quête:take off

* Walton kicks off 2019 for Tectonic with 4 cuts of pirate radio infused dancefloor orientated DJ tools. 'Inside EP' follows on from Walton's exceptional 'Black Lotus' LP, which dropped on Tectonic last summer, gaining widespread acclaim - even rated as The Guardian's 'Contemporay Album Of The Month'!

* What we have here is 4 tracks that all sit around the 130bpm mark, providing grime sonics to a techno compatible form. Built for those who don't really give a f**k if you call it techno, grime or bass blah blah so long as it bangs in the dance and moves those feet.

* Sampling snippets of MC's chatting between tracks, each track takes a mostly functional approach, building raw elements in a simple but effective fashion. 'Bullet #2' sets the scene, kicking off with a radio style wheel up - before dropping into rolling 4/4 square wave power moves. 'Inside' follows the mood, building towards a more rolling technoid construct. 'More Cowbell' bangs out like an old 4/4 grime anthem with a contemporary production sonic, while 'Gunshot Clap'
closes out the EP, with its swooping square wave stabs and background shouts from behind the mic.

Moff & Tarkin's second Lagaffe installment marks the label's 8th vinyl release. The release sports three original tracks from the Austrian-based Icelander and a remix from label boss Jonbjorn.

The record starts of with the track 'Buzz Lightyear', who flies us off out of the atmosphere filled beginning into the depths of the spacey synths, delays and feedback.

Followed is the track 'Friends Be like', which feels like a refreshing strut down the boulevard where everyone you meet knows you and you know them but instead of saying hello you are wearing headphones and just strut down the street nodding, winking and walking in beat with true swagger. A track with confidence written all over it.

The flip side features the track 'Takk!' which roughly translates as Thank You! in Icelandic. Maybe not roughly, but rather exactly. The track is dramatic and starts off rather stress inducing but takes a whole new direction when Moff n Tarkin adds in soothing piano chords and makes the track's whole mood switch.

Maybe its a fitting goodbye for the listener as you make your way through label boss Jonbjorn's remix which has a very warm and feel good atmosphere, lush drums and elements that add on layers to the already great original. A very personal remix and a good ending to a great record that we hope you can enjoy.

V & B

White Shadows In The South Seas is the title of a book written in 1919 by Frederick O'Brien as part of a trilogy he wrote based on his experiences living in the Pacific islands in the early part of the 20th century. His book was taken as the starting point for a film to be directed, initially, by Robert Flaherty (famous at the time for his groundbreaking documentary / fiction film Nanook Of The North) with W.S.Van Dyke as his support. The film, ultimately, apart from the title, had little to do with O'Brien's book and Flaherty left the film after a few months leaving Van Dyke to finish it.

I purchased O'Brien's book, along with many others, from Basement Books, a secondhand bookstore in Melbourne/Australia. Part of my 'Islomania' and on going fascination with all things Pacific. When I discovered there was a 1929 silent film based on the book I sought it out and started to present it as part of my 'Live Music/Silent films' repertoire. Tabu by Frederick Murnau, which coincidently also had Flaherty as co-director originally, was the first film I ever wrote / improvised a score for and presented as a live film/music performance. My repertoire extends to over 23 films now.

My eclectic and diverse musical and artistic interests extend into 'Hawaiian', 'Exotica', 'Ambient' and 'Electronic' Music. I have produced several volumes of so called 'Electronic, Ambient, Exotica' on CD and Vinyl, including Kiribati, Globe Notes, Rayon Hula ( on Vinyl, CD and digital format ) and most recently, New Globe Note on Vinyl and White Shadows In The South Seas on CD.
White Shadows In The South Seas features some of the music presented in my live screenings of the 1929 silent film.

The film is the story of Dr. Matthew Lloyd, an alcoholic doctor who is disgusted by the exploitation by white people of the natives on a Polynesian island. The natives dive for pearls, however, numerous accidents occur and one diver dies. In anger, Dr. Lloyd punches Sebastian, the employer. As revenge and to prevent further interruption of his activities, he tricks Dr. Lloyd onto a ship with a diseased crew (thinking they are ill) and his men rough him up and send the ship off into a storm. Dr. Lloyd survives and is washed ashore on an island where none of the natives have ever seen a white man before. Lloyd is rescued and ultimately falls in love with the chief's daughter, who is Taboo, hence Lloyd is prevented from pursuing his love for her. An incident occurs and a young boy is thought to have drowned but Lloyd is able to revive him, earning him points and permission with the chief's daughter. Lloyd begins to realise that the local islanders have no sense of the value of the black pearls which grow in abundance around their island and he starts to dive for them and collect them. One morning the white man Sebastian unexpectedly turns up on a scooner and starts to offer the islanders trade for their pearls. Llloyd tries to interrupt the encounter and is shot and dies. His wife and the islanders morn for his dead body and, symbolically, the passing of a way of life.

