Cerca:into

CAIN closes out his Fine Grains triptych with a vivacious EP of signature bass shuddering, polyrhythmic drums. ‘High Call’, his first 12” on the now Amsterdam-based label, offers 6 original tracks and a remix by Japanese producer Jun Kamoda in homage to the revelatory spirit and pre-medieval origins of carnivals. Artwork by Dutch/Scottish artist Roos Dijkhuizen created through ink and water drawings.

Colours emerge from the dark, glowing torches and fire embers flicker through the night. ‘Caapi’ warmly draws you into proceedings, an alluring tease of soothing chimes and preview of the infectious shuffling drums that will follow. From ‘Apsara’, Cain sets us on the front foot. A pounding, stuttering rhythm ignites the track, as spinning chord sounds echo and a haunting, hallucinatory vocal lead us on. The carnival is fully alive in ‘Gundon Night’, a sinister and menacing broken track steered by Cosssack warrior chants. High on the mountain we reach the pinnacle of ‘High Call’, a triumphant lead track with CAIN’s recognisable warm and driving, rhythmical drum patterns. The otherworldly psychoacoustic melodies of ‘Taiyi’ and slower-paced triplet drums structures of ‘Zetwal’ make these tracks the outliers of the EP, but they also complement and help to complete the picture. Jun Kamoda’s zany turned up marching techno take on the lead track signs out ‘High Call’ in playful, multi-coloured order.

“In October 2018 we took several recordings in and around Eddie Prévost’s home village of Matching Tye in Essex, where he has been living for the past fifty years. The majority of the pieces that made it to this LP took place in All Saints Church, High Laver, the burial site of John Locke. This fact was notable in the choice of title for this set of recordings, and it seemed necessary to put forward Eddie’s own take on Locke that he offered in our correspondences:

“Scholars of Locke’s philosophy will be familiar with the idea of mixing labour with materials as a fore-running notion of possessive individualism and basis for private property. Such ‘mixing’ is a persuasive description of a creative act. But the theory is more worthy of a social dimension.” As for the individual titles for each of the studies on the LP, each takes ideas and elements from music past. For example, MaxPlus makes a nod towards bebop pioneering drummer Max Roach who offered an earlier hit-hat study. Eddie utilises such examples, offering further creative insights which can then be woven back into the common wealth of sound. The final track, returning to the bowed cymbal method of the first, was recorded outdoors on a breezy green, and is pictured on the back cover of the sleeve. It was an attempt to capture the playing in its ‘metamusical’ relationship with the untempered sounds of the external environment.

Eddie has written about Metamusic in his book The First Concert (Copula, 2011): invoking childlike ‘protomusical’ behaviour, or the sense of music that a person might possess before the inevitable influences come to play any role in their productive, and appreciative, musical development.

Ross Lambert provided a few words along side his cover drawing entitled ‘The Metamusician’: “The eyes would symbolise for me things like searching, examining, closeness or friendship I think; engagement with the world. Decisions in making the image were completely intuitive, this is just me looking for the meaning, post-analysing, post rationalising.””

- Daniel Kordik & Edward Lucas, March 2019

Juan Ramos opens his debut album with The Problem With Ambiguity and Finding Space—speaking to a societal confusion, a fragmented sense of self, and a pull toward many (often unwelcoming) directions—this turmoil in which he’s spent considerable time, sees him invest grave efforts to express the inexpressible. Changing Hands is a time capsule of that dark period in his life, an overtly honest musical diary which puts his emotional coming-of-age on full display, hoping to reach kindred listeners. While his previous output for the ESP Institute used a certain level of complication to push limits on the dancefloor, this immersive work cuts deep in to a frayed psyche, dismantling our preconceptions of Juan and plunging listeners deep into a stew of jarring textures, incomplete phrases, and circus-like abstractions of pop culture. There is a nonchalant and unhurried experimentation that accumulates over the album’s first half—disconnected and anxiety-riddled personality traits constitute various musical roles, sporadically converging in fleeting moments of optimism although never fully climbing out from the abyss—and yet amidst this chaos there is a watershed moment in which the artist successfully gleans a golden morsel of hope from his emotional junkyard, guiding us across the threshold into the album’s second half while diligently protecting the glow of this rock bottom treasure. Juan begins to reveal his inner b-boy—a distorted view on golden-age Hip Hop roots, an affinity for muddy break-beats, sultry loops and metaphoric interludes—the crown prince of a newly-found safe space. It’s as if he had us searching on all fours for a misplaced joint, but now that it’s finally lit, he assures us that everything’s going to be alright.

Two outstanding performers, Carlos Santana and Alice Coltrane, collaborated to record their fantastic trip through time called Illuminations. Santana’s interest in the Indian culture and different musical styles led him to the musician Alice Coltrane. They shared their vision of expressing their spirituality through music. Illuminations is the wonderful outcoming of the work they recorded together. Guitar, harp and saxophone forming the strong basis on which this album is founded. “Angel Of Sunlight “is the album’s centrepiece, showcasing the outer limits of their musical ideas. It was Santana’s ultimate trip into the jazz, as he stepped back into the commercial music only a few years later. The package includes an insert.

Yeketelale is the third album from Franco-Ethiopian group uKanDanz, combining a heady brew of rock energy, saxophone zigzags and Ethiopian melodies, all fronted by veteran singer Asnake Gebreyes grooving harder than ever.

In Ethiopia, sons follow fathers and, together, their names tell a story. Some discographies are the same way. After Yechelal (''It's Possible''), Awo (''Yes!''),here's Yeketelale (''It Continues''), the third album from Ukandanz.
The adventure that links Damien Cluzel (guitars) and Lionel Martin (tenor sax), the two founders of the group, with the Ethiopian singer Asnake Guebreyes continues and, with this album, takes on new colors and a new dimension. It is a polished synthesis that keeps the rock energy of their first recordings and gives even more space to the subtle vocal ornamentations that mark great Ethiopian singers. Add to that a groove that is more danceable than ever, carried by Adrien Spirti's synth bass and Yann Lemeunier's drums, and you have the magic formula of Yeketelale.

This came about slowly over the course of a dialogue that began in the early 2000s when Damien Cluzel, arriving with a circus in Ethiopia, met up with the occupant of the next room in their hotel. A stroke of luck: this was Francis Falceto, high priest of the Ethiopiques collection (Buda, 30 volumes to date) which had introduced to the West the treasures of swinging Addis, the capital that vibrates to the sound of big brass orchestras. With him, he dives into the capital's nightlife and meets a galaxy of musicians. The singer Asnake Guebreyes is among them.

Recruited by the famous Police Orchestra at the tender age of 16, he already had all the power, energy and class of his role model, Tlahoun Guessessé ''the Ethiopian James Brown''. He began his solo career at the beginning of the 1990s with several major successes, most famously an explosive duo with the singer Fekker Addis.

This experience made a big impact on the French guitarist. Having learned how to blend in with a uniquely Ethiopian groove, he was now ready to take it to other places and in other directions. In his old friend Lionel Martin, he found an ideal partner to engage in such experiences. But they needed a singer. The idea of Asnake Guebreyes was mentioned. Then Francis Falceto called and suggested going to see him at the Addis Music Festival. Ukandanz, a rock version of Ethiopian groove, was born.

Some pieces, like the disturbing Yene Hassab, call to mind Herbie Hancock's experiments in the seventies, as well as the Juju guitars of the Gulf of Guinea. Others, like the dark Fetsum Deng Ledj Nesh, allow Asnake's voice to soar above the synthetic waves, like a siren song for a freighter in distress. Dance and trance are not left out, with inspiration from the inexhaustible Ethiopian traditional repertoire. In a nod towards Asnaké's first album (Ahadu, also reissued by Buda) Ukandanz returns to its track Ajiré, transfigured by the guitar, claps and synthetic bass and takes us back to the glory days of breakdancing. Listening to the two versions gives the key to understanding the unique touch of Ukandanz and of the rich musical colours of Yeketelale (''It Goes On''), a fusion musical journey that brings the electric spark of the Frendj (Westerners) to Ethiopian lyricism.

On ‘Ways Of Seeing’ Konx-om-Pax has switched up the mood and hit gold. He has made an album that is filled with joy and sunshine, saturated with the classic feel of Berlin Techno.

Tom Scholefield has moved on from the dark ambient and brittle rave of the first two Konx-om-Pax albums, which were a reflection of his hometown Glasgow's electronic music scenes. After a recent move to Berlin, the textures of Glasgow's musical strains have fused into an accessible and friendly mix of poppy melodic electronica built from a stricter 'less is more' sound pallete, closer in spirit to the music of his adopted city. It is also a record which was made in opposition to recent music he has been hearing, in particular the troubled, dark and noisy experimental music coming out of Berlin. Tom wanted to focus on more joyful qualities, making this a record imbued with warmth and happiness, a panacea to the darkness and disorientation all around in 2019.

Having a social scene full of producers has also influenced the album. The opening track 'LA Melody' came from staying with Ross Birchard (Hudson Mohawke) at his house in LA, hanging out in the glorious sunshine with him and Lunice working on tracks.
"Initially Ross asked me to write some melodies to use in a project he was producing, but I ended up liking it so much I decided to keep the riff. I generally write music alone, but being around other producers gave me a certain excited energy that reminded me of after-parties back in Glasgow where Ross and myself spent our youth together. Spending time in Clark's studio also helped me improve my workflow and sequencing the album by seeing the way he does things". On 'Säule Acid' he collaborates with Silvia Kastel and in 'I’m For Real' the vocals of Glaswegian DJ/producer Nightwave filter around the track.

Music by Davide Luciani (guitar, organ, synth and electronics). Recorded and mixed in Berlin in between 2017-2018 by Davide Luciani. Mastered by Simon Scott at SPS Mastering. Illustration by Anna von Hausswolff.

Biography:

Davide Luciani is an Italian electronic music composer and media designer, based in Berlin since 2011. He has a background in the Italian noise-rock scene with projects dating back to 2005. "Calming Counts" is Luciani's first solo release.

His solo practice places acoustic instrumentation into analogue/digital synthesis to create works that bridge the territories of noise, drone rock and minimal music. His approach to electroacoustic music – which he voices with guitar, piano, strings, accordion, synthesisers, VST sorcery and loopers – has a distinct harmonic hue, with layered repetitive patterns and instrumental polyphonies.

As sound and visual designer he has directed and curated a wide variety of projects from soundtracks to space design. His collaborations have been hosted at highly regarded institutions and venues such as Venice Biennial, Berlin Atonal, Ström Festival, Bayreuth Festspiele, Museum Omero, Tresor and MUSMA.

Luciani was a member of the label/platform Dromoscope and has collaborated as visual artist with Grün (Daniele de Santis) and Claudio Rocchetti. In 2014, together with sound artist Fabio Perletta, he co-founded Mote, a multidisciplinary design studio whose practice addresses arts and music.

A year on from the highly-acclaimed album 'It's A World Before You', Kaidi Tatham brings more new music to First Word Records - a continuation of his previous EP's for the label (2017's 'Changing Times' & 'Hard Times'), here we enter 'Serious Times'.

Kaidi Tatham is one of the most revered multi-instrumentalists in the game. Dubbed by Radio 1's Benji B last year as "the UK's Herbie Hancock", his versatility as a musician is actually more akin to Prince in the sense that he can play most instruments, and play them well. His contributions as a musician, composer & producer have included work with Bugz In The Attic, Amy Winehouse, Slum Village, Mulatu Astatke, Soul II Soul, Moonchild, Leroy Burgess, Amp Fiddler and loads more over the years, additionally to being a key player on Jazzy Jeff's PLAYlist album 'Chasing Goosebumps' along with Masego, Stro Elliot, 14KT, Tall Black Guy, Rich Medina and the like, and various projects alongside Dego (2000 Black) and First Word label-mates Eric Lau, Darkhouse Family & Children of Zeus.

'Serious Times' is another 4-track set comprised of Kaidi's unmistakable style, encompassing broken beat, jazz, boogie and hip hop. The EP starts off with the hype jazz-funk bruk of 'Cost of Living', maintaining the tempo into 'Don't Cry Now' which leads with a sweet latin-tinged piano riff. Onto the flipside, and we're treated to the slinky synth-boogie of 'Sugar' before dropping the tempo down & closing the selection with a warped but jazzy instrumental boom bap piece entitled 'Zallom'.

Kaidi is a national treasure quite frankly, and this EP is another mere taster of this man's endless talents and unique vibes. Some grown folk music, perfect for these 'Serious Times'…

Vinyl & digital released on Friday 19th July 2019 on First Word Records (Worldwide Awards 'Label of the Year 2019').

