Crossing boss AVION delivers the label's debut album with ten atmospheric Techno cuts including a collaboration alongside Ninja Tune favourite Emika.
Berlin based producer AVION's structured techno has found home on respected labels like Index Marcel Fengler, District 66, Stress Research and Pure. However, his own label Crossing - launched in 2013 - has hosted the majority of his work when not releasing music by Pfirter, Doka, The Automatic Message and Milton Bradley (as Doomsday Device). It only makes sense then that AVION's debut longplayer sees him return to his imprint.
Opening with the ominous heartbeat and metallic drones of 'New Day', AVION's album quickly takes things into a murky analog direction with crackling 'Errata' and its twisted effects before 'Stones' follows with its offbeat drums as sanguine chords begin to shine through. Syncopated percussion follows with 'Adamant' as twisted synths continually sweep, leading into 'Untrod' and its scintillating chimes and mesmerising textures.
Squelchy acid licks join otherworldly pads in 'Scan' until the dystopian 'Evasion' builds in tension as lo-fi drums join oscillating bass. Pitter-patter drums and pulsating stabs are next in 'Firebox', making way for the harrowing 'Street Lights' that utilizes the ethereal voice of Emika. Finally, 'Nebul' provides a shadowy finale with a crystalline aesthetic complete with a cacophony of intricate details.
The '10961' EP is Haider's debut for AUS music following his breakout EP on his own Breaker Breaker Recordings. Having picked up support from a wide range of incredible DJs from Leon Vynehall and The Zenker Brothers to Annie Mac and Moxie, he caught the attention of Will Saul with his eclectic talent. The '10961' EP again features a real range of sound from classy melodic electro to dusty, trippy deep house at it's finest'
Following a long-player 'Orbiter' on Avenue 66 and an untitled single for Office Recordings earlier last year, mysterious producer Trux follows up with a brand new EP simply titled 'Eleven'.
Throughout the record, textures of mind-bending ambient, dreamy harmonics and crushed, lo-fi experiments are manipulated across the 8-track 12" marking Office's fifteenth release.
The record sits among a discography of artists that includes Iron Curtis, Christopher Rau and of course, label-owner Baaz.
German producer, DJ and label-owner Phonk D, who has risen fast to stardom in 2018, is back once again on NDYD Records with his sequel-release Disco Goodies Pt.2, an outstanding four-tracker that should instantly do the trick to boost his career even further.
From Talking Vintage, an quite energetic floor-filler with a feel-good sound thanks to the percussions that will last in your memory for some time, to Gettin Down, a homage to the French 70s on the southern shores of the Cote dAzur, the charismatic producer keeps the level at the very top of the game. The b-side complements the funky ride with the pumping disco-sensation Can Do It while Disco Africana, with its lovely afro disco-touch rounds up the picture of the 30th release on the emerging German label from the city of Frankfurt.
Special Remarks: 1 colored pink LP in single sleeve with 3mm spine. Printed inner-sleeve. Collectors edition CD album included.
Vinyl (Limited Colored Edition)
Bananarama"s fifth album "Pop Life" was released in 1991. It is the only album released which features Jacquie O"Sullivan who replaced Siobhan Faley in Bananarama upon her departure in 1988
The album includes the singles: "Preacher Man", "Long Train Running", "Only Your Love", "Tripping On Your Love".
Bananarama are often cited as the UK"s most successful ever girl group with 5 UK singles and 10 top 10's.
They were the girl group that defined the eighties with their run of pop hits which sound tracked the lives of fans around the world. The news of Bananarama"s reunion, after nearly 30 years, was met with universal approval and saw the band celebrated all over again. In 2017 the trio reassembled for a UK Tour in a pop reunion only dreamt of in the wildest imaginations by many quarters. The band reunited in their original line up for the first time in years. For many Siobhan stepping back into her natural habitat once again is pop"s very own version of Morrissey and Marr re-uniting. The band play their final dates as a trio this summer in a run of gigs including Edinburgh Castle, British Summer Time and Smukfest.
1 colored white LP in single sleeve with 3mm spine. Printed inner-sleeve. Collectors edition CD album included.
Vinyl (Limited Colored Edition)
Bananarama"s fifth album "Please Yourself" was released in 1993 by London Music Stream and is the first album which features the band as a duo. The album includes the singles: "Movin On", "Last Thing On My Mind", "More, More, More"
Bananarama are often cited as the UK"s most successful ever girl group with 5 UK singles and 10 top 10's.
They were the girl group that defined the eighties with their run of pop hits which sound tracked the lives of fans around the world. The news of Bananarama"s reunion, after nearly 30 years, was met with universal approval and saw the band celebrated all over again. In 2017 the trio reassembled for a UK Tour in a pop reunion only dreamt of in the wildest imaginations by many quarters. The band reunited in their original line up for the first time in years. For many Siobhan stepping back into her natural habitat once again is pop"s very own version of Morrissey and Marr re-uniting. The band play their final dates as a trio this summer in a run of gigs including Edinburgh Castle, British Summer Time and Smukfest.
The second of March's PY LPs is one the label has been eager to unleash for what seems an age. The killer new full length from ace experimental electronic musician Bernard Grancher. Coming to the attention of the label via his last record on ERR.REC; PY is mining much of this current wave of incredible French electronic music (as previous releases by Dialectric, Alexandre Bazin, (Arc en) Ogive and the mighty Cite Lumiere attest to) and is in hindsight, somewhat an extension of label head Dom's own record buying and digging habits just now (70s French synth LPs featuring heavily in his Utrecht fair baggage twice yearly!)
Grancher himself began his 'career' as a somewhat under the radar, host / director of 'mostly forbidden' radio programmes, where in Bernard's own words, he created 'incongruous sound collages, that gradually slip towards noisy or disturbing sounds intended to replace the music of others', within its broadcasts'. Then, armed with a large accumulation of 'machines I found at low prices, with an unknowing of quite how they function' he sought the help of friends Yan Hart-Lemonnier and Eric Lumbleau (from the hugely respected 'Mutant Sounds' blog, and his project Vas Deferens Organazation).
Then, having released what he describes as two 'rather talkative' LPs by taking again 'the concept of it's emissions: Hallucinatory slogans and Electro punk', Grancher, then released with ERR.REC, leading in turn to the PY full length here.
A fabulous LP hugely recommended to all kraut heads, experimental electronic sound collages, motorik grooves and minimal synth all figure strongly. To use one final quote from Grancher; 'Abandon any idea of listening comfort; this record leads you into a dangerous race that will be impossible to jump on'.
300 copies on vinyl only, released 2nd week of March.
Chicago-based Matt Warren has been a DJ for forty years and has been a producer since 1984, when he released his debut single Rock The Nation. This inspired Matt to cofound Sunset Records in 1985, which released several house classics. However, in 1987, Matt resigned from Sunset Records and founded AKA Dance Music.