Mike Cooper plays - Electric and acoustic lap steel guitars / electronics / Zoom Sampletrack / Kaos Pad / Casio SK1 / Korg Drum Machine / Self Made Instruments.

It also features field recordings made on Pulau Ubin by Mike Cooper during a month as Artist In Residence for The Artist Village / Singapore.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Lawrence English (Room40 Records) for his assistance and encouragement with the original recordings and the CD version of White Shadows In The South Seas.

All music written and played by Mike Cooper PRS/MCPS - except Po Mahina (trad. Arr. Cooper) and Hilo Hanakahi (trad. Arr. Cooper)

Recorded and Mixed at the Steelworks in Rome 2012/2013.

A White Shadow In The South Seas
In February 2014 'A White Shadow In The South Seas' was the title of an audio-visual installation I made at the Teatro In Scatola in Rome, Italy, presented as part of a series of sound installations titled 'Visitazioni' produced by Proposte Sonore.

The essay below, as well as our collection of Hawaiian shirts, Exotica and Hawaiian vinyl records, was an inspiration for this installation.

'..the transformation and reconstitution of the souvenir commodity as an indigenous ethnic art form and a scarce relic of Hawai'i's romanticized past...' from - Clothing and Textile Reasearch Journal - From Kitsch to Chic by Marcia A. Morgado.

And....
Michael Thompson's Rubbish Theory (1979)
' ...a critical aspect of Western culture is the pre-disposition to see objects in terms of two overt categories: the transient and the durable. Objects identified as transient have finite life spans and lose value over time, whereas those identified as durable have infinite lives and over time increae in value....category assignments are arbitrary, but once assigned a category membership determines relative value. Fashion apparel-by defenition-is assigned to the transient category; paintings commonly are designated durables....how is it that transient objects.. ( e.g. Hawaiian shirts and vinyl records ) ..sometimes become durables.

Objects assigned to the rubbish category are largely invisible, have no value and, ideally, no life span. Fashion for example, no longer worn and relegated to the back of the wardrobe has fallen into the covert rubbish category. But rubbish can be rescued and transformed. Thompson says ' What I believe happens is a transient object gradually declining in value and in expected life span may slide across into rubbish. Here it exists in a timeless and valueless limbo where it has a chance to be re-discovered and be successfully transformed to a durable. Such transferes are radical: objects gradually slide from transcience to rubbish, but the transformation from rubbish to durable involves an all-or-nothing leap across two boundaries, that separating the worthless from the valuable and that between the covert and the overt. Things drift into obscurity but they leap into prominence.

The delightful consequence of this hypothesis is that in order to study the social control of value we must study rubbish.

The rubbish-to-durable transformation is accompanied by the development of highly specialized knowledge derived from the discovery of subtle variations and complex details that went unnoticed in the objects transient stage. The discoveries initiate renewed interest in the object and its market value begins to climb. As prices soar beyond the reach of ordinary people, the object becomes available only in high priced collectors' markets. Furthermore, as market values rise, the aesthetic value of the object undergoes a reassessment as well, and it becomes increasingly apparent that the objects intrinsic beauty has been overlooked. Ultimately the object is re -assigned as a durable and becomes recognized as a timeless classic.

Exotica, Ambience and Pacificism - A dialogue with Mike Cooper & Professor Philip Hayward Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor of Research Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia.

Off the back of the highly conceptual project 'Plata - Last Dayz', Circadian Rhythms quickly return to focus on their white label series and solidify their signature sound. CRWL003 takes form of three club driven tracks from the arsenal of Leicester based producer R@ (Lewis Ireson). The 21 year old's current studies in Video Game Development have evidently started to seep into the ferocious sound that has drawn him attention.
His praised debut EP 'Neural' was released on Stella Beats in October 2018 and following his DJing debut at the CR003 Live event alongside Mssingno and Plata, he now continues this run with his first vinyl release, showcasing his signature production.

