Adeen Records 009 Make-Up... The Edits comes courtesy of producer and edit maestro Alkalino. The Germany based selector dug deep into his vaults of hard and electro to deliver some of the best sleeper and classic gems.The highlight of side one is easily Breakin' Wind, with other notable bangers such as Bang on it, Stardance and Fly with the wind. One thing about Adeen Records and the Make-Up series is they deliver every time.
The Minneapolis-raised DJ/Producer’s second album following 2014’s ‘Monoliths’ lands on Radio Slave’s Rekids imprint in November.
Although based in Berlin for several years, Dustin Zahn has continued to exert influence over the fertile but steadfastly underground Minneapolis techno scene as part of the Intellephunk collective whilst cultivating a worldwide rep via releases for Blueprint, Token and his own Enemy Records. The ‘Gain of Function’ LP sees Zahn channelling the groove-fuelled techno of the late ’90s and early ’00s and shaping eight powerful but funky contemporary techno tracks that display the decades of experience under his belt.
Forged from a series of live jams with two drum machines and two synths, the album is a refined collection of raw, purist techno brilliance. Across the A-side ‘Tell Me About Paradise’ brings shimmering staccato chops under bright and airy percussion before ‘Tangie Groove’ picks up the pace with floating pads, vocal slices, and a rumbling bassline. On ‘Lucid Dreams’, scattered percussion plays with hypnotic synth licks, while ‘Smoking in Silence’ sees off-kilter leads dancing between emotive vocals and evolving drum loops.
Opening the second disc is the deep and shuffling ‘Crimson Cheeks’, with trance-inducing samples nestled between sharp drum hits and rolling synthesis, and ‘Days Like These’ takes a darker turn as twinkling arps and droning pads carry the track. ‘Shark Rodeo’ featuring Jeremy Black mangles samples into a dense rolling affair, before closing number ‘Next Level Looseness’ drops the 4/4 pattern for a raucous club track, combining oddball sound sources and unruly production techniques for a trippy finish to the album.
Since the late ’90s, Zahn’s hypnotic and driving techno has consistently caught the ears of top DJs and labels worldwide, with anyone catching his marathon sets at the likes of Berghain exposed to expansive sets. In addition to his techno-heavy catalogue and DJing prowess, Zahn has lent production and engineering skills to bands and singers, recently working with Poliça and on Carm’s Pitchfork approved eponymous album. Beyond this, his vital work with Intellephunk includes the nearly two decades long running Communion after-hours events, cementing his invaluable contributions to the scene.
The so much anticipated Volume 9 of the fortunate limited edition vinyl series FullTime Factory is finally here! Gems from the FullTime
Production vaults re-edited and remixed with a House, Nu-Disco and Disco Twist!
On Side A Jimmy Ross' Classic "S.O.S. Of Love" got brand new life
through Flowersons' nu-disco attitude and "Tell Me" from the eponymous Rainbow Team album dated back 1981, is re-edited by J.B. Boogie.
On the flipside, italo-disco funk gem "Gosh" by Galaxy band is rematered and repressed for the first time on vinyl, while the neapolitan funky jam "O' Guaglione" by Tony Cicco is re-crafted by the M.B. Edit's fine scalpel.
4 tunes to boogie!
We welcome back our good friend Karotte with his first release on Break New Soil in over a decade! „XTC“ is pure Karotte dancefloor fire - weird, powerful and beautiful! On remix duties, we are psyched to have our good friend Jeroen Verhej aka Secret Cinema, who really needs no introduction to techno heads around the planet, and he delivered exactly what we've been hoping for: A relentless big-room Techno rework - boom! The second original track by Karotte is called „Drive“, and it's on the deeper side of things, yet not less intriguing at all. Welcome back home, Peter!
Illegal Alien are back with another split EP for our 12′ Vinyl Series ‘No Boundaries’ this time for the edition number four. For the A Side we welcome back Illegal Alien member the great Mari Mattham with two incredible cuts and for the B Side we got the powerful Michel Lauriola with also two massive tracks, great music for the peak time hours. This is just another fantastic record and we are really proud to present it to all of you.
Repress!
