On March 26, 2015, a surprising announcement sent shockwaves through the Belgian music scene. Noe?mie Wolfs declared her departure from Hooverphonic, the band she had fronted as the lead singer for over five years. She described it as the end of an incredible chapter in her life and expressed her desire to forge her own musical path, which she did by releasing her critically acclaimed debut album "Hunt You" a year later.
In February 2020, the long-anticipated second solo album by Noe?mie arrived, titled "Lonely Boy's Paradise," brimming with melancholic hues. Taking her time to craft and record this album, Noe?mie delivered a collection of songs that resonated even more deeply with her. At the production helm was Yello Staelens (also known as Yong Yello). With "Lonely Boy's Paradise," her confidence grew, allowing her to embrace risk and unconventional ideas. However, the international lockdown soon threw a spanner in the works, as the society shut down a day after her celebrated sold-out release show at the Ancienne Belgique. Rather than sit by, she therefore retreated to her home studio to work on new music.
Making music from the heart has always been in the DNA of Belgian singer Noémie Wolfs and yet this time it is a tad different as she's gearing up to release her third album, "Wild At Heart," in November. This time around, she joined forces again with her partner in crime, Simon Casier (of Balthazar and Zimmerman), to write and produce the album in their home studio. Despite being in the business for years, the upcoming project also immediately presented a challenge for her because this time she was involved both as a writer, but more importantly as a producer, giving the album an even more personal touch. Everything was done from an emotion or a vision, you notice and hear the love for enchanting arrangements immediately.
The ten tracks on "Wild At Heart" promise a distinct sound, enriched with meticulous attention to detail. The melodies are interwoven with dreamy, melancholic strings and an array of synths, revealing a new facet of Noémie's musical evolution. The new sound of Noémie evolved from a hip-hop-oriented use of samples on her second album "Lonely Boys Paradise" to a more electronic approach, where danceable beats with analog synths join forces with big orchestrated strings to capture the different facets of a love story.
"Strings are actually very hopeful or often form a warm blanket for many people, but can also be very frightening, oppressive, dark, and sad. It might even be my favourite instrument, which is why I definitely wanted to use them on this album. Sometimes you can even hear 42 violins at the same time, with which we wanted to capture the grandeur of Hollywood," she says about including strings.
The upcoming album is not a sonic continuation of her previous albums, but a deliberate exploration of what has always inspired her. "Wild At Heart" tells the story of two lovers who cannot live with each other, but also cannot live without each other. The dramaturgy of the album also reflects itself musically, which is immediately evident with the first single "Lonely Heart". In almost eight minutes, you feel the matchless passion in her music and her voice remains the narrative thread that makes you forget time and space around you for a moment. Noémie Wolfs' new music is therefore the perfect way to take a break from the daily grind and digs deep into all forms of romance.
"Wild At Heart" is Noémie Wolfs' reintroduction and her most personal project so far. For dreamers, lovers, and travelers.
quête:sim 2
Seoul duo Salamanda arrive on Wisdom Teeth with their latest and most focused LP yet: 'In Parallel' - a vividly textural and immersive record that brings a new level of clarity to their typically psychedelic, expansive approach. Since arriving in 2019, the pair - comprised of friends Uman Therma (aka Sala) and Yetsuby (aka Manda) - have been fast at work mapping out their elaborate, dream-state sonic world - prolifically honing their sound across four albums and over a dozen singles to date. Across their already-extensive discography the pair have established a few key calling cards. Mallet instruments and tuned drums play out playful music-box melodies. Thick washes of gaseous ambience invoke otherworldly or ancient soundscapes. And buried fragments of found sound and manipulated vocal give their otherwise synthetic compositions a warm sense of first-person narrative. Ambient and Reich-school minimalism are the music’s most obvious sonic touchstones - yet the pulse of contemporary club and pop music have never been totally out of earshot. All of these themes come in to play here - but 'In Parallel' signals a step well beyond Salamanda’s work to date. Since 2022’s 'ashbalkum' (released on Wisdom Teeth alumni Tristan Arp’s label, Human Pitch), the duo have toured extensively: at classical institutions like London’s Kings Place as well as DIY club dens like Manchester’s White Hotel, all via a series of globally renowned festivals like Mutek, Nachti and Dekmantel. Their creative set-up has grown steadily alongside to incorporate a whole suite of new machines, processes and perspectives, taking their music in bold new directions in the process. The clearest development here is in the duo’s use of vocals - a shift that has been slowly taking place over their last few records, but that comes to a head on In Parallel. The album’s lead single 'Homemade Jam' is the closest the duo have come to writing an all-out pop track: its buoyant beat and autotuned vocals sounding like something SOPHIE and Charli XCX could have written after a particularly potent batch of mushroom tea. It’s a razor-sharp slice of alt-pop that offers a mouthwatering first look at what happens when Salamanda’s sprawling, unbridled creative energy is distilled right down into something concentrated and polished. At other points their sonic explorations lead them to embrace a more upfront approach to rhythm, skirting closer than ever before to the dancefloor in the process. The meandering drums and vocal chops on 'Paper Labyrinth' are underpinned by a firm 4x4 pulse, while the dembow groove of 'Tonal, Fluid' would feel right at home in a Nick León or DJ Plead set. 'In Parallel' is a record about connection, and the warmth and nostalgic simplicity of friendship is felt vividly throughout. Its title refers to the harmony the duo have found between them as friends and collaborators - and sonic parallels are traced throughout the record as testament to this. Motifs come and go before reappearing at later points: take, for example, the melody underpinning ‘Sun Tickles’, which returns in a different key and tempo on album closer ‘Mysterious Wedding’. Parallel lines are traced between each artist and through their music, linking back to their past and pointing ahead to the future. Only Salamanda know where these will take us next.
One more year, we are now working tirelessly on our beloved label. Just as we did last year, this 2023, we are back with our 'ANAØH INVITES' series.
Last year we had the wonderful presence of James Ruskin and Ben Sims as guests of honor, that wonderful 12' vinyl sold out in a few weeks, however it is time to present our second volume, where again Dig-It and Fixon as hosts of the label invite 2 artists to join them and release original 4 tracks on a special edition 12' vinyl. In this second chapter we have the presence of a veteran whom we respect and love deeply, one of the main people responsible for the classic hardgroove sound , Mark Williams.
As well as one of our wonder boys, the virtuous CRAVO.
We feel honored and moved to have this second collaboration, which we hope will please everyone! Thank you for all the love and support during these first 7 years of adventure.
From México with Love. Fixon & Dig-It
On 'Models', Lee Gamble liberates sonic spectres to inform a suite of illusory anthems, subliming vulnerable, half-remembered fragments of dream pop, Soundcloud rap and trance in the process. Sung by cybernetic voices in an almost wordless language, his widescreen memories reverberate across the last few decades of pop history, smudging Elizabeth Frazer's surreal poetry into disembodied diva cries and Lil Uzi Vert's abstract, AutoTuned mumbles. Extracting haunted fragments of synthetic corrupted chatter and indecipherable non-words to sculpt dreamy pop simulacrums, Gamble takes the concept of the pop producer to its logical extreme; examining how intonation and language is engineered to monopolise our attention, his magical inversion of pop playing like a bewitching symphony of earworms.
Guachinche Records is a label that has taken on board the best of the Andalusia and Tenerife breakbeat scenes. Led by the experienced groups Mutantbreakz and Bubble Couple, the label is known for its good taste, variety and good judgement when it comes to selecting the music that makes up its catalogue. All those years experience of broken beats have inevitably led to the release of this brilliant GUACH001 The label first vinyl offering is a compilation album that offers a perfect summation of its essence and quality.
The record opens with a sure-fire hit by the legendary Rasco, who, together with Bubble Couple, has created Old Groove. Featuring piano and the kind of baselines to stick in the memory and make your hair stand on end, it's a track that many of you have been waiting to get hold of in vinyl format. The trip continues in the hands of Suga 7, who offers a true taste of the Canary Islands on his classy track Hideaway, a sheer delight with the high tempos and playful basses so beloved of the Islanders.
We then move on to the B-side, which features an absolute gem of a sound by the duo Mutantbreakz. A musically elaborate track with quality touches and passages of guitar, piano and vocals, it grabs you right from the start of a sonic trip that will prepare you for the final denouement Raverman brings things to a close with the epic Sayonora and a slice of acid electro-trance. This striking ending rounds off the kind of record that doesn't come along every day.
Mastered by Simon Davey at the Exchange Vinyl in London.
Following much love for his EPs, remixes and club sets, the virtuosic DJ/producer Simo Cell’s debut album 'Cuspide des Sirènes' doesn’t disappoint. In fact, it takes things to a whole new level.
With a fantastical menagerie of anthropomorphism, sounds create characters and tools; the mermaid-like Sirens, the mind controlling Octopus and the Magic Conch Shell:
“Have you heard of the legend of 'Cuspide des Sirènes'? This is not a simple tale, but an incredible tapestry woven over many years and through countless wondrous adventures. I will recount the legend as it was recorded in the ancient scrolls.
The album’s story explores the themes of magic, enchantment, charm, and allure, but also personal fears. The protagonist (me) embarks on a quest to find the hidden lake and confront his own demons, in order to understand and master his own power.
The protagonist is armed with a powerful conch shell. As he embarks on his journey, he will encounter Sirens who will teach him various chants. These melodies hold unique powers and grant the main character the strength to confront and overcome any danger that may arise.” Simo Cell
Musically, the LP is a continuation of Simo’s journey that began with the ‘YES.DJ’ EP, with a synthesized/modernized take on noughties hip hop, bass music, trap, ghetto house and ghetto tech – but here he broadens the scope, massively.
Exploring new pathways through magical landscapes, via infused melodies, emo and pop, the sensations are bright and addictive, like a sugar and endorphin cocktail. There’s a screen sheen and video game quality too, sounding like the high-octane score to an action flick from the year 3000, with unimaginably wild SFX.
'Cuspide des Sirènes' is the kind of record to stop someone in their tracks, to ask “what IS this?”, provoking bass face, perplexion, fascination and manic glee, all at once. Not so much organised chaos as intricately-crafted-borderline-unhingement, the album is slightly bonkers, in a very good way. There’s a boundless sense of childlike, unencumbered imagination at play, and an abundance of fun, but there are moments of serious-deep-beat-science for the heads, and introspective passages too.
There’s a lot going on, with detail, layers, flourishes, arrangement, melodies and myriad fresh sounds – but it’s never too much; just a really engrossing listen – the kind that that ruins ones appetite for prosaic, vanilla dance music, rendering such 2D pursuits boring and obsolete.
Ideally, the album is meant to be experienced as a seamless narrative from start to finish, so leave any inhibitions or preconceptions at the door, and let the pied piper of electronic futurism lead you way down the rabbit hole.
- A1: Danny Tenaglia And Cevin Fisher - Move That Body
- A2: David Tort, Tom Stephan, & Superchumbo - Perverts (Miami Tech Extended Mix)
- A3: Developer - Horns From The West
- B1: Basement Jaxx - Express Yourself (Pig&Dan Eclectic Mix)
- B2: Beat Factory - Like Somebody (Feat. Karina Smirnova)
- C1: Moderat - Running (Dt’s Bkny Version)
- C2: True School Players - Blow Your Mind
- C3: Irregular Synth - One Night In Ecstasy (Simina Grigoriu Remix)
- D1: Dino Lenny - Talk To Me (Dino Lenny & Damon Jee Mix)
- D2: Kpd - Everyday (Extended Mix)
- D3: Aragon & Kobe (Mx) - Jma
- E1: Amir Telem - Fool (D-Nox Remix)
- E2: Ciro Briceño, Adrian Y, & Nablo - Bones
- E3: Tenzella - Hi 79
- F1: Danny Tenaglia - The Brooklyn Gypsy
- F2: Kamilo Sanclemente - Eclipse
Vol. 2[35,71 €]
2lanes is proud to announce the next single, TINCTURE/ MY SIMULACRA, from his recently minted label AUTO SHOP. The two-tracker finds the artist both deepening his expansive sound and honing it to weave seamlessly into any DJ set. “TINCTURE / MY SIMULACRA” solidifies the cinematic textures and rusty low-end percussive drive of 2lanes’ earlier releases this year, “Diamond Rain EP'' & “Sid Ranger Redux EP.” Spending much of this past year on the road, 2lanes dove headfirst into the contemporary electronic music world, meeting an array of new and exciting producers, some of which are featured remixers on this release.
On the A side, take a dose of TINCTURE and see just how far the rabbit hole goes. Inspired by raving all night with friends, 2lanes linked with Detroit-based singer AKILLACO for a wild talking track like none other. We all know those moments at the party when both nothing and everything makes sense. You want to be prophetic but you just make everyone laugh. You think about the past, future, & present all at once. This is the ultimate message of TINCTURE, which AKILLACO emphatically points out. The long-winded musing is underlined by a heavy swung style beat that 2lanes fans have come to know well. Frequent 2lanes collaborator Salar Ansari joins the fun for the steamy, guitar-laden Howling Diablo remix that could as easily be played at a forest rave as a sleazy dive bar a la Coyote Ugly. Purelink’s MILLIA reduces the solution to an even dubbier chill out mix that begs to be played in the early mornings.
On the B side, we have the bass-heavy vision quest MY SIMULACRA. Ancient percussion meets modern sub bass–and together, they transport you to a new plane of being. This track also features performances from a few regular 2lanes sonic cohorts. Detroit keyboard prodigy Ian Fink (Scott Grooves Ensemble, Omar S) evokes celestial moments with a memotron solo, and Jonah Baseball (Overtone Series) provides a stargate-sounding break beat. MY SIMULACRA features two amazing remixes. The First is from Baltimore-based club aficionado JIALING and the second is a prime cut of rough and ready machine phunk from Los Angele’s 1morning.
Initially recorded at 2lanes’ home studio over Halloween in 2021, TINCTURE has since evolved to its final form that we see now. The tune has even shown up in sets from electric selectors like Scott Zacharias and Livwutang. The record label features beautiful artistic renditions by Norway-based Sverre Brand, whose work can be found on releases by Priori and Dust E-1.
- A1: Drift On
- A2: Piñata 02 50
- A3: Gunz
- A4: First Among Misfits (Ft The Narrator) 04 28
- B1: La Vacanza (Ft Kidä)
- B2: Sublime
- B3: Exit To Cisco
- B4: Lady (Ft Bbymutha) 03 44
- C1: O Vampiro
- C2: Bonehead Behavior
- C3: Vicious Chambers
- D1: Ultra Scuro
- D2: And There Goes The Challenger
- D3: Less Burners Bigger Hearts (Ft The Narrator, Azekel)
Multidisciplinary artist GAIKA returns with a new track titled “LADY” featuring bbymutha from his forthcoming album, Drift out on September 8th.
Thrashing drums and droned out guitars take immediate effect on “LADY” but it’s the two mavericks' electrifying chemistry that is the driving force of this track. Enlisting KIDÄ (Yves Tumor) on production with additional contributions from Azekel (Gorillaz) and Max Winter, alternative rock and audacious rap come crashing together as GAIKA and bbymutha flex their lyrical prowess, unapologetically expressing their devotion to their lovers on this twisted, feverish affair.
Newly signed to Big Dada Recordings, home to Roots Manuva, Yaya Bey, Kae Tempest, Brian Nasty and more, GAIKA jumps back into music with new invigoration after delving into work as a composer to unveil Drift - his most expansive work to date. The visionary invites listeners on a high-speed journey where love, pain, brutality and beauty collide to produce a vivid and provocative cinematic masterpiece. The sonic universe of Drift is the most stylistically accurate representation of GAIKA’s personal tastes to date, stitching musical influences past and present such as Prince, Wu Tang Clan, Massive Attack, John Coltrane, Pink Siifu and A$AP Rocky to land on a gritty, distorted sound pulsating with an unwavering, formidable energy that’s disruptive yet timeless.
Drift is 14 tracks of nostalgic escapism, a shape-shifting body of work with hip hop and club music cultures at its core, as those simply run through the veins of GAIKA. Analogue and retro in feeling, Drift’s psychedelic feel is formed by incorporating 90s grunge, dark wave, post-punk and alt-rock into its tapestry. It’s a representation of his heritage and environment, featuring calypso steel pans to gospel vocals, reverberating dub to frenetic rap and elements of sound design taken from recordings of the real world. GAIKA’s music transcends borders and his nomadic nature means he simultaneously belongs and doesn’t, his music cannot be confined to just one genre and this unique new record further cements him as one of the most progressive artists of our time, telling the tale of modern day renaissance man driving away from the economic hierarchy he doesn't believe in.
GAIKA endeavoured to create a waking dream by constant participation in communal art making, removing the separation between art and life, his imagination and community and breaking the boundary between real life and any spectacular representation of it. He set up a number of situational arts facilities in the heart of London including shows at ICA, 180 the Strand, Now Gallery and as the world reopened, created pop up galleries, studios, exhibitions and raves with the intention to enhance the experience of real life by dreaming. To achieve this coherently and authentically the process became akin to a form of psychological examination of memories made before music “mattered” to GAIKA - before becoming commodified, individualised and his name capitalised.
Drift became the term used to describe the creative happenings in these spaces and the name for the collective of people who made this record. GAIKA is the central writer and composer working closely with KIDÄ on production and a group of classically trained musicians with contributions from Azekel, Charlie Stacey, Brbko and The Narrator over an extended period of time where they recorded music late into the night, night after night.
'Tema di Susie' is one of the main themes from the soundtrack composed by Alessandro Alessandroni for the 1976 Italian noir Sangue di sbirro, known in English as Blood and Bullets, as well as Knell, Bloody Avenger (the Susie in the original title refers to the female love interest of the film's hero, who is on a mission to seek revenge for the gangland murder of his policeman father).
At once sweet and sentimental, haunting and melancholic, 'Tema di Susie' stands out from the other tracks in the film, which are more action oriented. Like the rest of the score, however, it exemplifies the way in which, during the '70s, Italian film composers created their own version of the sound of American blaxploitation cinema, with its groovy blend of funk, jazz, and soul. It is no coincidence that the film's director, B-movie specialist Alfonso Brescia, specifically requested music in the style of Shaft, the iconic film that defined that sound in 1971.
Though seemingly simple, 'Tema di Susie' is a perfect example of Alessandroni's style – in particular his unique ability to effortlessly blend groove and melody, funk and feeling, into one musical piece. So, we invited different artists with different backgrounds, influences and approaches to bring their individual take on this elegant and now timeless tune.
Neapolitan duo Fratelli Malibu have taken Alessandroni's melodic theme and woven it into a mesmerizing tapestry of rhythmic beats, world percussion and ethereal atmospheres. Drawing inspiration from funk/Afrobeat, synth-pop and Italo-disco, they've conjured a psychedelic-tinged, afro-cosmic groove that's bound to transport you to another dimension.
As the music unfolds, you'll feel like you've stepped into a vibrant, fantasy world. The breaks, outro, and intro are woven with a psychedelic thread that leaves you yearning to return once the final note fades away. And that's not all – they've injected an irresistible pop sensibility into the track with the use of drum machines and synths. The result? A rework that not only amplifies the dreaminess of the original but also seamlessly marries the past with the future.
We love the track so much that we decided to double the fun with a vocal retouch version, courtesy of the Italian funk/soul collective Banda Maje. Their vocalists, Chiara Della Monica and Cristina Cafiero, elegantly infuse cinematic and Balearic vibes into the mix, paying a wonderful homage to Fratelli Malibu's exquisite arrangement.
We're very excited to announce a new collaboration between Matt Berry and legendary library music label KPM, with a new single 'Top Brass' - out Friday 18 August on digital platforms, with a limited edition picture-sleeve 7" single, adorned in exclusive Acid Jazz x KPM labels.
'Top Brass' follows in the tradition of iconic KPM compositions by the likes Alan Hawkshaw and Keith Mansfield - infectious, sample-ready and cool. The KPM + Matt Berry album ‘Simplicity’ is out 18th November.
Skatebård is one of the very best Classic Techno producers from Norway since the early 2000's - the distinction from others simply lies within his sense of melody, rhythm and live arrangements. The 2002 release "Skateboarding Was A Crime" on Tellektro had a clear thread of Detroit Techno and Electro, a craft and influence that also heavy club hitters "Conga", "Ta-Ta Arr" and "Emotional Bits" on Sex Tags Mania strongly carried. It's unarguably always a "classic touch" in his dance music, but still it always sounds like a Skatebård production - there is simply no blueprinting in true inspiration.
"Spektral LP" has been compiled and edited by DJ Sotofett with material from Skatebård's 2001-2005 recording archive. In short it's recordings nobody else cold get a hold of – fine tuned and restored into a synergetic and consolidated world of riding, mechanical and electronic funk - released on Skatebård's own Digitalo Enterprises.
Tracks "Seventh" and "Vaskemaskin" are both cymbal driven Techno cuts by the former metal drummer, one with chorded synth stabs growing in harmony, the other leaning on a dark sci-fi pad and a flipped vocal loop. There's a bit more of Skatebård's vocals on the beautifully robotic "Ei Anna Framtid", an alternate take of "Future" which Finlands Keys Of Life released in 2003. DJ Sotofett's mix of "Den Anarkistiske Anode" is nothing but a distorted head-schredding basement Techno blaster, while "Strengje", "Bassi" and "Spektral Elektro" punctuates the catchy Electro & Italo grooves Skatebård crafts so much better than most current producers.
SULPHUR AEONs neuestes Werk ist gesegnet mit Kontrasten, klanglicher Ebbe und Flut. Ein Taifun kantiger Riffs und wilder Blastbeats, raffinierte Melodieschichten, dichte Atmosphäre und triumphal gesungene Refrains reißen dich mit. Ätherische Akustikgitarren, subtile Synthesizer, einen Hauch von Gothic ('The Yearning Abyss Devours Us'), satte Leads, E-Bow-Parts, heftige Aggression ('Arcane Cambrian Sorcery'), monumentale Schwere, die in hypnotische Gesangsmuster übergeht ('Seven Crowns And Seven Seals'), und ein großes Finale ('Beneath The Ziqqurrats') - "Seven Crowns And Seven Seals" überschreitet Genres; es wütet und zerstört, lullt dich im nächsten Moment in gefährlich täuschende Ruhe, nur um dich unwiderbringlich in den dunklen Strudel des Ozeans zu reißen. SULPHUR AEON meistern ihren durchdringenden Cinematic Death Metal der Extraklasse, gehen über sich hinaus und klingen dabei doch unverkennbar kohärent - perfekt eingefangen und verfeinert von den langjährigen Mitarbeitern Simon Werner und Michael Zech (Secrets Of The Moon, Bølzer etc.), während das Mastering von V. Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress) übernommen wurde. Was das Artwork betrifft, so haben SULPHUR AEON diesmal mit der Tradition gebrochen, wieder mit Ola Larsson zu arbeiten, und sich mit dem Italiener Paolo Girardi zusammengetan, um eine Lovecraft'sche Apokalypse darzustellen, die der Opulenz und Dynamik des Albums einen raueren Stil entgegensetzt.
Having been re-discovered as a groundbreaking slice of proto-grime from 1994, Dylan Beale’s legendary soundtrack for the SNES game Wolverine: Adamantium Rage finally gets the reissue treatment it deserves via Sneaker Social Club.
When the game came out in 1994, Beale’s soundtrack for the SNES edition stood out from the pack for its gritty beats, deceptively weighty low end and edgy orchestra stabs, but few would have guessed how certain tracks would predict the shape of music to come. Around 2016, the ‘Tri-fusion’ track in particular was picked up on by London-based producer Sir Pixalot as a mind-blowing slice of Eski beat coldness. To prove his point, Pixalot ran an acapella from J-Wing over the track and the results spoke for themselves.
While ‘Tri-Fusion’ is a straight-up accidental grime sheller, there’s scores more heat packed away in Beale’s soundtrack for Adamantium Rage. The limitations of the space on the game cart meant Beale had to get creative with the most limited samples. Fortunately his background producing UK hardcore and jungle in Rude & Deadly and Stuck To Your Lips meant he knew his way around the restrictions of an Akai s950. Fuelled by the inspiration of jungle and West Coast rap, he worked on the game soundtrack with a similar spartan attitude, limited to 200kb with which to load up the music engine for the game, samples and all.
Given the importance of minimalism in the effectiveness of soundsystem music, it’s not surprising tracks like ‘Cyber’ and ‘Dark Queen’ pack a punch which could absolutely set a dance off. Watch out for ‘Weapon X Lab’ too - another stand out bomb creating a deadly machine funk out of the tightly clipped bass samples and weird animal groan loops. Alongside the full, original soundtrack, this first issue of Wolverine: Adamantium Rage OST comes with additional tracks never used in the original game which widen out the styles Beale was exploring within the shockingly limited means at his disposal.
“I vividly remember when we first played the soundtrack on a bigger set of speakers to the boss,” Beale recalls, “his initial reaction was one of amazement that we had created something so ‘real’and different in comparison to everything else out there in terms of video game music, which I remember with great pride and fondness. Comparing to everything out there, it was totally unique- a moment in time.”
Kamai Music’s 26th release comes from the Electronic producer duo and live act Kon Faber.
A1: “Ambiguity” is a bouncy, groove- and percussion-heavy collaboration between established producer Iorie,
including a vocal duet.
A2: “Cheer” is an emotional, atmospheric track with a mesmerizing interplay of synth lines and jazzy melodic
licks from professional jazz saxophone player Marius Dick.
A3: “Weberwiese” is a large space with choirs and wide synth pads. The track opens up through a virtuous,
acoustic lead guitar embedded into a hypnotic and bouncy groove.
B1: South African producer Fka Mash gives a deep Afro House twist including a rich bass lead synth.
B2: Kamai’s own Jacob Groening shows a simplistic interpretation of “Cheer” and adds a new depth through a
non-metrically played lead synth.
B3: “Weberwiese” is remixed by Joep Mencke, who adds trance-like melodies and creates a melodic house
spin for the big stage.
Visage006, Ready, set, go! Parisian imprint visage puts forward those 3 magicians from Romania, Los Bastoneros. They simmered us a delicious potion, club banger with Alien, which is also accentuated with great spices from Sepp, that other wizard we don’t have to introduce anymore. Lucky brings us something smoothy, comfortable track to make your trip into space really pleasant. Note that the cover from Wosehere has also evolved to something warmer, as that new EP you can now enjoy"
After reissuing Hedzoleh by Hedzoleh in 2022, a collaborative effort by Meakusma and Soundway, this new 12inch features remixes by Jimi Tenor, Mark Ernestus, Gavsborg and Waltraud Blischke, transporting and transfusing Hedzoleh's tracks into new spheres and circumstances. Hedzoleh Soundz were one of the first and most original ‘Afro’ bands from 1970s Ghana, playing an unusual mix of traditional music and western rock as part of the West African Highlife scene. The music for the Hedzoleh album was used by legendary South-African trumpeter Hugh Masekela as the backbone to his afrojazz classic, “Masekela – Introducing Hedzoleh Soundz”. The Hedzoleh Soundz Remixes 12inch features an eloquent, deep, deeply poppy even, dub by Mark Ernestus, Jimi Tenor taking the original Rekpete track into even more joyous territory, adding some subtly hypnagogic touches at the end, Gavsborg transforming Y Yes Baa Gee Wo into a beat-based drone of sorts, a toolin the right hands, and a majestic experimental twist by Waltraud Blischke, sampling one Hedzoleh track and one unreleased solo track by Sascha Todd, son of Hedzoleh bass player and vocalist Stanley Todd.
This record came about with the support of Ostbelgien.
'Din Izvor EP' invites you on an introspective sonic journey, each track unfolding like a chapter with glimpses into the past, present, and future of our collective experience.
The title track, 'Din Izvor', combines distant future Sci-Fi elements with a solemn ambiance and religious undertones. It's a musical exploration of humanity's quest for both outer and inner understanding, as we simultaneously venture to the edges of space and the depths of the Self.
Drawing inspiration from a vivid dream, 'Margelatu' unfolds in three distinct parts. It begins with a nostalgic reflection on the influence of role models from the past on the the development of one's own personality. A sudden, playful break provides an unexpected diversion before the track refocuses on an epic final scene set in a vast, abandoned, open space. Here, a haunting choral melody intertwines with sounds of nature, to symbolize a poignant, cinematic farewell to one's origins and the past.
When listening to 'Memories of a String', imagine a guitar string bearing the memory of every note and melody it's ever played. The closing track weaves a tense, nostalgic melody conjuring the evocative image of a bygone moment from a bustling mid-century Tokyo street, captured and perpetually replayed in a mesmerizing loop.
