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Darshan Jesrani's new project Funn City continues to break open the notion of modern vs. retro and challenges the listener to categorize what is found inside. Extending the experiment in modern disco without re-treading already explored ground, Funn City offers a playful and rebellious approach to the recombination of old and new. Funn City sticks lightly to the fusion of live and electronic instruments, and heavily to its varied influences from rock and r&b to house and techno, yet casts them in a delirious, neon-lit sheen. 'All-Night People,' the project's first offering, is a relentlessly-upbeat, vivid, saturated trip of a maxi-single inspired by that liminal area of late-70s dance music which existed between shitty, bluesy rock, new wave and disco. Otherworldly, gurgling synths surf atop truncated, slashing guitar and thick, pattering congas. Taut synth sequences spar with sinewy lead lines and trashy vocals, bound together by a precise, modern sensibility, enticing you to waste your time inside a glorious, pinball machine dream. The dub on Side B works most of the same features but empties out the arrangement and infuses the mix with a bubbling, techno-inspired sequence and phaser-licked synth to create a new, more streamlined groove for the track-oriented dancefloor and style of play. Startree is proud to present this first release as a mission-statement in musical form and an indicator of things to come.

With their debut album on Hamburg's taste making hafendisko, Deo & Z-Man proceed their research in contemporary electronic music beyond stylistic boundaries and present a wide-ranging lucky bag of songs. The Italo-rooted brothers melt influences from modern House music, HipHop, Electronica and even jazzy elements into a fresh and life-affirming total work of art. And here it is in all its glory - 'No Bullshit' . With a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humour and a seemingly endless supply of fresh ideas, Deo & Z-Man might have pulled one of the most creative albums of the year. Effortlessly gliding between wigged out house for the dancefloor, synthy space weirdness, hip-hop infused beats and twisted, smoked-out electro pop - 'No Bull-shit' is a rare thing, a collection of esoteric and eclectic influences that hang together perfectly as a proper album. The boys have long since created their own special vibe through their well received singles, live performances and DJ sets - mixing musical knowledge, party rocking skills and a sense of fun that is all too often lacking these days. Even more rare is to capture that magic in the studio over the course of an album. Yet 'No Bullshit', as the name cheekily suggests, nails it. Listening to the album it's easy to see how Deo & Z-Man cut their teeth with HipHop - tracks like 'Tamastar Santini' (feat Janos), 'Two Blue Bros' and 'YRUAG' reveal a background of beats and rhymes that infuses the whole vibe of the album. Equally at home in the club, recent single 'XTC', 'Chopped Memories' and 'Tales of Love' are lessons in leftfield club dynamics - deep, musical grooves that hint at the brothers' leg

In the 1970s the American composer Henry Flynt started a series of pieces under the title - New American Ethnic Music'. In so doing he worked together native styles of music such as blues, Country or Hillbilly with electronic production methods to make something altogether new. So far in Germany it has never been attempted to rework folklore electronically for a compilation. However, this picture changes if one redefines the idea of who the population is. Incomers have brought new - national anthems' to Germany, which means: even the Portuguese Fado, the African Gnawa, the Croatian Klapa or the Vietnamese Quan ho are these days at home in Germany.
With the cultural project - Heimatlieder aus Deutschland' ('Native songs from Germany') founded by former Spex editor Mark Terkessidis and label manager Jochen Kühling all the various styles of traditional folk music now found in Germany has been collected. Thirteen of the songs recorded for the project have now been transformed by contemporary electronic producers to present a - New German Ethnic Music'. But why remixes For one thing electronic music has recently focused a lot on the past (Ghost Music, Hypnagogic Pop etc.) - electronic editing is well suited to follow the effects of the immigrant music which the - imaginary national anthems' has created. Furthermore the project's instigators were curious how - electronic musicians' would handle folk music and folk songs which is a hugely difficult task. To this end artists were sought out who could get along with the idea of each music style and who are known to already have experimented with the human voice. The results are as varied as the music styles and Djs involved. Some melodies remain completely intact while others are abstracted beyond recognition.
Margaret Dygas' associative approach ensured that she presents a polish song about a girls arranged marriage with a claustrophobic feeling. With his remix of the Marrabenta of Mozambique Mark Ernestus has continued the rhythmic experiments he is known for with Jeri Jeri. Thomas Mahmoud translated Gnawa into dub and finally Ulrich Schnauss turned the song of the Italian Chorus of - Donni So' into a hymn for the horizon-expanding power of migration.
Hopefully this compilation will also expand some horizons.

Margaret Dygas - Impulse Remix



Thomas Mahmoud - Arab Disco Dub Remix

After a superlative EP from Chicago's DJ Rahaan, Dublin's Fatty Fatty Phonographics is back with another installment of Pablo and Shoey's 'Rejigs', which have had support from the likes of Hot Toddy, Bicep, Get Down Edits, Leftside Wobble, House of Disco and Rub'N'Tug.

'No Good (Start The Jack) sees them take on Kelly Charles' 'You're No Good', a late 80's New Jersey house bomb and source of the infamous vocal hook from The Prodigy's 'No Good (Start The Dance). After one of the great 80's dance music clichés - an intro where some sassy mama gives her boyfriend shit down an old school telephone line - they go straight for the jugular with that big big hook, spinning the whole thing out for 10 minutes with lots of hypnotic piano loops and large chunks of the great song at the heart of it all. This is one that the crowd will be immediately singing right back at ya at 2am!

'Gonna Get Ya', meanwhile, goes for some Greg Wilson 'Edit The Edit' style shenanigans, taking on Barna Soundmachine's sly, slinky funk loops. The Barna man's original had a whole heap of Diana Ross' vocals from 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me' at the centre but never let rip with the big hands in the air chorus. The lads have rearranged it here so it's alot less teasin' and alot more ease-in!

The 3rd track is as important to Pablo and Shoey as it is to Moodymann, so 'Funky Rump (Tribute To MCA)' pays tribute to the sadly deceased Beastie Boy by looping up some busy jazz drums from 'Paul's Boutique' and splicing it with a very fitting in concert tribute from the one and only Flava Flav of Public Enemy. The full track, when it eventually arrives, is a relentless clav funk monster that just keeps going and going....

