quête:pol

RNT co-founder JKriv joins forces with keyboard virtuoso Jason Lindner to drop the Real Ones EP, a clubby and musical 3-track excursion that includes a deep and polished remix from rising star Retromigration. Needing little introduction, JKriv is a driving force behind RNT, architect of edits, original productions, and the aesthetic direction of the label. Jason Lindner has a storied musical history that includes leading the in-house big band of legendary jazz club Small’s in the early 2000s through to performing on David Bowie’s final album Blackstar, and much more. The duo have been honing a musical alliance for the past few years through their work together in the A Joyful Noise band and hybrid-live sets on hometown Brooklyn Razor-N-Tape events, developing an inctricate musical interplay and incendiary energy that is captured perfectly here. Across these 3 melodic house tracks, lush layers of synths interlock and build toward big anthemic moments, with hard-hitting drums driving the energy forward. Retromigration steps up to deliver a gorgeously slick remix to round out this exceedingly musical and eminently playable 12".

Dr. Silberman makes a welcome return to Atom Trance Force and kicks things off in 2026 with his EP 'Welcome To The Future'. Two mixes of the title track are included: The fast paced original and the trance mix. The original is a serious ode to the late 90s Hamburg hard trance sound, and you can hear the influence of labels like EDM, Tunnel & Spaceflower. For the trance mix, he brings the tempo back down to 140 and moves more towards older Positiva energy. Rounding off the EP is Friends & Enemies, keeping the energy high but the quality to match.

From Atom - we thank you for your continued trust, and bigups to those supporting this release:

1995 Trance Sessions, Adam (Last Of The Mohicans) [Apple FM], Adam Bellew [Global Hard House Radio], Angie (FR), Busho, Choci, Digital Devil, Dimitri Kechagias, DJ Brisk [Stimulant DJs], DJs Present, Evolving Suns Audio [Cohesion / The Attic], Giuseppe Ottaviani, J.O.E [Tomorrows World], Jake Ayres, Jake Grace [TranceUnite / FCM Live], Jake Nicholls [Uprising], Loki [Terminal Trax], Louk / Hidden Identity, Mat Phat & Fugee Show [Newport City Radio], Mind Control [Noise Pollution], Mindflux, Paul Nineham [Brisk], Pete Morton [Harderfaster], Remnis, Renegade System, Rennz [Distorted Dreams], Rightsound [Dancesation / Timewarp], Rocco Jonsson [Collide / The Carnival Sweden], Spaceman [Tuned Flow], Spektral Noise, Suzy Solar, Tjerk Coers

In an age that demands hyper acceleration, kinetic flashes and byte voracity, Blak Saagan sticks out like a sore thumb with a sprawling body of work that requires attention and unlocks profound symbols and meaning with every passage. After a 5 year gap, the Venetian composer returns with his most personal and openly political statement yet, ‘Un Sequestro Lungo 10.000 Anni’, a staggering 108 minute triple album soundtracking a dystopian city through flashes of futuristic fourth world visions, warehouse 80s rave-ups, meditative trance and dark rumblings. Following his acclaimed ‘Se Ci Fosse La Luce Sarebbe Bellissimo’ was never going to be an easy feat but Samuele Gottardello (Blak Saagan) approached the fresh canvas with a renewed sense of commitment sparking a dense parallel world inhabited by paranoia, control and repression. A world that is relieved by the figure of a woman with the body of a bird emerging from the asphalt and freeing humanity from the “sequestro” (kidnapping) to which it has long been subjected. Dystopia pushed to the limits and sadly close to our current affairs.

Phantastic Ferniture are back with their jubilant garage pop, releasing not one but two singles - their very first recordings since their critically acclaimed 2018 debut album. Recorded at Golden Retriever Studios in Sydney, produced by Phan Fern themselves, and mixed and mastered by previous collaborators Tim Carr and Andrew Edgson respectively, tracks “Change My Mind” and “Dare to Fall in Love” immediately evoke everything about this band we have come to know and love. Julia Jacklin’s ability to write a catchy yet effortlessly cool vocal hook is evident on first listen, but it’s the magic that Phan Fern creates together that really brings the songs home.

