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Pedro Zopelar is a musician, producer and DJ based in São Paulo, Brazil. Known for his many different projects like the duo “My Girlfriend” with Benjamin Sallum, the electronic performative act “Teto Preto” and his effervescent party “ODD” - Zopelar presents “Joy Of Missing Out” on Apron Records! a collection of 17 tracks that represents the actual direction of his solo works.

“This album is my most personal work till now, it’s a compilation of tunes I did when I had free time to just study and do whatever I want, without any pressure or preconceived ideas. For me as producer and musician was always really important to walk into different paths to keep myself always in the position of apprentice, so I consider these songs like expressions of someone who’s trying to achieve self knowledge thought the act of making and listening to music”

Greg Hates Car Culture was Venetian Snares' first ever vinyl release. Long out of print, it came out in 1999, as the third release on Minneapolis label History Of The Future. Aaron Funk's hallmarks were there from the start. His absurdist sense of humour, the razor sharp edits and his use of odd time-signatures. There is a rawness here, not often captured on later records, where you can imagine Aaron playing live in front of a room full of young breakcore fanatics. Indeed most of the tracks here were recorded live, tweaking his effects and EQ on the fly, to DAT from his Amiga. The album opens with "Personal Discourse", recorded in 1997, which samples Aaron calling into a Dominatrix live on community cable TV, while "Fuck A Stranger In The Ass" samples from the film The Big Lebowski. The track "Aqap" has a different sound to the others having been recorded later, in 1998, on Aaron's first PC.

We have also added three hitherto unreleased 1997 tracks to this reissue. Two of them "Eating America.." and "Punk Kids" appeared on Venetian Snares rare self-released 1998 cassette Spells and the long sought after "Milk" was only passed around by his friends.

Greg Hates Car Culture lets you hear the raw energy of a musician at the birth of his sound.

I remember the first time I read W.E.B. DuBois eclectic masterpiece The Souls of Black Folk. The way in which this Weberian scholar flowed from personal account to prose to sociological analysis to music and even political intervention has had a lasting impact on my own work as a cultural anthropologist. It made me understand that as scholars we must use different means in order to give expression to the totality of the lived experience: There is only so much in an academic text.

The experience of alienation has always been at the heart of my scholarly and artistic practice. I have used academic writing, lecturing, theatre performance and electronic improvisation to understand and represent it as a theoretical concept, postcolonial condition and lived experience. I believe, some issues need to be told like a story, some analyzed in most abstract terms and others need to be sung like a gospel. The medium changes the message.

In this sense, I guess, I’m a singing cultural anthropologist.

For some time now I have been engaged in the use of dystopian themes and sounds to paint a sonic picture of structural racism and whiteness of our present. But recently I have grown weary of this Ballardian idea of Future Now and the resulting phantasmagorian aesthetics myself and others have been invested in. The widespread availability of Digital Audio Workstations, sequencers, loopers and delay pedals has lead us into a futuristic cul de sac best described by Mark Fisher as the very absence of future.

Likewise, I am most skeptical of the “naturalist” countermovement, the return of folk. Especially in Germany, I am convinced there is no such thing as an innocent or progressive folk musical expression as it is always connected to the idea of the homeland (“Heimat”) which in turn produces the colony. It seems to me, the current zeitgeist is stuck between a “museum of a dystopian future” and a “museum of an idealized past”, but I wanted to sing about the present.

So, I involuntarily returned to pop music in its two-folded meaning of something popular and addressing not an essentialist notion of “Volk” or its woke cousin “communities”, but society as a whole.

I entered the studio just with a few lo-fi sounding melodies and rhythms from my circuit bent CASIO synthesizer. I had no clue what the finished product would sound like. But as soon as Markus started drumming, in a way strangely reminding me of CAN’s Ethnographic Forgery Series, my uptight sounds were suddenly embedded within a warmer global sound spectrum. The alien at home and abroad and the strange overlapped: We were seeing one and the same sound differently but were gently held together by Tobias’ producing.

Making music is about building coalitions. It’s about suggesting an articulation of styles, sounds and people, that hasn’t materialized, yet, but may help us in the current crisis: I wanted Amon Düül II to send their drug induced archangel thunderbird to rescue the refugees, that had tried to escape the police by climbing up a tree in Munich in 2016. I wanted Sun Ra to taunt far-right protesters in Chemnitz in 2018. And I wanted to mourn the loss of a former kebab shop cum discotheque that served as proof that there is such a thing as a minoritarian universalism.

SCHLAND IS THE PLACE FOR ME is a pop album featuring songs of alienation, not only as a tragic experience, but as a pop-cultural promise. Maybe Bill Callahan sung it best, “I am Star Wars today, I am no longer English grey”. I want those who suffer from alienation to stand in alliance with those who seek alienation, and vice-versa. A coalition, that tolerates the possibility that we are moved by the same groove for contrary reasons.

Fehler Kuti
Munich, Autumn 2019

Music by Julian Warner, Markus Acher & Tobias Siegert
Saxophone on RINDERMARKT by Franz Brunner
Trombone on RINDERMARKT and IL by Matthias Götz
Recorded and mixed by Tobias Siegert in Munich.
SONTAGSFAVORIT mixed by Dario Albiez in Dusseldorf.
Mastered by Duphonic in Augsburg.
Artwork by Atelier Grande, Munich.

