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Lowell Dunbar and Robert Shakespeare are the renowned Jamaican rhythm section that has worked with a range of international stars, including Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger, Joan Armatrading, Garland Jeffries and countless others. They first came to know each other in the early 1970s, when both were based in rival bands playing in clubs on Kingston's Red Hills Road and started working together at Channel One studio in the mid-1970s, when Sly was musical arranger for the Revolutionaries house band and Robbie the main bassist for Bunny Lee's Aggrovators. After a stint of international touring in Peter Tosh's Word, Sound and Power band, which exposed them to the tastes and markets of overseas audiences, the pair joined forces more concertedly with their Taxi label, producing hits with Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, Sugar Minott and the Wailing Souls. At the same time, as the driving force behind the Compass Point All Stars, they brought Grace Jones to prominence worldwide and made Gwen Guthrie a star through reggaefied disco, and then brought Black Uhuru into the top spot in the wake of Bob Marley's passing. Then, when Jamaican music went digital with the 'Sleng Teng' craze of the mid-1980s, Sly and Robbie made the shift in that direction too, becoming among the most prominent producers as the 80s gave way to the 90s. Dubs For Tubs: A Tribute To King Tubby is a digital dub salute to the King issued shortly after his terrible murder; it is mostly comprised of synthesizer re-cuts of classic Jamaican rhythms, with 'Dub For Joy' being a tough re-working of the Heptones' 'Love Me Girl' and 'Dub To Make You Move And Groove' a take on their 'Party Time'; Dennis Brown's 'Here I Come' is here mutated to 'Dub For Roots People' and his 'Here I Come' anthem shifted into the spongy 'Dub For All Seasons.' An intriguing offshoot of 'Sleng Teng' is among the other highlights.

Left Ear are issuing two previously unreleased Full-Length versions of Space Farm's mid 90's Egyptian inspired tracks. Both, 'The Dawn of Birds' and 'Camels in Desert Air' were initially cut short to allow for additional remixes on the original release. For their 2019 issue, Left Ear have decided to focus only on these downtempo original songs allowing the heavy percussion and synth workouts to shine through on a loud 45RPM press.

Space Farm is the story of three friends Darrin, Bill and Waleed their love for 80's NY culture, Egyptian music and a cross continental business plan that never materialised. Darrin and Bill grew up in North New Jersey only a few miles from NY city and met while studying in '90. Bill spent his formative years listening to the emerging sounds of 80's left-leaning New York radio stations, while Darrin immersed himself in the DJ and B-Boy culture. Fast-forward to '94 and the two found themselves living in Boulder, Colorado. By this time the tag-team had started producing music and would look to their NJ roots for a group name, deciding on the title 'Space Farm' after a kooky local petting farm they often cracked jokes about. Armed with an open mind and a bunch of old studio gear the duo began producing music inspired by 80's NY, however after a budding friendship began with Egyptian native Waleed they were inspired to start experimenting with Egyptian and Arabic sounds. After hearing their output Waleed pushed for the release of an Egyptian inspired record saying 'it would sell like crazy in Egypt', that 'he would bring it back to Egypt on his next visit and get it to all the right people that need to hear it'. The record got done but, due to circumstances beyond their control it never made it over to Egypt. The duo performed live a few times in Boulder before finally returning to NJ. Darrin recalls playing their final party in Boulder in which the Space Farm record was played from start to finish, 'Some joker ran up to us while we were playing and kept signalling to up the tempo we were like F Off! raver boy'.

It gives me the greatest honour to finally be able to announce the release of this amazing triple vinyl masterpiece by log(m) and Laraaji on Invisible, Inc.

It's been over a decade since Laraaji first joined forces with log(m) in their Canadian studio in early 2007. In those ten years the trio recorded many hours of music. Over time these recordings, beginning essentially as live jams, were polished, dissected, processed, re-arranged and then finely and painstakingly distilled down to the 105 minutes of music that now form this album, which finally reached completion just earlier this year. The wait has been more than worth it.

The Onrush Of Eternity is a melding of minds like no other. Ever the pioneer of experimental ambience, Laraaji's signature hammered dulcimer, zither, mbira, auto harp, sruthi drone box and of course his exceedingly positive vibes are here combined with log(m)'s unique vision of gronky hi-tech psychedelic space dub. The resultant voyage into deeply meditative ambience and trance-inducing dub is as unexpected an outcome as it is a bona fide "Eureka" moment. It sounds neither like log(m) OR Laraaji....but of course like both. It is one of those rare collaborations that is, without a doubt, even greater than the sum of its already great parts.

Log(m) started making waves in the early '90s as Legion Of Green Men with their visually striking 12"s, complete with eternal opuscules (locked grooves) and mathematically inspired titles, all lovingly issued on their own Post Contemporary imprint. These deservedly got the attention of Richie Hawtin who promptly asked the duo for an album on his own classic Plus 8 Records. 20+ years later and the music (much like their name) has morphed into something more sophisticated: even more complex, atmospheric and deeper than ever.

Laraaji's reputation of course precedes him: he first came to wider attention when Brian Eno released his "Day Of Radiance" as part 3 of his Ambient Series in 1980. Since then, Laraaji has released over 40 albums, yet his stellar path seems still to be on the ascendant - a recent landmark being the 2017 "Sun" series of albums for the wonderful All Saints' Records.

This unique triple LP in tri-fold sleeve is limited to 200 copies on coloured vinyl and 300 copies on black vinyl featuring ten of log(m)'s signature eternal opuscules and cryptic engravings on all three discs.

The story of Seattle's rise to global rock supremacy in the late 80s and early 90s begins with Green River. Made up of Jeff Ament (bass), Mark Arm (guitar/vocals), Bruce Fairweather (guitar), Stone Gossard (guitar) and Alex Shumway (drums), the
quintet put out three 12's and a 7' single during its brief existence.
Green River's influence on Seattle's music scene spread far and wide thanks to the members' dispersion into bands including Pearl Jam, Mudhoney and Love Battery, as well as the punk glam sludge rock songs they left behind. 'By '83, '84, there was
definitely a movement that was happening within hardcore, like Black Flag slowing down for My War,' says Arm. 'The Replacements and Butthole Surfers were rearing
their heads, and they're very different bands, but they're not hardcore - the Replacements are pretty much straight-up rock, and Butthole Surfers were God knows what. Sonic Youth's Bad Moon Rising was around, and a lot of really
interesting post-hardcore things were happening.'
Green River, formed in 1984, were part of that evolution, with a sound that straddled a lot of different genres - blues, punk, bloozy straight-ahead rock. The mini-LP 'Dry As A Bone' - which came out in 1987 - and the band's lone full-length
'Rehab Doll' - which came out in 1988 - were released as a single CD with a few bonus cuts, including their sneering cover of David Bowie's 'Queen Bitch' and their marauding version of Dead Boys' 'Ain't Nothin' to Do', in 1990 - but they've been
unavailable on vinyl for years.
Now, these slices of Seattle music history are not only back in print, they're accompanied by items from the vaults that had been forgotten about for decades.
'Dry As A Bone' was recorded at Jack Endino's Reciprocal Recording in 1986 and it shows the band in furious form, with Arm's yowl battling Fairweather and Gossard's
ferocious guitar playing on 'This Town' and 'Unwind' opening as a slow bluesy grind then jump-starting itself into a hyperactive chase. The deluxe edition includes Green
River's cuts from the crucial Seattle-scene compilation 'Deep Six', as well as long-lost songs that were recorded to the now-archaic format Betamax.
'Rehab Doll', recorded largely at Seattle's Steve Lawson Studios., bridges the gap between the taut, punky energy of 'Dry As A Bone' and the bigger drums and thicker
riffs that were coming to dominate rock in the late 80s. This new edition of 'Rehab Doll' includes a version of 'Swallow My Pride' recorded to 8-track at Endino's Reciprocal Recording, which features a more accurate depiction of how the band
sounded when they played live. 'When I listen to these mixes, I think, 'This is how we actually sounded - this is the kind of energy we had,'' says Shumway.
Green River's place in American music history is without question but these recordings paint a more complete picture of the band - and of rock in the mid to late 80s, when punk's faster-and-louder ideals had begun shape-shifting into other ideas.
CDs in digipack with 12-page booklet. 2LP formats in gatefold jacket with custom dust sleeve and digital download code.

