quête:slow

Unfold is the beginning of the next phase in Bukkha's musical journey. Its purpose is to explore different territories of sound and expose the people to a variety of tempos and styles. Kicking it off Planet I-N-I is a slow and low riddim that blends roots and future sounds carried by atmospherics and textures.
On the flip we have revered author and dub poet Roger Robinson taking us into the depths of reality. He shares with us a story that brings further awareness on profiling and police brutality. The story is accompanied by a minimal beat with echoing stabs and a pulsating sub. Enjoy the
journey in the first chapter of the Unfold series.

From Pasha With Love (love in times of war)

Pasha is a soldier on the front line, fighting those who till the day before were friends from the town next door, probably fighting his
own brothers-in-law, Natasha’s brothers, his great love, mother of his children in a senseless war if only wars had a meaning …

In the evening when the madness slows down.. Pasha takes his cell phone and talks about the horrors and the desperation but also the
infinite gratitude he feels for having had her as a gift in his life. His texts always end with "From Pasha with Love"

The atrocities, pain and the inhumanity he experiences every day, every hour, are alleviated in the pauses between one explosion and
another by his most intimate memories... Natasha's laughter as they chased each other in the sunflower fields in their first summer
together, his Yes! to her at the altar, her kisses first thing every morning.

While he runs surrounded by the screaming of the wounded and the whistling of bullets in the woods, in every moment that could be
the last, he searches for that tree where at their first date they carved that little heart with the words ..
Pasha & Nasha-Timele.

Acquit Records takes it back to its roots with ACQR00 marking a new beginning with Synaptic Voyager. This artist always cooks up Detroit-influenced techno and house tracks that ooze sophisticated synth craft and absorbing atmospheres. This fantastic seven-track double 12" features more club-ready stunners like 'Auditory Imagery' which marry disuse chords with tightly programmed beats. 'Echo Location' has punchy analogue beats softened with widescreen chords straight from the Motor City and 'Preordained Destiny' goes slower, with percolating bass funk and wispy, glowing keys slowing worming their way into the cosmos.

The four horsemen are the rhythm section of The 18th Parallel riding down the plains to the sound of an heavyweight stepper inspired by the late 70s playing of the Revolutionaries at Channel One. Slow, refined and powerful, the interaction of the drums, bass and organ leaves room to an otherworldly horns chant calling everyone to dance and sing along. Probably one of Fruits Records heaviest release ever!

The first 7“ of this series features Spanish based UK singer Benjammin known for his superb work with Roberto Sánchez. He chants down all ‘Warmongers’. His singing style reminiscent of BurningSpear’s greatest days sends shivers down your spine! Dub by Roberto Sánchez on the flip.

Das zweite Studioalbum von Freundeskreis - "Esperanto"- ist eine Fusion aus Hip-Hop, Soul und Reggae, dass die musikalische Vision und Botschaft der Gruppe in die Welt getragen hat. Mit Hits wie "Mit Dir", "Esperanto" und "A-N-N-A" hat Freundeskreis die Musikszene geprägt. Zum Jubiläum der Single "Mit Dir" erstrahlt "Esperanto" in einer speziellen Jubiläumsedition. In dieser enthalten ist das Album "Esperanto" auf goldener Doppelvinyl, sowie die Single "Mit Dir" auf coke bottle greenem Vinyl. Diese Single-Vinyl beinhaltet neben der Originalversion zwei brandneue Remixe. Diese neuen Interpretationen bringen das Gefühl und die Energie des Originals in eine neue Ära und sind ein Dankeschön an alle, die diesen Song lieben und leben. Das Jubiläumsbundle ist für die treuen Fans, die Freundeskreis seit Tag eins supporten, und für die neuen Hörer, die die Musik gerade entdecken. Es ist ihre Art, Danke zu sagen und die Freundeskreis-Vibes weiterzugeben.r

Two years after her debut on SPFDJ's Intrepid Skin, Valerie Ace is already counted as a quickly rising voice in techno, her work featuring on Anetha's Mama Told Ya, Mala Adh, Haven, and more. In 2023 she founded her own Hardwon imprint, now on its 8th release and featuring established and upcoming names like Ryan James Ford, WTCHCRFT, and others. Now Rant & Rave offers her third vinyl full EP, Givers & Takers, confirming her premier place in contemporary techno. The title track starts ominous, pensively drawing tension over a slow breakbeat as busy percussion patterns interlock, leading into its intense second half, where heavy bass doubles down and pushes to a bruising climax. 'Eat Dirt' takes after its title, grinding faces into grit as it switches between breaks and straight sections while pounding the floor into submission. 'A Moment Lost' loses no time charging out of the gates, ratcheting tension with quickly evolving snares, the filtered bass punches driving the track over steadier, atmospheric background sounds. The afternoon or afterhours vibe of '3PM' is accentuated by seasick synth layers contrasted against malignant drums, unsure if the drugs are wearing off or kicking back in for another trip.