The first single that AKA Dance Music released was Bang The Box, which sold over 50,000 copies in America and nowadays, is regarded as the first hard house track. Bang The Box was the first of seven singles that AKA Dance Music released between 1987 and 1988. By then, Matt's second label was part the history of house music.
After the demise of AKA Dance Music, Matt Warren continued to travel the world DJ in some of the top clubs. Meanwhile, Matt continued to produce new music, remix tracks by some of the biggest names in music.
By the nineties, Matt was also writing, arranging, mixing, and producing a wide variety of artists and bands. He sometimes was asked to play on a number of albums. However, he still loved house music, and worked on several releases.
As the new millennia dawned, Matt continued to work in a variety of roles in the ever-changing music industry, and occasionally released some new music. Over the next few years, Matt has been working as a producer, engineer and remixer, which meant he had to put his own career on hold, until he began working with a familiar face.
In 2016, Matt was reunited with house diva Pepper Gomez, who was now running her own label Wake Up! Music. By then, Pepper Gomez had dawned the MyMy Lady G moniker and embarked upon a career as producer. She had travelled to Chicago, to record Elena Andujar's genre-meting album Flamenco In Time at Matt's Sound Studio Recording. Matt took charge of engineering, programming, mixing and production on Flamenco In Time while MyMy Lady G added backing vocals and assumed the role of executive producer on this groundbreaking project. After the completion of Flamenco In Time, MyMy Lady G asked Matt Warren if he would like to record an album
It didn't take long for Matt to answer in the affirmative, and in early 2018, he hit the comeback trail. He was accompanied by a group of talented musicians and vocalists including gospel singer and soulful diva Jan McGhee, Elena Andujar and legendary house diva Pepper Gomez who plays a starring role on the album. That album was recorded over the course of several months, and eventually became Music Is My Life which marks the comeback of Mark Warren.
Matt Warren has been away to long, now one of the pioneers of Chicago House makes a welcome return with a groundbreaking new album. This is Music Is My Life, the first ever Nu House album, which is guaranteed to transform Matt Warren's career and become part of dance music history.
'Sometimes you wake up and you've just lost the plot. Is life great or is it not Should I eat more fruit Is buying diamonds rude' Ca$hminus are asking all the wrong questions. After their debut on Bordello A Parigi last year and a recent appearance on Credit 00's Rat Life imprint, the Belgo-Australiana duo unleash a collection of their wildest works to date. The package opens with 'Atlandwehr', a jaunting affair that could have risen from the filthy Berlin Landwehr canal, only to dissolve again after six frenzied minutes, leaving nothing but a trace of bubbles on the skanky surface. The gritty 'La Foire', a grimy take on Belgian new beat, fuses raw, stepping drums with a playfully gnarly synth line. Luckily 'De Vlasmarkt' is lurking around the corner: this is the awkwardly joyous soundtrack to an annual phenomenon in Ghent, where young and old folks gather on the 'Vlasmarkt' square after a heavy night of boozing, to collectively gaze at at the sun coming up whilst drinking Irish coffees until they drop. G-funk meets electro on the flipside, where Cora from Chengdu showcases her vocal swag on '' to a backdrop of supreme subbass and rattling beats. Man of the moment Cornelius Doctor of HARD FIST fame (the adventurous imprint he runs with Tushen Rai) delivers a beast of a rework that both hypnotizes and elevates. The acapella leaves you in charge of your own destiny.
After a pleasing start to the New Year, 2 same night sell outs on lathe cut 45s and a single afternoon sell out of the recent Gabe Knox LP, Polytechnic Youth continue their relentless release schedule with 2 more awesome full lengths. In their own ways, both totally unique but very much befitting the tried and trusted synth / electronic PY blueprint.
First up is the fabulous 'Where comes the Dark' debut full length from shadowy, underground producer The Slow Engineer. 'An album of sculpted synthsonics and Eldritch electronics originally released on a limited run, blink and you'll miss it cassette which sold out in 24 hrs. Heavy on basslines, with driving rhythms and tweaked synthesisers, it's a record which openly acknowledges it's nod to horror scores and the work of the Radiophonic Workshop whilst pulling off something uniquely and freshly new, with an assembled array of wayward equipment stored at his Analogue Hades base.'
British horror actor Laurence R. Harvey adds suitably menacing narration in places, and across 10 fabulous tracks this is a richly, deliciously diverse electronic record which comes hugely recommended to fans of John Carpenter, not to mention label mates The Heartwood Institute and Dream Division.
A one time pressing of 300, destined to sell out pretty swiftly.....
Tone Series Remix Series Is Back At This Beginning Of The Year 2019!
On The Occasion Of Our 4th Release, We Welcome French Dj And Music Producer Djebali, Boss Of The Eponymous Label
( D J E B A L I ) And Co-owner Of Elephant Moon, As Well As Moroccan Artist Adil Hiani, One Of The Two Heads Behind Cosmo Records,
The First Moroccan Electronic Music Label. Whereas Djebali Proposes A Groovy And Swinging Tech-house Remix Of David K's Mind-blowing Featherhand (ts09), That Came Out In June 2016, Adil Hiani Delivers A Clear-cut And Thoughtful Interpretation Of David K's Sunny Hawaiian Jam (ts08),
That Oscillates Between Breakbeat And Dowtempo.
out of Stock
Last delivered 6 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
Another fantastic release is on the way of Suburban Avenue. The number 012 of the collection is a combo, delivered by the master Zadig and the talented guys, owners of the label, Asymptote.
Both sides are splitted. On the A side you can find the Zadig's masterpiece 'Inlandsis' (previously released on the Resistance vol I mixed by Asymptote) and a2 'Asymptote - Night Shift'; B side is made by b1 'Zadig - Molecular Cloud', an excellent, deep and Spaced out Techno trip and b2, 'Asymptote - Liquid Mineral' an Acidic and perfectly executed Techno track.
There's also a digital bonus on this Ep, 'Asymptote - Jealous Guy': stomping and kicking effective Dj tool, ready for the big floor.
Keep on moving, don't look back; you don't need to know how long is the route. Just enjoy the infinite possibilities of it.
A prodigious guitarist at an early age, Willie George Hale earned the nickname "Little Beaver" from friends in family in Arkansas, remarking on his prominent teeth. Over the years Hale would make a name for himself as a reliable session guitarist, appearing on recordings by Betty Wright, Al Kooper, and Blowfly, and gradually developing his own distinct, rhythmic style of blues guitar playing. As the mid-70s approached Hale would embark on his own solo career, cutting albums and singles with Florida's TK Records, working alongside famed musicians like Jaco Pastorius, Benny Latimore, and Timmy Thomas. His career effectively ended in the 1980s with TK's collapse, but he would find new life in 2003 after performing on several Joss Stone albums, and his works would be sampled in hip-hop tunes by the likes of Jay-Z, Slum Village, and People Under The Stairs. Not long after his solo debut in 1972, Hale released the sophomore album Black Rhapsody, which did away with the vocals so Hale could put his own blues guitar chops at the front. Black Rhapsody featured a slew of original deep funk jams from Hale, as well as his own soulful spins on songs by Al Green, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, and even George Gershwin. A rare gem of 70s funk, famously featuring the track "A Tribute To Wes", which beatsmith J Dilla would sample to great effect on the Slum Village track "Conant Gardens."
