Red Vinyl
In 9 records and 22 years Schmer has given you the same four dudes: Prototype 909, DJ RX-5 and bpmf. Now is the time to unleash a new generation of Schmers on an unprepared world and they are prepared to set the world on fire.
Coming out strong to whip us all into shape we've unleashed Isabella and she'll leave you "Spun Out". Isabella has done tracks for Jacktone, Embalming Lately, Borft, S1, Peder Mannerfelt Produktions. She uses hardware, live, to produce unhinged techno. Now she has done one for Schmer, which had already lost its hinges decades before.
Since 2015, Ciel's monthly radio show "Work In Progress" in Montreal has been highlighting the best and weirdest in underground electronic music produced by women. She has released tracks on Junted (Marshall Applewhite's new imprint), the benefit compilation Power Puerto Rico, and a three- track EP on Peach Discs which landed on numerous year-end lists from Fact Magazine, Mixmag, and Resident Advisor. She provides Schmer with the pristine sounds of "Bad Luck Comes in 3s".
Hiroko Yamamura is the Classic Chicago ride or die style DJ/producer influenced by The Warehouse, technology, and straight up techno, its no wonder she has been named one of Chicago's top 10 DJs by XLR8R magazine. Finally Schmer stops messing around with the Chicago sound and puts the real thing out with Hiroko's "Babyayez" track.
Experimental Housewife is Evelyn Malinowski, a longstanding DJ and maker of music.(Run The Length Of Your Wildness / Jacktone Records / Perfect Location / Juxtatextureall) Now based in San Francisco, she partakes in multiple open collaborations, like the one with the highly skilled DJ and producer Andrew Bowen aka Bilaga´ana. "Free Ends" was created, a track with grit yet full of innocent meandering. Its the cherry on top of our Schmerlicious cake.
Cerca:name one
Mogwai return with their 9th studio album which was recorded with renowned producer Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, The Flaming Lip's, Mogwai's Come On Die Young and ROCK ACTION) at his Tarbox Road Studios in New York State.
Every Country's Sun named after a friends lack of knowledge in how the universe works, takes two decades of Mogwai's signature, contrasting sounds and distills it, beautifully, into 56 concise minutes of gracious elegance, hymnal trance-rock, and transcendental euphoria. It will definitely appeal to fans of the band and will gain many new ones along the way.
Boxset includes: White vinyl double LP, 12" black vinyl (containing 6 tracks of album demos), CD, plus a set of Tarbox Road photographic prints - Includes download card redeemable from the label.
It's the big 5! Berlin - Frankfurt based label House Is OK is celebrating its five-year long presence and has decided to mark that period with something special Label's story started with a sticker Homeboy printed in his former hometown, Zagreb, saying House Is OK'. Catchy, right It became an underground slogan of the local scene. It didn't take long for people to embrace the idea stating that it's OK to be into melodic, fresh, groovy yet, at times, a bit awkward dance music.
Just around the same time Homeboy's Frankfurt based bro's Oliver Achatz and Janis played with the idea of starting a record label. Guess what the logical choice for the name was
Ten records, dozens of original songs and remixes later House is OK continues to grow.
Literally. What was once a platform for the original three founders is now an international family affair supporting the talented artists from Frankfurt, Stockholm, Alexandria and Orlando. Nurturing the friendly approach this musical family continues to grow.
Looking back at the first five years, not only at the music that connected them all but at the bonds that deepened through the production process, House is OK crew wanted to take
create a proper reminder and thank the ones supporting them throughout the years. A double 12' pack titled Gemišt' seemed like a proper way to do that.
- Gemišt will be released as two separate EPs featuring the original music from Kornél Kovacs, Roman Flügel, Gavri & McQueen, TCB, House Of Life and the label makers themselves. Oliver and Janis deliver tracks under their known names, while Homeboy
introduces his new project with fellow Wilde Renate resident The Swift, called Longhair.
Croatian artist Ugruv Smek marks his yearlong collaboration with the label delivering yet another smashing artwork.
Mark the upcoming February when Gemišt part I' is to be released and while you're at it, move on to March just so you don't miss the Gemišt part II' release. And yeah, in case you're wondering - of course it's both 12' EP release and in digital format. House is OK's got you covered.
Born in Poland and now operating out of the ever-effervescent London, the adoptive city where she's learnt the ropes of music production and Djing, Anii - real name Ania Iwinska - has lived many lives in one. Yet if one thing's remained a constant over the years, no matter the harshness of the obstacles life threw at her, it's indeed a deep and inextinguishable love for music; be it behind the mixing desk at Wired Studios or in her own Shoreditch workroom, the key place where she's kept honing her skills with unfazed diligence, up to the point of making it her actual second home.