Gyedu-Blay Ambolley was born on the 11th Street in Sekondi, Ghana 72 years ago. On the cover photo you can see on the right side the house of his birth which was also his parental home. The Ghanian legend’s latest release shows off a pride of heritage, and his honed talent for mixing highlife with other genres like rap, Afro-funk and Disco Ghanaian highlife. Gyedu-Blay Ambolley returns with 11th Street, Sekondi, his 31st album since his debut in 1973. The charismatic stage personality, no stranger to mixing humour into his music and who has performed alongside Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and highlife bandleader Ebo Taylor, has been a record collector’s staple since his appearance on the seminal Ghana Soundz compilation on Soundway in 2002, which re-introduced the world to his trademark ‘Simigwa’ style. Highlife, which started in Sierra Leone and Liberia, took hold in Ghana in the 1940s as a coming together of the musicians fed up with the foxtrot and quickstep parties originally hosted by English colonists. It began with big band horns and happy lyrics, popularised by artists such as E.T Mensah, before opening up in the ‘50s and ‘60s with a wave of guitardriven, socially conscious and more danceable Afro-funk hits -- a product of the easy movement of people between Nigeria and Ghana. It was then that Ambolley’s trademark baritone vocals burst onto the scene, under the tutelage of close personal friend Ebo Taylor.

Ambolley’s latest album, 11th Street, Sekondi, named after the area of West Ghana in which he grew up, is a look back at the area and musical styles that shaped the musician’s life. Black Woman is a funky number that opens the album with Ambolley on a tenor sax solo, while tracks like Little Small Girl showcase his renowned James Brown-influenced vocal flourishes. Soul, jazz, blues and comedy are present -- in keeping with his fervent belief that music must always be entertaining for the listener. The album is the second of his to be released on German label Agogo records, after acclaimed 2017 hit, Ketan. It also stays true to highlife's social ambitions, with reflections on the misguided pursuit of European ideals ahead of African values. Ambolley's career has been filled with accolades, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Charles R Drew University in Los Angeles, and formal recognition from the Ghana Embassy in Washington DC for producing the first ever commercially recorded rap album.

One year after its release, Quartet Series proudly presents the remix EP of Nachtbraker's successful debut album When You Find a Stranger in the Alps. A collection of remixes by some serious talent. These three producers were carefully selected by Nachtbraker because of their impeccable reputation and ability to bring something unique to the world of music.

Humble Danish maestro Central (Help, Dekmantel) flips "Flambo" into a Jori Hulkkonen'esque summer anthem with a highly addictive bassline. Preacher of wonkiness Frits Wentink (Wolf, Heist, Bobby Donny) took "LOL" and brought it some serious keys on a solid breakbeat while maintaining its jolly character. Flipping the record, Nachtbraker brings us the evolution of "Just Doing My Thang" turning it into a quirky dance floor tune whilst also showcasing his ear for detail. Up and coming talent Nemo Vachez (Forest Ill, Opia Records, Rakya) dives deep into "Horsepony" as if he's cruising the depths of a rainforest in a submarine. His surreal dub mix is the perfect final track of this fine piece of wax

Slider & Expose are no strangers to Lossless, having featured on Versus Volume Four with their disgusting weighty dub soaked track "Sound Sistem".

For their first full release on Lossless the brothers from Hull bring proper rave vibes with "Be Right There" which mixes well into pretty much anything. "All Fall Down" featuring Clima is a proper roller that would sound right at home on a Metalheadz release.

Bringing the EP to a close the siblings from "the North" team up with label boss Soul Intent for a beautiful yet edgy 6 minutes of pure underground drum and bass that's turned the heads of some of the scenes most respected selectors.

"Re-Calibrate", the companion piece to Donoso's 2018 acclaimed album "Calibrate" continues to obfuscate any clear definition of genre or style and continues to push his music into stranger, more complex and extreme territories. Equal parts tender and twisted, cynical and honest, beautiful and obnoxious, ‘Re_Calibrate’ shines through as a major point in the composer’s discography – and provides a glimpse into the new directions being taken. ‘Re_Calibrate’ is a challenging listen; void of any trendy tropes or appeal for consumers of watered down, homogenized and dogmatic electronic music.

“Quicksilver frequencies, gravelly formants and shimmering, mirage-like washes of tone. Sometimes his sounds feel like signals picked up by a radio telescope, or pure electricity poured through a sieve” Pitchfork

Hold Up ft Kendra Foster is the breakout first single on Lonely C’s (aka Charles Levine of Soul Clap) debut album, Charles & Tribulations. Foster, known as a multitalented force of singer/songwriter who's toured the world for over a decade with Parliament-Funkadelic, won a Grammy for her co-writing on D’Angelo & The Vanguard’s Black Messiah, most recently set forth as a solo act with her 2016 eponymous sophomore album.

This may be Kendra’s first foray into house music, but she’s no stranger to the groove. This is a dance-floor classic in the making, already receiving powerful response from crowds at Soul Clap’s DJ sets.

Lonely C’s original mix features vocal/songwriting super talent Kendra Foster’s cathartic tale of a love gone away. Mike Dunn’s remix is a guaranteed dance floor activity, Javonntte dub for the dancers.

Then last but no means least FSQ’s Funkadelic Touch mix of “True” featuring Billy Bass Nelson, GKoop, O-Man, & Kim Manning”

Upfront DJ Support:

Dixon, Seth Troxler, Gilles Peterson, Moxie, Francois K, Osunlade, Josh Wink, Jovonn, Kraak & Smaak, Tensnake, Horse Meat Disco, Crazy P, Leo Mas, Luke Solomun, Hot Chip, Nightmares on Wax, Honey Soundsystem, Danny Tenaglia, Red Rack’em, Soul Clap.

