Joining the Unknown Precept forces are C.G.I. Records' label head Matthew Wei- ner teaming up with Christopher Daresta as Pyramid Club. Being known for their T.W.I.N.S. and Anticipation solo activities, Cyclic Obsession comes as the debut re- lease of the four-handed formation taking its name from the eponymous venue which helped define the counterculture and queer sound of lower Manhattan in the late 70's. Recorded in their stronghold of Atlanta following a handful of tracks released via the jointly-operated D.K.A. Records, it shows the duo taking over primitive body music in its most physical and psychedelic dimension. Thick as a brick bass lines for the basement turmoil — reflecting the hazy vortex smoldering out of an ill-lighted nightclub. Think of spasmodic synth-driven tunes interspersed by convulsive vocals and throbbing snares, in which one could see the whites of the dancers' eyes right before the lights turn back on.
Buscar:lines
Amsterdam based Leyla records presents part two of it's various artists compilation, this time bringing together a host of international artists, as well as a contribution from label boss Chafik Chennouf.
The four tracker commences with Insufferable People from label regular Manni Dee. Following his spectacular EP on Perc Trax, Dee delivers a dancefloor roller containing punctilious sound design integral to his work, with vocals from the artist superimposed over crunchy drums, riding the waves of submerged synths.
Track two from France's Von Grall offers a similar treat for DJs, this time with more introspective elements working in harmony with with propulsive polyrhythms. As the track creeps forward the revelation of drones and synth lines further involves the listener and contributes to a musical landscape populated by rhythmically independent segments, coalescing to form a cogent whole.
Head honcho Chafik Chennouf injects light in to the darkness on the B1 with Kosmai, redolent of EBM style funk rhythms. The stolid arpeggios function as the foundation for percussive interplay which propel the track in to new territory as it progresses. The 90s rave influence becomes apparent as the automations mould and shape the multidimensional lead.
The closer, Useless Landscape, from Japan's Katsunori Sawa immediately immerses the listener as the concrete groove is quickly overtaken by field recordings and a unique tonality emerging through layered drones and warped artefacts. Reminiscent of his work with Yuji Kondo as Steven Porter, the track unveils an intimacy through detail, while maintaing distance through evolving layers of sound creating mystery and magic.
INCL. RICH NXT RMX
Fizical's 5th released presents a stunning 4 tracks Ep of the Berliner producer Albert Ess.
A very exciting journey including Rich Nxt's remix, where deep fatty base lines and techno/minimalistic sounds are made to smash the dance floor.
Stunning and embracing warm pads are making this Ep specially unique Albert's first debut on Fizical
Aubrey Rev it Up, a down tempo Techno masterpiece it swerves in and out breaking in a moment of magic, casting it's sonic magic through sound design, abruptly it changes back to the instinctive groove, sonic beauty is beheld in this gem.
Aubrey Downtown 66, a masterful cut that displays sonic genius on Aubrey's part, it's a breakbeat affair that delivers in finest purity. Cow bells amass in mega sonic scapes that is a sure fire hit.
Volster Cyclic is a smooth groover, it builds in a subtle way pertaining to hypnotic elements that display a soundscape of acidic lines that hover and stab in a dark and mysterious way.
Volster Breakthrough is a four to the floor mover. It moves in hypnotic modulation, a signature from Volster that is sure to move a dancefloor. It groove is infectious and reaches a high point through his groove and synth work, a must in any record bag.
At Cambium we like to keep it brief and let the music do the talking. Here we have a fresh release from none other than V.I.C.A.R.I. with his 'Still Be There EP' From deep rolling bass lines to hypnotic synths and bouncy rhythms this is a must have for any vinyl collection
After sending out these tracks last summer and getting great reactions from DJs and dancers alike, Hell Yeah is pleased to finally officially release virtuoso musician Verdo's Little Blue EP, complete with a remix from Lauer. Fully remastered for vinyl, the likes of Lexx, Chris Coco, Soft Rocks, Leo Mas and many more have all be playing these tunes with great results.
The talented Verdo runs the famous Gratis Club in Senigallia on the Italian east coast. It is a place he calls home, and that has really allowed him to hone and sharpen his DJ skills so that now he is a slick, unpredictable and singular DJ with many tricks up his sleeve. Bjorn Torske, DJ Fettburger, Prins Thomas, Kenji Takimi, Glenn Underground and more have all played there in the last decade and Verdo himself is a skilled pianist who has played for Zero7 singer Mozez in the past. He has worked with Hell Yeah before now, as well as releasing on Danny Was A Drag King, and here serves up his biggest bit of dance floor dynamite to date, including his previously digital only cut 'Big Fish' (mixed by DJ Rocca).
