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In Silent Series pools together four innovative tracks of deep, textural and explorative Techno Music from four of this era's most inventive Artists: Sigha, SNTS, Dadub and Positive Centre.

Mastered by Daniele Antezza @ Dadub Studios - Artwork by Maria Mendes
Positive Centre / In Silent Series Bio:
Positive Centre is the Experimental Techno alias of British born Artist Mike Jefford. Currently located in Lisbon after a long period of living and producing music in Berlin. Positive Centre combines analog machines with tape and effects processing to create hypnotic and textural techno music, with releases on Our Circula Sound, Stroboscopic Artefacts, SNTS, Pole Group and Leyla.
The first of three Positive Centre releases came in 2013 on Sigha's Our Circula Sound label concluding with his debut album In Silent Series, of which his label takes its name. Positive Centre established the In Silent Series label in 2017 to promote and cultivate releases that develop the potential of textural sounds that reflect sonic landscapes.
The First Release was Positive Centre's Reassembly EP - A Record made of reconstructed tracks from his Our Circula Sound back catalog that featured a remix of 'Hiding Knives' from SHXCXCHCXSH. This was followed by the 'Myths' EP by Mastering Engineer and one half of Techno Duo Dadub: Daniele Antezza under his Inner8 moniker.
With ISS003, Positive Centre draws on the Artists that have played a hand in his previous releases by bringing Sigha, SNTS and Dadub together onto this Various Artists EP.

Initial Programs is a new project by respected ambient producer Mick Chillage. It is also Mick's first ever vinyl release and sees the Irish artist focus on deep, acid-tinged techno and melodic electro. The background to the release is a simple one; First Cut boss Richard Be was a long admirer of Mick's music and discovered an electro project he did as The Shape. Over the course of emails, pints and coffees, the music for Initial Programs' first record came together. The resulting three tracks are melancholic, late night jams, the soundtrack to high speed cruises on the streets of south Dublin.

Hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed 2017 LP Windswept - which soundtracked David Lynch's Twin Peaks, Digital Rain is Johnny Jewel's latest album. Jewel is known for his extensive collaborations with film makers David Lynch, Nicolas Winding Refn, and Ryan Gosling, as well as for his work with groundbreaking musical groups such as Chromatics, Glass Candy, and Desire.

The 19 movements of Digital Rain are three dimensional beds of analogue warmth encompassed in raw electronic moisture. The result is an expansive pallet of soft color amid canyons of jagged oscillations. According to Jewel, "Digital Rain is a mirror image of itself designed to play as a singular liquid movement."

"After living a few years in a desert climate, I realized I was nostalgic for the constant presence of precipitation from every city I once called home. The sound of hail ricocheting off my roof in Houston...The floods crashing in from the Gulf of Mexico that would destroy my mother's house three times...The constant kiss of drizzle on the streets of Portland, and the morning rain against the windshield of Trimet city bus number 15 that I would ride home after recording all night...The snow buried row houses of Montreal where my daughter was born, and the rhythmic feel of ice cracking under my boots for six months straight."

"The desert is constant, and I love this repetitious ritual of Los Angeles so much. As moisture and humid weather seem more and more like a dream I once had or a fading memory of the places I fell in love with...I wanted to make a record without drums, without lyrics, vague in form. Each track morphing and eclipsing the next like the ever-changing movement of clouds obscuring the moon."

Cut By The Legendary Bernie Grundman In Hollywood. Recorded in Joshua Tree / Mixed in Los Angeles.

The band project Drums Off Chaos was one of the central and on-going projects of the recently deceased drummer Jaki Liebezeit (who is normally associated first and foremost with the Cologne-based band CAN). In the early 1980s he had initiated an - at first - loose collective of drummers, who created a rhythmic concept on the basis of simple, strictly binding codes that enabled expansive improvisations.

Over the years the ensemble became smaller and refined its collaboration marked by repetitive patterns and their variation. You have to play monotonous,' a membr of the audience had already told Liebezeit in the 1960s. He took this to heart and there was hardly any other formation where he could bring this concept to life as regularly and with as much inspiration as in Drums Off Chaos.
During a development spanning more than three decades, this extra-ordinary band, which never saw itself as such, made numerous recordings but rarely any releases. However, in the last few months of his life Jaki Liebezeit, with colleagues Reiner Linke, Maf Retter and Manos Tsangaris, earmarked some tracks for imminent release on vinyl and CD - on different compilations. Liebezeit's death is all the more reason to go ahead with this plan.

Fernando Pulichino is no stranger to Leng Records. The bass guitar-wielding Argentine made his first appearance on the label five years ago via the cosmic disco/psychedelic rock fusion of Blue Impala, returning two years later with the similarly inclined brilliance of Giant Desert. Pulichino then resurfaced on Leng late last year with a superb, digital-only three-tracker called Natural 77.

Now he's back on wax, buoyed by the success of the acclaimed Shining EP on Is It Balearic
Recordings. This time round he's in Search of Indigo, shaping hazy, sun-baked soundscapes around his distinctive basslines, echo-laden synthesizers, meandering Fender Rhodes solos,
gentle dub vibrations and glistening, early morning jazz guitars. This is music for the heads, hips and feet, soaked in Fernet and left in the afternoon sun to slowly ripen.

