Suche:smoked
- 1
- A1: Herbaliser – A Mother
- A2: Small World – Livin’ Free (Soundtrack Mix)
- B1: Tango – Spellbound
- B2: The Lab Rats – Give My Soul
- B3: Statik Sound System – Revolutionary Pilot
- C1: Jmj & Flytronix – In Too Deep
- C2: Aquasky – Kauna
- C3: James Bong – Mr. Kiss Kiss Bong Bong (Big Brothers Dubbing You Full On - Dub Tractor Remix)
- D1: Hardfloor Presents Dadamnphreaknoizephunk – Dupdope (Dubdope)
- D2: Thievery Corporation – Shaolin Satellite
- D3: Kruder & Dorfmeister – High Noon
- E1: Beanfield – Keep On Believing
- E2: Sapien – Que Dolor
- E3: Shantel – Bass And Several Cars
- F1: Karma – Look Up Dere
- F2: Showroom Recordings – Radio Burning Chrome
- F3: Kruder & Dorfmeister – Black Baby (Dj-Kicks)
For its 30th anniversary, Kruder & Dorfmeister’s DJ-Kicks is available for the first time in mixed form on 3LP, remastered by Bernie Grundman and packaged in a special box set including original imagery. Kruder & Dorfmeister's rendition of the series created an era defining moment, which tied together a glowing array of musical registers. The Viennese downtempo royalty blended a fusion of slowed down moments across many genres with rolling Drum and Bass from the likes of Aquasky, the melting acid lines of deep Hardfloor and the 90s boom bap sampling, smoked out atmospherics of Thievery Corporation amongst many more.
These masters of mood channeled the sound of a moment with their DJ-Kicks, which still retains a certified cinematic sheen, the patina of the real – curation and mixing at its most playful and refined. It remains to this day one of the most recognizable DJ-Kicks and mixes of all time. Containing two certified cuts from K&D themselves; the wooze is strong on “High Noon” with Dorfmeister's intoxicating jazz flute licks and a trembling harmonica atop a mirage of breaks. Their DJ-Kicks original and legendary tune “Black Baby” closes the mix providing a piece of grandeur, riding off into the distance deep to the vanishing point.
When the mix dropped in 1996, the slo-beat pioneers were among the hottest producers in the dance universe. Even though they only produced two unreleased maxis, names like Count Basie, Bomb The Bass, Alex Reece or United Future Organization had some of their tracks remixed by these exceptional producers. Rumour has it during the work for DJ-Kicks and their debut album they refused doing remixes for U2, Grace Jones, Elvis Costello and the Fantastic Four! ‘DJ-Kicks: Kruder & Dorfmeister’ took its place in the pantheon a long while back, effortless in its ability to traverse sounds, styles and tempos while retaining a selection which remains timelessly recognisable as: Kruder & Dorfmeister.
Finnish dub-techno craftsman TM Shuffle, head of Vuo Records, resurfaces with a deep and distilled EP that goes straight for the late-night heart of the dancefloor. Rooted in Tampere’s raw, analog dub sound, his productions have long balanced weight and warmth, smoked-out chords, rolling low-end and subtle shuffle that keeps the groove in constant motion.
The lead track “Kellari” dives into basement mode: pressure-cooker drums, slow-burning stabs and a humid, lived-in atmosphere that feels equally at home on a huge system or in headphones at 4 a.m. On the second original cut, TM Shuffle links up once again with long-time collaborator Monoder, the alias of Jussi-Pekka Parikka, known for his dubbed-out explorations on labels like Statik Entertainment and Pakkas-Levyt since the early 2000s. Their joint track stretches time, letting echo, tape hiss and distant melodic fragments float around a rock-solid groove, channelling years of shared studio language into one focused, hypnotic flow.
On the flip, Anton Kubikov (SCSI-9) steps in with a lush reinterpretation of Kellari. A true Russian techno veteran with a catalog that spans Kompakt, Force Tracks, Mayak and beyond, Kubikov melts the original into a widescreen, dream-state trip, soft-focus pads, gentle yet insistent percussion and that unmistakable rolling pulse that made his work so enduring. The remix doesn’t just extend the track; it opens a new dimension, turning the basement pressure into a slow-rising, celestial drift.
Pressed on limited coloured vinyl, this EP is built for selectors who like their dub techno deep, human and timeless, a record that will quietly live in bags for years and keep resurfacing whenever the room calls for true late-night elevation.
Best Intentions announces Inverse, a new 4-track EP from Melbourne-based producer and DJ; Pugilist, arriving 12 December on digital and limited white-label 12" vinyl. Marking his first release on the London imprint, Inverse sees Pugilist expanding further into the shadowy, percussive terrain he has become known for, merging future-focused techno, lo-fi industrial, and the energy of early hardcore breaks through his own atmospheric lens. The EP captures both the toughness of the dancefloor and the subtle experimentation that runs through his catalogue. A Scottish/Kiwi artist now based in Melbourne, Pugilist has built a reputation for stylistic range and rhythmic depth. His releases on Modern Hypnosis, Samurai Records, and 3024, along with the recent launch of his own imprint Ruff Kutz, demonstrate his ability to move across tempos and moods while maintaining a distinctive sonic identity. On the decks, he is celebrated for tightly curated sets, deep crates, and an array of unreleased dubs. Speaking on joining the Best Intentions roster and the inspiration behind the project, Pugilist shares: "Stoked to be joining the Best Intentions fam with 4 x retro rave rollas across the hardcore continuum, from minimalist Techno, to smoked out Electro, to krusty Hardcore and Breaks. This EP is a mix of styles which have informed my production style over the years. It is great to be putting out music with a shared vision for giving back for a greater cause. I have been a fan of the label since its inception so jumped at the chance to do a 12". I will be donating my share of profits to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre - a wonderful Melbourne-based charity for asylum seekers here in Naarm. They do wonderful work." The EP's closing track, FKRY, a collaboration with POD, brings warped leads, stepping drum work, and old-school jungle tension into a modern, heavyweight techno frame.
FSL returns with a 12" from Germany born, Dublin based artist Small Crab on her label debut.
Deemed "one to watch in 2025" by Mixmag, real name Anastasia Rigaud takes us on an education of Introspective and laid out steppers for the smoked out dark room.
To top it all off the release features a very driving main room cut mix from London based, Dublin's son Glimmerman.
Before he became better known as Porn Sword Tobacco (PST), Swedish producer Henrik Jonsson released two albums under the name of Stress Assassin. Like his later oeuvre, the tunes are spacious, cinematic and multi-layered, influenced by the likes of Harold Budd and Tangerine Dream, but for this project there is additional guidance from Lee Perry and Moritz von Oswald.
Released on vinyl for the first time, Within the Office of Eye and Ear’s smoked-out ambience and blissful beats are permeated with melodic bass and cinematic space. Found sounds, floating voices and intermittent pops ripple amongst the sweet harmonies, lush atmospheres and pulsating basslines, creating a captivating other-worldly dreamspace.
As Henrik explains: “Made often at night in an attic in Gothenburg, it’s music I did in a world far away from today: the music was, and is, about not running along with a stress-y society soaked in TV, media and materialism, out of touch with the calm beauty this world gives us”
He certainly succeeded as Within the Office of Eye and Ear offers the ultimate stress assassination.
Cosmic JD kicks off the EP with the subtle and elegant Just Smoked it I Don't Know, a track ideal for the warm-up phase, combining delicate melodies with raw drums.
Ildec's Give Me is a hypnotic and analogue-sounding track with bass lines and repetitive electro elements that maintain tension.
Felipe Valenzuela & Dani Casarano with Odyzer, a track designed to address the peak of the night where drums and bass intertwine with surprising variations.
Dani Casarano & Matías Puente with Bass Mod, a composition that expertly captures the essence of the 80s, fusing percussion with immersive bass and atmospheric pads to create a thoughtful ambiance.
Belgium's iconic DJ and producer, Yves Deruyter, who celebrates his 40th DJ career in 2025, makes a triumphant return to the music scene with the much-anticipated remaster of his seminal second album: "2001".
Renowned for his pioneering influence on techno and classics, Deruyter's re-release is packed with timeless tracks, including the unforgettable anthem "Back To Earth" and also including but not limited to: "Music-Non-Stop", "Rhythmic Bazz", the much sought after Transfusion and as a special bonus "Born Slippy".
Available in an exclusive 2 x 12" vinyl release, collectors and fans alike can choose between a special light blue edition, limited to 500 copies, or an ultra-limited faded smoked black-to-transparent white 180-gram audiophile version, limited to just 200 copies.
Each version comes repackaged in a stunning, redesigned sleeve, making it a must-have collector's item for true enthusiasts. Don't miss the chance to own a piece of techno history!
Preparing your debut full length record is no small undertaking for any artist. The format itself deserves a certain frame of mind and approach – it’s different, and with Sarah Wild’s debut LP she embraces the idea. Expanding her artistic vision to offer something different, making use of the format and bringing new ideas and musical pathways to her established sound. Releasing on her imprint Midnight Operators in early 2025 – My Body Flows In Gravity constitutes a sophisticated homage to the early 2000s trance movement, integrating nostalgic motifs with her ultra-on point production that sits perfect in todays scene.
From the dreamy proto-house vibes of the opener, establishing a foundation with its understated beats, to the Orbital-esk serenity of the title track My Body Flows In Gravity the album works at evoking the emotive resonance of a golden era of music reborn. This trip is backed up by the Early-Balearic styled tracks such as “Fly With Me To The Moon” and “Visit To Mars” which pull you into hazy smoked filled dancefloor territory, hypnotic melodic progressions effectively capture the essence of Trance’s peak cultural moment.
At the mid point “I Don’t Wanna Go” introduces a different dimension, exploring a more Euro sound that is at the peak of the contemporary scene, but infused with Sarah’s unique edge, hyper pumping beats work alongside spoken word to really up the tempo. Following this the journey returns to a more progressive feel, “Floating Around” and ” On My Way Home” take things into deeper territory, bringing the focus’s of the record back the groove after the blurry eyed highs. Bringing the record in for a perfect landing. There is an emotional duality to this record, a movement through a juxtaposition of yearning and almost frantic emotions alongside more uplifting harmonics through to more introspective moments. The final track “Landing” gracefully closes this arc.
Sarah Wild delivers a sonic journey as much concerned with the process as with the destination itself. My Body Flows In Gravity shows Wild’s capacity to synthesize the deeply personal with the universally resonant, a set of tracks that equally speak to the introspective solitude as they do to the collective euphoria of the dancefloor.
Following on from their 2021 debut album “Lowlands”, Birthname (fka Caro) returns to Limbo Tapes with "Spiral Dance”. 8 signature beats in the form of smoked out sequencing, warped percussion, field recordings and ceremonial sub frequencies.
Their ability to meld ethereal heights and sound system depths continues to provoke movement and headphone speculation alike.
Limited 50 cassettes + Digital.
Listen Feel & Dance...
As always only on Vinyl
Japanese producer Boogie Mason pays homage to the LA Beat Scene with slooped samples, swung grooves, and MPC cuts that will make head-nodders out of rhythm skeptics. These 10 instrumental tracks weave a tale of reverence for the no rules, unquantized ethos that took Los Angeles beatmakers by storm in the early 2010s. Geared toward the inquisitive listener, Bonsai is the perfect companion to a smoked-out sunrise or a solo walk through Tokyo’s back alleyways.
Full Dose is back! Once again exporting their distinctive brand of mutated dub directly from Glasgow's Southside. The label's 13th release is the work of a new name: Brollachan - "a shapeless darkness that craves bodily form".
As the name would suggest, the music itself evokes a certain eeriness. Brollachan fuses this with the metallic textures and airy rhythms commonly heard on Full Dose records. Tracks like "Hall" could well be written by a smoked-out mythical being, with deep subs and spring reverb-laden tones throughout. Quality stuff.
This juxtaposition of influences continues throughout the release. "Graze" has a particular aquatic feel. Sonar-esque synths punch through the haze and sustained synth sounds keeps the track in midwest territory.
Despite the obvious variety on show here, Brollachan of course keeps fans of the Full Dose sound on-side. "Mad Dawg" is a grimey take on this. General MIDI style sounds appear throughout the intro. This is complimented by intricate drum programming and a growling bassline, to give us a track straight from the 22nd century.
13 releases in and the tight-knit crew behind Full Dose continue to promote a sound that is both unique and reliable - Brollachan is no exception!
Following the critical success of last year’s ‘Cold Feet’ LP, producer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist Alek Lee returns to Isle of Jura with his most introspective work to date, the ‘Blue Bird’ album. Across eight tracks, the Athens-based artist explores what he describes as a "Peculiar state of minds & Dub Orientated Feelings," blending his signature guerrilla style production with deep, organic soul.
The album’s centerpiece and title track, ‘Blue Bird’ features the haunting vocals of singer-songwriter Keren Ilan. It is a raw, heartfelt exploration of the aftermath of a breakup. The lyrics speak of a "desert heart" and a "loss that grows tall and loud," eventually finding a path toward healing as the "blue bird sings the dawn." Musically, the track is anchored by hazy, sun drenched guitars, a central instrument that weaves a consistent Balearic thread throughout the LP.
The journey through ‘Blue Bird’ is one of shifting shadows and unexpected textures. ‘Treasures’ is a standout instrumental, leaning into a grit-flecked, bluesy "twang" reminiscent of Duane Eddy, while ‘The Beach Road’ sees long time collaborator and ‘Shame On Us’ bandmate, Yovav, lending his magical bass and guitar work to a track that feels like a slow drive toward the horizon.
Side B shifts the energy toward the dancefloor and the sophisticated leftfield pop of the 80s. ‘First Rain’ is a subtle house leaning gem underpinned by a kick drum and lush, synth heavy emotive chord progression. ‘Thanks to Sade’ is a seductive downtempo groove with epic guitar lines shifting through, while ‘Remember the Good’ brings a subtle reggae skank and a French-influenced organ sound into the mix. The LP comes full circle with a smoked out Dub version of the title track ‘Blue Bird’.
A 180 gram pressing in a 3mm spine full colour sleeve and sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.
- 01: Glass Mask On
- 02: Celebrity Culture Simp Farm
- 03: Please Just Make It Stop
- 04: No Laughter Left In Me
- 05: Weaponizing My Failures
- 06: Unthinking My Every Thought
- 07: Insignificant Other
- 08: It Keeps On Stinging
- 09: I Took A Pill In Vilvoorde
- 10: Suffering In Technicolor
DOODSESKADER clearly haven’t had enough of redefining boundaries – they’ve only just gotten started. Tim De Gieter and Sigfried Burroughs return on April 3rd, 2026 with their third full-length album, The Change Is Me, a rollercoaster that can only be described as the unstable lovechild between witch house, hip-hop, industrial dream pop, and stadium rock that can’t decide if it wants to watch the world burn or shout from the rooftops that we need to save it. Their combination of grungy 90s melodies with distorted synths, sludgy bass, hard tuned vocals, rapping, singing, and explosions of undiluted rage at the current state of the world leave you wondering just exactly what it was you smoked last night, and if it was too much or not enough. The Change Is Me is an album that grabs you by the arm and asks if you’re ready to go on a grand adventure, then pulls you into its chaos before you can say “yes” or “no.”
Tim and Sigfried aren’t just breaking the boundaries between genres; they’re breaking out of their own Year cycle, a path they had laid out for themselves at the band’s inception in 2020. Up until now, the duo had set out to document their “journey to getting better” through writing one album each year: Year Zero (2020), Year One (2022), and most recently Year Two (2024). After spending eight months throughout 2024 and 2025 writing, recording, producing and mixing Year Three, the band scrapped the finished record entirely. Playing shows while simultaneously navigating the process of mixing Year Three created a sort of disconnect – the people that they were when they wrote that record and the people that playing shows made them become were no longer one and the same. “We’re people with faults and strengths, and we realized we needed to accept it. That’s equal parts bleak and liberating. If you’re so focused on self-improvement, you can’t even applaud yourself for how far you’ve come,” the band explains. “This project is meant to be a document of us and of the human condition, not a self-improvement handbook designed to keep us all stuck on what may or may not have happened to us or because of us in the past.”
DOODSESKADER chose instead to embark anew on a week-long creative journey in Tim’s own Much Luv Studio with one goal in mind: to make an album that captures who they are right now. Finally writing everything together in the same room for the first time in years, the process of bringing "The Change Is Me" to life was captured by Diana Lungu in their latest documentary, "Now I Know You See Me", out December 2nd, 2025.
"The Change Is Me" marks the beginning of DOODSESKADER’s shift into a more positive era, both musically and conceptually. Over the course of the 40-minute record we hear the two friends unite in a fight against a world that grows more and more disappointing, a concept made crystal clear in tracks like “Celebrity Culture Simp Farm,” “It Keeps On Stinging,” and of course the album’s epic closer “Suffering In Technicolor.” While their previous albums saw them trying to outrun their pasts and arrive at a better version of themselves, here the search for some external or internal revelation that will “make them better” is no more. It’s been replaced by the realization that change isn’t something we force: it’s gradual, and more importantly, it’s something that’s already there – we just need to reach out and accept it.
