This new Chicago based label is runned by Steve Poindexter and Traxman. The first release comes also from the label heads.
Track A2. is an remarkeble co-production between Steve Poindexter and legendary Armando. On B2. Traxman remixed Armandos "Snare yo Azz off".
Must have - not only for all Chicago House fans!
Eddie C's Disko Universal continues its run of deep and diverse releases with 'A New Chapter' EP from Southside Chicago legend Ellery Cowles and Austin up-and-comer Open Soul...
Ellery Cowles lives House Music. He's rocked it with Lil Louis, Roy Davis Jr, Steve Poindexter and the Chicago Bad Boys.
Here we dive straight into Midwest territory - raw machine funk, smoky house grooves, and the kind of no-nonsense acid you'd expect from someone with DJAX and Cajual credentials.
Timeless, floor-ready material from true craftsmen - deep groove, no filler.
Sounds like the kind of record you'd pull from a beat-up crate in a corner of Detroit Threads and never put back.
Anyone with a passing interest in footwork and juke will know of Traxman. Corky Strong has a long history of deep involvement in Chicago house, first releasing on the legendary Dance Mania label in the mid nineties, and since then splitting his productions between ghetto house, juke and footwork, releasing alongside Steve Poindexter and Fast Eddie and the late DJ Deeon and DJ Rashad, including an seemingly endless supply of self-released juke edits of whatever direction his deep knowledge of Black American music takes him. The third volume of 'Da Mind Of Traxman' is his first since 2014. In the intervening years he's kept things rolling, DJing regularly, releasing lots of music, becoming a grandfather and being a mentor for younger artists coming up in the scene.
This new album was crafted with the help of fellow Planet Mu artist Sinjin Hawke, who took on A&R duties to collate the best from hundreds of tracks dating back to 2005. Sinjin holds Traxman's status in high regard; "This album series is important and holds real documentarian value—working on it feels like the modern equivalent of curating a piece of Miles Davis’s catalog in the '60s and '70s." Volume 3 showcases Traxman's uncanny ability to take old music into the future without losing the feeling and energy of his samples and influences. He knows how to add a hi-definition modern chassis with the skill of someone who deeply and intuitively understands the craft of dance music. These are some of the purest, most innovative ideations of Chicago footwork.
a A1 Kill Da DJ (ft. Bobby Skillz & Sinjin Hawke) explicit
[d] A4 Where They At (ft. DJ Twan) [explicit]
[f] A6 I’ll Write The Hook [explicit]
[i] B1 Trust Me [explicit]
[m] B5 Talaban [explicit]
KiNK's first release on Sofia Records this year lives up to its title and its creator's reputation. The relentless energy, love of musical adventure and undamped enthusiasm of a KiNK live set can be found here in all its glory.
Wake Up is not only an instruction and a hidden compliment to Laurent Garnier, it's also evidence of the Bulgarians uncanny ability to deliver steamrollers with various twists and turns, while hitting the peak effortlessly.
Beep Beep adds a certain element of mania to the menu. For the lack of a better description, please imagine Mr. Oizo and Steve Poindexter making a record together. Not for the faint at heart.
That can be said for the rest of the EP as well. Featuring Redeye, Room To Jack is on the same level of Beep Beep. Traditional topics of Chicago House get a bench test on a speed farm.
Dancing to Scrambler one would probably need the same room to jack. Swapping the Windy City with British raving fields, KiNK and Raredub deliver a take on the early sound of UK that might miss breakbeats, but manage to re-use all the other ingredients to a hair: fine-tuned and updated. Quotation without modern misinterpretation. Hyper and epic at the same time. And always remember the future!
The second edition of Dekmantel’s foray into the era-defining, trans-Atlantic, cult techno label that is Djax-Up-Beats, comes another re-issue of classic 90s cuts.
The label say "The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most foundational dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launchpad for some of today’s biggest producers. Featuring offerings from luminaries such as Felix Da Housecat, and Glenn Underground, alongside veterans such as Steve Poindexter, and DJ Skull, this second EP highlights the classic label’s old-school’s sound, while showcasing its diverse range, from dubbier, ambient moments, to wall-thumping, body crushing house force. Timeless music, repressed, and re-released for a new generation of DJs who covet the classic machine music.
