The one that almost got away… A track that many thought would be destined to remain on only the most select of DJs USBs, Kieran Hebden finally clears the sample on one of the most talked about tracks of last year ‘Looking At Your Pager’. Released on yellow vinyl with a full picture sleeve and backed with another massive KH earworm from the vaults ‘Only Human’.
Flipping the script on 3LW’s 2000 R&B heater ‘No More (Baby I'ma Do Right)’, Four Tet, under his KH alias, works that untouchable magic on the sample in true Hebden fashion. Taking that peachy vocal snippet and looping it up to the high heavens with a chest rumbling, wobbler of a bass synth and skippy garage beat you’re treated to a Four Tet warper of gargantuan proportions, finally officially released via Ministry of Sound Recordings under the title ‘Looking At Your Pager’.
In Kieran’s own words, "This track was made in the summer last year just before my first festival set in a long time. I wanted something new to play that would feel universal, positive and futuristic and this is what I came up with.
"Since then I think more people have asked me about this track than for anything else I've ever made and I've had amazing times playing it to the best crowds you could ask for. It took quite a while to get approval for the vocal sample but it finally happened recently and now the music is out in the world for everyone."
Kenny Summit revisits Lectroluv’s ‘Dream Drums’ for a brand-new remix package, welcoming fresh interpretations from Joeski, Roberto Rodriguez, Eric Kupper, Lenny RX and Summit himself.
Originally released by Lectroluv, aka Frederick Jorgio, in 1993 and championed by Junior Vasquez before becoming a worldwide anthem across dancefloors across the globe, ‘Dream Drums’ holds a place for many as one of the truly iconic house records from the early 90s. Now almost 30 years on, Good For You boss Kenny Summit presents a carefully curated remix package as he revisits and pays homage to the seminal record. Welcoming fresh interpretations from Freerange regular Roberto Rodriguez, NYC house legend Joeski, Plastik People Recordings boss Marc Cotterell, and his own take alongside longstanding Brooklyn rave staple Lenny RX and Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum-selling recording artist Eric Kupper, the expansive package arrives via his sub-label Afternoon Delight.
Opening the package, Roberto Rodriguez’s take builds on the original’s iconic vocals and slick drums through sweeping melodies and airy pads to offer a hazy, paired-back interpretation of the production. Next up, Joeski’s remix lays the focus on percussion as he introduces Latin and Afro influences for a euphoric peak-time production set to get crowds moving, while Marc Cotterell delivers a signature blend of garage-led organ chords and two-step arrangements for a vibrant, sun-soaked cut. To close, the trio of Eric Kupper, Lenny RX and Kenny Summit join forces for a special ‘NYC Never Sleeps’ remix, introducing a killer lead line and warping synths to shape things up in style.
It has been one year since the world has lost one of it's most talented and gifted reggae singers, Apple Gabriel, one of the founders of Israel Vibration. We feel honoured and privileged to have been given the chance to work with Apple in 2010 on his critically acclaimed solo album Teach Them Right. There where plans for a follow up album but they unfortunately never materialised. As it was in the beginning so shall it be in the end.
Israel Vibration made some of their best music in the Tuff Gong studio in the early days. We went back there to work on this special musical tribute together with the Tuff Gong All Stars and with a contribution from sax maestro Dean Fraser. We recorded a brand new version of No Equality, one of our favorite songs from the Teach Them Right album. A solid roots tune full of cultural vibes, capturing the soul of Israel Vibrations early releases. The song is accompanied by a video that shows the story of the early beginnings of Israel Vibration as told to us by Apple. Long acapella shows on the streets of Jamaica to make some money to survive, before the band went on to become one of the most successful and inf luential roots harmony groups in reggae history. Rest In Power Apple Gabriel, your music will live on and continue to inspire many generations to come.
Melodies Of Ancient Beats Depth or Deep, (with Dep also meaning beautiful in Indonesian) is the meaning of this newly created persona from the artist DemoDc. After many years of experimenting with music making, releasing digital eps and albums, Demo has come to an end of a cycle arriving to a mature state of craftsmanship, ready to deliver his dream onto the vinyl medium.
This is the 1st ep that kickstarts a volume of a 5 ep project. Its own kind of album type edition so to speak. Down the rabbit hole is a deeply rich exploration of the unknown, immersing oneself with faith and love into a pandora’s box type scenario to find not chaos and random violence of destruction yet a carefully arranged melodic structure of orderly tapestry, traveling through the expression of quirky acid gobbles, with a steady deep chord of drive, arriving at a climatic unwind of free moving dance type melodies and wonder. This track gives electro a fresh stroke to a well founded genre, giving it a different approach to the medium. Today’s special is a track held close to heart, made back in 2007 after a skiing incident left MOAB DEP immobilized for 2 weeks. Whilst having travelled to NZ Queenstown for the trip, it dawned on the wounded artist to make sense elsewhere with his time, using it to create a very special track, of course unknowingly at the time. Returning home to Adelaide it quickly become a favourite for many underground artists yet the track has never really been given a chance to shine, to be heard…. not until now 12 years later, 2019. All made on his laptop, no midi used ( which is to be said mostly with all tracks created at heartheartrecords studios).
Today’s Special has a certain energy and vibe that immediately calls for the listener to pay attention. From its moody beginnings with lush rhodes keys, glitch ambient sounds, followed by the groovy-type horn sounding hook, whisking the listener away into a sunsetting type mood elevating itself onto new ground each step of the way. With some subtle bass movements and emotive chord progression, we arrive at a very warm heartfelt dance track that can only leave any dedicated listener and lover of common deep house music, with a tingling effervescence of radiant glow and smiles. Today’s Special proves to be its own cult hit within the archives of tracks made in the heartheartrecords realm. Today's special celebrates the meaning of 'NOW' the present moment.
Melancholia is a made-up medical condition manifested in an incessant moment of reflection. The newest album is a soundtrack to different stages of it and the accompanying feelings. The extremes of those got illustrated by Wojtek Łebski who designed the graphic identity of the album.
"I wrote this music during the last 3 years which for me and to many others were the most bizarre time on the planet we live. Lots of dilemmas, problems, ups and downs, self-doubt and permanent anxiety I transformed into different frequencies of sound. From the very first song, you can hear my fascination with the bass and half-step music scene. Thanks to Mr Envee who mixed the album, it sounds exactly how I imagined - deep and worm. Welcome to the journey." - says the author.
Teielte is a very important person to U Know Me Records - his debut album was the first one in the history of the label. To honour the album properly, the "Melancholizm" was labelled with the number UKM 100 and it will be released exactly 12 years after the famous debut of Taielte's album "Homeworkz".
The album will be released in two versions - classic black LP and limited colour LP. What's special about the limited edition is that every copy is different and is numbered by hand (100 copies). Also, both versions have different covers designed by Wojtek Łebski
The official soundtrack of the 2021 'Rumba Rules, New genealogies' documentary movie by Congolese artist Sammy Baloji and Quebec filmmaker David Nadeau-Bernatchez. A deep dive into Kinshasa’s vibrant Rumba scene, including remastered classics by Brigade Sarbati, Werrason, Papa Wemba, Franco & le Tout Puissant O.K. Jazz
Rumba Rules, New genealogies is about contemporary rumba in Kinshasa, but this music has deep historical roots nevertheless. Born in the interstices of the colonial world and thriving during the three decades of the Mobutu era in Zaïre, Congolese rumba has been iconic and popular all over Africa for decades. The roots of Rumba are even deeper, and the many paths it evokes trigger the imagination. The story goes that this music came with the migration of the ‘Kumba’ drum and dance in previous centuries, African slaves having carried it all around the Americas and giving birth to Cuban ’Rumba’, Colombian ‘Kumbia’ and many others. With its varied rhythms, guitars and horns, through LPs and radio stations, Rumba came back to (re)conquer Africa throughout the 20th century, paving the way for new practices. One could say this music is a sort of palimpsest, a memory in itself of Atlantic migrations and histories.
