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A rare treat for Drumcode faithful: A-Sides Vol.10 is set to drop in December, the second edition of the beloved series to come in 2020.

Fuelled by the extra time and space to be creative during lockdown, Drumcode’s collective of artists have stepped up. Across 17 contributions, the producers have gone deeper into their sonic repertoire, crafting powerful, yet reflective works that capture the range of the label’s sound.

Jay Lumen leads the way with a rousing riff-driven weapon, ‘Galactic Rainbow’, while Ramon Tapia brings us the muscular gem ‘Drum Control’, mixing up ruffneck techno with a barrage of synapse-tickling synths in the second half. Both rousing highlights of the compilation.

Victor Ruiz, Drumcode’s most prolific contributor in 2020, dishes up ‘Love Story’, led by a huge vocal lead. Zimmz also returns with ‘Tension’, which deftly combines deep squelchy grooves with a silky synth interlude. Thomas Hoffknecht follows up his debut on Vol.9 with ‘Escape’, keeping listeners on their toes with dynamic, choppy shifts throughout. Veerus joins with another stirring addition ‘I Know’, reinforcing why Beyer rates him so highly.

Elsewhere a string of debutants feature: buzzy newcomer Lilly Palmer gives us ‘Amnesie’, a brilliantly pummelling and eerie cut; Alex Lentini & Stomp Boxx serve up ‘Expanders’ mixing up drone effects, trippy vocals and an unsettling melody line; and Patrik Berg’s ‘Activated’ is full-bodied techno that drops down into funky rhythms.

Long-time DC family member Bart Skils brings his A-game with the thrilling no-nonsense ‘Solid State’ that hits like a steam train. Likewise, Alan Fitzpatrick who brings a momentous slab of techno energy with ‘Rochus’, while Thomas Schumacher, now feeling like a regular on the imprint, crafts another dark techno opus, this time in collaboration with CAITLIN.

There’s even a special appearance by the chief Adam Beyer, who makes a welcome return with the progressive-tinged ‘Changes’, driven by organic tones and spacey atmospherics. The track stands as his first original contribution to A-Sides since 2017.

With „Time Machine EP“ Next Door launches a new motto vinyl record.

Dark, driving, Acid!

On the first track on “Eloi-side” you will find a completely astounded inhabitant of a far future world, who has no answers to the questions of a time-traveler. The second track takes place during a rapid trip - plunging into two worlds.

On the “Morlock-side” machines are working monotonically with the inhabitants in dark caves below the earth’s surface in a far future. Track two is a serious call for a wild dance in a driving ¾ beat.
Have you ever heard anything like it?

The Computer Controlled Minds deliver four remarkable tracks on vinyl. You must experience this!


Mit der Time Machine EP bringt Next Door eine weitere Mottoplatte an den Start.

Dunkel, treibend, Acid !

Auf der Eloi Seite findet Ihr im ersten Track eine völlig verblüffte Bewohnerin einer fernen Zukunft, die auf die Fragen des Zeitreisenden keinerlei Antworten hat. Der zweite Track spielt sich während der rasanten Reise beim Eintauchen zwischen den Welten ab.

Auf der Morlock Seite hingegen arbeiten im ersten Track die Maschinen monoton, in einer fernen Zukunft, unterhalb der Erdoberfläche in dunkeln Höhlen mit ihren Bewohnern. Track zwei dieser Seite ist ein eindringlicher Aufruf zum wilden Tanz im treibenden ¾ Takt!

Habt Ihr so etwas schon mal gehört?

The Computer Controlled Minds bringen hier vier vollkommen krasse Tracks auf Vinyl, das solltet Ihr euch unbedingt geben!

Once again Scottish heavyweights Duellist and iFormat join forces this time for Manchester’s finest, Drøne.

Their track, Rabid is a journey through twisted synth lines, driving
percussion and punishing kick drums. It relentlessly pounds your brain for just under 6 minutes and doesn’t let up. You have been warned.

The remix package is equally as impressive.

Japan’s takes the track in another direction entirely. Reducing everything down to the bare bones, yet creating something destructively complex. Half time kick drums and a wall of building noise await here.

LA’s AXKHAN is up next, cranking up the intensity with his ferocious take on the original. Dark and menacing from the off, AXKHAN at his finest.

Last by certainly not least is rave behemoth D.Carbone. Peak time warehouse techno is where D. Carbone excels, and that’s exactly what he delivers.

Aftertech Records from Netherlands drop their first Vinyl compilation.
Superb Collection for Fans of Melodic House and Techno music.

Lost Souls Of Saturn (Seth Troxler and Phil Moffa) launch their new label ‘Holoverse Research Labs’ as the hub for both LSOS’s audio transmissions and their adventures in media and technology.

The first release HRL 001 presents special interpretations of Lost Souls Of Saturn’s eponymous debut album by the legendary Pépé Bradock. ’Cycloned by Pépe Bradock’ finds Lost Souls of Saturn, in the words of Bradock, “Dreamed, Weighted and Micro-Waved”. This is the album shattered into pieces and brought back together into new forms as the parts and files fall. Deconstruction or reconstruction? It’s unclear. What’s tangible is that the new tracks are very special, with Pépé bringing his unique talents to the control room / operating table.

