Originally released in 2012, the debut release from Fatdog quickly became a cult classic amongst fans of low-slung deep house. Outside of the studio his Werk parties were hosting the likes Marcellus Pittman, Theo Parrish, Move D, MCDE, Levon Vincent, Moodymann & Patrice Scott in the North East of England. This EP was a testament to the wild basement energy that culminated from those nights, marrying UK and Detroit influences with consummate ease.‘Remember Me’ sets the tone with Chris Raine’s soulful croon laid over warm organ chords and a restrained electro synth hook, creating a swinging, late-night vibe. ‘U&Me’ drifts into dubbed-out, codeine-laced slo-house territory, deep and narcotic.On the B-side, ‘Cookie’ channels Theo Parrish with its syrupy, hypnotic strut, while ‘Contact’ closes out with an electroid edge—perfect for the 3AM dancefloor stalkers.Some 13 years later, WOLF have reached back into the archives and with permission from the man himself, have reissued this timeless EP for a new generation of record buyers.
Cerca:stal
- A1: Design - Premonition
- A2: Vision - Lucifer’s Friend
- A3: Richard Bone - Alien Girl
- A4: John Howard - I Tune Into You
- A5: Ian North - We’re Not Lonely
- A6: Selwin Image - The Unknown
- B1: Harry Kakoulli - I’m On A Rocket
- B2: Rich Wilde - The Lady Wants To Be Alone
- B3: Billy London - Woman
- B4: Alan Burnham - Science Fiction
- B5: The Microbes - Computer
- B6: The Goo-Q - I’m A Computer
- C1: Gerry & The Holograms - Gerry & The Holograms
- C2: The Warlord - The Ultimate Warlord
- C3: Die Marinas - Fred From Jupiter
- C4: Dee Jay Bert & Eagle - I Am Your Master
- C5: Peta Lily & Michael Process - I Am A Time Bomb
- C6: Sole Sister - It’s Not What You Are But How
- D1: Alasdair Riddell - Do You Read Me?
- D2: Karel Fialka - Armband (The Mystery Song)
- D3: John Springate - My Life
- D4: Incandescent Luminaire - Famous Names
- D5: Disco Volante - No Motion
- D6: Dream Unit - A Drop In The Ocean
MB Crystal Vinyl[32,73 €]
LTD Trans Pink Vinyl[32,82 €]
LTD Trans Pink Vinyl[27,69 €]
Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.
All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.
At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.
There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.
The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.
The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?
Step into the world of Cicciolina, a sonic journey as captivating as it is audacious. This reissue captures the electrifying energy of the 80s, blending pulsating dance rhythms with surprisingly melodic moments, all wrapped in lyrics as provocative as they are unforgettable. Produced by Jayhorus, “Avec Toi” is an album that defies easy categorization – a testament to Ilona Staller’s unique artistry and the irresistible power of a truly original sound. Prepare to be seduced and ignite your senses. Open the gatefold cover and rediscover the uninhibited spirit of an icon.
Tracks from original master tapes.
This 59 minute piece was conceived as part of a total environment for the exhibition Deus Ex Machina.
The project as a whole seeks to define and articulate the emotional, cultural and aesthetic manifestations of man’s uneasy relationship with technology. The music takes the form of a film score complete with stylized dialogue and actions.
During the 59 minutes four basic layers repeat in various configurations.The effect is to provide a template of narrative in which the pieces exhibited may become protagonists, situated in hypothetical scenarios which illustrate the contentions of Deus Ex Machina and the transmission of information.
Review:“Paul Schütze’s debut album from 1989 sets his stall out from the start; with a cyber update on Jon Hassell’s notion of ‘Fourth World Music”. Schütze’s music always sounds like it could be an alternative soundtrack to ‘Blade Runner’ (be aware fellow purists, I did state “alternative”), and this album is probably the perfect candidate if in some other dimension the Vangelis OST was no longer deemed satisfactory (such a dimension surely cannot exist). The listener feels like they’re walking through the rain soaked, neon-lit streets of a future LA with Deckard.” – Jay Harper
Mr Bongo proudly presents the third album by Melbourne/Naarm multi-instrumentalist, Don Glori, entitled ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. A kaleidoscopic genre-surfing odyssey that brings together the worlds of jazz, soul and funk. Feeling both contemporary and classic, familiar yet novel, it’s an assured third release that sees an artist in full flight, showcasing their creative prowess and the uniqueness of their musical voice.
