As the liner notes in this special Anniversary Edition of DUB SIDE OF THE MOON begin: This is the reggae record that changed it all. Some day music histortians may look back and divide a time in reggae before Dub Side and after. Celebrate a decade plus of this timeless and ingenious musical experiment with this release, which includes two new bonus tracks (including a new version of 'Breathe' that features Rebelution's Eric Rachmany along with Metric Man, Ruff Scott and Sluggy Ranks), new artwork, and a 12 page booklet that tells the history of the project and catches fans up on what the people involved have been up to in the years since.
B From E, an uncommon name but surely soon to be know. This young Danish/Mexican talent has already released a successful Ep on Copenhagen Underground Posse, but now heads for 2018 with a rock solid 3 track Ep at Traxx Underground! B From E delivers a classic and very melodic house sound, in a fusion of US Garage and Soulful Deep House. He is pointing for the stars and ready to spread love, all over the world!
Ben Rau has had a great start to 2018, successfully launching his new label META , and recently returning from his latest tour of Australia.
It is obvious Ben soaked up the sun drenched culture and musical inspirations down under, as his latest INKAL release "Systéme Solaire" showcases Ben's diversity in the studio, and a more melodic side to Ben's sound that perfectly balances musicality while maintaining underground credibility, amounting to what is arguably Ben's strongest work yet.
With multiple represses on each INKAL release so far, the momentum is building for Ben and INKAL004 will only serve to enhance his ever-burgeoning reputation as a purveyor of dancefloor-ready weapons.
The EP kicks off with the title-track A-side "Systémes Solaire", a track which displays all the trademark influences Ben Rau has become synonymous for , as expert drum programming glitchy percussion and a rolling funk bassline combine to provide the groove.
"Systéme Solaire" has hooky elements in abundance, as a combination of chord work and constantly evolving synths team up to create a memorable, peak-time bomb. The B-side, "Expand", continues in the same vein, as a short, bubbling bass stab drives the track forward and modulates to provide an acid vibe, joined again by luscious piano chords and licks and the Expand' vocal, which switches up from a whispering atmospheric to a heavily effected, pitched tone that keeps interest throughout. All the while accentuated by fractured groovy percussion, piano licks and open hats that shine over the whole track.
With big hitter support on the EP already both INKAL and Ben Rau's career continue to go from strength-to-strength. Grab your copy of 'Systémes Solaire' when it drops
The Frankonia (EP) is the result of the collaboration between Nils Weimann and Martin Glowacz, which started many years ago.
Side A serves two different, powerful tracks. Frankonia comes with warm atmospheres and spaces. Driven by the interaction of bass and synth lines, wrapped in some subtile delayed textures.
Lower has a rollin bass structure, combined with smashing vocals and surrounded by resonating marbles.
Side B belongs Paul Agripa's interpretation of Frankonia. (He's also known as a part of Comoji.)
The remix takes you on a 13 minutes trip, carried by a harmonic baseline, extended spaces and melodies. Play it loud! Support by Cezar, Sedee, Vlad Arapasu.
Benny Blanco debuts with a five-tracks "Staraya Ep" onto his Valkea Music. Every detail has been taken care, from mixing
to the master from the WHITE 180 GRAMS vinyl press to artwork. Following a short description about "Staraya EP"
STRY 1 by Ricky L Red "Is Not Dead Mix" intense and majestic, the track of rare and profound beauty.
STRY 2 "Original Mix" it's a tribute to Benny Blanco's origins and to the electronic/progressive sound of the mid nineties
that had great influence on him and became his trademark from the very beginning.
STRY 3 by Giammaria Coccoluto & Luca Vera "As Soul Sonic Remix" an ethnic rhythm full of grooves thanks to the addition
of percussive elements and a masterly used organ, which won't keep you still.
STRY 4 "The THC Revenge Remix" an atmosphere that captures and hypnotizes, where it extrapolates and magnificently
enhances the most melodic part.
STRY 5 "Erly Tepshi Dark Vision Mix" an esoteric and astral journey in the furthest and most remote corners of your mind.
This original project to the artwork that will in essence, satisfy your eyes and especially the ears.
Otis Stacks, three syllables. A name and a first name that recall a mythical singer as much as the Memphis music label that got him to it's days of glory. A name that evokes him in particular and soul music in general. Behind a name that sounds familiar are Elias Wallace and Justmike, two men united to become one: Otis Stacks. In truth, the optimized version of a work started long ago, when Justmike was producing the Danish hip-hop sound of Dafuniks and decided to get in touch with Elias after hearing his voice on a friend's tune. He first wanted him to lay his voice on a
chorus, then a verse, and ended letting him take over the lyrics of 'All I Want', the song that would later bring Dafuniks on air and around Europe. After traveling miles and miles across the ocean and the seas separating California from Denmark, Elias undeniably became a member of the group. As gigs went on, stages after stages, Justmike got inspired by Elias's voice and presence. Thus, the idea of a duo collaboration between the two men geminated and grew in his mind. As the evidence of their getting along, 'Fashion Drunk' became the first tune to
infiltrate Nova and FIP radio playlists, as its music video reached 8 million views. This now obvious complicity as extended in the form of an album, also called Fashion Drunk, released by Underdogs Records. With this French stopover, the line between California and Denmark is now completed. The result is an artistic fusion in which Justmike has plugged his instruments to the machines he uses to compose, letting Elias in charge of the
lyrics and singing. Here, the soul music is printed as a guideline in an organic and digital composite matter. In an ethereal and aerial production that perches its arrangements in the air of the mix or buries them in its bases, letting electro music spread on a groove punched with black and white keys. Each element intervenes with discretion to let Elias stories be related with elegance. Frustrated, disappointed or aborted love stories.
Instant is the trio of Bernd Schöll (Bass, Vocals, Rhythm), Mike Hauer (Guitar, Synth, Percussion), and Marion Siekmann (Vocals) from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1980 after meeting through mutual friends attending the local art and graphic design school. The trio were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. Inspired by the Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder, they set out to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle fusing Dada, disco, and Krautrock.
Over the course of 2 weeks in Summer 1980 the band teamed up with local producer Mario Strack to record 6 songs. These would make up their debut eponymous album that was originally self-released on 10' vinyl in 1981. They utilized a simple set up of guitar, bass, and keyboards, plus the BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Metal scraps clanging appear on the tracks 'Do Not' and 'Optimate Minimum', and a washing machine was sampled on the track 'Joyboy', which features Marion reading from the appliance's instruction manual. The A-side features 4 tracks in 11 minute, while the B-side hosts 2 songs in the same stretch of time. 'Charade' features no wave saxophone accompaniment from Kai Taschner of Munich New Wave band Luna Set. Marion's vocals are between Nico's Teutonic chill and Alison Statton's (Young Marble Giants) playfulness, while Bernd takes a monotone approach. Lyrics for 'My Boy' and 'Everybody's Gotta Mutate' were adapted from 'Rotwang', a fragmented novel written by Tim Hildebrandt, one of the brothers famous for illustrating the works of Tolkien.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a replica of the original jacket design, which features a neon red screen-printed drawing of a cut-out doll family on a stark white background. Each LP includes a postcard insert with lyrics.
Mannequin's 100th - a comp looking forward featuring an international and serious cast... BIG TIP!
The modern synthwave scene would be significantly poorer without the keen ear and tireless efforts of the Mannequin label run by Alessandro Adriani. Geographically situated within the nerve centers of Rome and Berlin, yet with a musical spirit that easily transcends these boundary lines, Mannequin's back catalog has been an important component in the modular assemblage that makes up electronics-based independent music in the 21st century, and an important reference point for those who need to defend against the lazy accusations that this such is purely retro' in its form and content. Recent accolades and accomplishments - being named Resident Advisor's label of the month' for May of this year, starting the 'Death of the Machines' 12' series, and being given the 'green light' for bi-monthly parties at the Säule room in Berghain - have been earned through Mannequin's unflagging commitment to sonic diversity and Adriani's own realization that the anxious and sharp-edged sounds associated with, say, the Cold War of the 1980s can convey a completely different message today. Adriani says it best when claiming that there is no such thing as 'old' or 'new' music...only the music of now'. With this cogent statement of intent, Mannequin continues to go on exploratory missions to find the best and most relevant aspects of genres like acid, industrial, EBM, post-punk, coldwave and still more.
