Locked-In's fourth release beckons you to dive deep into the distinctive sound of Session 4000 with the "Get Down" EP.
Launching the dancefloor manifesto on the A1 is 'Panaka,' a relentless groove brimming with infectious energy. The bassline asserts its dominance, while the synth patterns showcase a pure, playful mastery.
Progressing to the A2, 'Second Skin' unravels as a mind-bending revelation, leaving an enduring imprint. Session 4000 skillfully weaves intricate layers that captivate from the initial drop to the final fade-out.
Flipping to the B side, 'Get Down' lives up to its name, beckoning with a bumping rhythm and spraying synths. It's a decisive call to action, destined to be a certified dancefloor weapon tailor-made for late-night club escapades.
Concluding the EP on the B2 is 'Mr. Freeze,' as cool as its title implies. This track leaves an indelible mark, providing a memorable conclusion to this electronic narrative.
Boris Divider presents a new original release with this 3 tracker ep. New refreshing stu for the Drivecom’s catalogue after the more experimental electro works from the “Generative Operations” series, and after the limited 20th anniversary reissues of “Ultralink” and “Take My Beat”.
Now it’s time to hear and feel “Your Light”. A special work that brings back the puristic electro vibe from the early works on Drivecom but with a new sonic spectrum and powerful sound production. Repetitive and syncopated synthlines as Divider’s ID signature, powerful rhythm patterns and an exclusive and unique vocoder treatment that build-up the original track to open the A side. Meanwhile A2 track “Your Light” (The Variant Version) is a slowed and darker deep version that will remind us some kind of an aseptic and much more minimalistic sound design with some similar soundscapes and echoes of the earlier Arpanet’s stu. In the other side, “Your Light” (The Infrared Version) is a ready-for-the-‑oor soundtrack with more aggressive FM synth modulations and characteristic pitch-shifted voice, a track that keep the essence of the original title but balances the release into a more solid club-oriented tool.
About the message behind this track. The lyrics represent a desire from an entity who wants to know the deal about the deepest wishes and ever growing curiosity of mankind and their dierent proles, and with such statement the entity wants to feel what are we made of and shows to the audience if they really understand what scientic evolution means for their own, the human race, with all the pros and cons, an always double-sided sword taking the light as a pure and indomable source of energy. This message is also re‑ected in a special Video clip you’ll nd soon on Drivecom’s YouTube channel as a bonus promotional material.
A great balanced 12” Ep which serves as an introduction for what we’ll have in the near future: “Memories from the Dust”.
A long awaited new B. Divider’s album on Drivecom records.
After the success of the first and second releases which have been played by many, this is the time to present, with big pleasure, another master of the Riviera Romagnola and house music in general.
The living legend Flavio Vecchi, also called by some The Maestro, is now releasing on BAR Musica Re-Present some gems that never got released before. Hidden in some old DATs we finally found the way to give these incredible three tracks the right light.
A little curious story: one of the tracks is the very first track he completely produced on his Akai MPC 60 when he first bought it in 1995.
Korean artist and musician Jin Won Lee (이진원), otherwise known as Gazaebal, began his career in New York. Working as a sound engineer, alongside such illustrious artists as the Wu-Tang Clan and Janet Jackson, led him to develop a keen ear for dexterous audio design, melodic flair and catchy rhythm. But his true interest lay in uncovering the unique textures and synthetic qualities of electronic music. From the late 1990s to the early 2000s, Gazaebal focused on developing himself as a producer, synergising a uniquely potent take on club music, releasing three albums and appearing on numerous collaborations.
An established figure in the realm of contemporary art, Jin Won Lee is well-known for his hybrid, highly technological practice. In 2008, together with Jang Jaeho, he formed The Tacit Group, a collective for computer-coded art. Presenting works that manipulate audio and visuals in real-time through programming, the group has performed at the FAMS Choice selection, Lincoln Center in New York, at the Seoul branch of the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, among many others. As a solo practitioner, he initiated in 2023, a project that examines sound as abstracted vibration. brings together Jin Won Lee’s decades long investigations into sonic experimentation and the physicality of noise.
Outside the avant-garde, Gazaebal has enjoyed mainstream success, collaborating with Big Hit Productions founder and BTS songwriter Mr. "Hitman" Bang on remixes and arrangements for K-POP albums. They also formed the two-man group Banana Girl, with Gazaebal focusing on composition while Bang handled vocals, achieving a big hit with their 2000s track ‘Butt.’
Another crucial figure in Gazaebal’s life is his wife Nine who operates as his agent and business partner. Initially released in 1999 on Nine’s independent imprint dmstrax, the titular track ‘Talk’ first appeared on techno@kr, a compilation CD of Korean electronica. Together, they co-founded G Records, which was partly absorbed into Bighit Entertainment in 2005. Appearing as the inaugural record on Bighit, the original version of 'And So On' – featuring Bang’s vocal production – was not available for re-release due to licensing difficulties. But thankfully the multitrack was well preserved. Utilising these components, Nawon Ha (AKA Korean-but-Amsterdam-based artist Naone) re-imagines the song for Betonska Records.
A combination of un- and self-released material, Talk is an album that firmly belongs to the millennium while sounding utterly outside of space and time. A cosmic trance trip that draws on rock’s steely drive, wiggy acid basslines and warbling dub, the record is presented as a mix-friendly mini-album, with the 6 tracks ideally tailored to DJ-level quality and loudness. As much suited to the psychedelic rave scene of yesteryear as they are to present-day dancefloors, Gazaebal’s productions are defined by his idiosyncrasies. Melding the sheen of tight production and pop sensibilities with a flagrant DIY spirit, his music assuages the high-commercialism of the 2000s, resulting in a style that’s as definitely punchy as it is precise
Demi Riquisimo’s ‘A Lifetime On The Hips’ sub-label returns to make it a hat-trick of releases for2023 with the impressive ‘Body Move' V/A featuring eclectic club cuts from Dreamrdreamr, SY, Papa Nugs, Elfenberg, ABSOLUTE. & YSANNE.
Dreamdreamr’s emotive ‘Zone 4 Booty Call’ kicks off the a-side. A track that effortlessly fuses elements of deep house, trance, and R’n’B, it sets the tone perfectly for an EP not bound by the borders of genre. The title track ‘Body Move’ by SY is up next. A no nonsense house chugger with flourishes of Italian 90’s progressive and acid - a perfect modern interpretation of a foundational strand of club music. The A-side wraps up with one of 2023’s most exciting prospects Papa Nugs and the vocoder infused, percussive, twisted jam 'Loosey Goosey’.
The flip picks up right where the A-side left off with Elfenberg’s ’Solarplexus’, a cosmic, evolving and psychedelic interpretation of house. UK mainstay ABSOLUTE. is up next with ‘Devastating Rhythm’, a peak time techno floor filler that sounds like a Frankenstein mix of seminal imprints Dance Mania & D’jax-Up-Beats’ output - proper gear. Drawing the curtain on the ‘Body Move’ V/A is YSANNE’s ’Tisno Tango’. A slightly more introspective cut but with more than enough groove to make you dance, a perfect closer.
For the next journey on Future Romance, we are proud to announce the arrival of another impressive 2-tracker by labelhead Solee. The leading track „Rumors" is a peak time banger with all necessary components to set the dancefloor on fire. While the electro-influenced „Stimulation" comes much deeper but still strong, armed with a big bassline and beautiful melodies.
Something for your mind, your body and your soul. Embark on a journey and get lost. Early DJ support by Joris Voorn, Marc Romboy, Camel Phat, Quivver, Kevin De Vries, Eelke Kleijn, Timo Maas, Einmusik Guy Mantzur and more.
Moxie’s On Loop imprint proudly presents ‘Manifold’, the highly anticipated debut solo EP from Amaliah. The rising Londoner delivers on her burgeoning ravey promise, unleashing a remarkable trio of percussive club tracks that link UK house aesthetics with global soundsystem influences, and comes with a wonderfully knotty remix from celebrated producer Call Super.
Borne Fruits founder Amaliah has rightfully ascended through the musical ranks of her native city to emerge as one of its most exciting voices. As a DJ and producer, she intersects at the exhilarating crossroads of contemporary house sounds, soundsystem culture and UK club influences to packed dancefloors weekly across the UK and EU. The Manifold EP flexes Amaliah’s parallel trajectory as a wicked tunesmith, offering her long-awaited and most substantial musical offering to date for Moxie’s much-loved On Loop imprint.
Opening track “Helix” curls a percussive membrane around its funky core, pumping along with nocturnal rave menace punctured by sirens and grotty synths. Next up, “Me So” shimmers with bubbling assuredness, diffusing Detroit-inspired melodies atop a bumpy house stepper that spurts with synthetic glee along its way. “Spooky Dub” greets us on the flip, wasting no time in igniting its punchy dembow groove while peppering its rubbery bassline amongst some dub-drenched fx. It briefly retreats for a half-step breakdown before re-launching us straight back to dancefloor salvation. Can You Feel The Sun’s Call Super sees us out with a typically psychedelic labyrinth-like remix of “Helix”, refracting a minimalised Electro groove through a magnificent fairground ride of wide-eyed sound design and intimate melodics.
Early support from Saoirse, Call Super, Parris, Moxie, Niks, Roza Terenzi, ISAbella and featured in Pangaea’s BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix.
The word Datasal paints inner pictures for most people growing up in Sweden during the 1990’s. The datasal (a classroom for computers) was an ordinary classroom with few changes to fit the school’s 10 newly leased computers. The room represented the change of times in Sweden during this period: the fixed institutions and the awaiting digital flood wave.
The music of Datasal sounds captures the feeling of printing a downloaded picture of your favorite hockey player or music artist or the expectations building up as you wait for the modem to log in to interact with the thousands of users of the internet in 1995. The tracks this release manifests the excitement but also the bit of fright you felt connecting to the world in the mid 90’s - a time when the internet still was fun.
The sound is built around repetitive sequencer loops and programmed beats where electric bass, electric guitar and flute improvise around a theme, creating a sound that is best described as cosmic flute house. Datasal is an harmonic reminder of a time where digital progress seemed less harmful than today.
Following their 2021 debut album, ‘Brama’, One Million Eyes return with their highly anticipated second album, ‘Iris’, set to captivate us once more through a kaleidoscope of rich analog and instrumental fragments.
The inspiration behind the album was born from a powerful symbol—the iris of the eye. Controlling the inflow of light, the iris mirrors the duo's mission for the album, “letting light in, even in the darkest of times”. Representing an attempt to shed new insight on their sometimes indescribable approach, Paolo and Luciano compare the ambition (and consequent imperfections) throughout their music to that of the imperfect, yet unique array of color found within an iris, in the hope it can completely entrance and mesmerize. With much of the album recorded live, ‘Iris’ marks a refined evolution in the One Million Eyes sound born under their Tempelhof guise many years ago. Infusing organic sound elements such as voice fragments, acoustic guitar lines, and drum beats at the forefront of their compositions, their vast array of analog synthesizers once again provide added depth and warmth, resulting in majestic, hypnotic circular motifs that Paolo and Luciano describe as "Mantras, rising and falling in volume and intensity."
Teenage twins Ruffy & Tuffy deliver an apocalyptic slab of synth drenched Rub a Dub with what could be the first use of Vocoder in Reggae for 1982’s If The 3rd World War Is A Must. This release draws from both the original 12” and the master tapes combining the best vocal cut and dub versions.
Though not prolific musicians, many may recognize the twins sparring in matching red Pony track suits in Ted Bafaloukos’ iconic 1978 film Rockers. Ahead of its time in almost every way, the lyrics dealing with global war and the nefarious use of technology, sadly seem as relevant now as they did in 1982 though some of the actors may have changed. Surrounded by elite reggae musicians from childhood it was nothing unusual for the brothers to be in the presence of elders like Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Augustus Pablo, Jacob Miller and especially Bob Marley at recording sessions and in daily life.
If The 3rd World War was their first venture into the studio as solo artists in 1982 first at Channel One and then Tuff Gong where Wailers alumni Earl Wire Lindo and Tyrone Downie (keys and Vocoder) laid down their space age additions to the track creating a genre bending Reggae /Electro/ Dub concoction that still sounds fresh 41 years later. Wire Lindo & the twins took the mastertapes to Texas based mechanical engineer and producer Stephen “Iya” James who ran Marcus Garvey Records and the label African Unity Productions in the unlikely Reggae hub of Austin Texas. The track was not released until two years later in 1984 as a 12” which had a run of only 500 copies and is no easy find these days.
Jackie Mittoo is one of the most important artists in the history of Jamaican music. As founding member of the legendary Skatalites, as in-house arranger/producer at Studio One and as a solo artist in his own right leading groups such as The Soul Brothers, Sound Dimension and Soul Vendors.
These classic and rare recordings were made in the mid 1960's at Studio One. The Soul Brothers bridged the gap between Ska and the arrival of Rocksteady mixing it all up with Funk, Jazz and Latin styles. The Soul Brothers recorded at Studio One between 1965-1967. This was the transitionary period between Ska and Rocksteady where the music was a mixture of Funk, Latin and Jazz sometimes with a reminder of Ska and the hint of Rocksteady.
The previous era of Ska had been dominated by the Skatalites, the first in-house band at Studio One who created classic hits such as "Guns of Navaronne", "Man in the Street", "El Pussy Cat" and many more. Unfortunately the strong personalities in the group meant that The Skatalites stayed together for less than two years. It was also around this time that the mentally unwell Don Drummond was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend, the dancer Margerita.
In August 1965, barely a week after the demise of the original Skatalites, The Soul Brothers (featuring ex-Skatalites members Jackie Mittoo, Roland Alphonso, Johnny Moore and Lloyd Brevitt) were up and running as the new house band at Studio One.
The Soul Brothers were essentially a collective, releasing material under their own name or under a nominal leader (usually Jackie Mittoo or Rolando Alphonso). The group line-up changed over time with Bobby Ellis (trumpet), Bryan Atkinson (bass), Dennis Campbell (Sax), Harry Haughton (guitarist) and Joe Isaacs (drummer) replacing various members alongside the ever present Jackie Mittoo.
REVIEWS
"Jackie Mittoo was a true star of Jamaican music; a founder member of The Skatalites, a prolific composer and the keyboard powerhouse behind many a classic tune. His simple, often hypnotic approach, to ska, rocksteady and reggae made him one of the most distinctive sounding musicians of the era." BBC.
"Jackie Mittoo was one of the great names in Jamaican music, manning the keyboards for the Skatalites, the Soul Vendors, and Sound Dimension-- three of the greatest house bands of the 60's
(and I mean anywhere, not just in Jamaica)." PITCHFORK.
A command across genres has distinguished Yasushi Ide’s work as a DJ and producer since emerging from the multiscene spawning big bang that was Tokyo’s highly influential club milieu of the 1980s. His productions draw variously from hip-hop, dub, house, punk, jazz dance, exotica and electronic music - and at their most expressive, synthesize sensibilities within a single track. The respect Ide’s earned is well evident in the impressive roll call of collaborators he’s accrued over the years - Masters At Work, Tom Verlaine, Don Letts, James Chance, DJ Krush, Pharaoh Sanders, U-ROY, and Bongo Herman, just to name a legendary few.
Now available for worldwide distribution from Love Injection Records in both digital and 7-inch 45 vinyl formats, the Yasushi Ide “A Place In the Sun (Kaoru Inoue Remix)” is paired with the equally gorgeous “A Place In the Sun (Dub).” On the former, Inoue’s treatment largely strips away the track’s beats, anchoring it to a subtle percussion pulse that emphasizes the composition’s irresistible melodic qualities. The latter finds Yoko Ota at the controls restoring and pushing reverb-soaked drums to the forefront of the mix, accentuating Ide’s affection for the sound system aesthetic while exercising just the right amount of spacial arrangement flourishes to inject some brawn amidst the beauty.
These serendipitously rediscovered renditions of a back catalog deep cut are just the latest examples of Yasushi Ide’s artistic reach. In addition to recording such acclaimed albums as 2020’s Cosmic Suite and its 2022 sequel (for which Love Injection has remixed a track), his work has spanned music supervision of some 200+ compilations for major labels, artist management, his Grand Gallery shop/gallery proprietorship, and books showcasing the depth of his archival sensibilities, including vintage t-shirt and ephemera curation. Perhaps most inspiring, however, is that Ide is still winning new appreciators and collaborators in unexpected ways four decades into a revered career that continues to evolve and expand.
T4T LUV NRG presents “Call Me G”, the new album by Brooklyn’s Russell E.L. Butler, their first full length LP since the release of 2018’s critically acclaimed “The Home I’d Build For Myself and All My Friends” on Left Hand Path. In the intervening years, Russell has experienced an accumulation of personal subjective experiences which are explored through captivating musical modalities and expressions on this sprawling, gorgeous, and deeply emotional album. Russell’s work on “Call Me G” can be described as a unique amalgam of early NY house music, dub techno and poetry. The album’s title track, as well as its instrumentals, are a kind of storytelling for histories that continue to exist without observation as well as for secrets and the power they hold in spite of their truth being obscured and sometimes lost.
Storytellers like Russell have the ability to collapse the past and future into discrete experiences of non-linear time through the emotional landscape of music and voice. Each song contains a palatable loneliness and hurt to which many in this modern world can relate, but each track also suggests the possibility of genuine connection and the formation of the self through communing and reintegrating with the natural world. These parallel concepts are the subject of “Accumulation”, a writing by Russell which accompanies the release of the album. The emotions, conflicts and resolutions that accompany Russell’s storytelling are felt acutely on tracks such as “I’m Dancing No One Is Watching” and “Stare Into The Light Beam”, among others.
On the title song, which closes the album, Russell sings “Can you call me? Will you call me? All that I want is for you to call me by my name...My name is G.” Context is part of interpretation and thus it is left to the listener to feel in the music and lyrics the concept that what may seem erased never truly dies, the traces still exist in the thing that takes its place. The T4T LUV NRG label is in part a continuing effort to facilitate the documentation of true stories that don’t get told—rather than representing a singular vibe or genre. Russell’s album is a stunning and profound entry in this evolving catalog of music and art. The beautiful cover of “Call Me G” is based on a hand drawn portrait of the artist by Diego Guzman.
Ein weiteres Kultalbum von Jazz Room Records mit Danny Ward & Reality, die Mitte bis Ende der 70er Jahre die Go-To-Funky-Jazz-Band für College- und andere Hardcore-Funk-Party-Gigs in und um Seattle im pazifischen Nordwesten waren.
Sie veröffentlichten Coverversionen der neuesten Disco- und Top-40-Hits und nahmen ihr Publikum regelmäßig mit auf einen musikalischen Trip durch die funkigsten und jazzigsten Sounds der Zeit mit Titeln, die durch George Benson, Lydia Pense & Coldblood, The Headhunters, Mandrill, u.v.m. berühmt wurden.
Diese einzigartige Aufnahme, die die Band live bei einem Auftritt unter der Woche in Bremerton, Washington, einfängt, zeigt ihren unnachahmlichen Stil.
Debut album from UK jazz saxophonist and composer Miles Spilsbury, featuring Carlos Niño. Produced by Slugabed.
Light Manoeuvres is about warmth, generosity and openness. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres was sketched in fragments, but began to take shape in earnest during a period of living under the Marseille haze in the South of France.
The specific character and opacity of the light in Marseille inspired the album title which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion. Sand blows over from the Sahara on the Sirocco wind and is whipped up by the Mistral, the Marseille sky becomes golden and vapoured, then intermittently pastel blue. That image stuck while shaping this body of work, and became integral to the function of the compositions - which act as jumping off points for the players and myself, vehicles for improvisation and gateways to something else entirely.
Miles Spilsbury is a saxophonist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Light Manoeuvres may be Spilsbury’s first full-length as bandleader, but the Brighton-based artist brings more than a decade of experience to bear on this record. In addition to a list of collaborators which includes Carlos Niño, Iglooghost, Nate Mercereau, Surya Botofasina and Yasei Collective, Spilsbury has been a permanent member of celebrated avant-rock experimentalists The Physics House Band since 2018. He has performed at prestigious UK venues such as the Southbank Centre and the London Jazz Festival, and has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Japan.
In time between other musical projects, Spilsbury spent several years sketching fragments of solo material. The music which would become Light Manoeuvres began to take shape in earnest during a period of living in Marseille. The specific character and opacity of the light there inspired the album title, which imagines the movement of light passing over different subjects and spaces in intricate motion.
Four tracks from '20 Years Of Phonica' on limited 12" vinyl!
We start off with a collaboration from Paramida & E-Talking. Paramida is the well-respected head of the Love on the Rocks label whilst E-Talking is the pseudonym of Emmanuel Corre, one half of Nummer who have given us stunning releases over the year on their own label, AD93 and Going Good. ‘Read My Lips’ strikes the perfect balance of old-school warehouse acid and early morning Berlin dance floors.
Next up, Dauwd’s bass-heavy monster ‘Slam’. The US born, Berlin residing DJ & producer Dauwd has been pushing his sound through various styles and genres since the early 2010s. From dub-steppy and tech-house beginnings to his most recent house and dub-techno Psssh imprint outputs he has been driving record collectors crazy for his 12’s for over a decade!
On the flip, Daniel Avery's ‘Bell’ finds the Phantasy and Mute artist at his most contemplative and melodic; it’s streamlined stylings reminiscent of UK Artificial Intelligence 90s techno and Kompakt’s golden era.
Finally, Mancunian producer Willow’s ‘Willbush’ shows why she has been a leading name in the underground house scene for over a decade now, including releases on the renowned Workshop label.
"A brittle metronome in a delirious tension landscape, WOMEN'S HOUR are a Glasgow based experimental post-punk duo featuring Contort Yourself head honcho Murray CY and artist Jenny Wicks. Creating noise, harmony and disquiet washed in synth and repetitive guitar, rough beats and distorted vocals, WOMEN'S HOUR are constantly trying to embrace the shouting in their heads."
On this, their debut release, a 12 track lp, a true to form jagged 80s post-punk affair, the two piece bring to life the day to day in the grim North through their music. One can almost feel the chill coming from the brittle window panes of the dank drafty flats, filled with asbestos paint, busted heaters, and no hot water flowing for who knows how long. Desperate, urgent, coming close to falling apart, yet pulling it together to make it through to the next song...this is as "British" as it gets (yes we know Scotland is its own thing guys, don't shoot) The sun hasn't shown its face for many months, wind blows through the deserted streets, change jingles around in your pocket, a hungry dog barks. This is the music of Women's Hour.
Lee Jeffries Brings Northern Soul Holy Grail 7” to life in live form with the Unsung Wonders playing live and recorded onto 2 inch tape with no editing to give you stunning versions of these northern soul treasures.
The Album was recorded back in 2016 in Leicester with Lee's dad Steve Jeffries, one of the world's leading Northern Soul’s rare record dealers.
Lee's good friend & now pressing manager at Sonic Wax Pressing Manager Adam Bucanan also was involved in the producing and mentoring the young band to deliver these stunning records.
With 50 years of Northern Soul Wigan Casino in 2023 it's great to see new Northern Soul music is being made.
The Rice N Peas is the alternative ego to The Unsung Wonders and give a stunning Lovers Rock / Reggae take on these holy grail tracks.
Hailing from Richmond, VA, Heartracer makes anthemic synthpop, combining modern production techniques with classic pop songwriting. Inspired by ’80s icons such as Duran Duran, a-ha, Peter Gabriel, The Outfield, and Springsteen, Heartracer’s sound is a nostalgic mix of dreamy synths, melodic guitars, and swooning vocals.
On their new album The Feel, the band channels all of that inspiration and filters it through a fresh lens; the result is a retro-inspired modern pop masterpiece. Midnight Mannequin Records is proud to present Heartracer’s The Feel on deluxe white vinyl, complete with OBI strip.
Depending on your personal circumstances, the Covid pandemic was either a blissed-out paid holiday or a stressful and seemingly never-ending time of loss and hardship. Both ends of the spectrum are gorgeously captured here by London-based Joy Ellis, who wrote her third album 'Peaceful Place' during those strange weeks.
Though a renowned singer, she decided to strip things back to just piano for this record, with long-time collaborators Adam Osmianski on drums and Henrik Jensen on double bass fleshing out the sound.
It is a poignant listen from front to back, with all the many different emotions of that time conveyed perfectly, from grief to uncertainty, hope to despair, in one immersive record. The sheer beauty of these songs and the meaning of the melodies stay with you long after they have finished playing, making this a real triumph out of adversity and one that is sure to stand the test of time.
On March 26, 2015, a surprising announcement sent shockwaves through the Belgian music scene. Noe?mie Wolfs declared her departure from Hooverphonic, the band she had fronted as the lead singer for over five years. She described it as the end of an incredible chapter in her life and expressed her desire to forge her own musical path, which she did by releasing her critically acclaimed debut album "Hunt You" a year later.
In February 2020, the long-anticipated second solo album by Noe?mie arrived, titled "Lonely Boy's Paradise," brimming with melancholic hues. Taking her time to craft and record this album, Noe?mie delivered a collection of songs that resonated even more deeply with her. At the production helm was Yello Staelens (also known as Yong Yello). With "Lonely Boy's Paradise," her confidence grew, allowing her to embrace risk and unconventional ideas. However, the international lockdown soon threw a spanner in the works, as the society shut down a day after her celebrated sold-out release show at the Ancienne Belgique. Rather than sit by, she therefore retreated to her home studio to work on new music.
