After her first releases on TC80's Sequalog Records and Bobby’s Pleasure Club, B.ai lands with her 3rd solo EP on System Error's sub label, Fresh Tunez. The Chengdu, China based artist has been an integral part of the Chinese Underground years for the past years, playing regularly in the local scene and touring China's small but well connected electronic music underground scene.
With this release consisting of tracks produced over the course of the last 4 years we take a peek into her artistic development and range as a producer with dance floor weapons to more dreamy but driving tracks. A powerful EP showcasing her very own signature sounds.
The Accessory geezers are letting loose for this Summer with co-label head Simic returning to showcase his skills for the dancefloor groove. Following the release template since the label's inception it's another three tracker which brings all the goodness to the table, like always.
'Seven Years Of Love' is our second label compilation with nine original tracks by resident artists and friends from around the world. The versatile vibe spreads across two parts, each dedicated to a certain dancefloor mood: System 108 and RadugaDiscoClub. Outstanding artwork has been created by Uno Moralez.
Part 2 is an ode to the colorful and diverse world of RadugaDiscoClub. Freaks, artists, dancers, bears, ladies and all the sexy people! On Side A it is 'Heavenly Grace' by Lipelis that seduces us first, followed by 'Angelic', a big summer track by the stalwarts from Cream Soda. With side B it goes down down down down! Simple Symmetry brothers appear for the first time on the label with 'Elephant On Speed', a fantastic story about an elephant who is feeling great. Closing the compilation is '2061' by Matias Aguayo, Comeme founder and legendary music-maker. The laid back rhythm euphoria reminds us of his earlier productions, somewhere around the era of 'Are You Really Lost' LP on KOMPAKT, but '2061' is the future.
Bobby's 2019 tour ended in New York City and he had two days off before flying home to Finland. Leon invited him to the Diamond Mine to record some music. Bobby had been talking about wanting to stretch out lyrically and write about more esoteric subject matter, Leon was game. They recorded "Reasons" in one session which put the chemistry between the two on the world stage and sparked the idea of doing a full length album together. More than halfway through the recording process, they have decided to treat us to another two-sider of the new material. On the A side, "Whatcha Know" Bobby explores death and the human experience, putting his philosophical ponderings into his music. Michels' production and overall ethos is the perfect compliment to Bobby's desire to stretch out his sound. EMA provides a gorgeous backing track that compliments Bobby's style and simultaneously broadens its scope. The B side "Losing It" is a dramatic and moving number that Bobby sings in Spanish and English. A gorgeous guitar riff is countered with eerie sound effects that crescendo when the drums come in. Bobby professes he's "Losing It" over a love too strong and El Michels Affair's production turns the whole affair into a saga that thunders through speakers.
Manda Moor steps out on Mood Child for the first time as the label co-founder links with mysterious talent Trangaz for four fresh productions on their collaborative ‘Peligro’ EP.
Ever since dropping her debut release in 2020, Danish-Filipino talent Manda Moor has been on an impressive upwards curve and one that doesn’t seem to be slowing anytime soon.
Having dropped back-to-back releases on Jamie Jones and Lee Foss’ iconic Hot Creations imprint, the hotly-tipped DJ/producer and label founder heads to her Mood Child label for the first time. Founded and created alongside Sirus Hood, the label serves as an artistic platform, a community-focused label, and an events series that delivers quality music via digital and physical formats, plus NFTs, unique experiences, and more. An ‘invitation to a journey that blends feelings, emotions and desires’, with takeovers at Hï Ibiza, Café Mambo, Lovefest, Fabrik and more, the first release saw Sirus partner with fellow Frenchman Malikk, and now the second arrives in perfect time for the peak summer months as Manda combines with Boogeyman and Pakate signee Trangaz.
New York City born-and-raised, he draws lines between primitive and futuristic sounds and rhythms influenced by world travel and different cultures, and the two reunite for their four-track ‘Peligro’ EP.
Crafted together in Ibiza, the EP showcases sonics capturing the island’s unique magic. Lead cut ‘El Peligro (Ibiza Mix)’ is a production made after a special day at the coves and hidden treasures of Atlantis, under full moonlight near Talamanca, with the rolling organic drums grooves, playful vocal murmurs and vibrant melodies journeying deep into the night.
Next, ‘Tagalog’ keeps the energy bubbling with another percussive workout sprinkled with vocal interjections and spoken words in the native Filipino language it is named after, while B1 ‘Chatita’ is a slinking production as wonky stabs meet and snaking low-end grooves. Closing the EP, the pair deliver the most stripped-back track with ‘Buena Vibra’ as a killer groove guides vocal chants to wrap things up in fine fashion.
Manda Moor & Trangaz ‘Peligro’ EP drops via Mood Child in July 2023.
Melts In Your Mind is the mercurial new LP by Healing Force Project, aka Italian producer Antonio Marini.