Which brings us to Mannequin's newest project and 100th release overall: the Waves of the Future double LP compilation, which itself is not a conventional retrospective collection. Case in point - none of the artists appearing on this collection have put out their own releases on Mannequin yet, despite acting as Mannequin's unofficial ambassadors (via DJ sets and other means). This makes the set even more compelling rather than less so, since it shows how Mannequin fits into a larger picture that includes other scene leaders and label owners including Beau Wanzer, Willie Burns (WT Records), Silent Servant (Jealous God) and Ron Morelli (L.I.E.S.). Of equal importance is how Waves of the Future projects a sense of aesthetic resilience and continuity, showcasing just how well the current artists allied with Mannequin employ and re-interpret the sonic lexicon that appears on that label's reissues of 'classic' acts such as Nocturnal Emissions, Bourbonese Qualk, Din A Testbild and Doris Norton.
However, none of this would matter as much if the music itself didn't have strong potential for lighting a blaze in the dark corners of the human imagination, and of course for forcing bodies into motion. Each track here pivots around a couple of key sound elements that seem to set the stage for the next track to come: see the sputtering / chopped ghost voices on Morelli's Charges Won't Stick,' which easily informs the slicing drone and authoritarian beat of Shawn O' Sullivan's Ill Fit,' which then lays down the emotional foundation for the sequencer-powered With You' from An-I & Adriani or the glassy landscape of Illum Sphere's Exhaustion'. Elsewhere, the wired mischief of Not Waving intersects easily with the spherical electro-funk and coded commands of Beau Wanzer. When all the disparate parts of Waves of the Future are soldered together, it perfectly illustrates Mannequin's non-linear philosophy and Adriani's suggestion that Mannequin listeners directly engage with the music rather than trying too hard to analyze or dissect it.
After dropping several tracks and performing at select festivals throughout the years, Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen dedicated the year 2014 to explore the area in-between Ólafur's more acoustic, piano-based solo work and Janus's synth-heavy electro pop, with their collaborative electronic project Kiasmos.
By focusing solely on their self-titled debut album, Ólafur and Janus have been able to combine and further develop their unique sound aesthetics to complete an album driven by their mutual love for electronic music. Made in Ólafur's newly build studio in Reykjavík, Iceland, a majority of the album was recorded using acoustic instruments next to a variety of synthesisers, drum machines and tape delays. It features a live drummer, string quartet and Ólafur performing on the grand piano, producing an ambient, textured sound, which makes it a perfect home listen and equally danceable record. If you listen closely, you can spot them record the thumb piano, finger snapping and even the sound of the metal grinder of a lighter slowly to replace the usual electronic hi-hat sounds, giving the album a far more intimate and unique atmosphere.
We decided to start almost completely over with this record, so most of the material is written this year with the idea of making a record that can stand as one piece rather than a collection of songs. I am very excited to get a proper record out exploring a different territory than I am used to. I touch a lot on electronic genres in my own music but never have the opportunity to go full out electronic like we do here.' - Ólafur Arnalds
The Kiasmos project has been around since 2007, but because of all our other projects we never really got the time to sit down and write all the tracks we always wanted to. So when we early this year finally found the time to sit down and make a full length album there was so much we wanted to try out. The result surprised us a bit, it's deeper and more emotional than we imagined it to be, but that's the beauty of being able to make an album.' - Janus Rasmussen
Long-term Erased Tapes graphics collaborator Torsten Posselt at Feld Studios in Berlin created the cover artwork. Feld Studios was a natural choice for Kiasmos, seeing he also designed the cover for their Thrown EP, released previously.
Kiasmos is made up of Icelandic BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Arnalds, known for his unique blend of minimal piano and string compositions with electronic sounds, and Janus Rasmussen from the Faroe Islands, known as the mastermind of the electro-pop outfit Bloodgroup. Based in Reykjavík, Arnalds used to work as a sound engineer, often for Rasmussen's other projects, where the two musicians discovered their common love for minimal, experimental music. They eventually became best friends, often hanging out in their studio, exploring electronic sounds.
Ltd. to 999 copies, initial copies on black inside milky clear vinyl,
Cititrax present a split EP by two massive talents, Borusiade and The Sixteen Steps. Borusiade, originally from Bucharest, Romania began as a DJ in the early 2000s and then started producing music in 2005. With a background in classical music, she combined her love of raw electronics, obscure themes and melodic lines to create her own signature sound. She has released on the Cómeme label as well as Corresepondent. Infatuation and Confutation are dark, moody and intense tracks that catch you upon first listen. The flip side of the Promises and Infatuation EP features The Sixteen Steps, the brainchild of George Lanham who cut his musical teeth DJing and running events in the south of England. We have been listening to many of his tracks endlessly for a while now. They've also been a highlight of Veronica Vasicka's DJ sets as of late. Signals From The South and Promises On The Run are both immaculately produced, hypnotic, dance floor killers. They are sparse ebm meets smoky warehouse techno, and offer a wonderful contrast to Borusiade's layered emotive tracks that reminisce of an East Village club in the 1980s. Themes of infatuation, appearances, and anonymity appear throughout this EP from the music itself right through to the cover art.
Limited edition vinyl pressing of 999 copies, first 500 copies are pressed on black inside milky clear vinyl (each record is one of a kind), housed in a matte printed sleeve.
When we started Ilian Tape 10 years ago in 2007, we were both basically kids at the ages of 23 (Dario) and 18 (Marco). There was no plan behind it, no concept, no promotion campaign or any budget, but just an early vision of where it could go. We wanted to build something that lasts. After a few years of playing at parties and producing music, it was the next logical step to start a label. You can clearly see us growing up through the label in terms of artwork, compiling the records and handling things. We made some mistakes along the way and there are surely things we could have done better, but looking back after 10 years now it all makes sense as it was a natural and human development with all its ups and downs.It was always a very personal project, never about making money, but about creating a platform for music we believe in and building relationships with artists in a transparent and fair way. We really appreciate that we were able to work with so many great artists, who shared the same vision and trusted in us, over all the years. A while ago we moved away from the ordinary release info write ups, because in general writing about music is tricky and who isn't tired of the typical, full of praise for every detail of a record, release textsBut this might be starting to get boring for you too, so just buy this lovely triple vinyl package including a poster and download code, light one up and turn up the volume!One last thing though - we want to deeply thank our parents for teaching us to live our dreams and find out who we really are, our friends for the vibes and honesty, all the artists releasing on the label, all the supporters & fans for buying vinyl and files, all the DJ's playing out the stuff, all the diggers selling the stuff overpriced on Discogs, all the dancers working out on the dancefloors & all the clubs doing label nights over all the years.
Raderkraft is a project by Willem Stinissen , a young producer/musician from Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
His music is best described as electro minimal synthwave. Raderkraft's love for this genre started as an implication of his punkrock background.He's been fascinated by electro and synth music since the electro revivalSimplicity, minimalism, purity and D.I.Y. mentality are the aspects of wave music Raderkraft is a Swedish word for "power lines", in German Raderkraft means "revolving power" Raderkraft loves to use repeating and revolving sounds in his music.
Megastar Bruno Mars has unveiled his new album 24K Magic (pronounced twenty-four karat magic), with lead single of the same title. Written and produced by Shampoo Press & Curl, with additional production by The Stereotypes.
