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The man behind Workshop and Out To Lunch famously takes his time to make electronic productions that are, in turn, out of time. Over the course of his career he's released tracks that could have been made yesterday, years ago, or a decade into the future. with Avenue 66 he's found a leftfield home that celebrates pure creativity, that embraces the liminal, the weird and the sublime. Light Surfing fits all of these descriptors.

The double-LP rewards deep, repeated listening. There's plenty to unpack, but those who cherish the murky bangers that have been Lowtec's stock and trade will find plenty to love. "Boy With The Broken Glasses" weaves a subtle, dancehall-inflected riddim into hazy ambient house, while the closer, "Burnt Toast," is the latest example of Kuhn's uncanny ability to perfectly fit a soulful vocal sample into an alien dance floor soundscape.

Unexpected moments of sideways beauty also unfurl across the four sides. The two-part "Light Surfing" is one of Lowtec's most evocative suites to a date-its mournful string soundtrack is the album's recurring, longing motif. Elsewhere, as on "Mynthenquai," Kuhn applies avant-garde strategies to his synth leads, taking us on head-spinning melodic journeys.

Light Surfing is a masterful balancing act between dream states and machine-like efficiency, the experimental and functional, precision and spontanaeity. Lowtec could have only gotten here by taking his time.

Continuing on the thematic thread of soundtracking an imaginary short movie, label founder DJ Tennis aka Manfredi Romano, asks some of the greatest contemporary club producers to take on the task of interpreting this idea in their own unique style. Romano explains that 'the score is a translation of our imagination, memories and emotions into music, with no protocols.' Opening the soundtrack, Vatican Shadow swaps his thunderous techno for a more cosmic and gentle approach, setting the tone for an equally serene soundscape from London based DJ and producer Midland. Japanese Future Terror head honcho, DJ Nobu, layers dense cerebral textures exuding the punk spirit of Life and Death. A similar rule defying energy can be heard by Ninos De Brazil who fuse carnival percussions with straight up old school techno. Both Scuba and Uchi bring the futuristic synths of a space age tomorrow we've all been waiting for. German producer Isolee interprets the task with his minimal productions and Italian producer Cosmo closes the compilation with Psychedelic Soundscapes turning into a distorted gabber missile. As the decade edges closer to it's decade anniversary, Romano proves yet again that Life and Death is a label which evolves through each reincarnation of itself, never failing to impress.

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

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.

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.

THROUGH GODS OWN EYES
MusicForSunrises&SunsetsDarkCornersOfTheDanceFloorDarkCornersOfTheMind.
FastDeepSlowRaveInspiringInspirtational&CosmicUpliftingWildPitchedHeartMelting&HeartPoundingSexMusic

Conceived in Bali as a club event to allow Phil Cooper and Indonesian DJ, Dea Barandana a chance to flex their rave potential and dig out those obscure, heavy dance floor cuts it has been hosting sporadic parties for the last 3 years, with no specific musical boundaries, it is about the late night, early morning dance floor experiences, heads down and lost in music!

A label was also planned, but when that would happen was always unclear, however a chance meeting in Croatia at Love International Festival 2018 between Phil and Carlo Bragagnini AKA La Mano has led to the inaugural release, TGOE001 La Mano 'Tana del Lupo' EP

Side A - Sirena, inspired by the classic Italo stable, a deep and driving intro that builds with a rolling, solid bass line, shimmering effects, gun fire handclaps and siren sounds before the piano line eases in to take it to a euphoric crescendo of soaring synths for maximum hands in the air vibes...

To add weight to the release, remixer options were discussed and both agreed on Man Power, and his rework has taken it to a much different place, adding a solid breakbeat to it, dirtying up the piano and extending the mix to 9+ minutes, this is HEAVY for the floor...

Side B - La Mano, the ying to the yang of Sirena, this is a much more progressive track, subtle in the arpeggio build up and layered to create a big sound culminating in a swirling series of dreamy chords and synth lines.
The Ambiente mix takes away the kick and percussion to allow the full dream like state to take effect, one for sunrises and sunsets across the globe...

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!''.

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

While their trademark sound has always been flourished with plenty of nods to the past - think jazz-funk, disco, acid jazz and boogie - Reel People's career has been forged on crafting new songs and instrumentals. For their latest album, "Retroflection", they've decided to flip the script, serving up a set of covers of classic cuts with the assistance of some notable vocalists. It's a neat twist and one that results in a string of superb revisions. Check, for example, the Mica Paris-fronted take on Alicia Meyers' "I Want To Thank You", their starry version of electrofunk staple "Don't Stop The Music" (complete with sublime Angie Stone vocal), an Incognito style take on Willie Bobo's "Always There" and a riotous, scene-stealing romp through Pleasure favourite "Joyous".