Direct and simple: Christian S embarks to Permanent Vacation and brings five house-not-house tunes.
The bitter gloomy title track “Tannin” vibrates with a dry bassline over which an acid-flavored synth-line
arguments with higher hi-hat spirits. Matias Aguayo added his very special ability for creating haunting
chords and drums to the tune “Dancer” and transformed it together with Christian S into a nervous
house sensation. In contrast, Cologne DJ and producer Korkut Elbay also did some twists on
“Dancer”. His edit concentrates more detailed on the witchy chord construction. With Columbian
producer Sano Christian S puts his love for percussive spheres on the table and created a tune that is
made for magic floor moments, when all dancers melt into to one entity. Finally, the enchanted solo
track “Passant” wafts gently while a nervous melody haunts the listener. It rounds up a free spirited,
percussive, edgy yet catchy EP that is made for all circumstances of the night.

Robin Ball's Memory Box builds on the success of early releases with a big new outing that features two of his own tracks and one from the legendary Luke Vibert. Memory Box is a party that has hosted Derrick Carer, Trevino and A Guy Called Gerald among others, and is a place to hear proper acid house. Ball himself is a master of the genre and most often released on his own Groovepressure label, having been making music since his teens. Now his latest labour of love is once again reaffirming his status as a vital voice in the UK scene. Luke Vibert has a rich history that makes him a key part of the UK's dance counterculture over the last 30 years. His always animated music is wild and inventive and comes on greats like Mo Wax, Warp and Planet Mu. Here he offers 'X to C', a wild melange of warped synth tones, grizzled basslines & acid flashes. It will twist and turn the dance floor inside out. Robin Ball's excellent 'Gripper' is a corrugated bit of electric house music that never sits still. Pensive pads in the background are offset by a busy lead synth line and old school stabs that make it a perfectly timeless, energetic fusion of moods and grooves. Lastly, Ball serves up 'The Edge,' a brilliantly brash cut with stepping acid sequences, raw drum work and warped bass that distills decades of UK music into one essential track. These are three devastating club cuts that expertly draw on the past, present and future of acid.

Official repress of Love & Regret, the long out-of-print 2012 debut album from LA-based post punk outfit Cold Showers.

Cold Showers, a unit formed in Los Angeles, CA in 2010, fuses the brash power of their shoegaze predecessors with the smoky compulsions of accessible synth pop standards. Cold Showers fits comfortably within the dusty catalog of Factory Records, if only for their modern interpretation of the romantic isolation that signified that long past era. Piston-precision rhythms and angular guitar patterns that drive along songs such as “Alight” and “BC” sit comfortably alongside the opposing raucous-tinged tracks such as “I Don’t Mind” and “Seminary”. This is the pervasive pop mode against which Cold Showers cast themselves. Versatile, memorable and romantically wistful are all common themes that listeners relate to when diving into Love & Regret.

Looking back on the past seven years and the album’s ultimate impact, Love and Regret created and solidified the band’s stark identity in a single, well crafted release. While their early singles on Art Fag & Mexican Summer introduced listeners to Cold Showers simply as a band, Love & Regret debuted the group as something to be taken more seriously. Songs that are intended to be personally unpacked with the listener’s pleasure and heartbreak as personal reminders of more innocent times.

Following on from the deranged machine mulch of the Cru Servers we proudly announce the second record on the label to emerge from our native south side of Glasgow. Lo Kindre is the solo project of Irish/Luxembourgish bedroom producer, amateur footballer and award-winning bartender Daniel Magee. Crawling out from the undergrowth at the speed of a snail with dreadlocks this six track EP builds upon his previous venture for Optimo Music and manages to enchant in many of the same ways. Chlorophytum ticks all of the right boxes, sitting somewhere between a budding sci-fi homage, drum machine escapism and a fascination with the motorik styles of West Germany and the wider On-U continuum. Lo Kindre's sound has recently developed by way of countless hours spent twiddling with delay units alongside vintage Italian football commentary and murky casks of Tennents, and has culminated here in the following six tracks. The seventh 12th Isle now ecstatically morphs from our galaxy into yours.

Coal’s self-titled debut is a crushing rejection of the hive-mind colony of your scene, your values and your reality, not an escape, not a distraction, but a true-vision of the world in all its grotesque, hate-filled glory. Listeners will step away from this record as from a Coal show, cleansed, purged and altered.

After initial flirtations with the project being a ‘live electronic act’ proved unsatisfying, Anthony Arcana & Oliver Kohlenberg chose to morph the project into something unbound: hoarse-barked, one-line lyrics, mutant chainsaw guitar feedback and drums that sound like a nightmare, Kronenberg trash-compactor collide to form their own world. Coal’s sound is a blurred vision of influences, fusing elements of post-metal, hip-hop, black-metal, American hardcore, sludge, doom, jungle and trap into something that feels cathartic, potent, whole and unique.

Craig Leon revisits the extraterrestrial origins of civilization on Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 2: The Canon, a continuing chronicle of his early 80s albums Nommos and Visiting. Exploring the cosmic lore of Leon’s earlier work, The Canon expands upon the conceptual cycle based on the alien and mathematical relationships that backbone the creation of art, architecture, science, and music.

In 1981, producer and composer Craig Leon, known in the downtown New York zeitgeist for his production on The Ramones and Suicide’s debut albums, released Nommos, a minimal, primitive electronic exploration based on a speculative, wildly imaginative anthropology.

After viewing an exhibition of Dogon art at the Brooklyn Museum in 1973, Leon remained fascinated by the Mali tribe’s creation myth that the Earth was visited in ancient times by the Nommos, a semi-amphibious alien race who travelled from the white dwarf Sirius B to impart their wisdom to mankind.

Nommos, curiously released on John Fahey’s Takoma Records, manifested Leon’s obsession and investigation: an abstract, ascendent collection of music that could have soundtracked the interstellar visitors’ journey to Earth. Shimmering, mechanical, and anchored by an entrancing pulse of the Dogon’s ceremonial music, Nommos and its sequel, the privately pressed 1982 album Visiting, careened into obscurity.

In the intervening years, while Leon pursued his career as a successful producer, cult interest in the albums grew, culminating in the Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1., the 2014 archival collection which presented Nommos and Visiting as they were intended to be heard, two sides of the same coin.

The Canon picks up where Nommos and Visiting left off, tracing the path of ancient wisdom imparted by the Dogon’s alien visitors spreading from Mali into Egypt and across the water to Greece as imagined in William Stirling’s ""The Canon,"" an anonymous exposition of cosmic law published in a nearly invisible print edition in 1897.

Though the music – propulsive and spacious – is clearly of a part with Nommos and Visiting, the alien sounds of the Nommos become more familiar to western ears and musical vocabulary as the album narrative thrusts forward. The Canon implies – through ecstatic, contemporary sound and synthesis – that the origins of Western thought, and civilization itself, lie in the great beyond.

Nearly four decades since their first collaboration on Nommos and Visiting, Leon is once again joined by his partner Cassell Webb on vocals and album production. Leon composed, and both he and Cassell performed, and produced all of the music of The Canon, consciously engaging many of the same synthesizers and programs of Anthology of Interplanetary Folk Music Vol. 1 for Vol. 2.

Second release by Onrijn Records with cosmonaut heroes Staatseinde. Who treats us with their dystopian electro and synthwave drenched into dark distorted sounds.

Climb aboard their spaceship while “Ruimte Issues” starts with the countdown. Travel through all kinds of different space/time dimensions with “Panspermia” Finally you’ll land your spaceship in “The City”, a perfect track for all kind of humanoids in an intergalactic night club, ready to riot!

Turn the record over and our interstellar adventure continues with a classic fast electro track “Gut Gemacht” with a modern 2019 HAL’s offspring vocoder. “Blaue Augen” will give you that haunting artificial intelligence EBM / Wave vibe. The last track on the record “Glauben” is the perfect conclusion of this futuristic space adventure called DREIHEIT.

“Prove Your Love” by Misunami & First Touch returns to the Neon Finger catalogue in a brand new 12″, including the original versions (vocal and instrumental) plus two new mixes by the enormous Nick Wisdom (1/2 Potatohead People) and the huge Bamboozle aka Eli Soul Clap. After the big success of the track years ago, being played by some of the biggest selectors in the world… This future classic boogie disco track is available again with two new astonishing remixes that will burst into flames any dancefloor. Don’t miss it!

The Voice of Love is the second album by American singer Julee Cruise, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks, Lost Highway) and film director David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive). It’s the voice of love we hear all over the record, even when the lyrics getting darker and darker. The lyrics are written by David Lynch, while Angelo Badalamenti is the musical creator. The pulsing drums are a little more upfront compared to her earlier work. Julee’s voice is amazing and she has no problem with creating different moods on the album. It’s a beautiful follow-up of her first record Floating Into the Night.

Sheffield’s Tommy Vicari Jnr delivers a study in contrasts for his first release on Drone. ‘Kept In’ is a concordant, synthetic techno pop excursion that bursts into your head like a thought and ricochets throughout. The static and reverb harnessed by Vicari to create ‘Closing In’ is a dub/techno assault, and inverse to the propulsive and glitchy rhythm of the A side.

Producers at the heart of the broken beat revival, EVM128 and James Rudie met through the CDR project, and soon after started to mess about collaborating with Gonzi. After coining the concept of INPUT, they found a home via Tony Thorpe at Studio Rockers and the seed was sewn. The concept is simple, make a beat, pass it on, and let someone else add to it. Its about letting go of self and letting the music go somewhere it wouldn't have gone otherwise. It was a labour of love until each track felt right. Talented musicians, producers, singers and rappers came on board to fulfill the brief, and the end product is a modern day broken masterpiece. It's about collaboration, whether in the mixing and arrangement, performance, keys, percussion, synth, bass, - everything was a joint effort.

INPUT is released on Studio Rockers on 19th July 2019 as a double vinyl release.

A LITTLE ON THE ARTISTS INVOLVED :

Written by curator EVM128, James Rudie and Gonzi are both killer producers who met me at CDR and also became part of Co-Op presents Selectors Assemble with IG Culture and Alex Phountzi. You can hear them both on Naughty Groove and Gonzi on Gut Level.

ISHFAQ is an elusive producer that has been making beats for time but is still under the radar. He's a force to be reckoned with. Watch him cos he's dangerous! Hear him all over Naughty Groove on Keys and on Complete Me ft Natalie May. He just knows where to fit into a tune... He has an acute ear!

TurboJazz met me after Djing together in Milan and working together on remix jobs, where I remixed Turbo's 'Please You' ft David Blank on Local talk Records. In return Turbojazz remixed the EVM Beyond ft Uk Soul legend, OMAR. It was only natural to get them involved with this project.

iLL Smith aka MR K is a heavyweight producer making serious waves in the new Dubstep 140 low end scene. He gave me a couple tracks that were broken beat he had been sitting on and said "You should do something with these". One of which is GOLD which I only really added a Clap to and worked the arrangement and first mix down. I called on Daz I Kue for a rapper I'd heard on one of his tracks which had the right energy. Daz hooked me up with Nesha Nycee, a fierce rapper from Atlanta Georgia. She smashed it straight away and the tune just worked. This was probably the easiest out of all of them!

Nesha Nycee is a REAL rapper.

Shy One is a friend of mine and has worked with me on music a few times in the past. I always love when she sends me a beat, she has that lo fi dirty grime kind of approach, then I add my style to it and it just seemed to bode well. We worked together on Mother Nature on the Nova LP and this track for INPUT (One Design) which we were sitting on for a while. Tony got Steve Edwards (All Seeing I, Sheffield) on the vocals. This was an unexpected turn on this track that we couldn't have imagined, but it worked! This track is the epitome of INPUT in that, it went somewhere completely different!

Steve Edwards is a singer songwriter from Sheffield who works on projects with All seeing I. He has a great energy and the lyrics made me cry! Really amazing heartfelt lyrics that speak of now and has a positive uplifting vibe to it that we can all relate to. It will stick in your head for ages believe me.

Natalie May met me through soundcloud. She's been releasing UK Funky tracks for a while and worked with Rudimental. She reached out to me after hearing the Nova LP and the stuff on CoOp presents. She went to the studio with me after already writing to some instrumentals. Very professional and on point in the studio. Her voice is sweet and the perfect juxtaposition to the rough bass and drums on 'Complete Me' and when ISHFAQ got his hands on it, well... Nuf said really !

Daiva from the Lithuanian band KeyMono has worked with me for a good few years. We met in Lithuania when I was teaching music production to young people through MTV, I met their manager Istvan. She was on my Naked Truth EP and the Nova LP. I Love working with Daiva she's great! Her voice is amazing as is her professionalism. She sounds somewhere between Erykah Badu, Little Dragon and Fatima. She's always my go to for any collaboration! Hear her on 'The Edge'. The lyrics were written by Kermit (Black Grape / Ruthless Rap Assassins).