The last time Mars dropped an album was December 2012 - four years ago, an eternity for a pop star. He's surfed the intervening years like a pro, with two Super Bowl halftime performances (headlining in 2014, and a cameo last February with Coldplay and Beyoncé), not to mention the biggest-selling song of the past few years, his collaboration with Mark Ronson, "Uptown Funk", spending 14 weeks at Number One - tying for the second-longest run in chart history - and winning the Grammy for Record of the Year. To date, it's sold more than 12 million copies, been streamed nearly 2 billion times and made several dragons want to retire.
This is Bruno Mars. Six Number One singles. Thirty combined weeks at the top of the chart (44 if you count "Uptown"). Two albums, 26 million in sales worldwide, four Grammys and counting.
Throughout 24K Magic , Bruno Mars re-creates the R&B he fell in love with as a child - the likes of Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, New Edition, Bobby Brown, Jodeci, Boyz II Men, Teddy Riley, and Babyface.
Finally! The long-awaited Raffaele Attanasio's label , " Letters From Jerusalem " , is born - Jerusalem represents the spiritual and physical center of the Earth, hence that comes to life the metaphor that locates in it ourselves center. Music as a means of exploration, as a descriptive source ofdeepest and hidden feelings and emotions in the center of man. Music as creation and destruction of feelings and perceptions, as act that turns into potency.The first release includes four tracks of which two recorded live , particular attention is drawn to the title track : " Credible Threat " , which has a special partnership with Douglas J. McCarthy , leader of legendary EBM band " Nitzer Ebb ". There is no time, we'll all die ! LFJ001 early Feedbacks and Supports: Slam : Thanks Raffaele these are all destroyers:)
Philippe Petite : Thanks for sharing your new EP. My favourites are A1 and B2: super Ben Sims : Eutanasia is the track for me, thx! Gary Beck: the 2 live cuts are wild and brilliant! Really look forward to playing them in my upcoming sets, love it!
Dustin Zahn :The production on the promo is really high! thanks
Rebekah : cool tracks, thanks! Ancient Methods : That is a great start what you have for your label! thanks for the promo
Support by Nachtbraker (Dirt Crew Recordings), Blue Mondays (Rebirth), S3A (Sampling As An Art), Roman Rauch (Philpot), Julien Guzz (Sure Cuts Records), Space Echo (Luv Shack Records), Simonlebon (Luv Shack Records).
We are starting the year 2016 with several artists. On the A-side of the forTunea Cookies EP we feature the Viennese-Innsbruckian combo JANEFONDAS. Since 5 years they are touring around the country and are wellknown for their mixture of current house tunes and disco classics. In this release they are presenting their newest composition, called - Lovely Secret . A great tool that definitely finds its way in the recordbags and usbs of a house dj. The B-side starts with KLAUS BENEDEK. - Spanked In The Disco sounds at first like your typical 1990s filterhouse. But in the end it builds up to a warm and breathtaking melancholic climax that leaves you with a smile. The third track in the bunch by SCHAMPUS GHOST & KAIROBOY is literally a balls to the walls - Loveletter to disco music. This track will come out only on vinyl. And like the previous releases on forTunea, there will be no repress. So first come, first serve!
Limited to 300 copys
Mastering by Patrick Pulsinger
RFBCOLOURS 002 bring L'Atelier on board. This pair from Amsterdam bring you a 4 track EP with a digi only bonus. It starts off with Again, which hits that great sample hard and gets the party started on a disco vibe with a house twist. Then theres XTC which carries on where the A1 left off. On the flip we see a serious piano workout on top of a a grooving drum arragement. To finish off the vinyl package we see Times Are Ruff take the remix on a deeper tip with some seriously crunchy basslines and rolling groove. Then if that wasnt enough theres a digital bonus that will warm up any willing club room.
Feedback:
Telonius (Gomma)
'thanks nice one'
Laurin Fedora (Sleazy McQueen (Morris Audio / Paper Recordings))
'I'm looking forward to this vinyl. Nice return to late 90s filter disco!'
One of the world's most in demand DJs and producers, Noir has been responsible for some of the most poignant - as well as explosive moments in clubland's recent history. Arguably best known for his huge dancefloor bomb 'Around', Noir now drops his debut studio album, a project that has been nearly half a decade in the making.'Around', a sexy, synthesizer-tinted groove featuring vocalist Hayze dominated dancefloors across the world for close to two years, making Noir a household name across clubland. And it's still as popular as ever - the Solomon Vox remix of 'Around' has amassed more than 12 million views on YouTube.
As well as 'Around', Noir includes further club hits 'Around feat. Hayze', 'My Fault feat. HRRSN' and current single 'Black feat. Caitlin', evidencing Noir's desire to work with a variety of vocalists to create something far 7 weightier than simply a collection of club tracks. Noir is about telling stories, boating 12 completely unique productions that chart the artist's evolution over the course of his expansive career. With many of its cuts moving away from the strict four-to-the-floor parameters of house music production, the horizons of Noir stretch way beyond the dancefloor. Taking cues from a range of artists from Depeche Mode to Kraftwerk, and Massive Attack to Timbaland - all of whom have heavily influenced Noir's aesthetic - Noir is an emotionally charged and
utterly engrossing body of work. Says Noir of working on the album: 'The album has been in the making since I started working on 'Around' back in 2010, so for me it's a body of work that spans nearly 5 years, with changes to productions, melodies and moods before I was happy with the final tracks. 'What you hear on the album is the culmination of all the music and influences I grew up and have lived with over the years: it is absolutely my identity and honestly represents my musical passions. Unlike many 'dance' albums that are little more than a collection of thrown-together club tracks, Noir combines tirelessly creative songwriting with multi-faceted production that reveals fresh delights with every listen: a timeless release from a truly singular artist.
2x180g vinyl plus download code!
We are very happy to present our first album on Ilian Tape. At the beginning of 2014 we moved our two separate bedroom studios into one and soon after started working on the album. All the tracks were made in about 6 months in our new Ilian Tape Space Studio in Munich. The time felt right to focus on this adventure, but without any pressure. Therefore the process became very natural and we felt free to go wherever the vibe led us. Our intention was to create a very personal and honest sound without any limitations or guidelines. It's a reflection of all the years we've been growing up, working, traveling and playing together and it means a lot to us. But enough said music is not supposed to be described with words, so sit back, close your eyes, light one up and turn up the speakers!
Belgian talent Ilario Liburni looks to the release of his debut LP, 'Travel So Far', forthcoming on his own label, Invade Records. The eight track affair comes on a double vinyl pack as well as digital form which will follow a month later and proves the man behind it to be a superb producer with plenty to say.
Combining elements of house, minimal and intricate sound design, Ilario also heads up the Cardinal label and first emerged back in 2011 on Monique Musique. Since then he has gone on to release on a number of respected imprints (including Riva Starr's Snatch! And Memoria Recordings), has had his tracks licensed to compilations including Noir's In the House album for Defected and has continued to make a big impression as a DJ around Europe.
The album kicks off with 'Travel So Far', a synthetic and stripped back groove with lots of squelchy sounds, scurrying synths and feathery percussive lines all working their way into your brain. 'Sudden' is another Ricardo Villalobos style track that is elongated, intricate and immersive as it unfolds on soft edged drums. Next up, 'Carrie' is a smooth, dubbed out affair that demonstrates plenty of restraint yet really locks you into its hypnotic groove as static hiss and crackles alongside distant synths colour the spaces left behind.
'Steampunked Sewing Machine' ups the ante a little with a hollowed out drum line rocking back and forth on its heels, and 'Can't Fool Data' starts all waify and minimalistic before getting pulled apart to the sound of whirring machines, and then it drops again; you can imagine dancefloors going wild to its hooky rhythms. 'Jenndrum' is all about the pinging drum kicks and globular toms that make for a peppery groove, 'Pherthothal' toys with a sense of abstract funk and closer 'Schwalbe' is a gloopy, gluey, druggy fusion of slurred synths, hiccupping drums and dark textures that make for involving listening.
