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Hammer returns to his nascent Italo Hiits label for the second release of Hi-NRG grooves made in an Italo-inspired period of furiously productive creativity. Road tested on Hammer's global livestream at London’s Saatchi Gallery and his supporting set for Bicep at their recent sold out Brixton Academy date, this latest pair of effervescent disco cuts are fully designed for dancing, and a taste of many more to come from both Hammer and Italo Hiits.

An Italo disco rarity from 1983, originally released on the legendary Memory Records. Comes with Flemming Dalum en Victor Ark remixes.

Luuk van Dijk has unveiled his hotly-anticipated debut album First Contact, out 11th November on his own Dark Side Of The Sun label. The Dutch DJ and producer’s maiden LP is the end result of a long and intense voyage of discovery.

Years in the making, it’s a project that Luuk can fully stand behind and be proud of. Next to a search for his own identity and his own place in music, it has also become a passage
through time.

By far his largest body of work to date, the 13-track release kicks off with the suitably-titled ‘Cosmiq’, a deep, grooving sonic exploration that immediately sets the tone. “Because of this
track I wanted to make an album to showcase my other kind of music that people won’t maybe expect of me,” Luuk explains.

Next up is the shimmering, ethereal sounds of ‘Love You’, a track that features the irresistible vocals of US singer-songwriter Dawn Richard and will be released as a single in October. “She really brought this track to a whole new level,” says Luuk. “I couldn’t be more happy with the result.”

Further collaborations come in the form of ‘Wolf’, a majestic, strings-led house cut featuring Steve Burton of oneofmanysteves; ‘Master Plug’, a deep, jackin’ number with Chicago artist
Kid Enigma; and the Detroit-indebted ‘Together We Rise’, punctuated by the spiritual vocals of MC Roga. “I tried making a track the way they used to make music,” Luuk says of the latter.

“With as few machines as possible, just a mixer, sampler and some synths.” Additional highlights include the enchanting ‘Let The Bass Kick’, orchestral ‘Lightning
Striking’ and hypnotic ‘Hot Stuff’, before ‘Knowing How To Love’ closes things out on a peculiarly wistful note. “The last track of the album, also a track that started as an interlude and
ended up being a full song,” says Luuk.

“This song basically sums up how I’ve been feeling the years 2020 and 2021, very emotional, sad, but also hopeful. Everything will be alright.”

One of the hottest new names coming out of Amsterdam’s bustling club scene, Luuk van Dijk is currently making waves in international waters with his infectious take on spirited house
music.

He has already released on labels like Hot Creations, Cuttin’ Headz, Solid Grooves Records and Eastenderz have established his name as a house music prodigy.

He launched Dark Side Of The Sun in 2020 with the aim of exploring a broader approach to his signature style.

First Contact represents a vivid sonic snapshot of one of electronic music’s brightest young talents.

Early DJ Support :

Jamie Jones
Marco Faraone
Carl Craig
Yuksek
Sasch BBC
CamelPhat
Paco Osuna
Stacey Pullen
Tocadisco

After a bit of down-time, Spacetalk Records returns with something special: a stunning compilation of obscurities, rare cuts and secret weapons compiled by label co-founder Danny McLewin under his Skyrager alias.

Although most widely known as one half of Psychemagik, McLewin has long been regarded as one of the UK’s most decorated crate-diggers – a DJ and record dealer recognised for his ability to unearth slept-on gems, private press obscurities and campfire-friendly curios. He’s already showcased his curatorial skills on a string of acclaimed and now sought-after comps – see Psychemagik’s Magik Cyrkles, Magik Sunrise and Magik Sunset Pt 1 & 2 – but Traces of Illusion marks the first time McLewin has put together a collection as Skyrager.

There’s no grand concept behind Traces of Illusion, though McLewin’s selections are universally tactile, sun-baked and effortlessly summery, evoking images of nights spent camped out in the Californian desert or beneath the vibrant canopy of an English forest at dusk. As you’d expect, there are no well-known anthems or ‘big tunes’ here, just an inspired selection of largely unknown musical nuggets oozing in quality.

For now, the track list is under wraps but you can be sure there are plenty of highlights to savour amongst the 15 tracks which all add up to an eye-opening, head-soothing journey through the dustiest corners of McLewin’s record collection.

