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‘I Want You To Be Mine’ has all the hallmarks of classic 1960’s Rocksteady, an era which many refer too as the Golden Age of Jamaican music. Over the top of a live one-drop beat, cool & deadly sax and warm analog guitar & bass Deemas J rides the riddim in a ‘old time style & fashion’ whilst Rachel Wallace provides the perfect accompaniment with her gorgeous vocal. On the B-Side we have the deeper cut ‘Questions’, where Deemas delivers a poignant poem over Adam Prescott’s moody instrumental in the style of Linton Kwesi Johnson. Featuring live instrumentation from Harry ‘Papa B’ Bradford (Sax), Clifford Junior (Guitar) & Guillaume Metenier (Hammond Organ). As an integral part of the Reggae Roast Soundsystem team Adam has established himself as one of the finest selectors in the world. Initially with some early support and guidance from Mark Iration (from the Leeds based Iration Steppas), Adam was quickly recognised as one of the key players in the re-emergence of British Reggae, producing first class original songs featuring the likes of Cornel Campbell, Macka B, Sugar Minott, Ranking Joe, Rod Taylor, Johnny Osbourne & Earl 16 to name but a few. Add to that consistent play on BBC Radio One & Rinse FM plus huge support from Sir David Rodigan, featuring Adam on his ‘Best Of British’ show on 1Xtra, Adam has become one of the hottest prospects in the revival of soundsystem music. Deemas J has built a formidable reputation as a go-to MC & vocalist with equally genre-busting credentials; His background in Reggae & Jungle means that his lyrical skills and style holds no bounds. He currently works with 3 of the top London Reggae Soundsystems, Unit 137, Reggae Roast & Solution Soundsystem as well as running his own Sound Limey Banton Bass in Guernsey. He has released music on some very well known labels such as Irie Ites, Irish Moss & Tru Thoughts, which released the cult LP ‘Wrongtom Meets Deemas J in East London’. More recently his latest release ‘Muhammed Ali’ received fantastic support from Don Letts, Sir David Rodigan & Ras Kwame. His virtually endless CV boasts collaborations with everyone across the worlds of Drum & Bass, Old School, Garage, Reggae and Hip hop, including High Contrast, Andy C, DJ EZ and Nick Manasseh to name just a few as well as touring the world with Manudigital

Releases by Intergalactic Gary are few and far between. Besides a handful of collaborations such as The Parallax Corporation (with I-F) and with Pasiphae, the must-know DJ from Den Haag has largely been about his talent behind the decks.

His last solo EP was as Silverstream in 1995, and he breaks the mould with us for his first solo EP release in 15 years — 'Signs of Disarray'.

With a third album, ‘Return To Telepathic Heights’, released this year on Gerd Janson’s Running Back label, techno outlaw A Sagittariun returns to themes of a space western nature with a closing epilogue, ‘A Fistful of Bitcoins’.
An extended player that traverses Tucumcari, Vietnam’s Black River, and the ultimate, and final leg, of the journey; to Devils Tower in Wyoming.


Vital Sales Points:
- full picture sleeve, designed by Jonny O (Rocket Recordings/Goat)
- global PR and marketing campaign from Hype Filter
- last A Sagittairun album for Gerd Janson’s Running Back label received excellent reviews in Mixmag, DJ Mag, The Wire & more…


Selected DJ feedback:
Robag Whrume – Good one!
Shanti Celeste – love this!
Nick Höppner – Sounding great
Brendon Moeller – Dope AF!
Johanna Knutsson – Beautiful stuff
Ed Davenport – Some heavy stuff here, Road To Devils Tower is a special cut!
Bruce (Livity Sound) – Real digging the slow bits, proper gear!
John Osborn – The Sacred Chao is heaven!
Interstellar Funk – Really like ‘A Fistful Of Bitcoins’
Neil Barnes (Leftfield) – very nice and imaginative EP
Fabrice Lig – Really nice EP, love it
DJ Octopus – Great one!
Vincent Neumann – Ooh, so nice!
Ell Weston (Banoffe Pies) – Superb selection
Cormac – Black River is super nice
Cooper Saver – wow, love these
Bill Brewster – lot’s of nice gear on here, good work
96 Back (CPU) – wonderfully bleepy and dubby
Tensnake – lovely release
Kirsti (Null & Void) – So consistent, another great release from A Sagittariun

Over the years Kid Loco has become a reference in the French electronic music landscape. Firstly, known for being an activist in the French underground music scene, he cofounded Bondage Records in 1982. With Bondage Records, he introduced several bands to the French alternative music scene like Bérurier Noir, Ludwig Von 88 or Washington Dead Cats. Alongside his activity of label manager, he composed and released under the name of Kid Bravo, an experimental music at the crossroads of rock and electronic. Astonished by the beginnings of the instrumental hip-hop of DJ Shadows, Jean-Yves Prieur aka Kid Loco experimented new ways of composing music with the sample technic in his own studio near Orly. This new musical adventure led to the birth of a mini album Blues Project released in 1996 on Yellow Productions.

Exploring further his own psychedelic universe, he released his first album A Grand Love Story in 1997 under the name of Kid Loco. Acclaimed both by the French and international music review, “A Grand Love Story” established itself as an iconic album of the trip-hop and electronic music scene. During the two years following its release, Kid Loco continued to invent his own musical universe nurtured by multiples influences. In 1999, he released Jesus Life For Children Under 12 Inches, an album featuring thirty remixes he composed for French and international artists (Pulp, Talvin Singh etc.) as well as his mixed compilation for the famous DJ KICKS collection released on the German electronic music label, !K7.

After a first European tour, Kid Loco returned to his studio, nicknamed “The Lafayette Velvet Basement” and composed his second album Kill Your Darlings released in 2001. Compared to his previous compositions, Kill Your Darlings features more tracks without sampled vocals. Eager to explore new musical horizons, Kid Loco produced in 2004 the original soundtrack of the American movie The Graffiti Artist directed by James Bolton (Narrative Feature Sound Award – Austin Film Festival 2003). Cruising to new musical galaxies, Kid Loco continued to compose and released the album Party Animals & Disco Biscuits in 2009 followed in 2011 by the album Confessions Of A Belladonna Eater. In addition of his albums, Kid Loco continued to experiment with the production of compilations celebrating the trip-hop music with “Trip-Hop Classics” released in 2010 followed by a second opus released in 2013 on Wagram Music.

2019 marks the return of Kid Loco with his track Here Comes The Munchies selected in the original soundtrack of the show Vernon Subutex (Canal +), the vinyl reedition of his cult album A Grand Love Story and for the first time the digital release of the album Confessions Of A Belladonna Eater with exclusive remixes.

Having spent the past few years quietly building up a dedicated crowd of followers and dancers as a club night, Scenic Route step out for their first offering as a label with three expertly crafted club cuts from Desert Sound Colony, an artist whose pumping productions have provided some of the parties’ most memorable moments. Since his debut release in 2014 on New York’s Scissor & Thread, Desert Sound Colony (real name Liam Wachs) has been refining a deeply personal club sound with releases for the likes of Futureboogie, Me Me Me, his own Holding Hands imprint and most notably of late, Nick Höppner’s Touch From A Distance. In addition to his productions garnering support from the likes of Midland, Raresh, Andrew Weatherall and Lena Willikens, Wachs himself is also a highly sought after DJ whose skills have seen him land bookings at some of the world’s most well respected clubs and festivals, including two stints at Berlin’s Panorama Bar already this year.

