House News

written and produced by Unseen
made in Detroit by Detroiters
mastered by José Rico @ Downbeat Studio
released by Dockside Records / Vinyl only

Germany's TAPESH blazes it up with this infectious house groover

The new ef ort from Brazilian label Easytiiger.Easytiiger__001 comprises 4 songs by 4 new acts - Mootron, BRZLN Air, Cacos and San Y Mayo. 'No Rave', a rebellion-track led by drunken synthesizers by Mootron, fl oats between bending arps, sharp leads and echoverb nukes land on a big fat drum kick and bright laser shots hi-hats - no rave! 'Detroit', by the young producer BRZLN Air, contemplates an ode to the whole history on electronic music that made the american city be known for what it is: drums, synths and love, a pure obsession. Cacos brings to life his exquisite dream-lover 'Sarah', a dark & mystic techno combined with elements of obscure chant rhythms - it's Sarah. San Y Mayo closes the 4-song compilation marching from the sea into the jungle - you might know what to expect but it doesn't mean it's there.

OTO Casa Discografica celebrates Italy's hidden treasure and hometown: Bologna, the city that gave birth to the most creative italian cultural movements since the mid sixties.

Contemporary art, comics, design, music... You name it, we made it before, better and wilder!

Bologna host the greatest techno club in Italy, Link, where Angelo Sindaco (OTO boss label), Mayo (aka Abyssy) and Luca Ghini filled the dancefloor in the early nineties with a blend of Detroit techno, Chicago House, Electro and their own productions.

Skank Bloc Bologna is a serie of limited 12's in the typical OTO fashion: each volume features four artists/producers from Bologna for a total of 3 issues.

SKANK BLOC BOLOGNA VOL. 01 features:
Sindaco and Carli Moretti's OMBRA SILENZIOSA reworked by Pasta Boys honcho Uovo, Abissy (Mayo) with a pure analog Detroit style gem, a Luca Ghini's typical techno funk lick and, last but not least, Paolo Iocca from RA-1 Records with a dark, powerful dance stomp. Packaging feature a tartan fabric cover (all different!) and an orange silver-screen printed cardboard poster.

Limited edition of 100 pieces.

REPRESSED !!

Repress

Jeremiah R returns from an interstellar trip to the Vega constellation. 8 tracks of quality electro from Rotterdam!

The Solar Phenomena label welcomes Achim Maerz for its fifth EP. The Hamburg producer is an associate of labels like Don't Be Afraid, where last year he released his mini-album of rough and ready house tracks that are improvised and innovative. The four cuts he serves up here are just as special and have an ethereal air to them.

In My House opens things up with serene synth work and lush Detroit stylings. It's a deep and widescreen track that encourages you to dream. Fresh Air is a little more upright, with rattling hits and pixelated, long tailed synths lingering above the rooted drums. As the title suggests, Leaving This Planet is a cosmic exploration, with ambient keys and meditative atmospheres joined by only the most subtle and suggestive sense of rhythm way down below. Last of all is Two Times, a beautiful deep house track with deft synths drifting, bleeding and wandering off into a starry night sky. All in all, then, these are truly thoughtful house tracks.

In 2014, Ultramajic's Jimmy Edgar received information about an East Detroit storage unit auction containing vintage recording equipment and historical items of Detroit Techno descent. We were only able to take a 1 minute peak at the dark and dusty unit before the bid, it was clear there were at least 1000 vinyl records and some miscellaneous recording equipment. ULTRAMAJIC came into the possession of over 100 DAT and 1/4" reel tapes. One box contained meticulously dated tapes from 1995 -1998 with sharpie inscription "ASHTAR LAVANDA". We had never heard this name and google search didn't bring back many results. We had uncovered a hidden treasure of Detroit Electro. The Ashtar Lavanda tapes led us on a journey to find out who the producer behind the sound was, and furthermore how did this music never get released After nearly two years, we managed to connect with Ashtar Lavanda to present this music to you. Like others during this time, Ashtar Lavanda was sharing lesser known analog studios that catered to electronic music artists during the late 90s. Studio time was expensive so the tracks had to be recorded same day. With this release and upcoming archives of his music, he will be known as one of the true pioneers in late 90s Detroit Electro alongside artists such as AUX88, Ectomorph, Dopplereffekt, and Drexciya. "I just wanted to see my music on New Dance Show, I wanted to hear it on 97.9FM but I didn't have the hustle to get the music out there" Ashtar Lavanda resides in Detroit to this day and currently works in the medical industry.