Limited Lenticular 10y Anniversary Edition w/ heavyweight vinyl, printed inner sleeve + digital companion album of unreleased demoes and outtakes from the album

Late of the Pier announce a special 10th anniversary edition of their cult debut album Fantasy Black Channel, produced by Erol Alkan and released in 2008 to great acclaim. Fittingly, the reissue - released on a limited lenticular sleeve, pressed on to heavyweight vinyl and accompanied by a digital companion album of unreleased demoes and outtakes from the album recording sessions. It's set for release through Alkan's Phantasy Sound label, landing in stores on January 18th, 2019.

LOTP (Sam Eastgate, Andrew Faley, Ross Dawson and Sam Potter) were a band of inter-dimensional musicians who landed in the late noughts, whose wild journey took them from the quiet North West Leicestershire countryside to the stages of Coachella, Tokyo and beyond, touring with the likes of Soulwax and Justice. Their music was a mutant take on pop that described the chaos of being a teenager by looking forwards and backwards over and over again until the present moment started to make sense. Following the release of Fantasy Black Channel they put out singles 'Blueberry' and 'Best In The Class' in 2010, picking up fans from Mike Skinner to Dave Grohl along the way. Talking in a 2014 interview, Grohl exclaimed, 'They blew my fucking mind. They're called Late of the Pier. They made one record and disappeared. They use crazy computers and then they rock and it sounds like dubstep for one minute, then it's a crazy prog thing, and it's like, 'Wow'.'

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.

When Dunham Records/Daptone producer and musician Thomas Brenneck first heard the close family harmonies of the Sha La Das he had a revelation; he knew he had to get it on tape.



Direct from Staten Island, the four Schaldas, father Bill and sons Will aka Swivs, who also toured the world playing keyboard for Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, Paul of Paul and the Tall Trees and Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires, and Carmine had come into the studio in Brooklyn to record background vocals on Charles Bradley's Victim of Love. It was a passion that drove Brenneck from the very beginning.



'Hearing them sing together in the studio was incredible', says Brenneck. He collaborated with Bill Schalda writing songs and applying harmonic sensibilities rooted in doo wop, blues and soul. It wasn't a stretch for Bill, after all he'd been second tenor when still a teen in Brooklyn vocal group, The Montereys in the 1960s (their 45, Face In The Crowd/Step Right Up on Blast records sells for $500 these days) who would play venues from neighborhood bars to the 1964 World's Fair in Queens.



'Bill is the genuine article, just like Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, he came directly from the source,' says Brenneck. Indeed, Bill Schalda was right there amongst doo wop and r&b groups of the era, singing Moonglows and Flamingos tunes.

'You'd go out on the street and constantly hear a bunch of guys singing on the corner, they'd finish playing handball in the schoolyard during the day and then they'd start singing at night,' says Bill. 'We were all just guys in the neighborhood in Brooklyn, who gradually found each other.'



After their children were born, Bill and wife Linda moved the family across the Verrazano-Narrows bridge to Staten Island. Growing up, sons Will, Paul and Carmine remember summer nights singing group harmonies on the stoop of their home with their father Bill guiding them. 'He would bring us out on the stoop on Staten Island and he would teach us each parts of say, the sesame street song - we were his backing group very early on - that was fun,' says eldest son, Will.



On this, their debut, the talent is harnessed in 11 songs, each tender-voiced delight delivered with absolute conviction combined with musicians that have help define the Daptone/Dunham Records sound including Brenneck, Homer Steinweiss, Dave Guy, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon and Victor Axelrod. 'I wanted to take the Sha La Das outside of the doo wop genre,' says Brenneck. 'To take the whole vocabulary of doo wop harmony and reapply it to soul - so you get super soulful harmonies along the lines of The Manhattans & The Moments.'



From the opening atmospheric guitar strum of Open My Eyes via a walk along the Coney Island boardwalk catching the last glimpse of sunlight at dusk of Carnival to the sublime crescendo of harmonies of the winsome Love in the Wind, each song evokes a deeply personal yet universal yearning that none of us can escape. Quite simply every song yields magic.

