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After Psychiatre's previous electro-focused Lost Palms release proved his artistic malleability, his latest sees him return to his signature sound. NMAV EP radiates warmth; music that sits back into itself, and invites its listener to do just the same.

It begins with three deep house soothers, the first taking disco as its springboard, and the rest stripping it right back to a minimal, soul-caressing effect.

On the B-side the sun doesn't stop shining, except this time Psychiatre injects a healthy dose of acid and the groove of a breakbeat. But far from the rave connotations of each style, Psychiatre teases out the most gentle facets of each, bringing the EP to a suitably laid-back close.

The summer of 1982 saw the release of some of the most culture-defining films of our lifetime (STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, POLTERGEIST, TRON, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, THE THING, THE ROAD WARRIOR ... just to name a few!)

But few have had nearly the same impact on film music as the legendary sixth collaboration between Steven Spielberg and John Williams: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL.

Mondo, along with Geffen Records and Universal Pictures, are proud to celebrate forty years of E.T., with an all new re-issue of John Williams' timeless, essential and period-defining score.

Reissue Produced by Bruce Botnick & Mike Matessino

Composed and Conducted by John Williams
Artwork by Dan McCarthy
Liner Notes by Mike Duquette
Manufactured in Czech Republic

Breaking the Balls of History, recorded in five days and produced by John Goodmanson at the legendary Robert Lang Studios in Shoreline, WA. Here are two artists at their prime, each a human library of musical knowledge and experience, entirely distinctive in their songcraft and sound. In Quasi-form, the band becomes alchemically even greater than the sum of its parts: Janet’s galloping drums and Sam’s punk-symphonic Rocksichord and their intertwining vocals make something gigantic, anthemic. In the thick of a cataclysmic social and political moment, they’ve crafted exquisitely melodic songs that glitter with rage and wild humor and intelligence, driven by a big bruised pounding heart.

Paris, 1965. Pianist François Tusques laid the foundation stone of French-style free jazz with his first, soberly titled, album “Free Jazz”. Also in the team were several future key names of the French scene, (Michel Portal, Bernard Vitet, Beb Guérin, Charles Saudrais and François Jeanneau) all of whom honed their skills at the beginning of the decade in Jef Gilson’s groups, although he was none too fond of the turbulent new face of jazz at the time.

Ten years later, Jef Gilson had obviously changed his tune, as the label Palm that he had created in 1973 was now the launch pad for what would become the cream of French and international avant-garde jazz. This would notably be the case for François Jeanneau and “Une Bien Curieuse Planète”. His first album as leader (after briefly erring into pop with Triangle) was recorded in 1975, a few months after “Watch Devil Go” by his old friend Jacques Thollot, and with more or less the same casting: Jeanneau on sax of course, Jenny-Clark on bass and percussions, Lubat replacing Thollot on drums and Michel Grailler (plucked out of Magma) was called in as a reinforcement for his completely ‘out of space*’ synthetiser sounds. Thus began a strange trip to a very strange planet, at the border of experimental jazz and swinging avant-garde.

From 1960 to nowadays, from Georges Arvanitas to Laetitia Shériff, from Manu Dibango to “Mama” Béa Tékielski, everyone has wanted to play with François Jeanneau at some point. There is a good reason for this. The saxophonist is a formidable improviser, but also a solid composer, as he demonstrates on this record with, for example, the monumental “Droit d’Asile”, the spooky “Theme For An Unknown Island” or the Coltranesque “Mr J.C. For Ever”. Over half a century later, the planet seems far more familiar to us. And François Jeanneau is always on the front line for a guided tour.

Jérôme « Kalcha » Simonneau

Gotts Street Park are a proud bunch of throwbacks. The Leeds-based trio - Josh Crocker (bass, production), Tom Henry (keys) and Joe Harris (guitar) - met through various music studies and friendship networks. Individually their tastes are diverse: from North Indian classical to experimental jazz, soul to alternative hip hop but their vision is united: “The idea of doing things live in one room has always been important,” remarks Josh. “That’s how they used to do it. Our identity evolved from that.”

The inception of the collective goes back to around 2012. There have been minor line up tweaks - they currently record with a rotating list of drummers - but the philosophy has stayed the same: an ongoing pursuit to capture the raw, unparalleled vibe that comes from recording music together, usually as one take, sometimes to analogue tape.