The 45 of Everyday People - World full of people is well known on the modern soul and funk scene and it relatively easy to find a copy for maybe 500 pounds. What was always less well known was that there was also an LP by the same band but labels as People Pleasure. I first came across this LP in Turku, Finland in the early 2000s when at the house of DJ and Collector Felix Manell who pulled a pile of rare and interesting bits that day. I did not really appreciate the true rarity until trying to source my own copy. The next copy I saw was in Japan in 2004 but was not going anywhere. Roll on 15 years, Russell Paine, collector, DJ and super record researcher called me saying he had finally unravelled the mystery and was talking to Bill brown & Al Hall Jr. Russel sets himself the hard task of only putting out unreleased material on his own label so we also work together on LPs and Singles on Athens of the North. After we managed to clear the rights the final hurdle was finding a clean copy, not an easy task. After asking loads of deep collectors, Zaf put me onto DJ Nick the Record who very kindly lent me his minty personal copy, a huge favour considering how rare this record is, almost impossible to replace. So we mastered from the vinyl (no tapes exist) and while it still sound pretty raw it is twice as good as the O.G. Been a long time coming.
Patrick Topping has announced that he will be launching his own record label, TRICK , a home for Patrick to exhibit his versatility as a producer, as well as a platform to showcase the wealth of the emerging talent which he has been pushing in his DJ sets.
Packed with three original tracks from Patrick, the EP-titled 'Watch What Ya Doing ' comes with the launch of his label TRICK and as a much anticipated follow up to the late 2017 Hot Creations smash 'Be Sharp Say Nowt', which continued to dominate throughout 2018. A year which proved another hugely successful one for the UK producer who was called on for the remix duties for Calvin Harris and added Music Radar 's ' Best House Producer/DJ 2018' ' and his third DJ Award for Tech House Artist to his list of accolade that include his DJ Mag ' Best of British ' award and reaching number 11 in Resident Advisor 's 2016 top DJs poll.
This debut release on TRICK showcases a change in sound from the acclaimed artist and an evolution of Patrick 's ever-maturing style. The British DJ displays a new style as a producer, one which has always been a part of his genre-hopping DJ sets, but for the first time as a producer, Patrick delivered an EP packed with darker techno undertones and raw influences.
The imprint's launch follows the British producer's sell-out headline shows at Manchester Academy, two consecutive nights Dublin's District 8, London institution fabric, his very own takeover at The Warehouse Project and as far as Melbourne's huge Shed 14 . Entering a refined and developed chapter of his career, the announcement follows Patrick' s Boxing Day set at Digital, Newcastle , the last ever party in his acclaimed Motion event series, with the UK producer looking to support and nurture emerging talent in future via the launch of ' TRICK.'
Classic Brazilian album from master drummer, Ronald Mesquita, originally released in 1972. Featuring songs by Jorge Ben, Antonio Carlos-Jobim, Gilberto Gil, Edu Lobo and others.
Mesquita is probably most well-known for playing with Luis Carlos Vinhas and his 'Bossa Tres' outfit, along with his own group, 'Ronie E A Central Do Brasil', that he formed after his return from the US in the early 1970s. He also played on several songs on Tenorio Jr.'s 'Embalo' album that Mr Bongo recently reissued.
The killer track 'Balanca Pema' was very big in the Jazz Dance scene in the 90s and also featured on the Mojo compilation 'Dancefloor Jazz Volume Four'.
Madlib sampled 'Balanca Pema' on his Medicine Show Number 2 'Flight to Brazil'.
Official Mr Bongo reissue. Licensed courtesy of Universal Music Group Limited.
This EP focuses on the group's prescient dance-floor DIN-sync workouts which share sensibilities with contemporaneous early Detroit experiments by Juan Atkin's Cybotron, Ron Hardy's visionary Kikrokos tape edit, Shoc Corridor's extended 808
exercises, and 90s Techno Pop by Haruomi Hosono. Rounding off the EP is the existential electronic soul ballad Words. Remastered from the original reels, 45rpm DMM pressing.
Kansas City, 1983: a band formed, wires connected and synapses fired. Three friends, tired of guitar/bass/drums rock started jamming with newly acquired synths and Roland TR 808. They called themselves Short-Term Memory. Thanks to the vanguard technology of the time, these electronic instruments spoke to each other, and Jim Skeel, John Paul & Robert Duckworth could program their instruments, riding the DIN-sync wave. Weekly jams became more ambitious, and in 1983 they released their first album Every Head Needs Cleaning on their own Silly Poodle Music label. Over the 80s members drifted in and out of the group, and they released two cassettes, an LP and a 7' EP. By the 90s Jim Skeel was at the helm, the only original member, and joined by Tim Higgins he continued to record in MIDI mode for a few years before pulling the plug, leaving recordings and memories that resisted the great fadeout of time, and today sound vibrant and more visionary than ever.
New album from London-based Dutch-Zimbabwean pop
innovator Rina Mushonga.
Mushonga doesn't follow a linear path. The artist's music -
a blend of Afropop, indie and electro flourishes - is
informed by her own zigzagging life journey: Mushonga
emigrated from Zimbabwe to the Netherlands, then to the
diverse South London suburb of Peckham, where she now
lives and works.
Having read 'Metamorphoses' for the first time,
Mushonga's self-confessed 'year of transformation' ensued,
drawing upon myriad ideas and personal experiences.
Full of reflections on the cosmos and our place within it,
'In A Galaxy' is the musical embodiment of these musings,
whilst Mushonga also admits there's more than a passing
nod to the opening text on 'Star Wars' but on the whole
refers to how relative space and time are in how we
interact.
Four years in the making, 'In A Galaxy' was recorded in
Mushonga's adopted home in Peckham with producer Brett
Shaw, whilst having laid much of the foundations of the
tracks together with musical bestie and synth whisperer
Frans Verburg in his Rotterdam basement studio. The
resultant cornucopia of intelligent, diverse pop - that
Mushonga herself describes as sounding like 'Paul Simon
in a sweaty, African dancehall club' - is a welcome
introduction to 2019.
LP pressed on pink vinyl
Komos Records are proud to present the first time reissue of a cult French private press rarity at the intersection of jazz, percussion and experimental sounds.
'Hypnotic percussion tracks and organic soundscapes drawing on African, Asian, Indian & South American traditions, recorded deep in the French countryside in 1984."
- Founded by long-time friends Gerard Kurdjian and Stéphane Olivier alongside compatriot Christian Berthier in 1983, Nakara Percussions was a trio from the south of France, fascinated with percussion instruments, rhythms and textures from across the world.
- Steeped in Jazz and ethnographic recordings, the trio designed and built their own instruments and played across the South of France throughout the 80s, recording a single album in the tiny village of Alliens in 1984.
