Beats Vinyl New Releases - News

Recorded at the 2017 Venice Biennale, for the French Pavilion installation. Mixed by NIAGARA. Mastered and Lacquer cut at D&M by Helmut Erler, pressed on White Vinyl, limited to 200 copies.

In 2017, we found ourselves quite unexpectedly on our way to Venice for three days, to participate in an installation created by Xavier Veilhan for the French pavilion at the Venice Biennale. We did not know exactly what we were going to do, nor how. We got there. The heat was brutal and the mosquitoes beastly.

We had an excellent studio, really over the top. We picked a couple of instruments for each one of us, guided by not much more than intuition and serendipity, put all the stuff in the studio and started playing.

The record you will hear (cut from 14 hours of music) is just that. Us playing; improvising for a bit and then asking Thibaut to hit record. People kept coming in, getting text messages, coughing, it’s all there in the mix. Actually, the long piano song (B3), was supposed to be nothing but a musical frame for the people walking around and looking at us making music, a way of including them. This, of course, only occurred on the second day, when we realised that people were inevitably part of the process, and also that Sara had access to a Grand Piano! So, we decided to open the record with the very presence of the room (A1). (There is this cello thing that is like a ghost: no one remembers who was playing it and there is no separate track for it. Whatever.)

The first day was more rhythmic for some reason; I suppose the trip, planes + vaporetto, was still very much in our system. Also, we were trying to get our engines going for this thing. Tó was absolutely mesmerized with the Sh101, which made everything have this thick forward moving sound (A2, A3, A4).

On the last day, we made this more reduced music. Before lunch, this more vernacular thing, an interplay of Dx7 and these other synched sounds (B1), and then, right before we left for our vaporetto a Buchla solo by me (B2) (If you listen carefully, at the tail end, you can hear Tó and Thibaut discussing how to send the files so we could mix it and do this record).

40+ minutes of music, not a live record, but also, only a studio record in a very very peculiar sense.

Mastered and Lacquer cut at D&M, by Helmut Erler, pressed on White Vinyl, limited to 200 copies.

Paradox needs no introduction and we are thrilled to once again have one of our old friends on board. Two tracks on 140g black vinyl of pure breakbeat craft. As Dev said to us when presenting the 12 - "Some things are meant to be full circle...

City Road is proud to present two unearthed garage productions from Ratman. They originate from around the turn of the millennium, when UKG was hitting its stride but hadn’t quite found a footing in Bristol.

Ratty and a friend were at St Paul’s Carnival somewhere around 1996 when they happened upon a small soundsystem playing out of the back of someone’s car. The minimal, swung 2-step rhythms sounded completely alien to them, and set them off on a quest into the burgeoning garage sound, resulting in Rat producing a bootleg of an evergreen pop classic of the era.

Rat was a well established part of Bristol’s underground music community with a smattering of jungle-oriented singles behind him and the odd remix commission. Around the same time he made the bootleg, he was approached about remixing a track on a major label. While it went down a storm amongst his peers, Ratty's’bass-heavy version wasn’t a match for the label’s vision and so the remix sat gathering dust for some 20 years.

Now both these misfit, quintessentially Bristolian twists on the UKG sound get a fresh airing on a label based just round the corner from where that car soundsystem was rinsing out mystery garage rollers all those years before.

Repress

A four track EP, by mysterious up & coming producers, which brings to you both the thrills of modern techno and the feel of a classic 90's rave. This is the real deal. Unknown artists' hand stamped limited edition white label delivered with a well balanced mixture of banging techno/early rave tracks that will bring you back, to the lovely times and feelings of the 90's.

CHAPTER 1

BAMBOO KILLERS AND MOUNTAIN GODS!

Fearless master Action SHO! opens the compilation with thunderous Shaolin inspired action as an intro to our man at the helm, Deadly Avenger with his beastie boys inspired, dirty drums and lo-fi synths super sound taken from a forthcoming secret album. Things the take a dark turn as the mysterious THEN 66 delivers a satanic beat laden and onslaught of sick synths, as the compilation introduces us to the wonderful world of Shiro Hagen, to our intrepid Space Pilot John Lee, to the notorious killers of the Black Dragon Fighting Society with revenge on their minds, and death in their hands.

Oh....

And finally you may be asking yourself "who the f*ck is Bobby Ming” and you would be right to do so, we don’t know who he is either.

