Search:music is for you

Hand stamped white label, album sampler for forthcoming Richard Fearless album of the same title.

Atlas of Insanity’ is reactionary, big room techno from Richard Fearless; a pounding kick, death whip snares, and synth lines that drill into your core. This is raw, impulsive electronic body music made to loose your mind.

With ‘New Perspective’ Fearless delivers pure techno soul. With sonic leanings towards the North’s Bleep scene and minimalist techno pioneer Mika Vainio’s Philius and Ø alias.

The always on-point and culturally significant Tuskegee Music is back with more essential music, this time from venerated American producer D’Marc Cantu. Over the course of a distinguished career, Cantu has contributed to everything from jackbeat to acid, house to techno on labels like Creme Organisation and Les Disques De La Mort. Always serving up raw-edged, uncompromising sounds, he does so again here on another standout EP. Opener ‘Beat The Move’ is an urgent, high tech piece of slick and supple acid house with 303 undulations, dark vocal loops and the sort of hammering drums that get the club locked right in.
The sublime ‘In The Forest’ is a tripped out bit of restless electro with skittish hits and rueful pads that gets right to your heart. Last of all is the militant, marching ‘A Narrow Connection’ which closes things out with crisp kicks and scintillating sheet metal drums that straighten your back and get you stomping.
These are utilitarian yet wonderfully unique club tracks from a real master of the form.

Sonido Gallo Negro has been a mainstay of the current revival of tropical and psychedelic music throughout Central and South America since the first of their three albums was released in 2011. Hailing from Mexico City, a hub of cumbia, chicha, surf and garage music for over five decades, it's no wonder that SGN has such a wonderful and integrated blend of traditional styles that have travelled from the Caribbean, up the Andes, through the Amazon, around the shores of coastal Peru and back through Central America. SGN is part of a long line of artists in Mexico to make these cosmic connections found in the music's terrestrial path, yet are completely unique in their own mystical approach, both visually and sonically. As a hefty 9-piece orchestra, the band is quite capable of summoning a rich tapestry of sounds from an array of instruments of the psychedelic persuasion: farfisa, electric guitar, flute, theremin and, in the case of B-side Niño Perdido, accordion from master Colombian artist and NYCT alumnus, Carmelo Torres. It's the making of a swirling kaleidoscope of sounds and squiggles, all of which ride effortlessly over the fluid percussion and pace of those beloved Afro-Latin rhythms. In anticipation of their next full length release,Unknown Future, Names You Can Trust presents the first 7-inch 45 single to ever be released from SGN, a double-sided dose ofsonido psicodélico, spectacularly swirled into a perfect concoction of old meets new.

The next installment in Cold Diamond & Mink's soul investigations introduces a three part harmony group from California. "My My My Baby" is a smoking hot group harmony groover that should drop a few jaws at your next dj set.

Thee Baby Cuffs was born out of love for soul music and chicano culture. Their first 45 "Where Did Our Pride Go", came out in 2017 on the Raza del Soul label, covering an unsung early 70's Larry Saunders production. "My My My Baby" continues on the same lane of midtempo soul over funky drums and soulful horn lines. The lyric is your middle of the road love song material, but the group harmony lifts it right off the ground like it's meant to happen in this kind of music.

Get a few copies and rock the instrumental on the B-side before dropping the vocal, if you feel like it. Soul music that's this potent is better enjoyed in excess.

Produced by Cold Diamond & Mink

A mainstay of the independent funk, soul and blues scene - Dr Rubberfunk's home-grown, honestly composed, and intricately produced recordings, combined with a hands-on approach both in front of and behind the mixing desk, have earned him a well-deserved reputation for being a name synonymous with quality.

That quality just keeps coming as he carries his successful 'My Life At 45' singles series into a third instalment. With two sell out runs of limited edition 45's having won praise from the likes of BBC6 Music, driven mixes on Mixcloud to the top of their charts, and garnered support across the blogosphere, it made sense to continue the good work and get to work on number three.

Extending his fruitful relationship producing fellow Jalapeno Records artist and soul gospel specialist Izo FitzRoy, the lead track sees them team up for some timeless songwriting in the shape of 'A Matter Of Time'.

Izo is on a real hot streak at the moment having featured on Pt.2 of this 7" series before going on to work with Shawn Lee (BBE Records) and Dimitri From Paris (Glitterbox) on singles that tore up radio charts worldwide. And she delivers on this track once again, with the catchiest melody you'll hear this year over Rubberfunk's tasteful, upbeat and lively production.

Backing it up is the bluesy 'Slim's Mood' which allows the Rubberfunk band to stretch their legs over a driving soul jazz arrangement that's a must for fans of 'Boogaloo Joe' Jones and Grant Green. ... As before, it's likely to be another sell out run, so move quickly before they disappear!

Dutch Techno master Orlando Voorn has opened up his archive for the first of what will be an ongoing artist focused series brought to you by Above Board Projects. The compilation will be spread across 2 double 12" volumes and will feature tracks from many of Voorn's pseudonyms including; Fix, Baruka, The Ghetto Brothers, Mute & many more. With this initial release we are proud to introduce the lead-in sampler 12" for Voorn's forthcoming 2-part archival collection entitled 'Diligence'. Each track has been carefully selected and programmed in conjunction with Orlando Voorn and this 12" even features the unreleased and previously unheard gothic 1992 techno masterpiece 'DX Me Silly' which was very kindly excavated from the DAT archive specifically for this project. The 12" also features the classic sounds of Fix's 'Life Beyond The Clouds' featuring Detroit legend Blake Baxter. Orlando Voorn's association with Detroit has been long running since day one and some of the music contained within this compilation celebrates that while showcasing some of the more overlooked tracks from the man's more than extensive catalogue. In short, this is a must have for any serious Techno fan! All tracks fully licensed and remastered with the full permission of Orlando Voorn. Remastering and lacquers by Curvepusher. Compiled and directed by the Above Board Projects team. Design and layout by atelier Superplus. 2019

Brian Kage’s fourth release on Michigander Music “303 in the 313 EP” features 4 uniquely gritty and acid-soaked manifestations of mid 90’s Detroit. This exercise in analog monosynth mastery directly connects the grittiness of the urban landscape with the raw spirit of creative freedom.

Detroitasaurus starts the record off with a subtle prehistoric soundscape, steadily building rhythmic tension using hypnotic toms and melodic drum patterns. Razor sharp 909 hats hammer down there through the sonic mist as the journey continues to build. Shrieking jurassic trumpets cap off each of the peaking climbs to reveal metallic broken-down structures that are bound together with oscillating 303 threads and a grooving bassline.

Van Dyke Vessel features an atmosphere of textured percussion and metallic analog synths that wind around a deep square bass groove. Suddenly, truncated growling vocal samples start to collect into the catchy phrase “Let’s take this to outer space”. Swelling pads give way to squealing acid as this track transports dancers to a nostalgic melodic dimension.

