Buscar:one one one

Lithuanian Alex Krell rides the new wave of deep and dark techno straight into the Sodai fold, delivering a comprehensive and cohesive four track EP for Gardens Of God's respected imprint.
Enticingly deep and dubby, title track Parallel Seduction sets the tone with a rumbling bass and reverbing stabs. Optyx picks up the pace, with driving percussion and shimmering synth soundscapes. The subtle distortions of Wiemar are next up, conjuring a deep brooding atmosphere. Lastly, Knocturne is expertly crafted for the dancefloor leaving us fully immersed in a flawless EP.
' I find it difficult to finish tracks, so most of mine are made in just one session' Alex reveals. 'I also avoid listening to electronic music when spending time in the studio, because with all those sounds stuck in your head it's hard to keep your originality.'
Alex Krell is a DJ, producer and petrolhead who lists Led Zeppelin, Nirvana and Queen as his influences. Now living in the capital, Vilnius, his background enhances his productions with a uniquely dark and earthy energy that makes his techno stand out from the crowd and proves he is one to keep a close eye on.

The new EP by rRoxymore signals another audacious step forward for one of the most daring artists in the electronic music diaspora. 'Thoughts Of An Introvert Part 1' is born out of introspection, out of the necessity to disconnect from the frenzy of crowds and to create a soundtrack to an inner landscape which exists beyond the reach of government and dogma. In the words of the artist, "it is a sonic diary of sorts, cataloguing the events of a world which has not yet been invented, in the form of three mesmerizing dance tracks free of nostalgia and the expectations of style."

The spatial afro futurist funk of 'Prodrome' finds rRoxymore balancing darkness and optimism as only she can. The title track, 'Thoughts Of An Introvert' is instantly familiar and carries a soothing utopian spirit, so needed today. Mycetozoa, the closing track is bouncing, drum driven and mad, a celebration of rRoxymore's complex musical mind, offset by irresistibly banging toms and rolling rimshot patterns. It is a track which is at once melancholic, happy, vulnerable, and full of hope. Everything seems possible on the dancefloor this music was written for.

Pittsburgh-born Phillip Ballou's earliest years were spent in the gospel field, after he moved to New York City in the '70s, he teamed up with Bennie Diggs and Arthur Freeman, founding members of The New York Community Choir and singer Arnold McCuller to form the group Revelation. The quartet recorded for RSO Records, scoring some R&B success in the US with tracks like Get Ready For This' and You To Me Are Everything,' touring the Bee Gees among others. Phillip also sang on albums by NYCC recorded for RCA Records and continued with Revelation until 1982.Frequently hired for sessions in and around New York, Phillip teamed up with UK soul music journalist David Nathan (who he'd met in 1974 during Nathan's first US visit) and John Simmons, formerly a member of The Reflections, another New York vocal group to write a series of songs for his own proposed solo record deal. Although a contract did not materialize, one of the songs - Ain't Nothing Like The Love' - got some interest from famed Philadelphia producer Thom Bell who presented it to The O'Jays. Ultimately, the tune was turned down by Kenny Gamble and John Simmons, by then musical director for Stephanie Mills, recorded his own version for a small independent label in 1981.Phillip continued his own musical journey, touring and recording with James Taylor and Todd Rundgren. In addition, Phillip's name graced recordings by George Benson, Billy Ocean, Kashif, Nona Hendryx, Jonathan Butler, Teddy Pendergrass and Melba Moore, in 1981, he began recording with Luther Vandross and became a part of Luther's touring band for many years, as well as singing on productions by Luther on Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and others, continuing his association with him until Luther's 2003 stroke. Phillip returned to his gospel roots in 2004 as Minister of Music at a Brooklyn church and passed away in March 2005, aged 55. Thanks to renewed interest in the John Simmons' 1981 recording on YouTube, David Nathan has uncovered several tracks from the 1978 and 1979 he did with Phillip and John including Phillip Ballou's original version of Ain't Nothing Like The Love,' gaining its first ever worldwide release as a 7' single on Nefer Records in association with Super Disco Edits

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cryosleep is the debut album from Null + Void, the alias of prolific New York producer Kurt Uenala. It's an album of contrasts and tension, where darkness is pierced by blinding light, and where moody new wave bleeds into stark electronics. In one moment, joyful memories give way to isolation and regret, and in the next, Cryosleep explores the catharsis of crowded dancefloors. Throughout the record, Uenala matches his dynamic production with incredible vocalists-from Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan and the inimitable Shannon Funchess, to Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and The Big Pink. Null + Void's take on dark pop meshes with his love for Detroit electro, poignant synth melodies, and cold atmospheres. With the cinematic opener 'Falling Down' and brooding instrumentals like 'Come To Me", Cryosleep can feel like the soundtrack to a lost space epic. No doubt, the album evokes Blade Runner, dystopian landscapes, and the splendor of far-off galaxies. As Uenala puts it, Cryosleep is inspired by 'classic sci-fi stuff,' images of futuristic machines sustaining humans frozen in a dreamstate. The melancholy 'Foreverness' explores what they might be thinking: 'A collection of fragments, memories of a life lived-preserved, but incomplete and jumbled.' Meanwhile, 'Into The Void' paints a peaceful, otherworldly picture, 'like soaring towards a white light.'

'Girlfriends and other machines' is another distinctive work by mostly undiscovered berlin based artist rhytch displaying his unique dirty and soulful sound. The 6 track EP varies from edgy deep house to weirdo krautrock reminding one of the genreroots, while sounding like a legit fresh reinterpretation. The artists voice being revealed on most of the tracks is giving the listener a glimpse of who he is and adds some character traits to infamous rhytch. The EP gets completed by an outstanding Marbod Remix, which is going to make people snap with its flickering distorted 909 hats woven into one of his typical psychedelic housepads creating an irresistible groove and atmosphere. The EP being released on berlin underground imprint lofile records is a nice prospect of what is to expect of further releases and obviously a wise choice for label and artist which share the same hobbies - drinking and smoking.

Brewing another supremely heavy release on the horizon, Moonshine Recordings is stealing the spotlight once again. Proudly presenting Violinbwoy's first solo album, unadulterated sound system pressure at its finest. Slavic chants and drum rhythms meet the unrivaled power of Violinbwoy's eccentric take on modern bass music 'Fyetisov' kicks off the stellar 3x12" release with a high-powered Stepper emission. Setting the tone with a rumbling bassline and supremely energetic lead instrumentation, full force sound system music down to its core. Shining in a different light, 'Moonspell' reveals its melancholic nature gradually intensifying through otherworldly percussion and anthemic vocal sample placements. Stripped down to its bare bones,'Dubplate' unleashes its detuned, percussive shackles for a massive onslaught of four-to-the-floor, while keeping true to Jamaica's music roots. Warbling tape echo spheres and excellence in emotive expression Violinbwoy's collaboration with singer Marina P turns out to be an anthem by itself enthralling, whoever gets caught into the midst of this hymn of a track. Not backing down one step from the established level of quality, 'Sound System' featuring Junior Dread excels once more in a crystal-clear demonstration of modern roots music mandatory repeat listening. Rejoicing in simplicity, 'Rig Alert' holds true to what the name suggests - cinematic bass meditation, fluidly scaling with the size of its speaker counterpart. Moving on to Dan s vocal skills in 'Wanted': Rastafarian wisdom chanting along a skanking rhythm and orchestral atmosphere. Ethereal bells being submerged in moving air and scattered white noise, 'Run & Hide' demonstrates a more experimental side within the LP exhibiting Downtempo/Ambient inclinations in a magnificent combination with Dub characteristics, only increasing in energy to the call of the dub siren. Ready for more, the title track 'dod' captures us within the expressive, introductory playing of the violin, deserting it for echoes and sub oscillations alike. Calling upon the prowess of Rider Shafique, his harmonic toasting is being escorted by a forward-minded halftime groove in 'Find The Way'. Topping the LP off with Sis' excellence in telling a story through song on a hypnotic instrumental. The nature of last tunes is often powerful, serving to concede with an explosion, appropriate of the session as is the case with 'Surfacing' closing off the monumental EP with visceral lead movements, setting the tone alongside driving drums and one more murderous bassline, sure of receiving countless rewinds in the near future. Encompassing a plethora of current Roots- Dub- and Steppa- influenced styles, Moonshine's next LP installment is sure to be received for what it is: a definitive, quality expedition of what's firing up dance floors around the globe.

Clergy returns for its 9th instalment with a club ready EP of serious weapons from label mainstay, and one half of Works Unit, Reflec. The four track release opens with 'Acid Response', in which Reflec has combined a tough rhythm section with a growling 303 to create a high energy roller guaranteed to keep the dance floor moving. Continuing on this trend of heavy hitting rollers, 'Osmosis' is a drum track through and through, which incorporates dark and sweeping atmospherics into the groove true to Reflec's form.

The B side see's host to 'Canyon', a peak time Clergy anthem with heavy, driving drums complimented with a spacey and emotional pad on the breakdown. Clergy 009 is rounded off by a broken edit of 'Canyon' which exchanges the driving kicks for a fragmented rhythmic style, a nod to the UK roots of Reflec's musical style. .

Marco Bailey's 5th full-length album, one that he personally claims to be the best overall representation of his sound. With seventeen tracks comprising almost an hour and a half of music, he has ample room to stretch out and to give listeners an excellent portable version of his potent live show.

By maintaining a consistently high-quality output that does not merely ride the wave of current trends, multi-faceted producer Marco Bailey has managed to survive through decades of mercilessly shifting adjustments to popular taste in dance music. From his beginnings in the late '80s spinning eclectic sets comprised of everything from punk to old school hip-hop, to his present interest in pure unadulterated techno, the Belgium-based DJ and producer has won over audiences with his keen knowledge of how to squeeze the greatest physical and emotional impact out of a few well-placed elements, along with his instinct for seeking out the most innovative and resilient kindred spirits (his impressive number of professional friendships includes artists as diverse as Markus Suckut, Jonas Kopp, Alex Bau, Edit Select, Speedy J, Steve Rachmad and many more). These combined talents have led to his formation of several different labels: MB Electronics in 2001, the 'limited edition' label MBR in 2013, and lastly the new Materia Music label begun last year. His similiarly named event series, Materia, has also been a truly worldwide 'state of the art' summit for advanced techno artists.



The full-length personal releases by Marco Bailey, which stretch back to his mid-'90s period as a trance producer, have been gracefully arcing and anthemic affairs composed of individual tracks that follow that same blueprint. He is now about to drop his 5th full-length album overall, one that he personally claims to be the best overall representation of his sound. With seventeen tracks comprising almost an hour and a half of music, he has ample room to stretch out and to give listeners an excellent portable version of his potent live show. Of course, an epic running time alone is not the marker of a great audio experience, but an epic running time in which one loses track of time completely is - Bailey accomplishes this feat by never rushing the payoff; by organically building up each track until listeners are fully immersed in his alternate universe.



This skill can be heard on banging, sweat-saturated tracks like 'Ash', 'Genetix' and 'Hasai,' but also on comparitively gentle pieces like 'Klauth' (which straddles the line between disciplined electro and something more dreamlike and weightless), or the blissed out 'Suoh,' which feels like a fresh snowfall in audio form. Low-key cuts like 'Rex,' driven by echo FX and other windswept sounds, form natural counterparts to busier tracks like 'Ruth,' with its spring-loaded sequencer attacks, or 'Reboot That Device,' which is ingeniously driven by a psychedelic organ whose sound evolves with various filter settings. Minimalist vocals are occasionally injected into the mix - i.e. on the 'The Darkness' - to impart a subtle message of constant, ongoing expansion into unexplored galaxies without and within. It's as good a definition of the artist's musical mission as any.

