- Which Side Are You On ' is the second EP of Berlin based Fabian Dikof. As a youngster he learned his first basic skills in producing and deejaying from Mr. Andre Lodemann himself in a youth program that Lodemann was teaching in his previous job as a social-worker. Now years later we are happy to have Fabian Dikof back on board with his second release on our Berlin-based imprint Best Works Records.
This 3 tracks EP shows a strong affinity for slow atmospheric build ups with dramatic even surprising mood changes as well as designed beats for the dancefloor. Fabian Dikof takes you on quite a trip through warm sounding synthetizers and rolling basslines. What an in incredibly mature output for such a young artist. So the question here is 'Which Side Are You On'. We see a bright future for this gifted artist.
Producer CRISTIAN VOGEL, born in Chile and in raised in Bristol, England, represents an inner turmoil within the history of electronic music and techno. Like only a few other artists such as Aphex Twin, he personifies the second wave of techno during which authorship, previously pronounced dead, returned in full force. The former punk, who had completed studies in composition (20th century classical music in Sussex) conveyed a powerful force in his music, which now finds its place very naturally as electronic music; back then, it did more than just shake up the concepts of techno. Complex and intricate rhythms (Süddeutsche Zeitung) dig deep chasms in dark (listening) spaces.
In 1996, together with JAMIE LIDELL as SUPER_COLLIDER, he made a final attempt to breathe life into electronic music, which was still primarily seen as dance/rave/club music, and produced clustered break funk music that was so relevant to its time that many considered it more a music of the future: science fiction for the dance floor. Although the project was not a failure, it did not succeed even halfway in meeting the expectations of an artist who was rather perplexed by the lack of interest he perceived in others in music as art and research. Vogel believes that music has a will to unfold, like a jungle from the undergrowth of industrial cities where music is thought of as an attack and a defense.
Seemingly out of disappointment in the predictably declining hedonism of the scene, he moved to Barcelona and bound his explosive ideas to more accessible formats, founded labels, created networks (No Future, Sleep Debt) and, at the same time, revisited his early days by working more and more on formats such as music for ballet and similar concepts. He also sought freedom precisely in what was referred to as functional electronic music through conceptual and serious endeavors in the artistic sense.
Vogel went under for a time and lived in Vienna before arriving in Berlin nearly two years ago, where he made his first new and daring attempt to assimilate everything that electronic music represented to him on one album: 'The Inertials' on SHITKATAPULT. Shortly after that, his mystical, floating ambient work 'Eselsbrücke' was released, which already spoke the language of the new city.
He now presents a new album on SHITKATAPULT entitled 'POLYPHONIC BEINGS' - a true masterpiece in the inimitable Vogel style, as his fans will no doubt claim. 'POLYPHONIC BEINGS' begins, after two minutes of an irritating noise wave, with a surprisingly classic dub track and grows darker and more abstract from track to track, minute by minute. An eerie and unbelievable sound, with all as it should be: every reverb tail, every movement of the fader, every composed note takes the listener piece by piece into Vogel's own cosmos.
He foregoes interwoven elements for swaying towers of rhythm, powerful sound passages, spaces, roads, mirrors and pathways, leading to a stream of ideas that never wants to end. He aptly quotes Karl-Heinz Stockhausen in the liner notes: These are the "atomic layers of ourselves." And so it is. We are what we hear. This is the definitive CRISTIAN VOGEL.
Saxophonist Sean Khan is a multi-instrumentalist distinguished for his ability to fuse traditional jazz with contemporary styles. His involvement in the West London broken beat scene as band leader of the cult soul/ jazz outfit SK Radicals and as a collaborator with the likes of the Bugz in the Attic collective, have seen his unique breed of jazz put to full effect in London's clubs, at nights like the legendary bruk orientated 'CoOp'.
In anticipation of Sean Khan's second album on Far Out Recordings: 'Muriel', this four track 12' release features remixes from 4hero and Nicola Conte with father of British Neo-Soul, Omar on vocal duties. 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down' is uplifting and sophisticated dance-floor jazz. Dego and Marc Mac (4hero), two pioneers of broken beat, jungle and UK dance music as a whole, re-work the single from 'Muriel' into a delicately crafted downtempo number, which tames the original somewhat with club focused intentions, yet retains all of its fluidity and groove. Along with the eminence of rhythmic elements, Omar's instantly recognizable, thick and soulful vocals are sparsely and subtly layered to create beguiling, unconventional harmonies. Elevating the track to its peak, Sean Khan's exquisite alto sax solo demonstrates both his technical prowess and keen understanding of jazz's history, whilst working to carve out its future. The B side hosts Nicola Conte's remix of 'Things to Say'. Renowned for his input and influence in the lineage of acid jazz and fusion, as a producer, Dj and musician, Nicola Conte provides a deeper, darker take on Sean Khan's unique blend of jazz. A bouncy 4/4 house beat skips along beneath contemplative, whirring Rhodes, while the ghostly soulful vocals of Diana Martinez and samples of Sean Khan's expressive sax playing see the track taken to more introspective yet still clearly club focused territory. The final track is the intro to 'Sister Soul', previewing more material from Muriel, Sean Khan's forthcoming studio album on Far Out Recordings.
