Cerca:ram

Next up on our exciting new Fool’s Paradise vinyl sampler series is a very special two-tracker, kicking things off is British peak-time House Music connoisseur, Soul Avengerz (aka Paul Gardner), who joins forces with US vocal legend, Adeva, on a potent remake of her 1989 House classic with Paul Simpson, ‘Musical Freedom’. Having re-recorded all the vocals, Adeva belts out a dazzling new version of one of house music’s most iconic songs. Retaining a dash of nostalgia, whilst propelling the song onto 2024’s dancefloors with a bang, Soul Avengerz delivers an uplifting piano house soundtrack loaded with brass, string stabs and bumping beats to ramp up the hedonistic vibes on this much loved classic.

The VA theme on the LP series under the name Untitled || continues to explore the subject of 8 different minds from different corner of the globe connected by the principle and love for the audio frequencies in line with Exarde. Featuring two artists which already dear to label due to the fact of past releases on it and six new ones who have become instant people of love and admiration for me.

From the more deep and mellow to the higher pressure for the brain this double disc shall meet your demands. The art theme of this one is blobs & globs from space, whether they are emerging, fighting with their own shadow, or just simply floating and co-existing. This shall conclude my rambling for this body of work as I go and put these eight essences through my ear canals once again. Great deal of thanks for the hard work and dedication of these talented conductors.

The package, posted from Inglewood in California, dropped through my letter box…
I was looking forward to seeing this, the VHS of the then relatively ‘unknown’ but now legendary live show at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly. But when I fed it into my VHS player, I was disappointed. I could not quite figure out why. The band were tight, each musician sounded great, the product of being on the road, year after year, club after club in the States, sometimes playing five shows a night, all propped up by one of the best soulful voices we had ever heard, the maestro Frankie Beverly.
It took a second play of the VHS to realise what was missing. It was ‘too comfortable’ an atmosphere. A few wealthy customers sat around coffee tables quaffing champagne. It seemed to me that this audience, somehow, did not fit the band.
Paul Fenn at Asgard promotions received the contract from the band to appear live in London and Manchester. I became more and more convinced that his UK fans were going to be a lot more responsive than those from New Orleans.
We put the word out with just a couple of exclusive ‘shout outs’ by Robbie Vincent on his Radio London Soul programme. Those two plugs were enough to sell out all four shows at London’s premier music venue, the Hammersmith Odeon. The ticket office was rammed and the queue six deep, stretched halfway down Queen Caroline Street.
“I have never seen anything like it” expressed the manager of the theatre as he rolled down the shutters and turned on the “Sorry, SOLD OUT” notice above the theatre box office.
I was curious, so I went up and stood in the wings of the Hammersmith stage on that first show. Frankie, introduced to the stage by his sound engineer, Greg Blockman, sauntered past me, strumming his rhythm guitar, dressed in a casual dark green towelling suit, a brown leather visor and flip flops…and then five seconds later, he suddenly stopped. He seemed suddenly to be aware of the thunderous ’Welcome to London Maze’ roar, circling around the theatre about to engulf him. He slapped every black and white hand offered up to him that night, with a huge smile as he circled the edge of that stage. We wanted to get next to him, even if it meant climbing over rows of seats in front of us to do so.
That was the beginning of our love affair with Maze and Frankie Beverly. It certainly wasn’t New Orleans comfort; it was more like a crazy, but friendly, London riot.
Five albums on from the “Live in New Orleans” LP, Frankie sauntered into the California recording studio, probably with the same swagger as in London, to cut the delightful A-side here, “Somebody Else’s Arms”, from his aptly named ‘Silky Soul’ album. Along with the B-side, ‘Love is’ (from the “Back To Basics” CD, 1993) both are so delicious you might want to relax and pour yourself that London glass of champagne, 1983 vintage. Tell your mates your Maze/Hammersmith story too. You deserve it.

4 great minimal tracks. A couple of Cumpas are brought together by showing their character within the music. Etro Hahn & Liro have been producers for years delivering different nuances and rhythms within the world of electronic music. Between 2010 and 2011 they released their first EP together which, was titled: “Nortesur EP- for an Irish label “Elevation Recordings” together with Chris Lattner + Rampa & Re.you.

