Beats Vinyl New Releases - News

NOTON signs Italian-born, Bern-based sound-artist and producer Saele Valese.
In ‘IVIC’, his debut LP, Saele Valese, distills hauntological noise, droning tonal experiments and minimalist rhythms into a series of electro-acoustic-wave ventures written over five years in Berlin, Saas-Fee and Thun.
Drawing influences from the psychoacoustic properties of the live album format, IVIC’s 11 tracks were mixed and recorded live on DAT cassettes and through DAW experimentation, without the possibility to revise the final recordings. Valese adopted this approach to conceptually propose reconciliations between the irreversibility of the
past, and acceptance of its residuals in the present. The track titles themselves follow this pathos, citing the works of the American photographer Francesca Woodman and the poet Sylvia Plath. The inclusion of passages incorporating live sonics and throes of industrialismnso,ton.info contributes to the images of gravity, intimacy and spatiality that the music presented here invokes.
In keeping with this imagery, the music possesses a dilated, shuffling rhythmic base, much like the firm traversal of a tanker against a storm of jangling components, and still moments of gloomy sonics
alternating with more ravenous upheavals of power electronics.
If the track divisions do not pass by unheeded, they are consistently assembled to sonically accompaign the emotional charges and momentum of an imaginary cinematic experience; the beats caves in
for instants of relief, only to recoil in a cognated tempo but rearranged structurally. In another gesture of cogitated stride, the portentous waves of the record progressively rage into a turmoil in its third quarter during 'Horse The Color Of Rust'. The album reaches its closure fluctuating through microtonal oscillations to slowly eclipse into silence.
´In Your Rosary ì and Yì ou Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself ì were previously released on vinyl via Saele Valese’s own imprint, JSMË.
The track ‘You Cannot See Me From Where I Look At Myself’ 4 - is dedicated to the memory of Marco Bacher.
Artwork designed by Carsten Nicolai. Mastering by Matt Colton (Metropolis Studios, London).

Sound of Ukg & 2-step trax on this wax.

Welsh producer Odeko first appeared on Mr. Mitch's forward-looking Gobstopper imprint with the A.I. influenced EP "A History With Samus" in 2016 immediately snagging a "producer to watch" tag from Fact magazine and a premiere at SPIN. In early 2017, his second EP "Digital Botanics / Construct Conduct" arrived confirming his sound and setting the stage for him to start working on this - his debut album "Rose Tinted Vision Implant" that is set in a post-Ballard, post-Gibson, post-Miéville, alternate reality. "Rose Tinted Vision Implant" sees the Bath-based producer creating a cutting edge sonic world inspired by "speculative fiction, time/reality shifting stories and dystopian shit." The entire record is structured around, and expands upon his passion for the "future," underpinning the music via a underlining narrative. "Rose Tinted Vision Implant" starts with "The User" (aka the listener/ protagonist depending on your perspective) of the 'Optic.Rose' going through the process of getting an implant is made by a mega corporation, (think "whatever Elon Musk's legacy will be 200 years from now" says Odeko "not necessarily evil or good, just a world owning superpower."). And then we follow "The User" who has unfortunately received a bad egg through stages of that devices degradation. Sonically we're there to observe. We open ("Anomaly Detection") with a precursory scan and move onto installation ("OpticRose_0_1_Installation")
through to a battery change and a recalibration. From this point, the 'presence' begins to take over the implant and the tracks verge into a more cerebral range. Odeko notes "its a bit of a satire on corporate brands pushing these great products that everyone is obsessed but that are detrimental to both the world, and how we perceive reality. Our relationship with social media and tech could go down a dangerous path if we loose sight of things. I'm going quite far here for the sake of the concept, but things like VR, AR, the want for body tech, mixed with our desire to be connected, emotionally, digitally, physically, wirelessly could lead us to a world where everyone has implants, or some kind of tech built into them." Sonically its a record that explores a post-IDM, post-Grime, post-Ambient, post-Glitch, post-Retro-House, post-Instrumental Grime, take on electronic music, like Gobstopper's Mr. Mitch himself and his label mates Orlando, Lloyd SB, Tarquin, Clu, rAHHH and Loom, Odeko is making a kind of post-genre music. Yes it's a cerebral concept under the music but as popular shows like Black Mirror have shown - critiquing our new future can be fun, unusual and highly rewarding. Welcome to the world of Odeko.