Steering in a new direction, Don Glori (aka Gordon Li) has delved headfirst into his songwriting with ‘Paper Can’t Wrap Fire’. Deftly showcasing his talents as a writer and bandleader, he brings with him a whole host of friends from the creative crossroads that is Naarm. It’s an album enriched with more soul, R&B, and funk-oriented songs than his previous jazz-rooted productions, yet there’s still plenty of jazz material for those familiar fans of Don's earlier works.
The album’s title is an old Chinese proverb, roughly translated as 'you can’t deny the truth'. This underlying thread is woven between the songs. “A lot of them are in some way about truth-seeking, observations and the masks you put on to deal with life (hence the cover art)”, Don mentions. Take, for instance, the sensational soul single 'Brown Eyes' featuring silky lead vocals by ML Hall. A dissection of the minority experience, and the power and comfort in building those communities. Elsewhere, 'Disaster' is a satirical take on the structures serving everyone but the artists, and 'Flicker' tackles notations of truth and clarity after introspection.
To marry that meaning with the level of musicianship on these tracks is what really stands out. Don has set out his stall here as an artist who can write songs that hit home in the heart, as much as they do in the head. It’s a journey infused with a glistening jazz finesse, layered with nourishing vocal harmonies and powered by an instantly relatable human soul.
Recorded over two hot summer days in Rolling Stock Studios in Collingwood, Naarm, the lineup of musicians is built up of Don's friends and family. Featuring the backbone team of Tim Cox, Al Kennedy, Joel Trigg, Robyn Cummins and Lachlan Thompson, who were part of Don's touring band before he relocated to London, and a stunning selection of vocalists in the form of ML Hall, Ruby Dargaville, Isadora Lauritz, and Bianca Kyriacou. Also gracing the album are trumpeter extraordinaire Audrey Powne, saxophonist Joshua Moshe, and Alcides Neto who sprinkles some Brazilian magic into the record.
Taking influence from artists including Azymuth, SAULT, Jordan Rakei and Lynda Dawn, as well as from London musical beacons such as NTS and Total Refreshment Centre, Don has run with this, leaned in and come out with a record truly unique to himself and his distinctive core, with no mask necessary.
It was less than a year ago that Italy-born but Denmark-based musical artist Alex Puddu released his latest album Deliria, an enticing blend of erotic disco, soulful grooves and electronica inspired by Italian pop music of the late 70s / early 80s, which went on to enjoy extended radio play across the globe including on BBC 6, NTS, KCRW, and national Spanish station Radio 3, to name a few.
But it wasn’t long thereafter that indefatigable groove purveyor Puddu travelled back to Rome for a new musical adventure, heading straight to The Sound Work Shop, the recording studio of legendary Italian composer Piero Umiliani, where he recorded the 10 new tracks that are included in his latest musical opus, Professione Reporter, another funky and soulful adult-oriented disco-pop album entirely sung by himself in Italian.
Professione Reporter tells the story of a photo reporter who travels the world following and stalking rich recently-widowed women whose husbands died in mysterious circumstances. Attracted by their charm and wealth, our protagonist transforms himself into a gigolo, becoming a dedicated lover-boy to these rich sugar mamas and a slave to the sweet life, going so far as to become an accomplice in their criminal plans to ensure the inheritance of their dead husbands.
Once again Alex Puddu has hit the mark with a collection of polished and ear-friendly grooves that tell the alluring story of a private eye embroiled in a web of love affairs, wealth and deceit, evoking images of satin sheets, champagne and dim lights set against the backdrop of one of the most hedonistic decades so far.
Manzo Edits Vol. 5 trots proudly back into the ring, tail high and hooves tapping, with four fresh cuts to leave the dancefloor gasping for hay. "Rosy" opens the stampede with groovy springtime melancholy: Manzo is lovesick, staring across the fence at a cow he just can’t forget. "Amare Moto" slinks in with sultry swagger, a slow and sexy jam built to get the hips moving. On the flip, "You Have To Cry Tonight" struts in with crisp Italo drums and more attitude than a Saturday night stallion. We close with "Bring Me", an alpine rave of cowbells and yodeling, ready for the pasture.
dee
If ever there were an act that so correctly set out their stall with a well-chosen name, this was it, and its criminal that such an accomplished act has remained barely known until now. From 1975, these are the earliest of the buried-tape revelations in our Albina-Portland series, and also the straight-up funkiest. Both horn-led sides are among the finest discoveries of their ilk, too – tight but fluid, heavy but joyous – utterly splendid joints that would have set the old Deep Funk scene ablaze.
