quête:ment

Tricky is back. Back with a new studio album, False Idols, and his own label (also bearing the False Idols name), but also back in a personal sense. I was lost for ages, he says. I was trying to prove something to people, trying to do something to please other people and also myself at the same time, which is never going to work. To be honest with you, Ive been floating around since Chris Blackwell and Island. My last two albums, I thought they were good, but I realise now they werent. This album is about me finding myself again.
It opens with a cover of a Van Morrison song, Somebodys Sins, which sees Tricky and vocalist Francesca Belmonte whispering Jesus died for somebodys sins, but not mine over a sparse groaning bass. The lead single Parenthesis, which features a vocals from Peter Silberman of The Antlers, has more rhythmic grunt, which gives a different dimension to the dark gothic atmosphere that pervades the record. No-one does this kind of thing better.
The resemblance to Maxinquaye is undeniable, though the material on False Idols is gentler; more mature. Many of the songs feature artists signed to Trickys new label, including 24-year Londoner Francesca Belmonte and Fifi Rong. The album also includes collaborations with Nigeria's new global star Nneka, the afore-mentioned Peter Silberman. In the months before the albums release, False Idols will also release an EP "Matter of Time" showcasing the labels roster on new non-album material produced by Tricky.
Why the name False Idols Because theres so much bollocks going on at the moment mate, Tricky fires back. People follow celebrities and read every little thing they do. Its living vicariously through someone else. Get your own life. All this stuff is false idols. In this new album Ill stand behind every track, Tricky says. I dont care whether people like it. Im doing what I want to do, which is what I did with my first record. Thats what made me who I was in the beginning. If people dont like it, it dont matter to me because Im back where I was.

Heads have been after Otakar Olšaník and Jan Martiš's Advanced Process for a long time. That's because "coincidentally-cosmic disco" packed with spaced-out, smacky-synth dynamite tends to become sought-after. Originally slipping out on the mighty Coloursound in 1986, the label described the sound as "contemporary synthesizer underscores played by computers; depicting future technologies in today's process." If they'd just added "acid-drenched", they'd have been closer to nailing it.

The A-Side is totally beatless. It's also totally perfect. "Atomic Plant 1" is a pulsing synth epic and could've easily soundtracked a stylish 80s thriller such as Thief or To Live And Die In LA. It's a narcotically enhanced meeting between John Carpenter and Steve "Lovelock" Moore. "Atomic Plant 2" adds extra squelch and proper early computer synth squiggles. This stuff is addictive and truly ace. The 3 part "Fusion Point" showcases a dramatic and insistent industrial mood via a gripping sequencer pattern mixed with effects and accents. Menacing and magnificent. The trio of "Nuclear Radiation" tracks veer majestically from a hypnotic sequencer pattern with a heavy dramatic tune to hectic patterns without much of a tune, managing nevertheless to maintain a hold on the listener.

The drums enter proceedings on Side B and they're absolutely outstanding. Coming on like a slicker, heavier Johnny Jewel production, 20 years before Italians Do It Better, "Regulators 1" marries the smoothest head-nod beat you can wish for, with a murky mechanical rhythm and phasing effects. After the stunning beatless version ("Regulators 2") the suuuupppper slo-mo "Data Load" sounds like its wading through the heaviest K-Hole and is all the more thrilling for it. "Modem" is a brief and breezy funky bass and synth squiggle wonder, of the beatless variety. "Robot Masters", would you believe, actually sounds like something those Daft Parisians would've sampled on Discovery, over 15 years later. An uptempo, optimistic track with a real strut; propulsive rhythms with dramatic synths, what can only be described as "very-80s sounds" and digi-handclaps. The breathless "Digiheart" double bill rounds things out, one with a dynamic driving rhythm and more slick-as-hell beats and the other without drums. Mental, brilliant and completely essential.

