Joves, the alias of Joseph Tagliabue, arrives on space•lab with Escape — a beautifully constructed four-track journey through deep techno, minimalism and acid.
Escape (Into The Forest Mix) sets the tone with brooding atmospheres, hypnotic rhythms and intricate textures, unfolding into a deeply immersive opener. Morphosis strips things back into leaner territory — a rolling minimal groove built around subtle movement, tension and alien electronics.
On the flip, Escape (Acid Space Mix) pushes forward with driving energy, fusing resonant acid lines with propulsive drums and clinical sound design for a powerful late-night workout. Closing track Aurora Lunare brings the EP to an emotional finish, combining melodic flourishes and euphoric harmonics.
A (new) vinyl version for one of our favourite Mika Vainio (Pan Sonic) albums; originally recorded between 1999–2004 and issued on CD only under his revered Ø alias for Finland’s Sähkö Recordings in 2005.
»Kantamoinen« is perhaps the most intimately beautiful yet little-known LP in the Ø canon, bridging the gap between his classic ’90s minimal techno productions and the project’s subsequent turn to more ambient, kosmic, and dubwise dimensions in the coolly brilliant »Oleva« and »Konstellaatio« albums.
Dedicated to Mika’s grandma, Laina Vainio (1913–1991), and adorned with a cover image of her garden in Artjärvi, Finland, the 16-part 2LP is the closest you’ll get to a type of nostalgia in Mika’s catalogue.
Whilst recorded 1999–2004 at an early crest of his game-changing work with Pan Sonic, the album clearly manifests a quieter space for Mika to emote far more nuanced feels, from the wide-eyed vastness of »Galaxy« to a breathtaking »Sound Picture«, transitioning from Hans-Ulrich Obrist’s snippet of Oskar Sala into icy bliss, and the rosy warmth of »Summerland« clearly dedicated to his nan’s garden. The rest is better defined as ephemeral snapshots adding up to a broader picture, like a mind’s eye filling gaps in the memory from illusive vapours and sensations, generating all-time gems in the steepled choral synth voice of »In Wind«, or a sense of magic realism in the swaying organ of »Antenna-ant«, with the blooz folk wheeze of closer »To Home« that could feasibly score the most haunting moments of a Béla Tarr flick.
MASK Records founder ZentaSkai joins forces with Berlin-based creative Laura Merino Allue under the name Cuddling Monsters, a project centered on analog processes and tactile sound design. Debuting in March 2024, the project explores Detroit-infused House, dub Techno, and minimal soundscapes shaped by raw texture and spatial depth. Working exclusively with analogue instruments, the duo prioritise warmth, imperfection, and presence over polish. Alongside her music work, Laura Merino Allue is also a graphic designer, bringing a strong visual identity to the project’s wider aesthetic.
‘Cuddling Monsters' is inspired by real-life experiences — the raw, imperfect, beautiful moments we move through. We believe in staying present, feeling everything deeply, and embracing the analog flow of the now. It’s about living the moment fully — and like a cuddle on the dancefloor, creating a space where sound holds you, warmth surrounds you, and even the wildest monsters feel safe enough to soften.’ -
Cuddling Monsters
The Cuddling Monsters ‘Vol. 3’ EP opens with ‘Bubble Bloom’, a melodic house track featuring warped, filtered synth tones that set a hazy foundation before a dub-leaning beat settles in. It’s layered with aquatic, bubbly textures and fragmented samples, adding warmth and movement. ‘Warm Waves’ shifts into a lighter, more atmospheric space, increasing the tempo slightly while maintaining a restrained, ethereal character. The B-side closes with ‘Secret Signal’, a long-form techno piece stretching over ten minutes, where evolving synth lines gradually merge with soft, dubby drums and analogue percussion, building steadily without excess before easing out.
2026 Repress
The ocean- the infinity, the beauty, the colour, the sound: a truly seductive place. With the sound of ocean waves Smallville's beloved artist Moomin invites us to enter his second full length album A Minor Thought". A selection of wonderful tracks initiate some exciting house music moments at our favorite clubs, improved at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson and of course the Golden Pudel among many others.. Engaged with a fantastic collection of analogue synths and drum machines, Moomin is always on a hunt of the most delicate samples. After his big first album The Story About You' and a number of beautiful works on his own imprint Closer", he was already back on Smallville's new little baby Fuck Reality' to deliver a 12 for the 2015 summertime. Of course Moomin was also part of the Smallville 10 years Compilation Smallville Ways' and delivered again for Smallville 46. Now he appears with another string of beauty- A Minor Thought. There will be a lovely fullcover artwork package with printed Inlays for the vinyl version by Smallville's one and only Stefan Marx.
2026 Repress
The ocean- the infinity, the beauty, the colour, the sound: a truly seductive place. With the sound of ocean waves Smallville's beloved artist Moomin invites us to enter his second full length album A Minor Thought". A selection of wonderful tracks initiate some exciting house music moments at our favorite clubs, improved at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson and of course the Golden Pudel among many others.. Engaged with a fantastic collection of analogue synths and drum machines, Moomin is always on a hunt of the most delicate samples. After his big first album The Story About You' and a number of beautiful works on his own imprint Closer", he was already back on Smallville's new little baby Fuck Reality' to deliver a 12 for the 2015 summertime. Of course Moomin was also part of the Smallville 10 years Compilation Smallville Ways' and delivered again for Smallville 46. Now he appears with another string of beauty- A Minor Thought. There will be a lovely fullcover artwork package with printed Inlays for the vinyl version by Smallville's one and only Stefan Marx.