First time ever on 7" 45rpm vinyl, dinked centre hole with picture sleeve, 500 numbered copies only.
Luke's Anger (real name Luke Sanger) delivers his first outing on Love Love, Ceiling Walker. Sanger is a relentlessly interesting hero of the underground, probably best known as a techno and electro producer and an active player in the live experimental techno scene across Europe, notably including multiple appearances at Berghain/PanoramaBar. Based out of Norwich, UK, Luke has put out a plethora of banging records for two decades in styles from across the rave spectrum on some of our favourite record labels like Tigerbeat6, Don't and Sneaker Social Club, as well as an increasing amount of more ambient-leaning releases under his real name in recent years. Recognised as a true techno stalwart, Luke has received support from the likes of Surgeon, Dave Clarke, The Advent and Jerome Hill.
This EP fits firmly into the 'banging' camp - more than a nod to classic stateside sci-fi electro stylings as well as UK dance music's bleep techno bass foundations, this is popping, caustic, mechanical phunk expertly engineered to make you shake and wiggle. Particle Swarm kicks the EP off with strung-out synth chirps and plenty of latex squelch before moving onto the bounciest number, Threshold Rider, with buoyant bassline droplets poking through a solid 808 framework. On the flipside, title track Ceiling Walker utilises rushing crescendos and fluttering analogue rhythms to keep the dancefloor in rapture while closer, Silicon Boogie, achieves maximum levels of funk by aptly juxtaposing digi vocal snippets against square wave bass.
Subterranean stalwart and Underground Quality boss Jus Ed reworks a trio of archive tracks on his 'Mash Up' EP, embracing production with newfound freedom as he continues his ceaseless creative journey. The Bridgeport native has been turning out raw, uncompromising house jams for decades, routinely delivering dancefloor fire. Here, the freak flex of '209 Remix' powers over a relentless synth hook, with vocal cuts, rhythmic bleeps and emotive pads completing the stripped-back sonic landscape. The brooding dub traction of 'Back To Basics' sees hypnotic chords drift over sleazy drums as vocal delays roll into the distance before Ed gets some gripes off his chest via 'Fack Ass Muthafukas' i sending a disapproving message to someone or other, with pointed spoken words jibing over a sinister bass hook.
Brussels-based artist Adja Fassa releases her debut album, two years after her well-received EP IRONEYE - and it is promising to be quite a ride.
This contemporary body of work showcases 11 stories, each telling their story of the impact our capitalistic society has on our most intimate moments: from dystopian neo-soul tales of Deliveroo-drivers being stalked by telemarketers (both of them selling/delivering literal 'hope and dreams'), to re-imagined jazz standards and classical songs about conditional friendships, based on time and money. We even get her take on the 'stick-it-to-the-man-sing-along-rock-song', which she called 'Sucking on my Emphatitties'. And then we have the title song 'Golden Retrieve Her' which is as much an accumulation of feelings as of musical curiosities
" 'Golden Retrieve Her' is a wordplay on wanting to retrieve my kindness in a violent social system. Simultaneously, it is criticizing the fact that we, the masses, are often asked to either be naive or pretend we are. All of this accumulated in a visual image of what our social system considers 'the perfect, obedient nuclear family': a kind couple with 2.4 children, a house in the suburbs and... a Golden Retriever." ~ Adja
Serious and concrete topics, wrapped up in a symbolic package, as Adja values both straightforwardness, critical thinking and, paradoxically, a bit of mysticism. For her visual artwork, she created four, self-made tarot cards, that represent the four themes on the album:
'The Wheel Of Fortune', embodies the desire to get the upper hand in a system that doesn't align with your values. 'The Mirror', represents projection and likeness within lost connections (whether with strangers or with friends), 'The Dark Wheel' embodies the turning point of the wheel of fortune, where one is completely surrendered to their own moral demise and 'The Cave' stands for the - sometimes painful, sometimes blissful - return to one's own mind and heart.
Musically, this album contains as much variety as song titles, as Adja continues to explore her own depths as an artist and musician, together with her partner-in-crime, guitarist, composer and jazz-arranger Alexis Nootens. She collaborated with music producer Adam Scrimshire, who was featured in the Guardian as UK's one of three most significant soul music producers alongside Swindle and Inflo, and renowned Belgianproducer, mixer and musician Koen Gisen, who both mentored her into deepening her own productional skills. Last but not least, she gathered 13 musicians to deliver the sound she brings to her album, among them her 5 steady band members and 8 studio musicians from all over Europe. As we said: it promises to be quite a ride.