An amorphous, shapeshifting, intangible proposition, Melts In Your Mind represents Healing Force Project at it’s most fluid and alchemical yet, a melon-twisting amalgam of jazz, dub and acid house tropes mulched and rearranged in inimitable style. Seemingly live and erratic polyrhythms, liquid basslines and expressive roving keys combine with kitchen sink sample hits and rogue licks for a thrilling, constantly shifting, alive sound. It’s music that’s difficult to grasp on first or even fourth listen, and as such continues to reward on repeat. Rather than going somewhere, tracks just go, rarely repeating motifs but riffing on, digging into and working out.
Behavior Of Waves sets the scene discretely enough, a simple bass refrain that is eventually overcome with an urgent rhythm that stumbles over itself into a post-dub cavern. The title track resembles a scramble of disparate earthly sounds - lurking synthesizer, restless popping drums, West African balafon and a muted vocal sample - sucked into the same swirling black hole and dropped into another dimension, completely cohesive. Equator acts as loose-limbed palette cleanser, an unmoored drift gently driven forward by an insistent snare roll and improv piano stabs. Inharmonious Layer stands out on the record for being less reliant on samples and by it’s relatively predictable unfolding, a queasy acid lope from the darkest corner of a deviant dancefloor, while on Diaphonization Marini flexes his aptitude with drum sampling, a bouncing excursion in sampled loops interrupted by unironic jazz cliches, the product of an omnivorous lover of the genre’s high and low. Melts In Your Mind closes on the droning tambura, ethereal pads and scattered rhythm of Two Waves In The Dark, a suitably metaphysical and ultimately peaceful resting place for a record that challenges perceptions from the outset.
Marini has released records as Healing Force Project on Firecracker, Berceuse Heroique, Bedouin and most recently Beat Machine Records. He’s based in Treviso, Italy.
Melts In Your Mind was written, produced and mixed by Antonio Marini. It was mastered by Chris Wang. Art and design by Ginji Kimura.
Welcome to Soul4Real’s second album, a collection of originally unreleased tracks which feature a whole host of soul royalty.
First off are two songs from the inimitable Bobby Bland, both of which hail from his prolific period at Duke Records.
Sandwiched between two stunning Chicago recordings by Etta James is the later “I Never Meant To Love Him”, taken from a Philly session she recorded with Bobby Martin.
Fontella Bass brings this side to a close with a mysterious Chicago recording of which, to this day, hardly anything is known.
Side two transports us to Detroit, when Motown was at the peak of its output. 1966 was not a good year to secure the approval of quality control, as proven in the rejection of this wonderful Velvelettes´ version of “Your Heart Belongs To Me”.
It was in that same year that Ashford and Simpson arrived at Hitsville as both singers and songwriters. Their “Love Woke Me Up This Morning” was recorded by Brenda Holloway and produced by Norman Whitfield. Despite being overlooked at the time, its appeal was undeniable, and it later resurfaced on albums by Marvin & Tammi, Valerie Simpson, and the Temptations.
As an integral member of the Motown family for over 14 years, it is surprising that to date only three songs recorded by Johnny Bristol have surfaced. In collaboration with ‘Mickey’ Stevenson “Tell Me How To Forget A True Love” was completed in May 1964.
“One Lucky Day I Found You” was inexplicably not included in the ‘David’ project. Ruffin´s later work with Van McCoy is also featured on this album.
From almost the start of his career, Marvin Gaye had endeavored to project himself as a great balladeer, and nothing could illustrate this better than his rendition of “I Wish I Didn’t Love You So”, which brings this chapter to a perfect end.
Nach einem Jahrzehnt der Abwesenheit erwachen The Mars Volta aus ihrer langjährigen Auszeit mit einem gleichnamigen Album, das ihr Selbst-verständnis radikal reformiert.
The Mars Volta wurden 2001 von Gitarrist/Komponist Omar Rodríguez-López und Sänger/Texter Cedric Bixler-Zavala gegründet und gingen aus der Punk-Rock-Band At The Drive-In aus El Paso hervor. Mit dem Ziel, "unsere Wurzeln und unsere Toten zu ehren", schufen The Mars Volta Musik, die die lateinamerikanischen Klänge, mit denen Rodríguez-López aufwuchs, mit dem Punk und Underground-Lärm, in den er und Bixler-Zavala jahrelang eingetaucht waren, und den futuristischen Visionen, die sie verfolgten, fusionierte.
Die folgenden Alben waren einzigartige Meisterwerke, deren Songs von atemberaubender Komplexität und zugleich von kraftvoller emotionaler Unmittelbarkeit geprägt waren.
