Tastemaker and cult figure among some, noise vendor among others… lurking somewhere in the shadows between London and Paris, the man known as Sheet Noise emerges out of the blue with his debut LP, Shostakovich's 5th Played Backwards in a Concrete Silo.
A direct shock to the system: equally beautiful and evil, abrasive yet uncomfortably calming. The feeling that something is about to happen at any minute—impending love or hatred blaring from the speakers at breakneck speeds. Heavy-duty, reactor-melted junglism; twisted samples buried under layers of dust and static; familiar voices in unfamiliar places.
This eight-track album is as intense as it can get. Don’t call it ambient. Don’t call it jungle. Don’t call it noise. Just strap yourself into the electric chair and get ready for the end.
The first act signed to The Neptunes' newly formed Star Trak label was a Virginia based duo known as the Clipse. The first single “Grindin’” impacted the streets with its bare boned but infectious drum beat in the same way that “Sucker MC’s” did almost 20 years earlier. These brothers - Pusha T and Malice combined with The Neptunes groundbreaking production sent a clear message to the rap world – “we are not the same” (as rapped by Malice on his opening verse on “Cot’ Dam”). Clipse brings an authentic Virginia sound into the game and created a movement, with not only their darkly layered raps but The Neptunes as well. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were able to combine their cyberpunk production with just the right group to create a street masterpiece. Following in the footsteps of such rap criminologists as Kool G Rap, Nas, Jay-Z, and Mobb Deep, the Clipse offer the Virginia hustler's viewpoint with clever, hard-hitting lyrics that is sprinkled throughout the entire album. With so many standout tracks on Lord Willin’ the album starts pulling no punches. On Track 1 simply (or maybe not) titled “Intro” you get a very personal and deep testament of crack and the drug game, a theme that is throughout this album…HEAVY. Songs like “Virginia” or “I’m Not You” (featuring Jadakiss, Styles P and Roscoe P Coldchain), have lyrics that play as a musical notes alongside The Neptunes tailored beats. “Young Boy”, “Comedy Central”… all fit perfectly alongside “When the Last Time” and “Cot Dam” as each song plays its part as chapters to the Lord Wilin’ masterpiece. “Gangsta Lean” (another one of the albums standout tracks) features a slightly lighter feel while paired with Pharrell's trademark falsetto hook. The truth of it is, it’s hard to just pick one track, or point out which is the albums star. Each song on Lord Willin’ is essential to making it the classic that it is. The Neptunes (who were busy turning out every other Pop hit on the radio) crafted an album that was deemed an instant classic, and cemented Clipse as Rap’s newest superstars.
First album of French band La Femme released in 2013 with which they won Best New Band of the year at the French Music Awards and god certified gold. It marked also the beginning of their international recognition, confirmed since with their 2nd album Mystère in 2016 and their brand new album Paradigmes today. Includes the hits Sur La Planche, It's Time to Wake Up and Antitaxi! La Femmes's debut LP, is a mix of surf revival, updated cold wave (in a similar vein to countryman Lescop), 1960s yéyé and psychedelia. "Psycho Tropical Berlin: is apparently also their self-penned genre, they have also said "strange wave, new Motown, witch wave, silly mental wave"... whatever, aach term makes for a pillar to describe their music. Psycho Tropical Berlin is the story of a couple who slipped into chaos and survives by watching each other. Le Danger est partout - Peril is all around - as written in the booklet. Rock and pop, rococo bauhaus, fed from multiples influences (Krafwerk, Elli & Jacno). La Femme just want to please you. Generous and welcoming, she stretches you her white hand in the dark, if you grasp it, it could be the shiver of your life.
Alice Deejay was the Eurodance project founded and produced by Wessel van Diepen, Dennis van den Driesschen, Sebatiaan Molijn,
Eelke Kalberg and vocals by female singer Judy. Their 1999 single "Better Off Alone" reached charts worldwide, hitting #2 in the UK,
cracking the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA and dominated dance floors across Europe. Follow-ups "Back In My Life", " Will I Ever",
"Celebrate Our Love" cemented their place as one of the Netherlands' successful dance acts of the early 2000s.
Their debut albumWho Needs Guitars Anyway? was released in 2000 and also made strong impact across international charts, including the United Kingdom where it peaked at #8. Celebrating it's 25th Anniversary, the album is now available on vinyl for the first time, featuring their chart toppers
"Better Off Alone", "Back In My Life" amongst others. Who Needs Guitars Anyway? is available as a limited edition on purple coloured vinyl, and includes an insert.
Ambroos De Schepper and Pepijn Gyssels became roommates when PiP moved to Brussels in 2021. Both paid close attention to each other’s musical approach and interests. One year later, Ambroos moved out. When he swung by to pick up some boxes, they decided to record something for the fun of it. Between May '23 and November '24 they continued experimenting with textures and improvisations. This collaboration has become the deepening of a friendship and a way to maintain it at the same time.
PiP: “We would have coffee or the occasional beer and everything we recorded came very organically. Ambroos would just bring his saxophone, a clarinet, some FX pedals or a weird flute. Whatever he felt like on that particular day. A few hours later he would usually be on his way again, leaving me with the recordings. I could treat them as I pleased.”
Ambroos: “I liked the idea of working with someone focussing on the physical side of music. Not so much on chords and tonality, but on texture and atmosphere. This gave me a framework with less concrete references, using words like “dark” or “busy”. I could improvise freely and we would try and catch a particular moment."
“l’Esprit de l’Escalier” is meant to be a musical meditation, opening up a continuous and detailed sound palette, aimed for the right mental state to listen with. Ambroos came up with the melody in COVID times and later in PiP’s studio, they recorded it on clarinet.
“Sans Loup” is the first jam the duo did together, after Ambroos and Lou moved out of the apartment they shared. Lou Wéry eventually found her way back to the album, as she can be heard playing the wing piano in this track.
PiP: “We recorded in the apartment we used to rent together. Since the title track and the entire album are named after Lou being absent in this dynamic, it seemed only natural to invite her in a later stage.”
“Spring Whistle” was an attempt to embed Ambroos’ musicality in dreamy textures and “Bring Back Bones” was built around an endlessly evolving krakeb recording that PiP took home from on a trip to Morocco. Both tracks are not aimed to end or evolve drastically, they just make the clock tick slower.
To conclude this release, “Velours de Tendre” is built out of a deconstructed groove and a field recording of the “Ronde van Vlaanderen”, a small reference to the countryside where PiP grew up. The reverberating chords you hear are the echoes Tijn Driessen squeezed out of an old harmonium, in a staircase of De Grote Post in Ostend.
PiP: “During a residency in De Grote Post we recorded in a staircase with a spaced pair of omni microphones. And you can take ‘spaced’ quite serious; one was positioned 5 stories higher and the other 3 stories lower.”
Sans Loup is the first vinyl to release on PiP’s label. They look alike, but none will be identical. The cover is screen printed in various combinations + a risograph insert. A highly personalized object.
credits
Released on Zitstill Records
Recorded in Brussels, Horebeke, Morocco and elsewhere, between September 2021 - November 2024
Music, mixing and production by Pepijn Gyssels
Saxophone, flute and clarinet by Ambroos De Schepper
Grand piano on “Sans Loup” by Lou Wéry
Harmonium on “Velours de Tendre” by Tijn Driessen
Mastering and lacquer cut by Anne Taegert at Dubplates & Mastering
Pressing by Objects Manufacturing
Layout and graphic design by Liselotte Van Daele & Otis Verhoeve
Photography by Willem Mevis
Special thanks to: Stijn Cools, Victor De Greef, De Grote Post
Continuing his refraction of the rave continuum into pointedly dislocated, delicately bruising sound system meditations, Low End Activist returns to Peak Oil with a second instalment in his Airdrop series. This time around, he channels the ghosts of foundational tech-step and the quantum leaps of late-90s D&B to provide the inspirational fuel for his skeletal, astral constructions. A strong stylistic thread continues to weave through the LEA output from his earlier self-released EPs and Sneaker Social Club albums, where haunted atmospherics, blown out subs and snatches of breaks dart around each other in empty dancehalls, but the finer point of the sound design and synthesis makes very specific references to landmark moments in hardcore's evolution.
By weaving his own autobiography into the music, the Activist maintains a fundamental theme of his work to date. 'Colin's Golf', 'Smithy's Porsche,' 'Merv's Lazy Eye' and 'Brillo's Teeth' are all personal codes harking back to the formative Oxford rave scene. With the framework in place, he uses textures, timbres and studio tricks from scene-leading pioneers and local heroes of the era as ingredients in thoroughly modernist concoctions. None of the reference points are deployed as literal callbacks — they're waymarkers for the creative process and faint triggers bedded deep into Airdrop II's strange formations. Fleeting sonics might trigger latent memories for those who were there. For everyone else, Airdrop II is another step further along rave's eternally unspooling odyssey, guided by decades of precedents on a path into the future.
MOb return this November with their second album on Veego Records, continuing the adventurous journey they began with their 2023 debut MOb 1. Hailed by the press as one of the boldest and freshest statements in the Greek scene, their first record moved seamlessly between jazz, punk, and electronic forms, creating a sound often described as “an entire orchestra played by just three musicians.”
On their new release, Marios Valinakis (saxophone, effects, synthesizers), Alexandros Delis (bass, double bass), and Panagiotis Kostopoulos (drums) construct an even more intricate and ambitious sonic universe. The compositions range from the explosive energy of “Tipping Point” and the dark atmospheres of “Utu and Sin”, to the radical reimagining of Wayne Shorter’s “Fall” and the polyphonic outburst of “The Listener”, featuring the Kos Choir.
Guest appearances further expand the palette: Phillip “Felipe MC” Manev lends his voice to “Tipping Point” and “Encounters”, while Angelos Polychronou enriches “Encounters” and “The Listener” with his percussions.
The album was produced and recorded by MOb themselves, with Bruno Ellingham handling mixing and mastering for most tracks, while “Utu and Sin” was mixed by Malcolm Catto at the Quatermass Sound Lab. The cover artwork is designed by Apostolos Mitrelis, and the back cover features a photograph by Maciej Moskwa.
If MOb 1 revealed a band capable of fusing free improvisation with rhythm-driven “bangers” that reached audiences beyond Greece, the new album confirms their evolution: more intense, more diverse, and more imaginative. With one foot rooted in tradition and the other firmly in the present, MOb deliver a work that breaks boundaries and builds bridges across genres and audiences, solidifying their reputation as one of the most exciting groups in today’s Greek music scene.
With centuries of history, traditional instruments carry physical vibrations shaped by human breath and touch. In contrast, electronic music generates vibrations through inorganic principles such as electrical signals and circuits. When the subtle tremors of traditional instruments resonate with the intricate tones of electronic sounds in an improvised dialogue, performers from distinct realms expand each other’s languages, creating a new sensory experience. The project album Ancient Moment marks the first collaboration between the Korean contemporary music ensemble WhatWhy Art and the Seoul underground electronic music collective vurt.. It is a record of a free journey where two different worlds collide and merge,
In Part 1 of the album, you will hear boundless performances by daegeum player Hong Yoo with electronic musician Unjin, and gayageum player Hwayoung Lee with ambient duo Hosoo. The recording was done in an improvised one-take format at STUDIO Y in Seoul, and Giuseppe Tillieci mastering enhanced the sonic quality.
Five years after the release of 'The First Circle' Neroli celebrates its 25th anniversary with a new volume.
'The Second Circle' picks up from where its predecessor left and expands its aestethic into more musical territories.
The album moves from still ambience and majestic uplifting strings to quirky electronics, it explores expansive fusion landscapes till landing into Detroit beatless territories accompanying the listener to multiple musical places and to embrace this unique spiritual journey. Featuring original unreleased compositions by: Nu Era, Lar Bartkuhn, Molinaro, Claude Young jr, Joe Claussell, EDB, Jordan GCZ, Other Lands, Stephen Lopkin, Meftah, Zopelar and Volcov.
Lantern in the Woods is the new album from musician and multi-instrumentalist Misha Sultan – a project that marks an important milestone for the artist. It is his first work conceived and realized as a coherent, unified statement, from the earliest ideas and sounds to the final mastering.
The story of the album began back in 2021 in Saint Petersburg, during studio jam sessions with Anton (Mårble), Vova Luchanskiy, and Nikita (Minereed). These live
improvisations eventually led to the formation of the collective Sri Primat and left a significant imprint on Misha Sultan’s solo sound. Some of the instrumental parts on the album were recorded during this period, preserving the spirit of spontaneity and open dialogue between the musicians.
Later, after moving to Thailand, Misha recorded the second half of the material. These tracks absorbed the atmosphere of southern nights, tranquility, and comfort – bringing a distinct “bedroom jazzy vibe”, a touch of sentimentality and gentle melancholy into the music.
The album offers a beautiful blend of jazz and various other influences. At its heart, it’s a search for balance between memories and the present moment, between nature and the city, between the light of the lantern and the darkness of the woods.
“It was especially important to me that my friends and close people were involved in this album. Their presence gave the music that warmth and personal feeling I value so much. My brother Zhenya (Dyad), Anton (Mårble), Vova Luchanskiy — they all contributed a part of themselves to these tracks, as did Nina Livanova, who recorded vocal parts for several songs,” says Misha.
Lantern in the Woods is a soft and sincere work, where all things intertwine naturally.
Tóxico and Subject To Restrictions Discs present a retrospective on Switzerland’s hidden analogue gear scene from 2017 and 2018. A vibrant yet undocumented chapter in the country’s music history. The 10 tracks, originally released exclusively on cassette and heard only by a small circle of listeners, are now compiled for the first time on vinyl as “Tóxico Tapes”. The collection captures the scene’s raw, hands-on energy through off-kilter rhythms, low-key EBM, ominous wave and free-form synth excursions.
Founded and curated by the former DJ and producer Narco Marco, the Tóxico label became a hub for Switzerland’s analogue gear enthusiasts. Between 2016 and 2020, it released a series of 10 tapes – albums and compilations – that now stand as a blueprint of the DIY, machine-driven underground of the time. Narco Marco is a key figure in Swiss electronic music. As a long-time clerk at “Oldiesshop” record store in Bern, he has championed eclectic sounds across decades. His in-depth knowledge of 1980s music, combined with his work as a musician, avid record collector, and founder of the “Hot Jam” label, influenced an entire generation of musicians and DJs in Switzerland at the time.
Subject To Restrictions Discs joins forces with Narco Marco to present a selected set of 10 songs as a tribute to Tóxico and this creative era. The material draws primarily from the Autumn Tape and Winter Tape compilations, which spotlighted artists from Zurich and Bern – two cities at the heart of this analogue revival.
On her fourth full-length album as Shedir, Sardinian sound artist Martina Betti offers a profound meditation on what it means to be human on the threshold of uncertainty.
We Are All Strangers is a series of ambient tapes-tries shaped by duality and introspection, where sound becomes a space to explore the tension between identity and ambiguity, presence and disappearance, connection and solitude. Inspired by the idea that we are all strangers, however, first and foremost to ourselves, Betti crafts seven fluid, slow-burn compositions that inhabit a sociological liminal zone—what she comments as an “inner elsewhere.”
