Search:sound design

'Shays Vacation House' is a work that feels suspended in time - both ancient and modern -- a microcosm that ceases to exist in any particular time or space...exceptional acousmatic sound design animates amorphous creatures and entities, whose movements echo on dripping walls, yet the eerie, mysterious environment remains entirely ambiguous. hovering above the post-apocalyptic landscape of a scorched planet regenerating. Emra Grid's second Opal Tape is a profoundly beautiful work, loaded with emotional weight

Two years after his last outing on Get Physical, Roland Leesker returns to the label of which he is Managing Director with a brilliant new track that comes with a remix from Cardopusher. Leesker has only put out a select few releases over the last 15 years-both solo and as DJ Carrera and R&R with none other than Ricardo Villalobos-but he has a truly fully formed sound. This tune has been doing serious damage in the clubs for a while now and makes you wonder why Leesker doesn't release more! Entitled 'Thunderstorm' it is seven minutes plus of moody and dramatic tech with heavy synth clouds, whining machines and turbulent drums all whipping up a storm. Manic keys and heavy chords come in and out as fizzing textures all make it a real synapse firing affair that is designed to arrest the attention of huge crowds, and it sure will do that. Venezuelan born Cardopusher has a diverse and experimental sound that takes him from techno to electro to acid to rave to house on labels like Super Rhythm Trax, Zone and BNR. Here he masterfully cooks up another frenzied track with spraying acid, heavy, marching and industrial drums and a real sense of rave energy that will dazzle as much as delight in any set. Finally, Leesker offers up his own 'Dschinn mix' providing even more raw energy. Angry drum rolls, stomping kicks and huge hi hats all piled up and force you onto action. It's a superbly metallic, in your face track to wake up a crowd in the late night hours. With this EP, Get Physical's sensational 2017 keeps on getting better.

***Strictly Ltd Edition (500) 12' Blue Colour-In-Colour Vinyl & Limited Edition Matt Sewell Phenakistiscope Print With Initial Copies***

Matt Sewell's A Crushing Glow' was a great success upon release in spring 2014. A Compilation album like no other it was lovingly curated & designed by Matt. A most carefully crafted & truly genre-blending collection, it was valued & appreciated by many including Lauren Laverne on BBC6 Music. Recognising the magic within Matt's unique design package, she awarded the
collection her coveted compilation of the week.

Sequentially, last year followed the 50 minutes of The Gayatari Mantra on a golden 12'. Performed by Bollywood playback singer Anuradha Paudwal & her daughter Kavita Paudwal, this holy mantra drew plaudits & acclaim including BBC6 Music plays from Jarvis Cocker & Soho Radio & love from tastemakers Test Pressing & Vinyl Factory.

Now, CTR is proud to offer a brand new A Crushing Glow collaboration with esteemed London based producer DrumTalk, whose output has graced labels such as Tru-Thoughts, Soundway & Huntley & Palmers. Matt has curated this release & created, once again, very lush sleeve artwork.

Speaking of the 12' Matt suggests that Commissioning DrumTalk to make some new music for A Crushing Glow Presents was a crystal clear choice to make. He continues: Those that are down
with his house trax will be aware of a depth that runs through his music. I've known DrumTalk for years and I know that current runs deep. Surfing on synth waves of endless barrels of cosmic
vibrations, DT takes us on a journey from the blackness into the blue and beyond.

DrumTalk himself describes A Crushing Glow imprint as: A series that has been continuously loved by many. Variously described as 'cosmic', 'spiritual', 'joyful', and indeed 'transcendental'.

This latest release in the series, we suggest, is no exception...

DrumTalk aimed to craft a 12' that would unravel gently & then encapsulate the very unique essence of A Crushing Glow. Decide for yourself if you consider this done.

Caroline True Records are very proud to present this deep and lovely work - housed in lush artwork conceived & produced by Matt especially for this release.

Aula Magna Records presents Atmen by Mekas, a storming record that reveals the artist's latest techno explorations in
full effect, featuring Stockholm LTD label boss P r Grindvik as guest remixer. A techno statement shaped by melodic
and rhythmic interactions that draw the listener into the artist's profound sound world.
The A-side opens with the powerful beat of Clark Nova, a cut that moves forward with a modulating synth line and simple
but cleverly designed percussions. This is followed by Unknown Soldier, an intense techno weapon that reflects the
distinctive sound of Mekas.
The B-side features both versions of Atmen, starting off with P r Grindivik's dance-floor rework of the title track that
combines a fresh arpeggiated motif and a powerful groove with the emotional spirit of the original. Atmen closes the
record, an epic ambient techno track built with deep atmospheric synth lines on an intelligent stripped down breakbeat.

Optimo Music is delighted to release a first album by Fantastic Twins (formerly known as The Twins). We'll let them tell you the story behind this inspired and beguiling record -
Obakodomo (Au Balcon Du Monde) is a soundtrack I created for a piece of contemporary dance, performed by two dancers for a young audience from the age of 4. It is the story of an imaginary journey in Antartica where two explorers go on an adventure. They encounter a colony of penguins and will progressively learn to understand their habits and respect their environment. Essentially, Au Balcon Du Monde is a metaphor of how to exist next to each other, how to share a territory, how to learn to live together and share resources.
The scenography and stage accessories were designed in a minimalistic and non-obvious form to leave all the space for imagination. The penguins were made of translucent material to provide light effects and were programmed to move in a swaying motion, allowing interaction with the dancers and the music. LED system could be wireless piloted.
With the soundtrack, I wanted to create an atmosphere that would immediately transport the children into this terra nova - a poetical space, like a cold sphere, where the strange meets the frightening and the playful. Translating the immense vs the small, the far-off vs the near, the collective vs the individual, the strange vs the familiar or the cold vs the heat. My intention was to follow the thread of the story in a narrative, yet non-caricatural way. Music for children doesn't have to be 'childish'. Children love to be scared or even just challenged. They love to love and react instantly to what they hear through their emotions. Ultimately, the soundtrack aims to provide different levels of 'reading' so that it becomes something more universal. So we, adults, just have to accept the invitation.

After a decade's absence, spent working in commercial sound design, New York based electronic musician and producer Joseph Fraioli returns to his Datach'i alias for a brand new album entitled 'System'. Featuring 16 tracks of beautiful yet unsettling electronic music recorded exclusively on a Eurorack Modular synth, 'System' will be released on August 19th via Venetian Snares' Timesig imprint. Speaking about the album Fraioli said, 'I've spent much of the past decade building up my own sound design company, Jafbox Sound, and in recent years have become fascinated by modular synths. I'd been making a series of performance videos, showing how they work and that inspired me to start making music as Datach'i again. I suddenly realized I had a growing collection of tracks that worked together and had something new to say. Aaron heard some of them and encouraged me to start thinking of them in terms of an album and here we are.' Venetian Snares says of the album 'Joseph's special take on live modular production has had me really excited this past year. There are so many great tracks, it was nearly impossible to compile this album. I'm tickled he agreed to release them with Timesig!' The first non-VSnares-related release on Timesig, 'System' will be available on double vinyl, CD and digital download. Those who pre-order the physical release via the Planet Mu website will also receive a bonus CD featuring 19 more tracks recorded around the same time as 'System'. In addition Timesig and Datach'i have partnered with TipTop Audio and everyone who pre-orders the album will also be entered into a draw to win a Z3000 Smart VCO oscillator and 'Happy Ending' kit, the perfect introduction to building your own modular system. Having released 6 albums between 1999 and 2006 on labels including Planet Mu and Sublight, Fraioli has spent the past ten years running award-winning sound design company, Jafbox Sound, where his productions for film, TV and adverts have been recognized by the likes of the Cannes Film Festival and the CLIO Awards. In 2014, Fraioli also joined forces with Interpol's Daniel Kessler, forming 'Big Noble.' Their freshman release entitled, 'First Light," combined Fraioli's approach to sound design with Kessler's guitar work to create cinematic, ambient soundscapes.

Autotomy is a collaboration between Belgium's Sleeperhold Publications, Brooklyn-based musician Patricia (Max Ravitz) and the Dutch artist Louis Reith. This output is the result of a long process of contemplation, discussion and elimination which gave us a record that encapsulates both Patricia's sense for hardware production and dance floor rawness. Describing this release is not a simple task. So we'll just tell it like it is: it's a record that slows down and, in this process, reveals its mystery. Referencing the title of this release, wunderkind Max Ravitz seems to provide the listener with the possibility of transformation, a way to shed part of your own being.When running though the tracks, one discovers the essentials of Patricia's sound architecture: the presence of lightness, of longing, mixed with the ability to deny it in the next instant. Sonically, there's a careful balance in these productions that belies their fundamental function as body music. It's ambient yet danceable, approachable despite it's often deconstructed layout, and ultimately warm and inviting.The entire record is made using Ravitz collection of hardware, which gives it its uncompromising texture. The presence of kicks, beats and soundscapes does not originate from a clean digital source but from a physical action, an excerpt of movement, a tick of the human hand. It is floating versus rhythmical movement, visceral versus strict. But above all, it is alive.The artwork used for Autotomy's sleeve design and the etching on the B-side was provided by Louis Reith. (All three tracks feature on the record's A-side.) Just as Patricia, Reith tries to resist technology in favour of physical and craft-based media, though the contrast between digital and analog is always present.Dutch artist Louis Reith produces works through a variety of different media, ranging from collages to wood sculptures, to paper objects and ink on paper works, always keeping an interest in simple abstract shapes and their combination. With an interest in materiality Louis resurrects found footage and creates new landscapes of shape and color, celebrating the human hand at work. Deliberate compositions form an illegible visual language where hidden words are portrayed as abstract sculptures.Reith also co-runs Jordskred, an independent publishing company worth checking out.Ravitz certainly is unstoppable and releases in a relentless and uncompromising fashion.Besides many collaborative projects with an array of artists (released under monikers such as Masks, Pulpo, Inhalants, DSR.MR...) he's released music on labels like Opal Tapes, L.I.E.S., Russian Torrent Versions, Ghostly Intl.,... 2017 has been quite a year for him so far. He not only founded his own imprint, Active Cultures, but also released a triple LP. Ghostly Intl. describes the release as a 'kaleidoscopic, a multi-faceted techno trip' and we couldn't agree more.

Sparse and reflective, the Chicago native's work occupies a curious space on the periphery of the Techno genre. By stripping back the music to all but its most vital elements - most notably the Sequence, but at the same time maintaining a sense of urgency in its articulation, Litüus crafts exquisite, ghostly shadows of busier, more fleshed out material. Neither intro nor outro, but rather suspended in some middling point of formation - what remains is a remarkably pure examination of minimalist, experimental synthesis.

The enigmatic producer first appeared on the label with19805.-19905 - a collection of reduced hardware sequences released on cassette and 12" in 2015 and 2236 s Wentworth ave continues in much the same vein, though perhaps exploring a marginally more traditionally 'musical' sentiment. Nods to 1970's sound designer Irv Teibel's Environments series sit alongside more overtly contemporary structures, and the mood shifts gently across the recordings - from a low slung, pulsing anxiety to a gentler serenity via heavily ring modulated bells and spring reverbs, softly warping percussion and careful bandpass filtering.

Litüus creates music that is geared neither towards home listening nor the dance floor, but that exists somewhere in between - quite where exactly remains part of the the artist's undeniable allure.

Very LIMITED album discs available now:

This is the first album Oscar Mulero has released under his own name, after two acclaimed LPs under the moniker Trolley Route. Well known for his skills as a hard-edged, raw and floor-orientated techno dj, his productions go far beyond, digging deep into the intricate landscape of intelligent techno, floating moods, reminiscent atmospheres, harmony and detail.

Grey Fades To Green is the affirmation of his maturity as a producer, using both hardware and software in the pursuit of a highly coherent and diverse album.

The concept is split into two parts: The Grey and The Green, each one with its own character. The first part is rougher and meant for the dance floor, although pays full attention to detail and complexity. The second part is quieter, has a slower pace and is best enjoyed at home.

In The Green Oscar goes deep into the intellectual side of techno music and is heavily influenced by the post rave sound emerging from the UK in the nineties: Aphex Twin, Gescom, B12, Plaid, Autechre.. but with a contemporary approach.

This part of the album brings you melodies, harmonies, endless atmospheres, and hours of studio work. Each sound has been carefully constructed, nothing is left to chance: Every stereo panning, every change to the synth's parameters has been meticulously designed for your listening pleasure; just what you want when you listen to techno on headphones. Futuristic music made with the utmost care.

The Green starts with 'Letters From Madrid', a dreamy and melancholy track, where an introspective melody leads to a slow-building drumbeat. Broken rhythms and distorted drums go side by side with the piano riffs and analogue bleeps: intelligent techno by definition.

'Dreams of Happiness' is a sci-fi soundtrack where pads and the different atmospheres are the main stars, and where subliminal drums add flow to this tune from outer space.

'After All' departs from calm dreamy territories with its grounded beat, complex 303 programming and micro synth sounds. A track which is as good for listening at home as it is for the dance floor.

'The Darker Days' uses a similar formula. Slow bpm, fat drums and weird 303 lines that make infinite layers of sound.

Selwa Abd (originally from Morocco, currently residing in Brooklyn) uses the fictional character Bergsonist, from Brooklyn, Slovakia, as her musical guise. Derived from Deleuze's Bergsonism, Bergsonist uses intuition as a method to deliver her/his instinctive psychoanalytic theories.

A blend of different audio sources and samples are used as a way to capture the essence of the 'present' moment, manipulating found sounds along with self-concocted digital fragments to combine in in the span of a set, given time. Bergsonist allows inspiration to come from anywhere, yet she/he limits themselves by the gear/tools that are used. The approach consists of inhaling all the energy of the city - influenced by trips to museums, galleries, shows, talking to people. and sensing nature - and exhaling it sonically. Bergsonist reacts to this energy and inspiration without any specific rules, styles, or genres - extending the array of possibilities by always pushing preconceived uses of the tools.

