Beats News

"Même Soleil" is the result of a dialog between the French photographer Gaël Bonnefon and the French musician Frédéric D. Oberland initiated by IIKKI, between December 2019 and June 2021.

Self-taught multi-instrumentalist & photographer, Frédéric D. Oberland finds himself at the crossroads of image and sound, favoring a synesthetic approach. He articulates different modes of narration, combining the raw character of the documentary form with the transfigured reality of myth and poetry, allowing him to question notions such as the sacred, the monstrous, the fraternity, while at the same time returning to the political news of the present. Attentive to the pulse of the body, his work is willingly itinerant, modulating between the ripples of dreams, watching the points of incandescence and the bursts of electricity that act as revelations of our presence in the world, here and now. He’s the co-founder of leading bands such as Oiseaux-Tempête, FOUDRE!, Le Réveil des Tropiques, FareWell Poetry and is co-curating the label NAHAL Recordings.

"Fueled by travels and their emanations, Frédéric D. Oberland’s music had to build new horizons this year, outlined by the curves of semi-modular synthesizers, the avalanches of effect pedals and the zigzagging paths of electric circuits. Même Soleil, his third solo album, manages to merge mystical visions of the unconscious and the absurdity of an apocalyptic present in a sensory whirlwind, operating an astonishing mutation with tones still unexplored in his previous releases. A visual as well as a musical journey that takes shape in a book and a record of the same title, Même Soleil is the result of a collaboration with the photographer Gaël Bonnefon. Seeking the tension between the blinding light of day and the glittering visions of saturated night skies, the two pieces in dialogue transcend reality to deliver their own truth, as bright as the first light of the sought-after morning." (Alice Butterlin)

Gaël Bonnefon graduated with highest honours from the Fine Arts School of Toulouse (Isdat) in 2008. He has exhibited at Villa Pérochon, at the Eté photographique in Lectoure, at the 104 in Paris during Jeune Création 2012, at Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d’Arles and at PhotoEspaña, at the Abattoirs Museum in Toulouse in 2014, at the Château d’Eau Gallery in 2012 and 2019 and in the Vitrine of Frac Île-de-France in 2020. His work is part of the collections of Frac Midi-Pyrénées, Château d'Eau gallery, Kulturamt in Dusseldorf and Kiyosato Museum in Japan ; he participated in Temps Zero projects Berlin, Braga, Rome, Bucarest, Groningen and Thessaloniki. He has also been granted artist’s residencies in Germany, France and Israel. His first book Elegy for the Mundane was published by La Main Donne in 2019. He continues his intimate and dense journey and presents his second publishing, Même Soleil with photographic works from 2009 to 2021.

"At first brutal and declining, the substance of Gaël Bonnefon's photography is just like a gaze that fears being one day extinguished and that is always looking to be born again. In photography as in love, recoil and desire, tension and easement, repetition, wandering and rest, flight and pursuit. Here photography allows itself to be traversed by flashes of life, renewed forces, echoes of far-off kindnesses and lost joys. It sings silently, lover of a thousand faces from which the thread of a single and same image is born, followed without relent, from the snowy peaks of childhood to the lost worlds of the present." (Michaël Soyez)

Hypho is a producer fast building acclaim for his rowdy late-night cuts, stirring a melting pot of genres that exemplify British dance music sounds and catching releases on renowned UK labels like Swamp 81. After his collab with label favorite Interplanetary Criminal on Time Is Now Allstars Vol.3, the young Mancunian returns with a white label full of rumbling bass hits.

Opening on a sparse garage beat which explodes into distorted sub madness, 'London Tower Blocks '94' is ready to tear up basement dancefloors. Interplanetary Criminal's stormy refix hits hot'n'heavy on the ears, dub siren ringing out into the rave stab-infused 'None Of Them', featuring hypnotising flows from Logan. UKG workout 'Get Bun' closes out the EP, pulling no punches with pacey bassline ruffage.

THE ALBUM EXHALES A NEW TAKE ON THIS GENERATION OF MODERN / CONTEMPORARY JAZZ MUSIC CONTRIBUTED BY THE QUARTET. STARRING TRACISGREY, PROFESSOR CREEPSHOW, DOMSTA AND MACKJUNT.

How can one explain the lasting popularity of the bass clarinet in musical circles from Vienna to Brussels? Perhaps because its frequency range articulates an alternative to conventions of popular music, where "bass" is reserved primarily for rhythmic impulses and the very foundation of the music. Viennese bass clarinetist Susanna Gartmayer's playing can by no means be reduced to just this, rather, it scutinizes the entire sound universe: she can do rhythm and drone, not to mention melody and noise, often all at once. Who would be a more fitting collaborator than Stefan Schneider, with his minimalist rhythms and subtle cosmic exploration?

Together, Schneider and Gartmayer form the project So Sner, which owes its existence to a concert in 2015 at the Approximation Festival in Düsseldorf. Gartmayer's bass clarinet polyphonies so impressed Schneider that he quickly suggested a collaboration. That same year, they began recording the album "Reime" in Kraftwerk's former Kling Klang studio, which in 2015 became workspace and concert venue simply called Elektro Müller. The second part was recorded in the summer of 2020 in Düsseldorf-Kaiserswerth at Stammhaus church, whose interior wood paneling facilitated organic acoustics.

Susanna Gartmayer has been active as a musician and composer in various realms between experimental rock music, improvisation and multimedia sound performance since the early 2000s, releasing the album "Smaller Sad" with Christof Kurzmann and "Black Burst Sound Generator" with Brigitta Bödenauer in 2020. In addition to his solo project Mapstation, Düsseldorf-based musician and producer Stefan Schneider has been pursuing new avenues of experimental music in the here and now for over 20 years, in numerous collaborations with Sofia Jernberg, Krautrock pioneer Hans-Joachim Roedelius, or visual artist Katharina Grosse among others.

So Sner's sound is equally oriented towards experiment and tradition, whose roots can be traced back to the UK of the early 80s: an era in which soul and synth, jazz and industrial, avant-garde and polyrhythm were blended with the help of intellectualism and punk attitude in such a way that manifold sketches of possible music emerged which are only being colorized today. Like So Sner - from the very first stomp to the very last drop.

Olaf Karnik, Cologne, October 2021

Three years have passed since the world first learned of Ursula Bogner's work. Since then, her identity has been surrounded by rumours, her graphic work have been exhibited (CEACC, Strasbourg, France, 2011 and elsewhere) and her compositional instructions have been performed (by Mo Loschelder, Andrew Pekler, Kassian Troyer, Jan Jelinek among others). The release of Sonne = Blackbox brings together all of these aspects in one CD and book: compiled by Andrew Pekler, the CD presents Bogner's early experiments with voice and tape music – a previously unknown emotional side of her music is revealed here through her singing. The 126 page book contains, along with drawings, photos and other curiosities from Bogner’s life, an introduction by Jan Jelinek, texts by Momus, Andrew Pekler, Tim Tetzner, and Bettina Klein as well as interviews with the orgone researcher Jürgen Fischer and the ethnographer Kiwi Menrath. Sonne = Blackbox attempts to locate Ursula Bogner, the sound experimentalist within broader cultural history. A central theme is the phenomenon of fake: how did the erroneous suspicion of fakery come about in the case of Ursula Bogner and what is a post-fake? Answers in this book.

Third almanac from Good Morning Tapes, plucking exclusive pearls by label regulars Pataphysical, Nueen, Salamanda, Angel Hunt, Yama Yuki and Saphileaum, for the good of your health.

Continuing to provide succour for stressed energies with their latest volume of the hugely collectable "All Welcome” series, volume 3 opens with an exclusive addition to São Paolo-based Yama Yuki’s impressionistic projection of ‘Inverted Cities’ with the elegant froth of ‘Bucharest’, and sashes thru the lilting synthetic thumb piano and midi flute melodies on the 4th world charmer of ‘Eclipse’ by Nueen, to take in shoreside Balearic atmospheres in the rolling congas and warm breeze of Saphileaum’s ‘Arif’, and the Far Eastern environmental music of S. Korea’s Salamanda on ‘Planting a Blue Velvet’

Pataphysical follow that quietly unmissable ‘Hapticality’ tape with another arpeggiated pearl on ‘Xochitl’, this time sounding something like Bola’s classique 'Forcasa 3’, before Angel Hunt’s ’Skulp Haunt’, ends things off with a smudged tripped pop energy, like a heat-haze inversion of Massive Attack’s ‘Karmacoma’.

Delia Derbyshire is one of the most innovative electronic musicians of the 20th Century. She is best known for her pioneering work for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, and for composing the classic theme song for the original Doctor Who, believed to be the earliest "electronic" theme song in television history. A brilliant composer and one of the few women operating in the early era of electronic music, In the early '60s she collaborated with the British artist and playwright Barry Bermange for the BBC's Third Programme to produce four Inventions for Radio, a collage of people describing their dreams, set to a background of electronic sound. This is the first, simply titled Dreams, an attempt to represent, in sound, the sensation of dreaming. Derbyshire's electronic and musique concrete soundbed is the perfect underscore to the narration, simultaneously jarring, dissonant, and terrifying. An amazing piece of work from one of the legendary pioneers of electronic music.

An ultra-pitch non skip DJ scratch tool on vinyl by Ritchie Ruftone, with one side at 100 bpm and the flip side at 133 bpm.
Weighing in at 140 gms.

