Aquaregia celebrates its tenth anniversary with '10', a five-track compilation bringing together artists who have each shaped the imprint's sound over the past decade.
The release sees Troma & PERS1, Blazej Malinowski, Teo Drean, Nicola Dal Sacco, and 747 return to the label with new work, each interpreting acid through their own lens. Across the EP, Aquaregia's distinct blend of emotional, hypnotic, and musically rich acid techno is assembled in a nod to the label's foundation.
The record opens with Troma & PERS1's Atomic, a deep and dreamlike cut filled with metallic textures and drifting movement, followed by Blazej Malinowski's Brudnopis, sliding into a low-slung, seductive groove. On the flipside, Teo Drean's Honeymoon Phase injects orchestral euphoria and cinematic tension, while Nicola Dal Sacco channels vintage '90s hypnosis on Papaia. To close, 747's Decades offers a reflective, bittersweet finale - a fitting coda to Aquaregia's first ten years.
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Mikkel Metal makes a welcome return to Echocord with his new ‘Rebuild’ EP, accompanying remixes from Luke Hess and Frenk Dublin.
Copenhagen’s Mikkel Metal is a pioneering figure in dub-techno and minimal house, known for his atmospheric soundscapes and textured production. With acclaimed releases on Kompakt and Echocord, including Close Selections, Victimizer, and Peaks and Troughs he’s cemented his place as one of Denmark’s most distinctive electronic artists. Here he continues to dispay this further diving into new sonic realms with a new EP for Echocord.
Title-track ‘Rebuild’ opens, a hazy excursion through metallic, reverberations, expansive atmospherics and crisp drums before Detroit’s own Luke Hess steps in to offer his interpretation, delivering his signature groove-driven style, extracting the essence of the original and stirring it in amongst robust drums and spiralling dub echoes. ‘Bend’ is up next and displaying Mikkel’s production prowess as he blends murky bass flutters and analogue rhythms with psychedelic guitar melodies and dynamic space echoes, resulting in something that sounds uniquely his own. ‘Steam’ continues this theme with further psychedelia infused guitar tones flowing alongside breathy vocal stylings and fluttering atmospherics tucked into the depths. Rotterdam, Netherlands based artist Frenk Dublin delivers his ‘Deep Space Rework’ of ‘Stream next, reshaping the original into something entirely different with a dropped-tempo roots dub aesthetic, weaving fragments of the original into the composition alongside swaying dub drums and heavy doses of sub. ‘Midnite’ then concludes the release, another experimental sonic foray into unique effect processing, glitched out percussion, haunting vocals, plucked bass notes and expansive atmospherics
Ninja was a niche Italo disco project formed by Cristina Peri (vocalist, composer and producer) and Enzo Benetti (DJ and producer). Together they managed to compose and produce only a handful of tracks, three of which were released under the Ninja moniker. Their collaboration resulted in a highly distinctive synth-pop sound, marked by a rock-leaning drum approach with a strong, metal-sounding snare, and melodic lines that deliberately avoided obvious, immediate catchiness.
The unique and “super obscure Italo treasure” reissued by Vintage Pleasure Boutique, titled “Mad About Love,” carries an additional point of interest: Pier Michele Bozzetti, better known as Miko Mission, was also involved in the production. “Mad About Love” is a rare and collector-sought track that has never been reissued before. With this new vinyl release, Vintage Pleasure Boutique once again steps forward with an archival initiative, hoping to bring genuine excitement to underground Italo fans and collectors alike.
- A1: Any Sof
- A2: Baphomet
- A3: Black Ny
- A4: The Smiling Knife
- B1: Thelema
- B2: The Name Will Be Adrian
- B3: Do The Mussolini (Headkick)
- B4: Mega Therion
- B5: Leather Mask
- C1: Aiwass
- C2: Scarlet Woman In Disguise
- C3: Suburban Ritual
- C4: We Are Stars
- D1: Stuck In Malkhut
- D2: Triad Of Gods
- D3: The Book Of Law
- D4: White Stains
- D5: Unveiled
Possibly one of the best Mental Groove releases to date. Symbols & Sacrifice is raw, beastly, and savage — a cinematic and esoteric journey from the depths of Sindaco’s universe. A masterfully crafted experience across four sides, this release blurs the lines between ritual electronics, hypnotic repetition, and uncompromising raw techno. A powerful and immersive statement, pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl for full heavy sonic impact.
