Concept e25 is back! Wax Classic 15 sees Concept e25's third release on the label in the space of just a year! The demand has been overwhelming for more garage house hits with that added subtle, French flourish. We heard those cries, so here we have another slammin' four track record from the man himself! The opening track of the EP, 'Sing!', is destined for greatness this summer on dance floors everywhere. For me, this will be the go-to track of the record for most DJs out there. On this track, Concept e25 combines a pumping Kerri style bassline with beautiful sustained chords, feel good vox cuts and the occasional sax line. Proper hands-in-the-air vibes here! 'Giving It' takes the EP into a deeper realm, one that evokes images of late evening summer sunsets. However, the garage swing and signature Concept e25 bass sound is still present. 'Lies' leads with moody chords before introducing a vocal that will be stuck in your head for a long time! Again, we have a smooth sax line to accompany the vocal up to the track's climax. Rounding out this solid release is 'Feel This Way'. Here, the punchy bass hits are united with an acid line that bubbles underneath, before being unleashed halfway through the track in a warehouse-reminiscent burst of resonance.
Cerca:space bass
Deep and organic analog tracks. Features interpretations by Sisterhood & Ben Sun. 300 copies pressed. Tip!!
The second instalment from the ensemble imprint offers four tracks courtesy of Belgian house ambassadors, Gratts and Xan Xoda, under their cheeky 'De Ambassade' guise.
On A1, Belgian ambassadors in Berlin Xan Xoda and Gratts treat us to some delicious 'Gebakken Lucht', a Belgian expression that you'd have to look up yourself.
Next up is Raw Sketches aka. Eklektiker, one of Belgium's finest DJs and a resident of the ensemble nights. His analogue workout 'Intiem' pushes all the right buttons and charmed us straight away when we first heard it.
Our favourite Australian poster boy of house music Ben Sun then gives a fresh perspective on 'Gebakken Lucht'.
And finally the great Sisterhood lads from London round off the EP with their rework of 'Intiem', turning it into a trip into space, where bass is the place!
'Decadubs 5' is a vinyl-only double-pack companion to 'Hyperdub 10.4', the fourth and final CD in Hyperdub's series of collections throughout 2014 to mark the label's first decade in existence. Both 'Decadubs 5' and its full-length parental set explore the club spaces opened up by house, garage and techno, as viewed through Hyperdub's singular filters. Side 1 leads out with 'Lambeth', a long awaited previously unreleased track by Burial, with an unusually triumphant and - compared to recent extended montages - relatively direct 2step feel. This is followed by the low slung tech-garage of Kode9's 'Oh', while on the flip the whole of Side 2 is given over to the lush deep house of Cooly G's 'Love Again'. Side 3 opens with the fathoms-deep bubbling bass and synth washes of DVA's extremely psychedelic 'Monophonic Nightmare', then Dorian Concept turns in a quirky remix of Martyn's classic 'Mega Drive Generation', which originally appeared on Hyperdub's fifth anniversary compilation in 2009. Side 4 reveals another classic from the vaults in the shape of Cooly G's skeletal house cut 'Him Da Biz', and the EP comes to a close with energy levels turned up on Funkystepz's 'Vice Versa', a track much in demand since it first appeared on Kode9's 'Rinse 22' mix compilation from 2013.
E C2 | Martyn - Mega Drive Generation (Dorian Concept Remix)
Maybe this is a mirage, an illusion Maybe we are on another planet, or maybe we are in the spaceship going to another planet Maybe we are all insane Possibilities, an infinite number of possibilities. 'We are in the darkness; nameless things with no memory-no knowledge of what went before, no understanding of what is now, no knowledge of what will be.' - this can easily describe what Absys Limited sublabel is offering us soon with Kontext studio album, 'Dispersal'. Kontext is an alias of Stanislav Sevostyanikhin from St. Petersburg, Russia - well acclaimed DJ and producer also known in drum&bass world as Dissident, who was responsible for the one side of our own first 12" vinyl with his track 'Scarecrow' and for numerous releases for such labels as Hospital Records, Subtle Audio, Counter Intelligence, Alphacut and many more.
