quête:mad work

Classic 1988 'early' house LP reissued on yellow vinyl for the first time for RSD 2025. Made by Royal House aka Todd Terry, the legendary producer & DJ from New York who was a staple for house music and produced under many different aliases throughout his time such as Black Riot, CLS, D'Effect, Dred Stock, Frontline, Frozen Inc., Gypsymen, Hardhouse, House Of Gypsies, Limelife, and amongst many others, Masters At Work (Before he gifted the name to Louie Vega & Kenny Dope). Everybody who was into house and it’s culture in 1988 owned this record, now you have the chance to own this on yellow vinyl for the first time. 'Can you Party' is still played on national radio stations and one of the staples in rave and it’s scenes. Remastered for 2025 in the original 'PAID' designed sleeve but now in transparent yellow vinyl for RSD. Limited edition.

Strictly Ragga is a track that me & Mr Sensi finished together in 2014, but at the time, there was no label interest in it and besides some DJ support from Bailey, Equinox, Double O & a few others at the time, we sort of forgot that it had existed. Recently though, whilst organising my projects folder, I rediscovered the tune and thought it was worth releasing myself now that I'm able to do that on Future Retro London.

FM Dial, I sort of can't really remember the exact process behind it being made. If I remember right, Kid Lib sent me the parts of a tune called Unauthorized around 2013 (I think?), it was quite fully formed but it had no bassline on it. I never made time to work on it, so I think he sent it to Mr Sensi, who did some work on it but also didn't finish it. Then last year, I found a folder that Mr Sensi had sent me years back, which had the parts for a tune that he never finished, which I then finished. I sent the tune to Kid Lib when it was done, having forgotten about Unauthorized and it turned out that I finished a version that Mr Sensi had worked on of Kid Lib's track, without knowing anything about Mr Sensi's involvement in Unauthorized. All a bit confusing I know, but anyway, all that matters was that the tune was finished.

Nice one to Mr Sensi & Kid Lib for their involvement in this release and to Bailey, Equinox, Double O and everyone else that gave Strictly Ragga some support in its initial existenc

Legendary Italian label Palmares Records is back with two previously unreleased works from Stefano di Carlo directly from his archive of 90's productions plus two new remixes, one from label boss Alex Neri and the other from Andy Perfetti.....the perfect comeback for Palmares Records.

For this 4th release, Bazdesur records welcomes nothing less than its founder, Basile de Suresnes with the EP “Hush Money”, his really first appearance on the label. A collaborative work with the artist The Social Fugazi who was noticed a few months earlier on Frappé records. The two producers deliver a work that is surprising to say the least, as it contrasts with the universe that we knew from them. Here, no glitter or disco ball, no groovy bass line, but a sound made of machines, samples and broken rhythms. We find UK inspirations, Electronica, and a touch of house. A raw coloring totally assumed by the artists and enriched with their French “touch”. We like that. This EP reminds us of the richness and diversity of electronic music, and how good it is to mix styles! Bazdesur records promotes electronic music in the broad sense.

Good friends and Record Mission co-captains, Dan Tyler (one half of the Idjut Boys) and Nick The Record, take the reins for the third volume of the Mr Bongo Edits 12" series. With previous editions coming courtesy of Danny Krivit and Luke Una, Dan and Nick set their sights on a hand-picked selection of iconic ‘70s Cuban recordings for this three-track cosmic whirlwind. Across the A side, Dan picks out two Juan Pablo Torres tracks, with Nick taking on Grupo Los Yoyi on the B. Tweaking, extending and reworking the recordings with a dose of extra magic they remould the tracks to fit the sounds and structure of today’s dancefloors.

Having formed the Idjut Boys in the early ‘90s, Dan and Conrad McDonnell have crafted a dubbed-out, disco-tinged style that permeates their countless productions, remixes and DJ sets. Speaking of the two tracks Dan has chosen to rework for this EP he mentions, “Having been caught under an avalanche of good music from Mr Bongo, I took it upon myself to extend and add effects to a couple of the fantastic tracks from the Juan Pablo Torres LPs they recently re-issued. Just for disco jockey and barn dance use.”