In a brief time Parris has not only engineered but fully-stabilised an otherworldly sound of unique resonance. Through leadership of cult label Soundman Chronicles and his own work on Idle Hands, Tempa and Ancient Monarchy, his research and publishing has attracted fervent interest in the UK Bass community and is rapidly gaining wider international recognition.

Measured with due diligence, he has propagated and influenced key research topics and industry best practice standards through regular transmissions on Rinse FM and the recent C90 Cassette 'TX280916 / TX111116'issued on Keysound.

Hemlock is honoured to present his most recent work exploring low frequency encryption and optimisation. HEK028 contains some of the most sophisticated and realistic models we have manufactured thus far.

'Your Kiss is Sour' a slow release payload observed from inception to destruction through decay. Malic tones are exposed, individually suspended then vacuum sealed allowing multiple strains to be dissected and ranked according to their sonic weight and availability.

'Flowering in Threes' introduces technology sensitive enough to detect and harness resonance from long-submerged sub frequency transmissions. The available models can be layered across several axis concurrently with minimal phase or gravity distortion.

'My Beautiful Fantasy' explores and challenges several popular weightless theories in an engaging and controversial tone sequence.

Air Texture Vol. VI selected by Steffi and Martyn

The Air Texture Series asks two Producers/ Performers to select a double CD worth of unreleased music. The only guidance is the music should not be main floor bangers, other than that we get out of the way, allowing them autonomy over their selection. This time Steffi and Martyn were asked to step up. Exciting, since as residents at Berghain/Panorama Bar - two of the most important dancefloors in the world... how would two such respected artists approach our experimental ethos.

Limited to 500 copies

The larynx or voice box is a small organ located towards the top of the neck in humans and some other animals. Constructed largely of cartilage, it houses the vocal folds that allow for the manipulation of pitch and volume, which are essential for the phonation of spoken speech. It is also involved in bringing air to the lungs when we breathe and it protects the windpipe when we swallow. However, those unfortunate to experience the potentially fatal malignant tumours of laryngeal cancer will have their larynx removed, resulting in a traumatic loss of speech; thankfully, as this rare record issued by Smithsonian Folkways in 1964 demonstrates, removal of the larynx does not necessarily spell the end of speech for such blighted individuals. Instead, through developments in artificial voice creation, patients could learn to employ modes of vocal communication again. The album was recorded by physician Harm A. Drost at the Phonetic Laboratory of the Ear, Nose and Throat Dept of the University Hospital, Leiden, in the Netherlands, working under the direction of Professor H. A. E. van Dishoeck. As the advances were fairly new and surprisingly varied, Drost felt a phonograph album demonstrating the techniques would be useful for those in the field. The album thus features a narrator explaining aspects of several different techniques, followed by examples of patients employing them. Buccal speech (limited to certain consonants), parabuccal speech (collecting air in a space between the upper jaw and the cheek), glosso-pharyngeal speech (a method deemed obsolete where air is forced between the tongue and the palate), esophageal voice (made by reconditioning one’s esophagus via swallowing, suction or injection), various injection techniques and devices such as the larynxophone, pipa di tichioni and “western electric” are all explored here, along with other aspects of the larynx and its absence. Speech After The Removal Of The Larynx is definitely one of the strangest albums ever given a commercial release!

"Propersound" adds to it's impressive legacy with a stunning new Vinyl, Alex Martin - Asimov EP.

4 tracks of dreamy and soulful Electro grooves that truly intertwine music for the clubs and the mind. Ltd. White Coloured Label. Essential, don't miss this...

Brainwaltzera returns to FILM. The shrouded producer continues to demonstrate a breadth of skill as both a musician and engineer, with another collection of deep and textured recordings for the FILM label, intended as an Epi-Log' to the artist's debut album Poly-Ana. Continuing the exploration of crystalline IDM, proto-Electro, Ambient and other curious strains of left-field music, Brainwaltzera looks out across a colourful and varied sonic landscape, drawing on a wealth of classic influences all the while maintaining that unique and instantly recognisable finish. Low slung 4/4 opener Triangulate Dither (fairytall Version) hinges on fathoms deep synth work, moving about a playful hook that operates in stark contrast to the track's heavy, tape distorted finish. Laif Of Smit touches on new territory - a nod to contemporary Beats production, complete with pitch shifted vocal and heady, warping bassline - before beatless recording (take 2) brings the listener back into a more familiar space: a beautiful ambient segue reminiscent of the producer's earlier productions on the label. Countdempops showcases Brainwaltzera's simple yet effective drum work - a perfectly executed, emotive cut centred around a dusty break. Bad Endgar focuses more on the high frequencies - a crisp, clean Electro production, featuring those signature sliding synths now a characteristic of the producer's music. Uptempo closer Dropp on Gminor rounds off the EP with a kind of Folk meets Footwork piece that lifts the record's final notes into a tentatively more euphoric state. Heavy on atmosphere, rich in inherent musicality and beautifully executed - the Brainwaltzera journey continues with another solid offering on the FILM label.