That approach is a deliberate call back to the methods made famous by legendary studios like Sun and Stax in Memphis, or FAME and Muscle Shoals in Alabama and their in-house bands. That’s why for years, GSP set up their own studio in a shared house in a tough (but, crucially, affordable) corner of west Leeds, Armley. Gotts Park (historically the home of industrialist Benjamin Gott) was close by - the group’s name was a nod to their local geography but also the fact it sounded like an area plucked straight out of some of their favourite East Coast hip hop releases.

Their work was quickly noticed, and it was from that base where they began working with an eye catching list of collaborators: Rejjie Snow, Kali Uchis, Cosima, Yellow Days, Chester Watson, Greentea Peng and Benny Mails. Tom also played keys in Mabel’s band. Early on, while performing as a band for hire for those artists, they were simultaneously honing their own sound; a deliberately retro “heavy, saturated” atmosphere that married the languid vibe of traditional soul with the pin sharp clarity of contemporary hip hop. Old leanings, sure, but upcycled with their own modern twist. “We’re constantly trying to build a catalogue,” says Tom. “Writing new stuff and sending it out to people.” That’s why after the release of their debut EP, ‘Volume One’, in 2017 the invitations kept coming; most notably from Brits Rising Star award winner Celeste, with whom they recorded two tracks on her debut EP ‘Lately’.

‘Volume Two’ once again features an impressive raft of vocalists - all female - from established names to fresh talent. This time, musically, the overall tone is lighter; less gritty, more optimistic. “It’s definitely not as gloomy,” says Josh. “Still though, there is this kind of dark, mysterious thing that we do a lot that works,” he continues. “Like the song we’ve done with Grand Pax, for example - it’s got that kind of witchy darkness to it. I think if you do a really straight male soul voice, it can be a bit cheesy and sound like you’ve heard it a million times before.”

Their collaborations might be some of the freshest of 2020 but make no mistake: Gotts Street Park are out there looking to create something timeless.

Just over a decade on from the launch of Leng Records, the Simon Purnell/Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy-helmed label is set to release its’ 50th 12” single. Fittingly, it’s the first of a series of sampler EPs that form part of the imprint’s belated 10th anniversary celebrations.

Later in 2020, label fans will be treated to a celebratory compilation featuring a mixture of Leng classics, overlooked favourites and previously unheard material. Some of this music will also be released on a series of vinyl EPs, with this first volume focusing on unreleased material from long-time friends of the family Q&A and Lex.

Q&A is a collaboration between Phenomenal Handclap Band founding member,
Quinn Luke, and long-time friend and musical associate Alexis Georgopoulos, formerly of San Francisco dub disco/punk funk heroes Tussle. The pair worked together extensively at the tail end of the 2000s, but only ever released one single: 2009’s “Tumbling Cubes/Trap Door” on celebrated NYC label DFA.

The two tracks showcased on this Leng Records sampler were recorded during the same period as that celebrated single but are only now seeing the light of day. “Revolving Mirrors” is a typically low-slung and percussive affair that sees Luke and Georgopoulos wrap bubbly electronic melodies and glassy-eyed aural textures around a suitably weighty dub disco groove. In contrast, “Pulse” is a deliciously hypnotic, mind-altering affair: a bona-fide late night throb-job in which trippy electronic motifs, chiming melodies and crunchy Clavinet riffs vibrate attractively atop another killer punk-funk bassline and locked-in drums.

The pioneer of electric pop music, Giorgio Moroder (born April 26, 1940 in Ortisei, Italy) is an internationally acclaimed songwriter and producer who left his trace also in Finnish popular music. Several Moroder’s compositions and productions were released in Finland with Finnish lyrics in the 1970s and 1980s, when Moroder had his most creative peak. This compilation includes twelve Finnish Moroder covers from early bubblegum pop to electronic disco. Giorgio Moroder began his musical career as a singer. He gained success performing bubblegum pop in the late 1960s. He wrote some of his hits himself, but he also sang songs written by others. During his singer years he succeeded with songs Looky Looky (1969) and Son of My Father (1971). The latter became well known also in Finland, where it was covered by one of the most famous Finnish singers in 1960s and early 1970s, Ilkka Lipsanen alias Danny. The song found its way to Finland via Britain, where British band Chicory Tip had covered it first and made it to the charts with the song. Danny was not the only Finnish singer in the early 1970s who looked at Moroder’s repertoire when searching for good songs. Koivistolaiset was a singing and dancing duo of sisters Anja and Anneli Koivisto who were well-known celebrities in 1970s Finland. They released Moroder’s composition Good Grief Christina as On siitä aikaa in 1973. This song was also discovered from Chicory Tip’s repertoire. Cheerful and danceable bubblegum pop was an early 1970s phenomenon and in Finland it was the most popular music played in discos during those years.

