Beats Vinyl New Releases - News

With His Concept Ep grey Specters Of Dead Communication' Breaklab Aims To Explore The Atmospheres Of Computing Systems.
Focussing On The Processes Underneath The Surface Of Our Electrified And Digitalized Mechanical Age.

For our sixth release Parallax Recordings is back with the repress of Fine Feline´s unbelievably rare '9 Lives EP’, which first came out on Cool Grooves in 1994 under the catalogue number COOL 001. Fine Feline went on to produce under the moniker Cool Breeze on labels like Labello Blanco, 24 Karat, Urban Guerilla, Inception, 2 Tuff, Based On Bass and Audio Maze, before he changed his name a second time to Deep Roots / Deep Rooted, under which he had releases on No U-Turn and Moving Shadow. But before all that, these were his very first productions, which found their way to vinyl on his own short-lived label. Today it´s nearly impossible to get hold of a copy of this release, even for dedicated collectors - if you check Discogs there sits a lonely copy for 250 pounds and yes, it has sold for this price several times in the past and only 55 people have it in their collection.

When we contacted Deep Roots he only had one copy himself but liked the idea of making this available again to the true oldskool connoisseurs as well as a new generation of jungle fans. Unfortunately, the masters were long lost and so this was professionally restored from a clean vinyl copy by Vienna’s Skunk Association, a deeply knowledgeable jungle enthusiast in his own right. As all samples were lost too, we had to figure out which ones were used in the creation of these tunes, with a massive assist along the way from some of the scene’s wisest beard strokers - big ups, you know who you are!

So! Parallax is therefore very proud to present to you the much anticipated re-release of the original ‘9 Lives EP’ on a double-pack with a second vinyl featuring fresh new takes from modern jungle heroes Kid Lib and Ricky Force, as well as Deep Roots himself. Kid Lib was over the moon to get his hands on an official remix and chose his fave 'Just For U' , while Ricky Force flipped the distinctive rare grooves of 'Weekend' into something that is uniquely his own. Deep Roots himself got his hands on his Junior Reid-sampling 'One Blood' and brought it bang up to date. We are very proud of the whole package and are happy to finally lift the secret - as this was a long time in the making - and bring you the '9 Lives EP’, properly (re-) mastered by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering and pressed by Optimal Records in Germany.

Gnashing hardcore spirit meets razor-sharp sound design in a keen collab between Svbkvlt MVP Gooooose and chiptune survivor DJ Scotch Egg, with searing remixes by Slikback and Seven Orbits & TSVI
The debut collaboration between the Japanese and Chinese mentalists, ‘JAC’ was forged in the wake of Nyege Nyege Tapes’ 2019 festival, where Shigeru Ishihara aka Scotch Egg’s playful sense of drama proved an ideal match for Gooooose’s precision-tuned, bespoke software in the studio.
As mainstay of ‘00s electronica, with recent credits in Seefeel and WaqWaq Kingdom, Ishihara appears to lend a sort of cryptic sci-fi story-telling to the exacting, super-crisp contours and pointillist percussion of Gooooose across six surprisingly emotive works that provide a rocket fuel for the remixers, spurring Slikback to run riot while hard drum guys TSVI & Seven Orbits double down on their already excellent work for Svbkvlt.
Bringing Gooooose’s work arguably closer to the devilishness of peer 33EMYBW, title tune ‘JAC’ tweaks a fine line of breakcore, juke and neo-Far Eastern hyperstep that admirably updates what we know of Scotch Egg, while ‘Dengrouse’ cuts a super minimal figure recalling Untold’s vacuumpacked Eski tekkers, and ‘Rolex’ forms a wickedly chewy, turbulent tribute to Uganda’s favourite
street food alongside a lush, choral footwork pinnacle of their efforts in ‘Altered Destiny’.
Cemented with Swordman Kitala’s hoarse holler on the dancehall trample of ‘Goose Egg Dub’, plus the face-pulling G-force of Slikback’s rabid take on ‘JAC’ and Seven Orbits & TSVI’s glorious ambient hard drum remix of ‘Altered Destiny’, it’s all a proper doozy for the dancefloor dreamers and anyone looking beyond the usual rave hotspots for real, upfront thrills.