"Between Stars" is the debut album from Barcelona based Venezuelan producer and DJ Maurice Aymard. More than two years in the making, 'Between Stars' has been a labour of love for Aymard as he travelled the globe to collaborate with musicians and singers in Barcelona, Berlin, London and Venezuela who could help to bring his vision to life. Released on Aymard's own Galaktika Records (Garnica, James Teej & more), 'Between Stars' was recorded entirely live and features contributions from the likes of Brazilian star Gui Boratto, Columbian singers Andrea and Paulo Olarte, Argentian guitarist Mariano Godoy and many more, the resulting album takes the house music template and expands it to a grandiose level. In an age when anything that isn't packed full of buzzsaw bass and 'sick' drops gets labelled as Deep House, "Between Stars" is the real deal, and from the first bars of the albums opening (and title) track, 'Between Stars' quickly establishes itself as something truly special, a 'house' album that not only works as a coherent whole but sounds as good at home, by the poolside or in a club at 4am. If 'live' house albums have in the past had a tendency to verge on the polite, Aymard's skill as a producer and experience as a DJ keeps things rooted in club culture and nearly every track off 'Between Stars' deserves to find its way into DJ sets over the coming months. Rather than smooth things out the live instrumentation instead adds an energy to the tracks and the subtle touches, that the likes of guitarist David Rondon brings to 'El Final', lift the album up to another level altogether. Since moving from Venezuela to Spain and launching Galaktika Records, Aymard has become an integral part of the European house music scene. With releases on the likes of Berlin's Moodmusic, Hamburg's Einmusika and Denmark's Tic Tac Toe Records, and remix credits for artists such as Mario Basanov, Compuphonic and Combo, Aymard has built a reputation for delivering quality underground house music and with his debut album Aymard looks set to secure his position as one of the scene's most innovative artists.

WAX CLASSIC is a brand new SKYLAX Sub - label.For our 10th release, we give you the opportunity to grab 4 fantastic trax done by one of the best deep house producers in UK right now : OLI FURNESS !Oli had underground electronic music firmly embedded into his life during the early warehouse scene that thrived in Manchester during the 90's, the sounds of Detroit and Chicago filtered through to the UK and his love of all things house was born. Fast forward a decade and Furness has obsessively built up a strong collection of analogue hardware and is now steadily building a legacy of his own analouge drenched and intelligent House music."Sklyax has been a hugely influencial label for me growing up, some of my hero's reside on this label so its an honour to be able to sit beside them with this release

There are many ways to move forward as an artist. You can reinvent yourself, keep track of fashions, or try bold new things. Tom Trago has spent the best part of 10 years pushing his sound in impressive new directions. Yet on his new album, the well-regarded Amsterdam-based producer has done things slightly differently. This time round, his influences come from much closer to home, and he has admitted to being inspired by the dancefloor-focused style with which he made his name.

Welcome to The Light Fantastic. We're sure you'll enjoy the trip.

Trago is an old hand at this kind of thing. Back in 2009, his debut album, Voyage Direct, impressed with its warm, disco-centric blends of full-throttle deep house and boogie-influenced synthesizer funk. He cast his net wider on 2011's Iris, choosing to work with a wide variety of international collaborators on an album that laid bare his myriad of musical influences.

On the Light Fantastic, he's decided to 'step back to move forwards' with a warm, involving set that puts the simple pleasures of the best dancefloor moments at its heart.

'I tried to go a bit back towards the style I was doing on Voyage Direct, so dancefloor beats with deeper impact,' Trago admits. 'I was trying to male tracks that work on the dancefloor, but also move your heart.'

In some ways, The Light Fantastic is Trago in 'back to basics' mode. Partly inspired by his ever-increasing travels around the world to DJ, it melds together a range of influences - deep house, vintage synthesizers, classic boogie, disco, Chicago jack, acid house, and even a dash of full-throttle rave revivalism on the raw funk of 'The Elite' - on a set that sounds like it was painted in vivid colours by an artist at the top of his game.

'I'm like a professor in a lab, trying to make little ideas work,' Trago enthuses, warming to the theme. 'The tracks are all there in my head, like a puzzle, and I have to make all the pieces fit together.'

The 'back to basics' theme extended to his choice of collaborators. Whereas Iris was notable for featuring an impressive cast list of international singers, musicians and producers, The Light Fantastic is more of a homegrown affair. While plenty of people lent a hand during the recording process, they were trusted locals from the Dutch electronic music scene, rather than outsiders.

'This time, I thought 'whoever walks in the studio can get involved',' he says. 'If they walked in, they could sing, play some synths or do some mixing. A lot of people came to hang out and ended up lending a hand. It's a much more fun way of working than sending your track to somebody across the other side of the World.'

There are many collaborations on The Light Fantastic, but listen out for contributions from Steffi, Ben Westbeech, 'studio neighbour' San Proper, Makam, vocalist Holly Wood and, most surprisingly, a local club owner who just happened to swing by the studio. 'Using my friends was a big part of the process,' Trago admits. 'One of the points of the album was using people who were close to home, part of the family almost.'

It's an approach that definitely paid dividends. Certainly, this celebration of Amsterdam's blossoming electronic music scene adds a little extra frisson of excitement to The Light Fantastic's impressive vibrancy.

By the time the rush-inducing positivity of 'The Wrong Right' gives way to the mutant alien funk of album closer 'Desire', you'll be ready to listen to it all over again. That's the thing with The Light Fantastic - it's a trip you'll want to take again and again.

KILLEKILL 014 is being delivered by ALEX CORTEX. On the A-side HYPERFOCUS combines a heavily distorted kickdrum with uplifting trance chords and a breakbeat feeling as if this was the most normal thing in the world. The result is an outstanding anthem that can be used on all floors, whether they are techno, house or breakbeat.
BY FORCE OF ATTRITION is a typical ALEX CORTEX-track: driving and static at the same time, slowly moving, hypnotic and deep.
The B-side features a remix of HYPERFOCUS by SKUDGE. The swedish duo recently released an EP of Alex Cortex on their Label Skudge Presents and in return remix this track here for Killekill. They extract the breakbeat sounds of the original and use them for a warm minimalistic house tool driven by a smacky wooden snare.

