Ascetic Limited is shifting gears, focusing on solo EPs dedicated to the artists that form the collective. To kick it off they present an EP from renowned Milanese techno producer Wrong Assessment, who throughout his career in techno has proven himself to be one of the most interesting producers coming out of Italy. From his collaborative works with the late Max_M as Overall Severity to his solo works as Wrong Assessment, his tracks are always unique. Influences ranging from minimal to hard pounding techno bangers, through house grooves and ambient arrangements, he still is able to transmit his sound and vision with his music.
Wrong Assessment's 8th Floor EP is comprised by (A1) Asceta - an ambient downtempo immersion that washes over the listener in preparation for what's to come. (A2) Empire, is a clear example of the great sound that Wrong Assessment has developed throughout the years, winding synth lines and driving techno beats with a great minimalist approach to sound. The title track, (B1) 8th Floor - a bouncy, playful track filled with great ambiance that can fit into any DJ set and will drive the audience to the dance floor. Ending the EP on a heavy note, (B2) Radial brings heavy kicks and strong ambient works mixed with intense techno beats and brooding synth lines that will have the dance floor going insane.
Ascetic Limited presents Wrong Assessment's 8th Floor EP as their 5th release and second EP on the label
Cerca:the 5 beats
Winter thaw marks the return to Furanum of Uncto, the Silesian dyad Domink Muller and Rafal Furst, with their first full release of collaborative material since 2013's seminal FU009. Like its predecessor, Unctuous offers four cuts of viscerally engineered and rhythmically exacting dystopias, each ably situated within a striking 'synth-etic' narrative. It is this latter aspect of each arrangement that perhaps most noticeably demonstrates the pair's singular and evolving approach to composition, born out in the calculated emphasis on hardware-based expressionism.
The opening title track stands as a testament to the above: while deceptively sparse at the outset, its ponderous advance, both heavyset and indomitable as it gathers pace, is framed in the midst of an unfolding panorama of stark analog wails. Further interspersed with resonant timbres more akin to the vocalizations of some hell-beast luring its prey, the eponymous behemoth ingratiates its listener, beckoning submission to its will with the promise of exhilaratory assimilation. Such a hive-mind state attained, exhilaration does follow, yet so does a concomitant loss of agency, leaving one thoroughly subjugated and enslaved to its cadence. Perhaps as a manifestation of dramatic resistance to such a fate, 'Trust No One' daringly defies the impositions of its predecessor. Instead, it animates and emboldens the beholder through its rhythm, ineluctably driven by a sense of accelerating linear intensity. Thus arriving at a climactic percussive build whose isochronal blows shatter any remnants of doubt, angst transforms into raw conviction as one is propelled into a delirious realm of solipsistic certitude.
Situated amidst the foreboding sound of blade clashing with blade, 'Cold Knife', on the other hand, is driven by an entirely disparate off-beat progression. As its anticipatory rhythmic thrusts cut through an advancing fog of shivering drones with frigid precision, one seemingly undergoes a cyclical plunge into a state not unlike one marked by the visceral dopaminergic rush of contact with extreme cold. Finally, 'Metzgers Tochter' ('Butcher's Daughter') closes the EP with a ruthless exploration of the contrast between the gruesome and the feminine. In a similar way to the opener, the track's meter is staggered and undulating, yet also steadily punctuated with breathing room between its crushing blasts. Such scenery thus serves as a canvas for the expression of the titular character's 'beauty and the beast': a paradoxical synthesis of attraction and aural brutality, held in tension by the unceasing throbbing of the composition's beats.
Mastered & cut by CGB at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering,
For the 12th installment of Jose Cabrera's self-titled imprint, Mario Castillo appears under his long running 'Kastil' moniker to deliver a four track EP of mechanical dance floor sounds. With 'Anemic Lust', the resident of Vitoria- Gasteiz, comes up with a worthy addition to his rapidly growing discography. After a period of DIY work through his own label STALE, Castillo returns to the imprint where he last released his collaboration album with J.C. in 2017.
Musically, Castillo's palette is ever expanding, threading into the murky waters of mechanical textures and balanced, hypnotic beats, Anemic Lust is showcasing Castillo's love for dubbed out chords, orchestrated string work and power driven drum programming. The opening track 'Submissive' is a firm work of dance floor techno which uses a drone-like scream as it's back bone. While the bass and drums alternate skillfully, the hats and percussive elements penetrate entire spectrum and act in a vanguard-like fashion.
'Omniscience' is a work of growling and low down dub chords that are supported by a vigorous kick drum, slabs of fx, and high spirited hi-hats that change throughout. 'Red River' is the first effort on the B side if Anemic Lust. Castillo changes the pace to introduce a more inky side to his music. The drum work and bass sounds are ominous but the mood is shifted by a more soothing ambiance around the two minute mark.
Also on the B side, label owner J.C. translates Red River into an experimental sounding work of wintry drums and notable sound additions.
Anemic Lust comes in a 12" vinyl package
After releasing in labels such as Offworldcolonies, Undveld brings to Order&Devotion an obscure journey through far landscapes. The beginning of the trip starts with two cuts starred by hypnotic beats, tense pads and abstract synths. Following this, on the B side you'll find a strong remix by label's honcho Kwartz, adding heavy industrialized elements to the Lithuanian artist work. The journey ends with an ambient excerpt.
Next up on the ever-eclectic XVI Records, a shadowy figure steps into the spotlight: enter the mysterious Captain Over, whose dark yet soulful bruk-infused tracks soundtrack the next stage of their voyage towards the sun. For his debut outing, Captain Over calls on the abstract vocal stylings of the legendary Trim (Roll Deep, 1800 Dinosaur) on opening track 'SICK'.
Showcasing why he's one of the most iconic and forward-thinking MC's to grace the mic, Trim's dulcet tones twist through a jungle of shuffled beats and subterranean sub-bass, an eerie child-like melody drifting overhead.
Clack Clack and No One Ever Really Flies inhabit a more dancefloor friendly space, their unique syncopation, fierce instrumentation and relentless energy open up the dancefloor for some real get loose moments.
On the remix, they hand the controls over to XVI homestay Books (following on from the success of his previous 'Feel It In My Bones' and 'High Praise Edits Vol 1' releases which won praise from the likes of The Black Madonna, Moodymann, Gilles Peterson and Seven Davis Jr) Books expertly crafts a cosmic footwork jam, full of his trademark soulful chords and eerie midnight saxophone licks.
As he prepares to launch his forthcoming EP 'No-One Every Really Flies' into the cosmos ; Captain Over is beginning to cement his place as one to watch in the UK underground - a sequel EP featuring grime upstart Nico Lindsay is scheduled for release later in the year, with several more collaborative works in progress.
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The new Release on Shaddock Records is more than just dance tracks, 2 songs that come with full-blown vocals, a Re-edition of classic Latin Freestyle by Jorge Ojeda ft. Hilda Mariee with an up-to-date cover version by Mr. & Mrs. Jonson
The original version is a freestyle slammer coming straight from Miami the capital of Freestyle Music.
Driven by hard electro beats and Ojeda's signature Miami Bass with Latin Hip Hop/ Freestyle Dance grooves, "Betrayal" when initially released on Ojeda's Destune records became a club and street phenomenon in Miami. It would be one of the first of many productions between Jorge Ojeda and Hilda Mariee' and their project Teaz II Pleaz.
Now "Betrayal" catches new life on Shaddock Records and continues to tell it's story.
On the 2nd A side Mr. & Mrs.Jonson aka Mathew Jonson and Isis Kuaygarond created an incredible cover version keeping the electro and freestyle spirit but taking arrangement and production to the next level and thus into 2018.
Mathew and Isis, after their recent marriage have spent endless hours in the studio and with Betrayal - the couple's very 1st release - they are giving us a first insight into their joint musical vision.
Part 1 of Rommek's 'Set in Stone Trilogy' for Blueprint sets the tone of the EP with an ambience of dark, atmospherics that build intensely leaving you with a feeling of anticipation of what is to come. Rommek then delivers 3 tracks of rhythmic techno from the driving 4/4 of Obsidian, to the gripping 3/4 of Rhyolite, finishing with the disjointed spatial beats of Scoria. IDM sound design constantly evolving the menacing undertones.
Impenetrable and compelling beats from Cassius Select on the 'Fake Death' EP, his first offering for Hypercolour after stunning releases on Herbert's Accidental and Unknown To The Unknown. An EP brimming with forward thinking vigor and razor sharp edges across six cuts of mutilated beats and dense auras.
* After nearly 10 years, KFA returns to vinyl. As a label, KFA was widely loved for its ability to shift styles and genres, always hitting slightly off center, to produce such off kileter classics as the original 'Truffle Shuffle', a jungle anthem that gets a much deserved remix on this EP. New Signee Scartat brings the pain with monstrously heavy beats in 'Role Model', which KF Digital man of the moment Bucksta keeps it slightly mellower with 'Killer Sound', leaving Luna-C & Mr Arthur to bring the dancehall vibes with 'Judgement'.
Debütalbum des britisch-nigerianischen Electronic-Produzenten und Singer/Songwriters Tony Njoku, ein Globetrotter, aufgewachsen zwischen Lagos und London, dessen bewegende Klangbilder aus den kürzesten Popsongs epische Abenteuer machen. Vocal-Club-Beats für Ästhetiker. "Exciting blends of African percussion, falsetto croons and dark synths." - Fact. "Fusing abstract beats with his angelic tones." - Mojo. "Expansive electronics flirting with psych and soul." - Clash.
Extremely hot on the heels of 'A Library Excursion', Earl Jeffers teams up again with Don Leisure, his partner-in-beats for another EP of Darkhouse Family goodness. Following on from their highly acclaimed debut album 'The Offering' from late last year on First Word, the Cardiff duo have hand selected a group of friends, dons and legends (including DJ Spinna & Kaidi Tatham) to serve us up 'An Extra Offering'. Five remixes curated by the crew.
For the refix of 'The Accession' (which originally featured Kamaal Williams, Dave Newington and Daf Davies from Boy Azooga), label-mate Kaidi Tatham kicks off with some down-low bottom-heavy boom bap, before switching up the tempo mid-way for a blast of his inimitable jazz-funk bruk boogie.
Next up we're honoured to have not one, but TWO tracks from the Brooklyn legend, DJ Spinna. His Galactic Soul rub of 'Another World' flips the original into a deep soulful 4/4 house cut, featuring the lush vocals of Esther (and one Charlotte Church on backing vocals, pop fact fans).
Then there's DJ Spinna's Galactic Funk take on 'Just So You Know' with the marvellous Vanity Jay on vocals. This one is on the same mid-tempo tip as the original, but with that unmistakable Polyrhythm Addict flavour of big kicks, crisp snares, hench bassline and sweet spacey synths.
For the 'GAEA' remix we keep it Cardiff and introduce the man like Alfie Swan. Doubling up the tempo of the original, this adds some seriously wavy sonics and flips the groove entirely, creating a seriously innovative cocktail of riddims. One for those not shy of some jazz ethics in the dance.
And to close out this offering, Andromeda Jones lays down a ridiculously delectable broken beat mix of 'Journey To Love', this one again featuring Vanity Jay. No messing with this one, this is straight dancefloor fire, transforming the hip hop soul track into a future boogie heater. One for the ravers.
This EP illustrates once again Darkhouse Family's wide range of influences and sounds, as selectors and as music makers themselves, and is no doubt one that will stay in your box for a very long time...n
Only one month after the release of their first ep on MT on May 2018, Vactrol Park continue surprising, this time with a full LP in the shape of 'Music from the Luminous Void'.The album sees VP delve much deeper into more atmospheric realms. Using modular synths and unexpected drum machine sequencing they leave the 4X4 beats behind in favor of off-world rhythms and ever growing bass. Starting with Drops's high frequency tension, laying on top of those heavy kick drums it keeps on growing and growing. From there it moves to the 'End of the party' groove that is Novikov's Notation, and its trippy monotonic rhythm. The A-side ends with the heavy sampled ambient track Macbeth, bringing forward that mesmerizing flute solo by Italian artist Luca Spagnoletti yet succeeding in avoiding the kitsch, and with a touch of class. The B-side delves even deeper into ambience and atmospheric muzak. Starting with Bells, that features again Spagnoletti on flute. Then we get into the real gems of the album - Anstruther and Glove. The first is a pure trip into modular psychedelia and repetitive jazzy-like drum rhythms, creating tension right from the start and plays with it throughout the track before decaying slowly into Glove, which is in sense both the catharsis and the decompression session of the album. Like a 2018 version of Vangelis, this track's soundscape will keep you dreaming with your eyes closed long after the album ends.
180g vinyl
Shunter, the new album by the Berlin-based duo Driftmachine, is their most ambitious work to date. Although instantly recognizable, featuring their trademark Kosmische and Avant-garde sounds, it also presents a new journey into abstract and hallucinatory worlds. Filled with eerie textures, their electronic visions are darker and more vaporous than ever.
Driftmachine's fourth album (also the fourth one for Umor Rex) offers a new perspective on their ample sound spectrum and systemic narratives. Shunter overlaps and mutates their post-industrial-dub motives. It was conceived and produced in search of a very different kind of imagery, with sections of noise and field recordings intersecting with analogue sounds, a mixture of contrasted fragments, where the usual creative process of modular-synthesis leads Gerth and Zimmer to the discovery of a dark, hazy and diffused experience. There is a protean quality to the rhythmic elements, with tempos constantly contracting and expanding, a departure from the mono-beat-rhythms of "Nocturnes" and "Colliding Contours". The first half of Shunter is made of four pieces named "Shift", although individually separated, they are conceptually linked and can be understood as a sort of score. Imagine a late stage of the industrial revolution, with the interaction between heavy machinery and human beings. The second half of the album is not completely separated, but it has three other substantial melodic moments. Somewhere between the hauntological and the realms of archive-music, a huge range of subterranean beats and distinct patterns dotting the landscape of early electronic and post dub music.
All songs written & produced by Driftmachine (Andreas Gerth & Florian Zimmer), Berlin.
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri. Design by Daniel Castrejón.
Bluestaeb's Evolution From A Beatmaker To A Producer Is His Sophmore Album everything Is Always A Process'.
He Is One Of The Key Figures Of A New Generation Of Up And Coming Hiphop Beatmakers, Who Have Emancipated From Genre Thinking And Instead Merge Old School Aesthetics With A New School Attitude And Organic Instrumentation.
Everything Is Always A Process Re-iterates Bluestaeb's Overall Approach To Life (and Thinking), But Also Has Direct Reference To The Making Of The Album Itself, Which Began With Moving From Berlin To Paris In 2015 In The Search Of New Influences And A New Creative Environment.
Created Between 2015 And Early 2018, Eiaap Embodies The Process Of This Transition - As Well As Collaboration With Instrumentalists And Vocalists From All Over The World And Recording In Different Studios In Paris, London & Berlin.
"meeting All Those Musicians And Trying Out New Ways Of Producing By Using Real Analogue Synths, Rhodes, Drums And Percussion Etc. Made It Possible To Overcome The Creative Boundaries Of A Home Studio With Just A Midi Keyboard" / Bluestaeb
Influenced By Madlib's "shades Of Blue" And Trained In African Drum Techniques Such As Djembé And Daruka, Bluestaeb Had Been Crafting His Own Beats Since His Teenage Years And Gradually Found His Sound Identity Through Experimenting With Hiphop And Jazz - First To Be Heard By A Broader Music Community In 2013, When He Released His Debut Album "1991 Extraterrestrial" (radio Juicy). Since Then The Prolific Young Artist Has Released Numerous Solo And Collaboration Projects ("b.l.u.e. Friday" In 2015 And - sidekicks With S. Fidelity In 2016). In 2016, He Produced Collaborative Album "lit - Lost In Translation With Rapper Juju Rogers, A Keen Manifesto Against Racism, Xenophobia And The Rise Of Anti-heroes Such As Donald Trump.
Today, Bluestaeb Lives And Works In Paris And Berlin And Is Set To
Release His Third Solo Album everything Is Always A Process', A
Smooth Neo Soul-induced Epic Featuring Artists Such As Noah Slee, Harleighblu And Melodiesinfonie, Via Jakarta Records In 2018.
Pseudocode in a kind of free form minimal electronique concrete mood. There`s even the odd suggestion of a pop tune here and there, maybe even some danceable beats, if you`ve got one leg shorter than the other. While Xavier S. contributes most of the lyrics and vocals, Guy-Marc Hinant plays often the core melody on guitar or electric piano, Neffe's contributions are particularly noteworthy throughout, as he weaves together the bulk of the sonic cloth through overdubbing and mixing.one of his parts are remotely virtuosic (hence his self-identification as a non-musician), but they are always unexpected and perfect in and of themselves, emotionally and sonically, and in that sense they are deeply musical.This could be seen as the missing link between Slaughter In Tiny Place and Europa - third and final LP by Peudocode.All songs are unreleased. Recorded and mixed between 1980 and 1981.
LB aka LABAT is a regular cat in the french circuit with releases on Disques Solaires, DKO or recently WOLF Music. This ep highlights once again his unique style with an all inside MPC production blending samples with sharp signature beats. The opener is stone cold disco house jam in the deep Parrish tradition. Nothing New is a spacey hip hop joint taking you a ride to destination Spice Go- a detroish hip house beat. On flipside, CELESTIAL PLAN is a special party break with deep jazz samples mixed with a mpc signature that gives this track a very uncommon signature and groove. Better be ready for this one before landing to STICKY GREEN countryside.
The remarkable thing about BELP's new album is its two-dimensional function. It works both on a loud and a quiet volume. Some tracks would go down well as a club track, like opener 'Travelling Thru Galaxies'. This track brings back memories of the best work released on the Hyperdub label, with it's fine combination of synths and irresistible, dubby beats. Elsewhere, 'Off Ending' might start off as 'dancehall-but-not-quite dancehall' track but when half way the synths kick in they change the feeling of the track to a more cerebral level.
BELP is the artist name of Sebastian Schnitzenbaumer. Born in Munich, he partially grew up on the Seychelles islands off the coast of East Africa. Educated in classical piano, those two gravitational poles, European and African influences, form the basis for his musical development. Currently he has close ties to the (dub) Sausage Studio in Hackney, London. In his hometown Munich, the Bavarian capital, BELP took a central role in a series of discussions and events aiming to improve the image and possibilities of Munich, which to his regret is a predominantly posh and hedonistic city where optimistic and uplifting music take central role.
In different guises Schnitzenbaumer works as a much needed antidote. Since 2013 he runs the Schamoni label, focusing on supporting local artists like Leroy and Protein. Its sublabel Jahmoni is responsible for recent works by international artists like Aaron Spectre and DJ Marcelle/Another Nice Mess.
BELP's music is dark, serious and layered. His love for dub and dancehall shines through in his broken beats. At the same time the synth layered tracks give the album an atmospheric feeling.
This also is what makes this album essential: it's refusal to be pigeonholed. The last track on side A, 'By Beauteous Softness', is an a cappella rendition of a 17th century Henry Purcell piece, beautifully sung by Alexander Schneider. This track is preceded by 'Transmission', which is a brilliant abstract work, sounding like wind closing on you from all sides. And you can sip a cocktail whilst listening to the jazzy 'Time And Again' (BELP once worked as a jazz pianist).
It's clear to hear BELP took a long time recording this album. Every note, synth, drum beat, is carefully placed. But what the album might lack on spontaneity it more than compensates this with its sheer musical beauty. This also reflects on the abstract sleeve, like 'Elephants' designed by BELP himself.
Enjoy this album on big speakers, as background music or simply on headphones. There will always be new sounds and layers to be discovered!
For our next Excursion, we're off to the library. In search of library records that is - you know the type, the crazy rare records used for soundtracks and such and such. We have a sick selection of synthed-up beats and pieces chopped together by one Earl Jeffers, making the most out of his international library digging card* (*not a real thing).
For those that don't know, Cardiff's Earl Jeffers is one half of Darkhouse Family, regular family at our sister label, First Word, on which they released their debut album 'The Offering' late last year. Earl is a prolific producer in his own right, also releasing over the years under the aliases Chesus and Metabeats on labels like MCDE, Fat City and Local Talk, collaborating with artists like Byron The Aquarius, Action Bronson and Kamaal Williams / Henry Wu, turning his hand ably to house, hip hop, jungle, jazz and more. All this in addition to running his own label, Mélange Records.
A dedicated digger and record collector first and foremost, Earl has provided us with a quadruple set of heavyweight stuttery sci-fi boom bap. In Earl's words: "This record was mostly inspired by my penchant for the more electronic / synthesized jams, mostly replayed from the original compositions then thrust in to 2028 and beyond...."
The spaniard act AM is our last national discover. Coming from Valencia, a city that on the mid 80's has been with Brussels and Manchester at the european vanguard of the most advanced and darkest beats. AM, clearly influenced by those days of glory, presents on their vinyl debut an outstanding EP that sometimes could remind to the best FRONT 242 period and sometimes could remind to be listening to the late 80's NewBeat top hymns at Boccaccio, surely anyone will remain indifferent to AM. It will be presented on 12 EP format and produced in a ONE-OFF truly limited edition of 300 copies lacquered pressed on 180 gr. high quality solid black vinyl. All tracks have been specially mastered and remastered for LONG CUT vinyl by Eric Van Wonterghem
Twenty-eight Years Ago, Pissed-off Twelve-year-olds Around The Universe Discovered A New Planet, A Black Planet. Public Enemy's Aggressive, Benihana Beats And Incendiary Lyrics Instilled Fear Among Parents And Teachers Everywhere, Even In The Border Town Of Laredo, Texas, Home Of The Future Founders Of The Latin-funk-soul-breaks Super Group, Brownout. The Band's Sixth Full-length Album (out May 25th) Fear Of A Brown Planet Is A Musical Manifesto Inspired By Public Enemy's Music And Revolutionary Spirit.
Chuck D., The Bomb Squad, Flava Flav And The Rest Of The P.e. Posse Couldn't Possibly Have Expected That Their Golden-era Hip Hop Albums Would Sow The Seeds For Countless Public Enemy Sleeper Cells, One That Would Emerge Nearly Three Decades Later In Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) Remembers A Kid Back In Junior High Hipped Him To The Fact That Public Enemy's bring The Noise' Is Built On James Brown Samples, While A Teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) Alternated Between Metal And Hip-hop In His Walk-man, And Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) Remembers Falling In Love With Public Enemy's Sound At An Early Age. when I Got Into Hip Hop, I Was Looking For This Aggressive Outlet . . . And I Didn't Even Understand What They Were Pissed Off About, Because I Was Twelve And Lived In Laredo . . . But I Loved It And I Felt Angry Along With Them.'
Joseph Abajian (fat Beats' Owner) Must Have Sensed The Deep Hip-hop Well Lying Beneath The Versatile Band's Latin-funk Veneer. i Thought Their Sound Would Work Covering Public Enemy Songs,' Abajian Says, And, it Was Good To Know They Were P.e. Fans . . . We Came Up With A Track Listing And They Went To Work.' Despite The Band's Eagerness To Work On New Original Material (an Album Of Original Songs Is Slated For Next Year), They Couldn't Pass Up The Opportunity To Pay Homage To This Iconic And Influential Posse.
Translating Sample-based Music To A Live Band Turned Out To Be More Of A Challenge Than They Anticipated. Adrian Tried To Get Inside The Bomb Squad's (public Enemy's Producers/beat-making Team) Head In Order To Find The Inspiration To Reinterpret P.e.'s Songs: imagine The Bomb Squad Going Back In Time And Getting The J.b.s (james Brown's Funky Backing Band) In The Studio And Setting Up A Couple Analog Synths And Then Playing Those Songs.' While Some Songs Closely Follow The Original Musical Blueprint, Others Use The Source Breakbeats As Jumping-off Points Later Sweetened By Trombonist Mark speedy' Gonzales' Horn Arrangements, Synth Wizardry Courtesy Of Friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, And Dj Trackstar's Turntable Scratches. But Don't Listen Expecting To Hear Paint-by-numbers Recreations Of Classic Public Enemy Jams. our Approach Is Never In The Tribute Sense,' Adrian Explains. we've Always Taken It And Made It Our Own, Whether It's The Brown Sabbath Thing Or This Public Enemy Thing.' Coming Off Numerous Tours As Brown Sabbath And Even A Stint Backing The Late Legend Prince, Brownout Is Arguably The Tightest And Funkiest Band On The Road Today And They're Psyched To Bring This Revolutionary Music To The People. For A Band Without An Overt Political Agenda, They Collectively Couldn't Resist The Opportunity To Play This Music Live, Especially Now. if There's Any Way That We Can Use The Already Political And Protest Nature (of P.e.'s Music), We Would Like To Try,' Beto Says. the Album's Title, Fear Of Brown Planet Is Definitely A Relevant Idea Today And We're Not Afraid To Put It Out There, Because We Want To Speak Out.' By Reinterpreting These Hip Hop Classics In Their Unique Style And Channeling The Spirit Of Public Enemy That First Echoed Around The World And Captured Their Imaginations All Those Years Ago, Brownout Is Doing Exactly That.