Anii lands her debut transmission on Kompakt and surely not the last. Named after the Polish word for 'roots', 'Korzenie' finds Ania threading her way in between subtle deep-house and techno folds, delving into the essential strength of her past and present to carve out an hypnotic maelstrom of traditional Polish music strings, tribal percussions and elegiac melodies. Coupling eerie ostinatos with stealthy bass moves, it's an ode to the magnitude of memory and power of resilience that reels out, blurring the line between late night club environment and further spacious, moony soundscapes.
Nat Birchall charts new paths toward spiritual communion, connecting jazz with classical Indian influences guided by the wistful flow of the harmonium.
Cosmic Language sees the UK-based saxophonist, composer and arranger return to Jazzman Records with a cross-cultural approach: an exploration of the parallel musical paths of jazz and Indian ragas. Here he takes influence from spiritual jazz forebears such as Alice Coltrane and Yusef Lateef and introduces the Indian harmonium to his band, where it takes the place of the piano. Making new connections to realise his transcendental ambitions, it's a logical next step in making music as spiritual cleanser.
The idea for the album was spawned from a one-off performance at a meditation centre, the Maharishi Golden Dome in West Lancashire. Seeking to bring a band set-up that was fitting to the quiet-minded setting, Birchall brought the harmonium with him. A small pump organ, it's an instrument he'd been in possession of for many years but hadn't previously used in his music. Building on the spiritual context of that show, and the associations of that instrument, it led naturally to the musical approach undertaken on the album.
Both the album and the show which preceded it were recorded with the same tight-knit group of players which have featured on Birchall's previous albums. All members of the group are part of the same like minded circle of Manchester-oriented jazz musicians, sharing stages and acquaintances with the likes of Matthew Halsall (a longtime collaborator with Birchall) and GoGo Penguin.
Birchall has always channeled wide-ranging ideas into music that's simple to understand, and this album is no exception. Album opener 'Man From Varanasi' is an ode to Bismillah Khan, one of Birchall's heroes of Indian music who hailed from the northern Indian city named in the title. It also sees him taking cues from the Indian raga tradition which, as with most other traditional Indian music, is a foundation which underpinned Khan's music.
Crucially, the ragas tap into the idea of of music as a means of spiritual release. As Birchall explains, "The whole act of making music is a spiritual experience. It's during performance and when playing music that I look for a kind of truth. It's with music where I find myself feel closest to attaining that 'enlightened' kind of feeling." "On rare occasions I've actually felt as though I was listening to the music being played rather than being involved in making it, almost like an out-of-body experience."
This natural feeling comes from Birchall's attitude toward jazz music. He sees it as an essential part of day-to-day life: instead of brightly-lit, occasional entertainment in lugubrious concert halls, he considers it an everyday, vital source of inspiration. At a moment where jazz-influenced music is undergoing creative renewal and wider appreciation, it's an important perspective that's found resonance elsewhere. His experiences and the world around him are filtered through his music, and he looks to have his music - be it live or on record - absorbed in the same quotidian way. "To me, it's an integral part of society, an everyday thing," he says. "You should hear the music every day."
Belgium's favourite underground house DJ Red D celebrates the 10 year anniversary of his We Play House Recordings label with 6 vinyl samplers containing new tracks and some very wanted gems from the catalogue. Artists featured are San Soda, Fabrice Lig, FCL (featuring Lady Linn), Kiani & His Legion, krewcial, Reggie Dokes, Raoul Lambert & Nacho Marco, Art Of Tones and many more. Voices Near The Hypocentre
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About We Play House Recordings
We Play House Recordings - WPH - is the work of Belgian DJ & producer Red D. Started 10 years ago to release the music of his friend san Soda, the label had (and has) the aim to release house music in all its shapes and forms. WPH's house ethics date back to the days where house was just a name for music that was played in clubs. There is no such thing as tech house, no such thing as deep house or minimal, there is simply (house) music, good or bad.
We Play House Recordings is lovingly led by Red D (real name Bart Van Neste), one of Belgium's leading underground music figures. Be it in his role as DJ, A&R, promoter, music panel host or general nitelife instigator, Red D does things with passion, humor and a healthy dose of keeping-both-feet-firmly-on-the-ground...with a twist...