It was a little bit quite around the wirrwarr label in the last few years, as the boys focused on other projects like building up an bookingagency, a 2nd recordshop, new labels and for sure producing new music.
Now they are back with some fresh and crazy minimal techno tracks.
On A1 we have Mr.Wigbert with his first appeareance on WirrWarr, A2 comes from labelhead Locke in cooperation with MC Shaver.
B1 is a freaky brain damaging minimal monster by Matt Star.
And last but not least B2 called "Piano", a old but still fresh sounding work of Locke. Freak out!
Audiojack's Gruuv label returns this October with a four-track package from French producer Okain, featuring a remix from Tuccillo. Parisian artist Samuel Thalman aka Okain has quite the standing in contemporary electronic music having been a prominent name as a DJ and producer for the past fifteen years. Playing at some of the leading nightclubs across the globe such as Fabric, Watergate, Space Ibiza, Rex Club and Electric Pickle to name but a few. Thalman's also built quite the respectable back-catalogue in his time, releasing material via the likes of Tsuba, BPitch, Memento and Cadenza, and here we see him add Gruuv to his affiliations.
Kicking off the release is 'Down the Block', seeing Okain offer up a rugged percussion and bass led house cut, fuelled by swinging rhythms, rumbling sub tones, sporadic sax licks and processed vocal lines, opening up the EP on an energetic tip.
'RZ One' follows this, retaining a similar aesthetic with an insistent drive and penetrative low-end, though Okain opts for a grittier production feel here, distorting the drum sounds, instilling expansive, atmospheric reverb tails and drawn out delays alongside hip-hop imbued vocal lines.
On the latter half of the release we have two versions of 'By Your Side', the first of which is the original mix from Okain, which takes on a more stripped-back approach in comparison to the preceding composition's, laying its focus on fluttering synth sounds, a stab-led bass hook and warm motown style vocal chops. 2020Vision artist Tuccillo then rounds off the package with his mix of 'By Your Side', turning in his signature percussive-led style on the mix with intricately programmed drums and a subtle underlying tension that softly bubbles away in the depths over the cuts seven minute duration.
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After releasing his stunning debut "Diamond Days" on Traum and the follow up "Nothingness EP" Egokind told us he had the idea for an album already sitting in the back of his head.
To be able to convert all of his ideas he asked his long time friend and collaborator Ozean to work with him. For both of them "Transition" is their debut album, but both artists can draw on a lot of experience recording music from multiple genres.
The A1 track "Mega" is a track which illustrates Egokind & Ozean's approach to touch many grounds resulting in something gigantic. The track itself begins rather acoustic inviting you to the private world of Egokind & Ozean, before it becomes a joyous balearic tune that despite its wealth keeps slight dissonances coming and going.
"Every Time You Smile" is an energetic piece of warped music which swells and and then in the next moment is diminished to small islands of voices that turn like mad creating a new cosmos almost comical at times, but always very kind and gentle as well.
On the flipside "Light Realms" flows into "Silverbird" with no pause: "Silverbird" then opens the curtain and lets the sun fill out the whole room with yellow golden rays. Egokind & Ozean then unfold a garage house track which makes small turns but stay very organic and warm.
And "Everybody Dance Now" by its title makes things very clear. Egokind & Ozean have crammed all their skills here into an hi-energy dance track, still keeping one big surprise to come halftime, when they decide to leave the trail of club culture by introducing a fantastic acoustic intermezzo, juggling and bending their sounds to the max.
The III Rivers juggernaut sets forth once again, release number 4 The Charivari EP, putting Voiceless in the cockpit and leading the charge.
Second Nature sets a dark, sultry and ominous tone as Voiceless deploys a plethora of sounds and moods that resonate with all the tense drama of the label's affiliated club night, Bohemian Grove.
Big laser beam synths dart through a thick pitch black haze while a factory line percussion section hammers on.
Always keeping a foot in the sonic warfare division, we get three locked grooves loaded and ready for battle, funky, electrified technoid wobblers that should fight off most opposition with ease.
Flip the disc and Opt-out opens with a controlled urgency as a barrage of kick drums sets the train in motion. Voiceless layers up rich, untreated piano chords against the backdrop of dark industrial chaos, percussion artefacts career around the mix and various elements are put through an aural meat grinder before the familiar and welcoming piano motif returns like a long lost friend, guiding us through the smoke hand-in-hand. A beautiful juxtaposition of soulful melancholy and cold, glacial machines.
Final track Charivari really hits the accelerator as a tough and mechanical rhythm jolts against blurred, radioactive pads and searing string lines before collapsing into a fractal breakdown introducing mystical, weaving high end leads. An eyes-down fist pumper of the highest order and one that commands excessive smoke & strobe light abuse late, late into the session.
