Syncrophone proudly presents 'Proceed with Caution' by Detroit's Filthiest. This 4-track catalog masterpiece is a rhythmic exploration, featuring infectious funk-infused beats and a distinctive style that pays homage to the city's illustrious musical heritage. Detroit's Filthiest seamlessly blends tradition with innovation, creating an electrifying experience that echoes the Motor City's iconic sound.
Feedbacks :
Luke Slater : dope
Serge (Clone) : Sick release! Another banger from Dj Nasty!
Elena Colombi (NTS) : Check Out the Technique is great!
Lukas Wigflex (Wigflex) : wonk
Tijana T : huge fan!
Hodge (Livity Sound) : lovely
Eclair Fifi (Lucky Me / NTS) : fk yeah 5/5
Monty Luke (Rekids / Black Catalogue) : fear in your eyes is a banger
Dave Clarke (white noise radio) : Will support ! Love the first track
Marcel Dettmann : thx
Machine Woman (Take Away Jazz Records) : cool
Ben Sims : Technique is my pick, thx!
Will Hofbauer (Third Place, Wisdom Teeth, Rinse) : very slick
Blasha & Allatt (Meat Free) : Fire! Up In Smoke + Nuttin But Chedda are the ones for me :) Thanks, Steffi x
Lena Willikens (Cómeme) : Fear In Your Eyes for me!
Lauren Flax (The Lot Radio/ Young Turks / K7) : incredible EP, thanks!
David Martin (Dimensions Soundsystem) : his is superb. Love it! Thanks DM
Amy Dabbs (Shall Not Fade, Distant Horizons, SlothBoogie, ) : Beautifully sleazy - love it
Bloody Mary (Dame-Music) : track 2 :))) thanks
DMX Krew (Breakin Records / Fresh Up) : Nice trax :) Will try to fit in my December show for Rinse FM.
mi-el (NTS show) : heavy
Slowaxx is the solo project and live band created by Riccardo Chiarucci, a music producer, arranger and composer based in Tuscany (Italy). His first album ‘‘Shapes Interfusion’’ features a unique blend of jazz, electronic music and hip-hop, recorded with a collective of musicians and the rapper Young A.M.A.
The creative process of the album involves a mix of home-studio production and live recorded sessions. Starting from ideas and demos from Riccardo, all tracks are the result of collaborative jams with musicians bringing their own styles and perception to the table. These sessions created a dialogue of personal vibrations, blending together to emerge as a collective soun
Groove To Grave Records is back with a second vinyl release, and for this one they are welcoming the Parisian trio Kitchen Plug.
From ghetto house to break and minimal these 3 silly boys love to produce tracks with nasty bass, metallic acid and raw drums. For their first solo EP on vinyl, they wanted to add a early 2000’ electro vibe to their ghetto style for a brainless result. Get ready for 4 bangers, including a tremendous remix from Karaba.
Our travel start with Hm that bass that tells the delicious story of a young pretty cuistot who discovers the secret for a round and saucy gourmet bassline. Next we have Amor da Franceca who is the class clown of this promo. Ready to throw all hopes of a bright future away only to entertain the class. Despite its quite chill demeanor, Meleee packs a devilish punch and boisterous accents of childhood, lost but not forgotten. And last, Karaba’s remix for melee, emphasises the french cancan aspect of our 3 majorettes. Dark red light, pale skin, round booties, dark blue eyes on a shady scene.
Five trombonists and a three-member rhythm section: that sort of unique musical synergy is what Nabou Claerhout brings to life with her own Trombone Ensemble. For years, such a project had been one of the dream projects on her bucket list, and thanks to Antwerp based cultural actor Rataplan, she already saw the creation become a reality in spring 2022. In the summer of that year, the eight-piece ensemble opened both Gent Jazz and Jazz Middelheim.
In January 2023, Nabou was artist in residence at the Brussels Jazz Festival in Flagey, where she presented the Trombone Ensemble as one of three carte blanche projects. In a sold-out Studio 4, American trombone legend Robin Eubanks joined the line-up as a special guest, having previously also contributed during the studio recordings of the young collective during. The band's self-titled debut album will be released on November 3rd 2023 via W.E.R.F. Records.
Nabou composed the entire repertoire for this Ensemble herself, and did so with a fully open vision. While writing the music, she explored the trombone's wide possibilities: "The aim is to both indulge you with warm, soft, carrying parts and then afterwards discover the trombone's spicy and cordial character." That rhythmic playfulness, which we hear more often in Nabou's compositions with her acclaimed quartet N?BOU, also seeps subtly into this band's sound.
Despite the 'unusual' line-up of five diverse jazz trombonists, each with a different background, you still get to hear a very homogeneous sound, which is full of playfulness and small details. "I tried to make room and focus for each individual. And of course there is also a starring role for the rhythm section with guitar, double bass and drums."
When Nabou started looking for the dream fellow jazz musicians for this project, she ended up with artists from her own country, Belgium, but also from far beyond the country's borders: The Netherlands, the UK and Germany. "In selecting the trombonists, I looked for specific timbres, but also for personality. It is important that there is a good balance in playing together, but also that each musician is strong enough on his or her own for the solo parts."
Wanting to push boundaries in her approach to both compositions and the trombone as an instrument, the real crème de la crème of the newest generation proved indispensable. "I selected a handful of European trombonists with whom I may or may not have already played, but who, above all, inspire me very deeply. They are all young people who have a lot to offer and already have significant projects to their name in their own region or country."
Be As One is excited to release the long overdue "Romantic & Dead" LP, the debut Album from one of the most talented artists of the recent generational Techno movement, and the label regular "Kashpitzky".
Being the hyped Berlin based producers most crafted project to date, the Buzzing 11 tracks LP is spread over 2 vinyls, astonishing covered artwork and shiny polished product, and reflecting the different shades of techno from several moments of the night, tailored straight from the mind of the most sought after artist of the recent couple of years.
Lining with the label's raw and old school influenced sound Aesthetics of re defining the term "House influenced Techno", Kashpitzky fits right in as one of the imprint's leading figures, compiling the 5th full length artist album to date from the label, after industry icons such as Kenny Larkin, Samuel L Session, Orbe and the label head Shlomi Aber.
As its title, the Romantic & Dead LP is an excepional abstracted and mixtured techno journey for the heads and collectors both, and marks a significant milestones for the young artist and the established label.
Commemorating the 15th anniversary of Wiz Khalifa's 2008 mixtape, Star Power, Rostrum Records is releasing the mixtape’s first-ever vinyl pressing! The limited-edition package features retro video game inspired artwork and outer space colored vinyl discs, housed in a NES cartridge style die-cut inner sleeve. Also included is a lyrics insert resembling a video game instruction booklet.
Originally released on September 17, 2008, Star Power is an essential document from Wiz Khalifa's early career, helping develop his lush sound and establish his reputation as the game's hardest-working and most talented stoner. Hosted by DJ Deez, the tape features multiple guest appearances from Wiz's close associate Chevy Woods, then known as Kev Da Hustla, and production sculpted at the legendary I.D. Labs by Pittsburgh natives like Sledgren, E. Dan, Johnny Juliano, Rocky Fontaine, and Big Jerm, who produced hits for Wiz, Mac Miller, and more during his career. Spanning 23 tracks, Star Power exhibits the melodic mastery and strong songwriting that soon made Wiz Khalifa a superstar, acting as a crucial stepping stone from Pittsburgh prominence to worldwide recognition.
New Parisian label, Disques Messager, presents its new and second release. As its name suggests, the label has a simple leitmotiv: to place itself among the best messengers for rarities and sought-after gems of the international rare groove. A mission which began like fire last year with a 7inch reissue release including two Brazilian Disco bangers by Cristina Camargo. For this second efforts, the label doesn’t deviate from the artistic and quality path taken, however also making quite a U-turn, this time presenting 2 underrated kind of musical UFO, both from the French scene.
Not many info can be found about Yoanson & Karamie, two young artists from the French African diaspora, who randomly met with Nessim Saroussi and his label Ness Music in the late 80s. Nessim himself doesn’t remind much about the 2 guys, except that he quickly offered to produce them, which resulted in their only EP release, Kalimba (1988). Part of this EP, “African Leaders” is a stunning track melting Afro-Tropical percussions, Disco bass, Early-Electro beats and Leftfield vocals in a way that could remind of Doctor L or Arthur Russel productions.
On the contrary, Philippe de Lacroix-Herpin (aka Prof Jah Pinpin) has a long musical career started in the mid-70s and became a renowned saxophonist playing and recording for many famous French acts such as Jean-Jacques Goldman, Alain Chamfort, FFF, or even rap band NTM. In 1994, he moved definitely to the Reunion Island where he quickly launched the Prof Jah Pinpin 4tet, in his own words willing to play “free/funk/jazz/rock/tropical” music… Quite a vast and large musical tag, but which immediately make sense when listening to the surprising “The Final Bird” track. Only released as CD in 1996, this instrumental production has indeed a unique sound and flavor mixing all kinds of elements together (even samples of Weather Report).
Well as you can understand, words are not the best way to describe these 2 hidden treasures, so we strongly recommend the spinning to make your own view!
Savage Grounds is the synthpunk and minimal synth swiss project of LUX REC head Daniel Cosmo among Florin Büchel and the mesmerizing Kleio Thomaïdes (part of Bound by Endogamy as well). After nine previous releases, Separation Shock represents the last record by the trio before the temporary hiatus they have decided to start. You could expect the classical, raw, and minimalistic sound that defines one of the best acts in the genre coming from central Europe. Pure analog synth madness with the always-evoking and hypnotic vocals of Kleio. A must-have for any minimal wave collector. Presented in ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid SILVER GREY vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered for vinyl by Daniel Hallhuber at Young and Cold Studios (Germany).
For 20 years the Tuareg culture and music has fascinated the world. Their quasi-sacred poetic songs inspire western songwriters like KURT VILE or JOSÉ GONZALEZ, while the virtuosity of their guitar playing fascinates guitar heroes like JIMMY PAGE, and finally the spirituality and meditative hypnotism impresses electronic music producers like FOUR TET.With two albums, IMARHAN has become an emblem of the new Tuareg generation, breathing new life into “Assouf”, the desert blues.
While most of current Tuareg productions are exiled to the United States, the group, led by Sadam, is part of their culture and their city, the capital of the Tuareg people, with an open door to the desert. By building their own studio in Tamanrasset Aboogi, Imarhan become the spokesmen of the young Tuareg lost generation (forgotten by Algerian, Nigerian and Malian governments).With their new album Aboogi, Imarhan manipulate the rights and ancestry of the Tuareg. By inviting the legendary Mohamed At Itlale aka Japonais (who has since, sadly, passed away) and the genius musician Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, IMARHAN follows the heritage of TINARIWEN, the godfathers of Assouf. When they recorded with GRUFF RHYS of the SUPER FURRY ANIMALS, their brilliant and universal songwriting takes on every sense of the word. Finally, by inviting the Sudanese singer Sulafa Elyas, we understand that IMARHAN is open to all of Africa, defenders of the Tuaregs but above all spokesperson for the new African generation.
There are two versions of the vinyl - classic black and triple-color limited Indie Shop edition.
Both have special insert inside with the bands bio and photos.
Generacja JAZZ is a project showing a fragment of the new wave of Polish jazz, treading its own path, creating, touring and jamming across Europe. Borders don't exist - especially musical - the new generation is engaging with nightclubs, festivals and playlists. The time has now come to show its broader perspective. We created a project which involves a handful of groups that have already racked up debut albums and festival wins, as they set out on their musical odyssey. The groups also have other things in common, like their passion, originality and, for the needs of the project, age - all the artists during the recording of this album were under 30 years old. This is the new generation - the Jazz Generation.
For the Jazz Generation record we invited five bands who had already released debut albums: Immortal Onion, Klawo, Rejoin, Twoosty Mayonez and USO 9001. We also reserved two spots on the compilation for the winners of our open call competition, whereby on the basis of the jury's choice (jury: Monika Borzym, Paulina Przybysz, Envee, Wojtek Mazolewski i Marcin Groh Grośkiewicz) we met the winning bands: Kosmos and quietet.
The sleeve artist is Kornelia Nowak, who won our open call for young designers and graphic artists. Here once again we could rely on the opinion of a prestigious jury comprised of: Beata Śliwińska Barrakuz, Bovska, Maciej Animisiewasz Grochot, Grzegorz Forin Piwnicki i Marcin Groh Grośkiewicz.
Generacja JAZZ LP is also a start of the new imprint - U JAZZ ME, which will be focused on jazz from Poland.
And here are the bands from the album:
1. Immortal Onion - A band from the Tri-City playing a broad spectrum of instrumental music.
The band Immortal Onion has already established itself as one of the most interesting projects of the new wave of Polish jazz, and is consistently being labelled as such abroad. After two well received albums ("Ocelot of Salvation" (2017) and"XD Experience Design" (2020) U Know Me Records) they released their third album "Screens" in 2022, which was recorded with the well known Tri-City composer and saxophonist - Michał Jan Ciesielski.
The inspiration behind the band's formation were such artists as: Esbjörn Svensson, Hiromi Uehara, Tigran Hamasyan and Tosin Abasi.
The group's guiding principle from the very beginning was the fusion of often disparate musical styles, which bore "post instrumental aggressive gay pop". Despite the stylistic discrepancies, between which they swim, the group has forged its own identifiable language, characterised by complicated rhythmical structures, energetic riffs and trance beats with lyrical melodies.
The trio has performed its original material at many venues and festivals around Europe and Asia.
2. Klawo - seven adventurous adventurers from Gdańsk, who were brought together by their love for music, halvah and throwing Frisbee. Their self-named début album, released in 2022 on the local label Coastline Northern Cuts, is an amalgam of the inspirations of each of the team members and played backwards contains tips on how to reach the Kashubian pyramids. After a win at the international competition Jazz in the Park, held in Cluj-Napoca in Romania, the band began work on their second album. Meanwhile, they were also travelling the length and breadth of Poland on a mission to infect people with the idea of Baltic Funk.
3. Kosmos is a Łódż based jazz quintet. It was formed in 2020 by Pianist Stanisław Szmigero, Saxophonist Iwo Tylman and Trumpeter Jan Ostalski. However, it wasn't until 2022 that Kosmos found its true form when Kamil Gużniczak (Upright bass) and Kacper Kuta (Percussion) joined the line-up.
Their compositions are influenced by Polish yass bands, electronic music and hip-hop. Kosmos music is a mix of lyricism, space, intensity and elements of experiment.
The band members are all eccentric characters possessing different means of musical expression - looking at them, one could even argue they are a group of oddballs. Despite this, for reasons unbeknownst to themselves, the members of Kosmos complement each other on stage and form a unified artistic vision of the world around them.
Kosmos officially released their début single "Ja" in June 2023. They regularly play concerts across Poland and recently were selected as distinguished artists at JAZZiNSPIRACJE (JAZZiNSPIRATION) - a competition held during the 13th Lublin Jazz Festival.
4. Quietet (formed at the beginning of 2023) is the result of meetings between five talented musicians with a deep passion for musical creation. Its sound is a unique blend of Jazz and classical music with a hint of hard rock. The band is inspired by the Scandinavian approach to making music, which brings a characteristic atmosphere and melodies to their work. Their music captivates listeners with its originality, refined improvisations and flawless technique. Both classical and modern musical trends feed their inspiration when creating passionate and emotional compositions.
Their works are full of sound experimentation, which equally surprise and expose new musical horizons. Through their compositions, "Quietet" aims to share their emotions evoked during performances, creating a musical journey that affects and inspires.
5. Connecting jazz with electronic music in fresh interpretations, six young musicians make up the group Rejoin. The group re-formed in 2020 after a four-year break, playing their debut concert at Lotos Jazz Festival Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. The musicians in Rejoin have performed alongside such artists as: Urszula Dudziak, Krystyna Prońko, Marcin Masecki, Szczyl, Kuba Więcek and Paulina Przybysz.
Most of the members of Rejoin are students from the Katowice Music Academy, where they also develop their own projects. Rejoin was a recipient of the Fabryki Norblin Music Masterclass Foundation scholarship.
6. Twoosty Mayonez is something your grandad would listen to with his younger sister. The non-standard approach to jazz alongside a pursuit of strange sounds, culminated in the conceptual album entitled "Carmin". The material was created by Bartosz Wolerta (percussion) and Dominik Kaniewski (bass guitar/synths). "Triceradiplodocus" tells the story of a mechanical dinosaur that lives on the yet undiscovered planet Carmin.
Marina Herlop is often described as a pianist, a lingering remnant of her classical training. But what strikes the listener on Herlop’s breakout track miu is the intricate trickery of her voice, tracing rhythmical clusters around the subtlest of musical beds, in a technique inspired by Carnatic music of Southern India.
miu, the opening track of Herlop’s new studio album Pripyat, was among the first songs that the young Catalan artist made on a computer, after two albums – 2016’s Nanook and 2018’s Babasha – that brought spectral elegance to the sound of piano and voice. This spirit of adventure continues into Pripyat, Herlop’s first full album produced on a computer, and her most intensely emotional work to date.
Listening to Pripyat you can feel the emotional toil and creative endeavour that went into the record. Fans of Nanook and Babasha will recognise the combination of melancholic piano and elegant vocal lines that is found on Pripyat tracks like abans abans. But Pripyat has a far fuller, almost chaotic sound when compared to Herlop’s previous work, with the addition of electronic drums, electric bass lines and a wealth of sublime production effects.
Cosmological Record begins its journey with Red Shift EP, five original tracks produced by Roberto Manolio, with an experimental touch and abstract-style artwork by the young and talented Luca Maestro. Techno and house imprint for the first chapter, with various nuances ranging from acid to deep house, with a touch of electro and minimal sound,unite to sensual, thoughtful and direct vocals.
Its flow has the aim of channeling whatever kind of energy is emanated in that instant, creating a direct connection with its source of origin, favoring the perception of the key frequencies that fuel our spirit.
"Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything in the universe dances"
Fresh from their celebrated UK tour, featuring a stand-out performance at London Jazz Festival, Ishmael Ensemble return with ‘Reasons’ the lead single from their forthcoming EP ‘New Era’, a collaborative project with lyricist and MC Rider Shafique.
Ishmael Ensemble’s Pete Cunningham says: “I first came across Rider Shafique about 6 years ago after I heard his piece “I-Dentity” via Bristol’s Young Echo collective & was immediately struck by his powerful way with words. A true master of his craft.This record was an opportunity to lean into the more bass-heavy side of my music taste. I’ve always been a massive fan of dub in all its forms & producers like King Tubby, Adrian Sherwood & Pinch have been a constant source of inspiration over the years. This sound palette coupled with a voice like Rider’s is something I’ve always wanted to make so I’m super happy with what we’ve produced here.
Fresh up for distro, we have a new record with six instrumental pieces of unique gold from Young Echo's O$VMV$M, the third release on their own label, following up that 7" with Rider Shafique.
In den letzten fünf Jahren hat sich Kenny Beats zu einer der wichtigsten Persönlichkeiten im Rap entwickelt. Er hat karrierebestimmende Musik für Leute wie NBA Youngboy, FKA twigs, Dominic Fike, Rico Nasty, Freddie Gibbs und Vince Staples produziert, absurden christlichen Rap mit dem Komiker Zack Fox gemacht und Agit-Punk für IDLES aus Bristol aufgenommen. Er hat auch neu definiert, was es heute bedeutet, ein Produzent zu sein, indem er eine Generation von Heim-Beatbastlern durch seine verschiedenen Tutorial-Livestreams und die episodische Produktionsserie "The Cave" angeleitet hat. "LOUIE" ist Kennys allererste Veröffentlichung als Solokünstler. Er schöpft aus der reichen, soulgetränkten Tradition von Ausreißern wie J.Dilla, Madlib und D"Angelo, um zum ersten Mal Themen seiner eigenen Familie, Kindheit und Erziehung zu erkunden. "LOUIE" ist eine Hommage an Kennys Beziehung zur Musik insgesamt und bietet mit einem Ensemble von Kollaborateuren und Musikern von Mac De Marco bis Thundercat ein neuartiges Produzentenalbum, das seiner eigenen, immer noch wachsenden Stimme ganz neue Schichten hinzufügt.
“Sainen Hildo” is an album based on Miguel’s original compositions, recomposed and rearranged for accordion and voice by the two composers. Using the natural resonance and harmonics of these two instruments to influence their introspective interactions, resulting in evolving drones and tones and puzzling percussive outbursts. Unusual and at times unsettling, they manage to create a calibrated, deep and complex exploratory universe of ambience and drone where listening becomes a ritual. Highest recommendation for fans of Pauline Oliveros, Eliane Radigue or Phill Niblock.
Garazi Navas (accordion + voice). Original compositions by Miguel A. García. Recomposed and rearranged by Garazi Navas & Miguel A. García. Recorded by Ibon Rg at Azkuna Zentroa (Contemporary Art Centre in Bilbao) in June 2022, as part of the associated artists program. Mixing and mastering by Juan Carlos Blancas. Compiled by Mikel Acosta.
Acrylic painting on heavyweight paper by Maite Mugerza Ronse. Limited edition of 300 black vinyl LP’s housed in a coloured matt laminated cover. Released by Hegoa Diskak.
Dopelganger is the project in collaboration between classically trained accordion player and singer Garazi Navas (Usansolo, Bizkaia-Biscay, 1995) and Miguel A. Garcia (Vitoria-Gasteiz), an artist living in Bilbao with an extensive career in the fields of experimental music and sound art.
Garazi Navas / Classically trained at Musikene School of Music in San Sebastian with a masters in traditional music, Garazi, is a restless accordionist who, despite her young age, has taken part in a multitude of projects in theater, poetry, ballet, art installations and even playing with the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. Her works are a personal interpretation of the close relationship which she feels exists between cutting-edge and traditional music.
Miguel A. García / Has performed extensively in Europe, America and Asia, both as a solo artist, improvising and in multiple ensembles. He has collaborated with dozens of artists (Al Karpenter, Jean Luc Guionnet, Sébastien Branche...) in studio and live, and appeared in more than a hundred albums. At the same time, he is organizer and curator of events, being founder of Club Le Larraskito, director of Zarata Fest, and part of the coordination of the cycle Hotsetan at Azkuna Zentroa itself
Lee Jeffries Brings Northern Soul Holy Grail 7” to life in live form with the Unsung Wonders playing live and recorded onto 2 inch tape with no editing to give you stunning versions of these northern soul treasures.
The Album was recorded back in 2016 in Leicester with Lee's dad Steve Jeffries, one of the world's leading Northern Soul’s rare record dealers.
Lee's good friend & now pressing manager at Sonic Wax Pressing Manager Adam Bucanan also was involved in the producing and mentoring the young band to deliver these stunning records.
With 50 years of Northern Soul Wigan Casino in 2023 it's great to see new Northern Soul music is being made.
The Rice N Peas is the alternative ego to The Unsung Wonders and give a stunning Lovers Rock / Reggae take on these holy grail tracks.
On this fifth and final instalment of the Time Crystals series, Gabriel D'Or & Bordoy (GBD) takes the first turn with a fierce track, fittingly called "Saw"; its driving fundament alternated with rousing synths. Pyramidal Decode's second track provides a break from the four to the flour patterns, before handing over to old friend of the label UUN, whose "Seeking the End" is a true peak time banger.
