Beats Vinyl New Releases - News

Given Massive Attack's background, it was almost inevitable that they'd release a dub overhaul of one of their albums at one point. That time came in 1995, when British sound system legend Mad Professor - responsible for some of the greatest UK-made dub records of all time - put his distinctive twist on Protection. 21 years on, the set still sounds sublime: a radical translation that frequently bares only a passing resemblance to the Bristol band's original. It's packed with highlights, from the spaced-out, dub-house rework of "Spying Glass" ("I Spy"), to the ricocheting percussion hits and twinkling pianos of "Weather Storm (Cool Monsoon)", and creepy, delay-laden string surges of "Eternal Feedback (Sly)".

V.I.V.E.K announces his second release on the self-named VIVEK label. Known for his cult label, SYSTEM MUSIC, this label focuses more on eclectic 140 bpm outside the realm of the dance floor.

The 4 track EP explores broken beat, ambience, melody and rhythm at 140, something that has been missing over the last few years within the genre. Colours is not only the EP title, but a reflection of the diversity of the tracks. Musicality sits at the heart of this with a nod to easy listening.

“The main focus of this release was to take me out of my musical comfort zone. I wanted to work with other musicians as well as push myself to inhabit new creative ideas.” - V.I.V.E.K

Whether it’s as an artist, label owner, a deep-drawing world-touring selector or system-building soundman behind some of London’s most important dances, V.I.V.E.K has an inherent drive to push things forward and contribute to the craft of music with serious attention to detail. A life-long frequency student dedicated to soundsystem culture, he has total respect for the heritage, value and rich variety of true music, an ability to totally arrest your full attention and imagination with his music... And has done so since he emerged in the early 2000s.

Musically pressed and blessed on key imprints such as his own System Music, Deep Medi, Tectonic and iconic reggae imprint Greensleeves, V.I.V.E.K’s creations are a crucial brew of bass styles encompassing everything from heavyweight bass hypnosis to flighty, steppy garage hybrids via sweet dub soul and all-out low-end pressure. His self-built custom soundsystem, SYSTEM, meanwhile, is a unique force of nature in UK bass music culture; the most prominent modern system to be established this decade, it’s a whole new chapter in the UK’s longstanding and illustrious history of barrier-breaking soundsystem communities. As such, it attracts committed fans from around the globe and selectors from across the system spectrum.

His label System Music has the same treasured, trusted status; not only as a source of legit never-to-be-repressed artefacts that prize the real value of music, but also as a key platform for encouraging forward-thinking, powerful system music from across the OG – freshmen continuum. Karma to Kromestar, Sleeper to SP:MC, LAS to Egoless: System Music’s celebration of bass music’s sonic scope and nurturing of talent and craft ensures its consistent buy-on-sight ranking.

Most importantly it’s as a selector that V.I.V.E.K’s position is the most vital. The selective tailor of rich, immersive and eclectic sessions, few DJs dig as deep, join the dots or draw for dubs quite like this West London operator. Accentuating his influence as a producer, engineer, dubsmith, label curator and system builder; his creative excursions as a DJ, both on the dancefloor and the airwaves as a broadcaster on the likes of Rinse FM, galvanise his status as one of the most respected, influential and singular artists who is driven by nothing but craftsmanship, unity and the sense of culture that UK bass music needs to thrive and inspire.

We are pleased to announce Cousin’s NAFF debut, Second Message.

Drawing inspiration from the rich sounds of neighboring bushland, the Australian artist and Moonshoe founder composes deeply vivid body music with an intricate approach to dubwise construction. We are grateful to share this music with you here.

Distinctive guitar work, speckles of piano keys and an unexpected layer of otherworldlyness. No gimmicks, only subtle magic by the mumblecore blues idol from Landen.

After A 20-year Hiatus, Respected 90's D&b Imprint Odysee Recordings Launches Its Return With A Digital Re-master And Remix Of Bewildered. Originally Released In 1995 (ody04), This Track Featured On The First E.p. Under The 'mirage' Moniker, A Collaboration Between Jim Baker (source Direct) And Odysee's Founder Tilla Kemal (t-mirage).