'Dispersal', first LP since 2009's 'Dissociate' is Kontext at his finest. Ten track album that cannot be classified in genres, full of drifting through space orbits and dimensions, through newest technologies and our own human nature, through some glitched sonic fields and abyss of consciousness. Production level is high as always on Absys, tracks are kept in various tempos, with many layers and glitches to keep you moving places and enriched with quotes from film classics as 'Twighlight Zone' or 'Pi'.
Coming out with unique artwork by Krik, 'Dispersal' will be available on CD Digi Pack and 10" vinyl sampler.
Audiojack's Gruuv label returns this October with a four-track package from French producer Okain, featuring a remix from Tuccillo. Parisian artist Samuel Thalman aka Okain has quite the standing in contemporary electronic music having been a prominent name as a DJ and producer for the past fifteen years. Playing at some of the leading nightclubs across the globe such as Fabric, Watergate, Space Ibiza, Rex Club and Electric Pickle to name but a few. Thalman's also built quite the respectable back-catalogue in his time, releasing material via the likes of Tsuba, BPitch, Memento and Cadenza, and here we see him add Gruuv to his affiliations.
Kicking off the release is 'Down the Block', seeing Okain offer up a rugged percussion and bass led house cut, fuelled by swinging rhythms, rumbling sub tones, sporadic sax licks and processed vocal lines, opening up the EP on an energetic tip.
'RZ One' follows this, retaining a similar aesthetic with an insistent drive and penetrative low-end, though Okain opts for a grittier production feel here, distorting the drum sounds, instilling expansive, atmospheric reverb tails and drawn out delays alongside hip-hop imbued vocal lines.
On the latter half of the release we have two versions of 'By Your Side', the first of which is the original mix from Okain, which takes on a more stripped-back approach in comparison to the preceding composition's, laying its focus on fluttering synth sounds, a stab-led bass hook and warm motown style vocal chops. 2020Vision artist Tuccillo then rounds off the package with his mix of 'By Your Side', turning in his signature percussive-led style on the mix with intricately programmed drums and a subtle underlying tension that softly bubbles away in the depths over the cuts seven minute duration.
Kyle Hall back on Hyperdub for our 10th Anniversary - Yes please. In fact this is more or less a long delayed EP from the vaults, recorded around the same time as his 2010 'Kaychunk' EP ... which just goes to show how ahead of the curve the young Detroit producer is. Starting with 'Girl U So Strong', the track riffs on a distorted arpeggiating bassline, seasick organ and a dubbed out voice, and a flicking metronomic note, starting slowly before shuffling drums give the track some rhythmic focus. Soon a warm melody builds over some happy arpeggios, and the whole track feels like a product of brilliant spontaneous energy. 'Take Me Away' works an 8 bit bassline, bleeps and throbs into an off beat shuffle over a pulsing bass drum, loose and happy, dosed with sunshine and space.
Visibility Is A Trap is the new EP by Dalhous, comprised of four originals together with a masterfully understated Regis remix of 'He Was Human And Belonged With Humans'. The EP heralds the arrival of the Edinburgh-based project's sophomore album, Will To Be Well, due out on Blackest Ever Black in early Summer 2014. Dalhous first announced its existence in 2012 with the Mitchell Heisman 10', and last year released its debut full-length: An Ambassador For Laing. Both Visibility Is A Trap and the upcoming Will To Be Well LP reflect writer-producer Marc Dall's continued interest in the language and imagery of self-help, R.D. Laing and the anti-psychiatry movement. Though recorded after Will To Be Well, the tracks on Visibility Is A Trap at first appear to have more in common with the blue ethereal drift of Ambassador. While 'Information Is Forever' and 'A Change Of Attitude' are firmly in the ambient mode, 'Active Discovering' fizzes with arpeggiated energy, and a battery of percussion disrupts the calm surface of 'Sight Of Hirta'. Something is up. All is not as it seems. The Regis remix of Ambassador highlight 'He Was A Human And Belonged With Humans' finds Karl O'Connor in unusually pensive mood. In fact this near-beatless, dubwise version is unlike anything he has put his name to before. Discarding the rhythmic skeleton of Dalhous's original, he gives their weeping saxophone more space to roam and resonate, adding off-beat, sleep-deprived keys, murmured vocal fragments and swells of sub-bass pressure. It could be construed as a love letter to his former home in West Berlin; certainly it evokes and effortlessly updates the drugsick grandeur of later Neubauten or Low side 2.