First, Dan looks to Cuban maestro Juan Pablo Torres’ 1978 album 'Algo Nuevo', taking one of the standout tracks ‘Cacao’ and giving it more space to breathe. Teasing out the scatting vocal line and percussive climax that nods to George Kranz's ’83 electronic disco anthem 'Din Daa Daa', whilst adding more cosmic tripped-out synths and space echoed dubs, Dan builds the tension to fine effect. This track sounds immense on a big club system and the swirling synths felt like they were lifting the ceiling off when we played it at the amazing La Paloma ballroom in Barcelona.

Dan then turns his attention to Torres’ 1977 'Super Son' album, giving the psych-Latin-funk track 'Pastel En Descarga' a dub makeover. Rich in delay and drama, whilst maintaining and extending the breakers funk intro, he juices it up into a punchy, no-nonsense, cosmic-funk delight.

On the B side, Tangent co-founder, long-standing Life Force resident and seasoned rework master, Nick The Record, revisits an edit that he originally constructed in 2009. Clocking in at over double the length of the original cut, Nick’s edit of Grupo Los Yoyi’s 1977 cut 'Paco La Calle', is made with dancers firmly in mind. This secret weapon builds and simmers, with the drums and percussion pushing and pulling before the psychedelic synth lines return in a sweltering fashion. In this new 2025 version, Dan is drafted in to work some brilliant new synth lines into the mix.

There's iconic. Then there's *iconic*.

A MASSIVE speaker-smashing release, decades overdue. It's been bootlegged - shamefully so, many times over the years - but finally we present the first ever officially licensed reissue of this truly special Afro-disco-not-disco LP from 1979. A favourite of Harvey, Antal, Young Marco and, er, every great DJ to ever play deep records ever, basically. It's not hard to see - or, indeed, *feel* why.

Gem after gem of relentless, irresistibly funky gold, it's an incredibly revelatory album with endlessly complex drum patterns and basslines to dive into, throughout. Truly, this is uniquely FIRE music, unlike anything else you've ever heard, based on Gwo ka music from the gorgeous islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. A thrilling synthesis of primal, hypnotic drums - the most tribal of percussive elements high in the mix throughout - with the loping synth pyrotechnics of, amongst a whole host of other greats, Wally Badarou and bass power of disco funk don Sauveur Mallia (Arpadys, Spatial & Co.)

Originally released on the seminal French label Barclay, you'd be hard pressed to even find an original copy in nice condition anywhere, let alone for a reasonable price, so it's high time an officially licensed, remastered reissue came around. It's just the latest in a long line of Be With reissues where the music sounds like the - drop-dead dazzling - cover. This here is a true drum attack. BUY ON SIGHT!

Tumblack was a short-lived project, produced and arranged by electronic wizard Yves Hayat and it can certainly be regarded as one of the first examples of Zouk, mixing powerful disco-funk arrangements with Gwo ka, traditional music from Guadeloupe. Gwo ka is an Antillean Creole term for "big drum". You can say that again! It refers to both a family of hand drums and the music played with them, which is a major part of Guadeloupean folk music.Whilst the first side is credited to the exceptional Tumblack band, the flip is given over to "Tumblack & Friends". These weren't just any old friends. Oh no, they were the absolute cream of the French scene (think Arpadys, Voyage, Le Club, Giant, CCPP, Synthesis, Swing Family) such as Sauveur Mallia, Wally Badarou, Marc Chantereau on percussion, Slim Pezin on guitar and Jean-Paul Batailley and Pierre Alain-Dahan handling drum duties.

The urgent, frantic "Fracas" gets things moving straight away with a cavalcade of drums and percussive funk before giving way to the stratospheric "Invocation", one of the album's many, many highlights. It's effectively one long heavenly drum break, a really hard, raw, tribal drum workout without a whole lot else going on - and all the better for it! One to make you sweat, no question. Up next, "Jubilé" is announced with a bellowing accapella voice, chanting the titular name before the heaviest of kicks smashes out your system and lulls you into an absolute state of bliss for nearly 6 minutes. Whoooooosh! Rounding out the sensational A-Side, "Vaudou" is a scratchy, funky patterned drum workout which - yep, yet again - absolutely slays your neck muscles, making them snap and contract in extraordinary fashion. TURN IT UP!