Mum No Hands’ - an assured four tracker that draws on Bristol bass, footwork, jungle and broken techno to create something fresh and upfront. A certified stalwart of the Bristol scene, Yushh (aka Jen Hartley) is already well on her way to becoming a household name. Over the last few years she has toured extensively across Europe’s festival and club circuits, landing sets at Freerotation Festival and HÖR along the way. Her label, Pressure Dome, is known internationally as a go-to outlet for various offshoots of forward-thinking, soundsystem-ready UK techno, with a roster that includes Sputnik One, Caldera, Ido Plumes and Cando. So far, she has only teased her production skills with a string of one-off drops and remixes, including features on Rhythm Section, Banoffee Pies and All Centre. On ‘Look Mum No Hands’ she finally lays out the blueprints for her unique, club-honed sound. The title track skips along at a nippy 160 bpm, driven by a slow/fast halfstepping beat and monster bassline that places it somewhere between DMZ and Teklife. ‘Same Same’ drops the tempo down to 130 bpm, with loungey keys and a skippy vocal chop offsetting a cavernous low-end. On the flip, ‘Close Fall’ squeezes darkside d’n’b sonics into a chugging 95 bpm beat template, while ‘Self Couscous’ takes an intricate, glitched approach to jungle/broken beat reminiscent of mid 00’s Planet Mu. Genre: Dance / Bass

RNT brings the heat for their 2nd outing in their Family Affair compilation series, representing both their ever-expanding RNT ménage, as well as their tight knit musical nuclear fam.

Side A welcomes two seasoned producers to the catalog for the first time: Red Axes with their flip of fellow Israeli Nenor’s banger 'Do You Remember', and Chicago legend Boo Williams comes correct with 'Besty Smith', characteristically bumping and soulful.

OG RNT artist Frank Booker delivers his classic sampley deep sound with 'Time Won’t Tell', and Underground System’s Peter Matson takes JKriv’s 'Something Else' in a synthy and modern electro disco direction to round out the B side. Aural hugs all around in this fam jam!

The inception of 49North marks the beginning of a brand new era for Duncan Forbes; who most emphatically made his mark on the WW scene as one half of legendary duo - Spooky - alongside Charlie May; releasing a string of landmark singles and albums over 3 decades, not to mention timeless remix / production work for International heavyweights like Depeche Mode, M83, Sasha, William Orbit, Mr.G and Apparat.

A1: ‘Strobe Dancer’
“Duncan Forbes’ maiden solo voyage and first ever release on recently birthed imprint, 49North - 'Strobe Dancer' is 9+ minutes of exquisitely-paced, hypnotic dance-floor drama. Sitting somewhere between Deep, Acid House and Slo-mo, Dub Techno - Duncan's opening effort is a wickedly brooding, yet seductive joy to behold.”

B1: ‘Continental Drift’
“After the hypno-House stylings of 'Strobe Dancer' - Duncan takes us to another far-flung corner of his scopic, creative spectrum - via the fittingly titled, ‘Continental Drift’; a pitched-down, acid-glazed slice of mesmeric, widescreen Electronica.”

B2: ‘In The Mansion Of The Gods’

Sampler for RED D's forthcoming LP project " How does one select a single from an upcoming full album? When you have someone like Lady Linn on vocals that is actually quite easy. Lady Linn has been the go to singer for Red D and San Soda’s infamous FCL project since day one. Tracks like ‘It’s You’, ‘More Than Seven’, ‘Can We Try’, etc would not have been the same without her sultry voice.

When making his debut album Red D called upon his musical peers to join in for some collabs and when Linn heard the basis of the track and the Red D-penned lyrics for ’22 Shoulders’ she was all up for it. Melancholy is the order of the day, but not without losing the power of the dance floor. It was after all the missing of that very same dance floor that inspired Red D to write this one.

Add the depth of the Larry Heard-inspired ‘Compelled’ on the B-side and you will know what to expect from Red D’s upcoming full album. Promotional copies of the album are already being rinsed by the likes of Prosumer, Laurent Garnier, Oliver Dollar and many more of Red D’s peers. So get on it matey!"

Back in 2010 Caribou's Dan Snaith hosted a remix competition for his track 'Sun' from his then-new album Swim. The winner was an unknown producer called altrice.

Hailing from Tucson, Arizona of Iranian/Mexican descent, altrice took the bright euphoric highs of the original and crumbled them into rumbling lows, the crystalline edges becoming rough and undefined. Along with a bursting goody-bag of prizes, Snaith also provided altrice with the stems for the rest of Swim and the offer to remix the whole album track-by-track, creating 'stem'. Aside from a further dream-come-true remix of Radiohead, this is largely the last we heard from altrice in the past 12 years.