Blank Code start 2014 off strong with their latest EP Rituals of Submission, produced by Luis Flores, with remixes by Black Asteroid and DJ Hyperactive. The opening track Discipline starts off with a nice creepy atmosphere supported by a solid kick and just the right amount of percussion to hook you into the tracks core rhythm, which stays consistent while the supporting percussion keeps the intensity of the track in constant motion. Black Asteroid's Discipline remix gives the track a whole new perspective, while staying true to the original's excellent use of classic elements. The straightforward kick and upbeats work perfect with this track's industrial bassline, while cleverly programmed analog synths carry the track with slow triplet rhythms, and quirky stabs that drift off to space.
Luis Flores' second original composition, The Word, follows the same philosophy as Discipline, with many elements coming together to form one solid rhythm. This is a huge sounding track with intricate metal percussion and pitch modulated stabs that form a dark and inciting hook which is overtaken by filtered claps as the track progresses. DJ Hyperactive gets down to business with his remix of The Word and lets his Chicago roots shine through as hats on all fours and hard hitting claps are used to raise the energy sparked by the deep kick and well processed stab.
Struments Records opens 2014 presenting ''Fire to the Empire'', third record in 12'' format from this Barcelona label. Following the special dedication referred to the local talent shown by the label in its two previous releases, in this occasion the reference is signed by Clip!, relevant artist in the Spanish electronic scene that, after a versatile and prolific 2013, shows in this publication a new coordinate of their chameleonic sound. Thereby opening the door to more visceral coordinates, opaque and less intense dance that exudes less kindness and infects the club atmosphere with light and dark. The set, consisting of three original songs (Fire, Ash and Bitch), and a remix of ''Ash'' by the British artist Kommune1, discovers on side A two descriptive and powerful snapshots of translucent clubber atmosphere, winding and unfiltered. Proper of the dance hours closer to twilight in the shadows and lights mergers into sensations. While on the B side, the artists pays tribute to the most evasive and escapist concept that music can evoke, forged between the rage of techno and the subtlety of house, when instinct takes control over any convention and presents itself as a purely physical experience between the listener and the sound. Closing the total minutes of the reference, Kommune1 prints cosmic and expansive notes to ''Ash'', as well as he brightens the original version. ''Fire'', the central tune that starts and gives name to this third reference of Struments Records responds to six minutes that shapes a direct and powerful presentation letter. In which you can acknowledge progressive melodic phases and raw vocals that serve as a growing force of initial contact. ''Ash'' continues the incursion between hard and chiaroscuro dynamic, printing analog rhythm coordinations. ''Bitch'' represents the exact balance and highlight of ''Fire Your Empire'' EP, sobriety in enviromental nuances, vocal flare and power high-flying shape a depth completely orientated to the dance floor that condenses much intention in a speech coherently aligned with the sound. Kommune1 sets ''Ash'' with an eye towards fantasy and space, using resources in the original maximalist melodies and rhythmic accelerating phases provide the remix to get faster.
DJ Support:
Alizzz (Mad Decent)
The EP is so well balanced. Loving that analog feeling. 'Fire' makes me
dream, I get in trance with the bass and those pads on 'Ash' and I want
to listen to 'Bitch' really loud in the Berghain. Much support.
Jorge Caiado (Balance/Groovement)
"Excellent and fresh EP!! All tracks are powerful and effective, can't
wait to play them. My favorite is "Bitch" but Kommune1 also did a good
alternative mix to "Ash". Keep them coming Struments!
Kresy (Hivern Discs)
"Great EP. Bitch is my favourite"
Broke One (RBMA/Magic Wire Recordings)
"Aweome EP"
After her much lauded debut 'Playin' Me' last year, Cooly G returns with an EP that switches from songwriting mode to create extended, spaced out and rhythmic house tracks built for the dancefloor. 'Hold Me' starts with minor note stabs and Cooly's vocal refrain 'Hold me' over a punchy bassline. The rhythm slowly builds as the vocal becomes more dubbed out and the atmosphere more smokey. 'Oi Dirty', made with DVA, is a piece of wonky, rhythmically lopsided house with a cavernous elasticized bassline and lots of micro detail destabilising the track then bringing it back, pitching drums and mini breakdowns. 'Molly' is a slow burning 4/4 house track built around a static grid that gradually builds up, getting stiffer and more intense, with wobbly acid-like synth lines and hissing static stabs, underpinned by a one note bass kick. It's a masterclass in creating tension with sleight of hand production moves.