There's something special when a family can meld voices in close harmony. The Everly Brothers had it, The Beach Boys had it, the Schalda's have it.

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.

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...

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.

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.

If you read the name Shankar you may right away think of Ravi Shankar, the grand master of contemporary Indian folk music who was very popular in the 60s due to his connection with the music industry in the United States despite staying away from the pure pop music by maintaining his classic sitar and tabla style ragas to express himself musically. Ananda Shankar used to be his nephew who also made a journey to the USA to gather inspirations from rock artists like Jimi Hendrix among others. His first album from 1970, a conglomerate of classic Indian folk tunes and instrumental versions of the hottest rock songs of the day clothed in a veil of sitar melodies and backed up with tabla drum grooves, was an attempt to combine the spiritual approach of his cultural origins with the light minded blissful attitude of western psychedelic pop music. It worked well in the sense that it is still, nearly fifty years later on, a groovy little album that leaves nobody sitting around at any random hippie party. He took a five year break from recording to create what should become his second album and this is what I am about to present to you now. The cover-tunes were replaced by all original compositions with a lush instrumentation that features the typical sitar, tabla and bowed string instruments such as sarong and sera arrangements mixed with sounds that have a definite western origin such as rock guitars, Hammond organ and moog synthesizers plus full drum kits that take care to enhance the actual groove. Psychedelic rock, raga, fusion-jazz and funk flow into each other quite naturally giving birth to something fresh and exciting I would label as Bengali pop'. The borders between eastern and western music get abrogated here. If it was not for a few deeply mythical chants on a bed of drones here and there you could not even tell this was a record by an Indian artist. This album is quite accessible most of the time and comes with a certain slickness that makes it easy for the listener to understand and appreciate what is going on. Still there is the other side of the coin, the depth pop music often lacks. So in the end this might have been too far out for the average western mainstream fanatic back in 1975 when disco began to rule but it is an awesome sound trip for fans of psychedelic dance music like INCREDIBLE BONGO BAND and all eastern influenced popular rock.

Following up on their debut full length release, 79.5 drops a new and revamped version of their dance floor classic "Terrorize My Heart (Disco Dub)". A tune that leaves no room for gray and finds the ladies of 79.5 walking the line between vulnerability and forthrightness. Setting out with admonishments of love and infatuation that are quickly checked by the bluntness of women who've lived in the Big Apple for years, 'is it her or is it me, that's how it's gotta be'. Remixed and remastered with a new intro for the DJs, producer Leon Michels and engineer Jens Jungkurth managed to take an already smash of a tune to a higher level. For the B side we enlisted one of underground hip hop's brightest stars, Tall Black Guy. His 'Bounce Remix' of 'Terrorize My Heart' is just that. The Detroit producer takes the tune to a different level and turns it into a monster of a head-nodder. Loose drums and chord stabs provide backing track while vocal samples through out keep the track super hype. An easy dancefloor killer for the Hip Hop / R&B jocks.

SRSQ (pronounced seer-skew) is the solo project of Kennedy Ashlyn (vocalist/keyboardist of Them Are Us Too). Creative voids aren't filled, but rather holes left that push the edges of the present into new realms of consciousness.

Ambient synthesizers that approach harshness, relentless arpeggiations act together with Kennedy's vocals as a lush weapon, weaving cloudlike fables over orchestration that's familiar and foreign. Trance-like at times, yet always rooted in cadence and structure, the synesthesia of sound and feeling takes cues from the delicate miasma of Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, or Dead Can Dance, using their example as the ground floor for building a new temple of frequency.