The Original Is A Classic Example Of Mid-90's 'intelligent' Drum & Bass, From Its Warm Bed Of Strings And Sweet Vocal Ad-libs, To Its Crisp And Curling Drum Programming And Deep Subs. This Track Clearly Demonstrates An Exquisite Blend Of Jim's Celebrated Production Style With Tilla's Keen Instinct For Placement Of Abstract Soundscapes, Which Was Instrumental In The Development Of The Source Direct Sound.

On The Other Side Is A Modern D&b Take Engineered By Andy Odysee. This Remix Manages To Successfully Tread That Fine Line Between Faithfully Preserving The Vibe And Flavour Of The Original, Whilst Simultaneously Lifting The Tempo And The Potency Of Both The Drum Programming And Bass-line Work In Line With The Modern D&b Sound. Andy References Much Of The Original Break Work, Sample Selection And Arrangement, But The Undulating Sub Punctuated By Torn Synth Falls, And The Punchy Kick & Snare Give The Track Its Modern Twist.

Following on from the Bewildered 2018 Remix/Re-master E.P., respected 90’s D&B imprint Odysee Recordings presents its 2nd release in this series; a digital re-master and remix of No Tomorrow. Originally released in 1995 (ODY05), this track featured on the second E.P. under the ‘Mirage’ moniker; a collaboration between Jim Baker (Source Direct) and Odysee’s founder Tilla Kemal (T-Mirage).

The original is a timeless and well-loved classic from the golden era of the mid 90’s ‘Intelligent D&B movement’. It displays Jim’s celebrated skills as both a producer and an arranger to their full; building an emotive and haunting piece around two contrasting motifs. The trademark Source Direct breakbeat work is in play on this track as it switches between Clive Stubberfield and Lyn Collins; the curling drums providing the perfect framework for Tilla’s abstract sample selection to really breath and flow.

Andy Odysee’s modern remix retains all the original samples and references both the original break selection and the shape of the original arrangement. This modern D&B version then injects a turbo-charged energy into the piece with a huge undulating sub, aggressive techno-styled chord stabs and pounding kick & snare that thrust this track into the 21st century. The haunting sweetness of the piece is by no means lost, but the melodies are now presented over a framework designed with modern D&B dance floors firmly in mind.

In celebration of the fifth Piano Day, Nils Frahm will release his acclaimed All Encores album on 3LP vinyl. Originally only available as a CD and digital download in October, All Encores encompassed the three Encores EPs as one full length featuring 80 minutes of music, following his masterful 2018 album All Melody. Whilst Encores 1 focused on an acoustic pallet of sounds with solo piano and harmonium at the core, and Encores 2 explored more ambient landscapes, now Encores 3 sees Nils expand on the percussive and electronic elements in his work. “The idea behind All Encores is one we had from before All Melody; to separate releases each with their own distinct musical style and theme, perhaps even as a triple album. But All Melody became larger than itself and took over any initial concepts. I think the idea of All Encores is like musical islands that compliment All Melody.” Moulded during All Melody but refined by his live performances, All Encores is testament to Nils’ exceptional ability to craft his art on stage. Artificially Intelligent which showcases his ‘mad professor’ organ, and All Armed which has been a live favourite for some time, appearing on set lists since 2015, are now available to hear on record for the very first time. The final track of Encores 3, as well as the whole series, Amirador, perhaps aptly nods to the Spanish word for ‘lookout’ and hints at what’s to come.

In celebration of Liondub International’s10 year anniversary, Liondub is proud to present the 1st 12” Vinyl EP taken from Norwich based producer Saxxon's first full length LP "Action Saxxon - Jungle Odyssey". Saxxon’s success and extremely loyal fan base is the result of years of hard work creating stand out D&B tracks that are infused with a classic jungle sound that draws from a variety of genres including Soul, Funk, Jazz & Reggae.

This EP shows Saxxon's versatility and features collaborations with T>I, Liondub, Blackout Ja and Capital D. These 4 cuts have found their way into club and radio sets worldwide, and will surely stand the test of time. Support from Serum, High Contrast, L Double, North Base, Serial Killaz, Chopstick Dubplate, Crissy Criss, S.P.Y., Bailey, Bryan G, Ray Keith, DJ Craze and more.