His prowess as a DJ has undoubtedly informed the music featured on the Cartographer EP. All three tracks are primarily designed for club use yet their intricate arrangements and undulating instrumentation ensure they remain captivating, despite the effectiveness of their functionality. The EP’s opener, “The Cartographer”, is a sleazy machine-driven odyssey, continuously building and evolving until snapping back into its original groove with a vengeance. “Gypsy Moth” sees Wachs team up with fellow Holding Hands affiliate Guava (real name Bradley Hutchings) for a dangerously syncopated drum workout doused in warped agogo bells, spliced vocals and a two-note bassline with a distinctly London flavor. Rounding the release off is “Budapest”. The combined power of the track’s interlocking kick and bass provide a solid stage for Desert Sound Colony to unleash an eerie arp and pads combo alongside a flurry of stuttering percussion and twisted samples while intermittently sprinkled with an unintelligible and downright ominous pitched down voice.

Rubisco returns this September with the ‘Timeframe’ EP coming courtesy of up and coming Dutch artist,
Sota.Amsterdam born now Berlin based DJ and producer Sota has been steadily gaining traction via releases on
Ornate Music and his own Talaman imprint. Here though we see him joining the roster of fellow Berlin based
artist, Nick Beringer’s Rubisco imprint, home to material from the likes of Diego Krause, Julian Alexander, Ed
Herbst, Maik Yells, the label head himself and more.‘Take Me To My Planet’ leads on the package, twisting and
turning via a snaking bass groove, heavily swung drums, metallic percussive chimes and modulating synth
pulses before title-cut ‘Timeframe’ focuses on murky pad textures choppy bass stabs, shuffled hats and glitched
out synth flutters. ‘Watkins’ then rounds out the release on a deeper tip, employing airy chords, rounded sub bass
tones and organic drums to all subtly bloom and unfold across six and a half minute

Durban gqom ambassador DJ Lag and London-based Okzharp combine over four club heavy tracks rooted in their long-term long-distance connection, the EP’s title originating from the Durban nickname for the local clubs where much early gqom-style music was played. Opener ‘Now What’ layers a wooden percussion scraper with a ticking cow bell and chants. Set at a slightly faster pace than most gqom, the track harbours a dark energy at its core generated by a low rumbling background synth and pitch shifting claps.

‘Steam One’ - inspired by DJ Lag’s set at Hyperdub’s club night Ø after he brought the heavy steam room vibe - has a slow and entrancing build up with a subtle melody layering on stabbing syncopated kicks, leading up to awoozy synth breakdown. “We were inspired by that moment in the club when things get hazy and bendy and glowy. It has South Durban via South London DNA, so inevitably there's a heavy kwai-gqom vibe with a grimey funky London twist running through it”. ‘Nyusa’ opens with a grinding acidicbass line overlaid with a metallic and gravelly melody with suppressed chants.

Sharp kicks drive the track leading up to a wobbly synth breakdown and back up synth stabs raising the energy. Finally, ‘Sambe’ pairs menacingstrings with a steel drum melody, displaying characteristics of both funky house and gqom in a subtle meeting of the two styles. ‘Steam Rooms’ is a collection of dancefloor heaters set to make the club sweat, the amalgamation of a London / Durban link up reflecting both producers environments and sound palettes for icey cold gqom tracks with funky house shadings.

Music collective Africa Express announce the release of a brand new studio album titled EGOLI, coming on the newly created Africa Express Records imprint.

Hailed as the most revolutionary force in popular music for two decades, Africa Express was founded in 2006 and brings together musicians from different cultures, genres and generations to break boundaries and offer a new perspective on Africa and its music.

Each record and event is unique, based upon on-the-spot collaboration and filled with unique moments of magic; the collective have hosted trips and concerts in Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mali and UK to date.

Africa Express travelled to South Africa in January of last year to complete an electronic album in just 7 days, a week of discovery, collaboration and music-making. The result is EGOLI - 18 tracks capturing the fresh, joyous sounds of Afro Futurism, straight out of Johannesburg.

Featured artists include Damon Albarn, Blue May, Gruff Rhys, Georgia, Ghetts, Mr Jukes, Nick Zinner, Remi Kabaka, Otim Alpha and Poté as well as emerging and established stars of the buzzing South African music scene including BCUC, Blk Jks, Dominowe, Faka, Infamous Boiz, DJ Spoko, Mahotella Queens, Moonchild Sanelly, Muzi, Morena Leraba, Nonku Phiri, Radio 123, Sibot, Sho Madjozi, Zola 7, Zolani Mahola (Freshly Ground) and Maskandi guitar legend Phuzekhemisi.

The Belgian duo San Soda and Red D entered the world of recorded music some 12 years ago with the inception of Red D’s label We Play House Recordings. A few years later their collaboration continued in the studio with the start of the FCL project, leading to original and remixed club hits.

In the meantime both have gained considerable mileage and reputation as adventurous DJ’s who are not afraid to take risks and with a ‘no boundaries’-approach to playing music. Being Belgian they continue to find inspiration in Belgium’s rich music and clubbing history, which led to the ‘Our Beat Is Still New’ compilation in 2013 on We Play House Recordings. Both San Soda and Red D contributed some tracks and thus the aliases Nick Berlin and Max Erotic were born.

Fast forward to today and Club Belgique, a concept Red D has been brooding on for quite some time. A true tribute to Belgium’s club (music) heritage which consists of club nights and also a new label for fresh material by himself and San Soda in his Nick Berlin guise. This release brings you that new material in the form of two tracks situated between new beat, synth pop and italo disco. Long live Belgium!

“Style” can be defined as that special ability to watermark every track with an instantly-recognizable identity. Local Suicide, aka Munich’s Brax Moody and Greek-born Vamparela, has it in spades. And following releases on labels such as Bordello, My Favorite Robot, Multi Culti, Roam, Duro and OMBRA, it only made sense that the duo would eventually find its way to Lumière Noire. After all, “black light” (as per the meaning of Chloé’s label’s name) could describe the way Local Suicide’s music flirts with the more troubling zones of the listener’s psyche, where danger roams and aural comfort is no longer a guarantee. The EP’s two tracks set a dark, shifty sonic tableau, in which German-American multidisciplinary artist - and a unique personality of the Berlin underground - Nicki Fehr comes to blend his voice with Vamparela’s. With its swerving bass slithering over a slow tempo, Leopard Gum is the perfect slow burner, a slice of comatose disco that will find its way to the darkest corners of nightlife - and haunt its DJ sets. The synths that come crashing across the track’s Smagghe & Cross remix add their saturated signature that provide a different kind of hook through its breathless nine-minute run. The same measured tempo is found once more on the more ethereal Already There, where Local Suicide affirm their adherence to the more captivating signatures of new wave and post disco. Permanent Vacation stalwarth Lauer adds a surprizing electro pop shimmer to the track. With Leopard Gum’s opaque and impenetrable atmosphere, Local Suicide have released one of their strongest efforts to date.