These aren’t songs in the traditional sense, but evolving sonic environments that feel like emotional states made audible. Environmental textures, submerged electronics, and deep low-end pulses coalesce into a dreamlike architecture of sound: immersive, fragile, and quietly transformative.
Rather than offering answers or closure, the album invites us to live in radical openness—to stop trying to define everything we see and feel, and instead bathe in what remains unnamed. In this sense, We Are All Strangers is an invitation: to sit with uncertainty, to embrace the unfinished, and to find resonance even in our collective disconnection.
For listeners drawn to the introspective frequencies of Rafael Anton Irisarri, Félicia Atkinson, or Lawrence English, Betti’s music offers a similarly haunting and immersive experience—one where strangeness is not a flaw, but a starting point. In her hands, ambient music becomes a kind of reflective shelter: a place to brush against each other in the dark and begin to learn, as she puts it, “the difficult art of closeness.”
Celebrating its anniversary with a characteristically bold move, Kyiv-based vinyl label Artreform isn't closing a chapter - it's opening a new one. Rather than issuing a standard 50th release, the label jumps straight to release 51 with this striking 8-track mini-album - a sly nod to the new sounds and exciting events still to come.
Splitting the anniversary release into two parts (four tracks each) creates a liminal space between the past and the future; between canonical house sounds and futuristic sound experiments. Unwavering ambition and a daring vision have long defined Artreform - and are deeply embedded in the creative credo of its founder, DJ, producer, and vinyl connoisseur Joss.
After an impressive 13-year journey, it's fair to say that Artreform has never succumbed to the lure of fleeting trends, remaining steadfast in its dedication to quality tech house, deep house, and microhouse. At the same time, the label continues to stay sharp, hungry for new ideas, and firmly in step with the times - while many imprints of similar vintage slide into self-mythologizing mode, focusing on reissues and retrospective compilations.
The new release makes this abundantly clear. The second half of the celebratory mini-album features a vibrant, life-affirming dancefloor cut from JOSS; a peak-time rave-inspired killer by iO (Mulen) - an artist who's been with Artreform since day one; a stylish deep house groove from seasoned masters Gorje Hewek & Binu Raal; and an ethereal vibe courtesy of Swedish standout Cirkel Square, whose music sounds dreamy, arresting, and otherworldly.
Welcome to the first release on Acid Lamour
A sub label for Lamour Records started in 2018 with a focus on techno and acid dedicated DJs. Releases are limited to 303 vinyls, no re-press.
Anders Ilar and John H are no newcomers to the electronic music scene.
Born in 1973, Anders Ilar began his explorations of electronic music in the mid 80s. Growing up in the small town of Ludvika in Sweden, Ilar spent all of his spare time playing with synthesizers, drum machines, keyboards and sequencers, learning the ins and outs of analogue and digital sound and music creation. Inspired by the early industrial and EBM wave he formed several bands with friends, started playing live shows
at smaller local parties, and released several demo tapes in very limited quantities. In the 90's he gradually shifted his creative influences towards ambient techno and acid and also started to DJ. He started using computer software to produce his music around 1999 and his first vinyl EP was released in 2001 on the german label Plong!, soon to be followed by
many more releases on labels such as Shitkatapult, Audio.nl and Echocord.
Developing his own flavor of deep minimal dub techno and ambient he gained critical acclaim with his album Nightwidth (2006) for Narita Records in the USA. Followed by highly appraised album Sworn on the german label Level Records in 2008. Ilar has also made remixes for celebrated artists such as Apparat, Mikkel Metal and Ripperton and has
appeared on numerous compilations and DJ-mixes. He's performed live on stage through-out most European countries and Japan, as well as doing a small tour with Notch Festival in China in 2008.
Up to 2018 Anders Ilar has produced 13 albums and 25 vinyl EP's and performed in over 15 countries.
Born in 1984 and based in Gothenburg. John H has been DJing, as well as producing tracks, since the late 90s, with Anders as his mentor and teacher, giving John early musical influences spanning across a wide range of genres, from Swedish techno to IDM, Cologne acid craziness and
the sound of Chicago house tracks. The musical output of his DJ-sets usually varies between techno, house, acid, electro and everything in between, depending on the time and location. John has performed on several locations all around Sweden, but also done appreciated gigs in other European countries at clubs like Tresor and Culture Box, and his music has been featured in sets by DJs such as Sven Väth, Adam Beyer,
Joris Voorn, Dense & Pika, Cari Lekebusch, Alan Fitzpatrick, Karotte,
Gregor Tresher, The Hacker and many more.
Coming For Your Tongue EP is Anders and John's 4th collab release, after
acclaimed releases on Flight Recorder and New York Haunted, recorded
during a jam session at John's studio in Bergsjön outside of Gothenburg,
Sweden, using a small setup of analogue synths and drum machines such as
the Roland TR-606, TR-808, a Devil Fish modified TB-303, Minimoog Voyager
and the Arturia Microbrute. After recording Anders spiced things up by
cutting and puzzling loops as well as adding extra effects and drums.
Limited edition of 303, no repress. Vinyl exklusive for 3 months
The Rude Boy moniker has its roots firmly set in the downtown districts of Kingston, Jamaica.
Alongside the regular Ska/Rocksteady sounds coming out of the sound systems, there was an undercurrent theme to some songs that spoke of the struggles of the youth, of their confrontation, arrests and run ins with the establishment.
Some of these songs praised the Rude Boys for their stance and style while other songs were more in contempt with the Rude Boy's attitiudes, comings ,goings and violent behaviour.
For this release we have put together a set of tunes that the Jamaican Rude Boys would have been listening to at the sound systems on the lawns and street corners.
Not only the more obvious Rude Boy tunes like 'Gunmen Coming to Town' , 'Dreader than Dread', 'Moon Hop' but also some of the tunes that made the sound systems rock well into the night.
Hope you enjoy the set,,,,,
On 9th December Modern Obscure Music presents Cascades, the new album from Pedro Vian & Mana, which premiered during their immersive live set at the most recent Sonar Festival in Barcelona.
Cascades was recorded over a three-day studio session in Turin during the winter months, which is reflected in the musical narrative, as the eleven tracks flow gently like an icy river, filled with a mixture
of hazy melancholy, uncanny dream-states and euphoria.
Various recording techniques and instrumentation was utilised, including the Lyra-8 organismic analogue synthesiser, which takes principles from living organisms to produce sounds resembling a
conversation between nature and technology. The result is a spellbinding ambient odyssey that features a luminous synthesis of neo-classical strings and orchestral drones, together with strange
voices, and abstract passages designed to evoke Dante’s Inferno, which represent the soul’s journey.
Pedro Vian is a renowned Catalan artist who has released three solo albums (Beautiful Things You Left Us For Memories, Pedro Vian and Ibillorca) and a collection of singles on his Modern Obscure
Music imprint – a multi-disciplinary platform based on deep listening and music research. The ‘PRSNT’ compilation, which Pedro curated in 2021 and featured Laurie Spiegel, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Visible Cloaks, received support from Pitchfork, Crack, Brooklyn Vegan, The Quietus, The Wire and Metal. Pedro has been remixed by Inga Copeland and Pye Corner Audio, and has recorded mixes for of Bleep, Self-Titled and Juno Daily.
As part of a new generation of Italian electronic music artists, Piedmont born composer and producer Mana has released two full length albums (Seven Steps Behind and Asa Nisi Masa) on Kode 9's
Hyperdub imprint, plus an EP on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label under his Vaghe Stelle alias.
Earlier in his musical journey, Mana supported Laurent Garnier, James Holden and Skream across the Torino club scene, and in 2011 teamed up with Italian friends Lorenzo Senni and A:RA to form
the experimental group One Circle.
Pedro Vian & Mana’s previous work as solo producers has pushed the limits of electronic music, and together they’ve garnered critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, The Quietus, The Vinyl
Factory, Resident Advisor and more. They now join forces to traverse new sonic territories between electronica, ambient, drone, and trance-inducing soundscapes.
Vibe Ride is the sixth release of Adam Rudolph's Hu Vibrational project and marks his 60th release as a leader or co-leader. Comes with insert and download code.
“With every record, the goal is to explore new creative territory,” explains Rudolph. Vibe Ride continues a deeper exploration of a trance-like groove and a conceptual framework known as Sonic Mandala. This album marks the most complete realization of that idea, partly due to the group's experience touring beforehand. That time on the road helped to refine ideas and strengthen musical chemistry. The recording process unfolded organically—likely due to the long-standing collaboration within ensembles like Go: Organic Orchestra and Moving Pictures, where the musicians have developed a deep familiarity with the shared musical language.
Sonic Mandala refers to a musical approach distinct from traditional linear structures of theme and development. Found in cultures across the globe, it may represent one of the oldest forms of musical expression—predating written history by tens of thousands of years. Today, it is most vividly preserved in the music of the Ituri Forest peoples (Aka, Baka, Ba Benzele, Mbuti), whose sound traditions revolve in cyclical, orbit-like patterns. Vibe Ride seeks to bring that ancient sense of circularity into a contemporary—and perhaps even futuristic—context.
The ensemble of Vibe Ride—Alexis Marcelo, Jerome Harris, Harris Eisenstadt, Neel Murgai, Tim Kieper, and Tripp Dudley—brings exceptional creativity and skill to the project. While grounded in the sonic languages of today, their performance channels an ancient vibrational lineage, connecting with ancestral sound makers who were attuned to the rhythms of the sun, moon, stars, and seasons. Human beings have always been deeply responsive to natural cycles.
Like a mandala, where the circle reveals itself as a spiral—always returning, but never to the exact same point—the Sonic Mandala musical experience spirals through motion. Refined signal patterns emerge through overtone-rich instrumentation. The groove becomes a threshold, shifting the listener from passive observation into active, even transcendent, participation. With open ears and an open mind, the sound spirals inward—toward a primal center—and outward into the cosmos. When this elevated state is shared among participants, it creates what mystics describe as resonance.
Vibe Ride thrives on the distinctive sonic voices of its players, interwoven with care and nuance into the compositions. Hu Vibrational merges elements of world music, electronica, and improvised jazz into something both funky and spiritual, intense and soothing.
Using signature techniques of organic orchestration, layered arrangement, and electronic processing, the compositions are sculpted from percussion, electronics, and ethereal textures. Rhythmic foundations drawn from diverse traditions serve not as endpoints, but as building blocks. As the saying goes, “Orchestration is the key.” In shaping the sound, the aim was to discover fresh ways of balancing structure and sonic color. As Don Cherry once said: “The swing is in the sound.”
The audiophile LP was carefully recorded, mixed, and mastered by James Dellatacoma—longtime engineer for both Bill Laswell and Rudolph—at Laswell’s Orange Studio.
“This crew artfully blends together to create a seamless tapestry of rhythm… the end results are mesmerizing. Hu Vibrational is all about communing with the groove spirits and creating worlds where earthy rhythms and other-worldly sounds are one.”
— Dan Bilawsky, All Music Guide
“You can be sure that when Adam Rudolph and an ensemble of breathtaking drummers get together mystical and wonderful things will happen.”
— Raul da Gama,
“A stunning effort, enjoyable and grows with repeated listening.”
— Stefan Wood, Freejazzcollective
With Rêves, Senbeï unveils the most intimate and ambitious work of his career. Known for his unique blend of electronic music, hip-hop, and Asian sounds, the beatmaker reinvents himself here in an orchestral and cinematic universe, a far cry from his previous albums.
Inspired by the great soundtracks of children's adventure films—The Goonies, The Neverending Story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory—Rêves is a sonic immersion where childhood nostalgia meets the emotional power of an orchestra.
A unique symphonic production.
For the first time, Senbeï has called upon a 15-piece orchestra, recorded in conditions close to those of film music. Strings, wind instruments, and electronic textures echo each other to create a rich, evocative universe, filled with luminous melodies and magical tension. This album is not just a collection of tracks: it is an adventure to be listened to like reading a story or watching a film.
The mighty Falsetto voice of Mr Cornell Campbell is another we believe, unsung hero of the Jamaican music scene. Who in our opinion should have broke through to a wider audience, than his cult status currently provides. We have unearthed straight from the master tapes an album that was due for release around the mid 70’s. A few of these cuts, found their way out on limited 7”s, that were mainly for the domestic Jamaican market. But as a complete body of work, never found a release until now. We hope like us, once you have played the tracks, you will feel that this set of cuts, stands up amongst Cornell’s finest work. Cornell Campbell (born 1948, Jamaica), made his first recordings in the early 1960’s for Coxone Dodd at Studio 1. Tracks like ‘Under the Old Oak Tree’, ‘My Treasure’ and later as a duo with Roy Patton ‘Salvation’ and ‘Sweetest Girl’, were local hits on the Jamaican Sound Systems. A short spell with the Uniques was followed by his roll as lead vocalist with the Eternals, under the monicker of Don Cornell. Their finest moment being the classic ‘Stars / Queen of the Minstrels’ cuts which still stand up today as some of Jamaica’s finest.
The 1970’s saw Mr Campbell move on to work with producer Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee, for whom he cut most
of his big tunes. He and fellow singer Johnny Clarke, would become Bunny’s 70’s equivalent to his 1960’s stable of singers like Slim Smith, Pat Kelly and Ernest Wilson. They would provide the voice to his many hits of the day. Bunny not being called ‘Striker’ for nothing. Cornell also had a series of hits around his theme as the ‘Gorgon’. The mighty figure unbeatable at the dances in the Greenwich Town district of Kingston. ‘The Gorgon’, ‘The Conquering Gorgon’. ‘Natty Dread in a Greenwich Farm’. These were all firm favourites at the dances in Jamaica. He also worked with other notable producers around this time. Winston ‘Niney’ Holness “I Heart is Clean’, Tappa Zukie ‘Follow Instruction’
and culminating in a massive hit ‘Boxing’ in 1979 for producer Joe Gibbs. But it was his time with Bunny Lee that set the levels for his record output. This unreleased album is from this period in time, when Cornell Campbell never sounded sweeter......
In the wake of their widely-acclaimed album Union, JUNO-nominated duo ÈBONY rematerialize on the dancefloor with the otherworldly Shades of Meridian EP, projecting a waking futurist dream haunted by echoes of Detroit techno, Chicago house, South African melodies, and the rich mythology of Ancient Toronto.
Opener "Break My Skin explores a hidden pocket of after-hours techno space-time with an ethereal vocal by James Baley, leading into the tense, disembodied jack of "Forever." Next, "Dull Side First" rides a spectral break through a sepulchral warehouse trip, "RIFT" invokes peak-time witchcraft, and closer "My Daylight" entrances even the most self-possessed sound-and-lighting guys to spam the smoke machine until reality itself is occluded.
And to those who say that working with JUNO-nominated artists proves that Turbo is just a cog in the CanCon cabal, we would like to familiarize you with the facts: Canadian Tire refused to carry our 2023 Bryan Adams remix LP and we have rejected five separate demos from Justin Trudeau's tech-house alias "Arabian Nights." It's called integrity - try looking it up sometime.