The trio Amiira of Klaus Gesing, Björn Meyer and Samuel Rohrer has returned after a layoff of six years since their debut LP. It would be unwise to expect for them to pick up exactly where they left off, given all the turbulent change that the world has encountered since this time, and indeed the new Album Curious Objects reflects a clear expansion of the players’ abilities. The fundamentals that guided the
debut album – spatiality, refined coolness, the non-verbal “narrative” quality - are still very much present, but are this time reinforced with an even more pronounced feeling of communicating across wide
physical and conceptual spaces. Altogether, Curious Objects is a potent antidote for spiritual and musical fatigue; especially
recommended for those who have already left behind the limitations posed by genres. It is more than the sum of its parts, and its crossing of numerous different boundaries never feels like the goal in and of
itself: instead, all this activity feels like a tool for unlocking and decoding even more supposedly irreconcilable qualities and ideas.

blue marbled vinyl

Blissful atmospherics wash behind heavy amens on Spacewalk, tightly constructed old school style breaks thump along with subtle effects create a vibe that will take you to a world beyond ours.

A distinctive crisp unorthodox beat pattern opens Oceans and sets the tone for this beautiful composition of smooth pads and earthy bass-lines, a dreamy treat which builds the vibe as the track progresses.

Messages from Space opens with a mellow, eerie intro that washes in before the Spectrum breaks - heavy on the ride cymbals - take centre stage in this lunar-inspired composition.

Energetic rapid-fire break work punctuates Quiet Storm with drum funk vibes that sound immense at this BPM - playfully filtered, surrounded by delicate atmospherics and an understated vocal sample - a treat for the breaks fans.

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

PROXY Records’ first transmission is a 2 x 12” compilation by Boom Generation, containing 8 sought-after tracks produced between 1991 and 1995. These cuts aged particularly well, embodying the groove of the 90s by connecting raw and euphoric vibes. Remastered from the original DAT tapes, these recordings are configured to last another 30 years.

Two peak set destroyers from VNR label bosses DJ Flash and Chippie

Nerve Collect co-founder Gamma Intel follows up label partner Identified Patient's inaugural release with his thrilling E.M. EP. Across six club-ready cuts, the Dutchman explores the spaces where bass, techno, electro and acid all intersect.

Laurens van de Werken is Gamma Intel, a project that has roamed through a number of different worlds since debuting in 2017. From early outings of chugging techno and dark wave on brokntoys to more inventive rhythmic explorations and futuristic sound designs on Pinkman via deconstructed jungle on Mechatronica, it is impossible to define what he does. What unifies it, though, is his ability to twist and contort sound in surprising new ways. For proof, listen to him spread his sonic wings on Rotterdam’s Operator Radio, or play at some of the hidden underground gems around Europe that deal only in forward-thinking sounds and you will get more insight into his love of leftfield electronics. It's the same story with the Elektrostaat collective he is part of: they host musically adventurous club nights in Rotterdam that offer a different take on electro, acid and techno. It's best to forget handy genre tags, though, because as this EP proves Gamma Intel is always on the move.

'Little Mirror Man' opens up with an elastic but thumping broken beat. A flurry of jungle drums rain down next to scratched metal stabs, bleep-techno melodies and all underpinned with heavy bass rumbles. 'Save Pair of Hands' doesn't let up, with knick-snapping hits and earth-shattering bass weight. As heavy as the groove might be, there is still plenty of room for deft synth designs to bring plenty of emotion. On '5AM-SBM' you are tugged in many directions at once - nimble drums dart about beneath prickly percussion and flaming hits that have a mind of their own. Although the low end is distorted, the details up top are well-defined and given plenty of space to make their mark.

The flipside takes off on turbocharged techno-electro fusion 'Sleep & Cry.' It's a devastating and visceral drum track that also packs an emotional punch as celestial chords suspend you at the doors of heaven. 'Panthera Leo' soundtracks the end of the world as acid lashes about amidst controlled but unrelenting drum chaos and finally, the drilling bass and frantic drum programming of 'Trust' is another all-powerful club track. Its dark energy sucks you in for a white-knuckle ride to remember.

This EP finds Gamma Intel pulling off plenty of unusual tricks and twists on his way to conquering the dance floor.

Little Dragon, die allseits populäre und Grammynominierte Band, wird am 7. Juli 2023 ihr neues Album, „Slugs Of Love“, bei Ninja Tune veröffentlichen.