Arguably the most arresting of the four cuts is the title track, a head-in-the-clouds vocal number rich in bubbly electronic riffs, laidback electro beats, ricocheting percussion hits, swirling wind
effects and rubbery funk-rock bass.

Pulichino's penchant for intergalactic disco shufflers once again comes to the fore on killer Sundown Visions', a saucer-eyed chugger that simultaneously throbs, pulses and sparkles
thanks to sparring synthesizer motifs and eyes-closed space rock guitars. We suspect Daniele Baldelli and Andrew Weatherall would approve.

Elsewhere, Pulichino indulges his passion for sofa-surfing jazz-funk on solo-laden EP closer Frontera', a relaxed and undulating jam rich in cascading electric guitars, fluid electric piano, delay-laden flourishes and deep space synthesizers. You won't know whether to lie down, dance enthusiastically or wearily shuffle, either way, play at sunrise or sundown for maximum
enjoyment.

The EP also boasts a first vinyl outing for the title track of last year's digital-only EP, Natural '77'. Seemingly partly inspired by legendary West Coast funkateers Steely Dan, it's a lazy, low-
slung affair full of languid guitar solos, freestyle vocal improvisations, bongo-laden drums and one of his most inspired and elastic basslines to date.

**INITIAL 400 LPs CONTAIN A BONUS 7" BY MEL-O-MADNEZZ**

IT'S TIME TO PAAAARTY! Why The Universe knows that Tramp is celebrating their 40th trip around the sun in 2018. And what about planet Earth Well... it is as blind as it is in so many other situations. Therefore, it is time to shine the light on Tramp for all of its unremitting efforts. As musical diversity is vanishing, especially in the field of African American music from the 1960s/70s, it is our duty to stop the extinction of threatened species of music in the same way an animal welfare activist would do anything to save a gorilla's life. Tramp Records keeps this beautiful heritage alive, every single day, again and again and again. So we are here wondering why Earth people and especially to those from our beloved home country, why why are you just sitting there, going about your life unaware of this historic event What a pity!

The announcement is especially striking when it comes to the prestigious "Movements" series. Like all its predecessors, this ninth volume contains Rare Groove nuggets recorded between the early 1960s and the late 1970s. The fact that only one of the songs appear anywhere else is a jaw-dropping phenomenon! The chronological track listing starts with two amazing cover versions: "Fever" by Gee Gee Shinn & the Boogie Kings and "I'm A Woman" by Connie Kaye Trio. Bus Brown, Earl Demus and Chuck Finney remain in the same direction although their contributions are slightly jazzier. Chick Willis' gut-wrenching "Sometime Soon" easily rivals James Brown's "It's A Man's World" and the recordings by Australia, J.R. and Joe Akens are beautiful examples of privately produced soul from the 1970s. The latin-soul of "Cho Cho San" by Hummingbird 4 heads the sound in another direction for the next three tunes, highlighted by one more stunning cover version, Oscar Brown Jr.'s "Brother, Where Are You". The album closes with some pre-disco tracks from the mid-to-late 1970s. Funk 7" collectors will freak out to finally get a chance to listen to Mel-O-Madnezz' superheavy "What You Getting High On" but will certainly also enjoy The Counts, Reunion and Hot Cakes' dance floor bomb cover of "Harlem Shuffle".

Over a hundred great unknown songs have been re-released on the first eight volumes in the "Movements" series, the majority of which can not be found elsewhere, and Vol. 9 is no exception. The work of Germany's tiniest but grooviest record label is still incomprehensibly underestimated. We know you diggers, collectors, mavens, aficionados, fanatics, completists, enthusiasts, and just plain record geeks know what's up and we heartily salute you! Without your support there would be no Tramp Records. But now it's time for a broader cultural shift for good music and a sweeping move to uphold the legacy of the unsung heroes of funk and soul. Therefore, we humbly petition you: in 2018, Don't keep all this glory to yourself! Turn your friends and neighbors on! Thank you!

- initial 400 LPs contain a bonus 7" by Mel-O-Madnezz ("What You Getting High On")

- the double vinyl LP comes with a full album download code

- deluxe double-gatefold LP with detailed liner notes, label scans & unseen photographs

- all but one song appear on vinyl-LP for the very first-time

*The No Man Is An Island EP is a single cut from the debut album of the same name by Aalko, a new project by Kebko Music founder Akiko Kiyama. Renowned for her minimal techno track featured in Richie Hawtin's seminal DE9 Transitions album, the Japanese producer reveals her another side under this new alias. The project has already created a stir as Aalko has garnered support from Gilles Peterson on his BBC 6 Music radio show and premiered a live performance at MUTEK's Tokyo launch, where she drew the audience into an inspiring frenzy.

Aalko is a culmination of Kiyama's recent practices in a wider musical spectrum that go beyond the confines of her minimalistic techno characteristics. It conjures her distinctive soundscape where a variety of styles coexists: she demonstrates her knack for breaks, ambient and irregular time signatures, her acute ears for unadulterated tone and texture of sounds standing out in sharp relief.