Statik Selektah is a renowned DJ and Producer based in NYC, born and raised in Boston.
Statik hosts a weekly radio show on Sirius / XM Shade 45 every Thursday from 7PM to 9PM.
Statik has produced recent tracks for Eminem, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, Danny Brown, Royce Da 5'9' and Dej Loaf.
In 2014, Statik Selektah released his album, 'What Goes Around' (DDM CD 2375), and in 2015, Statik Selektah put out his 7th studio album, Lucky 7 (DDM CD 2430). He is now prepping his 8th album, '8,' for a December 8th release date.

An exploration of traditional Chadian music with an electronic twist...

Chad is in many ways a blind spot on the map of today's global musical conversation. Overlooked, misunderstood and misrepresented, outside observers rarely concede the country an autonomous voice over its past, present and future. N'Djamena, the dusty capital of Chad with its well-kept stories of boundary-breaking musical collaborations and thirst for experimentation is a city that reflects the country's diversity: the arid North, bordering the Sahara, where nomadic tribes revere the endless desert with their handcrafted instruments. The lush tropical South, where the frenetic drumming of local initiation ceremonies blends with sounds of neighboring Congo and Cameroon. Right in the middle: N'Djamena, a forgotten melting pot of cultures and peoples bursting with unrecorded stories of life at the margins of the world's attention.

Tackling this view is precisely one of the aims of Pulo NDJ. In May 2018, Nickodemus accepted an invitation from Hape Collective to travel to N'Djamena to teach a group of young adults DJ'ing and electronic music production, which resulted in the encounter between and a group of talented artists from Cameroon, Chad, Congo and Togo. After a weeklong series of listening to original songs & demos, the recordings continued in a pop-up studio created by DJ Buosis & Nickodemus which culimated in Desert To Douala, an album featuring 11 songs, all originally written and recorded in N'Djamena.

The project found its inspiration in the city's un-narrated diversity and seeks to explore the possibilities offered by technology to demonstrate how the country's rich heritage connects with existing musical conversations. It strives to create bridges in a world of walls. It has been a yearlong creative process that built friendships and fostered understanding among people united by a passion for music and creation.

The 45 of Everyday People - World full of people is well known on the modern soul and funk scene and it relatively easy to find a copy for maybe 500 pounds. What was always less well known was that there was also an LP by the same band but labels as People Pleasure. I first came across this LP in Turku, Finland in the early 2000s when at the house of DJ and Collector Felix Manell who pulled a pile of rare and interesting bits that day. I did not really appreciate the true rarity until trying to source my own copy. The next copy I saw was in Japan in 2004 but was not going anywhere. Roll on 15 years, Russell Paine, collector, DJ and super record researcher called me saying he had finally unravelled the mystery and was talking to Bill brown & Al Hall Jr. Russel sets himself the hard task of only putting out unreleased material on his own label so we also work together on LPs and Singles on Athens of the North. After we managed to clear the rights the final hurdle was finding a clean copy, not an easy task. After asking loads of deep collectors, Zaf put me onto DJ Nick the Record who very kindly lent me his minty personal copy, a huge favour considering how rare this record is, almost impossible to replace. So we mastered from the vinyl (no tapes exist) and while it still sound pretty raw it is twice as good as the O.G. Been a long time coming.

After the success of their sophmore album "Nick & Astro's Guide To The Galaxy" last year, Potatohead People are back with a special remix of the first single "Morning Sun" off the album (featuring vocalist Nanna.B) on the album rom the legendary DJ Spinna.

Spinna gives "Morning Sun" his signature Galactic Funk flip, beefing up the drums into a cosmic shuffle, with an analog arpeggiating bassline, lifting strings and synth squelches. Also included is the instrumental on the flip. Cover art comes from Berlin's Rahel Susskind who revists the Guide To The Galaxy concept from inside the funky spaceship. Blast off!

DJ Support comes from Tensnake, Laurent Garnier, Tom Misch, Severino, Jazzanova, Felix da Housecat, TOCADISCO, Jacques Renault, Monki, Featurecast, Nick Catchdubs, Claude Von Stroke, Vanilla Ace, Kraak & Smaak, Dom Servini, DJ Gilla,

(glossy laminated) His deviant disco songs talk about love and the happiness it breeds, while letting the rage of a rather different-looking militant crooner go.


Cola Boyy, aka Matthew Urango, is a 28 year old musician, coming from Oxnard, California, discovered on the occasion of a concert in Los Angeles during June 2016.
Cola Boyy is an unusual and self-taught musician & singer. His very typical but natural voice is the consequence of a disability from birth.
His deviant disco songs talk about love and the happiness it breeds, while letting the rage of a rather different-looking militant crooner go.

Penny Girl is the soon-to-be 2018 disco hit telling the story of a crime of passion. Poetic as a McCartney's song, as effective on the dancefloor as a Patrice Rushen's tune, and fun like the Frankie Smith's Double Dutch Bus.

Have You Seen Her is the kraut-disco curiosity from the EP, halfway between the Ghetto Brothers' rage and the funkiness of a Kurtis Blow's instrumental. You will also find there a chorus made of extreme noisey guitar chords and a Michel Berger like piano solo, all swaying to the dancing beat.

Buggy Tip is the track that could have been in the hands of an eclectic DJ like Nicky Siano at Studio 54. Disco strings, catchy choruses to sing along... Cola Boyy turns the melancholic memories of an ex girlfriend into a banger to dance & shout in a hot late night club.

The whole EP, recorded between Los Angeles and Paris, produced by French producer 'nit', is a witness of his raw talent and the foretaste of an album coming in 2019.

Die Beta Band war eine britische Musikgruppe, die ihren
eigenen Stil als Folktronic bezeichnete, was eine Mischung aus
Folk, Rock 'n' Roll, Trip Hop und hemmungslos
experimentellem Jammen darstellt.
Die Beta Band wurde 1996 in der Nähe von Edinburgh von
den Musikern Steve Mason (Gesang, Gitarre) und Gordon
Anderson gegründet. Als sie gemeinsam Songs für ihre Debüt-
EP Champion Versions verfassten, stießen mit Robin Jones
(Schlagzeug) und John MacLean (DJ, Sampler, Keyboard-
Pianist) noch zwei weitere Mitglieder hinzu. Im Juli 1997
veröffentlichten sie die von Nick McCabe produzierte EP
Champion Versions, die von Kritikern vor allem aufgrund des
innovativen "Cut'n'Paste"- Sample-Konzepts umjubelt wurde.
Zwei ähnliche EPs folgten bald darauf: The Patty Patty Sound
im März des folgenden Jahres und Los Amigos del Beta
Bandidos im Juli. Alle drei erschienen im September 1998
unter dem passend gewählten Titel The Three EP's in einer
Kollektion.