Christian Prommer – producer, drummer, DJ and multi?instrumentalist best known for his work with Trüby Trio, Fauna Flash, Drumlesson, Voom:Voom (with Peter Kruder), Prommer & Barck (with Alex Barck), and as the producer of DJ Hell’s Teufelswerk – presents his new album Rhythmic Nocturne, spanning spiritual deep house, jazz, balearic trip?hop and hypnotic rhythm explorations. A must for fans of St. Germain, Floating Points and refined grooves at all speeds.
This album distills ten years of Berlin into a twilight drift between order and abandon. Daytime studio sketches are pulled apart at night, reshaped by shifting perspectives that swing between jazz harmony, textural experimentation, and the heavy gravity of techno basslines and analog drums. Intimately close-mic’d piano, drums, percussion, cello, and strings are constantly recontextualized—dropped into new rooms, resonances, and imagined spaces—so their meaning keeps mutating. Room noise, human breath, and accidental sounds are folded into the pulse, turning spill and imperfection into rhythm. Even a piano lid thudding shut on “Dark Matter” is claimed as part of the beat, underscoring an album that embraces freedom, spontaneity, and the beautiful lack of accountability that defines this city at night.
Melchior Productions Ltd. returns to his own My King Is Light imprint with a brand-new 12″—this time alongside Romanian-Russian pianist-producer Mischa Blanos, one third of the acclaimed Amorf trio, Jupiter Tracks pt. 1 is a beautiful record, deep and emotional, as if beamed in from another world—yes, Jupiter.
Across “Push,” “First Eva,” and “Spirit Of 23,” the pair interlace meticulous programming and crystalline sound design into an ever-shifting strain of minimal house. Dispensing with overt drama, the EP zooms in on nuance: textures flicker between digital shimmer and tactile grit, while Melchior’s trademark restraint leaves ample space for Blanos’s melodic Midas touch to radiate quietly.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the "Surf Rider" EP (originally released in 2015 on Lumière Noire), Dialect Recordings publishes a limited vinyl edition featuring an exclusive edit of "Lies" by Blackjoy. For the occasion, Il Est Vilaine’s long time collaborator Apollo Thomas has designed a brand-new cover and created a mini comics included with the vinyl. A beautiful collector’s item to honor this classic!
oom 318 Productions and Laced Records are stepping into the fog to bring Akira Yamaoka’s score for the 2026 motion picture, Return to Silent Hill, to vinyl.
This 2LP features 29 specially remastered tracks carefully curated by series composer and executive producer, Akira Yamaoka, to capture the key themes of love, loss, guilt and obsession from Return to Silent Hill and the SILENT HILL 2 video game on which the film is based.
Yamaoka’s musical signature has been an integral part of the series since the first note of the original video game. His work for Return to Silent Hill marks his third time writing music for a motion picture set in the SILENT HILL universe, but this time he returns as the sole composer.
The score for the motion picture was guided by three guiding principles he’s developed while working on SILENT HILL scores – to “not decide music through emotions,” an aspiration to “blur the boundary between music and environmental sound, between reality and the inner world,” and finally, to “not reject beauty.”
“The horror of SILENT HILL is not merely unpleasant or violent. There is always something fragile, human, and irretrievably beautiful mixed within it. Refusing to deny that has remained unchanged since the beginning,” Yamaoka explains.
Working closely with director Christophe Gans, Yamaoka built the score piece by piece to extract the underlying sensibility of the world of SILENT HILL 2 and reconstruct it into music that can stand on its own as a film score. Series veterans will recognize iconic cues from the video games that have been reimagined in tracks such as “Chasing Laura” and “Brookhaven Hospital”.
“The goal was never to replay the game’s music as it was,” Yamaoka explains. “Instead, the challenge was to reinterpret it—to alter its meaning, its distance, and its placement—so it could breathe within the film’s sense of time, imagery, and the inner lives of the characters. It was not a quotation, but a reimagining.”
Whether you consider yourself a master of survival horror or this is your first time stepping into the fog of SILENT HILL, the Return to Silent Hill Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is a melting pot of distorted sounds and jagged textures unified by a single sensation: unstable, murky, and yet somehow beautiful.
'Electronic lullabies and folk songs from Ethiopia! A landmark recording from Ethiopia’s vibrant cassette era of the 1980s, Resonance of Time features pioneering composer Wesenyeleh Mebreku reimagining Ethiopian folk melodies through the humble circuitry of an early Casiotone keyboard.
'Historically, the works featured on Resonance of Time (የጊዜ ቃና Yegizie Kana) stand as quiet documents of Ethiopian musical memory. Many of the original songs included in this release emerged during important moments in Ethiopian history when music carried the collective emotion of the nation - love, loss, resistance, dignity, and hope. By arranging these pieces from Ethiopia’s musical heritage instrumentally, Wesenyeleh Mebreku aimed to preserve their essence while protecting them from being confined to a single era or performance style. In doing so, his preservation of Ethiopia’s musical heritage became a contribution to his country’s musical legacy itself, as Resonance of Time serves as an important musical milestone of this composer’s innovative recordings and musical developments in the prolific era of Ethiopia’s 1980s cassette tape culture.