Jac Berrocal, David Fenech and Vincent Epplay return with Ice Exposure, their second album for Blackest Ever Black. A sequel and companion piece of sorts to 2015's Antigravity, its title couldn't be more apt: sonically it is both colder, and more exposed - in the sense of rawer, more volatile, more vulnerable - than its predecessor, capturing the combustible energy and barely suppressed violence of the trio's celebrated live performances with aspects of noir jazz, musique concrète, no wave art-rock, sound poetry and spectral electronics all interpenetrating in unpredictable and exhilarating ways. While there are moments of great sensitivity and even a cautious romanticism, the prevailing mood is one of anxiety, paranoia, and mounting psychodrama: close your eyes and Ice Exposure feels like a dissociative Hörspiel broadcasting from the seedy backstreets of your own troubled mind. Before he picks up an instrument or opens his mouth, Berrocal's unique and compelling presence can be felt: a combination of studied, glacial cool and anarchic, in-the-moment intensity that has served him well over a long and storied career. It was honed during his time as a theatre and film actor, and in the 70s Paris improv scene, it powered his influential Catalogue group in the 1970s, numerous seminal, sui generis solo sides, and far-sighted collaborations with the likes of Nurse With Wound, Lol Coxhill, Pascal Comelade and James Chance which have seen him come to be valorised by two generations of avant-garde agitators and eccentrics. Now in his eighth decade, it comes with an added gravitas, perhaps, but no less energy or vitality. On Ice Exposure, his lyrical, instantly recognisable trumpet playing is a key feature - see especially the ghostly, dubwise take on Ornette's 'Lonely Woman', the dissolute exotica of 'Salta Girls', and the sublime echo-chamber soliloquy 'Opportunity'. But more often it's his voice that commands centre-stage, whether casually discharging surreal poetic monologues or moaning in animal despair - a vocal tour de force that transcends language and culminates in the Dionysian frenzy of 'Why', Berrocal's half-spoken, half-howled exclamations jostling with David Fenech's slashes of dissonant guitar, over Badalamenti-ish, panther-stalk drums. Fenech's origins are in the mail-art scene of the early '90s, when he led the Peu Importe collective in Grenoble, and since then, in addition to his own recordings he has worked as a software developer at IRCAM and played with Jad Fair, Rhys Chatham and many others. Together with Vincent Epplay he is responsible for Ice Exposure's inspired arrangements and vivid, vertiginous sound design. Epplay is a visual artist and composer with particular interest in aleatory composition, concrete, and the reappropriation of vintage sound and film material. He and Fenech fashion a remarkable mise-en-scene for Berrocal to inhabit, one that embraces cutting-edge electronics while also paying homage to the best traditions of outlaw jazz and libidinous rock'n'roll ('Soundcheck' invokes the brutish spirit of Berrocal's hero Vince 'Rock N Roll Station' Taylor). On 'Blanche de Blanc', Berrocal's voice is framed by a groaning, ghoulish orchestra of industrial drones, while 'Equivoque' evokes the most humid and hostile Fourth World landscapes and 'Panic In Surabaya' lives up to its name, a hectic, pulse-quickening concrète collage that leaves you gasping for air. This is a searching and singular trio operating at the absolute peak of their powers, with an interplay that transcends studio and stage and occurs at an almost telepathic level. Ice Exposure is a triumph of that group mind, an underworld dérive as life-affirming as it is unnerving and psychologically precarious.













Panic In Surabaya

H.omevvork is back! We are happy to announce Insolate!!! On her debut for H.omevvork, she
offers two solid deep 90s techno tracks, remixed by PVS. The first track is called "Disgrace",
that continues to explore the PVS's concept-informed take on techno. "Warehouse Jam " is 6.54
mins of pure and brutal club track! Kick, clap and bassline with a break remix from the
H.omevvork record label owner. Sounds complete! Master by Dadub Studio Mastering - Berlin

'1929 - Das Jahr Babylon" marks Thomas Fehlmann's third full length release of 2018 and presents what appears to be a creative peak in his career that spans beyond his solo career to his early days in Palais Schaumburg, collaborating with Moritz von Oswald as 3MB to his long time work with The Orb. Having left The Orb in late 2017 has set free unforeseen energies in Fehlmann's studio.

A departure from his recent dance floor-friendly album "Los Lagos" (KOM388, KOMCD148) released in September on Kompakt, Thomas Fehlmann's '1929 - Das Jahr Babylon" is a film soundtrack from the documentary that aired on ARD network on September 30, 2018 and is now available as a podcast series.

To compliment the internationally lauded TV series "Berlin Babylon", German director Volker Heise has created a documentary about 1929, the fateful year during Germany's "Weimarer Republik" in which "Berlin Babylon" is settled. Heise's stirring documentary portrays Germany's sizzling capital that is faced with radical changes by the dark forces whom are about to toss the world into the abyss we know as World War II.

This marks the second time that Fehlmann is partnering up with Volker Heise after 2010's marathon documentary "24 Stunden Berlin" which was released as "Gute Luft" (KOM211, KOMCD81) in the same year. Fehlmann's composition for "1929" consists of sample material taken from the era and thwarts the exaggerated lust for life with threatening undertones that anticipate the dawn of mankind's darkest chapter so far. Although all the sounds breathe yesterday's atmosphere this soundtrack bursts with modernity. Fehlmann accomplished the daring feat to musically render the unsettling resemblance between the political situation 90 years ago and our current time.

We at KOMPAKT feel that Fehlmann's score has turned out spectacular enough to give it proper release on limited vinyl and CD as well as on all digital platforms.

Mit '1929 - Das Jahr Babylon" legt Thomas Fehlmann schon seinen zweiter Longplayer innerhalb eines halben Jahres vor und dokumentiert damit eine kreative Hochphase seiner überaus stattlichen Musikerkarriere. Die Trennung von The Orb scheint bei ihm ungeahnte Energien freizusetzen.

Anders als auf dem cluborientierten "Los Lagos" tritt Thomas Fehlmann auf "1929" musikalisch einen Schritt zur Seite. Und das aus gutem Grund: Analog zur international gefeierten Fernsehserie "Babylon Berlin" entstand unter der Regie von Volker Heise der Dokumentarfilm "1929 - Das Jahr Babylon" - ein ergreifendes Sittengemäde Berlins während des Schicksalsjahrs der Weimarer Republik. Wie schon zu Volker Heises vorangegangener Berlin-Doku "24 Stunden Berlin" (2010 erschienen als das Album "Gute Luft" auf KOMPAKT) hat Thomas Fehlmann auch diesmal den kongenialen Soundtrack beigesteuert. Basierend auf Klangmaterial des Jahres 1929 hat Fehlmann eine beeindruckende Musik geschaffen, in der manchmal die übertriebene Lebensfreude und Dekandenz jener Zeit aufflackert. Eine Musik, deren Stimmung jedoch unterwandert ist von den bedrohlichen Strömungen, die Deutschland kurz darauf in seine dunkelste Epoche stossen werden.

Thomas Fehlmann ist damit ein wahres Kunststück gelungen. So sehr die Produktion den Geist einer vergangenen Zeit atmet, so modern mutet sie an. "1929 - Original Filmmusik" klingt somit wie die zu Musik geronnene Erkenntnis, dass sich Gestern und Heute auf erschreckende Weise ähneln.

Wir bei Kompakt sind der Ansicht, dass Thomas Fehlmanns Filmmusik zu "1929 - Das Jahr Babylon' so spektakulär geraten ist, dass wir sie nun als limitierte CD und Vinyl-Auflage, sowie auf allen digitalen Plattformen verfügbar machen.

Exactly one year after Lorenz's debut EP on Dirt Crew he is back with a super funky follow up. With the recent
'Marakuja' track on our 'Deep Love 2018' compilation he already set the tone to a much more fluid and organic live approach to his sound recording.

