Suche:star city

Welcome to the modern Brazilian disco world of Processman and Cady. We know you're going to love it here.

DJ and producer Processman is from Salvador, Bahia. A passionate and talented musician, he has played in a number of bands in his city, which is famous for artists such as his heroes Gilberto Gil, Joao Gilberto and Jorge Amado.

Processman was introduced to Cady, a fellow Baiana and a very fine solo artist in her own right, by a mutual friend.
The connection was instant and they started making music that very day.

Fast forward to when Dicky Trisco was passing through Salvador after playing the magnificent Mareh festival in Bahia. Processman drove Dicky and a group of friends to local hot spot Pelourinho, and the first track he played in the car that night was 'Adupe'. Dicky was blown away by the track. The brilliant Brazilian percussion, the beautiful layered vocals, the spiritual, synth boogie-laden vibes and those delightful melodies. He was absolutely hooked. The second track Processman played was 'Sou Baiana' and a record deal was already a sure thing. They hadn't even made it to the bar yet.

A year later and the release is ready to let loose its magical, spiritual, boogie-laden vibes.

NYC Brazilian aficionado JKriv, the perfect choice for a remixer for this sound, has delivered an essential, cosmic disco dub of 'Adupe'.
While Dicky Trisco takes on 'Sou Baiana', stripping it down and pumping it up into a truly rocking dance floor bomb.

File it under Modern Brazilian Disco. A truly International sound.

LET'S VAMOS!

Metroplex dont need an introduction, arguably worlds first and longest running Techno label. OCb aka Driss Bennis is a new face at Metroplex. Since starting his own label Casa Voyager in 2017, the Moroccan artist has gained a reputation for being as versatile an A&R as a producer. Hie debuts his OCB project on Metroplex with ,,The Sequel", an expansive five-tracker, covering a wide range of musical territory from funk-infused breakbeats, fast-paced electro bass, chilled downbeats to focused techno. The astral pads in the opening track ,,THX (The Sequel)" give way to lush electro beats, a funky bass line and warm chords before a vocoded voice exclaims ,,trans human express". Despite its slightly menacing title, ,,Global Warning" has the same ethereal star-gazing vibe, driven by breakbeats and accentuated by dreamy piano chords. On the flip side, the fast-paced electro of ,,Syntax Error" does its title justice with highly-processed fragments of a robotic voice propel the track forward. ,,Translate" is classic Motor City techno - Metroplex style. ,,The Sequel" rounds off with a short, chilled downtempo track, that once again underscores Bennis' musicality. Metroplex is back!!

The beatmaker Moar finally presents on record a project that started to exist live more than 10 years ago. It took a world-wide pendency to finally take the time to settle down in the studio and put on tape the beatmaker's Mellow & Jazzy beats, accompanied by the excellent jazz guitarist Rémi Schnell and Jean-Louis Potin (Moar's father) who has been accompanying him since his first EP on saxophone.
In the end, an instrumental album oriented jazzy beat & chill with the soft jazz-soul ambiences of a George Benson (here Rémi on guitar !!) accompanied by a Grover Washington (here Moar's father !). 14 sweets to listen to without moderation.

NOW Music is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series, NOW – Yearbook 1978; 85 tracks from a magical year in Pop! The 85 track special edition CD is housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork. NOW – Yearbook 1978; 46 tracks on a 3LP set pressed on translucent pink vinyl - from a magical year in Pop!

Wie gerne spielen Fettes Brot mit Bedeutungen? Ihr Album-Titel "Am Wasser gebaut" birgt bspw. zwei offensichtliche Ebenen. Entweder er meint: dir kommen schnell die Tränen. Oder: du kommst aus einer Hafenstadt. Ausgangspunkt 1 ging mit dem Plan konform, eine Art neuer Hip Hop Soul Music zu erschaffen. Wer sich starke Feelings leistet, macht sich natürlich auch verletzlich. Ausgangspunkt Numero 2 bedingte konsequenterweise den auf dem Artwork in den vielen s/w-Bildern gezeigten Hafenarbeiterlook - u.a. im großen Hamburger Blohm & Voss-Dock fotografiert. FB hoben damit auf den legendären Marlon Brando-Spielfilm "On The Waterfront" ab und auf Dexys Midnight Runners in deren früher "Soul Rebels"-Phase.