Since, they have delivered multiple EPs (vinyl and digital) and have been able to interpret the evolution of electronic music with dynamic projects, managing to combine the necessary sound they seek. We present a story that began with the discovery of ethical and electronic sounds, managing to guide these works to the memory of a town that changed in southern Chile. Zbroyi is proud to bring forth a journey from these Chilenos.

Another EP from the vaults of West Coast rave scene specialists, Michael Kandel and Tom Chasteen. A side has two versions of a fast passed dancefloor oriented production tactfully presenting woven layers of rhythmic elements underneath dubbed out effects, “Crazy Jane” possibly channeling moments of Debbie Harris' “Heart of Glass” on LSD. B side gets more aggressive on many levels with a bit of a downtempo Gabber feel to it, raging synths and generous cymbal action all around, 3 versions, one of them featuring samples from Jimmy Stewart's 1946 monologue in “It's A Wonderful Life”, another one with very non-western elements mixed in, and finally Juan Ramos bringing a very dancefloor friendly version with a slight Euro-Dance late Hi-NRG edge to it.
"Recorded in Heaven".

Repress!

Fate is a funny old thing. One day in 2011, DJ/producer Tom Trago found himself sharing a train journey with Steven Van Lummel, a DIY musician, artist and co-founder of PIP, an underground nightclub and cultural hub in The Hague. Over the course of a rambling, open-ended conversation, the idea of making music together came up; a few weeks later, Trago travelled to van Lummel’s place – a former industrial unit that was now home to a rotating cast of artists and musicians – and didn’t leave for a month.

Cossetted away from the outside world in van Lummel’s loft, with multi-instrumentalists Janneke Nijhuijs and Wieger Hoogendorp joining them to create a musical four-piece, MEGA WEGA was born. Over the course of four weeks, the quartet embarked on an almost continuous creative session punctuated only by impromptu parties and mixing sessions. Life-long bonds were made and over 70 tracks recorded before the mundanity of day-to-day life came calling.

For one reason or another, the project never saw the light of day, with tracks sat gathering dust on hard drives for the best part of a decade. During the madness and loneliness of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trago rediscovered the tracks. Delighted by what he heard, a collective decision was made to add finishing touches and release the resultant album on van Lummel’s PIP Records imprint. Further instruments and vocals were added over two days at Hoogendorp’s studio, before mutual friend Tom Ruig got on board to mix the album.

So, what can you expect from Haunted, Mega Wega’s debut album? First and foremost, it’s the sound of pure creative expression – the distillation of a freewheeling, no-holds-barred, spontaneous musical journey variously inspired by the do-it-yourself ethos of musical counterculture, shared inspirations and influences, epic jam sessions, distant stars (Wega, sometimes known as Fidis or ‘the harp star’, is one of the brightest in the night sky), imaginary journeys across dusty deserts, and the comradeship of four new friends.

Enchanting and alluring, it’s an album that gleefully denies lazy categorization and ploughs its own eclectic, atmospheric musical furrow in vivid sonic detail. It’s a collective exploration of heady musical eclecticism unified by saucer-eyed vocals, low-slung bass, loose-limbed beats, sweaty percussion workouts and hazy electric piano motifs.

Haunted begins with the woozy and hallucinatory slow-burn soundscape of ‘Get Things Done’ – an effects laden shuffle akin to lying flat on your back tripping under an intense desert sun – and ends with the creepy, mind-mangling post-punk funk of ‘Brain Carpaccio’; in between, you’ll find spaced-out, low-tempo lo-fi soul (‘Move Around’, ‘Haunted’), tactile synth-powered boogie revivalism (‘Make Me Work’), deep and off-kilter opioid jazz (‘Copenhagen’), intoxicating psychedelia (‘Last Night on Earth’), piano-laden dream-pop epics (‘Shake Or Fall’), and Latin-infused, percussion-powered hedonism (‘Chopping Heads’).

Born out of spontaneous collaboration and immersive, almost endless recording sessions, Haunted is an album shot through with imagination and boundless energy, captured for posterity by four friends and collaborators at the top of their game.