The band’s live appearances over the last several years have been instrumental in shaping their ideology. On stage is where the duo find connection; not only with the audience, but also with each other. Their sold-out release shows at Ancienne Belgique (2022) and VierNulVier (2024) have proven that they are one of Belgium’s must-see acts. Abroad, their energy has translated into a month-long EU/UK tour with French band Alcest in 2024, as well as appearances at festivals such as Roadburn Festival (NL), Eurosonic (NL), Hellfest (FR), Mystic Fest (PL), Jera On Air (NL), ArcTanGent (UK), Fluff Fest (CZ) and more.
"The Change Is Me" is out April 3rd, 2026 on DOODSESKADER’s own label, 45 Records.
- A1: Housebroken
- A2: Baby Babee
- A3: Best Thing
- A4: Holy Water
- A5: There She Was
- A6: Cremation
- A7: Glad It's Night
- A8 64: Malibu
- A9: Stay With Free
- A10: Mojave Desert Romance
- A11: Otto
- A12: Hellz Bellz
- A13: Pain Is The Name Of Your Game
- A14: A Bird In Hand
- B1: Popping Trunk
- B2: Cosmic Unconsciousness
- B3: Supreme Cremee
- B4: Blangg
- B5: Where I'm Coming From
- B6: Soo Sweet
- B7: Believe (In Me)
- B8: Traffic Lights
- B9: Dreamin
- B10: The Whole Thing
- B11 75: Eldorado
- B12: Lite's Out
- B13: Hunger Strike
- B14: Somewhere Over There
- B15: Left Hanging
- B16: The Repo Code
Following in the steps of last year's mysterious "Beyond the Garage" 12 inch, L.I.E.S. throws another curveball with a 30 track continuous LP from veteran West Coast producers, Vinny+Charlie. Each side running 20 minutes, this can best be described as a smoked out, haze filled afterparty beat tape on wax. Obscure samples, dusty sp-12 crushed beats, head nodding loops, sweet low rider soul..chopped, sped up, slowed down and ready to wreck your system. Limited edition white label housed in a lp jacket with custom art by LA artist SOB STORY. 300 copies worldwide.
Under a sky of short days and long nights, Notta Records from Finland unveils Dog Sleep, a deeply immersive EP by Cyclic/Random. Known for crafting slow-burning, atmospheric excursions at the intersection of dub techno and deep, dubbed-out house, Cyclic/Random extends the labels mission of a warm, hypnotic winter soundtrack.
Across the EP, soft-focus chords drift like snow over steady, smoked-out grooves, basslines pulse with understated weight, and echoes curl around the edges of the stereo field. These are tracks built for long, nocturnal sessions, the moments when the outside world is frozen and the dancefloor feels like a shelter. Dog Sleep is intimate yet expansive, perfectly tailored for winter: crackling dub house, deep dub techno and distant ambient textures that invite you to slow down, sink in and dream with your eyes open.
Finnish dub-techno craftsman TM Shuffle, head of Vuo Records, resurfaces with a deep and distilled EP that goes straight for the late-night heart of the dancefloor. Rooted in Tampere’s raw, analog dub sound, his productions have long balanced weight and warmth, smoked-out chords, rolling low-end and subtle shuffle that keeps the groove in constant motion.
The lead track “Kellari” dives into basement mode: pressure-cooker drums, slow-burning stabs and a humid, lived-in atmosphere that feels equally at home on a huge system or in headphones at 4 a.m. On the second original cut, TM Shuffle links up once again with long-time collaborator Monoder, the alias of Jussi-Pekka Parikka, known for his dubbed-out explorations on labels like Statik Entertainment and Pakkas-Levyt since the early 2000s. Their joint track stretches time, letting echo, tape hiss and distant melodic fragments float around a rock-solid groove, channelling years of shared studio language into one focused, hypnotic flow.
On the flip, Anton Kubikov (SCSI-9) steps in with a lush reinterpretation of Kellari. A true Russian techno veteran with a catalog that spans Kompakt, Force Tracks, Mayak and beyond, Kubikov melts the original into a widescreen, dream-state trip, soft-focus pads, gentle yet insistent percussion and that unmistakable rolling pulse that made his work so enduring. The remix doesn’t just extend the track; it opens a new dimension, turning the basement pressure into a slow-rising, celestial drift.
Pressed on limited coloured vinyl, this EP is built for selectors who like their dub techno deep, human and timeless, a record that will quietly live in bags for years and keep resurfacing whenever the room calls for true late-night elevation.
Straight from Michigan’s underground, Myles Sergé resurfaces on his own (MS) imprint with the FANPRO EP, a stripped, smoking 140g 12" that connects dub techno pressure, hazy dub house and Detroit-rooted machine soul in one focused statement. Known as a “reclusive perfectionist” and low-flying techno lifer, Sergé channels decades of Midwest grit into four cuts that feel raw, intimate and club-ready.
To push things further into the future, he invites a heavyweight remix squad: Toxido Mask, the Berlin sound designer and Tresor mainstay whose hypnotic, cathartic sets have become the stuff of late-night legend; Ackermann, the Stuttgart house-to-techno shapeshifter behind the Safe Space universe; and Myk Derill, a Berlin-based specialist in deep, dub-soaked, industrial-tinged techno.
Each artist takes the FANPRO blueprint and bends it in their own direction: from smoked-out dub chords and creeping low-end to sharpened Detroit stabs and tension-loaded rhythms built for strobe-lit basements. No filler, no throwaway tools, just four uncompromising trips for DJs who still live for the craft.
Laconic Zero is a one man music machinery aka Trond Harald Jensen. Utilizing Commodore 64 programming combined with a heavy wall of distorted bass, Laconic Zero produce complex dagger-stabs of metaldriven chiptunes. Sun to Death is a killer presented on smoked orange vinyl, CD and Cassette. Laconic Zero has shared stages with Lighning Bolt, the famed Sonic Youth and Swans producer Martin Bisi and collaborated with the late music prodigy Joey Hopkins.
- Puritan Themes
- Raw & Disfigured
- Stand Up Straight Again
- Radio Séance
- Everything
- Edge Of The Bay
- Chain Gang
- Fully Burnt
- One Divining Rod
Holy Sons is the largely solo project of Emil Amos (Grails, Om, Lilacs & Champagne). Puritan Themes is his 17th album and his 4th for Thrill Jockey Records and a tentpole album in his wide-ranging output, including myriad private press LPs, collections of oddities, and conceptual series". Puritan Themes" relaxed vibes are influenced by the laid-back west coast rock sound of mid-period Fleetwood Mac, blended with a dose of psych distortion and imbued with the breeziness and ease of yacht rock. Puritan Themes is a record that knowingly, barely fits into the modern world. When mixing the record in Chicago, everyday Amos skated through Douglass Park listening to podcasts about the inner workings of The Band, listened to 70"s AM radio while washing dishes and went to sleep at night to early Bee Gees interviews. The earliest concept of the record was based around the track "Chain Gang" which was an imaginary take on if Cat Stevens had smoked a ton of salvia and taken a much darker route within that world of dense, story-telling/message-based songwriting. The track "Raw & Disfigured" borrows its name from the last Thrill Jockey Holy Sons record, in a referential move that"s stolen from the way Led Zeppelin separated the track "Houses of the Holy" from the record of the same name (once again harkening back to 70"s lore).
- A1: The Mackenzie Feat. Dj Kalpa - Wanna Make Love With The Dj
- A2: The Mackenzie Feat. Dj Kalpa - Music Is Hypnotizing
- B1: The Mackenzie Feat. Jessy - Falling In Love (Original Club Mix)
- B2: The Mackenzie Feat. Dj Marko - Kamino D'or
- C1: The Mackenzie Feat. Kelly - So Far Away (Apollo Aka Michael-Lee Bock & Nils Karsten Remix)
- C2: The Mackenzie Feat. Jessy - Love
- D1: The Mackenzie Feat. Jessy - Walk Away (Dance Club Mix)
- D2: The Mackenzie - Space Luxury
- E1: The Mackenzie Feat. Jessy - All I Need (Long Trance Mix)
- E2: The Mackenzie Feat. Dj Marko - The Choice (Marko's Mix)
- F1: The Mackenzie Feat. Jessy - You Got To Get Up (Original Club Mix)
- F2: The Mackenzie Feat. Dj Kalpa - Luxury Waves
WHITE TRANSPARENT VINYL EDITION[40,13 €]
We're thrilled to announce the release of "The Mackenzie - Classics EP 2", the long-awaited follow-up to the popular EP 1 everyone was excited about. This limited edition pressing comes on stunning smoked black-colored vinyl, with only 500 copies available worldwide. Housed in a deluxe threefold sleeve, this release is a true collector's item.
The Mackenzie name is legendary in the Belgian trance scene, and this EP brings together some of their most sought-after classics and overlooked masterpieces. Each track has been carefully remastered for 2025, breathing new life into these timeless anthems. This EP 2 is spanning over more than 2 decades of hit releases, amongst of them are "Falling In Love", "Walk Away", "All I Need" and "You Got To Get Up".
Expect rich melodies, mesmerizing builds, enchanting vocals, and that unmistakable 90s spirit that made "The Mackenzie" iconic in trance. This is not just the successor of EP 1 – it's the final chapter in a tribute to the golden era of Belgian quality trance music.
- Skyfall (Reg+Fast)
- Sk Web Web Sk Feat Nofuturesk
- Disheveled
- Pleading
- Goin Pro
- Txts Red On Imessage (Reg+Fast)
- Crochet - I Swear Feat Tnotsobad
- Offwrld
- Playboy (Reg+Fast)
- Enough
- Is That Watchu See In Mysele (Reg+Slowed)
- Vip (Reg+Slowed)
- Otr Feat Tnotsobad
- Fantasize (Reg+Fast)
- Crazy Keepyaclose (Fast+Reg)
- Whattitdo
- 007: (Reg+Slowed)
- Yw Sa
- Phone
In syrupy slow pursuit of a strong 2023 debut, Yungwebster's somnolent sequel is bolstered by pitch-perfect production from Space Afrika and Nathan Melja, who vaporise the rapper's auto-tuned post-Future drawl with euphoric orchestral drones, brittle micro-trap beats and weightless pads.
Over a decade ago at this point, Future released 'Codeine Crazy', the decelerated finale of 'Monster', one of his best-loved mixtapes. The track neatly summarised themes the Atlanta rapper had been circling for years at that point, layering his slurred, lean-dizzy rhymes over producer TM88's rubbery, melancholy synths. "Take all my problems and drink out the bottle," he moaned robotically, using the track's minor key bounce to represent the crushing delirium that followed fame and its tasting menu of intoxicants. It's still Future's high water mark creatively, and its traces can be observed in a full spectrum of contemporary sounds, from 6LACK's downtrodden, self-aware R&B to Lil Uzi Vert's feverish trap. But it's Yungwebster who's taken the haze to its logical conclusion, reimagining the Magic City-sculpted bumps as hypnagogic Actavis- 'n Xanax-hued ambient music. You could argue it was bound to happen - the more you sip, the slower it gets - and plays as a cracked mirror to cloud rap's long-smoked hybrid of Southern psychedelia and post-OutKast eccentricity.
Webster's opiated POV is clearer than ever before on 'II'. Just peep the cracks in his voice on the Space Afrika-produced opener 'Skyfall' as he coughs and splutters over watery samples, booming subs and SA's patented collage of soundtrack-ready strings and sirens. Presented at regular speed and in chipmunked form, it sets the pace for an album that, like its predecessor, constantly fucks with the timeline, pitching the whole master into doubletime or slowing it down to a crawl to present a curved, inebriated narrative rather than a straight line. Even without the tempo switches, Webster singles out beats that accent his warbled rhymes that sound as if they'll fall apart at any moment. French DJ and producer Nathan Melja backs 'Disheveled' with Black Ark-styled oscillations and airlock'd echoes, filtering the bassline until it almost disappears entirely; with room to breathe, Webster's able to take the lead - you might not be able to pick out the words, not entirely at least, but you get the message.
In fact it's Webster's voice that's the revelation on 'II' - with a coherent mix from producer tnotsobad, the nuances and fluttering tonalities emerge more vividly than they have before. It makes the flip between the regular speed and fast on 'Txts Red on iMessage' a textural decision, the different pace shifting the warbled cadences so Webster's voice becomes far more important than the additional elements. And on the album's Space Afrika-produced eight-minute centerpiece 'Crochet / I Swear', Webster's mumbled bio-mechanical whines create a much-needed foil for the decelerated boom-clack and suspended save room ambience. We get to encounter a personality here, not just an aesthetic, so as the album moves into its twilit fourth side, the beatless, voice-led somniferousness of 'YA SA' and ululating 'Phone' come off like a descent into tranquillised sedation. Rap has rarely sounded so chimeric.
Formed in 2010, Magic In Threes is a Nashville, Tennessee based instrumental combo specializing in psychedelic cinematic-soul. Heavy on atmosphere and quite smoked out.
Dave Singleton - guitar, bass, keys, percussion
Nick DeVan - Drums, keys, percussion, horn arrangements
Featuring:
Joe D Douglas - flute, alto sax
Mikie Martel - trumpet, flugelhorn
Andrew Muller - Guitar
Kirk Donovan - trumpet flugelhorn
Formed in 2010, Magic In Threes is a Nashville, Tennessee based instrumental combo specializing in psychedelic cinematic-soul. Heavy on atmosphere and quite smoked out.
Dave Singleton - guitar, bass, keys, percussion
Nick DeVan - Drums, keys, percussion, horn arrangements
Featuring:
Joe D Douglas - flute, alto sax
Mikie Martel - trumpet, flugelhorn
Andrew Muller - Guitar
Kirk Donovan - trumpet flugelhorn
- 1: The New Resident
- 2: All Virtue
- 3: Blow The Horns On 'Em
- 4: Blinfold Test #10 (He Don't Play)
- 5: The Thang-Thang
- 6: The Plan Pt. 1
- 7: Tension
- 8: Heat
- 9: Smoke Break
- 10: Gamble On Ya Boy
- 11: The Plan (Reprise)
- 12: The Ox (805)
- 1: Take That Money
- 2: Life
- 3: Parklight
- 4: Drinks Up!
- 5: Yo Yo Affair Pt. 1 & 2
- 6: The Way That I Live
- 7: Ratrace
- 8: I Want It Back
- 9: Go!
- 10: Disco Dance
- 11: What It Do
- 12: Stop
Madlib’s WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip Returns on Double Vinyl via BBE Music BBE Music is thrilled to announce the long-awaited rerelease of WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip, the final installment in the legendary Beat Generation series from none other than Madlib. Originally released in 2008, this masterful collage of dusty loops, raw beats, and left-field soundscapes remains a high-water mark in the Stones Throw producer’s sprawling discography.
Now, for the first time in years, fans can experience the album in all its analog glory with this deluxe double vinyl edition, carefully remastered to preserve Madlib’s signature warmth and grit. A tribute to pirate radio culture and late-night airwaves, WLIB AM weaves together a rich tapestry of hip-hop, jazz, and soul, featuring an all-star cas t of collaborators, including Talib Kweli, Guilty Simpson, MED, and Oh No. Each track showcases Madlib’s uncanny ability to blur the lines between genres, effortlessly flipping obscure samples into hypnotic, off-kilter rhythms. From the hypnotic bounce of “Blow the Horns on ‘Em” to the smoked-out groove of “The Plan Pt. 1,” this is Madlib at his most playful, unpredictable, and inspired.
This special double vinyl edition, released exclusively via BBE Music, brings one of the Beat Generation series’ most celebrated albums back into circulation for crate-diggers and collectors alike. With original artwork and a high-quality pressing, this rerelease is a must-have for Madlib aficionados and vinyl lovers who appreciate raw, unfiltered beat craftsmanship. Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of hip-hop history—WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip is back and sounding better than ever.
- A1: Imagination (From Clé Ep - 1981 Last Movement Recorded At Pet Sound Studio)
- A2: When I See You (From Clé Ep - 1981 Last Movement Recorded At Pet Sound Studio)
- A3: Landslide (From Clé Ep - 1981 Last Movement Recorded At Pet Sound Studio)
- A4: Colourless Dream (From Colourless Dream 7" - 1981 Last Movement Recorded At Surrey Sound)
- A5: Things We Never Did (From Colourless Dream 7" - 1981 Last Movement Recorded At Surrey Sound)
- B1: Lost In A Moment (From 7" Lost In A Moment/The Tightrope Touch 1982 Midnight Music - Recorded At Silo Studios, London)
- B2: The Tightrope Touch (From 7" Lost In A Moment/The Tightrope Touch1982 Midnight Music - Recorded At Silo Studios, London)
- B3: Man Of Straw (From 12" Man Of Straw - 1983 Midnight Music Recorded At Spaceward Studios)
- B4: Cowboys (From 12" Man Of Straw - 1983 Midnight Music Recorded At Spaceward Studios)
- B5: Close To The Sea (From 12" Man Of Straw - 1983 Midnight Music Recorded At Spaceward Studios)
Exclusive vinyl with the singles released by the Watford post-punk band between 1981 and 1983.