Derrick Carter, Mark Farina and Chris Nazuka classic from 1989 gets a re master and a re issue for 2014!

Fuckthegovernment.Ltd is a label and is artist duo ran by F.T.G (Alfredo Trastulli) and Music Box head honcho, Marco Riff, two Italians with a deep love of analogue-inspired house music and chicago sound. The label's latest once more arrives at us from the label owners, who combine witH aplomb on the quite expertly named '(I've Seen) Love From Tokyo'. For the first time ever, Fuckthegovernment.Ltd call on a remixer to give the package an extra sheen. In a move that's befitting of the standing for which the label is held, the guys have only gone and nabbed Chi-town legend Boo Williams for remix duties. A killer DJ tool that takes the listener on a proverbial journey of sound, his effort - not a million miles away from classic Williams productions a la 'Mortal Trance' - is sure to win plaudits from discerning house jocks aplenty. The original is an Intricate and deep number that's laced with clever cowbells, warm pads and a sporadic vocal that really brings the heat. With such adept producers on show, it's perhaps no surprise that Fuckthegovernment's latest serves up a masterclass in beautiful house music.

"...a swirl of the bedrock elements that make up modern music, his LP lifts from Soul, Funk and Hip-Hop to create this ode to Detroit House."
A NATION OF MILLIONS

EARLY SUPPORT FROM ALEXANDER NUT ("Tight beats from Snips as always. Dexters Pain is my fave here. Big ups"), KARIZMA ("Proud to hear a friend grow musically, great work on the album my friend...Full Support. K'), RED RACK'EM, SK VIBEMAKER

SNIPS delivers the first vinyl release on Houseology. The Barbershop LP is a tongue in cheek play on the production techniques Todd Worsnip aka Snips normally uses when making his Hip-Hop work. This 8 track LP is meeting of the two worlds of House and Hip-Hop tapping into Snips' raw ability to find the best cuts and chops needed for any genre.

DJ Snips began his career at legendary London record store Deal Real', where he ran the open mic night alongside British host and comedian Doc Brown, Snips' years at Deal Real saw him DJ'ing alongside performances from several US heavy hitters including Kanye West, Mos Def and the Black Eyed Peas.

Snips' knack for manoeuvring through a wide range of Hip Hop oeuvres has seen him play around the world, Specifically in NYC where he has been a guest at legendary parties including Everyday People, Bible Study, Mobile Mondays and Ginny's Supper Club. As well as being a regular in NY, Snips has also headlined events in The Philippines, Australia, Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Qatar, France, Norway and Spain. When Snips isn't touring or on the Club circuit, he's known for churning out beats for some of the most talented MCs on both sides of the Atlantic. His production work includes tracks for several major US recording artists including M1 (Dead Prez), Capadonna (Wu Tang), Sean Price.

Work on the Houseology record label allows Snips the opportunity to articulate himself even more so within his skilled production, by drawing a definitive line between the House/Hip-Hop relationship which has existed for years.