A year and a half ago though, having kept up correspondence with Snaith over the years, altrice began sending new material. With encouragement from Snaith he eventually wound up with an EP which has since become essential DJ material for Snaith and the cohort of friends he's shared it with, as well as appearing in Leon Vynehall's Radio 1 Residency, KH (Four Tet)'s recent Essential Mix and more.

With three tracks already released from the EP receiving further DJ support from Avalon Emerson, Floating Points, Yu Su, Sofia Kourtesis, Mano Le Tough and more, today the EP is released in full officially via Snaith's own Jiaolong label. compciter is a collection of music that for the first time is entirely altrice's own sound, alluring and off-kilter, a wealth of sounds and styles that are tied together by an irresistible warmth.

Speaking of the EP, altrice says:

"This EP is the result of allowing my stylistic boundaries to be nudged in a new direction, putting away a self-inflicted notion that I’m only fluent in certain subgenres of electronic music. I made some production choices that, for better or worse, will make this project stand out. I’ve been overwhelmed by the reactions in clubs and at festivals, and individuals reaching out with kind words about the music. It’s surreal."
From the huddled and obscured yet comforting vocal samples - described by Pitchfork as "a beacon of light in an uncertain landscape" - of 'bda creature' to the swinging 90s eurodance drums of 'places faces' and the way the welcoming guitar melody and soulful vocals of 'eyes' gives way to a full on bass pummel, the tracks that have been released so far from the EP are already causing a stir both on and off the dancefloor. Today, the chopped up vocals and vast roomy sound of 'yoni' along with '1609km' - which would almost be straightforward house if it didn't pull the rug out to make way for delicate piano and harmonica flourishes - complete a set that fulfils a promise 12 years in the making..

WOLF PACK” is Livigesh's fifth album and his first album to be pressed onto vinyl. From the 2 years of making “WOLF PACK” Livigesh feels he grew as an electronic music producer and performer. To Livigesh, “WOLF PACK” seems like his first album. His drum programming has evolved into something more complex, and his use of musical elements have started to become more diverse and creative. These developments made “WOLF PACK” something that sounds familiar and alien at the same time.

Scene Unseen return with their second release, following the debut release from Jinjé and this time we see a release from a pioneer in the Chilean electronic music and Hip-Hop scenes, DJ Raff.

Having released more recently on the label Big in Japan (the previous label from the Scene Unseen camp), with his beautiful Resistancia EP, the label were keen to welcome him back onboard for the new project.

Raff’s routes were originally in the Hip-Hop scene back in his native, Chile. His influence of this scene cannot be understated, as his name appeared in the credits of over 50 Hip-Hop releases coming out of the country. Most notably with Anna Tijoux and Makiza, as well as seeing his own track ‘Latino & Proud’ used in the EA Sports game, FIFA 2012 and then later as the theme music for the Comedy Central show, Broad City.

As time moved on, so did Raff’s sound and he started to move into more of an instrumental focus, moving away from any vocals and the Hip-Hop rhythms. Since then he has released on Mutante Discos, Nacional Records, Wonderwheel Recordings and his own Pirotecnia label, among others. As well as remixing for the mighty Dengue Dengue Dengue, Landikhan and more.

DJ Raff has played events like Sonar Barcelona, Mutek.ES, Lollapalooza (US, Argentina, Chile), RBMA Mexico and Red Bull also invited him to mentor at the 2015 RBMA Bass Camp academy in Chile. His last album 'Movimiento' was released in 2017 on Nacional records and earnt him a nomination for best electronic music artist at the Pulsar awards in Chile.

Raff’s new EP for Scene Unseen, Estado Líquido, is an EP of true beauty once again, showcasing four tracks that combine his signature Latin American vibes with his hip-hop influences.

The title track opens the EP with the calm samples and inspiration from the sound of the ocean, an emotive nod to the people attempting to travel from Africa to Europe over the years and the struggles they have faced.

“Basta” translates to “Enough” in Spanish, this track is inspired by the large-scale protests in Chile back in 2019 and lasting until March 2020. An electronic hip-hop beat alongside a constant synth arpeggio that was something more common to his early productions. Casualidad is a reference to a more personal stage of Raff’s life, with soft, bright, and uplifting melodies flowing between more fine percussive works.