Polish Szmer has the honor to provide not only this EP's last track but also for this entire series. He does so in the form of "SEQ3", a track that embodies what Dynamic Reflections 15-year discography stands for in the first place: artists from all corners of the world, young and old, respecting what generations before them have built up while turning it into something new.
Eye of Agamotto is part of Dynamic Reflection's 15 year anniversary celebration: Time Crystals. This is the last of the five EP's. Own all five and an all new, visual piece of art will appear.
“The Soul Of Tommy Youngblood” 1970 Kent LP had many fine tracks, especially ‘Tobacco Road North’ though it was not attributed to the rightful writer, Jimmy Radcliffe, at the time. The music has been sampled for various hip-hop adaptations, including one by Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan, but the original stands on its own and deserves a 7” format.
The Other Brothers ‘Nobody But Me’ is another UK Kent exclusive that sold out on its first Kent Select press and is still highly sought-after and now very expensive.
In apartheid-era South Africa, gospel music provided solace and served as a tool for covert communication to circumvent the censorship of the settler regime. By the 2010s, South African gospel, deeply ingrained in the soul of Soweto, assumed a new role—as a heartfelt cry against persistent failures and shortcomings, a cry mourning a South Africa that never materialized.
A new South Africa needed a new gospel sound.
In 2016, nine young men from different parts of Diepkloof, a celebrated neighbourhood brimming with talent within Soweto's sprawling township, came together to form the sound of a new South Africa under the name Diepkloof United Voice.
Diepkloof United Voice's music has gone viral multiple times on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook, garnering between 60,000 to 2 million views. The comments section displays flag emojis from Brazil to India, showcasing the global reach of their music.
This album was recorded on site in Soweto, in an abandoned classroom of Lebowa Elementary School in Diepkloof Zone 3, where the choir rehearsed for years. Amid rolling blackouts, Diepkloof United Voice poured their heart, soul, and vocal chords into their debut record, combining classic South Africa gospel, Soweto's own kasi soul, American blues, and Zulu flavor, to present the contemporary gospel sound of a changing South Africa.
The promise of a new South Africa might finally be realized, as Diepkloof United Voice guarantees the country's future is guided by the truth, uttered with each gasp of breath from their inimitable voices.
Mr. K’s series of edits on Most Excellent Unlimited is nothing if not eclectic, and utilitarian — as befits a veteran DJ of Danny Krivit’s stature. For our latest, Krivit pulls two disparate gems out of his bag of tricks and fits them neatly on a single 7-inch piece of vinyl.
In 1972 Ralph Bakshi’s landmark underground animated film Fritz the Cat was released, featuring a soundtrack performed by an all-star cast of San Francisco area musicians associated with the Berkeley-based Fantasy label. Perhaps Fantasy’s biggest artist was the vibes player Cal Tjader, who debuted in 1955 and was still going strong when songs were gathered for the movie’s soundtrack nearly twenty years later. Rather than simply using one of his older, already-recorded tunes, Tjader laid down a completely new version of his earlier hit record “Mamblues.” This time however, he swapped his standard latin percussion accompaniment for a can’t-miss rhythm section of Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, and Arthur Adams. The result was a searing funk workout that took the latin jazz classic to new heights. Mr. K subtly warms this one up by adding a hint of reverb and bringing the tempo down a notch, pushing things from frenetic to funky, and firmly into friendly mixing territory for the DJs.
For our flip side, we turn to an unsung jewel amongst Philadelphia’s many contributions to disco music. Executive Suite released a series of singles in ’74 and ’75 that were recorded at the famed Sigma Sound Studios and had ties to a number of better known disco luminaries, among them the holy trinity of Baker-Harris-Young and, on “You Believed In Me,” the mighty Patrick Adams. Along with his longtime associate Stan Lucas, Adams garnished the vocal quartet’s composition with a driving arrangement and epic, soaring strings. The combined effect produced a vibrant, uplifting club cut that echoes the positive spirit of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” while being altogether its own thing. For our latest release Mr. K focuses solely on Adams’s instrumental section, returning repeatedly to that addictive string riff and creating a propulsive rhythm track that just doesn’t quit. And we don’t want it to!
As always, these connoisseur’s choice cuts have been remastered and pressed to Most Excellent Unlimited’s standards, and are primed and ready on 7-inch for DJs and home listeners alike.
The second vinyl release by young, interdisciplinary Dresden label fragmented: is called fragmented:borders (FRAG:002) and features three original productions by fragmented: resident RANDOM DATA accompanied by a remix from WARNING resident Mars Leder. It is composed of experimental breakbeats defined by dubby bass and eclectic drum patterns infused with oriental rhythmic elements, creating a sonically unique atmosphere. The remix by Mars Leder is a dreamy and playful house re-interpretation of the original, which skillfully opens up new perspectives on its various elements by embedding them in a refreshingly uplifting soundscape.
The cover artwork by Lydia Henkel deals with the haptics of memory. Traces of working in the ransacked material are emblematic of gestures of individuals who have to fight their way through water, authorities, everyday life, in order to find a foothold and to be allowed to arrive. The often invisible struggles of those who must fight for perception and treatment as individuals and not as the cause of problems are reflected in the vase and remembered silently and angrily.
A central part of this release is the cooperation with political association “Mission Lifeline'' which mainly focuses on sea rescue missions in the Mediterranean. By drawing attention to their work on the vinyl cover and inner sleeve print, fragmented: aims to provide a platform for this vital cause. To further support their efforts, 50% of the proceeds from this release will be donated to Mission Lifeline.
Top Boy is the British television crime drama series, created and written by Ronan Bennett. The story follows two seasoned drug dealers return to the gritty streets of London, but their pursuit of money and power is threatened by a young and ruthless hustler. It stars Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, and the
2020 BAFTA Rising Star Award-winning Michael Ward. The first two seasons aired between 2011 and 2013, but following interest from rapper Drake, Netflix announced in 2017 that it would revive the series. Co-produced by the Hotline Bling-rapper, the third and fourth season of Top Boy launched in 2019 and 2022.
In the captivating Netflix series Top Boy, Brian Eno’s transcendent music serves as a vital companion, molding the narrative’s essence with its ethereal power. With a masterful touch, Eno’s atmospheric compositions effortlessly transport us into the gritty world of crime, friendship, and survival in East London. From delicate ambience to pulsating beats, his sonic tapestry envelops every scene, elevating the storytelling and evoking a range of emotions. Eno’s singular ability to capture the struggle, hope, and inner strength of the characters accentuates the raw authenticity of Top Boy, leaving an indelible mark on its viewers. His haunting melodies and intricately crafted soundscapes symbolize the unyielding resilience amidst chaos, making Brian Eno’s music an integral and unforgettable component of this groundbreaking series.
Another 1983 gem is remastered by the label Mr. Disc Organization
"Gaucho - Dance Forever"!
Gaucho is the trio formed by the great Italian producers Stefano Pulga, Luciano Ninzatti and Bruno Bergonzi that some of them remember in other music groups such as "Kano," "Dharma," "Sphinx" etc.
"Dance Forever!" Yes we want to dance forever with this rhythm!
Percussion that doesn't stop and this synth that provides the backdrop for this dance.
There is also a remix by young Musta and Stefano Ritteri who have
strengthened the track making it more powerful!
Jordon Alexander (pen name Mall Grab) brilliantly carved out his very own niche in dance music. Influenced by hardcore punk skateboarding and high fashion (Linea Rossa!) in equal parts the young Australian delivers precise studies in house and techno. As entertaining as they are excitatory there hasn’t been a bump on his road so far. Alexander’s debut for Running Back proves this point. How The Dogs Chill Vol.2 delivers four high octane tracks whose DNA contains traces of deep house and a penchant for atmospheric and dulcet melodies. But they are also muscle-bound soaring and cater to the aptitude of shaking legs. Written in 2022 while he was around the flora and fauna of Australia these tracks are also supposed to sound somewhat botanical – or at least evoke the sensory experience of a visit to a greenhouse. Carefully sequenced and crafted one is left with an appetite as soon as the playtime is over. Proper nutriment for party people and serious music pendants alike.
Alienist Rec is back with its third installment, presenting a special split EP that showcases the diverse talents of two exceptional artists. Each side of the vinyl is dedicated to a different artist, delivering a captivating blend of underground electronic music.
On the A-side, we are thrilled to introduce Chaou B, a promising young producer from Morocco. Known for his distinct style, Chaou B explores the realms of deep Techno Electro House with two mesmerizing cuts that are not for the faint-hearted.
Track A1, titled "Instinct," is a dynamic composition featuring sharp drums that create an irresistible rhythmic foundation. Combined with a mesmerizingly mental and spiritual bassline, as well as a captivating synthline, this track is sure to take the breath away on every dance floor.
Track A2, "Untitled Groove," takes a more straightforward and loopy approach while maintaining the captivating vibe established in the first track. Chaou B incorporates crispy synth leads that elevate the energy and intensity, keeping the listener fully immersed in the groove.
Flipping over to the B-side, we encounter DJ Void, a seasoned veteran of Vienna's best parties and afters. DJ Void brings forth two groovy and uplifting productions that effortlessly traverse the realms of House and Minimal Techno.
Track B1, "Frankfurt Jaam," is a masterful creation that showcases DJ Void's intelligent arrangement skills. Combining pulsating beats with a meticulously crafted blend of melodic elements, this track will undoubtedly keep your ears focused and your feet moving.
Concluding the EP, Track B2, "Transaction," offers a dynamic journey filled with textured layers and intricate soundscapes. DJ Void skillfully builds anticipation, incorporating drops and evolutions that keep the energy levels high throughout the composition.
Stay tuned for the release of Alienist Rec's third installment on 12" vinyl, available at selected record stores and online platforms. Let the music guide you on a sonic journey through the minds of these talented artists, as they push the boundaries of electronic music and ignite dance floors worldwide.
Elic, aka Giorgio Di Natale, is a DJ and producer from Bari, Puglia (Italy). He was initiated into electronic music at a young age, when he began attending clubs in the area and working as a PR. Soon after, he discovered, while frequenting the most transgressive Florentine clubs and the Adriatic Riviera, a passion for house music and everything that runs around the world of clubbing.The uncontrollable desire and instinct to listen and buy records to share with friends and people, led him to take up DJing in 1999. With the huge background behind him and the various styles that contaminated him, he decided to let this flow into productions as well, and it was not until 2021 that he entered the world of music production.Thus was born Elic and his label HELICAL. "Retourism" is the label's first EP and collects three tracks ranging from electronic to techno and minimal.
A journey through hypnotic atmospheres, but with an eye always on the dancefloor.
Cover versions of international songs have long thrived in South Africa’s music industry. Often unable to license the original tracks (until the early 90s the result of an international boycott of the country) labels instead hired producers and session artists to re-record them for the local market. Early house music in SA was no different.
When Ron ‘Robot’ Friedman, former bass player for local rockers Rabbitt, was winding down his label On Records in the early 90s, he reached out for new inspiration as the popularity of ‘bubblegum’ disco waned. For one of the label’s final releases he hired young DJ/producer Quentin Foster, obsessed with the new soulful house sound coming out of the US, to take the reins on a studio project dubbed Citi Express.
On Robot’s insistence it included a cover of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Living for the City’ (from 1973’s Innervisions) as the title track. Foster set to work in his home studio, dubbed Tone Def, selecting and re-working other US and UK tracks — ‘It’s Too Late’ (originally released in 1989 by Kelli Sae), ‘Love is the Message’ (influenced by the 70s soul anthem and credited to Gamble & Huff but bearing a closer resemblance to Better Days’ 1990 release written by Steve Proctor), ‘People of The World’ (recorded by Sorell Johnson in the UK in 1990) and ‘Victim of Your Love’ (released in 1990 by Gary Vonqwest as ‘Victim of Love’) — adding some signature South African touches in the process that foreshadow the imminent rise of kwaito. One original composition was added for good measure, ‘Open Invitation’.
The result offers a glimpse into those early days of house, a uniquely South African take on a global sound that still resonates today — reissued for the first time on Afrosynth Records.
Boss Priester makes his LOCUS debut with his bustling four-track ‘Hotel Dijon’ EP.
Working hard in the studio to develop his own take on minimal-leaning house and techno, The Hague-based DJ/ producer Boss Priester is starting to reap the rewards and emerge as another hotshot from the country’s hotbed of electronic talent. Racking up support from the likes of Dungeon Meat, East End Dubs, Michel de Hey, Dr. Banana and Alec Falconer, his releases on What NxT and Dark Side Of The Sun have accompanied appearances at the likes of Thuishaven, Colorado Charlie and Lovelee. Another fan of the young Dutchman is FUSE and LOCUS boss Enzo Siragusa, and late September brings a first appearance on the latter imprint as he makes his label debut with his four-track ‘Hotel Dijon’ EP.
Title track ‘Hotel Dijon’ comes loaded with raw drum licks, cosmic synths and menacing, swirling low-ends for a heavy-hitting opener set to cause serious dance floor damage, while the slinking ‘ROF66’ mixes eerie stabs with shuffling drums and bouncy baselines for another heavyweight anthem. Next, ‘SUP01’ keeps things ticking nicely on a similar tip with yet more punchy percussion arrangements linking with playful sound design peppered with zippy FX, before closing the show with the hopped-up, bass-driven sonics of final effort ‘Wek’.
Boss Priester ‘Hotel Dijon’ EP drops via LOCUS on 22nd September 2023.
Originating from Adelaide while performing and producing as half of the duo 'Warren Raww', Hank YM got his start by throwing a string of events in the well catered establishment 'Sugar Nightclub'.
While supporting and hosting the likes of Funkineven, Damiano Von Erkcert, Mark Grusane and Florist, ambition turned more towards production in 2017. Taking inspiration from fellow Adelaide musicians such as Mic Mills, Arthur Miles and Freddie Norwood (Untzz Records), the focus in Hank's sound has always been to create a unique experience, with sets flowing from roots percussion through to house and disco. First debuting with a strong release on Australian Label 'Centre Source Records', 'Wabi-Sabi' placed focus on percussion and lush chords inspired from Japanese aesthetic
The bright new duo, Marcel Vogel & LYMA, triumphantly returns to Boogie Angst with their sizzling new EP offering, No Time.
Following the recent release of their lead single, Free Time, we're proud to introduce four new, unique tracks to their burgeoning collection of juicy tunes.
Funkiness and abstraction take center stage on this EP. Opening up with the previously released Free Time, featuring filtered vocals and an unconventional structure that blends rich synths with dusty analog stabs and 1990s rave plucks.
The tempo slows down on Easy, a gorgeous song that sounds like a lost Sade demo, featuring subtle beatbox textures, tiny synth plucks, all ending up in a delightful culmination of delayed textures.
Broken Wings begins with a captivating vocal performance, leading to a sturdy Roland bass drum, sustained chords, and resonant arp sequences, with hints of Freestyle.
Flame On creates an almost tropical atmosphere with looping, scattered vocals and an abundance of cowbells. All before the EP closer, You're A Star, rounds things off with clunky basslines, a steady groove and hypnotic pitched vocals.
No Time follows the duo's debut Boogie Angst EP, Games Change, and is a powerful step forward in their young, yet promising catalogue.
A special vinyl edition of No Time will also grace our stores soon.
1 december 1944, Thiaroye military camp, right outside of Dakar, Senegal.
1600 French soldiers of West African origin (Benin, Mali, Ivory Coast, Tchad, Senegal , Gabon, Togo etc.) have been quickly evacuated by the French Army during what was subsequentially called the ‘whitening of the colonial troops’ that happened before the armistice signature. The soldiers are awaiting to be paid for their war effort. Things go sideways, protests erupt, and the French military staff decides to open fire. The official number of casualties is 35, although various sources claim several hundred people died on that fatal day.
Since then, several artists have grasped that difficult topic, screaming for recognition and reparation.
Such is the case with a young Senegalese musician and singer named Maxidilick Adioa, with his very first single ever released, ‘Toubab Bile’, in 1987.
At that time, Adioa had been living in France for a few years. He was considered a master percussionist, playing, recording and touring alongside the great Ivorian artist Alpha Blondy. He had just written a beautiful tune, ‘Nao’, for Aminata Fall, one of the biggest actress and singers in Senegal. It seemed like a good time to launch his solo career.
Toubab Bilé remains Adioa’s biggest hit to this day, and one of the best African reggae tune ever recorded.
Adioa ended up signing an album deal with Chris Blackwell’s Island records and toured the world endlessly during the following years.
In 2012, François Hollande was the first French President to officially mention and pay tribute to the Thiaroye massacre in a speech.
Most Excellent Unlimited is happy to announce the next release in its series of collaborations with master DJ and editor "Mr. K". Two exceptional deep classic album gems skillfully cut down to a maximum 7" 45rpm format, Luther’s “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” and Zulema’s “Giving Up.”
Long before “Never Too Much” and his other solo hits, Luther Vandross was an in-demand backup singer and vocal arranger, working with luminaries like Carly Simon, Bette Midler, and Donna Summer, along with his stand out performances in Change, Bionic Boogie, & so many more. Perhaps his most significant role, however, was backing David Bowie on the 1975 Young Americans album. It was during these sessions that Bowie heard Luther’s song “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” and re-tooled it to become the Bowie/Vandross joint composition “Fascination,” which went on to become a successful Bowie single.
For the latest edition of Most Excellent Unlimited’s series of edits, Mr. K has gone back to the original source, credited to the group (not the solo artist) Luther (which also features Christine Wiltshire). Mr. K's technique on this edit is cleverly subtle, in the process giving us the first opportunity to get almost the entire full-length song on compact 7-inch wax, keeping that irresistible building energy that places the track firmly on dancefloor-friendly territory.
“Giving Up” was the opening track on Zulema’s second LP, and given the drama of the intro, with its rolling piano, string ensemble, and piercing guitar, it’s not hard to hear why it was effective in that role. Mr. K’s edit benefits from a crystal clear remastering in which each element of the band is distinct in the soundfield, led by Zulema’s gutsy vocals upfront. Originally a 1964 Gladys Knight tearjerker that crept along at a tango’s pace, Zulema’s 1973 cover gives the song a new, powerfully soulful arrangement, championed by such disparate eras and tastemakers as Nicky Siano at the Gallery in the ’70s and breakbeat hunters the Beatnuts in the ’90s that has easily found favor with a wide variety of listeners and DJs, and this new issue should solidify that position. Never before available on 7-inch, “Giving Up” is a bonafide funk and proto-disco classic —
After our debut vinyl release “Cosmic Vibrations” with Rush City x Handerk we are ready to present our second vinyl release. This time one of our label founders Jonathan Lopez A.K.A Jonahlo wants to take you in a psychedelic journey on his new EP “ACID DAYS”; a four track EP where each track gets you through a different state of mind.
Jonahlo is an amazing musician, jazz bass player and producer from Bogotá, Colombia. He has released music on labels such as Nomada Records, Night Young and Otayana Records.
This trip starts with “Acid Days”; a superb Deep House anthem with layers of evolving sounds, exquisite melodies and uplifting chord progressions that make us take off and start feeling 100% positive. You can hear samples from cinema describing how it feels when you start connecting and being one with nature.
The following track is “Particles”; on this track Jonahlo goes deeper, evoking hypnotic and far-sighted moods of melancholy. At this point we start pondering about the universe’s infinite dimension and imagining particles vibrating as we fall into our deepest thoughts.
On the flip- side we bump into “Lost Mind”, a percussive deep techno with spacey and bleepy sounds reminding us that 90’s uk old-school style. Now is the time to get lost in the moment after going through the trip’s hard peak where you really start letting go.
The release closes with “It’s Alright”; a good vibe deep sampled house track that tell us to take it easy, to just relax and appreciate life.
The Album cover was disigned by incredible Colombian artist Jose Mejía which represents a flower going through the process of questioning oneself and coming out transformed on the other side. It is a process of exploration, discovery, and rebirth.
KEY GLOCK is a protégé of Young Dolph & who rose to fame in 2017 with his mixtape “Glock Season.” The artist signed to Young Dolph’s label in 2017 and their collaborative album, “Dum and Dummer,” reached #8 on the Billboard 200. As a lead artist, Key Glock has since had one certified platinum single (“Russian Cream”) and 4 certified gold singles (“Since6ix,” “Gang Shit No Lame Shit,” “Mr. Glock,” & “Ambition for Cash”). His debut studio album, “Yellow Tape,” peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200, while the follow-up, “Yellow Tape 2,” rose to #7 on the same chart. A 5-track EP, “”PRE5L,” was released in November 2022 & included the hit track, “Jigsaw.” He is the cousin by marriage of Young Dolph, who sadly passed in November 2021. In a since-deleted IG post, Key Glock called Young Dolph “my lefthand man, my brother, my cousin, and my mentor.”
Effortlessly dismantling the barriers between R&B, soul, funk, disco and jazz sounds, MF Robots present long player ‘Break The Wall’, on BBE Music. Astonishing musicianship, pristine production and top-tier songwriting, ‘Break The Wall’ immediately calls to mind those iconic American rhythm sections of the 70s and 80s. The music is energising, uplifting and the potent result of a highly accomplished musical partnership maturing, growing and hitting their stride together in lock-step. Jan Kincaid and Dawn Joseph met as members of one of the UK’s most successful Acid Jazz bands, which influenced Mark Ronson, D’Angelo, Jamiroquai, Erykah Badu and The Roots to name a few. Founding the Brand New Heavies was an important chapter for Jan, but once he and vocalist and songwriting partner Dawn began working together, the chemistry was instant and irresistible. It was time to turn the page, and soon MF Robots was born. “When we made our first album, we didn’t have a band as such. We basically made a lot of the record at home and called on other musicians as and when we needed them. Our sound was developing organically, and when we finally released the record to great critical acclaim, it was time to get out on the road,” says Jan. “We put together a band of like-minded young musicians, playing intimate gigs and big festivals all over Europe and beyond, growing tight as a unit, so that when it came time to think about making this, our second album, we knew we had an extra level of musicianship full of personality that could realise our vision.” Inviting band members Alex Montaque (keys), Naz Adamson (bass), Mark Beaney (guitar), Jack Birchwood (trumpet), Ben Treacher (sax) to improvise and contribute their own ideas over song-sketches laid out by Jan and Dawn gives ‘Break The Wall’ a special sense of off-the-cuff brilliance. Even on the polished final product you can detect a collaborative, fluid and unhurried approach to production that’s all-too rare these days. There’s guest performances from bassist Gail Ann Dorsey (‘The Love It Takes’, ‘Make Me Happy’) and guitarist Cory Wong ('Shine', 'Make Me Happy'), the former a top-flight session player who’s collaborated with Lenny Kravitz and David Bowie among others, the latter a member of the incredible Vulfpeck collective and an accomplished solo artist in his own right.
La MegaCobla: an experienced traditional Catalan cobla wind quartet, born after an improvisation workshop with ZA! two years ago. Pep Moliner, Jordi Casas, Xavi Molina and Xavi Torrent are four of the most reputable and innovative cobla musicians, experts in hacking tradition and using their folk instruments in any modern musical genre.
Tarta Relena, young a capella trans-folk duet that have shook up theire scene. With their use of polyphony and voice FX, Helena Ros and Marta Torrella are digging in the deepest Mediterranean folk repertoire and placing it in the XXIst century with aesthetic renewal.