F.S.Blumm and Nils Frahm have confirmed details of their fourth collaborative album, 2X1=4, which will be released on September 3, 2021, by LEITER, the new label formed by Frahm and his
manager, Felix Grimm. The seven-track album finds the duo unexpectedly exploring a dub influenced universe, though in truth it’s one already familiar to both. F.S.Blumm, for instance, is
co-founder of Quasi Dub Development, whose 2014 album, Little-Twister vs Stiff-Neck, featured Lady Ann and Lee Scratch Perry, while Frahm’s music – not least 2018’s All Melody – has
occasionally betrayed a fondness for the form’s associated studio techniques, though he concedes wryly that his approach has always been “a little bit more German” than his influences.

F.S.Blumm, a revered mainstay of the German underground for over two decades, and Nils Frahm, who’s enjoyed significant success in recent years with his ground-breaking compositions
for piano and synths, first met in the early 2000s. Frahm was a big fan of Blumm’s 2001 album, Mondkuchen – he refers to his fellow Berlin resident admiringly these days as “a vital brick in the
Berlin Wall” – while Blumm was soon dazzled by Frahm’s studio set up. “Compared to mine,” he says, “it was like a space ship!” Soon they were working together on a variety of projects –
including theatre pieces and animated films – and by 2010 they’d released their first collaborative album, Music For Lovers Music Versus Time. A second, Music For Wobbling Music Versus
Gravity, followed in 2013, and a third, Tag Eins Tag Zwei, in 2016.

2X1=4 is very different to its predecessors, but its final track, ‘Neckrub’, first took shape as they wound up work on Tag Eins Tag Zwei. “We had a certain sound in the back of our heads,”
Blumm recalls, “which was influenced by these 80s rhythm machines, and we suddenly discovered a common love for dub.” Most of the new album, therefore, was initially developed in 2016 during improvisation sessions recorded by Frahm to two-track cassette. “It was like we were running a combine harvester,” Blumm laughs, “so we could write our names on a single grain!”

Afterwards, they worked on editing and overdubs in Frahm’s new studio at Berlin’s legendary Funkhaus. “We kept on making new songs out of these sessions and starting over and over again,” Frahm smiles. “It was a process that was time consuming but really fun.” Not that either of them is eager to claim a purist approach. “I love ending up somewhere where I’m surprised by myself or the machine or the person with whom I’m making music,” Blumm concludes, while
Frahm emphasises that, “None of this is too serious. The record is only as much of a dub record as the ones before are jazz records…”

For the second release on south Berlin imprint Fast Castle, Gent1e $oul presents a collection of dreamy chill out, bouncy downbeat and dubbed out steam sessions.
A smooth stream of slowly evolving floaters that guide you through a sonic journey of relaxation and healing.
50 minutes of pleasing fm synth droplets, complex delay drones and grounding drums.

This release comes in a standard cassette Version and a „Sauna Tape“-Version featuring a sauna- and relaxation-themed voice guide created in collaboration with NackenNacken.

Pink Vinyl

Drifting on oceans of thunderous stillness, carried away by endless currents, whipped up by waves of darkness devouring you until you see the light. The first album from Platoo, a collaboration between Michelle Samba and Phil Mills, has an unrelenting cadence that grabs you and refuses to let go. A distinctive combination of calming soundscapes and highly-charged energy fitting any occasion, from dancing like lost souls in the empty halls of ancient barracks to ecstatically tripping on a distant desert planet.

To Phil and Michelle creating Platoo was about being given a sense of freedom and exploration, at once shaking off habits and rediscovering forgotten values. Phil's love of the mesh of ''real'' sounds and electronics, and quest to establish a balance where both would feed off each other saw him abandon convention and standard structures, deviate from the beaten path and let things come to life. Michelle's quest to create, to inspire and be inspired, to draw her conclusions from serendipitous events allowed her to break things open and be at ease with letting herself go to create the breathing space needed for this new sound.

What makes their symbiosis fruitful is a common yearning for the unknown, a search for what works without exactly fathoming why it works. The result is something that indeed meets those needs, a strange and beautiful musical exploration.

Prong’s distinctive industrial metal sound influenced other bands such as Korn and Nine Inch Nails. Former New York club CBGB’s soundman Tommy Victor founded Prong in 1987 as his outlet for sonic fury. Having their roots in the thrash metal and hardcore scenes, Prong carved a niche for themselves - groovy, angry, massive; just perfect mosh music. The trio wrecked stages and impressed audiences all over the world.

Rude Awakening is Prong’s fifth album. Prong continued to refine their piercing attack on Rude Awakening, while simultaneously expanding their sonic vocabulary. Throughout the record, they continue to mix in industrial rhythms and effects - there are samples scattered all over the album - but the key to the success of Rude Awakening is the precise, drilling effect of the group’s jackhammer riffs.

100 copies only. Comes on grey transparent vinyl. Mastered by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin.

The next releases on Eotrax will round off a busy 2018 for the label and set out an exciting proposition for a future way of working and releasing music. In what will be an ongoing, curated collaboration series artists will be invited to make work together for the label, without restrictions on genre, style or aesthetics. An open environment of collaboration and experimentation which will then be released by the label.

To launch this series label head Eomac teams up with four different artists over four slabs of vinyl, to be released sequentially over four months. The collaborations are improvised and composed, wild and emotive, unexpected and expected and all of them resulting in music that would never have been made by either artist individually.

Second in the series takes a turn into more abstract territory with a session of improvised electronics from Irish composer and multi-instrumentalist Seán Carpio and Eomac. Using digital and analogue signals the two have created a dense ecology of feedback, pulsating clicks, irregular rhythms and noise over seven tracks. Though highly processed and distorted this is music that hints at the natural world - unexplored micro ecologies and environs beyond our senses.

With the first record already out from Paula Temple and Eomac, further collaborations are yet to come from Motus Records boss Demian Licht and sonic renegade Kamikaze Space Programme.

'Dwell Time' focuses on the moments in between. Expanding on Satie's Furniture Music, which explores the role of music as a backdrop, Dwell Time explores the moments in between active and passive listening. A sound that maintains a unique balance of properties can start as an active relationship that slowly dissolves into the background and accompanies a listener over its course. The Dwell Time signal remains completely analog, utilizing homemade tape samples and hardware synthesizers to encourage the listener to move between the different states of listening. Produced by Rafael Anton Irisarri and Mastered by Taylor Deupree.

Spiral is the third album by the Greek composer Vangelis, which was released in 1977. It is a concept album, thematically inspired by ancient philosopher Lao Tse. On the cover you’ll find the words “Going on means far. Going far means returning”, which originates from Tse’s philosophical and spiritual tradition/movement.

Just like with predecessors Heaven And Hell and Albedo 0.39 he recorded the album in his own Nemo Studios in London. The keyboards are prominent on front of the music, while Vangelis is exploring new electronic grounds. For the track “To the Unknown Man” Vangelis received the Midem International Instrumental Award in 1978.

The multiple award-winning composer of electronic, progressive, orchestral and jazz music started his career working in several successful bands, such as Aphrodite’s Child. He composed over 50 albums and is still active in developing new concepts.

Russian producers Namesis and Sunko, show us their origins with this album. Where we can find a very marked roots between synthwave, Ebm and coldwave.
Voices that make you shudder from the depths of your being.
It also has three remixes that perfectly capture the matrix to take it to the next level, each remixer in the field that feels more comfortable.
On the Knees is an album full of power, strength and grit.

Light Blue Vinyl

**Tracks 'Sixth Sequence' and 'Tenth Sequence' are bonus tracks & exclusive to the vinyl release only.** limited transparent green vinyl LP

Past Inside The Present is pleased to announce 'Wave Variations' which is a new mini-album by veteran ambient producer Dennis Huddleston AKA 36.

36 has often enjoyed exploring self-imposed restrictions, as it forces him to be creative, while allowing an inherently coherent sound between the different compositions. All the arrangements on Wave Variations use a limited pallete of mostly synth-based sounds, with particular focus on keys and melodies. Each track directly influenced the next one.

Dennis has kept almost every track around three minutes in length. He states, 'I feel like a lot of ambient music (including my own) is often unnecessarily long and these small vignettes work as a nice counter to that. Don't expect long build-ups or over-extended crescendos; These are short tracks that take you straight to Elysium and then dissolve into the ether.'

He further explains the output of Wave Variations, 'Ocean tides inspired the album. I think we've all felt that sense of longing and wonder while standing at the beach, staring at the waves and gazing into the endless horizon. I think it's something that transcends all generations of people. Like the waves, these tracks leave as quickly as they arrive. I feel it's one of the most minimal records I have made, with far fewer individual sound sources at my disposal. It keeps me on my toes and forces me to deeply explore the instruments I have available to me.'

This stripped-back sound gives the album a hypnotic quality to it. Like much of Dennis' work, there is a delicate balance between melancholic melodies and rich textures, resulting in an understated yet deeply exhilarating sound. Fans of emotional, melodic ambient music should find plenty to enjoy.

Grey Marbled Vinyl

North American bad boys ATIC & Exosphere turn up the heat on US-based DJ Trace's 117 imprint. Trench Terror & Animals push sound design to the edge, with the aim to punish the dance floor. Available December 3rd on grey marbled vinyl.