Nachdem die Gruppe verstummt war, hielt eine Vielzahl von Fans (darunter Kanye West) die Trommel für ihre Rückkehr aufrecht. Das neue Album schüttelt einige der langjährigen Traditionen von The Mars Volta ab: Nur zwei Stücke sind länger als vier Minuten, und der
schwindelerregende, abrasive Prog-Stil der früheren Alben ist nicht vertreten. Stattdessen pulsiert "The Mars Volta" mit subtiler Brillanz, karibische Rhythmen untermauern die ausgefeilte, turbulente Songkunst.
Das ist The Mars Volta in ihrer reifsten, prägnantesten
und konzentriertesten Form.
Kinn turns the Post-Rock continuum inside out with his sophomore album, Dogtooth.
Shifting focus between his present self and his misled teenage years, 'Dogtooth' sees London born and raised sound art graduate Fred Lomas contemplate the vulnerability of youth, addiction and suicide as Kinn. Unabashed in their creative ambition, Kinn's tongue-in-cheek 'dread-voyeurism' is underpinned by a palpably sincere vulnerability that seeps through their dynamic and rewardingly dense records.
An insight into Fred's formative years can be unraveled from his nickname "Dread", originally given to him by his parents. Growing up in North London as a 'constantly out of the house' youth, Fred only had eyes on any counterculture he could find to defy the city's notorious empty capitalist centric mainstream culture, skateboarding, graffiti, and terrible punk bands which would only last 1-3 rehearsals (max). As a teenager he experienced the notorious 2011 Tottenham riots, which is often referenced in the artist's output and greatly informed their sensibilities. Barely an adult, he was confronted first hand with concepts of constant hostility and corruption which were seemingly welded to his surroundings, corruption formed by high rises and international political scandals taking place only a short journey away.
Even today, Dogtooth reflects on this contrast of community and anger and surmises it to be part and parcel of modern metropolitan life, looking to peel away the bad looking for meaning, comfort and ways of goofing off amidst oppressive forces, sirens and snake oil salesmen everywhere.
The Intergalactic Research Institute for Sounds is proud to present Requiem for Robots. For this latest transmission, Florina Speth aka Schloss Mirabell joined forces with a group of robots that were built by Kay Sievers (versioduo.c..). The musical question this record states is: “Who animates what?”
The physical body of these robots consists of a wooden cuboid, a single string around which a round, internally strung bow revolves, and a motorized finger which can press down the string. They produce sounds that are very similar to the cello. They display unusual characteristics such as motor noises, infinite sounds or sometimes scratchy and gruff qualities. In addition, there is the extraordinary level of kinetic expression created by the bow circling around the string. Taken together, precisely these peculiarities form a unique instrument profile, a character which is emphasized in the presented project.
Florina Speth, born 1983 in the mountains near Salzburg, started playing the cello and piano at the age of 6 and began studying music at the “University Mozarteum Salzburg'' at Clemens Hagen when she was 11. She won several prizes and was part of orchestras such as the Bayerisches Landesjugend Orchester and Salzburger Junge Philharmonie. Always keenly interested in contemporary music, she loves bridging experimental arts with science. She composes and works with cello and cello robots. She regularly collaborates with Dasha Rush, Hüma Utuku, Nicholas Bussmann, Lucile Desamory and Larissa Lackner.
Rowle is coming with its awaited 9th release from the closed friend Viceversa, who is back after his succesfully previous release 005. On this one he delivered 3 classic tracks full of melodies and percussions, perfectly in line and evolution with his unmistakable style. On the remix duty the romanian star Floog with a killer dancefloor version. Already supported and played by Sublee, Sit, Barac, Cally, Mihai Pol, Silat Beksi, Herck, Raresh, Vlf, Vincentiulian, Giuliano Lomonte and many others.
The colossal Caposile Music strike once more with a heavy hitting house EP. This sought after summertime jam comes from resident and long time family member, Maggio. The flourishing Italian talent enforces the driving force that is After Caposile with three driven and animated grooves for the peak hours of the party. Accompanying him with a stellar remix is acclaimed live performer and producer, Vitess, the Frenchman showcasing his consistent sound, living up to the Caposile ethos with great effect.
This is “Discoline”.
Title track “Discoline” cruises on an irresistible elastic groove, shimmering synths and pads shine bright, breathing life into the rolling structure of the track. This one living and breathing a pure and infectious summer time energy. Packing a serious punch is “Vertigo”, built upon crisp drum arrangements and another dynamite bass line for the heads. If you are looking to go up a gear on the floor then you are in the right place.
On the B side Maggio’s “Outer Space” leads the way. The aptly named track prepares you for lift off with its distinctive chugging, sub heavy bass. Sprinkles of spaced out vocals tease you down a path of curiosity. Vitess rounds off the EP with another recipe for dance floor frenzy in his remix of “Discoline”, playful yet effective frequencies to ignite the flight, an essential for the record bags of many in the coming months.