Ultra Clear Vinyl. ‘*FLUTTERS AWAY*’ follows last year's debut EP, ‘Handwriting Practice No. 1’, which established Operelly as one of the most exciting new voices in music. Thupcoming EP tells the story of a relationship breaking down
amidst miscommunication. Delicate electro-acoustic arrangements (dubbed "tiptoe music" by Operelly) intersperse
with the static sounds of radio interference, as if the interrupted communication recounted in the lyrics has punctured the songs
themselves. Operelly executive produced the entire record and mixed four of the five songs. Additional production work was provided by Hudson Pollock, Al Carlson, Stephen Willard, and Kali Flanagan. Cover art was designed by Leo Horton in collaboration with Operelly. The music video for "under my bed" was directed and shot by Sarah Elise Bauman

Extinction Burst! is the new invocation in album-form by Guttersnipe, Leeds’ premier and pre-eminent XFCER (XFCER: Xenofeminist crisis-energy rock)* duo. Slamming at full speed to multi-dimensional oblivion, Extinction Burst! is the most full, hidefinition lurid dream-mare yet spewed out by Uroceras Gigas & Tipula Confusa. Engineered and mixed by Ross Halden at Hohm Studio in Bradford and mastered by Rashad Becker, Extinction Burst! follows 2018’s My Mother The Vent, which garnered universal critical adoration. Nevertheless, this long-awaited follow up is more extreme: it is wildness beyond reason, splitting new tears in the reality gauze, ultimate hallucination through sound ecstasy. 2026’s Guttersnipe are evolved, mutated by 8 years of touring together and with the labyrinthine network of groups both Guttersnipe members are involved with - Tristwch Y Fenywod, Nape Neck, Petronn Sphene, Yexxen to name a few. On Extinction Burst!, as with previous material, the duo are heavily augmented with technology. Tipula Confusa's drum kit triggers chasm-causing synth pulses with thumping low end attack.. Strafing from all over the stereo field the constant shatter of the cymbals and toms feel like Sunny Murray or Rashied Ali in full flight during a John Coltrane session in 1967. Uroceras Gigas’s guitar + synth storm is by-now similarly an instantly recognised tool kit in underground music. Switching from screeching guitar atonality to intricate riffs from the black metal/Voivod hinterland to ultra-distorted synth meltdown, it’s an utterly overwhelming, essential and vital pouring-out of the full emotional spectrum. Both artists vocalise, ecstatic and primal, drawn out or yelped in pain or pleasure or panic. Alive On Tuesday begins with some of the only space on Extinction Burst! Digital crackles and tight-delays blow out into a fullthrottled death-dive into sweet opaqueness, offset by the duo’s vocals. There’s a popular believe that Guttersnipe is chaos, but over 9 mins here the group are clinical in their control of the simulated entropy. Mincing while the Maelstrom Churns’s guitar is modulated into jagged atonal atonement, duetting with the virtuoso drum patterns before it thuds into gear at quadruple the speed. Threads Of Radical Unaliveness veers close to the extreme Metal influences with blast beats and guttural vocalisations until the track exhausts itself into unaliveness. Keep Honking summons a demonic digital panic, with the duo reincarnating in real time as haunted versions of themselves, almost translating the lurid, ultra vivid, simultaneous hell+heaven of being alive in this dimension. Primordial Invagination harnesses No Wave’s dissension of normality before the structured collapse of Skra¨ckblandad Fo¨rtjusning, in which Tipula Confusa’s accelerating drums simulate a bouncing barrel of brimstone descending into a primordial gunky ooze, a respite in the middle before the record splutters to a stuttering finale, both members’ vocals out there in the neon realness, alive with crisis energy. There is nothing on this cursed earth like Guttersnipe. For over 10 years they have whirled in a wiggliness both woebegone and wonderstruck on a mission of radical mutant exaltation using rock music weaponry loaded with a queer hysterical ammunition to rupture the fabric of the known Rock universe and unleash a tendril-soft hallucinatory violence; thrumming with the bracing vividness of insect bodies, crazed with alien synaesthetic emotions, harnessing jagged excoriating illogic as a face meltingly snazzy affront to redundant macho mediocrity with the hope to break minds, squeeze hearts, explode pelvises and maybe even reset the parameters of reality. Addendum: xenofeminist : proposing and creating a world defined not only by sexual/gender equality, queer empowerment and the toppling of the racist heteropatriarchal hegemony and it’s tyranny of phallogocentric signifiers, but a philosophy of radical queerness that explodes the basic notion of embodied existence itself beyond even the human, where we see bacteria, invertebrates, reptiles, marine life, animalia in general, inanimate objects, quantum phenomena and as yet inarticulated bodies and minds as social and political equals that may inspire and inform our concepts of self, feeling and meaning as we labour to build a collective reality that doesn’t completely suck!! crisis energy : a term borrowed from the weird fiction author china mieville to describe a type of extreme concentration of power which emerges when a system or organism is pushed to it’s absolute limit; the point of rupture, chaos, entropic overload, just before it all breaks apart. rock : Rock ’n’ Roll, rock music, the devil’s music, sex, guitar, drums, voice, rhythm, riffs!