Delray Dance undulates with thick bass slowly building into a body focused groove as it winds up and gives way to a rugged 303 saw with fluttering Spanish style synth stabs. Classic Detroit pads continue to swell, adding to the tension and leaving enough sonic space for melodic mixes in and out. This tune is the perfect tool to transition between genres.


Zonin breaks the mold by combining old-school electro vibes with a heavy dose of acid and freestyle hip hop. Heavy broken beats are combined with a rockin’ nostalgic bassline and layered party vocals that transports you to the center of the dancefloor on the best night you’ve ever had.

Delsin founder Marsel Van Der Wielen revives his Peel Seamus alias for a debut album proper. The leading Dutch techno label began in 1996 with a cassette-only Peel Seamus release, Publik Draft, which Van Der Wielen primarily distributed through early online channels of communication. There was a small flurry of 12" releases from the project around the turn of the century, but for a long time Peel Seamus has been quiet. Now Van Der Wielen has gathered together tracks from his archives, mostly written and recorded circa 2000, to present the Peel Seamus debut album proper, Susurro. Rooted in the classic Detroit and European techno that Delsin's identity is forged on, it's a deep, rich listen laden with heart and soul to match the mechanics of Van Der Wielen's chosen tools - a masterclass in expressive electronics and a fascinating insight into the musical DNA behind one of the world's finest techno labels.

After a string of succesful singles, “Deixa Musica A Tocar”, “So Vejo Voce”, “E A Felicidade” and the Dj Harvey supported “ Te Faz Bem” and “Serei Seu”, The Danish / Brazilian quartet constellation Copenema (Copenhagen / Ipanema = Copenema) are ready to release their debut album “Deixa Musica a Tocar”.
The album mixes European electronica influences with Brazilian songwriting style. The sound becomes unique and some would say Balearic.The albums leading single “Te Faz Bem” a funky downtempo track with live saxophone, flute and rhythm guitars and a baseline to die for has become somewhat a national Ibiza balearic anthem over the past years and spread worldwide especially due to the massive support from Djs incl from Harvey to Dj Pippi to Pete Tong. “Serei Seu” the second single another Ibiza fave is a funky party track that sounds like a modern Jorge Ben. The single “So Vejo Voce” is Stan Getz meets the beach vibes, “Festa De Relaxamento” an Alfredo fave is jazzy Brazilian funk vibes with heavy live drums and a bass line that wants you to move.
“Lullaby For Impanema” is sunset material. The bands first recording the 12 min beautiful jazzy cosmic downtempo Pat Metheny influenced and Leo Mas supported “Some Di Some Day” is pure bliss and a sunset fave amongst the Balearic community.
The album has three added bonus tracks (Vinyl Only) - Can’t Sleep and Nada Mais both recorded in a Music For Dreams writers camp recently and the 12 minute journey of Serei Seu by Danilo Braca

Apparel Tronic comes back after the heat of summer introducing the first V/A on the catalogue as well as its 10th release overall (Varioustronic 1). This 3 tracks V/A is an ambitious project that unites 3 great artists with diverse approaches to music production, 3 different minds and visions, 3 declination of the same verb brought together under the same roof, our roof. We always like to experiment, to try and push our boundaries over again in everything we do and surely this is an organic evolution to the so-called "Bliss-Beat": the identificative concept behind our ideas. The 3 producers we chose, Anton Kubikov, Artizhan & Tommy Vicari Jr. need no introduction so we're simply grateful to them for their availability to huddle up and create some great music for one cause and it's surprising how the three tracks, colliding, offer different but likeminded perspectives, like fragmenting planets creating new ones. This release is the result of 2 years of research, ending up choosing Anton's "Freak Out Little Bit", Artizhan's "Birthday" and Tommy's "Conceal" amongst many others. APLTRONIC010 V/A is clear for the take-off, on vinyl and digital versions, and we hope you'll like it!

Fleeing her Soviet ruled home of Tbisili at a young age with her parents, Saze grew up as a nomad living in Russia, France, Canada and the USA before finally settling down and pursuing a career in NYC. A classically trained musician and dancer, before long the Georgian turned her back on corporate life to pour her heart and soul into the arts. Becoming a diligent and versatile electronic music producer, DJ and live act, Sophia Saze is as comfortable sculpting intricate and atmospheric productions in the studio as she is decimating dancefloors with robust Techno and frenetic Breaks. Reflecting on her turbulent life and how it’s formed her own identity, Saze composed her aptly titled debut album, ‘Self’. Released on cassette in two instalments, ‘Part I’ dropped in June and was critically acclaimed with support from the likes of BBC 6MUSIC’s Tom Ravenscroft, Mixmag, DJ Mag, XLR8R, Resident Advisor, Future Music, Attack Magazine, TRAX, Tsugi, Ransom Note and Groove Magazine, with the latter drawing a parallel between hers and Burial’s music. Completing the journey, ‘Part II’ meanders through genres like Ambient, Hip Hop and Breaks, and features very personal insights including handpicked samples from Soviet television shows and VHS cassette recordings from her childhood. Hidden allusions of her classical music education bring up distant memories and melt together the organic but thoroughly electronic ambience. Crackles, hushes and hisses are elaborated so well that the record virtually gushes over the ears like mountain torrents. It appears peaceful and quiet, then rousing and it is sparked with bewildering sounds. It lets scattered beats arise from the thicket and drown again in streams of noise. But

For the latest release in their ongoing ‘International’ series, Into The Light Records takes us to Sydney and the dreamy, softly spun musical world of talented multi-instrumentalist Max Santilli.

“Surface” is Santilli’s debut album following years spent working alongside Jacob Fugar in Ken Oath Records-signed downtempo duo Angophora. It draws on a personal archive of home recordings made between 2016 and 2018 using a range of guitars, synthesizers and acoustic percussion instruments.

As you’d perhaps expect, it’s an intimate and hugely personal set that wraps drowsy, slowly shifting musical flourishes around gentle, sun-kissed rhythms and suitably spacey chords. Santilli offers subtle nods towards his various inspirations – think the mesmerizing ambient-jazz fusion of Michael Bierylo, Steve Hillage’s timeless early ambient works and the intricate acoustic guitar playing of Steve Tibbetts and Miguel Herrero – while forging his own distinctly lo-fi and otherworldly path. As a result, “Surface” is an album of impressive depth and diversity, held together by Santilli’s reflective, emotion-rich vision.

Empirical Magnetism is back with a remix series of BLENT's "Drawn 2 U" EP (EM02) released in August 2018. On the occasion of EM02(BIS), Empirical Magnetism and Electron Libre Music Group are glad to introduce Luca Cazal & SLF to you, and to welcome back DJ W!LD, OID & Anrilov, Bypass on board.

BLENT is a Moscow-based duet composed by Cedric K Gasaida aka Starving Yet Full (singer of former Canadian band Azari & III) and Victor Karzalov (half of Russian duo Bypass).