One to close off one of their infamous soirees in style, hoards of mutant dancers leaving the industrial backdrop of the club's venue and crossing paths with the early morning dog walkers and Sunday strollers. Four releases in and we've lost none of the quality control, unique drive and free minded 'true spirit' (to quote Tresor's legendary catchphrase). The label goes from the strength to strength and with it, brings a whole new generation of techno shamans under their wing.
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After taking a short break 'House of Disco Records' are back with a purpose. Not content with the adding to the plethora of 'Disco Edit' labels representing the genre they have opted to walk a more distinct path, determined to lean on originals or clever sampling as opposed to outright re-rubs.
In this their twelfth release they recruit previous label-mate Harry Wolfman and compadre Skinny Love to provide three stunning dancefloor ready originals. The duo have certainly delivered on the brief and turned in three diverse and clever takes on what a modern Disco track with a House soul can represent.
On remix duties they have recruited a promising young producer 'Kickflip Mike', who has released on Box Aus Holz as Joschka Seibt and paired him with experienced disco merchant 'The Revenge' who is responsible for some of the best remixes we know of, and he doesn't disappoint here with either remix
Poker Flat is gearing up to celebrate fifteen years strong, with a series of releases that will assure their standing as one of electronic music's best known and most loved imprints. Poker Flat's unwavering dedication to the finest underground house music has unearthed new talent, developed rising stars and welcomed veterans into the fold, and the first of the label's 15th anniversary compilations brings together four of the brightest leading lights of the scene. With four seminal labels - Raw Elements, Dessous, Traffic Signs and Poker Flat - to his credit, Steve Bug has little to prove, but the tireless artist has never been a slouch on the DJ and production front, as he's proven time and again. Tracks like 'A Shot In The Dark' showcased his musical chops, and tied together elements of classic warehouse sounds, deep and sophisticated production and an uncompromising techy edge. The anniversary reworking of the tracks made for 4 Jacks boasts the remix talents of Taylor, whose sleek approach chops up the old school piano chords of the original for a bumping, more streamlined result. Another smashing new remix features in the form of Boris Dlugosch's 2012 acid-disco-house hit 'Sweet Talk". Here The Organ Grinder crafts a bass-heavy monster with a walloping kick drum and syncopated handclaps that enhance Boris' acid melodies and make it rough and ready for underground tastes. Two brand new productions round out the Jacks package.
Davide Squillace, the Italian DJ and producer behind the This And That Lab and Hideout imprints, has kept up a hugely productive schedule since the 1990s, and lands on Luciano's Cadenza Music this fall with the 'Goiânia' single release. Previous musical output on a multitude of labels such as Primate, his own Sketch Music & Minisketch labels, Ovum, Supernature and M_nus has also seen the artist collaborate with plenty; Guti, Martin Buttrich and Philip Bader among those who he has conjured up some inventive and dancefloor-centric minimal electronic music with. On the lead track 'Goiânia', Squillace opens up a highly musical pot of orchestral stabs and brass hits, morphing bottom end and freestyle synth licks, cavorting around a steady percussive beat to great effect.'Blossom' comes heavier in vibe, but maintaining the classical atmosphere developed on the EP's opener. Pizzicato synths play a call and response with dramatic strings whilst an electro tinged drum pattern and sizzling hats lay the foundations of a track with more than a nod to the classic house sounds developed on labels like Innervisions and Ibadan. 'Unit 9 closes the release, and Squillace goes on a Galactic ride through meteoritic bleeps and humungous pads for a cosmic and pacey techno number, dubbing it up midway for a most enjoyable ride and a fitting closure to a classy release on Cadenza.
This is the record of the year for us. GoldFfinch are mindblowing on this one, it's their very first move in this direction and the reusult is just brilliant. This is DJ material that cannot be overlooked, all three gorgeous tracks out on vinyl in September as part of our Clubwerks series.
Within the infinite flow of quality emotional techno, GoldFinch have geared up to follow the fine sonic trail lead by the likes of Life and Death, Innervisions, Ten Walls and many others bringing together the massive appeal that only impeccably crafted techno can draw.
We just want this music played where it can be heard by everyone. Endless love.
Erlend Øye is a skinny nerd, but maybe that's what makes him a pop star. His huge thick spectacle-lenses act as an interface between his inner life and his numerous collaborators and fans. Erlend Øye is a travelling singer-songwriter, who has been making music in various constellations since the late nineties. He sang for Röyksopp, while his own bands are Kings of Convenience and The Whitest Boy Alive, who recently split up. A laid back, everyday vibe runs through Erlend Øye's music. Erlend is not larger than life, at the most his songs may be. The pop star from next-door doesn't make any drama, but leaves that to life itself. His relaxed, laid back sound opens your eyes and ears for places, situations and encounters. A certain mournfulness runs through the songs, although they deal with a longing for self-fulfilment. Erlend sings of loneliness, and in doing so, he creates a 'we'. Until now Erlend's projects have often been based on simple concepts - two guitars and two vocals with Kings of Convenience, and four instruments with The Whitest Boy Alive. With his new solo album he frees himself of these parameters; for the first time everything is possible, for the first time Erlend Øye stands alone. The songs on 'Legao' were arranged and recorded with the Icelandic reggae band Hjálmar.