"Am Wasser gebaut" war das erste Fettes Brot-Album auf dem bandeigenen Label FBS. Mit "Emanuela" und "An Tagen wie diesen" protzt die Platte gleich mit 2 Smash Hits. Auf der vorliegenden Trockendock-Edition sind zudem 11(!) Bonussongs (B-Seiten, Outtakes, Single-only Songs) verewigt. Dazu gibts Presseclippings und Linernotes der Band und ihrer Gäste wie Bela B, etc., sowie ein umfangreiches Artwork-Update.

In the five years since Creep Show’s acclaimed Mr Dynamite album was released it’s fair to say that we’ve all been through a fair bit. Sitting here, in 2023, things don’t seem to be getting any better. There’s the cost of living crisis and political meltdowns; we're in deep water with global warming and to top it all there’s a war on our doorstep.

Back in 2018 everything seemed less complicated. Sure, there was stuff to get riled about, but we knew nothing about what was to come. Mr Dynamite was a fairground ride into the dark corners of a world that was on the brink of being blitzed in a blender. It was a record teetering on the edge. Five years down the line you’d expect the follow-up, Yawning Abyss, would double-down and bring the white-knuckled, teeth-gritted fury of the last five years to the boil. And yet….

A quick recap? No problem. Wrangler + John Grant = Creep Show. And Creep Show? “A band of musical misfits who have found a voice or two”, says Wrangler’s Ben “Benge” Edwards, whose Bond villain studio on the edge of a moorland is Creep Show Grand Central as well as home to an analogue synth arsenal that could sink ships.

Wrangler have known each other for a while. Tunng’s electronics wizard Phil Winter and Cabaret Voltaire’s trailblazing, pioneering frontman Stephen Mallinder go way back, while Phil and Benge crossed paths in the 21st century when they seemed to be increasingly in the same venues at the same times. Meanwhile, Mal had been living in Australia since the mid-90s and when, in 2007, he returned to the UK his old pal Phil suggested he meet Benge and the three of them immediately began working together.

Wrangler collectively bumped into Grant at their soundcheck for Sheffield’s Sensoria Festival in 2014 where they were playing with Carter Tutti. A friendship blossomed and when they were invited to perform together for Rough Trade’s 40th anniversary show at London’s Barbican in 2016, well, they jumped at the chance... and Creep Show was born.

Let’s talk about the new album... What is the ‘Yawning Abyss’? You might well ask. According to Mal, it’s “a cosmic event horizon that I can see from my attic window when stand on a chair”. Yeah. Thanks.

“On this album”, offers Benge, feet firmly on the floor, “Wrangler wrangled some vintage synths, mostly Roland, Moog, and the ‘Crystal Machine’ - then John Grant joined in the fun at Memetune Studios where lots of musical experiments were carried out. Then Mal and John ran off to Iceland with the master tapes and recorded a load of madcap vocals. Back at Memetune, me and Phil were left to try and make sense of it all. Which wasn’t hard because what they did in Iceland was totally magnificent.”

Which kind of brings us back to where we began. You’d imagine ‘Yawning Abyss’ would be blowing steam out of its furious ears. Mr Dynamite but kicking a wasps nest. Repeatedly. And yet…

Opener ‘The Bellows’ comes on like a modular ‘Radio Ga Ga’, the singalong ‘Moneyback’ (“You want your money back? / I didn’t think so”) sounds like Godley & Creme’s ‘Snack Attack’ meets Prince Charles And The City Beat Band (“Pennies, pounds, dollar bills, signed agreements, death wills”). ‘Yahtzee!’ is an unhinged electro breakdance party in four minutes and nine seconds.

Where Mr Dynamite was menace, a mélange of mangled voices, with Grant and Mallinder being heavily treated, pitched up or down, rendering their contributions largely indistinguishable, Yawning Abyss takes a more direct approach. You hesitate to say feelgood, but there’s a skip in the step here for sure.

The title track plays John Grant’s vocal straight. Completely. It’s good, so very good. Like ‘Axel F’ covered by Vangelis. The delicious shimmering synths of ‘Bungalow’ also plays those Grant pipes with a straight bat. ‘Matinee’ delves into darker, very funky territory. With Mal upfront it comes on like ‘The Crackdown’. Choice lyric: “You are starting to breakdown / And it’s so fun for me to see / You should have thought of that / You should have come prepared / You can see what’s happening and you look a little scared”.