MICK HARRIS (SCORN, QUOIT, PAINKILLER) returns after several years of hiatus with ten tracks of blasting landmine bass and interlocking shrapnel rhythms.I've been asked to write a press piece for the dark lord MICK HARRIS.Where does one even start Especially for someone with decades of releases over various solo projects, collaborations and pseudonyms, whether it's doing blast beats in the original NAPALM DEATH to crushing techno brutality as MONRELLA, or savage drum & bass as QUOIT. Then of course there's the mighty SCORN and his numerous collaborations with fellow luminaries such as JOHN ZORN and BILL LASWELL (in PAINKILLER).Rather than being tied to genres or scenes, MICK HARRIS is one of those producers who creates a whole sonic world uniquely of his own, in which varying tracks, styles and tempos take form, but yet in which everything sounds unmistakably characteristic of the creator. Needless to say his work has influenced legions of producers like SURGEON, REGIS, ONTAL, VATICAN SHADOW / PRURIENT, FAUSTEN, SHAPEDNOISE et al, and pretty much anyone in the world of powerfully dark, abrasive music you could name-drop. And yet after all this time, it is impressive that HARRIS still stands way above his successors and has never been surpassed in his own production/performance game.After a hiatus of several years, he is back with a new album under the guise of FRET.Working at a faster tempo than his SCORN material, the FRET project first surfaced years ago on the DOWNWARDS label, rooting it firmly in the dark, industrial and technoid world, and appeared more recently on Tresor (Kern mix by OBJEKT), maintaining the characteristic colossal bass-heaviness and textural depth.And now a full album on KARLRECORDS, Berlin. HARRIS fans will be delighted to know that despite the 130 bpm tempo, the newest FRET still resolutely avoids any straight four-on-the-floor kickdrums, every track lurches, stumbles, staggers and charges forth with beats in beautifully broken asymmetry.We get 10 tracks of crushing, percussive destroyers, each itself a storm of precision chaos, with colossal low-end frequencies that'll cause stampedes in the right circumstances. The classic HARRIS sound is there, searing waves of feedback distortion, intricate, interlocking rhythms and cold, abattoir atmospheres, especially track 6 "Stuck in the track at Salford Priors" which sounds like you're being continuously suspended in the air from multiple explosions all around, each kickdrum throwing you up in the air, the next one going off before you can fall completely back to the ground.The lazy-minded would probably lump it in with the term "techno", but the disciplined brutality, blasting landmine bass and interlocking shrapnel rhythms are clearly HARRIS' own trademark style, sitting somewhere between SCORN and QUOIT.The tracks appear deceptively chaotic on the surface, yet each is meticulously and masterfully composed with great attention to layering and detail. MICK HARRIS fans rejoice, the dark lord still remains at the top of his game.

(Derek Szeto / Fausten / Combat Recordings)

Detroit producer Norm Talley shares his debut album, Norm-A-Lise' on FXHE Records. Having started his career when disco was king, Talley's real life influences over his 25+ year career have included the originations of house through various iterations. His reference points as one of the original members of the West 6 Mile Detroit crew and his dedication to his Analog only studio position him as one of the more dynamic Detroit artists who's finally taking the time to release a complete project for his long awaiting fans.

The album features 14 original tracks with influences of disco, house, and beyond taking his signature infectious style deeper. On top of all of that, the album includes a track written by FXHE label boss Omar S aka Alex Smith featuring L 'Renee.

Second album from one of the most popular artists on
Berlin's fine Project Mooncircle label!
Late night music from the back seat. 'Are You Anywhere', sophomore album from Tokyo based UK native submerse blends early 90's slow-jams and instrumental hip hop wrapped in smooth DX7 keys hybridized with his own unique sound. 'Are You Anywhere' is the second full length release from submerse on Project: Mooncircle with features from fellow Tokyo based
beat maker fitz ambro$e. Are You Anywhere' comes out worldwide on limited green colored vinyl (including download code).

RAWAX welcomes Patrick Raddatz, Robin Scholz and Philipp Boß R&S-B&S collective to the Family! Robin Scholz already showed us his talent with the debut ep called "retrospective ep" on the RAWAX 10 inch series (10.5) also on RAWAX004LTD together with Einzelkind as Rhythm Factory and last but not least with label boss Robert Drewek as RDRS on HOUSEWAX (H1004). Philip Boß is the label owner of high rising "Einfach Hören" label which entered the record stores some weeks ago. Patrick Raddatz is one of the old school dj's from Frankfurt. Active since 2 decades known from the famous X-Fade nights on Radio X and of course of his "Everglade reshape" on Weave Records which was 2005 a very big club hit all over the world.

This new production is a fantastic demonstration of advanced space electro & ambient - worth to check!

As a contrasting follow-up to our first single from Rooteo &
Mahura's Metta album, the second single on Made In Green
Records keeps the format intact with entirely different results. Deadbeat's remix on part one was both respectful and subtly transformative; on part two, New York's upcoming Max McFerren, whose busy 2015 included EPs on Ultimate Hits, Allergy Season, and 1080p, brings us a startling reinterpretation of album closer 'Harmal' very much in keeping with the vein of raw, aggressive house coming from Brooklyn since that scene's resurgence. The original version of 'Harmal' finishes the album in fine style, blending tablas, celestial electronics, and short melodica phrases that gradually swell with layers of vocal samples and orchestal pads before reaching a climax and slowly dying away in gradually receding layers of ambient electronics. McFerren's remix leads off with only a bare framework of techno percussion. The entry of a sampled section of melody from the original signals a rapid transition to more abrasive territory, with sheets of metallic noise slashing through the high end, short vocal syllables stuttering, and an insistent bass pulse building up and breaking down with at least one element constantly in motion.

Gilles Peterson says: "If a Cuban record had come out on Sleeping Bag Records in 1982, I think it would've sounded a bit like this. It's an eccentric middle ground between Latin-styled pop and disco".

Reissued from the Spanish version of this awesome Cuban records with a unique picture cover. Probably one of the best 70's Areito releases, for sure ahead of his times. The entire record minus two tracks of 10 total are all upbeat with afro-latin breaks, dope choral vocal arrangements and chunky bass and conga lines, but don t sleep, the lower bpm songs are great mellow gems. Gilles Peterson says: "If a Cuban record had come out on Sleeping Bag Records in 1982, I think it would ve sounded a bit like this. It s an eccentric middle ground between Latin-styled pop and disco".

Despite his low profile, Ken Karter might be one of Berlin's most influential artists in the techno scene. Karter is known as a mastering engineer for the seminal M_REC LTD, however his own productions have gone largely unnoticed until his 2015 EP on Stroboscopic Artefact's Monad series. His EP turned heads and gained him well-deserved attention. Two years later, his follow-up EP on Escapism exemplifies his focus on quality over quantity. His passion for mathematical formulas combined with his intricate knowledge of sound created an outstanding record set to satisfy both fans of experimental and dancefloor techno.

Four years since the release of their last full-length All Pigs Must Die have returned with Hostage Animal, a 10-song album that distills aggressive music to its purest tenets.

The band, now a 5-piece with the addition of Brian Izzi (Trap Them) on guitar, is comprised of some of the most well-seasoned musicians on the eastern seaboard —Kevin Baker (The Hope Conspiracy), Ben Koller (Converge), Matt Woods, and Adam Wentworth (both of Bloodhorse). 

 Hostage Animal is their most dynamic collection of work thus far and the album's first single, 'A Caustic Vision,' is an aural representation of the record as a whole; concise, intense, aggressive and carrying a bleak world view.

APMD unleashed their first full length in 2011 with God Is War, and the 30-minute rip was a nod to primeval disdain and anger. Exploring facets of human conflict one track at a time, God Is War introduced the world to a whole new spectrum of rage.

In 2013, APMD upped the ante with Nothing Violates This Nature. Honing their craft with more speed and filth, APMD pushed their sound closer to the edge of the cliff. Now, in 2017, the band is gearing up for the release of Hostage Animal which, like its predecessors, was recorded at Kurt Ballou's GodCity Studio. But that is where the similarities end; Hostage Animal ushers in 10 new songs that pulverize, gnash, and whirl with the band's most punishing delivery yet.

Hostage Animal showcases that All Pigs Must Die are far more than the sum of their parts, and their fusion of crust punk, hard core and metal is more ferocious than ever before.

The return of Timothy J Fairplay sees tracks from his 2 EPs on Emotional Response remixed on one special release. Four favourite producers chosen to bring new dimensions to his brooding, shuffling electronics, featuring Scientific Dreamz Of U, Alessandro Parisi, Perseus Trax and Antenna.Part of the label since inception, the last five years have seen TJF's career explode with releases on Bird Scarer, Charlois and Hoga Nord, setting up the Crimes Of The Future label with Scott Fraser and releasing an album alongside Andrew Weatherall as The Asphodells. His EPs for Emotional Response saw some of his strongest, deep and dubbed out productions that marked their own terrain and these reworks have been a long term project. Starting with a trance inducing breaks-dub of Stories of Prison from Scientic Dreamz Of U and you understand why this mysterious producer has become a cult in his own dreamtime, as subs bump this vortexed revision to its own portal.
Next Alessandro Parisi implants his cyber-electro-harmonies to Aim For The Yellow Sector. Fairplay's late night drive-by is respectfully given a future-retro mix, gliding away from East London's dank streets to mysterious plains and beyond. Things take an analogue twist for the flip with Perseus Traxx showing his love for Chi town on his remix of Saco Bay. A bumpin' bass sets the motion, mixing the swirling original to basement vibes x 10. Win win win.
Kindred spirit and fellow Pinkman/Charlois member Antenna closes the EP with a deep retake of Night Ferry. After causing a stir with the killer Odessa EP and subsequent releases on Royal Oak and Beats In Space, a remix was a given. A mellow groove and optimistic keys is the perfect way to end this chapter of Timothy's music and await for new adventures.

Some songs comes along that you seem to know the moment you hear it, even though it's for the first time. In the case of Spark The Universe it had exactly that impact. A mixture of late-60s psychedelic homage, early 80s new wave, white boy soul, plus a good dose of dub, all wrapped around a killer hook and super tight production and a hit was surely made.
The fact there are many deserving records that don't become a hit doesn't mean some are better than others and in fact, the joy in collecting and reissuing is finding amazing songs and bringing them back.
Increasingly heard in the sets of the more discerning DJs, Spark The Universe has become a cult play and with second hand prices now in three figures, a reissue is timely. As the label oft says, no one owns this music other than the writers, musicians and producers and their craft deserves to be appreciated.
Before going on to carve a successful career in 'electronica' project, Euphoria, Toronto's Ken Ramm had shown his considerable writing and playing ability with the 1981 debut LP Dragon and this 1983 follow up, known simply as Ramm.

Coming together through a meeting with a then relatively unknown producer, Daniel Lanois, via a mutual interest in tape loops and dubbing, it was the suggestion to bring in local vocalist Lorraine Segato that Ramm formed.
Recording at Lanois' Grant Avenue Studios, his interest in mixing past and present technology, with multiple digital delay units, harmonizers and other effect processors allowed Ramm and Lanois to explore using the studio as an instrument alongside real musicianship.

Backwards guitars, tremolo bar dives and guitar harmonics are incorporated with the vocals and percussion to perfection. With a 'Dance' and alternative 'Dub', the song's hypnotic and dreamy feel superimposed over beats pin-pointed to the later Euphoria project and with the addition of a latter day 'Discomix', from the labels' own Chuggy, Spark The Universe deserves it's place on contemporary dancefloors.

With The Object Isn't There UK guitar player and producer Jack Allett has made a deeply personal masterpiece based around cyclical guitar parts and electronic percussion. Playing like a half remembered fever dream with an aesthetic that is ragged, hypnotic and spacey, its two side-long pieces touch on minimalism, kraut-infused dub and euphoric dance floor optimism. As comfortable being played after Manuel Göttschings E2-E4 as right before a Terekke lo-fi house anthem, it is laced with the melancholy of an early morning post-rave comedown. Yet for all the references and name-checking, it's a record that is hard to compare to anything else, past or present.



BIOGRAPHY



Jack Allett works as a producer in London and has been active for many years as an experimental guitar player, releasing a solo record on Blackest Rainbow and collaborating with UK avant-guitar player Cam Deas. The Object Isn't There was written, recorded, and mixed in Camberwell and Camden, London, UK. 2012-2016.



INFO



This record is about - insofar as instrumental music need be about anything - hallucinations. The title The Object Isn't There serves as a concise definition, derived from the quote 'An hallucination is a strictly sensational form of consciousness, as good and true a sensation as if there were a real object there. The object happens to be not there, that is all.' (William James, The Principles Of Psychology, 1890)



Having experienced constant tinnitus - a form of auditory hallucination - for the last 13 years, Jack has long questioned the distinction of something experienced as being either there or not-there. Even if, strictly speaking, an hallucination is something that's not there, if the reality of how it affects day-to-day existence is undeniable then to any extent that matters, it is there. But The Object Isn't There is no tale of woe, nor simply a response to this one condition, and tinnitus need not be considered only as distressing or distracting. Allett sees it merely as one example of many things in life that cross this uncertain terrain:



There are obvious parallels here with the notion of active listening. There is room for emotion too, particularly the kind of overwhelming, -all-consuming emotion that, once it fades, is hard to believe was actually how you felt. Essentially the music here is concerned with being overwhelmed by a sensation, never really being sure to what extent you are conjuring it up yourself, to what extent it exists independently of you, but ultimately deciding that it doesn't much matter; the sensation itself was undeniable.

