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North Lake is a fairly established name in the leftfield techno scene and each release he puts out leaves his listeners constantly looking forward to much more. The prolific and elusive Michigan-based artist has a rich repertoire of previous releases and contributions on exemplary record labels such as Permanent Vacation, Life and Death, Ellum or Phonica.

The four tracks on his seventh EP stand out as masterful, immersive, very intense and at times eerie pieces of lower-bpm dance music. Opener "Sun Gun" and title-track "Two Headed Beast" follow up on the trails of "Journey To The Center Of The Sun" or "Marlborol Noir", adding further proof of his ability to constantly deliver memorable synth jams. The B-sides "Caverns" and "White Lodge" allow him to explore his darker side, adding even more melodic intricacy and dramatic moments to his deep, eerie trademark sound.

"Two Headed Beast" is our collective's sixth physical release to date and the first in a longer string scheduled in 2015. "White Lodge" will be available exclusively on wax.

There are synthesizers, there are guitars, bass guitars, real drums and vocals in the first song. Components of rock and pop unite here in this lone 1977 effort and make way for elements of dark slow funk and soul that take you a couple of years back to the early seventies. The garment of swirling synthesizers keep it all together. The atmosphere can be soft and gentle like the touch of a lover's hand but it can also become more and more mysterious and gloomy generating a feeling of paranoia as if you're on the run and have no idea what are you running from. Some passages have these big and catchy melodies you would have loved to find with many of the later synthie pop acts. There must not necessarily be vocals on this album but they do a fine job of churning up your emotions in the opening song, just wanted to add this. Despite the lightweight groove in some compositions there is always a thought provoking melancholy present. From many of the synthesizer albums I have been listening to lately on my trip to discover a musical world still strange to me this is one of the most catchy but still rather wicked ones. It takes a turn from the pop and rock elements in the beginning and chooses a more epic direction with each song. The great late Edgar Froese (TANGERINE DREAM) or Klaus Schulze would certainly raise their hats to this project in deep respect. A beautiful little obscurity from a scene that seems so utterly strange and magical to me, the rock and acoustic music fan. This album gives you more than just a pleasant time listening. This is an experience!

There are synthesizers, there are guitars, bass guitars, real drums and vocals in the first song. Components of rock and pop unite here in this lone 1977 effort and make way for elements of dark slow funk and soul that take you a couple of years back to the early seventies. The garment of swirling synthesizers keep it all together. The atmosphere can be soft and gentle like the touch of a lover's hand but it can also become more and more mysterious and gloomy generating a feeling of paranoia as if you're on the run and have no idea what are you running from. Some passages have these big and catchy melodies you would have loved to find with many of the later synthie pop acts. There must not necessarily be vocals on this album but they do a fine job of churning up your emotions in the opening song, just wanted to add this. Despite the lightweight groove in some compositions there is always a thought provoking melancholy present. From many of the synthesizer albums I have been listening to lately on my trip to discover a musical world still strange to me this is one of the most catchy but still rather wicked ones. It takes a turn from the pop and rock elements in the beginning and chooses a more epic direction with each song. The great late Edgar Froese (TANGERINE DREAM) or Klaus Schulze would certainly raise their hats to this project in deep respect. A beautiful little obscurity from a scene that seems so utterly strange and magical to me, the rock and acoustic music fan. This album gives you more than just a pleasant time listening. This is an experience!

Another great but late (1928 - 2003) synthesizer artist and pioneer, this time from Italy. His works date back to the early 60s and maybe even beyond considering his age. In the mid to late 60s he became quite active in the field of western movie soundtracks for example. This album I have the honor to review is a concept album on the zodiac signs and the music it contains could not be more diverse. The elements that unite all the tunes are the entirely synthetic, yet warm analogue sound and the surreal, spaced out atmosphere. Several different basic genres deliver the inspiration from which Marcello Giombini forms his melodies, harmony patterns and rhythm structures. There are tunes you will easily recognize as pop songs with a typical 60s approach concerning the melody writing, there are baroque elements and even pure soundscapes that make you feel like being trapped in the interior of a thinking machine. The synthetic sound adds a futuristic shine to each composition. The mood changes are dramatic. You can float down a peaceful river of dreams at one point and then become swallowed by a vortex of musical fury that projects a galactic battle before your third eye. Indeed the whole album could work as a soundtrack for an epic science fiction movie whose story drags you far out into space. In case you love movies such as 'The black hole' and enjoy the compositions of other synthesizer heroes such as Mort Garson you will certainly hold one of the most precious musical treasures ever in your hands. Every fan of 70s synthesizer music should at least give this a listen and decide whether it has the power to lift him off the ground.