'On Resonance of Time, Wesenyeleh made use of the first Casio electronic keyboard - the Casiotone CT-201 - to arrange and perform Ethiopian folk songs in his own unique style. Implementing the soulful, lo-fi character of the keyboard, Wesenyeleh’s interpretations of these works take on a life of their own. Charming analog tones interpret swirling sounds of organ and piano in kignit modality to the beat of a nostalgic rhythm machine while twinkling synthesizer sounds carry the melodies drifting out of time. The recordings reflect a watershed moment in Ethiopian musical history - when traditional melodies started being interpreted on electronic keyboards, and the advent of cassette tape recording allowed for music to be transmitted more accessibly than centuries-old oral traditions. During this time, Ethiopian musical modes were syncretized with new technology and budding musical experimentation, and Wesenyeleh’s interpretations on Resonance of Time are a landmark recording of this era, following in the tradition of reflecting upon and re-interpreting historical Ethiopian music for a new generation.
'Featured on the release are timeless Amharic folk songs and lullabies, Tigrinya love songs, Gurage and Oromifa popular songs, and even works closely associated with performers from Ethiopia’s 1970s popular music era such as Tiz Alegne Yetintu (ትዝ አለኝ የጥንቱ) which was famously performed by Tilahun Gessesse. Each piece, thoughtfully chosen by Wesenyeleh, is beautifully transformed into instrumental music of his own style - allowing these worlds of song to echo into the future while they are synthesized with the electronic innovations of the 1980s and Wesenyeleh’s own musical history.
'Wesenyeleh says this about his musical approach - ”Instrumental music, for me, is a space of reflection. Without words, the listener is invited to remember, imagine, and feel freely. In Resonance of Time, I hear my own musical philosophy: respect for Ethiopian kignit, careful dialogue with Western harmony, and a deep trust in melody as a storyteller.”
'Each piece performed on Resonance of Time speaks to a time when Ethiopian music was shaped by oral transmission through live performance and communal listening. In today’s fast-moving musical environment, revisiting these works is an act of cultural responsibility. These works remind us that melody once traveled slowly, settling deeply in the listener’s heart. The instrumental format allows these works to cross linguistic and generational boundaries, making them accessible to audiences who may not know the original lyrics but can still feel their spirit.
'Resonance of Time also reflects a broader historical dialogue: the meeting of tradition and adaptation. Ethiopian music has always evolved while holding onto its core identity. These arrangements affirm that evolution does not mean abandonment. Instead, it can be a form of safeguarding - ensuring that the musical wisdom of the past continues to resonate in the present and inspire the future.
'In this sense, the album is both personal and collective. It carries Wesenyeleh Mebreku’s own musical fingerprint, shaped by decades of practice, but it ultimately belongs to a wider cultural continuum. It is the artist’s contribution to keeping time audible so that memory, history, and sound may continue to speak to one another.'
New 4-track Ep From Austin, Texas Analogue Hardware Enthusiast Bill Converse. Immersed In The Early Days Of The 90s Midwest Rave Scene, Bill Began Djing At A Young Age In Lansing, Michigan. Luminaries Such As Claude Young, Traxx, And Derrick May Were Key Early Influences. Techno, Noise, Ambient And Tape Processing Are All Part Of His Uncanny Sound Palette. His Debut Album 'meditations/industry' Was Released On Cassette In 2013 And Edited For A Vinyl Release On Dark Entries In 2016 Followed By Two 12' Singles 'warehouse Invocation' And '7 Of 9' The Same Year. In 2017 Converse Released His Second Album 'the Shape Of Things To Come' Followed By The Double Ep 'salt Of Mars'.
'hulled' Is A 25 Minute Journey Spread Across 4 Tracks Of Glacial Abandon. All Tracks Were Recorded Directly To Tape With No Overdubs, Made At Converse's Home Studio. Bill Says These Tracks Represent 'ocean Waves In Stormy Conditions, Dark Grey Blue Water, Or More Generally Speaking Something Ominous And Beautiful.' The Songs On This Album Reveal A Sublime Influence From Detroit Techno, Idm, And Acid. Built Around Vintage Synthesizer Lines And Gritty Drum Machine Percussion, The Tracks Ebb And Flow Like The Effect Of Sun Shimmering On Water, Woozy, Gauzy And Ephemeral. All Songs Were Mastered For Vinyl By George Horn At Fantasy Studios In Berkeley.
Each Ep Is Housed In A Die-cute Jacket Designed By Eloise Leigh With Peachy Pink Patterns Landing On An Alien Water Planet And Seeing Mysterious Playing Forms Under The Turquoise Water. Each Copy Includes A Postcard Featuring Photo Of Bill With Notes.
Rhythm Of Paradise captures the essence of modern Italian piano house with the "Ti Sento EP".
A coherent and refined project that blends radio appeal and club depth, all with a warm, Mediterranean soul and pure Italian House Vibe.
The EP opens with the title track, an emotional summer anthem built on a sensual Italian female vocal. Beautiful piano hook in the real Italo style & warm M1 organ bassline, are the foundation that makes this track a unique narrative experience keeping balance between radio-friendly immediacy and a solid timeless club presence.
From the emotional Ti sento going to the festive, sunny mood of "Mi Piace" on A2, where the energy is amplified by a more driving rhythm and piano melodies that celebrate pure joy. It's the EP's track designed to create a peak of collective euphoria on the dancefloor.
