Buscar:skin deep

Once in a while a record causes such a wave of excitement, it brings new vitality to dancefloors and generates fresh enthusiasm for the underground scene. ‘Without You’ is one such record, brought to life by the great talents of Art Department, a duo causing deep tremors due to their pioneering use of quivering bass, haunting vocals and fiery kickdrums.

The A side features the vocals of techno’s wonderchild, Seth Troxler, as well as Kenny Glasgow (one half of Art Department), his voice a major element of what makes their records so special. ‘Vampire Night Club’ layers the duo’s trademark synth sounds with an eerie and skin-pinching atmosphere. A truly mesmerizing record that gives the perfect introduction to the Art Dept sound on Crosstown Rebels, pre-empting their debut full length album on the label next year.

The double A and title track ‘Without You’ combines that unforgettable seductive bassline with a lingering vocal call. This record could have been made in the future as much as the past, its simplicity and depth the key to its appeal. Calls for its release have been heard for months and now have been answered with an extended 12” mix.

Art Department is the brainchild of Canadian duo Jonny White and Kenny Glasgow. With musical credentials dating back two decades, together they have constructed their own take on contemporary house music that has caught the attention of some of the leading figures of the current movement. With an album slated on Crosstown Rebels next year, this single is the first in a long line of raw futuristic bullets destined to cause a storm with an international audience.

Special vinyl re-issue of Trentemøller's groundbreaking debut album. Includes all of the 13 songs on vinyl for the first time. Triple-vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

Trentemøller's debut album remains one of the few genre-defining and groundbreaking albums in many regards. It's still being praised for its composition and sounddesign alike and sounds as fresh and breathtaking today as it did when it was originally released in 2006.
The Last Resort - a beautifully crafted, astonishing masterpiece, that will leave you breathless. The 13 instrumental tracks together form a wordless musical story, almost like the soundtrack of a movie. It
manages to capture a whole range of emotions in subtle melodic miniatures, dreamy ambiences, dusty beats, deep dub-tracks and driving groove-excursions. An ever-changing kaleidoscope of colours and moods. Although it's an electronic album, it also incorporates live-drums, guitars, bass and other acoustic instruments like celesta, glockenspiel, melodica and even DJ scratching to create a more organic feel. The album received fantastic acclaim from both music fans and journalists around the world and made it into the top-lists of the month, the year, the decade - alongside an array of awards for best production or best album.

Back in 2006, the original pressing only included a selection of songs from the original 13-track album release. It missed out on songs which had been released on singles or didn't "fit" on the so called "vinyl edition". Due to 'public demand' and simply because this album deserves a proper vinyl release we are happy to finally present, for the first time, the full album on vinyl. It spans of three vinyl discs and is packed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve which also holds a download-code. The recut has been carefully crafted from first generation, orignal masters by Calyx in Berlin. Since the album has been praised for its fantastic sound the primary directive was to cut the lacquers for the re-issue so that they would sound exactly the same as the original release, which has been the CD version of the album. No 'digital remastering' or any other alterations have been applied.
All 13 songs of the classic album on one vinyl release for the first time. Triple-Vinyl edition. Gatefold sleeve. download code. original sound-quality. NO digital remastering.

Part 2 contains two hot remixes from Tiefschwarz (Souvenir, Get Physical, Watergate Records) - pure genius !!!

This year’s edition of our Glome series leans into a deep, driving, club-focused sound. The A-side opens with Mitra’s signature bass-heavy, bubbly textures, setting a warm, energetic tone before moving into Mordio’s relentless
groove, where the rhythm is lifted by chords that carry a subtle dub-like glow. On the B-side, Tenzia brings his unmistakable sense of groove and an uplifting, wide-open sound palette that feels both playful and effortlessly fluid until the record wraps up with Vanta’s eerie, enveloping atmospheres that creeps right under your skin. Each track carries the unique fingerprint of its artist while staying true to the evolving sonic identity the label is shaping.

Tapping into the otherworldly frequencies of the UFO series, UK-born, Lisbon-based prodigy Rene Wise arrives on Dekmantel with an assured demonstration of his position at the cutting edge of real techno.