We call them the rat pack of our beat scene. With all diversity in sound, the three producers are unified in their love for dope beats and high-proof drinks, both catered and consumed with style and expertise.

Suff Daddy, the globetrotting gin connoisseur and minimoog player with domiciles in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Sydney. He has released three solo albums and has worked with artists like Miles Bonny, Fleur Earth, Ta-ku and Elzhi. After a one year stint in Sydney, he returned to Berlin this spring.

Brenk Sinatra, the Wien-Kaisermühlen homeboy, Westcoast rap fanatic and producer of the forthcoming MC Eiht album. Last year Brenk released the critically acclaimed S3 album together with US singer Miles Bonny and has laced beats for an armada of MCs from both sides of the Atlantic.

And last but not least Dexter, the Stuttgart based trip maker and platinum producer with a day job as a pediatrician. This June Dexter released his second solo-album 'The Trip' a homage to the psychedelic rock era and one of the most innovative and genre bending hip-hop albums of 2013.

All three first met at the Hi-Hat Club, the producer series that we started a couple of years ago with the goal to push and celebrate the art of beat making. With their respective volumes 'Suff Draft' (Suff Daddy), 'The Jazz Files' (Dexter) and 'Chop Shop' (Brenk Sinatra) each of the guys put the instrumental hip-hop thing on a new and different level. None of their beats need a MC to be complete, they are full songs in their own right.

The official birth date of the Betty Ford Boys was the 2012 Beat BBQ in Cologne where Dexter, Suff and Brenk performed together for the first time. Right after the now legendary gig, that was ended by police forces Suff Daddy left for Sydney so that most the recordings for the Betty Ford Boys debut album took place in the cloud. Right after his return to Berlin, the Boys jumped on the bus and played their first club tour which finished with a gig at the Splash Festival.

On August 30th, the Betty Ford Boys release their first album 'Leaders Of The Brew School' on Melting Pot Music. The record combines the best of three worlds and has a surprisingly chilled Westcoast vibe. It's perfect summer music, it's edgy and relaxed at the same time and keeps you thirsty for more ....

Back with another monster of a release, Ellum Audio bring you four heavy duty remixes of the infectious jam 'New York Is Alright' from TV Baby - a killer track with 'a throb of low-resolution low-end and caustic vocals' - in the words of label boss Maceo Plex. For the A side Blackspun deliver a sensational 'Minimal Mix' and 'Acid Dub', while over on the flip Maetrik injects plenty of groove and Idjut Boys take things into another dimension! All tracks are serious DJ weaponry, each served to dominate the dancefloor in their own way at peak time.

ELL014 comes as part of a joint release with DJ Spun's label Rong Music (USA), who will be releasing the original track plus remixes from Eric Duncan.

Blackspun is made up of Jason Drummond aka DJ Spun and Mark Bell aka Blakkat. Originally from San Francisco but currently residing in New York DJ Spun's journey and career through electronic music began at the birth of House and continues to this day. L.A's Blakkat is a vocalist, producer and first class DJ also working with the biggest names in the business and gracing the decks of the best clubs in the world. Together they make the perfect team with the results clear to see from this special release.

Flying high at the top of his game Eric Erstonel aka Maetrik (Maceo Plex) recently released his DJ Kicks album on !K7 which featured the Blackspun remix.

From their North London studio, Dan Tyler and Conrad McDonnell aka the Idjut Boys have run three record labels and produced their infectious dub-heavy disco sampling house for many more. They formed their first label, U-Star, in '94 on the back of their successful club nights of the same name.

Sister Label to Vanguard Sound Anunnaki Cartel plays host to the fourth installment of the Vanguard Sound Series featuring 4 tracks from crew members Dakini9 (Lola), Chris Mitchell, DJ. Spider, and founder Amir Alexander. During the time since Vanguard Sound Vol. 3 launched the Vanguard Sound label, the series has reached a kind of cult classic status among the most dedicated U.S. underground vinyl collectors. As more and more people discover Alexander and his Crew of ultra talented DJ/Producers, their releases on discogs disappear and then reappear for three to five times their original price. Buy on sight status is quickly being achieved by all six members of this shadowy Crew.

The four tracks contained in this release all touch base with the vibes already established by the Crew, while continuing to expand the sonic palette as well.
Amir Alexander's Cypher is classic dirty analog at it's finest. With a slightly overdriven synth baseline leading the way, followed by restless percussion. Midway through, deep and mysterious pads create a dreamy texture as a spoken word passage muses about loyalty to those you came up with.

Chris Mitchell's 213NL raises the temperature with Chris's signature "Phrenetic" drum programming under an SH101type acid baseline oscillating wildly as melodic strings soar.
DJ Spider keeps things gutter with some Vanguard/ Plan B style street knowledge in the form of New World Resistance. An industrial/ futurist tech beat frenzy full of vocals dropping science about the New Word Order's plans for global domination.
Dakini9 closes the release by taking us to the depths and beyond with her deeply emotive work in the form of Rollercoaster to Nowhere. Sci fi atmospherics weave in and out of lushly serene pads while her always deadly serious percussion marks the time effortlessly. Time travel is evoked as the dulcet tones erode all sense of the here and now. Fall into infinity! For the collector's, this one is not to be missed as it is a rare Vanguard Volume on it's sister label Anunnaki Cartel with both logos on one record. Don't sleep..

17 years after first releasing a cassette EP from label boss Marsel van der Wielen under his Peel Seamus guise, Delsin is soon to hit the landmark category number of 100.
Truth is, taking into account choice re-issues and specials such as the recent house series, there have already been scores more than 100 releases. Nevertheless, in that time the Dutch label has become synonymous with a wide range of timeless sounds from house to techno to dub to electronica, nurturing and championing some of the most respect names in the scene.

To mark the occasion, the label is to release five new various artist EPs (100 copies will be special, limited and coloured vinyl exclusively available through the Delsin web shop with a collector's box) that will be compiled onto one special CD compilation come the final release.