“Bouillabaisse From Space Remix” is the sound of Pepe singlehandedly launching the French space program to find lost dance floors deep in our own cerebral cortex. “Pacific Limbo Bonus Beat” channels more of the same. This is head music for the dance floor. No amateurs.

Further remixes of tracks from the ‘Lost Souls of Saturn’ album are to follow in March from Mathew Jonson, Freedom Engine and Carl Craig.

Repress

The successful EP "Endless Quest" by Kosh from 2019 is finally back in stock. He has previously released some highly acclaimed music on his home label Casa Voyager as well as on Mechatronica delivers a versatile and funky techno/electro EP with breakbeat and acid influences.

A rare treat for Drumcode faithful: A-Sides Vol.10 is set to drop in December, the second edition of the beloved series to come in 2020.

Fuelled by the extra time and space to be creative during lockdown, Drumcode’s collective of artists have stepped up. Across 17 contributions, the producers have gone deeper into their sonic repertoire, crafting powerful, yet reflective works that capture the range of the label’s sound.

Jay Lumen leads the way with a rousing riff-driven weapon, ‘Galactic Rainbow’, while Ramon Tapia brings us the muscular gem ‘Drum Control’, mixing up ruffneck techno with a barrage of synapse-tickling synths in the second half. Both rousing highlights of the compilation.

Victor Ruiz, Drumcode’s most prolific contributor in 2020, dishes up ‘Love Story’, led by a huge vocal lead. Zimmz also returns with ‘Tension’, which deftly combines deep squelchy grooves with a silky synth interlude. Thomas Hoffknecht follows up his debut on Vol.9 with ‘Escape’, keeping listeners on their toes with dynamic, choppy shifts throughout. Veerus joins with another stirring addition ‘I Know’, reinforcing why Beyer rates him so highly.

Elsewhere a string of debutants feature: buzzy newcomer Lilly Palmer gives us ‘Amnesie’, a brilliantly pummelling and eerie cut; Alex Lentini & Stomp Boxx serve up ‘Expanders’ mixing up drone effects, trippy vocals and an unsettling melody line; and Patrik Berg’s ‘Activated’ is full-bodied techno that drops down into funky rhythms.

Long-time DC family member Bart Skils brings his A-game with the thrilling no-nonsense ‘Solid State’ that hits like a steam train. Likewise, Alan Fitzpatrick who brings a momentous slab of techno energy with ‘Rochus’, while Thomas Schumacher, now feeling like a regular on the imprint, crafts another dark techno opus, this time in collaboration with CAITLIN.

There’s even a special appearance by the chief Adam Beyer, who makes a welcome return with the progressive-tinged ‘Changes’, driven by organic tones and spacey atmospherics. The track stands as his first original contribution to A-Sides since 2017.

Encounters with the ineffable.
The dormant roused.
Openness, observation, questioning, humility, sincerity.
Re-imagining the known, that which is untapped, all that was concealed.
Pathways to wholeness unearthed.
Meeting of truest self.
Temporal versus infinite.

The fallout.

Sudden disintegration, falling away, continuity shattered.
Facade ruptured, persona released, identity laid bare, history withdrawn.

Appearance of no-thing-ness.

Pregnant with possibilities, birth out of chaos, mystery unfolds.
Healing through anguish, renewal through trauma.
Newborn imaginings.

Accept the summons.

Chapters of lucidity, adventures in clarity.
Alignment in harmony.
All encompassing.
Reorientation emerges, subsequent renewal, transcendent insights, enlightened revelations.
Surrender reached, acceptance embraced, liberation appears.

Transmutation.

Solemn symbols of gratitude.
New found depth of meaning, of understanding, of moving, of seeing.
Beyond mental illusion, unifying as nature, expression of stillness.
Vision of the undivided, transmission of wisdom.

Flowering into being.

- Kas ॐ

Twookie aka the baddest talking tucan around, is here to bring the funk back! Gerald Mitchell and his L'lambourghini Crew return on Mother Tongue with another funk-fuelled project. A real who's who of Detroit finest players including Pirahnahead, Billy Love, Duminie Deporres, Mark Anthony and the Mitchell brothers are here jamming and bringing you that classic "D" Parliament sound. The A side sees the epic story of Twookie Wonder Brown, while on the flipside it's time for a revamped/re-thought version of "Celebrity Bbq Sauce".
A real taste of Detroit's finest bbq sauce!

Two stone cold Roy Ayers classics get the South Street Disco official reissue treatment, one side the feel-good disco-tinged, jazz funk fire ‘Running Away’ and the other the smooth groove, love letter funk bomb ‘Love Will Bring Us Back Together’. Melting hearts, melting minds, is there a better Valentines gift out there then two slices of joy from Roy?

From hip hop to house, ‘Running Away’ has been a favoured sampling treasure since it came out in 1977. Co-produced alongside Edwin Birdsong and William Allen, joyous vocal harmonies dance around grooving basslines, strutting guitar riffs and Roy’s warm soothing tones. Top it off with some trademark vibes and it’s a one-way ticket to happiness, pure sunshine smiles all round.

Flip it to find ‘Love Will Bring Us Back Together’. Straight up seductive business co-produced by Carla Vaughn. It’s silky, it’s smooth, it’s everything you want it to be and more. Clavinet wizardry, buttery Rhodes layers and fiery vocals. Loved up funk at it’s best.