ZA!: Papadupau & Spazzfrica Ehd are European benchmarks of the underground Do-It-Yourself music community. Their uniquely intense shows, as well as their collective/collaborative work (wokshops, benefit shows, Do-it-Together cooperation) have allowed them to tour the whole world, from Tokyo to Maputo, from Tasmania to Sao Paulo, from New York to Saint Petersburg. Under the premise that avant-garde art is not incompatible with collective horizontal creation, ZA! mix cult, underground and popular music without asking permission.
These three elements come together with the purpose of portraying their own vision of Mediterranean music, filtered by distortion (so current in cognitive, social and identity terms) and psychedelia (so inevitable in an increasingly accelerated and saturated reality). A retro-futuristic journey from folk to free exploring the shores of the Mediterranean, claiming its power as a living core, never as a deadly border.
The TransMegaCobla fuses traditional Mediterranean culture -from bulería to kopanitsa, from gnaoua to sardana- with contemporary culture to create a fictional but deeply human and festive universe. Resurrecting the Phoenician language, the octet seeks common roots to fuse and remake them with contemporary molds such as rock, punk, free jazz and conducted improvisation. A timeless orchestra ready to invent, with real elements, a science-fiction Mediterranean in a parallel reality.
Black Magic Woman, birthed out of the production outfit of Ron Trent featuring Harry Dennis most known for his previous work with Larry Heard. Harry Dennis one of the leading poets to come out of house and contemporary music in the 80's and 90's.
Being on the forefront of songs by storefront groups powered by both Larry Heard and Marshall Jeffereson The IT and Jungle Wonz critically acclaimed dance classics "Donnie" and "Time Marches on" helped revolutionize dance inteligenca world wide . Together with Trent's production they weave a spell with this ode to the power of the feminine form " Black Magic Woman".
Previously released and powering dance floors globally, Sacred Medicine brings you a set of revisions by production and DJ master Joe Jouquin Claussell who's edit and revision has been highly sought after for the past 4 years along with our young and upcoming talent producer and DJ Coflo. By the introduction of Casmena from Ocha records Coflo first approached us with his remix 4 years ago and now under our direction we are putting it to work. These magical forms are now ready for you to explore and generate power into your world.
"We find ourselves venturing into the depths of a rugged terrain. In our hands, we hold stones and minerals, each possessing its own distinct texture, weight, and sonic potential. It is through the artistic touch and through the musical instruments that these earthly treasures, once dormant, are awaken to life." — Sara Oswald + Feldermelder
The 3rd collaboration of prolific cellist Sara Oswald and electronic musician Feldermelder evokes captivating sensations that oscillate between impending doom and hope. The albums' sonic journey is highly immersive, transporting the listener from one cerebral landscape to another. The transformative nature of metallic elements being integrated in sustained orchestral tones weaves the sonic tapestry, resulting in a captivating experience for the listeners. The organic sounding — reminiscent of minerals' timbres — brings a touch of brightness and a distinctive edge, while the orchestral harmonic structures lend a sense of grandeur and continuity. The origins of this music remain enigmatic, while the tracks of the album gradually unveil concealed aspects and the hidden truth.
One can step into a realm where melodies are reborn, as Sara Oswald's cello spins tales and emotions burst forth. Nature's eternal splendor intertwines with the essence of music, as she infuses harmonies with the soul of mountains. Vibrant hues come alive with delicate strokes, and cascading notes resonate with a select few. Feldermelder conjures profound echoes that swirl like ancient whispers of the earth's primordial past. He sculpts textures, from fragmented glitches to expansive atmospheres, that warp the fabric of reality. The two musicians merge together harmoniously, blending the acoustic and electronic worlds into a transcendent unity. This fusion of contrasting elements adds a unique and intriguing quality to the music. The cello's warmth merges with pulsating electronic beats, creating a symphony of contrasts and sonic upheaval. Each composition is woven in intricate layers, combining electroacoustic architecture with delicate precision. A subtle balance of chaos and control permeates the music as it meanders through the labyrinth of the mind. The soundscape unfolds like a grand tapestry, distant echoes murmuring like grains of sand.
Trained in baroque cello and advocating improvised music, Sara Oswald is the perfect match for sound artist and electronic musician Feldermelder. She plays solo, composes for film and theatre and collaborates with musicians like The Young Gods, Pascal Auberson, Sophie Hunger and Julian Sartorius. Feldermelder is a polymathic creative whose artistry spans composition, sound design, installation and code. He is co-founders of -OUS and part of Encor.studio, a collective of artists who specialise in creating immersive audio-visual installations. Through his work, he explores the idea of secrecy and its impact on our lives, using music and sound to create a thought-provoking and immersive experience for his audience.
Mahalia is set to release her brand-new, sophomore album titled ‘IRL’ on July 14th with the pre-order set to go live on May 11th.The album will feature the singles ‘Terms and Conditions’, ‘Cheat’ and ‘In My Bag’ with album features including Stormzy, JoJo, Joyce Wrice and Kojey Radical.
Aptly titled IRL, Mahalia is particularly incessant on doubling down on vulnerability, internal reflection, and a desire to feel, in the realms of love specifically as demonstrated on her last project. “I feel like there’s even more personality on IRL. I want people to see me how I see myself.” Emboldened by her inflections, insights and young adulthood, Mahalia is not only breaking the mould on IRL, but determined to live life cognizantly. “This is a real reflection of the journeys I've had, what actually happened and a celebration of everyone who got me there. There are names and family members I mention because it all helped in shaping who I am,” Mahalia rationalises. With an innocent, yet assured gleam appearing on her face, “I’m so proud of this project, and so proud of how much I challenged myself to just let those stories out.”
Christened in many Grammy, BRIT, Soul Train and MTV Push nominations over the years, as well as two MOBO-wins for Best Female Act, and Best R&B/Soul Act, Mahalia still proves that beyond the accolades, an overarching dedication to persistence is what’s driven her to look inward, grow and ultimately challenge herself with each and every release to date. Standing as one of British R&B’s most successful contemporary faces, Mahalia continues to grow and establish herself in both her tact as an artist, but in building more robust ruminations sonically. As she evolves, her success becomes even more bonafide, both on home turf, but abroad too (she’s cracked the US Adult R&B Charts three times to date).
With her legion of 3.3M monthly Spotify listeners, the penultimate Saturday slot on the West Holts stage at this year’s Glastonbury festival and an opener performance for Adele at Hyde Park last summer, as well as a stellar prime-time Commonwealth Games closing ceremony set, there’s more territory to break. “I’m almost glad Love and Compromise didn’t go completely sky high, it’s given me room to keep developing, keep growing and go higher than I’ve ever been before. I’m so ready to bridge the gap now, I feel like I’m absolutely playing the long-game.”
This latest instalment of ARTHUR BAKER Presents DANCE MASTERS finds the production/ song-writing/ remixing maestro taking the spotlight for a long overdue snapshot of his own classic 12” mixes during a crucial evolution of dance music, club
and pop culture.
“I’ve always felt like I was on a mission to make music from the time I heard Motown, Philly and Sly and the Family Stone. My mission started as a hobby and still feels like one now. You’ve got to keep on pushing and hustling. It can be a drag sometimes but
if you really love what you’re doing, it’s worth the work. I still really love what I do.”
Arthur Baker helped codify the remixer as artist. His genre-fluid approach to projects
has resulted in a joyous myriad of classics that spans many decades. This ’80’s focused DANCE MASTERS collection offers a welcome glimpse at Baker’s illustrious career and many long out-of-print 12” versions and previously unavailable mixes.
This 35-track, six LP expanded edition includes a wide array of selections from the likes of Robbie Nevil’s “C’est La Vie,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love,” Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”, Jeffrey Osborne “Soweto”, Freeez “I.O.U”, Rockers Revenge “Walking On Sunshine” and of course the juggernaut “Planet Rock” with Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force.
Complete with in-depth liner notes by Bill Coleman, track by track notes written by Arthur Baker himself, previously unseen session photos from Arthur’s personal archives and a signed insert.
All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering
The life of the solo electronic artist is equal parts privilege and loneliness. You hurtle across the sky to spend a few hours in a dark club, behind the decks or on stage at the microphone. A brief grasp at transcendence, then the lights are on. Afterwards, you chat with friends you made last month, last year, or an hour ago. Back on the train, the plane. A couple weeks of this, then home. Repeat. It was against this backdrop that Ana Roxanne and DJ Python (Brian Piñeyro) struck up a singular friendship and collaboration, culminating in the shared musical language of their new project, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept. Brian and Ana met in New York City in the winter of 2020. They’d respectively put out critically acclaimed albums but due to extenuating global circumstances, the real-world implications of those records were yet to be seen. Ana’s debut LP, Because of a Flower, released in fall 2020, trades in both ethereality and directness, stretching timeless pop and R&B forms into shimmering ambient magic. When the Bay Area-born, Mills-trained artist sings, on record or live, time slows down and we enter a languorous yet ecstatic present. The second album from Queens-based deep reggaeton innovator DJ Python, Mas Amable, also subverts easy temporality. Released in spring 2020, Mas Amable floats in liminal space—not quite a dance record, a downtempo record, nor an ambient record—unfurling at a wistful pace, naturally suited for a strange period when each day felt the same yet wildly different.
FanFar'On: ''After the success of his latest works on international platforms, the French veteran now based in Madrid will be the second release for the FanFar'On catalogue.
It’s the next chapter for Terence and you will recognize his new inspiration & futuristic vibe here. To complete the record, the young prodigy from Tel-Aviv Stephan BazBaz (Politics Of Dancing Records, Djebali) delivers a remix of title-cut 'Vision of the Futur', explosive breakbeat built for the dance floor.
We are really happy to have Terence & Stephan on board for the second ep of the label, Welcome ! and let the FanFare begin.''
Over three years after the release of his latest record, Belgian singer-songwriter Bram Vanparys finally returns with breathtaking new music. His songwriting has often drawn comparisons to the music of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but the new record 'Silent Days' reveals that Vanparys has been on a journey into new musical territory.
After 'Wild Flowers' (2015), which he recorded in Los Angeles with Ray LaMontagne's former live band, Bram Vanparys kept his guitars locked away in their cases for months. Too many questions had been bothering him and soon he found himself struggling with his musical direction and his artistic integrity. Partly so because he felt that his almost archaic approach on songwriting was pushing him down a dead end street and partly because his interest in rich and complex arrangements started to grow stronger. In 2016 he bought an old trailer and went living in the countryside to work on his new sound. A harsh winter and a tragic breakup with his wife set the mood for a new set of songs and soon Vanparys started recording again.
'Silent Days' comprises both classic songwriting reminiscent of the old masters such as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan and on the other hand dark, complex arrangements that refer to late Talk Talk and even Radiohead. Guitars were played with kitchen knives and the heavily manipulated acoustic sounds reveal that Vanparys might have been listening to Kurt Vile. Bram's lyrics are deeply honest, touching, but never sentimental and his once so angelic voice now sounds hoarse and mature.
The Bony King of Nowhere is the pseudonym of Belgian singer-songwriter Bram Vanparys. He released his debut album 'Alas my love' to critical acclaim in 2009, which was followed by his second and most celebrated album 'Eleonore' in 2011. In the aftermath of 'Eleonore' he was asked to write the film score for the movie 'Les Géants', for which he was awarded by Les Magritte du Cinéma for best original soundtrack.
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, also known as Roman Reloaded, is the second studio album by Nicki Minaj. Looking to transition from her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record about “just having fun”. Stylistically, the album is divided by a first half of hip hop tracks and a second half of dance-pop songs.
Internationally, the album peaked at number one in Canada and the United Kingdom, and reached the top five in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
The album was promoted with six singles. Its lead single “Starships” peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up singles “Right by My Side” and “Beez in the Trap” experienced moderate success on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs component chart. “Pound the Alarm” and “Va Va Voom” peaked at numbers fifteen and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. “Automatic” was released as single only in French. The album was additionally promoted through the Pink Friday Tour and the Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour, which visited North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania throughout May and December 2012.
'Soleil Tartare' is Dim Garden's debut album on Rotterdam's young label Yarrow Ballet. This five-track EP embodies both the depths of Hades' underworld and Helios' realm. The album is a worship of the metaphysical side of nature. The opening track, 'Cunning Morose' evokes incandescence and sun worship. Its propulsive 808 beat and lofty vocals conjure flamboyant pagan ceremonies. The instrumental track 'Golfinho do Rio' is a heroic ode to the infinite sea, combining driving rhythms with new-age-inspired synthesized sea creatures' cries, layered with mighty string melodies. It is followed by the grungy 'In Sorrow', where ghoulish and fiery rebel energy is summoned through ice cold drums, and haunting gothic vocals. The album sees the re-emergence of the blazing sun in the softer and melodic title-track 'Soleil Tartare'. 'Vostes et Cercueils' crowns the album with its epic and dramatically ascending polysynth sonic poem. With her seminal and genre-defying album, Dim Garden brings new and disruptive energy into the hinterlands of electronic music. Her work spawns a distinctive mix of raw electronics, minimal wave, noisy industrial and gothic ballads. Having previously released mostly on digital and cassette tape labels (Nightwind Records, Italo Moderni, Ophism, Hunger!, ClanDestine, tanzprocesz, ERR REC, Ernest D. Tapes etc), Dim Garden's debut vinyl, which collates a variety of influences, is sure to compel listeners with its poetry and awe-inspiring synthesis.
Upcoming album ‘Zwaluwe' to be released in May 2023.
Myrddin De Cauter, the youngest son of multi-instrumentalist musician Koen De Cauter, is a phenomenon in the world of contemporary music. As a teenager, he discovered the richness and originality of the flamenco guitar. To further develop the subtleties in his already masterful playing, he went to Spain to take lessons with some of the masters of flamenco guitar: Gerardo Nuñez, Manolo Sanlucar, …
His technical virtuosity, taste for experimentation and deep lyrical sensibility merge into a unique musical world. It turns out that Myrddin is not just a flamenco guitarist, but an exceptional multifaceted talent.
This talent, passed down through many generations, now expresses itself again in Myrddin's daughter Imre. At only four years old, she received her first cello. In 2018, she made her debut together with her father at the Gent Jazz Festival.
Now five years later, on their debut album Zwaluwe, together they take us on a journey that finds its origin in Myrddin's written compositions. Imre knows and feels the music of her virtuoso father like no other. She complements him in a sensitive, cutting and unctuous way. Making a perfect blend of sharp and soft. The album was recorded in a small chapel in remote Valouse, a village in the Drome region of southern France.
“While Myrddin tells mysterious stories and fairy tales with endless intervals of notes on his guitar, Imre hypnotises your soul with the sound waves of her cello.”
New material from the enegmatic Mr Langestraat. TIP!
"One afternoon a couple of years ago, an excited Ronald Langestraat could barely contain himself. “I’ve started dancing!” he exclaimed. “I never did it before - I’d always admired it in the past, but just wasn’t able to move like that!” But then, at the ripe old age of 81, Ronald was gripped by the urge to respond to the rhythm and express himself in this physical way.
For a man who’s dedicated his life to music, in particular Jazz with a funky Latin inflection, it feels like an especially sage realization - like the treasure at the end of a long quest, or the princess after the end-game boss. The prize is freedom, and the shapes we make on the dance floor are mirrored in that piano solo over the stanzas - a caravan that trips from smokey basement clubs all the way to Shiva’s Tandava on the edge of the universe.
The music on this album is inspired by this revelation. Although these songs were written many moons ago, their interpretation is modern, full of renewed energy, with young, yet well-worn players. While it slots neatly into the daily music practice that Ronald adheres to, it’s a new chapter in a story that is still being written - and an invitation to get in touch with your dancing self and try out some new moves."
Klasse Wrecks is happy to welcome new Berlin-based producer Jotel California to the family. The emerging young artist provides a strong and varied EP that introduces his deft production skills and understanding of balanced sonics. 'Borrowed Time' traces the lines of traditional electro but stirs the pot with new flavours and the result is something that is both unique and powerful. Late 90s Techno is referenced on the title track, a dark and haunting driver that emerges into euphoria later on in the journey. While the A1 features the cut up vocals of Babyblade and takes the listener on a pulsing trip that thrashes back and forth before restlessly settling down
Layton Giordani’s two-track stunner ‘Life Moves Fast’ continues his inspiring run of form.
The young New Yorker begins the year in a similar vein to how he ended 2022; working tirelessly to push his sound forward, while delivering captivating studio results in the process. Case in point, ‘Rabbit Hole’ his collaboration with HI-LO, that not only topped charts to end the year as one of 2022’s standout techno tracks, but also marked a definitive step in the development of his sound signature.
His latest offering ‘Life Moves Fast’ continues in this adventurous vein. First tested at Warehouse Project and at the Gashouder for Awakenings late last year, the title track is characterised by a distinctive lead, which is both playful and pensive and arouses a dramatic energy, before a series of magnetic drops lobs it into peak-time dancefloor territory.
‘Heart is King’ is an elegant, rhythmic slice of techno that balances euphoria and tension on a knife’s edge, while showcasing Giordani’s classy sound design.
Brandee Younger will release her second album on Impulse! Records, ‘Brand New Life’. Younger is quite often noted for standing on the shoulders of the very women who ushered in the harp as a clear and distinct voice in jazz: Dorothy Ashby. This record is an amalgamation of original pieces from Brandee and select reinterpretations of Ashby’s work. Brandee Younger represents a generation of contemporary improvisational musicians who came of age in an era when hip hop commanded a strong presence in American popular culture and emerged as leaders of a new school. In ‘Brand New Life’, she brings progressive explorations of harmony, rhythm, and melody infused with styles from hip hop, rock and pop music.
Young Detroit-native Kenny Hooper steps up for his debut release on Elypsia Records with not one but three 12 inches full of prime Motor City techno and electro escapism. Titled ,,Detroit Orbiter Volume 1 - 3", each EP features four tracks, showcasing Hooper's brilliant personal take on classic Detroit sounds. The twelve tracks of the ,,Detroit Orbiter" trilogy signal the arrival of yet another Motor City talent ready to rake the world and dance floors by storm with his chunky and funkafied sonic fictions. Elypsia Records is proud to welcome Detroit's next generation!
Loved by parents and children for its heartfelt and funny portrayal of young family life and celebration of play, the season follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog, who loves to play and turns everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.
Bluey ‘The Album’ was released in January 2021 in Australia and the US and was a phenomenal success reaching #1 in the Australian ARIA charts and #1 in the US Billboard Kids Album Charts.
The initial pressing of the vinyl exclusive to Australia Record Store Day 2021 sold out.
Now the chart topping album is available on vinyl globally for the first time. Pressed on 140g blue coloured vinyl, the album features 17 songs, all original compositions from Season 1. Housed in the original album artwork this release includes an A3 colour poster of the
family neighbourhood.
Highlights include music from fan favourite episodes such as ‘Keepy Uppy’, ‘Here Come The Grannies!’, ‘Pool’ and ‘The Creek’. Two versions of the catchy theme tune are included – as an
extended version and ‘Instrument Parade’.
Side A features upbeat songs to get the whole family dancing like ‘The Claw’ and ‘Taxi’. Side B takes a tranquil tone with highlights ‘I Know A Place (The Creek Song)’, vocals by Helena Czajka & Jazz D'Arcy, and ‘Camping’. This is the perfect album for Bluey fans of any age.
Young Detroit-native Kenny Hooper steps up for his debut release on Elypsia Records with not one but three 12 inches full of prime Motor City techno and electro escapism. Titled ,,Detroit Orbiter Volume 1 - 3", each EP features four tracks, showcasing Hooper's brilliant personal take on classic Detroit sounds.
The twelve tracks of the ,,Detroit Orbiter" trilogy signal the arrival of yet another Motor City talent ready to rake the world and dance floors by storm with his chunky and funkafied sonic fictions. Elypsia Records is proud to welcome Detroit's next generation!
Ursprünglich 1991 veröffentlicht, war dies das vierte Studioalbum der Band, das über Atlantic Records erschien. Es erreichte Platz 29 der US Billboard HeatseekersC hart und ist bis heute eines der meistverkauften Alben der Band. Enthält die berühmten Tracks "Coma", "Frankenstein" und "Horrorscope".
Limited Edition in blau-schwarz marmoriertem Vinyl.
Far Out Recordings proudly presents the self-titled debut album by Rio de Janeiro born multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Tunico. Honing Brazilian roots rhythms like maracatu, xanadu, and samba, to combine with a global contemporary jazz outlook, the newcomer adds a modern classic to the ever rich vein of Brazilian instrumental music.
Consider it a natural evolution from the legacies of greats like Quarteto Novo, Hermeto Pascoal, Banda Black Rio, Tamba Trio, and Dom Um Romão, Tunico’s debut brings together an eye catching ensemble of talents from the Rio jazz community, with whom he performs on a weekly basis at celebrated live sessions and jam’s at venues like Macuna and Comuna Lapa, which often go on all night.
Released in 2022, the album’s rip-roaring lead single “Galope” features the effervescent vocals of Katerina Assef, as well as consummate solos from all over the band, as Sounds & Colours put it “…it exudes distinction and promise”. “Sambola” calls on the signature swagger of Far Out favourite Antonio Neves, indulging us in irresistible swinging samba-funk, undeniably reminiscent of the aforementioned Banda Black Rio in their late 70s heyday.
Born and raised in an artistic Rio household, Antonio Secchin aka Tunico’s father was the painter Guilherme Secchin, whose original work is lovingly repurposed to create the album’s cover. Antonio learned his trade on guitar from a young age, which remains his primary method for composition, but at the age of eighteen he started to gravitate towards the saxophone, and in particular the soprano sax, from which he now leads bands despite being entirely self taught. He would develop his skills busking on curbsides and metro stations before becoming a mainstay player in venues and clubs around the city.
When the pandemic struck, Antonio retreated to his family home in the Rio countryside. With time and space to breathe and reflect in a natural environment, he set to work at fleshing out the compositions he’d written throughout his musical life into full bodied works. His affinity with his rural surroundings is reflected in the luscious, blossoming feel of this groovy, mystical and poignant instrumental debut album.
Tunico will be released on vinyl, CD and digital platf
George Palmer is a young artist from the DUB and sound system scene where he quickly stood out thanks to these stage appearances. It was with the international label Irie Ites Records that he wanted to collaborate in order to produce his first album.
Entitled "Working Man" this opus is composed of 10 titles including 2 combinations with LION D, famous international singer based in Italy and SOLO BANTON, famous English singer and toaster who needs no introduction.
The instrumentals are composed by big names of the genre: Sly & Robbie (Jamaica), Jammy's (Jamaica), Naram (New Zealand), Med Tone (Israel), Irie Ites (France) giving this project a great scope.
After the release of 6 music videos from the album and the physical (CD) and digital release at the end of June 2022, the project will soon be released on LP due to strong demand from its fans. In addition, this summer you were able to find George Palmer alongside Irie Ites Sound for fiery stage performances at various European festivals.
To accompany the release of the LP, several clips will be released and a new tour is in preparation.
Sidney Charles welcomes M-High to his leading Heavy House Society imprint and the Dutchman drops a classy four track EP of exceptional high quality laden with groove style and panache.
M-High is known to many within the Minimal and Deep scene through his releases on prominent labels such as Locus, META, Rutilance, Politics of Dancing PIV and more. These releases have been supported by a who’s who including Archie Hamilton, Chris Stussy, Phil Weeks, Jamie Jones, Sam Divine and many others. This support coupled with always fire releases and his highly impressive record selection in his sets has seen him being booked at in demand venues and festivals including Fabric London, BPM Costa Rica, Mint Warehouse Leeds, Thuishaven Amsterdam, Defected Croatia and more, and now Sidney Charles welcomes him to his Heavy House Society imprint and once again the young talented Dutchman does not disappoint.
