Fernando Pulichino is no stranger to Leng Records. The bass guitar-wielding Argentine made his first appearance on the label five years ago via the cosmic disco/psychedelic rock fusion of Blue Impala, returning two years later with the similarly inclined brilliance of Giant Desert. Pulichino then resurfaced on Leng late last year with a superb, digital-only three-tracker called Natural 77.
Now he's back on wax, buoyed by the success of the acclaimed Shining EP on Is It Balearic
Recordings. This time round he's in Search of Indigo, shaping hazy, sun-baked soundscapes around his distinctive basslines, echo-laden synthesizers, meandering Fender Rhodes solos,
gentle dub vibrations and glistening, early morning jazz guitars. This is music for the heads, hips and feet, soaked in Fernet and left in the afternoon sun to slowly ripen.
Arguably the most arresting of the four cuts is the title track, a head-in-the-clouds vocal number rich in bubbly electronic riffs, laidback electro beats, ricocheting percussion hits, swirling wind
effects and rubbery funk-rock bass.
Pulichino's penchant for intergalactic disco shufflers once again comes to the fore on killer Sundown Visions', a saucer-eyed chugger that simultaneously throbs, pulses and sparkles
thanks to sparring synthesizer motifs and eyes-closed space rock guitars. We suspect Daniele Baldelli and Andrew Weatherall would approve.
Elsewhere, Pulichino indulges his passion for sofa-surfing jazz-funk on solo-laden EP closer Frontera', a relaxed and undulating jam rich in cascading electric guitars, fluid electric piano, delay-laden flourishes and deep space synthesizers. You won't know whether to lie down, dance enthusiastically or wearily shuffle, either way, play at sunrise or sundown for maximum
enjoyment.
The EP also boasts a first vinyl outing for the title track of last year's digital-only EP, Natural '77'. Seemingly partly inspired by legendary West Coast funkateers Steely Dan, it's a lazy, low-
slung affair full of languid guitar solos, freestyle vocal improvisations, bongo-laden drums and one of his most inspired and elastic basslines to date.
Inspired by a longstanding respect for the pioneering sounds of Cluster, Neu!, Harmonia & John Foxx, the legendary K. Leimer fuses tape loops, Moog tones and a variety of real and imagined instruments into an immersive journey brimming with electronic emotion throughout this homage, 'Mitteltöner.'
A key figure in America's musical avant garde, Leimer's experiments with tape manipulation, fractal loops and textured ambience have been well documented in recent times, with RVNG and VOD both offering excellent and exhaustive retrospectives of the artist's seventies and eighties output. Tracing Leimer's discography from 1979's 'Translucent: / Memory' to 1983's 'Installation View', via the dislocated rhythms of the Savant project, these archival releases detail a move from the pastoral synthesis of kosmische into more angular, experimental territories. Simultaneously looking to the past and the future, this Origin Peoples release is both a return to Leimer's earliest stylistic explorations, and his first vinyl release of original work in twenty five years.
Oddly for such a sonic outlier, 'Mitteltöner' (midrange to non teutophones) takes its conceptual cues from the idea that the midrange contains all the core information. Over ten tracks, Leimer employs subtlety and skill to navigate the emotional depth of the kosmische genre while maintaining the focus and detail which has remained constant in his work.
Opener 'Dunne Luft' owes as much to post rock as krautrock, evolving from chiming harmonics and understated rhythms into an optimistic roar of motorik percussion and towering guitars. From there, 'Webermelodie' dives into crystalline calm, tracing delicate arps around a processed groove before 'Anode' sends us skywards, drifting through glistening piano refrains and hypnotic sequences. Te dramatic 'As Long Ago As This' glides through a deserted city of metal and glass leaving the measured ambience of 'Entferntemusik ' to close out the side in a swell of static.
Leimer shifts tone as we move onto the flip, segueing the stomping, cybernetic Sturm Und Drang of 'German Defaults' into the propulsive electronics of 'London Interiors', a dynamic sample-topped suite in the tradition of Bill Nelson. The addition of graceful piano motifs and swathes of hazy synthesis lends a tranquillity to the pulsating bass of 'Auf Einem Fahrrad', while 'SHM' marries soothing melody and crunching rhythm into a thoroughly medicated experience. Finally, 'Café Florian' pays homage to Schneider or Fricke with a euphoric fusion of metallic percussion and esoteric energies.
Far from a simple homage to the electronic idols of his youth, 'Mitteltöner' finds K. Leimer reimagining their nuanced sonic framework through a lifetime of musical experience and experimentation.
Following the success of our recent reissues of classic tracks from the vaults team-Jalapeno decided to start 2018 strong with another 7" release of two certified bangers from our very own breaks legends Skeewiff.
Our dear label co-founders and creative minds whose four Skeewiff albums set the agenda for the Jalapeno funk machine that you know and love - Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland have never been found wanting. These guys are the godfathers of the lounge and breaks scenes, they put the fun into funk, and if rumours are to be believed they could mix before they could walk!
From the very first opening horns salvo on 'Mexican Flyer' you know this track means business. A driving bassline and in-your-face drums provide the backdrop for all sorts of sonic madness with DJ cuts, horn solos and breaks galore. It's a bona-fide fiesta that fits neatly in your 45's bag.
With this little number in the arsenal the only worry that the DJ's will have is the stampede to the dancefloor...
Over on the flipside 'Delta Dawn' sees the guys get a little help from a famously little lady with one of the most recognisable voices in country music. But make no mistake - this is no barn dance... Breaks, bass and a healthy dose of Hammond wizardry inject the funk into proceedings to complete this 7" club weapon of mass destruction.
It's a double act that's up there with the best of them and a must have for fans of Jalapeno and high quality party music.
Version Galore is a newly found label, deeply rooted in the music culture. We bring you the selected reworks / versions from the top producers in the game, showing lots of respect and care for the original, but elevating it's spirit and taking it somewhere else. It's all about the dialogue of cultures and the idealistic desire to pass the music legacy on! No half-measures, played-out tunes, lazy cuts, or boring "808-kick boosting" biz!
K2 is an alias of someone who you should be very familiar with by now, especially if interested in quality house music. No clues He the music legend from Baltimore, one of the most versatile and technically-gifted DJs on the scene, a master of CDJs, who singlehandedly restored public's interest in gospel music with his ultimate dance bomb "Work It Out". Still Hesitant Ok we'll help you - it's the one and only Karizma!
A-side is a pure fire-starter! One of those tunes that works perfectly in any surrounding, location, context, club. Here Karizma flips a version of a certain African-American work song, which catchy refrain just seem to resonate with anyone, while the rough dirty beats with the cheeky start/pause technique destroy the dance floor! Essential party tool!
On B-Side the maestro travels in time to grace us with a retro-futuristic workout on the edge of jazz-fusion / prog-rock & Italo-disco. "In Spite Of" is a peculiar, yet beautiful combination of hypnotic chord progressions, step-sequenced synthetic bass-lines, the virtuoso dialogue of electric guitar and electric violin (yes), spiced up with African percussion and forceful beats, all working together in harmony in accordance with the intricate time signature of the song! That's Karizma at his most Balearic!