CPSL005 lands off the back of the “Sound Of Garden” volumes 1 and 2, and with this latest addition to the catalogue it ensures the label and club continue to cement themselves at the forefront of the scene for underground minimal and house, continuing to spread like wildfire. Become part of the Caposile family this summer with some sincere day time action from within their circle.
Tamango Records boss Yaya heads to TRMNL Records as he unveils his latest EP on the imprint, backed by remixes from Salty Nuts head honcho Fabe and label resident Vito.
Heading up his Tamango Records imprint while serving up killer cuts and remixes on Desolat, Moan, Revival New York and more, Yaya is a man in high demand across the globe. With his take on house music bridging influences from Africa to Italy, his percussive-driven and slick sound has made him a favourite for those looking for productions leaning towards the more energetic yet minimal end of the genre. That style is on show once more as he adds a new label to his catalogue. Joining the likes of Djebali, East End Dubs, Ray Mono and Samu.l, late July brings the release of his new EP ‘Para Siempre’ on UK imprint TRMNL Records, accompanied by a slick pair of remixes from Fabe and Vito to shape up the package.
Title track ‘Para Siempre’ is a skippy and bouncy lead effort as crisp drums, a zippy bassline, and warped vocals go to work to showcase a production bursting full of vigour, while ‘Umbrella Corps’ leans towards more organic, rolling percussion arrangements, shuffling rhythms and elastic melodies guide things towards the later hours. On the flip, Fabe steps up for the first remix as he brings his signature groove-led style to proceedings for a swingfuelled slice of funk, before Vito’s crisp take on ‘Umbrella Corps’ closes the show with a final injection of early hours goodness.
Early DJ Support:
Joseph Capriati, Marco Carola & ALISHA
"We find ourselves venturing into the depths of a rugged terrain. In our hands, we hold stones and minerals, each possessing its own distinct texture, weight, and sonic potential. It is through the artistic touch and through the musical instruments that these earthly treasures, once dormant, are awaken to life." — Sara Oswald + Feldermelder
The 3rd collaboration of prolific cellist Sara Oswald and electronic musician Feldermelder evokes captivating sensations that oscillate between impending doom and hope. The albums' sonic journey is highly immersive, transporting the listener from one cerebral landscape to another. The transformative nature of metallic elements being integrated in sustained orchestral tones weaves the sonic tapestry, resulting in a captivating experience for the listeners. The organic sounding — reminiscent of minerals' timbres — brings a touch of brightness and a distinctive edge, while the orchestral harmonic structures lend a sense of grandeur and continuity. The origins of this music remain enigmatic, while the tracks of the album gradually unveil concealed aspects and the hidden truth.
One can step into a realm where melodies are reborn, as Sara Oswald's cello spins tales and emotions burst forth. Nature's eternal splendor intertwines with the essence of music, as she infuses harmonies with the soul of mountains. Vibrant hues come alive with delicate strokes, and cascading notes resonate with a select few. Feldermelder conjures profound echoes that swirl like ancient whispers of the earth's primordial past. He sculpts textures, from fragmented glitches to expansive atmospheres, that warp the fabric of reality. The two musicians merge together harmoniously, blending the acoustic and electronic worlds into a transcendent unity. This fusion of contrasting elements adds a unique and intriguing quality to the music. The cello's warmth merges with pulsating electronic beats, creating a symphony of contrasts and sonic upheaval. Each composition is woven in intricate layers, combining electroacoustic architecture with delicate precision. A subtle balance of chaos and control permeates the music as it meanders through the labyrinth of the mind. The soundscape unfolds like a grand tapestry, distant echoes murmuring like grains of sand.
Trained in baroque cello and advocating improvised music, Sara Oswald is the perfect match for sound artist and electronic musician Feldermelder. She plays solo, composes for film and theatre and collaborates with musicians like The Young Gods, Pascal Auberson, Sophie Hunger and Julian Sartorius. Feldermelder is a polymathic creative whose artistry spans composition, sound design, installation and code. He is co-founders of -OUS and part of Encor.studio, a collective of artists who specialise in creating immersive audio-visual installations. Through his work, he explores the idea of secrecy and its impact on our lives, using music and sound to create a thought-provoking and immersive experience for his audience.
Finally the wait is over. Played for years as an unreleased weapon – not only by Priku - Ave is this kind of track where you just can’t forget the synths. You will still hum them while walking the streets months after. The mighty melody can catch the whole crowd creating memorial moments on the dancefloor.
B1 with „For your love“ is an older track but old is gold, right? It fits perfectly with its house beat and sexy vocals on the B-Side. The track gets even more love on top from Bärtaub with an excellent sounding remix – as usual for their work - completing the Ep as the B2. Thank you guys.
Paul Walter, who definitly defined producing as his lifestyle, runs also Meduka Records and has released music on labels such as Do Easy Records and Neostrictly.