'Din Izvor EP' leaves you with a profound sense of reflection, taking you on a meditative odyssey that explores the essence of memory, influence, and transformation.
Supported by: Swoy - Herck - Vern - ckb - Suolo - Userunknwn - Cipo - Massud Matin
Sept duos pour guitar acoustique et piano préparé is the second duo recording from Stephen O'Malley and Anthony Pateras. Their first together, Rêve Noir (2018), took an electro-acoustic scalpel to a 2011 duo concert for electric guitar and piano, using Revox and digital treatments to twist and smear gig documentation into ghostly echoes and fractured drones. Here, in contrast, the music is entirely acoustic and presented as it was performed, without overdubs. Both players’ choices of instruments are notable: this is O'Malley’s most extensive recording on steel string acoustic guitar (playing an instrument whose previous owners include Marissa Nadler and Glenn Jones) and Pateras return to the prepared piano, which he has rarely employed in recent years, after spending much of the first decade of the 21st century exploring its possibilities.
Recorded during O'Malley’s residency at La Becque on Lake Geneva in the summer of 2021, from the first moments of the opening ‘déjà revé’ the music immediately establishes the distinctive landscape of chiming tones and hovering clouds of resonance explored throughout its one-hour running time. Pateras’ preparations create tolling bell-like tones alive with complex overtones, alongside which O'Malley’s open strings and natural harmonics add a sparkling clarity. While Pateras’ music often uses a densely chromatic harmonic language, these duos are remarkable for their modal simplicity. However, the interaction between the pure intervals of O'Malley’s just-intoned strings and the unstable harmonies created by the piano preparations suspends the music in an oneiric state of hazy ambiguity. Without obvious reference to tempo or meter, the music floats in what the composer Ernstalbrecht Stiebler has called a ‘bottomless sound space’, the temporal placement of events determined by bodily rhythms and the performers’ own listening to (and enjoyment of) the sounds being made.
Heard one way, this music can seem striking in its consistency, almost environmental. Attending more carefully, the listener hears the pitch sets and tunings changing throughout the album’s length. Each piece has its own character, subtly distinguished from the others through mood, pacing, and timbre. On ‘déjà voulu’, for instance, O'Malley makes prominent use of slide, the woozy, bending pitches weaving through a series of lush arpeggiated chords from the piano. ‘Déjà senti’, on the other hand, is particularly spare, the gestures spaced out to the extent that they often float in isolation against the background of fading resonance. Much of ‘déjà su’ is built around a slowly pulsing single prepared piano tone, creating an almost ominous tension, whereas the sparkling guitar harmonics and arpeggios of the closing ‘déjà raconté’ have a gently triumphal air. While the music’s calm, rippling surface is immediately entrancing, these seven duos – in the tradition of the best improvised music – also reward close listening, which reveals sonic details and focuses the listener’s attention on how the music unfolds spontaneously from decision to decision, from gesture to gesture.
Recorded during a period when O'Malley and Pateras were grieving the loss of recently departed friends and collaborators, these seven duos possess a reflective, at times almost mournful quality. More importantly, though, they are imbued with other qualities that can arise from personal loss: a clarity that allows one to clear away the inessential, to begin again, to renew one’s faith in friendship and music.
4/5 REVIEW IN SHINDIG! ''Incorporating afrobeat and a more spiritual sound in amongst its heavy beats and super-tight musicianship''
As pioneers in the burgeoning modern funk scene of the '90s The Poets of Rhythm created new standards, transcending the parameters lesser groups were defined by. With Discern / Define the Poets took their brand of classic funk to the next level by blending elements of rock, psychedelia, afro-beat, jazz and heavy, heavy drums to create a wholly original brand of transcendent, funky soul.
Anyone who has tried to cop an OG in the last twenty years knows how difficult of a task that has proven to be - not necessarily due to rarity, but more to the fact that people simply DO NOT get rid of this album. It's a testament to the fact that Discern / Define has no shelf life. It's a bonafide classic that any discerning funk and soul fan must have in their collection. Now sporting a deluxe gatefold jacket with reimagined artwork, it is an honor to get these back on the shelves of a record shop near you. Cop one today!
"They have the unique power of being able to depart from tradition in order to bring advancement music and unsuspecting listeners, yet still please the purists with home-cooked "Funk-of-Ages" values"
- Lyrics Born
With the elements in Hip-Hop divided, Pawz One & Preed One return to their grafitti roots with the new collaboration album "Murals & Mayhem". Pawz approaches each song as verbal graff piece that covers Preed One's soulful and gritty background production. The duo bring the color out of topics such as tainted love, friendships, the culture of Hip-Hop and surviving the mayhem of the Los Angeles streets. Adding more to the mural are guests like Guilty Simpson, Copywrite and Ruste Juxx. Blended together each song creates a larger piece that covers the mind walls from top to bottom.
Banana Club is without doubt one of the top new labels on the Breakbeat scene today. Led by the young and highly prolific Cadiz artist, FM-3, it was set up in 2020 with a strong identity and powerful, effective dancefloor grooves inspired by English bassline and 2step/garage and a touch of funk.
On this first vinyl release by the label, entitled Funky Beats, FM-3 kicks off his musical discourse with One for Me, a track which showcases the characteristic quality and forcefulness of his groove. This is followed by the album eponymous track Funky Beats, a collaboration with the multiple Spanish and World Scratching Champion, Jose Rodriguez, who dazzles with a number of superb passages in which improvisation and funk come to the fore.
The B-side opens with Panorama, featuring Orak. This fascinating, highly-experimental track offers a fusion of breaks and tech house and an elegant acid line which acts as a common thread and brings cohesion to the whole idea. The record closes, as you would expect, with a collaboration with Bowser, another of the label regular artists, entitled Bubbling.
A classic bassline dancefloor filler, it will take you back to the best tracks of the late nineties and early noughties. The classic black 12", mastered and cut by Simon, a veteran sound engineer at the Exchange Vinyl in London, has achieved a sound which is quite simply brutal.
A true masterpiece, full of dashing solos and containing some of Freddie King's finest vocals since his heyday in the late '50s and early '60s. Released by Shelter Records in 1972, Texas Cannonball is similar to his first Shelter outing (Getting Ready), but with
more of a rock feel. It covers tunes by Jimmy Rogers, Howlin' Wolf, and Elmore James, tackles compositions by Leon Russell and, more unexpectedly, Bill Withers, Isaac Hayes-David Porter, and John Fogerty (whose "Lodi" is reworked into "Lowdown in Lodi"). King's own pen remained virtually in retirement, as he wrote only one of the album's tracks. In 2007, the Houston Chronicle listed
Texas Cannonball among the 75 essential Texas blues albums.
Grammy nominated DJ and production mastermind Paul Woolford steps up to deliver a timeless house reworking of Gabriels 'Angels & Queens'.
The title track from the trio's debut album (part 1) that took 2022 by storm. Endeared by the masses and critically acclaimed Gabriels set out a refreshing new take on soul that the world was subconsciously crying out for - an antidote to over produced pop - providing a deeper, more meaningful and heartfelt cause at its centre.
Tantalising from the outset, Woolford steps up to the plate with a hard-hitting remix that drives in straight to your centre. Punchy TR-909 drums combine with thundering bass tones and his archetypal, rising piano hooks. A combination that brings Jacob Lusk's inimitable vocals to new heights.
After a feverish reception to Paul's Instagram tease of the track, we've been itching to release this remix into the wild. It's a big one, don't miss it!
'Three supremely talented artists simply excelling at what they do' - Paul Woolford
Gerd Janson - 'Gabriels!!! - Total madness at Panorama Bar. Like it was made for the room'
DJ Feedback:
Prins Thomas – I’m melting….Amazing
Groove Armada – Love this!
Gorgon City - yessss
Fred P - Dope!!!!
Marco Faraone - Super remix!!!
Sasha – Quality
Bakermat – tasty
Mano Le Tough – Ace
Hector Romero - Gabriels have quickly become my fav new artist. Paul!! You nailed it. Great collaboration.
Horse Meat Disco – Pretty big remix!
Gerd Janson – MEGA
The Sound Of Summer on Acid Jazz - the Humble Souls
sampledelic classic ‘Beads Things & Flowers’ gets its first
outing on a 7-inch single as part of our new Acid Jazz
classics series. A magnificent dance floor classic, ‘Beads
Things & Flowers’ is the result of the creative coming
together of Simon Anniky - previously of Beats International
and Hugh Brooker of the Night Trains and The Hip Joints, an
Acid Jazz fixture since its earliest days. Its seamless blend
of Mod Jazz samples and tight beats is inspirational. The Aside 7-inch was the hit of our ‘Acid Jazz (Not Jazz)’
compilation last year, whilst the vocal version makes its first
ever appearance since its 1991 single release!
Kenn-Eerik is an Estonian versatile sound artist and musician working in Tallinn. His passion for music began in early childhood when he witnessed accordion playing as a six-year-old boy. Encouraged by this musical experience, he learned various instruments over the years, engaged in choir singing, and participated in the activities of several bands. Even today, he is part of a band called Käsi which was created with friends from teenage times.
Kenn-Eerik became interested in electronic music during high school when he composed the first songs – inspired by dubstep and dub. Wanting to cultivate his technical music skills, he went to study sound technology at the Viljandi Academy of Culture. Along with his studies in Viljandi, he acquired his first drum machines and synthesizers, which, in addition to his personal creative activities, were also used to compose music for dance performances.
While his first DJ sets consisted mainly of dubstep, with minor detours into the areas of techno and house, by now this relationship has become the opposite – techno and house beats have become more concrete and present, but the influences of dub and dubstep are still there.
Over the years, Kenn-Eerik has played in several Tallinn clubs such as Ulme, Ups, Asum, Uni, Hall, etc. His live debut took place at the festival Kuru Plirr (2015). In addition to DJ and live sets, cooperation with several theaters operating in Estonia has deepened over time, where he has composed soundscapes based on original music.
Kenn-Eerik’s music can be characterized as a search for a certain state. His sound language is centered on organically flowing synth lines and minimalistic rhythms, which combine the deeper areas of techno, house, ambient and experimental music. Kenn-Eerik does not directly set genre restrictions for himself, nor does he limit himself in the choice of choosing instruments – anything that inspires and drives will be used, starting from analog synthesizers and ending with recorded sewer pipe sounds.
Soom T aka “The Raggamuffin Queen” will release her sixth studio album “The Louder The Better” on October 13, 2023. A combination of live band studio recordings and digital compositions, it took only 3 years to fully realize from the very first live band recordings in Brazil during the 2020 pandemic to its release this year. Entirely self-produced with her own music label Renegade Masters with Kunta as executive producer, Soom T called on her most trusted collaborators to produce this new Reggae/Dub gem, and it’s sunnier than ever.
“Path of the Wanderer” with its poignant and deeply emotive vocal, irresistible rolling bass line and driving rhythm was composed by French production maestro Tom Fire with “Ezekiel’s Vision” and “Michael” being the fruits of live band recordings at Pangea Studios in Sao Paolo Brazil under the skilled direction of Mauro Rabello.
“Fly My Bird” and sunny pop anthem “Good Will Come” are original compositions by Terry Vibes out of the USA while “Bad Road”,“Emergency” and “Normal People” were stylised digital productions by France’s own Dr Bud reminiscing on Soom T’s first love of digital. Additional synths were added by executive producer Kunta and studio partner Green Teddy of Highly Seen.
“Prophets”, “Free the Man”, “There is love”, “No worries” and “Don’t Make Me” composed and curated by Christian Cowlin who is the live sound engineer for The Wailers USA, takes the journey into a more roots direction with some solid harmonies and flashbacks to a bygone era. Many of the instruments on these songs were performed by Mr Cowlin himself among other seasoned musicians and recorded at his studio in the UK. Led by her great respect for activists whose aims and efforts are rooted in making society movw forward with dignity and honour, Soom T denounces the incarceration of businessman/politician Schaeffer Cox, unjust in her eyes and tens of thousands of others globally, in a call to “Free the Man”.
If “The Louder The Better” has definite roots influences, “Like a Dog” composed by French label and music production studio Irie Ites and “Walk the Earth” performed by legendary British drum & bass duo Mafia & Fluxy, added some more digital delight alongside a sweet roots trip for the listener to indulge in a medley soup of varying influences throughout this album, mixed by Mista Maff and mastered by Simon Capony at Basalte Studio.
« Hail to the Watchman », an easy favourite for more traditional reggae lovers was composed by Kunta in conjunction with Green Teddy, both of whom contributed to the production of the 2017 ‘Arch’ LP.
Finally, with this new reggae album, Soom T sticks to what is closest to her heart covering a multitude of topics from the corrupt state of the world, to the emptiness of politics and the urgent need to awaken to the reality of the condition of society.
Behind the need to inform and urge society moving forward, « The Louder The Better » delivers a positive and inspiring message, led by melodies and vocals at the crossroads of genres, that fans will love to listen to at any time.
See you on October 13, 2023 to discover this new opus by Soom T.
'Imagination Is A Weapon' lautet der Slogan des neuen GUNSHIP Albums. Diese Aussage fasst das Kernthema ihrer dritten Platte zusammen. GUNSHIP lädt seine Zuhörer ein, die Macht der Vorstellungskraft zu feiern und sich auf die Suche nach dem Einhorn in ihrem eigenen Leben zu begeben. Taucht schwelgend ein in die Fantasie – findet Euer Einhorn. Die entschlossenen Träumer werden die Welt verändern, wenn ihre Visionen in die Realität umgesetzt werden. Mit ihrem dritten Album UNICORN sprengen GUNSHIP weiterhin die Grenzen des Synthwave-Genres. Zu den besonderen Gästen zählen: John Carpenter, Gavin Rossdale (Bush), Dave Lombardo (Slayer), Carpenter Brut, Timmy Cappello (Lost Boys), Health, Tyler Bates (John Wick, Guardians Of The Galaxy), Lights, Power Glove, Charlie Simpson, Britta Phillips (Jem) und Milkie Way (Wargasm).
Artist unknown - 2 boys bootleg
You cannot pass up this absolute hit. A compelling catchy vocal on an iron beat that completely rocks the dance floor. Do not expect a dry kick but an energy that completely fills the room. Ideal ending if you want the tent to be on fire. As the track itself says, you will not be disappointed, on the contrary
Fred Hush - No way back
Very constructive violence with an incessant break that you do not expect.
Fred Hush - Momenstoch
You simply must have this DJ tool from Fred Hush in your arsenal. Minimalistic with an original sound
that is the steak of the record. It is exactly a futuristic old skool record.
repressed !
Jasper Byrne Aka Sonic (sonic & Silver / Accidental Heroes) Spent The Late 90s & 00s Dropping Releases On Pretty Much Every Legendary D&b Label Going (reinforced, Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, Formation, Virus, Soul:r And His Own Space Recordings), Before Mysteriously Disap-pearing To The Far East & Re-emerging Years Later As A Hit Indy Computer Games Developer (lone Survivor) & Soundtrack Artist (hotline Miami).
After A Chance Encounter With Dead Man's Chest At A Gig In La (where Jasper Had Been Working On A Game And Wholeheartedly Soaking Up The Local Low End Theory Music Scene), It Quickly Emerged The Two Had Shared Similar Musical Stories, Straying From Previous D&b Careers And Into The Musical Wilderness, Only To Drift Back Toward The Tempo With A New Found 'outsider' Approach And Eerily Familiar Conclusions..
After Teasing Us With 2018's 110174 Mixtape (ltd Edition Cassette Only Release) And His Appear- Ances On Blunted Breaks Vol.1, 2019 Sees Sonic Mark His Return To The World Of Dance Music Proper With This Two Part, Heavyweight Ep For Western Lore.
Blending Techno, Footwork, La Bass, Hardcore, Synthwave And D&b Under A Loose Jungle Tekno Framework, 110174 Sees Sonic Crafting Beats, Breaks & Bass With An Artisanal Deftness Rarely Seen.
It’s clear, when looking at Jlin’s body of work, and her recent activities, that she's the definition of what a creative composer looks and sounds like in 2023. She’s able to work across borders in many different environments and situations. Her work, and sound, is fluid and not locked into genre. The only apt tag for her now is ‘composer.’ Let’s be clear - she’s not EDM, IDM, electronic, footwork or post-footwork. She’s simply Jlin.
In thinking about this new release we have to draw attention to her collaboration with Chicago’s Third Coast Percussion - ‘Perspective’ - since it’s also the title of this six-track mini-album. And of course, we’d be remit if we didn’t point out that Third Coast Percussion’s acoustic version of ‘Perspective’ saw Jlin shortlisted as a finalist for The 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music! Jlin notes how “Working with T.C.P. was a rewarding experience. I love their constant driving ambition. When I would go to their studio we would experiment as much as we could, and that to me is the beauty of composing.” Note that the CD version of ‘Perspective’ adds the four tracks from her ‘Embryo’ EP, apt since ‘Embryo’ itself was the 7th Perspective piece.
To shift perspective slightly, Jlin notes that collaborating with dance companies, especially those of Wayne McGregor and Kyle Abraham “has seen a significant evolution in my work.” She adds, “Working with Kyle and AIM, I felt the need to incorporate more organic percussion and drums. The raw, visceral nature of Kyle's choreography demanded a more tactile, grounded sound. I believe that music and dance are deeply interconnected, and the rhythm and physicality of organic percussion needs to mirror the dancers' movements whether it is conceptually or abstract.”
The organic aspect of her composition ‘Dissonance,’ a key cut on her new mini-album sounds like it might have been written for Kyle and AIM but, like the entire release, it was in fact written for Third Coast Percussion. With the organic drums in the track being a part of what Jlin calls her “from scratch” foundation. For many ‘Dissonance’ will be a first glimpse at Jlin’s mastery of organic sounds. It’s a stunning work that showcases her distinct approach to organic percussion. Further audible evidence can also be heard all over her new mini-album. She continues to evolve her sound and her approaches to composition on a steady and constant basis.
Jlin’s new mini-album “Perspective” works as a catch-up for those wanting new music from her, and wanting to hear how her sound is evolving. Tune in. There’s much more ahead.
- A1: David Holmes & Raven Violet - It’s Over If We Run Out Of Love (Hardway Bros Live At The Ssl Dub)
- A2: Unloved - Mother’s Been A Bad Girl (Horse Meat Disco Remix)
- A3: Pip Blom - Keep It Together (Ludwig A F. Under Pressure Mix)
- B1: Confidence Man - Holiday (Erol Alkan Ooo Remix)
- B2: Toy - You Won’t Be The Same (Dan Carey Dub)
- C1: Audiobooks - The Doll (Bruise Remix)
- C2: The Orielles - The Room (Shy One Remix)
- C3: Eyes Of Others - Once Twice Thrice (The Orielles Remix)
- D1: Fever The Ghost - Source (Leo Zero Dub)
- D2: Working Men’s Club - The Last One (Forgemasters Remix)
Heavenly Recordings release the next two volumes in their series of remixed classics and unreleased versions. ‘Heavenly Remixes 7 & 8’ sees the label going back into the archive, as well as picking off some more recent remixes, and both albums primarily feature either previously unreleased versions or re-workings available for the first time on vinyl and CD.
Heavenly have always seen immense value in the remix, a value way beyond what it might bring commercially. Since their first release in 1990 (where Andrew Weatherall overhauled a one-off single by club kids Sly and Lovechild) Heavenly remixes have been carefully curated and treated as a key part of the A&R process. It’s an opportunity to view an artist through a different prism, to play out a musical ‘what if’ scenario. It’s the kind of exploration that’s happened consistently through the thirty plus years the label has released music.
The ‘Heavenly remixes’ series continues to showcase the very best remixes, versions, meditations, re-rubs and dubs from all around the world of artists right across the roster of the country’s most exciting record label. In most cases, the albums offer the first physical release for a remix, elevating them from streaming playlists to their rightful, spiritual home on super heavy vinyl (or shiny, super-packed compact disc).
‘Heavenly remixes 7’ heads to Belfast, where David Holmes - a producer who first appeared on Heavenly in 1994 amping up the acid on Saint Etienne’s ‘Like A Motorway’ - appears as solo artist and as one third of Unloved, who get a lift right to the heart of a Vauxhall sweatbox by Horse Meat Disco. It draws a line between Amsterdam and Frankfurt as Ludwig A.F. amps up the electronics on Pip Blom’s ‘Keep It Together’. It stops off in a south London studio where super producer Dan Carey plays the desk with Toy, then relocates LA psych rock band Fever The Ghost to an Ibizan shoreline as the sun sets on the horizon. It cements Sheffield’s reputation as the home of modern British techno with the return of true originators Forgemasters. And it pitches up in front of a renegade soundsystem late night at Glastonbury as Erol Alkan’s mighty rework of Con Man gets its third rewind of the night.
‘Heavenly remixes 8’ opens with Space Afrika’s lush, ambient reimagining of the Orielles’ ‘BEAM/S’ before Justin Robertson stretches Amber Arcades’ ‘Turning Light’ into eight minutes of electronic dub. Elsewhere, Baxter Dury’s peerless ‘Miami’ becomes a string-laden electro skank in the hands of French producer Pilooski; Edinburgh’s bedroom techno genius Eyes of Others’ ‘Safehouse’ turns into an East End bathhouse courtesy of disco deviants Decius; Ashley Beedle’s Black Science Orchestra turns Unloved’s heartworn torch song into seven minutes of glimmering dreamlike percussive house and Katy J. Pearson’s freak flag is flown high thanks to The Umlauts’ throbbing filtered electro mix. It ends similarly to how it began as TONE takes
Fran Lobo’s ‘All I Want’ on a gorgeous slow motion spacewalk.
The wax is hot. The tunes are massive. Oath’s sub-label, Last Year at Marienbad, dispenses a foursome of punchy house tracks for its fifth release, lovingly crafted by some of the genre’s finest producers.
‘The Way We Flow’ by Sam Paradise pairs detuned, lo-fi samples with thumping kicks, and muffled drums. Just when those innocent lo-fi elements simmer, the drums slam back into your periphery harder than ever, making for an absolute dancefloor smasher.
‘De Nuit (3 A.M)’ by Nu-Cleo descends deeper. Swinging drums and chocolatey, indulgent keys lay the basis for a hypnotic acid bassline. Real tension builder.
Flipping over to the B-Side – careful, it’s hot – is ‘She Wrote’ by Gloved Hands. Seemingly just a ride through a well-made bouncing synth and house groove combo at first, this track soon shows off Gloved Hands’ knack for leftfield flavours. There’s an unexpected trap-esque vocal that gets re-contextualised for the club alongside piercing synths and a bulging broken beat.
‘Hard Deep’ by Rick Wade is an obvious one. The stalwart of the house scene serves up another of his zesty, masterful grooves. Shimmering, effortless keys steer a tight drum groove while a subtle bassline nestles between the kick’s low end.
Four cuts from four house experts. Is there much more a dancefloor could ask for?
- A1: Posjet Iz Svemira (A Visit From Space) (1964)
- A2: Cudna Ptica (Strange Bird) (1969)
- A3: Astromati I (Astromutts I) (1963)
- A4: Astromati Ii (Astromutts Ii) (1963)
- A5: Surogat (Ersatz - The Substitute) (1961)
- A61: Klizi-Puzi (Twidle-Twidle) (1969)
- B1: Zacarani Princ (The Enchanted Prince) (1978)
- B2: Medvjedja Romansa (Grin And Bear It) (1978)
- B3: Zid (The Wall) (1965)
- B4: Dnevnik (Diary) (1974)
- B5: Gubecziana (The Serfs Uprising) (1974)
- C1: Plemeniti Soj (The Noble Strain) (1971)
- C2: Homo Augens (1972)
- C3: Idu Dani (Passing Days) (1969)
- C4: Opera Cordis (1968)
- D1: San (The Dream) (1982)
- D2: Kugina Kuca (The House Of The Plague) (1980)
- D3: Utopia (1973)
- D4: Dan Kad Sam Prestao Pusiti (The Day I Stopped Smoking) (1982)
A collection of unreleased themes and scores from 18 short animated films from the world famous Zagreb School Of Animated Film. Includes Oscar winning short cartoon Ersatz / Surogat by Dusan Vukotic (1961) and many other jazz, electronica and experimental scores by composer Tomislav Simovic. Coined by the famed film theorist Georges Sadoul at the 1959 Cannes Festival, The Zagreb School of Animated Film(s) or The Zagreb School of Animation, was defined as an artistic and philosophical world-view that set its mark on the history of animation in the 60's and 70's. The key feature of the Zagreb School (not educational facility in any kind), was commitment to stylization in contrast with the Disney-style canon of realistic animation. Among many composers that worked in Zagreb Film productions, the name of Tomislav Simovic (1931 - 2014) stands out. In his oeuvre of 300+ film scores (not counting compositions and arrangements for pop singers and jazz orchestras), many were made exclusively for Zagreb film documentaries, fiction shorts, features and animation. Simovic was particularly adept at writing music for cartoons. He skillfully synchronized movement and sound and mixed different musical genres, although, like his peers at the time, he leaned towards jazz. 'The Zagreb School of Animated Film (Original Soundtracks 1961-1982)' is compiled by Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) and Zeljko Luketic (Electronic Jugoton, Ex-Yu Electronica III). Master tapes were considered lost, now found and restored for this epic 2 x LP release celebrating Yugoslavia's animated art shorts. Double vinyl gatefold with extensive liner notes, photographs from the films and exclusive cover artwork by Dejan Krsic (NEP / Nova Evropa).
Known principally as a smooth titan of blue-eyed soul, Bobby Caldwell transcended genre tags with consummate ease; he was a musical icon of real class and versatility, cherished the world over. Tragically passing away in March 2023 at the too young age of 71, it still feels as if Bobby's true artistry is profoundly under-appreciated. His double platinum self-titled album from 1978 is a timeless masterpiece of sophisticated jazzy soul brilliance and is strictly canonical. Yes, it's perfect, yet it's been out of press on vinyl for years. We're deeply honoured to present the long-awaited reissue this summer.
Whilst Ned Doheny is known in Japan as "Mr California", native New Yorker Bobby Caldwell has always been "Mr AOR" to his Far-Eastern friends. His distinct charm is an irresistible blend of soul, jazz, and pop influences. He possessed phenomenal songwriting prowess, smooth vocal performances, was both a great soul guitarist and dextrous keyboard player and known for genius chord progressions. It all added up to a multi-layered brilliance entering the studio, and the singular sound he landed on was laced with soulful, sweeping strings and funky horns, touching lightly on disco, while allowing his supple voice to carry the stunning tracks he'd crafted.
String-swept opener "Special To Me" immediately sets the tone with its lush instrumentation, rich harmonies, and Caldwell's velvety-smooth vocals. Next up, a huge one. The infectious, mid-tempo bounce of "My Flame" showcases Caldwell's ability to effortlessly blend catchy pop hooks with soulful arrangements. It's an exquisite, emotive ballad that, at the same time, absolutely SLAPS. Game recognise game, and all that, so, accordingly, Notorious B.I.G. memorably ran with “My Flame” for his 1997 single “Sky’s The Limit”. The rolling, disco-very "Love Won't Wait" is a slick, uptempo track containing heartfelt lyrics intertwined with elegant strings and a horn section to die for. Aching - and achingly cool - single "Can't Say Goodbye" is a real fan favourite, and it's no surprise. It's a laconic, slow-mo jazz-funk stepper, with fantastic, very deliberate playing that closes out the A Side quite exceptionally. "Come To Me" slows proceedings down elegantly to open Side B before the universally agreed-upon masterpiece enters proceedings.
"What You Won't Do for Love," the standout hit that became a classic in its own right, perfectly captured Bobby's ability to infuse a contagious groove with introspective and relatable lyrics. With its instantly recognisable horn riff and Caldwell's soulful delivery, this timeless, chiller anthem continues to captivate audiences and define his musical legacy. He scored huge with the track, taking over the pop and R&B airways with this mellow soul stepper. It has remained a perennial favourite and has been heavily sampled, such is its unique allure; Aaliyah sang over snatches of it on "Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number" and you can hear Caldwell’s vocal sample used for the hook on Tupac’s posthumously released “Do For Love”.
Upon submitting the finished album to his label, they requested more material in hope of a big single. As Bobby remembered to Wax Poetics a few years ago: “Now at this point, I’m mentally exhausted...and bear in mind that I got so close to all the songs I’d written. I gave each song a profound amount of thought, and maybe too much. So, in haste, I went in and cut this song, "What You Won’t Do For Love". Wrote it in a day, cut the rhythm track, overdubbed the horns, I sang the song, and literally turned it in three days after. And lo and behold, the one song I gave the least thought to,” Bobby laughed, “ended up being a national anthem.”