“Everything flows – nothing remains, there is only an eternal becoming and changing” is a well-known formulation of the river theory of the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, also known as panta rhei (ancient Greek: πάντα ῥεῖ, “everything flows”). This teaching states that everything in the universe is subject to constant change and that nothing stays the same forever. The metaphor of the river illustrates this: You can't step into the same river twice because both the river and you are constantly changing. The water is constantly flowing, but the river stays in one place. Thus, reality is constantly changing, even if sometimes perceived as constant.”
„Same Same but Different.“ Always different – always the same. Chill-Out DJ Heraklit
For the 26th time, the most consistent of all ambient compilations, in a constant flux of static change, is released on Kompakt. Joining good friends from the early days and reliable confidants are some new additions to the non-hierarchical charts of contemplative rapture culture.
Leading the way is Micå, a Japanese electronic musician whose finely chiseled, graceful musical style has made it onto the new collection with two pieces. Also making his debut is Richard Ojijo, a seasoned sound engineer known, among other things, for his long-standing collaboration with the artist Marcel Odenbach and the Cologne-based label Magazine. Oskø aka Max Hytrek, a multi-talented newcomer to Kompakt and the music scene, debuts with his rapturously ecstatic piece "Ar Vag." He's followed by Sebastian Mullaert, appearing for the second time—this time teamed up with Sebastian Lilja aka Hush Forever. After his surprise return last year after a 20 year hiatus, we are delighted that Tetsuo Sakae aka Pass Into Silence is back again this year with one of his distinctive sound gems. As are Dirk Leyers (Closer Musik) and Mikkel Metal. 18 tracks are featured on this CD. "Erlösung" (Redemption) is the title of Segensklang's closing track. A kind of ambient bolero into infinity. Or at least until next year...
And what would Pop Ambient be without the iconic, artistic cover design of Veronika Unland, who once again, in her unmistakable way, says through the digital flower: The eye always listens...
Demi Riquísimo reveals the latest EP on his Semi Delicious imprint No Given Time featuring collaborations with Tesselate founders The Trip, stalwart of East London's Queer scene Michelle Manetti and Belfast favourite Hammer.
With the signature Semi Delicious sound demonstrated throughout the package, the warm and groove-driven productions are designed with the dancefloor firmly in mind. Opening with the solo title track ‘No Given Time’, Demi sets the tone with lush synth work and lashings of 90s house flavour. Collaboration with The Trip ‘Infinite Room’ follows, with elastic basslines and an unmistakable blend of the artists’ sonic aesthetics, while ‘Only Love’ sees Demi team up with Michelle Manetti for a slice of joyous uplift with dreamy soundscapes. Closing out the EP is ‘Lime House’, in collaboration with Belfast’s Hammer, as the pair bring in prog-style chords and dizzying synths that take you well into the afterhours.
“Collaboration is important because it opens you to new ideas and thought processes while learning new tricks and techniques,” Demi explains. “It’s also a lovely way to bond and build relationships with other producers.”
A trans-generational meeting of raw frequencies and spiritual drive, BTB007 bridges the roots of freetekno. On the A-side, 69db a true pioneer of the underground, delivers two live-crafted pieces that channel decades of improvisation and sound system energy. One track, reflects on the ongoing genocide in Palestine; the other turns its gaze toward the performative side of modern culture. Flipping the record, Gen Unit, the collaborative project of Kaisei Kitada and Scam Artist, respond with two dense compositions forged in the spirit of old-school freetekno: raw, hypnotic, and relentlessly physical. Together, they form a dialogue across generations and geographies, between chaos and control, analog heat and digital clarity, perfectly embodying the spirit of Beyond the Bridge.
On The Button are back again and coming in strong with their 3rd release. This time Birmingham native Croft. delivers his first full debut EP for the Leeds based record label and Event.
Croft. has delivered 4 heavy cuts all ready for the dancefloor, a mixture of a 4/4 groove laden techno/tech house and breaky electro, all 4 tracks truly complimenting each other with Croft. establishing his unique sound.
Magnificent Fall, The Notwist's new rarities compilation, compiles some special and wild moments from this unique German indie group's rich history. They've always snuck gorgeous songs and thrilling remixes onto split singles, extended plays, and other formats, across their career, and pieced together here – compiled thoughtfully, with sensitivity to flow and the listening experience – these thirteen selections work as a kind of ‘shadow narrative’ of The Notwist, an alternative index of the possibilities this shape-shifting group uncovered during their time together.
They've been smart to let go of chronology when sequencing Magnificent Fall, so the songs here move across phases and stages of The Notwist's career, helmed by brothers Markus and Micha Acher. This approach makes plenty of sense, as this music compiled here abstracts from two impulses – to push forward and not repeat what has come before, while building from the group's very specific musical language. Just one example: the loveliness of the instrumental “Avalanche”, from 2020's Ship, follows elegantly from the happy-sad glitch-pop of “Blank Air”, from a 2010 split with former member Martin Gretschmann's project Console. Different phases, different memberships, shared concerns.
The Notwist have always been interested in and open to community, and one of the many ways they reach out to others is through the remix. There are three here, sent back to The Notwist from different corners of the world, both aesthetically and geographically: Grizzly Bear take on “Boneless”, Ada tackles “Run Run Run”, and Odd Nosdam submerges “Sleep” in noise and clatter. Another connection, of course: Odd Nosdam is part of The Notwist's extended family, through Markus and Micha Acher's 13 & God project with fellow Anticon artists Themselves and Subtle.
So, the music on Magnificent Fall traverses varying terrain – abstract hip-hop, chamber pop, sweet and simple folk song, indietronica, free-floating improvisation. There are several unreleased songs, as well, drawn from across the group's history. Core to it all, though, the thing that makes The Notwist so singular, is the thumbprint of the Acher brothers, their gently poetic way of moving through the world and welcoming other musicians and artists into the fold, expressively and with generosity.
Historically aware without being nostalgic, Magnificent Fall is the perfect way to introduce The Notwist's reissue programme with Morr Music, too, including a box set, and the group's eight albums, documenting their three-and-a-half decades of music and community-making. Looking back to move forward? It's a very good idea.
Various Small Whistles and a Song, the new album by Chicago-based artist Lia Kohl, incorporates notions of space, social relations, and humor. As the title suggests, the album responds to Ed Ruscha’s 1964 photographic artist book Various Small Fires and Milk, which Kohl sees as a wondrous celebration of ordinariness, one that reveals Ruscha’s trademark deadpan humor and depth. In the spirit of that publication, Kohl created her own series of sonic vignettes, with guest appearances from her close community of collaborators including claire rousay, Macie Stewart, Patrick Shiroishi, and others, reflecting the same sense of humor and mundanity.
The structure of the album—16 one-minute tracks—directly mirrors Ruscha’s book, which comprises 15 photographs of fire and one of a glass of milk. Ruscha’s “small fires” are represented here by recordings of whistles—mostly human whistling, with occasional appearances by train whistles, emergency whistles, and a woman selling penny whistles on the street in Guangzhou, China. About this choice of material, Kohl writes: “I’ve always been captivated by whistling—it’s musical but often a bit unconscious; usually solo but often done in public places. There’s something tender and human about hearing someone whistle, a socially acceptable version of hearing their mind wander.” As with Ruscha’s photographs, the whistles are not random snapshots but windows into social situations, narratives, or spaces.
The “milk” of the title — the 16th photograph in Ruscha’s book — is interpreted here as a single recording: a group of people singing together in Barcelona around 6 a.m. on New Year’s morning, captured through the floor of an Airbnb. Kohl describes this as a social, collective sound that contrasts with the solitary nature of whistling. The song functions as a counterbalance—a quiet celebration of shared experience.
Lia Kohl is a composer and sound artist based in Chicago. Her wide-ranging practice includes composition and performance, installation, improvisation, and collaboration. She tours nationally and internationally, working in theater, jazz, rock, and experimental contexts. Her work centers curiosity and patience, an exploration of the mundane and profound possibilities of sound.
SOPHIE’s ‘OOH’ and ‘GET HIGHER’ are now available as a double A-side 12" vinyl. This release follows the single-series packaging format used for the other singles from PRODUCT: one track and slide image per side, black vinyl in a black inner sleeve, screen-printed with a white SOPHIE logo housed in a clear archive bag.
Earlier in 2025, Numbers marked 10 years since SOPHIE’s game-changing singles collection PRODUCT, with a special edition featuring 11 songs across Deluxe Vinyl and Compact Disc.
SOPHIE classics ‘BIPP’, ‘LEMONADE’ and ‘VYZEE’ were joined by two immaculate PRODUCT-era songs ‘OOH’ and ‘GET HIGHER’ recorded and produced at the time, each with colourful single artwork completing the set.
‘OOH’ is one of SOPHIE's earliest productions that has been through several revisions since 2011. It was one of three original tracks that Numbers had signed when SOPHIE uploaded the song alongside 'BIPP' and 'ELLE' to her Soundcloud, and while it had been through several iterations and speed changes, this finalised version was completed by SOPHIE in 2019.
SOPHIE once described ‘OOH’ as “hi tech club dance pop”. Musically speaking, the earworm hook is carved out by her signature portamento-infused synths and candy-coated lyrics, a firm cult classic approved by AG Cook and Charli XCX. Initially titled 'MAKE RESPECT', the track was first performed live by SOPHIE in 2011 to a handful of lucky people at a beach afterparty surrounding Sonar Festival, Barcelona and later that year at Manhattan's New Museum. The vocal was recorded as the first track in the same one-day recording session as SOPHIE's debut single 'NOTHING MORE TO SAY', released on the Huntley & Palmers label, where Sophie's songwriting was performed by the London vocalist Jaide Green.
The genesis of the ‘OOH’ and ‘NOTHING MORE TO SAY’ recording session is lore-worthy in its own right: after watching Jaide Green perform live with Olly Murs during the sixth series of The X Factor in 2009, SOPHIE reached out and invited Jaide to record in her home bedroom studio.
‘GET HIGHER’ was born during joyous sessions in 2013, when SOPHIE’s beat was introduced to the vocalists Cassie Davis and Sean Mullins. The track feels like a visionary precursor to ‘Vroom Vroom’, and doesn't sound out of place next to the sub-clang intensity of SOPHIE’s ‘HARD’ and ‘MSMSMSM’. Striking a playful balance between blissed-out hyperpop and club-ready Atlanta trap, it showcases SOPHIE’s signature, laser sharp sound design. Originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese CD edition of PRODUCT, ‘GET HIGHER’ has remained a hidden gem.
12th Isle founding member Stewart Brown and London-based percussionist Pike present six tracks born out of preparations for live shows at Cafe Oto and The Three Wheel Drive festival, the culmination of collaborating on ‘No Direction’ from the first Material Things album (with DJ support from Donato Dozzy, Orpheu The Wizard, Not Waving, I-Sha, Donna Leake, Optimo and Huntley & Palmers).
Inspired by various traditions of experimentalism, the pair touch upon reference points such as Eliane Radigue and Nurse With Wound’s “Soliloquy for Lilith” (on “Coastal Town”), as well as the wider canon of motorik, dub and drone practitioners over the past 60 years. Concerned with the interplay between early exports of free jazz and more modern electronics, Rain & Cymbals builds on the project's first outing with a more refined approach to production and a clearer modus operandi, combining ambient pads with additional synth work by Dan Macintyre, multifaceted percussion work and heads-down, emotive minimalism.
In the late summer of 1994, Upadhmanyia (John Mackaay & Michel Rehatta) invited Leo Verhoef (LFU) to collaborate on a track. They met a few more times afterward at a power station converted into a studio in IJsselstein, The Netherlands. "Hasiya" was quickly born and was already in stores by early November 1994. John & Leo drove to house club iT in Amsterdam, where they gave the track to DJ Marcello, resulting in an iT hit! The track was quickly picked up by DJs worldwide, and Richie Hawtin used it in a live set in Denver on November 19th of that year, which can be heard on SoundCloud (Hasiya is mixed around 43:00). The track was also a huge hit on dance floors in England and Spain.
In late 1994, Hasiya appeared on a CNR Music EP titled "Welcome To The Club," along with four other hits from producers like Pete Lazonby, The Shaker, and Drum Club. A double CD of the same name followed in early 1995, released in Belgium, featuring Hasiya alongside artists like Robert Miles, Digital Express, Aura, Natural Born Grooves, and other hits of the era. In early 1995, Arcade released "House Party '95 the Kinky Klubmixx," mixed by Koen Groeneveld & Addy van der Zwan. The same CD was released in Scandinavia as "House Party '95 (5)." Hasiya flourished among the most popular house tracks of the time. The record spent three weeks in the Dance Music Mega Top 30 and peaked at number 22 around the holidays of late 1994.
For 31 years, Hasiya was only available on record, CD, tape, or YouTube. Starting November 21, 2025, it will be resurrected from the underground into the world of digital downloads and streaming. The 2025 Remaster, along with five new mixes, will be widely available, including a limited vinyl release of 350 copies. The 30 test pressings have already been received with open arms by various DJs and received immediate support from Eris Drew and Octa Octa during ADE.
Because Hasiya was created in 1994, the only available remix material is the original DAT tape, which, thankfully, was still stored in an old box in a dusty attic. Most of the sounds for the new versions have been recreated and re-recorded.
Rehatta's Reanimated Mix:
This remix - created by one of the two founders of Upadhmaniya - combines driving, percussive beats with a thrilling, progressive break featuring ascending, dizzying strings. This trick returns shortly afterward to rev things up again. An accessible remix for dance floors worldwide.
LFU 2025 Version:
This straightforward, raw techno version with a touch of acid is ready to rock dance floors. LFU's updated version of the 1994 original, which he created with Michel & John, will undoubtedly remain a head shaker from here on out.
John Consemulder Metaphysical Mix:
With a pumping groove and a funky bassline as an intro, John Consemulder's remix immediately strikes a chord. A refined and elegant approach to the original, with sounds as mysterious and exciting as the flowing lava in the 'Gruta das Torres' - a cave in the Azores - the setting where this tech-trance remix was created.
Davje Remix:
Davje's version begins with the typical club and hard-trance bassline of the late '90s. You're drawn into a trance journey where beat changes sometimes try to throw you off track. Davje's creative Hammond organ interpretation of the Hasiya theme surprises and transports you back to the hippie era by the end of his remix.
Bojcot Remix:
Junglist Bojcot creates an exciting, nuanced, and mathematical remix with a beat that feels like jungle and half-tempo. He conjures up the sounds of LFU's 2025 Version, creates a bassline that sounds like a disturbed bumblebee, and adds a surprising string section. Massive!