Following a slew of cassette-only releases from labels across the global map and a split 12" with Isabella on Borft Records last year, Selwa shares her most twisted and considered compositions to date with Mutation. Four fire-stoking tracks of electro convulsions sparked from indecipherable depths inflame new terrains for an artist whose output is inextinguishable - prolific barely covers the rapidity with which Bergsonist shares new jams to a lucky few - proffering Mutation as an indelible moment in Selwa's blossoming career. Mutation features a ripped / thrashed remix from in-the-cut edit wizard, Murray CY. Mutation will be available in a limited vinyl edition of 200 with artwork designed and conceived by Selwa and Benoit Canaud Studio.

Dark Entries and Serendip Lab have teamed up to release 'Prototech', the first vinyl retrospective by German electronic trio Hypnobeat, recorded 1984-86. James Dean Brown and Pietro Insipido formed Hypnobeat in 1983, but it was the addition of Victor Sol only a few months later that found the project reaching, as Brown puts it, "the desired level of technical sophistication." In time, Tobias Freund also lent his talents (and equipment) to this loose-fit sonic scheme, where the protagonists sought a new, electronic manifestation of mankind's tribal music roots. Two cassette releases surfaced - 1985's "Huggables", and "Specials/Spatials" the following year. By this point the Frankfurt-based group had already explored fiercely mechanical creative expression through various configurations of hardware and personnel, revolving around core ingredients such as the TR-808, TB-303 and MC-202. The project lived on in spirit as Brown activated Narcotic Syntax in the 90s. While a more modern, digital concern, rooted in the Perlon label family, NS still channeled the Hypnobeat concept of a "new tribalism", not least on their "Provocative Percussion" double 12" released in 2006. For all the punky veneer, there are instances where these tracks reach staggering levels of sophistication, not least on "Slash! Buffalo Eats Brass" with its intricately programmed 303 lines and nimble beats that sound a far cry from most machine music made in 1986. Prescient "Can God Rewind" is also dazzling in the complexity of its percussion and the richness of its synth lines in C as they throb out a bastardised version of acidic Disco straight out of the rhythm collider. Elsewhere, some tracks are more primal in their execution. Visceral opening track "The Arumbaya Fetish" was a cathartic venting of Brown's least favourite sound on the 808, the iconic cowbell, while the astounding proto-Acid miniature "Moon Jump" places limber 303 lead lines in a hail of thunderstruck patterns. "Kilian" has a stripped down quality that speaks more to the industrial era that Hypnobeat was conceived in, and "Mission In Congo" is a raw, reverb-soaked drum workout that captures the percussive-obsessive nature of Hypnobeat perfectly. Six of the seven tracks selected on this collection were primarily powered by two 808s. "I am amazed that the release sounds like we really had a plan back then..." states Brown, but this accidental magic is in fact the raison d'etre of Hypnobeat. They weren't the only ones prefiguring the next big revolutions in electronic music in the mid 80s, but there certainly weren't many artists stumbling across modes of expression that sound so relevant today.

All songs are remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in a jacket featuring cave engravings by Pietro Insipido of an archer and animal printed in a wallpaper pattern style designed by Eloise Leigh. Each copy includes an transparent insert of an x-ray photograph from 1984 of Romulus Cœurque holding the circuit board of a BOSS DR-55 rhythm machine.

The annual Deep Love compilation has become one of our most important releases to showcase what Dirt Crew Recordings is all about. It gives us the chance to highlight and welcome new faces alongside the residents who keep the Deep music we stand for alive. This year more than ever we have artists from all over the World, from Japan to Canada and Lithuania to Austria represented. The man the myth...Mr. Nightcrawler himself is back with another masterpiece. True to his usual unique blend of many styles, Nachtbraker has delivered typically off-kilter 'Cobi Cabani' with crashes and sound design that punctuate a freaky bass and rippling lead. Dropping in for his debut outing on our label, Viennese resident of Sass club and founder of the 'Secret Crunch' imprint, Roman Rauch brings the filtered Disco House. Ripe with fruity percussion and deeply ingrained groove, 'Sweet Ears' breathes and builds keeping up energy to work bodies throughout the cut. Close friend of the Dirt Crew family and member of Detroit Swindle's Live super group, Lorenz Rhode is an extraordinary artist who's not only active in the House Music scene but also created his own Big Band, the Rundfunk-Tanzorchester Ehrenfeld. He gets right to it in 'On Top' a legit live key and bass jam with all the funk from a seasoned jazz musician. From across the Atlantic we have Toronto's Jesse Futerman teaming up with Dan Only, Jesse remixed Harry Wolfman's last EP on DC and is known for his laid back house grooves.

Following an accomplished EP on Perc Trax & a feature on Parallels and Influence Part II, Manni Dee returns to Leyla contributing his third EP to the labels impressive discography.

Your Public Image commences with Insurrection Erection, featuring vocals by Joke Lanz of Sudden Infant (Harbinger Sound, Raubbau). The vocal contributions harness a feeling of widespread disharmony, punctuating the bullish drums and assertive atmosphere with eruptions of frustration and expressions of malcontent. While the field recorded vocals made by Lanz feature as an empowered voice and a call for upheaval, the screams and shrieks from Lanz operate as the marginalised voice of the oppressed, sharply slicing through musical elements only to disappear and become submerged.

The A2 skips along with broken beats in very British fashion, reminiscent of Manni's earlier work on Black Sun Records, with added ingenuity and percussive flare.

The application of vocals, which has become a key characteristic of Dee's recent work, is creatively exhibited on the B1 Combination Acts; a track that displays a deft percussive density unique to Dee's style, adding a frenetic touch to a steadfast substructure. The tempo ramps up on the EP closer, satirically & appropriately titled The Jingoism Stench. The distorted & frantic yet nimble foundation propels the track forward, with reverberated contact mic and vocal recordings bouncing off the stolid walls of rhythmic pressure.

An acute understanding and implementation of rhythm and sound design results in provocative dancefloor material that blurs the lines between industrial traditions and (post) punk artistry. Dee continues to flourish as one of the most innovative and exciting voices in techno today.

2024 Repress

Hotel Record is the second release from the duo/couple of crys cole and Oren Ambarchi, following on from Sonja Henies Vei 31 (Planam, 2014). Where their debut recording presented a disquieting portrait of the erotic dimension of romantic intimacy, the follow-up continues to explore the pair's simultaneously musical and romantic relationship in a more subtle fashion, presenting four long-form pieces that touch on the variety of forms the life of this couple takes: as a musical duo, as a pair of travelers to exotic locations, as opponents in a game of cards...
Each of the double LP's four sides presents a distinct sound-world, yet each manages to attain the same suspended, half-sleeping feeling, outlining a space where improbable combinations of the electronic and the acoustic, of extreme closeness and amorphous distance, occur with the gentle insistence of a dream.
The opening Call Myself calmly unfolds a fabric of long tones from electronic organ and guitar, combining the sliding, aleatoric effects of classic David Behrman with a more hands-on feel. Over the top of this slowly shifting tonal bed, cole's voice mutters unintelligibly into a Buchla synth, teasing the listener by suggesting a meaning that remains always out of the ear's reach. Francis Debacle (Uno) builds on the foundations of a heavily amplified session of the titular card game, overlaying vocal murmurs and exhalations and mysterious room-sounds to create an impossible aural environment. On Burrata, a palette of vintage 1980s digital synthesizer sounds combined with guitars create an irregular texture of lush chords and bubbling melodic details, into which cole's voice processed by a vocoder, is interwoven, reading fragments of romantic correspondence. Finally, on Pad Phet Gob, field recordings made in Thailand become an ambiguously acoustic/electronic rainforest, eventually giving way to a mysterious, wavering electronic tone-field punctuated by sibilant, popping mouth-sounds.
Carving out an intimate and human sonic space across a diverse array of compositional approaches, sound sources, fidelities and textures, Hotel Record is the latest dispatch from the continuing explorations of a unique duo. Ambarchi and cole reimagine electro-acoustic music, not simply as 'abstract' sound, but as a diary, a love poem, a dream.
Deluxe gatefold sleeve with photography by crys cole and LP design via Stephen O'Malley
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin February 2017

* The production duo behind the rave-new world sounds of 'Turbo Mitzi' and 'Big Slug (Feat. Riko Dan)' have been busy in the studio recently and return to form with 2 killer cuts designed to shock out the dancefloor.

* 'Control' picks up the tempo from the duos previous cuts, rolling at 140 beats per minute, in it's apocalyptic form. Powerful pads create the tension before sub-heavy kicks and cybernetic snares come pounding and chopping in, building up the mood before a radioactively charged Reese-bassline emerges, rising to the surface, unleashing its terror. This is a stone-cold banger.

* 'Strobe Light' returns to the more familiar 128bpm tempo that the pair have previously worked with. Taking a quite unique approach, 'Strobe Light' builds evermore, moving into the light, layering percussion up as an intoxicating drone of swirling strings swells and swells - entrancing and empowering in equal measures. this is a highly versatile DJ tool that also makes for an engrossing listen from start to finish. Refined dancefloor ear candy.

Having reached double digits on its release roster, Amsterdam-based techno label Format presents its 11th release. And it s a three-piece ensemble by label honcho Juan Sanchez himself

FR011 delivers three techno bombs that perfectly reflect the Format sound. Things kick off with Despite the... , which combines deep grooves to staccato bass pulses designed for peak-time moments. Spanish DJ/producer Aiken delivers a superb remix that is propelled by a nasty industrial groove and coated in dark atmospheres. Closing the release is the sinister In The Dark , which is as deep as it is trippy...

FORMAT second 2017 release is another prime example of the label s coveted sound.

Black Truffle is honored to present a new issue of Annea Lockwood's classic 1970 tape piece Tiger Balm, unavailable on vinyl for over thirty years, accompanied by two exquisite unreleased works for percussion and voice.
Created while Lockwood was living in the UK, the side-long Tiger Balm is a singular work within the cannon of tape music. Inspired by research into the ritual function of music, the piece explores the possibility of evoking ancient communal memories through sound. Breaking entirely with the dynamic language of the musique concrète tradition, Lockwood uses a select palette of mainly unprocessed sonic elements chosen for their mysterious and erotic characteristics (a purring cat, a heartbeat, gongs, slowed down jaw harp, a tiger, a woman's breath, a plane passing overhead), presenting at most two sounds at once. As one sound flows organically into the next, their shared characteristics are highlighted, opening a space of dream logic and mysterious associations between nature and culture, the ancient and the modern.
The B-side presents two pieces for percussion recorded here for the first time. Amazonia Dreaming (1987), performed by Dominic Donato, uses unaccompanied snare drum and voice to evoke the nocturnal soundscape of the Amazon rainforest. Unorthodox techniques and materials (marbles, chopsticks, a plastic jar lid) transform the snare into a resonant field of sensual textures.
Immersion (1998), performed by Donato and Frank Cassara, is a slow-moving exploration of gentle beating tones, performed on marimba, tam tams and gong. Like the other two works presented on this LP, it provides captivating proof of Lockwood's belief in the complexity that deep listening can reveal within seemingly simple sounds.
Francis Plagne
Presented in a stunning deluxe gatefold sleeve with archival pics and liner notes by Annea Lockwood including the score to Amazonia Dreaming.
LP design via Stephen O'Malley
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at D&M, Berlin February 2017

Klanken are two Belgian brothers. Klanken by name Klanken by nature. 'Vier' is motorik. Highway engine sounds over rumbling bass. 'Vijf' kicks. LFO gone Benelux. These two tracks are the sound of New Beat reinvented from its Belgian home. Metallic machine sound for dancefloors and heads. Sleeve design by Ill Studio, Paris.

A strange confluence of sound that sounds part Krautrock synth label Brain records, part Hyperdub.   Techno haze and synth wormholes with spectacular sound design that has banged at Berghain and soundtracked winter night drives.

Greenspan is known mainly for his work with Junior Boys and Jessy Lanza and Taraval is a longtime touring member of Caribou, but both have released several 12' and EPs of electronic exploration over the past few years. 

Inspired by synthesizer minimalists like JD Emmanuel, Cluster and John Carpenter, the two attempted to create a type of dance music with hardware that was indebted to their influences but did not feel intrinsically retrogressive. The idea was to make a type of raw synthesizer and drum machine music that could be listened to beside the hypermodern techno of Pearson Sound or Actress.  

The cover art is a tribute to a mysterious mural that looms over the Hamilton Ontario area where the album was recorded.
Each of the five tracks on the EP were edited down from much longer recording jams which were done with hardware sequencers in real time. The recording was done completely off the floor with no overdubs or added material after the fact. As this release might appeal to synthesizer hobbyists and enthusiasts it seemed appropriate to compile a list of the instruments used in the original recordings. they are as follows: Arp Odyssey  Pioneer Toraiz SP 16 Eurorack Modular System Roland JX8P DSI Tempest Simmons SDS8 Roland SH101 Roland Jupiter 6 Yamaha CS50 Oberheim OBXA

Dark Entries is proud to release the latest offering from Bézier, a 3-track EP titled 'Primes'. Bézier is the moniker of San Francisco based musician Robert Yang, who is also part of the Honey Soundsystem crew. A multi-instrumentalist, Robert planted his roots in San Francisco in 2005. Over the years in SF he has built an impressive analog synth-based studio, which also serves as the creative hub for his riveting live performances.

'Primes' represents the theme of primordial origins and creation with three tracks that explore disparate, sonic environments in each song. The title track flows and ebbs like currents in an oil slick. Out of something messy (like primordial ooze) arises organized chaos. 'Stranger' is a moody dark electro/wave track for a sweaty night cruising on the west coast of Holland. Set against an underwater sound canvas the song features seductive guest vocals and lyrics by Nicole Ginelli. Doc Sleep of Jacktone Records provides additional production duties. The final track, 'Imperial Tranz Am', is an airy, ethereal slow burner clocking in at over 13 minutes. It originally appeared as the soundtrack to an experimental queer fantasy film of the same name by SF film maker Aron Kantor.

