, an album that was widely praised, inspiring John Eyles of All About Jazz to write: "Aarset, Bang and company go from strength to strength, as does the Norwegian scene. Onward and upward."

'Last Two Inches of Sky' further expands this sonic universe - onward and upward. Like its predecessor, the new recording is an amalgam of styles, linked together by Jan Bang's hallmark sampling technique and Eivind Aarset's continuous exploration of the guitar. Now, the rhythm section of Audun Erlien (bass) and Anders Engen (drums) are prominent on most tracks, and the arrangements are enhanced by guests like Gianluca Petrella (trombone), Adam Rudolph (percussion), Emanuel Birkeland- Bang (drum programming) and Erik Honore (samples, lyrics on "Legion").

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

First reference of this new label established in Madrid, by DJ Producer Resura (Fede Ruiz) who has already released work on labels such as Analogue Solutions, Dark Forest and RhodRecords, among others.

On this occasion, the work is more conceptual than usual. Nostromo E.P. is a tribute to the film Alien (1979). It will be released in a limited edition of 300 units of 12″ and features high quality Electro Mental and IDM tracks, intended both for listening and for the dancefloor.

Better Together Records, a label created with the idea of unity at its core, aims to share the sounds of the beloved harbour city, Sydney/Eora.

For the first release on BTR, label boss Chetch takes the reins and delivers six analog ethereal cuts from his hard drive, creating an oasis of escape from the drivel of modern day.

By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired... In this OASiS we believe in the unreal and manifest the nonexistent...

Solace in unity at the end of eternity.

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.

Detroit artist Julion De’Angelo steps forward into his own with a new musical offering:the inaugural EP from his new imprint, Maybee Hill Music. Named after the street that he grew up on, the label celebrates ancestral guidance and reflecting on the past, so you can move FORWARD!

Can’t Go Askin is an exuberant testament to Black joy, building and shining triumphantly throughout its mesmerising 12-minute runtime.The track centers on a riff that immediately locks you in, as it stretches and expands with a seductive, propulsive groove, with percussion and keys all floating below a soaring and shimmering Juno. This bold and idiosyncratic interplay results in a jam which takes you HIGHER, transcendent in the spirited tradition of Chicago and Detroit.

De’Angelo completely switches gears for the flip side of this musical offering. Reflecting Cancer Moon is an immersive descent into deep dubby waters inspired by a night walk in the woods. A hypnotic, bare-bones meditation with crazy swing, that explodes into a rhythmic swirl of percussion. Dub delay echoes in and out as we journey deeper into the forest with the moon illuminating our way forward. This EP embodies De’Angelo’s restless urge to constantly seek out new sounds and open up new sonic areas for experience and transformation, with two tracks reflecting two sides of the musical spectrum.

2025 Repress!

On the label (A-Side):
This special release is dedicated to Detroit DJ Legend Ken Collier. His untimely passing deeply touched me personally, as he was one of a small few who always supported me & my music. Because of Ken Collier, Detroit developed a dance scene, which inspired artist & producers to make dance records, which gave birth to Techno, which has provided careers for many of you in the business today. So I dare ask all you techno producers, djs, record labels, record shops, techno magazines, clubs which play techno music, and fans of techno to pay respect to Ken Collier just as you would our other fine music innovators.

Side B:
However, this special compilation isn't about techno, it's about H.O.U.S.E. sounds - broadcasting it to you live from the inside in lovely Ste - re - o!!. This record contains no artist or track listing because i don't want this to be about who made the tracks, track titles, or even who wrote this commentary. This record is my personal tribute to him and how he has motivated me to make my contributions to house music. Thank you Ken Collier, for helping me grow not just as a dj or record producer, but as a person. Every dj and dance artist here in Detroit owes thanks to you for going out into the musical forest, chopping down trees, thus paving the way for us to build HOUSE!.

"In Loving Memory Of Detroit DJ Legend Ken Collier"

Surfaced Trax returns for its second chapter with a solid V.A. compilation. "Sub Sonics Vol. 1" offers four dancefloor-ready tracks full of character.

The 'Sub Sonics Vol. 1' features tracks produced by Parallax Deep, Weirdvin aka Edvin Wikner and Kasvo, showcasing their unique character and talent. Parallax Deep does the honours of closing and opening the compilation with style - 'Submerged' (A1) and 'Sediment' (B2) are two exquisitely groovy, deep excursions full of emotive pads, sub-basses and detailed syncopated rhythms and creative sampling, showcasing their very personal definition of deep techno. Weirdvin's 'Morphing' (A2) is a bleepy minimal techno groover aimed at dancefloor hypnotism - swirling melodies, freaky vocal sampling, odd sonic textures - a recipe for a perfectly wacky dancefloor moment. Kasvo's 'Karura' is a finely creative, dub-infused stroll in a deep, dark forest, where nature's very own sounds are sampled as the perfect rhythm and atmosphere tools, relying on a thumping kick and bassline for total immersion.