The second re-issue EPs, offer a more introspective look at the label’s earlier releases. Leading Volume 2 is Terrace’s 'Bewitched', to which DJ Richard has described as being the defining track of the label’s beginnings with its "dreamy, Detroit-style techno mixed with the harder rave elements of Northern Europe”. Glenn Underground’s bass-roller 'Real Space' weaves together soulful passion and Chicago prime beats, while Felix Da Housecat’s Temptation — originally from 1993 — gets a well earned re-release, reminding us of the soulful, deep and lustful energy the producer once had. China White, whose name doesn’t get banded around as much as it should nowadays, see their ethereal hit 'Theme from the Underground' get another opportunity to bliss out the more upbeat rave community.
The energy turns darker with Frank de Groodt’s The Operator, breaking the outer-most barriers of electro-techno, with 'The Mind Strike'. Chicago and Dance Mania’s Steve Poindexter turns out rolling, dance-energy bomb 'Body Jam', while Mike Dearborn’s deliverance of unreal, dry techno in 'Deviant Behaviour' runs aplomb with classic drum-machine pulses, claps, and uncomfortable, yet punishing melodies. DJ Skull’s 'Don’t stop the beat' rides the EP with gushings of hand claps, and gentle, early 90s warm techno color, that transport you back to a time of more informed, and conscious electronic musings, a feeling that embodies Djax’s heyday.
Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a key source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy-hitting, straight up underground 12”s. It’s a sound that spawned the sonic aesthetics of today, and can be heard in the left field techno productions of the likes of Bjarki, Salon des Amateurs and other erstwhile analog junkies."
Kanyon (John) is a NYC based producer/dj who has cut his teeth in the underground US techno scene through raw live sets, and dynamic djing. Keeping the quality high with his signature no-bs style of production and performing, he has played live supporting legends like Steve Poindexter, DJ Hyperactive, and Francois K. His productions have garnered support from Ben Sims, Akua, Ron Like Hell, Kush Jones and many others.
The Duplex EP is a split record featuring John's house alias DJ John Brooklyn on the A side (A1, A2, locked groove) & techno alias Kanyon on the B side (B1, B2). Exploring NY house and trippy, dubby minimal techno respectively, Duplex EP is a heady start to 2026.
Belgian label Music Man Records presents Boccaccio Life 1987-1993, a new compilation offering a fresh perspective on the legacy of the iconic Belgian club Boccaccio - often associated with the short-lived New Beat movement. The 40-track compilation highlights the raw and futuristic early house and techno sounds that were heard in the pioneering club.
Located in rural Destelbergen (Belgium), just a stone's throw from Ghent, Boccaccio has secured its place among legendary venues like Paradise Garage in New York and The Haçienda in Manchester. Its bold fusion of emerging electronic genres such as New Beat, Acid, House, and Techno was way ahead of its time, drawing music lovers and clubbers from across Belgium and beyond. Sundays at Boccaccio were unlike anywhere else-offering sounds you couldn't hear anywhere else.
Boccaccio Life 1987-1993 is carefully curated by resident DJ Olivier Pieters and club regular Stefaan Vandenberghe, standing as the ultimate testament to a club that was more than just a venue. For those who experienced it, it was a community - a way of life. Hence the club's full name: Boccaccio Life.
This compilation stands as a testament to an innovative time in electronic music, capturing the raw, futuristic sounds of early house and techno. It sheds light on another side of Boccaccio, one that goes far beyond the short-lived New Beat scene. A carefully curated selection of 40 tracks, resonating with those who were there by offering familiar classics, while also reaching a new generation-those who never experienced it firsthand.
With tracks from Blake Baxter, Virgo, Frankie Knuckles, Tyree, and A GuyCalled Gerald, the unmistakable influence of black American pioneers is clear-the originators of the first analog house and techno sounds. On the other hand, UK sound innovators such as The Orb and LFO bring both sharp textures and rough breakbeats to the table.