The opening title track 'Belair' is a heavy 'wurly' organ jam he developed mainly by playing live and afterwards finalizing it in his Cologne studio. After his recent tour and shows as part of the Detroit Swindle live outfit he really got into improvising and composing his tunes on the fly. The Funk is all over this one and it is a great uplifting 'sunny' jam to play out. Following this one is the slower and deeper 'Jubilee' that's adding even more soul to the 'Rhode' funk with an irresistible bass line and melody and when the clavinet break sets in it's nothing but Good Times on the dance floor! A certain rewind for us and favorite track off this new EP.

On the flip we added two remixes from his previous high in demand tracks 'On Top' and 'And I Said'. Lorenz has been working a lot on various projects with his good friends Strip Steve and Tensnake and both had their go on these tracks from last year. Strip Steve took the parts of 'On Top' and turned them into a deep Detroit flavored House Jam with stabby beats and beautiful strings added. Last but not least Tensnake fires up a high octane remix of 'And I Said' that leans much towards old school New York house rhythms and the additional 'Sax' topping gives it a groovy 90s feel to it. For sure bringing back that great happy and funky flow of the original.

We hope you dig this funk and soul laden EP by Lorenz Rhode as much as we do! Enjoy!

The new album from Danish electronic trio System is a special kind of collaborative effort with piano magician Nils Frahm. His purpose-built improvisations on synth, organ and piano served as source material for the members of System (Thomas Knak, Anders Remmer & Jesper Skaaning), who merged his warm acoustic tones with their minimalist digitalism and set out to translate their distinctive clicks 'n' cuts electronics into vivid soundscapes. Over two years in the making, the resulting nine tracks are as sonically intriguing as they are touching. Ranging from the mellow bliss of the title track to echoes of 90's and 2000's electronica and ambient sequences frequented by mesmerizing movements and sounds. The blending of piano and digital tones and noises into emotive pieces might instantly recall the work of Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto, though System and Frahm come to quite different results.

Thomas Knak met Nils Frahm at one of his concerts in Copenhagen. They stayed in touch, exchanging thoughts and ideas. Two years later, Anders Remmer was also introduced to Nils. From then serious ideas for a collaboration formed. As Nils was a fan of System's self-titled debut album (released in 2002 via Pole's Scape label) their talks centred around Dub and minimalism, elements that constitute most of System's music as well as their side and solo projects. This in mind, System began producing sketches and brought them to Nils´ Durton Studio in Berlin in December 2015, where they recorded ten hours of him playing keys and effects to their drafts. Back in Copenhagen, they decided to change direction. - As Nils had told us about his fascination with our debut album, we tried to rediscover this minimal clicks 'n' cuts era. But hearing Nils playing to our rhythmic beds, we felt the need to scrap those beats and instead head in a more cinematic direction.'

So they started building new pieces from the Durton recordings, maintaining some of the minimal and static quality while new layers of synth sounds and noises created a richer and more organic quality compared to older System albums. The solo projects of Thomas (Opiate), Anders (Dub Tractor) and Jesper (Acustic) always relied on steady beats or rhythmic material, so the productions of 'Plus' with their focus on acoustic and melodic elements, ambient layers and cinematic moods, sees them pushing forward into new areas.

This way, the trio avoided copying what they had already done years ago, when they built a reputation as Denmark's prime originators within electronic music in the 90's and 2000's. 'Plus' is a triumphant example of collaborative experimentation and may be the dawn of a new era for System: - For us it was really satisfying to focus more on actual sound rather than rhythmic aspects. There is a lot of potential in this field, so it would only be natural for us to pursue this, maybe as a series of collaborations with other people who's music we admire.'

Too Pure and Beggars Arkive reissue 'Peng!' and 'The
Groop Played Space Age Batchelor Pad Music' on clear
vinyl.
'Peng!' is the band's 1992 debut album. 'The Groop
Played Space Age Batchelor Pad Music' is an 8-track
mini album, released in 1993.
Often noted as being one of the most influential and
original bands of the 90s, Stereolab were formed by
Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier in London in 1990 and
released 13 studio albums, 15 EPs and numerous
singles. Simon Reynolds commented in Rolling Stone
that the group's early records form 'an endlessly
seductive body of work that sounds always the same,
always different.'
They are often noted as being one of the most
influential and original bands of the 90s. Theirs is a
rich, overflowing palette, readily able to blur the gulf
between Os Mutantes and the BBC Radiophonic
Orchestra; merge Krzysztof Komeda with the Velvet
Underground, Francoise Hardy with Neu! and Burt
Bacharach with Esquivel. A deluxe blend, in other
words, with ingredients plucked assiduously from
pop's coolest outposts: 50's lounge, Rive Gauche
chanson, Brazilian tropicalia, North American art rock,
East European film music, Krautrock. hi-fi test
recordings, mood music and more. Somehow they
distil these apparently incongruent components into
an ageless exotica that is all their own.

Too Pure and Beggars Arkive reissue 'Peng!' and 'The
Groop Played Space Age Batchelor Pad Music' on clear
vinyl.
'Peng!' is the band's 1992 debut album. 'The Groop
Played Space Age Batchelor Pad Music' is an 8-track
mini album, released in 1993.
Often noted as being one of the most influential and
original bands of the 90s, Stereolab were formed by
Tim Gane and Laetitia Sadier in London in 1990 and
released 13 studio albums, 15 EPs and numerous
singles. Simon Reynolds commented in Rolling Stone
that the group's early records form 'an endlessly
seductive body of work that sounds always the same,
always different.'
They are often noted as being one of the most
influential and original bands of the 90s. Theirs is a
rich, overflowing palette, readily able to blur the gulf
between Os Mutantes and the BBC Radiophonic
Orchestra; merge Krzysztof Komeda with the Velvet
Underground, Francoise Hardy with Neu! and Burt
Bacharach with Esquivel. A deluxe blend, in other
words, with ingredients plucked assiduously from
pop's coolest outposts: 50's lounge, Rive Gauche
chanson, Brazilian tropicalia, North American art rock,
East European film music, Krautrock. hi-fi test
recordings, mood music and more. Somehow they
distil these apparently incongruent components into
an ageless exotica that is all their own.

Available as either a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set or a 6LP/1 Blu-ray set, both packages include:

· The original album, now newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. For the LP set, Grundman prepared an all analog direct to disc vinyl transfer of the album, preserving the authenticity.

· Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes, which presents 20 never before heard demos and studio outtakes. Included are incredibly intimate demos for song ideas Hendrix recorded himself on a reel-to-reel tape at the Drake Hotel, as well as early recording session studio takes featuring guest appearances from Buddy Miles, Stephen Stills and Al Kooper. Full tracklist included below.

· Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68: Part of Experience Hendrix's Dagger Records official bootleg series, this live album documents their triumphant Los Angeles concert held a few weeks before Electric Ladyland was released. The recently discovered two-track soundboard recording captures the energy that had the audience in such a frenzy that many concert goers jumped into the reflecting pool that separated the bandstand from the seats. Full tracklist below. Experience Hendrix's Dagger Records releases are physical only so this will ONLY be available as part of the physical release with no digital.

· Blu-Ray: includes the acclaimed full-length documentary At Last... The Beginning: The Making of Electric Ladyland, the first ever 5.1 surround sound mix of the original album overseen by Hendrix's original engineer Eddie Kramer plus the original stereo mixes in uncompressed 24 bit/96 kz high resolution audio. NOTE: unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances the documentary will not have translated subtitles.

· Electric Ladyland 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition includes a full color, 48-page book containing Jimi's handwritten lyrics, poem and instructions to his record label, as well as never before published photos from the recording sessions that were shot by Eddie Kramer himself. Also included are essays by celebrated journalist David Fricke and Hendrix authority John McDermott

· All contained in a numbered luxe casemade book for CD+Blu-Ray release and casemade lifttop box for the LP+Blu-Ray release with new cover art which is true to Hendrix's original vision of the album's cover: a Linda (McCartney) Eastman photograph of the band and children at the statue of Alice In Wonderland in New York's Central Park.