Under the name of Sindaco is hidden a complex yet mysterious project where different styles and cultures live together.Obscure kraut rock, no wave, black metal and Detroit techno collide in what can be considered songs more than simple tracks. All is played by Sindaco with analog equipment without the help of computers. All is driven to create the best soundrack possible. The idea is to avoid all the typical cliches of the contemporary electronic productions and push the boundaries into a new way of tropical futurism. Be involved by the unespected waves of sounds coming from another world!
- A1: Yant - Bee Sting
- A2: Rene Wise - Gut Punch
- B1: Kr!Z - Split Tongue
- B2: Blanka - Extravaganza
- C1: Eman - Lerake
- C2: Holden Federico - Hydro
- D1: Cirkle - Delta State
- D2: Altinbas - Epinephrine
- D3: Kameliia - Memories
- E1: Phil Berg - Sappho
- E2: Border One - Warp Shift
- F1: Kwartz - Watch Out
- F2: Phalcon - Into The Depth
2026 Repress
SK_eleven celebrates a decade of sonic exploration with a 13-track compilation showcasing its signature tension, technical discipline, and stylistic spectrum. Reuniting a tight circle of artists whose contributions have helped shape the label, the release offers an unrelenting sequence of pressure, mental twists, and textural collisions; a multifaceted snapshot of techno's enduring capacity to evolve, disturb, and seduce.
The compilation resists uniformity. Instead, it thrives on contrast: tension versus release, density against spaciousness, rhythm in all its permutations. From high-energy metallic openers and dub-inflected body rollers, to disorienting, delay-heavy experiments and stripped-back percussive tools, each contribution reveals a unique grip on groove and detail. Some tracks move like engineered machines: sharp, robotic, and syncopated to surgical precision. Others embrace sensuality and unpredictability, exploring spatial motion, layered harmonic friction, and states of controlled chaos. Each piece acts as a structural component in a larger sonic architecture, where tension is built, collapsed, and rebuilt. Friction becomes a form of choreography. Across the record, a shifting palette of emotional mechanisms takes form; granular and magnetic, haunting and quietly forceful, restrained, then disruptive.
More than a retrospective, SK_eleven's first compilation becomes a collective gesture toward techno's unresolved possibilities: its ability to hold contradiction, remain in flux, and mutate without conclusion.
‘Açid Blüüs Räägs Vol.2’ is the latest evolution of the sound of last year’s Volume 1. The debut album was described by Joe Banks for Shindig! Magazine as; “Shivering slabs of drone blues transcendentalism…a burning junkyard of sheet metal blues… Hot stuff.” Volume 2 builds on the skronk blues guitar, sax and electronic drones of it’s predecessor, to explore cosmic free jazz, concrete exotica and dub, channelling influences of Moondog, Terry Riley, 75 Dollar Bill and Wolf Eyes. Playing like the imagined film soundtracks to a dystopian, re-wilded, post eco crash world in the style of Tarkovsky's ‘Stalker’ and ’Solaris’, Jodorowsky's surreal desert western ‘El Topo’, or the early novels of JG Ballard. This new collection sees the addition of minimal analogue drum machine loops as well as live instrumental contributions from the new players of the ever evolving Invocation band, plus some superstar guest contributors.
Featuring five brand new tracks, including the forthcoming single; ‘Cosmic Fanfare’, has already picked up BBC 6 Music support from Gideon Coe. The new album was mixed by Alex McGowan (aka Captain Future) of Space Eko Studios and features Invocation band regulars Rick Jensen of Apocalypse Jazz Unit, Skronk and Oneirologist on sax and bass clarinet, Will Emms aka Tiki Eerie on melodica, horns and claviola, plus special guest appearances from Duke Garwood on clarinet and Mikey 'Moondog' Chestnut of Snapped Ankles on bass synth. “….Acid fried kosmiche blues meets drone raag transcendentalism”. Jonny Halifax is a primitivist free blues outsider, sonic shaman of the acid fuzzed lap steel guitar, demented blower of the howling harmonica of doom. His new band project now combines avant swamp blues heaviosity with kosmic free jazz experimentalism in a fluid collective of godless raag brut improvisations - sonic visions of an hallucinatory apocalyptic near future. Inspired by Henry Flynt’s avant bluegrass experiments fusing country blues with eastern acoustic musical stylings, Spacemen 3’s contemporary sitar music, and the monolithic drone doom immersion of Sunn 0))), THE JONNY HALIFAX INVOCATION build hypnotic instrumental soundscapes using lap steel and homemade slide guitars, harmonica and alto sax. Underpinned by layers of acoustic and electronic drone instruments and fed through an arsenal of pedalboard electronics that would make Kevin Shields weep, the blues are transmogrified, unhinged, reduced and re-imagined as intoxicating, trance-inducing, feedback-drenched noise paintings. THE JONNY HALIFAX INVOCATION follows Jonny’s junkshop skronk blues one man band Honkeyfinger, and the Julian Cope endorsed gospel fuzz psychedelia of Jonny Halifax & The Howling Truth, whilst not forgetting his ambient drone metal side project; Deathenteredinerror. His musical CV also includes studio contributions to tracks by Andrew Weatherall’s Two Lone Swordsmen, UK metal behemoths Orange Goblin, Heck and Melting Hand.