The magic of 'Legao' lies in the fact that Erlend's vulnerable vocals and his sincere lyrics are supported by the elegance and consistency of the band. Today roughness is often used to counterbalance roughness, whereas on Legao a equilibrium is sought - and found. A simplicity, clarity and minimalism is created that is rarely found in pop music. Erlend Øye has grown up. He accomplishes nothing less than the step towards an independent, free-standing solo musician, who can perform in any constellation - with a band, orchestra or alone with a guitar.
PAULINE MURRAY , LEGENDARY VOCALIST OF MUCH LOVED PUNK BAND PENETRATION.
GUEST MUSICIANS JOHN MAHER (BUZZCOCKS) and VINI REILLY (DURUTTI COLUMN).
PRODUCED BY THE GOD-LIKE MARTIN HANNETT.
ARTWORK BY PETER SAVILLE AND TREVOR KEY
LINER NOTES BY JON SAVAGE
The double vinyl edition also includes a bonus CD featuring instrumental versions of all the album tracks (a must for students of Hannett's unique production sound), along with alternate takes of key singles.
Les Disques du Crepuscule presents a deluxe remastered edition of Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls, the debut album by post/punk icon Pauline Murray, produced by revered sonic architect Martin 'Zero' Hannett.
Recorded at the famous Strawberry Studios in July 1980, the album offered epic electronic pop written by Pauline and partner Robert Blamire and marked a radical departure from their shared past in pioneering punk band Penetration. 'This is sophistication,' enthused Paul Morley in NME. 'Lovely songs of anxiety, malaise and self-doubt.' According to Melody Maker the album was 'unquestionably a musical highpoint of this year or any other.'
As well producer/arrangers Martin Hannett and Steve Hopkins (aka the Invisible Girls), the album features a stellar cast of guest musicians including John Maher (Buzzcocks) and Vini Reilly (Durutti Column). Indeed Pauline Murray and the Invisible Girls presents almost a Factory record, exquisitely sleeved by Peter Saville and Trevor Key. Stand-out tracks include the popular singles Dream Sequence and Mr X, with the newly remastered Hannett tracks now augmented on CD by a wealth of bonus material including non-album singles, live recordings (from tours in 1980 and 1981) and a John Peel session (1980). The liner note is by Jon Savage.
'It's a bit of a missing link album,' says Pauline today. 'Written and recorded after punk, but before Martin Rushent and the Human League made airy pop respectable again. We chose the other Martin in 1980 because we wanted the incredible sounds he achieved for Joy Division and Magazine. Thundertunes, basically.'
With focus battling between murderous bass and bewildering soundscapes throughout the EP, the choice of three energies and tones makes Kalawila's debut a surely applicable dance floor tool for techno and house devotees alike.
Stockholm/Berlin-based Kalawila debuts on his own imprint, Mountain Explosion Device, with an EP made for warehouses.'Slagsmål utbröt på Mount Everest EP' is an ensemble of three dark house tracks on the verge of techno, each sonically similar and yet delicately versatile in function.
'Slagsmål utbröt på Mount Everest' is a forward-leaning and fast paced roller with long build-up. Meanwhile 'Khajuraho' is steadily reclined on cooler percussion and kindred warehouse bass-sounds. 'Pluto får sparken' then shifts focus slightly to the peripheries in a deeper passage of harmonics and reverberations.
My Panda Shall Fly AKA musician and visual artist Suren Seneviratne, is set to release 'Tropical' It's a brand new 6 track vinyl release.
A kaleidoscope of rainbow textures and rhythms disperse into the exotic soundscape of 'Tropical'. Electronics, real folk instruments and noise-making objects feature here generously on this six-track concept album, blending together a sonic palette influenced by a rich variety of music, people and places.
The material was initially written over the course of a few months during what Seneviratne called "a beautiful burst of inspiration". Working with veteran producer Asier Leatxe Ibanez d'Opakoa (Electric Lady Studios, NYC), Seneviratne then set about disassembling all the songs and re-working them meticulously, enriching the sounds by adding a huge range of live instrumentation, before processing the audio through vintage analogue studio gear.
Suren Seneviratne, born in Sri Lanka before settling in London in 1996, first caught the attention of the music world with a remix that featured on Pitchfork back in 2010. Since then he has released a plethora of diverse records, gaining support from the likes of Clash Magazine, The Fader, Mixmag and Dazed Digital, as well as regularly touring internationally. He has also remixed the likes of The Weeknd, Stay Positive & Little Boots as well as appearing at festivals like BBC Hackney Weekender, Outlook Croatia & Glade as well as performing at prestigious venues such as The Design Museum, Tate Modern & Barbican.
With the release of 'Tropical', My Panda Shall Fly has yet again set himself apart as one of the most unique contemporary electronic musicians around today.