For its next release, No.19 Music welcomes one of dance music's most celebrated contemporary artists in Ryan Crosson for a new single coming on vinyl and digital.

Crosson is a true techno tastemaker who hails from Detroit. He's released on long established labels like Minus, as well as going on to form Visionquest with Seth Troxler, Shaun Reeves and Lee Curtis, and the label of the same name where he also put out key EPs and LPs with Merveille. From headline sets at festivals round the world via club gigs at the most tasteful venues in the scene, he is a real giant of underground dance music with studio skills to match, as this standout three tracker proves.

Superb opener 'Comet Pills' is a deep and thoughtful track that encourages your mind to wander off into the cosmos. Slick drums and melancholic chords set the tone, while the bass fleshes things out and sci-fi details bring out a cinematic quality.

The brilliantly mysterious 'Roscoe' is expertly stripped back and reduced house music that takes you on a trip. It's quick and smooth, with watery sound design, soft hits and muffled vocals adding intrigue to a track that is both cerebral yet designed to make you move.

Last of all, 'Snake Oil' is another fully realised offering which journeys to the edges of the galaxy, with long lingering ambient pads suspending you in mid-air as squelchy synths and shuffling drums keep one foot on the dance floor.
These are three terrific cuts of seriously atmospheric house and techno.

Georgia Anne Muldrow returns with a modern soul classic in the
making - 'Overload', via Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder record label.
An incredibly talented vocalist, songwriter and producer,
Georgia Anne Muldrow effortlessly spans jazz, soul and hip hop
and, during her 12 year career, has collaborated with Madlib,
Erykah Badu, Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange, Bilal and Robert
Glasper.
'Overload' was executively produced by Flying Lotus, Aloe Blacc
and Dudley Perkins.
For fans of NxWorries, Erykah Badu, The Internet, Madlib.
Notable collaborations on 'Overload' include Dudley Perkins,
Shana Jenson, Moods, Lustbass and Mike & Keys (50 Cent,
Nipsey Hussle, Snoop Dogg, G-Eazy), who contribute
production to four tracks including the sleek, anthemic title
track alongside Khalil (Dr Dre).
CD digipack. LP pressed on 180g heavyweight black vinyl in an
artworked innersleeve housed in a 3mm spined outer sleeve
with digital download card included.
Artwork by Martin Norwood (Nice Dreams Studio). Layout by
Adam Stover.
'No one sings a heavy love song like Georgia Anne Muldrow' -
Pitchfork Best New Track
'Beautifully poised between classic 90s R&B and something
strange, disorientating and psychedelic.' - The Guardian

To put it simply, 'True Meanings', the fourteenth Paul Weller solo album, the twenty sixth studio album of his entire career, is a record unlike any he has ever made before.

'True Meanings', is released on September 14th and is an album characterised by grandiose-yet-delicate, lush orchestration: an aesthetic to which Paul's better-than-ever voice, singing some of his most nakedly honest words, is perfectly suited. A dreamy, peaceful, pastoral set of songs to get lost in, it is both an album that a lot of his faithful audience have been wanting him to make for a long time, and an album that many new people outside of that audience will relate to.

On the 25th May this year, Paul Weller turned 60: a milestone that has unquestionably had an impact on the feel, both lyrically and musically, of 'True Meanings' which comes across being the most singer-songwriter-style album he has ever made. However, it is also the most collaborative: with more guests than any record he's been involved in before.

As well as all the members of Weller's band, Rod Argent of the Zombies provides Hammond organ on 'The Soul Searchers' and piano and Mellotron on 'White Horses'; folk legends Martin Carthy and Danny Thompson add picked guitar and double bass respectively to 'Come Along'; Little Barrie plays lead guitar on 'Old Castles'; Lucy Rose sings backup on 'Books'; and 'Movin On' is the result of a 'scratchy demo'on Paul's phone that was sent to Tom Doyle of the White Label project. Even Noel Gallagher makes a sneaky appearance.

Perhaps most surprisingly of all, especially given how personal and introspective 'True Meanings' feels, lyrics for four of the fourteen songs here were written, to Weller's melodies, by others. Connor O'Brien from Villagers came up with the words to opener 'The Soul Searchers', while 'Bowie', 'Wishing Well' and the closing 'White Horses' are all the work, lyrically, of Erland Cooper from Erland & The Carnival.

'True Meanings' was produced by Paul Weller except 'The Soul Searchers', which was co-produced by Paul and Conor O'Brien and 'Movin On' which was co-produced by Weller and White Label. The album was engineered and recorded by Charles Rees and mixed by Jan Stan Kybert.

The album was recorded in just over 3 weeks at Paul's own Black Barn Studio, with the aforementioned, revolving cast of characters dropping in for a day here and there. The orchestration was added soon after, and that was that. It is always a good sign when the recording of an album is swift, and here you can just hear that the man at the centre of these songs is as focused and inspired - more inspired, even - than he has ever been.

The New York Downtown Producer/Composer Returns With His First New Album In 3 Years

EIGHTEEN: the year of release, 2018. EIGHTEEN: the age at which I first used a synthesizer.

In creating EIGHTEEN I worked independently in the studio, initially building up tracks with synthesizers and found sounds recorded in my daily comings and goings. After working with the tracks over a period of months,I shared them with a few musicians, who added their own instrumental layers. Though working independently, we all shared a similar working process: working in our personal recording spaces, as opposed to larger recording studios.

The musicians are: Gabe Gurnsey (drums) of Factory Floor, with whom I collaborated on the Beachcombing EP and performed live at London's ICA. I appear on Gabe's newly released album Physical;

Larry Saltzman (guitar) has played in my Love Of Life Orchestra since the 1970's. Well-known for his work with Arthur Russell ('Kiss Me Again', Flying Hearts), he is in high demand in NYC by acts such as Simon and Garfunkel;

Paul Nowinski, (bass) has played with LOLO since the 1980's. Paul has an impressive list of credits, including Les Paul, Keith Richards, Bernard Purdie and the Boston Pops; Matt Mottel, (electric piano), is the newest addition to the Love Of Life Orchestra. He is half the duo Talibam!, a leading act in the noise jazz scene; Lewin Barringer, (guitar), is a talented guitarist and producer in Philadelphia.

After mixing the final tracks, I brought the mixes to Berlin. There I worked with the brilliant mastering engineer Mike Grinser who helped to give the album a unified sound.

I think of this album as electronic music. It was created in my home studio, using analog and digital synthesizers, found sounds recorded on my phone, and instrumental parts contributed by friends. Finely crafted melodies and harmonies are set against subway noises, street construction, and distant foghorns. Sometimes there are sustained clusters, generated by my leaning against the keyboard. Deliberateness paired with randomness: this is what guided the artistic process.

This album is atypical for me as I am not playing saxophone. (I do play one reed instrument - a harmonica.) I grew up with the sax as my primary instrument. Yet my father was a radio journalist so the reel-to-reel tape recorder was a ubiquitous presence in the family home. From an early age,

I experimented with the tape machine: recording, overdubbing and splicing tape. I learned about Varese from Frank Zappa liner notes; I read John Cage's 'Silence.' Electronic music was on my radar.