As David Hollander, in Unusual Sounds: The Hidden History of Library Music, states, Coloursound was "founded in 1979 by composer, music lawyer, and vibraphonist Gunter Greffenius. A Munich-based library with a reputation for releasing innovative and ambitious music, it catered largely to the market for experimental sounds, its first release was 1980’s Biomechanoid, an abstract synthesizer excursion by Joel Vandroogenbroeck, of the pioneering kosmische band Brainticket. The record — complete with imposing, anonymous title and unearthly H.R. Giger cover art — set the tone for the label’s progressive leanings. The label’s catalogue stands as a tribute to the unfettered creative license that libraries were able to provide to forward-thinking musicians who, frustrated by the whims and constraints of the commercial scene, found complete freedom in the world of production music."

As with all our library music re-issues, the audio for Advanced Process comes from the original analogue tapes and has been remastered for vinyl by Be With regular Simon Francis. Richard Robinson has brought the original Coloursound sleeve back to life in all its metallic silver glory.

In the midst of a wave of hybridizing ambient, drone, folklore and experimental electroacoustic music, Roxane Métayer has gained a cult following with only a couple of releases to date. Following her debut album (Éclipse Des Ocelles) for Morc with a split EP and a limited cassette for Wabi-Sabi, Roxane now turns to Marionette with her intimate narrative based multi-instrumental recordings, a match made in the heavens if you ask us. With her violin, woodwind, voice and various effect pedals, Métayer takes the listener on a newfound journey into the ancient, medieval, and primordial.

Perlée de sève is Métayer’s second full length, a sophomore to the critically acclaimed Éclipse Des Ocelles, where Métayer continues to sonically realize the map of the fictional habitats that inhabit her mind. Coming from a background of studying narration and different animation mediums, it’s no surprise that her recordings evoke vivid imagery and carry a trace of the environment they were conceived in. The instruments morph as extensions of her body and ultimately become new organs, a means of communicating these bio-memetic stories and creating a dialogue between herself and her surroundings. Meandering melodies intertwine with accompanying drones, mantra-like fragments and a handfeel percussion lend themselves as living and breathing elements in Roxane’s beguiling and spellbinding anecdotes.

Roxane is an observer of the world, her projects conceived from elements that inform her reality, such as the organic imagery and sounds of nature, then transforming that into a strangely familiar parallel universe that would not exist otherwise. Whether it's active research or taking her instruments to the forest, Métayer opens up her imagination by taking this mental journey to discover locations, creatures, and time periods then channeling that into her own fairy tales. The album and track titles act as a portal into those worlds, like chapters in a book where the protagonists are animalia, plantae, and fungi. As Métayer wrote in an interview: “Stories are a privileged way to create an awareness of a specific subject.”

Is Cory Okay? Opening on pads that sounds like a warm LA sunrise and bubbling with the characteristic dorky, oddball mawkishness that is Tungz 101, ‘Is Cory Okay?’ blossoms into a sugar-glass 80s pop ballad for the masculine mental health crisis. Quincy Jones guitars chip away at the soft underbelly of synth, shaping and modelling until sleek lines are established and the entire track becomes effortlessly aerodynamic. The lyric explores male anxiety disorder from the point of view of friends looking to alleviate the psychological distress of a protagonist who outwardly rejects the value of the support but internally begs for it to continue as he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s yet another example of Tungz multi-dimensional approach to song writing, asserting theirs as an essential voice in 2023. Album: Dripping with licks so richly sophisticated they ought to have their own Beverly Hills postcode, Tungz debut album ‘A Good Dream’ mixes the emotional downer of chillwave with the rhapsody of disco and hits perfection. Across 11 tracks, Tungz access a dancefloor utopia, where a French house aesthetic lives out an opulent psych-pop fantasy; beautifully simple yet sneakily complex. Brimming with confidence, the collection not only fulfils the promise of Tungz early EPs, but asserts their multidimensional approach to song writing, confirming them as an idiosyncratic prospect within alternative music.

Part 2 of the Settle Down debut on E-Beamz with 2 tracks connecting the dots beween the eras of UK club music history.

The clattering drums & undulating bassline of 'Sniper' give way to warping mentasms that evoke memories of some of the earliest strains of dance music from acid house to jungle tekno and hardcore.

'No Shoes on The Carpet' speeds things up and doffs it's cap to the ragga jungle of the mid 90's as well as the first strain of what would become drum & bass with the deep, diving bassline recalling classics from the Philly Blunt & V Recs back catalogues.