WPH was started in 2007, so it takes no math genius to know that in 2017 the label is celebrating its 10 years anniversary. Running from the spring till winter 2017 this anniversary will be celebrated with special vinyl releases, a triple CD, a digital compilation, a Spotify playlist and a series of label nights all over Belgium and beyond. True to form the compilation will have WPH classics but also a BIG bunch of new material from core artists of the label like Locked Groove, San Soda, Kiani & His Legion, Fabrice Lig and many more.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Dekmantel's goings on in the world of events, festivals, and great music, the team behind the label have been releasing a record a month featuring some of their favourite artists, as part of a ten-year anniversary series collection. Featuring acts close to the label's collective, debuts, and legacy talents the crew have always wanted to sign, the series has seen the likes of Gigi Masin, Call Super, Fatima Yamaha, and more. This penultimate EP, sees Dekmantel debut releases by Lena Willikens, Space Dimension Controller, and Dutch lo-fi star Betonkust and Palmbomen, in addition to a special cut by Bufiman.The EP kicks off with a new track by Salon Des Amateurs resident Bufiman — real name Jan Schulte — who also goes by Wolf Müller. 'Hymn to the Moonface' ensures that percussion comes first and foremost, in this upbeat, prog-breaks, jaunty, summer cut following up on his Dekmantel debut "Peace Moves". Dutch duo Betonkust and Palmbomen release their first track on Dekmantel with 'Onrust Bij Tihange' - an ode to the Tihange Nuclear Power Station in Belgium. Specialists in crafting lo-fi, nostalgic sounds, Betonkust and Palmbomen do what they do best, with a pulsing, analog, nostalgic electro track that sounds as if its been fed through a VHS player, a top of recording of Miami Vice. What happened at Tihange through is another question. Belfast-producer Space Dimension Controller, a.k.a. Jack Hamill adds some galactic, space-flare, mid-tempo, D-funk to the flip side. With a debut EP dropping on Dekmantel soon, SDC contributes one of his most beautiful compositions to date, highlighting his flair for melody, blending it astutely together with rich techno hat and snare combos. Concluding the record, is Dekmantel favourite, Lena Willikens. After so many appearances across so many of Dekmantel festivals, it's a pleasure to have the astute selector release a rare production on the label. Willikens' dark wavey cut is something one would expect to hear in one of her sets, sounding like a modern take of a long-forgotten, and unknown krautrock band.
- A1: Get Wid It Feat. Tyna (Visioneers Version)
- A2: Happy Days Feat. Bagi & Sarah Ann (Peter Kruder Remix)
- A3: Code Of The Snake Feat. Blabbwona (Pulsinger & Irl Codeine Shake Dub)
- A4: Why We Feat. Ward 21 (Jstar Remix)
- B1: Holdin´ Back Feat. Wordsworth (Flip Remix)
- B2: Concussion Feat. Blurum13 (Trishes Remix)
- B3: Get Wid It Feat. Tyna (Visioneers Version Instrumental)
- B4: Holdin´ Back Feat. Wordsworth (Flip Remix Instrumental)
- B5: Concussion Feat. Blurum13 (Trishes Remix Instrumental)
Die zweite Runde von Remixen zu dem selbst betitelten Album von Urbs ist eine fesselnde Zusammenstellung von zeitlosen HipHop sowie Downtempo Nummern.
Marc Mac: Gibt es zu dieser Person etwa noch was zu sagen Als Teil des UK Duos 4Hero hat er Musikgeschichte geschrieben und sein Visioneers Projekt setzte neue Standards in Sachen organischem HipHop. Sein Remix zu - Get Wid It featuring Tyna aus Neuseeland, besitzt alles, was man sich von diesem Musikgenie erwartet. Ein souliges, harmonisches Meisterwerk, welches auch auf einem seiner legendären Visioneers Alben hätte veröffentlicht werden können.
Peter Kruder hat als Teil von Kruder & Dorfmeister sowie mit seinem Projekt Peace Orchestra Musikgeschichte geschrieben. Sein Remix zu - Happy Days feat. Bagi und Sarah Ann ist eine Reise zurück zu seinen musikalischen Wurzeln, welche ihn berühmt gemacht haben - eine relaxte Downtempo-Nummer. Der Remix weckt Erinnerungen an die Zeit, als seine Musik Millionen von Menschen berührte.
Patrick Pulsinger ist der dritte im Bunde aus der Riege der Helden der 90s. Gemeinsam mit Sam Irl, seinem derzeitigen Komplizen, zeigen die beiden was herauskommen kann, wenn ein Studio-Zauberer mit Techno Wurzeln auf ein Musikgenie mit HipHop Wurzeln trifft. Ihr Remix zu - Code Of The Snake feat. Blabbwona ist eine trippige HipHop-Tech-Dub Nummer mit viel Bass und als solches absolut einzigartig.
Jstar aus London hat sich bereits einen Namen gemacht als Produzent von unzähligen Remixen und Edits auf seinem eigenem Label Jstar. Seine Spezialität sind Dub und Reggae Remixe von HipHop Classics. Er ist ein Großmeister des Digital Dancehall und transformierte den Golden Era Sound von - Why We feat Ward 21 (aus Kingston Jamaica) in etwas absolut Futuristisches.
Flip: Rapveteran von Texta aus Linz, der zuletzt durch sein Soloalbum auf dem New Yorker Raplabel Ill Adrenaline Records aufgefallen ist, bringt einen Remix zu - Holdin' Back feat Wordsworth. Mit einem genialem Chuck D Sample und einem funky Beat setzt dieser Remix Tanzflächen von Alaska bis Auckland in brannt.