The new album by B.Visible is a distinctive studio work, which captures the state of mind of searching for something, without actually knowing what. The only thing you can make sense of is that you aren't currently satisfied, and you want a change in your life, even though you aren't exactly sure of where you belong. This music is a quest, a search for a greater range of self-expression. B.Visible captured this very thought-provoking concept by focusing on what really matters, musically, and conceptually alike. He stayed true to his feelings, regardless of judge-ment or other people's thoughts and opinions. In the end, it's all about fulfilling creativity and exploring feelings without boundaries.

"In Between Places", demonstrates his remarkable talent for extending varied elements across the whole spectrum, allowing a wide range of influences to inspire, entertain and captivate the audience in a very spe-cial way. What makes "In Between Places" stand out is the fact that it shows the artist's chops, without seeming to try to hard to do so. It's or-ganic and dynamic; technically accomplished, but also incredibly spon-taneous and one-of-a-kind in its execution. The instrumental is perfectly balanced, allowing B.Visible's expertly interwoven patterns of melody and rhythm to soar through the mix and come alive with raw and thrilling performance.

Ultimately, "In Between Places" is a truly special album, which is rich in terms of sound design and textures, tipping the hat off to artists such as Four Tet, Flying Lotus or Apparat, only to mention a few. This record is a musical journey with a unique twist.


Viennese producer B.Visible is always pushing his craft forward with each concept being an evolution. His music is mutating organically as each project brings novelty but always while blending sharp electronic components with dusty acoustic layers. That duality exists in every aspect of his creative journey with DJ sets revolving around second-hand records and modern-day productions but also his live project offering a whole new dimension and generosity to the audience. B.Visible melts the barrier between analog and digital in a such distinctive and elegant way that it feels natural.

Canadian Berlin based producers Scott Monteith aka Deadbeat and Colin de la Plante aka the Mole are please to announce the release of their debut collaborative album, simply titled Deadbeat meets the Mole.

While the two have performed and toured extensively together over the years particularly via their shared association with the Mutek festival and the Cynosure and Wagon Repair labels, this is the first time they've worked in the studio as a duo.

Composed over the lock down period in Berlin, the album's ten tracks traverse the full range of their shared bonkers musical interests, taking in low slung house, dub, hip hop, and smoked out sound collages. When asked about the albums motivations they had this to say:

“I guess Capital H Hosers is a badge we could both wear pretty honestly. Perpetual tweakers of knobs and pushers of buttons both literal and personal might be another. Stay at home dads. Tellers of untold incredibly bad jokes. Yet miraculously, some 20 years on, still somehow on the same weird page, and counting our lucky stars for all you kind folks who still care to listen. We finally got around to making an album during this little unscheduled vacation from normal life, and we hope you'll have as much fun listening to it as we did making the stuff.”

Born in 1993 , Leonardo Passanti aka HollySpleef is a skater, producer, sound designer and part-time gardener who hails from Bagnocavallo.

Thanks to his training carried out both in Italy and abroad - with extended stays in London, New York and Los Angeles - he had the opportunity to explore new soundscapes and collaborate with artists from the most diverse backgrounds.

This album is an eclectic and organic journey into a garden of grooves where seeds of improvisational jazz blur and blossom with ambient hip hop, house and dub sounds.

Having worked with the likes of D.K., J.Tripp, Wojciech Rusin, FUMU, U, Best Available Technology, Grim Lusk, Mars89 and many more to create two sell-out cassettes as 'O. G. Jigg & Friends', the experimental, neo-medieval O. G. Jigg offer their first solo outing.

Previously exploring early music and more traditional folk arrangements, Jigg has now composed a contemporary suite, albeit one that seems to have slipped back into a more recent past.

Drawing clear influence from post-war classical and the effect it had on soundtrack composition during the 60's and 70's, O. G. Jigg has composed what sounds like the lost OST for a 1970's BBC earth mysteries drama that would have been aired just before children went to bed — early enough to tempt a few, who would have no doubt had to recover from nightmares of spirits rising from stone-circles across rural England.

A quote from Malvern Brume encapsulates this feeling nicely; "Makes me think of what I wish the music for 'Children of the Stones' had actually been like. It's bloody wicked!"

The music is written for a small orchestral ensemble, often focusing on the woodwind section, using the balance between dissonant and consonant to create an uneasy undertone — even in the sweetest melodic sections.

There are definitely more thematic structures in the music than heard on previous releases — sometimes even through the tropes of the aforementioned 60's & 70's era of television and cinema — but it's never overdone.

The album helps to ease the listener’s mind out of the city and into the landscapes of rolling hills and overgrown and tumbled-down chapels, probing the topographical resonance of stone circles and other prehistoric monuments of the British countryside.

This record marks the first release on Will Yates' new 'Earth Memory Recordings' label. A project focusing on psychogeographical recordings and artists exploring global folklore through the sonic medium. This first album is being released in partnership with Tokyo-based label Diskotopia, long-time supporters of Will's own music as 'Memotone'. The record has been beautifully mastered by Seance Centre boss, Brandon Hocura.

Wraz is back on Deep, Dark, & Dangerous! "Annunaki" shows the incredible progression in Wraz's production skills over the last 2.5 years.

Yosh is back on Dansu Discs with his ‘Skyline’ EP. Yosh is a household name in the scene and someone who continues to blow it out the park release after release. His Skyline EP provides all the vibes to get us into those dark and gloomy winter months. On the flip, we welcome Angel D’Lite with her delightful (no pun intended) remix of ‘Skyline’.

Remixes of select tracks from Bella Boo’s highly regarded 2019 debut album Once Upon A Passion
- from top UK beatmaker Shy One and Norwegian sensation Karima F as well as Studio Barnhus
supergroup Off The Meds and label co-founder Kornél Kovács.

Shall Not Fade's Time Is Now series continues to showcase the cutting edge of breaks and bass oriented club music. This time they introduce Groovy D; this new solo project of one third of Sheffield-based trio Denham Audio curates a totally fresh take on garage which is soulful, unique and genre-defying.

Afterworld Groove EP features female vocalists and a collaboration with Time Is Now regular Interplanetary Criminal; vocal heavy tracks are a highlight of the record, taking the garage sound away from the confines of the club. "Outta Control" is one of these tracks; Emma Cannon's vocals walk the edge between soulful and mournful, contrasting the wild breakbeats and deep, dirty bass. The title track uses housey intoned keys; this is daytime garage, made for summer parties. Taking influence from his Sheffield home, "Keep Movin' On" has a classic bassline sound palette, cheeky stabbing synths and hyperactive breaks.

"Project Zeus" opens the B-side: stutters of snare and punching bass are broken through with a classic, uncontrollable bassline; the tongue-in-cheek sample that forms the drop will undoubtedly bring a smile to British fans. More minimalist B2 "Timeless" is a chorus of bubbling ear candy until the rolling sub bass looms into a deep, headsy climax. Manchester's Interplanetary Criminal joins to close the EP; with vocals from Anna Straker, "Higher" takes a genre-spanning approach in hazey garage percs and soaring pads. The tempo is down, and misty, romantic sax forms the backbone.

The second in the so far very popular series of vinyl-only white labels on YUKU that feature artists releasing under different aliases. This time, exploratory and impactful 160 with a slice of low-slung halftime from two artists - Ikawa & Kliptown.

Blue Marbled Vinyl

Rizzle's debut album is a sonic exploration of twilight, that unique time when it's not quite dark and not quite daylight either. The area between light and dark and the relationship between the two serving as inspiration for this sensational LP.

Setting out to make a solid drum and bass album, Rizzle delivers 15 tracks that work both in a club and listening environment. With no intro/outro or fillers, the album takes the listener on a journey through light and dark. This concept is further enhanced individually within tracks such as 'Voyager', 'Pathways', 'Duality' and 'Tempest' - each demonstrating this contrast beautifully within each tune.

Along with 12 exceptional solo productions, Rizzle collaborates with Wingz for 'Pathways', Black Barrel for 'Blur' and GROUND for 'Gloom.' Each featuring guest producer adding their own flavour to the Rizzle magic, delivering their combined take on the concept of light and dark.

As releasing an album with Dispatch was a long term goal of Rizzle, we're proud to be able to bring you this impressive debut long-player from one of the drum and bass scene's rising talents.

Not much is known about the German session musician ensemble Studiogruppe 1 from the ‘70s and ‘80s. It’s believed that the grandfather of one member, known only as V.S., originally soundtracked silent films in theatres - although that hasn’t been proved. Studiogruppe1 never rose to prominence in the heyday of studio groups and library records, but it certainly wasn’t due to lack of trying.

Although it’s unknown who the individual members of Studiogruppe1 were, it’s clear they could find a groove within the machines. It appears the sessions were also engineered by V.S., and there’s plenty of space between the notes, which lends a heady atmosphere of anticipation to the music. Just close your eyes and you will find that the music triggers many scenes from the movies in your mind.

Take the opener Dunkler Sonnenaufgang, for example. Waves lap on the shore line of an alternate Coney Island, while the sound system of an abandoned amusement park plays arpeggios in the distance. Errinungen could complement expansive panoramic time-lapses of natural cycles and rolling clouds. The track Wenn Der Tiefe Schlaf Kommt, might accompany a documentary on REM dream cycles and flotation tanks. Sonnentanz raises the temperature, as act III in every movie narrative should, as protagonists rush to overcome their challenges. Ein Neuer Anfang would perfectly soundtrack the plot twist of any number of thrillers, film noirs, or sci-fi mysteries. Album closer War Alles Nur Ein Traum could supplement slow-motion shots of dawning realization, foreshadowing a betrayal or a cliffhanger.