Two of Russian electronic music's rising stars, Phil Gerus and Alexander Lay-Far, invite you to join them at the Solitary High Social Club. While table service is provided, they'd much rather you throw caution to the wind and head to the dancefoor.
Before joining forces in the studio, both Moscow-based musicians have delivered a string of memorable solo productions. Lay-Far has previously released a wealth of material on such labels as Local Talk, City Fly, Lazy Days and 4Lux Black, while synthesizer fetishist Gerus has showcased his electrofunk and disco-fred cuts on Futureboogie Recordings, Sonar Kollektiv, Public Release
and Superior Elevation Records.
The fve tracks that make up Solitary High Social Club deliver a perfect marriage of the two producers' distinctive solo styles, combining the rich musicality of Lay-Far's house productions with the spacey, intergalactic electronics of Gerus's discoid adventures. In many ways, it's a marriage made in heaven - or in Lay-Far's celebrated In-Beat-Ween Studio, at least.
The duo's spacey and melodious musical fusion is arguably best exemplifed by lead cut City 2 City, Star 2 Star', a widescreen, mid-tempo disco epic rich in tactile Rhodes riffs, supernova synth solos, delay-laden drum beats, tumbling melody lines and heavy analogue bass. Fittingly, the track returns in Reprise' form - think sweeping, weightless ambient bliss - to round off the EP.
Elsewhere, the duo provides further proof of their combined musical talents.
Check, for example, the gentle drum machine electro beats, cascading new age melodies and sparkling, stretched-out synthesizer chords of the impeccably beautiful Am I Tripping', or the devilishly percussive, mind-altering brilliance of Love Life', where mutant electro bass, wide-eyed chords and alien melodies rise above a heavy, Afro-infuenced groove. As for Snowfakes On Her Lips', you'll struggle to fnd a more confdent and positive dancefoor workout all year. Blessed with killer piano parts, darting analogue synth-bass and a range of disco-tinged musical fourishes, it's by far and away the most celebratory moment on an already happy-go-lucky EP. It confrms, too, our initial hunch: at the Solitary High Social Club, life is always good.
Nicolas Lattansio, aka SHIT, was raised in Temperley, a small borough in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1996, he had his first encounter with electronic music and has been inseparable ever since. Hes in love with the beats and the dance floor. His tracks are played by the likes of DJs Pareja, Alejandro Paz, Carisma and Mijo. Hes the founder and resident DJ of Te Re Cagamos La Fiesta and TOKYO, the Festival. He defines his music as indie techno, with strong beats, vocals and plenty of attitude. Without a doubt, SHIT is one of the most powerful projects in the neighborhood.
The Solo En La Pista EP shows SHIT's veritable force in the blooming indie-techno scene growing out of Mexico and South America, and the remix with Mexico City's Ali X x Ximena (former Azari III) is an extremely strong dance floor track that has proven itself upon many floors and festivals from Burning Man and beyond over the course of 2017 in preparation for it's public launch this year.
CHIWAX welcomes Andre Red Hand to the Family!
Dubbed by Igloo Magazine as the 'Romanian Detroit electro/techno pioneer' and by the late Aaron Carl as 'the Romanian Underground Resistance himself', Andrew Red Hand from Romania's spiritual capital of lasi stands up as an unwavering militant of the underground, a true Detroit spirit possessed as Romanian humanoid!
From his early gigs throwing parties as one of the first generation DJs in lasi since 1997, ARH continues to break boundaries as part of the Romanian resistance scene and numerous time portals as they open around Europe. His blistering, mind-bending sets such as at Berlin's Tresor and Griessmuehle see the DJ with the red hand fuse pure Detroit electro and techno with the sounds of techno-bass, raw Chicago acid house, classics and futuristic beats. His mixes for Radio UR (Underground Resistance) and The Grid (Detroit Techno Militia) remain some of the best frequency transmissions to surface to air.
Armed with a Soviet Union reel to reel Majak 203, his scorching raw analogue and searing acid productions have been picked up by foundational Detroit labels such as Twilight 76, Matrix, Detroit Underground, Databass, Detroit Techno Militia, Cratesavers Intl, Visillusion as well as around the world from Holland's iconic M>O>S Recordings to 1Ø Pills Mate (Lobster Theremin), Bass Agenda and Land Of Dance. On his remix list includes work for Scan 7, Santonio Echois, Thomas Barnett, Sean Deason, Niko Marks, Six Foe, T.Linder and more while support from Anthony Shake Shakir, DJ Bone, Dave Clarke, DJ Godfather has been garnered for our sonic warrior... Beware of the Red Hand!
Prestige Music continues steadfast in 2018 with a fresh 12" from the likes of Bram Schrooyen, aka PHASE. Contributing remarkably to the catalog with 'Anything For You', featuring Astrid Destuyver; a beautifully warm piece rolling over classic key strokes, and coupled with sultry vocal overtones. In stark contrast, 'Diffusor' boasts relentless beats and breaks, pounding bass rhythms, and delivers shock to sound systems. A very special release for all the vinyl heads, and will find itself available worldwide by summer '18.
After a first EP, Chasse is coming back with a new release on Javi Frias label 'Night Shift Records' including 4 groovy tracks. Influenced by the old school sounds of Chicago, the duo offer us a powerful and disco EP, where sampling is at its peak. Their efficient beats mixed with samples from disco to funk make us remember the old times of House music. Once again, the belgian boys got the job done!
- A1: Los Pastores
- A2: Ilaló (Feat. Mateo Kingman)
- A3: Barú
- A4: Nadie Lo Riega (Feat. Miriam García)
- A5: Sierra Nevada
- A6: Niño Hermoso (Feat. Gianluz)
- B1: El Señor Del Flautín (Interludio)
- B2: La Victoria (Feat. Lido Pimienta & Manu Ranks)
- B3: Kawa Kawa (Feat. Kaleema)
- B4: Alegría
- B5: Indios Tilcara
- B6: Gira Gira
For the last decade, Argentina has become the epicenter of a musical explosion that characteristically blends folk music from the surrounding Andes and electronic beats. The artist arguably responsible for its emergence on a global platform is one named Chancha Via Circuito- a Buenos Aires native named Pedro Canale whose first album Rodante (2008) opened the floodgates by pushing the borders of Cumbia listeners weren't even aware existed. He's gone on to release other highly acclaimed albums such as Rio Arriba (2010), which Resident Advisor described as 'aural magical realism', and Amansara (2014), which catapulted him onto acclaimed international stages and received praises from Pitchfork to the New York Times.
Four years later, in the midst of some very notable global turbulence, Chancha Via Circuito brings us his highly anticipated new album Bienaventuranza- a word that essentially means bliss. Replete with his signature touches of Andean instruments (think lots of flute and charango), the folkloric elements on this album blend fluidly with danceable and digestible electronic beats. He's been cooking this record slowly, with unprecedented amounts of care and in a much more collaborative manner than his past albums.
Appearing on the album are heavy hitters in the digital cumbia scene, including Mateo Kingman, Kaleema, and Lido Pimienta, all of whom contribute their highly distinguishable sounds to the natural flow of the album. Most of these collaborations came about almost effortlessly. La Victoria is a track that blends cumbia, dancehall, and a bit of mysticism- carried by Lido Pimienta's luminous voice, Colombian Dancehall wizard Manu Ranks happened to be in town and slipped into the song naturally. Kawa Kawa came from an improv jam during rehearsal one day with Kaleema (Heidi Lewandowski) and Federico Estevez (percussionist in Chancha Via Circuito). Niño Hermoso, which is lyrically a fable, sounds the way it does because Pedro saw a video of Gianluz (Gianluca Zonzini), who he knows from dance classes, singing a Pocahontas song on Youtube.
As dancefloor-friendly as it is mystical, Bienaventuranza is as Chancha as it gets- with elements from Cumbia to Dancehall to Andean Folk to Global house, crystal clear production, and collaborations that are evidently natural and genuine, the record holds true to the sound that Canale has played such a huge part in creating. Since the release of his last album, the digital folk scene has also grown exponentially. From a new generation of producers to more listeners in unassuming parts of the globe, Pedro has been humbled to see the sound develop- and proves with this album that he's grown swiftly alongside it.
- A1: A Min We Vo Nou We - Les Sympathics De Porto Novo
- A2: Asaw Fofor - Ignace De Souza & The Melody Aces
- A3: Dja Dja Dja - Stanislas Tohon
- B1: L´enfance - Elias Akadiri & Sunny Black´s Band
- B2: Mé Adomina - Picoby Band D´abomey
- B3: Nounignon Ma Klon Midji - Antoine Dougbé
- B4: Moulon Devia - Orch. Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou
- C1: Paulina - Black Santiago
- C2: Glenon Ho Akue - Lokonon André Et Les Volcans
- C3: Sadé - Sebastien Pynasco And L´orchestre Black Santiago
- C4: Baba L´oke Ba´wagbe - Super Borgou De Parakou
- D1: Gangnidodo - Cornaire Salifou Michel Et L´orchestre El Rego & Ses Commandos
- D2: How Much Love Naturally Cost - Gnonnas Pedro And His Dadjes Band
- D3: Idavi - Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou
African Scream Contest 2
A great compilation can open the gate to another world. Who knew that some of the most exciting Afro-funk records of all time were actually made in the small West African country of Benin Once Analog Africa released the first African Scream Contest in 2008, the proof was there for all to hear, gut-busting yelps, lethally well- drilled horn sections and irresistibly insistent rhythms added up to a record that took you into its own space with the same electrifying sureness as any favourite blues or soul or funk or punk sampler you might care to mention.
Ten years on, intrepid crate-digger Samy Ben Redjeb unveils a new treasure- trove of Vodoun-inspired Afrobeat heavy funk crossover greatness. Right from the laceratingly raw guitar fanfare which kicks o Les Sympathics' pile-driving opener, it's clear that African Scream Contest II is going to be every bit as joyous a voyage of discovery as its predecessor. And just as you're trying to get o the canvas after this one-punch knock out, an irresistible Afro-ska romp with a more than subliminal echo of the Batman theme puts you right back there. Ignace De Souza and the Melody Aces' Asaw Fofor" would've been a killer instrumental but once you've factored in the improbably-rich-to-the-point-of-being-Nat-King-Cole-influenced lead vocal, it's a total revelation.
The screaming does not stop there, in fact it's only just beginning. But the
strange thing about African Scream Contest II's celebration of unfettered Beninese creativity is that it would not have been possible without the assistance of a musician who had been trained by the Russian secret services to "search and destroy" enemies of the country's (then) Marxist-Leninist president Mathieu Kerekou.
Already familiar to fans of the first African Scream Contest as a mainstay of ruthlessly disciplined military band Les Volcans de la Capitale, Lokonon André vanished in a cloud of dust at Ben Redjeb's behest with a list of names and some petrol money, only to return a few days later having miraculously tracked down every single name he'd been given. The source of this Afrobeat bounty-hunter's impressive people-finding skills - his training with the KGB - highlights the tension between encroaching authoritarian politics and fearless expressions of personal creative freedom which is the back-story of so much great African music of the 60s and 70s. Happily, in this instance, Lokonon was tracking the artists down to oer them licensing deals, rather than to arrest them.
Where some purveyors of vintage African sounds seem to be strip-mining the
continent's musical heritage with no less rapacious intent than the mining companies and colonial authorities who previously extracted its mineral wealth, Samy Ben Redjeb's determination to track this amazing music to its human sources pays huge karmic dividends.
Like every other Analog Africa release, African Scream Contest II is illuminated by meticulously researched text and eortlessly fashion-forward photography supplied by the artists themselves. Looming large - alongside Lokonon André - in the cast of biopic-worthy characters to emerge from this seductive tropical miasma is visionary space-nerd Bernard Dohounso, who laid the foundations for Benin's vinyl predominance by importing and assembling the turntables that would play the products of his Bond villain-acronymed pressing plant SATEL, a factory that would revolutionise the music industry in the whole region.
The scene documented here couldn't have been born anywhere else but in the Benin Republic , and the prime reason for that is Vodoun. It's one of the world's most complex religions, involving the worship of some 250 divinities, where each divinity has its own specific set of rhythms, and the bands introduced on the African Scream Contest series and other compilations from that country were no less diverse than that army of dierent Gods. At once restless pioneers and masters of the art of modernising their own folklore, the mystic sound of Vodoun was their prime source of inspiration.
One especially irascible Vodoun-adept was Antoine Dougbe, who styled himself The devil's prime minister' while turning ancestral rhythms into satanically alluring modern beats. As Orchestre Poly-Rythmo songwriter Pynasco has observed sagely, Evil is not elsewhere, evil extends into the house'. And African Scream Contest II is a gloriously cinematic road-trip through an undiscovered realm of music lore whose familiarity is every bit as thrilling as its otherness.
Written by Ben Thomson, March 2018
Following two previous excursions into degraded tape loops, fuzzed-out ambience and bittersweet moments of tenderness, O$VMV$M return to Idle Hands to complete a trilogy of LPs with 12 vignettes from the underbelly of the Bristol scene.
Bound to Young Echo's ever-swelling cult of wayward sonics, individually Amos 'Jabu' Childs and Sam 'Neek' Barrett have plenty of irons in the fire. Childs deals in forlorn, vocal-led introspection alongside Alex Rendall and Jasmine Butt as Jabu, while Barrett can be found laying down punishing modern grime variations alongside Kahn, or delving into more traditional soundsystem sonics in Gorgon Sound. Meanwhile the pair were clearly heard laying down some of the tones that seep out of the uncredited Young Echo collective LP from earlier this year. Their production work behind Rider Shafique's killerLion7" on Lavalava was unmissable, and their blunted beats behind Manonmars' debut LP are awaited with anticipation.
As O$VMV$M, the pair enter a particular sound world that mixes cosy nostalgia with creeping dread. Even at its most mellow, a sense of unease hovers beneath the surface, and that's what makes their approach so compelling. The sound palette is broad, from pitch-shifted RnB vocal licks to foggy trumpets crawling at half speed, but over it all a dense blanket of dust gives the sensation of peering back through time.
Putting paid to the idea that immersive music needs to be long and drawn out, the dose response on these condensed mood capsules is quick and strong. In a little over 20 minutes O$VMV$M take you far and wide. The trip over the past three LPs has been an adventure for both label and artists - Sam and Amos have shaped out a style that now feels like a fully formed entity independent of their other ventures. We look forward to seeing where O$VMV$M heads from here.
After an excellent 12inch on Rosten label SSTROM drops his first full length Otider, which is by far the most diverse offering of the project encompassing elements of different genres and putting them in woolen and dense sonic textures. Otider could be loosely translated as un-times or non-times. It positions the tracks out of specific context and rather represents them as some rediscovered artifacts relating to personal experiences of the artist. Otider slightly distances SSTROM from techno label as the compositions elegantly drift between lush transparency and thick grooves of outsider/lo-fi house as in Kronofobi or Svvaren or sensitive, yet subtly monolith and mellow techno on Damm and I Huvudet. In Modernisten we can even trace echoes of coldwave/synth aesthetics with melancholic guitars sweeping over hypnotic rhythmic patterns, while closer Sov Nu introduces something which reminds a darker form of garage music with light synthpads constantly surfacing among raw mechanical beats. All the tracks were created over a relatively long period between 2010 and 2017 by employing the process where he let his hands work automatically without interference from his head. This freedom could be felt across the release, which juggles with different musical forms so lightly and organically, but at the same time maintains a coherent vision, which illustrates the vast scope and diversity of the artist.
Two dark, adventurous and intense mid tempo mind benders by the mysterious producer K100 SIGNAL.
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(...The signal was lost along ago. A "slowtard" rhythm surfaced. as you get deeper into alignment you discover the deconstructed beats from another decay. K100 signal is an elusive project produced in the pitch black code of indulgence...)
Since his 2015 Night School debut E.P. Nouveauree, James Donadio - aka Prostitutes - has been traveling stages and rigs from Los Angeles to Berlin, from prestigious festival slots to slimy Glasgow basements, burning his own path through the modern techno and electronic scenes. On Aluminum Garage, Donadio is at his most playful, laying down unmistakably mid-tempo BPM early-electro jams indebted to early sampling before crashing the soundsystem with frantic, detourned Gabber. Unlike his previous LP for Spectrum Spools or indeed his Night School debut which rankled with austerity and minimalism, here Prostitutes is instinctive, multi-layered and unashamedly, brilliantly borrowing from myriad genres.
In past 3 years, Donadio has racked up critically praised releases on labels like Diagonal and CGI, refining his wares into a precise, bludgeoning toolkit that surprises and develops with each release. Aluminum Garage creeps into life with Born Wanderer, before a sub-heavy kick and bongo pattern blasts into a heavy break that feels like the earth moving from under your feet. With the utmost clarity, the track builds disparate layers - a white noise solo, warped sample piano chords straight from 1986 - into a Rave-o-matic climax, holding steady with the BPMs and immeasurably funky. Jah Elegant further blows apart any image we have of Prostitutes' music as austere' with a loping intro based on teased drum samples and a ghost MC. The Jungle break comes in by stealth before the heavy drop blasts the music into Drum + Bass momentum. It's both blistering fun and undeniably cheeky, a driving track that cuts up Remarc on a dimly lit table in suburban Ohio.
On Side 2, Errant Seagull takes the genre mess into techno territory though put through a heavily distorted grinder. Built around a skeleton of sampled bass guitar and thumping kick, the track layers drums upon drums, building in saturation until a searing synth strafes the criss-crossing rhythms. The effect is dizzying, insuring both a propellant, heavy forward motion and a grimey, angst-ridden climax. Before we're at the end of the track, the stereo field is so filthy with distortion and analogue muck the listener is desperate for a palette cleanser. Final track Shroud of Cellophane however, doesn't let up. With a ramped up BPM we're in a Cyberpunk Gabber club, nothing but 160 beats per minute, layers of frequency-tweaked noise and the light at the end of the tunnel racing towards us. It's sweet oblivion and we've earned it.
Goshawk returns for Hudd Traxx 60th release with Erik Rico supplying the vocals. Get Up 2 Get Down is a peak time groover with plenty of funk to boot accompanied by some seriously soulful lyrics. Art Of Tones picks up the pace on the remix with a heavy bass line added with open hats to take things up a notch. Flip for the B side and find The Love Has Gone, a brilliantly made house track made for the dancefloor. Goshawk closes things out with a laid back deep house dub on B2.
The anonymous underground figure of Phoboz is associated with one colour - black. Not only is his online presence a mystery, with alternative stage names such as Doghead, Phaseliner, and Parseq. He is also connected to the well-respected Motorlab label, whose releases from the outset have been devoid of portraiture, biographic information, or textual support. Black covers, a few silver symbols of factory hardware, and nothing more.
Nonetheless, one Russian venue online has referred to Phoboz's earlier work as 'digital music for sentient people.' There's a vague connection between darkness, industry, and Russian feelings of late. Actuality is black.
These same emphases define the newest release by Phoboz on Resonance Records, entitled 'Flow' and overseen by Moscow's techno kingpin Nikita Zabelin. Forty minutes of resonant, insistent beats, straight from the gut of some abandoned factory. A heavy, even thunderous tradition fades to black, leaving the echo of prior decades to repeat itself, over and over. Even the titles of this release speak of something lost in the dark: 'Forgotten Planet' or 'Shifted Bias.' One tradition has evanesced; a future equivalent remains vague.
Phoboz gives voice to that shift from erstwhile desire to present-day drive, from industrial progress to post-industrial flow. The sounds of a forgotten culture.
Mount Liberation Unlimited strikes back! After releases on Tim Sweeney's Beats In Space label and everyone's favourite oddball house institution Studio Barnhus, the swedish duo, consisting of Tom Lagerman and Niklas Janzon, land on planet Permanent Vacation.
"Body Language" is the fifth release for MLU and you can feel that they have been places and come some ways, since their debut ep in 2014: This Ode to dancing sees Lagerman and Janzon heading into more pop-y territories than before. "The Swedish Version" is a full on pop disco track with rich instrumentation and infectious vocals that underline MLU's status as one of the best disco and house live acts around these days. While the "Mouth Mix" is the Swedish interpretation of Chicago House and gets even more physical with its drum-heavy beats and computerized vocals. For your Karaoke party and to round up the package, we also included the instrumental of the "Swedish Version". Rocka Din Kropp!
- A1: Pollen
- A2: Chowsy In Upstyled Onesy Minor
- A3: The Perfect Adult Man
- A4: Le´ Cave´ Isnt It Funny To Think Once Apon A Time People Thought The World Was Blue White Flat And Square
- A5: 808 Frapé
- B1: Reecard Farche The Torture Of Credo Mutwa And The Theft Of The Necklace Of Mysteries_Noel
- B2: Industrial Kingpins Und Drachoen
- B3: Sharkblood Sure The Sharks
- B4: Golife Refracto Relationé
- B5: Attilas Own Photos From The Shoot
Anklepants Introduces His Brand New Album For Detroit Undergroud, A Collection Of Ten Cuts, Made With His Very Own Arsenal Of Digital And Hardware Toys, Most Of Them Self Made And Customised For His Purposes. This Multi Faceted Artist Creates A Blend Of Twisted Ryhthms, Synthetic Melodies And Weird Textures And Noises, Yet Danceable Stuff But With Heavy Focus In Experimentation And Risk.
Pollen Opens The Release With A Weird Arabic Style Riff And Arpeggiated Clean Synths Over A Simple Beat, Until More Melodic Layers Complete The Equation.
Chowsey In Upstyled Onesy Minor Follows With Sampled And Morphed Traditional Instruments, Laying Over Destructed Beats And Rythms.
The Perfect Adult Man Relies On Atmospheric Stabs, Four Four Kick And Analogue Bubble Bassline, Dark, Grey And Melancholic.
'lé Cavé_isnt It Funny To Think Once Apon A Time People Thought The World Was Blue White Flat And Squaré' Is Made Of Twisted Samples, Asymetrical Grooves, Organic Instruments Decimated And Multiple Sound Layers.
808 Frapé Is An Homage To The Classic Drum Machine, Electro Shaped Drum Patterns, Floating Sounds And Crispy Metalic Glitches Dance With Random Sequences And Bleeps In A Robotic Exercise.
Reecard Farche The Torture Of Credo Mutwa And The Theft Of The Necklace Of Mysteries_noel Goes Again To Weird Random Bleepy Fields, Alien Grooves, Heavy Sound Processing And Glitched Details.
Industrial Kingpins Und Drachoen Is Dark, Obscure Number, Clear Rythms, Strings And Resonant Bassline Collide, The Groove Transforms To Broken Beats After The Break Bringing New Life To The Overall Feel.
Sharkblood, Sure The Sharks, Repeats This Phrase In Different Pitches Over A Solid Kick Pattern While More Vocal Layers Are Added Progressively In A Voice Madness.
Golife_refracto Relationé Again Plays With Samples In A Mad Style, Altering Every Parameter, Creating Granular Efects, Destroying The Audio Files Creating An Asymetric Tune.
Attila's Own Photos From The Shoot It's The Epilogue, In A Relaxed Mood, Sound Textures, Various String Samples Melting In Different Pitches And Crunchy Atmospheres.