Club staple tracks include dreamy excursions from Roger Sanchez under his Egotrip moniker, the relentless basement house of Circus Bells by Robert Armani on Dance Mania, an uplifting take on a hip-house cut from The D.O.C. (Portrait of A Masterpiece in the CJ Ed-Did-It Mix), a timeless remix of UK Formation's Age of Chance from 1994, and an alternate take on The Tape by Boccaccio club regular and Belgian producer Frank De Wulf, taken from his B-Sides project.
While not always the obvious hits, these tracks have gracefully withstood the test of time, and were exclusive to Sundays at Boccaccio. Now, they are finally available to experience together in one collection,offering a timeless snapshot of a unique era.
(10x12" box set, limited to 1000 copies, with premium finishing, uniquely numbered, incl. 10 records in individually printed sleeves, a booklet detailing the club's history & exclusive stickers) Boccaccio has secured its place among legendary venueslike Paradise Garage in New York and The Hacçinda in Manchester. Its bold fusion of emerging electronic genres such as New Beat, Acid, House, and Techno was way ahead of its time, drawing music lovers and clubbers from across Belgium and beyond.
Belgian label Music Man Records presents Boccaccio Life 1987-1993, a new compilation offering a fresh perspective on the legacy of the iconic Belgian club Boccaccio - often associated with the short-lived New Beat movement. The 40-track compilation highlights the raw and futuristic early house and techno sounds that were heard in the pioneering club.
Located in rural Destelbergen (Belgium), just a stone's throw from Ghent, Boccaccio has secured its place among legendary venues like Paradise Garage in New York and The Hacçinda in Manchester. Its bold fusion of emerging electronic genres such as New Beat, Acid, House, and Techno was way ahead of its time, drawing music lovers and clubbers from across Belgium and beyond. Sundays at Boccaccio were unlike anywhere else-offering sounds you couldn't hear anywhere else.
Boccaccio Life 1987-1993 is carefully curated by resident DJ Olivier Pieters and club regular Stefaan Vandenberghe, standing as the ultimate testament to a club that was more than just a venue. For those who experienced it, it was a community - a way of life. Hence the club's full name: Boccaccio Life.
This compilation stands as a testament to an innovative time in electronic music, capturing the raw, futuristic sounds of early house and techno. It sheds light on another side of Boccaccio, one that goes far beyond the short-lived New Beat scene. A carefully curated selection of 40 tracks, resonating with those who were there by offering familiar classics, while also reaching a new generation-those who never experienced it firsthand.
With tracks from Blake Baxter, Virgo, Frankie Knuckles, Tyree, and A Guy Called Gerald, the unmistakable influence of black American pioneers is clear-the originators of the firstanalog house and techno sounds. On the other hand, UK sound innovators such as The Orb and LFO bring both sharp textures and rough breakbeats to the table.
Club staple tracks include dreamy excursions from Roger Sanchez under his Egotrip moniker, the relentless basement house of Circus Bells by Robert Armani on Dance Mania, an uplifting take on a hip-house cut from The D.O.C. (Portrait of A Masterpiece in the CJ Ed-Did-It Mix), a timeless remix of UK Formation's Age of Chance from 1994, and an alternate take on The Tape by Boccaccio club regular and Belgian producer Frank De Wulf, taken from his B-Sides project.
While not always the obvious hits, these tracks have gracefully withstood the test of time, and were exclusive to Sundays at Boccaccio. Now, they are finally available to experience together in one collection, offering a timeless snapshot of a unique era.
Ron Maney also known as DJ Skull lived in the Southside of Chicago (IL, USA). His musical career started during the summer of 1986, while recovering from a broken bone. During the following years he homed his craft, DJing first at basement parties, building his reputation to go on to larger events such as, loft and hotel parties, and eventually the infamous Music Box and Power Plant clubs. At the age of fifteen Ron shopped his first demo at Trax Records.