Ushering in the B-Side, the brief, fidgety, African chant-funk of "Parlement" segues seamlessly, beautifully into "Waka", an overwhelmingly rich gem of percussive funk. You do not want this to end, once it hits its stride. For maximum heavenly drum pleasure, you'd need to go a long way than the moment "Waka" feels like it's fading out before it kick-drum-blend into the mighty "Caraïba (Intro)". It's just staggeringly good. It's a minute-long layered drum prelude to the gigantic track which follows. Indeed, "Caraïba" is arguably the best loved and most well-known cut off the LP. And with good reason...featuring that Mallia bass, warm Rhodes and clavs, synth magic, memorably alto sax lines and, of course, tribal chanting.

Another mighty super-ahead-of-its-time classic, the bouncing bass heavy synth funk of "Chunga Funk" deploys Mallia and Wally Badarou (on Mini Moog) exceptionally well. I mean, come on, that bassline is just ridiculous. Try not to move to this one. This extraordinary record closes out with the more traditional Gwo ka sounds of "Bateau La Passé", the tribal chorus making the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

Tumblack really is a gorgeous late-70s disco-not-disco essential. It's an absolute MONSTER that will completely blow you away; and, yes, it's as compelling and trance-inducing as the cover. The audio for Tumblack has been carefully remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The cover of Tumblack is so iconic and we sought special permission from original artist Hélène Majera to recreate this at Be With HQ. It absolutely zings off the print and serves as the perfect finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

A1. Mike Berardi is put in the spotlight with an incredible breaks original. Originally born and raised in Italy, Mike has been bringing exquisite sounds to the concrete jungle for over a decade. Mike Berardi has made a name for himself, even working with big names such as Chez Damier. Having an ear for what dance floors crave, his productions continue to land on huge labels around the world. 


A2. Samuel Padden is a producer who needs no introduction. His reputation for making incredible records has brought him around the world, with more and more DJs dropping his originals on the dance floor. The rising star generously delivers another banger to lucky listeners.

B1. Jay Tripwire is clearly an artist who is channeling energy from alternate universes. With a sound unmatched, and a discography like an encyclopedia, Jay Tripwire is undoubtedly one of the greatest producers of all time. We proudly present his mind melting 12-minute minimal masterpiece.

At the start of the 60s, a new wave of gospel-influenced jazz started to emerge, with hits such as Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' "Moanin'" and Cannonball Adderley's "Work Song" epitomizing this evolution in the genre. The terms "soul jazz" and "funky jazz" were coined as a way to describe this new sound that was making an impact in the US and also on the other sides of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

In 1964, Ray Charles made his first visit to Japan. Then, in 1968, Martha & The Vandellas and Stevie Wonder set foot in the country, followed by Sam & Dave in 1969, Ike & Tina Turner in 1970, and B.B. King in 1971. The TV show "Soul Train" also began airing in Japan in the early 1970s. A watershed moment happened in 1973 when Sammy Davis Jr. was cast in a TV commercial for Suntory whisky — and the influence of the US Black entertainment world had really landed, with soul, jazz, and funk artists becoming household names.

Nippon Columbia played a pivotal role during this turning point. The company had contracts with Buddah Records and Blue Thumb Records, releasing notable works by artists such as Gladys Knight & The Pips, Curtis Mayfield, The Crusaders, and The Pointer Sisters. At the same time, the label was also releasing several Japanese soul, jazz, and funk projects under the lead of music director Jiro Inagaki. Inagaki, a saxophonist who began his professional career in the early 1950s, honed his skills at U.S. military camps, where he shared his love of music with the Black servicemen. In the 1960s, he played with drummer Hideo Shiraki's band, which was widely considered to be Japan's representative group of the funky jazz movement. Later, Inagaki went on to pursue more cutting-edge sounds with his Soul Media project, including being a pioneering figure in the "jazz rock" genre. By working closely with Inagaki and his various musical projects, Nippon Columbia really placed the company at the center of an exciting and important period in Japanese music.