The full-length debut of Lisa Lerkenfeldt’s sanguine ambient drift marks the Aussie artist’s most significant release, slotting neatly into the roster of Félicia Atkinson & Bartolomé Sanson’s Shelter Press, and somewhere between Gas, Beatriz Ferreyra and Ben Bondy on your shelf.

Effectively her first album, proper, ‘Collagen’ introduces Lerkenfeldt’s sound like a wild meadow somewhere between the fields of modern classical, ambient, and musique concrète. Aspiring to “elevate the everyday”, her music feels naturally, gently ripe with variegated in/organic textures and slow, hypnotic melody that stealthily
attunes listeners to her wavelength in a manner that she’s roughly finessed on previous tapes and digital releases with native label Longform Editions and Vienna Press and Canada’s Aught Void.
As the tracks unfold, Lerkenfeldt’s washed out strings and blanched electronics waver the weather vane between sombre and melancholy with a real windswept, isolationist feel that perhaps suggest best results when immersed by yourself, not as a communal experience. More like a solo hike with headphones or sheltering in front of a shifting landscape, the album plays thru Gas-like string pads gilded with elusive vocoder vox of ‘In Her Hair’ before dematerialising into elemental abstraction for 9 minutes of ‘Collagen’, whereas ‘Gates of Desire’ prove a tidier knack for arranging classically puckered ambient-pop keys, and the B-side expresses more liminal, hypnagogic states in the creaking gloom of ‘The Weight of History’. It all shares
the same, rare air and sensitively perhaps errs best to the side of melancholy than anything overbearingly glum.

2nd outing from Jonny Nash & Suzanne Kraft in their MATstudio series. These records are intended to catalogue some of the experiments, explorations, accidents and fortuitous events that regularly take place at their Amsterdam studio. Each record features two compositions created from a collage of works.

The weighty and heavily brooding debut album from Simon Shreeve’s Mønic project finally lands on Downwards following releases for Osiris and Tresor and those killer remixes from Burial and Regis. Grey, expansive and low-lit industrial landscapes are the order of the day here, a huge recommendation if you’re into anything from Joy Division to Pan Sonic, Tropic of Cancer to GAS or the rain-soaked zones stalked by Burial and The Bug’s Flame duo, Logos and Karim Maas.
Arriving at a time when we’ve long reached saturation point with user-friendly environmental/lifestyle Ambient, ‘In a Certain Light’ offers an anxious counterpoint for late night immersion carefully framed with a cinematic attention to detail in lighting, texture and space worthy of The Cure’s ‘Faith’, the defining aesthetic of the Blackest Ever Black label and Karl O’Connor’s own industrial frameworks.
The almost impossibly depressed opening vignette ‘From Sun to Sun’ ushers us into a morose, brutalist landscape that descends into the slow motion thud of “Where Can I Find You Now?” sounding like a lost Tropic of Cancer instrumental, while ‘Field Work’ recalls Vainio / Väisänen / Vega’s incredible ‘Endless’ collaboration and ‘Solar Enemy’ deploys tense strings and clipped subs to sharp and deadly effect, like Alva Noto taped on old, worn-out VHS.
It’s the more nuanced cuts that stand out most though; ‘Reversed Language’ could almost be an Elodie recording made in the middle of nowhere, outside, in the thick of night, while the title track unfurls from a dense GAS-like thicket into an unsettling Lynchian nightscape on a moonless night, with faint neon lights flickering somewhere far in the distance.

Olaf Blanch debuts on Modern Obscure Music with the Borealis EP, which also features a remix by Suzanne Kraft. The Barcelona based producer presents four original tracks that explore different Balearic soundscapes, from the exciting adventure of Nur Yawa to the deep ambience of Birds. For reference points, think Mark Barrott’s Islands project or some of the great Ambient records of the 1990s. This isn’t all. Suzanne Kraft turns Nur Yawa on its head, creating a catchy and very danceable Nu Beat styled remix

Time 2 time u find ur gaze wandering out of the windows of ur local transportation system 2 the stars beyond....