There he first met Chicago's legendary DJ Ron Hardy, working as A&R for Trax Records. Two years, and a new alias later (DJ Skull) later while at the Power Plant, Chicago's own Steve Poindexter heard a DJ playing one of Rons tracks, and met Ron. Steve was now A&R at Saber Records and invited Ron to release some tracks. So in October of 1991 DJ Skull's first record "N.R.G. Music" was released.
In 1993, he released the EP "The Stomping Grounds" on Djax-Up-Beats, which was more noted than the first one. Over the years that followed DJ Skull released lots of EP's on several labels. He has become well-respected producer and DJ in the Techno industry.
Repressed !
Hot of the heels form his "Omega" album Robert hood delivers 2 killer new tracks. The thundering kick and warehouse style acid line on "Power To Prophet" will add energy to any dancefloor "Clash" is a nod to the old skool Chicago minimal techno sound of producers such as Steve Poindexter.
Melodies International are glad to step forward with their latest reissue and 19th release, exploring the sounds of London locals Synchrojack: Daylight and 900th Lifetime, two slabs of mid 90s UK house at its best. MEL019 will be available in January in vinyl 12-inch format.
Melodies International is a reissues record label based in London founded by Floating Points in 2015, dedicated to unearthing, restoring, contextualizing and offering new leases of life to the best of scarcer and lesser known soul, disco, jazz, house and beyond.
Originally from Portsmouth in the UK, Synchrojack is a London based production duo formed by Dean Slydell and Greg Wheeler in the mid 90s. Both deeply into records and production gear, they connected through figuring out how to set up a shared studio in Dean's parents' home and starting to produce electronic music in their late teens.
They were completely taken over by the sounds of Detroit and Chicago that were getting imported at the time. Starting out trying to emulate those sounds they loved, tracks by Model 500, Glenn Underground, Lil Louis, Steve Poindexter and Mike Dunn among many others, what came of Dean and Greg's sessions wasn't a carbon copy but their own distinctive sound.
They began releasing on Russ Gabriel's mythical UK label Ferox records in 1995 and would go on to release a string of releases throughout the 90s, using the moniker Downlink as well. MEL019 presents two tracks by Synchrojack, one from each of their two first EPs released on Ferox, both in 1995.
Above anything, what's clear listening to Synchrojack is their deep love, knowledge and appreciation for music and their talent as producers, channeling their many influences into their own sound. Daylight is a bouncy, stripped back drum heavy banger that just steams ahead with percussive synth patterns and a hypnotic deep bassline whilst 900th Lifetime brings a dramatic sci-fi vibe reminisent of some of the best out of Detroit.
Tekvision Volume 1 was a stone cold classic, with Rolling Stone charting it at #3 in their top 20 EDM records of 2017. Two years on, Cornelius ‘Traxman’ Ferguson returns with the second instalment, featuring 7 exceptional new Footwork productions. Traxman is a bonafide OG, with a discography dating back to the halcyon era of Ghetto House in the late 80’s and early 90’s. 30 years on, Traxman is a revered figure in Chicago’s urban music scene, having presided over the evolution from Ghetto House to Juke and from Juke to Footwork culture. Originally released in 1989, Work Dat Mutha Fucker by Steven Poindexter is considered to be one of the most influential tracks from the early days of Ghetto House. Traxman remixes it brilliantly on this release, reworking the stripped back, minimalist drum beat of the original into an upfront Footwork pattern. This sense of continuity is equally evident on Let Me See You Naked feat. DJ Juicy, and Traxman’s remix of To Da Hoooz by DJ Deeon. These productions successfully capture the sexual energy and exuberance of Ghetto House, turbo charged at 160 BPM. Elsewhere on the record, Traxman explores different moods whilst always keeping the dance floor firmly in mind. The opening track It’s Lasting Bass lays an infectious vocal harmony over complex drum patterns and a fearsome bassline. Osaka opens with mellow, sultry keys before introducing a wobbling synth and diced up Orchestal samples. 4 Da Lyfe is a soulful and slightly more meditative track, with a vocal loop expressing solidarity and self-affirmation. Wildcard feat. Jana Rush, stands alone as the only track without a vocal element, instead utilising a piercing and insistent synth to create a powerful sonic intensity. Overall this is triumphant record, and a worthy successor to the original Tekvision release, proving once again that Traxman is an unrivalled exponent of MPC-driven footwork energy.
