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2024 Repress

SHDW & Obscure Shape are back with their second EP for 2023, following their debut release on their mothership label From Another Mind. The German duo's latest release, 'Basic Instinct', is a collection of five dancefloor anthems that provide the perfect soundtrack for any moment in a set. The EP features their signature die-cut cover and includes a digital bonus track.

'Basic Instinct' is the 12th installment of their Mutual Rytm label and showcases the pair's exceptional production skills and innovative approach to electronic music, with a mix of old and new school flavors, vivid drum programming, organic percussion and captivating melodic elements. The A-side kicks off with their signature track 'Eraser', which blends crisp drums with warm sub-bass and piercing synth stabs.

"Dancer in the Dark" takes a deeper dive into late-night territory, combining lush dub-influenced synths with a rolling acid bassline. "Disturbing Behaviour" closes the A-side and shows why the 303 has become an iconic tool for producers. Despite the sirens dominating around the breakdowns, the simple two-tone acid stab is the defining element of the track, complemented by amen-break leaning drums that hint at a UK rave direction.

The B-side goes in a different direction, with 'Memories of Nobody' taking a filtered and less aggressive approach, as echoing dub pads gather around a growling bassline and kick drum combination, topped off by brushed hats. The EP concludes with 'The Last Seduction', a track that reveals the full organic breadth of the previously hinted at Amen break. The fusion of said amen break with the warmth and familiarity of waxing and waning pads is reminiscent of the golden days of electronic music. With its expertly crafted soundscapes and diverse range of styles, 'Basic Instinct' is yet another stunning release from SHDW & Obscure Shape.

2024 Repress

Lars Huismann is back on Mutual Rytm with the much-anticipated third volume of his 'Sounds From The Past' trilogy.

A core part of SHDW & Obscure Shape's ever more crucial Mutual Rytm imprint thanks to his timeless techno offerings as part of his ongoing 'Sounds From The Past' series, Berlin-based DJ/producer Lars Huismann's stock continues to rise release by release as a talent merging influences from the past with forward-thinking nuances of the future. Drawing on the early 2000 techno sound, he embellishes it with his own perspective, as evidenced by his earlier releases on the label. This latest six-track offering is another accomplished outing from this unique talent as he concludes the three-part series on the label in style.

The title track 'Sound From The Past III' opens up with a finely filtered chord groove that provides a smooth and hypnotising foundation. A subtle bassline, buoyant kick drums, and embedded vocal patterns harmonise with the synths, unveiling a smooth linear groove that soon sweeps you up.

'Fusion' brings more intensity with its barreling drum kicks, a dirty driving bassline, and melodies flashing by like headlights on an intergalactic motorway, with the overhanging pent-up energy inescapable. Next, 'Shimmer' rides on vast, heavy layered drums that are warm, and comforting as the track travels through a journey of diverse dub techno elements.

Like in 'Loucura', taken from 'Sounds From The Past II', Lars again showcases his strong influences from Brazilian and Latin music. On 'Estar Farto', the drums and bass are tightly interwoven, racing beneath bright and funky synth lines that bring ever-evolving shades of colour. A jazz drummer himself, the music transports into the groove via intelligent brass chord progressions and fine-tuned vocal and percussion elements.

It's straight dance floor business on the closing vinyl production 'Bittersweet', with its muted synth smears darting over more macho drum programming, while digital bonus 'Dusty Lick' is an unrelenting, jazzy, percussion-driven banger that hits hard and heavy in all the right places.

2024 Repress

Chontane returns to Mutual Rytm with a more raw and aggressive sound than before across six powerful new tracks on his latest EP, 'Permanent'.

Berlin-based Ukrainian DJ/producer Chontane has had a busy twelve months. Capped off by recently launching his own new TANE label, the exciting talent has been working hard to reinvent and refresh his sound in the studio. Mastering new techniques to push things to the next level, this EP and return to SHDW & Obscure Shape's Mutual Rytm proves he has succeeded and then some. Where previous works on the likes of ARTS and Rekids were full and more melodic, here he has restricted himself and gone for a more visceral sound. Developed and built in all new ways with an innovative approach to sound design and arrangement, the tracks on the package showcase a more serious and harder-hitting side to his sound as he unveils his impactful 'Permanent' EP.