His ‘Up The Attic EP’ is a luxurious blend of house ranging from the more jackin’ warehouse style of ‘Jackstion’, to the sensuous bassline roller ‘Let J Say’. He then takes you on a powerful deeper journey with ‘That Reminds Me’ and he rounds off the EP with the lofty and effervescent title track ‘Up The Attic’, making this an essential must have for those who like their music, intelligent, understated yet highly danceable and chic.
Before MF DOOM donned his mask and became one of the most prolific MC-producers of modern Hip-Hop, he was a member of KMD, an early ‘90s rap group whose work still goes criminally under-appreciated to this day.
Following their 1991 debut album, Mr. Hood, the former trio shed one member leaving only two remaining – Subroc and his brother, Zev Love X (better known today as MF DOOM). Originally scheduled for release in 1994, their sophomore album Black Bastards showed clear progression from their debut. It was a truly amazing record, both sonically and lyrically, full of youthful creativity and tinged with the stresses of growing up as Black men in urban America. Songs like the lead single “What A N*gga Know”, the slippery, bass-driven “Get U Now”, and the album’s title track explore Black consciousness viewed through young-but-experienced eyes. Musically alternating between bouncy and raw – many times both, concurrently – the tracks gave the MC’s the springboard they needed to express themselves clearly.
Sadly, Subroc would face a sudden and untimely death in 1993, just as the duo were finishing the album. Grief-stricken, his brother Zev Love X – now the sole remaining member of the group – was determined to carry the legacy of KMD onward, but Elektra Records unceremoniously shelved the project in the eleventh hour, due to controversy surrounding the album’s provocative cover art. Following the fallout with Elektra, Zev tried for years to release the album on other labels, but he was continually met with dead ends. Struggling through the pain of losing his brother, coupled with the inability to release their final project together, a discouraged Zev Love X quietly withdrew from the scene and began quietly plotting his revenge on an industry that had broken him spiritually. Thus, in order to understand the true origin story of the super-villain, MF DOOM, one must recognize and appreciate the evolution of his former group, KMD, and the backstory of their pivotal album, Black Bastards.
Portuguese label Kokölò returns with Rave Child's ''The Calling''; EP, backed by a remix by .VRIL. In 2022 the label made an immediate impact with its debut release — from anonymous artist and founder Rave Child — gaining support from the likes of Laurent Garnier, DJ Sasha and Patrice Baumel. Now, after label event programmer Alfonsvs made his first outing on the imprint with ''Bad Habits'' EP supported by a stellar remix from Berghain resident Answer Code Request, Rave Child is back with a record packed with his young-soul signature sound: a naive/fragile, sometimes hysterical, interpretation of what would work well on a rave.
Our second installment is going to be a classic 4-track various artist release. Carefully curated and selected pieces of music, produced by close friends, this release fulfills the label's mission of providing a platform for our loved ones. This issue features some incredible artists and friends united on wax.
The Berlin and Munich-based duo Medus & Niko S. offer a hybrid track with nostalgic elements of techno, breaks, and progressive house, capable of busting any dancefloor. Longtime Munich resident DJ and producer Dancing Lessons contributes a hypnotic tech-house infused tune with elements of breakbeat and electro, taking the listener on a personal journey through time and space. Munich's young and upcoming producer Johnmon and label owner of Powerloader Records chips in a proper 90s bomb with driving drums, dark, and quirky synths. An all-round tool suited for any dance floor situation. Finally, Vienna-based Doesntmatter polishes off the VA with an expertly crafted electro track. He is the veteran out of the bunch with various releases under his belt on labels such as Traumschallplatten, Reboot Prague, Vienna Underground Track, and Zone Focus.
ALEXANDER SKANCKE´s exciting debut ep for SLICES OF LIFE, including a collaboration track with FOEHN & JEROME.
Alexander Skancke is a Berlin-based DJ, producer and rising talent within Europe´s underground house scene. The young Norwegian has made a sizeable impact on the electronic music scene, dating from way back to his early releases on Neostrictly, to the internationally respected releases on his own label Quirk. Entrenched in his love for vinyl and analog productions, Skancke is imbued with a passion for the very roots of house music, but has also kept his ears open far beyond the boundaries of electronic music.
Skancke’s excitement for analogue is reflected in all aspects of his life: from his work at Bikini Waxx (a record shop in Berlin specializing in second-hand vinyl), to his fascination with vintage studio gear, all culminating in his music having a wonderfully raw and organic feeling.
The 3 tracks that make up his “Public Trouble” ep showcase Alexander Skancke´s knowledge of the history of dance music without copying the originals, but instead creating his own unique signature:
The A side - “This Go This Way” sends you on a crazy acid dream, driven by a hypnotic unstoppable beat with Alexander Skancke´s voice appearing out of the ether, before vanishing away.
For the B1 track “Wind Sync” Alex teamed up with his label mates and renowned DJ- and Producer-Duo Foehn & Jerome at their studio in Berlin. Together they've masterfully crafted a light footed minimal house track with a slightly melancholic touch.
The EP´s title track “Public Trouble” truly shows off Alexander Skancke´s love for deep minimal funk: An ultra groovy piece of music based around tight beats and warm basslines, topped off with a funky stripped back synth line.
There’s more than a hint of ambition on the double LP sophomore effort from Sam Austin Rabede, the producer known as DJ Black Low. Pretoria, South Africa-born and based, the young man makes amapiano with new ways of expressing this local turned-global style of dance music.
In DJ Black Low’s musical imagination, the songs manage to smoothly vacillate between dreamy and firmly-grounded. Adorned with vocalists across most of the twelve tracks, there’s a new dimension to Black Low’s now-signature approach to abstract, angular deconstruction of the rhythmic developments in his songs.
The album references influences and ambitions in its song titles and lyrics while the music itself is anthemic in its sonic and structural aspirations. On many of the songs a slow-burning tension transforms into something unexpected until you’re somewhere else as the track concludes. There is an emotional and compositional maturity that builds on his earlier work. Vocals and lyrics are in focus.
Production collaborators among Black Low’s Gauteng Province circle add to the constantly churning array of ideas that populate this consistently surprising release. Despite being a relative newcomer, DJ Black Low is onto something here.
Alvars Orkester was formed in 1987 in Johannishus, a small village in the south-east of Sweden by a group of young boys interested in the mysteries of psychic sickness, mental institutions, industrial music culture and the power of sound. For the first very creative years, Alvars was very active within the independent cassette culture scene releasing their stuff (that quite soon drifted from the industrialism inspired by Test Dept, TG, SPK and z'ev to an atmospheric, psychedelic and quite ambient version of noise) on small labels in Italy, Portugal, USA etc.
Joachim Nordwall writes: "1990-1991. In the middle of all teen confusion going on, me and Zwarre had a long creative time together. Recording every weekend, connecting with like-minded (or at least we thought so) people around the world and trading tapes with whoever. Our world was analogue synths, Party Zone late Friday nights on MTV, zines and out-there experimental music. By then, we had a few tapes out and had "Nobody Finds Nothing" being released on the Italian super-label (in our opinion) Biotope Art Organization. We were in the midst of something and recorded "Nuthull" for another Italian top level label called Old Europa Café. However, they did not like it and the tape was abandoned and forgotten. Then years and years later, close to present time, Zwarre was in touch with OEC for some reason and had the master returned." - Joachim Nordwall, Gothenburg, 21 February 2023
Italian DJ and producer Francis De Simone debuts on Lee Foss and Jamie Jones' label Hot Creations with London Bass. Having built a solid back catalogue in recent years, his first Hot Creations release embodies the dynamic sound of the Palermo-born artist, channelling chunky tech house and disco-flavoured melodies.
De Simone explains his creative thinking behind the EP. "These tracks fully express my devotion to music. I ranged a lot, trying to remember an 80's sound up to a more raw and synthetic groove with Latin vocals to embrace the different ethnic groups." Reflecting his thoughts to a tee, the title track rumbles with a massive bassline and chopped-up vocals that add an instant burst of energy. Things get weird on Saludos A Todos, as thumping kickdrums collide with a trippy melody and even trippier vocals, creating a wavey atmosphere. The ideal club curveball. On Off White, De Simone delivers a pacey number packed with burbling beats and clicky percussion, complemented by dreamy vocals. The hint is in the name on closing track, This Is Undergound. A big room delight, De Simone drops a stripped-back banger, where the lyrics do the talking in tandem with a driving bassline. An excellent addition to the Hot Creations discography.
Based in Palermo, Italy, Francis De Simone stems from a family of musicians. Having played the drums from age two, the versatile artist can make anything from rock, pop and jazz, but these days, De Simone pens electronic music. His father worked as a bouncer for various local discos and exposed De Simone to dance music from a young age, later inspiring him to produce house and techno with an uplifting tint. Releases on Glasgow Underground, LW Recordings and REALM Records have helped shape the profile of this flourishing artist, with plenty more to come further down the line.
Amersfoort based electro youngster audt98 makes his debut on Discos Atónicos with his EP ‘Ionic Bonds’.
These three banging electro tracks that are gritty, hypnotic and dance floor ready, he beautifully translates the ways of nature into music.
Topping it off with a remix from electro veteran Fastgraph this is bound to be a ride!
Music From Memory is delighted to be turning 50 with a special release: MFM050 - V/A - Virtual Dreams: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, 1993-1997 (3xLP/2xCD). The first in a series of compilations, alongside more in depth artist-focused releases, Virtual Dreams will delve into music produced during the 1990’s that redefined the boundaries of ‘Ambient’. This was music that explored the possibilities of Ambient music within a new setting, created often by House & Techno music producers for a world beyond dance floors but made very much with the pre and post-clubbing listener in mind.
When House and Techno exploded out of America in the mid 1980s a whole generation was redefined not only musically but also culturally and chemically speaking. Peaking, quite literally, with a second ‘Summer of Love’ in 1988, millions of young people across the world would experience the life-changing ups of a brave new world but with it of course came the downs; enter the concept of a ‘Chill-out’ room. Whilst early Chill-out rooms lacked a specific sound and were often soundtracked by music such as reggae and soul, slowly young Techno and House producers themselves would become increasingly interested in developing a futuristic ‘Ambient’ soundtrack to a world beyond the thud of the main room.
‘Ambient’ in this new age now though had sharper teeth than in Brian Eno's key text for ‘Music for Airports’, instead here the sounds were the mode of transport rather than the backdrop. While the melodies were pretty, the soundscape steered away from the pastoral, dreaming of outer-space and technology as opening up exciting new dimensions. Much like in the first Summer Of Love; the musicians were again exploring psychedelic, mind-altering and transcendental possibilities of music. And also much as in the first Summer Of Love, a psychedelic visual language would accompany the music. Though now the tracks could be accompanied by music videos, utilising early CGI techniques, they would look almost entirely to the future: envisioning technology, nature and humanity intertwined in a new Utopian future. Virtual Dreams of a better world.
From Ambient and early Chill-out classics, to lesser known one-off projects, as well as Ambient deviations by some of House and Techno’s leading producers, Volume One of Virtual Dreams features tracks by Bedouin Ascent, LA Synthesis, LFO, Marc Hollander, Mark Pritchard & Kirsty Hawkshaw, Richard H. Kirk and more.
To celebrate our 50th release the first 1000 copies include a holographic 'Virtual Dreams' sticker plus a special insert poster with artwork by Victoria Pacheco and design by Steele Bonus.
Charlotte de Witte, without doubt one of Belgium's fastest rising talents in the techno circuit, and known from two strong EP's on Tiga's Turbo label, makes her debut on OFF.
The EP starts off with 'Trip', aptly name due to its cinematic sound design and arrangement. Charlotte's trademark use of vocals ooze character, and haunting synths complemented by a laidback but steady drum-foundation are the ingredients of this track.
Sweden's Techno-legend Cari Lekebusch delivers the first remix, a functional and linear interpretation, which is sure to be heard on festival dancefloors during the late summer.
TWR72 of Amsterdam, themselves very much what you would call a 'current breakthrough act', are responsible for remix number two, a contemporary interpretation based on syncopated rhythms.
The EP is completed with 'Repeat', a reduced drum-tool built around a repetitive vocal hook.
Altogether a strong statement of a promising young artist and another proof of the ongoing evolution of OFF Recordings.
For this uniquely personal retrospective spread over twelve vinyl discs, Sven Väth takes us back to the early days of his DJ career. On What I Used To Play we meet great pioneers of electronic music, gifted percussionists, obscure wave bands, and innovative producers of a bygone 'new electronic' era. Rough beats and irresistible grooves from the identification stage of house, techno, and acid remind us not just how far electronic music has evolved over the past four decades, but how great it was to dance to EBM, techno, and house for the very first time.
If there is one protagonist of the electronic music scene who has remained curious, innovative and at the very cutting edge of music for over four decades, it's Sven Väth. His multi-layered artist albums and Sound of the Season mix compilations have been defining the genre for over two decades, and even today, he is constantly on the lookout for the next top tune to add to the highlights of his next set. At least, that's the case when he's not producing them himself as an artist or remixer. "Actually, it's always been part of my DNA to think ahead," and nothing had been further from his mind than looking back at his past, but when in spring of 2020 the international DJ circuit had to be scaled down to virtually zero, the 'restless traveler' suddenly had time. Time to stop and reflect on "how it actually was back then, at the very beginning of my career..."
"It was a great trip and with every track, beautiful memories came flooding back".
In the London apartment, he had just moved into, Sven has set up a "little music room", where he cocooned himself for several days, "to look way back for the first time and review my musical journey through the eighties, so to speak."
The interim result was six thematically oriented playlists with a grand total of 120 tracks from 'early 80s' to 'Balearic late 80s', together with excursions into afrobeat, European new wave, and EBM sounds and a few epochal techno/house tracks from the USA in between. From these 'Best of Sven Väth's favorites', the project What I Used To Play crystallized. Sven remembers how the Cocoon team reacted to his proposal: "They found the idea of making a compilation out of it MEGA from the beginning and everyone said 'Sven, go for it', but then, of course, the work really started, namely, to clear the rights and to get clean sounding masters of the up to 40-year-old tracks. There was also disappointment, of course. We couldn't clear certain titles because the rights holders in the USA had fallen out with each other or simply disappeared from the scene. In short, it wasn't easy, but now I can safely say we got the most important tracks."
Finally, after two years of research, curation, design, and administrative fine-tuning, the "little retrospective" from 1981 to 1990 is available. The exquisitely packaged, and three-kilo heavy box set is not only physically impressive, WIUTP is also the definitive record of Sven Väth's musical development. On each of the twenty-four sides of vinyl, you can trace track by track, what influenced him during which phase, and how he took off as a DJ from his parents' Queen's Pub straight into the spotlight at Dorian Gray. There and at Vogue (later OMEN), Sven became the style-defining player in the DJ booth that he still is today.
1981 - 1990: Future Sounds of Now
In the early eighties, the crowd in clubs like Vogue and Dorian Gray danced to what nowadays we call 'dance classics' - mainly disco, funk, soul, and chart pop. It was up to a new generation of DJs, including Sven Väth, the youngest protagonist in the Rhine-Main area at the time, to create their own club-ready music mix. Good new tracks and potential floor-fillers were rarities that had to be sought out and found, in order to prove oneself worthy.
Without MP3s, internet streaming, or other digital download possibilities, music didn't just gravitate to the DJ, instead, it had to be tracked down. In well-stocked record stores in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden or even in Amsterdam, London, or New York, Sven and friends sourced the material for countless magical nights. On WIUTP we can follow Sven's very personal journey through this wild, innovative era in which synth-pop, funk, hip-hop, and disco were successively replaced as 'club music' by house, techno, acid, and breakbeat. By the end of the decade, it was clear to see that these once exotic 'fringe' phenomena would soon become 'mass' phenomena.
Early 80s
Dirty Talk by the Italian-American duo Klein & M.B.O. represents the most innovative phase of the Italo-disco genre in the early eighties like no other track. Mario Boncaldo (I) and Tony Carrasco relied entirely on the original synthetic drum and percussion sounds of the Roland TR-808, coupled with the raunchy vocals of Rossana Casale and guitar accents of Davide Piatto. Of course, other tracks from this period were also influential in style, most notably Unit by Logic System, which worked as the perfect soundtrack to the laser lighting system at the legendary Dorian Gray club. With stomping beats and robotic rap interludes, Bostich by Yello also belongs on Sven's eternal playlist - after all, it caught the attention of Afrikaa Bambaataa, who invited the Swiss duo to perform at the Roxy in New York in 1983.
EBM Wave - Mid 80s
From today's point of view, the almost ten-minute-long, downtempo track Giant by Matt Johnson's band project The The, would probably not be considered an obvious club classic. However, a closer (re)listen reveals the rhythmic intricacies of the percussion overdubs by JG Thirlwell (aka Foetus) on Johnson's composition, and it becomes clear why this exceptional piece of music is one of Sven's absolute favorites. Other classics from this phase include Kaw-Liga by the mysterious The Residents, the hypnotic-synthetic Our Darkness by Anne Clark (and David Harrow), and last but not least, the somber, monotonous anthem Where Are You? by 16Bit, one of Sven Väth's projects together with Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti from 1986.
US House - Late 80s
You certainly can't talk about Chicago house without mentioning Frankie Knuckles. The resident DJ at the Warehouse not only gave the name to an entire genre, but also produced epochal floor fillers on the Trax label like the timeless Your Love, sung (and moaned) by Jamie Principle. Acid house protagonists Phuture also hail from Chicago, and on We Are Phuture (also released on Trax) we hear the chirping acid sounds of the legendary Roland TB-303 in full effect. Another featured classic is No UFO's by Detroit's Model 500 aka Juan Atkins, who is rightly considered the 'Godfather of Techno' even if the genre-defining track from 1985 still breathes with the spirit of hip-hop and electro from the first breakdance era.
Afrobeat
Le Serpent, by Algerian-born Abdelmadjid Guemguem, is a track that sounds completely different from everything else on WIUTP. Made in 1978, it's a monumental, rousing groove created without bass or synths, just with five congas! Even though Guem sadly passed away in 2021, his immortal, acoustic beats are understood all over the world and will continue to enrich many thousands of DJ sets for years to come. Another classic that not only Sven appreciates beyond measure is Hugh Masekela's Don't Go Lose it, Baby. In addition to being one of the most important jazz pioneers, the trumpeter and freedom fighter from Johannesburg was very experimental, integrating electronic sounds into his music in later years, in a similar vein to Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. Dutch jazz pianist Jasper van't Hof's afrobeat project Pili Pili has also aged well. The trance-like, almost sixteen-minute-long track of the same name, manages to fill a whole side on the seventh of twelve vinyl discs in the WIUTP box.
UK-US-Euro - Late 80s
Time for a change of scene, in the truest sense of the word, and from a musical perspective, this section is like landing on another planet. First up is Andrew Weatherall's classic remix of Primal Scream's Loaded, featuring the iconic Peter Fonda sample (lifted from the 1966 biker film Wild Angels) that came to personify the mood triggered by the British Second Summer of Love in the late eighties: "We wanna be free to do what we wanna do, and we wanna get loaded...". This period also saw the emergence of M/A/R/R/S whose only single, 1987's Pump Up The Volume, became a club classic with support from DJ legend CJ Mackintosh. In this most eclectic of sections, we also encounter New York house and reggae producer Bobby Konders and his seminal Nervous Acid.
Balearic - Late 80s
Those who know him, know that Sven had already lost his heart to the 'magic island' of Ibiza as a teenager, so with that in mind, the WIUTP project couldn't end without a Balearic chapter. Inspired by Manuel Göttsching's E2-E4, the immortal, eponymously titled Sueño Latino belongs in there without question. Equally popular on the island was, and still is Break 4 Love by Raze, which thinking about it, would also fit perfectly into the house chapter. Last, but not least, there's an overdue reunion with Sven Väth himself, in his role as frontman of the successful Frankfurt trio OFF. Together with Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (later of Snap!) this 'Organization For Fun' created the off-the-wall club hit Electric Salsa in 1986 which incidentally turned into an international chart smash, putting Sven in the enviable position of having to decide between pop stardom and a DJ career. Well, we all know how that decision turned out and the rest, as they say, is history. A not insignificant part of his story is What I Used To Play. Enjoy!
Tod Dockstader's Aerial series, an electronic/drone masterpiece, is cherished among fans of the artist's work and this second volume is available in an audiophile quality double LP edition.
Tod Dockstader's Aerial series is sourced from his life long passion for shortwave radio. Dockstader collected over 90 hours of recordings, made at night, and comprised of cross signals and fragments plucked from the atmosphere.
Opening with airwave drones, Dockstader gradually allows elements to slowly come and go, summoning an ominous atmosphere of ethereal cloud clouds. Malignant placidity continues, giving the feeling of eavesdropping upon late-night audio activity not unlike discovering number stations while sweeping the dials. These sounds pull you in as their density and rhythms come and go.
Backward voices, deep echoing choruses of conversations flowing under the surface, ocean sounds, pulsing electro-rhythms, all seem to be created via the collaging of many hours of source recordings. A masterwork of collage and juxtaposition by an overlooked pioneer of American electronic music.
Artwork by John Brien (Imprec) is inspired by the propagation of shortwave radio signals throughout the earth's atmosphere.
"This return of Dockstader is something to cherish, not just because his output has been so limited and scarce but because what we do have is so intriguing, persuasive and cliche-free; the music of an inspired explorer who trails in nobody's slipstream." The Wire
"One of the great figures of musique concrete composition." Dusted
The Aerial project
I've written before of my interest in shortwave radio, in the notes to the Quatermass CD. Also, in the notes to the Omniphony CD (which has my first "Aerial" mix, "Past Prelude," in it), I mentioned "The Aerial Etudes," which was my working title for what became the three CDs you have. And, at the end of an interview with Chris Cutler (which can be found in the "Unofficial TD Website"), the piece I mentioned I was starting to work on at the time became Aerial.) When I was very young, people got most of their entertainment from radio. They called it "playing the radio," as if it were a musical instrument. That's what I've tried to do in this piece. About this time, a few people encouraged me to look into using a computer for this work.
I'd never used one, but I saw it would allow me to keep my mixes digital - no more transfer losses. So, at the end of 2001, I got a computer and an editing program for it, and spent what seemed a long time learning it. I began selecting mixes and loading them into the computer in late March, 2002. Out of the 580, I selected 90 "best" mixes - eventually reduced to 59, the ones on the CDs. Finally, in assembling the CDs, I followed David Myers' suggestion to allow each piece to flow into the next - making a continuous journey to the end. Tod Dockstader, 14 september 2003
About Tod Dockstader: Dockstader moved to New York in 1958 and became a self-taught sound engineer and sound effects specialist and apprenticed as a recording engineer at Gotham Recording Studios. It was around this time that he started to use his off-work hours to experiment with mixing and manipulating sounds on magnetic tape (musique concrète). By 1960 he had amassed enough material to assemble his first record Eight Electronic Pieces which was released on the Folkways label in 1961 (this would later be used in the soundtrack of Fellini’s Satyricon). The last of the eight pieces was later re-worked into his first stereo piece. In 1961 he applied to use the facilities at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center and was denied access by Vladimir Ussachevsky. Ussachevsky’s official reason was the “overstrained” scheduling of the studios, although many suspect that Dockstader’s lack of academic training was a factor in the decision. He continued to create music throughout the first half of the 60s, working principally with tape manipulation effects. His last piece at Gotham was Four Telemetry Tapes in 1965, after which he left to work as an audio-visual designer on the Air Canada Pavillion at Montreal’s Expo ‘67. It was around this time in 1966 that some of Dockstader’s pieces were released on three Owl L.P.s, and his work became known to a larger audience. He achieved modest recognition and radio play alongside the likes of Karlheinz Stockhausen, Edgard Varèse, and John Cage.