In May 2018, Belgium's Amelie Lens launched LENSKE, the fruit of working on new music and collaborating with her peers. The aim was to create a platform to release her own and friend's music that they use to tear apart dance floors around the globe. Less than two years after, LENSKE is putting out their 10th release and it's evolved into something more than just a label, but a family.
During this relatively short time, the prolific crew formed by Amelie Lens, Farrago, Milo Spykers, AIROD and Ahl Iver have released a collection of contemporary anthems, storming techno cuts and acid weapons. The imprint's catalogue illustrates their exploration for a shade of techno particularly focused on the hi-NRG factor. You can usually catch them at the Exhale showcases worldwide - at the likes of fabric London, Off Sonar in Barcelona and Dour in Belgium- testing their new productions that the crowd highly anticipate for their release.
For this fresh record, each artist contributes a track for a mini VA compilation showcasing the label's sound. Belgian producer Milo Spykers opens up with 'Traversing', a heavy-hitting cut with a ravenous sound design. Hot on the heels of her recent compilation for the fabric presents series, Amelie Lens steps up with her brand new tune 'The Future' featuring energetic synth hooks with her signature vocals. AIROD goes ravey with 'Divine Power' introducing jungle elements, while on the other side, Farrago delivers a catchy vocal-led slammer with 'Step Up'. Ahl Iver, the newest addition to the label, brings the final touch with the intoxicating 'Night Creature'. The future is bright!
Following the arrival of their debut album ‘Alterazione’, LF58 (F.Scorcucchi and G.Tillieci) are back on Astral Industries with a special trove of outer-space explorations. Recorded one evening back in April 2019 as a live performance at Rome’s Brancaleone, the eponymously titled album offers a sprawling journey across the pan-dimensional ether. Spread across six sides of vinyl, the performance includes fully improvised material as well as choice selections from Simone Giudice, Jonas Kopp, Nuel, Birds of Prey, Rapoon, Steve Roach and Adham Shaikh. There is no doubt that the unique energy and circumstances of the evening contribute to a certain atmosphere present in the music.
With seemingly no beginning nor end, the session emerges in suspension; an electric ocean of infinite deepness. Gleaming across the patter of galaxies on a wide black backdrop, its myriad vistas are projected like transitioning scenes of an unending story. The gentle tide brings with it specks of cosmic debris and mysterious signals. Soon, quiet drones are overtaken by ripples of solar flare and percussive clamours. Forms melt like liquid, a ball of amorphous plasma pulsating with ecstatic radiance. Prying open universe within universe, ‘Live at Brancaleone’ has a vastness that cannot really be contained.
Orange Tree Edits build on their rock solid catalogue with this stellar Vinyl EP debut from Ukranian DJ Yucca Mü.
Richly textured A-side ‘Bluebird’ samples a Soviet era Sci-Fi film to assemble a delightfully weird and wonderful, at once ethereal, refreshing and playful dancefloor heater. Church bells, choral hymns and villainous voiceovers layered on top of a rolling, chuggy low-end propel this tune into peak time territory. A tender church choir acapella outro is a joyous highlight - think festival closing time.
The flip side cut ‘Femme Symbole’ offers up organ stabs alongside swirling grand piano and a sensuous vocal to produce a belter of an edit built for the dark and steamy dance zone.
With support from Hunee, Jonny Rock, Lauren Hansom, Bell Towers, Nicola Cruz & Paula Tape you know you need a copy!
The new batch from the bottomless edit archives of Danny Krivit is an uptempo, guitar-heavy excursion into two cuts of danceable rock from opposite sides of a decade.
“Marbles” originally came out late in 1970, the result of a collaboration between the fiery British guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Buddy Miles. Miles was hot off his time with Jimi Hendrix, and producer Alan Douglas, who’d been instrumental in putting together the Band of Gypsys group, attempted another crossover combination with a brand new, blazing guitar god. Also on the date was Larry Young, an organ player best known for his expansive jazzy albums on Blue Note, and several veterans of Buddy Miles’ funk-rock combos. The resulting mixture produced in “Marbles” a powerful, driving rhythm anchoring an addictive riff that steamrolls through the cut in a fashion not unlike the motorik sound of Velvet Underground or Can. Mr. K’s edit leans heavily on the drums, naturally, with a long, tailor-made intro and a mesmerizing focus on the main riff, extending things well past the seven-minute mark.