The third release in the Anopolis trilogy coincides with the founding of Anopolis Records.
Like the previous two EPs, DIMADOU takes reference points from the sound of the 90s and avoids getting bogged down with track titles. The first track, A19 is noticeably influenced by the Sheffield scene and Rising High records. The EP continues with the heavy bass line and the TR-707 drums of A18, a strong nod to the Chicago sound. On the B side, drum machines dominate in A21 and A20 with their piercing sound hinting towards the style of Ron Hardy. Rounding off the EP is the atmospheric A17 and its warm, hazy pads.
This final part of the trilogy is simultaneously the beginning for further releases through the project s new imprint Anopolis Records.

Malfunctioning speakers, & digital dreamscapes, SQUIRRELS ON FILM's 4th release explores the outer reaches of techno with impolite, reckless abandon.
Psychedelic sound explorer Its Own infinite Flower, who was
responsible, along with head squirrels Solar & C.l.a.w.s., for San
Francisco underground punk rave/happening Hostile Ambient
Takeover, unleashes his first official release, The Plumes of Love (ARE BLACK!). After contributing a track to 2017's Spacetime Continuum/ Juju & Jordash curated Air Texture V compilation, this four track EP of abstract tech-noise brings the sounds Its Own Infinite Flower refined in the basements & warehouses of the Bay Area's underground music scene to the wider world, whether it's ready or not.
'Drone, Drugs 'n' Dissonance' creeps into life as a thunderstorm of
white noise, out of which a cold-rave pulse somehow metastasizes into something resembling techno, although this is a deformed, uncivilized, unwanted mutation, separated at birth & raised in a toxic wilderness. It builds slowly before turning up in a rage of digital distortion, a black metal dub party held at the edge of a melting glacier. 'Oh, Empire of Roses' is a Dada Phycho Jazz Electro number. Dissonant synth chords snake around each other in a playful ouroboros of manic future funk, never knowing if it's starting or stopping, coming or going. Relentless bass throbs through the track, which almost threatens to bubble into classic acid electro before fizzling out. On side two there is 'Devotion to a Peacock Angel,' an angular breakdance groove for the characters in the bar scene in Star Wars. Electro dub rhythms keep stay grounded as everything else rips apart in all directions over the course of the track. On 'Misfortunes of El Dorado' a soundsystem bangs in the next room, only the deepest bass escaping, shaking reality until it's torn apart in waves of distortion, a classic techno synth string wandering over the top of everything in a full blown Techno Jazz Odyssey.

SQUIRRELS ON FILM continues its adventure at the edges of techno
with the mind bending stylings of Its Own Infinite Flower's debut EP,
fitted with another beautiful hand-drawn, full color sleeve by New York artist Bert Bergen. The Plumes of Love (ARE BLACK!).

Pi Gao Movement presents their first and long awaited release of the HAdES (Humanoid Advanced Engineering Society ) Network concept on vinyl. Originally released as a digital download, Descendants of Starfish Prime introduces Majestic 12 as a genre - blending mavericks of electronic music. Much like the name implies, Descendants takes a still landscape and captures it in time as it is violently uprooted, stripped to it's base elements and becomes something foreign, something unimaginable, something beautiful. This four song release takes the listener through a journey offering little consolation and no apologies; using varying tempos, patterns, structures, and vocals as operators on a clean canvass. What is the HAdES Network Series The HAdES or Humanoid Advanced Engineering Society Network series will be a collection of works from various artists presenting obscure and diverse facets of electronic music. Man creating machines to replace the human being. Who is Majestic 12 Majestic 12 is not a who, but a what. There are no names attached to this conceptual group. It is a cluster of concepts that have been carefully selected through experimentation. Strains have been extracted, combined, and developed

In folklore, the witching hour or devil's hour is a time of night associated with supernatural events. Creatures such as witches, demons and ghosts are thought to appear and to be at their most powerful and magic is thought to be most effective at this time.

It is also the time when we are at Underground parties, this is considered the main time of the party before it tapers off into the ethereal realm of translucent soundscapes and marionette dance moves. This is when we feast on sound intoxication and our parallel daywalker skins are shed into ancient dances and rites of sacred drums.

The witching Hour takes our souls back to our ancient pagan rituals of music and dance till the cleansing of dawn, this is where revelations happen and where groups of like minded people form a coven of sorts and bond in non verbal communications thru the expression of movement.

