Part of The Optic Sevens 4.0 Reissue Series.
Limited to 750 copies worldwide.
Pressed on Yellow Vinyl.
Includes postcard and poster.
Before the term Indie Pop had even been invented The Chefs had already nailed it. Formed by Carl Evans and Helen McCookerybook , they first appeared on the Vaultage 79 compilation before releasing 2 singles for the Brighton based Attrix Records.
They recorded two sessions for the John Peel Show and one for Richard Skinner briefly changing their name to Skat and then disbanding.
Helen went onto success and a major label deal with Helen And The Horns.
After their monumental rise from mask-sporting weirdos to forefathers of a new generation of mainstream metal, many wondered how or if Slipknot would manage to top their blistering self-titled debut, and its malevolent follow-up, 'Iowa.'
Hindsight paints doubts in curious colours, as 'Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses' is now regarded as one of the nine's most expansive, dynamic, and universally acclaimed works.
From the caustic anthem, 'Duality' to the surprisingly accessible 'Before I Forget', the collective managed the impressive feat of honing their craft to appeal to a wider audience while sacrificing little of the unbridled angst of their earlier projects.
Hearing frontman Corey Taylor let his guard down for gentle and hypnotic cuts like 'Circle' and 'Vermillion, Pt. 2', offered entirely new insights into a group known for their brutal intensity and little else. There's still plenty of that on display, with the venomous ode to their fanbase, 'Pulse Of The Maggots', ringing true with its abrasive composition.
Finally reissued alongside its predecessors, there's never been a more ideal time to finally lock down this seminal trilogy that would introduce, shock and cement Slipknot as legends of their own kind for decades to come.
Up The Stuss goes down under as Sydney's Litmus steps for the label's tenth release. A bubbling member of Australia’s house and minimal scene, his productions via No Art, Piv And Dailycid have seen the exciting Aussie emerge onto the global landscape and make some noise.
Continuing in slick fashion, his 'Plus One' EP showcases a wealth of vibrant solo flavours while partnering up with Berlin's Black Loops for a crisp collaborative sprinkling of house delight - all backed by French live act and man of the moment Leo Pol as he delivers a heady, piano-driven remix of the title cut.
Dieses Produkt wurde ursprünglich als Teil von „Forces Of The Northern Night“ veröffentlicht Die Band beschloss, ein Konzert mit dem Orchester von Offical Norwegian (NRK) zu spielen und aufzunehmen Es war ein großer Erfolg. Rund ein Jahr später spielte die Band mit der gleichen Running Order und dem Wacken Festival das Tschechische Nationalorchester. Dieses Vinyl ist die Aufnahme dieser Show.
Should we look back and bring something of the past back into the forefront of our mind?
We think yes!!!
Because Kellerkind's “Disco on the Dancefloor” remains to this day a huge milestone in Sirion Records discography and the original track is still 10 years later an absolute earworm.
Dedication, constant focus on music, care and respect for others, are attributes that continue to apply to Kellerkind and have moved us to a remake of this infamous title.
As the title of the main track says, “Disco on the Dancefloor” with its groovy basses, poignant disco stabs is ideal for the dancefloor and still perfectly suited to inspire the masses.
But Kellerkind doesn’t rest on the guaranteed success of the past, he immediately delivers a thriving remake that perfectly reflects his current musical taste. Percussive, hypnotic and an all-around successful job to dress the track in a new garb.
Fittingly, there are two remixes by 8 Bit labelhead Gorge and Bernese producer Youen, among others.
A housy framework paired with percussion, discoid bass line and the hypnotic synth surface in the usual Gorge manner, not only gets the legs bobbing and the head nodding, but animates to conquer the dance floor.
Youen's techhousy remix puts the focus more on kick and clap and therefore comes as a true stomper. Peppered with the discreetly used samples, this makes for a wonderfully danceable mix for peak time.
10 Years of “Disco on the Dancefloor” is therefore more current than ever and an absolute must in the record bag, either on vinyl or digitally.
Freestyle comes with it again - presenting the first officially licensed reissue for a previously white label-only slice of fantastic 1982 UK boogie funk, featuring the vocal talents of a then 19 year-old Caron Wheeler!
La Famille were a group put together at the turn of the 1980s by seasoned reggae & jazz guitarist (and later band-member with the award-winning Jazz Jamaica) Alan Weekes. The band's main line-up consisted not only of a young Wheeler, but also a young Cleveland Watkiss - as well as the late Claudia Fontaine (who would go on to pair with Caron as Afrodiziak) & Roy Hamilton - with guitar, arrangement and production provided by Weekes.
While the group was short-lived - recording only this 12" alongside a couple of singles for Leonard "Santic" Chin's Sanity label (a stellar cover of the Mary Jane Girl's classic All Night Long) and Alan's later Bpop label (the down-tempo groover Lost in Paradise, co-arranged alongside Watkiss) - there is no denying the talent on display here, as the years and decades that followed can surely attest.
Synkronized presents "Synk VA I" - the first Various Artist release on the label.
Lorenzo Chiabotti & Just_Me, Martin M, Chad Andrew & Imbue and Den Haas are delivering a fine selection of Broken Beats and Minimal House and showcasing their production class.
Daje Funk Records makes a triumphant return with the latest instalment to the spectacular ‘Slam Dunk’ series bringing you the Slam Dunk EP3.
First up on the A-Side of this stellar four tracker is Strange, with the acid laced disco burner, ‘Keep On’. From the intro of delicious 120bpm beats with added ‘Bongonaise’, the cleanest of guitar riffs leads to a hot disco bass with stabs of Rhodes keys lovingly applied. Just when you think you have it all worked out, the acid rug pull is a masterstroke. ‘Keep On’ has a classic (but often elusive) disco vibe with a wickedly acidic twist. ‘Strange’ will rule the summer, guaranteed. Any questions?
For A2, the considerable production chops of Ezirk are on full display with ‘Erotik’ - an 80s funk inspired taxi ride through rush hour traffic to the best cocktail bar on the planet. It’s infectious, demanding fist bumps and virtual high fives. It’s a melody that sets all the possibilities of a great night out through wielding the ultimate synth power. And that breezy sax? Heaven. Put the needle down and let it take you!