"Before I began to write this piece I listened to some of the tracks and I admit there was a small tear or two as I remembered… Pet Sounds Studios, an 8 track reel to reel studio in a basement under a pet shop in Kennington, South London, our first studio experience as fresh faced 20 year olds. Surrey Sounds, a studio above a milk depot where Siouxsie and The Banshees had recorded singles, we got some studio time through the night when The Professionals (ex Sex Pistols) weren’t recording. Silo Studio in Hammersmith, the engineer was stoned, I smoked at least three packets of cigarettes during the session and having arrived at the studio with a song we believed in, we came out disillusioned and slightly underwhelmed; maybe greatness wasn’t destined to descend upon us at that stage of our career. Spaceward in Cambridgeshire, an old school building turned into a professional recording studio, where we recorded our first album Epic Garden Music over a weekend working through the night with about an hour of sleep. We returned there to record our second album, Feeding The Flame which took two months rather than two days. But my moist eyes are not for the broken dreams, the incredible highs or even the camaraderie with fellow band members, all of whom I may add we are still in touch with. My slight sadness is for my lost youth and the courageous optimism of those early days so viscerally evoked by this collection of songs. The glory of the world fades but in reality Sad Lovers & Giants goes from strength to strength, albeit in a very understated English way mainly because that’s the way we like it. So enjoy these songs which were created with passion and energy over forty years ago but still remain vivid and exciting to a new generation of listeners today." From Garce/Simon Allard's exclusive liner notes (October 2024)
Electronic music at its best offers a tantalising glimpse of the future, capturing the moment of conception where new worlds and genres are brought into being. Amsterdam-via-Berlin label Q1E2 (standing for “quality first, ego second”) embodies this expansive promise on their new various-artists compilation, a thrilling speed-run through the cosmic outer-reaches of contemporary club sounds that highlights the work of essential emerging producers from around the globe.
Milan producer Jack Bags opens the proceedings with “Natural Thing”, an astral deep-dance immersion with zero-gravity synthesizer pads and skeletal dub percussion that echo out through the void, sensuous vocal samples arriving like scattered transmissions from the stereo of some long-lost spacecraft. datSIM’s “Influx” races through kaleidoscopic sci-fi spacescapes, presenting a futuristic reimagining of UK bass sounds with dextrous organ melodics and widescreen atmospherics. Mike Riviera and Marco Ohboy bring us back down for a more earthly kind of ecstatic experience, cranking up the humidity and coaxing out the endorphins with the appropriately-titled “Euphoria” - a rugged, rave-adjacent heater that cleverly rearranges elements of classic house and garage into a decidedly modern club workout.
Elsewhere there’s a distinctive undercurrent of jazz flowing through the compilation, mapping out thrilling new evolutions of the music on and off the dancefloor. Dr Sud’s mesmeric rhythm excursion “Zaffiro” unfurls like the coils of a cosmic serpent, tessellating percussion and slinking subs tracing intricate beat geometries. A Soft Mist Production’s “Upside Down Rainbows” settles in for the afters with smoked-out soulful atmospherics, syrupy vocals curling and turning in the air like smoke vapors from the last vestiges of a still-lit cigarette. The Rabbit Hole’s “Tail Groove” closes out the proceedings with a surprising bait-and-switch - opening on lustrous lounge piano that could have been comped straight from a Bill Evans record, the track quickly gives way to interstellar bass ‘n’ breaks. The producer’s canny use of cello licks adds a grounded, organic feel, jazz futurism that recalls Photek or LTJ Bukem’s sampling experiments.
Taken together, the label’s new compilation provides a snapshot of a scene in constant evolution, taking the temperature of the modern electronic scene and finding it to be in rude health.
Written by Matthew Fidler
Capturing phantom drones behind dusty beats and haunted twangs, Ellis Swan and James Schimpl return for their third album as Dead Bandit. Locked into a musical language unique to their collaboration, the duo once again put us out to pasture across broad sonic plains, drums flapping like loose fence panels in the prairie breeze and bass rumbling like distant thunder. True to their previous two records, Swan and Schimpl keep the strung out guitars at the front of what they do, whether playing a naked, desolate strum or running six strings through disruptive effects processing until they're barely recognisable.
But while there are details of disturbance when listening to Dead Bandit's self-titled record up close, the wider impression is a smoother, more direct affair that toys with post-rock complexity and matches it with the emotional weight of melodic simplicity, gentle grooves and conscious arrangements. 'Weeds' offsets its languid fuzz guitar with shimmering sustained notes before settling into a patient, heavy-hearted composition charged with heartbreak leads pealing out in the middle distance.
By comparison, 'Glass' has a smoky, half-hidden backroom quality. Its brushed whisper of a beat, lingering guitar drones and subtle sub bass come on like a dub wise flip of a sad-eyed country ballad. The mood maintains on 'Half Smoked Cigarette', which captures the grey sky sullenness of post-punk and reframes it in the seductive isolation of rural America. While there's a thickness to the sound on these most direct of tracks on the album, there's also fragility inherent to the sound world Dead Bandit have been shaping out over these past few years.
'Buttercup' swaps sadness for sinister undercurrents, once more drawing on fulsome low end to fill out the sparse threads of instrumentation up top. 'Pink' finds a steady momentum for its own brand of brooding mystery, the sharp end of the beat bringing focus to the many-layered approaches to the guitar which roundly define the Dead Bandit sound. There's an even clearer direction mapped out in the vintage drum machine pulse of 'Koyo', all the better to carry swirling effects treatments and moody melodic figures. Even in these ominous climes there's space for plaintive, endearing hooks which land as the most direct phrases in Dead Bandit's musical lexicon to date.
The fundamental sound across this album holds true, but Dead Bandit are never bound to a singular practice. 'Lucien's Bitters' strikes up a pronounced drum machine beat which comes on like 90s downtempo, and it feels like a natural vessel for the heavy, shoegaze tinted lament of the guitars. At every turn, Swan and Schimpl prove their affinity for all kinds of approaches, and yet the end product is a deeply cohesive, immediate listen that shows just how clear their creative vision really is.
Belgium's iconic DJ and producer, Yves Deruyter, who celebrates his 40th DJ career in 2025, makes a triumphant return to the music scene with the much-anticipated remaster of his seminal second album: "2001".
Renowned for his pioneering influence on techno and classics, Deruyter's re-release is packed with timeless tracks, including the unforgettable anthem "Back To Earth" and also including but not limited to: "Music-Non-Stop", "Rhythmic Bazz", the much sought after Transfusion and as a special bonus "Born Slippy".
Available in an exclusive 2 x 12" vinyl release, collectors and fans alike can choose between a special light blue edition, limited to 500 copies, or an ultra-limited faded smoked black-to-transparent white 180-gram audiophile version, limited to just 200 copies.
Each version comes repackaged in a stunning, redesigned sleeve, making it a must-have collector's item for true enthusiasts. Don't miss the chance to own a piece of techno history!
This heavy roots reggae cut comes courtesy of The Viceroys, legendary harmony group from the stables of the world renowned studio 1. First recording for the venerable Mr Dodd in 1967 The Viceroys were instrumental in moving the sound from rocksteady to reggae with early hits like “Ya Ho” and “Love & Unity” .
The A side of this weighty 45 is a revisited vocal from the early days of the group, a haunting, smokey rendition of Maga Down. Drawing musical influence from Ethiopian and Cuban music as well as its obvious early reggae basis this record sounds fresh whilst simultaneously transporting you back to the golden era with its warm nostalgic themes.
The flip side is an ethereal dub mix from the Bristol based Yakka, an almost psychedelic journey into the mixing board bringing out the best of the vintage sound pellet.
This is the third release from Bristol label Poor Man's Friend Records, produced in the Poor Man's Friend studio and voiced in Jamaica only 300 copies of this smoked out ode to the golden era are available for purchase.
- A1: Yekermo Sew - Ft Don Fe, Craig Crofton & Piotr Zabrodzki
- A2: Ethiopian Rhythym - Ft Piotr Zabrodzki, Kubix & Alex Hazas
- A3: Snake Charmer
- A4: Double Trouble
- A5: Dub Forged In Metal
- B1: Wailing Dub
- B2: Bun Dem Dub (Brass Mix) - Ft Alex Hazas
- B3: Pharaohæs Revenge - Ft Craig Crofton
- B4: Hibisco - Ft Don Fe
- B5: Caravan - Ft Piotr Zabrodzki
Turquoise Vinyl[29,83 €]
Good and smoked out rasta vibes from the new album by Dreadsquad and friends !
Jah vibes with a pinch of Ska feels, nice one guys !
- By Any Means
- Bullets (Feat. Conway The Machine)
- Smoked & Butchered (Feat. Styles P)
- 7: 30 (Feat. Westside Gunn)
- Drug Rap
- Toast
- By Any Means (Instrumental)
- Bullets (Instrumental)
- Smoked & Butchered (Instrumental)
- 7: 30 (Instrumental)
- Drug Rap (Instrumental)
More than a decade into his career, Harlem emcee Smoke DZA has become one of hip-hop’s most recognizable voices. Vividly narrating his own remarkable lifestyle with slick wordplay, DZA has amassed an unprecedented catalog for an independent artist, with more than 40 projects to his name featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky, Wiz Khalifa, Action Bronson, Ty Dolla $ign, ScHoolboy Q, Cam’ron, Wale, and more. A key member of burgeoning Buffalo collective Griselda Records, Benny The Butcher is a formidable lyricist known for powerful flows and complex punchlines steeped in his real criminal past. In recent years, Benny has continued his ascent, signing with iconic label Def Jam and releasing a series of acclaimed studio albums featuring collaborations with Lil Wayne, J. Cole, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Big Sean, and more. In 2019, Smoke DZA and Benny The Butcher linked for the joint project Statue Of Limitations, entirely produced by the legendary Pete Rock. The union of three supremely talented artists drew immediate attention online, leading to coverage from outlets like Complex, Okayplayer, The Fader, HipHopDX, RapRadar, Stereogum, Hypebeast, and more. Finding genuine chemistry over Pete’s raw instrumentation, DZA and Benny deliver a cohesive exploration of Empire State street life on this memorable collection, which features appearances by Westside Gunn, Conway The Machine, and Styles P. To celebrate the 5th anniversary of its release, Statue Of Limitations is now available on vinyl for the first time in years, complete with the previously unavailable Pete Rock instrumentals.
- A1: Yekermo Sew - Ft Don Fe, Craig Crofton & Piotr Zabrodzki
- A2: Ethiopian Rhythym - Ft Piotr Zabrodzki, Kubix & Alex Hazas
- A3: Snake Charmer
- A4: Double Trouble
- A5: Dub Forged In Metal
- B1: Wailing Dub
- B2: Bun Dem Dub (Brass Mix) - Ft Alex Hazas
- B3: Pharaohæs Revenge - Ft Craig Crofton
- B4: Hibisco - Ft Don Fe
- B5: Caravan - Ft Piotr Zabrodzki
Yellow Vinyl[29,83 €]
Good and smoked out rasta vibes from the new album by Dreadsquad and friends !
Jah vibes with a pinch of Ska feels, nice one guys !
- A1: Runway
- A2: Track Of The Time
- A3: Reaching Through
- A4: Holy Low
- A5: Just To Feel Alive
- B1: Seasons Change
- B2: Some Are Lucky
- B3: Ruby
- B4: Call The Days
- B5: Holy Loud
8/10 FULL-PAGE LEAD REVIEW IN UNCUT: “TALENTED ARTISTS SUCH AS ALDOUS HARDING , DELANEY DAVIDSON, IVY ROSSITER AND MARLON WILLIAMS REPRESENT A FRESH COUNTRY-FOLK/AMERICANA MOVEMENT IN AND AROUND CHRISTCHURCH AND DUNEDIN. NADIA REID'S IMPECCABLE DEBUT WILL MAYBE SET A WIDER ORBIT IN MOTION.”
4/5 LEAD REVIEW IN MOJO: “INSPIRED DEBUT BY A YOUNG NEW ZEALAND SINGER-SONGWRITER YOU'LL FEEL YOU'VE KNOWN FOREVER. A WONDERFUL ALBUM"
SUNDAY TIMES DEBUT OF THE WEEK: "SHE RANKS ALONGSIDE LOW AND THE COWBOY JUNKIES FOR DELIVERING SLOW-BURN EMOTION"
"It has all that well-smoked wisdom, that mingling of strength and yearning that seems to charge the work of all my favourite female artists – Laura Marling, The Weather Station, Sharon Van Etten and Tift Merritt, to name but four. Reid is just 23, and since I am loathe to run that “old beyond her years” line, let us simply say that when I hear a young artist making an album as soulful and rich and self-possessed as Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs, I feel so thrilled not only for the existence of that record but for all the music they will make over all the years to come.” THE GUARDIAN PLAYLIST
6MUSIC ALBUM OF THE WEEK
A richness of voice; a depth of emotion; and wise beyond her years; with Listen To Formation, Look For the Signs, 23-year-old New Zealand native Nadia Reid has claimed her place as one of the country’s most evocative and profound young songwriters. Her music traces the sharp mountain peaks, azure coastline, and mirrored images of the land and sky that pinpoint her home country’s vast open landscapes.
Whether nerding about with friends, stunning audiences into silence with her spellbinding live shows or unwinding in the tranquillity of her favourite hometown spot overlooking Port Chalmers’ harbour through her large-rimmed spectacles, Nadia Reid has achieved a gloriously fresh and eloquent new folk sound. “I’ve been in New Zealand my whole life and guess at times I take for granted the serene beauty that I live so closely with,” she says of her music’s majestic affiliation with nature. Mapping out tales of change and loss, whilst drawing inspiration from reading, writing, the human condition, falling in and out of love, death, and birth - it all lends to a superbly balanced album that moves surreptitiously between sparse and fragile melancholia to beautifully brutal lyricism with a philosophical maturity that bellies her years.
Born in Auckland, Nadia’s acoustic roots stem from an upbringing in a musical household where attending folk clubs and festivals were regular occurrences on the family calendar. “I was lucky to witness a lot of live music and theatre performances because my mum was an actress. I was encouraged to learn piano and guitar, and attended a Steiner school where we spent a lot of time in nature, singing songs.” Before long Nadia was listening to The Be Good Tanyas with friend and fellow recording artist Aldous Harding, which spurred her chosen career path. “There was something spiritual about the Tanyas’ records - I vividly remember the goose-bump feelings up my arms, a true connection to the lyrics and vocals,” she recalls. “Aldous was the first person who told me I had a good voice and I thank her for that. I admire her as an artist and writer, and we like to keep up with what each other is up to.”
Creating her own enchanting wonderworld, each of Nadia’s songs explores the elements; truly organic, her vocals ebb, flow and soar but are always ignited with fire from the gut. Her lyrics clearly reference lush landscapes but equally reflect alienation provided by the surrounding Pacific Ocean and mortality of living in such close proximity to Mother Nature’s wrath, as experienced whilst living in Christchurch at the time of 2011’s devastating earthquake. “It shook the city to its core,” Nadia recalls. “I’m sure living through it has shaped my personality and writing. My first EP was recorded just months afterwards, it was a strange time. We were all quite fragile, but I was braver somehow.”
Boldly infusing folk with full flavour, Listen To Formation, Look For The Signs was produced by Ben Edwards, owner of Lyttelton Records in his Sitting Room studios with Nadia’s band consisting bassist Richie Pickard, guitarist Sam Taylor and percussionist Joe McCallum. Whilst 'Reaching Through’s rich but unhurried nature evokes She Hangs Brightly -era Mazzy Star and intricate nuances of Beth Orton are recalled on lead single ‘Call The Days’ which talks of moving to a new town and was the first song penned after Nadia moved from Christchurch to Wellington; spurred on by a “panic attack” and being “worried about making the right choices in life”. Elsewhere ‘Runway’ and ‘Some Are Lucky’ immediately channel Nadia’s love of TBGT’s Jolie Holland and appreciation for New Zealand’s Maori music by Maisey Rika and Anika Moa, plus the inspirational narratives of Kenyan-born Somali poet Warsan Shire.
Obijuan & YUNGMORPHEUS join forces on SLANG CASINO. Smoked out raw hip hop that sees Obijuan's unique flow tread across a range of soul & funk laced beats produced by YUNGMORPHEUS. But since both artists are of Bahamian and Jamaican descent respectively, they wanted to bring it back to their Island roots and blend some reggae with the grittier hip hop sound they're known for. Slang talk, bravado and esoteric maundering run throughout the record, with guest features from Rahiem Supreme, Bisk, and looms.
Dubstep's origins lie in dark 2-step mutations that evolved on dancefloors and in studios in the early 2000s. That same fusion of swing and space and subs can be found by the bucketload throughout the new EP by one of DNO’s staples, Kercha.
Skippy speed garage hats and slippery globules of bass animate the otherwise sparse production on the opening track ‘Feature’, while the wild beat on ‘Absurd’ could catch out any DJs not giving it their full attention. Wrapped in Kercha’s signature sonic debris, it delivers three and a half minutes of rattling, clicking, squelching wizardry.
The B-side gives us ‘Stimulate’, a collaboration with new-gen rising star Hypho. Indebted to trap, it’s full of militant 808 hi-hat rolls and the kind of firing synth tones that spell doom in a sci-fi movie (and tear up festival stages).
Finally, ‘Saturday’ is classic Kercha: sub-bass from the Seventh Circle, and so many suspicious chirps, whistles and hoots that it could soundtrack a nighttime stroll through the woods just as easily as skanking in a smoked-out sweatbox. The track is peppered with voice notes from a friend — snatches of funny, halfcut chatter, as random in content as Kercha's non-vocal sampladelia. The final snippet, which translates to “Saturday dictates its rules”, gives the track its name. A statement that can be read in all sorts of ways, it could even confer a motto for this whole collection, reflecting Kercha’s trademark originality.