Taking a floor-oriented side out of the No Man Is An Island cassette album, this single cut features three tracks that work wonders in a DJ context. "Body & Soul" is an erratic rhythm experiment jumping between several beat styles. "Mixture" offers Kiyama's unique interpretation on syncopated dynamics of breaks. Wrapping up the EP is 'B.I.C', a long-awaited exclusive track that ranked among Gilles Peterson's top 20 tracks of 2017. Its dubby functionality makes it a powerful tool that can work at various stages of the night.

These tracks give the nod to Kiyama's peculiar self full of sonic idiosyncrasies, showing no fear of breaking accepted conventions.

Hailing from Mali, Amadou Bagayoko and Mariam Doumbia first met as children at Mali's Institute for the Young Blind—both lost their vision at an early age. It was here that they started performing in the institute's Eclipse Orchestra, eventually marrying and began recording together in the '80s.

Over the span of three decades Amadou (guitar and vocals) and Mariam (vocals) developed an international following having recorded eight full-length albums and toured around the world. Their album Welcome To Mali (2008) was nominated for the Best Contemporary World Music Album' at the 52nd Grammy Awards. Tour highlights for the duo include supporting U2 on their U2 360 Tour, performing at the 2010 World Cup for FIFA's Kick-Off Celebration and performing alongside major acts across multiple genres such including Blur, Coldplay and Pink Floyd's David Gilmour.

The album also includes the hit single Bofou Safou,' which Stereogum calls the funk, the whole funk, and nothing but the funk.' The band discussed La Confusion and performed new music on a recent stop at KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic' during their recent sold out North American seventeen city headline tour — watch HERE. The band played major markets including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Montreal.

Amadou & Mariam recently released the Bofou Safou EP via Because Music. The EP includes the first two La Confusion singles, Bofou Safou' and Filaou Bessame,' alongside remixes of the EP's title track by Fatima Yamaha, Africaine 808, Henrik Schwarz and more. The term bofou safou' is a Bambara (the Malian national language) nickname given to nonchalant young men who would rather dance than work. Of the new EP, the group notes, We really like the remixes that were made for the EP. You get to hear our music in a different form, which is great. All five remixes manage to catch the essence of our song while really pushing those enticing afro pop and electronic vibes further.'

- Team Dreams' is the collaborative album of Sin Fang, Sóley and Örvar Smárason of múm and FM Belfast. It combines the individual strengths of three acclaimed musicians, blends folk sensibilities with futuristic pop beats. It's an emotive ocean of sound, melodies and miniature stories that gently washes over you. And it's easily one of the best albums the three Reykjavík artists have been involved in.

Slow Town's 17th release from Melbournes Luis CL is an ode to analogue jams. The Cran town EP shows what Luis CL (one half of the Zanzibar Chanel duo and co-founder of Ruff Records) is know for: Dirty but groovy drum arrangements, analogue synths and dreamy melodies and his kind of Lo-fi and blurry mixdowns with definitely some Detroit influences. The three tracks were recorded in one take during his studio sessions.

After the success of his recent comeback EP entitled Exiles EP, the Icelandic artist Cold shows us that he is here to stay and ready to make his mark in the international techno scene.
Dub Safari offers us intricate soundscapes and otherwordly chords which are impeccably assembled into five minimal techno masterpieces. A side starts with a dreamy voyage where ethereal pads seamingly blend with punctuating kick and a acid bassline. Second cut gives us a darker experience. A pulsating groove where chords and percussions offer an interesting sonic playfulness. B-side offers three minimalistic techno tracks ready for both the dancefloor as well as for dancefloor within your mind. Thule Records is considered by many to be a pioneers in the field of dub-influenced techno music and was a starting point for many of Iceland's most renowned electronic musicians"

Mark's back with three seething cuts at the state of Berlin affairs. A restless message to the hands of capital. Killer steppers coming off last year's cult classic Here Comes A Fucking Startup Campus and outings on Bristol's NoCorner. Post-modern d'n'b with shades of latter-day Source Direct and the rattle of golden-era Skull Disco. - Supported by the likes of Ben UFO, Lee Gamble, Ramzi and Trevor Jackson - Premiered by Phile, Nerve and Mos Howieson

Uun returns to his imprint Ego Death with an EP that showcases his progression in both sound design and atmosphere. The A side kicks things off with On The Concept Of Irony, a broken beat assault which serves as a mission statement with it's scattered snares and vocal samples. The Tangled Web continues this mood but with a more intense structure, heavy on hypnotic synths that weave in and out of the tracks percussive framework. Where as the A side is the logical extension of the first three Ego Death releases, the B side serves to showcase a deeper atmosphere while maintaining Uun's preference for dense arrangements. The Other features a haunting ethereal pad that floats above a broken kick pattern and a bed of clicks, pops, and field recordings. The closing track, Absurd Existence, forges all the elements of the artist's sound into perhaps his most melodic work to date. It is therefore senseless to think of complaining since nothing foreign has decided what we feel, what we live, or what we are.' - Jean-Paul Sartre

Carl Gari is a group of three from Munich: Jonas Yamer, Till Funke and Jonas Friedlich. They released their well received and idiosyncratic debut (NPR mentioned it as one of the 50 best albums in 2016) on The Trilogy Tapes, for which they collaborated with Egyptian singer and spoken word artist Abdullah Miniawy. For the second release on Permanent Vacation they perfected their unique blend of psychedelic ingredients, dubbed out drums, drony sounds and a general hazyness. The mystic chants of Abdullah, who is also featured on two tracks, weave themselves into the band's lively sound texture. Apart from that Carl Gari showcase the diversity of their analogue driven and melodic approach to electronic music through four beautifully detailed tracks.

