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Berlin based Adam Marshall and Christian Andersen collaborate as Graze. In the latest installment of our UFO series, the Dekmantel Records offshoot dedicated to experimental and futuristic electronic music, the Canadian veteran producers serve up a 50/50 lethal/dreamy drum trax package. Many have applauded the versatility of Graze, and their Xup EP is yet more proof of their original minds.Xup' is an abstract 4/4 jugular, beating out devious percussive patterns and rattling hi-hats over a grizzled and arpeggiated synth mortar-fire. 'Vast' on the other hand is an esoteric slow-burner, a hallucinatory trip to the depths of analog synth paradise and a perfect intro, outro or home listening gem. On the flip, the hyper-lean gearshift of 'Tryptch' pumps energy through off-kilter and plunderphonic basslines, while 'Shadow Play' is a classic piece of breakbeat bliss including a celestial synth arrangement that makes a perfect soundtrack for slow-speed sci-fi rides.

The master jammer returns! Opal are so proud to release this set of four beautiful, sun filled pieces of pure electronic music. Ged Gengras' Personable project is the boiled down syrup of many years spent learning his craft within synthesis. Captured directly from live home studio recording, each track lives and breathes in it's own space, 'Gambetti' serves a light structure of rattling snares and resonant bass boops dressed up with gorgeous, almost gothic hanging notes. 'Window' is a funked slice of Ged at his best, referencing grime/garage structure but extended out into am 11+ minute epic that conjures buccolic idyll, like funky sunshine. B-side opener 'Oyster' flips the vibe inward into a more paranoid number, similarly long form and rolling but with all melody turning in on itself and riffs decaying away into thin whispers. To close; the stunning 'Cormorant' forms itself from a bed of padded out bliss. Reminiscent of Oval or Pinkcourtesyphone, the track haunts with a breathy sadness which pulses forwards into squash court squeaks and deep forward facing kick drums. Every time I listen to Personable I'm hearing someone who approaches their instruments as a player, no concepts or grand ideas, just playing a synthesiser and doing it so well.

Giallo Disco dark overlord Antoni Maiovvi delivers a sprawling italo beast that will conquer all your inhibitions. On the flip, Lucas Savidis of the Rattler Proxy delivers a remix reminiscent of Badalamenti on acid.

Soma's Italian connection, Roberto Clementi, makes a welcome return opening his 2016 account with the solid, Wall Of People. Including a top notch remix form Ilian Tape label heads, Marco & Dario Zenker. Robert has slowly been building his credentials in the Techno world with some fine releases and this driving number is another to add to increasing discography with Soma.

The Zenker Brothers remix opens the EP as the Munich based duo lend their deep and highly refined production talents to Wall Of People. Ruptured beats play havoc with a shimmering high end and rattling percussive elements all tied in with a pulsing, modulating synth hook that keep the track feeling fairly dark. Clementi's original shows a much harder edge to his previous work with big, sub heavy beats worked around a more pumped up rhythm and tearing synth line

Completing a quick fire trio of new EPs, Constant Sound hits release number six with a pair of new tracks from VRSION that come with a dance floor friendly remix from Persuader. VRSION is a German producer who has already made a big impact with his release on Craig Richards' excellent The Nothing Special label. Following up that in fine style is the opener here, 'Torn', which is a hurried and urgent track that sits on the divide between house and techno. It is driven and slick, rubbery and hypnotic but has plenty of nuance and funk in its well programmed drums. Some occult sounds and wordless vocals embellished the whole thing and it really is the sort of track that blows dance floors apart and will stand out in any set. 'Capricorn Meet Leo' then toys with kinked drum patterns, rattling percussion and fathom deep bass that sucks you right into VRSION's world. It's a restless place where harmonies ride up and down the scale, cause claps come at you from odd angles and dark vocals add a sense of paranoia. Remixing this one is Persuader, who does so with a stripped back sense of restrain. he retains the original's weirdness, but layers in serene pads and tripped out atmospherics that really make it ripe for playing at 4am. This is the most adventurous release yet for Constant Sound, and is sure to prove one of its bets as a result.

