Beats Vinyl New Releases - News

"A Ragged Ghost" is the eighth full-length album from electronic producer Jonas Reinhardt. Following albums on Kranky, Not Not Fun, Constellation Tatsu, and more, his debut release for Trouble In Mind brings together 11 new pieces that explore themes of life & death, netherworlds, and the liminal spaces in between. Taken together as a single narrative, the album offers a stirring exploration of mortality and immortality in what Reinhardt describes as 'a dance of religious syncretism, navigating spaces between the living and the dead'. "A Ragged Ghost" finds him synthesizing influences organically from familiar teutonic strains to the intense austerity of early 21st century electronic pioneers such as Biosphere and Susumu Yokota. A whisper of the Italo-disco-esque romps of Jonas' 2012's "Foam Fangs" EP & 2013's "Mask of The Maker" LP merge with his more kosmische leanings into a sinister, slightly funky, but also studious suite that at times feels like a lost sound library record from the KPM archives. Openers "Ape & The Universal Axis" and "In Lotto Commodore" decidedly sound like a selection from a lost film score while others like the bubbling "Sly Tomb" recall the works of Roedelius or Vangelis' serene soundscapes. Meanwhile, fans of the electro-ambience of Manuel Göttsching's strobe-light, proto-house (on his seminal "E2-E4") or the pulsing insistence of John Carpenter's visceral non-horror scores (i.e. "Escape From New York" or "Assault on Precinct 13") will find a lot to love about songs like "Tumb Tumb" and "Wretched Orchestra of Armistice".

ARA-U & Radioactive Man turn a bad situation into a great collection of tracks with their latest collaborative release The Houghton Blues EP. Across two sides of vinyl on ARA-U's NO STATIC / AUTOMATIC label, the accomplished electro innovators once again serve up pure analogue vibes and raw machine funk.

When cult Norfolk gathering Houghton Festival was cancelled in 2019 because of high winds, this pair had just bought some booze and were already on their way. After a moment's sadness, they decided to turn bad news into good and head to the studio to work on some tracks. For the next two days, they stayed high on music as their Prophet, 101, 808, 303, and the Juno synths whirred and flashed.

ARA-U, of course, is the UK-based Venezuelan and longtime live specialist. He runs his own NO STATIC / AUTOMATIC label and, like Radioactive Man with whom he has already collaborated on the Plastic Attack EP, he is a master of his machines. dBridge, Posthuman and Alienata have all played his music before now and he remains at the heart of underground electro.

Right there with him is Radioactive Man, who has a career spanning 30 years, labels like Warp and many seminal collaborations from Two Lone Swordsman with Andrew Weatherall, with dBridge as dBRm and Billy Nasty as RadioNasty. He is a hugely prolific producer who has kept the quality levels high across five solo albums and countless EPs. He now heads up his own Asking For Trouble label and continues to innovate in the studio thanks to his live approach to making music.

The opener 'Sounds Like Prince' is electrifying from the off with its neck-snapping drums and perc and squelchy synth lines. It's potent and powerful and perfect for packed dance floors. The superb 'Machines Chit-Chat' is a deeper cut with cosmic synths. The drums still bang, but with wide-open spaces around them which are detailed with subtle hits and sci-fi motifs.

'What Happened To The Stash' is as dark and urgent as someone who has indeed lost their stash. It's got paranoid lines spiralling around the hurried groove in an inquisitive fashion while the booming bass drives forward. It's high-grade dance floor tackle then closer 'The Houghton Blues' brings a sense of machine soul that will melt your heart. The smeared chords, pixelated pads and melancholic robot sounds all coalesce into something as brilliant as it is beautiful.

ARA-U puts it best when he says, "This EP has all the moods and the jam really made sense. It has the funk, the stomper, the deep and the raw.”

Natural Selections present Benoit B’s debut LP, a collection of 13 tracks produced between Berlin and Athens.

Blade delivers 4 funky, jazzy rollers with a breaky touch of Jungle.

After the grand success of Brother's 'Hidden Depths' LP last year & Madmen & Poets 'Scandinavian Sunday' early 2010 Fokuz stumbled upon another hidden talent. Hailing from a unusual place is Command Strange.. He is probably Kazakhstan's first dnb producer at the moment. Yet not bound by borders or boundaries it's the music what counts here at Fokuz and Command Strange is seriously one of those producers who you'll need to keep your eye on.