Making music from the heart has always been in the DNA of Belgian singer Noémie Wolfs and yet this time it is a tad different as she's gearing up to release her third album, "Wild At Heart," in November. This time around, she joined forces again with her partner in crime, Simon Casier (of Balthazar and Zimmerman), to write and produce the album in their home studio. Despite being in the business for years, the upcoming project also immediately presented a challenge for her because this time she was involved both as a writer, but more importantly as a producer, giving the album an even more personal touch. Everything was done from an emotion or a vision, you notice and hear the love for enchanting arrangements immediately.
The ten tracks on "Wild At Heart" promise a distinct sound, enriched with meticulous attention to detail. The melodies are interwoven with dreamy, melancholic strings and an array of synths, revealing a new facet of Noémie's musical evolution. The new sound of Noémie evolved from a hip-hop-oriented use of samples on her second album "Lonely Boys Paradise" to a more electronic approach, where danceable beats with analog synths join forces with big orchestrated strings to capture the different facets of a love story.
"Strings are actually very hopeful or often form a warm blanket for many people, but can also be very frightening, oppressive, dark, and sad. It might even be my favourite instrument, which is why I definitely wanted to use them on this album. Sometimes you can even hear 42 violins at the same time, with which we wanted to capture the grandeur of Hollywood," she says about including strings.
The upcoming album is not a sonic continuation of her previous albums, but a deliberate exploration of what has always inspired her. "Wild At Heart" tells the story of two lovers who cannot live with each other, but also cannot live without each other. The dramaturgy of the album also reflects itself musically, which is immediately evident with the first single "Lonely Heart". In almost eight minutes, you feel the matchless passion in her music and her voice remains the narrative thread that makes you forget time and space around you for a moment. Noémie Wolfs' new music is therefore the perfect way to take a break from the daily grind and digs deep into all forms of romance.
"Wild At Heart" is Noémie Wolfs' reintroduction and her most personal project so far. For dreamers, lovers, and travelers.
After his first album on BLESSYOU "Turquoise", Mogwaa aka Seungyoung Lee from Seoul is back with another stellar contribution this time re-visiting his earlier days of musical appreciation in Reggae music.
This album is another entirely instrumental work with 8 tracks, effortlessly displaying his confidence in the studio when it comes to dreamy dubbed out ambient sounds intertwined with heavy digi/stepper and even dancehall influences.
A refreshing treat to the ear when it comes to contemporary productions as Mogwaa approaches the Jamaican genre with a refined aesthetic of his own. From Korea with much craft and dedication for the music, a pleasure to have him back. Mastered at Manmade mastering.
"Pulso is about sexual desire, my desire. Me as the subject, not only the object of it. I sing my pleasure and daydreams, because it's my body and my imagination, so I know what I like to feel."
Sonically inspired by reggaeton, a genre that is personally nostalgic and reminiscent of times spent at parties listening to the imported genre as a teenager in her home country, Spain.
Clara! works with producers who don’t usually dabble in the genre - SKY H1, Pearson Sound and Low Jack - in order to mix their own, unique universes with it.
Building on their shared exploration of forward-leaning UK club sounds, EM + STAV herald the arrival of their new label JoyLift with the Endless EP. Having entrenched themselves within the free-spirited landscape of Bristol’s music community, the pair home in on a focused sound which draws on the city’s storied bass mutations as a springboard for their own take on modernist dance music.
There’s a tough, brooding quality to Endless EP which speaks to the meditative pressure of soundsystem immersion, but equally EM + STAV build out evocative, shifting narratives within that club-ready framework. From dubwise processing to deft sound design, a broad church of processes are wielded to shape out these pieces, and physicality comes in many forms whether in weightless sub lines or pointed, angular drum programming. Given their long-standing connection to developments within the underground music scene, there’s a keen instinct for the dynamic shifts which can set a dance alight, while the ill- defined shape of the wider genre-not-genre allows plenty of space for movement and experimentation.
Alongside the three original productions from EM + STAV, kindred spirit Forest Drive West steps up for a remix of ‘Odd' which aligns with the aesthetic intentions of JoyLift while demonstrating the idiosyncratic qualities associated with the scene’s most vital artists. The cohesive feel of Endless EP extends to Luke Griffin’s artwork, in which natural source material undergoes heavy processing to wind up in a striking new form, shot through with colour but ultimately shrouded in a moodiness that harks back through the lineage of hardcore-rooted UK dance music.
By its very nature the future is unwritten for JoyLift, but EM + STAV’s new project commits itself to an ever-evolving palette of sound, rendered as music with a strong sense of identity - tracks to shake the dance without resorting to obvious tropes, responding to and feeding into the inspiring tides of ideas emanating from the environment around them.
Following up last year’s Acrobatic Thoughts album, Panoram delves even deeper into his own musical universe with Keep Looking Where The Light Comes From. We find the producer in confident form, exploring the fuzzy fringes of beauty and chaos. The result is an album that sounds even more like himself and yet surprising at each turn.
Opening track Feathers sounds like only Panoram can, buzzy arpeggiated distortion takes flight somewhere in the direction of a distant multiverse where Animal Collective and Boards of Canada soundtracked Koyaanisqatsi. But the psychedelic drift is all Panoram’s own, conjuring a stark sense of the uncanny with the repeated phrases. The digital guitar and vocal loops of I Can Only Repeat Your Love are practically on the brink of collapsing in on themselves, to the point where the structure begins to shift like a collapsing monument. Flat Stones nods towards ASMR, as flute and woodwind tones caress the ears and a whispered voice teases out an altered state.
It’s this dreamlike mood that pervades the whole album, a maximal effect that’s wrung from minimalist compositions. The Wide House picks up the baton from Laurie Anderson to trip gently through different states of awareness, while the piano patterns of Blank Sheep float through the synth ambience like ideas entering an empty dream. There Is A Hole Here is another mutant loop that unravels as it proceeds - the rhythms turn into a pulse, and despite what the lyrics say, it does indeed mess around with your brain.
Panoram balances dance tropes, classical composition, ambient drones and a washed out, fuzzy twist on avant garde pop, and manages to transform it all into a uniform whole that fits all those puzzle pieces together. Yet such is the assuredness of Panoram’s production that it sounds effortless. At this point, the music is more like a midwife, manifesting your future self‘s enlightened consciousness with surreal effect.
PWL, gegründet von Pete Waterman, ist ein legendäres und einflussreiches britisches Plattenlabel, das die Musikindustrie nachhaltig geprägt hat. PWL ist bekannt für seine entscheidende Rolle bei der Gestaltung der Popmusiklandschaft der 1980er und 1990er Jahre und war Wegbereiter für einen unverwechselbaren Sound, der sich durch eingängige Melodien, lebendige Synthies und ansteckende Beats auszeichnete. Das Label katapultierte nicht nur zahlreiche Künstler wie Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan und Rick Astley in die Weltspitze, sondern führte auch eine neue Welle von tanzbarem Pop ein, die weltweit Anklang fand.
PWL Extended ist eine Sammlung von 12"- und Extended-Mixes, die die Tiefe und Breite des PW-Outputs perfekt widerspiegelt. Sie enthält große Welthits wie "I Should Be So Lucky" und "Never Gonna Give You Up", neben tieferen Stücken, schwer zu findenden und neu
erschienenen Mixen von Künstlern wie Princess, Blow Monkeys und Paul Varney.
‘Double Pink’ is the debut album by And Is Phi (Andrea Isabelle Phillips), a multidisciplinary artist from Norway and the Philippines now based in South East London. ‘Double Pink’ is a nuanced world that draws on colours and texture; with influences of Joni Mitchell and Frank Zappa, 90's R&B and Madlib’s ‘Shades Of Blue’ blending languidly to produce a base for uncovering layers of self, a deep release, and fragile new form.
Written by Andrea and co-produced with Fiona Roberts and Lorenz Okello over a nine month period; ‘Double Pink’ thematically explores the many movements of internal change, speaking from a deep inner voice inside the body. The title track is an invitation to be as unapologetically hungry as you please after a long absence of life giving passion and trust in oneself. ‘White Noise’ is a recovery song playing in your soul the first time you made it back out to the dance floor after a heart break so massive it laid rest to the person you used to be. Songs like ‘Working’ and ‘Staaar’ come from a candid and contemplative aspect. Stages of grief and resilience and wonder and wisdom are all touched upon.
“The album explores metamorphosis, liminal spaces, and the multiple faces of love”, says Andrea. “I mention love as a key ingredient, because anyone who has had to push and pull and hold and yield themselves through great loss and transformation knows it ain’t gonna happen without love. Tough times ask for double love, a stronger heart, something like a double pink”.
Andrea’s story dots between periods spent living in Norway, the Philippines and England - experiencing joy and beauty battling corruption and violence in Manila, DJing in Oslo, losing her sizable record collection in a warehouse fire before making friends and family in the jazz scene in London. Every story needs a scene, a landscape, an environment; all things Andrea visualises when writing songs.
“At my heart I am emotional and imaginative, searching for freedom for my spirit. What grounds it all is coming from a family of storytellers. My father played drums and percussion, he was a great dancer and a true collector and connoisseur of music from everywhere. My wise mother instilled in me a sense of faith and grace”.
Andrea is far from new to the scene, having performed with Steamdown, Emma Jean Thackray, Hector Plimmer, Scrimshire, William Florelle and many more as a valuable and inspiring creative force within the South London music scene. Andrea also created the album’s artwork and music videos: musicality and painting evolved from her initial creative languages of drawing and dance. All aspects are dialects of her common language: singing what can’t be painted and painting what can’t be sung.
Ten years JEAHMON! - this is why we celebrate this decade for our imprint with our roots: A jubilee pressing on 12” vinyl. Remember how it all started back in 2013: With a hand painted full cover vinyl series. The crazy fishes from back in the days are still here! Ten years later Marc DePulse's imprint developed to the Top 5 leading Indie Dance labels on the planet – with over 80 releases and a lot of chartbreakers during the years. This vinyl represents a little family showcase with homie artists that built the brand over the past few years and who are an important face for JEAHMON! these days. Just to name a few of course – there are still so many other representive artists that made our imprint becoming so big and successful.
Das neue Album des britischen DJ und Produzenten David Holmes ist manchmal klaustrophobisch, oft euphorisch, angetrieben vom Rattern und Knacken analoger Drum-Maschinen, dröhnender analoger Synthesizer und der Stimme von Raven Violet, die auf eine Weise betört und befiehlt.
Hailing from Mexico City, Louie Fesco is as cool as his name states, he is never lame. Louie can make a Tiesto t-shirt cool, just by cutting off the sleeves and wearing it. Mr. Cool has graced many top labels over the last decade and made these labels even cooler, his outing on CV
Could be one of his best and coolest, #truestorybro.
On this crispy 12 inch he delivers a masterclass on party rocking grooves, proper basslines and drummy hooks (not to be confused with dummy hookers).
So to speak- a perfect weapon in your vinyl arsenal (not “Vinyl Arsenal” the amateur football team made up of various aging UK Djs).
On the remix duty, we get some heavy hitters from the ever mysterious Gathaspar. We heard he gets his inspiration from tiny elves that are only found in Munich catacombs. When asked about these tiny elves on Instagram, he leaves you on “seen”. His OP vinyl series are instant hits and collectors items among bearded vinyl nerds, and people who use a lot of bedroom hand lotion. These remixes are monsters- I know, I tested them myself in raves to people and they responded by dancing.
In short, if you are a Dj who likes nasty records to rock parties, this is a must, and if you’re a creepy Discogs shark, this is sure to go up in value.
Why do we even write these write ups?
I’m not sure, and if you are still reading this instead of listening to the 12 inch, I don’t know what else to say to you.
I guess I’ll give you the “ your good enough, your smart enough, and god darn it- people like you” words to get you thru the day.
Wallace has been something of a behind the scenes phenomenon. Having just two official releases at the time of writing, alongside a few white-labels on his own ‘Tartan’ imprint - The man known as Wallace has somehow worked his way into the record bags of the worlds biggest DJ’s: Gilles Peterson, Hunee, Moxie, Ruf Dug, Gideon and beyond.
It’s only a matter of time before the wider dance music community catches on - and I wouldn’t be surprised if - by the time this record hits the shelves - WALLACE- MANIA is in full effect. An artist like this only comes along once in a blue moon.
Wallace has been quietly perfecting his craft for the last decade, and has a deep understanding of club dynamics that can’t be taught. Bradley Zero himself has been playing 4/5 Wallace tracks per set within
the last year alone! Luckily for you, the secret is out, and we, for one - cannot wait!
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) return with their 14th studio album Bauhaus Staircase, over six years after the triumph of their Top 4-charting record The Punishment of Luxury. The album was born from the impetus to kickstart new explorations during lockdown when as Andy McCluskey admits: “I rediscovered the creative power of total boredom.”
The album’s first offering as a single is the title track which serves as a nod both to Andy McCluskey’s love of the Bauhaus era & the power of protest art. “I am a huge lover of visual arts especially mid 20th century movements” Andy comments. “The song is a metaphor for strength and artist passion in the face of criticism and adversity. When times are hard there is a tendency for Governments to look at cutting funding for creativity just at the moment when the arts are most needed to nourish our souls. It seems appropriate that the song and its eponymous album were created during Covid Lockdown.”
Ranging further from the beautiful film noir ballad of ‘Veruschka’ and the dance stylings of ‘Anthropocene’ - a term for the current epoch in Earth’s evolution to the sinister ‘Evolution Of Species’ and the hectic ‘Kleptocracy’ - OMD’s greatest straight-up protest song - the new album is a broad electronic sonic masterpiece that lyrically tackles the topics of the future. The record closes on ‘Healing’ - a moment of reflective calm.
By rights OMD should be in semi-retirement performing classics like Enola Gay and Maid Of Orleans on the nostalgia festival circuit like so many peers. Instead they’ve created a landmark album worthy of their finest work. Bauhaus Staircase remains unmistakably the work of a duo who are still perfectly in sync 45 years after their first gig at legendary Liverpool club Eric’s.
“I’m very happy with what we’ve done on this record" McCluskey summarises. “I’m comfortable if this is OMD’s last statement.”
Originally released in 2018 on Undisputed Records, "The One Love Family" is Skarra Mucci's 7th studio album. For this featuring album where one or more guests appear on each track, the artist invited a cast of choice with guests from various backgrounds such as the heavyweights of French Reggae from Dub Inc or the Jamaican stars of yesterday and today such as Ken Boothe, King Kong or Chezidek… This album is a hymn to sharing in which we find the many facets of the Dancehall President.
Skatebård is one of the very best Classic Techno producers from Norway since the early 2000's - the distinction from others simply lies within his sense of melody, rhythm and live arrangements. The 2002 release "Skateboarding Was A Crime" on Tellektro had a clear thread of Detroit Techno and Electro, a craft and influence that also heavy club hitters "Conga", "Ta-Ta Arr" and "Emotional Bits" on Sex Tags Mania strongly carried. It's unarguably always a "classic touch" in his dance music, but still it always sounds like a Skatebård production - there is simply no blueprinting in true inspiration.
"Spektral LP" has been compiled and edited by DJ Sotofett with material from Skatebård's 2001-2005 recording archive. In short it's recordings nobody else cold get a hold of – fine tuned and restored into a synergetic and consolidated world of riding, mechanical and electronic funk - released on Skatebård's own Digitalo Enterprises.
Tracks "Seventh" and "Vaskemaskin" are both cymbal driven Techno cuts by the former metal drummer, one with chorded synth stabs growing in harmony, the other leaning on a dark sci-fi pad and a flipped vocal loop. There's a bit more of Skatebård's vocals on the beautifully robotic "Ei Anna Framtid", an alternate take of "Future" which Finlands Keys Of Life released in 2003. DJ Sotofett's mix of "Den Anarkistiske Anode" is nothing but a distorted head-schredding basement Techno blaster, while "Strengje", "Bassi" and "Spektral Elektro" punctuates the catchy Electro & Italo grooves Skatebård crafts so much better than most current producers.
The Stallions compilations have become a benchmark of Bosconi's position as one of the leading house and techno labels operating out of Italy. This third instalment marks a shift in sound which also comes full circle to the music that first inspired founder Fabio Della Torre as a DJ and producer around the turn of the millennium, when punchy electro production was driving European house and techno into new zones.
All the artists featured on Vol. III are Italian, holding true to Bosconi's commitment to supporting local talent from Florence and across the country. Amongst the familiar faces is Della Torre's own Minimono collaboration with Ennio Colaci, which indulges a proudly manic palette of tweaked bleeps and dirty low-end. Elsewhere, recent additions to the Bosconi fold include veritable legends Alexander Robotnick and Marco Passarani, who infuse their unpredictable approaches to electro-techno and italo disco with ear-snagging synth-pop and driving analogue box jams respectively to create vibrant, impassioned dancefloor monsters.
The Mechanical Man is an alias from Nicola Altieri, who leans in on a classic Italo arpeggio to create a seductive club sound which builds on his recent Bosconi EXV EP, while Cixxx J switches from the mood of his own Bosconi appearance for a new alias Queen Of Coins and a pivot towards heads-down electro-techno-trance with a whiff of International Deejay Gigolos. Lapucci builds on the promise of his 2021 Bosconi 12" with a sentimental fusion track which lands somewhere between old school Italo house, the snappy pulse of EBM and crisp 00s-era electro house. Meanwhile modern day Italian techno legend Lucretio of The Analogue Cops makes his first appearance on Bosconi with the playful video game stylings of 'Gradius'.
A great deal of space on Vol. III is given over to emergent talent, ranging from Miguel Herr's twitchy detroitian synth-pop braindance and Twovi's vocoder-charged electro funk to DJ Rou's jacking ghetto house flavour. Giammarco Orsini and Jacopo Latini appear as Data Memory Access and deliver an emotive, punchy strain of machine soul. Feel Fly rounds the compilation off in bombastic style with an epic, cinematic workout which draws on Moroder-inspired drama without losing the forthright peak-time focus which binds the whole collection together.
Even the artwork on Vol. III serves as an opportunity to celebrate Italian creativity, as pioneering crypto artist Niro Perrone builds on his accomplished work in the field of NFTs and a background in music production to respond intuitively to the vibrant, synthetic sound of the compilation. For all the futurism in the music though, there remains a strong sense of human feeling which has marked Bosconi out since the beginning. The label remains as inspired and inspiring as ever, celebrating the fertile crossover when people manipulate technology to express themselves in an honest, playful way. Independent of wider trends or fashions, Bosconi remains true to its own idiosyncratic passions, and so Bosconi Stallions Vol. III stands proud as a compilation like no other.
"Welcome To My World" is a collection of some of Daniel's most-beloved songs and is now available on vinyl for the very first time. These are the songs that built the legend...a must-have for the legion of devoted Daniel Johnston Fans as well as the perfect introduction for new listeners.
Welcome To My World serves as an introduction to Daniel Johnston, housing a number of his most acclaimed works. Johnston's music captivated fellow artists and fans with its childlike elements and lo-fi elements. The singer-songwriter and artist earned a cult following in the early '80s, sharing homemade cassette tapes of his music, and his prominence was established after Kurt Cobain was publicly seen wearing a shirt with Johnston's illustration.
The 1973 album “El Violento” was the fifth full-length salsa LP led by Julio Ernesto Estrada Rincón, aka Fruko, and the second credited to Fruko Y Sus Tesos. Though it did not contain hits like ‘A la memoria del muerto’ or ‘El Preso’, it’s a collector’s item today in places like the US, Europe and Japan, perhaps precisely because it is obscure yet full to the brim with unrelentingly hard and heavy salsa bangers that never let up from start to finish (hence the title, which translates as “The Violent One”). A mix of originals and interesting covers, the LP is “all killer and no filler”, purposely designed to set the dance floor ablaze. It features Fruko’s two main vocalists that took over from the first pair of Humberto “Huango” Muriel and “Píper Pimienta” Díaz, namely the beloved duo of Álvaro “Joe” Arroyo and Wilson “Saoko” Manyoma. Los Tesos were a talented “wild bunch” who listened to their fearless leader, with Fruko holding down the bottom end on electric bass, Hernán Gutiérrez in the piano chair, the Villegas brothers on hand percussion (Jesús tickling the bongos and Fernando slapping the congas), augmented by Rafael Benítez on timbales and an ace horn section of Freddy Ferrer and Gonzálo Gómez (trombones) and Jorge Gaviria and Salvador Pasos (trumpets). The super aggressive sound comes directly from the South Bronx playbook of Willie Colón. The snarling trombones and soaring trumpet are somewhat sweetened by a nice little Puerto Rican cuatro guitar solo. Sonically lightening the mood somewhat, ‘Nadando’ (‘Swimming’) is a bouncy tune in the ‘Mercy’ genre (basically a hybrid of pop, funky soul, cumbia and salsa, in the style of Nelson y Sus Estrellas), gleefully sung by Joe Arroyo. The beats are complex and ever changing, with a little bit of mozambique, conga, bomba, jala jala and of course salsa thrown in for good measure. The side closes out with a brilliant, uptempo salsa reworking of the venerable ranchera chestnut, ‘Tú, sólo tú’. Side two explodes with the frenetic descarga jam session ‘Salsa na’ ma’—which is exactly that: nothing more than the hottest “sauce” to make the dancers go crazy. Fruko’s tune is dedicated to the Latin community in New York that listens to salsa from everywhere and dances to it so fervently on the weekend. The relentless percussion propels the listener along at breakneck speed as if hurtling down the Bronx Expressway, demonstrating that Fruko y Sus Tesos have mastered the ‘violent’ form of urban salsa that was having its transnational moment in the early 1970s. While “El Violento” may not be as well known as some Fruko records, it certainly deserves a new look and should be assessed on its own merits as a very powerful, confident entry in the historical evolution of Colombian salsa dura.Sleeve
Die weltberühmte tibetische Sängerin Yungchen Lhamo legt ihr bisher bestes Werk vor. Lhamos siebtes Album ist eine Sammlung von Liedern, Gebeten und Mantras, die dem spirituellen Erwachen, der bedingungslosen Liebe und dem Mitgefühl für alle Wesen gewidmet sind. Von ruhiger, schimmernder Schönheit bis hin zu rhythmischer Stammestrance - dies ist Klangheilung für die Welt.
Mr. K’s series of edits on Most Excellent Unlimited is nothing if not eclectic, and utilitarian — as befits a veteran DJ of Danny Krivit’s stature. For our latest, Krivit pulls two disparate gems out of his bag of tricks and fits them neatly on a single 7-inch piece of vinyl.
In 1972 Ralph Bakshi’s landmark underground animated film Fritz the Cat was released, featuring a soundtrack performed by an all-star cast of San Francisco area musicians associated with the Berkeley-based Fantasy label. Perhaps Fantasy’s biggest artist was the vibes player Cal Tjader, who debuted in 1955 and was still going strong when songs were gathered for the movie’s soundtrack nearly twenty years later. Rather than simply using one of his older, already-recorded tunes, Tjader laid down a completely new version of his earlier hit record “Mamblues.” This time however, he swapped his standard latin percussion accompaniment for a can’t-miss rhythm section of Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, and Arthur Adams. The result was a searing funk workout that took the latin jazz classic to new heights. Mr. K subtly warms this one up by adding a hint of reverb and bringing the tempo down a notch, pushing things from frenetic to funky, and firmly into friendly mixing territory for the DJs.
For our flip side, we turn to an unsung jewel amongst Philadelphia’s many contributions to disco music. Executive Suite released a series of singles in ’74 and ’75 that were recorded at the famed Sigma Sound Studios and had ties to a number of better known disco luminaries, among them the holy trinity of Baker-Harris-Young and, on “You Believed In Me,” the mighty Patrick Adams. Along with his longtime associate Stan Lucas, Adams garnished the vocal quartet’s composition with a driving arrangement and epic, soaring strings. The combined effect produced a vibrant, uplifting club cut that echoes the positive spirit of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” while being altogether its own thing. For our latest release Mr. K focuses solely on Adams’s instrumental section, returning repeatedly to that addictive string riff and creating a propulsive rhythm track that just doesn’t quit. And we don’t want it to!
As always, these connoisseur’s choice cuts have been remastered and pressed to Most Excellent Unlimited’s standards, and are primed and ready on 7-inch for DJs and home listeners alike.
Next up on Toolroom’s 4-track vinyl sampler series is 4 killer cuts from our latest repertoire.
Kicking off with another straight up, dance floor weapon, Essel lands back on the label with brand-new single, ‘Sweat’. Her toughest sounding record to date that captures the post-rave moment, cementing herself as one of the hottest new talents to emerge in the electronic music scene.
Next up, Parisian born and US based tech house producer Shiba San debuts on Toolroom with a seriously wonky affair alongside studio buddy, Ayarez, aptly titled ‘Twist It’.
Up next on the sampler, is the return of longstanding label favourite Friend Within with his rolling tech house banger ‘Pilka’. Having landed 2 of the hottest tracks on Toolroom last year with ‘Monkey Bars’ and ‘Bring It Down’ which saw sweeping support flood in from across the scene, including Paul Woolford (Special Request) Salute, LF System, Dom Dolla and many more, friend within is officially back for 2023!