Opener 'Little Blue' is a perfectly sunny track with hip swinging claps, bobbling bass and boat party vibes that soothe your soul. Rich with instrumentals and golden synth lines, it's a perfect beat that gets followed up by the retro disco pump of 'Sazerac', another tropical cut with loose drums and rubbery bass to get you up on your toes.
The massive 'Big Fish' then hits hard with its tin pot percussion and wild synths all making you flail your arms like you just don't care. Jumbled jungle vibes and big chords all swell your heart as your feet skip about down low.
Closing out the package is Phillip Lauer (Tuff City Kids), one of the most in demand stars of the day, and his version is a direct house jam with percolating and rugged synths and slapping hits, all demanding you ditch your cocktail and get up and groove.
"all good stuff here! OG for early / mornings and Lauer for peak. really nice release! " Piers - Soft Rocks
"Big fan of Verdo! great tunes here as expected. Sezarac fav at first listen." - Dream Chimney
"Little blue is super nice!!" - Phil South (Golf Channel)
"Yes, some great stuff here. Sezerac and the Lauer mix are really great, perfect sunshine session material." - Chris Coco
"I love Big Fish's keyboards! strong!!! Arigato!!!" - Chida
"Little Blue and Big Fish are fun for sure, def will play em on a rooftop sooooon" - Jacques Renault
"Yeah, feeling Little Blue, heavy rotation this Summer! " - Jason Boardman (Aficionado)
"Little Blue, i like." - Lexx
"This is tremendous. Driving peak time track that you can imagine Joe Claussell really working the dancefloor with." - Andrew Pirie
"killer ep guys!!!" - Discodromo
We don't have much info to give about Vicram, partly because the artist doesn't want us to communicate the few things we know. But this is his first EP. It's super raw - not necessarily rough. Raw like a piece of sushi, an unpolished unvarnished beautiful piece of wood, raw like those bare drum machines and simple acid lines. Almost naive, like those early 90s IDM-techno record we cherish but with a very different angle. As usual, we liked Vicram because we don't really understand how he makes his music.
The next COSMOS release comes from Salomon Dunkan, a mysterious and unknown producer who serves up two tantalising tracks...
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'Android (Adamantium Mix)' is a slow and percolating house track with a rugged acid line and sharp percussive knives cutting up the rubbery kick drums below. Swirling pads add a cosmic atmosphere and there whole hits slowly but surely builds to a raging and intense peak of bristling hits and gurgling synths. It's controlled chaos and then 'Tacchi A Spillo' treads a more direct path. Again the high hats are bright and sharp, the mood is very sci-fi and the bass lines rumbled down low. Like a deep space odyssey this one travels far and wide and grows ever more physical and jacking as it goes on.
Maurizio Martinucci (aka TeZ) is being warmly welcomed back into the Frigio fold. Following his work with Most Significant Beat, a partnership with Saverio Evangelista of Esplendor Geometrico, this Italian artist, and member of Clock DVA since 2010, is flying solo on new wings: Pragma.Martinucci examines, scrutinises and magnifies mechanics. And under such inspection all things change. Drums blossom into serrating melodies. Snares, hi hats, toms blur into one as they are distilled into a heady brew. At times this reduction is sour and sharp, as in the cruel cud of 'Ospel', at others its strangely smooth like in 'Dusk.' The lines that divide electronics and techno all but disappear, dissolved into insignificance under Pragma ´s barren palette. 'Espex' is stripped. Percussion is dipped in distortion, bass bleached by hiss as the reductionist manifesto is applied. An artist cut from the same caustic clothe closes.Arturo Lanz of Esplendor Geometrico amplifies the fuzz and static of 'Espex', shaving away all decoration to leave all but a harrowing husk of cables, wires and pain.
Espen Beranek Holm is a Norwegian musician and comedian, born 1960 and began his music career as a clarinetist. Inspired by early synthesizer bands Kraftwerk and The Residents, he began making experimental pop music. His debut single Dra te' hælvete' was released in 1981 and was immediately banned by national TV/radio channel NRK due to explicit lyrics. This gave the young artist tons of publicity, helping the single spend almost 6 months on the national charts.