With previous releases including tracks from the likes of Agents of Time, JoeFarr, and raising talent R.O.S.H; plus support from from Djs like Laurent Garnier, who licensed one of the previously released tracks to his Tsugi 'Electro' mix (Francois V ‘Electro’ taken from Cod3QR001) Cod3QR’s profile is steadily growing as a label releasing quality music. With music being the main focus you'll have to wait another 2 months to find out who is behind this latest release. The curiosity continues.
Head to their Instagram Page (ig: cod3qr) for clues to the artist identities of Cod3QR001, 002, 003 & 004!

In early 2018, Jas Shaw, one half of Simian Mobile Disco was diagnosed with a rare health condition – AL amyloidosis – a disorder of bone marrow cells. Having just completed SMD’s 7th studio album Murmurations and with a special show at the Barbican scheduled for April, things were thrown into confusion. At the time, no one, including Shaw, knew how the prognosis would pan out. Jas had to start chemotherapy almost immediately, which meant cancelling the tour. The duo decided to go ahead with the Barbican show in spite of Shaw’s illness, which was especially poignant as all involved knew it could potentially be SMD’s last ever live performance – in the end it turned out to be a tour-de-force. If this was SMD’s swansong, so be it.

In the year that followed, Jas spent months receiving weekly chemotherapy, learning to live with his condition, and when he felt well enough, spending hours in his studio making music.

The result of this was twofold, firstly a collaborative album with Derwin Dicker (Gold Panda), released as Selling – On Reflection, on City Slang Records Secondly, a growing archive of solo work, which is now ready for release. Entitled “The Exquisite Cops”, this 20+ track growing body of work will see the light of day via SMD’s Delicacies label – with a 2-track single released every fortnight /month and a limited
edition double LP scheduled for 27th September.

At the end of 2018 a difficult year was capped with hopeful news. With his condition in remission, able to stop chemotherapy Jas is able to start DJing and playing live again.

Jas: “The Exquisite Cops tracks seem to have made their own system for creation. Normally I record electronic music like a band would, as a take. So, it’s kind of surprising to me that that this batch of tracks wasn’t made this way. Instead of a single take that gets edited and developed these tracks were all made in bits, usually months apart. Some days I’d make a drum track, often editing it down so that it’s some sort of semblance of a structure; on other days I’d end up just making a synth sound or texture. This wasn’t something that I gave into reluctantly, it’s nice to be able to give a feedback based pad your whole attention rather than just set it up and only attend to it if it gets really out of hand.

The process of matching these misfits together was originally born out of laziness, rather than break open the synths to make something to develop an idea, what if I could just use something that I already had; slack. The interesting thing was that in pulling two takes together that were done months apart, they cast each other in a different light and though sometimes making them fit together was a hatchet job, sometimes they locked up together in an improbable way, making the rough structures that I’d improvised make a different sort of sense; often a more interesting sort of sense.

The more I did this the more it felt like this was not just a slacker’s way to use up offcuts, this resulted in combinations that I’d probably not have chosen if I’d done the tracks in one go. Also, and I know this isn’t something that’s important to everyone, there was a level of fastidious detail that I’d never have got if I’d had the textural and rhythmic elements playing together. It’s a longwinded process but it’s changed how I record and how I think about recordings I’ve made; plus I enjoy all parts of it so why cut it short?”

Sarah Benabdallah and Alexis Lebon are a very 21st century musical coupling, absorbing their metropolitan surroundings while tapping into a rich cultural heritage, not unlike fellow countrymen PNL or the Dutch band Altin Gün. A Paris-based duo set for greatness they might be, but it’s fair to say Mauvais Oeil are operating under a misnomer: while their name means “evil eye” in French, you’ll only experience enlightenment when you lay eyes (and ears) upon them. Mauvais Oeil are set to release their debut EP Nuits de velours, a magical melting pot of musical shibboleths and contemporary grooves. On opener “Mes nuits de velours”, we’re transported in the land of 1001 Arabian Nights, with the music every bit as smooth and alluring as the subject matter. “Afrita” is a trance-inflected musical acclamation evoking all
the madness and gayety of a midsummer souk. Sung entirely in Arabic with delightful blasts of strings, it’s a North African-influenced banger with a delicate wistfulness. “Asha” meanwhile is in a reference to Asha Vahishta, the middle-eastern concept of truth
according to the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism. Sung again in Arabic, it features catchy Phrygian guitar manoeuvres played over ambient analogue keyboard strokes. The E.P. is completed by “Constantine”, a song of longing, dedicated to the home of Sarah’s forebears. Having met in the arty northern faubourgs of Paris, Sarah and Alexis soon developed a musical telepathy and a shared sonic agenda, mining their own histories for the profound
cultural roots that underscore Mauvais Oeil, while absorbing the ubiquitous sounds of the suburbs, where Turkish, Armenian and Ethiopian music ring out. The band’s moving and melancholic chansons are delivered with a delightful French pop sensibility, making Mauvais Oeil one of the most exciting and musically diverse prospects in 2019.

PLR is proud to host a variety of talented producers from around the hemisphere, from Berlin to Montréal to San Francisco. The label is a brainchild of independent artist Experimental Housewife and was kicked off by prolific producer Roche (100% Silk, Jacktone, Hobocamp) and his breath-taker A Genuine Effort To Make You Comfortable. Soon after, the spring saw italo-sprinkled dance floor beats followed by slamming techno and weirdo-tronica, a non-genre made of intriguing sounds that play tricks on DJs. In closing, the roster will be opening ears up with a wonderful miniseries of ambient releases before the final EP: arpeggiated pop from conceptual two-man band Star Service .

Premiere producers like Lily Ackerman (As You Like It, Mioli Music), CMD (Jacktone, basic_sounds), Golden Diskó Ship (Monika Enterprise, Spezialmaterial, Klangbad), BLEIE (B.O.D.I.E.S., 3am Devices), Mo Kudeki (Noctuary, Public Works), and Tape Ghost (Asterisk, Night Sea) have all signed up to the roster, releasing fierce and excitable works that they have had for a while but hitherto were not able to release to the public.

Reverenced names like Ryan Merry (now Elexos Park but formerly Ghosts On Tape), Roy England (Make Mistakes, Communikey), Caltrop (In The Dark Again), Loren Steele (Wolf + Lamb, Jacktone), and Philadelphia warriors Sean Thomas (Drumsong, Sound Between Movement) as well as bpmf (Schmer, Serotonin, Prototype 909) have all offered exclusive productions.

Mysterious and up-and-coming producers like Emmett Perlman (Wage Slave, Make Mistakes), Bad Person , gayphextwin (Jacktone), BIlagáana (VODER), and Atlas Of Nothing can be explored in the catalog alongside new names like Memeshift, The Hug , and Jaclyn Kendall .

Our spotlight mastering engineers for digital releases include David Last, Abe Duque, Dark Star Audio, David Tatasciore, and Helen Heß. Our resident and extremely generous/talented engineer for the year has been the one and only Roy England.