Completing the EP, we welcome sola regulars and one of the freshest, most exciting dance music duos to come out of the UK in recent years, Maur who lock horns with chart topping US based Westend, for a label debut set to become 2023’s festival anthem - ‘Over’.
DJ support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, Gw Harrison, Dj Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, Kc Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, Tcts, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche
Florentino announces Kilometro Quinze, a brand-new EP out 20 October. The five-song project will be Florentino’s debut EP on XL Recordings as part of the iconic house bag series. It includes the celebrated single “Constrictor (feat. BAMBII and KD One)” and a newly released single “Pressure” featuring the Mercury Prize-shortlisted multi-hyphenate, Shygirl.
Created over a three-year period between Manchester, London, Bogotá, New York, and LA, Kilometro Quinze features bold solo productions from Florentino (aka Yeshe Bahamon Beesley) alongside additional collaborations with Venezuelan-native Baby Cocada and fellow Sangre Nueva bandmate, DJ Python.
A direct reference to his grandfather’s farm near Villavicencio - a city in central Colombia where the Andes meet the plains of Los Llanos - Kilometro Quinze is a total realisation of the riveting, cross-culture club sound that Florentino has carefully constructed over the last few years. By drawing on the vast musical influences of his British-Colombian heritage, Florentino presents a unique sonic world where the darker acid tones central to Manchester’s underground club scene meet the irresistible swing of Latin American dance sounds. Kilometro Quinze is Florentino at the height of his powers as he releases some of his most captivating, innovative music to date.
Ten songs that ultimately changed the world. Ten songs pulled from precedent-establishing albums recorded between 1963 and 1966. More than five-million copies sold. In every way, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits is a fundamental collection for every music lover, and the perfect choice for those seeking an introduction into the legend's vast career. For this is a collection so prized, even the cover photo won a Grammy.
Greatest-hits volumes are often hit-and-miss propositions not because of what they contain, but because of what's missing. Filtering the top selections from the six formative, life-altering albums Dylan made between 1963 and 1966 is an arbitrary process but one performed impeccably on this set. Home to his biggest chart successes as well as his most influential songs, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits is a veritable template for any aspiring singer-songwriter, an American history lesson, and a seminal release for anyone new to his work – as well as for audiences that find some of his deeper cuts an acquired taste. Every signature facet of Dylan is represented, and done so authoritatively. Serious, protest folk anthems ("Blowin' in the Wind," "The Times Are A-Changin'") sit alongside defiant rock statements ("Positively Fourth Street"), landscape-changing epics ("Like a Rolling Stone"), beautiful blues-inspired odes ("I Want You"), and surrealist dreamscapes ("Subterranean Homesick Blues"). Infused with literary poetry, impassioned emotion, and career-making performances, this material doubles as a definitive account of American culture and society, and functions as a soundtrack to the era's social movements.
Gathered in one place, it's no wonder the songs here gave Dylan what remains the biggest-selling album of his career.
Welcome back to sublabel Trix Trax, our series dedicated to sharing the Techno side of things.
After a little hiatus Trix Trax is back with a stacked four track VA, Technotations Vol. 1. Blending techno, IDM and breaks this releases showcases some of the many styles and energies the genre has to offer.
Starting off the VA, we have the track ‘Losing’ from Japanese producer MAGPOST. This loopy, hypnotic groover will add a layer of intrigue and mystery to your deep and moody sets!
Next up we have ‘Rise’ from JD Typo who’s debut EP, started off the Trix Trax series. This speedy techno cut will cause mayhem on the dance floors, nourishing souls in its wake with ethereal lush pads and vocal chops that creep in as the track progresses!
On the flip side we have a sobering track from Ukrainian producer Taras Vinnichenko called 24.02.22. Created the day Russia invaded Ukraine, t’s an auditory diary of Taras’ reaction to the unfolding of events. The crunch of the bass and breaks audate the panic and disarray on the ground.
Closing off the EP we have a unique groover from US producer Mr. Projectile who recently released an album on Wex sub label, La Luna. This crunchy and jittery cut takes you on a bass heavy, boom-filled journey of speedy techno and IDM!
On the sleeve, Sonia Malpeso delivers another whacky custom design on the front sleeve as well as a beautiful typographic showcase on the back and inner sleeve!
Departing from rap and dance, Cherry’s third album ‘Man’, released in 1996, instead can be described as a collection of alternative rock anthems. The Swedish singer released the duet ‘7 Seconds’ with Youssou N’Dour, which topped the charts internationally. This release comes as a limited edition 140-gram Yellow vinyl.
Massimiliano Pagliara pays tribute to Manuel Göttsching in his first solo EP on his very own Funnuvojere Records, ‘All the VCOs You Can Eat’.
As a devoted fan of Göttsching’s groundbreaking work, Pagliara draws inspiration from his musical hero, crafting a mesmerizing EP that encapsulates the spirit and innovation of Göttsching’s influential sound. The release comprises three different interpretations of the same track, each imbued with exceptional artistry and technical knowledge.
The ceaselessly rolling piano chords in A1 Modulator Mix and B1 Traveler Dub are clear reminders of Göttsching’s E2E4 famous hypnotic refrain. The slight tonal variations, the stretched-out acid line and the uplifting drums conspire to create a sense of transcendence and euphoria. The infectious drums have their own space in B2 The Lonely Drums. This mix has an irresistible groove that will make all dance floors bounce.
The artwork captures the essence of Pagliara’s music through a vibrant and emotive visual language, reminiscent of the pioneers of abstract expressionism. The geometrical forms and patterns mirror the intricate melodies and pulsating beats of this future classic EP.
The latest offering from Astral Black comes in the form of the 'Metropolis N' LP, courtesy of Queens, New York's number premier importer/exporter of Jungle & D&B, NIGELTHREETIMES. Having initially garnered a name for themselves as one of New York City's most versatile club DJ's, with the release of their 'Call Of The Void; project in 2020 Nigel also began to build a reputation as a producer in their own right. Resulting in residencies on Rinse FM & The Lot Radio, radio support from the likes of Tom Ravenscroft & Uniiqu3 and press support from Resident Advisor, OkayPLAYER & Mixmag – amplifying their talents throughout New York City and beyond.
With 'Metropolis N' NIGELTHREETIMES distills their eclectic influences through the lens of rolling 160bpm breaks – taking in Jazz, 8-bit game soundtrakcs, science fiction & jump up D&B. Starting off the LP with the rhodes tinged double header of 'TSQ MELTDOWN' & 'EARLY MORNING FROM 103RD STREET', the latter featuring some of the best double bass work heard on a jungle track since 'Brown Paper Bag'. Elsewhere, on 'ROAD2RAILS' and 'PHANTOM SHORES', the producer ditches the instrumentation in favour of oscillated square waves, dubbed out vocal FX & 8-bit melodies, without ever losing site of the projects underlying sense of optimism. On the album closer 'INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION', 3X manages to bring together the influences heard throughout the project, tying together a muted rhodes chords, squarewave basslines, flutters of alien melodies and finely tuned, slices breakbeats into a 5 minute symphony.
The consistency and exacting production skills heard throughout the offering elevate this project from another drop in the digital ocean to a landmark opus, from a producer carrying the torch for this timeless sound and making the project worthy of a spot alongside some of the classics this genre has produced.
'Metropolis N' is available Oct 13th on digital and limited edition vinyl via Astral Black.
‘Apathy Is Death’ is a precisely engineered, restless and longing work of experimental bass music. Tinkah has created a sonic landscape that is both mesmerising and haunting.
The fundamental note is tension as he speaks a tale of ego and its myriad manifestations.. highs & lows. Climax & anticlimax. Adoration & pity. A 12” quest through the taverns of retrospect.
The 6 tracks, live arranged on a MPC alongside a whimsical bounty of synths & effects, are packed rich with cinematic soundscapes, driving rhythms and an ever evolving temper.
Inspired by true events and adorned with sounds from his world. ‘Apathy Is Death’ tells the parable of being jointly lost and found in the intensity of life.
New Fair Deal is back with its second release featuring Girlcop, a Miami based artist with roots in noise, punk, and dance music who has been been fast at work creating a manifesto of electronic beats for freaks. 'Cold Sweat' offers more bang for your buck with 5 tracks that will turn any dance floor into a steam room plus a bonus downtempo electro number straight from the void. Jack beats for sweaty feet, acid lines for twisted minds, and plenty of drum workouts to shake a$$. This is Chicago-inspired house music deep fried for the modern pookie head.
Tom Hooker is one of the world's leading artists of the Italo Disco
genre that marked the 1980s.
A talented singer and songwriter, he has performed on television
programs and music festivals around the world, and his many productions have topped the charts in the United States and England.
FullTime Production is honored to present the remastered 1986 debut
album "Only One" and in addition to the original tracks "Talk With Your Body", "Come Back Home", "Love Attack", "Only One", "Indian Girl" and it will also contain remixe of "Falling Into Love" by artist Jago already featured other releases on FullTime Production.
Track "Talk With Your Body" is among the most special and important
productions of 1982.
The title is the best explanation of the track.
Talking with your body, listening to the vibrations of every muscle that
can feel these slow and romantic but with a disco rhythm sounds that we can imagine in a hot summer of 1982 among those lights, colors and fashions.
The song still continues to communicate with the body to all generations today and to make us dance.
'Vibes player Johnny Lytle was one of the heroes of the early acid jazz club circuit, with his cuts 'Selim' and 'The Man' being anthems of the scene.
The Ohio born player’s first album, as a leader was on the Jazzland label in 1962 with “Nice And Easy” and his second, three years later, on Riverside "The Village Caller" made him a star in the jazz world. When Riverside encountered difficulties, co-owner Orrin Keepnews collaborated with Lytle on two albums which came out on the Detroit label Tuba.
The first of these "The Loop" featured his regular trio partners organist Milt Harris and drummer “Peppy” Hinnant. This line up was augmented on some tracks by former Miles Davis’ pianist Wynton Kelly and bassist George Duvivier. A 7” version of the title track actually spent five weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1966. As for the album, as well as the acid jazz cut 'The Man' it features a stunning version of Duke Pearson's 'Christo Redentor' and the dancefloor friendly 'Possum Grease' and 'Hot Sauce'. The band also stretch out on extended track ‘The Shyster’.'
South London Soul Band Trambeat, influenced by the floor shaking sound of 1960's Motor City. With brand new single, "Don't Hold Back"
Trambeat were formed in 2012 by guitarist Graham Potter and drummer Des" Jammy" James. Graham and Des had played together in several bands previously and already had a good musical understanding. Trambeat's manifesto; to write original songs influenced by a love of Northern Soul, Motown, Rocksteady and RnB. But also to look forward and include elements of more contemporary genres. Bass player Nipper Smith, Saxophonists Robin Ogleby and Nadia Barbosa, and organist Emer O'Hanlon were recruited to form the core band and Trambeat set about recording and gigging with various vocalists until, in 2016, Aimee Grinter became Trambeat's permanent lead singer.
Written by Graham Potter and Des James, "Don't Hold Back" is in some ways a comeback single for Trambeat. The pandemic years took their toll on many bands and Trambeat in particular, with the loss of founding member Robin Ogleby being a very hard blow. Following a tribute single in 2021 to raise money for Robin's charities, and a couple of festival gigs in the summer of 2022, theyndidn't have much appetite for writing new material, and were unsure whether to continue as a band without Robin. It was during a jam between Graham and Des in late 2022 that the bones of "Don't Hold Back" came together. The drums and rhythm guitar clicked into an infectious dance groove with echoes of vintage Motown. The band members came together in the studio with renewed enthusiasm and laid down the track in just a day. The band, who remained close,even during this hiatus, realised how great it was to be back in the studio together again. Graham's lyrics, as well as the euphoric feel of the track, reflected this new optimism within the band. "Don't Hold Back" is a celebration of life, of deep friendships and most of all, of love!
Plays on Gary Crowley's show on BBC London.
Regularly played by Button Down Radio, Heavy Soul (Cambridge), The Influential Factor show on Solid Front Radio (album of the week for TTN), Mod Radio UK (various shows), The Edward B'stard Radio Show, several stations in Germany and Edge Radio and couple of others in Australia
Blonde Redhead melden sich mit 'Sit Down for Dinner' zurück, ihrem ersten Album seit sieben Jahren und Debüt bei section1. Der Titel ist eine Anspielung auf das oft zelebrierte kollektive Ritual, eine Mahlzeit mit den Menschen zu teilen, die man liebt. Dieses fesselnde, minutiös ausgearbeitete Album ist Ausdruck eines beständigen Miteinanders und ein Zeugnis der einzigartigen inneren Logik, die Blonde Redhead in den letzten drei Jahrzehnten verfeinert haben. Zurückhaltende, aber dennoch eindringliche Melodien tragen jeden Song und schaffen eine Kulisse für Texte über die unausweichlichen Kämpfe des Erwachsenseins: Kommunikationsprobleme in andauernden Beziehungen, die Frage, wohin man sich wenden soll, das Festhalten an Träumen. Letztendlich ist 'Sit Down for Dinner' das vielleicht stärkste Album in einem ebenso illustren wie abwechslungsreichen Katalog.
Der multidisziplinäre Künstler Jasper Marsalis, bekannt unter seinem Künstlernamen Slauson Malone 1, kündigt sein neues Album EXCELSIOR als Debüt für das Kultlabel Warp Records an. Unter den Juwelen dieses Albums befinden sich die Singles NEW JOY, eine faszinierende Erkundung des Vergnügens, das aus der Unterwerfung entsteht, und VOYAGER, die von der Zeit der Liebe und Freude nach Veröffentlichung seines von der Kritik gefeierten 2019er Albums 'A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 (Crater Speak)' erzählt, bevor er nach LA zog.
Das Wort EXCELSIOR verkörpert den ewigen Aufstieg. Slauson Malone 1 stellt es sich als metaphorisches Schwert vor, das im Besitz von jemandem unaufhörlich wächst, bis es in einem großen Finale die Erde spaltet. Diese Metapher wird zu seinem Objektiv, um alle Facetten der Männlichkeit mit einer neuen Klarheit zu erforschen, während er seine eigenen gelebten Erfahrungen anhand von Songs und Bewegungen auf dem gesamten Album hinterfragt, die von allem inspiriert sind, von der Grammy-preisgekrönten Komponistin Wendy Carlos bis hin zu den Ähnlichkeiten zwischen dem Ende der Liebe und der nuklearen Halbwertszeit. EXCELSIOR hat die Form einer Sammlung persönlicher Essays mit Vignetten, die ineinandergreifen und eigenständig sind, aber letztendlich dem Zweck dienen, Slauson Malone 1s bislang persönlichstes und fesselndstes Musikwerk zu bilden.
Der multidisziplinäre Künstler Jasper Marsalis, bekannt unter seinem Künstlernamen Slauson Malone 1, kündigt sein neues Album EXCELSIOR als Debüt für das Kultlabel Warp Records an. Unter den Juwelen dieses Albums befinden sich die Singles NEW JOY, eine faszinierende Erkundung des Vergnügens, das aus der Unterwerfung entsteht, und VOYAGER, die von der Zeit der Liebe und Freude nach Veröffentlichung seines von der Kritik gefeierten 2019er Albums 'A Quiet Farwell, 2016-2018 (Crater Speak)' erzählt, bevor er nach LA zog.
Das Wort EXCELSIOR verkörpert den ewigen Aufstieg. Slauson Malone 1 stellt es sich als metaphorisches Schwert vor, das im Besitz von jemandem unaufhörlich wächst, bis es in einem großen Finale die Erde spaltet. Diese Metapher wird zu seinem Objektiv, um alle Facetten der Männlichkeit mit einer neuen Klarheit zu erforschen, während er seine eigenen gelebten Erfahrungen anhand von Songs und Bewegungen auf dem gesamten Album hinterfragt, die von allem inspiriert sind, von der Grammy-preisgekrönten Komponistin Wendy Carlos bis hin zu den Ähnlichkeiten zwischen dem Ende der Liebe und der nuklearen Halbwertszeit. EXCELSIOR hat die Form einer Sammlung persönlicher Essays mit Vignetten, die ineinandergreifen und eigenständig sind, aber letztendlich dem Zweck dienen, Slauson Malone 1s bislang persönlichstes und fesselndstes Musikwerk zu bilden.
A true masterpiece, full of dashing solos and containing some of Freddie King's finest vocals since his heyday in the late '50s and early '60s. Released by Shelter Records in 1972, Texas Cannonball is similar to his first Shelter outing (Getting Ready), but with
more of a rock feel. It covers tunes by Jimmy Rogers, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James, tackles compositions by Leon Russell and, more unexpectedly, Bill Withers, Isaac Hayes-David Porter, and John Fogerty (whose "Lodi" is reworked into "Lowdown in Lodi"). King's own pen remained virtually in retirement, as he wrote only one of the album's tracks. In 2007, the Houston Chronicle listed
Texas Cannonball among the 75 essential Texas blues albums.
Compiling the follow-up to a very successful first album is always a tricky task, but just 12 months since the release of volume one in the 'With Love' series, miche has excelled himself once again with another glorious, deep dive into the world of rare soul. 15 tracks of independently released music, created by magnificent artists with stories to tell and primed for rediscovery.
The ambition to celebrate under-the-radar artists has remained, but instead of a facsimile of volume one, what we have here is a selection shaped by life changes. Volume two is for the dancers; still soulful, still ultra-rare and slept-on records from the USA, Chile, Brazil and beyond, but the dynamics of the collection have shifted slightly. It represents a move from being immersed in a week in week out environment of beautiful, soulful music in a cosy, dimly lit hi-fi bar to playing livelier, more energetic, dancefloor-focused music in nightclubs. This volume will get you on your feet, make you move and unleash whatever it is that makes you get down.
One of the jewels in the crown of this compilation is a joyous, anthemic gospel version of Stevie Wonder's 'As' by The Family Tree (a project produced by the fantastic Julius Brockington). We are also treated to a rare and sought-after Pennsylvanian funk / AOR bomb by Maxwell, a stunning modern soul tune 'High On You' by Freedom, and self-released Brazilian 45s by Banda 22 and Zé Da Lata. P.J. City's 'Straight Forward (Non-Stop)' is gospel-disco perfection, and we also have 'Dame Solamente Amor’, a sublime, soul beauty from Chile by Rogers Mitchell. Many of these artists featured in this compilation aren't household names, but they deserve their moment to shine, to be heard, loved and appreciated for their artistry.
As Miche says it, “I hope this compilation helps in some way to keep this glorious music alive and play a part in connecting generations of music lovers from the worldwide soul family. As always, it has been made ‘With Love’.”
CLUB U NITE RECORDS presents:
Manhattan Project "Juicy Fruits EP" - 4 juicy tracks full of deepness!
Let's start the jam with "Just Chillin", a shuffle beat monster with a smooth baseline, followed by the raw grooving minimal track "I Need U" that kicks you straight to the dance floor.
The B-side starts with the juicy track "I'm Cumming" which should give you a lot of pleasure with some dope organ chords.
The EP ends with "I Believe", a swing beat track that shows you what oldschool deephouse is all about!
The debut release from Sofia Grant delves into the topic of environmentalism, a subject close to her heart and a topic foremost in the minds of many. With smoky vocals and accompanied by spectacular musicianship from the likes of Poppy Daniels, Ernesto Marichales, Lorenz Osengor Okello, Sofia has created a five track EP that introduces a noteworthy talent to the Jazz re:freshed catalogue. In keeping with her values, Sofia specifically requested that the physical format be pressed on eco-friendly vinyl which produces a uniquely coloured product that utilises recycled materials and offsets carbon emissions created in its manufacture....
Mind Against launch their eagerly awaited imprint Habitat with a 15-track compilation titled “METAFLORA”, available as a deluxe transparent vinyl 3LP box set including a 24x12” fold-out poster.
Suitably, the compilation features new and emerging artists with whom Mind against have relationships, and recurrent motifs of subtly unsettling melodic house/techno building alternate worlds in soundscapes.
Mind Against & Sideral – ‘Criseide’ heralds this new world with portentous pounding beat/bass, the melodic synth singing beneath like beauty surviving under threat, the vocal/lyrics with an edge of alarm: ‘if you think it couldn’t happen to you…’
‘Talk To Me’ by Dyzen (who also collab’ed with Mind Against on their fabric presents compilation) has stately chords riding a prancing beat while sombre piano and sweet high vocal create a heraldic, post-apocalyptic nu-medieval world, whereas Sam Shure’s ‘Plus Ultra’ has rattling percussion, with melody like a coded message from an abandoned spaceship to which something replies in stark tones…
Marino Canal, whose debut album was released by Nicole Moudaber’s MOOD, and who has support from many big names including fabric’s founder Keith Reilly, features plangent notes veering up, down and off the scale for a disturbing effect in ‘Ample’, while Swiss duo Read The News in ‘A Place’ set a fast, kicking beat against a female voice yearning for ‘a space where I can just be’.
Remcord, often played by Black Coffee, Tale of Us and more besides MA, show us why in ‘Entourage Effect’ while Laroz gives a lively melody and raucous chords in ‘Don’t Touch’ feat. Sheera as her cool, raunchy, layered vocals come to the fore.
The fourth release on Damo B’s Emotec label, following on from MOY, BufoBufo and Auto Sound City. This one is deeper than Atlantis!
The Cliffdive EP begins the journey of Astral X-Ray, the collaboration between Rain & White Transit Van. Inspired by a cosmic journey, the EP encompasses many facets of the duo’s influences.
Spanning from melancholic breakbeat to melodic fizzling electro, Cliffdive is a versatile EP that moves and evokes emotion in its listener in equal part.
An astral plane of our own making where thoughts, love, and desires of the inner mind abound with irreverence - ripe with connection & perspective beyond constraints of time, set, and setting.
Azu Tiwaline exists within the wonders of these interstitial worlds, diving deeper towards inner sanctums of mystic imagination, sublime intrigue, & profound understanding on her second full length LP “The Fifth Dream”.
Released again through her beloved partnership with I.O.T Records, “The Fifth Dream” finds Azu painting an expansive vision towards unified multitudes, mercurial realities, & abundant inner sanctums.
Where her first album “Draw Me a Silence” was a loving ode to her family & upbringing in the form of an elegant diptych, “The Fifth Dream" is the enactment of actualizing her roots into new routes, taking her multifaceted identity into new means of communication towards herself, the world, & the cosmic unknowns that surround her.
Throughout The Fifth Dream’s 54-minute runtime, we hear all elements of the uniquely transcendental sound that Azu is beloved for worldwide. “Antennae Opening”, “Blowing Flow”, & “Amen Dub” embody her talents for tectonic, dubwise soundscapes that channel the innately maternal elements of bassweight into bold & abstracted pulsations, indebted to the most psychedelic & body activating ends of dubstep.
Still attuned to the spatial awareness of dub sonics but giving way to the hypnotic syncopation & synaptic frequencies of techno, “Reptilian Waves”, “Long Hypnosis”, & “Mei Long” bring forth her spectacular expertise for entheogenic rave rhythms - guiding us warmly towards trance-inducing hyper states of dance & delight. Fluctuating between an adventurous velocity and enveloping stasis, the expansive abyssal planes of “Golden Dawn”, “Night in Palm Tree”, & “Canope Imaginaire” conjures a wondrously invigorating rhythmic enlightenment & celestial comprehension - simultaneously moving us forward, inwards, & outwards through Azu’s uniquely omnidirectional & kaleidoscopic musical visions.
Adorned with sampled field recordings of her deeply inspiring home in the desert of El Djerid in South Tunisia, Azu opens a portal into the synergistic inner sanctums of being, self, and the world around us that’s essential to her work as an artist - from the macro levels of humanity’s naturally intimate connection to the Earth we share, down to each of our own micro levels of culture, ancestry, and belonging. All of this is alchemized through a combination of timeless Saharan knowledge & modern cybernetic tools, creating new dimensions of bewitching, euphonious sonic energy. This is music that gives back as much as the listener wants to give themselves unto it - detailed and layered, orbiting a steady core as ethereal swirls and intonations of the natural world embrace us warmly within a spellbinding journey.
8 of the album’s 9 tracks feature a deep level of collaboration from innovative Franco-Iranian percussionist Cinna Peyghamy. Cinna’s use of Tombak, the principle drum of Iranian music throughout time, is beautifully sonorous - channeling the passion of centuries of Southwest Asian rhythm & expression into his own personalized flourishes, with Azu adding her own electrifying frequencies & undiluted artistic freedom to their shared interplay. This profoundly communicative diasporic essence is transmuted between Azu & Cinna, their expression, & the listener. Both are music lovers, intimately connected to their respected Iranian and Tunisian cultures - concurrently acknowledging the wisdom of their resonant pasts, while proudly bringing the sounds of their heritage into the present & future.
“The Fifth Dream” embodies a cosmic anodyne for those feeling caught in between life’s abyssal inbetweens, whilst aiming for a consonant awareness of where our home truly lies in the swells of life’s spiritual maelstrom. This dream belongs at once to none & to many, that of a common language unified in concentric depth - finding beauty in all aspects of our world, and ultimately, within oneself.
Y'all ready to mangle peoples heads??? Most of you are, but not YOU,-YOU know who you are, get out of here with your NU Garage chipmunk vocal Bass-Hop shit...