That we live in a world changed is beyond question. Since 2015's Zenith, Berlin-based songwriter Molly Nilsson has surrendered to the world, traveling from Mexico to Glasgow, observing the changing socio-political landscape and imagining a better world. For an artist who has so successfully created her own environment and gradually let others in, her 8th studio album Imaginations sees Nilsson directly engaging with her surroundings, engendering change and allowing love in. Imaginations dreams big, recasting storming, stadium-sized pop into the internal language of the solo auteur. Imaginations is not escapism, it's a kaleidoscope and an alternative view, an agent of change.Opener Tender Surrender encapsulates Imaginations, a tango on the ruins of the past, like many of Nilsson's best songs a collision between the political and personal. Though potentially a love song, there's a glowing anger in the lines I want your ruin, I want destruction, I won't be through until we mend this...' this is rapturous transformation, order and chaos. Molly has built an almost 10 year career on perfectly summing up how we feel and this is no different... Who else could write a song about privilege (Let's Talk About Privileges) and make a heart-rending chorus of It's never being afraid of the police, it's expecting every thank you, every please.' The artist's vision on this album is perhaps more forceful than the emotionally fragile moments of previous album Zenith, at times exemplified on songs like Memory Foam, a bright, driving pop song that belies themes of nostalgia and the past, reminding us that Molly alone can make us feel so welcome in loneliness. If there's overt anger in songs like Money Never Sleeps, an anthem for a post-capitalist utopia if ever there was one, there's also seams of optimism sewn into the album's genetic code. Any revolutionary will tell you that anger alone achieves nothing - Nilsson's mission on Imaginations is to offer some alternatives we can hold close. Not Today Satan is a song about accepting love as the agent of change, Don't be sad, but do get mad at all the small men who act so tall, in the end they always fall, there ain't no sin in giving in to love, that's just how we're winning the fight.' Love can be visceral, a weapon with which to fight the power.On Imaginations Molly is recasting her interior monologue as a prism through which to see the world, a means to live differently and to reject the status quo. We can Think Pink, change our destiny together. This is an optimism about the future when we need it the most. New boys, new girls.. give me your smile and I'll give you mine' Clearly, we are living through a transformation but with alchemists like Molly Nilsson, we're never alone in the process.
debut release from vocalist-producer Hypoleon who prefers to let his hauntingly beautiful vocal fragments wash through your brain and take on whatever meaning the listener gives them.A
Both taking on Tresberry we enlisted Jon McMillion and Tevo Howard to straighten things out for the dance floor.
Visible Cloaks' Lex proposes a utopian dream language and its accompanying sound, a limitless, delicate space developed by fluid musical techniques and subconscious voices. The six pieces comprising Lex simulate a more peaceful future, their mysteries telling a new tale in an unknown but imaginable melodic language. Visible Cloaks are the Portland-based musicians Spencer Doran and Ryan Carlile. Utilizing software-based composition rooted in randomization, MIDI-translation and chance operations, the duo has established an improbable humanist mode of music from esoteric processes. Following their self-titled debut album, Visible Cloaks offered Reassemblage, an album simultaneously honoring the post-Yellow Magic Orchestra school of avant musical adventure and diverging from it. Veering from the paths cleared by Japanese and Italian electronic pop and ambient artists of the mid-80s / early-90s, Reassemblage established Visible Cloaks' own camp in a forest of deep sound canopied by trees grown from synthetic seeds.The sound represented on Lex is webbed with sculptural arrangements and interpolated by the sounds of alien speech. These strange and serene utterances were created by Doran feeding a chain of multiple dialects and accents through a language translation software to create an auditory poetry of an evolved place and time.
Lex features both the final version of this process and earlier, simplified experiments with it ( Keys'). The idea - building on 'fourth world' or 'global village' type concepts - was to create a projected language that was a fusion of many,' Doran explains. The result was a very disorienting form of non-language that amplifies the lapses in meaning that occur with the inaccuracy of auto-translation software.'
Permutate Lex, a companion short film to Lex made by Visible Cloaks in collaboration with artist Brenna Murphy (who also created the artwork for Reassemblage and several virtualist videos for the album), is an integral counterpart, both visualizing an aesthetic alive with human form and guiding the sonic experience of the first five pieces: Wheel,' Frame,' Transient,' Keys,' and title track Lex.' World,' the longest piece presented on Lex, is redrawn from a generative composition originally produced for an installation Doran made with Murphy.
The original work incorporates LFOs and randomized MIDI-information, and was intended to variate indefinitely. In this 'fixed' version, World' provides a more conclusive view into the impossible musical environments Visible Cloaks make real. Longer than any track on
Reassemblage, World' expresses the deepening, patient intimations suggested by Lex.
Doran says the Lex attempts to communicate the essence of a world distant enough that it can't be captured or comprehended from the present, appearing only surreal and inscrutable.' The statement reveals a broader musical philosophy fueling this new moment, an awakened voice woven through complex melodic shapes and phrases establishes communication between listeners and the unknown, here presented by Visible Cloaks as sounds coloring the very edge of the envisionable.
'What was old is new again'... The old adage is so tired that nobody takes its proper measure: all people hear is the word 'old', when the important one is 'new'. Making new things out of old things is an act of alchemy. The proof is in this fifth album - no rest for the wicked of Perpignan - which is blown right open here and there by a few very contemporary guests. After the opener, 'Ouverture', with its almost surf-like guitars, comes 'Le Premier Jour', where Lionel Limiñana talks about his rock baptism with the punks, the mods, the skinheads and the Lambrettas of his youth in the South of France. What comes just after is the seismic shock of 'Istanbul is Sleepy': the Imprimatur of Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre is simply enormous. Then comes Emmanuelles Seigner's super sexy tornado on the title track; and 'Dimanche' follows, with Bertrand Belin. Lionel sees him as a 'French Nick Cave who writes songs that resemble films.'. 'The Gift' features Peter Hook who scrapes his bass guitar again here; obviously a song reminiscent of an early period New Order. Finally, the Limiñanas on their own send out an instrumental cavalcade with a furious beat, like a Kraut Morricone, 'Motorizzati Marie' followed by 'Pink Flamingos', introduced with psych rock pads played backwards forming a vaporous song bathed in acoustic arpeggios. A respite in the album... before the fuzz and the abyssal bass of 'Trois Bancs' violently shakes the ghost of Gainsbou
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin.
Hana's first and self-titled LP was recorded in Autumn 2010 at Facta non Verba and consists out of 5 tracks which are techno oriented with disposal of experimental and abstract elements.
Reviews
OMG Vinyl
Hana s S/T LP is easily the best promo records we ve gotten in months. This Greek duo has somehow, almost entirely below the radar, released one of the most exciting electronic records of 2011. Their wobbly brand of techno sometimes chugs ahead at full-speed, other times easing back into a wider waver, almost resembling some weird, warped IDM. I will be shocked if this record doesn t get wider appreciation very soon. Whether that happens or not, we fully recommend it, track one down.
Cyclic Defrost by Oliver Laing
Granny Records duo Hana come correct with their first album, offering a refreshing take on techno and IDM variants in the vein of Jan Jelinek, Raime, Actress and hints of the mighty Chain Reaction label. Mastered at Berlin s Dubplates and Mastering by none other than Rashad Becker, a name that often appears in the run-out groove of artists who inhabit a curiously funky techno-not-techno netherworld Hana s debut self-titled release grows in stature and listening enjoyment with every spin. With a sense of fun and adventure inhabiting the grooves, Hana (who are also part of label-mates, Good Luck Mr Gorsky), explore experimental timbres and ghostly vocalisations with a lightness of touch that belies their recording credentials.