The mysterious, magical "Kalimba Song" is a cosmic, kalimba-driven melodic-funk instrumental - short but oh, so sweet. It's followed by the supreme tear-jerker "Take Me Back To Then", Bobby's otherworldly voice deeply longing for a simpler time, "when life was mellow". I think we can all get behind this sentiment. The final cut is arguably its deepest, its low-key finest moment. For us, it is, anyway. The glorious, driving, effortlessly funky guitar-soul jam "Down For The Third Time" is a huge melancholic Be With favourite and has been played by discerning genre-hopping DJs with significant glee for years. Hypnotic, melodic, beautiful. Like the album it elegantly rounds out.
Bobby sadly passed away on 23rd March 2023, after a long struggle with mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress, due to an adverse effect from a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The reissue of his wonderful eponymous album will be available on vinyl across the globe, ensuring that fans of his incomparable talent - and soul music enthusiasts worldwide - can radiate in the deep beauty of this seminal album. Meticulously remastered and cut by both Simon Francis and Cicely Balston respectively, it has been pressed to the highest possibly quality at Record Industry in Holland.
Mr Projectile, one of our favorite IDM producers from back in the day, has given La Luna the chance to share some of his unreleased IDM tracks from the early 2000’s. The album is an eclectic blend of ambient, IDM and experimental electronics.
These sounds are a time machine to simpler, less chaotic times and have become essential listening these days. We envision this album spinning on a sunny Sunday afternoon, filling your room with the delicate and deep textures of electronic music and soothing your uncertainty. Enjoy a nice cup of coffee and explore your thoughts as you speed through time and space. Hopefully serving as a special reminder that we are all in this madness together.
Not only is the music stellar, but we are honoured to have Marcello Raeli, an Italian artist and car designer, accompany the music with his wonderfully mind bending artwork. Marcello is an artist who has designed some of the most insanely beautiful/fast cars on the planet. Here we get to take a deep look into his mind and marvel at the incredible interconnectedness created in this piece and appreciate the sense of depth and space created for this album.
Voted DJ Mag’s Underground Hero in 2022, DJ & producer Lauren Flax has been a fixture in Brooklyn’s electronic scene for two decades. On her latest project Liz & Lauren EP, she teams up with Liz Wight of shoegaze techno duo Pale Blue, whose sultry vocals explore questions of love and isolation to the tune of Detroit house and acidic techno.
Flax and Wight became fast friends in 2021 after being introduced by Pale Blue member & 2MR co-founder Mike Simonetti, who’d enlisted Flax to remix Pale Blue’s “Breathe.” Naturally, when Flax needed a vocalist for some tracks she was working on shortly after, she knew just who to call. “I was in my last year of grad school doing an internship in community mental health helping kids cope with the trauma of the pandemic,” Wight says of the time. She channelled this experience as she wrote and recorded the lyrics to Liz & Lauren EP from her home in Los Angeles.
As a result, the lyrics on Liz & Lauren EP are open-ended musings on connection, isolation, and convention. Lead single “Fix Everything” can be read both as an indictment of the trappings of marriage or, on Flax’s view, a rousing call to action, applicable to issues ranging from the degradation of the environment to the attack on LGBTQ+ rights in America. As the EP progresses, Wight’s airy vocals consider the pitfalls of love, from the destructive power of infatuation to the pain of outgrowing a relationship.
Sonically, Liz & Lauren EP feels like a natural progression from Flax’s first release on 2MR, 2021’s Out Of Reality, which saw her exploring a more minimalist production style for the first time in her work. “I Don’t Want To Hurt You” and “Fix Everything” pulse with bright, dynamic production, while slow burner “Return To Love” takes a sparser approach, anchored by a muted drumbeat and a simple, earworm synth refrain. “I’d Risk It All To Be With You” is a masterful balance of both; it even gets the club treatment on the EP’s closing remix, courtesy of Flax’s friends Mark Archer and Simon Neale (Shadow Child) of MASC.
Liz & Lauren EP is an impassioned collection that showcases both Flax and Wight’s artistry in equal measure. For both artists, it’s a testament to stepping outside the norm (DJing for Flax, performing in Pale Blue for Wight) and collaborating with others, the fruits of which are sure to be felt on the dancefloor for years to come.
E-Talking crashes onto Love On The Rocks with a 4-track EP that’s weirder, faster and harder than anything Paramida’s ever-evolving imprint has put out to date; pushing the label into new territory that’s simultaneously unexpected and unmistakably true-to-form.
The Berlin-via London-based French producer, one half of the duo & collective Nummer, released his studio debut on AD93 in 2018 and his first album on Going Good in 2021, with productions that are dense, intricate and intoxicating, overflowing with ideas and effortless finesse, qualities all on display on this EP in otherworldly abundance.
The ‘Cosmic Egg’ refers to our modern understanding of the universe as ever-expanding; extrapolated backwards in time, it implies a finite starting-time and a small starting-place, from which the entire cosmos metaphorically hatched.
‘Pads & Frogs’ finds E-Talking in the midst of this process; slowly awakening to find himself up to his eyeballs in a shimmering psychedelic rainforest, awash with swirling pads, lush percussion, tripped-out inter-species vocals and tribal rhythms, building and looping into each other in a joyous dance of life-giving. A cosmic field recording from the incubation of this special egg, recorded somewhere between whatever passes for a rainforest in Berlin and deep, infinite space, sat upon lovingly and diligently by Paramida and Alex while in the process of developing a close friendship with its birth-mother – the three of them keeping it collectively warm and preparing to hatch since early lockdown days.
The time, motherfuckers, is now. After a warm, fuzzy beginning, of course, comes a huge, shattering explosion: ‘Rise Up’ is the EP’s first big leap into new territory, turning up the pace considerably and wasting no time in serving up some seriously pounding cosmic techno, LOTR-style, with some unexpected twists and turns halfway through. It’s all in the switches and details here, and they are so good you will want to literally get naked and lick your speakers for momentary sonic relief.
Unfortunately for you, ‘Life Begins Now’ doesn’t let up, proceeding with the same intensity but a more house sensibility, with layers of percussion and grooves building off each other into a drop which could easily carry the track, but is really just a tease for another twist that sends this one off fully into intricate, exquisite orbit. ‘Neidan’ brings us slowly back to Earth for another slamming house workout with all the hallmarks of a future LOTR classic: sun on the horizon, cosmic energy to infinity, all your friends together on the dance floor. It doesn’t get better than this.
Previously, the universe was thought of as eternally old, with no start and no growth. Boring. This EP exemplifies just how wrong that is: an adrenaline-fuelled salute to the constant creative expansion of the universe, and all the weird beings who inhabit it.
On All Centre’s second vinyl outing, label regular Endless Mow and co-boss Simkin join forces for a split EP of adventurous club excursions. Endless Mow kicks off proceedings with two sparkling mutated club jams, whilst Simkin contributes two tracks on the flip that display his aggressive paired back style!
Pauline Hogstrand's music – and Áhkká, in particular – is deeply inspired by both inner and outer influences, by the mystical as well as the rock-solid, by fictitious conversations and the queen mountain of Lappland (Áhkká).
Meaning "the old lady" in Lule Sámi, Áhkká is a barren, wild, exciting, beautiful, and sometimes grumpy mountain regardless of the season. Over the years, the mountain peaks, moss, birch forests, paths, streams, birds and people have shaped the surroundings, and the massif changed them in return - a reflection of a constantly ongoing development and emerging into greatness, surrounding and within. Speaking about why this mountain is so dear to her, the Denmark-based musician shares: "The nature there is harsh and raw and you can easily feel how it's so much bigger than you. Some people might feel overwhelmed or intimidated, but I feel that when acknowledging the greatness and the power nature consists, I can feel one with it. We come from the same source: I am a part of universe, and universe a part of me."
The music appearing on Áhkká (the album) simulates the dualities of ascent and descent, tension and release, inhale and exhale. Through implementing extended structures for analog and digital synthesis and processed acoustic instrumentations – strings, recorder, pipes and field recordings – Hogstrand expertly navigates these dual motions across two side-long pieces.
The opening "Herein" is slow, difficult, at times jagged and unwelcoming; just like climbing up a mountain early in the morning. Hogstrand shares that this piece is "about surrendering and letting go of control", especially during the last 10 minutes of the track which consist almost solely of an insistent and pulsating drone leading you to no man's land. "Magnitude" offers a release, glimpses of beauty, a softer, easier presence; descending, you're able to see beauty where previously you saw obstacles, perhaps the sun is up, breathtaking views in every direction... This piece is "about all that becomes available after letting go. Suddenly sight clears up in front of your eyes," shares the Swedish composer.
The magic ultimately lies in Hogstrand's perception and portrayal of contrasts – she does not view the two as opposites, but as one reality. "One greatness is not compromised by another greatness." In fact, the opposite is true – one without the other loses meaning, depth and context.
- Each record includes a download code for the release + 2 digital bonus tracks -
BlueBox is the first of its kind! The new colored series on Front Left by Elad Magdasi.
Elad is going back to his roots while trying something new. Keeping a balance between his serious and playful side, the release includes 4 DJ tools that are different yet embody Elad's sound in every way.
All the tracks are named by their position on the record, similar to the oldskool way, focusing on the music alone.
All BlueBox tracks were produced at the same time, on the same wave of inspiration, they compliment each other though being completely different.
Front Left Love.
Chansons for the replicates. Hymns for the algorythmed. Operatic minimal wave. Spoken words. Otherworldly electronica. Oh pop, Oh techno. Oh Pose Dia. Now on R.i.O. simulating herself on an album full of weeping synthlines, melding melodies, unreeling theatre between the notes, camouflaging in fashion and rhyme. Impulsive, destructive, yet so perceptive, gently repetitive. “Simulate Yourself” is her second album since “Front View,” released in 2020 on Bureau B.
Now the Hamburg-based filmmaker, DJ and musician Helena Ratka, aka Pose Dia, brings a notion of digital archeology. Nine otherworldly chanting cold blooded Lieder and tracks, manic, longing for the real in the un- real. The matter of her poetic-abstract lyrics is rhizomatic, linking psychological “Suspiria” fantasy with sociology, media theory and all that never obsolete post-structuralism. Hyperreality for the hyped. Fully illusionistic. Wrapped in touching airs, drilling into cold waving Risiko spheres. X-mal rotating towards novel corners, shading light on old ones. Track make-up transforms into lacquered songs. Fog and fire. Night and light. Hairspray and cigarettes. Pose Dia transfers fine-tuned dissatisfaction to all those fully satisfied. Welcome to the other side of the Ocean.
This new project is directed by Miho in collaboration with Robert Drewek, the owner of respected label RAWAX.
It is a special edition 'RAWAX - AIRA EP vinyl series".
Concept and mission will always be, to connect and invite great musicians who produce and create "essence of the real music',
not following the trend but let the music speak itself with groove, melody, vibe, energy and soul....
Roland has made evolution in dance music all over the world in 80's, Music needed those machines, and machines needed those creators of music.
AIRA are not rehashing of the legendary original TR or TB, But respecting those great machines from the past, AIRA continues to evolve toward into the future simultaneously, newly developed, new generations tools to keep the music alive and to bring more possibilities for the future.
We seeks out this exciting movement of dance music history, as the music lover who has actual experience the flow of this evolution, and connections between musicians and machines to make their musical pieces on this project to inspire listeners and to challenge the genres they represent by each series.
Brandon Spivey & Richie Anderson have been producing incredible music since 1993 when they released under the name "Prole Sythesis" on Alien Reign records. In 1994 they put out a series of highly sought after picture discs on the UK label Kill Out Recordings under the name A'Simetric. They went on to produce releases on USA labels Drop Bass Network & Six Sixty Six records out of Milwaukee!
These tracks are a mixture of new and old tracks. The original 90's tracks recovered from old DATs!
This release has some seriously special artwork by Mattthieu Bourel aka EK Dojo. He's had work commissioned by the New York Times, The Guardian, Washington Post, Esquire, New Scientist, Vice Managzine and many more. He has also done album covers for Venetian Snares, Carl Craig & Somatic Responses in the past.
Also comes with a free download code for the digital release of this EP.
LTD 200 COPIES
Love Love continues the LOVLTD series with a follow up from Bristol based producer Ben Pest. In a similar vein to his previous 12" on Love Love, 'On The Three', it's an all out techno affair with 4 high powered tracks geared for destroying peak-time dancefloors.
DJ support from:
Tariq Ziyad (Life Support Machine), Doc Scott, TMSN, Alland Byallo, Vell (Boiled Wonderland Records), Manfred Reckers, Shcuro, Hassan Abou Alam, Miley Serious, Zoltan Balla, Jensen Interceptor, Luke Sanger, Mumdance, Clouds, Piezo, Elena Rioboo, Jossy Mitsu, Yorobi, Blutch, NVST, Snuffo, Om Unit, Black Cadmium, Kreggo, Prettybwoy, Gene Farris, Timothy Clerkin, Danielle Moore, Sun People, JVK, Mad Miran, Stillhead, Nala, Brown, Monotronique, Syz, Appleblim, SDR, Wes Baggaley, Hrdvsion, Marco Zenker, Hooverian Blur, Roi, Mamiko Motto, Fear E, Giant Swan, Minor Science, Extrawelt, Second Storey, Toshiki Ohta, Hudson Mohawke, Nachtbraker, Mani Festo, Radioactiveman, Formally Unknown
“Mr Pest never ceases to bring the dirt.. Always top notch and 1 step ahead.. :) Proper”
Boss Priester makes his LOCUS debut with his bustling four-track ‘Hotel Dijon’ EP.
Working hard in the studio to develop his own take on minimal-leaning house and techno, The Hague-based DJ/ producer Boss Priester is starting to reap the rewards and emerge as another hotshot from the country’s hotbed of electronic talent. Racking up support from the likes of Dungeon Meat, East End Dubs, Michel de Hey, Dr. Banana and Alec Falconer, his releases on What NxT and Dark Side Of The Sun have accompanied appearances at the likes of Thuishaven, Colorado Charlie and Lovelee. Another fan of the young Dutchman is FUSE and LOCUS boss Enzo Siragusa, and late September brings a first appearance on the latter imprint as he makes his label debut with his four-track ‘Hotel Dijon’ EP.
Title track ‘Hotel Dijon’ comes loaded with raw drum licks, cosmic synths and menacing, swirling low-ends for a heavy-hitting opener set to cause serious dance floor damage, while the slinking ‘ROF66’ mixes eerie stabs with shuffling drums and bouncy baselines for another heavyweight anthem. Next, ‘SUP01’ keeps things ticking nicely on a similar tip with yet more punchy percussion arrangements linking with playful sound design peppered with zippy FX, before closing the show with the hopped-up, bass-driven sonics of final effort ‘Wek’.
Boss Priester ‘Hotel Dijon’ EP drops via LOCUS on 22nd September 2023.
Duo Drunken Kong step up for their Drumcode debut.
The residents at Tokyo’s legendary Womb have a distinct sound signature, as dreamy melodic and vocal elements rub shoulders with the pair’s trademark groove-orientated rhythms to create hypnotic techno outings that span the breadth of the genre, from heads down rollers to peak-time pleasure.
Their maiden outing on Drumcode is an inspiring four-track work ‘I Want To See’ that lays down this sonic manifesto, with each track built around different vocal samples used to skilful effect.
EP opener ‘It’s Then’ brings atmosphere in spades, mixing up a chugging bottom end, a sleek synth line and a sublime vocal that simmers throughout.
The title track is another late-night dancefloor affair that shifts between function and fun, as a slick mix of polished grooves and hypnotising melodies build towards a thrilling crescendo. ‘That’s It’ brings peak-time energy against a plump electro backbone and ’90-tinged vocal.
The EP rounds out with evocative ‘Need It’, as a stirring vox and metallic drumlines propel the track forward.
2026 Repress
Digital Tape Recordings dial it back to ’96 to reissue the third part in 24hr Experience’s Dub Essentials series, remastered straight from the DAT. Masterminded by two certified UKG legends, Grant Nelson and Simon Firmin, it’s another signature package of rough, ready, chest rumbling garage heat. Four skippy bubblers that have done the business on dancefloors from day dot and continue to cause chaos wherever they’re set loose.
Most Excellent Unlimited is happy to announce the next release in its series of collaborations with master DJ and editor "Mr. K". Two exceptional deep classic album gems skillfully cut down to a maximum 7" 45rpm format, Luther’s “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” and Zulema’s “Giving Up.”
Long before “Never Too Much” and his other solo hits, Luther Vandross was an in-demand backup singer and vocal arranger, working with luminaries like Carly Simon, Bette Midler, and Donna Summer, along with his stand out performances in Change, Bionic Boogie, & so many more. Perhaps his most significant role, however, was backing David Bowie on the 1975 Young Americans album. It was during these sessions that Bowie heard Luther’s song “Funky Music (Is a Part of Me)” and re-tooled it to become the Bowie/Vandross joint composition “Fascination,” which went on to become a successful Bowie single.
For the latest edition of Most Excellent Unlimited’s series of edits, Mr. K has gone back to the original source, credited to the group (not the solo artist) Luther (which also features Christine Wiltshire). Mr. K's technique on this edit is cleverly subtle, in the process giving us the first opportunity to get almost the entire full-length song on compact 7-inch wax, keeping that irresistible building energy that places the track firmly on dancefloor-friendly territory.
“Giving Up” was the opening track on Zulema’s second LP, and given the drama of the intro, with its rolling piano, string ensemble, and piercing guitar, it’s not hard to hear why it was effective in that role. Mr. K’s edit benefits from a crystal clear remastering in which each element of the band is distinct in the soundfield, led by Zulema’s gutsy vocals upfront. Originally a 1964 Gladys Knight tearjerker that crept along at a tango’s pace, Zulema’s 1973 cover gives the song a new, powerfully soulful arrangement, championed by such disparate eras and tastemakers as Nicky Siano at the Gallery in the ’70s and breakbeat hunters the Beatnuts in the ’90s that has easily found favor with a wide variety of listeners and DJs, and this new issue should solidify that position. Never before available on 7-inch, “Giving Up” is a bonafide funk and proto-disco classic —
Life has changed in the eight years since the release of II. In ours, yours and Gala Drop themselves. Most times without noticing it, partly due to those two years of a semi-existence that still resonates and with the ongoing predatory gentrification process changing the landscape and life of Lisbon, home to the band since ever. Close to a decade and a half of existence, with various mutations along the way enacting new perspectives and moments of stillness and reflection to a sound that's been mutating itself to its own internal rhythm and agency under the guiding light of the core duo of Afonso Simões and Nélson Gomes. Now a trio, with Rui Dâmaso transitioning from II after the departure of Jerry the Cat and Guilherme Canhão, Gala Drop sound even more focused as a working band, with their new album title Amizade – friendship in Portuguese – making perfect sense in a celebration of their, by now, patented soundworld of cosmic inspiration: krautrock's endless and hypnotic potential, dub's sense of transient space, the throb of house, balearic dreams, polyrhythms and a communal sense of belonging.
Again, this sprawling sphere of influence opens itself to new shapes and inspirations, but there's a deeper sense of accuracy and direction, with the band channeling those legacies into something we can only grasp as the Gala Drop sound. An organic outcome of working steadily as a trio, made possible by a residency promoted by gnration in Braga, Amizade dwells on the psychedelic nature of the group through seven tracks made up of dreamy synth washes, loads of percussion, echoes, chilled guitars under a radiant aura. Gala Drop have never sounded as openly dubby as on 'Dub da Meia Noite' and 'Areal Dub' or capable of converging different tropes of the hardcore continuum – rave stabs and cut up vocals – on a slow burner as memorable as 'Monte do Ouro'. Or given free reign to electricity as on the narcotic guitars of 'Guitarra Voadora' – excepting the one off with Ben Chasny on 2012's Broda. 'Amizade' points towards all of that with comforting escapism and wrapping things up 'Raio' turns dubstep's original bass weight meditations into a cosmic funk workout. One last hug before we leave. An album that feels like a collective moment of celebration, just when we most need it.
Afonso Simões - Drums, percussion and synthesizers
Nelson Gomes - Electric guitar and electronics
Rui Dâmaso - Electric bass & guitar and synthesizer
Recorded by Budda Guedes at Estúdio Mobydick, Braga
Mixed by Gala Drop and Hugo Valverde at Estúdio Cão Andaluz, Lisboa
Mastered by Anne Taegert at Dubplates & Mastering, Berlim
Cover photo by Sara Graça
Design by Nicolai Sarbib
Repress.
Back in 2015, Japanese DIY house pioneer Soichi Terada stepped back into the limelight courtesy of Rush Hour's 'Sounds From The Far East', a Hunee curated retrospective of material first released on his own Far East Recording label in the 1990s and early 2000s. Buoyed by the positive response and renewed interest in his work, Terada went back into studio to record his first new album of house music for over 25 years, Asakusa Light.
Developed over 18 months, Terada tried to recreate the mental and physical processes that led to the creation of his acclaimed earlier work. Those familiar with Terada’s celebrated, dancefloor-focused sound of the 1990s – a vibrant, atmospheric, and emotive take on deep house powered by the twin attractions of groove and melody – will find much to enjoy on Asakusa Light.
“I tried to recall my feelings 30 years ago, but when I tried it, I found it super difficult,” he explains. “I didn’t even know what I thought about myself five years ago, and the mental metabolic cycle seems to be faster than I thought. I tried different methods, including digging up my old MIDI data and composing by remembering old experiences. With the help of Rush Hour, I found some of the light from my heart that I had 30 years ago. I nicknamed the light I found in my heart, ‘Asakusa Light’.”
Produced using the very same synthesizers and drum machines that powered his 1990s work, the album is a joyous, colourful and life-affirming collection of timeless house music that not only recalls Terada’s own impeccable back catalogue, but also that of similarly celebrated contemporaries such as the Burrell Brothers or Ben Cenac (Dream 2 Science, Sha-Lor).
Terada, who has spent much of the last two decades writing video game music, has always had a gift for combining warm, undulating synthesizer basslines and perfectly programmed machine drums with stirring chords, smile-inducing melodies and mellow musical flourishes. It’s this immersive, sun-kissed and tuneful trademark style that takes centre stage on Asakusa Light, an album for the ages.
The set begins with the alien-sounding chords, soft-touch percussion and dawn-friendly warmth of ‘Silent Chord’ and ends on a high via the bouncing string stabs, starlight chords and thickset grooves of ‘Blinker’; in between, you’ll find a deluge of effortlessly feelgood music that’s the aural equivalent of a dopamine rush at sunrise.
There are subtle variations aplenty throughout the album – see the 8-bit lead lines and pulsing electronic textures of ‘Takusambient’, the vintage Tony Humphries flex of ‘Diving Into Minds’ and the effortlessly funky ‘Marimbau’ – but it’s the uniquely atmospheric, vivid and tactile nature of Terada’s loved-up sound that resonates. After well over 30 years in house music, the light in his heart is shining brighter than ever.
Long Beach legend Scotty Coats links the West Coast eclecticism of Stones Throw to the NYC cool of DFA and Rong to the Balearic gods of DJ Harvey et al. He personally introduced Be With to Ned Doheny 10 years ago and he was immortalised on Smith & Mudd's last LP. And he's the main man behind the mysteriously titled duo Todd Russell & The Dangerous Coats, alongside Erick "Todd" Coomes (Lettuce founder/bassist).
In very real danger of being lost forever, we unearthed two of their private recordings and present them as a double A-Side 12", adorned with S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G artwork, courtesy of Arizona artist Frank Gonzales.
"Playa Larga" is a melodic, mellow masterpiece and is quintessentially Balearic. It's stretched out, low slung, guitar-soaked drum-machine soul music. It's multi-layered and contains multitudes: it builds and builds and builds and mesmerises as it does so. On the flip, "1900 Ocean Avenue" is a super slo-mo, sunbaked drug-chug which is already blowing minds thanks to early leaks of this cosmic, psychedelic detonation.
On first listen back, Erick said to Scotty: “So wait, nothing really happens, I mean nothing bad happens but nothing really happens”. Apparently these tracks were a bit foreign for Erick, musically, because of the lack of structure in the songs.
One morning, years later, Erick called Scotty and excitedly declared: “dude, I get it now!”. He was listening to random music with a lady friend while watching the sunrise in his 1900 Ocean Ave apartment and "Playa Larga" came on randomly. He'd forgotten all about it and said he had to get up and see what song it was because "it was the perfect soundtrack for a psychedelic sunrise over the ocean."
And that's exactly how we came across it, circa 2018, randomly popping up on a playlist while we were busy doing other things. It stopped us in our tracks but, when trying to find any info on iTunes, we were out of luck. It was only years later that we worked out Scotty had sent it to us. Ever since, we've been working on getting this out to you all. It's finally time.
We've only 500 pressed for the world, with many of them spoken for by those lucky enough to be already ITK, so these are gonna fly: be warned!
Scotty is a world class raconteur so we'll hand over to him to explain how these songs came about and why they mean so much to him in the context of his wider raison d'être:
"These were made 13 years ago when I was a new dad and left my job at Ubiquity Records to provide security for my newborn son, Nolan Liam Chai Coats. I became miserable working a job outside of music for the first time in my life and I was laid off 4 months into it. I was left wondering how the fuck am I going to provide for my family?
I lived in Long Beach and Erick lived a few blocks away. I would walk to his house when Jen finally got Nolan to sleep so I could escape my panic, drink some beers (is it beerlearic?) and make some music. He lived overlooking the ocean with the Queen Mary on the horizon, so I guess mellow Long Beach nights unintentionally inspired the music. These songs were the first two songs we ever made and they embody the desperation and hope I really needed at that time. 12 years later, when Rob at Be With expressed an interest in releasing it, we had Erick's brother Tyler Tycoon Coomes play drums on it at Jazzcats Studio in LBC, with Jonny Bell.
Shortly after I was laid off, I discovered The Stepkids. I was blown away by "Shadows On Behalf" and sent it on to Gilles Peterson. He played it on Worldwide the next day. The Stepkids pulled me back into music and made me realize I wasn't prepared to do anything but be involved with music. After I heard their unreleased album, I knew there was something there so I sent it to my good friend Jamie Strong who was at Stones Throw at the time. Jamie passed it along to Peanut Butter Wolf and the band asked me to be their manager. I didn't think I was the right guy for the job but wanted to see them do well so I told them I would help shop their album. Jamie suggested I take his place at Stones Throw, just as he did when he left Ubiquity Records. I always joke that Jamie can call me Scotty Coat Tails because I had been riding his for years.
Wolf told him that "Scotty is a nice guy but has horrible taste in music", which was ironic because he was literally trying to sign the band that I brought him. The Stepkids signed with Stones Throw and found a real manager. 6 or so months later Jamie sent me a note saying "Stones Throw is hiring and you should apply lol". I told him I was going to send my resume and the subject of the email was to read I HAVE GREAT FUCKING TASTE IN MUSIC. I did just that and got a call the next day from their new GM asking me to come in for an interview. When I walked in I was in Wolf's office where I had been 6 months before, signing The Stepkids
deal. Wolf and Jason McGuire were asking me some questions and wanted to introduce me to Jeff Jank. Jank walked in and said "Isn't this the guy that Jamie wanted to bring on 6 months ago?" They confirmed and he threw his hands up and walked out saying "I've seen enough". I got the job. I worked there for 2 or 3 years until I left to join forces with Jamie Strong at his label and stayed there for almost 7 years."
Scotty wanted to use a painting by his good friend, Frank Gonzales, for the front cover image. Frank was incredibly generous in letting us use this one, and Scotty was completely honoured. We think you'll agree, it's pretty striking. Simon Francis carefully mastered the original audio for both tracks and Cicely Balston's precise cut for Alchemy at AIR Studios ensures this double A-side 12" sounds appropriately outstanding. The immaculate Record Industry pressing will ensure these previously unheard, recently discovered recordings finally get a chance to shine.
‘The Nature of Nature’ is the debut LP by Hanegi Koen, the Japan-based creative duo composed of British ¦lmmaker Sam King and Canadian label head Sean Mallion (ADSR Collective). Picking up where they left off with their 2021 EP ‘Well Worth A Visit’, this album continues the legacy of spaced-out ambient guitars and driving analog beats the band nicely cued up for us. It has continuity from their previous work, going even deeper this time, further de¦ning the contours of their sound. As the title suggests, Nature was a big influence on the record. Many of the track titles are from the season they were recorded in – for example, ‘Hanafubuki’, when the cherry blossoms fall, ‘Tsuyu’, the rainy season, or ‘Kaminari’ which was written during a crazy thunderstorm. The sights and sounds of those times are reflected in the tracks, with ¦eld recordings helping to supplement the atmosphere. Hanegi’s founding ethos of only using analog instruments and drum machines to compose and perform, minimizing the need for the computer as an interface, is alive and well in this album. The tracks got tested in front of an audience and improved on, based on feedback from playing them live, leading to a psychedelic, synth-rich, analog journey. “We like all things analog. We both use computers and digital screens a fair amount in our day job, so it’s nice to give our eyes a rest from that and allow the music to be created from everything we have on the table.