Mr. Cool aka Louie Fresco aka El Cabrone has some heat right here.
Get it- heat, cause he's from Mexico City, and cause the ep is Picante.
Pride is some dank ass bassment shit right here.
Percussive grooves for days, mind melting sounds and a nice tripped out vocal to round it all out.
Pride has a modern minimal shuffle, and that swingy greasy percussion that the Mexicans do
so well,its even low rumble that hits just right in the booty.
A perfect combo of blended brains and brawn!
On the flip we have the K-Dot. I hope it's referencing some new drug that is microdot acid and K combined in a mind warping 250Mg tablet.
This song sounds just like that, mind bending, face melting grinding madness, it rolls and rolls and evolves and evolves.
Put that record on and just watch people make twisted faces and dance like they are puppets getting their strings pulled.
Mr. Cool nailed this, and I question his sanity, and life choices. Nobody normal makes music like
this.
If you don't like this record now, you probably will in 18 years when it's the jam all over again cause a 65 year old Raresh drops it at Sunwaves 309.
Mind you if we keep this global warming shit up, all our vinyl gonna melt. Live in the moment and buy records now.
Jasper Byrne Aka Sonic (sonic & Silver / Accidental Heroes) Spent The Late 90s & 00s Dropping Releases On Pretty Much Every Legendary D&b Label Going (reinforced, Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, Formation, Virus, Soul:r And His Own Space Recordings), Before Mysteriously Disap-pearing To The Far East & Re-emerging Years Later As A Hit Indy Computer Games Developer (lone Survivor) & Soundtrack Artist (hotline Miami).
After A Chance Encounter With Dead Man's Chest At A Gig In La (where Jasper Had Been Working On A Game And Wholeheartedly Soaking Up The Local Low End Theory Music Scene), It Quickly Emerged The Two Had Shared Similar Musical Stories, Straying From Previous D&b Careers And Into The Musical Wilderness, Only To Drift Back Toward The Tempo With A New Found 'outsider' Approach And Eerily Familiar Conclusions..
After Teasing Us With 2018's 110174 Mixtape (ltd Edition Cassette Only Release) And His Appear- Ances On Blunted Breaks Vol.1, 2019 Sees Sonic Mark His Return To The World Of Dance Music Proper With This Two Part, Heavyweight Ep For Western Lore.
Blending Techno, Footwork, La Bass, Hardcore, Synthwave And D&b Under A Loose Jungle Tekno Framework, 110174 Sees Sonic Crafting Beats, Breaks & Bass With An Artisanal Deftness Rarely Seen.
Mal- One’s new single tells us about the punk fanzines that initially appeared in late 1976, but really exploded in 1977.They provided vital information on the scene and later became a great artefact of the time. A quick, fast, format, put together by fans of the music. It provided a great way to communicate with likeminded people. A couple of interviews with band members, that were keen to encourage the support. Culled together with some reviews of gigs attended and reviews of new releases, then quickly photocopied, stapled together and away you go. It’s amazing how many fanzines there were. Some examples are listed in the lyrics of this track. If you got your fanzine copies to Rough Trade, who seemed to take them all !!!, man you got it made. The hard copy these days seems a thing of the past and is sadly missed. Today’s messages arrive mainly in digital format. To take another example from the lyric ..Punk Rock Fanzines way to go…. and only 25p a go…
It’s clear, when looking at Jlin’s body of work, and her recent activities, that she's the definition of what a creative composer looks and sounds like in 2023. She’s able to work across borders in many different environments and situations. Her work, and sound, is fluid and not locked into genre. The only apt tag for her now is ‘composer.’ Let’s be clear - she’s not EDM, IDM, electronic, footwork or post-footwork. She’s simply Jlin.
In thinking about this new release we have to draw attention to her collaboration with Chicago’s Third Coast Percussion - ‘Perspective’ - since it’s also the title of this six-track mini-album. And of course, we’d be remit if we didn’t point out that Third Coast Percussion’s acoustic version of ‘Perspective’ saw Jlin shortlisted as a finalist for The 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music! Jlin notes how “Working with T.C.P. was a rewarding experience. I love their constant driving ambition. When I would go to their studio we would experiment as much as we could, and that to me is the beauty of composing.” Note that the CD version of ‘Perspective’ adds the four tracks from her ‘Embryo’ EP, apt since ‘Embryo’ itself was the 7th Perspective piece.
To shift perspective slightly, Jlin notes that collaborating with dance companies, especially those of Wayne McGregor and Kyle Abraham “has seen a significant evolution in my work.” She adds, “Working with Kyle and AIM, I felt the need to incorporate more organic percussion and drums. The raw, visceral nature of Kyle's choreography demanded a more tactile, grounded sound. I believe that music and dance are deeply interconnected, and the rhythm and physicality of organic percussion needs to mirror the dancers' movements whether it is conceptually or abstract.”
The organic aspect of her composition ‘Dissonance,’ a key cut on her new mini-album sounds like it might have been written for Kyle and AIM but, like the entire release, it was in fact written for Third Coast Percussion. With the organic drums in the track being a part of what Jlin calls her “from scratch” foundation. For many ‘Dissonance’ will be a first glimpse at Jlin’s mastery of organic sounds. It’s a stunning work that showcases her distinct approach to organic percussion. Further audible evidence can also be heard all over her new mini-album. She continues to evolve her sound and her approaches to composition on a steady and constant basis.
Jlin’s new mini-album “Perspective” works as a catch-up for those wanting new music from her, and wanting to hear how her sound is evolving. Tune in. There’s much more ahead.
8 tracks of genuine mid-90s acid, techno, and ambient for fans of AGE, Spacetime Continuum, Caustic Window & Air Liquide.
Reissue of A3000 "Magnetic Gliding" album, produced by Swiss musicians Marco Repetto and Stefan Riesen, also known as Synectics on Rephlex and founders of Axodya Records. Originally released in 1995 on the Italian Disturbance label, it has now been remastered and proudly reissued for 2023 in a limited edition of 500 copies by Musique Pour La Danse. Enjoy this trip.
Marco Repetto was a member of the world-famous wave/punk band Grauzone. In the late '80s, he delved into techno, ambient, and psychedelic music, drawing inspiration from nature and shamanic knowledge. His performances are described as colorful, playful, and mind-opening experiences. His main project now is "Bigeneric," which he releases on his label, Inzec Records.
Stefan Riesen has been a prominent figure in the Swiss techno scene since 1995. He is the founder-manager of Phont Music, SuperBra, Morris/Audio, Floppy Funk, and Speaker Attack. He has (co-)produced numerous tracks under various aliases on different labels, including Box Blaze, Flaptrack, Hooper, Nylon, Sonic Tourism, Spin, A3000, Box Blaze & Deetron, Dialogue, Lausen, R.B.R., Sidestepper, Silver Zone, Skank Burner, Synectics, and more.
Bar Musica is a brand new label that promises to inject plenty of charm and originality into the underground house and techno world. The first release kicked up quite a storm from label owner Bartolomeo, and the second release features a trio of great originals by J Paraguai, with a remix from long time electronic talent Bruno Pronsato.
Rumba is up first and is a full fat, corrugated house track with tribal percussion, punchy drums that swing down low and Afro vocals. It is a dynamite groove with roughshod tin pot hits that are carefully treated and bring a lovably wild side to the track. Thesoundsays founder and Berlin based New Yorker Bruno Pronsato has been on the fringes of the underground for more than a decade with inventive EPs and LPs on labels like Hello repeat and Bosconi. His remix is stripped back to a forceful and rubbery techno groove. Blistered synths rip up the middle and spooky voices, trippy effects and manic loops all make it a freaky late night or after-hours tune that will send floors wild.
Ble is then another J Paraguai, and this one is again unhinged and urgent, with intense synths exploding above shuffling, tightly knotted minimal drums and sweeping pads. It's pure WTF music for brave DJs and dancers and is a truly original production.
Then last original Atles is rugged and impactful in the way in combines house and techno into new ideas. It is stripped back to little chopped loops that bury deep in your brain and have you in a trance in no time. As such, it rounds out a fine EP and keeps this exciting new label going off in great style.
"BASELINE CAVI" is a collaboration album between Inland Empire/Los Angeles rapper Trizz and producer MIKE SUMMERS (aka Seven) from Kansas City. The album has that classic Westcoast Hip-Hop sound and the intro track gives that feeling right away. Guest features on the album are from Bino Rideaux, XV, T.F, ICECOLDBISHOP, John Givez and Bale.
Though fans may not know it, this collaboration between Inland Empire California emcee Trizz and Kansas City production ace MIKE SUMMERS has been brewing for close to a decade. Back in 2013 SUMMERS (then known as Seven) was already a prolific producer signed to Tech N9ne's Strange Music label and Trizz was part of horrorcore legend Brotha Lynch Hung's Madesicc Muzic roster. The two connected while working on Lynch Hung's "Mannibalector" album and a spark for future work was laid.
Linking up in spring of last year, the two creatively fed off each-other with the resulting album evoking classic West Coast melodicism and car-rattling thump. As Trizz states "this sh*t is so f*ckin authentic. It got bounce, it's swangin' and bangin! When you hear this album, you can feel it and damn near smell the palm trees and bomb ass weed."
As SUMMERS relayed "It's probably different for a lot of my fans to hear a more classic West Coast style of production from me, but that style of production has always been embedded in my sound. I grew up on 90's West Coast Hip-Hops studying producers like DJ Quik and Dr. Dre. The only reason I started using lots of live musicians on my tracks was because I watched Quik do it. BASELINE CAVI really let me dig into that classic L.A. sound that I've always wanted to build with.
Lyrically Trizz's immediately distinctive flow and storytelling abilities are at a new plateau with the emcee admitting "The lyrics on this album are probably more refined and defined because I just turned 30 and I have no more time to waste."
After picking up a camera in 2006 to shoot events at London superclub Fabric, Sarah Ginn started her journey of documenting the dance music scene. With exclusive, behind-the-scenes access at the likes of Fabric, Ultra Festival, Boomtown, Glastonbury, Outlook, Printworks, Creamfields and Hospitality, Sarah captured the sights of UK rave and
dance culture in the 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
Super Sharp Shooter is a carefully curated selection of over 800 photographs from Sarah’s extensive archives, many never before seen. Spanning drum & bass, dubstep, house and techno, the book showcases festivals, clubs, press shots and record covers, providing an unsurpassed document of electronic music in a colourful celebration of beats and bass.
This deluxe book features artists like Andy C, Skream, Chase & Status, Shy FX, Carl Cox, Fatboy Slim, Goldie, Chemical Brothers, Jon Hopkins, Sub Focus, DJ Zinc, Ben UFO, Craig Richards, Erol Alkan, Miss Kitten, Dusky and many more. Also contained is Sarah’s essay,
The Feedback Loop Theory. A demonstration of how music affects time and energy and makes it a magic entity. Set in colour order to reflect the visible light spectrum, this gorgeous book is a must-have for all music and photography enthusiasts. It has 480 pages in full colour on heavyweight 150 gsm paper. It's available as a book only and as a bundle with an exclusive A2 poster.
“‘I’m looking forward to publishing this book because these actually are my only memories!Research shows that when you take photos it actually affects the way you remember things. So on that note, I hope you all enjoy my crazy spectral journey into sound, the many sights of the rave and everything in between.” - Sarah Ginn
A collection of unreleased themes and scores from 18 short animated films from the world famous Zagreb School Of Animated Film. Includes Oscar winning short cartoon Ersatz / Surogat by Dusan Vukotic (1961) and many other jazz, electronica and experimental scores by composer Tomislav Simovic. Coined by the famed film theorist Georges Sadoul at the 1959 Cannes Festival, The Zagreb School of Animated Film(s) or The Zagreb School of Animation, was defined as an artistic and philosophical world-view that set its mark on the history of animation in the 60's and 70's. The key feature of the Zagreb School (not educational facility in any kind), was commitment to stylization in contrast with the Disney-style canon of realistic animation. Among many composers that worked in Zagreb Film productions, the name of Tomislav Simovic (1931 - 2014) stands out. In his oeuvre of 300+ film scores (not counting compositions and arrangements for pop singers and jazz orchestras), many were made exclusively for Zagreb film documentaries, fiction shorts, features and animation. Simovic was particularly adept at writing music for cartoons. He skillfully synchronized movement and sound and mixed different musical genres, although, like his peers at the time, he leaned towards jazz. 'The Zagreb School of Animated Film (Original Soundtracks 1961-1982)' is compiled by Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) and Zeljko Luketic (Electronic Jugoton, Ex-Yu Electronica III). Master tapes were considered lost, now found and restored for this epic 2 x LP release celebrating Yugoslavia's animated art shorts. Double vinyl gatefold with extensive liner notes, photographs from the films and exclusive cover artwork by Dejan Krsic (NEP / Nova Evropa).
Got dust? Krash Slaughta has. In fact, for him, Everything’s Turning Up Dusty right about now. Surely this can’t be his brand-new double-vinyl LP journey into sound which finally realises an ambition to create a cut n paste opus held since his pre-turntable days of pause-button mixes? It certainly can! The project comes in four parts corresponding to four sides of 12″ vinyl which weigh in at approximately fifteen minutes each and each side of which took around a month to make!
Man, that is epic! When did he ever get the time and concentration to put such a beast together? Wait – are we talking about yet another Krash Slaughta lockdown project? We are! And this bad boy stitches together vintage vocal loops, rare breaks, library records and obscure samples along with remixes of Stetsasonic, O.C., Tanya Winley, Jurassic 5, Edan, Nas, ODB, Gang Starr, Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud (any one of which would be straight fire on 7″or 12″) along with pretty much whatever the hell else he wanted to put on there. Pressed at 45 rpm, this one features two differently-coloured slabs of wax: one mauve and one blue while even the centre labels and cover art get in on the cut n paste vibe having been created by hand by Krash homie Saleem Andrew McGroarty. As with previous such efforts from the KS camp, there will be no re-press! Sleep at your peril.
Aqua Viva is the second album by Francesco Fisotti, who returns to tell the exotic and mystical atmospheres of Puglia (Apulia), with a deep and italo house sound, jazzy and fonky, in which synths and drum machines are combined with arrangements by musicians, enriched by rap and sung.
Incl. featuring of Andrea Rossetti, Roberto Chiga, Maurizio Tomaselli, Michela Giannini, Karlino Princip, Neos, Done, Filippo Bubbico, Manu Funk, Max Ingrosso, Emiliano Roca, Marco Chiriatti, Giorgia Santoro, Alyona Tsarbell.
Pure UKG gold from ’98, as the masterful M.A.D Productions aka M.J. Cole and Darryl 'B' joined forces with the queen Carroll Thompson to produce the highly sought after underground cut ‘Too Late’. With originals selling for £90+ it’s about time a remastered, reissue hit the racks.
Providing a snapshot into the explosion of UKG across the country in the late ‘90s, a melting pot that bubbled up so many classics in its heyday, ‘Too Late’ is straight up, soulful UKG perfection. The ‘Deep Vocal Mix’ lays Thompson’s slick, sensuous vocals over a skippy bumper of a beat, subby bassline and sublime pads. Peaktime, warm-up or warm-down this is an unquestionable garage groover.
Take to the flip for the ‘Underground Dub’. The duo chop up the vocals in trademark style, turn the swing and skip of those hats up to the max, whilst wobbling and weaving soulful stabs to create a 4x4 heater that is guaranteed to have hands drawing for wheel-ups left, right and centre.
Get ready for the arrival of the hottest record label in town - "Joy Came Early"! Their debut vinyl release by Pelle, with a remix by Man/ipulate, is a joy-filled explosion. This music will make you dance, dance, and wiggle your legs in sheer delight. "Joy Came Early" - the label that proves joy doesn't wait. So let's get our groove on and indulge in some delightful leg-tapping fun!
Inherently dark but aflush with pop sensibility, Constellations is the 2014 full-length debut from synthpop duo Dead Astronauts (Jared Kyle and Hayley Stewart). The follow-up to 2013’s eponymous EP, it’s an album full of post-punk and new wave inspiration, sure to please fans of Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Depeche Mode.
Midnight Mannequin Records is proud to present this deluxe reissue of Constellations, on vinyl for the very first time. A nearly decade-old synthwave classic is now poised to become a modern darkwave hit. Dead Astronauts has always had one foot firmly on synthwave ground, but the band’s willingness to eschew genre limitations and explore the vast spaces of darkwave, goth and everything in between is one of the main reasons Constellations still feels so fresh and unique. An album way ahead of its time. An album that sees two artists at the top of their game who complement each other perfectly. When Kyle’s deep baritone meets Stewart’s ethereal, subdued delivery, the results are magic. A timeless album now in a timeless format; that magic captured and preserved, tactile and eternal
Limited edition on 2xLP transparent neon pink vinyl, housed in a gatefold jacket. Includes OBI strip.
Mit ihren 12 Songs, die von dem spanisch-österreichischen Duo zwischen Barcelona und Wien geschrieben wurden, tauchen ATZUR auf 'Strange Rituals' tief in extreme Gefühle ein, wo wilde und rohe Drums auf dramatische Melodien treffen. Dabei bleiben sie den charakteristischen Elementen ihrer bisherigen EP-Releases treu: Epischer Sound und emotionale Tiefe. Mit ihrem umjubelten Auftritt beim diesjährigen Primavera Sound Festival konnten sie bereits überzeugen und mit Strange Rituals festigen ATZUR ihren Ruf als außergewöhnliche Drama-Pop Band.
It's not because one might have worked with people like Jimi Hendrix, John McLaughlin and Rod Stewart throughout their career that Italo-Disco wouldn't get the best of your work. A great example of the Italian phenomenon's infectiously widespread grip is British rock keyboardist Brian Auger's path, when he found himself in a Milanese recording studio during the mid 80's and recorded his last known release in that decade. Powerfully fusing decades of rock and jazz education with the synthetic hysteria of the time (and culture), the result is a classic downtempo number that has found its way into some of our favorite DJ sets for a while now. Vocal and instrumental are featured on the A-side and in addition the B-side offers a new remix where things take somewhat of a catastrophic turn into what sounds like Brian getting on the wrong train to a K-hole, probably not for most dance floors. Meticulously remastered at manmade mastering in Berlin.
Our good friend Frederik Laaser aka The Reason Y is back on Break New Soil with a mighty new EP, aptly named to describe the incredible title track: Unparalleled! It has has been a mainstay in Gregor's sets and continues to amaze dancers and Technoheads alike: A tailor-made production for DJs that enjoy no-nonsense dancefloor weapons! On remix duties we present a man that doesn't really need an introduction: UK Techno guru Alan Fitzpatrick revamped the original track and delivered a huge remix, guaranteed to set the big festival floors on fire this summer! With the two additional tracks „Matricity“ and „Seven Lakes“, Frederik shows his versatility as a producer and rounds off the EP in style. You don't want to miss this one!
Red hot Italian DJ and production collective Aura Safari is back with a second full-length album, Island Dreams. It lands on Hell Yeah Recordings on September 15th and is another live and sun-kissed odyssey through balmy Mediterranean evenings, gorgeous sundown sessions and funky analogue grooves.
Andrea Moretti, Lorenzo Lavoratori, Daniele Melloni, Nicholas Iammatteo, Lorenzo Francioli, Ruggero Bonucci and Nicola Pitassio are Aura Safari, and between them they play drums, percussion, bass, keys, and guitar. They contributed to the first volume of the Buena Onda compilation in 2020 on this label, a year after serving up a debut album on London's Church Records. Since then they have become ever more entrenched in their local scene in Perugia, playing summer sets at the Umbria Jazz Festival, winter warmers at the legendary Red Zone Club and host their own Tropical Climax parties each month in the town centre.
Aura Safari are also deep-digging music collectors who have extensive and far-reaching tastes. When cooking up their sounds they draw on everything from Afro to Italo, house to disco, 80s boogie to world music, jazz and Balearic beats. This new album shows that once more across four sides of vinyl that sweep you up and transport you to somewhere idyllic.
The title track kicks off with steamy Mediterranean grooves embellished with lush Rhodes chords and sprinkles of cosmic magic. 'Sur Mon Balconnet' then slips into dubbed-out disco territory with 80s synths and leggy drums while 'Riserva Naturale' is a new-age jazz house sound with majestic lead synths and heart-melting chords that speak of a sunset dance on the beach. 'Onda' has squelchy boogie bass with hip-swinging drums, 'Wave Riding' is a lo-fi funk excursion with hints of West Coast Californian swagger and 'Magic Malbe' is loose-limbed Balearica with clear blue skies and blissed-out chords.
'Dancing in the Moonlight' feat. Zeke Manyika has all the vibrant feelings of bubblegum pop with Afro vocals and steel drum sounds next to rich xylophone sounds. There is plenty of heat and exotic charm to the proto-Afro house of 'Tropical Climax' and as well as dub versions of 'Sur Mon Balconnet' and 'Dancing in the Moonlight' come the scuffed-up Dam-Funk style beats and boogie of 'Disco Mantra' before closer 'Patagonia' shuts down with elastic drums and bass and playful synth leads that send you home wanting more.
Island Dreams is a tropical escape to a rich world of fusion sounds that look back to go forwards. It's a feel-good record to accompany hot nights and lazy afternoons, cocktails at dusk and dancing till dawn.
Oliver Rosemann is a DJ and producer from Leipzig, who has been active since the 90’s. During this time, he has made his experience with timeless techno exactly in the time of its creation, which can be seen later in his productions and DJ Sets.
In the Leipzig scene he played numerous live sets in the early 2000s, including at the 1040, one of the legendary clubs of the time. Increasingly, he began to show himself in public not only as a pure live act but also as a track producer. With the collaboration with MasCon called "dualit" he had first big releases on labels like Earwiggle, CLR or Fith Wall Records and also international gigs e.g. in Antwerp.
To date, there are close to 180 tracks and remixes, including 3 LPs, released on labels such as MindTrip, MORD Records, Warm Up Recordings, Pole Group, Stockholm LTD and many more. Pfirter and Oliver started producing together in 2019 and presented their first joint 4 tracker “Alpha EP” in 2020 on MindTrip Music.
Whether as a live act or as a DJ, he knows how to create a dark, driving, ecstatic atmosphere on dance floors. He has already proven this in clubs like Tresor Berlin, Distillery, Institut für Zukunft, About Blanc and also in other countries in Europe. Numerous podcasts recorded by him or live cuts from parties, which were released over the years by renowned crews such as "Reclaim Your City" or "Staub", show this.
And now follows Oliver’s next release on NEXT DOOR with the ND006. The a side is Olivers side with A1-Surface- a track with deep impact and to dance. A2-your highscore- is Olivers remix, grandiosely interpreted to immerse yourself in the universe of patterns. The B side belongs to TC/CM or written out- the computer controlled minds. B1-your highscore- comes in the original danceable and playful at the same time from the turntable. B2-Surface- remix by TC/CM hammers through the PA straight onto the floor.
Brandon Spivey & Richie Anderson have been producing incredible music since 1993 when they released under the name "Prole Sythesis" on Alien Reign records. In 1994 they put out a series of highly sought after picture discs on the UK label Kill Out Recordings under the name A'Simetric. They went on to produce releases on USA labels Drop Bass Network & Six Sixty Six records out of Milwaukee!
These tracks are a mixture of new and old tracks. The original 90's tracks recovered from old DATs!
This release has some seriously special artwork by Mattthieu Bourel aka EK Dojo. He's had work commissioned by the New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post, Esquire, New Scientist, Vice Managzine and many more. He has also done album covers for Venetian Snares, Carl Craig & Somatic Responses in the past.
Also comes with a free download code for the digital release of this EP.
LTD 200 COPIES
Composed, produced and arranged by Evangelia VS, the artist behind Abyss X, Freedom Doll is the culmination of a year of emotional unloading through songwriting, offering an introspective journey into the ocean of her mind. Produced and recorded between an artist residency near the Mayan jungle in Mexico and her Berlin home, the album chronicles transformations the performer tackled mentally during the writing process, tracing the rollercoaster of falling in love during the pandemic, as well as the pleasures and tribulations of womanhood.
Freedom Doll encapsulates the romantic escapade between her voice and the guitar. The amalgamation of seduction, sexual tension, vulnerability and assertiveness pulses throughout the entirety of the album, spiralling out of the cracks spawned from her vocal chords. From the twirling dance between her lush harmonies and the progressions of the acoustic guitar in tracks such as Ascend and From Hot to Cold, to the explosive confrontation between the metallic and operatic qualities of her voice, the searing sound of the electric guitar in industrial rock / psychedelic anthems such as Torture Grove and Banyana and the cathartic momentum found in the gospel inclined chants in A CHEW - Freedom Doll untethers the dramatics and theatricality that defines Abyss X’s vocal performance and music production, while maintaining the sensual vibrations of her creative essence.
Freedom Doll is the encapsulation of the Minoan woman, the elusive harlequin tiptoeing her way through the “circus of terror” that is living and loving her way through womanhood. With this visual reference, Abyss X pays tribute to her ancestors and their groundbreaking ancient artistry. The back cover of the vinyl features a reiteration of depictions of bulls leaping found in Minoan frescoes; an inherently male cultural act that in the ancient Minoan times presumably gave expression to a tension that underlies man's somewhat tenuous mastery of nature. Freedom Doll’s artwork challenges this preconceived notion through an eco-feminist approach, bringing the Minoan woman slash Gaia in the seat of the bull leaper, taming the unhinged and predominantly male earth - threatening human force.