Metalheadz and Quartz present Interloper, a body of work years in the making that captures the evolution and persistence of a truly singular producer. Sparked by an invitation from Goldie in 2018, the project developed organically into a statement piece, shaped by shifting environments and a relentless drive to refine his craft. Quartz, also known as Elliot Garvey, has long stood apart from the noise. A Welsh producer with little interest in visibility or self-promotion, he has built a reputation on substance alone. Interloper reflects that focus: textured, brooding, and meticulously detailed, balancing grit and clarity while maintaining the looming tension that defines his sound. The album’s title hints at Garvey’s place within the culture - present but never fully belonging - and the music carries that same sense of quiet defiance. Intense without theatrics and deeply personal without pretence, Interloper is a record that doesn’t ask to be seen, only to be felt.
Album Sampler[22,27 €]
Metalheadz and Quartz present Interloper, a body of work years in the making that captures the evolution and persistence of a truly singular producer. Sparked by an invitation from Goldie in 2018, the project developed organically into a statement piece, shaped by shifting environments and a relentless drive to refine his craft. Quartz, also known as Elliot Garvey, has long stood apart from the noise. A Welsh producer with little interest in visibility or self-promotion, he has built a reputation on substance alone. Interloper reflects that focus: textured, brooding, and meticulously detailed, balancing grit and clarity while maintaining the looming tension that defines his sound. The album’s title hints at Garvey’s place within the culture - present but never fully belonging - and the music carries that same sense of quiet defiance. Intense without theatrics and deeply personal without pretence, Interloper is a record that doesn’t ask to be seen, only to be felt.
e B3. One Last Word ft. Selena Jones (Posthumous) Outro
e B3. One Last Word ft. Selena Jones (Posthumous) Outro
e B3. One Last Word ft. Selena Jones (Posthumous) Outro
[e] B3. One Last Word [ft. Selena Jones] (Posthumous) [Outro]
[e] B3. One Last Word [ft. Selena Jones] (Posthumous) [Outro]
[e] B3. One Last Word [ft. Selena Jones] (Posthumous) [Outro]
[e] B3. One Last Word [ft. Selena Jones] (Posthumous) [Outro]
[ft. Selena Jones] (Posthumous) [Outro]
[ft. Selena Jones] (Posthumous) [Outro]
El dúo NX1 colabora con Sunil Sharpe, Oxygeno, Rommek y Unhuman en cuatro tracks para la octava referencia de su propio sello.
Nexe Records marks its return by reconnecting with the core idea that first defined its identity — being a true nexus between artists, techno lovers, and the label’s vision. NX1 leads this new chapter with Core VA I, a project built around four collaborations with producers who share the same commitment to authenticity and forward motion in techno. This first volume sets the tone for what’s to come, creating a dialogue between distinct voices while preserving a unified aesthetic.
Opening the record, NX1 and Oxygeno pay tribute to loopy, hypnotic, and driving techno — groovy yet serious, perfectly crafted for deep and focused dance floors. Following up, the collaboration with Rommek delivers an intense, bleepy, and atmospheric track, infused with subtle sci-fi undertones and tension-filled layers that evolve naturally.
On the flip, NX1 and Unhuman explore a more classic but forward-looking take on techno. Clean percussion, dynamic progression, and precise energy shifts give the track a refined sense of movement, balancing power and clarity. Finally, Sunil Sharpe joins to close the release with a bold and energetic piece that captures the raw essence of the club — rhythmic, metallic, and charged with movement.