TEMU comes correct on this 3rd release on TUGBOAT EDITIONS. Two ultra funky bass heavy boogie cover versions including his killer take on the Paradise Garage classic from LOOSE JOINTS on the A-side. B/w a modern refresh of an Italo classic. Limited pressing of 500 so don't sleep. Big hole 45.

Introducing Jaisiel; The Canary Islands’ answer to Bacalao. After years modestly honing his craft in Madrid and Tenerife and re-appropriating forgotten dollar bin gems for his label Ears On Earth, Jaisiel has found a home on Antinote with his shimmering ‘On the Universe’ EP. Tinged with a late 80s sound are 3 tracks of convertible top down, shirts unbuttoned, neon glow dance music.

Opening the Maxi 12” is the ecstatic ‘Talk To Nature’ replete with chirps, coos and woofs. Its catchy melody a subtle nod to ATB’s seminal anthem 9PM (Till I Come) which was once quoted as sublimating sexuality with its “purring titillation”. There is an equally evocative fluidity to ‘Talk To Nature’ found in Jaisiel’s use of pitch bent guitar, climaxing snare rolls and pounding kick drum. However it’s all very lighthearted when compared to ‘Embrace The Unknown’ a driving and mystical track filled with vocoder commands, tinny drones and synth stabs whose accompanying pointed bass line makes this the perfect song for peak time transitions. Raving into the sunrise on the Carretera El Saler is ‘On The Universe’ a contemplative and melancholic closer. Still vibrating with residual dance NRG, the central vocoder breakdown beckons you to reach for trance, to consider The Universe, as it were.

What ties together this On The Universe EP is Jaisiel’s penchant to upcycle 80s and 90s trance dance sounds in a clear and fresh flavour, distinctly Spanish, while simultaneously using just-enough-cheese catch phrases without being too cliché or pastiche. Talk To Nature, Embrace The Unknown, On The Universe…

Music with a Message! Gut ein Jahr nach Veröffentlichung ihres brillianten Debütalbums THE MEETING LEGACY kehrt Emilie Nana mit einer atemberaubenden neuen EP auf Compost Records zurück. - I RISE ist eine Empowerment-Hymne im besten Sinne - uplifting, überwältigend und über einem hypnotisch deepen Groove schwebend zieht uns Emilie Nana mit ihren Vocals in den Bann. Diesem Bann konnte auch New Yorks legendäres Nightlife Mastermind Danny Krivit nicht wiederstehen und steuert für die Platte zwei Edits bei, die seine unverwechselbare Handsschrift tragen.

Ein Jahr nach dem brillianten Debütalbum THE MEETING LEGACY kehrt Emilie Nana mit einer atemberaubenden, neuen Single zurück. Auf ganz eigene Weise trägt sie das Gedicht "Still I Rise" von der amerikanischen Dichterin, Autorin und Bürgerrechtlerin Maya Angelou vor.

Emilie Nana zieht einen in den Bann. Ihre schwebende Stimme, beinahe geflüstert, ist überwältigend. Wie eine hohe Priesterin verzaubert sie, während die Musik im Hintergrund deep und hypnotisch bleibt. "I Rise ist eine Denunzierung", behauptet sie selbst. Es geht nicht nur um Meditation, sondern
auch Deklamation. Klar und deutlich adressiert sie den Unterdrücker, spricht mit großer Gewissheit und antwortet auf Jahrzehnte der Misshandlung. Sie ist eine schwarze Frau, die sich stolz ausdrückt und damit sehr persönliche Musik schafft.

Ein Gefühl, das auch vom wegweisenden New Yorker DJ und Produzenten Danny Krivit geteilt wird: "Emilie Nana hat viel zu sagen mit ihrer Musik, und ihren Texten. Ihre neueste Single, "I Rise" ist ein perfektes Beispiel dafür." Die Möglichkeit, mit einer Persönlichkeit zusammenzuarbeiten, die Zeit ihres Lebens alle ethnischen Ursprünge vereint hat, einer echten Legende, deren Edits Klassiker sind, dessen Rolle als Mastermind im New Yorker Nightlife unantastbar ist und der seit mehr als 45 Jahren an der Spitze der internationalen Tanzmusikszene steht, ist wie ein Geschenk für Emilie Nana. Krivits magic touch ist auf "Danny Krivit Vocal Dub Edit" und "Beatapella" zu hören.

