quête:smooth

Great follow up of Dolly Dubs 01! Once again Staffan Lindberg is delivering. His nice & smooth 'The Orbit' is a great & optimistic club track that will have the sun shine on any floor, with the mighty Trevino remix adding a slightly rough edge to the original version. But don't let the easy-going fool you! The b-side dives in deeper territories with 'Y2K' that reminds a bit of early Kevin Saunderson works, and 'Feel like dancing', which is a proper sexy house burner for the morning hours. Wonderful & diverse release.

Highly recommended! Enlightened Wax is proud to harbor on the side A
of its fourth chapter all the dirtiness of the legendary DJ Octopus
(Muscle Records) has been. 'The Black Face' is a funky, abrasive,
filthy track and 'Heavy Breathing' is nasty twisted house anthem.
Marieu, the boss of the label showcases on the B side two sci-fi
inspired cuts. 'Talk to me' is a jacking piece of quasar techno,
while 'About You' is a smoother delightful excursion into broken beats
territories. Vinyl Only!

Brother hits the spot with another smooth and dubby 2 tracker on the Soul Rebel imprint. Drenched with reggae vocals and atmospheric effects the A side is built around heavy drum patterns alligned by some deep down bass action. Where the a side contains a more dark and spooky vibe the B side is more of a roller with some late night summer vibes to it.

'Believe" delivers a consummate body of work with which Nicole's considerable abilities in the studio are clear for all to hear. A wide-range of sounds that is sure to appeal to the idiosyncratic tastes of the various sub-sections of electronic music community. Furthermore, it lives up to the high-standards of previous Drumcode long-players and is an engrossing and impressive debut; and one that offers a smooth segue into the next chapter of an already exciting career.

Kicking off with the industrial techno grooves of 'Come And Lay' with the bass-heavy 'Do Your Thing' on the flipside.

okuz Recordings presents 'Fifty Five' a release that displays a wide variety of drum and bass styles by various artists around the globe! Expect the freshes beats from Fokuz residents Command Strange, DJ Clart, Incident, talented newcomers like Soligen, Type-2, Joakuim and rising stars Hybrid Minds, Paul SG, PennyGiles & Mr Joseph.

For the a side of the second part of the vinyl series Mr Joseph & PennyGiles provide us with a soulful roller called 'Give you my heart'. Smooth vibes, heavy delayed trumpet samples and organ cuts make this one a real beauty!

On the flip Command Strange takes things up a notch with 'Time Shift'. Straight up club material right here! A deep bassline, energetic stabs and a catchy lead will definitely turn some heads proving his tunes are an excellent addition to every record bag.

Unxpozd presents the 4th project from Dj Aakmael, 'Aak of Noise EP', giving you a straight up dance floor heater from the start! Up first is 'Just a Track pt 4' for the vocal heads, featuring classic vocal snippets that are sure to heat up any room large or small. 'Lush' is on the more chill side of the groove, giving listeners that warm, deep fuzzy feeling with a hard kick and smooth bass that matches the flow with ease. On the flip, 'Untitled 81' is an old-school style, Aakmael gives us a nostalgic sounding piece of art that also has nice dance floor potential. Closing the project is 'Soul of a Woman', that originally was a vocal track, however, now screwed and chopped as Aakmael decides to share this gem with the world. All tracks once again offers something for the hardcore listener/collector, and of course the DJ's that have a love for classic deep house and vinyl!

Newly established music connection House is OK from Frankfurt and Zagreb is raising the roof with the upcoming We Make Music Vol. 1 release. Get into the party mode with Janis, Oliver Achatz, Homeboy and The Citizen's Band this December. We Make Music opens with JANIS 'Mind Made Up'; a reminder of the early Frankfurt House sound with a scent of the Soylent Green Remixes from the late 90ties. A distorted Techno siren that evolves over a tough and jacking 909 groove and finally leads into blissful deepness. Homeboy, who got some attention with his playful Hypercolour release, brings out the edgier and deeper sound in 'Sedam'; a track based on the elements of classic House, whilst breaking the borders through its arrangement and musical form. The jazzy synth riff that locks to a hypnotic 7/4 groove is what makes this track a quality gem. Previous support on Jimpsters Freerange podcast shall suffice as evidence. The flip-side starts with Oliver Achatz' track: 'It Won't Last'. Oli, being the sentimental one in this joint, proves that House music can work with a very sensual touch. The smooth and warm use of analogue synth lines combined with suggestive vocal samples, are played over a steadily drifting rhythm. This compound, of an almost meditative nature, will provide the perfect atmosphere for early morning club hours. The Citizen's Band, one half of Arto Mwambe, closes the compilation with a remix of Janis' 'Mind Made Up". TCB shows that a track doesn't need much to get the crowd jumping and the party working, by returning the tune to its basic elements and making it a club banger for the 'heads". We Make Music Vol. 1 is only the first out of the three upcoming releases set to shake your solid house ground.