"Do you feel what I feel too?" Brijean Murphy floats the question at the start of Feelings, the full-length Ghostly International debut from Brijean, her collaborative project with Doug Stuart. Guided by a lush mix of charismatic keyboard chords, grooving bass lines, and radiant bongo-driven rhythms, the "Day Dreaming" lyric doubles as an invitation and a statement of intention. Brijean want you to move, physically, mentally, dimensionally; this is dance music for the mind, body, and soul. With Feelings, they've manifested a gentle collective space for respite, for self-reflection, for self-care, for uninhibited imagination and new possibilities. The album cultivates a specific vibe, a softness Murphy has come to call "romancing the psyche." Growing up in a family immersed in jazz, Latin and soul music, Murphy would become an accomplished DJ, session and live player in Oakland's diverse music scene and one of indie's most in-demand percussionists (Poolside, Toro Y Moi, U.S. Girls). In 2018, she began recording songs with multi-instrumentalist and producer Doug Stuart, who shares a background in jazz and pop in bands such as Bells Atlas, Meernaa, and Luke Temple. Following their first sessions, which resulted in the mini-album Walkie Talkie (released in 2019 on Native Cat Recordings), the duo continued freeform hangs in Oakland, inviting friends Chaz Bear, Tony Peppers, and Hamir Atwal. "We improvised on different feels for hours," says Murphy. "Nothing quite developed at first but we had seeds. We re-opened the sessions a couple months later, after returning from tours, and spent a month developing the songs in a little 400 square foot cottage." Aforementioned album opener "Day Dreaming" is a dynamic celebration of newness: the excitement in finding deeper understandings of yourself as you get to know someone, something, or somewhere new. "Wifi Beach" drops a pin in pure psych-pop exotica. With Atwal on drums, Stuart on bass, Peppers on keys, and Bear engineering, the group improvised the track's intro sequence based on the vision of a lavish 1970s pool party. Establishing the scene is a mid-frequency drum kit disco shuffle augmented by tight congas and timbale effect, as Murphy sings in spurts: "I want to be / Deep in love / I want to be / Say you love me too / I want to be / Honey." The stanzas cut between "reflective moments of wants and being overwhelmed by feelings of the present," she explains. "A lot of the `love songs' I write are to my psyche, self-reflections on how to encourage tender perspectives and make more time for the sweet stuff." Though there is a loose, dance-oriented motif throughout, the material gives way to somnolent turns. On "Ocean," Brijean's anodyne lyrics, reminiscent of Astrud Gilberto's airy croon, float atop a brushed drum pattern, sparkling rhodes lines, and pittering and softly funky woodblock bops. The opening line sets up the rest, "In this gentle space we lay" _ among the album's propensity for movement, tracks like "Ocean" stand out by leaning back for momentary sways of blissful introspection. Murphy calls the charming "Hey Boy" a "psychedelic guide _ the exploration of finding what feels good _ through sorrow, anxiety, apathy." This mentality applies to Feelings on the whole: in these nebulous and verdant worlds of hazy melodies, feathery hooks, and percussive details, the songs simply want us to feel alive. They radiate in wonderful abandon and with a sense of devotion to the self. RIYL: Stereolab, Astrud Gilberto, Air, Little Dragon, Broadcast, Khruangbin, Poolside.

The fourth release on Ferdinger's "Life In Patterns" label introduces new faces to the roster. The 5-track EP entitled "Spektrum" includes originals by BXTR, FX093, Krl Mx and Proxyma, as well as the vinyl premiere of Trudge's formerly self-released track "Rainmaker". Boosting its mission statement by featuring various artists on this new compilation, the label also manages to showcase its signature sound: dreamy and hypnotic, yet intense, uplifting rave tracks.

Nick Beringer debuts on INFUSE to open the label’s 2021 schedule, offering up his stellar ‘Blue Blood’ EP.

A rising DJ and producer at the heart of Berlin’s minimal house scene, Rubisco boss Nick Beringer has formed a growing reputation as a ‘go-to’ artist for quality productions across the genre in recent years, with his diverse
discography welcoming material via the likes of Raum…Musik, Taverna Tracks, Mulen Records and Berg Audio to name just a few. With a sound fusing classic Detroit house and techno with more modern shades, ranging from electro-tinged elements through to more dubby textures, the German talent kickstarts 2021 with an impressive debut outing on FUSE sister imprint INFUSE as he delivers his four-track ‘Blue Blood’ EP.

Lead cut ‘Concave’ is a perfect example of Beringer’s ability to fuse genres and nuances with ease and fluidity as skipping percussion licks guide skittering sci-fi electronics and sweeping atmospherics throughout an up-front EP opener, whilst vinyl only cut ‘Aint Got Nobody’ delves into deeper realms as squelching basslines merge with icy hats and infectious vocal iterations. The lively title cut ‘Blue Blood’ opens the B-Side in style as warping synths weave amongst aquatic melodies and deep sub-bass, before closing out proceedings via the dynamic, off-kilter tones of final production ‘Second Hand Emotion’.