Orphic Apparition follow up their inaugural release by RAFRAM, the collaborative project of Toronto's Raf Reza aka Raf Rizzla and UK acid house luminary Ramjac Corporation, with a new two-tracker from the transatlantic bass warriors. Where the RAFRAM 12" gifted us five variations on the same live jam cut from Grow Tottenham, here we have a spontaneous track written by Paul (Ramjac) on the A-side and a fully warped dancehall mix from Raf on the B. (short)

'Press 1 to Repeat' began as an on-the-spot demonstration of the musical self, a natural response to being asked 'What is it that you do?'. Within a few minutes Ramjac had his laptop out and was bashing out a quintessentially English sort of kitchen tabletop version of Kraftwerk - Numbers, the tongue in cheek automated voice on the other end of the line querying his account balance in tow. Proudly showing his friend Ryoko his improvisatory skills, a £10 hifi from a Japanese 2nd hand shop served as the portable monitors whilst the track waited to be brought back to his studio in London. The track is anchored by a bouncy, Irdial-reminiscent percussive workout which punches above its weight for its humble beginnings. Add the dubbed out synth pads and sort of electrical static FX in the background and everything syncs together in cosmic harmony. Hopefully Ryoko now gets the gist!

Raf Rizzla takes the stems and channels some inspiration from the Jamaican movie “Third World Cop” by turning the track on its head with a double-time baseline and half-time melody to craft a big dancehall version with a bit of a modern day On-U twist. Here Raf shows yet another side to his truly versatile production chops which have seen him release house, trance, breaks and downtempo cuts on a variety of Canadian labels prior to starting Orphic Apparition.

Lilas Records Unleashes Third Installment, Featuring Pioneering Talent: Tarek Charbonnier and Krif — Lilas Records, the vanguard of underground house music, proudly announces the release of its highly anticipated third project. The brainchild of label founders and revered "Into the Woods" residents, Tarek Charbonnier and Krif, this latest offering transports listeners on a sonic journey echoing the vibrant essence of their signature London sets. Their distinctive soundscapes have thrived within the enigmatic embrace of warehouses and clandestine party spots.


Hailing from the heart of London but now firmly rooted in Montpellier, Lilas Records' latest release is a testament to the duo's unwavering commitment to shaping the future of electronic music. Drawing inspiration from their illustrious careers, Charbonnier and Krif's original productions are set to captivate audiences, uniting diverse elements into an immersive auditory experience.


In an electrifying collaboration, Lilas Records enlists Romanian DJ luminaries Cristi Cons and Nu Zau to reimagine these cutting-edge compositions. With an illustrious history in shaping the electronic music landscape, these maestros bring their distinctive flair to the table, ensuring a riveting reimagining of Charbonnier and Krif's groundbreaking work.


Limited to an exclusive run of 300 copies, this release has already garnered fervent support from a distinguished roster of industry heavyweights including Raresh, Reiss, Ramona Yacef, NTFO, Enzo Siraguza, Silat Beksi, and more. Lilas Records' third offering stands poised to make an indelible mark on the global underground music scene.

A familiar face in space·lab’s catalogue, Rambal Cochet’s deep-diving new EP, Mixed Reality, marks the occasion of the label’s eighth release with four tracks traversing the darker edges of psy-prog. Opening track, ‘Talpa Lionis’, mines the spiralling depths of a psychedelic abyss, driven by a dark, tunnelling bassline reminiscent of mid-90s psy trance. Titular track, ‘Mixed Reality’, is tonally brighter. Brimming with buoyant, prog energy, its liquefied melody submerges the track’s percussion in a glowing, ambrosial fluid. On the B side, ‘Sequence 2000’ grows from the ground up. A rippling, cosmic-hued melody traces ever wider reaches, circling the track’s drums as they rise from deep below ground-level. Skittering high-ends flutter organically through the track’s length, lulling us into a state of all-enveloping hypnosis. To close, ‘Aura 900’ unfolds onto expansive, new-age atmospheres. Delicately sinking into a delectable, chugging pace, its patient speed creates a sense of spaciousness, leaving room for the track’s melody to breathe. Mixed Reality journeys through vast terrains - an EP for introspective listening and mind-opening dancefloor experiences alike.

Discover the emblematic first album of the Africanism All Stars collective led by Bob Sinclar and featuring, among others, Matin Solveig,DJ Gregory,Lego and Eddie Amador... Includes the hits : " Tourment d"Amour ", " Block Party " and " Edony (Clap Your Hands

Seminal early '90s UK business right here from Frontier Man, remastered and reissued with brand new remixes from Monstergetdown and Fantastic Man.