Rumba is nowadays discussed all around the world, igniting many debates among the Congolese diaspora. Being the constant talk of the town sometimes overloads public debate, and many people get tired of this broken record. Thus, over the last decade, enterprising producers have worked hard to promote Kinshasa’s musical diversity and tried to emulate new sounds to reach worldwide attention. But Kin’ locals and urban dwellers will not be fooled : new shoots cannot hide the forest. Despite some difficulties to innovate, despite the pastoralist sermons and the diaspora fighters pushing for concert cancelations, rumba is still at the core of the Congo today. Talented artists such as Fally Ipupa, Ferré Gola, Brigade Sarbati and others are leading the fifth generation, and the religious world has also proven to be a nurturing environment for the cultural and economic dynamism of this music.
Focusing on the music of Brigade Sarbati and his Orchestra, this record offers a deep dive into Kinshasa’s rumba scene. Halfway between professional studios and Zoom H4 field recordings, the rumba herein is about today’s youth: dense, full of energy and breakdowns, insights and name-dropping. The cavacha rhythm, the solo and bass guitar’s playing style, the singing style and numerous dedications all resonate with the history of Rumba. In an era where digital sound is taking over, it is interesting to highlight the instrumental and live performance compositions of this music. Digital technology is indeed used during the recording and mixing phases, but Congolese rumba still relies strongly on instrumental playing. There is all that but also, many other things to hear on this record… It’s time to let it be. A big thanks to Étienne Tron for making it possible: it is on his initiative and through his patience that this album is in your hands today. (David Nadeau-Bernatchez, december 2021)
Three years after Reno Wurzbacher’s entry into the series, Cook Strummer now offers up his own Berlin Gets Physical, a collection of all-new and exclusive tracks.
Berlin-based, Belgium-born Strummer has been a Get Physical associate for several years. He has dropped various singles including the standout 'Rising' which also featured on the Words Don't Come Easy series, and always crafts the perfect mix of rhythm and melody with plenty of hints of his homeland's famous cold wave sound. He often uses his own voice, drum machines, synths and guitars in his music, and since his debut album in 2018 on LOK Recordings, he has had high profile support from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Adam Port and Ame. This summer, he dropped 'Atmosphere' on Obsolet Records which proved another successful outing and now Berlin Gets Physical finds him digging deep into the famous city's freshest and most essential house sounds across 15 well-sequenced tracks.
His own new offering 'For Berlin' kicks off with a dark and edgy vibe, gothic vocals and tense drums. Glitchy hits and blurting synths add to the prickly atmosphere and immediately lock you in while Los Cabra & Manuel Sahagun's 'Italian Groove' then takes off on waves of serrated dark disco synths and Freudenthal feat. Nowhere People continue that macho disco vibe with the rugged chug and cosmic rays of 'Cipher.'
The twinkling 'Bad Karma' by Marvin Jam & Le Mythe then allows you to catch your breath with a slower, more spacious dub disco sound and the twanging bass riffs and exotic effects of Daniel Jaeger & Valenti's 'Quarantine Cowboys' rebuilds the atmosphere with some innovative house blues. The mid-section brings brain-frying synth work on 'Out Of The Blue', bubbling dub house and disco courtesy of dramasquad's sprawling 'ziggy' and percussive deep house looseness from 'Abayomi.'
After KEENE's rubbery and rolling Afro sounds comes more cosmic house richness from Dan Buri and Max Joni & MUKKIMIAU, the driving tech of Red Pig Flower & Lulla and heady sounds of Mike Book. There is a raw house heaviness to FreedomB's 'State of Shock' and things shut down with Electronic Elephant's tightly coiled minimal drum funk on 'Ask Yourself'.
This on point collection is an authentic snapshot of the contemporary underground sound of the Berlin.
How do you follow up an EP like Champion Sound? By going even darker and harder, that’s how! And that is exactly what Q project did with this incredible EP. In 1993 the burgeoning jungle sound was coming into its own, and this EP encapsulates that perfectly. The sound is very dark yet still has great musicality and a sound that is clearly defined as jungle music today. This is one of the most sought after records from the Q Project back catalogue and with just a quick listen you’ll hear why.
Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others
Rikers Island is yet another very sought after slice of wax from Q Project, this time with the aid of his long time collaborator, Dj Spinback. This track, with it’s two different versions, will cater to pretty much any jungle raver. The ‘On The Run Mix’ is the darker of the two and today would most definitely be called the ‘VIP Mix’ for sure, but this is from a time where artists and producers where still inventing the music. Then the ‘Dream Mix’ is the more atmospheric version, the one that you would drop when the crowd isn’t as dark or you wanted to lift them back up some, and this track does that perfectly.
Club / DJ Support
Jay Cunning, Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Paul Bradley, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Jimmy J, Doughboy, Lowercase, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others
As a tribute to the 20th anniversary of the music label Twin Town Production (*11 Sept 2001), Nicolas Molina and Stachy.DJ presented "The Sound of Twin Town: Tribute Mix Pt. I", a personal selection of remastered music from the catalog of the first decade.
An eclectic mix of Soulful House, Chillout, D&B, Acid Jazz, IDM, Dubstep and Breaks takes the listener on a journey through time to the musical roots of the label until the dawn of the second era of digital mania.
Now this compilation package offers homelisteners and DJs all the
remastered tracks of the DJ-Mix in full length on vinyl.
CAUTION: THE PACKAGE TAPE IS PART OF THE ARTWORK. PLEASE READ THE TEXT FOR HANDLING!
The package can either be opened only on the outer edge to access the vinyls, or it can be sliced on all sides to flip through the entire story. Don’t handle with care!
*** The entire case study on the artwork will still be published in the fall of 2022 by Manuel Wesely himself.
25 years of KOMPAKT is no reason to get hysterical. Then again, it's a nice occasion to have a laid back look at the situation in electronic music today. Minimal techno in all it's varieties is now established as the worlds best dance music, as you may know. So far, so good. What's next Nothing. Dance on!
I've gain two essential insights with the passage of time. First off, that music which over the years only knew 'faster, better, stronger' and 'forwards ever - backwards never' can constantly repeat, quote and loop itself without killing itself. A music that suspends the meaning of time and eventually can set a parallel, better universe of fantasy against the twisted grimaces of reality. Again and again.
And secondly, that getting older living in/with this music is a quite relative term to which ideally a serenity of age can ring a bell. This shows that 25 years after 1993 so many protagonists, enthusiasts, DJs, musicians, relentlessly rave fighters - with all personal advancement - are still there and still celebrate, play or produce this/theirs music; and compete themselves and their music just with that.
Two such heroes of the neat and tidy bass drum culture are with no doubt T.RAUMSCHMIERE aka MARCO HAAS and REINHARD VOIGT. From day one, those two figureheads have given live-techno the glam of stage-diving rock 'n' roll, long before vodka and beer prevailed as alternative lube for ecstatic dancefloors.