For its 3rd releases, Nubiphone is proud to present you a compilation of the best early 7inch releases of the mythical Cameroonian band Los Camaroes.
10 raw tracks taken from various singles from 1968 to 1975, that present the musical diversity played by those seven young people: Bikutsi, Afro-Funk, Jerk, , Soukous, Rumba & Blues music. The band led by the charismatic lead vocal Messi Martin that managed to modernized Cameroonian music. Deluxe edition that includes an 8-pages booklet, with exclusive pictures, biography in both English and French languages, and a HQ digital download
card.

Are you ready for fresh blood! Some time ago, Tomorrow Is Now Kid! head honcho Alex Salvador and Jelle Meeuwsen aka "Pokopoko" met while spinning records and talking music at a party in Tilburg, The Netherlands. A big stack of demos got sent over to the TINK! headquarters and eventually a debut EP named "Petrichor" was created. A powerful four-tracker with a dusty and melancholic take on today's House music. It's raw and funky but changes vibes throughout, keeping it fresh. That said, "Petrichor EP" is an emotional rollercoaster and a tribute to the ever-changing and unpredictable Dutch weather.

DJ Feedback

Harry Avers:
"A solid EP."


Colin Dale:
"Great sound and a solid EP."


Jeff Barker:
"Iglozbub and Stipperflip are cool. Will support, cheers!"


Simon Huxtable:
"There's a distinct 90s UK house vibe to this EP. Good stuff."


Michael Serafini:
"Excellent! Petrichor and Hurdy Gurdy solid."


Jacques Renault:
"Always dig a new release from Tomorrow is Now Kid!"


Tim Haze:
"Very nice EP, will definitely play out. Soulful, funky, deep and energetic all at the same time. "


Mirco Violi:
"Very nice tracks."


Robert Monk:
"Quality proper Deep House cuts - love em all."


Eric Downer:
"Love the slowly unfurling start to the ep, 'Hurdy Gurdy', introducing things with floaty keys and jaunty percussion. this leads into the smart, sunny and upbeat 'Iglozub' which is snappy, bringing the mood up a little and spilling into the deep, meandering but no less uplifting 'Stipperflip' and a driven hi-hat dripping over a thick bass pump. Pokopoko saves the best for last, however, with all tracks leading to the majestic 'Petrichor', deep, dynamic and evolving with sweet, aching chords laced up with a crispy shaker and syrup-smooth bassline. Perfection."


Agus Arbol:
"House music at its best."


Severino Panzetta:
"Cool vibe."


Tunde Adams (DJ Caspa):
"Really nice ep here, will be supporting. "


Ben Gomori:
"Iglozub is stunning."


Al Bradley:
"Cool EP right here, saving the best to last with Petrichor doing the business!"


Timos:
"Nice work, I like it thanks!"


Paul Hazendonk:
"Lovely lovely vibe in Iglozub."


Times are Ruff:
"Nice work! Cool tracks."


Nathan Goode:
"Another fine release by TINK! Can't wait to play this one on air! "


MEAT:
"Great tunes!"


Robert Colon:
"This Is Some Beautiful Sexy, Dirty & Filthy House & I Am Loving It! I Will Be Smashing This Out."

Trentemøller returns with his fifth studio album 'Obverse' in September 2019! Anders Trentemøller is a well-known multi-instrumentalist, but perhaps the one he’s most adept at is the studio itself. 'Obverse' is the result of him expanding that skill even further. 'Obverse' often feels like an instrumental album because it started life as one, the driving philosophy being “what if the pressure of having to perform these songs live is removed entirely?” Granting yourself the freedom to chase down every idea a studio offers comes with privileges. What happens when you reverse a synth part mid-verse? Why not send an entire track through a faulty distortion pedal? Inspiration reveals itself in a variety of forms and, before long, a simple chord progression contorts into something entirely new. It’s a work method that yielded great results for the legendary German Kosmiche/Motorik experimentalists of the 1970’s. Intentional or not, 'Obverse' embodies more than a little of that spirit without even a hint of pastiche.

So it only makes sense that 'Obverse' would stray from its original roadmap. In due time, half of the nascent compositions featured singers, including Lina Tullgren, Lisbet Fritze, and jennylee, of Warpaint, another band deeply influenced by dream pop. While 'Obverse' was born from a different work ethic than previous efforts, it also continues an arc that started in 2006. Each successive effort has represented a logical next step beyond the album before, and 'Obverse' absolutely picks up where Fixion left off.

For the past decade Trentemøller has been perfecting this form of sonic chiaroscuro to conjure up images of severe landscapes, and to mirror the Scandinavian climate, where half the year the sun barely sets, and the other it barely tops the horizon. While there has been a film noir element in his previous work, 'Obverse' is the first time each song has felt like a collection of pocket soundtracks.

By fusing together a love of dream pop, dark synth-based music, film scores, and a deep connection with the stark Nordic panoramas, Anders has created an inimitable language. Ultimately 'Obverse' resides in a genre all its own.

Inland Versions is the electronic extension of the latest album "Inland" by the French pianist Vanessa Wagner. 5 reworks by GAS, Suzanne Ciani, Vladislav Delay, Nadia Struiwigh and Marc Melia.

On the original album, released in May 2019, Vanessa Wagner performed, with excellence, solo piano rare pieces from the minimalist repertoire (Moondog, Philip Glass, Wim Mertens...) to featured works from younger composers from the contemporary music scene (Bryce Dessner, Nico Mulhly). On Inland versions, the pianist has invited established artists from the current experimental scene to transform her unique interpretations into equally fascinating electronic explorations.

Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellström's debut Miasmah release follows two critically acclaimed full length albums on Lampse (2006's 'Gebrauchsmusik' and 2005's 'Exercises In Estrangement'). In addition Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers including 'Salad Fingers' creator David Firth. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellström's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic.

'Schattenspieler' (which translates as 'Shadowplayer') takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral instrument-based audio constructions, flowing from one moment to the next - the fleeting ghosts of Fjellström's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellström wants only to expose us to the shadow of the music - the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright…listen to 'Schattenspieler' and you may find your mind starts to play tricks on you…

The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track 'The Disjointed', lay the foundations for Fjellström's 'Schattenspieler' album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes 'Schattenspieler' a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense laden 'Antichrist Architechture Management', with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and a wash of static hiss and flicker, is a particular standout track. Despite it's a strangely oppressive sound, shafts of light grace 'Schattenspieler'; pieces such as 'Untitled 090616' find gorgeous melodies are boxed in by unsettling arrangements and sparse background ambience. There is a coldness to many of these compositions - not without emotion, but somehow remorseless. 'Schattenspieler' is, for the main part, a defiantly bleak journey.

Vinyl edition ltd. to 300 copies, purple vinyl, incl. 8-page 12" booklet with drawings by Marcus Fjellström.

Aaaron continues his journey through mystic synthesis with his 5th ep for connected , “Cosmic Soul”. It seems with each release he gathers more depth to his music and minimises his style and production to naked artwork in sound where each instrument has its space for the the listeners imagination. Abstract yet magnetic , tribal and futuristic. Sink in the shadows and rise on the waves.