Eight years after releasing his renowned Narrominded Split LP with Legowelt, Garçon Taupe returned with the acid drenched EP 'The White Spider' that came out on Enfant Terrible sublabel Gooiland Elektro in 2017. It sold out at the head quarters within three months and is now followed up with 'Kiklop EP' through his home base Narrominded. Stylistically, Kiklop EP follows the tracks of the Split LP with it's typical mix of electro beats, eighties synths and acid. The B side offers some serious dance floor material with Dok, followed by the slower and dirtier title track. The record will appeal to fans of DMX Krew, Ceephax Acid Crew and the Westcoast Sound of Holland. Mastered by Ma Spaventi.
Born in 1990 to a truck manufacturer in Nara Japan, Youtaro was attracted to HIPHOP early on. First engaging with the culture through break dancing and then by making beats by 2010. In 2012 he began to release his MPC2000XL beats on Bandcamp -beats with heavy basslines and rough samples, described as a CHILL that intoxicates.
As the title suggests, Rejuvenate marks a rebirth for South London musician Paul White. Abandoning sampling altogether, White wrote, played and produced all of Rejuvenate's music himself, and the result is an album of playful, psychedelic pop.
It would have been far easier for White - previously described as a 21st century DJ Shadow, often compared to Madlib and best known as Danny Brown's go-to producer - to construct an album of loop-based, hip-hop-orientated beats. Instead, taking an ambitious left turn, he worked on honing his songwriting and instrument playing abilities and embarked on creating a totally original record worthy of sitting alongside those he'd usually sample.
Rejuvenate's broad sonic palette includes cosmic rock, ambient, electronic, jazz, folk and more. Retaining a groove-heavy, psychedelic aesthetic throughout, White successfully melds these various influences in to his most cohesive, fully-realised offering yet.
Paul White is joined on this sonic trip by a trio of likeminded souls; British-Jamaican singer Denai Moore adds heartwarming, crystalline vocals to the aptly named Set The Tone and See Through, Zimbabwean musician and poet Shungudzo (aka Shun) shares nuggets of wisdom on Spare Gold and dreamy, melting vocals for Ice Cream Man. White reunites with his sister, Sarah Williams White, and the pair draw on childhood memories for Laugh With Me and All Around.
Paul White's previous output includes a treasure trove of mostly instrumental solo records, plus collaborations with Charli XCX, Jehst, Homeboy Sandman, Guilty Simpson, Jamie Woon, Obongjayar, Eric Biddines (as Golden Rules) and Open Mike Eagle. More recently, White reconnected with frequent collaborator Danny Brown, producing most of the Detroit rap maverick's mind-blowing Atrocity Exhibition album.
- A1: Band One - Stories / Cairo Wonk / Ballache Mansions
- A2: Band Two - Jazz Pact / Feelin Dank / Industrial Giant Colour
- A3: Band Three - Theme From The Tincleton Now / Man Next Door
- A4: Band Four - Now There's Pain / Art Slab
- B1: Band One - Teahead Of Time / Western Monk
- B2: Band Two - Carnaby St Caper / Gongs2Go / Turnintuit
- B3: Band Three - Bontempi Ventures / Speltre Flecks
- B4: Band Four - Kitten Kindred / Zvuk Poisk / Cimbolism
- B5: Band Five - Baked Tapes
Glyn Bigga Bush has been producing electronic and sample-based music since the early 90s when he formed Rockers Hi Fi, going on to release numerous albums. Since the turn of the century he has produced and DJ'd as BiggaBush as well as various side projects such as Lightning Head (Sonar Kollektiv), the Dandelion Set (Buried Treasure) and the Magic Drum Orchestral (Tru Thoughts).
Bigga's latest project 'Sunken Foal Stories' represents a departure from much of his other work in that it is not primarily based on beats. Instead, his working method was to go with fascinating samples, accidental juxtapositions and irregular loops - inspired by pioneers of sound such as Faust and the audio experiments of Julian House as well as early stereo test records, soundtracks and library music.
The 21 concise tracks of Sunken Foal Stories link into two 15 minute segments on the LP. Bush explores the random elements created by overlaying disparate samples, where chimes of baroque psychedelia clash with ascending classical strings, or a haunting Eastern European folk song is looped into an eternal cadence of longing. Various voices float over the speakers, lost poets, disturbing therapists, dreaming vampires, chuckling cabaret singers. Sourced almost entirely from charity shops and carboot sales, the source material speaks of a forgotten yet relatively recent period, when stereo was something new and exciting, when home entertainment first came into its own and suburban homes thrilled to the exotic sounds of home organs, primitive beatboxes, LPs bought in unusual holiday destinations and 'glamorous' soundtracks.
On "down In 1150" Vienna Based Crate Digger, Producer, Dj And Secret Crunch Head Honcho Roman Rauch Pushes His Distinctive Style Of House Music Forward. The Ep Eatures 5 Tracks Of Pure Funky Vibes, Rugged Beats And Catchy Vocal Sampling. Check "don't Tell" On A-side For An Euphoric Soulful Opener, Or "bumble Beat" For A Slower, Groovy Disco House-pleasure. Catchy "don't Know" Gets An An Exzellent Remix Done By The One And Only Intr0beatz From Island. In The End "down To Love You" Features A Funky Bassline Zapp & Roger Would Be Proud Of.
His latest release I KNOW from Elypsia Records is a quintet of Detroit inspired remixes of the song 'I Know'. Inspired by Kevin Saunderson, his original TECHNO MIX (7:06) is a hardcore and high energy track with intensity to match the wildest of crowds. The EP also contains 3 remixes of the track, each exposing and accentuating the brilliant aspects of his complex tune. It begins with the LUCIEN FOORT REMIX (6:41), a lively big room hit with a punch fit for an epic Saturday night. UK MIX (6:46) follows with subtle electric melo-dies and rhythmic drum and bass patterns that give listeners the feel of wonder and excitement under a clear starry sky. With a clean and gravitating groove BIT FLOAT REMIX (7:42) would fit perfectly in any Ibiza party with flair and style. This release is a masterpiece of its own and nothing less than the product of a man who was born with beats and melodies ingrained in his soul. For Orlando Voorn, making music is more than a way of life, it's a necessity. From the early age of 9 his natural intuitions became apparent when his drum teacher told his parents he could play everything that was shown to him, even though he had no ability to read a score. He began to DJ at the age of 12, and 3 years later won the World Mixing Championships of 1983 at just 15 years old. Steve Clisby, from the popular American band 'American Gypsies', recognized Voorn's ability and taught him chord structures, which gave him the tools to begin composing tracks using keys and bass. His artistry then took off, making a name for him-self with his vibrant dance tracks under the alias 'Frequency". Today, he's known as one of the Netherland's most inventive and ingenious producers in the world of electronic dance music. Having produced a wide variety of music under a number of monikers including 'Fix', 'Format', 'Urban Nature' and 'X-it', his diverse ability stems
Her Majesty's Ship is proud to present 'This Never Happened', the latest album from hugely talented French-American singer and producer Yan Wagner.
This always inventive and off kilter artist has had many top releases on labels like Kitsune and has worked with the likes of the legendary Arnaud Rebotini and Etienne Daho. He also has a side project, The Populists, is producing the first album of Calypso Valois and wrote the soundtrack for the short film 'Victoria' by Mathilde Marc. Someone who plays events like SXSW and Montreux Jazz Festival, Wagner's playful disco-pop tunes always find their way into the emotions of those who hear them.
For his second album, the artist wondered what to do: surprise everyone with a selection of ballads or serve up the electronic sounds that defined his last effort Forty Eight Hours. The answer lies somewhere in between, with covers of Frank Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood mixed in with fresh and catchy disco production. Unlike the last record produced by Arnaud Rebotini, this record is producer by Yan himself with a triple objective: to favour the first takes, the heat of the sound and to reduce the post- production to a minimum. It makes for something authentic and real, and is an album of artistic self-questioning, tenacious dreaming and overcoming doubt.
Says the artist, "The songs on this record are a series of lies; views of the mind. 'This Never Happened' is a collection of stories that never happened. Ten tracks talking of vain loves, of nocturnal experiences and of life and truth, which are all so short.'
Starting with the retro synths and shiny arpeggios of the title track, ensuing cuts like 'Blacker' are real chuggers with almost de-humanised vocals over the robot beats. 'SlamDunk Cha-Cha' is descended from Bowie with its camp synth wiggles and sung- spoken vocals. Switching up the tempo, slower tracks like 'Grenades' are perfectly glowing and frazzled with their pixelated melodies and cold chords. More upbeat affairs like 'No Love' are like lighter and cheerier versions of Depeche Mode, and the Sinatra cover 'It Was A Very Good Year' is a stirring, synth heavy version that is every bit as tender as the original.
This is a fantastic album of timeless electronic songs and is sure to be one of the standout releases of the year.
The 2nd release on Steady Work By Dear Friends features Conti with his exceptional consignment to all lovers of left field approaches to house and bass loaded music. Contis MA Lumps EP allows you to get a feeling for the crocking of the toxic but cheering industrial spheres of the city of Mannheim. This Ep is an emulsion out of distorted beats, field recordings, sampled baselines and vocal snippets, processed through a mpc, tracks in a rough tape compression mix style. Funky-But-Not-Funky-Kraut-Hop-House at it`s best. Slope down from your faith by those lumps.
· Bart Davenport's 7th album since his 2002 solo debut
· West Coast yacht rock meets '80s English pop
· Produced by L.A. Takedown's Aaron M. Olson
· Confirmed live dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Vida Festival (Spain)
Recorded in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, Blue Motel is the new album by Bart & The Bedazzled, a brand new musical enterprise by Bart Davenport and his seventh album proper since his solo breakout in 2002. Alluding to Los Angeles with the lights down, it's an amalgam sound of '80s English pop and West Coast yacht rock jams, sprinkled with cinematic flourishes clearly influenced by the understated production of L.A. Takedown's Aaron M. Olson. The jangly pop aesthetic, resplendent with choppy chorus tinted guitar, snappy snares, sax and bass is underlined with life trodden stories about day jobs, dating, financial insecurities, lost innocence and most prominently, time travel.
The album lives somewhere in an imagined past (or future) that is curiously both the 1960s and 1980s conveying the groups's nostalgia for a fantasy world with a cheeky cynicism, despite a perception of a world that is, for Bart, on the downfall. To that end, Davenport's songs are, as always, delivered with a happy and sad sensibility reminiscent of the great Burt Bacharach. From the surreal yet humorous 'The House That Built Itself' to the sad surf music of 'Halloween By The Sea' or the romantic L.A. noir of the title track, Blue Motel arrives with a spoonful of tears, a nod and a wink.
The Bedazzled band lineup, united by their love of the 'Elegant '80s', includes the guitar of Wayne Faler (Dream Boys), drums, percussion and beats by Andres Renteria (Jose Gonzales) and post-punk bass lines from Jessica Espeleta (L.A. Takedown). The four friends from Los Angeles, united in their affection for the more sophisticated sounds of English '80s groups like Prefab Sprout and Style Council give the setlist a more distinctively pop flavour compared to Bart's soulful last outing on his album Physical World, also released on Lovemonk. Blue Motel features regular appearances from female vocalist Nedelle Torrisi (Domino, Asthmatic Kitty) who notably adds the lush layers of harmony on 'The Amateurs'. Saxophonist Billy McShane is also featured on three songs with improvisations that evoke the scene of whales in outer space.
Producer Olson often incorporates soundtrack and avant-garde elements in his own work. His gift for song arrangement, understanding of the synth and penchant for subtlety all shine brightly on Blue Motel.
- A1: Coco Feat. Lilja Bloom
- A2: Hurt
- A3: For Rose
- A4: True Romance Feat. Lilja Bloom
- A5: Distance Feat. Lylith
- A6: Wake Up Sister Feat. Max The Sax
- A7: Let's Roll Feat. Blaktroniks
- B1: Sunny Bunny Blues Feat Veda 36
- B2: Dandy Feat. Yola B
- B3: Your Man
- B4: Promises Feat. Klaus Hainy
- B5: Letoile Feat. Max The Sax
- B6: You And Me Feat. Lilja Bloom
- B7: The Mojo Radio Gang (Radio Version)
- C1: Ragtime Cat Feat. Lilja Bloom
- C2: Silent Snow Feat. Max The Sax
- C3: Libella Swing
- C4: Catgroove
- C5: Matilda
- C6: The Flame
- D1: Fleur De Lille
- D2: Hotel Axos
- D3: Monster
Coco finally available on double vinyl for the first time. With his unmistakable sound-mix of Jazzand Swing samples and electronic music, Parov Stelar has secured his own unique position in the world of music.
The double vinyl starts off where his former successful LP's ended. On the other hand he is consequently developing his established jazzy sound, by adding new stylistic elements to his tunes. Also his dancefloor-productions, which
have been published only as singles, now find a debut to a greater extent on this album. They meet with Stelar's melancholic-melodious trademark-sound, which is well known from his earlier albums, but now also spiced up with Hip-
Hop beats and synthpads. An electrifying album to fall for. The two vinyls are originally thought of as one with tracks that can be danced to and one with tracks just for listening. Nevertheless the line between those two approaches becomes blurred in Parov Stelar's newer compositions. The
album makes your feet tap more and more with every track. The musician himself sees the LP as a 'book for musical readers' which is classically defined in introduction, middle part and end. Because of streaming hit singles the
consumer behaviour changed, people don't listen to albums the same way they used to. The whole experience that includes refelecting on less prominent tracks somehow got lost. Parov Stelar sets 'Coco' as a statement against this habit.
After a period of hibernation, aperture records awakens with a bang and a compelling program in the pipeline.
Following their first album released on aperture at the tail end of 2015 'no.3.obliate', the Italian duo T.e.s.o. bring us their second full-length album 'costruzione 04'.
As the title suggests, the album centres around an underlying theme of construction, inspired by radical architecture, brutalism and collages from Superstudio. The concept and title evolved from the nature of the album and the process of building up tracks from a number of separate samples, much like the singular elemental materials used to assemble a structure.
Alongside their music production, the duo have previously created a multimedia installation that investigated the geometric studies of Le Corbusier in parallel to the musical production of Erik Saite and Matteo Castiglioni continues to create impressive audiovisual installations such as the recent 'Freddo Flusso' and 'neon(i)', as well as a collaboration with Danilo Randazzo. T.e.s.o also continue to perform absorbing live sets of their own inimitable range of musical perspective and vision.
Intense, visual and structured, 'costruzione 04' again showcases T.e.s.o.'s complex, obscure and dominant beats and their oblique and sometimes challenging style.
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Losoul returns to action with his first long player in almost ten years, and delivers a stunning collection of compositions for the Hypercolour released 'Island Time'. Otherwise known as Peter Kremeier, the German producer has mesmerized us for many years with his organic and emotive house music, largely released on the influential Playhouse label, but of late has seen him release singles for Karat and Tardis Records, as well as his very own Another Picture label. Fans of Losoul won't be disappointed, as a diverse yet utterly familiar sound aesthetic pours out over the album's seven tracks in his own inimitable style. The jazzy broken beats of 'Gold Tooth' shine with their micro-sample chops, whilst 'Mean Time' is a dense and dubby slow stomp, teasing the drums with space echo and injecting sparse bass work where it matters. Inventive, spongy house grooves are delivered on 'Boppin Lower' and 'Square Down Smoother' whilst the album closer, 'Lava In You' is a master class in ambient sonics and shimmering keys over a lo-fi swinging groove. It's been over 20 years since Losoul's signature single 'Open Door', and the German producer continues to pour out honest and rewarding music.
Three years since Profane's seminal album 'V.illan Mills' was recorded for Inperspective and it's long overdue that he returns to the label. This canadian native's unique style that somehow fuses the hip hop sensibilities of J.Dilla, the jazz/funk ideologies of Danny Breaks and the experimental truth of Squarepusher has been a breath of fresh air in recent years on the Underground D&B scene and these two new cuts from him are no exception. The experimentally epic breakbeat off tempo monstrosity of 'Drughmada' is a heady, giddy tapestry of beats and breaks with a sleazy sample and panic led overtones. 'West Newton Views' is a darker more minimal affair. A clunky, dubstep vibe which maintains moody intensity throughout. Tense and suspenseful.
The other side sees the triumphant return of Rome's Lynch Kingsley. This young, precocious talent has been a good friend to the label for a number of years and after making waves with his debut 'Eden EP' it was only a matter of time before his return. We are pleased to present 'Void', a dark journey through the breakbeat, sci-fi escapism of early 90's D&B which in time develops into a deep, break laden workout with gorgeous synths and fantasy atmospheres. A joy to behold.
- A1: Pie
- A2: The Weight Pt. 1
- A3: Face Down
- A4: Life's Good
- A5: The Weight Pt. 2
- B1: Pie (Instrumental)
- B2: Life's Good (Instrumental)
- B3: Pie (Acapella)
- B4: Face Down (Acapella)
- B5: Ain't Gotta Brag
J Dilla's protégé Guilty Simpson first collaborated with Madlib's protégé MED on the hard hitting 'Jungle Love' track off J Dillas 'The Shining' LP. They continued to reunite on several tracks after and now offer us the Loyalty EP. With beats by Black Milk, MNDSGN, Exile and Preme, the duo have no choice but to come correct with the lyrics and they do. From Cali to Detroit, MED and Guilty Simpson deliver a 10 track EP to get you ready for the album dropping later this year on Bang Ya Head Entertainment.
Berlin-based Pascal Hetzel returns to Caduceus Records with a new slice of gritty industrial-tinged techno and finely tuned sound design. "Noxious Stimulus", the EP's title track, is a heavy peak-time filler with a mesmerizing bleepy modular sequence on top of rough monochrome beats. On her remix, rising talent Denise Rabe cranks up the paranoia and turns "Noxious Stimulus" into an unrelenting pitch black grinder. "Pain Tolerance Threshold" starts off as hefty with yet another dose of metallic atmospheres and crushing modular sequences, until a bright pad appears out of the dark. Proper techno goodness for the wee hours in your favorite warehouse.
Kingswood Drive and Accidental Return were an early teaser of this new set, due in April. Displaying their signature analogue sounds and arpeggios, alongside broken beats and soul, you wouldn't be alone in hearing the influences of Dam Funk, Herbie Hancock or Bugz In The Attic coming through on these two.
Elsewhere more jittery, playful rhythms underpin Croydon Rooftop Café Culture. As well as in the calming and ethereal Prints On The Heath, a subtle tribute to mutual hero Prince, who passed away on the unusually prolific day this and two other, currently unreleased, tracks were written and recorded.Throughout the EP the duo nod at their London home from the "Heath" to Kingswood Drive and more obviously Croydon itself. The sound of South London is threaded throughout this record with pride.
Even down to the mechanical sunset sound of EP finale Thorns, capturing some of the essence of the studio view over London from their high point on the hill in Thornton Heath.
The first EP from Albert's Favourites co-founders and synth-production duo Modified Man focused on throwing out heavy editing, recording music with as few processes as possible and grabbing performances as single takes. Blending warped cassette recordings that touched upon early jazz-funk/brit-funk influences with the energy of broken beat and experimental electronica, won them support from Patrick Forge, Osunlade, Thris Tian, Yam Who and Titeknots to name a few.
Since that release they premiered new track Thorns live on Boiler Room, going on to deliver a full, three-hour live performance and DJ set for the infamous global community.They also provided remixes for Dele Sosimi, Amp Fiddler, Makadem & Behr and Hector Plimmer, meanwhile, busily preparing a series of four, six-track vinyl EPs which will be released over the next 18 months.
Das Duo The Beat Escape nahm die neun Tracks in dessen Heimatstadt Montreal auf, bevor sich DJ/Produzent Jori Hulkkonen ans Mixing setzte. Das Ergebnis erscheint nun wie ein diffuser, fast schon psychedelischer Traum aus hypnotischen Beats, melancholischen Harmonien und hymnischen Gesängen, Electronic-Pop im Stile obskurer Minimal-Wave-Platten der 80er Jahre. Fans von John Maus, Cigarettes After Sex, Joy Division, The xx aufgepasst!
Criminal' is a confessional work. Through the stark lens of shame and guilt that has followed Luis Vasquez since a violent childhood growing up within the humming ambient sprawl of 80s Mojave Desert, here he documents the gut-wrenching sound of going to war with himself. Battling with his own sanity, self-hatred, insecurity, self-entitlement and grappling with the risk of these things transforming him into a person he despises, Vasquez has laid his feelings bare with this: his confession and most self-reflective work to date. Guilt is my biggest demon and has been following me since childhood. Everything I do strengthens the narrative that I am guilty' Vasquez reflects. The concept of 'Criminal' is a desperate attempt to find relief by both confessing to my wrongdoings and by blaming others for their wrongdoings that have affected me.' 'Criminal' marks a striking and important chapter in his self-exploration, both artistically and emotionally. As a young musician living in Oakland, Vasquez began to try and process the narrative of his difficult upbringing veiled through musical exploration. Taking krautrock's motorik beats and Post-Punk deconstructions and honing them into a hushed percussive incantation, The Soft Moon's self-titled debut album took shape. The album was released in late 2010 by Captured Tracks and was praised by critics and emulated by contemporaries. In 2012 the apocalyptic conceptual work of 'Zeros' emerged, shortly followed by Vasquez moving to Venice, Italy in 2013, acting as a catalyst for 2014's release, 'Deeper'. While previous albums were primarily instrumental records, where Vasquez's voice was diffused amidst the music as another instrument, 'Deeper' marked the beginning of a new musical direction where vocals and lyrics became something more than a mere presence. 'Deeper' was a descent into the womb of childhood trauma, anxiety and fear, and although Vasquez survived this dark exploration of himself, he did not return alone. Working once more with Maurizio Baggio, who produced 'Deeper', at La Distilleria in Bassano Del Grappa, Italy, 'Criminal' sees Vasquez further explore putting his lyrics at the forefront and letting his raw emotions flow. The album is Vasquez's way of holding himself accountable and seeking redemption for the abuse he inflicts on himself and others, and acknowledges roots in the abuse which, inflicted upon him as a child, broke him.
Soul Of Hex's Vicario Musique is making a comeback in 2018, with Cedillo's most personal EP to date. The main track ''Tetro'' is a futurist, simple but effective track dragging influences of the highest order on Chicago, Berlin and Detroit. ''Shadow Aspect'' moves into a darker perspective combining analog and modular synthesis and clever drum breaks. On the bright side of the EP, ''Sun Compass'' a collaboration with his brother Anttares is reminiscent of a Paradise/balearic inspired track showing Cedillo brothers versatile style. To finish the EP, the melancholic ''There are no words'' is a dedication to the memory of Cedillo's grandfather. Tetro has been already being championed live on Soul Of Hex's Live Boiler Room session, and at Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space Mix by Zombies in Miami.
Haiku's Raw Waxes label is delighted to welcome the famously unconventional Stanislav Tolkachev with a new track EP of experimental techno and IDM sounds. Entitled Champions' Breakfast and with brilliant artwork from German Benedikt Rugar, the releases features six cuts, one of which is a previously digital-only track landing here on vinyl for the very first time.
Haiku has long been a fan of Ukrainian Tolkachev having previously collaborated on a remix for the label, while Tolkachev has also released on Haiku's other label Inkblots. This new EP is one that not only shows off the label's willingness to take risks and put out diverse and interesting electronic music, but also one that proves Tolkachev is a truly unique artist with his own musical voice. He has been that way for more than a decade now, and has put out three long players as well as countless EPs that get heavy support from the tastemakers of the day. This latest offering contains his take on the essentialness of groove, enriched by his use of atonality, dissonance and acid-not-acid textures, all in a minimal style.
The deep 'Shady' kicks things off with spangled synth lines and eerie pads off in the distance. It's a lonely and insular piece with kinked rhythms that keep you locked. The excellent 'The Main Thing Is To Survive' is then less constrained, with kicks that rock back and forth as off kilter synth lines warp and wrap around each other in mind melting and tripped out fashion. Switching up the mood with ease, 'Fuck This Guy' is a dark and musty passage of humid ambient techno with static electricity buzzing about over smeared pads that are filled with menace, then the curious 'Hair In My Mouth' is about blurting, busted frequencies, loose and scattered drums and glassy melodies. It's a mangled and mashed up track that sounds like little else. 'Negative Space' is horror soundtrack techno with urgent, driving drums and nervy sound design that keeps you on edge, and closer 'Self Destruction' is built on broken, bristling beats. A rhythm slowly emerges from the haze and it is one that is physical and restless and sure to make a big impact in the club.
