quête:radio 4

Upon examining the eventful life of Can bassist Holger Czukay, one might
conclude that this intrepid musician was a loner. His turbulent career exuded
an enduring eccentricity governed by a boundless free spirit. Yet Czukay,
who passed away unexpectedly last year at the age of 79, constantly
emphasized that his creativity was always contingent upon a musical
partner, whether that was a skin-and-bones counterpart or an anonymous
manifestation that interacted with him through radio waves or, as happened
ater, the internet. Nonetheless, most of his partners were of flesh and
blood.
His oeuvre, which is in itself cinematic in nature, boasts a cast worthy of a
Martin Scorsese film. Only the most interesting character actors were cast:
Brian Eno, Phew, Rolf Dammers, David Sylvian, Annie Lennox, Jah Wobble,
his Can bandmates... the list could go on and on.
Many of these masterpieces are now out of print, so Groenland Records,
who already released the highly acclaimed retrospective 'CINEMA' to mark
he occasion of Holger's 80th birthday at the beginning of the year, has
aken it upon themselves to release reissues of Holger's music in order to
make it accessible once again.

This is the first reissue of Tim Hecker's classic 2003 album. The original recordings were remixed by Tim Hecker and mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy Mastering.
- Reissue of classic 2001 album by renowned ambient / noise / electronic artist.
- Received acclaim upon release, including Pitchfork giving it a 8.3.
- Originally released on Alien8 and now long out-of-print.
press quotes for Radio Amor:
"Hecker at his most painterly and evocative.' Pitchfork
"Radio Amor has a simultaneous tangible/intangible quality that is both miraculous and enigmatic.' Tiny Mix Tapes
"Tim Hecker may be the finest sonic photographer around, the re-release of Radio Amor being further evidence for this claim.' Brainwashed
"Hecker's 2003 standout is a stirringly emotional narrative, without the slightest aid of a single voice.' Treble
"A slow-shifting mix of steely headrush and protracted morse code dispatches from the bottom of the ocean.' Dusted

Les Adventures de President Bongo is a unique work that will reveal itself over the next seven years, give or take, in the form of 24 LP's.
What is a groove It is something that goes on and on, not changing much seemingly, like the growth rings exposed when you cut and fell a tree. It is no coincidence that tree rings resemble the spiral track of a record: they're both grooves of a sort.

A groove is a routine, a life lived. It may not always seem like much - a cup of bitter coffee, another day spent under the flickering fluorescent lights of an office, an overly long queue at the check-out of a suffocating supermarket. But it is also the scent of slightly burnt meat and birch by a gently flowing stream under a pink sunset, a silver fog clearing without notice to expose a starry sky and its familiar twinkling constellations, an impenetrable smile on a crowded morning train. It is the pattern exposed on the tree stump. A proper groove has ups and downs, it has drama. A good groove is a good story, a transmission into the future.

Hany Mehanna, beloved musician and composer of the greatest artists from the Arab world such as Oum Kalthoum and Abdel Halim Hafez, shows himself from a more experimental side on his solo albums. Originally released in 1973, 'The Miracles of the Seven Dances' is a pure work of genius: hypnotic organ grooves, psychedelic guitars, mystic strings and haunting percussion. Belly dance as good as it gets! High quality pressing. Artwork and label design by Pieter Heytens

After more than a year of silence, the French duo VTCN RADIO releases its debut album "'Mydriase"

Mysterious and audacious odyssey, 'Mydriase' presents itself as a sensory and confidential journey. Fruit of a nocturnal composition guided by a need of musical introspection and a decisive encounter with an owl, the writing of this album will cut off its creators in an alternative reality for three years. Behind VTCN RADIO are the French producers Nathan Bokobza - a pianist fascinated by the romantic repertoire and the harmonic research of the impressionists - and Louis Martinez, a guitarist passionate about digital technologies and their uses in the process of sound creation. The group revealed its existence at the end of 2015 with the esoteric Riddle Song and continues to surprise the spirits with the release of the compositions Late Night Shuttle and Venus Flytrap in 2016, before creating in 2017 their own label "Five to Six Records". VTCN RADIO presents with Mydriase an experience based mainly on the dialogue between two entities - a dark, deep and a purer and luminescent - to constitute an elegant music, and ambivalent by its capacity to propose different interpretations. This self-produced album marks the first release of their label Five to Six Records, and presents us for the first time in a broader way the hallucinatory and singular universe of VTCN RADIO.

After a two year hiatus, Kiani returns to his Far Out Systems alias for this EP, his first offering for a label outside of his own Tanzbar Records.