This is a genuinely inventive album riddled with fascinating sounds,
a real attention to detail and plenty of otherworldly moods that really stick with you.
After their stunning 2012 debut single "Wish" (FM X / Wish 001) and last year's "Diggin' On You" (D.O.C. 001), the incredibly gifted ELEKFANTZ return to the fore with what can only called a brilliant full-length premiere. The duo of Daniel and Leo first met 20 years ago, when they played together in a blues band. Leo continued his carreer as a professional musician while Daniel started to discover a new musical path.
The latter was born and bred at the electronic music temple in South America, later becoming a resident DJ and local hero, known as the right guy to prepare the dance floor and set up the right mood. He's one of the finest DJs of the Brazilian new wave of electronic aficionados. Leo is a professional drummer, singer and composer since the age of 15. He played and recorded with some of the greatest artists in Brazil.
Their debut album DARK TALES AND LOVE SONGS sports all the intimate melodies, lush harmonies and organic undertones that the duo has become know for and then some: from pop-infused songwriter house to highly emotive prime time anthems, you'll find lots to love about this expertly crafted collection of melodic gems. Engineered to perfection by label head GUI BORATTO, it's an exciting step for the imprint and the project alike - we can't wait hearing where they'll go next.
If you are into techno, Svreca needs no introduction. This Spanish DJ and producer has been travelling around the world for a while and his label Semantica has earned its place amongst the best cult labels thanks to their support of the vinyl format and investment on incredible artworks. They also have one of the best artists rosters.
Oscar Mulero has released some tracks on Semantica and now it's time for Semantica's boss to release in Warm up... So we are really excited about this!
This release comes in two versions: a four-track EP and a six-track digital release with two
bonus edits by Oscar Mulero.
'Disorder' opens side A. A bleepy, repetitive exercise, with a solid kick and extra high-
frequency analogue percussions and sweeps.
Oscar Mulero's version follows as track A2, adding more pressure to the rhythm, more
atmospheres and some FM synth details, while preserving the original bleep.
The B side starts with 'Overgang'. Once again, an obsessing high-pitched sequence as the
absolute star, plus Svreca's traditionally insane high frequency noises, a concrete kick and
repetition as a formula.
OM's version of 'Overgang': more complex than the original, with 909 hats, more synth lines,
extra bleeps and a dynamic and constantly changing arrangement.
Closing the vinyl release is OM's version of 'Overgang': more complex than the original, with 909 hats, more synth lines, extra bleeps and a dynamic and constantly changing arrangement.
The digital version is completed with two extra versions of 'Overgang': by Oscar Mulero. The
first one, on a more straight techno vibe and trademark sound. The second one has a more
mental approach.
Als Compilation-Reihe im Jahre 2001 gegründet um ein paar lose Fäden unserer Stammkünstler zu verknüpfen, hat sich SPEICHER inzwischen zu einem Garanten für fortgeschrittene Tanzklänge aus aller Welt weiterentwickelt, der es KOMPAKT erlaubt Musiker aus allen Bereichen des elektronischen Spektrums einzuladen und zu fördern. Für SPEICHER 73 haben sich Hollands Synth-Epiker QUINCE sowie der in Berlin lebende Techno- und Modekünstler TOM PETERS hinters Mischpult begeben, um in zwei meisterhaft auskomponierten Tracks der Suche nach dem Horizont zu frönen.
Weltweit von DJs zum Einsatz gebracht, sind QUINCE's Techno-Etüden ein bekannter Klang im elektronischen Kosmos, dank starker Releases auf respektierten Labels wie etwa DELSIN oder MUSIC MAN RECORDS. Seine Produktionen beeindrucken generell mit ihrer profunden Kenntnis der großen Skylines, doch irrt der holländische Meister hier ein wenig ab von seinem Kurs durch 4/4-Welten und verliert sich stattdessen in den weitläufigen Kellerkorridoren des wolhltemperierten Schaffelbeats. LOST baumelt fast acht Minuten lang von der Klippe und gibt sich ganz als kubistisches Märchen vom einsamen Helden im dunklen Wald: in Erwartung einer zu errettenden Prinzessin bahnte der sich einen abenteuerlichen Weg durchs Unterholz und berichtet nun von unermeßlichen Schätzen und Momenten großen Glücks. Schon massiv gut, wenn sich die eigene, jahrelange Live-Erfahrung so anstandslos in perfekte DJ-Munition ummünzen last.
Zwei Stunden nördlich von Berlin liegt Kartlows kleiner Ortsteil Unnode, wo der ansonsten eher umtriebig veranlagte TOM PETERS wohlverdiente Ruhe in den Alltag eines DJs, Produzenten und angehenden Modezaren einkehren last. Hier, in inspirierender Nähe zur Ostsee, entwirft er die Skizzen für die meisten Tracks; so auch für TAKE YOUR CHANCE, dessen Silhouette sich deutlich geprägt sieht von der Weite der lokalen Natur. Toms Produktionen weisen alle Anzeichen transzendentaler Melancholie auf, verfehlen jedoch nie das urbane Momentum: sein Beitrag für SPEICHER 73 präsentiert eine simple, doch weitläufige Melodie, deren Haar vom Beat elegant zurückgebunden wurde, Futter für die Beine und die Seele. Ganz wie die handgedruckten Botschaften seiner eigenen Modeserie SAVE FASHION, vermag nämlich auch Toms Musik auf dem dünnen Seil zwischen dem Einfachen und dem Mehrdeutigen zu balancieren... dream on, dreamer.
Musik Krause, the label with that special funk and the wide view releases the fourth album in their 10-year history. The circle is complete. In 2002 they started with Metaboman. Now there is the album. As a part of the record-spinning Krause Duo he's known a number of escapades having to do with the 'bash' or rather party culture. Inventively they go about things on a winding path. The have a developed a completely singular metaphoric like a Krauzy schroud and trashno effect. Even if on this long player there is a good deal of gravitation and disengaged handbrake, the beloved notorious krause-vibe swings in every beat, as Metaboman forges the iron. He wants to go further and let himself be taken away, and above all with the musicians he has won over with his live-project to massage the masses from the stage. Krause Duo remains. The album comes in this regard as a gesture providing the direction. Solo here is the conductor, the arranger and the composer in one. Various artists is the keyword, good ol' Metaboman. On all ten songs our friendly neighborhood sonic meister sets the notes and vibes between the skillful, grooving rhythms. In this way there is a bonafied club album in the room that understands rhythm-feeling. Music that in the club context brings an attribute that stands far above the plain acoustic shock and scream. Party But of course, yet still both feet in the game with not a little insubordination, depth, plumes of smoke and indulgence. Metaboman has always had his own vision, which plays out and mirrors his own authentic uniqueness. He doesn't find sounds. He finds shapes and forms and that is the progressive aspect, not the new sounds but rather the new forms. He 's not merely about the subteranean bassdrum, but rather telling his own story. He gives his pieces space and depth. The music itself is positioned somewhere within a sonic cosmos. The listener can functionally hear the record in a club. A freak and his freaks invite you and in your heart you know long before it is apparent that you belong. You can clearly hear that this dude and his folks want me to be there! This album encompasses the moment and keeps it safe for posterity. This music is the language of Metaboman and it is the understood. inkl. digital download code
We kick off 2013 in style with an Ep from Kiiroy. It´s always exciting for us to be introduced to a new artist. Especially when we are blown away by their Music. For his debut on Cellaa Music Kirroy brings a bouncing track which is perfect for all floors. Please help this new label get off to the best of starts by listening well and leaving considered and constructive feedback. Thank you.
30 years old Kiiroy is using freaky instruments and concrete sounds, our lovely boy, always keepin his distinctive funky´n´groovy attitude. Deep, fresh and seductively satisfying, this tune was designed for the discerning Dancer.