V.S. and Studiogruppe1 have condensed the evocative sounds of the ’80s into something of an art form. Bringing to mind the lilting melodies and melancholy chord movements of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis or Manuel Göttsching, Studiogruppe1 manage to capture widescreen emotional flash points without the need for celluloid, or barely any visual aid, for that matter. These tracks work just as well in the furnace of your imagination or a dark room filled with dry ice and lasers.

Seren's Theme and What We Got feature all the trademark sounds and emotions that made the collaboration between Instra mental & dBridge work so well. Skittering percussion and lush chords blanket warm brooding bass layers with What We Got, featuring some classic dBridge vocals. Fans will have heard these out and about in mixes over the last 10+ years and now get to own them on limited vinyl and digital.

Repress

Includes photography by Mika Vainio on sleeve and printed innersleeves. All profits from the sale of this record will be donated to the Alpha Boys School in Kingston, Jamaica.

Berlin Atonal is pleased to announce the release of Mika Vainio’s live performance at the 2016 edition of the festival. Accompanied by the artwork from Vainio's personal archives, its soft lack of focus is reminiscent of the natural looseness in his sound programming, lending itself to jazz as much as any form of electronic music. Right at the tips of his fingers, sparks fly unhindered by background noise, left to saturate in his universe of swollen intent. This pared-down, sensitive, and serious music has no parallel.
Deep, throbbing analogue laments emanate from the outset reaching far into the furthest fissures of Kraftwerk’s main hall, a chasmic exercise in arching minimalism. Between crisp, upfront sonic assault and backset rhythmic work, it morphs about the cavernous hall exploring to the core the relationship between sound and architecture. Unrelenting and icily atmospheric, the haptic saturation arouses a body of nerves.
As ever the scope of Vainio's poignant work is vast, with limited tools at his disposal. Motifs are revisited and reiterated, calmly rendering confrontational and extreme mechanisms. Feedback blasts buzz over and destroy passages, punctuated by sparse rhythm. As the performance draws towards a close, percussive sounds come to the fore. Rhythmic patterns hint but never falling into predictable repetition, always manipulated, Vainio etching away with his machines. A long-form performance, of ebbing passages, it grows in quasi-orchestral style as mountainous sounds vie for daylight in a thick sound horizon.

Contemporary and historical Porest recordings channelled from behind the somnambulistic event horizon. The now sound... The bleak oblique. The minimal and the maximal. Filmic chamber drones, meditative radio massage and forged spiritual violence bury pop ephemera into the swirling murk of de facto instrumental nihilism and orchestral context-free drama.
Side A: A harmful journey into sickness and despair. You get sick and die.
Side B: You are healed. You stand erect and live forever.
Layered field and radio recordings back electro-acoustic experiments via electric saz, strings, balypso, reeds & synths. Big drones, small ensembles and mood-anthems recorded by Porest and friends between 1995 and 2020 in West Oakland, Germany, Sumatra, Syria, Hanoi and London.

For years, Rhythm Buro and Zadig have maintained a special relationship. The French DJ and producer (real name Sylvain Peltier,) became involved with the Ukrainian institution when he headlined their first party in Kyiv back in 2014. In the few years since, both Sylvain and Rhythm Buro have developed into strong international brands that have become well-known and trusted. They are thus ready to present another form of collaboration: Zadig's debut record on the Kyiv-based label. "Takara-machi" EP is the sixth release in Rhythm Buro's catalogue, following previous releases by Haze, Na Nich, Cyspe and a few VAs on the imprint.

RB006 is particularly notable for its sonic diversity. Zadig, often known for his uncompromising and hard-hitting techno ventures, explores a deeper musical side here, and delves into his wide range of influences and inspirations. A good example of this is found in the manga series "Amer Beton", with the excellent soundtrack by Plaid, hence the Japanese name for the record's title track. At least three of the six tracks on the record follow this influence precisely and are rather cinematic: these are A and B sides' closing tracks; "Shores of Sorrow" and "Kuro & Shiro". Both of which play to a certain dreamy ambient field. The title track on B2 exemplifies Zadig's passion towards an old-school 100 bpm-ish tempo.

And then there's the more dancey side of the record. The EP's opener, "No-face" on A1, and its following tune on A2, "What We Become" are both a clear take, albeit more modern, to classic Detroit techno. Rich with melodies and 909 patterns, both A1 and A2 are conscious in their reference to Detroit, and pay homage to the master minds that spawned the genre in their studios 30 years ago and started it all. The B-side's opening track is another dance floor friendly stomper, although in a different way: "A World of Children" may be best labelled as "slower-electro". Its synth-heavy, almost naive essence, describe its name perfectly.

Despite its aforementioned diversity of sound and tempos, Zadig's "Takara-machi" EP still possesses and maintains a unique commonality and voice across the spectrum. It is dreamy, it is soulful, it puts substance over form. In other words, it has something the vast majority of today's techno palette is missing. Rhythm Buro doesn't miss the mark in unearthing and releasing pure quality for those who know and care.

S?K returns with another energetic vaportrap experience, projecting his mind into the canvas of beats. Nostalgic beats for the nostalgic mind.

Retro-futurist cinematic synth-fest from Supersilent keyboardist and composer. Just as radio drama is said to provide the best pictures, so some music can make for a perfect film soundtrack without the need for a film to exist at all. ’The Haze of Sleeplessness’ is a case in point: as the album starts to play, the listener’s imagination kicks in and does the rest, supplying the necessary plot, character and setting until a full-scale narrative unspools behind one’s eyes. A suite of seven movements whose common musical material is continuously recycled into new shapes and sounds, while recurring leitmotifs create a connecting thread of continuity, ’The Haze of Sleeplessness’ operates on several levels simultaneously. Most obviously, perhaps, it’s an unapologetic synth-fest; a love poem to old-school electronica and analogue sound whose squelches, bleeps and blurts can’t help but recall the heroic era of Wendy Carlos, Vangelis and Tangerine Dream. It’s also a remarkably original and successful attempt at using by now antique instruments to form a true orchestral palette, building a symphony of sound through combining monophonic sources and their new digital variants into a densely populated audio landscape that is captured with astonishing sonic fidelity. The super-saturated surface of the music fairly crackles with raw electricity, as if the over-amped distortion was about to short-circuit itself, with a wobbly jack plug connection flickering dangerously before finally cutting out. That many of these sounds and their treatment can’t help but suggest the retro-futurist setting of a dystopian sci-fi thriller might make the cinematic analogy inevitable, but it doesn’t lessen the music’s power or cheapen its effect.

Repress!

With Robyn, South London's cktrl shares his most ambitious work yet, collaborating with the likes of Duval Timothy, Coby Sey (Micachu, Tirzah, Dean Blunt) and Purple Ferdinand to create a vital exploration of contemporary-classical from the black perspective; out via Errol and Alex Rita's Touching Bass. Spurred on by the overpowering feelings of heartbreak, Robyn impressively creates emotive and heartfelt clarinet and saxophone-led soundscapes about the all-consuming power of love. On the project, cktrl says: "'Robyn' at its core is heartbreak and is just really sentimental. It's a journey of losing a love but it ends with optimism as you find strength to love again." Born and bred in Lewisham, cktrl aka Bradley Miller is an integral part of London's pioneering musical underground. One of the only remaining original DJs on NTS, cktrl has previously worked with and played alongside the likes of Sampha, Sango, Kelela and Dean Blunt. Throughout his career to date, cktrl has also been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs including Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Nicholas Daley and Jenn Nkiru who recently secured him a cameo in Beyonce's heralded 'Black Is King'. With a shared ethos of elevating and amplifying leftfield black music, he partners with London based label, Touching Bass, themselves a key cog within the city's bubbling musical underbelly.

Hot on the heels of his Position Displacement EP, Fraxinus follows up with 4 warehouse-ready cuts on Powerplant Green — kicking off a new series of colour-coded white label 12”s for his label Powerplant. Further stripped back and even more dancefloor-focused, this series sees the artist developing his knack for propulsive rhythms & colossal kick drums. Less of a journey than the label’s first release, Powerplant Green sheds all semblance of emotion. Straight from the first beat, ‘Disruptor’’s rasping acid twinge doesn’t let up, even amid clattering percussion folding in on itself. ‘Torsion’ features a rolling, swung-out rhythm; slow & stepping, but with enough groove for the dance. On the flip, an intense barrage of drums drives ‘Proponent’ through its blistering 6 minutes, backed by disembodied voices calling out from the ether. ‘Pacer’ rounds out the sequence with its steady, controlled build-up, before ejecting the surplus percussion & dropping the listener down a precipice. Fraxinus once again serves up a singular selection of driving futurist techno, built for club-deployment. This time around the intensity is heightened, elements stripped back, rhythms pushed further.

This 3 track EP comes from out of Ibiza Records archive vault hint why it is called archive Vol 2. Each of these tracks represents 'The Original Jungle Sound' from back in the 90s.