So, you know, not all feelgood. But it does feel good. It’s probably best to draw your own conclusions... This is Creep Show after all.

Introducing a new scintillating, transatlantic collaboration from Names You Can Trust and Loboko, a new group created in the fertile ground of modern New York City's melting pot. The band's debut recording features the young Congolese vocalist and guitar virtuoso, Yohni Djungu Sungu, alongside Soukouss-Stars legend and master bassist in his own right, Ngouma Lokito. The group is rounded out by drummer and co-founder Morgan Greenstreet (himself a contributor to NYCT and Combo Lulo's debut recording, amongst others). He, along with Yohni, helped spawn the group's few but raucous NYC live appearances with various members throughout a couple year period before 2020.

Built upon those influential jam sessions, Loboko took two original compositions to the studio in an effort to document some of the traditional Congolese music they have been cooking up. Rooted in a now ubiquitous guitar-driven sound of African soukous that have permeated the greater Caribbean music landscape for up to six decades, Loboko's take on the ethnic Baluba rhythm, mutuashi, adorns the single's A-side as "Kanyunyi." The B-side stand-out "Ekenge" draws from the Seben style. It's a familiar sound to those sound system aficionadas, an intoxicating guitar combination that has reverberated from the heart of the Congo, through a wave in France's popular African music industry, and into the discerning selections of Colombia's Pico culture. Loboko's original take on these rhythms is quite unique in 2023, eschewing any modern production crutches for the raw pedigree of an electrified trio, and ultimately represents a clear window into the group's authentic live performances.

Powder Blue Vinyl. In den letzten fünfzehn Jahren haben Beach Fossils ihren Status als eine der definitivsten und beständigsten Bands des New Yorker Undergrounds der 2010er Jahre stetig ausgebaut und neue Hörer erreicht, während sich ihr Sound vom DIY-Soloprojekt von Dustin Payseur zu einer einflussreichen vierköpfigen Dream-Pop-Band entwickelt hat, die selbst produziert, selbst gemanagt und selbst veröffentlicht wird. Bunny steht für Stärke durch Verletzlichkeit. "Bunny" setzt die atemberaubende Entwicklung des Beach Fossils-Sounds fort, indem es Elemente aus der jangligen Melancholie der "What a Pleasure" EP (2011), den düsteren, Post-Punk-inspirierten Tracks von "Clash the Truth" (2013) und den üppigen Arrangements von "Somersault" (2017) aufgreift und ihren "Dream-Pop-Instinkt mit jeder weiteren Veröffentlichung schärft" (INTERVIEW). Inspiriert vom Psych-Pop der frühen Verve- und Spiritualized-Alben sowie von Einflüssen wie The Cure, Wire, den Byrds und Velvet Underground wurde "Bunny" von Payseur selbst produziert und aufgenommen, wobei Lars Stalfors (St. Vincent, Soccer Mommy, Lil Peep) als Mixer fungierte. Payseur merkt an, dass bei der Entstehung dieses Albums mehr Wert auf eine stärkere Ausrichtung auf Popstrukturen gelegt wurde. "Als ich die erste Platte schrieb, gab es keine Refrains, sondern nur instrumentale Gitarrenparts zwischen den Strophen. Dies ist die erste Platte, bei der ich bewusst darüber nachgedacht habe, einen Refrain zu schreiben." Unterstützt wird er dabei von den Bandmitgliedern Tommy Davidson (Gitarre), Jack Doyle Smith (Bass) und Anton Hochheim (Schlagzeug). "Bunny" ist das bisher lebendigste und persönlichste Werk der Band. Die Songs handeln von Depressionen, Liebe, Abenteuern, Verlusten, Fehlern, New York City, Freundschaften, die kommen und gehen - eine Melange aus körnigen Stücken im Prozess der Selbstfindung. Payseurs collageartige Texte kommunizieren durch Ton und Stimmung ebenso wie durch Erzählungen; New Yorker Dichter wie Frank O'Hara, Ted Berrigan und Anne Waldman sind Einflüsse, ebenso wie das Tao Te Ching.