All songs have been mixed by Mark Pistel (Meat Beat Manifesto, Consolidated) at Room 5, San Francisco and EQed for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The vinyl comes housed in a jacket featuring a Quadtone pastel earthtone of pixelated celluar ooze designed by Eloise Leigh. Each EP includes a postcard with an image still from the 'Imperial Tranz-Am' movie. 'Do I hear what I see, is it real or just a feeling, a vibration of N-R-G.'

Post Scriptum is the latest artist to join the Sonic Groove Records roster.
Previously releasing on Function's legendary Infrastructure imprint, Post Scriptum changes gears stylistically in a very big way with his latest release entitled Until You Drop. Leaving his previous looped based purist Techno behind, Post Scriptum takes his sound exploration into the much darker cavernous world of Industrial Techno.


Dark As You Like starts off this musical odyssey with a fierce mid tempo, broken beat groove. The rhythm emits the real feel sensation of live played drums with its hard smashing snares and deep booming bass kicks which surely will have you play the air drums! Layered on top of this beast of a rhythm track, Post Scriptum provides the perfect lyricism with a smooth spoken narrative. Very forward thinking sound design curves its way in and out of the dark negative space the rhythm and vocals provide. Without imitation or sounding even remotely retro this evokes the feel of early Nine Inch Nails and Ministry.


Drop Zone is a highly intense workout with it's pulsing staccato bassline and crackling filtered out lead line which builds into a growling beast of riff that will completely consume the listener. You Won't Find Me (Short Mix/Long Mix) takes things further into the post contemporary realm of present day Industrialized Techno with complex, bass heavy drum rhythms, slicing and dicing their way through a darkened acidic atmosphere of time, space and sound.


The joining of Post Scriptum and Sonic Groove Records is the perfect match with this beautifully crafted Techno-Industrial hybrid EP, a banger for the dance floor but also a delicious delicacy for your home turntable or music player.

Electric Rescue, one of the made-in-France masterpieces of the electronic music and also REX CLUB Resident with his 'skryptom' label is making his debut on Rex Club Music with this 'Melancholic Enchantment' ep. With 3 albums and many ep's on labels like Bedrock, Cocoon Harthouse, Virgo etc to name the essential, Electric Rescue has proved since his debut, 25 years ago, his experience and skills as a confirmed artist in the techno scene.With this new release, 'Melancholic enchantment' Electric Rescue is bringing you to a mindtrip excursions.
Melancholic enchantment & Pavdo, enchant you and carry away in a hypnotic furrow, full of moody and atmospheric sounds. "Subway", in a harder style than the previous ones, with his saturated dub chords mixed with chattered hihat, is an unstoppable hit for big rooms that smiled to make its effect.
And what an honor to entrust to the excellent French producer, Marcelus, to remix PAVDO.
This prominent producer has already appeared on labels like Deeply Rooted, Tresor or Singular Records his label. Also resident for the Tresor in Berlin, Marcelus is a complete artist, excellent DJ, he is also a genie producer with a unique Paw , that you can find in this Pavdo remix.
It takes t he original in deeper and mental regions, with Bell textures and jumbled perc sounding like a ghost train in action. It's definitely a peak time weapon designed for plenty of destruction.

Dark Entries present the sophomore album from Austin, Texas analogue hardware enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Derrick May were key early influences. Techno, noise, ambient and tape processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. His debut album 'Meditations/Industry' was released on cassette in 2013 and edited for a vinyl release in January 2016 followed by two 12' singles 'Warehouse Invocation' and '7 of 9' the same year.

'The Shape Of Things To Come' is a 70 minute journey spread across two pieces of vinyl. It's comprised of seven tracks recorded directly to tape with no overdubs, made at Converse's home studio. At the time of recording, Bill was sending this material to Josh Vance (Josua Dorje Ngodup) for feedback. Most of the time Josh would respond in the form of artwork, and then Bill would create another track inspired by this feedback chain. Converse has dedicated this series of tracks to him. The songs on this album reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. For this album Converse slightly bumped up the tempos geared for dancefloor energy. Built around vintage synthesizer lines and gritty drum machine percussion, the tracks evoke how things have changed and how they have come to be.'

All songs were mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each LP is housed in a gatefold jacket with a painted photograph portrait by Dietmar Busse and layout design by Eloise Leigh. The gatefold conceals an otherworldly collage made by Josua Dorje Ngodup. Each copy includes a postcard featuring artwork from Bill's sister with notes.

"Inhabiting this grey area between late psych efforts and early PINA (private issue new age), 1977's Pythagoron TM is an electronic oddity originally marketed as some sort of musical narcotic ( a new invention that gets you high with sound' original ads read) sold via magazines like High Times.

Shrouded by it's corporate-like design are two enigmatic side long suites of droning electronics which evoke similar autistic synth experiences like early Conrad Schnitzler, Lorq Damon, Udder Milk Decay or the whole Pascal / Narco Records output whilst recalling also more articulate efforts such as Steve Reich's early opus, Charlemagne Palestine's sinewave experiments or Eliane Radigue's synthetic bliss.

A truly bizarre artifact which was apparently the brainchild of NYC's early media art collective USCO (The Company Of Us) which already pionered inmersive sound/light environments fusing mysticism and state-of-the-art technology back in the 60's. Intriguing period piece."

Raül G. Pratginestós (Fauni Gena)

Comes in original artwork printed on silver cover in a limited edition of 500 copies only.

''Noir Jungle Part II'' finds the Italian producers 'Cardace & Perazzini' once again demonstrating originals and exciting modes of expression, not to mention the extraordinary level of detail in their music. It rounds the project off, with yet more unpredictable diversions of their immersive sound design to paint a vivid and unique landscape at its most dynamic framework. 'Swinging Plans' places the drums at the forefront of the mix, using incredible layers of brushed, rolling an expressive live recordings to create a truly thrilling experience that speaks to the deepest human instinct for rhythmic sound. 'Internal N.5', intensify the Techno-influenced energy as it races ahead on a tightly wound rhythm, adding a rich array of sounds into the mix to create a focused and detailed trip loaded with cinematic tension. 'George Is There', takes rich chords running through delay and reverb while maintaining a pronounced house groove with perfect and subtle touches of jazz into the track, invigorating sonic experience aimed at both, the mind and the dancefloor. 'Below the Earth', This is a perfect example of Cardace & Perazzini's exercise of restraint, keeping the mood simmering while still displaying their love for ear-snagging samples in between the folds of the track. 'Really Low Mind' sets a thrilling tone straight away with a rolling drum beat taking the lead and subtle tonal sweeps filling in the space around. It's a testament of skills when sequencing drums, not least when it peaks after a tantalizing breakdown. 'Night Train' sits easy on the ears but there is a deep level of production at work that reveals itself as the heavily processed samples of instrumentation starts to unfurl halfway through the track.

Astray is the Sublabel of Away, Berlin.

Berlin's party series and the eponymous vinyl label celebrate the launch of its sublabel ASTRAY with the 'Road Force EP' by Discrete Circuit. While AWAY with previous contributions from Joe Claussell, Mr. Ties, and Move D leans more to the housier side of things, ASTRAY will take a different path by taking some darker, techno-centered steps. Following the idea only to release productions by both label founders, Discrete Circuit and H4L, as well as unique collaborations which either of them will form with outside artists, ASTRAY's second EP will premiere the joint studio work of Discrete Circuit and DJ/producer Blind Observatory. EP INFO After releasing on labels such as DVS1's Mistress Recordings, Mark Broom's label Beard Manand Darko Esser's Wolfskuil Records, Discrete Circuit's new EP provides four progressivetracks mirroring his interest in a steadily growing techno narrative as well as mind manipulating onomatopoeia. On the A-side he's evolving his floor-aimed capabilities in two different ways: Starting with subtly quoting the infamous Motor City, the title track's on-edge techno design quickly accumulates into some kind of hounding; not knowing if you're the hunted or the hunter. 'Stress Resultant' increases the pace, whereby the restless vibe is contrasted by melodic synth patterns embodying a sort of playful corrective. The flip side introduces Discrete Circuit's experimental facet: 'Controlled Error' exhibits the dialogue between harmony and chaos in which shrieking, yet claustrophobic shades play hide-and-seek ultimately unfolding a gloomy funk, while the EP's last 'Circuitry' is completely carried by shape-shifting, pulsing soundscapes.

For it's seventh release, Banlieue Records showcases the work of Budapest-based producer AIWA through a mini album full of dreamy and ethereal sounds. With a subtle nod to the sound design of previous decades, AIWA is channeling inspiration from some of the more cosmic genres but never compromises on a forward thinking attitude that means this release can't be pinned down to a specific genre, rather, it is another example of the unique music Banlieue Records is currently nurturing. From beatless tracks that are anything but static to cuts with a more club-oriented groove, AIWA's sound is on the surface a stripped down, no frills a air. Without compromising on sounding lush, his productions invite the listener to dive deep into the worlds evoked in each track. These often convey the sense of upwards motion, while pulling the listener into a whirlpool of emotion.

For the past four years Francesco Leali kept busy running Parachute alongside co-owners Manfredi Romano and Thomas Feriero, producing under different monikers and touring the globe as half of CW/A. Finally back as Clockwork, Leali reveals a five track EP featuring some of his rugged music to date. A briery shift into foggier territories where Leali explores layered sound-design and broken rhythms, something he had only hinted in his previous work.
'Online Entity' depicts Leali's hindrance with modern society's social networking obsession. 'In contrast to what these services were actually intended for', Leali explains, 'They seem to have impacted a lot of people negatively, resulting in unnecessary resentments, misinformation and feelings of proximity when these tools can easily alienate you from reality'.
'Constantly worrying about how you want people to perceive you is absurd already, but for many of us this constant sharing has become the only way to achieve happiness, to be satisfied. In an era where all of this is getting out of hand it's essential to remind yourself of the things that truly shape you as an individual. With
Online Entity I aimed for feelings of release, mutating resentments into something positive - more physical. I imagined it as a soundtrack to an escape from these very situations.'
The release showcases this approach with five club-ready numbers filled with calculated, pounding drums and gloomy atmospheres, with only rare glimpses of hope scattered throughout.
To round things up we mobilised fellow Parachute affiliate Ayarcana and Serbian Techno pro Lag who both deliver two startling interpretations of 'Escape Sequence' and 'Rumination'.

Planet Mu are very excited to announce Jlin's long awaited second album Black Origami'. A percussion-led tour de force, it's a creation that seals her reputation as a unique producer with an exceptional ability to make riveting rhythmic music. Black Origami' is driven by a deep creative thirst which she describes as this driving feeling that I wanted to do something different, something that challenged me to my core. Black Origami for me, comes from letting go creatively, creating with no boundaries. The simple definition of origami is the art of folding and constructing paper into a beautiful, yet complex design. Composing music for me is like origami, only I'm replacing paper with sound. I chose to title the album "Black Origami" because like "Dark Energy" I still create from the beauty of darkness and blackness. The willingness to go into the hardest places within myself to create for me means that I can touch the Infinity.' Spirituality and movement are both at the core of Black Origami', inspired largely by her ongoing collaborations with Indian dancer/movement artist Avril Stormy Unger whom she met and collaborated with at her debut performance for the Unsound festival - 'There is a fine line between me entertaining a person and my spirituality. Avril, who collaborates with me by means of dance, feels the exact same way. Movement played a great role in Black Origami. The track "Carbon 7" is very inspired by the way Avril moves and dances. Our rhythms are so in sync at times it kind of scares us. When there is something I can't quite figure out when it comes to my production, it's like she senses it. Her response to me is always "You'll figure it out". Once I figure it out it's like time and space no longer exist.' Similar time shifting/folding/disrupting effects can be heard throughout the record - especially on Holy Child' an unlikely collaboration with minimalist legend William Basinski. She also collaborates again with Holly Herndon on 1%', while Halcyon Veil producer Fawkes' voice is on Calcination and Cape Town rapper Dope Saint Jude provides vocals for Never Created, Never Destroyed . Jlin will be touring extensively this year and is currently lining up appearances including Sonar festival. Later this year she will be collaborating in London with acclaimed UK choreographer Wayne McGregor who played her music recently on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs and described her music as quite rare and so exciting".

The fifth record on NEW YORK TRAX is by Løt.te, the Turkish-born, Brooklyn-based DJ, producer and designer affiliated with The Bunker New York by virtue of two well-received vinyl releases. This politically charged EP titled 'State of Exception' is Løt.te's personal reflection on the current social and political climate in Turkey. With rhythmic synths brought to the foreground, Løt.te committed a masterpiece that only a skilled and thoughtful artist like himself can. The opening 'Ultra Vires' is a relentless synth-driven warehouse track mercilessly rolling at the speed of 140BPM. The deeper Ausnahmezustand follows; it is a reflective and rhythmical piece perfect for both home listening and the dance floor. 15.07.2016 opens the B side with its tense yet playful atmosphere and numerous constantly evolving layers of sound. Finally, Graft is a shockingly intense introspective piece. Crafted with Japanese taiko drums and digital synthesizers pushed to their limits, it is a lesson in perfect sound design.

Having come up with an annual-ish drop of 12's since 2010, Even Brenden AKA Chmmr set aside the spring of 2016 to challenge himself to a new format: a full-length album. A true nostalgic, he uses Compass Point-era and early Italo sounds for inspiration and attempts to simulate these styles. This makes for a melodic, chuggy and graphic album that belongs a little more in the living room than on the dance floor. With 10 tracks of dusty rhythms and the honest, naive and spacious themes that is Brenden's signature, it's a record designed to signal that today's technological future may not be as different as yesterday's. Features a nice-looking cover painting drawn by the late Harold Cohen's AARON program - automation at its finest. Hidden behind his Chmmr moniker is Even Brenden, whose summery debut found its way into the world via Norwegian psych-disco label Luna Flicks in 2010. The record became somewhat of a soughtafter item and after making pit stops at Relish, Dødpop and Untz Untz Records, he landed on Prins Thomas' Full Pupp in 2014 and have stayed put ever since, all the while enjoying a steady habit of record jocking and the occasional keyboard duty in Telephones' now-defunct live band. Even resides in Oslo makes odd waves without vowels.