In 1965, Nippon Columbia opened a recording studio in Tokyo's Akasaka neighborhood. Akasaka was also home to the first ever discotheque in Japan, the legendary MUGEN, which ran from 1968 to 1987 and where many acts performed, including Con Funk Shun, the Bar-Kays, Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, Sam & Dave, Three Degrees, and Edwin Starr, as well as many local Japanese singers and musicians. This melting pot of creativity in the area led to the recording of many singles and albums by Japanese artists that were infused with the sounds of soul and funk. Most of these recordings were not available outside of Japan and remain rare and unknown musical gems. The selection you are holding in your hands is an explosive collection of 10 essential tracks released by the legendary Nippon Columbia label between 1969 and 1977, capturing the raw, unapparelled energy that was flowing through the air of the Akasaka streets at this electrifying time. Enjoy!

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180GWALP07 - Manufactured and distributed by 180g.

With Roza Terenzi and Sleep D on the remix, Alfred Czital & Ayu summon divine frequencies across a debut recalling the finest turn-of-the-millennium trance.

Spirits are high as we strive for utopia. Like relics of times passed – a bygone era where the free party reigned supreme – this is a union forged out of a mutual affinity for trippy dancefloor dynamics and live performance.

Rapturous and ecstatic, both originals evoke pure club hedonism. Sensual, sultry gear made of euphoric melodrama, close sweat and lysergic throb. Wide-eyed optimism coursing throughout, but like any good proggy majick, it’s not without a decent dose of shadow and ritual.

Coming in hottt with the remixes and both are befitting a release bent on traversing the wormhole interior. Oyster Cult acolyte Roza Terenzi keeps it taught and tightly-coiled on her rugged, propulsive re-fit, and not to be outdone, Butter Sessions founders Sleep D let atmosphere pull focus with a sprawling, dubby workout.

Forgotten in the mists of Dutch electronics, when Anacalypto Records began their quest for Fairytails, they uncovered more than they bargained for. Dusting off a 1994 DAT, lettering began to reveal itself—four tracks from the original release and two unheard, unreleased works! A decision was made: two tracks from the original 12” for Side A, and the two new discoveries for Side B.

The spellbinding Fairytail Track 3 opens the record. Rich basslines and ruffled beats dance as strings soar and swoop in this fantastical floor-filler. That touch of fantasy twinkles throughout the entire EP, with dreamy mellowness weaving through key shifts and stepping grooves. This dreamy atmosphere carries into Fairytail Track 4, where snares rasp and snap above delicate notes and mischievous pads.

The flip is dedicated to the DAT discoveries. Fairytail Track 5 is a joyous romp through twilight woodlands and sweaty basements, with cascading chords and lively piano lines reveling over earthy patterns of percussion. The journey concludes with Fairytail Track 6, a bright and magical finale. Overtones of rave energy glow in this ageless, tongue-in-cheek melody, infusing the EP with a timeless vibrancy.

Four trance-dipped house treasures returned to the faithful on this remastered gem that will sprinkle happiness on any floor.

Over three years in the making, Needle Mythology Records is delighted to announce a super deluxe, expanded remastered reissue of The Lilac Time’s 1991 masterpiece, Astronauts. Released as a triple vinyl, triple CD or single vinyl, only 1000 copies of each format will be produced, there will be no further pressings. Both the 3LP and 3CD editions will come with an extensive 11,000 word oral history of Astronauts and liner notes by Needle Mythology co-founder and longtime Stephen Duffy fan, Pete Paphides.

All three albums including a 2024 remaster, a collection of works in progress entitled‘Softened By Rain The Making Of Astronauts’ and a live compilation ‘Any Road Up The Lilac Time Live 1990/91’ have been mastered for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Roadand will be housed in a triple gatefold sleeve with a colour inner sleeve and new artwork for each disc, which has been especially created by designer Mike Storey. The main sleeve for Astronauts itself will replicate the original artwork but with the four distinctive “blobs” rendered in a red “foil” texture. In addition to these three disc sets, 1000 single vinyl remastered copies of Astronauts will also be made available, in a cherry red vinyl edition to match the outer sleeve.