Similarly vinyl records, ¦lm photography, and simply walking around outside in the forest – all these things are a way of slowing down and escaping the digital world.”
Greatly influenced by the wild contrasting outdoors of their home in Japan, the mountains, forests, and ocean, ‘The Nature of Nature’ is an open invitation to unplug to reconnect, a feeling that Hanegi Koen want to share with you. Released on August 18th, on vinyl and digital via Subtempo. Credits: Written and composed by Sean Mallion and Sam King Mixed by Aoki Takamasa Mastering by Manmade Mastering Album art by Laine Butler Design by Rocco Tyndale
Always exciting when Klasse Wrecks comes with a new label project!! This one they do together with Kid Who and is a series of records showcasing previously unreleased house, techno, acid and more from the 90s Amiga Demoscene.
Created using early sample sequencers such as ProTracker, these tracks radiate the authentic energy of techno's golden era - and they've been hiding in plain sight in Demoscene web repositories for many years. It was during the long days of the 2020 lockdowns that Kid Who began to explore these archives, sifting through thousands of tracks to eventually amass a collection of several hundred of his favourites.
Curated by Klasse Wrecks and Kid Who in close collaboration with the talented artists behind them, the .NFO project aims to bring some of these finds to the broader dance music community via a series of VA 12"s and mixes. Tip!! Vinyl comes with A4 insert and stickered sleeve.
Following on from the successes of their first two LPs, "Kalba" and "Small Small", Isaac Birituro & The Rail Abandon return with the "Kontonbili EP". A collection of seven tracks that trace the traditional West African roots of their sound whilst adding their unique touch, largely courtesy of Isaac's xylophone, Sonny Johns' folky embellishments and the vocal prowess of powerful Ghanaian songstress Wiyaala.
The lead single "Hado Deeli" roughly translates to "My Rival" and is a vibrant discussion between two rivals, one of whom is always making a fuss about anything and everything, even when things are all good! "Gargar", with its collaboration of xylophone, whistles, Wiyaala's effervescent vocals and relentless groove represents, quite literally, the band's "joining together" for this EP. In contrast, "I Know" sees Sonny Johns takes over lead vocal duties to lament the breakdown of a relationship accompanied by muted horns and Wiyaala's soothing backing vocals. "Nimmbalia" continues in a mellow and reassuring tone before emerging as one of the most uplifting and simultaneously fierce cuts on the EP! The traditional version of "Bawa" - the original take of which can be found on last year's "Small Small" LP - strips things back a little, before culminating in a battle of xylophone, whistles and choir. "Yeri Villa" has a wonderfully laid back, sun drenched feel with some truly beautiful vocal refrains, and finally - only available on the digital version - comes the deeply percussive and trance inducing "Darpeny", rounding off a rather stunning EP from this cross continental outfit.
All tracks feature Ghanaian singer, song-writer, model and actor, Wiyaala. With a strong fanbase in Africa and beyond, "the lioness" made her mark on Wah Wah 45s and BBC 6 Music last year when she featured on the A-listed "Senye", described as "perfection" by Annie Mac and "pure joy!" by Tash LC.
e 05: Bawa (Traditional) feat. Wiyaala
As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, Bill Withers' Still Bill remains true to its title – and stands as the greatest male-fronted soul album not made by a singer named Marvin, Al, Sam, James, or Ray. Though the saying "keeping it real" did not exist in popular parlance when Withers released his sophomore effort on Sussex Records, no words better capture the music's approach, mindset, and value. Every facet of Still Bill radiates honesty, truth, and emotion.
These characteristics – along with Withers' strong singing, hybrid arrangements, and deceptively simple songwriting – have allowed the album to endure to the point where it sounds as fresh today as in 1972.
After rising into the Top 5 of the Billboard Album charts and attaining gold status within a year of release, Still Bill has long been evaluated not by sales – but according to its merit, spirit, and agelessness. Included by The Guardian on its "1,000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" list (2007) as well as in Tom Moon's 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die book (2008), its contemporary standing as one of history's most venerated soul efforts eclipses the positive reception it enjoyed in the early ‘70s.
Still Bill walks the same hallowed ground as What's Going On, Call Me, Night Beat, and Genius + Soul = Jazz. Like those landmarks, Still Bill plays with a mix of consistency, effortlessness, and complexity that rewards repeat listening and transcends categorization.
In combining four of the era's predominant styles – Philly soul, sweaty funk, Southern-reared blues, acoustic-based folk – and melding them with standout production borrowed from both minimalist affairs and sophisticated singer-songwriter albums, Still Bill occupies a distinct universe.
Its rhythmic fare is equally laidback and invigorating; relaxing and rollicking; eloquent and muscular; soft and tough. Withers' calm, self-assured voice hovers above it all, doubling as a warm blanket that adds comfort and grace to lyrics steeped in maturity, perspective, and compassion.
Withers' balanced outlook on human desires, needs, and situations stem from his own existence as a former blue-collar employee who believed his time as a musician would soon end. That grounding forever separates Withers from other contemporary soul greats – and stamps Still Bill with a conversational nature and egoless approachability.
"I mean look, I'm really a factory worker," said Withers in 1972. "That's a real job." There's that word again: real. The songs on Still Bill are tethered to modesty and actuality, wedded to a belief in simplicity, and connected to universal truths that link us all – independent of our economic or social standing. No track better exemplifies those principles than "Lean on Me," a feel-good paean to brotherhood and community that hit No. 1 on the pop and R&B charts en route to becoming a mainstream staple.
Withers approaches the plainspoken insight on "Lonely Town, Lonely Street" and heartbreaking vulnerability of "I Don't Want You on My Mind" with similar sincerity and straightforwardness. His proclivity for authenticity extends to the record's other big hit: the sexual, funk-laden "Use Me," which reached No. 2 and reflects the singer's everyman persona. It's an identity couched in keeping it real, the very inclination that ultimately led Withers to retire in the mid-'80s rather than bend to industry pressures or risk credibility.
That commitment to truthfulness and realism helps make Still Bill feel as unaffected as the air we breathe. Looking back on "Lean on Me" years later, Withers said it seemed like "something that was there before I got here" – the kind of song that could be 100 or 10 years old, or one we encounter anew 10 years into the future. The same can be said for every note on Still Bill.
The Accessory geezers are letting loose for this Summer with co-label head Simic returning to showcase his skills for the dancefloor groove. Following the release template since the label's inception it's another three tracker which brings all the goodness to the table, like always.
'Seven Years Of Love' is our second label compilation with nine original tracks by resident artists and friends from around the world. The versatile vibe spreads across two parts, each dedicated to a certain dancefloor mood: System 108 and RadugaDiscoClub. Outstanding artwork has been created by Uno Moralez.
Part 2 is an ode to the colorful and diverse world of RadugaDiscoClub. Freaks, artists, dancers, bears, ladies and all the sexy people! On Side A it is 'Heavenly Grace' by Lipelis that seduces us first, followed by 'Angelic', a big summer track by the stalwarts from Cream Soda. With side B it goes down down down down! Simple Symmetry brothers appear for the first time on the label with 'Elephant On Speed', a fantastic story about an elephant who is feeling great. Closing the compilation is '2061' by Matias Aguayo, Comeme founder and legendary music-maker. The laid back rhythm euphoria reminds us of his earlier productions, somewhere around the era of 'Are You Really Lost' LP on KOMPAKT, but '2061' is the future.
Bobby's 2019 tour ended in New York City and he had two days off before flying home to Finland. Leon invited him to the Diamond Mine to record some music. Bobby had been talking about wanting to stretch out lyrically and write about more esoteric subject matter, Leon was game. They recorded "Reasons" in one session which put the chemistry between the two on the world stage and sparked the idea of doing a full length album together. More than halfway through the recording process, they have decided to treat us to another two-sider of the new material. On the A side, "Whatcha Know" Bobby explores death and the human experience, putting his philosophical ponderings into his music. Michels' production and overall ethos is the perfect compliment to Bobby's desire to stretch out his sound. EMA provides a gorgeous backing track that compliments Bobby's style and simultaneously broadens its scope. The B side "Losing It" is a dramatic and moving number that Bobby sings in Spanish and English. A gorgeous guitar riff is countered with eerie sound effects that crescendo when the drums come in. Bobby professes he's "Losing It" over a love too strong and El Michels Affair's production turns the whole affair into a saga that thunders through speakers.
Eli Escobar returns for his 9th full length LP. While his last few projects found him exploring downtempo beats, EBM and ambient in§uences, this latest offering of Eli's studio craftsmanship marks a return to the sound of his early releases like Up All Night and Happiness. Warm samples expertly woven into classic drum machine rhythms and searing synth lines, The Beach Album takes listeners on a journey through golden era hip hop beats, feel-good NYstyled house grooves into sweaty techno bangers. Similar to Eli's DJ sets, the 16 track long player has something for everyone. Created during the uncertainty of the pandemic when as Eli put it, "It didn't feel like the right time to release dance music," The Beach album celebrates the return of NY nightlife and optimism for the future.
Melts In Your Mind is the mercurial new LP by Healing Force Project, aka Italian producer Antonio Marini.
An amorphous, shapeshifting, intangible proposition, Melts In Your Mind represents Healing Force Project at it’s most fluid and alchemical yet, a melon-twisting amalgam of jazz, dub and acid house tropes mulched and rearranged in inimitable style. Seemingly live and erratic polyrhythms, liquid basslines and expressive roving keys combine with kitchen sink sample hits and rogue licks for a thrilling, constantly shifting, alive sound. It’s music that’s difficult to grasp on first or even fourth listen, and as such continues to reward on repeat. Rather than going somewhere, tracks just go, rarely repeating motifs but riffing on, digging into and working out.
Behavior Of Waves sets the scene discretely enough, a simple bass refrain that is eventually overcome with an urgent rhythm that stumbles over itself into a post-dub cavern. The title track resembles a scramble of disparate earthly sounds - lurking synthesizer, restless popping drums, West African balafon and a muted vocal sample - sucked into the same swirling black hole and dropped into another dimension, completely cohesive. Equator acts as loose-limbed palette cleanser, an unmoored drift gently driven forward by an insistent snare roll and improv piano stabs. Inharmonious Layer stands out on the record for being less reliant on samples and by it’s relatively predictable unfolding, a queasy acid lope from the darkest corner of a deviant dancefloor, while on Diaphonization Marini flexes his aptitude with drum sampling, a bouncing excursion in sampled loops interrupted by unironic jazz cliches, the product of an omnivorous lover of the genre’s high and low. Melts In Your Mind closes on the droning tambura, ethereal pads and scattered rhythm of Two Waves In The Dark, a suitably metaphysical and ultimately peaceful resting place for a record that challenges perceptions from the outset.
Marini has released records as Healing Force Project on Firecracker, Berceuse Heroique, Bedouin and most recently Beat Machine Records. He’s based in Treviso, Italy.
Melts In Your Mind was written, produced and mixed by Antonio Marini. It was mastered by Chris Wang. Art and design by Ginji Kimura.
- A1: Bobby Bland - For Men Only
- A2: Bobby Bland - This Time I´ll Be True
- A3: Etta James - Can´t Shake It
- A4: Etta James - I Never Meant To Love Him
- A5: Etta James - It´s Here For
- A6: Fontella Bass - Joy Of Love
- B1: The Velvelettes - Your Heart Belongs To Me
- B2: Brenda Holloway - Love Woke Me Up This Morning
- B3: Johnny Bristol - Tell Me How To Forget A True Love
- B4: David Ruffin - One Lucky Day I Found You
- B5: David Ruffin - You Ought To Know Me
- B6: Marvin Gaye - I Wish I Didn´t Love You So
Welcome to Soul4Real’s second album, a collection of originally unreleased tracks which feature a whole host of soul royalty.
First off are two songs from the inimitable Bobby Bland, both of which hail from his prolific period at Duke Records.
Sandwiched between two stunning Chicago recordings by Etta James is the later “I Never Meant To Love Him”, taken from a Philly session she recorded with Bobby Martin.
Fontella Bass brings this side to a close with a mysterious Chicago recording of which, to this day, hardly anything is known.
Side two transports us to Detroit, when Motown was at the peak of its output. 1966 was not a good year to secure the approval of quality control, as proven in the rejection of this wonderful Velvelettes´ version of “Your Heart Belongs To Me”.
It was in that same year that Ashford and Simpson arrived at Hitsville as both singers and songwriters. Their “Love Woke Me Up This Morning” was recorded by Brenda Holloway and produced by Norman Whitfield. Despite being overlooked at the time, its appeal was undeniable, and it later resurfaced on albums by Marvin & Tammi, Valerie Simpson, and the Temptations.
As an integral member of the Motown family for over 14 years, it is surprising that to date only three songs recorded by Johnny Bristol have surfaced. In collaboration with ‘Mickey’ Stevenson “Tell Me How To Forget A True Love” was completed in May 1964.
“One Lucky Day I Found You” was inexplicably not included in the ‘David’ project. Ruffin´s later work with Van McCoy is also featured on this album.
From almost the start of his career, Marvin Gaye had endeavored to project himself as a great balladeer, and nothing could illustrate this better than his rendition of “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So”, which brings this chapter to a perfect end.
Circa Groove are squashing their first EP into wax with red-hot house talent Donnie Cosmo, after a successful run of digital releases over the past 3 years.
Donnie's sound has been turning heads and moving dance floors in a special way, with a celebrated EP under Gene on Earth's Limousine Dream. His second vinyl EP will now come into existence under the Circa Groove imprint in the form of a 4-track solo EP.
Commencing the EP is the Track 'Stargazer (Highway Mix)', like Neil deGrasse Tyson this one is seriously intergalactic. The track holds tight and shuffling drums, with no-nonsense synth leads lifting the whole track and making it shimmer. The bassline bubbles and rocks underneath the top end giving the track an unrelenting energy.
Followed on by Wired Nag, this is a track that flexes monstrous sound design to construct a deep and flowing number. Laced with electro pings and undulating synth leads, this is deep and weighty club-ready music with nods to 90s house and electro.
In a similar fashion, on B1 and B2 Donnie has delivered 2 chrome-plated, slamming numbers, likely to cause axial tilt on the dancefloor
- A1: Daryl Hall & John Oates - Out Of Touch (Club Version)
- A2: Robbie Nevil - C'est La Vie (Extended Version)
- A3: Living In A Box - Living In A Box (Dance Mix)
- B1: Fleetwood Mac - Big Love (Extended Remix)
- B2: Artists United Against Apartheid - Sun City (Last Remix)
- B3: The Cars - Hello Again (Hello Again)
- C1: Fine Young Cannibals - Ever Fallen In Love? (Club Senseless)
- C2: The Colourfield - Running Away (Long Version)
- C3: Deborah Harry - Sweet & Low (Swing Low Mix)
- D1: Daryl Hall - Dreamtime (Extended Remix Version)
- D2: Carly Simon - My New Boyfriend (Remix)
- D3: Bob Dylan - When The Night Comes Falling From The Sky (Full Length Version)
- E1: Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance
- E2: Wally Jump Jr & The Criminal Element - Turn Me Loose
- E3: Arthur Baker & The Backbeat Disciples - The Message Is Love (Feat Al Green - Cupid Mix)
- F1: Roberta Flack - Uh-Uh Ooh-Ooh Look Out (Here It Comes) (Here It Comes)
- F2: Will Downing - A Love Supreme (Jazz In The House Remix)
- F3: Al Jarreau - I Must Have Been A Fool (Remix)
- G1: Jeffrey Osborne - Soweto (Remixed Version)
- G2: Jermaine Stewart - Jody (Dance Version)
- G3: Atlantic Starr - One Lover At A Time (Extended Version)
- H1: Junie Morrison - Tease Me (Long Version)
- H2: Jennifer Holliday - No Frills Love (Extended Dance Remix)
- H3: Cindy Mizelle - This Could Be The Night
- J2: Glory - Can You Guess What Groove This Is (Short Version)
- J3: Ritz - I Wanna Get With You
- K1: Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock
- K2: Tina B - Honey To A Bee (Vocal/Extended Version)
- K3: Arthur Baker - Breaker's Revenge (Extended Vocal Version)
- L1: Rockers Revenge - Walking On Sunshine (Feat Donnie Calvin - 12" Version)
- L2: Freeez - Iou (Mega-Mix)
- I1: Touchdown - Ease Your Mind
- I2: Second Image - Star (Us Remix)
- I3: Central Line - Surprise, Surprise
- J1: Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 With The Kryptic Krew - Jazzy Sensation
This latest instalment of ARTHUR BAKER Presents DANCE MASTERS finds the production/ song-writing/ remixing maestro taking the spotlight for a long overdue snapshot of his own classic 12” mixes during a crucial evolution of dance music, club
and pop culture.
“I’ve always felt like I was on a mission to make music from the time I heard Motown, Philly and Sly and the Family Stone. My mission started as a hobby and still feels like one now. You’ve got to keep on pushing and hustling. It can be a drag sometimes but
if you really love what you’re doing, it’s worth the work. I still really love what I do.”
Arthur Baker helped codify the remixer as artist. His genre-fluid approach to projects
has resulted in a joyous myriad of classics that spans many decades. This ’80’s focused DANCE MASTERS collection offers a welcome glimpse at Baker’s illustrious career and many long out-of-print 12” versions and previously unavailable mixes.
This 35-track, six LP expanded edition includes a wide array of selections from the likes of Robbie Nevil’s “C’est La Vie,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love,” Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”, Jeffrey Osborne “Soweto”, Freeez “I.O.U”, Rockers Revenge “Walking On Sunshine” and of course the juggernaut “Planet Rock” with Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force.
Complete with in-depth liner notes by Bill Coleman, track by track notes written by Arthur Baker himself, previously unseen session photos from Arthur’s personal archives and a signed insert.
All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering
Once again, Perm has turned just the right knobs to give you the perfect soundtrack for your personal journey into Techno wonderland. The Leipzig based wizard simply knows how to leave dancers both dizzy and beatific. When those strings in "03-VIII" come together to its climax you're more than ready to embrace the night. The focus in "03-IV" is more heavy on the drum work with just the right amount of subtle tripping hazards. "03-III" builds and builds without ever bubbling over while the mighty "03-VIII" comes with a Boom-Tschak-Electro feel to it. The artwork comes courtesy of Carl-Johannes Schulze.
Montreal duo Bas Relief present a collection of rough-cut IDM and pitch-corrected emo on Insulary, a five-song EP out June 2023 on Brooklyn imprint Quiet Time. Written and compiled long distance from threads of bass music-inspired alt pop and guitar recorded in isolation, Insulary is the duo’s first substantial release since 2018. Granulated microglitches fill out the digital drum arrangements, calling on influences Baths and Loraine James, overlaid with warm piano progressions, melancholic guitar loops, and collaged vocal production.
These self-reckoning, forlorn vocals form a patchwork narrative, hazed like a shapeshifted memory, long reconfigured with each conjuring, coherence inconsistent but still there. Recurring dreams find home among recursive passages, self-referencing lyrically and with samples churned through plugins, recorded on loop until you fall upon the most satisfying aha! moment and lock it to the grid. At certain moments all the pieces combine to reminisce in sentimental shards of Porter Robinson or The Postal Service, while never straying from Bas Relief’s own vernacular.
Visiting the past in person simply by walking the routes you took in a life long past, that reenactment of memory, that attempt to capture that which you can’t – it might even be a future – is a central bolt of Insulary’s lyrical content. It’s sentimental, it longs for some past which might not even have existed, and it’s hopeful too, never capitulating to traditional structures in its embrace of unusual stylistic combinations. Insulary – brim-packed with fragments of drum and bass, uptempo electronica, and emo – is but a preview of Bas Relief’s exciting near future
Eternally Frozen consists of a series of canon based compositions for brass ensemble, percussion and synthesizer by Andrea Belfi. The canon is an ancient compositional technique in which an initial melody is imitated at a specified time interval by one or more parts, creating illusionary never-ending musical journeys.
The work is inspired by the evocative image of the Deprong Mori, a mythological bat with the alleged ability to fly through solid matter by bending atoms by its natural skill of audio echolocation. The myth suggests that one of these bats had been “eternally frozen” in a wall of solid lead in 1952 by the researcher of the Rockefeller University, Donald R. Griffith. This story is exhibited in a display at the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, an institution renowned for both speculative, fantastical reinforcement of mythology and playful and beguiling distortions of mysterious could-be truths.
Both the canon and the “frozen” Deprong Mori are man-made illusory simulations of eternity. Their attempt is to create mirages, where the insinuation of facts is more meaningful than the reality.
After many years of sonic explorations with percussion, drums, and electronics, Belfi is here projecting himself as a composer through the direction of an astonishing brass ensemble in the realization of these canonic works. There are evident echoes of the works of Arthur Russell, Miles Davis, Moondog, William Basinski, and the Italian soundtrack tradition of Ennio Morricone and Egisto Macchi.
Pyramidal Decode marks his ¦fth release on the label with an assertive and distinct EP that further showcases his unique, hypnotic style. This collection displays a blend of pulsating beats and dissociative sound design, meticulously crafted to create the ideal soundtrack for those early morning moments in shadowy basements. Not to be overlooked, Viels, a close associate of Pyramidal Decode, lends his talent on the B-Side. Simplifying the original structure of Pyramidal
Decode's 'Gaussian Movement', he transforms it into a straightforward, yet infectious club version that's sure to ignite dance floors.
- A1: Ciência
- A2: Iix 03
- A3: Qliq 07
- A4: Untitled 01
- A5: #04
- A6: Butô 05
- A7: Nandemo 12
- A8: Sem Título I
- A9: Spam 08
- A10: Qliq 02
- A11: Lctrnc 08
- A12: Sem Título
- B1: Excerto Da Trilha Sonora Do Vídeo "The Kids
- B2: Sjc 01
- B3: Spam 05
- B4: Croquis 2 06
- B5: Nandemo 05
- B6: Mimevoc 05
- B7: #03
- B8: Lctrnc 06
- B9: Spam 12
- C1: Mbiẽta 02
- C2: Ar 02
- C3: Mbiẽta 01
- C6: #1
- C7: Sjc 06
- C8: Cnandemo 08
- C9: Qliq 08
- C10: Mbiẽta 05
- D1: Sem Título
- D2: Cerâmica 03
- D3: Cerâmica 06
- D4: Cerâmica 08
- D5: Spam 10
- D6: Sjc 04
- D7: Qliq 05
- D8: #06
- D9: Qliq 09
- D10: Sim
- C4: Ar 05
- C5: Untitled 02
Tracks are mixed together.
"In this album, Akira Umeda mixes 42 recordings, dated between 1988 and 2018, which, in a sense, reflect the incredible range of his creative work: from songs, to ambient music; from field recordings to prank calls. The cassette tapes, whose contents make up this double-LP, had been stored in Umeda’s house in São José dos Campos, in São Paulo, Brazil.
Restless, and easily bored, Akira moved seamlessly from one activity to another – he was a little bit of everything (and nothing at all). Such people usually go unnoticed and unrecognized, something which Umeda found perfectly acceptable. Nevertheless, unlike most people, he had no right to see himself in this light – in the light of ephemerality and anonymity –, for in everything he tried his hand at, he inevitably left an impressive and distinctive mark.
The term cruising refers to the practice of seeking and obtaining instant, no-strings-attached sexual gratification with strangers. Akira Umeda was well-acquainted with this term, but his practice of it was not restricted to the aforementioned context. Rather it extended into all spheres of his life and work. A historian by training, he later became a ceramicist, a photographer, a visual artist, a draftsman, a graphic designer, a DJ, a musician, an audio technician, a writer, a researcher... He made forays into a myriad of artistic and academic fields – with a single intention: to achieve a specific objective and promptly exit stage left, as it were."
Here we are - the new release from the italian project Club Soda is finally here!
The trio, made up of Nicola on bass, Simone on drums and samplers, and Filippo on keys, is bringing some real, raw, authentic sounds to the table. Their first LP, "Vibin' Places" dropped in 2020 and it's a versatile homemade electronic album that hits different, whether you're a listener, DJ, or clubber.
This new EP is fire too. A1 track "Basso e Batteria" with Sara Loreni on lyrics and vocals, has clear echoes of a '00s vocal-house joints, but sounds like it was recorded in a Chicago basement. The dirty grooves, thumping bass, and enveloping pads create a free-form vibe that's perfect for you summer madness.
But then they go and take it to the next level with the remixes on B side. Cristalli Liquidi's remix is on some current dance floor-ish, with bouncing rhythms, a wild bassline, and a catchy vocal cut. And Hill's dub mix is straight up trippy - like you're lost in a warehouse at 6am, with dreamy pads, a solid bassline, and rhythms that are distant but still pull you in.
And let's not forget "Gin Tonic" (A2) - it's a dope sunset jam session that's pure “Club Soda style”, with congas, DX7 keys, funky bass, and an MPC chop. This EP is the real deal, from start to finish! Shout out to Giulia Dall’ Ara for the sick artwork on the cover and label too - she killed it!
Wildflower is a trio comprising Idris Rahman (sax), Leon Brichard (bass) and Tom Skinner (drums).
The trio takes you on an intense, meditative and spiritual musical journey that embodies the spirit of freedom. Based around hypnotic grooves laid down by Brichard’s unswervingly solid bass lines, drummer Skinner plays around artfully with the beats, grooving hard in constantly shifting, unexpected turns of rhythmic play. Rahman’s contributions range from subtle conversational interplay to loudly expressed angry passion to the most delicate of whispers, conveying a depth of emotion and a deep sense of musical structure withIn an ever changing sea of musical conversation.
Using simple, arresting melodies as a starting point, the trio create freely improvised waves of emotion ranging from powerful climaxes to hauntingly beautiful breath-like passages and everything in-between, creating unique forms and structures that react to the acoustics and the atmosphere of the situation.
Taking inspiration from the spiritual jazz pioneers such as John and Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Yusef Lateef and Sun Ra, compositional influences range from Gnawa music to modal jazz to Bengali folk music but the scope is wider still and the important unifying factor is the spontaneous communication and interplay between the three musicians. Rather than having a tight rigid structure, the tunes are allowed to breathe and develop into new unexplored forms, allowing fresh interpretations that make each performance a unique experience.
The album is a collection of live and studio recordings that have been recorded and mixed by the band.
Suburban Architecture continue their series of now highly collectible 4 track EP releases with their 5th offering, 'Turning Point'. Following in the footsteps of 2022's 'Exploration' EP, this new collection once again draws heavily on influences from the jazzier, atmospheric strains of mid to late 90s Drum & Bass. Putting their own spin on sounds rooted in this golden era of dance music, the Turning Point EP delivers more of the London duo's trademark warm atmospheric production and Jungle-adjacent drum programming at a variety of tempos.
Opening track 'The Drifter' pulls no punches - Jazz Fusion flutes and delicate arps float over dreamy pads before giving way to a smashing Amen track, creating a classic roller with enough punch to hold a dancefloor. Title track 'Turning Point' delves further into Jazz Fusion sonics: underpinned by lush Rhodes, intricate drum programming sets the scene for a rousing vocal refrain and an atmospheric blend of flutes and horns. 'The Believer' delivers a similar blend of instrumentation, this time adding muted horns to the mix, building to a motivating, Soulful vocal hook. Closing out the EP 'Memoriam' lowers the tempo with a slo-mo roller placing deep, atmospheric pads and unexpected subtle guitar licks over a punchy, rolling drum track.
Undercurrent is an artist based in LA and a New Palm resident who shows his studio skills across a trio of new cuts here. 'Beliefs' is a loopy breakbeat roller with jittery rhythms that lock you into their loops and keep you there.
'No Data' is similar but more punchy, with real edge and drive in the breaks while fat bass stabs power things along from below. The same track then gets a remix from Charlie Edward that is more spaced out with searching synths and a more rubbery bassline.
Last of all is a floating ambient cut that eventually has a jungle breakbeat rise up through the mix to take you into the next dimension.
Richard Lamb’s second and (presumably) final release under this moniker is a bit of a special one. Lamb starts off with ‘Salt Lick’. A track with beautiful, lush, sunny sounds that lure you into an unexpected world of electro, heavy bass and more dance orientated tracks like ‘A Life In Harmony’.