Andrew Shobeiri appeared in the cut and thrust of the scene fully-formed around 2017, instantly bringing his Rene Wise alias to top-tier labels with a razor-sharp combination of functional minimalism and mind-warping flair. There's no grey area fluctuation in his hypnotic, intentional sound — this is deep, captivating techno for the long haul, music to submit yourself to.

True to his sound, Rene Wise makes his presence felt on Dekmantel UFO with a varied spread of sounds, leading with the melancholic charm of the melodic sequences weaving through 'Johnson's Theme' before sinking into the engrossing folds and low-end rumble of 'Granite Skin'. There's a lighter atmosphere at play in the vaporous impulses that mark out 'Flow' before rolling into the rhythmic urgency and strafing bleeps of 'Kanga'.

This is the Dekmantel UFO experience as expressed by one of the leading lights in modern techno — an artist who understands the psychoactive power contained within the subtleties of production and pursuit of the ultimate loop.

Repress of the 1 st album of the fresh Afro funk sensation ! Recorded on analog equipment in Lyon in 2014 !



Peter Solo is a singer and composer born in Aného-Glidji, Togo, the birthplace of the Guin tribe and a major site of the Voodoo culture. He was raised with this tradition’s values of respect for all forms of life and the environment. With his new band, Vaudou Game, Peter Solo claims, and spreads this spiritual and musical heritage. Chants are at the heart of the Voodoo practice, but for times immemorial, harmonic instruments have never accompanied them. No balafon, no kora - only the “skins” support the singers. However, in 2012, Peter, along with his band based in Lyon, France, decided to explore and codify the musical scales that are found in sacred or profane songs of Beninese and Togolese Voodoo so they can be played easily on modern instruments. Peter composed the album Apiafo, using the two main musical scales of this tradition. The first musical scale on Apiafo leans towards raw Funk with a sound similar to the famous 70’s bands, L’Orchestre Poly Rythmo De Cotonou and El Rego. Funk, is the skeletal structure of this record, and provided the opportunity for Peter to invite his uncle, Roger Damawuzan - the famous pioneer of the 70s Soul scene - on two tracks. Their collaboration on “Pas Contente” is a highlight on this 100% analog album. Apiafo was entirely recorded, mixed and mastered with old tapes and vintage instruments. The second scale, which had never before been transposed for instruments, evokes deeper feelings and a sacred ambiance. The moving song Ata, an invocation to a supreme divinity is another highlight of this record. Even if some can recognize similarities between this scale and Ethiopian scales, they are in fact different. Peter, the only African band member, introduced the other musicians to the universal values of Voodoo and he taught them his native language. On the recording of Apiafo and during their live performances, the musicians all sing and answer Peter in the Mina language. The strive for authenticity, the analog sound and vintage looks don’t mean that Vaudou Game is looking backwards. This is Togolese funk, born in the post-colonial era but that never before explored its ancient roots so deeply and proudly.



Antoine RAJON

Odisea is the new album, actually the real debut from Los Retros, out in April on Stones Throw. It draws inspiration from 1980s Japanese City Pop, and marks a new creative chapter from Mauri Tapia shaped by growth, reflection, and renewed purpose. It's been a journey since Tapia first captured hearts with the lo-fi magic of "Someone To Spend Time With", recorded at the age of 17 on a humble four-track in his parents' living room. Now 25, the Oxnard native has stepped into an entirely new season of life - he married his high school sweetheart, became a father to two daughters, and embraced spiritual faith. Earlier this year, he revisited his start with Early Days (2016-2019), a compilation of unreleased music from Mauri's teen years. "Jazz fusion has become my favorite genre and greatest inspiration of all time," Mauri says. "I made this album for the version of me that first fell in love with music. It's my full-circle moment - a sonic hat tip to my beginnings - as well as a nod to the forefathers of jazz fusion and city pop for leaving us with great music." Through it all, he's kept the same DIY spirit, writing and recording every note himself, only now in a home studio of his own. On Odisea, Tapia blends neon-lit City Pop with the melodic sensibility of Latin American soft rock. Mauri's deep love for 70s and 80s jazz fusion records anchors the album, yet Tapia filters those influences through a modern lens. Odisea features two Japanese vocalists, - Hikari and HITOMITOI. Also check out Los Retros new compilation "Early Days" released simultaneously. RIYL soul, bedroom pop, indie, modern jazz, downtempo, soft rock, Mac DeMarco, Thee Sacred Souls, Skinshape, Men I Trust