A bumper remix is lead by Stefano Libelle who bring a trademark deep house tune with a weighty, warped bassline and euphoric break. Here he strips the original to it´s essential parts. The super dry kickdrum and percussion in combination with the dark bassline together create Stefano´s own deep-house vision.
deutsch:
Wir starten mit einer EP von Kiiroy stylisch ins Jahr 2013. Für uns war es schon immer aufregend, neue Künstler vorzustellen, ganz besonders, wenn uns ihre Musik umhaut. Für sein Debüt auf Cellaa Music präsentiert Kiiroy einen bouncigen Track, den man auf jeden Floor einsetzen kann. Wir bitten euch, unser neues Label bei seinem Start zu unterstützen, indem ihr euch den Track genau anhört und uns Vorschläge und konstruktive Kritik zukommen lasst. Vielen Dank!
Der 30-jährige Kiiroy verwendet eine freaky Instrumentierung und harte Sounds. Unser Liebling, der stets bei seinem bezeichnenden, funkigen und groovigen Stil bleibt. Die Melodie ist deep, frisch und verführerisch und somit ideal für den anspruchsvollen Zuhörer.
Stefano Libelle liefert mit seinem Remix ein schönes Deephouse-Stück ab. Mit einer deepen, verschrobenen Bassline und euphorischen Breaks reduziert er das Original aufs Wesentliche. Die supertrockene Kickdrum und die Percussion in Verbindung mit der dunklen Bassline sind die Zutaten von Stefanos ganz eigener Deephouse-Vision.
STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS is based on the years Captain Christopher Pike manned the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. The series will feature fan favorites from season two of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY: Anson Mount as Captain Christopher Pike, Rebecca Romijn as Number One and Ethan Peck as Science Officer Spock, and follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock and Number One in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the U.S.S. Enterprise, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. Drivers: * Focus track scored written, produced and conducted by Emmy Award winner, and 3 time nominee, Jeff Russo (The Man Who Fell To Earth, Legion, Fargo, Oslo, The Night Of, Umbrella Academy, Altered Carbon, Star Trek: Discovery, Short Treks, Strange & New Worlds, Picard series, Love & Death) * Jeff is a founder, lead guitarist and songwriter of 2x Grammy Award nominated, multi platinum rock band, Tonic. * Russo's main theme is a modern adaptation of Alexander Courage's original Star Trek theme, and includes a theremin as a way to foreshadow Courage's vocal arrangement of the theme. * Tracks taken for Season 2, episode 9, titled, Subspace Rhapsody
Best Remixes is an album by Two Brothers On The 4th Floor, released in 2023. Best Remixes includes a.o. the following tracks: “Dreams 2016 (will Come Alive) (louis Bailar & Dimitris Kops”, “Dreams (will Come Alive) (twenty 4 Seven Remix)”, “Do You Know (where You're Going To) (ferry Corsten Remix)”, “The Sun Will Be Shining (ferry Corsten Remix)” and more. The album is a Coloured Vinyl, High Quality, Gatefold Sleeve dance 2-LP.
Fast-rising pianist and producer Yoni Mayraz presents his debut LP ‘Dybbuk Tse!’ revealing the story of a malicious possession that is taking over one’s body and soul.
Dybbuk, known from Jewish folklore, is a malevolent wandering spirit that enters and possesses the body of a living person. It’s a cursed soul of a dead one that wanders tirelessly for sins committed during their life. The most vulnerable victims are the young and the sinful. Possession can be taken literally or as an analogy to the burden that young people carry generations back, which they have no influence on, and which they have to accept. Dybbuk can only be removed by exorcism. The titular ‘Dybbuk Tse!’ is a command to remove the spirit from the possessed body. The album is a story about possession but also about exorcism through music.
Recorded live with his band over the course of a spring week last year, ‘Dybbuk Tse!’ is indeed experimenting with the ‘darker side of things’, but yet with a somewhat lighthearted approach which is so typical of Yoni’s work. He easily combines jazz with the sound of 90’s New York hip hop and raw old school breakbeat. The album interweaves unique Middle Eastern melodies, sophisticated structures and sounds, and beautifully crafted solos played by some of the promising talents on the scene.
London based Israeli born pianist and producer Yoni Mayraz has set foot in the instrumental music scene with his EP ‘Rough Cuts’ released in 2020. Since then, Yoni and his band have been playing major venues and festivals around the world including the legendary Ronnie Scott’s and The Jazz Cafe, to name a few, bringing raw energy to stage with live versions of the studio materials, and stretching the melodies and structures into a Dancefloor-focused take on jazz.
Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits spotlights some of the biggest tracks released by Faith No More between 1987 and 1997. It includes massive hits such as “Epic”, “Easy”, “Evidence” and their first single “We Care A Lot.”
Presented in chronological order, this collection highlights the journey Faith No More went on, starting with tracks such as “We Care A Lot” and “Introduce Yourself”; tracks sung by original lead singer Chuck Mosley. After his departure in 1988, the band turned to current frontman Mike Patton, who’s first album with the band was the renowned “The Real Thing.”
Faith No More have maintained a cult status, being widely credited for developing alternative metal and having influence on bands such as Limp Bizkit and Slipknot. Founding member and bassist of Nirvana, Krist Novoselic, cites Faith No More as one of the bands who paved the way for Nirvana. This record presents a true celebration of Faith No More’s music and is on gold vinyl for the first time.
The band had previously announced a European tour in 2020, which had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These dates have now been rearranged for dates across the UK and rest of Europe during June and July of 2021, with an Australia and New Zealand tour to follow.
An Elephant Eye; A Frozen Girl; and an Umbrella Man walk into an Icebox. All have been shoveled out of a Jungle-den and are covered in Mud Fleas. The Umbrella Man has been Dolt-ing around on the Machinery for Years. . .knowing it Hasn’t-Really-Rained since he threw his last Bacchanal. He thinks he owns birds; he just listens to them really. The Frozen Girl keeps away from him but moves Incredibly slow given the Circumstances. . .she’s been trying to tie her shoes for 700 years. The floating Eyeball, defying all Man Physics, Miraculously Phases himself All the way to the outside of the Icebox; Barreling through the Crisp air. He then comes to a Grinding halt before a Ginormous Totem pole of Speckled flesh, Grey and exceptionally thick, Wrinkling like telephone Wire. He quickly realizes that’s where the rest of his Body went. The only thing that’s missing is his Trunk. But he’s learned to communicate Decently Well without it. . .Using Semiotic chains of Eyelid-signifiers. . .An Eyeball shaped hole has been Burnt into the Icebox but the Frozen Girl won’t know for another 53 years and by then Big-Pants won’t even be in. The Umbrella Man doesn’t particularly so much as Notice and think its smells a lot like Burnt toast. He says he’s off to the Cemetery.
What do Them Three have in common anyway? Well they all Dig Pins; they also all Exist because of Him. And, Starting today, are Perpetually Entrapped in 10 millimeters divisions of Black resin upon a Circular Plain. I want to hear them cry and shout, You might say, because we are all Up-standers. But all crying and shouting Ourselves into the Icebox. . .
'Double Seven, released by Trojan in late 1973, was the last album Lee 'Scratch' Perry would release on the label for some considerable time, and it was essentially the final album project he put together before establishing his own Black Ark studio. Opening track 'Kentucky Skank' sets the tone with a slow creeper whose frying sounds underscore its role as a praise song to the Colonel's KFC recipes; the cosmic Moog blips come courtesy of Ken Elliott at Camden's Chalk Farm studio, also prominently featured on U-Roy's double-tracked, stereo-panned gambling ode 'Double Six.' David Isaacs' 'Just Enough' was cut a few years prior, which makes it slightly out of phase with the rest of the set, though the enigmatic 'In The Iaah' sounds mightily fresh, with its uncredited chorus said to come courtesy of the Wailers. Perry's own 'Jungle Lion' has hilarious roars from the maestro at the start, strangely grafted atop a reggae re-make of Al Green's 'Love and Happiness.'