Etapp Kyle returns to Ostgut Ton with Nolove, a project encompassing a four-track EP, short film and forthcoming web exhibition focusing on Western Ukraine. Specifically, the music and artwork home in on the cities of Kamianets-Podilskyi and Chernivtsi in Bukovina, where Etapp Kyle grew up and developed his interest in electronic music. Although now part of Ukraine, Bukovina had previously been part of Moldova, the Habsburg Empire, the Russian Empire, Romania and the Soviet Union. Its turbulent history and position on the border of Romania and Moldova have resulted in an extremely varied tapestry of cultural influence, as featured in the video for title track “Nolove”. There, youth, fashion, music culture sit side-by-side next to religion, violence and war – and larger political struggles. The EP gives shape to the musical developments Etapp Kyle has made in both the studio and DJ booth since the release of 2017's Alpha, his latest 12" for Ostgut Ton. In contrast, Nolove's four tracks are minimalistic, detailed electronic ventures inspired by personal reflections on Chernivtsi and Ukrainian cultural identity. Forward-facing in rhythm and melody, the EP offers meticulously-produced leftfield dancefloor impressions of the region’s past, present and future.

Etapp Kyle kehrt mit Nolove zurück zu Ostgut Ton – und einem neuen Projekt, das eine vier- Track-EP, einen Kurzfilm und eine Online-Ausstellung mit Fokus auf die Westukraine umfasst. Genauer gesagt beziehen sich die Musik und das Artwork auf die Städte Kamjanez-Podilskyj und Czernowitz in der Bukowina, wo Etapp Kyle aufwuchs und sein Interesse an elektronischer Musik entwickelte. Während die Bukowina heute Teil der Ukraine ist, gehörte es vormals zum ehemaligen Fürstentum Moldau, der Habsburgermonarchie, dem russischen Kaiserreich, dem Königreich Rumänien und der Sovietunion. Jene turbulente Geschichte und geografische Lage an der Grenze von Rumänien und Moldawien führte zu einer extrem facettenreichen Geschichte an kulturellem Einfluss, wie der Kurzfilm zum Stück „Nolove“ zeigt. Jugend-, Mode- und Musikkultur existieren dort Seit’ an Seit’ mit Religion, Gewalt und Krieg – als auch größeren politischen Anstrengungen. Diese EP zeigt die musikalische und künstlerische Entwicklung von Etapp Kyle, die er im Studio und in der DJ-Booth seit Veröffentlichung seiner letzten 12” EP Alpha (Ostgut Ton, 2017) gemacht hat. Die vier Stücke auf Nolove sind minimalistische, detailreiche elektronische Explorationen inspiriert von persönlichen Erinnerungen an Czernowitz und der kulturellen Identität der Ukraine. Vorwärtsdenkend in Rhythmus und Melodie finden sich auf der EP sorgfältig ausproduzierte Dancefloorminiaturen regionaler Vergangenheit, Gegenwart und Zukunft.

Lock Eyes embarks on the ninth expedition into the exotic lands of palm trees and blue skies with the Vanished' EP.Expedition nine features four jams packed of ambient soundscapes, dusty drum sequences and moody synth lines.

Irrational Waves Comes Back With astral Reunions', A Cassette Mixed By Label Boss Etienne Dauta Aka Solune. The Content Of The Mix Was Thought As A 1 Hour And 30 Minutes Long Trip Of Timeless Music To Immerse To. It Was Peacefully Gathered, Recorded And Mixed As He Was Head Of Bass Cadet Records Store In Berlin In 2016. Carefully Selecting The Vinyls From His Crates And Other Discovers He Dug Out While Touring, The Mix Features A Concotion Of Spiritual Jazz, Abstract Electronics, Soul Music, Krautrock, Fused With Percussions, Sacred Sounds And Textures Which Will Set The Listener Into An Introspective And Soulful Sound Experience.