Landing on the mighty Hooj Choons in 1992, 'Express It Thru The Dance' is a real snapshot into the landscape of club culture in the UK at the time. The Skank Mix blends elements of rave, breakbeat and progressive house with that rough and ready, heavyweight low-end. Ramping up the levels, the Techno mix is a furiously paced, acid laced powerhouse.

On remix duties, Monstergetdown hits hard with a rave inspired, techy groove interpretation, whilst Fantastic Man heads down the wormhole with a trademark, trance-leaning techno take on this classic.

David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s acclaimed 2010 album Here Lies Love receives its first-ever vinyl release to coincide with a new production opening on Broadway this summer. Here Lies Love is a double-disc song cycle – improbably poignant, decidedly surreal, surprisingly thought provoking – about the rise and fall of the Philippines' notorious Imelda Marcos. It was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and DJ/recording artist Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B and pop. Byrne's taste in collaborators is as imaginative as it is impeccable, including Cyndi Lauper (who recounts, to lighthearted disco beats, Imelda's courtship with Ferdinand Marcos), Steve Earle (as the power-hungry Ferdinand), Dap-Kings vocalist Sharon Jones (recalling Imelda's introduction into New York society) and Natalie Merchant (as spurned Imelda confidante Estrella, anticipating the onset of martial law). Along with vocals turns from such stars as Tori Amos and the B-52's Kate Pierson, Byrne works with rising indie rockers St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond; New York chanteuses Nellie McKay and Martha Wainwright; and dance-music divas Róisín Murphy and Santigold. Byrne himself appears as the voice of imperialistic America on ‘American Troglodyte’, a send-up that wouldn't have seemed out of places in Talking Heads' True Stories.



Byrne originally envisioned this as a musical theatre piece, to be mounted in disco and nightclub settings, reflecting the globe-trotting Marcos' taste for such velvet-roped spots as Studio 54 and Regine's. In 2006, he performed work-in-progress versions to enthusiastic audiences at New York City's Carnegie Hall and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. While plans for a US theatrical production continued to evolve, he delivered this unique recording. The award-winning theatrical production eventually premiered at The Public Theater in New York in 2013, travelled to London’s National Theater for a sold-out run (2014–15), and was remounted at the Seattle Repertory Theater (2017).



Here Lies Love has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim's own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne's recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos' increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, "For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What's more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick." Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda's infamous shoe collection.



Many of Byrne's lyrics are, astonishingly enough, constructed from actual Imelda quotes, including the project's title, the words that Imelda, now returned to the Philippines from US-assisted exile in Hawaii, would like to have inscribed on her gravestone. In addition to his new liner note, Byrne illustrates the story with archival photos. In a detailed preface, he reveals what drew him to this subject and the bumpy route he took to launch the project and, ultimately, record this album. The booklet is indeed a page-turner, just as Here Lies Love is a wonderfully old-school album that rewards start-to-finish listening. Once again, Byrne – beloved as musician, thinker and bicyclist-about-town – reveals the breadth and singularity of his vision.



The new production of Here Lies Love will premiere at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Performances begin June 17, ahead of an official opening night on July 20. Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (direction) and Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson (choreography) reunite with Byrne (concept, music, and lyrics) and Fatboy Slim (music) to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway, continuing a ten-plus year collaboration on the project. Tom Gandey and J Pardo contribute additional music. Here Lies Love is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. The staging at the Broadway Theatre will transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors. A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available throughout the theatre’s reconstructed space. The producers of Here Lies Love said, “As a team of binational American producers – Filipinos among us – we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”



David Byrne’s recent works include the launch of Reasons to be Cheerful, an online magazine focused on solutions-oriented stories about problems being solved all over the world (2019); Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, a theatrical exploration of the historical heroine that premiered at the Public Theater in New York (2017); The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments created in conjunction with PACE Arts + Technology that question human perception and bias (2016); Contemporary Color, an event inspired by the American folk tradition of color guard and performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (2015); Here Lies Love; Love This Giant, a studio album and worldwide tour created with St. Vincent (2012); and How Music Works, a book about the history, experience, and social aspects of music (2012).