On the B Side, we start with label co-owner and master of the groove, De Gama and his carefully crafted ‘Higher’. The tempo is dropped right down here, with De Gama showing his darker and funkier side. Like a joint Gil Scott Heron and Robert Plant fever dream, ‘Higher’ is an intricate lecture in immaculate beats, unimaginable concepts and chord progressions. Serious grooves. Very serious.
Rounding things off on the B Side and closing the EP is ‘R.O.C.K.’ by Hungary’s The Magic Track. These boys know how to deliver a chugger from the MT workshop. You expect them to lure you in, and ‘R.O.C.K.’ does just that. One minute you’re in church, the next in a heaving club with retro beats, thumping bass and driving piano filling the air. The Magic Track are selling magic dreams and you’re buying. The whole bag.
The Slam Dunk EP 3 slam dunks with such force it shatters the backboard. Get it in your record boxes for the summer, and let it stay there!
Take a Trip was born of a love of Acid House and wanting to explore my mates 909 & 303!! The way they sing when programmed is mind blowing. There’s magic inside of them that creates something special. From Chicago’s Warehouse to London’s Shoom and Hedonism, Manchester’s Hacienda’s Hot and Nude nights, parties such as R.I.P., Spectrum, Zoo, The Trip, Apocalypse Now, Legends, the State, Rage an Sunrise. It’s a sound that will never fade.
Alan Dixon is back with his first ever acid track and it’s instant love. The disco producer hits the target with no compromise.
Over the past few years an increasing number of bands hailing from the former USSR have been appearing on the screens and the phones of the so-called Western world’s underground music enthusiasts.
With most of them being pretty obscure and only a very few ones having established a worldwide following (Motorama, Molčat Doma) the Sovietwave tag has worked usefully enough as a tool to identify a wide range of bands each one with a different sound and yet something in common. Whether it be the harsh weather or just the distance creating an exotic effect, there is some icy-cold touch with these bands that immediately makes you know they’re from Russia, regardless of the language they perform.
This goes for Blind Seagull too.
The trio from Kaliningrad, a small russian enclave on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania, has been around since quite a few years now, releasing tapes and limited edition vinyls on labels like Detriti, Sierpen and Pine Hill.
Finally taking up the challenge of writing a longer full-length (previous albums were seven or eight track long at best), the trio led by Denis Zarubin has created twelve new songs that shine a light on the impressive skills of this young combo to deliver very classic and yet extremely fresh and modern cold post-punk gems.
Keeping it short and sweet, their two-three minutes long compositions cut right to the chase of the darkwave soul: stomping drum machines, frozen guitar arpeggios, tense bass riffs. The formula is occasionally rocked by the intervention of laser synths, noise raids and gothic chorale, while the industrial pièce of the title-track and the IDM-tinged collaboration with experimental giants Xiu Xiu ‘Fear’ will show how this band stands out and how their upcoming, new album is the best proof of this.
Following on from his debut album ºs on AD93, conceptual artist Aboutface presents a new vaporous LP– a vital climate emergency-themed project which utilises poetry collected from his dreams alongside glaciology research and sound recordings captured during polar expeditions c/o the Alfred Wegener Institute – a centre for polar and marine research. Featuring long term Violin collaborator Taro and dream prose reciter Leyla Pillai, the album explores a surreal and abstract intersection between the collective dream realm and the disappearing polar cryosphere, evoking the interconnectivity between environmental change and the collective subconscious.
A self-release, all profits will go towards Extinction Rebellion’s legal fund to help provide counsel to those protesting against contributors to the climate emergency. Limited to 300 Eco renewable-energy recycled gatefold vinyl produced with Deepgrooves, NL. Downloads and streaming limited to one of Earth’s revolution of the Sun only– an ephemeral release for an ephemeral existence.
Mr. K is back again with a double-sider that tackles the ups and downs of love and does it in fabulous style with two solid soul classics.
Yvonne Fair was a veteran of the soul music world when she finally got the chance to record her first full length album in 1975. She had recorded multiple singles under the guidance of James Brown (her “I Found You” was reworked by Brown into the chart-topper “I Got You (I Feel Good)”) and, after leaving the JB camp for the auspices of Motown, a clutch of 7-inches with Norman Whitfield. These were gathered together to form her first (and only) full-length, but before the album was completed a final song was added to fill things out. This last minute touch would turn out to be the crowning achievement of her career. “It Should’ve Been Me” didn’t seem to be a notable addition at first. The song was originally done by Kim Weston a decade earlier and then by Gladys Knight. But Fair’s version had something special. In addition to the novel addition of a percolating drum machine pulse, Fair imbued the lyrics with a heartfelt sincerity and gruff emotion that touched listeners in a way that other versions had missed. Released as a single in the UK in late ’75, the song rose to the top ten of the British charts by February of the following year, inspiring Motown to release it as a US single. The song never replicated its UK success in the States, but went on to have a long life as a staple of drag performances and gay club life. Gay club life being the heart of all great club life, it’s only natural that the impact of the song has continued to spread, from Adeva’s hit house version in 1991 to Miley Cyrus’s recent revival of the song. Danny Krivit pays tribute to this storied history with his own version, a simple yet effective edit that stays true to the original but gives DJs a little more room (and fans a little more time to sing along!) than the all-too-brief original.
Continuing on our theme of lovelorn loss and redemption, Mr. K turns his attention to the New Birth’s “Brand New Lover” for our B-side. While the original slowly moves from the tentative, immediate aftermath of breakup to the eventual positive path forward, Krivit’s edit jumps straight to the joyous resolution to find new love, riding a delicious call and response chorus punctuated by signature breakdowns from master producer Harvey Fuqua. Danny’s edit provides a natural uplifting opportunity that never stops building over the course of its extended five minutes. Until now, the track has only been available on the group’s debut 1970 full-length, and never on a 7-inch single.
As always, this release has been mastered to the highest standards and is certain to find a spot in the bags of discerning listeners and DJs alike.