On his third album as Trickfinger, John Frusciante makes the jump from Acid Test to its leftfield sub-label, Avenue 66, to unleash the full scope of his vision. On She Smiles Because She Presses The Button, the legendary, LA-based cult figure, presents his most diverse yet cohesive album to date.



Frusciante has the melodic and programming chops to jump from style to style while sounding only like himself. "Amb" is the welcome middle-ground between Balearic and IDM while "Brise” with its quick syncopations and rhythmic groove provide a contrasting fabric. Elsewhere, JF caroms through electro and pastoral, "intelligent" ambient. The common thread through this quixotic journey are his trademark, timeless melodies.



For years now, Frusciante has immersed himself in machines, learning tracker programs, synths and drum machines inside and out, applying the same, tireless approach he's exhibited throughout his career. On She Smiles Because She Presses The Button, this period of intense study leads intense creative liberation.

*Repress*

In the year 2000, I moved to Chalmers on the eastside of Detroit. With an Ensoniq EPS, and a Roland VS 1880, I started a studio in my mother’s basement just a block from the Detroit River. The first order of business was engineering a compilation my boy Murf was producing. One day he had a session with Idol. The song was taking longer than usual for Idol to lay. We attributed this to the fact that his attention was divided between the song and the woman he brought along with him. He also brought along his little brother and his friend who were both about 17, 18 years old. As the beat was playing, Murf heard his brother’s friend rapping under his breath and asked to hear what he was saying. Murf turns to Idol for the green light, one take and 5 minutes later, Boldy had his first song. From this point, Boldy was in my basement recording or in the streets.

For the next 5 years or so, he would come and record to beats he brought while I was working on the Resurget Cineribus album. When I finished Resurget, with all of its wild composition, I was interested in just making some “beats” again. By 2007, I had some in the stash and Boldy asked to rap to them. We recorded the first song Die Young and thought lets keep going. Him and I both were people that did not create music to be in the industry, or for an audience. We created for ourselves solely, and still do. We are not careerists with music, but culturalists documenting the Detroit experiences that we have absorbed from it’s deepest of trenches, sometimes converting personal trauma into collective catharsis. This catharsis is what we shared with loved ones with similar symptoms, and we were good with that.

Early in the process of making what I could now see was going to become an album, my cousin came over. He sat and listened to the first few songs. He goes, “I can listen to this and not get high that day.” That gave me focus. At that time I kept asking Boldy to be more personal. The more he did that the more this became about healing, not making a “good” album. That was my little brother by now and he was going through a lot. Ironically, I saw a lot of my father in him, whom Resurget was about. He was the user closest to me, Boldy was the dealer closest to me. I saw that we are all in search of a feeling. Everyone has been a dealer and user at some point. We have all dealt a feeling to someone to enhance the condition of our lives, or were in search of a feeling to escape that condition, by becoming a user of what someone has dealt to us.

From 2007 to 2010 Boldy recorded vocals for this album. We couldn’t have been further from the industry, we were in our own world. During this time Boldy’s cousin Chuck Inglish began gaining steam with The Cool Kids. By ‘09, Boldy started going to Chicago to record with Chuck which led him to recording Gettin Flicked for their Tacklebox Mixtape, the song that kicked off his career. Those lyrics were originally for the song we recorded which is now Got Flicked(the rebirth) on this album.

By 2010, Boldy was off and running, and I had an album’s worth of songs with him that I had no clue what to do with. When he rapped to my tracks they were pretty much chopped samples and drums, my version of boom bap. As Boldy was ascending, musicians kept appearing in my life. Mother Cyborg became an early sonic thread with her cello. Jugal, an actual monk, was staying in the temple blocks from my house. I met him walking in the middle of the hood playing a mridanga, robe and all! He ended up contributing the mridanga and harmonium to the mix, as well as singing in Sanskrit. My cousin Keir Worthy brought Bubz Fiddler through. Bubz, who played with George Clinton and RJ’s Latest Arrival, was a legendary Detroit bassist who, along with his brother Amp Fiddler, anchored Detroit’s music community. It was their home that was the space that incubated Dilla and Slum’s musical journey in its infancy, just as Boldy in mine. Inspired by them, my home was open to neighborhood kids as well. My next door neighbor Tone eventually led the neighborhood kids to my house. Tone was hanging with a girl at his high school that he would bring over to record with them. Working on Welcome to 76 I needed somebody that sounded like a bad ass little kid to do the chorus and Deja’s voice was perfect.