Powder Blue Vinyl. In den letzten fünfzehn Jahren haben Beach Fossils ihren Status als eine der definitivsten und beständigsten Bands des New Yorker Undergrounds der 2010er Jahre stetig ausgebaut und neue Hörer erreicht, während sich ihr Sound vom DIY-Soloprojekt von Dustin Payseur zu einer einflussreichen vierköpfigen Dream-Pop-Band entwickelt hat, die selbst produziert, selbst gemanagt und selbst veröffentlicht wird. Bunny steht für Stärke durch Verletzlichkeit. "Bunny" setzt die atemberaubende Entwicklung des Beach Fossils-Sounds fort, indem es Elemente aus der jangligen Melancholie der "What a Pleasure" EP (2011), den düsteren, Post-Punk-inspirierten Tracks von "Clash the Truth" (2013) und den üppigen Arrangements von "Somersault" (2017) aufgreift und ihren "Dream-Pop-Instinkt mit jeder weiteren Veröffentlichung schärft" (INTERVIEW). Inspiriert vom Psych-Pop der frühen Verve- und Spiritualized-Alben sowie von Einflüssen wie The Cure, Wire, den Byrds und Velvet Underground wurde "Bunny" von Payseur selbst produziert und aufgenommen, wobei Lars Stalfors (St. Vincent, Soccer Mommy, Lil Peep) als Mixer fungierte. Payseur merkt an, dass bei der Entstehung dieses Albums mehr Wert auf eine stärkere Ausrichtung auf Popstrukturen gelegt wurde. "Als ich die erste Platte schrieb, gab es keine Refrains, sondern nur instrumentale Gitarrenparts zwischen den Strophen. Dies ist die erste Platte, bei der ich bewusst darüber nachgedacht habe, einen Refrain zu schreiben." Unterstützt wird er dabei von den Bandmitgliedern Tommy Davidson (Gitarre), Jack Doyle Smith (Bass) und Anton Hochheim (Schlagzeug). "Bunny" ist das bisher lebendigste und persönlichste Werk der Band. Die Songs handeln von Depressionen, Liebe, Abenteuern, Verlusten, Fehlern, New York City, Freundschaften, die kommen und gehen - eine Melange aus körnigen Stücken im Prozess der Selbstfindung. Payseurs collageartige Texte kommunizieren durch Ton und Stimmung ebenso wie durch Erzählungen; New Yorker Dichter wie Frank O'Hara, Ted Berrigan und Anne Waldman sind Einflüsse, ebenso wie das Tao Te Ching.

Teenage melancholy from the original Miami Sound Machine. Backed by the infamous FAMU Marching 100 Band and Frank Williams' crack shot players The Rocketeers, I Am Controlled By Your Love compiles sides from Helene Smith's '60s tenure with the Deep City, Lloyd, Reid, and Blue Star labels. A sweltering album of 12 deeply soulful, alternate universe hits from the First Lady of Miami Soul!

Thrills and Chills Transparent Vinyl! Teenage melancholy from the original Miami Sound Machine. Backed by the infamous FAMU Marching 100 Band and Frank Williams' crack shot players The Rocketeers, I Am Controlled By Your Love compiles sides from Helene Smith's '60s tenure with the Deep City, Lloyd, Reid, and Blue Star labels. A sweltering album of 12 deeply soulful, alternate universe hits from the First Lady of Miami Soul!

The legendary 1964 rehearsal collaboration receives its first official issue Restoration and Mastering by Grammy®-winning engineer Michael Graves Packaging contains rare photos plus liner notes from Jorma Kaukonen Jorma Kaukonen (later of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna) met a singer named Janis Joplin at a hootenanny in San Jose, California, in the fall of 1962. Over the following years, Janis would call on Jorma to accompany her at gigs. As they continued to play together, the Bay Area was changing musically and developing into the legendary San Francisco scene to which both Janis and Jorma would be integral. During a rehearsal for a show in North Beach, Jorma started his reel-to-reel machine to capture what they were working on. For decades, this recording was the stuff of legend, with inferior, multi-generational transfers making their way through select collector’s circles. Now, for the very first time, it is available officially, with the blessing and cooperation of both the Janis Joplin Estate and Jorma Kaukonen. The Legendary Typewriter Tape: 6/25/64 Jorma’s House contains this legendary recording, featuring Restoration and Mastering from acclaimed, Grammy®-winner Michael Graves. The tracks include Joplin on vocals, Kaukonen on guitar, and Jorma’s wife Margareta typing away intermittently in the background. This may have just been a rehearsal, but it is so much more. Featuring Joplin originals, as well as blues classics, The Legendary Typewriter Tape is an intimate glimpse into two major artists at the beginnings of what would become highly influential careers. As Jorma says in his liner notes: “This is indeed a window into a simpler time when the music truly was everything.” Available on CD and Digital December 2, 2022, the release will also be available on vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day Black Friday, November 25, 2022 Enjoy being a fly on the wall and revel in the magic of The Legendary Typewriter Tape.