The ‘Absurd’ EP is one of Kercha’s most dancefloor-directed releases to date, and whether conjuring the ghosts of club nights past or envisioning the raves of the future, it’ll be dominating sound systems for a long time to come.
Rhythms of postmodern realism at the very bottom of the DNO.
Black vinyl back in for the first time in a while, note new price. Produced by Leon Michels. Toured with Chicano Batman. Planned touring with Lee Fields & The Expressions. What is Buck? Buck is a state of mind, a way of life, a demeanor that gets you through the good times and the bad. If you ask Brainstory, It is also the energy that permeates their debut album. Kevin, Tony, and Eric are a trio of brothers bounded by blood, fate, and a small town with nothing to do. Their story begins in the long lost lands of the San Bernardino Valley, in the twilight zone known as Rialto, California: An arid wasteland of boredom and empty lots. Through punk rock and skateboarding they found temporary liberation from the local monotony. However, it wouldn’t be long before a hunger for more led them to explore musical realms beyond that of the hardcore punk they admired. After stints at music school and steady disappointment trying to navigate their local jazz scene they moved to Los Angeles and Brainstory was born. Through a introduction from Chicano Batman’s bassist, Brainstory caught the ears of Big Crown head honchos Danny Akalepse and Leon Michels. Shortly thereafter they were on their way to Queens, to record at The Legendary Diamond Mine with Michels at the helm. An instant chemistry yielded 10 songs in 10 days and now Brainstory has gifted the world with one hell of an introduction to all things Buck. Highlights include the sublime slow burner, “Dead End” which was the A-side to their first 45 on Big Crown that sold out in a matter of days. With Kevin’s sublime falsetto floating atop Tony and Eric’s unflappable and unmistakable backbeat, this tune has become a favorite with the ballad heads, the low-riders, and the slowie collectors. “Breathe” showcases another side of their sound taking a page out of the Shuggie Otis playbook and flipping the script with some stoned out west coast swag. Kev and Tony’s father, Big Tone, an accomplished performer himself, steps in on “Peter Pan” to sing lead vocals over a chorus of friends and family. Bassist extraordinaire, Tony, takes over lead vocal duties on “Sorry”, a smoked out, G Funk groove that is just waiting to be sampled. These guys have come a long way from their self released EPs and opening tours with Chicano Batman. Their musical growth is undeniable, and taking their California sunshine vibes and mixing them with Michels’ NYC aesthetic has proven to be an amazing combination. It’s a debut record that pulls influences from so many genres seamlessly it’s hard to nail down. Call it Funk, call it Rock, call it Soul, but over here at Big Crown HQ, we’ve decided to call it BUCK.
Significant Other unveils a new project: Pain Management. A new imprint presenting music and visual media across a variety of formats. The outlet launches with an original 4 track EP: When It Rains.
Christening the label with his first full length release since 2021, the subversive producer steps out from behind the curtain with a batch of tracks guaranteed to soothe psychic woes and challenge sound systems alike.
True to the name of the label, this debut release delivers a healthy dose of leftfield club weight. Tough and tender in equal measure, it’s a record that explores in-between zones. A fever dream of narrative experiments at the outer edges of club music, packing enough punch to shake a dancefloor, but enough delicacy to soundtrack the ride home. The final product is a meeting of outsider sonics and sleazy dance tropes, body music for restless minds.
The record begins with the lead single ‘RPG’ (A1). A smoked out, drug chug power ballad featuring fellow NYC underground alum James K. Anchored around a growling 4/4 battle beat, swells of dub and inchoate vocal cries rise intermittently from the haze. Within the fever dream fugue of thuggish sub weight and engine-room crud, a tender, sustained warmth shimmers.
A2’s ‘I Get Such Bad Headaches’ is a twisted club thumper built around a questioning vocal refrain. It’s a tongue in cheek nod to the label’s origins that takes shape in a sleazy beat track with some serious club weight. Slowed n’ chopped to the maximum, it’s a low slung sleeper-hit with attitude. DJ Screw meets Tylenol PM, a bass-boosted anthem for the neural punishment enjoyer.
The B-side opens with the title track, ‘When It Rains (It Pours)’, a droned out mess of distant voices and textural grit. Anchored around the titular looping axiom, the track has a deathly, abyssal weight to it. A claustrophobic hymn of surrender, faithful to its stark refrain.
‘Bad Blood’ wraps the record on a tender note. A sluggish heartbeat pumps beneath the fog of dub delays and distortion, propelling forward a lethargic rhythm. Out of nowhere a blissed out synth line pierces the tension. A sharp, emotive melody disrupting the paramnesia with something new. If the record’s title track suggests a downward spiral through some psychic storm, then ‘Bad Blood’ shows the outline of dry land coming slowly into focus.
Art Direction by Ciaran Birch
- 01: How Can I Help You
- 02: We`ll See
- 03: Away From The Loud Crowd
- 04: Tonight In My Dreams She Found Me And We Finally Fell In Love And It Was A Feeling Long Unknown
- 05: 15Mm Pb
- 06: Floats And Strings
- 07: End Of The Summer (Early Version)
- 08: Veronica
- 09: Louis Vuitton Vs. Guilliame Apollinaire
- 10: I Am The Monster
- 11: No Part
- 12: A Song For The Trees, For The Swell Swishy Trees
- 13: Vyznanie #1
On the outskirts of Bratislava, in the pulsating shadows of a refinery's burning chimneys, on the plot of a family house, there stood a small shack. Initially, it housed trials in domestic mushroom growing. Later, after a makeshift acoustic touch-up - lining the walls with old cardboard egg cartons - it became a shelter for music. Sensitive, evocative, nostalgic, lo-fi music by a man named Cadillac Face.
Today we would probably use the term 'safe space', but back then it was (in Cadillac's words) kutica, a cubbyhole. He hid there from a world that ached. Here, Cadillac secretly smoked, sang, and composed. And tried not to go crazy from anxiety. He wrote music unlike anything during his time.
Here, he struggled. With sound (unable to adjust it to his liking), with instruments (which he couldn't bring himself to play), with the world (with which, understandably, he was at odds).
Cadillac Face was a man who didn't belong here.
He wrote and sang in English (in a post-socialist and early-capitalist Slovakia, when command of English was no matter of course); he also wrote in Slovak (blogs and diaries, which, due to a stream-of-consciousness and surrealist style, were as incomprehensible as they were immersive and intimate); gave advice to teenagers (to their quasi-banal questions on talking forums about relationships, life and adolescence, where they were often met with ridicule and mockery); he composed electronic and noise music (at a time when no one had a clue what the abbreviation DAW meant).
This Cadillac's compilation album is not aiming to compete with/replicate Noizy Days - a compilation of Cadillac's contributions to the project Noize Konspiracy. Underground compilations circulated through a local proto-social network. Borderline music without rules - open but often inaccessible. There, Cadillac contributed mostly with experimental-electronic compositions. Noizy Days was compiled by Ďuro Ďurček, one of the initiators of Noize Konspiracy. Both Ďuro and Cadillac have been dead for years.
Songs For The Trees is a selection from Cadillac's songwriting. The most intimate of his intimate recordings. Cadillac at his most fragile, brittle, and quiet. The most romantic, the most tormented, the most painful and direct of his songs I know.
Cadillac became an anthropomorphic grotesque tree. Neither broadleaf nor conifer. Or perhaps it's a candle slowly incinerating – bored, sad, playing the guitar. A tragicomedy. Sometimes it kindles what it doesn't mean to, and it can't put itself out. Or can it?
DIY tape manoeuvres, sending esoteric dub waves down from the magnetic north.
Straight from the studio in Glasgow. Everything done in-house. Hand stamped body. Printed the covers etc
Weirdo dubs from ambient to drone with experimental electronic cuts that occupy some frighteningly smoked out alleyway between the club and the cemetery. With a sweet spot of obscure but inclusive dub, with the kind of ambient bits that sound like ancient mythology.
- A1: Hiroshi Kamayatsu - Have You Smoked Gauloise
- A2: Happy End - Haruyo Koi Come Spring
- A3: Yoshiko Sai - Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball
- A4: Tadashi Goino Group - Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time
- B1: Jun Fukamachi - Omae You
- B2: Momotaro Pink With Original Pinks - Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression
- B3: Vol 1 Chap.100 - Heya No Naka In The Room
Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979 is Time Capsule’s continuation of the deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.
Vinyl LP with 4 page insert, original artwork and photos
The kaleidoscopic psychedelia of 1970s Japan captured a fragile and fertile moment as the country sought its future in funk grooves, heavy reverb and lyrical hallucinations.
The follow-up compilation to Time Capsule’s Nippon Acid Folk, Nippon Psychedelic Soul takes myriad pathways into the tripped-out undergrowth of 1970s Japan. Finding their feet at home and looking for inspiration abroad, the musicians featured here were engaged in the communal soul-searching that followed the breakdown of the 1960s protest movements. Some made it big, others drifted into oblivion. The music they left behind shimmers with intensity.
At the core was Happy End, the first project of YMO’s Haroumi Hosono, whose distortion-heavy guitar and crisp back-beat laid the foundations for Japanese lyrics that flipped the paradigm of Japanese rock music on its head. With it came a new found sonic ambition, such as in the bold Philly-soul style arrangements of producer Yuji Ohno, whose work with occult wandered Yoshiko Sai shares some of the bittersweet grandeur of Rotary Connection or David Axelrod.
Then there was Jun Fukamachi, a pioneer of Japanese synthesis, whose debut album was a carnival of orchestral funk, euphoric horn lines and rich production, complete with soaring guitar solos, psychedelic organ and a truly cinematic finale. The first and only time Fukamachi would sing on record, ‘Omae’ rips like the ultimate end-of-nighter.
Influenced by giants of the US soul scene, maverick composer Hiroshi “Monsieur” Kamayatsu (otherwise known as ‘the Brian Wilson of Japan’) went one step further, enlisting Tower of Power to play on ‘Have You Smoked Gauloises?’ The B-side to Monsieur’s biggest-selling single, it coasts with sophisticated cool - a liquid bassline and suave keys comping under a roaring trademark ToP sax solo. No surprise it found favour once more on the Acid Jazz dance floors of ‘90s London.
Such was the spirit of experimentation that big studio productions and private press releases sat side-by-side, with the likes of Momotaro Pink and Kazushi Inamura, taking their hopes of success into their own hands with the resources available to them. More reflective but no less robust, theirs was a heavy, fat-backed drum sound, soaked in dramatic, soulful psychedelia.
If some were dreamers and others space cadets, none were further out than sci-fi writer, musician, activist and self-made scientist Tadashi Goino, who transformed his own fantasy novel Messenger from the Seventh Dimension into an operatic prog odyssey with few discernible musical reference points – a majestic and completely bonkers outlier even among company as strange and brilliant as that which is collected here.
Less a compilation of a scene, as a compilation of a sentiment, Nippon Psychedelic Soul is a wild ride from start to finish, shattering the narratives of the Japanese folk and rock tradition into a million tiny pieces.
- A1: Talkin’ Sh*T - Dj Paul & Juicy J
- A2: Triple Six Club House - Lord Infamous
- A3: Murderer, Robber - The Kaze
- A4: Orange Mound - M-Child
- A5: Left’em Dead - Crunchy Black & Tha Kaze
- B1: Nothin’ But Pimp Sh*T - Droopy Drew Dog
- B2: Bout The South - Dayton Family & Project Pat
- B3: Turn Into Killaz - Dj Paul & Nigga Creep
- B4: Notha Nigga Car/Clothes - Three 6 Mafifia & The Kaze
- B5: Drinkin’ N Thinkin’ - Indo G & K-Rock
- C1: What’s Next - Dj Paul & Juicy J
- C2: Favorite Scary Movie - Three 6 Mafifia
- C3: Catch A Blast - T-Rock & M-Child
- C4: Judgement Night - Koopsta Knicca
- C5: All For One - Gangsta Boo
- D1: Smoked Out, Loced Out - Three 6 Mafia, K-Rock & Project Pat
- D2: Bullet With Yo Name On It - T-Rock
- D3: Bitches On My Jock - D.j. Paul, Indo G & Gangsta Boo
- D4: After Dark - Juicy J
- D5: Life In Bondage - Koopsta Knicca
Body Parts is the debut studio album by Prophet Posse, a collaboration side-project of Three 6 Mafia with members of its then-label, Prophet Entertainment. The Prophet Posse group was known as a larger, “offshoot” version of Three 6 Mafia, as it included each member of Three 6 Mafia as well as all the artists signed to Prophet Entertainment. All the artists featured on the album were Prophet Entertainment artists with the exception of guest act Dayton Family.
Experiences Limited, now 3XL, with a new LP from Exael on a highly atmospheric ambient jungle tip, deploying 30 mins of percussive spasms seeping into smoked-out zoners - highly tipped if yr into anything from Lee Gamble to Malibu.
Clearing their cache of stray bullets, Exael returns with a gyring plunge into percussive wormholes and low-lit mood enhancers .The tracks are broadly cleft along schisms of dark/light and demonic/angelic, switching from restive propellers to more sublime sensations in a fine testament to their practice - making for prob our favourite Exael release thus far.
On the “darker” side, they commit the convulsive, fractious footwork pulses and warped tones of ‘Circle (Squishy Mix)’ in a sort of parallel to 33EMYBW’s insectoid rhythms and combustion systems, while ‘Ice That melts The Tips’ trades in rapid, ice-skating thizz and ‘Ghoul Search (Demonic Attachment Mix)’ fires up the junglist particle accelerator for a proper gauntlet of hyper techstep dynamics.
The contrast is epitomised by ’Composure’, arranging flinty breaks on a luscious waterbed of floating pads, before ‘Eidolon’ renders a sort of airborne dembow pressure in the vicinity of Ben Bondy & special guest dj’s xphresh works. ‘L-theanine’ closes the session on a fine tread inside emo ambient styles and flurries on the same spectrum between DJ Lostboi and Teresa Winter, complete with a reverberating, half-buried vocal.
Jeder Song hat die Kraft, Erinnerungen wachzurufen und das Gefühl von Heimat durch Musik nutzbar zu machen: von der psychedelisch-funklastigen Single 'Something's Going On' bis zur kongregativen Energie des neuen Tracks 'We Give Thanks' verschmilzt 'Could We Be More' die Afro-Londoner Synergie, die so natürlich die Wärme und Identität von Kokoroko untermauert. Die Mehrfach-Preisträger Kokoroko sind auf soulige, bläserlastige Sounds mit westafrikanischen Wurzeln und Londoner Einflüssen spezialisiert. Sie spielten bereits auf vielen europäischen Festivals (von Glastonbury über Meltdown bis Elbjazz und Jazz á la Villette) und freuen sich darauf, ihre Reichweite in 2022 und darüber hinaus weiter auszubauen. Die Band trat in mehreren BBC-Fernsehshows auf, ihre beiden Boiler Room-Sets wurden zusammen fast eine halbe Million Mal angehört.
- 'This female-led, multicultural collective of under 30s is a vital example of not only jazz's new form but the shape of things to come.' - The Guardian
- 'Drawing influence from West African highlife and jazz, wellmarinated in enough polyrhythm seasoning to induce fires on the dance floors they play.' - OkayAfrica
- 'Afrobeat, jazz, soul and ’70s psych-leaning funk - luminescent!' - Cool Hunting
From out of nowhere - if nowhere is the febrile, warped and twilit imagination of Julia McFarlane - comes Whoopee, the second album by J.McFarlane’s Reality Guest. Whoopee is an esoteric, kaleidoscopic movie in music form directed by Julia McFarlane and co-conspirator Thomas Kernot. Full of life, breakbeats and smokey vignettes on the fragile nature of interpersonal relationships, Whoopee is a stylistic evolution from everything McFarlane has done before. Surreal, beautiful in parts and replete with the aching wisdom McFarlane’s songwriting has always promised, this Reality Guest pulls back the curtain on a whole scene of naked truth. Recorded in Melbourne in bursts since the release of 2019’s Ta Da, Whoopee features a new sound palette and band member in Kernot. The duo dive deep into electronic pop tropes, mining digital synths, samples, breakbeats and deep bass grooves, largely dispensing with live instrumentation. If Ta Da took twists and turns with your expectations, offering a Dada-ist, monochromatic take on pop music, Whoopee is McFarlane’s subterranean love-sick pinks, reds, greens, purples and blues. Becoming something of a tradition, the album starts with an instrumental intro pilfered from a 90s’ spy film or cinema intro music, puffing up the listener for the heart-squeezing bathos of Full Stops. Over a bleary backdrop of walking bass lines, jazz- inflected keys and smoked-out atmosphere, McFarlane’s poetry narrates the fragile state of a relationship: “You put a full stop where I thought there’d be a comma, I want the story to continue even with all the drama.” Over a palpable pain, the narrator is revelling in the drama of a relationship, addicted to tumult and heightened emotion. On Sensory, a space age bachelor lounge pad ballad, the converse state of the previous song is explored, here the narrator is battling the numbness of being out of the drama, stuck in a sensory-deprivation tank, anaesthesized and battling to emerge from the fog. Wrong Planet explores an otherworldly pop music, hewing a bright hook out of a sense of confusion. A bona-fide, sing-along chorus bursts out of the narrator musing on the absurdity of existing in this reality. It speaks of one of Julia McFarlane’s main talents, her knack of inspecting human relationships and states with a clear perspective, like an alien visiting Earth and realising everything we are is really, really strange. Whoopee is both more accessible than previous Reality Guest work and somehow more obfuscated. Where the production on Ta Da was dry, sharp and strange, this Reality Guest is blurred, almost smeared with the effluvium of 90s+00s culture and existence. Through it all, it’s hard to deny the undeniable pull of the songs. Precious Boy carries on the lounge theme with a whole sampler of cut up sounds fading in and out of the haze as McFarlane’s voice is right up to the speaker cooing and free- associating, maybe in love or maybe in confusion... maybe they’re the same thing? Sometimes the listener is invited to just bathe in the tone of the vocal, as on Apocalypse, where the texture and timbre of the vocal is luxurious, bathing in piano tinkles and double bass throb. On lead single Slinky, a cut up beat reminiscent of Washingtonian Go-Go drum patterns leads, the song slipping through your fingers, elusive and presenting sound as pure pleasure. Closer Caviar jumps back into the broken breakbeats of a surreal funk, fuelled by the sensory pleasure of the music, a hedonistic whirl in rapture, the narrator now living life to the fullest in all its giddy heights and deep troughs. This is the album’s main character fully-actualised and in the terrible, beautiful moment.