LIVE:
09/05 : Ancienne Belgique, Brussels
11/05 : Jazz à Liège
More tba.
Brazilian producer Diogo Strausz makes his return to RNT with an incredible pair of new tracks, each remixed to perfection respectively by Kai Alce and Lex Wolf. Canto Das Trés Raças is a classic of legendary proportions, and Diogo’s new cover version both honors the original and brings a fresh new take, entirely re-recorded and primed for the dance floor. Ever-reliable Atlanta deep house don Kai Alce turns in an incredible soulful remix that feels like an instant classic. On the flip, Diogo’s original tune Caramba strikes a lighter tone, with arpeggiated synths and a cheeky vocal, giving Kraftwerk meets Marcos Valle at the disco. RNT/Make-A-Dance stalwart Lex Wolf bumps the tempo up a few clicks, looping and filtering synths and an extemporaneous vocal sample into a hypnotic, driving club track.
Somewhere between techno, early 90s Italian progressive, and goa trance, the debut EP by Astral Renegades is difficult to pigeonhole, but works wonders on a saucer-eyed dancefloor.
The brainchild of a mysterious but established producer, Astral Renegades takes things in a whole new headspinning direction.
EP opener Planetarium sets out its stall early, getting straight into trippy, trancey territory within the first few seconds, an acid bassline underpinning the swirl to devastating effect.
Wunderland goes even deeper, with a mind-bendingly detuned melody and that ever-present acid bass.
Pluto FM on the B-side pushes the repetition to the limit with pulsing synth loops, while EP closer Milchstr brings an element of funk to the bassline.
Emerging from the depths of the Minneapolis underground scene, The Worm is one of the best underground techno duos in the US, composed of midwest stalwarts Naughty Wood and Heckadecimal. Naughty Wood brings decades of experience, including collaborations on Traxx’s esteemed Chicago imprint Nation. The machine wizard known as Hecka- decimal boasts a deep catalog with releases spanning Always Human Tapes and Great Circles. In early 2016, the mysteri- ous tape-duplicator Ryan Wurst received some demos, which soon became The Worm, a very rare and limited cassette on Always Human Tapes. In April of that year, The Worm flew to Denver to perform live at a basement rave co-hosted by Deep Club and Always Human Tapes, at which Traxx also delivered a DJ set. The Worm’s sound was minted in Ryan Scannura’s brain.
Fast forward 8 years, and Ryan S. saw it time for two absolutely mental tracks from the AHT cassette to finally be pressed to wax, together with two other cuts. The A-side kicks off with “12 Days Of Squirm,” a deep, pulsating acid earworm that builds in intensity. “LISA” could almost be an outtake from a lost Nation session. The tune melds haunting melodies with a demented beat, sure to scare off most casual diggers. Deep Club presents two new-old tracks on side B. “808 Verb Talk” is a slimy, wiggly mix in the vein of 12 Days. Finally, “Pytch1” brings the energy down in an extended, slow-burning closer. Eight years and two Ryans later, this collection is finally ready for turntables in living rooms and foggy basements around the world. Only for the most devoted midwest techno warriors!
The history of electronic music has been defined by a handful of key synth manufacturers. Iconic brands, like Roland, Yamaha, Sequential Circuits and others, have pushed boundaries and blazed trails. But what gives each synthesizer its own unique sound? What makes one synthesizer sound distinctly different from another? And, what would happen if you only used one synthesizer to create a track? The major players of electronics are the building blocks for this music machine homage.
Rack Sessions takes one synth and gives it the spotlight, the instrument is the star. The style pursued corresponds to the unique sound of the chosen piece of equipment. Looming silver screen grandeur for “The D (Roland D-550)”, stargazing elegance with “Bell Hope (Yamaha TX81Z) or gentle rolling nostalgia for “MiR (Korg M1R)”, each work is the product of the tool selected. Beats take a backseat on the flip. Open highways and burgeoning dawns are conjured in “802 Nights (Yamaha TX802)” as the listener is transported to the expertly crafted tones of the 1980s. Koolhaas chooses his elements with subtlety, adding colour to his palette to create deeply evocative works. Attack ships cruise in the spatial “SOB (Oberheim Matrix-6)” before the stalker hunts the sodden streets of “MC202’s Act Like They Don’t Know (Roland MC-202)”.
The result is an album that is utterly distinctive. An immersive audio journey that guides the listener deep into the sounds of these very special synthsizers and the broad influences of this new talent.