Stella Z drops nature-inspired debut LP 'In The Woods, Will Be Late' on Third Place this February.

Stella Z is a DJ/producer based between China and the UK, holding a residency on Threads Radio with her long-running Mars Weather Today show, where she highlights China’s DJ and producer communities and showcases her exceptional taste in leftfield, cosmic-leaning electronics.

On her first full-length set of productions, ‘In The Woods, Will Be Late', Stella lands on Third Place with six delicate, effervescent, and deeply expressive sonic trips written in the mountainous seaside province of Fujian, China.

Artwork by Jingyi Yu

Mastered by Rupert Clervaux

WRWTFWW Records is very excited to present a new full-length collaborative project by Japanese ambient/environmental legend Takashi Kokubo (Ion Series) and Italian/Swiss trombonist Andrea Esperti (Esperti Project): Music for a Cosmic Garden.

Recorded during the heights of the pandemic and completed in February 2021, the majestic 8-track ethereal/botanical soundscape created by Kokubo and Esperti is available as a limited edition double LP, a digipack CD, as well as in digital format.

Takashi KOKUBO, environmental music figure, celebrated sound designer, and founder of Studio Ion, has released over 20 albums, including the genre-defining and highly sought-after Ion Series. He's also played a major role in the sonic identity of Japan, creating the country’s mobile phone earthquake alert sound, credit card payment validation jingles, and much more. In 2020, Takashi Kokubo received a Grammy nomination for his track "A Dream Sails Out to Sea, Scene 3" off Light in the Attic’s Kankyo Ongaku compilation. He is known for recording “sound scenes from nature” around the world using a binaural CyberPhonic microphone of his own invention and for his very unique brand of healing music.

Andrea ESPERTI is a Swiss trombonist and composer originally from Puglia (Italy). He plays in multiple genres (classical, pop, world, electro, jazz) with a globe-trotting approach: encounters with peers, rhythmic exchanges, and unplanned music projects; this is where lies the foundation of his work.

Music for a Cosmic Garden is an ode to celestial botanics, a contemporary and hallucinogenic take on the soothing ambient genre immortalized by artists such as Midori Takada and Satoshi Ashikawa, a beautiful pairing of synthesizers and the mighty trombone, taking you to a meditative galaxy far, far away, where other-worldly is just another word for cozy.

Recommended track for maximum pleasure: "Gaia’s Love Theme".

Music for Real Airports is a series of exciting live art events and installations in art galleries/spaces that are artistic response to the reality of occupying the semi-public space of an airport, and a contemporary reply to Brian Eno´s work from the 70s. Produced by musicians and artists with an international reputation - the Black Dog and Human - the project will portray airports as they really are, rather than idealised utopian vision of what they should be. Combining performances of electronic music and live-mixed animation and digital video projected on multiple screens, Music for Release Airports will be a unique, immersive experience that will draw in new audiences to art galleries.

Equipped with a cassette porta studio and a mic found in a recycling bin, Your Planet Is Next has put together an album of 10 tracks stripped down to their essentials. Half of the them were produced using a Yamaha CS-01 synthesizer and a Yamaha MR-10 drum machine — the perfect 1982 budget combo — while the other half were made solely with a Yamaha CS-10 synthesizer and a Boss DR-55 drum machine, both from the late 70s and budget options even in their heydays. As many times before throughout music history, pristine sound quality had to be sacrificed for pristine creativity... After all, ideas are what makes the world turn, not high fidelity!

2x12"s of the finest IDM and electronica from Dutch producer EXM. Descent takes you on a mind altering journey over 9 impressive tracks.

Fourth release on SP:MC’s Declassified Records imprint. DJ Support from the likes of Joy Orbison, Bakey, Riz La Teef, Tasha, J:Kenzo, N-Type +more.

We first met DJ X-cess back in 1995 when he was running Atmospheric Records in the Dalkeith Indoor Market Arcade In Bournemouth Town centre.At the time he was part of Dj Trio The X-men along with X-fade & X-cite and a resident at Madisons Nightclub which was about to close down.