Part II The title of the project is: "An Intermediary Plane of Existence", an in-between world, a shadow zone, two universes, the place between the entrance and exit of a portal. Most electronic music producers probably know the feeling where they, after producing and recording a track they are extremely content with, are suddenly overcome with a slight fear: "what if my computer crashes, what if the file of the recording gets lost somehow and the music gets lost, it's gone forever...". That feeling and the fact that all music, ever written and even the music that has yet to be written, is "somewhere" when it's not
being played or made. It's either written down in notes, stored in
someone's mind, cut into a piece of vinyl, recorded on tape, converted into 0's and 1's hiding somewhere on a hard drive, a cloud, a CD or a USB stick. It's been taken form the place it was before it was made and stored in another place, in an intermediary plane of existence, waiting to be played, to come back to life and listened to again. We wanted to do this various artists album not with just any talented artist, but with people we've met the past years who became our friends and people we admire for their music and personalities. Friendship is also something that most of the time resides in an intermediary plane of existence. When a friend is not in the same room, city or even country it doesn't mean the friendship is not still there. If you've never even met
someone in person, it doesn't mean you can't be friends. Even if you haven't spoken to your friend for a long period of time, it doesn't mean the friendship doesn't exist anymore. The same goes for love I believe.
Some people you will never stop loving, alive, or dead. Both owners of P-RT-L lost their fathers within a week from each other last year, but I also know people who haven't seen or spoken to their dads or moms in over a year, yet somehow it feels completely different not seeing someone for a long time if you know a person is still alive, even though it's not sure you will ever see him or her again. Their dads went back to the place they were before they were born and they will never come back the way they knew them. Just like all music that went lost before we as humans had the ability to write it down, store it on a medium or pass it on otherwise. That exact music, just like their dads, is lost forever. I know this will probably sound a bit too philosophical for some of you readers, but it's something that keeps me awake at night, sometimes. This albums is a way for us to celebrate the fact that the music on it, will never be lost because we as humans have found a way to store and contain it in a place where we can easily reach it, for ever. We hope you will enjoy the music! P-RT-L Featuring artists: Alex Bau ,AnD,Anouk De Vos, D-Leria, Daniel Kane, Dasha Rush, Frame Six Micol Danieli

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.

'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!'

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

Its Rap and Roll, 2nd Generation.(1st generation was Run DMC, Beastie Boys,LL Cool J).A mash up of styles all under one album.. 

Trying to explain the immoral wrongs of the world within the world we come from... Re educating our selfs and saying what we believe in our songs.. Hence 'Teach Peace'. Education, housing, healthcare, food banks, racism, corporate greed, tax evasion, climate change, child abuse and religion all need to be addressed properly.

Not swept under the carpet to be covered up by the next scandal.. We need moral leaders who are strong and willing to die for they're beliefs.. Not selling their people down the river to the highest bidder!!... We all need to be speaking our minds about whats going on... Peace is the only way for everyone... Peace can be just as prosperous as war.. Even for the corporations..there's nothing wrong with making money. It's what you do with it that counts..

It just takes a little bit of time and thought. But greed leads to the inequality of more than 80% of our world.. We need to help people become aware of this.. It's not where we're from, it's where we're at!

Raised in the outskirts of Paris, his career has embraced music, fashion and film and established Kiddy as a key figure in Paris's LGBTQ community and the voguing and ballroom scenes.

'One Trick Pony' sees Kiddy working with such talents as Rouge Mary (Hercules & Love Affair) Be Honest, Burn The House Down & One Friend and Crookers Dickmatized. Citing gospel and hip-hop, 90s Chicago and Detroit as influences,

Kiddy has delivered an album with house DNA at it's core whilst embracing a pop sensibility. It explores intimate, personal topics - unrequited love, paternal desertion and acceptance of one's body.

'I define myself as a house-music artist. Queer is limiting. My music reflects my everyday life. I talk about me and being black and gay. My songs are about love. They're not political, but my work is.

The lead single Dicktamized is about 'toxic relationships, the ones you know you would be best to remove yourself but you're almost hypnotised into thinking if the sex is good you should carry on.' 'It is taken from the soundtrack

of Gaspar Noe's latest and critically acclaimed movie 'Climax' premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival and also featuring Kiddy. Kiddy Smile is supporting Beth Ditto around Europe from May to July 2018.

With his third single release, Y-Bayani (pronounced like Why-Bayani) shows clearly that he is the most intriguing roots-reggae sensation coming out of Ghana. He is backed again by the lushly grooving Band of Enlightenment, Reason and Love.

Asembi Ara Amba, sung in Fanti language, is an old Fanti story about having bad luck if you see a vulture up in the sky. As Y-Bayani sees one suddenly and for no reason he gets in trouble with the police. Being hold back in the police station he finally takes his chance to escape into freedom while the police men taking a nap.

On We Are The Band of Enlightenment, Reason And Love the group presents their personal anthem. The song is a cinematic journey starting with a mighty horn theme, followed up by a mantric chant and enters finally into a wall of sound in double time. It's a small symphony for sure.