Terror Danjah's second Hyperdub album is 'The Dark Crawler', a well-paced and much more upfront and energetic journey through his musical world than his debut 'Undeniable'. The album revolves around the 'Dark Crawler' theme, a blistering grime track that pops up several times, vocaled by MC's Riko Dan, Mayhem, Deadly and Saf One, and then lastly Trim and Kossie. That's not to say the album is one dimensional or relentless. It's subtley balanced with the 'Dark Crawler' thread of tracks allowing the album to spin off in a web of directions without losing any focus. It's a much more contained body of work, paced to keep the listeners interest. From the 'Dark Crawler' intro into the cartoonish horror soundtrack of 'Mirror's Edge', which tricks you into thinking its just any dubstep tune, before scattering into Terror's signature broken kicks and claps. 'Dark Gremlinz' featuring D.O.K. is a classic peak-era asymmetric grime instrumental. The album then drops down into the 130ish speed of 'Air Max 90' featuring Champion, which builds from a soca-like drum drill stretching the rhythm to the point of collapse with a wonky synth, before concluding on a driving baseline house 4/4. The first 'Dark Crawler' vocal is next, with a ferocious performance from veteran Roll Deep MC Riko Dan, who drops bloodthirsty threats at a breakneck pace. Next, the tempo drops down again to the drunk funk of 'Full Hundred', with criss cross claps and a rasping bassline breaking down into live drumming and tight trap door edits. Things speed up a little again with the intricate 8 bar funky of 'Rum Punch', a hard drum tattoo rolling out over a heavy detuned bassline and intense bleeps. On the second 'Dark Crawler', mic duties are shared by Birmingham MC's Mayhem , Deadly and Saf One. Their hard vocals contrast with lush styled R'n'B of 'You Make Me Feel' featuring Meleka. The album then rolls out into the galloping drums and smooth G-Funk synths of 'Baby Oil'. Trim and Kossie drop the final 'Dark Crawler' vocal, with Trim dropping deadpan threats contesting with Kossie's focussed hysteria. Next up 'Delicately', with Ruby Lee Rider, starts in slow motion R'n'B mood, sweet Rhodes chords drift and bubble up as the track doubles up into dreamy drum and bass with a fluttering tabla keeping the time, and Ruby's tender vocals tempering the pace and aggression. Overall, it's a brilliant exercise in breathless rhythmic arousal. 'Moschino', on the other hand is a darker, chunkier and grimier mirror image to 'Delicately', switching up into a ferocious metallic riffage, before the album closes on an outro of 'Dark Crawler' again. Form, function, energy and talent fuse perfectly over 'The Dark Crawler' s length. Enjoy the ride.