Sonor Music Editions release the first ever reissue of this quintessential, oustanding Italian Library grail, originally released on Sermi label in 1972. Highly-regarded album and considered a masterpiece of the genre, "Nel Mondo Del Lavoro" (also released at the time with the title "World At Work" on Conroy) is one of the most precious and beatiful works conceived by the Italian maestro Rino De Filippi, and originally used for the soundtrack of the Rai-TV documentary series "SAPERE: IL PETROLIO". Music is written and composed by the maestro backed by the great I MARC 4 studio ensemble and accompained by I Cantori Moderni di A.Alessandroni with breathless scats, insane arrangements and unbelievable, unique and complex mood music from Jazz to Lounge, Bossa Nova and more. A real monster of record that best catches the library music job in adding music to films and documentaries!

This release on R&S marks the debut appearance of one of the most active and vital voices in dance music culture, combined with a one-off bold & idiosyncratic sleeve re-design from another omnipresent, globally influential practitioner.

The music is by Special Request.

The artwork is by Virgil Abloh™️ c/o Alaska-Alaska.

Spectral Frequency first appeared on the final day of 2019 — it was included on the 4th SR album released in that year alone and caused so much havoc in clubs, warehouses, basements, bedrooms, dive bars, sweatlodges and ear buds that we simply KNEW we needed to give it a full release.

After discussing it with Paul Woolford, he told us he viewed a possible EP as an equal split of “Face-Melters and Heart Breakers” and this is exactly what he has delivered across both sides of this EP.

Virgil Abloh is a man that by now needs no introduction. He has contributed both a psychedelic and incredibly apt one-off sleeve redesign to mark this occasion.

Pick your side and let the world melt away.

Theory returns with a solo project and this one hits hard alone in the dark is exactly what it says dark with various breaks and a thumping baseline theory takes no prisoners on this track.

Trust me starts off with a vocal, pads, and halfway into the track thumping amen comes in and takes it to a whole other level which is very Jekyll and Hyde this has been a favorite on the playlist and we are glad to be able to release such a beautiful track on the label.

The hottest sounds of the DMV (DC, Maryland & Virginia)!! Neighborhood Watch Volume One featuring local legends NativeSun x JamesBangura, Sami, Juana, DJ Technics, Max D & THE KHAN!! Jumbo slice approved!!

#evildubs #ballroomflex #liquidbooty
#emotionalclub #burnouttek #deconstructedtrap

L2 Glenn Davis - Oh My Love - 7:13
L3 Irene Buckley - Mother Of Tears - 4:35
L4 Zvuku - Breakup - 4:48

All the gems of Electronic Music in a 5 LP boxset with : Fakear • Kölsch • Fritz Kalkbrenner • Laurent Garnier • Bicep • Kerri Chandler • Thylacine • Bob Sinclar • Mr. Oizo • The Prodigy • Alex Gopher • Purple Disco Machine…

Originally released in 2002 in partnership with NME to celebrate their 50th anniversary and 50 years since NME printed the first ever singles chart in the UK. 1 Love saw the cream of British artists come together to pick their favourite number one to cover. Having appeared on the 1995 HELP album, Oasis continued their support of War Child with an acoustic rendition of Slade’s Christmas classic ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’. Stereophonics chose ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ with Kelly Jones’s gravelly vocal complementing this stripped back version of the track written by Prince, performed by The Family and taken to number one by Sinead O’Connor in 1990.

After a 7 year hiatus Myor are finally back with the fourth instalment of their Tropical Heat series. The formula: 6 tracks by 6 different producers, spanning a wide array of styles and genres.

Motëm and Light Club both provide the half tempo vibes, harking back to the label's skweee and hip hop roots.

Breda native Muxi gets dusty and wobbly on a PO-33 tip with his off-kilter shuffler Strung, whereas Alex Lay-Far lays down some serious mid tempo breakbeat heat, giving praise to early 90s hardcore and golden era trip hop alike.

Finally, new school jungle wizard Sempra and label head honcho Coco Bryce come correct with some 160 cuteness on Touch and Closer respectively.