D-Edge are proud to present "Black Belt", the stunning debut from one of Brazil's most important figures.
D-Edge Records are proud to present Black Belt, the debut
album from Brazilian DJ, producer, club and label boss Renato
Ratier. After emerging with some already impressive EPs, the
time has now come for a full artistic statement that spans 17
tracks of slo mo electronics, deep house ambiance and tripped
out, disco inflected grooves.
Rather than this being a collection of dancefloor tracks, its
more a carefully programmed journey that takes you up and
down through many different moods and grooves, but all of
them untied by Ratier's analogue textures, unfamiliar hooks
and futuristic melodies.
Opening with the found sound recordings and muffled ambiance
of 'Love Me Tokyo' the album goes through the funky licks of
'Jamaicanese', the well-sampled 'Midnight Sun' and freewheel-
ing deep house and ethereal melodies of 'Teatime'. The latter
half of the album points more towards the dancefloor with the
title track's knotted bassline, the deep and spaced out house
hypnosis of 'Fetisshu' and plenty more besides. It's a stunning
debut from one of Brazil's most important figures.
Narratives Music proudly present the debut EP of the artist Rhyming in Fives. The 'Hindsight' EP sees a well respected producer
embark on a new journey under a new alias, with an intention to breach the boundaries of Drum and Bass and the 170bpm template.
Fusing drift space ambience, glassy synths and retro drum machines with gritty warm bass grooves, Rhyming in Fives has gathered
sensibilities from the austere 80s pop of Depeche Mode and Gary Numan, the soundscapes of Cliff Martinez and Vangelis, and
transcended to something altogether more futuristic.
This highly anticipated release has already caught the imagination of DJ's across the genres with huge names such as Paul Woolford,
Om Unit, Com Truise and Zomby working it into their multi tempo sets while still finding its way into the record bags of Drum and
Bass' hottest players such as Doc Scott, Jubei.and BBC Radio's Friction.
Lead track 'Hindsight' glistens with the trademark Narratives sound of emotion and contrast. Melancholic calling synths build over
pumping kick drums and beckon the classic bass to grow and soar to an euphoric drop of arpeggiators and driving percussion. The
ability to draw the listener completely in to its immersive groove and simplicity, only feigns the depth of this beautiful track, a depth
which reveals more with each listen.
Turning many heads has been the track 'With You'. Instantly recognisable, it builds on the same retro influences as the flip but is
injected with the vocals of Hana. Bubbling basses, beautiful keys and a song like structure make this a golden addition to the
Narratives catalogue; one that evokes the summer decadence of Kavinsky's 'Drive' movie soundtrack.
The last track on the EP, 'All's Well' takes the Rhyming in Fives sound to a much more brooding and meditative place. Cavernous
bass, reverbs and FX lead this wave of haunting ambience to create a heartwrenching close to this debut EP. Sentimental, emotional
and relentlessly engaging, 'All's Well' refuses to let the listener do anything but be drawn in.
Only furthering Narratives reputation for releasing music of bold quality and longevity, this EP embraces experimentation and genre
shifting sounds whilst having relentlessly moved dancefloors and festivals over the summer months.
DJ Support includes : Friction, Paul Woolford, Doc Scott, Om Unit, Kuedo, Com Truise, Zomby
Limited promo stock !
Containing 4 highly refined techno transmissions, da003 is possibly the finest release yet from Dark Darts. No mean feat considering the first two have received widespread support from heavyweights such as DVS1, nd_baumecker (Ostgut Ton), Mr C and Nick Dunton (Surface).
'North from here' is a startling mission statement - jacking drum manipulation slowly becoming engulfed by a hypnotic, reverb-soaked lead line and razor-sharp percussion - killer techno for underground spaces.
'From The Sky' is a deadly space-house jacker. The metallic, rolling groove is dense, but make no mistake, there is a real lightness of touch here provided by galactic sweeps and shards of melody. This will spread the message to the darkest recesses of the warehouse.
From the farthest corner of the stratosphere comes 'Fragile' - weightless dub pressure is under-pinned by a huge, intricate technoid stepper. Droplets of digitized melody complete a unique, widescreen track - driving but as deep as you like.
