House News

Optimo (Espacio) started life as a weekly club night. It was born at The Sub Club in Glasgow on a wet, windy, wintry November Sunday night in 1997. Run by JD Twitch and partner in crime Jonnie Wilkes. Optimo was a reaction against what felt like an increasingly conservative musical soundtrack in clubs here at that time. Clubland felt as if it had become very bland and a bit too serious; it was the era of the dawn of the Superstar DJ. Clubs often felt like bastions of male energy. It seemed dance music and culture was going somewhere far, far away from where it was meant to be. The notion of fun had got lost.

It was no longer the world they had devoted ten years of their lives to already, and lots of their friends felt the same. When the opportunity came up to do a Sunday night at The Sub Club it felt like the perfect opportunity to rip it all up and start again. So they did. There was nothing in the city (or possibly anywhere) like it. As the club believed wholeheartedly in what they were doing, there was no pressure from The Sub Club to fill the club. So, they embraced the freedom. Groups of people who had never been in the same room at the same time before came together. A community of kindred spirits started to emerge.

Word spread, slowly. Lots of people checked it out. Many loved it, some hated it. The core of the Optimo idea was to embrace music they loved that might work on the dancefloor from whatever era or genre they thought felt right. It might not seem very radical now but at that time it was revolutionary.

After about a year and a half, the club went from having 100 people attending most nights to suddenly one week having 500 people turn up. It was very weird. It was as if a collective light bulb went off in people’s heads in Glasgow. From that week on, until the very last weekly Sunday night at the Sub Club, in 2010, over a decade later, it was packed.

There were 550 Sunday Optimo nights. A LOT of music was played. So, what was the music? People often find it hard to pin down exactly what Optimo is. This has been a positive but also a negative as we live in a world where people want easily defined “brand identities”. The simplest definition of the music played is “music for dancing”, which of course is a very broad definition. Even better than trying to define it in words, we have these 2 volumes of music that give a hint of what that might be.

This is not a “Best of Optimo” or a “Greatest Hits of Optimo” compilation. For people who come to, or used to come to the nights there are of course “Greatest Hits”. But, over such a long timespan they are “hits” belonging to a certain moment in time and space. Someone who came to Optimo in 1997 would have a completely different notion of the big tracks at the club to someone coming in 2003, or 2010, or today. This compilation is just a snap shot missing several genres that might make up the DNA of Optimo. There is though a broad sweep through lots of music Optimo loves, that they believe is amazing. Music that they know will rock a dancefloor, that they have played between 1997 and 2023. Of course Optimo nights were not all about rocking the dancefloor. The first hour was always a time for them to play music they loved that often was far removed from the dance. Side 1, Volume 1 of this compilation is the kind of music one might hear at the very start of an Optimo night.

Optimo have always loved a good slogan. The most long lived, and fitting Optimo slogan is "We Love Your Ears", which is in essence what it is all about to them.

The third part of Jay Tripwire’s My Life With The Machines.
Heavy, essential collection of west coast house produced in the early 00’s!

Label boss El Prevost makes a welcome return to No Speakers after it's been on something of a break. Thankfully the quality levels remain high here as he kicks off with 'Catastrophizing', a brilliantly bass-heavy cut with broken beats to make you sweat.

On the flip, 'Landing' has a more inward sense of reflection with its fizzing synths and deep space atmospheres making an indelible mark. Last of all, the magic of Detroit looms large with a superb remix by Motor City mainstay Kyle Hall.

His version of 'Landing' brings some jazzy melodic vibes and one of his trademark deep house and bumping grooves. This is another essential 12" from No Speakers.

Vinyl Only

Point of art is back with a new EP by NND. With a debut release on Threads005 in the pipeline and an appearance
confirmed on Lutzifer, label courtesy of Nicolas Lutz, we are proud to present his first solo EP. POA003 features 2 hypno-melodic tracks plus a trancy house remix from Slow Life's Paolo Mosca!