- Self-produced and mainly sold at gigs, the record reflects the inquisitive, experimental approach of the group and has become a cult album among DJs and music lovers for its blend of complex rhythms and organic soundscapes, taking in everything from Brazilian batucada to Indian tabla rhythms by way of West African thumb pianos and the drums of the Maghreb.
- The track 'Balimba' has become a dancefloor classic, finding a home in the sets of openminded techno DJs as well as on the jazz dance and tropical scenes.
Nyami Nyami Records present a lost piece of Zimbabwean musical history: the only album from local legends the New Tutenkhamen, combining Jazz, Soul, Folk and Township rhythms. There are only 2 known copies of the original LP - this reissues make the music available again for the first time in over 40 years.
The New Tutenkhamen included many stars of Zimbabwean township music: Elisha Josamu was an alumnus of the fabulously-named Hallelujah Chicken Run Band (alongside Thomas Mapfumo), and Green Jangano's long-running Harare Mambos, and would later form Two Plus Two with bassist Christopher 'Chex' Tavengwa. Jethro Shasha played the drums, and would arguably become the New Tutenkhamen's most famous export, making continental waves working with likes of Salif Keita. Paul Sekerani played the rhythm guitar, with Amos Chatyoka on the organ, while the enigmatic Maggie Mbuli provided vocals and F. Manda played the sax.I WISH YOU WERE MINE was recorded at Teal Records and was produced by Crispen Matema, a talented jazz drummer in his own right who had played drums on the all-time classic 'Skokiaan', and had backed Louis Armstrong on his 1960 Rhodesia visit. Combining the heavyweight producing talents of Matema and the writing chops of Josamu, the New Tutenkhamen band created an album showcasing various musical styles popular at the time.
From the afro-jazz jam session aesthetics of 'Tutenkhamen Theme', 'Big Brother Malcom' and 'Forever Together', to the almost Van Morrison-sounding 'Sunday Morning'; from the upbeat rock ballad 'True Love', to the funk-infused dance song 'Togetherness'; from the bouncy jazz exhortations to work hard in 'Ane Nungo', to the brassy, raunchy foot-stomper 'Me & Dolly'. The title track 'I Wish You Were Mine' is a ska-infused ballad that wouldn't be out of place in post-war Birmingham, while the star of the show is 'Joburg Bound', itself a fast-paced rock piece with Motown undertones and funky guitar lines.
Acclaimed UK producer, Cella Records label operator, and swiftly aspiring talent Turner has already stirred up the scene with quality shells more than once with his own acclaimed productions, receiving air-play from venerated key figures such as Mala or Youngsta. Laying down the law for its first three releases, it's time to showcase his undoubtedly equally effective A&R skill - welcoming none other than the Rochdale-based artist duo BFM (Bloodklart Fiyah Mandem) to the label roster. Consisting of JFO and Sativa, their collaborative output cuts through the noise - support from the likes of Grime veteran Slimzee and physical releases via Glassy Records and Hooded Up. Now stepping back on the controls to set the new year ablaze in style, BFM delivers a total of four extensively weighty cuts for Cella's fourth vinyl release. As the needle picks up the records' first grooves, 'Magic Carpet' sets path on a ride into a distant and barren territory - at once being enamored by its contemplative atmosphere. Unraveling its dynamic interplay of sound and silence, the authentic old-school instrumentation and lavishly saturated low-frequency surges keep us coming back for more. Catching a swift breath, 'Niyaz' lures us into spheres of droning reverberations - phasing in and out amidst vigorous square-wave leads and meticulously crafted foley effects - conveying its story with full force on a minimal platter. No exception to the rule, 'Shade Riddim' conjures another isomere of their signature ambience - wailing voices, enigmatic strings leading the way through dimly lit, high-pressure alleys. Droning along as conclusive proof of this releases' unquestionable intensity, 'Limitless' wraps up the madness - delivering a fourth, flawlessly executed bass-weight meditation. Timeless music on a twelve-inch platter.
Joe Hart and Scott Fraser's Body Hammer, London's legendary jack party has been capturing the hearts, minds and feet of Londoners for 11 years strong. Having kicked off in 2008 at the Korsan Bar, and now comprising only of residents Scott & Joe, it takes place in various venues every month. Their open minded music policy commands a friendly, spirited, diverse and fiercely loyal crowd making it consistently one of the best nights out in the city, hands down. More recently, taking the party out of London they have been touring at clubs and festivals from New York to Berlin in and everything in between. They now have their own label and its 100% Body Hammer dancefloor certified.
The first release, of course, features two banging club tracks written and produced by Fraser and Hart at Fraser's East London basement studio, mastered and cut by Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher.
The A side, 'Spit from the Sun' is a peak-time jacking acid number which will set any dancefloor on fire. Its rattling drums and pulsing bass stabs capture all the intensity of the convict poet on the vocal telling his story and lamenting the waste of his life behind bars.
Over on Side B, 'Igniter' strikes a more subtle tone with its gently rising strings and breathy vocal. But don't let the subtlety deceive you as those kicking drums and thumping bassline come through to get the dancers screaming for more as it hits its crescendo.
Pushing his sound further into leftfield-leaning horizons and textured atmospheric reliefs, Pfirter highly-anticipated debut long-player 'The Empty Space' finds the Argentinian-born, Barcelona-based producer steering across shape-shifting sonic rapids with poise and panache. Inspired by a fractal of elements including physics, sci-fi and Lovecraftian flicks, amongst many other things, 'The Empty Space' is a record that revolves around the experience of the voyage itself rather than the destination, throbbing with a vital pulse that acutely transcends all categories and genres, as Pfirter adroitly recombines techno's DNA into something truly and definitely his own. From the false quiet of gloomy lakeshores and riverbanks to post-industrial cityscapes, through barren no-go zones and tiny basements packed to the rafters, welcome into Pfirter's personal "empty space".
Following 1 or 2 small run / mailorder lathe cuts, Polytechnic Youth follow it's hugely successful 'Popcorn Lung' label compilation LP, with it's first full length of the new year, and man... this one is just wonderful! A mighty record to kick off what promises to be another hugely productive, constantly busy year for the Crouch End based synth label.
PY often likes to quote the artist directly in it's press releases, and this one is no exception. Gabe's own words, more than adequately explaining the path leading to this killer set for 2019; 'It feels a little ridiculous to pretend that the person introducing you to Gabe Knox is some kind of bigwig press agent and not just Gabe Knox himself, so let me, Gabe Knox, tell you a little about myself in that hopes that you'll give my music a listen.
In 2014, after years of moderate success as a local musician and club DJ in Toronto, Canada, I looked at my collection of barely functioning analogue synths and drum machines and said to myself 'Instead of trying to unsuccessfully make music you think other people will like, why don't you make something that you'd actually want to listen to for once' I wanted to make music that had the drive shaft of Neu!, the punishing low end of King Tubby, the interleaved melodic lines of Vince Clarke, the melancholic, otherworldly whimsy of Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire, the hypnotic drone of Spacemen 3, and the analogue intimacy of Le Car. I wanted to bring the euphoria and hypnosis of dance music to the rock kids, and the energy and excitement of rock music to the dance kids.