Opener 'Graze' has a monstrous feel to it, with ghoulish synth loops and industrial textures all coming on strong and heavy. As it bangs along, incendiary hi-hats and lithe pads all bring extra weight and detail. 'Cumaru' is a highpaced techno workout with a frenzy of synths and percussion, all making for dense layers of heavily textured sound. 'Schima' brings some big techno bounce in the drums and more hurried, rusty synth loops that lock you into the darkness. Showing yet another side, 'Lauan' is a little more paired back with pounding tribal grooves and bright synths, bringing relentless yet funk-fuelled intensity. 'Vevis' is the most melodic of the lot - a heavy track but with subtle optimism in the rising background synths that will surely get hands in the air.

Last of all is digital bonus 'Makore', a cauldron of intensity with scraping hits and relentless drums, vastly oversized hi-hats and slamming bass. This high-impact, beautifully brutal yet groove-heavy techno takes Chontane's sound into new realms, and delivers an impressive return on a label continuing to push the genre forward.

2024 Repress

Berlin techno talent Regent is next up on Mutual Rytm as he returns with a compelling new five-track 12" titled 'Coral Knife', plus a digital bonus cut.

Regent emerged only in 2020, but has fired out quality tunes on Planet Rhythm Records, Arts Collective and Warg Records since then. His already extensive catalogue of standout releases combines tough and rapid grooves with cerebral qualities and a real depth of writing and sound design, resulting in timeless yet avant-garde material optimised for the dance floor. For that reason, he is one of the new forces emerging from the German capital and why his next EP, 'Coral Knife', sees him find a perfect home on SHDW's Mutual Rytm imprint as he returns with his first 12" on the label following his appearance on the 'Federation Of Rhythm II' compilation earlier this year.

The tight and funky 'Brickyard' opens with a high-speed groove and a taught synth riff darting about the mix to seductive effect, before 'Driftage' gets more raw with rickety percussion over bulky drums. The synths are dubby and liquid as they get smeared about the mix to bring dynamism to the groove. There is then darkness and heaviness to 'Nocta' with weighty kicks and alluring vocal sounds drifting through the late-night airwaves.
Title track 'Coral Knife' cannot fail to sweep dancers off their feet with its fizzing synths and smooth drum loops overlaid with icy hi-hats that get you into a meditative state, while 'Encoder' layers up bleeps and squeaks over a signature linear groove that is detailed with muffled vocals and distant cosmic stars.

As always with Mutual Rytm, the package rounded out with an impressive digital bonus in the form of 'Multiversa' - a driving and thunderous techno cut that closes the show emphatically.

From Pasha With Love (love in times of war)

Pasha is a soldier on the front line, fighting those who till the day before were friends from the town next door, probably fighting his
own brothers-in-law, Natasha’s brothers, his great love, mother of his children in a senseless war if only wars had a meaning …

In the evening when the madness slows down.. Pasha takes his cell phone and talks about the horrors and the desperation but also the
infinite gratitude he feels for having had her as a gift in his life. His texts always end with "From Pasha with Love"

The atrocities, pain and the inhumanity he experiences every day, every hour, are alleviated in the pauses between one explosion and
another by his most intimate memories... Natasha's laughter as they chased each other in the sunflower fields in their first summer
together, his Yes! to her at the altar, her kisses first thing every morning.

While he runs surrounded by the screaming of the wounded and the whistling of bullets in the woods, in every moment that could be
the last, he searches for that tree where at their first date they carved that little heart with the words ..
Pasha & Nasha-Timele.

Review: Three German instrumental talents - Chris Haertel, David Nesselhauf, Julian Gutjahr - make up The Drawbars, whom together describe their music as 'off jazz'. Following up their prior outing for Basel's BurningSole, on which two instrumental originals stuck out like raw thrums, their latest is an unexpected curveball in the form of a standout rare groove version of Billie Eilish's modern classic 'Bad Guy'. Riffing of its madhouse hooks by way of a watery high electric keyboard part, the essence of the track pairs timely well the Northern-soulful form of breaks, fills and bass jaunts. The B, 'Smokes & Mirrors', returns to OG songwriting and hears electric glisses and portamento synths dance across sultry, incense-filled rhythmatic rooms and navy-noted blueses.