Starting off with an abstract, Clicks and Cuts style intro, Liv slowly finds the sweet spot between mutant Detroit electro funk, a hint of the indie/dance territory of Matthew Dear and the abstract, yet rhythmic 12 releases on the Beatservice label, by Norwegian duo Information from the mid 90s. Obermaier implies the groove to begin with, until a wrong-footed man-with-two-left-feet rhythm leads into minimal acidic flourishes. Album opener SM heads in a Ricardo Villalobos vs. Nonplace Urban Field direction, as the lopsided rhythm and sepulchral vocals add a haunted edge to proceedings. CR80 uses beautifully syncopated live drums and urgent female vocals, and adds a driving, belligerent synth riff falling somewhere in between DMZ and Gary Numan. Echoic, boingy sounds threaten to derail the beat, but somehow it manages to maintain, reminding me of Shed and A Made Up Sound; more in overall feel than in the specific sounds. For those that enjoy abstract electronics that work just as well on headphones as on the dance floor, Greece s Hana are a duo to watch.
Textura
Hana's self-titled debut album arrives saddled with a (literally) cheeky front cover one would more associate with a 70s band like Wild Cherry than a Greece-based techno outfit formed in Thessaloniki last summer. Recorded in fall 2010 at Facta non Verba, the five-cut release finds Good Luck Mr Gorsky members Thanasis Papadopoulos and Thanos Bantis hunkered down in their chemical lab concocting formulae to go along with their material's stripped-down techno beats. Using analogue synths, samplers, and sequencers, the duo brings a decidely experimental edge to their productions, sprinkling as they do liberal doses of burble and flutter over bass-heavy techno rhythms.
The opening track, Sm, sets the scene with a heavy low-end pulse thudding alongside a steady kick drum and joined by acidy synths and percussive effects that suggest a lighter being repeatedly flicked open. On a slightly more aggressive tip, the B-side's Cr80 adds truncated vocal yelps to its bleepy, elephantine throb. A dubby dimension emerges in the track, too, when echoing waves drift repeatedly across the huge bass that slithers across the track's underbelly. The album's most elaborate track comes last. Liv opens beatlessly with flickering shudders and what could pass for the amplified workings of an ant community but then progressively fills in the dots with an insistent beat pattern, voice fragments, and even the demented meander of accordion playing. Though Hana hardly rewrites the techno guidebook on the release, it's nevertheless a pleasurable listen, in part due to the multi-dimensional experience provided by the vinyl format and the always superb mastering work done by Rashad Becker at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering.
Granny13 opens with Nicola Ratti's 'Odd Doubt'. With the use of a modular system and tape loops, a broken rhythm is obtained by parallelism between single sound signals as LFO one or processed tapes.On the second side, Giovanni Lami's 'Johnny Leech' is made with a small bunch of equipment, just a chaotic hand-made synth (cacophonator) and a memoryman, working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply.
Reviews
The Wire
''Two Italian mucisians share a split single of glitchy fun and everyone goes some happy. Lami s piece uses a defective unplugged synthesizer to make huzzing chitters that have a kind of rhythm in spots. Ratti s contribution is a bit more structured it sounds like a record of accordion miniatures broken into pieces, then glued back together with little pieces of felt stuck onto it. Which would definitely be a pretty hep thing to hear.''
Textura
''Some releases qualify as art objects as much as musical collections, a case in point this recent seven-inch vinyl outing featuring material by Nicola Ratti on one side and Giovanni Lami on the other. That shouldn't be interpreted to mean that the musical content isn't worthy of one's time, as it assuredly is, but more to emphasize how striking the sleeve artwork by Opora is and how effectively it complements the musical content.Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi and issued in an edition of 150 copies, the release opens with Odd Doubt, a concise experimental setting by the Milan-born Ratti, who's issued material on labels such as Anticipate, Preservation, Die Schachtel, and Entr'acte and who's presently working with Ielasi in the project Bellows, with Attila Faravelli as Faravelliratti, and with Enrico Malatesta and Faravelli in ~Tilde. Though Ratti started out as a guitar player, his current focus is more on beat-analog experimentation and sound installation. In Odd Doubt, Ratti's modular system and tape loops generate broken rhythms that varyingly call to mind dub-techno, even if dub-techno of an extremely wonky variety. Off-beat chords, crackle, and snare strikes add to the dubwise flavour of the material, though ultimately it registers as more of an experimental exploration than straight-up dub exercise.The flip side features Johnny Leech by Lami, a one-time photographer now known as both a field recordist and a musician focusing on soundscaping and sound-ecology. In his contribution to the seven-inch, Lami's chaotic hand-made synth (cacophonator) and memoryman give birth to blustery smears of static electricity that ultimately mutate into an Oval-like array of ripples and scratches. Johnny Leech is so removed from anything conventionally musical, it makes Odd Doubt sound like a Top 40 pop song. Like Ratti's piece, Lami's is short, so short, in fact, it gives the impression of being an excerpt from a larger sound art work. Here's a release where the abstract nature of the musical content matches its visual presentation.December 2014''
Vital Weekly 951
''Granny Records is from Greece, but the two musicians here are from Italy, of which I don't I heard from Giovanni Lami before. His piece is called 'Johnny Leech' and he uses a hand-made synth known as the cacophonator and a memory man (a delay machine), 'working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply'. It makes up for a nice piece of chaotic lo-fi sound, which is put forward through methods of improvisation. Quite a nice piece and it fits the format very well. The crackling of vinyl surely adds an extra layer. Nicola Ratti uses a modular synth and tape loops, of what seems to be percussive material, but the rhythm is broken down and the whole thing has a nice gentle feel to it, even when it bumps, clicks and glides, but the synth makes it more subtle. Here too one could say this perfect for a 7": one doesn't have the idea that this is cut from a longer part as is not unusual with this kind music. Especially Ratti seems to have worked out his music as a composition, which is very nice. (FdW)''Vital Weekly 951''Granny Records is from Greece, but the two musicians here are from Italy, of which I don't I heard from Giovanni Lami before. His piece is called 'Johnny Leech' and he uses a hand-made synth known as the cacophonator and a memory man (a delay machine), 'working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply'. It makes up for a nice piece of chaotic lo-fi sound, which is put forward through methods of improvisation. Quite a nice piece and it fits the format very well. The crackling of vinyl surely adds an extra layer. Nicola Ratti uses a modular synth and tape loops, of what seems to be percussive material, but the rhythm is broken down and the whole thing has a nice gentle feel to it, even when it bumps, clicks and glides, but the synth makes it more subtle. Here too one could say this perfect for a 7": one doesn't have the idea that this is cut from a longer part as is not unusual with this kind music. Especially Ratti seems to have worked out his music as a composition, which is very nice. (FdW)''Vital Weekly 951''Granny Records is from Greece, but the two musicians here are from Italy, of which I don't I heard from Giovanni Lami before. His piece is called 'Johnny Leech' and he uses a hand-made synth known as the cacophonator and a memory man (a delay machine), 'working mainly on static electricity and leakage current in the synth used without any kind of power supply'. It makes up for a nice piece of chaotic lo-fi sound, which is put forward through methods of improvisation. Quite a nice piece and it fits the format very well. The crackling of vinyl surely adds an extra layer. Nicola Ratti uses a modular synth and tape loops, of what seems to be percussive material, but the rhythm is broken down and the whole thing has a nice gentle feel to it, even when it bumps, clicks and glides, but the synth makes it more subtle. Here too one could say this perfect for a 7": one doesn't have the idea that this is cut from a longer part as is not unusual with this kind music. Especially Ratti seems to have worked out his music as a composition, which is very nice. (FdW)''
Absolutely stellar proto-disco jam from 1975 on the minute Shield label, Nassau County's Hokis Pokis may not be the most well known of funk / soul outfits but that doesn't mean they groove any less than any of the big guns!