After closing the year with four tracks of wintery house from San Laurentino, Aficionado set their sights on the spring with their latest release, which comes courtesy of Glaswegian trio Imperfect Product.Opening with a drifting dreamscape, reminiscent but intangible (entirely fitting for a track reborn out of decade's old rehearsal tapes) 'Solina' blooms into colour and focus at the rattle and crash of a jazzy drum break. An irresistible rolling bassline carries the groove onwards and upwards, loosening your shoulders nicely before spiralling synthesisers, swaggering wah guitar and rippling piano take your breath away completely.
As the fuzzy organ stabs and shimmering drones flood the soundscape, you're overcome with memories of youthful mixtapes where Innerzone Orchestra and Eddie Henderson rubbed shoulders with 'Summer Madness'. Understated but overwhelming, 'Solina's' sweltering perfection works just as well as an end of night life changer as the soundtrack to a spliff and sangria in the back garden.

On the B-side, London's Les Crocodiles deconstruct the track inna dubwise style, turning up the heat for some far out Balearic beat. The head nodding rhythm holds things together perfectly while the acid-tinged rubber bassline, echo drenched middle eastern strings and psychedelic synth lines do their very best to totally blow your mind.
As you head deeper into the groove, the dreamy piano of the original leads us into a euphoric breakdown before pulling us back in for more ecstatic dancing.
A score of releases in and with no two records sounding the same, Aficionado continue to fly the flag for open minded music.
Officially Aficionado.

Essen's own Glenn Astro has called his first album Throwback, and the name is at once a perfect fit and not nearly the extent of the story. On the one hand, Astro has filled the double-LP with a wealth of old-school gestures and textures—the warm whoosh of analog synths, the rattle of Rhodes tines and the sizzle of jazzy drums,all held together by the comforting glue of tape hiss and vinyl crackle. If you're used to the clean sonic lines and stylistic streamlining of so much contemporary house music, then Throwback is sure to feel less like a record you just pulled out of plastic wrap than a well-seasoned one salvaged from a flea market or unfinished basement. And yet like so many Tartelet releases—particularly the label's last two full-lengths,
Max Graef's Rivers of the Red Planet and Uffe's Radio Days—it feels fresh and keenly contemporary no matter how vintage the fabric. Rather than throw back to any one moment, he's given us a collage of styles that's quite literally timeless. Astro makes brilliant work of his influences, drawing on hip-hop, house, funk and soul in such equal measure that it's hard to argue that one impulse dominates the other. The sound certainly flirts with the dance floor, with Astro applying highpressure
deep house pads on the title cut, gliding on shimmering keys for "One For Viktor," and taking us on a vibraphone-fueled workout with "Kilometer Disco," one of a pair of cuts featuring Max Graef. But Astro obviously relishes the time he spends on the sidelines absorbing the atmosphere, or at home head-nodding to the dustiest corners of his record collection. For every house beat you hear, you'll also dip into juicy, 90's-style beat science, toasty ambience and buttery chord progressions.
Expertly paced but never hustling you along, Throwback begs to be heard as a whole but explored at your own easy pace—a record for hazy mornings-after, vibey
nights in and endless summer afternoons.

The Bunker New York is proud to announce the second EP from Mehmet Irdel, also known as Løt.te (pronounced Loat-tey), following his debut release on our label in 2014.
Løt.te's 'History of Discipline' EP features two distinct moods and detailed, industrial-inspired sound design with a firm focus on the dancefloor.

"When I discovered the heavy, dark techno coming out of the U.K. and Japan in the '90s and '00s, like Regis, Surgeon, Female, and Takaaki Itoh, it was a revelation," Irdel says. "Until then, I hadn't realized that techno could reference the grittiness and physicality of industrial music and make it work so well, and feel natural on the dancefloor." These muscular, upbeat techno artists are the perfect reference point for Løt.te's music, but Irdel takes his work one step further, featuring an emotional complexity that many other producers lack. "I'm interested in techno that feels both masculine and feminine at the same time," says Irdel. "These days, most techno feels either very intricate and clean, or very noisy and macho. What interests me is finding an in-between."