'After many different life cycles, with this compilation I try to go back to the core of Delsin, to showcase more otherworldly/dreamy/soulful but still raw techno sounds from a selection of key artists who best represent the label,' says Marsel. 'The tracks are all individual offerings but are tied together with the common themes of the label, and as a compilation will paint a nice overall picture that is not shy of moving away from the dancefloor side of things.'

Across the five EPs you can expect tracks from newbies and old favourites alike, including Sawlin and Delta Funktionen, John Beltran and Bleak, Redshape and Convextion and plenty more. The first - like all of them - features three tracks, one each from Gerry Read, Unbroken Dub and Claro Intelecto.

'Last summer I moved from Chicago to London, and this EP followed me through the madness!' Kate Simko tells us about how her sensual Get Physical debut, 'Lost In London EP' came to be. 'I started the songs in Chicago last spring, and was feeling full of ideas and urgency to get them recorded. I guess I was thinking that somehow things might be forgotten after all of the hustle of moving...' Kate has seen her previous releases span catalogues from Leftroom to Scissor & Thread. She has a solid following of vinyl loving fans - nearly all of her releases selling out in short notice. We expect 'Lost In London' to be no different. 'Then it was time to ship my studio by boat to the UK. It took about 6-8 weeks to arrive, and in that time I did a lot of exploring (aka getting lost) in the city of London.' By the time the studio arrived, I'd absorbed the sounds of the city and I think they came through in the music, especially in 'Lost In London'.' ''Closer feat. Jem Cooke' is the follow up song with Jem Cooke after our collaboration from last year, 'Go On Then' (Leftroom). We recorded the vocals at Royal College of Music; I think the musical vibe of the place put her at ease that day. She's an amazing person and her voice is incredible. So happy to have linked up with her.' Kate's groove and rhythm heavy sound shines throughout the release - from the chords of 'Closer feat. Jem Cooke' to the bass pump of 'Out Of Order'. We're super happy to have her on board, and looking forward to hearing more from her in the near future!

Brodanse´s 'Danse Club Records' returns with another 90`s New Jersey gem reworked for 2013 with remix duties this time going to Just Be, Lula Circus & Chubby Dubz ... Danse Club Records, the label started by DJ/production sibling duo Brodanse has made a sterling start so far with releases of classic 90`s US house cuts remixed by the likes of Matt Tolfrey, Oliver $, Moodymanc & Brodanse themselves.

The reaction has been outstanding at a time where there is an obvious embracing of all things nineties and DJs such as Danny Tenaglia, Maxxi Soundsytem, Seth Troxler, Huxley & Dusky have been queuing up to lend their backing. For their latest release Danse Club look once again to New Jerseys historic shores, this time picking up an old record from US soul house duo The Burrell Brothers and drafting in three hot production acts to rework this much loved tune.
To start the package we have the original "club dub" version, giving an insight into the records history with it`s mid nineties feel and production still standing up wonderfully.

The first of the remixes sees Crosstown Rebels and Get Physical artist Just Be AKA Matthew Bushwaka deliver his"Insomniac mix",
a bumping slice of underground house music that marries a bass driven groove, organic percussion and subtle melodic elements with snippets of the vocal to supreme effect.

Next up we have Italian production duo Lula Circus whose releases for the likes of Culprit and Noir have been creating quite a stir. Here they deliver a brilliant rework of "Non Stop" in the shape of a deep old school house workout that makes the most of the soulful vocals with its simplistic, hypnotic backing. With its timeless quality, this mix is certain to be mainstay in DJ boxes for months and years to come.

The penultimate version sees the excellent Chubby Dubz offer up an outstanding mix that cuts and pastes the original parts in a raw house style. Closing the package there is a bonus dub of Just Be`s Insomniac mix that rounds things off nicely. This is another winning package from the Danse-Club label and with original artist material from Brodanse in the pipeline alongside further remix packages there is much to look forward to.

Alex Font is a serious guy who knows that now is his time. A multi-instrumentalist, as well as a producer and DJ, he can sometimes be seen on stage in trademark shirt and bow tie. He declares himself a lover of vinyl and, above all, what he calls real house. I think that says it all.

'NOW IS MY TIME' is the fifth release on the Oblack label and is available in black vinyl and digital. It is undeniable proof that Alex Font has arrived and is now a permanent force on the House scene, mainly in soul and dance, but who also knows how to reinvent his sound using new tech. Always with an eye on the future of sound innovation, he still manages to keep hold of his roots and respect his great influences. Well, nothing less would do. On this EP you can tell that Alex Font (remember, this is one serious guy) knows what he has in his hands and spinning on his turntable. His knowledge of musical composition, harmony and engineering skills jump out at you as soon as the first beat of 'Now is my time' hits the speakers: darkness, sophistication, soul and groove. There's a perfect command of tempo, of where, when and how. You pick up on the instrumental skills which allow him to do what he wants, when he wants. That's what's so great about this: you're struck by the ease of how such perfect technique and astoundingly good taste come together. Digitally analogical (or is it the other way round), this is the deeply profound vs. the dancefloor. It fascinates and liberates, carrying you off through different dimensions before breaking out of itself, with no need for artificial fanfares as it's so perfectly defined by Chicagoan pianos, hi-hats, funkoid vocals, etc. He's simply extraordinary: Alex Font signed by Oblack 005.

The remix by Martinez gives this track a technical edge and club splendor. Leaving out the more classic elements of house that are present in the original, the Swedish producer slows things down so that it doesn't lose any of its elegance, but at the same time the track gains punch on the dancefloor, and there's no doubt that it works. As cool as it is effective at inciting dance and everything else that comes with gyrating your pelvis in the early hours of the morning.

Finally, the Argentinian Shall Ocin plays the scoundrel here by adding diverse electronic elements that take the track into a new dimension. By giving the vocal more prominence, here it takes centre stage, and over a well-layered tech-house base, it makes the tremendous savoir faire of the original literally surf, while at the same time respecting and completing it.