Another great but late (1928 - 2003) synthesizer artist and pioneer, this time from Italy. His works date back to the early 60s and maybe even beyond considering his age. In the mid to late 60s he became quite active in the field of western movie soundtracks for example. This album I have the honor to review is a concept album on the zodiac signs and the music it contains could not be more diverse. The elements that unite all the tunes are the entirely synthetic, yet warm analogue sound and the surreal, spaced out atmosphere. Several different basic genres deliver the inspiration from which Marcello Giombini forms his melodies, harmony patterns and rhythm structures. There are tunes you will easily recognize as pop songs with a typical 60s approach concerning the melody writing, there are baroque elements and even pure soundscapes that make you feel like being trapped in the interior of a thinking machine. The synthetic sound adds a futuristic shine to each composition. The mood changes are dramatic. You can float down a peaceful river of dreams at one point and then become swallowed by a vortex of musical fury that projects a galactic battle before your third eye. Indeed the whole album could work as a soundtrack for an epic science fiction movie whose story drags you far out into space. In case you love movies such as 'The black hole' and enjoy the compositions of other synthesizer heroes such as Mort Garson you will certainly hold one of the most precious musical treasures ever in your hands. Every fan of 70s synthesizer music should at least give this a listen and decide whether it has the power to lift him off the ground.

Inspired by a long lost tale from dark and cold northern lands, written many ages ago, 'Neida' is the story of a young boy who one day noticed an eerie call, so peculiar and odd that he could not resist but to follow it. While it resonated through remnants of ancient settlings, the boy had to overcome many obstacles and solve numerous quests, journey through mystical forests, foggy mountains and ghostly villages, battle the forces of nature and lose himself in this adventure. Finally reaching the ocean after an exhausting voyage, a mysterious invisible force drew him closer and closer to it, suddenly entranced in a state between consciousness, floating underwater, lured by the siren of the sea.

'Neida' comes out worldwide on limited vinyl (including download code).

- Brainfeeder's sole British representative Lapalux follows up on 2013's 'Nostalchic' with his second longplayer 'Lustmore', an album loosely based on the experience of hypnogogia (a transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep). His infectious rhythms, enveloping textures and unfamiliarly familiar melodies conjure that territory perfectly.

- Featured artists include Andreya Triana and Szjerdene.

- Recommended if you like Flying Lotus, Bonobo, Shlohmo, Shigeto.

- The vinyl format is a deluxe 2LP with black / orange splatter vinyl housed in a 5mm spined sleeve with gold foil and velveteen.

- Artwork by Marielle Tepper.

- 'Make Money' was featured in Flying Lotus' FLYLOFM radio show for Rockstar Games' 'Grand Theft Auto V'.

Internationally renowned DJ and radio personality Gilles Peterson has called upon some of the most exciting names across the jazz, electronic and indie worlds to rework Melanie De Biasio's acclaimed album No Deal, including EELS, The Cinematic Orchestra, Hex, and Seven Davis Junior.

EELS haunting, orchestral reworking of opening track I Feel You is the first ever remix by Mark Oliver Everett (AKA E), who fell in love with De Biasio's music when she supported EELS at the Royal Albert Hall in June. The Cinemantic Orchestra give I'm Gonna Leave You an intense reworking, while beat maker C. Crisci, a.k.a Clap! Clap! gives the same track an afro-beat slant. Seven Davis Jr gives title-track No Deal an old school house flavour, while LA's Jonwayne coats With All My Love a lush balm of hip-hop. Japan's Toshio Matsuura (AKA Hex) adds an impressive urgency to The Flow, whilst France's modern classical composer Chassol provides a downtempo and discordant take on Sweet Darling Pain.

2014 has been a breakthrough year for Brussels-based De Biasio, who was recently announced the winner for Belgium of the 2015 European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA), which celebrate the best new pop, rock and dance acts in Europe which have achieved cross-border chart success. Other winners include Hosier (Ireland), MO (Denmark), Milky Chance (Germany), and Todd Terje (Norway).

No Deal received 4 star reviews from The Guardian, Mojo, and Record Collector, with Hi-Fi Plus awarding it 10 out of 10, saying "I think we have the album of the year on our hands." Her most recent single I'm Gonna Leave You was playlisted at BBC 6 Music, and last month De Biasio performed on Later...With Jools Holland, BBC2's flagship music show, becoming the first Belgian artist to be invited on the show since 1995.