Love Love continues the LOVLTD series with a follow up from Bristol based producer Ben Pest. In a similar vein to his previous 12" on Love Love, 'On The Three', it's an all out techno affair with 4 high powered tracks geared for destroying peak-time dancefloors.
DJ support from:
Tariq Ziyad (Life Support Machine), Doc Scott, TMSN, Alland Byallo, Vell (Boiled Wonderland Records), Manfred Reckers, Shcuro, Hassan Abou Alam, Miley Serious, Zoltan Balla, Jensen Interceptor, Luke Sanger, Mumdance, Clouds, Piezo, Elena Rioboo, Jossy Mitsu, Yorobi, Blutch, NVST, Snuffo, Om Unit, Black Cadmium, Kreggo, Prettybwoy, Gene Farris, Timothy Clerkin, Danielle Moore, Sun People, JVK, Mad Miran, Stillhead, Nala, Brown, Monotronique, Syz, Appleblim, SDR, Wes Baggaley, Hrdvsion, Marco Zenker, Hooverian Blur, Roi, Mamiko Motto, Fear E, Giant Swan, Minor Science, Extrawelt, Second Storey, Toshiki Ohta, Hudson Mohawke, Nachtbraker, Mani Festo, Radioactiveman, Formally Unknown
“Mr Pest never ceases to bring the dirt.. Always top notch and 1 step ahead.. :) Proper”
For Fans Of: Laibach, Trepaneringsritualen, Ulver, Skinny Puppy, industrialized Dead Can Dance, Celtic Frost. FORGOTTEN SUNRISE is a band both legendary and current; inventors in one era, and innovators in the present day. Celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, the group has evolved and morphed over time into its current formation of Anders Melts, Kadri Sammel, and Jaan Pullerits. A huge part of the Estonian cultural landscape that comprises dark music, Forgotten Sunrise began life as a death metal band in the early 90s, part of the movement that spawned groups such as Amorphis, Beherit, Anathema, My Dying Bride, and Katatonia. As styles converged, and electronics entered the picture, the group incorporated newer techniques and a more industrial approach over time, consolidating their methods into a unique strain they call “OUTDUSTRIAL” – outsider industrial. elu is the first album in the “HALL-ELU-JAH” trilogy. Starting in the middle, the band has an expansive story arc set across 3 albums. In this first presentation of the trilogy, elu synchronizes the classic Death Metal style vocal with ethereal female voice, horror atmosphere, and pounding EBM rhythyms to create 8 memorable and visceral tracks. From high-energy dancefloor-fillers like “Orthotoxic Waste” and “Deep Emoceans” to heavy industrial grinders like “Near Bye” and “iSaid” to the emotional close of “Meating 8:08” into “Elukas”, the album provides a serene metamorphosis, guiding the listener through the many-worlds-as-one experience of Forgotten Sunrise. – Forgotten Sunrise are: Anders Melts – Vocals, bass, guitars, cymbals, djembe, thunder tube, knife and fork. Kadri Sammel – Vocals, bass, keyboards, shaman drum Jaan “Suva” Pullerits – Controlling the arrangements of chaos Ants “Ank” Lill – B(l)ack vocals on “Elukas” Recorded, mixed, and mastered at In Dreams 2020-2022 Artwork by Rene 13 Cover Picture by hellish.cav Executive Producer for Ohm Resistance – Alexandra Portaluppi
Following the recently dropped ‘Strobe Queen’, which picked up support from Honey Dijon, Sean Johnston, Laurent Garnier, BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong and Danny Howard amongst many more, Radio Slave returns with another standout House cut ‘Wild Life’, turning in two exceptional Disco and Dub mixes.
“I’ve always adored the “Wildpitch” era of DJ Pierre, Roy Davis Jnr, DJ Duke and labels like Power Music It’s definitely influenced my work as Radio Slave and “Wild Life” started out as a nod to that early nighties sound. Conceived during the pandemic, I had the track mapped out and then with help of a good friend I decided to add live bass, loads of analogue keyboards and record the whole thing live and it became this super funky disco jam.” - Radio Slave
Radio Slave aka Matt Edwards is one of dance music’s undisputed heavyweights. Having made his name as a DJ in the 90s, he went on to become the king of edits, twisting pop, R&B and indie cuts into essential versions that consistently set clubs alight. Since the mid-2000s, Edwards’ originals have helped define modern dance music, tackling techno, house, breakbeat, minimal and disco whilst exploring dub, balearic sounds and ambient across the myriad of other aliases and projects.
For the 30th anniversary of the release of the first single by Frankie HI NRG MC 'Fight Da Faida' Irma Records together with the artist have decided to pack an unreleased collector's version of the song.
The new look is in 7-inch format (45 rpm) in a limited edition on white vinyl with a gatefold format cover containing, in addition to a photo of the artist of the time and one of today, the original lyrics of the song and a text by the well-known journalist and radio and television host Luca De Gennaro who was the first to notice the artist.
The song Fight Da Faida has been seminal for the evolution of Italian Hip Hop.
At the time, few such songs had come out and they were all known mostly on the alternative circuits. Fight Da Faida, despite its harsh and explicit text against the mafias, was the first to have real radio programming on national networks.
It was also obviously the launching pad of the artist who later released his first album 'Verba Manent' which also contains this single.
The new format contains the original version, the instrumental version and the 'famous' Sicilian nursery rhyme 'Tri Tri Tri Trinacria Breakdown' which over the years has been repeatedly sampled abroad for club music songs.
Die britischen URNE melden sich mit ihrem zweiten Album 'A Feast On Sorrow' zurück!
Es gibt Zeiten im Leben, in denen es sich anfühlt, als ob die Dunkelheit das Licht verschluckt. Leid. Verlust. Die Leere, die folgt. Aus der Ferne können wir uns gegen die düstere Unausweichlichkeit von Krankheit, Demenz und Verfall im Alter stemmen, aber wenn man sich näher mit ihren Auswirkungen befasst, erscheint es leicht, sich einen verborgenen Dämon auszumalen, der sich an dem verursachten Elend labt. Aus diesem Schmerz heraus entstand Urnes brachiales zweites Album 'A Feast On Sorrow'. Der Nachfolger ihres Debüts 'Serpent & Spirit' entstand mit Gitarrist Angus Neyra, Schlagzeuger James Cook und der überraschenden Unterstützung von Gojira-Frontmann Joe Duplantier im New Yorker Silver Cord Studio.
Duo Drunken Kong step up for their Drumcode debut.
The residents at Tokyo’s legendary Womb have a distinct sound signature, as dreamy melodic and vocal elements rub shoulders with the pair’s trademark groove-orientated rhythms to create hypnotic techno outings that span the breadth of the genre, from heads down rollers to peak-time pleasure.
Their maiden outing on Drumcode is an inspiring four-track work ‘I Want To See’ that lays down this sonic manifesto, with each track built around different vocal samples used to skilful effect.
EP opener ‘It’s Then’ brings atmosphere in spades, mixing up a chugging bottom end, a sleek synth line and a sublime vocal that simmers throughout.
The title track is another late-night dancefloor affair that shifts between function and fun, as a slick mix of polished grooves and hypnotising melodies build towards a thrilling crescendo. ‘That’s It’ brings peak-time energy against a plump electro backbone and ’90-tinged vocal.
The EP rounds out with evocative ‘Need It’, as a stirring vox and metallic drumlines propel the track forward.
Caserta’s favourite era of house was when the line between hip hop and house was really only made visible by the tempo of the songs. An art mastered by legends like Kenny Dope, Armand Van Helden and DJ Sneak to name a few.
FF to 2023, Caserta returns to that form with Joe’s Boutique. An obvious nod to the craftwork of the seminal album Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boy’s. Caserta fired up the samplers and sliced and diced his way to his first EP in years. With swinging drums, heavy basslines, chopped up vocals and music you might think you stumbled across a lost Strictly Rhythm acetate but mixed and mastered to year 2728 by the man himself.
Complete with vocal interludes segueing from track to track this truly is a listening experience as well as a dance floor filler all in one.
Most Excellent Unlimited is happy to announce the next release in its series of collaborations with master DJ and editor "Mr. K". Two exceptional deep classic album gems skillfully cut down to a maximum 7" 45rpm format, Luther’s “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” and Zulema’s “Giving Up.”
Long before “Never Too Much” and his other solo hits, Luther Vandross was an in-demand backup singer and vocal arranger, working with luminaries like Carly Simon, Bette Midler, and Donna Summer, along with his stand out performances in Change, Bionic Boogie, & so many more. Perhaps his most significant role, however, was backing David Bowie on the 1975 Young Americans album. It was during these sessions that Bowie heard Luther’s song “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” and re-tooled it to become the Bowie/Vandross joint composition “Fascination,” which went on to become a successful Bowie single.
For the latest edition of Most Excellent Unlimited’s series of edits, Mr. K has gone back to the original source, credited to the group (not the solo artist) Luther (which also features Christine Wiltshire). Mr. K's technique on this edit is cleverly subtle, in the process giving us the first opportunity to get almost the entire full-length song on compact 7-inch wax, keeping that irresistible building energy that places the track firmly on dancefloor-friendly territory.
“Giving Up” was the opening track on Zulema’s second LP, and given the drama of the intro, with its rolling piano, string ensemble, and piercing guitar, it’s not hard to hear why it was effective in that role. Mr. K’s edit benefits from a crystal clear remastering in which each element of the band is distinct in the soundfield, led by Zulema’s gutsy vocals upfront. Originally a 1964 Gladys Knight tearjerker that crept along at a tango’s pace, Zulema’s 1973 cover gives the song a new, powerfully soulful arrangement, championed by such disparate eras and tastemakers as Nicky Siano at the Gallery in the ’70s and breakbeat hunters the Beatnuts in the ’90s that has easily found favor with a wide variety of listeners and DJs, and this new issue should solidify that position. Never before available on 7-inch, “Giving Up” is a bonafide funk and proto-disco classic —
Mysteries Of The World is the stunning final studio album from legendary Philly supergroup MFSB. Expertly co-written and produced with the mighty Dexter Wansel, it features the untouchable, sparkling masterpiece "Mysteries Of The World". The whole album is truly exquisite; a stylish, classy collection of pure Philly soul and orchestral jazz-funk.
MFSB, an acronym for Mother, Father, Sister, Brother, was formed by producers Gamble & Huff of Philadelphia International Records. The band's roots can be traced back to the house band at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios, where they played on numerous hit records by artists like The O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes and The Stylistics. Mysteries Of The World comprises slick jazz-funk grooves, mostly penned by Wansel, who produced a fair chunk of the album in a similar style to his space-funk records. MFSB's smooth sound is retained but it receives a fresh, elegant and jazzy upgrade. While this album is as mellow as the rest of the latter-period MFSB recordings, it never forgets the group's soul music underpinnings.
Swaggering, well-timed horn blasts, sweeping strings and a percolating, hard thumping slap-bassline combine to devastating effect on amazing opener "Manhattan Skyline". It's a sexy mid-tempo instrumental which sets us up nicely for what follows. Essays could be written analysing the perfection of title track. Arguably the finest jazz-funk instrumental ever made, it's absolutely magnificent. Featuring musicianship of the highest calibre, the band play with their trademark tight discipline, cooking up a syncopating rhythm with an array of exploratory keyboard riffs wrapped around a punchy bassline sent from heaven. It sounds like house music, it's that ahead of its time. The string intro is sumptuous, hypnotic and divine and that's all before the beat hits. The track fuses classical, jazz and funk into a musical journey that you never want to end. Absolutely flawless, it's a dramatic disco dancefloor killer.
Says Dexter Wansel himself: "You know, of all the songs I wrote/produced/arranged for MFSB, this is for me the most different. I think it's an experiment in rhythmic, soft sonic synth and live string and harp combinations. I composed it in an effort to blend a funky groove, along with synthesis, and orchestral sounds. There are 3 synthesizers: Oberheim 4 voice, Polymoog, and of course Arp 2600v. And, as I remember, I recorded the track with the rhythm section, string, harp and flute players first. Then I added synthesis."
The profound elegance remains in abundance on the slinky, harp-laced "Tell Me Why"; Carla Benson's beautiful voice truly shines on this sophisticated cut. The side closes out in dramatic style with the string-drenched "Metamorphosis". It's a staccato, Blaxploitation groove workout featuring wah-wah guitar, creeping basslines, rich horn solos and soulful vocals drifting in and out of the mix. The bouncy, irrepressible "Fortune Teller" opens the B side in the bass-heavy orchestral funk style before the beautiful "Old San Juan" glides in, a Balearic-adjacent track with intricate arrangements, building its mellow soul groove around an atypical flamenco guitar hook. Melancholy, guitar-led instrumental "Thank You Miss Scott" is a real highlight, with gorgeous flute, string and percussive elements whilst closer "In the Shadow" works an otherworldly synth line into its bossa nova groove.
An essential record for fans of Philly soul and groovy jazz-funk, Mysteries Of The World was mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis and cut by Cicely Ralston for Alchemy at AIR Studios. The stunning artwork, the work of renowned illustrator Robert Giusti, was restored at Be With HQ to round out this beautiful reissue.
Long Beach legend Scotty Coats links the West Coast eclecticism of Stones Throw to the NYC cool of DFA and Rong to the Balearic gods of DJ Harvey et al. He personally introduced Be With to Ned Doheny 10 years ago and he was immortalised on Smith & Mudd's last LP. And he's the main man behind the mysteriously titled duo Todd Russell & The Dangerous Coats, alongside Erick "Todd" Coomes (Lettuce founder/bassist).
In very real danger of being lost forever, we unearthed two of their private recordings and present them as a double A-Side 12", adorned with S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G artwork, courtesy of Arizona artist Frank Gonzales.
"Playa Larga" is a melodic, mellow masterpiece and is quintessentially Balearic. It's stretched out, low slung, guitar-soaked drum-machine soul music. It's multi-layered and contains multitudes: it builds and builds and builds and mesmerises as it does so. On the flip, "1900 Ocean Avenue" is a super slo-mo, sunbaked drug-chug which is already blowing minds thanks to early leaks of this cosmic, psychedelic detonation.
On first listen back, Erick said to Scotty: “So wait, nothing really happens, I mean nothing bad happens but nothing really happens”. Apparently these tracks were a bit foreign for Erick, musically, because of the lack of structure in the songs.
One morning, years later, Erick called Scotty and excitedly declared: “dude, I get it now!”. He was listening to random music with a lady friend while watching the sunrise in his 1900 Ocean Ave apartment and "Playa Larga" came on randomly. He'd forgotten all about it and said he had to get up and see what song it was because "it was the perfect soundtrack for a psychedelic sunrise over the ocean."
And that's exactly how we came across it, circa 2018, randomly popping up on a playlist while we were busy doing other things. It stopped us in our tracks but, when trying to find any info on iTunes, we were out of luck. It was only years later that we worked out Scotty had sent it to us. Ever since, we've been working on getting this out to you all. It's finally time.
We've only 500 pressed for the world, with many of them spoken for by those lucky enough to be already ITK, so these are gonna fly: be warned!
Scotty is a world class raconteur so we'll hand over to him to explain how these songs came about and why they mean so much to him in the context of his wider raison d'être:
"These were made 13 years ago when I was a new dad and left my job at Ubiquity Records to provide security for my newborn son, Nolan Liam Chai Coats. I became miserable working a job outside of music for the first time in my life and I was laid off 4 months into it. I was left wondering how the fuck am I going to provide for my family?
I lived in Long Beach and Erick lived a few blocks away. I would walk to his house when Jen finally got Nolan to sleep so I could escape my panic, drink some beers (is it beerlearic?) and make some music. He lived overlooking the ocean with the Queen Mary on the horizon, so I guess mellow Long Beach nights unintentionally inspired the music. These songs were the first two songs we ever made and they embody the desperation and hope I really needed at that time. 12 years later, when Rob at Be With expressed an interest in releasing it, we had Erick's brother Tyler Tycoon Coomes play drums on it at Jazzcats Studio in LBC, with Jonny Bell.
Shortly after I was laid off, I discovered The Stepkids. I was blown away by "Shadows On Behalf" and sent it on to Gilles Peterson. He played it on Worldwide the next day. The Stepkids pulled me back into music and made me realize I wasn't prepared to do anything but be involved with music. After I heard their unreleased album, I knew there was something there so I sent it to my good friend Jamie Strong who was at Stones Throw at the time. Jamie passed it along to Peanut Butter Wolf and the band asked me to be their manager. I didn't think I was the right guy for the job but wanted to see them do well so I told them I would help shop their album. Jamie suggested I take his place at Stones Throw, just as he did when he left Ubiquity Records. I always joke that Jamie can call me Scotty Coat Tails because I had been riding his for years.
Wolf told him that "Scotty is a nice guy but has horrible taste in music", which was ironic because he was literally trying to sign the band that I brought him. The Stepkids signed with Stones Throw and found a real manager. 6 or so months later Jamie sent me a note saying "Stones Throw is hiring and you should apply lol". I told him I was going to send my resume and the subject of the email was to read I HAVE GREAT FUCKING TASTE IN MUSIC. I did just that and got a call the next day from their new GM asking me to come in for an interview. When I walked in I was in Wolf's office where I had been 6 months before, signing The Stepkids
deal. Wolf and Jason McGuire were asking me some questions and wanted to introduce me to Jeff Jank. Jank walked in and said "Isn't this the guy that Jamie wanted to bring on 6 months ago?" They confirmed and he threw his hands up and walked out saying "I've seen enough". I got the job. I worked there for 2 or 3 years until I left to join forces with Jamie Strong at his label and stayed there for almost 7 years."
Scotty wanted to use a painting by his good friend, Frank Gonzales, for the front cover image. Frank was incredibly generous in letting us use this one, and Scotty was completely honoured. We think you'll agree, it's pretty striking. Simon Francis carefully mastered the original audio for both tracks and Cicely Balston's precise cut for Alchemy at AIR Studios ensures this double A-side 12" sounds appropriately outstanding. The immaculate Record Industry pressing will ensure these previously unheard, recently discovered recordings finally get a chance to shine.
Sound artist and researcher Amit Dinesh Patel aka Dushume began working in the field of music technology in 2000. In 2021, he began a research project addressing the distinctive lack of visibility for Black and Brown artists within the field of experimental music and sound: "Exploring Cultural Diversity in Experimental Sound", hosted at the Sound/Image Research Centre, University of Greenwich.
Disruptive Frequencies is one output of this research. Patel, together with five other Black and South Asian experimental and electronic artists recorded new music to release as part of this compilation:
Crossing noise, high-energy electronic music, deep bass, ambient and experimental soundscapes, this compilation is a statement challenging institutional Whiteness, racist biases, lack of visibility and access to experimental practices. Each contribution pushes the boundaries of sound manipulation, turntablism, field recording, audio fragmentations and sound collage techniques.
KEY GLOCK is a protégé of Young Dolph & who rose to fame in 2017 with his mixtape “Glock Season.” The artist signed to Young Dolph’s label in 2017 and their collaborative album, “Dum and Dummer,” reached #8 on the Billboard 200. As a lead artist, Key Glock has since had one certified platinum single (“Russian Cream”) and 4 certified gold singles (“Since6ix,” “Gang Shit No Lame Shit,” “Mr. Glock,” & “Ambition for Cash”). His debut studio album, “Yellow Tape,” peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200, while the follow-up, “Yellow Tape 2,” rose to #7 on the same chart. A 5-track EP, “”PRE5L,” was released in November 2022 & included the hit track, “Jigsaw.” He is the cousin by marriage of Young Dolph, who sadly passed in November 2021. In a since-deleted IG post, Key Glock called Young Dolph “my lefthand man, my brother, my cousin, and my mentor.”
‘The Nature of Nature’ is the debut LP by Hanegi Koen, the Japan-based creative duo composed of British ¦lmmaker Sam King and Canadian label head Sean Mallion (ADSR Collective). Picking up where they left off with their 2021 EP ‘Well Worth A Visit’, this album continues the legacy of spaced-out ambient guitars and driving analog beats the band nicely cued up for us. It has continuity from their previous work, going even deeper this time, further de¦ning the contours of their sound. As the title suggests, Nature was a big influence on the record. Many of the track titles are from the season they were recorded in – for example, ‘Hanafubuki’, when the cherry blossoms fall, ‘Tsuyu’, the rainy season, or ‘Kaminari’ which was written during a crazy thunderstorm. The sights and sounds of those times are reflected in the tracks, with ¦eld recordings helping to supplement the atmosphere. Hanegi’s founding ethos of only using analog instruments and drum machines to compose and perform, minimizing the need for the computer as an interface, is alive and well in this album. The tracks got tested in front of an audience and improved on, based on feedback from playing them live, leading to a psychedelic, synth-rich, analog journey. “We like all things analog. We both use computers and digital screens a fair amount in our day job, so it’s nice to give our eyes a rest from that and allow the music to be created from everything we have on the table.
Similarly vinyl records, ¦lm photography, and simply walking around outside in the forest – all these things are a way of slowing down and escaping the digital world.”
Greatly influenced by the wild contrasting outdoors of their home in Japan, the mountains, forests, and ocean, ‘The Nature of Nature’ is an open invitation to unplug to reconnect, a feeling that Hanegi Koen want to share with you. Released on August 18th, on vinyl and digital via Subtempo. Credits: Written and composed by Sean Mallion and Sam King Mixed by Aoki Takamasa Mastering by Manmade Mastering Album art by Laine Butler Design by Rocco Tyndale
Carved out from between the cracks of life over a 2 year period, Low Flung presents his eighth full length album ‘The Wheel’. Together, the 11 tracks provide a space to process and sit with difficult change. This takes the form of microscopic minimalist landscapes. Presented in both audio and physical form as micro grooves on a 12” vinyl.
At times the sound wanders and walks, other times it remains still, clear and precise. The omni-present artifacts found in ‘The Wheel’ are left to breathe a different life during each listen. Drones act like familiar trails losing their path as space transforms like a breeze over a table of sand. Hyper focused spores evolve around blurred waves of time. Electronic tones are captured flowing to the rhythm of a decaying natural world.
‘The Wheel’ is a patchwork of sonic experiments made using modular synthesis, fixed architecture synthesis, Buchla Music Easel (replica), outboard effects, cassette manipulation techniques, samplers and field recordings taken along the texturally rich and historically questionable eastern coastline of Australia.
The tracks have been composed with a materiality that embraces the acoustics of different listening environments. Much like mood, this means each listening experience is unique due to the natural acoustics of your listening space. The sounds on this album embrace this phenomena, creating a rich, visceral listening experience that slowly scratches away at discrete moments of time
Rather than attempting to traverse new sonic fields of experimentation in ‘The Wheel’, the album touches on the various spaces Danny has explored over the past ten years as an Audio Visual artist. Although technically eighth, it would be more fitting to say this album draws a clear line from ‘Blow Waves (2018)’ to ‘Outside The Circle (2020)’ to become the third and final chapter in the expanded non linear, unintentional landscape series. Serendipitous that each was conceived over 2 year periods of time.
While the key focus is sitting with difficult change, this album is also a celebration of any moment you might find yourself in. Good, bad, easy or hard, this album is an attempt to help with feeling content wherever you are along your path. With each cycle a new context.
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s acclaimed 2010 album Here Lies Love receives its first-ever vinyl release to coincide with a new production opening on Broadway this summer. Here Lies Love is a double-disc song cycle – improbably poignant, decidedly surreal, surprisingly thought provoking – about the rise and fall of the Philippines' notorious Imelda Marcos. It was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and DJ/recording artist Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B and pop. Byrne's taste in collaborators is as imaginative as it is impeccable, including Cyndi Lauper (who recounts, to lighthearted disco beats, Imelda's courtship with Ferdinand Marcos), Steve Earle (as the power-hungry Ferdinand), Dap-Kings vocalist Sharon Jones (recalling Imelda's introduction into New York society) and Natalie Merchant (as spurned Imelda confidante Estrella, anticipating the onset of martial law). Along with vocals turns from such stars as Tori Amos and the B-52's Kate Pierson, Byrne works with rising indie rockers St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond; New York chanteuses Nellie McKay and Martha Wainwright; and dance-music divas Róisín Murphy and Santigold. Byrne himself appears as the voice of imperialistic America on ‘American Troglodyte’, a send-up that wouldn't have seemed out of places in Talking Heads' True Stories.
Byrne originally envisioned this as a musical theatre piece, to be mounted in disco and nightclub settings, reflecting the globe-trotting Marcos' taste for such velvet-roped spots as Studio 54 and Regine's. In 2006, he performed work-in-progress versions to enthusiastic audiences at New York City's Carnegie Hall and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. While plans for a US theatrical production continued to evolve, he delivered this unique recording. The award-winning theatrical production eventually premiered at The Public Theater in New York in 2013, travelled to London’s National Theater for a sold-out run (2014–15), and was remounted at the Seattle Repertory Theater (2017).
Here Lies Love has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim's own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne's recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos' increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, "For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What's more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick." Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda's infamous shoe collection.