This was going to be a tough sell in the clique-y Toronto music scene, so I figured the best way to get the music out there would be by recording when I can and self-releasing a steady stream of EPs online. They would all be a series, a snapshot of the evolution of that initial idea. ABC represents a compilation of the best songs of the first three EPs, subtly remixed and remastered to best suit vinyl. I hope you love listening to it as much as I loved making it.'
This really is a remarkable record. Displaying all the PY traits of icy cool blasts of minimal synth, motorik grooves, melodic pop via passing nods to early mute and sky records. Never before did label head Dom think he'd get the chance to namecheck 2 musical heroes from wildly differing poles -Vince Clarke and Spacemen 3- into one LP PR sheet, so he's understandably excited for this one's release!
250 copies on yellow wax in hand numbered, reverse board sleeves. Sure to go real quick....
There are some elements in electronic music that make them timeless, elements that if melted together they can give an impressive result, to the mind and to the body. Sawlin - Ursprung is the first album of the career of Sawlin, after his debut in 2010 he evolved like a wonderful orchid, an orchid that never followed the flow of the other flowers around him, but found his own way to the music. Ursprung is the result of an interminable evolution in the mind of the artist, 8 elements that complete a circle built on a very mysterious atmosphere, like a film that you never saw, but you always had in your head, something more bigger then a memory, and something more deep then a picture. This 8 elements are the blueprint of the work that comes from the background of the artist, Deep raw imaginary pictures, mixed with oldschool wallpapers of a new wall based on an old concrete. Sawlin Mix the new to the old in a way that no-one can do, and probably no-one risked to do. This is the power of an artist that needs more attention and more time, you can feel at the first listening that there is something really big going on, but you need time to understand what he wanted to create, meticulous details that he wanted to paint, in a way that we cannot see them at first, but we find them quite impressive after. Sawlin present himself in the most modern way he can, no compromises, he don't want to please you, he want to paint the future. in the most Artistic way possible.
Despite sounding like an 80's cassette only wave outfit La Stèle des Pleurs is a contemporary band from the north parisian suburbs.
They're mostly inspired by the underground tape scene of this period and use a 100% analogue set from synth and drums machines to tape recorders according to their unkwnown masters.
The 7 tracks of this mini-LP are only instrumentals somewhere between the melancholia of Enno Velthuys and the heady sound of Stratis. Their music seems untouched by contemporary world and influences, recorded in order to compose their own enigmatic but familiar universe.
Gloomy landscapes and feelings may appear but surrounded by a glimpse of hope.
As humans living on the planet today, we have become so removed from our original, natural habitat—the forest—that we forget our wild roots, our primal, animal origins. Music is one of the things that can bring us back to that place, that can put us in contact with a felt world of instinct, immediacy, and presence: a world where language and the problem-solving mind are not needed, where the music keeps your mind and body in the present moment, and the point of dancing becomes the dance of our inner wildness and animality itself. Hans Berg's Sounds of the Forest Forgotten affirms that music can bring us to a state of mind and body that can help us feel what we've forgotten from the forest. The overlaying project of the album is to conjure musical and conceptual resonances between mysticism and nature, summoning the incredible depth and force of nature that we usually miss, especially living in contemporary urban cities. Sounds of the Forest Forgotten channels the creativity, playfulness, and freedom of a life both before and beyond ours through the sounds of analog and digital synthesizers, a modular system, drum machines, and computers. Recorded between Hans's studios in Berlin and on the Swedish countryside, the album similarly shuttles between contemplative and ecstatic, between delicate and powerful, mixing sublime psychedelic techno compositions like 'Emerald Sea' with acidic dance-floor bangers like 'Storm' and 'Milk Thistle,' all nestled between contemplative and textural ambient compositions like 'Butterfly' and 'Glow Worm.' Berg is known for his enthralling productions and energetic livesets that capture dance floors with his particular brand of hypnotic techno, replete with angular lines, affecting melodies, pulsating basslines, and big drums. He also produces atmospheric scores and ambient soundscapes to accompany the video art and installations of long-term collaborator and celebrated artist Nathalie Djurberg. Berg's live sets have found a home in nightclubs around the world, with recent gigs in Berlin, Stockholm, New York, Tokyo, and Melbourne, to name a few. In addition to 2MR, he has released his solo work on record labels including Ian Pooley's imprint Montage, Klasse Recordings, and The Vinyl Factory. His ongoing collaboration with fellow Swede Johanna Knutsson - as Knutsson/Berg - has led them to start the label UFO Station Recordings, on which they release their own material. The duo also has released on labels such as Idle Hands, Default Position, Kann, and Random Island.
Third LP of Cabaret Contemporain, French band (featuring Fabrizio Rat on keys) who use acoustic instruments (piano, guitar, bass, drums, contrabass) to produce a « hand-crafted » club music infused with techno. Inspired by Jeff Mills, Robert Hood or Drexciya, the five members already had a career on classical scene; their idea is not to replay classical techno tunes but to create a new path for the electronic music. 2 tracks featuring with the label boss, Arnaud Rebotini.
« Ballaro », which opens Cabaret Contemporain's third album, begins with light percussions, which seem to turn on themselves, while being conveyed by reverberations close to dub. After a few minutes of convolutions, the piece gets out of hand, transporting the listener into a rich form of pulsating trance, irrigated by a soaring melody and punctuated by persistent piano tones. « La selva »; more subdued, has the same energy, the track ending in an even more powerful way, a kind of paroxysm.