Early Support and Quotes on I Rise':

Laurent Garnier:
EXCELLENT - this is a pure beauty....Loooove it'

Ron Trent:
Good to hear from you. Nice release...
Please send this to me would love to rock it. Looking forward'

Kalabrese:
Beautiful. Like it. Very levitating and kicking.... will try the Danny Krivit Edit tonight'

King Britt:
Hell yes! Thank you. Give her my best'

Michel Cleis:
I love the song. Original is beautiful. Floatings / Ambiances are great and Emilie s voice is really nice. Danny's edits are great. Will play all this for sure. Thank you very much.

Quotes on The Meeting Legacy' - Album 2016:
Great new artists... today... eh... not so easy to come by... people who not only have great music, but also add something to it with their presence... people your actually driven to follow... because you know more great things are coming... Emilie Nana seems very passionate about her music & very much about what's right & wrong in the world... a face and a mind to the music... and a lot of heart too... someone I can't wait to hear what's next from... underground... poignant... cutting edge... I'm a follower :) Favorite track: Inward Path. DANNY KRIVIT (718 Sessions / Body & Soul NYC) via Bandcamp
An impressive, promising debut album.' GROOVE Mag
Fresh, blistely, very creative and extremely exciting' FAZE (longplayer of the month)
Smoothly sounding groover' INTRO
A brilliant collection of electronica music that isn't afraid to bend the genres... a new-guard of future music is here.' Renight
Quotes on The Meeting Legacy Remixes' - EP 2016
Bad ass!! A new classic..staple in my record bag! OSUNLADE (Yoruba) via Bandcamp
Nice package. Manoo Nanadub is the one for me I think. Mano Le Tough
Yes, great reworks by Manoo! Quarion
Love the Beanfield & Thomas Herb Mix and the Manoo Dub. Ewan Pearson
This is wonderful! Luke Solomon
Additional airplays and DJ support by: Louie Vega, Anané Vega, Mr. Raoul K., Luciano, Matthias Meyer, Mirco Loco, Bill Brewster, Charles Webster, Claudio Coccoluto, Ingo Sänger, The Drifter, Manuel Tur and many more...

Once again, Innocent Soul is back on his label Strictly Street Sound, but this time with the house music “teacher” Paul Johnson on the remix duties. Two banging original cuts plus a dancefloor dub version of the title track by PJ himself, for an effective 3-track EP.

Since 2014, Brighter Days has been a part of the rich tapestry of Amsterdam nightlife – a semi-regular party promoting positivity and inclusiveness run by resident DJs Kamma and Masalo. On the back of the platform provided by the party, the duo has notched up a string of memorable club and festival appearances, a regular Brighter Days show on Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, and a memorable Boiler Room set streamed live from Dekmantel Festival.

Now Kamma and Masalo have taken the next step and curated a Brighter Days compilation for Rush Hour, a collection that does a terrific job in offering up slept-on and unreleased gems – including a clutch of their own tried-and-tested re-edits – while also accurately representing the sound, style and ethos of the event that inspired it.

Like Kamma and Masalo’s event, which invariably takes place in intimate dancing spaces in Amsterdam, the Brighter Days compilation offers up an open-minded, club-friendly soundtrack that joins the dots between crate-digging obscurities from the recent and distant past, fresh cuts, ‘secret weapons’ and previously unreleased music from young, local producers who have become regular faces on Brighter Days dancefloors.

Across nine tracks, Kamma and Masalo deliver an enticing blend of tactile and colourful house, disco, basement-ready throb-jobs, inspired dancefloor dubs and righteous boogie jams, some of which are appearing on vinyl for the very first time (see Haroumi Hosono and Yasuhiko’s ‘Turquois’, an exceedingly rare, CD-only chunk of deep, throbbing tribal house intoxication).

There are highlights everywhere you look, from the piano-house rush of the ‘Subterranean Mix Edit’ of S’Xpress’s overlooked 1990 single ‘Nothing To Lose’ and the South African Kwaito-boogie brilliance of Cisco The Champ’s ‘Move On’, to the Italo-disco excellence of Hugh Bullen’s ‘Alisand’, and Mr Fingers’ jacking 1988 remix of ‘We’re Gonna Work It Out’ by fellow Chicagoan house producers North/Clybourn.