Renato Paris.. wow ! I mean what!!? We sent the backing track and two days later he sent back the vocal and we fell over! He has a voice that echo's Stevie Wonder and Omar! Really professional work ethic too. Still cant get over how good he is. This guy can REALLY sing and play keys. Watch out for more from me and Renato... Bruk meets RnB / Jazz.

We have created something special and unique where you can hear each persons input in the

tracks. We love it and hope you will too.

Straight out of one of the UK’s most innovative bass music hotspots, Bristol, two of the scenes fastest rising stars Glume and Phossa join the Subaltern roster with their massive debut split EP.
A - Glume & Phossa - IMHK A collaborative effort from the two talented producers, the EP opener IMHK packs double the punch as well as showing a lot of love for the details. Setting the eerie vibe of the release straight off the bat, IMHK is a surprisingly refreshing track that will light up any dance. Waterfalls of melodies meet hard bass hits, all surrounded by a masterfully-composed, rich-in-details and continuously-evolving drum beat. Get ready to walk into a medieval world of wizards, spells, castles and dragons - Glume and Phossa will be your guides.
B1 - Glume - Shriek Time to enter the dungeon and follow our loyal conductors deep underground. Relentless is the term that comes to mind when indulging in this stone cold, yet somewhat uplifting banger. Glume’s solo piece on the EP delivers pulsating bass waves accentuated by tonal percussion lines, embedded into a horror-movie-like atmosphere.
B2 - Phossa - Deathly Stare It’s Phossa’s time to tell the tale on the third track of the vinyl, showcasing some of his signature style synth lines embedded in an ever-creeping atmosphere. Heavy standing bass walls accompany the trippy cascade of sound, ever enchanting and luring the listener deeper into the maze. Will we find our way out?

The tail end of 2018 saw the release of Oberman Knocks’ third album on aperture records, Trilate Shift, which was included in The Moderns Vol.2  written by Kevin Press (a book dedicated to the world’s great, currently active, avant-garde artists).

2019 sees the release of Remhex Coyles EP – neither companion piece, nor follow-up to Trilate Shift, but a standalone set of tracks with a different collective energy to them. Knocks steps out from the experimental room and heads towards a different kind of space, one that's less claustrophobic and subterranean – a place that’s more structured and in places more melodic than his usual output, but one where he still brings his own distinctive sound.

Before heading into the sound production for a new film, his first theatre piece and next album, this five track EP shows an electronic musician in total control of every last detail. The surprising shift of focus in these tracks displays an alternative approach to his output whilst retaining the usual attention to sampling and manipulating sounds, combining them with a more regimented logic and groove than is usually apparent.
These undeniably enjoyable tracks show a desire to have a more playful immediacy, with a different sound palette and a drive to forge Oberman Knocks’ sounds into something that would be as likely to be played out as listened to at home.

Canadian quartet BADBADNOTGOOD take on creating the ultimate late night' selection of tracks from their record collections, set for release on 28th July 2017. The original trio of Matthew Tavares, Alex Sowinski and Chester Hansen formed while studying music at Toronto's Humber College (they've recently added Leland Whitty to the line-up). A shared appreciation of hip hop and instrumental covers of Gucci Mane and Earl Sweatshirt suggested a worldly outlook and reciprocated love from Tyler The Creator and Ghostface Killah, which whom they made 2015's Sour Soul.

This is an international effort: Velly Joonas' Estonian version of 'Feel Like Makin' Love', Kiki Gyan, Admas and Francis Bebey representing Africa (Ghana, Ethiopia and Cameroon respectively), Les Prospection from France, Scots' Boards Of Canada and fellow Canucks River Tiber and Charlotte Day Wilson.

Finally, there's the no-small-matter of the Late Night Tales cover version, in which BADBADNOTGOOD take on Andy Shauf's 'To You' is turned into a mournful delight. while the Queen Of Siam herself, Lydia Lunch, delivers a sexual sermon involving only you, her and Jim Beam.

We were really excited to have the chance to put together a Late Night Tales compilation, it's a great organisation. We decided to use it as a vehicle to show everyone all the amazing music we have gotten to experience by touring and meeting new people. Every track on this comp was either shown to us by an incredible person or made by one of our friends. We also included a little cover of a song by one of our favourite current musicians, Andy Shauf.

These artists, as well as many, many others, have infuenced us to create and kept our deep love of music alive. This mix will keep you company on a quiet night by yourself or with friends. You can check it out on the plane, the bus, a long walk, or any situation where you want a soundtrack for reflection and meditation.' - BADBADNOTGOOD May 2017

Adele Sebastian was an Afro American jazz flutist and singer, active from the early 70s (when she was still a teenager) until her untimely death at the age of 27 (!) in 1983 from a kidney failure. In fact she had been depending on monthly dialysis to stay alive for years. She lived through and for the music and you can hear it on her only solo album 'Desert Fairy Princess' which was first issued in 1981. The mostly acoustic instrumentation brings a very natural and therefore rather retrospective sound considering the year the album was recorded. Adele and her band pull it off right from the start as if it had been 1966 and it was time for a revolution to shake the dust from the old time jazz. In a perfect way she mixes classic American vocal jazz elements with playful and more free passages, Latin music and tribal African sounds in the lengthy and quite rhythm oriented 'Man From Tanganyika' and makes the title track start with a mystical 'Allahu akbar' chant while it turns more and more into a dark and gloomy song with something like a psychedelic edge reminiscent of Pharoah Sanders on his early works. Wild rhythms from drums, percussions with tons of bells and chimes weave a thick groove carpet and conjure a magical atmosphere. Those jazz aficionados who love the mid 60s John Coltrane, his sidekick Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane will go crazy for this album.

Mysterious Sydney songstress Justine recorded one album in ’79, which was never officially released. Left Ear have chosen two tracks for a 45 RPM 12” single, which they feel best highlights Justine’s unique vocal talents and songwriting ability. Here the crafty songstress wields melancholic soul and a funky Jazz inspired number with personal and reflective lyrics, both with an intimate and honest approach.

Elusive Sydney songstress Justine (Bradley) almost entirely wrote, produced and arranged her sole LP in ’79, an album that was funded by a radio station as the beneficiary for emerging talent. The music was created specifically for radio play without any intention of being manufactured. Luckily however, a friend with ties to a pressing plant known aptly as ‘Midnite Flite’, managed to sneak into said plant one evening and press up a small number for the enjoyment of family, friends & those involved.
Left Ear have decided to release what they consider to be the two most significant tracks from this release onto a 12” single, now for the enjoyment of all. The A-Side will feature the haunting ‘Wordless Songs’, a melancholic soulful number which according to Justine explores the “capacity to comprehend a partner’s internal quest for authenticity and connection”. The B-side ‘Mama Didn’t Tell Ya’ is more uplifting in both tempo and arrangements comprising an extended outro, while the lyrics remain just as personal and reflective.

After making music individually for a couple of decades, Peraud and Ferguson decided to collaborate for the first time, joined together by an instinctive desire to blur the boundaries between improvisation and composition.

FZR Sethi is a visual artist, musician and composer who works in several mediums under the expression of draw/paint/volume/sound. His work, either canvas or sculpture, hinges on the fundamental principles of his art, as evidenced in his use of the geometric form.

Ferguson created his alias Rubbish T.C (Rubbish Techno Consortium) in 2015, producing slow and heavy techno made with martial patterns of movement. A producer for 15 years, Rubbish T.C. has been prominent in the free party scene for years.

Moving away from a dance-inflicted mode, Sâd Hu achieves more of a balance with skill and craft. A dense, textural approach hints at something more expansive and insidious. Diversity and richness unexpectedly coalesce into an eerie, percussive scapefest over sonorous layers of droning bass tones and raw power.

SN Variations is pleased to announce its 5th release.Adrian Corker returns after a break living in Warsaw with two tracks composed for Lock Grooves recorded onto acetate,percussion by Sam Wilson(Riot Ensemble/Actress) and violin performed by Aisha Orazbayeva.The tracks also feature the piano of Mark Knoop and the voice of Josephine Stephenson.

A lock groove is one cycle of one groove on a record.This is 1.8 sec cut at 33RPM and 1.33 cut at 45RPM.Having used lock grooves on film scores for British film Waiting for You and The Have Nots directed by Florian Hoffmeister, Corker wanted to explore their potential further in a standalone more percussive release. He used the cutting lathe currently residing in the living room of The Exchange mastering legend Graeme Durham to experiment with different sounds cut onto acetate and then recorded over different durations back into a computer. These are combined forming frames for performances of violin, percussion and piano.

The record will be released on a vinyl pressing of 250 copies and download on July 5th

Archie Hamilton’s Moscow Records invites Mennie for his first solo release of 2019, featuring two spacey cuts in the form of ‘Proxima’.

Joining Moscow Records following releases on Poker Flat, Infuse and Rawax, Mennie is a regular DJ at Florence’s Tenax Club when not performing across Europe including appearances in the UK, France, Germany and Spain. Alongside Julien Sandre, the Italian producer is also one half of Jarau and together they’ve released on labels like One Records, Visionquest and Pleasure Zone.

Kicking things off, ‘Proxima’ injects acid squelches into an atmospheric background which builds to include a wonky bassline laced with echoing distorted vocals. Flip over and ‘Do That’ utilizes a similar otherworldly aesthetic, with metallic effects, electronic bleeps and rattling drum patterns, all guided by a funk infused bass.

Godtet is the brainchild of Australian Instrumentalist and producer Godriguez. Praised for his production on 'The Great Mixtape' for Sampa the Great. Godtet see's Godriguez stepping back into the live format of production with his band plus Simon Mavin (Hiatus Kaiyote) & Zeke Ruckman (30/70).

After releasing the self-titled debut in late 2017 Godtet have quickly become a staple within the emerging Australian Jazz & Instrumental scene with adulation streaming in from all parts of the globe. House Shoes called it his" album of the year" whilst Gilles Peterson made an exception in his Melbourne focused WorldWide FM show playing the Sydney outfits music. Whilst in Melbourne playing shows launching the first album, Godtet decided to record the next album "II", the bulk of which was laid down over one day and was rooted deeply in improvisation, just like the first record.

"It's a masterful piece of production" - Supreme Standards

"They are crazy, insane musicianship" - Jordan Rakei

Airplay on BBC6 and World Wide FM.

Karen Gwyer returns to Don't Be Afraid with her first new work since 2017's Rembo LP, which gained critical acclaim for its powerful body music and melancholic melody led pieces. Man On Mountain EP is a further evolvement of the duality and nuances in moods and emotions that make Gwyer's music so impactful. Resetting, rebuilding and subverting atmospheres and rhythms is a constant in her music and Gwyer builds on that more in this latest instalment.

The low swung weight of opener Faces On Ankles' bassline is full of suspense, alternating between rolling fluidity and unpredictable kick patterns, while a dubby melody dances alongside glossy, introspective arpeggios. The EP then weaves suddenly into cosmic drone that snarls with tension and desolation on Ian On Fire. You can sense contrasts between these two musical spaces – luscious, bouncing techno that nods directly to Gwyer's Midwest upbringing (Faces on Ankles, Cherries On Shoulders) and darker drone experiments where light peeks through the composition that adds balance to the mood, (Ian On Fire, Ribbon on Neck). Gwyer's music takes a different path with each record while holding onto elements of previous incarnations of her sound and Man On Mountain adds new dimensions to the bold and open minded spirit she embodies.

San Francisco’s Honey Soundsystem Records returns with a new single this July, inaugurating a new collaborative guise from Juan Maclean and Kevin McHugh (aka La-4a / Ambivalent) entitled Longlost.

It is rare the combination of simple and catchy happen in dance music, but ‘Take 8’ is just that. A song so heartfelt and recognizable it demanded its own slab of wax, a true single! This expertly mixed and crafted house cut romances listeners into a catchy live piano ditty that seemingly could pleasurably repeat for days.

Inspired by the tracks lead melody, the label set up NYC classical Pianist and friend of Honey Soundsystem crew Kevin Devine on a blind date with the producers a new version. Kevin whipped up a compositional response to the original and he was recorded live on a Grand in La-4a’s studio. Finally, to make it a family affair, Taraval, known for his work of Four Tet’s TEXT, teams up with label co-founder Jackie House for a kraut-no take on the original, fusing vacillating resonant bleeps and robust drums with glimpses of the original’s ethereal sounds.

Exactly a year on from 'Travel Light', we release the final single from Children of Zeus' debut album. A dinked 7" single, containing one of the stand-out tracks from the album, 'Hard Work', and a re-vocalled Lover's Rock version of 'The Heart Beat' (a demo version of which appeared on 'The Winter Tape' from Christmas 2018).