Ever since he made his first trip to Japan to DJ, Optimo Music founder JD Twitch has been bewitched by Japanese music, and particularly the vibrant, imaginative, and often far-sighted sounds which emerged from the island nation during the 1980s. Now he’s put years of digging in Japanese record shops to good use on Polyphonic Cosmos, the latest release on his compilation-focused Cease & Desist imprint.

Subtitled ‘A Beginners Guide to Japan In The ‘80s’, the collection offers a personal selection of Japanese gems recorded and released between 1981 and ’86 – a period when advances in recording and musical technology offered the nation’s artists and producers a whole new tool kit to employ. When combined with the unique musical culture of Japan, where local traditions are frequently fused with Western styles to create timeless, off-kilter aural fusions, this embrace of locally pioneered music technology had spectacular, often unusual results.

Eight years in the making, Polyphonic Cosmos provides an endlessly entertaining musical snapshot of Japanese music of the early-to-mid ‘80s with all of the open-minded eclecticism and sonic twists that you would expect from the Glasgow-based DJ.

Compare and contrast, for example, the gently breezy, morning-fresh folk-plus-electronics bliss of ‘ばら二曲 Baranikyoku (Fellini&Rota)’ by World Standard – the most familiar alias of long-serving musician/producer Sohichiro Suzuki – and the hallucinatory, slow-motion tribal rhythms, post-punk rhythms and tape delay-laden electronics of Imitation’s ‘Exotic Dance’. Or, for that matter, the tipsy mid-‘80s electronic reggae of Pecker’s ‘Sha La La’, the grungy but melodic post-punk strut of ‘You Go On Natural’ by Earthling (a track Twitch accurately describes as “sheer unrelenting groove”), and the unearthly, swirling sonics, new age instrumentation and flotation tank vocals of prolific (and seemingly mysterious) act Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s ‘Rimme Kohkyogaku Meiki’.

It’s a credit to JD Twitch’s curatorial skills that the quality never dips, and sonic surprises lurk around every corner. Consider for a moment the hard to describe, far-sighted audio immersion of D-Day’s ‘Ki-Ra’ – all languid post-pop guitar, enveloping chords, spoken word vocals, shuffling 808 beats and marimba melodies – and the two contributions from video games soundtrack specialist (and driving instrumental synth-pop specialist) Hiroyuki Namba.

The collection naturally includes some selections that have long been favourites in Twitch’s DJ sets – see Masumi Hara’s ‘Your Dream’ – as well as a handful of tracks from artists who may be more recognisable to those with only rudimentary knowledge of Japanese musical culture. The great Yasuaki Shimizu, whose work as Mariah has become far better known in recent years thanks to reissues of some of his most magical albums, is represented via ‘The Crow’, a picturesque chunk of horizontal, hard-to-define jazz-not-jazz smokiness, while the collection fittingly concludes with a sublimely funky, oddball electronic workout from Yellow Magic Orchestra legend Ryuichi Sakamoto (the frankly incredible ‘Wongga Dance Song’).

Matt Anniss

The vinyl express keeps rolling. After celebrating Ten years JEAHMON! we are back with label head Marc DePulse who presents his new series “Fingerprint”. Nasty beats. Low drums. Tireless drops. Rolling basslines. Tremendous subs. Tape emulators. Heavy guitars. Acid pots. Dark percussions. Snare rolls. 4/4 time. Headbangers. Attack and release. Fully charged energy. Trippy breaks. Weird breakbeats. Crazy rhythms. Mystic pads. Heartbreaking leads. Squeaky synths. Vocal snippets. Memorable phrases. Powerful speeches. Industrial charm. Metal bangers. Slowed down. Speeded up. Retro vibes. Modern wave. Disco elements. Same same but different. Peak time. No limits. Out of the box. A box full of colours. Painted arrangements. Equalized. Compressed. Limited. Signature sounds. Electronic earworms. Handscript. Fingerprint. Play. Rave. Repeat. Hugs & kisses. Spread the word. Share the vibes. Peace, love and freedom to everyone on the planet!

For the fifth release called "SAI MATIKA" Rambadu and Claudio PRC immersed themselves into an aquatic landscape and explored its properties.

"Sai", The natural occurrence of ebb and flow, a sacred dance of the earth and our moon.

"Matika", alluring hymns and the rhythmical sounds of air rising up from the deep.

"Aqua", exposes you to the slow churning of the marine blue sea, engulfing us until we are unable to feel the bottom and vortexing sands.

Scan the QR code on the outersleeve for a cymatic experience, visualizing the effects of "Sai" on our fluid bodies.