Young gun and badman producer Retina returns to Foundation Audio for his debut vinyl release and quite frankly it slaps!!!!

‘Dusted’ kicks things off with a hyper 4x4 beat and an eratic bassline – this one comes flying straight out of the gates! ‘Nameless and Nothing’ a meaner, beast with its eerie atmospheres and plodding bassline takes the A2 spot. Flip the record and we have ‘No Fear I’ a subby monster best described by the word SUB. ‘If Not The Orb’ closes proceedings with a 07-08 old skool antisocial kinda vibe wrapping up the ep perfectly. Dubstep goodness from front to back and solid proof that Americans can also do the dubstep.

"Sirimande/Feed My Meatmachine" kommt mit zwei CD-only Albumtunes plus zwei brandneuen Bonus Tracks. War "Feromonikon/Signal" der Appetitanreger, so ist die neue 12" das Dessert, trickreicher & fordernder als der Vorgänger.

Yellow Vinyl

NNT’s Hakuna Kulala drop dancehall fire voiced by Kampala’s Swordman Kitala and Sekelembele on a pair of bouncing bombs produced by Scotch Rolex and DJ Die Soon.

Ruinous rave tackle on both sides of this plate, dialling up the energy of ‘90s Kingston and Brixton to equatorial boiling point with rowdy and industrial scale riddims supplied by two Japanese producers.
DJ Scotch Egg renames himself after Uganda’s favourite street food with a hardcore mix of dancehall and frenchtek strapped to rasping, barked vox by Swordman Kitala, while DJ Die Soon follows a turn for Rabih Beaini’s Morphine with a jabbing steppers beat for producer/MC Sekelembele, debuting on record like a turnt Elephant Man with ‘Moto Nyama’.

Black Truffle is pleased to announce Ashioto, the first international solo release from Japanese drummer-percussionist-composer Tatsuhisa Yamamoto. Active for over a decade, Yamamoto has performed and recorded extensively with artists such as Jim O’Rourke, Eiko Ishibashi and Akira Sakata, as well as participating in innumerable improvised and ad hoc groups.

Ashioto presents two wide-ranging pieces that combine Yamamoto’s percussion work with piano, field recordings, electronics, and contributions from guest musicians Daisuke Fujiwara and Eiko Ishibashi.

Beginning with a passage of chiming metal percussion, the first side slowly builds into a rolling, open groove reminiscent of Yamamoto’s work on Eiko Ishibashi’s acclaimed Drag City LP The Dreams My Bones Dream. Spacious piano and synth notes, along with Ishibashi’s spare melodic figures on processed flute, hover above this propulsive rhythmic foundation, the whole effect adding up to a more abstract take on the area explored on Rainer Brüninghaus’s ECM classic Freigeweht. The LP’s second side opens up a cavernous space filled with ominous electronics and shimmering metallic percussion, which organically transitions into a passage of rumbling piano chords and mysterious concrète sound. Later in the piece, Daisuke Fujiawara’s saxophone enters, playing melancholic melodic fragments that are looped and layered, creating a seasick swaying effect familiar to listeners of James Tenney’s works with tape delay systems. Beginning as delicate bass drum pulses, Yamamoto’s accompanying percussion eventually builds the piece into a raging torrent of free-improv splatter, processed sax and fizzing electronics.

Though grounded in instrumental performance, Ashioto is very much a studio construction, making inventive use of electro-acoustic principles in its editing and mixing. Together with its sister Ashiato – a different take on the same ‘script’ released simultaneously on Japanese label Newhere – Ashioto demonstrates to an international audience for the first time the true breadth and ambition of Yamamoto’s work.

Mastered by Jim O’Rourke. Cover photos by Kuniyoshi Taikou. Design by Lasse Marhaug.