1.COSMIC SOUL A rhythm section playing robotic funk against an esoteric drone meets a melancholic piano refrain and pleading vocal monotones that go dubwise. The landscape of the track rises and falls to a vocal and piano breakdown with electronic flutes piping in the distance , peppered with percussive stabs throughout as the emotive waves surge to find earth. Quite beautiful. 2.MERCY Synthetic textures reminiscent of Blade Runner 2049 form a backdrop for a skeletal drum figure, as soft Kraftwerk like notes filter in and out and a skinny sequencer drifts across the track like crosstown traffic. A vocoder pulse and dreamy synth horns hold the scene in the shade of a hot sunny day as the city flies by in stop motion. 3.ITS NOT OVER Imagine a classical symphony based on 2 or 3 chords , revolving and hypnotising by its simplicity and gradually rising in sonic temperature. Set against a drumscape of toms and unnaturally pitched and distorted snares and phasing plastic synth percussion like a drifting cloud of locusts. The vocal “Its not over between you and me” is haunting and irresistible and the song draws you in, mystified by its simplicity . Devoid of frills , cold and heartbroken yet the embers of passion still glow. Innocently executed , Aaaron at his futuristic high.

We've reached a pivotal moment for Local Talk.
What better way to celebrate a centenary of forward thinking releases than to present one of the best kept secrets out there, MLiR aka Modern Life Is Rubbish this time joined by Arnau Obios.

After making a serious impact with their remarkable 'Swedish Lo-Life' and 'Trans-World Junktion' releases on fellow Swedish label Studio Barnhus, we're thrilled to have them onboard for our 100th release on Local Talk.

Yes, that is correct, we’re celebrating the big 100. Since the very beginning we've covered everything from the deeper shades of house to the jackin' and the gritty club jams, released some slower BPMs and also the uplifting, vocal and organic house.
As you probably noticed - we love it all.

The 100th release main track 'Lajbans' is one of those sublime tunes that is bridging the gap between all styles of dance music and got the MLiR trademark, it's epic and manages to offer plenty of subtle details to keep you locked for the full 9 minute experience.
Accompanied with the original is a masterclass in dub 'Lajbans (Bellaterra dub)'.
You got the versatility of the original carefully stripped back but also absorbing layers upon layers of seductive sonic moods, it's a trip for sure and you don't want it to end.
Once again MLiR proves why they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come...

Artwork by Leolyxxx
Mastered by Sasse at Blackhead Studios

Jatinder Singh Durhailay and David Edren released Tea Notes as a cassette back in April of 2018. London-based Jatinder Singh Durhailay is a painter and student of Indian Classical music. He has trained in both the sitar and the Hindi singing technique, Dhrupad. He also plays two traditional Sikh instruments; the bowed, stringed Dilruba and Taus. Poetic Pastel Press issued his solo debut, The Last Ballad Of Mardana, in 2017. David Edren`s expertise lies with machines and modular synthesis. His Kosmische and New Age-Inspired electronics have featured on numerous cassettes, and compilations, produced for imprints from the current Belgian underground, such as Jj Funhouse, Social Harmony, and Ultra Eczema. These recordings appearing, since the turn of the millennium, either under his own name, or the moniker DSR Lines. Jatinder and David’s collaboration, Tea Notes, is a celebration, a meditation, on both the beverage, and the communal time shared imbibing. The coming together to partake in its ritual. Each of the six tracks represents a different infusion. The opening piece is a tribute to semi-oxidised Oolong, from China`s Wuyi Mountains, with hammered dulcimer-like glissando. Gongs shimmering, gently crashing, as if signaling a change in the weather. A calm of thin, stretched synths and Ai angels introduces Tulsi from India. The Holy Basil of Hinduism, used in the worship of Vishnu, Krishna, and Rama. A traditional herb of Ayurveda and Siddha medicine. Automated arpeggiated sequences raising a vibrating wall of hallucinatory sound. Pairing swooning strings with a racing robot heart. Ceylon is a modern twist on the classical raga. Serving to tell the story of a tea smuggled into Sri Lanka in the 19th century. Plants stolen from South West China, where the brew had been enjoyed since the days of the Shang Dynasty (1766 to 1122 BC). The contraband founding fresh industry in its new home when the indigenous coffee crops failed. Muted organ and sleepy, treated sine wave microtones describe Kava, the Polynesian fireweed root, whose extract serves as both sedative and euphoriant.Shincha are the first young leaves of the season. Picked in Southern Japan and steamed to prevent oxidization, retain their flavour and green / gold colour. Their musical counterpart finds Edren establishing an ecclesiastical drone, while Durhailay`s strings chart an ancient romantic ache. Sonic stars shine. Singing out to the infinite, the universe, before dissolving into knots of Radiophonic Workshop noise.Melodies treated with subtle sustain and delay denote Pu-Ehr, from the Yunnan province. The only truly fermented black tea - made distinctive by the action of bacteria, moulds, and yeasts. Its musical themes hovering in the vapour trails, the atmospheres, they themselves create. Spiraling, soaring, reaching for the heavens, while pretty music box glitches - tiny chimes turned in on themselves. Catching, reflecting, like light at play on fresh running water. (words: Robert Harris)

DJ Oonops presents Volume 2 of his extensive compilation covering genres from Dub, Jazz, Funk, Soul to Beats and Hip Hop featuring pretty well known artists as well as zooming newcomers. He spent more than one year to select artists from around the globe who reflect the sounds of his "Oonops Drops" broadcast on Brooklyn Radio (NYC).

Be that jazzy beats or virtuoso live jazz drums, keys and guitars from Japan by Kazumi Kaneda, RF and 45 a.k.a. Swing-O, a first-time- on-vinyl dub remix by Great Britain's Coldcut or a brass cover version of Rihanna's "Stay" by Sly5thAve out of the US. Most of the tracks are exclusives or first time available on vinyl for this compilation, like the song "Measly Peace" by Magic In Trees out of Nashville, German beatmaker Twit One with an ill Jazz instrumental or London based rapper and singer Amy Tru featuring Nubya Garcia.

Also you gonna hear a unique and rump-shaking cover version of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" by T Bird & The Breaks, John Turell's powervoice over some heavy beats by Soopasoul, Kinny with a catchy tune, Igor Zhukovsky from The Soul Surfers & MRR Drumetrics with an exclusive, pumping psychedelic drum track and Schemes from Montreal who take all the credits at the moment from the web by Vice, Okayplayer, Music Is My Sanctuary and many more. For the artwork Oonops collaborated once again with San Francisco based artist Lindsey Kustusch who mirrored the atmosphere of New York City on point with her oil painted artwork.

Be sure to get your hands on this limited peace of work before it's gone like Volume 1. About Oonops: beside his vinyl only show on Brooklyn Radio he is spinning banging club sets to relaxed mixtures for vernissages, museums or theaters. And furthermore he works as a product designer and he's listed in the top 50 of Germany's best table tennis players and focuses all his skills in an event which will bring all this together.