Following up his first EP ‘Automatic Tango’ on his own Montreal based Temple imprint, there’s still hints of early Moog greasiness but overall it’s a more decisive production compared to the previous one. Intricately layered percussion mixed together with dreamy pads take you on a journey to a hidden Utopia where tight arrangements and tribal-esque rhythms dictate the pace. Once more we are shown how versatile Lamb’s productions are and how he juggles genres freely, ranging from dub to electronica, experimental, idm and techno.
The second side of this EP features two remixes by non other than Norwegian DJ and producer DJ Sotofett. A heavyweight in the electronic music scene who needs little introduction takes on the EP’s title track ‘A Life In Harmony’ and turns it into two electro-acid pieces ready to tear up any dance floor, or anything else for that matter. Surrender to the acid and indulge in these masterful tracks.
Italy-born, Ibiza-based producer and DJ, Tuccillo, joins the roster of Kerri Chandler’s Kaoz Theory with ‘The Waves’ EP, made up of five original compositions.
Based on the balearic island of Ibiza, Giuseppe Tuccillo, better known simply by his last name is a producer synonymous with a groove driven sound which blurs the lines between House, Deep House, Disco and Micro House with unparalleled finesse. Over the years his music has graced the likes of Nu Groove, Kwench, 20:20 Vision, Defected and Holic Trax, run by Tomoki Tamura with whom he collaborates on the Doublet project.
Here though, Tuccillo’s latest works come via the much-loved Kerri Chandler helmed, Kaoz Theory. Title-track ‘The Waves’ leads the way and winds through bright stab sequences, crisp drums and processed vocal textures. ‘Breaking Leds’ follows next and divers deep with diva vocals, classic house chords, pulsating subs and skippy drums before ‘Apple Eyes’ shifts the focus over to reduced percussion, dubbed out stabs and a snaking bass line.
Opening the flip side is ‘Good Vibration’, as the name would suggest a feel good journey through a bouncy bass line, intricately programmed organic drums and hypnotic vocal chants before ‘Around Five’ then concludes the EP, piecing together gritty bass flutters, a bumpy drum workout, subtly unfurling atmospherics and psychedelic, swirling guitars.
INTOXTC is the first EP under Ash Luk's post Minimal Violence alias,Infinity Division. Like a phoenix rising, he continues his ascent through amelodic dystopia simultaneously channeling nostalgia and violence. No stranger to Never Sleep after our //ZOO release and playing live shows for the club night for many years. 'Visions' has ID howling over eerie pop lubed melodies, jungle breaks which all come together to form a new age in crossover music. Sounding like nobody else and completely blows the doors off the"Hyperpop" stigma associated with this kind of bravery. 'Thirteen' shows the club some trance fever dreams whilst 'Something Dreamy' breaks the whole fourth wall in its unashamed hands in the arrangement and palette. Leading the charge is 'T-INT' - a HUGE orchestral noise rhythmic workout and shows the sheer volume that this producer can materialise. Leftfield break up a mosh pit in NYC's CBGB and find Ian Curtis still dancing.
If 2021’s “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” catapulted Simz into the big leagues, crashing into the top 5 of the albums charts, collecting Mercury Music Prize, Mobo, Ivor Novello and Brit Award wins and earning her the biggest live audiences yet in the UK and Europe yet, “NO THANK YOU” is yet another delicious left field turn for 29-year old Simbiatu Ajikawo.
Sleek, succinct and utterly propulsive, it’s Simz’ defiantly punk rock, two fingered salute to conformity and fame, and all the expectations and restrictions that come with. Recorded with her regular collaborator Inflo, this is Simz at her most free, daring and spontaneous.
Twoonky, the brothers duo from Brescia (Italy) formed by Michele and Simone Bornati, is back on Macadam Mambo for a second album. After their brillantissimo ‘Dezzo’ from 2019, which was well noticed by the underground scene, the new opus ‘Ottico’ won’t leave you static. This is the kind of masterpiece that the more you listen, the more you love.
At the opposite of grandiloquent music that would have immediate effect, ‘Ottico’ is much more subtile, surfing on a cool wave of styles, a collage of vibes going from 70’s Kraut to 90’s Trip-Hop, where the analog sounds of guitars, synths, distorded voices, saxo, samples and electronics FX match so well, creating an ensemble in the unique mutant flow of the Twoonky’s that makes it so intemporal and so modern in the meanwile. It’s not about being curious, it’s about being open on crossing boundaries, like they are used to do with their unique place called Spettro in Brescia, where all the avant-garde of the electronic scene is coming to perform.
‘Ottico’ could be a kind of representation of the spirit of Spettro, and possibly one of the most interesting release of 2023. We don’t know why, but it’s true, Italians do it better
Groove Culture – a label that has become synonymous with consistently timeless tunes, capturing all the best elements of decades gone by, whilst placing them firmly on today’s dancefloors.
Three is the magic number with Groove Culture Jams Vol. 3 showcasing another fine assemblage of funk and disco driven house sounds with music coming courtesy of Micky More & Andy Tee, Serge Funk, Reverendos Of Soul, Danny Losito and Anduze. A must have.
DJ Support:
Dimitri From Paris, Dave Lee, Simon Dunmore, Brian Tappert, Mello Baptist, Seamus Haji, Terry Hunter, Dj Spen, Hector Romero, Dr. Packer, Kenny Carpenter; Marc Cotterell, Husky, Birdee, Derrick Mckenzie, Angelo Ferreri, Joe T. Vannelli.
- A1: Giniro No Tsubasa
- A2: Losangeles City
- A3: Silent Love
- A4: Seventy Cherrys
- A5: Space Flight
- B1: Prologue
- B2: Happy Turkey Days
- B3: Improvisation (Love) (Love)
- B4: None (Words By?) (Words By?)
- B5: How Short Our Life Are
- B6: Mad Love
- B7: God Truth Love
- B8: Telephone
- B9: Nothing Meaning Of Life!
- B10: Eraser Head
- B11: Evil Spirits
- B12: Crush!
Twin Cosmos is not only the name of the musical output of fraternal twins Morihito & Yasuhito Ito, but more philosophically, an album that encapsulates, “the universe of twins”.
The pair were born 1953 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. A port city 50 kilometres west of Nagoya, famous for its chemical plants. Despite their surroundings, they grew up in an environment that fostered learning and self-expression. From an early age, they began to carve out their own paths.
Morihito was fascinated with scientific endeavours, space travel and spirituality. His father, an electrician by trade - motivated him to build his own musical equipment. This led him to attend an acoustic engineering school in Tokyo from 1972-1974, after which, Morihito returned to Yokkaichi where he worked in the instrument and audio section of a department store. This helped him keep up to date with the latest equipment, while allowing him to simultaneously work on his own musical endeavours.
Morihito’s side of the ‘Double Action’ LP is a cohesive piece, which effortlessly drifts from one song to the next through samples of flowing water and rockets launching into space ,that were recorded while visiting his brother in the States. His music is carried by flowing vocal harmonies, guitar strums, and floating synths to create an eternal dreamlike ambiance.
In contrast, Yasuhito gravitated towards philosophy and the arts and in 1976 followed his Englsih teachers’ advice and moved to the ‘foreign world’ of the United States. It’s here that he further explored his interests in Christianity, sadomasochism and poetry. He was exposed to artists like John Cage and Sun Ra, as well as a variety of ‘Do It Yourself’ recording techniques that enabled him to record remotely.
Using samples, poetry, and an original approach to traditional folk & rock songs, he recorded his side of the LP. The outcome being provocative, dark and confronting realisations, which solely used English lyrics to represent his experiences in the ‘Western world’. In 1980, Yasuhito was wooed back to Japan by his brother and the prospect of a combined record release.
The self-released album ‘Double Action’, was completed at Victor studios in Japan. Without a distribution network, the release was sold mostly to family and friends and fell into obscurity. Despite not reaching commercial success, the pair have continued to make music over the past four decades, crediting it as their driving force in life. This 2022 release includes an insert with archival images & liner notes in both English & Japanese.
A moment in time. A casual afterhours jam with friends. Out of which something special comes together.
The story behind Hudd Traxx label head Eddie Leader’s new single is one that begins with a rescue mission. Driving from his base in Manchester to London, to collect a stranded Chez Damier, due to a cancelled flight, and deliver him to his gig in Manchester that same night. Old friends, on a mission and putting the world to rights on their way.
Post gig, deep in merriment, and having given way to the lure of the machines, both Eddie, Chez & Tomson spent time jamming in the studio, recording vocals from which came the classic track 'I Am With You'. Until very recently the remaining stems and ideas were locked, but never forgotten, in the Hudd Traxx archives. Late last year Leader dusted them off and set to work on crafting a new single…. Pressure.
Pressure was born from a distinct lack of. A factor that radiates from the speakers as Leader crafts an unhurried and simple groove, built upon a warm bassline and glistening Ivory chords, all garnished by Chez, featuring under his Kids In The Streets alias, with his soulful vocal delivery.
Hudd Traxx present Eddie Leader ft. Kids In The Streets ’Pressure’, complete with Dub, Instrumental and Dubstrumental mixes.
Coymix makes its long-awaited return following a 2-year break, with Geo Taguchi serving up 4 floaty and Balearic prog tunes for COY005, simultaneously marking the EnglishJapanese producer's debut release.
- A1: Axe Para O Bara (Feat Mestre Antonio Carlos De Xango)
- A2: Cade Ze (Feat Rosangela Macedo)
- A3: Labuta (Feat Russo Passapusso & Roberto Barreto)
- A4: Amor (E Revolucao) (E Revolucao)
- A5: Recado De Vovo (Feat Rosangela Macedo)
- B1: Ilu De Oya (Feat Alexandre Garnize)
- B2: Sapateado De Catita (Feat Felipe Cordeiro)
- B3: Na Contencao De Jah (Feat Jeru Banto)
- B4: Congo Rei (Feat Jota 3)
- B5: Recanto Ii (Feat Isaar)
- C1: Axe Para O Bara (Feat Mestre Antonio Carlos De Xango & Lucas Dan - Berra Boi Remix)
- C2: Cade Ze (Feat Rosangela Macedo - Nirso Remix)
- C3: Amor (E Revolucao) (E Revolucao)
- C4: Labuta (Feat Russo Passapusso & Roberto Barreto - Lucio K Remix)
- D1: Ilu De Oya (Feat Alexandre Garnize - Dengue Dengue Dengue Congobow Remix)
- D2: Recado De Vovo (Feat Rosangela Macedo - Psilosamples Remix)
- D3: Na Contencao De Jah (Feat Jeru Banto - Buguinha Adubada Remix)
- D4: Congo Rei (Feat Jota 3 - Victor Rice Remix)
- D5: Recanto Ii (Feat Isaar, Chico Correa & Roberto Barreto - Lucas Dan Remix)
"Speaker-bangin' before all else" (XLR8R) with "some of the smartest ears in the game" (Chicago Reader), "few can make a room explode like Maga Bo" (Flavorpill). A purveyor of "international sonic weaponry and rhythm knowledge" (Rough Trade), the Rio de Janeiro-based DJ/producer is a veteran pioneer of global bass music, with 20+ years of dedicated experience searching out unheralded music bumping from speaker-boxes in the world's grittiest corners, from Addis Ababa to Zanzibar.
Simultaneously, Amor (É Revolução), the new album from Maga Bo, is statement of hope through change, a call to arms, a lament, a proclamation of resistance, a shout of resilience, an exuberant yell and a deep therapeutic groove all at once. The result of a multi-decade search for rhythmic common denominators with an Afro-Brazilian-centric focus. It joins raw, natural, acoustic timbres and textures with the grit, weight and power of modern electronic production. It is where heavy dub bass pulsations sync with rhythms coaxed from drums heated over an open flame and ancestral voices rise and fall in call and response.
Recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Recife, Arcoverde and Porto Alegre, the album counts amongst many illustrious talents from the Brazlian music scene, long time collaborators, Russo Passapusso and Roberto Barreto of Baianasystem, the legendary singer, BNegão and São Paulo based, Rosângela Macedo. Grupo Bongar and Samba de Coco Raízes de Arcoverde provide backing percussion and vocals. It also brings newer collaborators, from Recife, the amazing voice of Isaar, the fabulous guitarist, Felipe Cordeiro, as well as long-time friends, ex-Digitaldubs, Jeru Banto and Jota 3, the Mestre of Tambors de Olokun, Alexandre Garnizé, on percussion, fellow nomadic electronic roots explorer, Teleseen and the rock solid percussionist from Salvador, Icaro Sá.
Nashville soul singer DWAYNE SCIVALLY has certainly made his mark over the past couple of years; only to be expected really as he possesses the smoothest of baritone voices. This was as a result of two sell out vinyl LPs, composed, arranged and produced by French music maestro THOMAS GEE.
IZIPHO SOUL have licensed our hot picks; one track from each LP - the infectious groove of LET ME SO as featured on SOUL CHAPTER II and the enticing IS IT ME from THE SOUL OF NASHVILLE.
If you missed out on the LP, or simply want one handy little 7”, then don’t sleep as demand is expected to be high on these instant winners with listening longevity.
Edition of 500 copies. Comes with download code and insert.
' Funkadelic touring the vast Caribbean coastline of Venezuela, together with Afrosound and Grupo Bota, with endless supplies of Aguardiente and other substances, in a “Back to the future” setting. ' ....?
Lola's Dice's debut album is the result of a radical musical transmutation, marked by the phenomenon of massive Venezuelan emigration. The songs contained in "Pura maldad" expose the current point of that process with amazing detail. Rhythms that were considered exclusively "traditional" and almost untouchable back home (Tamborera, Gaita) get twisted, stretched and pushed beyond any imaginary limit, while being combined with healthy doses of Disco, Funk, Electro, Techno and their Caribbean counterparts, Merengue, Salsa and Compass.
Having taken their first steps in the key of Funk-Rock, things first took a turn after the leader Javier Bohorquez met Venezuelan producer Alex Figueira (Fumaça Preta, Conjunto Papa Upa, etc) at a show and he handed him a business card. The tropical psychedelic sound Figueira was specialized on spoke immediately to Javier, as it did combine many of the crazy and groovy elements he loved from the most "out there" Funk (a la Funkadelic), with the countless Caribbean rhythms he had been exposed to, having grown up in Venezuela.
After the first EP "Viaje al centro del ritmo", where everything acquired a decisive tropical tone, a further eccentric exploration of the music of their homeland became inevitable. The subsequent single "Cacri 'e Playa / Sr Cartujo" clearly showed where things were moving towards.
“Pura Maldad” is a true tropical lysergic trip, and while you see vibrant colors and things move in very strange ways, the sun never seizes to shine. Despite its profoundly experimental character, the album proves very useful to anyone in need of getting a party started, maintained or fully blown up, depending at what point of the evening it’s played.
Artwork by Colombian artist Kevin Simón Mancera.
Produced by Alex Figueira at Heat Too Hot, Amsterdam.
Alexander Skancke is making his debut on raum...musik with three techno-tinged tracks that perfectly display his immense talent and remarkable versatility in music production.
Over the past years, the Berlin-based, exquisitely friendly Norwegian face behind the desk of Bikini Waxx Records has gathered an extensive body of work brimming with quality.
The "Moon and the Sun" EP shows Alexander in total control of a hypnosis-inducing, slightly delirious dark room where Techno is the language of choice. Its title track 'Moon and the Sun' fills the entire A-side of the record with menacing vocal echoes on top of constant, bass-heavy locomotive grooves that are simultaneously dark and deeply shamanic. B-side's 'No Snakes Please' brings forward crisp, robust percussion arrangements and chugging basslines combined with euphoric (yet understated) vocal samples.
'LSD' finishes the EP with a deeper take on the sonic language explored thus far by adding spatial textures and a discrete bassline work to the mix while filling the space with razor-sharp drum arrangements for added excitement — Three different arrangements of varying aesthetics that are, ultimately, Alexander's very own vision of Techno.
Recent times have seen After Caposile become one of the most sought after locations on the underground circuit, and this reflects in their acclaimed record label - Caposile Music. This Spring they have prepared a stellar release of firm favourites from the club. “The Sound Of Garden” release will come in two parts, both on 12” and will include a heavy hitting lineup such as Romanian duo Super Moon (Arapu & Priku), family members and residents Maggio, Francesco Maddalena, and Yaar Kü, Silat Beksi, Mihai Pol, Giuliano Lomonte and Sublee. A perfect blend of club affiliates, coming together to provide the soundtrack from that famous garden.
Volume One kicks off with the dynamite combination of Arapu & Priku under their Super Moon moniker. Hypnotic movements set a serious tone for the journey ahead, mysterious elements simmering throughout “I Can Help”. Dreamy meets dance floor in Maggio’s aptly named “Just Landed” floating synths calmly lift you, but you remain grounded by the killer elasticated groove. After delivering the previous EP on the label Yaar Kü returns with a stripped back encounter, his unique touch shining bright. Silat Beksi provides a certain sunshine jam with his track “Jaho”, you immediately feel the warmer times are coming, after parties in the sun.
Landing just a few weeks after is the equally special Volume Two, packed full of ammo for the tastemakers. Mihai Pol inaugurates proceedings with “Sugar Rush”, the 7 minute quest boasts shimmering synths and a sweet bass line to match. Francesco Maddalena ups the ante with his garage influenced “Breath Of Air”, an energy boost for the peak times of the party. Giuliano Lomonte’s “More Time” rumbles from the get go, begging to be played on a high quality system to allow each of the intricate details to speak for themselves. Last but not least is Sublee, his “Day Six” track is a chugging body of work, blurring the lines between house and minimal with a raw edge.
With a huge European tour on the table, and a release of this stature After Caposile are flying high at the moment with an indispensable team behind the project. Expanding on their party paradise location, but simultaneously propelling innovative underground sounds under the Caposile Music offshoot. Both Volume One and Two will land this May, right on cue for the summer time madness.
In the footsteps of the jazzed out, synthetic experimentations of Doma Music inaugural release, The Platinum Wave EP, dance music journeyman Hugo LX returns with a new instalment on his own imprint - a four tracker entitled « What Does It Do? »
Four tracks that showcase the Parisian producer’s ability to switch styles and tempo while keeping a very unified audio signature.This new batch showcases the producer’s ability to switch styles and tempo, while keeping a very unified audio signature.Starting with the breezy « Offcut », a simple incomplete house session turned into a vaporous ambient shakedown, the EP quickly shifts into higher gears with «Firewater », a powerful yet silky dance composition, highlighting Hugo’s taste for synth layering and subtle arrangements. Building upon this sonic intensity, LX takes us on a ride with the spaced out « Canary Gold Rims », an ode to all things polyrhythmic where the beatmaker translate dance music « 4 to the floor » habits into some a less traditional 12/8 odyssey, with great helps from pianist Florian Pellissier cheeky Hohner Clavinet solos, before the program concludes with the second of iteration of « Surrender », a sensual, deep house floater tailored for late early morning dance floor situations.
Symphony Orchestra is a new group from Maximilian Turnbull and Michael Rault. Both Rault and Turnbull are accomplished songwriters, performers and producers in their own right, with Turnbull leading The Badge Epoque Ensemble, playing with the group Darlene Shrugg, and once releasing records under the name Slim Twig and Rault having released several psychedelic rock & roll classics under his own name in the past decade. The pair have worked together in various capacities for many years, writing and recording together on U.S. Girls' In A Poem Unlimited, and contributing to each other's releases, but the debut LP from Symphony Orchestra (due out May 12th on Telephone Explosion) marks their first release as an official entity.
Needless to say, there is a potent creative chemistry between Rault and Turnbull and Radiant Music showcases the alchemy between their distinct skill sets. The album is an exercise in pure collaboration. After years spent focusing on solo projects and working as hired guns on other projects, the duo came together with no specific intentions other than to work free of boundaries and direction. Freeing themselves from the familiar pressures of deadlines and expectations, they found a sense of discovery through togetherness. Duties on this project were split between Rault acting primarily as a one-man rhythm section and lead vocalist with Turnbull bringing chord sketches and his trademark aphoristic lyrical musings to the table. Trading off roles on guitar and keys from song to song, the duo's deft approach to melody bleeds through their instrumental parts as much as it does through Rault's vocal melodies. The majority of this album was self-engineered over the course of three sessions in 2018, at Michael's Montreal studio. Dormant during the pandemic, Rault's move to Los Angeles and the birth of Turnbull's twin sons, work reignited in 2022. The latterly tracked instrumental 'Concerto' and ballad 'Unthink The Thinkable' provide a dynamic depth to the album perhaps attributable to this tumultuous pause. Mixing came courtesy of Steve Chahley & Tony Price (U.S. Girls, BÉE, Jane Inc, etc).
In all of their work, Rault and Turnbull have made a hallmark of elaborately precise production and arrangement, Radiant Music is no different, though its pared-back simplicity provides a streamlined directness. The pairing of Rault's soulful, elastic vocal with Turnbull's evocatively cerebral lyrics provides a thrilling sensation unlike anything else in their respective catalogs. With an explosive, groove-forward approach, kaleidoscopic walls of vocal harmony and technicolor displays of guitar work, these 31 minutes of music will most certainly stimulate the mind of any fan of classic pop rock and funk. The blown-out breakbeats, winsome woven vocal melodies and propulsive wah-wah guitars of the title track evoke memories of an after-school cartoon special that never really existed outside of a lysergic daydream. "Harp In The Wind" is a perfect moment of overcast melancholy complete with ribbons of weeping synthesizers and velcro-fuzz guitar that could rip a clean line through Kevlar. "Know Thyself" and the harmony-rich "Intersection" are standout tracks that find a kinship in Stereolab's space-age effervescence. "Concerto" is a slab of beaming, mischievous funk that nods to Billy Preston's extraterrestrial keyboard explorations.
Radiant Music, like the best pop music, is life-affirming, confectionary, and enticing. Symphony Orchestra have created an album that hits you right where you need it, anchoring heady, adventurous sonic ideas down to a solid foundation of masterful songcraft, virtuosic instrumental performances and undeniable groove. Not a bar, nor beat is wasted.
Croatian DJ & producer heavyweight Insolate debuts on Luke Slater's legendary Mote-Evolver imprint with a massive four-tracker of pure bred techno ready for the dance floor. After leaving her signature on highly respected labels such as DJ Deep's Deeply Rooted, Developer's Modularz, Ben Sim's Symbolism as well as her Out Of Place imprint which she operates along with Volster, she now delivers 'Push' a finely crafted EP of peak time material. Opening the A side, fierce workout 'Outer Bass' is showcasing a sinister driving energy that is followed by the raw frenetic groover title track 'Push'. On the flip side 'Blow' is a trippy, no-compromise cut, while closing, classy atmospheric track 'Desire' finishes off the EP with its effortless soulful touch and elegant, melodic synth pads flying by.
- A1: K Est Un Sociologue
- A2: Chemin De La Croix De La Rivière
- A3: Tsource
- A4: Myope
- A5: Cracovie
- A6: Le Dormeur
- A7: Danse Des Idoles Sans Tête
- B1: Court Dialogue Avec Une Porte
- B2: Chemin Des Planètes
- B3: Autour Du Cro
- B4: Le Dernier Coco Du Village
- B5: Lacets Des Écharmeaux
- B6: Dzar Bleu
- B7: La Colline D'en Face
Two years after his acclaimed ‘Darkos LP’, Jonquera is back to Charlieu’s surrounding vales for his second album on Bamboo Shows.
Through ‘La Croix des Cros’, the French Musician delivers a loner-folk eclogue about the fantasized inner demons of a country dweller. Just like clay, audio recordings here are a malleable substance, slowly reworked over a year, following a sinuous production process where all mishaps are welcomed as breaches to step into.
Far from the spaghetti western myth of the reckless bounty hunter, riding his faithful horse in the great outdoors to spill blood; this 14-track album is the grieving lament of a wistful cowboy, longing for a simple patch of peace where one’s free to cultivate the earth and noodle on the guitar.
Heldon’s cosmic space-rock, Badalamenti’s Twin-Peaksesque foggy jazz or Morricone’s glorious soundtracks, so many references to portray another fertile imprint by Jonquera, available from February 13, 2023 on a 12” vinyl.
Since Interstellar Space, John Coltrane's posthumously released duo album with Rashied Ali, the combination of sax and drums has received an aura of sublime spiritual ambition. It is where tireless truth seekers come together to aim for something transcendental. Something too big for words. Of course, a lot has happened in the meantime.
The available options - philosophically, stylistically, temperamentally - are endless. Musicians are aware of those historical turning points, yet they also try to add their own twists and interpretations. Some of them succeed. One of reed player Mattias De Craene's many projects - MDC III - is a project involving drums and saxophone. A striking difference: De Craene invited two drummers (Simon Segers, Lennert Jacobs), that have been active in the worlds of jazz, pop, free improvisation and experimental music. They are the ideal foil for De Craene's vision, which seems to exclude no opposites. While the use of a recorder, electronics and percussion steers the music beyond the classic acoustic limitations, the result becomes strikingly rich with contrasts. What is abstract and introspective the first moment can switch - gradually or abruptly - to moments of fierce ecstasy the next.
The music feels free (free from limitations, free to choose its own logic), but also invites. Shifting moods and textures are combined with intricate rhythmical patterns, as the drummers lock together in dense, complex and/or ritualistic grooves. A minimal pulse, accompanied by murmuring hisses of brushes and a serenading sax is contrasted with moments of exuberance. The result is many things at once, but despite these wildly varying colors, sounds, textures, rhythms and moods, they are all linked, part of a generous, iridescent whole.
The trance-inducing trio MDCIII is back. And that equals yet another delicious load of modular drums, wildly processed saxophone sounds, improvisation & pulsating grooves.
After their first EP, MDCIII ft. Sylvie Kreusch, and their subsequent first (internationally) acclaimed album 'Dreamhatcher', the 'double drums' saxophone trio with Mattias De Craene, Simon Segers & Lennert Jacobs is all set to show what angle rock 'n roll can really come from. On their new album 'Drawn In Dusk' (release: end of September via W.E.R.F records) the trio delivers a whole new palette of sounds that are just as mystical, energetic and wild as 'Dreamhatcher'.
Layton Giordani’s two-track stunner ‘Life Moves Fast’ continues his inspiring run of form.
The young New Yorker begins the year in a similar vein to how he ended 2022; working tirelessly to push his sound forward, while delivering captivating studio results in the process. Case in point, ‘Rabbit Hole’ his collaboration with HI-LO, that not only topped charts to end the year as one of 2022’s standout techno tracks, but also marked a definitive step in the development of his sound signature.
His latest offering ‘Life Moves Fast’ continues in this adventurous vein. First tested at Warehouse Project and at the Gashouder for Awakenings late last year, the title track is characterised by a distinctive lead, which is both playful and pensive and arouses a dramatic energy, before a series of magnetic drops lobs it into peak-time dancefloor territory.
‘Heart is King’ is an elegant, rhythmic slice of techno that balances euphoria and tension on a knife’s edge, while showcasing Giordani’s classy sound design.
Groove Culture and Irma Records teamed up on this beautiful fluorescent green coloured 7'' and provided two of the best house music classics ever made in Italy. Two crazy timeless hits: ‘Found Love’ by Double Dee and ‘Say It Again’ by Jestofunk.
On the A side we find a peak time pumping version of ‘Found Love’ by the one and only maestro Dimitri From Paris, on the back a funk fuelled version of ‘Say It Again’ by Micky More & Andy Tee, who painstakingly reconstructed all the arrangements of the original and added some delicious sax phrases to elevate the track to new heights. A must have for of any true music lover.
Supported by: DJ Spen, Danny Krivit, Mousse T, Simon Dunmore, David Penn, Dr Packer, Dirty Channels, Angelo Ferreri and many others…
Recent times have seen After Caposile become one of the most sought after locations on the underground circuit, and this reflects in their acclaimed record label - Caposile Music. This Spring they have prepared a stellar release of firm favourites from the club. “The Sound
of Garden” release will come in two parts, both on 12” and will include a heavy hitting lineup such as Romanian duo Super Moon (Arapu & Priku), family members and residents Maggio, Francesco Maddalena, and Yaar Kü, Silat Beksi, Mihai Pol, Giuliano Lomonte and Sublee. A perfect blend of club affiliates, coming together to provide the soundtrack from that famous garden.
Volume One kicks off with the dynamite combination of Arapu & Priku under their Super Moon moniker. Hypnotic movements set a serious tone for the journey ahead, mysterious elements simmering throughout “I Can Help”. Dreamy meets dance floor in Maggio’s aptly named “Just Landed” floating synths calmly lift you, but you remain grounded by the killer elasticated groove. After delivering the previous EP on the label Yaar Kü returns with a stripped back encounter, his unique touch shining bright. Silat Beksi provides a certain sunshine jam with his track “Jaho”, you immediately feel the warmer times are coming, after parties in the sun.