Trishes: Last but not least: Moderator der legendären HipHop Radioshow Tribe Vibes auf FM4 und integraler Bestandteil der Wiener HipHop Szene. Für seinen Remix zu - Concussion feat BluRum13 von Oneself, setzte er auf einen heftigen Groove mit lauten Becken um einen Underwater-Funk-Beat zu kreieren und somit einen neuen Hintergrund für diese echt verrückte Geschichte zu gestalten.
Über das Album 'Urbs':
Ganze elf Jahre sind seit - Toujours Le Meme Film', dem letzten Album von Urbs vergangen. Auf Kruder & Dorfmeisters G-Stone Label lieferte der Wiener Musiker, DJ und Producer damals den Soundtrack zu einem fiktiven Film Noir, zog sich aber nach einer Europa-Tournee fast gänzlich aus der Öffentlichkeit zurück. Er sieht sein Schaffen nicht als Karriere, sondern als Teil seines Lebens, welches in den seltensten Fällen einer konkreten Planung unterliegt, und deshalb hat Urbs sich auch bewusst viel Zeit gelassen für sein aktuelles -unbetiteltes - Album.
Urbs: - Der Vorgänger "Toujours Le Meme Film" kam bei sehr vielen Leuten extrem gut an, und über die Jahre habe ich mitbekommen, daß es manchen Leuten richtig viel bedeutet. Das war eine gewisse Belastung, weil man diese Leute natürlich nicht enttäuschen will. Mittlerweile denke ich, daß genug Wasser die Donau runtergeflossen ist, um vielleicht den einen oder anderen mit etwas ganz Neuem zu überraschen. Die Leute, die mich kennen, wissen ja, daß ich im Grunde immer dopen HipHop produziert habe.'
Konsequenterweise handelt es sich diesmal nicht um ein Instrumental-Album sondern um eine Sammlung von 12 souligen HipHop Nummern, die mit handverlesenen Vokalisten der internationalen Rap-, Dancehall- und Soul-Szene aufwarten. Neben den New Yorkern Wordsworth von EMC sowie R.A. The Rugged Man, finden sich unter anderem Ward 21 aus Kingston, Jamaica, Voice Monet aus New Orleans, Blu Rum 13 von One Self aus Washington DC, als auch alte Weggefährten wie dem Wiener Skero oder dem Wahl-Münchner Blabbwona von Abstract Art auf dem Album.
Auf die Frage, wie es sich anfühlt, nach mehreren Instrumental-LPs erstmals ein Album mit Vokalisten aufzunehmen, erwidert Urbs mit einem Augenzwingern: - Generell war es für mich schwierig die Songs loszulassen und mich den MCs auszuliefern. Man verbringt viel Zeit mit einem Stück und baut eine gewisse Beziehung auf. Die Musik erzeugt Bilder im Kopf und hat oft eine schwer fassbare Bedeutung für den Producer. Dann geht ein MC drüber und es ist ein bisschen als würden die brutalen Freunde deines älteren Bruders dein Kinderzimmer verwüsten- in deiner Anwesenheit.'
Wieso das Album keinen Titel trägt, ist auch schnell beantwortet: - Dieses Album ist nun sozusagen meine Leistungsschau auf diesem Gebiet und durch den unendlich langen Reifeprozess, ist es auch schön intensiv eingekocht und auf dem Punkt. Deshalb auch keine Intros, keine Interludes, kein Titel, no Gimmicks, einfach 12 gute Songs - Punkt.'
Neben dem Album werden auch zwei EPs mit Remixes von Retrogott, Brenk Sinatra, Visoneers (Marc Mac von 4 Hero), Peter Kruder, Cookin' Soul, J*Star, Flip (Texta) und anderen veröffentlicht. Für das Artwork zeichnet DJ DSL verantwortlich.
James Ramey, better known by his self-depreciating stage name Baby Huey, was a potently flamboyant presence in Chicago's soul scene during the 1960s. Though he suffered weight problems throughout his life due to a glandular disorder, he was easily recognizable for his appearance, which featured an enormous afro, and long, flowing African robes. He and his band The Babysitters were a wildly popular and successful local act across Illinois, cutting numerous 45 singles, without releasing a single full-length album. A chance audition with Donny Hathaway and Curtis Mayfield of Curtom Records would change everything for the band. Though the two of them were pleased with the group, they opted only to sign Baby Huey without the Babysitters. Huey would go on to spend much of
1970 recording a studio debut of psychedelic soul and funk music, comprised largely of covers of tracks by Mayfield, Sam Cooke, and others, plus two original compositions. During this time the now 400-pound singer struggled with addiction to alcohol and heroin. Huey would not see the release of his debut album, dying at the age of 26 from a drug-related heart attack. So many years after its 1971 release, Baby Huey's studio album Baby Huey: The Living Legend went on to become a cult phenomenon, a massive influence to hip-hop artists and fans, and is now considered a classic of its era. Tracks from the album have been a treasure trove of sample material for artists like A Tribe Called Quest, Wu-Tang Clan, DJ Shadow, and The Chemical Brothers to name just a few. Additionally Huey's own vocal style, which dabbled in sing-song melodies and self-referential rhyming, has been said to have influenced the development of rapping itself.