Finally, the strangest and most minimal « Cactus », features a singular groove, which evokes the most brutal house from Chicago, or the sometimes obsessive techno from Detroit. Just like other tracks such as « Transistor » or « TGV », fuelled by sweat and trance, Séquence Collective bears all the intensity of a techno cut for clubs' dancefloors. The only difference being that their music is not played with synths, drum machines or software, but with acoustic instruments. Dual curriculum The band is composed of five musicians and a sound engineer: Fabrizio Rat on piano, Giani Caserotto on guitar, Julien Loutelier on drums, Ronan Courty and Simon Drappier on double bass and of course Pierre Favrez on console. They are all in their thirties and met at the prestigious Paris Conservatoire in the late 2000s. However, all the musicians in the band have a double curriculum and navigate freely between the institutional realm and the underground or pop music scenes. Through classical or contemporary music, jazz and improvisation, rock and experimentation, they share a common passion for the original and futuristic techno of the 1990s, that of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood or Drexciya, which they have decided to reinvent and further in their own way. Not as a simple stylistic exercise practiced by virtuoso musicians, but rather as a new path for modern music, and for their generation. « The original idea » they say, « was to make club music by hand, like craftsmen. Like in the early days of jazz, our band managed to transform itself into a kind of dancing machine. Our music is therefore functional because it is danceable, but also mental and abstract, while offering several layers of listening. You can dance and play, have a purely physical and sensory connection to the music. But you can also immerse yourself in its listening, perceive refined harmonies or more complex rhythmic superpositions »
If the tones of Cabaret Contemporain are truly unique it is because each member of the band has developed a very personal approach through the use ''prepared'' instruments. The strings of their piano, guitar or double bass may recall strange machines with literally incredible sounds, obtained using objects such as chopsticks, clothes pegs, foil, hangers, a tiny pie mould or many other utensils from a DIY store. A collective energy
Cabaret Contemporain is first and foremost a live band that has been performing in venues and festivals since its inception in 2012 (Nuits Sonores, Siestes Electroniques, L'Aéronef, Le Trabendo, Philharmonie de Paris, Gaîté Lyrique, Rewire, Dancity, Barcelona Accio Musical...), both at traditional jazz and contemporary music venues, and more often at electro music hubs. When facing the audience, the band, which plays each of its sets in one go, without a break, shows an intense physical presence, which competes with the musical power of DJs who share the stage with them. Their performance, full of tension and repetition, which requires maximum concentration and a state close to trance from the musicians, is sometimes, according to them, « a mental journey and a mystic experience ». A dimension that brings to mind the historical techno culture and its dancers who, communicating on the dancefloor, were carried until the early hours of the morning by the power of the beat. An album inspired by the stage Since their beginnings, their compositions on record have drawn their energy directly from the practice of their concerts, whether referring to Terry Riley (2014) or Moondog (2015), an EP and an album dedicated to the repertoire of the two American artists, the original compositions of Cabaret Contemporain (2016) and Satellite EP (2017), as well as this new album. Séquence collective can be listened to as a condensed transcription of their inventions and their live experiments. The tracks, more than half of which were improvised during sessions held in the former Vogue studios near Paris, were recorded in live conditions, « like an old school rock band » they say. As usual, they invited a new musician to join them in the studio. After collaborating with Étienne Jaumet or Château-Flight, Arnaud Rebotini, César winner for best film music, added a welcome synth touch on two tracks (Pro- One, Prophet 600), which boosted the group's formidable collective energy. The album ends with « October Glide », again performed with Rebotini, a lyrical and lively track, built on a powerful and slow progression of timbres and percussions, which would ideally find its place at the core of a techno party « peak time »
R&S Records present the first key transmission from the Lost Souls Of Saturn's multidisciplinary conceptual project. The title track of the LSOS debut EP is revealed immediately, with the full 'Holes In The Holoverse' EP to follow on the 1st March.
Primarily LSOS are Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa, with opaque additional participants congregating to combine music, imagery, storytelling and communion into an inextricably linked whole, all wrapped-up in a philosophy of their own making.
Check the launch visual for 'Holes In The Holoverse' here:
The EP follows their performance debut as part of the 'GaiaMotherTree' installation with artist Ernesto Neto at Zurich Main Train Station, and a second show at Houghton Festival. Following these site-specific ambient renditions, the full LSOS live experience will be unveiled at the Village Undergound in London on the 18th April 2019, with further live performances to follow (including Field Day) and to be announced.
The classic-R&S-style groover 'Holes In The Holoverse' propels ever starwards, whilst the acid techno of 'World of the Wars' evokes a probe motoring through the cosmos. Further solar system surfing comes from world-renowned, Turner prize winning artist and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. For his first ever remix, Tillmans tweaks the frequencies, adds extra percussion and his own 'va va voom' vocals.
Attempting something creatively that's above-and-beyond, LSOS explore new ways to open doors of perception and challenge the presumed reality, whilst capturing the spirit of Alejandro Jodorowsky, HG Wells, Sun Ra and the KLF within their music, live experiences and forthcoming films.
These spiritual, psychoactive aural vibrations resonate for a long distance, all the way back to something deeper and more enchanting than the prosaicism of modern life:
'We're searching for signs from another dimension and channelling a higher consciousness. We want to explore the concepts of reality vs simulation/hologram, ancient knowledge and ritualistic experiences. We're inspired by art, film, literature, astrology, mysticism, cults, rituals, paganism, synchronicity, conspiracy, altered reality, virtual states, spiritualism, chaos, cosmology and science. Both sci-fi and real science especially interest us - from Philip K. Dick books, to NASA articles, to the hexagonal storm at Saturn's North Pole.'
Lost Souls Of Saturn are preparing their debut album for release in June 2019.
Following on from last year's releases by Neue Grafik and Selectors Assemble, CoOp Presents step into 2019 with a new 4-track EP courtesy of Oliver Night; a DJ, producer & singer born and raised in North London.
In addition to joining the Selectors Assemble family recently, Oliver is a member and producer of Roots Manuva's Banana Klan. He established himself as a DJ some 15 years ago, and has since played across the capital, from the Tate Modern to Boiler Room. His music has been supported in the past by the likes of Tony Humphries, Kerri Chandler & Seth Troxler,
This four-tracker illustrates Oliver's diverse range of influences, from the initial inspiration of his Jamaican uncle, musician Hughie Izachaar (who worked with Lee Scratch Perry & others), through to his passion for London's broken beat movement. Oliver's sound epitomises tru-skool UK sound-system ethics; grounded in reggae and dub production sensibilities, whilst built solidly for the bruk and house music dances of today.
The set kicks off with title track, 'Make Believe', featuring the powerhouse vocals of BB.JAMES aka Bethany Barnett Bywater, who's had previous releases with EVM128, Spoek Mathambo and Waze & Odyssey. London-based singer BB is a talent to watch in her own right, as proven on this monster of a track, which has all the ingredients to crossover & damage dancefloors underground and over. Sassy soulful vocals ride a woofer-shattering b-line and synth stabs with devastating effect - a sureshot future anthem.
Next up is 'Swing For Life', an instrumental jazz-house affair, which features the talents of Vancouver-born trumpeter, Jay Phelps - a highly-prolific, highly-acclaimed musician in the jazz world, who found his base in the capital over a decade ago and has since worked with a veritable who's who of international jazz artists, including Courtney Pine, Wynton Marsalis, Amy Winehouse, Hugh Masakela & George Benson, to name a few.
Finally, the flipside brings with it two versions of the cut 'U Got To', remixed by Selectors Assemble family, Cengiz, and label founders IG Culture (fresh from receiving a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the 2019 Worldwide Awards) and Alex Phountzi (formerly of Bugz In The Attic) aka NameBrandSound, delivering more of their signature bassweight business. Oliver unleashes his own vocal talents on this track, deftly demonstrating a rich, soulful Omar-esque quality to his voice, and completing a truly heavyweight debut for the label.
This record is huge. Essential business, no BS. A truly firing start to the new year for CoOp Presents.