'String Theory' is a gripping tracky burner. The strings grab you immediately before the rugged sub-bass-led groove takes over, completing an EP that simply demands your attention. A label going from strength to strength. All tracks by S Crosbie.
somewhere between New Order, Arthur Baker, and Giorgio Moroder with the benefit of modern ears, Argentine export and Berlin movershaker Nico Purman continues to shape his ever evolving vision of sound with his new label Art of Memory and its debut release AOM001. Carrying the momentum of his recent EP's such as Visions on Vakant (VA036) and Fade Away on Crosstown Rebels (CRM086), Nico drops perhaps his most expansive and melodic work yet drawing on influences from decades past to produce something both new and honest to former eras. With nods to New Wave, Techno, and a dusting of Space Odissey, AOM001's 3 tracks (+1 digital exclusive) bring both the lush musical synth textures of Purman's electronic forefathers with modern low end motivation of deep bass and tight rhythmic production. The resulting tracks that comprise AOM001 express pensive, moving, deep ideas of an electronic yesterday with an unrestricted vision of tomorrow written and shaped by the minds of talent like Nico Purman's.
Struments Records starts 2013 launching Nuevo Dia EP, second release of the label from Barcelona. In this occasion the reference is signed by the Catalan duo Aster, which counts with high quality remixers such as Benjamin Damage and Dexter. Nuevo Dia, the homonymous topic that starts and gives name to this second reference Struments Records, backs seven minutes in which multiple and varied melodies of different natures mix up with rhythmic patterns coming from a dynamic bass and evoking feminine vocal samples. A cut treated with strong dynamism in which the allusion of movement is constant. In Placido Domingo an acid bass line goes along the minutes transforming into the main character. The theme goes on for five minutes at a slower pace responding to the classical patterns of acid-house, introducing initially percussive rhythms, followed by dynamic involving notes and ending with a fantastic melodic take-off. The remix brought by Dexter increases and decreases during seven minutes, converting the original melody into an easily adapting scale to the first hours of the night. Using vocal samples it gives a surrounding perspective and introduces a powerful bass perfectly suitable for this newer clubber version of Nuevo Dia. Benjamin Damage bends Nuevo Dia with frequencies and filters, darkening brief melodic spaces to introduce a powerful and raw drum which reveals a postindustrial background through the late hours of the night. The monotonic rhythms of this reconstruction include in itself a progression of a surrounding physical and mental dance.
New release from the mysterious Ex-Pylon on Studio Barnhus. Shakes is a twisted, noisy 12 minute techno epic with razor sharp drums, acidic basslines and a daredevil breakdown, while Helmet comes correct with swirling pads from outer space and a deadly groove from deep within the core.
Some selected feedback:
Agoria - i looooooooooooooove helmet so much!
Catz N' Dogz - LOVE IT MORE THAN POLAND
Dave Aju - cool and trippy tracks... 'helmet' is a cosmic space jam!
Deetron - This is so so good, exactly what I needed! Lovely use of the samples in Shakes and Helmet reminds me of Co-Fusion, great EP!
Ewan Pearson - Shakes is great!
Ivan Smagghe - huge
Jacques Renault - Helmet is cool, I'm going to test it out for sure.
Jimpster - Another slice of gorgeous deepness! Both tracks are double heavy and going to be getting plenty plays. Nicely done!
John Talabot - loving shakes!!! SB love
Josh Wink - out there release. fresh and i like.
Robag Wruhme - Download for Robag /Robag's mom
Sandrien - Shakes is a cool trip!
Superpitcher - super!!
Tim Sweeney - Yes to techno!