— Jack Allett

A swirling haze with a plenitude of sounds bobbing to it's surface it's a heartfelt

On this new EP, DJJ's trademark jagged take on filtered French house is still present, but with Chicago bump, techno and more random elements thrown in for good measure.I Keep Trying To Convince Myself is the tougher, more rugged and even funkier cousin to DJJ's hotly-hyped 2016 summer anthem just a lil. Chi house meets soca in this carnivalesque new classic, which hits the perfect spot between sweetness and dirt.Yn Y Ty is fast, jerky funk and almost a new genre in itself. Both melancholy and pumping, think DJ Rush meets the Tetris theme in an oddball, groovy-as-hell work of genius.The cut-up, loopy loops and tough, tribal beats on Apilli are deranged in a good way and - as with the rest of the EP - demonstrate a quirkiness and subtle humour akin to Basement Jaxx's early golden period.A big sample drives the jacking, sweaty, glitz of Upsqwar's warped take on handbag, which channels the spirit of Modjo and features a ponderous, almost chiptune melody drifting subtly over the top.The EP closes with the Greek flavoured stomper Glas, which wouldn't sound out of place on Richie Hawtin's 1999 mix album Decks, EFX & 909. This new EP is first release since jus a lil for Crazylegs, which gained high praise from NPR, Resident Advisor, Indie Shuffle, Mixmag, Dummy, Hyponik and FACT - who commissioned a video and coined the tongue-in-cheek genre name 'outsider Ibiza'. Comparisons have been made to Thomas Bangalter, Alan Braxe, Todd Edwards and David Morales - albeit a skewed reinterpretation. Like the punks' assimilation of rock and roll, DJJ's fresh and irreverent take on highlights from dance music history make for some of the most exciting sounds since Daft Punk's first forays.Although distorted and with lowered bit-rates, to call theses tracks 'low fi' is to do them a disservice, as DJJ's manipulation of frequencies, distortion and samples is deceptively simple yet not easily matched. There's a mastery of sonics and leftfield sensibility at play, akin to fellow EQ tweakers Heiroglyphic Being, Aphex Twin and Adrian Sherwood.DJJ is a member of the Bristol-based label/collective Crazylegs, alongside artists including Gage, Sudanim, Finn (all of whom remixed just a lil). He's also one half of ISLAND, whose grime-flavoured Nokia EP was release in 2015 - also on Crazylegs.

One bloody Subhead style techno side and one big Hardcore /tribe mid-tempo old school banger... well both sides are fat on the compo and fat on the sound... Dancefloor pagan system !

Deathchant Dancefloor style with one side in the UK hardcore spirit and one side more in the franchcore influence... 2 loud cutted tunes !!!

Following on from our previous Gladys Knights & The Pips 12" ('Love Is Always On My Mind'/'Bourgie Bourgie' Cat No: DISCO115) it gives us great pleasure to re-issue her most expensive and in-demand 12" - the Canadian only Walter Gibbons remix of "It's A Better Than Good Time" backed with the full version of "Saved By The Grace Of Your Love".

This is a legendary and super-rare 12" which was only ever issued in Canada and has become something of a holy grail for serious dance music collectors over the years.

A decent condition copy will currently set you back £300+ and that's only if you're lucky enough to find one! it's a Gibbons master-class like you know he can.

Fully remastered on limited edition 180 gram heavyweight vinyl.

Mnestic Pressure' is Lee Gamble's first album since 2014 and his first with Hyperdub, a reset that sees a noticeable change in his sound and the concepts that feed into his music. Lee says 'From Diversions 1994-1996' (2012) through to Koch' (2014) - my music felt like I was dealing with signals from elsewhere - signals from the unconscious, sub-aqua, hallucinated, dreamt. Mnestic Pressure' feels like their decoded offspring, a terra interpretation.' The title Mnestic Pressure' comes from Lee's thinking about how our contemporary memory is pressured, individually, but also collectively. 'We live in these strobing, visual times, like a constant subliminal advertisement but, also over the last few years the world seems to have become more and more dreamlike, alien, and parodic itself and there was this part of me that wanted to drag my music back from this Shangri-La, but fully drenched and infected by its ghosts.' Mnestic Pressure' as a whole is a simulation of this experience, a flow of targeted information, through contrasting and quickly changing terrain, from one track to another you're dragged into a new space. The pressure to move is intrinsic to the flow of the album, one thing morphologically transforms into another, zooming in and out from wide angle to detail, reshaping into new forms at a speed Lee's music hasn't before. The music on Mnestic Pressure' has a hardness, with a structure and melody that was sublimated in Lee's previous LPs. It builds on his more recent experiments with more functional dancefloor forms. Here his hypermodern production and crunchy, dissembled beats feel like they could be malfunctioning holograms projected onto the hallucinated memories of his early work.

2022 Repress

HQ Gatefold, 3x12 140g Vinyl, black innersleeve, download code
EXTRAWELT are back! Although in fairness, they were never gone. On the contrary, since their first release on James Holden's Border Community Label dropped in 2005, Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe have been responsible for a plethora of classics including "Schöne Neue Extrawelt" and "In Aufruhr", their two seminal albums on Cocoon Recordings. The duo are one of the most booked live acts worldwide, commanding a huge fan base. Their performances are the stuff of legend, making them the absolute highlight at every club and festival they play. So it's with great pride and respect, that we can announce the release of Extrawelt's third album for Cocoon Recordings. "Fear Of An Extra Planet" completes the Cocoon trilogy and the excitement growing among their fans represents a new high in the history of EXTRAWELT!
Musically, of course, there's enormous pressure on EXTRAWELT to deliver, but this is dismissed with a playful disregard and they are clearly focused on the job in hand. The album title "Fear Of An Extra Planet" sounds cinematic, like some art-house science fiction film, without giving too much away.
However, from the first seconds of the opening track "Superposition", the album title makes 100% sense and sets the scene for the rest of the trip. We are immersed in wide open spaces and invited to explore dark and dusky worlds that transport us back to their Border Community years. Timeless and elegant, "Superposition" perfectly captures the epic, dream like quality that made James Holden's label so influential.
New Release Information Second up, "Gott ist Schrott" takes a much more minimalist approach with its retro 80s drum programming, monster bass lurking in the breaks and playful Rhodes/synth riffs that span the divide between early German techno and deep Detroit electro with a distinctive film soundtrack aesthetic. "Oddification" continues this theme, adding extra spice reminiscent of the techno-synth vibe of Detroit with a punchy, almost Prodigy-style breakbeat complete with shredded vocal samples that gives us a taste of what's in store. "Gentle Venom" then takes the breakbeat motif to the next stage. The main focus here is the classy sprinter of a bassline, peppered with a flurry of intricate and subtle effects and modulations, that immediately trigger an intense, movie-like 'in pursuit' feeling.
With - Das Grosse Flimmern" we cautiously approach the album's high point. It's still in keeping with the soundtrack aesthetics, but faster and with more urgency. Almost hypnotically, Extrawelt invade us with an energy and impetus that always radiates from their music. Next in line is "Silly Idol" and here Arne Schaffhausen and Wayan Raabe opt again for a more minimal tack, focusing even more intensely on the dance floor to reveal a pulsing, twisted heart to the album.
"Punch The Dragon" is the hidden gem of the collection, utilising and melting together the most bombastic and playful elements. This one is totally off the hook, a sensory overload in an acoustic widescreen format! Then we have the title track "Fear Of An Extra Planet" which perfectly sums up the album concept. It opens up like a film score, with minimal passages following dark sequences that morph into dreamy melodies, all grounded by cool, constantly alternating analogue drum patterns. If you're not listening closely, you might get the impression that three or four different titles are mixed together; such is the effortless flow of the album.
As we near our destination, "The Friendly Coroner" really does honour its name. The morbid charm of the title is captured by a fluid bassline and melodic arrangements that border on the absurd, until the funky drum beat finally drops. In our mind's eye we see a cheerful medical doctor removing his bloody gloves, hanging his smock in the closet and vibing out in his neon drenched workspace. And there we sit, glued to our cinema seat, submerged in the different textures EXTRAWELT have conjured up on "Fear Of An Extra Planet". Over the course of the last title, the strings usher in the final acknowledgments as the credits roll. The dramatic end of "2084" leaves us transfixed in front of a black screen in a large, dark room safe in the knowledge that we've just witnessed a science fiction epic.

Eric Copeland (Black Dice) returns to DFA with a brand-new set of hyper and hectic leftfield club music. 'Goofballs' places its emphasis on playful melodies, ear worm hooks and vocals mixed with trademark machine funk rhythms that hit hard and land off balance. Any other way would be too obvious for an artist like Eric.

Eric explained the creation of this new album via email from his home on an island in lovely Balearic Palma Spain: i made it here in Palma at my studio, this is the first full record i've made entirely here since moving. some of this material was road tested September 2016 on tour supporting Animal Collective. This album was the result of real isolation here, countless hours, focused only on this. The whole recording & writing was a fast process. I focused most on the bass groove. I had a very minimal gear setup: 90's drum machine, cheap bass machine and a sampler. But most important was a homemade 'drum brain' that Barry's London custom made for me. Barry was in the Van Pelt Soldiers of Fortune & Oneida. That piece of gear was a big part of this record and informed the direction it took the most.'

Eric Copeland is a founding member of Black Dice as well as a prolific solo artist. Besides DFA, he has released albums on L.I.E.S., Post Present Medium and Paw Tracks.

Soundway Records presents the debut solo album from the ever-energetc Diron Animal, lead singer of the band Throes + The Shine. Born and raised in the ghetos of Cazenga in the Angolan capital of Luanda, the Portugal-based artst is known for his incredible stage presence and unique fashion sense. Infuenced by traditonal African music, Diron brings modern electronic producton and multlingual vocals to his album, which explores the realites of growing up in harsh conditons. The impact of such a life on himself and his local community is thematcally apparent: pessimism, greed, and ambiton feature - and yet the overarching message is that of opportunity, hope and channelling one's struggles into creatvity. Spell-binding rhythms, bass hooks and original lyrics abound, spanning Portuguese, Kimbundu and English. Lead single Don't Stop', out 7 July, is a fast-paced funked up anthem with a contagious saxophone rif, to be followed by an equally mesmerising video to boot.

For our 13th release, Subaltern is proud to present a selection of various artists compiled on one record - different styles of sound, blending together like a Kaleidoscope... For the avid vinyl junkies the first 300 copies have been pressed with locked grooves from each artist and come in a full colour sleeve.

* Alter: Opening the release is Japanese producer Helktram, who debuts on Subaltern with a relentless hypnotic roller. Distorted drums and percussive interludes complete this banger, which has proven to mash up the dance every time.

* Fibers: Being the only resident Subaltern artist on the release, D-Operation Drop doesn't fail to prove why they have returned to Subaltern yet again with this trippy masterpiece.

* Bomb: German producer ILL_K makes his first appearance on the imprint with this mighty stomper. "Bomb" is probably the most accurate title this powerful tune could have been given.

* Landfall: The only collaborative track of the EP, - Landfall' concludes the record in style - dark and eerie atmospheres mark the signature sound of German producer Shu and Belgian producer Zygos.

Fleeting Wax introduces Eva Geist to their rooster - a very promising producer and live act. With a nordic feeling of nostalgia Blumareciano depicts the mediterranean sea landscape on a cloudy winter day. Soft beats, braid arpeggiators and thin out vocals build a cinematic scenario of spacious narration, a odyssey vacation thrilled by the new and encouraged by the hope to one day come back home. San Propers Remix takes Blumareciano down to a rusty dirty club and manages to combine techno with the deep vocals of Eva Geist.

Brazilian mid tempo boogie double header. We've been playing these two out for the last couple of years and they are firm favourites.
'E Novamente Mas Que Nada' is the opening track from Reseda's 1979 album on Som Livre. An ultra catchy vocal hook, boogie guitars and synths lead into a piano and cuica breakdown and horns to finish. One of the finest in the genre in our
opinion.
'Ginga' is taken from Robson Jorge & Lincoln Olivetti's self-titled
masterpiece, reissued on Mr Bongo. Arguably the most immediate and club friendly track from the album, it always turns heads. Another premium example of Brazilian boogie from the masters of the sound and producers for the likes of Rita Lee, Erasmo Carlos, Don Beto, Marcos Valle, Tim Maia, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Sandra Sa, Painel de Controle and many more.



 

This single is from the forthcoming album Third World Pyramid' which will be released in October 2016 . The B side Playtime' is exclusive to this release ,recorded in March 2016 in Anton's studio in Berlin . The band start their 2nd part of their European Tour starting in August (dates are below) .This single brings the traditional Brian Jonestown Massacre sound mixed with eastern influences & bringing it up to date with the benefit of all the additional weirdness that's been discovered in the past 40 years.Two dozen band members later and numerous ups and downs' (some have been famously sensationalized in the media ), the one thing that has always remained consistent for this psychedelic collective, is front man Mr. Anton Alfred Newcombe

Osaka, not being Japan's capital city, has a history of producing some unique underground movements and artists. Without the attention or the funds Tokyo artists may have access to, Osakan artists over the years have had to make their own way with raw innovation.Iku Sakan, an electronic musician and DJ from Osaka, has spent most of the last decade living in Berlin. Prior to that, he was active in the underground club scene of Kyoto & Osaka. A previous unit was Sakan & Senju (with Muneomi Senju of The Boredoms). Together, they produced a 15 copy handmade edition of their music on CDr. Iku personally handed a copy to Karlheinz Stockhausen, when he was visiting Tokyo for his last festival appearance in Japan.Sakan began playing steel drum at the Görlizer park in Berlin, Tori Kudo of Maher Shalal Hash Baz then invited him to accompany the band. Immersing himself in the international DIY / noise / improv scene back in Berlin, he became active as an improviser, DJ and promoter, and has since worked with Sun Araw, Anders Lauge Meldgaard, Pekka Airaksinen, Günter Schickert, and Damo Suzuki.Playing and improvising, touring and DJing, has led to his sound, a kind of metaphysical music, with circular rhythms and an emotive, melodic feel. He combines analogue and digital devices (Omnichord, Roland MC303, and a DIY electronic doll synth. made by his friend Stephane Shibatsuji-Perrin in Tokyo), and pre-recorded materials, mixing and merging all four signals into one mixer (no MIDI sync.), through an effect pedal. When recording, he usually lets these devices run until something clicks. Then he records and starts to improvise, like he's playing an imaginary instrument, entering a timeless region where track length loses its meaning.2017 has seen some of Sakan's Berlin recordings released, initially on two tapes: 'Human Wave Music', for Natural Sciences, and 'Cepheidian' for Planet Almanac. The two track long player 'Prism in Us All' on Japan Blues' imprint is his first LP. His on/off-world sound, part kalimba, part gamelan, part E2-E4 - and at the same time, none of them. A hypnotic, musical mantra, centring the spirit, and resonating with the harmonics of the spheres.Prism In Us All' is the second release on Japan Blues' eponymous imprint, after featuring the album on his NTS show in January.300 copies only, in silk-screened sleeve.