In this space between chaos and conformity disorderly moments welcome new phases into existence, leading to the awakening of an elevated version of the self. Between highs and lows, Transitions of Life remain; the concept behind Synthek's first solo full length sound narrative on his Natch Records imprint. Unfolding across a vexing two-year transformation phase, Synthek's crossings along rough roads are the tribulations to reveal this intimate personal journey of reve- lation through emotional downshift, spiritual upheaval and cerebral quandary. In this dominion, Synthek shapes the eleven track escapade along a sophisticated array of synths and warm analog drums, while contrasting the build and decline of atmosphere through deep bass soundscapes.
Pivotal turning points execute the programming of the album's three part sound design; beginning from darkness and repression, evolving to a more colourful aerial majesty of lucid dream state, morphing into the developed nature of life lessons learned; Transitions of Life making its incarnation into the discovery of the self and re-entry into reality.

*Transitions of Life is a 2x12' release made available through Natch Elements, intro- spective extension to the Natch Records imprint. Visual embodiment of the project artfully presented with photographic time capsule by Salar Kheradpejouh of Berlin, Germany with graphic work curated by Jacopo Saveritano, co-founder of Natch Records.

For all of his life Berlin based musician Drei Farben House has been thrilled by the artistic concepts of repetition and modifying resemblances. Small but precise and perceptible variations of (musical) themes have been fascinating him throughout his life as a lover of dance-infused Pop. The artistic concept of handwriting has been questioned in the world of fine arts with some justification, but Michael Siegle aka Drei Farben House has remained a strong advocate of this artistic principle which in his view has resulted in so many impressive musical expressions in the history of Soul and Disco --reference points which have been particularly important to Siegle's creative work. The album's sleeve shows the 'Doris and Norman Fisher House' in Hatboro (a suburb of Philadelphia) designed by Louis I. Kahn from 1960-1967. Kahn, based in Philadelphia and one of the most influential architects of the twentieth century, was already in his sixties and progressively getting famous around this time for his sensitive combination of concrete and brick in larger scales. The almost spiritual sensibility of his buildings and his poetry of light created deep, fundamental connections between the spaces and their inhabitants. New Release Information "Every building must have . . . its own soul", this famous quote of Kahn can easily be seen in the modest and wonderfully warm Fisher house which consits of two intersecting cubic volumes created from cedar wood - finished at the same time when only twenty miles away the newly founded Sigma Sound Studio recorded the Delfonics first record, installing the basements of Philadelphia Soul which was later leading to Phillysound, Disco and House.

Amsterdam based Leyla records presents part two of it's various artists compilation, this time bringing together a host of international artists, as well as a contribution from label boss Chafik Chennouf.

The four tracker commences with Insufferable People from label regular Manni Dee. Following his spectacular EP on Perc Trax, Dee delivers a dancefloor roller containing punctilious sound design integral to his work, with vocals from the artist superimposed over crunchy drums, riding the waves of submerged synths.

Track two from France's Von Grall offers a similar treat for DJs, this time with more introspective elements working in harmony with with propulsive polyrhythms. As the track creeps forward the revelation of drones and synth lines further involves the listener and contributes to a musical landscape populated by rhythmically independent segments, coalescing to form a cogent whole.

Head honcho Chafik Chennouf injects light in to the darkness on the B1 with Kosmai, redolent of EBM style funk rhythms. The stolid arpeggios function as the foundation for percussive interplay which propel the track in to new territory as it progresses. The 90s rave influence becomes apparent as the automations mould and shape the multidimensional lead.

The closer, Useless Landscape, from Japan's Katsunori Sawa immediately immerses the listener as the concrete groove is quickly overtaken by field recordings and a unique tonality emerging through layered drones and warped artefacts. Reminiscent of his work with Yuji Kondo as Steven Porter, the track unveils an intimacy through detail, while maintaing distance through evolving layers of sound creating mystery and magic.

DJ Haus (the hardest working man in show business!) teams up with Mak & Pasteman for our landmark quarter century release!!! How the hell did that happen we only expected to manage about 4 releases tops We are really proud to welcome these guys to the ever expanding DABJ family, and they have not let us down with this first release... The title track and "Bang It" are room shaking heavy bass numbers, which we have been rinsing for almost a year now... Drive MF sounds like Paul Johnson and Daniel Bell "stuck in an elevator" (or some other bullshit analogy like that...). All 3 tracks = essential. period. "Buy on sight" etc etc...
Carefully hand stamped by the two slackest men in show business (or at least one of them anyway...)
Shout out once again to Lindsay Todd of Firecracker for the sick stamp designs!

There was a time when to die was something slightly different from what it is today. Back in the last days of the middle age, some hidden monk was concerned about how to die properly, according to the catholic standarts of that era, so he wrote a book that was a cornerstone in that period.
This has been the leitmotiv and ispiration in the concept that drives this album, the Ars Moriendi book from 1415, a book that gave some clues about how to die properly, avoiding lack of faith, despair, impatience, avarice or spiritual pride, all those actually track titles in this compendium.

Album starts with Impatience a short atmospheric drone sets the path to post industrial mayhem, based on a continuous and obsessive metallic sequence that drives the angst over a dirty rhythm workout until the textures go on top after several bars.

Rules of behaviour breaks the beat into metallic hits as starting point, then more percussive layers add to the main beat until the dark pads take over mixing hate with beauty on a grey canvas.
Despair return to adrenaline, icreasing the tempo, running unstoppable on a relentless sequence with skeleton beats as a driver.
Speculum acts as a sequel from the first track, same sequence different rhythm, extending the anxiety feeling but with a cleaner groove, again a few elements make everything run smoothly no fillers, just tension.
Lack of faith keeps on with the beat as fundamental component, based on a cemented kick and breathing components that grow during the running time.
Avarice returns to harsh kicks and martial sincopation having distortion as the main element until Fm percussions shine on top.
Spiritual Pride is the adrenaline shot in this album, obessive dry sequences, harsh kicks and razor hats in a direct floor burner.
Closing the travel, The search for identity goes underwater: cavernous landscapes and absence of brightness with a pulsating sub frequency doing the low end, while drones and obscure sound design make the rest.

De-Bons-en-Pierre is a project from Beau Wanzer & Maoupa Mazzocchetti. Beau Wanzer spends the majority of his days sifting through paraffin embedded animal tissues and reading old issues of Fangoria, occasionally breaking his monotonous routine to record in various fits and bursts. As well as solo material, he is also in numerous projects including Streetwalker, Mutant Beat Dance, Civil Duty, and Corporate Park. He's released on many labels including; Diagonal, L.I.E.S, Cititrax, Nation, Rush Hour, and Light Sounds Dark. Maoupa Mazzocchetti is the pseudonym of Florent Mazzocchetti, a French producer based in Brussels. Florent is strictly devoted to a DIY mentality around music production and his sound revives the electro-industrial aesthetic of the late 70s and early 80s. He's released notable productions on labels such as Unknown Precept, PRR! PRR!, Knekelhuis and Mannequin Records.

While Beau was visiting Brussels he stopped by Maoupa's house to jam for a bit. All songs were recorded on April 4, 2016 between 11:00am and 11:00pm, as single live takes.'Crepes' is a 6-track EP, titled so because they ate crepes the majority of the session. Beau says, "There was a bit of a language barrier. We'd mostly just laugh and nod when something sounded cool to us." The equipment set up included a Roland TR-808, TR-606, SH-101, CR-78, CR-8000, two Syncussions and effects. Over 23 minutes of garbles, sludgy synths and leviathan rhythms. Surfing the slippery slope between industrial and electro, but never quite falling in, just a dip of your pinky toe to to test the temperature.

All songs are mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in a sewage green/blue jacket featuring a crepe-masked duo reminiscent of pulpy VHS covers. Designed by Eloise Leigh and Florent Mazzocchetti. Each copy includes a 2-sided postcard with a photo taken during the recording session.

Florian Meindl surges ahead in 2017 as he returns once more to his home base FLASH Recordings. He has been locked away in his studio and is now ready to unleash his new album 'Time Illusion'. With these album sessions Florian has created a special collection of analogue focused tracks which will be released on a double vinyl album and digitally in the Spring.

Amalgamating his array of impressive hardware, he has refined his sound and crafted a selection of tracks that demonstrate intricate knowledge and mastery of his analogue equipment. His aim was to find the right balance between musical depth and sound design while interacting with the hardware.

In anticipation for the LP release in early April, Florian has prepared a unique live set featuring a Modular System, the KORG Minilogue, effect boxes and a 909 drum machine which were used in the creation of the album and which he will be touring throughout 2017.
Electronic Beats visited him in his basement at Riverside Studios Berlin to record an exclusive live session, which you can find on Youtube and his Facebook page.

Taking charge of the first release is Lucy, who has evolved his distinct sound signature by reconciling the deeply personal with the esoteric, and by harmonizing the spheres of technology and biology. Whether he is acting in the role of producer, DJ, performer, or Stroboscopic Artefacts' curator, Lucy's clear passion for creative evolution and mutation is something that continues to attract new listeners, and keeps giving his current supporters new reasons to continue tuning in. EP opener 'The Hermit' is eight minutes of spacious and cerebral techno. Rolling drums are buried deep as little flecks of sound design peel off the groove. Occasional bell hits bring a sombre and languid feel despite the drive of the drums, and it is the sort of perfectly absorbing track that will suck you down a 5am rabbit hole. On the flip, 'The High Priestess' is a similarly mental work out that is empty and eerie, with distant drones and yawning pads outlining a vast underground space. The drums here are again rubbery and rolling, but a little more prominent, and the whole thing manages to be both soothing and unsettling. After this fine EP starts the label in style, a remix EP from Blawan will follow.

Espen Beranek Holm is a Norwegian musician and comedian, born 1960 and began his music career as a clarinetist. Inspired by early synthesizer bands Kraftwerk and The Residents, he began making experimental pop music. His debut single Dra te' hælvete' was released in 1981 and was immediately banned by national TV/radio channel NRK due to explicit lyrics. This gave the young artist tons of publicity, helping the single spend almost 6 months on the national charts.

Beranek returned to the Starholm Studios in Oslo from June - September 1981 to record nine new compositions. His debut album, Sound of Danger', was released on Mind Expanding Records in November 1981. Nowhere near as accessible as the previous single, the album fared poorly commercially. Withdrawing from the single's fun, kitsch pop, the album is cool and static, driven by thin rhythm boxes, cold synths, and glacial guitars. Taking heavy cues from David Bowie, all of the songs are sung in a nasally English accent, a rare occurrence in Norway at the time. The lyrics are melancholic, but tinged with paranoia. There are also upbeat tracks that evoke a prog or glam sensibility a la King Crimson, Alan Parsons, or Roxy Music.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Housed in the original jacket featuring red, black, and white lines that evoke a visualized Richter Scale designed by Monica Moltzau. Each copy includes a 2-sided 8x11' insert with lyrics and an autographed press photo of Beranek.

For their next release, Freeride Millenium once again link up with Pauls Musique for a perfectly formed new EP from Raphael Danilo feat. George Pappos. Both Danilo and Pappos reside in the rough edges of the greek mountain Parnassos, their musical approach takes cues from their proximity to the ancient sanctuary of Delphi and sees them cook up one fine cut which then gets remixed by Innellea and Nikkname. That lead single is 'Strangers', eight spiritual and spooky minutes of spine tingling and eerie synth music that really takes you on a trip. It operates on another dimension, with pixelated lines and undulating pads all suspending you in space. Perfect for an epic set opening or to really reset the dancefloor with an attention grabbing and emotive piece, it is a truly classy track full of musicality and suspense and atmosphere. German pair Innellea then step up to remix and brilliantly flip the cut into something just as epic and enchanting but with a mid tempo, rubbery house beat down low helping you slip into the deep and colourful groove. Last of all, Nikkname then re-works the whole thing into something minimal and absorbing. The whole thing is riddled with intricate sound design, tender piano keys and the sound of static. It is a real symphony of the organic and the electronic and as such cannot fail to make its mark. This is an artful package that demands close listening with suitably eye catching visuals supplied once again by artist Daniel Rajcsanyi. Thanks for purchasing a real copy!

The reveries begin with a simple electrical hum - a starting signal for the appearance of a vibrant array of sound, shifting before us in seemingly random motion. Before we know it, all those pulsating melodies, razor-cut hifi-house beats and drunken robot jazz ensembles start forming into patterns, secretly & perfectly designed by one Art Alfie. A long time operator in Stockholm's small but insistent underground music scene, Oscar Wedrén broke through internationally in 2012 with the Karlovak project, founded with on-off studio and dj partner Rudolf Nordström, a.k.a. Mr. Tophat. The duo's inexplicably fresh takes on classic dance music tropes is as much a result of a brilliantly odd pairing of personalities as of a defined concept and a precise method in searching for the perfect house groove. While writing Reveries Of, released early spring 2017 through Studio Barnhus, Art Alfie freed himself of all conceptual footholds, delving instead deep into his archives of old and new memories and feels, working with improptu field recordings and emotionally-guided sampling processes. He came back with an intricate and personal debut album and he didn't lose his groove on the way.

Jerome Meyer AKA Von D is a master craftsman, well-known for releasing dubstep and bass music since 2009. On an increasingly prolific trajectory since last year, recent 12's on Infernal Sounds, Trojan Audio and Scotch Bonnet have signaled his renewed focus on dubwise productions. We are proud to say that Von D's Khaliphonic debut sees him fully committing to reggae and dub - in his words, going back to my musical roots.'

Politricks' is a masterwork, cut from the same living rock as the classic Cuss Cuss riddim, a simply huge bass and drum workout that is truly one for the ages. Politricks is an anthem for now, a call to avoid the dead-end of politics-as-usual and a warning to beware of the lies politicians tell to keep themselves in power - full of promises but changing nothing. Von D says that working with Don Cotti was very natural,' and their easy relationship is audible - the tune fits the vocal like a glove, and Cotti's instantly-recognizable singjay style gives even more gravitas to an already heavy track. The dub version spools out Von D's signature saturated echoes even further, and opens up spectral chambers of reverb that shimmer and glow.