Recorded in Antwerp and on location, 2010 - 2014. 'Songs Of Gold' are nine small portraits. Five tracks that where featured on the cassette versions PLUS four extra tracks for this vinyl version. Culled from compilations, limited run cassette releases, choreographies, and 7" singles. Some pieces were worked on for a length of time, others materialized in just about one take. All the songs are derived by an encounter with an object, a place or a person. Or by a combination of these. The events are translated into the work through the intermediary of symbolic sounds and notes. There is no thematic link between the compositions.

Super-limited reissue! Tappa Zukie's super rare reggae dub-disco cut 'Freak' is now repackaged and repressed in an authentically designed sleeve - complete with throwback type and touches - the original sounds as relevant as ever.

(July Collective Title) Born in Berlin in early 2014 and nurtured over the following summer, 'I Declare Nothing' is the spine-tingling collaboration between Tess Parks and Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre). The duo, who co-wrote and co-played on the album, they are touring across Europe this year.Tess Parks - A native of Toronto, Tess Parks moved to London, England at the age of seventeen where she briefly studied photography before deciding to focus on music. Tess made an impression on industry legend Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records, albeit the timing of their meeting could hardly have been less ideal, McGee was no longer involved in music and Tess was due to move back to Toronto. After moving back to her hometown in 2012, Tess formed a band on the advice of McGee and less than a year after their meeting, he returned to music with his new label, 359 Music. Tess became one of his first signings and released her debut record 'Blood Hot' in November 2013 to excellent reviews. One reviewer described her as Patti Smith on Quaaludes'. Others have mentioned her "gauzy psychedelic sound' and "smouldering voice'. Alan McGee himself said: She's only 24 and is already an amazing songwriter... she just doesn't quite know she is yet ... her most beautiful quality is her lack of ego. Tess is an amazing lady'. Anton Newcombe - Anton Newcombe is the leader of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, who returned last May with their 14th full-length album 'Revelation' to critical acclaim. It is the first album that was fully recorded and produced at Anton Newcombe's recording studio in Berlin and was released on his record label A Recordings. It was supported by a successful European tour. Named in tribute to the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist and his influence in introducing Eastern culture and music into the world of Western rock & roll, Brian Jonestown Massacre formed in San Francisco, California in 1990. Two dozen band members later and numerous ups and downs' (some have been famously sensationalized in the media), the one thing that has always remained consistent for this psychedelic collective, is front man Mr. Anton Alfred Newcombe.

All tracks written and produced by Junto Club. Copyright Control
Next up on Optimo Music is the next wave of unique talent to emerge from Glasgow, once again recorded in the near-legendary Green Door studio.
Four tracks of highly original, impossible to pigeonhole, dancefloor-not-dancefloor music.
Junto Club are four men from Glasgow who have remained friends since they were teenagers through creating music they love. Whilst learning new instruments during a long winter, their sound was fashioned unexpectedly with sporadic melodies overlaid on taut drum machines, synthesizers and bass guitar. Many humble dance moves followed as the band began to carouse behind closed doors with their newly-found rhythm.
Four track 12" EP in picture sleeve.

*The product of a move from South Carolina to Berkeley, CA and the subsequent extended separation from loved ones, Toro Y Moi's third full-length, Anything in Return, puts Chaz Bundick right in the middle of the producer/songwriter dichotomy that his first two albums established.
*There's a pervasive sense of peace with his tendency to dabble in both sides of the modern music-making spectrum, and he sounds comfortable engaging in intuitive pop production and putting forth the impression of unmediated id.
*The producer's hand is prominent- not least in the sampled "yeah"s and "uh"s that give the album a hip-hop-indebted confidence- and many of the songs feature the 4/4 beats and deftly employed effects usually associated with house music. Tracks like "High Living" and "Day One" show a considerably Californian influence, their languid funk redolent of a West Coast temperament, and elsewhere- not least on lead single, "So Many Details"- the record plays with darker atmospheres than we're used to hearing from Toro Y Moi. Sounding quite assured in what some may call this songwriter's return to producer-hood, Anything in Return is Bundick uninhibited by issues of genre, an album that feels like the artist's essence.
*Born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, Chaz Bundick has been toying with various musical projects since early adolescence. Having spent his formative years playing in punk and indie rock acts, his protean Toro Y Moi project has been his vessel for further musical exploration since 2001. During his time spent studying graphic design at the University of South Carolina, Chaz became increasingly focused on his solo work, incorporating electronics and allowing a wider range of influences- French house, Brian Wilson's pop, 80s R&B, and Stones Throw hip-hop- to show up in his music. By the time he graduated in spring 2009, Chaz had refined his sound to something all his own. Music journals across the board touted his hazy recordings as the sound of the summer, and he released his debut album, Causers of This in early 2010.
*Since then, Bundick has proven himself to be not just a prolific musician, but a diverse one as well, letting each successive release broaden the scope of the Toro Y Moi oeuvre. The funky psych-pop of 2011's Underneath the Pine evinced an artist who could create similar atmospheres even without the aid of source material and drum machines. His Freaking Out EP, a handful of singles and remixes, and a retrospective box-set plot points all along the producer/songwriter spectrum in which he's worked since his debut, and Anything In Return is another exciting offering that shows he's still not ready to settle into any one genre.