Byrne curated Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival in London in 2015. A co-founder of the group Talking Heads (1976–88), he has released eight studio albums as a solo artist and worked on multiple other projects, including collaborations with Brian Eno, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Jonathan Demme, among others. He also founded the highly respected record label Luaka Bop. Recognition of Byrne’s various works include Obies, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Evening Standard awards for Here Lies Love; an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads. Byrne’s work as a visual artist has been published and exhibited since his college days, including photography, filmmaking, and writing. He lives in New York City. In addition to 2019’s cast album for American Utopia on Broadway, Nonesuch has released eight other David Byrne records since 2003, including 2018’s American Utopia studio album and two versions of his musical Here Lies Love.



















q C6. Please Don't feat. Santi White Santigold

After his well received "Unknown Pharmacy" EP Rambal Cochet is back on Griffé almost a year later to the day with his "Matrix Convoy" EP! Once again the producer pleases us with his proggy touch filled with tribal & trancey motives for a full shamanic dancefloor experience. Liso his joigning him on the eponym track while Remotif serves an outstanding breaky downtempo remix of Virus Funk.

Tehran based Record label starts with a track from label owner Ramtin Niazi and two remixes from Voigtmann and Cobert
Vinyl Only

Ramos is an artist who needs little introduction. With numerous classics such as The Journey, and Sunshine, under his belt, he is legendary already, and it is a great honour to have him debut his latest EP on Kniteforce. Clean and classic in style, piano led warmth and inventive use of sampling and arrangements, this EP is gorgeous and guaranteed to fill any dance floor!

Indrajala comes sheathed in a limited edition full-color printed embossed and custom-cut hansaboard sleeve adorned by an artwork painted by @nieidda in collaboration with Rambadu.

Early support by Abstract Division, Ben Buitendijk, Brando Lupi, Forest Drive West, Svreca, Atomic Moog, Deepbass, Ness and Primal Code to name a few.

Repressed & Recut

The title track "Ghost In The Shell" has a light and a dark side that fight with each other somewhere in 2077, and it's up to you to decide which one wins. “Ramayana” is an interpretation of the ancient Indian epic in the form of a meditative dub-techno-trance. "Wow!" dedication that occurred on August 15, 1977. A strong narrowband radio signal was detected by Dr. Jerry Eiman while working on the Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University. "Wow!" was the only signal in the history of mankind intercepted from the depths of space, which could not be deciphered, but the musicians tried. The EP closes with a slow track with an unearthly atmosphere, shimmering with contrasting electronic sound. "After Glow" - a neutrino of a thermonuclear sun, making its way through thunderclouds and bringing hope to the bright future of the present time. So Komponente & Kurilo made mystical EP with an unpredictable plot, which is a symbiosis of dub-techno and trance melodies.

In the unobservable reaches of the universe sits the Cosmologist, surrounded by 12-inch vinyl artifacts found on a tiny planet in another galaxy. Earth, they called it. Sci-fi sonic scalpel in hand, he gets to work on two gems from a bygone era. The A side, a rare 1980’s UK new wave whirlwind, given a drum-focused reconstruction aimed directly at the dancefloor, and the B an afrobeat masterpiece gets an expert interplanetary rework.

Dusting off the original promo sheet, it states that the A side entered Balearic folklore as a much-loved Rampling secret weapon at Shoom. Unlike any other record of that era, it features LSD-soaked drums, a barnstorming bassline and a piano riff that wouldn’t be out of place on a Severed Heads cut, finetuned and re-crafted with that space age touch.

On the B, a magical afrobeat rhythm steeped in history whose spirit and style has traversed decades, dancefloors and galaxies. An exploration of a great, reworked and recalibrated with extra-terrestrial resonations.

Blue Marbled Vinyl

'Intensely textured, interlocking guitar riffs weave together on New Bright Object, the debut album from Berlin and Edinburgh-based duo I’m Not You.

Working under the name I’m Not You, artist Alex Gibbs (bass & vocals) and sound designer Niall McCallum (guitar & drums) have honed a sound that draws in equal measure from jazz funk of Weather Report and the math rock of Don Caballero. Their debut album, New Bright Object is their most developed statement to date, an intricate, robust and unique collection of songs born from serpentine jam sessions in rural idylls.