Tape Hymns is a mesmerizing amalgam of sounds carefully crafted by frequent collaborators zake and City of Dawn. The warm hiss of analog tape as the foundational structure of these arrangements brings forth pastoral mediations with becalmed, atmospheric intent. Tape Hymns mix echoing sonic tones, slow-drifting sounds with immersive low-end frequencies.

Adam Strömstedt's debut album features 11 tracks of elegant chords and softcore acid basslines that instantly fit perfectly into the KANN universe.
The LP as a whole works excellently with slippers and morning coffee, while individual tracks definitely also aiming at the dancefloor. Although more reminiscent of a very life affirming sunrise party than a 90s rave in Sheffield. Please check out the opening track "SWF" or "Desperate Housevibes" for further reference.

Daniele Ippolito compose songs of Ambient, Synthwave, New Age, Dark-wave, Progressive and Soundtrack styles. He dislike to define himself under a specific style cause his influences goes from Italo-Disco to classic music and from SoundTracks to Dark-Wave. He already collaborated for some artists of Pop and Techno music. But his foundations will stay on the 80’s style sound called also 80s revival, one of his phylosophy is to work with only vintage synthesizers hardwares who will give to his songs a warm and unique.

Art-Aud continues its challenge and reason to discover and introduce new talents, and this time welcome and present the debut release of Dj Archaea, a weird-loving nerdy dad from Tampa (USA). We are happy to be back!

Copeland is a Brooklyn- based experimental musician and a core member of Black Dice. Eric is also one-half Terrestrial Tones duo, finding Animal Collective's Avey Tare on the other end of that project.

Copeland continues on his path of deconstruction forming tracks of scrapped samples, damaged loops, and controlled chaos. On the new album Spiral Stairs, Eric Copeland offers seven avant-pop tracks packed with playful sequences, groovy bass lines, and catchy voiceovers. The compositions are full of multiple layers of sample collages, frequently shifting from one variation to another but far from being messy, rather suggesting the tidy logic of DJ and dancer-friendly songs. Somehow Copeland manages to pull through with his demented pop sensibilities crawling up from the muck and spawling out on the beach to catch a tan. Spiral Stairs is as addictive as it is confusing with its screwed vocal hooks and demented twang heard throughout. A brilliant mix of riotous and cheerful makes it effortless to stick with it and dance to it.

A late night conversation about the past and future of dance music elicited this surprise left field collaboration from Justin Jay and Claude VonStroke. Justin’s mission was simple: push VonStroke to the fringes. Being no stranger to disruption, Claude loved the idea of challenging creative expectations. The result is five intricate and leftfield landscapes, featuring a special remix from Pearson Sound.

‘Oh’ is an EP with influences from UK jungle, Detroit electro, Chicago juke and the deconstructed hip hop that shaped much of the early Dirtybird sound. The tracks differ radically but are strung together with a sense of excitement embedded in their polyrhythmic drum patterns and dynamic arrangement.

‘Oh’ is pressed on a simple whitelabel disc, shedding expectations and kicking off a new series of alternative genre records at a label that's always been about breaking the mold and not taking itself too seriously.

Louis Fitton debut Kilopascal on Omena is an excellent proof of his ability to deliver forward-thinking music with a fresh and experimental focus.

Sometimes less is more and even though not every track on this release contains drum programming it feels complete.
All the tracks flow well for listening purposes and live performance and Louis shows a unique sensibility and approach to electronic music throughout the EP.
When it comes to remixes, Finland's best kept secret aka Saine has delivered several memorable moments including for Omena in the past. His take on Tides is a dubbed out house version melding house with more abstract techniques.

Bio:
Louis Fitton AKA Louf discovered electronic music from going to Leeds and frequenting clubs such as Wire, meeting longtime collaborator Tom VR with whom he coefounded Valby Rotary, a label focusing on the emotive side of club music. Alongside his various releases on the label, Louf has put out EPs with Thirty Year Records & Silver Bear Records.


Already he has received support from Ben UFO, George Fitzgerald and Gilles Peterson whom Louis worked with at Worldwide FM.

His sound is inspired by a combination of influences, spanning back to sampling for hip hop beats as a teenager, through minimal house and dub techno, to his recent interest in synth and ambient music.