'Overall, Double Seven melds the soul, funk, reggae and dub elements that were constant in Perry's work during this phase. His enhanced audio spectrum and endless reference points would keep his music continually apart from that made by his peers.'
—David Katz (excerpt from the liner notes)
180g Heavy double vinyl LP with liner notes by Tyran Grillo. Limited Japanese Obi for the first pressing. Original artwork by Russell Mills and photography by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
The third Time Capsule is a body of dub reinterpretations by celebrated producer Bill Laswell of Ethiopian singer Gigi. Curated by Tokyo record collector, music researcher and seasoned reissue supervisor Ken Hidaka, it is the first time Illuminated Audio is pressed to vinyl after its CD release in 2003.
Ejigayehu Shibabaw was born in 1974 in Chagni, northwestern Ethiopia and by pursuing a career as a singer, went against her father’s strict, traditional gender roles. As Gigi, she embraced the same musical freedom she had strived for in her personal life, incorporating the Ethiopian church, funk, hip-hop, West and South African music into her work. She first settled in Nairobi, then Addis Ababa, where she quickly established herself as one of the city’s leading singers. A move to San Francisco in 1998 led to a long and fruitful creative partnership with bassist and producer Bill Laswell.
Around the same time, Chris Blackwell had stepped away from Island Records to start the art house film company and label Palm Pictures. He took an interest in Gigi and together with Laswell, pulled together an all-star cast of musicians for her self-titled US debut album, including Herbie Hancock, Pharoah Sanders and Wayne Shorter. It won international critical acclaim, not just for its musicianship but for making Gigi a “defining voice for the Ethiopian expatriate community”, as journalist Tyran Grillo praises in his Time Capsule liner notes. From the nation-defining 1896 victory over Italian invaders to the quiet revolutionaries who wear simple shemma garments, Grillo believes the themes in Gigi make it “a shower of sunlight on her homeland for those ignorant of its struggles.”
After its success, Blackwell encouraged them to go back into the studio to rethink the album and Illuminated Audio was born. “Anyone can make a voice sound worldly”, Grillo remarks, “but rare are those who can make one sound inner-worldly.” Gigi was clear with Laswell to give her vocals a minor role “because it’s already been done.” Instead her Amharic verse is fleeting, exhaling through the textures like ghostly fragments; soaring yet muted. Yet the album is still titled under her name, an assertion by Laswell of her central role in the album’s creation. Not only was it a fully endorsed project by Gigi, but she would be present throughout its development, giving feedback on half-finished ideas as Laswell played them back in the studio. “It works perfectly”, she reflected after the album’s release. “We wanted to capture the whole spirit of each track, and Bill’s remixes create a different music language that really puts you in a pleasant place”.
This new vocabulary takes its lead from a technical approach that Laswell had been perfecting during a furtive creative period at the turn of the millennium. Much like his ambient interpretations of Miles Davis (Panthalassa, 1998), Bob Marley (Dreams of Freedom, 1997), and Carlos Santana (Divine Light, 2001), Laswell approached Illuminated Audio by returning to the original multitrack masters. Gigi wasn’t just reworked, but recomposed into an expansive lattice of instruments, submerged in a watery ambience of dub and trance undercurrents.
Sonically, this new language that Gigi refers to, is manifested by the original album’s more understated parts being pushed to the fore. Explaining his contrasting methods, Laswell saw Gigi as being “put together in a way that fits”. Contrastingly, in Illuminated Audio, “a lot of things that I featured in the remix weren’t as audible in the original.” Instrumentation laying near-dormant, deep in the mix, are brought to the fore: the acid rock guitar and Wayne Shorter’s saxophone on ‘Tew Ante Sew’, Graham Haynes’ flugelhorn on ‘Nafekeñ’, Laswell’s bass on ‘Kahn’, the melodica in Mengedegna or the floating synths and talking drums in ‘Gud Fella’.
Brought to his attention by mentor DJ Nori, Hidaka describes Illuminated Audio as a “masterful sonic exploration into ethereal ambience and dub” and made sure this reissue also contained a full remaster to give its “deep musicality” much better dynamics and density in the overall sound. Hidaka admits that Laswell's music “is sometimes so out-there, it is often misunderstood” and, indeed, to dub album non-believers this might seem like a prolific producer imposing himself on another artist’s work; eternally developing rearrangements that never quite get to its destination. But that’s missing its true power and triumph. This is more than the reissue of a remix, but “a wholly unique musical entity”, as Hidaka describes. Illuminated Audio refers to the illuminated manuscripts that comprise the major part of Ethiopian art and its new compositions stand in proud solitude as a rare body of reworks that both informs and enhances their originals.
NOAHFINNCE’s ‘STUFF FROM MY BRAIN / MY BRAIN AFTER THERAPY’ is a collection of songs written before and after therapy.
The debut double EP collection features guest vocals from Chris Freeman of Hot Mulligan and builds the world of NOAHFINNCE’s unique, hyperactive brain.
The project tackles issues like depression, anxiety, ADHD, past trauma and the path toward prioritizing mental health.
Deeply personal, but always expressed with a cheeky, quirky, not-so-serious sense of humour, NOAHFINNCE showcases the big personality that has amassed a huge YouTube following and led
him toward being a leading voice in Trans/LGBTQ+ youth issues.
With songs like ‘AFTER THERAPY’ and ‘LIFE'S A
BIT’, NOAHFINNCE is poised to break out as this
year’s new star of the new wave of pop punk.
Split System, the Aussie group featuring Jackson Reid Briggs (Jackson Reid Briggs & The Heaters) on vocals and Arron Mawson (Stiff Richards) on guitar, took the punk world by storm with its debut EP this past spring. That was hardly surprising given the talent involved. But whatever my expectations were for Split System, the Melbourne-based outfit far exceeded them. Not just another "super group" (also on board are guitarist Ryan Webb Speed Week, bassist Deon Slaviero, and drummer Mitch McGregor [No Zu]), Split System is straight-up one of the most powerful and exciting punk rock and roll bands of recent memory. The band's EP was a smasher, and now debut album Vol. 1 emphatically follows suit. My god, this record is a monster! Essentially Split System's sound is classic Aussie punk. That may sound like nothing new, but this band executes the style with a force and fury rarely heard these days. It doesn't hurt that Jackson Reid Briggs is one of the best rock and roll screamers going. He's got a fire inside of him. Meanwhile, Mawson and Webb form one hell of a guitar tandem. And that rhythm section is insane. These are all brilliant players who come together to make an extraordinary band. Vol. 1 comes storming out of the gates with "The End" and never lets up. Of course we knew some of the previously-released tracks ("Hit Me," "Demolition," "Climbing") were going to rip. But the newer material is just as good and will just about melt your face off. Songs like "Ringing In My Head" and "Grip" are pure energy and ferocity, while closing track "Feelings" has a mellowed-out Saints feel. This band knows how to rock and roll, and there are literally no songs on this album that don't entirely kick ass. Sometimes we think of these all-star groups as "side projects," but such categorization would sell Split System woefully short. If we're talking about the top three or four punk bands in Australia right now, this has to be one of them! Josh Rutledge/ Faster and Louder
The Suicide Handbook is Ryan Adams’ most elusive and mythic recordings. The album is a raw and intimate collection of songs that captures the songwriter at his most unguarded. Recorded at the beginning of his solo career and long circulating only through bootlegs, the album has earned a legendary status among die-hard fans and fans of the americana genre alike for its stark stripped-back beauty.
Acoustic arrangements and hushed, late-night vocals, these songs feel like private confessions set to tape. Adams leans into themes of heartbreak, isolation, and emotional vulnerability, delivering recordings that are as fragile as they are compelling. There’s an immediacy here that sets The Suicide Handbook apart from his studio releases. These are the original recordings in their rawest and un-touched form.