My first exposure to an actual synthesizer came when I recorded my first single at the fabled Sound City Studio in Van Nuys, CA. The studio had a custom Neve board, but it also had a firstgeneration Moog modular synthesizer sitting unused in the maintenance room. I asked and they kindly let me experiment with it. Soon, I enrolled at the University of California - San Diego after I discovered they had separate studios for their Moog and Buchla systems. These large modular synthesizers were affordable then only by institutions and rock stars. But these would be soon eclipsed by smaller, cheaper synths in the 70's and early 80's. In the same way, recording studio technology became accessible in the 90's. . And thus the personal computer and digital audio allowed studio quality production in the home studio. Electronic music had become democratized.
Handmade music by way of digital technology: this is the music of EIGHTEEN

Compilation of the works by MJ Lallo, weird harmonizing mantras layered with drummachine rhythms.. Very psychedelic compositions where she uses her voice to create all kinds of sound(scapes)
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Take Me With You is a revelatory voyage through the captivating universe of voice artist and poet MJ Lallo. The works on this 2LP compilation were all recorded in her home studio between 1982 and 1997, primarily using drum computer, synth and her own voice processed through a Yamaha SPX 90 digital effects unit. They range from wordless harmonizer mantras and primitive drum computer meditations, to psychedelic latin dance-floor anthems and synth-drenched end-of-the-nighters. Lallo has created her own inimitable galaxy of sound where the human voice, liberated from the constraints of language and abstracted using digital technology, is able to explore the outer realms of human expression, like Joan La Barbara with an Eventide and a new-age sensibility. Although Lallo's flight path is distinctly her own, her journey converges with other travellers as diverse as Jon Hassell, Laraaji, Stereolab, William Aura, Laurie Anderson, Meredith Monk, Gertrude Stein and even Terry Gilliam (whose film Brazil was a big influence on Lallo). Like something beamed in from another planet, Lallo's work is both fascinatingly strange and strangely familiar, and will leave a lasting impression for lightyears to come. Double gatefold LP, remastered DDM pressing.






[E B1 | Midnight in the Sky

Confunktion Records own Mr. Confuse returns with his fifth studio album 'Only A Man'.

This album is about the depths of Mr. Confuse and therefore a very personal album in a way. From well-known soul topics of love and hate to social issues of modern life - this album is all about an odyssey through time, rhythm and music.

Times of big studio personals are long gone so a big part of creating this album was the imagination what kind of instruments, musicians and sound design is wanted. With up to 16 international musicians, Mr. Confuse created incredible sounding big arrangements.

The way Mr. Confuse produces his music is inspired by growing up with the 90s hip hop producer technique of creating something new by referring unheard funk and soul. This from of appreciating 60s and 70s music in order to bring it on a new level of musical expression is a clear trademark of Mr. Confuse.

The process of sampling and resampling recorded musicians creates an organic, powerful, authentic and danceable funk sound, which can be heard in each and every second on this record.

Twisting electro funk from the 80s into heavy 60s and 70s funk that could have been the blue print for the original version became a true Mr. Confuse feature already years ago. This time he re-funked the well-known freestyle electro classic 'Let The Music Play' by Shannon.

Also one of the reasons it's entitled 'Only A Man' is because it means composing, producing, arranging, mixing, recording, organising, promoting and going abroad preforming by just one 'man'.

It's bit special this time cause a side is an early 90s house anthem AKIS produced and on the flip side you have the demo he recorded at Vangelis Katsoulis studio during the late 80s.

This special limited edition DAVID BOWIE 7" picture disc, is a double A-side of the radio edits of 2018 versions of ZEROES and BEAT OF YOUR DRUM. Both tracks are from NEVER LET ME DOWN (2018), a new version of the 1987 album featured in the forthcoming boxset LOVING THE ALIEN (1983-1988) which is released on 12th October. 
 
NEVER LET ME DOWN (2018), is a new production of Bowie's final 'solo' album of the '80s. Producer Mario McNulty worked on the tracks at Electric Lady Studios in New York with longtime Bowie musicians Sterling Campbell (Black Tie White Noise, Outside, 'hours...', Heathen, Reality and The Next Day) on drums, Reeves Gabrels (Tin Machine, Black Tie White Noise, Outside, Earthling and 'hours...') & David Torn (Heathen, Reality and The Next Day) on guitars and Tim Lefebvre (Blackstar) on bass. 

ZEROES, the lyrics of which reference Prince's Little Red Corvette was Bowie's salute to the '60s. He described it as 'The ultimate happy-go-lucky rock tune, based in the nonsensical period of psychedelia'. Mario McNulty commented, "Stripping this song down to its core revealed a track that could have been right at home on Hunky Dory, I kept Peter Frampton's sitar (which was originally owned by Jimi Hendrix) as it still fits against the new guitars from Reeves Gabrels'. 

Of BEAT OF YOUR DRUM Mario McNulty says, 'David Torn's ambient guitars start the song that now lead into a much darker world than its shiny predecessor. David sang all the backing vocals on this which I have kept.'



Y

BOMB!!!!!
* The first release from the mysterious old 90's drum n bass warriors operating under a new guise alongside Technical Itch on production duties.
* 90s vibes but with modern production standards.
* If you know that era of drum n bass you will undoubtedly know who they are but their identity will remain strictly confidential.
* Wishing to remain anonymous in todays often fake and overly narcissistic scene, Brakken have chosen to remain locked in the studio, shrouded in mystery.
* DJ performances by members if the Tech Itch Recordings crew but not the producers themselves.
* Press / Promotion: Club and radio play from many DnB DJs will special support from many of the scenes founders.

Harlem's legendary Disco label Queen Constance has long been a cult favourite among fans of underground dance music for decades.

One of many labels operating under the equally legendary P&P family of imprints Land Of Hits was operated by one Peter Brown, a truly colossal figure in NYC's music scene, it's catalogue still fascinates music lovers to this day. Covering a wide range of styles including Gospel, early Rap and Disco the label's output continually finds it way into the playlists of respected DJ's and selectors across the globe. Mistafide's colossal old-school rap behemoth 'Equidity Funk' has long been a record that makes the serious collectors salivate and is now here in full 12" form repress, too legit to quit.

Not much is known about the crew behind 'Mistafide', their government names are listed online but this is the only record they put out using this name. Suffice to say, this has no impact on the fury and style with which the MC's deliver their raps, backed with the studio nous of impresario Peter Brown. Across 12 minutes 'Equdity Funk' is a slamming Disco-rap monster, interpolating elements of the evergreen B-boy jam 'Theme From SWAT' it sounds like everyone just got into the studio and went for it. In the style of the times this is the real hip-hop flavour, a live band, some MC's and some death defying bars being dropped, proper old school. A truly rare recording, 'Equidity Funk' has been one of those records fans of the Disco-rap era have been fiending for for decades - often commanding prices over the $1000 mark you can now grab this slice of essential NYC street Funk.

This is a 100% legit reissue, made in conjunction with Above Board distribution and the Demon Music group, remastered with love by Optimum Mastering, Bristol UK.

Next up on Nang it is time for a slice of spot-on male vocal house and disco. Liverpool based Thomas Lang made some fine albums in the 80s and 90s with John Murphy (who went on to carve a highly successful career in movie tracks) and David Hughes. Somewhere in between that and a string of recent albums (Torch Songs and The German Alphabet) he also managed to buy one of the finest recording studios in North West England, Parr Street Studios (the "Abbey Road of the North").

We are pleased here at Nang to see a new avenue turned in Tom's life, his first foray into the dance world. "Scared" was written with late Liverpool songwriter John Uriel quite some time ago. It first emerged as a b-side to Tom's comeback single "August Day" in 2011. Here at Nang we always loved the smooth and sophisticated vocal and melody. When Tom suggested some remixes we were on board.

"Scared" is a peak time vocal house track, here presented with remix options.

The a-side sees fellow Liverpool DJ crew The Imposters taking the track on a dubbed out trip, before flipping over for their hypnotic, swing-house rework which highlight the layered vocals and smooth sax. Camanchi take us for some peak time House action.

Glasgow's Wheelman provides the tenth iteration of DBA's Dubs series, following a series of high profile releases on Huntleys & Palmers, Studio Barnhus, and his own Stereotone label. Signal is Wheelman's most ambitious effort to date, its searing amen stabs and deep sub bass guaranteed to wreck any club, while floating pads and crystalline strings add a bittersweet moment of rave nostalgia to the breakdown.

On the flip, in line with the DBA Dubs concept of pairing a house track from an up and coming UK producer with a remix by an established techno name from across the pond, Detroit In Effect provide a cold, bleep-drenched take which raises the tempo of Wheelman's original to an almost breakneck speed. D.I.E, also known as Cybonix, were prolific throughout the late 90s and early 00s on their own M.A.P. label and more recently on Rotterdam's Clone.