Kamma and Masalo’s remixing and re-editing skills are put in the spotlight, too. There’s the edit of Discotheque’s 1982 Dutch-Belgian disco classic ‘For Your Love’ and a previously unreleased ‘dub’ edit of French-Cameroonian artist Anyzette’s 1984 gem ‘Baladoun’, a low-slung slice of drum machine-rich body music that blurs the boundaries between Italo-disco, Afro-boogie and proto-techno.

Completing the package are two cuts that demonstrate the duo’s love of showcasing tracks by young and little-known Dutch producers. Peffa’s ‘Routine’, an immersive and emotive treat that blends elements of deep house and Detroit techno, is just one of numerous unreleased tracks by the producer that Kamma and Masalo has been showcasing in their sets in recent years, while Desmon – whose ‘Submerge’ is a woozy, off-beat deep house treat – has been a regular on Brighter Days dancefloors since the start. It’s a fitting nod to what makes Brighter days special: a close-knit community of dancers and inspired, lesser-known music old and new.

Disco don, insatiable digger and edit wizard, the King of Nothing, AKA Kon, returns on a purple themed 7” with fellow Canadian edit aficionado Nick Bike.

Kon’s 45 pairs an A/B of classic disco and R&B that has already been proven effective on dance floors. Absolute essential for the party crate.

A pioneer in his field, Etienne de Crécy remains more than ever one of the pillars of house music made in France. In his three-decade career, the French producer has recorded some of the world's most important electronic music albums, including Tempovision, released in 2000, arguably his mostaccomplishedto date.

What is a Dirty Banana? It’s a tasty cocktail that blends ingredients like rum, Kahlúa and banana liqueur. But who the hell are the Dirty Bananas?

The name masks a Viennese duo consisting of DJ Cut Ex (Urbs & Cutex) and Addy-F (3MinutenEi). The two producers dug deep in the crates to create a delicious recipe, incorporating the finest Disco flavors from the 70s & 80s. In a lucky turn of events, six of their cuts made their way to Luv Shack Records a couple of months ago; thus, the Cocktails EP was born.

The EP opens with “No Lie”, a low slung, cheerful synth-funk jam that feels a bit like a lost B-Side from a certain furry Italian edit duo.

“Melody” takes notes from a beloved oddball jazz funk classic, while maintaining the boogie flavor with plenty of machine drums, synth bass and a perfectly quirky lead solo to boot.

On “Draft”, the Bananas ramp up the tempo to unleash a short but tasty disco stomper with extra crispy drums.

The laid back, percussion heavy disco chugger “Gentle Breeze” comes packed with an extra portion of familiar samples and chopped up drums, while “I’m U” takes a leftfield disco classic, and, in a no-nonsense approach, loops the hell out of it while blending it with a more moody sample.

Lastly, “Fairmax” circles around a jazzy organ melody on top of a super-dry, yet punchy drum-machine loop. What a shockingly delicious journey!

This is “Apulian Strings” by Innocent Soul, the third vinyl release from See-Saw, featuring four gorgeous sample-house themed tunes. In at the top spot is “Apulian Strings”, an uplifting disco infused track making ample use of a soaring, anthemic string sample alongside a stomping beat and heavy bassline. Up next at the A2 position is “Get Do It”, with a looped vocal sample and super catchy bassline that takes things in an altogether funkier direction. Kicking off the B side and keeping the funky vibe alive is “Don’t Be Shy”. A cool yet quirky track that cleverly utilises a nifty 2 beat sample, an unexpected yet pleasing vocal refrain and irresistible beat. Rounding things off is “My House Is Funky” which, as the name suggests, has a distinctly house fuelled flavour, featuring synths and samples in equal measure. The perfect end to this magnificent EP.

People often ask why we started Soul Clap Records and I usually answer: “because we were receiving tons of unique demos by creative artists that we had to start a label.” 11 years later and that flowing faucet of incoming music is still the driving force behind the label. Sure, there is the Funk, House, Disco, and multi-cultural influences in all of the music that we release, but it’s always the artists themselves who guide us.” – Eli Goldstein (Soul Clap)

Having nurtured a community, built many a life-long relationship and brought together an extensive musical family over the past 11 years, Soul Clap showcase these deep bonds with their 11th Anniversary Remix Compilation across two 12 inch records in a beautifully designed picture sleeve. A real smorgasbord of flavours and feelings, from beaming boogie and dizzying disco to blissful broken beat, house and downtempo nuggets coming courtesy of a plethora of the finest artists on the planet right now including the likes of Zopelar, XL Middleton, Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, FSQ and many more, alongside the mighty Soul Clap themselves. There’s no denying that this compilation is one with community at it’s core.