Vinyl only. Limited

Enter the realm of sonic enchantment with Mixcult Records' latest offering, MCRV015 - VA - Tripping Dubs 3. This exquisite 4-track EP features a diverse array of artists, each contributing their unique vision to create an immersive auditory experience.

Arph kicks off the journey with "Forma Trium" (A1), a hypnotic blend of pulsating rhythms and intricate melodies that set the stage for what's to come. As the music unfolds, listeners are transported to a dancefloor drenched in mood and atmosphere, where every beat is a revelation and every note a moment of pure bliss.

Holm Torrance follows suit with "DP1" (A2), a mesmerizing exploration of deep basslines and ethereal textures that unravel like threads in the fabric of sound. With each passing moment, the music draws listeners deeper into its spell, revealing new layers of emotion and intrigue.

On the B side, Overt's "Square" (B1) injects a burst of energy into the mix, with its sharp beats and infectious grooves igniting the senses and driving the mood to new heights. As the colors of the music dance and intertwine, listeners find themselves swept away by the sheer power and intensity of the track.

Closing out the EP is Martin Aquino's "Apex" (B2), a hauntingly beautiful composition that showcases the artist's impeccable production skills and keen sense of melody. As the music unfolds, listeners are taken on a journey through sonic landscapes that shimmer with emotion and depth, leaving them in awe of the sheer talent on display.

Tripping Dubs 3 is more than just a collection of tracks—it's an invitation to explore the boundless possibilities of sound and rhythm, a testament to the transformative power of music. So step into the groove, and let the journey begin.

Following the successful release of debut album "The Rising and Setting of the Heavenly Bodies" (sold-out limited vinyl run), here is the second album by TREN on "not meant to happen" label. Sentimental journey through memories, dreams, space and time.

Special Species Records returns with a split vinyl release featuring GRAS, the entrancing duo who released the stellar Hoch with us previously, and new friend of the label Vague Imaginaires - known for amazing releases on 12th Isle, Not Not Fun, and Versatile. Steamy techno explorations that grow and evolve, bringing emotional and environmental energy to the dance floor.

Chief ZK Bucket is back on the his very own Zaun Records...
Hammered already to death by his biggest fans :) a must have!!!

An official re-issue of the 1996 album, Beyond the Circle, from Dr. Osamu Kitajima presented by Forest Jams on vinyl for the first time.

As the title suggests, Japanese music explorer Osamu Kitajima takes the listener beyond the known on a musical voyage into new territory where his compositions are a synthesis of Western electronics and ambient dance rhythms, tempered by the wisdom of ancient Japanese traditions. "Beyond the Circle" is music that is as energizing as it is spiritual and melodic.

Naarm alchemists Sleep D's revelatory new synthetic 'Electronic Arts' is ready for circulation.

Having released 4 EPs of mind-altering club tackle since 2019's 'Rebel Force', the duo overcome second album syndrome, boiling down their chaos with a more developed sense of songwriting. Never banging one drum, 'Electronic Arts' mirrors the anything goes mania of their DJ sets, tactfully shifting through different sounds and styles. Tempos intensify and decelerate, at times pushing the threshold to 150 bpm from docile canine dreamscapes to full tilt Space Invaders in AR mind games.

Largely built on road tested material from their live performances, the album is a tangible Butter Sessions gathering, busting out the gate with Martian rave initiation Planet Waves, Outdoor System's polyrhythmic beatdown and the Orb-like hero dose affirmations of Sunrise In The Crater (I Exist). While 'Electronic Arts' is otherwise a self-dependent effort, Punch Drunk is brewed ever more potent by the hypnagogic vocals and lucid trumpet cycles of former futsal team member YL Hooi. Their unified energy incidentally manifests a profound matrix of ambient techno, motorik, Don Cherry and Everything But the Girl.

Also touching on apocalyptic doof and minimal, the album is not exclusively peak time with Maryos Syawish and Corey Kikos' specialty curveballs also playing their part. From Village To Empire finds the duo rooting down in Syawish's heritage with a tapestry of purposefully deployed Iraqi and Syrian ethnographic samples and field recordings, dubbed within range of Muslimgauze and On-U Sound. As minimal techno finale Textile trails off into footsteps wandering back to base camp with a satisfied exhale, one wonders where Sleep D's existential pathfinding could possibly take us next?