Final track, Ceremonia, combines percussive African rhythms with melancholic Synth leads and pads, alongside a deep solid bass line and repetitive chants. The repetitive chants and percussions hold together the opposite worlds of happy festive rhythms and nostalgic melodies, taking the song to a place where both feelings combine in harmony.

Artwork is made by DMNC (Francisco Meneses) a designer, art director and VJ from Santiago de Chile. Previous work is linked to 3D animation and he actively collaborates with various electronic music projects across Latin America.

Captain Planet has teamed up with 2 long-time collaborators (Zuzuka Poderosa & Raphael Futura) for a new Brazilian disco funk song, "Moqueca." The song harkens back to Brazil's legendary funk parties in the 70's and early 80's - where soundsystems bumped legends like Tim Maia, Sandra Da Sa & Gilberto Gil - while infusing some fresh contemporary energy and extra thump for today's dancefloors. Zuzuka's bright vocals bounce over a bubbly bassline, syncopated percussion and wormy vintage synthesizers, while an additional punch is brought in the form of horn arrangements by the prolific maestro Todd Simon, another frequent Captain Planet collaborator.

"Moqueca" takes inspiration from the Brazilian dish of the same name, a nationally famous fish stew that varies across the regions of Brazil. In her lyrics, Zuzuka talks about the origins and variations of Moqueca, starting with the style from Espirito Santo, her home state, and continuing to Moqueca Baiana, from Bahia, which incorporates African influences and ingredients. The result is a song that is as much an homage to Brazilian music as it is its food, culture and people.

Das Sony Classical-Debütalbum "Arctic" der international hochgelobten norwegischen Geigerin Eldbjørg Hemsing ist eine musikalische Reise durch die Arktis mit neuer Musik u.a. von den Star-Komponisten Jacob Shea ("The Blue Planet") von Bleeding Fingers Music und Frode Fjellheim ("Frozen"). Zusammen mit dem Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra zelebriert Eldbjørg Hemsing darauf die zerbrechliche und weithin unentdeckte Schönheit eines Ökosystems, das in einem beispiellosen Ausmaß vom Klimawandel bedroht ist. "Die Arktis wird oft als ein schroffer, unbewohnbarer Ort verkannt, dabei handelt es sich um eine Region von einmaliger Schönheit und voller Leben, die auf faszinierende Weise illustriert, wie alles in fragilen Kreisläufen zusammenhängt. 'Arctic' ist eine musikalische Reise durch diesen einmaligen, gefährdeten Naturraum", erklärt Eldbjørg Hemsing. "Ich möchte mit diesem Projekt den Menschen zeigen, wie großartig und schützenswert diese Landschaft ist und auf die Bedrohung durch den Klimawandel hinweisen, die Auswirkung auf uns alle hat." "Arctic" ist voller mitreißender Melodien und beeindruckenden orchestralen Klanglandschaften, die sich beim Anhören des Albums aufbauen, wie die atemberaubenden Lebensräume der Arktis im Lauf der Jahreszeiten. Für die musikalische Gestaltung ihres Albums hat die im norwegischen Valdres geborene Musikerin mit einer Vielzahl an Komponisten zusammengearbeitet und ein einmaliges Album kreiert, das amerikanische Filmmusik mit europäischer Klassik verbindet. So enthält "Arctic" neue Musik von den Filmkomponisten Jacob Shea von Bleeding fingers Music und Frode Fjellheim wie auch neue Arrangements von Melodien der Komponisten Selim Palmgren, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Henning Sommerro, Ola Gjeilo, Ole Bull, Edvard Grieg und James Newton Howard. Aufgenommen wurde das Album in Bodø innerhalb des norwegischen Polarkreises mit dem Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra. "Ich wollte einmalige, einprägsame Melodien mit einem malerischen orchestralen Klang verbinden, der dem großen Panorama der Arktis entspricht, um diese emotionale Geschichte zu erzählen. Entstanden ist eine sehr abwechslungsreiche Art Filmmusik für den Konzertsaal oder ein Soundtrack für eine innere Reise", sagt Eldbjørg Hemsing über die Musik von "Arctic". Das zentrale Werk des Albums ist die 20 Minuten lange "Arctic Suite" des amerikanischen Filmkomponisten Jacob Shea von Bleeding Fingers Music, der zusammen mit Hans Zimmer die millionenfach gespielte, ikonische Musik zu "The Blue Planet" geschrieben hat. In den sechs Teilen der "Arctic Suite" vertont Jacob Shea die einmaligen arktischen Naturphänomene und findet Melodien für "Frozen Worlds" im Winter, die "Aurora" in der Polarnacht oder den "Sunrise" in der Morgendämmerung des Polartages. Er gibt den Fischschwärmen im Malmström einen Klang in "Rush of Life" oder dem poetischen Pfeifen der "Polar Winds" und endet mit einem melancholischen Blick auf aktuelle Veränderungen in "Sea Ice Melting". Komponist Frode Fjellheim ist bekannt von seiner Arbeit zu "Frozen". Er entstammt den Samen, einem Volk, das bereits seit Jahrhunderten den europäischen Polarkreis bewohnt. Für seine Kompositionen "Under the Arctic Moon" und "The Return of the Sun" lässt er sich von den traditionellen Liedern der Samen, den "Joik", inspirieren. In "The Return of the Sun" singt er sogar eine dieser traditionellen Melodien. Die musikalische Reise durch die "Arctic" umfasst weitere neue und farbenfrohe Orchesterarrangements von Werken nordischer Komponisten wie das klangmalerische "Snowflakes" von Selim Palmgren, "Whispering" von Einojuhani Rautavaara, "Dawn" von Ola Gjeilo und "Vårsøg" von Henning Sommerro. "Vårsøg" ist eine bekannte Melodie in Norwegen und steht sinngemäß für die "Suche nach einem neuen Frühling". Das ursprünglich als Folk-Pop Song geschriebene Lied verkörpert damit die Hoffnung auf einen Neuanfang im Leben. Arrangeur Ben Palmer hat die Melodie in eine emotionale Hymne für Violine und Orchester gebettet.