Later X-cess would go onto form the International DJ/producer outfit The Organ Donors with his brother Scott – they have toured the world and released on labels such as Defected, Armada, Tidy Trax , Nukleuz and more.The photo used on the label of this release is X-cess behind the counter in his record shop back in the day.

We have pressed this record in Atmospheric Turquoise - as close a colour match we could get to the paint on the walls in Atmospheric.

“Devil’s Work is the younger sibling to Chris Farrell’s long running Idle Hands label. Dancefloor focused, direct and to the point House and Techno tracks. Exuberant music drawing inspiration from the UK and further afield.

The first release comes from Bristol based Human Resources, last seen working with Techstartup as Floral Resources and The Business. They can also be found co-running Lisvane Records.

These three tracks riff off the same theme. Fast paced, skeletal and intensely rhythmic.”

H.H. - Hayet Hayati' is the second studio album of Memento and DBArtists head honcho Idriss D. Hayet, that in Arab means 'life', is thefirst name of Idriss's mother: the album is dedicated to her, who havealways been a leading a lucky star and a trustworthy shelter for theAlgerian artist.
'H.H.' is a rich summary of all his influences, devotion to music and splendour; written and produced throughout many months of hard passionate work, it shines for its variety and its consistency.
'Intro Salam' featuring Eryn Eliott from Detroit opens the ball with a
delightful blend of evocative Saharian woodwinds and chants and a steady four to the floor rhythm.
'Lost and Conscious' displays the greatest influence that street Hip Hop has been on Idriss's musical journey, and accompanies super rolling fat beats with the swinging Italian rap of Libbera and a dystopic array of synths and bass lines.
Eryn Eliott deep space spoken-word in 'Phenomenal Woman' takes us out in the sky with its fluffy atmospheres through the funkiness Middle East flavoured percussions and a blues bass guitar. Like a bolt from the blue, the title track 'Hayet Hayati' brings us with its hard kick drum, and incessant repeated stabs in the middle of a dance floor, in the rush hours. Inflaming the atmosphere with its heated vocal hooks and acid bass line.
The soulful voice of Eryn Eliott is again injected in the fast paced
'Call Detroit', another late time killer cut, minimalistic, funky and
full of Motor City reminiscences.
'Moody'and 'Re-Dimension'made of shuffled rhythms and futuristic vibe showcase Idriss's passion for American Techno and the big influence that has been to work with many of the Detroit GodFathers in the last years.
Finally, 'Salam Outro' featuring his uncle Zerouala Mohamed Lamine closes the album in a suggestive beatless journey into the mysterious nights of the Great Desert.

Breaking News! DJs Pareja and Matias Aguayo have joined to form the dance project MDM Factory!

Modern transcendental Techno music for those who know, and those who want to learn!

In a turmoil of events nightlife would change forever, and confined to their respective places - A flat in Buenos Aires and a house in the jungle Diego Irasusta, Mariano Caloso and Matias Aguayo joined forces to create new communication on distance via music.

Taking all their dance floor knowledge and dreaming of sound systems and togetherness in a better future, DJs Pareja & Aguayo put their minds, bodies and souls to work on this stunning EP that will please the forward thinking underground freaks as well as the big room techno pros.

Let’s dive into this divine mess of glorious dance floor jams from the future...

A1. Curvas Peligrosas

With the first track it becomes clear what this is all about: Wobbly metamorphous sounds from outer space jamming with stomping and bass driven techno beats of tomorrow, a new kind of rave, hypnotic and seductive, utterly strange but wonderfully catchy and contagious in a good sense, harsh shuffled hiatus and alternating kick drums, a relentless bassline and sophisticated electronic sounds in a a permanent evolution resembling and invoking altered states of consciousness.


A2. Love Boat

This new rave anthem seems like a classic you haven’t heard about. Muscle memories from dancefloor days trigger your body as you listen on your headphones, awaiting the chance to play it out soon, hopefully, as the dance floors slowly reopen. Alternating between parts of kickdrum, clap and snare awesomeness, and the mangled rave signals that slowly morph into a more concrete melody reminiscent of ancient dreams of the future, this track has it all for the club kids of today.