Autotomy is a collaboration between Belgium's Sleeperhold Publications, Brooklyn-based musician Patricia (Max Ravitz) and the Dutch artist Louis Reith. This output is the result of a long process of contemplation, discussion and elimination which gave us a record that encapsulates both Patricia's sense for hardware production and dance floor rawness. Describing this release is not a simple task. So we'll just tell it like it is: it's a record that slows down and, in this process, reveals its mystery. Referencing the title of this release, wunderkind Max Ravitz seems to provide the listener with the possibility of transformation, a way to shed part of your own being.When running though the tracks, one discovers the essentials of Patricia's sound architecture: the presence of lightness, of longing, mixed with the ability to deny it in the next instant. Sonically, there's a careful balance in these productions that belies their fundamental function as body music. It's ambient yet danceable, approachable despite it's often deconstructed layout, and ultimately warm and inviting.The entire record is made using Ravitz collection of hardware, which gives it its uncompromising texture. The presence of kicks, beats and soundscapes does not originate from a clean digital source but from a physical action, an excerpt of movement, a tick of the human hand. It is floating versus rhythmical movement, visceral versus strict. But above all, it is alive.The artwork used for Autotomy's sleeve design and the etching on the B-side was provided by Louis Reith. (All three tracks feature on the record's A-side.) Just as Patricia, Reith tries to resist technology in favour of physical and craft-based media, though the contrast between digital and analog is always present.Dutch artist Louis Reith produces works through a variety of different media, ranging from collages to wood sculptures, to paper objects and ink on paper works, always keeping an interest in simple abstract shapes and their combination. With an interest in materiality Louis resurrects found footage and creates new landscapes of shape and color, celebrating the human hand at work. Deliberate compositions form an illegible visual language where hidden words are portrayed as abstract sculptures.Reith also co-runs Jordskred, an independent publishing company worth checking out.Ravitz certainly is unstoppable and releases in a relentless and uncompromising fashion.Besides many collaborative projects with an array of artists (released under monikers such as Masks, Pulpo, Inhalants, DSR.MR...) he's released music on labels like Opal Tapes, L.I.E.S., Russian Torrent Versions, Ghostly Intl.,... 2017 has been quite a year for him so far. He not only founded his own imprint, Active Cultures, but also released a triple LP. Ghostly Intl. describes the release as a 'kaleidoscopic, a multi-faceted techno trip' and we couldn't agree more.

An-2 and Samos have turned the clock back to finish off a couple of sessions they'd recorded together years back. Maxim Samos is our keen friend and sophisticated guitar player from Minsk, Belarus that we know for years. His first appearance on Theomatic was back in 2008 with space-rock tune 'Alpha Storm", which received lots of positive feedback and found its way to the Prins Thomas - Live At Robert Johnson compilation. As well as guitars, Maxim can play almost any string instrument and, on one of his erstwhile trips to Istanbul, he dropped by a music store, picked up a Saz and immediately set it alight, blowing away the entire staff. After scoring a big discount, he came out, clutching it in his hands. An-2 commented on Samos' playing on the Saz during one of his first visits to Minsk, and immediately suggested cutting a track together - something that took 10 years, but the wait's been worth it. What we've got is surreal halal-acid-folk-disco affair, perfect for whirling dervishes or dancing the dhikr. The story's continued on the B-side, where we're treated to a tale of trips in a GTI, before finishing with a Nordic saga about cold fronts coming at us from behind the Polar Circle.

Greenlight by DJ Manny is the fifth release from TEKLIFE Records. This 10 trackLP is a masterclass in footwork production by one of TEKLIFE's leading figures. Born and raised in Harvey on the South-Side of Chicago, DJ Manny has been footworking since the age of ten. The Footwork sound has developed in unison with the dance style that accompanies it, and Manny embodies this synergy.DJ Manny is without doubt one of the best dancers on the scene, harnessing control, grace and power in every movement. So when he steps into the studio, he knows instinctively how to create tracks that make you want to move your feet.Instead of relying on chopped up samples, DJ Manny is more inclined to pickup the microphone himself, and this gives Greenlight an original and individual personality.On the opening track titled Way you Move, his flow is soulful and almost vergingon melodic. His laid back drawl sounds equally great on club bangers like Life in This Bitch and If U Want It. As a young man, DJ Manny was the protégé of the late great DJ Rashad, and Rashad's influence reverberates through classic - sounding footwork tracks like Boop Me Down and I'll Hurt Ya Baby.Elsewhere on Greenlight, DJ Manny explores different moods to great effect.Ghost Out is atmospheric and menacing, with a sparse, minimal rhythm and fearsome lowend pulsing through siren synths. Life In This Bitch is a defiant statement of self-affirmation, and Zancrash feat. DJ Taye is uplifting and dreamy,with complex rhythmic patterns evocative of vintage jungle records.DJ Taye makes a significant contribution to this record, collaborating with DJ Manny on 5 productions including the title track. A fellow TEKLIFE squad member, Taye is a highly accomplished producer in his own right, Expect to hear more from him very soon on HYPERDUB Records. Greenlight also features guest appearances from DJ Lucky, Gant-Man and Sucia.

Record Kicks proudly presents "A little taste of Soul" / Unwind Yourelf" a little appetizer of the much awaited new album by James Brown's protégée Martha High produced and recorded in Tokyo by mighty Osaka Monaurail. This 45 vinyl is limited to 500 copies worldwide and anticipates Martha High's forthcoming new album "Tribute to my soul Sisters".

The "funky diva" Martha High has been an integral part of James Brown's life and career for more than 30 years. After a lifetime spent shoulder to shoulder with the Godfather of Soul, she flew to Tokyo and teamed up with Japanese funk ambassadors Osaka Monaurail to pay homage to the great Soul Sisters of the JB Revue.

Born in Victoria, Virginia and discovered by rock and roll pioneer Bo Diddley, Martha took off her career with soul band The Jewels, with whom she scored the national hit 'Opportunity" in 1964. Soon The Jewels caught the attention of James Brown in the same year the group joined the "James Brown Revue". Martha stayed with James Brown and continued to work with him as his personal vocalist for 32 years. Mr.Brown produced several Martha's singles on his own label "People" such as "Georgy Girl", "Try Me" and "Summertime",meanwhile Martha launched her solo career in 1979 with the self-titled debut LP for "Salsoul Records". Since then she released five albums under her name and, being one of the "hardest working ladies in the show business", she became as well the lead singer of the legendary funky music machine Maceo Parker. Throughout her career Martha shared stages worldwide with some iconic artists like Little Richard, Jerry lee Lewis, The Temptations, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson and George Clinton to name a few.

Virginia/North Carolina-based cult Loincloth reveal details of the upcoming LP, Psalm Of The Morbid Whore. This marks their second and final full-length release, again via the masters of heavy, Southern Lord Recordings.

Packing nine new instrumental passages of white-knuckled twists, and by-the-throat percussion,into a half-hour onPsalm Of The Morbid Whore. As with their 2012-released Southern Lord debut LP, Iron Balls Of Steel , Loincloth returned to Pershing Hill Sound in Raleigh, North Carolina to record with Greg Elkins. Masteringby Brad Boatright (Sleep, Corrosion Of Conformity, Sunn O))), Obituary) at Audiosiege.

About the release, the band made the following statement, Loincloth is no longer a live band, so this record is our final offering not only to the great horned one below, but to the committed ladies and gentlemen of the Cloth.'

Loincloth is a culmination of years of worshiping at the altar of the riff and Psalm Of The Morbid Whore arrives with the promise of absolute pummel! Guitarist Tannon Penland and drummer Steve Shelton (Confessor) return with their twisted brand of instrumental metal on the forthcoming LP, this time around also enlisting the infernal hands of Tomas Phillips on bass, who collaborated with Penland in experimental outfit Gauchiste for their self-titled 2012's release through Little Black Cloud Records. Penland, Shelton, and Phillips were joined by guitarist Craig Hiltonwho contributed towards the composition and on tour with Sunn O))) and at festivals from Barcelona's Day OfDoom and Power Of The Riff inLos Angeles, to Richmond's GWAR-B-Q.

Join Loincloth in their final hour of worship...

Abschaum is a rock band from Lyon, incredibly good, which is trying to keep the mystery on their identity. Sacha met them last year when they played an improvised concert at Heart Of Glass, Heart Of Gold, a festival in the middle of France, and felt under the charm of the energy of the band... Few months later they recorded this LP, and what the fuck !! This was just mindblowing !! Macadam Mambo is presenting here one of its best release, in the influence of bands such as Can, Amon Duul 2 or Alain Bashung...
Abschaum will be on tour from october till the end of the year, so if you have the chance to see them playing don't miss it!

We got Cuthead on Rat Life Number 12. You probably know this guy. He is respected worldwide for his one of a kind House and Hip-Hop productions. Lately he said, he got a bit bored with all the soulful jazzy sampling, the groovy shuffles and the catchy hooklines. So, he decided to do something a little different for Rat Life Records. Well, thank you Sir! Happy to present these five variations of banging sounds!

Native Response returns with another 12-inch record with NR002: Shaman Among The Machines by Deltitnu.
Deltitnu is a homegrown Native Response project, debuting with three tracks that all share a certain feeling of mystery, accompanied by a steady grooving remix by Roger Gerressen. A1 is titled Sorry , a sweet and sincere record, that starts off with lyrical pianos drifting into space, while elegant drum machine rhythms build up more and more, developing a more club ready feel. This one is easy to lose yourself into, as the song progresses into vulnerable pads and a vocal stating Sorry, symbolising an apology from us humans to planet earth, for all we ve done. Continuing on to A2 Shaman Among The Machines we find ourselves in a whole different spectrum of the EP. It s hard to define where the kick ends and the bassline begins. A whole oozing of bass covers your body, and a miraculous atmosphere embraces you while the song effortlessly develops into a peaktime killer track. It moves on to a sexy acid line and playful drum rhythms on top, that when you think you almost understand them, they turn around again and show they were fooling around with you all along.
Flipping over the record; we start off with B1: Foundation Was Laid.
This meditative and hypnotising record shows that techno doesn t always have to be dark and dystopian. First of all the disco bass supported by the 303 massages the listener into a mindstate ready to take off. Once you re ready the atmospherical pads will take over and move you deeper into the comforting ambience of the track. The drums keep you grounded all the time, making sure no energy is lost on the dancefloor. Foundation Was Laid represents the start of the record label, Native Response. We conclude with B2, the Roger Gerressen Response of Shaman Among The Machines. Roger Gerressen does what he does best; giving the record a dubby and groovy spin.
He more or less adapts the qualities of a chameleon, resulting in a track that easily blends into the groove of the night, at any timeslot.

After the first successful record, Danish label front man Gaze ill pursues another excursion through the ever-growing Dubstep-spectrum. He returns to his own physical outline of Cue Line Records with four hefty cuts that surely make up another stellar record, however he s not alone. Last time it was his partner in crime RDG, this time its frontline support from the Dutchman & bass mammoth TMSV , who s given Space-Time a completely different spin.

CLV002 opens up with a serious wobbler: one that is reminiscent to the golden days of the fundamental Dubstep sound, but housed in a completely different straightjacket. It swiftly sets the pace, as the wobbles escalate into the leading element of the destructive Space- Time . The second cut by the Danish producer adds the step to dub music so to speak and lively resembles King Tubby on a Dubstep flex. Watch out for that naughty second drop, which holds
nothing but booming vibrations that ll hang fans upside down. Spirit Of The Forces unveils an equally refreshing take on bass music thanks to the creative structuring of both low-and-high melodies. This allows listeners to take flight
easily and fly away from what we call reality an excellent track for both spring and summer time. TMSV s spin-off is as bright as its forerunner, but far more up-tempo and hypnotic. Utrecht s producer instigates a spacious stepper that defeats time & momentum by incorporating his raw remix techniques. The right remixer for the right record: Cue Line Records at its best!

hain & the Gang : Ian Svenonius

Chain & the Gang ... the world's only 'DOWN WITH LIBERTY' group ... the best and most radical rock n roll group ever ... have a BRAND NEW long playing record out on RADICAL ELITE records and its a 'head scratcher' for sure ...