Sasha's collaborative hot streak continues with Manchester-based duo Cortese. The pair were last on Last Night On Earth in 2024.

A big 2025 saw electronic titan Sasha linking up with a mix of fellow pioneers and next-generation stars. He collaborated with the likes of Artche, Henry Saiz, and Joseph Ashworth, always pushing forward his signature sound, steeped in meticulous synth craft, built on transportive grooves, and packed with rare levels of universal emotion.

Cortese are new school artists with an emotionally rich mix of garage, breaks, and house. They head up their own Plaza Recordings and, as well as appearing on Sasha’s LUZoSCURA compilation, they dropped their 'All U Do' EP here in December 2024. Following gigs in support of mainstays like Bicep and Mike Skinner, they now hook up with one of dance music's most recognisable names.
The result is 'One', a deep and heavenly odyssey with warm, supple drums infused with subtle garage swing. Wordless vocals bleed into the mix, heightening the sensuality, as the majestic arps and shimmering chords light up the airwaves. It's an irresistible invitation for the dance floor to take off on a wave of cautious hope and optimism without ever losing sight of the grounding groove.

On the flip and the fantastic 'U Disappear' is an Ibiza anthem in the making - the synths are widescreen and sun-kissed, while the bass is dark and transportive. Balearic piano chords ripple through the mix alongside arching pads and soft, wordless vocals, lending a dreamy edge to what is a powerful track, both physically and spiritually.

HYPER GAL are restless. Since 2019, Kansai’s minimalist duo has been in persistent, perpetual motion.

In January of 2024, SKiN GRAFT Records introduced HYPER GAL to western audiences, giving the previously self-released album “Pure” a worldwide release. It was followed by “After Image”; a new full-length record; in September of that same year. In short order HYPER GAL left Japan to embark on a month-long European tour, performing at festivals such as Left of the Dial in Rotterdam and Le Guess Who? in Utrecht.

Consisting of Koharu Ishida (vocals) and Kurumi Kadoya (drums), HYPER GAL craft a sound all their own, characterized by avant-garde rhythms, looping landscapes, and hypnotic vocals. Their music resists traditional genre boundaries to carve out a truly singular sonic space.

With their fourth album “Our Hyper”, HYPER GAL thrust their sound into a deeper, harder core. Songs unfold into surprising shapes, embracing shadowy turns emboldened by a heavier low-end, while unearthing sharp takes on Japan’s harsh noise roots. The drums have grown even more acrobatic and unorthodox, while the vocals take on new colors, shifting from mesmerizing repetition to melodic, pop-tinged expression.

The album’s artwork is no less adventurous and features masks created by contemporary artist Tokiyoshi Akina and photographed in the band’s own hands, signaling resistance to the performative dualities of social media and a commitment to authenticity.
Despite the lean, unadorned two-piece setup, HYPER GAL’s music attains an intense and unmistakable presence - an unwavering momentum driven by an unrelenting intent. “Our Hyper” is HYPER GAL amplified.

"With each release they appear as mirage sculptors, using simple tools (drums, keyboards, vocals) in craft of multi-genre spanning work which only becomes more captivating the simpler their execution becomes...”
– MYSTIFICATION

The sun of Rio has never shined brighter in the streets of London. The human connection between Skinshape and Pedro has been growing for over a year now, leading to an incredible musical synergy between the two artists. Mostrando os Dentes is the second project born from this collaboration, once again offering a universe rich in colors and emotions.