B1. La Vida Loca
The title track is a tech banger that will please those who dig Kenny Larkin, Claude Young, The Surgeon, Dave Clark or any other star in the nocturnal sky of Techno Techno, as well as the lovers of DJs Pareja’s classic Cómeme Clubbangers, or the more Techno side of Mr. Aguayo. Definitely has the potential to become a huge hit if enough djs that don’t rely on algorithms get their hands on it


B2. Las Llaves

The closer is hyper modern tech funk at its best. Percussive greatness as you can find it on many Cómeme releases is triggered in a different way, “sabroso” rhythms that are played in the light and purposeful way of an elegant jazz drummer, pave the way for an always evolving psychedelic lead synth sound, that will be a useful tool for the dj who knows when to keep the groove, prolonging those magic times between the risings...

REN005 brings us 3 unreleased tracks from the SJ vaults along with a new production from 2020.

The EP opens up with the out of this world cut ‘Supernova’, featuring vocals from the man himself along with a spacey blend of beats & bass. ‘Bag Full Of Sess’ marks the return of the Stalker alias with co-producer Johnny C, first used all the way back in 2000 this one features a chunky breakbeat rhythm with plenty of smooth pads and string samples.

On the B-side, ‘Dumbo’ is a delightfully wonky and unconventional UKG cut for the afterparty. ‘Voyage’ gets straight to the point with some darker vibes and distorted basslines.

Repress !

Odysee Recordings is proud to present the 3rd in the series of digital re-masters and remixes of selected classics from the back catalogue. Originally released in 1995 (ODY03), A Different Groove featured on Source Direct’s second release on the label and sits alongside other early classics such as Fabric Of Space, A Made Up Sound and the slightly later Complexities.

From the superbly engineered breakbeats to the expert arrangement and deftly placed samples, this has all the trademarks of early Source Direct and clearly demonstrates why these productions are so highly regarded. The use of space is remarkable (especially for the time) and as such this is something of a precursor to the celebrated Hokusai releases of 1996-97.

Built around the same selection of breaks and samples, Andy Odysee’s remix delivers a modern take on the classic Source Direct template. In this 21st century version, the art is very much in the detail. Jimmy McGriff’s ‘Worm’ is rebuilt to pack a harder and quicker punch supported by a cocktail of other breakbeats, classic Hip-House style bass stabs and trademark synth bass curls. Once again Andy demonstrates his ability to balance a respectful senstivity to the vibe and design of the original, whilst simultaneously reworking the various musical elements and adding spice to give them that modern twist.

DJ Support
Tony Justice (MJazz), Ben & Rick (Repertoire), Bailey (Intabeats)
Fabio, J:Kenzo, Heath (Warm Communications), Soul Intent, Hannah DJinn (Formless MCR), Source Direct, Seba & Paradox, Homemade Weapons

repressed!

Hits from your favourite era, transported into the future with 2 JJAAMM HOT electro reworks direct from the PXUniverse.

A compilation by To Pikap records diving deep into the 90's rave nostalgia. Pera Sta Ori starts with a jungle/idm track, while next Serge Geyzel contributes with a killer acid breakbeat. All 303 DimDJ's track also and ACU with a party feeling but yet sentimental track. Finally Dj Tsoug and TSEV add up a slice of braindance.

Continuing the theme of community collaboration sparked by Hodge and Simo Cell’s recent 12”, Livity Sound presents the first joint works by Azu Tiwaline and Al Wootton. While they come from distinct settings (Azu in the Tunisian desert, Al in London’s urban sprawl), their music shares a similar affinity for intricate percussion and dub-informed space.
The four tracks on LIVITY052 deal in a variety of rhythms and tempos, veering from the propulsive intensity of ‘Blue Dub’ to the sparse, skipping 2-step framework of ‘Light Transmission’. Azu and Al’s refined, detailed approach blurs the lines between electronic sound design and earthy sonics, resulting in dynamic drum tracks loaded with weighty atmospherics and unrelenting tension.
Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground electronic music.