Jamaican superstar Popcaan returns with his long awaited sophomore album, Forever. Popcaan's journey has taken him from a promising young star to the leader of a generation of Jamaican and diaspora artists, a generation that feels their influence reverberate in pop's continuing interest in the sonic signifiers of dancehall. Forever finds Popcaan grappling with his role as an icon

iPM is proud to announce its very first vinyl, fruit of the inspiration of iPM's label heads A-Kintero and Mateo Holguin. NYC based Dj/Producer PJay has performed Live at many of the old school New York City Clubs. He is a Teacher of analog sound and modular synthesis and he is behind iPM's very first vinyl. With two tracks, one ambient and one Techno mix, both are characterized for their immersive and profound analog sound. "Crawl" is a laid back relaxed track which takes us on a journey of atmospheric synthesizers and deep bass lines with consistent drums that are sure to delight us, perfect for openings and closings. Brendon Moeller needs no introduction and he's on remix duties with "Space Jam", taking this track on a groovy happy vibe. This is definitely one to get people moving on the dance floor. "Space Jam" complements this Ep with a funky vibe where the cosmic synths takes the roll along with a moving and bouncing bass playing in sync with the consistency of the drums.

Marco Faraone returns to Drumcode with some of his most inspired work ever, comprising of four tracks crossing the Techno spectrum.Growing up Marco was surrounded by 90s Italo house and techno, which have all had a part in the current sound he produces today. Never one to stick to any individual style, he can often surprise his fans with a set pumping out peak time beats to down tempo house cuts with catchy vocals.
'With this release, I took some inspiration from listening back to some old Vitalic sounds and giving some extra power to the use of synths in each track. It's got a festival vibe to it, which is something I wanted to achieve' - Marco His last Drumcode EP was back in 2016, so this October he makes a welcome return showing his multiskilled productions at their full potential on this mega 4 tracker, opening with the gargantuan 'Never Forget'.Mutating rhythmic synths hark back to the good ol' days of BXR and the limitless talent of the Italian Techno scene in the late 90s. Boiling over in the main break this is crowd-pleasing dance music at its finest.
'Cruiser' is a bumpy upbeat ride with a strong melodic hook that will have the hands raised and the feet stomping.Title track 'Lunar Eclipse' is a dense, at times claustrophobic roller. Menacing to begin with, the addition of the main melodic motifs lifts the mood midway. 'Take This Trip' rounds out an incendiary EP. Lighter and more musical that the previous three, it offers a joyful, softer message. 'This is a special release for me, I wanted this to have explosive power yet the perfect balance of melodies and sounds to create a different and unique atmosphere for each track'
- Marco Faraone

Part two of the Masterworks Vol 3. vinyl sampler kicks off with the ethereal 'Lying To My Lie' where Lup Ino laces a magical, soul laden vocal behind a funked up backing beat, soring strings and glammed up guitar. Hands in the air business, hugs all round!

Woodhead steps up next for a cosmic disco trip complete with rapturous female vocal, a horn section sent straight from Mars and a squelching synth line doused in celestial sparkle.

On the B side Lux Experience goes full throttle funk, coupling a low-slung bassline and feisty male harmonies with a punchy kick and crisp hats. Last up, Mike Woods takes the scalpel to a series of strutting guitars, layering them behind a feel-good groove that captures the glory days of disco but with a fresh new spin. That enchantingly evocative vocal adds a touch of spice to proceedings, primed and ready to cause a stir.

Don't Bite Records are happy to announce the release of producer/rapper Tom Dice's solo LP. The witty title has been more than prophetic. These are not just rhythms of Dice but rhythms of life. Reflection, auto biography and idiosyncricity are abundant, as shown on the final track, 'Irrepressible'. 'Put on a uniform, conform, consume, dance to another man's tune that's off key. That never was and never will be the essence of a man like T.o.m D".
From 'The Death of Me''s dark refrain 'How ironic I died from a shock electronic.....clutching at the MPC, finally..... music got the better of me, the energy', we know that Dice is fearless in pushing the envelope and the boundaries of what can be lyrically possible. However Dice acknowledges his influences and the importance of their recognition on 'Authentic'.
On 'Tears Run Dry' Tom touches on feelings of alienation: 'I'm not a loser cos I can't win, I'm just an outsider still looking in' whereas on 'Feelings' he examines the connection between emotion and physical feeling. 'Feelings- computers don't have it, they try to emulate that basic human magic'
On the LP Rhythms of Dice and particularly the track 'Rhythms of Dice' he is rhyming from a producers point of view. 'All you guys who do like 6 tracks a day...how good are they You need to focus your mind or really just stay...wondering....You heard my beat in a studio and just wandered in'
Tom is ably assisted by long time collaborators/ label mates The Phantom and Jumpsteady. While he explores the exploitation of the thug genre on 'Thug killer', he also comes with a new style on 'Interchange' where he and Jumpsteady rap the first 4 bars of each others rhymes causing 1, seamless, verse. We hope you enjoy this tenth release from Don't Bite Records which continues to strive for individual style and originality and embrace our motto that "Only pirates take that which is not yet theirs!"