Blending elements of Bossa Nova, MPB, and World Music, the distinct touch of both artists can be felt in every layer of this album’s narrative journey. A hint of sun-kissed melancholy brought to life by one of the key figures of the UK scene and a young prodigy deeply rooted in the classical influences of his culture.

Double LP pressed on transparent red vinyl with black marbles. In Dying Light: The Beast, you step back into Kyle Crane's skin, but he's no longer the man he once was. Years of experiments have left him torn between fragile humanity and a monstrous power that he can barely control. Every light, every shadow, every choice feels dangerous. The forests and ruins of Castor Woods don't just set the stage, they breathe, they watch, and they punish the reckless. This is survival stripped to the bone, where horror is not just outside, but inside you. Olivier Deriviere's powerful and capturing score for Dying Light: The Beast doesn't just accompany Crane's journey, it is his voice. Sometimes it whispers in empty rooms, fragile and broken, sometimes it roars with distorted rhythms and pounding drums when the Beast takes over. Between silence and sound, the music pulls you deeper into Kyle's fractured soul, making every step and every heartbeat part of the story. It's not just a soundtrack, it's the echo of a man losing, and maybe finding, himself.

Devotional music most often gets distilled into earthy chants and ancient folklore, it doesn't always ascend to the sky like Julinko’s ‘Naebula’ an album that from the first organ note clearly trades in terrestrial dreams for ethereal visions. A feverish quality permeates the whole record, as if a ritualistic performance was being captured from start to finish, a collection of hallucinatory doom, synthetic neo-folk hymns and ghostly art-rock.

Julinko, stage name for Giulia Parin Zecchin, has long been one of the best kept secrets of the experimental community in North-East Italy, with three records that helped define her unique blend of heavy psychedelia, slowcore and dark ambient. On ‘Naebula’ what really stands out is how powerful and soaring her voice is, a weapon of undeniable force that can transform into a vessel of raw fervour or glide effortlessly as a delicate lament. Her unconventional approach shines through on tracks like ‘Jeanne De Rien’, where a marching pulse acts as a pillar for an extended mantra, almost verging into powwow territory. ‘Peace Of The Unsaid’ uses its arrhythmical structure to create space, a crepuscular night ode that reaches the heights of Sinead O’Connor’s most intimate force-fulness while retaining a sweet composure. Whether it’s glacial murderous shrieks or gospel-esque vitality, songs like ‘Cloudmachine’ or ‘Kiss The Lion’s Tongue’ seem to draw as much from a tradition of European minimalism, the use of drones and repetition, to the tradition of folksongs as hymns, where modal harmonies make way for an apparent stasis. Another key element in Julinko’s songwriting is the seamless blend of her minimalistic approach with these dense textures borrowed from a distant outsider metal heritage, Lynchean noir on steroids or wordless exorcisms with deep undercurrents.

- Limited edition Orange 2x12” vinyl LP.
- Housed in PMS printed inner sleeve, featuring custom fonts by No Format and spot gloss abstraction of the original album artwork.
- Accompanied with a double sided 2-panel insert and double sided 4 panel poster.
- All sleeved in a custom PMS reverse board outer sleeve with die cut square centre panel and belly band.

The Boy and the Tree was composed after a visit to Yakushima Island, an outstandingly beautiful world heritage site off the southern tip of Japan, scored by a deep, lush and ancient ravine, home of the ancient 7000-year old ‘Jōmon Sugi’. Tree. Also the inspiration for Miyazaki's epic anime Princess Mononoke, a conflict between the rampant greed and destructive force of humanity, and the stoic, mysterious fragility of nature.

This fleeting immersion in nature lent the album a profound introspection and mystery, and the its twelve tracks unfold in dream sequence, each drifting seamlessly into the next while still managing to steer the listener in myriad directions, from eerie butoh atmospheres, to ebullient raga, to desolate, cavernous chanson. The Boy And The Tree is definitely one of, if not the most, visually evocative and cinematic Yokota releases.

“Short Story” is the new album by Restive Plaggona. Eight new tracks of industrial techno beats and raw atmospheres. Over the course of 40 minutes the album takes us through different territories and landscapes of immense bass weight sound, sometimes dark and raw, sometimes droning and minimal, always energic.

