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ZentaSkai unveils stunning, high-concept house album on Mask Records.


ZentaSkai undertook a period of research into the underlying structure and organisation of the human brain before writing ‘The Architecture Of The Mind’. The Berlin-based artist then took what had been learned and kept it in mind when writing the music that marks Mask's first album release. It comes with extensive background notes on each track, and an operational manual of sorts - notes from the artists as to the effects each piece will have on those who hear them.
"The message conveyed by this album is that life itself is filled with music, but our egos often prevent us from being in harmony with this symphony. Inner chaos and silence can be challenging to bear, leading us to seek solace in external noise. We have constructed a barrier between our inner and outer worlds, causing us to lose touch with the rhythm of harmony. However, by embracing the illusion of separation and dancing to good music, we can rediscover harmony with ourselves and our environment. To fully experience the essence of the album, it should be played loudly on a proper sound system or high-quality headphones. By immersing themselves in the music, individuals can engage with its transformative power and potentially find a deeper connection with their own minds and surroundings." - ZentaSkai.

The gorgeous 'Mind Mapping' opens up with deep and dubby drums and lush harmonies that soothe you to your core, '030' then has more raw, heavy drums with many layers of glowing synths, glassy melodies and organic found sounds. 'Fügung' keeps the deep and introspective moods coming before the crisp tech of 'Flow Dreaming' ups the ante with more drive and layers of vocal whispers, hi-hats and smeared dub chords.


Elsewhere the likes of 'Quiet Reflection' lean into the groove with swirling pads and one-word vocal sounds drifting through the air over propulsive drum loops, and 'Boiling Range' suspends you in deft synth loops amongst the stars over a prickly house beat.
The superb synth craft and well-designed grooves continue through the dusty deep house of 'Karl-Marx-Allee' and minimal dub of 'Dynamic System' before the elegant melodic techno of 'Apeiron' and dreamy synthscapes of 'Parallel 30' close the album in a reflective fashion.


This is a deeply evocative album with a fully realised concept that is as thought-provoking as it is immersive.

Top Boy is the British television crime drama series, created and written by Ronan Bennett. The story follows two seasoned drug dealers return to the gritty streets of London, but their pursuit of money and power is threatened by a young and ruthless hustler. It stars Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, and the

2020 BAFTA Rising Star Award-winning Michael Ward. The first two seasons aired between 2011 and 2013, but following interest from rapper Drake, Netflix announced in 2017 that it would revive the series. Co-produced by the Hotline Bling-rapper, the third and fourth season of Top Boy launched in 2019 and 2022.

In the captivating Netflix series Top Boy, Brian Eno’s transcendent music serves as a vital companion, molding the narrative’s essence with its ethereal power. With a masterful touch, Eno’s atmospheric compositions effortlessly transport us into the gritty world of crime, friendship, and survival in East London. From delicate ambience to pulsating beats, his sonic tapestry envelops every scene, elevating the storytelling and evoking a range of emotions. Eno’s singular ability to capture the struggle, hope, and inner strength of the characters accentuates the raw authenticity of Top Boy, leaving an indelible mark on its viewers. His haunting melodies and intricately crafted soundscapes symbolize the unyielding resilience amidst chaos, making Brian Eno’s music an integral and unforgettable component of this groundbreaking series.

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’.”

Repress!

Following a pair of double-vinyl gatefold collections featuring label owner Nina Kraviz, Exos, Population One, Deniro and Steve Stoll, 's first single comes from the label's rising star Bjarki. A-side 'I Wanna Go Bang' has long been an in demand record in Kraviz's sets, with the Dance Mania influenced techno cut sitting alongside his contributions to TRP001 & 002 as a calling card for this exciting new talent, while B-side 'Orange Juice Man' taps into Bjarki's more melodic side.

'This is the first 12-inch single on - one banger and one dreamy groover on the other side, that shows the different sounds of Bjarki. He is one of those artists that can make club bangers and also compose music for movies. But no matter what this brilliant Icelander does it always has this sexy groove going on.

'As always we asked Tombo to visualise our trip. The idea was based on one famous phrase from Arthur Russell's famous song 'Go Bang': I wanna see all my friends at once / I'll do anything to get the chance to go bang

'He came up with 2 beautiful whales and some really psychedelic drawings: 'Arthur and intergalactic whales'. Why Arthur Russell Well the connection is all in the name of the DJ Deeon's vocal from the track that Bjarki sampled in this record, originally released on Dance Mania - it says 'Sometimes I feel like I wanna go bang'. This phrase reminded us of Arthur Russell's song.'