The duo make no secret of their admiration for bands like Battles and Tortoise. They reference Jim O’Rourke’s lounge numbers and the droll lyricism of Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman. There’s a touch of Vini Reilly in their sparse and serpentine guitar lines. A hint perhaps of Mogwai. All these names place New Bright Object within a constellation of albums made with bigger budgets for wider audiences.

New Bright Object opens In a flash of light, comet-like, with the sound of ‘Mr. Wind- Up Bird’. The threads they weave are full with intent, as moments of density rise like hills from the track’s quieter valleys. It’s easy to imagine the pair looking out over the rolling fields of the garden studio in East Lothian where they recorded the album, as they assiduously try and draw their own landscapes in sound.

Similarly, there is a crispness to ‘A Certain Arrangement Of Atoms’ - every clipped hat, rim-shot snare and tightly wound tom a fine-tipped mark on the score. It is intricate and precise, a result perhaps of Niall’s attention to detail. Then there is the piano, Alex’s grandmother’s, slightly out of tune, which adds a few expressionist strokes to this pointillist composition. The piece loosens, until all we’re left with is the bass.

Although the album orbits around the pendulum sway of ‘The Older I Get’, it is ‘What Cats Think About’ that stands out most. That it does is by design – a nod to the Sun City Girls and albums that like to throw their listeners a curveball every now and then. Pleasantly ramshackle, confusingly domestic, agreeably strange.

All this speaks to the spirit of the album and the creative relationship between two best friends whose differences seem to have been the only things they could agree on.'

RAMZi's 'hyphea', the new album by Montreal based artist Phoebé Guillemot. It is her latest sonic quest containing 10 new tracks, of which some are versions of the score she made for a documentary about mushrooms called 'Fun Fungi' (directed by Frederic Lavoie).

Recorded between November 2021 and May 2022, writing 'hyphea' started off somewhat as an attempt to escape boredom and frustrations imposed by the severe restrictions during the pandemic. For Phoebé it was a way to reconnect with RAMZi who's spirit brought her back to mystical feelings and gave hope for future magical adventures after having felt disconnected for a while.

RAMZi is a wild spirit from the forest and refers to a parallel autonomous world that keeps evolving. In her own words: “The music remains as a doorway to that world. It has never been about me, I always see that entity bigger than myself. The process of writing 'hyphea' was rather intuitive. I don’t think about styles of music before producing tracks. Those are more like an adventure in itself, each one set in a different ecosystem.”

Artwork by Marinka Grondel.

From an aspiring b-boy to working with luminaries Billy Porter, Joss Stone, Kimberly Davis and Teni Tinks, The Shapeshifters, Simon Marlin announces the release of his brand-new studio album “Let Loose”.

Wrapped in a defining optimistic mood and colourful palette, “Let Loose” plays with the friction between musical persona and influence, delivering a masterclass in Simon’s flourishing depth of integrity as a producer and admiration to those that exert their enduring influence upon him.

“I'm a facilitator of talent. I'm blessed that over the years I've managed to put a team of people together - as a producer, that's what I do, very much in the old school sense like a Quincy Jones or Gamble & Huff, they’re the guys I try to emulate - and make something magic out of nothing, but do it in a contemporary way. That’s what really floats my boat, and that's what this whole project is about.” Simon Marlin – The Shapeshifters

Across the latest and long-awaited studio album “Let Loose” The Shapeshifters pledge rhythmic allegiance to the golden era disco records and their spellbinding qualities; embracing the tension often found between tradition and future to craft a euphoric, certifiable body of work presented to the devoted audience he deserves. The Shapeshifters exemplify a scene in rude health one that is now switching on an ever-younger fan base, and with Marlin being the beating heart of it it’s easy to see why The Shapeshifters are more in demand in the clubs than ever.

The twelve-track album is illuminated with vocal collaborations including the recently released and debut collaboration with the Grammy, Tony and Emmy Award-winning Billy Porter.

Layers of rushing strings, flares of brass and hedonistic grooves provide refreshing dancefloor power dynamics and deliver a liberating, triumphant and inherently uplifting record.

Taking an impeccably smooth course through disco-infused house, The Shapeshifters continue the rich relationship with Glitterbox and its record label; one that has yielded instant classics that epitomise the label’s ethos for preserving disco’s mission to uplift and empower.