Glam Rock is the style of rock music, mainly developed in the UK, and was performed by artists and groups wearing outrageous costumes, makeup, glitter and hairstyles. Glam Rock Collected contains the biggest Glam Rockers from groups such as Sweet, T.Rex, Roxy Music, Mott The Hoople, Kiss, Mud, Slade, Wizzard and artists as diverse as Elton John, Suzi Quatro, Lou Reed, Alvin Stardust, Alice Cooper and many more.

After his first appearance on Specimen Records as a part of the, SPECTRO-017 with his track “React”, Arsonist Recorder now comes with a first solo-EP on the label, Arsonist Recorder now comes with a first solo-EP on the label, in which the producer reaches back into some deeper, almost trippy states of mind, accompanied by some ultimately addictive electro grooves.

The first track, “Vaxxer”, which also titles the EP, puts up a warehouse-worthy beat, handing out bass-punches as it moves along. A rude hi-hat pattern shuffles the groove, and once the rhythm has you hooked, some lush eerie synth patterns start to emerge transporting the listener to the rooftop of a skyscraper in a dystopian city.

Next up is “Oxidant”, which was written with a close friend in mind who was going through some difficult times. The strong determination of the pulsating bass, overlayed by a very emotional melodic element leads you from the contrast to unity, refecting, pushing forward.

“Multiverse” comes in with a thunderous boom, reminiscent of a huge spaceship landing, which could be a metaphor for events that land on top of our heads, which we have no control over and have to deal with. The track introduces an infectious 808-groove, building up, and some chilling synths warp their way straight into your mind to de-program all the viruses in there and set you free from any mind-control.

Finally, finishing off is “Shiffty”. It lands straight away with a heart-pounding beat, with bass-bots bouncing, adding an ultra-funky bassline that will keep your feet moving. Waves of synthy-bliss wash over as this groove connects all your individual elements together.

Mit "Where The Light Goes" erscheint am 26. Mai 2023 das erste neue Album seit über einem Jahrzehnt.

Die mehrfach mit Platin ausgezeichneten US-Pop-Rocker Matchbox Twenty meldeten sich zuletzt mit ihrer neuen Single "Wild Dogs (Running In A Slow Dream)" zurück und veröffentlichen damit ihre erste neue Musik seit über einem Jahrzehnt.
Der Song erscheint zeitgleich mit der Ankündigung des kommenden fünften Studioalbums "Where The Light Goes" , das am 26. Mai 2023 über Atlantic Records erscheinen wird.

Produziert von Gregg Wattenberg mit Paul Doucette und Kyle Cook, bietet die kommende Platte authentische, relevante und glaubwürdige Songs voller Energie.

2023 klingt die Band auf ihrem kommenden Album "Where The Light Goes" erfrischt wie eh und je und profitiert dabei auch von den jeweiligen Solo-Reisen der Musiker. Rob Thomas hat sich als einer der
angesehensten Künstler der letzten Jahre erwiesen. Er veröffentlichte fünf Soloalben und erhielt drei GRAMMY Awards, 11 BMI Awards, den allerersten Songwriters Hall of Fame Hal David Starlight Award, zwei Billboard "Songwriter of the Year"-Auszeichnungen und eine Top-5-Platzierung in den Billboard Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters (2000-2011).

Jimmy LaValle’s The Album Leaf has spun from solo outlet to full band and back in its nearly 25 years. His acclaimed catalog spans releases for labels such as Sub Pop, City Slang, Relapse, and others. He also composes music for film and television, scoring over 20 projects (narrative features, documentaries, and TV series) since 2009. The cinematic sensibilities of The Album Leaf were present from the beginning. His 1999 debut introduced the start of a signature sound: melodic and meditative electro-organic soundscapes constructed with guitar, percussion, Rhodes, and field recordings.