Promises is an extraordinary, collaborative album by the electronic giant Floating Points and saxophone titan Pharoah Sanders. The album features the London Symphony Orchestra and cover art by the acclaimed American artist, Julie Mehretu. Five years in the making, it will be released on Luaka Bop, March 26, 2021. The album is composed and engineered by Sam Shepherd aka Floating Points, who's second album Crush earned Best New Music from Pitchfork and a major feature in the New York Times, and placed him on several 2019 critics lists. His debut album Elaenia, released by Luaka Bop, was another Best New Music pick and hailed as one of the best debuts of the decade. It is also the release that made Pharoah Sanders want to work with him in the first place. A restless, ever- evolving producer and composer, Shepherd has toured with the xx, and also holds a doctorate in neuroscience. For Pharoah Sanders, who recently turned 80, this is a rare outing and his first album in fifteen years. One of the last icons of his generation, Pharoah performed with John Coltrane on his late-career free jazz masterpieces, and released a string of expansive recordings under his own name for the Impulse! label which have been cited as a pivotal influence by everyone from The Stooges to Marvin Gaye. Most recently, he was featured in a 2020 Supreme campaign. The music unfurls, patiently, over nine movements, and 46 ever-undulating minutes. It's a work of pure feeling, like no other record you'll hear this or any other year.
Strictly limited to just 500 copies, this transparent blue 12” vinyl marks the 142nd release on Systematic. It proudly features none other than the boss himself, Carl Cox, delivering a groovy electro killer you might not have seen coming.
On the flipside, label head Marc Romboy joins forces with his long-time friend Robert Babicz (Kompakt, Force Inc., Mille Plateaux) to present a warm, driving four-to-the-floor tech track that perfectly reflects their signature sound.
A truly powerful package!
Since the late 1960s, jazz drummer Takeo Moriyama has been a dominant force in the free jazz scene, initially with the Yosuke Yamashita Trio, and more recently, collaborating with the KYOTO JAZZ SEXTET, earning respect from past to present. Recorded in 1980 with his quartet featuring Fumio Itabashi, this album is renowned for being the first to include the emotionally rich Japanese masterpiece "Watarase". Other highlights include the spirited "Exchange" and the beautifully poignant "Goodbye". Each track is a standout, offering a grand-scale performance where tranquility and movement organically intertwine, making it one of the top albums in the history of Japanese jazz.
Huge and uncompromising experimental techno jams from Finland. Prominent percussion elements combine with otherworldly synth jams to create epic, hypnotic vibes from the land of endless forests and deep lakes. Half A Map makes, performs and releases experimental music. They're especially fascinated by rhythms outside 4/4. They attempt to combine catchiness with surprise, and roughness with gentleness. They relish sampling various objects and weaving them into their sound.
R.i.O. welcomes a new member. Straight in full length. An album created by Dorsten,North-Rhine-Westfalia based producer Aroma Von Troisdorf - a man who refuses to be putin a box. Unlike others, who politely stay in one lane, he is a tuneful shape shifter. Alreadyhis 2021 debut on the Cologne based label Papercup Records smashed Krautrock, Synthpop,Electro, Ambient, and dub together. His 2023 and 2024 Papercup Ep's "Buttergolem"and "Rodeln am Rhein" added Italo-Disco, Synth-pop and a drop of experimental Electroto his versatility. Now eight new creations, brilliantly composed, yet - even in odd flashes -effortlessly catchy. They bring once more a stylistic melting pot, now enlarged with TheCure-ish dreamscapes, stretching over guitar riffs and bass grooves, like in the closingambient-folk star "Zeiten" or the dreamy opening track "Fog Frog Green". There is themotorik krautrock pulse of "Osmopower", that boogies heavy in drum machine hypnosisunder Aroma's entrancing new-wave vocals. Tunes like "Dreams Unfold" or "AmplifyShrooms" are likewise propulsive, each one psyching in its very own rhythmic sector. Morevoices are present too. In the two-minute manic preacher "Colas", were Togolese rapperand political activist Yao Bobby chants edgy. Or in "Closer", where singer Aprico sendsspoken-word trances echoing through the cosmic jacking. And there is "Lovers Lake", ahypnotic drift of witchy vocals, bluesy chords, and endless synthscapes, that makes youswim on your feed. Shift the shapes, "Blaumilch" opens the gates.
40 Years Techno Club – The 80s Vinyl Edition (Limited Coloured Double Vinyl) Following the huge success of the 4-CD compilation 40 Years Techno Club, which thrilled countless fans with over 60 club hits, the eagerly awaited vinyl edition is finally here: ‘The 80s Vinyl Edition’ – a strictly limited, coloured double vinyl for lovers of electronic music.
This special edition pays tribute to the beginnings of the legendary techno club with iconic 80s tracks by Kraftwerk, Yello, Soft Cell, Tears For Fears, Front 242 and other artists who shaped the electronic sound and influenced an entire generation. The exclusive collage cover, accompanying band
poster and high-quality coloured vinyl pressing make this release a unique collector‘s item for connoisseurs and music lovers.
‘40 Years Techno Club – The 80s Vinyl Edition’ – vinyl that makes history – right on your turntable.
Steering clear of his usual diet of 90s rave stabs, woolly pads and contemporary R&B vocals, Coco Bryce offers up a full album focussing on non-western sample sources. Drawing from, amongst other things, traditional Azerbaijani folk songs, Indonesian Gamelan experiments, Kenyan Taarab and ancient Sephardi hymns, it traverses half the globe across its ten tracks.
The electronic producer Franz Kirmann returns to Bytes for his eighth solo album. The “Almadies” are long wooden boats used by Senegalese fishermen. It is also the name of the neighborhood where Kirmann grew up, in the suburbs of Dakar, Senegal, near the Atlantic Ocean. "These new compositions are the result of sound experiments conducted over the past few months and reflections on the concept of mind-constructed geographies," Kirmann explains. "The way memories and souvenirs shape an image of a place or country that is part reality, part fantasy, part cliché, yet also deeply personal. This experience is influenced by education, social background, history, and other socio-economic factors. " The ten tracks are crafted from collages of electronic sounds blended with field recordings from various places Kirmann has visited — from Dakar to the Caribbean, as well as London and Paris. His aim is to blur the line between electronically generated sounds and real soundscapes, creating music where it becomes difficult to distinguish the real from the constructed. All the sounds on the album were produced using synthesizers and field recordings. No drum machines, percussion or traditional acoustic instruments were used. Influences include Brian Eno and John Hassell’s Fourth World, Vol. 1: Possible Musics (1980), described by Hassell as "a unified primitive/futuristic sound combining features of world ethnic styles with advanced electronic techniques" , which also works in the context of Almadies. Another big influence was Ariel Kalma’s Le Temps Des Moissons (1975) as well as artists including O Yuki Conjugate and Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe to Susumu Yokota and Michael Banabila.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Daft Punk’s chart-topping third album Human After All, a Limited Edition 2LP gatefold version of the companion album Human After All Remixes is set for release on November 28, 2025. This marks the very first vinyl edition of the complete collection.
Human After All, the third album from Daft Punk, was originally released in March 2005. It was produced in just six weeks, a major departure from the timeline for their previous release, Discovery, which took over two years to produce. A year after the release of Human After All, a collection of Human After All remixes tracks was released on CD exclusively in Japan, including reworkings by Justice, Soulwax, and SebastiAn, among others. In June 2014, an expanded CD version was released (also exclusive to Japan) featuring additional remixes from artists such as Basement Jaxx and The Juan Maclean. The album was made available to stream internationally in August 2014.
Human After All Remixes will now be available for the first time on vinyl in limited quantities.
Brat pack crossover stars Charlie XCX loved Altern 8 rave generation anthem FREQUENCY so much they not only sampled it for the remix of their smash 365 but started their live shows with the remix.
The resulting renewed interest in FREQUENCY has led to four 2025 remixes of the gem which was originally released as a 10,001 numbered limited edition in 1991. That sold out instantly and is now acclaimed as one of the Rave scene’s most enduring classics.
Altern 8’s Mark Archer links up with long time collaborator Shadow Child for the A1 M.A.S.C Extended Remix which delves into the tougher strata of House. A2 comes from Tenerife’s DJ Jonay who delivers a stunning old skool influenced breakbeat mix. A3 is the Aires remix. This was done especially for Altern 8’s appearance at Glastonbury and various other summer festivals where IT WENT OFF! A4 Kin’s Back To 91 Remix is full on drum & bass.
Label artwork is a “tribute” to Charlie XCC graphics - the samplers got sampled and repaid the compliment. Limited edition vinyl.
BQD050–Arno: "We Perfectly Understand Each Other Until We Start To Talk – The Remixes"
To mark the 50th release on Brouqade, we reach back into the catalog and release as a set of remixes Arno's album “We Perfectly Understand Each Other Until We Start To Talk” a work that touches on the finer problems inherent to human communication.For this unique Album, released in 2019, three distinctive reworkings offer new breath to the original tracks: Baby Ford conducts a lean and hypnotic revision played in minimal fashion, Kuyateh widens out textures with deep organic rhythms and Dana Ruh puts her distinctive groove-orientated stamp on the material.
The bonus on the release is from Arno — a meditative composition that acts as middle ground in terms of his musical language.
In operation midway between introspection and movement, BQD050 depicts the very spirit of Brouqade: depth, warmth, a timeless dancefloor poetry.
“I like him very much. He’s very special. He’s singing with a voice I never heard before” - Townes Van Zandt
“A conscious, soulful brother” - Horace Andy
“He’s a brother to me - one of the best singer/songwriters I’ve ever met” - Adrian Sherwood
“Unearthed mine of gems from inner Wales - a songbook of ideas - that's Jeb!” - Gilles Peterson
Jeb Loy Nichols is a bonafide Country (Got) Soul legend. The Music Maker presents 21 incredibly deep, grooving and soulful songs from the cream of Jeb's catalogue; from its earliest days to his latest unreleased gems via countless rare and unbelievably good lost-classics. This 2LP set is presented in a gatefold sleeve complete with freshly commissioned artwork courtesy of Jeb himself.
In collecting these uncut, under-heard gems, we hope to do justice to Jeb's jaw-dropping artistic brilliance. A man who, in working with Adrian Sherwood, Dennis Bovell, Dan Penn, Larry Jon Wilson and countless other legendary characters, has crafted some of the most deeply affecting folk, country, soul, funk, blues, dub, reggae, gospel, rap and electronic music, ever heard.
The first music Jeb really felt a connection with was southern soul: "I used to listen to the radio at night and fell in love with Bobby Womack and Al Green, The Staple Singers and Joe Simon – that whole Nashville/Memphis/Muscle Shoals thing.” But Jeb was so much more than a soul boy, Indeed, he "went to bluegrass festivals with my dad and come home and listened to jazz records with my mother.” And, when he was fifteen, he heard his first punk record: "God Save The Queen" by The Sex Pistols. “That and The Ramones completely changed me.” In 1979 he got a scholarship to go to art school in New York: “A great time. Punk was over but hip-hop was starting and I got into that in an obsessive way.”
His first recording, in 1980, was an unreleased rap song called "I’m A Country Boy". If that isn't an insight enough into Jeb's kaleidoscopic path through music, in 1981 he visited friends in London and found himself living in a squat with Adrian Sherwood, Ari Up (from the Slits), and Neneh Cherry. “Adrian put me to work immediately, moving boxes of records all across London. It was Adrian that was and is my biggest influence – in his complete disregard for genre purity.” So, presumably you're getting the picture? A veritable musical magpie with a voracious appetite and unimpeachable taste.
"Mine has always been a meandering career. I've done what I've done, and made the music I've made, due to chance meetings. I'm not particularly ambitious; it's more important to me that I work with friends and like-minded people. I've been a big fan of Be With for years. Everything they release is essential. When they asked about rereleasing "Countrymusicdisco45" I was both pleased and flattered. We began talking about how we'd do it; two years and twenty-one tracks later, here we are. I've always thought of the music I make as Country Music. Music conceived in the country, written in the country, recorded in the country. I left London and moved back to the country so I could live among the trees, the grasses, the animals, those things that don't go to war and get greedy. This compilation is the story of that life. Hand made, lo-fi, ramshackle, stripped down, real deal music. Heartworn and funky. Music made in the kitchen, not in the studio. As the great Skip Mcdonald said, Perfect ain't perfect. It's great to see all these tracks gathered together. It feels like a family reunion. Some older members of the tribe, some newer arrivals."
Opener "countrymusicdisco45" is a song Jeb wrote about how his crew lives, tucked up blissfully in the hills: "House parties full of country folk dancing to disco, reggae, soul, country, hip-hop. All night. I recorded it at home under the influence of Stevie Wonder." It's one of the funkiest records you'll ever hear. "Sometimes Shooting Stars" was recorded in Nashville and mixed by the legendary Dennis Bovell. It's deep, dubby, majestic. A thing of fragile, melodic beauty. The party ramps back up again with the undeniable groove of "Short Cut Home" before the profoundly moving "Disappointment" arrives. One of many songs he's recorded with good buddy Benedic Lamdin (aka Nostalgia 77): "We were going for a Leon Thomas meets Richard Brautigan meets Alice Coltrane kind of thing". We think they nailed it. "Days Are Mighty", like a lot of the tracks on this collection, "started life as a demo, an attempt to get something down while it was fresh. No frills, nothing fancy, just feel." And what feels!
The irrepressibly funky "Don't Dance With Me Tonight" is a deeply moving, slow-mo organ-drenched head-nod-funky country-ballad. Next up, the breezy "You Got It Wrong" was recorded in Wales with some of Jeb's good friends and neighbours, The Westwood All Stars, featuring Clovis Phillips and Will Barnes. Skanking fiddle-flecked gem "Ring The Bells" was the first thing Jeb recorded when he moved to Wales. A combination of all his loves; country, reggae, soul. It's followed by "Let's Make It Up", a truly sumptuous string-drenched emotional groover. "When Did You Stop Loving Me" is another Nashville track, written and recorded during a time Jeb was spending a lot of time with the Muscle Shoals crew, Donnie Fritts, Spooner Oldham, George Soule and Dan Penn: "It shows, I'm sure, their influence." Oh, you bet it does!
The swaggering country-funk of "Just Beginning" should grace many groove-focused DJs' sets whilst "Wintering Of The Year", again made with Clovis, is pastoral, campfire soul. The glacial, gorgeous "Let It Rain" is from an unreleased record Jeb made with the great British jazz bass player Andy Hamill and "We Tell Each Other Who We Are" is freaky country-soul made by a man with a love for strutting, wonky hip-hop stylings. Rounding out the side, "Trip To You" is pure, uncut amphetamine-propelled drum-machine soul.
The spare, beautiful "Dirt" is from an EP Jeb made with Julian Moore in his house in South London: "All first takes, straight to tape." Swoon! "Heaven Right Here" was a very minor league hit in America: "It was produced by the brilliant and much missed Wayne Nunes. It was started in the countryside of Missouri, finished in the countryside of Wales, and recorded in the countryside of Sussex." Double swoon! "If Later Ever Comes" is electronica meets J.J. Cale business whilst "Remember The Season" is truly wonderful and breezy guitar soul. "A Little Love" was made with Wayne Nunes as well, after a night of listening to Studio One and Northern Soul. Bouncy dub closer "Weary Traveller" was written by Bill Monroe, the hero of Jeb's youth: "Monroe's music was heavily influenced by black southern churches; I've tried to keep some of that feral feel." This was the final recording by Jeb's 1990s Country-Dub band, Fellow Travellers.