"I am sitting in a garden, I haven't left the property in weeks, someone is dropping off food once a week. I haven't seen a human being in ages, I feel like a reverse Schroedinger cat - do I exist when nobody sees me? I must be somewhere in France but I don't remember. I have lost my consciousness again. When I wake up I hear a broken record looping somewhere in the mansion. A washed-out opera. Behind the trees I see the dilapidated hermaphrodite sculpture in a field of verdant nettles and fern. I hear gunshots far afield, aeroplanes in the sky, sirens on the main road.
When unconscious I dreamt of sitting on the Concorde observing the scarab blue ocean and iridescent clouds from above, an erstwhile receding memory. Sometimes I hear the organ of the nearby Renaissance Cathedral merging with the Russian Church bells.
I am hallucinating again. Someone's humming in the kitchen? Singing? A Radio? I overhear two young women talking about art galleries in the neighbour's garden. Bees attack, again…..again and again. The hairspray finally intoxicates them. An amphoric japanese voice is whispering in my head saying I will die soon. Someone (something?) bangs on the vases. The fountain's water turns dark red.
Fleur calls and says mum died. The funeral will be televised on tuesday. We opt for the synthetic choir for the service. The call is suddenly interrupted. Mold is slowly taking over the house.
I go back inside."

Une Fille Pétrifiée is the debut album of new Black To Comm related entity Mouchoir Ètanche (after one recent 12" on Richter's own Dekorder label). Combining real and fake acoustic instrumentation, sampling, field recordings and excessive yet inaudible post production this is another sublime and ethereal statement. Influences are ranging from (French) Classical & Opera to the anecdotical compositions of Luc Ferrari, Chinese Opera, Chanson, Sacred Music / Church Music, JG Ballard and Surrealism.

Marc Richter records as Black To Comm for Thrill Jockey, Type and Dekorder and as Jemh Circs for his own Cellule 75 imprint. He also produces soundtracks and acousmatic multichannel installations for institutions such as INA GRM Paris, ZKM Karlsruhe and Kunstverein Hamburg.

Finally available on Vinyl – high volume Remix Pack for the latest single from Underher & Just Emma. Ranging fom Melodic House & Techno over Downtempo to Afro House.

This year marks 3 years of Needs.

From humble beginnings in 2017, the label has since gone on to release tracks from some of our favourite artists in the scene, curated events with essential charities and initiatives, and in the process raised over L10,000.

To mark this special occasion we're back where it all started, raising money and awareness for mental health. October 10th marks World Mental Health Day and this year's theme set by theAWorld Federation for Mental Health is suicide prevention. To recognise and promote this occasion we've brought along another all-star cast to help us spread the message far and wide.

Needs 008 is a double vinyl compilation which features the talents of Shanti Celeste, OCB, Michelle, Bobby., Peder Mannerfelt, Yu Su, Adam Pits and DJ Sports.

Stay tuned to the Needs channels during our birthday month for regular updates, plus panels and artist features.

We'd also like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone that has supported us this far: especially Juno Records, For The Record PR, all artists that have kindly donated their music, and of course the music lovers, dancers and forward thinkers that have supported us on this wonderful journey <3

The sublime songs comprising Los Angeles-based musician Ana Roxanne's second release, Because Of A Flower, germinated gradually across five years, inspired by interwoven notions of gender identity, beauty, and cruelty. She describes her process as beginning with “a drone element and a mood,” then intuiting melody, syllables, and lyrics incrementally, like sacred shapes materializing from mist.
The experience of identifying as intersex informs the album on levels both sonic and thematic, from spoken word texts borrowed from tonal harmony textbooks to cinematic dialogue samples and castrati aria allusions. It's an appropriately interstitial vision of ambient songcraft, a chemistry of wisps and whispers, sanctuary and sorrow, conjured through a fragile balance of voice, bass, space, and texture.
Despite a background studying at the prestigious Mills College in Oakland, Roxanne's music rarely feels conceptual, instead radiating an immediate and emotive aura, rooted in the present tense of her personal journey. She speaks of the flower in the title as a body, singular and sunlit, as many petals as thorns, an enigma beholden only to itself. But whether taken as surface or subtext, Because is a transfixing document of a rare artist in the spring of their ascension.

Brooklyn-based queer nightlife luminary Jasmine Infiniti self-released her debut album, BXTCH SLÄP, in March 2020. Dark Entries steps forward to present the album remastered and on double vinyl. Over the thirteen disruptive club cuts of BXTCH SLÄP, Jasmine conjures occult rave incantations with sub-tectonic bass and seductive harmonies. Audaciously championing R&B, vogue, and hip-hop sounds, Jasmine Infiniti’s latest collection of techno-hybrid dance tunes is built for the dancefloors of underground nightlife.
While SiS, her debut EP, was an ode to queer solidarity, community, and sisterhood, BXTCH SLÄP refines the art of personal myth-building. It is an unflinching and uncompromising album, but it also boasts surprising range, moving briskly between ethereal hardcore house (“HOTT”), anxious dark electro (“SPOOKED”), and certifiable techno bangers (“YES, SIR”, “WELLFAIR”). Meanwhile album standout “<3” hovers just above 100 BPM, a defiant statement of euphoric sensuality that’s no less gripping for its dramatic deceleration. Closing number “SHONUFF” clocks in at ten and half minutes, but not a second of this acid-laced adrenaline rush feels wasted. BXTCH SLÄP might be suited for the high-impact dancefloor, but this music takes on a new life in the moments we spend between the parties, alone and full of desire.
BXTCH SLÄP was mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve features photography from Guerrilla Davis and hand drawn Infiniti logo designed by Eloise Leigh with a 3-D chrome effect by Sebastian Ortega. Each copy includes a 3-D chrome die-cut sticker. The Queen of Hell is back and her powers are stronger than ever. All hail The Queen!