Released officially for the first time, experience the record as a cohesive piece, bringing warmth and depth to its lo-fi origins. The analogue format enhances every subtle nuance, from the quiet creak of strings to the tremble in Adams’ voice.
For longtime fans and collectors alike, The Suicide Handbook stands as a haunting, deeply personal snapshot of an artist laying everything bare—an essential addition to the Ryan Adams collection.
Paraiso has been doing vital work in Portugal - documenting the underground dance scene's history and pioneers in various mediums while also showcasing equally brilliant artists from newer generations. And they've been doing it for a decade now: we all know that a label dedicated to its local scene through and through is something rare and should be celebrated. This compilation 'X - 10 Years of Underground House Music from a Paradise Called Portugal' is a manifestation of that cross-generational spirit, with ten never-before-heard pieces of music by initiators and legends like The Advent alongside more recent veterans like Roundhouse Kick and Vil or younger talent like Phoebe or Van Der. Things start off with Salbany's 'Trax 10', oozing a techno elegance and irrefutable groove that wonderfully portrays the spirit of the Lisbon sound: raw yet ethereal, disarming in its simplicity while containing rave, romance and rhythmic complexities. Label founders Maria Amor & Shcuro firmly carry on the torch with 'Intracellular', gelled by dubby washes, syncopated drums, infectious rhythmic sense and layered with a melodic vocal motif. Vil's 'Cave' brings in stone-cold tight percussion offset by rich, evocative pads and technoid know-how for days. The Advent steps in with an ode to acid-minimalism, raw and slow-burning, with curious and twisted moments peppered with the skill of an expert. Van Der storms in with a piece of hybrid qualities, impeccably blending a swing onto industrial territories for a hypnotic-yet-banging hands in the air dancefloor moment. Scam Dust (the duo of Tiago and Shcuro, from adjacent generations) picks up on the industrial flavours, adds furious jacking rhythmics and live sonic experimentation that takes us to peak-quality effect and noise manipulation. 'Subvert' follows and goes deeper, as if into the depths of the ocean, with aquatic arpeggios and sparse drums that morph into an 303-driven state of mysterious oceanfloor mania - Roundhouse Kick sending us messages from the South. Violet and her 'Dream Machine' emerge with its mutant noisy motif, delay-drenched percussion and steady beat interrupted by keys, drum variations - and a u-turn to its paranoid loopy beginnings. Phoebe enters the chat and brings sonic sun rays in 'Galaxia 2000', a wide-eyed moment lead by colourful, open synthesisers with gates and filters taking us on a beautiful ride on tense, swingy drum patterns. The tenth track comes from Lisbon's rkeat and is full of closing act ear-candy with its beautifully chiseled, groovy as hell percussion, organic sonics and metallic instruments that seem to announce that the next decade is about to be just as good, if not better than this lovely 2016-2026 stint of boundary and scene-pushing.
Richard Sen debuts on Phantasy with ‘Space 1999 / Bergen Light Rail’, the first transmission from the illustrious DJ and producer since his vinyl-only solo LP, 2024’s ‘India Man’.
Deeply invested in electronic music for over thirty years, first at the intersection of London’s acid house and graffiti art scenes, evolving in cult duos Padded Cell and Bronx Dogs, and now generously sharing his formidable knowledge of club culture on London’s Do!! You!!! Radio, Sen is known to take listeners anywhere. On this occasion, he locks into two distinct influences from his winding creative journey, with ecstatic results.
The title of ‘Space 1999’ mirrors Sen’s own hand-painted accompanying artwork, yet its sonic influence sits much closer to our own orbit; A tribute to a slice of London nightlife history, Space at Bar Rhumba was a midweek party led by residents Luke Solomon and Kenny Hawes, whose selections helped sculpt the deep house scene at the turn of the millennium. ‘Space 1999’ transports contemporary dancers back there in no less than ten minutes, led by a deep bassline and swinging drums, while an intergalactic melody slowly takes hold, resulting in pure satisfaction.
‘Bergen Light Rail’ embraces a different kind of kosmische, looking to the northern light of space disco and following the tram route of its namesake to the Norwegian city’s beloved Club Ostre, riding a rhythm of pogoing toms and crashing drums. Conjuring a dreamy tête-à-tête between ever-expanding, heavenly synths and tightly-wound arpeggiators, Sen’s transmission to the stars is a deeply human call to dance.
Teen of Denial: Joe’s Story is a freshly reimagined take on Car Seat Headrest’s beloved breakout, Teens of Denial, now celebrating its 10th anniversary.
On the original album, Toledo often used the name “Joe” as a pseudonym – a sly homage to Daniel Johnston. Revisiting Teens in the run-up to its 10th birthday, he felt called to give Joe a unique backstory and began tweaking the album to tell that tale. The group returned to the studio with Teens producer Steve Fisk to update accordingly – tweaking lyrics, revising arrangements, and recording new songs in the “Denial-style,” including ‘Optimistic Son” and the anthemic ‘Joe Drives Again’. The result retains Teens’ dark edge and youthful cynicism, but allows a bit of hard-won compassion into the mix.
From Will Toledo:
Sometime last year, it was suggested to me that we do something for the ten-year anniversary of ‘Teens of Denial,’ so I started looking back on the album to see what we might do. In spite of some of its songs being a regular part of my life for the past decade, it wasn’t a record I’d thought much about as a whole since it came out. Most of the songs I’d come up with over a two-year period at the end of my college days, when I was struggling a lot with cynicism and misplaced aggression. But by the time the songs were done, I was living in Washington, Car Seat Headrest was a full band with a record label, and in spite of the turmoil of the writing process, the final album was pretty enjoyable for everyone to work on.
This time, looking back at the songs, I started to feel like there was a story being told through the album, though I’d never imagined it as being a narrative work. On ‘Hi, How Are You?’ Daniel Johnston had used the name “Joe” in the titles of a few tracks –“No More Pushing Joe Around,” “Keep Punching Joe” – as a sort of joke, a stand-in for himself. I borrowed the idea, and the name, for titling songs on ‘Denial.’ This time, I started thinking - who is Joe? And how do the songs, in the way they’re sequenced on the album, reflect what he’s going through? As I started asking this question, a story emerged with startling wholeness and clarity, like finding the foundations of an ancient city while digging in my backyard. As I kept digging, certain songs from the original album fell by the wayside, as they seemed misplaced in this new context; others asked for new lyrics, to fully give birth to the story contained in the music.
The resulting work feels more like the album ‘Teens of Denial’ was meant to be. When you’re writing from a dark space, it’s hard to have perspective on where you’re at. This time, I could pull from memories of that darkness, and use the distance and additional perspective of ten years of life to shed a fuller light on the experience. Joe is a character going through some of what I experienced, and some of his own problems. Telling his story, and not just my own impressions of life at the end of the teen years, brought a new level of compassion and wholeness to the album. It gave us the opportunity to write new material in “Denial style”, embracing a snappy and simple(ish) rock aesthetic, and in an additional blessing, we were able to team up once with Steve Fisk, a joy and inspiration to get back into the studio with after ten years. We mixed the material at his house in Tacoma, and were constantly amazed at the lack of divide between past and present, as we’d punch in vocal overdubs ten years later into the same gear, hearing my voice now running alongside a 2015 Will. For someone coming across this album or this band for the first time, this is how they’d hear the record, not as a relic of the past but as a new piece. It was immensely rewarding to experience that on our side.
For anyone familiar with ‘Teens,’ comparisons with the original will be inevitable, but I do hope that as much as possible, people can come to this album on its own terms, approaching it as a teen, hearing the music and story for the first time. I believe music is an ongoing story, and albums don’t always do justice to its dynamic, ongoing nature. What gives it life is the new ears that hear it, and the new hearts that engage with it. I’m so grateful that this is a work that people have kept coming to, and I hope that this presentation does them honor with a fresh offering to the conversation. We’ve known that “it doesn’t have to be like this”; now we can wonder - “what it if were like this?”