With the shoegaze and baggy movements at their zenith, The Lilac Time’s fourth album was released at a moment when the left-field music zeitgeist was shaped by the nascent shoegaze, baggy and grunge movements. Whilst Astronauts conformed to none of those trends, neither was it the record Stephen had in his head when he finally finished working on it. We’ll never know how that record would have sounded, but it’s hard to imagine a better version of the album he did end up making. The songwriter who brought ‘A Taste of Honey’ and ‘Hats Off, Here Comes The Girl’ into the world envisaged the sort of choruses that would jump from the single speaker of your favourite transistor and lodge themselves into the collective memory bank.

But while he really was writing some of his most beautiful melodies, Astronauts is a family of songs that demands to be kept together in the sundazed cloud of inspiration that created it. It constitutes a partial retreat from the outwardfacing utopianism of its predecessors, choosing instead to dwell on the journey taken to get to this point. That this is an audibly different band to the pastoral expeditionaries of the group’s previous releases is almost entirely down to the departure of Nick Duffy and the arrival of Sagat Guirey. Suddenly, accordions, banjos and mandolins are out; jazz guitar is in. Sagat’s filigree work on the outro of ‘A Taste for Honey’ acts as a sublime parting shot to a lyric which acts as a wiser, wistful companion piece to Stephen’s 1985 solo hit ‘Kiss Me’, something tantamount to the camera retreating to reveal the years elapsed between the time depicted and the present day. The distance between the carefree youth of pop stardom and the first intimations of mortality can be measured between the first and second verses of the quietly devastating ‘Madresfield’; from the depiction of the deserted cricket pavilion obscured by fresh snowfall to the sudden shift in perspective from subject to protagonist: ‘No one ever told me/That killing time is harmful/For time cannot recover/What soon the ground will offer.’ For all of that, however, the resulting album didn’t correspond to the vision its creator had for it. At a loss as to what to do with it, Stephen surrendered Astronauts to Creation with no plans to promote or draw attention to it. The consciousness shift of which Stephen had hoped The Lilac Time might be a precursor hadn’t happened. Or, rather, it had – but it had happened elsewhere, in the Haçienda and Shoom and in Ibiza. Not on the hills of Herefordshire. In a nod to that sea change, Stephen handed over one song, ‘Dreaming’ to Hypnotone, who

Humphrey Aniakor started Duomo Sounds after a trip to Milan. The idea was to produce a new sound for the emerging generation. A sleek funky but refined, Nigerian disco sound. This compilation captures all of that intention with a broad array of artistes. The music is sometimes sung in local Nigerian languages and sometimes in English but always with an African Accent. Modern grooves for an African market.

After several months spent hanging out at studios in Los Angeles and New York, observing the musicians, producers and engineers at work. He went to nightclubs to study what kind of sonic textures made the crowd move. And when he felt he had gotten the hang of it, he returned to Nigeria to set up his record label. A label that would showcase the au courant, cosmopolitan face of the Nigeria’s emerging young generation. That would encompass the boundlessness of imagination, focus, persistence and craftsmanship. That would deliver music that touched the soul.

There was hardly a shortage of available musical talent by 1980, as Duomo was preparing to launch. The seventies had seen a massive flowering of bands offering a wide array of sounds and styles. But 1980 proved to be the year that would change the topography of the music landscape and its approach to packaging talent. Artistes like Mike Umoh (erstewhile drummer with Bongos Ikwue and the Groovies), Bindiga (Ghanian afrofunk musicians), Christy Ogbah (who worked as a policewoman) bring their personal artistry to create the new sound.

And he would call it—what else?—Duomo. Duomo Sounds Limited.

This combination created high-quality Nigerian music but it also marked the end of bands as the focal point for the popular music marketing. After Okotie’s breakthrough, it became clear that the eighties would be the era of the solo artist. And this would lead to the fracture of established bands as members opted to roll the dice on solo careers.

Having shared stages with artists like Efterklang and Ólafur Arnalds, Samson has long felt like an outsider, caught between being “too experimental” for some and “too indie” for others. His struggle to fit into a defined space has deeply influenced his music. After the pandemic derailed a major indie record deal, Samson grew disillusioned with the industry, reflecting on how his search for belonging had often been met with barriers.