Even better they both now raise the glass at the longest techno-bar in the world named KOMPAKT EXTRA/SPEICHER. With DREI MILLIONEN KO¨LSCH, Reinhard Voigt continues to establish his savvy 'way into sound', which he's pursued for a few years now on his many releases. He's turning genre cliche´s into a very personal take with his defiant mix of the deepness of a lonesome cowboy and his implicit faith in the dancefloor and gives the music a very personal touch of ennnoblement of the faith in itself. Technos dignity shall be inviolable.
For me, AUGEN ZU by T.RAUMSCHMIERE is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of bass-heavy 'Umta Umta' techno. A few strikingly brilliant vocal lines from the master himself, put through the machines and combined with a relentlessly sequencer that says it all. This cheers my heart and we will always need such tracks to remind us of ourselves. And to forget about ourselves. Smash hits of unreason! Or the prettiest declaration of love to a music which gets its magical moments from what's happening between the bass drum-beats. But only by this when the bassdrum remains linear and will do so forever. Both Marco Haas and Reinhard Voigt know that. Because after techno comes always techno.
Wolfgang Voigt - May, 2018 Wolfgang Voigt - May, 2018
25 Jahre KOMPAKT sind kein Grund sich aufzuregen. Aber dennoch ein schöner Anlass, einen gelassenen Blick auf die Lage der elektronischen Musik zu werfen. Denn der globale Minimal-Techno, in seinen unterschiedlichen Spielarten, hat sich bekanntlich längst als beste Tanzmusik der Welt etabliert. Recht so. Was nun Gar nichts. Weitertanzen.
Zwei essentielle Erkenntnisse haben sich bei mir im Laufe der Zeit durchgesetzt: Erstens - dass eine Musik, die über Jahre nur ein »Höher, Schneller, Weiter« oder ein »Forwards Ever - Backwards Never« kannte, sich ständig wiederholen, selbst zitieren und loopen kann, ohne daran zu ersticken. Die Bedeutung von Zeit und Vergänglichkeit im besten Sinne außer Kraft setzen und der hässlichen Fratze der Realität eine parallele, bessere Welt der Fantasie entgegensetzen kann. Immer wieder.
Und zweitens: dass »Altern in/mit dieser Musik« ein sehr relativer Begriff ist, dem bestenfalls Altersgelassenheit etwas sagt, Alter. Das zeigt sich immer wieder im schönsten Sinne, wenn 25 Jahre nach 1993 so viele Akteure, Enthusiasten, DJs, Musikanten, unkaputtbare Kampfraver, bei aller persönlichen Weiterentwicklung, immer noch da sind und immer noch diese/ihre Musik abfeiern, auflegen oder eben produzieren und sich und ihr Tun auch nur daran messen lassen müssen.
Zwei solche Recken der gepflegten Bassdrumkultur sind zweifelsohne T.RAUMSCHMIERE aka MARCO HAAS und REINHARD VOIGT. Zwei Rampensäue der ersten Stunde, die Live-Techno den Glam des Rock'n'Roll Stagedivings gegeben haben, lange bevor Vodka und Bier sich als alternative Gleitmittel eines ektatischen Dancefloors in der Breite durchgesetzt hatten.
Umso schöner, dass sich eben diese Beiden mal wieder an der längsten Techno-Theke der Welt, genannt KOMPAKT EXTRA/SPEICHER über die beiden Seiten einer Schallplatte hinweg musikalisch zuprosten. Mit dem Track DREI MILLIONEN KÖLSCH setzt REINHARD VOIGT seinen smarten »way into sound« fort, den er schon seit ein paar Jahren auf diversen Veröffentlichungen konsequent verfolgt. Mit einer trotzigen Mischung aus lonesome cowboyhafter Deepness und dem unbedingten Bekenntnis zum Dancefloor schafft er es, den Klischees des Techno eine sehr persönliche Note der Veredelung des Glaubens an sich selbst zu geben. Die Würde des Techno ist unantastbar.
Der Track AUGEN ZU von T.RAUMSCHMIERE ist für mich eines der schönsten Meisterstücke in der Tradition des oktavbassgeschwängerten Umta-Umta Techno. Einige wenige markant brilliante Textzeilen, vom Meister selbst in deutscher Sprache durch die Maschinen geschickt, gepaart mit einem Sequenzer der keine Gefangenen macht, lassen keine Fragen offen. Da geht mir Herz und Rucksack auf. Solche Tracks werden wir immer brauchen, um uns an uns selbst zu erinnern. Um uns immer wieder selbst zu vergessen. Smash-Hits der Unvernunft! Oder die schönste Liebeserklärung an eine Musik, die ihre magischsten Momente immer aus dem gezogen hat, was zwischen den Bassdrumschlägen passiert. Das funktioniert aber nur, wenn die Bassdrum gerade ist und es für immer bleibt. Und Marco Haas und Reinhard Voigt wissen das. Denn nach Techno kommt immer noch Techno.
Die legendären King's X, bestehend aus dUg Pinnick, Ty Tabor & Jerry Gaskill, freuen sich, die Veröffentlichung ihres 13. Studioalbums 'Three Sides of One' über InsideOutMusic/Sony Music bekannt zu geben. Es ist das erste neue Album der Band seit 14 Jahren, für das sie sich mit dem Produzenten Michael Parnin (Rage Against The Machine, Mark Lanegan) zusammengetan haben, um es in seinem Blacksound Studio in Kalifornien aufzunehmen. dUg kommentiert: 'Es kommt mir vor, als wäre es eine Ewigkeit her, dass wir ein neues Album herausgebracht haben, und ich bin bereit, dass die Welt unser neuestes Werk zu hören bekommt, das hoffentlich ein bisschen von allem enthält, was man an King's X liebt. The groove is with us!" Das Album wird als Limited Deluxe Gatefold 180g Marbled 2LP + CD mit einem exklusiven, handnummerierten Druck und Poster, sowie als Ltd CD Digipak, Gatefold Standard 180g 2LP + CD und als Digitales Album erscheinen.
Wooohaaa! The figure 8 always meant more to us than just a symbol on your screen. For this very reason on our eighth vinyl release from Minor Notes Recordings we’re featuring non other than the legendary producer BMB SpaceKid. Stemming from St. Petersburg and from an early age, BMB proved himself to be an extraordinary musician. Able produces top quality compositions with ease, and in any style, but all with his unique twist.
To date BMB is best known in hip-hop circles as he made album beats for many key underground rap artists. He also went international and produced joint tracks with Dj Premier, Anderson Paak, Raekwon, GoldLink and many others.
BMB has also performed at the Fabric Club in London, the Outlook Origins festival, live on Boiler Room and BBC Radio 1. He also participated in the Red Bull Bass Camp and the Hip-Hop Academy.
On the record "Taste Booster" BMB SpaceKid showcases his taste and skills in the production of house style dance music. A tribute to the traditions of African-American music, the virtuoso mastery of MPC and sampling techniques, and an outstanding approach to melodic rhythms.
We are convinced that this record will appeal to everyone who loves true house music, acting as a breath of fresh air. To enhance the overall effect we invited one of our favorite French producers Art Of Tones, who for a long time, and just like us, has been promoting the organic sound of electronic music 4x4.
Cascading through kaleidoscopic stardust and forming in the outer reaches of the music universe, transcending time and distance, cosmonaut musicians Mo Morris & Zeben Jameson reconnect to write & record songs from opposite sides of their planet (Bali and London) written over the internet during the pandemic. Landing the much anticipated and eagerly awaited new A Mountain of One album "Stars planets dust me".
Welcome to the formative British psych electronic heroes A Mountain Of Ones 3rd studio album.