Steve Frisco, of Serie Limitee fame, brings us the latest bundle of hot tracks to hit Wax Classic in 2014. As the title suggests, Steve takes us on a journey through low fidelity sounds and production techniques. Think dark, moody, yet crunchy basement house tracks with inspiration taken from all over the U.S and the rest of the house world. It's a generous offering as well. Six whole dusty tunes for those diggers who are looking for something with a bit more range than another record of generic piano laden, house-by-numbers pieces that still seem to be flooding the record store shelves in 2014. The moods do vary from track to track, but they remain very reflective and almost melancholic at points. The title track, 'Adventure in Lo-Fi', is the deepest of the lot with filtered chords, echoing claps and a sporadic kick pattern that often clears way for the track's bass hits. Now, compare that to 'Da Brooklyn Beat'. Whilst the former had a distinct sunrise/sunset kind of feel to it, the latter is definitely more of a club affair. Skippy snare hits and a strong organ lead the track on, and at the risk of utilizing very overused buzzwords such as 'raw' and 'ruff', this track, and the rest of the A-side for that matter, certainly captures that essence.Stalwart Wax Classic fans will no doubt be picking this one up to add to their collection. However, I strongly recommend this EP as a jumping in point to the label for any newcomers out there!
Alexander Skancke makes his debut on Eskimo Recordings with the beautiful and compelling 'Found My Place', which will also appear on the forthcoming Green Collection. Deep electronic strings lead the almost melancholic yet balearic melody with luscious pads filling the low end and the infectious vocals from HEwrote flowing throughout for an overall emotive feel. No stranger to the label Vinny Villbass delivers two remixes. His first 'Tropical Mix' rolls with intricate percussion, sonic synths and plenty of groove, while his 'House Mix' is a deep house delight and one for the dance floor with a playful loop on the vocal and trippy synths. Local Berliner Oskar Offermann rounds off the release perfectly with his remix, adding a raw bass and sharp kick, with the warm synths and FX running throughout, this is another groovy addition for the dance floor.
Third in the Fire Department series, this 12' vinyl compilation pulls together an awesome selection of smoking old skool disco funk - guaranteed party-starters every one. Kicks off with some serious squelching bass in the form of Roadway's up-tempo boogie monster 'Let's Go For It', a rare-as-hens'-teeth track released on the sought-after Chocolate Cholly's label back in 1982. Next up is General Caine's superb instrumental 'L.R.J. Pop', a relentless funk groover out of LA driven by the tightest percussion, pumping horns and some magnificent wigged-out bass and synths. Turn over for the 12' version of Clifton Dyson's brilliant bumping boogie cut 'Slow Your Body Down' followed last but not least by the über-rare 'Skate Party People' from Bobby Cash Redd, a heavy-as-hell funk jam with a fierce strident b-line, high-voltage synths and guitars originally released on tiny NYC label Duval. Red hot - don't miss!
Driving weirdo techno, warm melodic acid and daring sound experiments - Killekill welcomes a new duo on board: SKEW & SATIRIST are Max Cooper and Gareth Williams who met in the Not- tingham, UK club scene in the early 00s, living together for a number of years, leading to an effec- tive collaboration.
Max learnt production from sitting and watching Gareth in the studio, Max helped show Gareth the way with his DJing. Both became successful in their solo projects, Max as a regular guest
on stages all over the world, Gareth starting a music technology business with partners such as Richie Hawtin, John Acquaviva or Daniel Miller.
Over the years the musical collaboration between the two friends has continued in the background and they've finally found the time to bring it to fruition and start this project for their darker, more extreme and twisted techno which has been lying dormant over the years.
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After the success of the first A-sides compilation in 2012, Adam Beyer has decided its time to release another. With Adam's stature steadily growing as one of the leading talents in the Techno scene and the rise of Drumcode, the standard of demo's that have been sent to Adam have been top notch. Adam has now decided to release two compilations with 10 tracks each, consisting of tracks that Adam has tried and tested.
There are also new artists that have been invited to release on Drumcode for this compilation and others who are a staple in Drumcode's core family. Combining both old and new talents Drumcode have come up with something unique and distinctive to make this two-part compilation something extra special.
The unsung hero of melodic techno prepares to step up to the Poker Flat plate for a second time, continuing the partnership that began with the epic 'Planet Funk EP' earlier this year. Vince Watson is a stalwart of the scene and truly in a league of his own: an unparalleled discography, a singular flair for arrangement, and a signature sound of lush layers and deep irresistible grooves. 'Rock It' is another complete chapter written in Watson's unique vocabulary. The EP's title track's swift pacing and bright multi chords-create a constant state of uplift and progression, movement and light. Subtle changes and hypnotic building loops drive this number towards a state of blissful contradiction: slow-burn euphoria. 'Sonar' contains all the scale, emotion and colour that the title may suggest; a prominent chord progression is sustained throughout, running through the track like a shot of neon, ensuring its future a peak time anthem. 'Feel It' is the yin to the yang of the previous tracks, easing into a looser, deeper tech house tempo, and unravelling tight melodic harmonies for breezy watercolour washes of pads.