The B side Ygrec' is an equally massive tune, just as compelling if more meditative and mysterious, coming in both one drop and power-steppers mixes for maximum versatility and vibes. Both tunes and their versions feature an incredibly robust, warm, human sound - one that simply can't come from machines alone - live drums, bass, and kete drum among other instruments maintain the tradition of live musicians in dub - to say nothing of expert desk-based mixing and deployment of live analog effects the way the elders intended. Both tunes dial in at 140 making them perfect for roots and dubstep selectors alike.

Von D got his start as a drummer and engineer outside Paris, in the heady days of original jungle. Early releases on Disfigured Dubz, Hench, Boka, Black Acre and the seminal V Recordings, as well as his reggae-oriented Liquid Wicked project, cemented his reputation. Don Cotti is a prolific producer, DJ and MC with releases stretching back to 2006 on labels as varied as Bass Face, Studio Rockers, and Soul Jazz.

Mastered by Lewis at Stardelta. Art & design by Polygon Press.

Florian Meindl kick starts 2017 with a special four-track vinyl only release 'Colorful Cage'. Released on his own imprint FLASH Recordings, the title track is taken from his forthcoming album 'Time Illusion'.

There is an exclusive vinyl edit of Florian's previously released foreboding techno track 'Nix Charon' and completing the EP are two further unique tracks 'Controlled Pressure' and 'Wild Sequence 3'.

As a DJ, live performer, studio producer and sound designer, Florian has over the years established an impressive producing base for himself in his Berlin based Riverside Studio complex with an exciting hardware set up including Modular Systems, an analog mixing desk as well as classic machines like Roland 909.
In anticipation for the LP release in early April, Florian has prepared a unique live set featuring a Modular System, the KORG Minilogue, effect boxes and a 909 drum machine which were used in the creation of the album which he will be touring throughout 2017.

Singer, Producer and DJ Seven Davis Jr returns to his underground Soulful and House roots while fusing flavors from various eras in this uptempo sophomore album. "Live From The Other Side", plays like the soundtrack to a lovely weekend with visual designs inspired by underground festival culture and contemporary art. Dedicated to his fans, Sev hopes this album will conjure up good vibes and enhance sessions, from living room to club, for generations.

Infernal Sounds is discharging its fifth hefty, system-affine release, adding another highly regarded talent to their roster. Having featured revered producers like Von D, Sepia, Causa, Shu & Perverse, the label has clearly positioned itself in the front row seat of the modern dubstep movement. Representing a combination of upholding the values of system music with a 21st-century take on sound - the next release, catalogued as 'IFS005' is stylistically congruent and adds to the discography in total.

It is now time for highly talented Sub Basics (Tom Woods) to augment the imprint's discography with his ridiculously massive incarnation of bass music. His debut vinyl release on the Canadian imprint 'Visceral Vibrations' in 2015 has garnered ample amounts of positive reception by esteemed figures in the scene like Versa, Syte and J:Kenzo. After an equally praised 10' dubplate release ( Give Dem') in 2016, we now find ourselves in the silence before the thunderstorm, that is this very record. His upcoming release includes three tracks, two of which will feature on vinyl (A. Horus/ B. Cartel), while the third 'Northern Lights' will be a Bandcamp-exclusive.

Diving into the sound at hand, his arrangements are closely aligned and firmly true to the origins of Dubstep - conjugated with extreme clarity, as well as preposterous amounts of weight and gravitas. The impeccable execution of his minimalistic sound design will leave this release rumbling on soundsystems around the globe - and will most stay a fan's favourite draw from the record bag for a good while.


Perfectly displaying a refined sense of dynamics with 'Horus', Sub Basics effortlessly squeezes every available ounce of air out of the system, while preserving an immense sense of space. The highly infatuating groove of 'Cartel' is mingled with a sweltering foundation - tied together through his meticulous attention to detail. As etheral pads complement the gnarly drum reverberations and bird's cries recoil - the listener is left in a surreal world of the 'Northern Lights' - apprehended by the sonorous magnitude of the bassline. Completed by creamy atmospheres with tape-echo-esque characteristics, this whole release is sure to tick all your boxes from top to bottom - IFS005 has already received support from J:Kenzo & Foamplate among others, therefore the pre-order is strongly advised.

Side A, put the needle to the groove for an opening introduction to the sound of Midu aka Nicolas Midulla (Funky Monks Records) - "Salcame Selva" is the name of the track and we are presented with some deep, soul-washed house, laced with delicate, shimmering chords and propelled forward by an infectious, rhythmic -baseline. On to track A2 and we find ourselves listening to the unmistakable sound of Tommy Vicari Jnr. Cooking and reshaping the original "Salvame Selva" in a cauldron of bubbling-funk, spring-loaded drum-beats and seasoned with just enough bounce, to elevate the most static of dance-floors. Turn the record over to the B side, where you will find the sound of Prang aka Quitter (Ammo84 / Charmin / Les Temps Difficiles). Meeting you head on and slicing through your consciousness like a scalpel blade, "Last Few Bars" has been designed with precision and intent, to direct the dance floor, enchant and hypnotize, with consuming charm. The finale for the labels second release, comes from Frankfurt, Germany - from the mind of Nils Diezel (Nixwax). "Moody Sundays" plays host to a track, which appears to invoke ecstatic and magical rites, elevating your mind, enveloping the senses and leaving the listener in a dream like state.

'Deep session! It is rare to hear folk music from Japan in such beautiful fidelity and incredible dynamics. This recording is intensely gorgeous and hauntingly disarming. This should open up a whole new world of adventurous listening for folks outside (and inside!) Japan.'Brian Shimkovitz (Awesome Tapes From Africa)

'Sounds absolutely great! Super interesting and engaging.'Ben UFO

'Just Give Me That Old Time Religion, It's Good Enough For Me.'Japan Blues

A hotline to the gods! Kagura is a thousand-year-old form of Japanese Shinto sacred music and dance, accompanying the chanting of myths; the word "kagura" can be translated as "god-entertainment". Passed down over countless generations, the music is rare and recordings even rarer. Shigeo Tanaka was a master of the yumi (bow), an uncommon single-string percussion instrument, which is a true bow: arrows are fired off at the end of each ceremony to fend off evil sprits. The instrument is difficult to play; it's hard to draw out the proper sound and maintain the rhythm.
Yumi kagura is the oldest of all the various forms of kagura. The Tanaka family, based in rural Joge-cho, Hiroshima prefecture, has passed down this yumi kagura tradition for hundreds of years; this lineage continues to this day in the person of his daughter Ritsuko Tanaka. The Joge-cho yumi kagura, which prays for family well-being, bountiful crops and good fortune, was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1971. The piece featured here, "Takusa saimon", based on the myth "Ama no iwato" (The Rocky Celestial Cave), is mesmeric, reaching back across ages to the time before time, with Tanaka's voice and yumi, accompanied by flute and metal percussion, drawing us closer to the primal activities of the gods. Listeners may find affinities with aspects of musics as diverse as German electronic minimalism like E2-E4, certain Ethiopian music, "spiritual jazz" and more, all tapping into the deep root of forever. Previously available only on a ridiculously obscure 1990 cassette release, Yumi kagura is the first collaborative release by EM Records and Riyo Mountains, a Japanese folk song research team. Available on LP and CD, with the CD featuring a bonus track: "Inagahachiman jinja yumi kagura hono" recorded in 2016 by Tanaka's daughter and successor Ritsuko Tanaka.

+ Direction/liner notes by Riyo Mountains
+ English liner notes & lyrics

Yellow Vinyl

Elektro Guzzi combine club music and live performance to a unique, energetic mixture. They overcome the rigid boundary of analog versus digital, unifying the human being with his machines in an unprecedented way and surprising the listener with their innovative productions. Sónar, Roskilde, Melt!, C/O Pop or Mutek are just a few stations among others, where Elektro Guzzi fascinated with their dynamic live show, without the use of computers or loops.

With their new EP - Parade , the first release on German label Denovali, Elektro Guzzi broaden their trinity of drums, bass and e-guitar. With implementing trombones as extra oscillators, dissociating them from their conventional use, the trombones become part of the human-machine-universe and are used as an additional sound source in order to modulate and explore its variety live on the stage.

The four tracks emerged from commissioned work for the Artacts Festival for Jazz and Improvised Music. They move along familiar paths, but also show some new, unusual dimensions of Elektro Guzzi. Opener - Element starts gently, bringing the trombones slowly into appearance, culminating in that driving groove, which whips the melancholic sound of the track. Title track - Parade reveals the new source of inspiration of the Vienna-based trio. From Haitian Rara music, through New Orleans brass bands to Basic Channel dub, Elektro Guzzi create rhythms beyond four-to-floor, with that special, warm vibe, which remains in the ear of the listener.

Recording, mixing and sound design results from a collaboration with sound enthusiast Nik Hummer. The - Parade -EP hypnotizes the listener with its diversity of sounds, with floating and dubby rhythms, situated in a stunning sound aesthetic, in which the feeling of its live performance is conserved.

Marc Antona has been always in the pursuit of new expressions within music as he has continually demonstrated with his work. Following the jazz-infused adventures of the Rattle Snaps EP, he finally returns to his own turf to lay down another crucial exploration of beat science. "Hanging Gardens" is a masterclass in immersive programming, fusing the natural feel of live drums with crisp electronic tones that hover in a spacious mix. It's the perfect angle at which to appreciate the subtlety of sound design that goes into every inch of Marc Antona's productions, teasing elements in and out of the mix so gracefully, it's hard to tell where the joints are. The haunting touches of chords and lingering pad are deployed with poise, the intricate percussion progressively rising and falling throughout to create a truly immersive sonic journey. Where the A side deals with angular rhythms and a shape-shifting atmosphere, "Unrestricted" takes the sound palette of organic and electronic elements and feeds them into a rolling, techno-minded focus. The tribal thrum of the beat fills out an 'in-the room-ambience' while the psychoactive synth flurries speak out the pulse of the machines. It's a combination that makes "Unrestricted" as intimate as it is exotic. In combining these disparate feelings within his tracks, Antona once again brings a human feel to the technology, pushing the music into exciting new realms in the process.

Phantom Forth were the brother sister team of Paul Luker (Guitar, Bass, Vocals), Debbie Luker (Drums, Guitar, Vocals) and Lorraine Steele (Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals). They formed in 1981 in Auckland, New Zealand. Paul began recording his own music after purchasing a 2-track from Oceania Sound. He formed a band with his flatmate and eventually met Lorraine through Debbie. With a shared love of Young Marble Giants and Cabaret Voltaire they started to rehearse at LAB Studio.

'The EEPP' was recorded in 1983 within a few weeks at Progressive Music Studios. Slated for release in February 1984, the mini-album finally appeared in November on Flying Nun Records. It contained seven moody sketches of Auckland. Their sound blends cold wave guitars, drum-machine propelled post-punk with female vocals. The core recording set up was a Casio-Tone VL, Boss DR-55 Dr. Rhythm, Roland TR-606 and an acoustic Yamaha bass. All original vinyl copies contained many clicks and pops and due to paper bits from previous jobs that pressing plant melted down. Included with this reissue are two early demos recorded at LAB in 1982, made prior to Lorraine joining the band, plus a recording from the Flying Nun live compilation 'The Last Rumba'.

All songs have been remastered from the original master tapes for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in sleeve with original artwork collage designed by Paul Lurker. Each LP includes a two-sided 8.5x11 poster with notes and photos.

The artist described the EP as being inspired by many of the heavy concepts that have been concurrent in his life during the process of making the tracks. The sounds have adopted elements of the music that have been experienced during his trips to play out in Berlin's unique music scene. Key to the penning of the tracks are the loss of distinctive sounds, expressive emotion and unparalleled feeling that was once so prevalent in the many of the lesser known and iconic works produced in the earlier years of House music. Channeling the desire to bring back what has been missing in today's formulaic music production design, Traela hopes to find the listeners once again looking inside the content of the music. Finding the emotional substance displayed through healing and the release of lost love, Traela's message on the making of this release: " Many ideas were prevalent during the process of the EP but the most important during this exercise was finding yourself, learning to express and learning to love yourself in order to love others'.

Michigan artist John Beltran's 13th studio album and 3rd on Delsin is his most complete and personal work yet. Written largely on modular synthesizers for the first time, it melts 90s intelligent techno with post rock and ambient with leftfield downtempo. The seventeen tracks draw on his expert knack for sound design; for melody and atmosphere and make for yet another hugely absorbing affair.

Following the recent reissue of Vox Populi!s Aither album, Emotional Rescue further explores the more discerning, esoteric sounds of the French 80s avant-garde scene in coute Visual artist, sound designer, musician, label founder and emotional tree consultant Ramuntcho Matta is a man of shifting, relentless talents. Diagnosed with autism at a young age. Therapy based on yoga and music set him on a path, leading to learn from the likes of composter Cuarteto Cedrn. Discovering avant-music at an early age, he moved to New York to study in the "Third Street School of Music", meeting John Cage and going on to work on projects with Laurie Anderson, Brion Gysin and Don Cherry. His architectural concepts applied to composition were explored on his 3 solo LPs from the 1980s. The middle of these, coute, is possibly his most cohesive, exploring the use of extra-European musicians, especially African and Brazilian percussion, jazz horn playing, as well as Uruguayan singer Elie Meideros. Mexicos Cacau de Queirozs performance on saxophone and flute is stunning, former Gipsy Kings member, Jorge Negrito Trasante attributes much of the LPs Brazilian percussive flavour, while Magmas bassist Jannick Top brings gravitas, including performing a water claps duet alongside Matta on the exquisite O Clapo. As one piece, coute endlessly avoids standard musical formulas, seeking textures of far-flung elements; alchemy against a background of freedom to experiment that would be the theme throughout Mattas career, whether setting up SSR records under the alias Michael Pope or in his more recent output, teaching methodology of doubt

Our official first time full lenght vinyl release of the James Walsh Gypsy Band album I've got the feeling has been a huge success and are now sold out from the label. As an answer to the demand, we have now pressed a small run of 7" single for the 45 collectors and Dj's. Limited run of 500 only. The 45 is special designed på Hans Jørgen Wærner who also did the original cover art.