Tachyon Audio is a new vinyl label that's focused on forward-thinking sounds in the techno realm targeting sweaty, dark places, with large, high-quality sound systems.


Inhabitants make a strong offering with their first EP as a duo, IGC. These two primates are often found inhabiting dark spaces, forging ahead on complex math equations. Their distinct, driving, mathematical, and drumming techno is a result. Expect more solid work from these two mysterious beings on Tachyon Audio as the label continues its progression.


Tachyon Audio is coming out of the gates strong with a diverse EP that touches on three techno sounds that are helping to lead the march forward into the future of sound production. The first Tachyon release comes from the mysterious dark studio of Inhabitants, who's inaugural release as a collaboration is sure to move feet on a diversity of dance floors. The A-side track, Mut14 (sc8.18 Mix) (A1) is a futuristic pounder that weaves its way into a frenzy with subtle yet penetrating synths that sweep through the soundscape. The simple and sound drumline will keep even the pickiest selectors satisfied. Side A ends with two separate open-source NASA space samples. The first, Iota_20_0.998_h (A2), is the repeating sound of two orbiting neutron stars. The second sample (A3) is two 50 solar mass black holes spiraling into an inevitable collapse, eventually becoming one. These samples are poised for reuse in production and make for good intro and looping material for performances.


The second side of the EP starts with the dark broken beat track, Mut7 (B1), that starts with a solid groove and works its way into a breakdown that captures the mind with a chopped and effected late 1990's Frankie Bones vocal. By the end of the track you'll be left wanting it to forge on, as it can flow well with a wide range of techno sub-genres, especially the dark, more broken beat tip. Inhabitants then continue to make their impression with Mut10 (B2), a track molded around an originally crafted 303 line that morphs and builds throughout and creates an atmosphere that separates itself from the remainder of the EP with a lighter, yet heady feel.


M=100 (2 - 50 Solar Mass Black Holes)

The legendary Finnish pianist/composer Olli Ahvenlahti returns with his first new jazz album in 31 years! The new album "Thinking, Whistling" will be released 8 Dec by Helsinki's We Jazz Records.

The new record finds Ahvenlahti teaming up with the Jaska Lukkarinen Trio, one of the most highly-regarded ensembles in Finnish jazz. From funk-influenced acoustic jazz to heartfelt ballads, the band are delightfully in a world of their own, drawing from Ahvenlahti's effortless pianism and the trios natural swing.

As Ahvenlahti sums it up: "For me, jazz music has always been about three things: melody, harmony and rhythm."

Olli Ahvenlahti is one of the living legends in the Finnish jazz scene. His debut album was released in 1975 by the famed Love Records. DJs are likely to know him from such highly-regarded rare groove classics as "Grandma's Rockin' Chair" and "Countenance". The new album "Thinking, Whistling" presents Ahvenlahti's knack for writing catchy jazz music with a solid groove base, plus his more introspective side through the heartfelt ballads found on the new record.

Agoria's second outing on Sapiens presents some of his most uncompromising work to date. Boomerang manifests live percussion and analog pulse waves, rising through Shepard tone drama and succinct, minimalist form. Three additional solo performances accompany the title track - a clin d'oeil to the minimalist French synth pioneers of yesteryear. An exercise in humanity.

A warehouse jive for number 5 on Running Back's Misfit Melodies series. Introducing new artist and shrinking violet Pistachio, 'Ilox' cuts house music out of a techno cloth and vice versa. One of three direct cuts between chord memories, distant voices and space echoes, complemented by a drone piece for the times before, after and in-between. Classic soundscapes with a modern drive. Nutritious as a nut.

Matt Flanagan has been making music as DeFeKT, ESS and Tinfoil for the past few years, so who better to put out the debut release on First Cut We decided early on that there was no point in repeating his admittedly fine back catalogue, so Matt went off one evening and did a 30-minute live jam on his machines. There was no real plan, but between us, we picked the three best bits, which you now own. Then we had to come up with a name. Initially, we toyed with the idea of calling it 'FeKT' but then decided that only a local audience would appreciate the joke and that it wouldn't travel well. Octal Step then emerged as the clear favourite. We sealed the deal to release 'Toner Head' over a cup of takeaway coffee on a bench in the Stephen's Green Cente in Dublin. And why is Gunter Walraff on the other side of this sheet Well, he seems like a cool guy. Plus he's German and has a moustache - what's there not to like about that

In the spirit of cultural pride, Rune Lindbaek provides the audio tour guide into the unexplored back streets of Norwegian Disco

His deep knowledge of Disco delicacies from the frozen north may be a revelation to those who've heard his more mediterranean outings,
however here we have an extended EP on untapped treats, leading with three hefty slabs of late seventies, matured Brunost on the A &
moving into more obscure territory on the flip, where the sought after I Dekning is followed by two more idiosyncratic jams, which possess the dancefloor heft of a well roasted reindeer shank

SUPER LIMITED !