Restive Plaggona is the music project of the Corfu-based artist Dimitris Doukas, known for his heavy and deep industrial soundscapes with subtle traces of darker forms of techno music. Dimitris is a particularly productive musician, having released more than a dozen records including his own imprint Several Minor Promises.

The second single from the Skinshape x Horus dub album, “N’tero” is a soulful, dub track featuring Senegalese vocalist Modou Touré, singing in his native tongue Wolof.
Produced using fully analogue techniques and recorded in the spirit of vintage Jamaican dub, this 7" is a perfect blend of old-school authenticity and modern production finesse.
Skinshape (Will Dorey) and Ben Bell (Horus Records / Lion Vibes) bring over two decades of collaboration and deep roots to this project.
Known for their love of rare roots reggae and dub, the pair are now crafting original material with the same dedication to sound and detail that defined the golden era of Jamaican music.

WRWTFWW Records is thrilled to unveil the limited edition vinyl reissue of Natural Sonic, the groundbreaking 1990 environmental percussion album by Japanese composer and performer Yoshiaki Ochi. Long a hidden gem of the kanky? ongaku movement, Natural Sonic finally returns in its full analog glory, housed in a heavyweight sleeve with obi and carefully remastered from the original archives of Wacoal Art Center / Spiral's visionary NEWSIC label.
Originally released only in Japan at the dawn of the 1990s, Natural Sonic is a mesmerizing exploration of earthly sound and rhythm - a sonic tapestry woven from wood, water, and stone, and skin. Ochi, who at the time was the in-house composer and performer for world-renowned designer Issey Miyake, created a series of elemental pieces that blur the line between avant-garde percussion, ritual music, and environmental sound art. The result is both deeply physical and profoundly meditative - an album that breathes with nature itself.
Echoing the organic minimalism of Midori Takada's Through the Looking Glass and the ecological grandeur of Geinoh Yamashirogumi's Ecophony Gaia, Ochi's compositions open portals into primal landscapes, evoking forests, rivers, and stones in flux. Part of NEWSIC's celebrated experimental catalog - alongside Yoshio Ojima's Une Collection des Chaînons, Motohiko Hamase's #Notes of Forestry, and Satsuki Shibano's Rendez-Vous - Natural Sonic now finds new life for contemporary listeners seeking sound that feels both timeless and vital.
A singular album of resonance and restraint, Natural Sonic is a treasure from the golden age of Japanese environmental music, finally available again over three decades later.

Brussels-based accordionist Suzan Peeters releases her debut album Cassotto on the Belgian label blickwinkel. With Cassotto, she opens a door into a hidden chamber of sound. The title refers to the “cassotto” — a small resonating chamber inside the accordion that warms, softens, and deepens its tone. Listening to this record feels as if you’ve stepped into that room yourself, enveloped in a world where intimacy and grandeur collide.

Although this is her first release, Peeters is already recognised as one of the most promising names in Belgium’s experimental music scene. Her distinctive live shows — from leading venues across Belgium to a packed Café Oto in London — have earned her a reputation for combining accordion, electronics and unconventional objects such as a massage board into a compelling whole where contrasts come together in an unexpected way. Cassotto captures this approach in recorded form, giving listeners the same sense of immediacy as her concerts, but framed within the intimate space suggested by the album’s title.

While the cassotto chamber naturally gives the accordion a soft and velvety voice, Peeters harnesses that warmth to explore extremes — from hushed detail to bold, expansive gestures that fill the room. As such, the album moves between the acoustic and the electronic, the tender and the abrasive, the static and the dynamic, the traditional and the experimental.

With Cassotto, Suzan Peeters presents a debut that places the accordion at the centre of an adventurous and contemporary sound world — one that invites to discover how far an accordion can reach when tradition and imagination intertwine.