Charles D unveils his debut Drumcode EP, following three excellent releases on the label.

Ever since the New Yorker shared his remix of ‘Your Mind’ with Adam Beyer, which would go on to become only the second officially released remixes of the legendary track, we knew we were onto a special talent. A strong single on A-Sides Vol.11 ‘Traction’ was to follow, proceeded by another superb remix, this time of Mike Macaluso’s ‘Final Chapter’, reinforcing his skilled studio touch.

Now a year on from his first appearance on Beyer’s label, he steps up for a richly deserved debut EP, ‘Don’t Stop’, which encapsulates all the stylistic facets of his productions. The title track is fun and driving, brimming with ‘90s rave stabs and peak-time fizz. ‘No Escape’ is a pulsating stomper fusing together percussive techno and melodic elements to form a track that will work in a variety of environments. ‘Choir’s Palace’ is a dreamy tool and perfect for shifting the momentum during a peak-time set.

Italian legend Walter Del Vecchio aka Quiroga pays tribute to the acid house era on Hell Yeah with a new package that comes with two originals, an ambient mix and a remix from cult hero DMX Krew.

Quiroga released his last sublime album Passages on this label and it came as the latest entry into a discography filled with beauty and detail. He is a talented musician from Naples who has his own left-of-centre take on the Mediterranean sounds of the city, as he shows once again here with a house-leaning outing.

Quiroga has teamed up with cult musician Dario Bassolino and called upon Whodamanny's mixing skills for these new tracks. First is 'Once Again', a punchy and chunky house cut with skewed bass spraying about the mix. Its rough analogue edges are lit up by searing acid lines that never quit and will turn any party into a cauldron of intensity. The Ambient Version is a full-flavour downtempo workout that keeps the wild acid lines, adds in some FX, old-school piano chords and a yelping female vocal next to a blissful breakdown. 'Once Again' (DMX Krew Remix) is then a bumping acid-electro monster with fat drums and the manic 303 offset by serene chord work to make for a perfectly emotional dance floor delight.

'Freak The Funk' is a second original cut, as rides of crisp snares and snapping drum breaks blend with a warm bassline and smeared cosmic chords up top. It's a classy peak-time house cut with magical pixelated synth melodies.

Alongside superb artwork from PlanetLuke, this is another essential package from Hell Yeah.


DJ Support:

Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Kristian (AME), Fango, Front De Cadeaux, Sinchi Collective, Phat Phil Cooper, Balearic Gabba Sound System

Seriously sought after, classic rare groove 2 stepper from Maxi, ‘Lover To Lover’ gets its first ever official reissue on vinyl with this also being the first 7 inch pressing of this oasis of joy, courtesy of South Street Soul.

Previously only ever available on Maxi’s self-titled 1977 LP, released on Blue Note. With originals of the album selling for over £160+, South Street give these glorious grooves space to breathe with a 7 inch reissue of two choice cuts. Soaring vocals, top drawer production, sumptuous instrumentation, with a string section to melt any heart out there – all arranged to perfection. The sort of track that will sweep you off your feet before you even know what’s hit you. Famously sampled by Tom & Jerry aka 4 Hero for their ridiculously rare Jungle anthem ‘Maximum Style’.

To complete the package, another hand-picked hit from Maxi’s one and only LP with a cover of the Van McCoy penned soulful serenity ‘Walk Softly’.

Amine Edge & DANCE bring their soulful sound to Hot Creations with their uplifting new release ‘It Was’ featuring Pershard Owens backed by a remix from Shermanology. Maintaining a constant presence at the top of the charts, with an impressive catalogue boasting releases on esteemed labels such as Defected, Nervous Records and their very own CUFF imprint, French duo Amine Edge & DANCE have solidified themselves as frontrunners when it comes to the modern house landscape. Up next, their partnership takes them to Jamie Jones and Lee Foss' Hot Creations imprint for the first time with their latest single 'It Was' featuring Pershard Owens, with brother-sister duo Shermanology on hand on remix duties to bring the heat.

‘It Was’ opens with rich piano chords, led by luscious melodies, Pershard’s tender vocals and bright keys crafting a delightful serving of summer house grooves before Shermanology flips the track shifting the focus onto pulsing drum hits and playful rhythms full of energy, perfectly crafted for open-air dance floors.

What comprises a dream?

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.