Die Australier VOYAGER legen mit ihrem brandneuen Album "Fearless in Love" ihren bisher epischsten Electro-Progressive-Pop-Metal vor.
Das Album ist eine berauschende Mischung aus 80er Jahre Synthpop und modernem Progressive Metal und bietet ihr bisher mitreißendstes und hymnischstes Werk.
Mit den Eurovision-Favoriten "Promise" und "Dreamer", dem pulsierenden "Prince of Fire", dem beschwingten "Submarine" und vielem mehr ist "Fearless in Love" Prog-Metal auf höchstem Niveau, der alle Genregrenzen und Erwartungen sprengt!
Mahalia is set to release her brand-new, sophomore album titled ‘IRL’ on July 14th with the pre-order set to go live on May 11th.The album will feature the singles ‘Terms and Conditions’, ‘Cheat’ and ‘In My Bag’ with album features including Stormzy, JoJo, Joyce Wrice and Kojey Radical.
Aptly titled IRL, Mahalia is particularly incessant on doubling down on vulnerability, internal reflection, and a desire to feel, in the realms of love specifically as demonstrated on her last project. “I feel like there’s even more personality on IRL. I want people to see me how I see myself.” Emboldened by her inflections, insights and young adulthood, Mahalia is not only breaking the mould on IRL, but determined to live life cognizantly. “This is a real reflection of the journeys I've had, what actually happened and a celebration of everyone who got me there. There are names and family members I mention because it all helped in shaping who I am,” Mahalia rationalises. With an innocent, yet assured gleam appearing on her face, “I’m so proud of this project, and so proud of how much I challenged myself to just let those stories out.”
Christened in many Grammy, BRIT, Soul Train and MTV Push nominations over the years, as well as two MOBO-wins for Best Female Act, and Best R&B/Soul Act, Mahalia still proves that beyond the accolades, an overarching dedication to persistence is what’s driven her to look inward, grow and ultimately challenge herself with each and every release to date. Standing as one of British R&B’s most successful contemporary faces, Mahalia continues to grow and establish herself in both her tact as an artist, but in building more robust ruminations sonically. As she evolves, her success becomes even more bonafide, both on home turf, but abroad too (she’s cracked the US Adult R&B Charts three times to date).
With her legion of 3.3M monthly Spotify listeners, the penultimate Saturday slot on the West Holts stage at this year’s Glastonbury festival and an opener performance for Adele at Hyde Park last summer, as well as a stellar prime-time Commonwealth Games closing ceremony set, there’s more territory to break. “I’m almost glad Love and Compromise didn’t go completely sky high, it’s given me room to keep developing, keep growing and go higher than I’ve ever been before. I’m so ready to bridge the gap now, I feel like I’m absolutely playing the long-game.”
This latest instalment of ARTHUR BAKER Presents DANCE MASTERS finds the production/ song-writing/ remixing maestro taking the spotlight for a long overdue snapshot of his own classic 12” mixes during a crucial evolution of dance music, club
and pop culture.
“I’ve always felt like I was on a mission to make music from the time I heard Motown, Philly and Sly and the Family Stone. My mission started as a hobby and still feels like one now. You’ve got to keep on pushing and hustling. It can be a drag sometimes but
if you really love what you’re doing, it’s worth the work. I still really love what I do.”
Arthur Baker helped codify the remixer as artist. His genre-fluid approach to projects
has resulted in a joyous myriad of classics that spans many decades. This ’80’s focused DANCE MASTERS collection offers a welcome glimpse at Baker’s illustrious career and many long out-of-print 12” versions and previously unavailable mixes.
This 35-track, six LP expanded edition includes a wide array of selections from the likes of Robbie Nevil’s “C’est La Vie,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Big Love,” Neneh Cherry’s “Buffalo Stance”, Jeffrey Osborne “Soweto”, Freeez “I.O.U”, Rockers Revenge “Walking On Sunshine” and of course the juggernaut “Planet Rock” with Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force.
Complete with in-depth liner notes by Bill Coleman, track by track notes written by Arthur Baker himself, previously unseen session photos from Arthur’s personal archives and a signed insert.
All tracks remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering
We couldn't be happier to announce the first Mapache Records compilation after all these years. ONE MILE FROM HEAVEN is a dreamy travel through the 70's and beyond private singer songwriters scene.
There have always been privately-pressed records. Such a "private" LP is an album that has been composed, performed, recorded and edited usually very-DIY style by the very artist or by an amateur label. A private press record is, above all, an act of the artistic urge. It's an act that takes place outiside of the industry out of need, out of a lack of knowledge, out of love, out of a drive, out of ambition... you can choose among the many reasons.
Depending on their genre, origins, time, and above all, quality, some of these efforts have become valuable pieces for the music collector. Having been created behind the "canonical history of music" written by the industry, every now and then an archaeologist will bring to the surface an artifact they have found in some basement or flea market, or that was kept covered in dust in the shell of some old recording studio soon to be torn down.