This is a varied and vital EP that oozes essential electronic invention.
This is the return of the collaborative project 'VOFA', by Sawf and ANFS, on Pi Electronics. The Athens based duo, that put out the label's debut release, deliver another 4-tracker of their signature sound for the 5th Pi record. PI05.1 is a bass line oriented composition of thrilling beauty, while PI05.2 and PI05.4 provide different takes on the main PI05 theme: one leaning closer to UK breaks' influences and the other closer to industrial, hard hitting broken beats. Pi05.3 offers a driving tool of distorted realities and tuning bass lines. All tracks showcase further focus on sound texture and dynamics' balance, providing a perfect blend of Sawf and ANFS in joint forces as VOFA.
Putting the foot to the floor French duo Haydee's "No Gouvernance" revs and rumbles like a cantankerous, clapped out engine. Rust breaks clean in huge chunks as screams and shouts punch through the thick drum fumes. Industrial legends Hunting Lodge follow in a similarly smog spitting motor, the drunken mechanical tirade that is "De Omnibus Dubitandum." Bass and beats crack and leak in this scarred proto-acid work from 1983. Newcomer Catriel drowns "nbdymksmefeellow" in a sludge of static, indecipherable words gurgle as percussion attempts to save this doomed victim. Giant Swan (Timedance) then take a piece of pipe to "Dare", pounding it with heavy blows, forcing confessions through verbal assault before leaving it more bloody pulp than track. Finally Gotshell (Blueprint) closes with a rumbling double brewed remix of "De Omnibus Dubitandum. A 12" that'll leave speakers blown and listeners in need of a tetanus shot.
2x12"
Tinfoil is the project of DeFeKT and Sunil Sharpe. Initially forged as a studio collaboration in 2014 (and later as a live show), the pair have since racked up an impressive catalogue of 12s on their own self-titled label. Tinfoil's sound is unique in today's scene, reflecting the versatility of both artists, plus a combined know-how of techno and electro. Their music comes primarily from live studio jams, enforced by a desire to get quickly to the point in what they do. This is no surprise given the fast, technical way in which they each perform solo.
For their debut album, Tinfoil provide a varied but cohesive collection of tracks. Following the intro's epic synth blasts, they open with a bang through 'Caravan Life' - a sinister, bassline-driven destroyer that builds and builds over a blend of claps, filter zaps and crying feedback. 'Beads' continues in a heads-down vein, this time with a more musical EBM type bass and knocking rimshots that mark the first appearance of Sunil's role-playing, haunting lead vocals.
'Friendly Safe Fumes' marries playful bass notes to a singing lead line, as fizzling closed hats and busy claps whip things into a frenzy. Next enter the otherworldly mutant electro of 'Meadow Pulse', signaling a well-timed lull in mood to explore a silkier side to Tinfoil's production. 'Every Saturday Night' starts with a taxi conversation about horses and carbolic soap in bygone Dublin days, before launching into a volley of clattering beats and hip-shaking FM sequences.
'Multi-DOMINATION' retains some of the FM wonk and treads a broken-beated path, featuring vocals this time akin to a ritualistic chant or perhaps the murmurings of a possessed baby. 'Both Roads To Triogue' meanwhile, brings us to a short intersection, splicing odd voices with a dense tribal rhythm. 'The Wolves Of Hellfire' is Tinfoil in more minimal dancefloor mode, as drones filter in and out under a resonating bass that detonates at all the right times.
Closing with 'Resting Point', the climax becomes deadly. The beats are stepped and the bass boisterous, while pained screams become quickly uncontrolled, setting up for a crescendo of roughneck rhythms, ricocheting kicks and turbulent modular wails.
Tinfoil have been on a roll since the beginning but maybe 'On A Roll' emphasizes this a little bit more now.
Munich based producer Cap Kendricks joins the MPM fam with his new album "Keepsakes". It is his third instrumental project and will be released on April 20th. Cap Kendricks is a well-known producer who has worked with some of Germanys finest MCs. His instrumental works are a rich mix of analouge sounds mixed with synths. Cap knows how to create deep atmopsheres , sometimes melancholic, sometimes bouncy, with great care to detail. His sound is influenced by Dilla, Easy Mo Bee, Flylo, Madlib, James Blake and Betty Ford Boys. But he also digs Curtis Mayfield and Fela Kuti. Cap Kendricks has recently remixed upcoming UK rap group Summers Sons and has released beats via KO-OP and Chillhop in March 2018.
Shlomi Aber presents his third album 'Linear Equations'. The ten-tracker LP closes the ten years celebration of the label and follows his 2010 album 'Chicago Days, Detroit Nights' on Ovum Recordings. Through carefully crafted EPs on NonPlus, Figure, Be As One and more recently Odd Even and Drumcode Ltd, Shlomi's sound has continued to evolve and refine with his Linear Equation album. The LP opens up with 'Interior', setting the tone for an introspective journey that will take you from the dub infused techno of 'Echo Mission' and 'Fractions' to the acidic trip of 'Midnight Spooks' and 'Mod3333'. Hypnotic techno on 'Eimeon' and 'Fall Into Wonder' flirts with broken beats on 'Installer' and climax with the floating percussions and anthemic pads of 'State Of Sorrow'.
Elevate Melodies are back with four toe-tapping, finger-snapping, dancefloor slaying heaters, all on wax.
Side 1 takes off with the Griffes' remix of Jay Airness' She Staying', all sumptuous keys, sun dappled strings and peak-time beats propelling the track ever forward. Venice Beach then takes on Sly Moore's seismic Muoosic', dropping the tempo and creating a super low-slung slab of electro funk, one for the 100bpm crew.
On the B side, Lord Funk takes on Black Les Grues De Nantes' from Victorius, turning it into a jazzy workout with slap-bass, chopped up vocals and dusty vinyl crackles giving it a classy 90s feel. And rounding out the selection is New York DJ and producer P-Sol who applies his midtempo skills to Law and Theory' from label boss Jay Airness, creating an atmospheric groove with some real funk and jazz flourishes.
Limited to 500 copies.
Having grown up with and on the internet, Martin Steer (1986) has transformed its pull into a concept album that is just as immediate and intangible as the digital world. Bad Stream is guitars and machines vanishing in the spaces between Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails only to reemerge amidst Ambient, Noise, and Drone. Bad Stream, then, is his modus operandi - a hybrid soundtrack to the feelings of resignation, isolation, and cynicism within neoliberal cyberspace and to that strangely numbing comfort of bodies transmuting into zeros and ones in real time.
'I look at my phone even when I play guitar,' says Martin Steer, 'and that isn't even entirely voluntary. The 2010s really changed my perception of how digital technologies and social media affect me as a musician. Through Bad Stream I want to make sense of this particular kind of anxiety, and to use sensory overstimulation as a way to develop an independent and progressive musical language.'
The past seven years took Martin and his laptop and guitar from Berlin to Mexico and Nepal and, as a founding member of Frittenbude, into the German charts and to various festival stages. And yet, Bad Stream is a true 'Berlin album,' out of Friedrichshain, Neukölln, and Kreuzberg and will be released on Martin Steers own label ANTIME. It was recorded with real drums and programmed beats, with shoegaze guitars, acid baselines, piano, smartphone synths, violins, field recordings from the darknet and his voice, whose hopeless timbre conveys reflections on systems, the future, drugs, people, and his own place. In his ever expanding A/V live shows and in the music videos, this is supplemented by complex visuals.
- A1: Where You At (Feat Melo B Jone)
- A2: Hours Go By (Feat Sio)
- A3: Situations (Feat Bk)
- A4: Fourth Tune (Feat White Nite)
- A5: Break Up (Feat John Robinson & Sio)
- A6: Turn It Up (Intermission)
- B1: To The Rhythm (Feat Kev Brown & Melo B Jones)
- B2: Speechless (Feat Sio)
- B3: Waste No Time (Feat Daev Martian & Dee C'rell)
- B4: Interruption
- B5: Vibrations (Feat Daev Martian & Sharka)
- B6: Kid Fonque & D-Malice - Word Up - Eat Mdcl - Rkls Version
Both D-Malice and Kid Fonque are well-established players in their native cities, both boasting long-term involvement and impressive credentials. After meeting in 2013 and nurturing a very natural and obvious predilection for golden era hip-hop, 90s R'n B, soul and trip hop they decided to pool their creative resources and rope in a wealth of talent from their combined networks under a new moniker. Enter rkls.
On this debut offering the pair have worked with LA's broken beat visionary Marc De Clive-Lowe, legendary emcees John Robinson and Kev Brown, dazzling new vocal and production talent from South Africa - Sio, Melo B Jones, Daev Martian and White Nite to name but a few.
This diverse list of guests flex their dexterity allowing the album to shift easily between ballads and more up-tempo beats effortlessly. Punctuated with spacey interludes, the resulting twelve tracks glisten with sumptuous textures, swelling harmonies and organic instrumentation. Familiar but fresh, rkls feels like you're meeting an old friend with enthralling new stories to tell.
Organic Analogue may be best known for its deep-diving techno and house and star-gazing electro, but on this latest transmission it digs into its roots in 1980s club music by way of the supremely talented Croza.Florence-based Adrien F Costes makes his first solo outing here with tracks lifted from his treasure trove of home-made, boogie-influenced beats. The sounds may tap up a direct line to the 80s, but there's a distinctly modernist slant to the heads-down groove that Costes cooks up.
Italian producer Ad Bourke also makes a rare appearance to remix "Night Heat". His version plays out like a hazy dream sequence injected with a little Italo strut, rounding this record out as a celebration of the deep-seated influences that guide Organic Analogue.
* Luna-C says this was one of the most challenging EPs he has ever made, because he made a record almost exactly as he would have if it was 1992 again, only with considerably more knowledge. This EP was made almost entirely with hardware, using a real mix desk and all the original synths and modules that the Kniteforce studio used back in the day, along with some new bits picked up over the years. This EP was a deliberate attempt to go back to the roots of the sound, to start again musically.
All four tracks are proper underground in style, deliberately avoiding the common break beats and standard sounds of current 'new' old skool music, to achieve something more authentic. It features all new samples, and no reliance on old tricks or techniques. This one is for the real underground, the real old skool, and the sound of it demonstrates that!
Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others
* The Timespan was a regular artist on the famous Kniteforce subsidiary label, Remix Records. One of Luna-C's many aliases, The Timespan has always been on a mission to make simple, effective hardcore. This EP takes that formula and applies the years of knowledge gained since 1994 to make something that sounds...almost the same as it would in 1994. Only better. Full on pianos, running break beats, happy vocals, hip hop snippets and hectic stab patterns, this EP was made almost entirely on hardware rather than software. The result is that it contains not only the ideas of the old skool, but the warm analogue soundscapes from that era. It also features a 'revisit' by label mate Cru-l-t of the Timespan's classic track 'Music' - an updated and rebuilt from the ground up version of that tune.
Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker and many others
Dapayk Solo, Berlin based producer and veteran of the minimal techno scene, announces the release of his 10th studio album 'The Calling'. This latest project will be the producer's first solo album since
2015. The 8-track double 12inch LP will be available via Dapayk Solo's label Mo's Ferry Productions and comes with a free download voucher for the extended 12-track digital album.
The first track on this LP 'The Calling' shares its name with the album and starts off with a pang of energetic, chopped beats before exploding into a brassy melody, continuously gaining momentum.
'Blackout' immediately announces itself as a next generation Detroit House anthem. The rolling synths, hi hats, and vocals make this one of the most outstanding tracks on the album. 'Aurora' stays true to its name with a buildup composed of throbbing ethereal synths that give the track an otherworldly vibe. 'Flood' transports listeners to the dancefloor with its pulsating bassline combined with Komplement's quaint vocals.
The second part of the album begins with 'After All', one of the most enticing tracks on the album. It combines the groovy rhythm of four to the floor percussion with tantalizing vocals by VARS before New Release Information 'Low Tinnitus' reverts to Dapayk's signature minimalist sound. The transition into 'Wanderer' continues the momentum built up by the previous tracks. The closing 'Walk With Me' is a deep-house jam that features a rhythmic shaker layered under Mental Bend's powerful vocals.
Dapayk Solo, alias Niklas Worgt, isn't afraid to try new things. With 5 aliases under his belt, he continuously strives to experiment with different styles and production techniques to create innovative sounds. Throughout the span of two decades he went from producing drum'n'bass to house to ultimately crafting the groovy, edgy techno sound that he's now known for.
With more than ten LP releases and over 70 single releases on his record, he is one of the main protagonists in the world of underground electronic music. In 2017, he released an LP titled 'Harbour' with his wife Eva Padberg under one of his many projects, Dapayk & Padberg. While that album aimed to steer away from traditional club beats, 'The Calling' sees Dapayk reassume his deep, dark, and infectious sound. While Dapayk is often categorized as a minimal producer, the LP proves that he is capable of extending beyond the scope of a single genre. 'The Calling' is just another example of why Dapayk has managed to stay in the scene for so long: he loves electronic music and he's great at
making it, too.
Ichisan's 2017 Aperitiv was so good that we've decided to return for a second helping from his sumptuous album. Four choice cuts have been selected and reworked with a specific instrument focus. The harpsicord version of 'Hotel' keeps the intoxicating melody of the original but allows beats to relax as notes shine with an incandescent brilliance. Drums put their feet up for the Rhodes version of 'Modri Tunel.' Deep stings and lounging lines mingle in this work of smoke swirling seduction. 'Kozmetika (Trumpet Version)' dances to a different tune. Rich bass is again central but this time brash and bold brass intertwine with funk filled bars. The last waltz arrives with the piano version of 'Terminal E.' Alluring notes ascend, rising and falling against heartwrenching guitar strings for a finale to end this ballroom inspired beauty.
- A1: Carnal Mind Feat. Ras Tweed
- A2: No Sound Feat. Drs
- A3: Spellbound
- A4: Dont Look Back Feat. Darrison
- B1: Bricks Feat. Stapleton
- B2: Punisher
- B3: High Times Feat. Mc Fats
- B4: Nigh Prowler Feat. Inja
- C1: Holding On Feat. Lady Chann
- C2: Da Sickening Feat. Jeru The Damaja & T.r.a.c
- C3: Real Friends Feat. Fox
- C4: We Still Burn Feat. Mc Fava
- D1: Glass House Feat. Collette Warren
- D2: Astronaut
- D3: La Dolce Vita (The Good Life) Feat. Mc Conrad
* Brazilian producer L-Side releases his highly anticipated new album 'Carnal Mind' on the 6th April.
* Featuring American rapper Jeru The Damaja, British rapper DRS, dancehall/grime artist Lady Chann, and drum and bass vocalists MC Fats, MC Darrison and MC Conrad, the release is via the legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings.
* Taking his influence from Hip Hop artists such as Jazz Liberatorz, The Pharcyde and Tribe Called Quest, L-Side is making his mark in the world of raw dancefloor focused drum and bass. Originally producing hip-hop beats before branching into Drum and Bass, he is known for his meticulous mix of upfront and aggressive sounds merged with funk and soul styles, forging a flawlessly fresh take on drum and bass.
* Leonardo de Jesus Silva, aka L-Side, began his career as a DJ and Producer in 2008 and the Sao Paulo born producer has gone on to cement himself as one of the most formidable producers to hail from the flourishing and highly respected Brazilian drum and bass scene, which is home to some of the most inventive and funkiest contributors to drum & bass this century.
* As a nation bursting at the seams with prolific and highly talented producers, L-Side has managed to emerge as one of the most exceptional and 'Carnal Mind' proves the point.
* 'Holding On' ft. Lady Chann, is a dark, brooding, half time number, full of menacing atmosphere - infusing elements of dancehall and grime, complemented perfectly by Lady Chann's ferocious, trademark vocal delivery while tracks like 'High Times' unleash unrelenting breakbeat right from the gate. Pulsating synths add momentum, channelling subterranean depths as MC Fats patois-tinged vocals ride overhead. The dark storm clouds clear briefly, allowing celestial pads to momentarily reset the atmosphere before hurling the listener straight back into the thick of it.
* Having released music on such labels as Philly Blunt, Chronic, Celsius and Soul Deep, his music has been supported by DJs from around the world, including DJ Marky, Bryan Gee, LTJ Bukem, Bailey and Doc Scott, while new single 'Holding On' received it's first official play from Mista Jam on BBC Radio 1Xtra.
* In addition to his solo recordings, L-Side has collaborated with fellow V producers, Subsid, Andrezz and Critycal Dub among others.
* The legendary drum and bass record label, V Recordings, was set up in 1993 by Jumpin' Jack Frost and Bryan Gee. Few record labels can claim to have changed the face of their respective scene. Celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2018, since its birth, the label has released over 100 cuts from the likes of Marky & XRS, Krust and Die, Adam F, Lemon D, Scorpio, Dillinja and Roni Size
* Still Circles announce the release of their debut album, 27:36, available March 30th via Killtone Records.
* Currently at 7 in the chart on the Josh Hannen show Amazing Radio
* Session for Alan Raw BBC Introducing on Sat March 3rd 2018
* Comprised of Natalie Kolowiecki and Jack Donnison, the Bradford based duo bridge the worlds of trip-hop and ambient music: splicing slo-mo beats, grainy atmospherics, haunting melodies and soft-wax drones. Their first single, 'Only Noise' is testament to this - with its manipulated vocals, heavy bass line and lurching percussion, the track's stark surrealism evokes the thrum of their northern English town.
* Upon the surface, 27:36 has the indelible markings of the band's influences: Brian Eno, Poliça, Adrian Sherwood (to name a few) - but the duo never settle into pure pastiche. Instead, they contort the sounds of these artists into something all their own. 27:36 is an alien vision of what pop music could be.
It was chance that brought about the release of One/Three, Dabrye's debut album. Early demos were tucked on the B side of a cassette Tadd Mullinix passed to Sam Valenti in 2000 while working at the Dubplate Pressure record shop in Ann Arbor. Mullinix had spent the late '90s producing jungle, techno, house, hip-hop and more using the All Sound Tracker software as a primary instrument. Each style pulled from a similar sound palette as Mullinix used limitations to define the contours of di-erent musical personalities. Dabrye was his hip-hop wildstyle, a captivating collage of sparse instrumentals inspired by the laid back vibes of midwestern hip-hop and east coast boom bap, the futuristic funk of Umma-era Jay Dee, and the calculated subtlety of Detroit dance music. Released in 2001 as the first in an intended trilogy, One/Three announced Dabrye's arrival with an unavoidable contribution to Detroit hip-hop. Ghostly International is reissuing the album in 2017 for the first time, including a long overdue vinyl edition.
On its release One/Three was the rare album that appealed to both fans of Slum Village's smooth yet rugged hip-hop and enthusiasts of the distinct American IDM released by labels like Schematic. Over the following decade, the inadvertent demo submission turned into a body of work that placed Dabrye alongside innovators such as Prefuse 73 amid the cannon of a new generation of producers. Today, One/Three remains a concise and intriguing study in instrumental hip-hop that helps join the dots between J Dilla and Flying Lotus.
One/Three is a record that says much with little. There are no obvious hip-hop tropes. Instead Mullinix captures the ingenious minimalism of '90s hip-hop instrumentals to build tracks both supple and hard, joyous and melancholy, full of sharply angled rhythms and warm rubbery basslines: 'The Lish' throws a sickly sweet saxophone against digitally fragmented melodies, 'How Many Times (with this)' draws you in with an irresistible, clipped guitar groove, the rhythmic stutter of 'Smoking The Edge' makes your head spin with pleasure. Playing with his inspirations, Mullinix injects omitted downbeats for imagined rhymes and repurposes the intricacy of ragga jungle for breakdowns.
But what really defines One/Three is the rhythmic sensibility and metric modulation of Detroit's school of hip-hop production, which Mullinix was a fervent student of. The beats feel like they're constantly escaping a rigid tempo grid even though they are, in fact, pretty tight. A lot of it is nuance,' Mullinix explains. I've been known to say that I'm not impressed by spectacle. I think that nuance is what really captivates people.'
If you like your beats with a dash of class, do not miss this. An essential purchase of the highest order.' -BBC
- First time all tracks from the original 2001 release appear on vinyl.
- Remastered by Daddy Kev
- Standard weight black vinyl is inserted in to 3.5mm matte finish vinyl jacket.
- Download card includes free download of the Payback EP
The early 2000s were a time of upheaval for hip-hop. The underground and mainstream divide that had dened so much of the previous decade was showing the rst signs of irrelevance. Timbaland and The Neptunes made radio rappers sound futuristic while independent artists struggled in a quagmire of backpacks and misguided claims to keep it real. Away from this, in a misunderstood middle ground between hip-hop and electronic music, a new generation of artists were busy imagining a new sound for hip-hop.
One such artist was Scott Prefuse 73' Herren, whose perpendicular MPC chops on his 2001 debut for Warp Records set curious minds racing with possibilities. That same year Tadd Mullinix released his debut as Dabrye on Ghostly International, a sonic wildstyle that appealed to both hip-hop heads and IDM nerds. Sometime that same year Herren and Mullinix met after sharing a bill in Detroit. CD-Rs were exchanged and a year later Eastern Development, Herren's newly launched label, released Dabrye's Instrmntl, a short album with a big impact. On its fteenth anniversary Ghostly International is reissuing Instrmtl on vinyl and making it available digitally for the rst time.
Instrmntl is a continuation of the beat experiments Dabrye began with One/Three and a bridge to the diverse textures that would dene Two/Three four years later. About half of its nine tracks (ten if you lived in Japan) were created at the same time as One/Three while the rest were newer or made specically for the album. Once again Mullinix looked outside of hip-hop to techno, house, and drum & bass for stylistic and technical ideas while embracing the blissful minimalism of a good hip-hop instrumental and the rhythmic nuance of Detroit.
Despite the similarities between Dabrye's debut and this follow up, Mullinix didn't simply replicate what had made One/Three so arresting. He pushed and pulled further between the two cornerstones of his approach to reveal more potentials. Instrmntl takes you deeper into electronic depths — the rugged synth stutter of 'Won', the tumbling, wobbling bass in 'No Child Of God', the electro get down of 'Prospects (Marshall Law)' — while also treading more organic grounds by letting samples breathe and moods unfurl at a gentler pace ('Take Me Home', 'Evelyn', and 'You Know The Formula Right'). And then there are the moments where this push and pull nds balance and the result becomes more, as it does on the mournful march of 'D-Town Tabernacle Choir' and the twinkling daydream of 'This Is Where I Came In'.
At just over 30 minutes, Instrmntl offers a snapshot of a time when potentials seemed innite, when lines could be drawn between jazz, ragga jungle, techno, and hip-hop and the resulting shape divined an exciting future.
- Reissue of the out of print 2002 album, available for the rst time on Ghostly.
- Includes previously Japanese-only bonus track, Gimme Lowlands'
- Standard weight blue vinyl is housed in a matte jacket.
- Dabrye's beats are like Jay Dee getting crunked up with Autechre.' — Prefuse 73
The Bug goes head to head with Burial for two bass-bin heaters that is Flame 1, cementing the first release on his freshly formed label PRESSURE. Following on from The Bug's recent sidewinding 12"s for Ninja Tune and a colossal album recorded with Earth, Fog / Shrine is possibly Kevin Martin's most soundsystem decimating collaboration yet, joining forces with the most elusive figure within the UK underground and
Hyperdub mainstay, Burial. 'Fog' rolls along at half-speed steppers tempo, submerged deep within the roots 'n' future aesthetic of The Bug's signature beats, yet perfectly balanced by Burial's hollowed out and haunted night vision. 'Shrine' delves deeper inwards with the beats slowed to a crawl, the bassline hanging heavy in an atmosphere thick with smoke. Description: 12' in thick grey card discobag. Includes DL Card.