London based Grime MC and Producer Jammz continues to build upon his I Am Grime Imprint, and once again caters to his instrumental fan base, with the instrumental release of Warrior 2 (on Vinyl only). Written and produced in 2017, this release stands to be the most well rounded body of work Jammz has released yet, and shows Jammz's growth and development as one of Grime's most promising mainstay producers. In recent years Jammz has managed established himself as a very sought after producer, with previous releases such as Keep it Simple & the world being underground favourites (of both fans and DJ's) which have managed to remain in rotation even today. Once a part of 2014's 'pirate radio renaissance', Jammz has also managed to infiltrate his way into the playlists of DJ's such as Sir Spyro & Logan Sama (amongst others) who always have a Jammz instrumental to hand. Yes - I Am Grime is the label, however Jammz takes this opportunity to explore the boundaries of Grime, playing with a range tempos and influences on this EP, with music ranging from 130BPM to 150BPM. Songs like 'Everything Dead' nod to Jammz's Jamaican and British influences, with minimal weighty baselines and vocal stabs, whilst songs like the 'Intro' and 'Interlude' see Jammz experiment with the idea of Grime without drums or percussion. B side tracks like "Set You Free' and 'Play That' nod back to an earlier era of Grime and Garage; with simplistic brass-backed riffs and vocal chops. Additional production credits come from the likes of Sebastian Sartor, Bristol favourites Joker and New York Transit Authority, USA's Collapsing Scenery and Jack Dat who also has his production hat on for the occasion. Over the last 3 Years Jammz has spent his time building his I Am Grime Imprint, which is fast building a reputation for releasing sought after releases. With a newly announced Rinse FM residency and a brand new line of merchandise - it's safe to say Jammz isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

The next batch of all-time CLASSIC hip-hop anthems from the Nervous vaults, pressed onto high quality dinked 45's. Collectors and DJ's take note!

Remastered from the original source material and featuring the unedited 'dirty' version on the A-side, and the full instrumental on the B-side, these 45's are for the heads who know what time it really is!

The original LP version of the slamming underground jam 'I Gotcha Open' from 1994 sees Black Moon doing what they do best - spitting some serious heat over more Beatminerz grooves. It's all here, the filtered bassline that is a straight Beatminerz trademark, paired with some killer echo-laden drum programming and those sick horns! The perfect vehicle for the Buckshot Shorty to get loose with his inimitable style. This is that classic mid 90's flavour, classic from end to end. If that wasn't enough for you, you get blessed with Evil Dee & Mr Walt's instrumental on the flipside which will definitely get you open, fronting is optional but not advised! You have been warned.

Fully legit, licensed and reissued by Above Board distribution in conjunction with Nervous Records, NYC. 2018.

Following the success of 'Stellar Tunes', Italian maestro A Credible Eye Witness and his partner in crime Ghost Ride have returned into the studios to bring you this very special phenomenon. Top notch 'Random Research' introduces four tracks of pure electro madness, starting off with well named 'Synthesis', a fusion of both producers creative talent into one of a kind track that celebrates their immoderate taste for mind blowing electro modulations! Pounding 'Magnetic Force' offers a powerful electro monster based upon hammering beats and hypnotic vocals. A pure Dj tool, perfect to drop in the middle of set exactly when you want to lead your crowd into harder areas. Textured 'Metis' on the flipside continues where 'Magnetic Force' stopped to offer more psychedelic and urban melodies. Combined to a groovy bass line, the track appears to be a real winner while 'Leda' slows down the rhythm for more relaxing and no-nonsense electro tinted with acidic loops. The 'Random Research' EP sees two uncompromised artists explore uncharted territories, unusual dancefloor paths to take the listener to a higher level of electro. A must have 12'' ahead of its time, even better than 'Stellar Tunes'. Are you prepared enough for that