The Interpol officers are looking for two crooks responsible of a bank robbery at the beginning of 2019 in Bristol (UK). According to the investigation they go under the aliases of Abele and Caino, they were armed and in motorcycle during the raid in the financial institution. The two outlaws are already known to the authorities as OOBE and Aniello. The suspects are ARMED and DANGEROUS. The advise is to call without hesitation the following number : +4401179149042. The reward for any useful information will be of 999, 99£.

...

The whelming noise swells of Yellow Swans’ final side, or swansong if u allow, resurface on the legendary band’s archive, marking 10 years since the seminal Type release with a timely reminding all of its oceanic might and eternal burn.
As anyone who survived the fecund ‘00s noise scene will attest, Gabriel Saloman and Pete Swanson’s Yellow Swans were among the most vital orchestrators of new horizons for noise.
Using obsolete electronics/guitars/FX pedals and playing countless shows, they epitomised DIY organisation and means, adapting timeless communal folk energy to collapse whole worlds of industrial, free improv, dub, psych, US hXc punk and good aul noise proper into a red-lining, Urgoop of emotional anguish, ecstasy and every feel between during the early to late part of this
century’s first decade.
After dozens upon dozens of underground tapes and records, ’Going Places’ was Yellow Swans final and perhaps for many, definitive release. Between the slowly ravishing blizzard of ‘Foiled’ that greets from the entrance, to possibly the greatest farewell this side of Pan Sonic’s ‘Finale’ in the Himalayan noise range of ‘Going Places’, they take in torrential psych-noise on the 13 minute classic ‘Opt Out’, alongside some of ‘00s noise’s finest moments in the staggering ‘Sovereign’, and the charred amp hymn ‘New Life’, adding up to a viciously beautiful album that still holds the capacity to induce feelings of transcendent familiarity, even if its the first time of listening.
Perversely and brilliantly, Yellow Swans disbanded right at the point when they were tipping into wider recognition, just as the rest of the world was catching up with the noise scene which shattered into myriad strains of kosmische noise, Neo-industrial and power noise and would give us everyone from James Ferraro to 0PN, Wolf Eyes and Prurient. But a decade later Yellow Swans’ ‘Going Places’ remains from this era like a scrawled note left by a lover who has fucked off to somewhere more exciting, and leaves behind a ragged palimpsest of memories, forgotten or suppressed emotions and maybe even an encrypted map of where to find them in the future.

After he featured on Various #2, the Russian artist Yssue is back on KUMP with three, slightly incantational, Industrial/Tribalistic tracks.

In this EP, Dmitry Nekrotkov explores Nature and expresses his vision of the bonds which Mankind shares with It. What's more? Two remixes. Ayaz, an artist from Azerbaidjan and founder of the Yalanci label, delivered a Dub-Techno remix which will turn your brain upside down before chopping it in tiny bits.

The second remix was made by the Duo DJ PG, from Lauzanne (Switzerland). The two pals, both members of the group "La Sacree Deter" revisited the track "Lust" adding a Psyche-dubik touch to it. Perfect for a matinee on your sofa.

"My music is often a reflection of the state in which I am at a certain period of my life, since I grew up from a musical punk scene, this often involves a certain set of means of expression. In essence, I am in an endless struggle to express some quite lively and human emotions through the cold and artificial world of electronic sounds. That is why there is a lot of melody and sometimes even drama in my music, and this is why I'm often got bored with a static music. This EP is called "Naturalist", a terms that defines a person who has devoted his life to the study of nature and its kingdoms. This directly relates to my strong belief that the further society advances, the more people are losing touch with nature, something that is real and to which they all belong."

- Dmitry Nekrotkov.

Zero 7's debut album 'Simple Things' sold over a million copies and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the band as Best Newcomer at the Brit Awards. The album featured singers Sia, Sophie Barker and Mozez. 'When It Falls' followed with the same guest vocalists along with Danish singer Tina Dico. Their third album 'The Garden' was nominated for a Grammy Award with singers Jose Gonzalez and Sia. Two further albums 'Yeah Ghost' and a best of 'Record' completed their time with Atlantic Records. For Record Store Day 2019 they are releasing a 2x track 10' on heavyweight vinyl - It contains a previously unavailable Alternative version of 'Home' feat Tina Dico & a 1st time available on physical format: remix of Somersault by Danger Mouse feat. MF Doom & Sia. Both tracks were originally taken from the bands' 2nd album 'When It Falls'.