Side A: The fantastic uptempo AOR Modern Soul track, I've Got The Feeling was an easy choice as the A side. Smooth soulful sounds for the dancefloor or travelling along the coust of California. The track was also featured on the fantastic Americana - Rock Your Soul on BBE Records.

Side B: Caves of Altamira is a fantastic mid tempo cover of the Steely Dan track. Funky, smooth soulful version with the Tower of Power horns make this as a runner up of the best version of the track.

Here is a review from Juno Records of The James Walsh Gypsy full lenght album, Ive Got The Feeling:

The James Walsh Gypsy Band is kind of the outfit to go to if you're looking for some blue-eyed soul but, just like Ned Doheny and his sublime reissue on Numero, the band never fully came out of its shell and they were limited to just one album on RCA Victor, 1998's self-tiled LP...until now. I've Got The Feelin' was recorded a year later, in 1979, at the legendary Muscle Shoal Studios, but it never made it out onto the shelves apart from a seriously limited CDR run. Norway's Preservation has thankfully done the right thing by pressing it up on vinyl, and the opening title track is as just as wonderful as the first time we heard - a true soul masterpiece with a clear LA influence. "Looks Like You Got Down In Love" is a funkier, more soulful version of Credence at their deepest, while other highlights include the supremely majestic "It's Over Now", and the tear-jerking "Alabama Eyes". It's a road album, the sort you want to really take in properly. Recommended.

POP AMBIENT - our longest-running compilation series after Total - sees a new instalment for 2017, featuring exclusive material from acclaimed genre veterans and series newcomers JENS-UWE BEYER, YUI ONODERA & SCANNER, MAX WÜRDEN, LEANDRO FRESCO, THORE PFEIFFER, KENNETH JAMES GIBSON and SOULSAVERS remixed by WOLFGANG VOIGT.
Following his own cues from preceding entries, Pop Ambient chief curator Voigt again strikes a perfect ratio of established producers and debuting guests: our complete Pop Ambient solo album crew makes an appearance, from JENS-UWE BEYERs atmospheric soundscapes on the tracks FINAL 9.1 and FINAL 10, to THORE PFEIFFERs glitch romance GOOD LIFE, LEANDRO FRESCOs beatific drone fests SONIDO ESPAÑOL and EL ABISMO, as well as KENNETH JAMES GIBSONs melancholic epic HER FLOOD KNOCKED ME TO THE GROUND (BUT I WAS ALREADY THERE. Other returning artists include ANTON KUBIKOV of SCSI-9 fame (with electronic reverie DEKKA) and Cologne soundsmith MAX WÜRDEN, who was last seen releasing wonderfully immersive albums on BineMusic and Wolfgang Voigt's very own Exponate series. His guitar-infused, dubbed-out cut FERNFELD and the mysterious electronic mantra 186.000 MILES PER SECOND are particularly striking renditions of the rich sonic narratives possible in Pop Ambient.
For the 2017 release, we welcome Tokyo-based Pop Ambient novice YUI ONODERA with his tracks CROMO1 and CROMO2, which both serve as opener: a trained musician and architectural acoustic designer by trade, Onodera embeds diverse influences from traditional sound design, film scores, contemporary composition and electro-acoustic experimentation in his work, resulting in intricate drone sculptures and sound skylines. This skill set gels naturally with the sonic sensibilities of iconic experimental composer SCANNER who teams up with Onodera for the cut LOCUS SOLUS - it's an incredible honour to have such a towering figure in advanced electronic music on board. Wolfgang Voigt himself makes an appearance as remixer, turning the track HAL from electronic-rock-gospel duo SOULSAVERS' 2015 album "Kubrick" into a voluptuous and immersive sound journey. It's the cherry on top of a particularly fluffy cake that will prove irresistible to any connoisseur of ambient music.

Bnjmn's exceptional back catalogue, straddling gorgeous synth-laden house, experimental techno and textural ambient diversions, spans 2 LPs on key Dutch labels Rush Hour, and numerous Eps for Delsin, alongside 12''s on his own Brack imprint.
The prolific British producer now follows up his recent 'Droid' single on Delsin, which featured remixes from close colleagues Cassegrain and Ed Davenport's Inland alter-ego.

Tipping his cap to 90s industrial techno, the A side delivers two uncompromising cuts. 'MDCCLXXII' is pacy and tough - brash drums merging with metallic, tonal signals and searing hats. 'Tor' is similarly

up-tempo however more stripped in comparison, Bnjmn continuing his inventive and challenging sound design in this Beltram-esque bassline killer.
The B side makes quite a contrast - 'T.E.N.S' being a short collage of buzzing,

cerebral electronics, leading into 'Where The Wild Berries Grow'. It's a fuzzy, hypnotic trip stretching out over 8 minutes - a glistening blend of lo-fi ambience and post-club psychedelia, all the while keeping us locked into a padded 4/4 throb.

It's been five years since his acclaimed debut 'Severant' and time has proved it prescient, its futuristic trap influence is now ubiquitous. 'Slow Knife' seems to return to where 'Severant' left off, but with the intricate sound design of last year's haunting EP 'Assertion Of A Surrounding Presence' subsumed into the compositions, making them more exacting and beautifully crafted. Between albums Kuedo has been working as a sound designer and composer for hire and the application of intent and widescreen rigour that commercial work requires has definitely found its way into the new album. 'Slow Knife' has the subtlety, ambition and pacing of a brilliant soundtrack - a sense of an album of scenes, that easily lends itself to an impressionistic narrative. But, as with 'Severant', the title suggests relationship unease, with the slow knife being a metaphor for the building resentment in any close relationship. 'Slow Knife' is almost two albums, the first half, according to Kuedo, invokes the seduction of the city, taking the music of Michael Mann's 'Manhunter' as a cue, with the latter half being inspired by the bloody starscapes and voodoo wilderness of films such as 'Angel Heart', 'Night Of The Hunter' and more recently the 'True Detective' series. Both halves of the album are also in thrall to Mica Levi's inspiring 'Under The Skin' soundtrack, especially in the turbulence of the mid-section. The songs of the albums first half are synthetic and seductive, a gelatinous veil with shades of the pseudo-sophisticated trance of Enigma, of all things, underpinned with dusky unsettling shadows and atmosphere. 'In Your Sleep', perhaps surprisingly, features the vocals of Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts, who settles his dark, whispered vocals into the moonlit shadowy atmosphere. 'Floating Forest' is the first track to allow back some of Kuedo's experimentation with the Southern rap template, which he explored before it became commonplace, with echoed drum splashes and a sinister repetitive motif, ending with a haunting growl. The second half of the album enters wilderness territory with 'Approaching's slow descending notes, before 'Broken Fox - Black Hole' throws the record into the cathartic darkness, as undulating chords play hide and seek with riotous reeds and scratchy strings grown from challenging collaborations with cello player Koenraad Ecker (from Lumisokea). 'Breaking The Surface' shivers and coils, before metal and strings dominate while 'In Your Skin' feels like being lost in a vast hinterland before 'Warmer Light' introduces some memories of sunshine, with its plucked bassline and spiralling dub. 'Halogen Light' opens with the sound of crickets and a clear piano, cleansing the soul before 'Lathe' brings things down to earth with a short, yet powerful coda.

Digging deep into the annals of Gospel now, the name Pastor TL Barrett should be familiar to the eagle eyed crate diggers amongst you. An extremely "colourful" character from Chicago's Southside neighbourhood who found himself on the wrong side of the law for his involvement in some activities of a dubiously illegal nature, more importantly, besides this the pastor was widely known for his community activism and positive sermons preaching love and responsibility. Shady past aside, this fantastic 1976 LP entitled "Do Not Pass Me By" is a real Gospel beauty and features 8 tracks of resplendent hands in the air rejoicement. Having never been reissued before this rare as gem is finally back out in the open, complete with it's incredible untampered with sleeve artwork and design. Barrett's unique voice and message is timeless and instantly recognisable, you can't help but become one of the congregation whilst listening to these wonderfully rousing and positive paeans to the lord almighty. Saying that, even if you find yourself to be a non-believer, the soul, funk and jazz stylings (with the odd flourish of synth!) the good pastor is laying down will be equally as alluring to those of you who dig those particular sounds. "Do Not Pass Me By" was originally released on Miami's TK Disco offshoot Gospel Roots, it's the Pastor's second release on the label and is a beautiful snapshot of how things might have gone down at his "Mount Zion Baptist Church of Universal Awareness". A unique LP with with a somewhat lo-fi charm, the tracks contained run the gamut from slow, downtempo ballads to roof raising, danceable Disco-esque anthems.
This is the first time that "Do Not Pass Me By" has been reissued on vinyl, fully remastered from Gospel Roots/TK's original tapes, represented the way the the LP was issued in 1976 with all original cover and label artworks intact. Now, almost 40 years after it's original release the album has now been made available again for 2016, fully licensed in conjunction and with the full permission of Henry Stone music / TK Disco, Miami, FL.

Next up to close out a hefty year of DJ-Kicks releases is one
Daniel Avery, bringing with him two exclusive new tracks and
a host of techno heavy goods. In his own words:
"To me, the most appealing thing about electronic music is that
it requires time and patience to fully enjoy. It's about becoming
lost in the repetition and the atmosphere. The warmth of the
kick drum.It's important to remember to take a breath in this world. The studio and the club can offer similar experiences in that regard but it never feel like it's running away from things. It's almost the opposite: it's in those moments where we stop that we can feel the most alive.We're constantly being told that modern generations have no attention span but it's simply not true. There is more out there to distract us but we have not changed as humans. Kids now want to go and listen to a DJ play for ten hours and become locked in their world. A mix CD, like an album, is designed to be listened to from beginning to end. It's something I still firmly believe in.

Josh Praus has been involved in San Francisco's Bay Area scene for the last two decades. A prolifc collector and player of records, What We Tellin' Them marks his frst public outing as a producer. As debuts go, it's pretty darn impressive.
Praus has been working hard in the studio over the last three years, creating tracks that draw infuence from a wide range of styles and artists. He cites 'downtempo, disco, house, Italo and techno' as major inspirations,
and listeners may hear elements from all of these disparate styles on this assured, confdent EP.
Some may hear echoes of the trippy, tribal-infuenced house sound of Siesta and Tango Recordings in the dense, drum-heavy shuffe of 'What We Tellin' Them', while others may fnd comparisons with African rhythm tracks and hypnotic, late night techno. However you frame it, 'What We Tellin' Them' is
an impressively percussive, mid-tempo workout designed to tease and titillate late night dancefoors. Flipside 'Lucas Valley Dr', featuring the dreamy, freestyle vocals of experienced San Fran singer Nina Lares, couldn't be more different. Sparse, synthesizer-driven and undeniably intoxicating, it seemingly channels the spirit of both dubbed-out West Coast deep house, and the similarly delay-laden New York proto-house of Winston Jones and Paul Simpson. Throw in clear Italo-disco and Chicken Lips infuences, and you've got something that's undeniably magical. Both tracks were produced by Josh Praus at his home studio, with additional production, mixing and mastering by friend Layne Fox, best known as part of regular Leng contributors 40 Thieves.

Spanish techno master Reeko makes his mark on Detroit Underground with a release exploring the darker facets of humanity in mesmerizing fashion, with rhythm and drone taking equal importance. "Lovers and Bandits" sets side A off with a brutal broken march, hard kicks building slowly into caverns of sonic noise. "BDSM" twists the sounds of pleasure and pain into an endless dark delay, leading you to the edge and right into "Hard Sex Club", roiling with indecipherable voices and a hovering synth build that teases but never quite strikes.


Side B straightens the beat with "Slaughter", a searing background noise underpinning an evolving rotation of menace that pushes the beats forward into a pit of noise and sludge. "Sex With God" is a fierce techno rhythm, wet, crunchy, and percussive without the ubiquitous kick drum, building to a crescendo of heat and buzz. Finally, "Submissive Behavior" is a massive paranoid drone, prickly with hunger and menace. On "We Are Bandits", Reeko strips down his explorations of sound and texture to the barest essences, making for an unsettling and intriguing listen. Graphic design from The Designers Republic. This is the first release in a collaboration with tDR called DU-TDR/GRD with a grid font designed for 2016 - 2017 DU releases.

This ep represents a further manifestation of sound-expression over sound-design. Each track has it's own characteristics. It's a symbiotic EP which combines vintage analogue gear with live digital effects; everything is done in a moment - manipulating things that you can't calculate but feel. This live combination is really important that the listener will subconsciously get a psychedelic and emotional bound to electronic music - resembling genres like Krautrock. Do what you want, it's the only law - It's a sentence very dear to the whole Les Points collective and with this boundery it's no surprise that Audino & Barbir have collaboration featured. Dilettantes on the rise!

Bocal 5 were a No Wave art group composed of Doc Pilot (synths, vocals), Zouka Dzaza (bass), Florian Guillou (synths), Mickey Lepron (electronic drums, bass) and Evy Tinguette (lead vocals). The project was born in November 1980 in Tours, France as the brain child of Doc Pilot. Between 1981 to 1986 Bocal 5 recorded one 7' single and a cassette-only album before taking a year off in 1984 to launch X-Ray Pop. Influenced by Erik Satie, Brigitte Bardot, Suicide and Young Marble Giants, they call their music "minimum naive new wave."