After vocal-led 12”s featuring the likes of Razor and Sikka Rymes, Low End Activist pivots back towards purely instrumental territory for further explorations in the hybridised hardcore sphere. There’s an over-arching air of introspection to the five tracks assembled here, as LEA’s signature bass ructions and jagged, roughly-hewn drums offset with a widescreen line in melancholia.

Australia-born Los Angeles-based artist Luke C. presents ‘T.O.M.B.’, his debut solo release on his newly minted label Velvet Bikini.

The seven-track album is a gauzy, starry-eyed style of ambient electronics, embedded with melancholia and a touch of otherworldly psychedelia. A soundtrack to a generation lost, endlessly searching the streets of a sun-drenched, neon-lit city. ‘T.O.M.B.’ will be pressed on limited-edition vinyl.

The bulk of T.O.M.B. was recorded at Luke C.’s home studio in LA over the last 12 months and put together with various sources—MicroKorg, voice, sampled records, treated field recordings, resampled synths—to create the noir-ish atmosphere present across the LP, one that takes the listener through the depths of the psyche and the neon-lit corners of the city in which it was recorded.

Iranian-American artist Kamran Sadeghi mastered the entirety of the LP, known for his recent album on Richard Chartier’s LINE imprint and his work as a key member of Soundwalk Collective.

arbitrary presents the first in a series of remix collaborations and releases by Mads Emil Nielsen and Chromacolor, a project from the German sound artist and producer Hanno Leichtmann.

Mads Emil Nielsen’s Constellation (side A) was created by combining several granulations and textures based on a single short recording, extracted from improvisations made with the Buchla synthesizer at EMS, Stockholm – combined with randomly looping orchestral samples, edited and produced in his studio in Copenhagen.

After having heard Nielsen’s live performance in Berlin in 2017, Hanno Leichtmann suggested remixing various of his tracks including Constellation (Remix – side B). For this rework, Leichtmann provides an ambient feel by working with various sources, all of which generate sound using vibrating metal plates in different sizes – including a Premier Vibraphone, a Fender Rhodes and a Hohner Guitaret.

Constellation written & produced by Mads Emil Nielsen at EMS Elektronmusikstudion, Stockholm and in Copenhagen. Constellation Chromacolor Remix written & produced by Hanno Leichtmann at Static Music, Berlin. Mastered and cut by Kassian Troyer at D&M, Berlin. Artwork by Karel Martens.

Time Tunnel are not messing about. Another release of pure quality following the recent two remix 12’s.
This 4 tracker could have easily been split across 2 releases. You are getting some serious bang for your buck here.

NewKiller kicks things off with a nasty number filled with serial killer and psychopath samples. Following on from that is an amen based reworking of “The Dark” from TUNNEL002. Its a tune in its own right!

Gridzone tears the AA side a new one with Morality kicking things off. A real dance floor smasher with a later 94 feel to it. Finally, this great EP reaches its climax. As featured in Sherelle’s recent “Fabric presents” mix is “The Path Part 2”
Beautiful pads and chimes give way to tearing amens.

The 9th release on Foamplate's imprint 'Plantpower' comes from Panix. A combination of 2-Step & Dubstep.

One of the many musical entities the French collective Simple Music Experience sent to earth to vociferate electronic incantations, Radiante Pourpre is the name of a duo comprised of Alex and Leopold as well as the name of their 2017 debut album on Antinote. Last year, they have released an acclaimed LP on Kneklehuis under another moniker, Violent Quand On Aime, but the place from which they keep on transmitting musical signals has not changed: a post-exotic world (NO ZONE) where the only remains of the societies we live in are barbwires, battered radio transmitters (TAKATO) and deserted oil rigs the duo uses as fictional shelters.

From their precarious haven, they send us field recordings of waves mixed with analog glitters (INTERLUDE). From their lost at sea run down tower, they record the cries of ominous seagulls (SMALL TALK) and a bewitching Spanish voice (MALA 800), incorporating these to primitive drum machine patterns… And then…

A miracle happens when the record is flipped: a Balearic hit for post-apocalyptic times (IEMANJA)! Begining exactly like the opening track (THE COPS, THE JAZZ, THE BIRDS), in an unexpected twist of fate, it summons the angelic voice of Galadriel Andrade for a delicate Brazilian conjuration. There might even be a sunny spell lurking in the spirited closing tune (MS BUTTERFLY): “NO BORDERS, NO COPS, NO PROBLEMS”.