On B, Micheal’s partner in crimes St. David reimagines “Mi Piace” track on a tribal dub journey with an Ibizan soul, where the original vocal is deconstructed into echoes, the bass becomes hypnotic, and the groovy organic percussions keeps the floor moving and shaking. A version for emotive charm of early Italo house, evoking euphoric dancefloors, Calypso beach parties in the style of Palmares or Irma records.
Closing with B2. Ti Voglio and its seductive groove, and a refined afterhours atmosphere. It demonstrates how Italian emotion in house music can also be communicated through the power of few elements that hits your sensitive side. Sax atmosphere and deep dub groove capture the rhythm of the listener for this beautiful closing track.
A complete collection of Timeless Italo House journey for those that knows !
Written and Produced by Michele Lamacchia. Includes remix from St. David
Mixed & Mastered by St. David
Rooted in the deeper corners of minimal house and micro-driven grooves. UTROWAX001 marks the first wax chapter from Utro Records with Hive Minded EP, a refined and elegant three-track selection by Peter Zherebtsov, Vid, and Herck. Rooted in the deeper corners of minimal house and micro-driven grooves, this release brings together subtle textures, reduced rhythms, and a strong sense of late-night atmosphere. Wrapped in beautiful artwork and backed by a great minimal track selection, UTROWAX001 is a tasteful debut that captures the essence of understated dancefloor functionality and timeless after-hours appeal.
One of the UK’s best loved and most respected dance music producers, Michael Gray, unveils his exciting third artist album, ‘You & Me’, on his own ever vibrant Sultra Records. Featuring a superb array of both fresh and regular vocal and musical collaborators, Michael delivers another superb helping of lovingly crafted discofied, boogie and soulful dance treats, where meaningful songwriting, passionate vocal performances and impeccable musicianship combine to create one of Michael’s best bodies of studio work to date!
“I’m really excited about this album. I enjoyed making ‘Optimism’ 2 years ago, but I feel like my sound and creativity have developed further during the production of my third album ‘You & Me’. I think there will be a few tracks that people are not expecting from me… and that’s the joy of making an album! You can really get creative”. – Michael Gray
Across the album, Michael brings together an impressive array of world class talent. Rising 29 year old vocalist Bran Mazz features prominently, delivering fresh performances on the standout cover of Maxwell’s ‘Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)’, as well as on ‘I Like The Way’, ‘Medicine’ and ‘Breaking Away’. Chi town house legend Mike Dunn joins Michael on the title track ‘You & Me’, built around a clever sample of Freeez’s ‘Flying High’. Vocal powerhouse Tania Foster turns up the heat on the Latin disco flavoured ‘Shake’. New York singer Kelli Sae lends her unmistakable soul to ‘Give It To Me’ and ‘Detonate’, the latter also featuring singer/songwriter Errol Reid (China Black / Axwell). Jamiroquai’s Derrick McKenzie adds his signature live drums to ‘Detonate’ and ‘I Like The Way’. Sian Lee appears on the current single ‘Gravity’, which is sitting at the top of the Traxsource chart. ‘Universe’ sees Michael deliver an instrumental jackin’ house twist, set for a full single release on Toolroom in June. Adding further depth to the album, superstar diva Phebe Edwards brings her impeccable soulful tone to a cover of Cleo Sol’s ‘Life Will Be’, Brit soul favourite Dyanna Fearon shines on ‘I’m Falling For You’, and Audrey Martells lifts ‘Beautiful’ with her stunning, uplifting vocal.
WRWTFWW Records presents the first ever vinyl release for the Startled Insects’ 1984-1985 abstract/synth-pop/post-punk/electronic run compiled into one album : The Antenna Years. The Bristol music must-have comes as a limited edition LP with astonishing artwork, liner notes and a heavyweight sleeve.
The Antenna Years compiles the independent EPs/mini-LPs the Startled Insects released in 1984 (self-titled) and 1985 (Underworld/Black Spring), with two bonus unreleased tracks that were only ever played in their live shows (W.W.W and What A Waste, both amazing).
Astonishingly futuristic when they landed in 1984, the Startled Insects sounded like they came from another planet while staying rooted in Bristol’s underground. Abstract electronic, leftfield synth-pop, dub science, gamelan heat, post-punk edge, cinematic atmosphere : The Antenna Years delivers one beautifully odd voyage into the sonic unknown.
In the 90s, the band released two albums, including the classic Curse Of The Pheromones via Antilles New Directions (Island Records), then evolved into The Insects: film composers for BBC/National Geographic, Emmy winners, and key architects of the 90s Bristol orbit, working with Massive Attack, Goldfrapp, Tricky, and members of Portishead.
Four decades on, The Antenna Years still hits like a transmission from the future. Dive in with no fear.
After the dissolution of his wave-making duo project Ameli Paul, Berlin based musician and producer Paul Valentin aims to venture down new roads and finds help from illustrious folks like Liv Lisa Fries, DJ Koze, Thomass Jackson and Philipp Fein along the way. Valentin’s debut EP on Feines Tier marks his first solo release in 10 years and is a colourful journey through sonic worlds and emotions in the continuous search for his own sound.
Opener ELVAU is a collaboration with actor Liv Lisa Fries built around their intimate voice recordings which are woven delicately into a dreamy web of shimmering synths atop pulsating break beats that would make Bicep proud. For his remix, His Kosiness, the Tripsitter Himself also known as DJ Koze follows the breakbeat path further down, gleefully taking all sorts of wonky and fun diversions on the way, which makes one hope that the ride never ends.