Meander is the more experimental alias of one of the absolute best Hardcore producers ever "Ophidian".

On his "Dead Things EP" he has taken experimental broken up Industrial Hardcore and Drum & Bass to a next level, something hardly thought possible...

We could fill a book worth's of linear notes on how great this 4 track EP is. But why even try... Just listen for yourself and lets let the music do the talking. In this case is says a whole lot!

2 years ago the track Still Numbers on Ekin Fil's album Heavy caught the attention of a certain Richard D. James, who under his 'user18081971' username reposted the track to his now historic Soundcloud dump.

This is also how Ekin’s work initially caught the labels attention; at first listen it sounded like a unearthed Grouper demo, a parallel that can be drawn respectfully, seeing Ekin’s trade marks are also those forlorn, muffled vocal whispers, layered under sentimental tape loops, paired with ambience and feedback.

The album itself was originally produced in 5 years ago during what Ekin Fil recalls as a down right depressing and tumultuous time during which she turned to music as a measure of rehabilitation.

Heavy was later released on tape via Lee Nobles No Kings label in 2016 and re-mastered in 2018 from the tape rips by Rashad Backer, preserving the fragile and heavy hearted auditory sensibility found in the original work, while making one of Ekin’s earliest and most personally endearing releases available to a new audience of listeners.

Dessert Island Discs returns from a hiatus on an unchartered dessert island somewhere in the south pacific with two new disco edits in keeping with the labels 11 previous releases. On the "Us" side is Herb Flavor with his new track "the Real Thing". Herb may be a newcomer to the label but he is certainly no stranger to dance floors world wide. On the flip "Them" side Ted Empleton makes a stunning return with "Dingo Jingo" which is every bit as good as his first outing on the label, his amazing edit of "fly Robin fly" titled simply "fly Robin". Expect to hear more releases in the coming months.

Any historians keen on the subject of "French youth in the 1980s" are holding a treasure in their hands. As a true archaeologist of this decade dedicated to disposable culture, digger-in-chief Vidal Benjamin with his newest compilation, 'Pop Sympathie', offers them a unique journey in the heart of the cyclone of emotions that struck all teenagers during the first seven years of François Mitterrand's mandate. Fifteen musical nuggets, exhumed from the dungeons of history, each and every one of them teaching us about what really obsessed the youngsters at that exact moment, i.e. what happens when the city lights come on at dusk, when irrepressible urges that stir them to get lost even more appear until the end of the night.

The artists gathered here did not have the honour of breaking into the local charts, but they all individually reached for the sky. Each song of 'Pop Sympathie' tells more or less the same story: that of a girl who throws herself into the night like one immerses one's self into the void, who rushes into a one-night adventure to become a star. And too bad if in the early morning she finds herself back at square one. In all these miniature odysseys there is neon lights, lasers, smoke machines, broken glass on checkered tiles, strangers on leather benches, celebrities in the bathrooms, stolen kisses, alcohol, drugs and cigarettes, Polaroids, venetian blinds and radioactive tubes.

If the first opus of Vidal Benjamin, 'Disco Sympathie', focused on the funky mood of songs that could have been played at Le Palace, then 'Pop Sympathie' develops itself as the imaginary soundtrack of another nightclub, Les Bains-Douches, the capital’s epicenter of nocturnal drifts. So what do we listen to, blasé, at Bains-Douches? Mainly synthesizers. The child of punk and post punk, French New Wave celebrates the matrimony of machines and lolitas under the auspices of a retro trend that revisits the atomic age. Trying to surf on that wave and hit the charts, a bunch of producers (Stéphane Berlow, Laurent Stopnicki, Bernard "Black Devil" Fèvre, Johny Rech, Jean-Yves Joanny ...) will spot their talents amongst friends, in a travel agency or at the local bar. These virtual stars are called Cecilia, Laurent, Sonia, Janou, Fabienne, Anne, Arielle or Ronan, not even 20 years old, and often leaving just an overexposed photo and their first name on a single as the only memories of their swift passage in this particular musical story. It took all the love and sweet madness of Vidal Benjamin to bring them back in the light of day.

Clovis Goux

DEGO is no stranger on NEROLI, having blessed the label with various EPs as Nutmeg in the early 2000s and more recently with monster songs like ‘Find a Way’ and ‘Don’t Stop (Let It Go)’ as Dego & the 2000 black family. This time he comes back Solo with a fierce funky double A sider! Both songs here show how he is like no other out there!

Utopia Music are extremely proud to present UM023, the debut 4 track EP from Belgian badman Mzine. Based in Brussels, Belgium, M-zine (Joeri Deyaert) is no stranger in the Belgian Drum & Bass scene. Having had releases on labels such as Dispatch, Critical and 31 Records and playing big time parties, such as Star Warz, Rampage, Stealth Bombers, Mentality, he has been cooking his way up, slowly but steadily, in it for the long haul.

His release for Utopia is vaired and continues his evolution as an exciting dnb artist. All four tracks contain the poise and posture of a man twice his age whilst keeping the production levels super high.

Vinyl Only

Thomas Lea Clarke returns to the wider Optimo Music family with his third offering as MR TC for us and his first on Against Fascism Trax. This collection of five tracks (4 on the vinyl release + 1 digital exclusive) were recorded over the past couple of years in Clarke’s home studio and sees him diving deeper into the psychedelic dance explorations that you heard on ‘Soundtrack For Strangers’ and ‘Surf & Destroy’.