This is a new label project from Jay Tripwire and TJ Mc Au, they will be presenting underground minimal sounds specifically designed for the dancefloor and for the DJ.

This EP features Creepshow and Klangtone. Creepshow is a dark bassy roller with an eerie underground atmosphere that holds the groove but it also designed for mixing and layering. Klangtone features a percussive groove, voices from the Tikuna rainforest tribe and a haunting modular flute line with a massive sub bass that is sure to rattle bassbins. This is classic Tripwire with modern production but still keeping the his roots of his trademark sound.

DGTL Records hits close to home with their latest release 'Dancing Glass Figures' by De Sluwe Vos. The dj/producer has been affiliated with DGTL since the beginning, as he played at numerous of their festivals from day one. So it was only a matter of time for De Sluwe Vos to release his music on DGTL's label. With Dancing Glass Figures he delivers a strong 4-tracker that is truly hard to resist. De Sluwe Vos has been making waves lately, not only with his steady sets but also with his own label Patron Records, which has seen a string of well-supported releases since its launch. Never Know, the first track of the EP, takes no prisoners, as this straight-up banger with the hard-hitting synth line keeps you captivated throughout the entire track. The repetitive vocoder vocals give the track a spacey touch, especially during the break. De Sluwe Vos teamed-up with fellow Amsterdammer Sjamsoedin, who's known for his exceptional synth knowledge and hard-hitting live-sets. Together they produced a strong lead track that you will definitely get to hear a lot on the dance floor.

Fast rolling drums and a dreamy warm synth lure you into the title track Dancing Glass Figures. But don't get too comfortable, halfway into the track you will get a sturdy surprise, which only makes the track more interesting, while taking you back to where it all started at the end of it all.

Moving on to the B-side. Sophisticated Topless Raver is mesmerizing, with an intriguing and hypnotizing melody that comes and goes throughout the track. Bringing in some hard claps and an eerie laughing vocal, this track for sure is one for the later hours.

Bambounou has the honour to close-off the EP with a remix of Sophisticated Topless Raver. The French dj/producer, who's been on everybody's radar this past year, slowed down the original version and added a sleazy bassline, synth stabs and extra percussion, while keeping the melody and the vocal. Making the track just as enticing as De Sluwe Vos' version.

Domestic Exile are proud to present the devastatingly deplorable and malevolent recordings (that are sure to corrode yet electrify your ears) by Glasgow's very own KLEFT.

KLEFT aka Vickie McDonald is rooted in and has actively propagated the underground DIY radical queer punk and feminist movement here in Glasgow. Their projects have included the skull crushing sludge doom of Cartilage, the unflinching and infamous multi- membered hard core stars that were DIVORCE and the sacrificial, druid drone glitch of MOURN. Alongside these projects they have uncompromisingly disrupted, motivated and facilitated collective endeavors to take down the capital power structure of the dominant system of patriarchal club venues and abhorrent fuckers in this town.

For this record 'H+ Sexualis', KLEFT explores the neo-modern space where flesh is left behind. Negotiating, analyzing and tearing to shreds the relationship and balance between flesh and technology. KLEFT's expansive and palpable sonic offerings delve into themes of transhumanism and body hacking and seep into our collective skin begging the question; can flesh ever be created digitally. Does a lack of physicality alienate human experience in a post transhumanism society Are we all destined to be skinless yet digitally connected Will the body become superfluous Toward "the utopian dream of the hope for a monstrous world without gender," as stated on Donna Haraway's essay ''A Cyborg Manifesto.'

From the opening track 'Ossein' the listener grasps a foreboding lethargic build up, lurking out of the spatial ritualistic shadows into a sea of suffocating nothingness. A void where there is no gravity. Skeletal and brittle shattering rhythms which echo DMZ / Skull Disco dubstep alongside the more frozen, glacial ominous explorations of grime are often felt proving KLEFT is an artist whose inspirations run deep and wide and generally exist in the darkest recesses of our subconscious. These fearful, disjointed rhythms are set against weightless atmospheric oscillated synths, as if roaming through bleakly opaque, claustrophobic narrow corridors on a first person survival horror video game such as Resident Evil.