Within a year or two, routine flooding was uprooting the basement studio while the kids that once used it were engaged in an all out war on our block. Boldy could see where they were headed, as we would watch them rush to the bushes for stockpiled guns every time a car came down the street. Boldy would do his best to hip them to the perils of the streets. As the smoke was clearing, my mother was preparing to leave the state after my grandmother passed. Many of those kids got locked up or killed. I didn’t see any of them again, though a few years later the unmistakable voice that I asked to do that chorus would be all over the radio with a national hit, helping to give birth to a new wave of Detroit Music, as Dej Loaf.

As one wave was washing out for me, I began meeting a new wave of Jazz musicians returning to the city from college and other places. One musician in particular was Rafael leafaR, a protege of legendary Jazz bassist Reggie Workman who played alongside John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Raf would become my right hand and personal woodwind section. Everyone would come to my place and play wherever they wanted to on the album. With my records constantly being shuffled in plastic bins to clean up every time it rained, there wasn’t much new music being made. The album was all I had for them to play on. As the water broke the flow of my production, the engineer in me was emerging. Twenty plus musicians later, I had a whole new project on my hands with a ton of editing, composing, arranging, and mixing to do. Boldy’s words became the soil from which I could grow the sound into a womb-like world that held his experience, an experience all of us share in one form or another. It went from having a physical space where Boldy’s voice could grow, to using Boldy’s voice as the spiritual space to grow the sound inside of, as I was losing this physical space where all of this started. This became apparent after recording Mommy Dearest. The things we create can become the womb that we needed to return us to who we were, before our circumstances made us what we are.

Summer 2018, I gave Boldy what I thought was the finished version of the album which now included a Ghettotech-inspired vamp out at the end of Birth of Bold and Requiem. Both pieces didn’t have any vocals. Requiem was a tribute to Bubz Fiddler, who passed 2 years earlier. Boldy tells me, “I love it but, I want to rap on those 2 open beats.” Little did I know that giving space to acknowledge the passing of Bubz would lead to new life for this record. So 8 years afterBoldy and I last recorded, on the day after his birthday, he returned to record new lyrics to those tracks to finish the album, bringing this process full circle.

As I was sitting with Kesswa listening to the final mixes we arrived at Got Flicked(the rebirth), which she sang on. At this moment, she was listening to Boldy’s vocals for the first time, as I’d had them muted in my session with her. Sitting there, it dawned on her that she recorded vocals to the original version of one of the songs, from that Tacklebox mixtape, that inspired her to pursue music years earlier. This 12 year process affirmed to me that if you take the time to get back to your beginning, you will arrive at your infinity.

Sterling Toles

Repress

4x12" Vinyl housed in a Gatefold sleeve. Calibre's new album "Grow" for Craig Richards' label The Nothing Special. 12 tracks pressed over 4 pieces of 12 inch 180 gram vinyl presented in Gatefold sleeve. All music written and produced by Calibre. All artwork by Craig Richards. Mastered by Lewis Hopkin at Star Delta Mastering.

Repress

4x12" Vinyl housed in a Gatefold sleeve. Calibre's new album "Grow" for Craig Richards' label The Nothing Special. 12 tracks pressed over 4 pieces of 12 inch 180 gram vinyl presented in Gatefold sleeve. All music written and produced by Calibre. All artwork by Craig Richards. Mastered by Lewis Hopkin at Star Delta Mastering.

Medical return to Italy to present the newest full-length album by Filippo Diana (alter ego of Joe Drive). Where as Joe Drive's outpt is in the vein of techno, electro and house, Filippo Diana veers more in the direction of mutated library/soundtrack nu-disco. After just delivering a burner on Slow Motion, Joe is at it again. Consisting of eight tracks expertly mastered by Marco Spaventi, join us on a journey as equally suited for progressive dance floors or the soundtrack to the deep recesses of the mind. Presented on high-quality 180gm black vinyl.