Ten years later, the world of music was in an entirely different place but a good guitar riff coupled with a driving beat was still powerful currency on the dancefloor. This time, the group was Scottish new wave-punk group APB, whose single “Shoot You Down” had garnered unexpected peak time play in cutting edge NYC hotspots Danceteria, the Peppermint Lounge, the Ritz and the Mudd Club. “Shoot You Down” combines the urgency of the Clash with the free for all vibe that characterized the downtown scene (and throws in a chant borrowed from P-Funk for good measure). Mr. K has created a long instrumental opening that leads into the vocals, giving the tightly-wound 7-inch single a proper extended 12-inch treatment it deserved but never had before.
The sound is crisply remastered for club play, and stretched over the breadth of a 12-inch single. Both of these tracks are appearing on the long-format player for the first time.
Black Vinyl[33,57 €]
Nervous Records, the iconic label synonymous with the rise of house from the streets of New York City, will mark 30 years in the music industry by releasing the celebratory compilation LP ‘Nervous Records: 30 Years’ on October 1st (Part 1) and October 15th (Part 2).
Featuring original mixes of the label’s biggest tracks, plus remixes by some of its most celebrated acts, ‘Nervous Records: 30 Years’ is both a celebration of the past and of the future. Featuring a who’s who of electronic dance music, the long player sees names including Louie Vega, David Morales Darius Syrossian, Tensnake, Monki, Franky Rizardo, Danny Howard and more take on iconic Nervous cuts: ‘You Make Me Feel Mighty Real’, ‘Treat Me Right’, ‘Future Groove’, ‘Feel Like Singing’, ‘Get Up Everybody’, ‘Break You’, ‘Hot’, ‘End This Hate’, ‘Unspeakable Joy’, ‘Can Ya Tell Me’, ‘Jerk It’, ‘The Anthem’, ‘It Makes A Difference’, ‘Learn 2 Luv’ and ‘Don’t You Ever Give Up’.
The album marks one of the most enduring, extraordinary legacies to grace America’s illustrious music history, not just in electronica but far beyond. Founded in 1991 by Michael and his father Sam Weiss, and recognizable immediately by its distinctive character logo, the label grew rapidly, in no small part due to Michael Weiss’ practically unmatched passion for discovering new music.
“Louie Vega and Kenny Dope woke me at 4am on Tuesday night, Wednesday morning from their studio telling me they had something really different that I needed to hear,” Michael recollects. “I asked if they could play it over the phone. They said if I wanted to hear it I had to come to the studio. So of course I got myself up, got dressed and went there. That “really different track” ended up being ‘The Nervous Track’, a tune that became our signature release and was also highly instrumental in the emergency of London’s ‘Broken Beat’ movement.”
The label’s willingness to take chances on fresh sounds and innovative concepts rising up from the melting pot sidewalks of NYC ensured a body of work that has become a living musical history of the city. House cuts ‘Unspeakable Joy’ and ‘Nitelife’ (Kim English), ‘Get Up (Everybody)’ (Byron Stingily) and ‘Feel Like Singing’ (Sandy B) bump up against hip-hop anthems like ‘Who Got Da Props’ (Black Moon) and “Bucktown” (Smif-n-Wessun) and reggae cut ‘Take It Easy’ (Mad Lion); soulful flows from Mood II Swing (Kim English ‘Learn 2 Luv’, Loni Clark “Rushing”), Armand Van Helden (‘The Anthem’) and Nuyorican Soul (‘Mind Fluid’) sit alongside seminal techno singles like Winx’ ‘Don’t Laugh’. The young artists and producers who joined the Nervous Records’ family have gone on to become some of the most hallowed and celebrated dance acts of all time: Louie Vega, Kenny Dope, David Morales, Tony Humphries, Roger Sanchez, Armand Van Helden, Kerri Chandler, Kim English, Byron Stingily, Josh Wink, to name just a handful.