Moving through to 'CMBR', KLEFT's dissonant, degrading soundscape ferociously ascends. The resilient kick drum is propulsive and pulverizing akin to 'ardcore tekno - or intense gabba if you have the guts to adjust the tempo up to +8 - aesthetics that overwhelm and agitate finally revealing it's grotesque biological / amorphous bio structure. Elevating the repetitive 4/4 kick to a destructive, distorted banger of a track as layers of converging atonal noise and sound design simultaneously further enhances the sense of imminent radioactive contamination.

Next is 'Writhe, Squirm, Broken' continuing the convulsive, nauseating permutations of the prior track but reconfigured like a mangled, gruesome Cronenberg-esque parasite that has infiltrated an open wound, excruciatingly feeding off of the inner anatomy of it's hosts body from within. Repulsively reformulating the shape and dimension. The intro is akin to a panic stricken bouncy ball contracting and expanding, the spring reverb building momentum and traveling further away in distance and speed.

'Hackfleisch Deluxe' is a muuurrderous stomper and is one of the more grime / bass orientated tracks that deconstructs and disrupts the tempo familiar to sub-low producers on Black Ops / Jon E Cash / DJ Dread D. The crawling, plummeting frequency of the synth is a nauseating rush of coagulating blood to the heed; a deep throbbing sensory depravation in sharp, paradoxical contrast with the driving harmony layered on top which proves to be infectiously addictive. Furthermore are splintering programmed vocal samples that gives a sense of artificial disorientation, mind over matter, a possible hint at our evolving sentient cognition within a nightmarish simulated, augmented reality

Second to last we have 'Keratin' which is filled with the near fatal dissolving thud of Djax-Up acid that gives the impression that you're a biologist peering through a microscope into a petrie dish and witnessing the rapid and furious genetic cellular replication of bacterial and viral organisms.

Culminating in 'Bruised and Bleeding Hands' where the squashed density of a deflated and depressurized helium filled balloon and elastic umbilical cords, barbed wire and copper wires grind n' coil around the lens of a zooming camera. Taking no prisoners, this is a punishing grime weapon. A phat, surgical kick drum bulldozes its way thru causing carnage, syncopated punching snares after every rave stab and dizzying third beat. It won't be long until ye hear this on Silver Drizzle's youtube channel in the near future.

This record transports us to the hyperkinetic mutation scene on the cult cyberpunk film Tetsuo The Iron Man where the organic flesh / mechanical rust of the Iron Man metamorphoses with the Metal Fetishist during the rebirth sequence and we say 'LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!''.

Brainwaltzera returns to FILM. The shrouded producer continues to demonstrate a breadth of skill as both a musician and engineer, with another collection of deep and textured recordings for the FILM label, intended as an Epi-Log' to the artist's debut album Poly-Ana. Continuing the exploration of crystalline IDM, proto-Electro, Ambient and other curious strains of left-field music, Brainwaltzera looks out across a colourful and varied sonic landscape, drawing on a wealth of classic influences all the while maintaining that unique and instantly recognisable finish. Low slung 4/4 opener Triangulate Dither (fairytall Version) hinges on fathoms deep synth work, moving about a playful hook that operates in stark contrast to the track's heavy, tape distorted finish. Laif Of Smit touches on new territory - a nod to contemporary Beats production, complete with pitch shifted vocal and heady, warping bassline - before beatless recording (take 2) brings the listener back into a more familiar space: a beautiful ambient segue reminiscent of the producer's earlier productions on the label. Countdempops showcases Brainwaltzera's simple yet effective drum work - a perfectly executed, emotive cut centred around a dusty break. Bad Endgar focuses more on the high frequencies - a crisp, clean Electro production, featuring those signature sliding synths now a characteristic of the producer's music. Uptempo closer Dropp on Gminor rounds off the EP with a kind of Folk meets Footwork piece that lifts the record's final notes into a tentatively more euphoric state. Heavy on atmosphere, rich in inherent musicality and beautifully executed - the Brainwaltzera journey continues with another solid offering on the FILM label.

