We are delighted to welcome again our beloved Skylax Records label the 'italian stallion' : DJ Soch ! He's one the few producers around able to merge the old school sound by making a new unique sound. The owner of Black Angus delivers on this new 12 inch, 3 rough & amazing deep house cuts and as a bonus, we got a great remix from the mighty the analogue cops. Tips!
If you're familiar with Public Release's sibling, FACE, a series of parties, you'll already know that Jee Day, né Dennis McNany, has been in the Bay Area label's orbit for some time; as half of the DFA act Museum of Love, he joined the inner circle years ago. Here, with Amot Herga Laxy, he makes his bold debut on Public Release itself.
The single begins with 'Crocodile Tears,' an abstract, impressionistic tapestry of African rhythms, meditative synth washes, Vangelis-esque horns and pads. It recedes and Jee Day plunges deeper into the jungle with 'Communication Masterbation,' a propulsive number built around a psychedelic, droney bass that's wrapped with gritty, distorted effects and layers of topline keyboard licks stacked high. A raw club track cut from transcendentalist cloth that'll lift you off the dance floor.
The B-side is a dub of 'Communication Masterbation,' with an emphasis being placed on pulling out, unraveling, extending the rhythmic elements and emphasizing the electronic veil the piece is shrouded in. A trancey, menacing sprawl that could be an extended Sonic Youth live jam if they swapped their stringed instruments for Roland and Korg gear—and dusted the whole thing in an unknown psychoactive slime.
After a hiatus of 3 yrs : THE MASTER is BACK !!! Vinyl Only
Celebrating the imprint's 10th anniversary, Mike Dehnert returns to his own Fachwerk label with a new full length LP available in 2x12" and digital, following a striking 12" on DJ Koze's Pampa Records at the end of 2016. Across 10 tracks, here Dehnert explores new territory with a restrained and subtle sound while retaining his commanding touch when it comes to creating deep club music. Intro sets the tone of the album, providing an profusion of tidal tones and textures that soak the listener in sound. Before long though, you're listening to the percussive stabs and pensive drums of Between No Words. Here we hear for the first time on the record the subtle but remarkable vocals of Albert Vogt, who returns throughout the LP. Listeners will also be reminded of Dehnert's skill for crafting complex and emotional music with very few elements, which becomes only more evident as this LP opens up. From here Dehnert traverses through dubbed out techno, deep house and downtempo, all with an experimental playfulness and a lightness of touch that only a producer with his talent and raw experience could pull off. The album peaks with the storming Providing Home 2. With swirling, unpredictable arpeggios, hard hitting drums and a sparingly used vocal hook, this is the track that'll ignite ecstasy across dancefloors for years to come. From here, Dehnert quickly cleanses the palette with the beatless Starground, a ringing and pulsing synth piece, pierced by all manner of klangs and bleeps. This perfectly sets up the album's final epic, Laxwax. Another one aimed squarely at the club, but this time it's for darker dancefloors. In stark contrast to its predecessors on the record, this track is insular, hypnotic and raw. Not content to end on such a note, Dehnert provides one last exertion. Outro is bombastic and pounding, with a rave inspired synth line and heavily swung percussion. Topped with cut up and percussive vocals, the track lives up to it's name summing up the LP and adding to it at the same time. This thoughtful record takes elements of modern pop music and extrapolates them with a patience rarely found within the genre itself. Backed by Dehnert's exceptional experience when it comes to producing club music, the result is an album that's simultaneously poppy and experimental, yet fundamentally rooted in techno. It's for that reason that this will surely be such a crossover hit; it has a palette that is broad yet refined, that will undoubtedly reach new ears while appeasing and surprising familiar ones.
Bleu Blanc House is Hardrock Striker & Signal ST. Bleu Blanc House is throwing up parties all over paris but is also a house music storm trooper.
For their first release, we got the chance to get 2 amazing monstruous tracks taken straight from the basement from one of the most original french producer Signal ST who teamed up with the legendary skylax label boss Hardrock Striker !