First new album in 4 years. One of the true pioneers of modern electronic music. Features guest collaborations with Sam Dew (Wale, Roc Nation,Jessie Ware), Rob Crow (Pinback), Milo & Busdriver (Hellfyre Club), Helado Negro. It has been 4 years since Guillermo S. Herren released anything significant from his most famous and respected moniker, Prefuse 73 (though he has certainly kept busy with live shows, collaborations, and remixes). That's a long time for virtually any artist, but it's an eternity for Herren, whose first three Prefuse 73 albums dropped in the span of under 4 years. As if to make up for lost time, 2015 will see the release of not one, but 3 major works from Prefuse 73. After several albums that saw Herren progressively drift away from the beatmaking prowess that made him synonymous with emotionally resonant, damaged hip-hop, he's found himself reinvigorated. Rivington Não Rio revels in the kind of compassionate complexity that marks Prefuse 73's greatest works, with a profound new element added to the mix: Patience. Herren's ability to marry the manic to the melodic has always been uncanny, but here it feels downright magical as the songs inhale with his trademark sense of urgency... then exhale in longer, more revealing breaths. The prismatic textures that have long been a staple of Prefuse 73 are bound to beats and melodies with the spirit of hip-hop and the subtlety of modern minimalism. The album's guests treat the material with a hushed respect: Roc Nation songwriter and Jessie Ware collaborator Sam Dew turns "Infrared" into a sublimely soulful, dimly-lit portrait of inverted R&B, Milo & Busdriver's vicious, rapid-fire verses contrast a pastoral downbeat to brilliant effect, and elsewhere, Pinback's Rob Crow and Latin electronic-folk crooner Helado Negro navigate splintered tropics with passive grace. As a stand-alone album, Rivington Não Rio ranks extraordinarily high in the Prefuse 73 canon. As a centerpiece to an epic triptych that includes the Forsyth Gardens and Every Color of Darkness EPs, it's a new peak from a pioneer who appears to only just now be hitting his prime. For an artist who has played an undeniably integral role in the careers of so many influential artists, it's not just refreshing to hear him return to top form... it's revelatory.

A very necessary stand-alone release for Six Six Seconds' 'Tearing Down Heaven', which originally appeared on the 2012 Downwards compilation So Click Heels. Written and performed in Berlin by the elusive Eden, and deftly recorded and mixed by Karl O'Connor, 'Tearing' was the comp's stand-out: a piece of drugged, darkly rapturous dream-pop in which the abyssal swoon of shoegaze meets a harsher, more pernicious order of psychedelic rock minimalism. This 10'/digital edition on Blackest Ever Black features a slightly extended version of 'Tearing Down Heaven', and a stunning new reprise', which homes in on the original's roaring, phantasmic electronics, unravelling its complex webs of feedback and high-end scorch into a masochistic drone-raga for eternally thwarted lovers. Freshly remastered by Matt Colton, released in a one-off vinyl edition of 500 copies.

'Memoosh' is the collaborative project between William Yates (memotone) and Soroosh Khavari (Soosh).

Without any pre-planning, the project started to grow and develop a life of its own as soon as the first session started. Over the course of more than eight weekends spread over a year, the two visited each other for recording sessions, not relying on modern modes of communication. Making all the music in person to keep to the collaborative nature of the project, leaving more room for improvisation and opportunity to jam out all their ideas.

The album is a mixture of live instrumentation (guitars, piano, cello, zither, drums, clarinet, synths and numerous others) coupled with effect boxes, samplers, vocals and field recordings, influenced by everything from random static and buzz, to a beautiful early morning rain or the bass thud of a closing door. The whole album being more an exploration of their approach rather than anything conceptually thematic, representing both characters and personalities in the music.