All these records have their own story, and some are still especially relevant, and others are but small footnotes in the encyclopedia of music that made their way into the margins of the mainstream world. These are the most limited of editions (and mostly locally made ones) of largely unsociable and mostly unobtainable records--and when found, they are often exorbitantly priced. Many of these marginalized and onscure artists have stayed alive only through the wonderful work of tireless song rescuers, music lovers, vocational archivists, collectors, and record labels with an idealistic drive. These romantics have been rescuing and indexing a form of music that very few have showed interest in until recent years. This record is a tribute to all of those who managed to make these songs not be lost to time. Above all, this release is a tribute to all those artists who recorded their songs on their own, mostly because they couldn't keep the music inside themselves.
Introducing our first limited edition vinyl release LOK Records from Floog
Floog's tracks are energy-oriented, featuring melodic, raw sounds and vocal hooks, that alternate with a more minimalistic approach.
His EP is bringing the listeners on a journey through a variety of sounds and styles keeping the connection with the dance floor.
Early support from Priku, Sepp, Nu Zau, Hostox, Lumieux, Techu, Constratti…
Four Flies is proud to present the very first 7" version of music from "Il corpo", Piero Umiliani's acclaimed soundtrack to the 1974 film that ends the exotic/erotic trilogy directed by Luigi Scattini and starring Zeudy Araya, where the Florentine composer reached one of the peaks of his creative powers.
"Chaser", featured on side A in an exclusive extended version (previously unreleased in any form), is a track with a dreamy groove that blends rock, funk, jazz, exotic and psychedelic elements into a gorgeous symphony of rhythmic sensuality.
The imperishable "Hard Times", on side B, is one of the most sublime examples of Italian jazz-funk, with an orchestration built around a stunning string section that provides incredible depth and three-dimensionality. At once exotic, percussive, and full of jazz and funk vibes, this unique double-sider is the perfect accomplice to any DJ. Copies will go very fast – it's a limited edition, don't sleep on it!
Mind Maze is, amazingly, Trees Speak’s fifth album to be released on Soul Jazz Records in the space of little over two years– an output matched only by the intensity of their music created during this short time.
The first pressing only of the album comes with a bonus seven-inch single containing two tracks that are not available on vinyl anywhere else.
As with all their previous releases, ‘Mind Maze’ is a mind-boggling tightrope walk across an array of musical influences that seamlessly create the unique present-day world of Trees Speak.
The band’s sound is characterized by a combination of German krautrock motoric-beat rhythms, angular New York post-punk attitude, 60s spy soundtracks, psych, rock, jazz, and 70s synthesizers and vocoders. There is also a cosmic spatial awareness to their sound; both personal inner space and galactic outer space, as well as a wilful pushing of sonic boundaries.
Trees Speak are a musical duo based in Tucson, Arizona, composed of Daniel Martin Diaz and Damian Diaz. Their music is heavily influenced by the cosmic magic of the natural desert landscapes of Arizona, creating a unique and captivating sound that is both experimental and innovative.
Here you will find the myriad sounds of 1970s German electronic music (everything from Can to Cluster, Popul Vuh to Tangerine Dream); 1980s New York post-punk and synthcore (from No Wave to Suicide); John Barry’s 1960s movies, John Carpenter’s 1970s horror. You will also hear the influences of French and Italian progressive rock (Magma, Goblin) as well as cosmic, new age and experimental space soundscapes …. an almost endless list of diverse influences that ebb and flow like an ocean of sound, in the process creating a truly unique soundscape that Trees Speak have made wholly their own.
The name Trees Speak reflects their interest in the concept of using future technologies to store information and data in trees and plants, with the idea that trees communicate collectively. This interest in nature and technology, combined with their passion for experimentation, has led Trees Speak to create a truly one-of-a-kind listening experience that is both unique and engaging.
If you ever wanted to hear Can, Neu!, Destroy All Monsters, Pere Ubu, electric eels, John Cage, Liquid Liquid, Tangerine Dream, Suicide, Laurie Spiegel, Art Ensemble of Chicago, John Barry, Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company, Sun Ra, Stockhausen, John Carpenter, Electro-Acoustic and Musique Concrete and Mars in one band - then this is it! Trees Speak are a band that defies categorization and offer an eclectic listening experience, both exciting and memorable.
The two bonus tracks (‘Seraphim’ and ‘Orpheus’) included with the album give us a further window into the complex mind maze of the group - two stunning acoustic tracks that explore a distinct early 70s sound of Yes, Argent and other progressive rock accolytes.
From the mountains to the sea as the region they were born in. Sometimes it's better to listen than to speak. Dmfl post-rock instrumental band deals with dreams and desires through its oneiric and cathartic compositions. Dmfl once again collaborated for their visual representations with the international street artist Millo, whose cover artwork, tuned up and focused on how listening is a way to go deeper into the emotions, descending into the core of the sound.