His new album “Songs of Beginning & Belonging” are reflections on these experiences. Moving away from the themes of home and displacement that coloured his earlier works, the new album reflects a sense of inner peace and renewal. It is a delicate, meditative collection that underscores Samson’s growth as an artist and a person, driven by a desire to move past old wounds and start anew.

“Songs of Beginning & Belonging” is an album that feels at once delicately sparse, at times even symphonic, but is tied together by a repeated and palpable feeling of quiet liberation - a determination for things to move forward rather than reflecting back on what’s come before.

Recorded between November 2022 and May 2024 in Will’s former studio, a secluded spot on the River Tejo in Almada, which he shared with Casper Clausen of Efterklang), the album was made specifically for Dauw, who had asked Will to create a piece of music for them. The album was, as always, largely recorded using his 1970's 'Uher 4200' tape machine, plus a small collection of other tape machines that wind their way in and out of the recordings and shape in it in a beautifully singular way.

'BOSTICH PT.1' – A hot Chicago House flip on this legendary classic by Swiss synthpop band Yello! Some unexpected editing surprises in this one! The groove will have you from the start! 'OPTIMO' – A highly energetic rework of this classic from American dance-punk band Liquid Liquid, with a percussion section that uses the snare drum, bass kick drum, cowbell, and claves that all combine for insane repeated drum rolls! A hot sure shot for the dancefloor!

Cratebug is a Chicago Dj, Producer & Remixer. His remixes and edits are hot gold and have found their way into the mixes and live sets of COUNTLESS djs all over the world. Most notable and well-known among fans & supporters of Cratebug’s work include: Derrick Carter, Jamie 3:26, Honey Dijon, Frankie Knuckles (RIP), Louie Vega, Scott K., Kenny Dope Gonzalez, Dimitri From Paris, Boris Dlugosch, Francois Kevorkian, Danny Krivit, Moodymann (Kenny Dixon Jr.), Theo Parrish, Master Kev, Moon Boots, Jackmaster (Jack Revill), The Martinez Brothers, Doc Martin, Mark farina, KON, Detroit Swindle, Radio Slave, Moodena, Luke Solomon, Jimpster, Alton Miller, Juan McClean, James Murphy, Alton Miller, Horse Meat Disco, Gene Farris, Jack The Box (Tyree Cooper & Bobby Starr), The Black Madonna, Jojo Flores, Marques Wyatt, Terry Hunter, Ricardo Villalobos, Kiko Navarro, Ted Patterson and MANY MORE!…

Phonomena are back and this time joined by Haste on a mission to Andromeda with 4 Hardcore Jungle tracks ready to do damage on the dancefloor.
Kicking off with a remix of Paul Renegade’s Multiverse from London based Jungle veteran Haste that has been floating around on dub for a little while. Taking the tempo of the original up a notch this is the perfect track to start the EP with its Mentasm fuelled mayhem.

Rage and Renegade then drop their first track on wax together with Best Served Cold, taking a sample from a 92 classic then twisting it up with some distorted bass before switching things up as the track progresses. This was made over a bunch of Saturday nights late in 2024 and continues the vibes from the first two records.

At the end of side A there’s some scratch samples for DJs to battle with, pitched to the perfect tempo to use with Hardcore and Jungle.
First up on the flip DJ Rage drops a bass heavy breakbeat workout with Ready To Roll. This was made to contrast with Haste’s remix, a bit more laid back at first but slowly building up to a euphoric tear out towards the end.

Paul Renegade closes out the EP with Dark Carnival, a trip to the underworld with haunted samples and effects that drops into some full on bass, no letting up here with more Hardcore pressure to rattle your speakers!
Coming on ice blue translucent vinyl with hand stamped labels, these Kniteforce exclusive versions come with in an Ice Blue (single colour) label or Electric (double colour). These special editions are limited to 30 copies each.

Two sought after artists, Deft and Manni Dee, combine their uniquely eclectic sounds on collaborative EP ‘Swamp Season’ arriving on Hooversound in March 2025.