Many of Byrne's lyrics are, astonishingly enough, constructed from actual Imelda quotes, including the project's title, the words that Imelda, now returned to the Philippines from US-assisted exile in Hawaii, would like to have inscribed on her gravestone. In addition to his new liner note, Byrne illustrates the story with archival photos. In a detailed preface, he reveals what drew him to this subject and the bumpy route he took to launch the project and, ultimately, record this album. The booklet is indeed a page-turner, just as Here Lies Love is a wonderfully old-school album that rewards start-to-finish listening. Once again, Byrne – beloved as musician, thinker and bicyclist-about-town – reveals the breadth and singularity of his vision.
The new production of Here Lies Love will premiere at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Performances begin June 17, ahead of an official opening night on July 20. Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (direction) and Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson (choreography) reunite with Byrne (concept, music, and lyrics) and Fatboy Slim (music) to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway, continuing a ten-plus year collaboration on the project. Tom Gandey and J Pardo contribute additional music. Here Lies Love is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. The staging at the Broadway Theatre will transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors. A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available throughout the theatre’s reconstructed space. The producers of Here Lies Love said, “As a team of binational American producers – Filipinos among us – we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”
David Byrne’s recent works include the launch of Reasons to be Cheerful, an online magazine focused on solutions-oriented stories about problems being solved all over the world (2019); Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, a theatrical exploration of the historical heroine that premiered at the Public Theater in New York (2017); The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments created in conjunction with PACE Arts + Technology that question human perception and bias (2016); Contemporary Color, an event inspired by the American folk tradition of color guard and performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (2015); Here Lies Love; Love This Giant, a studio album and worldwide tour created with St. Vincent (2012); and How Music Works, a book about the history, experience, and social aspects of music (2012).
Byrne curated Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival in London in 2015. A co-founder of the group Talking Heads (1976–88), he has released eight studio albums as a solo artist and worked on multiple other projects, including collaborations with Brian Eno, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Jonathan Demme, among others. He also founded the highly respected record label Luaka Bop. Recognition of Byrne’s various works include Obies, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Evening Standard awards for Here Lies Love; an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads. Byrne’s work as a visual artist has been published and exhibited since his college days, including photography, filmmaking, and writing. He lives in New York City. In addition to 2019’s cast album for American Utopia on Broadway, Nonesuch has released eight other David Byrne records since 2003, including 2018’s American Utopia studio album and two versions of his musical Here Lies Love.
microCastle’s third offering of 2023 welcomes Ditian back to the label for his first artist EP. Splitting time between Buenos Aires, Berlin and Barcelona, the Argentinean artist has carved out a unique place in the electronic underground over the last half decade. With an immediately recognizable sonic signature, Ditian channels languages of varied musical landscapes, churning them into his own complex rollercoaster of intricate electronica. A sound that is equally at home on rebellious dance floors around the world or in the sweet spot of a late-night leftfield listening session. A short but meticulous discography reflects Ditian's choosy nature; with Exit Strategy, Innervisions and TAU serving as the primary landing spots for his musical output. Having remixed Ivory’s ‘Arpstairs’ for his microCastle debut last summer, a project which was followed by a contribution to Dixon and Ame’s Secret Weapons 15 collection to begin the year, Ditian now returns to the label with a four-track showcase entitled ‘Serpenta’.
The crushing title track crashes in and sets any preconceived ideas of Ditian’s music alight, forecasting jet force propulsions and wild signal bending synths. As somewhat of a departure from his previous experiments, Ditian’s clustered pungi mutations provide an enduring main theme, while a wonderfully warped break is sure to cast a paranoid spell over the dancefloor.
‘Venena’ follows in fine style and further hammers down Ditian’s elusive vision. Dizzying, rapid-fire sequences of rhythm, granular textures and heavily manipulated synths travel to the very edges, while maelstroms of drums and contorted basslines highlight a high-octane second act.
‘Inertia’ lands at the collection’s midway point and does so in remarkably twisted fashion, stepping decisively on the gas and steering into shadowy transgressions. Never one to shy away from darkness or pushing boundaries, Ditian’s metallic storyboarding rises and falls across act one, consciously withholding energy, as grooves pulse and effects orbit, creating tension that eventually gets resolved as clusters burst open and oscillate in kaleidoscopic fashion.
Ditian’s creative attitude reveals itself further on collection closer ‘Influenza’. Presenting some of his most club-adjacent rhythms yet, it’s a clever coax of billowing tones and scrappy melodica which get wrapped up in a concordant fog, eventually getting washed away; because after all, the oceanic drones are all the better when they’re magnified to full size.
Greetings from TROPIKA! The Tikiyaki Orchestra’s fifth album is a soundtrack with many interpretations. Sometimes, an idyllic paradise. Sometimes, a place of danger and intrigue. The jetsetter, the beachbum, the lounge lizard, the international man of mystery, the alluring wahine, the soldier, and the suave - they all co-exist in Tropika, represented by their own musical escape. Enjoy your stay!
Water Machine is an office romance between Hando Morice (they/them), Flore de Hoog (she/her), Jimmy Gage (he/him) and Goda Ilgauskaitė (she/her). An unassuming supergroup formed out of Glasgow institutions including Goth GF, Passion Pusher, Brenda and Soursob, their sound careens between punk, country and alt-rock underpinned by the unique quality they call “Raw Liquid Power”.
Following last year’s self-titled demo tape on Gold Mold Records, and fresh off of shows with the likes of Holiday Ghosts, The Cool Greenhouse and The Orielles, as well as a rollicking Viagra Boys afterparty, the four-piece will release their highly-anticipated first studio effort ‘Raw Liquid Power’ on Upset The Rhythm on August 4th.
The EP opens with a menacing, modulating synth melody. Gage’s guitar enters with a mighty bend before breaking into the chugging rhythm of ‘Water Machine Pt. 2’. This timely reminder to refill your water bottle - “don’t be late, hydrate!” less a wellness mantra than a threat - builds to a spacey outro with flashes of the art-punk weirdness of Suburban Lawns. ‘Stilettos’ marches on indignantly with a spiky riff punctuated by Ilgauskaitė’s cowbells. Staccato talk-singing tells a playful tale of stray cats following you home, but belies a darker subtext as the breakdown gives way to paranoid duelling guitars evoking The Fire Engines.
The anti-anthem ‘At the Drive In’ skewers joyless DIY crowds, reminiscent of much-missed Glasgow punks Breakfast Muff. Water Machine’s irrepressible sincerity can’t help but shine through in the final moments though, as jibes about “late night trade potential” give way to plaintive vocal harmonies. Morice tears public transport a new one on closer ‘Bussy’, a First Bus diss track bemoaning precarious employment amidst crumbling infrastructure. “That’s why I’m not on time!” they roar over de Hoog’s frantic, pounding bass, bringing the record to a skidding, screeching halt.
After a 3-year break, the Germany-based label Malonian is back. The label's ninth release comes from the Berlin producer Mental Carnival, who should be known for his Big City Jungle / Fresh EP on La Pena Shots.
This EP features 4 unique tracks that sound like the producer made them specifically for the dancefloor of the romanian Sunwaves Festival. Because that's where the idea for the label with the subtitle "Based on friendships which started in Mamaia" was born in 2014. As usual, the record comes with the label's typical artwork and full cover.
Popular DJs like Ricardo Villalobos, Zip, Margaret Dygas, Sonja Moonear, Raresh, Rhadoo, Petre Inspirescu a:rpia:r, Dan Andrei, Pralsea, Fumiya Tanaka, Barac, Fabe, Arno and many others are already playing this record at this summer's festivals & parties .
“Crazy for the disco dance" was born from the collaboration of two musician producers, the "In da club" with Theo Spagna.
The request for a song to be produced came after the two grammys, from ASCAP Americana, assigned to Theo Spagna as co-author of the song "Ritmo" by the Black Eyed Peas and after the success of the song "Clap your hands" by the French DJ Kungs which sees Ivana Spagna as author.
"Crazy for the disco dance" is a song that deliberately recalls the atmosphere and sounds of the 80s and choosing Spagna as the featuring was a natural choice. The artistic production is by Theo Spagna. Executive producing by Angie C.
Video production "Mars Entertainment" for In da Club.
Contain 2 big rmxs by Joe T Vannelli!.
Josh Butler joins Kerri Chandler’s Kaoz Theory imprint with the ‘Piranha’ EP, featuring a collaboration with Josh Daniel and two further original compositions.
Northern England’s Josh Butler has been at the forefront of the contemporary house scene over the past decade, racking up releases for the likes of Defected, Rejected, Solid Grooves, Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels, MÜSE and many more. Here though we see Josh returning to Kerri Chandler’s Kaoz Theory following 2023’s ‘Sunday Club’ with some fresh, dub house leaning material.
Opening the release is ‘Be There’, a collaboration with Josh Daniel, laid out across five and half minutes with dubbed out piano chords, crisp drums, a bouncy bass line and Daniel’s soulful vocal stylings.
A dub mix is offered up to follow, laying focus solely on the groove. On the flip side we have ‘Piranha’ up first, a hazy journey through dubbed out synth swells, airy vocal chants, skippy low-slung percussion and snaking sub bass tones.
‘Chess’ then rounds out the EP, laying down heavily swung minimalistic percussion, fluttering low end pulsations and ethereal atmospheric textures to create a subtly unfurling, cinematic dance floor groove.
DJ Feedback:
Junior Sanchez – Dope freshness!
Dennis Quin – Nice EP, feel the tracks
Lele Sacchi – All good deep rollers
Alexander Maier – Superb deepness in all
Ruff Stuff – Great EP! Love it!
Danny Howells – Loving this, all four tracks totally worth of support
Milos – Amazing EP, great tracks
Chris Brennan – Supremely smooth tunes, lovely lovely
Manda Moor steps out on Mood Child for the first time as the label co-founder links with mysterious talent Trangaz for four fresh productions on their collaborative ‘Peligro’ EP.
Ever since dropping her debut release in 2020, Danish-Filipino talent Manda Moor has been on an impressive upwards curve and one that doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon.
Having dropped back-to-back releases on Jamie Jones and Lee Foss’ iconic Hot Creations imprint, the hotly-tipped DJ/producer and label founder heads to her Mood Child label for the first time. Founded and created alongside Sirus Hood, the label serves as an artistic platform, a community-focused label, and an events series that delivers quality music via digital and physical formats, plus NFTs, unique experiences, and more. An ‘invitation to a journey that blends feelings, emotions and desires’, with takeovers at Hï Ibiza, Café Mambo, Lovefest, Fabrik and more, the first release saw Sirus partner with fellow Frenchman Malikk, and now the second arrives in perfect time for the peak summer months as Manda combines with Boogeyman and Pakate signee Trangaz.
New York City born-and-raised, he draws lines between primitive and futuristic sounds and rhythms influenced by world travel and different cultures, and the two reunite for their four-track ‘Peligro’ EP.
Crafted together in Ibiza, the EP showcases sonics capturing the island’s unique magic. Lead cut ‘El Peligro (Ibiza Mix)’ is a production made after a special day at the coves and hidden treasures of Atlantis, under full moonlight near Talamanca, with the rolling organic drums grooves, playful vocal murmurs and vibrant melodies journeying deep into the night.
Next, ‘Tagalog’ keeps the energy bubbling with another percussive workout sprinkled with vocal interjections and spoken words in the native Filipino language it is named after, while B1 ‘Chatita’ is a slinking production as wonky stabs meet and snaking low-end grooves. Closing the EP, the pair deliver the most stripped-back track with ‘Buena Vibra’ as a killer groove guides vocal chants to wrap things up in fine fashion.
Manda Moor & Trangaz ‘Peligro’ EP drops via Mood Child in July 2023.
Eli Escobar returns for his 9th full length LP. While his last few projects found him exploring downtempo beats, EBM and ambient in§uences, this latest offering of Eli's studio craftsmanship marks a return to the sound of his early releases like Up All Night and Happiness. Warm samples expertly woven into classic drum machine rhythms and searing synth lines, The Beach Album takes listeners on a journey through golden era hip hop beats, feel-good NYstyled house grooves into sweaty techno bangers. Similar to Eli's DJ sets, the 16 track long player has something for everyone. Created during the uncertainty of the pandemic when as Eli put it, "It didn't feel like the right time to release dance music," The Beach album celebrates the return of NY nightlife and optimism for the future.
Vier Jahre nach dem weltweit veröffentlichten und von der Kritik gefeierten Album "Nucleus" im Jahr 2019 (eine Neuaufnahme ihrer klassischen Hits mit englischen Texten) hat die führende japanische Heavy-Metal-Band ANTHEM die pandemische Auszeit klug genutzt und ist nun startklar, ihr brandneues Studioalbum "Crimson & Jet Black" zu veröffentlichen.
Alle Songs sind wieder in englischer Sprache, und das Album wird weltweit veröffentlicht werden.
Das Ziel von ANTHEM für das 21. Jahrhundert ist es, jedes ihre früheren Werke zu toppen, und mit diesem Album haben sie sich selbst noch einmal übertroffen!
"Crimson & Jet Black" ist unverkennbar "ANTHEM", klingt aber gleichzeitig frisch. Die Band hat wieder einmal bewiesen, dass sie eine der konkurrenzfähigsten Heavy Metal Bands der Welt ist und eine Kraft, mit der man rechnen muss. Verpassen Sie nicht ihr neues Kapitel, das gerade erst begonnen hat!!!
Rowle is coming with its awaited 9th release from the closed friend Viceversa, who is back after his succesfully previous release 005. On this one he delivered 3 classic tracks full of melodies and percussions, perfectly in line and evolution with his unmistakable style. On the remix duty the romanian star Floog with a killer dancefloor version. Already supported and played by Sublee, Sit, Barac, Cally, Mihai Pol, Silat Beksi, Herck, Raresh, Vlf, Vincentiulian, Giuliano Lomonte and many others.
The colossal Caposile Music strike once more with a heavy hitting house EP. This sought after summertime jam comes from resident and long time family member, Maggio. The flourishing Italian talent enforces the driving force that is After Caposile with three driven and animated grooves for the peak hours of the party. Accompanying him with a stellar remix is acclaimed live performer and producer, Vitess, the Frenchman showcasing his consistent sound, living up to the Caposile ethos with great effect.
This is “Discoline”.
Title track “Discoline” cruises on an irresistible elastic groove, shimmering synths and pads shine bright, breathing life into the rolling structure of the track. This one living and breathing a pure and infectious summer time energy. Packing a serious punch is “Vertigo”, built upon crisp drum arrangements and another dynamite bass line for the heads. If you are looking to go up a gear on the floor then you are in the right place.
On the B side Maggio’s “Outer Space” leads the way. The aptly named track prepares you for lift off with its distinctive chugging, sub heavy bass. Sprinkles of spaced out vocals tease you down a path of curiosity. Vitess rounds off the EP with another recipe for dance floor frenzy in his remix of “Discoline”, playful yet effective frequencies to ignite the flight, an essential for the record bags of many in the coming months.
CPSL005 lands off the back of the “Sound Of Garden” volumes 1 and 2, and with this latest addition to the catalogue it ensures the label and club continue to cement themselves at the forefront of the scene for underground minimal and house, continuing to spread like wildfire. Become part of the Caposile family this summer with some sincere day time action from within their circle.
This latest instalment of ARTHUR BAKER Presents DANCE MASTERS finds the production/ song-writing/ remixing maestro taking the spotlight for a long overdue snapshot of his own classic 12” mixes during a crucial evolution of dance music, club
and pop culture.
“I’ve always felt like I was on a mission to make music from the time I heard Motown, Philly and Sly and the Family Stone. My mission started as a hobby and still feels like one now. You’ve got to keep on pushing and hustling. It can be a drag sometimes but
if you really love what you’re doing, it’s worth the work. I still really love what I do.”
Arthur Baker helped codify the remixer as artist. His genre-fluid approach to projects
has resulted in a joyous myriad of classics that spans many decades. This ’80’s focused DANCE MASTERS collection offers a welcome glimpse at Baker’s illustrious career and many long out-of-print 12” versions and previously unavailable mixes.
This 35-track, six LP expanded edition includes a wide array of selections from the likes of Robbie Nevil’s “C’est La Vie,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love,” Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”, Jeffrey Osborne “Soweto”, Freeez “I.O.U”, Rockers Revenge “Walking On Sunshine” and of course the juggernaut “Planet Rock” with Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force.
Complete with in-depth liner notes by Bill Coleman, track by track notes written by Arthur Baker himself, previously unseen session photos from Arthur’s personal archives and a signed insert.
All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering
Mahalia is set to release her brand-new, sophomore album titled ‘IRL’ on July 14th with the pre-order set to go live on May 11th.The album will feature the singles ‘Terms and Conditions’, ‘Cheat’ and ‘In My Bag’ with album features including Stormzy, JoJo, Joyce Wrice and Kojey Radical.
Aptly titled IRL, Mahalia is particularly incessant on doubling down on vulnerability, internal reflection, and a desire to feel, in the realms of love specifically as demonstrated on her last project. “I feel like there’s even more personality on IRL. I want people to see me how I see myself.” Emboldened by her inflections, insights and young adulthood, Mahalia is not only breaking the mould on IRL, but determined to live life cognizantly. “This is a real reflection of the journeys I've had, what actually happened and a celebration of everyone who got me there. There are names and family members I mention because it all helped in shaping who I am,” Mahalia rationalises. With an innocent, yet assured gleam appearing on her face, “I’m so proud of this project, and so proud of how much I challenged myself to just let those stories out.”
Christened in many Grammy, BRIT, Soul Train and MTV Push nominations over the years, as well as two MOBO-wins for Best Female Act, and Best R&B/Soul Act, Mahalia still proves that beyond the accolades, an overarching dedication to persistence is what’s driven her to look inward, grow and ultimately challenge herself with each and every release to date. Standing as one of British R&B’s most successful contemporary faces, Mahalia continues to grow and establish herself in both her tact as an artist, but in building more robust ruminations sonically. As she evolves, her success becomes even more bonafide, both on home turf, but abroad too (she’s cracked the US Adult R&B Charts three times to date).
With her legion of 3.3M monthly Spotify listeners, the penultimate Saturday slot on the West Holts stage at this year’s Glastonbury festival and an opener performance for Adele at Hyde Park last summer, as well as a stellar prime-time Commonwealth Games closing ceremony set, there’s more territory to break. “I’m almost glad Love and Compromise didn’t go completely sky high, it’s given me room to keep developing, keep growing and go higher than I’ve ever been before. I’m so ready to bridge the gap now, I feel like I’m absolutely playing the long-game.”
We couldn't be happier to announce the first Mapache Records compilation after all these years. ONE MILE FROM HEAVEN is a dreamy travel through the 70's and beyond private singer songwriters scene.
There have always been privately-pressed records. Such a "private" LP is an album that has been composed, performed, recorded and edited usually very-DIY style by the very artist or by an amateur label. A private press record is, above all, an act of the artistic urge. It's an act that takes place outiside of the industry out of need, out of a lack of knowledge, out of love, out of a drive, out of ambition... you can choose among the many reasons.
Depending on their genre, origins, time, and above all, quality, some of these efforts have become valuable pieces for the music collector. Having been created behind the "canonical history of music" written by the industry, every now and then an archaeologist will bring to the surface an artifact they have found in some basement or flea market, or that was kept covered in dust in the shell of some old recording studio soon to be torn down.
All these records have their own story, and some are still especially relevant, and others are but small footnotes in the encyclopedia of music that made their way into the margins of the mainstream world. These are the most limited of editions (and mostly locally made ones) of largely unsociable and mostly unobtainable records--and when found, they are often exorbitantly priced. Many of these marginalized and onscure artists have stayed alive only through the wonderful work of tireless song rescuers, music lovers, vocational archivists, collectors, and record labels with an idealistic drive. These romantics have been rescuing and indexing a form of music that very few have showed interest in until recent years. This record is a tribute to all of those who managed to make these songs not be lost to time. Above all, this release is a tribute to all those artists who recorded their songs on their own, mostly because they couldn't keep the music inside themselves.
Remastered reissue of another stone cold New York club classic from the legendary
SAM Records label - home to so many fabulous disco/boogie recordings from the
1980s.
• Pure early 80s electronic disco joy for the packed, sweaty dance-floors. A true boogie
classic, a huge club hit that got spun from The Garage to the streets of London.
• Not much is known about Komiko, an undercover studio outfit that featured guest
vocals Carol Williams, Tracey Weber and Vicky D. This single is their sole release.
• Remastered by Phil Kinrade and presented in a 7” Discobag sleeve.
Eine jahrelange Freundschaft bildet das Fundament: Auf ihrem ersten gemeinsamen Album, »--------«, führen Peter Kruder und Roberto Di Gioia ein scheinbar intimes Gespräch, in das wir als Zuhörende indes soghaft hineingezogen werden. Eine wundervoll zauberhafte Musik, in der man sich verlieren, vor allem aber: finden und neu zusammendenken kann.
London based label and collective Cartulis Music announce their fifteenth release titled “Twilight Expanse” by New-York producer Ebeats. A reissue from the early noughties featuring a previously unreleased Ebeats cut plus two new remixes by the legendary Radioactive Man and FOLD associate Voicedrone. The title track is one near and dear to the spirit of Cartulis – an emotive journey through hazy breakbeats, sirens from faraway lands, dramatic narratives battling through each other in a nine minute long piece of music. The rest of the record swings from club-ready techno grooves to various shades of electro – dark and dubby or bright and punchy.
Eternally Frozen consists of a series of canon based compositions for brass ensemble, percussion and synthesizer by Andrea Belfi. The canon is an ancient compositional technique in which an initial melody is imitated at a specified time interval by one or more parts, creating illusionary never-ending musical journeys.
The work is inspired by the evocative image of the Deprong Mori, a mythological bat with the alleged ability to fly through solid matter by bending atoms by its natural skill of audio echolocation. The myth suggests that one of these bats had been “eternally frozen” in a wall of solid lead in 1952 by the researcher of the Rockefeller University, Donald R. Griffith. This story is exhibited in a display at the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, an institution renowned for both speculative, fantastical reinforcement of mythology and playful and beguiling distortions of mysterious could-be truths.
Both the canon and the “frozen” Deprong Mori are man-made illusory simulations of eternity. Their attempt is to create mirages, where the insinuation of facts is more meaningful than the reality.
After many years of sonic explorations with percussion, drums, and electronics, Belfi is here projecting himself as a composer through the direction of an astonishing brass ensemble in the realization of these canonic works. There are evident echoes of the works of Arthur Russell, Miles Davis, Moondog, William Basinski, and the Italian soundtrack tradition of Ennio Morricone and Egisto Macchi.
NOW Music is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – and our first to celebrate the ‘90s, NOW – Yearbook 1992; 79 tracks from a brilliant year in Pop! Available as a Special Edition CD housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork, a standard 4CD package, and a Limited edition 3-LP set pressed on green vinyl.
Groundbreaking release from the early 80's produced with rather primitive synthesizers with as result "A Dog in the Night" a track with a thick sound, unusual for its time. Credited as "the sound of the future" in those days and sounding reevant today. The piece produced by Stefano Zito and arranged by Stefano Galante is after 40 years among the favorites of collectors and followers of Italo-Disco, being noted among the songs to be re-edited by Danilo Braca, the New York based Italian Dj known for his creativity! He manages to create wonderful reconstructions, often considered "works of art". Such as the version he remixed and revisited, with the strings played and recorded by Layer Bows, but above all with the additional lyrics written and performed by the superlative SuperJaimie (aka Charlotte Balibar); with her voice she gives a completely different air to this Italo-Disco jewel, now worthy of being brought to the attention of the new generations. Such a gem, made available again on high quality vinyl!
A blistering collection of ska tunes from Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd's legendary Studio One Records, Jamaica's foundation label of reggae music. Featuring classic cuts from the originators of Ska - The Skatalites, The Wailers, Lee Perry - alongside a heavy dose of superb rarities from the might vaults of 13 Brentford Road - pure Ska Fever !
Soul Jazz Records new Studio One Ska Fever returns back to the early 1960s when Ska was the soundtrack to Jamaica's Independence and Sir Coxsone ruled the land and The Skatalites and Studio One were creating history on a daily basis with an endless stream of blistering, scorching classic tunes.
This album includes an incredible line-up of only the finest artists in reggae music, including Roland Alphonso, The Gaylads, The Ethiopians, Don Drummond, Jackie Opel and many more. An all-star cast from Studio One, as Chris Blackwell famously noted, the 'University of Reggae'.
The accompanying booklet contains extensive sleeve-notes from Studio One historian Rob Chapman (author of Never Grow Old and Downbeat Special), with information on musicians, tracks, label scans and more. Soul Jazz Records' Studio One Ska Fever is released in
CD- jewel case, 24-page booklet with card slipcase, as well as a heavyweight double-vinyl edition in deluxe strong gatefold sleeve (with full sleeve notes).
Acclaimed Stirling-based group Constant Follower, led by Stephen McAll, and renowned folk guitarist Scott William Urquhart have today announced their forthcoming collaborative album, ‘Even Days Dissolve’, which will be released on 14 April 2023.
The album follows on from Constant Follower’s lauded debut long-player ‘Neither Is, Nor Ever Was’, which was released in 2021 and nominated for the 2022 Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award.