In the end, it's great that you know that this is your time and that you want to share it, through Oblack and on vinyl, with all of us. Thanks comrade.

As with their first various artist compilation EP, Let's Play House has chosen to grab tracks from a handful of artists both new and old to the label and party. Portuguese duo Johnwaynes released the I Can See EP on the imprint in July of 2012 and Belgium's Mugwump has been part of the company's NYC party stable since 2010. The newcomers here—montel and Last Waltz—are obvious shoe-ins for inclusion in the roster.

As with the last V/A, this one tells a cohesive aural story. montel kicks the thing off with a no-nonsense jackin' house boogie, underscored by a slightly-out-of-tune and elastic bass that infects your whole body. Johnwaynes darkens the mood a bit without loosing montel's sense of urgency. The track throbs forward with the assistance of another thick bass, scattered synth ditties, herky-jerky hats, and breathy overlaid effects, giving it a cavernous vibe.

Brussels-based troublemakers Mugwump start the flip with a tune that seamlessly fits into their cannon—it sounds so familiar that it's hard to believe it's only just come out. As always, the duo's foundation is a choppy, hook-laden bass that's wrapped in playful synth lines, water-submerged effects, and big drums suitable for the largest of rock stadiums. Then Last Waltz wraps the whole affair up with their own melodious house boogie. As with the A2, theirs is more somber and spooky, yet just as catchy and addictive as the brighter montel and Mugwump songs. Imagine this EP as a miniature rendering of one of LPH's warehouse parties: it's big, bold, and lots of fun, while still having an obvious sense of a buildup, peak, and comedown.

If the "Parquet" album saw them delivering a unified vision of dancefloor purity to massive acclaim, "Cashmere" now takes ELEKTRO GUZZI's signature man-machine sound up a notch. It is moving their rock-solid base towards ecstatic moments of techno bliss. In the title track layers of circling angular chords cause goose bumps, while a warmly pulsating foundation of bass and drums locks in
the groove. The "Reverse Mix" does exactly what it says: reversing the arrangement and re-building the track back to front. In "Crack Fox" it is then the interaction of shifted bass line and countering melodic scraps that pushes the whole thing forward. All set off against ultra-steady drumworks, only swelling in lengthy waves towards eerie peaks, the result is sheer madness. Essential material from
the band that reinvented "live techno."

Debut longplay release from heralded Irish producer Mano Le Tough
who is one of this year's international DJ shooting stars according
to Resident Advisor's top 100 list.

It's been a terrific year for KOMPAKT boss MICHAEL MAYER, who released his sophomore album 'MANTASY' (KOMCD100/KOM250) - the eagerly awaited follow-up to his seminal album debut 'TOUCH' (KOMCD36/KOM107). 2013 is shaping up to be equally busy, with an ongoing worldwide DJ tour, the label's 20th birthday and now the first EP of 'MANTASY' remixes. 'MANTASY REMIXE 1' is the first entry in a series of three, featuring a stellar cast sure to push any dance floor over the edge.


Up and coming producer and core family member of the Cómeme family - PHILIPP GORBACHEV is no stranger to Kompakt, and he delivers a slashing rework of adrenaline-fuelled synth fest 'VOIGT KAMPFF TEST'. This Berlin based Russian has had a tremendous career launch thanks to his excellent solo debut 'IN THE DELTA' (CÓMEME 012) and as a partner in crime releasing singles as a member of ISAAC JOHAN and THE DISTRICT UNION. Pulling out all the stops for this remix, 2013 promises to push him as a major club force to be reckoned with.

Another star in the making, Cologne's BARNT had an equally strong run in the last months with in-demand releases on Magazine, Cómeme and Mule Musiq: his track GEFFEN (from - The Power Of Now', CÓMEME 013) is easily one of the most recognized club singles of this year. He also tackles 'VOIGT KAMPFF TEST', dialing things back a bit, but only to reinforce the air of sheer magnitude that oozes from every single note. Delving deeper into his trademark Kraut Techno approach, Barnt replaces the original's thrills with creeping tension and reaches a new understanding of what the prime time should sound like.

THE MOLE is well-known for his heavily sampled, organic loopiness having a special place reserved in nearly every DJ's record crate, but this beat-driven. remix of Mayer's beatless masterpiece 'BAUMHAUS' sees the producer refining his approach, as he takes the original's evocative expertise to new heights of grooviness. It's not just a case of 'let's put a beat in there and we're done', but a fundamental rework eliciting hidden properties and finding a new perspective on an already perfect slice of music. A personal favorite of many Kompakt aficionados, 'Baumhaus' finally gets the club treatment it so clearly deserves.

Jack Dice is a new project from John Twells and Walkmaster Flex, now releasing their debut EP for Modern Love.
John Twells, amongst very many other things, runs the Type label and has been producing music of various different disciplines and varieties over the last 15 years. Although he's never released anything on Modern Love before, he's a long time friend and associate of the label.
Walker is the manager of Main Attrakionz and has been DJing with them for the last couple of years as the official 'Green Ova DJ'.
'Jack DIce' is fuelled by an interest in bass, Twells being a car audio nerd and Walker having an obsession with 90s southern rap music. These are their first tracks produced together, who know what might follow...

Tablon is a new France based independent record label. Supporting artists with a characteristic style, tablon releases music by passion, developing its own vision of today's and tomorrow's dance music.
After a first EP by Arnaud linked in a certain way to Greece, tablon 002 will come from Istanbul. Far from us the idea to make a worldwide music label or refer to any old war between two countries. It just happened like that. Sarp makes amazing music and we are proud to present his new EP. It is called "I care because you don't", the artwork is made by Nefelie and the mastering by Mathieu Berthet in Paris. As we care a lot about the vinyl thing, our releases appear first on 12" and then in digital.
"Hi, I am Sarp Yilmaz. No, not your household name, not the next megaDj, not the chart topper, just a guy with some machines and a passion in his heart, who is supported by some other guy who runs this young, fresh label, who is mad enough to release music that is not bassline obsessed, not fitting any of the genre slots of your favorite online store, that is as much hip hop and jazz as it's house. No, this will not destroy your dancefloor, nor will it make you dance like there's tomorrow, it's moody, sometimes even depressive, but I made it with a smile on my face. It's trippy, it's glitchy and it's slow. Music, I make to cure the sicknesses of my heart. Hope it puts a smile on your face too. I care because you don't".
Sarp Yilmaz - I care because you don't EP