“We did a release with Josh Wink under his Winx alias entitled ‘Nervous Build-Up’,” Michael said. “It did well and it was obvious how talented Josh was. Subsequent to that release I was pretty persistent in asking him to continue to play me his new demos. During one phone conversation he said, “Mike I’m gonna play you something over the phone but don’t laugh when you hear it.” That demo ended up being ‘Don’t Laugh’, which became one of our biggest international hits and still to this day is one of America’s earliest and most impactful techno hits.”
As much a celebration of the label’s future as it is of their past, Nervous Records: 30 Years is but a marker in the imprints’ history, a clear sign of where they’ve been and also where they’re going. With 30 years behind them, the label’s determination to unearth new raw diamonds in the rough is as unwavering as ever.
“I’ve always been one to look at what others are doing (the industry at large) and think, “ok, are they doing this specific thing for a reason, or doing it because everyone else is doing the same thing” and make my decision based on that,” says Nervous Records’ General Manager Andrew Salsano. “In an age where data metrics and analytics reign supreme, I remain steadfast that they should be complementary to your decision and not the sole indicator to make one. So many songs today are written with 15 second hooks in mind for social media, and while there’s nothing wrong with that business model you will always be chasing the wave instead of carving out your own path and identity.
“My primary focus for the sound of the label has and will continue to revolve around signing good songs and music that has the ability to react at the street level first. The best results come from artists that are firstly given a bit of local love that grows into a global impact. Fresh ideas that express child-like curiosity and artists showing vulnerability in their music are also something I look for, artists and producers that are not making music with certain markets in mind, but rather their own style and signature that is unique but able to straddle the fine line of underground and overground.”
Still as raw, as underground and as finely tuned to the dance floor as they ever have been, perhaps the secret to the success - and the longevity - of Nervous Records has something to do with that hard, dogged, no-holds-barred NYC edge that runs through the veins of the label. With the next generation of producers rising from the clubs of New York, one thing is certain; Nervous Records will be there to find them, nurture them and bring them to the world at large, over the next decade and beyond.
This is the 3rd release on Zimp Recordings, an independent techno label based in Scotland.
Edinburgh based DJ and producer Filthy Rich, label boss at 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.
There’s five techno bangers on this EP that definitely do not disappoint. Kraken, a sullen and atmospheric deep underwater masterpiece, Stinky Funk, does exactly what it says on the tin, a wonky banger. Next up, an oven ready techno commentary on Brexshite from Boris himself with Wiff Waff. 2 tonne bass on the flip side pierces your brain with electro noise which Randolph Glahs remixes with his signature industrial hammer to break your mind open on the final track! It’s no coincidence this titan of techno has landed just in time for the clubs reopening!
Tripmastaz is back, this time drenched in Summery, laid-back Sunday vibes. The main title, appropriately named 'Sunday Mix 1,' is steeped in rich organ arrangements, deep vocals, and funky bass stabs, the kind of combination one wishes on a laid-back Sunday afternoon. The subtle percussive variations and the thorough but discreet synth work fill up the sonic space with an infectious swag - which is even more evident on 'Mix # 3.1.'
And whereas the main title, "Sunday," relies on a more laid-back approach, the flip-side 'Puppi Luv' literally flips the gears to a scenario where the groove is the focal point, and everything is playful - but strangely hypnotic. "Partying With Illusions" is a lush, uplifting record that finds Tripmastaz once again showcasing his skills as an outstanding music producer.
Bart Skils returns to Drumcode with a trio of dancefloor weapons. The artist has been one of the most consistent label contributors over the last 18 months, with two Truesoul EPs, a cut on A-Sides Vol.10 and now ‘New Era’, his second Drumcode EP in a year.
‘All Over My Body’ features a collaboration with well-regarded US producer/DJ/vocalist Superchumbo and is a ready-made festival track, propelled by a memorable vox hook, driving groove and thrilling effects. ‘Golden Temple’ is trademark Skils and builds to a hypnotic laser-kissed climax. ‘Dub Killer’ is punchy techno at its finest, capped off by a woozy vocal drop.
Whiskey Disco returns with another brilliant EP by Australian producer Kayroy, known for creating new intersections between edits, reworks, and originals that the label is known for.
A driving, tension-heavy original A-side reminiscent of early Sound Stream, complimented by two wonderfully selected reworks - a smartly tightened up beautiful instrumental gem originally by Japanese guitarist & composer, Shigeru Suzuki, and an almost necessary revision of euro-disco genius Alec Costandinos’s opus "Romeo & Juliet".