Atrophic Society welcomes Brendon Moeller for it's second release, delivering 2 deeply textured and emotive technoscapes. Wielding a warbled bassline and synthetic bleeps with a masters touch, the title track meanders within a natural landscape, fuzzing and washing around descending chirps and following the call of a distant foghorn, leading us through the Passage to Obscurity. Vohkinne takes the delicacies of the original and hammers them into submission, where the original meanders the remix charges, bringing the distant foghorn into focus as a challenging and stubborn lead. Closing out the EP, Contents Under Pressure surges forward with an insistent Bleep, purging and cleansing itself through gnarling bass, never questioning its purpose as it takes you to a higher state.
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Nemesis E.P. is the latest 12" release by Painbringer. Featuring 4 oldschool 909 hardcore techno tracks with pure energetic gabber riffs, acid and breakbeats. No pop style, this is straight-in-your-face underground music!
"True", one of Painbringers most populair track, has been reconstructed and remastered especially for this release. 'This is real hardcore!' as stated by the dominating vocal in this powerhouse track.
Taken from an earlier Mokum Records release is "The Invader", an uptempo junglist flavoured hardcore track put on this record as a special bonus. "Lost In Space" is an experimental fusion between psy-trance and hardcore, which takes you on a trip into the dark space and back again. Last but not least; Grimlock has remixed "True" as a modern artcore styled track, 180BPM galore!
After the success of the first A-sides compilation in 2012, Adam Beyer has decided its time to release another. With Adam's stature steadily growing as one of the leading talents in the Techno scene and the rise of Drumcode, the standard of demo's that have been sent to Adam have been top notch.
Adam has now decided to release two compilations with 10 tracks each, consisting of tracks that Adam has tried and tested. There are also new artists that have been invited to release on Drumcode for this compilation and others who are a staple in Drumcode's core family.
Combining both old and new talents Drumcode have come up with something unique and distinctive to make this two-part compilation something extra special.
Snuff Trax celebrates magic record release number 010: - Happy Jackin Birthday!' For this little anniversary we asked four great artists to rework chosen tracks from the label`s back catalogue. Leading us off, Mr White (you know him from his collaboration with Larry Heard) made an edit of Snuff Crew`s - Are You House'. Followed by Humandrone from Tokyo remixing Perseus Traxx - - Don`t Feel Alone'. On the flipside you hear a remix treatment for Raiders of the lost ARP - - Stealing My Love' made by our man Takeshi Kouzuki of Kobe/Japan. And last but not least DimDJ from Thessaloniki created his own version of - Galaxian Journey' by Elec Pt.1
Created in an industrial workplace in Leyton, where Canary Wharf punctures the skyline, Circle Traps craft music made in the image of the modern city. The group consists of Jack Wyllie, Duncan Bellamy and Will Ward and was formed in East London in 2010 and quickly scored their first release on fellow East Londoner Subeena's Opit Records in early 2011. Their eponymous debut EP earned serious critical praise from the likes of The Wire, Quietus and Fact Magazine. Their attention to ambient textures is reminiscent of Actress and Daniel Lopatin, but their unique, multi-layered, crystalline vision is consistently offset by dance floor impulses that nod to Detroit through the likes of Model 500 and Derrick May. The Machine City EP is a lush amalgamation of textural, distorted melody and bassier dance floor leanings.
Optimo Music is usually known as a 12" label, but occasionally something rare and dangerous comes our way that compels us to release a full length album...
It's not exactly a dance album, although there is music you can dance to on it. It's more filmic in nature, with gads of references to wonderful directors like Kubrick and Carpenter that will enthrall a film buff, particularly if they're interested in electronic and dance music. There's a sleazy and unsettling feel to much of the tracks ("Tina Weymouth" is a sleaze-floor monster groove...), but we hope it will intrigue and delight!
The film references are directly relevant as Felizol and The Boy are film directors Yiannis Veslemes and Alexandros Voulgaris, who live in Athens, Greece and have composed music for numerous feature films. They also perform live in house clubs, heavy metal dungeons and hippy-friendly festivals...
They have this to say about their release: "We had a loose concept for this album and we compiled tracks that we've recorded the last 3 years that have to do with the cannibalism. Literally but also as a metaphor for the blessing and the tyranny of paying homage and influenced from music and films (and directors and musicians).
So these are songs about the agony of creating something new and personal when so much information and influences are fused in them."