This is no holds barred dancefloor weaponry of the highest calibre.

Danger, heartbreak, love & lust, over leads, lush pads & rhymes.
This is how BNC (Bruises N Cuts) unfolds the soundtrack hiding behind the perilous yet thrilling experience known as The Bonnie And Clyde Syndrome.
Named after the infamous duo, the condition of attraction to criminal minds is reflected in a ten track LP featuring some of Athens finest female acts paring alongside BNC to deliver a musical rollercoaster ride wrapped in a story of bright lights and equal dark corners.
Honing the skills from the likes of the soulful Sugahspank, IRENE and Ksenia Dania, not to mention the witty Idra Kayne & Greek indie sensation Nalyssa Green, the LP delivers a Hip-Hop electronica infused sonic meal better served warm & loud.

The Bonnie And Clyde Syndrome is available on vinyl by the label Mind The Wax as of December 16th. The album was released digitally by Sky Vector on November 14th 2022 and includes 10 tracks.

Hot Jams Straight out the 330XX !!

In collaboration with his Ritmo Astral label, Belters is pleased to introduce Orion Agassi from the Asturias region of Spain! Remastered for vinyl, this one has been a while in the making and seems to be reaching the right ears so far. It's very exciting to now share with yours too.

Who knew that classic house and boogie had been missing some reggaeton vocals?? Each track has been very effective on dancefloors around the world and counts support from people you've heard of. 'Dos Blokes' even got a notable mention in the New Yorker.

“a fluorescent EP that fuses reggaeton house and electro into unexpected but undeniably effective club tracks” - Resident Advisor

repress!

3x12'' Re-issue of this Drexciyan masterpiece that was previously released on Supremat. Now including the tracks that were only available on the CD version when the album first came out in 2001.
If the late James Marcel Stinson left anything in his wake it's certainly the staggering amount of beauty he produced over the years. Tresor Records prepare to re issue a slice of that beauty on October 10th.
Thematically, 'The Opening Of The Cerebral Gate' saw Stinson shift away from the grand narrative of the Drexciyan saga, instead exploring a sub-plot of esoteric concepts revolving around internal, mental and psychedelic tropes. Musically, it presents the electro genius at the height of his game.

2023 Repress

In between the re-releases of the two legendary Drexciya albums released on Tresor in '99 and '01, the Berlin techno institute is proud to re-present Transllusion's 'Mind Over Positive and Negative Dimensional Matter' the 12' single which originally accompanied the album 'The Opening Of The Cerebral Gate'.

Produced by the late James Marcel Stinson and released in 2001 via Supremat, a short-lived sub-label Tresor dedicated to a more abstract and experimental electro sound, both releases were conceived as the second part of the so-called Drexciyan Storms - a whopping stack of seven albums by the Detroit pair released under different monikers within a single year (the Tresor album 'Harnessed The Storm' being the rst).

This phase marks a groundbreaking time for the duo, their cosmos breaking wide open, right at the dawn of a new technological era in electronic music production. All this is deeply reected in Transllusion's rst album and single.

Thematically, 'The Opening Of The Cerebral Gate' and 'Mind Over Positive and Negative Dimensional Matter' saw Stinson shift away from the grand narrative of the Drexciyan saga, instead exploring a sub-plot of esoteric concepts revolving around internal, mental and psychedelic tropes. Musically, it presents the electro genius at the height of his game.

The third compilation (of four instalments) in the Various Artists catalogue of Pi Electronics is hitting physical and digital stores around the globe on the 10th of February 2023.

The concept of releasing artists, who performed at Pi parties (2014-2019) along with musicians who stood close to the label before and during its activity, gathers 18 tracks to the Limitation Compilation.

Music by New York City industrial legend Adam X, Swedish master mind producer Peder Mannerfelt and Irish Techno figure, Eomac (also one half of Lakker) finally takes its place on the label catalogue, along with tracks by the electro side of Italian born producer, Alessandro Adriani and the sound-aesthetic of UK hailing musicians, Slave to Society (formerly AnD ) and Sam KDC.