Galvanised by a passion for soul, jazz, funk, folk, and Brazilian samba, Judith Ravitz's Bolerio (in Hebrew, Yehudit Ravitz - ) brilliantly reimagines the music of the Brazilian legend Jorge Ben. Increasingly sought-after, housing as it does her seminal take on 'Dia De Indio' - often re-edited and sampled, bootlegged but never bettered - it's a uniquely thrilling LP in its own right. The year is 1983, and Ravitz discovered that Jorge Ben was touring Israel with his crack backing band A Banda Do Zé Pretinho. After joining her in the studio, the ensemble reinvented a selection of Ben's killer tracks that the band regularly performed. On Bolerio - 'come to Rio' - Ravitz handed them equal billing as they aided a recontextualization of Ben's music for an audience that was barely aware of him. These versions are by no means straight re-treads. Far from it. The highlights are many and memorable. The aforementioned 'Dia De Indio', a strutting, electronic samba-funk with stabbing bass and fluid arrangements, sounds so current and fresh that it's hard to believe it's now 35 years old. Its vibrant ambience has been likened to the wiry dubbiness of King Sunny Ade's Synchro System and it's easy to see why. Indeed, the electro elements add a futuristic feel that the original could never comfortably possess. Undeniably rocking more furiously than Ben's versions, the album begins with a throbbing take on 'Boiadeiro', the opener from Ben's Salve Simpatia.

Jan Bertil Svensson: co-founder of the legendary Börft Records, member of arch techno-primitivists Frak, the man responsible for Villa Abo and all-round underground don active in the field of machine music since 1987!

Whilst Jan's output will always conjure comparisons to Techno with a capital T, he has (and continues to) plough a singular and peculiar path in the realm of electronic music. For the Glasgow-based Full Dose, he presents his first ever solo 12' under the name of J.B.S: a four tracker of sluggish, minimal funk that bears the hallmarks of his most classic work as Villa Abo, and adds dashes of the brutal grit that his Studio SS project is infamous for. If there's any sort of recurring theme in Svensson's work, it's playfulness and humour, a particular Scandinavian form of sonic banter that cuts right through the po-faced, black-clad heteronomy of much of today's electronic landscape. The music on this record, with it's odd blend of stripped-back synth pop and brutish dungeon funk evokes exactly that: a body of work that doesn't even seem capable of taking itself too seriously, yet evades anything resembling a recognisable piss take. After all, nobody said that humour and credibility in music had to be mutually exclusive, and J.B.S is a master at weaving the two together at will.

In a world where dance music is often subjected to ludicrous conceptual analysis, sometimes the combined effect of hot circuitry, sincerity, vivaciousness and an anomalous attitude are the only thing for it. But then again, this is not just dance music either...

Santo Sangre is a project by San Francisco-based artist, producer and DJ Gonzo Manuel. On its first release, Quetzal, perhaps a reference to the central-American bird with bright, ornate plumage Gonzo taps into a Latin-accented, tribal feel that is ably carried on rolling, syncopated percussion with an organic essence, a birdsong-like chant, sporadic and light bursts of actual song and haunting string chords that cut across the sound spectrum, adding dark energy and urgency to the track. This one will sit nicely out on its own, bringing a hybrid organic/robotic essence to the dance or would work equally well rinsed around in the mix, with all its elements appearing and disappearing at just the right time as a transition ascends and peaks.
Oakland producer Indy Nyles remix builds on the tribal theme by enhancing the syncopated aspect of the percussion. He augments this further with a pretty and drifting melody line composed of glassy keyboard sounds. The sense of drama this creates is boosted further by a breathy and repetitive voice sample. This concoction drives along nicely until around the 5 minute mark when Nyles drops a menacing, snaking thread of 303 bass, stabs of icey strings and echo and delay effects that amplify the shadowy, seductive allure of his remix. Its a new sounding track but the acid line and syncopation bring to mind some of the psychedelic, breakbeat classics of San Franciscos halcyon, rave era.
Rounding things up is the Slope 114 Remix. Here Dmitri Ponce and partner
Elise Gargalikis take the track on a house journey that is, like Indys mix, brand new sounding but possessed by the spirits of the classics. Elises vocal flourishes bring to the mind the Latin house, tribalist dynamism of Louie Vega and Indias River Ocean numbers while Dmitri nudges the bassline from chunk and funk to acid and massive without sacrifcing the subtlety of the maneuver. The subtle aspect being that a techno, a tech-house and a straight up house heads will be able to bounce this one to the box without leaving her generic comfort zone: the true mark of a classic.
This release is a strong start for this new artist, look out for more fire from this Bay Area talent