Trek With Quintronic are the duo, formed from the ashes of prog rock band Masque in 1979. They recorded two pioneering albums of unique electronic rock. 'Landing Plus' compiles the complete discography of Trek With Quintronic on a double vinyl for the first time in over 30 years. Trek With Quintronic wrote songs with a powerful sound, myriads of compositional ideas, synthetic noises and catchy melodies. Paul's rather unique vocals lie somewhere between David Bowie and Richard Butler of the Psychedelic Furs.nThis collection highlights a lost duo with a big sound on par with Ultravox, Human League, OMD or Devo
12 with printed deluxe sleeve and hologram artwork , remixes by South Loundon Ordnance, Musk, Lounge 44
Second installment from freshly launched FILM label comes from The Rhythm Odyssey and Knights Of Olde also known as Stevie Kotey and Dean Meredith. Together they created the powerful and bass heavy original 'Intro Theme". Hotflush Artist South London Ordnance delivers a darker approach of the track, while MUSK takes the track into the peaktime. Last but not least Uncanny Valleys Lounge44 comes up with a decent deep house remix.
During the '70s, work days at Umiliani's Sound Workshop Studios were hectic; thousands of sessions were held in order to keep up with a very busy Italian movie industry: Hundreds of soundtracks alongside with music library were recorded and released on vinyl in very limited quantities for TV and film production use only. Those LPs are now proper collectors' items, extremely hard to find.
Filled with hypnotic bass lines, heavy drums and screaming fuzz guitars "Underground", the first LP of the fictitious group known as Braen's Machine, is one of the rarest and the most expensive of them all, always "reaching" sky high prices throughout the second hand vinyl market. A fast-beat jam with hammond scales and a twin lead guitar theme ("Flying") opens the A Side soon followed by "Imphormal", a classicfunk-beat-meetsfender- rhodes-and-psychedelic-guitar number. The music then switch to "thriller territories" with "Murder" which is based on prepared piano swells and a deeply hypnotic walking bass, reminiscent of the best Morricone's soundtracks for Dario Argento's movies. Two highly percussive songs complete the A Side: "Gap" is an improvised song with guitar and keyboards dwelling over an infectious drum rhythm while a marching snare and a vibraslap effect are the special features on "Militar Police".
The mood relaxes slightly on the opening of the B Side with a lazy jazz groove on "New Experience" but the rock influences are soon brought back on the following track "Fall Out". "Obstinacy" is all about keyboards with syncopated rhodes themes and distorted hammond sustained notes whilst the fuzz guitar is back again screaming through the left channel on the last song of the album, "Description". We could happly say that that was the golden age of the Italian music library. But who's behind the name "Braen's Machine" On the original cover the songs are credited to the composers Braen and Gisteri. Braen was a pseudonym often used by Alessandro Alessandroni, an extremely skilled and versatile musician, and one of Umiliani's closestcollaborators. He could write, conduct and arrange, he could sing (ever heard "Mah Na Mah Na"), he could whistle (ever heard Morricone's "For a fistful of dollars") and he could play almost anything: guitar, bass tuba, accordion, sitar and the list grows..... His first album "Alessandro Alessandroni e il suo complesso" (Sermi, 1969), had transformed the Italian library music from orchestral sound beds into the psychedelia we all love; the extremely fuzzy guitars are very "present" on "Underground" too. For a long time Gisteri's real identity was rather mysterious; often wrongly attributed to Umiliani. Gisteri was the pseudonym of Oronzo De Filippi, art name of Rino De Filippi, music supervisor to the Italian public broadcast company (RAI) between the '60s and the '70s. De Filippi composed other notable pieces such as "Riflessi" (Edipan, 1975) and "Nel mondo del lavoro" (Sermi, 1972).
De Filippi passed away few years ago but we were able to contact Alessandroni to talk about this LP. Remembering "Underground" recording session as one of the thousands he took part of, Alessandroni told us that this record was produced very quickly, in two days maximum. This was made possible by a team of wonderfully capable session musicians and the creative genius behind the mixing desk; this incredible combination helped to focus on the mood of each track even more. Unfortunately there are no liner notes but Alessandroni's memories and speculations, based on other music tracked in the same period at Soundworkshop by resident engineer Claudio Batussi, led us to identify this as the most probable lineup: Munari on drums, Majorana on bass, Vannucchi on keyboards and Alessandroni himself on guitar. For this reissue the sound has been restored and the cover art reproduced exactly as it was.
On the mean streets of Chicago's infamous Southside, a music pioneer was born... DJ Slugo, born Thomas Kendricks, is most famous for his influential and fundamental position as the original King of Ghetto House. With 20+ years in the game, over 20 albums in his pocket and over 50 CDs on the street, began a journey that lead him to become one of the original creators of a style of music commonly known as Ghetto House, more recently regarded as Juke.
in the past ten years lots of little and big stories happened in the music culture. house literally disappeared almost from the scene in order to come back as strong as never before.
minimal morphed back into techno while leaving the question mark why the term minimal ever got invented. some originators like frankie knuckles or romanthony passed away, while others like larry heard just stopped to perform.
in-between countless new artists appeared, twisted dance music with new perspectives on the old, and released their fresh ideas on even more countless labels out there in the void called music market.
one of the rare platforms that stayed solid as a rock in all these years is mule musiq, the tokyo based label that spreads miscellaneous sound vibes that long from jazz to disco, house, and unobtrusive ambient since 2004.
with a versatile artist roster consisting of producers such as henrik schwarz, lawrence, dj sprinkles, dj jus-ed, kuniyuki, eddie c, roedelius, or new kids on the blog like barnt or lord of the isles the japan based record company developed a status of her own for being one of the most free spirited organisations in contemporary music.