'Nowhere' is a true underground classic, one for the real disco aficionados. One of those grooves that straddles the thin lines between rock, soul and funk. This is a proper club record and in the right hands will keep a dancefloor locked in and moving.
Speaking of 'right hands' this special 12" reissue sees NYC DJ and edit royalty Danny Krivit tastefully extend the original 3.32 7" A-side version into an extended club jam. Never one to utilise tired filters, loops, sweeps and so called laptop 'production methods' Danny turns in a fine extension that is subtle, effective and most of all - funky. A truly glorious slice of uplifting dance music 'Nowhere' is an essential purchase for those of you who dig the real deep stuff.
This reissue is a legit, licensed and proper release. Made by Above Board distribution in conjunction with Henry Stone music and the skills of the legendary Danny Krivit. 2018.
The chorus: that moment where everyone connects and participates in unity. A moment anyone who's shared a dancefloor can recognise whether it's a festival arena, subterranean dark room or an illegal rave in a field, warehouse or any abandoned canvas between... Like the ones Cologne's Julian Stetter has come from. Inspired by subversive communities, all pulling together for a greater cause, his background in underground parties can be felt in everything he's done so far: his work with the Ancient Future Now label, his vast imaginative techno constructions and now his work with Jennifer Cardini's long-standing community Correspondant with the widescreen odyssey that is 'Chorus' Six slices of evocative narrative-rich electronic soul inspired by his on-going international experiences on the road; loaded with poignant introspection, thunderous rumbles and playful theatrics, the EP is bookended by two versions of 'Chorus', a vision of scorching hope and lift that can seize a full floor's attention in seconds and full live up to the track's title, message and meaning. By far Julian's most significant solo EP to date, this is a moment for us all to connect and participate. Join in if you know the chorus...
Vinyl only label based in Ukraine. Translated from Ukrainian Tvir means "composition". Owners Vyacheslav & Iuliia Gura. Mastering by Rob Small. Distributed by Memoria.
Optimo Music don't generally do limited edition releases but when The Golden Filter did these extra mixes of 'End Of Times',
the A1 track off their recent EP we thought they were too good to remain in the digital domain so have pressed up a small run of 12' singles aimed specifically at DJs.
The original single version is a future synth classic. These new dub versions take it to the dancefloor and have been tried and tested around the world over the last few months. They are considerably extended, dubbed out and add extra dynamics & ecstatic synth power with hints of the original vocal. There is a slo mo version at 103 bpm and a faster version at 118bpm which means the track should work any time from warm up to peak set. There is also a Drone-Apella version included too.
"After a concert of Kenyan singer Ogoya Nengo in Berlin in 2015 in a pleasant conversation Guillermo Lares told me about his father, Oswaldo Lares, a studied architect who, parallel with his professional activity, began to make field recordings of the traditional and indigenous Venezuelan music from the early 1960s onwards up until today.
His search and fascination for finding the musical roots of his country led Oswaldo Lares to visit the rural villages outside Caracas, investigating the many and varied musical cultures of the region and the complex relationship between Venezuelan folk music and its various origins, including the African (mu´sica afrodescendiente).
The vast amount of music documents in the form of sound recordings, photographs and videos accompanied by notes and studies reflect the scope of this entirely self- taught sound engineer's work and represent a passionate documentary, making his work today one of the most comprehensive and systematic that has ever been assembled by a single person in Venezuela. Oswaldo Lares as an ethnomusicologist remained an amateur in the most direct meaning of the word: amare. Whereas most studied ethnomusicologists travel around the world to explore far away continents and foreign cultures, Oswaldo began to devote much of his spare time to the generally overlooked folk traditions that existed right in his very neighbourhood.
Currently Guillermo Lares has started to promote his father's work through the Achivolares Foundation, turning it into a living archive that preserves an essential part of Venezuelan musical memory. It is a pleasure and honor of our label TAL to support the invaluable work of Oswaldo and Guillermo Lares with this album."
NPVR is moniker taken on board by PITA AKA Peter Rehberg and Factory Floor's Nick Void. 33 33 is their debut recording made in July, 2017 at The Premises, London.
Peter and Nik both share formidable reputations in the post industrial shape-shifting world of sound and form with a vast range of releases and collaborative endeavours over a number of years. Together they tie together their collective experience into a vast array of sonic devices unleashing an album of pragmatic imbalance and psychedelic orientation. Blurring the lines of techno, ambient, avant garde, noise etc
33 33 positions itself in the nebulous realm of contemporary (dis)comfort presenting itself on the border of music and sound, the social and the private.
All tracks by Nik Void & Peter Rehberg
Recorded and edited at The Premises, London, July 2017
Mastered by Russell Haswell at Haswell Studio, London, August 2017
Cut by CGB at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin, September 2017
Artwork by Nik Void
Berlin based Japanese industrial synth duo group A make their debut on Mannequin Records with a killer 3-tracks self titled EP.
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Tommi Tokyo (synth, drum machine, vocals) and Sayaka Botanic (violin, tapes and sampler) released 2 studio albums and 1 live album in Tokyo, before to move in Berlin in 2016. With their mixture of dark minimal synth, avant-noise, striking visuals and performance art, the duo still carries on the very breath of early industrial pioneers such as Throbbing Gristle, Die Form, Klinik, Cabaret Voltaire.
The EP was recorded in Tommi's bedroom and later mixed together with Mannequin Records head Alessandro Adriani in his own studio in Berlin. The first two tracks of the EP, 'T.O.P.' and 'Ketabali' represents the duo personal reaction against the current economy, an up yours to capitalism, news and politics, all permeated by industrial rhytmic-noises and words with no meaning.
The B2 'Alibi' instead was inspired by an autobiography of Hi-Red Centre(Japanese avant-grade art group in the 60-70's) written by one of the members, Genpei Akasegawa. Tommi found the word "Alibi" in the book and she just started singing about the group. As she never wrote lyrics for that, during their live performances they are always improvised, so changing and mutating every time.
The latest release from Bjarki Runar's bbbbbb label sees Bjarki delving back into his vast archives and shines a light on a bizarre detour during the early days of the label that involved
a peculiar commission from the Icelandic state. Bjarki introduces the story; 'It was back in 2015 and we were only just putting together the original plans towards making bbbbbb a label. While this was happening, I got a call from a friend who was
working for a local tech start-up and marketing company. They'd been contacted by the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture who came to them with a weird proposition.