His seventh full-length LP, and first since 2016, arrives in 2023 via Vancouver’s Nettwerk Records. FUTURE FALLING finds LaValle working with an array of musicians, shaping slightly darker, more spacious, and synth-driven songs with contributions from Bat For Lashes, Kimbra, and many others.
The music registers a shade darker and more synth-driven than most moments in his acclaimed catalog, a bridge between shadowy, cerebral terrain and dreamy precision pop, where softly percussive frameworks meet shimmering sound design and emotive instrumentation.
LaValle sees the construction of FUTURE FALLING as less conventional than past work. Contributions were done remotely with a “throw everything at it” mindset, making LaValle the arranger of layers from all over: drums, synths, horns, violins, voice, and more. LaValle created a pastiche of these layers and elements; in some cases even moving vocal takes to new tracks entirely. Without the in-the-room dynamics, he had more time to experiment, adding and subtracting ad infinitum.
The album opens on “PROLOGUE,” an evocative, slow-building instrumental that rides a pattern into a symphonic sea of static. Keys and horns glide atop the rhythmic pulse of “DUST COLLECTS,” setting the contemplative scene for “AFTERGLOW,” the record’s most pop-minded performance. Here Kimbra, the Grammy-winning New Zealand singer-songwriter, renders a striking recollection of past love as percussive elements shimmer and swirl.
A plaintive piano line moves throughout “Cycles 19.9” encircled by light ambient washes, both a valley between two peaks and a powerful composition in its own right. “Future Falling” follows; with origins tracing back to 2015, the track embodies the full sonic journey LaValle has taken. All the hallmarks of The Album Leaf — melodic builds, vivid sprawl, tonal shape-shifting — assemble to a blissful finish.

For the next stretch, “Cycles” begins with a uneasy Rhodes loop that builds and erupts into a wall of texture paving its way into “Give In,” where LaValle models a movement that begins subtle and measured before curving up with skyward, percussive bursts (“Stride”) and settling back down to the album’s back-half centerpiece, “Near” featuring the acclaimed English artist Natasha Khan aka Bat For Lashes. “Do you feel me near?” she sings into a mist of widescreen synths and soothing, distant drum beats as if searching through the dark.

In the words of Bill Brewster - DJ History

‘At the turn of the 1990s, there were few more successful New York house producers than Victor Simonelli. Under a dizzying array of aliases – Solution, NY’s Finest, Groove Committee, Critical Rhythm and Cloud 9 being amongst the better-known – the Brooklyn-born DJ/producer delivered a string of underground club hits during the city’s early ’90s house boom.’

BTG presents “Victor Simonelli: The Early Years Vol 1” a collectors edition double Vinyl release - 2 X 12’s in each Vol

Launching the first Behind The Groove collectors edition vinyl series is New York’s finest Victor Simonelli with ‘The Early Years Vol 1 & 2’ double Vinyl releases. Featuring seminal house tracks such as Cloud 9’s ‘Do You Want Me’, Solution’s ‘Feel So Right’, Instant Exposure’s ‘Wanna Be With You’ and rare mixes of Raiana Page and EZ-AL, this collection brings together classic and rare Victor Simonelli cuts that reflect the early raw energy and buzz of the New York House scene. With ‘Vol 2” scheduled to follow shortly after, this is the most comprehensive collection of rare Simonelli cuts that firmly establishes his esteemed role in 90s House Music as well as introducing new fans to his inimitable sound.

Victor Simonelli is one of the early kings of NYC sampling In house music. The real deal - Victor danced at the legendary David Mancuso’s Loft sessions and developed a serious appreciation for good music. He interned for Arthur Baker at his renown Shakedown Studios (where Arthur worked with the iconic Afrika Bambatta on the seminal dance floor ’Planet Rock’ track) and went on to release hugely influential releases on seminal NYC labels 4th Floor and Nu Groove. Victor’s music was championed by the hugely celebrated iconic House Music DJ pioneers, Larry Levan and Tony Humphries at Paradise Garage & Zanzibar/WBLS/Kiss FM respectively.