The situation is overwhelming.
The house is smaller, and there's so much shit to consider and not enough time. The second release on 0 this time from hashman c3d-e and hotspring is dub and house reduced into overdrive with both sides maxed out

Nikolay Sunak launches his own imprint to release lost or previously unreleased music. Blizzards, Orthodoxy and existential torment.

Next up is “Deep Inside”, Sascha Dive returns to Bondage Music once again for another deep frequency encounter, as usual as vinyl only release

– Well, is it working?
– Shh, I almost got it.
– If we don't open the damn safe in three tries, we're screwed. The mutagens will be released immediately, turning us into useless, drooling brats.
– Ew, I can't stand zombies!


Carefully moving the stethoscope along the cold thickness of metal, Cat was listening attentively in an attempt to analyse the clicks. The multiple amplification effect helped to ease the haste that hung in the air and hid between the lines even when one wanted to calm down. The dangerous scam with the intergalactic monetary fund had long matured and was finally executed. There, in the heart of the vault stuffed to the brim with bills and gold, the only feasible option was to guess the code.


– It seems that the lock connects to the opening mechanism, which can be anywhere on the door, via a system of gears.
– Yeah, that leaves us with either the plasma cutting or C-4.


Spacelunch was awkwardly pulling an inverter out of his suitcase, anticipating a big boom in the same breath. It is hard to know which solution would have come first if the sensor on the smartwatch had not gone off. A squad of stormtroopers was already heading towards them…

Stólar label boss Philipp Priebe delivers the inaugural long
player on his own imprint this December, entitled
‘Movements In An Empty Department Store’ and comprising
eight original compositions from the German artist. This LP
is about a kid’s dream - one night alone in an empty
department store. A dream come true for lots of children and
adults, as it gives you the opportunity to do what you want,
try everything without the side eye of employees, snack
through the entire food and sweets section and have a night
off without thinking about consequences. This can become
great, a nightmare or a feverish dream these eight tracks are
your soundtrack to this adventure. Throughout the
‘Movements In An Empty Department Store’ album, Priebe
further showcases his ability to craft, raw, cinematic and
often mystical deep house music that acts as a cosseting
sonic blanket for the listener throughout. From the swelling
bass lines, dubby echoes and ethereal textures found in
tracks like ‘Marble’, ‘Porcelain’, ‘Drenched In Dust’ and ‘Fever
Dreams’, through to more rugged percussion driven dance
oor tools like title-cut ‘Movements In An Empty Department
Store’, ‘Cedar’ and ‘Clouds Floating In A Haze Of Light’ or the
pensive, haunting closer ‘On The Way Out’, Philipp Priebe
once again proves himself as a remarkable composer with a
striking ear for detail and depth.

"Transhumanism EP" is a combination of ethereal and angular sounds, but with many points of reference concatenated between them. Starting from the Side A, if "Methodical Ear" has as its base, a rhythm with an incipit house, but with edgy sounds always in progress, "Shadow Manipulation of Mind" looks at an utopian techno, together a dense and obsessive hypnotic groove. Instead, in the B-side, "Synapsi Sonora", presents a classical structure, but with kick and snare somewhat in the foreground, with low, evolving, sick and stifling pads in their concept of low-fi timbal. "State of Induced Hibernation" is an alien traces in his gait ... Metal Percussion and sharp synth, make a song to say the least harsh and unwilling to be defined and confined to specific genres, as in the complex is all this project for Ambiwa Records.

It is incredible, but yes, Seven Villas turns 10yo today!
In April 2014 Pablo started this exciting music adventure, since then we have been delivering our best quality, music, photos and Dj mixes, introducing new talented artists and collaborating with well known
creators.
Now its time to celebrate, during this year we will release three compilations with our favourite tracks from the catalogue, and three vinyl EP with the best songs that has never been released in wax.
Thanks for supporting our work during this wonderful journey, we'll continue delivering our best!