« Liberté, égalité, fraternité : Vive la république, vive la house »
Fuckthegovernment.Ltd, a.k.a. F.T.G (Alfredo Trastulli) and Music Box head honcho, Marco Riff, return to the Skylax fold in 2016 with a cache of house nuggets for our listening pleasure. Their last venture on Skylax saw F.T.G collaborate with a bunch of his friends, resulting in some of the best tracks we'd heard all year, including the unforgettable Fuckthegovernment theme. Their tracks have been celebrated and hailed by some of the best DJs in the game, names such as Derrick May, Ricardo Villalobos, Raresh, and DJ Harvey. The bar set by the first record remains sky high, and somehow, these two manage to raise the bar even higher. It may be the biggest cliche going when talking about an album, but the duo certainly do take us on a journey, through the past and present of house music. It's a record not too dissimilar in tone to Paranoid London's from a few years back, but F.T.G and Marco strip things back even further than those guys did, in our opinion; The sound is more raw with less frills, and no track names to predispose feelings in the listener either. This eight track project is cohesive and elaborate, with movements through sounds both acid and jazzy, minimal and maximal. It explores sounds that came to prominence in famous house locales such as Detroit and Chicago over in the U.S., but the underground European influence is definitely present, from Paris to Berlin, and of course F.T.G and Marco's home of Italy. With this album, these guys add to the underground sound that has cultivated in the city of Perugia for years now, a place that has seen the likes of Simoncino and Nicholas hone their craft.Don't miss out on a piece of Skylax history!
Last year saw the mysterious Garage Shelter make their debut appearance on Skylax, and little is still known about them! All we know is they are back with some freshness on the Skylax Classic sublabel.
First up is Bring Back Love, a track that will sink its claws in with that infectious vocal sample hook. Sticking with the old school sample vibe is the Lonely Heart dub of Attempt; it's a bit more mellow but still has plenty of groove in it. Friend of the Garage Shelter, DJ La Foudre, appears over on the B side with It's Alright (Signal St Mix). Still on that catchy sample tip, it features one of the grooviest bassline and funky guitar pairings I've heard in a long time. Next up, Perception 66 is a smooth house affair from yet another friend, Asa No Hikari. Rounding out the package is Garage Shelter's own You (Still), a dreamy pad-driven track that may indeed be the pick of the release. While we don't know much about Garage Shelter, we can't help but look forward to what they come out with next!
Gari Romalis and Lello Di Franco - Dreamin For the uninitiated, our man Gary Romalis is the unsung master of Detroit's house and techno scene. Having DJed across the motor city's top venues for the last three decades, Gary is somewhat of a seminal figure for many of Detroit's DJs currently at the forefront. Following a slew of high quality releases on various labels over the past few years, Gary now unleashes that special flavour on us for SKYLAX 142! He is not alone though. With him, he brings all round Italian partymaker, and top selector in his own right, Lello Di Franco. Let me tell you, this duo's collaboration is something to behold. Throughout all 3 tracks on the record, Gary and Lello maintain the essence of what the Detroit underground is all about; stripped back tracks with soul that never feel like they go 'big' for the sake of it. While Dreamin (Wanda Mix) may be packing a big kick and power clap combo, it's the elegantly filtered, jazzy sample that will leave you wishing that the track lasted forever. The vibe takes a dip right into the deep in Detroit Underground (Beat Dat Mix). Spacious pad synths alongside a mesmeric vocal carry us through. Taking a step back up, Afrobeat rounds off the EP, made with a solid toolkit of afro-centric samples.
Manchester based producer Sameed delivers us a very nice EP for the Skylax n°141. After his first weapon "Spend EP" on the swedish label Local Talk, he confirms here his taste for house music with "Ma'Thang". This new release is perfect to bring a dark and sensual amosphere to a warm up set.The first side begins with "Bad You", a perfect mix between a deep bassline, a mysterious background and soulfull vocals. The only element that kept you stuck on the floor is the raw clap. "No one else" is more focused on the beat and the repetition of the funky voice sample through the patterns. By using flanger effects, Sameed gives even more energy to this track, moving away from the keyboard softness. The third one, "Blue", could be the expression of what you hear while dreaming. We find again a mystic musical background but it is added to a very light melody, the sound of the sea and what seems to be whoops of joy."Hustle", the first track of the second side, is definitely darker and more nostalgic. Remebering us some Rick Wade sounds, the melody seems to confuse itself but keeps a clever coherence. The hi-hats manage to provide the sensation of speed and continuity all along the musical trip. "Watching U", is really about rythm and bass : the raw beat and heavy bassline deliver to this title all its identity. The jazzy notes and asexual vocals fit very well with this body oriented track. "Grg-Jam" is certainly the most particular element of this EP. Even if we can find the same kind of melodies as in the other titles, the beat is really different, remembering drum'n bass but in a very soft way. During this imaginative jam session, Sameed alternates the textures of the hats, bringing a frenetic rhythm to the conclusion of Ma'Thang.Sameed proves us that he is definitely a safe bet of the "Madchester" house scene. To be continued.