2024 Repress

midnight in tokyo is a compilation series that aims to be the perfect companion to nights in tokyo, collecting tracks by japanese artists that sound best at night. while vol.2 focused more on '80s jazz fusion, the latest installment, vol.3, picks up where vol.1 left off, bringing together forgotten soul, disco, and new wave gems. the compilation opens with japanese rare groove classic 'more sexy,' a provocative song by 'the queen of sexy songs,' yoko hatanaka. 'kimi no yume,' from the album yume no yonbai by the wandering poet masumi hara, is one of the best balearic acid folk song to come out of japan. 'silhouette call' is an electric bossa nova track—in the vein of antena—taken from a rare album called octopussy by yuki nakayamate, a singer songwriter who also worked as a backing vocalist for motoharu sano. 'theme of high school student' is a dubby cut featured on the soundtrack to the japanese '80s film kougen ni ressha ga hashitta, written by atsuo fujimoto of colored music—one of the key artists in the recent wave of global interest in japanese music. 'get to paradise' is a stone cold funk jam by mari kaneko, who was known as the janis joplin of shimokitazawa in her heyday, and is now known as the mother of the drummer and the bassist of popular rock band rize. following that is one of japan's greatest new wave disco track, 'hannya,' taken from tomoko aran's popular third album fuyu-kukan—produced by masatoshi nishimura who was part of the friends of earth project with haruomi hosono. masako miyazaki—whose rendition of seawind's 'he loves you' is a fan favorite—puts her own spin on the earth, wind & fire classic, 'fantasy,' singing in her accent-heavy english which gives the song an undeniable character. 'watashi no koukoku' is a certified disco boogie classic by popular singer junko sakurada. the brazilian-esque jazz fusion, 'sunshine bright on me' is by a fusion group called kangaroo, who were often billed as 'the japanese shakatak.' 'stranger's night' is a synth-pop number by pop idol maiko okamoto, which bears a suspicious resemblance to rah band's 'the shadow of your love.' electro-pop disco 'singing lady'—off the sole album released by the one-off project the fad—sounds like something giorgio moroder could've cooked up. 'magic eyes' is a disco anthem recorded by songwriter tetsuji hayashi's disco project, the eastern gang. following that is japanese soul gem 'crazy baby,' found on a rare 7 inch entitled minato no soul by rinda yamamoto—also composed and arranged by tetsuji hayashi. and last but not least, closing out this collection of 14 japanese rare groove goodies is 'i'm in love', a bittersweet mellow dance number by tomoko aran.

Following releases from Mituo Shiomi / Drum Machine and Takeshi Kouzuki, Italian imprint Alley Version is back courtesy of their third release, the split E.P. 'Parallel Journeys'.
This time about, the label welcomes Sähkö Recordings man Nasty Boy to the fold alongside the label owners, FLML. Opening the release is the sounds of Nasty Boy's thrilling 'Give Up'. A slow tempo dexterous and exotic deep house track. Nasty Boy's other original cut here is 'Touching the void', a more raucous track with a heavy emphasis on drum patterns and sharp, simmering synths.

The B side kicks off with FLML's 'Oblivion Street', an analogue-heavy cut deep house jam that's perfectly suited to those dark, colder nights. Culminating matters soon after is FLML's 'Bouncy Dream', a good-time house record whereby FM piano-laden vibes cause havoc from the get-go. Limited vinyl only.

Samo Records is very pleased to introduce the debut EP from Russian Chandeliers, a new project by Julian Grefe (Pink Skull) and Fringe Society (formerly known as Quell). Berliners by way of Philly and Athens (Greece), respectively, the studiomates have perfectly fused the best bits of their signature styles to create a record that's equally suited for headphones and dancefloors.

"Worm In Worm Out" (A1) kicks things off with a chunky, chuggy rhythm that indeed worms its way into your brain, sprinkling vaguely psychedelic echoes throughout.

"Stay In Seattle" (A2) is a slow-burning charmer that layers bleeps and sizzles over a dark and mesmerizing bassline.

Zombies in Miami put a slightly spooky, frantic spin on "Stay In Seattle" for their mix (B1), turning the moody paranoia into a deliciously foreboding frenzy.

MR TC's take on "Worm In Worm Out" (B2) ups the psychedelia, tones down the bass, and gently hypnotizes you into the best kind of euphoric haze.

"Kosmonauten Aceed" (B3) is an immediately captivating slice of industrial-laced acid with just the perfect amount of krautrock drizzled in.

London based ANII returns home to KOMPAKT following a breakthrough year. Since the release of her KORZENIE EP (KOM 380) then releases on AEON AUDIO and POLYMATH she continues to bring a unique and highly emotive take on techno and house music to a sound that has become more and more mundane over recent times. She's back with ANIITIME - a diverse, three track EP that starts with RIDE THE TIGER. It made us squeal with glee when we first heard it. Is this an inadvertent tribute to the Warp classic, SWEET EXORCIST or just some jungle voodoo magic Listen to it for yourself! The title track sees her going deep into her emotional treasure chest to produce a violin meets acid (it works - we swear!) techno incarnation. Her third offering is the solid, house riddled GALAXIANII. Move over Boney M - ANII is our new captain who takes us on her latest night flight to...