Mind Eclipse completes Deetron’s triptych for Running Back. After Body Electric and Ego Rave, it’s the missing part in a tale of youthful exuberance told by a seasoned raver and transported into the here and now. Taking the essence of the carefree energy of those days, its warehouses and fields minus the (sometimes!) aural clumsiness, Deetron delivers four studies in the transformation of said emotional states.
Mind Eclipse aka Trancehouzztool does exactly what it says on the tin: big synths, swirl and twirl during an extra long break down for an uproar – serotonin shower included. HG acts like an umbrella to that. Almost melancholic in its presence and meandering between highs and lows, it’s the perfect counterpoint and offset.
On the other side, Phoenix sounds like a lost Border Community hymn that found its way near a Roland 909 for peak time purposes, before The Shore closes the book in a hybrid state between electro and disco or the soundtrack to IDM supporters in a gym workout (also available in an alternative version digitally for those who like their beats straight).
It won’t eclipse your mind though that Deetron knows what he does in the studio, so expect finest artistry, crafty tricks and technical expertise. „’Til the sweatshirts are falling down of us…“
Helsinki quartet OK:KO releases their third album "Liesu" with We Jazz Records on 15 April. The band, led by drummer/composer Okko Saastamoinen and including saxophonist Jarno Tikka, pianist Toomas Keski-Säntti and bassist Mikael Saastamoinen (of Superpostion & Linda Fredriksson "Juniper") is a scene favourite in Finland and has recently garnered some international attention with their melodic, dynamic and original approach. The OK:KO sound is adventurous yet accessible, and contemporary yet rooted in the lineage of acoustic small group jazz.
When listening to OK:KO, you can feel that their influences also come from out of the musical realm. After all, isn't this just how it should be? Making music from your own life. Here, you can tell that the landscape of rural Finland, its poetic, at times even melancholy beauty, is ever present. It's folk song country. But don't be fooled, these guys form a real flesh and blood jazz band. That means that the music just starts when the first note hits, and onwards from there, we're in for a wild ride.
Whether punchy like on "Anima", solemn like on "Arvo", or just trekking out there a skiing lane of their own like on "Vanhatie", what you'll get is pure OK:KO. Melodic, interactive, honest and forward-reaching contemporary jazz music. That is something we appreciate – a lot!
Vinyl editions available on opaque white / black vinyl, with inside-out 3mm spine sleeve and a polylined black inner sleeve.
Moff & Tarkin is back on Lagaffe Tales with a record that marks the 9th release in the Lagaffe series. The Austrian based Icelander provides two originals as well as a remix from label friend Uffe. The record starts off with Tension a break inspired banger with that special Moff & Tarkin twist. If you spot the sample let us know and you might win a coupon. The second track "Waisting my what?" feels like something that would work wonders at your local bowling arena or even shopping mall, some piano samples and vocals, you know the drill. The b side is dedicated to a massive Uffe remix, I tell you man, we had to write him back like 5 times and ask him to reduce that bass. Uffe takes Tension and turns it into a jungle journey a la Indiana Jones.
Hospital Records proudly present the debut solo album from drum & bass icon Grafix. ‘Half Life’ is an introspective glimpse into the influences and sonic development of the Bristol-based producer, who over the years has established himself as a pinnacle of the dance music world. Grafix’s first ever studio longplayer as a solo artist consists of 14 hotly-anticipated pulse pounding anthems, featuring killer collaborations from the likes of Metrik, Lauren L’aimant, Reiki Ruawai and Chrissie Huntley in his hit singles ‘Somewhere’, ‘Feel Alive’ and ‘Skyline’.
High-octane dancefloor energiser ‘Skyline’ sees drum & bass titans Grafix and Metrik collide for a third time on this futuristic drum & bass cut infused with pure uplifting soundscapes. Enter a world of powerhouse synthesis, relentless basslines and Metrik’s very own vocal performance. This is just the follow up you needed from the mammoth success with the duo’s previous collaborations ‘Overdrive’ and ‘Parallel’.
Grafix draws upon his love for rave culture on the acid heavy ‘Blast Out’ - a no-holds-barred drum & bass system shocker. Skittery vocal chops, shredding bass hits and minimal-funk drums show the side of Grafix well known for tearing up the dance - never afraid to drop a wild card.
From the hypnotic and distorted energies on the likes of ‘CTRL’ and album title track ‘Half Life’, to the forward-facing vibes on LP numbers such as ‘Accelerate’ and ‘The Chance’, the versatile flavours supplied by Grafix throughout are a testament to his years of experience in the studio.
Other album highlights include two tracks with the immensely talented Lauren L’aimant who boasts previous releases on staple dance imprints including Anjunadeep, Colorize and Protocol Recordings. ‘Watch The Sky’ is an anthemic stepper home to Lauren’s spine-tingling vocals and Grafix’s catchy synth hooks. ‘Feel Alive’ captures the pair’s undeniable ability to strike up a euphorically cutting-edge dance music banger.
The ‘Half Life’ LP also features the previously released tracks ‘Radiance’ as well as radio hit ‘Somewhere’ featuring New Zealand’s very own Reiki Ruawai. Both tracks of which are no stranger to worldwide drum & bass listeners.
Grafix’s debut album marks a signature milestone within his musical journey as a solo artist and his achievements so far only scratch the surface. The first single ‘Somewhere (feat. Reiki Ruawai)’ to drop from his album racked up global airwave support with an impressive number of plays from radio tastemakers including Danny Howard, René LaVice, Mollie Collins, the George FM crew in New Zealand and of course, Fred V. With regular support from big hitters including Sub Focus, Wilkinson, Friction, Camo & Krooked and more, Grafix’s music continues to talk for itself when racking up countless DJ spins as well as consistent landings across pinnacle industry platforms such as UKF. Keep an eye out for Grafix at Snowbombing, Hospitality On The Beach Albania and more throughout 2022!
And they are doing it again!
The Snuff Crew is back!
With two crispy floor bangers the Snuff Crew is back after a longer creative break. Soundtechnically in the known percussive influenced acidstyle.