Heavenly Recordings release the next two volumes in their series of remixed classics and unreleased versions. ‘Heavenly Remixes 7 & 8’ sees the label going back into the archive, as well as picking off some more recent remixes, and both albums primarily feature either previously unreleased versions or re-workings available for the first time on vinyl and CD.

Heavenly have always seen immense value in the remix, a value way beyond what it might bring commercially. Since their first release in 1990 (where Andrew Weatherall overhauled a one-off single by club kids Sly and Lovechild) Heavenly remixes have been carefully curated and treated as a key part of the A&R process. It’s an opportunity to view an artist through a different prism, to play out a musical ‘what if’ scenario. It’s the kind of exploration that’s happened consistently through the thirty plus years the label has released music.



The ‘Heavenly remixes’ series continues to showcase the very best remixes, versions, meditations, re-rubs and dubs from all around the world of artists right across the roster of the country’s most exciting record label. In most cases, the albums offer the first physical release for a remix, elevating them from streaming playlists to their rightful, spiritual home on super heavy vinyl (or shiny, super-packed compact disc).



‘Heavenly remixes 7’ heads to Belfast, where David Holmes - a producer who first appeared on Heavenly in 1994 amping up the acid on Saint Etienne’s ‘Like A Motorway’ - appears as solo artist and as one third of Unloved, who get a lift right to the heart of a Vauxhall sweatbox by Horse Meat Disco. It draws a line between Amsterdam and Frankfurt as Ludwig A.F. amps up the electronics on Pip Blom’s ‘Keep It Together’. It stops off in a south London studio where super producer Dan Carey plays the desk with Toy, then relocates LA psych rock band Fever The Ghost to an Ibizan shoreline as the sun sets on the horizon. It cements Sheffield’s reputation as the home of modern British techno with the return of true originators Forgemasters. And it pitches up in front of a renegade soundsystem late night at Glastonbury as Erol Alkan’s mighty rework of Con Man gets its third rewind of the night.



‘Heavenly remixes 8’ opens with Space Afrika’s lush, ambient reimagining of the Orielles’ ‘BEAM/S’ before Justin Robertson stretches Amber Arcades’ ‘Turning Light’ into eight minutes of electronic dub. Elsewhere, Baxter Dury’s peerless ‘Miami’ becomes a string-laden electro skank in the hands of French producer Pilooski; Edinburgh’s bedroom techno genius Eyes of Others’ ‘Safehouse’ turns into an East End bathhouse courtesy of disco deviants Decius; Ashley Beedle’s Black Science Orchestra turns Unloved’s heartworn torch song into seven minutes of glimmering dreamlike percussive house and Katy J. Pearson’s freak flag is flown high thanks to The Umlauts’ throbbing filtered electro mix. It ends similarly to how it began as TONE takes

Fran Lobo’s ‘All I Want’ on a gorgeous slow motion spacewalk.

Ouyayebu is back with the next release - "Ouyayebu Samazama I" - and it opens another extend in the label chapter. If someone asks how to explain the release in a few words, the answer would be “Weird as this World now”

Side A occupied by dOP together with LogdaM (Mad Dim and Kirill Golikov) in minimalistic collaboration which completely changes the picture after the first half.

Side B starts with the deep multi-dimensional collab track by Cesare VS Disorder together with Anushka and continues with the strong message from Weg and Francesco Carone focused on the music itself.

London Records and Central Station Records join forces for a spectacular array of new music releases. As the first offering, David Penn takes on the Sex-O-Sonique classic from 1997, which samples the Herbie Hancock anthem 'I Thought It Was You'. David Penn, a master of his craft, has earned critical acclaim for his innovative approach to house music and his ability to create infectious grooves that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Full Intention aka Sex-O-Sonique also deliver their own updated version for 2023.

DJ support:

Bob Sinclar, Eliza Rose, Jamie Jones, Oliver Heldens, Mark Knight, Mousse T, Anton Powers, Just Kiddin, Roger Sanchez, Bakermat, Westend, Sgt Slick, Kokiri, Hector Romero, Horse Meat Disco, Kevin McKay, Michael Gray, Superlover, Watermat, Russell Small (Freemasons), Sugarstarr, Dario D'Attis

This new album "Smile Again" a real homecoming for the artist. From pop and sweet melodies, soaring hearts, warm electric guitars, nylons, ukulele and cavaquinho, to the catchy and warm refrains, weaving a little more this solar and soft universe which made the signature of the very first Indie Pop Electro hits of the artist. With this album Broken Back signs his big comeback on the front of the French Indie electro pop scene, in media, radio, and live throughout France.