Ltd 10-inch, 180 gram heavyweight vinyl - It contains a previously unavailable Alternative version of 'Home' feat Tina Dico & a 1st time available on physical format: remix of Somersault by Danger Mouse feat. MF Doom & Sia. Both tracks were originally taken from the bands' 2nd album 'When It Falls'.

This is Abstrakt Sonance's long awaited album on DDD.

Scrub a Dub kicks off 2020 with their twenty second release, featuring the vinyl debut for one of the most requested dubstep producers of the moment. A L X Z N D R has been making big waves with his melodic bootlegs and textured rhythms, gaining support from the likes of Mala, Sir Hiss and Zha.

The American producer’s Golden Gate EP breathes fresh life into soundsystem music with his original formulations and atmospheric sounds – available now on heavyweight vinyl and digital.

The second release on Raw Basics is a solo single from Basic Rhythm that brings a summery Techno vibe to your turntable.

The A side opens with a bright lush pad lowly panning from left to right, coupled with a bouncy kick drum and light percussive hits, before unleashing a heavyweight bass line designed to rattle your sub stacks and knock the air out of your chest. Cha is a stepper that draws from, and combines Dancehall and Detroit Techno with a deftness that only Basic Rhythm can bring to the dance floor.

The B side is a more subdued affair, invoking clear blue skies and a warm summer breeze. Opening with a lush chord and muted 4/4 kick drum, the layers of tape hiss obfuscate and add a little lo fi fuzziness, while gradually building layers of percussion in that unique Basic Rhythm style, adding hints of sub bass before finally opening up into a straight stepper around the half way mark, with a solid kick drum and warm bass line that compliments the lush airy chords. This is one for the summer!

London based producer Christian Piers has a decade of production experience and a discography that spans house, techno and drum and bass. He is a long-term friend of 17 Steps, and became the second artist to release on the label after label heads Dusky back in 2015. Acclaimed releases on Curle and with Leon Vynehall as Laszlo Dancehall have sustained Christians' reputation as a truly versatile producer.

With ‘Virus’, his debut LP under this alias, Christian puts himself forward an exceptional and compelling voice in UK techno, drawing on his experience in drum and bass and breaks, a sample heavy hip-hop inspired approach to production and a dubbed out, industrial techno aesthetic.

Opener ‘Extrinsic’ lays the foundations, combining cavernous drones and rattling breaks over submerged kicks, conjuring up images of chasmal warehouses, dusty basements and rattling window frames. Elsewhere delay soaked stabs bounce off combative breaks. A dialogue between Christians’ influences ensues that’s as captivating as it is individual.

Christian creates passages of intense energy without breaking a sweat. Cold atmospheres are navigated with an unhurried authority and confidence that prevents them from becoming desolate. Behind the gritty haze and forceful bassweight Christian hides the playful, agile rhythms that have become his signature – percussive sounds stumble and roll in the background, whip like snares slice through the fog.

‘Virus’ is an exhilarating ride; right up to the final bars of the teasing, anti-climactic dancefloor weapon ‘Resource Depletion’. The infinite rising tones of the closer are a bold and forward looking statement of intent from an artist whose evolution continues to unfold.

Damon Zucconi is a visual artist living and working in Philadelphia. He frequently uses custom software to create his work, and has spent the past decade working as a computer programmer, producing pieces which are typically accessible online. Some of his projects include 'Fata Morgana' a reworking of Google Maps code that hides everything except text elements; a website for the Arca site-specific performance-installation Tormenta; and recent solo exhibitions with Veda in Florence and JTT in New York of physical and digital works. This is Zucconi's debut music release.

Following his debut outing on our most recent compilation, Delay Grounds is back with three bass heavy submissions, each bubbling with effervescent melodies that twist and transform into the imitation of their phonetic namesakes.