Three track Lolita' EP by Lolina, written produced mixed, spending ££ in the city, not-record-label release. Mastering, additional mixing Amir Shoat. Limited edition 10" - TIP on this... don't sleep!

The mighty one-man-band with the most notoriously misspelled airport pick-up signs in music history returns to his beloved hometown imprint Musique Risquée with a scorching three-track can of shake-ass. Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts is never one to shy away from fresh contrasts in his works, and we have no exceptions here - all manner of dark-to-light, flacid-to-hard, and identifiable-to-WTF moments, sounds, and vibes abound. Lead-off piece 'Histories Vraies' brilliantly soundtracks the inevitable future moment when a season-premiere costumed viewing party for Game Of Thrones unknowingly gets their punch spiked with moon rocks and teleported right to the middle of Panoramabar at peak time. A2 jam 'Far Is The Field' counterattacks with the next level fusion of Sun Ra Arkestra-esque transmissions wrapped around a Humpty Dance-on-steroids Bassline, twisting and shifting away from the hands on the clock with beautiful ease - 'I am Music..' indeed. Finally, B-side long-burner 'Whatever's Inside' rocks a sultry belly dancer's theme song at an FM and modular synth Bazaar on Uranus, with G & the CD's patented sharp percussion fills ensuring that the resulting melted faces and hearts will still be set in motion by the all-important collective flexing of the Gluteus maximus.

This Franco-Swiss trio is a three-headed beast, discharging a singular energy in which one may detect echoes of traditional music, saturated repetition, ethereal harmonics or imaginary choreographies.There are no starting points, no ending points, no standard form structures - these all disappear as the senses encounter the first shock waves. The music employs a rich timbral palette, combining long heavy descending harmonium sweeps, relentless percussion, and the ever more precise patterns and drones of the hurdy-gurdy.

Noplace is an improvised collaboration between Aidan Baker (Nadja / Caudal / B/B/S/), Simon Goff (Molecular, Bee & Flower) and Thor Harris (Swans, Shearwater, Thor & Friends).
Having known each other for a number of years and previously contributed to one another's recordings this trio finally came together as a whole on May 7th 2017 at Redrum Studios in Berlin. In a short, improvised session of just a few hours they set about laying down as much material as possible which was then subsequently edited and re-worked (without overdubs) to form this album.
The same evening the trio played together as part of a 9-piece Thor & Friends ensemble which also included Christopher Hefner (on musical saw) whose artwork graces the cover of the record and gave it its name.
Noplace is a hypnotic and deep listen. Kinetic rhythms pulsate throughout whilst the guitar and violin jostle and weave around the metronomic beats, creating a cathartic and all-encompassing experience. The very nature of the instrumental repetitions give it an immediate avant/krautrock feel but the whole record is coated in a wonderful psychedelic atmosphere that's both melodic, textured and innovative.
Without doubt a perfect marriage and the sum of its parts. You would be forgiven for thinking Noplace took years to craft but that's testament to three excellent musicians who have produced a real treat of a record. Broken down into seven pieces but very much best enjoyed as a thrilling whole, Noplace is a powerful and highly addictive album.

Gnork returns to UTTU under his ambient-jungle inspired DJ Shark alias. Three stripped back lo-fi jungle joints backed with remixes from Australia's Fantastic Man &, Den Haag's finest Legowelt.

Omena LTD travels to Vilnius and meet up with Alexander Pietnev aka Ponty Mython for its sixth release.

Universe Of Pops consists of three illustrious and imaginative tracks, all free-flowing with an melodic approach that has become a signature sound for Ponty Mython.

We deliver an electro­braindance­hybrid: 8 tracks of gorgeous analogue machinery music recorded during midnight jams. YUYAY's third vinyl installment steps back three catalog­numbers and brings this LP to physical life upon heavy request. Including the hit 'Chord Memory' and gems like 'Sunrise Faders' and 'Accumulator'. Comes in silk­printed and hand­numbered cardboard sleeve

Keysound Recordings presents a weightless album from label boss Blackdown. 'Those Moments' is his first solo LP, features fellow 'Margins Music' contributors Trim, Dusk & Farrah and, like the imprint's Rollage sub series, is centered at 130 bpm. Each of the tracks is a distillation of a fleeting moment. The tracks and LP itself are short and constrained, relying on only voices, synths and sub bass. The album came about in a quick intense burst and many of the tracks represent snapshots of brief instances - a bitter-sweet moment of inflection, a moment of positivity, digital over stimulation, awe, loss, intensity, anger, nostalgia, regret, honesty, relief and joy. 'I'd had a tough 6 months...' explains Blackdown. 'I'd had to hold it together and not lose my nerve. Early on in the months I'd so nearly had a massive, positive life change but... it slipped out of my grasp. I was so focused on holding it together, I couldn't allow myself to really write music. Then, when things resolved themselves, and I'd figured out this new weightless way of working, 'Those Moments' just came flooding out. I'd heard other musicians talk about this - but that had never happened to me.' Recent releases from Rinse FM's Blackdown include a contribution to the #SaveFabric CD, three 4 track 12's of the new Rollage sub series ('WDYM!', 'Keysound Sessions Anthem' and the 'C-Troit' EP) and a remix of Jamakabi & Terror Danjah's 'Juicy Patty.'