Produced by Johnny Dubs and co-producer Paul Ibiza

Maenad Veyl returns to his namesake label along with The Sarcasm Ensemble for the new album, 'Comfort in Misery'. Made up of ten compositions exploring sparse beats, cinematic textures and mind altering experimentations, this is an offering of thought provoking pieces which perhaps make the perfect accompaniment to the modern world. As the name implies, 'Comfort in Misery' seeks to find ways of dealing with perpetual shifts and agonizing circumstances.
The opener, 'Weak & Weary', acts an almost rude awakening, while simultaneously cleansing the palette for the forthcoming journey. 'Harsh Whispers' quickly takes hold and feels like a fragmented dream you may or may not remember while then moving to the more minous, 'Life Expectancy'. From the sparkling tones of 'Deep Ruby' to the uncomfortable bliss of 'Always Worse', the project touches on the most known yet unknown of moods, emotions and states of being.
Winding down with 'Irreconcilable Differences' before concluding with the satisfying chaos of 'Shred', 'Comfort in Misery' cannot be pinpointed or married to any one sound or status. While tackling a seeming insurmountable subject, Veyl & The Sarcasm Ensemble provide a perfect solution for the everlasting pain.
Or do they?

Marco Lazovic has been burning up dancefloors for over four years with his potent blend of house grooves and feisty jungle breakbeats, and so it continues on this new drop for Craft Music. "Dance System" is predominantly shaped out by gorgeous Detroit-inspired synths, but there's also some seriously spicy breaks choppage going off throughout the track. "The Dredwerkz" is a tight and punchy electro jam with plenty of melodic delights fluttering around the 808 drums, while "Daydreaming" gets further up the tempo range to outright ambient jungle a la early Good Looking. "End Theme" stays in jungle mode for an acute exercise in classic rollage.

Laconica is back after a 1 year break. This time it’s a first solo EP of Lviv’s very own DJ and producer Ocean T, who debuted on the previous release (supported by Brawther, Io (Mulen), Varhat and Subb-An). A-side contains two perfect examples of contemporary house music with lush pads and banging beats. Be ready for the acid patterns and big drops – it’s all for dance-floor. We tested these tracks and they work like magic!

B-side is the other side of the game: more broken beat and vintage. Label owner Alex Pervukhin delivers a remix for the main track with huge accent on acid and breaks. And last but not least is a dreamy outer-space burner that takes you on real journey to the future.
Limited press, be quick!

Rob Burger's keyboard work can be heard in everything from Guggenheim showcases to the blockbuster film Ocean's 8 -- in addition to albums by John Zorn, Laurie Anderson, and Iron & Wine but the moonlit compositions he spins up on his own may be his most compelling work. His newest solo venture, Marching With Feathers, departs from the controlled exotica and kosmische of 2019's The Grid towards a genreless seesaw of electrified apprehension and capacious piano rumination. Piano-based tracks like "Figurine" and "Still" draw the listener into a realm of quiet contemplation, while arid psyche vignettes like "Library Science" and "Hotel For Saints" imbue the collection with a vital groove, conjuring images of a searing, high desert plain. At the core of the album is a central dichotomy between strength and gentleness, power and vulnerability. By uniting these seemingly opposing concepts, Burger catches you off guard by carving trails that turn from mirage to stark reality at every bend. As the album draws to a close, the listener feels as though they're waking from a dream, pensive yet determined to rise, like a lost hiker reaching a vista - or a clenched fist full of feathers. Also Available From Rob Burger: The Grid LP / CD, Cosmic Clear LP. “Low key, high sheen compositions...hints at figures like Roedelius but burbles like James Ferraro’s Far Side Virtual and olde tyme library music.” WIRE // “…calming, delicate dose of orchestral art pop that should be right up the alley of longtime Laurie Anderson fans." Brooklyn Vegan

A new sound that blends the auric mind of vaporwave and trap. S?K brings warmth to his synthesized sound that are accompanied by hit damage adlibs.

Stelios Vassiloudis enters an inspiring new phase as he unveils his sophomore LP All Else Fails available March 25th via Balance Music.

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Stelios Vassiloudis poses a triple threat as a composer, producer and DJ. Having been active in the electronic music scene since the early 2000s he has cultivated his own brand of distinctive ambience reflective of his rich and diverse musical background; transcending the dance floor via an emotional narrative of complex soundscapes, intricate harmonies and hypnotic rhythms. Over the past decade Stelios has released music under various other monikers, yet this new endeavour is his most diligent to date - allowing him to rediscover his love for making music during the process, "I'm more hopeful, inspired and determined than ever before."

Ten years on from the release of his debut LP, Stelios' detail-oriented offerings remain incomprehensibly thought-provoking and thorough with this new album. Noticeably dissimilar to any previous efforts, Stelios consciously took a step back from the pressure of maintaining a steadily flowing supply of functional, club-oriented music and as the world stood still amidst the pandemic, he embraced the opportunity to reconnect and express himself with a broader musical vocabulary. He admits that: "with the world around us seemingly on the fast track to Armageddon, the music ended up being very much reflective of the sadness and helplessness I felt."

All Else Fails is a stimulating odyssey to anyone listening. Harmonically dense, arcadian glistens seep throughout the ten tracks, each complementary to the next. Bask in the wistful iridescence and you won't be disappointed.

Stelios carved his way into electronic music by traversing around the globe as a DJ and performer - performing at intimate underground bars in Beirut, festivals in Miami, after-hours in Tokyo, beaches in Goa and mega clubs in Argentina. Having developed a formidable discography on esteemed labels such as Bedrock, Poker Flat, Ovum, Constant Sound and Darkroom Dubs, among others, Stelios' studio prowess and coveted productions cemented his reputation as a versatile and acclaimed artist. His intense passion and drive for innovation in music serves as the fuel to keep him inspired and relevant, qualities that no doubt ensure his reputation as an artist of the highest calibre, will endure.

Ibiza Records welcome's IQ Records to the famliy... Things don't get much more foundational than Marvellous Caine's original IQ imprint... A home to a whole gamut of gully slingers between 1994 -95.... Here is a 4 track EP 2 get dem jungle juices flowin...
credits

With a bunch of releases on various labels Dynamic is now preparing for the release of his second LP on Fokuz. The LP consists of 12 tracks: 8 drum and bass, 4 in various other tempos. The Modal Lounge LP will bring you to a dreamlike state, it's smooth, jazzy drum and bass definetely not for the masses. Like Dynamic said in his KMAG interview ''I dont just write dnb for the club - I'd never feel comfortable being restricted in that way''. The album however is not just for home listeners, already receiving support by the likes of LTJ Bukem and former BBC1 Radio hosts Fabio and Grooverider this LP is already promising to be a Fokuz classic.

Ghostbusters (Suzanne Kraft & Anton Pieete) spent all night investigating strange goings-on at a farm cottage, only to find squirrels. (quality record this...sik one)

Listening to Græns album ”Musique Pour L’Esprit En Expansion” is an awakening experience. This record pours new poison over rock music, a genre which the bands founder Axel (Graveyard, Big Kiss etc) has a lot of experience from and, in his own words “a love/hate relation to”. That objective and sober perspective on the genre may be the main reason for the loosely assembled set of influences, put together by Axel, Lisen Rylander Löve (Midarcondo, Union Carbide Productions, Amason etc) and Rickard “Bobban” Johansson (Den Stora Vilan, Hills etc.), three experienced and wide eared musicians with a fearless approach to their main instruments and music in general.

With song titles like “Björkarnas Sus” (Whiz of the Birch trees) and “Commodification blues”, ”Musique Pour L’Esprit En Expansion” mixes nature romanticism with raw political comments about consumption. The sound moves from Stooges La Blues-land to Swedish progg with each instrumentalists shining through in grand style! Axel describes the less song-oriented tracks as “directed improvisation” – it’s loose but not eclectic.

Whatever sense you are using to catch this music, Græns message of cosmic unity and creative freedom will carry through to you!

Balmat’s second release comes from Hoavi, aka Kirill Vasin, a Russian electronic musician whose work approaches what might be familiar reference points—deepest dub techno, atmospheric ambient, liquid drum’n’bass—with a singular and refreshing point of view.

We first became aware of Hoavi after coming across one of his tracks in a DJ mix by Leech, aka Peak Oil label founder Brian Foote; we began corresponding, which led to a massive zip file of unreleased tracks turning up in Balmat’s inbox. Music for Six Rooms has been culled down from that bounty, its disparate moods distilled into 10 profoundly immersive tracks that touch upon dream pop, dub techno, and new age, all swirled together into the headiest of ambient dreamscapes.

Active since the early 2010s, when he founded his Shells Rattle label, Hoavi has released on a number of labels including floe, Snare Tapes, Fauxpas, and Minor Notes. In October, Peak Oil will finally release his album Invariant, recorded in 2019 and intended for release in 2020, then tied up in pressing-plant backlogs for over a year. Balmat’s Music for Six Rooms follows roughly a month later; we think that the two albums offer a wonderfully complementary view of Hoavi’s talents—one rhythmic, the other largely beatless, yet both of them sensuous in the extreme.

Music for Six Rooms appears in two slightly different editions. The vinyl edition appears on a single piece of vinyl upon which some tracks have been subtly edited in length, to ensure maximum audio fidelity; the digital version features extended edits and runs some 18 minutes longer, in total, for a maximally immersive experience. All vinyl purchases include a download of the full digital album.