Follow-up tune MALFUNCTION is a more straightforward affair with its rolling synth arps and is - in Valentin’s own words - “about personal failure, dissolution, and the distortion of the self“. Equally dark under- and overtones are throwing shades over WHATTHE!, dealing with anger and transformations, resulting in a banger for the heavier moments on the dancefloor or the mind between your headphones. The EP closes on a more hopeful note with LISTEN, which stands for „everything that could be, if we listened to each other“. And it’s never a bad idea to listen to chirping 303 basslines, especially when paired with melancholic synth pads and weird vocal samples, as is the case here. The rework of Thomass Jackson and FT-head honcho Philipp Fein feels beautifully anachronistic with its reduced tempo and could have been something Andrew Weatherall would have played when he was still playing our earthly dancefloors.
&Me, the chunky critter, did it again! This hypnotic one-off was stoically crafted to be lifted into the next dimension with thousands of people. Where the hospitality of all-encompassing love and euphoria awaits with arms raised and eyes closed.
Mano le tough found the original Muddy Funster so boring that he ran out of cigarettes. Even as a non-smoker! With his congenial version of this evergreens, this deranged pig forces his cranky perception on us and takes us into a mystical world in which no two stones are alike, but whose unique construction represents an earthquake-proof pyramid of love whose dimensions have perfect relationships to the size of the earth and to mathematical laws. Illumination feat Roísín Murphy as Mano Le Toughs needs A Birra Light Remix persistently pulls us music-loving dance muffins under the disco ball with all the TikiTaka tricks in the book, only to let us go and spin gloriously free at the crucial moment. So beautiful, we dance, wow.
First Word Records proudly present ‘One 4 Detroit’; the third single from Above The Clouds (aka kidkanevil & Magic Manfred), complete with a remix by 14KT.
This 7" vinyl release follows on from last Summer's MF DOOM cover 'Arrow Root', which received strong support from the likes of Japan's DJ Koco and Philadelphia's DJ Jazzy Jeff, and their recent cover of ‘Change’ which was originally by Shadez of Brooklyn, most notably appearing on DJ Premier's 1997 mix album 'New York Reality Check 101.
One of the original First Word roster, UK Producer/DJ and all-round laptop music geek kidkanevil has developed a distinctive and progressive sound over the years, gleefully exploring the beats and bleeps of the electronic music universe to international recognition. Leeds born, sound system bred and raised on a (un)healthy diet of video games and anime, his solo work inhabits the curious space between bass frequencies and otaku culture. But as a devoted teenage backpack rap nerd, somewhere in the back of kid's mind was a lingering desire to reconnect with his first love, hip hop.
Not long after moving to Berlin he joined a studio space in graffiti plastered Kreuzberg, where he met multi instrumentalist wizard Magic Manfred; a disciple of all things boogie, disco, funk and soul. Born and raised in Berlin, and currently a touring musician for many an act, Manfred's musical map joins the dots from piano lessons at four, to starting a band with his teenage friends, leading him to his true calling - the bass - via the club vibrations of his hometown, which introduced him to the world of DJing and production, and a stint studying in the explosive London jazz scene to finalise his Jedi training.
Bonding over their mutual love of '90s hip hop, a friendship and musical kinship developed, coupled with a desire to honour past eras but push things forward, Above The Clouds was born; named after their joint favourite Primo beat, with a touch of irony regarding their basement based studio of a windowless variety.
kidkanevil explains that “after we made a bunch of piano joints it felt like time for a switch up, I had these raw drums looped and Manfred started playing this simple synth line on the Prophet - it kind of happened in an instant. This one was really a case of capture a moment and let it be. It had this cold, industrial bounce to it that really felt ‘Detroit’ somehow, so it became something of a tribute to that sound. Obviously there’s a rich musical history there that’s beyond anything we could encapsulate, but I hope the respect comes across. From Berlin to the D with love!
We felt pretty strongly that if we’re gonna nod to Detroit, we needed a remix from someone who reps there directly. I’ve been a fan of 14KT since the early 2000s beat scene, and as he’d previously released music on First Word, it made perfect sense to approach him. We asked and did he oblige!! I’m very comfortable saying we got schooled! He really blessed us with an amazing remix that brought a life and soul to what was originally a pretty stark beat, we’re super honoured to have this as our first ever remix.
‘U3P1’ (named after a synth preset so we didn’t forget!) is on the flip - this also came about pretty fast. I was thinking Ummah-era Tribe with the drums, and Manfred once again put down this super nice riff and it grew from there. It kinda felt like it needed some trumpet and it's always nice to highlight some of the amazing musicianship lurking beyond the club systems here in Berlin, so we called up Berlin based trumpeter and composer Paolo de Jesus, who blessed us with a beautiful performance and arrangement. And that was that; we hope you enjoy!”
‘One 4 Detroit / U3P1’ is released on limited 7" vinyl & digital platforms, June 12th 2026.
Returning from an 18-month hiatus, Companion resurfaces with its long-awaited ninth offering – a six-track EP that beautifully distills the label’s devotion to patient tempos and deep immersive moods. The Garden is the result of a remote, cross-border dialogue between London and Belfast: a project born from a seasonal fatigue with the dancefloor and a collective turn towards our most inner states of being. The debut collaboration between Serenity Complex (Wigs) and Aika Mal, the EP is a meticulously detailed exercise in restraint, trading industrial harshness for a lush, subterranean hush.