Much may have changed over a two-decade period, but Drumcode's commitment to releasing the scene's most cutting-edge and refined techno remains resolute. 2017 has already seen releases from Adam Beyer Vs Pig&Dan, Alan Fitzpatrick, Ilario Alicante, Julian Jeweil, as well as a debut album from Layton Giordani. The label continues push forwards; bringing fail-safe, club-ready music to the techno community.
Perennial pushers of the techno envelope, Dense & Pika are renowned for their standout studio output that seems to constantly conjure up a particularly unique take on their distinct sound, D&P have rather outdone themselves in 2017.
Kicking off the year with a selection of back catalogue remixes from the likes of Danny Daze, Scuba, Slam and Yotam Avni that illustrated the high esteem in which D&P are held by their peers right across the spectrum; From heritage acts to current headliners and cutting edge talent, the duo have gone on to drop bomb after bomb after bomb.

Their universally lauded remix of Tiga's 'Louder Than A Bomb' was the first of a run of chart topping cuts; With a remix of ME & her's 'Wild Rage' on Jamie Jones' Hottrax imprint and their own 'Casino' single both challenging the norm of what techno sounds like in the here and now.
Cooked up with a more melodic vibe and fusing elements of house and techno, Dense & Pika's latest outing on Drumcode offers something different compared to their previous work.

There is still that vintage feel to each of the tracks with analogue sounds and arrangements born and developed from experimental studio jams. Indeed, 'Suki' heavily utilizes the distinct harmonic tones of the Dave Smith Prophet 8 keyboard. While 'Little Sun' - A staple of D&P performances over the last three months - delivers a more classic Drumcode sound. 'Lanky' closes out the release with an infectious slab of wonderfully wonked-out raw funk.

Tact Recordings launch their new vinyl only sub-label 'Tactics' this November, with the first EP coming courtesy of Yard One, who deliver three excellently programmed cuts in the shape of 'Tactics Vol.2'.

Launched by Yard One, aka Jordan Bruce and Larry Jones, and Richard Fletcher (who produces under numerous guises including Adventures In Daydreams and Fletcher), Tactics is set to become the labels latest project with a focus on solely vinyl releases. Inspired by the 2012 Various Artists release 'Tactics Volume 1' on Tact Recordings, which featured productions from Isherwood (Sharingtones/Imprints/Lize Records), journalist Per Boisen-Moller, and label regular Luke Black, the sub-label is set to showcase a more stripped back and minimal side to the Tact Recordings family with releases coming courtesy of Yard One, Fletcher, Luke Black and their close friends only.

The EP opens up with 'Avenoir', a raw and hypnotic production that utilises a multitude of lasers, glitches and pops at the forefront to keep listeners firmly on their toes, whilst a delicate and captivating melody floats fluently amongst ever-evolving percussion shots and twisting bass licks below.

On the flip, 'Granular Movements' snakes its way through swinging drums and hazy, jazzy melodies to reveal an effortless rolling groove, before 'Hexad' keeps the focus on percussive elements strong, whilst a moody bassline goes to work under layers of meditative pads and subtle background nuances to punctuate an excellent debut offering from the label. (Vinyl Only).

'Less thought, more direction and purpose, less catering, more expression...'

This was Savile's mantra as he sculpted his 'Compersion' EP for Mike Simonetti's 2MR and it's a mantra we should all subscribe to. It's come about through his introspective analysis during the creation of his most succinct and starkest exploration date.

''Compersion' is a record about wrestling my own beliefs, both personal and political. It's about experiencing the anxiety and absurdity of loving a partner and ultimately myself. The sounds, tempos and arrangements found here are the result of further experiments with editing tracks to their absolute minimum. I tried to work these songs like I am working on me. Less thought, more direction and purpose, less catering, more expression.'

And more detail; throughout every stripped back heavily-edited sensation the conceptual EP provides, the meaning and message is palpable. Each track title inspired by Jenny Holzer and Helmut Lang's revolutionary provocative, sexualisation of the art space in Florence Biennale, 1996, there's a tangible physicality felt throughout...

The heavy breathing rhythmic elements of the electroid 'Talk Smile Bite' and its bedrock bedspring funk; the playful switch between breezy broken beats and driving techno coupled with minimal sample craft and literal message of an instantly recognisable vocal on 'Watch Scan Wait'; the much heavier, intense techno pressure of 'Tease Breathe Smell' where the heart is on the sleeve and it's palpitating wildly with direction, purpose and true expression.

A smart concept from a Smart resident, Savile has achieved something special here; a provocative model a deep self-construction and, above all, three damn fine pieces of techno.

New release from Pash & Lips, who running story on Mulen with Livio & Roby & Sit. Now guys propose us very dark mood in minimal-brake sound, with three tracks. Atmosphere and breaking grooves. We always remember you, bro. Kolya Lips. Eternal Memory.