We are back with our series CVRD003, this time we uncover two artists for our next split EP from South America.
We are happy to introduce you first: FURZ
He embraces eclecticism and constantly pushes creative boundaries.
Inspired by the club sound of the 90s, he explores a diverse sonic palette, creating music that appeals to both nostalgia and contemporary sensibilities.
As a second not unknown artist: PRODOT
DJ/Producer from Villa Carlos Paz, Córdoba
Enamored with the roots of House music and the intricate nature of Minimal, his style emerges from the fusion and interplay of these elements, along with influences that are part of his regular listening, such as Jazz, Ambient, Trip/Hip Hop, Funk, and Rock among others.
Amy Douglas should need no introduction, having supplied song-writing and vocal duties for Horse Meat Disco, Róisín Murphy, Luke Solomon, Soul Clap, and worked with Joe Goddard on their Hard Feelings project,
Here she teams up with Craig Bratley, who dusts off the analogue synths to produce something which clearly wears its influence on its sleeve, taking in elements of Balearic, Street Soul and early Sheffield Bleep.
On the Ashigaru Dub, Craig explores these influences further, the result reminiscent of Mad Professors take on Massive Attack.
The life of the solo electronic artist is equal parts privilege and loneliness. You hurtle across the sky to spend a few hours in a dark club, behind the decks or on stage at the microphone. A brief grasp at transcendence, then the lights are on. Afterwards, you chat with friends you made last month, last year, or an hour ago. Back on the train, the plane. A couple weeks of this, then home. Repeat. It was against this backdrop that Ana Roxanne and DJ Python (Brian Piñeyro) struck up a singular friendship and collaboration, culminating in the shared musical language of their new project, Natural Wonder Beauty Concept. Brian and Ana met in New York City in the winter of 2020. They’d respectively put out critically acclaimed albums but due to extenuating global circumstances, the real-world implications of those records were yet to be seen. Ana’s debut LP, Because of a Flower, released in fall 2020, trades in both ethereality and directness, stretching timeless pop and R&B forms into shimmering ambient magic. When the Bay Area-born, Mills-trained artist sings, on record or live, time slows down and we enter a languorous yet ecstatic present. The second album from Queens-based deep reggaeton innovator DJ Python, Mas Amable, also subverts easy temporality. Released in spring 2020, Mas Amable floats in liminal space—not quite a dance record, a downtempo record, nor an ambient record—unfurling at a wistful pace, naturally suited for a strange period when each day felt the same yet wildly different.
It is during the 2018 harvest of a winery near Bordeaux that Italian producer and multi-instrumentalist Fabio Bordignon decided to create his project Allez Kiki, an affectionate nickname given by his colleagues. 3 singles followed, produced behind Fabio's computer until he took out his double bass and gathered a drummer, a keyboardist and a vibraphonist to create his backing band Fermentation.
Their first album is titled Gusto di Luce (taste of light) and refers to the taste wine takes when left too long in the sun. It contains 8 neat and electrifying jazz-funk instrumentals as tasteful as a glass of good wine in the summertime.
Montreal duo Bas Relief present a collection of rough-cut IDM and pitch-corrected emo on Insulary, a five-song EP out June 2023 on Brooklyn imprint Quiet Time. Written and compiled long distance from threads of bass music-inspired alt pop and guitar recorded in isolation, Insulary is the duo’s first substantial release since 2018. Granulated microglitches fill out the digital drum arrangements, calling on influences Baths and Loraine James, overlaid with warm piano progressions, melancholic guitar loops, and collaged vocal production.
These self-reckoning, forlorn vocals form a patchwork narrative, hazed like a shapeshifted memory, long reconfigured with each conjuring, coherence inconsistent but still there. Recurring dreams find home among recursive passages, self-referencing lyrically and with samples churned through plugins, recorded on loop until you fall upon the most satisfying aha! moment and lock it to the grid. At certain moments all the pieces combine to reminisce in sentimental shards of Porter Robinson or The Postal Service, while never straying from Bas Relief’s own vernacular.
Visiting the past in person simply by walking the routes you took in a life long past, that reenactment of memory, that attempt to capture that which you can’t – it might even be a future – is a central bolt of Insulary’s lyrical content. It’s sentimental, it longs for some past which might not even have existed, and it’s hopeful too, never capitulating to traditional structures in its embrace of unusual stylistic combinations. Insulary – brim-packed with fragments of drum and bass, uptempo electronica, and emo – is but a preview of Bas Relief’s exciting near future
Respect The Craft's archives keep growing. After a double-hitter with Ricardo Villalobos, Tripmastaz is back on solo duties for the third iteration of RTC with "Rare Sensation EP".