The production breathes with a tactile, low-slung urgency: gritty, compressed drums and haphazardly recorded beatboxed percussion captured on a patio beneath the Devon sun provide a raw counterpoint to the EP’s cinematic sweep. Steered by narcotic basslines imbued with the brooding, early DNA of Massive Attack, these undulating pulses coil around the listener with a subtle, magnetic pull. They create a state of suspended momentum where tension never fully resolves and instead becomes the point of return. Aika Mal’s voice acts as a spectral anchor – mellifluous and transfixing as it moves in and out of each carefully curated element.
Drawing from the gossamer, reverb-drenched landscapes of Love Spiral Downwards and the gothic opulence of The Golden Palominos, the tracks lean into a slow, deliberate pace. Dub-influenced low end and trip-hop structures form the backbone, while fractured, gritty breakbeats bring a sharper edge. The release traces low-lit excursions into limerence, thriving in the heavy humidity of the afternoon just as easily as in the blue light of the pre-dawn or the apricity of first light.
The Garden celebrates togetherness by blurring two distinct artistic outlines into a single, prismatic whole. It is an invitation to submerge – a descent into the overgrowth.
Savor Music celebrates a landmark 15 years in the scene with a three-part compilation series. This first installment sets the tone, bringing together a powerhouse selection of artists that define the label’s sophisticated, groove-oriented sound.
Side A opens with a major debut on A1, as Christopher Ledger unveils his new alter ego, The Nolan Protocol. This track serves as a masterclass in production, delivering a fluid, terrace-ready flow that is perfectly tailored for those golden sun-drenched moments on the dancefloor. Following this, A2 showcases the refined artistry of Colombian producer Donnie Cosmo, who brings his signature classy, swinging vibes to the record. His contribution is characterized by a lush, infectious energy that keeps the groove effortlessly sophisticated.
Side B shifts into deeper territory, starting on B1 with minimal royalty Priku. True to his reputation as a hypnotic master, he delivers a driving number that showcases the technical precision and steady momentum for which he is renowned. Finally, B2 rounds out the EP with a hauntingly beautiful piece from Emu. Combining the creative perspectives of his Venezuelan roots and Belgian base, Emu weaves together melancholic electro vibes to close out this first chapter with profound atmosphere and emotional depth.
“Beautiful. Feels like every corner has been lovingly created. Highly recommended" Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2
“Incredible. One of my albums of the year” Dom Servini, Jazz FM
“What a beautiful message” China Moses, Jazz FM
“Completely envelopes you” Soweto Kinch, BBC Radio 3
“An uplifting, articulate soundtrack which instils hope and uncontaminated warmth” Backseat Mafia
“Scrimshire delivers a superior example of the style thanks to his musicality and inventive imagination” Jazzwise
“He has stepped up: a stronger musician, and a braver one, with nothing here that plays as filler” UK Vibe
DJ Support: Cerys Matthews, Gilles Peterson, Gideon Coe, Zakia, Jamie Cullum, Patrick Forge, Maflada, Dom Servini, Tony Minvielle, China Moses, Yolanda Brown
Drawing on influences from Charles Stepney to David Axelrod, into expansive folk-soul and jazz from the 60s, Bring Our Light To Every Corner is a deep and enchanting masterpiece from Scrimshire.
With captivating features by Dwight Trible, Idris Rahman, Faye Houston and Indian classical legend Mahesh Kale, the album holds together a suitably diverse set of ideas in a seamless journey full of heart.
The Austrian imprint Fortunea Records took a little break to fill up their batteries and comes back now this summer with a release by the Bavarian duo Decent Rides. They are around for a couple of years and are also the masterminds behind the label Interloot Records.
On the ‚Like We Do‘ EP they are your guides for a versatile house infiltrated tour. The title-track is an energetic floorfiller with modulated synth sequences and heart stomping drum patterns. Definitely the killer app on this wax.
The second track on the A-side features the tune ‚Mind Maze‘. A funky bouncing bassline, reverberant almost siren sounding tones, staccato vocal samples and high accentuated hats make you blister your feet from your high intensively dance moves.
On track B2, the duo adds further "Colours" to the record. This melancholic deep house tune exudes a beautiful, somber, and yet captivating atmosphere that is impossible to resist. This track could be very effective when played during sunrise or sundown.
And finally, they round off this release with cosmic dub sounds and shimmering chords. "Lembo" invigorates the senses. Every beat on this tech house track is an invitation to let go and feels you the pulse of the underground scene.
Go check this out!
Limited to 200 records. There will be no repress!
Mastering by Patrick Pulsinger.
Luke Una introduces a new series of original, dancefloor-focused productions on his É Soul Cultura imprint, in partnership with Mr Bongo. True to the label’s ethos, the series pushes sonic boundaries into deeper, more expansive territories, delivering forward-thinking music for discerning dancefloors. The first release brings together UK garage royalty Zed Bias and the underground talents of MJK, as we’re served up a double hit of hypnotic, futuristic techno and house.