Chain & the Gang - known as the dynamic and irresistible live combo that pens provocative, unforgettable odes to obedi- ence and total destruction (e.g. 'Devitalize', 'Certain Kinds of Trash', 'Detroit Music' ) got sick of the simple fare so prevalent at the rock festivals these days. After nodding off to the washed-out zzzounds of the latest five-star folly critic's catastrophe, 'Chain & the Gang' decided to respond with their patented perversity ; they reached to the farther corner of the lab and came up with an immortal classic in the hard-to-hear genre of 'EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC' (!!!!!!!!)

In fact, this record is so confounding, so new and uncharted, they decided to call it 'EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC.' Not only is it a pounding super-classic, but it's the final word in the experimental music genre, answering the questions initially proposed by John Cage, Yoko Ono, LaMonte Young etc., shutting down the need for further experiments forever. The Lab is Closed!

Besides CHAIN & the GANG's 'Chain' — aka Ian Svenonius -- the 'EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC' LP features an all-star cast of avant-garde geniuses such as DANNY KROHA (the Gories, Demolition Dollrods, Danny and the Darleans), FRED THOMAS (Saturday Looks Good to Me, Lovesick, Tyvek, His Name is Alive), SHELLEY SALANT (Shells, Tyvek, SLGTM, Swimsuit), AMBER FELLOWS (Swimsuit), MADELINE MCCORMICK (Chain & the Gang) and BEN COLLINS (Mini- Horse) and was recorded live to four-tracks at WORLD CLASS TAPES in ANN ARBOR, Michigan.

The title track sets forth the premise and the rest of the tunes expound upon it. Its a foot-tapping, head scratching, torso tornado that will crinkle the connossieur's temple in a tantrum of cerebral delight.
Writers in one hundred years will still be piecing together the puzzle of perversity that's named EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC by CHAIN & the GANG on RADICAL ELITE Records.

A split single featuring Washington, D.C.'s Escape-Ism and Light Beams. The digital
download in- cludes an extra track by each band.

Escape-ism is called "the found-sound-dream-drama," "the grieving widow of rock 'n' roll" , the "press play and run away group", the strrrripped down sound machine starring Ian Svenonius, star of Chain & the Gang, singer in The Make Up, author of 'Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group.' Its a single occupancy combo, a one banana bunch, the gestural rock 'n' roll provocation which combines cave person poetry with beats and melody translated incorrectly from hieroglyphs found in arch-pharaoh Cheops' triangle shaped record collection. Escape-ism is a bid at inciting long- ing for a past behind an IRON CURTAIN, and hope for a future in flames. Escape-ism -- hear it, fear it, cheer it.'

Light Beams began in 2015 when Justin Moyer (Puff Pieces) -- influenced by 80s-era freestyle music and Sheila E. -- started playing sampler and timbales with Sam Lavine, the longtime drummer of D.C. hip-hop mainstays the Cornel West Theory. With the addition of bassist Arthur Noll the result- ing polyrhythmic melange, sometimes called "zap-tone" or "block rock," reinvents late-20th century dance-pop using the tools of the 21st.

For their second release on the label, DGTL Records asked another one of its festival shows regulars: Fort Romeau. After playing at three different DGTL editions, and an upcoming fourth during ADE, the organization also wanted to propagate his sound with an EP on their imprint. The release consists of two multi-layered compositions, Untitled II and A Familiar Place, and will be available both on vinyl and in digital stores on the 13th of October.

Fort Romeau came into the spotlight with releases on Running Back, Live At Robert Johnson and Ghostly International amongst others. The British talent gained recognition with his cultivated ear and apprehension of all genres of music, that brought him to add something unique to the widespread spectrum of electronic music, both as a DJ and a producer. In 2015 he also set up his own label, Cin Cin, releasing split EPs from established names and newcomers alike, with a diverse musical policy that reflects Fort Romeau his open minded and inquisitive approach.


'Untitled II' is a luminous house tune, with a soundscape on top that takes you on a journey, while 'A Familiar Place' adds a little bit of darkness to the EP. This B-side is made up out of raw elements, a high tempo kick and hi- hat create a sturdy flow that makes it hard to sit still. All in all, it advocates the vision of the festival and its label, in every way.

"In The Midst Of The Storm" brings together two exceptional talents and two generations of reggae musicians. Jah9's previous release "9" was critically heralded as one of the most re-freshing reggae albums of 2016. And now, fans will get the fully de-constructed, dubwise version of the album with nine newly recorded dub sessions from the legendary dub master, Mad Professor. He's renown for hundreds of productions with the who's who of jamaican veteran artist like i.e. Lee Perry, U-Roy, The Congos, Horace Andy, and did also great dub re-mixes for Massive Attack, Sade, Depeche Mode, Grace Jones and many more. This release marks the first Mad Professor title with VP Records as well as the first commercial recording of Mad Professor and Jah9 together. The press and media coverage will include interviews with Mad Professor and Jah9. The great original cover illustration is by artist Richard Nattoo!

Very LIMITED album discs available now:

This is the first album Oscar Mulero has released under his own name, after two acclaimed LPs under the moniker Trolley Route. Well known for his skills as a hard-edged, raw and floor-orientated techno dj, his productions go far beyond, digging deep into the intricate landscape of intelligent techno, floating moods, reminiscent atmospheres, harmony and detail.

Grey Fades To Green is the affirmation of his maturity as a producer, using both hardware and software in the pursuit of a highly coherent and diverse album.

The concept is split into two parts: The Grey and The Green, each one with its own character. The first part is rougher and meant for the dance floor, although pays full attention to detail and complexity. The second part is quieter, has a slower pace and is best enjoyed at home.

In The Green Oscar goes deep into the intellectual side of techno music and is heavily influenced by the post rave sound emerging from the UK in the nineties: Aphex Twin, Gescom, B12, Plaid, Autechre.. but with a contemporary approach.

This part of the album brings you melodies, harmonies, endless atmospheres, and hours of studio work. Each sound has been carefully constructed, nothing is left to chance: Every stereo panning, every change to the synth's parameters has been meticulously designed for your listening pleasure; just what you want when you listen to techno on headphones. Futuristic music made with the utmost care.

The Green starts with 'Letters From Madrid', a dreamy and melancholy track, where an introspective melody leads to a slow-building drumbeat. Broken rhythms and distorted drums go side by side with the piano riffs and analogue bleeps: intelligent techno by definition.

'Dreams of Happiness' is a sci-fi soundtrack where pads and the different atmospheres are the main stars, and where subliminal drums add flow to this tune from outer space.

'After All' departs from calm dreamy territories with its grounded beat, complex 303 programming and micro synth sounds. A track which is as good for listening at home as it is for the dance floor.

'The Darker Days' uses a similar formula. Slow bpm, fat drums and weird 303 lines that make infinite layers of sound.

After a two year hiatus, Kiani returns to his Far Out Systems alias for this EP, his first offering for a label outside of his own Tanzbar Records.

Thomas Neyens first left his mark on the dance scene under his alias Kiani & His Legion, with two releases on Red D's We Play House Recordings in 2013 and more recently on Something Happening Somewhere, quickly demonstrating his accomplished production flair. This led the Belgian establishing his own imprint, Tanzbar Records, where he dropped two EPs under his Far Out Radio Systems moniker - bringing a more 'dancefloor focused' sound. Now after a two year hiatus, Neyens returns to his Far Out Systems alias for this EP, his first offering for a label outside of Tanzbar Records.

'Spheres' kicks off the release, with its soft bassline perfectly complimenting the hazy synths, syncopated drums and the mesmerising nuances from the hang drum that feature later in the track. The slow burning style continues on 'Jane Goodall', with the track's atmospheric textures gradually overpowered by a steady selection of drums, percussion and off-kilter effects. 'Vaquita' sees Far Out Radio Systems up the tempo whilst still sonically retaining the melancholy, hypnotic sound of the EP, as the snare-led rhythm gradually gains in momentum over its seven minute duration. Closing this excellent four track EP is 'On A Quest', a pulsating number that combines soaring, ethereal synths with a club ready groove that is perfect for the shadowy dancefloors the Belgian DJ/producer performs to.



DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from

Joris Voorn: Great atmospheric EP!
Blawan: really nice stuff here ! really like Vaquita
DJ Deep: nice release
Aera (Innervisions): Vaquita is a real beauty!
Baikal: whole release is dope. big fan of kiani. big up.
Norman Nodge (Berghain): "On A Quest" sounds promising!
Richie Hawtin: downloaded for r hawtin
Ripperton: Great EP every track get something! Thanks!
Âme (Kristian): thanks
Red D (We Play House): Needless to say I have preordered this one on vinyl ;-) 'On A Quest' is gonna be the one for me. It's got that Kiani-going-emotional vibe I dig so much.
Anthony Collins: Jane goodall track is tight !
Nuno Dos Santos: ah sweeet thanx man!
Brothers' Vibe: Solid pieces, def support!

ick Lenoir and Larry Thompson aka Black Traxx dropped several volumes of their own brand of chopped up Disco sampling, deeper side of House. From 1991 through to 1994 the Black Traxx EP's were showing up in record stores, obviously giving respectful nods to other Chicago DJ's and producers the tracks included on the EP's contained a DIY spirit and rawness that were key ingredients. Lenoir, with the technical assistance of Gary 'Jackmaster' Wallace has revisited these classic releases for 2017 and the pair have turned in some special, exclusive extended versions of some of the highlights from the series.
This, the second sampler of Black Traxx cuts culled from the various volumes picks up nicely where part 1 left us off. If it's that raw, deep, basement Chicago House sound you're after then these guys have you covered. Kicking off with the 1993 remix of 'Dreamin' which is a sublime late night organ driven groover, this one ticks all the boxes if you dig that NY / NJ Garage sound, but with a Chi-town twist! 'Soul' is up next, lifted from 1993's 'The Soul Package' collection. A stripped back, vocal led jam steeped in atmosphere. This one is for the dancers for sure, no nonsense House music for heads and hips.
Flip it over and the B-side opens with 'Shake', a tough, gritty, percolating banger with a tribal-esque edge. This one's a weapon and almost fits into that Baltimore / Chicago 'ghetto House' mould. A proper club track, no prisoners taken. This one has been gently extended by Rick and Gary for maximum club pressure! EP finisher 'Party' is a much more subdued groove giving a respectful nod to the JB's with that infamous 'Paaaarty' chant. No frills in the best possible way this one's another solid club groove, pure food for hungry turntables and sound-systems. All of the tracks included on these samplers have been carefully selected, arranged, edited and extended for precisely these reasons!
This reissue has been realised with the full involvement of Rick Lenoir and Gary Wallace and is 100% legit! All exclusive extended edits have been made by Rick and Gary specifically for this release. Don't snooze, this one deserves a spot in any self respecting House heads record bag or DJ set, classic material made available again for 2017 - You can't stop it!

All the beats, tracks, and harmonies that Vega Records release have a story behind them, 'UNION DANCE (LOUIE VEGA REMIX) - DJ CLOCK FEATURING MADAME-X's begins where most great things do as far as we are concerned.... under a mirror ball in a dark club! One night, (well really EARLY morning to be honest) while Louie Vega was vibbing in the booth, listening to Timmy Regisford work it out for a packed NYC dance floor a wild beat caught his ear. As Louie looked over and saw the crowd confirm exactly what he felt he turned to Timmy with a smile and said "that beat is hot, let me get that", and from that moment UNION DANCE's story began with Louie Vega.
No surprise to Louie, DJ CLOCK of Durban South Africa was the mastermind producer behind this fiery beat. DJ CLOCK is practically a house hold name in S.Africa since he first got into producing and djing in 2007. He's collaborated with some serious heavy hitters including Fistaz Mixwell, Euphonik, Oskido, Chynaman et al and has become the go-to producer for compilation albums across his continent and now with Louie Vega he's making his way to all of us. This gritty beat captured every emotion that makes you go in even harder at 3am... It had heat pumping out the system but it was missing something as far as Louie was concerned.
The missing element was the incomparable force that is MADAME-X, known to many as a sexy sultry vocalist by all accounts but there is a force living within HER expressed only as MADAME-X. She interprets the words of Maya Angelou with the utmost confidence and conviction. A powerful woman, with her raw, unapologetic edge MADAME_X pro claims "I WANNA DO THIS MY WAY" transforming a hot beat Louie heard one night into a FIERCE TRACK to ignite crowds around the world today!
UNION DANCE (LOUIE VEGA REMIX) - DJ CLOCK FEATURING MADAME-X reminds us that not only is it ok but its necessary to OWN THE DANCE FLOOR! This right here is for the djs, the dancers and all those who truly understand that HOUSE MUSIC IS A FEELING!
AVAILABLE AT YOUR NEAREST VINYL OUTLET. DISTRIBUTED BY ABOVE BOARD DISTRIBUTION, UK & MANUFACTURED BY OPTIMAL, GERMANY

Hell Yeah is back with more beach ready and boat party styled summer tunes, this time from Riccio. This Italian producer has long been making essential edits, off kilter grooves and soul kissed house sounds that demand to be played loud and these new ones are no different.