On "Midnight Peepin" striking vocal samples enter the sound and fire into the crowd _ no time for Sadnes!!! So it chirps drifting through night.
AGN1 on the other hand comes with the classic 303 line and lots of oldschool drums, a track that would also have had a place on my "Post Acid Crash" compilation in 1991!!! Acid party stuff from the Snuff.
On the B side TCCM present their remixes of the A side tracks in typical style, dirty and without compromise!
While "Midnight Peepin RMX" clearly shows and celebrates the elements of the original track, AGN1 RMX is a complete reinterpretation of the track structure and sounds, made and mangled from the original drums.
A record with an extremely varied soundscape from original oldschool to dirty interpretation. This disc is a must for acid fans!
Nina Kraviz returns with a new EP inspired by 70-80s music she loves so much. On "Skyscrapers" she explores a new, more traditional approach to her songwriting. Uncovering her talent as a singer and performer, the song is a melancholic, pop-leaning anthem, showing a side of Nina Kraviz we didn't quite expect.
NO.2 on the groove charts!
Following a year that saw the 50th entry in the long-running series released to wide acclaim, DJ-Kicks returns in 2016 another landmark edition. Iconic Detroit DJ and producer Moodymann is at the helm for his first ever multi-artist DJ mix compilation. Born Kenny Dixon Jr., Moodymann is a one-of-a-kind electronic music icon, hailing from, and wholly synonymous with the Motor City. He is an outspoken, impossibly charismatic artist who has been putting a distinctive and soulful stamp on house and techno since the early 90s. Melting together jazz, funk, soul, blues and rock in captivating ways, he is responsible for some of electronic music's most definitive tracks, EPs and LPs on labels like Planet E, Peacefrog and his own KDJ and Mahogani Music imprints. As able to serve up the sweetest and most sensual sounds as he is the darkest and most depraved grooves, his own unique voice and stream of conscious musings infuse expertly sought-out samples for music that is decisively alive and authentic.
Across 75 minutes and 30 tracks, Moodymann does not disappoint: despite being a notorious vinyl fetishist, Dixon's aim is to present music of quality, not to one-up fellow collectors. Rather than serving up ridiculously rare or hard-to-find records, he instead focuses on creating a libidinous, blues-drenched mood that takes in heart-breaking soul, gorgeous hip-hop and love-fuelled house. In addition to cuts from his own creative circle, the mix features 11 exclusive Moodymann edits. Like everything Kenny Dixon Jr. touches, DJ-Kicks showcases the taste, skill, and soul of a dance music original.
Son of Chi returns to Astral Industries, alongside Spanish artist Clara Brea, for the collaborative release of AI-29. A product of fate, chance experiments, but most of all, sensitive artistry - ’The Wetland Remixes’ exists as a confluence of two kindred musical spirits, a wayfaring epic that draws together a rich archive of ecological field recordings, live instrumentation and higher inspirations.
Ahead of Hanyo’s concert at Calma (Madrid) at the end of 2019, the curators organised a special dinner and arranged the meeting of Clara and Hanyo. As Hanyo recalls,“It was like stereochemistry. There was an instant match and understanding, and basically we decided in a split second to exchange recordings and to collaborate on future live and studio experiments.”
The auspicious meeting of the two ignited a remote exchange of materials and ideas, as the world descended into a series of pandemic-related lockdowns. The first of said recordings included the stems of Clara’s ‘Wetland Project’ - a site-specific audiovisual project originally produced for Eufonic Festival (Spain), using field recordings from the Ebro Delta nature reserve (one of the most threatened regions of climate change on the Iberian peninsula).
From this initial impetus, Hanyo began working on the first sketches of the album back in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Just like their meeting in Madrid, the project developed naturally and spontaneously with extraordinary ease. Later, Hanyo started adding field recordings from the Magic Cave and Wetlands of the ‘Kallikatsou’ (Patmos, Greece) as well as organic and acoustic overdubs, featuring bass, drums, percussion, guitars, oud, piano, hammond organ, wurlitzer, flutes, bells, and mouth harp.
In the distance, the sound of birds peak through the effervescent wash of the wetland soundscapes. The pass of running water flows deeper into a land full of secrets never told. On the strike of dusk, the silhouettes of shapely trunks and foliage melt slowly into the impenetrable darkness. As darkness passes, light emerges, with exquisite moments of tranquility that seemingly emerge from nothingness.
Beneath the shimmering veneer of textures, wildlife and melodies, one may hear the deeper references of ’The Wetland Remixes’. With credit to Clara’s input, for Hanyo the album process became a kind of refuge, and ultimately inspired the return to the core of Abstract Sound - what the Sufis call“Saut-i Sarmad.”Such references allude to the spiritual quality embedded in the music - the autonomous process of self-expression, the great mystery. Hanyo: “An ambience like this cannot be created by routine. There is no blueprint. The music has to find you. It’s like a blessing if it happens. You should not interfere, just observe and be impressed...”
Deep, luscious mind trips as per the classic Chi sound, ‘The Wetland Remixes’ beautifully correlates the interconnecting dots of geography, ecology, and mythology’s forgotten lore.
Three years after he released the incredible New Experience EP (picking up plaudits from Bill Brewster, Tim Sweeney, Laurent Garnier, Horse Meat Disco, Leo Mas & 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft, among many more), Tokyo’s Kota Motomura returns to Hobbes Music for his debut LP, Pay It Forward. This is the first vinyl release on Hobbes Music since the much-loved ‘Aranath’ EP by Leonidas & Hobbes last Spring. While the label maintains the level of quality control for which it has become recognised, the artist continues to subvert electronic and dance music norms in his iconoclastic way on this extraordinary record.
He’s a mysterious character with an ear for idiosyncratic music that runs the gamut from ambient, exotica and jazz to disco, house and techno via post punk, new wave and funk. It’s highly original and all adds up to a confection perhaps best described as ‘Balearic’.