The name of this compilation comes from a time when Jeb lived in Peckham, south London and he used to DJ and sometimes perform at a local bar: "The owner of the bar, a Jamaican named Count Percy, once asked me what I called my music. I told him I wasn't sure, I guess just pop music. He thought about it for a minute and then said, 'no, more like mom and pop music'. Rather than call me a country singer or a folk singer he always referred to me as The Music Maker."
With the long overdue deluxe overview of his beloved music, we hope to finally shine a light on the unheralded genius of Jeb Loy Nichols. RIYL Larry Jon Wilson, Townes Van Zandt, Bobby Charles, country got soul artists, dub, deep soul, disco, dancing, heartbreak. This deluxe collection, spellbinding from beginning to end, should hopefully go some way to ensuring Jeb reaches an ever bigger, ever more appreciative crowd of followers. Mastering for this special double vinyl edition was overseen by Be With regular Simon Francis and it was cut by the esteemed Cicely Balston at Abbey Road Studios to be pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry. The artwork has been lovingly put together by The Music Maker, himself, Jeb Loy Nichols. "Be With is the perfect home for this mongrel music. I am forever in their debt." The pleasure is all ours, Jeb.
Bread&Butter Records celebrates its 10th EP with a powerful statement from Romanian duo NTFO, a name synonymous with precision minimalism and timeless groove. The release unfolds across four masterfully produced tracks, each one engineered for those moments when the dancefloor turns into something deeper, heavier, and unforgettable.
Calibre sets the tone in classic NTFO fashion. Its stripped-bacb bassline rolls with hypnotic intent, carrying just enough weight to lock the floor in. By the three-minute mark, subtle shifts into a trance-like state, gently elevating the room into waves of euphoric release. It’s understated yet devastatingly effective, the type of cut that DJs treasure for its power to transform the atmosphere without ever shouting too loud.
Electr pares things back even further, pushing into pure minimal territory. Built on a sleek harmonic groove, it’s a masterclass in restraint, every sound feels perfectly placed, every movement precise. This is a track that thrives in the early hours, where tension, patience and subtle shifts in rhythm rule the floor.
Forap flips the script, injecting an upbeat energy that hits with instant impact. Around the three-to-four minute mark, a vocal element cuts through, commanding attention before the groove locks back in with unstoppable momentum. Hypnotic yet uplifting, it’s the perfect peak-time tool a track that lifts the room into a collective high, as though flying on pure feeling.
Nanomos closes the EP with finesse. A deeper, darker exploration, it glides through murky textures and intricate percussive details, carrying an otherworldly atmosphere that keeps the listener suspended in motion. It’s a slow-burner that lingers long after the last note fades, a testament to NTFO’s ability to balance groove and emotion in equal measure.
With this release, Bread&Butter not only cements its reputation as one of London’s most exciting underground imprints but also showcases NTFO at their most refined. Four cuts, four moods, all bound by that unmistakable Romanian touch that continues to set standards worldwide.
Making this album was an absolute joy. We used Rothko’s artwork as a major influence. His use of colour fields, blending, mood and scale really helped us build an album of tracks that could stand on their own and also work together as a coherent whole across all the tones we had been working with. It was also a chance to fall back in love with our 909, 808 and 707.
While working on music for several other projects, the “Rothko” project got renamed Loud Ambient because it did not really sit right with the My Brutal Life series. We often talked about what people make of The Black Dog and whether they think we only make ambient music. We do not. Over the last year or so, one of us would be working on something and someone else would say, “That is a Loud Ambient track.” The name stuck. We liked the funny side of it.
With Loud Ambient, everything just fell into place creatively. Surprisingly for us, the tracklisting never changed, just small tweaks here and there. That rarely happens. It marks a first for us as a band. All the stars aligned and the confidence in this album is the strongest we have ever had.
Loud Ambient was made to dance to, something we have not done in a while. We welcome the return to the dancefloor with both hands. Will you join us?
Helsinki based newcomer DJ Sofa debuts on Up Ya Archives Records with the release of 'Lionheart’, the title track to their forthcoming EP, landing on the 12th November 2025.
Drawing inspiration from pioneering duo Digital & Spirit, ‘Lionheart’ channels a moody, mysterious energy. Driven by an organic-meets-machine dub sensibility, the track weaves hypnotic chants and meditative basslines into a soundscape that’s both harsh and mesmerizing. Letting the amen break breathe, ‘Lionheart’ captures an emotional intensity that runs throughout the wider EP.
Rooted in a love for 90s and early 2000s jungle, DJ Sofa’s production pays homage to the era’s raw sound and spirit whilst pushing it forward. Conceptually, the record explores bravery, self-determination, and finding strength in uncertainty. It’s a personal statement of resilience and creative growth from an artist carving out their own path.
Despite operating under this alias for only a few years, DJ Sofa has already made waves with standout releases on Future Retro, with a Tim Reaper collaboration titled ‘Helsinki to London Connection’ and N4, Straight Up Breakbeat, and Ruff n Tuff. Alongside other statement releases which are reminiscent of nineties jungle and their childhood love of The Prodigy, their performances at iconic nights such as Rupture London have cemented their rising status in the scene.
Gladio Operations continues its expansion into the electro universe and, with this fourteenth release, lands in Viking lands, giving Danish producer Martin Stoffregen his debut on the label.
This artist, who releases his work under the alias Krypton 81, is no stranger to the scene, having released on major labels such as Bass Agenda and Mars Frequency, among others. On this EP, entitled “Quantum Entanglement”, we sense a breath of fresh air in its three original tracks, which are refined and elegant. With strong sequences and adorned with sublime textures, we encounter “Binary Encoding”, the track that opens the EP and shows us the way to “Particle Proximity” and “Quantum Computing”. These two Kraftwerk-flavoured tracks are imbued with captivating melodies and subtle vocals, transporting us to an infinite emotional state of continuous well-being. This EP is reinforced with two heavyweight remixes. The first is by producer Univac, who returns to the label and gives us his particular vision of “Binary Encoding”, once again showcasing his unmistakable and classic industrial sound, dark and emotive. The second remix is by German producer Vertical67, who gives “Quantum Computing” more hypnotic tones than the original
Hasvat Informant's debut album, Pluripotent XII, is a 12-track journey that reads between the lines of psychedelic electronics and contemporary techno. From driving, precise grooves to slow, textured explorations, the album carries the organic resonance of Australian underground culture while threading sharp influences from Detroit and beyond into a singular, unmistakably distinctive sound.
On this dual release, Naarm-based artist alternates between his Hasvat and Intellegama personas, moving between them like a figure navigating parallel realities. Each track balances mechanical precision with expansive, trance-infused textures, creating a liminal space where urban and natural influences converge.
More than a display of technical skill, this debut conveys a sense of place, heritage, and lineage. Dwelling in both conflict and harmony, Pluripotent XII invites listeners into an otherworldly, lysergic landscape - complex, evolving, and fully realized.
Daniele Baldelli
Considered one of the first DJs in Italy, Daniele Baldelli began his career in 1969 mixing vinyl at the Tana Club in Cattolica (his hometown),
predating the birth of the modern DJ by several years. In the following years, he solidified his talent and technique at histor such as the Tabù Club, Baia degli Angeli, and Cosmic. From 1979 to 1984, Baldelli created his unique and eclectic style, blendi ic clubs ng seemingly distant sounds and musical styles, complementing them with tempo adjustments (bpm) and deliberately extreme equalization,
creating a truly distinctive sound, known as "Afro Disco." Soundscapes and tribal percussion blend with early electronic music experiments, and Baldelli's sets become truly mystical experiences, where, for the first time, the temples are replaced by the dance floor.
The documentary film "A Cosmic Life" has just been released, starring Daniele Baldelli alongside other illustrious guests from the nightclub scene, recounting the history and formation of this movement from the 1970s to the present.
Gaudi
A producer/musician among the most highly regarded on the international dub/electronic scene, over the past 30 years Gaudi, from his
London studio, has contributed significantly to expanding the boundaries of musical genres with high-profile releases and innovative
music production techniques. Recently nominated for a Grammy Award with 'Mass Manipulation', the album he produced for the reggae
band Steel Pulse, and also nominated for a World Music Award with his album 'Dub Qawwali' with Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali
Khan, Gaudi has collected a series of number 1s on the international charts: Billboard - with the album 'Heavy Rain' by Lee "Scratch"
Perry, 'Vessel of Love' by singer Hollie Cook and with 'Mass Manipulation' by Steel Pulse -, UK Chart n.1 with the album 'Prism' by the
band The Orb (with whom he has collaborated as a producer and keyboardist since 2008), with 'Blue Monday' - by Gaudi himself with
the band Dub Pistols -, UK Dance Chart n.1 with 'Jus Come rmx' produced with DJ Angelino for Cool Jack. He also reached no. 41 the UK charts with the album ‘Midnight Rocker’ by reggae singer Horace Andy (known to the general public for his hits with Massive in
Attack), no. 13 with the album ‘Dubwise 2’ by the band Dreadzone and no. 5 in the Italian charts with the song ‘Lasciala Andare’, written
by him for Irene Grandi. With 19 solo albums and 350 remixes and productions under his belt, Gaudi, with his artistic versatility, has
worked with Groove Armada, UB40, Simple Minds, Brian Ferry, Devo, Big Audio Dynamite, Damian Marley, Seun Kuti, Mad Professor,
Trentemøller, Grandmaster Flash ft KRS-One, Lamb, Don Letts, The Beat, Deep Forest, African Head Charge (in which Gaudi is a keyboardist and dubmaster), Elisa, Scientist, Dub FX, Roedelius, Caparezza, Caravan Palace, EMF, Sizzla, Jovanotti, Sly & Robbie, Piero Pelù, Youth of Killing Joke, and Maxi Priest, to name just a few. Capleton,
Daniele Baldelli & Gaudi
DJ Daniele Baldelli and producer Gaudi first met three years ago at the Jazz Cafe in London. Mutual respect and an innate need to
create new stylistic fusions were the catalysts for Baldelli and Gaudi, leading to a series of subsequent meetings that inevitably culminated in the need to create music together. The project began at Gaudi's Metatron Studio in London using analog equipment and later
moved to Baldelli's studio in Cattolica, where the two organically defined their sound, also inspired by Baldelli's precious record collection. The duo consolidated a powerful compositional symbiosis, and the project, born from a simple initial groove, later transformed
into an entire EP consisting of four original tracks and a highly innovative sound, featuring fusions of psychedelic-funk, tribal-dub,
electronic-disco, and, of course, "Afro-Cosmic"! Daniele Baldelli and Gaudi began their sonic collaboration without setting any stylistic
direction and with the intention of not creating pre-established goals to achieve; it is a project of pure artistic freedom guided by their
compositional instinct and their experience. Constantly active with their evenings and live concerts, Baldelli and Gaudi have performed
individually in many of the best international clubs and festivals.
Second Circle is very excited to announce ‘In Dream’, the eight-track debut album from Tokyo-born, Berlin-based producer and DJ Courtney Bailey.
Sonically, 'In Dream' unfolds as a rich, lush soundscape, woven together with expansive digital synth pads, Fairlight-esque stabs, and vibrant acid bass lines. At times the EP leans back horizontally to evoke the balearic spirit of Yello ('Burnt Moon'), at other times it leans more upright towards to dancefloor ('In Heaven'), but what remains throughout is a sense of intimacy, gracefully guided by Bailey’s whisper soft spoken vocals and gentle melodic vocal lines.
Building on an initial spark of inspiration that arose when listening to the work of Japanese artist Dream Dolphin aka Noriko Kodera, ‘In Dream' is Bailey’s direct creative response to new feelings, energy and emotions. Time spent in the outdoors, specifically in the natural landscapes of Australia also had a profound influence on the making of the record; opener ‘Kodou’ was directly inspired by a moment in Melbourne watching rainbow-colored parrots in a pink-flowering tree. Similarly, 'Burnt Moon' captures the essence of watching moonlight shimmer on ocean waters. At its core, 'In Dream' embraces a child-like wonder for the beauty of nature, an act which infuses the music with a radiant, luminous sense of positivity.
Capturing the essence of stepping into the unknown and more importantly, doing it with curiosity and optimism, ‘In Dream’ paints a vibrant, multi-colour vision of life, with Bailey inviting us all to immerse ourselves in it’s wonders.
Otto Taimela returns with his second album for London ambient free divers SWIMS, following 2024's celebrated "Inner Beauty".
"Uncommon & Fragile" departs from Otto's meadowed, ivory-centric introspections, reaching further into binaural sound design, trance pointillism, and groundswells of angular percussion. This is less a club record, more something to soothe post-rave tinnitus on the bus home.
For fans of Lorenzo Senni, Lusine ICL, Huerco S., Shinichi Atobe...
Charlotte de Witte releases more hot news on her eagerly awaited eponymous self-titled debut LP, which drops November 7th on her KNTXT label. Fans already stirred to frenzy by two killer LP singles can now pre-order/pre-save the album digitally and on vinyl. She also reveals the cover art and track list in its entirety.
Already hailed by Vogue DE, BBC 6 Music, Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, Mixmag, Rolling Stone, Billboard amm., the acid-drenched, unstoppable lead single and set staple ‘The Realm’, and powerful organ-heavy cut ‘No Division’ (feat. XSALT) reflect the power of the full 11 track release. The ‘No Division’ vinyl was pre-released during her recent six instantly sold-out New York City shows in four days triumph. With one more LP single promised before the full drop, fans will have to wait and see which that will be…
After a fifteen year long career of propelling the techno scene forward and 25 standout EPs, the Belgian DJ & producer ‘started to feel the urge to embrace a format that allowed me to showcase my sonic identity in its entirety.’
Though the album is deeply personal – ‘these are tracks that move me, songs that carry me away like only club music and a night lost in it can’ – it’ll be a must-have for fans & techno/acid fiends. ‘Make no mistake, this is a true DJ album. I’m a club kid, always will be, and every track on this record makes me want to dance.’
It’ll do the same for other ravers. One more LP single to come… which of these is it to be?
“The Mire Chronicles,” the latest album by Spammerheads, was born from the difficult experience of the floods that hit Valencia on October 29, 2024. During this time, the duo lost part of their studio and actively participated in the cleanup efforts in their city.
This was an experience filled with a mix of emotions—shock, helplessness, fury, resistance, solidarity, and resilience, among others—that shaped what may be their best work to date. Written as a chronicle, the album explores the personal and collective states of people affected by tragedies or catastrophes. The Valencian duo
(through a carefully produced edition released by Banshees Records) offers six tracks (plus two digital bonus tracks) to remind us that despite the difficulties we may face, we must always fight to get ahead, get back on our feet, and not be swept away by the current.
This album is dedicated to the people and communities who face extreme situations and never give up.
Dutch record label, shop and club platform One Eye Witness presents a lively new entry in their V/A series with WITNESS08. Honing in on more fresh talent from across the globe, Amsterdam’s wandering eye gathers producers Sinqmin, Salomee, Kate08 and elusive duo The Evil B-Side Twins (DJ Tool & Yazzus) for another trip into tech house — and beyond!