Chart topping international DJ and multi-instrumentalist Jax Jones returns with his new single ‘i miss u’ featuring Au/Ra. ‘i miss u’ is the latest musical offering to come from the Ivor, BRIT and GRAMMY nominated artist and follows the success of his debut album ‘Snacks’ being named the best-selling dance album of last year. With 5 billion streams, 2 billion video views and 40 million single sales all under his belt, ‘i miss u’ marks the next phase of Jax’s ascent as he continues to create genre-defying dance music. Returning to his club and underground roots, ‘i miss u’ is an emotive Jax Jones dance track that comprises colder sounding beats when compared to his hugely popular dance pop tracks. Underpinned by a hair raising vocal from German singer-songwriter Au/Ra, best known for her 2018 breakout hit ‘Panic Room’, Jax’s latest collaboration makes nod to his beginnings with a harder bassline and club ready tone.

Heko Records welcomes Patrizio Gabrielli, a young and talented producer from Rome for his long waited debut EP.

Delivering 4 tracks with a retro futuristic flavor inspired from the 90’s electronic dance music. Shifting between styles and genres get ready for a deep and emotional journey through his musical vision.

Heko Records welcomes Patrizio Gabrielli, a young and talented producer from Rome for his long waited debut EP.

Delivering 4 tracks with a retro futuristic flavor inspired from the 90’s electronic dance music. Shifting between styles and genres get ready for a deep and emotional journey through his musical vision.

The Cinematic Orchestra kündigen eine limitierte Vinyl-Reissue ihres erstmal 2003 veröffentlichten Klassikers 'Man With A Movie Camera’ an. Im Rahmen der Filmfestspiele zur Europäischen Kulturstadt Porto im Jahr 2001 wurde Jason Swinscoe vom Cinematic Orchestra beauftragt, einen Soundtrack zu einem Stummfilm zu komponieren, der einmalig aufgeführt werden sollte. Bei dem Film handelte es sich um Dziga Vertovs Experimentalwerk „Der Mann mit der Kamera“, einen frühen Dokumentarfilm aus der Ukraine von 1929, den viele, darunter das British Film Institute, fast 100 Jahre nach seiner Entstehung als einen der besten Filme aller Zeiten bezeichnen. Die Aufführung fand im historischen Coliseu do Porto statt und endete mit stehenden Ovationen von 3.500 Menschen. The Cinematic Orchestra hat die Show im Laufe der Jahre auf internationalen Tourneen aufgeführt, unter anderem im Barbican in London, im Winter Garden des World Trade Centers in New York und im Sydney Opera House.

Jupiter, the gas giant in our Solar System, with thunderstorms a thousand times more powerful than on Earth, rainfalls of diamonds in the atmosphere, temperatures below -100°C, plenty of hydrogen, 79 moons and a South pole that looks like an abstract painting, has just the kind of environment this music seems to emanate from.

Jupiter and Beyond, the second collaborative effort of composer/performer Rafael Toral and percussionist João Pais Filipe as a duo (after Saturn in 2016), is definitely not quite a record of Earth music. On the contrary, Jupiter and Beyond, is indeed gas music, unfolding over two long movements without solid body or any tangible outline, between ambient and noise. A music of sheer volume and beauty, icy, massive, in which the elements of Toral's signature, in particular his use of jazz-inspired electronics and feedback, dissolve to become a labile, nebulous, expansive material, occasionally struck by abyssal depressions and masterful densities, magnified by the return, after 17 years of silence, of the electric guitar in Rafael Toral's instrumentarium.

Towards the end of Beyond, the second piece on the record, lurking behind the volutes of feedback, a bell and a bass drum, one can detect from the distance... a barking dog, as a surreptitious and prosaic reminder of where we are here and now, a calling back to Earth. Between sadness and joy, anger and peace, movement and stillness, Jupiter and Beyond is indeed a mirror held out to us, music reflecting our times and that emotionally speaks first of all about us.