Beranek returned to the Starholm Studios in Oslo from June - September 1981 to record nine new compositions. His debut album, Sound of Danger', was released on Mind Expanding Records in November 1981. Nowhere near as accessible as the previous single, the album fared poorly commercially. Withdrawing from the single's fun, kitsch pop, the album is cool and static, driven by thin rhythm boxes, cold synths, and glacial guitars. Taking heavy cues from David Bowie, all of the songs are sung in a nasally English accent, a rare occurrence in Norway at the time. The lyrics are melancholic, but tinged with paranoia. There are also upbeat tracks that evoke a prog or glam sensibility a la King Crimson, Alan Parsons, or Roxy Music.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring red, black, and white lines that evoke a visualized Richter Scale designed by Monica Moltzau. Each copy includes a 2-sided 8x11' insert with lyrics and an autographed press photo of Beranek.
For their next release, Freeride Millenium once again link up with Pauls Musique for a perfectly formed new EP from Raphael Danilo feat. George Pappos. Both Danilo and Pappos reside in the rough edges of the greek mountain Parnassos, their musical approach takes cues from their proximity to the ancient sanctuary of Delphi and sees them cook up one fine cut which then gets remixed by Innellea and Nikkname. That lead single is 'Strangers', eight spiritual and spooky minutes of spine tingling and eerie synth music that really takes you on a trip. It operates on another dimension, with pixelated lines and undulating pads all suspending you in space. Perfect for an epic set opening or to really reset the dancefloor with an attention grabbing and emotive piece, it is a truly classy track full of musicality and suspense and atmosphere. German pair Innellea then step up to remix and brilliantly flip the cut into something just as epic and enchanting but with a mid tempo, rubbery house beat down low helping you slip into the deep and colourful groove. Last of all, Nikkname then re-works the whole thing into something minimal and absorbing. The whole thing is riddled with intricate sound design, tender piano keys and the sound of static. It is a real symphony of the organic and the electronic and as such cannot fail to make its mark. This is an artful package that demands close listening with suitably eye catching visuals supplied once again by artist Daniel Rajcsanyi. Thanks for purchasing a real copy!
For the fourth release Shaw Cuts lines up five shaolin commanders who created their own interpretations of Farron's Death Duel EP: Marco Zenker, Russian duo Poima, Roger 23 and Simo Cell. These heavies form the Shelter Clan whose mission is to cover Ah Chi's back wherever he goes.
Marco Zenker gives 'We Don't Make No Sense' his signature machine funk that decimates challengers in one swing. Ah Chi can always count on Marco's sword.
Poima from Moscow rival with sabers, severing those who dare to cross their path. Their version of 'Tangency' is lead by a dirty break-beat drum combo blazoned by cosmic synth melodies and warm machine derangement.
'Centro' on the B-Side gets heavily grimed by veteran Roger 23 whose axe is as heavy as his remix style in general. Beware of Roger!
Armed with tonfas, Simo Cell layers 'Par 2' with a complex and fresh-sounding groove, causing lethal devastation to enemy combatants.
Ah Chi is well-shielded by his companions and still unbeaten to this day. Trust in the Shelter Clan!
Tresor's newest release features BNJMN on Body Reflections Pt. 1.
The four track EP captures a uniquely subdued mood that resides at the nexus of ambient dance music, and that integrates seamlessly with Tresor's penchant for restrained and dub-inflected techno.
Each track on the EP introduces symmetry and rhythm in the form of organic percussion. "Overskies" and "Enceladus" are more lethargic and ethereal, each blanketed with discordant melodies and arcing synth lines. "Hadal Zone" is more dance-oriented - here, a sophisticated interplay of percussive elements loop over plaintive vocals and soft harmonies. "Syzygy" then brings the EP to a techno-focused close with driving kicks, oscillating synths, and repeating minor chords.
Body Reflections Pt. 1 is deeply illustrative of BNJMN's affinity for creating nuanced and delicately balanced layers, and a culmination of his vast experience.