Mastered and reimagined and a full forthcoming album rework by electronic wizard, master selector & global superstar Ricardo Villalobos, featuring additional collaborations from 80s/90s Balearic legends "The Woodentops`s" front man "Rolo McGinty,”, Japan’s cult heroes ``Dip in the Pool" and "Unkle" and "Toy Drum`s" Pablo Clements.
UK Dub master "Dennis Bovell MBE" also makes an incredible appearance on the "Custards Last Stands" dub versions. Now available on a ltd Japanese 10". A beautiful artwork series generously loaded in by photography legend Dick Sweeney, and co-mixed by Dea Barandana in Indonesia. With its cosmic pop sound, soulful soaring, balearic sensibilities and feel good choruses it carries all the weight of a much needed revo- lution in psychedelic, conceptual ever popular music and sounds & feels like the infamous crossover album that promised to come from the heady days of the bands ascend last time round.
So here’s some back story, garnered from the hearsay, folk law, the myths and the legends, of 10 years ago, in case, like Mo & Zeb, if they'd remembered any of it, they probably weren’t there, after 2 much acclaimed albums and sellout shows vanishing in a cosmic cloud of dust the yin and yang brothers Mo Morris (ZSOU/Electric Stew) & Zeb Jameson (Oasis/Tricky/Pretenders) uncoupled and each em- barked on a pathfinder mission to equip themselves for their inevitable return... they just didn’t know it at the time... and as the global community ground to a halt 2 years ago they sought refuge from opposite sides of the planet in each other's company again.
The solace and rejuvenation it gave had them re-emerging as invigorated, inspired and wiser music creators, this has given rise to the evolution of their 3rd all important album‘s sound.
Zeb "our capacity as human beings is more phenomenal and limitless and way beyond the conventional thinking of society constructs but also in complete harmony with the intelligence and brilliance of advancing technologies".
Experiencing this energy together, as dedicated and devoted music pioneers, these great collaborative universal truths were revealed, imbed and steeped in their writing and recording experience as the music touched and resonated with all involved to create the fresh and fully formed A Mountain Of One 2.0.
STAREAWAY is Markus Guentner from Regensburg, of Kompakt- and Ware-fame, and Heiko Badje from Hamburg, the man behind saudade-driven pop-band La Grande Illusion. Exploring the possibilities of combining Guentners critically acclaimed adventures in ambient scapes and Badjes melodies and distinctive singing, their track 'Baghira", as an early result, was selected on Kompakts 'Pop Ambient 6 compilation in 2005. Their first EP as STAREAWAY, called 'Learn How To Love Me", was released on Hamburg-based label Couldn.t Care More in 2011 including a remix by deep house icon Osunlade crossing all borders, yet feeling so natural, and the somewhat timeless electronic pop reference 'Unwise". Now STAREAWAY come up with their first album 'No Life In This Ghost Town' (again on Couldn.t Care More); seven sketches between song and track deliberately carved from a shimmering wall of electronic sound by guitars, spiritualized voices and subtle melodies. It.s caressing and thoughtful, but there is also a darkness that makes you shiver. Glowing embers in far away windows. STAREAWAY combine a vision of sound with multitudes of micro-organisms which take turns no one can forsee. And what may appear as a mere coincidence is in fact a concentrated search. They are seekers of the things lying underneath. STAREAWAY's 'No Life In This Ghost Town' is mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri. It will be available as Double Vinyl (+ Download-Code) and, of course, digitally. Layout by JL Prozess (Markus Guentner), artwork by Claudia Kugler.
One Tribe label-owner AMÉMÉ makes his debut production appearance on Crosstown Rebels next month with the three-track Drum Beat. The EP includes a remix by longstanding US house veteran Joeski, marking a major career achievement for the Benin-born talent.
The Latin influence is experienced right from the word go on Loca, as Saharan-esque elements build alongside resonant hats and playful, Spanish-like vocals. Tribal percussion drifts in and out alongside, whilst whirring key solos feature subtly throughout. Drum Beat comes next, manifesting as a welcome slice of contemporary Afro-house that’s packed full of raw instrumentals and authentic lyrical samples, before Joeski’s remix brings things to an up-tempo, club-ready close.
Specialising in Afro-leaning electronic music, AMÉMÉ has marked himself as one of the continent’s breakthrough talents in recent years. Head of One Tribe, his productions have been supported by the pioneering figure of Black Coffee since 2019, whilst his appearances on Watergate Records, Blond:Ish’s Abracadabra imprint and the mighty MoBlack Records have been equally well-received, firmly establishing his presence as one of modern dance music’s rising stars.
Joeski’s trajectory can be traced back to 1991, when he burst onto the NYC house scene as a founding member of The Chocolate Factory DJ collective. Since then, the US veteran has garnered a worldwide following thanks to his Maya label, which was first incepted in 2001, as well his keen ear for production that has seen him release on Crosstown Rebels, Relief and a myriad of other heavyweight imprints in recent years.
London-based Bread And Butter Recordings is back to serving the goods, this time with a tasty number by the always-in-shape Silat Beksi. The entitled "Special Edition" EP is the first-ever solo EP on the label, and follows four successful VA compilations that have hosted Sublee,DoubtingThomas,Costin Rp, Herck, Miroloja, Macarie, and Direkt to name a few.
Opening the games, "Just Play It!" hits hard and clean with its crispy percussions, gnarly sounds, and hefty short pads that really give a floating touch. As soon as the track goes, some bongos and extra hi-hats appear, all together into a delightful ever-evolving groove.
A2 "Hero Suit" features fluffy chords that get reverberated throughout the track, flying over a sexy and engaging bassline and tight drum patterns. Fairytale synths and overprocessed vocals join the symphony, making this one a lovely dancefloor roller.
Closing the BR005, "Jungle Meditation" sticks to its name, with the Ukrainian artist relying on his signature groovy signature sound, which this time focuses on more hypnotic moods that interlock sharply in an unpredictable or volatile manner. Proper B-side, late-night affairs.
The next two courses - BR006 & BR007 - are on the way and they will not stop surprising you. A unique and delicious sound for refined palates.
Up The Stuss goes down under as Sydney's Litmus steps for the label's tenth release. A bubbling member of Australia’s house and minimal scene, his productions via No Art, Piv And Dailycid have seen the exciting Aussie emerge onto the global landscape and make some noise.
Continuing in slick fashion, his 'Plus One' EP showcases a wealth of vibrant solo flavours while partnering up with Berlin's Black Loops for a crisp collaborative sprinkling of house delight - all backed by French live act and man of the moment Leo Pol as he delivers a heady, piano-driven remix of the title cut.
After their monumental rise from mask-sporting weirdos to forefathers of a new generation of mainstream metal, many wondered how or if Slipknot would manage to top their blistering self-titled debut, and its malevolent follow-up, 'Iowa.'
Hindsight paints doubts in curious colours, as 'Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses' is now regarded as one of the nine's most expansive, dynamic, and universally acclaimed works.
From the caustic anthem, 'Duality' to the surprisingly accessible 'Before I Forget', the collective managed the impressive feat of honing their craft to appeal to a wider audience while sacrificing little of the unbridled angst of their earlier projects.
Hearing frontman Corey Taylor let his guard down for gentle and hypnotic cuts like 'Circle' and 'Vermillion, Pt. 2', offered entirely new insights into a group known for their brutal intensity and little else. There's still plenty of that on display, with the venomous ode to their fanbase, 'Pulse Of The Maggots', ringing true with its abrasive composition.