A new true liquid release from Phat Playaz and Duoscience. A1 - The Real You - Is a balanced one. Perfect atmospheric with swirly basses and rolling beats. The vocal and pads are really light and breezy, this will definitely light up your dark December.

limited edition 2x12" now !

‘Light filtered through light filtered through light filtered through water.

Process oriented harmonics from SALELE. Pure computer music. 10 tracks running at a hard 30 minutes.’

Very limited!

Repress

Two absolute bangers you need and you'll love. Pressed on a 10" clear + solid red mixed vinyl.

limited marbled red vinyl ediion!
KENDRICK001 is as the name would suggest a naughty release by an unknown artist. 2 rollers which are edited from 2 popular tracks. Beautifully orchestrated with touching vocals.

San Francisco’s Xyla is a queer BPoC classical musician-turned producer, heavily influenced by footwork, R&B, club and orchestral music.
 ‘Ways’ is Xyla’s Leaving Records debut. Echoes of
sweaty rave anthems and classic IDM head trips
can be heard strewn throughout the album’s eight
compositions, awash in deep ambient swirls and
intriguingly twisted samples.
 For fans of Bochum Welt, Aphex Twin, Four Tet,
Barker, Matmos, Plaid.
 Tip-on jacket with gloss finish and black polylined
inner sleeve.

Leaving Records introduces San Francisco’s Xyla to the world. The classical musician-turned-producer’s debut full-length Ways presents a fresh, electronic yet organic sound that deftly skates over and around genre limitations into a deeply felt, lush and hyper-futuristic group of songs. Echoes of sweaty rave anthems and classic IDM head trips can be heard strewn throughout Ways’ serpentine compositions, awash in deep ambient swirls and intriguingly twisted samples. Of the album’s title, Xyla states, “Sometimes you think of how things could’ve been. There are a million different ways that things can go.” The eight tracks on Ways each feel like a uniquely personal expression, heavy feelings processed by the producer’s classical music training and extrapolated through exciting self-taught production methods.

The trajectory of Ways covers many different moods and atmospheres. Early standout “Now” inhabits a reflective space, emotive vocal samples mingling with a variety of expressively filtered synths. Xyla states, “It was a very vulnerable time when I was making this music. It was winter, I quit my job, and I had lost a few close people. I just really felt like, ‘Now that I need you, where are you?’” The devastating “Cold” mirrors its title with thick smears of psychedelic pads, abetted by deliriously sliced vocals stabs and a ferocious acid bassline. Title track “Ways” straddles the line between footwork and ambient, a stuttering, endlessly listenable track that unfolds new and unexpected sounds at each turn.

The pairing of Xyla and Leaving Records is a natural one, with the label and producer sharing an affinity for adventurous musical styles that defy easy categorization. Xyla states, “I listen to so much music, and I really feel like my music is all over the place … I was having an identity crisis, and then Leaving Records announces the mantra ‘All Genre, All Genre, All Genre,’ …… ‘yes, that’s me.’”

7” single picture disc in clear plastic wallet

7” single picture disc in clear plastic wallet

7” single picture disc in clear plastic wallet

7” single picture disc in clear plastic wallet

7” single picture disc in clear plastic wallet

7” single picture disc in clear plastic wallet

Andrew Tasselmyer is a musician from Baltimore, MD currently living in Philadelphia, PA. He utilizes samplers, field recordings, and lo-fi recording techniques to make textured and tactile sounds.

In addition to his solo catalog on labels such as Seil Records, Eilean Recs, Constellation Tatsu, Home Normal, and more, he is a member of Hotel Neon, Gray Acres, and Mordançage

Tape

Foam and Sand is the ambient soundscape and visual project of award-winning composer and conceptual artist, Robot Koch. Inspired by the composer’s daily habit of meditation, ideas for the project started to take shape during the lockdown of 2020. Using tape recordings of slowed-down pianos, modular synths, and other sonic sources, »Full Circle« is a collection of 16 warm and organic ambient tracks.

»Full Circle Reworks« comes with an international selection of some of the most interesting and upcoming names in the ambient/electronic/modern classical community: Midori Hirano, Hainbach, Slow Meadow, Alaskan Tapes, Tom Ashbrook, Arms and Sleepers, Birds Of The West, Julien Marchal and Six Missing.

Tape

Foam and Sand is the ambient soundscape and visual project of award-winning composer and conceptual artist, Robot Koch. Inspired by the composer’s daily habit of meditation, ideas for the project started to take shape during the lockdown of 2020, growing organically under the radar until Foam and Sand was officially announced in 2021. Using tape recordings of slowed-down pianos, modular synths, and other sonic sources, »Full Circle« is a collection of 16 warm and organic ambient tracks. The signature sound is created with loops that magnify the irregularities and imperfections of cassette recordings and that are then shaped by the artist into hazy meditative journeys. Through the process, the grainy subtleties of sound give way to vast and lush atmospheric soundscapes, making audible the complex interplay of micro and macro and highlighting the interconnectedness of these two spheres in life.

“I started meditating 7 years ago. It’s interesting that meditation and medicine have the same root syllable. Meditating before working on my music resets my brain and helps me access ideas that are layers deeper than my conscious mind. Foam and Sand started as a self-soothing project which I now share with the intention of providing healing and inspiration to others.” - Robot Koch

J:Kenzo's 'Karthaus' EP on his own imprint Artikal Music.

Critically acclaimed producer Principleasure drops his second full length LP showcasing just how accomplished an artist he has become. No stranger to a well-stocked studio, having designed presets and loops for Roland’s TR-8S and System-8 instruments, this visionary LA-based artist and recent DJ Mag cover star takes listeners through a beautiful world of soundscapes, genres and influences with an analogue warmth running through its veins.

From swirling cinematic sonics, new wave power and italo-tinged excellence, to dreamy electronica, emotive house and synapse-firing electro, this is a journey that captivates the mind every second of the way.

Reinhold Weber, born in 1927, was known as a pioneer of electronic music. In his compositions, Weber placed a focus on twelve-tone music, he became increasingly fascinated in the field of computer music since the 1970s. He produced numerous works at the Studio for Electronic Music at the University of Karlsruhe.

Reinhold Weber was born in Gießen on July 18, 1927. He studied at Robert Schumann Conservatory in Düsseldorf (including composition with Jürg Baur, piano with Max Martin Stein) and passed his exam in composition, theory, piano and ear training with distinction. He completed further masterclasses with Wolfgang Fortner, Hermann Heiss, Oliver Messiaen (composition), Kurt Thomas (choral conducting), Andor Foldes (piano) and Gerhard Nestler (electronic music). Reinhold Weber was a professor at the Baden Conservatory of Music in Karlsruhe and also worked in the Studio for Electronic Music of the University of Karlsruhe. His works have been performed in numerous concerts and were broadcasted by SDR, WDR, NDR, HR, SWF and Radio Bremen. Reinhold Weber died March 25, 2013.

Actor Kurt Müller-Graf was born in 1913. After visiting the Theater Academy of Baden in Karlsruhe, he appeared on stage at National Theaters of Karlsruhe, Kassel and Munich since 1935. During World War II he performed in about 10 feature films by Bavaria Film Munich. After 1945 he played at National Theaters in Karlsruhe, Stuttgart and at Theaters in Nuremberg, Cologne, Munich, Mannheim, Baden-Baden and Burgtheater Vienna. Furthermore he had guest performances in Zurich, Basel, Salzburg and Heidelberg. Kurt Müller-Graf was touring and had broadcasts on radio and television shows at home and abroad. Kurt Müller-Graf died August 10, 2013.

Efficient Space presents Soft and Fragile by Ros Bandt and LIME (Live Improvised Music Events), originally released by Move Records in 1983. A pioneering figure in Australian music, Bandt is known for her work with sound sculpture, electronics, acoustic ecology, and invented instruments, as well as her writings and teaching.

Soft and Fragile comprises a series of structured improvisations performed on custom-built bells and gongs. On the side-long ‘Ocean Bells’, Bandt performs on her ‘flagong’, a three-tiered vertical glass marimba that she made in 1978, inspired by the ‘cloud chamber bowls’ of maverick instrument builder and microtonal composer Harry Partch. Over a long tape loop made up of slowed down sounds from the same instrument, she delicately strikes the glass bells with mallets, allowing individual pitch-es to ring out and decay with the aquatic wavering quality that suggested the piece’s title, eventually building into flowing melodic sequences. Structured as a series of events determined by the length of the performer’s breath, this gently undulating music invites listeners to lose themselves in delicate microtonal fluctuations and subtle yet expressive phrasing.

For ‘Shifts’, Bandt is joined by Julie Doyle, Gavan McCarthy, and Carolyn Robb on a collectively composed work for clay bells. Atop a steady pulse, melodic and rhythmic cells expand and contract, shifting between LIME’s four members. LIME also perform the closing ‘Annapurna’, where timbres sourced from glass, clay and metal are freely threaded through a pulsating tape backdrop generated from loops of the ensemble chanting.

Presented in a redesigned sleeve showcasing the performers and their instruments, the reissue repro-duces the extensive original liner notes. While Bandt’s ideas and techniques draw on aspects of the invented instrument tradition of Partch and Bertoia, Stockhausen’s intuitive music, and the cyclical structures of American minimalism and Javanese gamelan, the floating world of Soft and Fragile also resonates with the work of New Age outlier Stephan Micus and contemporary practitioners such as Tomoko Sauvage. In Bandt’s own words, this is ‘elegant and sensual music where the body and mind have the time to reflect and catch up with the moment as it passes…It is a music intended for res-pite’.