Described by the label boss as Balearic Big Beat, this EP kicks off with Afro Chemy, a scorching seven minute tune that builds on a bed of fat drums. The scattered percussion is loose and organic and when the funky bass and colourful xylophone sounds comes in you can't help but cut loose. Add in a sexy trumpet line and you have the sound of summer distilled into seven sensational minutes.

Funky Cave will get any party started with its old school drum breaks and cymbal splashes sounding like the ocean when you plunge in on a hot day. Busted bass lines add a certain fatness and cosmic keys and steamy guitar licks make this another perfect outdoor anthem.

Last of all is the blissed out Heather, one to drop at sundown after a long day's dancing. The beats are warm and lumpy, the synths smear out to the horizon like gently breaking waves and soulful leads really get your heart swelling. Proper.

'Exit Entrance' is the DFA debut for Kohei Matsunaga aka NHK yx Koyxen.

Kohei has been making / releasing music since 1997 and has recorded for such iconic labels as Mille Plateaux, Important, Pan & Diagonal.

His latest recordings explore intricate drum programming, lush melodies & sparkling arrangements. Touchstones include the legendary 'Clicks & Cuts' compilations from the 1990's as well as Aphex Twin & Autechre. RA called his music bombastic techno funk....unpredictable but rarely disappointing'.

'Exit Entrance' is a collection of new songs that snap and flicker unlike anything Kohei has done in the past. There is a clarity and beauty to these tracks that bursts out of the speakers in a three dimensional way, matching the 3D glasses that the artist wears during all his live performances. The elegant arrangements and crisp drum breaks match the concise song titles - Kohei foregoes the typical impenetrable track names made up of numbers and shorthand, and opts for a more direct emotional sincerity through the sonic themes of the record. Not all the music here falls into the same exact formula.

As the album heads towards a close, after several tracks of harmonious beauty, we get 'Outset (for Mika Vainio)', a sombre hushed techno tune, dedicated to his late friend and musical collaborator, who unexpectedly passed away earlier this year as the record was being completed. What follows after this track is perhaps the real catharsis, as 'Dented' ominously kicks off with acidic stabs and rolls into a tumultuous dirge of gritty techno.

In this regard, 'Exit Entrance' can play out like a life cycle, a mini opera of birth and beauty, of sorrow and mourning.

It is one of the most direct and honest records Kohei has ever made, and DFA is beyond proud to present this work from such an esteemed creative force in the electronic avant-garde world of music.

For fans of Aphex Twin, Actress, Zomby, Kraftwerk, Four Tet.

Group Rhoda is the solo electronic music project of Mara Barenbaum, based out of Oakland, California. The project started around 2009 with a debut album 'Out of Time, Out of Touch' in 2012 on Night School Records and '12th House' in 2013 on Not Not Fun. She is also one half of Max and Mara who released the album 'Less Ness' in 2013 on Dark Entries Records. She is committed to live performance, situated within the analog synthesizer and drum machine medium.

'Wilderless' is Group Rhoda's third full length and first for Dark Entries Records. Each of the these 7 songs draw forth tones of tropical darkwave and soft industrial, while negating the sound of conformity and control. The album explore themes of societal and spiritual displacement, contemporary serfdom, the depths of empathy, regeneration through destruction, and the tyranny of claiming recognition and power. Lyrics are poetically expressed through allegory and explore archetypes rooted more in abstract observation rather than hard line experience. Through transgression and imagination, Group Rhoda explores the arc of songwriting interwoven into stark electronic environments, and creates a bridge between the corporeal and the dream worlds.

Each song was mixed by Mark Pistel at Room 5 in San Francisco and mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is packaged in a jacket featuring a colorful custom made collage by Hugo Barros and includes a full color sticker and digital download card.

The following three-tracker release is one of those that are about to take you on a very clear ride. We will start with some tensioning and rising loops and will keep you up while the swiftly vibes are getting to you. With The first composition on A side, Alex won't give you a break - it's a one breath composition where you don't have any time for a second thought. When it looks like both chunky bass and kicks are going away - a very sharp-shaped and acidy synth will remain on the watch and will ensure the continuously driving thrill. Getting to the Second part of this side, what can we say, straight from the beginning a thick bass line makes it s introduction in order to lead you into some awakeness on a early morning on the dancefloor. Stepping into the game, Diferit on the remix for B side is bringing you a blend of both tracks u've heard before. Very rich in vibrations of different spectres and proveniences - from very clear and clean kicks to a bouncy bass line to the very zippy and zappy sounds of his unique style. The pleasure of having these two minds behind the second release of Aforisme is ours.

ey campers, we are back with some new goodies for you! This one is by the
completely virginal duo Death Bulb, who have never released a single track
before, which is quite ridiculous as they have been producing this stuff since
2012. This is simply some of the best industrial noise techno around!

It starts out with the title track Zement, a total dancefloor killer that still gives
me goosebumps after hearing it about a million times. You will eat this up!


Second on the A side is Breathe In, Breed Out, a hilariously rough beatdown
with lots of heavy breathing involved - slays it every time! Ultraviolence never
felt so enjoyable!

The B side starts out with a rare guest appearance of label daddy Hanno
Hinkelbein who donated a remix of Zement for you people who like
straightforward techno. Lots of heavy bass and a crunchy ravepad, driven by
relentless percussion.

The vinyl ends with the broken banger Bettina's Betrayal - noise at it's
finest, somewhere between I-F's I Do Because I Couldn't Care Less...' and old
AFX.

San Francisco's Christina Chatfield brings her signature acid sound to god particle with 'The Circle' EP. 'Circadian' reflects and evokes the natural cyclical rhythm of the track as the pitch naturally rises and falls over a steady bassline and consistent tempo. A perfect track to draw the dancer deeper. A2.Black_Hole Steady prominent kick drums keep feet marching through crunchy, distorted sounds and clicking. 'Black Hole' is an otherworldly track that pulls you into the space and won't let you go..B1.Voyage is a visionary guest through alien atmospheres. Chatfield's signature rolling acid lines, panning synths and rapid hi-hats make this one a bottomless groove, perfect for peak energy..B2.Acid_Exhibition. Crisp hi-hats and a kick drum are quickly met by an intrepid acid line. Dreamy synths softly grow throughout 'Acid Exhibition", adding more atmosphere along with steady claps and a vocal sample.

From the Irish techno front line , RLSD land again with a heavy batch of dancefloor pressure.

Jon Hussey has been one of the islands most celebrated djs for the best part of 20 years and makes his long overdue debut as a solo artist with Dark Motif. His deep understanding of the music is on display as he delivers an immersive techno cut with acidic touches & crisp bleep techno character. Takaaki Itoh steamlines the ideas into a pilerdriver suited for the peak hours.

On the flip Fran Hartnett grinds out a typically floor burning track loaded with his trademark poly-rhythms and modular bleeps. Rory St John rounds of proceedings with an ever shifting rhythmic workout which has an off-kilter sensibility guaranteed to make more adventurous floors freak.

"Berlin based Cocktail d'Amore Music and Ene Tokyo join forces for Greenvision's debut - The Italo-American duo formed by Trent and Juan Ramos. pENE d'Amore Pt.1 is the name of their first 12 inch. This is one of those records that makes you start questioning matters of genre and music construction. Sit back, press play and enjoy this ultra-cosmic adventure. The different rhythm patterns included in Surdinia melt organically with the acid lines, the high UFO whistles and spaceship-like sound effects, exploding into an unexpected and comfortable piano house line, solving the puzzle and leaving you thirsty for more. Meccanica is a slow tempo gem, It combines elements of industrial and Balearic with a touch of submarine-like soundscapes. Ramos and Trent's music-making philosophy is as special as unique. The multitude of elements that compose each track has its own life cycle, its own ecosystem.

With the label's 10th anniversary celebrations now done and dusted, Claremont 56 returns to action with something rather special: a magical debut single from a previously unknown talent.
There's not much we can tell you about Ferdi Schuster, other than that he is a talented young producer from Augsburg in Germany. As Claremont 56 is one of his favourite labels, he speculatively submitted some tracks for consideration. Label founder Paul Murphy was astonished by what he heard and believes the two tracks showcased on this 12' are amongst the best things the label has released for some time.
A-side 'Little River' is breathtakingly good. Opening with the sound o a babbling brook, it sees Schuster wrap plucked, sun-kissed acoustic guitar licks and jaunty vintage synthesizer motifs around a languid, samba-infuenced groove. As the track progresses, further magical musical elements come to the fore, including blissful electric piano solos and more mazy synthesizer solos, seemingly played on battere old equipment from the turn of the '80s. Schuster's love of the acoustic guitar is explored further on similarly impressive B-side 'Befreit'. Here, gently strummed chords and fuid Spanish guitar motifs catch the ear, as hushed cymbals and gentle hand percussion lap at your feet like the sea at sunrise. The German producer adds atmosphere through a combination of leisurely Hammond organ solos and a touch of Jew's Harp. When all of these immaculate elements combine, the results are little less than spellbinding.
Schuster may be taking his frst steps into releasing music, but his
compositional, playing and production skills are already fnely tuned. We can surely expect to hear more inspired music from him in the years to come.

Phonica Records Special Editions in association with Play It Again Sam is delighted to present the incredible Quiet Village remix of Agnes Obel's 'Stretch Your Eyes', lifted from the Danish born, Berlin based singer songwriter's critically acclaimed 3rd studio album 'Citizen of Glass' .

Obel was at an early age guided into music by the influence of her parents, who would play and listen to a blend of the classical greats, folk music and contemporary pop. She learnt to play piano as a child but it was her move to Berlin in 2006 that prompted her to take her music to the next level. Her debut Philharmonics was released in 2010, a quiet phenomenon that spent seven consecutive weeks at number 1 and sold in excess of 100,000 copies in her homeland alone. The release of 'Aventine' in 2013 cemented her status as a household name across Europe and as an icon to piano players throughout the world.

Quiet Village are the British duo of long-time record-collector and DJ Joel Martin and Matt Edwards, the house and techno producer known as Radio Slave and the head of the Rekids label. They came to our attention with a series of highly sought after twelves on the DJ Harvey-related Whatever We Want label from New York, alongside excellent remixes of The Osmonds, Toby Tobias, Black Devil Disco Club and Francois K before releasing their acclaimed album on K7 Records in 2008. After a break from using the Quite Village name, the duo are back with a bang and recently graced the Phonica White label with a fantastic techno 12' 'Social Music' / 'Change'.

Needless to say, Quiet Village were the first producers Phonica thought of when looking for remixes for this project and their slow, dark, dub-heavy atmospheric groove perfectly compliments Agnes's vocal, with echoes of Massive Attack's timeless 'Teardrops' coming to mind. It's one of the finest remixes we've heard in recent memory and we're proud to present it as a limited 12' on the Special Editions label.

Version Galore is a newly found label, deeply rooted into the music culture. We are bringing you the selected reworks / re-edits from the top producers in the game, showing lots of respect and care for the original, but elevating it's spirit and taking it somewhere else. It's all about the dialogue of cultures and the idealistic desire to pass the music legacy on! No half-measures, played-out tunes, lazy cuts, or boring "808-kick boosting" biz!
On the first release of the label we are delighted to bring you the chosen cuts from the man that needs no introduction - Opolopo. He knows a thing or two about making a personal version of a track that can easily overshadow the original, and we guess that's the case with the two cuts he prepared for us on this
records. Things escalate fast. On the A-side you will find originally a midtempo mild jam "Go Get It", which is turned by Opolopo into an effectively-upbeat stomper that will inject true feeling and groove in any house or disco set alike.
It's one of those rare occasions when a soulful tune turns out to be super dance-floor efficient no matter what!
The B-side is all about the raw and emotional funky madness of "American Promise". It's infectious groove, pinpointed with growling sub-bass is just devastating. Epithets are irrelevant here - just play it loud, but with caution! "Version Galore - play some more!"