'Hard Work' is a term than can easily summarise the past twelve months in the life of Tyler Daley and Konny Kon. They've been busily touring Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe and the UK twice in that time, as well as rocking shows at countless festivals across the continent.

'Travel Light' was named "Album of the Year" by Complex Magazine, BBC 6 Music's Huey Morgan and Rinse FM's Jyoty, as well as taking 2nd place at the Worldwide Awards (for which their label First Word was named "Label of the Year") and numerous high-placing's from Fact, Mixmag, The Vinyl Factory, Juno, Bandcamp, Mi-Soul, Wordplay & Piccadilly Records, amongst numerous other notable selectors, blogs, tastemakers and musicians, with fans far & wide from Radio 1's Benji B to Chase & Status, Jazzy Jeff to Lily Allen, Stormzy to Goldie.

The depth of styles & genres included on 'Travel Light' confirmed that Tyler & Konny are not easy to put in a box. Their initial inspirations of Manchester pirate radio in the 80's/90's all make up to form the sonic tapestry of hip hop, soul, r&b, broken beat, jungle and, in this instance, reggae.

One of the album's biggest surprises was this now-anthemic track, 'Hard Work', which sees Tyler Daley effortlessly ride a one-drop riddim drenched in positivity, and is a highlight in their live sets, as anyone who's witnessed will testament to. Meanwhile, the flip-side transforms the quiet storm vibe of 'The Heart Beat' into a heavy, heavy dubwise track, creating an essential accompaniment and fitting sequel to the original lick.

Pressed on a limited edition rustic JA-style dinked 7", this one is, of course, essential for any discerning collector, fan and DJ. Released on First Word Records, July 12th 2019.

History of Heat is an eroto-intellectual retelling of a love story. It is the scholarship of heat, and the sources of its production in the body: desire, exaltation, anticipation, fear, rage and mourning . It is a fable circulating through the nerves, pumped and distributed by its own mythologies. Through different chapters, we follow the heroine of our story from the initial desire to love, the sensual pull which oscillates between the grotesque and sacred longing of the flesh (‘L’Enfer en pleine lumière’ translates to ‘Hell in plain sight’)...to the sudden ghostlike appearance of the Other (Apparition) as a projection of the dream. We enter into the spiritual, the seeing visions and the blindness of love. ‘Animal’ speaks of instinct, the smell of the beloved, already the deconstruction of the divine back into the realm of the physical. The title track ‘History of heat’ sings the hesitation of love, the precipice of openness and the invitation of the contract: Dance with me... (This is where the metaphoric marriage is forged). In ‘Perfection’, the pressure which keeps the relationship on the pedestal of the absolute stunts and paralyses love. Unrealistic expectations of the self and the other person creates the push and pull of the not wanting what one wants and the fear to get what one has been asking for. ‘Tiny engine’ speaks of mechanical attachment, attachment to the lover as habit, as a second nature, and the call to the other person as a magnet. In ‘Ditectrice’, the madness and the folly of separation spawns war and confusion. It is the violent refusal to live without the other... the pleading with god. ‘Feed him’ follows with resignation and exhaustion. Love has become the beast of burden who eats away at itself insatiably. ‘War text’ brings forth the devastation, the peace treaty and finally the metaphysical Divorce. In ‘Guttermoon’, the vita contemplativa begins, the blood starts to cool, the scene is a ghost town. ‘Wrong god’ similarly winds down as an ode to remorse and mourning. Finally, ‘Cinema Verité’ closes out the album with a mistrust of ‘reality’: the heroine becomes a philosopher, she becomes an artist... did the relationship ever exist or was it a projection “In front of a movie screen” ?

History of Heat is an experimental narrative and cinematic pastiche of all original and self recorded material. A chaotic mix of sounds both analog and digitally produced recalls a warlike interpersonal breakdown. The mood established by the lyrical content of the piece is meant to be demanding, enclosing the listener within a unique and compelling cocoon of otherworldly sound. the Album is framed within a discursive love story which reflects larger relational problematics and interpersonal traumas. looped vocals act as incantations woven in and out of lyrical singing and spoken word. The instrumentals embrace chaos and intensity. Improvised violin and broken down beats compliment and balance the melancholic overtones which flutter above off the grid rhythms in this charged ficto-personal account.

Roman Poncet's 2018 debut LP stands an impressive work in its own right. Now Figure has invited a group of artists to contribute new takes on standout album cuts. Some clearly for the floor, some nestling on its verges. But all adding to the unique Gypsophila-vibe.
Antigone turns in dust shaking flurry of tribal drumming, ceaselessly pounding and rattling away for an exhilarating and at the same time grounding rhythmic experience.
Wiggling and squelching, Efdemin blends a bunch of lively elements into one wildly roaming remix, which despite all its inner momentum retains an orderly structure, testament to the artist's extraordinary production skills.
On the flipside, Margaret Dygas adventurously goes on a trip of finely tuned acoustics, patiently letting each sound grow into what becomes an enthralling piece of enchanted electronica. Evocative, emotional and of serene beauty, Echoplex closes the collection with an epic track, led by grand strings and flute-like synths, begging to be dropped at the break of dawn.

Mario Pierro aka Raiders of the Lost ARP (ROTLA) returns to Edizioni Mondo. “Trasmissioni” is his debut LP under this moniker, using fictitious TV show themes as an excuse to create his musically most eclectic record so far. Departing slightly from the Balearic and prog rock influences of the previous “Laguna” EP, in “Trasmissioni” ROTLA covers many territories: opening with the science-celebrating arpeggios of “Progressi della Scienza” (Italian for “advances in science”), to the funky, off-beat grooves of “Telemusic”, then taking a step into a disco during “Nightlife”, before programming his rocket towards eerie nordic drum machines and Hammond organs in “Esterno Neve” and “Effetto Notte”, and many planets more. A welcome edition to the ever expanding Edition Mondo universe and a record you can’t grow tired of. Eco-Friendly green artwork that shows how tiny we all are. Good listening!



The name MONDO has its roots in “MONDO MOVIES", an italian movie genre born in the 60’s. Mondo movies are characterized by documentary-like content that addresses several topics from around the world ("mondo"). The Mondo label has the goal to produce music that is descriptive of concepts, images and environments. Mondo is inspired by library music, a genre frequently used as theme or background music in radio, film and television in that very same period. Production music libraries typically offer a broad range of musical styles and genres describing everything ranging from deserts to war and sports. Library music composers and session performers had no constraint at all. They typically work anonymously, have rarely become known outside their professional circle and they have produced what probably is the most creative music catalogue ever. The Mondo productions start with four releases dedicated to seascapes; scenarios range from sea fauna to poaching, from natural parks to sea dunes.

Shimza, one of South-Africa’s shining talents, makes his return to Cadenza with ‘Eminence’, a burning compound of profound percussions and late-night rapturing synths. This Gauteng-born artist is one of the most celebrated African electronic musicians and has garnered the reputation of the “Effect Master” and “Vinyl Assassin” for his technical prowess and intricate mixing abilities. The vibrating drums and persistent arpeggios of ‘Eminence’ make for a captivating peak-time anthem, offering the nostalgic essence of Detroit’s late-nineties splendour. As the EP journeys to ‘Dancefloor Keeper’, the slick trance-inspired stabs and permeating bassline expose its ominous nature as it swells to a seismic drop. On the B-side, Shimza expresses his creative flare with ‘Kunye’; a hypnotic cut that blends the spirit of futuristic synthwave with the soul of African tribalism. ‘Warrant For Arrest’ is a charged number, driven by a snappy compressed kick drum and chiming sequences. As its percussive forces fall away to the second break, a monstrous siren and obscure vocal cuts take focus, guiding it to its summit. The penultimate offering ‘MSC’, is a euphoric gem that flows with expressive phrases and evolving synth pads. The EP’s digital-only bonus track ‘Mirrors’ shuffles effortlessly with a funk-tinged riff, maintaining a high voltage pace, closing the EP in an emphatic manner. Shimza has been on a mission to make 2019 his biggest year to date. Launching his One Man Show concept in Soweto in 2009 to help raise funds for underprivileged children, the project has now matured into an annual event that draws in over 25,000 people each year, hosting some of the country’s most in-demand artists, such as AKA, Black Coffee and Black Motion. The show has seen international editions in France, Spain and Portugal and has helped position Shimza as one o

Onward and upwards - the Belgian dubstep imprint Overdue maintains its super-heated release schedule with full force. With a meticulously curated artist roster and continued support by the likes of Mixmag and other vital institutions, this release yet again perfectly aligns with their vision of subculture sound system music. Spearheaded by a positively prolific artist, their fourth record features Teffa on the controls. Following up on some massive 12" releases on crucial labels such as White Peach Records and Foundation Audio, the up and coming artist furthers his status as a versatile and highly capable producer with three tracks of unadulterated sound system pressure - including a weighty collaboration with Chad Dubz.

Arming the record, "Shell It" heads straight into the matter at hand, precision engineered weaponry clocking in at 140 BPM. Drums like mountains, effortlessly heaving immense amounts of low-end, smoothly embedded on silky pad swells. Fusing old-school elements with the present like few others, the lively arrangement does the rest to keep the crowd aflame without end. Music with an attitude - rewinds assured.

Fasten your seatbelts as the record kicks into overdrive once again with "Sludge" as faint police sirens and reverberate into oblivion only for it to implode into an instant dubstep classic. Driven by its ridiculously effective and minimal instrumentation, the underground unravels itself in sonic form. Spacious pressure wave emissions, especially primed for the dance.

Stepping up to the title track, "Illegal" tops off the 12" most beautifully - packed with Grime and Breaks influences and mesmeric melodies. As unshackled 808's pound away alongside a murderous set of percussions, the electronic soundscape treads through hypnotic harmonies and dance-inducing groove - Teffa signature style at it's finest.

Exciting new electronic project E&D burst onto the scene in stunning style with the exhilarating ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Runaway’, released on FCR on 14th June and backed by remixes from acclaimed electronic producers Mall Grab and Ali Berger.

London based E&D have unleashed two scintillating vocal cuts which have UK clubbing culture at their very core, featuring classic Garage influences. The theme of heartbreak runs throughout both ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Runaway’ with an emphasis on harmony and melody which will be integral to the identity of the E&D project.

The deep and atmospheric ‘Not Enough’ presents a beautiful yet powerful female vocal whose tone and expression perfectly emphasises the message of lost love. E&D perfect balance this with contrasting shimmering and stabbing beats to produce a track that already has the hallmarks of a classic.

‘Runaway’ is an up-tempo, vintage-sounding UK Garage themed cut with poignant undertones, as the gorgeous female vocal again mourns a relationship which has moved on.

For the remixes, E&D have called upon two of electronic music’s most respected producers – Mall Grab and Ali Berger. Both offer a completely fresh perspective to the originals. With his remix of ‘Not Enough’ celebrated Australian Producer Mall Grab takes the original into deeper, tougher territory, stripping back and lowering the vocal and adding intense, almost tribal, percussion alongside vintage acid house beats.

FCR favourite Ali Berger also takes his working of ‘Runaway’ deep into the underground, emphasising the bass, cleverly layering the vocal and building to a peak-time floor-filler.

Having discovered electronic music at the end of the 90’s, Thomass grew up going to raves where trance was one of the main styles played at this massive partys. The influence it had on him was planted deeply into his DNA and this EP is the interpretation he has these days of the genre. He moved on to different pastures soon after but the style was already in him. Thomass now takes the old fashioned elements he still likes and takes them to new directions. Fueled by gated chords, dreamy arpeggios, trippy vocals and percussions this tracks are destined to take you back into the past and bring you right back to the present. Forget what you learned. Trance not trance.

No many words needed for this record except that we are more than pleased to welcome into our home an artist that we always admired a lot, who always knows how to surprise, and this time even more, with a record that shows another side of him that had not emerged too much until now. This is our next. This is Chris Moss Acid. Mastered by Alden Tyrell

LP comes with cotton tote bag featuring the album artwork and sticker.

Repress

Berlin's Monnom Black is back again with the King of The Sewers EP; four cuts of pulsating techno from two of electronic music's most uncompromising young figures, DAX J & UVB. Already well-known for its more fundamentally rugged take on modern electronics, the label's 19th release is another intense transmission deep from the underworld.

The menacing tone of the EP hides the friendship that's developed between these adopted Berliners, two young men who met in the city and discovered a shared passion for raw analogue audio and electronic sounds that marry starkness with depth. Although they began DJing at the same warehouses since 2014, the duo have waited until the right moment to bring together their mutual love of unique mechanised noisescapes and the high-end production values they ve developed over years of experience and experimentation. The King of The Sewers is that record, a gritty soundtrack inspired by forgotten lives beneath eastern-bloc cities.