True to its name, "History of Discipline" is the darker track here. Built on a foundation of heavy, swinging kick drums and shuffling hi-hats, the track builds to an enormous climax before winding down into a rattle of metallic percussion. "A Mutable Constant" is more ambiguous, featuring a rubbery bassline and steadily-building background percussion - until a moody, longing synthesizer pad begins to take center stage. "I don't honestly know where the emotion in 'A Mutable Constant' came from. That wasn't the plan when I started working on it," recalls Irdel, "but I incorporate a mix of analog synths into my productions, like the Korg MS-20 or Doepfer Dark Energy, and their sounds sometimes surprise me. My production process begins and ends with a computer, but I love being able to have that '90s analog sound' in my work. I'm very conscious of not having any 'overly digital' sounds in my tracks."

Løt.te's latest EP embodies the spirit of techno while simultaneously pushing its sound forward. "Techno, for me, is an experiment in human perception. A way to find the fringes of perception in rhythm, melody, and emotion, to push all the way to the edge, to find the breaking point. I'm trying to push techno's boundaries without ever losing sight of 'what makes techno techno': its restraint and groove."

Speedy Ortiz is proud to announce their sophomore album, Foil Deer, which will be released via Carpark Records on April 20th.

'Major Arcana' released in 2013 won them glowing reviews , features and several UK tours (highlights below):

- 4 PAGE NME FEATURE

- 9/10 LEAD REVIEW IN NME: 'One of the reasons 'Major Arcana' works so well is because it's addictive and fun. The guitars and bass sound incredible, like the last Deerhunter album without the Yankee Doodle Dandy'

8/10 Drowned In Sound : ' Speedy Ortiz are way too euphoric and glorious to suffer for their artfulness. Stripping away the frills, at heart Major Arcana is a mournful treasure that asks to be celebrated.'

*NME RADAR FEATURE: 'What's miraculous, though, is that Major Arcana doesn't sound at all self-pitying; it's torrid Slint-meets-Pavement rattle bolsters Sadie's relished words so that yelling along is an exercise in gleefully exorcising your own demons'

8.4 ON PITCHFORK: : 'There's the squalling, guitar-on-guitar carnage of Archers of Loaf, the grungy mysticism of Helium (Dupuis lifted the title Major Arcana from a book she was reading on black magic), and of course the deadpan wit of vintage Liz Phair ('I was never the witch that you made me to be,' Dupuis tells a burnt-out old flame on 'Plough', 'Still you picked a virgin over me').

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
Deluxe LP Is as above but with metallic gold coloured vinyl, and sticker.(200 ONLY FOR UK)
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Speedy Ortiz said they would get the flowers themselves. What a lark! What a plunge!

When considering Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, that line from Virginia Woolf comes to mind. Not only for the obvious echoes to DIY, a form and function that's characterized the band's nascency, but in the proto-feminist undertones driving much of their sophomore album, Foil Deer. "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," Sadie Dupuis sings on "Raising the Skate," invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other's wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis-the band's songwriter, guitarist, and frontwoman-spent the band's first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She's drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath-all attributes you could easily apply to the band's 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

The group, including Mike Falcone on drums, Darl Ferm on bass, and new addition Devin McKnight of Grass is Green on guitar, have spent the last year on an almost endless cross-continental touring jag, tagging along with the likes of The Breeders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Thurston Moore. That shift into full-time musicianship brought with it an attendant reordering of priorities when it came to songwriting, and the band members' lives in general. They would get the damn flowers themselves.

Dupuis wrote much of Foil Deer at her mother's home in the Connecticut woods, where the songwriter imposed a self-regulated exile and physical cleansing of sorts, finding that many of the songs came to her while running or swimming alone. "I gave up wasting mental energy on people who didn't have my back," she says. "Listening to our old records, I get the sense I was putting myself in horrible situations just to write sad songs. This music isn't coming from a dark place, and without slipping into self-empowerment jargon, it feels stronger." Many of the songs deal with a similar sense of starting over, editing out the unnecessary drama. "Boys be sensitive and girls be, be aggressive," she sings on "Mister Difficult."