Album opener Paradise is a certified jazz-funk JAM. Destined for dance floors worldwide, this one’s been dropping well with DJs, Motomura demonstrating his piano chops alongside Mutsumi Takeuchi’s sax. Tropical pushes the boat in a more rhythmic direction, some pretty wild drum programming laced with more sounds of the, um, tropics, before mad vocal yelps suggest something yet more tribal. To Be Free initially resembles early 90s progressive house (pulsing bassline, synth-driven melodies), before the arrival of some new wave guitar licks a la classic Talking Heads/David Byrne and ooh ooh vocal chants take it to another dimension altogether.
B-side opener Emotion features Takeuchi again (on flute this time) and more vocal chants before things take a dramatic turn, threatening to open up into a full fanfare before calming and then bursting into wild life again with the exhortation that “C’mon, everybody dancing!” Rhythm flirts with an energy and pace more akin to a techno record: drums, drums, more drums plus a fair few yelps and chants - the kind of DJ tool that will send a simmering dance floor wild in the right hands. Flower closes things in a more melancholy style, familiar to fans of ‘Aboy’ from the New Experience EP, with plaintive acoustic guitar (performed by Akichi), birdsong and big piano chords.
Support from Bill Brewster, Leo Mas, Al Kent, Red Rack’em, Nick The Record, Phil Mison, Phat Phil Cooper, KZA, Sean Johnston (ALFOS), S/A/M, Dribbler, Joe Muggs, Monolith Cocktail and more…
‘Gonna review in MÜ mag... very fine stuff!’ JOE MUGGS
‘Will be reviewed on the blog’ MONOLITH COCKTAIL BILL BREWSTER played Flower on the DJ History podcast #641 (25.3.22) 'I really like this album, Flower and Paradise are my favourite' LEO MAS ‘I like Paradise’ AL KENT ‘Woo this is tasty. DEFO playing on my next radio show. The label’s A&R is defo getting better and better. HM has been putting out some dope stuff and this one seems really good quality’ RED RACK’EM
‘Paradise and Flower sounding good’ NICK THE RECORD
‘Tunes sound great!’ PHIL MISON ‘Going to include Paradise and Flower on my Sunday Ibiza global radio show PHAT PHIL COOPER (Nu Northern Soul)
‘Very nice album with influences from many different genres. I especially like To Be Free with nice synths and guitar cutting, and Flower, which is a chill vibe’ KZA (Mule Musiq, Endless Flight)
'100% correct about the ALFOS potential of To Be Free!' SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
'Stunning, will fit perfectly with the vibe of my radio show’ S/A/M (Music For Dreams, DK; Playa Del Sol, Ibiza)
'Stellar work, i'll make a bet that Flowers is a Balaeric classic this summer' DRIBBLER (Breakfast Club, Ibiza)
‘It's cool in a nice smelling psycho sense, it was a very DEEP sound that I couldn't produce. Congrats!’ ALTZ (Altzmusica)
‘Paradise is my jam, it's deep, sunny and never boring. I'm interested to see how this will work on the dance floor. Overall a great album with solid composition and impressive use of live instruments!’ SOBRIETY (fka Chloé Juliette)
'Very tidy selection' ASTROJAZZ (Kelburn Garden Party, Wee Dub, Samedia Shebeen, Disco Makossa) ‘This is a lovely release. Follows on from New Experience in the best way possible. It's got lots of vibes going on but holds together as a cohesive piece of work. Love it’ JAMIE THOMSON (La Cheetah, Glasgow)
‘To Be Free is a track i could imagine Andy Weatherall playing in one of his sets at A Love From Outer Space’ KIRSTIE PATON aka She-Bang Rave Unit (Threads Radio, Radio Magnetic)
This 7-inch record contains two audio adaptations by Josie Perry of her performances 'Retainers' and 'Toy Shop'. Josie is based in Glasgow and works mainly between drawing, sculpture, performance and publishing. The performances connected to this vinyl were part of a series made between 2019-20 involving absurd narration, audio loops and suggestive props. 'Beautifully Formed' is a short extract from the longer piece 'Retainers', while 'Toy Shop' uses the full transcript. Both works relate to her interests in materialities of spoken language and alienated voicing, and her background in vocal performance.
After the re-release of the classic "Nu Romantix" album, Ed DMX aka DMX Krew returns to Permanent Vacation with his new album "Party Life". This time the long-haired UK legend is taking a step back from his trademark Electro and Techno sound and putting on his romancing suit.
Ed is crooning over 80's styled Boogie, Disco and Funk tracks in a way only he can do it and that will either make you jump for joy or cruising down the coastal promenade.
"Party Life" is another example why Ed is a master of all crafts in the ever expanding DMX Krew universe.
Part two of Arthur Robert’s most recent EP package showcases his atmospheric style of dubby, strong rhythms and rich, detailed sound design.
On this EP Robert explores his mastery of mesmerizing machines, looping bleepy signals into trance-inducing patterns on Abundance, Watchful and Homecoming. A welcome brief respite from the madness, delicate ambient interlude You Cannot Hurt Me twinkles soothingly, as does the warmth offered by subdued hazy chords on the almost housy Tunnelvision.
Such versatility not only further establishes Arthur Robert as one of current Techno’s most promising producers but also makes this EP package a strong contender for one of the year’s defining releases.
Charlotte de Witte takes charge of her KNTXT label's 15th release with the new Universal Consciousness EP. It comes after Amazingblaze - Venture EP and features four more powerful and psychedelic techno cuts.
Charlotte is soon to be playing her biggest ever KNTXT party in mid April. It shall take place in her hometown of Ghent and see her play a historic 10 hour set to a vast crowd of people who shall go on an all night long journey. Also in April, Charlotte returns to London’s iconic Printworks for the first time in five years, this time with her KNTXT concept and once again is set to raise the roof. While staying busy on the road, she continues to curate the Apple Music x KNTXT page while cooking up ever fresh sounds in the studio. This latest EP is another subtle evolution in her signature style.
Says Charlotte of the EP, "following up on my latest Asura EP in September, I decided to delve a bit deeper in the world of psychedelia. All the tracks of the EP are psy inspired, some more than others. I’ve been playing these tracks for a while now in the clubs. It’s been a real pleasure to see the crowd’s reaction and see the amount of track ID requests online. This one is from me to you, I hope you enjoy my Universal Consciousness EP!"