Ernesto Ferreyra is a producer of pedigree, and a bastion of quality over quantity. His releases for Cynosure and Mutek_rec and his stunning album for Lucianos Cadenza imprint attest to this. His new Message From Abroad EP for Memoria continues his trend for finding beauty and groove in depth and restraint. The lazy funk of A Ship In The Skys plump bassline doesnt quite suggest whats to come; that being dreamy, atmospheric tech
house of the highest order. A masterful use of space, FX and texture runs through the track, subtle, heady melodies laced with warm, intricate percussion and deft soundscapes. The unexpected twists and turns in Ferreyras genius arrangement make for a constantly engaging ride during which you're always kept on your toes. Think Cocoon in its deeper, more sumptuous moments and you're heading in the right direction. Mostly Numb
goes deeper still, rolling yet subdued bass undulating beneath delicate pad sounds and sprightly piano chords. Otherworldly sounds tickle the tracks edges, a hypnotic undercurrent swirling around the soft melodies and carefully utilised sounds. Chilling rounds off this engrossing EP in a more percussive manner, with its combination of taut snares and juicy wooden percussion pattering away alongside chunky tech bass and tripped-out FX
and vocal.
DVA started off Hyperdub's barrage of albums in 2012 with his brilliant 'Pretty Ugly', and now closes the the year with the 'Fly Juice' EP's bumper selection of machine tooled tracks, each created for optimum dancefloor damage and road tested by DVA, Kode9 and a select bunch of DJs. These four tracks are a brilliant example of what he's been describing as 'power house' for a while, a colourful chunky techno sound that switches up every 8 bars like grime and has plenty of shuffle and offbeat swing as a counterpoint to the 4/4 drums. 'Fly Juice' opens with sweet jazz funk Rhodes before dropping into weightless bouncey chopped vocals and stuttering drums building through 8 bar patterns - with the Rhodes as a sweetner, it's bliss! 'Do It' runs a stuttering voice, a huge deep bassline and relentless building stabs against shuffling drums. On 'Walk it Out', the repetition of the title over a pummelling two note melody is positively dumb, but pitched against swirling effects and whooshing chords the effect is epic. 'Long Street' features a collaboration with South African producer Big Space, and echoes the sound of early UK bleep and bass with a stern melody, breaking down into swirling Detroit-like chords, while shuffling along on a crisp, scissoring rhythm. After the sweet and sour songfulness of his album 'Pretty Ugly', the 'Fly Juice' EP shows DVA returning to his dancefloor roots. As an amazing DJ/producer, you can expect more of this in 2013.
'Little Drummer Girl' is a stunningly rich, diverse and futuristic 4-track EP from the Brooklyn duo Tiger Fingers. A collaboration between Jordan Lieb (also known as Black Light Smoke) and Asako Kujimoto. The cheekily-named pair have assembled three unique remixes of their title track - each as bold and refreshing as the other. The A side kicks off with the original - all bubbling synths, arps and effects, and a subtle yet disturbing vocal from Asako. Beats and thunderous synth riffs combine with speak 'n' spell samples to produce a mesmerizing brand of 22nd century electro pop. Next up is the 'Night Plane Club Mix' - one of two remixes the Texan William Rauscher provides for this release. The club mix straightens out the groove and develops the track into a crisp house groover, finding plenty of space for old school sub bass, chiming 808 percussion and washed out, ethereal vocals - huge vibes for the floor. 'The Night Plane Remix' sees Rauscher explore more glitchy, post-everything, acid-flecked waters - an atmospheric, twisted stormer. Last but by no means least is the Hotflush man-of-the-moment, Jimmy Edgar. His take on 'Little Drummer Girl' uses the original as a springboard, from which he constructs a slamming electro-boogie-space-jam. Deeply funky, highly charged, and immensely inventive club music. 'Little Drummer Girl' is taken from Tiger Fingers debut minialbum which is due for release on hafendisko in December. About Tiger Fingers: The upcoming self-titled debut album by Tiger Fingers, the duo of Jordan Lieb and Asako Fujimoto, almost never saw the light of day. Recorded in the aftermath of their first collaboration, the aggressive electro-rock band Dead Radar (2005-2007), Tiger Fingers yielded six decidedly more dance and pop inspired tunes filled
Italian producer Joe Drive serves you his first ep for 4lux. And what an excellent EP this is. Deep house tracks with a true analogue feel. Rain Dance is an exquisite deep house bomb with smart TR707 drum programming, deep driving bassline and disco-ish vibes. Title song Junopolis is dedicated to the legendary Juno synths and shows you capabilities of these machines in clever fashion. Alden Tyrell brings you the extremely deep remix for Tefnut: steady drum programming with spaced out synth filtering and dubby tape delays. This is one for the heads for sure. Joe Drives' original is included too. Recomended!




