"To be honest, had we not been asked by Project Mooncircle to make the album we probably would never have met to make music. Thankfully they did ask! And it has been a very fruitful conquest. Not only has the album created music we are proud of, but in it's construction it created a new and lasting friendship."

'Memoosh' comes out worldwide on limited grey-marbled double vinyl, limited handmade and handpainted cassette edition (both including download code).

With a compact production, filled with guitar riffs, catchy melodies surrounded by a haunting bass, incredible electronic atmospheres, his new project 'Stalker' shows his concept of pop music. Memories of people passing by, visions of nights to come. A retro pop approach to everyday 's life. Music with a reason and a meaning by a man of mystery, passion and a brilliant mind. Music with a reason from a true artist.

Complimenting the original version, Playout have assembled an all-star cast of remixes to create one of the most essential releases you'll hear this month. Tigersushi's Joakim, New York's Com Truise, and finally it's the turn of the UK's Optimo, creating the perfect warehouse moment in the process.

Black Spirituals is the Oakland, CA based duo of Zachary James Watkins on electronics and strings and Marshall Trammell on percussion.  This is the band's debut full length after cassette releases on Sixtyhurts and The Tapeworm.Black Spirituals have been performing extensively in and around their Oakland, CA base of operations, have recently completed their first US tour, and have continuous live actions throughout the coming year. LP limited to 250 copies, in custom printed 2 color 12' jackets with hand-stamped labels and inserts.

Album art and design by Faith Coloccia with texts by band members Zachary James Watkins and Marshall Trammell.
OF DECONSTRUCTION emerges from a landscape of sameness fully formed and armed to the teeth with its idiosyncratic musical idiom in the brilliant, crunchy, rocking, swelling, absorbing, immersive, hypnotic, ritualistic, improvised, heart-throbbing, spine-tingling, buzzing, captivating, comforting, raw, non academic, free flow, on the spot, fluxus-like, futurist, natural, psycho-acoustic hyper-realist touches of the twenty minutes tour de force Radiant. Massive electronic synth noise

SELECTED QUOTES:
'Two of the brightest musical minds of today - Marshall Trammell and Zachary James Watkins bring their skills and passion to Black Spirituals. Get this recording right away!'
- PAULINE OLIVEROS
'Whenever I see Black Spirituals play I see a magical collaboration bringing together concepts of history and radical transformation. I see elements of rebellion and elements of simplicity and fun. There are elements of cumbia, noise, jazz, and avant improvisation.'
- SHARMI BASU

'He can do quiet intensity- made possible by his voice, abstract (yet heartfelt) lyrics, innovative arrangements, and top-notch performance- delivered with complete and authentic sincerity. Arranged Waves is a great introduction to the music of Stephen Steinbrink- and it is quickly becoming one of my favourite albums of the year. ' 8.5/10 - Louder Than War

LP is 180g and comes with CD inside.
LP Includes download code

Rhyton is an experimental/improv/psych trio based in Brooklyn that features Dave Shuford (D. Charles Speer and the Helix, No Neck Blues Band), Jimy SeiTang (Psychic Ills) and Spencer Herbst (Messages, Matta Llama)
*The Emerald Tablet follows the sold out self-titled Rhyton album released by Thrill Jockey
in Jan 2012
*The Emerald Tablet is from an edition of approximately 600 copies worldwide and is pressed on 140
gram Dutch vinyl by Record Industry.
*The album is housed within a handsome, intense jacket featuring art design from Arik Roper.
*The album and the jacket are both housed within a custom designed and printed rigid poly sleeve which adds an extra, vivid dimension to the album's presentation. The album is be accompanied by a download coupon for DRM-free MP3s of the album.
*The Emerald Tablet was mastered by Patrick Klem. This record is a joint release between Three Lobed Recordings and Divide By Zero Records.
'When one thinks of a power trio, the ears tend to gravitate to bands like Blue Cheer, Cream, post-Scratching the Surface Groundhogs, Freedom and bands of that ilk. In improvised music, the saxophone stood in for the guitar, giving us groups like Sonny Rollins' trio with Wilbur Ware and Elvin Jones, Coltrane's 'Chasin' the Trane,' and Albert Ayler's unit with Gary Peacock and Sunny Murray. Of course,
*'power' is a vast concept that could represent change, emotional breadth, or deep, interpersonal communication. Rhyton - the trio of string multi-instrumentalist David Shuford, bassist Jimy SeiTang and drummer Spencer Herbst - fits all of these characteristics as well as a whole lot more. Rhyton developed from Shuford's desire to return to open-form music, which he'd explored in great depth with the No Neck Blues Band. Developed out of sessions for the Arghiledes LP (Thrill Jockey, 2010), he assembled Rhyton with SeiTang (ex-Psychic Ills) and Herbst (ex-Matta Llama, Messages) and the results appeared on an eponymous Thrill Jockey debut.
*The Emerald Tablet is the follow up, and presents a decidedly more 'free' angle on the Rhyton chalice, fitting well within both Three Lobed Recordings' painstaking documentation of contemporary psych and outsider music and Divide By Zero's emergence withinthat same sphere.