Overall, Core VA I stands as a statement of Nexe Records’ renewed identity: connecting artists through a shared vision of pure, functional, and evolving techno. Each collaboration offers a different voice, yet all converge in the same pulse that defines NX1’s sound and philosophy.
2026 Repress
SHDW & Obscure Shape welcome Alarico back to Mutual Rytm as the Italian delivers a medley of diverse techno cuts across his latest EP, 'Boya'.
Arriving fresh from an impressive twelve months with releases via the likes of Token Records alongside his notable self-production only mixes, Italian DJ and producer Alarico continues to grow as a talent on the rise within techno. Combining nuances from across the genre to shape his own fast-paced and raw yet soulful sound, the Milan based talent hasn't slowed down since launching the alias in 2019. Having featured on the label's VA 'Federation Of Rythm I' earlier this year, he now returns to SHDW and Obscure Shape's blossoming Mutual Rytm imprint for his first EP on the label - delivering eight cuts across both digital and vinyl for 'Boya'.
Kicking things off with the rugged and loopy 'AE86', Alarico quickly gets to work fusing driving grooves with slick vocal interjections, while title cut 'Boya' veers into slightly more raw and metallic territories guided by snappy claps and resounding kicks. 'Killa Cut' brings the funk on the B-side as soulful vocals ebb and glow amongst the mix, with 'Lost In Time' offering up pulsing bass beneath ethereal vocals, sweeping melodies and lively hats. The vinyl package is wrapped up by 'The Ballad of Lisa', with the infectious bleeping topline leading off-kilter clangs, slightly offsetting the track's tight core groove.
Default Mode by Raleigh & Takenaga continues the newly established X series – Harmony’s platform for new voices and limitless exploration. Hailing from Prague, the duo embodies the next wave of adventurous sound design and musical talent from the imprint’s home town.
Incentive Program opens the EP’s A side with a drifting, trance-tinged flow wrapped in sweeping pitch movements and fractured vocals. The track sets a shadowy, almost sinister atmosphere, pulling all witnesses into its slow-burn gravity. It’s a steady build, tipping the floor over the edge. Stiff Envelope pulls you into its depths as it continues to build tension with resonating synth hits that quiver over a powerful trance foundation. With a few moments of silence that let its unsettling atmosphere settle across the stereo field before swinging back in at full force, this one is tailor-made for big systems.
B side’s Ground Floor carries on with metallic swells and shimmers that ring underneath the surface as the tension built on the A side bursts, settling into a grounding four-on-the-floor moment and leaving just enough time to breathe before Raleigh stirs up a concoction of devious vocals, snappy percussion, and a seductive bassline that lifts the mood tastefully. Takenaga wraps up the record with Head Count, a razor-sharp blend of crisp percussive cuts and stuttered crumbles that are seeking the perfect pitch all the way, climbing up and down. Heads are counted on a lively groove that radiates playful momentum and commands the dance floor to get in formation, keeping a tight rhythmic focus. Infused with the pulse of UK club culture, this track delivers a fresh and forward-thinking sound perfect for adventurous turntables.
‘The second volume of Elementa Obscura moves with even greater force toward the dancefloor : six tracks straddling the lines between industrial, electro, and wave. From FIUME’s cold, pounding opener to Memorex’s spacious analog explorations, Nyxloid’s metallic EBM visions, and Ole Mic Odd’s razor-edged electro workout, the compilation spans the full spectrum of the underground. Spanish newcomer Thai Lady Boy brings chaos with a fractured industrial techno cut, while RNXRX closes with a ritualistic music excursion.
Strictly limited to 250 copies, vinyl-only. No repress.
All tracks mastered by MA Spaventi in Barcelona.
Welcome to the first release on Acid Lamour
A sub label for Lamour Records started in 2018 with a focus on techno and acid dedicated DJs. Releases are limited to 303 vinyls, no re-press.
Anders Ilar and John H are no newcomers to the electronic music scene.