Poor Man’s Friend Records is proud to present a brand new 7” featuring the legendary Cornell Campbell. This 45 delivers a powerful message from The Gorgon, a prolific artist whose recording career spans over 60 years. First recording for the venerable Coxone Dodd at Studio one, Mr Campbell has built a cult following with his trademark Falsetto voice. Equally adept at writing beautiful love songs as he is deep spiritual roots cuts, It's fair to say many of his works have become Iconic milestones in the evolution of the genre. In the year 2025 Cornell Campbell warns us of the pitfalls of living our life in an egotistical way, “ Just try sweeping up your backyard, before you find fault with people's yard.” A searing condemnation of those that judge others based on their wealth, this mid seventies style roots production was cut by the Poor Man’s Friend Rhythm section at their studio in Bristol. The B side dub was masterfully orchestrated by label stalwart Yakka, whilst the horns were played by Cornerstone Horn section.
This one is super limited, only 300 copies have been printed.
La Pointe debut on Damian Lazarus’ Secret Teachings with ‘Umbra’, featuring remixes from Nathan Fake and Jonny Rock. The experimental label opens its 2025 schedule on 24th January with the Geneva-based trio’s warping original backed by a pair of late-hours remixes from two of the best in the scene.
Emerging from a confluence of rave culture and artistic mastery, La Pointe make an impressive label debut on Damian Lazarus’ Secret Teachings imprint with the enigmatic ‘Umbra’. The release, set for 24th January, is accompanied by stellar remixes from revered producer Nathan Fake and the ever-versatile Jonny Rock, delivering a sonic journey that transcends the ordinary. La Pointe, a trio formed by Geneva-based techno pioneers Crowdpleaser and Entlet alongside New York City’s Jonny Sender, represents a fusion of cultural and musical legacies. Rooted in the dynamic after-hours scenes of Geneva and New York’s underground club culture, the trio creates music that is both innovative and steeped in tradition. Their studio, located in an old factory by the meeting point of the Rhone and Arve rivers, lends its name—and its industrial inspiration—to their project.
The original mix of ‘Umbra’ is a hypnotic exploration of light and shadow, blending atmospheric melodies with deep, pulsating rhythms—a testament to their ability to craft soundscapes that resonate emotionally and physically. Nathan Fake’s remix ventures into intricate, textural layers, marrying ethereal tones with electronic intensity. Jonny Rock injects a raw, off-kilter groove and late-hours energy into his reinterpretation, blending his eclectic influences from disco, funk, house, and beyond. The genesis of La Pointe is as captivating as its sound. Crowdpleaser and Entlet are celebrated architects of Geneva’s rave scene, running the legendary after-hours party The Shark for over a decade and hosting luminaries like Alexander Robotnik, Boo Williams, and Sonja Moonear. Jonny Sender, a stalwart of New York’s downtown music revolution in the 80s to 00s and bass player of post-punk band KONK, brought his unique perspective honed in venues like Mudd Club to the trio when he moved to France. This debut appearance on Secret Teachings is not just a collection of influences but a narrative woven from decades of underground culture and musical exploration - making it a perfect fit for Lazarus’ label as he continues to champion boundary-pushing artistry, curveball signings and inspired remix curation.
Diagonal celebrates 13 years inbusinessvia a 4 x 12" run featuring label stalwarts and influential collaborators. This is LP2, the second in the series. Like LP1 before it, this 12" comes with a coloured, elastic H band. All four LPs will be accompanied by these meaning customers can combine the records and complete their own 4 x 12" set!
This plate welcomes Regis back tothe label he inspired into existence, this time turning his attention toPowell's "Nomad". The result is techno bliss! Streetwalker (Beau Wanzer & Elon Katz) offer up a gloomy ballad, StabUDown Productions, a label mainstay, delivers the beats we love him for. There's a gripping and unsettling DJ tool from Patino and a beat-fest from Novoline. DIAG050 LP2 has it all.
Suicide AFTR 7 is a musical partnership forged across two continents. This cross-Atlantic collaboration was founded in Barcelona by New York’s Neud Photo and London’s Antic.Distributed by Runas, a new label also based in Barcelona. New beat and Proto-Wave influences permeate the 12”.
Lean, mean, and evocative, "Soft Geometry" sets the stage with its blend of classic analogue textures and a sound palette that evokes the darker, more hypnotic side of electronic music. Throaty samples whisper through a synthesizer smoke, sodden bass lines throb against scaling crystalline chords.