All sleeves are hand-made with love!

"The warmth of fire and the whisper of water, the magic of wind and the trembling of the earth, the melody of peace and silence to revive soul and body" – said the Queen and closed the portal behind the travellers.

On the summit of the Astral Cliff there was the long-forgotten DP-6 shuttlecraft of the Kwansi pirates. Corrosion on the hull plating had almost completely taken over the paint, which only occasionally peeked through between dense clusters of fluorescent bryophytes. The vines and wires dangling from the stern provided a perfect living dome for the lively Sivinerian millipedes goofing around on the runes engraved on the ship. The sweet scent of exotic flora created an ethereal glow. A giant stingray floated gracefully across the celestial kaleidoscope. Each flap of its shining wings gave the impression of time slowing down. One could be absorbed by this grace and lightness for hours, immersing oneself in the world of aesthetics and harmony that ufolded before the observers’ eyes while they were enveloped in the calming embrace of the gravitational massage chairs.

– Sea Devil – what an appropriate name for such a majestic creature.
– That's right, Cat... A true manifestation of multielements in all their splendour!

Through the medium of a distinctly synthesised, sustained ambience, seasoned artist and composer Jasmine Guffond arrives on OOH to explore the tension between technology and human creativity in an increasingly ambiguous playing field.

Alien Intelligence came into being during Guffond's residency at fabled Parisian institution GRM in 2021. While learning how to generate sound and make music with the in-house Serge modular synthesiser, the Australian artist noticed the typical role of human input for machine output was being subverted by the behaviour of certain electronic elements, which came to exercise their own influences on the direction of the music.

Taking this idea one step further, Guffond proceeded to explore the programming environment MaxMSP, a customisable interface which allowed her to blur the lines between human input and machine directives even further. Across the three extended pieces which make up Alien Intelligence you can hear the results of Guffond's inquisitive approach as she coaxed the machines into bringing their own ideas to bear on the music.

The tension inherent in this thematic duality is mirrored by the contrast between glacial ambience and chaotic interference across the album. On 'Serge & Maxine Variation One' the presiding mood is a slow and patient one, as undulating waveforms rich with harmonic overtones spill out over one another across 10 minutes. The track's latter passage, driven by steadily intensifying oscillations, is then interrupted with an unexpected flurry of pitch shifting. This kind of complex technical movement features more prominently at the start of 'Serge & Maxine Variation Three', which then gradually shifts into a gentler ebb and flow of rising and falling frequencies.

Angled slightly differently and residing on the B side of the album, 15-minute quiet epic 'Serge & Maxine Variation Two' bookends a louder passage of synth work with serene, sustained notes that ring out a sort of hymnal melody. Throughout, the movement in the music evolves in subtly modulating, hypnotic, ways, but there are also unexpected turns or melodic diversions which feel much more incongruous. In its closing stretch, the notes dart around more freely as though played by hand, but it's hard to be sure whether these shifts in the otherwise delicate tonal music were a human conceit or a programming by-product. In the end, the two inputs logically become one.

As Guffond says herself, "More-than-human logics emerge, a kind of alien intelligence that questions an assumed central position of human subjectivity in socio-technical assemblages and considers the philosophical, socio-political and cultural implications beyond music practice in an increasingly technologically mediated world."

As AI creeps into art as much as other aspects of modern life, Guffond applies her playful instinct to the theme of these works by re-considering machine intelligence as 'alien', crediting its contributions with a more robust yet enigmatic identity in the creative process, leading to an end result which is far from artificial.

►Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi, cover art by Ilan Katin, layout by incepBOY, photo by Camille Blake, words by Oli Warwick

Artwork by Taychin Dunnvatanachit.

Siamese Twins embarks on its 10th release milestone with the acclaimed Thai performance artist Tul Waitoonkiat. In หนึ่งคำถาม (One Question), Waitoonkiat's poetry is conjoined into a versatile sonic meeting of minds, created in collaboration with producers Black Merlin, Sapphire Slows, and Sleep D. Aligning seamlessly with Siamese Twins' trademark ethos of cultural reflection and interdisciplinary exploration.

Waitoonkiat, known for his socio-political work "2553," which reflects on the 2010 military crackdown in Thailand, has presented his novel "Silence is Violence" through multidisciplinary art exhibitions across Bangkok. One of these collaborations with Siamese Twins’ Khun Fluff in 2022 established a profound connection and laid this release's foundational recording layer. The recorded poem explores existential themes, pondering the endless cycle of questioning and the dichotomy between silence and imagination, darkness and light, with its contemplative imagination setting the stage.

The A-side unveils George Thompson's universe, known in the terrestrial realm as Black Merlin, with two noirish cinematic explorations that compose Waitoonkiat’s trademark expressive and enigmatic voice into the release's fabric. Showcasing Thompson’s ability to create hypnotic, depth-charged soundscapes that captivatingly feed into a broader story rather than claiming center stage.