‘Even Days Dissolve’ is an enchanting, deeply absorbing, and meditative album, the product of a musical affinity between two thoughtful and uniquely talented Scottish songwriters and musicians.
The songs that make up ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’ were inspired by ‘the grand old man of Scottish poetry’, Norman MacCaig (1910-1996), whose work is characterised by its gentle humour, precise observation and love for the natural world, which forms another key theme for the album.
MacCaig’s poetry holds great significance to McAll, as it formed a major source of comfort and support to him during a long period of recovery following a violent and unprovoked attack that left him with catastrophic head injuries, partially paralysed and unable to write or play guitar.
‘Even Days Dissolve’ is McAll’s nod of respect to McCaig, and the great man’s unmistakable words and inimitable voice feature on two of the tracks - single ‘Wildlife Cameraman’, and ‘Comes A Silence (Basking Shark)’ – sensitively set over the backdrop of beautiful and exquisitely crafted songs.
Scott William Urquhart’s masterful acoustic guitar playing is a stunning centrepiece of the album, imbuing the songs with a moving sense of atmosphere, and sounding at once both elegant and robust. Urquhart’s unassuming yet compelling vocals also feature throughout ‘Even Days Dissolve’.
Speaking about ‘‘Even Days Dissolve’, Stephen McAll said: “The magic in music for me is all about collaboration. Finding people who inspire me to make better music, then working with them and creating something between us that’s better than what either of us could have made alone. It’s been an honour to work so closely with Scott William Urquhart on this album. He’s someone whom I’ve admired for some time - unquestionably up there with the best acoustic guitarists at the moment in Scotland, and such a beautiful writer of songs.
“Bringing two of these songs together with the voice of our beloved Norman MacCaig has been a real highlight of this project. His poetry was introduced to me by my high school teacher Mrs Tatarkowski, and it was the first prose I was able to read and understand when I was recovering from a traumatic head injury. So his work holds a deep space in my heart. I don’t think any poet or songwriter has matched his ability to capture the space and wonder of the natural beauty of Scotland.”
Pluto’s Plan is back with another carefully selected four-tracker EP, featuring Man/ipulate, Marcos Coya, Existencia Pasajera & Mati F, and Lorenzo Slider. Hard-hitting grooves and pure nostalgia guaranteed.
Showcasing his renowned nu-disco stylings and the evolution of his musical outputs from club delights to international hits, today Purple Disco Machine, the moniker of German disco house producer Tino Piontek, shares his stellar new single ‘Hypnotized’, marking the next era for the critically acclaimed project.
With an artist name that pays homage to 80’s funk hero Prince and the uplifting dance beat of Gloria Estefan’s ‘Miami Sound Machine’, Purple Disco Machine was destined to bring together the elements of synth pop, funk, Italo Disco. With over 250 million streams across his works to date, and a recent run of A list remixes for Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson, Robert Surace, Foals and Sir Elton John, Purple Disco Machine impresses once again, creating a modern and sophisticated take on the decade that has inspired him so greatly. Further announcing his sophomore LP for release in the next year, 2020 will see Purple Disco Machine deliver his most outstanding work to date.
Enlisting the help of indie British newcomers Sophie and the Giants on the single, Purple Disco Machine, adds their alluring vocals to the instantly engaging melody, and funk fuelled bassline, that has become synonymous with so many of his dance-fuelled hits.
Born under August sun,
in year of the dog,
brings luck for great times,
like a pup in summer.
D.Dan launches his own label, summerpup, as a home for his unique blend of deep, groovy, rolling sounds steeped in psychedelia. The label's playful name and mantra derives from heritage knowledge from his Korean roots passed down by his mother, based on his time of birth.
Having released remixes for the likes of Fatboy Slim, Röyksopp, Moby, Kaskade and PNAU, Sydney-based producer LO’99 serves up a vinyl release with four of his rave-leaning jams that have been doing the business across the globe. The four tracker includes the tension building ‘Echo In The Dark’ that has been getting spins from the likes of Solomun, Dom Dolla and Fisher and the percussive thumper ‘Bumpin’’ supported by Adam Beyer, Gorgon City, Claptone, Anna Lunoe and many more.
Back in 2011 when I was tentatively looking for a second release for my fledging record label Clay Pipe Music, I stumbled upon a mysterious MySpace page by a group called ‘Tyneham House’, the page was decorated with artwork by Rena Gardiner (who was unknown to me at that time) and the music was an otherworldly mix of field recordings, Mellotron and acoustic guitar. It turned out that Tyneham was promised to Glen Johnson’s Second Language label, so I offered to do the artwork, and in January 2012 the two labels co-released it on tape and CD in a cardboard box with a handmade booklet of my illustrations.
In 2016 Clay Pipe reissued it on 10” vinyl, in an edition of just 300, which has since become sort after. The new 2023 pressing is on blue and transparent marbled vinyl, with a reverse board cover and inner sleeve, and the booklet of illustrations has been given a complete redesign. Frances Castle 2023
The pastoral, wistful yet ineffably disquieting music of Tyneham House is made by artists who wish to remain anonymous here, save for their eponymous title. The musicians are happy, however, to let it be known that these recordings have been around for some years (many of them complied from old cassettes) and that they take inspiration from the 1960s/’70s/’80s work of the Children’s Film Foundation – a body who really ought to have made a film about this mysterious West Country curio. At least now we have its endlessly poignant soundtrack.
The small village of Tyneham, on the beautiful Isle of Purbeck, in Dorset, was once a thriving little community – that is until the British Government requisitioned it for training manoeuvres and other ‘strategic purposes’ in the run up to WWII. This was supposed to be a temporary measure, but the area remained in military possession long after hostilities had ceased, causing distress among former inhabitants, many of whom were farmed out to prefabs in nearby Wareham and Swanage.
Tyneham was characterised by its red telephone box, a tiny parade of shops – Post Office Row – and a grand country pile which stood about half a mile away from the village: Tyneham House. The army removed the building’s oak panelling and ornate decorative details and promptly set about using it for target practice. So great was the shame expressed locally about the damage inflicted upon one of Dorset’s grandest houses that the powers that be decided to grow a copse around the remains of the structure to give the impression that it was no longer there. Despite this, a substantial part of the structure remains intact, including its Saxon hall.
Land access around Tyneham was opened up in the 1970s, but admission to the house remains strictly verboten. Those who’ve been found around the premises, especially anyone wielding a camera, have felt the full weight of military trespass law. Tyneham today is regarded as a nature reserve by some – as a national embarrassment by others. It’s still a political hot potato, in Dorset at least.
Freestyle Records presents Albert "Alchemist" Thompson's Promise Land, an EP featuring vocals from reggae & dancehall greats Frankie Paul, Joseph Cotton, Prince Malachi & Anthony John, representing a musical collection that has gradually evolved, matured & marinated over the course of the past 32 years - now finally seeing it's first ever release.
Albert Thompson (brother to the great Peter Chemist) was chief engineer at the storied I&I Sound Recording Studio after it moved it's base from Los Angeles to Jamaica in 1989, working with a wide range of heavyweight artists such as Dennis Brown, Bunny Wailer, Mighty Diamonds, Gregory Isaacs & many many more. During some studio downtime in early 1991, Albert laid down the rhythm track (itself a take on Aswad's Love Fire riddim, made most famous by Dennis Brown's iconic Promised land vocal track) with musical assistance from Tony Thomas.
16 years and a move to London later, Albert had founded his Alchemist Recording Studio on Brixton's Acre Lane in a space above the legendary Supertone Records - recording dubplates with talented local artists and touring Jamaican artists alike. Digging out the Promise Land tape, he proceeded to cut these 4 vocals on the version during the course of 2007. Another 16 years gone, and after hearing the tracks following a chance encounter with Albert in South East London, we felt they were finally ready to see release!
"We entered the shadowy mouth of a new space, descending into a realm that precedes the underworld, the arcane, far from our time. We met beasts that gave us lessons about their language which we started learning without grammar."
'The animal world is a constant in the work of Milan improvisational duo Rosso Polare. If Cani Lenti was guided by the diaphanous birdsong integrated into their sparkling mix of folklore, ambiences and occasional humming, on Bocca D’ombra the themes go darker, textures are harder to pin down and the animal presence takes on new connotations.
Instead of an anonymous, patchworked outdoors we enter a cavernous space that invokes the collective unconscious with bestial and funereal undertones, as the animals take on the role of the psychopomps, ancient guides through the shadow realm.
The album is influenced by Timothy Morton’s Dark Ecology, a thinker who sees the constant exchange between the human and natural world as an ongoing dialogue, the two influencing each other, in a series of reverberating loops. This looping is also reflected in their compositions, where improvisations with traditional instruments like electric and acoustic guitars, monophonic synths, horns or flutes meet natural noise-making tools like branches, rocks or nuts that amount to lugubrious, often dissonant textures. Bocca D’ombra is built on a series of whispers, breaths, panting and rustling, creating a feeling of closeness sometimes verging on the claustrophobic, ingeniously set against sounds evoking space – fireworks crackling, crows echoing, church bells reverberating, indistinct cries from a children’s playground.
Distance and repetition are deeply ingrained in their own understanding of sound and their surroundings, becoming the building blocks of their practice. Just like Gregory Bateson in the ‘70s, the duo believes in a more romantic approach to ecology, seeking a porous border between self and environment, human and animal, internal monologue and external ambient hum.
If earlier releases were noisier and denser, Bocca D’ombra is tight and focused - every sound and melody is given room to breathe and develop on its own, enhancing the haunting, otherworldly aspect of the music. The result is heady, intoxicating mix which sublimates chaos into sparkling compositions of contemporary animism.'
Sampled by Jay-Z and Dr Dre, Italian band Calibro 35 announces the release of the new album NOUVELLES AVENTURES. The album will be available abroad on limited edition Crystal Clear vinyl next June 30th via Record Kicks.
Italian cult cinematic combo Calibro 35 are back with their new studio album NOUVELLES AVENTURES. The new album will be available abroad on a limited edition Crystal Clear Gatefold LP on June 30th, distributed worldwide via Record Kicks. The crystal clear vinyl edition is a Record Kicks exclusive and is limited to 1000 copies, which makes it an instant collector's item.
After last year's Scacco Al Maestro, the 2 tribute-albums dedicated to "il maestro" Ennio Morricone, followed by the "Calibro 35 plays Morricone" tour and the releasing of the ost of TV drama series Blanca, Calibro 35 are back with NOUVELLES AVENTURES, a new studio album of original material. NOUVELLES AVENTURES was recorded in Naples at Auditorium Novecento, the former Phonotype Records, one of the most legendary and fascinating Italian recording studios. The new LP sees the group making full use of their knowledge and resources, refined and enriched over the years, back to making "Calibro's music": a unique mix of funk, progressive rock, alternative jazz and wide-spectrum cinematic music the public has known them for in fifteen years of career.
"After a couple of intense and stimulating years playing Morricone and writing music for the TV drama Blanca", Calibro 35 said, "we had a great desire to make new inspired music. To do so, we left home and we shut ourselves up in the splendid space-time capsule that is the Auditorium Novecento studio. The result is a series of musical voyages in which we concentrated all our artistic and human experiences. As in Verne's imaginary and extraordinary journeys, we explored distant places where we had never been before. We then happened to return to more familiar shores and discover them with new eyes without realizing it. We borrowed the title NOUVELLES AVENTURES from György Ligeti, precisely because after fifteen years of building ourselves, we are ready for new adventures".
NOUVELLES AVENTURES was anticipated by the first extract "EXTRAORDINAIRE", an almost 6-minute song that once again confirms the band's aptitude for the exploration of unpredictable sound territories: a music that, on one hand sounds liquid and abstract, while on the other, it cuts through the psychedelic mists, with a complex architecture.
Described by Rolling Stone as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing that has happened to Italy in the past few years", Milan-based Calibro 35 enjoy a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent bands around. Active since 2007, during their long career they were sampled by Dr. Dre on Compton ("One Shot One Kill" feat. Snoop Dogg), Jay Z ("Picasso Baby"), The Child of Lov & Damon Albarn ("One Day") and Demigodz ("The Summer Of Sam"). They played major venues and festivals all over Europe and as unique musicians they collaborated with, amongst others: PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish, Stewart Copeland and Rokia Traoré.
Janaka Stucky is a poet, performer, and author of two poetry collections published by Third Man Books & Records. Janaka’s poems are at once incantatory, mystic, and epigrammatic.
His esoteric & occult influences, combined with a mesmeric approach to performance, create an almost ecstatic presence on stage. Of his live shows, VICE writes, “Janaka Stucky performs poetry readings like he's part fire-and-brimstone preacher, part doom-metal frontman … For him, lighting incense, dropping acid, and creating some of the most ecstatic lines of verse you’ve ever read is just another day at the office.”
Praised by Jimmy Page as “riveting,” Janaka Stucky’s book length poem, Ascend Ascend, published by Jack White’s Third Man Books in 2019, gets a mesmerizing treatment on this album by the same name, accompanied by experimental cellist Lori Goldston. Goldston, known for her work with a number of acts—including Nirvana, Cat Power, and Earth—provides otherworldly layers of distortion and natural reverb over Stucky’s dirge-like vocal performance.
Recorded at the All Pilgrims Church in Seattle while Stucky was on a 7-city tour produced by Atlas Obscura in 2019, the performance is served well by the room’s ambiance and was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mell Dettmer—who has engineered albums for acts such as Earth, Sunn O))), Master Musicians of Bukkake, and Wolves in the Throne Room.
8 years almost to the day after releasing his unique re-interpretation album of his field recordings made in the late 90's in Tanzania, Kink Gong is back with another volume of bushmen madness. Here’s what Kink Gong aka Laurent Jean-neau has to say about his end of millennium trip:
‘’My experience in Tanzania is now over 20 years and most of the so called remix was started in Tanzania and left un-finished, then eventually retouched in Vienna, Paris, Shanghai, Kunming, Dali or Vientiane. 20 years later I searched my Tanzanian files and rediscovered unfinished tracks which are being now refreshed on this new record.
Back to the early days of the XXI century, when I lost my health trying to survive with the HADZAs, the last bushmen in northern Tanzania. In 1999 James Stephenson from NYC invited me to join his Hadzas friends. I would leave the bush to rest in a place with enough food and electricity and start to edit, loop and work on the original recordings, to trans-form them into organic abstract compositions, the only instrument I had recorded a lot with the Hadzas was the malimba and I bought different malimbas in Arusha to take back with me to Europe, I used either the original record-ings or me playing malimbas on some tracks and applied some electronic treatment to it, at that time I used Roland synths for some tracks.
The original recordings are related to scenes at night by the fire with the Hadzas, but also 3 different types of celebra-tions, Epeme Men was recorded on a moonless night with men and women singing and dancing in complete dark-ness in Mangola, an Hadza camp. Irawk Drum Under the Rain was recorded during daytime at a Multi ethnic gathering at the Franciscan Spanish catholic mission with a crowd dancing and singing under heavy rain while an IRAWK large (and wet) drum was being played, Northern Tanzania. Makonde Island was recorded in southern Tanzania at the boarder with Mozambique and is a pure scene of trance taking place on an island where the MAKONDE fishermen off the coast of Mtwara, get wild, hitting plastic containers for the sound, drunk and stoned men and women are hysterical-ly jumping and falling on each other, ending up with a few wounded.
Once again I'm responsible for this act of multicultural sabotage, but don’t forget that you can always listen to the origi-nal recordings on the Kink Gong recs collection. ‘’
Laurent Jeanneau, Berlin 2023
The Blood of Heroes is a amalgamation of artists re-envisioning worlds first created in the Rutger Hauer film by the same name. In “Nine Cities”, the trilogy is completed. The first self-titled album depicted the PRESENT post-apocalypse as depicted in the film. The second album,The Waking Nightmare, showed the world during the actual apocalypse in the PAST that led to the times in the film. This third album is the FUTURE – further past even post-apocalypse – “Nine Cities buried deep underground” – what had survived, and how did these cities evolve beyond the world-ending criteria of their creation and burial? Past the film inspired storyline, we have for the first time in many years, 2 members of the original Napalm Death collaborating with each other: guitarist Justin K. Broadrick is joined by Scorn beat master Mick Harris. With Submeged on bass, and Enduser on keyboards, the frame is set. Joined by all the artists depicted below, including returning vocalist Dr. Israel, and Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell, this cast is full of surprising interactions, all masterfully mixed by Dadub’s Daniele Antezza. Original artwork is an extended booklet by Khomatech; these Nine Cities are a world of their own, illustrated by one of the masters of fantasial art.
Join us as we explore the electrifying second release from Amsterdam's Locked-In label. Noiro and Riku Sugimoto combine their talents in the vibrant EP titled "L8 M8," taking us on a thrilling journey through the realms of house and techno. The EP opens with Noiro's captivating track "Viens Dormir," instantly igniting a dancefloor reverie with its infectious grooves. On the A2 Riku delves deeper underground with "City Sleep," intertwining trippy vocal samples with punchy drums and pulsating bass tones. On the flip we have "Semicircular," where Riku creates a mesmerizing soundscape with evolving recurring motifs. Finally, Noiro concludes the EP with the sonic gem "Hey Man," embodying the spirit of the dancefloor and setting the stage for a night of pure bliss.
Over three years after the release of his latest record, Belgian singer-songwriter Bram Vanparys finally returns with breathtaking new music. His songwriting has often drawn comparisons to the music of Bob Dylan and Neil Young, but the new record 'Silent Days' reveals that Vanparys has been on a journey into new musical territory.
After 'Wild Flowers' (2015), which he recorded in Los Angeles with Ray LaMontagne's former live band, Bram Vanparys kept his guitars locked away in their cases for months. Too many questions had been bothering him and soon he found himself struggling with his musical direction and his artistic integrity. Partly so because he felt that his almost archaic approach on songwriting was pushing him down a dead end street and partly because his interest in rich and complex arrangements started to grow stronger. In 2016 he bought an old trailer and went living in the countryside to work on his new sound. A harsh winter and a tragic breakup with his wife set the mood for a new set of songs and soon Vanparys started recording again.
'Silent Days' comprises both classic songwriting reminiscent of the old masters such as Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan and on the other hand dark, complex arrangements that refer to late Talk Talk and even Radiohead. Guitars were played with kitchen knives and the heavily manipulated acoustic sounds reveal that Vanparys might have been listening to Kurt Vile. Bram's lyrics are deeply honest, touching, but never sentimental and his once so angelic voice now sounds hoarse and mature.
The Bony King of Nowhere is the pseudonym of Belgian singer-songwriter Bram Vanparys. He released his debut album 'Alas my love' to critical acclaim in 2009, which was followed by his second and most celebrated album 'Eleonore' in 2011. In the aftermath of 'Eleonore' he was asked to write the film score for the movie 'Les Géants', for which he was awarded by Les Magritte du Cinéma for best original soundtrack.
INTOXTC is the first EP under Ash Luk's post Minimal Violence alias,Infinity Division. Like a phoenix rising, he continues his ascent through amelodic dystopia simultaneously channeling nostalgia and violence. No stranger to Never Sleep after our //ZOO release and playing live shows for the club night for many years. 'Visions' has ID howling over eerie pop lubed melodies, jungle breaks which all come together to form a new age in crossover music. Sounding like nobody else and completely blows the doors off the"Hyperpop" stigma associated with this kind of bravery. 'Thirteen' shows the club some trance fever dreams whilst 'Something Dreamy' breaks the whole fourth wall in its unashamed hands in the arrangement and palette. Leading the charge is 'T-INT' - a HUGE orchestral noise rhythmic workout and shows the sheer volume that this producer can materialise. Leftfield break up a mosh pit in NYC's CBGB and find Ian Curtis still dancing.
We are happy to announce that Ruf Dug, the Mancunian record producer, radio host, and self-professed video game freak is the latest artist to climb aboard the Pinchy train.
Well known for his kaleidoscopic approach both in the DJ booth and in the studio, Ruf Dug has touched on genres as diverse as street soul, vaporwave, and acid house over the years. He has released material on labels such as Rhythm Section, Klasse Wrecks, and his own Moodymann approved Ruf Kutz.
For his Pinchy & friends’ debut (there's a 6-song EP in the works as well) the NTS radio host distils some of these aforementioned influences and presents a two-track 12" that explores dub techno, Chicago acid, and atmospheric balearica.
Built around a solid, techy thud, "Thru The Night!" rides seismic bass waves and reverb-laden stabs to more tropical climes, thanks to gusts of echoed flutes and a catchy, 8-bit vocal hook.
On the flip, "I Love You" takes a minor-key synth riff and sends it off to music school for some late-night nasty dance floor bliss.
After 3 LP (MEUH! à la petite cuiller and VU A LA TÉLÉ), INTERIM comes back with TRASH, a 4th beautiful blue vinyl LP with electro pop and dub dancing sounds. Electronics and weirdness of all kinds are once again the signature of the duo.
Agnès Rougier (bass, melodica, electronics, lyrics) and Michel Bazieu (electronics, lyrics) hijack words to play with reality and have fun making the machines sing. Lizard men and climate change (Lizard Man), the French state and chlordecone (CLD Banana Dub), the Trump’s space force (Space force Dub), the Chinese social tyranny (Social Control) or Facebook (Up Sugar Mountain): the 9 tracks of TRASH humorously describe the social and political tragedies and excesses of today’s world.
Recorded and mixed by INTERIM. Mastering by Pete Maher. On the cover, an original drawing by Arthur Junier. TRASH is produced by the label MEUH! Productions.
Bingo Club demands no rules for entry. Everyone knows your name. The hours are endless and the dress code remains
unspoken.
Martin Rousselot opened the doors to the Bingo Club at the dawn of the 2020's. Joined by Neysa Barnett, Vassili
Yatchinovsky, Marie-Paule Bargès and Emile Larroche, Bingo Club puts down its signature sound-stamp and juggles with
styles of different kinds; if five songs throb to the clank-clank of New York trains, five more drift lazily like Marseille's sailspotted waves.
Group signifiers and visual tropes are reduced to a molten wash of melodies and images that, whether heard or seen, unite
kindred spirits.
Whether as a duo or as a soloist, in English or in French, a warm mix of soothing voices is blanketed by soft rock
instrumentation. The videos are filmed with an analogue camera across the four corners of the globe.
A first EP, "Separated," released in 2020, sees a collaboration with Al Carson (Weyes Blood, Ariel Pink, Jessica Pratt...). In
2021 the single "Someday," featuring Annie Lime & Jonas San, comes out. In 2022, Bingo Club presents its debut album «
Better Lucky Than Beautiful », produced and mixed in Paris at Studio CBE by David Mestre (Sebastien Tellier, Chassol, ...).
The album is a collection of ten songs, written in different times and places, like a musical travel diary or sound-postcards.
Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, also known as Roman Reloaded, is the second studio album by Nicki Minaj. Looking to transition from her debut studio album, Pink Friday (2010), Minaj wanted to make a follow-up record about “just having fun”. Stylistically, the album is divided by a first half of hip hop tracks and a second half of dance-pop songs.
Internationally, the album peaked at number one in Canada and the United Kingdom, and reached the top five in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand.
The album was promoted with six singles. Its lead single “Starships” peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up singles “Right by My Side” and “Beez in the Trap” experienced moderate success on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs component chart. “Pound the Alarm” and “Va Va Voom” peaked at numbers fifteen and twenty-two on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively. “Automatic” was released as single only in French. The album was additionally promoted through the Pink Friday Tour and the Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour, which visited North America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania throughout May and December 2012.
**Debut album from former 'Eighties Matchbox B Line Disaster' front man Guy McKnight's new band.** **ORANGE MARBLE COLOURED VINYL - VERY LIMITED!!** The DSM IV’s debut album, “NEW AGE PARANOIA,” is an impressive collection of stories, beats, guitars, and noise. The album seamlessly weaves together sobering but dream-filled songs that explore the ways in which our collective minds are influenced by mass media, entertainment industries, and social media. Formed by Guy McKnight of critically acclaimed and cult favourite The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. The DSM IV has a dark sound that blends noise-rock, synth-pop and industrial, that delivers a unique musical experience. Their music is cacophonous and epic, featuring rich textures and melodic hooks that keep listeners captivated. The band’s powerful soundscapes, combined with their thought-provoking lyrics, create a mesmerizing atmosphere that both entertains and encourages introspection. The album prompts important questions about our society, such as what’s driving the normalization of a narcissistic culture that prioritizes personal desires over altruism. It delves into the ways in which technology, social media, and mass media shape our collective psyche and affect our relationships with ourselves and each other. The DSM IV’s music offers a timely and compelling commentary on these issues. The DSM IV is a band that creates music with a powerful message that resonates with people who feel that a kinder world is possible. Their songs are both nasty and nice, reflective and entertaining. With “NEW AGE PARANOIA,” The DSM IV has crafted an album that will captivate and inspire listeners, while also prompting deeper reflection on our society’s values and priorities.