Finally reissued alongside its predecessors, there's never been a more ideal time to finally lock down this seminal trilogy that would introduce, shock and cement Slipknot as legends of their own kind for decades to come.
Geier aus Stahl is one of the many artistic guises of Leonard Prochazka. No superfluous elements take away from the core experience of his sound. Somewhere a statement from David Byrne crossed our path, able to highlight something of the essence of Leonard's art: “No matter how alienated the subject or the singer might appear, the groove and its connection to the body would provide solace and grounding. But the edgy, uncomfortable stuff was still on the foreground”. The debut album 'Strapazen und Genesung' takes us to an exciting world that twists, squeaks and creaks, yet is grounded by an unmistakable groove.
A selector, producer and label head at the top of his game, Enzo Siragusa continues to prove exactly why he’s held in such high regard as a staple of the underground music scene. While developments have seen the FUSE boss adjust his approach, recent months have combined a wealth of studio time with the unveiling of new projects – most recently announcing the launch of his new genre-bending all-night-long event series, E:Dimension. Yet, there’s something about a release from Siragusa on home turf that stands out amongst the pack, with productions like ‘Sagamore’, ‘Desire’, ‘Flexin’ and the ‘Kilimanjaro’ cuts instantly recognisable after just a few seconds, and the same looks set to happen as he makes his highly-anticipated return with his first solo material on the label for over two years. Unveiling one of his most heavily requested tracks to date alongside further peak-time business on the flip, April finally welcomes the arrival of the two-track ‘Nothing Matters’.
A track that’s been making waves for months, ‘ICV (Double Flake Mix)’ brings the sub-shaking, cavernous reese bassline now captured by many across the globe as Siragusa launches into his signature blend of heads-down, hands-up sonics, while the vinyl-only dub delves into afterparty territories to offer up an exclusive version for wax owners. On the flip, title cut ‘Nothing Matters’ graces the B-Side and keeps things moving as meandering melodies ride rumbling low-ends, swinging drums and chunky grooves to shape up proceedings in emphatic fashion. It’s safe to say Siragusa’s back, and he’s back like he never left.1
Four years in the making, Duct Tape Project is the new brainchild of Tripmastaz in the realms of Trip-Hop and Downtempo. And it's a project that makes perfect sense to anyone familiar with Andrei's background (making Hip-Hop beats since his teenage years), musical capabilities and decades-long experience. Duct Tape Project joins Andrei with a troupe of stellar musicians not only from many different corners of the world but also from acutely distinct genres - Guti, Argenis Brito, Mad Dim, Denis Kaznacheev, Krussia, Damien Vandesande of DOP, Sarkis Ricci, Andrey Orenstein, and vocals by Inga.
Featuring all sorts of live instruments, drum machines, synthesizers and modular systems, Duct Tape Project brings forward a complex work brimming with musicality. Using Hip-Hop, not only its rhythmic structures but also its sampling techniques, as a foundation, Tripmastaz created a vibrant and fascinating ecosystem with enough sonic texture to leave one captivated, enraptured and lost at the edge of words. There are 13 musical compositions in total that explore all things Hip-Hop, Downtempo, Trip-Hop, Chill Pop and Lounge, forming a cohesive and deeply soulful album.
It started with a night out at New York’s Sound Factory - and turned into an obsession, Inner City main man Kevin “Reese” Saunderson and his then manager, Neil Rushton, were at the NY uber house club when The Pressure by The Sounds Of Blackness got its’ debut World play, with the ecstatic response from the crowd meaning it was spun three times in a row.
Nobody was more knocked out than Kevin who vowed there and then to come up with a Detroit answer, much to the delight of Soul mad Rushton, co-owner of the Network label.
The idea of The Reese Project was quickly turned into House Heaven reality as Kevin recruited Detroit vocalist diva Rachel Kapp to record the anthemic Direct Me & The Colour Of Love as the first two singles.
Network made the group a main priority, coming with a whole slew of remixes to complement the original USA mixes on the subsequent album. Three of the most loved Network remixes are on this wonderful timeless 12.
The Dave Lee Joey Negro mix from 1991 is rated by many as one of Network’s finest moments, and maybe Lee’s finest ever “remixed with extra production” epics.
Rushton remembers meeting Lee to collect the remix, and instantly phoning Saunderson proclaiming “you won’t believe this”.
Underground Resistance’s Mike Banks added his magic to the 1991 original mixes of “The Colour Of Love” and the results were so overwhelming great that the idea of subsequent remixes was daunting.but the classic 1994 Network remix by The Playboys flew the flag for U.K. House.
C.J, Mackintosh set the production standards for U.K. Soul filled House and his 1993 remix of “So Deep” - sung by La’Trece - is a gem to be cherished forever and a day.
Network’s passionate crusade to crossover The Reese Project from House Music superstars to Pop success came tantalising close but never quite happened. But the Network remixes are a glorious legacy of House Music’s golden age and three of the very finest are remastered here and presented on one glorious 12.
The debut album from Samuel Coates, AKA Setaoc Mass, crystallises the expansive, left-field vision that's been brewing in his techno-focused discography. Now, downtempo, drum & bass and electro-influenced soundscapes come through strong, as the Manchester-born, Berlin-residing artist combines a decade of dance floor experience and a lifetime of wide-ranging music tastes. The album's 14 tracks transcend the dance with rhythmic and tonal adventure. The urgency of Coates' techno records remains, though now suspended in an unbound space that switches between unpredictable body music and eyes closed moments of escape. Timeless melodies recall the golden era of UK electronica, while ultra-modern production drives the record's microscopic details home. A lovingly crafted collection of the tracks that have been kept for when the time is right. It's the sound of Samuel Coates, then Setaoc Mass - vulnerable but visceral music that demands your full attention.
It might seem tongue-in-cheek on the surface, but the fact that the title of Eldritch Priest's sprawling debut vinyl release, Omphaloskepsis, is the Greek translation for “navel-gazing” unlocks something essential to the Vancouver-based composer and writer's singular outlook.
Perhaps even more telling is the title of Priest's 2013 book Boring Formless Nonsense: Experimental Music and the Aesthetics of Failure (Bloomsbury), whose 300-odd pages read as though you've been dosed with potent hallucinogens. Throughout the text Priest addresses—celebrates, even—the titular elements via various musical examples, including that of his peers. What's so bewildering it is that his descriptions of how boredom, formlessness, and nonsense manifest are laced with the very tactics he's depicting. Passages tie themselves in knots, footnotes engulf the “primary text,” he even deliberately misleads the reader.
The restless stasis of Omphaloskepsis could be regarded as an extension of this book's wayward spirit. Things unfold fairly slowly and consistently but it'd be a stretch to describe it as properly contemplative. Like attempting to meditate with a high fever, any sense of tranquility is constantly derailed as one succumbs to queasy agitation. The piece's foundation is a seemingly endless guitar melody; an organic meander that neither seems to repeat or offer any concessions to narrative directionality. Priest unfurls this rambling cantus firmus in a rich, clean, jazz-like tone, but as it's played, it's repeatedly tangled with snarls of dense digital processing and shadowed by stumbling virtual “band.” These strident interjections blatantly contrast with the guitar, yet they aren't so violent as to offer more than a faint itch of distraction. As such, the distinctive amorphousness that this piece asks us to inhabit for its 54-minute duration leaves a strong impression, but also feels utterly intangible.