Revered as a New York house heavyweight and prolific producer since the turn of the 1990s, Victor Simonelli grew up in Brooklyn, NYC, nurtured by a music loving family, with an avid record collecting father who also worked as a local party DJ. He took music lessons in piano, drums, guitar and bass, before discovering his first love, tuning into NY’s Radio Mix Shows on WBLS, WKTU and WRKS,98.7 Kiss FM) where he discovered the art of mixing and in his own words, ’I just simply got lost in the music’.

Graduating from NYC’s Centre For Media Arts, Victor got an internship in the legendary producer, Arthur Baker’s Shakedown Studios. Soon graduating to editing, mixing and then producing he worked for artists David Bowie, Quincy Jones, Debbie Harry, Sinead O’Connor and Talking Heads. Teaming up with fellow NYC producer Lenny Dee to become the Brooklyn Funk Essentials, they released records ‘Critical Rhythm’ and ‘Subliminal Aurra’ on 4th Floor before Victor went solo as Groove Committee releasing the classic ‘I Want You To Know’ on the legendary Nu Groove Records. Paradise Garage legend, Larry Levan broke ‘I Want You To Know’ rocking 2 copies on his last tour of Japan whilst King of NY House Music,Tony Humphries broke Victor’s new ‘Feels So Right’ across New York on his WBLS/Kiss FM Mastermix show and at his legendary Zanzibar club sessions. It was only a matter of time before Victor’s name became synonymous with quality House music ensuring a worldwide platform for his productions.

In the early 90s alongside his own productions, Victor Simonelli worked on high profile projects, including James Brown’s album, “Love Overdue” BeBe and CeCe Winans single featuring Mavis Staples “I’ll Take You There” and Quincy Jones’ “I’ll Be Good To You” featuring Chaka Khan and the legendary Ray Charles. Never straying too far from his clubland roots, Victor worked with Danny Tenaglia on his classic “The Harmonica Track”.

DJ gigs across the world started flooding in and Victor found himself recording for a dizzying array of labels including Tribal America, Sub-Urban, Bassline, King Street Sounds and Vibe, under a wide range of aliases. He also produced, wrote and remixed for artists such Nile Rodgers (Chic), Afrika Baambata, Hall & Oates, Frankie Knuckles, Kerri Chandler, Madonna and Michael Jackson. Famed for his own productions “It’s So Good” by Creative Force, “I Know A Place” as Sound Of One - the first release on Roger Sanchez One Records -, “Dirty Games” as well as the “Street Players Vol 1 EP”, Victor went on to set up Suburban Records with Tommy Musto and Bassline Records with two other partners. Notable releases on this label include “Do You Feel Me”, Connie Harvey’s gospel inspired, “Thank You Lord”, Urban Blues Project’s “Deliver Me”, Colonel Abrams “Not Gonna Let”, and Mone’s “Better Way”. Never ceasing to produce, DJ, run his own label and host radio shows like Groove Lift, Victor has worked with virtually every NYC producer and has nurtured a next generation talents including Angel Moraes, Jazz ‘N’ Groove, Urban Blues Project, Harlem Hustlers, Jay Jay and Julius Papp. Victor’s releases have also been used on M&S’s “Salsoul Nuggett” hit and Eddie Amador’s underground smash ‘House Music’.

In the late 90’s Victor launched his new Westside Productions, notable for the “Latin Impressions 1 & 2” releases, opened up a studio in Italy as he found himself increasingly working in Europe and now divides his time between New York and Italy. Suffice to say his unique sound of uplifting and spiritual music has kept him at the forefront of House Music and he is credited as one of its leading exponents with his string of classic releases and remixes.

Behind the Groove, branches out from its digital platform to embark on a programme of releases from the iconic pioneer producers of House Music. Esteemed for their high quality features and mixes that continue to explore, celebrate and venerate the contributions of highly respected, scene-shaping Labels, Artists, DJs and Special Events, BTG seeks to bring these talents and tales to the attention of the wider community. Unlocking the stories surrounding the pivotal roles they played and continue to play today in shaping the underground music scene we have come to know and love.

BTG presents “Victor Simonelli: The Early Years Vol 1” a collectors edition double Vinyl release, released on May 12th 2023. ‘Vol 2” follows on May 26th 2023 . These releases are the most comprehensive collection of rare Victor Simonelli cuts that firmly establish his esteemed role in 90s House Music and introduces new fans to his carefree sound.