Musique Électronique' is a 19-track compilation of songs recorded across 1983, most of which have never been released on vinyl before. 16 tracks appeared on the From Bocal 5 To X-Ray Pop' album originally released on cassette by Sound of Pig in 1984. Both tracks from their debut 7' originally released in MB5 1984 are included and show a progression in sound as a result of newer recoding equipment and techniques. Also present is a song from the tape compilation Andreas N°3 L'Animal" released by Fraction Studio in 1984. Armed with a Korg 770, MS-10, Prophet Pro-One, Roland TR-707 and TB-808 they crafted their own brand of quirky synthesized electronic pop. Songs are short, concise and well structured, richly textured, moving at a quick speed with hardly a pause. Evy's pouting, tongue-in-cheek vocals (sung in French) come together for a catchy, sensuous, danceable, eccentric psychedelic ride. This collection shows the group's sense of humor, vitality and carefree playfulness.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. Each jacket displays a bright neon green collage of photos and ephemera from the band's archives designed by Eloise Leigh that exudes the project's DIY spirit. Each copy includes a 6-page xeroxed booklet with photos, original artwork and press clippings.

Diseño Corbusier is the avant-garde electronics duo of Javier G. Marín and Ani Zinc, formed in Granada, Spain 1981. Like Sheffield's relation to London during the punk explosion in the UK, Granada developed an experimental music scene 400 kilometers south of Madrid. As a child, there were no records in Ani's house, so she grew up listening to the radio and was hypnotized after hearing 'Remember Love', by Yoko Ono. While attending university in Granada she responded to an ad in a music magazine by Javier, If you're into bands like Cabaret Voltaire or Flying Lizards, call me'.

The duo recorded their debut album Stadia' in 1982 and self-released as a limited edition cassette on their label Auxilio de Cientos. They drew influences from contemporaries like SPK, Throbbing Gristle, Esplendor Geométrico and DAF. They employed the 'cut-up' technique William Burroughs used to write his books to splicing their magnetic tape loops. Instruments used included a Korg Lambda, Boss DR-55 drum machine, Roland SH 101, and MFB 501 drum machine. The lack of money to buy more expensive instruments forced the duo to be more creative. Everything was recorded directly to a cassette player that was plugged into a Revox B77 reel to reel tape machine to add echo. Ani manipulated and treated her naive, menacing vocals to match Javier's processed rhythms. These early sketches contain atonal, arhythmic, thick shifting curtains of synth, loops and radio samples. For this reissue we've added 7 bonus tracks taken from various cassette compilations, as well as three previously unreleased songs. Elements of industrial music, primitivistic techno and vocal manipulation are fused with a Dadaist approach utilizing modern technology.

All songs were remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The front cover is an exact replica of the band's original design, restored by Eloise Leigh. Each copy includes a 4 page xeroxed booklet with photos, press clippings and liner notes from Javier. Powerful and evocative, soundtrack music for a rising storm or revolt.' Sound of Pig magazine 1985

Marcel Dettmann has mixed the latest edition of the highly respected DJ-Kicks compilation series.
Whilst Dettmann is well-known for his incendiary sets at his residency at Berghain, his DJ-Kicks mix is crafted for listening, and displays a more reflective side of the DJ and producer. The mix explores a wide array of selections from various subgenres; ranging from the a new vocal-led Strictly Rhythm release, to rapping on Clarence G's 1991 release 'Cause I Said It Right', recently reissued by Clone Records.
Over the course of its 1hr 14 duration, Dettmann reveals multiple new original productions; most notably a collaboration with Levon Vincent, 'Can You See It'. The pair have collaborated once in the past, releasing 'Vengeance' on Levon's own Novel Sound label towards the end of 2015 to critical acclaim. 'Can You See It' sees the duo venture into darker territory; a stripped back, sub-bass laden affair, the quality of this production immediately stands out in the early stages of the mix.
Dettmann also collaborates with MDR affiliate Wincent Kunth on 'Possible Step'. In addition to five brand new original Dettmann remixes and edits, there's an unreleased remix of Marcel's 'Let's Do It' from Ostgut Ton labelmate Rolando.
Designed to be enjoyed by both the critics and more casual listeners, this mix is the latest in a long series of lifetime achievements over the course of Dettmann's career - and with so many new unreleased original Marcel Dettmann productions included, this is a landmark release for the producer

TS08 is the 3rd EP of the TONE SERIES project and in line with the previous two releases TS09 and TS10. However, its two tracks HAWAIAN JAM and 24 BAR PER DAY present rather refreshing grooves, right on time for the summer.

HAWAIAN JAM makes you feel like in a Jeep, driving around the Hill of Mauï while looking at the best waves. And whereas HAWAIAN JAM follows the rythm of cutting edge and caraibian slide guitars with a touch of reggae, 24 BAR PER DAY unveals jumping drums and druggie pumping sounds surrounded by bitchy voice cuts.

With regard to the artwork, as shown on the cover, each track has its own colour. There is neither a A nor a B-side. The same applies to the record vinyl itself. Each track stands on it own. As a result, HAWAIAN JAM and 24 BAR PER DAY distinguish themselves from each other through their vibes and colours, although they remain in the same spirit.

TONE SERIES was born from the collaboration between Villa's former bouncer (one of the most underground clubs of Berlin) - Wolfram, French music producer, live performer and DJ - David K, and LumièresLaNuit's co-founder and An der Grenze's
founder - Edouard. In summary, TONE SERIES brings together the idea of interdependence between music and design: what colour follows on from music and, in return, which musicality
comes out of colours.

Fideles is the joint moniker of Italian duo Daniele Aprile and Mario Roberti, who have carved out a niche for their distinctive brand of deep, techy house on noted labels such as Defected, Be As One, and Marco Resmann's Upon You, among others. Here on their first outing for Poker Flat Recordings, the duo cook up four courses of lean, focussed tech-house for Steve Bug's seminal imprint. 'Detuned' starts the journey - an edgy, tense groove exhibiting the boy's masterful sound design and use of space to create a thick, intoxicated atmosphere. 'I'm Rude' is more direct - a thumping bass drum introduces a low slung bass groove, slowly evolving and mutating into a true party-starter. 'Worthy' uses similar building blocks but delivers a different vibe altogether, revelling in a minimalist production aesthetic and cheeky bass riff. 'Ran Baran', the title track, is another lesson in great production - each element perfectly balanced to create an atmosphere of controlled mayhem - which is exactly the response this entire EP aims to instigate on dancefloors.

Breakbeat Paradise Recordings is pleased to welcome back the Laptop Funkers for another set of high-octane fun & funky breakbeat. This 8-track album is a symphony of samples and breaks designed for you to Feel The Goodness. Following up on the successful vinyl release Ready to Rumble from 2013 the Laptop Funkers is back in better shape than ever!

Almost instantly after Ready to Rumble was sold out and a repress was demanded , tunes started coming in for what quickly turned out to be a full album release. Now after tweaking and perfecting these jams for over 2 years we are ready to present you with Feel The Goodness - a 12" vinyl filled to the limited with the finest beats and breaks this scene has to offer.

The Laptop Funkers ( the alias used by producer and sound designer Nuno Soczka for this breaks project ) is an elusive underground act that only emerges when there are some fresh choons to showcase. The influences are not hard to discover and Laptop Funkers has no problem in taking us back to the glory days of Big Beat with tunes that would make even Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers feel envious!

Some of the biggest grooves you've heard for a while can be found throughout this ruthless funky album : from the soul-gospel flow of the Feel The Goodness tune to the bouncy brass works on Ain´t Nobody Like We , the ghetto drops on Incredible Funk and the contagious funky groove of Soul Power , from the pump up energy on I Can Keep It Going to the laid back soulful vibes on Where The Funkers At , the b-boy banger attitude of Got The Party Rockin and the chemical psychedelics of The Temple.

8 golden joints of epic sampling inferno that'll be sure to keep you entertained from start to finish. Comes in a full-color front-and-back cover 12" vinyl package with custom illustrations by the talented Cristiano Suarez.

As so many times before BBP is here to provide the b-boys and girls with some proper breaks to keep the party going...,

The incomparable Mark Henning blasts back on Soma with yet another dose of machine funk as he drops the Jaguar EP. Mark has consistently been one of Soma's top artists due to his amazing sound design and keen knowledge of exactly what make a top dance floor track and this latest EP really shows him operating at his highest level.

Mark doesn't waste anytime in getting down business with the elastic funk of title tack Jaguar. Classic drums and one catchy synth hook does the absolute damage on this opener. Ink brings a bit of Chicago style jack to the EP with Henning really working the percussive elements before letting loose with some screaming synth work. On Yes yes, Mark delivers the most melodic sounds of the EP so far, simple and effect percussion backs a extremely well crafted, bouncing hook. Closing of the EP is Atomic and Mark really picks up the pace with this one, definitely heading down a more Techno path. More direct and intensive drums keep the stride whilst subtle vocals, sequenced tones and raw sythn stab delivers the groove.

Henning has once again delivered a very diverse EP that straddles the boundaries between House and Techno perfectly, all brought together with his unique and altogether striking production

Lunapark is the trio of Burkhard Ballein, Klaus "Schlips" Gebauer, Reinhard "Zoppen" Benisch from Wuppertal, Germany. Formed in 1981 when the boys were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. They packed their instruments and a cassette recorder and set off to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW "New German Wave'). Their influences included The Beatles, Colloseum, Roxy Music, Frank Zappa as well as Sex Pistols, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, Blondie and The Cure. Gefangene Vögel' ('Prisoner Birds') is their debut album released by Intakt Records, Stuttgart in 1982. Utilizing a simple set up of guitar, bass, drums, drum-computer, Korg MS-10 and Korg MS-20 they recorded 10 tracks that make up the album. Songs bridge the Belgian-type industrial and cold sounds with NDW quirkiness. In the vein of Sad Lovers and Giants, and Schleimer K they blend post-punk and new wave music with electronic influences. All songs are sung in German with monotone vocals and epitomized the urban Zeitgeist of the Cold War. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a replica of the original jacket design, which features a drawing of birds on a grid. There are 4 different color versions of the screen printed jacket: blue, yellow, magenta and turquoise. Each LP includes a copy of the double sided 11x11 insert that was included with the original pressing with lyrics and photos.

Immersed in the early days of the 90s midwest rave scene, Bill Converse began DJing at a young age in Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries such as Claude Young, Traxx, and Twonz were key early influences. Since moving to Texas in 1998, he has experimented with analog techniques in varied studio bunkers. Early techno, noise, ambient, tape, and paranormal processing are all part of his uncanny sound palette. Warehouse Invocation' is Converse's debut 12 release, collecting material from a cassette release on Obsolete Future plus a new unreleased song. Three of the tracks, Warehouse Invocation', Senys Magick' and Consulted Acid', were recorded in Austin TX between 2012-2013 at home and direct to tape with no overdubs or multi-tracking. Riverbank' was also recorded at home in early 2014 in one take with a mic placed outside of the window to record the the sounds of the river late at night. Bill is informed by his surroundings, influenced by scenes of desolation in nature, the sea, the desert, and places of industry, like power stations, old factories, and warehouses. The songs on this EP length reveal a sublime influence from Detroit techno, early Chicago house, and Acid. The album was recorded and mixed by Bill at his home studio in Austin and mastered by Dave Alex. All songs were EQed for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. A custom-made jacket designed by Eloise Leigh features a mystical collage by Josua Dorje Ngodup with acid yellow hues on a deep blue-purple background. Each copy includes a postcard with notes and a Buddhist mandala

Escapism, the Berlin party series, steps over the threshold into label territory after putting on quality techno nights in the German capital for more than two and a half years. Kicking off the label is the Polish born and Berlin-based Glos, who is well known for his work on Ressort Imprint. On 'Prayers' three original tracks showcase his love for Ambient music, as well as intelligent Techno and sound design. Belgian newcomer Border One (Wolfskuil, Stockholm Ltd) is in charge of remix duties, taking the slow

Series-A was the duo of Sam Anderson aka DJ Maestro and Dave Webb aka Kid Fresh. Sam and Dave both grew up listening to the sounds of the Electrifying Mojo on WJLB in Detroit. They met in 1983 at a DJ gig that they were both hired to play. In 1986, they collaborated on the Nu-Sound II Crew project. After developing a friendship with Juan Atkins, they became hip to the emerging new club sounds that were to become electro and techno.Their subsequent project, Series-A, was named after different car model numbers, but also hints at the evolution of humankind into a new species.

In 1987, Series-A recorded the single Evolution 5 Technology' at Spectrum Sounds Studio in St. Clair Shores, Michigan. Their set up was a vocoder, E-mu Emulator III, Roland 909 drum machine, and an Otari 24-Track recorder. They landed a record deal with Satellite Records in Burbank, California, which had been founded by Pete Moore of The Miracles. After pressing 50 promotional copies, the label ran into financial problems, and the record never reached a full release. Taking cues Kraftwerk, Grand Master DST, Grandmaster Flash & Jam Master Jay, Series-A created dark electro beats in an era when sampling appeared to be the future of music. Lyrically the song addresses our species' entry into the technological age. For this EP reissue, the 7' Mix and Dub Mix are included on the A-side. On the flip is a new remix by prolific Ann Arbor producer JTC, an alias of Tadd Mullinix (aka Dabrye, SK-1, & Charles Manier). JTC speeds up and expands the song to seven minutes. Drawing on influences from Ron Hardy to Jeff Mills, he drives around suburban techno landscapes while simultaneously launching the listener into deep space.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The jacket is specially designed by Eloise Leigh and features a cyborg fossil motif with RGB color band and gradients. Each copy includes a post card with with notes.