Thomas Neyens first left his mark on the dance scene under his alias Kiani & His Legion, with two releases on Red D's We Play House Recordings in 2013 and more recently on Something Happening Somewhere, quickly demonstrating his accomplished production flair. This led the Belgian establishing his own imprint, Tanzbar Records, where he dropped two EPs under his Far Out Radio Systems moniker - bringing a more 'dancefloor focused' sound. Now after a two year hiatus, Neyens returns to his Far Out Systems alias for this EP, his first offering for a label outside of Tanzbar Records.

'Spheres' kicks off the release, with its soft bassline perfectly complimenting the hazy synths, syncopated drums and the mesmerising nuances from the hang drum that feature later in the track. The slow burning style continues on 'Jane Goodall', with the track's atmospheric textures gradually overpowered by a steady selection of drums, percussion and off-kilter effects. 'Vaquita' sees Far Out Radio Systems up the tempo whilst still sonically retaining the melancholy, hypnotic sound of the EP, as the snare-led rhythm gradually gains in momentum over its seven minute duration. Closing this excellent four track EP is 'On A Quest', a pulsating number that combines soaring, ethereal synths with a club ready groove that is perfect for the shadowy dancefloors the Belgian DJ/producer performs to.



DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from

Joris Voorn: Great atmospheric EP!
Blawan: really nice stuff here ! really like Vaquita
DJ Deep: nice release
Aera (Innervisions): Vaquita is a real beauty!
Baikal: whole release is dope. big fan of kiani. big up.
Norman Nodge (Berghain): "On A Quest" sounds promising!
Richie Hawtin: downloaded for r hawtin
Ripperton: Great EP every track get something! Thanks!
Âme (Kristian): thanks
Red D (We Play House): Needless to say I have preordered this one on vinyl ;-) 'On A Quest' is gonna be the one for me. It's got that Kiani-going-emotional vibe I dig so much.
Anthony Collins: Jane goodall track is tight !
Nuno Dos Santos: ah sweeet thanx man!
Brothers' Vibe: Solid pieces, def support!

Great mixes!

Following up on the long awaited 'Melody' / 'Stop Fantasy' reissue from 2016, Mothball Record returns with a lesser known, but no less brilliant, double-sided disco bomb from Plustwo.
Lighthearted and infectious melodies on both sides are matched with superb production and unmistakably beautiful vocals: this is no fast food but elegant music to enjoy for years to come.For many years a favorite in the Mothball Record offices, yet strangely unknown by many, 'Mad Radio' and 'New Sensation' will put some unexpected spark in your next disco set.

First issue of this previously unreleased Oriental psych monster from the organ king of Casablanca, combining traditional rhythms with spaced out modern sounds. Second part of Abdou El Omari's Nuits-trilogy. This albums contains heavenly compositions for The Moroccon diva Naima Samih and some moody instrumentals in a similar vein to the previous album.

Raw electronix all the way from Medellin, Colombia. It's Retrograde Youth making his debut on Radio Matrix. By serving us three different kind of tunes, he shows us he is definitely an artist to keep your eyes and ears focused on. Where the first track shows his more melodic side with a grimy twist, the darkness really starts to unfold on the flip. 'Love Fantasy' will fill the room and leaves no escape with its haunting bassline, flanged hihats and Earth shattering leads. And on the B2, 'No Time' is the one for the dark basements, straight up acid for the tough kids! And this is only part 1...

The perfect Christmas gift for discerning fans of cutting edge analogue electronica. And Kraftwerk!

Radioland was initially devised as a breathtaking audio-visual live experience by the Anglo-French trio of Matthew Bourne (synthesisers, voice), Franck Vigroux (electronics) and visual artist Antoine Schmitt.

The original music has been transformed with hurricanes of modulated electronics, earth-shattering bass frequencies, vocoders ebbing and throbbing and the occasional drop into periods of eerie near-silence.

Using a variety of vintage analogue synthesisers and electronics, they have recreated the futuristic, industrial world of ominous darkness and dazzling light imagined by Kraftwerk in 1975 and reconstructed in this bold new manifestation for 2015.

The album is mastered by Denis Blackham, who mastered Kraftwerk's classic 1974 album Autobahn

The LP edition is limited to just 1,000 copies for the world in a deluxe gatefold sleeve with a CD included

Both versions include liner notes by David Stubbs, author of Future Days: Krautrock and the Building of Modern Germany, and photographs and images from the project

The album cover artwork is taken from the video work of Antoine Schmitt, creator of the captivating visuals that are a vital component of the Radioland performance

Matthew Bourne and Franck Vigroux's impressive collective CV boasts collaborations with artists such as John Zorn, Nostalgia 77, Marc Ribot, Annette Peacock, Elliot Sharp, Mika Vainio, Ben Miller and Zeena Parkins

More Radioland shows are expected to follow the release in 2016

The second Radio Matrix comes by the mysterious Bodem in the form of 'Het Sonisch Besluit' (The Sonic Pact). Bodem serves us two extended electro, jacking cuts, which already destroyed some dancefloors across planet Earth...