Filling the a-side with the warmest summery vibes, 'Rare Sensation' perfectly displays Andrei's deep love for house music - groove, rhythm, emotional chords and club-ready, euphoria-inducing samples very tightly reminiscent of the world's best beach parties. A "deeper dub" version is also available, stripping down some elements and bringing a classier, less euphoric tone to the forefront.
'3000' has the virtuosic producer back to exploring the minimal and deep tech-house realms while, in essence, still targetting the summer-drenched tropical raves. And where the original version is a driving, slightly dryer, percussion-infused affair, its dubbier 'Space Program' version brings all its elements to the astral plain, filling the space with melody and atmosphere.
Respect The Craft - a goal, a call, and a mission.
Eternally Frozen consists of a series of canon based compositions for brass ensemble, percussion and synthesizer by Andrea Belfi. The canon is an ancient compositional technique in which an initial melody is imitated at a specified time interval by one or more parts, creating illusionary never-ending musical journeys.
The work is inspired by the evocative image of the Deprong Mori, a mythological bat with the alleged ability to fly through solid matter by bending atoms by its natural skill of audio echolocation. The myth suggests that one of these bats had been “eternally frozen” in a wall of solid lead in 1952 by the researcher of the Rockefeller University, Donald R. Griffith. This story is exhibited in a display at the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, an institution renowned for both speculative, fantastical reinforcement of mythology and playful and beguiling distortions of mysterious could-be truths.
Both the canon and the “frozen” Deprong Mori are man-made illusory simulations of eternity. Their attempt is to create mirages, where the insinuation of facts is more meaningful than the reality.
After many years of sonic explorations with percussion, drums, and electronics, Belfi is here projecting himself as a composer through the direction of an astonishing brass ensemble in the realization of these canonic works. There are evident echoes of the works of Arthur Russell, Miles Davis, Moondog, William Basinski, and the Italian soundtrack tradition of Ennio Morricone and Egisto Macchi.
Undefined 014 is crafted by dutchies only! 2 not so young youngsters under the monniker 'Young Adults' are making name in the scene. They provided 4 deep techno driven peaktime cuts. The perfect blend of minimal and techno - deep kicks, thriving subs and bleeps. As a counteract weve came up with a remix by fellow dutchie Mathijs Smit - rolling tech-house, warm vibe and crisp sounds. Enjoy this dutch delightfullness.
Italianmusic producer, DJ and sound artist, Piezo, joins the Nervous Horizon roster with a 5-tracker EP titled Cyclic Wavez.
Stretching into a vast, yet coherent, sound exploration while maintaining his quirky andversatile approach to composition and sound design, the producer travels across the wide array of stylesthat inform his versatile flare.Thought-provoking, but dance floor-ready,Cyclic Waves EP is a shape-shifting, hyper-detailed and funnily weird new creaturewhere Piezo'sattention to sound design and unexpected creative choices will shock and surprise you.
5th release coming next, the 8th district is now the subject.
We're super excited to welcome estonian duo Abdul Raeva for the first time on the label and to have close friends like Ginko, Max Cohle, MLM and Takadoum
First nug is the Abdul's bomb, Concorde, which is a track with a lot of energy and starts the release with high notes. Synths, drums and the rumbling techy loops give an original energy to this track.
Second one is the Ginko's track Jungle Palazzo which is a very nice and powerful house track.
To close this side, we welcome our friend Takadoum with a very melancholy track, almost like a lo-fi track but very fast.
On the other hand, murdering tracks with MLM & Max Cohle and their acid groovy track, and the Ginko's one which is a breaky dancefloor killer.
We hope you'll enjoy it :)
NOW Music is proud to present the next instalment in our ongoing ‘Yearbook’ series – and our first to celebrate the ‘90s, NOW – Yearbook 1992; 79 tracks from a brilliant year in Pop! Available as a Special Edition CD housed in ‘hard-back-book’ packaging, including a 28-page booklet featuring a summary of the year, a track-by-track guide, a quiz, and original singles artwork, a standard 4CD package, and a Limited edition 3-LP set pressed on green vinyl.
Groundbreaking release from the early 80's produced with rather primitive synthesizers with as result "A Dog in the Night" a track with a thick sound, unusual for its time. Credited as "the sound of the future" in those days and sounding reevant today. The piece produced by Stefano Zito and arranged by Stefano Galante is after 40 years among the favorites of collectors and followers of Italo-Disco, being noted among the songs to be re-edited by Danilo Braca, the New York based Italian Dj known for his creativity! He manages to create wonderful reconstructions, often considered "works of art". Such as the version he remixed and revisited, with the strings played and recorded by Layer Bows, but above all with the additional lyrics written and performed by the superlative SuperJaimie (aka Charlotte Balibar); with her voice she gives a completely different air to this Italo-Disco jewel, now worthy of being brought to the attention of the new generations. Such a gem, made available again on high quality vinyl!