Time to Play Records strikes back with a new 4 tracks ep, late night club-ready, with heavy bass-kicks tracks straight to your chest.

Filippo Tazzer, label manager and executive producer, continues in his search, musical sensitivity and evident production skills. After having entrusted the baptism of the label to Reekee and Colosimo, the moment is propitious to introduce another Italian Producer:
Phonorem, fresh with a new album called “Algorythm”.

Phonorem production skills in those 4 tracks embrace different styles forged by his 90’s hip-hop and drum and bass roots, by mixing synthetizers and drum machines with samples.

SEAMLESS, the track that gives the EP its title, is a deep-house track with double bass – bassline and atmospheric scenarios by manipulating old Italian movie soundtracks samples.

PREE, is a downbeat track which made homage to DJ Premier beats, with some melodies created with a Chinese hammered dulcimer.

FLIP DOWN gives a high contrast experience: fusing a raw drum machine rhytm with dreamy pads and a mysterious vocal.

LOW FAT is a heavy bass kick track with some sythetizers-melodies with a story to tell. With a happy end :)

Repressed On translucent blue vinyl! Too many people sleep on Tougher Than Leather, Run-DMC’s fourth album. But hear us out as we plead the case for this amazing LP. By 1988 there was a lot more competition in the rap game – Public Enemy, Boogie Down Productions, Eric B. & Rakim, Ice-T and many more had given Hollis, Queens’ prodigal sons lots of competition. But Joe, Darryl and Jay were still at the top of their game, and hip-hop fans should never let this classic – chiefly produced by their Queens neighbor, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Davy DMX – get lost in their crates. For starters, the album’s first single, “Run’s House” b/w “Beats To The Rhyme” is arguably the most powerful one-two punch of the trio’s career, showing contenders to the rap throne that they could still destroy a beat, tag-teaming with power at any speed. Not to be lost in the shuffle, fans were also reminded on both sides that Jam-Master Jay remained one of the world’s best DJs, flexing the pinnacle of what would be called “turntablism” a decade later. Both songs show a musical telepathy between all three that has rarely been equaled. The second single, “Mary, Mary,” driven by an infectious Monkees sample, took a different approach, shrewdly ensuring that pop fans who jumped on the Raising Hell bandwagon had something to chew on. But, like “Walk This Way,” the song wasn’t just bubblegum – there was an edge to it, and the lyrical gymnastics were very real. It wasn’t selling out, it was allowing fans to buy in. “Papa Crazy,” driven in concept and by a sample from the Temptations’ “Papa Was A Rolling Stone,” followed a similar pop-leaning path. Overall, the lyrical content on the album was a step up from the group’s first three LPs. It’s easy to infer, looking back, that they were feeling the heat from their younger competitors in the rap game. The genre was changing fast, and they were up to the challenge. On cuts like “Radio Station” they bring substance to the grooves, by attacking Black Radio for its continual denigration of rap. “Tougher Than Leather” reminds the world that they were still the Kings of Rock, with hard guitars to drive the point home. And “They Call Us Run-DMC” and “Soul To Rock And Roll” both bring things back to their early days, with sure-fire park jam rhymes and killer cuts. Tougher Than Leather, which went platinum up against a lot of competition, perfectly bookends the ‘80s output of one of the decade’s most important groups. It encompasses the full range of the trio’s capabilities, and reminds us that Run-DMC should never be forgotten as both pioneers and party-rockers. And so, we say, long live Joe, Darryl and Jay! A1. Run's House A2. Mary, Mary A3. They Call Us Run DMC A4. Beats To The Rhyme A5. Radio Station A6. Papa Crazy B1. Tougher Than Leather B2. I'm Not Going Out Like That B3. How'd Ya Do It Dee B4. Miss Elaine B5. Soul To Rock And Roll B6. Ragtime