A collaborative meeting between Varg2(TM) and Exploited Body has produced a scalding mess of sweat and suspicion across five headstrong tracks, gesturing towards a new and recombinant vector that's lurking out there during hiatus. Recorded together in Helsinki, 'Etsin Turvaa' yokes the morbid mechanics of Varg2(TM)'s stroboscopic dread to the pyretic catharsis of Exploited Body's ascendant, club-sourced flares. The closing track, 'Haunt Me Like the Snakes That Killed You,' offers the smallest respite following the bedlam of 'Fuck You Forever (Parting is Certain & Loss Will Come Again).' The opening pair, 'Karhu' and 'Etsin Turvaa (I Promise this Will Be the Last Time),' spiral out of control from the elegant core that each track's rougher elements are pinned to.

*repress*

Long-time Phonica favourite Lo Shea follows on from his excellent contribution to the recent 'Ten Years Of Phonica' compilation with the four track 'Adverse Camber EP' on Phonica White. The 'Adverse Camber EP' sees Lo Shea taking his already unique take on Techno and House in new directions while remaining firmly focused on the dancefloor. The 12' starts ominously with the dark Techno monster 'Lights, Plants, Action', all deep growling bass and drums, the only brief glimpse of light cutting through halfway before dropping back into the murk. The relentlessly heavy 'The Wind' follows up and is a pounding yet melodic mini-master-piece, perfect material for the darkest of clubs. Flip over and the shuffling percussion and sub-bass of 'MuVin' kicks things off with an infectious abstract UK Garage/Techno hybrid sound. Finally, the stripped-back 'Snake Inn' is pure bleak British Techno, masterfully produced as only Lo Shea can! Lo Shea aka Liam O'Shea has had a particularly productive few years, completing his ten release 'Seaghdha' imprint in impressive style with the 'A Deich' 12' & 'Distance' CD package. That is on top of his 'Steel City' 12' on 100 Years as well as remixes for Mixed In Sheffield and Tamed Musiq. His track 'Home' was one of the highlights of Phonica's 2014 compilation 'Ten Years Of Phonica'.

Limited vinyl pressing. Hand stamped. Special artwork by Pedro Carvalho de Almeida.

*repress*


A new white label brought to you by a group of friends including Moire´, Disguise, etc. in collaboration with Phonica Records.

This marks the debut release from the creative imprint NEVERSLEEP whose previous work includes the art direction and A&R of Moire´'s debut LP 'Shelter' - out now on Werkdiscs/Ninja Tune - plus various visual work from Disguise.

On the A side - a massive floor remix from Moire´, melding rhythms and percussion with a driving bass and lead. On the flipside, Disguise makes an appearance first with a collaborative 'PARTY GIRLS' edit alongside Moire´ and then with his own take of 'MOUTH SHUT'. This release marks the sound debut of Disguise, whose visual and video work on 'Shelter' helped shape the strong aesthetic root of the album. This can be seen again in the video mixtape on NEVERSLEEP's website - neversleep.co - presented to complement the release online.

I am very proud to have Spacefunk EP by Stussko aka Chris Stussy & Djoko on LAATE sub label. It is some of the best House Music that I have ever heard in a long time. To the menu : 4 tracks dedicated to the dancefloor. It’s Deep House, Groovy, Tool, Modern Tech House, always is a good way, smart and specific.You couldn’t resist, welcome on LAATE VAARIATION

Clayton Guifford ( Label Manager )

Repress!

A MAJOR EXPLORATION OF TOKYO'S CUTTING EDGE 80S SOUND THROUGH THE MUSIC OF CULT JAPANESE LABEL NIPPON COLUMBIA AND ITS BETTER DAYS IMPRINT, SELECTED BY BRITISH RADIO PRESENTER AND DJ NICK LUSCOMBE.

‘Tokyo Dreaming’ is a superb selection picked from the highly collectible Nippon Columbia label and its Better Days sub-label. For the occasion, we’ve teamed up with journalist and Japanese music expert Nick Luscombe who was granted rare access to the much-guarded Nippon Columbia's vaults for a masterful selection encapsulating the fascinating sound of Tokyo in the late 70s and 80s. The selection mixes electro, synth-pop, funk and ambient and features such artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mariah, Shigeo Sekito, Juicy Fruits, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama and Yumi Murata. The tracklist includes many sought-after rarities and hidden gems which have never been released outside of Japan and the set has been newly remastered by Nippon Columbia. The album has been designed by famed London-based designer Optigram and is annotated by Nick.