Comprised of Vancouver producers and multi-instrumentalists Nick Wisdom and Astrological, Canadian duo Potatohead People boast a number of noteworthy accolades thanks to a their signature sound drawing influences from 90's boom-bap, future soul, classic jazz, deep house and boogie/funk. Beginning with a series of EP's, including their landmark "Kosmichemusik" EP, Potatohead People's productions quickly made their way to artists like Illa J who tapped the duo to produce his now critically acclaimed self-titled album, as well as producers like Kaytranada (who co-produced Illa J's "Strippers" with the pair). Supporters such as Soulection, Nightmares on Wax, Pomo, DJ Spinna, Big Boi, and Phife Dawg have also played formidable roles in championing the sound of Potatohead People worldwide.

Now with three years since their last release, 2015's critically acclaimed debut album Big Luxury, Potatohead People are back their long awaited new album Nick & Astro's Guide To The Galaxy (due out May 11th via Brooklyn label Bastard Jazz) The record picks up right where the pair left off, showcasing a leap forward in production chops, musicality, and songwriting. The first single "Quest For Love" "with it's neck snapping drum break, lush rhodes chords, cosmic synths, guitar & horn flourishes and unexpected musical changeups bring in the hip-hop infected musicality the duo has become so loved for, while Nick & Astro collaborate vocally on top. "Morning Sun" featuring Danish vocalist (and Anderson.Paak collaborator) Nanna.B is in part a melancholy piece with knocking drums, an infectious bassline and a soulful, shimmering hook, while "Do My Thing" featuring Canadian singer Kapok and Illa J is a neck-snapping Hip-Hop joint perfect for the dancefloor. "Liftin' Up" featuring San Francisco's K-Maxx ventures into West Coast boogie territories, while the album's closer "Rituals" goes for a deeper more atmospheric electronic vibe.

2018 has a lot in store for London spiritual jazz outfit Emanative, with a full double LP and several remixes forthcoming, as well as some full live band appearances and DJ gigs. 'Planet B' is the band's first release of the year and it takes them in a slightly different direction, on a completely different vibration entirely, with an epic nine minute, almost post punk, afrobeat, disco and jazz inspired piece aimed at the leftfield dancefloor. The idea for this project grew from our interest in releasing the live version of the Ahmed Abdullah-written 'Lions Of Judah' (Steve Reid & The Legendary Master Brotherhood) , which appears on the B-side and was recorded live at London's famous Cafe´ OTO, an institution for experimental live music and free jazz. The version has become a Gilles Peterson favourite and a regular on his 6Music and Worldwide FM shows. Nick Woodmansey, the head of the group, wanted to include an original piece as well and so went in the studio with the band and a clear concept for recording 'Planet B'. Inspired originally by a Greenpeace poster and advert of the same name, as well as current adverse planetary situations. Musically it follows the spirit of Arthur Russell's leftfield disco of Dinosaur L project, no wave band ESG, and Sun Ra.

Headed up by mult-instrumentalist (and Gentleman's Dub Club member) Nick Tyson, XOA fuses golden era 1970s Afrobeat with deep grooves and contemporary electronic productons sizzling with analogue synths, guitars and percussive rhythms. Collaboraton has always been at the heart of the project, with an
emphasis on live instrumentaton, crucial to transmitng a rich energy on the tracks.
Hailing from London, Tyson has been building a keen following with his live gigs and DJ sets, including a sell-out live show at the Jazz Cafe featuring Eva Lazarus and Dele Sosimi on vocals. The new release on Soundway refects his steady progression towards sophistcated producton and collaboratve processes, as well as his ability to efortlessly cross multple genres.

* This EP contains four stunning tracks, covering various styles of hardcore, and its the absolute bomb. For a start, Sanxion brings the piano flavor with a track that lives and breathes the traditional Kniteforce sound, bought to a fine shine the way a truly skilled artist can. Meanwhile, Nicky Allen destroys the dance floor with his hyper hardcore track, one that I have been playing at everyone in the vicinity for the last few months or so. Flip the vinyl over and we move into darker territory. TNO is a more recent signing to the Kniteforce label and his first offering is all dark and atmosphetic, but with a relentless pace and undeniable energy. And to round the EP off, Mannik mentasms the hell out, and gives you a small taste of what his forthcoming EP will be like - crazy, dark, authentic old skool that breaks all the rules and shows true skill and panache.

Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

'Oonops Drops' is the eponymous name of DJ Oonops' monthly broadcast on Brooklyn Radio (NYC). It's not your average radio show without talk and comments for which he invites renowned guests with their exclusive mixes from around the globe to create timeless and thematic episodes. In the last sixty shows he got visited by artists like Morcheeba, Guts, Nickodemus, The Herbaliser, Nostalgia 77, Boca 45, Blundetto, Chinese Man and many more.

Born in 1977 he got in contact with music at an early stage and soon discovered his medium of choice: vinyl. Oonops is a dj, selector, digger and is known for his smooth mixing skills to rock parties in his unmistakable wildstyle of jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, beats, edits, reggae, dub and afro. He shared the stages with acts like Nightmares on Wax, The Beatnuts, Jeru The Damaja, Ebo Taylor, Myron & E, Akua Naru and The Artifacts to name just a few.

As a longtime friend of the label and as a resident of its own club night he now gets his own compilation series to showcase his manifold taste in digging, selecting and mixing. His matter was to create a compilation of manifold genres of undiscovered, previously unreleased and for the first time on vinyl delicacies for any avid and discernable listener and dj. Especially for the vinyl lovers he dug many tracks which are treats for every set from warm-up until peak time. This compilation will stay for a long time in the bags.

This instalment follows on from our acclaimed 'Volume One' - Lauren Laverne's 'Compilation Of The Week', supported by the likes of Disclosure, Jeremy Underground, Horsemeat Disco, Hunee and Laurent Garnier. 'Volume Two' picks up where the last one left off — with a touch more soul and disco — records we've been spinning in our DJ sets and on the radio show of the same name, that inspired this series.

We opened a new record shop in the centre of Brighton late in 2016 - 13 years after the mighty London store closed it's door. Now situated on the ground floor of our Gloucester Yard home the shop is open every Saturday to sell records that we love, some of which you'll hear on the radio shows, and on this album.

It's been a resounding success and we've been able to host sunny instore events and Facebook Live broadcasts with guests including Nick The Record, Dimensions Festival family Debora Ipekel, Flamingods, Slugabed, The Physics House Band and Remi Kolawole & Sensible J.

In 2017 and beyond, we will be releasing more of our official reissues including lesser-known essentials from Brazil, such as Gal Costa's 'India', Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti, Burnier & Cartier alongside 1980's Mexican psychedelia from Luis Perez. We've been digging deep, and will share another edition of our 'The Original Sound of...' series, this time across the border from Mali to neighbouring Burkina Faso. As ever, you'll hear these first, on our radio shows.

There will be more 'Mr Bongo Presents' events - we brought Alain Mion & Cortex to the Jazz Cafe in London in 2017 - and we've highly anticipated slots at Bestival and Lost Village festivals, plus a return to RAPPCATS in Los Angeles, more guest shows on Worldwide FM and NTS Radio and, of course, the continuation
of our own radio shows.