Kate08’s “Sticky Toffee” is suitably viscous, burbling and oozing its way across shifting sections. The London artist delicately balances percussion atop warbling bass tones and synth lines that pop in and out. Salomee gets moody on “Night Behaviour”; lurking in the shadows, the track’s acid squelch and interlocking melodies point to the psychedelic, with a purring bassline that keeps things grounded.
The Evil B-Side Twins lay in wait on the flip, springing into action with the tightly-wound “Spindrift”. Propelled by a spiky break and cascading delays, its 303 lines sound like rubber, bouncing between the other synths deployed by the duo. All manner of FX trickery is woven into the production: the Twins layer up and load the track with intricate details. Supplying an unexpected respite from the club action, final cut “Aesthetics For Destination” marks the debut foray into hip-hop for OEW. Produced by Seoul-based Sinqmin and featuring the sultry vocals of 문선 (MOONSUN), the track’s sparse beat and ghostly samples make for a mellow, head-nodding end to another hit from the label.
Alkaline is sound forged in FM — metallic surfaces, syncopated pulses, and cinematic structures. An alternative path that doesn’t reject acid, but moves into a realm less warm, more mineral, more futuristic.
With CT012, Cosmic Tribe takes the Alkaline Sound into the uncharted: music as a tool for deep-space and hidden-dimension exploration. Each track is a fragment of an expedition beyond known frontiers — charting invisible territories, intercepting signals from other worlds, and navigating encounters that alter the course of the mission.
From EC13 and Calagad 13 comes a radical, visionary approach: not just tracks to hear, but cinematic sonic devices designed to remodel the listener’s inner architecture, ignite their imagination, and expand the very map of perception.
A work of meticulous sound and mastering, paired with exceptional artwork, presented in a strictly limited edition of 150 copies on crystal-clear transparent vinyl.
Eudemonia marks a significant milestone with its 20th release: Cerebral Waves, the debut EP from Irish sound engineer and producer Kevin O'Reilly, known under his alias Otherend. This four-track collection dives deep into the electro continuum, weaving together cerebral rhythms, acidic textures, and cosmic atmospheres.
The EP includes three original tracks built around crisp drum patterns and spacious synths, offering a thoughtful take on electro with subtle cosmic touches. It closes with a remix from Sound Synthesis, who brings a smooth melodic drive while keeping the release’s spacey character intact.
Cerebral Waves is a bold introduction to Otherend’s sonic universe and a fitting landmark for Eudemonia’s evolving catalog. Electro heads, space voyagers, and acid lovers—this one’s for you.
News from Outcast Planet : introducing the newborn OTP006 by Lorenzo Aribone. An elegant 12" release with a deep and dark progressive essence, enriched by captivating melodies and haunting vocals. Mind Hunter EP has taken shape and it's almost ready to hit your decks !
After a successful album on DJ Hell’s legendary International Deejay Gigolo Records, Berlin-based but globally-minded Tunisian artist Skatman returns to his own ever-evolving label, Cognitive Prophecy, with Temples, a four-track EP steeped in the spirit of Detroit and laced with its own boundary-pushing vision.
The title track, ‘Temples’, channels a number of timeless Detroit cuts like Rolando’s Knights of the Jaguar into something deeply personal. It feels like stepping into a crowded, smoke and sweat-filled dance floor at 3 a.m., only to emerge into the sunrise hours later. ‘Can It Last Forever’ shifts the mood with pure euphoria, the kind of track that makes strangers grin at each other when the night is ending but no one’s ready to leave. Swiss techno mainstay Deetron steps in with two heavyweight reimaginings of ‘Temples’. His main remix is pure peak-time club tackle, big, propulsive, and precision-crafted for the moment when the night slips into another gear. The Dub strips things down to the bare essentials, locking you into the groove with relentless, club-sharpened focus.
When Los Amigos Invisibles first released "The New Sound" (1998) - more than a quarter of a century ago!) - was the ultimate party album. Time has passed, but the party has kept on - and this party music, full of non-stop funked out grooves-traveling through house, funk, acid jazz, and bossa nova, to name a few musical avenues - is a journey deep into the pants of rhythm. (We won"t even mention the old sound of the Venezuelan Gozadera).
Bringing together the elder statesman of the Zulu guitar Madala Kunene and internationally acclaimed Sibusile Xaba, kwaNTU pulls two generations of South African guitar mastery into a single point of focus. Under-represented on recordings outside of South Africa, Madala Kunene (b. 1951), the ‘King of the Zulu Guitar’, is revered as the greatest living master of the Zulu guitar tradition. Sibusile Xaba, whose collaboration with Mushroom Hour Half Hour reaches back to his first recording in 2017 (Open Letter To Adoniah/Unlearning), has garnered international acclaim for his unique voice and virtuoso guitar stylings, which bring together multiple South African guitar lineages in an original, spiritualised fusion. Collaborating with Mushroom Hour and New Soil for kwaNTU, the two players come together to weave a filigree sonic fabric which reaches down to the heartwood of Zulu guitar music but moves resolutely outward, building on the past to create a deeply rooted statement about present conditions and future travels. kwaNTU – which can be roughly translated ‘the place of the life-spirit’ – is also conclave of teacher and student, as Xaba has been taught by Kunene for the last decade. Meditative, rich and sonically sui generis, kwaNTU finds these two musicians linking up within the inimitable space of sound and spirit that they share through Kunene’s teaching.
The great masters of South African music have not all had equal exposure. For many years the generation of musicians who were exiled during apartheid took centre stage, as the regime made it very difficult for those at home to be heard. More recently, a new cohort of important voices, especially in jazz, has broken through to international consciousness. But for the generation of musicians in between – those who shone like beacons in the most difficult final years of apartheid and immediately afterward – international recognition has been slow in coming.
Madala Kunene, ‘the King of the Zulu Guitar’, is among this number. A revered figure for current generations of South African musicians, Kunene began his recording career in 1990, at the bitter end of apartheid, with a now classic self-titled LP for David Marks’ storied Third Ear imprint. Born in 1951 in Cato Manor, near Durban, he had determined to be a musician from early childhood, and by the time he first entered a recording studio he had already had a long career as a popular performer. His virtuoso absorption and transformation of the venerable Zulu maskanda guitar tradition and his richly spiritualised approach to music immediately marked him out as someone special, and in the years that followed, Kunene cemented his position as one of South Africa’s musical elders. He is without doubt the grand master of the Zulu guitar tradition, but his sound and sensibility ranges far beyond it into varied sonic terrain, and he has collaborated with a wide range of musicians both at home and abroad. Now in his mid-seventies, he remains a shining light for those that are making music in contemporary South Africa.
‘He is really an amazing person,’ says the guitarist Sibusile Xaba, who has been mentored by Kunene for over a decade, and now invites a collaboration with him on kwaNTU. ‘As a mentor, he's really powerful in showing us the way. For us to have this opportunity to make music together and have a project together is really a blessing to me.’
Xaba himself grew up in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, where his mother had been in a band and his father sang in a church choir, and from early childhood Xaba played homemade tin guitars. He only later realised that music was his calling. ‘I just loved music. I was fortunate. My parents loved music. And when it was time for me to leave home and go to study outside Newcastle, I knew that music was what I wanted to do. There was no second option. It was just music.’ Moving to Pretoria to study music formally, Xaba committed himself to his craft, developing a unique style that draws on both US jazz masters such as Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall, and the rich and varied heritage of the South African guitar, from inspirational jazz players such as Allen Kwela and Enoch Mthalane, to the music of the Malombo groups and Dr. Philip Tabane (Xaba has previously collaborated with Dr. Tabane’s late son, Thabang), and the Zulu guitar tradition embodied by Kunene.
‘I was really in love with the jazz guitar, I really admired it, and I was digging a lot in that direction,’ says Xaba, recalling his first encounter with Kunene’s music, over a decade ago. ‘And then one day on my timeline, Kunene popped up, and I was like – “What's this sound?” I was so connected to it. It really touched me deep. I started checking out his records, and then I found out he's from the same region as I am, which is Zululand.’ After Kunene played a show at the Afrikan Freedom Station in Johannesburg, Xaba make contact with him, and visited him at home in Durban. They struck up a friendship, and Xaba became the elder’s student, as Kunene began to pass on his knowledge and his inimitable way of playing.
kwaNTU is a tribute to this relationship and the deep learning that has defined it. The album was recorded in Zululand in the town of Utrecht, at a cultural centre called Kwantu Village, which gives its name to the album. ‘It's such a broad word,’ Xaba says, ‘but the elders teach us that Ntu is basically an energy, almost chi, an energy, a force that all living beings have within them. It's a living energy, so kwaNTU is like, almost the place of this energy.’ The two men sequestered themselves for five days of jamming, improvising and planning, and then the session was recorded in one take over a single night, with Gontse Makhene joining on percussion and backing vocals and Fakazile on vocals. Other voices and overdubs were later added in the studio in Johannesburg.
The result is a rich and meditative recording that finds two generations in a deeply engaged dialogue. Teaching and passing on his knowledge, the elder Kunene has brought Xaba into a space of sound and knowledge that they now share; Xaba’s own practice of deep communion with nature and his dedication to his musical craft make him the perfect interlocutor for Kunene. The result is an album that foregrounds the two musicians engaged at the highest levels of responsive listening, sympathetic unity, and collaborative concentration. Bringing an elder statesman of South African music to an international listening audience for the first time in decades by pairing him with one of South Africa’s most important new voices, kwaNTU is a meeting of generations and a powerful demonstration of musical lineage and continuity.
‘Before music, there is sound,’ Xaba observes, speaking of Kunene’s unique approach to music. ‘And sound is like a common compartment…it's not restricted to particular people or particular geographic places, you know what I mean? It's sound. Everybody can hear it. So when he constructs that sound into music, I think everybody resonates with the energy behind his construction of sound into song. Here at home, we really love him for preserving our history through the guitar, through his stories as well the music, the songs that he writes. We really, really admire him.’
Firing remix package of cuts from two legendary album's from Brazil's Orquestra Afro-Brasileira. Feat
Two albums - Obaluayê (1957) and Orquestra Afro-Brasileira (1968) - were enough for Orquestra Afro-Brasileira to mark its history in music forever. Born in 1942 in Rio de Janeiro by its founder Abigail Moura, it remained active until 1970 and, in 2021, was revived by the only living member of the original line-up at the time, Carlos Negreiros, when the third and final album in the orchestra's career, entitled 80 years, was released by Amor in Sound/Night Dreamer. Today (31) the album gets its remix version with tracks signed by names of the caliber of Marcelo D2, Criolo, Pupillo, Emicida, Rael, Cut Chemist, Mexican Institute of Sound, among others.
Aiming to keep the legacy of the Orquestra Afro-Brasileira alive, the album 80 Anos (Remixes) reaffirms the group's relevance as a creative source for different generations of musicians and listeners, based on new interpretations produced by artists who are also fans of the orchestra. According to Mario Caldato Jr., the album's musical director, "it was a great joy when I got to know the work of the Afro-Brazilian Orchestra and, soon after, had the honor of meeting and working with Carlos Negreiros. Producing 80 Anos alongside him was a gift and being able to look back on it, having the remix album to celebrate this legacy, is really wonderful."
For Amor in Sound - Mario and Samantha Caldato's record label - this release faithfully represents their values: Respect for memory, diversity, friendship and the possibility of creating new worlds. Made in a totally collaborative way, the album is born as a historical record, interpreted by great names in current music and, above all, great friends. “Being able to do this is indescribable, the value of relationships makes up and continues the legacy of the Orquestra Afro Brasileira,” says Samantha.
The project brings together Brazilians Criolo, Emicida, Rael, Marcelo D2, Lucio Maia, Pupillo, Rogê, Tropkillaz, Kassin, Pedro Dom, Zilladxg, Nuts, Daniel Ganjaman, Imperatore and Nave, as well as international DJs and producers such as Mix Master Mike, Cut Chemist, Gaslamp Killer, J Rocc, TASO, Mexican Institute of Sound and Mophono.
The latest release in the Party Tricks reissue series bridges rediscovery with new horizons.
Sebastian Barrymore plays a role in each project, appearing alongside friends throughout the record with unreleased gems and long-lost favorites.
On the A-side, Spilt Coffee (Barrymore & Steven D Wakeling) present two Electro/Tech-House explorations. One cut (A1) previously appeared on vinyl (SPC 001), while the other (A2) resurfaces after disappearing from their website and the realm years ago.
The B-side reveals two unreleased works from the past, which showcase different shades of Barrymore’s collaborations.
M3 Project - Editors (Barrymore & Dan Braine) blends deep house with strong synthpop influences, echoing the peak era of those sounds that once defined dancefloors.
Closing the journey on a life-affirming moment of calm, Droppenkiken - Take Life (Barrymore) delivers a heartfelt downtempo finale.
Interception, the second long player from Jensen Interceptor following 2018's Mother, is something of a state-of-the-nation that finds Melas consolidating several eras of his career, past and present, to form a distinct new sound that is the most experimental work he has produced to date.
In 2024, a freak accident at an event he was playing left him with multiple broken bones in his foot. The forced downtime became an opportunity for introspection, allowing him to revisit earlier projects and explore new musical territories. Blending his signature electro with genres such as IDM, footwork, and baile funk, Melas used this recovery period to fuse old influences with fresh global sounds. "Since I started making music I've always made music geared towards use in my DJ sets but there's always been an urge to explore the deeper side of electronic music.
That time off after the accident gave me the space to dive into genres and really experiment.
" The accident came at a time when he had already spent time, like so many others though the COVID-19 pandemic, assessing his next move. A full tour schedule had left him feeling constrained by the limitations of working in a single genre. As such, Interception is the end point of this reassessment and the start point of what Melas sees as the next stage of his musical evolution.
"I really wanted to challenge and, I guess, prove myself in other spheres, to take my music to a new place. I've never wanted to be too repetitive and found that expectations, imagined or real, were forcing me to get stuck on a specific sound both in my productions and DJ sets." This renewal is reflected in the title of the album, which eagle-eyed fans will note is the same as the first EP that was released under the Jensen Interceptor moniker, and the emotional and personal nature of the LP is likewise mirrored in the abstract impressionism of the artwork created by fellow Australian, Brodie Kaman, the artist behind the visual look of Lady Gaga's recent Mayhem LP as well as works for FKA Twigs, Nine Inch Nails, and more.
The design-resembling oil drifting across a microscope slide-uses a mix of vivid pastels and moody darks to express the album's emotional depth: a collection of distinct elements coalescing into something richer and more evocative.
Utter presents Marshall Jefferson's previously unreleased meditation opus 'Yellow Meditation For The Dance Generation' alongside two remixes from French production maestro Joakim.
Marshall Jefferson: Chicago House music pioneer, creator of the anthemic ‘Move My Body’, an original collaborator of Adonis, Ce Ce Rogers and Roy Davis Jr., production mastermind of countless dancefloor classics such as Phuture’s ‘Acid Tracks’, Sterling Void’s ’It’s All Right’, Hercules’ ‘7 Ways’… and the soothing voice behind a 36 minute healing meditation guide. Yes, really.