DJ Support: Dam Swindle, Jimpster, Fouk,Franck Roger, Miguel Migs, Fred Everything, Tedd Patterson, Saison, Brian Tappert, Don Carlos, Sebb Junior, Ralph Session, Marcel Vogel, Marc Cotterell

Embark on a journey through the pulsating heart of Berlin's house music scene with Luca Olivotto. Italian-born and Berlin-based, Olivotto's beats resonate with the energy of the city's underground, blending seamlessly with his Mediterranean roots. As a DJ, Olivotto commands dance floors with finesse, effortlessly blending deep and house music. As a producer, he crafts sonic landscapes that evoke emotion and ignite the imagination. This album encapsulates the essence of Olivotto's musical universe: a fusion of cultures, a celebration of diversity, and a testament to the universal language of music. Experience the rhythm of Luca Olivotto, bridging continents with his electrifying sound.

After the standout success of last year’s maiden edition, Drumcode returns with volume two of its acclaimed Elevate compilation featuring no less than seven label debutants. The compilation’s manifesto is simple. Platform a broader range of emerging artists on Drumcode and help elevate the next generation to make strides in their careers. At the same time, the project gives fans a taste of the future and a sneak peak of some of the names you can expect to see featuring on the label and at showcases over the coming year and beyond.

Anonymous British funk studio outfit Ultrafunk was spearheaded by Blues & Soul magazine proprietor John Abbey, who ran a fashionable record shop and label called Contempo in London’s West End during the 1970s; he conceived of the group as the UK counterpart to US studio bands like Mfsb. Arranger Gerry Shury, who had worked with Barry White and Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees, drafted guitarist Chris Rae and bassist Frank McDonald (who often composed library music together) and future Rubettes drummer John Richardson to form the group, in situ. A lack of band photos, suggestive song titles and a predilection for American cover tunes led many to believe the band was US-based. Their self-titled debut LP is where the myth all begins, with a number of truly atmospheric and cinematic hard funk instrumentals, given added textural depth through full orchestration, including covers of Bill Withers’ “Use Me” and Stevie Wonder’s “Living In The City.” Though not quite as compelling as the better-known follow-up set, Meat Heat, there is still plenty to savour on Ultrafunk, making this debut companion disc a must-have for all true funk aficionados.

Oliver Dollar unveils part two of his ‘Contemporary’ EP on Rekids.The release features collaborations with Brillstein and Harvard Bass.

Part two of Oliver Dollar’s ‘Contemporary’ EP will be released this July via Rekids. It follows part one, released in April of this year, which saw him team up with ADMN, Austin Ato, and APROPOS and featured a remix from Brian Kage. With the first part winning support from the likes of Laurent Garnier, Nightmares On Wax, and Dam Swindle, this next EP continues with an equally promising cast behind the wheel, as Dollar brings in Brillstein and Harvard Bass for more irresistible house funk across three tracks in part two.

First up on the ‘Contemporary Part Two’ EP, Jesse Rose, Diplo and Switch collaborator Brillstein joins Oliver Dollar for ‘Pill Popper’, a real dancefloor-igniting underground cut with an unforgettable hushed vocal over infectious rhythms. It is followed by Oliver Dollar and Harvard Bass’ ‘Funky Brewster’, which sees the Tuskegee, Relief Records, and Turbo artist complement Oliver’s house style with signature jackin’ flair. A repeating vocal and hard-hitting drum beat keep centre in this party anthem before Dollar flies solo for ‘Funked Up’, in which a low-slung groove and dreamy, chopped-up vocal work in harmony before breaking down into a jazz-inflected midsection,
making for the perfect outro to a fantastic two-part series on Radio Slave’s Rekids.

Warehouse Find!

2024 Repress

Great classic and timeless tune of the 80s and French Boogie scene, « Histoire d’1 Soir (Bye bye les galères) » is an ode to party, liberty, youth and freedom, interpreted by Bibi Flash aka Brigitte Gasté, an atypical singer from the French Boogie.

With its light lyrics and mythical chorus, its euphoria and irresistible disco-rap vibe, this track produced by Philippe Renaux (Holly Guns, Clever, Pianola…) released in 1983 is a sincere photography of its time, during which these children of the « summer of love » and May 68 criss-crossed Paris in search of endless nights, pleasure and freedom.

A prized and rare record which is nowadays repressed by Barbecue imprint in 2021, in its 12’’ version, with the original, the Disco Mix, instrumental and the A Cappella, and is accompanied by a new modern and festive edit by French house producer Blutch.

As a bonus, an insert with exclusive texts and photos by Bibi Flash and Philippe Renaux, in a fun and flash universe full of bright colors, revealing the spirit of these good old times.

White Vinyl Repress!