Compiled by David 'Mr Bongo' Buttle and Gareth Stephens,
plus a few personal favourites from Gary Johnson, Ville Marttila and Graham Luckhurst.

Eight releases in, Leonidas & Hobbes have honed a mutual love of soundtracks, disco, jazz, house, techno, acid, psychedelic, African and dub sounds.
Web Of Intrigue is one part tribute to lost 70s soundtracks, when music was created on the finest analogue hardware, featuring full bands, session players and lush orchestrations, one part tribute to 70s disco gods Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic) and one part mid-tempo but nonetheless cosmic house. The three parts fuse to form an instrumental track sounding as fresh as a whole meadow of daisies in 2017 and one that's been going down extremely well with international DJs who have road-tested the material.
Heavy Weather flips the script for a deeper workout in a 3/4 time signature - more of a cosmic waltz. Taking its main cue from 70s jazz fusion heroes Weather Report and The Doors' Ray Manzarek, it incorporates rich African percussion, spaced-out flourishes exhibiting the duo's love for the dubs of Lee Perry, King Tubby et al, and a good old fashioned arpeggio of an acid line - definitely a more esoteric number, all told.
The 'Dawn' and 'Acid Rain' mixes push different buttons for the heads, as suits the mood. It all adds up to a very Balearic confection, fitting snugly in with the burgeoning revival for this somewhat ineffable sound - a trend that seems to be getting stronger/bigger every year, popping up every time the sun gets his hat on and we all remember how to party like the lucky residents of that infamous White Isle....
MORE INFO
London/Edinburgh analogue electronic duo Leonidas & Hobbes released debut EP "Machines, Tapes & Electronic Setups" via the Hobbes Music label back in May 2013, picking up plaudits and support from the likes of Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Erol Alkan, Ashley Beedle, Alan Braxe, Shadow Child, Jimpster, Nick Warren, M.A.N.D.Y., Leftside Wobble, Mr G, Auntie Flo, Sasha, John Digweed and many more... The duo were consequently commissioned to remix the Pet Shop Boys.
Second EP "Mo' Machines" came out on the label in April 2014 and received equally high praise, with i-D Magazine inviting the duo to record a DJ mix which has to date chalked up a whole lot of love on Soundcloud.
Leonidas has released two other collaborative EPs with London-based Japanese DJ/producer Kay Suzuki via his Round In Motion imprint, equally winning fans worldwide, with a track now forthcoming on new label YAM Records' You And Music Volume 1 EP plus much more in the pipeline for 2017. Leonidas also has his own lovetoparty label, releasing edits of much-loved disco tunes on limited edition 12" vinyl format and free download. Previously, Leonidas made a name for throwing word-of-mouth parties around east London on his audiophile 'lovetoparty' sound system (providing some of the inspiration for much-admired late-night watering hole Brilliant Corners).
Equally, Hobbes ran the widely acclaimed Trouble nights for ten years in Edinburgh/Scotland, working with the great and the good from across the soul/jazz/dance spectrum since '02, and championed up-and-coming live talent via his Limbo 'gig-in-a-club' nights at The Voodoo Rooms for nine years since '07. Hobbes has toured his DJing style to the various corners of the dancing planet, including gigs in the Far East, much of Europe and across the UK. The Hobbes Music label has otherwise featured artists as diverse as Auntie Flo, JD Twitch (Optimo), Neil Landstrumm, Craig Smith (6th Borough Project), Ali Renault, iO Sounds, Joe Howe, Debukas, Fudge Fingas, Marco Bernardi, Dimitri Veimar, Mick Wills and Nightwave, with further support from Ben UFO, Justin Robertson, Motor City Drum Ensemble, KiNK, The Revenge, T.E.E.D, Kiki, Groove Armada, Maceo Plex, OOFT!, Domenic Capello (Sub Club), XDB, Ben Mono, Masa Sutela, Bawrut/Scuola Furano, Numbers, John Heckle and many more...

22 track double gatefold vinyl version of the album (CD) which was released July 7th. Collaborators include Beyonce, Jay Z, Nas,Travis Scott, Alicia Keys, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Bryson Tiller, Rick Ross, Big Sean, Calvin Harris, Justin Bieber, Quavo, Lil Wayne, Chance the Rapper & more. Support across radio, TV & press. Online & social media activity.

Copenhagen's Echocord Colour returns this August with Stephen Brown's 'Power Factor' EP, featuring three originals from the UK Techno stalwart.
Scottish producer Stephen Brown is a name synonymous with Techno across the globe having been releasing material since the mid nineties on imprints such as Derrick May's Transmat, Subject Detroit, Skudge Records, Ben Sims' Theory and Holland's Djax Up Beats amongst many more.
Here we see Brown join the roster of Echocord's sub-label Colour, slotting him in alongside the likes of Mike Dehnert, Nick Ho¨ppner, Luke Hess and Deadbeat in the back- catalogue.
Up first on the release is 'Sandtext', a stripped-back dubbed out opening cut fuelled by a robust kick and minute percussive hits running alongside a sturdy sub bass drive and spiralling dub stabs before 'Wet' takes things even deeper via muted kicks, shuffling shakers and delayed synth chords. 'Back Stroke' then rounds out the release with an amalgamation of airy reverberated stab hits, rumbling low end pulsations and a thunderous kick drum to once again create an understated, hypnotic composition.

With his new release the polish Transatlantyk sails into - as yet uncharted - waters of the 'lol- fi' breakbeat house scene to bring you the debut of DJ Stoner Dad.

Not much is known about the man behind the nickname, except that he is a DJ, a dad and that he likes getting his hits from the bong on during the infamously long Warsaw afterparties.
The "Raw Romantics EP" showcases his own take on the deeply saturated, smokey and breakbeat-infused house genre.

'Fake Strings' is a certified banger alluring the dancefloor with a great combo of rolling bass, squashed kicks and hats, grimy, atmospheric pads and a bits of spoken word thrown in.
'Magic Phunk' brings THAT break again and for a good measure. Drums are floating over an ocean worth of blazing pads, liquid synths, acid riffs, pillowy, yet dirty chords and whatever else DJ Stoner Dad could lay his hands on at the time.

'IV' is a full frontal ambient jam, with little bits of wandering drums coming into the picture at the very end.
Finally 'V' brings cinematic influences over slightly uneasy slow groove.

Over the years, Phil Mison has become the go-to selector for those looking for Ibiza-themed compilations. None of his previous collections, though, have been quite as personal as Out Of The Blue, a compilation inspired by his first spell behind the decks at the Café Del Mar in 1993 - and the remarkable chain of events leading up to it.

Mison made his first trip to Ibiza in the summer of 1991 and quickly fell in love with the magical music being played by Café Del Mar resident DJ, Jose Padilla. On his return to the UK, Mison began to cultivate his own take on the laidback, open-minded style, recording mix-tapes of Ibiza style chill out' tunes to give to friends.