Landing just a few weeks after is the equally special Volume Two, packed full of ammo for the tastemakers. Mihai Pol inaugurates proceedings with “Sugar Rush”, the 7 minute quest boasts shimmering synths and a sweet bass line to match. Francesco Maddalena ups the ante with his garage influenced “Breath Of Air”, an energy boost for the peak times of the party. Giuliano Lomonte’s “More Time” rumbles from the get go, begging to be played on a high quality system to allow each of the intricate details to speak for themselves. Last but not least is Sublee, his “Day Six” track is a chugging body of work, blurring the lines between house and minimal with a raw edge.
With a huge European tour on the table, and a release of this stature After Caposile are flying high at the moment with an indispensable team behind the project. Expanding on their party paradise location, but simultaneously propelling innovative underground sounds under the Caposile Music offshoot. Both Volume One and Two will land this May, right on cue for the summer time madness.
It all started with waiting music for the city of Ghent information telephone line.
City composer Fulco Ottervanger (Cruise Lento) envisioned a music in which waiting time would serve as an invitation to stillness and presence. Long-term friend and producer Lieven Van Pée (Vectrex) turned out to be the ideal companion.
However, the music was never used, yet it had not missed its magical effect. The two gentlemen were now determined to make a full ambient album in which silence would play a leading role, both intuitive as well as elaborated down to the smallest unit of time... An additional approach was to make music to lull their newborn sons to sleep. With melodies simple, sounds sweet and silences deep.
Inspiration came from Haruomi Hosono's 1984 obscure classic Watering a flower, Eric Satie's Vexations and how could it be otherwise, John Cage's 3'44. What these progressive yet universal compositions have in common is a refinement of repetition and both a soothing and stimulating character.
As a listener you can't help but dive into the silence and experience an certain sweetness. The ideal record to rest to, to wake up to and enter a wider field.
Yellow Jackets number 6 pushes things forward with two exceptional pieces by Byron The Aquarius and Deenamic. The modern jazz funk of the american keyboard wizard meets the relentless electronic futuristic programming of the elusive Deenamic!
Like Yin and Yang meeting this release fuses the best of both worlds, keeping Yellow Jackets’ now notorious boundaries pushing edge on a phat loud vinyl, only 12’ inch!
Reissue of this cult 1972 album which featured on the infamous Nurse With Wound List.
During the long, dark hangover of the Summer of Love, the classically-trained Essex prodigy approached CBS Records with demo recordings. A forward-thinking A&R executive must have seen a potential revenue stream in Don Bradshaw-Leather's avant-classical noise. The artist was given an advance to record an album. He used the funds to create a large studio in Sussex with many instruments including an actual church organ. Here, on his own, without the use of any electronic sequencing, he recorded "Distance Between Us" using simply multitrack tape, layering each part of the composition. Upon hearing the product of their financial investment - four side-long tracks of blurry organ drones, frantic piano tinkling, and ritualistic percussion - CBS got cold feet.
The album was self-released on Bradshaw-Leather's own Distance imprint; a vanity label established for the sole purpose of releasing the album. The sleeve art is full of mysteries, from the misspelling of "Bradshaw" ("Bradsham"), to the coal-blackened visage of the bohemian madman on the cover (DBL himself?), to the rear photo collage depicting the same madman accosting a nude woman. The music isn't any less mysterious; shapeless symphonies of smeared-out Mellotron, tribal drums, and wordless vocals. Don Bradshaw-Leather passed away in the 90's.
Presented in a matt-laminate gatefold digisleeve.
Omni AM presents the long-awaited reissue of “Can We Get / Keep Doing That.” This timeless record sent dance music in a new direction. Euphoria Record’s vaults are open and finally, for the first time since 1997, this seminal tech-house classic is available to everyone for the very first time in over 25 years. This 1997 indie record was Euphoria Records second release – and their first international record. Whether you agree with it or not, many people consider this one of the pioneering records of American Tech-House. Both sides and several mysterious alternate versions have graced the decks of DJs like Evil Eddie Richards, Terry Francis, Derrick Carter, Tyler Stadius, and Magda. The list goes on.
We were lucky. Curve Pusher lovingly remastered the original four tracks from the 1997 studio masters. Then, he went a step further, and remastered some previously unreleased versions – including a live version in Chicago that encapsulates what Omni AM was back then: ambient house. There’s a bit of Chicago, a bit of London, a bit of New York, and a bit of Tokyo in every second of these classic, genre-defining tracks.
A1.
“Can We Get” happily sits with the finest works of Ron Trent, Chez Damier, and Mood II Swing – and goes further, as Omni AM has never feared genre definitions. It opens with classic deep house chords, floating synth pads, and sparse vocals. The bassline is deep and warm. Marky Star and Adam Collins expertly work the percussive effects but always keep the theme simple and clear. Everyone knows this is a classic house track because it hypnotizes you.
A2.
“Keep Doing That” continues the theme with another classic late-night killer. However, this one is totally different – almost industrial, yet clearly housey and ambient. It drives deep into a tough groove that just builds and builds. The dub-influenced bass line gives way to a more angular synth riff that both offsets and adds to the track's forward thinking sound design. It’s dark and dirty, yet terribly sexxxy at the same time. It was and always will be mesmerizing. Once again, musical magic by Marky Star and Adam Collins.
B-Sides
The flip side features two remixes of “Keep Doing That” by UK tech-house legend Mark Ambrose. His bubbly, psychedelic take on the track pumps up the percussive Chi-town groove while going in a distinctly London afterhours direction. Trippy, for sure. Fun for all, for sure. These remixes are guaranteed to make your afterhours weird.
Recut & Repressed on Yellow Vinyl!
Club U Nite Records presents: Your Daily Dose Of Dope!
Brand new 4 track EP in the timeless sound of the 90s.
A1 Is raw and dirty and makes you stumble with the extreme swing! Don't stop dancing!
The second track on the A Side is just 'Delicious' and brings the good old 90s vibe back to your dusty 1210s.
The B-side starts with a load of jazz & funk and brings a lot of deepness with it. Simply the highest pleasure!
B2 closes with a pumpin 'goodie that brings everything you need after many hours of partying ... Depois De Horas.
- A1: Dreams (Feat Xênia França&Zé Leônidas)
- A2: Kismeti (Feat Matthias Schriefl)
- A3: Asase (Feat Eric Owusu)
- A4: Sábado (Feat Zé Leônidas)
- A5: Carrossel (Feat Zé Leônidas)
- B1: Caio & Eric (Feat Eduardo Camargo)
- B2: Ndiyakhangela (Feat Bongani Givethanks &Amp; Mpho Nkuzo)
- B3: Agôra (Feat Matthias Schriefl)
- B4: Oblique Sunshine (Feat Rebekka Ziegler)
Global pointing Brazilian jazz trio releases their new album Agôra, that sparkles with electric funk and Herbie-esque eclecticism. It features a myriad of guest vocalists and musicians including Brazilians Xênia França and Zé Leônidas, Jembaa Groove's Ghanaian singer Eric Owusu and South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo
Re-wiring the concept of 'fusion' for 2023, Agôra is Brazilian trio Caixa Cubo's resurgent new record with the title referring to 'now', based upon the intuitive and fluid nature of the trio's method, and this inspired recording. With shoots to black music culture, from Brazil to Brooklyn, Ghana and South Africa, Agôra is the group's ninth album yet is their first where they've invited guests, mainly singers, onto each track and follows their last, Angela from 2020, released on Heavenly Records, which won a BBC 6 Music Album of the Year (Huey Morgan's selection) granting them much deserved international recognition.
The core musical elements of Caixa Cubo are Henrique Gomide (keys), João Fideles (drums) and Noa Stroeter (bass), all from São Paulo, Brazil and where they met as teenagers and would continue their friendship and musical bond at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, Netherlands. Now all in their mid thirties, João and Noa live back in the city where it all started but Henrique has settled in Cologne, Germany where the recording of Agôra took place, over the course of 3 days, at the home cum studio of Chris 'Dusty' Doepke, their friend and owner of the label they signed to, Jazz & Milk.
In line with all their creations where flow and energy provide the magic, allowing what the moment provides, the album shines not only for its virtuosity but for its minimalism, the depth of space, and for the first time, the ability to figure in and outside of the jazz fold, as the trio decided, for the first time, to bring in singers and add a new aesthetic to their sound.
"Agôra is a wake-up call to reality, a reminder that the infinite possibilities of technological progress should not disconnect us from the earth, from eye-to-eye relationships, and from moments lived in person" the band are keen to point out. "And that we must not be consumed by greed, for all we truly possess.... is the NOW."
Turning hope and metaphor into music, the debut single Sábado, an electrified future- jazz-fizz reflects perfectly the spontaneity that permeated the entire recording of the album. "When we got to the studio, we had no idea what we were going to record. We started playing a groove, kind of inspired by Gilberto Gil's 80s albums, and our drummer João started singing this funny song 'Sábado Barrigudão' (Big Belly Saturday) alongside the bass groove and that was that". Inspired by their city of birth, São Paulo, it features long time collaborator and vocalist Zé Leônidas, with cuicas, tamborim, agogo and shakers providing the most obvious Brazilian affect from the album.
Dreams is the band's first foray into R'n'B melding the group's simple and sporadic instrumentation of drums, keys and bass into a Jill Scott inspired song that could have been born in Brooklyn yet sung by Brazilian singer and Grammy nominated Xênia França and Zé Leônidas in both English and Portuguese. Xênia recently performed online for hip-to-it website Colors and it's her latest collaboration with Caixa Cubo, having first met in 2009 for a series of live performances.
South African artists Bongani Givethanks & Mpho Nkuzo come to the record with a wholly different approach on Ndiyakhangela, providing spoken word and vocal refrains on top of an Afro-Brazilian percussion jam with a delivery and verse in Xhosa, Zula and Ndebele. Asase is the album opener and features vocals of Eric Owusu who is part of highlife pioneer Pat Thomas's live band and most recently, co-leader of Jembaa Groove, an Afro-soul band from Berlin. It's a synth wig out with djembe grooves and offers a brand new take on Afro-soul-jazz.
Other contributions come from Cologne based jazz singer Rebekka Ziegler (Oblique Sunshine), São Paulo based guitarist Eduardo Camargo (Caio & Eric) and trumpet player Matthias Schriefl on Kismeti, a gorgeous and rolling number that ebbs and flows, exemplifying the group's effortless ability to craft a sound energised by a belief in one-self and the idea of having faith without the need to look at each other for verification.
As drummer and percussionist João Fideles perfectly surmised upon arriving for the recording session, "What drums do you have? Whatever you have, I'll use it". Agôra is testament to nearly 20 years of camaraderie, friendship and most importantly, trust.
Angelo is an LP, named after a car, featuring nine songs Brijean have crafted and carried with them through a period of profound change, loss, and relocation. It finds percussionist/singer Brijean Murphy and multi-instrumentalist/producer Doug Stuart processing the impossible the only way they know how: through rhythm and movement. The months surrounding the acclaimed release of Feelings, their full-length Ghostly International debut in 2021 which celebrated tender self-reflection and new possibilities, rang bittersweet with the absence of touring and the sudden passing of Murphy’s father and both of Stuart’s parents. In a haze of heartache, the duo left the
Bay Area to be near family, resetting in four cities in under two years. Their to-go rig became their traveling studio and these tracks, along with Angelo, became their few constants. Whereas Feelings formed over collaborative jams with friends, Angelo’s sessions presented Murphy and Stuart a chance to record at their most intimate, “to get us out of our grief and into our bodies,” says Murphy. They explored new moods and styles, reaching for effervescent dance tempos and technicolor backdrops, vibrant hues in contrast to their more somber human experiences. Angelo beams with positivity and creative renewal — a resourceful, collective answer to “what happens now?”
Angelo the car is a 1981 Toyota Celica they got off Craigslist during their first stint in Los Angeles, where Murphy and Stuart have since settled. “Such a bro-y, ‘80s dude car, it’s been super fun to drive around in a new town,” Murphy says. “He’s older than us, he’s a classic, he’s got a story.” It is a spiritual vehicle with a cinematic appeal, first dropping them off in an alleyway for the scene-setting intro, “Which Way To The Club.” The question is quickly resolved by “Take A Trip” as a cruising bassline mingles with crowd sounds, hand-claps, cuíca hiccups, whip-cracks, even a horse neigh. Brijean have found some club on this cross-dimensional trip — the kind of
imagined space or chamber within one’s self capable of “shifting a fraction of who you are,” says Murphy. They wrote the track with the simple intention to be “as free as we could be,” adds Stuart, likening the flip on the B section to a realm unlocked: ”What if the world changed completely? You open the door to a new room.”
Next is “Shy Guy,” a motivational anthem for the wallflowers among us. Murphy sets up the daydream: “We are in junior high, we’re on the dance floor, what’s going down, who is dancing, who is not, how are we gonna make them dance?” The narrator, the MC, hypes up the room as conga-driven rhythms bounce between languid synth and guitar lines. “Show me how to move...I feel something...I know you feel it too,” Murphy sings sweetly, calling back to the opening lines of Feelings, and this time the audience chants it back. It is easy to picture Brijean performing this one — something they only got to do a handful of times until more recently, opening shows for Khruangbin and Washed Out, an experience they found informative. Murphy explains, “It was inspiring to be out there and let loose more. To see how people can expand their expression on stage gave me more liberty with how I viewed my musicianship. My role for so long was to be a backup percussionist, so why would I ever leave the drums, you know? But then after playing all these runs, you see these artists and realize you can, you have permission.”
“Angelo” and “Ooo La La” deliver the danciest stretch in Brijean’s catalog to date. The title track adopts a deep house pulse replete with strings, hi-hats, and kicks. The latter opts for a funkier groove that foregoes verses in favor of warbled hums and extended breakdowns. What follows is perhaps the duo’s dreamiest run, a comedown initiated with the honey-hued interlude “Colors” drifting into “Where Do We Go?”, a tropicália reverie where Murphy contemplates the passage of time and space.
It all culminates in “Caldwell’s Way,” a fond farewell to their Bay Area community — “a part of my life that I knew couldn’t come back,” says Murphy. Above shimmering organ sounds, lush strings, and the birdcall of their former neighborhood, she wistfully articulates the uncertainty of moving on by remembering the characters dear to them. There’s the wisdom of their neighbor, Santos, who refused payment when helping them move out: “I’d rather have 100 friends than 100 dollars.” And the song’s namesake, Benjamin Caldwell Brown, a friend and club night cohort for many years. “I’m only miles away, maybe I’m just feeling lonely,” the line resigns to warm nostalgia, and “Nostalgia” runs the closing credits to this healing and transportive collection.
On April 7th electronic luminary Nathan Fake presents the new longplayer ‘Crystal Vision’ on his own Cambria Instruments imprint, which features collaborations with Clark and Wizard Apprentice.
This is music for music’s sake – recorded without angles, agendas and themes – so Fake was free to simply continue honing his craft and express himself non-literally. Aptly titled, there’s a clarity of execution and ambition, and a peak effectiveness to the record that just sounds right.
Continuing to set a personal bar higher and topping his own best, the mark of master craftsperson is everywhere, but that doesn’t mean it’s polished; There’s plenty of rawness evident, with spiky sonics keeping ears on high alert – full of endorphin-flooded rave energy.
Following a short, scene-setting ‘Arrival’ – a simple major chord arpeggio played on a Jupiter 6 which sounds like curtains opening at dawn, things begin apace with ‘The Grass’, which hurtles like a precision-tuned bullet train through Arctic tundra. The undulating effect of compression is emphasised by the classic techno trope where 2 rhythms jar yet interlock, creating an exquisitely disorientating strobe-like flutter. On the track’s guest, Fake comments, “I fell in love with Wizard Apprentice's ‘I Am Invisible’ and felt our musical styles were similar. Their vocals are smooth and clear and sharp at the same time. They’re like a calm within the storm.”
Inspired by Italo disco but sounding wholly alien and futuristic, ‘Vimana’’s fizzing buzzsaw arpeggiated bassline, popping snares and bright whirling melody are equally an electro trance melange, with an effervescent major chord Arp that kicks in midway.
Reminiscent of what used to be called ‘funky techno’ but with sparklier sounds, ‘Boss Core’ blinds like sunshine bouncing off ice. Using his trusty Boss DR550 drum machine, and inspired by Autechre's ‘Vose In’, the track peaks by reaching that melancholic/euphoric axis for which he is loved.
With chugging slow breakbeats not a million miles from Board Of Canada or trip hop, ‘Crystal Vision’ rolls along, with the melody opening up, revealing more hidden notes as it progresses, building into a fractal, kaleidoscopic mosaic.
An emotional outpouring with serotonin surging through the circuitry, classic breakbeats and layers of lazers, ‘Bibled’ has all the hallmarks of a classic. This is a bonafide festival-set closing, hugging-your-mates, moment – or, with its guitar solo, “a power ballad” – as Nathan calls it.
A minimalistic moment of calm midway through the album, ‘CMD’’s gently comforting dreamscape is conjured with FM stacked and detuned sine waves which are left to breathe, whilst the chunky Chicagoan house jack of ‘Hawk’ brings to mind classic Relief records, but even more detuned and wibbly, and laden with synths.
As the title suggests, ‘Amen 96’ is in Fake’s own words, “me having a go at jungle. I grew up listening to it, and I remember as a teenager it sounded like the most intense and otherworldly music ever. It still does. This track is an experiment to see how my melodic style works against amen breaks”. Closer to the braindance end of the spectrum than ‘proper’ jungle (and all the more interesting for it), Fake channels the spirit of Squarepusher but makes it his own, brimming with melodious twinkle.
A collaboration with Nathan’s close friend and genuine musical hero Clark. ‘Outsider’ finds this dream team alchemising pure gold that’s bigger than the sum of their parts. Skittering, intense, far-reaching end epic, the pair close proceedings on a grandly dramatic note. In 2020 Nathan released the album ‘Blizzards’, which was described by The Quietus as “his best work”, and “his best LP yet” yet by Resident Advisor. The equally well received ‘Blizzards Remixes’ EP which featured Afrodeutsche and Irene Dresel followed in 2021, as did a nationwide UK tour.
An in-demand remixer, Fake has added his magic to tracks by Radiohead, Clark, Perc, Jon Hopkins, GoGo Penguin, Dominik Eulberg, Christian Löffler and Damian Lazarus, working for labels including Ninja Tune, Domino, Warp, Blue Note and Kompakt.
Emotional Rescue dives back in the world of post punk experiments and early synthesised electronics to present another of the labels iconoclastic 7" 'collectors specials', with a look at Stockholm's Staalfagel.
Born in 1977, Erik Fritjofsson and Petter Brundell merged and formed Staalfagel out of the suburbs of Jakobsberg. Like so many at the time, the duo was tired of Prog, Jazz and Symphonic Rock and formulated something new and against at the same moment; a time where drummers were jettisoned in place of drum machines and the inspirations of artists like Creedence Clearwater Revival, Devo and Pere Ubu were thrown in the mix to fervent results.
With Micke Kjell soon joining on bass, they toured Sweden constantly, the manic machine beat, beating guitars and strange synth sounds defeated the throng and led to a considerable following. Recorded live to tape with no overdubs or mixing, the faithful CR 78 drum machine, the results radiate energy.
Release just 4 records in 2 years (1980 - 1982), Utan Rymddrakt Pa Uranus appeared as their last ever release. Jettisoning the punky-funk vocals of previous releases, the single is a pure electronic groove. Funk bass and guitar atop, its short form simplicity is perfection distilled in 2 parts of less than 3 minutes, conjoined like some reggae dream, with 'Uranus II' acting the dub 'version' counterpoint.
Discovered and shared by long-time friend, DJ and collector, Gary The Tall steps out from behind the decks and microphone of his long running NTS show to present an exemplary "Reversion". Teaming up with master producer and label affiliate, Timothy J Fairplay on engineering duties, they keep the originals' straightforward charm, deceptively editing, looping and reversing with aplomb, for a killer flip side.
- A1: Evol - The Dark Dreamquest (Intro)
- A2: Corvus Neblus - Forever I Shalt Dwell In Ravenloft
- A3: Asmorod - Fiat Abyssus (Second Chapter)
- A4: Vindalv - Swærþ Stimma (Excerpt)
- B1: Apeiron - Pan's Journey To The Cosmic Void
- B2: Secret Stairways - Lammas Tide
- C1: Dolch - Tumulus
- C2: Endoki Forest - Ii
- C3: Lunar Womb - Night Towers
- C4: Maelifell - La Dame Du Lac
- D1: Kadotus 609 - The Summoning Through Crimson
- D2: Neptune Towers - To Cold Void Desolation
In the early 1990s, a handful of black metal artists were enticed by the possibility of conjuring new fantastical worlds from the deep isolation of their home setups. Rather than the dense metal sound of their existing projects, this new direction would be centred around intimate synth soundscapes: forlorn organs and otherworldly MIDI theatrics.
The music on ASCEND is predominantly from self-produced, self-distributed releases, typically manufactured in small numbers. Though some artists producing this style of music, most notably Mortiis and Burzum, gained wider recognition outside underground circles, it is only in recent years that the sound and its influence has really been appreciated. This is particularly the case with the late Matthew Davis and his recently reappraised Secret Stairways project, whose song ‘Lammas Tide’ (from the 1997 Enchantment of the Ring album) appears on ASCEND. A simple home recording on a Yamaha KX-W392 manages to be both elegant and tortured, ambiguously devotional and recalling latter years Popol Vuh.
This battle between dark and light is a constant thread through ASCEND, with simple minimal synth lines that can be both delicate and menacing. Compilation opener ‘The Dark Dreamquest’ from Italian black metal group Evol is loaded with occult warning, and Finnish act Kadotus 609’s ‘The Summoning Through Crimson’ is languid, twisted and dark. In spite of the darkness, several pieces of the music on ASCEND have formal similarities with the sometimes saccharine new age music that rose to prominence in that era: but to a rougher, darker ends. The closing song from Darkthrone icon (and past NTS radio host) Fenriz, under his Neptune Towers pseudonym, pulls us further out, with ‘To Cold Void Desolation’ — an astral synth project, akin to ’70s kosmische muzik masters Harmonia.
The gentler side can often amplify an uncannily sinister edge, heard in German act Dolch’s ‘Tumulus’, where orc marching horns contrast against delicate rompler harps and softly whispered chanting. It hammers home a deep loneliness and detachment constant throughout ASCEND, made possible by these unusual contrasts, both unsettling and otherworldly.
Orange Vinyl
»Love As Projection« is the new album by Frankie Rose, her fifth studio LP and second for Night School following the reissue of her interpretation of The Cure’s »Seventeen Seconds«. Frankie Rose has forged an enviable musical legacy, from playing with bands like Crystal Stilts and The Vivian Girls but on »Love As Projection« she takes a bold step into electronic pop production. A sumptuous recorded statement, it dances in ecstasy and broods on the tumult of the western world’s decay in equal proportion. At the heart of the album is glowing, confident songwriting, resplendent in hooks and choruses but still touched with an optimism undimmed.
After spending nearly two decades establishing herself across New York and Los Angeles independent music circles, Rose re-emerges after six years with a fresh form, aesthetic, and ethos. Celebrated over the years for her expansive approach to songwriting, lush atmospherics, and transcendent vocal melodies and harmonies, »Love As Projection« is a reintroduction of her established style through the lens of contemporary electronic pop. Recorded with producer Brandt Gassman and mixed with long-term collaborator Jorge Elbrecht this is the album Frankie Rose has been building up to her entire career.
More than a rebirth, a refinement, a resurgence, »Love As Projection« boasts a widescreen scope: a long- form project heavily considered for half of a decade, culminating in the most personal and accessible collection of art-pop that Frankie has ever written. When Rose aims for the pop jugular as in first lead track »Anything«, the result is unstoppable. A majestic pop song built for radio, it erupts into an irresistible chorus that marries classic epic 80s American pop with the cult effervescence of Strawberry Switchblade »It’s like a prom scene in a John Hughes movie. It’s a hopeful song about abandoning fear even if the world is quite literally on fire.. In the end, at least we have each other,« says Rose. »Sixteen Ways« further boasts a propulsive, massive chorus, though tempered by a cynicism built in global post-truth, global malaise. »It’s about getting your hopes up, but simultaneously making lists in your head about how it will never work out in your favour.«
The big anthems don’t let up there. On »DOA« some massive, rolling drums lathered in big mid-80s gated reverb dovetail with a syncopated baseline for the ages as Rose’s vocal sails effortlessly above. The effect isn’t unlike ethereal vocalists Clannad circa Howard’s Way or Enya jamming with Simple Minds in their stadium-conquering heyday. Rose tempers the adrenalin with heart-tugging bittersweet tones and there are plenty of them. »Sleeping Night And Day« takes its time with an off-the-cuff chorus, swirling around in harmony and chorus-bass. »Saltwater Girl« picks up the balladeering baton with another nod to album track-mode Switchblade, deep space opening up in the mid-tempo drum track and soupy, digital atmospherics. Album closer »Song For A Horse«, reimagines modern Pop production a-la-PC Music but shorn of the meta-atmosphere. Pianos, swelling synths, minor keys cut through with major. These moments, also seen in Feel Light offer ballast to the soaring pop choruses. Moments like these are big oceans of emotion to fall into before being led out by Rose into a bright new day.
»Love As Projection« is released in the USA by Slumberland.
As the artwork on the EP depicts, "Darkest hour before dawn" is a dusky scenario representing the Dutch environment known as "the polder" in the lower lands. It questions all kinds of actions taken or not taken to protect, restore, conserve, innovate, or modestly leave the landscape to its own more murky outcome. The darkest hour, full of gloom, will be available around the spring equinox?
Portrait of tracks separately:
"Darkest Hour before dawn"
Is this piece supposed to be an ode to the ancient Dutch hardcore movement, that once and probably only then would be experienced to such intensity or is this still maybe just a little near reminder of it? Anyway starts this unlit track slowly and remains that way but maintains a fat-pumping pulse, possibly reminding of a soldier walking a death march. Settling up those launch pads further down the piece, near the bridge for shooting off some drum-fire 909 snares as if it rocketed. Then, suddenly, the extended delay of that snare turns into a psychedelic drone beside, attending to, or paranoidly chasing comrades soul in his journey throughout and above like a trustful partner?
Arp's LFO that is out of sync with the beat and is being outpaced by it seems to slow everything down even more; meantime creating a pulling, buggy-like effect to the due of all this.
The ascending and descending ghost-pad drawing into the grid of the (tone) key, thereafter parking in them for a while and cycling out again, creating a spatial flow of disturbance and anxiety.
Finishes it with a mountain-big reverberation of organized destruction and chaos. What at first sight seems like simply an innocent route appears to actually be a bit more complex one.
"Lovely memories"
The quite monotonous structure of Lovely memories catchy and groovy song is scanning through your brain files; revisiting, memorizing, and purposely lacking these few "dots above the I" that in some cases you'd gladly be feeling like to square fit it in yourself, of course, when necessary. Connecting the puzzling, dazzling flashbacks together to finally wrap up and perpetuate the pictured events for good, leaving traces of melancholy, loveliness, and perhaps even faith to it.
"24 hours"
Dinginess of 24 hours supposes to be felt in the guts.
The beat, steady with that snare on the 4 & 12, might not be one of the greatest inventions. However, the TR-08's drum line here lays a solid and fertile foundation for a reasonable house track.
Slightly detuned synths weave a scarf pattern around your upper body, and the lower layers carry a warm blanket for the underbelly, providing you with that cozy sense of consolation. Acidy pokes wring itself sneaky and penetrable around, slicing through the song's already solid flesh. Therefore, balancing its bitter sweetness throughout with these soft-hard saw-tooth drops of sourness.
"24 hours" conveys a dispatch or intercommunication that there is little time left to take actions/charge to fix and restore. Something big is about to come if it hasn't arrived already...
"At night"
This remarkable story is a bit out of ordinary.
At night appeared in the artist's dream just the night before his sick father was raised from death in the hospital and got just another year to live before actually passing away completely and anyway. ; ))
And thus also dedicated to the man.
- A1: Intro (Pan Dynamit) (Pan Dynamit)
- A2: Get Wicked
- A3: Untitled_Raw
- A4: Doom Majesty
- A5: Metro Redneck
- A6: Czarne Buty
- B1: No Melody
- B2: Prune
- B3: Bouncers (Rework)
- B4: Sogood
- B5: Rock Da Rhythm
- B6: Talkin' About
- C1: Sunra Prisoner
- C2: Msb (Shorty) (Shorty)
- C3: Rock Steady
- C4: C-Mon Drummer
- C5: Bum Bum Clap
- C6: Park Jammin
- D1: Street Donuts
- D2: Cts
- D3: Sixfeetdeep
- D4: Half Amazing
- D5: Szmal
- D6: Last (Heroin Song) (Heroin Song)
Metro is one of the most recognized underground rap producers. He has already collaborated with Guilty Simpson, Wildchild, MED, Oh No, Rakaa, DJ Babu and Percee P to name just a few.