"While João Pais Filipe was drummer in the Space Quartet, we played a live duo set. During soundcheck we were jamming for a while on bowed gongs and feedback and lost track of time, it just flowed so well. I joked "we could make a whole record with this!". But later we took the idea seriously and set to record an improvised session at his cymbalsmith workshop (he made the gong on the cover and it was used in the recording). When we listened to the first take the mass of sound was amazing. At some point it reminded me of the complex clusters of sound in Ligeti's music as it appears on Kubrick's 2001 scene "Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite". In the end the title felt like an apt choice for Saturn's successor. Back at my studio I felt the need for some more layers of density in some sections. I thought of using trombones, but ended up picking up the electric guitar, which I hadn't used since 2003.” Rafael Toral

Dots written by Atom™. Recorded 1994 at "Sel I/S/C", Frankfurt/M.
Under exclusive license from the AtomTM_Audio_Archive.

Council Work returns with their 2nd installment after the success of the Trimmers EP. After securing a huge remix from INSTINCT on the 1st outing, they've enlisted none other than the FUSE legend and Seven Dials label owner Seb Zito for remix duties on the Dread EP. 4 Heavyweight tracks further showcasing the signature Council Work sound. Title track "Dread" is a weighty slice of dub & jungle influenced, sub shaking roller which is definitely one for the gun fingers crew. Seb Zito steps up on the A2 with a speed garage remix of the title track which sounds like it's straight from the golden era in the 90s, one sure to get the garage heads moving and shaking in the dance. B1 is the first of 2 solo efforts from the label owners Tom Frankel & Dayne Harper, in the shape of "Rosshire Heights", from Dayne, named after the block where he grew up in Zimbabwe. Another taste of Council Work sound, heavily laced with reggae licks which dance over the rolling sub bass, combined with dubby vocal effects, this one is one for the heads. B2 comes from Tom in the shape of "Response", a more ferocious offering which takes no prisoners, this one combines heavily distorted Reese basses and 808s which peppered with cutting stabs create a moody skanker sure to wreck havoc in the dance.

KURU IS THE FIRST ALBUM COMPOSED BY THE COLLABORATIVE PROJECT KARU, AND ORCHESTRATED BY THE MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST ALBERTO BRUTTI. HE DELVES INTO HIS PASSIONS FOR TRIBAL CULTURE, JAZZ AND ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION COMBINING THEM IN A WORK THAT IS IN EQUAL PARTS UPLIFTING AND SOMBER. THE ALBUM STARTS OFF WITH SELVA, WHICH UNFOLDS WITH ITS MYSTIC CHANTS AND A WARM SAX PAVING THE WAY FOR A SHIMMERING TRACK PUNCTUATED BY THE POLYMORPHIC PULSE OF THE DOUBLE BASS. THE HYPNOTIC CRESCENDO MELTS INTO THE SPACIOUS SERENITY OF UPYA, THE SINGLE EXTRACTED FROM KURU; TO CLOSE THE A SIDE, ZALIWA FEAT DAYKODA, WHICH SETS A VIVID FOREGROUND GROOVE AND BLENDS THE EDGES BETWEEN HIP HOP PRODUCTION AND JAZZ. ON THE B SIDE, KARU GO INTO DARKER EXCURSIONS; KENZO AND ROOT TURN UP THE BASS PRESSURE SOFTLY GUIDED BY THE GLOWING SAX, THAT STILL FEELS DISTORTED AMONG THE TRIBAL RHYTHMS AND VOICES. LIKE A WISTFUL SUNSET IN A DESERT, KURU CASTS A DELICATE NOSTALGIC MOOD THAT CALLS FOR PEACE AFTER THE STORM. THE ALBUM FEELS INTENSELY HUMAN, SOPHISTICATED AND EVENTUALLY PLAYFUL THANKS TO THE GUEST APPARITION OF THE ARTIST AND DJ GUEDRA GUEDRA WHO DELIVERS A BOUNCY FOOTWORK REMIX OF UPYA, THAT SHINES WITH ENERGY AND LOOPY SAMPLES WITHOUT MESSING WITH THE ELEGANCE OF THE TRACK.

SOIL Records’ first cassette for 2021 comes with sublime work from MOKEN.

London imprint Drifted Records bring the heat with their second solo output in the catalogue. DR002 - Spirals EP, written by Dublin born, Berlin based wiz ‘New Members’, displays a distinct voyage of the beloved 90s era with a modern innovation.

Side A showcases the heavy, rolling drum patterns, airy dub chords and cleverly placed hats that you wanna’ be hearing at 4am on a packed dance floor, with both ‘Spirals’ and ‘Mythos’.