For this uniquely personal retrospective spread over twelve vinyl discs, Sven Väth takes us back to the early days of his DJ career. On What I Used To Play we meet great pioneers of electronic music, gifted percussionists, obscure wave bands, and innovative producers of a bygone 'new electronic' era. Rough beats and irresistible grooves from the identification stage of house, techno, and acid remind us not just how far electronic music has evolved over the past four decades, but how great it was to dance to EBM, techno, and house for the very first time.

If there is one protagonist of the electronic music scene who has remained curious, innovative and at the very cutting edge of music for over four decades, it's Sven Väth. His multi-layered artist albums and Sound of the Season mix compilations have been defining the genre for over two decades, and even today, he is constantly on the lookout for the next top tune to add to the highlights of his next set. At least, that's the case when he's not producing them himself as an artist or remixer. "Actually, it's always been part of my DNA to think ahead," and nothing had been further from his mind than looking back at his past, but when in spring of 2020 the international DJ circuit had to be scaled down to virtually zero, the 'restless traveler' suddenly had time. Time to stop and reflect on "how it actually was back then, at the very beginning of my career..."

"It was a great trip and with every track, beautiful memories came flooding back".
In the London apartment, he had just moved into, Sven has set up a "little music room", where he cocooned himself for several days, "to look way back for the first time and review my musical journey through the eighties, so to speak."

The interim result was six thematically oriented playlists with a grand total of 120 tracks from 'early 80s' to 'Balearic late 80s', together with excursions into afrobeat, European new wave, and EBM sounds and a few epochal techno/house tracks from the USA in between. From these 'Best of Sven Väth's favorites', the project What I Used To Play crystallized. Sven remembers how the Cocoon team reacted to his proposal: "They found the idea of making a compilation out of it MEGA from the beginning and everyone said 'Sven, go for it', but then, of course, the work really started, namely, to clear the rights and to get clean sounding masters of the up to 40-year-old tracks. There was also disappointment, of course. We couldn't clear certain titles because the rights holders in the USA had fallen out with each other or simply disappeared from the scene. In short, it wasn't easy, but now I can safely say we got the most important tracks."

Finally, after two years of research, curation, design, and administrative fine-tuning, the "little retrospective" from 1981 to 1990 is available. The exquisitely packaged, and three-kilo heavy box set is not only physically impressive, WIUTP is also the definitive record of Sven Väth's musical development. On each of the twenty-four sides of vinyl, you can trace track by track, what influenced him during which phase, and how he took off as a DJ from his parents' Queen's Pub straight into the spotlight at Dorian Gray. There and at Vogue (later OMEN), Sven became the style-defining player in the DJ booth that he still is today.




1981 - 1990: Future Sounds of Now

In the early eighties, the crowd in clubs like Vogue and Dorian Gray danced to what nowadays we call 'dance classics' - mainly disco, funk, soul, and chart pop. It was up to a new generation of DJs, including Sven Väth, the youngest protagonist in the Rhine-Main area at the time, to create their own club-ready music mix. Good new tracks and potential floor-fillers were rarities that had to be sought out and found, in order to prove oneself worthy.
Without MP3s, internet streaming, or other digital download possibilities, music didn't just gravitate to the DJ, instead, it had to be tracked down. In well-stocked record stores in Frankfurt and Wiesbaden or even in Amsterdam, London, or New York, Sven and friends sourced the material for countless magical nights. On WIUTP we can follow Sven's very personal journey through this wild, innovative era in which synth-pop, funk, hip-hop, and disco were successively replaced as 'club music' by house, techno, acid, and breakbeat. By the end of the decade, it was clear to see that these once exotic 'fringe' phenomena would soon become 'mass' phenomena.