The album "Blunted Fusion" 2LP is his most refined album. This time without guests - only sophisticated samples, cuts and fat beats.
Plus amazing graphics designed by SewerX. This is the most beautifully released album in the 21-year history of JuNouMi Records.
repressed !
From samba and bossa nova through to baile funk, with carioca expressions of jazz, rock and hip hop in between, the sound of Rio de Janeiro, while continually evolving, has always held an unnameable quality which reflects the magic and mystique of the city itself. Multi-instrumentalist and arranger Antonio Neves is the city’s newest trailblazer: the enfant-terrible of Rio’s music scene, leading a vital and diverse constellation of both emerging and well-known artists advancing the city’s musical legacy.
“It all started one sleepless night, after watching a Quincy Jones documentary”. Inspired by the legendary music magnate, Neves began writing a list of artists residing in Rio de Janeiro “people that I admire, that I consider geniuses of their instruments, who share with me affinities, anxieties and projects.” The list included some of Brazil’s most revered living musicians who Neves has worked with in recent years: Hamilton de Holanda, Leo Gandelman and Dorival Caymmi. Neves also called on some of Brazil's most exciting emerging talents including Alice Cayymii and Ana Frango Eletrico.
A Pegada Agora É Essa (The Sway Now) is Neves’ second album: a vibrant portrait of the current Brazilian music scene. From the regional to universal, popular to erudite, samba to rap, Latin rhythms to jazz, MPB and pop to good old rock'n'roll, Neves walks with fluency and mastery amongst all the musical genres that Brazil has to offer.
“My offer to the musicians was complete freedom to express themselves through the songs I proposed – classics like “Summertime”, “Luz Negra” and “Noite de Temporal”, and compositions of my own – creating a space of authorship for the band and the guests. A space for inventions, purges, delusions, laughter. The idea was to bring the freedom of jazz crossed by Brazilian rhythms, such as the traditionals Partido Alto (A Pegada Agora É Essa) and Jongo (Jongo no Feudo and Luz Negra); rhythms of African-Brazilian religions like Candomblé (Noite de Temporal) and Umbanda (Forte Apache); and a tribute to newest Rio de Janeiro’s contribution to Brazilian music, the Funk Carioca (Simba)”.
Coming from a musical family, Antonio’s father, Eduardo Neves, was a renowned conductor and a professor at Juilliard School of Music and the California Jazz Conservatory. In the bohemian neighbourhood of Lapa, aged 14, Antonio began his career as a drummer, before experimenting with brass. He would soon become a skilled trombonist and arranger achieving the recognition of his teachers and peers. It wasn’t long before he would be playing with some of the biggest names in Brazilian music, such as Hamilton de Holanda, Leo Gandelman, Moreno Veloso, Kassin and Elza Soares.
His debut album as a trombonist was PA7 (2017, Rock It), released at the same time he was travelling the world playing with artists like Moreno Veloso, Kassin and Leo Gandelman, and recording the albums Jobim, Orquestra e Convidados (2017, Biscoito Fino), with Mário Adnet and Paulo Jobim; and Elza Soares Canta e Chora Lupi (2017, Coqueiro Verde Records). More recently, Neves was the arranger for the acclaimed Little Electric Chicken Heart album, by Ana Frango Elétrico, which has been nominated for a Latin Grammy and voted 2019’s ‘Brazilian Music Revelation’ by The Art Critics Association of São Paulo.
Connections by Satya is a February exclusive edition and a token of love for the year ahead. Gathering to spark an electrifying synergy, Connections is all about finding that blissful meeting point that can be achieved once we mindfully align on values, sentiments and musical sensitivities. These pillars hold up Connections’ core foundations and shape a new philosophy construction for the label. By merging four finessed tracks mastered by four invested musical minds, Satya takes a new turn for collaborative musical alchemy in the sense that Connections’ production is balanced, tasteful and touching. Each artist’s culture subtly seeps into each track and speaks volumes of their character in and out of the studio. Space Invaders, Aurora, Mentat and Spaces hold many keys to unlocking doors to full transparency and connectivity through our senses in the simplest of ways.
“These are cosmic sounds that you can get lost in and go anywhere you feel safe and adventurous.” - Zone+
DJ Girl is a DJ and producer who was raised in Detroit, but since the pandemic has been based in Austin, Texas. She's the co-founder of the up and coming Eat Dis Records and her recent releases have been generating excitement in all the right places.
In some ways, 'Hellworld' feels like a direct relation to a lot of early 2000s Planet Mu releases. It could sit neatly alongside Hellfish or Neil Landstrumm, with a similar anything-goes, gleeful attitude, but instead DJ Girl mashes together a driving sound that is founded upon Detroit techno and electro, Chicago juke and Miami bass, with an old school/new school production style that's finessed with distortion and sparse IDM production.
It's a midwest USA style that takes a leaf from DJs and producers such as the wild-style hard techno of Lenny Dee, the tough midwest acid of Woody McBride and the system wrecking electro of Dynamix II, with a joyful, take-no-prisoners bounce.
'Hellworld' kicks off with the industrial juke of 'Get Down', followed by the powerful electro of 'Opp Pack Hittin' (the first of two tracks to feature MC Malik McFly).
'Technician' is a chirpy old school electro track that gets crazier as it progresses, while 'Lucky' mashes together samples and rough beats like an electro version of breakcore.
'Gallery' again features Malick McFly and switches between footwork beats, pumping techno and electro.
'So Hot' is hard 8-bar electro while 'When U Touch Me featuring Irish producer Lighght feels like a very manic take on hyperpop.
The album ends with the tough, spiralling acid of 'Groover' which wouldn't be out of place on a late nineties Jeff Mills mix. The fun is infectious on this one.
Time to welcome Session Victim back to Delusions Of Grandeur following some heavyweight releases on Toytonics and Rhythm Section International. The German duo show absolutely no signs of slowing down continuing to impress with their unique sound which combines organic live elements, fat, floor-filling beats and a deep, musical approach. Here on The Intangibles EP we’re treated to three original tracks spanning high energy jazz disco meets techno, soulful uplifting house and downtempo blunted beats.
Opener Motivation features spoken word from Ras Stimulant backed by urgent looping Rhodes stabs and an uptempo disco groove. An instant Session Victim dance-floor shaker if ever there was one, the energy cranked up to the maximum without losing sight of that all important groove.
Next up we have Dromedary Twist which keeps up the pace but goes deeper on the jazzy organ chords and lays down a heavy syncopated bass- line which ensures the funk factor remains present and correct.
Rounding out the EP in fine style, Green Run drops the BPM’s as we head into lazy, hazy, blissed-out jazzed-up beats territory. Lush strings and layers of analogue synths come together on this simple yet enchanting little tune which compliments the other tracks perfectly and will appeal to fans of SV’s more home-listening output from their 2020 LP Needledrop.
Warp setzt die Autechre Reissue-Serie mit den Alben #6 und #7, 'Confield' (2001) und 'Draft 7.30' (2003), fort, die beide seit Ende der Nullerjahre nicht mehr erhältlich waren. 'Confield' erscheint als Doppelvinyl mit bedruckten Innentaschen und DL-Code (WAV/FLAC/MP3). 'Draft 7.30' kommt als Doppelvinyl mit bedruckten Innentaschen im Hochglanz-Cover und DL-Code (WAV/FLAC/MP3).
- 'Confield promises elegant production, accessibility in moderation, and one of the most enveloping, thought-provoking listening experiences to come forth from leftfield this year.' - Pitchfork 8.8/10
- 'Autechres Tracks sind trotz ihrer maschinenartigen, holperigen Insektenhaftigkeit sehr organisch, humorvoll und manchmal auf eine ganz eigene Art groovy. Dadurch vermeiden sie es, akademisch und kopfig zu erscheinen, so dass experimentelle Musik bei ihnen richtig Spass macht.' - Jazz Thing
- A1: Three (Intro)
- A2: Noisia & Camo & Krooked - Nova
- A3: The Upbeats & Noisia - Shibuya Pet Store
- B1: Noisia & Imanu - Shift
- B2: Noisia & Skrillex - Horizon
- B3: Noisia & Former - Cleansing
- C1: Mefjus & Noisia - Foundations
- C2: Scrapped
- C3: Shutters
- D1: Noisia & The Upbeats - Halcyon
- D2: Noisia & Halogenix - Wordless
- D3: Told You
- E1: Noisia & Two Fingers - Dzjengis
- E2: Noisia & Former - Pleasure Model
- F1: Noisia & Phace - Deep Down
- F2: Noisia & Posij - Simplon
- G1: Noisia & Black Sun Empire - Caps Lock
- G2: Skrillex & Noisia & Josh Pan & Dylan Brady - Supersonic (Vip)
- H1: The Hole Pt 1
- H2: Closer
"After Outer Edges we were trying to find a new direction for Noisia. This resulted in an extensive journey that took us through a lot of new ideas and music.
Although we eventually decided to stop, we are proud of the things we made along the way, and these tunes were always meant to be part of a larger whole. So before we finally close the book on Noisia, we wanted to share them with you, on one last album. Previously released or newly finished, they all represent directions we enjoyed exploring.
In the end, we didn't manage to figure things out. But we did get closer." - Nik, Thijs, Martijn (Noisia)
We've been writing new material as a trio since the first lockdown in the spring of 2020.
An organic and electro-acoustic impulse that translates both mine and Eliete's need of self-archiving,
re-inventing and auto-cannibalising Tetine's past, present and
future in order to explore other aural
landscapes and modes of composing intuitively, while at the same time, re-experiencing moments of our
trajectory as a hybrid organism.
Music For Breathing was born as a respiratory, meditative, and improvisatory piece of DIY
tropical-mutant-punk "chamber music" written for cello, voice, piano, organ and electronics.
The work responds to the suspended acts of breathing and vertigos experienced in contemporary polluted
environments in political, social and philosophical transitions, whilst investigating the
secret ontologies of inanimate objects and architectures, as well
as the echoes and ethics of modes of operating things.
Recorded during the intense period of heatwaves that hit London between July and August 2022, in
a small studio set up in our flat's kitchen - so that we could capture the acoustic instrumentation
(in particular, for the recording of cellos) without much
noise interference from the street -
this vinyl version of the album comprises of 5 distinct yet complementary reflective movements.
Musically and lyrically, it explores the atmospherics and syntaxes of time and space, voice, rhythm,
as well as themes such as hearing loss, menopause, pollution and respiration. It builds an expanded suite of unexpected
electro-acoustic textures through repetition, minimalistic motives, simple melodies, chromatic
developments, free counterpoint and atonalism. Conceived as an ode to the poetics of slowness,
the sounds you hear give continuity to the music we composed for the performance-film
The Ether - Prelude No.1 over the first lockdown in 2020 as it simultaneously explores the warmth,
melodiousness and power of the cello in conjunction with electronics.
Music For Breathing evokes this transitory moment: a place and time where language runs out,
communication and information lose their functions, sound and meaning do not correspond. Facts do not correspond to contexts. Spaced Out in Paradise. The last degree of the structure, the
loss of memory. The lost voice.
The album also features our 12-year-old daughter Yoko Afi on cello and vocals. It reflects
a period of free sound experimentation influenced both by romantic composers of the late
19th / early 20th centuries and contemporary electronic music. The pieces you hear were composed, arranged, and recorded
with the joy and melancholy of "those who do not know". In other words, "with the arrogance
of a second childhood" as Derek Jarman once put it. 'Agile and candid as a child'(1).
1) Manifesto da Poesia Pau-Brasil, Oswald de Andrade, Correio da Manhã, 18 de Março de 1924.
Empress Enigma:
The contradictory language of speech, rhythm and melody generate this musical paradox.
Drivetrain (Detroit, USA)
It Can Never Be The Same (Parts 1 & 2)
Deep and moody, Part 1 is driven by a captivating bass groove with lush, silky pads constructing a mesmerizing wall of sonic euphoria. The vocal hook echoes the commentary with one simple phrase.
The stripped down Part 2 replaces the drums with hand percussion while Drivetrain shows off his bass guitar chops charismatically with an emotional solo throughout.
Rennie Foster (Vancouver, CAN)
Guiding Light
A ghostly banger, poised in atmospheric essence. Shifting layers of sound harmonize to the unyielding bass line as Alejandra Garcia sprinkles vocal seasoning on top.
I Haven't Forgotten
Built on the foundation of a rock-solid bass progression, the ambience of melodic strings and piano blend an audio sedative accompanied by an airy vocal presence and bits of acid integration.
- A1: Report From The Frontlines
- A2: Ask Believe Feel Receive
- A3: Lost In Solitude
- A4: Art Is The Only Real Translation Of Living For Me
- B1: We Belong To Never
- B2: Pain
- B3: Superrare
- B4: We Want To Feel Love
- C1: Musik Ist Meine Sprache
- C2: Equalista
- C3: Mirrors
- C4: Skin
- D1: Free
- D2: Still Feat Pascal Schumacher
- D3: Afterhour
ENARCHY is the debut album by Leipzig-based producer and singer Maria die Ruhe. It is the result of a deep and thorough look the
artist took into both her own inner workings and the world around her. In 14 tracks, she explores different types of energy,
oscillating between head and heart. Final destination of this sometimes painful process of self- exploration is the embodiment of
her own power and creativity; the realization, that she manifests her role as catalyst, healer, and fighter for freedom and equality
by reporting on her experiences. These songs are about nothing less than that. And you can also dance to them.
In a musical sense, Maria surpasses herself compared to previous releases. She is bolder, more explorative and dissolves genre
boundaries. Acoustic instruments like the cello and the piano unite playfully with electronic beats. Her expressive voice speaks and
sings from the lowest lows to the loftiest heights. Her self-disclosing lyrics communicate the deepest messages of the soul. One can
tell right away: something is at stake here, this is about a real human living through something real, and now reporting from the
front lines of the human experience.
With lines like „Things are changing all the fucking time“ (ENARCHY) she posts a reminder for the current zeitgeist and the resulting
global uncertainty. „Some things need to be destroyed before they can heal“ is a demand for openness towards change, even if it is
challenging, requires energy, and leaves behind some scars.
In ART IS THE ONLY REAL TRANSLATION OF LIVING FOR ME, Maria uses sentences like „I’ve been trying to please you, I got headaches
and I still don’t fit“ to express her desperation with existing structures of injustice and the lack of livability of the artist lifestyle.
„Ah, you’re an artist - and what do you do professionally?“ Everyone loves music and art! When, o when, will the understanding
follow that there need to be people who make this art as a central part of their lives?
Frustration takes turns with hope and a growing acceptance of the self. In EQUALISTA, Maria discusses antiquated conditions like the
inequality between the sexes in a kind of manifesto, with a simple proposal for solution: „Let’s both be selfish and raise our
energies, to create a whole world with all the things we need.“
In WE BELONG TO NEVER, Maria sings about the everyday horror of toxic relationships. Lines like „Disengagement and rage, I’ve become such a slave.“ express the despair of the emptiness that results from a lack of affection. She also describes treacherous
narcissistic manipulation: „You cut me small just to feel tall.“
In SKIN, she confesses: „I’m not as enough as everyone else.“ and describes the long and painful way from rejecting her own body
to loving herself unconditionally. „I hate what I feel, while I pretend to be free“ means she doesn’t want to be reduced down to
her body, doesn’t want to be seen as an instagrammable, thoroughly designed product; she wants to be acknowledged as an
individual.
In LOST, she poses a question that many are currently forced to ask themselves: „What do we do with all this solitude?“ Maybe
making use of the reclusion by exploring the shadow self. „Can you cope with the truth?“
The conclusion: energy is being freed up through the means of self-experience and living through the personal darkness -
ENARCHY. The realization: every human being is self-determined and should simply do what they feel. It is everyone’s right to
choose their own life’s path. Here, intuition serves as a signpost. This is both feminine and strong.
ENARCHY celebrates an embodied anarchy by working through the personal shadow and the genuine, healthy integration of the
struggle survived - not as a destructive rebellion, but as a testament of shameless, joyful self-empowerment.
„In the end, I want to be alive, because in reality, I’m free.“
Cremation Lily’s »Dreams Drenched in Static« exists at the horizon of consciousness and heavy experimental music. Through the use of frenetic vocal melodies, tape degradation, and guitar noise, the album documents the liminal moments at the edge of sleep, and the distressing thoughts that often accompany late-night R.E.M. disturbances. The lyrics were largely written at three in the morning and serve to evoke the depression and meditations on death that seem to haunt these early hours.
Based in London, England, Cremation Lily is the project of Zen Zsigo. Like many Flenser artists, the work of Cremation Lily is difficult to classify. The project began in 2009 as sample-based ambient music, but has evolved to incorporate more rock-oriented guitar instrumentation and influence from a wide range of genres such industrial, shoegaze, tape loops, noise, and power electronics.
Although rooted in electronic music, Cremation Lily shares similarities with Flenser artists like Planning For Burial and Have a Nice Life, as well as black metal. »Dreams Drenched in Static« is the first Cremation Lily album to rely primarily on guitar and vocal-based contributions, and is the project’s most intentional and developed work to date.
Italian DJ and producer Francis De Simone debuts on Lee Foss and Jamie Jones' label Hot Creations with London Bass. Having built a solid back catalogue in recent years, his first Hot Creations release embodies the dynamic sound of the Palermo-born artist, channelling chunky tech house and disco-flavoured melodies.
De Simone explains his creative thinking behind the EP. "These tracks fully express my devotion to music. I ranged a lot, trying to remember an 80's sound up to a more raw and synthetic groove with Latin vocals to embrace the different ethnic groups." Reflecting his thoughts to a tee, the title track rumbles with a massive bassline and chopped-up vocals that add an instant burst of energy. Things get weird on Saludos A Todos, as thumping kickdrums collide with a trippy melody and even trippier vocals, creating a wavey atmosphere. The ideal club curveball. On Off White, De Simone delivers a pacey number packed with burbling beats and clicky percussion, complemented by dreamy vocals. The hint is in the name on closing track, This Is Undergound. A big room delight, De Simone drops a stripped-back banger, where the lyrics do the talking in tandem with a driving bassline. An excellent addition to the Hot Creations discography.
Based in Palermo, Italy, Francis De Simone stems from a family of musicians. Having played the drums from age two, the versatile artist can make anything from rock, pop and jazz, but these days, De Simone pens electronic music. His father worked as a bouncer for various local discos and exposed De Simone to dance music from a young age, later inspiring him to produce house and techno with an uplifting tint. Releases on Glasgow Underground, LW Recordings and REALM Records have helped shape the profile of this flourishing artist, with plenty more to come further down the line.
recut und repressed !
VINYL ONLY !
No Rush second release is a split EP that includes Arapu and Simone Adinolfi, each of them expressing a personal feeling about the antithesis of time, seen like infinite as much as just a moment.
While Arapu is showing elegance in Morning Clue with its deep and airy melodies and a more decisive and funky touch in End Of That using his special bassline blended with outstanding scratchy sounds, Simone Adinolfi gives a more melodic and warm imprint in Levantyne, where hypnotic pads are permeated by dreamy piano chords, and then gets more gloomy and raw in Relapse, showing his introspective side.
- A1: Green Baize “Switch Back”
- A2: Night Communication “Let’s Face The Music”
- B1: Mental Detector ”Get Up”
- B2: More Heavy Soul "Load In Total Darkness”
- B3: Ivan Iacobucci "Melt The Sun”
- C1: Sima “Give You Myself (Ricky Montanari Ethos Mama Remix)”
- C2: Ricky Montanari & Davide Ruberto “London (Original Mix)”
- D1: Workin’ Happily ”Make My Move (Tira Dub)”
- D2: Sound Set ”So In Love With You (Club Mix)
Following up on the success of House Of Riviera released in 2019, Mona Musique releases House Of Riviera Volume 2 curated by label head Nick V, a compilation that pays homage to forgotten gems of the classic Italian House scene, circa 1991-1994. 9 tracks from the artists and record labels that were central to this seminal era of House music, including two never released cuts from Ricky Montanari, Davide Ruberto and Ivan Iacobucci.
In the early 1990s, Italy hosted one of the most prolific scenes in the burgeoning world of House music. Whilst the majority of Europe was only just beginning to digest the arrival of this new musical genre born in the US, Italian clubs, DJs and labels were hot on the heels of their counterparts in the already established scenes of New York and London. The clubs of the Adriatic coast, also known as the Italian Riviera, were full every weekend, hosting the major US and UK Djs of the time, but also seasoned resident DJs that had been honing their trade since the early 80s. By the early 90s, Italian House music was regularly exported around the world with labels such as UMM, MBG, Flying, Palmares, DFC, Oversky, Zippy, D:Vision, Irma - and its sublabels Antima and Calypso, releasing tracks inspired by the original New York House and Garage sound, but with a very different, unique and emotional take. This was the specific aesthetic that was to become the House sound of the Riviera, the soundtrack to the golden era of Italian House music.
With all releases between 1992 and 1994, House Of Riviera Vol. 2 unites a selection of 9 tracks that encapsulates the atmosphere, the energy and creativity that reigned during that era. Including 2 previously unreleased tracks from Ricky Montanari and Davide Ruberto, and Ivan Iacobucci, both in the vaults since 1992, the compilation spans the different shades of the genre : from classic deep vocal house by Ricky Montanari and Sound Set, to the more dubbier late night dance floor cuts by Workin’ Happily and Night Communication, with Mental Detector and More Heavy Soul bringing some well chosen disco samples to their contributions, without forgetting the characteristic deep Italian dream house style by Green Baize. Artists featured are iconic producers and DJs from the day : Ricky Montanari & Davide Ruberto, Alex Neri & Marco Baroni, Ivan Iacobucci, Workin’ Happily and More Heavy Soul.
After last year’s Black Clouds Above The Bows, Amsterdam-based collective Wanderwelle presents the second entry of their trilogy for Important Records, which is dedicated to telling the story of the climate crisis and its effects on coastal areas around the globe. For this album the artists incorporated the sound of a dying organ, fatally wounded in a climate related event.
All Hands Bury The Cliffs At Sea consists of electro-acoustic threnodies for an environment at risk due to the effects caused by receding coastlines around the globe. Wailing odes tell the story of the catastrophic activity of eroding waves and winds shaping the land that are enhanced by the climate crisis. First hand experiences and meetings with local maritime experts on the subject of these receding coastlines inspired Wanderwelle to compose these albums.
During their travels, the artists stumbled upon a small church in a town on the east coast of Scotland. The building was quite damaged, the roof was being stabilized and the ancient walls showed great tears running vertically down the structure. One of the church’s volunteers told Wanderwelle that the damage had been caused by a nearby cliff that collapsed in the sea. An event increasingly common in the region.
The church organ was ruined in such a way that it was deemed unplayable, as most of the pipes were gravely damaged and in dire need of restoration. Musical instruments directly affected by the environment -and especially the climate crisis- are quite rare. Despite the damage, the artists were allowed to record a few tones of the instrument with their equipment, which was actually meant to be used for field recordings later that day.
In Black Clouds Above The Bows, antique cavalry trumpets were recorded and manipulated by Wanderwelle to sound an environmental alarm in the same manner as they were once used to warn men on the battlefield. Similar processing was used on the recordings of the dying organ, resulting in spectral, deconstructed tones beyond recognition. In addition to the damaged organ, the artists recorded piano, cello and harmonic additive synthesizers in later stages of the composition process, manipulating these sounds to mimic the perpetual activity of the sea shaping the land.Furthermore, a great deal of inspiration was found in maritime superstition, lore and mythology.
As told in the legend of Aspidochelone, a legendary sea creature of enormous size, was once mistaken for an island. After sailors docked and lit a fire, the beast submerged resembling a land mass sliding into the sea. The album’s title is derived from the saying ‘All Hands Bury The Dead’, a maritime burial phrase, as the duo likes to think ‘All Hands’ refers to all of mankind since we are all responsible for these impending catastrophes.
Cello, violin, voice, pipe organ (damaged), bowed guitar, EBow, Prophet-6 synthesizer, modular synthesizer, field recordings.
RIYL: Oliveros/Deep Listening, Arvo Part, Lambda Sond, Sarah Davachi
Los Pulpitos“ are gathering their underground-water-crowd and all the depressurized party peepz for this 2nd release on Terra Magica Rec!
Dirk Leyers (Africaine 808/Closer Musik fame) teamed up with no other than Dengue Dengue Dengue’s Felipe Salmón as „Los Pulpitos“. During the pandemic heydays these two sweet’n’tiney tasty Pulpitos went down the deepwater abbys to show dem kids where the dancefloor monsters hide. Expect Candomblé-Afro-Disco-Dubtechno-Polyrythmics gone bubbeling-blub! 1960s-70s-80s-90s-Ragga-Dub-Breaks-Electronic-Cumbia-gone-Deconstructed-Club-2000UK-Mainroom hot tub rub. Leftfield-Shefield-90sExperimental-70sFunk-Psychedelic-Dubstep-UKBass-Wobble! We simply call it: “Tentacle Tech“
British musician, multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ cktrl returns with the release of his new EP ‘Yield’. Born from a desire to change the narrative around contemporary Black British music, the boundary-pushing musician aims with this project to prioritise the art of bonafide musicianship. A stark departure from cktrl’s previous work, ‘Yield’ is a celestial and palpably more inward body of work that harkens back to the pre-electric age of modal jazz while simultaneously pulling in elements from the disciplines of classical and baroque music. Speaking on the project’s sonic identity, cktrl says: “I want to be able to show that you can make things from scratch again that have that feeling and beauty without having to sample an old record. Even though that’s an art-form within itself, I want to show raw orchestration and instrumentation can be the sole source” The origins of the title came from a period where cktrl was looking to find solace in himself after an introspective period of grief and heartbreak. As an intentionally instrumental project with minimal vocals, cktrl wants prospective listeners to see these new songs as guided meditations where they can wholly insert themselves in it. Eliciting and reaping whatever feelings come to the fore. Speaking on what ‘Yield’ means to him as a concept, cktrl explains: “Some people who I've asked to define the word ‘yield’ have looked at it from a harvest point of view, whereas others have seen it as something to submit to, to render, like you're giving up yourself. I see it as a barometer for how you feel - no matter if you're at your lowest or your highest vibration, you still need to show up for yourself. You still have to be present. It’s about getting the best from yourself no matter where you are in life” The new project is the follow up to last year’s ‘Zero’ which featured collaborations with esteemed contemporaries like the GRAMMY-nominated Mereba and anaiis. Upon the project’s release, it was met with a plethora of critical acclaim from highly regarded publications and platform such as British Vogue, Dazed, CRACK Magazine, Resident Advisor, NOTION, Harper's Bazaar and ES Magazine for its sprawling and experimental scope, spanning avant-garde jazz, classical music, alternative R&B and electronica. cktrl has a tune for every occasion: as content making beats by himself at home in Lewisham as he is amongst this generation’s fashion and cultural vanguards. Music has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember: from clarinet lessons throughout his school life to fond memories from his NTS days. Moulded by a unique blend of his West Indian heritage, years of classical training in both the clarinet and saxophone, cktrl strives to do what hasn’t been done before. His approach to creation is decidedly wide-ranging and broad. In fact, where sonic descriptions might fail to encompass the breadth of cktrl’s scope, three words surface when he unpacks his musical aims: freedom, range and feeling. Elsewhere, throughout his career, cktrl has been recognised and heralded by fashion and film VIPs as he firmly embeds himself within the black cultural renaissance emerging here in Britain. Acquiring a global network of creatives that include the late Virgil Abloh, Bianca Saunders, Tremaine Emory, Saul Nash, Maximilian Davis, Ahluwalia, Stephen Isaac Wilson, Sean Frank, Campbell Addy, Ib Kamara and Jenn Nkiru who secured him a cameo in Beyoncé’s ground-breaking film ‘Black Is King’.
After a couple of solo EPs to start the label, FAC-3 is comprised of four different artists, each with their own unique sound. Although a mix of up-and-coming and established producers, old and new music, there’s a common thread running through the EP.
First up, Justin Zerbst’s Waverider is an atmospheric nod to Detroit. Unearthed from a 90’s DAT, it’s built around some heavily modulated chords and 808 percussion which carry the track through to its string-laden climax.
Italian mainstay Luca Piermattei’s Venice is distinct end-of-night fare. Haunting pads sit atop a deftly-programmed bass which provides most of the movement over a tight drum groove.