Boogiemonsters were an American hip hop group composed of Bronx‑born rapper Mondo McCann, Alaskan native Vex Da Vortex (Sean Pollard), and Jamaican‑born brothers Myntric (Sean Myers) and Yodared (Ivor “Al” Myers). The members met while attending Virginia State University, quickly connected, and began recording demos and performing at campus events. Their early momentum led them to win first place at Howard University’s Hip‑Hop Convention.

Pendulum/EMI record label signed the four MCs and released their debut album Riders Of The Storm: The Underwater Album in 1994. The first single, “Recognized Thresholds of Negative Stress,” introduced their thoughtful, alternative approach to hip hop. It was followed by “Honeydips in Gotham,” a smooth tribute to the fly sistas of the city, and “Strange,” built around a slick Cameo sample. Another standout track, “Salt Water Taffy (Slo Jam),” is noted as one of the earliest non‑Roots session appearances by future producer Scott Storch.

Riders Of the Storm: The Underwater Album delivers a focused blend of rugged beats, sharp lyricism, and atmospheric production that stands apart in the 90s hip hop landscape. Its mix of conscious themes and deep grooves makes it essential for fans of underground hip hop. The album’s mellow, funky, alternative sound sits comfortably alongside groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, giving it a timeless place in the era’s most creative and forward‑thinking releases.

Evergreen In Your Mind, the new and third album from Norwegian singer-songwriter Juni Habel, exists in two worlds at the same time. Songs were recorded in quiet corners of her home, on the piano in the school where she works, and it uses the physical world around her to provide percussion. It also takes place, as she herself attests, within a dream; an imagined place in which her desire for oneness with each other and the world around us is finally realised.

Evergreen In Your Mind was recorded with co-producer Stian Skaaden, it’s Habel’s first album in three-years, following the breakthrough success of 2023’s Carvings LP. Formed of eleven new recordings, the songs here remain delicate, Habel’s voice playing an elegant lead role – but there are fluctuations too.

These small shifts in Habel’s sound result in a notable stride forward. More focus went into the groove of these songs. Playfulness was embraced and, perhaps most importantly, patience played a fundamental role in shaping the album with time and care given to every element of these songs. “We always aim to capture effortlessness - but the way of getting there is anything but effortless,” Habel reveals.

This extra time that was given to the project gave Juni the space to nurture her creativity. She would read and listen to music, hike into the hills, place herself within nature and seek out stillness. Not as a deviation from her work but as a fundamental part of the process. It’s a search for connection, and it’s a recurring theme across Evergreen In Your Mind; the polarity between stillness and passion, also our resistance to these desires, and the things we want to live and experience.

The album’s title-track and fist single feels indicative of this narrative. A gorgeous, delicate folk song, it finds Habel out in the woods, hiding from real life, caught in the space between the natural world and the pull of modernity. “It’s nostalgic. It’s about looking back and realizing things will be different,” Habel says. “Its about visualizing something beautiful in your head that you keep clinging onto.”

The album cover for Evergreen In Your Mind also adds shimmer. A striking photograph of Juni among the mountains, it was taken on a day trip to Rondane, a five-hour drive each way from her home. Habel explains. “It was awe-inspiring to drive all the way up into the high mountains, with its wide plains and intense colours. For an album with music that at times likes to hide itself, I think it fitted nicely with such an epic, grand, and powerful landscape.”