They were looking at the idea of marketing Icelandic lamb as this user-exclusive commodity for high end restaurants, the same way they do with Kobe beef in Japan. His marketing company was going all in with this idea of creating an elite herd of sheep that would get the 5-star treatment - fresh food and beer, shampoo and geothermal baths for their fleece, and entertainment such as TV and music for when they were in the hills. That's where I came in'. The initial meeting between Bjarki and the marketeers however didn't go as smoothly as they hoped; 'When I met my friend and his team, they were going to have music pumped through a series of remote speakers across the hillside' Bjarki explains. 'But when they showed me what they were going to play to them, I almost fell of my chair laughing! It was all this
cheesy, easy listening, orchestral Icelandic bullshit. I said to them 'This is nonsense! Why are you bringing me into this project if that's all you're going to be playing' In the end, I told
them I would completely redo all the sounds and music they were going to be using. I was going to drag the Icelandic sheep into the 21st Century'. Bjarki was as good as his word. Over the summer of 2015, he spent several weeks at farm
locations near Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Reykholtsdalur, walking the hills and playing a variety of sounds and beats to various flocks of sheep to see what the best approach was. It
was tough going at first; 'At the beginning, I was working totally blind', Bjarki explains. 'Imean how can you possibly know what sort of modern music and sounds Icelandic sheep
would go for' But Bjarki persevered and he found certain sounds and tones made the sheep more active and engaged.
From this point, he began to make tracks that would encapsulate what the lambs were drawn to the most. 'A track like Soda 'Sugarlicious' for example, came about when I started
playing Candy Crush on the hillside. As I kept playing, the sheep began to gather around me showing interest in the bright chintzy sounds coming from my laptop and that deep voice that
would keep speaking to you. I simply put together a track that was all shiny colours and heavy on the chimes. The sheep fucking loved it!' A track like 'Drab' meanwhile was suited
for less sunny moments. 'I got caught in a nasty rainstorm, so I started playing these synth lines I had made, along with an improvised kick drum. The mix of the softness of the tones
along with the hit of the bass cased the sheep to follow me all the way back to the farm I was staying at. The farmer wasn't too impressed with that, but the flock was completely
hypnotized'. In the end Bjarki, amassed several tracks ranging from soft ambient to gnarly hardcore bangers to present to the Ministry. But in the end, they decided not to go with the whole
proposal. 'These people were fools', Bjarki says. 'They just couldn't get their heads around doing something completely different, that was a bit of fun yes, but was completely done in a
serious manner. We all spent weeks doing this stuff so yeah, it was a bit gutting'. In the end though, there is a silver lining to this story as these efforts were not wasted for we can now hear the best of Bjarki's efforts from this admittedly weird project on a limited 12'release that marks a storming 2017 for the bbbbbb label.
Georgio Roumans aka Zygos has been making a name for himself recently with his incredible production skills, crazy work rate and mean selection of dubplates. His hard work has been paying off recently with stellar releases on top labels Rarefield, Subaltern and Unity Through Sound. Here he brings four tracks exclusively to Foundation Audio, each with their own unique flavor and vibe, but all carrying Zygos's signature sound - which if you didn't already know is dark and gully as fuck and a perfect fit for the label. Essential Dubstep pressure from front to back, Zygos has smashed it again!
Southern Italian sociologist, DJ and electronic music producer Simone Gatto is about to release his second album, 'Heaven Inside Your Frequencies', in November 2017.
Gatto's second album represents a complete excursus of his personal and professional paths, into which he combines music, words, studies, researches and experiments. Along with the album, split in two parts and to be released on both his labels Out-ER and Pregnant Void, the artist is also releasing his first essay, named as the album; the latter offers a theoretical and practical analysis on the use of sounds and frequencies in diverse areas of interest, dedicating space to music therapy and primordial techniques as well as their application in the current digital and virtual era.
Both the album and the essay result from Gatto's personal experiences as well as his ten-year's artistic career: the love of his motherland and his parents, the first approach to clubs, the studies about the potentiality of frequencies, the electroacoustic experimentation and last but not least, the aesthetic sonorous research.
The the first part of the album showcases Gatto's experimental inclination for electronic and electroacoustic music; as such, the upcoming on his label Pregnant Void, has been created to enhance the sounds of the environment and personal panoramas by agglomerating artists, projects and publications. The second part definitely focusses on Gatto's dance personality and club vision, even so, it stays strongly connected to its first part as complementary for the artist's objective.
Ranging in between his favourite club niches, and collaborating with producers with whom he has shared embryonic projects, DJ booths or vinyl releases, Gatto prepares the audience for a complete journey into his idea of club music and grooves, featuring wide aesthetics and emotional resonance. It goes from the gentle tidiness of ambient and deep techno - 'No Te Olvides De Acordarte', 'Today Will Be Tomorrow ft. Kaelan', 'When I Was With You' and 'Limbo' to the intrinsic vitality of break beat, dub and funk tracks 'Caronte' and 'Holographic Drama' continuing with the dynamism of a typical Detroit techno brand of sound reinterpreted in a modern context, like in 'Forbidden Area' and 'Amazonia ft. Aubrey', and finishing with the joyful wildness of distorted sounds, in 'Jamming On The Couch ft. The Analogue Cops, OL047' in collaboration with long-time friends OL047 and The Analogue Cops; the last track, 'Il Canto Dell'Anima', is a partial excursion into the electroacoustic sound, articulated by ethereal soundscapes and piano arpeggios. The whole work is enriched by samples, field recordings and filtered vocals, sound elements which have been deeply explored in the first part of the album, confirming Gatto's aesthetical aptitude as for the club's universe as for the aesthetic sonorous research dimension.
'Heaven Inside Your Frequencies', recorded and produced between his motherland and other significant spaces and cities - the Ionian coast and natural parks of Lecce, his second home Berlin, the Whitney Museum in New York City and other significant places - 'Heaven Inside Your Frequencies' combines Gatto's theoretical background with personal and artistic maturity, achieved in the last decade. Simone Gatto's life, culture and emotions translate into a sonorous and written project, among sounds, frequencies and attempts to achieve empathetic communication with people. Specifically, the second part of the album in meant to increase the sensibility about potential interaction between performer and audience as for club contexts. The album listening and the essay reading are therefore complementary and equally functional to the achievement of the artist's goal: the empathetic communication through sounds.
Donna Steaks are the world's greatest tracks - and I mean that in every sense of the word. These tracks are, by far, the best sounding, most flavorful rave you've ever had - truly in a league of their own.
Treat yourself to the very, very best life has to offer. One beat and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. Believe me: I understand rave. It's my favorite sound. And Donna Steaks are the best.
'Less thought, more direction and purpose, less catering, more expression...'
This was Savile's mantra as he sculpted his 'Compersion' EP for Mike Simonetti's 2MR and it's a mantra we should all subscribe to. It's come about through his introspective analysis during the creation of his most succinct and starkest exploration date.
''Compersion' is a record about wrestling my own beliefs, both personal and political. It's about experiencing the anxiety and absurdity of loving a partner and ultimately myself. The sounds, tempos and arrangements found here are the result of further experiments with editing tracks to their absolute minimum. I tried to work these songs like I am working on me. Less thought, more direction and purpose, less catering, more expression.'