Max Herre hat ein MTV Unplugged aufgenommen. Das rückt ihn in eine Tradition mit Udo Lindenberg, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, Jay Z. Mehr noch als ein konsequenter Karriereschritt und popkultureller Ritterschlag aber ist das Konzert eine Rückkehr zu seinen Wurzeln. Denn lange bevor er als Texter und MC einer ganzen Generation eine neue Stimme geben sollte, war er vor allem der Junge mit der Gitarre, der einfach nur spielen wollte. Das Gefühl, das er als 15-Jähriger im Proberaum suchte, hat er nun im 'Großen Saal'des altehrwürdigen Funkhaus Berlin Nalepastraße wiedergefunden.

Die Geschichte dieses besonderen Abends beginnt vor knapp 25 Jahren in einem Keller in Stuttgart-West. Dort jammte er mit Freunden zu dem Funk, Soul und Reggae, den er liebte - und legte, ohne es zu wissen, den Grundstein für das, was da kommen sollte. Zwei klassische Alben mit Don Philippe und DJ Friction als Freundeskreis zum Beispiel, die sich nicht nur weit über 500.000 mal verkauften, sondern eine ungehörte Musikalität in die deutsche Rap-Landschaft einführten. Drei Soloplatten, die den Bogen spannten von der '1sten Liebe' HipHop zu fragilem Folk im Stile eines Singer-Songwriters (und zurück). Eine Zweitkarriere als Labelbetreiber und Produzent. Und dazwischen immer wieder Auftritte, bei denen all diese Erfahrungen und Einflüsse auf fast magische Weise zusammenliefen.

Max Herre hat Rap immer in einem Bandkontext gedacht, HipHop stets in einem Kollektivgedanken gelebt. Das war Anfang der Neunziger so, als er als Kind der Kolchose seine ersten Live-Auftritte in süddeutschen Jazzclubs hatte. Das war später so, als er aus Freundeskreis die FK Allstars erwachsen ließ und mit ihnen über die größten Festivalbühnen des Landes tourte. Und das ist heute nicht anders, wenn er wie 2012 auf seinem fulminanten Gold-Album Hallo Welt! alte wie neue Inspirationen zu seelenvoller Rapmusik mit Ewigkeitsanspruch bündelt.

So ist es nur konsequent, dass für MTV Unplugged / KAHEDI Radio Show zahlreiche Featuregäste und Freunde nach Berlin gekommen sind: wichtige Weggefährten wie Joy Denalane, Afrob, Sékou, Gentleman, Samy Deluxe, Patrice, Sophie Hunger, Philipp Poisel oder US-Ausnahmesänger Gregory Porter, aber auch das 26-köpfige, eigens für den Abend zusammengestellte KAHEDI RADIO ORCHESTRA. Unter der Führung des musikalischen Leiters Lillo Scrimali kommen so mehr als 40 Musiker aus drei Generationen zusammen. Produzent Samon Kawamura und Host Fab 5 Freddy, einst erster Moderator der wegweisenden HipHop-Sendung Yo! MTV Raps, ziehen im Regieraum zusätzlich dramaturgische Fäden.

'Ich bin sehr dankbar und glücklich, dass ich für dieses Projekt mit einigen der besten arbeiten durfte: viele davon langjährige Freunde und Wegbegleiter', so Max über das mehr als zweistündige, komplett akustische Konzert. 'Sie alle haben nicht nur ihr Spiel und ihre Fähigkeiten eingebracht, sondern ihr Herz und ihre musikalische Vision.'

Den passenden Rahmen bietet das Funkhaus Berlin Nalepastraße am Köpenicker Spreeufer. In dem ehemaligen Hauptsitz des DDR-Hörfunks, in dem schon Barenboim und die Bartoli, aber auch Portishead und Sting gearbeitet haben, vereinen sich Feierlichkeit und funktionelle Strenge auf ganz erstaunliche Weise. Max Herre hat diesen geschichtsträchtigen Ort für MTV Unplugged / KAHEDI Radio Show neu erdacht, indem er seine ursprüngliche Funktion als Aufnahmeraum unterstrichen hat. Vom Publikum umgeben spielen die Musiker in einer 360°-Konstellation zueinander und empfinden gemeinsam nach, wie in den siebziger Jahren Soulmusik gemacht wurde.

MTV Unplugged / KAHEDI Radio Show ist ein erlebtes Experiment mit offenem Ausgang und maximaler künstlerischer Freiheit. Eine kollektive Verneigung vor Soul, Jazz, Funk, Reggae und Rap. Und die in Musik gefasste Botschaft, dass Zukunft stets auch ein Stück Vergangenheit in sich trägt.

Zumindest, wenn sie so klingt wie die Musik von Max Herre.