Die Band besteht aus den Schulfreunden Erik Bodin (Schlagzeug und Perkussion), Fredrik Wallin (Bass), Håkan Wirenstarnd (Keyboards) und Yukimi Nagano (Gesang) und hat sich zu einer der beständigsten, respektiertesten und beliebtesten Bands der letzten Zeit entwickelt. Aufgenommen in der musikalischen Oase ihres Göteborger Studios - demselben Studio, in dem sie seit fast 20 Jahren arbeiten - bringen sie auf „Slugs Of Love“ ihre unverwechselbare Mischung aus gefühlvollem Pop, Elektronik und R&B - untermauert von der unverkennbaren Stimme der Leadsängerin Yukimi - in elf Tracks zum Ausdruck, die die ganze Bandbreite ihrer individuellen musikalischen Einflüsse widerspiegeln.

Das Album enthält einen Gastauftritt von Damon Albarn (Gorillaz/ Blur) auf „Glow“, einem „langsam triefenden, glitzernden Ritt zu einem Tagtraum im Wunderland“ und eine Zusammenarbeit mit dem angesehenen Rapper JID aus East Atlanta (der bei J. Coles Dreamville-Label unter Vertrag steht) auf der zuvor veröffentlichten Single „Stay“, einem Song, der die Höhen und Tiefen einer Beziehung beschreibt. Sie sind die neuesten Zusammenarbeiten in der langen Liste der Band, die bereits mit Künstler:innen wie Kali Uchis, Kaytranada, Brittany Howard, Flying Lotus, Badnadnotgood, Moses Sumney, Kelsey Lu, Gorillaz, Big Boi (OutKast), Sbtrkt, Yo-Yo Ma und vielen anderen zusammengearbeitet hat. Darüber hinaus zählen SZA, Erykah Badu, Anderson .Paak, Diplo, Flume, Ava DuVerney, Ali Wong, Syd, Disclosure, LaKeith Stanfield, The xx und viele mehr zu ihren Fans, was ihren Status als eine der einflussreichsten Bands ihrer Zeit zementiert.


Durchsichtige Vinyl-LP mit orange/schwarz/blauem Splatter. Inklusive Poster und MP3-Album-Download. Gemälde von Yusuke Nagano. Fotografie von Jakob Ekvall. Grafische Gestaltung von Alice Winroth.

Each track sets out to showcase a different element of Quartz's now distinctive sound, from the crunchy mid-range of ‘Blacklist’ to the ingenious edits of 'Beat Down Babylon', not forgetting the astutely effective use of vocals on 'Moving With Time', provided by fellow Welsh talent Vanity Jay.

In many places, this release follows on from where 2021's 'Coercion EP' left off; another impressive result from an immensely proficient producer who has now built himself into a fundamental part of Metalheadz's future.

repressed !

Boogie Beat Records and Kniteforce bring you one of the most sought after underground jungle classics ever. Jonny L is the legend behind the Baraka alias, and this EP has been sought after by many collector for years and years! There is not much more that can be said about this superb slice of old skool jungle, it’s a must have by any and every standard.

Unforeseen arrangements:
Droplets gather in clinging mist,
Multitudes within multitudes.
The world has a body that spares everything;
In light, it undoes nothing.

Third D21 release by Joao Necton who has previously released on D21 the E.P. "Devastante".

"Hay Alguien" is a journey in heavy atmospheres, House, Techno and Electro with sounds fused between industrial and futuristic.

Identity in every release of Joao who shows us an apocalyptic world where people lose their minds.

Soft Raw is a new label from Danielle – a natural extension of the Bristol-based DJ’s expansive tastes within contemporary club music. Over the past few years the NTS resident has become a leading light in the multifaceted world of modernist techno abstractions, ably balancing soundsystem pressure and propulsive rhythmic intensity with experimental textures and explorative energy variations. Soft Raw seeks to continue that mission with releases which will progress stylistically from one approach to another, taking in exciting, emergent producers unique in their approach but bound together by the idiosyncratic curation of Danielle – a faithful reflection of her proven skill as a selector.

The label launches with a six-track drop from Slacker. Sam Black has been winding up a potent strain of needlepoint techno which leans towards jungle and half-time D&B in its tempo and structure. Across a selection of various releases, Black’s sound has evolved into an accomplished and detailed style which draws on moody atmospheres and advanced engineering in the grand tradition of UK soundsystem music. Across this EP the Slacker sound matches up to the spirit of Soft Raw, balancing fierce kinetic energy with delicacy and finesse and leaving some space for outright ambience. At times he locks into a half-step warm-up mode, while elsewhere the amens creep in for a more pronounced jungle rinse-out.