Perc Trax completes its duo of Bitter Music remix EPs with this three tracker that aims directly for the dance floor. Opening up proceedings is Dax J, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last few years and who here serves up an irresistible take on 'Unelected' fueled by the driving energy his productions and sets have become famous for. Next up Stroboscopic Artefacts boss Lucy layers shifting textures over popping kick drums for a version of 'Wax Apple' that perfectly blends form and function. Lastly Matrixxman, himself another of the key break out artists of the last few years, takes control of 'Rat Run' and morphs in into a rolling drum track built on rolling toms and topped off with dubbed out elements of Perc's original mix.

Les Disques du Crepuscule present an extended double disc reissue of Shiver, the acclaimed debut album by seminal Swedish artist  Virna Lindt, originally released by The Compact Organization in 1983.

Written and produced by Virna Lindt and Tot Taylor, Shiver offers 12 slices of chic orchestrated pop informed by 'foreign film' soundtracks, movie composers John Barry and Ennio Morricone, Modernist musique concrete and Cold War spy thrillers. The album spawned three singles: Attention Stockholm, Intelligence and I Experienced Love. For the most part Lindt provides the voiceover for her own narratives, occasionally striking reflective poses amid orchestral swells and multi-layered atmospherics; a clear influence on later acts such as Pulp, St Etienne and Air.

This new edition of Shiver showcases acoustically-enhanced mixes prepared by Taylor and Lindt in 1997, augmented with non-album singles Model Agent and Young & Hip, and immaculate instrumental versions of key album tracks such as Underwater Boy and The Dossier on Virna Lindt. The extended tracklist also finds room for a leftfield cover of Windmills of Your Mind, originally written by Michel Legrand and Alan & Marilyn Bergman for The Thomas Crown Affair and recorded for the Crepuscule compilation album Moving Soundtracks.

Cover photography is by E.A. Janes. The 2xCD edition is housed in a 6 panel digipack with a 12 page booklet. The double vinyl set comes in a stylish gatefold sleeve and includes a free digital copy.

Praise for Shiver:  'Eurocentric Virna Lindt casts herself as a mysterious blonde in a loving pastiche of Continental movie music' (Sounds); 'I think of Shiver as Ingmar Bergman's All These Women cast as 50-odd minutes of musical dialogue. Tot Taylor's fantastic orchestrations cast a brilliant pale of modern love throughout' (Fond/Sound); 'Instead of mere cool styles, there's far more here than a restrictive stereotype' (All Music Guide);

Legendary Los Hermanos member Santiago Salazar's album 'Aspirations For Young Xol' is given a vinyl release courtesy of Rekids.

A heartfelt dedication to his son Isaias, 'Aspirations for Young Xol' takes us through the life of a pillar in the electronic music community - Santiago Salazar. From his formative years spent in California to his connection with Detroit and the passing of a childhood friend, the long-player's tracks signpost the musician's significant experiences, both positive and negative. This meaningful body of work was released digitally on Pastel Voids and now Rekids release the album on wax.

'Saturated Fear' sets a deep tone for the LP, flanging melodies and echoing claps float through the composition before the album's title track 'Aspirations for Young Xol' offers haunting arpeggios with occasional acidic overtones which are cleverly offset by beautifully designed lead synth transitions. 'Bloodlines' follows a similar musical vein with delayed bass riffs that are suspended above shimmering hihats and a weighted kick.

Santiago provides three beatless pieces throughout, which digress into more emotional territory whilst offering brief respite from his heavier drum work. 'Xol's Pain' combines orchestral strings and swelling synthesisers which build tension with a subtly complex, evolving motif. Both 'Dark Matter' and 'Ode to Stinson' use arresting atmospheres, warped arpeggios and ethereal pads which lull the listener into a retrospective mood.

An intensity builds in the later tracks, a gritty but powerful low end provides a solid foundation in 'Orange Blossom Thump', eventually making way for a hectic and elastic lead synth before 'Pachuco Dub' displays drones that build a dissonant pressure in which the complex tom rhythms and rolling hi hats can grow. 'Sarah Rivera' hypnotises with its delectable chord progressions and complimentary melodies which seem to float above a rigid drum composition to close the album with style.

Ulises is the debut EP of Maik Yells on TT, pulling off three original cuts and a smooth Dub rework from Ed Herbst. Timeless house music as usual on Taverna Tracks!

- Chris Difford's place in the pantheon of great English songwriters is assured - surely nearly everyone can sing along to at
least one Squeeze song.
- So in anticipation of the new Squeeze album The Knowledge' (and extensiveUK and US tours this autumn), and following
Chris's autobiography and demos album as well as Edsel's CD box set of Difford's three solo albums (I DIDN'T GET WHERE
I AM (2002), THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIS (2008) and CASHMERE IF YOU CAN (2011)), we now present all three albums on vinyl, with outer and inner sleeves, gathered together in a handsome rigid slipcase.
- Of these only the first album has appeared briefly on LP before - The Last Temptation...' and Cashmere...' make their
vinyl debuts.
- The inner sleeves feature all thealbum lyrics, track-by-track sleevenotes and brand new notes by Chris about the writing
and recording of each album.