One day, you wake up with a cloud in your head. You feel out of place and uninspired, and juggle so many worries the balance is skewed. That was Armin van Buuren three years ago. He put so much love and passion into his work and found it hard to cope with the fact that not everyone can be pleased. Something needed to change. So, he reformed his life routines, took up meditation to calm the storm and did everything he could to negate the numbness. And what he ended up with was a newfound love for music and an incredible three-part album: Feel Again.

From "No Fun" and "Computers Take Over The World" to "One More Time", "Come Around Again" and "Roll The Dice", the Feel Again album sonically represents the journey of an artist extraordinaire radically looking for harmony within himself. Its 34 tracks may be different in terms of sound, but together, they reflect an equilibrium that could only come from a man in balance.

From reconnecting to friends, family, and fans to finding inner peace, Feel Again means acknowledging harsh truths, finding out what really matters and letting that power a new step forward. Because in the evergreen words of Armin van Buuren himself, “we're still learning and will never stop learning till the day we die”.

Feel Again is available as a deluxe limited edition box set, including 3 LP's, which are housed in printed innersleeves. The set also includes 5 exclusive Armin van Buuren lithos. This deluxe boxset is limited to 3000 individually numbered copies on turquoise marbled (LP1), white marbled (LP2), and orange marbled (LP3) vinyl.

Critically acclaimed folk duo The Milk Carton Kids are back with I Only See The Moon. Produced by Kenneth Pattengale, this full-length album features a collection of timeless and traditionalist tracks with hauntingly lovely and rich vocal melodies and lyrical content spanning the themes of time, nostalgia, heartbreak, sadness, love, nature, grief, loss, freedom, solitude, and relationships. Founded in 2011, The Milk Carton Kids swiftly emerged as a major force in the American folk tradition, blending ethereal harmonies and intricate musicianship with a uniquely powerful brand of contemporary songcraft. 2013’s ANTI- debut The Ash & Clay proved their national breakthrough, earning The Milk Carton Kids their first Grammy Award nomination for Best Folk Album. A second Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Performance followed in 2015 for the track “The City of Our Lady” from band’s acclaimed third studio album, Monterey, and 2018’s All The Things That I Did And All The Things That I Didn’t Do was nominated for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. The band’s most recent album, 2019’s The Only Ones (out now via Far Cry Records in partnership with Thirty Tigers), was the subject of extensive praise, with Rolling Stone proclaiming that “Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan get back to the beautiful basics with The Only Ones,” while NPR’s “World Café” noted that “even though Joey and Kenneth are not related, their voices together create a sibling-like harmony...the duo has a strong sense of respect and reverence for the musical traditions that they've grown from.”

Head of the Lo-Fi movement with the SP-404
-In 2006 he dropped the first SP404 kung fu inspired beat tape under the alias 5 ELEMENT NINJA Beatjitzu vol 1. Since then he has garnered a cult following of SP404 kung fu inspired producers and sparked a genre. He is the forefather of said style and has numerous beat tapes under various aliases such as 5 Element Ninja, Lords of da LO FI, GODZ of WuTang, MAZINGA Z, JIM KELLY and of course Bruce Li. -He has worked with Killarmy featuring Cappadonna of the WU TANG CLAN and others. He has complete production credit on albums with LONE NINJA, Recognize Ali and Verbal Kent(Dueling Experts) and lastly CLEVER 1 of DA BUZE BRUVAZ. -Also he has appeared on albums with credits alongside Hop hop royalty RZA, True Master, 4th Disciple and legendary PETE ROCK. Lord Beatjitzu presents 420, a densely packed album that captures the same sense of euphoria and paranoia one can gain from an extensive and smoky 4/20 celebration. He has crafted a soundtrack with loops upon loops of smoked-out loops. Sort of like the smoke rings that used to emanate from Cheech and Chong having one of their notorious sessions. Adding on to his varied discography, this fits more in line with the varied sample chops of his celebrated Mazinga moniker. Intricately woven to provide the perfect soundtrack for 4/20 and any other day or night that you have a moment to kick back and enter another zone. Lord Beatjitzu is a beatmaker originally from Mexico City D.F. who stays studying and constantly honing his craft. Extremely reclusive and low key, he is known strictly through sparse collaborations and various beat tapes which he has put out starting in 2006. He has put out over 100 beat tapes and collaborations under an innumerable amount of known and unknown aliases.