THE company focused on realeasing original obscure dance classic and everything's that sounds fine to their ears !What a special one we have here on Skylax Classic! Damien Zala, the man who put out the superb album 'Lonely Happiness' on Rowtag Records in late 2012, who gets heavy support from the great Theo Parrish, dishes up six special tracks for our next release. Before diving in, it is well worth noting that a selection of Damien's album tracks had remixes by the likes of house icons such as DJ Jus-Ed, Rick Wade and Boo Williams! If those names register even the slightest blip on your radar, which they should, then this record might be the treasure you've been searching for. Damien's sampling technique has a certain air of grandeur to it. 'Shake Vibration' makes this apparent right from the start with intricate layers of vocals, guitar licks and keys. 'All My Respect' and 'Come Around' both follow suit whilst 'Dizzie' picks up the B side with a bit more energy and frenzy compared to what has come before it. The record rounds out with two tracks taking things a bit deeper. 'Stay Where You Are' drives forward with filtered pad chords that accompany jazzy sax and vocal cuts while conversely, 'Z To The Jz' brings in a moodier vibe with its jazz samples and smoky drums.
Do not miss the chance to get such a gem of a record from Damien Zala!, C L A S S I C ! A must to have in every djs collection. Essential Item No Digital .
SKYLAX RECORDS, THE company focused on realeasing original obscure dance classic and everything's that sounds fine to their ears ! For this new release serie, we decided to bring you guys one of the most influential & mysterious producer from Detroit since the late glorious 80's ! He's an amazing singer, keyboard player & producer, he has worked with Eddie 'Flashin' Fowlkes', legendary labels such as Submerge (U.R. homebase run by Mad Mike), 430 west (Octave one), Happy House (deep house submerge sub label), Planet E (with Carl Craig), he has even been for the ones who really know their stuff one of the original member of the iconic R&B House band that ever existed 'Members of the House' doing some vocals on their very first release back in 1987 (Signed by Underground Resistance Mike Banks). This guy is NIKO MARKS. He gave us the chance to release some of his work that has been available on some some very very striclty limited edition (mostly Cdr).
This is some of the best stuff we've ever heard, the detroit real sound melted with P-funk (circa funkadelic) & extraordinary vocals.
The new Wheel and Deal production partnership between N-Type and Surge, releasing their 1st EP: September Sun. A: September Sun ft Pyxis - After the success of Surges first single with Pyxis (Leech), she once again delivers her signature vocal style, this time laid down on the fresh and original collaboration between Wheel and Deal label head N-Type and rising star Surge. The combination of production styles has built a fresh take on the dubstep sound. This featured in N-Types mini mix for Mistajams Radio 1 show earlier this year, with continuous radio support from Hatcha at Kiss 100, Mistajam, Walsh (Biscuit Factory Records) and N-Types Rinse FM show, every Tuesday 9-11pm. B: Mega-Tron - Featuring live guitar from Jonny Boltano, showcasing a different side to the duos production skills. Rolling rock style drums and build ups drop into a continuously transforming bassline. As the the track develops, the influx of the orchestra ends the track dramatically. Being battered by Hatcha at Kiss 100, Soap Dodgers, Laxx, Walsh, N-Type & Surge. This also featured in N-Types mini mix for Mistajams Radio 1 show earlier this year. C: Triangles - Old school Jungle/DnB, dub and techno influences rain through in this track. Dark & atmospheric, this could easily be a soundtrack of horror film proportions. The Bass is thick and punchy with the eerie sample 'Dark Triangles!' slicing through the darkness. Support from Mistajam, Hatcha, Soap Dodgers, Walsh, N-Type & Surge. D: Zombie Apocalypse - This one is more on the jump up side, proving the diversity in N-Type & Surge's production style. As the zombies approach, tension builds to the drop with the dramatic sample 'This is the End'. The bass is weighty and growling, like a blood thirsty monster. The second drop steps up the pace with a staggered, automated bass rinse out.
Jazzy, atmospheric deep house. If you like the sound of Larry Heard, you will definitely like this record.