You Are Wolf (aka Kerry Andrew) explores English and American folk music, fusing source material with leftfield pop, gentle touches of electronica and a hint of spoken word, all melded with an array of wild vocal techniques. Debut album Hawk to the Hunting Gone (produced by MaJiKer) was made with the backing of the PRS Foundation for Music's Women Make Music scheme which allowed Kerry to developed a set of songs based around British birds in folklore (or 'Birdlore', if you will) that provides the backbone of this very unique record.

Six of the album's ten tracks are adapted in part or in whole from traditional British folk songs, but You Are Wolf's approach to arranging the material is anything but traditional. That said, leading roots music magazine fRoots, ever forward thinking, are already championing the record with a feature on Kerry (penned by wyrd-folk connoiseur Jeanette Leech) set to appear in the May 2014 issue with an album track appearing on the accompanying downloadable playlist. Standout track Doves fuses When Doves Cry by '80s US pop legend Prince with the traditional song Turtle Dove and features fellow folk maverick Alasdair Roberts on guest vocals, while The Buzzard's Heart takes the poem Answers by TS Eliot Prize nominee Robin Robertson and sets it to music.

Kerry's music has been played on BBC6 Music by Tom Robinson, Gideon Coe and Stuart Maconie, Radio 3's Late Junction and New York's premier indie radio station WFUV. She has appeared twice on BBC Radio 3's The Verb, writing a specially-commissioned new song for the show. Kerry was chosen to be an EDFSS 'Folk Rising' artist in 2010, appearing as part of a concert series curated by Sam Lee's Nest Collective at the home of the EFDSS, Cecil Sharp House. As YAW Kerry has supported the likes of Martin Carthy, Alasdair Roberts and Laura J Martin. Elsewhere, as Kerry Andrew she's a composer of experimental vocal and choral music and she is also a member of adventurous a cappella trio Juice, punky/jazz crew DOLLYman, and folk-jazz sextet Metamorphic.

Tracklisting;

* Following from 2012's critically lauded album 'TIMETIMETIME&TIME', Kansas based experimental producer and sonic auteur 'yyu' (said why why you) is set to release his first 12' single - entitled 'Kiss As We Walk' - for UK based powerhouse RAMP, with his second official full length album set to follow on the label later on this year.
* Advancing on his home-spun sound that sees the producer utilising field recordings of live instrumentation and heavily effected, pitch shifting vocal refrains - occasionally sounding like James Blake making garage rock - alongside modern, hip hop leaning production techniques. YYU has finally managed to find his spiritual home in RAMP, a label that has enabled him to truly hone his sound for the first time into something truly personal, beguiling and totally affecting.
* 'Kiss As We Walk' - a tune that was recorded in a parking garage - sees the self-professed rat enthusiast, who makes his music to the sound of a coffee maker, combine home cooked foley samples, with gritty pads and lopsided drums. *Chopped up room ambience, tiny snippets of vocal utterances and snatches of noise fill out the focused, minimal yet overwhelming sound position you right next to the young producer.
* The flip sees yyu recording in an old bathroom armed only with his guitar. The same naturally occurring reverbs and idiosyncrasies present on side A are again present into 'When We Were Old' - an emotionally charged folk song about time and death.
* Given that the two entities involved in the release of this record are innovative, experimental, and subversive purveyors of musical art, RAMP is definitely the perfect home for the pugnacious, liberating talent that is yyu.
* For a taster, grab a free track from the young producer here:

Kathryn Bint follows her perfectly formed debut Until (2008) with an album that reveals her remarkable range as a musician and songwriter. Her tender vocals still send husky shivers down the spine, but Into The Trees is so much more than beautiful folk songs.

*Limited Edition Young Galaxy 'Privileged Poor' Remix 12' featuring Factory Floor, TOY and Dan Lissvik (Studio).

*400 copies only for Europe, clear vinyl.