Panorama Bar resident Nick Ho¨ppner gets to Work on his second solo album on Ostgut Ton, connecting the territories of House music with the ease of Alt-Pop.
Work as in labor. An axiom that fuels the capitalist system just as the Techno/House scene economy says that one needs to keep oneself busy to make a living. As a musician, things are complicated of course. It's a long way from the romantic idea of creating music simply for the sake of art to becoming a full time musician. Those who have accomplished this feat often find themselves in a professional loop of writing the music, producing it, promoting it (with an info text like this), releasing it and then hopefully selling it. After leaving his full time job as Ostgut Ton's label manager in 2012, Nick Ho¨ppner went fully freelance, focusing on his musically diverse, deep and dynamic DJing in and outside Berghain's Panorama Bar, but more importantly spending more time in the studio. The result was his critically acclaimed debut album Folk (Ostgut Ton, 2015), various 12' releases and remixes, and now his sophomore LP, Work, which, more than ever, lays out his refined production skills and his talent to work the machines until they reveal their inner ghosts: nine new songs that now dodge the dance floor, then fully embrace it.
Work as in body of work. A record is more than the sum of clocked up hours at the studio, but the result of an artistic-creative process. On Work, Ho¨ppner shows his everlasting lust for musical detail, his increasing technical skills and compositional finesse. Work is a very personal, soulful and deep record that breaks through the usual club/dancefloor narrative by documenting Nick's interest for hybrid sounds and combining elements from varying musical genres. Work's lead single 'All By Themselves (My Belle)' is a very atmospheric, intimate and steadily unfurling IDM piece with ethereal synth and vocal pads; on the album it's contrasted by 'Clean Living' with Tram 78, a modern Ho¨ppner club classic: powerful, kick-heavy, muscular, cheerful and uplifting. It's a very personal track resulting from a recent reencounter with an old friend. Having spent countless hours together in Berlin's clubs in ever changing states of mind a decade ago or longer, things have since changed for both towards a more - clean living'. Connecting to this musical vibe 'In My Mind' follows with a slightly darker tone putting emphasis on bassline, percussion and squeaky sound detailing. 'Hole Head' pays tongue-in-cheek homage to Nick's love for UK club music, when a dashing melody of synths and vibraphone is matched with clattering breaks and syncopation. The dubby, mesmerizing 'The Dark Segment' not only impresses with its hypnotic synth figurines, but also by morphing to a shuffling Jazz rhythm towards it's middle part; 'Forced Resonance' uses Oberheim synth brass stabs to dramatic effect; the percussion- and clap-laden 'Fly Your Colours' comes with an irresistible piano melody atop an energetic kick; and finally the album-closing, shuffling but rhythmic, noisy yet bluesy 'Three Is A Charm' featuring the duo Randweg on clarinet, cajo´n and acoustic guitar is a coherent departure heading towards Indie Pop territory. It sees Nick collaborating with acoustic instrumentalists for the first time in his ten-year- spanning Ostgut Ton release catalogue.
Work as in artwork. Staying in line with the Folk album, the visual companion for this record comes from German collage artist Frank Bubenzer. As with the artwork at hand, Bankentsunami, and his other works, Bubenzer cuts up print magazine advertisements and recontextualizes them into new motifs, removing all human depiction from the source material, here as a commentary on the world of business, big money and the banking crisis.
Work as in work it. As a slogan 'work' has always been one of the genre's most utilized paroles, coined and put on wax by pioneers like LNR, Blake Baxter or Steve Poindexter, to name a few. Not only calling for the crowds to get moving on the floor but also to fully express themselves and their unique individuality inside an all embracing environment. A mindset rooted in House Music that has been an integral part of Nick Ho¨ppner's identity as a DJ and producer from the beginning and all through his decade-spanning residency at Panorama Bar. Work it!