No-one else makes music like this: devilishly complex but warm and intuitive, stirring together a dizzying assembly of outernational and outerspace influences, whilst retaining the subby funk-and-hot-breath pressure of Shackleton's soundboy, club roots.The result is an evolutionary, truly alchemical music — great shifting tides of dub, minimalist composition and choral song (Five Demiurgic Options), ritual spells to ward off the darkness (Before The Dam Broke, The Prophet Sequence), radiophonia and zoned-out guitar improv (Seven Virgins), even the febrile, freeform psychedelia of eighties noise rock (Sferic Ghost Transmits / Fear The Crown). Over the five years since Music For The Quiet Hour, Vengeance's vocal and lyrical range has rolled out across this new terrain. Throughout these six transmissions he's hoarse preacher, sage scholar and ravaged bluesman, blind man marching off to war, and exhausted time-traveller warning of impending socio-ecological catastrophe. Six dialogic accounts of our conflicted times, then, expanding beyond the treacly unease of the duo's early collaborative work into something subtler and more emotionally shattering — its shades of brightness more dazzling, and its darkness even murkier. "We almost didn't hear it when the foundations went."

wewillalwaysbealovesong is proud to welcome one of the most prolific producer of the moment in the person of ponty mython .
after amazing releases on label such as dirt crew recordings & quintessentials it is with a lot of pride that we are releasing this brillant 4-tracks ep .

- Apollo are proud to welcome Sieren, AKA Matthias Frick back to the fold with his new Ascension EP.
- Features collaboration with fellow Apollo artist Synkro
A software engineer at Ableton by day, Sieren's love for UK influenced bass music and field recording and experimental soundscaping resulted in his Apollo debut 'Static Polymorphism' a masterly EP of spaced out street-rave soul.
Now returning with the five track Ascension EP, Frick has tightened and toughened up his sound somewhat (see the caustic bass glower of 'Slinger'), augmenting his starry eyed wonder with a firmer percussive underpinning and more driving tempos. However still present are his preternatural grasp of emotion and atmosphere that marked him out as one to watch - perfectly underscored by the heartbreaking beauty of the title track.
Fellow Apollo cohort Synkro AKA Joe McBride was instrumental in the curation of Sieren's debut Static Polymorphism EP on Apollo, hand picking the tracks, as well as road testing them in his DJ sets. This time McBride goes one further, collaborating with Frick on the track 'Lost You' to memorable effect - the beautiful pads and ghostly piano are a perfect synergy of their complimentary skill sets. This is richly textured and intricately programmed post-bass music that is sure to satisfy fans of Burial, dBridge, Akkord with its soulful sincerity and warmth.

Eric Maltz is a producer from New York City and now resides in Berlin, Germany.He is a former employee of Halcyon records from its' OG glory days in it's first location in Red Hook/Carrol Gardens areas of Brooklyn."Eric Provided a sofa to me often through-ought my 20's and vice-versa, we both cared about music above all else- we lived and breathed music- and we helped each other survive when we were penniless - if one was up, so was the other...Eric and I were roommates, friends, we looked out for each other in a rough city with tough rules. Every time one of us got a job at a restaurant or record shop, within weeks we would have the other working there too. We did that for a decade. We slang records for years at Halcyon- a shop on Smith Street which had a portrait of Stevie Wonder painted on the front facade- and we threw parties all around Brooklyn back then too.. Every shitty bar that would have us lol. We were a dope team. He's the only person who has ever touched the third rail on a subway and survived too! True story. So you know I couldn't wait to release his Debut LP. Proud of this guy" - Levon Vincent

diamond black metallic:
confidns founded their own label 'diamond black metallic' in 2017, as a platform for releases and remixes by friends and admired producers of the techno scence's old and new generation.
The 12" debut on diamond black metallic will be released in summer 2017 with the confidns tracks EXTASE and PROMISK, as well as a dark, powerful and refined remix of EXTASE, produced by nobody less than Chris Liebing.

confidns bio:
Talking about confidns, it is impossible not to mention the rumors and legends surrounding their 2016 residency during the Afterlife label nights, hosted by Tale Of Us every thursday at famed Space Club Ibiza. The two Berlin based long term friends, who grew up in Mannheim, Germany attracted attention with their super long dj-sets, lasting up to 8 hours.
Performing the warm up on the Space Club's sunset terrace and closings in the chamber, the duo, founded in 2015, proofed a mesmerizing sense for playing with the crowd. They mastered the artistic challenge of leading the audience through the night, with both spherical ambient sets and driving techno beats. Confidns does not shy away from mixing timeless classics from genres like ebm, synth pop, dub and industrial techno with unforgettable pieces/tracks, such as from boards of Canada and Tropic of Cancer in their ambient sets. One could already experience the two daredevils in clubs like Nordstern Basel, Labyrinth Club Hasselt, Egg Club London and Loft Club Ludwigshafen, where they played two sets of 7 hours alongside Chris Liebing and Dj Deep during the official Time Warp 2017 pre-party.
Driven by the high artistic and musical standard of Tale of Us' Afterlife label, the two artists behind confidns founded their own label 'diamond black metallic' in 2017, as a platform for releases and remixes by friends and admired producers of the techno scence's old and new generation.
The 12' debut on diamond black metallic will be released in summer 2017 with the confidns tracks EXTASE and
PROMISK, as well as a dark, powerful and refined remix of EXTASE, produced by nobody less than Chris Liebing.
2017 is promising to be an exciting year for confidns. In addition to gigs at the Afterlife showcase in Privilege Ibiza
and the Sziget Festival in Budapest, the duo will start their collaboration with the booking agency Artist Alife and
AMM' ask my management.

Seriously, how is it possible to spend two years and four months making a pop music album It's obviously not because of a fetish with technical perfection. Not a single take on 'Chemistry and Math' has been recorded in a recording studio. It is all living room, bedroom or kitchen table work. Which is the way we have recorded almost all Flunk albums. So really, how does it take 28 months to put together 10 tracks of alternative, lo-fi pop music Well, life Just life. We're busy with stuff like everybody else, ordinary stuff. And it's all in there, really. In the air in the recordings and in-between the lines of words.

'Chemistry and Math' might be about how you acknowledge the inevitability of the rules and patterns and natural laws, it's not so much mystery, it's math, and chemistry, and hormones, and a constant chaos of coincidence. In there are also a lot of pop music references, some obvious one, some slightly hidden. 'Chemistry and Math' is installed in a bleak and more distorted soundscape, reflecting the mood of the world thrown at us in a fucked up era.

'Chemistry And Math' is the sixth ordinary album from Flunk, the Norwegian downbeat/'folktronica' trio now expanded to a quintett.

With a career that spans over two decades Manchester DJ Andy Carthy aka Mr. Scruff needs little introduction. He is regularly cited as a source of inspiration for many of the world's up and coming artists through his eclectic approach to both DJing and creating music. We are proud to say Andy has always been a keen supporter of the output on Gondwana Records, so when we re-issued one of his favourite records The Swimmer by Phil France it seemed an appropriate time to ask for a couple of remixes. The results of which are two wonderfully unique dance floor friendly takes on the track, Joy of Brass.

Step Time Orchestra was the collaborative work of producers Jori Hulkkonen and Toumas Salmela, who began producing music together in the nineties whilst studying in Oulu, Finland. Whilst all their friends would be getting up early to go to university, they would only just be going to bed, having spent the night listening to house records from New York, drinking Whiskey and programming their MPC 2000!

Step Time produced a slew of tracks during this time, some of which were licensed and pressed on 12" singles during the late nineties/early noughties on labels operating in North America and Europe, but not everything they made saw the light of day. Heavily influenced by labels like Ibadan and Spiritual Life Music at the height of the New York House Scene, 'Jazz Error NYC' and '2am in Africa' were never signed, not fitting the profile of their other releases at the time, they were left in the drawer and sadly forgotten!

Skip forward to Winter 2016, and FBNM's Lorenzo, whilst over on a DJ excursion, visits Jori in Finland. Keen to keep working together, he presses him for something uniquely special. Magically, the Ajos E.P jumps out of the drawer into Hulkkonen's hand, and as it turns out, it has aged with a rather remarkable grace. Written using a combination of MPC sequencing and an Atari ST powering vanilla Cubase for some midi programming duties, it features the sounds of the Italian made Siel Opera 6, an Alesis S4 Rompler and other vintage Roland, Yamaha and Kawai Synths. They went full out on this one, even finally learning to play keys for that jazzy piano action. It was recorded live through a soundcraft analog board with outboard Fx, creating a sound that transcended it's time to feel remarkably fresh today!

The Ajos EP is named after an area in their native city of Kemi, Northern Finland, which is where they wrote and produced it in 1999.

Musically and emotionally, Superpitcher's third full-length studio album, The Golden Ravedays is a one sound autobiography that exhibits the skill, feeling and style that the artist has honed over a period of twenty years, musically, and forty-plus-years, emotionally.

And full-length it is:

The Golden Ravedays is an epic album of 24 tracks that was released in January 2017 and is stretching over 12 respective chapter albums during a one-year period.
The 9th link of The Golden Ravedays chain will be released on Hippie Dance in September 2017.

Where number 8 of the series took us to outer space, number 9 introduces two tracks that are an under-water celebration of all that is good and all that is sad.
Side A features Hiding.

Imagine galloping sea horses pulling a Christmas chariot filled with dreams-come-true past enchanting mermaids, smiling sharks, waving tortoises and nonplused eels, leaving a gifted blanket of mystical sound in their wake.

Hiding stretches and breaks into many layers of listening love without enforcing one particular sound.


Side B features Flying.

The piece is occupied by a subaquatic melody colored by whale sounds and the echoes of immersed guitar strings.

Flying is not about complex development or diversity but the weightless drifting of sounds that create a wonderfully hazy cloud to lose oneself in and fly, deliciously with the dolphins.

Rest assure, the ending is be speckled with whimsical chimes showers, paving the way for the softest of landings

Following a superb remix of Hakimonu's 'Insular Realms' in 2015, Ed Davenport's Inland alias returns to Deep'a & Biri's Black Crow Recordings with a brand new EP for the label's tenth release. Having played a key role in the relaunch of Function's Infrastructure New York imprint, in addition to operating his own widley admired Counterchange label, Davenport's techno project has brought the Englishman to wider recognition as one of the genre's most talented producers. The new EP's three original tracks finds Inland exploring all facets of his diverse sound: A1, 'Metatlantic' is driving, acid-laced techno, 'Cosinaxis', employs electro beat patterns and IDM aesthetics, B-side opener, 'Lagoon9', is a melodic Detroit-indebted big room weapon. Closing out the EP is a remix of from 3KZ aka Italian duo Z.I.P.P.O & Kaelan, the latter of whom provided one of Black Crow's standout releases so far under his 2030 alias with last year's Timeworm EP. Their remix of 'Cosinaxis' follows hot on the heels of their debut album 'Parallel Reflections', released earlier this year on Z.I.P.P.O.'s Fides imprint.

One the best Techno Producer is on Raw Raw

After showcasing his knack for emotive productions via various EPs throughout his career, including chart-topping singles on Hot Since 82's Knee Deep in Sound and Dave Seaman's Selador, the Swiss artist Several Definitions now reveals his first full-length album. It should come as no surprise that the artist found familiarity in what he calls the Berlin style' of electronic music and notably, that of Oliver Koletzki's Stil vor Talent. Reborn After The Road is an intense and emotional affair, consisting of 14 tracks crafted using field and live recordings, switching between analogue and digital to mould a sonic atmosphere that emblazons the artist's core ethos. Although the personal experience that sparked the inspiration for the LP is far from pleasant, Several Definitions' style is audibly resolute. Reborn After The Road, the album's eponymous track, creates a fitting intro for the healing process that is to follow. Its airy pads and majestic strings sonically stand at the epicenter of the expressive album. Several Definitions continues to explore these sounds on vaporous slices like Pontceard 32 or the more acidical Last Breath. The mellifluous, feminine vocals of LaMeduza on Learn To Feel and Her, as well as Spanish singer Goldsun's crooner talents on the introspective Trust, on the other hand, showcase Several Definitions' ability to work the human voice into his musical explorations. Taking introspection one step further towards darker realms, Senelity then feels like a rite of passage into the deeper and more intense segment at the album's core. Over You briefly signals a turning point, with its alarm-like synths and grave leads, which is then followed by the glitchy resistance on Modular Spaces. The Escape

After releases on the Ninja Tune-backed label R'COUP'D, the mysterious Prequel Tapes surfaces with an EP for Midnight Shift. Composed of 3 tracks and 2 locked grooves, SHIFT LTD 003 fossilises transient moments in between gridlocks of tight grooves. Like a scan of light sweeping surreptitiously across a dungeon of darkness or a blinking throb pulsating from the corner of one's eye, these are the brief but blinding moments of illumination that capture time suspended on the edge of two worlds. Memory capsules slow-releasing an industrial mythos back into the clubbing consciousness. Prequel Tapes is a work of deep synthesis. Teenage recordings orchestrated into densely layered tapestries; a deeply emotional study on a life characterised by a shifting relationship to electronics. The pieces serve as a chronology of desire and reflection, reconciling a nascent passion for industrial music with a history in the club. There is a temptation to draw comparisons to Mark Leckey's excavation of UK rave culture, Lee Gamble's junglist memories or the hauntological approach of the Ghost Box label, however this is clearly a personal trajectory aesthetically distant from an English past. Oscillating between utopian to claustrophobic, the evolving synth work, deep techno atmospheres and traces of the clangorous energy of early European ambient and industrial tell a distinctly German tale, forged between the forest and the autobahn.