Techno pioneer Thomas Schumacher celebrates 25 years of his groundbreaking track "When I Rock” with a stunning remix by trailblazing DJ and producer talent. A.D.H.S.In 1997 Thomas Schumacher broke new ground with the release of "When I Rock," a track that defied genre boundaries and captivated listeners across the globe.

With its unprecedented blend of raw Hip Hop energy, infectious Rap vocals and relentlessly driving Techno rhythms, "When I Rock" marked a watershed moment in electronic music history. By infusing the track with his signature touch, A.D.H.S. maintains the essence of the original while seamlessly integrating contemporary sounds and production techniques. The result is a remix that captures the essence of the past while propelling it into the present.

To top it off Thomas’ adds a fresh remix of the Uber-Classic that is “House Of House” by Cherrymoon Trax. Essential.

Bliss Point is proud to present the long awaited reissue of lost italo house gem Soft Keys – Bubbles.

Recorded in Trieste in 1993 by Edoardo Milani and Tullio Battisti, “Bubbles (Soap Mix)” is a slice of colorful, sun-soaked euphoria, a track delightfully leftfield and playful in a way so rarely found in club music. Originally released on Italy’s Promo Music label, it was quickly lost to time, a masterpiece locked away on an extremely hard to find 12”, soon growing in notoriety among DJs and collectors.

Bliss Point’s reissue of this classic includes two remixes from contemporary luminaries, each interpreting the timeless sound of Bubbles for the 21st century. Tokyo’s boys be kko explores the soaring complexity of the original, and New Yorker Olive T offers a thumping take on its deep and tender heart. The original “Acapella” version is also included.

This reimagining of Soft Keys – Bubbles is remastered and recut by Dubplates & Mastering, and features an homage to the original 12” sleeve designed by Brandon Oxendine.

Hilit Kolet returns to Rekids for the ‘Snap Talk’ EP. It follows her ‘Hot Mess’ single for the storied imprint and features Kameelah Waheed's vocals on the title track.

Continuing her hugely successful run of 2024 releases, Hilit Kolet returns to Radio Slave’s revered Rekids label with the two-tracker ‘Snap Talk’, following in the footsteps of ‘Hot Mess’ (Rekids) and ‘Everything Is Amazing’ (Bush).

The two dancefloor favourites won DJ support from Laurent Garnier, TSHA, HAAi, Maya Jane Coles, Roman Flügel, Chloé Caillet, Jennifer Cardini and countless others while earning an extended string of radio plays from Danny Howard, Jamz Supernova and Sarah Story, who tapped Hilit for a Future Dance Mix.

For ‘Snap Talk,’ the fast-rising East London DJ and producer turns in yet another drop of striking, jackin’ power-house, this time propelled by Brazillian baile funk rhythms, a homage to her days as a samba dancer at London’s Notting Hill Carnival. Fellow Rekids alumnus Kameelah Waheed's seductive spoken-word vocals ride and push the driving 909-fuelled number, and the result is an outstanding 2 AM track that seriously cuts through the noise.

On the flip, Hilit’s ‘Gate 33’ combines tightly looped percussion opening up into a naggingly insistent drum-heavy cut that employs favela funk-patterned cowbells, a throbbing bottom end and a mix of passionate vocal and unnerving airport announcement samples to create an utterly compulsive late-night groove. Hilit Kolet has been integral to London’s underground scene ever since she was slinging vinyl at Soho’s legendary Black Market Records. Her distinctive, energetic DJ style established her behind the decks, playing everywhere from Ibiza to Berlin via Shanghai and Oslo.

New Release "Gypsy Heart / Beautiful Lies SKYLINE RECORDINGS Is proud to be release another OG banger from the wonderful Ms Betty Black "Gyspy Heart" is a driving dancer with sassiness and flair, just how Betty like it. Power vocals with a punching back beat, screaming for the dance floor. Betty goes back to the beginning when Rhythm met the Blues under the watchful eye of Gospel and the African-American Spiritual. It's mystical and cinematic but gutsy, and funky to boot! Roots Revival Soul with a sophisticated twist. On the flip "Beautiful Lies" Perfect song, uptempo dancer - which throws you staright into a story, where Ms Betty Black takes you into another world, but one that so many women, in particular, can relate to - another strong vocal mover, with a motown overtone. Summer fun. SL45030 x400 copies includes paper insert slv "I always expect excellence from her and she's delivered again" - Craig Charles, The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show, BBC Radio6, 01.06.24...