To coincide with the release of the tenth edition in the DBA Dubs series the label are also making all ten original tracks available as a digital package, while all ten of the remixes from the series get their own bundle, with Wheelman and Basic Soul Unit providing a megamix of each edition respectively.

Reissue of thisearly 90s Czechoslovakian balearic style oddity. TIP!
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Jindrich Parma originally created this record as a studio project on his own 'Parma Productions' label in '91. The release was the debut of the musician 'Karya', and although the singer has become fairly prolific, 'Muž Ze Skla' (The Man Of Glass) remains an anomalous release in her catalogue. In fact, the song never actually featured the singer we know as 'Karya' today, and was solely the experiment of Jindrich and Company. With a balearic house sound that never really had a parallel in the country, this remains a truly unique Czechoslovakian record. Reissued for the first time on a 12".

A long time ago, in a Norway far far away in time, keyboardist Bugge Wesseltoft introduced his New Conception of Jazz to the world. We're talking about the late 90s, when Bugge's cosmopolitan blend of jazz, hiphop and techno beats was pretty much the coolest music coming out of Norway at that moment. That was a golden time for Norwegian music, in fact, when the rest of the world began to sit up and take notice that something was stirring up north, and realised the music was more than just glacial tones hurtled from icy mountaintops and frozen lakes. This was the sound of urban Scandinavia.

A few years later came the electronic dance genre 'space disco'. Along with Todd Terje, Bjørn Torske and Lindstrøm, Prins Thomas was at the epicentre of this next big wave to surge out of Norway. Now, the two generations have come together in this exclusive collaboration between Bugge and Prins Thomas on the Smalltown Supersound label. Jazz and electronics combine for that energising vitamin D shot of Nordic sunshine.

The Rainbow Studio in Oslo is a familiar name to anyone who follows the ECM label - many of its classic 1970s jazz albums were recorded there under the eye of resident producer Jan Erik Kongshaug. Bugge and Thomas booked a couple of sessions at the legendary space with Kongshaug at the controls, and improvised some tunes in the style and spirit of some of their favourite ECM moments, like the fresh, open sounds of Codona, Egberto Gismonti, Oregon and Kenny Wheeler. Bugge had previously done a remix of Thomas's 'Bobletekno' in 2015 but this is the first time they have worked together as active musicians. The results - also partly taped at Thomas's home studio - fuse programmed rhythms, live synths and percussion, all captured in a sumptuously spacious acoustic.

For an even more authentic touch they called up one of their all time local heroes and one of Norway's most famous jazz drummers, Jon Christensen, who's been the go-to guy for Jan Garbarek, Terje Rypdal, Keith Jarrett and many more. At 75 years he's still pretty spry behind the kit, as you'll hear on several tracks here.

Make no mistake, though, this is not retro pastiche but contemporary music, coasting on gently insistent programmed grooves and bubbling basslines. The whole thing feels not so much like a consciously hip fusion of DJ and jazz musician, more like two great musicians totally enjoying themselves. Which is exactly what it is.

Key facts:
Bugge Wesseltoft is one of Norway's leading jazz figures. He set up Jazzland Recordings in 1996. His solo Christmas LP It's Snowing On My Piano remains Norway's best selling jazz album!

Prins Thomas's real name is Thomas Hermansen. His label, Full Pupp, means 'full breast'. He's released several albums under his own name, as well as collaborations with Bjørn Torske and Lindström. Check out his amazing Paradise Goulash mixtapes.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- INCLUDES INSERT

Alanis Morissette released some of her bestselling albums during the mid-90's, before writing some of her more complex songs in the zero's. Her sixth studio album So-Called Chaos deals with subjects like cynicism, bitterness and jealousy, but she acts in a happier way. The records reaches out to a more serious approach, but the catchy refrains stays intact. Romanced by her relationship with actor Ryan Reynolds she reaches out to unconditional love on her single Everything'. The opening track Eight Easy Steps' is layered in the ideas of self-destruction, while the new-age sounds of the synthesizers creates the imagination of Out is Through'. Allover it's an satisfying record in which she searches for answers in a more hopeful way.

Four years after her debut album Alanis Morissette released her million seller Jagged Little Pill, which includes her singles You Oughta Know', Ironic' and Hand in My Pocket'. She released eight studio albums and sold over 75 million records worldwide.

Pietro 'Bingo' De Lisi and Alex Carpentieri aka Italian duo System of Survival, have long been renowned for their raucous live cuts, the likes of which have firmly established their name amongst fans of discerning house and techno. Regulars at Ibiza institution, Circoloco at DC10, the boys knack for a tune has also brought them to the attention of respected label outlets such as Bpitch Control, Freak n'Chic, Moodmusic, Rawax and Get Physical. However, their latest release - released here via the emerging Deset Music - might just be their best yet. The label's inaugural release sees the boys perk up with two stunning originals and are back by remixes from none other than two Chi-town legends, Boo Williams and Ricardo Miranda.
Opening up the sounds of the release is 'Nu Soul Era'. A raucous, deep cut that displays all that's excellent about System of Survival, this one goes firmly down the rabbit hole in search of kicks. Characterised by its quite brilliant and catchy baseline, the action is dark and trippy throughout, with a firm emphasis placed on a groove that never lets its guard down throughout. A majestic start to the EP, it gets us underway with some distinction.
System of Survival's other original is 'Funky Left Funky Right'. Again, the duo expertly showcase their penchant for melodic structures, this time via a bleepy baseline that's perfectly suited to peak-time floors. Ricardo Miranda's interpretation goes deep and off-kilter, but remains true to the original's full-on characteristics. A stunning indication of the producer's eclecticism and studio mastery, it's an intoxicating take on a track that's never lacking in suspense.

Seeing us out the door is Boo Williams' remix of 'Nu Soul Era'. The 'Mortal Trance' producer can always be relied on to bring the heat in his own inimitable way, and he does so here with the sort of panache for which he's best renowned. Injecting the original with every more bounce, he wastes no time in getting down to business, setting his stall out via an acid-led, 909-flavoured remix that offers up a tantalising version of what's arrived before. An all-round stunning EP of various shapes and sizes, there's plenty here for fans of discerning house and techno to get stuck into on this one.

In the studio Prototype 909 was a group that rarely agreed on a clear idea of exactly what they were trying to accomplish. The entire project was an experiment, and every time they hit record there was nothing better for them to do than to just try stuff.

Whenever it came time to put together an album they would go through what they had recently done and nd the tracks that seemed to fit together well, or that at least sounded like they were made by the same group. That left on the cutting room foor some really amazing worst that somehow just didn't 'fit" their goals at the time. At Schmer, we remember. P-909 leftovers have Schmer written all over them...

These four tracks were all recorded live in the studio in between their three studio albums 93-97. Brenecki ( half of Ontal ) provided his remix inspired by one of them.

"Hyperdrive" and "Datafash" were recorded shortly after Acid Technology was released in 93. They come from the "lets make Acid Technology Vol 2 approach'. That would have made a really cool record had they done it but they decided on making Transistor Rhythm instead. "ANOISE-NYC" aka "The Tracs that Dietrich Hates" is what you get when you let Jason go nuts on a Doepfer MAQ-16
( they never made that mistake again ). "Bobo" is possibly the most prototypical P-909 tracks ever: it took three guys making their own tracks simultaneously almost ignoring what the others

were doing but somehow mixing them into a flow to make this one, but it all comes together nicely in the end. Its amazing that they never released it before.

You've enjoyed the wait, now enjoy your "new" Prototype 909 while it still is new!

Left of centre experiments from the Dutch underground of yesteryear. Muziekkamer was the name of the home recording studio that gave birth to the twelve tracks on 'Popmuziek', an intriguing document of sketch arrangements and primitive, fairytale sampling wave cuts. This is music which excels due to its inherent naivety; the limitless ambition of 'Black Box' almost sounding like a precursor to the 90s ambient techno of Likemind or Stasis. On 'Being Home Tonight' we can hear an early form of what the likes of Tolouse Low Trax have been bringing to the forefront of contemporary club culture whilst the erratic art-rock of 'Walkman' mirrors what Leven Signs & co were doing over the pond. In trying to create something which represented 'intrusiveness' as a contrast to an earlier ambient tape the trio incidentally blurred the lines between various musical fashions to come. An amazing snapshot of time and place!

