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Repress!

The seventh edition of Defected’s vinyl series continues to commit the labels’ biggest digital releases to wax, delivering upfront packages of house heat previously unavailable on vinyl. Italian duo Havoc & Lawn open up the A-Side with their Defected debut ‘Give It Up’, partnering with London vocalist Jinadu on this soulful and atmospheric club cut. Up next rising star of Defected and house music maestro OFFAIAH delivers his signature bass-driven style on ‘Soldier’.
On the flip, Endor’s Defected debut and incredible smash hit ‘Pump It Up’ sets the B-Side off to an electrifying start, before the otherworldly Chicola remix of Sandy Rivera & Rae’s ‘Hide U’ rounds off this essential release from the Defected camp.

Isata Kanneh-Mason erweckt in dieser bezaubernden Sammlung den Zauber der Kindheit: klassische – und nostalgische – Musik über Kinder, komponiert von Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Claude Debussy, Robert Schumann und Ernst von Dohnányi. Begleitet vom Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra erinnert sich die Pianistin daran, wie sie als Kind Dohnanyis Variationen über ein Kinderlied hörte, aber auch daran, wie sie Mozarts Variationen über dieselbe Melodie lernte. Zu hören auf „Childhood Tales“ sind außerdem Debussys „Children’s Corner“, das der Komponist für seine 6-jährige Tochter geschrieben hat, und Robert Schumanns schlichte Kinderszenen.

Repress !

One half of iconic British duo Basement Jaxx Felix Buxton and vocalist Gia make their Defected debut with the soul-stirring 'So Hooked On Your Lovin', alongside two groove-loaded remixes by Mousse T.. The first ever release under their Selace pseudonym, the record comes laden with lingering organ chords and stunningly raw vocals, echoing the stripped back quality of Switch's 'I Still Love You' and with a similar deep-reaching feel to Massive Attack's early 90s classic 'Unfinished Sympathy'. Production maestro Mousse T. works his magic with his funk-drenched Disco Shizzle mix loaded with a pumping bassline and guitar riffs alongside a deeper Dubby Shizzle version laced with a spoken word hook. Less is more with Selace; this is a minimalist yet undeniably stunning record that lets its captivating song do all the work.

Hard to believe, but the last solo instrumental album of the Italo-Viennese Fid Mella was released 7 years ago. During this time, the beat maestro has been anything but lazy, releasing numerous projects with artists such as Crack Ignaz, Torky Tork, Kamp, Silk Mob, as well as top-notch fellow musicians from Italy. Anyone who has ever taken a closer look at Fid Mella's instrumentals knows that his music always works independently of current trends or hypes. Since the beginning of his career, he has remained unwaveringly true to his own sound aesthetic and yet never lost touch with current productions. Fid Mella's new album "Cioccolato" is also bursting with creativity and musical relentlessness but is always catchy and packed with tons of flavor.
The new album was created in the close circle of the family - a converted farmhouse functioned as a creative workshop, where all samples used on "Cioccolato" were recorded during extensive jam sessions with Mella's wife, his brother and his father. The result is 17 gourmet instrumental pieces whose musical spectrum ranges from Brazilian bossa nova lightness to syrup-soaked Texas vibes.

It has been some five years since US ambient maestro zake dropped the first volume of his Orchestral Tape Studies. We're glad to finally have the second instalment in the series available because there has rarely been music as cathartic and soothing as this on our shelves. It's made from drones, field recordings and richly layered movements of fragmented orchestral loops.

It is heavily inspired by the sound of the greatest minimalist symphonic composers and orchestras of the last 100 years and comes in several different colours.

This version is a transparent rose vinyl LP and download code.

Another week, another new release from the unstoppable ambient powerhouse that is zake. His latest full-length LL has two new cuts by the American maestro with remixes from a hefty selection of equally prolific producers all served up on his home label Past Inside the Present and no fewer than six sides of vinyl.

Across this immersive two hours of music, there is a mix of ambient, drone, drum & bass, electronica, and deep techno from Warmth, Aural Imbalance, ASC and Bvdub. It is yet another essential release from zake and co.

International super group Bokanté, led by Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy founder Michael League, are set to release a brand-new studio album, History, via Real World Records consisting of nine tracks celebrating black history, global unity and the futility of war. The first single “Adjoni” is out today and you can watch the song’s official video below.