New talent from Detroit. HazMat's Infinite Silence ep is as deep as they come, and is the first release in a new series of Detroit artist releases from Third Ear. Following on from Third Ear's landmark Detroit Beatdown series, the New Detroit Deep series of releases is just that. HazMat has played keyboards for artists such as Bilal and Mary J Blige, as well as Detroit legends Kenny Dixon Jr, Amp Fiddler and Delano Smith. Along the way, he started to make his own beats and his own tracks and is now ready to take things to the next level. He also plays keys with Motown legacy artists' touring bands, such as The The Four Tops, The Detroit Spinners, The Gap Band. It's not all about the beats and the synths, though. HazMat's work using the Talkbox is right up there.

A celestial body
Alive, in movement
From the gravitational pull of forces yet unknown
Hurtling through our inner space.
Where thought and concept are intertwined with light and sound
Where cosmic shudders become Music.
Where categories are obsolete and there is only impress.

Mathu delivers 4 spacy Techno bombs on the new Libertine Traditions, anthem alert!

Solar Phenomena welcomes singular rhythm master STL for a new EP that offers four fantastic tracks of dubby house. It is the label's fourth release and finds the Something label boss in a typically inventive mood.

First track 'Spy vs Spy' opens things with shuffling drum loops and eerie synth details that hypnotises over seven minutes. 'Atomsmasha' has wooden hits and rough shakers peppering a soft, imperfect groove as awkward chords bring an unhinged edge to the mix. On the flip, 'Summer Breeze & Brotherhood' has loose keys doing an off kilter dance over STL's trademark low-key drums where 'Freebird' zones you out with long held chords and detuned keys as cloudy, dusty kicks bring a barely-there groove deep down low. You know what to get from STL by now, but at the same time you can never get enough.

The UK House legend Sir Lord Comixx is back 20 years later...Splendid 90's House music taken from his old DAT. Member of the classic label Ugly music & half of Future Monument with Justin David, he created an unique style of House music that goes across time. Back in the days his music has been enjoyed by many known names, such as Derrick May, Carl Craig, Blake Baxter and Danny Tanaglia. He delivered here 5 timeless tracks with the strict idea of taking your shoes on to dance and spiritually travel !

DUANE: the former Teenage Weirdo, the current Brand New Dog, presents a three-track single full of funky electro-pop from the musical motor city of Detroit. Lo-fi freedom, Casio keys + Casio key drums: the digital sound is here no more. DUANE's sound merges with the slick production skills of Brett Cimbalik on the Rollhaven Refunk' remix of DUANE's classic Brand New Dog, Same Old Tricks."

Rob Amboule is a relatively fresh name on the scene, the young artist stepped onto 2020Vision's radar following the London based producers self released white-label, KERRI01. A record which put Amboule on the map and was heavily supported by the likes of Paul Woolford, who closed the Space Terrace with one of the cuts last year, and Heidi on her Radio 1 show. This introductory single has now led to a full EP of original material for 2020 here, joining the likes of Ejeca, Huxley and Maya Jane Coles on the roster.

The release kicks off with 'Kerri', a raw deep house cut, embracing a classic aesthetic, the record employs an amalgamation of cutting chords, blooming pads and vocal snippets, running alongside swinging 909 drums. 'Pushin' On' follows, displaying a more understated, reserved approach to Amboule's productions, as he tightly blends swirling pads, resonant synths, and shuffling percussion, with sensual vocal lines uttering the tracks title. Amboule adds a further musicality to the track in the centre stages, throwing in a tension building synth string for good measure.

Last up to close the single is 'Part Three', taking on a retro US House approach, with its crunchy claps, warm, evolving Rhodes melodies and stabbing bass hooks, these elements build the foundations of the record while subtle nuances in the drum programming and background atmospherics add character.

After Zine's 'M--E' EP started the climb to the peak of the 'Mind Everest' the crew's journey continues with this versatile four track EP by fairly unknown but up-and-coming producer Lowshore. His debut record provides a fine selection of superb crafted house with a not to deny touch of funk and jazz influence featuring a tooled bassline cut, a drum infected sampler session surrounded by an emotive peaktime jam and an ambient run out on the flipside. Each release comes in a black screenprinted sleeve with an embossed photographic fine art print.