Based in Montreal before a recent move to Berlin, Ombossa appeared on DVS1's Mistress Recordings in 2015. Lately he has started his own imprint Zu:Hause with Akatana, and has collaborated with the latter on an album. The young and talented French producer is now set to have another EP released on Fracture in the early months of 2019. ZI brings you on a trippy ride that will drive dancefloors in a second state, it is tasteful techno, delicate yet powerful. On remix duty, Svreca in pure Semantica fashion goes darker and makes it more industrial for a perfect tool in the darkness of a warehouse, or a long and almost endless tunnel without any light.
The first record on Unterwegs sees the forces of two Bristolian producers: Decka and Other Form, combined on a split EP.
Decka's tracks are formed with pulsating, mind bending synth trips making you lose yourself into staggering locked grooves; both are killer dance floor weapons in their own right.
Other Form brings exquisitely produced, earth-shuddering artifacts to the B side. Concentrated in dark and heavy low end, both tracks show off Other Form's eloquent sound design and ability to sustain tension.
First Word Records are thrilled to announce a brand new addition to the label - LA beatmaker and producer 14KT.
Known for his deft, soulful hip hop production, KT has broadened his palate for his FW debut to create 'For My Sanity', the first offering from his jazz-influenced project IAMABEENIE.
The album will be released in early 2019, but we couldn't wait that long to share this taster of what 14KT created as a form of escaping from his "normal" ways of making music. Case in point: the first single taken from the project - 'The Power of Same' feat. Muhsinah.
Strongly rooted in KT's spiritual practice, 'The Power of Same' is a bass and synth-heavy ode to consistency and unconditional love, laced nicely together by his signature drum lines, harmonious guitar riffs (played on the track by Stro Elliot) and the unmistakable sound of James Poyser (The Roots). Vocal powerhouse Muhsinah adds layers of emotion via her endearing delivery of the core message, and, deep in the background you can hear KT sharing a very personal routine with us all - giving thanks to God.
How much of a personal project this is, in 14KT's words "This was inspired by a bible study plan I was reading called The Power of Same. It spoke about the power of being consistent in our lives. I thought about how consistently God's love and my family's love have gotten me through my journey of life. Once I made a "skeleton" of the song, I reached out to the brother James Poyser who I was extremely blessed to work with. My brother Stro Elliot was living right down the street from me at the time. One night he walked over to my house, I played the record for him, he picked up my electric guitar and played the first thing that came to mind - which was perfect. I played the record for my brother Tall Black Guy, who suggested I reach out to Muhsinah to add vocals. I sent the record to her and two days later she sent me exactly what you hear. Amazing. That was definitely the spirit of God working. Huge shout out to my Playlist family. Love y'all."
To date, 14KT has released seven solo albums, as well as his collaborative hip hop album, 'Takin' Ls' with emcee Ozay Moore, R&B/soul album, 'Saturn Return' with singer/songwriter AB, and 'The Big Knock', together with Mayer Hawthorne as Jaded Incorporated.
Last year saw another duo collaboration album with Michigan rapper Ro Spit, entitled 'RSXGLD', a project held in high regard by the global hip hop community.14KT is also part of Jazzy Jeff's Playlist Retreat, alongside our very own Eric Lau, Tall Black Guy and Kaidi Tatham, who also turns out an unmistakably dope remix on this 7" single.
A very warm welcome to the family, KT!
'The Power Of Same' is available on 7" and all digital platforms on March 1st 2019.
Corey Fuller Is One Half Of The Duo Illuha On 12k And Break Is His Frst Solo Recording For 12k. A Crashing Wave, The Breaking Dawn, An Impact, The Crushing Of Emotional Spirit... The Breaking Of A Storm. These Are All Relevant Ideas Behind His Choice Of A Title For This Highly Emotional Abum. Fuller Has Addressed The Universality Of Human Struggle Without Going Into Specifcs Of His Own Personal Waves. The Ideas That We As Humans All Share Many Of The Same Diffculties Is Both A Launching Point And A Message He Wishes To Share With Break — The Catharsis.
While Illuha's Music Is Known For Its Attention To Small Sounds And Light Textures, Break, While Equally As Fragile, Sees Fuller Working With Much Heavier Elements. Still Highly Melodic, The Work Pulls And Churns Between Harmony And Tension, Weight And Air, The Crash Of A Wave, The Pull Of The Undertoe. The Album Is Focused Intensely On Melody And Harmony, Progressions More Carefully Composed Than The Serendipitous Found Sound Of His Work With Illuha.
The Piano Is Often At The Center Of These Songs, An Instrument (his Own) That Has Become Much An Extension Of His Own Body. His Own Voice Plays An Important Role As Well, Sometimes Lyrically Ethereal And Sometimes Just A Breath Signifying The Ever-fragile Thread Of Life. Beautifully Recorded
In His Tokyo Studio, The Sounds Are Captured With All Of Their Inherent Physical Faws. As Fuller Himself States About The Piano Being recorded In A Way That You Can Hear The Bones, Like An Open Ribcage, Moving Contorting...' Everything On Break Is There For A Reason, Not Just The Sound And Soul Of The Piano But The Electronic Elements As Well, Rattling Bass Tones And Dramatic, Emotional Waves Of Synthesizer Rising And Dissolving.
If A Single Word Can Be Used To Describe Break It Is Physical. From The Instruments And Techniques Used To Produce The Album To The Concepts Of Vulnerability Of The Human Body. Break Is An Emotional Riptide Where Violence And Rest Struggle To Be The Last Voice.
Heavy-weather, beyond-good-and-evil soundsystem poetics, channelling raw and rootical techno, Isolationist abstraction, and dub at its most turbulent and raw-nerved and space-time-warping. New worlds ahead... Equal parts tuff, tail-thrashing dancehall pressure - see 'Hell Dub' - and art-of-darkness ambience and introspection, culminating in the slow-burning, third-eye-opening 23-minute dreamweapon, 'Vertigo'. Part of the Young Echo crew, Ossia embodies the best tradition of Bristol underground music in that he doesn't pay much mind to tradition, just does his own thing. Yes, Devil's Dance shares DNA with those sullen masterpieces we will always associate with the city, from blunted 90s street-soul/hip-hop to sub-loaded dubstep - but like his forebears Ossia is ultimately a mongrel breed, drawing from his own, very contemporary and idiosyncratic well of influences: grime, jazz, steppers, dub, post-punk and industrial abrasion, concrète minimalism... Devil's Dance could easily be not just a forbidding, but a suffocating proposition. But even at its most angst-ridden it feels lithe and aerodynamic, its darker impulses both intensified, and offset, by a pure soundboy's delight in detail and colour and higher dancefloor mechanics. The music pulses with energy, a fever to communicate...and Raki Singh (violin), Jasmine (vocals) and Ollie Moore (saxophone) add vivid flesh-tone to the punishing, plasmic electronics. The record was mixed at an infamous, subterranean Bristolian recording studio, using an arsenal of spring and plate reverbs, modded pedals, tape-delays and compressors: systems of black magic crucial to the album's intense presence and physicality and carefully modulated dread. In the end what we are witnessing, and experiencing vicariously, is a purging, an exorcism: find the devil, dance with the devil... and then chase, chase, chase him out of the earth
One year on from the passing of label co-founder and artist Alex Smith, Flash as a Rat returns with its 6th instalment.