It's been over 10 years since the release of Gui Boratto's breakthrough full length debut 'Chromophobia'. As to what its title suggests, he shook up the techno game with a contrast of lushly coloured minimal grooves and melody, whilst many will recall that the album included the highlight single Beautiful Life' which became a dance floor anthem for that era. Four albums in and countless EPs and remixes under his belt, the Brazilian producer's unique savoir-faire in carving out a functional album out of diversely routed singles and features is back at it on his fifth studio LP, 'Pentagram'. Here Gui Boratto lays down a nuanced 12-track narrative that reinvigorates his signature sound into a refreshingly different perspective that feels all too familiar - including the return of Beautiful Life' vocalist (and Gui Boratto's wife) Luciana Villanova on the single "Overload".

Through his signature kaleidoscopic approach, Boratto delivers an album built as a far-reaching hub-and-spoke system, broadly inclusive as can be. From the opening cut, 'The Walker' - hot on the trail of Tears For Fears 'Elemental' (one of Boratto's "favourite 80's bands") - to the hi-NRG euphoria of 'Forgotten' and its pounding tech alter ego 'Forgive Me'. "I was going into 2 different directions", Boratto says, "the typical indie- electronic-rock' Boratto kind of production like It's Majik' or Like You' and a much more techno approach." He goes on, "I decided to split them into two twin sister songs. When I play live I always put these two songs together."

The Brazilian Producer further embraces the pop-friendly essence of his past work on tracks like 'The Phoenix', featuring vocalist Nathan Berger, and 'Overload', both melding acidulous synthlines with laser-precise breaks, vox hooks and drops calibrated for extended radio and club use, although sieved through his distinctive rainbow-hued musical prism. For the symbolists out there, the album's pared-down closer '618' duration accidentally happens to equate the proportions of the said pentagram. "Coincidence" Boratto questions, and capsulises, "not so ufanista and supporter of Brazilian neo-concretism, but I guess the brazilian sculptor Lygia Clark also inspired me a lot. Not the meaning of her sculptures, but the shape of the hinge of most of her work. I've wanted to transmit the scientific pentagram's point of view. It's not a religious kind of thing."

Whereas 'Spur' (a field-tested 808 and 909-heavy "purist track", "very, very old school" Boratto insists) and 'Alcazar' are sheer smooth-edged four-to- the-floor epics, the album also shares its lot of startling moments, such as with the John Barry'esque 'Scene 2' (with a hint of Amon Tobin, 'Easy Muffin' style, throw in) and its refined string-laden buildup, 100% fitted for a 007 opening credit sequence, or with 'Hallucination' (feat B.T.) and the further James Holden-ish title-track 'Pentagram' (think 'The Idiots Are Winning'), "one of those exercises I did when I got my Buchla modular synth" Boratto analyses, "I think I've used more then 30 different snares, with different delays and reverbs. The whole song is alive". And so is 'Pentagram' in its entirety: alive and definitely just as manifold and hopeful as its architectonics are the stuff of science and dreams all at once.

Es ist zehn Jahre her seit der Veröffentlichung von Gui Borattos bahnbrechendem Debütalbum - Chromophobia . So wie der Titel vermuten ließ, war das Album mit seinen kontrastreichen Minimalgrooves und den üppig gefärbten Melodien ein Schocker im besten Sinne. Ihr erinnert euch sicher noch an die Hit-Single - Beautiful Life , eine Dancefloor-Hymne aus dieser Zeit. Nach vier Alben und unzähligen EPs und Remixen ist das einmalige Savoir-faire des brasilianischen Produzenten, aus vielfältigen Singles und Features stimmige Alben zu schaffen, auch auf seinem fünften Studioalbum - Pentagram zu hören. Hier legt Gui Boratto ein Zwölf-Track-Narrativ vor, das seine Handschrift auf erquickende Weise wiederbelebt. Wiederbelebt wird auch die Stimme von - Beautiful Life (die der Frau Gui Borattos gehört) auf dem Stück - Overload .

Durch seinen charakteristisch kaleidoskopischen Ansatz liefert Boratto ein Album, das gebaut ist wie die Speichen deines Fahrrads, von dem Opener - The Walker - direkt auf der Spur von Tears For Fears - Elemental (einer von Borattos - favourite 80's bands ) - zur Hi-NRG-Euphorie von - Forgotten und seinem stampfenden Counterpart - Forgive Me . - Ich bin in zwei unterschiedlichen Richtungen gegangen , sagt Boratto: - den typischen ,Indie-Electronic-Rock'-Weg wie in - It's Majik oder - Like You und den Techno-Weg. Er fügt hinzu: - Ich hab mich entschieden jedem Track seinen Zwillings-Track an die Seite zu stellen. Immer wenn ich live spiele lege ich die zwei Stücke zusammen.

Der brasilianische Produzent erschließt weiter die Pop-Essenz seiner vergangenen Arbeit auf Tracks wie - The Phoenix (feat. Nathan Berger) und - Overload . Beide kombinieren zwitschernde Synthi-Melodien mit lasergenauen Breaks, Hooklines, Drops und sind wie gemacht für die Rotation und den Club. Und für die Symbolisten da draußen: die Länge des reduzierten Closers - 618 beträgt zufälliger Weise genau die Proportionen des besagten Pentagramms. - Fügung , fragt Boratto und fasst zusammen: - Ich bin kein Anhänger des brasilianische Neo-Konkretismus , aber ich glaube die brasilianische Künstlerin Lygia Clark hat mich sehr inspiriert. Nicht die Bedeutung ihre Skulpturen aber die Form der meisten ihrer Arbeiten. Ich wollte den wissenschaftlichen Blickwinkel auf das Pentagramm übersetzen. Nicht im religiösen Sinne oder so."

Während - Spur (ein erprobter - purist track auf der Basis von 808 und 909, - sehr, sehr old school , wie Boratto betont) und - Alcazar glatte Vierviertel-Epen sind, hält das Album auch Überraschungsmomente bereit. Z.B. das John Barryschen - Scene 2 (auch eine Spur von Amon Tobins - Easy Muffin ist darin zu hören) und seinem Streicher-Aufbau, der hundertprozentig geeignet wär für eine Eröffnungssequenz in einem Bond-Film. Auch - Hallucination (feat. B.T.) oder der James-Holden-hafte Titeltrack - Pentagram (wir denken da an - The Idiots Are Winning ) wäre da zu nennen. - Einer dieser Übungen, die ich gemacht habe, als ich meinen Buchla-Modular-Synthesizer bekommen habe, war , erinnert sich Boratto, - mehr als 30 verschiedene Snares, Delays und Reverbs zu verwenden. Der ganze Song sollte am Leben sein. Und so ist - Pentagram im Ganzen: lebendig und sicher genau so vielfältig wie sein Bauplan, der auch der Wissenschaft und den Träumen zugrundeliegt.

Crosstown Rebels celebrate their fifteenth year with their monumental 200th release. American DJ and producer Arthur Baker reunites with Rockers Revenge for the first time in thirty years. To complete the package, dance music heavyweights Francois K and Michael Mayer take on remix duties.

On A Mission is exactly that, 'a mission of love, a mission of peace'. The positive vocals hark back to those of early 90s house tracks, which created unity through music and clubbing. The rhythmic beat of the drum is determined, as percussive layers build and the vocals bleed into the synths. Francois K provides two variations of the track. His remix features more prominent drumbeats driven by a growling bassline. On his rockers dub version, Francois goes all out and dubs us into the stratosphere. Up next is the Michael Mayer remix, with a more electronic take on the original with driving synths and a whirring, throbbing bass-line.