AF Trax’s message is very simple. The far right ultimately wish for the destruction of our way of life and indeed the lives of many of the people we love. The message is love. The message is solidarity. The message is No Pasaran – They shall not pass. It is a call to stand together, it is a call to stand up, it is a call to ACT. Individually we may be powerless, but together we are strong.

If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!

Still on their six-legged victory lap following the massive success of the Blessed EP, Tiga & The Martinez Brothers look to the outer limits of techno and beyond for the remixes. “Blessed was a baby born of friendship, and you don’t turn your baby over to some dude making ‘dark, atmospheric bangers’ on Ableton. You take that baby, you put on her bonnet and you entrust her to some of the most successful men in the world so you can take your wife salsa dancing for once,” says Tiga. Longtime Turbo target Ricardo Villalobos delivers his personal magic on the remix of “Cleopatra.” This is not the kind of everyday magic you’d find in a kind word from a stranger or the childlike wonder of a child. This is the good kind of magic. Louis Vuitton Creative Director/Off-White mastermind Virgil Abloh, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, was a big fan of “Blessed,” and turns in a remix that is closer to “future jazz” than Tiga would have accepted from anyone else on that list, except for maybe Hugh Jackman. Abloh also designed the artwork for the release, which depicts the fall of man as seen through the eyes of a jean jacket. “I speak for everyone at Turbo when I say we are delighted and honoured to bring these two friends and creative forces into the fold,” says Tiga. “Some people well tell you that hatred and divisiveness are the answers to society’s ills, but I respectfully disagree. It’s friendship that’s gonna see us through. If I can convince two of today’s leading cultural figures to roll up their sleeves and figure out my remix pack, imagine what I could do if given control of a small country. I don’t see any other labels making these kinds of claims, and to me that says a lot.”

After S3A's 'Deep Love' contribution last year we are stoked to present you this great collection of music! Coming from the French underground S3A aka Max Fader is absolutely no stranger to the scene. With releases on Local Talk, Quartet Series and his own 'Sampling As An Art records' he is deeply rooted in House, Hip Hop, Disco, Soul and Funk serving residencies at Paris clubs 'Concrete' and 'REX' he has become a local favourite as well with his DJ and Live sets. We are more than excited to release this special debut album that showcases some older and recent work, with live acoustic songs from early 2017 recorded at the Paris 'Red Bull Music' studios to new sample based House and Disco infused tracks in the signature 'S3A' style we got to love so much in recent years. 'Fever", 'Friends, 'Joint No. 5 and 'Greed' are all funk fuelled jams composed by Max, re-played and recorded again in several live jams with fellow musicians Nicolas Taite, Raphael Vallade and Pierre Vadon and edited in the studio by S3A afterwards, they breath this special Soul and Funk love Max got into by listening to 'Masters at Work' and old Disco jams. The latter 'Greed' has a special story, it is a cover of an early 'Laurent Garnier' track that got reworked by 'Avril' in the early 00's, here Max wanted to present his own Jazz and Funk perspective on that same track. The club stompers 'First Day With Lucien", 'Lockwood", 'Clarence J. Boddicker' and 'Leaving 19th' are the true party business on this album and range from Deep House to more classic edit style Disco tracks with live improvisations played on top of them.

* The latest EP (S.U.F.O.S. Save Us From Ourselves) from South London based producer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, Wu-Lu.
* Pressed using 180g clear heavyweight vinyl
* Includes collaborations with long-term friends, Binisa Bonner, Kwake Bass, Nubya Garcia, Eun, Demae Wodu, and Morgan Simpson.
* Recorded at The Room and Abbey Road Studios
* Limited edition of 300

Having worked with the likes of MNDSGN (Stones Throw) and Andrew Ashong on his previous 2015 EP Ginga, Wu-Lu has already secured some strong production credits. These include Ego Ella May, Oscar Jerome and Poppy Ajudah, as well as work alongside Joe Armon-Jones (Ezra Collective) and Kwake Bass (Kate Tempest, Sampha) on a brand new project coming in 2020.

S.U.F.O.S. sees Wu-Lu collaborate with long-term friends Binisa Bonner, Kwake Bass, Nubya Garcia, Eun, Demae Wodu, and Morgan Simpson (drummer from band Black Midi). Thematically, it’s a reflection of where Wu-Lu sees himself and his people in 2019 London. This EP taps into racial injustice in Britain, black empowerment and self-exploration. Spending much of his time working behind the scenes for a range of artists, this EP helps define him as a soloist.

Speaking about S.U.F.O.S. Wu-Lu says, “The EP is about family in every sense of the word: blood family, spiritual family, extended family, your family. It’s the perception of my own experience and the young people who haven’t got a loud enough voice yet”.

Wu-Lu is no stranger to experimentation within his music. He has constantly been experimenting with the various influences on his Brixton doorstep, as well as some of the complex issues that a young, mixed race man living in London may face. It’s the live stage where the impact of Wu-Lu’s passionate retellings really come into their own. Recent standouts include sharing the Field Day main stage with the likes of Erykah Badu and Loyle Carner, Brainchild Festival and a feverish Clash Music LIVE appearance at Metropolis Studios alongside Masego.

Catch Wu-Lu headline The Windmill, Brixton on the 25th April 2019.