A doctor by day and a musician by night, Leon x Leon has been producing songs in his
Parisian home studio since 2013, where house, italo-disco and boogie are mixing. When he
was younger, he was immersed in music by taking jazz drum lessons at the conservatory,
and especially by seeing his father, a sound engineer, who had been building his own
synthesizers since the 1970s. As a tribute, he used one of these unique synthesizers on a
title of the disc.
After a remarkable remix of Cerrone's "Funk Makossa" and several tracks on various from
'Red Laser Disco', he released his project My Solar Brass on the same English label in
2017. Organizer of many Parisian parties, he also participated in the founding of the
publishing label 'Good Plus". With the release of Rokanbo on Cracki Records, Leon x
Leon signs a mature EP with the influence of different styles.
The first eponymous title is a manifesto mixing Acid, House and Zouk. As soon as we
launch the track, the pop & acid 80's sounds takes us to another world... A UFO from the
Islands! The other parts of the EP don't leave us in the lurch! 'Formant Sweep' delivers a
soft and groovy bass that responds to an endless, spatial synthetic takeoff. On 'Red
Footpath', the harder kick cleverly blends with an atmospheric blanket and a bright, lively
flute solo straight from an abandoned piece of bamboo on a deserted beach. After that,
'Jungle Juice' lets a crazy keyboard solo resonate in the middle of tropical fauna and flora,
and finally on 'Horizon', the EP ends in beauty with an airy atmosphere. This last piece
sounds like a beautiful sunset at the end of a long summer day.
Through all these tracks, Rokanbo EP offers us a clever contrast between synthetic notes
and the warmth of tropical groove, and places our gaze towards the horizon, seeking the
groove to disturb its line on the infinite sea.

Günter Schickert, four decades of multi-instrumental cosmic explorations, under Berlin's sky, above genres, and compromises.

It was memorable the time when I firstly listened to his debut LP of 1974, the monumental Samtvogel. It overwhelmed me with layers of echoing guitars roaring into space, causing a powerful release of dopamine spreading through my skin, in the way an Interstellar Overdrive', or a Richard D James Album would do. It was a proof of the divine to discover Günter Schickert, it is a profound honour today to present on Marmo his seventh album to date, Labyrinth, the first to be released on vinyl format since 1983`s Kinder In Der Wildnis.

Schickert's Samtvogel, self-published first, then licensed to Brain, equaled the imaginative leap and sonic power of the early Pink Floyd, Manuel Gottsching's Inventions For Electric Guitar or A.R. & Machines's Die Grüne Reise. What followed, from his second LP Überfällig on Sky Records to his collaborations with Klaus Schulze, Jochen Arbeit and Schneider TM, even if little acclaimed, spans a large spectrum of music styles, always through a distinctive and personal aesthetic, that is deeply linked to the one he firstly crafted back in '74, when Schickert pioneered the use of echo effects applied to guitar playing.

And now Labyrinth, a record that stands for versatility, where genres do not matter, soundscapes or life situations take over, song-writing emotions pop out, handing out a spectrum of surprises to the listener. You may find yourself flying low along steep cliffs and with a blink of eye you are thrown into a Middle Eastern scenery.

The album is divided into two parts, two different production bulks and periods of Günther Schickert's life. Side A features a selection of tracks recorded in 1996, appearing on the 2012 album HaHeHiHo, released via Pittsburgh based VCO Recordings, on a limited press of 100 units, tape format only. I felt that the visionary and emotional richness of these pieces deserved the vinyl format and a chance to reach to a wider audience.

The Raga-inspired Morning' opens Labyrinth with exotic charm and bitter-sweet nostalgia. Sieben' kicks off with the same guitar scales of the previous theme, before the motorised progressions of a Korg MS-20 synth surprisingly storm in, carrying along an intersecting multitude of filters and sharp guitar effects, flowing into an epic, paradisiac ending. Ninja Schwert' remains on astral dimensions, it is a struggle of cosmic forces, where the steady ride of a pounding beat gets embraced by different guitar layers and analogue electronic filtering. The side closes up with HaHeHiHo', a slow ballad featuring Mr. Schickert on vocals, guitar, bass guitar and drum machine - an example of simple, stripped down yet gifted songwriting that is capable to reach the heart of the listener.