Wanubalé - nine guys from Berlin, inspired by the city's fresh Jazz scene and distinct club culture. Wanubalé met at school. Five of the nine in the band went to the same musical high school in Berlin.
Heavy influences from Jazz, Neo Soul and Funk shape their compositions. However, electronic sounds are just as important to Wanubalé. All of the nine are in their early twenties. All of them are into Dub, Bass Music and Broken Beats. And several members are DJs, as well. The Wanubalés are first rate musicians. They tend to take their time writing arrangements, yet they are careful not to overly emphasize their Jazz skills. Songwriting is a collaborative affaire, everything is developed organically.
Just like the band name, which dates back to the days of fooling around in the schoolyard, playing with syllables ("nuba" came first). Sound was crucial. Some say "Wanubalé" means "brother" in Swahili. Wanubalé: four horns, two drummers, guitar, bass, keyboards. Nine musicians with a knack for funky breaks, mighty brass sounds and great melodies. The musicians don't hide their influences: Snarky Puppy, Fat Freddy's Drop, plus younger acts like Hiatus Kaiyote. But Wanubalé do their own thing.
Wanubalé: four horns, two drummers, guitar, bass, keyboards. Nine musicians with a knack for funky breaks, mighty brass sounds and great melodies. All songs are written, produced and arranged by Wanubalé. Recorded at Jazzanova Studio, Berlin.

"Celebrity clouds" is compiled of four songs, which have been produced and recorded in 2018. It's an online collaboration of Alexandre Kordzaia (kordz) and Natalie Beridze. These two came up with the concept of the record uneventfully, after recording their first track "Celebrity clouds". Beridze's lyrics came out completely irrelevant to Kordz's music, that adopted a flair of humor and sarcasm to it. After that, they decided to stick the line of weird lyrics on top of synth, piano and ambiance recordings, played live by kordz. Musical ideas belong to kordz. Beridze would complete the tracks, adding few instruments (or none, in some cases), wrote lyrics and recorded vocals.

The artwork of the vinyl, made by Georgian artist Thea Djordjadze, resembles the concept of the music nonetheless. As though having nothing to do with neither celebrities, nor their clouds, it shows the sadness and the beauty of half-molten candle.

Alexandre Kordzaia aka kordz is a Georgian composer. After moving to Switzerland at a young age, he professionally studied piano and drums, audio design and recording acoustic music. shortly after he started producing electronic music.

Kordzaia is currently studying in Hague, Netherlands, where he is accomplishing his master's degree in composition. He releases on labels such as: Prrrrrrrr Records, Medschool Records, Hospital Records, Majestic Casual Records. Kordzaia also writes for acoustic instruments and orchestras with live electronics: for the Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie, the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra (The Hague), the Dortmunder Philarmoniker, the Zagareli String Orchestra, the Nieuw Ensemble (Amsterdam) and Kluster5 (The Hague). To pack his music into popular categories is not easy: "His music is a mesh of carefully balanced oppositions: deliciously snappy transients punctuate shimmering soundscapes, gently morphing into funk; a melancholic post-soviet feel pays sentimental homage to a private vision of the 80s. Acoustic instruments sit side by side with analogue synthesizers and drum machines; field and foley recordings blend the recognizable into the fuzzy and surreal.

Natalie Beridze (tba) is a Georgian music composer and songwriter, considered a pioneer of Georgian electronic music. She has released over 10 records on labels such as Cologne based Max.E, Berlin based Laboratory instinct, CMYK, Chainmusic, CES Records and Berlin's Monika Enterprise, which has become her main label. Beridze's collaborations include: Thomas Brinkmann, AGF (Antye Greie), Gudrun Gut, Joerg Follert, Marcus Schmickler, Nika Machaidze aka Nikakoi, Sonae, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Gacha Bakradze, Alex Kordzaia.

Beridze works on music for acoustic instruments, orchestra and choir.

Her recent work - "Mapping Debris" was written for Swiss "Mondrian Ensemble" piano and string trio and electronics, performed in Zurich, in 2019.

Beridze collaborates with a Georgian string ensemble "Zagareli and strings", composing pieces for electronics, strings and viola.

Raised in the multicultural and mind-broadening London borough of Enfield, Loraine James grew up hearing everything from steel pan music to Metallica, from jazz and electronica to drill and grime, and the results of this exposure can be heard on ‘For You And I’. In part the album explores the complexities of being in a queer relationship in London - “I’m in love and wanted to share that in some way … to make songs that reflect layers of my relationship.” – and as a whole ‘For You and I’ is rhythmically free flowing and sprawling, with melodies that evolve into rippling keys, feeling like a live jam session with a jazz mentality, contrasting the delicate and abrasive. Opener ‘Glitch Bitch’ is a warm ear-worm, brandishing swirling textures with undulating keys and compressed percussion, with an introspective theme revisited soon after on third track ‘So Scared’, whose glitched percussion and syncopated dub bassline build to a frantic meltdown melody. On ‘London Ting // Dark As Fuck’, inspired by Dizzee Rascals's ‘Boy In Da Corner', James explores the darker side of her production with her frequent collaborator Le3 BLACK laying verses over the skeletal track. ‘Hand Drops’ is an instrumental, about public displays of affection in a queer relationship. ‘Sensual’ reflects on intimacy with vocals by UK singer Theo, who's lyrics capture love and gentleness over a soft, minimal production of ethereal keys and scattered glitches. The albums’ title track is also the most colourful, it’s ecstatic and effusive chaos driven by fervent synths expressing elation and the joyful side of her relationship, while ‘My Future’ is a more reflective moment, where warping synths wash in and out with compressed kicks, as the artist considers the dangers that may come with her relationship : “I wanna tie the knot / But the rope is dangerous”. ‘For You And I’ is a deeply intimate and personal offering, expressing happiness, anxiety, joy, sensuality and fear through a vivid sound palette and an experimental sense of rhythm.

The Juan Maclean return to DFA with a compilation LP of 12-inch singles they’ve amassed over the past six years – re-edited, re-mastered, and ready for fans who may have missed the tracks the first time around. From the dub house sway of 2013’s “You Are My Destiny” to the high-energy stomp of this May’s “Zone Non Linear,” and featuring two never-before-released tracks, “Quiet Magician” and “Pressure Danger,” The Juan Maclean once again justify their longevity as a musical force that is more than capable of repurposing club tracks for every setting.

The Brighter The Light is put together in a way that lends itself to appreciating the sheer banging quality of the songs while simultaneously being able to dance to them in your living room. For example, take “Feel Like Movin,’” which Pitchfork called “gloriously beatific” and “pure DFA gold.” In the new remastered version, the fullness of the keys and the kicks takes over, unfurling across the listener. Deep house rhythms, sparkling synths and a certain spaciousness are what’s emphasized across the record. Gone is the slow-motion melancholy disco from their recent full-lengths – The Brighter The Light is all fierce enthusiasm and dance floor missives, perfect for those who aren’t quite ready to let go of summer.