Flipping the record gives us something else entirely. B1 offers a silky, screw-faced stomper ‘No Mind’, which features samples from the great Alan Watts. Followed by a timeless edition to round off this latest instalment, B2 gifts us a gorgeous and percussive Jungle number entitled ‘Secrets’.

Here's a long overdue vinyl press of the sold out cassette collaboration between Brussels producers Roméo Poirier and Object Agency. "ATELIER / FERME" sees the pair combine trumpet, guitar, saxophone and an array of analogue synths on a series of sleek, heady instrumentals.

Recorded in Strasbourg, the A-side sees pin-sharp found sounds woven amongst cavernous clicks, pops and weirdly synthesised voices to form an addictive, technodelic bricolage. Think Domenique Dumont floating in a sensory deprivation tank, or Joe Hisaishi enjoying a fine wine tasting holiday in Alsace.

On the flip side we find rippling, live techno edits, all brooding orchestral stabs shot through folds of analogue organ, conjured from a snow-covered cabin. Recommended for fans of To Rococo Rot, YMO and Huerco S.

Reaching Into My Brain / So Real

"Nous N'étions Jamais Vraiment Là" (We Were Never Really There) was built from a desire to get closer at a time of isolation. Each track traverses a different imagined environment as emotional and psychological states unfold. The album was shaped by a sense of duration and slowness, as well taking inspiration from the concept of the four elements; air, earth, water and fire.

The project began from an impulse to make music with a stranger. Gradually through conversation, from Paris to London, the two musicians learned to find a shared sonic language.

German trio FJAAK return with their sophomore album entitled "Havel" LP, dropping on their eponymous label this November.

Touched Revolutions call on Keiss for their next release, incredible rich soundscapes, warm crunchy beats, stretched acid, and plenty of attention to detail.
Boards Of Canada fans CHECK THIS!

London based record label and party High Praise are proud to welcome Russian producer / DJ extraordinaire Lay-Far to their ranks, following their run of sold out 12”s and widely acclaimed releases with the mind-bending “Soulful Encounters Of The 3rd Kind” EP.

Having previously released on the likes of Lumberjacks In Hell, Razor N’ Tape, Local Talk, BBE, AtJazz, Tru Thoughts and more, Lay-Far is an artist that needs little introduction. He has cemented himself as Russia’s leading purveyor of soulful, bass laden grooves.

Delivering four slabs of intergalactic dance-floor heat, “Soulful Encounters Of The 3rd Kind” sees Lay-Far casting our collective minds back through the mists of time to 1989, as alien crafts were landing in farmer’s fields up and down the M25 Motorway - bringing droves of earth-dwelling believers together, to commune in peace and move their bodies to frequencies from another dimension.

From the 80’s Electro infused bassweight of “Round & Round” to the frantic, chopped, canned-lightning energy of “Feel The Rhythm Of Your Soul” - Lay-Far perfectly captures the raw tension and energy of a era lost to memory, but now enjoying a renaissance through the collective consciousness of this world tipped upside down.

On the release, Lay-Far says:
“I had lots of fun working on this record. It was all about letting go of the ego control and going with the flow - feeling the music and culture waves taking me somewhere new and fresh but familiar at the same time. Cosy feeling!”

High Praise is a vessel for uplifting, open minded music, made with good energy. Captained by Hugo Mari and Josh Byrne, they have released music from the likes of Yadava, EVM128, James Rudie, Partner Music and more, gaining support from the likes of DJ Mag, Jamz Supernova, Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft & many more.

*Splatter Vinyl Repress*

Following their debut compilation last year, Accidental Meetings are back with their first album by Vancouver-based artist, wzrdryAV aka Kelly Nairn.

The tape is a tale of two sides, one beats, one beatless. Using field recordings, audio collage, sound object manipulation, synths & samples, Nairn explores his extensive repertoire.

"`To take two of my worlds and put them in one place as an experiment in contrast"
Side A explores the groovier, rhythmic side of Nairn. While deliberate melodies are uncommon, repeating fragments of chords and foggy loops combine in a pulsating way. Touching on Detroit techno & Jamaican dub throughout, Nairn creates trance-inducing mini jams from start to finish. Side B leans more on Nairn's granular synthesis side. With fragments of field recordings scattered over drones & layered tones that manifest themselves in the most unexpected ways.

“I'm putting together and playing back sounds for the audience that I find evocative for my own escapism”