Detroit's resident producer, Appian, joins ANMA with three originals that twist and grind through break and straight 4/4 beat grooves. A lot of the sound presented sets ground in the rough and rugged but minimalist feel with focus on rhythms that are sometimes complex and sometimes more reliant on the heavier dance floor cuts while simultaneously meshing new ideas with references to electronica classics that paved the way for today.

The alternative take on the flip is provided by Italian producer Sofa Talk, no stranger to the label seeing his own release debut EP hitting the shops in 2017, with more focus on 4/4 beat with layers upon layers of improvised synth and atmospheric licks.

Label boss Paul steps up with a new but not surprising moniker "DinSync". No stranger to the label as one half of Helltown Acid Milita, the DinSync project is Paul's first solo outing in over a decade. The title track "FUTUREACID" is deep, moody and represents the sound of Helsingborg style electro infused acid. Following up is "THE REMAINS" which is more futureacid but on a dubbed out tip. On the flip we have "BLACK HOLE HEART" with one of Paul's signature style baselines (think "We are Here" from RE30301) infused with tribal percussion and dark overtones. This one is is for the late night heavyweight selection. Finally we end the set with the minimal vibes of "USE". Mastered by 6BIT Deep in Copenhagen and pressed on heavy-weight vinyl, what is FUTUREACID have a listen.

- The Young Holt Trio are a Soul and Jazz instrumental
musical ensemble from the former Ramsey Lewis rhythm
section
- Originally released on the iconic Brunswick label in 1966,
Wack Wack charted at number 40 on the Billboard Hot
100
- Features the irresistible title track 'Wack Wack' and
'Songs for my Father', this release is a Mod Jazz Classic
- Reissued on 180g classic black vinyl with printed inner
sleeve

The Daktaris is a well-disciplined army of two hundred African Bull Elephants marching relentlessly up your business to the beat from Funky Drummer. Or so began the liner notes on the original pressing of this album.

Truth is often stranger than fiction. In 1998 Desco Records—a precursor to Daptone and Soul Fire records—released The Daktaris' Soul Explosion, ostensibly as a reissue of an unearthed Nigerian LP from the seventies. Though it's now common knowledge that the story was a bit of a hoax, the record's significance as a seminal part of the Afrobeat and afro-funk renaissance of the last two decades cannot be denied. The roots of the Budos Band, Antibalas, and uncountable others can be traced back to this enigmatic afro-funk release.

Now, two decades later, Daptone has remastered the album from the original tapes, including a bonus track that had previously only been available on a 45, and featuring extensive all new liner notes by Bosco Mann telling the bizarre true story behind the Daktaris sessions.

KEY MARKETING POINTS:
- FULLY REMASTERED, including new bonus track, 'In the Middle.'
- Extensive new liner notes by BOSCO MANN explaining the real story behind The Daktaris.
- Features members of The DAP-KINGS and ANTIBALAS.
- Features JOJO KUO (drummer for FELA KUTI) on vox and percussion.
- Originally released on DESCO RECORDS in the 1998, has been out of print for years.
- The spirit of the late, great Fela Kuti runs through The Daktaris' Soul Explosion. - Jazz Times

Diskotopia is extremely proud to kick-start 2019 with Girar, a four-track EP of new kaleidoscopic productions from Lisbon-born, London-based producer Silvestre.

Silvestre is no stranger to Diskotopia, this being his third release with the label, debuting with the gritty noise-and-thump Frank Pike EP in 2014, and following that up with the more buoyant, latinate Floresta EP in 2016. In addition to producing, Silvestre also co-runs the Padre Himalya imprint, putting out 2018's critically acclaimed Focus EP from tombak virtuoso Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, Renato's 2016 Alo Alo, plus his own Sport Theories and All The Things 12"s.

With the Girar EP, Silvestre presents four idiosyncratic cuts: the bubbling psychotropic mutant rhumba of Ir a Sagres, woozy spliff-house Deptford Bus, RC Surfer, a time-stretched reggaeton soundclash and the pseudo-jubilant breakbeat-house Everybody Is Happy; testimony of a truly unique and exciting artist in the modern current of electronic music.

Lance Ferguson's Raregroove Spectrum is a collection of newly recorded versions of classic funk, soul, jazz and latin vinyl rarities, which features some of Melbourne's finest musicians across the album, including past and present members of The Bamboos, The Putbacks and Hiatus Kaiyote.

As the man at the helm of many musical projects over the years including Cookin' On 3 Burners, Menagerie & his solo project Lanu, Lance is no stranger to the art of imaginative musical re-interpretation, be the material soul, funk and jazz based or the works of James Blake, Roxy Music and Prefab Sprout.

For Raregroove Spectrum, Lance explains that much of the inspiration for the re-works comes from his experience as a DJ, "Some of these versions can almost be looked at as DJ re-edits, sometimes we're extending what may be a really short track into something longer, or teasing out the elements in a song that really make it work on a dance-floor. It's essentially what someone does with a club re-edit, except we went the extra step and re-recorded the whole thing with a live band".

In other cases, top-shelf classics have been re-imagined in different guises: James Mason's 'Sweet Power, Your Embrace' as a sun-drenched Samba, or Anderson Paak's sure shot tune 'Am I Wrong' given an 1980's style Boogie/Jazz Funk makeover. Stir into this musical gumbo stew the raw Deep Funk of 'Egg Roll', the swinging Mod R&B of Googie Rene's 'Smoky Joe's La La' to the epic, widescreen Jazz-Funk of Pleasure's 'Joyous' - Rare Groove Spectrum provides new perspectives on the obscure to the well-loved, from old-school to new sounds - this is rare grooves re-grooved... beautifully.