For Monnom Black this latest release continues a run of unmistakable techno records that challenge the mainstream with a non-conformist philosophy. The label's ethos is to push boundary-testing music by artists who are unafraid to explore a chaotic, divided world in the belief that distinctive music can still create moments of grace and community. This is music for the deepest, darkest parts of the night, breaking beyond the dancefloor and into the liminal spaces where analogue and digital, body and mind meet. The King of The Sewers EP represents another step forward in the development of a record label pressing at the borders of what contemporary techno can be.

Enzo Elia – one who knows how to conceive Italo driven audible passion with the machines that surround him. His releases on cult labels Compost, Free Range and Black Pearls Records have long spoken to us here at KOMPAKT.

We welcome this summer heater which is “Gilli 88 EP”. A tribute to the 80s phenomenon…THE PANINARO. Without any ideological basis or connection to a particular lifestyle THE PANINARO was based around fashion imagery and luxurious clothing. Enzo found this translatable to today’s social network dynamics and is prime for the retrofuturistic dancefloors of today that are inspired by the golden days of Italo-Disco.

“Low Red” is a Italo-Pop gem conceived with Quique Aldebaran and Quique on vocals that takes inspiration from the legends that were – the mighty Suicide. An instrumental version dives deeper into the groove for DJ play persuasion. “Aj Squinza” takes a classic 80’s disco approach with sound-scaping synths that endlessly jam with an everchanging rhythm. “Volpinata” succumbs to a classic EBM groove that finds its way out of focus due to fat synth melodies that engorge this elevating track.

Club Soul are proud to present the first ever reissue of this cult album, now complete with the, previously unreleased, instrumental. It is presented on

180gm heavyweight audiophile vinyl in a single sleeve featuring a Club Soul insert with new sleeve notes.

Dancin’ joins a growing catalogue of premium music on the Club Soul imprint - including crossover hits compilation ‘Shades of Soul’, the ‘All-Dayer’ LP, and

newly compiled albums that celebrate the clubs of the original Northern Soul Scene - ‘The Scene Club’, ‘The Twisted Wheel’, ‘Wigan Casino Soul Club’,

‘Catacombs’ and the forthcoming ‘The Golden Torch’. To the pop buying public Van McCoy is known for his 1975 Grammy Award

chart-topper “The Hustle”, after which he sadly died of a heart attack in 1979 at the age of only 39. To rare soul fans Van McCoy is a hero: THE most prolific

writer and producer of Northern Soul of all time, working with a host of legendary artists including Kendra Spotswood (aka Sandi Sheldon) with whom he had

a five-year relationship. ‘Dancin’ ‘ was originally released by Shelby Singleton in 1976 on his SSS International label, although all the ten original songs were recorded much earlier,

circa 1968-69. With its kitsch cover and out-of-kilter track list, copies soon filtered through to the UK and into the hands of club DJ’s at Wigan Casino with

perhaps “Help Is On The Way” becoming the stand-out track. Richard Searling played the mid-tempo “Just Another Dress Rehearsal” in the latter days of

the club while an unreleased instrumental version of “Ain’t Got No Love” was played post-Wigan from a studio acetate.

This summer, Soundway Records will release a double vinyl compilation
from South African-raised, UK-based DJ and producer, Esa
Williams.Titled Esa Presents Amandla: Music To The People, the
compilation spans electronic music from around the globe, which feature
heavily in Esa's DJ sets and hold a special place in his record bag -
including exclusive versions and hard-to-find tracks from the last two
decades.Esa Presents Amandla will be preceded by a promotional teaser
12" out 31 May, featuring Penny Penny's 2001 impossibly rare Kwaito
House monster "Shilungu".A hypnotic, percussive, groove-driven
anthem, it features chanting in Tsonga, celebrating South African icon
Penny Penny's Shangaani roots.
On the flip is the acid-soaked "Shilungu (Esa & Mervin Granger '99 Mix)",
re-interpreting the track with key elements from the original which are
extended into a late night, Chicago House influenced chugger.Esa
Williams is an ambassador for the South African music scene within the
crowded landscape of the European nightlife - balancing a hectic DJ
schedule, a monthly radio show on Worldwide FM and various live
projects. He is currently in the midst of a long-term DJ residency at
Phonox London, where he embarks on a weekly musical expedition.

Part of the new wave of artists credited with stirring up the sound, including Kamasi Washington, Yussef Kamaal, Sons of Kemet and The Comet is Coming, Yazz Ahmed is thrilled by the possibilities of making something new. "I feel like I'm a part of modernising jazz and connecting it with audiences today" Yazz says, "it's exciting".

Her take on jazz weaves in Arabic melodies to evocative, cinematic effect.

'La Saboteuse' is a deep exploration of both her British and Bahraini roots. Ably assisted by musicians including Lewis Wright on vibraphone, MOBO-winning new jazz kingpin Shabaka Hutchings on bass clarinet and Naadia Sherriff on Fender Rhodes keyboard, it's composed of undulating rhythms, Middle Eastern melody and Yazz's sonorous trumpet lines. The record sounds like the passage of a desert caravan, bathed in moonlight. The theme of 'La Saboteuse' is the sense of self-doubt that Yazz feels when she is creating, personified in a female saboteur, an anti-muse that spurs her into action. "Giving 'her' a name has really helped me to identify those negative voices we all get," she says. "I know what it is and I know how to combat it"

Patience began as bedroom synth project for songwriter Roxanne Clifford after the break up of her acclaimed indie pop band Veronica Falls. Born out of a desire to experiment with a new sound and analogue synthesizers, the project has since grown to become an all-encompassing persona and serves as the main vehicle for the full emotional spectrum always latent in Clifford’s songwriting. From her first long-sold-out 7” singles on Night School, her knack for melodic hooks and oblique emotional stances already contained a glistening sheen of promise. ‘Dizzy Spells’ serves as an intimate portrait of Clifford’s creative adventure, almost diaristic, conceived and recorded in her home studio, as well as with collaborators Todd Edwards (Daft Punk/Uk Garage fame), Lewis Cook (Free Love/Happy Meals) and engineer Misha Hering (Virginia Wing). Dizzy Spells delivers a debut album that twists Clifford’s songwriting into new shapes and ecstasies. The album dances around melancholy, thrown to the floor like a bad dream to be circled, emerging bright-eyed into the early morning full of hope. The Girls Are Chewing Gum (produced by Todd Edwards) bursts open Dizzy Spells like fresh fruit: sweet and rich with a synth-bass line beamed down from Chicago House heaven. Exquisitely sung by Clifford, it’s a wonderful, funky, instant-classic hinting at sexuality and memories dredged from our bodies’ secrets. The bouncy production expertly renders the addictive power of our ephemeral pleasures. Living Things Don’t Last chases themes of longing and loss, opening up into a life affirming chorus that sings of transience, the passing of time and railing against inertia. It’s the perfect example of a song formula that Roxanne Clifford has almost patented: simple and cutting straight to the point. There are shades of Strawberry Switchblade or French synth pop pioneer Jacno in the happy/sad dichotomy and it is all the better for it. Dizzy Spells features all three long-sold out singles, embedded in the full depth of Patience’s soundworld they fit like pieces of a puzzle. White Of An Eye, The Church and The Pressure—all recorded in Clifford’s former home of Glasgow—crackle with razor sharp melodies and dancefloor-ready dynamics. There are exciting additions to Patience’s sonic palette, brought into sharp relief on Voices In The Sand. In this song, a plaintive Clifford enunciates a heart-torn plea to the antagonist, a mournful cascade of synths and haunting vocals evocative of AC Marias, a sepia-toned ode to anxiety, “a storm is on the way”. On No Roses, a Vince Clarkesque production belies a sunburnt sadness. Clifford defiantly sings “you would go out tonight, but there’s nowhere you like,” describing a disenchantment with her adopted city of Los Angeles, she longs for home in a singular refrain “No roses… no roses for us.” An ode to English folk singer Shirley Collins, a surprising yet innate influence throughout Clifford’s work. On Moral Damage, former Veronica Falls bandmate Marion Herbain joins Clifford on an anglo-french duet that feels instant and spontaneous, a cutting comment on emotional accountability. More than a vehicle for Roxanne Clifford’s songwriting prowess, Patience is holding our hand through the night, dancing with tears in our eyes, dizzy and spellbound.

The trio have also worked together on numerous collaborative projects between each other as duos, and "Ypsilon" album finds them back together, ever expanding their shared aural ideology into new territories.
Their 2016 release, “Veerian,” [eilean rec.] focused on free-flowing soundscapes, whereas this new album incorporates more overtly melodic sequences and rhythmic elements to widen its horizon. As on “Veerian,” Zahn, Hatami, and McClure paid meticulous attention to sound design for “Ypsilon.” The inclusion of subdued beats adds a swing to the textural layers, and arpeggiat- ed sequences imply rhythm and momentum.
Other tracks remain blissfully ambient, taking time to unfold and breathe without any rhythmic framework. This balance between gentle propulsion and beatless sound- scapes, melodic and ambient, lends the album a unique character and takes it into fresh new areas of experimentation for the trio.

LTD to 300 / SPLATTER VINYL. Planet Mu Recording artist, Gobstopper label boss, and Boxed club night founder Mr.Mitch provides the third PRESSURE release of 2019. This strictly limited, blue and yellow splattered vinyl platter is futurist dancehall at its most exhilaratingly demented. Random synth patterns, chaotic bleep emissions and all round oscillating madness ensures this furiously fresh track, flows freakily, like a bogle frenzied droid transmitting from Kingston, Jamaica, year 2049. Kevin Martin aka The Bug, nagged Mitch into submission, to release this Acid Ragga killer, after the PRESSURE label CEO, heard ‘Not Modular’ standing out clearly from Mitch’s gobsmacking one hour ‘Techno Dancehall Mix’ at the end of 2018. And as a tribute to South East London don dada Mitch, The Bug himself decided to slice, splice and dice ’Not Modular’ into two additional atomised remixes. The Bug’s ‘Straight’ remix, is sub aquatic bashment, pulsating deeply from the bottom of the ocean, buried in a blizzard of white noise and disembodied, hypnotic chimes, with panic sirens set to stun. Whilst the ‘Raw remix’ is no less disorientating and funky, sounding like Lenky’s classic ‘Diwali’ riddim rewritten by an 808 clap addict, with hips set to full rotation. Conclusively alien and ridiculously infectious.

After introducing the world to the elusive named Gitkin last year with the release of his debut album "5 Star Motel", Wonderwheel Recordings is back with another special 7" of two deeply funky, lo-fi globally influenced cuts from the travellin' man himself. "Saint Claude Dash" with it's 70's disco influenced drum machine undertone brings in Middle Eastern & North African vibes on the melody, while shifting into an even funkier B section reminiscent of the Meters. On the flip side, "Chicha Nola" finds Gitkin vibing on the mysteriousness of late night New Orleans (where his studio is now located) playing the South American instrument Charango & juxtaposing the NOLA bump with a just enough twang. Just a taste of the brand new album to come this year…or when the spirits will it.

Tekvision Volume 1 was a stone cold classic, with Rolling Stone charting it at #3 in their top 20 EDM records of 2017. Two years on, Cornelius ‘Traxman’ Ferguson returns with the second instalment, featuring 7 exceptional new Footwork productions. Traxman is a bonafide OG, with a discography dating back to the halcyon era of Ghetto House in the late 80’s and early 90’s. 30 years on, Traxman is a revered figure in Chicago’s urban music scene, having presided over the evolution from Ghetto House to Juke and from Juke to Footwork culture. Originally released in 1989, Work Dat Mutha Fucker by Steven Poindexter is considered to be one of the most influential tracks from the early days of Ghetto House. Traxman remixes it brilliantly on this release, reworking the stripped back, minimalist drum beat of the original into an upfront Footwork pattern. This sense of continuity is equally evident on Let Me See You Naked feat. DJ Juicy, and Traxman’s remix of To Da Hoooz by DJ Deeon. These productions successfully capture the sexual energy and exuberance of Ghetto House, turbo charged at 160 BPM. Elsewhere on the record, Traxman explores different moods whilst always keeping the dance floor firmly in mind. The opening track It’s Lasting Bass lays an infectious vocal harmony over complex drum patterns and a fearsome bassline. Osaka opens with mellow, sultry keys before introducing a wobbling synth and diced up Orchestal samples. 4 Da Lyfe is a soulful and slightly more meditative track, with a vocal loop expressing solidarity and self-affirmation. Wildcard feat. Jana Rush, stands alone as the only track without a vocal element, instead utilising a piercing and insistent synth to create a powerful sonic intensity. Overall this is triumphant record, and a worthy successor to the original Tekvision release, proving once again that Traxman is an unrivalled exponent of MPC-driven footwork energy.