Opener 'Satori' is dark and heavy. The chunky, raw drums hit hard and flat as the squelchy acid synths pan about the mix. An enchanting middle eastern vocal wail brings an extra trance-inducing element that is sure to lock in the hearts and minds of the crowd. The super 'Kali' is a slick and high speed piece that shows the love relation between psy trance and techno. The video game style synths peel off the groove next to alien sound effects, and the subtly evolving acid line burrows deep into your brain.
Then comes the dynamic, bouncy and acid laced-title cut ‘Universal Consciousness’. It's a fulsome tune with rubbery kicks and visceral 303 loops that will melt the mind as dancers fall into its hypnotic and tripped out spell. Last of all is 'Ahimsa' with its bright, lashing acid synths and hammering kick drums. It's the perfect mix of physical groove and psyched-out synth work, and is perfect for both sweaty basements and vast main rooms alike. When the mystical flutes come in, it takes things to another level entirely.
This is another all consuming EP of innovative techno from Charlotte de Witte.
In his foundational essay on Los Angeles, L.A. Glows, the essayist Lawrence Weschler speaks on the city's uncanny, immediately recognizable light; "The late-afternoon light of Los Angeles—golden pink off the bay through the smog and onto the palm fronds." Weschler traces the city's mysterious refracted light from the iconic paintings of David Hockney through the city's frequent portrayal on film and TV, noting its ability to put residents into a state of "egoless bliss."
Similarly, Alex Ho's new album for Music From Memory, 'Move Through It', radiates with the unmistakable LA glow. While the Pasadena native's studio work is just now coming to light, Ho has long been a fixture in the Los Angeles dance music scene, throwing what are perhaps the city's most musically expansive warehouse events and carving out a singular voice as a DJ, as heard on his brilliant Moony Habits show for NTS. The eight-track record, however, lands in a more contemplative zone, better suited for a golden hour drive than a night out.
Though it's his first record, 'Move Through It' is the accomplished work of a fully-formed artist, produced patiently between 2017 and 2020 with help from friends including Baba Stiltz, Phil Cho, Damon Palermo and John Jones. "Mark," the Koanic track conclusion side A, is an arpeggiated slow burn reminiscent of Pino Donaggio's brilliant score for Brian De Palma's 1984 film Body Double. Ho's stunning, pure falsetto soars above gentle melodies. "Miss Suzuki," the piece that originally caught the ear of MFM's Jamie Tiller and Tako, opens the record with a blue, cinematic sway. Ho's facility for poignant melodies—easily conveyed through saxophone, vibes, various keyboards and his own voice—shines on "College Crest Drive," as well as the title track. The lyrical "Move Through It" and the restrained and beautiful closing cut, "TYFC," are abetted by glimmering Kraut guitar figures courtesy of John Jones.
While Ho's rhythms and melodies paint a crystal-clear musical vision, the music's emotional centre is more elusive, indicative of a yearning feeling synonymous with the City Of Angels. Hitting these hazy and subtle notes, Move Through It falls within a canon of sun-addled records spanning from Herb Alpert's "Rotation" to Dam-Funk's Private Life trilogy as Garrett. An immersive and concise statement, Alex Ho's 'Move Through It' is as warm and uncanny as the city that inspired it, a definitive LA album.
µ-Ziq says hello again with 'Goodbye'. The six track EP is the first in a series of releases by Mike Paradinas this year, which are all centred around the 25th Anniversary Edition of 'Lunatic Harness', his classic 1997 album. Inspired by going back through the archives while he was remastering the Lunatic Harness reissue, 'Goodbye' sees Mike revisiting the nineties, taking on jungle and its precursor jungle tekno and upgrading them with the benefit of hindsight and contemporary software. Imbued with Mike's lush sense of melody and his knack for striking contrasts (don't be shocked to hear maudlin piano, 303 and amens in the same track), 'Goodbye' approaches these old genres like a sandpit, and stretches them in directions only Mike might take.
SAM Records was one of the labels at the forefront of the Disco Genre when the format was at its creative peak. This was the late 70’s and early 80’s, when the producers and artists involved were all using top notch professional recording studios with live instrumentation and their focus was on songs and rhythms that would make the dance floor move. Sam Weiss the founder of SAM was involved with various aspects of the music industry in addition to his role running the label, but the Sam Records imprint was his greatest passion, and that energy comes through in the songs that make up the catalogue. In this compilation we have engaged some of the world’s premier producers of the current disco inspired sounds that are blowing dance floors worldwide. They have used their talents and appreciation of the genre to mix, edit and master these classic jams into disco inspired productions that are fully equipped to ignite DJ sets and dancefloors worldwide.
Belgian Kristof "(DJ) 4T4" Michiels has been around for a while, but this is only his second album under this name. It's practically impossible to categorize, since it holds elements of all eras of dance music. It switches effortlessly from new wave to electro, from punk funk to deep house, without ever feeling concocted. This album's got it all, but the main factor these 10 tracks share is soul. You can feel this wasn't thought up in lab, they're are organic sounds made with nothing but love for music, which grants Union Escapade a timeless feel. If you love club music of all ages, and have an open mind, you should check this out.
Retromigration returns to WOLF Music for his 2nd solo outing on the label with a trademark, warm, jazz-flecked house journey.
Hot property by anyone’s standards, the Amsterdam-based producer stretches his legs across six MPC chopped and screwed heaters, from the punchy, deep deliciousness of ‘Hafenluft’ and sun-soaked vibrations of ‘Mad Fox’, to the bouncing bubbler ‘Tinger’ that features Nephews.
On the flip, the Dam-Funk channeling, keytar cruise ‘Be Alright’ sits side by side with ‘Disk Yard’ and ‘Nur Wir’, two twilight cuts that showcase Retromigration's love of the beats and hip hop scenes whilst putting his own unique spin on them. Another sure-fire example of why you’re seeing Retromigration’s name popping up all over the place right now – pure class from start to finish.