Suzan Peeters (*1999) is a Belgian accordionist, composer, and experimentalist. She is constantly looking for new timbres and sound textures within the accordion, pushing its acoustic spectrum to its limits by manipulating the interplay between her body and the body of her instrument.
Suzan studied classical accordion at KASK & Conservatorium in Ghent and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. She is currently studying Live Electronics at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

Will Dorey (aka Skinshape) and Ben Bell founded Horus Records in 2013, driven by a shared passion for vintage Jamaican music. Originally launched as a reissue label focusing on rare and hard-to-find reggae gems, Horus has since evolved into a space for original studio productions rooted in the rich traditions of 60s and 70s Jamaican reggae and dub.

Lifelong collaborators and friends, Will and Ben have been making music together for over two decades. Their deep connection to the genre has led to long-standing relationships with many of reggae’s most respected musicians, several of whom contribute to their latest studio album. This new release is a fully analogue reggae/dub studio album, showcasing the duo’s production craft and featuring guest vocalists Andy Platts, Modou Touré, and Winston Reedy. Blending classic influences with fresh interpretations, the album includes original compositions alongside inspired covers, such as a distinctive reggae reworking of the Interstellar theme tune.

Outside of the studio, Ben Bell is co-owner of Lion Vibes Record Shop, one of London's leading reggae specialists, while Skinshape continues to push sonic boundaries from the same studio, known for his unique cross-genre productions spanning funk, psych, soul, and more.

- Limited edition Cool Grey 2x12” vinyl LP.
- Housed in PMS printed inner sleeve, featuring custom fonts by No Format and spot gloss abstraction of the original album artwork.
- Accompanied with a double sided 2-panel insert and double sided 4 panel poster.
- All sleeved in a custom PMS reverse board outer sleeve with die cut square centre panel and belly band.

Will heralded a disarming, groove-based return to deep house. A wild melange of bumping beats, freestyle samples and esoteric goodness. Recorded over the same period as Grinning Cat this anomaly within the Skintone catalogue was seen as a way to circumvent the swirling politics of his club-oriented releases elsewhere. In itself Will was a reminder of Yokota’s ability to deliver a complex array of sounds within a more recognisable format.

SPFDJ steps up for her long-awaited debut EP, Heel Thyself, out Friday 7th November on Intrepid Skin.

A core figure in grassroots techno circuits, and an internationally lauded DJ, SPFDJ's ascent reflects a passion for music governed by love and grit in equal measure. At once providing a gleefully chaotic two-fingers to dance music's self-serious establishment, whilst also flexing an ever-expanding knowledge of its roots and potentials, her musical armoury is renowned the world over for inspiring debauchery and sweat-soaked hedonism.

As an artist whose journey has been defined by challenging the norms of electronic music, SPFDJ's rebel spirit is recognised locally and globally, but guiding this attitude is a vulnerability to the realities of the music industry, and the rise of conservatism that permeates every aspect of life. And whilst sensitive to the use of buzzwords like community, it's ultimately a respect for the people who keep these scenes alive that motivates her artistry.

In releasing this EP, she taps into a more vulnerable side. The title - a nod to internal healing processes, and a play on words to motivate queers and women to 'boot up for battle' against increasingly oppressive structures - shines a light on some of the values she holds up to electronic music culture. At once playfully chaotic and deeply energising, Heel Thyself spins us through a cyclone of kicks, punches, and noise.

Opener 'Cluster B Intro' is a tempo-twisting barrage of gabber led by a robotic vocal command, setting the scene for pretty much anything to happen. 'That Stiletto Track' kicks in like a tweaked out distortion of 90s trance before spiralling upwards into a storm of heavy breaks. 'F*ckboi' is hot n heavy electro - classic in its structure, but with the added industrial touch of hammerdrill synths and razor sharp percussion. Swinging into a bouncier state, 'The Hot in Psychotic' flings ricocheting rhythms through frantic claps, with a donk to keep things moving. Rounding things off, 'Mindless Counting' flies higher with pummeling drums lifted by a touch of euphoria.

A debut laced with both defiance and self-reckoning, Heel Thyself finds the rebel looking inwards - vulnerable, but sharpened and ready.