The standout track, "Interplay", is an instant classic. Lyrics are distant, words ring, “Distant shadows," as snapping snares and warming pulses pull the listener closer drawing you deeper into its hypnotic world. Across the four offerings, a brooding dance floor looms; a
shadowy square of bodies shrouded in fog, pierced by strobe. This track will stick with you long after the music fades, a perfect blend of light and shade. It's the undeniable dancefloor moment on the EP, forever playful, forever bumpin.
"Last Word" pulses with a cold, hypnotic groove, driven by a deep 808 groove that'll get you moving. Think hypnotic rhythms, driving basslines, and a touch of electro grit. Slow, ethereal strings and shimmering synth stabs create an atmosphere of tension, punctuated
by film noir samples.
A sinister seam runs through the entire EP, coming to the surface for “Blind Spot.” Terse percussive patterns and eclipsed synthlines are stalked by vocals stripped of emotion, the mantra of “We are your enemy” encircling to a close.
“Raggamuffin Soldier” was recorded at Channel One Recording Studio in 1983 with Soldgie as engineer and a rhythm track played by Jolly Stewart and Daniel “Axeman” Thompson. Growing up in the Waterhouse neighborhood of Kingston, Jolly Stewart obviously developed this singing style and gave us a killer early digital dancehall missile with pure conscious lyrics “Raggamuffin soldier, big ina your area...me no deal with badness, me nah deal inna war, me is a raggamuffin soldier...mi raggamuffin ina foreign, raggamuffin sit down pon di riddim...how you know the raggamuffin? Me no wear no gold chain, me no wear no gold ring...”. “Raggamuffin Soldier” was produced by Fitzroy Peterkin who also produced the digital lover tune "Angie".
The Waterhouse style is a particular style of singing that emerged in the late seventies and early eighties within the Jamaican reggae scene. The Waterhouse style is commonly described as a plaintive, groaning and fluctuating vocal style, often nasal and strident, characteristics that will give it a sound that is distinct from the rest of the reggae singers. The commonly recognized founders of the Waterhouse style are the singers Michael "Mykal" Rose, Junior Reid and Don Carlos. The name derives from the famous neighborhood of the same name in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, the place where the three pioneers were born and emerged. The Waterhouse style influenced many dancehall reggae artists of the eightiesvsuch as Tenor Saw, Half Pint, Nitty Gritty, Anthony Red Rose, King Kong, Yami Bolo, Andrew Bees...
Vincent Stewart aka “Jolly Man” is a reggae singer from Kingston 11, born december 16 1960 at Hunts Bay Lane, 4 Miles, Jamaica. Jolly started singing at age 13, he was placed in an approve School for 3 years and at the age of 16 he was released.
He started his musical career in the late 70's with Ossie Thomas, Phllip Morgan and Tristan Palmer from Black Solidarity label. Jolly Stewart recorded his first song entitled "Money Pyaka" on the classic "Pretty Looks" riddim which was recorded for Oswald Thomas on Ganja Farm label and released in 1979. Tristan Palmer who has another tune "Disappointed Lover" on the same riddim backed by The Soul Syndicate made the link with Jolly Stewart because he liked his style of song writting.
Jolly Stewart wrote three songs for Black Solidarity label: "Collie Man", "Bad Minded" and "Symbol Of Justice". All three tracks were covered by Triston Palmer. As a song writter, Jolly Stewart is behind Yami Bolo's hit on Stalag riddim “When A Man Is In Love” released on Winston Riley's label Techniques.
Jolly Stewart then decided to move on with his singjay career. He ventured to Tuff Gong studio where he met two producers. One was Prince Jazzbo from Ujama label, and the other was John John who owned the Bun Fi Bun label. He recorded "Praise jah" for Ujama and "Poverty Rush" for Bun Fi Bun. Still not satisfied with how his career was heading, he moved on to Lannaman's Preparatory School. There he learned to play guitar from a man named Fred McMurray aka Faf and Donald Jackson. Later he learned to play the keyboards by watching other musicians.
In the late 80's and early 90's, Jolly Stewart recorded many songs for various labels such as “Do Me Like So” for Bunny Gemini's label “Bun Gem Records” in 1987, “Late Last Night” and “War” for producer Zelma Rust and his label Myotta Ruff.
He also recorded for Augustus Pablo on his label Rockers International just before he died in the late 90's but we never heard about this release so probably Addis Pablo have it on old master tapes in the Rockers International archives....only Jah knows!




















