Buscar:one one one

Following on from the compilation of Contact-U's foundational UK dance music, 'Dancing Inner Space, 1982-84', Freestyle return to the Challenge Records vaults to reissue another killer Rick de Jongh & Andy Sojka production in the form of Distance's Just One More Kiss.

"We usually recorded at Vineyard studio which was situated in a Victorian warehouse site behind Borough underground station (later owned by the Stock, Aitken Waterman production team)", recalls Rick de Jongh, "but for a reason I can't remember we recorded this record at Phil Fearon's home studio in Kensal Rise - he probably gave us a good deal!". Fearon had been a member of the band Kandidate and was at the time the lead singer and songwriter in Galaxy and would later go on to helm the legendary Production House label in the late 80s and into the early 90s. Rick recalls the studio, a converted back bedroom, being as well equipped as any pro studio though not without it's quirks - "the odd electrical glitch would occur, especially when somebody put the kettle on, which would play havoc with sync codes etc. and we would often have to start again!"

Most of the track had been laid down by Sojka & de Jongh before approaching vocalist Janey Hallett. "At the time Janey was a vocalist with Mari Wilson & The Wilsations, who had a big hit a year or so earlier with 'Just What I Always Wanted' and was introduced to us by our regular keyboard player Garry Hughes, who also brought along Julia Fordham - then a fellow singer in the Wilsations - who provided backing vocals on the track."

Challenge Records would again later utilize the backing vocals of both Janey and Julia on some of their forays into the world of Hi-NRG records. In places there is a certain Hi-NRG tinge to this track, and at times Janey's vocal (in combination with the stripped back and heavy electro backing track) bring to mind the US-based latin freestyle sound of the late 1980s. All in all, it is another piece of foundational & criminally undersung UK dance music, which surely has a place in a wide-range of DJ's record bags!

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Crisp beats open a serene, relaxing track in Celestial Beings. Smooth synth work fades in and the dreamy atmosphere builds and smoothly carries the listener along for a blissful ride, which Aural Imbalance fans will be well accustomed to.

Washing in with a lush pad-work intro, light analogue breaks creep in gradually over a deep brooding bassline, setting the tone for a delightful pad-laden journey through time and space.

Smooth glorious pads & light hi-hats welcome exquisite beat-work using the classic Circles break, a collage of delicate samples lightly adding to the ambient tone of the track.

Another treat for the ears with Caladan Shores, Aural Imbalance conjuring serene atmospheric vibes with graceful, elegant pads and synths complemented by that classic understated 808 bassline.

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

Early in his career as a child star during the late 1960s, reggae singing legend Dennis Emmanuel Brown, received the nickname of "boy wonder of Jamaican music." In 1981, reggae fans unanimously ordained Brown with a new title, "Emmanuel, the Crown Prince of Reggae" and the undisputed heir apparent, following the death of reggae "king" Bob Marley. Brown, with his extremely powerful tenor and distinctive singing voice, established himself easily as one of the most impressive reggae artists of the twentieth century. A happy and friendly man, Brown amassed a loving and loyal following throughout his career, and upon his death at the early age of 42, he was widely eulogized for his outgoing personality. He recorded more than 100 records, including over 50 albums, from the time he was in his teens. The world of reggae music lost a "towering talent," noted Billboard magazine, when Brown passed away on July 1, 1999.

Last year BABYMETAL concluded their 10-year journey culminating in the celebration of the formation of the revered Japanese metal band with the vinyl release of their retrospective album 10 BABYMETAL Years. Later they released a cryptic video that announced BABYMETAL will be "sealed" from the world until further notice. Today, BABYMETAL break the seal, making their return to Earth. Their official website has revealed a LEGEND MAP depicting all of BABYMETAL"s future activities, including the news that BABYMETAL"s first concept album THE OTHER ONE will be released worldwide on Friday, March 24th, 2023. The concept album reveals the other side of the BABYMETAL story that until now remains untold. A total of 10 songs have been discovered within THE OTHER ONE restoration project, with each song representing a unique theme based on 10 separate parallel worlds that they have discovered. Full length audio of each of the 10 songs will finally be revealed when fans get their hands on the album next March. Leading up to the concept album"s release, five pre-release digital singles will be available worldwide for download and streaming, each respectively scheduled to release in October 22, November 22, January, February 23, and March 23.

With OAM004 the label releases a new project called Hybrid, a project that will always present the original works of two artists.
The first hybrid is by Ostreaktor and Lydia Eisenblätter, in which, both artists present the raw elements of Detroit bangers reminiscent
of the early 90's. In this way, both artists, despite their differeces, make the first hybrid a complete work.

As a self-described “sponge for club music”, London-based Bristol transplant Ian DPM has cut a singular figure in both the West Country and the capital in just a handful of years. Already situated as the tastemaker behind music curation platform Definite Party Material, co-owner of Scuffed Recordings, and Noods Radio and Rinse FM resident, Ian DPM’s emergence as a producer has marked him as an expansively curious, bass-forward figure at the bleeding edge of genre boundaries.

After retreating to his hometown of Portsmouth during lockdown to absorb the blueprints of ‘90s techno, Ian emerged with a new phase of experimentation: techno-inspired and indebted, yet eschewing loops and grids for a loose-limbed, open minded engagement of the form.

Taking inspiration from the iconic carnival rides that are inseparable from their high-octane happy hardcore soundtrack, “One For The Waltzers” begins with a distant rumble of muffled breakbeats that inch ever closer. But rather than dizzying lights and in-the-red maximalism, “One For The Waltzers” gradually reveals its knowingly deep shimmy and groove. It is a drum-heavy and rhythmic production, masterfully using negative space to showcase every contour of its slowed-down rave horns and acid house synth lines.

“KE01” inhabits the flipside of the same sonic world “One For The Waltzers”. Here, feverish percussive energy contrasts against pensive melodic synth chords. It’s a heady warehouse affair, familiar and complex, referential yet contemporary, and only adds to the momentum that Ian DPM is gathering.

Bladder Flask’s debut (in fact only) LP, originally issued by Orgel Fesper Music in 1981, is one of the most eclectic albums of the post-Industrial era. It is both challenging and perplexing… So, put down your puny instruments of normality and breathe in the frenzied fungal spores of Bladder Flask.

The fact that Steven Stapleton of Nurse With Wound is a big fan of this album is testament to its greatness: »I love Bladder Flask’s »One Day I Was So Sad That The Corners Of My Mouth Met & Everybody Thought I Was Whistling« and what a great title, perhaps my favourite ever. I must have listened to the album so much in the ’80s. I listened to it again recently and it was like welcoming an old friend.«

Personnel: Richard Rupenus, Philip Rupenus + Sean Breadin, John Mylotte, Nigel Jacklin Recorded at Wrongrong Studio and Spectro Arts Workshop 1980-1981 Audio Restoration & Mastering: Colin Potter @ IC Studio

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