"Fans of Nick Drake, Karen Dalton and Neil Young will find much to enjoy in this musical equivalent of an evening spent alone by the fireside.” The Times

Nurtured on 90s alternative indie, lucky break's music melds the emotional directness of Fiona Apple, the wide-eyed warmth of Bedouine and the Americana-leaning alt rock of Lucinda Williams. Fans of Alvvays, Hole, Phoebe Bridgers and The Breeders will find familiar touchstones here. lucky break is a hand-drawn cartoon character and a girl with a guitar, an ever-expanding container for the feelings that come with making art. She can be very sad and very joyful, living somewhere between worlds. On her debut for Fire Records, made it!, lucky break builds a new world for her character to inhabit. made it! collects songs written between the ages of 19 and 23, documenting the uncertainty of early adulthood, the end of a first major relationship and the process of learning to stand up for yourself. Tracks like "Crush" pair sharp lyrical insight with big drums and crisp bass, while "Head Down" uses bright, dreamy guitars to explore themes of politics, consumer culture and moral complacency. Confessional, direct and emotionally precise, lucky break's songwriting is matched by a versatile and expressive vocal performance that shifts across moods and styles throughout the record. Produced with Elliott Woodbridge in Burbank, made it! is a playful, self-assured debut from a young artist who has already found her voice and is stepping confidently into a bright future. Digisleeve-CD and coloured Vinyl-LP w/ dlc available!

Nurtured on 90s alternative indie, lucky break's music melds the emotional directness of Fiona Apple, the wide-eyed warmth of Bedouine and the Americana-leaning alt rock of Lucinda Williams. Fans of Alvvays, Hole, Phoebe Bridgers and The Breeders will find familiar touchstones here. lucky break is a hand-drawn cartoon character and a girl with a guitar, an ever-expanding container for the feelings that come with making art. She can be very sad and very joyful, living somewhere between worlds. On her debut for Fire Records, made it!, lucky break builds a new world for her character to inhabit. made it! collects songs written between the ages of 19 and 23, documenting the uncertainty of early adulthood, the end of a first major relationship and the process of learning to stand up for yourself. Tracks like "Crush" pair sharp lyrical insight with big drums and crisp bass, while "Head Down" uses bright, dreamy guitars to explore themes of politics, consumer culture and moral complacency. Confessional, direct and emotionally precise, lucky break's songwriting is matched by a versatile and expressive vocal performance that shifts across moods and styles throughout the record. Produced with Elliott Woodbridge in Burbank, made it! is a playful, self-assured debut from a young artist who has already found her voice and is stepping confidently into a bright future. Digisleeve-CD and coloured Vinyl-LP w/ dlc available!

The Sound of Love International 008 curated by Ivan Smagghe.

The next chapter of Love International's compilation series with Test Pressing arrives through the lens of Ivan Smagghe. Guided by his long-standing mantra, “the style of no style,” the 12-track selection drifts effortlessly between shadow and light - a reflection of the festival as he knows it.

This is Smagghe’s version of Love International: unpolished in the right places, intuitive, and deeply attuned to the stranger corners of the Adriatic experience. The compilation captures the balance at the heart of the festival: connection, curiosity, and a shared rhythm that holds it all together. Slightly out of reach yet exactly where it should be.

Aspen is very proud to introduce ‘Non Sonett’ by the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble. This ensemble is a pioneering Norwegian chamber group whose work on ECM and Hubro has redefined the boundaries between jazz, contemporary composition and folk music.Across seven albums, the ensemble has developed a highly distinctive l anguage built on restraint, timbral nuance and collective interplay, placing it among the most influential European ensembles of the 21st century.

Bringing together some of the finest musicians in Norway, the ensemble draws on a rare collective sensitivity, where each player contributes to a deeply integrated and texturally rich sound world.

With Non Sonett, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble opens a new chapter that grows directly out of recent years of work in more solitary and cross-disciplinary contexts. In this period, Wallumrød has developed material for solo performance as well as for dance, allowing ideas to take shape in more fluid and exploratory formats. Some of this material now finds its way into the ensemble, where it is met by the possibilities offered by instrumentation, collective playing, and the distinct voices of the musicians. At the same time, older pieces—originating in entirely different settings— re-emerge here in new forms, reshaped by the ensemble context.

A defining aspect of Non Sonett is the way many of the pieces function less as fully determined compositions and more as open frameworks: starting points, suggestions, or “springboards” for music. These structures invite response rather than prescribe outcome, relying on the ensemble’s inherent sensitivity and capacity to realize and transform the material in performance. The result is music that feels both precise and fluid, shaped in equal measure by composition and by the interpretative presence of the players.