In November 1992, Mison was hanging out in Tag Records, Soho, when Padilla walked in. He plucked up the courage to speak to the Spaniard because earlier that summer Mison had given one of his friends some tapes to take out to Jose in Ibiza so he wanted to see if he had got them. During the conversation Mison invited him down to his next DJ set at Nicky Holloway's club, the Milk Bar and less than three months later, and clearly impressed by what he'd heard on the tapes, Padilla invited Mison to fill in for him at the Café Del Mar, beginning in April '93.

It's that first trip to DJ in Ibiza - a crazy six-weeks spent dividing his time between spinning records at Café Del Mar, hanging out in Jose Padilla's house in the hills, and meeting some particularly eccentric White Isle residents - that proved the inspiration for Out Of The Blue.

The compilation contains a mixture of records that Mison played in his earliest Ibiza sets, those that remind him of that period, and recent discoveries that boast a similarly warm, loved-up vibe. Mison is at pains to point out that it's not a track-for-track representation of his first sets, but rather a collection inspired by this most momentous of experiences.

As you'd expect from a selector of Phil Mison's standing, Out Of The Blue is an outstanding collection. Some will no doubt hear the influence of his mentor - the man he credits with effectively turning his DJing career around - in the undulating rhythms and new age melodies of Kamasutra's Sugar Step', the meandering synthesizer solos and Spanish language vocals of Congarilla's sublime Sacred Tree', and the lilting flamenco guitars of Gambarra', an unreleased mix from Mison's popular Cantoma project.

Elsewhere, listeners can marvel at the starry ambient bliss of Belgian legend Frank De Wulf's The End', recline to the saucer-eyed fusion jazz of the Christoph Spendel Group, shuffle along to tactile, hard-to-find period deep house from Language, Moodswings and Don Carlos, and marvel at The Cactus Rose Project's ridiculously rare Jelly', a sparkling, disco-era jazz-rock outing partly inspired by the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Running'.

Out Of The Blue may well be a very personal selection of tracks celebrating a moment in time, but it's happily one that we can all enjoy.

Panorama Bar resident Nick Ho¨ppner gets to Work on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop.
Work as in labor. An axiom that fuels the capitalist system just as the Techno/House scene economy says that one needs to keep oneself busy to make a living. As a musician, things are complicated of course. It's a long way from the romantic idea of creating music simply for the sake of art to becoming a full time musician. Those who have accomplished this feat often find themselves in a professional loop of writing the music, producing it, promoting it (with an info text like this), releasing it and then hopefully selling it. After leaving his full time job as Ostgut Ton's label manager in 2012, Nick Ho¨ppner went fully freelance, focusing on his musically diverse, deep and dynamic DJing in and outside Berghain's Panorama Bar, but more importantly spending more time in the studio. The result was his critically acclaimed debut album Folk (Ostgut Ton, 2015), various 12' releases and remixes, and now his sophomore LP, Work, which, more than ever, lays out his refined production skills and his talent to work the machines until they reveal their inner ghosts: nine new songs that now dodge the dance floor, then fully embrace it.
Work as in body of work. A record is more than the sum of clocked up hours at the studio, but the result of an artistic-creative process. On Work, Ho¨ppner shows his everlasting lust for musical detail, his increasing technical skills and compositional finesse. Work is a very personal, soulful and deep record that breaks through the usual club/dancefloor narrative by documenting Nick's interest for hybrid sounds and combining elements from varying musical genres. Work's lead single 'All By Themselves (My Belle)' is a very atmospheric, intimate and steadily unfurling IDM piece with ethereal synth and vocal pads; on the album it's contrasted by 'Clean Living' with Tram 78, a modern Ho¨ppner club classic: powerful, kick-heavy, muscular, cheerful and uplifting. It's a very personal track resulting from a recent reencounter with an old friend. Having spent countless hours together in Berlin's clubs in ever changing states of mind a decade ago or longer, things have since changed for both towards a more - clean living'. Connecting to this musical vibe 'In My Mind' follows with a slightly darker tone putting emphasis on bassline, percussion and squeaky sound detailing. 'Hole Head' pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Nick's love for UK club music, when a dashing melody of synths and vibraphone is matched with clattering breaks and syncopation. The dubby, mesmerizing 'The Dark Segment' not only impresses with its hypnotic synth figurines, but also by morphing to a shuffling Jazz rhythm towards it's middle part; 'Forced Resonance' uses Oberheim synth brass stabs to dramatic effect; the percussion- and clap-laden 'Fly Your Colours' comes with an irresistible piano melody atop an energetic kick; and finally the album-closing, shuffling but rhythmic, noisy yet bluesy 'Three Is A Charm' featuring the duo Randweg on clarinet, cajo´n and acoustic guitar is a coherent departure heading towards Indie Pop territory. It sees Nick collaborating with acoustic instrumentalists for the first time in his ten-year- spanning Ostgut Ton release catalogue.
Work as in artwork. Staying in line with the Folk album, the visual companion for this record comes from German collage artist Frank Bubenzer. As with the artwork at hand, Bankentsunami, and his other works, Bubenzer cuts up print magazine advertisements and recontextualizes them into new motifs, removing all human depiction from the source material, here as a commentary on the world of business, big money and the banking crisis.
Work as in work it. As a slogan 'work' has always been one of the genre's most utilized paroles, coined and put on wax by pioneers like LNR, Blake Baxter or Steve Poindexter, to name a few. Not only calling for the crowds to get moving on the floor but also to fully express themselves and their unique individuality inside an all embracing environment. A mindset rooted in House Music that has been an integral part of Nick Ho¨ppner's identity as a DJ and producer from the beginning and all through his decade-spanning residency at Panorama Bar. Work it!

Shelter is one Alan Briand, a young Parisian producer with a strong melodic centre producing a sound that pulls on the Zouk, the Afro, the Balearic and the Ambient palette. Zon Zon Zon is only his fifth release and his first mini album, following the series on International Feel that has brought us material from Len Leise, Wolf Muller and CFCF.

International Feel first met Shelter on a trip to Paris a few years back. It sounds like a story from a Nick Hornby novel, but there's a record shop in Paris called L'International Records, run by a guy called Dave who has a group of young French DJs, producers and promoters that visit the store, hang out and buy and listen to music - a story no doubt currently being repeated throughout the world as new generations immerse themselves in the culture. Shelter is a producer who has sucked up all that he has been hearing around him for a number of years and is now producing a quality sound, pulling on the exotic.

The seven tracks on this mini-album are taken from an extensive pool of Shelter's melodic magic. Some people lead on the beats, some on the production, but Alan focuses on the melody, with the beat closely tied in as support. Señor Zalla starts the album with an afro vibe, closely followed by the Zouk-style of Zon Zon Zon and Port-au-Cœur's mellow Balearic tones, as Shelter twists nature's sounds into his own sonic world. Bucolica, an upbeat wonder of a track, turns to the ambient mantra of Courant Rouge and it's distant cousin Courant Bleu, a classic rhythmic balearic piece with syncopated melody and delayed drums. La Volière (the French can make even bird cage sound beautiful) brings the album to a close with a smile in the mind's eye.