Deft, a familiar favourite within the Hooversound family having released two EP’s on the label, is no stranger to breaking boundaries when it comes to sonic stereotypes. Enter: Manni Dee. Another equally exciting name on the London circuit who is an advocate for non-conformism. Between them they have released on Exit, 1985 Music, Critical and Fabric Originals - their style has been recognised globally and continues to grow. Both creatives bring something refreshingly new to the table, whether it’s with their amalgam style of music making, their esteemed record platforms (Silk + Steel, B4 Music) or their DJ sets - it makes perfect sense for the duo to unite on their vision.

Their latest offering combines their boundaryless artistic style of forward-thinking atmospheric production on an EP named ‘Swamp Season’. The two producers play with different elements of club music and hip hop by blurring genres and throwing the rule book out of the window. The end result highlights how Deft and Manni Dee have excelled once again across five bass-fuelled tracks which will expand your perspective on electronic music.

On their single, the duo said “‘Charged’ was the last track we wrote for the EP. Rooted in the simplicity of 00's hip hop instrumentals, on steroids, adapted with the wider electronic sphere in mind. Inspired by the past and present, facing the future.”

Deft and Manni Dee also explained how they came to collaborate; “We've always shared the same taste in hip hop and electronic music, and also share a studio together underneath FOLD in Canning Town, so it just made sense for us to make a record together. Our process was creatively free with no preconceptions, having worked together remotely and together across multiple studios around the world. The result has created a new and exciting avenue for us both, opening the floodgates to eliminate boundaries. It's Swamp Season.”

Last May, Hard Times captivated us with The Lost D.A.T.S (Part One)—a remarkable collection of unreleased and freshly unearthed gems from the vaults of NYC legend DJ Romain. But the story didn’t end there. To our surprise and delight, Romain had delivered an even larger treasure trove of beats—too many to reveal all at once.

Now, Hard Times is proud to present the next chapter: DJ Romain – The Lost D.A.T.S (Part Two).

"1996-97? Yeah, that’s when New York was still NEW YORK!

That was around the time we really started to get hold of exotic herbs. Copper Haze, hydroponic! The vibes in the studio were always lovely. I had hair at the time! Dread-Locs down to my shoulders... I was still rockin’ the Wallabees, or British Walkers as we called them - representing for Brooklyn and my West Indian roots!

There was no social media, no supervision, nobody all up in our business… It was classic "mind your own business" NYC Vibes! I was DJing at a lot of the hot clubs and THE hottest afterhours in the city. There were nights when I saw Micheal Douglas roll into the afters with Grace Jones - they were there to party and unwind and I was there dropping the dope tracks for the people.

When it was studio time, with my homie Matt Echols...I was probably setting things off with some quality herbage, a big ass bag of Funyuns and my trusty SP-1200, lol. I had picked up some tips and tricks from Todd Terry and by '96-'97 I was a Shaolin with it myself! This was around the time tracks like "Flowers" and "Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Dub)" were tearing up the clubs. I wanted to be able to get my ideas out with no problem, and by then I had a lot of confidence...

Being able to Dj in some of the hottest NY hot spots at the time, I was able to really see what worked and what didn't on the dancefloor. The best House Dancers from around the world and around the Tri-State area would be at my jams. I'm talking Ejoe, Voodoo Ray, maybe kids from the Mop-Top Crew... I was definitely taking note of the kind of rhythms and sounds that would make them go crazy on the dancefloor!

And that's how we went about it - I laid down the rhythms that made it happen in my sets and translated the vibes I was picking up from NYC itself. Matt threw down musically and we were just being as creative and inventive as possible! But we always kept in mind that our job was to make the people on the dancefloor jump!

A lot of the jams from those days got signed to various record labels, we dropped a lot of them on our own label...and some of them ended up in the archives - until now!"

Swiss DJ and composer Dexter Troy has made a name for himself with notable productions on labels such as King Street Sounds, Groove Culture, and Mood Funk Records, alongside iconic artists like Kerri Chandler, Dennis Ferrer, Masters At Work, Satoshi Fumi and Dimitri From Paris.

For over 15 years, he has shared his passion for electronic music in bars, clubs, and festivals in Switzerland and abroad. His rich and diverse musical universe draws from multiple influences :house, funk, disco, all enhanced with a touch of electro-techno.