Consisting of members from five countries and four continents, different genders, races and generations working in harmony and celebrating individuality, Bokanté are united in the belief that music should be a voice for the voiceless. Recalling rhythms from West Africa as well as those of Guadeloupe’s drum-centric Gwo ka, lead single “Adjoni” is a story of a life on the spectrum and of brilliance in the margins; the lyrics of “Iliminé” speak to the protective properties of love, offer a mantra to keep us joyful regardless.

History finds them exploring further, dressing folkloric instruments including the Arabic oud, West African ngoni and North African guembri, the bass lute favored by Morocco’s Gnawa maalems, in western clothes. Interweaving layers of percussion with all the nuanced skill expected of four percussion maestros: André Ferrari of Swedish folk renegades Väsen. Ex-Berklee music professor Jamey Haddad (Sting, Paul Simon). Nagasaki-raised, New York-based Keita Ogawa (Cecile McLorin Salvant). Ghanaian-New Orleanian drum king Weedie Braimah (Christian Scott), a special guest on What Heat, a vital band member now.

Originally released back in 1999 via Mindfood Records, Tiny Elvis ‘Desire’ EP gets a much-needed reissue on Cosmocities, topped off by two incredible remixes from Bushwacka! and Max in the World.

A smoother-than-smooth introduction into Tiny Elvis’ deep and progressive headspace, ‘Desire’ blazes with a modern soul and timeless fire at heart. While there’s no denying the time and era emanating from the grooves, the record prefigures a lot of the mind-expanding house music that’s come to fill the shelves and crates of vinyl shops two decades on. A distinctive blend of pumped-up, 303-brined jazz and abstract-leaning vocal loops ushering us into a pulsating heart of LSD-fuelled visions and climax-seeking energies.

Adding his invariably genius spin to ‘Desire’, UK house maestro Bushwacka! tweaks the original’s trademark wonkiness into that of a floor focused weapon, geared up for deep boogie action down the basement but lacking none of that prominently silken, loungey magnetism either.

On the flip side, ‘Howze The Music’ cuts a path of squelchy, strings-driven hypnosis, beautifully combining the liquid-like essence of acid with a neo-classical sense of evolutive emotion, injecting it with a tang of trancey tribalism for good measure.

New York's Max in the World gives a further dreamy, cinematic twist to proceedings, taking us on a lush ride across flickering landscapes flush with honey-dipped synth stabs, a-propos sampling and blissful strings stirring all kind of emotional flows with unrelenting verve.

It's been a long time coming, THE 18TH PARALLEL are back with a new showcase album, this time starring Jamaican singer extraordinaire DERAJAH. ‘BABYLON A QUAKE' is the first single from the new album, due out in October 2023. This groundbreaking single is a collaboration like no other, bringing together the remarkable vocals of Derajah, renowned for his distinctive style and powerful delivery, and the production prowess of The 18th Parallel, a trailblazing force in the reggae scene. With the expert touch of mixing maestro Westfinga, this track is a sonic masterpiece. ‘Babylon A Quake’ stands as a powerful anthem, carrying a profound message of social consciousness and resistance against oppressive forces. Derajah's raw and emotive vocals paint vivid pictures of struggle and resilience, while The 18th Parallel's ultra-solid riddim creates a rich tapestry of sound that will transport you to the heart of roots reggae. With its impeccable production quality, ‘Babylon A Quake’ captures the essence of reggae's golden era while infusing it with a fresh and contemporary sound. It seamlessly blends tradition with innovation, ensuring that both loyal reggae enthusiasts and new listeners alike will be left in awe of this musical gem.

The story of Lucia Rango, an Apulian singer who was active for a short period during the Sixties, rightfully belongs to that category and meets all requirements for becoming a legend. In 1967, when she was almost unknown, she recorded Lucia Rango Show, an entire album made of songs taken from the repertoire of her friend Piero Ciampi, who worked closely with her on their selection and arrangements. Being one of the most maudit and personal authors of national songwriting, Ciampi had always been a perfect outsider: blunt, shy, extremely talented, and unable to adapt to the rules of the music business. But above all, the Leghorn-born singer was a superb songwriter. The match between his songs and Rango's classical voice and ethereal beauty looked like a very promising one, but never brought any success.
Arranged and orchestrated by Maestro Elvio Monti, and embellished by the participation of Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, the record is a perfect child of the Sixties, featuring beat tunes and “yè-yès”, Italian canzone, intense ballads, Brigitte Fontaine-like atmospheres and a rediscovered duet of Lucia with her friend Piero, Non chiedermi più, whose recording was known among insiders at the time but sadly appeared to be lost forever. Ciampi's voice lives again in a song that has remained unreleased for more than 50 years within this new expanded version of Lucia Rango Show, thanks to the long research of journalist Lucilla Chiodi (Musica Jazz). Needless to say, the album is an enormously valuable historical document for all fans of Ciampi's output and Italian music in general: along with classics such as Fino all'ultimo minuto, Quando il giorno tornerà and Hai lasciato a casa il tuo sorriso – all originally included in Ciampi's first LP released under the alias Piero Litaliano in 1963 – Lucia Rango's voice consigns to history as many as six songs conceived and written specifically for her recording debut by Ciampi along with Elvio Monti. To date, Rango's invaluable interpretations are the only versions ever recorded of Samba per un amore, Il tuo volto, Stasera resta qui, Primavera a Roma, Ti ho sognato and Sono stanca.