The Lemonheads' first record in 10 years!
Covers album - Includes versions of Nick Cave, Yo La Tengo, The Bevis Frond, Eagles and more.

Extensive world tour over the 12 months, including Europe, USA and Asia. Banana scented scratch & sniff vinyl sleeve!

'The Lemonheads are no strangers to a cover, the grunge-pop heroes perfect the art.' NME

The Lemonheads follow up the critically acclaimed 'Varshons' from nearly ten years ago with another eclectic collection of covers.
Produced by director Matthew Cullen and mastered by Howie Weinberg (Beastie Boys, Nirvana, The Ramones), their tenth studio album brims with the slowly-matured vocal of Evan Dando as he lures a host of personal faves to his melodic lair. He really has become one of the great expressive singers of our time.
What they said about Varshons:

'Gram Parsons, Wire, and GG Allin: You'd be hard pressed to find three more disparate rock acts, yet on 'Varshons' they all sound like the Lemonheads - boppy, overcast alt-rock delivered at a fast clip and sung in a whiskey tenor.' Pitchfork

'Varshons 2' is a hokey jukebox filled with unique versions of Yo La Tengo, Nick Cave, The Bevis Frond, NRBQ, The Eagles, Paul Westerberg, The Jayhawks, Lucinda Williams and John Prine.
Like Hank Williams slumped in his car between gigs, strumming and hollering, reasoning and weeping, humming it on over, Evan and his Lemonheads make every tune their own.

The 2nd HOMOAGENT EP 'We Are Here To Ruin Your Life' continues the exploration of this city's various basements. A fictional work of excess, doused in amyl and fuelled by the Trve Basque Speed, greased gloved strangers in decaying mansions meets Hellraiser but in real. Triames & Maiovvi return to Instruments Of Discipline with four new productions of their trademark glassed out, hi-fi night fantasies where sweat and leather meet 18 or more consenting adults.

Anders Trentemøller's career is a travel-heavy one, with his touring schedule taking him pretty much all over the world. But it's his home port that's inspired his latest project, the sprawling, stunning compilation mix 'Harbour Boat Trips Vol. 02: Copenhagen'. Clocking in at just over an hour long, the compilation sees Trentemøller curate and craft sixteen songs into a heavy, hazy mix that ranges from shoegaze to electronica, featuring both familiar and celebrated artists like A Place to Bury Strangers (with a new Trentemøller remix) and Slowdive to more obscure finds, as well as Trentemøller's own tracks and remixes, most notably a brand new Trentemøller cover of Neil Young's classic 'Transformer Man'. The mix sees him pick up a thread he left off earlier in his career. In 2009 he put together 'Harbour Boat Trips - 01: Copenhagen', a compilation mix comprised of his favourite music, both Danish and international, from across four decades, loosely inspired by the motion and movement of Copenhagen's busy harbour. Closing in on a decade later, we're getting the second edition, with 'Harbour Boat Trips - 02' arriving this November.

Mogwai's first venture into the world of the feature
film soundtracks is for the upcoming 'KIN' (directed
by Jonathan and Josh Baker, the producers that
bought you 'Stranger Things' and 'Arrival', in
cinemas August 2018).

Heavyweight black vinyl includes digital download
code.

Mogwai fans won't be disappointed and it will
appeal to lovers of sci fi film soundtracks.

Includes the single 'Donuts'.

Yuri Méndez's 7th album is called W. W is a collection of finely crafted songs. The instruments are many and their intonations, variegated. W comes in the usual formats, only better, and full to the brim with sensitive lyrics for the man and woman of today.

On the other hand, presumably the left, Yuri's ageing well and intent all the while on writing more numbers in order to keep a steady flow of fresh material ready at any time.

These are good times in W land or, as the poet said, 'it hurts a bit, but the colours are admirable'.

Yuri Méndez is Pajaro Sunrise. Initially a duo, he's been working on his own ever since the release of the second album, 2008's Done/Undone. His previous albums received praise from such fine publications as Q, Uncut and Monocle, and his music can be heard in several international motion pictures and TV series such as The Missing Lynx, Castle, The Big C, Catalan hit series Cites and Benvinguts a la família, and ad campaigns by the likes of McDonalds and Vodafone.

'they've quietly found themselves elevated into the psych scenes premier league.' Drowned In Sound 
 
'when they go pedal-to-metal it rarely fails.' Mojo Magazine
 
'The Lucid Dream are rapidly becoming major players in an ever-increasingly crowded psych scene..utterly seductive.' The Quietus
  
'one of the most enthralling bands in the UK.' Far Out Magazine
 
 
The Lucid Dream return in October with the release of their 4th album, 'Actualisation'.
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to help replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus in the summer of 2017 for a rejuvenated The Lucid Dream.
 
'Actualisation' is soaked in the influence of acid house, amalgamated with dub and kosmische. It will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other act are currently doing. 
 
The album was penned over the summer of 2017 by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove.
Several months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have completed their 4th album in 5 years. A record made for the dancefloor.
 
 
Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds), with mastering via Dean Honer (All Seeing I/I Monster/The Moonlandingz).
 