Ever since the early 90s, The Mover has set the standard for apocalyptic melodramatic techno and has been praised as one of the leading artists of Planet Core Productions. His distinct tone and memorable production expertise, causes one to leave the world behind. In 2018 he returns with - Undetected Act From The Gloom Chamber', an album which implies all the goodness and fears he is renowned for. Eight masterpieces carrying the authentic excitement that you would expect from the Mover in a timeless fashion. Shifting between electro beats and classic old school techno patterns, the album sets a moody tone. The release is filled with magnificent bass lines and dark-dreamy pads that leave the mind in a trance. Muscular drums and authentic synth-lines paired with the unmistakable Mover signature, makes this assembly of gems an outstanding masterpiece.
Following on from his debut EP on Drumcode earlier this year, Ilario Alicante returns.For the past few years Ilario Alicante has enjoyed something of an unintentional Ibiza kinship with Adam Beyer. When the Swede played his special annual sets on the Amnesia Terrace for Cocoon, for three years out of four, the Italian has been right there playing alongside him, ensuring his talents were on the radar of the Drumcode chief.
Ilario made his first appearance on the label in 2016 with the stirring 'Temporary' featuring on A-Sides Vol.4, before securing his first full-length release with the 'Awakened' EP that dropped earlier this year. 'Figures & Echoes' deepens his contribution to the label with half a dozen powerful cuts.
'Figure of RA' opens the EP, combining a rousing vocal loop, pulsating beats and effective melodic interlude to fantastic effect.
'The Acid Runner' follows and is true to its name, characterised by echoing vocal effects that lead to a piercing 303-line that hits with peak-time power. 'Virgo's Echoes' features a persistent synth line that combining effectively with lush layers of melody to create an atmospheric impact. 'Third Eye' delivers an exhilarating dose of rave thanks to the hypnotizing riff that runs throughout.
Gqom Oh! records presents "The Originators", a five track EP respresenting the past, the present and the future of Gqom - the thunderous club sound from Durban, South Africa. The Gqom Oh! label was set up by Rome-based DJ and musician Nan Kolè to highlight the music and artists of Durban, the often overlooked cradle of the new South African sound. The label's 2016 compilation - 'Gqom Oh! The Sound of Durban Vol.1' - broke the sound out of South Africa, Pitchfork calling it The largest and most thoughtful survey of the genre available to western audiences to date'. Recently joining Kolè is Sboniso Brandon Luthuli aka Citizen Boy on the ground as local A&R. The EP's A-Side is dedicated to two of the genre's most prominent producers. DJ Lag is a frontrunner in pushing Gqom worldwide. Making music from a young age and building up a solid reputation in South Africa, he's known as the "King of Gqom". Griffit Vigo, a real innovator in the Gqom genre, grew up in the same area as DJ Lag and has attained a legendary status amongst his peers. "When I was in Durban the first time I noticed that Griffit Vigo was a kind of legendary figure, he'd been inspiring all the Gqom Durban artists for a long time. Nobody knew where he was but everybody was playing him and sometimes using his beats to make new songs. The main track 'Ree's Vibe' was the peak moment of DJ Lag's sets all over the world. If Lag is the Gqom King then Griffit Vigo is the Gqom Legend."- Nan Kolè. Sbucardo is one of the most respected DJs around the streets and the townships of Durban. Featuring Abnormal on 'Iphoyisa', whose lyrics in Zulu translate to We at the club, Mr police man don't disturb us", the track represents the South African scene and Gqom culture in Durban very well. Naked Boyz (officially the first in Durban to explore new territories in broken beat in 2011) 'Story Teller' is characteristic of the Sgubhu style, a blend of Gqom with more conventional house sounds, the new genre taking over Durban and finding its way onto mainstream radio. Scene kingpins Rude Boyz round off the release's line up of Gqom originators with 'Umshunto'.
- A1: The Stand Feat Wildchild
- A2: Air Feat Doom
- A3: Machines (Part 1)
- A4: Encoded Flow Feat Kadence
- B1: That's What's Up Feat Vast Aire
- B2: Tell Dem
- B3: Nite Eats Day Feat Beans
- B4: Jorgy Feat Waajeed
- B5: Special Feat Gulty Simpson & Paradime
- C1: Bloop
- C2: Viewer Discretion Feat Invincible & Finale
- C3: Piano
- C4: Pressure Feat Ta'raach & Waajeed
- C5: Reconsider Feat Kadence
- D1: Get It Together Feat Invincible & Finale
- D2: My Life Feat Ag
- D3: In Water
- D4: Get Live Feat Big Tone
- D5: Machines (Part 2)
- D6: Game Over Feat Jay Dee & Phat Kata
Tadd Mullinix first made a name for himself as Dabrye in the early 2000s with a pair of instrumental albums combining the rhythmic finesse of Detroit hip-hop with the ingenuity of electronic music. But instrumental beats were only a temporary goal, a way for Mullinix to catch the ears of MCs. On Two/Three, his second Dabrye album for Ghostly International, Mullinix brought together a formidable crew of local and national talent to make the statement he'd always intended. Released in 2006, Two/Three o-ered a fevered vision of rap's future that remains just as intoxicating a decade on. Ahead of the long-await-ed conclusion of Dabrye's hip-hop trilogy in 2018, Ghostly is reissuing Two/Three.
Dabrye's move towards rap began in 2004 with the album's first single, 'Game Over' featuring Jay Dee and Phat Kat. An early inspiration of Dabrye's, Jay Dee invited Mullinix to his crib in 2002 for a listening session during which he picked the 'Game Over' beat to rap on. Crucially everyone involved was in accord that despite perceptions of their respective work this would be a hardcore rap song. Together with Kat, Jay delivered a one-two lyrical punch on 'Game Over' that no one saw coming. Detroit made the world go round and everyone's head spun. 'Game Over' set the tone for the album and, over the next few years, became a Detroit anthem — shortly after Jay's passing in 2006 the audience at Movement Festival sung his verse.
Moody, propulsive, and above all ambitious, Two/Three emerges from a sonic stew of Detroit and UK dance music, Jamaican sound clashes, and hip-hop sampledelia. The guests, a who's who of the mid-'00s underground rap scene, engage in a raucous rhyming session that pays as much attention to the realities of the streets as it does world events. MF Doom, Wildchild, Vast Aire, Beans, and AG represent for the various coasts while local talents — Waajeed, Ta-Raach, Invincible, Finale, Kadence, Guilty Simpson, Big Tone, Phat Kat, and Jay Dee — bring Two/Three alive with an infectious energy. In between bursts of raw rap and hard beats, Dabrye showcases detailed instrumentals that evoke bleak industrial futures, underwater meditations, and smoky late night sessions. With Two/Three Dabrye placed himself at the forefront of hip-hop's new wave, throwing a Molotov cocktail into the rap world as uncompromising as the head-twisting cover art from WK Interact. The independent press praised Mullinix's audacity. Over the following years the impact of Two/Threewas felt in slow increments as Dabrye's music became central to the sonic makeup of a new generation of producers. As this beat scene grew and moved away from rap, it showed Mullinix the influence of his work and the value of his vision for Dabrye as his own brand of Detroit hip-hop.
"Non semper erit aestas!" - wie Erasmus einst zu sagen pflegte, es wird nicht immer Sommer sein. Aber wir sprechen hier über Sommer mit einem s : Summers Sons! Ein aufstrebendes Hip Hop Duo bestehend aus den Brüdern Turt (Rap) und Slim. (Beats) aus London/Bristol. Charlie Tappin, der mit Turt auf Twit Ones letztem Album Hay Luv' vertreten war, steuert Keys und Vocals bei. Slim. hat bereits Beats über Brownswood Recordings, Benoffee Pies und KO-OP veröffentlicht.
- A1: Dj Caress - Stories (Feat. Shimon Adaf & Herzel Shviro)
- A2: Rabo & Snob - Ilussions
- B1: Jerome C - Dont Say Im Crazy (Feat. Einat)
- B2: Roy Harmon - Geshem+Geula
- B3: Ahmed Silan - Hemalot
- C1: Assaf Amdursky - Yona
- C2: Ryskinder - No Love At The Basketball Team (The Models Remix)
- C3: Mo Rayon - One Night (At Erawan Resort)
- D1: Zohar Wagner - Shtucha
- D2: Alek Lee - Amore
- D3: Ori & Yehezkel - Honesty
'Rothschild 12' operated between 2009 and 2017 in the heart of Tel-Aviv, near the bustling intersection of Herzl street and Rothschild boulevard. Located on the ground floor of an elegant eclectic-style building which was built by Mr. Abraham Fogel exactly 100 years before it opened, 'Rothschild 12 began as an art gallery and quickly became a popular relaxed café and bar. While its front terrace faced the hustle and bustle of the city's main boulevard, in its back room 'Rothschild 12' hosted nightly live shows by a variety of established as well as up and coming independent musicians. What started off as improvised jam sessions soon developed into a full program ranging from jazz and rock to world music, hip hop and electronica. Now that 'Rothschild 12 is relocating to a new venue on Herzl street, it is time for a summary - a snapshot of the musical diversity which filled its walls - in the form of the compilation you are now holding. This musical summary of 'Rothschild 12' brings together a modern remix to a pioneering Israeli-Yemenite disco number from the seventies, a bundle of colourful and psychedelic beats,
Part of the current crop of artists spearheading the UK acid revival, Posthuman's output has evolved over the years, encompassing many genres & styles from their early electronica releases, to their later acid & slow-mo techno.
Their debut release in 2000 was a series of hand made CDs simply called "Posthuman" (though better known by the colour of the card inserts - grey, black, blue and brown). The duo then went on to host a number of parties in an abandoned underground train station in London between 2001 and 2004, and founded their own label Seed Records (2) with which they released 3 albums and several other releases of their own and other artists material. They also were the first act on Manchester based imprint Skam's SMAK sublabel.
Doherty left Seed Records to help relaunch UK techno imprint B12 Records in 2006, and started a new label Balkan Vinyl in 2010.
In 2007, Doherty founded London-based acid house retrospective clubnight "I Love Acid", where Posthuman are monthly resident DJs. In 2014 the clubnight launched a vinyl-only label of the same name. He also performs as AGT Rave Cru and as one half of Altern 8 live shows since 2015.
So Low is an occasional night in Glasgow run by Iona Fortune, JD Twitch, Katie Shambles and Becky Marshall. So Low is strictly for creatures of the night and plays music that could perhaps be described by the words Dark Waves / Cold Waves / Minimal Synthesis / Maximal Industrial / Lo-Nrg / Forgotten Flemish Goth Bands, Teutonic Apocalyptic Beats +++
It is now also a label, administered by Optimo Music.
The third release on So Low is a 5-track EP from Ian Hicks, formerly one half of Soft Metals. Ian also appeared on our 'Now & Then' compilation EP. Here he commands his own release and sets the synths to stun with 5 tracks of analogue waves ranging from the XTC bliss out of 'Character Collapse' and 'Depths Of Psyche' to the shockwave klang of 'Chemical Environments' and 'Specter', perhaps leaving the very best to last with the ultimate hypno, sex slug groove of 'Continuous'. Subliminal vocals. Wrecked drum boxes. Synths spiralling.
Full colour picture sleeve designed by So Low collective member and acclaimed Glasgow artist Katie Shannon.
The new Saint Petersburg based label is focused on underground sounding of house and minimal. This is the first release of the label and the debut of a new artist Matpri from Saint Petersburg. Four original house tracks with a shuffling drum beats and solid basslines will add a dose of positive energy to your mix.
Vidab X returns with a new artist, Faltin, who chooses to remain anonymous, plus a stepping rework by Gowentgone aka label owners Oliver Deutschmann and Stephan Hill.
Faltin's 'Phobos' is a stripped down analogue masterclass. Rolling and snaking, its arpeggiated lead growls with a hot headed tension, climbing while never losing balance and poise.
The 'Gowentgone Stepper' translates the original into a heavyweight, early-morning trip - a certain hybrid of broken beats and techno attitude that melts between genres. Waves of euphoria are carried by rumbling drums in this essential version.
Strata-Gemma's eponymous debut album is set to provide a soundtrack to 2018.
The trio hail from Modena, the Northern Italian motor city. As with the Ferrari and Maserati cars that are designed and manufactured in Modena, Strata-Gemma produce a music of beautiful symmetry.
Strata-Gemma create jazz for the head, the heart and the body. Their sound is shaped by the ambient adventures Miles Davis and Ron Carter engaged in alongside the electronic pulse Mo' Wax and Ninja Tune carved out of clubland. Add to this a touch of Nino Rota's Fellini film scores, employ a pinch of Balkan and klezmer brass arrangements, and you have an instrumental trio who create music so fresh it stimulates the senses.
Strata-Gemma are a collaboration between Billy Bogus, Luca Cacciatore and Andrea Moretti. The trio first took shape as a club jam between DJs and musicians. Their ability to create atmospheric music, pulsing with rhythm but never solely reliant on beats, music that breaks free and explores sonic possibilities, quickly won notice and lead to the trio playing their freeform music in clubs, music venues and festivals across Italy.
Strata-Gemma consist of producer Niccolò Bruni (aka Billy Bogus), horns player Luca Cacciatore, double bassist Andrea Moretti. Bruni is a DJ, producer and founder of Pizzico Records. Over the past two decades he has striven to mix jazz, beats, soundtracks and funk. Coming together with Luca and Andrea allowed Bruni to explore a vision of post-club jazz that is as rich as Modena's food and as elegant as Modena's cars. Strata-Gemma create a sensual sonic storm, music to be savoured and explored, the opposite of much of today's fast-food music.
Lorenzo Bandiera, the London-based Italian founder of Fly By Night Music, heard a Strata-Gemma demo via friends and was immediately impressed. "I thought 'this is great!", he says. "Music as strong as this can't be ignored. I'm excited about releasing Strata-Gemma."
Off the back of Rudeboyz follow up EP entitled Gqomwave, Goon Club Allstars are back with an EP from UK Funky producer KG. In 2007 Karen Nyame, otherwise known as KG, was at the Nottingham Trent University producing beats on Fruity Loops. Slightly isolated in Nottingham - away from the UK Funky scene's London epicentre - KG posted her tunes on popular UK Funky message boards and Facebook pages, but never had an opportunity to properly stake her claim as one of the scene's heavy hitters. 808 and Midnight (Flute Riddim) are two lost anthems from that era, although receiving support from the likes of Marcus Nasty and others, they were largely forgotten amongst the numerous stand out tracks of the era, appearing rarely in mixes of those lucky enough to have digital copies. 808 is the party anthem, it's joyous, quivering melodies ascend above the thumping kick drum, while relentless crashing snares and carnival whistles rain down - guaranteed to heat up the coldest of dancefloors. Midnight (Flute Riddim) on the flip side is the softer, slinkier bubbler. Built for smouldering club action and hot sunny days. BSNYEA is a new addition to Goon Club Allstars' burgeoning family of artists. Hailing from the Bronx he is a veteran of the Borough's Litefeet genre that soundtracks the performances of subway dancers cross New York City's transit system. On his remix of 808 he focusses on the whistles and gutter synth lines adding in booming bass drums and lock inducing chants. Hitmakerchinx comes fresh from his anthemic Night Slugs compilation. Bringing his signature FDM energy he drops the tempo and builds on the light, airiness, letting the flutes play out softly underneath the thumping drums.
Legs 11 was formed when members of various underground bands in Oslo, Norway, met during a karaoke-fuelled haze in the seedy parts of Oslo, and discovered a shared love of synth pop, post-punk, new wave and house music. Drawing on these influences, the band has created a diverse musical universe, ranging from dark repetitive guitar driven tracks, via infectious pop gems, to deep yet melodic dancefloor-orientated grooves.
The 'Another Wave' album is hand-picked tracks from their latest works, focusing on a more dancier approach. The house and nu-dance influences of today are mixed with heavy influences from 90's UK indie-dance acts like The Shamen and the Madchester scene, and hints of new wave from the 80's.
A rich and diverse palette of 7 tracks occupies the record, touching on italo disco, some sparks of bass driven synthwave and the late '80s house sound. 'RITMO!' is full of melodies, injecting beats and energy that create an addictive drive and momentum. The record is featuring an impressive list of artists as vocal collaboration as well, leading to an expressive journey that evolves throughout its infectious grooves and powerful 4/4s. It's the dynamic and propulsive power sparked by the 80s sounds that makes 'RITMO!' an album you would want in your collection, or on your decks while playing at the club
Bleu Nuit (BN) is glad to introduce to you to its second release Red Light City (BN02) by Nice-based French duo Gabardines.
Rising French DJs from the South of France, Gabardines is composed by Olivier aka Ghini-B and Régis aka Redj.
If Ghini-B and Redj already have a couple of vinyl-only releases to their respective solo alias, Gabardines is about to release his first EP under this name. Indeed, in 2017, Gabardines brought out Sweat Things EP on Simple Things Records via bandcamp as well as a remix of Lady B's Liaisons on their own imprint Swipe White Limited a couple of years before.
Red Light City EP follows the lead or rather, the musical line, introduced by both the label and Gabardines' predecessor Flavio Folco (BN01). As can be listened from all three tracks, Gabardines are sticking to these break and gangster beats, offering a balanced release with some warmup (A1), peak-time (A2) and closing/after spirit (B1).
For the second release on their Black Series, Ravage invited electronic music veterans Al Matthews and Patrick Walker to team up under their Forward Strategy Group moniker. The last release of these legends was quite a few years ago, but the wait was worth it. Their East Port Rangers EP kicks-off with Nine and One, a hypnotic, heavy-loaded stomper containing some uplifting, loopy vocals. Following is the most minimalistic track of the EP, Lisp Your Way, yet it still has a lot of substantial punch and lash to it.
The B-side starts off with heavy broken beats, combined with a classic rave sound, taking the listener back to the blistering sound of the nineties. Finally, the EP oozes down with the track In Abeyance; a haunting, down-tempo track with a melody to send shivers down your spine, which could be deemed a real creeper.
The Aroma are a production unit from Bristol UK who supply a bedrock of masterfully crafted soundscapes for a very carefully selected set of guest MCs. The beats are created by DJ Rumage and engineered and produced by Rola (both from the mighty Bristol Hip Hop crew The Numskullz) with scratch wizard Sir Beans OBE on turntable duty.
Volume 1 has vocals supplied by Junior Disprol, Upfront MC (of Split Prophets), NK (p/k/a Blaktrix), NiLLa, Retna, MCM (of Caveman), Stepasaur (a/k/a Stepchild), Kelz (of 3PM) and last but not least additional vocals by Lizz.E (of the legendary Fresh 4).
At 8 tracks deep this album is short by modern standards but takes you back to a time when albums were 7 or 8 tracks long but overall were a higher standard. Too often now albums have 20 plus tracks with 10 or more fillers and quiet vinyl pressings.
Here you have 8 killers no fillers cut nice and loud and so gives a better sounding product which is something very important to Ruztik Records and AE Productions who have joined forces for this release.
7"
For our second release we may introduce the Rotterdam-based beatmaker The Soul Pilot. He is known for his funky, soulful and beats heavy productions. For Les Cidres he created two summer tunes Lawless and Craving showing more of his repertoire.
Lifting off with Lawless. In this hot, sweet, bassy piece of sexyness, being true to his name he shows his passion for vocalizing himself - letting you blush and sweat with him in this heat.
The journey continues with Craving - with this funkiness blowing through your hair, body and soul.
A summer must have! <3
Deep Club resident dj and head strobe controller Lone Dancer marks our label's 4th entry with his
first solo 12' on vinyl. After finishing two quality tape albums in 2017 already for Jacktone and Always
Human Tapes, 'House is a Tunnel' arrives packed with 4 club-ready jagged tekno bangers and one cut
for the chillout room. Side A - Communication: The title track is a sure-fire party starter centered around
a thick kickdrum and a repeating synth rhythm laced with weird percussion and synth stabs trickling
through the texture. Next, 'PO12-3' combines crisp claps, hats, and a central synth theme that calls
for an intergalactic rave. 'Colony Dwelling' kicks off the Transportation side, taking our extraterrestrial
dancers to a new dimension steeped in fog juice and flangers. 'Floor' has a chill intro until it launches
into a gritty track that throws broken kickdrums and distorted synths in every direction. Finally, 'Night
Rain' puts the party to rest utilizng soft pads while hinting at moments from the night before.
Overall, 'House is a Tunnel' is a fitting dance-centric conglomeration of Lone Dancer's unique style of
jacking techno, broken beats, and spaced out tracks that has set him apart in 2017.
—Ryan Scannura
Support by:
Jackie House
Derek Plaslaiko
Noncompliant aka DJ Shiva
Heidi Sabertooth
Bil Todd
Dee Washington
This initial release on the new Futurepast label marks Davy's first output as a producer, crystallizing his endeavours in the studio and bearing witness to his long-standing experiments in electronic music.Built between London and Berlin over the last four years, The Long Now lays down the blueprints for following ventures on the label: using old and new gear to create unique, obscure soundscapes both outside of memory and away from nostalgic projections of lost futures. In a timeless and precise collaboration, Davy has brought together two historical figures for this release: 1990s R&S Records associate David Morley mixed the tracks,
while Simon Davey of The Exchange lent his renownedmastering skills to the project.Temporality, time travel and perception are key concepts for Davy, and not only in the EP's title.The four stripped-down tracks move forwards, sidewards and backwards in a bid to get us lost - not in space but in what time might sound like should we be swimming through it.Mysterious and ageless synths mesh with the beats of an unnamed drum machine under Davy's control.We move through a non-linear story told by three distinct forward-thinking techno titles:No Memories Planned, Circular Weeks and Causal Loop.Finally, the titular ambient track pans out cinematically over the images left in our heads:an invitation to begin it all again in The Long Now...
- A1: 2094
- A2: Trippin
- A3: Need It (Ft Dj Manny)
- A4: Smokeout (Ft Dj Lucky)
- A5: Same Sound (Ft Odile Myrtil)
- B1: 9090
- B2: Anotha4 (Ft Dj Manny)
- B3: Bonfire (Ft Dj Paypal)
- B4: The Matrixx (Ft Dj Manny)
- C1: Get It Jukin' (Ft Chuck Inglish)
- C2: Pop Drop (Ft Dj Paypal)
- C3: Gimme Some Mo (Ft Uniiqu3)
- D1: Truu (Ft Dj Paypal)
- D2: Closer
- D3: I'm Trippin
- D4: I Don't Know (Ft Fabi Reyna)
A generation younger than the founders of the Teklife crew, DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn, DJ Taye was originally a rapper and beat maker before hooking up with the collective and jumping into the world of footwork production and DJing.
However, it was Rashad's untimely passing in 2014 that was the unlikely catalyst for developing the sounds and ideas for this album. He says, "When Rashad passed away I felt inspired to continue evolving the music that I loved so much coming up in this world. So, I had to do something...make something brand new."
100% committed to pushing further the potential of the footwork template, Still Trippin' is ambitious in its range and scope. Taking two years to formulate, the record broadens the possibilities of the sound, forcing it to adapt to songwriting, and also revives Taye's talent for MCing and producing beats to which he can rap and sing. Furthermore Taye definitely ups the ante with his complex and precise drum programming, never losing sight of footwork's ability to confound. The album features a range of guests that span contemporary music, the eccentric, instructive rapping of Chuck Inglish of Detroit duo the Cool Kids is featured on 'Get It Jukin', Odile Myrtil, a young vocalist from Montreal, lends her smokey soul to 'Same Sound', Fabi Reyna, the editor of the celebrated women's guitar magazine She Shreds, sings and plays bass and rhythm guitar on 'I Don't Know' and Jersey club queen UNIIQU3 offers production and rapping on 'Gimme Some Mo'.Also, Teklife members DJ PayPal and DJ Manny assist on production, and DJ Lucky is a guest MC on 'Smokeout'. Taye is ambitious in his hopes for the album, "I took this as an opportunity to not have boundaries with footwork. Different approaches to our 'underground' sound to make it broader. It's only underground until it crosses that visible threshold.' This album brings all of this to the forefront.