It’s a strong opening statement for this new label, but crucially this doesn’t spell out the future in absolute terms. True to Danielle’s broad outlook, subsequent releases are set to take in everything from straight up 4/4 and acid to footwork and electro, with a narrative binding each release together according to her internal logic and the tension between soft and raw qualities explored across consistently cutting-edge tracks.

Treasure from the depths: five high pressure records in one pack from Holding Hands' Submerged series.

HHSUB001 - Yosh - The Hype EP

HHSUB002 - James Bangura - For The People EP

HHSUB003 - Mariiin - Stuck In Town EP

HHSUB004 - Ocean Stirs - Minesweeper EP

HHSUB005 - Fred Quest - Who You Would Have Been EP

Latincore is a musical journey that begins with this compilation. latincore is a virtual club. latincore is an attempt to reflect with artists whose origins share the same soil.

This compilation brings together 14 sound propositions, offering a snapshot of a latinx, political, migrant and diasporic underground scene. Curated by Marion Stucky Callañaupa and Juan José Moreno Izquierdo.

Atheris joins the Amniotes with a 2-part egg:
ZRS-1: Instant Molting 1.0 (blue pill)
ZRS-2: Instant Molting 2.0 (red pill)

Chose one or ingest both for a wild ride at the Zion Cave #reloaded.

Presented by Julian Muller.

One of the most notorious hatemongers in movie history is Captain Ahab from John Huston’s 1956 classic Moby Dick. His manic monologues cast a spell on generations of viewers. Berlin based musician and sound artist Jan Jelinek has now turned the voice of Ahab into a musical instrument.

Faitiche presents Jan Jelinek's soundtrack for SEASCAPE – polyptych, an audio-visual software developed in collaboration with Canadian new media artist Clive Holden in 2022.

SEASCAPE – polyptych is based on image and acoustic source material from Moby Dick. While Holden works on manipulating film sequences, the voice of Ahab plays a central role in Jan Jelinek’s soundtrack. The dynamic volume and tone of the captain's speech control a synthesizer system that turns Ahabs voice into ten abstract soundscapes.

In this production the voice gives the impulse and controls things but is not the sound of spoken word itself that we hear. Only occasionally can snippets of speech be heard so that syllables or sounds are recognisable. Instead we hear compositions made of hissing, soundscapes and eruptive sounds. The atmosphere is dark and sinister. Still every piece has a clear sonic structure and follows an understandable dramatic composition. This music is abstract but not overwhelming. Quite the opposite, SEASCAPE – polyptych is an invitation to listeners to let themselves be carried by the stream of sonic events. Although part of a media art work, the soundtrack can be enjoyed without any of this connecting superstructure. It works with no previous knowledge. But what happens when one does know that it’s the sonic waves of a human voice that is controlling a network of synthesizers?

If you want to hear Ahab, you will hear a choir of Ahabs in every piece of sound. The subliminal threatening as well as the conjuring Ahab. Finally the Ahab who whips up his crew and tears them with him into their downfall. The majestic „on the quay now, waiting and watching“, the oppressive “drawn towards the whirlpools center” - they are all music as well as sonic discourse.

One of the most notorious hatemongers in movie history is Captain Ahab from John Huston’s 1956 classic Moby Dick. His manic monologues cast a spell on generations of viewers. Berlin based musician and sound artist Jan Jelinek has now turned the voice of Ahab into a musical instrument.

Faitiche presents Jan Jelinek's soundtrack for SEASCAPE – polyptych, an audio-visual software developed in collaboration with Canadian new media artist Clive Holden in 2022.

SEASCAPE – polyptych is based on image and acoustic source material from Moby Dick. While Holden works on manipulating film sequences, the voice of Ahab plays a central role in Jan Jelinek’s soundtrack. The dynamic volume and tone of the captain's speech control a synthesizer system that turns Ahabs voice into ten abstract soundscapes.