And more detail; throughout every stripped back heavily-edited sensation the conceptual EP provides, the meaning and message is palpable. Each track title inspired by Jenny Holzer and Helmut Lang's revolutionary provocative, sexualisation of the art space in Florence Biennale, 1996, there's a tangible physicality felt throughout...
The heavy breathing rhythmic elements of the electroid 'Talk Smile Bite' and its bedrock bedspring funk; the playful switch between breezy broken beats and driving techno coupled with minimal sample craft and literal message of an instantly recognisable vocal on 'Watch Scan Wait'; the much heavier, intense techno pressure of 'Tease Breathe Smell' where the heart is on the sleeve and it's palpitating wildly with direction, purpose and true expression.
A smart concept from a Smart resident, Savile has achieved something special here; a provocative model a deep self-construction and, above all, three damn fine pieces of techno.
Max manetti is a new artist to Uber. This 4 track ep showcasing his unique loose percussion and bass driven take on the Balearic beat capturing the dancefloor and the sunshine in equal measures. Jungle prayer is a breaky percussion grroove with cheeky sample, deeply mesmerising. Dub Macumba is a slightly more drowsy take the theme of bass and drums with a funky guitar rhythm. Changuinola is a dubby narcotic dream of a tune subtle melodies and a perfect vocal sample evocing nights under stars at Hostal Salinas. Finally Garrison arrives...another killer downtempo bomb. a seriously confident debut. proper.
Legendary Los Hermanos member Santiago Salazar's album 'Aspirations For Young Xol' is given a vinyl release courtesy of Rekids.
A heartfelt dedication to his son Isaias, 'Aspirations for Young Xol' takes us through the life of a pillar in the electronic music community - Santiago Salazar. From his formative years spent in California to his connection with Detroit and the passing of a childhood friend, the long-player's tracks signpost the musician's significant experiences, both positive and negative. This meaningful body of work was released digitally on Pastel Voids and now Rekids release the album on wax.
'Saturated Fear' sets a deep tone for the LP, flanging melodies and echoing claps float through the composition before the album's title track 'Aspirations for Young Xol' offers haunting arpeggios with occasional acidic overtones which are cleverly offset by beautifully designed lead synth transitions. 'Bloodlines' follows a similar musical vein with delayed bass riffs that are suspended above shimmering hihats and a weighted kick.
Santiago provides three beatless pieces throughout, which digress into more emotional territory whilst offering brief respite from his heavier drum work. 'Xol's Pain' combines orchestral strings and swelling synthesisers which build tension with a subtly complex, evolving motif. Both 'Dark Matter' and 'Ode to Stinson' use arresting atmospheres, warped arpeggios and ethereal pads which lull the listener into a retrospective mood.
An intensity builds in the later tracks, a gritty but powerful low end provides a solid foundation in 'Orange Blossom Thump', eventually making way for a hectic and elastic lead synth before 'Pachuco Dub' displays drones that build a dissonant pressure in which the complex tom rhythms and rolling hi hats can grow. 'Sarah Rivera' hypnotises with its delectable chord progressions and complimentary melodies which seem to float above a rigid drum composition to close the album with style.
We hope you like this Ep as much as we do, ReSolute Label
Resolute Label's tenth release, The Nest EP , features the head honcho himself, Elon. Written and produced entirely in Nest's Brooklyn based studio, this EP is a collaborative project that showcases vintage gear such as the TR-808, 909, Prophet 6, TB-303 and SH-101 to name a few. The EP kicks off with the title track, a stripped back number featuring arpeggiated synths, warm pads and 303 stabs, co-produced by Bulgarian live maestro, KiNK, an industry vet who needs no introduction. On A2, Elon teams up with the machine obsessed Italian, mass_prod, for
Fractious , a techno number with swirling synths and reverberated vocal stabs that echo throughout. On the flipside, Elon collaborates with techno don Alexi Delano aka ADNY to produce Flirtface , a groovy 303 bassline track with resonant synth licks that keeps the mood rolling. The B2 vinyl exclusive track, Meander , features a second collaboration with KiNK.
Offered as a digital exclusive and co-produced by David Scuba, Last Call features a modulated bassline and intricate drum programming that effortlessly rolls along.
Copenhagen's Echocord Colour returns this mid November with Brendom Moeller's 'Magic City' EP, featuring four originals from the New York based artist.
Brendon Moeller has long been a purveyor of authentic dub-infused Techno since stepping onto the scene via his 2006 'Sweetspot / Humpback' EP via Echocord and has since gone on to release on reputable imprints such as Third Ear, Kimochi Sound, Delsin's Ann Aimee, Mule Musiq and of course his very own Steadfast.
Here though Moeller makes a welcome return to where it all began with some fresh material for Echocord's Colour sub- label. 'Caravan' takes the lead on the release and in typical Brendon Moeller fashion we're treated to densely layered dub chords, throbbing subs and expansive atmospherics whilst robust drums drive the composition along.
Magic City' follows and ups the energy levels even further with pounding industrial drums layered underneath billowing dub stabs and eerie drones. 'Magic City In Dub' follows and as the name suggests offers up a reduced take on the composition, dropping the tempo and shining light on the billowing echoes of the original whilst stirring in some off-kilter rhythsm and additional processing for good measure. Lastly, 'Departure' closes the package, with haunting synth drones, bumpy rhythms and murky vocals wandering throughout the seven-minute composition.
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A great strong man with a brush in his hand once said: everything you can imagine is real and art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. So is making music just another form of keeping a diary In terms of Ana Helder, the Argentinian girl with the special twist, the answer is: maybe. More than two years after her last release on Co´meme she is back with a hand full of tracks. Five to be precise. She got more, but this is what the Mu¨stique's received. They are mean, dirty, harmful, amorevolous, seductive and addictive. Surrender tunes from a producer and DJ that does not think in boxes. Her three Eps El Groove De Tu Corazo´n', Fiebre De Marte' and Beating PC' mark some warped grooving heights in the edgy catalogue of Matias Aguayo's label Co´meme. Also on the French label Astro Lab she already dropped the 12inch Soy Canalla' with a playful psyche tune, that additionally got remixed by folks like Les Disques De La Mort seducer Ivan Smagghe or the mysterious West-German ghost-(w)rid(t)er Frank West. Furthermore, she re-tuned tunes from Chilean friends like Alejandro Paz or Mama- cita and sang on songs of colleagues. For Mu¨stique she now looked into her always-growing production crate and found some post-punk waving funk odes, which want more than just to dance this mess around. They bring soulful LSD-melodies for Jazz lovers with techno legs that like to get high on Liquid Liquid. They are electronic but yet so organic. And they move deeply while spreading the feel of a meditative rest. When Diagnose heard them first, he came to the idea of writing a script for a flick that tells the story of a music-making machine, which has more to offer than answers. It forms sound with no traces of reality, but is so human that humans fear it. Why did he think that way Only because of what Ana Helder recently got to say Well, let the music play...