All things come from and return to the same source - such is the theory of Monism; an ancient philosophy, but also accounting for the music of Jeroen Search. Dictated by an ethos of exclusively recording live takes and the only ever editing happening while a tune is being created, each finished track is imbued with that unique magic of the moment. Such too is the nature of Monism, Search's first LP in over two decades of electronic explorations and personal as well as artistic growth. As with any of his music that has been released so far, the tracks on here hold a timeless quality, existing within their own frame of reference than - that is their immediate experience. Across a carefully arranged course, the album naturally unravels its many ideas, ranging from moments of pensive ambient pieces to thick washes of dub echo and layers of modulated synths, all while providing an endless array of hypnotizing bare-bone grooves in the process. A true Figure mainstay, Jeroen Search upholds his artistic relevancy without any reinventing or switching up the formula - rather by simply keeping true to his accomplished craft.

Lost Futures is a new label that explores experimental and often radical approaches to dance music from the past. In a musical landscape that increasingly claims to seek and reward new forms and ideas, Lost Futures delves into the recent past to revisit forward-thinking, optimistic projects that, owing to the social, musical or outright political climate, perhaps struggled to find an audience. Allowing only time to re-contextualise these leftfield, sometimes misunderstood and ultimately human bodies of work, Lost Futures taps into the inherent idealism of rave.

LF001 trips back until the early nineties to revisit the alternative scene emerging from the Dutch city of Utrecht. Here, three young men - DJ Zero One (Sander Friedeman), TJ Tape TV (Arno Peeters) and DJ White Delight (Richard van der Giessen) - joined forces to form 'The Awax Foundation'. Inspired by the transcendent and revolutionary electronic music arriving on their shores imported from Chicago and Detroit, combining their knowledge, gear and ever-expanding vinyl collection allowed additional freedom in paying sincere tribute to these intoxicating sounds, while also developing their tastes in a more personal, eclectic direction.

The musical flavours of Awax initially leaned toward acid house and the roots of techno. However, with three different mindsets in the mix, their tastes were rarely fixed. One thing each shared in common was a devotion to collecting rare sounds, specifically more adventurous and international samples than those emanating from the increasingly-hard, masculine dance music emerging from the Netherlands during the period. Inspired by the cross-over global sound of bands like Suns of Arqa, or 'World Music', as it was perhaps patronisingly termed at the time, the trio became interested in the idea of making techno with 'ethnic instruments'.

Of course, this being 1992, none of The Awax Foundation had access to such instruments, instead, they had a vast, collective library of samples from all over the world. There were no collaborations and no clear plan. Instead, they set to work using a Yamaha TX16W sampler, the legendary Atari 1040ST computer, a cheap mixing desk and a couple of low-end synths and FX machines. When Richard mentioned the project to his friend, Akin Fernandez, the London DJ and owner of cult label Irdial Discs, Fernandez was intrigued enough to invite the trio to record a one-hour show for his 'Monster Music Radio' series on London's then-burgeoning Kiss FM.

Forced to come up with a name, 'CultureClash' seemed like the obvious choice, even if the members of Awax were only creatively sparring among themselves. Along with the term 'ethno-techno', slightly dubious to a hopefully more conscious Western audience in 2017, these were the only guiding principles to the quietly ambitious project that soon combined cutting-edge machine rhythms with samples sourced from everywhere from Bolivia to Togo, and inspired by everything from Ravi Shankar's epic soundtrack to the Oscar-winning movie Ghandi, to the technical limits of their own setup requiring a dazzling degree of cut-and-paste work. Some tracks even emerged out of academic studies within the ethnomusicology department at The University of Amsterdam.

The show aired on October 2nd, 1992, recorded in one blistering take and without any rehearsals, traversing a huge variety of tempos and styles. If the performance wasn't seamless, it was undeniably thrilling, fresh and ambitious. As such, several labels, including Fernandez's aforementioned Irdial Discs expressed an interesting in commercially releasing CultureClash, while another imprint proposed a series of twelve-inches and an album. But the sheer complexity of the project meant that it never saw the light of day, while the trio embarked on different journeys ahead, both creative and personal.

Twenty five years later, and the original CultureClash lineup and founding members of The Awax Foundation provide the sound of the first release from Lost Futures. An otherworldly, ambitious and optimistic compilation, accompanied by extensive sleeve notes from the trio, CultureClash is a timeless ode to experimentation in dance music's ever-overlapping culture.

'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.