While the A side has a undoubted warmth to it, the B dials things back and ups the intensity with two techier cuts. UK producer Skelter’s first release is a spacious acid groove, with the bassline taking centre stage amidst a nervy backdrop of percussive textures and reverb hits.
Finally, Brisbane’s Loif rounds things off with the simmering Digiburra; a dense, electro-tinged breakbeat aimed squarely at the dancefloor.
Toronto label and party Hypnotic Mindscapes presents another issue of modern electronics crafted for the dancefloor with the third edition of their compilation series, displaying a bundle of trend-defying tunes from crew-adjacent artists.
A1 opens with long-time friend and collaborator Patamamba (half of Kimchi Records) with “Igoon of Blue”, shades of progressive house music simmered in evocative acid lines reminiscent of 90’s nostalgia. The A2 features Hypnotic originator Cosmic JD with a deep-slamming breakbeat piece titled “Steam”, punchy basslines and trancey Arps bubbling into the early morning. On the flip, scene-vet and Seekers boss Alex Picone debuts on the label with “WhyWasteWine” a fast-paced, modern tech-house number with wonky melodies and metallic artifacts. Rounding things up, Moroccan (via Montreal) up and coming artist Jalil enters with an electro-infused ode to “Technology”. Artwork by Sofia Eleni.
Our dubby ‘detective’ Axel Larsen is back for another 10 inch on the « Special » series (MMS), establishing the « Criminal Music » genre for good !
You will find in this EP a concentrate of foggy atmospheres, heavy basslines, tension rhythms and dark melodies that will fit perfectly in your next Cluedo night. It can also be used during a GTA session, but be sure that its maximum effect will be in a dark room full of crazy motherf****rz
Limited to 300 copies, don’t snooze !!
Dear listener,
On behalf of re:discovery records, it is with great excitement that we announce the release of Stryke – The Introspection Trilogy (1994-2022). rd011 features a track that is very close to my heart. My senior year in high school. I was heavily into chill-out music at the time. Labels like FAX, Instinct Ambient, Reflective, Astralwerks, em:t, Silent, Moonshine, Rising High, Warp, Exist Dance, Visible, Eye Q and others were giving me such a wide array of beautiful sounds of more subdued techno and rhythmic ambient music. I was buying every compilation I could at the time that looked remotely different based on the artwork, the unusual artist names or the tracks. I was soaking in everything I could under the chill-out style. That year 1994 I picked up the 2nd edition of Moonshine's 'United State of Ambience 2'.
It has so many good tracks on it. One track that always held a special place in my heart was Stryke's 'Introspection pt.1'. The simple but catchy melody layering. The easy atmosphere made me feel like I was floating in the ocean. The deep 808 bass notes (I hope one day you and I will hear this on an amazing sound system). The amazing strings reach a crescendo nearing the end. This track has so many simple but beautiful sounds on it. It's a great example of what I call sequencer-styled electronic music. At a time when producers layered tracks in more of a sequence then building or placing sounds. In 2021 I was able to get a hold of Greg Chin to see if he was interested in putting the track on my label and letting it breathe freely on its own side alone as the highlight of an EP. Greg was enthusiastic about the opportunity and told me that he always wanted to complete the trilogy he had in mind of a part 2 and 3. The ominous and eerie part 2 adds a terrific tension to the finale of part 3. The last being almost an updated part 1 really concluded the trilogy for me. Both parts melded together on side B pushing near 17 minutes. I want to thank Greg for letting us be a home to complete his journey.
- Tim Humphrey aka TIM aka errorsinspace
In October 1974, the first number of “L'Indépendant du Jazz”, a small self-produced magazine DIY -before punk supposedly invented the concept- was launched by Jef Gilson, Gérard Terronès, Jean-Jacques Pussiau and a few other specialists of a different kind of jazz in France, it looked at the already long career of Jef Gilson and in detail at the album with saxophonist Philippe Maté:
“The ‘Workshop’ is, with Philippe Maté (alto-sax), an undeniable success. Maté is genuinely ‘the’ most inventive French saxophonist since Michel Portal burst onto the jazz scene (who has also worked with Jef Gilson on both “Enfin” and “Gaveau”).”
Even though the author of the article is a mysterious I.H. Dubiniou, and it is difficult to know if it is a real person or a pseudonym used by one of the merry bunch, it is also tempting to hear it as what Jef Gilson really thought about his new discovery. Even more so as the two men would work together over a long period, as Maté became one of the key figures of Gilson’s Europamerica orchestra up until the 1980s.
Philippe Maté had started to make a name for himself with the Acting Trio when they released an album on the BYG label in 1969, and he was also one of the regular sidemen for the Saravah studios (he can notably be heard on albums by Higelin, Fontaine or his cult duo album with Daniel Vallancien).
The album was recorded on 4 February 1972, at the Foyer de Montorgueuil, where Gilson had set up his studio, with more or less the same team found on “La Marche Dans Le Désert” by Sahib Shihab + Gilson Unit (recorded ten days later). This was drummer Jean-Claude Pourtier and pianist Pierre Moret (regular Gilson accomplices since “Le Massacre Du Printemps”), alongside Maurice Bouhana and Bruno Di Gioa on various percussions and/or wind instruments. On bass is Didier Levallet, of the now mythical Perception, (Jean-François Catoire would replace him with Shihab) and Philippe Maté who took top billing, rather than the American saxophonist afterwards. The two albums are however quite different. This “Workshop” is more abrasive, more free. Made up of two long improvisations each of over 22mn, “L'Œil” on side A and “Vision” on side B (Gilson specialists would recognise the nod to one of his albums from the 60s), the album plunges you into the depths, attempting to drown you in electronic waves, dragging you back to the surface by the collar, giving you a good shakedown, before showing you the light, leaving you breathless on the shore after 46mn of the most intense music French has to offer. “An undeniable success”, they said. (by Jérôme "Kalcha" Simonneau)
Angelo Sindaco is the producer’name behind the self-titled project, Sindaco, active since the mid-80s in the experimental and industrial electronic music’ circuit up to the most innovative house music now lands
on Simona Faraone’s label, New Interplanetary Melodies with his latest work, Spiritual Safari (NIM010).
For this release, Sindaco took the help of some of his longtime collaborators and friends such as DJ and producer Andrea Salomoni, here with his aka Abyssy, Brazilian Kraut-classic singer Marcela Dias and musician Nico Pasquini aka Stromboli.
Spiritual Safari was born from a particular sci-fi vision of Africa as the last border of post-post-modernism, in which, Sindaco’s artsy approach combined with Abyssy’s more exquisitely Detroit feel blend to perfection giving birth to tracks with a more ecstatic flavor such as Absenthium (1) and Gommaflex feat. Stromboli (3) or more sinuous and deep like Bem bem bem (2), graced by the sweet voice of Marcela Dias or Monolite (4) feat. Abyssy that transports us to a Techno dimension of rare elegance.
With Atlantic Road (5) the mood becomes more rarefied despite of the pushing rhythm, while in Son (6 feat. Abyssy) field recordings and synths turns more airy and shimmering bringing to mind some typical early 90s house productions. In Amazonas (7 feat. Marcela Dias) sounds comes from idm matrix while The Cave (8 feat Abyssy), the track that closes this beautiful record, you are enveloped by a soft tropical cloud thanks to its wrapping bass line and foggy synths that will conquer the most demanding users as by now a tradition for all the records curated by New Interplanetary Melodies.
Spiritual Safari was written and recorded between Bologna and Rio de Janeiro during 2022.
'Intensely textured, interlocking guitar riffs weave together on New Bright Object, the debut album from Berlin and Edinburgh-based duo I’m Not You.
Working under the name I’m Not You, artist Alex Gibbs (bass & vocals) and sound designer Niall McCallum (guitar & drums) have honed a sound that draws in equal measure from jazz funk of Weather Report and the math rock of Don Caballero. Their debut album, New Bright Object is their most developed statement to date, an intricate, robust and unique collection of songs born from serpentine jam sessions in rural idylls.
The duo make no secret of their admiration for bands like Battles and Tortoise. They reference Jim O’Rourke’s lounge numbers and the droll lyricism of Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman. There’s a touch of Vini Reilly in their sparse and serpentine guitar lines. A hint perhaps of Mogwai. All these names place New Bright Object within a constellation of albums made with bigger budgets for wider audiences.
New Bright Object opens In a flash of light, comet-like, with the sound of ‘Mr. Wind- Up Bird’. The threads they weave are full with intent, as moments of density rise like hills from the track’s quieter valleys. It’s easy to imagine the pair looking out over the rolling fields of the garden studio in East Lothian where they recorded the album, as they assiduously try and draw their own landscapes in sound.
Similarly, there is a crispness to ‘A Certain Arrangement Of Atoms’ - every clipped hat, rim-shot snare and tightly wound tom a fine-tipped mark on the score. It is intricate and precise, a result perhaps of Niall’s attention to detail. Then there is the piano, Alex’s grandmother’s, slightly out of tune, which adds a few expressionist strokes to this pointillist composition. The piece loosens, until all we’re left with is the bass.
Although the album orbits around the pendulum sway of ‘The Older I Get’, it is ‘What Cats Think About’ that stands out most. That it does is by design – a nod to the Sun City Girls and albums that like to throw their listeners a curveball every now and then. Pleasantly ramshackle, confusingly domestic, agreeably strange.
All this speaks to the spirit of the album and the creative relationship between two best friends whose differences seem to have been the only things they could agree on.'
zzzahara (They/Them) is the solo moniker of Eyedress/Simps/US Velvet
guitarist Zahara Jaime
Plenty of people come to Los Angeles looking to make their California dreams a
reality. But zzzahara has always been here, turning reality into a dream.
Attwood: "A feverish indie rock song drowning in intimate emotion and frenetic
energy, zzzahara's "they don't know" is a vulnerable and raw outpouring from the
heart."
Dummy: "An infectious indie rock number overflowing with emotion and frantic
energy, zzzahara's 'they don't know' is a clear statement of intent from a solo
artist coming into their own."
Paste: "…this single feels like something special."
Guardian: "Cantering through the gloaming with a blend of coldwave and early
Cure, the Los Angeles guitarist and songwriter banishes summer, to cheers from
neo-goths everywhere."
Samuel L Session and Van Czar drop a four-track techno EP on Unrilis that showcases a deeper and more hypnotic sound with dystopian atmosphere and driving percussion. Rino Cerrone launched the Unrilis record label over 15 years ago, and part of the label's back catalogue is its iconic Rilis series. 2022 sees the relaunch of the Rilis series that has a focus on underground DJ tools with raw analogue sounds. The Rilis series was originally launched in 1999, and was restricted to a concept on only 10 releases, each pressing a limited run of vinyl. It was hugely popular with each one often selling out in only a week and picking up DJ support by people ranging from Jeff Mills to Richie Hawtin. Those first 10 releases were focused on Rino Cerrone's own music, but since his retirement from the industry, the revitalised Rilis series will welcome other artists whose sound matches the label's underground concept.
This latest release in the Rilis series features collaborative tracks by Samuel L Session and Van Czar who have previously teamed up for releases on other imprints ranging from Marco Bailey's MB Elektronics to Ben Sims' Hardgrooves. Both are also successful solo artists, Sweden's Samuel L Session being well-known for his headline DJ sets at clubs around the world, along with the music he has released via iconic imprints such as Slam's Soma, Shlomi Aber's Be As One, Len Faki's Figure and Emmanuel's ARTS plus his own imprints SLS, Cycle, New Soil, and Klap Klap Belgium's Van Czar is also an accomplished DJ who is well-established across Europe and he has also released music on respected record labels ranging from Kevin Saunderson's KMS Records as well as the classic imprint, Yin Yang.
'Air Raid' opens the release with its eerie pads, spine-tingling melody loop and machine-driven percussion. It's got a raw aesthetic with dramatic claps and snare fills that add to the building suspense.
'18-022' is a dark and stripped back track with modulating synth textures layered with fast-flowing high-end percussion. Its pounding kick drum and clap rhythms add rigid structure to its expansive atmosphere and dance floor focused groove.
'Route 200' has thrashing cymbals punishing claps and rippling pads that create a stripped back groove submerged in deep atmosphere. Rich with analogue textures and gritty sound design, its relentless energy is tailor made for club sound systems.
'Objectivism' closes out the release with it's funky bassline and bleeping melody. Whirling textures and fluttering percussion maintain an unrelenting tension that's driven forward by the pounding kick drum.
Falling by the Wayside – A Motown flavored uplifting, unmissable and irresistible new single.
Singer Paul Mac Innes and producer Mattias Axelsson share a great love for the timeless Motown sound that led them to write "Falling by the Wayside" sometime before the pandemic. The song was put on hold. But at a live performance, they chose to perform the song and then understood that the time had come to record this track for real. They booked the new studio Skeppet in Gothenburg and brought along some of the city's best musicians.
Support and rotation on Swedish National Radio P3 and P4 (Swedish equivalent to BBC)
“Tune of year for me. I played it on my weekly section of Lost and Found on WMBR in Boston in August and on the September Metropolitan Soul Show and I’m so pleased this is coming on vinyl!”
Simon White — Metropolitan Soul Show
“And there’s no stopping. Much to our delight, Paul has released a bonus B-side Instrument version! Now there are tears in my eyes!”
— Scandinavian soul
“…The sound is timeless, conceived sometime in Detroit - the implementation extremely competent and in all departments with the ability to give the joy of Motown a few more rounds….”
— Sonic Soul Reviews…
Everyone’s favourite Israeli digger is back for another round of gloriously rare edit heat on RNT!
‘Baila’ gets the party started with infectious flamenco chants and claps over a churning acidic groove, and ‘Disco Hummus’ rounds out the side with a bit of joyful disco cheek.
On the flip, ‘Sun’ turns an unlikely cover of a classic into an Afro Disco banger, and ‘Simba’ rumbles and rolls with restraint toward a hypnotic peak of brass and vocals.
Elado has done it again…Mazel Tov!
- A1: Purelink - Personal Velocity
- A2: Tammo Hesselink - Half Learned
- A3: Lara Sarkissian - Eternal Repose
- A4: Feloneezy - Lipstick On My Double Chin
- A5: Spivak - The Fucking Bed On The Floor
- B1: Civilistjavel - Fyrkant
- B2: Salamanda - Drink Wisdom
- B3: Hiroma Keo - Broken
- B4: Slowfoam - Mirror Stone
- B5: Ssiege - Virgo Oscura
Following up 2021’s compilation 'and felt like...', ' ...it wasn't really me' can be seen as the missing part of a diptych, only separated by the passage of time, yet whole in spirit. Again, a familiar company of singular artists showcase remarkable unity in diversity. Similar to its predecessor, a rustic gloom glues everything together into a seamless whole, enabling the collective to transcend each unique contributors' musical voice elegantly.ambient
Black Vinyl Repress!
For the first time, these exclusive extended versions of NJOI's seminal tracks are available as a 3 coloured disc vinyl-only release. Carefully lifted from their original early 90's live sets, these tracks have been re-crafted, extended and mastered to todays sonic standards and we're very proud to present 'Collected' on Food Music.
This project is much more than simply re-issuing the cream of NJOI's catalogue. As we enter 2022, we begin a year long journey with the duo, eventually unveiling 30 year old unreleased sought-after material for the first time ever, together with remixes from some of the todays finest electronic artists. It’s a privilege to complete the circle with NJOI and their timeless music.
'Water Temple' is the debut album of the Berlin-based group Property. Comprised of Marijn Degenaar (NL) and Vivant de Non (AUS), the group use the theme of hydromancy to straddle the poetics of reverb from a post-punk perspective. The album wanders through dense end-of-world sensations without keeping away from piercing melodic instrumentation. As hazy as 'Water Temple' can get, Property just as easily trade the murky side of their post-punk sound for analogue synthesisers that feel almost celestial. Used to striking effect on 'Water Temple', the chorus-heavy bassline is interwoven with a strident melody that punctures the rhythm and accents the Neue Deutsche Welle energy that the pair play on at certain moments. Similarly, the vocals on 'Water Tempel' flirt with our cracked times from another angle, rendering a remarkable first transmission from this new duo. Foggy synthesisers fill the cavities of every track, though the driving leads ensure the ambience never overtakes the song-structures across the album. This tendency is best captured on the downer-anthem Blood Cube with its sharp drum machine rhythm, just as Clear Boys reprises this rowdy pop edge for a forceful album closer. The burning melancholy of 'Water Temple' is as shadowy as it is enlivening Track list: 1. Empty Leather Spell 2. Diet Of Worms 3. Water Tempel 4. Sea Wall 5. Blood Cube 6. Verbreek d Eed Niet 7. Het Oerslijm 8. Clear Boys
Time for another chapter in the ever expanding Yellow Jackets series from Mother Tongue!
On the A side we have a real definition of a Banger….Marcellus Pittman’s rework of the Belgian 1983 cult track ‘Death Disco’ by Arbeid Adelt! Not much to say about this one, it's simply a nasty piece of industrial acid disco!
On the flipside Chicago’s modern answer to Sun RA , Jamal Moss, brings the listener to an astral ceremony with ‘An Astronomical Object’. Another crucial moment in Hieroglyphic Being’s breathtaking discography.
Yellow Jackets..Loud & Proud!
Blue / Yellow Vinyl in PicCover
(THIS ALBUM IS DIRECT ACTION: ALL REVENUE GOES TO THE ARTISTS IN ODESA. YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN KEEPING UKRAINIAN ARTISTS WORKING AND EARNING MONEY DURING THIS TIME. Слава Україні!) BE:AT WAR is the new album from Odessa’s MEDIUM, who released the acclaimed Evolution of the Universe on Ohm Resistance in 2017. They have been writing drum and bass for over 15 years and released on labels such as Ohm Resistance, Sonic Terror, Hardline, Close2Death Recordings, Distortion Records, Combat Records and more. This follow up album is made under adversely different conditions - the approach of war to their home city, the assault on their native land. Yet these men are making music happen in the midst of it, recording their artistic and emotional reactions as chaos unfolds around them. Guest starring London MC Flowdan, Godflesh’s Justin K Broadrick, SIMM and Submerged. BE:AT WAR is a full spectrum image of the horror, uncertainty, and perseverance surrounding these Ukraine-based producers.
clear red vinyl
Stuttgart's David Lohlein has been involved in electronic music for a number of years and launched the Vision Ekstase event in his hometown of Stuttgart together with his friends before providing the inaugural release on the same titled label which picked up support from the likes of Ben Sims, Luke Slater, Efdemin and many more established names within the techno world. David now invites remixes from Mote-Evolver artist Rene Wise, Hayes producer VIL and Vision Ekstase residents Rove Ranger and Fabian Wegmeth.
The moons of Saturn are the inspiration for this brooding, often soaring and searching odyssey of dark electronica.
The second largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter, and the sixth planet from the sun, Saturn is orbited by 53 confirmed moons, with another 29 that are unnamed and still being studied.
Saturnian is a suite of thirteen choral tracks taking their names from some of Saturn's known moons; Dione, Daphnis, Phoebe, Prometheus, Rhea, Janus, Titan, Enceladus, Tethys, Telesto, Mimas, Hyperion and Iapetus, all named after figures from Greek and Roman mythology, each loaded with their own turbulent back stories. It is the debut release by Holmes + atten Ash, written, recorded and produced remotely in Edinburgh and Bristol by the duo Simon Holmes and Paul Nash.
Their project began during the 2020 lockdown. For Simon, time was spent exploring the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh. For Paul, the Mendip Hills, south of Bristol. Both would experience the darker side of our human impact on the environment. Simon observed the wilderness as a wasteland, finding discarded, rusting metal littering the Pentland Hills while Paul witnessed the decimation of the ancient woodland of the Mendips' King's Wood due to the destructive tree fungus ash dieback.
These field trips fuelled a desire to navigate not just the landscape, but the duo's emotional place within it. Their collaboration led to a concept album that explores the outer reaches of the solar system, while simultaneously grounding them in a specific place. Looking inwards as much as outwards, theycreated soundscapes based on deeply imagined and felt connections to their surroundings.
After Simon had created a choral piece to accompany Luke Jerram's enormous, world touring artwork Museum of the Moon, Saturnian was a natural progression. When Simon was sent an initial score for the ethereal track Enceladus, composed by Paul in Bristol, he added choral arrangements recorded in Edinburgh. Their shimmering, tense opus continued to evolve from there. Just as the discarded bed springs and abandoned car parts that Simon stumbled upon in the Pentland Hills seemed to him at once "horrible but also oddly beautiful", Saturnian melds together melancholy and levity, fusing moments of dark angst with a celestial calm.
Opening with the glistening, hopeful brightness of Dione, increasingly urgent rhythms give way to digital, otherworldly calls from what might be rainforest creatures chirping into life with robotic squawks and delicate keyboard lines on Phoebe, followed by slowed down, monastic song on Rhea. Tethys is a hypnotic blur of synthesiser and soft chanting, while Rhea is a mysterious, echoing chasm, lifted by melodic, gentle male vocals. Janus has a glowing, effervescent energy, swiftly followed by a sense of tension on Titan, which throbs with driving percussive unease.
The album artwork is a pencil drawing created by Edinburgh artist Simon Kirby. It was made by a robot drawing machine, using custom algorithms that bring to life recordings of the sound of magnetic waves near Saturn's icy moon, Enceladus. The lines in the centre of the drawing are distorted by sound captured by the Cassini spacecraft which studied Saturn for over a decade.
Much like Saturn and its frozen, rocky moons, this debut album from Holmes + atten Ash is mysterious and beguiling, with a hint of foreboding in the depths of its powerful beauty and epic scale.
The treasure chest that just keeps on giving. Another refreshing, reissued dose of solid gold UKG heaters from one of the finest garage acts of the ‘90s, 24hr Experience. Highlighted here, the first EP under the 24hr Experience name from Grant Nelson and Simon Firmin back in 1994 - Dub Essentials Part 1.
Samples galore, grooves upon grooves and that sweet swing to keep the bodies moving. Five iconic cuts from skippy vocal bumpers to percussive workouts and bass heavy whompers, this ain’t one to miss.
Two years after the premiere of his debut "Komorebi", Daniel Szlajnda returns with his second album "Order In Chaos", which will be released on November 8 by U Know Me Records. The starting point for "Order In Chaos" was the assumption that even the most complex system consists of simple elements. Even in chaos, order and repeatability can be encountered, and each complex phenomenon can be broken down into a series of smaller, easier to observe. This idea also translated into the way the album was composed. In "Order In Chaos", Szlajnda consciously rejects all the elements that can distract the listener, focusing on the search for beauty in an economical and ascetic sound and hypnotizing repetitiveness. The album was recorded entirely on a modular synthesizer designed around the Sputnik Modular Dual Oscillator, a construction based on Don Buchla's designs from the 1970s.
There was a time when a person would pick up an instrument to compose yet another song for a loved one. A sad figure humming into a microphone, pronouncing the most basic words and forms to convey quantity, quality, fact, statistics and similar sounds describing pain, loss and sorrow. The human brain would perceive the melody sad and perhaps within herself feel a sense of melancholia.
In another parallel world a new composition would then appear. But not one composed on a wooden built instrument, no, sounds made into structures and tables that would assists the listener into providing an additional context and meaning through digital synthesis and quantised harmonies. But who could really tell if these sounds were real? Or where they just sounds impersonating an idea of something?
Rhyme nor reason is as abstract in its shapes and ideas as it is concrete and elegant in its narratives. A carefully crafted wooden cabinet with an over-whelming amount of different drawers and hidden compartments. Each box storing blissful arrangement; a fluorescent stone, a paper note saying something about lunch, some collectible objects, a forgotten token or perhaps an autograph, all so very vibrant and joyful for its possessor.
Deleted files stored on rapidly rotating platters coated with magnetic material. Small, easy to loose SSD memory cards of recorded corrupt files and digital artefacts. Software engineered compositions trying to grasp the shared belief of an upcoming future, vivid and uncertain; birds, waters and long lost recollections. A release unconcerned with the literal depiction of things from the visible world. At least not for now.
We call it EBM Electro Acid! The ND 005 is Dark and Groovy at the same time!
MAN2.0 is a DJ and producer from London and has graced the decks in Berlin, Edinburgh Manchester and recently at the closing party of London clubbing institution the Cause, playing on the same bill as Optimo, Kink and Ben Sims among others.
Mark (as he’s known to his friends), has also released on Nein, Wonder Stories, Hypnotic Connection amongst others and has remixed for numerous artists such as Zakmina, Ali X (of Azari & III fame) and DDM boss Black Light Smoke, he has also picked up plaudits over the years from artists like Rex the Dog, DJ Sundae and has had his music described as ‘Dark but Ultimately redemptive by the late great Andrew Weatherall.’
Swell Maps / Television Personalities affiliated C86-era indie pop rescued from sheer obscurity and thrust into semi-obscurity by FELT. The Catburgers were a short-lived Scottish group, this recording initially primed for release on Dan Treacy’s Dreamworld imprint yet placed on the perennial backburner as so many creative projects inevitably are.
Soundcloud uploads dating back over a decade ago and the odd blog/twitter post aside, the group seemingly lived on only in the memories of those who happened to catch them on the Edinburgh scene back in the day. Until now! With the help of the National Sound Archives, the original master tape containing these three tracks has been rebaked, cut and mastered for seven-inch.
‘Holiday House’ sounds immediately at home in the Postcard Records nexus, the influence of 1980 particularly tangible. Slower paced and with a touch more melancholy than its companions, the song sounds both in and out of time, as if some young teens raised on a hand-me-down diet of Pastels CDs might have laid it down yesterday.
Jowe Head of Swell Maps joins the group for ‘The Acid Tree’, whilst EP closer ‘Diving For The Brick’ sees the band ruminating on weak knees, sore lungs and stinging eyes down at the local swimming pool.
Accompanying the release is the original demo tape predating this record, recorded at The Rocking Horse Studios in Bathgate in Autumn 1986. The demo is restored from a tape copy owned by journalist Simon Reynolds and contains some of the tracks that made it onto the 7".
Since his Beat Diary debut (a 12xLP box set comprising 365 beats recorded daily over the course of a year), Julian Sartorius has immersed himself in unique and ambitious projects - trekking the path not travelled to arrive at rhythmic life forms through found objects and prepared instruments. Equally as mighty are his two other escapades, the most recent being Locked Grooves - 112 beats cut as endless loops on vinyl spanning 56 dense 1.8 second compositions per side. Preceding that is his auditory hike into the mountains (Hidden Tracks: Basel - Genève), wading through and playing the landscapes around him like a lithophone.
While Julian’s previous releases focus on innovative and conceptual approaches to realizing an album, his new venture on Marionette (titled Mux) is a culmination of all his efforts thus far to mimic a synthesizer and drum machine. This seemingly impossible feat challenges Julian to experiment and develop a musical language that bridges the gap between organic timbres and electronic music. When listening to Mux, one might simply forget that the seemingly electronic sounds are only constructed organically via hand movements. The common thread in all his works thus far is that the drums are treated as resonant bodies - free to flow and form rhythm and harmony in spacetime.
This is Julian’s second outing for the label, the first being (the long out of print) Sulla Pelle with Valentina Magaletti in 2019. Other collaborations include prolific artists such as Matthew Herbert, Sylvie Courvoisier, Gyda Valtysdottir, Dimlite, Shahzad Ismaily and Dan Carey (Speedy Wunderground).
"Contaminated Culture" is the next various artists on limited edition by Scena_731 Recordings. Are two collections with 7 artists and divided in one vinyl release. The contamination comes from the different culture of these artists, who found two similar genres into the techno music and who marry in a festival line up. On the Part I of the V/A on side a, we have three artists on the classic techno and deep sounds. As you will know the well-known sound of Ritzi Lee with a classic mix, Paul Birken with his unmistakable technique through modular systems, Booz equally a lover of the sound sought through spatial connections of the universe. On the Part II on the side b, we have the B2B of Yari Greco & Karah from Rotterdam with a totally raw and edgy version for the dancefloor with a mix of raw and pounding groove. Then you will listen to Aeit, with an industrial London sound with a raw electronic synth perfect for the rave crowd and the last track signed by Jassass, an earthquake that damages you with very fast grooves and changes of industrial scenarios.
Support the good techno music for his different culture. Enjoy!
































































































































