As founding member of Uran GBG, with a past in cult bands such as Lava, and appearing on stage and in studio with some of Gothenburg's more prominent acts, makes Jerker Jarold one of the cornerstones in the city's psychedelic scene. By the name of Vastlanken, Jarold is now making his first release as a solo artist on Hoga Nord Rekords.
The music on the tracks Autobaba and Moebel, is a mixture of dub, ambient and techno where few but tasteful components builds the sound. Vastlankens transcendent qualities lies in Jarolds ability to limit himself in matter of recording techniques and instrumentation; one synthesiser , one delay pedal and one mobile studio is all he need to make delicate dub.
Activate your pineal gland and meditate yourself free from general angst with Gothenburg's last shaman!
For a label that wasn't around long, Strata East achieved the same sort of label recognition that Impulse! or Blue Note managed to build. In other words, you knew what you were getting when you bought a record on the label, even if you didn't know the names on the outside of the cover. This is no exception. Who is Shamek Farrah Who knows Who cares It's the music that's important. This is the standard spiritually intense new jazz one learns to expect from the label, soaked in some Eastern influences but always with its ear to the street. Musicians took their roles as leaders and spokesmen very seriously back then. This very adult statement from a group of very serious men is no exception. However, what might be an average, forgettable session is rescued by the propulsive engine of Milton Suggs' bass. He adds the fire and the drive that keeps things interesting and prevents the music from wandering into a circular spiritual morass. For fans of the sound or the label, this can be heartily recommended.
- A1: Premiers - Shawnee
- A2: Charlie And The Bank Job - Al Katraz
- A3: Jules Blattner - 500 Pound Canary
- A4: The Flock Rocker - Chinese Rock And Roll
- A5: Bob Strauss - Nameless
- A6: Hurricane Harry - Last Meal
- A7: Glenn Willings - Me Tarzan, You Jane
- A8: The Bobby Borda Five - Mad
- A9: Dick Summer - The Goatee's Gotta Go
- A10: Wigland - Side A Outro
- B1: The Renaults - Rockin' With Joe
- B2: Wee Willie & The Soulettes - Pulp Wood Charley
- B3: Billy Duke And The Dukes - Roland
- B4: The Orbits - Knock Her Down
- B5: Dan Kubiak - Finding You
- B6: King Sid - Unh Uh Baby
- B7: Arnie Ginsburg - Pal Mal Rock
- B8: Sidney & Chimps - Blah
- B9: Stringbeans - Stop Your Cryin
- B10: H & A - Side B Outro
For over 20 years, your irrepressible host Rex and his legendary Fool's Paradise radio show on WFMU has held a grudge against the whole square world. Broadcasting from an undisclosed location in rural New Jersey in a fur-lined fall-out shelter located miles below the earth's crust, this weekly "excursion to nowhere" continues to proudly play nothing but greasy grooves from inane 45s, non-hit misfires, curveballs and oddballs from the Rock & Roll era. Yes sirree, those weird and warped ones about monsters, beatniks, chickens, apes, stewed moonbeams and mosquito knees...
And now, in the tradition of free love and nickel beer, Jazzman Records has teamed up with Rex to bring together a fabulous collection of his top spins! These are the songs that, by virtue of Rex's dogged persistence, have now achieved a kind of classic status that was surely never previously thought imaginable - The Fool's Paradise Favourites.
Gatefold LP includes 18 tracks with extra special chicken-themed twin spin bonus 45 single!
Rebolledo's YOU AND YOUR HIPPIE FRIENDS imprint grows its groove footprint on international dance floors with the full-length debut of GÜERO, the latest vinyl outing from the Hippie Dance sister label and also its first fully fledged album project. To attentive hippie friends, the artist name should ring a big, funky bell - one that sounds exactly like the cut 'Convertible Ride' from the notorious 'A Very Nice Combinado Volume Uno' 12' release (YAYHF 01).
Back then, our hero was travelling under the somewhat more convoluted 'El Güero Fresa' monicker, but has since dropped some of those conceptual pounds in an effort to reach maximum sleekness. In the same vein, his debut album is a testament to ultimate funk-a-ficiency, digging deep into fizzy arpeggios and chunky basslines - and the occasional guitar cameo, giving tracks such as bubbling synth opener ELEKTRONIQUE, the neon-lit NIGHT CRUISING, bouncing electro disco roller ALTO FINAL or the programmatic SPACE DRIFTER just that little extra riff.