The confrontational techno-punk of 'Alone In Fear' opens the album, a 9-minute attack fuelled by the frustration and anger spawned by Brexit, government and a realisation of what 2018 Britain currently is.
Recent single 'SX1000' (the first work from the album, unveiled via 12' vinyl in April this year) is the band's first move into pure acid house. The acid house fusion runs throughout the record, represented furthermore by 'Ardency', a track already praised by live critics when aired live for the first time earlier this year as 'even on first hearing, would've raised the roof of The Hacienda'.
 
The 2-part opus of 'Zenith' follows, commencing with a space-dub/house instrumental groove before building into a track that will go for your head as much as your hips. Only 'Breakdown' harks back to sounds of old for the band, a little reminder of the skull-crushing impact they can make when stripped to the bare bones. 'No Sunlight Dub' closes the album, a dark-dub that invites the classic acid-house tool (Roland 808) into the dub. The track makes a stop-off into drum 'n' bass/jungle along the way before rounding up in a manner suited to Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and other Jamaican greats.
 
 
The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).
 
The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions and plays across most shows on the station, as well as plays from BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC Radio 2. Further press followed from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers also coincided.
 
 
3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).
 
 
 
'Actualisation' is released on 19th October 2018 (CD/download/ltd red vinyl/standard black vinyl), via Holy Are You Recordings.

'they've quietly found themselves elevated into the psych scenes premier league.' Drowned In Sound 
 
'when they go pedal-to-metal it rarely fails.' Mojo Magazine
 
'The Lucid Dream are rapidly becoming major players in an ever-increasingly crowded psych scene..utterly seductive.' The Quietus
  
'one of the most enthralling bands in the UK.' Far Out Magazine
 
 
The Lucid Dream return in October with the release of their 4th album, 'Actualisation'.
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to help replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus in the summer of 2017 for a rejuvenated The Lucid Dream.
 
'Actualisation' is soaked in the influence of acid house, amalgamated with dub and kosmische. It will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other act are currently doing. 
 
The album was penned over the summer of 2017 by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove.
Several months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have completed their 4th album in 5 years. A record made for the dancefloor.
 
 
Recorded at Whitewood Studios, Liverpool, with Rob Whiteley, the album is produced alongside long-time collaborator Ross Halden (Ghost Town Studios, Leeds), with mastering via Dean Honer (All Seeing I/I Monster/The Moonlandingz).
 
The confrontational techno-punk of 'Alone In Fear' opens the album, a 9-minute attack fuelled by the frustration and anger spawned by Brexit, government and a realisation of what 2018 Britain currently is.
Recent single 'SX1000' (the first work from the album, unveiled via 12' vinyl in April this year) is the band's first move into pure acid house. The acid house fusion runs throughout the record, represented furthermore by 'Ardency', a track already praised by live critics when aired live for the first time earlier this year as 'even on first hearing, would've raised the roof of The Hacienda'.
 
The 2-part opus of 'Zenith' follows, commencing with a space-dub/house instrumental groove before building into a track that will go for your head as much as your hips. Only 'Breakdown' harks back to sounds of old for the band, a little reminder of the skull-crushing impact they can make when stripped to the bare bones. 'No Sunlight Dub' closes the album, a dark-dub that invites the classic acid-house tool (Roland 808) into the dub. The track makes a stop-off into drum 'n' bass/jungle along the way before rounding up in a manner suited to Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo and other Jamaican greats.
 
 
The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).
 
The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions and plays across most shows on the station, as well as plays from BBC Radio 1 (Huw Stephens) and BBC Radio 2. Further press followed from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers also coincided.
 
 
3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).
 
 
 
'Actualisation' is released on 19th October 2018 (CD/download/ltd red vinyl/standard black vinyl), via Holy Are You Recordings.

righteous expensive: motohiko hamase's 1986 album "reminiscence" scores a decent prize at online vinyl selling platforms and it is worth each coin!

it's a perfect "refuge from nasty reality", as the glorious british 20jazzfunkgreats blog once said. and it comes from a man that knows his trade: bass play - an artisan on which he also already wrote many theoretical books in his more than four decades long career.

in the 1970's hamase was no stranger to tokyo's vibrant jazz scene. together with jazz pianist tsuyoshi yamamoto and jazz-rock guitar-ist kazumi watanabe he played in the isao suzuki sextet and was part of their classic landmark jazz-funk album "ako's dream" from 1976.

in the following years he also participated on records like mikio masuda's latin-funk-jazz gem "moon stone" or japanese female jazz singer, actress, and essayist minami yasuda's last album "moritato". in the early 1980ees his work shifted from pure jazz to electronic and ambient spheres and he started to compose his own music around his deeply emotional bass play.

from 1985 to 1993, hamase released five solo albums. just recently studio mule dropped his first one, "intaglio", in a new recording that sounds as stunning as the original release from 1986.

now the previously mentioned "reminiscence", his second work for the celebrated defunct japanese new age record label shi zen, follows in a fresh shape on studio mule.

as the original, it features deeply touching moments of sheer pristine perfection and distributes hamase's inner emotional landscape with a bewitching bass performance. a soothingly beauty of an album, that reflects hamase's search for spaces of melancholy.

a rhizome of soundscapes that capture, settle and sound elusive while simultaneously being awe-inspiring. as for "intaglio", the 66-years old artist gathered again some befriended musicians, rented a studio, staged his gear and recorded most of the original "reminis-cence" material new, while keeping the moving musical story arc of the original album alive in a fresh wrapping.

the result is a dazzling, blue mood seething, strongly hypnotic longplayer, full of personality and hybrid ambient electronic jazz spheres that open doors to unheard sound universes and that perfectly work for all those stress-relieved souls that love the disclosure of the mind and seek for a "refuge from nasty reality".