But let’s rewind, slightly.
In 2017, Marshall was approached and encouraged by Ian ‘Snowy’ Snowball to write his autobiography and the pair set about putting Marshall’s account of the history of House music together. The book, ‘Marshall Jefferson: Diary of a DJ’ was published in 2019.
Following the book’s release, Ian and Marshall's collaboration continued and during the pandemic an outlandish idea arose to create a piece of music combining Ian's interest in meditation (he runs Club Chi specialising in Shibashi Qigong - a form of Tai Chi Qigong - which is a gentle form of movement therapy/exercise) and Marshall's willingness to experiment musically to see what might be possible.
The result is ‘Yellow Meditation For The Dance Generation’, where Marshall vocalises Ian’s lyrics in his instantly recognisable voice. The keen-eared out there may also recognise aspects of the music itself as a stripped back, lengthened and far mellower version of Marshall’s 1985 obscurity ‘Vibe’:
“I would take tapes to the Music Box and Ron Hardy would play my music. ‘Vibe’ was one of those tracks. I recorded ‘Vibe’ in 1985, but it became one of my tracks that I just forgot about until some guy on Facebook sent me a recording of it that was taken from a club. The only person who I ever gave a recording of ‘Vibe’ to was Ron Hardy. The other people I know who had copies of the track were Gene Hunt and Emanuel Pippin (DJ Spookie).
"The original version of ‘Vibe’ was made using a Roland 707, Roland JX-8P keyboard and a Roland 727 drum machine. I was still working at the Post Office at the time, and this was pre-‘Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)’. ‘Vibe’ has the building blocks for ‘Move Your Body’ because it was using the instruments on the track that I discovered what I could do with the bass sound, to make a track like ‘Move Your Body’.”
Still, Ian’s initial intention for ‘Yellow Meditation’ was function and it was designed to be a ‘Sequential Relaxation Exercise’ focusing on the Solar Plexus. Bearing this in mind, Marshall took a bare-bones and hypnotic approach to this particular re-recording of ‘Vibe’ so that the voice takes centre stage and listeners (hopefully) find themselves on a meditative journey. In fact, this long-form track was always intended as a private tool purely for meditation at Club Chi rather than released to the public - after all, Marshall had also created and released a more drum heavy, ’traditional’ club-focused 'Vibe Three' instrumental version for that very purpose - but a chance airing of the full 36 minute version changed its path.
Much like those 1985 ‘Vibe’ cassettes, Marshall had sent the track to a few close contacts, one of whom was Kieran at Phonica Records who aired it over the shop’s basement soundsystem. Its unorthodox nature caught the ear of colleague Alex (of Utter) and the seeds of a physical release were planted.
Eventually, with the full-version carefully whittled down to a vinyl friendly length of 24 minutes, full track parts in hand and a b-side to fill, Alex sought out one of his favourite producers to take up the remix reigns: Joakim. The Tigersushi co-founder and Crowdspacer boss has a long history of boundary-pushing remixes that straddle both dancefloor functionality and experimentation. This time the original material resulted in Joakim coming up with a number of ideas and he finally delivered two versions - one club focused (‘Vertical’), the other more introspective and meditative (‘Horizontal’), both of which appear on the final 12”.
The limited edition 12” also includes a download code giving buyers access to all of the vinyl tracks plus an 18 minute extended version of Joakim’s ‘Horizontal’ remix, its instrumental counterpart (for those who can live without Marshall's voice) and full 12 minute acapella (for those who can't!)
Alex
a A1. Yellow Meditation For The Dance Generation (Edit) 24:00
b B1. Yellow Meditation For The Dance Generation (Joakim's Vertical Remix) 9:09
9:05
Belgian iconic label USA IMPORT gets relaunch. First release: REISSUE by HARDCORE producer Liza N’ Eliaz.
Nicknamed “The Queen of Terror”, Liza N’ Eliaz was a well respected DJ, producer and label owner born in Ostend in 1958 and sadly passed away in Antwerp in 2001.
Growing up in a family of musicians, she studied classical music and learned to play the piano four hands with her grandfather, a conductor at the local municipal orchestra. Later she discovered the synthesizer and cassette recorder and joined new wave and industrial bands in the recording studio and on tour. During a concert in France in 1985 she met Yvette Neliaz, who became her companion, muse and partner and whose surname inspired her pseudonym. Liza was added as a reference to the byname given to transsexuals in Flanders.
In Amsterdam the couple became enthralled with the burgeoning acid house, new beat and techno scene centered around the club Roxy. Soon Liza N’ Eliaz started to make a name for herself, among others in the Parisian underground scene and as a regular guest at French Radio FG. As a DJ she mastered an incredible technique simultaneously mixing on three or four turntables. As a music producer she had an impeccable ear for sound, pushing up the pace to staggering heights and as a result taking part in changing the rules of electronic dance music in a new and booming global scene in the mid nineties: hardcore and speedcore.
Liza N’ Eliaz was a prolific producer working solo and with artists such as DJ Dano, Laurent Hô and The Prophet, releasing on labels such as Atom, Mokum and Bonzai. In 1997 she founded her own label in collaboration with USA Import Records dubbed Provision Records.
USA Import Records is proud to present the reissue of Initial Gain, the EP previously released on its sublabel Atom Records in 1992, the second in the Molecules of Music series. Adding two new interpretations by Toulouse Low Trax to three original tracks, a nothing else but logical connection is set between Liza N’ Eliaz’ early work and today’s genre bending electronic music scene.
For the record: Liza N’ Eliaz didn’t like her nickname “the queen of terror”. She didn’t intend on terrorizing anyone, commented Yvette Neliaz after her unfortunate passing away.
Introducing Beautiful, a 4-track, club-focused EP by Copenhagen’s Hekt on Numbers. It hints at his mass appeal while featuring club-ready vocal collaborations from close friends Henriette (on ‘Beautiful’ and ‘You Won’t Believe’) and Catharina (on ‘Anytime Anywhere’), who together record as Smerz.
Working entirely without samples, Hekt is a sculptor wielding digital synthesis and sticky hooks, with each element carefully constructed from the ground up and the process just as important as the finished result. “It’s about trying to be honest with what I like at every level,” he says. “To maximise the points where I'm forced to check in with my feelings on each aspect of the songwriting, sound design, mixing, and any other aesthetic choice. Creating digital approximations tilts towards an uncanny space where everything is crystal-clear but also kind of warped.”
On opening track “Beautiful”, the descending bass and acid lines are inspired by tracks Hekt and friends used to test subwoofers in the cars they rode around during their teenage years. “You Won’t Believe” started off as a MIDI piano sketch that accelerated towards the epic emotional impact of EDM stadium-fillers like Avicii and Eric Prydz. In a playful nod to internet culture, Hekt recalls that “I had this idea for adding a vocal that played on YouTube thumbnails and self-promotion. I called Henriette when she was in France and asked her to phrase it as epic as possible, and she sent two ideas over for ‘Beautiful’ and ‘You Won’t Believe’.”
On ‘Anytime Anywhere’, Hekt reimagines his sound at 110 BPM. What began as studio experiments morphed from Neptunes or Timbaland-style productions into a crunchy pressure overload closer to Gescom via Lazer Dim 700, with Hekt also adding his own vocals.
Unearthed from the Crammed Discs vaults after nearly four decades (Originally recorded in 1987), a hidden gem finally sees the light. Maurice Poto Doudongo’s The Lost Album arrives on vinyl for the first time—limited to 500 copies, with printed inner sleeve featuring release notes and photographs.
Back in the hazy margins of late-’80s Brussels, where boundary-blurring sounds were seeping through the cracks of pop music, a young autodidact named Maurice Poto Doudongo was crafting music that didn’t quite belong to any scene. Born in Kinshasa and growing up in Belgium, Maurice was a sonic nomad—raised on Franco, Miriam Makeba, and Tabu Ley Rochereau, transfixed by James Brown and Prince, and shaped by the fertile collision between African music and experimental electronics occurring all around him.
Leaving school at 16 to concentrate on music full-time, he began recording on borrowed 4-tracks, using cardboard boxes for percussion, and absorbing whatever sounds the airwaves served him: “Music has no frontier,” he says. “You take what you like. Prince, Fela, Papa Wemba—there is no contradiction. It’s all part of the sound.”
The result? A record that’s equal parts analog drum machine funk, homegrown Afro-pop futurism, and new wave R&B-informed synth poetry. Marc Hollander, founder of Crammed Discs, met Maurice through his friend and associate, musician/producer Vincent Kenis and quickly recognized the spark. The two began working in earnest, preparing tracks intended for a full-length release that, for reasons lost to time and memory, never materialized—until now.
Marc remembers: “The album was never completely finished. “Bolingo” was the only track that came out on a Crammed compilation at that time… and the rest sat on the shelf for decades until we started opening the Crammed vaults.”
Maurice recalls the session as being, “like an unstoppable current”. Listening now, the Lost Album feels both of its time and well beyond it. While tracks like “Momo” sound not a million miles away from the slinky and sophisticated Balearic pop ambience of Wally Badarou’s Echoes album, "Passport Train" shakes itself loose of any genre boundaries, veering into free-form Afro-electronica and tough electronic rhythm. Others pulse with a sweet and soulful groove that suggests dance floors dreamed of but never reached.
In decades hence, Maurice never left music, and the music never left him. Now working mainly as an arranger, he describes his job as being like that of a musical psychologist: “Someone comes to me with their sound, and before anything I have to understand their mind and heart,” he explains. That same intuitive fluency can be heard across this entire album—music that listens before it speaks, that absorbs before it asserts.
This reissue is more than a remastering. It’s a second breath. Sourced from cassette roughs and 24-track demos, carefully restored with Maurice’s blessing, and released as a complete album on vinyl for the very first time, The Lost Album isn’t lost anymore.
It just took nearly 40 years to find its way to you. - Editions de Lux
DJ Support: CamelPhat, Blond:ish, Eli & Fur, David Penn, Arielle Free, Bibi Seck Sam Divine
Armada Music and King Street Sounds team up again to celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Most Precious Love” by Blaze presents UDAUFL feat. Barbara Tucker. This release is a timeless classic captivating anyone who encounters it.
This 20th anniversary special includes the Bonafide classic remix by Dennis Ferrer, Michael Gray’s take and two brand new remixes for 2025 all presented in a beautifully designed record sleeve featuring the star herself on the cover.
Kicking things off on the A side is the “DF’s Future 3000 Mix” that has been championed time and time again by DJ’s from across the world. Next up is Michael Gray, a DJ and producer who needs little to no introduction his version breathes new life into the original by taking it down a couple notches and giving it more of a mellow feel. The first of the two brand new remixes is Nico de Andrea, an Afro-house maestro who sports his signature sound once again by bringing his rhythms and melancholic pop melodies presenting the classic in a whole new way. Rounding off is Sam Divine the first lady of Defected who has held residencies at clubs such as Pacha, Amnesia, Sankeys, Ushuaïa, Eden, among others. She sinks her teeth into this remix by building up the vocal into a drop which is sure to keep the dancefloor going for the late nights that need that boost of energy.
Whether this is the first time you’re hearing this anthem or the one hundredth, here’s your chance to own a slice of house music history.
Terence Fixmer Reissues Two Cult Techno Anthems on Red 10 inch Vinyl
Techno pioneer Terence Fixmer re-releases two of his most iconic tracks - Electrostatic and Electric Vision - now remastered for a more contemporary and powerful sound, and pressed on a limited edition 10 inch red vinyl.
Originally released on Gigolo Records in the late 90s and early 2000s, both tracks quickly became underground anthems. Played by legendary DJs such as Dave Clarke, Sven Vath, and many others, they were also named Tracks of the Year by renowned techno publications like Groove magazine.
With these two groundbreaking cuts, Terence Fixmer helped open a bold new chapter in the history of techno - giving birth to Techno Body Music (TBM), a genre blending the raw, industrial force of EBM with the driving energy of techno. Electrostatic, in particular, is considered a foundational track of this hybrid style.
Now regarded as true techno classics, Electrostatic and Electric Vision have stood the test of time and are still played regularly by DJs worldwide, continuing to energize dancefloors decades after their release.
This is the first official repress in over 20 years, and the first time these two cult tracks appear together on one record - sharper, louder, and more essential than ever.
Providing more prolific dance floor energy this winter are Italian house pushers Black Box Records, a carefully curated VA of feel good vibe from producers Ruff Stuff, Floska, label founder Vito Fattore, and the eclectic sounds of, DJ GLC. Available on vinyl this Oktober.
Kicking off proceedings is Berlin based Italian, Ruff Stuff. A killer cut, with ice cold drum arrangement which becomes one with the playful chords which propel the energy of the ‘Son Of Will’ track, the female vocal sample sprinkled in for some added pleasure. Young Italian trio Floska deliver ‘Get Up & Dance’ dreamy and mellow sounds on a lo-fi tip, almost seven minutes of pure bliss.
The brain behind Black Box,Vito Fattore, steps up for the B1 as any leader should. Clinical dance floor moods, laced with emotion. Magical pads and synths work their way around the funk laden body of the track, explosive summer time feelings. Switching things up for the closing track is DJ GLC, with a deeper and darker energy than the other three track. Aptly entitled ’Suspense’ mechanical whirrs carry the track, as broken drums burst through the seams of the record. A trip through murky waters that compliments the EP in great fashion.
Another display of zestful house music from a blossoming label, sure to be a winner with tastemakers and groove explorers alike. One to watch out for in the coming periods as Black Box Records continue to supply you with what you need.
El AMBIE—TÓN is back. The reference #002 is an exercise of Memory (Memoria), it is a place where the water blooms on the earth and the wind in the mountains. It is jungle and city. Mountain and noise. Imbalance and harmony. It is a lake in the sky, a forest between seas. A still cloud in la cordillera, a name that floats. This collaboration between Colombian Drone Mafia and Gibrana Cervantes is the beginning and end of a fragile geography, like the magic and mafia of our platanal.
But who is behind this new combo and bridge between South and Central America? CDM is the new alias of Nyksan, a Bogota-born techno-affiliated deejay and sound artist who is also one of the co-founders of TraTraTrax. From the other side, Mexican composer and violinist Gibrana Cervantes is one of the most outstanding string voices in the daring electronic music landscape in recent times. The duo's cabalistic work creates intricate and dark ambient, all woven around gut-moving sonorities. Colombian Drone Mafia dissolves the boundaries between synthesis and field recordings, crafting experimental yet primitive textures that infect listeners through the layered melodic spaces that Gibrana masters.
We cordially invite you to listen to this journey of immersive drones through vegetation and concrete jungle, music that is at times contemplative and at other times violent. Music framed between deep listening and deep boredom. A glimpse of the sound of the end.