- A1: Prince Fatty Meets Nostalgia 77 - Little Steps Dub
- A2: Figub Brazlevic - Shadows In The City
- A3: Guts Featuring Tanya Morgan & Lorine Chia - Score 20
- B1: Mankoora - Sonor Tropical
- B2: Green Street - Don't Deny It
- B3: Cro-Magnon - Mysterious Vibes
- B4: Slakah The Beatchild - Ain't Nothing Like Hip Hop
- C1: Nautilus - Root Down
- C2: Shawn Lee Featuring Hmegga Watts - We Got The Jazz
- C3: Shin Sight Trio - You Got Soul
- D1: Suff Daddy - Paper-Proclamation (Pat Van Dyke Remix)
- D2: Dj Cam Quartet - Mental Invasion
- D3: Indigo Jam Unit - Sepia
'Oonops Drops' is the eponymous name of DJ Oonops' monthly broadcast on Brooklyn Radio (NYC). It's not your average radio show without talk and comments for which he invites renowned guests with their exclusive mixes from around the globe to create timeless and thematic episodes. In the last sixty shows he got visited by artists like Morcheeba, Guts, Nickodemus, The Herbaliser, Nostalgia 77, Boca 45, Blundetto, Chinese Man and many more.
Born in 1977 he got in contact with music at an early stage and soon discovered his medium of choice: vinyl. Oonops is a dj, selector, digger and is known for his smooth mixing skills to rock parties in his unmistakable wildstyle of jazz, soul, funk, hip hop, beats, edits, reggae, dub and afro. He shared the stages with acts like Nightmares on Wax, The Beatnuts, Jeru The Damaja, Ebo Taylor, Myron & E, Akua Naru and The Artifacts to name just a few.
As a longtime friend of the label and as a resident of its own club night he now gets his own compilation series to showcase his manifold taste in digging, selecting and mixing. His matter was to create a compilation of manifold genres of undiscovered, previously unreleased and for the first time on vinyl delicacies for any avid and discernable listener and dj. Especially for the vinyl lovers he dug many tracks which are treats for every set from warm-up until peak time. This compilation will stay for a long time in the bags.
Few authentic Electro producers from the UK can wear the badge 'legend' with the same level of justification as Phil Klein aka Bass Junkie. Active since the late 80s, Phil has been peddling his own take on Electro almost constantly, either as a solo artist or as part of numerous collabs with the likes of Dynamix II, Keith Tenniswood (Radioactiveman) and Si Brown (Dexorcist). DJ, remixer, live act, and the man behind the killer Battle Trax label, there is nothing this Junkie hasn't done.
With essential releases on labels such DMX Krew's Breakin Records, Andrea Parker's Touchin' Bass, and Billy Nasty's Elektrix; the Bass Junkie sound spans the old school beats and vibes of the Electro genre's origins, to the borderline industrial. From funky to ferocious, Bass Junkie's discography is a must have for anyone claiming passion for the genre - influential, individual, and infectious with every beat.
His 'Low Frequency Fugitive' EP is a welcome return for his Bass Junkie project, after several years working primarily on collabs. The EP brings four new tracks that maintain the Bass Junkie sound that brought him such success and notoriety in the first place, with a healthy dose of evolution too.
This is one Fugitive everyone should try and track down...
Having recently appeared on Bosconi Records and Altzmusica, Daisuke Kondo is a producer on the rise at present. This outing on Vibraphone adds fuel to that particular fire with four distinctive cuts that push to the outer edges of house music without losing sight of the groove. "Hold On To Love" is, on the surface, an upbeat, disco-infused house jam, but there's a certain trippy approach Kondo takes in the processing department that edges the music into a different head space. "Life" meanwhile gets gritty and bass heavy at one end of the frequency range, and airy and melodic at the other. "Feelin Blue" gets even dustier and scratchier with its sample treatment, and then "Fallen Star" lays down some unflinching machine beats with wonky, distant piano licks.
Two Dutch institutions in Delsin and 2000 And One team up for a reissue of the 1994 EP Belongings. It was an early release on 2000 and One's influential 100% Pure label and found him in full on space-techno. The EP has been fully remastered and sounds as gloriously futuristic now as it did more than 20 years ago. 'It Belongs To Me (Version)' is an intergalactic techno track with pads drifting off to an infinite horizon as a soft acid line burrows into the big, icy hi hats and punting drums. It's perfectly spacious and sombre, while 'It Belongs To Me (Reprise)' is a much more downtempo and thoughtful version of the track where pained leads synths take the lead and the drums are off in the distance. It's the sound of resignation and dejection in techno form. 'Crystal' then layers in new age harmonies as classic dusty break beats do their dance below. Again the synths are smeared and grand in scale and the whole thing feels like a blissful rave comedown. Last of all, 'Bowed' is a happy and manic melodic track with warped bass and fluttering snares that carry you away to the stars.
New year, new Skrufix release and this one is on vinyl once again! Following a return to form with stellar releases last year from Things With Wings with some Nigerian inspired beats, our 2-Step King, The Crane and an extremely well received release from new boy, Skwirl, we continue with quality production levels and one hell of a release from Nathan Jonson.
After a successful decade of releasing music under the Hrdvsion alias (Wagon Repair / Sound Pellegrino / Planet Mu), 2015 saw Nathan reach a turning point in his musical career and re-launch with a new direction under his birth name. The Jonson family are clearly one of good musical stock, his brother is the formidable Matthew Jonson and Nathan has recently released on 20:20 Vision as well as his brother's new Freedom Engine label, among others. We are therefore more than a little bit chuffed to get him on-board for this new EP, 'Space Between Breath'.
The release kicks off with the title track 'Space Between Breath', an ideal opener that builds into a lush, intricate Techno track accompanied by bouncy synth sounds. Label regular, The Crane brings his usual 2-Step talent to rework the first track exceptionally. On the flipside, things kick off with a darker feel and acid sounding synth lines on 'The Transfer', followed by a fine finale in the trippy and chugging sound of 'I'm All We Got.'
It's quite the release all round to be honest! And we're very excited to finally get this one out there. Look out for more excellence to come later in the year as label regulars, Turtlez and Skwirl prep new EPs, alongside some surprising new additions along the way!
Jan Ketel is back on Tieffrequent with his second solo EP. No razzmatazz, just pure deepness on 4 tracks combined with his passion for Soul and Hip Hop. Bliss!!
On the A-Side the - 30 Seconds Of Yeah EP flows in with a hopeful and wide opener called - Blue Horses . The use of a raw and steady bassline sourrounded by harmonic and melodic elements and the clearly structured drum arrangement makes it a deep going groover. The titletrack - 30 Seconds Of Yeah is a snotty rhythm based pattern with a puncturing bassguitar slap wrapped in a deep pad...but there's a lil' suprise...you will hear and see :-)
The B-side starts with - Come Home , a stomping beat with a coating chord sequence and some straight hidrum patterns. After the break it changes completely and wondrously transform into an emotional deephouse beauty. - Around Tha Corner represents a dusty sound without compromises. The bassline-kickdrum pattern and the repeating deepchord push it from start to finish...one for the basements.
Jan Ketel's - 30 Seconds Of Yeah EP tells little stories containing unexpected twists. It is a very musical record full of warm chords, versatile percussion and phat beats...but always focussed on the main aspects of deephouse music. Can you feel it
Durban's Rudeboyz (aka Masive Q and Andile T) return to Goon Club Allstars to follow up their self-titled 2015 debut EP with new record, 'Gqomwave'. Widely acknowledged as Gqom originators, alongside Goon Club label mate DJ Lag, Rudeboyz' raw, energetic compositions took the sounds of Durban's townships global back in 2015, opening doors for a whole new generation of South African artists in the pro-cess. They themselves hail from from Mount Moriah, just outside the KwaMashu township in North Durban. The duo's latest record, 'Gqomwave', is comprised of four tracks, each bursting with the intense, driving rhythms and boundless energy their productions have become renowned for. Gqom is again the core around which the whole EP functions, as blazing sirens and charging beats play out on opener 'Major Turn Up', but subtle, stylistic nuances point to a growing maturity in their work. The springy elasticity of 'Bounce Back' and the sharp, stripped back drums on relentless club burner 'No Mercy' each offer different, smouldering takes on the Gqom sound, while final track 'Asjableni' features the gritty, hypnotic vocals of long-time collaborator T_D Snaxx who tragically passed away earlier this year.
Fina Records strides into 2018 with another fresh new house EP, this time from PASO aka Pascal Pamme. Over the last few years this French artist has released on the likes of D.KO Records, Increase, and The Groove, and always showcases his knack for loose limbed, organic house grooves laden with jazzy keys and soul-infused synths. The four cuts he offers up here once again prove he is a producer with a truly authentic and musical style.
The warm and golden 'Idocracy' kicks things off with gently shuffling kicks, noodling chords and twinkling keys that together make for a perfectly cozy and intimate house track. 'Fuzy' is another perfectly louche and disheveled number with woody kicks stuttering beneath effusive Rhodes keys. Vinyl crackle and tinkling percussive sounds add to the immediately aged and lived in style of the track and mean it is one that will get smaller rooms well and truly involved.
On the flip, 'Limited Perception' ups the ante, with quicker drums decorated with more languid chords, plenty of smartly sampled sounds and a breezy sense of groove that is heartfelt and effortlessly feel good. Last of all, 'No Matter Where You're From' has great female vocals stitched into long-tailed pads as lazy, swaggering drums lay down a perfectly imperfect groove. It rounds out an EP of masterfully atmospheric house for those who like their beats with real feeling.
Tardis Records are delighted to welcome UK tech-house hero Flow to the Tardis Records stable for their eighth release. The three tracks making up the Trine EP were recorded together with Simon Moorecroft (a.k.a. Simon Vinyl Junkie) around the time of his first vinyl releases back in 1996-1997. All three tracks sound completely contemporary whilst having more than enough old school flavour to give flashbacks to any 90's ravers. Lead track 'Boy Girl Action' has skipping, garage-influenced beats with rolling bass and swirling atmospherics, whilst a breakbeat, vocals and a stabby intro give 'Trine' on the flip a more ravey feel. Closing out the EP, 'I See You' is the dubbiest cut here, with another heavy bassline, cut-up vocals,and subtly swung percussion. Eli and Oscar have loved testing these tracks out on the road and can vouch for their impact on a peak-time dancefloor!
Justin Chapman (half of the Kemeticjust duo) is back with 'Stay My Way', his first release on Visions Recordings.
Inspired by a distant collaboration with Alex Attias, the Soul Original version features Chapman's signature vocal harmonies floating over Latin influenced house rhythm and melody to provide the motivation for feet and hips.
The Just One Remix pushes things into the realm of Broken beats with a hard swing on the drums, and a deep and jazzy bass walk that gives edge to the keys and vox melodies. Classic Just One here!Justin has produced records for Neroli, RushHOur, Sonar Kollektiv and some collaboration with Recloose for Planet E and Deetron for Music Man .
This single for Visions is a long overdue collaboration with an artist we wanted to work with since 2001 when Visions was based in London, so you can imagine how excited we are to take Justin on board and release this single.
Ilija Rudman presents Andre Espeut 'Tears To Sound'
featuring Ron Trent Mix
Over the last decade and a half, Ilija Rudman has been responsible for many high quality releases, delivering distinctly warm, sun-kissed, analogue-rich material on labels including Bearfunk, Instruments Of Rapture, Compost , 20/20 Vision, Electric Minds, Is It Balearic Recordings, Rong Music , Classic Music Company and of course, his own Red Music imprint.
Even so, the Croatian has rarely made anything quite as deep and sensual as the material showcased on this first full EP for NuNorthern Soul. Top billing must go to the "Aquapella" version of "Tears To Sound", a spellbinding acapella cut that puts the enchanting vocals of storied soul man Andre Espeut front and centre.When Rudman sent the track to old friend Phil Cooper, the NuNorthern Soul boss thought it sounded like something he'd hear from US deep house legend Ron Trent. So, he approached the Prescription co-founder to see if he fancied remixing it. As you might expect, the results are astonishingly good.
Rich in rising and falling new age melodies, darting synthesizer motifs, languid piano flourishes and heavy analogue bass, Trent's wonderfully ultra-deep interpretation naturally gives pride of place to Espeut's seductive vocal. Even by the Chicagoan's infamously high standards, his epic Vocal Mix is incredibly special.
All versions of the single also feature two other original Rudman productions, both of which are wonderfully deep and dreamy. "Distant Feelings" is fluid, deep and yearning, with twinkling electric piano motifs and dreamy chords reclining over sizzling drum machine cymbals, no-nonsense beats and a gently pulsing analogue bassline. Those who enjoy the Balearic side of Rudman's work should also check out "Deep Sensation", a jazzy and breezy fusion of tumbling, vibraphone style melodies, rolling electric piano riffs and rubbery boogie bass. Both tracks are every bit as magical in their own way as the producer's thrilling Andre Espeut collaboration.
Restive Plaggona recently released a brand new studio effort - a full-length album featuring 10 original tracks and a
remix from Ancestral Voices, with a dark and melancholic twist, as the title of the project might imply. Connected by a commonality of despair, nostalgia and desolation, Restive Plaggona elevated these elements into its maturity. At its core, each track has a soul-stirring significance, and is embalmed by titles that fringes on a political dimension.
* Opening number 'Intimacy is Violence' does a remarkable job capturing the vibe of the album, serving as a great
introduction. The track has a very industrial tone, with a strong cinematic feel to it. The following track, 'Rote Zora,' follows suit with a more percussive and colorful arrangement, with a more substantial focus on rhythmic patterns.
* 'Cut Off From Modern Society' its combination of dark atmospheres, lush melodies, and glitchy beats. 'Sudden Burst of Safety' is another excellent track worth mentioning, due to its stadium-sized drums and saturated sounds, adding an
aggressive feel to the music. All in all, the album is a real sonic journey, begging to be enjoyed from start to finish!
* Set for release in both physical and digital formats on December 15th, Silently Hopelessly marks Restive Plaggona's first LP for Swiss-based record company Thrènes (which takes its name from the Greek word for funeral lament) and are a label dedicated to the release of tenebrous electronica and techno.
Text: Masscomm & Andrea Caccese
TAfter several successful releases on his own Valby Rotary label, Louf joins TYR for our third release with the From A Distance EP. Combining elements from across the electronic spectrum this EP has something for everyone, from the warehouse feel of Midi Love to the bucolic Quits, Louf showcases his talent to weave deep, body moving bass and beats with playful, reminiscent melodies. When this dropped in our demo box we knew we had something special and think you'll agree.
- A1: Amir Bresler - Please Do
- A2: Sol Monk - Third Eye (Feat. Jenny Penkin)
- A3: Nitai Hershkovits - Flyin' Bamboo Feat. (Feat. Mndsgn)
- A4: Mo Rayon - Icey 2
- A5: Sixounce - Tomato Wax
- A6: Dj Mesh - All Night (Feat. Mo Rayon)
- A7: Playdead - Less Sad, More Psycho
- B1: Sefi Zisling - Daytime Near Calm Waters
- B2: Buttering Trio - Cacti Juice
- B3: Nomok - Time To Talk (Instrumental Version)
- B4: Kali Boog - Infinite Innit (Feat. Ateller)
- B5: Yudko - So It Goes
- B6: Rejoicer - Dreaming Upper Body
The Tel Aviv based music label 'Raw Tapes Records' has been getting a lot of attention in the last few years, broasdcasted around the world (Gilles Peterson/BBC, The Gaslamp Killer, Toshio Matsuraa/Tokyo Moon FM, Dom Servini/Wah Wah 45 London, Peanut Butter Wolf/Stones Throw LA, Radio Nova/France, Wicked Jazz Sounds/Amsterdam, KCRW/LA, Andrew Jervis/Bandcamp).
With more than 70 albums released out of around 20 local artists within an 10-years work, this is no doubt the most productive independant music label in the history of Israel, and surely Tel Aviv's leading Beats/Hip Hop label and collective.
Puzzles vol.3 is the third volume in the Puzzles Compilations Series from Raw Tapes, featuring 13 of the current artists on the label, including Buttering Trio, Sol Monk & Nitai Hershkovits. The release features cooperations with MNDSGN, vocalist Jenny Penkin, Uzi Ramirez and more.
Curated by KerenDun, this album ranges from Beats & Hip Hop to Jazz and Electronics.
The album marks the 10-years-Anniversary for Raw Tapes.
Dedicated to giving newcomers an honest platform to showcase their talents, this run of compilations is to be comprised of crystalline electronic music, spanning out across various forms. The inaugural offering sees Villanova and Time team up to reshape La CHICA's Oasis with brushstrokes of subtle melancholy, TEHO fuse contemporary Deep House with UKG and YEUZ' pair of idiosyncratic compositions, for the modern dance floor. Label founder, Agoria, ventures South of one hundred and ten beats per minute on his remix of Embers, cloaking Stefan Smith's original in humility and innocence. A FEW WORDS FROM THE ARTISTS ... about their tracks Oasis: 'The original track brings us a very unique vibe, the work of the analog textures implement perfectly the unique voice of La CHICA ...as soon as I listen to it I was hooked to make a remix that would keep the same feeling .. but adding the energy and dynamic to make it floor friendly.' Embers: 'Other than Music, Stefan's only other Passion in life is reading Samuel Beckett. Whilst reading his radio play Embers he got a call from Nicolas Becker asking him to contribute some work to a project. He set about composing this track with Becketts words reverberating around his head. This track somehow made it into the hands of Becketts friend/collaborator Agoria and here we are.
The debut Vinyl release on Re-Fix Recordings is an E.P from Waxwing who utilizes many years of studio experience and previous releases under different aliases to deliver 4 funky chunky house cuts. Unleashing vintage tones,the US garage influenced house beats shuffle and swing their way throughout,whilst warm,weighty organ stabs provide the backbone for the dubby grooves A
A year after his last 12 inch release Here We Are / That's Desire EP and few months after a CD release Hamburg Süd/Nee IYaow eow eow featuring experimental field recordings and vocal improvisations, Wolfgang Tillmans returns with a new extended play on his own label Fragile. Heute Will Ich Frei Sein sets an energetic tone for the 5 track EP that leads straight on the dancefloor, a space that Tillmans has observed and discussed from various angles throughout his artistic career. While Los Angeles based experimental noise project Wreck and Reference's beats and 808 staccato claps instantly create a hedonistic dance moment, it is Tillmans' lyrics that contrast the simplicity of this message. Tillmans knows that clubs have always been spaces mirroring constant crisis of 'western' societies towards minorities, race and gender. In the light of current political events, it is the singers' nod that informs us about the precarity and necessity of such spaces as no contradiction. Completely Changed and On My Own, Tillmans and his long-term collaborators Jay Pluck, Kyle Combs and Tim Knapp return to more song based recordings but with a stronger approach on synthesiser soundscapes. On My Own finds Tillmans again singing simple lines over a staggering pop production that can be read as a comment on nightlife as well as the artist emerging into a more mature stage in life. It is this ambiguity that marks Tillmans' writing and constant striving for variation. Almost last, the extended play features a remix of Fast Lane, originally released on 2016 / 1986 EP - tracing back to Tillmans' first musical steps with collaborator Bernd Lessmann in 1986.
Bucketround presents "Deep Encounters Vol.1" This will be a series where we can listen to the best producers in deep house music, this time we have on the vinyl to "Jesus Gonsev" (Trouble Kids/Spain) with his magnificent ""Terminal 5"" raising the essence of deep to a state of rhythmic beauty powerful chords.
On the same side is the unbreakable ""Tominori Hosoya"" (TH Pressing/Japan) with the strong and amazing ""Strider Practice"" unpredictable melodies in tune with your mind and with each beats. The B-side is impressive also with the track by "Allstarr Motomusic"(Deepart Sounds/Switzerland) ""Pulsate"" the best musical structure agreed with synthesizers drawn from a prodigious mind. Finally we have to "Manuel Costela" (Bucketround/Spain) with the latest work ""Mind Purveyor"" a composition taken from the soul of this great producer a track very focused on the dance floor and with some spectacular and harmonious changes.
Outstrip are Denis Borisov & Anton Severinenko; with their debut EP on Dogmatik they deliver 4 subterranean dance floor cuts. Their stripped back, bass heavy productions, are guaranteed to rock any dance floor. Solid kicks, crisp claps, evocative chords and atmospherics. Peak time dubbed out beats, true to the Dogmatik sound.
'The Layered Effect' by US rapper/producer Andy Cooper offers a punchy reminder of the creative fun to be had in digging for breaks, stringing up loops and layering up stratas of sound. Brimming full of delightful inflexions from the world of jazz, easy listening, film soundtracks and Hollywood voices, it's a perfectly stitched sound patchwork that pays loving hommage to the classic, funky days of early rap. A touching testimony to the joys of Hip-Hop then and now.
More than just the skinny white dude who's into old school beats, Andy Cooper has won his stripes after a twenty year stint with Hip-Hop trio Ugly Duckling, then a couple more hanging out with The Allergies, not to mention the recent release of eight 7" singles, an EP and now his second solo LP.What is utterly charming is how enamoured and respectful he is of how it was at the beginning AND of how it still should be.Far from being the "old timer/delusional revivalist" he describes in 'Last of the Dying Breed', Cooper cares not about colour or age, but that rap stays fresh, exciting, competitive, similar to a precious martial art.
For Andy, rap is a noble form. He's a wordsmith extraordinaire, snappy and audacious, tipping his hat "to all the microphoners who still bring that dedication and expertise to their craft" and choosing to work with equally rapid sparring partners like Blabbermouf and MC Abdominal. Ownership of the genre is a constant theme throughout the LP. Like a contact sport, you punch and fight your way to the mic and once there "no one can take it from me". Reverance is constantly being paid to the dons that went before, overtly Rick Rubin & the Def Jam crew, but covertly the reggae sound systems and jazzers of old.
Not a sloppy note or shabby rhyme here.It's an album that pops and fizzes with quirky beats and funky rhythms from start to finish. With production lines neater and sharper than a pair of sta press trousers, it's impossible not to be seduced by the sheer bouyancy of the lyrics, beats and intention. A refreshingly entire body of work with no low points, only head-nodding highs. It's good to stumble across a hip hop album that has you giggling, thinking, singing and wearing out the soles of your shoes all at once.
Omar Di Bongo is an audio-visual project that melts video feedback from Hugo Saugier with two figures of french underground techno scene, Somaticae (In Paradisum, Tanzprocesz...) known for his dark cutting edge techno, and C_C (Small But Hard, Kvitnu...) master of no input mixer feedbacks, and savage analog industrial beats. Their music merges industrial music with tribal polyrythms, and makes us dive into a certain kind of psychedelia between hallucination and dementia. Reduced to the essence, their productions bring back techno to its core, the trance dimension, often fogotten in many modern musics of this genre.