Mal-One’s seventh single sets out to tell the listener in 3 minutes and 21 seconds, everything that it is not. But in doing so by default or design, becomes everything it says it is not!!!
So here it is for your listening pleasure. The non-Punk, Punk single. As Mal-One is asked at the end of the song what this song is all about…seems he runs out of time….
Hope you enjoy the illusion…..
Let me tell you what these songs all about…
This is not a song about Young Parisians
This is not a song about an Outside View
Ripping Her to Shreds, Hong Kong Garden
One Chord Wonders or a Freak Show
This is not a song about Complete Control
This is not a song about Less Than Zero
New Rose, Defiant Pose
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
This is not a song about the Blitzkrieg Bop
This not a song about Top of the Pops
God Save the Queen, Something Better Change
I’ve Got a Right or Life’s A Gamble
This is not a song about London Girls
This not a song about Identity
An Alternative Ulster, Baby Does Good Sculptures
Or Everybody being Happy NowaDays
Hey Mal-One…..Yeah
So what’s this song about ?
Do you really want to know ?
Yeah well let me tell ya
Northern Soul legend Billy Prince returns with his next Common Good Records dancefloor filler. Following up the sold-out Angel/I Need You 7” with a Detroit-styled uptempo heartfelt offering. Born and raised in the Motor City, Billy developed a passion for music at a very young age, in part due to him spending much of his childhood in his father’s record shop during the Detroit soul explosion. Billy is one of the founding members and lead singer of The Precisions, who are best known for the legendary Northern Soul stomper, “If This Is Love (I’d Rather Be Lonely)”.
Fukuinn's 3rd release on vivid blue color vinyl. A1 is edgy electro sounds from Bristol's "Lost Signal" resident trackmaker Fazack. A2 is a deep and floating track by Relaxant. He's released an EP on Florklang Records and is one of the hottest young artists out there. On B1, Böhm, known for his acid and bleep sounds, surprises with an acid-heavy masterpiece. His successes and releases in recent years have been very inspiring. Lyon's genius, Foreign Sequence, played the best bizarre sound with pleasant melody on the last track.
The parisian DJ and producer duo Esoteric Circle are back on Future Romance and take us on the eighth journey of our young label history.
With "Hana Bi" the two brothers give us three brandnew creations named "Nowhere", "Hana Bi" and "Hidden Life" full of euphoric moments and glittering melodies made for the deeper melodic dancefloors. Early DJ support by Mind Against, Innellea, Einmusik, Magdalena, Alfa Romero, Markus Kavka, Miss Melera, Raphael Mader and many more...
3xLP, Widespine Jacket
Yellow & Black Translucent Smoke Vinyl
Yellow Tape 2 is the follow-up to Key Glock's 2020 debut album, Yellow Tape, and like it's predecessor, remains distinctly featureless. The album showcases Glock, at times alongside his alter ego, Glizock, floating over trap-heavy production with the authentic tone his fans have come to know. Featuring the singles, "Toolie," "Ambition for Cash," & "Da Truth," the album sees production from Tay Keith, Juicy J, Sosa 808, Budda Bless and more. The Deluxe version features 10 new tracks, including the standout single, Proud, dedicated to the late Young Dolph.
Powerful rave tracks by the talented Ukrainian producer Daniel Syenichkin aka Bejenec on the first vinyl release of his own label "& The Refugees" (Inspired by his artist name which translates as "Refugee"). This 4 track ep has it all! An energetic hybrid of break-beats, Acid, playful trance elements and beautiful emotions. The young and promising artist has made a big name in the eastern parts of Europe where he is known for his energetic and upbeat live performances. He now is ready to take his artistic inspirations a step further with the start of his new label project!
BART & THE BEDAZZLED: PEOPLE PERSON + CARBOARD MAN (7")
Bart & The Bedazzled return with a sensational AA-side 45 with the highlife-vibed-plaintive pop of 'People Person' and the layered 'Cardboard Man', featuring the gorgeous guest vocals of Earth Girl Helen Brown. "World dance pop meets '80s indie" LA's northeast side is home to a dizzying number of independent artists and bands. One of the scene's most distinctive sounds emanates from Bart & The Bedazzled, a collaborative group led by talented songwriter Bart Davenport. After debuting in 2018 with the Blue Motel album Bart reconnects with the stellar musicians that make up the Bedazzled for two exclusive new songs of, what he terms, "world dance pop meets 80s indie". Consisting of Los Angeles' highly respected players, the collective are undoubtedly a "musicians' band" playing for joy, performing for and with other artists that inhabit underground haunts such as Zebulon or Permanent Records Roadhouse. This is their sound!
With these new tracks The Bedazzled usher in a new phase, adding a small dose of drum machinery to the mix, resulting in an uplifting, danceable endeavour. On top of this, hand played congas and shakers blend with ultra clean guitars to form a rich context for Bart Davenport's patented, smooth vocal. Newcomer band member and producer Nic Hessler (Catwalk, Captured Tracks) fits these pieces together in seamless mixes.
People Person celebrates the collective human experience, while subtly acknowledging that people often are "the worst". It's an upbeat ode to a beautiful world that sadly may never be saved. Meanwhile, the semi-fictional Cardboard Man critiques a society desperate for truth and a way out of dark times only to find omnipresent, puppet-like heroes offering nothing real. Featuring guest singer Heidi Alexander aka Earth Girl Helen Brown her distinctive tone and phrasing add a much needed weirdo energy to a decidedly consonant pop track.
It comes as no surprise the group have gravitated towards world-dance-ish sounds. Andrés Renteria is an accomplished crate-digger and DJ, as is bassist Jessica Espeleta. She kicks off People Person with a dubby bass line, setting the stage for Wayne Faler's African highlife inspired guitars. It's still Bart & The Bedazzled, but this time they come with a sound somewhat reminiscent of '80s bands that also incorporated international flavors, such as the post Young Marble Giants project Weekend or French electro-obscuros Antena. Like those bands, Bart & The Bedazzled have a wide range of influences and the artistic intention to make something contemporary with them.
Above all, they're a group of friends who enjoy the creative process together. For them the journey is as important as the finished work.
Originally released in 1994 on Calypso Records / Irma Records in a triple vinyl promo white label version, Don Carlos's album Aqua is the
second album by the Varese-based DJ producer, already then known for his first two singles Alone and Mediterraneo, then both included in
his first album entitled Mediterraneo and released only in Compact Disc format in 1992 for the American market printed and distributed by
IRMA U.S.A., the American subsidiary of IRMA Records Italy.
The same fate will also have the Compact Disc format of the Aqua album, again printed only on the American market.
But the triple vinyl, printed in a limited edition of 500 copies in a white generic envelope, was never reissued and has become a rare record
over the years.
After almost thirty years, after countless requests for reissues, especially in the last few years in which the name and music of Don Carlos
has made a comeback, Irma Records has decided to reissue the vinyl in exactly the same original triple version.
DJ Don Carlos (born Carlo Troja) with his productions in the 90s has become one of the cult producers for DJs around the world.
His track Alone released in 1991 for Calypso was and still is one of the classics of House Music, played by all the major American and British
DJs.
At the time of its publication it was considered an underground song and therefore did not sell very much, but over the years its myth has grown
thanks to its subsequent productions as for example his second single, the EP entitled Mediterraneo, title which it will then inspired his first CD
album printed in the USA with the same title.
Several other singles followed, another album, always printed only in the USA, entitled Aqua, from which a triple promo vinyl was extracted which
today is one of the artist's most requested rarities.
In Italy his third album was released in 2002 entitled The Music In My Mind where Kim Mazelle, Michelle Weeks, Taka Boom and Kevin Bryant
were present as vocal guests. In 2009 a collection of the first two albums released in the USA titled Mediterraneo-Club Favourite Collection '90-
98 and in 2010 his fourth album entitled The Cool Deep which reproduced the sounds closest to his first productions.
Also active as a remixer for Italian and international labels, one of his most important works is the remix of Byron Stingily of the song You Make
Me Feel of which he made a worldwide hit. As a producer he also used other pseudonyms such as Montego Bay, Aquanuts, Sotterranea and
Love 2 Love Orchestra. He has played and plays in different countries such as London, New York, Miami and at various festivals, such as the
Robot and the Stickermule Festival in an evening with Apparat, Derrick May, DJ Koze, Lil 'Louis, Young Marco and Ellen Allien, LTJ Xperience
Home is a powerful concept with an abstract definition. This solo album takes those subjective ideas and unifies them under one roof. Evolving from Jerve’s #dailypiano posts in 2019, ‘The Soundtrack of My Home’ relays thoughts and improvisations that trace his journey from childhood home to adult and now, father. Nurturing a mood or feeling, each song begets a sonorous story of someone close to him, expressed through the language of piano playing.
Jerve makes use of his hands as a human step sequencer, often programming two or more motifs of varying lengths in a polymetric fashion. These melodic patterns and arpeggios evolve at varying rates but grow around clear progressions with standard 8-bar forms.
The first track - ‘Kjetil’ enters with an earnest, gentle and endearing character - like a young river near its source. As with such a river, it will grow to varied sizes throughout the album but must begin as a humble expression from the source. The following titles sketch his interpretations of the people that have made up his home.
There is a theme across the album that unites the songs, so much so that differentiating tracks can at times be difficult. Though, Jerve punctuates this overarching mood with a few distinct structures, as found in tracks ‘Karoline’ (wife), ‘Espen’ (brother) and ‘Sven’ (father). ‘Turid’ (daughter) and ‘Jon Eirik’ (brother) seem less directive and welcome more intrigue, reminiscent of a curious child wandering through the dappled light of a forest.
‘Iben’ (daughter) and ‘Eivor’ (daughter) have a hypnotic, three-pointed melodic structure that leaves the listener suspended; transfixed - while ‘Sussi’ (cat) carries unique momentum and suitably feline autonomy. ‘Mette’ (mother) has a mood of ascending, like that of a child's upward gaze at their maternal carer. Utterly nuanced in structure, Jerve leaves ample space for subjective interpretation and allows the listener to weave their own life into the tones.
As expected from the founder of Dugnad rec - this album signifies a deeply personal sentiment. Sometimes we are forced to confront the music and other times, we are left to wonder. Here, we find a balance and unity that allows little thoughts and worries to drift away, bringing us warmly to rest in the present. The LP edition's bonus track features producer/performer extraordinaire Stian Balducci, drawing a line to the next chapter of piano-based music from Dugnad rec: TOKYO TAPES: PIANO RECYCLE.
After his Top10 Orion release, Jay Lumen is back with his brand new EP. A side "Terra" track is a main stage weapon with the right balance of dirty and space synth sounds. It's a massive future techno vibe sprayed dancefloor filler. The B side "Pressing" song is the result of Jay's special collaboration with the young talent Wex10. That's a good proof of the energetic raw techno sound including some special Detroit elements. Enjoy!"
Amadou Kuyateh is hailing from Frankfurt am Main and we are happy to welcome him aboard for our label. This record is his first release ever and it reflects his talent in a good way. Three lasting tracks, with different moods, but all of them with a lot of personality and we recommend to keep an eye on this young man, as for sure there will be more stuff coming from him in the near future.
We are excited to present you our first Ep on our new series called RELIKT ORIGINALS. This series is about putting the full attention on a single artist.
Our focus is to tell musical stories about an entire record. The artwork will be simple and all records are always black. On this label we will release strictly original mixes. As always, the label will be vinyl only - limited copies - no repress.
We are more than happy to present you Jose Antonio Jaen for the first release.
He is a young and talented Dj/ Producer from Lima, Peru. Welcome on board.
From one of the most colourful and vibrant eras of music, comes “DISCO FLOORFILLERS”, a 28 Track DoubleLP set featuring some of the biggest hits of from the era.
Amongst the 24 top 10 hits, Artists/Bands include Chic, McFadden & Whitehead, Earth, Wind & Fire with The
Emotions, Shalamar, The Whispers, Sister Sledge, Edwin Starr, The Real Thing and Gladys Knight & The Pips.
The set also includes the #1 singles by Anita Ward, The Village People, Carl Douglas and George McCrae!
On July 15, 2022, Anetha will release her second seismic compilation on her label Mama told ya entitled MTY-TERRE «Contre tout, toutes et tous, la terre demeure», just one year after MTY-EAU «L’eau repousse les feux agressifs». Through earth element, the compilation comes up with the collaboration of 19 artists - 19 tracks, divided into 4 vinyls: Ane- tha has brought together a generation of young electronic music artists from around the world to get their hands dirty and produce some solid gems.
FanFar'On : 'Musician and born in the south of France, Fabien Gienero is the first artist signed of FanFar’on Records, he has delivered a three tracks ep include a Silat Beksi remix. Into the music world, the magic happened when you can navigate & collaborate through different vibes. Already supported by people like Chez Damier or Ben Vedren, the young producer located in Paris now has shown his skills & brought different types of vibe, you will first notice the typical groove coming from a bass player, injecting his musical & funky background with "Nice After", and "Milode" which is more on a Rominimal vibe and also different.
And let the Fanfare begin!'
Big support by:
Raresh, Vlad Caia, Jennifer Loveless, Francois K, Thor, DJ Autumn, Per Hammar, Andrey Pushkarev, Tobi Neumenn, Jorge Savoretti, Rossko, Satoshi Tomiie, Rich NxT, Enzo Siragusa, Julietta, OHM, Terry Francis, Ilario Alicante, Mr. V, Dubtil, Okain...
Classic jazz-funk fusion from the late, great Japanese guitarist Ryo Kawasaki. Recorded in New York, and originally released in 1976, 'Juice' presents Ryo at the height of his powers.
Born in Japan in 1947, Ryo had a long and stellar career recording and releasing music up until his passing on 13 April 2020, in Tallinn, Estonia. Ryo is one of the pioneers of the jazz fusion genre, with the Japanese jazz fusion / funk sound becoming extremely influential within the 80s UK club scene and amongst its DJs. His track 'Trinkets & Things' became a bonafide underground classic. In the US he worked with some of the greats of jazz, such as Elvin Jones, Chico Hamilton and Bobbi Humphrey, to name but a few. A forward-thinking and ever-evolving musician, Ryo collaborated with the Roland Corporation and Korg on the 'guitar synthesizer' and later wrote music software for computers. Later in life he relocated to Estonia and worked there, as well as Finland, Sweden, and the Baltic states.
'Juice' has become a much-loved album for crate diggers and jazz-funk enthusiasts, with its tracks frequently being sampled and re-imagined in hip-hop. The smokey, beat-down, spiritual funk jam 'Bamboo Child' has been flipped by Diamond D, Puff Daddy, and Kool G Rap. The album was released in 1976 on RCA Records and features the musicians' drummer Jimmy Young, rhythm guitarist Hugh McCracken, and bassist Stu Woods amongst other luminaries. A solid album throughout that incorporates a heavy dose of tripped-out synths alongside the emerging disco sound of the time. Tracks such as the opener ‘Raisins’, with its drum beat intro and bubbling bass-line, rivals The Headhunters at their finest. A superb album from an underground legend.
COVERED - Our focus is to support the scene, keep the vinyl alive and uncover young and new talented artists!
That`s why we launch the second release with a massive four track EP from the young and talented Lyon FR Born and Based - Garouda.
Amir has been playing drums since his younger years. His releases are influenced by jazz, 90's house / techhouse and hip hop. He is a member of the renowned label Y.A.R Records and has released alongside legends such as: Sweely, Aladdin, Funkroid, Jhobei ...
The love for MPC is certainly audible in every track ;)
Keep your eyes peeled for our further releases and thanks for your support!
Freestyle comes with it again - presenting the first officially licensed reissue for a previously white label-only slice of fantastic 1982 UK boogie funk, featuring the vocal talents of a then 19 year-old Caron Wheeler!
La Famille were a group put together at the turn of the 1980s by seasoned reggae & jazz guitarist (and later band-member with the award-winning Jazz Jamaica) Alan Weekes. The band's main line-up consisted not only of a young Wheeler, but also a young Cleveland Watkiss - as well as the late Claudia Fontaine (who would go on to pair with Caron as Afrodiziak) & Roy Hamilton - with guitar, arrangement and production provided by Weekes.
While the group was short-lived - recording only this 12" alongside a couple of singles for Leonard "Santic" Chin's Sanity label (a stellar cover of the Mary Jane Girl's classic All Night Long) and Alan's later Bpop label (the down-tempo groover Lost in Paradise, co-arranged alongside Watkiss) - there is no denying the talent on display here, as the years and decades that followed can surely attest.
Over the past few years an increasing number of bands hailing from the former USSR have been appearing on the screens and the phones of the so-called Western world’s underground music enthusiasts.
With most of them being pretty obscure and only a very few ones having established a worldwide following (Motorama, Molčat Doma) the Sovietwave tag has worked usefully enough as a tool to identify a wide range of bands each one with a different sound and yet something in common. Whether it be the harsh weather or just the distance creating an exotic effect, there is some icy-cold touch with these bands that immediately makes you know they’re from Russia, regardless of the language they perform.
This goes for Blind Seagull too.
The trio from Kaliningrad, a small russian enclave on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania, has been around since quite a few years now, releasing tapes and limited edition vinyls on labels like Detriti, Sierpen and Pine Hill.
Finally taking up the challenge of writing a longer full-length (previous albums were seven or eight track long at best), the trio led by Denis Zarubin has created twelve new songs that shine a light on the impressive skills of this young combo to deliver very classic and yet extremely fresh and modern cold post-punk gems.
Keeping it short and sweet, their two-three minutes long compositions cut right to the chase of the darkwave soul: stomping drum machines, frozen guitar arpeggios, tense bass riffs. The formula is occasionally rocked by the intervention of laser synths, noise raids and gothic chorale, while the industrial pièce of the title-track and the IDM-tinged collaboration with experimental giants Xiu Xiu ‘Fear’ will show how this band stands out and how their upcoming, new album is the best proof of this.
After the Ron Trent/Other Lands smashing combo, Yellow Jackets offers its third outing. This time contributions come from Detroit’s own Patrice Scott and Mother Tongue’s young members EDB & Gary Superfly.
Patrice Scott does what he’s known for: emotional tech funk, rich in melodies and deep in textures! ‘Mood Swing’ does exactly what the title says, keeping you dancing while mind travelling….Butter!!!
On the flipside EDB & Gary Superfly, who recently broke some necks with their jam ‘Pressure’ from the Madre Lingua album, deliver straight from “The Fifth Floor” a twisted bubbly acid number with swing a plenty and melodic overtones…a match made in heaven!
Once again full impact loud pressing 12 inch as in Yellow Jackets tradition!
The Covid Pandemic hit Germany in March 2020 and by the 15th of March all of the public life was shut down. It was the same day where my son Rio was born.
For me, this early stage of the pandemic had something very intimate and private, since I was forced to stay at home with my young family for weeks. In Mai 2020 I started to leave the house, for other occasions then just going to the shop or taking a walk and that was the time I started working on “Hotel Solaris”. It was an intense creative rush: in 8 weeks the album was written, performed and produced in one flow. I had two days every week, where I could go to the studio for 4 hours and that time the album was done. It had a corpus in a sense that I
knew I wanted a faster or a slower track at points, but the whole hotel idea came when I saw photos of the old Hotel Arkada on the Croatian island Hvar, that my extremely talented friend Marcella Zanki shot on her holidays.
They show a well preserved socialist-brutalist hotel architecture in the middle of the beautiful Adriatic and for me it was like looking at pictures from a timeless place, without knowing where and when it exactly was, totally surreal.
I liked that idea of a hote that stands as an escape symbol from the real world, which was something everyone needed when the pandemic was building stronger and stronger. I decided to call it Hotel Solaris, inspired by the novel from Stanislav Lem, where Solaris is a planet covered by an ocean which triggers our subconscious mind to
become reality. It all fit at the end and “Hotel Solaris” was done.
Like every record Superchunk has made over the last thirty-some years, Wild Loneliness is unskippably excellent and infectious. It’s a blend of stripped-down and lush, electric and acoustic, highs and lows, and I love it all. On Wild Loneliness I hear echoes of Come Pick Me Up, Here’s to Shutting Up, and Majesty Shredding. After the (ahem, completely justifiable) anger of What a Time to Be Alive, this new record is less about what we’ve lost in these harrowing times and more about what we have to be thankful for. (I know something about gratitude.
I’ve been a huge Superchunk fan since the 1990s, around the same time I first found my way to poetry, so the fact that I’m writing these words feels like a minor miracle.) On Wild Loneliness, it feels like the band is refocusing on possibility, and possibility is built into the songs themselves, in the sweet surprises tucked inside them. I say all the time that what makes a good poem the “secret ingredient” is surprise. Perhaps the same is
true of songs. Like when the sax comes in on the title track, played by Wye Oak’s Andy Stack, adding a completely new texture to the song. Or when Owen Pallett’s strings come in on “This Night.” But my favorite surprise on Wild Loneliness is when the harmonies of Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub kick in on “Endless Summer.”
It’s as perfect a pop song as you’ll ever hear sweet, bright, flat-out gorgeous and yet it grapples with the depressing reality of climate change: “Is this the year the leaves don’t lose their color / and hummingbirds, they don’t come back to hover / I don’t mean to be a giant bummer but / I’m not ready / for an endless summer, no / I’m not ready for an endless summer.” I love how the music acts as a kind of counterweight to the lyrics.
Because of COVID, Mac, Laura, Jim, and Jon each recorded separately, but a silver lining is that this method made other long-distance contributions possible, from R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Sharon Van Etten, Franklin Bruno, and Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura, among others. Some of the songs for the record were written before the pandemic hit, but others, like “Wild Loneliness,” were written from and about isolation.
I’ve been thinking of songs as memory machines. Every time we play a record, we remember when we heard it before, and where we were, and who we were. Music crystallizes memories so well: listening to “Detroit Has a Skyline,” suddenly I’m shout1singing along with it at a show in Detroit twenty years ago; listening to Overflows,” I’m transported back to whisper-singing a slowed-down version of it to my young son, that year it was his most-requested lullaby.
Wild Loneliness is becoming part of my life, part of my memories, too. And it will be part of yours. I can picture people in 20, 50, or 100 years listening to this record and marveling at what these artists created together beauty, possibility, surprise during this alarming (and alarmingly isolated) time. But why wait? Let’s marvel now. - Maggie Smith
Greyscale's most personal release and perhaps the most important for label owner grad_u aka Aleksandr Martinkevič. Earlier this year, Alex was diagnosed with cancer. Certainly a horrible thing to hear and there has definitely been some low moments in certain stages of the journey. At just 36 years old, many of us are shocked that such a young person can develop cancer. After some research he found out that younger and younger people are randomly getting cancer studies show. An alarming trend to learn about. However, there has also been a lot of other learning and different new levels of appreciation for the simple things in life as a new higher level of inspiration in making music has manifested. And this new release encapsulates that. Alex has also felt a duty to make things better for others. Focusing on what can be improved as he wants to highlight research, treatment and the overall communication of this disease to more people in the electronic music scene. Part of the proceeds from this new album will be donated to the National Cancer Institute in his homeland of Lithuania.