A tape version (with alternate & extended tracklisting) of the digital-only released »Sounds of Healing in Isolation« by Spirituals, that was heavily featured in Four Tet's mixes and playlists. »Sound of Healing« is a journey through ambient, spiritual music, jazz and ambient.

Polymer Boulevard, the third release of The Ebertbrothers on Mindwaves Music, merges darkened cinematic ambiences with intricate rhythms and textures.
Each of the eight tracks offers a distinct approach to contemporary electronics, surprising the listeners with unusual sonic width and breadth, taking them on a memorable musical roundtrip.
Utilizing an extensive range of synths and techniques, The Ebertbrothers deliver a rich, intense and finely layered album that is well worth one’s attention

The Franklin Street Arterial were from Portland, Maine and are the type of band to appreciate since the beginning of A Side.
Late 70s and early 80s light fusion sound (but not smooth jazz!). Definitely more on the jazz side rather than rock, but with well crafted melodies and solid professional playing from all.
Sublime synthesizer, fine guitar, and fantastic sax gives an honest and touchable value to this record.
LIMITED EDITION COLOURED VINYL

Patience is the debut full-length album by Sante Fe-based artist Theodore Cale Schafer. Alternately murky and narcoleptic and bristling with grit and light, this collection of eight pieces is a delicate play of contrasts. Impressionistic settings unfurl with an unhurried gait, opening with the dreamlike disorientation of "Gold Chain" in which a degraded location recording gives way to a soft web of treated piano motifs. Schafer’s compositions are sumptuous yet unfussy, recalling perhaps the concise, vignette-oriented tape works of Andrew Chalk, which seem to prioritize spontaneity and ephemerality over preciousness and decorum. This approach yields substantive results, as on "It's Late", which marries a dolorous, clanging guitar sketch to the sound of change jostling in the pocket of a walker and the laughter of friends or passersby. This is diaristic music - rough-hewn, confessional, and teeming with possibility. Artwork by Andrea Bjurström. Mastered by Kassian Troyer at D&M.

Loraine James' new ambient-minded alias, Whatever The Weather, follows her 2021 solo LP Reflection (Hyperdub). In contrast to her club music sensibilities, this mode embraces keyboard improvisations and vocal experimentation, foregoing percussive structure in favor of shaping atmosphere and tone. From this divergent headspace emerged new coordinates and climates, a new outlet: Whatever The Weather. A longtime fan of ambient-adjacent Ghostly International artists such as Telefon Tel Aviv (who she'd ask to master the album), HTRK (whose singer Jonnine Standish features on Nothing), and Lusine (whom she remixed at the start of 2021), James saw the label as the ideal home for this eponymous album of airy, transportive tracks as they began to formulate. The titling on Whatever The Weather works in degrees; simple parameters allowing James to focus on the nuances as a mood-builder. Her suspended universe fluctuates; freezing, thawing, swaying and blooming from track to track. James describes her jam-based approach for the sessions as "free-flowing, stopping when I felt like I was done," allowing her subconscious to lead. The improvisations have an intrinsic fluidity to them, akin to sudden weather events passing over a single environment - the location feels fixed while the conditions vary. The album opens at "25°C," a sunshower of soft hums and keys. As the longest piece, it serves to establish stability, the inflection point where any move above or below this temperate breeze breaks the bliss. Given James' proclivity for organized chaos in her production, this scene is fleeting, naturally. From that utopia, we plummet to the most melancholic read on the meter, "0°C," its isolated synth line traversing a hailstorm of steely beats and static. Next, the dial jumps for the propulsive standout "17°C." Like a timelapse of springtime in the city, the single accelerates across a frenzy of frames; car horns, screeching brakes, and crosswalk chatter fill the pauses between rapid jolts of multi-shaped percussion. For portions of the work, James leans neo-classical, rendering pensive vignettes of cascading piano keys and warm delay. "2°C (Intermittent Rain)" ends the A-Side on a short and stormy loop; a resulting sense of reset permeates the B-Side's opener, "10°C." The producer mingles intuitively on echoed organ, locking into and abandoning atypical rhythms that suggest her jazz-oriented interests. "4°C" and "30°C" display the range of James' vocal experiments. The former chops and pitches her voice to a rhythmic, otherworldly effect, the latter reveals James at her most straightforward (she cites Deftones' Chino Moreno and American Football's Mike Kinsella as inspirations), singing tenderly and unobstructed for nearly the duration before beats collide in the climax. Whatever The Weather closes at "36°C," while a sweltering heat by any standards the track eases along comfortably on a chorus of synth waves, acting as an apt bookend for this evocative, sky-tracing collection that started in a similar state. Cyclical, seasonal, and unpredictable, true to its namesake.

Loraine James' new ambient-minded alias, Whatever The Weather, follows her 2021 solo LP Reflection (Hyperdub). In contrast to her club music sensibilities, this mode embraces keyboard improvisations and vocal experimentation, foregoing percussive structure in favor of shaping atmosphere and tone. From this divergent headspace emerged new coordinates and climates, a new outlet: Whatever The Weather. A longtime fan of ambient-adjacent Ghostly International artists such as Telefon Tel Aviv (who she'd ask to master the album), HTRK (whose singer Jonnine Standish features on Nothing), and Lusine (whom she remixed at the start of 2021), James saw the label as the ideal home for this eponymous album of airy, transportive tracks as they began to formulate. The titling on Whatever The Weather works in degrees; simple parameters allowing James to focus on the nuances as a mood-builder. Her suspended universe fluctuates; freezing, thawing, swaying and blooming from track to track. James describes her jam-based approach for the sessions as "free-flowing, stopping when I felt like I was done," allowing her subconscious to lead. The improvisations have an intrinsic fluidity to them, akin to sudden weather events passing over a single environment - the location feels fixed while the conditions vary. The album opens at "25°C," a sunshower of soft hums and keys. As the longest piece, it serves to establish stability, the inflection point where any move above or below this temperate breeze breaks the bliss. Given James' proclivity for organized chaos in her production, this scene is fleeting, naturally. From that utopia, we plummet to the most melancholic read on the meter, "0°C," its isolated synth line traversing a hailstorm of steely beats and static. Next, the dial jumps for the propulsive standout "17°C." Like a timelapse of springtime in the city, the single accelerates across a frenzy of frames; car horns, screeching brakes, and crosswalk chatter fill the pauses between rapid jolts of multi-shaped percussion. For portions of the work, James leans neo-classical, rendering pensive vignettes of cascading piano keys and warm delay. "2°C (Intermittent Rain)" ends the A-Side on a short and stormy loop; a resulting sense of reset permeates the B-Side's opener, "10°C." The producer mingles intuitively on echoed organ, locking into and abandoning atypical rhythms that suggest her jazz-oriented interests. "4°C" and "30°C" display the range of James' vocal experiments. The former chops and pitches her voice to a rhythmic, otherworldly effect, the latter reveals James at her most straightforward (she cites Deftones' Chino Moreno and American Football's Mike Kinsella as inspirations), singing tenderly and unobstructed for nearly the duration before beats collide in the climax. Whatever The Weather closes at "36°C," while a sweltering heat by any standards the track eases along comfortably on a chorus of synth waves, acting as an apt bookend for this evocative, sky-tracing collection that started in a similar state. Cyclical, seasonal, and unpredictable, true to its namesake.

Following twenty albums over 50 years, Yoko Ono's Warzone is strikingly different from any record she has made previously, but it is also strikingly different from any album that anyone is making...

Yoko revisits and reimagines 13 songs from her past work, spanning 1970-2009, the lyrics and messages still pertinent—perhaps even more pertinent—in 2018. "The world is so messed up. Things are very difficult for everybody. It's a warzone that we are living in..." says Ono. "I like to create things in a new way. Every day things change."

The recordings and arrangements on Warzone are very stripped down, with a particular emphasis on Yoko's voice and lyrics. Here in this minimalist landscape the content of her message rings clear and unencumbered; sometimes somber warnings, sometimes uplifting encouragement, but her wisdom and fortitude are unflinchingly strong, her power having intensified with time and life experience. She ends the ominous questions of "Now Or Never" (1971) with one of her most famous and inspiring lines: "

Warzone further builds the legacy of an artist unparalleled in her unique and singular vision. At 85 years young, Ono is already plotting her next album... It is not too late to change the world. We need Yoko now more than ever.

Warzone will be in stores on October 19 on Chimera Music, the label run by Sean Ono Lennon. Leading up to the release date, Yoko will releasing a new song each Tuesday on her website and on streaming services.

Rapidly marking themselves out as one of the most abrasive, innovative artists to watch in 2022, Brighton-based feminist electropunk trio CLT DRP are delighted to kick off their year with new single ‘TORX’, out now on Small Pond Records.

The single will be available to purchase on a new limited edition 10” vinyl from Small Pond which features new track ‘TORX’, previous single ‘Ownership’ plus a remix from New York’s FLOSSING (Brace Yourself Records), and their cover of Dolly Parton’s track ‘Why’d You Come In Here Lookin’ Like That’.