A glorious night of no particular significance, Totally, the new album by Baba Stiltz. Recorded in Helsinki in studio with a drummer and overdubs committed in 5 days. Ballroom- sink songs of loss, grief, long drives on the I-5, centralized acquisitions, and corrective conditioning towards the prolonged effects of computerized lifestyles.
Every song looks you straight in the eyes, crooked and veering towards a light fixture off the side of the mirror. Ambivalence and assertions track us, down some gauzy networked afternoon. Relatively, perfectly, three dimensional. Proportions as they appear to us from outer intuition. Sometimes meaning is evoked through pure nothingness. Concealed and nothing known. We have no need for any paradise informed by anything beyond what is directly in front of us.
Stone repetition thwarts the possibility of control and surrenders itself to understanding. Who are we, and what are we trying to understand? To understand being universally greater than being understood. There are soap operas everywhere for those with eyes to see. You don’t have to look as hard as we currently look. The dramatic is everywhere, we breathe it unintentionally, then we come to hate it. Haptic, embodied facts of a tedious life lodged in the jowls of history. Everything under the
sky being the best bedlam has to offer. Your family, your relationships, your memory. As you eat a burger you are reminded of every sharp protrusion and corner under the florescent lights, the same lights you see when you’re born, and although unconfirmed, when you die.
Some of these songs were written years ago, some recently. The bookshelf and television set come into full view. Women/men come and go. Stars and poseurs collapse under their alienated contradictions, the search for truth yields to continued gradients of probability (collapse). Spatial order maintains itself through perceptional feeling. Silence, singing along to Roger Miller, people entering and leaving, figures hovering over you in your dreams and waking hours. Cool and fun, Totally
Murmuration’ is the low hum made by vast, beautifully choreographed flocks of starlings as they simultaneously flap their wings and take to the sky. Some people say that the frequency of this unique, rumbling, oscillating sound can cure diseases...
One of the most exciting live bands in the UK, British Birds combine the garage-punk energy of Billy Childish, the wry English sophistication of XTC and the witty pop inventiveness of The Lovely Eggs. Like a murmurating flock of starlings, they create a unique sound, and might even be able to cure diseases.
Based in Chorley, Lancashire, British Birds are a resolutely DIY band. Bobby records and mixes all the music; Emma creates all the artwork. Their first two albums were self-released, selling hundreds of copies at gigs and at a few chosen record stores. British Birds didn’t wait for permission to take flight. They just got on with it. Their songs are sophisticated, hard-hitting, and very skilful. It may be DIY, but it’s big and it’s ambitious.
Sessions for Marc Riley and Gideon Coe have followed, along with tours supporting The Bug Club, BC Camplight and Lovely Eggs.
‘Murmurate, Oscillate’ kicks off with Lie Down With Dogs, Stand Up With Fleas, a rousing expression of exasperation at our passivity in the face of lame authority. British Birds are acute observers of the English political scene, shrouding their observations in humour and surrealism. Polka Dot Eyes is another piece of sharp social observation: it portrays Lancashire lads – friends from school – who join the Army and return home physically and mentally damaged. The song is simultaneously disturbing, funny and catchy as hell. From the fog of disinformation and doubt that surrounds us all in 2020s Britian, British Birds embrace the darkness, but with wit and verve – no slogans, no easy answers – and with an energy that helps us escape the mundanity of a declining island. This might all sound a bit bleak, but it’s not: every single one of the songs on this album has a chorus as big as a house.
There are personal songs too: Scary Movies is a poignant description of Bobby and Emma’s grandfather, who delighted in showing them horror films when they were kids – giving them sneak previews of the darkness they’d come to embrace as adults; Just Like Them is a celebration of introversion: it might not be fun, but it’s better than being an idiot. (Paradoxically, any other introverts who hear this song will feel impelled to join in in the chorus.) Blame Game and Thunder Claps examine the darkness inherent in relationships: there is always an impending storm, if you recognise the low hum of the imminent thunder. Once again: the choruses of these songs confound the melancholy sentiment.
You’ll get the same impression if you see British Birds live: Bobby’s ferocious guitar and dark lyrics are counterpointed with Emma’s sometimes haunting, sometimes playful vocal responses and insistent rhythms. You’ll be swept away by the energy of a band who don’t know the meaning of limits. And as the songs get darker and darker the smile on your face gets wider and wider.
The core members of British Birds are siblings Bobby and Emma Townson, working from their HQ-cum-nest in Chorley. Drums are by Dominic Lawson (apart from Michael Aindley on ‘Just Like Them’). Bass is by James Robinson.
British Birds will be embarking on a headline tour of the UK in early 2027.
David Norland is an Emmy-nominated English composer, known for his scores for drama and documentary, alongside his experimental choral and electronic music. Bringing stories to life through sound, he received critical acclaim for his debut solo album ‘Glam Tear Stain’ (2019) and is set to release follow-up album ‘La Source’ in June 2026 via Denovali Records.
Relocated back to his London home after many years in Los Angeles, and free from years of drug and alcohol problems, recent commissions for two choral works allowed Norland to return to the innocent origin of his musical world, and his experience as a parent prompted a lot of outward reflection. What kind of world are we leaving to our children?
Inspired by his score to the forthcoming silent black and white film ‘Carousel’ (2026), Norland found other music emerging that refused to be ignored. The film’s director opened the door to an entirely free scoring process – no temp music, no expectation, no guidelines, just pure intuitive expression. ‘La Source’ draws on this experience, alongside his childhood as a touring chorister, the honkytonk upright piano in the north-east London bedroom of his early 20s, his early recording experiments with a TASCAM 4-track cassette recorder, and his intense preoccupation with bells, flutes, stone architecture, and mysticism.
From the haunting, choral beauty of ‘E-Car Soul’ to the breezy album title track, Norland blends minimalist classical structures with electronics. A unified tapestry of blended voices, harmonies and textures, ‘La Source’ is a deeply emotional and melancholic journey for Norland. “In the end, I’m looking to find meaning through the music, like when I was a kid singing in choirs. But I get the most sense of meaning through transcendent experiences, rather than anything intellectual or dogmatic. I have to feel it, not think it. I’m trying to make work that’s luminous, wondrous, shimmering and strange, so I can keep having those experiences,” says Norland.
On his inspiration for the album, Norland adds, “I love making patterns in things and finding patterns. That’s why minimalism was so enticing to me, the patterns are so explicit. I love word play and anagrams. The big sadness coming through as I was making the record is this clarity over the future of my kids. Everything else is a complete distraction. This incredible nurturing planet and its ecosystem are being rapidly destroyed, and the forces destroying it are relentless and punitive. And they seem to be fine with consigning our children to live in an ever-more-hostile wasteland. You can’t pretend that’s not coming, if you do I think you’re lying to yourself. And perhaps eventually it will be the fact that people love their kids that will stir wider fear and action. It’s hard to think of anything more connected to the idea of spirit.” The result is the reflective, ecstatic, mystical and sad world of ‘La Source.’
Norland’s screen work includes the award-winning documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (2008), directed by Sacha Gervasi, and since 2010, he has composed much of the music for US broadcasting giant ABC’s primetime news documentaries. His work for ABC is broadcast in the US and around the world on a daily basis.
In 2012, he was the music supervisor for Hitchcock (2012) featuring Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren & Scarlett Johansson and in 2017, he teamed up once again with Gervasi for the score to November Criminals starring Chloe Moretz and Ansel Elgort. The following year, he composed the score for the Emmy-nominated HBO film My Dinner With Herve, starring Peter Dinklage and Jamie Dornan.
Norland will be performing the score of Carousel later this year, and the score itself will be a forthcoming release on Denovali. 2026 will also see the release of documentary All Permits Secured, a valentine to the history of EDM, featuring Norland’s score.