Erstes Soloalbum des Queenryche Sängers Todd La Torre. Die durch die Pandemie verschobene Queenryche Tour bot Todd La Torre die Gelegenheit,das lang geplante Soloalbum zu verwirklichen. Todd tat sich mit seinem langjährigen Freund Craig Blackwell zusammen. Wie bei Queensrÿche's The Verdict spielte La Torre Schlagzeug und übernahm die Vocals, Blackwell spielte Gitarre, Bass und Keyboards. La Torre und Blackwell produzierten das Album selbst, zogen jedoch Queensrÿche- Produzent Zeuss hinzu. Gastauftritte von Jordan Ziff (Age Of Evil, Metalhead, Ratt) und Al Nunn. Insgesamt zeigt sich der Solo-Output vielseitig, ohne die progressive Basis von Queensryche zu vernachlässigen. Die Grundlagen sind allerdings mehr im klassischen Metal verortet und werden mit verschiedenen Einflüssen kombiniert. . Der Opener "Dogmata" oder "Vanguards Of The Dawn Wall" kommen mit mächtig Speed um die Ecke und mixen Heavy mit Speed und Thrash. "Pretender" erhält einen leichten epischen Touch und La Torre bewegt sich stimmlich in überraschende Höhen. Metallisch klassisch wird es mit "Hellbound And Down", dem starken "Vexed" und "Rejoice In The Suffering". Der progressive Part kommt bei "Darkened Majesty", "Apology" oder "Critical Cynic" zum Tragen. Die Balladenfreunde hören in "Crossroad To Insanity" rein.Zum Schluss gibt es mächtig dunkle Töne zu entdecken - "One By One . Craig Blackwells Gitarrenspiel setzt den Gesang von La Torre musikalisch perfekt in Szene. Todd findet sogar Vocals, die noch nie zuvor von ihm gehört wurden, wie auf dem Titeltrack und dem bestechenden "Vanguards of the Dawn Wall" zu hören ist. 2021 nur in den USA veröffentlicht, macht ROAR dieses Juwel nun endlich auch in Europa erhältlich, zusätzlich in 2 luxuriösen Vinyl Versionen. "Rejoice The Sufffering"ist ein herausragendes Opus von einem spät berufenen Sänger, der völlig losgelöst beweist, wie man eine wuchtig-moderne und vitale Metal Scheibe schreibt, arrangiert und produziert Für alle Queensryche Fans und Liebhaber des klassischen Metal.
The third vinyl release from CUE Music invites Jiggy (IT) to deliver three fresh tracks in the form of “Delinquentes EP” alongside Reboot on remix duties. The record delivers a solid dose of tech house and minimal techno, definitely adding even more magic to the imprint’s discography, which includes titles signed by artists like Butane & Riko Forinson, Elchinsoul, Sascha Dive, Aney F., Dubphone, Christian Burkhardt, Sascha Sonido, Bee Lincoln, Danilo Schneider, Nektar Agu, Triad, CL-ljud and, of course, label head Sven Jaeger, among many others.
Jiggy (IT) started mixing in 2008, exploring various genres and slowly creating his own style. For 8 years he lived in Ibiza, going from playing at small clubs and underground villas parties to memorable performances at Space, Privilege, Sankeys and Bora Bora while hosting weekly shows at Ibiza Global Radio. Throughout time, he released some of his works with labels like Innocent Music, Psicodelica, Variety Music, Ole Rec, Eisenwaren, Moan, Play Groove Recordings, Basswalk, Pild, Quanticman, Natural Rhythm, Konzept:Musique and his own Be Water Recordings which is more than just a label, it’s also a deeply spiritual lifestyle for him.
A moment in time. A casual afterhours jam with friends. Out of which something special comes together.
The story behind Hudd Traxx label head Eddie Leader’s new single is one that begins with a rescue mission. Driving from his base in Manchester to London, to collect a stranded Chez Damier, due to a cancelled flight, and deliver him to his gig in Manchester that same night. Old friends, on a mission and putting the world to rights on their way.
Post gig, deep in merriment, and having given way to the lure of the machines, both Eddie, Chez & Tomson spent time jamming in the studio, recording vocals from which came the classic track 'I Am With You'. Until very recently the remaining stems and ideas were locked, but never forgotten, in the Hudd Traxx archives. Late last year Leader dusted them off and set to work on crafting a new single…. Pressure.
Pressure was born from a distinct lack of. A factor that radiates from the speakers as Leader crafts an unhurried and simple groove, built upon a warm bassline and glistening Ivory chords, all garnished by Chez, featuring under his Kids In The Streets alias, with his soulful vocal delivery.
Hudd Traxx present Eddie Leader ft. Kids In The Streets ’Pressure’, complete with Dub, Instrumental and Dubstrumental mixes.
Josh Milan has been recording music professionally for over 30 years.He's played every role from artist to engineer in the studio.This project, Honeysweet, focuses on his production and musicianship.Utilizing only one musician on sax, Josh plays every instrument and sings every note on this project. His songs are packed with soulful dance floor grooves inspired by iconic, soulful groups like Brian Auger, Cymande, Pleasure, Africano, Santana and others.
"I wanted to do music that made me and my family feel good when I was growing up. It's the kind of music that families dance to at gatherings with a record player and no DJ”, says Josh. “Intros, Accents, Breakdowns, Bridges, and endings were all part of the music.” This music will transport Josh's audience to a place of musical freedom. This is music with, seemingly, no rules.
Josh Milan describes each track on the Honeysweet EP “Exodus” in his own words :
"Last Night Changed It All featuring Lawrence Clark on sax is the kind of groove that keeps its dance floor value while holding up the banner of true musicianship. This song was written after hearing a DJ set,where the DJ didn’t seem to be concern about staying within a musical box. He played all sorts of music in one set. I knew then that I’d branch out musically when recording.Rhodes, picked bass guitar, rhythm guitar and drum kit is all that's needed on this one.”
"Exodus the manipulation of major and minor chords in this groove make it complex and interesting. The listener is lead by the organ solo featured here. The song is a mental escape. A mental exodus complete with bongo section.”"Being Free is a message that captures the point of this entire project. Musical freedom and expression is where this project gets its
fuel. Horns, are included on this production. A true expression of soulful music. Being free should be all the time I'm your mind all the time.”
“Cranberries and Cream is my tribute to funk grooves as they were featured on records in 70’s. I’m a fan of that sound and I like to play by own funk grooves when I’m alone. This is one of the tracks on the ep I prefer to rock.”
“And So She Waits has eerie sounding pads in the background. They linger throughout the track. Popping in and out, as though they’re waiting for something. You will hear the change in mood once she is no longer waiting. The groove returns to it’s original state. Only she is no longer waiting, he is.”
“Crazy is me bringing the funk to dirty house music. Complete with house piano in the mix. The chords are unsettling. They are, in fact,Crazy. I though adding a horn arrangement to a house track like this would sound interesting and different.”Honeysweet “Exodus” out at all digital outlets and double pack vinyl set.
As a part of our 5th anniversary special edition, we have Sololust – Too much Days on a Row, originally released in 2020. For many reasons this track was on loop since then, now Rude66, made a new rework on this emotive song.
Kraak & Smaak, eine treibende Kraft der elektronischen Musikszene der letzten zwei Jahrzehnte, Meister des Nu-Disco, Funk und allem, was mit Electronic zu tun hat, feiern 2023 ihr 20-jähriges Bestehen - mit einer handverlesenen Auswahl ihres herausragenden Katalogs auf Jalapeno Records und dem eigenen Label Boogie Angst. Das Doppelabum mit dem schlichten Namen TWENTY bringt 20 Band- und Fanfavoriten und viele der unglaublichen Gäste, mit denen das niederländische Duo im Laufe der Jahre zusammengearbeitet hat: von Lee Fields bis Parcels, Romanthony bis Mayer Hawthorne, Ben Westbeech bis Durand Jones. TWENTY ist von Anfang bis Ende ein abgefahrener Hörgenuss, der nie enttäuscht.
Hatıralar was Anadol's second album, originally composed between Berlin and Istanbul around 2012 and released years later only in digital form on the Istanbul based label Inverted Spectrum. The title Hatıralar ("Memories") turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anadol recalled and revisited the music in 2023, gently editing and mixing the compositions for the newly mastered LP format in which they now see the light of day. Hatıralar represents an early version of the melodic, instrumental synth-pop that Anadol refined on her album Uzun Havalar (2019) before exploring the more free, krautrock-inspired musique concrète of her last album Felicita (2021). Here is the text that accompanied the original 2017 release:
Anadol, named after an old-fashioned Turkish automobile brand, is an instrumental synth-pop project by Gözen Atila, an artist, dj and keyboard player. She records with mini organs manufactured during the 70s and 80s, the built-in rhythms and arpeggios of these machines provide the backbone of her sound, and her melodies are influenced by pop music and soundtracks from France, Italy and Turkey from the same period. The music is awash with allusions to the moods of old Turkish and European cinema, from the erotic to the melodramatic, and with a reminiscence of the sound and spirit of so-called "tavern music" popular in Turkey's urban nightlife in the 1980s, a flexible pop style usually performed by a solo keyboardist-singer. Anadol is a continuation of the tradition of lone synth experimentalists like Bruce Haack and The Space Lady with their childlike curiosity for electronic sounds, and of the keyboardists pushing the boundaries of minimal equipment to entertain middle aged drunk couples in pubs and wedding parties of Istanbul.
Let the celebrations begin, 10 Years of a vision Anané created and called Nulu, her independent label letting the world know about a genre we now know as Afro House, today after many years of dedicated work you'll find it as main stream.
Nulu means 'Nothing Ultimately Leaves Us' and just in time for Winter Music Conference in Miami Nulu presents a special vinyl sampler including 4 tracks representing 'Past, Present & Future' of the labels sound.
Side A includes an elegant and melodic remix of 'Ubatuba (Roots Mix)' by Grammy Award winner Louie Vega & Agev Mungsen feat. Anane, originally produced by Brazilian Soul Crew, where the fusion of Afro House and Soul help to soothe the spirit, followed by the African duo AMRoots aka Filipe Narciso and Fresh Nunas who deliver a fantastic combination of melodies and sounds ready to make dreamers dream with a fresh remix of their original release back in 2009 'Old Times At Barracuda (Cielo Roots 09 Remix)' and was also the first release for Nulu.
Side B includes a superb beat and unmistakable touch of Dj Angelo, bringing you straight to dance floor on a journey you'll wish to never leave and finish this 4 track sampler is the incredible talent of Manoo always setting the contemporary route of Afro House music with his modern style, creativity and authentic sound. The special vinyl sampler will be available exclusively at Winter Music Conference 2019 in Miami, and later for all Nulu followers. Take your time to know the Past, experience the Present and understand the Future of Nulu, a pioneering label of Afro House Music.tti
"Speaker-bangin' before all else" (XLR8R) with "some of the smartest ears in the game" (Chicago Reader), "few can make a room explode like Maga Bo" (Flavorpill). A purveyor of "international sonic weaponry and rhythm knowledge" (Rough Trade), the Rio de Janeiro-based DJ/producer is a veteran pioneer of global bass music, with 20+ years of dedicated experience searching out unheralded music bumping from speaker-boxes in the world's grittiest corners, from Addis Ababa to Zanzibar.
Simultaneously, Amor (É Revolução), the new album from Maga Bo, is statement of hope through change, a call to arms, a lament, a proclamation of resistance, a shout of resilience, an exuberant yell and a deep therapeutic groove all at once. The result of a multi-decade search for rhythmic common denominators with an Afro-Brazilian-centric focus. It joins raw, natural, acoustic timbres and textures with the grit, weight and power of modern electronic production. It is where heavy dub bass pulsations sync with rhythms coaxed from drums heated over an open flame and ancestral voices rise and fall in call and response.
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, Arcoverde and Porto Alegre, the album counts amongst many illustrious talents from the Brazlian music scene, long time collaborators, Russo Passapusso and Roberto Barreto of Baianasystem, the legendary singer, BNegão and São Paulo based, Rosângela Macedo. Grupo Bongar and Samba de Coco Raízes de Arcoverde provide backing percussion and vocals. It also brings newer collaborators, from Recife, the amazing voice of Isaar, the fabulous guitarist, Felipe Cordeiro, as well as long-time friends, ex-Digitaldubs, Jeru Banto and Jota 3, the Mestre of Tambors de Olokun, Alexandre Garnizé, on percussion, fellow nomadic electronic roots explorer, Teleseen and the rock solid percussionist from Salvador, Icaro Sá.
Der Begriff 'Nuit Américaine' (Day for Night) erinnert an François Truffauts legendären 1973er Film und bezeichnet die Technik, Tagesaufnahmen so aussehen zu lassen, als wären sie nachts aufgenommen worden. Diese Stimmung vermittelt auch das gleichnamige Album des französischen Jazztrompeters Robin Mansanti, der zusammen mit einer Rhythmusband, unwiderstehlichem Charme und poetischer Sensibilität zeitlose Jazzklassiker und -Balladen von Glenn Miller über Henry Mancini bis Leonard Bernstein neu interpretiert.
A famous anthem once begged: “Don’t Make Me Wait.” Sometimes, though, it’s good to make ‘em wait—even just a little bit. Case in point: The production duo of Fabrizio Mammarella and Phillip Lauer, known to clubbers, DJs and music heads as Black Spuma.
Three years after their last EP—and nearly a decade into their production existence—the duo have finally given us a full-length manifesto. Sure, there have been a smattering of remixes and EPs over the years on labels like Futureboogie, International Feel and Live At Robert Johnson. But on their new LP “No No No,” the Spumas at last get to stretch out and give us their full-meal-deal.
The pair birthed the tracks at Lauer’s famed Pyramide III studio, with 10 tunes finalised and selected remotely, thanks to the wonders of high-speed Internet. While the Spumas are well-known (both together and as solo acts) for their melodic, 80s-tinged club workouts, the album format has allowed the guys to push their sound into parts unknown. The album drops at the end of May on Permanent Vacation, and it distils all the things we love about the duo: The melody, the playfulness and the musicianship of two veterans in full command of their powers.
Take the tune “Obereggen,” which expands a punchy, staccato bassline into that sweet spot where trance and italo can play next to each other. Or the cut “Fracture,” which is built on a Detroit-like chassis but makes room for gorgeous pads, subby bass and a nimble breakbeat.
For the established fans, there’ll be plenty to latch onto, including the title cut (and first single), which sounds like something Robocop may have produced if he’d taught a violence diversion program.
Meanwhile, cuts like “Dillingen” remind us of one of those lost Eurythmics B-sides that show up in the dark corners of MixesDB. The album was mixed and mastered by Lopazz, and boasts a colourful cover from Berlin-based artist Ilja Karilampi.
So, 17 years after initially meeting, we finally have a full album from these Spuma Men. And in the end, it was worth the wait.
Upcoming album ‘Zwaluwe' to be released in May 2023.
Myrddin De Cauter, the youngest son of multi-instrumentalist musician Koen De Cauter, is a phenomenon in the world of contemporary music. As a teenager, he discovered the richness and originality of the flamenco guitar. To further develop the subtleties in his already masterful playing, he went to Spain to take lessons with some of the masters of flamenco guitar: Gerardo Nuñez, Manolo Sanlucar, …
His technical virtuosity, taste for experimentation and deep lyrical sensibility merge into a unique musical world. It turns out that Myrddin is not just a flamenco guitarist, but an exceptional multifaceted talent.
This talent, passed down through many generations, now expresses itself again in Myrddin's daughter Imre. At only four years old, she received her first cello. In 2018, she made her debut together with her father at the Gent Jazz Festival.
Now five years later, on their debut album Zwaluwe, together they take us on a journey that finds its origin in Myrddin's written compositions. Imre knows and feels the music of her virtuoso father like no other. She complements him in a sensitive, cutting and unctuous way. Making a perfect blend of sharp and soft. The album was recorded in a small chapel in remote Valouse, a village in the Drome region of southern France.
“While Myrddin tells mysterious stories and fairy tales with endless intervals of notes on his guitar, Imre hypnotises your soul with the sound waves of her cello.”
New material from the enegmatic Mr Langestraat. TIP!
"One afternoon a couple of years ago, an excited Ronald Langestraat could barely contain himself. “I’ve started dancing!” he exclaimed. “I never did it before - I’d always admired it in the past, but just wasn’t able to move like that!” But then, at the ripe old age of 81, Ronald was gripped by the urge to respond to the rhythm and express himself in this physical way.
For a man who’s dedicated his life to music, in particular Jazz with a funky Latin inflection, it feels like an especially sage realization - like the treasure at the end of a long quest, or the princess after the end-game boss. The prize is freedom, and the shapes we make on the dance floor are mirrored in that piano solo over the stanzas - a caravan that trips from smokey basement clubs all the way to Shiva’s Tandava on the edge of the universe.
The music on this album is inspired by this revelation. Although these songs were written many moons ago, their interpretation is modern, full of renewed energy, with young, yet well-worn players. While it slots neatly into the daily music practice that Ronald adheres to, it’s a new chapter in a story that is still being written - and an invitation to get in touch with your dancing self and try out some new moves."
CALAMITA = KARKHANA members TONY ELIEH, SHARIF SEHNAOUI and Lebanese drummer MALEK RIZKALLAH join forces with the Egyptian singer AYA METWALLI - the result is the improbable meeting between free jazz / improv, punk rock & Oum Kalthoum!
CALAMITA is the "rock project" of SHARIF SEHNAOUI and TONY ELIEH, two of the most active musicians on the Lebanese experimental scene (among others projects, both are members of the "free Middle Eastern music" collective KARKHANA). SEHNAOUI comes from a jazz and improv music background, ELIEH is primarily a rock musician and founding member of the Lebanese post-punk band THE SCRAMBLED EGGS whose work in the last decade has covered many directions from pop-rock to plain experimental. They are joined by Lebanese drummer MALEK RIZKALLAH (WHO KILLED BRUCE LEE, ex THE SCRAMBLED EGGS). As trio they develop instrumental pieces that draw their inspiration from artists as diverse as Tony Conrad, Last Exit or Oum Kalthoum.
AYA METWALLI is an Egyptian singer/songwriter, composer and sound artist currently based in Beirut. Grown up in Cairo, her father would play non-stop Oum Kalthoum songs on road trips to the beach and Aya's mother; known to have the most beautiful voice in the family, she always sang at home and at family gatherings, so long before Aya was able to form her own music taste, immense amounts of Arabic classic songs and melodies already settled in her subconsciousness …
After her first EP "Beitak" in 2016, Metwalli (named "a musical enigma" by The Guardian) started to integrate more experimental and eerie sonic excursions into her avant-pop, so the collaboration with CALAMITA feels like a natural or logic step.
The roots for "Al Saher" ("stay awake") were laid when SEHNAOUI and METWALLI first worked together in "Night", a dance piece by ALI CHAHROUR which included a wide collection of Arabic songs and ancient poems, later Sehnaoui invited her to work with CALAMITA. The four met in a recording studio in Beirut, using songs by "The Voice of Egypt" Oum Kalthoum as starting point.Together they aim to fully revisit the song format and explore the possibilities of classical Tarab songs, extracted from their origins and reframed within the music of the twenty-first century. The result is a mix of various styles and influences that often seek to stretch the contrasts to towering extremes - animprobable blend between free jazz & improv, punk rock & Oum Kalthoum!
Nigeria is known as ‘The Giant of Africa’. It’s the most populated country in Africa with more then 250 ethnic groups and many different languages and dialects that gives to the country a rich diversity. This diversity also affects music which plays an important role in every aspect of social life. We, at DTW’s stable are happy to announce the reissue of “Narg Funk Machine” an explosive nigerian “black beat” disco originally released on Coconut in 1979. If you are looking for something weird here you’ve found it. Basically these four tracks are well represents the tangle of richness of nigerian music in this period, They are a melting pot of styles and sounds , where afrobeat, funk, highlife, juju, and psych rock are mixed all together in a cozy and captivating sound. Ready to bring some warmth and hypnotic sound to the dancefloor around the world.
Powerful downtempo ballad with heavy emotions from Louisiana based guitarist Chris McCaa.
Originally released as a 7” promo oriented record in 1983, the band had hopes of it leading to bigger projects but most of the pressing probably ended up in someone's basement with very few copies available online. 40 years later, “If I Had To Say Goodbye” is back again to bless your ears at the ending sets of special dancefloors.
Featuring a sound that is highly reminiscent Chris Rea's aesthetic, both in terms of vocal and guitar use, yet still breaking new ground in the power ballad department. Now in 12” 45rpm format with an extended edit by Castro on the B-side, remastered at Berlin's finest manmade mastering.
Symphony Orchestra is a new group from Maximilian Turnbull and Michael Rault. Both Rault and Turnbull are accomplished songwriters, performers and producers in their own right, with Turnbull leading The Badge Epoque Ensemble, playing with the group Darlene Shrugg, and once releasing records under the name Slim Twig and Rault having released several psychedelic rock & roll classics under his own name in the past decade. The pair have worked together in various capacities for many years, writing and recording together on U.S. Girls' In A Poem Unlimited, and contributing to each other's releases, but the debut LP from Symphony Orchestra (due out May 12th on Telephone Explosion) marks their first release as an official entity.
Needless to say, there is a potent creative chemistry between Rault and Turnbull and Radiant Music showcases the alchemy between their distinct skill sets. The album is an exercise in pure collaboration. After years spent focusing on solo projects and working as hired guns on other projects, the duo came together with no specific intentions other than to work free of boundaries and direction. Freeing themselves from the familiar pressures of deadlines and expectations, they found a sense of discovery through togetherness. Duties on this project were split between Rault acting primarily as a one-man rhythm section and lead vocalist with Turnbull bringing chord sketches and his trademark aphoristic lyrical musings to the table. Trading off roles on guitar and keys from song to song, the duo's deft approach to melody bleeds through their instrumental parts as much as it does through Rault's vocal melodies. The majority of this album was self-engineered over the course of three sessions in 2018, at Michael's Montreal studio. Dormant during the pandemic, Rault's move to Los Angeles and the birth of Turnbull's twin sons, work reignited in 2022. The latterly tracked instrumental 'Concerto' and ballad 'Unthink The Thinkable' provide a dynamic depth to the album perhaps attributable to this tumultuous pause. Mixing came courtesy of Steve Chahley & Tony Price (U.S. Girls, BÉE, Jane Inc, etc).
In all of their work, Rault and Turnbull have made a hallmark of elaborately precise production and arrangement, Radiant Music is no different, though its pared-back simplicity provides a streamlined directness. The pairing of Rault's soulful, elastic vocal with Turnbull's evocatively cerebral lyrics provides a thrilling sensation unlike anything else in their respective catalogs. With an explosive, groove-forward approach, kaleidoscopic walls of vocal harmony and technicolor displays of guitar work, these 31 minutes of music will most certainly stimulate the mind of any fan of classic pop rock and funk. The blown-out breakbeats, winsome woven vocal melodies and propulsive wah-wah guitars of the title track evoke memories of an after-school cartoon special that never really existed outside of a lysergic daydream. "Harp In The Wind" is a perfect moment of overcast melancholy complete with ribbons of weeping synthesizers and velcro-fuzz guitar that could rip a clean line through Kevlar. "Know Thyself" and the harmony-rich "Intersection" are standout tracks that find a kinship in Stereolab's space-age effervescence. "Concerto" is a slab of beaming, mischievous funk that nods to Billy Preston's extraterrestrial keyboard explorations.
Radiant Music, like the best pop music, is life-affirming, confectionary, and enticing. Symphony Orchestra have created an album that hits you right where you need it, anchoring heady, adventurous sonic ideas down to a solid foundation of masterful songcraft, virtuosic instrumental performances and undeniable groove. Not a bar, nor beat is wasted.
Altered Circuits dives deeper in the world of playful and versatile club music with roots in the early 90's! There's an obvious parallel between Ildec's DJ performances and his own music.
Part of a scene with a focus on extended, broad-minded sets, the Ibiza-based artist lets his yearning to unearth and play obscure gems flood into his production process. The "Ahora Si EP" is testament to this adventurous spirit as it tackles a wide array of tempos, styles and moods.
Opener "El Principio" and closer "Grt Plschr" display Ildec's fondness of hazy, recondite atmospherics. With its sustained ambient chord, delay-washed newsreader samples and manipulated themes, the former sounds like a fever dream radio bulletin.
On the latter, a broody motif meanders alongside loosely played drums, while a buried bass guitar occasionally reveals itself. "El Break Del Dia" furtherly explores some of these elements, but this time with the dance floor front of mind.
Languidly morphing bass sequences and staccato synth salvos build up anticipation. When a slowly emerging, ceaselessly arpeggiating organ lead finally materialises, the track explodes. Natural flow is partly traded for sturdier form on the remainder of the EP. "El Break De La Noche" lets an ever-modulating lead groove alongside rigid, dry drum beats.
Descending tom fills, truncated squeaks and a top layer LFO gone haywire complete this sparse yet exciting cut. "La Nueva Version" has a similarly efficient bassline as its bedrock. An interplay of zaps, risers, transposed percussion, and other dusty cartridge samples pulls it left and right while subtle disorienting hints of speech thicken the mix.
On "Modificacion", Ildec moulds his take on progressive and tech house into its toughest shape. A druggy, bleepy lead twirls in and out of the track, carried by the road-tested combo of a taut drum pattern and a piercing backbeat bass. Ominous chords and equally menacing vocals mark its aim: to create tension in the club. It is a standout on a diverse, daring EP we are delighted to present as the fifth release on our label.