Alex wants everyone to know that catching these signs early and getting regular checkups are your best chance at beating cancer. Thankfully Alex did this also and his treatments have gone well. Alex plans still stay steadfast with his label and his life. Simplifying things with the love from his family and friends, focusing on his hobbies
along with making sure he makes his health his #1 personal priority.
The name for this full length release is titled 'T2NO'. grad_u's most introspective work yet features 8 emotional tracks overall. The honesty expressed in this album is blunt and to the point. These tracks take you on an audio journey thru grad_u as he expresses his feelings thru the entire process in each stage.
Beginning with two wonderful ambient tracks named 'Genetic Mutation' & 'Carcinogen'. In the opener, Chords rain over you as a beautiful ambient melody peeks out underneath it followed by a more stark and hazy field of interference. From the gentle opener to the more tension filled follower, the personal journey of grad_u is
developing before your ears. The b-side of 'Neoplasm' is a bit more somber but also has a ray of light in it.
Introspective as it can get, this is a true journey through an uncertain future. 'MRI scan' needs no explanation....
The second half of the album begins the understanding of what grad_u was going thru. 'Malignant Transformation' gives off that feeling of the human body working thru the science. Fight or flight becomes the theme for this track. 'Adenocarcinoma' almost gives off the sound of cells rebuilding themselves. Sci-fi meets real life in this epic battle. 'Resection' continues this scientific sounding reflection on the body healing with sounds of movement and time. As if the body is working itself out. Lastly and triumphantly comes the closing
track 'Waking up to a New Life'....
The emotional journey of this album isn't for the faint of heart. It leaves nothing to the imagination. It works thru all the emotions that can come with such and life changing event like having cancer. We want to thank grad_u for sharing his story with us. This story can happen to anyone...
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my great gratitude to doctors A. Dulskas, G. Jurevičienė, V. Sidorov and all staff in Abdominal Surgery and Oncology Department at NCI. Thank you for your expert care and for saving my life.
Also, big big thank you my family and closest friends for all their love and support during this difficult period of time and always being there for me."
Special thanks to Lithuanian Council for Culture, associations AGATA and LATGA for support of this special project.
Part of proceeds from the album will be donated to National Cancer Institute, Lithuania
Matir Gaan is a collaboration between young Bengali migrant, Mohammed After Hussain and Italian electronic artist, Andrea Rusconi (aka Paq). The resulting album delightfully combines the ancient folk songs of Md After's homeland with Paq's cosmic synth exotica.
Mohammed After Hussain escaped Bangladesh in 2015 and arrived in Italy in 2017 after a long and dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from the violence he found in Libya. In Italy he found safety and hospitality as an asylum seeker in Rimini's Associazione Ardea, where Andrea is involved with 'Ardea Recordings' - a project aiming to create an archive of songs, stories and sounds by some of the people who spent some time with Ardea's refugee programme.
Md After was invited to sing and play the folk and village songs he knew on the harmonium and pakhawaj (two headed drum) while Andrea immersed himself in the songs providing a bed of warm Crumar synth and Veena drones to create a finished album of totally uniquela renditions of the mystic Baul folk songs known so well by people across the Bangla speaking regions of India.
The Bauls are a famous group of wandering minstrels from the region of Bengal whose culture is derived from the teachings of the early Sufi mystics and Hindu Fakhirs. The Baul devotees are considered to be mad, or possessed, with the love of God. While transcending religion the Baul compositions celebrate celestial and earthly love and expound the key philosophy of “Deha tatta” or truth in the body, epitomised by the aphorism “whatever is in the universe is in the body”. They reach for divinity here in this world and they seek to access it through music and dance. They seek spirituality in the music, they live fo r the music, wandering from village to village offering ecstatic sound waves in exchange for sustenance. Their presence remains an important part of village life in Bangladesh, and this is why Md After knows the songs despite the fact he would not consider himself part of the Baul ascetic tradition.
We hope you'll enjoy this wonderfully psychedelic album, with its unique interpretations of these ancient mystic songs from the earth.
Comes with a printed inner sleeve featuring sleeve notes and lyric translations by Brian P. Heilman
Baby Buddha is David Javelosa and musical partner Charles Hornaday playing instruments and providing their own whacked-out vocals. Baby Buddha really was less of a band than a project; a side project in fact, for some members of another group, Los Microwaves. Baby Buddha would eventually record and release an album, 1981's provocatively-titled Music for Teenage Sex on Robbie Fields' L.A.-based Posh Boy label.
Happily, the project's guiding creative light, David Javelosa has recently seen to a vinyl reissue of the now-40-year-old record, mystifyingly retitled Music for Teenage Sects. Definitely among the stranger releases of the new wave era, Music for Teenage Sex/Sects could perhaps only have been created when and where it was made. But on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the music sounds as weirdly wonderful as ever. "We Are Not" sounds like Human League stuck in a car with The Residents. And their cover of "All Shook Up" sounds like a musical kin to those inscrutable eyeball guys too; it wouldn't be out of place on Meet the Residents. "Little Things" is a house-of-mirrors, scary track, with spoken-word vocals by Los Microwaves' Meg Brazill and label head Fields.
The album cover is slightly different as well: it displays a bedroom scene like the original LP, but with the young female model absent. The new release (on Javelosa's own Hyperspace Communications label) is pressed on beautiful translucent blue vinyl and comes in a gatefold sleeve with a lively collage of photos, buttons, gig posters. Limited to 500 copies.This playfully titled release features David Javelosa (on synth and vocals) along with Meg Brazill (on bass and vocals) plus drummer Todd "Rosa" Rosencrans. Side One features five studio tracks, none of which were included on the band's 1981 Posh Boy LP, Life After Breakfast. Three of these tracks were recorded in '82; there's no information regarding the provenance of the other two songs. The records' second side collects five live recordings, capturing Los Microwaves onstage in New York City (The Peppermint Lounge) and Boston as well as at San Francisco's own I-Beam, a venue that often played host to the band. Those tracks date form roughly the same ear, 1980-83. Sonically the songs variously recall Blondie, Flying Lizards, Gang of Four and a far less dour Human League. Importantly, the band rocks, even when it's employing a spare drum kit, solid but elemental bass, and monophonic analog synthesizers. The stripped down aesthetics of the group – necessitated by its minimalist instrumental approach – are nonetheless thrilling. Even if you weren't there in 1980, this'll take you back.
HDSN is one of the most diverse young artists in recent times, and every new production that hits the shelves is proof of his endless exploration of the electronic music universe. “Low End Therapy” is the follow up to his first release on NBAST ́s sister label “ We Must Protect This House” , which kicked off a new era of sound on his second home label earlier this year. Now that the dust has settled WMPTH002 is here: straight to the point, pounding and euphoric, its a modern reimagined dream of an illegal 1992 warehouse rave anthem full of energy but also incredibly catchy and instantly recognisable.
Here we go with the first release for the Hole in One Classix series. Not a lot is known about Icy-K beside he's an Original Playa. A real '95 Memphis classic is now available again on cassette and for the first time on vinyl. An exclusive reissue handled with love and care.
Wewantsounds continues its collaboration with Bob Shad's venerable
jazz label Mainstream Records, and present a selection of 12 turntable friendly tracks recorded between 1971 and 1975 and showcasing the
label's superb blend of Spiritual Jazz, Funk and Soul by the likes of Buddy Terry, Sarah Vaughan, LaMont Johnson and Johnny Coles.
Most of the tracks are released on vinyl for the first time since their original release in the early 70s. The 2-LP set comes with gatefold sleeve featuring never seen photos from the Mainstream vaults and new liner notes by UK journalist Paul Bowler.
Mainstream Records is one of the key independent jazz labels of the early 70s, together with Flying Dutchman, Strata East, CTI and Black Jazz. Founded by legendary label man Bob Shad (who had been head of A&R at Mercury Records and set EmArcy in the 50s), the label concentrated on Psychedelia in the 60s before switching back to Shad's jazz roots in the early 70s, signing a new crop of jazzmen fed on John Coltrane and Miles' electric experiments. Thus was born the
cult Mainstream "300 series" with its distinctive artwork and outstanding music from which this selection is largely drawn.
Giving a chance to many young jazz players and a few old friends, Shad recorded some of the most exciting jazz of the early 70s, mixing spiritual influences with funk and soul. Mainstream Records has a lot more exciting music in the vaults and 'Mainstream Funk' is just the tip of the iceberg serving as a timely reminder that Bob Shad's taste as a producer and A&R man was one of the finest on the scene.
One of my first record releases was on Traum Schallplatten in 2007. I was living in Berlin and Traum was at its peak launching acts like Extrawelt, Dominik Eulberg, Gabriel Anada, Minilogue, Fairmont… The era of melodic minimal…
The release of Luftlust hit the big DJ's like Sven Väth etc. And I was truly overwhelmed by the support. But the version on the 12" was actually pitched up 5 BPM. And in the end the mastering was not in my personal preference. Watering my feel of it, once or twice a year people actually ask me to do a remaster. Over the years it has been a track circulating the web and playlists, haunting me.
Last year I dug in the past and actually wrote a masters exam in philosophy about being a youngster in the techno scene and how to keep up creativity while working with record labels. Somewhere in that process I decided to face the old ghost and make it happen. Time was ready for the re-release of Luftlust, on my terms on my own label Kranglan Broadcast.
Justus Köhncke Remix
For a time frame of a decade I have asked Kompakt veteran and Whirlpool Productions legend Justus Köhncke to do a remix on my Kranglan imprint. Herr Köhncke to me (and to everyone who has followed Kompakt) is one of a kind! A punk soul, dead serious while smiling, always putting hooks and fragments out of music history on Kompakt sound plates with precise grace… The last years he have replied he's been busy in the studio with Can member Irmin Schmidt, working on soundtracks but... suddenly one day when I wrote the man he said "I love Luftlust, send me the stems".
Listening to Justus interpretation I was blown away… like riding a cabrio through the German landscape of fields and deciduous forests a sunny day in late May! And wait for that outro bridge at 5:56! Like being hugged by the warm mother autumn.
Özgur Can Remix
Anjuna Deep cofounder Özgur Can and I have known each other since high school. Özgur was the first DJ I ever booked to one of my early raves in the forests of Nacka. From releasing our first records with our common buddy Petter on Peter Van Halls label 'Deep' we have walked a parallel path in life, Özgur with a wider span of releases and 100's of nights at sweaty dance floors. No one does the deep driven heartfull arpeggios like Özgur. They swell and they swirl. A true Music lover and true talent!
Lust
Time has flewn since 2007, and that winter break in Barcelona 2006 hanging out with James Holden and the Border gang at Razmataz… the weekend when I actually started working on Luftlust…
Working on a re-release of Luftlust I just got hit by lust to work a version of it from the position where I am at, the 2021 me. I went with lust and it just happened a late summer night in Stockholm being by myself for a brief moment doing what I love the most, making music.
Luftlust Original 120BPM Version
And at last the never released original version of the title track. Correct tempo as it was written. Mastered by Andreas Lubich aka Lupo, the very person to master this type of music if you take a brief glimpse at his back folder! Finally!
I love this project, and I love making it happen at Kranglan Broadcast. Bringing together thoughts and people you have thought of bringing together for a long time. Lust KLN014 is here.
DJ Frankie, future reality: LNCY001 is music for the megalopolis. After a brief but bloody desynchronisation in ‘Cobwebs of Blood’, we are back to life. Welcome to the club, welcome to the slaughterhouse – this feverish dreamspace of inverted nightmares is a divine comedy of lacerated lust. A visceral affair, the A2 invokes the fleshy body horror Cronenberg without breaking stride. Young’uns take note: this is a masterclass of retrograde futurism. A high NRG macro trip ‘Sweet Chainsaw’ is the coronary artery of the bustling cityscape capturing the pulsating romance of the underground: a frenzied maze of industrial estates, a reclamation of the forgotten spaces, and above a call to arms – let’s be having ye.
This is a feeling which DJ Frankie continues to thread on the flipside, in equal measure sexy and sentimental, balancing the serious futurism of US electro with the nostalgic optimism of UK hardcore. Re-historicising seemingly disparate strands of electronic music into something of ‘Ravers Guide’ – The Future Sound of the Past.
In essence, ‘Cobwebs of Blood’ is an ode to dunted dancefloors – for those looking to escape & those looking to connect. Big luv to all the original party crews and dancefloor young teams who have kept the fire at 38 Gower Street burning for seven years.
In 1982, Bukky's path led him to London, where he became one of the forerunners in the Acid Jazz scene. A young A&R man named Gilles Peterson signed him to the newly formed Acid Jazz label and his first release "Rejoice In Righteousness" went straight to the heart of the Acid Jazz world, reaching number 1 in the rhythm and blues, dance and jazz charts. The follow-up album "River Nile" led to a nomination at the US African Music Awards in New York. There he became acquainted with the legendary, late tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson who invited Bukky to his home in San Francisco.
After a two year hiatus, DJ Spinna and Kai Alce return to BBE Music with the 5th instalment of their 7” vinyl series ‘Foundations’, this time showcasing Ralphi Rosario &Xaviera Gold’s undisputed club classic: ‘You Used To Hold Me’. With global interest in ‘45s on the rise, ‘Foundations’ aims to fill those frustrating gaps in all our collections by releasing specially crafted edits of classic house tracks on 7” vinyl for the very first time.
The youngest member chosen for Chicago’s ‘Hot Mix 5’ on WBMX back in 1981, Ralphi Rosario is nothing less than House Music royalty, and 1987 smash ‘You Used To Hold Me’ is surely his most enduring hit. Featuring fellow WBMX DJ and vocalist Xaviera Gold, the song has seen several cover versions, remixes and reissues over the years, but has surprisingly never before appeared on ’45. Spinna and Alce have chosen to create special edits of the ’87 ‘Riviera’ version and the ‘(You Used To Beat Me Black and Blue) Bonus Beats’ for this double-sided slice of Dance Music history.
“This is the blueprint to vocal House music and how it should be delivered” says Kai Alce, “and to have the opportunity to present it on 7" for the first time with Ralphi's blessing is overwhelmingly gratifying!”
“You Used To Hold Me seems like one of those anthemic jams that you pretty much heard everywhere- it was massive” recalls DJ Spinna. “I remember hearing it at the Paradise Garage in 1987, but it may have already been a hit on NY radio by that time. It’s one of those classic vocal tracks that impacted the House world as hard as Ten City ‘Devotion’ and ‘Move Your Body’ by Marshall Jefferson. The Bonus Beats on the 12” was a great tool for the DJ. You often heard it used in blends with other tracks.”
The new batch from the bottomless edit archives of Danny Krivit is an uptempo, guitar-heavy excursion into two cuts of danceable rock from opposite sides of a decade.
“Marbles” originally came out late in 1970, the result of a collaboration between the fiery British guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Buddy Miles. Miles was hot off his time with Jimi Hendrix, and producer Alan Douglas, who’d been instrumental in putting together the Band of Gypsys group, attempted another crossover combination with a brand new, blazing guitar god. Also on the date was Larry Young, an organ player best known for his expansive jazzy albums on Blue Note, and several veterans of Buddy Miles’ funk-rock combos. The resulting mixture produced in “Marbles” a powerful, driving rhythm anchoring an addictive riff that steamrolls through the cut in a fashion not unlike the motorik sound of Velvet Underground or Can. Mr. K’s edit leans heavily on the drums, naturally, with a long, tailor-made intro and a mesmerizing focus on the main riff, extending things well past the seven-minute mark.
Ten years later, the world of music was in an entirely different place but a good guitar riff coupled with a driving beat was still powerful currency on the dancefloor. This time, the group was Scottish new wave-punk group APB, whose single “Shoot You Down” had garnered unexpected peak time play in cutting edge NYC hotspots Danceteria, the Peppermint Lounge, the Ritz and the Mudd Club. “Shoot You Down” combines the urgency of the Clash with the free for all vibe that characterized the downtown scene (and throws in a chant borrowed from P-Funk for good measure). Mr. K has created a long instrumental opening that leads into the vocals, giving the tightly-wound 7-inch single a proper extended 12-inch treatment it deserved but never had before.
The sound is crisply remastered for club play, and stretched over the breadth of a 12-inch single. Both of these tracks are appearing on the long-format player for the first time.
Charlotte de Witte continues her fantastic year with brand new EP, Asura, on her KNTXT label. All three of the tracks on this release will be exclusively included in her BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, which is scheduled to be broadcasted on 18th of September.
As well as being back on the road and serving up her high-intensity DJ sets at the world's best clubs and festivals, Charlotte has also been busy in other areas. She has forged a new alliance with Apple Music and is now curating multiple exclusive mix series including a monthly KNTXT Residency Mix and KNTXT Active, which sees the Belgian artist and her label further investigate the connections between high-performance music, sports and BPMs. She has recently remixed the hugely influential trance classic 'The Age Of Love' by Age Of Love' alongside Enrico Sangiuliano and continues to A&R essential new tunes for the label.
Says Charlotte of this EP, "with Asura EP I’m trying to give you a little insight into my musical influences by going back to my roots. We’re speaking about a young Charlotte who, about 12 / 13 years ago, got indulged in the world of electronic music by going to her first underground clubs and raves. From electro and techno to acid core and hardcore to psytrance. This EP flirts with the soundscapes of the latter."
This EP finds Charlotte delve deep into her own past in electronic music with plenty of psychedelic influences. Opener Asura is a brightly lit techno track with big chords that bring the colour. They are sleek and metallic and sure to get hands in the air, with acid sounds and rumbling bass all adding extra weight and depth to this fantastic opener. 'Soma' is another dramatic and psychedelic track with hard-edged drums pounding away beneath celestial chords. They are mysterious and emotive and bring colour to the darkness. Last of all comes another big, psytrance-tinged and emotional roller coaster in 'Stigma' with its all-consuming techno groove and bass that sounds like it's fired from a machine gun. After an acidic breakdown, the drums roll again and even the biggest festival crowd is sure to be swept away.
Charlotte de Witte leads from the front once more with her standout new Asura EP.
After his international debut #1 in 2018, the north Ghanaian Kologo (a two stringed proto-banjo) master Guy One is back with his brand new band, consisting of Kumasi's finest young talents, plus Florence Adooni and Tenni Akagam as his choir voices.
So La Ma La has a straight forward Highlife rhythm which melts together with some funky articulated afrobeat-a-like bass line. To Kale Na'nabala is instead in the traditional Kete rhythm, a bouncy poly-rhythm in 12/8. But both songs are mostly defined through Guy One's Kologo lines and his soulful interpretation of the typical north-ghanaian vocal style.
Let's be honest. A record collection is hardly complete without a Soulphiction release, right?>
Michel Baumann's second release on 18437 is using his Soulphiction moniker and while 2021 is still young, he manages to pull off the one of the best house tracks so far with the opening track Ballin'
The phrase 'top-shelf material' springs to mind for sure.
Up next is 'What What ??!', an expertly constructed shuffling rhythm workout that fits neatly among a seriously funky bassline and piano hooks.
This is as close as you get sounding like a band doing their version of a Soulphiction track, from a one man band.
Finally 'Midi Funk' sounds like a dubbed out tribute to Shep Pettibone...enough said.
The independent label Six Nine Records Ltd. UK, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, proudly presents Petawane (ft. Alura) and his first release on the
label!
Petawane was born and raised in Harlem, New York and started his
singing/music career at the young age of six, when he both performed in church and for friends of the family. The great response and
appreciation he got from his performances made him pursue the dream of becoming a full time performer and musician. He’s always been influenced by the old school greats, such as Sam Cooke, Willie Hutch and Curtis
Mayfield to name a few.
“Lovers Dream” is a stunning mid-tempo track featuring Alura, together they deliver amazing vocals and a tune which definitely makes the
perfect soundtrack to hot summer nights in the company of friends and lovers!
Definitely not to be missed as it is a limited UK press with small hole
and full colour printed picture cover!
Third release for the young label Slow Bistro records, created by Slow-L in 2019. This is a brand new 2021 never released before 12” after two sold-out releases in 2019, we sold lots of these at french shop Dizonord and are happy to share the tip now.
Italo disco & new wave inspired tracks rather than pure house, these are still fitted for the clubs. Great pictures from the French Japanese artist Maï Saikuza on rear and front sleeve.
Kapoor and Hvitling’s first album, The Odyssey, is monumental. It boasts eight tracks that are generous in terms of length and sophistication. Each has a distinctive feel and predominant mood, balancing intricate sonic arrangements with dynamic and rhythmically pleasant beats. Yet certain ethereal sound textures and melodies
make the tracks echo each other, creating a sense of journeying through uncharted waters. Masterfully produced female vocal synths become spectral presences in several tracks, most notably in Vox Diaboli and Vox Angeli. In the former, seductive whispers hiss a hymed incantation, creating a delightfully spooky atmosphere; while the latter lures the listener into sacred ecstasy with a combination of vibrant synths pristinely arranged with a string orchestra and LFO female vocals. Akumandra’s fourth official vinyl release stays true to its multicultural essence, adding this young Polish and Swedish producer duo to their vinyl catalog.
Kamai Music is growing quickly into one of the most interesting labels in the down and mid-tempo genre. After a successful debut compilation, the young Berlin label hits back with 'Fana'. A three track EP produced by Ulises. The Argentinian multi-instrumentalist merges in a very unique way his own South American roots with driving grooves and unexpected chords, colours and moods througout all tracks. Ali Kuru and Zigan Aldi join this release with two beautiful remixes. Last but not least Kamai celebrates with 'Fana' also their first vinyl release - including a digital bonustrack (redeem for whole EP via bandcamp) !
RAWAX welcomes Alex Pervukhin from Ukraine to the artist family! The young talented producer presents his fantastic debut for us on our limited series with the "Drugs EP". The Main track is already played by Varhat!
The latest from Mr. K and Most Excellent Unlimited pairs lowdown and stomping disco from an unlikely source with a funked-out floorfiller from some very familiar voices.
Minnie Riperton’s 1977 single “Stick Together” was an outlier in her catalog of smooth modern soul, an intentional nod in the direction of the prevailing disco sound. Co-written with Stevie Wonder, “Stick Together” in its original single release was divided into two parts, the first a fairly conventional uptempo cut with all the catchy qualities you’d expect from Stevie and the husband and wife team of Richard Rudolph and Minnie. It was the second half of the song that caught the ears of DJs who played for funkier dancefloors, however. Freddie Perren, a former member of Motown’s legendary Corporation collective of songwriters and producers, and a man then red-hot off his success with Tavares’ “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel” and the Sylvers’ “Boogie Fever,” was on production duties, and the song clearly benefits from his disco-friendly touch. In Mr. K’s epic edit we are treated to a lengthy exploration of the second part of “Stick Together,” featuring keyboardist Sonny Burke (veteran of Marvin Gaye’s band and fresh from playing on Candi Staton’s disco smash “Young Hearts Run Free”) working out an irresistible Jingo-esque piano part, Riperton’s sensual ad-libs, and, as if that wasn’t enough, a cameo appearance by Pam Grier on finger snaps! Krivit’s 8-minute-plus edit passes way too quickly to get enough of the hypnotic groove — rewinds are called for!