Terror Danjah's second Hyperdub album is 'The Dark Crawler', a well-paced and much more upfront and energetic journey through his musical world than his debut 'Undeniable'. The album revolves around the 'Dark Crawler' theme, a blistering grime track that pops up several times, vocaled by MC's Riko Dan, Mayhem, Deadly and Saf One, and then lastly Trim and Kossie. That's not to say the album is one dimensional or relentless. It's subtley balanced with the 'Dark Crawler' thread of tracks allowing the album to spin off in a web of directions without losing any focus. It's a much more contained body of work, paced to keep the listeners interest. From the 'Dark Crawler' intro into the cartoonish horror soundtrack of 'Mirror's Edge', which tricks you into thinking its just any dubstep tune, before scattering into Terror's signature broken kicks and claps. 'Dark Gremlinz' featuring D.O.K. is a classic peak-era asymmetric grime instrumental. The album then drops down into the 130ish speed of 'Air Max 90' featuring Champion, which builds from a soca-like drum drill stretching the rhythm to the point of collapse with a wonky synth, before concluding on a driving baseline house 4/4. The first 'Dark Crawler' vocal is next, with a ferocious performance from veteran Roll Deep MC Riko Dan, who drops bloodthirsty threats at a breakneck pace. Next, the tempo drops down again to the drunk funk of 'Full Hundred', with criss cross claps and a rasping bassline breaking down into live drumming and tight trap door edits. Things speed up a little again with the intricate 8 bar funky of 'Rum Punch', a hard drum tattoo rolling out over a heavy detuned bassline and intense bleeps. On the second 'Dark Crawler', mic duties are shared by Birmingham MC's Mayhem , Deadly and Saf One. Their hard vocals contrast with lush styled R'n'B of 'You Make Me Feel' featuring Meleka. The album then rolls out into the galloping drums and smooth G-Funk synths of 'Baby Oil'. Trim and Kossie drop the final 'Dark Crawler' vocal, with Trim dropping deadpan threats contesting with Kossie's focussed hysteria. Next up 'Delicately', with Ruby Lee Rider, starts in slow motion R'n'B mood, sweet Rhodes chords drift and bubble up as the track doubles up into dreamy drum and bass with a fluttering tabla keeping the time, and Ruby's tender vocals tempering the pace and aggression. Overall, it's a brilliant exercise in breathless rhythmic arousal. 'Moschino', on the other hand is a darker, chunkier and grimier mirror image to 'Delicately', switching up into a ferocious metallic riffage, before the album closes on an outro of 'Dark Crawler' again. Form, function, energy and talent fuse perfectly over 'The Dark Crawler' s length. Enjoy the ride.

The time has come. The funky nerd and knob-handler Erdbeerschnitzel alias Tim Keiling is releasing his first physical album on Mirau. The young producer, who has moved from his hometown of Mittelfischbach to Bonn, tapped into the lode of versatility early on, and has been extracting one surprise after another ever since. After single-handedly releasing a first digital album that was obviously bursting with ideas ('Pathetik Party', 2009), Erdbeerschnitzel rapidly made himself a name with first-class single releases in the following years on 3rd Strike Records, 4 Lux and Mirau - a name not easily forgotten. The release of the much-celebrated single 'To an End' on Mirau made clear that this was but the beginning of a work together. In the wake of anticipation created by the digital single 'Through the Night', the album 'Tender Leaf' is now available on beautifully packed double vinyl. 'Tender Leaf' is a collection of 12 wonderful tracks, splashing at the edges with Erdbeerschnitzel's signature deep, driving vibe throughout the entire album, pulling us into a pool of swinging, iridescent oomph. Each elaborate audio-bouquet is full of spirit. Sometimes weirdly romantic and introverted, then breaking out into raucous assemblage, flaunting sonar reverb. Keiling's production makes these gems sound like an essence of all the music around us today, which calls out to us in echoing vocal traces. In 'The Mattress Excursions', guest singer 'The Drifter' steers his soulful voice through the escalating arrangement and broken beats as we remember from early Jamie Lidell tracks. Erdbeerschnitzel frequently gives things a humorous turn, flashing us winks from the midst of the fray. His characteristic beat programming, clever and exulting, makes otherwise bland patterns swing into pulsating vivacity; picking up on contemporary styles and aesthetics, he re-animates sounds within his own parameters. Multifacet-flow

Niney the Observer is well known for his great productions,collaborations,with the likes of Dennis Brown and for some of the best rhythms to come out of Jamaica.Maybe less known is that he began in the music business as a singer.Here for the first time is a collection of songs culled from his career that feature the outstanding voice of the Observer himself.
*Niney the Observer (b.Winston Holness,1951,Montego Bay,Jamaica) grew up in Montego Bay, Jamaica and began singing in school bands in and around the area and the nearby town of Lucea,where one of the bands he sang with,featured future Studio One guitarist Eric Frater.Two other singers that Niney grew up with were Derrick Morgan and Eric 'Monty' Morris. The Derrick Morgan connection brought Niney to the attention of Beverly's Records to whom he sold some of his songs.Producer Coxonne Dodd of Studio One began noticing Niney's talents and offered him some studio time and a base to work out of on Charles Street in Kingston Town. The year was 1957 and Coxonne Dodd released some of these early recordings featuring the vocal talents of Niney on his Studio One label .If Niney The Observers work as a singer was ever in doubt or overshadowed by his many other talents,then we hope that this album will put that to rest.Niney behind the microphone as compared to a mixing desk is a great,great,thing.....
Hope you enjoy the set...