PRSPCT Recordings in collaboration with Redrum Recordz present StereoKiller, the latest speaker-shredding EP from Deformer. After 30 years in the game, the masked maverick is still tearing down musical barriers - and here's the proof. StereoKiller is four tracks of depraved and dismembered hardcore jungle drum & bass, for enraged raving only!

"Drifter Dub & Perception draw from a deep inner feeling that connects the four elements - earth / water / air / fire.
Everything is connected and surrounded by these four elements in varying ratios and levels of interaction. With these tracks, I wanted to elicit a mood that gives the feeling of being in nature with all these elements, dancing around a fire in the forest, getting lost in the kind of hypnotic rhythm and percussion that can put you in an ecstatic higher frequency state. The Forest Drive West remix of "Perception" captures that all and completes the release perfectly."
- Es.tereo

Lovingly recreated by John and a beautiful tribute to Brad. Find the Way is a track that was an idea in the 90's and never finished after Brads untimely passing. Holsten and Law stepping with 2 awesome remixes to complete the EP.

Tape
J. Mono twists our sense of time again, coming up with the third installment of his 'Redate' series: an elegant selection of uncut tracks, roaming in the fields of electro, acid, IDM and EBM.

Redate III in its digital format presents tracks that were written and recorded between 2014 and 2015.

As the cassette version, it includes not only Redate III (as side A), but a collection of J. Mono's various other tracks created between 2017 and 2021, that appeared beforehand on various compilation albums (as side B). In other words, with this fresh new tape you're all set with 8 years of J. Mono experience.

2023 Repress

Faitiche releases a short version of the radio play Zwischen (German for ‘between’). Devised and produced by Jan Jelinek for German public broadcaster SWR2, Zwischen brings together twelve sound poetry collages using interview answers by public figures. Each collage consists of the brief moments between the spoken words: silences, pauses for breath and hesitations in which the interviewees utter non-semantic sound particles. These voice collages also control a synthesizer, creating electronic sounds that overlay and merge with the voices to make twelve acoustic structures.

We all know the speaker’s fate: you falter, you mispronounce, there are breaks, silences and false starts. This results in delays, a language noise compared by Roland Barthes to the knocks made by a malfunctioning motor. Such gaps can be disconcerting, standing as they do for a failure of the speaker’s rhetorical skills. But what happens when they become a constitutive, poetic factor?

Zwischen consists of twelve answers to twelve questions. The answers were all recorded in interview situations. From the speech of the interviewees – all eloquent public figures – the pauses are extracted and edited together. The result is a series of sound collages of silence. But this silence is deceptive, as it is only meaning that falls silent. What remains audible is an archaic body language: modes of breathing, planning phases, seething word particles in search of sense that can break out into onomatopoeic tumult or drift off into sonorous noise.

In a further step, each of the twelve collages controls a modular synthesizer via its amplitude and frequency. Supposedly defective speech acts conduct synthetic sounds and the speakers regain their composure – not via the spoken word, but through sound.

The opening questions in the various interviews are answered by: Alice Schwarzer, John Cage, Hubert Fichte, Slavoj Žižek, Joseph Beuys, Lady Gaga, Ernst Jandl, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Marcel Duchamp, Friederike Mayröcker, Yoko Ono and Max Ernst.

Many thanks to Frank Halbig / SWR2.

In the label's own words:

"Kennedy returns to another musical dream state bringing nocturnal visions to life through the power of machines. Including three tracks of borderless Hi Tech Soul music, on this third 12" in the series he widens his sonic scope via elements of Jazz and African rhythms next to his own distinctive take on the original sounds of Detroit.

It's another musical offering that comes from deep within mind, body and soul. Side a sounds like a warm fusion of loose rhythms and glowing synths determined by machines, whereas the b-side is more explicitly human-made with flute recorded live by Amsterdam Jazz man Han Litz, bringing a lightness of touch that imbues the music with hope and optimism. Beneath that, a battery of drums is set free calling up acoustic sounds driving from deep inside in a dense forest.

This third translation of thoughts, sensations and sounds is another emotive coming together of man and machine that will find yourself invited to gaze off into an infinite sonic cosmos."

Repress

Label owner Martyn teams up with fellow bpm- and genre-nomad Om Unit for four switch stance dance numbers.