Created in 1982, Rockers Revenge was the brainchild of Arthur Baker and Donnie Calvin. Donnie provided lead vocals with Baker's wife, Tina B, Dwight Hawkes and Adrienne Dupree Johnson on backing vocals. Their most prominent track, Walking On Sunshine, was a post-disco hit reaching #1 in the US dance charts and #4 in the UK charts.

Three years ago Baker and Hawkes reconnected through social media with Baker sending through his original Mission idea. Baker is known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Planet Patrol, and New Order whilst also remixing the Pet Shop Boys' 1986 hit In The Night. Fast forward to 2018 and the group performed a monumental live show at Get Lost Miami, and are currently in the studio working on new material. This Summer they will shoot a new documentary and perform live at various events.

Camea's latest release on her imprint Neverwhere pays homage to her hometown Seattle's original underground rave warehouse, NAF Studios, where she went dancing in the late 90s and began her journey that ultimately landed her in Berlin. Also where Nirvanna's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video was filmed (and ironically now a Catholic publishing house), the hedonistic venue is legendary to those who picked up rave flyers scattered on the streets of Seattle and took a chance on an emerging new electronic music scene. Both originals reflect the raw warehouse vibe of this era, and Matrixxman and Markus Suckut have weighed in with heavy remixes. Markus puts his signature on the NAF 97 original with a deep space atmospheric techno banger, and Matrixxman reworks the original 303 recordings in Jack U, sending it into another dimension - and even further.

First released in 1995 on Jonah's own Aba Christos Tafari Records,Intergalactic Dub Rockis a trip. While the 90s rave continuum buried down the hole of cosmic sci-fi culture, dub's fascination turned elsewhere after 80s touch-stones like Shaka'sBrimstone & FireandCaptain Ganja and the Space Patrol(re-issued by Bokeh last year). But Jonah takes things way far on this, his most adventurous outing: let your needle cruise along these bleeps and strings of 50s space travelling dreams, and the flutes and melodicas of planet earth, hear them clang with the hardest dub FX units the UK could buy at the time. It's one of the most righteous and outward-looking steppas LPs, now liberated from the hands of Discogs-types with a previously CD-only bonus track, 'White Nile'.

Inyotef, Bongoman, Jahman Dan, Kheru - Jonah Dan goes by many names and many trades - akete nyabinghi master, vocalist, producer and filmmaker. For many years he was the go-to studio percussionist for the UK dub scene, collaborating with basically everyone: Paul Fox, Jah Warrior, Robert Tribulation, Jah Fingers, Tony Roots, Alpha and Omega. Along with Bush Chemists (stars of BKV 020...) and Disciples, he toured the continent, spreading the message of UK dub and laying the seeds for a lot of the EU scene today. At some point his Aba Christos Tafari Records morphed into Inner Sanctuary, one of the greatest 90s labels still in operation, go check.

Apollo proudly presents the return of SW, joined by partner SVN for a sublime 6 track EP. SW's lush sound design and hypnotic arrangements of 2017's 'The Album' had hearts and minds swooning following it's license from SUED to Apollo.
It's balmy glory won over Pitchfork ('deeply expressive debut album' 8/10), Rolling Stone (best electronic albums 2017) and XLR8R (Best releases 2017) amongst many others.
One year later, SW and SVN have gone into the studio, together; 'to make some original music specifically for Apollo. The results are the 6 tracks on this EP,' they share in a typically taciturn statement.Taking inspiration from the iconic house and techno of the mid / late 90s - SW and SVN combine dreamy melodies and mesmeric grooves with unfussy, focussed minimalism, their beguiling, modern take on classic sounds and rhythms remains thrillingly unique and elusive. While SW and SVN are more comfortable out of the limelight, this 6 track EP for Apollo once again proves that they are rightly worthy of the hype that swirls around them.

Oddball space disco/fnk tracks, composed between 1970 and 1985. Big tip!
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A master of the mixing board, from the late 60s until the 90s Bernard Estardy was the wizard of French musical recordings. As head of CBE studios, he shaped everything from Gérard Manset's concept albums to Claude François' hit singles, Françoise Hardy's delicate tear-jerkers and Michel Sardou's soul-stirrers. This giant' had his hand in the whole range of mainstream French music by making his studio a veritable playground for experimentation. His legendary album La Formule du Baron,' released in 1969, and the eight LPs of production music he made between 1974 and 1978 for Tele Music are vivid proof. In the CBE studio, which she runs today, his daughter Julie Estardy discussed his singular career.

Coletivo Vandalismo kick-start a new 12" series for the Contort Yourself label. Hailing from the city of Porto the duo also DJ under the name GAM and released their debut LP on Lake Haze's Eye For An Eye label. Their music has an immediacy that seems to stem from a background in live performance as opposed to polished studio sessions - an improvisational punk aesthetic that manages to carry this EP so strongly. Wild, crashing fx and unrecognisable vocal distortions layer atop wonky 90bpm drum machine grooves and the pair even show off what may be their turntablism skills on 'Zombie Zombie'. There's a nod to early concrete on the closing track 'Black Sun's Demise' with whirring, mechanical noise motifs suddenly jolting us into punishing gabber-at-33-minus-8 territory. The DIY spirit is alive and well here and the feeling that things could fall apart at any minute just adds to the tension.

2x12"

An artist as versatile as Alex Krüger is a rare find these days, not only did he release numerous EP's and albums as Tigerskin or Korsakow since the mid 90s, he's also been on the forefront of the 'Dub Techno' movement since 1999 with outings on classic labels such as 'Raum...Musik", 'Force Tracks' and '3B/ United States of Mars". Now ten years after his last album on 'Opossum Recordings' Alex is back with this well crafted genre bending full length 'Caves & Cages". From deep techno cuts through rippling ambient excursions to funky reggae infused live jams with Haushausen this work is yet another milestone in the creative bubble Alex lives in (i.e. his studio). A predominantly analogue producer, Alex recorded most sounds for 'Caves & Cages' on his modular synths and vintage gear at Organic Domain during 2017 and early 2018. Throughout the album tension ebbs and flows effortlessly via syncopated subs, analogue improvisation, subtle chord stabs and sustained swells interspersed with textured field and home recordings. The ambient opener 'Intra' sets the tone for the album. Rich with alien atmospheres, distant soundscapes, out of reach voices and licks of live instruments dug up from numerous recordings dating back as far as 30 years, even before Alex started his electronic journey. The sojourn ventures deeper from there. Subaquatic dub techno is the mood on 'King's Cave", 'Helix' and 'In Air' only surfacing ever so slightly for moments of clarity where shimmering tops and glistening synth lines shed some light on the steady grooves. The tracks 'Future History' and 'Transition State CIV' border on deep house territory.

'Source', a new release by Wolfgang Tillmans, comes in an original version and two remixes by legendary German producer Roman Flügel.
The sixteen-minute original version is a vocal piece in which Tillmans explores his abilities to generate vocal sounds to tell a story while refraining from using actual words. Meshing six different sequences into one composition, each sequence investigates different moods and emotions meandering between the guttural, sacral, and absurd. Recorded in a studio session in 2017, the piece focuses on the immediacy of vocal improvisation as much as on its post-production and edit.
Tillmans knows that whatever is achieved through spontaneity can as easily be lost, as he recently told Emily Bicks in a feature for 'The Wire': I am, of course, always planning things ahead, and I am managing an archive of 25 years, and communicating in the now with dozens of contacts, but the fortunate thing that I feel I've retained is an ability to get in touch with this moment of being in the here and now, and seeing, or hearing, or allowing words or melodies to pop into my head in such moments.
The A-side and an additional bonus track are both remixes by German producer Roman Flügel. In a ten-minute remix, the multi-faceted producer stays true to the original's spontaneity and develops changing arrangements wherever Tillmans' vocals are creating momentum. Exploring various directions, Flügel's experience allows him to glide effortlessly through the different sequences. The bonus 909 Mix instead takes a tighter direction with claps and high-hats and builds up around Tillmans' staccato laughter before culminating in beautiful house piano chords.

The title may suggest a specific origin, a 'source' that is to be located, but in Tillmans' understanding it is a transient space abundant of undiscovered possibilities.
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