Nippon Columbia, one of Japan's oldest music labels is also one of its most collectible thanks to its sub-label Better Days which, in the late 70s, became a hotbed for Tokyo's new generation of pop artists eager to experiment with ambient, electro and funk. Armed with a string of new Japanese-made synthesizers and drum machines that would soon take the world by storm, they made cutting-edge music, which has since become highly sought-after by a new generation of Japanese music lovers. Nick Luscombe, who has long been a leading advocate of Japanese music from this era, has handpicked a selection of some of the sharpest music released on these labels at the time.
According to Nick, “Tokyo Dreaming is a look back to an incredible era of Japanese music, that still sounds and feels like the future. It was a moment when brand-new music tech from Japan helped forge new ideas and experiments that permeated pop, soul and jazz and helped create new forms of music including electro and techno. The perfect meeting point that would help create a new soundtrack for modern living.“
?The selection starts with "The End of Asia" by Ryuichi Sakamoto from his 1978 ground-breaking debut "Thousand Knives Of" (reissued last year by Wewantsounds). The track became a staple of Sakamoto's and YMO's live shows and was even re-recorded by the group for their 1980 album 'X Multiplies'. The track is followed by Mariah's cult Armenian folk flavoured synth pop classic "Shinzo No Tobira" (1983), which first spread outside of Japan when the Scottish DJ duo Optimo started playing the track regularly at their shows.
?Chika Asamoto's "Self Control" (1988) and Jun Fukamachi's "Treasure Hunter" (1985) are perfect songs in the synth-pop canon, while Yumi Murata's rendition of Akiko Yano's "Watashi No Bus" and Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama's "Rainy Driver" both from 1981, move closer towards the slicker, funkier sound of City Pop.
?'Tokyo Dreaming' superbly showcases the breadth of 80s Japanese music and the way electro pop was a playing ground for musicians to experiment with many styles, as showcased by Akira Sakata's dub-enfused "Room" from 1980, Kazumi Watanabe's discoid "Tokyo Joe" (1980) and Juicy Fruits' "kawai" robotic Techno pop song "Jenie Gets Angry".
?The selection flows effortlessly between many shades of synth and ends with two cult classics in the form of Yasuaki Shimizu's "Semi Tori No Hi" and Shigeo Sekito's ambient-jazz masterpiece "The Word II" from his highly sought-after album "Kareinaru Electone (The Word) Vol.2" which, although recorded in 1975, perfectly announces the synth revolution to come. Tokyo Dreaming showcases the groundbreaking sounds of a city turned giant sonic lab which was restlessly inventing the music of the future.
Nick Luscombe is a highly respected and in-demand music influencer who discovers great music from all over the world and shares it internationally through his many radio shows and DJ sets. He has been in charge of music selection for various radio programs since 1999, and from 2010 - 2019, was the DJ for the popular BBC Radio music program "Late Junction”. He has also curated and presented music shows for Monocle and British Airways radio stations. He has worked as both Chief Music Editor at iTunes and Director of Music at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, and is the founder of MSCTY.

Britney Spears’ Deluxe version of “Glory” is now available on opaque white vinyl! The 2 LP set includes all 17 tracks originally featured on “Glory,” two never before released songs and remixes.

Onrijn Records invites Ian Martin for a 6 track mini-album. He is mostly known for his music on Blackest Ever Black, Pinkman and Bunker. This record releases a rich palette of hybrid electronic music. From new wave, house and electro to neo cocadisco. And is most of all a search for melody, suspense and melancholy. The track “GOD Theme” was the soundtrack of the film GOD by director Edwin Brienen (2016). Ian Martin’s “Heartbeats” is a true emotional rollercoaster!

Group Rhoda, the solo project of Mara Barenbaum, returns to Dark Entries with ‘Passing Shades’. An integral member of the Oakland electronic music scene, Barenbaum has been writing, performing, and plunging into oneiric depths as Group Rhoda since 2009. This is the project’s fourth LP, and the third time Barenbaum has collaborated with Dark Entries; previously on the Max & Mara LP ‘Less Ness’ in 2013 and the Group Rhoda LP ‘Wilderless’ in 2017.
Passing Shades is an investigation of the metaphysics of loss and the transitory nature of the material world. But it is not a grim collection; over 8 songs, Group Rhoda diverges through synthesizer-laden symphonics, four-to-the-floor inflections, and cosmic musings. Barenbaum’s striking voice and singular songcraft guide us through this labyrinth. Arpeggiated waltz “Flow” channels wisdom sought through martial arts; “Earthly Ark” sets a Margaret Atwood poem from the God Gardener’s Hymn Book to somber electronics. The vocoded canticle “Nevermore” is dedicated to the memory of a beloved cat. ‘Passing Shades’ is both mystifying and revelatory. Folk forms are echoed only to detour into the alien. Each song functions as both a fragment of a larger puzzle and a koan unto itself.
‘Passing Shades’ was mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve was designed by Eloise Leigh, and features a hazy, clouded sky. The back cover uses a photograph by Harry Crofton. A postcard featuring a poem by Barenbaum is included, as well as a digital download.