Side B contains material produced between 2007 and today. The intricate, bewildering Tsunami' shows the multi-instrumental and recording abilities of Günter Schickert: a field-recorded storm with mesmerising powers, a peculiar progressive approach to guitar playing. Mysterious sinister spirits and sounds are emerging and the feeling of being lost in a pleasant trance arises. In contrast, Oase' muffles the intensity and jumps into a completely different soundscape, where in liaison with the sounds of a rolling drum tom and a desert-like trumpet, the microphone carefully captures the found sound tones of everyday-life objects and actions. Like HaHeHiHo on side A, Checking' represents the vocal gem of the B side, in a raw and direct way of songwriting like if Syd Barrett was his invisible helper. Palaver' (which means unnecessarily talk' in German) assembles different vocal recordings of Schickert into a bizarre free-style conversation through a mysterious language, where he attempts to emulate illiterate children conversating. The final track, Morning (Slide)', reprises the opening theme, this time solely performed through the caressing dilated sounds of Günter's slide guitar.

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

'The ancient nightmare is come again!'
This latest visitation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
Tertiary Phase comes on heavyweight coloured vinyl,
sumptuously packaged in the style of the galactically
successful Primary Phase and Secondary Phase LP
releases.
For the first time ever on vinyl, here are Episodes 13 to 18
of the BBC radio series. First broadcast in 2004, the Tertiary
Phase is based upon the Douglas Adams's third novel Life,
the Universe and Everything. This is also the first ever
publication of the original radio edits of the Tertiary Phase,
as heard on their original broadcast.
When Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect hitch a lift away from
Prehistory on a Chesterfield sofa, it's the beginning of a
galactic quest that takes in Lord's Cricket Ground, deadly
cricket bat-wielding robots, a spaceship that looks like an
Italian bistro, a planet of sentient mattresses, a wretched
soul who keeps being murdered, a giant spaceborne
computer, and much, much, more. Reunited with Marvin,
Zaphod, Trillian and Slartibartfast, they must prevent the
Krikkitmen from retrieving the Wikkit Key and unleashing
terror upon the Universe.
Starring Peter Jones and William Franklyn as The Book,
with Simon Jones as Arthur Dent, Geoffrey McGivern as
Ford Prefect, Mark Wing-Davey as Zaphod Beeblebrox,
Susan Sheridan as Trillian and Stephen Moore as Marvin
the Paranoid Android, with a guest cast including Richard
Griffiths, Leslie Phillips, Joanna Lumley, Toby Longworth,
Michael Fenton Stevens, Henry Blofeld, Fred Trueman and
the voice of Douglas Adams himself, with music by Philip
Pope and Paul 'Wix' Wickens. Adapted, Directed and Co
Produced by Dirk Maggs
Three 180g heavyweight yellow vinyl discs are presented in
illustrated wallets inside a rigid, bound 20 page book, with
exclusive sleeve notes written by producer Dirk Maggs and
Jem Roberts, Douglas Adams's official biographer.
'Howzat!'

First ever experimental Tuareg guitar soundtrack. Original soundtrack recording to the film Zerzura, the first ever Saharan acid Western, telling the story of a nomad's search for a magic city of gold. Evoking the desert journey with free form guitar improvisations, the soundtrack is a meditation on the mysteries of the Sahara. Composed by writer and actor Ahmoudou Madassane, the instrumental score takes the familiar Tuareg guitar tradition into new directions, transforming desert blues into ambient soundscapes. Recorded in studio while watching footage from the film, the score was recorded in live and spontaneous takes. Heavily based around the electric guitar, Madassane also plays a handful of other in-studio instrumentation (prepared piano, Moog, Timpani) and is joined by a number of collaborators, including guitarist Marisa Anderson. A prolific and backing artist in a number of groups (Mdou Moctar, Les Filles de Illighadad), Madassane is well versed in Tuareg guitar folk and draws inspiration from this tradition before veering off into uncharted territory. Pieces fluctuate in timing and break free from standard rhythm, moving from melancholic serenity to blurry psychedelic fury. An experimental foray for Tuareg guitar, Zerzura is the first of its kind.