'Afro Rock Vol. 1' is one of the most important compilations of heavy original '70s Afro funk and soul to be released in recent years. Originally surfacing on Duncan Brooker's indie Kona label in early 2001, the album single-handedly kick-started the thirst among jazz, funk and soul fans and 'diggers' to rediscover lost music from Africa made during the '60s and '70s from a time when many countries were gaining independence and celebrating a Pan-African identity within their music. The album was one of the frst to reach a far different audience to the traditional 'world music' market and spawned many further projects and labels in its wake. A year later, the 'Nigeria 70' compilation surfaced on Strut and labels like Soundway and Analog Africa would continue to unearth amazing lost gems from the Motherland. The album is testament to the determined work of Brooker following several research trips, especially to East Africa - Kenya and Zaire. It brought to light East Africa's fnest funk band, Air Fiesta Matata, led by the recently deceased Steele Beautttah, 'The Nigerian James Brown' Geraldo Pino from Port Harcourt in Nigeria, and the storming Afro jam 'Yuda' by Dackin Dackino, a previously unreleased gem from Zaire discovered on a discarded reel. The album has remained infuential since its release with tracks appearing on other Afro compilations and on TV and the big screen - Jingo's 'Fever' featured in Kevin McDonald's 2006 hit flm, 'Last King Of Scotland'.Out of print since 2015, the album is being reissued on Strut in its original form with the extra dynamite unreleased psychedelic cut by Kenya's Ishmael Jingo, 'Keep On Holding On' taken from the original master tape. The package features the original sleeve notes by Duncan Brooker along with new additional notes providing further background to the album and tracks.

REPRESSED !
1970's "Osmium" was Parliament's debut album and possibly the first real indicator of where George Clinton and his notorious band of psychedelic funksters might be headed. The ground zero of P-Funk if you will. Existing since the late 50's as a doo-wop group it was the bands later offerings that sculpted their unique, mildly warped idea of what the FUNK should sound like. Initially they cut a couple of 45's for Detroit Soul label Invictus in 1970 (both of which appear on the LP) then embarked on recording more music for the project, their first full length offering on the label. The group also released the debut Funkadelic LP in the same year with both albums feature the same personnel. The conditions under which "Osmium" was realised have since passed off into mythical status with colourful anecdotes involving marathon LSD consuming sessions in isolation in their Toronto studio and a general air of hallucinatory, intense mental psychosis prevailing throughout. It's under this druggy haze that Parliament honed their own sound, a raucous, blown out, tripping stew of R&B, Blues, Soul and Funk replete with early P-Funk trappings.
"Osmium" is a fascinating ride, wild, rampaging heaviness of the most soulful kind. A glimpse into what was to come from one of the most enduring and colourful groups of the last 5 decades. Often a very difficult LP to track down it has always been sought after and extremely expensive to buy. Appealing to fans of Black music, Rock and psychedelia equally it's contents have shocked, entertained and grooved open minded music lovers since it's release over 40 years ago.
This is the first time the record has been reissued in over a decade, complete with original artwork. Remastered, reissued and fully licensed with the full permission and involvement of Invictus Records, Detroit.

Yet another highly in-demand 12" from the Philadelphia International stable and an artist who's records never go out of date! This is a killer double-sided beauty with the frenetic and jazzy "Life On Mars" from his debut 1976 album on the top-side and the mellow all-time classic and soul boy anthem "The Sweetest Pain" from 1979 on the flip.

Two very different sides of a great artist, both of which show the level of diversity that he was capable of producing. The last legitimate release of this was back 1999 and a Mint copy will currently set you back circa £50, if you can ever find one. Word of warning: there are some U.S. bootlegs from 2008 that still appear to be in circulation and which are easy to spot since they use the U.S. silver P.I.R. label.

We are currently getting these taken down and hopefully they'll soon be removed from the marketplace. Accept no substitute! All our 12" re-issues are licensed from the copyright owners and legally covered. No time for fakes over here!

Spiritual jazz heavyweight and Kendrick Lamar collaborator Kamasi Washington's new EP Harmony of Difference, the first new music from Washington since his universally acclaimed 2015 debut album The Epic, is out September 29 via Young Turks.
Harmony of Difference premiered as part of the Whitney Museum of American Art 2017 Biennial alongside a film by A.G. Rojas and also featuring artwork by Kamasi Washington's sister, Amani Washington. The new music is an original six part suite that explores the philosophical possibilities of the musical technique known as 'counterpoint,' which Washington defines as 'the art of balancing similarity and difference to create harmony between separate melodies.' Beyond the artistic impulse to expand the possibilities within counterpoint, Washington wanted to create something that opened people's minds to the gift of diversity.
Each of the first five movements is its own unique composition. 'Truth,' the sixth movement, fuses all five compositions into one simultaneous performance. Echoing this fusion, Amani created five paintings focused on raw shapes and colors, each inspired by one of the first five movements of the suite. Amani then combined these paintings to create a sixth: an abstract depiction of a human face.
The film, directed by A.G. Rojas, brings the metaphoric ideas found in both the music and paintings to life. While still quite abstract, it focuses on the harmony found in people from South Central and East Los Angeles and shows the beauty in their differences.
'My hope is that witnessing the beautiful harmony created by merging different musical melodies will help people realize the beauty in our own differ

One for the heads! A rare female vocal double header, starting with Dalila's 1968 gem 'Canto Chorando' originally released on a sort after 'compacto' 45 on Copacabana.
On the flip - a Copacabana 7' release in the form of Neyde Alexandre's 1971 song 'Perplexidade', with a fantastic break intro, horn stabs and lush vocals. One of our favourite Brazil 45's.



 

Solar Phenomena is a brand new label on an exciting astral crusade. The take-off pilot for our virgin mission is none other than decorated Polish producer Echoplex. One of the country s first breakthrough international techno artists, his body of work dates back almost 20 years While often taking us 20,000 light years forward. This is no exception.

The Solar Experience provides uplift. Like any deep dive into the cosmos, take off is gentle but picks up speed as more interlocking details weave like a blur of stars in your shuttle window. Expect turbulence as Anywhere jettisons the rocket and submits mercy to the acid asteroids with a broken beat jumping at every angular bump.

Hyperspeed prevails with the Detroitian-toned technoid stampede Your Place . Momentum sustained by an insistent sense of urgency as more elements hammer into the mix, it s complemented by an unforgettable remix from A Made Up Sound. His only remix of the year, it s a dense and wonderfully fuzzy weave of planet-bouncing rhythmic elements and alien textures that takes you well beyond the point of no return.

Elsewhere we glide deeper into the cosmos with shiny, gliding and ultimately hopeful The Sun Just Shines , we re sucked deep into hypnotic black holes on the warping bass and broken drums of Memorabilia before activating landing procedures on Match Made In Heaven . Soft chords acting as a parachute, the glistening arpeggio providing the deep oceanic landing spot, it s the ideal end to an accomplished debut celestial adventure. Who knows where Solar Phenomena will take us next

the italian duo boot & tax got already one lp and four eps under their wings who all deliver house and techno that stands out.
so far their records been published by glasgow's finest optimo music and meant records from paris.
now the two give their debut for endless flight and release three tunes that listen to the name 'dimension'.
they all got funk, they all love mesmerising melodies. you can feel the power of disco coming in with heavy seducing strings.
you can get lost in echoed drums, trippy sounds and some oriental tones. and you also can march to cosmic techno that loves krautrock without embracing it.
a multi-coloured ep that spreads deepness in an uncommon sense. if moves the heart and soul profound, while staying edgy and catchy.

DMC World Champion and IDA World Champion. A deep cut non skip 7" DJ scratch tool by Ritchie Ruftone, with one side at 83 bpm and the flip-side at 133 bbpm. Weighing in at 40 gms.

Too many people sleep on Tougher Than Leather, Run-DMC's fourth album. But hear us out as we plead the case for this amazing LP. By 1988 there was a lot more competition in the rap game - Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Ice-T and many more had given Hollis, Queens' prodigal sons lots of competition. But Joe, Darryl and Jay were still at the top of their game, and hip-hop fans should never let this classic - chiefly produced by their Queens neighbor, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Davy D(MX) - get lost in their crates. For starters, the album's first single, Run's House' b/w Beats To The Rhyme' is arguably the most powerful one-two punch of the trio's career, showing contenders to the rap throne that they could still destroy a beat, tag-teaming with power at any speed. Not to be lost in the shuffle, fans were also reminded on both sides that Jam-Master Jay remained one of the world's best DJs, flexing the pinnacle of what would be called turntablism' a decade later. Both songs show a musical telepathy between all three that has rarely been equaled. The second single, Mary, Mary,' driven by an infectious Monkees sample, took a different approach, shrewdly ensuring that pop fans who jumped on the Raising Hell bandwagon had something to chew on. But, like Walk This Way,' the song wasn't just bubblegum - there was an edge to it, and the lyrical gymnastics were very real. It wasn't selling out, it was allowing fans to buy in. Papa Crazy,' driven in concept and by a sample from the Temptations' Papa Was A Rolling Stone,' followed a similar pop-leaning path. Overall, the lyrical content on the album was a step up from the group's first three LPs. It's easy to infer, looking back, that they were feeling the heat from their younger competitors in the rap game. The genre was changing fast, and they were up to the challenge. On cuts like Radio Station' they bring substance to the grooves, by attacking Black Radio for its continual denigration of rap. Tougher Than Leather' reminds the world that they were still the Kings of Rock, with hard guitars to drive the point home. And They Call Us Run-DMC' and Soul To Rock And Roll' both bring things back to their early days, with sure-fire park jam rhymes and killer cuts. Tougher Than Leather, which went platinum up against a lot of competition, perfectly bookends the '80s output of one of the decade's most important groups. It encompasses the full range of the trio's capabilities, and reminds us that Run-DMC should never be forgotten as both pioneers and party-rockers. And so, we say, long live Joe, Darryl and Jay!

Danyb's next wave of tunes picks up where the first two left off, with an added refined quality.
Not to mention, a second rendition of the buzzworthy South African gem from Vol. 1 on the B side making for a back and forth opportunity for the ages at the mixing console.

With Volumes 1 & 2 doing the business out on the floor, volume 3 is sure to please, with a variety of tempos and energies packed into one heavyweight slab of re-tooled obscurities...
Gravi affari !

DJ Swagger returns to E-Beamz with one of his most sought after jams Holly Wood backed with 2 club heaters! Major TIP!

Dark Entries and Serendip Lab have teamed up to release 'Prototech', the first vinyl retrospective by German electronic trio Hypnobeat, recorded 1984-86. James Dean Brown and Pietro Insipido formed Hypnobeat in 1983, but it was the addition of Victor Sol only a few months later that found the project reaching, as Brown puts it, "the desired level of technical sophistication." In time, Tobias Freund also lent his talents (and equipment) to this loose-fit sonic scheme, where the protagonists sought a new, electronic manifestation of mankind's tribal music roots. Two cassette releases surfaced - 1985's "Huggables", and "Specials/Spatials" the following year. By this point the Frankfurt-based group had already explored fiercely mechanical creative expression through various configurations of hardware and personnel, revolving around core ingredients such as the TR-808, TB-303 and MC-202. The project lived on in spirit as Brown activated Narcotic Syntax in the 90s. While a more modern, digital concern, rooted in the Perlon label family, NS still channeled the Hypnobeat concept of a "new tribalism", not least on their "Provocative Percussion" double 12" released in 2006. For all the punky veneer, there are instances where these tracks reach staggering levels of sophistication, not least on "Slash! Buffalo Eats Brass" with its intricately programmed 303 lines and nimble beats that sound a far cry from most machine music made in 1986. Prescient "Can God Rewind" is also dazzling in the complexity of its percussion and the richness of its synth lines in C as they throb out a bastardised version of acidic Disco straight out of the rhythm collider. Elsewhere, some tracks are more primal in their execution. Visceral opening track "The Arumbaya Fetish" was a cathartic venting of Brown's least favourite sound on the 808, the iconic cowbell, while the astounding proto-Acid miniature "Moon Jump" places limber 303 lead lines in a hail of thunderstruck patterns. "Kilian" has a stripped down quality that speaks more to the industrial era that Hypnobeat was conceived in, and "Mission In Congo" is a raw, reverb-soaked drum workout that captures the percussive-obsessive nature of Hypnobeat perfectly. Six of the seven tracks selected on this collection were primarily powered by two 808s. "I am amazed that the release sounds like we really had a plan back then..." states Brown, but this accidental magic is in fact the raison d'etre of Hypnobeat. They weren't the only ones prefiguring the next big revolutions in electronic music in the mid 80s, but there certainly weren't many artists stumbling across modes of expression that sound so relevant today.

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in a jacket featuring cave engravings by Pietro Insipido of an archer and animal printed in a wallpaper pattern style designed by Eloise Leigh. Each copy includes an transparent insert of an x-ray photograph from 1984 of Romulus Cœurque holding the circuit board of a BOSS DR-55 rhythm machine.