Brussels born and based DJ, producer and label owner UC Beatz shows no sign of slowing down with another outstanding release. This time, he lands on Four Framed Music to bring his latest four-track EP, ‘Knights of Utopia’, to dance floors around the world.

UC Beatz has established himself as a prominent figure in the House music scene, having released on his own Entrepôt Records and on highly respected imprints such as Brooklyn’s very own Razor-N-Tape, Derrick Carter and Luke Solomon’s label Classic Music Company and recently on Dam Swindle’s Heist Recordings. With ‘Knights of Utopia’, he continues to showcase his exceptional skills as a producer, delivering a selection of tracks that embody his own distinctive sound.

This is another impressive release from the Belgian House Maestro.

Strut presents an exclusive new collaboration between UK jazz keyboardist Greg Foat and Venetian ambient / electronic maestro Gigi Masin on ‘Dolphin’.

Recorded remotely during 2021-2022 the album took shape in the form of mutual compositions, gradually developed and embellished online. Final recording sessions took place at the majestic Chale Abbey Studios on the Isle Of Wight with Moses Boyd (drums), Tom Herbert (bass) and Siobhan Cosgrove (flute, clarinet) adding elements to several pieces. Tracks include the reflective, wistful single ‘Viento Calido’ and drifting ambient piece ‘Sabena’, a beautiful tribute to Gigi’s wife who sadly passed away during 2022.



Greg Foat has recorded prolifically in recent years for Athens Of The North, Jazzman and Strut including acclaimed albums Symphonie Pacifique (2020) and The Mage (2019). Best known for his 1986 ambient masterpiece Wind and as a member of Gaussian Curve, Gigi Masin has enjoyed a revival in recent years through his Calypso album on R&S’s Apollo label and renewed touring. Dolphin represents Greg and Gigi’s first landmark recording collaboration together. “I first heard Gigi’s album Wind in 2016,” remembers Greg. “I was living in Miami and I heard it playing one Summer evening Since then, it has always been in my mind to be able to record together.”

Strut presents an exclusive new collaboration between UK jazz keyboardist Greg Foat and Venetian ambient / electronic maestro Gigi Masin on ‘Dolphin’.

Recorded remotely during 2021-2022 the album took shape in the form of mutual compositions, gradually developed and embellished online. Final recording sessions took place at the majestic Chale Abbey Studios on the Isle Of Wight with Moses Boyd (drums), Tom Herbert (bass) and Siobhan Cosgrove (flute, clarinet) adding elements to several pieces. Tracks include the reflective, wistful single ‘Viento Calido’ and drifting ambient piece ‘Sabena’, a beautiful tribute to Gigi’s wife who sadly passed away during 2022.



Greg Foat has recorded prolifically in recent years for Athens Of The North, Jazzman and Strut including acclaimed albums Symphonie Pacifique (2020) and The Mage (2019). Best known for his 1986 ambient masterpiece Wind and as a member of Gaussian Curve, Gigi Masin has enjoyed a revival in recent years through his Calypso album on R&S’s Apollo label and renewed touring. Dolphin represents Greg and Gigi’s first landmark recording collaboration together. “I first heard Gigi’s album Wind in 2016,” remembers Greg. “I was living in Miami and I heard it playing one Summer evening Since then, it has always been in my mind to be able to record together.”

Cinthie joins the Heist fam with an EP full of lush, epic house music with 3 originals and a St. David remix.

Cinthie is the kind of artist who seems to be everywhere all at once. In the past years, we’ve seen her compile a lush DJ Kicks compilation, release numerous EP’s on labels such as Aus music, run one of Berlin’s finest record stores (Elevate Records), tour the world fiercely, and create an all-new live show. Her EP for Heist has been in the works for a long, long time and it’s an absolute pleasure to finally present the ‘Music for Discotheques’ EP. Spoiler alert: It’s a no holds-back, ‘all killers, no fillers’ record. Just the way we like it.