Early 80s

Dirty Talk by the Italian-American duo Klein & M.B.O. represents the most innovative phase of the Italo-disco genre in the early eighties like no other track. Mario Boncaldo (I) and Tony Carrasco relied entirely on the original synthetic drum and percussion sounds of the Roland TR-808, coupled with the raunchy vocals of Rossana Casale and guitar accents of Davide Piatto. Of course, other tracks from this period were also influential in style, most notably Unit by Logic System, which worked as the perfect soundtrack to the laser lighting system at the legendary Dorian Gray club. With stomping beats and robotic rap interludes, Bostich by Yello also belongs on Sven's eternal playlist - after all, it caught the attention of Afrikaa Bambaataa, who invited the Swiss duo to perform at the Roxy in New York in 1983.



EBM Wave - Mid 80s

From today's point of view, the almost ten-minute-long, downtempo track Giant by Matt Johnson's band project The The, would probably not be considered an obvious club classic. However, a closer (re)listen reveals the rhythmic intricacies of the percussion overdubs by JG Thirlwell (aka Foetus) on Johnson's composition, and it becomes clear why this exceptional piece of music is one of Sven's absolute favorites. Other classics from this phase include Kaw-Liga by the mysterious The Residents, the hypnotic-synthetic Our Darkness by Anne Clark (and David Harrow), and last but not least, the somber, monotonous anthem Where Are You? by 16Bit, one of Sven Väth's projects together with Michael Münzing, Luca Anzilotti from 1986.



US House - Late 80s

You certainly can't talk about Chicago house without mentioning Frankie Knuckles. The resident DJ at the Warehouse not only gave the name to an entire genre, but also produced epochal floor fillers on the Trax label like the timeless Your Love, sung (and moaned) by Jamie Principle. Acid house protagonists Phuture also hail from Chicago, and on We Are Phuture (also released on Trax) we hear the chirping acid sounds of the legendary Roland TB-303 in full effect. Another featured classic is No UFO's by Detroit's Model 500 aka Juan Atkins, who is rightly considered the 'Godfather of Techno' even if the genre-defining track from 1985 still breathes with the spirit of hip-hop and electro from the first breakdance era.





Afrobeat

Le Serpent, by Algerian-born Abdelmadjid Guemguem, is a track that sounds completely different from everything else on WIUTP. Made in 1978, it's a monumental, rousing groove created without bass or synths, just with five congas! Even though Guem sadly passed away in 2021, his immortal, acoustic beats are understood all over the world and will continue to enrich many thousands of DJ sets for years to come. Another classic that not only Sven appreciates beyond measure is Hugh Masekela's Don't Go Lose it, Baby. In addition to being one of the most important jazz pioneers, the trumpeter and freedom fighter from Johannesburg was very experimental, integrating electronic sounds into his music in later years, in a similar vein to Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. Dutch jazz pianist Jasper van't Hof's afrobeat project Pili Pili has also aged well. The trance-like, almost sixteen-minute-long track of the same name, manages to fill a whole side on the seventh of twelve vinyl discs in the WIUTP box.



UK-US-Euro - Late 80s

Time for a change of scene, in the truest sense of the word, and from a musical perspective, this section is like landing on another planet. First up is Andrew Weatherall's classic remix of Primal Scream's Loaded, featuring the iconic Peter Fonda sample (lifted from the 1966 biker film Wild Angels) that came to personify the mood triggered by the British Second Summer of Love in the late eighties: "We wanna be free to do what we wanna do, and we wanna get loaded...". This period also saw the emergence of M/A/R/R/S whose only single, 1987's Pump Up The Volume, became a club classic with support from DJ legend CJ Mackintosh. In this most eclectic of sections, we also encounter New York house and reggae producer Bobby Konders and his seminal Nervous Acid.



Balearic - Late 80s

Those who know him, know that Sven had already lost his heart to the 'magic island' of Ibiza as a teenager, so with that in mind, the WIUTP project couldn't end without a Balearic chapter. Inspired by Manuel Göttsching's E2-E4, the immortal, eponymously titled Sueño Latino belongs in there without question. Equally popular on the island was, and still is Break 4 Love by Raze, which thinking about it, would also fit perfectly into the house chapter. Last, but not least, there's an overdue reunion with Sven Väth himself, in his role as frontman of the successful Frankfurt trio OFF. Together with Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti (later of Snap!) this 'Organization For Fun' created the off-the-wall club hit Electric Salsa in 1986 which incidentally turned into an international chart smash, putting Sven in the enviable position of having to decide between pop stardom and a DJ career. Well, we all know how that decision turned out and the rest, as they say, is history. A not insignificant part of his story is What I Used To Play. Enjoy!