Zed Bias is an artist that needs little introduction. The main moniker of Manchester’s Dave Jones, over the past 25+ years he’s cemented himself as a crucial figure in UK garage and dance music as a whole. He’s remixed hundreds of artists including Whitney Houston, The Streets and Azymuth, been nominated for a MOBO award and, through his more experimental take on 2 step garage, helped lay the foundations for the development of bass music into dubstep. For this new release he teams up with Ghanaian-British producer and DJ, MJK. Earmarked as ‘One To Watch’ by DJ Mag, and similarly championed by Mixmag, MJK’s sound draws from the worlds of bass, grime, house and beyond.
Opening track ‘Keep On Livin’’ sees Zed Bias and MJK coming together in the studio. Passed to Luke by his manager If Khan, it’s a sonic alchemy rooted in black heart soul music yet seen through a prism of bass futurism. A heads-down cut of driving techno, with nods to Detroit, and firm UK foundations, that is both bass-heavy and otherworldly. It’s a simple yet effective, entrancing combination of percussion, bass, and keys, peppered with old soul samples that lock you into a groove and never let go. A track built for dancefloors big or small.
On the flip, MJK steps up solo with ‘Late to Camberwell’, diving into deeper, late-night territory. Known for his three-deck DJ mixing style, MJK has a real understanding of how to layer elements to keep people moving. A swirling cosmic feel reverberates through ‘Late to Camberwell’. Drum hits, shakers and synth loops are weaved together in style, creating a dose of deep, immersive rolling house. In Luke’s own words, “I found it very exciting to hear a new artist create such a beautiful sound that reminded me of Detroit and Artwork's late ‘90s techno alias Grain. It’s stripped-back raw house music of the highest calibre”.
RAWAX presents Basic Bastard aka Orlando Voorn!
Another great release from the dutch Legend, who teamed up on two tracks with Will B & Barksdale They delieverd here an beautiful hommage to Detroit. Worth to check!
A record that feels introspective and timeless, balancing dancefloor functionality. With Early Reflections Pt. 2, Insect O. continues the journey with the same quiet confidence and emotional depth that made the first chapter so compelling. Once again rooted in Dub Techno and Dub House, this second installment feels like a natural continuation, deeper in mood, even more immersive in detail, and beautifully refined in its execution. The result is a record that feels introspective and timeless, balancing dancefloor functionality with a deeply emotive listening experience. Insect O. proves once again that true depth does not come from excess, but from restraint, sensitivity and a strong understanding of space and motion.
A truly outstanding dub release and another beautiful chapter in the sound of Etui Records.With Early Reflections Pt. 1, Insect O. delivers a remarkably deep and elegant statement that moves effortlessly between Dub Techno, Dub House and Deep House. Released on the ever-reliable Etui Records, this three-track EP is a masterclass in subtle tension, warm textures and hypnotic groove, understated, immersive and incredibly effective.
Fresh his Keysound D&B opus Blue, Sully returns to Astrophonica with four pristine slabs of breakbeat science. "Flock" places the full strength melodic elements over the faraway amen echoes in a way that's not dissimilar to early Good Looking. "Helios" is a much colder flashback to the darker corners of jungle's formative dance; all breathy minor key chords and vapour trails of paranoia countered neatly by a precision dub vocal sample. "Crystal Cuts" recalibrates the focus to the drums by way of broad jazz chord strokes while "Hours/Miles & Still" concludes affairs on an emotional electronica tip where the breakbeats thanks to a beautifully arresting intro. Powerful.
This is a bit of a rare gem from the Ellis Dee. Back in 1995 he made the track 'Synthetic Disco' but for some unknown reason (I'll have to ask him and let you know) it was never released and remained a mystical track lost in time. The flipside 'Atmosphere' was only released as part of the Total Science 2 compilation that came out in 1996. Both tracks compliment each other beautifully and are both very much on a similar tip to his Norty But Nice 12" that we put out a few years ago. Deep but rolling drum and bass for the massive!
A Lisbon classic by now, Paraiso (a label, a radio show, a party and now also a documentary) is back for its 19th release with a pairing who's no stranger to the label or the portuguese techno underground: lucky for us, head honcho Shcuro got back in the studio with techno legend in the making Vil to make Repercussions part 2 - and they invited iconic Spanish producer Annie Hall (Delsin, CPU) as a remixer. The record opens with a tour de force, the relentless yet perfectly in control, mutanting and experimental yet elegant and timeless 'Motorik'. In it, you can hear echoes of Detroit groove sense, but also a generous splash of dub sonics seamlessly merging into pure peak time, closed eyes, layers of ear-candy hypnotizing you type of stuff. Things strip back a little in 'Emergence Dub' - still immersive fast techno ammunition, but there is a playful, experimental and sometimes ravey spirit to it, with a wonky mutating key, vocal pads and cheeky percussion working together to create a stunning modern dance piece. Side B is inaugurated by 'Origins', a deep bow to dub traditions with delay-drenched stabs and a bouncy bassline for days. An energetic yet dreamy piece with spoken word samples that will have your heart melt, it perfectly mirrors the duo's influences in a beautiful closing original. Annie Hall steps in for the remix, taking A2 'Emergence Dub' into Breaks geographies, with a talking bassline fit for an electro banger, and the ever-present pads sending us off in zen mode after a delightful ride.