In classic Cinthie fashion, this EP has the Berlin-based artist explore various sides of house music, starting with the vocal cut ‘Won’t u take me’. Lush pads, shuffling snares and a dreamy female vocal work together to bring a warm and classy house track with a clear nod to 90’s US house, but with its feet firmly rooted in the present.

Piano heaven takes you on an Italo-meets-deephouse excursion straight into…Drum roll…: Piano heaven. A driving 909 groove and a deceptively simple bass form the foundation of the track, but it’s the keys (and strings) that bring this track to its full peak-time potential. The energy in this track is of the ‘hands-in-the-air / screaming-out-loud’ type and it has already become one of the biggest tracks in Cinthie’s live-show.

On the flip, Cinthie explores the pacier electronic side of the dance spectrum, with the footwork inspired jam ‘Masterplan’. Think classic 808’s, loopy synths and a cheeky spoken word piece that lifts the song to a level where it’s extremely danceable and quite simply put; really fun.

The final track of the EP is the expertly crafted remix by Italian house maestro St. David; an artist Cinthie has always been a big fan of. He’s made a dazzling rework of ‘Piano Heaven’: A deep and driving deephouse version that’s layered in sweeps, fx and bleeps for an altogether mesmerizing effect.

We’re thrilled that we can share Cinthie’s music on the label and have her join the family after having played so many shows together and having spoken about doing something together for such a long time. As always, play it loud and dance, dance, dance!

Yours Sincerely,
Maarten & Lars

Exotica, ye-yé cumbia, guaracha infused twist, rock’n roll mambo, Spanish rumba, boogaloo beat, tropical garage and other unexpected bastard genres are featured in this festive compilation of bizarre hits taken from the glorious catalog of records released during the 60s and 70s on the Peruvian label Discos MAG. Some clearly unite genres, others are projects with creative names, but all are bold musical initiatives that got and will always get people onto the dance floor. “Sabroso Go Go” brings together fourteen musical mixes created in the recording studios of Manuel Antonio Guerrero (MAG), in which music directors combine rhythm with alchemy in a quest to find the philosopher's stone of the dance. Exotica, ye-yé cumbia, guaracha infused twist, rock’n roll mambo, Spanish rumba, boogaloo beat, tropical garage and other unexpected bastard genres are featured in this festive compilation. Although this compilation begins in 1957, experiments like this (some more memorable than others) were not new in Peru. The songs on this album were however much more successful hybrids. Some clearly unite genres, others are projects with creative names, but all are bold musical initiatives that got and will always get people onto the dance floor. At the end of the fifties, rock music shook the foundations of Peru, and orchestras rushed to cover hit songs and explore the possibilities of mixing them with tropical music. Lucho Macedo's orchestra took up the mantle and reinterpreted a well-known guaracha by Celia Cruz ('Rock and Roll') in mambo style, renaming it 'Rock and roll Mambo'. 'Maestro de Rock and Roll', a hit by the Cuban Conjunto Casino, received similar treatment. Another mix in this vein is the rock tune 'El Rock de los Chinos' by the Mexican Manolo Muñoz (author of 'Speedy González') recorded by the Chilean Choche Mérida for MAG in 1961. The following year, Chubby Checker’s 'The Twist' hit the scene and was immediately fused with guaracha by maestro Nelson Ferreyra. A legendary MAG musician, Carlos Pickling, composed 'La Charanga del Espacio' in 1963. The space sounds are produced by Pickling and his inseparable Hammond. He himself is the one who leads the orchestra that accompanies Benny Del Solar, Lita Branda and Pablo "Melcochita" Villanueva in the tropicalized version of Spanish Rumba, when the beats of the Iberian rumba were still exotic in South America. Around that time, the Chilean Willy Marambio was already living in Lima. In the track included on this album, the go-go style showcases his virtuosity on the trumpet. Another outstanding trumpet player, Roberto "Tito" Chicoma from Chiclayo, played as a session musician with MAG from 1959. A few years later, he became one of the most popular Colombian cumbia players, a talent he demonstrates in the song on this compilation, which blends the fun of go-go with yé-yé beats. 'Batijugando' was a hit from Mexico and was played in all the rhythms played across the Hispanic world since 1967. Inspired by the "Batman" series, it was performed at MAG by the Betico Salas orchestra, with vocals by the Panamanian lady crooner Nallye Fernández. 'Computador Electrónico' is another surprise on this album, performed by Panamanian vocalist Patty Pastel, it is the only known version in Spanish of 'Der Computer Nr. 3', originally sung in German by France Gall. Two other songs feature Edgar Zamudio. The versatility of Zamudio y Los Vikingos (originally a Chilean group) is demonstrated in the guitar-heavy song composed specifically for the late sixties skate fashion ('Go Go en Patines') and in his idiosyncratic protest song ('Día de Pago') performed in beat style. In the mid-seventies, Los Kintos, led by guitarist Francisco Acosta, developed different harmonic ideas in an instrumental track that veers from boogaloo to salsa, the fashionable rhythm of the day. Finally, in 1976, when the bumping hips dance craze swept the continent, Manuel Guerrero was quick to jump onto the bandwagon, composing a Bump song, together with his son Carlos. The Italian musician based in Lima, Luciano Luciani performed the song 'A Bailar Bump' backed by his band of local musicians Los Mulatos.