Born in 1973, Anders Ilar began his explorations of electronic music in the mid 80s. Growing up in the small town of Ludvika in Sweden, Ilar spent all of his spare time playing with synthesizers, drum machines, keyboards and sequencers, learning the ins and outs of analogue and digital sound and music creation. Inspired by the early industrial and EBM wave he formed several bands with friends, started playing live shows
at smaller local parties, and released several demo tapes in very limited quantities. In the 90's he gradually shifted his creative influences towards ambient techno and acid and also started to DJ. He started using computer software to produce his music around 1999 and his first vinyl EP was released in 2001 on the german label Plong!, soon to be followed by
many more releases on labels such as Shitkatapult, Audio.nl and Echocord.
Developing his own flavor of deep minimal dub techno and ambient he gained critical acclaim with his album Nightwidth (2006) for Narita Records in the USA. Followed by highly appraised album Sworn on the german label Level Records in 2008. Ilar has also made remixes for celebrated artists such as Apparat, Mikkel Metal and Ripperton and has
appeared on numerous compilations and DJ-mixes. He's performed live on stage through-out most European countries and Japan, as well as doing a small tour with Notch Festival in China in 2008.
Up to 2018 Anders Ilar has produced 13 albums and 25 vinyl EP's and performed in over 15 countries.
Born in 1984 and based in Gothenburg. John H has been DJing, as well as producing tracks, since the late 90s, with Anders as his mentor and teacher, giving John early musical influences spanning across a wide range of genres, from Swedish techno to IDM, Cologne acid craziness and
the sound of Chicago house tracks. The musical output of his DJ-sets usually varies between techno, house, acid, electro and everything in between, depending on the time and location. John has performed on several locations all around Sweden, but also done appreciated gigs in other European countries at clubs like Tresor and Culture Box, and his music has been featured in sets by DJs such as Sven Väth, Adam Beyer,
Joris Voorn, Dense & Pika, Cari Lekebusch, Alan Fitzpatrick, Karotte,
Gregor Tresher, The Hacker and many more.
Coming For Your Tongue EP is Anders and John's 4th collab release, after
acclaimed releases on Flight Recorder and New York Haunted, recorded
during a jam session at John's studio in Bergsjön outside of Gothenburg,
Sweden, using a small setup of analogue synths and drum machines such as
the Roland TR-606, TR-808, a Devil Fish modified TB-303, Minimoog Voyager
and the Arturia Microbrute. After recording Anders spiced things up by
cutting and puzzling loops as well as adding extra effects and drums.
Limited edition of 303, no repress. Vinyl exklusive for 3 months
- A1: After All This Time, Beirut
- A2: To Die On Any Hill (If It_S Easy Enough To Climb)
- A3: Wooden Giants And Mechanical Birds
- A4: In Dandelion Fields
- A5: Of The Always Puzzle Of Living And Doing
- A6: For Now We Leave The Sky To The Tyrants, And Dig
- B1: Everyone I Love Is Sleeping And I Love Them So So Much
- B2: The Familiar Scenography Of Electrons Waltzing Across The Screen In Your Peripheral Vision, You Avoid Its Gaze Like A Tired Husband You Have Outgrown
- B3: There Are Glorious Labyrinths In The Ground For Those With The Claws To Find Them
- B4: You Saw What You Were Looking At And You Touched What You Were Touching
- B5: Sounds From Home
'Yara Asmar’s new album presents 11 pieces recorded over the past year between the small town of Alfred in upstate New York and Beirut. These sometimes fragile and tentative sound sketches reflect the times as Yara steps out, as if onto ice, into a new life on a new continent during a time of tragedy, turmoil and upheaval. She works with unfamiliar instruments, new materials and new sounds to build on her intimate style; homemade mechanical music boxes and a personal archive of family recordings form the backbone of its delicate textures. Asmar explores the peculiar resonance of the metallophone and her collection of deconstructed toy pianos, and guides her music into ever more surreal territories. The result is a work that is dreamlike, fragmentary and strangely timeless.'
Part 1[13,40 €]
Dana Ruh offers up part 2 of her ‘This Journey So Far’ project via Yecad here.
As a long standing and widely respected figure in the world of underground house and techno through her releases on the likes of Slices Of Life, Ostgut Ton, Cocoon, Cave and of course her own Brouqade, Dana Ruh’s reputation stands tall as one of the finest purveyors of this sound. Amongst her releases, Dana maintains a heavy tour schedule taking her across the globe each year to many hotspots in key cities, here she marks another milestone in her career with a double 12’’ release, entitled ‘This Journey So Far’, as a musical reflection on all that’s led to this point.