The B-side begins with a delicate approach to sound design, crafted through the Buchla synthesizer by Japanese modular artist Sapphire Slows. The charm of this version lies within the sustained notes that gently inhale and exhale between enigmatic vocoder effects and layers of beauty, nature, and technology.

B2 closes with a seven-and-a-half-minute peak timer revolving around a pulsating bassline and driving force of drum energy. One craving for packed warehouses and bush raves by the Australian wizards of OZ and Butter Sessions label owners, Sleep D, aka Corey Kikos and Maryos Syawish.

2024 repress

WRWTFWW Records is very honored to announce the official reissue of Grauzone's essential 1981 maxi single with timeless classic "Eisbär", proto-techno beast "FILM 2", and romantic synth ballad "Ich Lieb Sie", just in time for the 40th anniversary of the Swiss band's formation. The three-track vinyl is sourced from the original reels, cut at 45rpm, and comes with its iconic artwork on a 350gsm sleeve.

Ich möchte ein Eisbär sein...Written by Martin Eicher after a nightmare in which he saw talking polar bears on the walls, and with music by the Grauzone crew consisting of Martin and his brother Stephan Eicher, Marco Repetto, Christian "GT" Trüssel, and Claudine Chirac (on saxophone), "Eisbär" is the most recognizable title from the band, a sublime mix of ingredients reflecting the transitional era it comes from - the raw energy of punk music still palpable, combined with the audacity of early electronics, the warm groove of a disco gem, beautifully fragile lyrics, and one of the best basslines ever. It became a mega hit, totally unplanned, but how could you resist such a track

"FILM 2" is the ultimate b-side monster, a menacing all-instrumental pre-techno masterpiece, slowly building to a magnetizing frenzy. An instant underground favorite, it was famously heard played at both speeds depending on the scenes and DJs you were frequenting, 45rpm as it was first intended, and 33rpm for the cosmic experience (search Daniele Baldelli's Cosmic C75 1982 mixtape online for a great example of this).

The maxi single ends with "Ich Lieb Sie", a synth-pop meets doo-wop ballad, a true love song oozing with innocence. Simple, stylish, and just right.

At the crossroads of post-punk, new wave, pop, and electronic experimentation, the Eisbär maxi offers three songs that are technically different but hold the same spirit, the perfect embodiment of Grauzone's music - wild, unpredictable, and youthful, yet sophisticated, catchy, and ingenious. The magic recipe for the good stuff.

Stephan Eicher went on to be, arguably, the most successful Swiss musician ever, with an international career extending from pop chanson to experimental escapades and collaborations with Moondog, artists Sophie Calle and John Armleder, and author Martin Suter among many other luminaries. Marco Repetto flourished as a techno and ambient producer, releasing multiple projects including releases on Aphex Twin's Rephlex label.

Grauzone and WRWTFWW will continue to collaborate on the band's 40th anniversary reissue campaign, with numerous projects planned for the year, including a vast selection of music, visuals, and literature never available before.

Haunted from Italy are back with their first album since 2018 and their wonderfully slow and mournful
doom is better than ever. Their songs will embrace you and sweep you away

Plafond continues, taking center stage after the mother label BAKK ceded. Here, two long-time collaborators, Ekolali, originating from Sweden, and Tala Drum Corps, from the Netherlands, await their returns. The former reappears with a characteristic approach earlier heard on 'Doggerland'. The latter did multiple dance releases yet now debuts for this series, expanding on his stylistic spectrum. Despite shared tempo, the energies of the track are each of their own. Pulsating with energetic urgency, Ekolali, towards hypnotic movement, Tala Drum Corps. 'Totem Mollusca' shoots for the sun, like a budding landscape, yellow rays, waterdrops - kraut-inspired yet club-like without seeking a climax. 'tokyo subway' has a marimba-ridden, timeless approach - a clock-ticking, crude atmosphere, as a dream long passed, slowly ascending. Known for its two-sided, two-songs approach, Plafond offers two artists or artist combinations the freeform room for exploration and elongation of their respective sound and practices. This is the eighth in the series.

Two versions available - limited hand numbered (100 copies) of red vinyl and normal black vinyl version.

"Balance", the artist's third album, is a return to the roots, i.e. towards club sounds - on the album you can hear several amazing guests - Dominik Płonek, YANA, Dizkret, Runforrest, Einar Indra from Iceland and DJ Eprom. A unique mix of artpop with sophisticated electronics, which Envee brought together with its amazing mixing and mastering. For dessert, Barrakuz, which took the title "Balance" from Wojtek Koziar's photo to a new dimension with its collage. Everything is perfect on this album.