Cookin' On 3 Burners are Australia's foremost organ trio joining the dots between funk, soul, boogaloo & jazz. Long time partners Lance Ferguson (guitar), Ivan Khatchoyan (drums) and Jake Mason (organ) have taken their home brew of soulful Hammond get down everywhere from jazz festivals to after hours bars and clubs. Their top notch reputation led to them supporting Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings in Sydney, jamming live with Breakestra and becoming THE in demand band south of the equator. With a musical CV that includes names like Joe Bataan, Alice Russell, Mark de Clive-Lowe and The Quantic Soul Orchestra, as well as the world beating outfit The Bamboos, it's not surprising this latest CO3B album has generated huge interest even prior to its' release. Their first Freestyle album 'Baked, Broiled or Fried' featured the group in a hardcore funk groove but on 'Soul Messin' sees the sound, feel and influences widened further with some quite magical results. Versatile singer Kylie Auldist (Tru Thoughts Recordings) opens proceedings on the deep funk groove of 'Push It Up' but it is the Freestyle 45 'This Girl' (FSR7057) that provides the mellow, beautiful and incredibly catchy vocal highlight of the entire collection, shimmering horns ride over this laid back, future deep soul classic. We don't yet know what Gary Numan will make of CO3B's version of his 80's synth pop hit 'Cars' (CD only) but Jake Masons organ playing (including simultaneously supplying the super funky bass lines via his Hammond foot pedals and left hand) takes this track in a direction no one was expecting! Drummer and top notch singer Fallon Williams provides his gritty, searing voice on 'Hole In My Pocket' and 'Seen Through Your Disguise' sounding very much like US soul legend Robert Moore and the band display their versatility whilst doffing their caps in the direction of The Meters on the numbers 'Dog Wash' and 'Piranha' The down tempo, moody album closer 'The Proving Grounds' (CD only) once again shows the groups expanding musical textures and rounds off 'Soul Messin' the bands most varied and accomplished recording so far.
Recent Mark Lamar Live Session on Radio 1
"This Girl" has been Freestyle's top selling single of 09 so far !
Fresh off Son Of Sound releases on Delusions Of Grandeur and Local Talk, New York based Henry Maldonado is back on his District 30 label with Son Of Sound 05 / The Love Up Beat Down. This 3-tracker features something for everyone, as Jackin' House, Disco-Chug and even Detroit Techno are well represented. Kicking things off on side A is 'Bout Love Again, an adrenalin induced shot of disco house served up the old fashioned New York way. MPC style loops, chop-ups and breakdowns give a nod to the '90s House 2 House style tracks Henry produced on Strictly Rhythm. Not falling too far from that tree is the disco-house chugger Need Each Other.
Rhodes chords accompany a bed of sliced-up New York Disco, for an infectious groove that will denitely keep that 120BPM momentum.Lastly we round out this EP with Inuence Is Bliss. This one will denitely appeal to lovers of Detroit Techno and House alike. Pounding drums, 16th note ride cymbals, arpeggiated synth lines and ghostly soulful chord progressions effectively distract you from the fact this track doesn't even have a bassline.
After a first collaboration focusing on the City of Angels, LA legend John Tejada and acid innovator Tin Man (Johannes Auvinen), this time brooding on the latter's home city, and former's birthplace, Vienna. The Austrian capital is known as "the city of music" and the "city of dreams," two broadly aligning concepts that go far in describing this beguiling 12-inch. The four songs were mixed down live to 2 tracks, created in the real world without a daw, or multi tracking, which has really captured the spirit of performance and improvisation. Succeeding "Railjet," a tense drum workout, comes "Bim," referring to the colorful trams that run through Vienna. Here, Auvinen sculpts his 303 into near-pizzicato form. The acid box is accompanied by stately pads making for one of the duo's most memorable tracks yet. The next cut, "Danube Nights," references the mighty, ancient river, the flow motion mirrored by a couple of widescreen acid lines. A pensive lead and some melancholy chords emerge, but the drums roll right along like the water- tough enough for a heaving floor with a hint of fragility for the headphones. The record concludes with the acidic "Prater Allee," named after idyllic, sprawling park on the banks of the Danube. The duo's love letter to Vienna is well-suited for travel, for the dance and for dreaming.
To begin the year with, Antinote summoned Panoptique and JC Satan's Paula to release a badass two-tracker, paying a pared-down tribute to a very overlooked period in recent musical history: the accursed electroclash-era.
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At a time when 'Balearic' has become the new musical gospel, the holiest adjective one can use to describe one's music (and therefore, electroclash has become the musical antichrist - to keep going with the biblical comparison)... while everyone seems to glorify stuff like Ibiza's 'endless sunsets', the duo happily kicks over the anthill with a song, a record and a band soberly called Succhiamo (first person plural of 'to suck' in Italian). The title-track straightforwardly announces what the main elements of Succhiamo's music are: over-saturated simple patterns of drum machines and EBM-infused lines of synths backing overtly sexual vocals in Italian. Nothing more, nothing less.
On the flip side, Succhiamo deals with the same formula in depth, engaging this time in detailing a meaningless list of products available in the 'supermercato'. The song conveys a nihilist - but fun - attitude, and it just sounds as if the band was crashing a car in a commercial zone in high spirits... As a kind of inheritor to Ich Bin, Succhiamo offers to bring some stupidity in the club and gives serious dance music producers the finger, like some irreverent Franco-Italian Beavis & Butthead.
Not Waving takes 2017 by the scruff with his Populist EP, consolidating the myriad stripes of his acclaimed Animals album in four extended peaktime hammers forged for darkrooms, basements and warehouses alike.