Oblique Russian sound strategist Natalia Salmina’s latest forking path portfolio as Atariame, Voiceless, arose in the wake of a dissociative relocation to Moscow, where she found herself adrift amidst a manic metropolis, alone in a skyscraper staring out at trees: “It made me lose faith in my ability to communicate, in my ideas about life.” Days without speaking turned to weeks. Even in private she felt estranged from her voice, and soon ceased singing.

For solace she turned to her Waldorf Blofeld, mining its panoramic frequencies to craft a shivering suite of futurist-noir nocturnes and rhythmic noise vignettes, equal parts exorcism and manifestation, desperation and delirium. Track titles hint at the headspace – “Outside At 5 AM,” “Same Thought All Day,” “Stay Late” – mirroring the music’s mood of hoods up, headphones on, wandering empty urban tunnels under flickering streetlights. Enigmatically, Salmina slips in a sliver of spectral voice on the intro and exit songs (“Breathe Exercise” and “Deconstruction”), framing them as induction into and escape from the cryptic isolationist condition of the rest of the collection. Mastered by P. Nikolsky, Powerhouse Moscow. Design by Britt Brown.

Gabe Gurnsey returns with another limited-edition, white label pressing that melds
together two of the standout moments from ‘Physical’ into one irresistible slab of nocturnal electro. Combining the tectonic sleaze of ‘I Get’ with the roll call to rave transcendence of ‘Harder Rhythm’, Gurnsey creates, naturally, ‘I Get Harder’. Mutating his work to further perfect his halcyon club sound, ‘I Get Harder’ releases a slow-crawl ecstasy that’s ideal for dark rooms and open minds. Not one for the faint hearted

After presenting Detroit Swindle’s sophomore album High Life in 2018, we felt it was the right time to serve you up a tasty selection of remixes from all over the world and all over the sound palette. We’ve got some dub and boogie from Australia and the Netherlands, classic deephouse from Detroit, dark and dreamy deephouse from the UK and some high energy house from Germany. This set of remixes comes from 5 artists we hold in high regard and have made a serious impact on their part of the scene; some recently and some already a long time ago.

We invited Dutch techno -plot twist alert!- legend Steve Rachmad to come up with a re-interpretation of ‘Yes, no, maybe (feat. Tom Misch)’. His Sterac Electronics remix actually has nothing to do with techno but is an uplifting modern boogie version of the already funky original. Glimmering electronics, some added harmonics and a tight 80’s groove is what this version is all about.

The A2 is reserved for Cinthie, who took the high energy afro funk track ‘Call of the wild (feat. Jungle by Night)’ and turned it into a full on house frenzy with solo’s all around and a groove that just keeps on going and going.

The A side is completed with a remix by Jura Soundsystem, who has impressed many of us with his balaeric influenced synth-boogie, and dub on his own label ‘Isle of Jura’. Here, he chose to remix ‘High life (feat. Lorenz Rhode)’ and has done an excellent job in re-imagining the track into a tamed down, dreamy dub.

On the flip, there’s Matt Karmil’s take on one of the album’s beatless tracks ‘Ketama gold’. He goes in deep with some dusty drums and an arrangement that keeps on building and building, keeping the chord sequence from the track’s outro as a main loop and adding subtle FX, toms and acid hits and a final delivery where electronic cowbells up the energy level by a notch or two.

We finish off the compilation with a moody deephouse re-interpretation of ‘Ex machina’ by Detroit legend Gari Romalis. The twisted machine funk of the original is craftfully replaced by a dusty house loop, dreamy pads and smart usage of the original’s drum effects to build momentum.

This remix package brings a lovely new chapter into the story of ‘High Life’ and we hope you’ll enjoy these reworks as much as we do.
Yours Sincerely,

Maarten & Lars.

Where To Now? Records present the debut release from Akiko Haruna. Akiko’s world is one where cacophonic distress lingers, shuffling itself over scapes of percussive damage and driven groove. Akiko presents a fresh take on the current Technoid function through her use of emotive and intentionally disruptive vocal chops and a dizzying ‘wall of sound’ approach to the dancefloor, consuming all yet somehow keeping vibes alive.

Akiko’s artistic background is primarily in Dance, and undoubtedly this performance led background has had an acute impact on her approach to melodic detail & storytelling. Akiko’s tracks rapidly shift & morph states, always restless and searching with fluidity and intent. From the ever present Micro Electronic details to sweeping swathes of Bass flutter the notion of progressive movement remains at the forefront of her sound, minute elements of detail become briefly isolated, intentionally directing the listener to their subtle presence.

‘Delusions’ Leads with ‘A Mother’s Love’ and begins a theme of resentment and dissonance. The Japanase vocal cuts throughout the track roughly translate to “you should die”, here obviously flipping assumed and supposed relationship rules and roles and exposing an inner turmoil, reflected through a continuous anxiety ridden, almost panicked siren detail which pulses over Akiko’s heads down, deep and uniform forward march.

‘Husband Established’ and the opens with the emotive vocal line “I just hate your Voice”. This is the sound of a poisonous & damaging relationship hurtling towards combustion, where Akiko’s elements gather momentum and impact as layer upon layer of detail pummel and puncture this heightened state, pausing and spiralling to evoke a standoff of aggression and imminent outburst. ‘Husband Established’ stands as a frankly stunning piece of sound design, which manages to capture a raw human emotion, and provide release for the associated junk, stress, and occasional banality of Relationship angst.

‘Hetero’ picks up where ‘Husband Established’ finished, further exploring societal character types and submissive gender tropes that are thrust into our sub consciousness from day to day. The concept of Hyperreality and its themes are continuously explored within Akiko’s practice and It would perhaps be fair to say that these themic explorations within her Music are Akiko’s own outlet for traversing human relationships within a complex, heightened, & layered reality, and it is certainly Akiko’s intention for her audience to feel some kind of relief and release within her sound world. Sonically ‘Hetero’ is a much sparser, subtler affair, where swathes of sampled voice & machine swing in and out of focus, against a weightless backdrop of affecting isolated electronics.

The EP closes with ‘Ripehus Alley’, seemingly void of any deeper meaning or message this serves more as a dreamlike parting song to what is otherwise a highly charged collection. Floating itself away from a frantic & incomprehensible world into a calmer space for final thought and reflection. ‘Delusions’ is a complex, exploratory trip, one which fans of Logos, Fis, Alva Noto, Jlin, Jesse Osborne-Lanthier etc will relish exploring.

West Coast mainstay Dave Aju continues with his own varied style and pace, coming correct once again on Circus Company
with a truly special three-tracker of straight up dance floor bombs. This San Francisco DJ/producer is a master sampler, groove
innovator and jazz influenced artist who has been with this label for ten years. In that time, he has turned out plenty of timeless
LPs and EPs that have earned him a deserving reputation as a truly cultured craftsman.
Just in time for the warm summer months ahead, these pieces are fit for maximum daytime, nighttime, and after-hours pleasure
respectively. The releas kicks off with title track ‘Love In Zero Gravity’, one of those raw undefinable Dave Aju grooves, loaded
with soul and unique musicality. It builds in bass-heavy intensity, bright epic bursts and ecstatic waves like we've never heard
from him before. Next up the voodoo stylings continue on ‘Aubergine Dream’ but in a much deeper mode, where ultra-sweaty
basement funk collides with the darkest shades of purple imaginable, all laced-up with otherworldly lysergic lines. Finally,
‘Gatadu’ rounds things out with pure class, a bouncing robust house cut done-up with generous helpings of live percussion, rich
textures, and Aju's velvety vox - the perfect recipe to keep dancing long into Sunday's sun rays, all smiles and sing-a-long vibes
for the real heads and lovers. This is another superb offering from one of dance music’s most fascinating artists.

rendon Moeller is an artist that needs no introduction. The South African born living in the US, like few of his generation constantly challenges himself with new concepts and ideas, has incorporated techno, dub, jazz, ambient, sound design, to his works throughout the years. Never chased the limelight, but instead the work, one idea after the next, one project after the other, restless. He has collaborated with labels like Echocord, Third Ear, Electric Deluxe, Prologue, Mord to name some. "Materialize" is his first work for Vibrant Music.
From his early days in various bands in the 80's and 90's, Brendon liked indie, shoegaze, ambient, moody, cinematic scapes.
With Materialize he came full circle, reaching out to his early influences, but with the knowledge and experience of many years of exploration of modular synths, to create a concept space that feels intimate, and at the same time vivid evoking visual imaging.
It explores the time space through a minimalist, stoic approach.
It tells the story of how we are all linked into this tree of music we call electronic music, wherever each one is coming from.
A celebration of life through the mind of one of today's scholars of electronic music.
A liberation from the strictness of tempo and metronomes, to reach to a more creative state.
Vibrant Music continuous the quest, to bring to you unique collaborations and sides of artists that we like.

Southern Lord announce the next Caspar Brötzmann Massaker reissues in the ongoing series, continuing with Der Abend Der Schwarzen Folklore and Koksofen this July. Read on for more insight into these albums, and for information about incoming live dates supporting Sunn O))).

Caspar Brötzmann is one of the most unique and innovative guitarists of the last 40 years. With his Berlin-based trio Massaker, he evolved a whole new autonomous approach to writing rock songs, starting from sounds that were widely considered ornamental if not detrimental ‘sonic waste’, such as shrieking feedback and droning overtones. This plethora of sounds were arranged into tracks to sound like breaking concrete, grinding metal, or bursting glass, at once monumental and threatening, impenetrable and hermetic, yet also archaically tender and loving. 

Even today, as the art of noise has reached a level of sophistication that no one could have imagined 30 years ago, Caspar Brötzmann Massaker’s music is resoundingly singular. Ultra heavy riffs and beats, ominous tribal chants and a raw physical force is conjured up by these three sinister and proud minds of their era. Their unhinged, unified stream of energy is captured on these remastered reissues and the results are thrilling.

Koksofen (which translates as blast furnace), originally released in 1993, has become one of Massaker’s most popular albums. Like it’s predecessor, ...Schwarzen Folklore, the album took shape in Massaker’s rehearsal room below the Berlin subway station Schlesisches Tor, and was recorded at Conny Plank’s studio near Cologne, with Plank’s former associates Ingo Krauss and Bruno Gephard producing. 
 
There’s a different kind of intensity to Koksofen. The features of Massaker’s sound are in full bloom.  Mountainous noises tower up and crash down, and tormented sounds rise from ominously seething grounds, haunting the entire song-scape. The feel of doom and dread hangs heavily over the five songs, and the title song rumbles, shrieks and wails, plagued by Caspar’s guttural growls of war, suffering and death.
 
Caspar recalls one anecdote from shortly after the original release whereby Bassist Edu Delgado called him asking to turn on the TV, thus discovering that “Hymne“ was being used as background music to a report about the death penalty in the US. A different kind of intensity indeed. 
Reflecting on the album to this day Caspar remarks “Koksofen is still a mystery to me,'' he continues “I can still feel the troubled times in these songs.” - the effects are certainly potent for the listener too. And the album undoubtedly affirms Massaker as the fiercely original and compellingly raw musicians that they are.  

Appearing on the latest Mnemosyne compilation, Hierarchy marks his debut EP on ASG providing a deep journey into rhythms and textures. Direct but still elusive, Matter/Space/Void delivers lapses of rarefied absence constantly driven by peculiar cadences. The pulsating and fragmented remix by label owner A Sacred Geometry showcases once again his diverse view of techno, constantly evolving into unexpected horizons.

We have the honour to welcome the Dublin based Doug Cooney. Doug Cooney drops his EP, "Claim A Wake" on Eternal Friction Records, containing three original tracks and a remix by no other artist than Jon Hester. The result is a powerful EP, that clearly demonstrates Doug's unique and personal approach to contemporary techno. The balance between the rolling drums and the uplifting percussion are capable of bringing listeners into a certain state of mind. The warm and melodic synths fit perfectly into many layers of each track. Although these tracks are all fairly different from each other, they are all produced in the same effective and delicate style. They make for an interesting EP, reason enough to follow this promising artist every move from now on.

Detailed, smart, commanding, groovy. These are just a few words to describe the Assorted Pieces 2 compilation. This strictly in-house production by Friendship & Decadence contains tracks from such producers as Kade, Mirage Man, Poly Sone and Waltteri. Which is a intriguing mixture indeed.

Poly Sone’s “Home killing is taping music” is a rugged and fast paced take on nordic techno. As the track was recorded on a four track cassette recorder the saturation on this cut is immense, yet pleasant. Definitely not your everyday cheapo lo-fi tune.