Leo was born in 1972 and at the age of 15 discovered his passion for electronic music creating his first loops thanks to his Commodore Vic 20 and 64, spreading his own sound in the city when it was impossible to find in Rome any trace of electronic beats.
Soon after he became a true collector of analogue synthesizers with a serious approach in the study of modular synthesis which led him to develop unique skills as we have recognition of them from his early works for ACV records: Attack Random, Riders Of the Future, Noise Generation, Muta, Cannibald and Aeon are still a milestones for nowadays electronic music aficionados.
1989 marked the birth of The Sound of Rome, when Leo met Lory D in a small garage bringing life to a universal and alternative music movement who diffused Techno Music in Rome and all over Italy, pushing these two wizards behind the decks playing along the like of Dave Clarke, Joey Beltram, Robert Armani and UR among others.
In 1995 Leo decided to cut his relationship with ACV records and moved to Rephlex, Aphex Twin’s record label, starting touring with the Rephlex group after the Void album. Ten years later Leo recorded his first single for a new project: Cannibald Records. Back to Life main target is to focus on house and techno classics reissue, and the mission continue with the official reissue of 1991 Leo's Noise Generation, a true special record that snaps an unforgettable highlight in the rave scene. BTL004 will be available with a special insert, black version and very limited white press to delight every serious vinyl collector.

Leo was born in 1972 and at the age of 15 discovered his passion for electronic music creating his first loops thanks to his Commodore Vic 20 and 64, spreading his own sound in the city when it was impossible to find in Rome any trace of electronic beats.

Soon after he became a true collector of analogue synthesizers with a serious approach in the study of modular synthesis which led him to develop unique skills as we have recognition of them from his early works for ACV records: Attack Random, Riders Of the Future, Noise Generation, Muta, Cannibald and Aeon are still a milestones for nowadays electronic music aficionados.

1989 marked the birth of The Sound of Rome, when Leo met Lory D in a small garage bringing life to a universal and alternative music movement who diffused Techno Music in Rome and all over Italy, pushing these two wizards behind the decks playing along the like of Dave Clarke, Joey Beltram, Robert Armani and UR among others.
In 1995 Leo decided to cut his relationship with ACV records and moved to Rephlex, Aphex Twin’s record label, starting touring with the Rephlex group after the Void album.

Ten years later Leo recorded his first single for a new project: Cannibald Records. Back to Life main target is to focus on house and techno classics reissue, and the mission continue with the official reissue of 1991 Leo's Noise Generation, a true special record that snaps an unforgettable highlight in the rave scene. BTL004 will be available with a special insert, black version and very limited white press to delight every serious vinyl collector.

SUMMER OF SEVENTEEN are MONIKA KHOT (NORDRA, ZEN MOTHER), WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, DANIEL MENCHE, FAITH COLOCCIA (MAMIFFER), and AARON TURNER. (SUMAC, SPLIT CRANIUM).

Wildfires plagued Washington state during the summer of 2017, their smoke drifting westward toward the Seattle area and toxifying the air. Shortly before that trauma, MONIKA KHOT, WILLIAM FOWLER COLLINS, DANIEL MENCHE, FAITH COLOCCIA, and AARON TURNER had gathered at the latter two musicians' House Of Low Culture studio on idyllic Vashon Island with revered producer RANDALL DUNN. There they cut eight songs that capture the makeshift band's feelings of what COLOCCIA calls "a kind of doomsday lurking in the background." It's as if these highly attuned players had a premonition.

"Summer Of Seventeen" -which was edited and arranged by MONIKA KHOT, who records apocalyptic music solo as NORDRA and plays in the avant-rock band ZEN MOTHER—is a nuanced admixture of these musicians' sounds and a culmination of all of their previous collaborations. COLOCCIA and TURNER have created eldritch folk and chamber rock for over a decade in MAMIFFER while engaging in various solo and group projects that explore their profound spirituality in sound. MENCHE has been a fixture on the abstract composition scene for 31 years and COLLINS is a savvy explorer of drone and ambient forms. Their ephemeral summit meeting has yielded a masterwork for the ages.

A heaven/hell and beauty/beastliness dichotomy pervades the album—as if a titanic struggle was transpiring in that small studio. The fearsome trumpet fanfare that starts "Chorus Of The Innocents" heralds a baleful fate. With a subliminal industrial rhythm bristling beneath the eerie exhalations, the song submerges us in a slow-motion maelstrom, a horror-film facsimile of MILES DAVIS' "Bitches Brew". "Perceived Slight" threads death-metal screams through a stark, suspenseful atmosphere, with austere glints of guitar and beats like fists on a casket lid intensifying the dread.

Angelic chants and celestial drones perfume the air in several of the songs on "Summer Of Seventeen", countered with muted blast beats, serrated hums, jagged glitches, simulacra of grinding gears and lightning. It's as if no good deed goes unpunished. "Spirits Of Redeemer" could be an elegy for the human race while "Cultural Orphan" sounds like a symphony for a malfunctioning factory. The album ends with "Theatre Needs An Audience," a harrowing ballad somewhere between EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN and MERZBOW; it's a savage rent in the space-time continuum.

"Thinking about this record now," COLOCCIA recalls, "it seems like we were all sort of anticipating something like this current pandemic happening, although we were thinking about it as fire in the hands of man (literal fire, and also gunfire) that would overturn the normal running of things and reveal the current false beliefs systems holding up most of America."

That grave aura infiltrates "Summer Of Seventeen", However, a hopefulness bubbles beneath the foreboding architecture of sound and noise summoned here. The bunker is the new penthouse.

-Dave Segal, April 2020

Back in stock!!