In addition to his recorded forays, Priest's disorienting music has also been performed by top-tier interpreters such as the Arditti Quartet, Quatuor Bozzini, Philip Thomas, Anton Lukoszevieze, and Continuum. While living in Toronto he co-founded the collective neither/nor with John Mark Sherlock, which featured a cross section of musician-composers playing each other's work including Eric Chenaux, Doug Tielli, Eric KM Clark, Heather Roche, and Rob Clutton. “Though the name refers specifically to a loosely knit group of composers and performers,” remark's the collective's website “neither/nor is also a sensibility that refuses art’s messianic pretensions and the gaping maw of commercialized society, opting instead for art’s right to be esoteric.” In 2021, when Eric Chenaux and Martin Arnold relaunched their neither/nor-adjacent Rat-drifting imprint, an album by Priest, Many Traceries, was among the first to be released. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Priest was a student at the University of Victoria, a school that's come to be known for fostering such staunch individualists as Arnold, Linda Catlin Smith, Allison Cameron, and Anna Höstman.
As a scholar, Priest writes from a 'pataphysical perspective and deals with topics such as sonic culture, experimental aesthetics and the philosophy of experience. Priest brings these interests to his job as an Associate Professor in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University, interests that also inform his work as a member the experimental theory group The Occulture. In addition to Omphaloskepsis, his new book, Earworm and Event: Music, Daydreams and Other Imaginary Refrains,
The fast rising FUTURA imprint from Leon, releases its new release from Mexican DJ Producer Mike.D with stellar remixes from Len Lewis and Do Or Die to complete the package .
Salomon Records founder Mike.D hails from Juarez Chihuahua, and is considered one of the new generation talents of DJs and producers from northern Mexico. His music selection and mixing abilities have given him the opportunity to play at the legendary Mexican venue Hardpop for many years. As a producer he’s released on labels like Kanja Records, Kina Music, The Lab, Dream Culture and more which has cemented his place in the scene. His music is regularly supported and played by the likes of Arapu, Sepp, Cosmjn, Maher Daniel, Mihai Pol, Sublee, YokoO and more.
For his debut release on Futura, he drops 2 originals the first of which is the title track ‘Mente Trascendente’. An edgy minimal deep tech house track with a grooving electronic bassline, deep atmospheric pads, classy beat pattern all combining to create an elegant 8 minute journey. The second on the package is Len Lewis’s remix of ‘Mente Trascendente’. Len Lewis released his first track back in ‘93 on Jumpin & Pumpin, which then led to records on the likes of the legendary Swag. Lewis’ designated name for his sound is, SiTH, Sinister Tech House, claiming its mysterious name after a Mixmag reviewer used this description for his music many years ago. His remix fits this name perfectly, powerful low bassline drives the track effortlessly, and smooth breakdown combining with eerie incidentals and pads, treated vocal cuts providing the signature hook for the track. This is a remix that’s perfect for the heads in the scene.
Next up we have ‘Sendero Interno’. The original mix is a pure minimal work out right from the outset. The stripped back and delicate beats use popping sounds for filling the frequencies, and work perfectly against the backdrop of the brooding pads and synths make this an classy introspective underground track, which is everything the Futura label is about. To round things off we have the final remix which comes from My Own Jupiter DJ Producer, Do Or Die. Well known for producer techno and electro the fast rising producer, delivers an acid house sci-fi esq work out on this remix with punching beats cutting through the mix, whilst retaining the brooding synths and samples from the original and adding in some special vocal cuts to keep this remix unique and perfect for the floor.
NO.2 on the groove charts!
Following a year that saw the 50th entry in the long-running series released to wide acclaim, DJ-Kicks returns in 2016 another landmark edition. Iconic Detroit DJ and producer Moodymann is at the helm for his first ever multi-artist DJ mix compilation. Born Kenny Dixon Jr., Moodymann is a one-of-a-kind electronic music icon, hailing from, and wholly synonymous with the Motor City. He is an outspoken, impossibly charismatic artist who has been putting a distinctive and soulful stamp on house and techno since the early 90s. Melting together jazz, funk, soul, blues and rock in captivating ways, he is responsible for some of electronic music's most definitive tracks, EPs and LPs on labels like Planet E, Peacefrog and his own KDJ and Mahogani Music imprints. As able to serve up the sweetest and most sensual sounds as he is the darkest and most depraved grooves, his own unique voice and stream of conscious musings infuse expertly sought-out samples for music that is decisively alive and authentic.
Across 75 minutes and 30 tracks, Moodymann does not disappoint: despite being a notorious vinyl fetishist, Dixon's aim is to present music of quality, not to one-up fellow collectors. Rather than serving up ridiculously rare or hard-to-find records, he instead focuses on creating a libidinous, blues-drenched mood that takes in heart-breaking soul, gorgeous hip-hop and love-fuelled house. In addition to cuts from his own creative circle, the mix features 11 exclusive Moodymann edits. Like everything Kenny Dixon Jr. touches, DJ-Kicks showcases the taste, skill, and soul of a dance music original.
Three years after he released the incredible New Experience EP (picking up plaudits from Bill Brewster, Tim Sweeney, Laurent Garnier, Horse Meat Disco, Leo Mas & 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft, among many more), Tokyo’s Kota Motomura returns to Hobbes Music for his debut LP, Pay It Forward. This is the first vinyl release on Hobbes Music since the much-loved ‘Aranath’ EP by Leonidas & Hobbes last Spring. While the label maintains the level of quality control for which it has become recognised, the artist continues to subvert electronic and dance music norms in his iconoclastic way on this extraordinary record.
He’s a mysterious character with an ear for idiosyncratic music that runs the gamut from ambient, exotica and jazz to disco, house and techno via post punk, new wave and funk. It’s highly original and all adds up to a confection perhaps best described as ‘Balearic’.
Album opener Paradise is a certified jazz-funk JAM. Destined for dance floors worldwide, this one’s been dropping well with DJs, Motomura demonstrating his piano chops alongside Mutsumi Takeuchi’s sax. Tropical pushes the boat in a more rhythmic direction, some pretty wild drum programming laced with more sounds of the, um, tropics, before mad vocal yelps suggest something yet more tribal. To Be Free initially resembles early 90s progressive house (pulsing bassline, synth-driven melodies), before the arrival of some new wave guitar licks a la classic Talking Heads/David Byrne and ooh ooh vocal chants take it to another dimension altogether.
B-side opener Emotion features Takeuchi again (on flute this time) and more vocal chants before things take a dramatic turn, threatening to open up into a full fanfare before calming and then bursting into wild life again with the exhortation that “C’mon, everybody dancing!” Rhythm flirts with an energy and pace more akin to a techno record: drums, drums, more drums plus a fair few yelps and chants - the kind of DJ tool that will send a simmering dance floor wild in the right hands. Flower closes things in a more melancholy style, familiar to fans of ‘Aboy’ from the New Experience EP, with plaintive acoustic guitar (performed by Akichi), birdsong and big piano chords.