Berlin artists Alekzandra and Interviews appear with a synth leaning piece, and a hypnotic, broken techno contribution respectively.

You can also meet the sound of Tel Aviv's finest electro duo TV.OUT on this release, which also includes a rare collaboration track by Ireen Amnes and Gramrcy.

Finally, 'Limitation' presents music by Greece affiliated acts of different backgrounds: from the dreamy guitars of Monochromatic Visions and the ambient/drone of Devika, to the broken beats of Zevla and the rolling techno of Thanos Hana; Not to mention the textures of noise band Phallucipher, the industrial slo mo techno of Thessaloniki's, Archaic Intellect, and the noise-techno of label founder, 3.14.

A crossroad of different genres and production styles is offered in the formats of Double Vinyl Sampler, Double CD and digital for this compilation, titled "Limitation".

Fabrizio Lapiana is back on his own label with O.B.E. (out-of-body experience), a four bleeping and mental techno cuts EP, including a superb remix from the spanish DJ and producer Orbe.

Andy Shauf"s songs unfold like short fiction: they"re densely layered with colorful characters and a rich emotional depth. On his new studio album Norm, Andy Shauf"s songwriting veers decidedly more oblique, hinting at sinister happenings and dark motivations. The result: an intoxicating collection of mellifluous melodies and beguiling lyrics. Levitating, synth-laden atmospherics drive Shauf"s storytelling on "Norm," mixed by Neal Pogue (Tyler, the Creator). In 2016, The Party catapulted Andy Shauf to indie notoriety, followed by 2020"s The Neon Skyline which landed Andy Shauf performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS This Morning: Saturday, a Polaris Prize nomination, and mentions on several best-of lists - among them, a track on Barack Obama"s playlist and praise from Pitchfork, Mojo Magazine, France Inter, Rolling Stone Germany, Q Magazine, and more.

The gang that make up Utlandet aren't strangers to exotic rhythms and untamed saxophones. They have been playing parties and filling clubs around Norway for years, and are now readying the concept album Grandfather of Yucca, due in 2023 on Jansen Records. Having a yucca plant on the windowsill can’t replace traveling to an exciting destination. But still, it allows you to dream, and to wonder how things might be out there in the unknown. That alone is reason enough for Utlandet to pay tribute to this modest, sun-loving and exotic plant that through the ages has learnt to live with us northerners. Utlandet – the Norwegian word for ‘abroad’ – is a result of a surplus of energy emerging from a collective depression, where learning to appreciate the smaller things became a necessity for self-preservation. As crossing borders became a distant dream, the band members met for weekly rehearsals to – at least musically and mentally – reach new destinations. Accompanied by some good brew, Utlandet tore away from everyday life by creating music from a world filled with voodoo, deserts and tropical heat. The instrumental ensemble discovered how rewarding it was to be working with melodic structures without having to put words to them and that they preferred an off-key sax to off-key vocals. Adding words to music can limit were the music takes you, as it often becomes more specific, but melody alone has no boundaries and can transport you to any galaxy. So just let go, close your eyes, and go where the groove and melody takes you.

Andy Shauf"s songs unfold like short fiction: they"re densely layered with colorful characters and a rich emotional depth. On his new studio album Norm, Andy Shauf"s songwriting veers decidedly more oblique, hinting at sinister happenings and dark motivations. The result: an intoxicating collection of mellifluous melodies and beguiling lyrics. Levitating, synth-laden atmospherics drive Shauf"s storytelling on "Norm," mixed by Neal Pogue (Tyler, the Creator). In 2016, The Party catapulted Andy Shauf to indie notoriety, followed by 2020"s The Neon Skyline which landed Andy Shauf performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and CBS This Morning: Saturday, a Polaris Prize nomination, and mentions on several best-of lists - among them, a track on Barack Obama"s playlist and praise from Pitchfork, Mojo Magazine, France Inter, Rolling Stone Germany, Q Magazine, and more.

A travelogue that unites physical and inner space, a series of trance states rendered in vivid colour, a delirious portal into the ether.
Marlene Ribeiro’s first albumunder her own name is all of this and much more. Toquei No Sol is a fresh new chapter for this unique artist, by far the most melodic and transcendent outing yet for her hypnotic dreampop.