Straight from the heart of downtown Bruxelles comes Instructor, a band that formed out of a group of friends who have been working hard to grow a local DIY scene centred around the Cobra Jaune Club. The CJ might as well be a time warp back to the CBGBs of the 80s, a truly raw punk affair where all freaks are welcome. Anyone who’s anyone on the hardcore punk tour circuit in the past 5 years will tell you playing the Cobra Jaune is what dreams are made of, bringing together punks and skins, together as one. Very much catching this vibe musically as well, Instructor sound like they got together in an alleyway and made some instruments out of garbage cans to play Breakdown’s ‘87 Demo and Kickback’s Cornered LP. As hardcore gets more and more polished, the truly meat-and-potatoes variety is becoming a rare sight, but that’s exactly what you get with Instructor, with bucketloads of attitude and energy from people living and breathing the life. Vocalist Dario sounds like he has smoked 2 million cigarettes, whilst guitarist Bert whips out some wild solos only a mother, and punk enthusiasts, could love. And that’s the point. Recorded at Spector Studio, a DIY space where analog equipment is crafted on-site, and with artwork by the infamous hardcore artists Spoiler and ‘Diamond’ Dave Decat, this is a snapshot of all things great from Belgium
- A1: Dalazdayz
- A2: Who The Crunkest (Feat. Project Pat)
- A3: Smoked Out (Feat. Twista)
- A4: I'm Losing It
- A5: Throw Your Sets (Feat. Crucial Conflict)
- B1: Undercover Freak (Feat. T-Rock & Too $Hort)
- B2: Wet Party (Feat. Spice 1)
- B3: Elbow A Nigga (Feat. Project Pat)
- B4: Hell Naw
- B5: Get Buck, Get Wild (Feat. Crunchy Black)
- B6: On Da Block
- C1: What You're Lookin' For (Feat. Project Pat)
- C2: Paper Chase (Feat. Fatal)
- C3: Hypnotize Cash Money (Feat. B.g., Big Tymers & Juvenile)
- C4: When God Calls Time Out
- C5: Big Business
- C6: When It's On It's Murder
- D1: Push 'Em Off
- D2: Slob On My Nob
- D3: All Dirty Hoes (Feat. Gangsta Boo)
- D4: Triple 6 Clubhouse (Feat. Lord Infamous)
- D5: A Niggas Worst Downfall
- D6: Hypnotize Mind / Profit Posse
- D7: Comin' Up Next
PRESSED ON "DRIED BLOOD" RED
COLORED VINYL W/OBI
LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES
In the late 90s in Hip Hop, all eyes were on the South - and the Down South sound reigned supreme. Few groups were as hot as Memphis’ Three 6 Mafia. CrazyNDaLazDayz was a regional scorcher when it dropped in 1999, released under the group name Tear Da Club Up Thugs, but essentially a Three 6 Mafia full-length as core Three 6 members DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous all contribute to the project. The record went on to be certified Gold and Three 6 Mafia went on to win an Academy Award for their contribution to Hustle & Flow. CrazyNDaLazDayz continues to have an impact to this day. A cut Juicy J first pulled together while still in high school, “Slob On My Knob”, was utilized in A$AP Ferg’s hit “Plain Jane.” In addition, the cut is interpolated into G-Eazy’s most successful cut to date, “No Limit.” Get On Down brings you this often overlooked and definitely in need of being revisited portion of Three 6 Mafia’s legacy.
Written during a year of hedonistic isolation whilst exiled to a forgotten mining village, 'Alecs in Wonderland’ is the debut self-produced rap album by rap enigma and ‘one man band’ Alecs DeLarge.
Alecs navigates ‘Wonderland’ with a bulging backpack of references to 90’s Toonami imports, king skins and rap nerdology, multi-syllable boxing through beats in a smoked out stream-of-consciousness drawl. From the cartoonish braggadocio on ‘Scooby Snax’ and ‘AM To AM’, to proclaiming his love for his anthropomorphic MPC 2000 on ‘Girl Joint’, Alecs emphatically proving that he’s much more than just the man behind the boards.
Merging classic New York rap sensibilities with sarcastic British humour, 110’s and Berghaus coats taking the place of Timb boots and Lo sweaters.
Wonderland is Alecs’ custom built version of The Matrix, a perfect world created to escape the one outside his council flat window, idyllic living in Lynchian reality. A therapeutic outpouring of the lonely man’s psyche, or maybe just a slow descent into madness, polished and delivered to your ears in Long Play form.
- A1: Stamps
- A2: Eretz Acheret
- A3: Heaven
- A4: Kol She Chalamt
- B1: Kol Hayom Ft Keren Ilan
- B2: Take Me Away In Your Dreams
- B3: Telefon
- B4: En Atid Ft Eyal Talmudi
- C1: No More High Words
- C2: Love To Puff You Baby Ft Shkuro
- C3: Jealousy
- C4: Lost In The Lonely Planet
- D1: Madness
- D2: Retrospective
- D3: You
- D4: Bonding Ft Eden Atiya
Alek Lee is back on Antinote to release his debut LP ‘You’. Covering 16 songs and crafted in theproducer’s studio over the past few 4 years, the Tel Avivian has swapped the misty aura of his first two EPs for a smoked out haze. ‘You’ effortlessly blends digi-dub, boogie, and yacht rock to create a washed out, dub-pop sound befitting of its place of recording sat at the edge of the desert and the sea. If Lee’s earlier works were defined by brooding downtempo beats with kids television vocal samples sprinkled amongst them, then the album hears the producer open himself up to the process of the singer-songwriter, getting behind the microphone and optimistically speaking words of his own.
But perhaps that may be put too bluntly. Fankly, Lee fluidly moves between crooning, whispers, gasps all the way to full on ballad style singing effortlessly and with ease. His newly develop vocal experiments are too supported by an impressive array of collaborators which can be found in the LP’s liner notes. These collaborations also help to mix far-flung musical styles into the LP. For instance, take Kol Hayom featuring Keren Ilan. It’s a laid-back tune that would sit comfortably beside Rita Lee tropicália. Or Love To Puff You Baby featuring $hkuru, which upends Donna Summer’s bodily groove into a heady bop.‘You’ is a testament to Alek Lee’s prolific exploration of his own brand of dub: shimmering off-beat guitars, low-fidelity beats and deep grooves. Oh and always a melodica line found somewhere amongst it.
Formed in 2009 by guitarist Jari, Helslave are a Rome-based death metal band taking their influences from the 1990s Swedish (melo-)death scene, crafting a perfect mix of brutality and melody.
After releasing a demo and two EPs, their first full length album, ‘An Endless Path’ (on Revalve Records), saw the light on CD in 2015 and got raving reviews by the metal underground press.
The second album from the band, ‘From The Sulphur Depths’ (mixed and mastered by Swedish metal-wizard Dan Swano), came out in 2021 via Pulverised Records, and this album also received enthusiastic reviews from fans and critics.
These Italian youngsters play their music like it’s the thing they need to do to survive; it’s energetic and powerful - this is melodic death metal as it is supposed to be.
The much praised debut album was never released on vinyl, so Doc Records present this gem in three different LP versions - Clear Smoked,
Dark Hell Marbled and black vinyl.
For fans of Children Of Bodom, At The Gates, Scar Symmetry, Edge Of Sanity, In Flames, Callenish Circle, Dark Tranquillity
Formed in 2009 by guitarist Jari, Helslave are a Rome-based death metal band taking their influences from the 1990s Swedish (melo-)death scene, crafting a perfect mix of brutality and melody.
After releasing a demo and two EPs, their first full length album, ‘An Endless Path’ (on Revalve Records), saw the light on CD in 2015 and got raving reviews by the metal underground press.
The second album from the band, ‘From The Sulphur Depths’ (mixed and mastered by Swedish metal-wizard Dan Swano), came out in 2021 via Pulverised Records, and this album also received enthusiastic reviews from fans and critics.
These Italian youngsters play their music like it’s the thing they need to do to survive; it’s energetic and powerful - this is melodic death metal as it is supposed to be.
The much praised debut album was never released on vinyl, so Doc Records present this gem in three different LP versions - Clear Smoked,
Dark Hell Marbled and black vinyl.
For fans of Children Of Bodom, At The Gates, Scar Symmetry, Edge Of Sanity, In Flames, Callenish Circle, Dark Tranquillity
Formed in 2009 by guitarist Jari, Helslave are a Rome-based death metal band taking their influences from the 1990s Swedish (melo-)death scene, crafting a perfect mix of brutality and melody.
After releasing a demo and two EPs, their first full length album, ‘An Endless Path’ (on Revalve Records), saw the light on CD in 2015 and got raving reviews by the metal underground press.
The second album from the band, ‘From The Sulphur Depths’ (mixed and mastered by Swedish metal-wizard Dan Swano), came out in 2021 via Pulverised Records, and this album also received enthusiastic reviews from fans and critics.
These Italian youngsters play their music like it’s the thing they need to do to survive; it’s energetic and powerful - this is melodic death metal as it is supposed to be.
The much praised debut album was never released on vinyl, so Doc Records present this gem in three different LP versions - Clear Smoked,
Dark Hell Marbled and black vinyl.
For fans of Children Of Bodom, At The Gates, Scar Symmetry, Edge Of Sanity, In Flames, Callenish Circle, Dark Tranquillity
Das neue Album "Brandy Clark" versammelt die unpoliertesten und intimsten Aufnahmen, die man von der CMA-Gewinnerin und 11-fach Grammy-Nominierten in den zehn Jahren gehört hat. Aufgenommen im berühmten Shangri-La-Studio in Malibu, produziert von Brandie Carlile und von einem Killer-Lineup von Musiker:innen eingespielt, mit dabei waren u.a. Derek Trucks, Lucius und Brandie Brandie Carlile. Mehr als je zuvor stellt Brandy Clark auf ihrem vierten Album ihre künstlerische Vielseitigkeit unter Beweis.
Die elf Tracks durchqueren das gesamte emotionale Spektrum - vom schonungslosen, fordernden Opener "Ain't Enough Rocks" über das dahinjagende, harmoniegetränkte "Tell Her You Don't Love Her" bis hin zur ausgelassenen Freude von "Northwest", einer Liebeserklärung an Clarks (und Carliles) Wurzeln. Ein Highlight ist auch ihre Kollaboration "Dear Insecurity", in der die beiden auf ebenso originelle wie lebensnahe Weise einen Blick auf die Dämonen werfen, mit denen wir uns alle tagtäglich herumschlagen.
Neben den Aufnahmen des Albums war Clark in den letzten Monaten auch anderweitig in große Projekte eingebunden, etwa die Proben für das mit Spannung erwartete Broadway-Musical Shucked , für das Clark und ihre angestammte Kreativpartnerin Shane McAnally die Musik geschrieben haben, und die Mitwirkung als Songwriterin und Sängerin auf dem All-Star-Country-Album Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville , das bei den diesjährigen Grammy Awards in der Kategorie "Best Country Album" nominiert war.
On his third album Comité Hypnotisé let you belly flop into his eleven chambers of the Danza Del Piri-Piri: expanding the feral and contagious universe he started to build a lifetime ago. Levitating and shimmering a glistering way through deep old skool 70's sitar vibes and jitterbug grooves. This boogieman aka the Millionaire-mind and part of the Evil Superstars has carved some hot smoked out bass and organ flared cuts on wax, ready to never leave you again. Whether it is with woodchopped kazou sounds stretching into hazy sunshine desire or dazzling basslines blending with interstellar and stuttering kick drums: the Danza Del Piri-Piri flip-flops and slams into a wiggly relentless sonic future.
FFO Sven Wunder, Ennio Morricone, Khruangbin, Flying Lotus, The Meters, Parliament, Edan, The Gaslamp Killer.
Comité Hypnotisé is the brainchild of Tim Vanhamel, frontman of Millionaire and Evil Superstars, two of Belgium's most famous alternative rock bands. In 2013 Tim started creating solo music that only got released in 2021 on his first solo album through the Belgian eclectic Cortizona label
Odd Nosdam really doesn’t need an introduction, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 20 years then undoubtedly you’ll know what’s up, and what an absolute humbling pleasure it is to now introduce Nosdam to the Where To Now? catalogue with two new cuts that flow from ethereal, meditative contemplation through to downtown abstracted machine damage..
The record opens with ‘End is Important’, A looping, spiritual lament which forces observation, or resolution around the concept of ‘Endings.’ Passages from Tsunetomo Yamamoto’s ‘Hagakure’ seep in and out of the mix throughout, where spiraling and glistening arpeggios dance across a glorious choral mantra, intended to elevate minds towards some kind of plume of awakening. This is a heady and deep cut which finds Odd Nosdam in full introspection mode.
‘Here to Know’ recalls the work of Patrick Cowley in his best downtown ultra slow swinging funk suit, or the more obvious nods to John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 OST. However, this is far from a straight up ode to creeping machine funk - Nosdam’s injection of energetic, pulsing synth stabs move the piece into a more surreal territory, creating a masterful and experimental injection of life and colour into an otherwise smoked out landscape.
“Where I found myself when Where To Now? reached out - asking if I'd consider a vinyl release with the label - was over in Barcelona spending time with loved ones at my family's apartment in the district of Sant Gervasi.
After my initial contact with WTN?, I ventured north to Cadaqués to visit Salvador Dalí's house in Port Lligat, where Gala & Dalí spent some 50 summers. While inspired asf touring the glorious property, I captured recordings from a looping video screening in an open air theater. These recordings became the foundation of Here To Know.
Sometimes there’s a break in the road. End Is Important was realized after re-watching the Jim Jarmusch film, Ghost Dog. Stealthy and evanescent, a familiar voice carries this slow-diver with a message to the world warped cruiser in all of us.” - Odd Nosdam
PowerSolo had a few decades of confrontational badassery behind them already when they descended on a barn in the Isle of Mön to record this, their 85th studio (OK, barn) album. The concept was clear: let's boil up a crazy stew with all the ingredients that the fanbase knows and loves. Kind of a return to the roots and the early albums in the mid 2000s It's Raceday... and Egg. Let a bunch of very diverse songs simmer together and create a beautiful dish that is both xtra spicy, surprising, complex yet super yummy. Like a Jambalaya: distinctly American fare, but not mainstream at all. We're talking Creole and Cajun food influenced by African as well as French cuisines and made by the ingredients at hand - some high end and some cheap and maybe even gone a bit stale. Seafood, chicken and smoked pork sausage combined in a vibrant, tasty and utterly unique mouthful. Yes, the metaphor promises a lot, but the album provides. Like the aforementioned LPs, as well as the breakthrough hit album The Real Sound from 2014, Jambalaya - Xtra Spicy was recorded, mixed and produced by Ulrik Petersen and Jesper Reginal (aka The Great Nalna and Yebo of The Tremolo Beer Gut infamy) at Dark Side of The Möön / Kondi Frost Studios. The musical crew consisted of main man Kim Kix as well as his right-hand man Anders "Peasoup" Pedersen. The drums were alternately manned by none other than former PowerSolo member JC Benz and live drummer Mike "ZACK" Sullivan. A pinch of South American spice was added by Flavia Couri of The Courettes on the duet "If I Could Fly" and every dish deserved a bit of French sugar. It was applied on "She's A Trucker" by none other than Phoebe Killdeer from Nouvelle Vague and Phoebe Killdeer & The Short Straws. Kix has previously produced and guest starred on these ladies' recordings, and they were both happy to take a seat at the table of this feast that is Jambalaya - Xtra Spicy
First released in late 2016, flamingo tripper is a rough-hewn, glowing piece of after hours house music which continues to charm years later.
Originally described as "near perfection" by dj mag, this revisited edition features a remaster of the title track alongside fresh reinterpretations of the original ep.
A side: ninja tune’s letherette bring a sublime golden-era 90bpm instrumental, newcastle duo ten sticks craft kaleidoscopic dub techno of the ~scape records ilk.
B side: dream cycle & edmondson provide low end-heavy, panoramic club tracks - crisp, hi-res sonics and smoked-out atmospherics in the outer ukg realm.