Support from Bill Brewster, Leo Mas, Al Kent, Red Rack’em, Nick The Record, Phil Mison, Phat Phil Cooper, KZA, Sean Johnston (ALFOS), S/A/M, Dribbler, Joe Muggs, Monolith Cocktail and more…
‘Gonna review in MÜ mag... very fine stuff!’ JOE MUGGS
‘Will be reviewed on the blog’ MONOLITH COCKTAIL BILL BREWSTER played Flower on the DJ History podcast #641 (25.3.22) 'I really like this album, Flower and Paradise are my favourite' LEO MAS ‘I like Paradise’ AL KENT ‘Woo this is tasty. DEFO playing on my next radio show. The label’s A&R is defo getting better and better. HM has been putting out some dope stuff and this one seems really good quality’ RED RACK’EM
‘Paradise and Flower sounding good’ NICK THE RECORD
‘Tunes sound great!’ PHIL MISON ‘Going to include Paradise and Flower on my Sunday Ibiza global radio show PHAT PHIL COOPER (Nu Northern Soul)
‘Very nice album with influences from many different genres. I especially like To Be Free with nice synths and guitar cutting, and Flower, which is a chill vibe’ KZA (Mule Musiq, Endless Flight)
'100% correct about the ALFOS potential of To Be Free!' SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
'Stunning, will fit perfectly with the vibe of my radio show’ S/A/M (Music For Dreams, DK; Playa Del Sol, Ibiza)
'Stellar work, i'll make a bet that Flowers is a Balaeric classic this summer' DRIBBLER (Breakfast Club, Ibiza)
‘It's cool in a nice smelling psycho sense, it was a very DEEP sound that I couldn't produce. Congrats!’ ALTZ (Altzmusica)
‘Paradise is my jam, it's deep, sunny and never boring. I'm interested to see how this will work on the dance floor. Overall a great album with solid composition and impressive use of live instruments!’ SOBRIETY (fka Chloé Juliette)
'Very tidy selection' ASTROJAZZ (Kelburn Garden Party, Wee Dub, Samedia Shebeen, Disco Makossa) ‘This is a lovely release. Follows on from New Experience in the best way possible. It's got lots of vibes going on but holds together as a cohesive piece of work. Love it’ JAMIE THOMSON (La Cheetah, Glasgow)
‘To Be Free is a track i could imagine Andy Weatherall playing in one of his sets at A Love From Outer Space’ KIRSTIE PATON aka She-Bang Rave Unit (Threads Radio, Radio Magnetic)
Sampled by Dr.Dre and Jay-Z, cult combo CALIBRO 35 release the new studio album "DECADE" and celebrate 10 years.
Italian super cult combo CALIBRO 35 release their 6th much awaited studio album "DECADE" on February the 9th 2018. "DECADE" marks 10 years of Calibro 35's releases and it's the very first album recorded by Calibro with an orchestral-inspired enlarged line-up that features horns, strings and percussions. Mixed and recorded by CALIBRO's usual suspect and Grammy Award winner Tommaso Colliva, on the album all the influences collected by the band during their last ten years' journey like music, collaborations, movies, gigs, books find their space. "DECADE" is CALIBRO 35's "time capsule" and is as rare and complex as a timeless work.
Musically CALIBRO 35's inner influences like Ennio Morricone, listen for instance to the epic journey of the album's end credits "Travelers", Luis Bacalov and David Axelrod are still there but are now mixed with elements from afrobeat or cosmic jazz. "Psycheground" sounds like Tony Allen involved in writing a score for a vintage Hollywood production while Sun Ra lurks on "Modo". Everything is mixed up with new influences from modern musical languages. References to Jaga Jazzist, Budos Band or Alternative Jazz and Alternative Hip Hop new acts such as Makaya McCraven, Yussef Kamaal, Oddisee can all be found on the album. In tracks such as "Modulor "you realize that Decade is certainly not a point of arrival and expresses the ambition of the band to look further and evolve. All classic Calibro's vintage instruments such as clavinet, eco, analog synths, fuzz guitars are now supported by new ones such as Dan Bau, Balafon and Waterphone ("Polymeri") in the band's new wall of sound. Thanks to the enlarged line-up and the orchestrated parts involved, which pushed the band to experiment new methods of composition, Calibro 35 on "DECADE" sound strong, full and tight as never before.
Active since 2008 CALIBRO 35 enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent band around. During their ten years career, they have been sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album, Jay-Z Love Child & Damon Albarn, they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat, Headhunters and as unique musicians they've collaborated with, amongst others PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Described by Rolling Stone magazine's as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing, that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide which includes VIP's fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.
Belgian Kristof "(DJ) 4T4" Michiels has been around for a while, but this is only his second album under this name. It's practically impossible to categorize, since it holds elements of all eras of dance music. It switches effortlessly from new wave to electro, from punk funk to deep house, without ever feeling concocted. This album's got it all, but the main factor these 10 tracks share is soul. You can feel this wasn't thought up in lab, they're are organic sounds made with nothing but love for music, which grants Union Escapade a timeless feel. If you love club music of all ages, and have an open mind, you should check this out.
In an interview for The Wire magazine back in January 2012, Spencer Clark claimed that one the most important "lesson" learned while performing with The Skaters was "stay true to your imagination". Taking this life motto at heart, Clark's world today is still a place of wonder and myth, conveyed through a myriad of aliases and invocations like Vodka Soap, Fourth World Magazine or Typhonian Highlife. Always the wide-eyed mystic and searcher of the netherworld, Clark surfaces again on Discrepant sister label Pacific City Discs, straight from the Canary Islands with this not quite but somewhat reissue under his celebrated and celebratory Monopoly Child Star Searchers alias.
Combining visions from two long, long sold out and hardly traceable releases on Clark's own Pacific City label, pressed for the first time ever in wax with a new master by D&M - as it should - 'The Aqueducts Of Channel Island/Prince Of Parrot Shooters' stands as a vital piece in an ever changing and deeply personal mandala-like oeuvre. An hypnotic and appropriately lo-fi flux of bouncy hand percussion loops, nature calls and celestial synth harmonies that weave themselves into trance inducing rituals. Levitating fever-dream recordings from imaginary topographies, or perhaps a gateway to fortean alternate realities just lurking around the corner. Stay true to your imagination indeed.
One of the all-time classic UK Garage releases from the minds of two masters, Grant Nelson and Simon Firmin as 24hr Experience, gets a much-deserved official reissue remastered straight from the DAT tapes via Digital Tape Recordings.
Wall-to-wall anthems that capture of everything great about the hey days of UKG. Rough, tough, swung beats, bouncing basslines, dreamy pads and chopped up vocals, at a pace that sets dancefloors alight every time. You’d be hard pressed not to have heard the likes of ‘I Need A Man’ or ‘Together’ absolutely tear up the dance before, reloads and wheels left, right and centre. Timeless business that should be a part of every collection.
Moments is one of those exciting labels making the future of music indisputably optimistic. When the award-winning producer Guy Mantzur started this forward-thinking platform, he promised a gratifying balance between music, parties, and community. The fourth edition of Moment's catalog unquestionably fits the bill. The opening track is Eli Nissan's remix of the 2015 classic Inner Galactic Lovers (Kutiman Mixes Fiverr) by Kutiman. Eli's take on the material is futuristic and open-minded but still keeps the beauty of the original untouched. It's not a secret that Eli Nissan is a perfectionist when it comes to his studio endeavors. However, the approach he uses to polish this priceless masterpiece is something else. It is a game-changer! And so it is his closing track. Cordelia is more than another trendy dancefloor filler, but a future classic with exotic temperament and fluid arrangement perfect for clubs, beach parties, and home- listening.
Polish composer Olga Wojciechowska and veteran electronic producer Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner, combine on A Strangely Isolated Place to revisit a beloved Strie album - Olga's more electronic and experimental alias. With previous releases on Serein and Time Released Sound as Strie, Olga Wojciechowska's 'Struktura' was released in 2015 to a limited audience due to its physical-only format.
As Olga's work becomes increasingly more coveted, through her more recent releases on A Strangely Isolated Place (Unseen Traces & Infinite Distances), and with Struktura praised as one of her finest albums to date, the discussion to breathe new life into the album resulted in a unique pairing with Scanner, an electronic music producer and multimedia artist responsible for some of the most defining works of the genre since the early 1990s.