DJ Feedback:

OSUNLADE / YORUBA
Very funky.

PABLO VALENTINO/ MCDE FACES
Love this comp

CROSSTOWN REBELS/ PAOLO BARTHOLEMEW
Oh yes! Big fan!

FRANCK ROGER/ REAT TONE
Dope compilation.. still in love with life on planets guy :-)

MR V/ SOLE CHANNEL
Dope. Love it.

AROOP ROY
Diggin the remixes from Zeynep, Cosmodelica, Zopelar and Charlie.

PONTCHARTRAIN/ WHISKEY DISCO
OH my, that Afriqua remix is absolute fire! Whole album is hot.

DJ ROCCA
All the remixes are great. Big fan of SC records, of course ;-)

THE SILVER RIDER/ MUSIC IS 4 LOVERS
Holy crap that Zopelar remix is amazing!

DICKY TRISCO
Love the Underground System remix by Zeynep Erbay. Class! Feeling the Mickey Lion too. Lovely.

FISH GO DEEP/ SHANE JOHNSTON
Phenomenal line up here with a great range of music. Standouts for me on first listen are Life on Planets and John Camp ft. Greg but it’s all quality from start to finish.

MARK BROADBENT/ PIKE HOTEL
This s a killer comp. I’ll be playing this for sure.

DAZ-I-KUE/ BUGZ IN THE ATTIC
Love this comp so dope.

WILLI GRAFF/ THE STANDARD IBIZA
What a killer compilation of remixes. Especially feeling the Cosmodelica Mix and Michael The Lion's mix.

Official reissue of the Belgian synth-pop evergreen ‘Love In Motion’ (1984) by 1000 Ohm.

The band kicked-off in 1979 with their successful debut A.G.N.E.S. / Look Around and later on developed their style from New Wave to Italo-Disco influenced Synth-Pop (‘The Claim’) and a decade later even touches of New Beat (‘You’re The One’).

‘Love In Motion’ is a beautiful mixture of 1000 Ohm’s repertoire. The release comes with remastered versions of the original 12″ version, instrumental and on top a DJ friendly ‘Vanzetti & Sacco’ edit.

Eine Italo Disco Rarität aus dem Jahre 1985 jetzt wieder als
12“ Maxi Single erhältlich:
Dario Dell‘Aere - Eagles In The Night
Auf Seite A gibt es die raren Original-Version und als Highlight
auf Seite B zwei neue und exklusive Remixe von
Flemming Dalum und George Hysteric.

We love to just try things at Athens of the North and when Clara and Theo (one of our PR friends) were chilling with us at pikes one evening it came up in conversation that Theo has a lovely singing voice and fancied having a spin in the studio. Roll on a month later, and they were home in Edinburgh, and we threw ourselves into a couple of days of experimenting, this little electro floater we were all super pleased with came out of the session. Tonight is a super late night CR78 drum machine mashed work out with a Theo's floaty falsetto smashing out the park, we flipped the OG with a brilliant dubbed out mix that's not to be slept on either.

We are very proud to present you the third release on Schatzimusik with the reissue of the much sought after I.B.M. – Computer Love 12″ inch and an unreleased track and a remix. For this release we have teamed up with none other than Dario di Pace & Raffelle Arcella from Naples, better known as Mystic Jungle and Whodamanny. The two have done numerous remixes for very well-known Italo-Disco songs. For this remix, they have delivered a brilliant reinterpretation of Computer Love. Rhythmic, driving, funky and playful, they put Computer Love in a new light. The release is rounded off with the previously unknown track “Metropolis” and the long version of “Computer Love”. A little background info on the original vinyl. Thomas Waver & Rudi Raders the two originators of the group I.B.M. emigrated to Alicante (Spain) in the 80s. They stored the records of Computer Love in the attic of Thomas’ aunt. Unfortunately, she died, and the attic was dissolved along with the records. So, the original vinyl is unfortunately a rarely seen item.

Lello Di Franco aka L.D.F. solo debut on his own imprint Frole
Records with "The Unreleased Traxx". A limited edition Ep that
includes four house cuts from sampled disco to deep. Don't
miss it!

Repress of the 8th installment of the Black Aroma Edits Series!