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Everybody who knows Connaisseur, will probably be aware of the fact that we simply love the concept of remixes. To fnd the right person for a specifc track in order to turn an already amazing original into a new direction, is always an exciting challenge. Of course, there is always some wishful thinking on our side about what it will turn out to be like. Usually, we are completely wrong, which however doesn't mean that we are not happy with the result. Usually, we love the result even more than our own brainchild. In April, we released Of Norway's sophomore album
"The Loneliest Man In Space", a diverse masterpiece.
Since then, we have been searching for remixers whom we personally really like and of whom we are sure they can turn the track into a direction we can't even imagine. It was a bit of a journey, but now after the product ist completed, we are more than happy that we were able to bring such a group of remixers
together on one product.
As every remixer has delivered such a great interpretation, we decided to give each of themenough space to be discovered, which is why we will be releasing one remix per week over the course of two months. A selection of these remixes can be found
on a 12" extract. One extra remix is exclusively for radio and streaming.
For the vinyl extract we picked the interpretations by Lauer, Panthera Krause, Legowelt, Davis & Zopelar and Roy Of The Ravers.
Ten Years Behind the Scenes - An Anniversary Celebration Keeping anything alive for a decade is worthy of a kudos-but when it comes to club culture and dance music, 10 years is an admirable milestone indeed. For Indigo Raw, it represents another opportunity to bring in the left-field, high-grade dance inducers. And this time, the raison d'etre of the labels tenth anniversary release is a certain infamous duo known as Midnight Operator. Centered around the eponymous creation by Nathan and Mathew Jonson, Behind the Scenes EP is an ode to the kind of off-kilter, moody techno the pair have become infamous for. And on this particular occasion, we're taken for a journey in more than one sense. Equipped with a classic Jonson bass line and a scant little phrase that carries the track all the way through the end, Behind the Scenes is a lesson in transmutation. Sombre beginnings undergo a gradual shift into dancier, sunnier territory-until we are left with the impression that we've tuned into a channel that runs all the way through hills and past Martian wildlife. From dark to light, the brothers lift a veil to reveal a resolutely ecstatic piece of work. One that, in arriving at a very different place from where it sets out, earns all eight minutes of its wandering. In continuation of the jubilee excursion for this anniversary release, reworks of the flagship track have come in from across the globe. From south of the equator, AtomTM delivers an assertive piece that takes the darkest aspects of the Midnight Operator original and, with the help of a relentless stream of stabs and a sped-up beat, brings them into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Nerosky-as in Nerone(indigo Raw label partner) & Fosky-makes their debut with a piece collaborated in the confines of a smoky Catalan studio.
Astray is the Sublabel of Away, Berlin. Tracklist A Wild Hunt AA Sahara Pump Theory B Wild Hunt (Mark Broom Remix) BB Hell For Leather INFO H4L After Discrete Circuit kicked off ASTRAY, another offshoot of the Berlin party series AWAY, the other half of their joint venture AWAY Soundsystem is in charge for ASTRAY's third installment. H4L, the Berlin-based live studio project, explores some tougher, jam-driven experiments resonating from two decades of warehouse reverberation experience. INFO Wild Hunt EP The title track starts off the release with a dusty, stripped-down pursuit. Marching forward with impelling kick drums, H4L creates an overall organic groove incorporating percussive, distorted sound particles, glancing up in and out of the mix like misty voices. 'Sahara Pump Theory' follows a more robust approach driven by vivid stab sequences and gnarly acidic bass elaborating a vibrant exchange of flow and energy. One of these unfolding weapons that know how to tickle that genuine peak-time madness. Speaking of weapons, UK producer Mark Broom is no stranger to that discipline after hitting dance floors with his ensouled workouts for more than two decades now. Following his old-school compass by calibrating the essentials of groove and melody, Broom's remix of 'Wild Hunt' throws the originals' core parts overboard to empower his highly effective hi-hats as the driving force rocketing into a distant atmosphere. 'Hell For Leather' tops off H4L's package with an unexpected hit-and-run sonic attack. Whether the competing broken and off beats, the IDM rooted drum patterns or the leftfield yet industrial jazz design - this reckless trip is by no means an easy finish, more like a feral crash course about an (almost) forgotten principle: electronic music is either an adventure or nothing at all.
* Cold Recordings is very proud to include Berlin based producer PHON.O as part of it's growing roster by means of this immaculate EP. Across the 3 tracks, PHON.O demonstrates his ability to combine UK- bass influences with techno sensibilities, ultimately crafting cutting edge music for the dancefloor.
* 'CLU5T3R' opens the EP with a swinging 132bpm rhythm that sits somewhere in between classic UK-Funky and a cracking Shed/Heads High techno anthem. The repeating riff that circles and cycles, sweeps through the frequency spectrum, energising and purposeful. Versatile and effective, this is a track to come back to time and time again.
* Flip the plate and there's another couple of gems. 'V3R5U5' continues on from where 'CLU5T3R' left off, progressing the mood into a more ethereal space, building layers of pads and texture as the track developes, rising and ramping up, before pulling back and dropping into a rolling rhythm. Closing up the EP is 'H4NDCUFF3D', which takes the mood into a more dramatic backdrop. Chilling pads swell up from the ground like mist in a graveyard, while the broken rhythm sets pace, creating a moody ambiance for those moments when you want to take a dancefloor into mystical, other-worldly territories. Dramatic and energising!
To progress towards a civilization which does not unconsciously perpetuate or aggravate inequality and poverty, we need to accept our many differences. For those who prefer uniformity or others who would rather avoid proximity, the celebration of diversity might sound ridiculous.
A certain measure of discomfort is required to reach compassion. But peace through diversity is no prophet's fantasy. It is no harder to imagine than the magical fact that we are alive right now.
The eternal act of dancing is one of the most active form of contemplation. Facing our own selves in the mirror of movement, we realize that we indeed are reflections of one another at all times. What will our own actions and thoughts feed around us
With over 30 years of combined dancefloor experience, Possible Futures have been witnesses to the wildest fauna and flora the great nocturnal jungle has to offer.
Sourcing their inspiration from the many shades of color that co-exist between black and white, it is through the open and eclectic selections of inspired and devoted luminaries that Possible Futures have found their manyfold sound: Frankie Knuckles, Larry Heard, Francois K, Carl Craig, Moritz von Oswald, DJ Harvey, Theo Parrish, Chez Damier, Ron Trent, DJ Deep or Moodymann, amongst so many others, have dedicated their lives to the flourishing of diversity on the dancefloor.
While the minds of Possible Futures float in the air with their bodies rotating behind the turntables, their feet are steadily rooted in reality, enabling their musical knowledge to unfold beyond the night. Through their own record label, Possible Futures share their therapeutic musical blends.
The first two cuts come from the grooves of Argentine old hand Leonel, a family friend of long date. 'Antares' and 'Bunda' drag their dusty trails across different genres, to be enjoyed at 45 rotations per minute. Curative properties guaranteed.
* Walton drops his third instalment on Tectonic in fine style, calling upon Japanese influences to create a truly unique sonic across both tracks in the release. Asian instrumentation meets directly head to head with the cutting edge sounds of a UK grime-techno axis to great effect.