Blurring the line between harmony and dissonance, Struktura's original recordings paint an eerie, haunting and beautiful picture, conceptualized around abstract art, with intricacies and mystery abound. Here, Strie's original recordings remain untouched, albeit lovingly remastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, and it is left to Scanner to provide further interpretations of Olga's original recordings. Scanner productions can typically traverse a myriad of styles, but here, Robin took a primarily live-hardware approach to the remixes, allowing the rawness of his recordings to add story and depth. Recorded in one take, with no overdubs, the reinterpretations strip the melodies and textures to their original essence, bringing an entirely analog element to Olga's intrinsically detailed originals. Featuring artwork by Rep Ringel and mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri, Struktura Revisited will be available on Gatefold 2LP in a black/grey half-and-half vinyl, with 6x6" soft-touch heavy art card.
Sisko Electrofanatik's Gain Records recently had a chart-topping hit with the label boss’ track “Only One”, and is back with a new collaborative EP by Roberto Pagliaccia and Dubskull.
Along with the three original tracks, the EP also features a remix from T78 who in addition to releasing on his own label Autektone Records has also featured on Filth on Acid, Intec, and Suara.
Roberto Pagliaccia and Dubskull are both Italian artists. Dubskull whose dark and atmospheric style has been a feature of labels like Reload and Riot, and this is their third time featuring on Gain. Roberto Pagliaccia is an exciting new talent, and this is only his 3rd release after a recent debut on Lapsus Music, Blackboard with AudioJack remix.
T78 has had a recent hit track made in collaboration with Space92, and in addition to his many hard-hitting solo releases, he has also worked with A*S*Y*S, Raito, and Maxie Devine.
With brooding tension and twisted euphoria, this release has a peak time energy with acid tones.
“Skil” opens the release with a slow-building tension before the uplifting energy of the lead synth, then T78 lifts the tempo of Skil with his explosive remix. “Loris” has a dystopian atmosphere filled with dark suspense, and “Acid Jungle“ closes out the release with its rubbery lead synth and modulating tones.
Baby Buddha is David Javelosa and musical partner Charles Hornaday playing instruments and providing their own whacked-out vocals. Baby Buddha really was less of a band than a project; a side project in fact, for some members of another group, Los Microwaves. Baby Buddha would eventually record and release an album, 1981's provocatively-titled Music for Teenage Sex on Robbie Fields' L.A.-based Posh Boy label.
Happily, the project's guiding creative light, David Javelosa has recently seen to a vinyl reissue of the now-40-year-old record, mystifyingly retitled Music for Teenage Sects. Definitely among the stranger releases of the new wave era, Music for Teenage Sex/Sects could perhaps only have been created when and where it was made. But on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the music sounds as weirdly wonderful as ever. "We Are Not" sounds like Human League stuck in a car with The Residents. And their cover of "All Shook Up" sounds like a musical kin to those inscrutable eyeball guys too; it wouldn't be out of place on Meet the Residents. "Little Things" is a house-of-mirrors, scary track, with spoken-word vocals by Los Microwaves' Meg Brazill and label head Fields.
The album cover is slightly different as well: it displays a bedroom scene like the original LP, but with the young female model absent. The new release (on Javelosa's own Hyperspace Communications label) is pressed on beautiful translucent blue vinyl and comes in a gatefold sleeve with a lively collage of photos, buttons, gig posters. Limited to 500 copies.This playfully titled release features David Javelosa (on synth and vocals) along with Meg Brazill (on bass and vocals) plus drummer Todd "Rosa" Rosencrans. Side One features five studio tracks, none of which were included on the band's 1981 Posh Boy LP, Life After Breakfast. Three of these tracks were recorded in '82; there's no information regarding the provenance of the other two songs. The records' second side collects five live recordings, capturing Los Microwaves onstage in New York City (The Peppermint Lounge) and Boston as well as at San Francisco's own I-Beam, a venue that often played host to the band. Those tracks date form roughly the same ear, 1980-83. Sonically the songs variously recall Blondie, Flying Lizards, Gang of Four and a far less dour Human League. Importantly, the band rocks, even when it's employing a spare drum kit, solid but elemental bass, and monophonic analog synthesizers. The stripped down aesthetics of the group – necessitated by its minimalist instrumental approach – are nonetheless thrilling. Even if you weren't there in 1980, this'll take you back.
Ian Pooley returns to Radio Slave’s Rekids with Studio A Pt. 2 this February. The second entry in a three-part series of music based around his studio, Ian Pooley’s ‘Studio A Pt. 2’ for Radio Slave’s Rekids imprint sees the bonafide house legend deliver another choice selection of grooving
hardware productions.
Leading the A-side is the fluttering synths and warped vocal samples of ‘JV Organ & Matrix’, which twists and turns through delightful FX and rumbling bass. ‘Version 2’ of the track follows, contorting elements of the original into a heads-down groover, with washed-out processing and stereo wizardry meeting classic dub techniques.
On the flip, ‘Back Up’ keeps it live and direct with hard-hitting, chunky drums and menacing acid lines, with an additional stripped back digital ‘Beats Bass’ version included. Rounding out the 12” is 101202, a dreamy slice of razor-sharp house, with gorgeous, filtered pads drifting in tandem with strung out low end and skippy percussion.
Active since the early 90s, the German DJ/producer has released on the likes of Force Inc, V2 Records, and his own Pooledmusic, remixing for the likes of Deee-Lite, Carl Cox and many more, as well as being one of the few to be remixed by Daft Punk.
30 years as a full-time touring nightclub DJ sounds like one hell of a career, and for Kenny Summit it's as much of a milestone as it is a turning point. Having shared the stage with greats such as David Byrne, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, George Michael, Kylie Minogue and Prince over the years, Kenny took that influence and inspiration and decided it was time for him to get behind the mic too.
‘Burnin’ is a song written, produced and performed by Kenny Summit that speaks on a desire that's been burning inside of him for three decades. Across those 30 years he’s made many an influential friend too, three of which come on board to remix ‘Burnin’ - the late great Paul Johnson, D&B icon DJ Aphrodite and Brooklyn legend DJ Spinna.
"I caught the fever for house in 1990 and by 1992 I was booked for my first DJ gig at New Jersey's famed Zanzibar nightclub where house legend Tony Humphries held court on a weekly basis. Something changed that night, a fire started and its been building, growing inside of me and now it's time to put paper to pen and write my own songs."
Clearly influenced by the artists Kenny's worked with over the years, ‘Burnin’ is a culmination of one man's journey through dance music; from the Nile Rogers-ish 70s guitar riff to the whining Steely Dan-like keys, to the lush strings and synth pop stabs that would make Moroder blush, the track itself is masterfully produced and punctuated with Kenny's unique uplifting vocals, sang in a manner as if David Byrne and Boz Scaggs were put together and yet still very uniquely Kenny Summit.
Up on remix duties the late great Paul Johnson, Chicago's shining star, serves up a dark, very much after house vibe, that still keeps that trademark Paul Johnson sound. Drum & Bass icon DJ Aphrodite applies his unique sound to ‘Burnin’ with a stellar remix the D&B community has been patiently waiting over three years for. And finally, long-time friend, Brooklyn's DJ Spinna steps up, who after hearing the track commented 'this needs a dope DUB! Leave it to me, imma hook you up bruh!'. The Discoelectric Dub does not disappoint.