The label returns with a brand new Various Artists vinyl release, this time tapping two of the scene's staples and a couple of uprising talents, plus a collab between Room's very own Angioma and BLANKA.

Finely distorted kicks on "ANOTHER STAIN", by P.E.A.R.L., kick off the VA. With a constant yet evolving synth line, playful percussions that come and go and filter effects, the Spanish artists brings the dynamism to this piece. Maestro Jonas Kopp debuts on the imprint, delivering the acidic "Reversing The Poles". Jonas's shifting atmospheres and depth make this one a perfect tension builder for dancefloors.

On "Spare Matrix", Egotot and Franz Jager (who are no strangers to each other) team up again to present a track with elements from both artists. A rumbling low end, siren-like sounds and a constant uprising energy make this one an essential driving weapon. The deeper cut on the Various Artists, "Innapropiate content", is brought by Room founders Angioma and BLANKA, characterised by the pair's very own rolling rhythms and hypnotism that put an end to this superb 4-track compilation.

French producer Timothee Milton debuts on Local Talk with an EP that fumes of soulfulness in every direction.

Written by Angela Johnson, the original is a big vocal deep house jam that got some hints of the 90s Jersey sound..but not too retro ;).

To give the package an extra edge we enlisted deep house connoisseur Hugo LX and boogie-house maestro Art Of Tones for the remixes, and our boys really delivered the goods.

Hugo's mix is a classy as it gets, supa bumpy deep house where everything little production detail is delivered with good taste.
The Art Of Tones remix is equally strong but goes for a more uplifting approach and puts the funk, boogie and soul front & centre.

After some time of laying in the dark, the Warsaw-based Syntetyk label and club night series emits waves yet again with their very first cassette release by various friends from the local and global underground.

Tape starts with a pathos ambient track by Mchy i Porosty, followed by a desert night drive dub by Rapha. The A side continues with a wavy melodic thumper by Olivia, accompanied by a nostalgic club diver by Czech maestro Exhausted Modern and a punkish fast paced hymn done by the Colombian prodigy – Filmmaker.

The B side opens with Dogpatrol’s broken jungle track and carries on with Astma’s industrial dub-driven tune. Album slowly comes to a close with a nasty distorted wave by Dyktando, dystopian radiation emitter by Chino and ends with Mala Herba’s folk inspired epic ambient drone.

Two stone cold classics right here from the Roy Ayers masterminded RAMP, taken from the holy grail album Come Into Knowledge. Sampled the world over, influentially positive and as prized as they get, South Street’s new sub-label South Street Soul couldn’t have picked a more perfect double header to reissue as their inaugural release.

Although the RAMP acronym Roy Ayers Music Productions bared Ayers’ name, he did not perform with the Ohio band instead writing, arranging and producing the tracks alongside Edwin Birdsong and also William Allen. Drafting in some of the best session musicians in the game, from vocalists Sibel Thrasher and Sharon Matthews, The Spinners drummer John Manuel, guitarist Landy Shores and Cincinnati bass maestro Nate White, the result was pure ethereal excellence.

Rare groove at its finest ‘Daylight’ is one of the standout cuts from RAMP’s only album - soulful, sumptuous and laced with a celestial touch that takes this track to another realm of conscious. A track that was famously sampled by A Tribe Called Quest for their hit ‘Bonita Applebum’ and J Dilla’s remix of Common – Come Close.

On the B side, a Roy Ayer’s masterpiece 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine' given the RAMP revamp, an end of the night masterpiece, a hazed-out dreamer - just downright blissful grooves from start to finish. Ready-made to ride out into the sunset with.