If last year's LP saw you thru from day-into-night, or vice-versa, this one is aimed squarely at the gurny hours of abandon in between, with ferocious acid lines and jabbing drums stripped down and strapped up to prompt reckless behaviour on the 'floor.
Containing his first material written in the wake of Animals, the Populist EP is Alessio Natalizia a.k.a. Not Waving's strongest dancefloor statement since the one-sided Get Serious (2015) bullet.
It finds him taking the opportunity to make straight-up bangers, rather than 'songs', which were thoroughly tried and tested over successive tours of the USA and ountless shows in Europe too in
the last 9 months.
Too Many Freaks is an anthem in waiting, harnessing a barely-hinged sense of chaos between its careening synth lead, acid squabble and velvet-clad kicks, before the dry-rutting jag and plaintive vox of Vibe Killer takes a dog-grip like This Heat meeting Tuning Circuits.
Top marks go to the check-your-stylus intro for Control Myself on the B-side, which holds its fizzy line into a fetid crevice of what sounds Russell Haswell ramping with Powell, whereas the
crooked clampjaw groove of Ur Lucky Ur Still Alive pivots around a sample a lone raver at Atonal, Berlin 'who had no idea how she got there and what she did the night before'. A ruddy good night
all-round, then
Not Waving co-owns the Ecstatic label alongside Sam Willis. Not Waving is widely regarded a connoisseur of Italian new wave and post-punk music - he compiled the Mutazione (Italian
Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988) set for Strut - and has issued a series of acclaimed, sought-after, playfully anachronistic twists on that sound since 2013.
Ricky L and Marcoradi have been friends for as long as they can remember. They frst met on the dancefoor of one of Italy's most iconic clubs, Red Zone in Perugia, where Ricky has been a resident DJ for the best part of 25 years. Now, they've joined forces in the studio for the frst time, uniting under the Hear &
Now alias for Claremont 56. Those with a keen knowledge of Italian dance music will know their impressive track records. Both have a history of producing fne deep house records and remixes for the likes of Ibadan, Uomo, Reincarnation, Top Tracks, Restricted Tracks and Vega Records. With Hear & Now, they've decided to step back from the dancefoor, instead producing hazy, emotion-rich music for after-hours listening, and mornings spent blinking into the sunshine. A-side 'Hirundo' is a thing of rare beauty: a gently fowering opus constructed from shuffing, mind-massaging drum rhythms, spacey pads, stretched-out
organ chords and Marcoradi's effortless guitar playing. Lilting, alien synthesizer refrains seemingly tumble from the heavens, intensifying the duo's blissful mood. Flip for an even deeper excursion, the softly spun wizardry of 'Sabbia Magica'.
Here, the duo's house infuences gently rise to the surface. This is slow, deep and dreamy house from the top drawer, with jazz-fecked guitar fourishes and undulating electronics combining effortlessly with hypnotic, metronomic drums,
cascading string lines and a wonderfully dexterous electronic bassline. You can dance if you wish, but you may just want a hug instead.
Hot on the heels of the co-release between Especial and Cocktails d'Amore Music of the Sfire Remixes EP (EES023/CDA013) comes an accompanying release with a pair of deeper, stripped back remixes from the inimitable Timothy J Fairplay and Willie Burns. Well known as producers, DJs and label managers with their Crimes Of The Future and WT Records respectively, as well as appearing on a who's who of electronic labels including Pinkman, Unknown To The Unknown and L.I.E.S, they have appeared in various guises on both Emotional Response and Especial. Here then are 4 remixes - 2 each per side - that take the unique original to new dance floor extremes. Timothy steps up first with his take on Sfire 2 via differing vocal and instrumental versions. His trademark, echo laden rolling percussion and "Carpenter" key lines take the original Synth-pop homage to the dark room. Adding Arps, a lifting, hedonistic breakdown and the scatter-stepper drums and claps found on the Instrumental version and this is pure COTF territory and the better for it. Willie meanwhile has long followed his own path for his take on Sfire 3, offering one of his deepest remixes to date. Thudding kick, brooding pads and dark strings force the vocals to go down, way down for examination. The distorted vocals of Remix 1 are countered by Remix 2 letting the track shine via a seemingly endless 4/4 beat. Psychedelic, trance inducing, pulsating, this is an ever growing mind expanse.Presented in sparse Hand Stamped sleeves, this one off Limited Edition pressing is a unique EP, taking Sfire to a different sphere that warrants investigation. It was only




