Following the success of Part one, the second instalment now follows - kicking off the release is ‘MF Now’, stripping things back to a shuffled, bumpy rhythm section, resonant synth chimes and billowing textures. ‘Grey With Some Light’ then leans into a more experimental glitch realm via twitchy oscillating percussion, unfurling atmospherics and drifting keys. ‘The Look’ leans back into House territory with raw stabs, sax lines, metallic chimes and vacillating low-end tones before ‘Song For The Lonely’ concludes the project, encapsulating the essence of deep house with ethereal pad swells, circling stab sequences, low-slung drums and cossetting subs.
On 9th December Modern Obscure Music presents Cascades, the new album from Pedro Vian & Mana, which premiered during their immersive live set at the most recent Sonar Festival in Barcelona.
Cascades was recorded over a three-day studio session in Turin during the winter months, which is reflected in the musical narrative, as the eleven tracks flow gently like an icy river, filled with a mixture
of hazy melancholy, uncanny dream-states and euphoria.
Various recording techniques and instrumentation was utilised, including the Lyra-8 organismic analogue synthesiser, which takes principles from living organisms to produce sounds resembling a
conversation between nature and technology. The result is a spellbinding ambient odyssey that features a luminous synthesis of neo-classical strings and orchestral drones, together with strange
voices, and abstract passages designed to evoke Dante’s Inferno, which represent the soul’s journey.
Pedro Vian is a renowned Catalan artist who has released three solo albums (Beautiful Things You Left Us For Memories, Pedro Vian and Ibillorca) and a collection of singles on his Modern Obscure
Music imprint – a multi-disciplinary platform based on deep listening and music research. The ‘PRSNT’ compilation, which Pedro curated in 2021 and featured Laurie Spiegel, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Visible Cloaks, received support from Pitchfork, Crack, Brooklyn Vegan, The Quietus, The Wire and Metal. Pedro has been remixed by Inga Copeland and Pye Corner Audio, and has recorded mixes for of Bleep, Self-Titled and Juno Daily.
As part of a new generation of Italian electronic music artists, Piedmont born composer and producer Mana has released two full length albums (Seven Steps Behind and Asa Nisi Masa) on Kode 9's
Hyperdub imprint, plus an EP on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label under his Vaghe Stelle alias.
Earlier in his musical journey, Mana supported Laurent Garnier, James Holden and Skream across the Torino club scene, and in 2011 teamed up with Italian friends Lorenzo Senni and A:RA to form
the experimental group One Circle.
Pedro Vian & Mana’s previous work as solo producers has pushed the limits of electronic music, and together they’ve garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, The Quietus, The Vinyl
Factory, Resident Advisor and more. They now join forces to traverse new sonic territories between electronica, ambient, drone, and trance-inducing soundscapes.
- A1: Micå - Echoes Of Blue 6 21
- A2: Segensklang - Schauer Der Musen 5 18
- A3: Ümit Han - Eines Tages 6 12
- A4: Pass Into Silence - Pale Blue Dot 6 40
- A5: Würden & Schäfer - Analysis Of Variance Iv 5 25
- A6: Richard Ojijo - Verzettelung Live@Filmforum 5 00
- B1: Sebastian Mullaert / Hush - Forever Traces 7 28
- B2: Luis Reich - Distant Ort 6 48
- B3: Morgen Wurde - Wusste Längst Feat Tetsuroh Konishi 5 20
- B4: Dirk Leyers - Regolith 6 56
- B5: Thore Pfeiffer / Niko Tzoukmanis - Impuls 5 52
“Everything flows – nothing remains, there is only an eternal becoming and changing” is a well-known formulation of the river theory of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, also known as panta rhei (ancient Greek: πάντα ῥεῖ, “everything flows”). This teaching states that everything in the universe is subject to constant change and that nothing stays the same forever. The metaphor of the river illustrates this: You can't step into the same river twice because both the river and you are constantly changing. The water is constantly flowing, but the river stays in one place. Thus, reality is constantly changing, even if sometimes perceived as constant.”
„Same Same but Different.“ Always different – always the same. Chill-Out DJ Heraklit
For the 26th time, the most consistent of all ambient compilations, in a constant flux of static change, is released on Kompakt. Joining good friends from the early days and reliable confidants are some new additions to the non-hierarchical charts of contemplative rapture culture.