Central to this album is a continued deepening of Wallumrød’s long-standing interest in ambiguity and in dissolving boundaries between different musical elements and expressive worlds. By placing contrasting materials and associations side by side—sometimes subtly, sometimes more overtly—the music opens up spaces where meanings remain fluid and interconnected. On Non Sonett, this approach is taken a step further, allowing these juxtapositions to play an even more active role in shaping the music’s character and flow.

This approach connects closely with the ensemble’s broader artistic trajectory. Over time, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble has developed a language that is immediately recognizable—marked by reduction, clarity and a deep attention to sonic detail. While each release has its own character, the underlying aesthetic remains consistent: a focus on the inner life of sound itself. Rather than foregrounding gesture or virtuosity, the music draws the listener toward the smallest elements, where meaning emerges gradually through texture, spacing and timbre.

The listening experience becomes one of concentration and proximity, where each sound carries weight, and the accumulation of detail forms a larger whole. References may be sensed—to early polyphonic music, Norwegian folk traditions, or more recent experimental practices—but these are absorbed into a singular musical language that resists categorization.

As with the ensemble’s recent work, Non Sonett also continues the integration of electronics as a fundamental part of the sound world. Each musician engages with electronic elements alongside their acoustic instruments, creating a layered and dynamic sonic environment. At times, this leads into extended, exploratory passages reminiscent of analogue musique concrète; at others, electronics operate almost imperceptibly, subtly altering and extending the acoustic textures in real time.

Aspen is very proud to introduce ‘Non Sonett’ by the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble. This ensemble is a pioneering Norwegian chamber group whose work on ECM and Hubro has redefined the boundaries between jazz, contemporary composition and folk music.Across seven albums, the ensemble has developed a highly distinctive l anguage built on restraint, timbral nuance and collective interplay, placing it among the most influential European ensembles of the 21st century.

Bringing together some of the finest musicians in Norway, the ensemble draws on a rare collective sensitivity, where each player contributes to a deeply integrated and texturally rich sound world.

With Non Sonett, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble opens a new chapter that grows directly out of recent years of work in more solitary and cross-disciplinary contexts. In this period, Wallumrød has developed material for solo performance as well as for dance, allowing ideas to take shape in more fluid and exploratory formats. Some of this material now finds its way into the ensemble, where it is met by the possibilities offered by instrumentation, collective playing, and the distinct voices of the musicians. At the same time, older pieces—originating in entirely different settings— re-emerge here in new forms, reshaped by the ensemble context.

A defining aspect of Non Sonett is the way many of the pieces function less as fully determined compositions and more as open frameworks: starting points, suggestions, or “springboards” for music. These structures invite response rather than prescribe outcome, relying on the ensemble’s inherent sensitivity and capacity to realize and transform the material in performance. The result is music that feels both precise and fluid, shaped in equal measure by composition and by the interpretative presence of the players.

Central to this album is a continued deepening of Wallumrød’s long-standing interest in ambiguity and in dissolving boundaries between different musical elements and expressive worlds. By placing contrasting materials and associations side by side—sometimes subtly, sometimes more overtly—the music opens up spaces where meanings remain fluid and interconnected. On Non Sonett, this approach is taken a step further, allowing these juxtapositions to play an even more active role in shaping the music’s character and flow.

This approach connects closely with the ensemble’s broader artistic trajectory. Over time, the Christian Wallumrød Ensemble has developed a language that is immediately recognizable—marked by reduction, clarity and a deep attention to sonic detail. While each release has its own character, the underlying aesthetic remains consistent: a focus on the inner life of sound itself. Rather than foregrounding gesture or virtuosity, the music draws the listener toward the smallest elements, where meaning emerges gradually through texture, spacing and timbre.

The listening experience becomes one of concentration and proximity, where each sound carries weight, and the accumulation of detail forms a larger whole. References may be sensed—to early polyphonic music, Norwegian folk traditions, or more recent experimental practices—but these are absorbed into a singular musical language that resists categorization.

As with the ensemble’s recent work, Non Sonett also continues the integration of electronics as a fundamental part of the sound world. Each musician engages with electronic elements alongside their acoustic instruments, creating a layered and dynamic sonic environment. At times, this leads into extended, exploratory passages reminiscent of analogue musique concrète; at others, electronics operate almost imperceptibly, subtly altering and extending the acoustic textures in real time.