The seventh and penultimate season of the HBO fantasy drama series Game Of Thrones premiered in 2017. The series received 22 nominations for the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards and won Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Peter Dinklage (who plays the role of Tyrion Lannister).

The music for this seventh season was composed by Ramin Djawadi, just like the previous six seasons. The albums opens with a new version of the well-known main title. Djawadi is best known for his scores for Iron Man, Pacific Rim, Prison Break and Westworld amongst many others. For his work for Game Of Thrones, he has won two consecutive Emmy Awards and a nomination for a Grammy Award.

Game Of Thrones Season 7 is available as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on smoke coloured vinyl, is housed in a gatefold sleeve and includes an insert.

• 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
• GATEFOLD SLEEVE
• INCLUDES INSERT
• PVC PROTECTIVE SLEEVE
• MUSIC BY RAMIN DJAWADI (WESTWORLD, PACIFIC RIM, IRONMAN)
• GOT SEASON 7 RECEIVED 22 NOMINATIONS FOR THE PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS AND WON 2 (OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES AND OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES FOR PETER DINKLAGE)
• GOT SEASON 7 RECEIVED A GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATION FOR BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
• LIMITED EDITION OF 1000 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON SMOKE COLOURED VINYL

2022 Repress
Dear Friends,

25 years of KOMPAKT is no reason to get hysterical. Then again, it's a nice occasion to have a laid back look at the situation in electronic music today. Minimal techno in all it's varieties is now established as the worlds best dance music, as you may know. So far, so good. What's next Nothing. Dance on!

I've gain two essential insights with the passage of time. First off, that music which over the years only knew 'faster, better, stronger' and 'forwards ever - backwards never' can constantly repeat, quote and loop itself without killing itself. A music that suspends the meaning of time and eventually can set a parallel, better universe of fantasy against the twisted grimaces of reality. Again and again.

And secondly, that getting older living in/with this music is a quite relative term to which ideally a serenity of age can ring a bell. This shows that 25 years after 1993 so many protagonists, enthusiasts, DJs, musicians, relentlessly rave fighters - with all personal advancement - are still there and still celebrate, play or produce this/theirs music; and compete themselves and their music just with that.

Two such heroes of the neat and tidy bass drum culture are with no doubt T.RAUMSCHMIERE aka MARCO HAAS and REINHARD VOIGT. From day one, those two figureheads have given live-techno the glam of stage-diving rock 'n' roll, long before vodka and beer prevailed as alternative lube for ecstatic dancefloors.

Even better they both now raise the glass at the longest techno-bar in the world named KOMPAKT EXTRA/SPEICHER. With DREI MILLIONEN KO¨LSCH, Reinhard Voigt continues to establish his savvy 'way into sound', which he's pursued for a few years now on his many releases. He's turning genre cliche´s into a very personal take with his defiant mix of the deepness of a lonesome cowboy and his implicit faith in the dancefloor and gives the music a very personal touch of ennnoblement of the faith in itself. Technos dignity shall be inviolable.

For me, AUGEN ZU by T.RAUMSCHMIERE is one of the most beautiful masterpieces of bass-heavy 'Umta Umta' techno. A few strikingly brilliant vocal lines from the master himself, put through the machines and combined with a relentlessly sequencer that says it all. This cheers my heart and we will always need such tracks to remind us of ourselves. And to forget about ourselves. Smash hits of unreason! Or the prettiest declaration of love to a music which gets its magical moments from what's happening between the bass drum-beats. But only by this when the bassdrum remains linear and will do so forever. Both Marco Haas and Reinhard Voigt know that. Because after techno comes always techno.

Wolfgang Voigt - May, 2018 Wolfgang Voigt - May, 2018

25 Jahre KOMPAKT sind kein Grund sich aufzuregen. Aber dennoch ein schöner Anlass, einen gelassenen Blick auf die Lage der elektronischen Musik zu werfen. Denn der globale Minimal-Techno, in seinen unterschiedlichen Spielarten, hat sich bekanntlich längst als beste Tanzmusik der Welt etabliert. Recht so. Was nun Gar nichts. Weitertanzen.