The Covid Pandemic hit Germany in March 2020 and by the 15th of March all of the public life was shut down. It was the same day where my son Rio was born.
For me, this early stage of the pandemic had something very intimate and private, since I was forced to stay at home with my young family for weeks. In Mai 2020 I started to leave the house, for other occasions then just going to the shop or taking a walk and that was the time I started working on “Hotel Solaris”. It was an intense creative rush: in 8 weeks the album was written, performed and produced in one flow. I had two days every week, where I could go to the studio for 4 hours and that time the album was done. It had a corpus in a sense that I
knew I wanted a faster or a slower track at points, but the whole hotel idea came when I saw photos of the old Hotel Arkada on the Croatian island Hvar, that my extremely talented friend Marcella Zanki shot on her holidays.
They show a well preserved socialist-brutalist hotel architecture in the middle of the beautiful Adriatic and for me it was like looking at pictures from a timeless place, without knowing where and when it exactly was, totally surreal.
I liked that idea of a hote that stands as an escape symbol from the real world, which was something everyone needed when the pandemic was building stronger and stronger. I decided to call it Hotel Solaris, inspired by the novel from Stanislav Lem, where Solaris is a planet covered by an ocean which triggers our subconscious mind to
become reality. It all fit at the end and “Hotel Solaris” was done.
"This very first release on "Oonops Drops" has its very own story behind it. I planned to found my own label for more than half a year when my wife Lisa worked on her songs and when the idea came to me how this would sound if Japanese Jazz trio Nautilus would arrange some of them. I have known Toshi for six years now, met him personally here in Hanover and he's such a magnificent musician, so the idea became reality and they started working on the first two tracks until a total amount of nine songs was created. I'm so proud to share this very personal project with you (which was finally produced and mastery simultaneous to the foundation of my label by accident) and I hope you like it as much as we do.
For the first single release of the album I directly had the uplifting track "Everytime" in my mind and a remix which should transport the good vibes in a different direction. Pat Van Dyke, a longtime known producer and multi-instrumentalist from New Jersey took his hands on it and created a horns-loaden feel good version of it including a little guest appearance by Brooklyn based lyricist John Robinson.
You can get this release on LP, 7", CD or digital or get the reduced bundle of the LP including the 7".
Yours truly, Oonops."
About Lisa:
Starting with music from an early age, Lisa Decker wrote and pre-recorded some of these nine songs at least 25 years ago when she was a teenager. In the last years the songs got several times reviewed, reworked and complemented with new works by her besides being a full time (music) education teacher. You could describe the final results as a Pop album with many influences from Jazz, Hip Hop, Funk to Reggae surrounded by a Japanese sound spirit. The original demo tapes from back in the days are still alive.
Like every record Superchunk has made over the last thirty-some years, Wild Loneliness is unskippably excellent and infectious. It’s a blend of stripped-down and lush, electric and acoustic, highs and lows, and I love it all. On Wild Loneliness I hear echoes of Come Pick Me Up, Here’s to Shutting Up, and Majesty Shredding. After the (ahem, completely justifiable) anger of What a Time to Be Alive, this new record is less about what we’ve lost in these harrowing times and more about what we have to be thankful for. (I know something about gratitude.
I’ve been a huge Superchunk fan since the 1990s, around the same time I first found my way to poetry, so the fact that I’m writing these words feels like a minor miracle.) On Wild Loneliness, it feels like the band is refocusing on possibility, and possibility is built into the songs themselves, in the sweet surprises tucked inside them. I say all the time that what makes a good poem the “secret ingredient” is surprise. Perhaps the same is
true of songs. Like when the sax comes in on the title track, played by Wye Oak’s Andy Stack, adding a completely new texture to the song. Or when Owen Pallett’s strings come in on “This Night.” But my favorite surprise on Wild Loneliness is when the harmonies of Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley of Teenage Fanclub kick in on “Endless Summer.”
It’s as perfect a pop song as you’ll ever hear sweet, bright, flat-out gorgeous and yet it grapples with the depressing reality of climate change: “Is this the year the leaves don’t lose their color / and hummingbirds, they don’t come back to hover / I don’t mean to be a giant bummer but / I’m not ready / for an endless summer, no / I’m not ready for an endless summer.” I love how the music acts as a kind of counterweight to the lyrics.
Because of COVID, Mac, Laura, Jim, and Jon each recorded separately, but a silver lining is that this method made other long-distance contributions possible, from R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Sharon Van Etten, Franklin Bruno, and Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura, among others. Some of the songs for the record were written before the pandemic hit, but others, like “Wild Loneliness,” were written from and about isolation.
I’ve been thinking of songs as memory machines. Every time we play a record, we remember when we heard it before, and where we were, and who we were. Music crystallizes memories so well: listening to “Detroit Has a Skyline,” suddenly I’m shout1singing along with it at a show in Detroit twenty years ago; listening to Overflows,” I’m transported back to whisper-singing a slowed-down version of it to my young son, that year it was his most-requested lullaby.
Wild Loneliness is becoming part of my life, part of my memories, too. And it will be part of yours. I can picture people in 20, 50, or 100 years listening to this record and marveling at what these artists created together beauty, possibility, surprise during this alarming (and alarmingly isolated) time. But why wait? Let’s marvel now. - Maggie Smith
"Nilotic is the byproduct of God’s grace in my life. What you will hear is the journey of a confident, frustrated and sad Elsy trying to claim back, fix and uproot the evil of this world. However, what you won’t see is the spiritual journey I took with my Father, where I learnt, through obedience and true faith, that alone I am a mere mortal, but with him I can do ALL things.
This EP was never the point. God, in his full grace, chose to bless me with a product I can use to showcase his works in my life." - Elsy Wameyo, Adelaide, Australia
Greyscale's most personal release and perhaps the most important for label owner grad_u aka Aleksandr Martinkevič. Earlier this year, Alex was diagnosed with cancer. Certainly a horrible thing to hear and there has definitely been some low moments in certain stages of the journey. At just 36 years old, many of us are shocked that such a young person can develop cancer. After some research he found out that younger and younger people are randomly getting cancer studies show. An alarming trend to learn about. However, there has also been a lot of other learning and different new levels of appreciation for the simple things in life as a new higher level of inspiration in making music has manifested. And this new release encapsulates that. Alex has also felt a duty to make things better for others. Focusing on what can be improved as he wants to highlight research, treatment and the overall communication of this disease to more people in the electronic music scene. Part of the proceeds from this new album will be donated to the National Cancer Institute in his homeland of Lithuania.