* Strictly limited-edition 2x12” vinyl in full colour sleeve. Includes card to download full album in WAV format.
* The debut Drum & Bass album from New York native T.R.A.C. pressed to vinyl for the very first time due to public demand!
* Features productions from Lenzman, Calibre, Serum, L-Side, Command Strange, Bladerunner, Marc Mac, Random Movement and many more. Lyrical collaborations from MC Conrad, Dynamite MC, David Boomah, Adrienne Richards, Christina Tamayo amongst others.
* Radio support for the album came from MistaJam, Friction, DJ Target, ReneLaVice and more, and with DJ support from across the whole scene.
* Press support from Mixmag (DnB Album of the Month), DJ Mag (In The Studio feature), D&BArena, DMC World, In Reach, Data Transmission
* When it comes to Hip Hop, New York is home to many great MC's and artists of all genres. Anyone who has ever visited the borough of Brooklyn will have seen its wide mix of cultures, ethnicities, and renowned musicians living within some of the most historic neighbourhoods in the world. Growing up within this melting pot has inspired the MC known as T.R.A.C. and as a result, he holds a deep burning ambition To Rule And Conquer the scene he is so immersed in.
* Although his roots lie in NYC Hip Hop, T.R.A.C. is also a long-time lover of breakbeats at 174bpm, taking inspiration from Marc Mac, legend of 4 Hero and Reinforced fame, who would eventually produce his debut album on BBE Records. Building a loyal following over the past ten years, performing at Drum and Bass events all over North America, Canada and Europe, it was on one such occasion that he caught the attention of V Recordings head honcho Bryan Gee who instantly recognised his lyrical skills and the opportunity to unite that East Coast Hip Hop style with its distant cousin from across the pond, Drum and Bass. This album is the result of that link up. The first full length D&B album from a US MC!

Moscow based Ivan Karasev aka Torn inked his Samurai affiliation in 2017 with his first-ever solo vinyl release on Shiro, a sub-label for highlighting new artists.

In the 5 years that have passed since this release, the Torn name has progressed into a widescreen sonic project leaving an indelible mark not only on DnB but also reaching into the outer edges of the underground Techno scene.

A lot has happened since Fixate released his last full length record, ‘What Goes Around’, on Exit Records in 2017. After putting out two Bandcamp EPs (‘Glare’ & ‘Confusion’) and several remixes—including his ‘Ripgroove Refix’, which famously went viral on Sherelle’s 2019 Boiler Room set and was eventually released as official remix on Ice Cream Records—he now presents his self-titled debut album ‘Fixate’.

Developed over five years, the project showcases Fixate’s sound palette in all its variety, a diversity of taste that’s reflected in his supporters: he’s garnered attention from icons like Andy C, Goldie, and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, as well as underground tastemakers like Call Super, Toddla T, and Skee Mask. Ross From Friends closed off his 2020 Room Isolation set with Fixate’s breaky acid number ‘On Edge’; Sicaria Sound spun the dub-influenced album opener ‘Ruminate’ in their sets; and Madam X had sub-heavy track ‘Gristle’ doing the rounds.

The LP also sees several collaborations: Fixate worked with DnB legend DRS on ‘Down’, pairing his dark instrumental with equally dark subjects. On percussive hard-hitter ‘Backpedal’, he experiments with halftime grooves alongside fellow Exit artist Itoa. Dubstep producer Cimm makes an appearance on eski-influenced ‘Back to BC’. Finally, ‘Programmed To Fail’ sees the artist teaming up with label boss dBridge to create a soundtrack for AI world domination.

Well Street welcome south London based Kincaid to the label. Expect precision drum programming and sound design cut across 4 floor-focused workouts. Limited pressing!

* The Evolution EP sees the return of BCee & Kubiks for their first collaborative release in over 10 years.

* Title track The Evolution features Hospital Records own Degs on vocals with his unmistakable signature style.