This is only the latest release in a long history of sonic experimentation for Marlene, which includes her previous work as Negra Branca across a series of releases on labels such as Tesla Tapes and Zamzam and a long period as a member of audial iconoclasts and Rocket mainstays GNOD, not to mention collaborations with the like of Valentina Magaletti and Thurston Moore.

Toquei No Sol is also a record with a very distinctive and potent sense of place, paradoxically despite having been woven together from recordings made in Ireland, Wales, Portugal, Madeira and Salford.
It’s genesis came via a visit to Marlene’s maternal grandmother Emilia, whose influence as well as the sounds of her kitchen in Portugal.
can be heard on the album’s first track ‘Quatro Palavras’.

“Emilia ended up getting excited about me being able to record things there and then and - total news to me - told me she used to sing a lot when she was younger to the point of getting offered studio time but refusing it as she was fearful of what that could imply in those times” relates Marlene “From that point I planned to include her in this record as sort of the chance she never had of getting her voice out there.”

Elsewhere, a disarmingly catchy and irresistible grace is married to
a utilitarian approach to sound and texture. The ritualistic “Sangue De Lua de Lobo” (first released on a Sofia records compilation Songs Of The Lunar Eclipse) contains random objects from Marlene’s then-garden in Ireland, whereas on the drifting, beatific ‘Forever’ the percussion tracks are constructed from the sounds of pots and pans in her own Salford kitchen.

Yet at all times her fleet-footed approach to melody rings through even as the tracks conjure visions of heat-hazes, meditative spaces and late-night epiphanies. Although listeners may hear echoes of the
loop-driven psychedelia of Panda Bear’s Person Pitch or the incantatory ululations of Pocahaunted in these beguiling soundscapes and magick-strewn mantras, the truth is that the aesthetic here is
very much Marlene’s alone.

“It’s all a big misty haze of nostalgia, playfulness, self-reflection and hopefulness” is what Marlene reckons herself. Yet Toquei No Sol
is also a transporting vision from an artist both returning to her roots
and looking out to new celestial horizons.

Repress!

Just over a year after his last solo project on The North Quarter, FD returns to the label with ‘Pleasure Rooms’. For this four-track EP, the London-born producer once again shows off his bass line dexterity, along with his trademark grooved percussion and mood-building samples. Heavier, grime-reminiscent tracks ‘Shawn Kemp’ and ‘Mama Told Me’ featuring Bristol MC Hella are combined with a more melody-driven, colourful sound present on ‘Double Drizzle’ and ‘Sails’. Following the major success of his minimal, experimental project LIN000 with Satl, this EP further shows the wide-ranging progress FD has been making in recent years.

Named after the Tottenham venue where FD went to his first rave, ‘Pleasure Rooms’ pays homage to the place that spawned his love for Drum & Bass. FD: 
“Pleasure Rooms was an old rave venue in Tottenham. My main memory is seeing Brockie & Det in a small room, sweat dripping off the ceiling and columns with mirrors on, totally fogged up. And going fucking mental. Being totally immersed in the music and the vibe, super excited and just hyped.

My Pleasure Rooms EP was made with thoughts of these kind of raves and parties in mind as this is a vibe and sound I've been enjoying quite a lot again recently - and it was such an important time for my love of Drum & Bass.

Repress!

Tarenah was one of only two singles pressed under the nom de plume of Psychedelic Research Lab - a collaboration between Scott Richmond and John Selway which began while the pair were attending music conservatory at SUNY Purchase College, in upstate New York. Scott produced the first version of the track for a modern dance performance in 1993. A mix of electronics and room full of live musicians, the session featured an afro-cuban percussionist, a Bangladeshi vocalist / tabla player, a classical flautist, and a reggae guitarist, with Scott on keys and engineering, and John on multiple TB-303s. The duo played the piece to a pal, who said, “Listening to your music is like being in a psychedelic research lab” and the moniker was born. DJ Jonathan Kadish, the chill out resident at pioneering NYC rave, NASA, championed the track and subsequently commissioned four remixes for his label, Gyroscopic Recordings.