"Leon Bailey and Joe Rossitter aka Chromatic have already released music on such respected labels as Innerground, True Playaz, and Commercial Suicide. Now the Chromatic boys have their own solo 12" on Dope Plates, presenting to you on the 1's and 2's three brilliant 90s influenced dancefloor drum & bass, jungle music....with a hint of hardcore rave thrown in. Safe as fuck."

Rauch is a sonic interpretation of the work of photographer Friederike von Rauch, composed collaboratively by Berlin-based producers Felix K, Marcel Dettmann, Sa Pa and Simon Hoffmann. Arranged and mixed by Marcel Dettmann, the recording stands in dialogue with von Rauch's architectural images of post-World War II European monasteries, including La Tourette by Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis near Lyon, Roosenberg Abbey near Ghent and Maria Regina Martyrum in Berlin. The images were first exhibited together with the music on this LP as part
of an installation for von Rauch's solo show insgeheim ('in secret'), held at the Goethe-Institut Paris during the international Paris Photo art fair in November 2017.
While the complimentary relationship between the sounds of Rauch ('smoke') and the images exhibited in Paris invites interpretation, both can also be experienced as separate artistic entities. On the 42-minute-long LP, drones, modulating harmonic soundscapes and implied rhythms maintain an abstract emotional core while occasionally taking on vaporous, amorphous qualities. Similarly, von Rauch's images - often borderline abstract in composition - resist being identified by location or spatial context. Nevertheless, they also hint at their spiritual origin.
Rauch is part of an ongoing artistic collaboration between Marcel Dettmann and Friederike von Rauch, which includes 2011's Ash installation and three photographic works for Dettmann releases on Ostgut Ton.
(de) Rauch, geschrieben und produziert im Kollektiv von den Berliner Producern Felix K., Marcel Dettmann, Sa Pa und Simon Hoffmann, zusammengestellt und abgemischt von Marcel Dettmann, ist als ku¨nstlerische Anna¨herung und Dialog zu den Fotografien von Friederike von Rauch zu verstehen. In ihrer Ausstellung insgeheim im Goethe-Institut Paris, anla¨sslich der Paris Photo 2017, zeigt die Ku¨nstlerin Arbeiten, die in verschiedenen Klo¨stern der Nachkriegsmoderne - von La Tourette von Le Corbusier entworfen u¨ber Roosenberg Abbey nahe Gent zur Klosterkirche Maria Regina Martyrum in Berlin - entstanden sind und klanglich untermalt werden durch die Musik von Rauch.
Die Musik und die Bilder menschenleerer Ra¨ume stehen in unmittelbarem Bezug zueinander, suchen die Auseinandersetzung durch Begleitung und Interpretation. So entstand die 42-minu¨tige Komposition modulierender Klangschleifen und angedeuteter Rhythmik, den Namen von Rauchs beim Worte nehmend, musikalisch abstrahierend und doch im Detail ergreifend. Die Arbeiten Friederike von Rauchs lassen dabei kaum Ru¨ckschlu¨sse zu, welcher Ort sich dem Betrachter offenbart, der ra¨umliche Kontext bleibt verborgen und dennoch transportieren die konzentrierten und beinahe abstrakten Kompositionen, etwas von ihrem spirituellen Ursprung.
Rauch ist auch die Fortsetzung der ku¨nstlerischen
Kollaboration zwischen Marcel Dettmann und
Friederike von Rauch. Die beiden in Berlin
lebenden Ku¨nstler arbeiten hier nach Ash (2011)
zum zweiten Mal an der Schnittstelle Fotografie-Musik, daru¨berhinaus pra¨gten Friederike von Rauchs Fotografien drei Dettmann-Vero¨ffentlichungen auf Ostgut Ton.

A great strong man with a brush in his hand once said: everything you can imagine is real and art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. So is making music just another form of keeping a diary In terms of Ana Helder, the Argentinian girl with the special twist, the answer is: maybe. More than two years after her last release on Co´meme she is back with a hand full of tracks. Five to be precise. She got more, but this is what the Mu¨stique's received. They are mean, dirty, harmful, amorevolous, seductive and addictive. Surrender tunes from a producer and DJ that does not think in boxes. Her three Eps El Groove De Tu Corazo´n', Fiebre De Marte' and Beating PC' mark some warped grooving heights in the edgy catalogue of Matias Aguayo's label Co´meme. Also on the French label Astro Lab she already dropped the 12inch Soy Canalla' with a playful psyche tune, that additionally got remixed by folks like Les Disques De La Mort seducer Ivan Smagghe or the mysterious West-German ghost-(w)rid(t)er Frank West. Furthermore, she re-tuned tunes from Chilean friends like Alejandro Paz or Mama- cita and sang on songs of colleagues. For Mu¨stique she now looked into her always-growing production crate and found some post-punk waving funk odes, which want more than just to dance this mess around. They bring soulful LSD-melodies for Jazz lovers with techno legs that like to get high on Liquid Liquid. They are electronic but yet so organic. And they move deeply while spreading the feel of a meditative rest. When Diagnose heard them first, he came to the idea of writing a script for a flick that tells the story of a music-making machine, which has more to offer than answers. It forms sound with no traces of reality, but is so human that humans fear it. Why did he think that way Only because of what Ana Helder recently got to say Well, let the music play...