Our flip side, “Body Language,” originated as an album cut on the Jackson Five’s last album of original material for Motown, Moving Violation, recorded before Jermaine left to go solo and the remaining brothers joined Epic Records in a new incarnation as the Jacksons. For such an obvious heater it’s puzzling why the label never released it as a single; but regardless of that apparent misstep, “Body Language” has long been a sure shot in many DJs’ bags. With his new edit, Mr. K presents the track in its ultimate form, loud, remastered, stretched out and rippling with energy over a full six minutes. With an iconic bass line that just doesn’t quit, and Michael and the boys in fine form, it’s impossible to imagine a situation where this wouldn’t set the room on fire.
Rising French techno producer Trudge makes his debut appearance on Lobster Theremin with the blistering four-track EP, Self Love Club. Following releases for ARTS, 1Ø Pills Mate and Of Paradise - as well as his transformation from hazier sounds into full throttle techno - Self Love Club is a defining record for the young artist and an ambitious taster ahead of his debut album, slated for release at the start of the
summer.
Opener Ice On My Neck sets the pace of the release combining bone-rattling drums & glacial pads to maximum effect, while title track Self Love Club ramps up the emotion without sacrificing any intensity. On the flip, Bird Ghost’s ethereal synth lines punctuate a pummelling kick and Night Shift lowers the aggression ending the record on a dreamy, break-lined note.
"I am sitting in a garden, I haven't left the property in weeks, someone is dropping off food once a week. I haven't seen a human being in ages, I feel like a reverse Schroedinger cat - do I exist when nobody sees me? I must be somewhere in France but I don't remember. I have lost my consciousness again. When I wake up I hear a broken record looping somewhere in the mansion. A washed-out opera. Behind the trees I see the dilapidated hermaphrodite sculpture in a field of verdant nettles and fern. I hear gunshots far afield, aeroplanes in the sky, sirens on the main road.
When unconscious I dreamt of sitting on the Concorde observing the scarab blue ocean and iridescent clouds from above, an erstwhile receding memory. Sometimes I hear the organ of the nearby Renaissance Cathedral merging with the Russian Church bells.
I am hallucinating again. Someone's humming in the kitchen? Singing? A Radio? I overhear two young women talking about art galleries in the neighbour's garden. Bees attack, again…..again and again. The hairspray finally intoxicates them. An amphoric japanese voice is whispering in my head saying I will die soon. Someone (something?) bangs on the vases. The fountain's water turns dark red.
Fleur calls and says mum died. The funeral will be televised on tuesday. We opt for the synthetic choir for the service. The call is suddenly interrupted. Mold is slowly taking over the house.
I go back inside."
Une Fille Pétrifiée is the debut album of new Black To Comm related entity Mouchoir Ètanche (after one recent 12" on Richter's own Dekorder label). Combining real and fake acoustic instrumentation, sampling, field recordings and excessive yet inaudible post production this is another sublime and ethereal statement. Influences are ranging from (French) Classical & Opera to the anecdotical compositions of Luc Ferrari, Chinese Opera, Chanson, Sacred Music / Church Music, JG Ballard and Surrealism.
Marc Richter records as Black To Comm for Thrill Jockey, Type and Dekorder and as Jemh Circs for his own Cellule 75 imprint. He also produces soundtracks and acousmatic multichannel installations for institutions such as INA GRM Paris, ZKM Karlsruhe and Kunstverein Hamburg.
Following on from last years exceptional 'Obsession EP' from Art Crime is a budding young talent by the name of Will Lister.
Originally from Lyme Regis, Will moved up to London to attend Goldsmiths University and in his spare time he helps us out behind the counter here at the shop. When he's not here at the shop you can also hear him playing records on his Balamii Radio Show or his monthly club night, 'The Aten'. 'The Phantom EP' is his production debut and we're extremely happy to be putting it out on our main imprint.
The title track opens up the EP with heavily reverbed pads, echoed claps, crunchy percussion and repetitive synth stabs that all work together to create spaced-out atmosphere that's full of twist and turns. Flipping over to the B-side, 'After The Light' picks up the pace with a driving high-hat rhythm and full-bodied kicks that underpin warm piano keys and smooth synth lines. 'Agency' closes proceedings by turning up the intensity to full with a masterclass in building tension.
3 years have past since the release of the fortunea Cookies Vol. 2 ep. Now, the Viennese label is resurrecting their various artists collection with a third entry.
The A-side begins with a smooth deep house piece by LeSale. Dreamy strings and sparkling pads chime together with a thriving funky bassline. A beautiful opener for estival sunset moments.
Peletronic and Klaus Benedek team up together on A2 with some ‚Analogue Kinda Funk‘. Finished during the lockdown while sending the project back and forth over the web, this track gives you an eerie and compelling feeling of the Zeitgeist we are living in right now. Dark reverberant percs, a crunchy guitar and a stunning drum beat will turn your flat into a club for sure.
The B-side features a new member on the fortunea roster. Dzc. is a young and talented dj and producer and this is her first production that is coming out. It’s called ‚The Truth‘ and is a well made peaktime track and a homage of early to late 90s house, techno and trance music.
Lukas Poellauer finishes this record. But not alone! He brought Schreder with him and together they make a ‚Midnight Ride‘ through a melancholic, acid-fulfilled desert.
fortunea Cookies Vol. 3 is limited to 300 copies! There will be no repress!
Support by Felipe Gordon, Roman Rauch, Jus-Ed, Fred P, Krewcial, Jeff Samuel
After the great success of previous opus composed of remixes by French rising stars like Folamour &,Tour-Maubourg and established artists such as D'julz, Satoshi Tomiie, Ian Pooley, Oliver Dollar or Butch, the new chapter called The « Z » EP is leaded by the great DJ producer Dan Ghenacia. Along side House Music legend Chez Damier with Ben Vedren and their project H2H, come the young rising German producer Marc Brauner and the French new talent Kusmee aka AMS 250. Definitely a new step foward for the Shazzer Project.
For its new release, the Parisian crew Discomatin picked a lesser known banger of the boogie era, Maudit DJ by Clara Capri. Produced in Belgium by Jay Alansky with lyrics
written by his sidekick Jacques Duvall, this EP brings together an Italo discoesque bassline surrounded by shiny synths and irresistible guitar licks. On top of that, Clara Capri sings
with a high-pitched voice. Maudit DJ is a real celebration of the nightlife. Fortunately, it’s brought here with all 3 versions transferred from the original tape masters: the extended “Version Longue” with its great introduction sounding like strong early house, the shorter “Version 45 Tours” if you’re in a hurry and, last but not least, the instrumental version for those too shy to play the vocals. But let’s head back to the 80’s: Jay Alansky
and Jacques Duvall are having a real success. They just produced famous Belgium female artist Lio’s first hits and have access to Dan Lacksman’s studio in Brussels - member of Telex with Marc Moulin. During this euphoric period, they met Clara Capri, a young Italian girl really crazy about Disco, swearing only by Giorgio Moroder or Chic. Her two buddies decide to concoct her a real hymn to the dancefloor. For them it sounds like the perfect
time, considering the duo always dreamed of being like a shadow production team, just like Motown’s very own Holland-Dozier-Holland. With a great care to the production and the
sound and with the best technologies from the era, they managed to create this French dance music attempt, at a moment when nobody was speaking about French Touch.
Thanks to Discomatin, it’s now available to the real connoisseurs with an exclusive insert which contains lyrics, again with fantastic illustrations from french artist Camille de Cussac.
It was in 1973, on the 14 of October, late in the afternoon; on a pretty Sunday under the Big Top in the heart of the “Parc de la Pépinière”, in Nancy; it was the “premiere”, the world
first hearing, and it has so far remained the only one commissioned by composer and trumpet player lvan Jullien, for the first international Nancy Jazz Pulsations festival. In order to complete this work of composition and orchestration, Ivan asked the great Eddie Louiss on organ, and chose to do without a double bassist who would have been drowned in a telluric outburst, for the best drummers in Europe and beyond had accepted out of sympathy to offer their contribution to such a festival. The only melodist with Louiss was the English John Surman (born in 1944) here on soprano saxophone, discharging torrents of incandescent lava.
Conversing with drums, cymbals, xylophones, kettledrums, vibraphones, tumbas, djembes and all other percussive things that you’ll like to imagine – a bunch of talents such as those
of the French André Ceccarelli, Daniel Humair or Bernard Lubat, the New Yorker Stu Martin, who reminds of Paul Motian in his “breaks”, South African Louis Mo-Holo, young Lamont Hampton, the great trombonist “Slide” Hampton’s son and the Malagasy Franck
Raholison, the Senegalese Lamine Konte. And we will scrupulously refrain from omitting the four musketeers, here representing
percussion in classical music, namely the Percussion Quartet of Paris under the leadership of Mr. Lucien Lemaire.
Schacke’s Make Them Remember is a point of genesis. From the insectoid trippiness of “Life Is Absurd” to the anthemic martial churning of “Make Them Remember” and the ocean floor pensiveness of “A Future Not Materialized”, the record mapped out the road ahead for not just Schacke, but for Copenhagen techno as a whole – a cornerstone in fast techno.
Young Boy Dancing Group
Young Boy Dancing Group was initiated in 2014 as a mercurial dance collective with an ongoing alternating cast. The group deals critically with modes of dance production, digital culture, originality and institutionalisation. Past performances include the Lithuanian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2015 and Manifesta 11 in Zurich, among others. The artwork for Schacke’s “Make Them Remember” is made up of a photo documentation from a performance by the group in Copenhagen in 2016.
The Vivus family ends 2018 in style with its fifth instalment in the vinyl-only series VRV. This release brings back some familiar faces in label founder Daniel Broesecke and an old friend in Silat Beksi.
These two close friends who share their passion for music are fresh off their release on Curtea Veche back in September but they bring some raw energy on this one, resulting in timeless and hypnotic music from two creative young artists.
The first track, Mistral, starts off as strong as you would expect from its name, deriving from the cold northwesterly wind that blows from the south of France to the northern Mediterranean. The heavy bassline floats just above the surface as a cool breeze of atmospheric sounds make their way across.
Next up, on the B side, we have Get Some More, with a calmer approach but powerful nonetheless. An unexpected vocal greets us at the beginning only to make way for a steady flow of uninterrupted intertwined noises that go hand in hand with the firm bass line just underneath.
Dark Entries is honored to release a 4-track EP by Swiss musician Carlos Perón, founding member of Yello. Carlos was born in 1952 in Zurich and began collecting music at a young age. Inspired after attending a concert of Karlheinz Stockhausen in the 1960s, he began to compose Musique Concrete pieces using a 4-track reel to reel and found sounds. In 1979 Perón founded the trio Yello with musician Boris Blank and vocalist Dieter Meier. Yello released their first album in 1980 and the following year Carlos released his first solo album 'Impersonator'. In 1983 Carlos left Yello in order to pursue a solo career and released the soundtrack to Die Schwarze Spinne" and 1984 his second solo album Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted'. In 1988, Belgian label LD Records released a 4-song EP of instrumental tracks from 1984 that predated, influenced and became staples in the New Beat scene.
Dirty Songs' is a collection of songs from Carlos Perón recorded between 1980 and 1986. The recordings were made with the core set up of an ARP 2600, Roland's Drumatix, TB-303 and TR-808. Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted (Instrumental)' recorded in 1984 is a slow burner with dark, gloomy atmospherics, presented here in an extended version with a bonus intro. The song was inspired by William S. Borroughs' Naked Lunch' and paints a bleak futuristic landscape. Breaking In (Instrumental)', from 1984, is a crossover of electronic body music and pitched down Chicago acid house featuring overplayed snares by hand though an Ovomaltine Box. Originally featured on the soundtrack for Die Schwarze Spinne', the song is about breaking into a large pharmaceutical company to steal drugs. On the B-side is A Dirty Song (Instrumental)', originally recorded in 1986 and released by Play It Again Sam in 1988. The song uses one of the earliest Roland SH synthesizers, the SH-1 A, as a solo instrument and is strikingly aggressive with percussive rhythms. Et' was recorded in 1980 on a 4-track and later and remixed to 8-tracks in 1984 for the Frigorex' EP, which is where this extended version comes from. Featuring eerie, cut up vocals and Dadaist lyrics by Isa Nogara atop a proto-Techno beat.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket features a never before seen black and white photo of Carlos taken in 1988. Each album includes an double-sided postcard featuring the cover art from the Frigorex' EP. Prepare to make your own movie to the Swiss John Carpenter soundtrack vibes of Carlos Perón.
Enzo Siragusa rounds off another incredible summer with a highly anticipated project, a collaborative FUSE EP with Martin Buttrich. Striking a perfect balance between Enzo's UK rave roots and Martin's matured finesse, the 'Three Squared' EP nestles neatly within FUSE's distinct sonic palette.
Part of the FUSE family from the very beginning and held in high regard by Enzo, the two solidified their watertight bond via the line ups and studio sessions they have enjoyed together over the years, a bond that shines throughout this release.
When Enzo produces music for his label he always has the FUSE dancefloor in mind, aiming to create those immersive experiences for the crowd that he had as a youngster, across many London raves in the mid 90's.
The 'Three Squared' EP deftly encapsulates this approach, from 'Dangerman', a track that melds Jungle's original elements with the sound of today's house scene, via 'Lifted Spirits' adorned with touches of old school Martin Buttrich, to the darker and engulfing 'Apache', a vinyl only exclusive for the wax heads.
This release also marks FUSE's largest London collaboration to date, as they take over Tobacco Dock's Car Park, where these tracks will be doing some serious damage. At this point the two collaborators will meet again, as Enzo invites Martin to play a live set.
Cold Beat is a San Francisco-based quartet fronted by Hannah Lew (synths, vocals) with Kyle King (synths, guitar), Luciano Talpini Aita (synths) and Sean Monaghan (guitar). Formed in 2013 the band has released three albums and two EPs. 'A Simple Reflection' is a 7-song collection of Eurythmics covers, yet feels just as personal as any of their original material. While digging through a collection of 12s for her record shop Contact Records, Lew stumbled across the earliest Eurythmics B-sides and was floored. This lead to the discovery of their debut album 'In The Garden'. Annie Lennox's abstract and poetic lyrics really struck a chord with Hannah. What had started out as a single cover quickly snowballed into a full blown obsession. The synth and drum programming resonated with her songwriting process, so reimagining them was very creatively fulfilling. The covers on this EP are simultaneously dynamic and atmospheric post-punk that plays to Lew's ethereal vocals and King's crystalline guitar. All songs have been mixed by Mikey Young (Total Control) and mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The record is housed in a jacket designed by Eloise Leigh, which features pink and purple clouds that evoke a dreamy softness and DIY playfulness and photos Lew in her best Lennox-inspired drag. Each copy includes a postcard with photos and notes. 'Sometimes a song seems to sing just for you, as if someone knows your most inner thoughts and feelings and has found a way to describe them effortlessly' - Hannah Lew
Tripmastaz vinyl only imprint Plant 74 dives into deeper direction with the fresh names coming all the way from Russia, Germany and Israel. All of them are straight analog gear young porn stars delivering high class material for 2018.
B From E, an uncommon name but surely soon to be know. This young Danish/Mexican talent has already released a successful Ep on Copenhagen Underground Posse, but now heads for 2018 with a rock solid 3 track Ep at Traxx Underground! B From E delivers a classic and very melodic house sound, in a fusion of US Garage and Soulful Deep House. He is pointing for the stars and ready to spread love, all over the world!
22 Digit LTD is the vinyl only off shot of UK based 22 Digit Records, and this new release is upfront House
music in the style of artists like Mr. G. This 22 Digit LTD release is a collaboration between UK stalwart Moodymanc and label boss William Welt
with solo remixes from Appleblim and Alland Byallo. Moodymanc also known to many as Dubble D, is a Manchester based artist who boasts seminal releases on labels including Tsuba, Local Talk and 20/20 Vision among many others of a similar calibre. William Welt is a young artist who now based in Manchester, cut his teeth in Newcastle upon Tyne, and has releases on labels including Traum and CONSTRUCT.
The first of the remixes comes from Appleblim, whose bass heavy sound has been a regular feature of
imprints inclouding R&S Records, Aus Music, Tempa and Skull Disco. Second of the remixes comes from Alland Byallo, who has previously released on labels including Third Ear, Get Physical, Poker Flat, Moodmusic, Dirt Crew and Rawax.
Instant is the trio of Bernd Schöll (Bass, Vocals, Rhythm), Mike Hauer (Guitar, Synth, Percussion), and Marion Siekmann (Vocals) from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1980 after meeting through mutual friends attending the local art and graphic design school. The trio were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. Inspired by the Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder, they set out to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle fusing Dada, disco, and Krautrock.
Over the course of 2 weeks in Summer 1980 the band teamed up with local producer Mario Strack to record 6 songs. These would make up their debut eponymous album that was originally self-released on 10' vinyl in 1981. They utilized a simple set up of guitar, bass, and keyboards, plus the BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Metal scraps clanging appear on the tracks 'Do Not' and 'Optimate Minimum', and a washing machine was sampled on the track 'Joyboy', which features Marion reading from the appliance's instruction manual. The A-side features 4 tracks in 11 minute, while the B-side hosts 2 songs in the same stretch of time. 'Charade' features no wave saxophone accompaniment from Kai Taschner of Munich New Wave band Luna Set. Marion's vocals are between Nico's Teutonic chill and Alison Statton's (Young Marble Giants) playfulness, while Bernd takes a monotone approach. Lyrics for 'My Boy' and 'Everybody's Gotta Mutate' were adapted from 'Rotwang', a fragmented novel written by Tim Hildebrandt, one of the brothers famous for illustrating the works of Tolkien.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a replica of the original jacket design, which features a neon red screen-printed drawing of a cut-out doll family on a stark white background. Each LP includes a postcard insert with lyrics.
tested 'Then After' EP by New York duo Wild Dark.
'...Stemming from a partnership with two decades of experience behind them, Wild Dark takes on contemporary song-writing and gives it a unique, thoughtful, modern-take using a wide spectrum of electronic music to tell a story. The duo, comprised of brothers Corey & Ryan Negrin, stray from cold digital samples in favour of a warmer approach to writing music. This allows them to merge house, techno and natural vocal work into a cohesive concept that uses soulful yet charming songwriting to nurture a sophisticated palate of contemporary work...'
Then After EP includes two tracks featuring Alex Who 'When we first met Alex there was chemistry off the bat. With inspiration of being young and free, the lyrics and vibe to "Why Not"came together with ease. As the production progressed, the darker tribal elements came to life.
We wanted this track to resonate with the free spirited. This track tends to be a favorite of night.
"Born By The River", A Happy Mistake. The vocals, the elements, the soul, all stemmed from animpromptu recording and this beauty was born. With a list of organic household recordings,accompanied by a warm low end, we aimed to create a track that defied all genres.
"Talky Talkie" is the most club oriented track of the EP, with a persistent groove and synth elements that work perfectly on the dancefloor.
"I'll Wait" brings our bohemian flavour to shine, a track that's comfortable being played anywherefrom Burning Man, lost in the desert to the deep warehouses of Brooklyn's underground.
The digital release will include a special remix by Superlounge, a German duo known for their smooth house vibes. This is a must have release, available first on the label's shop online;
t r u e C o l o r s
A Brooklyn / London based record label that channels artist's most honest version of their
creations and shares it with the world through vinyl and digital platforms.
- A spectacular reimagining of one of the all time greatest
Northern Soul tunes, Timi Yuro 'It'll Never Be Over For Me'
whilst the original can change hands for upwards on £2000 a
group of young Argentinian Mods and rude boys have come
up with a reggae version.
- On paper it shouldn't work but it does. The most requested
song on Eddie Piller's Eclectic Soul Show on Soho Radio in
2017 following a chance meeting with guitarist Kevin Finigier
from Los Aggrotones in the studio.
- Acid Jazz are proud to release this as a limited edition vinyl
single (backed with one of the bands original organ
instrumentals) as a taster for the labels release of their
European debut LP later in 2018.
For their 3rd release, Pulse Msc has traveled worldwide from Rennes to Vienna, Copenhagen, and Adelaide to create "Mind Trip", a detonating 4 tracks Lo-fi House EP with multiple influences.
The first track is signed by Subjoi, a young Australian artist well-known in the Lo-fi game. The man delivers "The Way I Feel", a subtle and emotional tune, embellished with devastating kicks which will leave nobody indifferent.
In the second position, there is an important contributor to the French Lo-fi scene, who has a lot of talent and is clearly to monitor: DJ Psychiatre! The guy has released of his imagination "Our Love Is Real", a wonderful piece conducive to escape with varied & nonlinear sonorities and powerful vocals.
Then Slim Hustla, a Danish duo with well-tempered personalities gives a big contribution to the project with "Ghostryda". The track is a sentimental and melancholic ballad, with beautiful vocals which brings the listeners in weightlessness and strays them into a dreamy universe.
To conclude, gutinstinct, an Austrian versatile artist, owner of Dream Raw Recordings ends the EP with "Blue Sea". The tune is a raw and dark dance-floor killer track, which plunges everybody into an abyssal atmosphere. Take a deep breath and enjoy the trip!
Now in its second decade, with a steady stream of the most forward thinking and cutting edge techno productions, Drumcode has one of the biggest selections of releases from industry heavy hitters, whilst not forgetting its future by bringing the newest talented producers into the limelight, where Layton Giordani is now a name firmly within that line up.
The young New York based producer first had recognition back in 2014, and his debut release came via Drumcode with his track "Rivington" on the A-Sides Vol5 compilation in 2016.
Full force into 2017, Drumcode has announced the release of Layton's debut album with "Where It Begins" Consisting of 12 original tracks, the album packs a punch when it comes to no-nonsense techno. Successfully weaving relentless drums and catchy vocal hooks into a selection of thick, brooding, atmospheric tracks.
Now in its second decade, with a steady stream of the most forward thinking and cutting edge techno productions, Drumcode has one of the biggest selections of releases from industry heavy hitters, whilst not forgetting its future by bringing the newest talented producers into the limelight, where Layton Giordani is now a name firmly within that line up.
The young New York based producer first had recognition back in 2014, and his debut release came via Drumcode with his track "Rivington" on the A-Sides Vol5 compilation in 2016.
Full force into 2017, Drumcode has announced the release of Layton's debut album with "Where It Begins" Consisting of 12 original tracks, the album packs a punch when it comes to no-nonsense techno. Successfully weaving relentless drums and catchy vocal hooks into a selection of thick, brooding, atmospheric tracks.
Music has always coursed through Roman Lindau's blood. Even if he weren't the accomplished producer and respected DJ he is today, the German audiophile would still be spending all his money on the stuff; giving over all his time to the art form. ''I'm a music junkie. I need music to live'' he states matter-of-factly. ''For me it's the elixir of life.''
Good job, then, that he gets to spend his ..
Roman Lindau is a German techno DJ, artists and producer, as well as being a core member of the infamous Fachwerk Records from Berlin.
Music has always coursed through Roman's veins ever since he was a young boy so it is no suprise that he became the accomplished producer and highly respected DJ that he is today.
In the late 2000´s Lindau became active in the Berlin electronic music scene, beginning to play music in clubs as well as producing his own music.
The first track he released in 2008 on his home label Fachwerk Records appeared in one the world famous Berghain Mix Compilations, mixed by Len Faki.
Following from this Berghain invited Roman to contribute an exclusive Track for Ben Klock´s Berghain Mix in 2009. After this success the gates opened for him to play regularly as a DJ at Berghain.