- A1: The Good Vibes Intro
- A2: Penthouse Elevators
- A3: Nature At Work
- A4: Jungle Developments
- A5: Ice Cold Coolers
- A6: Bounce Keepers
- A7: Another Two4
- A8: Smoked Cookouts
- A9: Bands Jukes
- B1: The Bad Vibes Intro
- B2: Intended Mayhem
- B3: Leeches
- B4: Dgf
- B5: Short Tempers
- B6: Problems And Solvers
- B7: Dead Ringers
- B8: Angry Cosmos
- B9: Unbeautiful
Following in the footsteps of his famed brother Madlib, Oh No has become one of the most celebrated independent hip-hop artists of the 21st century. His storied career has included not only rap success but an impressive resume behind the boards, with production credits for Mos Def, Freddie Gibbs, De La Soul, Action Bronson, Talib Kweli, Ab-Soul, and more. An innovator in the art of sampling with a history of exploring diverse source material, Oh No is now back with Good Vibes / Bad Vibes, a new instrumental album deconstructing the work of iconic vibraphonist Roy Ayers. A split collection with two thematically distinct halves, the album is entirely constructed from the early, jazz-centric realm of the Ayers archive. Good Vibes is "light and vibrant, with colorful layers radiating under the sun shine,” Oh No explains, while Bad Vibes contains “dark murky atmospheric tones for the angry moments, those times when it’s necessary to step in the mud.”
- 1: Intro (Looped Rolo)
- 2: Changer Loop
- 3: Sa-Loon Loop
- 4: Heavy Smoke
- 5: Lost In Loop
- 6: Mango Punch Loop
- 7: Loops Are Forever
- 8: Rare Gemz Loop
- 9: Hong Kong Loop
- 10: Bossa Loop
- 11: Boog Vs Synth Loop
- 12: Out Of Stylee Loop
- 13: Mind Alterd Loop
- 14: Birds And Trees Loop
- 15: Loner Loops
- 16: No Label Loop, Hi Voltage Loop
Head of the Lo-Fi movement with the SP-404
-In 2006 he dropped the first SP404 kung fu inspired beat tape under the alias 5 ELEMENT NINJA Beatjitzu vol 1. Since then he has garnered a cult following of SP404 kung fu inspired producers and sparked a genre. He is the forefather of said style and has numerous beat tapes under various aliases such as 5 Element Ninja, Lords of da LO FI, GODZ of WuTang, MAZINGA Z, JIM KELLY and of course Bruce Li. -He has worked with Killarmy featuring Cappadonna of the WU TANG CLAN and others. He has complete production credit on albums with LONE NINJA, Recognize Ali and Verbal Kent(Dueling Experts) and lastly CLEVER 1 of DA BUZE BRUVAZ. -Also he has appeared on albums with credits alongside Hop hop royalty RZA, True Master, 4th Disciple and legendary PETE ROCK. Lord Beatjitzu presents 420, a densely packed album that captures the same sense of euphoria and paranoia one can gain from an extensive and smoky 4/20 celebration. He has crafted a soundtrack with loops upon loops of smoked-out loops. Sort of like the smoke rings that used to emanate from Cheech and Chong having one of their notorious sessions. Adding on to his varied discography, this fits more in line with the varied sample chops of his celebrated Mazinga moniker. Intricately woven to provide the perfect soundtrack for 4/20 and any other day or night that you have a moment to kick back and enter another zone. Lord Beatjitzu is a beatmaker originally from Mexico City D.F. who stays studying and constantly honing his craft. Extremely reclusive and low key, he is known strictly through sparse collaborations and various beat tapes which he has put out starting in 2006. He has put out over 100 beat tapes and collaborations under an innumerable amount of known and unknown aliases.
Paxico Records is pleased to present Forgot About Her, the latest release by LA-based beat maker and producer Sleepyeyes.
“The record retains Sleepy’s trademark smoked out atmosphere but re-contextualizes it for the dance floor in a way that is wholly unique, but also brings to mind burgeoning lo-fi house contemporaries such as DJ Seinfeld, Ross From Friends, and Baltra.” –Earmilk
The results are something staunchly authentic. The recordings on Forgot About Her are honest and intimate as if sent from an old friend. Soft vignettes capture the emotional aftermath of separation. Eagerly alone, Sleepyeyes embraces his sound to hold the hazy memories one may feel from heartbreak’s closure. Its magnetic charm pulls us into a space where flaws become strengths and suffering becomes beauty. The site-specific titles and intimate home-recordings form its compelling and transformative qualities.
With Forgot About Her, Sleepyeyes shares the weight of letting go. It’s a slow-burning process pushed and pulled by tension and release, a movement for moving on.
-4 Songs from Upcoming Albums. -Pressed at 45 RPM for High Fidelity. -Strictly limited to 150 copies. Top 4 features four songs from four forthcoming LP's on the Cold Busted label. To start the series off we have beats from label favorites Sim Nagai, Mister T., and Emapea plus two artists who were recently signed to the label: Goodge and MichRyc. Sim's latest album, Equator Hotline, features exotica-fueled beatscapes and transportive vibes. The equator itself is breached on "Deep in the Rainforest" as busy percussion playfully accompanies the downtempo drum beat. Goodge's jazz-funk dreamscape is sonically interpreted through the grooves in tracks like "Heart of the City" from the forthcoming album Echoes of Yesteryear. Here, cool electric piano keys, a snazzy saxophone, and scratchy guitar are buoyed by an uptempo drum track that transmits a cool inner city feel. MichRyc's friend Emapea helps out with "Monkeys in the Jungle," from Under the Surface, a deep instrumental hip hop cut that almost sounds influenced by Saharan guitar bands like Mdou Moctar. Mister T. returns to Cold Busted with Synchronized Roots, another fantastic album encompassing the many styles of the prolific producer. "Looking Above" continues on a dubby tip, delivering a more heady and smoked-out feel. Each record is limited and pressed at 45 RPM with two tracks on each side for maximum fidelity.
Ahem is a new project from Housecraft Recordings head Jeffry Astin (aka Xiphiidae, Digital Natives) along with co-conspirators J.P. Wright and Brian Kinkade. Recommended for fans of smoked out dub-bient and deep Appalachian drones.
-Cover art by Joe Roberts (LSD Worldpeace)
-Housecraft Recordings has been active as a cult favorite ambient/tape label for ~20 years now.
Quotes and reactions:
-“Jeffry Astin was the Dominique Wilkins of the early 2000s tape scene” -Tabs Out Podcast (episode #92)
-“Honestly too fire” -Ian Kim Judd (Fifth World/NTS)
-“Great record!” -Hank Jackson (Anno Records)
-“Super nice” -Jacob Gorchov (Palto Flats)
-“Massive” -Eli Libman (Quiet Time Tapes)
“This is for the family,” Abe Linx says. “It’s not really about who doesn’t love us, it’s about those that do. The ones we motivate and inspire. It’s for those people.” The World Famous La Familia Forever is the powerful sophomore effort from Abe Linx & Tully C., two incredibly gifted emcees who have crafted a contender for the best release of 2022. Across this EP’s 10 tracks, the Indianapolis-repping duo showcase their worldview, dig into their personal histories, and firmly plant themselves on the hip-hop map. And as Abe Linx spits on the stunning track “WORLDWIDE”: “Who the f*ck gon’ tell me different?” In addition to the passion of Abe Linx & Tully C. and their collaborators, TWFLFF stands on its own because it is just so sonically engaging. The production is equally crunchy and fascinating, because it flirts with sounds crafted by legends without sounding dated. This is timeless, raw hip-hop helmed by two talented rappers and their favorite producers like Nomstks & AWSME J, as well as longtime collaborators Baleboy Geechie & DJ GB.
You can tell that Abe & Tully took their time with these songs, meticulously piecing them together in the two years since their previous release. Each cut moves seamlessly into the next, bringing that special kind of cohesion. Just listen to how “RABIES” moves into “400MPH (skit)” and then “SKYSCRAPER,” a brilliant slice of showin’-out rap elegance. While there are only three guest features on the project, they’re used to great effect and make as much of an impact as their hosts. Planet Asia stomps all over the aptly titled “SHOWOFF,” while Willie The Kid complements the smoked-out vibes of “CHANDELIER.” And when Bub Rock shows up on “RABIES”? It’s a wrap as soon as he hops on that piano-laced, dusty instrumental. TWFLFF is a mission statement, with pieces that also sound like a word of warning to anyone looking at these two sideways. Or, as Tully C. raps so perfectly on “CHANDELIER”: “I be in this b*tch, with my clique/ So don’t act stupid.” The World Famous La Familia Forever drops on vinyl right in time for the holidays through their recent partnership with Fat Beats.
Do you like the Elton Chron? Its the best green I’ve ever smoked man! Put it on the turntable, sink into the couch, and let the warm fuzzies begin. Jad & The’s ‘Elton Chron’ brings the warm, happy, feel good trip into the living room/club/bar mitzvah. A green dream within the smoke gleam its stoner paradise baby and its available soon.
Stygian Dark, the purveyors of dirty, down-tuned,
old school death metal, release their debut fulllength album, ‘Gorelords Of War’.
The band was created by vocalist Dave Ingram
(Benediction, Bolt Thrower) and guitarist Rogga
Johansson (Paganizer, Massacre, Heir Corpse
One, Revolting, To The Gallows). The line-up is
completed by Alwin Roes (Dead End) on bass and
Jon Rudin (Wombbath, Just Before Dawn, Dead
Sun, Wormveil) on drums.
For fans of Benediction, Grave, Asphyx, Obituary,
Six Feet Under, Dismember, Gorefest, Bolt
Thrower.
Now available as three different coloured vinyl
editions: clear smoked grey, marbled grey and
marbled red
Stygian Dark, the purveyors of dirty, down-tuned,
old school death metal, release their debut fulllength album, ‘Gorelords Of War’.
The band was created by vocalist Dave Ingram
(Benediction, Bolt Thrower) and guitarist Rogga
Johansson (Paganizer, Massacre, Heir Corpse
One, Revolting, To The Gallows). The line-up is
completed by Alwin Roes (Dead End) on bass and
Jon Rudin (Wombbath, Just Before Dawn, Dead
Sun, Wormveil) on drums.
For fans of Benediction, Grave, Asphyx, Obituary,
Six Feet Under, Dismember, Gorefest, Bolt
Thrower.
Now available as three different coloured vinyl
editions: clear smoked grey, marbled grey and
marbled red
Stygian Dark, the purveyors of dirty, down-tuned,
old school death metal, release their debut fulllength album, ‘Gorelords Of War’.
The band was created by vocalist Dave Ingram
(Benediction, Bolt Thrower) and guitarist Rogga
Johansson (Paganizer, Massacre, Heir Corpse
One, Revolting, To The Gallows). The line-up is
completed by Alwin Roes (Dead End) on bass and
Jon Rudin (Wombbath, Just Before Dawn, Dead
Sun, Wormveil) on drums.
For fans of Benediction, Grave, Asphyx, Obituary,
Six Feet Under, Dismember, Gorefest, Bolt
Thrower.
Now available as three different coloured vinyl
editions: clear smoked grey, marbled grey and
marbled red
Add color, reframe, follow the prism, head to the beach. Not sure we’d ever be talking about Grotto Terrazza, the Munich based art/music/life project of Thomas Schamann, in these terms, but here we are, adjusting to his ever evolving collage of life in the form of his new album ‘Kalte Köstlichkeiten’, an ecstatic uptempo, punchy mitteleuropa celebration of punks in the city.
If his 2019 debut ‘Stumpfer Gegenstand’ (also co-released by Cut Surface and Maple Death) introduced us to Grotto Terrazza’s beautiful intimate translucent dark beat poetry set over art-punk ritmik, foggy nightclubs and musk-induced industrial malaise, Kalte Köstlichkeiten sets the record straight by adding a whole new dimension. Cold Delicacies (the literal translation) delivers so much more, 12 melting popsicles that furiously jump from dancefloor post-punk, brazen EBM, funk sleaze and smoked out cold-wave.
With a smooth-as-butter flow, an entrancingly deep vocal tone, and an exceptional ear for production, Big Cheeko is one of the most exciting emcees to emerge from Atlanta in recent memory.
After several outstanding mixtapes and a number of high-profile collaborations, the talented artist is now unveiling his commercial debut "Block Barry White". The album is a smoked-out masterpiece, capturing the full reach of Big Cheeko’s creative firepower, and is executive produced by hip-hop folk hero Mach-Hommy. Throughout the collection, Big Cheeko's powerfully authentic rhymes are accompanied by slow-burning, soul-influenced production and hard-hitting percussion, with all beats provided by Matic Lee, an acclaimed producer who has worked with the likes of Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, Rittz, Jarren Benton, and more. Sure to blast out of trunks far and wide, "Block Barry White" features appearances by Mach-Hommy, Smoke DZA, Styles P, and Devin The Dude.
Restock soon..!
London underground sound meets south German dopehouse science: Shuffling Grooves, deep chords and the little extra spice of bigbait flavour - that's the Stoney Clouds EP. On this groundbreaking 4-tracker we introduce London- based producer Chocky, supported by Big Bait stalwarts de:pot and Scherbe.
Stoney Clouds - About the Record
The Stoney Clouds Ep is unfolding a wide span of warm and soulful electronic dance music, again beautifully boxed by our in-house visual-arts-mastermind Marek Slipek!
Go Bananas Original
The opener of this wonderful EP immediately sets the record straight, with smooth as silk drum-patterns rolling around an obscure vocal sample over dirty state-of-the-art-jazzloops. With these ingredients, mastermind Chocky unfolds his unique world of shuffle-laden hyperspace-house, fizzling and wonking every floor to great extent!
Go Bananas Scherbe Remix
Dresden-resident and long-time bigbait collaborator Scherbe takes control of the remix. In his highly significant Slowhouse-style, he turns the original into a lightfoot dancefloor bomb with trademark MPC-grooves slowly pioneering the way for this huge and wet clap, that's bursting every club speaker into pieces. After the break a sparkling synth arpeggio comes in, abducting the dancer into unknown yet addictive discoid heights.
Stoney Clouds Original
Straight forward from the beginning, the title track of this EP opens dj-friendly with huge kicks and jazzy hihat patterns. In an unbelievably smooth stop-and-go manner, a deep bassline pairs itself with an almost sucked-out clap compressing everything into an amalgam of UK-history-laden deephouse funk for every smoked out latenight workout.
Stoney Clouds de:pot Remix
Last but not least we have de:pot, the crazy beat-wizard from Gera. His remix doesn't even bother to stay close to the original. Instead, inscrutable, de- quantized patterns wipe over deconstructed sample melodies twisted with his highly educated trademark sound to a completely new definition of German dopehouse science. This one is for the sophisticated headphone connoisseur who likes his b2 sides slow and dirrrty!
LIMITED TO 500 COPIES // HIGH-QUALITY TIP-ON COVER // INCL. DOWNLOAD CODE
OFFICIAL RE-ISSUE, DONE IN COOPERATION WITH THE FAMILY OF BOBBY COLE !!!
If you lived in New York during the 1950s through the 1990s and liked jazz, you knew about Bobby Cole. He played piano, sang, composed, arranged and, in 1967, released an album of original compositions titled "A Point of View" (Concentric Records). He had fans but avoided becoming mainstream. He stayed contemporary without becoming current. Jazz, folk, rock, modern dance scores…he wrote and performed them all. He smoked too much, drugged too much, drank too much. He was also cerebral, curious, a prodigious reader of poetry, philosophy, theology, and an uncommonly intelligent and literate lyricist.
On a December night in 1996, he had a heart attack while walking to work. An ambulance brought him to New York Hospital where, a few hours later, he died. Bobby Cole performed throughout Manhattan for forty years, but he spent most of the 1960s headlining at Jilly's, the midtown bistro owned by Frank Sinatra and his friend Jilly Rizzo. Sinatra called Bobby "my favorite saloon singer."
Bobby Cole caught the attention of Judy Garland, who visited Jilly's one night in 1964. She was hosting a weekly television show, and in the midst of a feud with her special materials arranger, Mel Torme. Three weeks later, Mel was out, and Bobby was in. He performed on Judy's show with his Trio. Bobby was scarcely 30 years old and it was his first time on television, but he was unruffled, sophisticated, and so damn cool. After Judy's show ended, Bobby occasionally arranged and conducted for her until she died.
Today, Jilly's is called the Russian Samovar and the piano is in the same spot. My husband and I ate there a few years ago. As we enjoyed our meal, I talked about Jilly's in the Sinatra era. Jilly had an apartment on the upper floor. I pointed up to the apartment and the balcony, where Jilly and Frank would sometimes drop water-balloons on unsuspecting pedestrians below. Another story described Jilly's as "tough, and you had to be tough to work there. Bobby Cole was tough. Frank and Jilly used to throw firecrackers at him to see if they could rattle him, but nothing rattled Bobby Cole. He ignored them and kept on playing." In the 1980s, Bobby headlined at a club called the Café Versailles. His daughter sometimes visited with her friends. She recalled that when she and her father would exit the club after work, a panhandler would be waiting for him. Bobby, who fought his own losing battle with the bottle, would slip the guy twenty dollars and wryly admonish him, "Be sure not to spend it on food." The night my husband and I visited the Russian Samovar there was a guy playing piano there, very young, and trying hard. I talked to him a little bit between his numbers about Bobby and the history of Jilly's and he was sweet, but I could tell he didn't care. I felt like one of those old people who bore young people to death with stories about things that happened before they were born – which, let's face it, is what I was. Nonetheless, when we were ready to leave, I put twenty dollars in his tip jar and said, "This is with compliments from Bobby Cole." After we left my husband said I should have added, "Be sure not to spend it on food."