On the A-side, Coruscant builds and modulates with glitching rhythms and glittering synths, leading us onto the storming tantrum of Stompy; both tracks demonstrating the innovative intricacy we’ve come to expect from this burgeoning producer.

On the flip, Clatter’s playful yet introspective trajectory completes Delays Grounds’ solo excursion with fellow newcomer, Suze tapping the brakes in their explosive “Heeley Mix” to round off the EP.

Onomatopoeia's inviting digital landscape offers us an uplifting, yet ponderous escape during these times of uncertainty and change.

JJ Funhouse compiles their long time favorite selections of Dr. C. Stein goodies. Assembled from the 'Plays for you CD-R' (Trumpett), the long sold out 'Echo Trip LP' (Treue um Treue) and some obscure cor- ners of the Trumpett archive. We couldn't be more happy with this perfect dream sequence of softspot hitters. (limited to 500 copies).

A welcome repress of 2013's PM028.

Jasmine Guffond is an original creator of conceptual sound. This first output under her own name is its own study, and if you've heard her former projects Jasmina Maschina or Minit, you should not be surprised at the different driving force and fresh structure of sound behind this new venture. However, if you’re anticipating veins of clean, melodious folk or purely experimental electronic, you should shift your expectations.

Yellow Bell presents a broad spectrum of musicality, floating within hazy electronics, lost vocals, and ambient dimensions. The balance of digital synthesizer, loops, processed voice, and guitar creates a meticulous soundscape that both intrigues and calms. With its delicacy and immediacy, Yellow Bell distorts the perception of time and creates an environment for engagement and understanding.

While creating its own memorable dynamic, Yellow Bell resonates with the delayed endlessness of Grouper or lovesliescrushing and touches on the early electronic sounds of Musique concrete.

nd of Summer captures Jóhann Jóhannsson's journey to the Antarctic Peninsula to discover the calm scenery of a landscape changing seasons, barely influenced or even noticed by humanity. The super 8 film is a comforting study of a peaceful setting in one of the most crucial and endangered areas of our planet.

Accompanied by rich and detailed field recordings of the surrounding this footage makes a perfect foundation for Jóhann's musical compositions, performed together with fellow musicians and friends Hildur Guðnadóttir and Robert A. A. Lowe. The varying use of cello, voice, synthesizer and electronics creates a listening experience that reflects both the vast beauty of the quiet scenery and the necessary cautiousness of its inhabitants. As if gliding through the steep ice, its rough edges and the harmonious water movements, organic arrangements are patiently devolving into voice and electronic based ambience that adds warmth to the icy, artefact laden environment.

The soundtrack to End of Summer is an emotional, enduring listen and a compelling experience. Forming a soundscape as broad as the view it was inspired by yet equally heartwarming, devotion to the music will slow down time and provide a moment of harmony within times of change.

LP edition features the soundtrack, as well as Field Recordings and Sound Design from End of Summer on the B-Side, exclusively on vinyl. The reissue coincides with the first-ever digital release of Jóhann's short film over on Mubi.

We all know anything released on Mystic Quantum is worth buying for the cover art alone, and this mightily impressive return of Legowelt is certainly no different. Beautiful on the inside and out, it's packed with the kind of delicately detailed soundscapes we've come to expect from the revered producer, who proves every bit of the musicality we associate him with across seven very good tracks.

'Squirrel' is perhaps the exception to the rule, its frustrated and distorted rumbling breakbeat and chain-gang high-hats cry out for some monster or other to be fed through the arrangement. On the whole, though, this is far from club stuff, opening on the lush bleeped harmonies of 'Once At The In & Out Burger Academy', closing out on 'Vesper Sprites'' mysterious, breathy refrains and metallic percussive accents, by way of the cinema-worthy piano piece, 'Meekian Lovedance'. Enough to keep you going until next month's album.

You'd be forgiven for not realising this is " Nymfo's " first EP for 'Metalheadz' considering he's one of the Netherlands' finest drum-
and bass exports boasting releases on some of the genre's most revered labels.