* Always Been You features one of BCee’s favourite vocalists to work with, the legendary Lucy Kitchen, who has also featured on tracks with Technimatic, Gerra & Stone & Dexcell.

* A new name to drum & bass, Rebekah Fitch steps up for her first vocal feature in the genre and delivers a precision performance.

* Wrapping up the EP, Remain Nameless is a nod to the classic liquid roller sound that BCee & Kubiks first brought us back in 2001.

"Standing on this sub-massive foundation, the Parisian producer also points to its musical tropes, but with a wand of dark magic.’ Ruins’ is a lead-heavy mutant dancehall cut that neatly reflects this thundery August period; in its latter half it morphs into a violent junglist exorcism, summoning the blackened grooves of drum & bass’ more occult offerings. Think Ed Rush or Doc Scott with their heads twisted all the way round. Process is equally petrifying, with its oblivion bass drops and paranoic atmospherics.

Fareed’s productions for Hilltop Imprint, Maze Records and Construct Re-Form Records tended towards a techno sound, but the rhythmic complexity was always there in his programming of breaks. It’s exhilarating to hear this translated into these new explorations of half-time signatures and sub-weightiness."

Word by y Oliver Walkden / If Only

Burnski's Instinct label serves up some fresh platters from a new name, Papa Nugs. These are of course naughty as you like garage tinged late night gems for cosy dance floors. Opener 'Gemini' is a high speed affair with exotic strings and neck-snapping hits. 'Kilo of Filo' is a super heavy wobbler with a fat as fuck bottom end oscillation. 'De Nata' closes out on more super crisp breakbeats that recall the genres hey day when artists like Ali B were knocking out killer mixes for Fabric. All killer no filler, as ever with this label.

After two various released on Discolored Field’s « Hornstars » and on Comic Sans Records « Pr. Raoult Secret Weapons », UNGENEROUS is the debut four-track EP of the live-music project with PPC (Ramses and Gablab).

The two friends begin their musical excursions at the end of 2019 as they initially want to "pouet pouet" with various materials. There is no emphasis on compositions but rather the structures that alternate between techno, uk breaks and dancehall.

The outcome of UNGENEROUS came after a residency at the end of summer 2020. They have a desire to remain close to live music. To do so, they make use of only little elements and just loud sounds. They recorded a batch of improvisations on the Hornstar Soundsystem (built by Roloil and Ramses in march 2020).

The music then beholds the specific sound of the Hornstar : a physical and distinctive layered sound characterized by scoop, mid, top and horn.

In this occurrence, PPC offers their specific cross-sound electronics combining clipped dancehall, footwork riddims, heartbreaking drill and grime wave.

Modern Obscure Music turns to Japan for inspiration. Suemori debuts on the Barcelona based imprint with an album of striking textures and sounds. From the first track, you can feel the influence of the Far East in both the melodies and rhythms created by Suemori. The music is complemented by Mayte Nicole Esteban fs impressive artwork.
Suemorifs real name is Yoshinobu Hoshina. He previously recorded as Hoshina Anniversary. Under this alias, Hoshina released music on labels such as Boysnoize Records and ESP Institute. As Suemori he released the Maebashi album earlier in 2021 on Elena Colombifs Osare! Editions imprint.

Tawamure is an album of richly textured compositions. Pianos and electronics are equally important. Some tracks are beatless and others have an unorthodox approach to percussion. We begin with the playful yet sombre pianos and strings of Mou Aenaindesune ‚à‚¤‰ï‚¦‚È‚¢‚ñ‚Å‚·‚Ë. Honshin –S has a magical beauty and Konton ¬“× Chaos is as chaotic as you would expect. There is so much to explore on this wonderful album from Suemori.