Zwei essentielle Erkenntnisse haben sich bei mir im Laufe der Zeit durchgesetzt: Erstens - dass eine Musik, die über Jahre nur ein »Höher, Schneller, Weiter« oder ein »Forwards Ever - Backwards Never« kannte, sich ständig wiederholen, selbst zitieren und loopen kann, ohne daran zu ersticken. Die Bedeutung von Zeit und Vergänglichkeit im besten Sinne außer Kraft setzen und der hässlichen Fratze der Realität eine parallele, bessere Welt der Fantasie entgegensetzen kann. Immer wieder.

Und zweitens: dass »Altern in/mit dieser Musik« ein sehr relativer Begriff ist, dem bestenfalls Altersgelassenheit etwas sagt, Alter. Das zeigt sich immer wieder im schönsten Sinne, wenn 25 Jahre nach 1993 so viele Akteure, Enthusiasten, DJs, Musikanten, unkaputtbare Kampfraver, bei aller persönlichen Weiterentwicklung, immer noch da sind und immer noch diese/ihre Musik abfeiern, auflegen oder eben produzieren und sich und ihr Tun auch nur daran messen lassen müssen.

Zwei solche Recken der gepflegten Bassdrumkultur sind zweifelsohne T.RAUMSCHMIERE aka MARCO HAAS und REINHARD VOIGT. Zwei Rampensäue der ersten Stunde, die Live-Techno den Glam des Rock'n'Roll Stagedivings gegeben haben, lange bevor Vodka und Bier sich als alternative Gleitmittel eines ektatischen Dancefloors in der Breite durchgesetzt hatten.

Umso schöner, dass sich eben diese Beiden mal wieder an der längsten Techno-Theke der Welt, genannt KOMPAKT EXTRA/SPEICHER über die beiden Seiten einer Schallplatte hinweg musikalisch zuprosten. Mit dem Track DREI MILLIONEN KÖLSCH setzt REINHARD VOIGT seinen smarten »way into sound« fort, den er schon seit ein paar Jahren auf diversen Veröffentlichungen konsequent verfolgt. Mit einer trotzigen Mischung aus lonesome cowboyhafter Deepness und dem unbedingten Bekenntnis zum Dancefloor schafft er es, den Klischees des Techno eine sehr persönliche Note der Veredelung des Glaubens an sich selbst zu geben. Die Würde des Techno ist unantastbar.

Der Track AUGEN ZU von T.RAUMSCHMIERE ist für mich eines der schönsten Meisterstücke in der Tradition des oktavbassgeschwängerten Umta-Umta Techno. Einige wenige markant brilliante Textzeilen, vom Meister selbst in deutscher Sprache durch die Maschinen geschickt, gepaart mit einem Sequenzer der keine Gefangenen macht, lassen keine Fragen offen. Da geht mir Herz und Rucksack auf. Solche Tracks werden wir immer brauchen, um uns an uns selbst zu erinnern. Um uns immer wieder selbst zu vergessen. Smash-Hits der Unvernunft! Oder die schönste Liebeserklärung an eine Musik, die ihre magischsten Momente immer aus dem gezogen hat, was zwischen den Bassdrumschlägen passiert. Das funktioniert aber nur, wenn die Bassdrum gerade ist und es für immer bleibt. Und Marco Haas und Reinhard Voigt wissen das. Denn nach Techno kommt immer noch Techno.

Wolfgang Voigt, Mai 2018

Edinburgh based DJ and producer Filthy Rich, head honcho at independent techno label ‘Zimp Recordings’, is a deliciously slippery artist with an engorged techno sack who’s always at the ready to spurt his computer generated juicy tit bits all over your proverbial techno flaps.

This release sees him pulling off as much energetic samba and animated conga as it’s possible for one to technically muster. The vinyl is literally rammed chock full of staccato vocals, modulating metallic chords, big percussion, whistles and shouting, all over thumping tribal African beats. Along-with the first two original trax there’s a full on analogue synth growling breakz remix by Kris Breaks of a third, a beautifully produced pounding clinical banger of a techno remix from Duellist & Kenny Campbell, a precisely linear, chanting and hypnotic mix from Polly Ambergris and a stunning debut track from Tom K McCarthy, commonly known by his DJ alias of Toxocologist, that’s a veritable bass driven atmospheric stomper overlaid with trippy melodies and vocals. Utterly outrageous dance floor fodder of the highest order if ever there was some.