Opening with the title track 'Sting Blade', the EP hits hard in true Nymfo fashion, but as he's shown over the last decade & more he's perfectly capable of executing several styles, something exemplified as you journey deeper into the release. Fellow Dutchman & Berghain staple Martyn also features for a vigorous work out on 'What's Happening'.

Prolific Spanish producer Rayko brings you four slices of synth-tastic nu-disco with a prog twist here. The title track is a lazy, hazy affair in which untold layers of analogue sound oscillate their way in and out of the picture. "Drive" sees him join forces with fellow Spaniard Landerground to deliver a wonderfully fluid, fluttering chunk of synth-heavy Balearica. The title is clearly a nod towards the famous movie of the same name, and many of the electronic sounds are reminiscent of the film's legendary soundtrack 'Autopower' is a tad funkier in feel and, with its sense of repressed energy, would make a great building track. But for some truly out-there thrills, head for 'Oopart', a guitar-led affair that comes on like Ripperton jamming with space rock diehards Ozric Tentacles.


DJ Support:

Aimes (Wonder Stories ): Lovely Stuff
Oooft! Diggin' the slo-mo vibe on Space Pig Lover :)
Sold Out: love the slow 80s cosmic vibe here
Markus Makossa: solid tracks
Ilya Santana: Space pig lover is the one, really great slow mo retro killer track!
Gouranga: Autopower sounds powerful! :)
Venice Beach: oh yeah very cool EP, perfect for opening show !
Chris Massey: Love the almost ambient feel to the original (Drive)
Fingerman: Lovely Balearic goodness
Tonbe: Very good release. Support.
James Rod: Pure Cream
In Flagranti: nice Ep. Thanks
Get Down Edits: nice selection right here

Anomi’ is Sonja Tofik’s first full-length LP, and a continuation of her debut ‘Neuros’. Anomi is the Swedish word for the sociological term anomie, first coined by french sociologist Émile Durkheim in 1893. Described as ‘the condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals’, he suggested that for societies to function and their individuals to prosper, they need to be driven by strong and distinct norms, both social and moral. If absent, individuals are exposed to anomie, and start to inhibit self-destructive behavior. Anomie is a state of suffering, an absence of affinity, both to the individual and to society - which creates dissonance in the human experience. It denies us the presence of death and disconnects humanity from its nature and inherent mysticism.

This model of explanation sparked interest in Sonja as being an interpretation of a spiritual presence in our monotonous present. In her work on ‘Anomi’, she uses music to delve into the notion of anomie, and what happens to us as citizens within a society restrained by rigid codes. She deliberately cultivates cliché symbolisms to examine the fracturing of emotions in this alienation of self, and how it affects our relationship to death. She also incorporates old folk songs in both Finnish and English and builds upon them - for instance ‘Sky Trumpets’, written in Finnish, is about the end of times and how only then can the hands of the working masses be set free. Using superimposed textures of synthesis, organ, concrete sounds and voice, she counters monotonous drones against more harmonic timbres to effectively summon these states of mind, through raw emotion, often with few elements and unobscured of any excess statements. ‘Anomi’ is her plea to resurrect mysticism into being alive and the wait it entails.

Electroacoustic musician and composer Sonja Tofik was up until recently a part of the studio collective Drömfakulteten, which was home to some of Stockholm’s most creative artists, including names such as Sissel Wincent, Maria w Horn and KABLAM. Now scattered to the wind after losing their studio space, its former members are still more active than ever with a persistent output of avant-garde music.

Sonja is one of those who was a member until the very end. Since her debut ’Neuros’ was released via Moloton in 2017, she has continually put out new music, including a collaborative LP with Mar-llena, ‘Vilar i dina spår’, an interpretation of Jaakko Pallasvuo’s dystopian text ‘Darkness of Winter’ released through Country Music, and a remix of KABLAM’s ‘Remembrance’ as a part of ‘Confusía Remixes’ earlier in 2020.