A wide ranging and fantastic record all around.
John Lord Fonda announces a new album and returns to Citizen Records after a ten-year absence with a new EP, featuring two hard-hitting unreleased tracks.
A decade after his last album Supersonique, the Dijon-born artist is back with a vengeance, showcasing more than ever his dark side, and the least we can say is that it was worth the wait. Releasing once again on Citizen Records, the label founded by Vitalic, Fonda has dug deep into his psyche, channelling his experiences into strong, metallic, dreamlike rhythms.
Like a steel machine, the deep baseline of They Will Fight For You, with its slow, heavy, mechanical beat sets off at the pace of a long-distance run and keeps us locked into a deliciously brutal alternate reality. Early fans of the artist will go crazy for this dark, cerebral techno!
Les Dunes d’Altaïr offers a warmer, more mystical voyage thanks to its oriental tinges, and is a fitting homage to Plastikman's Spaz and Spastik monikers.
Despite being an ode to the power of rhythm, it's the image and delicate feel of a desert wind that wafts towards us, and the track keeps listeners breathless for nearly eight minutes, oscillating between these two worlds.
Guest of honour Damon Jee has remixed Les Dunes d’Altaïr, delivering a disco-flecked minimal rework perfect for accompanying the sun as it sets, or indeed rises.
The return of John Lord Fonda is definitely the comeback no-one should miss in 2021.
The Altaïr EP is the first taste of the artist's next album, due this autumn.
A new lick of paint for the House of Disco, serving you slick, sophisticated and just as stylish. Taking the keys for the thirtieth release, Dutch dynamo Cleanfield, who lays down a four track EP dripping in summer sun.
The A side opens with ‘Sunshy’ a disco house banger, complete with bumping bass, sun-kissed toplines and warped Kool & The Gang synth warbles, before ‘Oregano’, takes you on a Mediterranean flavoured, supercharged dream house journey spliced with tripped out arppegiated wanderings.
On the flip, ‘Krispy’ a tropical, synth-heavy party starter with sandy beaches and crystal-clear oceans in mind and ‘Caught In The Act’ an underwater sea sensation, drenched in drunken arps and a cocktail of chants, guitar licks and good vibes.
Platform 23 is delighted to present music from Colin Potter with It Was, a collection of tracks chosen from his 1989 cassettes Recent History Volumes 1 & 2.
After a burst of activity, mainly on his ICR label, from 1980 - 82, the tapes were the first released music in seven years and highlighted the intervening period.
While much of his earlier recordings have now been reissued by Dark Entries, Deep Distance and Sacred Summits, It Was covers the period where Potter recordings were limited while working as an engineer at his IC Studio, and pre-date his work with Nurse With Wound.
The ambience and guitar of The French Polisher leads to Diary Of A Nobody, an embodiment of Potter, sequencers and guitar against submerged, metallic percussion rising. Dense, claustrophobia follows in Solidarity At Wujeck Colliery towards the guitar refrains of Persistence.
Side two starts with Green Fields, where plucked guitars are surrounded and consumed by arpeggios. Propulsion without percussion, the layers of arps shift and redefine before the scatter of Saw with reversed synths and guitar acting as counterbalance. Nine Months, a possible centerpiece, has an autumnal atmosphere; crashing cymbals and ambulant guitar, leading to the closing Ships That Pass In The Night, a hazy drift of slowly sequenced synths & primitive voice samples.
For their next edit M&H put Udo Jürgens, Jam & Spoon and
Daft Punk together into a ¦ctional studio on Italy's south
coast. That might sound strange, but the result is rather
fantastic. Grab your copy! A side: smooth discoish house
mix - B side: raw ghetto style mix
Total oddball production that has left a terrifying wake of mystery throughout many online digger circles which eventually even led to a mini documentary explaining the origin of the crown jewel “Dirty Cowboy” sound which is featured in this release along with another one of Richard Plasko’s tripped out involuntary lo-fi excursions on the B-side. Ron Hardy and the Village People walk into a bedroom studio...Thoroughly remastered from master tapes and brought back to life on vinyl for the first time.