*Young Galaxy's 'Privileged Poor' is taken from the Polaris Music Prize short-listed album Ultramarine.

*Debut release from new label, 586. (586.001)

*Factory Floor remix: This remix comes hot on the heels of the band's acclaimed debut album on DFA. One of Factory Floor's strongest remixes to date.

*TOY remix: TOY's Dom and Ale continue to emerge as world class remixers as they transform this track into a psychedelic freak out.

*Dan Lissvik remix: Ultramarine's producer returns to 'Privileged Poor' and gives the track an extra bump for the dance floor.


Young Galaxy 'Privileged Poor' 12' Tracklisting:

*Leader of the new wave of Belgian artists; Cupp Cave unleashes his first set of tracks since last years mini album Retina Waves. NVMB is more focused and dancefloor friendly than his previous release - Cupp Cave is currently putting the finishing touches to his debut album, due on RAMP in 2014.
*Initial copies come in a limited embossed sleeve.
*Radio: Gilles Peterson (BBC 6Music), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music)
*Reviews: DJ Mag (print), Mixmag (print), Data Transmission, De:Bug, XLR8R, Resident Advisor
*Streaming: Sonic Router, Dummy, XLR8R

Didascalis locked himself in the studio during the last months to put maximum effort into his fourth album. "Enjoy My Wrong Shoes", a little puzzle with some of the songs' titles, is a real masterpiece, a sweet collection of Depeche Mode's best songs taken by Davide (Didascalis) into a more chill, warm, intimate and subsonic dimension. The album also includes a brand original track from Didascalis: "Springtime". The album is yet supported by the Top Italian Chillout DJ's and constantly aired by many radio stations, including the famous Radio Montecarlo (national radio).

Couture Chic begin their musical journey in 2010 from a lucky encounter between 4 young musicians: Vanessa Chiappa (vocals), Luca Gabbianelli (guitar), Thomas Bianchi (Double Bass) and Marco Bellagamba (Drums), each one of them has been involved previously in important music projects both at National and International level (Steve Lyon, Howie B, Nomadi, Max Pezzali, etc). In their Live Shows Couture Chic go through a musical trip starting with a sound reminding us Of the Fifties and ending with today's classics, covering a number of Hits of the International Pop Rock repertoire in a bossanova, lounge, nu jazz and swing mood. From Michael Jackson to Madonna, from The Beatles to Bob Marley, from Deep Purple to Guns 'N' Roses until we even get to Lady Gaga and James Blunt, so many great Artists that Couture Chick Care to cover in their Shows, in a mix of Sounds, an exotic and grabbing Groove, made easy by the four members contributing to keep the arrangements interesting and never dull throughout. In the fall of 2012 the collaboration with IRMA records begins, which leads to the release of their first album titled "Velvet Bossa": 12 intense rearranged Covers that synthesize the artistic project of the Band and highlight the musical versatility of Chic Couture, ranging between different genres until they manage to create their own characteristic sound. The album, entrusted to the Artistic Production of Riccardo Rinaldi (Aerosmith, Sud Sound System) relies on the participation of nationally known musicians: among them, the Internationally know trumpet player Massimo Greek (Zucchero "Sugar" Fornaciari, Neffa) and the excellent piano player Alessandro Garofalo (Sud Sound System).

01. Personal Jesus
02. Missing
03. Smoke On The Water
04. YMCA
05. IShot The Sheriff
06. JumP
07. Wicked Game
08. Paparazzi
09. Eye Of The Tiger
10. Love WIll Tear Us Apart
11. You're Beautiful
12. Hey Soul Sisterv

The 'Spit' EP on budding label Astro:Dynamics is the debut release proper from Samoyed, producer of mood-drenched grainy lo-fi drones and tough - yet ragged and bitty - dancefloor disturbances. Three original tracks and a remix from Lukid, fusing textural beatlessness with stripped back house and techno, whilst also incorporating the artist's own vocals, in a style he calls 'Melty'. Samoyed has already received support from Rustie (one of these tracks featured in his FACT mix), Hudson Mohawke and Floating Points, and his name is increasingly being dropped on blogs and message boards. On the title track he utilizes an array of static drenched snippets of guitar feedback to create a granular atmosphere with a subtle groove, topping the track off with his own muted vocal, landing somewhere between Panda Bear and Arthur Russell. 'Maybe Yes' is created on self-built Max-based software, wherein a break-beat is meticulously deconstructed whilst an awe-inspiring soundscape is processed and overdriven. 'Malamute' is the last of the original tracks, on which found sounds and rough / smooth textures combine sublimely with Samoyed's vocal and a minimalistic chord structure, whilst the slo-mo 4/4 rhythm and an irresistibly sub-heavy bass hits you right in the back of the throat. Rounding off the record is a remix from Lukid, who reconstructs the rhythm of 'Maybe Yes' into a straight and driving pulse, whilst euphoric pads and vocal snips combine with the soundscape of the original sounding like re-edit of a golden era jungle track. Early radio plays have come from Tom Ravenscroft and Mary-Anne Hobbs. Features confirmed in FACT, DJ Mag, and Dummy.