Otoboke Beaver return with a new album Super Champon
It follows the critically revered Itekoma Hits of 2019. Champon is a Japanese
noun meaning a mixture or jumble of things of different type. Recorded, mixed
and mastered by Ippei Suda in between lockdowns at Osaka's legendary LM
Studio.Across 18 songs, chief singer- songwriter Acco expands the band's
possibilities and pushes their musical skills to the limit. Acco has remarked
previously that she is more influenced by 'manzai', a traditional style of comedy in
Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand- up comedy
exemplified by its use of slang puns and wordplay, speedy back- and- forth
dialogue and impeccable timing in delivering a punchline, characteristics of which
Otoboke Beaver's music shares in droves.
The begena is a large ten-stringed lyre which is part of the traditional Amharic heritage of Ethiopia. The Amharas, who have long formed the politically and culturally dominant people of Ethiopia, mainly inhabit the central and northern part of the country. In the majority, they follow the monophysite Orthodox Tewahido Church established in the early fourth century AD.
Music plays a very important part in the life of the church. Most of the liturgy is sung and, contrary to secular music, it is accompanied by percussion instruments only. The begena occupies a special place because it is the one melodic instrument exclusively dedicated to the spiritual repertory. Because of its mythical origin, it is highly respected. Tradition holds that the begena was given to king David by God, and brought to Ethiopia by Menelik I, together with the Ark of the Covenant. It has always been the instrument of kings and nobles. Played by pious men and women of letters, it never became widespread. But it never disappeared either, not even under the Derg regime (1974-1991) which had banned the instrument.
Among Amhara string instruments, the begena is the most carefully crafted, especially with regard to the ornately sculpted crossbar. Its ten gut strings are cleaned and twisted several times. The characteristic buzzing timbre equalled by no other Amhara instrument is due to the enzirotch, that is, small bits of leather placed between each string and the bridge. This plays an important part in the sound production by creating a brief contact between the string and the upper rim of the bridge, thus modifying the vibrating properties of the string. In this manner, the spectrum of the sound is considerably enhanced (up to over 10 kHz).
The begena is a very powerful instrument, it keeps the devil thirty steps away, and its presence in the home wards off malicious spirits. Priests and preachers recommend its presence, especially during Lent (Fassika Tsom) when the Orthodox Amharas ponder their sins and repent. Because of its spiritual import, the begena generates intense emotion. According to some musicians, playing the begena brings them into direct contact with God or the Virgin Mary. The religious role of the begena is underscored by the shape of the instrument, each part symbolises an important element of the faith. The crossbar for instance, which reaches across the entire width of the instrument, represents God who is above all things. The belly which "gives birth" to the sound represents the Virgin Mary, and the ten strings recall the Ten Commandments.
Recorded by Stéphanie Weisser in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 2002-December 2005.
During this summer’s European tour with Junior Dell & The D-Lites, we were honoured to share the stage at This Is Ska Festival in Germany with none other than The Pioneers.
After the show, fate had me driving Jackie and George back to the hotel. On the way, we got to reminiscing about our last collaboration — Jump Up!, released on Original Gravity Records in December 2023. Mid-conversation, Jackie casually said: “Hey Neil, I’m in England all of July, we could record something.”
I dropped the guys off, said goodnight, but as soon as my head hit the pillow, an idea sparked: wouldn’t it be cool to have them record Jackie Edwards’ northern soul classic I Feel So Bad — but reimagined in an early reggae style?
So in July, we set up a session at Farm Factory Studios in Welwyn Garden City. George and Jackie came down, and it was nothing short of magical to hear these legends harmonising together once again in the booth. The result captures that late-60s moment when soul and reggae collided on dancefloors, raw and full of energy.
To add another dimension, we also created a version as if it had traveled from Kingston to London. The “Boss” version imagines the raw Jamaican master — while the A-side reflects how Trojan Records might have “sweetened it up” with horns and strings for the UK pop market.
Two sides, one timeless tune — a tribute to both the grit and the gloss of reggae’s golden era.
By the time of their second album, 1989’s ‘Unfinished Business’, EPMD were firmly cemented in the rap stratosphere. With one certified classic album under their belts, they proved they were no one-hit wonders, with the sequel possibly even better. A concise 12 tracker once again produced by the artists themselves, it saw them adhering to the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ maxim, while going somewhat ‘bigger’.
In other words, guests started to appear – not just on the records, but in the videos – and marketing budgets were higher. None of which watered down their sound. In fact, this is the ultimate EPMD record: a beat that’s simple but perfect, and two top-of-their-game MC’s going back and forth. But the appearance of NWA in the video for ‘The Big Payback’ hints at their reputation at the time – and at the cordial relations between coasts before the deadly beef that was to come.
‘Payback’ takes both its title and core sample from James Brown’s ‘The Payback’ from 1973, and then weaves two more JB elements with it, including the addictive stabs from ‘Baby, Here I Come’. It’s a golden track from the golden age.
The B-side is another gem from the same album, and only released before on 7” in a very rare, limited pressing. ‘So Wat Cha Sayin’ was the album’s lead single, and shows EPMD’s wide sampling palette. There’s bits of BT Express, a whole lot of Funkadelic and, brilliantly, some drums lifted from Soul II Soul’s gem from just the year before, ‘Fairplay’. Lyrically, it’s just all about threats to sucker’s MC’s – what else do you want from EPMD?
Perhaps you've chanced upon a Number Station, unwittingly as you scour the shortwave bands, and heard a cold, disconnected voice repeating simple commands endlessly into the ether. Or maybe you've scanned past a series of bleeps and pips, or pockets of noise, thinking nothing of them, as you seek a favoured music station. These are messages, to those who know how to receive them, and are able decode them in their various forms and configurations.
Shropshire Number Stations - Recordings of Covert Shortwave Radio Stations charts the covert shortwave radio stations broadcasting silently through the air around us, to aspirant agents in the fields of Shropshire, UK and the counties which surround it. These two continuous sides include recordings of 19 such lay-stations, captured by Eric Loveland Heath at various points over the last few years. The true nature of these amateur networks may never be known, nor might their cyphers ever be revealed. These are recordings of their activities, made conceivably for the sake of posterity alone, offering a glimpse into clandestine worlds otherwise obscured from view.
A bit of backstory behind this release, I first met Hilton (Jack Horner) at an event in 2012 that took place in a venue called Crucifix Lane (also known as Jack's, now defunct due to expansion of London Bridge station). He's good friends with Krome & Time who were performing that night and I remember chatting with him about jungle (I was still a very eager young lad that was in his first year of raving and very keen to talk about jungle/hardcore/d&b to anyone that would be willing to endure it!) and he mentioned that he used to make jungle in the 90s. I asked who he was and when he told me he was Jack Horner, I went mental because I was a big fan of the 2nd release on Spectrum Records (The Hoover & I Got This Feeling) and to actually meet the person behind those tunes was a really special situation for me to be in.
Unfortunately, I was too shy to get any contact details for him and I never saw him again or knew anyone that had a way of getting in touch with him. That was until very recently, when he had started attending Distant Planet events in London & I got the chance to meet him again, only to be shocked by him telling me that he had been following me & my music and was a fan of me & my label! This time, I made sure that I was able to get contact details for him, I was not going to make the same mistake as last time!
Last December, he messaged me asking if I would be up for doing a remix of The Hoover & I was quite unsure about doing it because of how much I really enjoy the original and feel like it does pretty much everything it needs to do with the sounds used. But, I thought it would be worth a try so I gave it a go and Hilton really liked the outcome (which was a huge relief ????), even though I was a bit too scared to change too much of it haha.
He then asked if I would be interested in releasing it on Future Retro London, which I'd never considered doing because I thought he would have had his own plans for it but I was willing to try & see if we could make a release out of this. I messaged Dwarde & Kid Lib to ask if they'd be up for doing remixes of the same tune (at the time, we only had access to the samples from The Hoover) and they both were and they did great work taking the original track in different directions, each in their own way.
Around the time of making The Hoover, Hilton made another tune with similar samples called After The Pain, which was never released, but he still had the tune. The problem is that he only had it in the form of a cassette recording, which wasn't very good quality and probably would not be easily cleaned up for release. So, I decided to remake the tune from scratch, using the samples I had from The Hoover, as well as sourcing & recreating other sounds used. I was able to remake the whole tune arrangement & then Kid Lib mixed it down to make it sound more sonically similar to how it would have sounded when it was originally made back in 94/95.
Anyway, story time over, big thanks to Hilton for his co-operation & assistance on making this release happen, to Dwarde & Kid Lib for their remix work & a special shout going out to Hughesee for going through Hilton's collection of floppy disks to find & record the samples for The Hoover.
Fetter’s Body of Noise erupts at the threshold between ravey hypnosis and avant-pop experiment, slithering through the hinterlands of unconscious desire. Nine shape-shifting tracks conjure haunted landscapes where beauty refuses clarity and dancefloor logic warps underfoot. Vocals swoon, drift, and demand—stacking into fragments that multiply and weave through saturated pulses and shimmering, snarling synths.
Opening track "Like a Rose" traces a dreamer’s transition into the unstable physics of a perplexing but familiar dream world, where they gradually become lucid. “Beast” follows up humming with shadowed urgency, threading a path through self-sabotage and metamorphosis. “Spathiphyllums” drifts a while in a lush lostness, aching for something new before fracturing into wild, cathartic collapse. Side B’s “Do I Exist? (D.I.E)” and “The Longing” spiral into existential wonder, searching for a human origin story—both personal and collective—against a backdrop of uncertainty, while “Headache” thrusts forward as an absurd and insistent manifesto to stay the course and harness one’s own power within the madness.
Body of Noise is crafted not only for sweating bodies in motion, but for distorting time and opening psychic portals, where surrender becomes strategy and uncertainty transforms into ecstatic navigation. Rooted in all-hardware improvised production and shaped by Fetter’s years of boundary-blurring visual and performance art, their debut LP feels alive and in flux. Reminiscent of a spectral pop chorus trapped in a loop of broken machinery, or a lost broadcast from a dancefloor in a parallel realm, Body of Noise is a journey into chaos, transformation, and a bold refusal to be contained.
About Fetter:
Fetter makes clubby self-destructing noise pop to dance and weep to. Oscillating between ethereal and pounding, their all-hardware, largely improvised live sets take listeners through a foggy wilderness of saturated rhythms and menacing synth lines, a golden voice guiding the way through. Fetter is the stage moniker of multimedia artist Jess Tucker. Their performances take place in clubs as well as galleries, often incorporating video, installation, and interactive performance art elements to create other-worldly surrounds of mesmerizingly unhinged bodies and faces.
There are certain albums which shake the world immediately upon release, and others which come from far underground and whose shocks and aftershocks rise to the surface gradually over the years, gaining momentum and power. "Ten Dubs That Shook The World" is of the latter type. Since its original vinyl release in 1988, the prescient impact of this Australian homemade dubwise solo massive byAnthony Maher aka Sheriff Lindoh as become ever-more apparent and influential. With its dual island combination of Jamaican dub and UK industrial and post-punk, and the twinning of spaced electronic drums and effects with some very fine, superbly rooted bass lines, the tectonic "Ten Dubs" has proven to be a durable, doubly-solid shaker. This 2025 repress is dedicated to the original producer John Blades, founder of the Endless Recordings label, who along with Maher and Richard Fielding constituted The Loop Orchestra. Available on LP vinyl or CD; the CD version features bonus tracks. EM Records is also pleased to announce that we are preparing Lindo's first release since "Ten Dubs" was launched 37 years ago. From deep underground in Australia, rising, reverberating and resonating across the globe, "Ten Dubs That Shook The World" vibrates on.
Following up a string of releases on labels such as Mana, Sun Ark, Orange Milk Records and Abyss, Other People are honoured to present the new album Fobia by Argentinian musician and sound artist aylu, real name Ailin Grad. Inspired in part of Grad's many collaborative projects over the last few years, Fobia sees her collecting and rearranging the music and sounds fostered within these to create an intimate, spiritually charged album that turns personal struggle into collective resistance and resilience. What initially started as a way for Grad to process her own experiences with agora- and claustrophobia, and an attempt to navigate feelings of shame and a perceived demand to keep these feelings bottled up and hidden from the world, she began to realise how mental health struggles are not isolated incidents but part of broader systems of collective suffering and injustice. “It took a long time for me to discover that my issues were part of a system that produces these kinds of symptoms and that it takes a lot of courage to find a way around them. I have the feeling that more and more people suffer from these kind of things in some way or another, and what was at first taught as something you should be silent about and keep private, I discovered that the more you talk about it and share it with people you trust, the more you realise that it’s part of something much bigger.” This tension and constant pull between fear and joy, light and dark, is present throughout the album. From the strained breathing featured in opening track Yodo echoing the suffocating feeling from claustrophobia interspersed with the lighter textures of Obelisco Elysium and Prospero offering up a sense of relief, to the almost cacophonous, immersive soundscapes of El Sol Mal, mirroring the complex, often contradictory emotions when navigating mental health challenges. Fobia invites listeners to move through pain with honesty, finding strength in shared experiences.
What makes チトチック/クラクラ (CHITOTIHC/KULA-kura) so fascinating is that, in some weird way, it’s a meeting of minds and musical language of disparate artists at the forefront of a new kind of groove. There might be no “L” in the Japanese language but that doesn’t stop it from trying to find a working substitute. Similarly, Chito enlisted members from his Asiabeat and East Pulse, others from Mu-Project, K2, and Adi, and brought in Haruomi Hosono to play mercurial bass. In the great expanse of experimental Japanese-made pop music all of them might have gone in “out-there” in separate directions but on this record it was Chito who pointed their focus all on the same track.
“Bayou (バイヨー)” presents this floating idea of dance music with beats and rhythms that hover among the ethereal. Other like “Scribble Dance (らくがき)” use Harry’s acid bass lines to dig cavernous grooves that only come up for air via adrenaline-fueled jumps by Haruo Kubota’s quite Adrian Belew-esque guitar lines. Perhaps, Discipline-era King Crimson is an apt comparison to what Chito and his crew pull off here.
Where Discipline signaled a way to reconcile the most out-there polymeter music of prog with the more satisfying parts of post-punk and the new electronic wave, so to do I think チトチック/クラクラ (CHITOTIHC/KULA-kura) has that bit of heart/spirit in mind. This is the out-there of Japanese experimental music satisfying the best parts of the, then, new electronic wave. It takes a certain degree of proficiency and sheer chutzpah to go from “11” to the wonderfully impressionistic, ambient minimalism of a track like “Sanghyang (サンヤン)”.
It’s the joy of not knowing what each new track will hold and just letting yourself follow the hard-working hands of such learned musicians that brings the most out of Chito’s vision. It’s this very liquid music that keeps you on your toes on tracks like “Astral Lamp (無影灯)”. Tracks like “Jagg-chagg (ジャグチャグ)” and “Filament (フィラメント)” present a fourth world music bifurcated in exponential parts by the glitch of newer, modern, electronic modalities, intersected by expressions by differing voices. Every track you switch to presents a new way to get lost in the many phases and places Chito wants you to travel to.
In the end, as always, it’s not the destination but the journey through it that plants this album in your memory. – Diego Olivas