Zon Zon Zon is universal. It could easily have been created in Ibiza or Canada, Australia or Africa. It was in fact recorded at Paris 11, where Shelter forged beauty through the sounds of nature and uncovers a wisdom in its simplicity. We can expect good things from Alan. Here's the first chapter.

Krishnanda is an album in the truest sense of the word - a spiritual, psychedelic Brazilian masterpiece from start to fnish - celebrated by everyone from Seu Jorge and Kassin to Floatng Points, Madlib and DJ Nuts. These days, originals change hands for thousands of dollars. Pedro dos Santos, born in Rio in 1919, was a percussionist virtuoso, composer and inventor of instru-
ments that apparently included oddites such as the 'Tamba' (electrifed bamboo drum) and the mouth berimbau whistle. Nicknamed Perdo 'Sorongo' afer the rhythm he invented, that features throughout 'Krishnanda'. A highly spiritual man who was regarded as a philosopher by many. He worked with greats including Baden Powell, Elis Regina, Maria Bethany, Elza Soares, Sebastão Tapajós, Roberto Ribeiro, Milton Nascimento, Clara Nunes, Paul Simon and Arthur Verocai, playing on
his legendary self-ttled LP. In the same vein as Verocai and his self-ttled LP, 'Krishnanda' was Pedro's chance to shine with his own, and only, solo recording. Krishnanda was produced by Hélcio Milito, the drummer of Tamba Trio, and arranged by conductor Joppa Lins, and originally released in 1968 on CBS (Brasil). Musically, the album touches folk, samba,
afro-brazilian and psychedelia plus added efects, with a lyrical depth and diversity to match; themes including morality, percepton, existence and ego. Despite the genius of the record and the infuence that it had on musicians at the tme of release, it
disappeared into obscurity. We frst discovered the record around 2003, through a friend Julio Dui. Around that tme Brazilian funk and bossa was the favour of the day, so didn't catch our ear immediately, however it contnued improve with age and now we consider it to be one of the best albums ever made, regardless of genre or origin.

The next volume of Wonderwheel's long running Turntables on the Hudson series, curated by Nickodemus, heads down to the Caribbean encompassing diverse music made for the dancefloor. TOTC touches on the culturally rich shores of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, Colombia and the USA and beyond with Island inspired vibes.

This double 7" taken with our favorite cuts from the compilation features tracks from DJ Jigoe, Captain Planet feat Chico Mann, Corrado Bucci, and Poirier. On the A side, Afro Cuban artist and recent US & UK Press Darling DJ Jigue gives us the stripped down, Cuban house stomper that is "RIVE", while on the B side Italian producer Corrado Bucci teams up with the classic Columbian group Los Corraleros de Majaguel for a brand new modern take on their Cumbia classic "La Cuidad De Eterna Primavera". On the C side, Captain Planet & Chico Mann's tropical AfroLatin dancefloor smash "Aguacero" finally sees vinyl release, while on the D side, Montreal producer Poirier delivers a jumping Haitian/Creole tune "Pale Mal" with Fwonte on vocals to round out the compilation.

The next volume of Wonderwheel's long running Turntables on the Hudson series, curated by Nickodemus, heads down to the Caribbean encompassing diverse music made for the dancefloor. TOTC touches on the culturally rich shores of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, Colombia and the USA and beyond with Island inspired vibes.

This double 7" taken with our favorite cuts from the compilation features tracks from DJ Jigoe, Captain Planet feat Chico Mann, Corrado Bucci, and Poirier. On the A side, Afro Cuban artist and recent US & UK Press Darling DJ Jigue gives us the stripped down, Cuban house stomper that is "RIVE", while on the B side Italian producer Corrado Bucci teams up with the classic Columbian group Los Corraleros de Majaguel for a brand new modern take on their Cumbia classic "La Cuidad De Eterna Primavera". On the C side, Captain Planet & Chico Mann's tropical AfroLatin dancefloor smash "Aguacero" finally sees vinyl release, while on the D side, Montreal producer Poirier delivers a jumping Haitian/Creole tune "Pale Mal" with Fwonte on vocals to round out the compilation.

Chances are you've already danced to one of his sets at Panorama Bar - Matthew Styles has been a regular guest DJ at the club for several years -, but you've probably also come across at least one record with music that went through the Englishman's meticulous hands. While Matthew has released great but small numbers of 12"es on various labels since 2007, his credits in mixing, engineering and mastering exceed his solo discography by far.
With the Metro EP we're finally offering a full solo release by Matthew Styles on Ostgut Ton, accounting for his consistent productional finesse, especially with his original track "Liquid Sky" (on Nick Höppner's Panorama Bar 04, 2012) and his 'Dub Mix' of Dinky's "Planes" (on Ostgut Ton / Zehn, 2015).
"I've never worked on a sequential set of songs that came out on the same record," Matthew commented on this 12". As with his productional approach in general, the Metro EP has a certain timelessness: "One piece is from 8 years ago, one from 3 years ago and another from around the time of the recent birth of my second son. I'll leave it up to the listener to guess which is which."
The eponymous "Metro" on A is an elated seven-minute, trippy, meandering analogue synth exploration in House and Cosmic Disco. "Wave 6" opens the flipside with a simple yet beguiling melody: 6 notes dancing completely beatless in 5/4 time, meandering repetitively and escalating towards a blissful - yet only anticipated - climax. "Border" on B2 is a solid addition to the long history of Dub Techno - smooth, steady, super layed back, but also offering many colorful melodic elements.
(de) Gut möglich, dass du schon einmal zu einem seiner DJ-Sets in der Panorama Bar getanzt hast - Matthew Styles spielt seit Jahren regelmäßig am Wriezener Bahnhof -, aber sicherlich hast du wenigstens eine Platte gehört, die vorher durch die akribischen Hände des Engländers gegangen ist. Obwohl Matthew seit 2007 tolle aber wenige 12"es auf verschiedenen Labels veröffentlicht hat, übertreffen seine Credits als Mixer, Engineer und in Mastering seine Solodiskografie bei weitem.
Mit der Metro EP hat Ostgut Ton nun endlich ein volles Solorelease von Matthew Styles im Angebot, das seiner konsistenten Produktionfinesse - besonders bei seinem Track "Liquid Sky" (auf Nick Höppners Panorama Bar 04, 2012) und seinem 'Dub Mix' von Dinkys "Planes" (auf Ostgut Ton / Zehn, 2015) - Rechnung trägt.
"Ich habe noch nie aufeinanderfolgend Stücke produziert, die dann auf derselben Platte erschienen wären", kommentierte Matthew diese 12". Wie generell bei seinen Produktionen besticht die Metro EP durch eine gewisse Zeitlosigkeit: "Ein Stück ist acht Jahre alt, eines von vor drei Jahren, ein anderes von kurz nach der Geburt meines zweiten Sohnes. Die zeitliche Einordnung möchte ich dem Hörer überlassen."
Das gleichbetitelte "Metro" auf A ist eine beschwingte 7-minütige, trippige, mäandernde Analog-Synth-Erkundung in House und Cosmic Disco. "Wave 6" beginnt die B-Seite mit einer einfachen aber betörenden Melodie: 6 Noten tanzen beatbefreit im 5/4-Takt, treiben repetitiv und ansteigend auf einen beseelten - aber nur erhofften - Höhepunkt zu. "Border" auf B2 ist eine solide Dreingabe zur langen Geschichte von Dub Techno: sanft, stetig, super entspannt, aber mit vielen melodischen Elementen.