Dublin meets Rotterdam.
Following the highly acclaimed Combination 2 EP featuring Pineal Navigation & Stanislav Tolkachev, Dublin-based label Awareness System returns with its boldest statement yet. Combination 3 EP unites the rising label head Pineal Navigation with Rotterdam’s prolific techno force Charlton for a powerful six-track split release. This third instalment in the Combination series delivers a deep dive into raw, machine-driven Techno and Electro, embodying the spirit and authenticity of the true underground. Each artist contributes three tracks, creating a dynamic and immersive listening experience designed for peak dance-floor impact.

Charlton opens the record with relentless grooves in “Whats The Answer” and “Relentless Pressure”, setting the tone with punchy Detroit tinged poly rhythmic driving energy. Pineal Navigation answers on Side B with “Forward Ever” and “Datafried”— two tracks of mechanical funk layered with cerebral textures that push the listener into a state of sonic bliss.

The journey continues as Charlton closes Side 1 with “Feeling Cloudy” an emotive track that blends his signature gritty, rhythmic percussion sound with dub-inflected techno elements. On Side 2, Pineal Navigation finishes the EP with “Purpose” exploring his electro influences through hypnotic synth lines and wandering vocal fragments that propels and image of a futuristic terrain.

Combination 3 EP stands as a testament to both artists’ commitment to crafting forward-thinking electronic music while honouring the underground ethos that defines Awareness System

Manaccan ep is a blend of dub and Detroit techno tracks.

Merv (Denmark) are known for their dubby Basic Channel like sound. Elevation is a natural successor to the timeless classic 'Dust'.

Ohm (Denmark) and Octal Industries (Estonia) have been industry stalwarts for decades. Their experience is evident in the BS1818 debut track 'Journey': a functional track in the Scandinavian dub techno style.

Kuba Sojka (Poland) is back on Boomstraat 1818 with a remastered version of 'Rain', which was originally released on Rohs! The track deserved a vinyl release and Kuba rebuilt the track from scratch.

Stroef (Netherlands) his track 'Boxed In' was originally released on OHM Series Digital. This version is reconstructed for the vinyl release on Boomstraat 1818.

ElCalefón

Salir Del Agujero

El Calefón's 1985 LP Salir Del Agujero is a rare bird.

Self-produced and privately released in Zurich, the albumdocuments one of the very few South American groups that were resident in Europe at the time, and certainly the only such band working in Switzerland. Co-founded by two Argentinians in Europe – the multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer Coqui Recaand the guitarist Pablo Miguez–the group consisted of Argentinian and Brazilian musicians, most of whom were present initially Europe as tourists, but had stayed on, without official sanction, as immigrants.Their music gathered its primary influences from the varied sounds of their home countries, fusing these elements drawn from the manifold indigenous styles of Argentina and Brazil with the international sounds of rock,jazz, pop and pan-Latin music.

Honed and polished by the steady gigging through which the group earned their living in Zurich, the music that appeared onSalir Del Agujero was sophisticated, original and filled with light. Resonating with a freshness undiminished in forty years, the album brims with possibility and hums with tropical warmth, bearing testament to the open-hearted musical freedoms of a mercurial musical era.

Different strokes for different folks. The celebrative 11-track 'xoxo' compilation, originally pressed as a 3xLP, is now also available as three separate EPs. Oceanic takes EP 3 into euphoria on Dala, with sounds that pinch and prickle. Don't DJ follows with nos(e)care, his no-nonsense polyrhythmic signature that'll put your soundsystem's low-end to the test. And there's nothing like a little melancholia to close it out: Haron's De Papaverparade is a tearjerker for the dancefloor

Rob Clouth returns to Mesh with Cicada, a follow-up to his EP earlier this year and a continuation of his ever-curious approach to the outer limits of electronic music.

An artist who has spent much of his career committed to a dialogue between scientific phenomena and music built for big soundsystems, Bichillo signalled a segue into a more free-running idea of creativity - one that didn’t pander to unrealistic expectations and, essentially, brought the fun back to Rob’s production process. A theme also explored in a link-up with long-time collaborator and label boss Max Cooper on their recent joint EP 8 Billion Realities, out now on Mesh.

Cicada, he continues to expand on this universe, prioritising experimentation over concept, and arriving at some of the funnest music he’s ever made.