Digby, co-founder and brother to Alex, continues the siblings' form for emotionally intelligent and sound focussed minimal.
'Briefmacken' bumps through waves of kicks and glitches to arrive at moments of peaceful clarity, whilst 'Constantly' swings with off kilter hisses and pops around a metallic organ sequence, making it's claustrophobic way towards a beautifully layered string section at the crescendo.
The typically pared back artwork this time inverts the colour scheme from the brothers' first ever release on their own label, marking the record simultaneously the ending of one chapter and the beginning of the next.
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Tachyon Audio 003 is the first release by label boss, Nick Payne. Spurn (A1) leads off the E.P. with hypnotic minimalist drums playfully twitching with a roaming bass-line in a sci-fi electro sound soup. Definitely a 3:00 a.m. melter.
The second track, xYyX (A2), offers classic drum kit sounds pounding down through ethereal fading pads. This muscular groove is sure to warm up any room.
Side B starts with a remix of xYyX (B1) by profound artist, Doubt, who brings his own distinct nature to the E.P. This mutation takes the original elements and brings them into a similar but all new realm, taking the listener down a driven, but esoteric path towards feet moving.
The second remix of XyyX (B2), by well-known Denver, CO, USA sound engineer and musician, Soundguy Josh, is a short broken- beat experimentation with strong drums leading the way to a dramatic climactic crescendo.
The last two audio offerings are open-source locked-groove National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) samples. The first, Kepler Star KIC7671081B (B3), is described by NASA as 'light curve waves to sound.' The second locked groove, Stardust Passing Comet Tempel 1 (B4), is an audio recording of a satellite passing through the tail of comet Tempel 1.
There are still precious few women at the helm of record labels, let alone Indian women, but Vinita stands out as a proud anomaly... a champion of the underdog, an underdog herself, a surrogate mother to unsung musicians, a relentless workerbee, a fan, a carer, a catalyst...' (Richard Milward, from the Rocket Girl 20 book)
2018 marked the 20th anniversary of Rocket Girl, one of the most eclectic and resilient small independent labels in the UK, steered single-handedly by Vinita Joshi. To celebrate this milestone, in March 2019 Rocket Girl will release a very special collection of music and literature, comprising a 16-track CD compilation of Vinita's artists past and present, a collectable 7' and flexi disc, exclusive Anthony Ausgang print, full 20 track download, plus a strikingly illustrated 70-page hardback book uncovering the history of the label.
Based on extensive interviews with Vinita, with contributions from many of her bands (Füxa, God is an Astronaut, Coldharbourstores, Pieter Nooten), the book's text is written by Faber author and long-time Rocket Girl supporter Richard Milward. Beginning with Vinita's formative years in Rugby in the 1970s and 1980s, the story covers not only the eventful history of Rocket Girl but also Vinita's teenage initiation into the music industry: managing The Telescopes, founding Ché with Nick Allport out of the ashes of Cheree, before finally going it alone and setting up her own label in 1998. It is both an inspiring and bittersweet tale. Vinita's staying power alone in such a challenging industry is worthy of its own tribute: she has built a record label on her own terms from scratch, she has overcome the loss of loved ones, survived a breakdown at the height of her label's popularity, and all in all her immense love of music, her strength and positivity in the face of adversity blazes throughout the book. Along the way we learn of the hits (and why Kurt Heasley's vocal cords seemed to be malfunctioning during the Lilys' Top of the Pops appearance), the near-misses (including a never-before-seen letter from Richey Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers), the triumph of Vinita's first self-released LP A Tribute to Spacemen 3, her heartbreak losing Jason DiEmilio of The Azusa Plane in 2006, plus sad revelations concerning Television Personalities' Daniel Treacy's condition following his brain trauma in 2011...
Regular Rocket Girl designer Xiaofei Zhang has been given access to Vinita's vast collection of personal photographs, letters, flyers, press clippings and other keepsakes, arranging these alongside the text to give the book the feel of a technicolour scrapbook, a vivid chronicle of indie music past, present and future.
As Milward writes: 'The artists Vinita has worked with over the years are undisputed luminaries of alternative music, and stand up to any major indie label's roster: Spacemen 3, The Telescopes, Bark Psychosis, Disco Inferno, Lilys, Low, Bardo Pond, Mogwai, Cocteau Twins' Robin Guthrie, My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, Patti Smith, Jonathan Richman, Television Personalities, to name just a handful.' Likewise, the artists featured on the accompanying CD compilation reveal just how far-ranging Vinita's taste is, and how loyal her bands have been to her over the years. The disc opens with a special 'Rocket mix' of Silver Apples' 'Susie' - the band that adorned the A-side of rgirl1, the label's first 7'. From here, there are cuts from Rocket Girl stalwarts like Füxa and Bell Gardens, as well as tracks contributed by friends and supporters of the label, such as Andrew Weatherall and Mogwai. Arguably the most notable track (certainly the most poignant) is the Television Personalities' 'All Coming Back', one of just a few unreleased songs recorded before Treacy's accident, and released here with Daniel's sister's blessing.
Vinita began her career selling Loop/Telescopes flexi discs on New Year's Eve 1988 and, in homage to this bygone format, she has included a 7' flexi (featuring 'Fight For Work', an outtake from Mogwai's most recent LP, Every Country's Sun) as well as a standard 7' bringing together rare tracks from two Philadelphia bands she has championed since their formation: Bardo Pond and The Azusa Plane. The three discs are housed in pockets found in the book's inside covers, and there are yet more gifts: an exclusive print by Anthony Ausgang (the instantly recognisable artist behind MGMT's Congratulations and Füxa's Electric Sound of Summer covers), plus a free download code for all tracks featured across the various formats of the collection.
Vinita's story is anything but ordinary, and this extraordinary collection is the most fitting tribute to the label's legacy so far: a treasure trove of rare tracks and unheard stories for Rocket Girl devotees, a comprehensive introduction to the label for the uninitiated, and both an inspirational chronicle and cautionary tale for anybody interested in the history of British independent music in the past thirty years...
- Daniel O'Donnell's recording career has now spanned almost 35 years and he continues to delight fans around the world by his
recording and touring activities.
- Daniel is the UK chart's most prolific and one of the most successful recording Artists. In 2018, he broke his own world record, by
becoming the first recording artist to chart at least one new album every year in the Artist Albums Chart for 31 consecutive years.
- During his career, in the United Kingdom Daniel has amassed thirty-seven Top 40 albums, including sixteen Top 10 albums, with
fourteen of them this Century, a feat not achieved by any other recording Artist.
- 'The Gold Collection' is a heavyweight 180g Gold-colour vinyl LP, featuring duets with his long-term singing partner Mary Duff his best
known hits, including twelve Top 40 hits, in this 16-track set.