GUITAR MAYHEM, however, is anything but - you'll discover a pretty dank bouncer and certainly not the squealing meltdown one would expect. TECHNO MINIMAL doesn't do what it says on the tin, either, opting for an energetic bass 'n' organ workout instead. By now, you'll begin to understand why the album's called MY WAY MY RULES: GÜERO takes whatever sonic path he desires, no matter what - which is precisely why he chimes so well with YOU AND YOUR HIPPIE FRIENDS's steadily expanding motley crew of rave misfits and studio drop-outs. The way of the hippie is indeed a mysterious one.
'Intraverso is a journey in that momentary 'inbetween land' that many of us experience sometimes. It explores the turmoil of feelings of when one gets stuck in the middle, floating in between ambition and complete stillness'.
Fabrizio Lapiana is a well-known name on the contemporary Italian techno scene. He has been involved in music since the 90's when he started DJ'ing in his hometown Rome. To date he has over two handfuls of releases on labels such as Figure Jams, Arts and M_Rec Ltd - as well as his own imprint, the well renowned Attic Music, founded in 2008.
Intraverso is Fabrizio's debut album, set for release on his label. The record is a very personal journey, according to the artist himself. You here find him examining different territory than where he usually heads within his productions. The album, which consists of nine songs in total, was composed between April 2016 and February 2017 in his studio in Rome. Written in a state of 'introspect', we here see an artist in motion. Changing. Evolving. The perfect moment to explore something new and unveil a different side of yourself to the world.
The intro 'Early Morning Waves' opens the album with its own quiet dramatic tone, waves hitting the shore as we move into 'Bret'. A cloud-walking kind of melody welcomes you, accompanied by a curious beat driving the journey forward. A deep heavy bassline and almost ancient sounding melody rises in 'Onironauta' (reflecting 'Early Morning Waves' mystical mood) until more playful elements blends in. The contemplative bass elements continue in the title track of the album; 'Intraverso' is a track of mind traveling discovery, yet before drifting too far you are grabbed by a snare, a clap of white noise and a pulsating beat to keep you on track. Further on, 'Lost In Negative Thoughts (reshaped)' reveals itself with its heavy ominous drumbeats and a dark spun web of strings is joined by sounds of distant life and machinery. Then there is 'Distance' which is the album's first flirt with more dancefloor friendly territory. Still under a veil of ill-lit melodies, expertly programmed percussion and claps creates something for a more personal body move experience. Moving into 'Again' sees the expedition continuing journeying through the dancefloor, albeit in a deeper landscape where flickering extraterrestrial sounds watches you go along. In 'Backlit' you find the albums most organic moment, an ambient slow thoughtful walk through the consciousness of the producer - only to end up with the album's final moment; 'Freckles (beatless)'. Here we drift deeper off into slow ambient melodies with a comforting thoughtful bassline taking us to the end of our voyage.
Lapiana has composed an album where you get to travel with him on a sonic journey into the deepest corners of his mind, baring vulnerabilities as well as strengths. Intraverso carries a feeling of ancient atmosphere via its melodic language through its whole running time, perhaps since the foundation of the album is based on emotions and the mind. Thoughts, feelings and mental states that always have been with us, no matter the time and place. It is a mature debut album for an artist that proves he is willing to risk going into different areas than the tried and tested ground. One might say Intraverso is a record created for an introvert introspective dancer, willing to see what lies beyond that of which is visible at first glance.
2x12" Repress
Answer Code Request returns with his sophomore album Gens on Ostgut Ton, entering darker but equally bass-heavy territory.
Answer Code Request's 2014 debut LP Code was an exciting moment for electronic music in Berlin - one that offered a break from the eternal hall and monolithic 4/4 kicks that ruled the city's club landscape. As a hybrid gesture, the album's spirit recalled an especially fruitful era in the German capital from the mid-90s to early 2000s, when dub and paddriven Detroit techno cross-pollinated with Berlin's industrial aesthetic to create one of the city's most exciting musical chapters.
Today the musical vision offered by Berghain resident Answer Code Request, real name Patrick Gräser, has proved far-sighted. While at first glance electronic music in 2018 seems increasingly balkanized, borders between genres have once again become fuzzier.
Now, on his follow up LP Gens, Gräser looks beyond the bass euphoria of Code toward darker horizons and a desolate atmosphere befitting of current global circumstances.
In a sense, Gens (Latin for tribe or lineage) reverses the notion of the hardcore continuum as proposed by music journalist Simon Reynolds: embedded in a tradition of US andcontinental European techno, Gräser seeks its disruption through hardcore outgrowths, from ambient jungle to later variations of British bass music and IDM. It's an interesting twist when seen in the larger biographical context of Gräser who, born and raised outside of Berlin in early 1980s, jumped from East German youth radio DT64 to American hip-hop, acid and early UK hardcore - a radical shift of musical interest born of a radical shift in political circumstances. On Gens, the unsettling atmosphere is established early on with the fading rave opener of the album's synonymous title track, and continues through the scrambled military communications and post dubstep rhythms of 'Sphera'. From there, sci-fi pads, heavy phasing and alien syncopation lead explorative third track 'Ab Intus' out into space. Aglimmer of otherworldly positivity arrives with the warm, distorted breakbeats and interwoven synth melodies of album standout 'knbn2', while Gräser's most dancefloororiented melds jungle and techno, Amen and 4/4 kicks, on 'Cicadae'.