KUF create emotion-laden dialogues across layers of time and dimensions of sound. Voices recorded in private are chopped up and brought out center-stage to sing with beats hammered out right here and now. Glowing synths push forward. Basslines rise to grab the melodic role of a track while a vowel is truncated and locked into a grid, driving the rhythm. Voices move within the frame of a sample, performed by hands pushing keys, guided by the ear, immersed in a trio session's deep flow... A vortex of quirky hands, responsive ears and glowing circuits. Since Thomas A. Edison first recorded the human voice in 1877, the recording arts have changed music forever. Musicians have explored the endless possibilities of bouncing their input onto layers of tape, off the walls of an echo chamber or the circuitry of electronic helpers - technology that modulates, spatializes, shifts, divides or multiplies the work of human hands and mouths. An era of sampling offered a cubistic analysis of the recorded past and DJs took dancers onto intricately fractured time travels. This is the historic foundation that KUF keep probing. Just like the sampler and the DJ before them, they found new ways to re-allocate where machine and man stand when making music together. Most importantly, they turn the resulting friction into sparkling bursts of energy. 'Universe' digs deeper into the android vocal chords. The album offers sweeping melodies, different beats and persistent bass. Immerse in the intimacy of the voices, probably recorded in trains, backstage areas and at late night private parties during Berlin Lichtenberg warehouse rehearsals. By striking the keys, KUF squeeze out and serve up all
As music continuously evolves, times change and new ideas and movements come & go. All of this functions in tandem with scientific, technological, social and political advancements in our society. The biggest component to that evolution is the people. There are creators and consumers. One cannot exist without the other. Throughout art, the audience defines quality, but artist has the power to introduce change and shift perception. Execution is key. The masses are always hungry for something fresh. Sometimes we're at the forefront of new trends and sometimes we find comfort innovating the past. No matter what, musicians have a responsibility to bridge the gap. Raw Poetic and Damu the Fudgemunk meet all of the above. Produced entirely by the artists, the new album "The Reflecting Sea" revisits sonic textures of yesteryear and combined with their own distinct ears for music, have created something uniquely foreign for the music world in our time. Speaking of the times, Raw Poetic's lyrical subject matter is nothing short of relevancy. Speaking from an observatory perspective in addition to his own personal experiences, the album's content is infinitely relatable. Although known primarily as hip hop acts, both Damu and Raw P stretched out to expand what the genre is known for. The combination of elements from the mix of live instrumentation, improvisation and sampling to the range of styles including jazz, fusion, rock, electronic and soul make The Reflecting Sea unlike anything else. Captured and recorded in it's rawest form, the album is honest expression. Masterminding the festival sounds is Damu the Fudgemunk. His voice is absent from the recordings, but his presence is immediately noticed throughout the 40 minute exhibition. Packed with tons of beats, tons of scratching, original compositions, upbeat and signature atmosphere, there's no question who's behind the boards. With the average tempo of over 100bpm, this is one of the most energetic releases in Redefinition's catalog. Raw P and the Fudgemunk aim to revitalize listeners of all types with their original sound. They call it "The Reflecting Sea: Welcome to a New Philosophy." Raw Poetic (MC), hails from the DMV area by way of Philadelphia. In addition to several collaborations with Damu the Fudgemunk, he's recorded 6 albums as a member of Panacea, 1 album with K-def, 1 album with Kev Brown and recent features with Brous One in which all have been met with critical acclaim. Damu the Fudgemunk (producer/DJ) is a DC native who co-owns and operates Redefinition Records. With several successful releases as a solo artist, his music has garnered a reputation in the last decade for it's consistent quality and conceptual structure.
The Single > Side A 'PHRAKHANONG DISORDER' is T.D.O.S. second single featuring Japanese turntablalist DJ TO-RU (Dujada-Goja) is a bass battle on a downtempo hard drum beat, hypnotic and chaotic like Bangkok's streets. Phra Khanong is a neighbourhood of this megapolis where hip hop culture meets local traditions. Side B is 'NAMBA VIBRATIONS' with DJ TO-RU fine cuts on a dirty digital mish-mash of bass and dub beats,. Just in tune to get lost in electric downtown Osaka before heading to the dance floor facing a massive sound system. The Artist > The Dude Of Stratosphear aka T.D.O.S. is Jerome Doudet (Swiss/French artist and bass player based in Bangkok). DJ, vinyl collector, musician, graphic designer and East Asian music connoisseur, The Dude of Stratosphear was groomed in the vibrant alternative scene of the very international city of Geneva Switzerland. Growing up in a musical household (His father was a disco DJ), Growing up in a musical household (His father was a disco DJ), Jerome was exposed to a wide range of music at very early age, and started playing the 4 strings at the age of 10. Bass player in the swiss math-core bands Knut for a decade, he toured intensely all around Europe's biggest venues and festivals. He also joined the very underground american band Half Japanese for a couple of european tour and recorded the album Bone Head in 1997. And on top of the list was opening for the mighty KISS with the canadian band Bionic (CA) at Molson center in Monteal. Also member of various bands such as Imericani (SP/IT/CH), Intercostal (CH), Troll Patrol (CH), Bliscappen Van Maria (CH-IT), Edison (CH), Polar (CH-FR), Prejudice (CH-FR), Buz (CH), Void (CH), Ultra DB (CH), to name a few.
Fernando Pulichino is no stranger to Leng Records. The bass guitar-wielding Argentine made his first appearance on the label five years ago via the cosmic disco/psychedelic rock fusion of Blue Impala, returning two years later with the similarly inclined brilliance of Giant Desert. Pulichino then resurfaced on Leng late last year with a superb, digital-only three-tracker called Natural 77.
Now he's back on wax, buoyed by the success of the acclaimed Shining EP on Is It Balearic
Recordings. This time round he's in Search of Indigo, shaping hazy, sun-baked soundscapes around his distinctive basslines, echo-laden synthesizers, meandering Fender Rhodes solos,
gentle dub vibrations and glistening, early morning jazz guitars. This is music for the heads, hips and feet, soaked in Fernet and left in the afternoon sun to slowly ripen.
Arguably the most arresting of the four cuts is the title track, a head-in-the-clouds vocal number rich in bubbly electronic riffs, laidback electro beats, ricocheting percussion hits, swirling wind
effects and rubbery funk-rock bass.
Pulichino's penchant for intergalactic disco shufflers once again comes to the fore on killer Sundown Visions', a saucer-eyed chugger that simultaneously throbs, pulses and sparkles
thanks to sparring synthesizer motifs and eyes-closed space rock guitars. We suspect Daniele Baldelli and Andrew Weatherall would approve.
Elsewhere, Pulichino indulges his passion for sofa-surfing jazz-funk on solo-laden EP closer Frontera', a relaxed and undulating jam rich in cascading electric guitars, fluid electric piano, delay-laden flourishes and deep space synthesizers. You won't know whether to lie down, dance enthusiastically or wearily shuffle, either way, play at sunrise or sundown for maximum
enjoyment.
The EP also boasts a first vinyl outing for the title track of last year's digital-only EP, Natural '77'. Seemingly partly inspired by legendary West Coast funkateers Steely Dan, it's a lazy, low-
slung affair full of languid guitar solos, freestyle vocal improvisations, bongo-laden drums and one of his most inspired and elastic basslines to date.
The fourth release on Trevor Jacksons Pre- Label is by SKULL. A visceral journey into experimental noise and no wave avant grade beatscapes
The last SKULL release 'SNAPZ' appeared on Jacksons own Output Recordings label in 1999. A seminal collection of tracks that had previously featured on the first two legendary Mo wax 'Headz' compilations (also featuring Autechre, Beastie Boys, Air, and DJ Shadow) as well as tracks that had also appeared on Kevin 'The Bug' Martins notorious Macro Dub Infection albums during the mid 90's.
Reactionary sonic statements aimed at the coffee table world of Trip Hop, fuelled by his dissatisfaction and dissillustionment with Hip Hop of the time, Trevor pushed himself into uncomfortable and far more extreme areas than he had before, areas he felt unable to explore with his Underdog productions, which were mainly being utilised for major label remixes at the time.
Influenced as much by the industrial pioneers, post punk and new wave of the past as the burgeoning post rock scene in the mid 90's, This new set of previously unreleased recordings originally produced between 1996-2000 are equally as intense and visceral as the early releases. Dusty samples, raw beats, tape loops, and primitive effects combine to sound as relevant now as when they were initially created.
Beyond being a quality mixture of unusual dance tracks and unique electronica, XYXX is a conceptual body of work whose themes of sex, race, unity and destruction reveal themselves to those listening closely. XYXX is the first collaborative album between Berlin based electronic producer NYMA (Nima Chatrsimab) and Toronto based, Detroit raised vocalist Noisy Vibration. Sitting somewhere in between house, techno and electro, but with honest pop sensibilities, the record is a push-and-pull of ideas, highlighting each artist in distinctive and mesmerizing ways. The Berlin-via-Tehran musician, DJ and sound engineers melting-pot influences and wealth of experience are the perfect vehicle for Noisy Vibrations piercing lyrical style. He lets her do the talking, while delivering a powerful message of his own through more subconscious means. From the opening refrain the dialogue begins, angelic tones embrace you with open arms. Noisys lyrics speak to NYMAs colourful beats and masterful sound design, connecting to the moment and full of unexpected turns. XYXX is an album that is both spontaneous and carefully considered. With XYXX, the ride is completethe DNA whole.
The new OHM compilation from Ambidextrous Records features some top drawer electronic acts such as Norken (Delsin, Skam, Clear) and Christ. (Formerly Boards Of Canada) and has support from BBC Radio 1 in Scotland - New Music In Scotland, Kiss FM Australia - Brain Food, Annie Mac - Radio 1 UK, Orde Meikle (Slam DJs), Amazing Beats Show - Amazing Radio & many others.
- A1: And The Fishes In The Ocean
- A2: Heels Much Too High
- A3: Ode: Springtime And Summer
- A4: Sometimes I Don´t Regret
- A5: Eclectic Mystic
- A6: Under The Tree
- A7: What
- A8: The Story Of The Mongolian Horse
- B1: Shadows Of The Inner Light
- B2: It Doesn´t Matter How You Are
- B3: Ode: The Dark Ages
- B4: A Time When Painters Painted More
- B5: The Moon And The Night And The Men
- B6: What Is Real And What Is Wrong
- B7: Ode: Oh My Lord Milord
- B8: Ask Your Local Keyboard Player
Art pop meets Mongolian throat singing, Blade Runner meets Walter Carlos (Clockwork Orange), Tom Dissevelt and Kid Baltan (Bowie's favourite band) meet Tame Impala.
The fifth album from Marsmobil has been hailed by many as their best yet. With closer ties to Minx' (2006) than the last two albums, Fairytales Of The Supersurvivor' returns to Marsmobil's signature strength of wondrously brilliant songs ( And The Fishes In The Ocean', Shadows Of The Inner Light') that blend off-the-wall cinemascope sounds with dazzling beats and punchy, powerful hooks to create uniquely distinctive art pop anthems.
As always with Marsmobil, Roberto Di Gioia writes, plays, sings and programs everything himself. Here, as on Minx', he's brought in support from a fabulous singer - the very wonderful Amber Lin, who contributes vocals on four songs. All the cover illustrations are also by Di Gioia.
Multi-instrumentalist Roberto Di Gioia needs little introduction. The curious can explore his biography, discography and extensive lists of projects and collaborations as musician and songwriter (see below) for an impression of the hugely diverse achievements of this multi-talent and brilliant musician.
As a topical heads-up, Roberto Di Gioia is also the founder of the German jazz supergroup Web Web and released the album Oracle' in September 2017. The second Web Web album will follow in early 2018, hard on the heels of the fifth Marsmobil release. Di Gioia also wrote and produced Teufelswerk' for DJ Hell and contributed virtually all the songs on Hell's latest album, Zukunftsmusik'.
Version Galore is a newly found label, deeply rooted in the music culture. We bring you the selected reworks / versions from the top producers in the game, showing lots of respect and care for the original, but elevating it's spirit and taking it somewhere else. It's all about the dialogue of cultures and the idealistic desire to pass the music legacy on! No half-measures, played-out tunes, lazy cuts, or boring "808-kick boosting" biz!
K2 is an alias of someone who you should be very familiar with by now, especially if interested in quality house music. No clues He the music legend from Baltimore, one of the most versatile and technically-gifted DJs on the scene, a master of CDJs, who singlehandedly restored public's interest in gospel music with his ultimate dance bomb "Work It Out". Still Hesitant Ok we'll help you - it's the one and only Karizma!
A-side is a pure fire-starter! One of those tunes that works perfectly in any surrounding, location, context, club. Here Karizma flips a version of a certain African-American work song, which catchy refrain just seem to resonate with anyone, while the rough dirty beats with the cheeky start/pause technique destroy the dance floor! Essential party tool!
On B-Side the maestro travels in time to grace us with a retro-futuristic workout on the edge of jazz-fusion / prog-rock & Italo-disco. "In Spite Of" is a peculiar, yet beautiful combination of hypnotic chord progressions, step-sequenced synthetic bass-lines, the virtuoso dialogue of electric guitar and electric violin (yes), spiced up with African percussion and forceful beats, all working together in harmony in accordance with the intricate time signature of the song! That's Karizma at his most Balearic!
- Team Dreams' is the collaborative album of Sin Fang, Sóley and Örvar Smárason of múm and FM Belfast. It combines the individual strengths of three acclaimed musicians, blends folk sensibilities with futuristic pop beats. It's an emotive ocean of sound, melodies and miniature stories that gently washes over you. And it's easily one of the best albums the three Reykjavík artists have been involved in.
The night is what makes a big city come to life. Right after sundown, the hectic buzzing of downtown makes way for adventure playgrounds, bathed in neon light, revealing their countless chances and opportunities. It's when you'll find the subway spitting out it's purpose seeking passengers by the minute. A coming and going of restless people passing through. All it takes is a few hours, before the sunrise makes it all disappear. Mental Bend captures the magic of that very moment in their dreamy soundtracks. If you close your eyes, you can see blurry pictures passing in slow motion, accompanied by their atmospheric songs. Grainy black and white snapshots, fragments of memories lighting up somewhere in the farthest corner of the cortex. 'One Step' is the Berlin-based indietronica duo's visually vivid debut album, released on Enfant Fenou. Mental Bend are all about letting go. Sissip (voc/synth/bass) and Hendrik Havekost (beats/production) know how to trust their instincts, crafting their hypnotic signature sound, somewhere in between electronica, ambient and dream pop. Before founding the band in 2013, the two were already shaping their skills in all kinds of different formations and styles of music. As soon as they got together, they had a viral mini hit with their song 'Take My Hand', praised on various tastemaker blogs and generating over 100.000 likes on Soundcloud in no time. The band's first long play record 'One Step' is all about important experiences and decisions, small as well as big steps, all a part of making progress, which in the end can even be life changing. It was a step, that recently got Mental Bend their record deal on Mo's Ferry's sub label 'Enfant Fenou'.
Mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin.
Hana's first and self-titled LP was recorded in Autumn 2010 at Facta non Verba and consists out of 5 tracks which are techno oriented with disposal of experimental and abstract elements.
Reviews
OMG Vinyl
Hana s S/T LP is easily the best promo records we ve gotten in months. This Greek duo has somehow, almost entirely below the radar, released one of the most exciting electronic records of 2011. Their wobbly brand of techno sometimes chugs ahead at full-speed, other times easing back into a wider waver, almost resembling some weird, warped IDM. I will be shocked if this record doesn t get wider appreciation very soon. Whether that happens or not, we fully recommend it, track one down.
Cyclic Defrost by Oliver Laing
Granny Records duo Hana come correct with their first album, offering a refreshing take on techno and IDM variants in the vein of Jan Jelinek, Raime, Actress and hints of the mighty Chain Reaction label. Mastered at Berlin s Dubplates and Mastering by none other than Rashad Becker, a name that often appears in the run-out groove of artists who inhabit a curiously funky techno-not-techno netherworld Hana s debut self-titled release grows in stature and listening enjoyment with every spin. With a sense of fun and adventure inhabiting the grooves, Hana (who are also part of label-mates, Good Luck Mr Gorsky), explore experimental timbres and ghostly vocalisations with a lightness of touch that belies their recording credentials.
Starting off with an abstract, Clicks and Cuts style intro, Liv slowly finds the sweet spot between mutant Detroit electro funk, a hint of the indie/dance territory of Matthew Dear and the abstract, yet rhythmic 12 releases on the Beatservice label, by Norwegian duo Information from the mid 90s. Obermaier implies the groove to begin with, until a wrong-footed man-with-two-left-feet rhythm leads into minimal acidic flourishes. Album opener SM heads in a Ricardo Villalobos vs. Nonplace Urban Field direction, as the lopsided rhythm and sepulchral vocals add a haunted edge to proceedings. CR80 uses beautifully syncopated live drums and urgent female vocals, and adds a driving, belligerent synth riff falling somewhere in between DMZ and Gary Numan. Echoic, boingy sounds threaten to derail the beat, but somehow it manages to maintain, reminding me of Shed and A Made Up Sound; more in overall feel than in the specific sounds. For those that enjoy abstract electronics that work just as well on headphones as on the dance floor, Greece s Hana are a duo to watch.
Textura
Hana's self-titled debut album arrives saddled with a (literally) cheeky front cover one would more associate with a 70s band like Wild Cherry than a Greece-based techno outfit formed in Thessaloniki last summer. Recorded in fall 2010 at Facta non Verba, the five-cut release finds Good Luck Mr Gorsky members Thanasis Papadopoulos and Thanos Bantis hunkered down in their chemical lab concocting formulae to go along with their material's stripped-down techno beats. Using analogue synths, samplers, and sequencers, the duo brings a decidely experimental edge to their productions, sprinkling as they do liberal doses of burble and flutter over bass-heavy techno rhythms.
The opening track, Sm, sets the scene with a heavy low-end pulse thudding alongside a steady kick drum and joined by acidy synths and percussive effects that suggest a lighter being repeatedly flicked open. On a slightly more aggressive tip, the B-side's Cr80 adds truncated vocal yelps to its bleepy, elephantine throb. A dubby dimension emerges in the track, too, when echoing waves drift repeatedly across the huge bass that slithers across the track's underbelly. The album's most elaborate track comes last. Liv opens beatlessly with flickering shudders and what could pass for the amplified workings of an ant community but then progressively fills in the dots with an insistent beat pattern, voice fragments, and even the demented meander of accordion playing. Though Hana hardly rewrites the techno guidebook on the release, it's nevertheless a pleasurable listen, in part due to the multi-dimensional experience provided by the vinyl format and the always superb mastering work done by Rashad Becker at Berlin's Dubplates & Mastering.
Jaxx Madicine is a jazz-funk inspired house-ish outfit from Milan consisting of Turbojazz (Local Talk, GAMM Records), Parker Madicine (Heist, Bastard Jazz Brooklyn, CT-HI Records) and the talented jazz keyboardist 'Veez_0'.
With an organic and melodic sound collage you can hear influences from classic 70's jazz funk labels and artists like CTI, Mizell Brothers, Kudu and Bob James but also the current sounds of Kaidi Tatham, Byron The Aquarius and Harvey Sutherland.
After their debut EP 'Montreux' they are now ready to drop their full album 'Distant Classic' where the Jaxx crew exit planet earth and treat us to a space music odyssey that is full of surprises.
During the journey they deliver house, jazz, fusion, boogie and jazzy beats from a highly melodic keyboard perspective.
All tracks are made with a genuine love for analogue synthesizers, fender Rhodes, clavinets and some soulful MPC programming.
'Distant Classic' is an album that can be enjoyed both in the club and at home, but we hope you will enjoy their melodic sounds on any platform. Just press go and enjoy the trip...
'Y.O.U' is an emotive album of tripped out ambient hip hop instrumentals by FROM, written and recorded in the mid 90s under Trevor Jackson's infamous production persona The Underdog. Originally planned as a vocally-led, song-based project that should've surfaced between his production for The Brotherhood's legendary British hip hop album 'Elementalz' in 1996 and his acclaimed debut PLAYGROUP release in 2001, for multiple reasons it hasn't seen the light of day, until now.
Only Available as a ultra limited edition Vinyl and CD release, the LP consists of 11 tracks. Dream-like synth lines, ambient melodies, blissful guitars, raw beats and soft, fractured vocals draw you into a hallucinatory 12bit world. Drawing on Jackson's progressive and jazz rock influences as well as psychedelia and early electronics, the album closes with 'Belladonna'- a piano-sampled homage to the east coast golden age hip hop pioneers. NB: The CD features a longer version of 'Veratrum' not available on the vinyl version. All created on an Akai S950 mono sampler (limited to only 20 seconds sampling time), an Akai MG1212 12 channel mixer (which recorded on Betamax style tapes) and primitive outboard gear, Jackson honed his skills from his bedroom, where he produced the majority of his output at the time. With a huge collection of obscure vinyl, he dug deep into uncharted territories for samples and sound clips
- using material no one knew about (or would think about touching) in the mid 90s. The Underdog's initial releases were on Jackson's own Bite It! recordings label, which was started in 1991. A unique platform for UK hip hop with a visual aesthetic and ethos more akin to ECM and Factory
than other rap labels, its mission was to push artists beyond musical and cultural limitations prevalent at the time.
Home to artists like The Brotherhood, Scientists of Sound, Little Pauly Ryan and Lewis Parker (who later signed to Massive Attack's Melancholic label), Bite It! became a great success;
finally British rap had artists and releases that looked and sounded as good as their revered American counterparts. In 1993 Richard Russell (who had just started running XL recordings) asked Trevor to remix House of Pain, resulting in a top ten record, which helped launch Jackson's musical career via further remixes Massive Attack, Run DMC, U2, The Cure and countless others. Off the back of his remix success, The Brotherhood signed a deal in 1994 with Virgin Records. Their 'ELEMENTALZ' album was produced by Jackson and is still lauded by many as one of the finest British hip hop albums of all time.
Jackson continued to remix and produce as The Underdog until managerial issues forced him out of the project he'd been instrumental in instigating.
Soon after his close friend and manager tragically passed away - which when combined with the UK hip hop scene becoming increasingly volatile and the moral demise of rap culture in general - convinced Trevor to hang up his hip hop hat for good.
After leaving The Brotherhood he started Output Recordings. Internationally and sonically diverse, it gave Jackson a free reign to do as he pleased, with genre twisting releases from the likes of Fridge, Four Tet, Sonovac, Colder, his own PLAYGROUP project, The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem. With a non-compromising attitude, strong DIY aesthetic and consistently groundbreaking releases across its ten year life between 1996 and 2006, it became one of the most important and respected independent labels in the world.
In early 2017, Public Release dropped a four-tracker by Brooklyn's Earth Boys, a duo comprisedof Julian Duron and Michael Sherburn, and now it's being followed by a collection of remixes by some formidable names from around the world.
Where the EP of originals fell squarely in the category of vibey, shuffling, laid-back house
grooves, Trail Remix is decidedly made for the after-midnight parts of club sets. The 12-inch begins with a T&P - that's Beats in Space's Tim Sweeney and Phillip Lauer's version of 'Trail Mix'. Acid-flecked and hard-edged, and tongue-in-cheek at heart yet seriously functional, it's the original red-lined and shot down the highway at ninety miles an hour. (Worth noting that this is
the transatlantic unit's first remix to be released.) After that is Earth Boys' own redo of 'Highway
1' a juiced-up re-imagining of the first version, filled out with chunkier kicks and fatter synth washes that completely envelope any sense of direction. The flip leans towards the ethereal, stretchy, abstract, though it, too, is tracky and driven. The B1 slot goes to Canadian wunderkind Khotin, of 1080p and Normals Welcome, who blows some stardust into the tune, enveloping it in a blanket of sharp drums and icy pads. NYC mainstay Mike Simonetti, formerly of Trouble Man and Italians Do It Better, currently of 2MR, caps the record with his beefy overhaul of 'Trail Mix' a compression of industrial percussion, tribal rhythms and sub-bass undulations.
Acid web...
Here is another best kept secret from The Netherlands: Garçon Taupe... This musician has been around for quite some time but released only a few tracks yet... mostly on Dutch label Narrominded... and these released tracks are quite elektro orientated... this 4 track EP is all about acid... techno and elektro beats go hand in hand to make up party music pur sang... this is simply a great piece of acid music which will appeal to fans of Ceephax Acid Crew and acid trax in general...
From Philadelphia beatmaker Knxwledge has been bubbling beneath the surface in the virtual world. Making his name via Myspace, global mixes spinning around the world and with a Mary Anne Hobbs mix & plays from Benji B already under his belt hes ready to step up to the plate in 2010 with his first solo release. 15 tracks here of varying rhythmic structures, lengths and speeds which go way further than mere beats and snippets. Sloppy, on beat and off its all thrown in the beat blender. Tip!
After 3 EPs on Don Williams a.r.t.less imprint munichs TRAP10 start their own label and the debut is a versatile dancefloor EP through and through. While unmistakably influenced by classic 1990ies era techno, the detroit schooled tunes resemble the duos flexibility - be ready for interesting yet effective dj cuts to add to your record collection. A1 'Flight 781 - straight rhythm action with dark chords and a mesmerising bassy melody. B1 'Shakem' - rumbling electro drums and broken beats complemented by a grimy vocal.