Honey Soundsystem met October (aka Jules) while on a one-night affair in Bristol in which he immediately dragged us from an artist dinner to the saddest Bear bar in the UK. After a few pints, vetting his taste for drag, boys, and girls that make love to boys who make love to boys, Jules confessed he has always wanted to release on HNYTRX. And so the hazing began, a year of torturing yet another sexy-stranger into refreshing, reminding, and refining a flurry of demos into the army of skeleton soldiers you now have in possession. Money drops, midnight withdrawals, 4 crisp singles: this is the Pay Day EP — gonna make that dance-floor 'cha-ching' bitch!

A lot of people hate October so... that is why we are releasing this record in September. But seriously though, upon cracking open this 4 track EP you might wish you had saved the vacuum seal just a couple days longer, keeping these ghosts contained until the month where screaming winds strip trees nude

Balance Records is happy to release 'Paul Cut' While no stranger to the french scene Paul is one of the up and coming DJ/Producers out of Paris.This release finds it roots in Jazz (Chicago /Paris). A1 starts with some heavy beats, which later combined with the other elements can bring the madness to any dance floor. Side , A2 brings another kind of madness which shakes you from inside like heated particles with its jazzy vibes. B2 heats you in a subtly way, when you expecting it the least with background sounds inspired from Jazz. And once they suck you in you start to be driven by them, like being stuck in the waves. B1 will draw anyone inner energy with its piano. It's a great track to lead to the end of the night or even closing. For the love birds and the loners on the dance floor. B2 heats you in a subtly way when you expecting it the least with background sounds borrowed from Jazz. And once they suck you in you start to be driven by them, like being stuck in the waves.

Somewhere between electro soul and melodramatic pop. Music focused towards the youth set in some strange dream. Not sugarcoating anything.
.
Aset was a collective founded by a group of individuals deeply involved in community improvement initiatives and the struggle for justice and equality. A project that would link motivated adults with talented young people in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

The compilation takes songs from three released projects of Aset, and one semi-unreleased single. Latonya, a spunky 11 year old kid singing about divorce, love, and dancing. The poster child of Aset. Treo, a trio of high school gals in harmony singing about love and relationships. Whax, the high school boys who were a bit stranger, the silly side of Aset. All backed by The Aset Players.

Release comes housed in a newly designed jacket with inner sleeve containing info on the label/artists and an interview with the label director, Mba Mbulu.

The Lucid Dream return in April with the release of new single 'SX1000', the first taster from the recently completed 4th album. 
Driven by fans raising £10,000 to hell replace all equipment robbed after a Paris show in early 2017, a new album became the instant focus for The Lucid Dream in the summer of 2017.

The track is a slice of pure acid house, and will again see them acknowledged for venturing into pastures new, setting themselves apart from 'genres', 'scenes' or what any other band are currently doing. 

'SX1000', as with the whole album, was penned over the summer by Mark Emmerson (vocals/guitar/synths), using only the classic Roland 303/808 synths, bass and vocals as tools for writing. 
Inspiration for the writing was formed via continuous listening to the Chicago to UK acid house works of 1986-1992, the focus predominantly on the groove. 5 months on from those writing sessions and The Lucid Dream have competed their 4th album in 5 years, this track a perfect indicator as to what awaits. A record made for the dancefloor.

The Lucid Dream formed in Carlisle, Cumbria, in 2008. A string of sold-out 7s was followed by the debut longer player, 'Songs Of Lies and Deceit', in August 2013. The album gained critical acclaim from the likes of Uncut, Q, Rocksound, Clash, The Quietus, and leading French culture magazine, 'Les Inrocks', to name a few. The initial vinyl pressing of the debut album (500 copies) sold out within 2 days, and was backed by a main stage slot at Kendal Calling, and supports to Death In Vegas and A Place To Bury Strangers (full UK tour).

The bands 2nd album ('The Lucid Dream') was released in March 2015 to further acclaim. This included 2 BBC 6 Music sessions, and press from Uncut, The Skinny, Louder Than War, and Drowned In Sound, who named the album #7 UK album of 2015. Further supports to Clinic and A Place To Bury Strangers coincided.


3rd album, 'Compulsion Songs' was released in September 2016, on Holy Are You Recordings. The vinyl pressing of the album sold-out within a day, prompting an immediate 2nd press, with pre-sales of the album topping 1,000 before release. The album was backed by a headline UK tour, and a main slot at Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (for which they were singled out for major plaudits from The Quietus, The Skinny and Drowned In Sound). The album again received acclaim from the likes of Mojo, Uncut, Classic Rock Magazine, BBC Radio 2 (Huey Morgan) and across the board on BBC 6 Music (Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Tom Ravenscroft, Gideon Coe, Stuart Maconie).

The Empire strikes back! Phi has dug deep into the Slovenian electronica heritage only to return with the 4th chapter containing three mid 90's unreleased tracks by the cult duo Random Logic. Once the pioneers of adventurous acid and techno sounds having released on labels such as Thee Blak Label and having played in legendary places like the old Ostgut Ton, Random Logic are no strangers in playlists by the braver big shots such as Nina Kraviz. Their signature acid melancholy and drive hasn't aged and syncs perfectly with Phi's growing sci-fi catalogue.