And while their debut album was recorded on the fly, Speedy Ortiz spent almost a month in the studio on Foil Deer. Falcone's drums are taut, mechanistic; Ferm's bass ranges from the aggressive rattle of an AmRep classic to smoother, hip-hop inspired lines. McKnight, meanwhile, lends spacier, textural riffs to complement Dupuis' wiry, melody-driven guitar style. "The demos for our songs have always had tons of small details and production experimentation, but we never had any money to pay for more than a couple days in the studio, so the songs came out very live-sounding and guitar heavy," Dupuis says. It was recorded and mixed at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes (Silver Jews, Enon, Deerhunter), with the record mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Beauty Pill), lending a more polished sound and a pop sensibility that will stand out to existing fans and new converts alike. For all the lyrical complexity and guitar-based excursions Speedy Ortiz have built their reputation on to this point, Foil Deer has a sense of light-footed fun. What's the point of doing things yourself if you're not going to enjoy the trip

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Having released on the label before (including a collaboration with Lake Haze last time out) Lisboa based producer IVVVO now returns to Creme Organization with a new three track solo EP. Showcasing his unique take on analogue house, here he conjures up his most unique work to date, Up first, 'Raised' is a dishevelled concoction that sees organic hand drums rattling over heady kicks, with groaning vocals, ghostly pads and afro mutterings all adding to the intoxicating brew. 'Our Journey' is then an acid flecked, lo fi techno rave up with car alarms, barking dogs and white noise textures that all come over like an urban soundtrack as much as anything else. It's captivating stuff that gets rounded out with '0000', a slurred, smeared bit of ambient with awkward key progressions, wordless vocals and tons of crunchy texture. Few people sound as idiosyncratic as IVVVO and this EP proves that in spades.

Absent EP produced by the Spanish musician Sendo, is the result of his lifelong passion for sci-films and the aim to translate these movies into sound. Three tracks engaged into esoteric electronic and ambient-styled music. A very adventurous trip through utterly deep soundscapes and mysteriously rattling compositions with a cinematic approach.

Released in September 1969 Then Play On was the band's third studio album and their first release with Reprise Records. It was the first to feature Danny Kirwan and would become their last with Peter Green.

As one of contemporary alternative music's most elusive figures, Dean Blunt returns on Black Metal and delivers his most assured and ambitious record to date for Rough Trade. An album of two halves; the crestfallen baritone on Blow is juxtaposed by the inner-city sermonising of Grade, just as the melancholic strumming of 50 Cent gets rattled by the unrelenting stagger of Mersh. With ominous narratives of hunger and loneliness rumbling underneath the gloomy surface, Black Metal is a moonlit cruise through Blunt's cloudy metropolis. There's no telling where he'll go next, but this is one of his finest trips to date

This next release demonstrates exactly what can happen when you merge a formidable heavyweight with one of the genre's most promising talents. Jaguar Skills needs little introduction; he's infamous for his ninja-like DJing skills with years stacked behind the decks.

As a result, it was no surprise the artist tried his hands at production alongside Chord's impressive musicality. Already unstoppable from its conception, 'Lust' could only be released on an imprint known for its high quality. And RAM Records is proud to unleash this toe-tapping, catchy piece of sonic artwork on the dnb community...One that's already taken the radio airwaves by storm.
Opening with a rhythm that curls itself around your aural senses, prepare to be pulled into 'Lust' by its funky groove and well-chiselled hooks. The vocal delight of Matti Roots really brings light to the seasonal feel this track creates; an arpeggio of notes underpins each high-hitting voice crescendo. Bright but not without substance, Chords' production style is instantly recognisable. This debut from Jaguar Skills serves as a perfect platform for the high standards this mix-maker is about to set, as well as the benchmark which Chords has already carved.

On the flipside, Break holds onto the A-side's sunny disposition, yet throws down a riddim that hits as heavy as a freight train. The foundations laid by the producer are slightly different, as it rattles forward with clinking percussion, alluding to the kind of drop Break is renowned for. With his distinctive, boundary-pushing drum rolls and bouncy, booming and concise hits, there's no mistaking a sound which adds another dimension to the remixes' original.

You're also served up with another dish which is vastly different from house-guru Monstro. like the previous edit, the record's humanism winds up within the first thirty seconds, however the seismic impact of its drop rolls out into a house-bassline that thumps with every bar. A genre transition which doesn't fall short of the original's production prowess, prepare to hold onto your seats because this serves as the optimal way to wrap up two striking remixes of an already impressive track list.
Dominating playlists for years to come, this release from RAM is yet again taking the genre to another level. But considering the parties involved, there was no other direction for this record to take.