Commenting on the track, CLT DRP vocalist Annie Dorrett says: "TORX is a hard-hitting non-stop racket. It was a stream of consciousness that stemmed from a very tired & frustrating day where I couldn't get my oven fixed in my flat because I didn't have the right screwdriver and I was dealing with a sort of post-break-up rant about somebody that caused me a lot of grief. It’s one of my favourites to play live now."

Longtime Bass providers D-Operation Drop join Navy Cut for NC017.
This 3-track EP from the Italian producers is packed with Bass, sub energy, detailed mids & crisp highs.

London based producer Fiesta Soundsystem has been rapidly gathering attention over the past few years with a string of acclaimed records for Warehouse Rave. His latest outing ‘Rites Of Passage’ for Time Is Now sees the rising producer release his debut full long play, featuring ten cuts of broken beat bass music.

Intercepts is a brand new sub-label from London's Frequency Domain.

Frequency Domain has soundtracked late-night astral travelling since 2015, releasing drone, ambient and offbeat electronics from the likes of Forest Drive West, Plant43, Datassette, Matt Whitehead, Anthony Child, Jo Johnson and Ali Wade.

Intercepts indulges the parent label's more unruly and percussive leanings with a series of EPs drawn up from an anonymous pool of Frequency Domain artists and newcomers. Intercepts releases are served two at a time, with two separate strands - X and Y - each exploring their own sonic trajectory.

The first 'Y' series EP delivers three tracks of urgent machine funk; a spannered slab of 170bpm Braindance hogs the A side, while two peak-time sci-fi electro cuts play out on the flip.

On Delta Estácio Blues, São-Paulo-based singer, composer and actor, Juçara Marçal delivers an electric, unflinching take on contemporary Brazil where samba, tropicalia and maracatu are reimagined via hip-hop production techniques.

Created under an oppressive political climate as Brazil suffered from the pandemic, pain, anguish, chaos and anger run through Delta Estácio Blues. Co-produced by Marçal with fellow Metá Metá founder Kiko Dinucci the album was partly inspired by Danny Brown’s 2017
leftfield rap masterwork ‘Atrocity Exhibition’.

For fans of: Metá Metá, Moor Mother, Kiko Dinucci, Damon Locks, Neneh Cherry

Ein einzigartiger Künstler an einem legendären Ort: Tripping with Nils Frahm dokumentiert seine transzendentalen Liveshows in der geschichtsträchtigen Kulisse des Funkhaus Berlin. Gleich vier Shows im Funkhaus Berlin gaben den Auftakt zu Nils Frahms ambitionierter All Melody Tournee Anfang 2018, die sein gleichnamiges und allseits gepriesenes Studioalbum in den nächsten zwei Jahren auf die Bühnen dieser Welt brachte. In den folgenden über 180 ausverkauften Shows war der Ausnahmekünstler unter anderem im Sydney Opera House, in der Disney Hall in Los Angeles, im Barbican in London, in der Elbphilharmonie sowie auf zahlreichen großen Festivalbühnen zu Gast. Dennoch blieben Frahm die Konzerte im ehrwürdigen und für seine großartige Akustik gerühmten Saal 1 im Funkhaus Berlin in,mm besonderer Erinnerung.

Als Frahm ein knappes Jahr später zu vier weiteren Konzerten im Funkhaus einlud, waren die Tickets binnen Stunden vergriffen. Frahms langjähriger Freund und Filmemacher Benoit Toulemonde, der unter bereits für die Film-Konzertserie La Blogothèque mit zahlreichen weltbekannten Künstler-innen und Bands zusammenarbeitete, hielt die Abende an diesem geschichtsträchtigen Ort mit einem siebenköpfigen Kamera-Team fest.

Tripping with Nils Frahm ist ein Dokument Frahms vielfach gepriesener Fähigkeiten als Komponist und passionierter Live- Musiker sowie der besonderen Stimmung und Atmosphäre seiner legendären Funkhaus-Shows. Ein außergewöhnlicher musikalischer Trip — exklusiv und intim, roh und direkt.

"It was about time to document my concerts in picture and sound, trying to freeze a moment of this period where my team and I were nomads, using any method of travel to play yet another show the next day. Maybe tonight is the night where everything works out perfectly and things fall into place? Normally things go wrong with concerts, but by combining our favorite moments of four performances, we were able to achieve what I was trying to do in

these two years of touring: getting it right! When you hear the applause on the end of the film you should know that I was smiling happily, being a tad proud and feeling blessed to share these moments with you.

Much love, Nils"

Four years on since the portal to Glasgow outsider artist Kay Logan's Otherworld creaked open for the first time, we sit back and admire 'Mad Wee Light' in newly remastered form. Committed to both black and white vinyl editions, her masterpiece glows like a restored AI generated painting, binary scrubbed and winding with fractal strangeness towards its core.

Praise for Otherworld, from Boomkat:

"Stunning, perfectly zonked and secretive drone visions from Kay Logan's Otherworld for her Anxiety bandmate Michael Kasparis' ever-surprising Night School - a real shout for fans of Zoviet France, Two Daughters, Coil, Kevin Drumm

A lowkey jaw-dropper ... The music is really of the rarest drone ambient ilk, spun from real instruments and tape loops with a sort of supernatural, atavistic and prelinguistic quality that gets us slack jawed and heavy-lidded in the most special way.

Spanning tracts of scudding windswept ambience recalling the lushest sort of loopy ambient regressions of Zoviet France, to rawly Scelsi-esque one note drone intensities and the kind of acidic didgeridoo scapes Coil would dream of, Otherworld is making exactly the kind of quietly immanent, life-affirming, expansive musick that we need right now..."

Otherworld is Kay Logan, a multi-disciplinary artist, instrumentalist and sound engineer from Airdrie, now living in Glasgow. Her guitar and bass work in sweaty, thrashing outfits like Herbert Powell and Anxiety are an inverse corollary to the curious tapestries in which Otherworld takes shape. The preternatural stylistic sensibility Logan exhibits in all of her work isn't limited to sound, either – she's a prodigious visual artist with the kind of signature sartorial sensibility that could launch a thousand ships, or lookalikes. Logan's Otherworld project is a musique concrete excursion likely to appeal to fans of Zoviet France or Coil.

Otik ​joins the ​Shall Not Fade ​family serving up five killer jams for their new ‘Basement Tracks’ series.

London based DJ // Producer ​Otik ​has been putting out some eclectic records over the past few years, including stand out twelves on ​Keysound, Nous & DEXT, amongst others. His latest outing sees him share some of his finest work to date, dark, moody synths dance gracefully with heavy drum sequences and weight basslines on ‘Zero-Sum Game’ EP.

First Word Records is very pleased to welcome back Quiet Dawn with a brand new EP entitled 'Movements'.

Parisian multi-instrumentalist Will Galland has been with First Word since late 2014, providing several releases for us over the years, from his acclaimed debut album 'The First Day' to his last EP release, the organic opus 'Human Being - The Short Story Of The Reed'. Collaborations have included Makaya McCraven, Oddisee, Miles Bonny and First Word crew such as Eric Lau, Bastien Keb and Sarah Williams White, who he teamed up with on his classic remix of the track 'Hum' and most recently on the track 'One By One' which appeared on the compilation EP 'A Family Affair' at the start of 2021.

For his latest project, 'Movements' sits firmly in the realms of broken beat, after being heavily inspired at First Word's infamous 14th birthday party at Total Refreshment Centre, where he played alongside label-mates such as Kaidi Tatham and Children of Zeus. This delectable six-track EP encompasses a series of deeply percussive grooves and squelchy synths. This is a predominantly instrumental affair, though does feature the supremely soulful vocals of Oliver Night on the track 'Change Must Come', following on from Oliver's work with the CoOp Presents crew amongst others.

Quiet Dawn says "after the birth of my son, I took the time to get back to making new music.

And when I started to work on new tracks, I wanted to compose something without concept, unlike my previous records, just because time is precious and I wanted to find pleasure again when I composeand not be fixed to a concept, or a story.



These new tracks are instinctive; made with my main instruments, rhodes & piano, synths, percussions, vocals, bass and guitars. They are naturally oriented towards my big musical crush, BRUK, along with different rhythms, vibes and grooves. For me, it's definitely a record for the dancers. For this reason, the new EP is called 'Movements'. Aside from the dancer's element, the title relates to everything that is happening in the world at the moment, working on this record over the pandemic. Affecting people in all countries, friendship, mutual aid, solidarity and movements in many instances are very important to me, my family and my musical family, First Word.'



The influences on this particular EP come largely from the West London music scene; DKD, Bugz, Neon Phusion, 2000Black, Domu, IG Culture, Jazztronik, MdCL, the First Word fam and many many more artists. There are also heavy vibes inspired by 70's jazz, funk, disco, latin & african music."

'Movements' by Quiet Dawn is released on First Word Records on vinyl & digital in late 2021.

Shall Not Fade welcome dance music legend Shadow Child to the family with five rave ready jams for their ‘Basement Tracks’ series.

Shadow Child is an artist who needs little introduction, with a discography dating back to 2012 and notable dance discs for legendary labels such as Dirtybird, Food Music, Unknown To The Unknown, Hot Creations & Super Rhythm Trax, amongst others. His latest outing sees up bring the old school to new school with his debut outing on Bristol based label Shall Not Fade. ‘Bak 2 Skool’ delves deep into all things rave, high energy, dancefloor driven jams through and through.