Leading the way is Micå, a Japanese electronic musician whose finely chiseled, graceful musical style has made it onto the new collection with two pieces. Also making his debut is Richard Ojijo, a seasoned sound engineer known, among other things, for his long-standing collaboration with the artist Marcel Odenbach and the Cologne-based label Magazine. Oskø aka Max Hytrek, a multi-talented newcomer to Kompakt and the music scene, debuts with his rapturously ecstatic piece "Ar Vag." He's followed by Sebastian Mullaert, appearing for the second time—this time teamed up with Sebastian Lilja aka Hush Forever. After his surprise return last year after a 20 year hiatus, we are delighted that Tetsuo Sakae aka Pass Into Silence is back again this year with one of his distinctive sound gems. As are Dirk Leyers (Closer Musik) and Mikkel Metal. 18 tracks are featured on this CD. "Erlösung" (Redemption) is the title of Segensklang's closing track. A kind of ambient bolero into infinity. Or at least until next year...
And what would Pop Ambient be without the iconic, artistic cover design of Veronika Unland, who once again, in her unmistakable way, says through the digital flower: The eye always listens...
Samuel Kerridge, with his signature sonic arsenal, stands alone in the worlds of rhythm and noise. A singular artist, his music is to be appreciated on its own terms. Here, he returns to James Ruskin's Blueprint Records with the eleven track album, "Memoir Of Disintegration".
The British producer has been carefully turning techno inside-out for over a decade. Taking a distinctly post-punk approach to the genre, he has become an integral part of Regis' legendary imprint Downwards. Kerridge has helped to define the label's contemporary sound: broken techno and snarling punk, informed by industrial music and metal.
Samuel Kerridge has released seven EPs and five albums (including a collaboration with Dva Damas' Taylor Burch) and his recent, "Kick To Kill", has become something of a statement of intent, blossoming into a new label and event series with a focus that broadens beyond techno tracks into full-blown song writing. Aside from his solo work, he collaborates with OAKE in what he describes as the "power metal techno" duo UF, and has recently started his own guitar band, Death Disco.
Kerridge ran the Berlin-based Contort label and party series and curated the legendary Berlin Atonal festival for three years, underlining his credentials as a stalwart figure in the world of experimental, boundary-pushing techno. He's also an accomplished live performer, most recently developing a hybrid live-DJ set that dismantles hundreds of tracks into a sampler to make new music in real time. It's an inventive process that places him in the lineage of iconic and ground-breaking techno acts, while still carrying the flag for the darkest corners of underground electronic music.
UK producer Tom Carruthers returns with a scorching 5-tracker for Skylax Records, diving headfirst into the primal roots of jackin’ house, proto-italo, and early machine funk. Known for his raw MPC-driven grooves on L.I.E.S., Clone Jack For Daze, Syncrophone, and Craigie Knowes, Carruthers channels the energy of the underground circa ’86—pure drum machine soul for the dancefloor faithful. Side A kicks off with the title track “Neutralise”, all sharp snares, warped synths and hypnotic repetition—a jack track in the truest sense. “Deep North” follows with ghostly pads and relentless drum programming, while “No More” brings metallic tension and stripped-down funk with a heavy nod to Chicago’s original blueprints. On the flip, “Pascals” weaves cosmic arps through rugged percussion, merging italo sensuality with bleep-era minimalism. The closer, “Cosmic Ride”, is exactly that: a journey through spacey chords, dusty rhythm boxes, and that unmistakable feeling of warehouse euphoria at 4 a.m. Neutralise EP is a raw, timeless record that strips dance music down to its essence—jacking, emotional, physical. To match the sonic purity and timeless aesthetic of the release, we enlisted the iconic H5 studio—a name synonymous with visionary design in music and culture. Known for their groundbreaking work with Daft Punk, YSL, and numerous award-winning visual campaigns, H5 brings a level of artistic sophistication that elevates this EP into a complete sensory object. Their clean, modernist design echoes the stripped yet futuristic vibe of Tom Carruthers’ sound—a perfect fusion of form and function, underground and high art. Vinyl only. No digital. No compromise. For fans of: Virgo Four, Baby Ford, Larry Heard, early Warp, Mr. Fingers, and Beppe Loda.