* 'Praying Mantis' captures all the charm of a fine Japanese watercolour painting by means of some spectacular midi-harp programming. Hi-hats and detailed percussion set a shuffling pace, building the mood up before a beautiful harp section unfolds and takes over, expertly programmed by Walton to sound as if a master harpist had stepped into the room! As drums and bass join the party we have all the makings of a low-slung grimey masterpiece, both soothing and energising in a perfect zen balance.
* Flip then for 'Koto Riddim' which again brings Japanese influences to the forefront of the track. Walton programs classic sounding Japanese percussion sounds along with grunting vocal cuts and a charming flute-based melody. As the track drops, it switches into a more familiar, grime-based palette of sounds, deftly arranged for most dangerous impact.
Slow cooked meat, smooth cigarettes, hot baths, and fine wine." Jesse Bru knows best. A stunner of an EP written during the early days of his arrival in Berlin from Vancouver, Jesse debuts on Rhombus with two tracks of beautiful house music on wax
Feedback:
Luna City Express (Moon Harbour) - "nice ep!! like both tracks & will play" thanks;-) (norman)."
Black Loops (Toy Tonics) "yeah my man goes deeepppp."
Quarion (Tamed, Retreat) - "Great production!"
Desert Sound Colony (DSC) - "Liking Trixx!"
Shir Khan (Exploited) - "very deep and moody. like space jazz."
Mat.Joe (Mother) - "Dope!!!"
Digital FM - "Nice, EP! TNX DFM."
Laurent, Different (Radio F) - "2 nice tracks / The second is my Fav..SUPPORT!"
Kiss FM (Ukraine) - "Downloading for KISS FM, thanks!"
DANILO D'ANDREA - IFYOUWANT's Radio Show IT - "thanx."
Riyaz , DIVERSIONS (Radio CA) - "like the melodic rhythms and nuanced flows!"
Lars, Deeper Shades Of House (Radio USA) - "love "Space Jazz" atmosphere."
Ibiza Global Radio (Jose Maria Ramon) - "nice, will try it."
The wait is finally over. The greatest living female voice in African music, Oumou Sangare releases a new album "Mogoya" (meaning "people today") on a new record label with an all-new production team and a wonderful new set of songs.
The power of Oumou's voice and the potency of her message remain as strong as ever and, while her sound is rooted deep in the continuity of Malian tradition, Mogoya has a strong new sound. Co-produced by Andreas Unge in Stockholm and by the French production collective A.l.b.e.r.t. (who have worked with among others Air, Tony Allen, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Beck, Franz Ferdinand) in Paris, it draws on a rich musical heritage whilst also looking to the future.
"We wanted to emphasise the raw power of Oumou's voice and songs. We wanted to find a new modernity" says co-producer Ludovic Bruni, one of the three members of A.l.b.e.r.t. with Vincent Taurelle and Vincent Taeger.
On the album, traditional African instruments - the kamele n'goni (harp), karignan (metal scraper) and calabash percussion - are augmented by electric guitar, bass, keyboards and synths with Tony Allen on drums. As Oumou puts it, "This time round I wanted to go for more of a modern sound, to satisfy young people in Mali but being careful, all the while, to respect my culture and tradition".
The songs describe what Oumou knows best human relationships. She addresses difficult topics with incredible frankness - jealousy, ingratitude and betrayal never afraid to sing about the day-to-day problems faced by African society, particularly women.
Oumou has a high international profile, touring all over the world, collaborating with artists such as Alicia Keys, Tracy Chapman, Bela Fleck and Dee Dee Bridgewater and featuring on the soundtrack of Toni Morrison's Beloved. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation and has three businesses in Mali a range of SUVs called 'Oum-Sang', a hotel in Bamako and 'Oumou Sangare 769, Rice', grown in her own fields.
She has released six albums on the World Circuit label: Moussolou, meaning "women"(1990), Ko Sira (1993), Worotan (1996), Oumou (2003), Seya (2009) and Kounadi (2012).
Music is at the absolute centre of Oumou's life: "without it I'm nothing and nothing can take it from me" and Mogoya represents an exciting new chapter in her career, something which she approaches with a mixture of boldness, humility and confidence."It was new for me because my music has never had this kind of arrangement and sound before. I've been totally in the tradition for years now so to get out of that and have a look around elsewhere was a total pleasure," Oumou Sangare.
Lion—and the mean ecstasy of You've Got A Woman,' the B-side to their sole release—comprise a rare burst of psychedelic-Western soul from two names best known for Dutch progressive rock and new wave. Drummer Peter de Leeuwe, departing from the symphonic leanings of Dutch prog-fixtures Ekseption, penned it in 1975, layering syncopated explosions of hand-claps, vibraslap and slick drumwork with neutron-star density, with super-producer Hans van Hemert nearly bursting Glenn Robles' vocals through the fore. The Shoes Subtle Edit' provides exactly that, gently teasing the organ- and requintohinted contours of the track to better suit the treasure within. Chicago-based septet Whitney have brought some attention to You've Got A Woman' with a recent cover, and the faith with which they recreate much of the original instrumentation proves the extent of Lion's accomplishment.
For the 9th instalment in DBA's Dubs series Ikonika and Big Strick square off head to head, following the Hyperdub artist's genre-defying Distractions LP earlier this year. Oral Suspension is an instrumental which switches rough-shod between a UK halfstep crunch and a Hoop Dreams era Chicago bounce. On the flip Big Strick brings his characteristic smooth groove to the table for the remix, which, though laidback, is nevertheless bound to energise the dancers.
Evading the ubiquitous pigeonholes, Ikonika has variously been known for her dubstep innovations, her uk funky experiments on Hum and Buzz and her post-urban sketches for Hyperdub. Meanwhile though an interest in techno and specifically the sounds of the Midwest have underpinned her work.
Introducing new London label Premature Recordings, founded by Ben Galyas, focussing on 'progressive electronic music'.Obuscule is the debut release from South London based artist, homas9000. Two tracks, produced in early 2017 using modular synthesizers and DIY recording techniques: the meandering Veolia, all hazy reverberation and distortion; and the industrial Droid, with defunct drum machines, screeching pads and twisted breakdowns.
Als Oasis 1997 ihr drittes Album "Be Here Now" veröffentlichten, waren sie nicht weniger als die größte
Rockband der Welt. Bereits im Vorjahr hatten sie einzelne Songs live gespielt und auf verschiedenen Singles
veröffentlicht. Dennoch waren seit den Beatles die Erwartungen an ein neues Album nicht mehr so hoch
gewesen. Die Reaktionen waren seinerzeit gespalten, aus heutiger Sicht muss man sagen: Das war
Jammern auf hohem Niveau. Vielleicht war aber auch die Zeit einfach noch nicht reif für das, was vor allem
Noel Gallagher über Monate austüftelte, ausprobierte, wieder verwarf und neu erfand. Jetzt ist das OasisMastermind in seine Archive gegangen und hat das "verflixte" dritte Album noch einmal runderneuert. Neben
dem knackigen, entschlackten Remaster auf CD und Doppel-LP hat er aber für die Deluxe-Fassung sage und
schreibe 28 zusätzliche Tracks ausgegraben: bis heute nie veröffentlichte Songs, Single-B-Seiten, LiveAufnahmen und Demos, darunter die legendären ersten Skizzen von 14 Songs, die 1996 auf der Karibikinsel
Mustique entstanden.