01. BLOOD AND FIRE
02. MESSAGE TO THE UNGODLY
03. BRING THE COUCHIE COME
04. KEEP ON PUSHING
05. MIX UP
06. JAH FIRE
07. ITAL CORRECTION
08. RASTA NO PICK POCKET
09. AILY AND AILALOO
10. HAIL I
11. EVERYONE IS A RASTA
12. BEG IN THE GUTTER
13. OBSERVING THE OBSERVER
14. HIDING BY THE RIVERSIDE

Who said that pyramids are the only good things in Egypt !
Let's not forget the Zahrans brothers teaming up for the first time on Brown Eyed Boyz for an EP .
Alexander Maier (Compost/Buzzin Fly) & Kashawar on remix duties ...

Unusually for a record (for me, at least), 'Constants' collects tracks written in four very different moments in time: some are recent - so recent I've only had the opportunity to play them out just a handful of times - while others are over one year old. I really wish the story behind this EP would be a bit more interesting so this text could completely blow your mind but I'm afraid there were no dragons, no sex, no drugs and definitely no rock'n'roll involved. All four were mostly produced by me while sipping coffee and wearing boxer shorts in front of a computer. I could somehow try to describe the music on here but it would probably take less for you to give it a listen. However, if you happen to be one of the humans that prefer reading about music, you might want to wait a little bit longer: hopefully some smart blogger will skip through the SoundCloud previews for you and describe them in detail using words he learned a few minutes prior to posting it on the internet. Anyway, I'm really happy to see these finally out, especially on a label I have always looked up to like Vakant. I really used to think Smoke, Kaden and Ozer were aliens at some point. Hopefully you will enjoy this music as much as I loved writing and playing it out. T PS: I was kidding about the blogger thing. Bloggers, I love you.

with - dazed', senking continues his exploration of the abysses of sound to create dark and gloomy atmospheres. the slow beats of the two tracks are accompanied by tender, harmonic melodies, but broken by nervous, unsteady tones which eem to be a warning against hidden dangers. the frst track - the dance hall walk' also features a vocal sample by micheal cramm - a text which refects the nervousness and excitement in anticipation of some thrilling things to come. like - tweek', senking's last ep, - dazed' is not only concerned with the depths of sound, but also with the depths of the human psyche, where there is no escape other than music itself.

Oh Holy Molar is the second album from UK trio Felix. The group produces a bewitching, minimal chamber pop that works as the perfect framework for singer/songwriter Lucinda Chua's oblique and emotionally immediate stories of superstition and searching for protection against bad omens.
*As a follow up to their debut You Are The One I Pick, the band return with a collection of songs with a sound stripped back to its very core. Something is said to have "teeth" when it has the ability to make an impact. This record certainly has "teeth", and sharp ones at that.
*" The album was recorded in a vast, spooky 1940s cinema in Nottingham, England, now converted into a studio. After recording was completed the band discovered that underneath the live room lay an abandoned Dental Laboratory. "Oh Holy Molar" indeed.
*" Since the release of the rst Felix album, pianist/vocalist Lucinda Chua, also an accomplished photographer, has been working on a number of projects, most recently with Wallpaper* in Detroit. Guitarist Chris Summerlin has been recording and touring with his new band Kogumaza. The group is completed with the recent addition of drummer Neil Turpin who, when not performing with Felix, can also be found touring the world with French composer Yann Tiersen.
press quotes for You Are the One I Pick
'It's a gateway into another headspace, one aglow with uncertain magic. As statements of romantic intent go, 'Death To Everyone But Us' must represent either the most  straightforward, honest distillation of the love song, or the creepiest.' BBC
'In Felix's world, everyday mundanities give rise to furtive explorations of human interaction and ineptitude in a manner as oppressive as it is oddly and honestly addictive.' Drowned in Sound
'The duo keep things refreshingly simple, with single strands of piano, guitar, and cello in quiet symmetry, leaving the listener ample room to savor Felix's knotty, enigmatic songcraft.' Pitchfork
'There is mystery and elegance in the marrow of this music, and I imagine this record will prove to stand the test of time, reserved to be pulled out for the perfect accompaniment to just the right brooding but whimsical mood.' Delusions of Adequacy
track list:
1.The Bells 2. Sunday Night 3. Oh Thee 73 4. Don't Look Back (It's Too Sad) 5. Hate Song 6.Oh Holy Molar 7. Blessing Part I 8. Blessing Part II 9. Rites 10. Who Will Pity the Poor Fool 11. Pretty Girls 12. Practising Magic 13. Little Biscuit

Sometimes things trun out different than planned. That also applies for remixes one does for other labels: "The Lost Remixes" features two personal favourite Remixes by Sascha Dive, now seeing a release on Vinly for the first time.

A new label offering from the ever active vaults of Mr. Sascha Müller is the new imprint named Psychocandies which is setting things straight for an Acid-poisoned future with cat.no. 001 which is a marbled, limited to 200 copies 7" pressing holding Sascha Müllers "Tempelrotation (Edit)" and Acidfloors "Goja 3" on the flip. Whilst the first mentioned tune is on a grinding, distorted MonoAcid tip clearly influenced by long gone labels like Labworks or Propulsion 285 we see Acidfloor working on a mind bending fusion of dry ElectroPhonk and a tweeking 303 that is about to make all breakers twist their legs and the rest of the crew jump around like mad. If you love alltime classics like "Higher State Of Consciousness" you'll surely appreciate this little tune as well. Watch out for more candy!

Vae Victis is back for its 2nd release and is glad to welcome the very first debut of Nightjars. With this 4 tracks ep the label shifts on a different musical path, sound and style wise.

Born to Die" follows Lana's first single "Video Games" which began its life online in July accompanied by a video created by Lana. Since then "Video Games" has amassed over 8 million hits and on release has hit i-tunes #1 position in 9 countries including the UK, Australia, Holland and France and is currently #1 in Germany. Also a massive critical smash, it has recently been hailed as the #2 track of the year by Q Magazine, with Q Magazine also awarding her the "Best New Thing" award at the Q Awards.
"Born to Die" is a suitably noir follow up to "Video Games" and is coming with an incredible video conceived by Lana and Directed by Woodkid. A Remix EP will also be released, including mixes from Damon Albarn, Woodkid and Clams Casino.
"Born to Die" the album is a collection of tracks about which Lana says "The songs I've written are an homage to true love and a tribute to living life on the wild side." Album tracks include "Million Dollar Man", "Off to The Races", "Blue Jeans" and "Carmen".