TANGERINE DREAM'S 'MALA KUNIA' IS BACK AVAILABLE ON VINYL -
'Mala Kunia', the mini-album & roughly Tangerine Dream's 140th release
was originally released in tangent with the bands' 2014 Australian
concerts - The album features seven new compositions including two of
which were co-composed by new band member Ulrich Schnauss together
with Edgar Froese
With this release, a new Tangerine Dream era began, "The Quantum Years", which
focused on a more back to basics approach to composition influenced by
quantum physics. The album itself is named after two Aboriginal tribes, which,
according to Aboriginal mythology, living a long time ago around Uluru, also
known as Ayers Rock. The Mala tribe lived on the sunny side & the Kunia on the
shady side of the rock.
Tangerine Dream have been a fundamental influence on electronic music since
Edgar Froese founded the band in West Berlin, 1967. Providing the groundwork
for multiple electronic music genres including ambient & electronica, inspiring
musicians & other art forms.
The group have also received seven Grammy nominations, written over 100
studio albums & were led by Froese, who developed an instantly recognisable
synth-based instrumental music based on a meditative musical experience that
came to prominence in the 70's & 80's.
Although Edgar Froese passed away in 2015 with a new phase in the bands
history only just beginning, he left direct orders to remaining members: "Carry on
& make my vision for the Quantum Years phase of the band happen!"
'MALA KUNIA' WILL BE ISSUED VIA KSCOPE ON GATEFOLD DOUBLE LP

Operating on the outer rim of the drum & bass scene for over a decade, Blocks & Escher have been designing intelligent and forward-thinking electronic dance across a multitude of releases for labels such as Metalheadz, Digital Soundboy and their own Narratives Music. Their first release of 2022, ‘Shot In The Dark’ EP, pulls together four outstanding cuts of shadowy breaks and abstract electronica.

Otherwise known as Phillip Smith and Will Hansen, Blocks & Escher distilled their sound into the critically acclaimed 2018 album ‘Something Blue’. Released on Goldie’s Metalheadz imprint, the long player displayed a confident maturity of sound, and a more than capable accomplishment of pulling the visionary sounds of drum & bass into a new era.

The industrial breaks and hoover bass of ‘Shot In The Dark’ anchor a wave of cinematic synth sweeps, fashioning an arresting opening track on this accomplished EP. The ingenious beats continue to unfurl across ‘Abyss’ and ‘This One’, as brooding atmospherics wash over in waves. The finale of ‘Dance Girl’ ramps up the BPMs and beat complexity, as a breathless assault of rhythm and sound captivates and rewards in abundance.

UK label Wisdom Teeth closes out 2021 with a synchronised double drop from label heads Facta and K-LONE.

Having retreated to more low-lit, pensive territories on his debut LP, Blush, In Bloom marks Facta’s headlong return to the dancefloor. At its core, In Bloom is a house record, albeit one bearing all the usual eccentricities of a Facta release: bleeping off-kilter melodies, glitching FX, warped subs and fizzing neon synths. Up top, C Sequence follows on from 2019’s Doves in exploring a future-facing and experimental take on mutant tech-house. Centred around a writhing, modulating FM bassline, the track undulates and builds gradually to a soaring mid-section before collapsing back in on itself. On the flip, In Bloom drops the tempo to a dubby stomp, with a reversed synth hook playing out over ricocheting chords and a phasing, blown-out sub line.

Independent leaders in the UK drum and bass scene, Hybrid Minds have paved their own way to success through operating from left of centre and keeping true to themselves at every step of the way. Their early tracks, ‘Meant To Be’ and ‘Touch’ firmly established them within the circuit, before they went onto amass 25 million streams for the latter, release a popular debut album and set up their own label, Hybrid Music. The huge support from tastemakers in the scene doesn’t stop there, with editorial playlist adds across Spotify and Apple Music, spins on George FM, BBC Radio 1,1Xtra, Kiss FM UK, Kiss Dance, Kiss Fresh, Studio Brussels, FM4, triple j and Capital Dance, UKF backing and a memorable DJ Mag HQ live stream, Bad To Me offered a glimpse of what’s to come from the Drum & Bass duo when they drop the full EP this October. What’s more, a recent release alongside Pendulum for Louder Than Words saw the Australian heavyweights go liquid for the fourth and final track listing on their own EP. Always staying true to their sound and style, Hybrid Minds previous success came from their early tracks, Meant To Be and Touch, before they went on to boast over 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, remix tracks for Above & Beyond and Tom Walker, and collaborate with the DJ heavyweight, Netsky for the global smash release, Let Me Hold You. More recently, they secured a primetime show on Kiss FM, embarked on a sell-out New Zealand tour and sold out their October ‘Outline’ o2 Academy, Brixton show, six months out!