Active as a professional DJ in Japan since the late eighties, DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite is also a renowned remixer, compiler and producer. An avid record collector and an expert of the Wamono style, Yoshizawa published the Wamono A to Z records guide book in 2015 which instantly sold-out. The book unveiled a myriad of beautiful and rare records from a highly prolific, but still then unknown, Japanese groove scene.

After many years working as a record buyer for several stores, DJ Chintam opened his own Blow Up shop in 2018 in Tokyo's Shibuya district. A member of the Dayjam Crew and a specialist of soul, funk, rare groove and disco music, Chintam is also an expert of the home-brewed Wamono grooves. He supervised and wrote the Wamono A to Z records guide book together with Yoshizawa.

With this first volume of the Wamono series, our two DJs here guide you through some of the best and rarest jazz funk and rare groove tunes produced in Japan between 1968 and 1980. Put the needle on the record, turn up the volume and dig right now into the Wamono sound - the cream of the Japanese funk, soul, rare groove and disco music developed throughout the years since the end of the sixties in Japan!

DJ Traytex showcases in his debut release with the Back Then EP on Loser Records, his skill with ambient breaks, with light, glittering melodies that trip over deep basslines and punchy rhythms. Soft, meandering cadences and flowing landscapes combine with a thumping, sometimes brittle drive in the breaks, making this EP as cerebral and emotive as it is atmospheric and danceable: just as much for the private listener, as for a dancefloor vibrating at 5am.

Berlin techno bastion Jamaica Suk’s generous ‘Uncertain Landscape’ series continues with the third part of this weighty 17-track release serving up another quartet of rugged grooves.

early 2000s techno, he brings it up to date with pummeling bass and kicks and taut percussive loops

Surface’ chugging along at an unhurried pace. Resonant metallic sounds chime over the stuttering overdriven edges emerge, gentle screeches and hisses forced into existence.

Techno royalty Oliver Deutschmann pitches in next with the pacey contrast of ‘Hunting’. Its manic tempo is contrasted by its comparative lightness of touch, with the acidic theme continuing. The

Parallax Records boss and Berghain and Concrete guests Pharaoh and Yogg provide the closing salvo, an experimental cut by the name of ‘Betelgeuse’. Broken beats underpin glitchy textures and

Sam Interface (formerly known as SNØW) returns to the seminal R&S Records following the success of last year’s R&S Presents: More Time Records Vol 1, which was a 4 track compilation featuring Ahadadream, Bala Bala Boyz, Bryte & SNØW.

He is the co-founder of London’s More Time Records, on which he has released much of his own music as SNØW (including collaborations with Zed Bias, Fox, Dread MC & more) and can also be found monthly on Rinse FM and Reprezent Radio playing a range of percussive genres including UK Funky, GQOM, Kuduro, Afrobeats and more.

The name change takes him closer to his first alias Interface, under which he had DnB hits with the likes of DJ Die and more, he explains: “When i first released music back in my early DnB days I used the alias “Interface” and so many people still call me Sam Interface - it feels like the most natural name for me.”

The lead track “Underground” (which samples an announcement from the tube) references a range of London-centric genres, combining polyrhythmic percussion with an extremely upfront bass sound which draws influence from and exxagerates recent drill productions.

“Finally”, a collaboration with an old friend & prolific DnB producer Break follows, bringing frantic motion to the release. The third track “Crud” utilises Sam’s signature gully bass production, flooding the speakers with low end on the drop. The EP wraps up with “Pink Dolphins” - a euphoric dancefloor moment which channels the energy and emotion of jungle, drawing on some of Sam’s earliest rave influences.

Bringing a combination of two conceptual artists Ultrastretch 11 moves away from dance music to present this comtemporary off kilter.


On the A side, Montreal based producer Ohm Hourani, known for minimalistic jazz influenced works on his own imprint ANOMA and beyond, with compositions showcasing infusions of organic sounds combined with modular synthestisers, drum machines and vocalists such as his collaboration with award winning Jazz singer and Vocalist Diminique Fils Aime.


On this release he presents a 14 minute stripped down, intrinsically and subtly arranged combination of elements Initiale by a minimalistic kick drum joined by a synth driven, quirky / hypnotic mind drilling element paired with the finest straight hihats delicately placed on the background as the Constant. The subtle movement of the track is introduced by percussive drumming, vocals and piano keys forming the most beautiful atmospheric melody. The last element of surprise brings shuffling hihats bringing amazing swing to the overall elegantly slick piece.

The B side brings the highly sought-after drummer Samuel Rohrer. Ranging from ECM sideman to member of KAVE, a quartet alongside techno pioneer Max Loderbauer, Stian Westerhus and Tobias Freund as well as collaborative works with Ricardo Villalobos and Laurie Anderson, he is known for his unique sound aesthetics on advanced musical cross-pollination, developments of improvisation in acoustic jazz and wider horizons of live electronics.
Rohrer also brings a hypnotic reinterpretation but in a very different manner / mood than the A side. Initiated by strings combined with Rohrer’s tight drumming patterns at the forefront and bass line underneath as the constant, combination by which forms a tense yet peaceful core pattern to this track. To compliment this, synths create movement by adding cosmic and quirky sounds forming an atmospheric soundscape with the whispering vocal “shake it” on top. Overall, the paradoxical relationship between tight (rhythm) and lose (soundscape) is presented in perfect harmony with each other.