Good Morning Tapes open 2023 with a vinyl edition of Shakali’s deep meditation on celestial themes revolving around ceremonial Javanese metallophone, scaled Sinewaves and beautiful hydrophone recordings taken on the darkest night of the year. One of the purest, most immersive Good Morning editions to date, recommended for lovers of anything from Alice Coltrane to Tomoko Sauvage.

This set of spiritual/innerzone healers from Finland’s Simo Hakalisto aka Shakali was previously found on a short-run tape issued last year and now makes its way to vinyl. His music is rich with swirling textures and Eastern mysticism, and a smart pre-midi bent. On ‘Aurinkopari’ Simo nimbly deploys a mix of massaged sine waves, hydroponic recordings, and a Javanese gendèr (a type of metallophone used in gamelan ceremonies) at the service of a mesmerising, naturally fractal-not-fractional conception of experimental ambient practice.

Heady and heartfelt, the set proceeds within a remarkably well realised and self-contained system of sound from the lush bloom of the title piece to the pastoral rumination of ‘Rural Aural’. Where the Alice Coltrane-esque opener is reverberantly plush with thrumming bass, cascading plucks and its brooding wind motifs, the following parts dematerialise into a subtler play of the senses, trickling from the iridescence of ‘Aja Udu’ to hypnagogic exotica in ‘Ad Astra’ and organic, airborne melody in ‘Aluilla’ with a marked care and empathy for your trip.

Souk is delighted to present the sophomore album from a true fixture in Cairo seething electronic scene who should, by now at least, remain anonymously famous behind the 3Phaz moniker. Both as a way to make focus on the music itself regardless of identity and to sever ties with past projects, 3Phaz acts like an entity in itself, a most suitable conjuration of sounds past and future gravitating on their own dimension. Though connections are inevitable and welcoming with home turf artists such as ZULI or Rozzma, the Souk catalogue or percussion obsessed travelers like DJ Plead or errorsmith, 3Phaz's dalliance with the traditional sounds of Shaabi and Mahraganat and possible intersections with Grime, Techno and Bass-heavy subcultures feel very much their own.

Stripping away some of the dankest & darkest layers that made his debut album - Three Phase - such a dystopic proposition, Ends Meet envisions a different kind of future, that while not necessarily utopian, feels less tense and more celebratory in the capture and release mastery of its syncopations. Through seven percussion workouts summoned from hard hitting kicks, flinty hand drums, darting rhythmic excursions and traditional flute-like synth melodies, 3Phaz creates a set of raw and ever-intriguing dj tools for adventurous dancefloors that escape the mere functionality associated with the term to bristle with a life of their own.   

Infinite Machine is proving again it's a label that refuses to sonically sit still. Having released everything from code-based compositions to bass-heavy techno in 2022, the imprint is readying the release of the black metal-tinged Ehkta by BOLT RUIN later this month. A musician whose work has been described as 'apocalyptic' more than once, on this new mini-album, the Belgian producer blends field recordings, twisted samples and rave signifiers with an eerie tonality born out of his nocturnal production sessions and time spent absorbing the silence of his studio garden.

Bridging the gap from his previous record to this one, 'Sktone' is a cinematic opener that unfolds like a bad dream in slow motion. Warped samples of Bulgarian choirs glide over synths wired in closed-circuit loops which feed back on themselves, degrading for infinity. Texture and space is added via field recordings of waves crashing over the ruins of Brighton West Pier. This track exemplifies the unexpected influence BOLT RUIN took from the wildlife he witnessed in the garden of his urban studio when working on Ehkta. Adapting to the material at their disposal, weasels and blackbirds create nests from organic waste and human trash - an astute metaphor for the Belgian producer's compositional approach.

Next up, BOLT RUIN drives up the tempo with the rave-ready 'Nehng', where a frenzy of trance arpeggios and frantic drum programming builds and intensifies over its 5-minute duration. Inspired by Yves Klein's 'Leap Into a Void', 'Nehng' definitely evokes that bodily rush of freefalling into the unknown. 'Nehng''s driving rhythm is switched out for the brooding 'Tzarhk' - an ode to the soundtracks of B-movies composed on a vintage Roland SH-2 (a prominent character of the Stranger Things soundtrack). BOLT RUIN runs thick, syrupy synth slabs and punishing drum patterns through a rain-soaked limiter the producer found lying on the street by chance.