‘The Nature of Nature’ is the debut LP by Hanegi Koen, the Japan-based creative duo composed of British ¦lmmaker Sam King and Canadian label head Sean Mallion (ADSR Collective). Picking up where they left off with their 2021 EP ‘Well Worth A Visit’, this album continues the legacy of spaced-out ambient guitars and driving analog beats the band nicely cued up for us. It has continuity from their previous work, going even deeper this time, further de¦ning the contours of their sound. As the title suggests, Nature was a big influence on the record. Many of the track titles are from the season they were recorded in – for example, ‘Hanafubuki’, when the cherry blossoms fall, ‘Tsuyu’, the rainy season, or ‘Kaminari’ which was written during a crazy thunderstorm. The sights and sounds of those times are reflected in the tracks, with ¦eld recordings helping to supplement the atmosphere. Hanegi’s founding ethos of only using analog instruments and drum machines to compose and perform, minimizing the need for the computer as an interface, is alive and well in this album. The tracks got tested in front of an audience and improved on, based on feedback from playing them live, leading to a psychedelic, synth-rich, analog journey. “We like all things analog. We both use computers and digital screens a fair amount in our day job, so it’s nice to give our eyes a rest from that and allow the music to be created from everything we have on the table.
Similarly vinyl records, ¦lm photography, and simply walking around outside in the forest – all these things are a way of slowing down and escaping the digital world.”

Greatly influenced by the wild contrasting outdoors of their home in Japan, the mountains, forests, and ocean, ‘The Nature of Nature’ is an open invitation to unplug to reconnect, a feeling that Hanegi Koen want to share with you. Released on August 18th, on vinyl and digital via Subtempo. Credits: Written and composed by Sean Mallion and Sam King Mixed by Aoki Takamasa Mastering by Manmade Mastering Album art by Laine Butler Design by Rocco Tyndale

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.

After the inevitable success of L'Hiver des crêtes (aka season 1 of their major new project celebrating 40 years of approximate punk), Ludwig Von 88 are back for new adventures in a second season entitled Le Printemps du Pogo. This second vinyl album (of the four planned this year) is this time illustrated by LauL (iconic graphic designer of the 80s - Bérurier Noir, Ludwig Von 88, Mylène Farmer, Patrick Topaloff).

Fourteen tracks packed with love, joy, shitty jobs, noisy neighbours, flowery pogos, fried chicken, unsanitary dungeons and a negative carbon footprint.

There are some good traditional Keupon numbers, but also ska, reggae, yodelling (Yodel to Hell), a universal anthem of destructive punk (Youplapunk), swing, the follow-up to Fistfuck Playa Club (New Club) and Kaliman (Kaliman saves the world), and the long-awaited conclusion, 38 years later, to their interstellar hit J'ai tué mon père (J'ai sauvé mon père). Or the hit Let it burn, which we'll probably be able to sing along to during the long hot days to come.

Thirteen of these songs have already been released on the internet (at a rate of one a week, because the Ludwigs like periodicity, and that's why they keep coming back and coming back) but the fourteenth track, Casques Rouges, is completely new to the galaxy.

So here's something to liven up the weeks of holiday that are just around the corner. On the beach, in the mountains or in the forest, approximate punk remains salvific and Ludwig Von 88 are its most faithful servants.

Youplapunk to you all!

We’re starved for two-sided 12”s in the world of ambient music, but Chris Madak aka. Bee Mask has refreshingly graced us with one this week.

It should be said that there’s Skee Mask and then there’s Bee Mask; the latter is far more unsung, undeservingly so. Madak’s music is abstract and cerebral enough to have lent him credo enough to have released on the likes of Weird Forest, Spectrum Spools and Room40.

But this latest reissue, ‘Versailles Is Not Too Large Or Infinity Too Long’, hears him plunge the aethereal heights for the US label Unifactor. Originally released on cassette on Chondritic Sound in 2008, these pieces deserve the renewed attention and the fresh laying to wax, since they’re not “regular ole” ambient cuts in the slightest.

Unafraid of indulging the high end freqs, Bee Mask fleshes out a mood of uncertain, urgent bliss - sizzling, crunching and soaring the drone, as if its maker were a modern Icarus flying too close to the sun.

Bristol’s Remotif makes his highly-awaited debut on space•lab with his wormhole of a new EP, ‘Substation Fever’. Kicking things off on the A side, the title track enters the scene with spacious, organic drums, building in energy as we tunnel through its course; travelling from the cool, oxygenated air of a forest-scape into dazzling, far-reaching intergalactic realms.

Next up, ‘Substation Fever’ gets a dreamy reimagining courtesy of Leeds legend and space•lab regular, Adam Pits. Channelling the energy of Remotif’s original into a hazy, blissed-out cloudscape, this track was made for accompanying early morning sunrises where orange-hued dashes of light reflect off the surface of gently rippling water.

On the flip side, ‘Hi Tek Lo Life’, crackles with the fluctuating electrical impulses of a TV without signal or a radio between channels. Flecked with corroded vocal samples and billowing synthlines, this is a track that explores the inbetween - the moment when connection is almost lost, but not quite. There is a beauty in the roughened-edges of these partially obscured details.

The final track of the EP, ‘The Signal Prevails’ is perhaps an answer to its precursor. Opening out onto trip-hop-esque terrain, this track follows the path set out by a blurred-out, echoing vocal as it deftly works its way through narrow, winding pathways of powerful 90s-style breaks.

A much-loved DJ regularly making an appearance on space•lab’s lineups, we are delighted to now showcase Remotif’s skill in the studio with this mind-opening new EP.

For the second opus of the "Folklores & Legends Series", Dynasty Of Dreams was inspired by Breton, Celtic and Scandinavian fables and beliefs.

He undertakes this dragonized journey with tribal tones, progressive basses, ghosted leads and luth melodies.

Bells and swords will ring out throughout the adventure and will remind you medieval sounds.

Go on a crusade and let the timpani send you straight back into the abyss of the middle age… !