Im September 2017 haben der DIY-Tausendsassa Angela Aux alias Florian Kreier und der Downbeat-Slacker Leroy Miller eine Kassette mit dem Titel "Grain In Vain" veröffentlicht. Nun, nur wenige Monate später, schiebt das Label Schamoni Musik die gleichnamige LP der Supergroup der Münchner Subkultur hinterher. Leroy kennt man zum Beispiel aus den Bands Das Hobos und Chat Group sowie solo als DJ und Produzent. Angela Aux ist Teil von Aloa Input, veröffentlicht als Heiner Hendrix Kurzgeschichten sowie Gedichte und organisiert das multimediale Kulturfestival Panama Plus. "Grain In Vain" zelebriert mit knisternden Gitarrenakkorden und analogen Beats anrüchige Lo-fi-Hymnen auf das Leben zwischen Grundeinkommen und Überschwang. Das Ganze siedelt mit Mut zur Lücke irgendwo zwischen Blues, Americana, Folk und Indiepop einerseits sowie Freak Brothers und Donald Duck andererseits. Dem Vernehmen nach verbrachten die beiden Künstler nur zwei Stunden im Studio, um so den berühmten Moment auch wirklich einzufangen. Das Experiment scheint geglückt.
* A brand new release by Preslav featuring the incredible voice of Pittsburgh talent Natalie Rogers. The release also features electric piano by the virtuoso Kenny Peagler. The multiple versions of the song, including a fresh remix by Detroit's Ladymonix, will supply even the most demanding DJs with something to play. A beautiful song, fresh beats, gorgeous Rhodes, and deep bass--what more could one need in a perfect Fall record.
Into the mystic. Crank up the amp and drop the needle on the record. Exclusively on vinyl only, it's the cross-genre collaboration everybody's talking about - between the don of drum'n'bass and one of the godfather's of grime. Goldie and Skepta share a birthday, an elemental connection and an impeccable taste in beats. Upstart is the blistering outcome of their studio sessions together - a fierce, futuristic alchemy of tense horrorshow melodics, street-level rhymes and bangin' breaks. Minted somewhere between Blade Runner and A Clockwork Orange, it's for the kind of kids who want to ram-raid tomorrow, become a ghost in the machine, a contagion that cannot be stopped.
Noplace is an improvised collaboration between Aidan Baker (Nadja / Caudal / B/B/S/), Simon Goff (Molecular, Bee & Flower) and Thor Harris (Swans, Shearwater, Thor & Friends).
Having known each other for a number of years and previously contributed to one another's recordings this trio finally came together as a whole on May 7th 2017 at Redrum Studios in Berlin. In a short, improvised session of just a few hours they set about laying down as much material as possible which was then subsequently edited and re-worked (without overdubs) to form this album.
The same evening the trio played together as part of a 9-piece Thor & Friends ensemble which also included Christopher Hefner (on musical saw) whose artwork graces the cover of the record and gave it its name.
Noplace is a hypnotic and deep listen. Kinetic rhythms pulsate throughout whilst the guitar and violin jostle and weave around the metronomic beats, creating a cathartic and all-encompassing experience. The very nature of the instrumental repetitions give it an immediate avant/krautrock feel but the whole record is coated in a wonderful psychedelic atmosphere that's both melodic, textured and innovative.
Without doubt a perfect marriage and the sum of its parts. You would be forgiven for thinking Noplace took years to craft but that's testament to three excellent musicians who have produced a real treat of a record. Broken down into seven pieces but very much best enjoyed as a thrilling whole, Noplace is a powerful and highly addictive album.
The latest release from Bjarki Runar's bbbbbb label sees Bjarki delving back into his vast archives and shines a light on a bizarre detour during the early days of the label that involved
a peculiar commission from the Icelandic state. Bjarki introduces the story; 'It was back in 2015 and we were only just putting together the original plans towards making bbbbbb a label. While this was happening, I got a call from a friend who was
working for a local tech start-up and marketing company. They'd been contacted by the Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture who came to them with a weird proposition.
They were looking at the idea of marketing Icelandic lamb as this user-exclusive commodity for high end restaurants, the same way they do with Kobe beef in Japan. His marketing company was going all in with this idea of creating an elite herd of sheep that would get the 5-star treatment - fresh food and beer, shampoo and geothermal baths for their fleece, and entertainment such as TV and music for when they were in the hills. That's where I came in'. The initial meeting between Bjarki and the marketeers however didn't go as smoothly as they hoped; 'When I met my friend and his team, they were going to have music pumped through a series of remote speakers across the hillside' Bjarki explains. 'But when they showed me what they were going to play to them, I almost fell of my chair laughing! It was all this
cheesy, easy listening, orchestral Icelandic bullshit. I said to them 'This is nonsense! Why are you bringing me into this project if that's all you're going to be playing' In the end, I told
them I would completely redo all the sounds and music they were going to be using. I was going to drag the Icelandic sheep into the 21st Century'. Bjarki was as good as his word. Over the summer of 2015, he spent several weeks at farm
locations near Kirkjubæjarklaustur and Reykholtsdalur, walking the hills and playing a variety of sounds and beats to various flocks of sheep to see what the best approach was. It
was tough going at first; 'At the beginning, I was working totally blind', Bjarki explains. 'Imean how can you possibly know what sort of modern music and sounds Icelandic sheep
would go for' But Bjarki persevered and he found certain sounds and tones made the sheep more active and engaged.
From this point, he began to make tracks that would encapsulate what the lambs were drawn to the most. 'A track like Soda 'Sugarlicious' for example, came about when I started
playing Candy Crush on the hillside. As I kept playing, the sheep began to gather around me showing interest in the bright chintzy sounds coming from my laptop and that deep voice that
would keep speaking to you. I simply put together a track that was all shiny colours and heavy on the chimes. The sheep fucking loved it!' A track like 'Drab' meanwhile was suited
for less sunny moments. 'I got caught in a nasty rainstorm, so I started playing these synth lines I had made, along with an improvised kick drum. The mix of the softness of the tones
along with the hit of the bass cased the sheep to follow me all the way back to the farm I was staying at. The farmer wasn't too impressed with that, but the flock was completely
hypnotized'. In the end Bjarki, amassed several tracks ranging from soft ambient to gnarly hardcore bangers to present to the Ministry. But in the end, they decided not to go with the whole
proposal. 'These people were fools', Bjarki says. 'They just couldn't get their heads around doing something completely different, that was a bit of fun yes, but was completely done in a
serious manner. We all spent weeks doing this stuff so yeah, it was a bit gutting'. In the end though, there is a silver lining to this story as these efforts were not wasted for we can now hear the best of Bjarki's efforts from this admittedly weird project on a limited 12'release that marks a storming 2017 for the bbbbbb label.
Moscow based multi-talent Impish presents the Hush LP, his latest album project that will be released through all quality physical electronic music outlets around the world October 20. Working through labels such as ProgRAM, C.I.A. and his own fast rising Occulti Music imprint Impish is quickly establishing a name for himself in the global drum & bass scene. In a world that consumes more and more music in a superficial way Impish manages to take a halt on the Hush LP with timeless songwriting, arrangement and production inspired by live music and drum work. From effortlessly rolling tracks such as Can't Feel and Shadows towards more introspective vibes on Changing Colours and the LP's title track a common thread runs clearly throughout the album: the aim for perfection, true craftsmanship and a drive to combine to high-quality beats and breaks with musical elements. To aid the budding artist in spreading his ethos UK based female vocalist Kate Wild and Irish drum & bass producer Zero T feature on the album for vocal appearances and remix work.
The third instalment of the Bodybuilder Quartet has arrived, and once again label boss Nachtbraker adds an exciting name to the Quartet Series manifesto. Moscow native Kuzma Palkin previously released a double 10' and a double 12' on quality Russian imprint Gost Zvuk, but is also known for his productions under his Audiocad (Between Us) and Kausto (Shanti Records) noms de guerre. Make sure to check those out if you haven't already. Here, Kuzma serves up an EP as deep as they come, with greasy, industrial and glitchy sounds floating on steady beats. Title tune 'Macho Culture' is a peaktime roller for darker club spaces with its deep melodic stabs, slapping snares and a haunting synth. Also on the A is 'Muscle Mass Increase', which is cut from the same haunting cloth but comes with an edgy saw synth that will have the punters reach for the lazers. Flip over for 'Proper Sauna Chill', which comes with a thumping kick, beautifully crafted sound design details and an undeniable groove. Closing Kuzma's Quartet Series debut EP is 'Krepkiye Bitsepsky', another showcase of amazing sound design and warped stabs floating over a steady break beat and groovy bass line to round things off nicely.
Bugsy hails from Milan where he is resident and co-host of the brilliant Take It Easy club night which brings many of the finest house DJ's to the city and remains packed week in and week out. With his featured producers Astroloop at his side Bugsy has come up with a quality debut loaded with fat, low-slung deep beats and Detroit-inspired grooves for Freerange entitled the Svegsy EP. The lead track sets the mood with mid-tempo loping beats that have 'Freerange' written all over them. We can't get enough of the simple yet satisfying warm-up vibe which oozes from this track. Understated, warm and relaxed yet with a bump and grunt which calls you to the dancefloor.
A2 is a track entitled New Vision where we find a straighter groove underpinned by a restless, pulsing, analogue bass and shifting block chords. With it's heads down attitude and simple, rolling arrangement this is Jimpster's personal favourite for banging on a big system. Flip over for the aptly titled Ghost Song. Here we get off-kilter vocals and fleeting glimpses of a melody which then disappear into the ether. All in all a slightly surreal yet groove-heavy track which has a charm of it's own.
Rounding off the EP we have Chicago house legend Boo Williams on the remix of Ghost Song, where he takes a minimal approach with a hint of acid but keeping his soulful touch. Enjoy!
Purveyors of enigmatic dreamscapes and organic, danceable electronica, Leeds-based, electronic-soul quartet Noya Rao are set to release their debut album, Icaros, this November. Founded by producer Tom Henry (Cosima, Yellow Days) Noya Rao was originally conceived as a solo production project with a separate live band representation. Alongside bassist Jim Wiltshire and drummer Matt Davies, whom Tom had met playing in other bands within the Leeds music scene, the project grew to become a collaborative effort mixing Tom's production ideas with the attributes of Jim's unique bass synth lines and Matt's polyrhythmic beats. Their compositions drew on the influences of jazz, hip-hop and electronic music whilst incorporating the sounds of the bass-heavy-dub music synonymous with the Leeds music scene. Their sound really came into focus when they met vocalist Olivia Bhattacharjee who brought her gospel style and complex choral harmony to the band. Developing from raw, psychedelic improvisations, their sound became more defined and minimal, underpinned by live instrumentation and more structured song writing. This co-existing electronic and organic thread gives the band a strong identity and their powerful live show sets them apart from other producer-led bands. Matthew Halsall from Gondwana Records saw the band perform at an intimate show in Manchester in 2016 and blown away, signed the band on the spot.
Icaros takes the listener on a journey through the band's unique sound-world amplified by Tom Henry's bold and inventive production techniques. Sometimes fragile, sometimes raw and visceral the album opens with the ethereal Azimuth. It's contrasting sections and mysterious chords offer echoes of the band's instrumental beginnings whilst the repeated vocal harmony layers at the end demonstrate a signature feature of the new Noya Rao sound. Moments is the first tune they wrote together and reflects upon taking joy in the everyday: the opening womb-like chords are another distinct sound of the band. The gritty Golden Claw describes the effects of a manipulative heartbreaker, it's darker, more driving and has a ruder '80s flavour. Midas demonstrates the band's use of linear structural forms and complex rhythms influenced from around the globe. It tells the story of someone who, led by greed, made some regrettable decisions. The atmospheric Dreaming Part 1 and Part 2 are sumptuous dreamy soundscapes. They were born from the same epic improv-based writing sessions as Fly, which has a trippy disco vibe, offset with wonky chords and crunching vocal harmony. The hook-led I Feel points to future ventures for the band: mixing their electronic textures with a more formal song-writing approach. A sublime slice of dreamy space-jazz, Same Sun Will Rise, finds Olivia contemplating mankind's utter selfishness and a desire for change, "Over borders we've assigned, same sun will rise'. Minimal and spacious, This Time demonstrates the merging of ethereal edginess and delicate songwriting. It is this combined with their electronic and live approach and more than a hint of Leeds attitude that gives Noya Rao their unique sound.
'Less thought, more direction and purpose, less catering, more expression...'
This was Savile's mantra as he sculpted his 'Compersion' EP for Mike Simonetti's 2MR and it's a mantra we should all subscribe to. It's come about through his introspective analysis during the creation of his most succinct and starkest exploration date.
''Compersion' is a record about wrestling my own beliefs, both personal and political. It's about experiencing the anxiety and absurdity of loving a partner and ultimately myself. The sounds, tempos and arrangements found here are the result of further experiments with editing tracks to their absolute minimum. I tried to work these songs like I am working on me. Less thought, more direction and purpose, less catering, more expression.'
And more detail; throughout every stripped back heavily-edited sensation the conceptual EP provides, the meaning and message is palpable. Each track title inspired by Jenny Holzer and Helmut Lang's revolutionary provocative, sexualisation of the art space in Florence Biennale, 1996, there's a tangible physicality felt throughout...
The heavy breathing rhythmic elements of the electroid 'Talk Smile Bite' and its bedrock bedspring funk; the playful switch between breezy broken beats and driving techno coupled with minimal sample craft and literal message of an instantly recognisable vocal on 'Watch Scan Wait'; the much heavier, intense techno pressure of 'Tease Breathe Smell' where the heart is on the sleeve and it's palpitating wildly with direction, purpose and true expression.
A smart concept from a Smart resident, Savile has achieved something special here; a provocative model a deep self-construction and, above all, three damn fine pieces of techno.
Reissue for Tomorrow's Modern Boxes the eight track second solo album by Thom Yorke
Tomorrow's Modern Boxes is the eight track second solo album by Thom Yorke. The album is a sketchy laptop creation. It plays like a journey on a night bus with an edgy atmosphere of unpredictability, mixing melancholy, urban soul with some lurching monotony. Yorke's alienated falsetto mumbles and whimpers over furtive dubsteppy beats that could be coming from the headphones of the passenger beside him.Tomorrow's Modern Boxes deepens on repeated listening, with Yorke locating moments of beauty and calm in the eye of his anxiety.
Printed with a metallic silver laminate and multi-tone black, the LP format of the album is pressed onto heavyweight 180g white vinyl completed with undersize 75mm centre labels, housed within heavy white board inner and outer sleeves. (Side B contains a locked groove.)
- A1: We Can Make It Happen (Vocal)
- A2: We Can Make It Happen (Chaka Beats)
- B1: Jungle Stomp
- B2: Bush Beat (Mixers Delight)
Idle Hands continues its quest to support new talent coming out of Bristol with a fresh 12" from local beatsmith Crump. Up to this point, he's been quietly slipping out razor sharp reduced house cuts on various artist releases for Extended Play and Banoffee Pies, but it's high time he had a 12" of his to truly showcase his sound.
The two tracks on this single tap into a consistent thread on Idle, fusing the minimal sensibilities of contemporary European house music with a swung, dub-weighted presence fit for soundsystem consumption in the fair city we call home. Much like previous releases from Leif, Christian Jay and Matt Karmil, this is a demonstration of stripped down music loaded with swagger.
"Ice & Spheres" pivots around an ear-snagging 2-step shuffle that cuts through any mix, but there's scores of subtlety woven in between the drums to reward the attentive listener. Snatches of vocal, distant field recordings, low-blowing synth licks and other unidentifiable sonic matter lurk quietly in the mix to cast a spell on the sleep-deprived twitcher and warm-up head-nodder alike.
Sporting a brighter disposition thanks to the sheen of its chords, "Mechanisms" provides a different vibe on the flip. The beat throws down with a rugged nod to West London broken styles while still tapping into that aforementioned continental 4/4 sensibility, injecting a refreshing variation into the densely populated minimal house landscape while maintaining the meditative qualities that keep the genre close to our hearts.
Astray is the Sublabel of Away, Berlin. Tracklist A Wild Hunt AA Sahara Pump Theory B Wild Hunt (Mark Broom Remix) BB Hell For Leather INFO H4L After Discrete Circuit kicked off ASTRAY, another offshoot of the Berlin party series AWAY, the other half of their joint venture AWAY Soundsystem is in charge for ASTRAY's third installment. H4L, the Berlin-based live studio project, explores some tougher, jam-driven experiments resonating from two decades of warehouse reverberation experience. INFO Wild Hunt EP The title track starts off the release with a dusty, stripped-down pursuit. Marching forward with impelling kick drums, H4L creates an overall organic groove incorporating percussive, distorted sound particles, glancing up in and out of the mix like misty voices. 'Sahara Pump Theory' follows a more robust approach driven by vivid stab sequences and gnarly acidic bass elaborating a vibrant exchange of flow and energy. One of these unfolding weapons that know how to tickle that genuine peak-time madness. Speaking of weapons, UK producer Mark Broom is no stranger to that discipline after hitting dance floors with his ensouled workouts for more than two decades now. Following his old-school compass by calibrating the essentials of groove and melody, Broom's remix of 'Wild Hunt' throws the originals' core parts overboard to empower his highly effective hi-hats as the driving force rocketing into a distant atmosphere. 'Hell For Leather' tops off H4L's package with an unexpected hit-and-run sonic attack. Whether the competing broken and off beats, the IDM rooted drum patterns or the leftfield yet industrial jazz design - this reckless trip is by no means an easy finish, more like a feral crash course about an (almost) forgotten principle: electronic music is either an adventure or nothing at all.
Unsurprisingly, Richard Galling, does indeed hail from Milwaukee, having released disco inspired jams since about 2012. With his stuff getting plays on the likes of Beats In Space, he got his name out early. His latest offering is this single that features two original tracks and some remixes too. '303 features the eponymous bass machine all over this deep, arpeggio-heavy tech-disco jam, 'Organ' swaps the 303 for a classic Robin S-style house organ, and 'Prophet' adds some big room bass. Also included is a Prophet version of 'Clear Water", a real late 80s, Shep Pettibone-style, Latin house joint. Luke Solomon's Body Edit, is absolut Dancefloor HEAT !!!!
* Back with the heat, Chicago native DJ Jana Rush kicks off Objects Limited's 2017 with her debut album 'Pariah'. Jana Rush received attention for her mind-bending drum acrobatics on last year's 'MPC 7635' EP also released by Objects Ltd. Jana started djing aged just 13, releasing her first record on Dance Mania back in 1996 but having a hiatus from music between 2000 to 2013. With 'Pariah' she has created an album rooted in Chicago's footwork sound, but with a myriad of influences, such as jungle, acid, soul, jazz and house, developing her sound on from 'MPC 7635'. By popular demand from a kickstarter, now on vinyl!
* We kick off with 'Midline Shift' whose breathy, clipped erotic vocals intertwine with a pulsing bass and dry 808 rims creating a shimmering robotic effect. Moving on, the frantic 'Beat Maze' confuses the mind with white noise rushes and interlocking snares. Changing the scene, 'Divine' is sweetly soporific and charming, a beautiful, almost eerie track. The pace picks right back up with ' ', whose warbling jazz clarinets cut into a juke bounce. The stripped back beats of 'Break It' give one room to breathe before the croaking bass and distorted acid of 'No Fuks Given'. 'Old Skool' is exactly what you'd expect, its sample syncopated around a feverish rhythm throughout. Both 'Rapid Fire' and 'Acid Tech 2' are bangers, hitting you deep in that sweet spot. Jana brings it back down with 'CPU''s computer noises and sub bass hits. 'Chill Mode' gives time for reflection after all that fire, but its no ambient track, theres still that Chi-Town vibe. We finish with 'Frenetic Snare' whose Amen breaks will have Brits thinking of jungle, but it's a different beast altogether.
Its Riot Gear number 2 and it's a party monster from the ever reliable Pete Herbert The EP is packed with Italo madness, house pianos, arpeggios and beats galore. Bottin & Yam Who provide the remixes. Venice based Bottin adds a classic Metro Area-esque feel, with new wave boogie touches, proto house beats and killer analogue synthesizers. Yam Who tears apart 'Expresso' with rough disco beats, a stripped down pulsating bass and brings in dreamy Rinder & Lewis keys over an authentic '70s disco production, fully optimised for all the late night dance floors.
Dark Entries returns to the New Jersey basement studio of Smersh to unearth an 18-minute jam session from 1989, backed with two contemporary remixes. Smersh was the duo of Mike Mangino and Chris Shepard from Piscataway, NJ who began making music together in 1978. They were uninterested in traditional notions of songwriting or live performance. Between 1981 and 1993 they released over 40 cassette albums on their own Atlas King imprint. As these tapes traded their way across continents, Smersh developed a devoted following in places far beyond New Jersey, leading to releases on dozens of other labels from around the globe.
Sideways' was taken from a cassette titled '100', which refers to a 100-minute jam session the band recorded to tape on June 12, 1989 in Piscataway. The track was composed and performed by Mike, utilizing a Roland TB-303, TR-606, SH-09 and an ARP 2600. A frenetic hybrid of techno and acid with driving EBM style beats, Sideways' weaves intricate industrial noises with synth melodies that drift in and out of phase. On the flip are two fresh remixes by different aliases of prolific Ann Arbor producer Tadd Mullinix. As JTC, he expands the sound palette, adding organ stabs and lush pads, drawing on Detroit deep house and UK garage.The Charles Manier remix features chanted vocals on top of an array of pulsating synths, stark percussion, and post-punky guitar effects. Each song has been carefully remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record is sleeved in a replica of the '100' artwork, which designer Eloise Leigh modified using motifs and textures sourced from the original cassette. Also included is an oversized postcard with notes.
After a triumphant return to Batu's Timedance label with 'Intrigued By The Drum' Ploy keeps the pressure high on his new EP for Hemlock.
Unruly exposes further light on the workings of his now signature style. Waves of metallic percussion tessellate around a thumping central bassline. Pneumatic flashes of noise seal a dense atmosphere full of equal parts euphoria and dread.
Garys is Ploy's most stripped back and potent club tool yet, striding into 'proper techno' territory, equipped and optimised for the highest yield.
Lost Hours drops the beats and pumps out a thick fog of hazy chords and bellowing subs. Perfect for after hours listening.
Time for some gentlemen cuts - again! Quintessentials spotted some hot european talents and welcomes Kian-T, Replica, Giovanni Damico and Kolja Gerstenberg to the family. Expect some freakyness, some funkyness, some deep basslines and some dope beats. And a lot of coolness. 4 cuts not to be missed! Thank you.
Ike Yard recombine their music looking across decades of post punk, electronic, soundtracks and come out with some of their best yet and enough to last the next 20-30 years (in Ike Yard´s very own words). Originally founded in 1979 New York City, members Michael Diekmann (keyboard, guitar, vocals), Kenneth Compton (programming drums, synths arrangements, bass, guitar, vocals) and Stuart Argabright (programming drums, synths arrangements, distortion bass, keyboards, metal perc) reformed the band once in 2007 and again in 2010. Each time different and with new ambitions. This time 'Sacred Machine' EP is defined by detailed drum layers supported by multiple basses and keyboards, some off-timing beat patterns that turn in a second of synchrony into a straight four on the floor kick and first time vocal collaborations.
Composition wise 'Sacred Machine' EP is recorded as a 'rehearsal'. As for Ike Yard songs would not be done so very many times in their existence, all threw in on each piece as they came into being. It sounds like a group that could have been doing records in Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick´s 'A Clockwork Orange'. 'Night Klub' revisits Ike Yard´s original 'Night After Night' from 1981 EP. 'Sacred Machine' might be familiar to those who caught Ike Yard dates in Europe between 2007-2014 as one of the extended jams prepared for the dark ambient shows. 'Tear Drop' night airport music with sweet vocals by Camella Lobo of Tropic Of Cancer is followed by 'Spit' that explores Ike Yard NCR style with jittery beats, clomping, stomping cross cut beats. 'Slaves Of Janet' featuring Erica Belle brings to mind scenes in an S&M parlour with unused lyrics from the Factory America LP recordings.
































































































































