The tune has been elevated to legendary status in certain circles - due to it being a firm favourite of “The Godfather Of Chill-out”, the late DJ Jose Padilla. Jose at this time had a penchant for “ambient breaks / breakbeats” - seminal stuff like the work of San Francisco's Hardkiss crew and other Bay Area artists. According to close friend Phil Mison, drawn to the Chill Mix, Jose Padilla played and played Tarenah at Ibiza`s Cafe del Mar. It was a daily constant in Jose`s sets for several seasons, and he eventually included the track on the second volume of his essential compilation series honouring said White Isle shrine - put together in the mid-90s for the label React. Sealing the tune`s fate and making Tarenah forever synonymous with Jose and the golden, halcyon, San Antonio, Cala Des Moro, sunsets he soundtracked.

The 3rd Floor Mix, named after the location of the SUNY Purchase studio, is tribally-tinged uplifting progressive house - taking its cues from the contemporary Dutch imprints, Fresh Fruit and Touche. John Selway’s Remix (titled “Spy’s Sub Mix” on the original pressing) strips the track back to a cool, more minimal, jack - heavily influenced by the “bleep” sound of Sheffield`s Warp Records. The Sleepwalker Mix is beatless. Tailored from twisting, intertwining, 303 drones.

Following Tarenah, Scott and John continued devoting their life to dance music. Scott went behind the scenes, founding - alongside Jonathan Kadish - the famous Satellite Records dance music record store chain. He also ran the house and trance labels, Central Park and Pitch Black. In recent years, Scott has worked in artist management, and within the global music festival scene, primarily with Vh1 Supersonic and Ticket Fairy India, which has taken him to Mumbai, Goa, and Pune. John has had an amazingly prolific electronic music career, building a vast, and varied catalogue of productions - both solo, and through collaboration. From Disintegrator and working on Deep Dish`s debut single, to Smith & Selway and The Rancho Relaxo Allstars. Along the way finding the time to run labels such as Serotonin and CSM. Currently John is teaching and mentoring the next generation of electronic music artists at 343 Labs music school, while still producing forward-thinking techno and electro.

This is the first time Tarenah has been reissued in full on vinyl, and Midnight Drive are very proud to present this sublime underground classic once more. Reissued in full conjunction with John Selway and Scott Richmond, remastered by Curvepusher, London and distributed worldwide by Above Board distribution 2022.

The inception of 49North marks the beginning of a brand new era for Duncan Forbes; who most emphatically made his mark on the WW scene as one half of legendary duo - Spooky - alongside Charlie May; releasing a string of landmark singles and albums over 3 decades, not to mention timeless remix / production work for International heavyweights like Depeche Mode, M83, Sasha, William Orbit, Mr.G and Apparat.

A1: ‘Strobe Dancer’
“Duncan Forbes’ maiden solo voyage and first ever release on recently birthed imprint, 49North - 'Strobe Dancer' is 9+ minutes of exquisitely-paced, hypnotic dance-floor drama. Sitting somewhere between Deep, Acid House and Slo-mo, Dub Techno - Duncan's opening effort is a wickedly brooding, yet seductive joy to behold.”

B1: ‘Continental Drift’
“After the hypno-House stylings of 'Strobe Dancer' - Duncan takes us to another far-flung corner of his scopic, creative spectrum - via the fittingly titled, ‘Continental Drift’; a pitched-down, acid-glazed slice of mesmeric, widescreen Electronica.”

B2: ‘In The Mansion Of The Gods’

Splatter Vinyl

Skins is the third studio album and first posthumous release from rapper, singer and songwriter XXXTentacion. Recognized for his raw and adventurous style of music, the album touches on themes of heartbreak and mental anguish, and draws heavy influences from lo-fi, emo, punk rock, ambient, trap and acoustic. Skins include the lead single, “Bad!”, as well as appearances from Kanye West and Travis Barker (of Blink 182). The release was met with wide acclaim, debuting at number one on the US BIllboard 200, remaining on the chart for 18 weeks, further cementing Jahseh’s legacy as an icon.