Her work focuses on superimposed repetitive structures of analog and digital synthesis, organ drones, sampled textures and voice, often presented with few simultaneous elements, which she uses in concoction with outbursts of raw emotion during performances. She is also pursuing a degree in social work, from which she draws inspiration through sociological models of human nature and concepts of spirituality, mysticism and death in modern civilizations. She has performed her music live in a multitude of contexts, including festivals such as Intonal in Malmö (alongside William Basinski and Holly Herndon), Transformations at Under Bron (alongside Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe and Dungeon Acid) and Akusmata in Helsinki.

Sukh Knight's DAKU imprint comes strong again with its 3rd vinyl release, this time with some of Sukh's classic tracks getting the remix treatment. The title track is Cimm's much sought after monstrous remix of 'Diesel Not Petrol', with Cimm adding his trademark crisp drums, and extra riffs and stabs to give this classic track a modern vibe. This one has been in constant rotation in both Dubstep & Grime scenes getting instant reloads. On the B-side, finally getting a release after being a treasured dub for 12 years, is the VIP mix of Diesel Not Petrol, this one also still sounding as fresh and heavy as it did all those years ago. To top it all off, Mystic State come with their deep, heavy meditation vibes on the remix of 'Shutdown', guaranteed to take you on a journey. Timeless music!

Rivertones - the recorded music of Caught by the River - have repressed their classic 2012 Dylan Thomas-in-dub 7" Under Dubwood by the Dubwood Allstars.

Although Under Dubwood might seem an incongruous mix - the words of Dylan Thomas, the voice of Richard Burton and the studio sounds of King Tubby - the resulting single actually makes perfect sense - a gloriously woozy psychedelic skank that places Llareggub somewhere just outside downtown Kingston, JA. Since its release five years ago, Under Dubwood has been a staple on BBC6 Music and was used as soundbed music for the BBC's coverage of Dylan Thomas' centenary in 2014. It remains hugely in demand from the Caught by the River shop and has been sold out for the last eighteen months. The identity of the Dubwood Allstars remains a mystery to all at Rivertones.

On the B-side of the Under Dubwood 7" is River Theme by the Time and Space Machine (aka acid house stalwart Richard Norris of the Grid and Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve). River Theme is a hypnotic, fuzzed-up garage groove that's equal parts Dirty Water Club and Trash.

Globex Corp returns once again with a very special 10th release on 7th Storey Projects - featuring four remixes of tracks from previous volumes by four exceptionally cromulent guest remixers; Equinox, Dev/Null, DJ Mindhunter, Phineus II.

VIPs are becoming more common again with the fast turnover of music in our rapidly evolving musical environment. These enable the producer to continue playing their own tracks in DJ sets but have an edge with a slightly updated version from the released tune. VIPs are mostly never made available outside a select set of DJs, but for the Samurai Hannya series we had a few that were really too strong not to release, so we commissioned a few more to round out the EP. Homemade Weapons is a long term proponent of the VIP and he shows his experience here with his updates of Omen and The Claw, transforming them into entirely different approaches that have been favourites with all DJs that have had these in advance. Roho and Torn strip back their tunes and both provide essential renovations to their initial constructions that propel them back into your crate as essential frameworks to build new blends.

“Trading in Guilt” by Vital Signs is one of those elusive, independently released 1983 UK new wave / minimal synth 7” records that have achieved cult status amongst collectors through the years. It is nearly impossible to find these days and even the band members don’t own a copy of it. If you do manage to locate one nowadays you can prepare your wallet. Vital Signs seemed about to kick off with the release of this single that they put out on their own label after it was picked up by the legendary John Peel at BBC Radio One. But even despite the airplay and various labels paying for further recording, they didn’t manage to breakthrough. They probably went as far as they could possibly go and when no major deal actually came to happen, the band decided to call it a day. “Trading in Guilt” was originally released in a standard white paper sleeve without artwork and the pressing
itself was definitely not of the best quality. Just because of this we decided to bring it to you again, WITH GREAT IMPROVEMENTS OVER THE ORIGINAL.

We are extremely happy to bring you this highly sought after 7” now with full artwork, on a much smoother, much better sounding vinyl. It is a limited, hand-numbered edition of 120 black vinyl copies, housed in a thin, very 80s feeling / looking paper sleeve including a download code.