In this production the voice gives the impulse and controls things but is not the sound of spoken word itself that we hear. Only occasionally can snippets of speech be heard so that syllables or sounds are recognisable. Instead we hear compositions made of hissing, soundscapes and eruptive sounds. The atmosphere is dark and sinister. Still every piece has a clear sonic structure and follows an understandable dramatic composition. This music is abstract but not overwhelming. Quite the opposite, SEASCAPE – polyptych is an invitation to listeners to let themselves be carried by the stream of sonic events. Although part of a media art work, the soundtrack can be enjoyed without any of this connecting superstructure. It works with no previous knowledge. But what happens when one does know that it’s the sonic waves of a human voice that is controlling a network of synthesizers?

If you want to hear Ahab, you will hear a choir of Ahabs in every piece of sound. The subliminal threatening as well as the conjuring Ahab. Finally the Ahab who whips up his crew and tears them with him into their downfall. The majestic „on the quay now, waiting and watching“, the oppressive “drawn towards the whirlpools center” - they are all music as well as sonic discourse.

Hi Tech a new Ghetto Tech group from Detroit partners Milf Melly and King Milo.

This Album contains the hit song Cash App & Fitness which rocks all the underground partys in Detroit.

Rupert Marnie’s debut album “Evocative Rhythm” is a singular object to begin with. Split over two parts, each one working as an individual piece and under seemingly endless configurations when played together on a pair of record players, “Evocative Rhythm” is an elusive piece of musical abstraction you will play a crucial role in shaping, fashioning it as you dabble with it - certainly curious and cautious at first, then manipulating its raw clay more firmly as you envision it with a clearer idea of where to go with it. Or is that just a mirage?
Fruit of geographical meanderings through Hamburg’s tentacular architecture, Rupert Marnie’s maiden full-length effort reflects that of the city’s tonal, rhythmic and harmonic structures in a uniquely vibrant way: dancy and not, ethereal and full-bodied, oneiric and anchored. From field recordings garnered here and there across town, then either truncated, morphed, stretched out beyond recognition via a wide palette of technical means (granular synthesis, time-stretching, use of resonators, delay, reverb, pitch-shifting…), Marnie weaves a narrative that bridges the gap continually betwixt non-formulaic beatless meditation and proper club-focused functionality, plus the countless possible creations that will emerge when combining both sides of the disc to form your own story out the battery of elements at reach.
Evocative Rhythm” is much more than the sum of its parts. A mirage of ambient, techno, electro, whatever style and labels that could be stuck all over it, yet never managing to say a true word of it.

clear yellow vinyl

The fourth release on Schloss Records comes from British multi-instrumentalist and polyrhythmic wizard A Psychic Yes (Timothy Crombie). While most of us are even confused as to where to place a hi-hat, Crombie carefully and effortlessly arranges a bouquet of bleepy bloops, melodic U-turns and chaotic ideas, welding together a beautiful soundscape that makes perfect sense. Or as one friend described it: “his music tastes like strawberries”. A Psychic Yes has previously released music on Kalahari Oyster Cult and Tech Startup. The B-side features a lush remix from Bristolian DJ and producer Hodge. Artwork, as always, by Schloss co-founder Ida Ekblad. That Swamp Feeling is mastered by Matt Karmil.

The Berlin musician, visual artist, and label owner Lasse Winkler aka ACUD has attracted attention with titles such as MATJESFILET or VERBRENNUNGSMOTOR. He shows that electronic dance music can also have a sense of humor without ending in slapstick. Creaking basses and swinging rhythms meet warm synth chords and complement his bright voice. The microphone, always ready, replaces the notepad. Succinct, spontaneous keywords and sentences are created, snapping up everyday life. On the 10-track album VERDAMMT NOCHMAL, the musicians are accompanied over a creative period of three years.

semi-clear red marbled vinyl

A good old fashioned amen banger opens up Quantum State, as Howling Winds takes it back to that classic break sliced and chopped expertly as you'd expect from ASC, with a solemn, almost mournful melodic backdrop.

A tense, moody vibe awaits you with Nectar, ominous pad work and Hot Pants breaks craft an uncomfortable, brooding atmosphere you won't forget.

Flashback lives up to its name with classic jungle break work and effects, taking you right back to the 90's with a purposeful yet sombre oceanic backdrop. Towards the back end of the track the mood shifts skyward somewhat as if reaching its goal. Delightful.

Minimal breaks punctuate Hindsight with spaced-out kicks and jittery cymbals, smooth pads and that classic deep 808 bass wind and weave through a relaxing sonic landscape.

Words by Chris Hayes (Red Mist/Spatial)