Another master-class in self-destructive arrangements comes in the form of 'Rfohmdrá' as delicate pianos and synth tones atrophy through daisy chained pedals which erode the signal. Valgeir Sigurðsson's mastering skills shines through here, taking BOLT RUIN's sci-fi-meets-metal sonics and amping them up to a scale on par with the Björk or Ben Frost records he's previously worked on.

Conceived of as the mirror reflection of the LP's opener, 'Maevr' pushes the approach of 'Sktone' to an even more nightmarish extreme. Embracing chance, the clattering layers of beats are sampled of a knocked mic on a window as BOLT RUIN attempted to capture a recording of rain from his studio. A happy and very effective accident for the foreboding mood of the track!

BOLT RUIN rounds off Ehkta with 'Ekztamnh'; an ode to that specific sensation of entering through a corridor to a rave and hearing the rumble of a soundsystem from afar. Snarling melodies are run through a reverse granular delay effect which fragments the signal, reverses it and plays them back in irregular order; much like the shattered memories of a late night in a warehouse.

A musical magpie who finds inspiration in the most unlikely of sources, Ehkta is a restless exploration of salvage-punk aesthetics where doom-laden black metal melodies, amen breaks and an experimental approach to sound design sit in an irregular and uneven musical apocalypse. For fans of Blanck Mass or Caterina Barbieri - this is a must-listen material from a fresh producer establishing himself with a singular musical voice.

The sublime music of Kaoro Inoue is the subject of this essential new compilation on Mysticisms. Inoue describes himself as an "extreme music lover" and has been for more than 30 years. His Chari Chari alias is all about self-expression and the music here has previously only been available digitally. It fuses ambient, house and techno soundscapes across four sides of vinyl with a deeply spiritual outlook and soul-soothing sound. Organic percussion, traditional instruments and new age moods all colour the deeply enticing grooves.

2023 Repress, Marbled Vinyl

After their Grime / Dubstep leaning debut single in late 2018 Intrauterin Recordings mastermind baze.djunkiii and production partner Sascha Müller return with a new outing of their conjunctional COMBAT DUBS project. With „Crystals“ they're coming at us with a special twist, presenting a fascinating crossover of UK Garage and Breakbeat sporting overwhelming basslines and a crystalline, most beautiful and ever cascading synth motif whilst the flipside sees the pair of producers diving deep into raw SpeedGarage / BasslineHouse territories for maximum dancefloor pressure with the aptly titled „Crystals *Speed Mix“.

Initial pressing will be limited to 200 copies on white vinyl.

One of life's most difficult arts is learning to let go. You can try to cling to control in the face of a turbulent world, but the only constant we can count on is change—the tendrils of cleansing fire wiping away the old, new life springing forth from the dust and ash. So what's the point? Give yourself over to the depths. Surrender to the flow.

G.S. Schray's new solo album The Changing Account is an appropriate soundtrack for learning to cope with a world we can't count on. Each piece is full of elliptical melodies that swirl with the unstable logic of dreams. Flurries of piano, guitar lines, and other more alien instrumentation shimmer delicately, but before they coalesce into familiar shapes or rhythms they change, then change, then change again. Listening is a bit like falling asleep on a long road—with each passing song you're waking up somewhere new, trying to get your bearings in another strange world. How did I get here? Where are we going? It doesn't matter. Close your eyes, drift away again.

The Craft Music label is back after a one year break with some fresh new cuts by resident Marco Lazovic. It's an EP inspired by the sound of the English club scene in the nineties and noughties, labels like Good Looking Records and artists such as Mike Millrain. Opener 'Losin Control' sure is a compelling mix of electro and breaks that soars on cosmic lines with euphoric vocals in the distance. 'Come To London' has a distinctly garage feel to it with its crisp broken beats and there is more high energy but melody-rich breakbeat action in 'Dark Gravity' while 'Space Jazzy' is s super sweet and deep jungle cruiser.