New year, new Skrufix release and this one is on vinyl once again! Following a return to form with stellar releases last year from Things With Wings with some Nigerian inspired beats, our 2-Step King, The Crane and an extremely well received release from new boy, Skwirl, we continue with quality production levels and one hell of a release from Nathan Jonson.
After a successful decade of releasing music under the Hrdvsion alias (Wagon Repair / Sound Pellegrino / Planet Mu), 2015 saw Nathan reach a turning point in his musical career and re-launch with a new direction under his birth name. The Jonson family are clearly one of good musical stock, his brother is the formidable Matthew Jonson and Nathan has recently released on 20:20 Vision as well as his brother's new Freedom Engine label, among others. We are therefore more than a little bit chuffed to get him on-board for this new EP, 'Space Between Breath'.
The release kicks off with the title track 'Space Between Breath', an ideal opener that builds into a lush, intricate Techno track accompanied by bouncy synth sounds. Label regular, The Crane brings his usual 2-Step talent to rework the first track exceptionally. On the flipside, things kick off with a darker feel and acid sounding synth lines on 'The Transfer', followed by a fine finale in the trippy and chugging sound of 'I'm All We Got.'
It's quite the release all round to be honest! And we're very excited to finally get this one out there. Look out for more excellence to come later in the year as label regulars, Turtlez and Skwirl prep new EPs, alongside some surprising new additions along the way!
- A1: Carlotto - Come With Me
- A2: Cometa Music Hall - Cometa Music Hall
- A3: Music One - Musicone (Part 1)
- A4: Music One - Musicone (Part 7)
- A5: Music One - Musicone (Part 9)
- A6: Music One - Solon (Part 6)
- A7: Carlotto - Come Wirth Me
- B1: The One "O" One's - Radio Cosmo 101
- B2: The One "O" One's - Radio Cosmo 101
- B3: Don Bernini - Whirlwind
- B4: The One "O" One's - Radio Cosmo 101 O
Mondo Groove celebrates Italo-Disco in fine style delighting us with the most important tunes from the legendary Phantom Records; a ride deep into the world of the label that has not only produced renowned music, but has been acknowledged as a serious influence on modern disco sounds. Emerging in the late 70's to early 80s, Italo bridged the gap between disco and house, and was a staple of seminal Chicago DJs like Frankie Knuckles (who pioneered many of the drum machines and synths that are still in use today).
I-Robots, a true connoisseur of the genre, hailing from the Piedmont area of Italy, curated and carefully selected the tracks on this compilation.
This eleven track collection features originals and rarities, officially repressed here for the first time, and 2 tracks re-edited by I-Robots. The LP comes with the original Phantom Records logo on the front, scans of original 7-inch and LPs covers, as well as photos of the era on the back.
The sequence begins with "Come with me" by Carlotto. Roberto Carlotto was a keyboard player and singer who was very active since the 1960s. His solo recording career began in 1971 with a 7-inch release, and was followed by the progressive rock cult album "Dedicato a Giovanna G." signed under the pseudonym Hunka Munka. At the time he was distinguished by its remarkable technique and the high quality of its equipment that included an incredible number of keyboards and even the first examples of electronic measures. "Come with me" is an astounding unique Rock-Disco tune pressed only on 7-inch and highlights all of its instrumental and vocal prowess in a tight rhythm.
Comet Music Hall also came out as a 7-inch as a promotional edition for the homonymous discoteque - a kind of psychedelic-disco still currently produced by Enzo Draghi, a key figure of the Phantom, among others.
Roberto Ferracin is the man behind the Music One project, the name by which he produced only one LP of short electro-disco jingles. Included here are four of the most powerful cuts.
Every Italo Funk-Disco collector knows "Radio Cosmo 101", a soulful jazzy-disco-funk number produced by the homonymous radio station that was based in Alessandria in 1975, and spawned from the mind of Tony De Giglio, his two brothers, and a group of friends. At the end of 1974, Tony saw "American Graffiti", which instilled the desire to create a free radio format which became very popular in Italy. The programming took place at De Giglio's house and the wavelength was, in fact, 101 Mhz. The show immediately became quite popular, with programming that began in the morning at 10am and ended at 11pm. Included in this LP are the vocal and instrumental versions, as well as a long-version edit by I-Robots.