The world of roots reggae & dancehall has been fully awoken to the fantastic analogue sounds of Kalbata & Mixmonsters' music - and even Rob Da Bank, Robert Elms, & Toddla T and The Wire magazine have supported and enthusiastically raved about their brand new yet wonderfully old school music.

And now - in time for summer festivals and carnivals, the floor shaking, speaker rattling track Congo Beat The Drum featuring Major Mackerel gets the 12 inch single treatment. The pounding drums and the larynx busting vocal performance from the Jamaican veteran is an unstoppable, unforgettable and frankly mesmerising experience!

Released alongside the original (and an instrumental version of stand out album track Out Of Road) is an amazing remix by Kahn - the Bristol based producer, renowned dubstepper, remixer, member of the Sureskank Collective - who with this remix displays his mastery of blending all kinds of styles, and injects his remix with some of his favourite influences - including Middle Eastern music scales - which ensures his reworking of Congo Beat The Drum is fresh, original and inspiring.

This single will be one of the sound system hits of summer 2014!

Cadenza head honcho, Luciano, often collaborates with many other artists, his constant touring schedule blessing him the opportunity to write and produce music with a multitude of like minded producers, and on 'Into The Aether", we get the first part of a two part series of tracks composed with various other Cadenza personnel. 'Arizona Green Song' sees Luciano and Marlowe (AKA Digitaline) get together for a vibrant and busy freak out. A plethora of rattling and sharp percussion cuts through a simple melody line and low slung groove. Building over ten tantric minutes, dubby inflections and hidden voices are woven into the detailed arrangement to great effect. A collaboration with Dani Casarano results in 'Bell's & Tonic", a slower paced vibe here, but with plenty of funk, from it's bending bass line and hand claps to the deft organ touches and shuffling shakers. A world within is created here, again distant voices, rattling cow bells and (yes) livestock and other field recordings are layered here to create a unique ambience. Uncompromising and original music then, from Cadenza's boss and friends. Expect a 'Part Two' to be released in the coming months....

Almost exactly three years after the first, Redshape has readied his second Red Pack, due for co release by his own Present imprint alongside his frequent Dutch home, Delsin, in June.
Whilst the world is still enjoying the German's latest album "Square", the man himself has typically moved on once more. On Red Pack II he offers up six tracks new of hugely atmospheric and romantically industrial techno across two pieces of vinyl.

First up, 'Disco Marauder' has raw, jangling beats, traumatised vocal cries and plenty of sci-fi ambiance all coalescing into a filmic techno tapestry, before 'Path Dub' goes deeper and more streamlined with rattling claps peeling off taught synth cables in hypnotic fashion. The same track also comes in an original version, which is a much more jagged, roughshod and textured affair.

'The Source' is a track slowed to a crawl that almost seems to want to collapse under its own weight. Machines gurgle and gargle, the beats march on with a heavy heart and widescreen synths all that ever present sense of cinematism that makes Redshape such a unique producer.

Standout track 'Daft Mode' features a beautiful Reese bassline and rich layers of classic Detroit chords of the sort Inner City once championed. Redshape then pairs them with slicing percussion and loose limbed but tough edged beats and lets them roll on to a blissfully emotive oblivion... Fans of 'Mucky Bones' from the first Red Pack might see this track as a close relative. Last track 'Bulp Head' is one of Redshape's more euphoric tracks thanks to the glistening and pixelated melodies which rise up and up through choppy, metallic percussion. It closes out another release from Redshape that offers six more classic pieces that are as idiosyncratic as they innovative..

..another one! this time it's SKUDGE SKUDGE SKUDGE VS SAN SAN SAN PROPER PROPER PROPER..... BIG 12"! TIP
Skudge - Silent Running
Swedish duo Skudge ends Dekmantel's compilation the way we expected them to
do: with a fierce jacking and hypnotizing techno monster. Lights off and strobes on please, this is for the heads (do people still say that!)

San Proper - Rattle (Station2Station)
Like the earlier mentioned Juju & Jordash and Makam, San Proper has been involved in Dekmantel's activities from the very beginning as well. It seems that the notorious Dutchmen is getting better with every release. Rattle is an exiling piece of house music, that will shake up dance floors easily.

Somebody told us 'Ratts...' sounded like Dubfire taken from behind by Lemmy from Motörhead - we can't think of anything better to describe it! Total dancefloor destruction, that's a fact !!!