Marie Hegeman (December 2021)
Clear Smoked Vinyl
"As a child of the 80s a highlight of Saturday morning TV was an episode of Transformers. My first attempts at sampling and music production was sampling the 1986 movie on my Amiga 500. Then last year during lockdown I decided to dig out the samples and have another bash and ended up with two tracks which I thought were pretty cool... and here we are!"
- Soul Intent
El Michels Affair follows up the massive success of their full length Yeti Season with The Abominable EP. A collection of unreleased tracks, alternate takes, and instrumentals from the Yeti Season recording sessions. EMA's blending their signature cinematic soul sound with influences from Turkis Funk and the grittiest of Bollywood soundtracks yielded an instant classic The Fader calls "a carnival of dusty funk and soul". The EP starts off with the unreleased gem "Messy Grass" whose synth intro, peppered with distant yeti cries, gives way to a tremendous backing track that Tamer Pinarbasi's Qanun dances over. On "Cham Cham" EMA invites Piya Malik to the microphone again to share her styled storytelling vocals over the instrumental track from Yeti Season's "Perfect Harmony". Where some of the tunes on the EP have vocals added, some of them have them removed letting the band take center stage; "Poison Song", "Uncut Gem", "Smoked", and "Progress" are all instrumental here giving them a wholly different energy than the vocal versions. The EP is being released with two different covers, each one has two paintings from different Ghanaian mobile cinema artists commissioned through Chicago's Deadly Prey Gallery and are interpretations of the original album artwork. One version is paintings by Stoger and Heavy J, who also contributed cover paintings to the Return To The 37th Chamber album. The other version of the cover is two paintings by Teshie and Farkira.
El Michels Affair follows up the massive success of their full length Yeti Season with The Abominable EP. A collection of unreleased tracks, alternate takes, and instrumentals from the Yeti Season recording sessions. EMA's blending their signature cinematic soul sound with influences from Turkis Funk and the grittiest of Bollywood soundtracks yielded an instant classic The Fader calls "a carnival of dusty funk and soul". The EP starts off with the unreleased gem "Messy Grass" whose synth intro, peppered with distant yeti cries, gives way to a tremendous backing track that Tamer Pinarbasi's Qanun dances over. On "Cham Cham" EMA invites Piya Malik to the microphone again to share her styled storytelling vocals over the instrumental track from Yeti Season's "Perfect Harmony". Where some of the tunes on the EP have vocals added, some of them have them removed letting the band take center stage; "Poison Song", "Uncut Gem", "Smoked", and "Progress" are all instrumental here giving them a wholly different energy than the vocal versions. The EP is being released with two different covers, each one has two paintings from different Ghanaian mobile cinema artists commissioned through Chicago's Deadly Prey Gallery and are interpretations of the original album artwork. One version is paintings by Stoger and Heavy J, who also contributed cover paintings to the Return To The 37th Chamber album. The other version of the cover is two paintings by Teshie and Farkira.
Green Vinyl
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the Spice Girls smoked crack and joined forces with the Power Rangers on acid? Meet BĘÃTFÓØT. These punk-infused electronic poltergeists and big-beat acid trio are Udi Naor, drummer and founding member of electronic duo Red Axes, Adi Bronicki (who also fronts Israeli garage-punk-folk band Deaf Chonky) and ace of all trades guitarist Nimrod Goldfarb.
The band have been launching warped stoner-acid-pop out of Tel Aviv with maniacal intent and are producing post-punk rave bangers that will scorch every dance floor with a huge lethal smile. BĘÃTFÓØT
are a DIY supergroup who describe themselves as sitting somewhere between Aqua, Beastie Boys and The Prodigy.
Their music endeavours feel akin to being hurtled through a kaleidoscopic waterslide, overflowing with the spirit of 90’s youth culture. The radioactive trio are DJ’s, musicians, songwriters and producers with a diverse range of individual projects and talents, their combined sonics map your journey across the hazy astral spectrum of hip-hop, big beat and rave music. Morph these radioactive pieces with the no New Release Informationnonsense attitude of punk-rock and the venomous spitting flow of golden-era rap and you might just come close to fabricating the freakish sound of BĘÃTFÓØT.
The band’s self-titled debut is set for release on 17th September on Manfredi Romano aka DJ Tennis’ Life and Death. Founded in 2010, the imprint curates soulful dance music with a post-rock aesthetic.
This refreshingly original and experimental LP from BĘÃTFÓØT marks a new direction for Life and Death this year and beyond.
“BĘÃTFÓØT” takes unsuspecting listeners on a wild ride of unprecedented musical madness (firmly without seatbelts). Fizzy synthesiser programming stimulates you effervescently through the album like the welcomed sting of sour sweets, surprising accompaniments appear in the form of manipulated vocal lines and quirky samples, all jovially mixed together in a gummy melting pot of wild conceptualisation and starry eyed rhythms.
Thirteen tracks of unprecedented dancefloor mutations send us triumphantly into the candy-covered kingdom of BĘÃTFÓØT with open arms and infinite imagery of fanciful gutter-glam escapades. This project fulfills the role of a musical bulldozer, flattening all previous conceptions of what it means to belong to a genre and leaving behind a hot mess trail of anarchic musical fragments in its wake. The undying spirit of the nineties.
With fans that include legendary Irish born singer, songwriter and producer Roisin Murphy, BĘÃTFÓØT are a breath of fresh air set to be igniting dancefloors this summer.
Thalia Zedek is an artist of immutable stature and
unceasing vitality. The legendary songwriter’s fiery voice
and frank lyricism give her songs emotional potency and
stark beauty. Zedek is able to distill complex events into
simple, clear and, at times, monumentally weighty
moments with a singular grace. Through ballads or bluster,
Zedek imbues her music with unguarded honesty. ‘Perfect
Vision’ examines the anxiety and pain of rising divisions
between people both physical and ideological. Zedek
transmutes fervour and resilience into sobering laments,
while her lush arrangements wrap the listener in an often
complex emotional message.
‘Perfect Vision’ follows the 2018 ‘Fighting Season’, created
in the midst of growing tensions across the US. On
‘Fighting Season’ Zedek sought resistance, where on
‘Perfect Vision’ she searches for clarity during a time of
exponential isolation and doubt. Every challenge and
sadness Zedek forces us to see is met in equal measure
by her defiant guitar and dissenting voice, a torch
illuminating a path for the listener to navigate through the
darkness.
Features Winston Braman, Gavin McCarthy (E, Karate)
and guests Brian Carpenter (Beat Circus, Ghost Train
Orchestra), Alison Chesley (Helen Money), David Michael
Curry (Boxhead Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex Music
Ensemble, Willard Grant Conspiracy), Mel Lederman
(Victory at Sea) and Karen Sarkisian.
CD in gatefold packaging with lyrics. LP in full colour jacket
and inner sleeve with lyrics. Vinyl packaged with digital
download card.
The '2Kings EP' is the debut release from Ash and Jay Shah, two brothers based in London. The record has come out on their newly formed '506' label via Kudos Records. Having produced for various MC's and vocalists in the past, this is the first time the brothers have teamed up to release something under their own '2Kings' alias.
Drawing on influences from the styles of producers such as Madlib, J Dilla and The Alchemist, the record blends obscure soul and jazz infused samples with incisive vocals to take the listener on an introspective journey across 6 tracks.
”Papered Up” and "Dark Corners" shows the pair team up with Detroit legend Guilty Simpson and LA wordsmith Blu over two soul-smoked instrumentals, with both MCs lacing up to provide hard-hitting verses. Guilty's gritty personal narrative of the daily struggles of living in the D is wonderfully counterbalanced by the spaced out, string-lead production; whilst Blu takes a more positive approach, his intricate west-coast flow interrupted only by the pitched-up vocal hook of the sample.
"Last Time", perhaps the standout song on the EP, is a rich, experimental piece of neo-soul embellished by gorgeous guitar riffs from Oscar Jerome (who has released on both Universal Records and Giles Peterson's Brownswood Records) and the velvet smooth tones of rising vocalist Douniah (signed to german based hip hop label Melting Pot Music).
Since the digital release, the EP has received widespread acclaim, with support from Tom Ravenscroft, Huey Morgan, Giles Peterson and Alexander Nut, to name a few. The brothers have been repeatedly championed by Jamie Groovement / Agent J (head music editor of Bonafide Magazine) having recently appeared on his Groovement Show on Reform Radio, and "Last Time" was also featured on Spotify's 'Fresh Finds' and 'Fresh Finds: The Wave' playlists.
The '2Kings EP' is definitely one to watch out for.
WOLF Music welcomes Amsterdam’s Retromigration to the family with a five-track summertime sizzler, ready-made for hazy parkside sunsets and beach jaunts alike.
Hotly tipped and rarely skipped, Retromigration has been lighting up the scene with a string of killer releases over the past 18 months on labels like Healthy Scratch, Ltd, W/Lbl, GLBDOM and Ravanelli Disco Club.
Flexin’ that signature chopped and looped style across the EP, the A side is a double dose of house joints via ‘Bloom Street’ and ‘Brining It’, the former a bumpin’ New York nodding cut, the latter an synth heavy roller.
Flip it to find a more jazz-tinged affair but with its feet still firmly in the house domain. ‘Free Spirit’ channels a groove that could last forever, with a bass and keys combo that riffs away any creeping anxieties, before Arthur Dudley joins for ‘One Night With Colin’ a late night, smoked out, jazz joint trip.
‘Slick Walkin’' closes out the EP – a lesson in how to make samples dance any which way you want them to, as piano melodies flicker over a double nice bassline and tasty synth touches.
‘Soul Calibre’ from Sydney beatmaker Kase Avila is a collection of late night down tempo groovers, low slung boom bap beats and smoked out hazy head nod hip-hop and soul.
Kase Avila is an Australian-Fillipino DJ, producer and all round creative from Sydney, Australia. Packed full of depth, diversity and musicality, this one is for early doors or end of sets at the club, back to mine sessions, sunrises, sunsets, headphone trips, all seasons and basically any time you want to elevate your soul and feel good.
O$VMV$M the Bristol based production duo of Amos Childs (Jabu) and Sam Barrett (Kahn & Neek) have traditionally dealt in hazy, smoked out vignettes - seen across release for Idle Hands, No Corner and most recently providing music for the Manonmars LP.
Where the duos previous work has explored ideas in short bursts which capture you then fades away; IDLE063 takes their sound into unexplored directions and shows an evolution in their output. By extending their ideas into long form tracks within the traditional lineage of bristol soundsystem culture and combining it with their unique ear for sampling Phase 4 / Witch brings O$VMV$M's into a territory which shows how wide their sound can truly reach
Philadelphian multi-instrumentalist, producer and engineer SWARVY makes his solo debut on Kamaal Williams's imprint Black Focus with a stunning new EP entitled ‘Sunny Days Blue’, his first release as
the primary vocalist.
Smoked-out sound beds and lofi guitars sit gently with SWARVY’s voice, creating a juxtaposition of melancholic, yet sweet, melodies that loop in your mind’s ear long after the record stops spinning.
‘Bones’ opens with a stripped back rhythm section and existential observations referencing the human condition of overthinking, a recurring theme throughout the EP. ‘Cool’, ‘No Compute’ and ‘Smile’
subtly infuse jazz, funk and hip hop elements, while ‘New Moon’ plays out as a low slung hypnotic hymn echoing gracefully into the record’s closer ‘Ginger’ - a meditative ambient spiritual for solo piano.
Since relocating to Los Angeles in 2015, SWARVY produced a variety of records via DJ House Shoes’ Street Corner Music, Leaving Records and Fresh Selects. His writing and engineering credits extend to dozens of tracks by artists such as Maxo, Earl Sweatshirt, Nia Andrews, Mndsgn, Liv.e and the late, legendary Tony Allen.
Green vinyl includes digital download card.
- A1: Tape Seq 17
- A2: Codertrax Seq.x
- A3: E H. 5000 Pulse
- B1: Alpha 1 1 Copy
- B2: Future Love-Ec-280 Seq 09
- B3: Drumtraks-Spacetip
- B4: The Mechine's Frequency Memory
- C1: Slowon Edit 02
- C2: Esq-1-Cr8000 (Guitar Mix)
- C3: Cs1-Effectrons
- D1: Rds3600-565 Filter Beat 1
- D2: Madd-Init Edit
- D3: Madd 04-Daruma Mix
- D4: Slowon X-Edit
Across two 12" slabs come long buried vignettes, motorik experiments and sketches from deep within the SVN archives. A continuation from his previous EP of the same name (c. 2017), this latest collection's smoked-out ambience, skeletal stuttering rhythmic workouts and smudged stoned melodies are some of the myriad parts that make up this most mysterious 'Mechine'.
Recorded at the now infamous Neues Deutschland Studio in Berlin, this collection of tracks continues the unique sonic explorations that SVN is known for and has deftly showcased through various respected electronic outlets including Apollo, Acido, Sex Tags Mania and more. An essential collection of DIY and contemporary German electronics.
Saturday Night is the debut LP by old friends and collaborators Alex Twomey, Matthew Sullivan, and Sean McCann. Recorded over numerous evenings at the artists’ homes, and completed just before the birth of Matthew’s daughter, Flora. The album became an excuse to spend time with one another as well as perform. As the trio ordered take-out, drank scotch, smoked on patios, laughing off the weight of reality–they stumbled into moments of musical focus.
This album has a prism of fidelities. High and low resolutions press together as the environment blows through the instruments. The woozy, side-long titular track of hesitant cello and pianos opens the record. Quiet music with blemishes and inebriated pauses, breathing an alleviated air. Phrases with failing propellers, teetering between melodic and apathetic. The true speed of their Saturday nights.
Side two opens with “London On My Mind.” Reflecting the other pole, manic cassette treatments duel over Twomey’s placid keyboard, ultimately breaking into a little joke on the piano. “Collection” features guitar by Sullivan, remembered for his thick fog of work under the alias Earn. With Sullivan’s return to the instrument, he is joined by Twomey on upright piano and McCann processing the room in real-time. The brief final work, “Bird,” recalls the style of the group's private press cassettes, The Bird and Charlotte’s Office: poorly-played pleasant-hearted music.
Each edition of the record includes a 20-page photo booklet of stills documenting the recording process.
Clear Smoked Vinyl
180 gram clear with smoke vinyl w/download card.
In sharp contrast to McCagh's commercial work for Huawei, Acura, and Volkswa-gen, "Altered States" is a detailed opening statement of experi-mental aural vignettes by an artist that has clearly spent the time to master his craft. Digitally manipulated acoustic instruments form the backbone for McCagh's wall-of-sound aesthetic painting pictures of bleak futures where the tracks dance, or more aptly, shiver their way to sharp collapse.
In short, McCagh makes ambient music with teeth. A form of experimental music with soul, or faded formation of industrialized machine music shrouded by layers of aural gauze, each piece emotively twist-ing and turning in and out of focus. "Altered States" is a brilliant inaugural proclamation from artist to watch.
Clearlight brings his wonderfully tripped out production wizardry to Foundation Audio for a 3 track journey into the void!
Clearlight has always stood out from the crowd and pushed boundaries with his unique take on the genre. It sounds like dubstep swallowed a bottle of LSD… or smoked some DMT… There’s no point going into detailed track summary as it won’t do the music justice, - just sit back, spark one up and get sucked into another dimension.
2x12"
The first LP from Scorn since 2010’s Refuse; Start Fires, Cafe Mor is Mick Harris in his happy place. Which just happens to be in studio, demolishing all standards and rules for electronic bass music, and embodying the darkest, deepest sound in dub. Cafe Mor takes risks outside of the conventional Scorn apparatus, and with these risks come substantial rewards.
The album is comprised of powerful dub excursions, from the deep dark dank of the front two tracks Elephant and The Lower The Middle Our Bit, and gaining steam towards the ultraviolence of Mugwump Tea Room to Never Let It Be Said to the CRUSHING DEATH KICK of Who Are They Which One. A quick drive under the lights with a lasered out snare on Dulce, then we come across the appearance from Sleaford Mods frontman, Jason Williamson, on the standout track on the LP, “Talk Whiff”. A cruise around the Midlands sighting the Broke Fridge and Tinder Surprise, with an instant classic refrain:
“Talk Whiff // I’m a busy person // I’ve had enough of it”
Cafe Mor culminates in the all-in-one dub affair SA70, letting rip all the new mixer and fx techniques of Harris’ most recent incarnation of Scorn. The album is the official soundtrack for all smoked out backroom deals, situations and arrangments, cancelling all small tours, and mongoose rhinocharging the bass to level 24.
All tracks Created and Mixed by MJ Harris in the Lad’s Old Room
B14 Mastered by Daniele Antezza for Dadub Mastering Studio
Artwork, Layout by MachineTM
Lock up your 303s, Roy Of The Ravers is back with a brand spanking new album and it's quite possibly his strongest and wrongest to date! Following a limited run cassette version of the album, Who Are Ya lands on gatefold vinyl and spans 10 tracks and nearly 60 minutes of top quality turns, which sees our star player's BPM rising up into tougher, more hardcore-esque territory (Supremacy Acid, Roy Shat Over Ref) Who Are Ya also takes in some seriously smoked-out, slow-mo squelchers (Phaelon Acid 4, The Box) essentially making it a game of 2 halves (no mid tempo tracks allowed - ok??!) Through-out all of the album's giddy twists and turns however, it's Roy's trademark 303 constantly on the boil that crowns him man of the match, as he dribbles it skilfully from in and out of the mix, making him top of the league for acid once again. Hoorar!!