Deep, quirky and playful bottom heavy roller, “Calm” by Waltteri has a hint of spanish roast in its blend. Waltteri’s debut on the imprint can be perfectly paired with a fun loving crowd during midnight or even around early mornings. Psychedelic multipurpose tool.

Kade’s raw and unconventional track “Sanko” is a treat for the adventurous mind. Haunting arpeggios and vocal chops will give you the creeps, while the unrefined saturated rhythms will sooth you into a trance. Eccentric and hypnotic dance music.

“This track never starts” by Mirage Man lives by its name as it is a slowly unraveling and cinematic number. Regardless of its thick lower end, in the club environment this track might send the restless to acquire a beverage from the bar, but for the grounded minds who enjoy ambient this just might be the ticket. Play it yourself and see what happens.

Limited press of 150 pcs. 12” record includes a download code.

After the last press by Swoy, we're happy to scream that we've reached the 8th level with a massive release by the Italian crew Unknown Collective made by the mind of Fulvio Ruffert.


Fresh from a lot of vinyl release this year and here we can feel their capacity and flexibility in the studio. First track "Func" is a minimal - deep house influenced track with a cool bassline fit for heating the dancefloor. After the original version we have the remix from the famous French duo: Politics Of Dancing. They put their proper touch into the track by giving a rough sign to the bassline. On the B-side we find another original track; "Zolfo" is a Chicago-House-Acid track that remember us the sound of the big Brian Harden. The last but not the least is the collaboration with mister Earlydub: Loquace. This one is a massive and fresh work bringing you inside a tunnel without any escapes.

It's a welcome change to see the dance music industry shift from a sausage fest to a decidedly more diverse scene of artists and DJs, one where challenging and marginalized voices can be heard.

MISS REPRESENTED has such a voice, raw and fearless, an educated woman of experience, who has lived her life on the dark side of Scotland's acid house scene, where she has found plenty of food for thought.

Co-produced by Thomas Von Party of Multi Culti, who enlisted the talents of Kris Baha and Matt Karmil to mix, and brought in the elusive UK-underground legend Johnny Aux to rough up the already rugged Crack That Habit into an extended house banger.

If there's one thing dance music is guilty of, it's escapism. A refusal to confront reality. None of that here. Calling out a culture of lies, empowering female sexuality, facing the perils of addiction, and speaking of the resilience of the human mind, this is heady stuff for the rawest of parties.

FLOAT presents the next release from drummer and composer Andrea Belfi following on from his 2017 debut album Ore & just after the announcement of his tour with Thom Yorke!
Forthcoming Strata is an organic evolution of the unique synthesis of hypnotizing drumming and ensnaring electronic patterns Belfi has become renowned for. Strata's inception is due to Belfi's playful experiments with Gnawa rhythms - a music tradition from North Africa that draws from ancient African spiritual and religious songs - with which Belfi created basic guide tracks that were later expanded upon. Strata's remit expanded from these core rhythmic ideas into a mini-LP, spread across 6 tracks spanning 25 minutes.

Milan-based imprint Just This present Cristalli Ionici, a four-track EP from Italian duo Abstrakt featuring a Marcel Fengler remix.

Abstrakt is a collaborative project from Luca Rambelli and Filippo Scorcucchi concerned with the intense study of spatial timbres - a psychedelic trip represented as a sonic aesthetic.

A relatively new endeavour, their debut on Just This offers an expertly crafted voyage into the outer reaches of the imagination. Sonically, the EP files under ambient techno, brandishing swirling textures and tangible effects to create a blissful meditative state.

For his remix of the title track, Marcel Fengler places the subtle complexion of the original and places it inside a driving rhythmic pattern of syncopated percussion and unrestrained energy.

Latin orchestra meets Greek bouzouki!!! A true hybrid musical dream, emerging and blending the sound from the migrant communities of 60’s New York. Greek bouzouki wizard Yannis Tatassopoulos injects his electrifying playing into the Latin beats of Roger ‘King’ Mozian. Together these dukes of sound generate a tornado! Non-conventional and ultra refined crossover madness from the Space-Age. Mambo Gitano!

After capturing audience awards festivals like SXSW and the Los Angeles Film Festival, the word is out that Kashmere was the greatest high school band - ever. Their story is tucked in between slabs of hard 70s funk, soul, and jazz: Conrad Johnson transformed a bunch of rough-hewn high schoolers into a band that could compete with any in the nation – professional, or otherwise. Forget high school bands, we’re talking about sixteen year old kids who would give the JBs a run for their money! The Kashmere Stage Band released a total of eight albums and three 45s on Johnson’s Kram label. The band’s best tracks are collected here. Producer Eothen “Egon” Alapatt features an expanded booklet with updated liner notes and essays, more rare photos and ephemera, and a download card which contains the B+/Flying Lotus produced Texas Jewels: The Making Of Texas Thunder Soul short, a recently unearthed 1973 documentary on the band, and a 1972 performance.

Analog and digital electronic devices, vocals

All tracks written, produced & mixed by MIRCO MAGNANI and LUKASZ TRZCINSKI
Recorded & mixed in Berlin at Undogmatisch in 2018/19
Mastered by KEN KARTER at DECODE STUDIO, Berlin
Publishing by KIZMAIAZ
Original artwork VALENTINA BARDAZZI
Sleeve design LAPO BELMESTIERI/THE ANTI-B NYC

“Lumiraum” is a neologism, the suffix AUM included in the title, according to the Hindu tradition is the basis of their ethical and spiritual conception.
Its meaning involves the passage and overcoming of four levels of knowledge that are expressed by the three letters A-U-M, plus the extension of the M as maintenance of the vibration.
Operating in a similar way Lukasz and Mirco through sessions of various kinds have taken a similar empirical path through improvisation, coding, editing and re-elaboration and finally mixing.
Recalling in their imaginary the spirituality of ancient cultures, symbologies and concepts that had analogue cosmogonic conceptions of origin of the universe. An imaginary that slips into a remote and anachronistic world.
“Lumiraum” also means a space of light, a circumscribed place in which a message is received and from which a spark arises, an idea.

Stepping out of the dojo with sublime focus - DJ Youngsta's subsequent addition to the Sentry discography unveils its sound system technique in abundant grandeur. Supported by the likes of UKF and Disciple Recordings, the achievements and long-standing dedication to the bass music scene of the London-based artist speak for itself. Now taking charge of the controls, The Others materializes two irreproachable cuts of undiluted Dubstep for the imprint's tenth single outing, bringing forth an exceptional display of the artist's creative ingenuity as well as technical ability, that perfectly falls in line with the label's vision and acclaimed discography.

Anticipation permeates the air. Haunting flute melodies intermingle with tribal drums in 'Shaolin' - introducing itself, saturated in tension. Surges of electric power progressively increase the strain as the sound of the final chimes strikes its apocalyptic verdict. Heading into full-frontal warfare and the midst of a sword fight, a murderous array of distorted overtones leads the way through the trenches, dug by its huge drums and minimal instrumentation. Densely loaded with ingenious sampling and off-kilter groove, the resulting soundscape will wreak havoc on any proper sound system and skanking audience.

Turning the echo up to eleven, the B-Side 'Feedback' boasts an equally effective inferno, culminating in otherworldly levels of pressure and energy. Contemplative synth melodies merge into the melancholic soundscape, feigning brief silence before promptly being reconstructed into a super-charged form. The ensuing shutdown swings to the merciless groove onslaught of its highly fissionable basslines, roaming the dance floor with rhythmic intricacy and a universe of switch-ups and creative breaks - The Other's signature style taken to its fullest extent.

I grew up fascinated with the music played late at night on the radio.
As a kid, when times were tough and I couldn't get myself to sleep, I would tune the radio to my favourite FM station and dream on.
This was back in the late 80's and lasted until the mid 90's, a time when I was getting hooked by Hall & Oates, Loose Ends, Maze, S.O.S. Band, Soul II Soul, and other artists that used to rule the dial in the wee hours.
So this music didn't only comfort and nurture me at the time, it also shaped my music personality.

When Renata approached me in order to work on the first ever compilation for Hello Sailor, I knew the selection would end up reflecting this side of me. It had to come from the heart.
It also had to bring to the table something different than what's already associated with Brazilian music, and exploring our own take on the street soul genre sounded good.
It was never done before and it's also faithful to Brazil's musical heritage.

Back in the 80's and into the 90's, it was very common at parties to have a slow dance moment in between the more uptempo sections. A timeout from all the frantic dancing, when people could cool off and flirt in a more romantic way. (It does sound like a great idea to have this intimate just-the-two-of-us moment in the middle of a party; maybe it explains the number of marriages at that time.)
This is a tradition that goes back to the black music balls in the late 70's, which helps to explain why the majority of the early rap acts from Brazil used to have a couple of romantic songs in their albums. When you add to this recipe the power of the mellow pop acts during the aforementioned period, one can realise why it extended its tentacles to deeper depths of pop music in Brazil.

This compilation features some of my favourite music ever, songs that I've crossed paths with in different moments of my life.
Fernanda Abreu, for instance, is a longtime crush - I have been in love with her music since the mid 80's when she used to sing in a band called Blitz, which my mom loved.
Afrodite Se Quiser, on the other hand, created some buzz while the group was active with the minor hit "O Que Que Ela Tem Que Eu Nao Tenho", from their first album (1987), but I didn't know about "Fora de Mim" until 2015. My point is: even if it took me 25 years to find this track, I had a reserved spot in my brain for it and it laid there perfectly as if it innately belonged there.
It's a built memory, and I love playing with this idea when presenting music to people.

Street Soul Brasil is part mellow pop, part R&B, part rap.
One can surely feel a lot of street energy from the B Side. The music reflects the influence of international pop at the time, but it also shows how Brazilians are talented in making any sound their own!

This compilation is supposed to be a mixed collection of songs, something that might trigger the feeling of flipping through an old photo book full of tender memories. These are songs that should speak straight to the heart, music to comfort and heal, music that deals with joy and pain, feelings that I always liked being transmitted through music.
It's among the best forms of therapy. It worked for me and I hope it works for you...

Audioslave may be one the rare cases of remnants of 2 great bands coming together and creating an even greater band. Consisting of three quarters of Rage Against The Machine plus former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell, Audioslave came onto the music scene with a mix of 70's Zeppelin & Sabbath warped into the year 2000 and beyond. Having Chris Cornell as their leadsinger was producer Rick Rubin's idea and the band penned no less than 21 songs in a period of 19 days, jamming and rehearsing.
Their live debut was a David Letterman gig on the rooftop of the Ed Sullivan Theatre in New York, kicking off a successful world tour. Debut single 'Cochise' was a worldwide smash and the 2nd single 'Like a Stone' even topped that (certified Gold by the RIAA)! The album was certified Gold in the USA within a month after its release. 2 Audioslave albums followed, before the members parted ways to join their former bands.

Jacob Long’s reductionist rhythmic ambient vessel, Earthen Sea, ebbs towards a more purely elemental state on his second excursion for Kranky, Grass and Trees.
He describes the creative process as one of “simplifying things as much as possible,” designing uncluttered spaces traced in nothing but breath, field recordings, and “sounds that could be played by hand but weren’t.”
The results feel decentralized but dynamic, low-lit evocations of ambiguous nocturnal environments – dub techno disassembled into stray pulses and spare parts. It’s a music both interior and infinite, languorous yet transformative, made in the outer boroughs of a metropolis but existing in its own liminal wilderness.
Long’s vision is a grounding one, rooted in the physical body but attuned to larger currents: “In response to living in a fairly hectic city, and at a very hectic time for the world at large, creating something more drawn back and restrained felt appropriate.
track listing:1. Existing Closer or Deeper in Space 2. Window, Skin, and Mirror 3. Spatial Ambiguity4. A Blank Slate 5. Living Space and Usually 6. Shallow, Shadowless 7. Less and Less

Fiestas is an ultra catchy foxtrot by the Colombian clarinet player and ar-ranger Ricaurte Arias. This American-style swing spiced up with a layer of Colombian sauce is an irresistible ear worm that takes the concept of smoothness to another level. Definitely the foxiest of all foxes.

The legendary composer and band leader Pacho Galan’s take on Estambul is another example of how American swing and Colombian music can blend into a unique musical melting pot. The song starts with hard tambor breaks and maracas kicking in badly. The playful horns driven by the cumbia rhythm make it impossible not to dance on this tune.