Nick Höppner returns to Ostgut Ton after last year's Folk album and a split release with Fort Romeau (Cin Cin, 2015). The Fantastic Planet EP sees him collaborating with Japanese DJ and producer Gonno on three bouncy, clubenabled tracks, steeped in early 90s House and UK Electronica vibes.
Höppner met Sunao Gonno on his first travels to Tokyo in 2008 where they clicked immediately: A similar musical upbringing from Post Hardcore to club music paved the way for Gonno and Nick where the language barrier would've been a stumbling block otherwise - firstly as a foundation for a personal relationship, later for an ad hoc three day stint in Höppner's studio when Gonno visited Berlin for his DJ debut at Panorama Bar. Despite the limited time together, all three pieces evolved from initial jams and sketches to tidied up tracks, not only sharing a resembling emotion but also playful and detailed musical elements.

Spocking Fivers' on A opens on a more jazzy and breakbeat note, with snapping fingers, various synth pads and percussion slowly building layer upon layer, up until a warm kick, some gentle melody and bubbling sounds take over. It's a grower, in terms of running time and track development.

Fantastic Planet' on B1 comes with a strong, continuous 4/4 bassline and organic percussion from start to end, further on dominated by hypnotic melody stabs and a swelling climax - a muscular yet detailed piece. Finally As Above, So Below' follows more romantic and dreamy motifs, by using a more mellow downbeat theme it lets all squeaky sounds mesh nicely.

Powerdance is a collective formed by Luke Solomon and Nick Maurer formed as a reaction to bland soul less dance music that seems to infiltrating nightclubs the world over.
Luke and Nicks comradely stems back many many years to their association with the Classic Music Company - a label formed by Derrick Carter and Luke.
Nick Maurer was one half of the then prolific Greens Keepers.
This EP for Optimo Trax features the wigged epically funkoid gem "Mysterious Space Plane", who doesn't like songs about space On the other side is the modern hyper jacking "More Fire". Alongside these are a reprise of "Mysterious Space Plane" and a bonus beats of "More Fire" for those djs who like to / are able to get creative with their mixing.

Our next release is by a young Brussels based artist that will be a new name to most of you.
Foreign Material has been into music since his youth. After studying percussions at the Conservatory and graduating in history, his interest in dark atmospheres led him to techno music. The spirit of his music is a mix of ancient myths and futuristic visions. Conceptual music, both mystical and cosmic, with a link between past and future. Here's what he had to say about his EP:
"'Omega System' is a journey to deep space and beyond, to the unknown destinations allowed by the mythical and mysterious Omega relay that's been turning around Omega's red sun since ages. But beware, the path that you will follow is dangerous and nobody ever came back. Some say that you will find death. Others that you will find great treasures. But some wise people think you will finally find Truth."
On remix duties are label friends Hiver, also known for their residency at Milan's Dude Club. Whereas the original tracks are more deep and floating, the Hiver remixes will be of high interest to many a dancefloor, you can trust us on that one.
First pressing on marbled vinyl.

DJ FEEDBACK
Early support from
Sven Väth: Nice spacey sounds !
Len Faki: awesome deep down grooves! beyond omega system are great. thX Len
Ame (Kristian): thanks
Marcel Dettmann: thx
Nick Höppner: I'm really into Hiver recently. Remix 2 is beautiful, will play for sure!
Locked Groove: great stuff
Baikal: remixes are nice especially 2
Pablo Bolivar: Serious tracks here, Hiver remix 2 is my pick!
Bruno Dietel (Radio Fritz / BLN.fm): Hiver Remix 1 is my favourite!
Tomaz (22tracks): love both hiver mixes
Deg (Fuse club): Thanks Tom !

Sheffield DJ/Producer Louis 'Taiko' Robson has consistently agitated the boundaries of dubstep music, manipulating eclectic influences in to his productions with bold, original arrangements, intricate percussion, experimental instrumentation and unforgettable subs, and he's not held back with ALBION002.

Title track Splinted dons the A Side of the release and sets the standard high with its heavy sub, percussive melody, and string lead. Robson has taken inspiration from contemporary orchestral composers such as Terry Riley and Steve Reich initiating the creation of the drums and percussion, which add a rich analogue sound to the track, and with that an almighty atmosphere. Folk-like scratchy strings take the lead which is a theme set for the EP and highlights Taiko's tenacity for sound design and disregard for convention. Each eclectic element of the track compliments the next resulting in a guttural, energetic dance floor cut, with dark undertones making the listener feel agitated or anxious. A pulse raiser strictly for sound system use.

Over on the flip side, starting with the outer, Taiko offers a much warmer vibe throughout Fractal, flexing another experimental set of instrumentation, this time round building rhythm with an accordion sample. An enormous rolling sub bass instantly becomes dominant after the short intro and meticulous percussion exaggerates the astounding impact from the drums. In the break expect a much murkier tone with a grimey string sample leading to the second drop. Robson achieves a certain level of feel-good whilst maintaining a dark and aggressive tone in his unmistakably raw track.

Nickel takes the inner side on the flip, following form to the prior with its accordion sample adding a distorted guitar drone for the melodic intro. The acoustic instrumentation couples up with irregular drum work solidifying the EP's 'live' aesthetic, whilst maintaining a dance floor orientation. Tonnes of energy meets masses of bass, Nickel is a recommended set opener and a great close to the EP.

Working on opposite sides of the landmass we call Canada, Vancouver/Montreal duo Potatohead People (producers Nick Wisdom & AstroLogical) have been making waves for quite some time with their signature jazzy boom-bap meets boogie inside the bassbin vibes. Called a "formidable tandem" by OkayPlayer, their sounds have been championed early on by the likes of Kaytranada, Soulection, Nightmares on Wax, Pomo, Exmag, Big Boi, and Phife Dawg. After a few early releases on Vancouver based netlabel Jellyfish Recordings, Brooklyn's Bastard Jazz reissued their 2012 landmark Kosmichemusik EP and pressed a 7" released on Valentine's Day 2013. The association landed their song "Back To My Sh*t" (featuring Frank Nitty of Frank'n'Dank) on a Powerade produced LeBron James documentary and Nick and Astro began working on a debut LP for Bastard Jazz, presented here.

Big Luxury draws from influences disparate as classic jazz, prog rock, disco 90's hop, DJ Shadow-Era downtempo beats, alongside modern influences like the Brainfeeder crew and new electronic sounds coming out of Nick Wisdom's adopted hometown of Montreal. What's resulted is a finely honed, extra buttery album that effortly glides between tempos, but never loses the mood. The album also features a whole host of guest vocalists - J Dilla's younger brother Illa J, legendary Canadian MC Moka Only, New Zealand's Sorceress, and Amalia all provide contributions to the sounds within. Big Luxury is a velvety ride through vibes and a magnificent debut for these talented young Canadians.