Alex wants everyone to know that catching these signs early and getting regular checkups are your best chance at beating cancer. Thankfully Alex did this also and his treatments have gone well. Alex plans still stay steadfast with his label and his life. Simplifying things with the love from his family and friends, focusing on his hobbies
along with making sure he makes his health his #1 personal priority.
The name for this full length release is titled 'T2NO'. grad_u's most introspective work yet features 8 emotional tracks overall. The honesty expressed in this album is blunt and to the point. These tracks take you on an audio journey thru grad_u as he expresses his feelings thru the entire process in each stage.
Beginning with two wonderful ambient tracks named 'Genetic Mutation' & 'Carcinogen'. In the opener, Chords rain over you as a beautiful ambient melody peeks out underneath it followed by a more stark and hazy field of interference. From the gentle opener to the more tension filled follower, the personal journey of grad_u is
developing before your ears. The b-side of 'Neoplasm' is a bit more somber but also has a ray of light in it.
Introspective as it can get, this is a true journey through an uncertain future. 'MRI scan' needs no explanation....
The second half of the album begins the understanding of what grad_u was going thru. 'Malignant Transformation' gives off that feeling of the human body working thru the science. Fight or flight becomes the theme for this track. 'Adenocarcinoma' almost gives off the sound of cells rebuilding themselves. Sci-fi meets real life in this epic battle. 'Resection' continues this scientific sounding reflection on the body healing with sounds of movement and time. As if the body is working itself out. Lastly and triumphantly comes the closing
track 'Waking up to a New Life'....
The emotional journey of this album isn't for the faint of heart. It leaves nothing to the imagination. It works thru all the emotions that can come with such and life changing event like having cancer. We want to thank grad_u for sharing his story with us. This story can happen to anyone...
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my great gratitude to doctors A. Dulskas, G. Jurevičienė, V. Sidorov and all staff in Abdominal Surgery and Oncology Department at NCI. Thank you for your expert care and for saving my life.
Also, big big thank you my family and closest friends for all their love and support during this difficult period of time and always being there for me."
Special thanks to Lithuanian Council for Culture, associations AGATA and LATGA for support of this special project.
Part of proceeds from the album will be donated to National Cancer Institute, Lithuania
We are both very pleased to introduce Johannes Brecht to the Siamese family! A highly talented, trained and decorated musician is a fair description of Johannes and we’re proud to call him a friend and sometimes even a mentor.
This record has been in the works for a long time and since all of us wanted to have this EP out on vinyl too it took some time to get everything in place. As expected the three originals show a wide array of Johannes Brecht's world of electronic music. It's about creating something with love and passion rather than staying on safe ground
Akae Beka's inimitable style, developed over decades performing with St. Croix based band Midnite and countless recordings (including 2014 iTunes reggae album of the year BEAUTY FOR ASHES and RIDE TRU). At the point of his untimely passing in 2019, he had released over 70LP's. He is without a doubt one of the most prolific reggae artists ever known and his quanity is always matched with quality, with his albums consistently featuring in the top 10 on the billboard charts reggae LPs.
A unique contribution to the sea of Akae Beka titles, this LP showcases Vaughn Benjamin in a stripped back, raw accoustic fashion. An LP which will not be easily confined to any one genre, but for the fans of Vaughns uniquly rich, deep, textrued songwriting, uncompromising devotion to RasTafari and soulful healing melodies an absolute must have!
Dr Packer's work has been showcased by labels such as Salsoul, Defected, Glitterbox, Z Records, Masterworks, Disco Dat, Hot Digits & Midnight Riot' and received support from DJs such as 'Dimitri From Paris, Joey Negro, John Morales, Greg Wilson, Late Night Tuff Guy, Simon Dunmore to name a few.
The Tinted Love E.P is a selection of remixes that the good doctor has done for Tinted Records.
Matir Gaan is a collaboration between young Bengali migrant, Mohammed After Hussain and Italian electronic artist, Andrea Rusconi (aka Paq). The resulting album delightfully combines the ancient folk songs of Md After's homeland with Paq's cosmic synth exotica.
Mohammed After Hussain escaped Bangladesh in 2015 and arrived in Italy in 2017 after a long and dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from the violence he found in Libya. In Italy he found safety and hospitality as an asylum seeker in Rimini's Associazione Ardea, where Andrea is involved with 'Ardea Recordings' - a project aiming to create an archive of songs, stories and sounds by some of the people who spent some time with Ardea's refugee programme.
Md After was invited to sing and play the folk and village songs he knew on the harmonium and pakhawaj (two headed drum) while Andrea immersed himself in the songs providing a bed of warm Crumar synth and Veena drones to create a finished album of totally uniquela renditions of the mystic Baul folk songs known so well by people across the Bangla speaking regions of India.
The Bauls are a famous group of wandering minstrels from the region of Bengal whose culture is derived from the teachings of the early Sufi mystics and Hindu Fakhirs. The Baul devotees are considered to be mad, or possessed, with the love of God. While transcending religion the Baul compositions celebrate celestial and earthly love and expound the key philosophy of “Deha tatta” or truth in the body, epitomised by the aphorism “whatever is in the universe is in the body”. They reach for divinity here in this world and they seek to access it through music and dance. They seek spirituality in the music, they live fo r the music, wandering from village to village offering ecstatic sound waves in exchange for sustenance. Their presence remains an important part of village life in Bangladesh, and this is why Md After knows the songs despite the fact he would not consider himself part of the Baul ascetic tradition.
We hope you'll enjoy this wonderfully psychedelic album, with its unique interpretations of these ancient mystic songs from the earth.
Comes with a printed inner sleeve featuring sleeve notes and lyric translations by Brian P. Heilman