RAWAX IS PROUD TO WELCOME MR. K-ALEXI SHELBY TO THE FAMILY!
Mr. K Alexi Shelby
Like a moth drawn to a flame, there is something utterly infectious about the music of Mr.K Alexi Shelby, better known as K-Alexi one of the founding fathers of house music direct from his home city of Chicago. Since the late 1980s, he has pioneered the true house sound, leading to a DH and production career spanning over 20 years, including collaborations with artists ranging from The Pet Shop Boys to Derrick May and from Larry Heard and Felix da Housecat to Will Smith, as well as gigs across the globe.
An impressionable young teenager, Mr.K Alexi Shelby developed friendships with Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy whilst attending seminal venues like The Warehouse and The Music Box in the mid 1980s. Being here at this embryonic stage of dance music culture, there were no rules or precedents, so K Alexi drew on a rich musical heritage that had seen him grow up in the 70s and 80s listening to Stevie Wonder, Prince, Curtis Mayfield and David Huff. Those roots continue to influence his music to this day.
It was under the moniker Risque III that Essence Of A Dream was released in 1987, firmly establishing the name of Mr.K Alexi Shelby amongst the most prominent of all house producers at the time. Moreover, those early tracks are still recognized to be the quintessential Chicago house sound. The rumbling and dark bass, smooth strings, incredible percussion and the spoken word poetic and erotic lyrical flow became the trademark for classic Chicago house and the template for everything else that followed. To reiterate, there was no template before this. This was the beginning.
This initial success has lead to Mr.K Alexi Shelby working with the leading names across the electronic music world and beyond. Collaborations and remixes for Chicago peers like Mike Dunn, Mr. Lee and Marshall Jefferson merely served as the springboard for Alexi to work with the best in the electronic scene, from Derrick May to Paul Johnson ,Ron Trent Dave Angel to Felix ad House Kat. Furthermore, his talents have also lead to him working with The Pet Shop Boys and Will Smith.
On top of this, his tracks have appeared on compilations by artists varying from Laurent Garnier to DJ Hell, who used It's Me 2010 contribution to the Body Language series for Get Physical Music. Produced under the Club M.C.M. moniker, the 1991 EP It's Me/Club M.C.M. has been a frequent selection for compilations for 20 years and is rightly regarded as a true underground techno classic.

The Cryovac machine is maintained and operated by A. Garcia. The components that make this machine function are the artists that push their creations forward to seal off their own vision of the now. What is preserved is the character of a craft that follows its own path. Cryovac believes sound vibration released from vinyl has the proper disposition to express the true nature of the Cryovac approach, and only selects the best vinyl when manufacturing and inspecting its' product. The Cryovac machine's purpose is to keep an independent view of the Detroit sound.
Jason Garcia is an international D.J., producer, and house music aficionado. His production runs the gambit of genres with a knack for injecting his smooth character into each work. For this effort Garcia has chosen to represent himself with a house style that is truly pimp heroic. Jason Garcia will forever have people in the Detroit underground.

The young Soul Notes imprint is returning to the vinyl front with a new mesmerizing striker by finland based -Deymare-. Slow house music with touches of soul and bouncy rhodes sliding all over this release. This one is a must have for lovers of the deep detroit sound by masters like Rick Wade and Mike Huckaby. Soul Notes shows to be a versatile label to follow up their club banger EP by Adryiano with some smooth deepness like this. Deymare proves to be one of the upcoming greats within the slow and deep range. Go and get this while it's still available, strickly limited vinyl release.

With a bunch of releases on various labels Dynamic is now preparing for the release of his second LP on Fokuz. The LP consists of 12 tracks: 8 drum and bass, 4 in various other tempos. The Modal Lounge LP will bring you to a dreamlike state, it's smooth, jazzy drum and bass definetely not for the masses. Like Dynamic said in his KMAG interview ''I dont just write dnb for the club - I'd never feel comfortable being restricted in that way''. The album however is not just for home listeners, already receiving support by the likes of LTJ Bukem and former BBC1 Radio hosts Fabio and Grooverider this LP is already promising to be a Fokuz classic.