Juan Maclean is a DJ and producer who has been a mainstay of the New York club scene, as well as maintaining a rigorous international touring schedule, since the release of his first records on DFA in 2002. Vocalist Nancy Whang is his longtime collaborator, best known as a founding member of LCD Soundsystem and a busy touring DJ. Together, the two artists have released an extensive catalogue of 12” singles and full-length albums for DFA, including 2014’s seminal In A Dream LP. The proper follow-up studio album will follow in 2020.

With the release of their first two albums and live shows supporting Snarky Puppy, Roy Ayers, Marcus Miller, Larry Mizell & the Blackbyrds, Butcher Brown, Yellowjackets and more, Resolution 88 have already established themselves as one of the UK's leading exponents of funk jazz. Their music is synonymous with the silky, buttery sound of the Fender Rhodes. They're also a bona fide band, a refreshing change in a musical world increasingly occupied by online collaborations and viral videos. They're best mates who love to hang out, play together and make their own music - that sincerity is evident in their songs and their chemistry on stage.


'Revolutions' represents a lot of firsts - the first time Resolution 88 have recorded to multi-track tape, the first time that they've included a real string and brass section, the first time they've included special guests on record and the first time they've pressed an album on vinyl. Imagine a combination of an undiscovered Herbie Hancock album from the mid' 70's, rare-groove samples from the golden era of hip hop (ATCQ, Pharcyde etc) and the new London sound of bands like Yussef Kamaal.

Every track on'Revolutions'represents an aspect of music on vinyl. On'Pitching Up'you hear the DJ pitch the record up from 33rpm to 45rpm.'Out Of Sync'simulates a clumsy attempt at beat-matching. The hypnotic, circling sax line that opens the title track'Revolutions'(echoed by the strings at the end) evokes the mesmerizing sensation of watching the record label artwork whirling as it spins on the platter.'Runout Groove'fades in and out; the drum beat mimics the distinctive, perpetual rhythm tapped out by the stylus as it reaches the runout groove. On the second side,'Sample Hunter'unexpectedly deviates from the main section into Rhodes-drenched interludes; the type of moment that producers searched high and low for back when hip hop was great.Marcus Tenney's (Butcher Brown) lyrics on 'Dig Deep'are all about the thrill of digging for records and'Matrix'is inspired by the hidden messages sometimes left in the matrix markings on record pressings. On'Tracking Force', you can hear the beat twist and morph as the stylus skates over the record. Finally,'Warped Memories'closes out the album with a wistful, melancholy melody. Sit back with a glass of Japanese whisky and a Cuban cigar (or whatever your chosen poison is), stick the album on and enjoy it from start to finish - although if you're listening to it on vinyl, you'll need to get up to turn it over to the B-side ;)

Twenty years ago the duo HIL ST SOUL released a groundbreaking debut album SOUL ORGANIC.
Zambian-born vocalist Hilary Mwelwa and producer/musician/songwriter Victor
Redwood-Sawyerr (VRS) had been working away in a North London studio creating a unique blend of neo soul, jazz and R&B that had critics on both sides of the Atlantic in raptures.

Billboard magazine enthused: “Brimming with R&B/hip-hop/jazz-flavoured rhythms and image-rich
lyrics….Even Aretha’s Until You Come Back To Me glows again under Hil’s touch”.
And talking about the lead single Strictly A Vibe Thang, US magazine Radio & Records were
smitten: “You can’t sit still on this one. While listening to this infectious tune you got to move something – even if it’s just your big toe!” In the UK Echoes magazine called it “one of the best UK soul albums ever”.

Strictly A Vibe Thang charted on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, following in the footsteps of Loose Ends, Soul II Soul and Brand New Heavies, while Hil’s acoustic take on the Stevie Wonder-composed Until You Come Back To Me came out of nowhere to be a sensation at America’s Smooth Jazz radio format It ended 2000 as the most-played vocal track of the year across US Smooth Jazz radio stations, and in the ensuing two decades it has been the most-downloaded - and one of the most-streamed - tracks on the Dome label. Also heavily played: the joyful mid-tempo groove of For Your Love

This 20th Anniversary Edition of the album – now in a gatefold sleeve – includes three bonus tracks not included on the original vinyl release: the acoustic version of Until You Come Back
To Me, the VRS Remix of Just A Matter Of Time, with its insidious groove, and Down To Business.

Hil is still very active, playing several UK shows this autumn, including one at London’s Jazz Café, where she first performed 20 years ago.

Wewantsounds continues its collaboration with Bob Shad's grandchildren, Mia and Judd Apatow, to present a 2LP selection of 13 turntable-friendly Mainstream Records tracks recorded between 1970 and 1973 and showcasing the label's superb blend of Funk, Soul and Jazz. All tracks remastered from the original tapes, most of them released for the first time since their original release with a few highly sought-after ones. Liner notes by UK journalist Paul Bowler. The Mainstream sound is unmistakable: earthy, rich and funky, it's the signature sound of producer Bob Shad. After working with such geniuses as Charlie Parker, The Platters, Billie Holiday and Janis Joplin over three decades, Shad decided to go back to producing Great Black Music in the early 70s through his label Mainstream Records and started releasing a formidable series of jazz albums known as the 300 series. Released between 1971 and 1974, these albums are the main source of this set. Coincidentally, it opens with one of the two tracks on the tracklist not produced by Shad himself. Saundra Phillips' "Miss Fatback" is nonetheless fascinating as it's one of cult disco producer Greg Carmichael's earliest productions from 1975 (before he went on to produce Inner Life, Bumblebee Unlimited, Universal Robot Band with fellow producer Patrick Adams). The other track not issued by the Shad sound factory is Almeta Lattimore's 7" single "These Memories," a truly great soulful track from 1975 and now a sought-after classic on the international Soul scene. Shad's forte was Jazz, and the sessions usually used the best musicians you could think of, including Bernard Purdie, Billy Hart, Stanley Clarke, Dom Um Romao, Joe Sample, Freddie Robinson, Gordon Edwards, Larry Willis, Wilbur Bascomb to name just a few. Filled with gorgeous Fender Rhodes chords and heavy basslines, they define the unmistakable Mainstream sound which had one foot in the great jazz and bop tradition and the other in the sonic jazz explorations of the early 70s. Oscillating between jazzed-up covers of soul hits like Jay Berliner’s "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" or Afrique’s "Kissing My Love" and more introspective originals such as Hal Galper's "This Moment" or Dave Hubbard's "T.B.'s Delight", They all have this perfect balance between groove and depth. One perfect example is Pete Yellin's "Bird and The Ouija Board," a superb 12 min opus starting off with a deep abstract improvisation before switching to an up-tempo funk beat fueled by drummer Billy Hart and bass player Stanley Clarke.

Our Danish secret weapon ANTN is back on Counterweight with his new monstrous release. Four original tracks with his very own and distinctive vision of techno.

Fast, straight, raw and pretty industrial, but without loosing the groove, that's our boy. If this wasn't clear for you yet, now you know why you should keep an eye on this excellent producer.