- A1: The Bug – Hooked (Hyams Gym, Leytonstone)
- A2: Ghost Dubs – In The Zone
- A3: The Bug – Believers (Imperial Gardens, Camberwell)
- B1: Ghost Dubs – Hope
- B2: The Bug – Burial Skank (Arches, Vauxhall)
- B3: Ghost Dubs – Dub Remote
- C1: The Bug – Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds)
- C2: Ghost Dubs – Down
- C3: The Bug – Militants (The Rocket, Holloway)
- D1: Ghost Dubs – Into The Mystic
- D2: The Bug – Dread (Mass Brixton)
- D3: Ghost Dubs – Midnight
When Chuck D proclaimed "Bass, how low can you go?" on Public Enemy's anthemic 'Bring the Noise,' maybe he was pre-empting or inciting the 10,000 fathoms-deep, spine-bending basslines and sub-quake tremors of 'Implosion.'
Implosion is a crushing split album, appropriately released on The Bug's own PRESSURE label. Mapping out a new form of spectral dub, the sound is deliberately immersive, introverted, and yes, definitely implosive. In pursuit of heavy lids, blurred vision, and merciless bass bin punishment, it’s one part meditation, two parts low-end theory, and essentially a confession of devoted sound system addiction.
As expected from a tag team featuring British soundlab explorer and 'London Zoo' composer Kevin Martin, aka The Bug, and Michael Fiedler, aka Jah Schulz—a long-time graduate of Germany's new school of sound system reggae culture—the duo approaches their target differently yet share the goal of keeping their sound "raw" (Fiedler) and "brutally minimal" (Martin). This proves that opposites can attract, even if their tools are different and their methods sometimes diverge.
From such a disparate combo, hailing from different geographical and aesthetic backgrounds, contrasts are certainly on display, even within each artist's own contributions. From the melancholia and transcendence of 'Alien Virus (West Indian Centre, Leeds),' to the duality of ascension and descension on 'Hope,' or the Sunn 0))) in dub, visceral drone of 'Dread (The End, London),' to the tripped-out repetitions of 'Midnight,' which reinvents Chain Reaction for post-millennials, the result is both sacred and narcotic. Each track illuminates the emotional impact and atmospheric pressure being explored across this deceptively sparse album—a mastery of tone and texture.
This collection might be as reduced, minimal, and deep as The Bug has ever gone, perhaps echoing the solemnity of his recent Kevin Richard Martin Black release and invoking the futurist steppas self-pioneered on his previous Pressure album. Alternatively, Fiedler‘s Ghost Dubs project ventures into his most heavyweight direction yet, which is no mean feat considering his previous, the critically acclaimed album Damaged, was a monstrously massive triumph of analogue weight and enviable sound design.
Implosion is ice-cool, a stark contrast to the warmth and sociability of traditional Jamaican roots and the current trends in digi-dub. Instead, the mood is soaked in tension and intense dread, finding an unexpected melting point where classic dub's stark rhythm attack, isolationist ambience's eerie drift, dub techno's floatation strategies, and even the relentless riffs of doom metal collide. As the bass-obsessed pair drop what is arguably the heaviest ambient dub album to emerge from any electronic sector—a moody counterpoint to The Orb's fluffy clouds, etc, Martin has cited The Roots Radics, Black Jade, and On U Sound's Pounding System as heavily influencing his approach to the album, while Fiedler has expressed his admiration for Adrian Sherwood's productions and Rhythm & Sound's enchanting soundscape. Yet, the super heavyweight pulsations, emotive resonances, and bone-rattling vibrations detonated here effortlessly go far beyond these influences.
Shadowy and elusive, there’s a mysteriousness at this record's core. A haunting moodiness oscillating between nostalgia and future shock. Despite the deadly fixation with SLOW and HEAVY, the album maintains a totally hypnotic swing throughout. Implosion and its lead single 'Imploded Versions' are testaments to being enveloped in bass, seduced by bass, submerged in bass, and utterly crushed by bass, as The Bug and Ghost Dubs seek to craft a new form of dub for zonal headz and Babylon seekers.
Mastered by Stefan Betke (a.k.a. POLE) at Scape Mastering studio, this record is heavy as f-ck without resorting to continuous distortion. It’s low-end worship taken to an absolute extreme, yet remains highly listenable and definitely danceable, albeit at the slowest of paces. Sacred and narcotic, this is low-end worship amplified to the max. Dive in if you dare.




