Don Luigi Bernini is a Piedmontese priest who has devoted his life to music. His father played the organ in church, and in those days the electric organ did not exist, therefore the father used little Luigi to push the bellows. The boy soon learned to play it as well. He then entered the seminary but continued to study music and graduated from the Vivaldi Conservatory of Alessandria in piano and choral composition. Later, he became a teacher of music education at the State School. He was introduced into the world of pop music by producers Riccardi & Albertelli and debuted with a single in 1977. Of his discography, his most interesting work is undoubtedly the weird "Telepatia" of 1979 - an experimental album, electronic, psychedelic, with the theme of good and evil always in the foreground. Featured in this collection is 'Whirlwind', which was recorded by Roberto Ferracin (Music One) and Enzo Draghi.
For all Italo maniacs!
Belgian musician Dijf Sanders pens and produces soundtracks for distant, far-flung places that brood with exotica, psychedelia, jazz and electronica. His new album 'JAVA', is a psychedelic and modern search for the sounds of the homonymous Indonesian island. Armed with a set of field recorders, Dijf traveled to every urban and rural corner of Indonesia in the spring of this year. As a contemporary incarnation of ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, he collected an impressive repertory of recordings, commissioned by the Europalia Arts Festival and KAAP Creative Compass. 'Kacapi', 'Kendang', 'Angklung', 'Calung' or 'Gamelan' are not the names of indigenous tropical diseases by the way, but those of local instruments that Dijf encountered on his adventurous musical quest. For two weeks the American expert ethnographer Palmer Keen stood by Dijf through his total immersion into the island's colourful culture and rich, ceremonial traditions. On his return to Belgium, Dijf headed straight back into the studio with the gathered material and invited some of his musical soulmates to put the icing on the cake. It is no coincidence that the three guests - Nathan Daems, Filip Vandebril and Simon Segers - are all part of Black Flower, a band that famously flirts with Oriental sounds. From hours and hours of field recordings, Dijf distilled ten psychedelic pieces which ride on waves of ecstasy and trance, and bridge the gap between two worlds. Tribal rhythms and warm melodies are fused to a seamless and beautiful musical work in utopia. The Brugge-born, Gentbrugge-based musician is one of those great Flemish talents. In the past, he earned his stripes with Teddiedrum and The Violent Husbands and has produced bands like Kenji Minogue and Blackie & The Oohoos. He has also released music under his own name including the critically acclaimed album 'Moonlit Planetarium'. Welcome to Dijf Sanders' wonderful journey into future exotica.
It's the big 5! Berlin - Frankfurt based label House Is OK is celebrating its five-year long presence and has decided to mark that period with something special Label's story started with a sticker Homeboy printed in his former hometown, Zagreb, saying 'House Is OK'. Catchy, right It became an underground slogan of the local scene. It didn't take long for people to embrace the idea stating that it's OK to be into melodic, fresh, groovy yet, at times, a bit awkward dance music. Just around the same time Homeboy's Frankfurt based bro's Oliver Achatz and Janis played with the idea of starting a record label. Guess what the logical choice for the name was Ten records, dozens of original songs and remixes later House is OK continues to grow. Literally. What was once a platform for the original three founders is now an international family affair supporting the talented artists from Frankfurt, Stockholm, Alexandria and Orlando. Nurturing the friendly approach this musical family continues to grow. Looking back at the first five years, not only at the music that connected them all but at the bonds that deepened through the production process, House is OK crew wanted to take create a proper reminder and thank the ones supporting them throughout the years. A double 12' pack titled 'Gemišt' seemed like a proper way to do that. - Gemišt' will be released as two separate EPs featuring the original music from Kornél Kovacs, Roman Flügel, Gavri & McQueen, TCB, House Of Life and the label makers themselves. Oliver and Janis deliver tracks under their known names, while Homeboy introduces his new project with fellow Wilde Renate resident The Swift, called Longhair. Croatian artist Ugruv Smek marks his yearlong collaboration with the label delivering yet another smashing artwork.
It was 1970 when Curtis Mayfield left R&B group The Impressions, to set off on his own solo path. What followed was a rich and highly celebrated career, during which Mayfield produced some of the most influential R&B, soul, funk, and gospel recordings of all time. Along with Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, Mayfield is credited with helping to ring in a new era of socially-aware funk and soul music, all while raking in numerous Billboard-charting hits both as a performer and a songwriter. Though he died in 1999, he left behind a vast legacy of innovation and long-lasting music, and has been ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 100 Greatest Artists of all-time. Coming hot on the heels of his powerhouse hit soundtrack for the film Superfly was 1973's Back To The World. Mayfield's music always had a socially-conscious and political bent to it, but the tracks on Back To The World cranked this conceit up to an even higher degree, largely inspired the increasingly industrial world around him, and the social and environmental concerns that followed it. (The album's lead single "Future Shock" was named for an Alvin Toffler book on the subject.) Though not the smash commercial success of his previous efforts, Back To The World still landed in the Billboard Top 20, and is considered an underrated, and overlooked entry in the soul innovator's catalog.




