Sometimes you know it’s coming, sometimes it’s unexpected, but the time to hang your boots will always come. It’s better when you have total control, even better if you end up on a high (or on a low). After seven years of sonic interferences, calibrating the soundscape of field recordings and helping to recreate the old sounds of today, Gonzo is retiring from music. It’s a goodbye, yeah, and a well-crafted one.
But “Ruído(s)” doesn’t sound like an intentional one. You won’t listen to it on any of the thirteen tracks that scavenge for a solution in the space between ambient music and field recordings. You won’t feel it in the intense connection between human and natural sounds and how sometimes everything oscillates in opposite states of mind. You won’t even read it in the intense, but subtle, humor present in some of the pieces. You won’t, because it’s not an intentional goodbye. You only know it is, because you’re reading this.
What is it then? It’s a celebration of random sound. How can you experience something scholastic and, simultaneously, deeply hilarious? Just think about the amazing triad formed by “A Fuga dos Grilos”, “Degredado(s)” and “Cantiga Parva”. First, you’re blessed with six minutes that build up on the idea that sound can be an intense religious experience, echoes going back and forth to create a fantastic Boiler Room feeling (one populated with raving Gonzos doing dabs in front of the camera) that eventually ends up with a cinematic touch: someone saying the title of the song out loud. One second after we are into the Flying Lizards world, with two songs that shake any pretentious seriousness of the previous track.
Is it serious or not? It is. But it doesn’t have to be. In “Ruído(s)” Gonzo recounts pop/electronic history through field recordings and weird-soft beats. More than compiling his seven-year history, Gonzo is more worried to understand where he’s leaving his ideas, Caretaker style. Speaking of Caretaker, Leyland Kirby should think about reviving Caretaker and do a whole album around “Brilhante Cortejo”: it’s haunted ballroom in a ‘cracked’ nutshell.
As the album progresses and the need to revisit it grows, it becomes clearer(?) that “Ruído(s)” is more than an artist self-indulging on his work – in a very good manner. It’s also a condensed catalog of Portuguese music and its sounds, a circular trip down the memory lane of a forgotten country and its landscape. “Ruído(s)” is a goodbye to a country and its traditions. It does it without sulking but with the most respectful loud laugh - the Gonzo way.

Comic book artist, graphic designer and free jazz improviser are only some of the many talents from Beirut born Mazen Kerbaj. After appearing as part of various ensembles on the label, Ariha Brass Quartet (CREP46) and Johnny Kafta Anti-Vegetarian Orchestra (CREP22), Kerbaj finally lands a solo outfit of his own onto the Discrepant dancefloor of insubordination.

14 years after his first (and only) solo album "Brt Vrt Zrt Krt" (Al Maslakh, 2005) Mazen returns with a series of subtle compositions of his own with not one but two(!) solo albums of prepared trumpet that further cement his international position as a serial trumpet botherer.

Whilst Vol. 2.1 showcases his (almost) (un)familiar arsenal of squawks, cackles, howls and squeals, Vol. 2.2 goes deep into the nether regions of waltzing drones and bell tweaks so deep that would make most cetaceans loose their concentration. The notion of being transported to a luring mutant underwater alien community is still present on these long(er) trips with the added meditative pieces being occasionally pierced by noise creepers, nothing is what you want or expect and that’s the way it should be.

If Vol. 2.1 is the classic follow up LP, this one is the beast from the deep, it comes surging and screeching from a deep oceanic sink hole, only to hypnotize you with perverted dance moves before diving back into the sinking, wettest and darkest cave in the world. Vol. 2.2 is a summons album; it shatters any bar there was with its intentional use of everything Vol. 2.1 was denied. It grabs you by wherever available way and it only releases you when you’re ready to listen to it again. Listen to both albums back to back, in no particular order and you’ll know that there’s nothing you can do but come back to it like a doped up seal stranded in a phantom island – appearing and disappearing as the music dictates it to.

Free Love, the artists formerly known as Happy Meals return to Optimo Music with ‘Extreme Dance Anthems’ a phantasmic mini album from their hearts to yours.

They say – “We recorded EXTREME DANCE ANTHEMS in our recently moved studio, ‘Full Ashram Celestial Garden’ which is now situated in a building that holds both a church below us and a sex club next door. Most of the tracks were formed from late-night sessions that we started to kind of ritualistically hold inspired from a particular thought or idea that we later cut down and did a live mixdown of. The music is about physicality and the metaphysical – it is about a recontextualisation of the ineffable as a centre point of existence which in turn influences how we engage with everything around us. A celebration of the unquantifiable, unspeakable, indivisible EXPERIENCE as the throne from which all ideas are derived. Even though the world is fucked- we are here.

On the face of it – I realise that this description might just seem like apolitical hippy bullshit but fuck that – as a deliberate result of the modern political landscape, our societies’ individual and collective disengagement with the metaphysical has led us to treat other humans, animals and our environment like resourceful statistics rather than something that actually holds any inherent value. An Inner Revolution of the foundations of our reality in a way that reintroduces the essence of existence, and not merely its describable derivatives, into the conversation of how we should live our lives INFORMS our perception of the world in a way that demands us to ACT. The record is about a kind of gradual awakening between the two of us – a reconnection with the magic around us.

The ineffable is not without moments of illumination- mostly in the form of immediate absurdity: ONE DAY WE WILL ALL BE DEAD BUT HERE WE ARE ALIVE INSTEAD.

The record is called EXTREME DANCE ANTHEMS because it made us both laugh”.

Secretsundaze welcomes Eliphino to the gala relaunch of their imprint for a thoroughly satisfying mini album of contemplative jacking and dulcet breakbeats.

Eliphino's most recent 'Realistic Sex EP' on the hotly tipped Meda Fury label boasts thunderous breaks, 303s and serious sub-bass pressure which has gained praise from tastemakers such as Jon K, Carista, Josey Rebelle, Moxie and Gilles Peterson.Having flexed with this darker edged EP after a long lay-off from releasing, while sharpening his skills and reconnecting with his musical inspiration, Eliphino is now ready to really cut loose with 'Breaking Up Is Hard' - a statement longplayer that dreamily investigates the dusty spaces between house, breakbeat, ambient, hardcore and acid. Tom This album came about as way of focussing my energy in the wake of a significant break up. I tried to experiment with melody and texture to convey some of the range of emotions that come with such a testing time. That being said, the B-side bangers are more dedicated to abandon and forgetting your worries.

Hailing originally from the Leeds, but with time spent in both London and Berlin, 'Breaking Up Is Hard' lands somewhere between the Hessle Audio crew, Joy O and Selected Ambient Works era Aphex.

Having previously released heaters for Brownswood and Hoya Hoya over the years, Eliphino stepping up for the debut artist LP on the reactivated Secretsundaze label feels like a natural fit as James Priestley explains:

""We've collectively had a connection and friendship with Tom that goes back several years and in fact it was receiving this work as demos that really spurred and inspired us into getting the label rolling again. It feels totally right to be working with him on this and for this mini-LP to herald the relaunch of the label as it moves towards a more artist led as opposed to EP driven approach.