'if the music is good, any kind of music is welcome. i don't like labels which release one style music.'
mule musiq's mastermind toshiya kawasaki once said in a rare interview. now he celebrates a ten years of freedom jubilee with the sixth instalment of his famed 'i'm starting to feel ok' compilation serial. a real massive international anniversary celebration that is ventilating all what happened in the past ten years in order to form something that travels right into the future. and that is where mule musiq tries to be since a decade to tell some unheard musical stories that stay for good even when the future is long past.
Disco Bucuresti is an audio homage to Romania's capital, Bucharest. Growing up between the city's communist blocks of flats and maturing in the city's underground discos left a distinct creative mark on Andrei Idu (The Legendary 1979 Orchestra). Ever since leaving Bucharest for Amsterdam, Andrei felt the need to tribute the place that shaped him. However, it was only until recently that he found the means necessary to express the feelings he felt. Thus, records released during the 70s and 80s in Romania as sole sample source, analog drum machines, delays, filters and reverbs, all recorded in live takes come together in this evocative EP.
For his debut release on PRSPCT Fragz promised us 3 heavy bangers and the man definitely delivered.
On the A side of this multi colored piece of vinyl we have the track: Something Sinister. A brutal Drum & Bass collaboration between Fragz and Sinister Souls proving once again that Snares can be at least as powerful as kick drums. Tons of energy in this track and a massive drive!
On the flip we have Go Psycho. The title fits the track perfectly. The track makes you do just that. Pure Hardcore Drum & Bass party power for the people!
The eighteenth Theomatic installment comes courtesy of Amberflame. The A-side Unique is a lean towards the early-naughties dancefloor-oriented French electronica with a certain amount of delicate synthwork and contemporary crisp blended in. The laidback and melancholic Ultraviolet, on the flipside, would, without any doubt, make a perfect soundtrack to a sunset drive down the coast... with a beautiful lady... in a convertible.
The second of the Decadub vinyl-only releases dedicates three of its four sides to a volley of woozy and twisted footwork from most of the key members of Chicago's Teklife crew. Side One starts with DJ Rashad and Gant Man's squiggly 303 banger 'Acid Life' and moves onto Taso & Djunya's Darwinian banger 'Only The Strong Will Survive'. Side Two descends into DJ Spinn's bombastic 'All My Teklife' and then Earl, Rashad & Taye's 'Bombaklot' which takes Hyperdub full circle with a yardcore bomb like a 2014 upgrade of the label's early days. Side Three leads with DJ Earl's immaculate diva vocal cut-up of 'I'm Gonna Get You', then moves on into DJ Taye's fizzling R&B jam 'Get Em Up' and the stone cold, warped humour of 'Icemaster' by Heavee. On the fourth and final side, Tokyo-based ally Quarta330 returns to craft 'Hanabi', an epic, uptempo synthesiser jam. Young gun Champion follows with 'Power Cut', its minimal, energetic and militant kicks and bass molded with cowbell and lots of tight edits, before dropping some neat keys and a warping bassline two thirds in. Ikonika finishes things off with the solemn march of 'Tug Zone', opening slow but building in flickering high hats and gaseous cymbals into a track which could have emanated from Battlestar Galactica.
Pink marble vinyl / Sleeve artwork by ' The 'Warm'
Friendly Feeling Embodied in a Red-Pink One 1961 by Mcdermott & McGough.
ISNISNT offers it's second release of forward leaning electronics with a diverse group of modern techno from label head Jesse Siminski. Acting under his Heartthrob guise, Jesse initiates the release with 'Someone Called Again' a tough, but funky, bass driven tune that marries detailed production with his signature ominous melodies to great effect. Subtle modulating percussion work against harder, swung snare and synthetic drums workouts, as surprising analog synth bursts glue things together. Building smoothly into a headfirst groove, the track pressurizes and never loses it's drive as heady synth riffs keep things musical and emotionally interesting. In an even funkier tangent the two mixes of 'Cougar Juice' draw together an irresistible bass line with pushing breakbeats and precise synth stabs. These horn like synthesizer bursts mark surprising turns and recall similar moments in classic Hip-Hop jams or even tracks from Detroit's Anthony Shakir or Robert Hood- two of Jesse's production heroes. The 'Driving Past the Jail Mix' incorporates these synth stabs hypnotically within the melodic structure, while the 'Reduced Dub Mix' dials things back and focuses on the bass line, drums and dubbed out flourishes. With their funk driven momentum constantly moving forward, either mix will bring something unique to either a house or techno set. And finally 'Let Them Go' rounds out the group in a deep, yet still driving fashion. It splices sub bass pulses, a melancholic synth atmosphere, absurd bleeps and submerged voices amongst stripped down drums into a steadily building hybrid cut- not quite house and not really techno.