- A1: Rainbow Deux (6 57)
- A2: Let Love In (6 14)
- A3: Sigh (4 08)
- B1: The Darkest Night (7 32)
- B2: Surrender Now (6 08)
- B3: Summer Is Her Name (4 37)
- C1: Are You Ready (3 18)
- C2: Streets (Keep Me Runnin’) (7 00)
- C3: Samba Dreams (3 20)
- D1: Let’s Go Deep (5 27)
- D2: We Should Be Laughin’ (3 45)
- D3: Wishful Thinking (4 00)
TThe melodically adventurous soul of Leon Ware continues its expression in his final opus Rainbow Deux, released on double vinyl on September 13th. The album features new songs recorded and performed by Leon before his health turned, leading to his transition on February 23rd 2017. Co-produced by Taylor Graves, it has stellar musical contributions from the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Ronald Bruner Jr, Rob Bacon and Wayne Linsey.
Taylor Graves came into Leon’s musical family in 2002 when he, his brother Cameron and the Bruner brothers Ronald Jr and Stephen (Thundercat) were playing along with their schoolmate Kamasi at an L.A. jazz club. Taylor, Cameron, Ronald and Stephen became Leon’s band for his debut shows in Japan in 2002 and Taylor continued to work with Leon as his mentor and collaborator over the next 15 years.
“Leon was ALWAYS writing something or developing his musical palette” his wife Carol Ware tells us, so it’s impossible to pinpoint any single moment of Rainbow Deux’s genesis. Six of the songs go back to 2012/2013 and were released in 2014 as part of Sigh, a Japan-only CD collection heavy with Rob Bacon’s tasteful licks and Wayne Linsey’s piano vibes. The rest of the material comes from Leon’s sessions with Taylor.
Describing Leon’s and his process, here’s Taylor: “We’d start by having some great homemade food! Then a glass of wine ‘to slow down time’. After we’d have our fill and smoked our joints we’d go into his studio room to listen and create.”
The album was finished-up around August of 2016 in a back-and-forth between Leon and his go-to mastering engineer Toni Economides in the UK.
Leon worked on Rainbow Deux with life’s greatest challenge looming over him, yet it is one of his most focused and cohesive solo offerings since the 1980s. The entire record is a vibe: mellow, deep and smooth as silk. The lyrical themes are eternal, and the music is elegant, soulful and sensual.
The album opens with the hypnotic throb of “For The Rainbow”, coming on like a percussive, slow-mo house shuffle. Gilles Peterson is a fan. The exotic “Let Love In” follows, with its gradual-build Island Funk, intricate guitar picks and sassy female vocals. It explodes when it hits its stride. “Sigh” is the stylish slow jam close-out to side A. Serene guitars and polished drums create neck snapping funk, with a swaggering finger-snap strut.
Side B opens with the easy-burning broken-beaty “The Darkest Night”, the centrepiece of the album. Kamasi Washington’s lurking sax, restrained and beautiful, unfurls into the dank, sticky atmosphere of Thundercat’s signature creeping bass laid over his brother’s in-the-pocket drums. Leon’s vocals are perfect, a masterclass in seductive sax-soul.
“Surrender Now” conjures waves of vocals to swell and wash over the glossy piano, subtly bumping hip-hop drums and bubbling synth-bass stabs. It’s got the trademark Leon layers. “Summer Is Her Name” has Kamasi’s effortless, melancholic sunshine sax give way to rising tempos and propulsive rhythms.
“Are You Ready” is a total highlight (and we’ve been playing it out for ages). It’s a nimble groove of piano and synth rolling around Theo Croker’s sensual trumpet playing. Digi-soul at its finest. With lush G-Funk sensibilities “Streets (Keep Me Runnin’)” sounds like a lost Dam-Funk produced gem. All tough kicks and snares and street sounds. Leon’s hood pass will be forever intact.
“Samba Dreams” is the first of two tracks that bring a little Rio magic to Rainbow Deux. Leon created a whole body of work in partnership with Brazilian legend Marcos Valle that includes “Rockin’ You Eternally” - a hit for Leon - and “Estrelar” – a hit for Marcos. Leon channels his obvious love of Brazilian music here through more of Croker’s sumptuous trumpet, played over loose percussion. “Let’s Go Deep” is next up. A dreamy between-the-sheets quiet storm anthem and a real showcase for Leon’s vocals.
The dripping, honeyed harp-funk of “We Should Be Laughin’” marks the star turn of the brilliant Kimbra. Leon first met her on-stage to do an impromptu duet of “Inside My Love” during an open-air celebration of Minnie Riperton in July of 2014. Kimbra was working with Taylor on her music and he brought her to Leon’s house to do some writing. This was the result.
Warm synths radiate shuffling samba soul on “Wishful Thinking” as those Brazilian rhythms return to bring Rainbow Deux to a close.
During an apartment move Leon and Carol rediscovered some watercolours Leon had done years ago. One of these paintings had been dubbed “Deux Hearts” and Leon decided it should be on the cover of Rainbow Deux, getting as far as approving a draft concept for the artwork.
Carol has overseen developing that draft into the final gatefold sleeve. It brings together quotes, photographs and tributes in what is a reflection on the music, relationships and philosophy of the sensual minister.
Gerry “the gov” Brown, Leon’s long-time sound engineer, was by his side throughout the project, recording and mixing. The album was mastered by Toni Economides and Simon Francis’ additional sensitive work makes sure this double LP sounds like it should on vinyl.
Be With’s first ever release was Leon’s eponymous LP. Re-issuing that album planted the seed of a relationship that has grown to grant us the privilege of presenting his crowning achievement. We know that Leon’s fans all over the Earth will love Rainbow Deux. But we also hope that this album, the final entry in a phenomenal body of work, will reach new fans and find fresh conduits for the spirit of this oft-unsung hero of Soul.
Leon always said “they will get it when I'm gone.”
He also said that “the spirit never dies”…
The only "lost track" from the same session as Lucky Brown's critically acclaimed "Mesquite Suite", "Sweet Tea (With My Sweetie)" reminds fans of Lucky Brown's trademark deepfunk sound that he and his crew can still ignite a dancefloor - and keep it lit for almost 8 minutes! "Sweet Tea (With My Sweetie)" is a cool, refreshing swig of sweet instrumental soul to enjoy while watching the sun set over the pecan trees of the Texas Hill Country with your lover.
Belly-up to the bar and gitcherself a couple tall frosty glasses of Lucky's trademark production/sound swirled with a heady shot of his backing band The S.G.'s. Your thirst for funk will be quenched by a solid deepfunk 2-sider complete with a Texas barbecued guitar feature up front, and jalapeño spiced trombone to take out side one. Then, on the flip: a smoked-out saxophone solo, some cornbread trumpet, some super sweet vintage organ treats, and finally building energy to a tasty drum and horn break - Lucky's brand of Sweet Tea is good to the last drop!
The Tramp team is extremely proud to have been working with such a genius for so many years and hopefully for many more to come! We want to thank all of you who have supported us in the past - thank you so much!
So, go ahead, mix up some "Sweet Tea" this summer! Your listeners will be bobbing their heads, smiling, and feeling good while they holler out for another tall cool glass of "More Sweet Tea".
Mysterious white label release 'ALFA EP' coming from new kid on the block 'Alfa Cornae'.
This EP is all Italian, recommended listening: cruising through the Tuscany countryside, riding shotgun in a vintage Alfa. If the above is not at hand, then any local nightclub with a decent sound system will do.
Ok so you climb into your Alfa, a thing of beauty, you rev the engine, it sounds like your ex... in a good way.... This is a serious roadster, we're not talking Ford Mondao, we're talking all Italian smooth V8 engine, luxury leather upholstery, the real deal!
You're on your way to the best party in town, driving down the freeway toward Milan, 120 mph, roof down, a virgin Negroni in the passenger seat, casually smoking on a fat Toscano cigar; you're on the way to the biggest discotheque this side of the river Po.
Now you're in a hot tub. You don't know who's it is but it has bubbles. You turn to your right; next to you is Roberto Baggio. You take a big drag on your cigar and smile at him, he responds with a cheeky wink. Next thing you know you're dressed as a goalkeeper and everyone's dancing. Negronis all round, even for the reserves. Everyone is dishing out high fives; there's been one too many cigars smoked. Gerd Janson is dressed as a lama and the crowd is loving it.
- 1: Heartbreak
- 2: Remember
- 3: Love
- 4: (Sigh)
- 5: Bill
- 6: Devils Angels
- 7: Lee
- 8: Danger
- 9: Fail We May Sail We Must
- 10: Love Lost
- 11: Crash Boom Bang
- 12: Boy And Girl
- 13: If
'Sometimes it's hard to say how you feel,' says songwriter-vocalist
Jade Vincent. 'These songs are vulnerable stories for me to tell -
they're things I couldn't say out loud. But I found that I could sing
them. And then I closed my eyes when they would listen.'
Listening to Vincent's songs were her partner - producer/composer
Keefus Ciancia - and DJ and producer/composer David Holmes.
Together, Vincent, Ciancia and Holmes make up Unloved, the musical
project that evolved out of a late-night Hollywood bar in 2015,
releasing a stunning debut album the following spring and this year
crafting the soundtrack to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's acclaimed new
series 'Killing Eve'.
Introduced to Ciancia through soundtrack work, Holmes found
himself invited to DJ one night and to curate other nights at the
Rotary Room. To invite Holmes to DJ is to unleash a kind of whirling
dervish of musical enthusiasm but through those nights the trio
discovered a shared love for 60s girl groups and French pop and film
noir soundtracks, Brigitte Fontaine, Shuggie Otis, George 'Shadow'
Morton, Bruno Nicolai, Lee Hazlewood and Jack Nitzsche, along with
a tremendous desire to work together.
Their debut EP - 'Guilty Of Love' - and the full-length, self-titled
album that followed in the spring of 2016, offered a quite remarkable
thing: a sound at once hauled out of the silty depths of the past and
simultaneously wholly modern. There was the soft hiss of a lo-fidelity
recording - the murky crackle of sample, beats and half-remembered,
long-lost favourite tunes. However, much of the songs' success
belonged to Vincent's sublime voice and lyrics, both possessed of an
aching, rich-smoked tone of loss and love.
Unloved's second album, 'Heartbreak', is about love. The album plays
out each song like a vignette of nothing but love. The songs that rose
up were in some ways surprising, but also felt insistent. 'They're real
feelings and real experiences that I had the guts to finally say, but
always ambiguous, this is very important to me,' she explains, 'and
always about love, one way or another.'
LP pressed on red coloured vinyl with digital download code.
Sharif Laffrey can charm the snake out of any basket. This is his first offering for the ESP Institute. Side A's Tangier is a long drawn-out exercise, an endurance test of the highest order. Over the span of some thirteen minutes, elements bob and weave intermittently and layers overlap haphazardly—the type of exciting dynamic that's born out of restriction—as if putting down a live jam without enough hands to work the console, yet Sharif perseveres. As touch and go as this arrangement may be, there is something that undoubtedly glues it all in place; the combination of his massive rolling 16th-note bassline and his tough-as-nails drumkit is so good that, upon first listen, we spat out our tea and insisted on its release. On side B, Everything Is Nice carries on with loose arrangement, dirty production and layers of inexplicable spoken- word samples (a Sharif calling card by now) but this time we're lead to a melancholy place, the blue comedown to Side A's antagonistic trial. With his ESP Institute debut, Sharif leaves you mentally unhinged, as if you've smoked something interesting and arrived bewildered in some Saharan labyrinth. These two songs will guide you through the medina to score the black meat.
Going Good's first release of 2018 is indeed a very special one.
Cosmic Handshakes sees the pairing of 2 extremely talented Detroit natives - Blair French & Todd Modes - who take elements of Disco, Techno, Jazz, House, Afrobeat, Latin music, Dub and Electronics and filter them through their own unique view of dance music. Steeped in soul, live instrumentation, sampling and analogous alchemical studio processes, French & Modes give us an exhilarating and fresh take on the deepest smoked out, after hours sounds of the city of Detroit.
'In The Mist' is the duo's second release, following on from 2013's 'The Delicate Details', released on the M1 Sessions imprint. The last 2-3 years has seen the pair individually release music on a plethora of varied and esteemed global labels such as FIT Sounds, Claremont 56, Rocksteady Discos and more.
A compelling body of work from front to back, the tracks on 'In The Mist' work perfectly as a self contained home listener, or as we've found, just as well on a darkened dancefloor, leaving the choice up to you, the listener.
Otakhee is a unique and creative musician from South Korea with his own broad musical spectrum. Recognized first with his psychedelic-avantgarde jazz album (Smoked Jazz) released in 2012, he surprised the scene again in 2015 with an abstract hip-hop album, (Psychedelic Weather).
His unique soundscape with elements of minimalism and industrial music along with the veteran emcee M.E.D. created the album's own esthetics, nowhere else to be found.
After the release of (Psychedelic Weather), he expressed his interest in dance music, especially in deep house and techno.
A new piece by Australian artist Tarquin Manek, devised in collaboration with poet Martina Quake of Canvey Island, UK and recorded at M.E.S.S. (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), utilising EMS VCS3, Oberheim OB-Xa and ARP 2600 in combination with cheap, contemporary consumer electronics. It is, to all intents and purposes, a short, cautionary story about love. It is also a folk-tale, a science fiction, a suicide note. Unusually for a long-form spoken word piece, it is immediate in its impact, and lasting in its effect. Our narrator is damaged and unreliable: Quake's voice, digitally processed into a flat, AI affectlessness, conveys this all too well. Is this the vernacular poetry of the Uncanny Valley, or is it just that loss makes robots - numb and listless not-quite-humans - of us all Locks revels in the space between the spontaneous and the programmed (what is a poem if not a programme). It's part Tales Of The Unexpected, part Susan Howe, part Ruth Rendell, part HAL (or Holly). Manek's music is widescreen but understated...a becalmed landscape populated by distant drones, just-out-of-focus field recordings, and phased, minimalistic, Rhodes-style keys. A sort of sombre, lunar jazz. Space-age bachelor pad music, maybe, for a bachelor at the edge of space and the end of his tether. Just as Quake's words are cumulative in their tragedy, so the music grows more agitated and turbulent, at certain points harking back to the smoked-out psycho-acoustics of Manek's 2015 Blackest Ever Black LP, Tarquin Magnet, and his work in F ingers with Samuel Karmel and Carla dal Forno.
Modelisme is proud to welcome the french talented and prolific artist Anaxander we use to
see on labels as Pokerflat, Tasteful Nudes, Quintessential, Local Talk to name a few..
House - Techno moods have no secret for him, and for this 30th release on the label, he
delivers a surprising and solid EP based on House Music mainly.
B1 - « Turn Out » is a great boogie house track, plenty of Disco Funk influences built on a fat
groove with a slight mainstream vocals.
B2 - « Party Track (Midnight In Malmousque Mix) » is an exceptional Slow Deep House
Techno with a slight Soul Electro Funk touch, solid and floating, warm bodies and sunglasses
ready to make dance under early sunrise or smoked club dance floor inside.
A1 - « Party Track (Kai Alce Remix) » remixed by one of Deep House fathers Kai Alce,
NDATL label Boss and author of numerous Eps on Track Mode, Mahogani Music, FXHE,
Deep Explorer.. This superb remix is in classical Deep Chicago House vein, close to some
Glenn Underground works, Jazz Funk influences and subtle grooves.
Already Supported by Jimpster, Ooft, Kelton Prima, Grego G, Jee, Mugwump, Hardrock
Striker, Oyvind Morken, Dj Steef, Jona Saucedo, Michael Zucker, Hydergine, Kriss
Liferecorder, Dawad & Mokic, Virgo Music, La dame Noir & more...
With their debut album on Hamburg's taste making hafendisko, Deo & Z-Man proceed their research in contemporary electronic music beyond stylistic boundaries and present a wide-ranging lucky bag of songs. The Italo-rooted brothers melt influences from modern House music, HipHop, Electronica and even jazzy elements into a fresh and life-affirming total work of art. And here it is in all its glory - 'No Bullshit' . With a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humour and a seemingly endless supply of fresh ideas, Deo & Z-Man might have pulled one of the most creative albums of the year. Effortlessly gliding between wigged out house for the dancefloor, synthy space weirdness, hip-hop infused beats and twisted, smoked-out electro pop - 'No Bull-shit' is a rare thing, a collection of esoteric and eclectic influences that hang together perfectly as a proper album. The boys have long since created their own special vibe through their well received singles, live performances and DJ sets - mixing musical knowledge, party rocking skills and a sense of fun that is all too often lacking these days. Even more rare is to capture that magic in the studio over the course of an album. Yet 'No Bullshit', as the name cheekily suggests, nails it. Listening to the album it's easy to see how Deo & Z-Man cut their teeth with HipHop - tracks like 'Tamastar Santini' (feat Janos), 'Two Blue Bros' and 'YRUAG' reveal a background of beats and rhymes that infuses the whole vibe of the album. Equally at home in the club, recent single 'XTC', 'Chopped Memories' and 'Tales of Love' are lessons in leftfield club dynamics - deep, musical grooves that hint at the brothers' leg
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