freshly repressed!
Leisure System, the collective, label and famed Berghain club night of four years standing, is back with their third release from co-founder and resident, Sam Barker. Known for its genre-defiant lineups, Leisure System's quarterly residency has consistently brought together artists with varying styles. Flying Lotus, Autechre, Afrika Hitech, Jackmaster, Surgeon, Jimmy Edgar, Blawan, 808 State, Dopplereffekt, Clark, Machinedrum, Surgeon, Venetian Snares, Objekt and Egyptian Lover have all graced the decks, showing off the collective's commitment to the exploration of new and experimental sounds in EDM. The development of the label, and now this release from Barker, is no exception. After discovering computers and raves in the late '90s, Barker began making tracks at age 13, building up a sizable collection of vintage analogue synths, paving the way for his future solo work and collaborations with artists like Tim Exile, Clark, Shitmat, Scotch Egg, The Field, Leafcutter John and Jimmy Edgar. Shortly after his 2007 move to Berlin, Barker began collaborating with fellow Berghain resident nd_baumecker, resulting in their ongoing project Barker & Baumecker. Their first EP 'Candyflip', was released on Ostgut Ton in 2010, followed up by a live show tour throughout Europe. The duo is currently readying their second EP and have a long player due out in August 2012. For this new solo EP, mastered by electronic music legend Pole, Barker presents a creative three-track lesson in diversity and highlights Leisure System's ever-evolving aural curiosity. The opener and title track 'Like An Animal' is a number that builds and builds, quickly changing course and mutating into a percussive and texturized melting pot of sounds. Up next the hypnotic 'I Feel', which is filled with moody pads and syncopated breakbeat rhythms, paving the way for the mechanical, yet smooth half-step rhythm of 'Hot Lover'. Siimilar to the collective, this offering pushes boundaries and mirrors the progressive ideals of the collective. Just like Leisure System's first two 12's from Pixelord and Eprom in 2011, Barker's 'Like An Animal' EP is a clear statement of the label's simple and distinct commitment : to be a platform for timeless, thrilling and soulful dance music in the fields of house, techno and electronica, disregarding media hype and genre borders. In keeping with this clear sonic manifesto, Leisure System's design aesthetic is equally individual, with all vinyl releases housed in deluxe die-cut jackets.

Quickly making a name for himself both as a producer & a DJ, 'F D' aka Freddie Dixon is establishing himself as a force to be reckoned with! Having already released on labels such as Metalheadz, Critical, CIA & Vision, the future looks bright for the man and we're very excited to have him on board! A. BLUE SKY RESEARCH - A great mix of rough & smooth on this one here! Soft, warm pads build the tune up for the drop. Solid drums and pummeling bass keep the momentum going! Serious stabby dancefloor pressure! AA. STRIPPED - Very stripped down 'back to basics' drum & bass on this one, as the title suggests. A solid 2 step pattern keeps things going while razor sharp stabs keep the nervous vibe in line. Definitely one for the minimal heads who like it dirty!

The new album will be released across a series of 4 limited edition 12" vinyls. This is the 2nd 12 inch From Tronic Jazz The Berlin Sessions. A Guy Called Gerald has spent the last couple of years flitting through shadows, turning up on labels like Perlon, Beatstreet and Sender like a peripatetic prophet of the Berlin underground, seeding the scene with cryptic singles that return to the past to suggest alternate futures. Now he returns to Berlin's Laboratory Instinct label with the follow-up to 2006's Proto Acid: The Berlin Sessions, the album that re-established Gerald as an acid hero and techno auteur. Tronic Jazz: The Berlin Sessions builds upon the foundation established by its predecessor to create an even more powerful statement of intent, one that communicates more persuasively than ever Gerald's vision for techno in its third decade of existence. One immediate difference stands out, this time around. Where Proto Acid offered a seamless mix of 24 cuts, recorded in one epic session, Tronic Jazz collects 13 standalone tracks. That's welcome news to DJs. After so many years of digital anything-goes, you might have forgotten the kind of sounds that are possible with "old" machines: the way a lead stacked against tuned percussion and shrouded in pads can evoke still other sounds, hidden in the mix, or maybe not really there at all. It's a ghostly, suggestive presence, a kind of evocation of infinite possibility within the context of a limited set of inputs. In that sense, Tronic Jazz follows a certain minimalist impulse, but it's far too lush ever to be mistaken for the dread "mnml" of recent years. This stuff is wide-eyed and full of life. When it funks, it funks hard, and when it smoothes out, it can be as intimate as a hand-written note left on a lover's pillow. As "class ic" as Tronic Jazz may be, the album refutes any notion that "class ic" equals "retro," that the ideas have all been expressed before. Tronic Jazz takes the foundations of house and techno as though they were a kind of language, and speaks volumes with them.

Rush Hour presents a new series of releases entitled 'Voyage Direct', all about feel good club music. Dexter kicks off this series in a classy style with his Junofest EP. This is easily his best work since his genre breaking electrofunk hit 'I Don't Care from 2000. The title track is a steady, yet smooth club groove with enough wsing to make anyone dance to the music. A true party starter.