After making some massive claims regarding electronic music last year which caused a stir in the dance music community, Mat Zo had a lot to live up to with his long awaited second album "Self Assemble". What didn't help was the fact that his first album, "Damage Control" was critically acclaimed by many within dance music and is now considered a modern-day masterpiece with mesmerising tracks such as The Sky and the massive Easy with Porter Robinson.Blending genres and sounds in a way only Zo can achieve, this record flows incredibly well as the tracks move from one to the other almost telling a story of the different styles of electronic music. At times the album is reminiscent of Zo's incredible Essential Mix from back in 2013 in the way that it progresses and constantly surprises the listeners. A lot funkier than Damage Control, it's no less incredible.
Beginning with the beautifully atmospheric "Order out of Chaos" which starts with an absolute wall of sound that boggles the mind in how Zo even went about designing something so complex, this sets the tone for the rest of the record in a cracking way. The melody soon crescendos and we're introduced in to the meat of the album with "The Enemy". Bringing out all the good funky vibes on this track, again Zo exhibits his insane production talents which are a staple of the album. Featuring vocals from the wonderful Sinead Egan, this is a great uplifting tune that'll no doubt have you dancing in your chair or in the club.
'Sinful" acts to continue the funky good-time vibes and transports us to a cool summertime drive. It has us yearning for happier times and again the guest vocals from I SEE MONSTAS go a long way in getting across this happy vibe. Featuring an uplifting almost french house inspired bassline and squelch synths that wouldn't look out of place on a Daft Punk or Madeon record, this is another stunning track from the record. "Patterns Emerging" feels like a bridge into the next section of the album and is unfortunately short. The orchestral element really brings out the emotion on this track and we only wish it was longer. "Killing Time" has those classic chopped up vocals that Zo uses to great effect and some nicely programmed drums that could be a nod to the drum and bass he used to put out under MRSA.'Smacked up on Jack" features some cool middle eastern sounds and a wacky vocal sample that helps to progress the album and keep the listener interested, again though we feel like it's a bit too short and are left wanting more. The next tune "Ruffneck Bad Boy VIP" is an absolute mammoth and one of our favourites off the record. Opening with an immense rhodes melodic sequence and after some nice vocals, the track rips into the electro house and dubstep infused banger that it really is. Some dirty, dirty sound design and drum production will have the dance floors going wild and shows us again why Zo is so good, it's a far cry from the funkier elements of the earlier stuff on the album and shows how Zo can show off a range of electronic sounds. "Lights Out" is a straight up hard hitting electro banger with an infectious vocal sample that only needs to be heard to be understood. Not much more needs to be said about it! Coming into the last section of the record, "Soul Food" returns us to the groove with an astonishing house beat and bass line that have us questioning how Zo makes it so hard not to smile listening to this album."Stereo no Aware" starts sounding like it's taken straight from a space movie epic and soon transforms into a goose bump inducing melody with a driving growling bass line that bring back the epic dubstep we all used to love a couple of years ago. Skrillex eat your heart out. Finishing off this record on a more emotional note, "Too Late" starts off like a guitar ballad and then transforms into something totally different. Egan's melancholic vocals enhance this track to great effect and is all backed by Zo's lovely downbeat production until we're treated to a monster of a climax around half way through the track which will surely blow the cobwebs right off you. Zo says goodbye to us with the phenomenal "The Last Transmission" and what a way this is to close out an incredible sophmore album for the English producer. The melancholic piano chords are a subtle and pleasing way to close out this journey of a record. Mat Zo really has outdone himself here and we're really looking forward to hearing some of these bombs dropped live. Surely a contender for album of the year at such an early stage, yet again it's only the best delivered by Mat Zo.
Latest album, Damage Control was Grammy-nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album last year

Shadows aka AnD remerge after their unforgettable debut on Shifted's Avian imprint in 2012. The long awaited return finds its home on Leyla Records, in the form of four diverse yet cohesive experimental cuts that take the listener on a journey through the oppressive, the rhythmic, the funky and abrasive.

Fear Of The Imagination commences with a paranoid piece of intense, evolving noise and rhythmic splattering. A spellbinding sense of woozy psychedelia entrances the listener with deconstructed drums punctuating the piece. The improvisational feel to 'Leaves In The Wind' sets the precedence for the non-conformity that flows throughout the EP.

Track two, 'What If They Are Watching You' sits somewhere between Nine Inch Nails and The Sprawl, with rhythmic intensity greeting the listener immediately at 120 BPM. Masked and ominous vocals creep in and out as metallic sound design washes over the track.

Track three 'On A Mad Train' is possibly the groups most experimental piece to date. Droned out guitars and ascending synth lines create an progressive palette that maintains masterful musicality dowsed with menace.

The closer 'Lights Out' bursts with slapping synth lines and a distorted kick which acts as the frame for the bed of noise. An ideal closer for an EP that exudes originality on a label that continues to push the boundaries.

Wolfgang Tillmans designed Cover with Innersleeve

How to introduce the first record by Wolfgang Tillmans Now considered one of the most significant visual artists working today, his very first passion in life lay with music. This record features on its B-side three songs recorded in 1986 in his home town of Remscheid. The A-side features two pieces recorded in 2015/2016. The 29-year gap in between were marked by Tillmans exploring music, pop and club culture from many different angles. 'Make It Up As You Go Along' is a pulsing dance track based on the recordings of a book printing press in a factory in Stuttgart. Morphed through various production stages, the press's syncopations and his Tillmans' serendipitouspenditous vocals merge into an intoxicating track that could become a summer festival early a.m. favourite. 'Triangle / Gong / What' is an experimental offering made up ofwhich combines the sounds of playing a special alloy triangle, a 999 fine gold gong and a vocal, fused through a particular gain manipulation during the recording process. The 1986 side features three songs which Tillmans wrote and recorded with collaborator Bert Leßmann. A single channel recording from the rehearsal room was all he had from back in the day. With the help of Tim and Klaus Knapp the recordings were filtered and eq'ed and then supported with precise reconstructions of the original instruments. Out of this production process spanning 30 years a unique time capsule emerged, which portraits a small town teenager with some ambition. 'Time Flows All Over' is a haunting reminiscence of the angst and energy of the mid-1980s, infused with surprising contemporary relevance.

After the success of their debut split EP with Muslimgauze which sold out in record time, the southern Italian male/female duo Underspreche return to Optimo Trax for their first EP in their own right. Three tracks of deliciously psychedelic advanced techno grooves filled with subtle syncopations and head melting sound design. First release in the new Optimo Trax colour scheme.

Mammal Hands are a trio of like-minded musicians: Nick Smart piano, Jesse Barrett drums and tabla, and Jordan Smart saxophones. Floa is their second album for Gondwana Records and in the 18 months since their debut, Animalia, they have carved out a growing following both here and abroad for their hypnotic fusion of jazz, folk and electronica: winning fans from Bonobo and Gilles Peterson to Jamie Cullum. Landmark live performances have included shows at King's Place in London and the RNCM in Manchester, as well as a barn-storming debut at the Montreal Jazz Festival. Drawing on a rich well of influences from Sufi and shamanic African trance music, Irish and Eastern European folk music, to Steve Reich and Philip Glass and more contemporary electronica influences, their music is built around deceptively simple sounding ideas that are lent power through the use of repetition and rhythmic loops. They have been compared to both Portico Quartet and GoGo Penguin for the way in which they navigate the choppy waters between contemporary dance music and jazz. Floa (an old Norse word that means to deluge or to flow) is the sound of a more confident, experienced band: one that has grown together naturally through touring and gigging and through mammoth writing and rehearsal sessions where all three bring rhythmic, improvisational and melodic ideas to the table. Floa was recorded at Gondwana's home from home, 80 Hertz Studios in Manchester, reuniting the band with producer Matthew Halsall and features some of the Gondwana Orchestra strings who played on Halsall's acclaimed album Into Forever. Together they have crafted a wonderful sounding record, the richness of which perfectly illuminates the band's music. Artwork is from Gondwana's in-house design maestro Daniel Halsall whose artwork of symbols created from older symbols perfectly illustrates the creative ideas that drive the band's music.
The release is supported by an extensive UK tour including dates in Norwich, Bristol, Brighton, Manchester and beyond. The band support Matthew Halsall at St John's Hackney on May 26th and have their own head-line show at the Jazz Cafe, Camden on 31st May. Confirmed airplay from Jamie Cullum BBC Radio 2, Gilles Peterson 6 Music, Radio 3 Late Junction, BBC Scotland Jazz House, Jazz FM, John Kennedy X and full servicing to all specialist and online radio stations. Reviews from The Guardian, Mojo, Record Collector, Jazzwise, Nos Magazine, Nowthen and local press. Online support from AllAboutJazz, Quietus, Access All Areas, Bebop Spoken Here and beyond.

Delivering Verse III, Synthek concludes the first trilogy on his newborn imprint STK, showing once again is unrestricted approach to modern techno, which spans from bleeping offbeats to more stompin' and melodic tracks. 'Distress Mode' opens the record with a slow and solemn intro, ripped off by broken beats and obsessive bleeps, which escalate quickly into sonic madness. 'Diverse' closes the Aside with a somehow funked out mood, sounding causal at first, but recomposing once hihats break in, into a slick syncopate cut. The flipside is definitely more club oriented, opening with 'Reflection', where heavy beats and haunting melodies build up ceaselessly momentum. Last minimalistic cut : 'The End' finalises the release with propulsive rhythms designed to twist the dancefloor.

We are proud to present a new addition to our artist roster.
STÄRKER have crafted an AURA of Uniqness in their compositions, it is rare to find such denseness and well crafted sound design says Label head kareem.
STÄRKER's 2nd ep "Scorched" delivers raw, pulsating rhythmic
progressions all masterfully connected to deep ambient drones.
The Berlin-Montreal based duo of Frederic Arbour (Cyclic Law) and Martin Dumais (AUN) deliver haunting industrial rhythms and brooding atmospherics, drawing from an austere palette of abstract sonorities

he second time around: fred p aka fp-oner is back on mule musiq with another record that demonstrates the many cosmic qualities of his deeper shade of soul.
it is the second part of a trilogy that features his detailed sonic landscapes that are full of mystery and power. while his last fp-oner album 5' was leaning more to the jazzier, relaxed and atmospherically side of his artistically deep house expressions, the runner-up grinds even deeper into spherical worlds that enhance deep meditative highs.
they are not made for club use only. in fact all eleven compositions work also massively without big speakers. again the new york city native that is working on his very own music for almost 20 years produced a journey inwards that is compelling, mesmerising and enchanting.
you find cosmic dust in it as well as dark entropies, percussive power, sweet seducing melodies and rolling bass power that shakes your inner and outer profoundly. the tracks are listening to names like awakening co creator', alternate reality' or adjusted perception' and the album title 6' stands for a meaning,
that fp-oner describes like this: 6 represents the number of man and his or her limitations, weakness and imperfections.
this body of work examines and looks towards one awakening. adapting to a new way of being creating an alternative and reaping a higher state of mind and being. enhanced by love and serenity, satisfaction and joy.'
all tunes are produced around the world, as he is a guy who never stops feeling in sound. that is why he caries his studio around to get up in the middle of the night or right in the morning after a sweaty party to transfer his emotions directly into sound. the result is massively powerful music with slow, intimate passages for treacly melodies, stirring synth-lines and little rhythmical quaintness.
an almost lyrical house journey that works like a musical sculpture in which organic machine grooves float along keys on air. the evolution of the each track is impeccable and their power grows with any new listening session. fp-oner himself characterizes his art like that: 'my music is designed to enhance deep meditative, or altered states, to allow the listener to personally connect to the creator of all that exists in the universe.
my music style is to first create a foundation using cyclic, polyrhythmic music, then build several layers of improvised leads and rhythms that allows you to transcend time and space... we have memories of past lives that reverberate in our hearts like echoes from ancient caves'.
there is nothing more to add, except that those who do not know fp-oner so far should know that he danced in his younger years in legendary new york city clubs like the red zone, sound factory or tunnel to dj sets of larger-than-life selectors like david morales, frankie knuckles or danny tenaglia.
during those nights he learned that sometimes less is more. and that he should rather listen to your heart and soul, then to the susurrus of the music market. most of the eps and albums that he produced under his other monikers like fred p or black jazz consortium have been released via his very own label soul people music, which exists since more then ten years.
as fred p he also dropped 12inches on jus-ed's underground quality imprint as well as on toshiya kawasaki's mule musiq label. for the latter he now is working on a trilogy under the fp-oner alias. this little paper introduces the second part of it. the final one will hit your heart and soul in an unwritten future. whatever circumstances of life will be around by then: you can be sure that fp-oner will transfigure them into a dynamic emotional and spiritual terrain.

After his successful debut album SUPER VATO (CÓMEME CD LP 01) from two thousand eleven, his highly praised mix CD MOMENTO DRIVE (KOMPAKT CD 117) from two thousand fourteen, and all-around mayhem during his adventures as one half of the Pachanga Boys, Xalapa's finest REBOLLEDO returns with his second solo album MONDO ALTERADO: a recollection of moments and experiences from recent years, colorful mnemonics encompassing the brightest and the darkest. The result is a kind of soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist, a sonic journey designed like a mixtape that faithfully reflects Rebolledo's background as DJ and producer. Nine tracks connect for one overarching narrative, sharing elements, motives, details as they blend together. The artist's signature can be found all over the place, roaming between straight, rock-drenched drumming, sinister atmospheres, raw synth textures, exciting peaks and foggy bottoms - but always following this kinetic flow and drive which is such a big part of Rebolledo's compelling charme.

For its nineth installment Fasten Musique welcomes mysterious French artist Monsieur Georget from Ultrastretch,Do Easy Records and the 2 remixes are served by 2 talented producers.One is the New York based phenomenon Kamran Sadeghi is known for his work with Son of Rose and with Soundwalk Collective and anther is italian artist Third_Child is a new project aimed to mix sounds micro-house and house music.All tracks are a representation of the artists personal take on finely crafted grooves and sound designed elements.Vinyl Only release.

Tresor Records proudly presents the second chapter in Mønic's musical journey on the label.

Head of Osiris Music, Mønic is an accomplished producer whose style can be defined as raw yet exceptionally refined, allowing for a certain industrial inspiration to ooze from his exquisite sound design.

'Four Sides Of Truth' opens a conversation between pristenely defined low frequencies and an infinity of fleeting, chirping synth layers. This discussion will continue throughout the record, taking additional drums into the exchange and swirling into 'Point To The Sun' in full panning effect.

On the other side, lower frequencies undoubtedly take over and win the argument in 'Self Doubt Is Worthless'. UK-based Kamikaze Space Programme contributes with a revisited version of 'Morse', initially released on the Parsons Hill EP. Preserving the abrasive textures of the original, KSP dramatically raises the track's thrilling factor.