*There can't be many who possess a back catalogue containing more hidden gems and scarcely touched upon curios than R Stevie Moore. Dubbed 'The Grandfather of DIY' by some, it's the only tag that's ever stuck for this prolific, chameleonic artist, whose cult status has grown over nearly half a century of music making, and whose back catalogue - which numbers in the hundreds of releases - has influenced everyone from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore to recent lo-fi pop King Ariel Pink.

The second full-length from Los Angeles / London electro soul duo draws heavily on late 70's French library music, 80's Italo disco and sleng teng dancehall riddims. "LA MUSIQUE" pays homage to the beginnings of the digital realm via vintage gear. In full picture sleeve. 12 tracks

*There can't be many who possess a back catalogue containing more hidden gems and scarcely touched upon curios than R Stevie Moore. Dubbed 'The Grandfather of DIY' by some, it's the only tag that's ever stuck for this prolific, chameleonic artist, whose cult status has grown over nearly half a century of music making, and whose back catalogue - which numbers in the hundreds of releases - has influenced everyone from Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore to recent lo-fi pop King Ariel Pink.
TRACKLIST: Why Can't I Write A Hit - Makeup Shakeup -Old- Structure Of Love -The Picture -Quarter Peep Show- I've Begun To Fall In Love -Pretend For A Second That You Are very intelligent Forecast - No Body - Man Without A Purpose - Treat Me What We Did - Copy Me - I'm Sorry But Goodnight

Rmxs from Robin Guthrie, leader of the defunct Cocteau Twins, and Idol for all the shoegaze electronic scene (Apparat, M83, Walls..), Telefon Tel Aviv (BPitch), Douglas Greed (Freude am Tanzen) and post-dubstep duo from Barcelona Downliner's Sekt.

After the critical success of his 2010 debut album, Things To Do and Make, composer Ergo Phizmiz returned to a string of often award winning commissions for radio (BBC 3 and 4 and German national radio) theatre and opera before coming back full circle to the melodic three minute popular song form.
*Earlier this year, over the space of a few weeks, and in typically prolific style, he refined and self-recorded a number of ideas that had been forming in his head while busy with other projects. Leaving behind the favourable comparisons to the 1960s Canterbury Sound or Vivian Stanshall of his debut and occupying less identifiable territory, the resulting Eleven Songs is a leaner, harder collection of songs that, as the title suggests, each stand in their own right. Although ostensibly the album consists of ten songs and an instrumental, Ergo considers Space Dance, a Sun Ra tribute, in the manner of Lieder ohne Worte, a song without words. *With no default mode of music making, but versed in so many, it would be fair to call Ergo a music conceptualist. But the purposeful construction of his writing and production methods are always in the service, rather than at the expense, of the pure joy of what makes a good song. Anyone who has seen Ergo perform will instantly recognize in these songs his natural theatricality, narrative drive, and a lack of pretension that allows music to be a shared experience. This is a highly addictive album that should echo the chorus of voices that acclaimed his first album with the
lament that there aren't more pop musicians like this. 

Refining the psych-pop nuggets of their debut LP, In Limbo, TEEN's new Carolina EP is a stepping stone in the way that all good extended plays are. The band — lead singer and multi-instrumentalist Teeny Lieberson,
keyboardist Lizzie Lieberson, drummer Katherine Lieberson (the three are sisters), and bassist Jane Herships---recorded the five-song record with producer Daniel Schlett, who recently worked on DIIV's Oshin, at Strange Weather studio in Brooklyn.

*While In Limbo 's songs have many layers and effects, TEEN intended Carolina to be a more natural affair, with the band only playing what they could physically perform in a live setting. Teeny sings in a higher register here, inspired by Kate Bush and Al Green. 'Our music in the past was so about interweaving melodies, creating movement by syncopation, and simple chord structures,' Teeny says. 'It felt like the next step forward would be to take a more simplistic, live approach, play lines in unison and create a different kind of conversation between the instruments.'