SK 011, 444, Centralbron, Midsummer Night, Babar, Russian Folksong, Carbon Oxide, I Love Water, all those brilliant Tiga productions... We really don't know what else to say - just try to imagine the history and future of this dance music thing we're all involved in without Jesper Dahlbäck... Nah, rather not, right Being part of Jesper's discography is the greatest thing that has happened to Studio Barnhus up until now and these two tracks, Fransson and DX2 RMX, are up there with all those previously mentioned masterpieces.

More sample based Detroit influenced deepness from label head Scott Ferguson. Two sexy & seductive mixes of 'Sweet To You' plus two more hauntingly beautiful head-nodders. Mr. Ferguson still has a sound of his own..SOLID

2024 Repress
Following the legendary first two, stoically super minimal records “SOG 1“ and “SOG 2“ that provide ecstasy disguised as boredom on Kompakt Extra/Speicher in 2007, and the outstanding beautifully bizarre “SOG - Abweichung“ on Profan in 2010, we are now listening to “FREMDE HÄNDE“. Like its predecessors, this SOG stands in the tradition of „The Art of Omission“ with Wolfgang Voigt variegating his preference for the bluntly straightforward quaver bass in two different forms. The A-side contains a tonally noncommittal sequence ambling across the keyboard in quantised form, reminiscing of the arpeggiator (accompaniment function) function of early 70ies' and 80ies' synthesizers. On the B-side, daring and thoroughly unquantised quaver rhythms rock around a bass drum that, as the only straight element, tries to keep the whole thing together. The result sounds a little like a delirious Can Live.

Nach den legendären ersten beiden stoisch-superminimalen, als Langeweile getarnten Ekstase-Platten “SOG 1“ und “SOG 2“ auf Kompakt Extra/Speicher in 2007 und der überaus skurril-schönen “SOG - Abweichung“ auf Profan in 2010, hören wir nun “FREMDE HÄNDE“. Auch diese SOG steht natürlich ganz in der Tradition der “Kunst des Weglassens“. Wolfgang Voigt variiert hier seine Vorliebe für den stumpf-geraden Achtelbass auf zwei verschiedene Weisen. Auf der A-Seite haben wir eine tonal unverbindlich über die Tastatur wandernde Sequenz in quantisierter Form, die an die Arpeggiator (Begleitautomatik) Funktion früher 70er und 80er Jahre Syntheziser erinnert. Auf der B-Seite kreist die Achtel-Rhythmik in eher rockigem Sound ganz und gar unquantisiert und rhythmisch gewagt um die Bassdrum, die das Ganze als einzig gerades Element versucht zusammen zu halten. Das klingt ein bisschen wie Can live im Vollrausch.

Kameezol 2 repress... A picture at a nice price !!! One of the very first hardfloor records... A dry medium kick, changing all the time during the tracks... Loads of fun in da mix... Lots of eyeblink and cheezy cook.... And what a beautyfull Picture Disc ! Woutcha ! You might have noticed that for the 10th years anniversary of Toolbox we decided to produce real loads of special things this year... Expect more soon !

Rockwell's rise to prominence as a rare, distinctive talent has been exciting the electronica music circuit the world over. Critical, thankfully, being the trusty forefront for all things audio-aesthetically delicious, presents the 'Aria EP' - 4 tracks of sound sublime, exemplifying Rockwell's refreshing angle on energy in the club combined with the characteristic, meticulously playful technicals, precise and thrilling as ever.The charmingly rustic intro of 'Aria' unleashes striking Flinstones-esque wooden triplets, scaling the track as stirring vocals weave through; haunting and uplifting at once, the title-track exudes sheer class. Slightly more buoyant, 'Live For The Moment' infuses an energetic tempo with profusions of ear-carressing funk and those ever-characteristic percussive twists - naughty all over. Swiftly plunged into apocalyptic darkness, the Ulterior Motive boys take a sinister liking to 'Noir'. Distinctly menacing and genuinely frightening, what better to bully the atmosphere than Hell-raising bass and staccato violins. Listen out for the breakdown bass - horrific and enriching, this track is dark by Devil's definition. Icing on the cake collaboration with underground legend Untold comes in the form of 'Rehoku Sunrise', a tribal earthy worldly masterpiece of running drums and raw, wild samples, glazing the soul in bliss. Bellissimo.

2024 Repress

Hurray! PROFAN is back from the future to complicate things again. But let's have a look back in the past: in the mid-1990s, Wolfgang Voigt, under his innumerable aliases (M:I:5, Digital, Grungerman, Wasserman …), unsettled the minimal world and its straight grooves with his right-at-the-threshold-of-pain abstract techno. As a DJ, you sometimes even thought that the vinyl was scratched. "Distort the listening habits until they break up" has always been the leitmotiv of this exceptional artist from Cologne. In 2000 however, after having created another promising trademark: WASSERMANN - W.I.R. that - in spite of or because of its unconventional structure (abstract beat, German vocals) - ranked among the number one hits in any important club and DJ charts and which was even remixed by Sven Väth, Wolfgang Voigt decided to discontinue the label for a while. PROFAN produced two sublabels each devoted to the refinement of specific minimal variants: STUDIO 1 and FREILAND. FREILAND in particular was and still is one of Voigt's projects that manifests his artistic and deconstrucivist approach to the aesthetics of techno beats. FREILAND's concept is radical: the only reference to techno is the bass drum and a sound reduced to the utmost that is moving around it. No wonder that now, eight years after the last PROFAN release, Wolfgang Voigt is back under his alias FREILAND. With KLAVIERMUSIK (piano music), Voigt continues his way towards atonality and electronic art music. The straight bass drum still is the only pulsatile instrument and sometimes it is not even that. WOLFGANG VOIGT / FREILAND - KLAVIERMUSIK is radical, puristic, uncompromising, elegiac, difficult, defiant, true and absolutely necessary. The record, including artcover designed by Wolfgang Voigt is strictly limited.. Greed sucks.