At the same time he continued to work on music for Fachwerk Records. He produced dance floor smashers like ´Crasse´ in 2011 and ´Rave on´ in 2014, which were charted by the likes of Ben Klock, Sven Väth & Chris Liebing, afirming his deserved place amongst the techno elite.
More recently in 2015 the well known Victor Calderone from NYC invited Roman to release on his label Matter+.
The reason why Roman is such a great DJ is because of the fact he knows what the people want! ''I love to dance and that's very important: as DJ you need to feel what the crowd want so you can help them to party and have fun.''
Combining a varied selection of raw house and techno in his sets, recent bookings have taken Roman across the world; from the hallowed techno Mecca that is Berghain to dark underground clubs as part of the recent Fachwerk label tour.
He has performed at every legendary Berlin venue, past and present from Tresor to Berghain, and it is this that gives Roman the edge above the rest. If you can do it there, you can do it anywhere!
From 2014 Till the closing he was a resident DJ at Stattbad, one of Berlins findest adress for Electronic Music.
Raderkraft is a project by Willem Stinissen , a young producer/musician from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
His music is best described as electro minimal synthwave. Raderkraft's love for this genre started as an implication of his punkrock background.He's been fascinated by electro and synth music since the electro revivalSimplicity, minimalism, purity and D.I.Y. mentality are the aspects of wave music Raderkraft is a Swedish word for "power lines", in German Raderkraft means "revolving power" Raderkraft loves to use repeating and revolving sounds in his music.
Minimal Wave present a unique collaboration between one of their long time favorite artists, In Aeternam Vale and Anneq, a stunning young Madrid-based vocalist originally from Minsk, Belarus. In Aeternam Vale and Anneq met in 2011 and began to collaborate in 2015. In Aeternam Vale, originally from Lyon, has been making synthesizer based electronic music since the early 80s, when he began to self-release many of his recordings on cassette. As the years went on his cold and caustic synthpunk sound, often primitive and hypnotic evolved into rhythmic, throbbing music for the dance floor, his own unique style of techno.
On this record, In Aeternam Vale and Anneq come together to create two very different versions of the same track, one fit for the club and the other a more intimate version, for quiet listening at home. Je Ai Dissous, the opener, is a dark smoky track with a hypnotic, cyclical underlay reminiscent of early industrial music while the Page R Version of the same track trandscends the floor and becomes completely filmic. Anneq's seductive vocal is suspended in a beatless, cavernous void. Side B opens with Tendencia, a very classic catchy minimal wave style track, sung in Spanish. The V6 version of Tendencia again focuses on Anneq's voice set in a darker, slower more atmospheric melody. The four tracks culminate in an elegant and thoughtful collaboration from these two strong talents that complement one another so well.
The "Je Ai Dissous" EP is pressed on 160 gram deep purple "spilled" inside electric blue transparent vinyl, limited to 999 copies and housed in a gloss printed sleeve.
Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill Converse began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Twonz were key early influences. Since moving to Texas in 1998, he has experimented with analog techniques in varied studio bunkers. Early techno, noise, ambient, tape, and paranormal processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. Warehouse Invocation' is Converse's debut 12 release, collecting material from a cassette release on Obsolete Future plus a new unreleased song. Three of the tracks, Warehouse Invocation', Senys Magick' and Consulted Acid', were recorded in Austin TX between 2012-2013 at home and direct to tape with no overdubs or multi-tracking. Riverbank' was also recorded at home in early 2014 in one take with a mic placed outside of the window to record the the sounds of the river late at night. Bill is informed by his surroundings, influenced by scenes of desolation in nature, the sea, the desert, and places of industry, like power stations, old factories, and warehouses. The songs on this EP length reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. The album was recorded and mixed by Bill at his home studio in Austin and mastered by Dave Alex. All songs were EQed for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. A custom-made jacket designed by Eloise Leigh features a mystical collage by Josua Dorje Ngodup with acid yellow hues on a deep blue-purple background. Each copy includes a postcard with notes and a Buddhist mandala
RNT welcomes Manchester upstart Loz Goddard into the fold with his new outing, 'The Drunken Monk EP' on the Reserve imprint. Hot from recent successes on House of Disco and Dirt Crew, young Loz delivers yet again with a 4 tracker of dusty thumpers and jazzy burners, brewed with love and pressed to vinyl the color of a cool pint of ale!
Cellaa Music is proud to present release number 19 with Dennis Cruz & Luliano Mambo. It was obvious then, not to have this young, driven talented artists on board is not an option, they are a gem! Get ready for some colossal dancefloor tech-house heat!
After amazing releases on Insert Coin and Mushroom Smile, Dennis & Luliano lands on Cellaa Music with a smashing ep titled LSD'. Enjoy the hot percussions and the fresh flavors in the three tracks they are proposing you, and put them into your bag. This groove is irresitable!
The Remix comes from Label Head Martin Heyder who totally stick to the vibe yet give it different edges. His Version is deep but is always on point to please the crowd, and rock the Dancefloor...
Here comes the next EP on Cellaa Music, this time from fast-rising Italien producer Dhaze whose previous outings have ben on labels like Moan, Innocent, Yoruba Grooves and Draft.
Dhaze is a producer obsessed with nature and organic sounds. Young, skilled and supremely talented, Dhaze, is an artist set for great things on the international scene. Having been fully immersed in club scene of his home city, it was his love for electronic music that really took hold of him. Taking his lead from the greats, adding his own unique touches and flair and creating masterpieces from within his studio, he is readying himself for take off.
- Rolling Instructions is a track that immediately commands attention with it's rolling, rich bassline surrounded by punchy, organic drums. The effective vocal moves with the track as more drums are added to the mix through intelligent programming and it's druggy groove is set to draw in the unsuspecting. This is the peaktime Cellaa sound at its finest.
- Anubi is a typically deep and sinister affair from the pair. Featuring solid drums and pulsating basslines work together perfectly to create a dancefloor smash that makes the ambience of this track particular and personal!
- Bubble Man builds slowly with rattling percussions and subtle chord, until, it suddenly drops, rocking the dancefloor with its massive bassline. A rolling vocal loop and a jumpy haunting topline combine effortlessly to create a track that is sure to cause mass devastation on dance-floors.
The Audience is built around solid, straight up percussion, strong bassline with swelling and rushing aquatics, punchy house chords, exquisitely programmed drums and a stompy groove coalite into a rhythm that gets stuck in your veins and sizzles through your body and brain - u can dance!
The digital bonus - Noise Black is a mind-catcher that drives forwards on a prominent kick and powerful bassline and Dhaze keeping things simple and direct. Deep tech house with a funk twist welcomed at any hour on the dance floor.
Cellaa Music are very happy to welcome our great friend Marc Faenger and Label Head Sven Jaeger back to the fold. This one - obviously called B2B Volume 1 features two artists, two universes, two different ways to approach the music theory to form a B2B Cellaa relationship.
Young, skilled and supremely talented, Marc Faenger, is an artist set for great things on the international scene. Marc´s - Nip' contains an infectious groove an elegant labyrinth of percussive dub textures and sinusoidal tones and fast shuffling hats. Deep, fresh and seductively satisfying, this tune was designed for the discerning dancefloor.
Sven Jaeger returns to Cellaa Music with his second release for his label. - Get The Fuck' is a track that immediately commands attention with it's rolling, rich bassline surrounded by punchy, organic drums that delivers a soothing atmosphere. The track is really powerful and works really well on all dance-floors. People love it!'
The first of the remixes comes from the in form, Reelow. His releases have been huge hits, ruling the DJ charts. Here he strips the oringinal of Marc Faenger to it's essential parts. The super dry kickdrum and percussion in combination with the deep subs together create Reelow´s own techno vision.
Next we have Dan Noel providing a soulful tech house surrogate to the original of Mr. Jaeger. His remix has a deeper twist with glittering sounds and a concrete percussive arrangement to convey a fantastic Remix.
Phonica Records inaugurate a new series of releases that will fall under the 'Special Editions' banner; a series that will feature collaborations, one-off releases and anything that doesn't fit into the main labels' outlook. The first release comes from Sinkane, a hotly tipped new artist from NY.
Sinkane is the project of Sudanese-born musician Ahmed Gallab. Gallab cut his own teeth as a youngster in the punk DIY landscape of middle America, and then found himself touring far and wide as a member of Yeasayer, Caribou, Eleanor Friedberger, Born Ruffians, and Of Montreal. He has emerged from it all as Sinkane, a project that identifies a renaissance within the space and spirit of the outposts of contemporary music. With an aesthetic range seamlessly shifting from soul to rock, and from jazz to pop, Sinkane's vibe is timeless and the sound is now.
Runnin' is a song taken from a collection of songs simply titled Mars. On this limited edition 12" from London's Phonica Records, the album version of Runnin' is re-imagined as an increasingly dense longburn club jam by Daphni (Dan Snaith of Caribou fame) and as a more angular headjam by Chandeliers of Chicago.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is a Netflix series and live-action adaptation of the beloved 2005 Nickelodeon animated show. The series follows young Aang, the Avatar, as he learns to master the four elements and restore balance to a world threatened by the Fire Nation.
Following the successful and highly anticipated first season released in 2024, Season 2 continues Aang’s journey alongside Katara and Sokka as they travel across the Earth Kingdom in search of allies against Fire Lord Ozai. Along the way, Aang meets Toph, a gifted and fearless earthbending master who becomes his teacher as he begins to learn the element of earth.
Featuring an epic original score by Takeshi Furukawa, the music of Season 2 expands upon the themes introduced in the first season, accompanying the heroes through new adventures, breathtaking landscapes, and the mysteries of Ba Sing Se. This release presents the soundtrack from the second season, bringing Takeshi Furukawa’s score to life in a stunning physical format.
Netflix and Music On Vinyl celebrate the release of the series with an exclusive 2LP pressing in a special and unique pop-up gatefold sleeve.
The score of Avatar: The Last Airbender Season 2 is available as a limited POP-UP gatefold edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on green marbled vinyl. The gatefold sleeve is finished with a premium leather-laminate exterior, and also includes a 4-page booklet.
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Modern Hypnosis is proud to introduce Babaka, the new alias of esteemed German producer Jörg Müller.
Reigniting his passion for physical, visceral sound system music, Jörg uses classic analog gear and a few self-built instruments to create a unique, potent dub sound. While reminiscent of Jörg’s earlier ambient and dub techno styles on his 2019 album Drawn From Memory and 2022’s Groundworks LP on The Moth Club, his new direction has evolved those techniques and primed them for sound system use. His debut release as Babaka showcases four masterful tracks that differ widely from one another while remaining within his new realm.
The opening track, "Exterminating Angel," is a pulsating, supernatural dub experiment featuring a deeply infectious bassline, ghostly key stabs, tight percussive delays and an oddly dramatic vocal sample creating a profound sonic climax before tapering off, allowing you to escape its vacuum and recalibrate. The most skank'n track of the EP, "A Bug in the dark" with its murky half-time swagger feel, bouncy hats, dub saturation and mega sub-driven riff has become an all-time favourite at Modern Hypnosis HQ.
Featuring precise production with decorative atmospherics and swung drums, "Woodsman Blues" has an almost Boxcutter feel to its intro before plunging off the deep end, hitting the dub floorboards, and revealing its true self as a reincarnated, stoned dubstep track. Closing out the release is "Hysteria," a perfectly executed, dark, chugging techno steppa that remains a popular track for many early-access DJs and selectors around the globe.
In the words of Jörg Müller himself:
After my first Album "Heavy Heart”, I tried to push my music more into abstract territory, especially sound-wise, ignoring mixing and mastering rules... this culminated in the eerie, roomy, off-atmosphere on "ground works" on The Moth Club.
After that, my focus shifted further towards freeform electro-acoustic ambient music. I built a couple of instruments myself and released two albums on Shimmering Mood as Kaleidophon. This was during the pandemic as nightlife came to a stop.
In 2023 and 2024, I started to go to dances again. I saw The Bug on his Pressure System, Al Wootton at Meaksuma Festival, Channel One and Iration Steppas on Young Veteran Hifi Soundsystem. Especially impressive were Mark Ernestus, Mark Ainley and Aba Shanti on the infamous sound system at Open Ground in Wuppertal.
This reignited my passion for dub/sound system music; I wanted to make tracks with the physical, visceral quality of sound systems.
At its heart, this is truly a classic love story...
Musician, songwriter, and entertainer George Butts has always worked in the spirit of independence and love.
Beginning his musical journey on the East Coast, George spent his formative years playing in bands before eventually making his way to Southern California, ready to step out and pursue his own musical vision.
It was here that music and fate would meet, leading him to something equally important: Kathie, the woman who would become his lifelong partner- personally, professionally, and creatively.
Together, they embraced that same independent spirit and began building something of their own. In the mid-1980s, they established K-Star Productions, a label that became the home for George’s music and marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives.
In 1986, that journey produced “I Love You So Much,” a song title that feels especially fitting once you learn the story behind it. Written as a dedication to their newly formed relationship, the song carries a sense of warmth that somehow feels familiar to us all. Built around the distinctive sound of a Linn drum machine, layered with lush synths and George’s unmistakable horn melodies, the record radiates heartfelt affirmations of love, capturing not only the spirit of independent ’80s Modern Soul, but the energy of two young hearts coming together and dancing in rhythm.
The record would soon become a dancefloor favorite among local DJs and clubgoers alike. But what began in Southern California would carry George much farther than they could have imagined. The success of the music helped establish him as a respected musician and entertainer, leading to performances and residencies throughout the 1980s and ’90s, from lounges along California’s golden coast to stages as far away as Japan.
Nearly four decades later, these recordings have been lovingly remastered from the original source material by Ron Leeper, the original recording engineer, allowing the warmth and spirit of the music to shine once again.
But this is more than the reissue of a rare independent record.
These classic songs evoke feelings of love and unity, filled with warm melodies, soulful grooves, and an undeniable sense of joy, all brought to life through the partnership of George and Kathie.
Together, they created their own label, followed their dreams, and lived life on their own terms- proving just how far a shared vision can take you.
Today, the music carries that same spirit: heartfelt, uplifting, and alive with the optimism of two people creating something they truly believed in. What they started with K-Star Productions helped launch a musical legacy that would take them around the world and back, a journey that continues today with George still performing live.
Blume returns to James Tenney's Postal Pieces with a second volume: the three Swell Pieces and Koan, written for Alison Knowles, Pauline Oliveros, La Monte Young and Malcolm Goldstein, on vinyl for the first time from one of the key suites of 20th Century avant-garde music.
In 1970, James Tenney (1934-2006) reversed the entropy of his own life and went west. After spending the majority of the post-war years at the centre of cultural ferment in New York, he accepted a position at the newly inaugurated California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), alongside Allan Kaprow, Simone Forti, John Baldessari, Nam June Paik, Alison Knowles, Morton Subotnick, Harold Budd and Charlemagne Palestine. While the move began an enduring period of relative obscurity, Tenney quietly remained one of the most distinct and groundbreaking composers of his generation, producing a remarkably focused body of work inquiring after the elemental character and perception of sound.
Among the most celebrated of his efforts are the Postal Pieces, a suite of eleven compositions completed in 1971. Citing his strong dislike of writing letters, Tenney sent his friends short scores on the back of postcards. The eleven pieces are composed around three themes: his concept of swell form (utilizing repetition and progressing through a structurally symmetrical arch), intonation, and the desire to produce "meditative perceptual states."
Composed for a group of friends - the visual artist Alison Knowles, the composers Pauline Oliveros and La Monte Young, and the composer and violinist Malcolm Goldstein - the four works on this second volume are intimate, poetic and discreet. They were written roughly contemporaneously with the formation of minimalism by many of Tenney's closest friends, and share its elements of chance, durational tone, repetition and constraint, but they approach them on different terms, anticipating the more complex forms of post-minimalism. Rooted in gestalt theory, they are music in which the composer almost entirely disappears, offering greater attention to the artists to whom they were sent and to the subjective experience of the listener.
A student of Carl Ruggles, John Cage, Harry Partch and Edgard Varèse, an active member of Fluxus, a pioneer of computer music at Bell Labs and a collaborator of Carolee Schneemann, Tenney represents a winding thread connecting the entire history of American avant-garde and experimental music. The second collection by Blume attending to the Postal Pieces, recorded by The Barton Workshop under the direction of James Fulkerson, follows the long sold-out first volume (BLUME 022). It comes with exact replicas of the original postcard graphic scores and newly commissioned liner notes by Bradford Bailey.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952), the third novel in C. S. Lewis’ fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It is also the third and final installment in the original Chronicles of Narnia film series. Set three years after the events of Prince Caspian, the film follows the two youngest Pevensie children, Edmund and Lucy, as they return to Narnia to join the new king Caspian in his quest to rescue seven lost lords and to save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a dark island.
Composer David Arnold scored the film, with themes composed by Harry Gregson-Williams (who scored the first two films). It was Arnold’s fourth collaboration with director Michael Apted. He created specific themes for the characters The Dawn Treader and Reepicheep, and used themes from the previous films for the opening and closing scenes as well as recurring characters, to ensure that the film is consistent with the franchise. The score was performed by an 87-piece orchestra and a 40-piece choir, resulting in an epic soundtrack with just the right magical touch to compliment this film.
Lord Sko’s Sophomore Album ‘UNITED PALACE’ is a record chock-ful of homage, past & present pop culture references & youthful exuberance expressed with a vintage New York attitude. With contributions from Meyhem Lauren, Da$H, Wiseboy Jeremy, LIFEOFTHOM & Kuriousul references to the entire cityscape, this is an album that thoroughly represents both Classic & Modern NY culture through the eyes of a Young Uptown MC. With contributions from Meyhem Lauren, Da$H, Wiseboy Jeremy, LIFEOFTHOM & Kurious Jorge, UNITED PALACE could sonically & aesthetically fit anywhere from the Golden Age to the Blog Era & Far Beyond into the future.
Chloe Slater’s debut album ‘Riot Youth’ unfolds in the fleeting, chaotic moments before doomsday – a coming of age record fit for the modern world. Arriving right on time in an era when hopelessness and nihilism run rife, painting the truest portrait of what it is to be young, British, and brave enough to be hopeful today. Across 10 tracks, she departs her signature, succinct commentary on the issues plaguing her generation: social divide, toxic internet culture, our dwindling sense of community, the climate crisis and, ultimately, the vampirish billionaire class cashing in on our collective misery. She playfully shifts from these frank descriptions of society to moments of gorgeous, gut-punching poetry, crafting anthemic choruses and intoxicating one-liners from the gripes many of us can barely muster the words for.
A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.
Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.
As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.
It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.
In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.
A quick scan of the world’s favourite crowdsourced discography reveals that Sonic Youth co-founder Lee Ranaldo was not a total stranger to crackling electric experimentation in the years following his songwriting turns of the 20-teens. Yet »The System«, ingeniously culled and sequenced from Ranaldo’s soundtrack work for Dutch filmmaker Joris Postema’s ›eco-doc‹ of the same name, nonetheless feels like a reawakening. Quietly released in a vastly different (and much more ›filmic‹) form by Doxy Music/Riva Media Records in 2025, this LP reimagines and reconfigures the initial release, including unreleased material written and recorded for the film, to lend it new stature as both a return to drone-improv form and a reunion with introspective Downtown angst.
Given the state of the world, it’s not surprising that the film Ranaldo scores – a documentary on three climate activists bruising their fists on the black iron prison of techno-fascist deathkultur – is a study in despair and futility. But rather than wallowing in navel-gazing doom and gloom, the film documents the unstoppable spirit that has animated human resistance since the time of the Pharaohs.
As it turns out, the gorgeous scope of Lee Ranaldo’s guitar palette is a perfect manifestation of the hope and despair that animates the film. But like other high-water marks in the guitar-centric soundtrack canon – the high plains raga of Bruce Langhorne’s »Hired Hand«, Neil Young’s sparse and ghostly solo transmissions on »Dead Man«, or the monolithic mantras of Popol Vuh’s »Nosferatu« – its devotion to spectral gestures and meditative song forms launches it firmly outside of the OST orbit into a universe fully its own.
It might seem like a long journey from the Lower Manhattan rhythmic grime of the album’s opener »Tajikistan (Nice to Meet You)« (reminiscent of guitar opuses like Robert Quine and Jody Harris’s »Escape«) to the ringing cowboy chords of the final track, but the narrative logic of the LP pulls the listener along as solidly as a pack horse. As the LP unwinds, and collaborators like Jim Jarmusch, cellist Leila Boudreil, Yeah Yeah Yeahs snare shaman Brian Chase, and guitarist Yonatan Gat take their places, new vistas unfurl: the ritualistic thrum of »Berlin Blockade«, the haunted overtone palaces of »Bergelmir«, and the cavernous acoustic strumming of »Instruments of Violence«. It all winds up with the high lonesome standard »Cool Water«, each unhurried note trailing off into long-tail reverb, layers of shifting vocal harmonies pulling everything skyward – a hopeful note in an album where existential dread never lurks too deeply below the surface.
In the end, »The System« functions both as a film score and a hallucinatory (mostly) instrumental guitar record, revealing a sensibility not too often spotted in the 21st century – a liminal space where the song, the jam, and the meditation merge into a blurred whole. »The System«’s expansive fabric, emerging from a collective sound circling around Ranaldo’s signature tones, envelops and ampl amplifies the contributions of its community of creators – the perfect antidote to narcissistic despair. Much like the subjects of the film light the way towards intra-generational resistance, the music of »The System« reveals a path through gathering darkness. The world could be yours if you follow.
Here at Tuff Kong Records we really like to push our boundaries and explore different sounds, we're passionate with music at 360° and so are these guys we have decided to bring to your attention. Dumbo Station is a nu-jazz ensemble out of Roma, Italy that we've met during a live jam with legendary MC Danno of historical roman hip-hop group Colle Der Fomento. They immediately caught our attention and after listening to this masterpiece we decided to collaborate with them and Roman jazz imprint AlfaMusic to release their debut full-length "Tirana Cafè" on limited edition vinyl. The 11 songs featured on their first studio effort will take you on a trip through different soundscapes with the quartet as your guide, joined by Italian talents the such as vocalist Davide Shorty as well as Maurizio Giammarco's sax and Elvio Ghigliordini's flute. These young fellas have managed to merge nu-jazz with soul, funk and modern sounds creating a true masterpiece.
Leading the charge was a young band from West London called Pressure Point, whose debut single Mellow Moods caused a real stir on its release in 1985. The Stan Getz-inspired bossa nova was released initially on Viceroy Records, and immediately punched well above its weight, thanks to the considerable talents of producer Steve James, vocalist Lydia Gayle and some of London's leading session musicians: saxophonists Jamie Talbot and Ian Trimmer, trumpeter Steve Sidwell and his brother, trombonist Neil, and keyboard player Simon Etchells. It quickly became Capital Radio's 'People's Choice', winning praise on air from the likes of Kid Creole himself - August Darnell - and went on to be re-released by Bellaphon in Germany and by Gilles Peterson's HardBack Records. It is widely viewed as a rare groove classic, with copies changing hands for hefty sums in the following decades. London- based Pressure Point's core members were Matthew Best, Anthony 'Hugo' Longden and Sean Maher, who went on to work with Soul Legend Miss PP Arnold to complete 'Dreaming', a now legendary and as yet unreleased 1989 album