Transversales Disques is very glad to announce the release of Nuits Blanches au
Studio 116, unreleased rarities from Ariel Kalma’s personal archives recorded in the
legendary GRM’s Studio 116 during the 70’s.
Born and raised in Paris, Ariel Kalma started playing the recorder and saxophone as a
youth. After successive studies of Computer Science, Music and Art in Paris he performed
in various concerts from middle-age music to free jazz duo. Ariel performed and recorded
with several bands (J. Higelin, R. Pinhas, NYL, G. Scornic, Baden Powell…).
After learning circular breathing on soprano sax, Ariel could include those endless notes
into his own long-delay-effect system, dual Revox set-up and two tape machines “chained”
together to form a long delay system.
In France during the mid-1970s, Kalma was staffed as a recording assistant at legendary
Groupe de Recherches Musicales (INA GRM) studios, where Ariel recorded some of his
compositions in the Studio 116; the same music “concrete” laboratory that spawned
masterpieces by members Luc Ferrari, Bernard Parmegiani…

Get on board 5 new space alchemists for the next level of “The Orbitants”!
The “Panic Side” (Side A) refers to a synthetic melody transition from the beatless Heinrich Dressel’s intro, to the mystical drama “Source Reality”, a utopistic abstract-composition by Galaxian, who serving his anarchic vision of electronic music.
Falling into the wicked flash born from Foreign Sequence’s Oberheim. 
Entering to the “Black Side” (Sibe B), the virus infected the system: it’s the Lake Haze electro hit! Spooky pads triggering the edgy arpeggio, body of the track. 
Jensen Interceptor provides yet another one of his tipycal alien incursion with a cruel-core on a beat techno influenced. 5 ruthless tools — Be brave!

In a landscape increasingly dominated by surface-level sonics and a lack of true organic – man-made-machine-driven - sound, the newly found and London-based Gaia Tones project rises with an unforgiving grasp over the science of improvisation and mystery. Like a gust of wind from Mother Nature herself, the duo comprised of John Swing and David Soleil-Mon breathe a new, highly perceptible form of life into the UK’s long ‘dub and ‘bass’ dynasty.

Contrary to the consumer plastics found across much of the ‘digital’ musical spectrum, the two artists impose their own vision and aesthetic to a framework of sound that has somehow always existed but never fully explored before. Heady, stoned-out and surely emanating from physical matter, their two debut tracks are set to redefine the standards going into the next decade.

The A-side “Lychees”, stutters its own brand of dread paranoia over a sea of complex, morphing percussion that together create a whole new palette of exploratory sound, loosely tied up into a hazy, nomadic groove. On the flip, “Wonkadonk” feels like its natural extension, evolving that familiarly off-kilter assembly of drums to work around a devotedly dystopian swell of bass that pushes further and further out into the ether.

In the end, the universe tends to unfold as it should.

Label artwork by Egidio Sterpa

A cryptical presence hiding behind many different aliases spread across a range of underground labels: co-owner of LiveJam Records alongside EMG, John Swing begins producing with a live and spontaneous approach that pushes the boundaries and general conceptions of club music while digging deeper into the techniques of the past.

The production process through ananlog equipment that John Swing so strongly supports with an uncompromising attitude is the key to his underground success and esteem.
With a back catalogue of over seventy releases including collaborations with established artists such as Mr. G and Ben Sims, the London based talent has been receiving recognition by established artists including Floating Points, Gerd Janson, Levon Vincent, Theo Parrish and many others.

Inspired by London's Plastic People and it's bonding vibes, through a well refined spectrum of musical knowledge John Swing engages with the dance floor in a physical yet emotional way: the strength and power of pure house is blended with black soul music in a constant crossover between underground aesthetics and cherry-picked funk and disco. His subtle understanding of the dance floor guarantees a deep-rooted experience for the mind, body and soul.

FSL008 “Excerpts From Layers Of Identity” brings you a piece of the pie that shows you the deeper and eclectic look into the producer and dj Lee Kelly’s musical styling Chosen from Kelly’s album last year of the same name on the excellent Where The Time Goes, we have picked some more eclectic rhythms and ambient numbers that is a slight change from his well received 12″ on Chicago’s Tasteful Nudes in 2017 but fits right at home with us as it will you. Also includes a beautiful DJ OK remix all the way from Berlin to your ears aswell as bonus beats.

Analog modular synth maestro Crystal Geometry fast returns to Sonic Groove for his second outing. Continuing on from where his “Red Faith Militia” release left off, the latest EP “The Cyber Heresy” follows suit, mixing a concoction of late 80’s styled Belgian EBM and post-modern Industrial Techno into the perfect explosive for dance floor destruction.

Its a Munich club music meet up on this split 10' by Rave And Romance Records and Jahmoni Musik.

Starting the whole thing of, it's Jahmoni Musik label boss Belp with an epic jazz intro to LION before he flips the tune into a breakbeat driven 120 bpm belter with layers of funky-as-hell percussions, moody textures and that wonderfully dubbed out 'lion' vocal sample.

On the other side you'll find Schlachthofbronx getting a 130 bpm dub riddim going that builds up his tension with one of their far-travelled synth melodies and then plunges into a monster of a rolling bass line that satisfies all your soundsystem & low end pressure needs.

Rotciv is the Brasilian born, Berlin based man behind Mister Mistery records. This prolific producer has been out there for quite a long time and you might remember "The Rimshooters", the long lasting collaboration with Massimiliano Pagliara himself. Now it is time for Rotciv to offer a piece of his synthesisers' craftsmanship to Funnuvojoere Records. This five tracker EP expresses Rotciv's skills with harmony and music progression. A1 AWAKENING starts off with a piano house arpeggio and slowly evolves into a trance acid-tinged explosive motive. Organic feeling drums develop giving it a disco touch that will put a smile on the crowded dance floor. A2 GOOD SPELL combines a pure cosmic style with a New Beat-like dissonance and uplifting vocals. B1 KNOW THE UNKNOWN keeps the experimentation levels high with distortions and an 8bit dialogue that drifts into a progressive-kind of sound. Deeper than the rest B2 puts on stage a dark landscape that reminds of a black and white vampire movie. B3 INTERMISSION follows up and gives the final ambient touch to this delightful EP.

7am. Tilburg. Black room. Strobe light. Dutch Soundsystem Wirwar. "Party Like It's '96" celebrates 23 years of musical debauchery, rinsing BPMs and battering bodies in forests, squats or wherever a PA system could be plugged in. Five tracks from five different aliases make up this descent into drum beat battery. Noses are up against sweat drenched wall from the needle drop, the thundering pace of Trippy D's maniacal offering being elbowed in the ribs by Bart Bral's nosebleed inducing "No Shit, Sherlock!" Distortion slices into squalid acid lines in the blazing "Water On Mars" by RAF before broken beats are blended and blitzed by Just So Nah. The night, or morning, comes to an end in Roel's nightmarish fairground ride. "Wurlitzer Express" minces chiptune cuteness with splintered snares, cracked kicks and mutated percussion to leave hearts, minds and souls thoroughly stained.

Don't let the date fool you, released back in 1983 this modal to slightly free jazz outfit from California takes you on a journey back to the late 60s and very early 70s, into the spiritual realms of greats like John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, John McLaughlin and Miles Davis among others. A soul jazz treasure from the LA scene of the early 80s - a fantastic record that I rank with the best Strata East sides of the time! The group's led by alto saxophonist Dadisi Komolafe, and features vibes by Ricky Kelly, piano by Eric Tillman, bass by Roberto Miranda, and drums by Sunship Theus - all working together in a style that's infused with soulful, post-Coltrane exploratory energy, never going too far outside, and always staying true to the rhythmic pulse at its core. Kelly's vibes are really great - sparkling underneath solos by Komolafe that remind me a lot of Gary Bartz's earliest work.

When Peggy Gou released her debut EP ‘Art of War’ in 2016, she made a list of career goals. One of them was to become the first South Korean DJ to play Berlin’s techno institution Berghain, an objective she achieved only a few months later. Another item on that list was to record an instalment of !K7’s DJ-Kicks series. “It’s the premier class of DJ mixes,” she says. “Some of my favourite selectors have contributed to it.” Now Peggy Gou can tick that off her list too as she proudly presents the 69th edition of the mix series.
The Berliner-by-choice started working on the mix last year. It was a
busy time for the 28-year-old: she’d just scored her first Mixmag cover
and her single ‘It Makes You Forget (Itgehane)’ was receiving awards
and critical acclaim. Each month she would DJ in 20 nightclubs all over the world. And yet, the goal for her mix was ambitious: instead of trying to capture the energy of her DJ sets, she aimed to create a portrayal of her own musical journey. An 18-track listening session that takes you straight into Peggy Gou’s living room where she plays you the formative tunes from her collection. No genre boundaries – she moves across disco, house, techno and electro. No tempo limits – the mix ranges from 90 to 150 BPM. And no age restriction – the earliest tunes on the mix are from 1983

“The year is 1982. Rita Mitsouko has not yet recorded its eponymous debut album. The pile of ashes that once was Disco is still smoking on the field of Comiskey Park. New Wave is a phrase, Post-Punk Rock a thing. In France, young musicians dream of New York City – some with more devotion than others. Lapassenkoff are to early 1980’s downtown New-York what seminal New Wave act Marie Et Les Garçons (who met John Cale on their way to CBGB) are to the city’s musical scene in the late 1970’s: an unexpected cousin from Lyon.

Indeed, going through Shing ‘n’ Tsé! sometimes feel like an impromptu meeting between John Lurie and Tom Tom Club in the basement of some French record store. If we press pause for a minute, a question comes to mind: how on earth such a unique blend of funk, post-punk, jazz fusion & hip hop (!) – more easily associated with, say, The Mudd Club, than with Les pentes de la Croix-Rousse – made its way to the brains of three French musicians?

The answer probably lies in a Swiss chalet, some 40 kilometers away from Zurich. Sent there by the wise people from Mosquito (the label which also gave Ramuntcho Matta and Carte de Séjour the opportunity to record their first album), the band experiences Alpine ennui and mysterious neighbours (a certain Carlos Peron, for instance). That is probably during this stay in Swiss meadows that they opened a Pandora’s box called experimental music, leading them into recording the mind-blowing sample-based – and accidentally proto-everything – M Le Maudit,, that would later grace Belgian airwaves via the famous Liaisons Dangereuses radio show.

But if we’re looking for a bigger picture, M Le Maudit is just an example of how inventive their approach to music was. This compilation is a testimony of a decade-long feverish flirt between the Lyon trio and dance music. From the infectious electric boogie cuts Shing A Ling and Roadie to the somehow euro-house-fuelled Ma Poubelle Angelina, via many unclassifiable yet iconic songs like Bossi Le Bosseman or Fièvres, Frissons, the compilation demonstrates one thing: Lapassenkoff took the road less traveled by and contributed to a different history of French Pop music.”

Pierre-Arthur Michau.

Leipzig’s Dj Balduin has been a staff favourite for some time as we are avid fans of his GLYK imprint, and in particular his debut EP “Vvigmara”. Dj Balduin proclaims to enjoy producing music that creates “states of hypnosis with an occasional, gentle “hands-up-face-slap” every now and then” which perfectly sums up “Lost Cat” - his first release for KOMPAKT.

“E.W.B.A” came to Dj Balduin while having a shower, so chances are high we have this summer’s rain dance anthem on our hands as it has all the right elements - a classic rave synth meets an infectious open snare to break through the beat.

The kick drum thud of “Sheee” seems to be all too menacing at first, but surprisingly learns how to open itself into a gorgeously seductive uplifting house tune.

This story ends with the perfect set closer; “Lost Cat And An Untied Shoe” brings that beat back with soaring synths and a playful natural bass line that adds just the slightest edge of funk to carry the crowd home at the end of the night.
Leipzigs DJ Balduin und besonders seine Debüt-EP „Vvigmara“ trendet, seitdem wir sein GLYK-Label kennen, unter den Mitarbeitern von Kompakt. Laut eigenen Angaben genieße es DJ Balduin, Musik zu produzieren, die seine Zuhörer in den „Zustand der Hypnose versetzt und gleichzeitig mit gelegentlichen zarten Schlägen ins Gesicht wachhält“, was auf „Lost Cat“ – sein erstes Release auf Kompakt – auch geschieht.

„E.W.B.A“ kam DJ Balduin unter der Dusche, die Chancen stehen also hoch, dass wir hier eine Hymne für diejenigen Raves haben, die unter kräftigen Sommergewittern stattfinden werden – die richtigen Zutaten sind alle da: klassische Rave-Hooks, ansteckende Snaredrums, die hervorbrechen aus dem Bass.

Der Schlag der Bassdrum von „Sheee“ scheint zunächst bedrohlich, lernt aber überraschender Weise sich selbst zu wandeln hin zu einem prachtvoll verführerischen House-Stück. Die Geschichte endet mit dem aller besten letzten Stück: „Lost Cat And An Untied Show“ bringt den Beat zurück zusammen mit aufsteigenden Synths und einer verspielten, natürlichen Bassline, die einen Funken Funk hinzufügt, um die Dancer nach Hause zu begleiten in der Nacht.