Like a field of insects, ‘Cicada’ opens with cross-rhythmic layers of animated glitches, soon joined by huge bass swells that gradually build into a maximal tranced out build-up and a swarm of vocal chops. ‘Core’ builds a quietly dramatic symphony of machinist built sound - a soothing polyphony of computers singing. Leaning into an off-kilter 2-step, ‘Gummy Clusters’ swirls into a hazy blur of distorted voices and acoustic rhythms. Closing things off, ‘Grefuser’ puts pedal to the metal with a high BPM storm of pointillist drums and melancholic leads.

Cicada is music that twitches and mutates, but most importantly, breathes fun into the circuitry.

‘Cicada’ lands Friday 20th March via Mesh.

Tim Maia’s self-titled 1973 album is one of those records that hits you from the very first groove and doesn’t let go. Originally released on Polydor Brazil, this was the fourth in a series of Tim’s self-titled albums and many fans and critics still consider it the crown jewel. Packed with irresistible hooks, lush arrangements, and that unmistakable Tim Maia swagger, the album captures the singer at the peak of his creative powers.If you’re new to Tim Maia, here’s the quick story: born in Rio de Janeiro, Tim was a larger-than-life icon whose music married American soul and funk with Brazilian samba and pop long before “fusion” was a buzzword. A true musical polymath, he absorbed everything from Curtis Mayfield to Motown and translated it into a sound entirely his own, gritty, passionate, and full of groove.



He didn’t just introduce soul to Brazil; he made it Brazilian.On this 1973 release, Tim pushes everything up a notch. The arrangements are bigger, slicker, and surprisingly majestic, without losing the raw spirit that earned him a devoted following. From the moment ‘Réu Confesso’ opens the album, you know you’re in for something special—smooth, funky, and heartfelt in all the right ways. The bittersweet ‘Gostava Tanto de Você’ remains one of his most beloved classics, while ‘O Balanço’ bursts with Brazilian flavor that practically dares you not to move. And with tracks like ‘Do Your Thing, Behave Yourself’ and ‘Over Again,’ Tim shows just how naturally the soul idiom fit him, even when he switched to English.This record has everything: deep grooves, soaring strings, magnetic vocals, and that unmistakable sense of joy that Tim Maia carried into every session. It’s a front-to-back winner—one of those albums that deserves a spot not just in Brazilian music history, but in any collection that celebrates great soul, funk, and timeless grooves.If you’re a longtime fan, it’s a reminder of why Tim Maia is legendary. If you’re discovering him for the first time, this is the perfect place to start. Either way: press play, turn it up, and let Tim do his thing.

We present an EP from two house masters Artem Stan & Matpri on Analog Concept records.

This record was born like in the classic 90s from jam sessions in the studio, when musicians caught the groove and connected their deep universes, showing true love for house music. Everything is combined here - the sound of drum machines 909 and not only, atmospheric acid impulses of 303, classic pads that paint these paintings bright and filled with deep meaning, as well as much more. Amazing two sides and four compositions, each with its own story.

The Midnight Seduction track opens the telling of these stories on side A. From the first seconds, immersing in the atmosphere of synthesizer temptation, the analog bass line combined with the default drum section and elements of bright metal claps quickly gain the necessary energy and immerse in the images of a closed nightclub with long corridors and hidden dance floors. The light plume of the classic M1 organ and the accentuating Acid lead maintain balance. Secret nocturnal seduction, light ecstasy and an atmosphere of love.

French Kiss - everything is great here, as soon as you listen to the harmony of accordion-like synthesizers and deeply addictive pads, you are instantly transported to the image of Parisian streets. Elements of bells, a rhythm section filled with unpredictable percussion, acid inclusions and an unexpected immersion into a broken beat in the middle of the composition, a real deep French kiss.

Matpri is known for its sophisticated approach to music and is rightfully the guru of micro and minimal house. Having created the maximum sound quality of the rhythm section and the deep bass that was addictive from the first seconds, mixing old-school vibe, while not losing touch with his minimalistic sound image, he filled the House Template track with the smallest details and percussion, which is confidently based on the B-side.

Four certainly high-quality compositions were created in the studio of Artem Stan in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana and one of the tracks on the B-side - "Nasha Polyana" - is dedicated to this location, it conveys a certain playful atmosphere of a mountain village with a vibe of complete freedom and daily carefree. A complete release with decent house music.