POEME ELECTRONIQUE was Dave Hewson (synthesisers, production), Sharon Abbott (lyrics, lead and backing vocals), Julie Ruler (backing vocals) and Les Hewson (bass), formed in 1980 by Dave Hewson in South London, UK, in 1980. Dave was studying music and as a rare kind of student species he had a deep fascination for New Wave and electronic music thus also playing and recording electronic music ever since like using the Boss DR-55, Cosmo Sound Super Drum, Elka Rhapsody 610, EMS Synthi AKS, Korg MS-20(X2)/Polysix/Polyphonic Ensemble 1000/VC-10 Vocoder, Linn Electronics LM-1, Octave Kitten, Roland RS-09/VP-330 Vocoder Plus, Simmons SDS-V Kit and Yamaha CS-80 on this retrospective POEME ELECTRONIQUE album with original material from 1981/82 only. Over the period of more than two years, Dave has remastered these tracks using the latest high-end tools making them sound better than ever before. The deluxe 2LP vinyl album comprises 16 tracks of which 14 have never been published before. “The Echoes Fade” and “Voice” are the original versions taken off their original 7” from 1982. The album “The Echoes Fade” cannot be described other than being a masterpiece and one of the best-ever early 80’s electropop records ever, and it surely has to be lined up with Rational Youth or Experimental Products’ cult albums (in terms of being minimal synth/wave scene reference albums), but to be frank, Anna thinks that POEME ELECTRONIQUE were even above their level.
Truly, they had deserved to go on the successful path like Depeche Mode, OMD or Soft Cell, but fate was against them as it seems. The main difference to other electropop groups of the time was definitely that Dave did not only master his synths technically-wise, no, he also knew how to actually play, and when you hear his amazing multi-track ‘manual sequencing’, programming skills, great harmonies and melodies throughout the tracks, along with the two girls’ performances – well they can really sing! – you will agree there is some something remarkably extraordinary in these tracks. You will find minimal electropop super hits like “Rendezvous”, “She’s an Image”, “Fragile”, or “Dilemma”; hauntingly beautiful melancholic tracks like “A Mourner’s Lament”, “This Night” or “It’s in the Atmosphere”; darkest minimal electronics on “Inside his Head”; and even more poppier tracks like “Follow”. This record will hopefully be loved by any electronic music lover and most probably marks the highlight in the growing Anna Logue Records catalogue – therefore Anna did not shy away from any costs and the album is truly an outstanding release in every single aspect including sound and artwork presentation. Apart from the bonus tracks you will find in the 2LP deluxe vinyl edition glossy inner sleeves with lyrics to all songs, as well as individual mini 7” sleeves for each song designed by our dear graphic designer Steve Lippert plus many additional group photos on the gatefold sleeves’ inner. After so many efforts and more than two years passing by, Anna is so over the moon to see this release being ready now and we have done all we could to make this an outstanding release, so now it’s up to you to give the band their final glory, but Anna is in no doubt that – at least after hearing the sound samples – you will.
Release #50 celebrates the digging, care & musical curiosity that’s made the GSC series essential for DJs, collectors & break seekers alike.
For years GSC has built a catalog that earns immediate “cop-on-sight” status. Thoughtful edits. Deep respect for the OG recordings. Breaks that knock w/out feeling heavy-handed. The kind of taste that reminds you these are real heads behind the decks.
Side A pulls from Jerry Butler’s “I’m Your Mechanical Man,” released in ’74 on the Sweet Sixteen LP. The track contains a raw drum break hip-hop producers recognized instantly. Most famously it powers Method Man’s “Bring The Pain,” 1 of the defining solo joints from the Wu-Tang Clan era. The break later resurfaced in Missy Elliott & Method Man’s 2002 version & Snoop Dogg’s “I Miss That Bitch.”
On the flip, GSC draws the source into pure DJ tooling: a sample break edit, a full drum break edit & the “Mechanical Wu” mix — built for selectors who know the power of letting a break breathe.
Then they deliver a beautiful surprise. Instead of leaving empty wax, GSC slides in Les McCann’s “Vallarta,” from the 1977 album Music Lets Me Be. Jazz-funk heads know it instantly — the hypnotic groove behind Biggie’s “Ten Crack Commandments.”
This is why Galaxy Sound Co. matters. They’re not just pressing edits — they’re curating moments. Unearthing grooves DJs need back in rotation. Some originals now cost serious money on Discogs. Others simply faded from memory. GSC dusts them off & hands them back to the community.
madness" she whispered as she tried to navigate through an onslaught of people.
She carried a feeling of numbness within her that helped her manage the constant distortion and the all to obvious hypocrisy surrounding her. Mindless wandering after having just survived another day in the trenches was a welcomed exercise in fact she had already begun to dissociate from the commonly perceived reality; entering the one of her choosing. If one was to observe her, a sway to the hips could be noticed furthermore, as if momentarily height on a good thought the woman now strutted around attracting all sorts of attention, from negative to overtly admiring.
All the cages in her mind were artfully crafted with beautiful bars made of gold and the ceilings had their own stars and suns that shone upon them. None of them were locked
William Onyeabor self-released this record in 1980, before he gave up his life as the greatest Nigerian funk artist to become a devout Christian. This is a limited color edition of William Onyeabor"s ATOMIC BOMB. 10 years later, the music still EXPLODES.
Balancing glitch-pop and contemporary piano, the Belgian pianist explores the edges of her voice, language and twisted electronica
The Belgian pianist and producer maya dhondt releases a new album titled 'wow, x', marking her debut solo album under her own name. Navigating between bedroom glitch-pop and contemporary piano, she presents sounds of alienating beauty.
The album ‘wow, x’ will be released on September 13 on vinyl and all digital platforms via VIERNULVIER Records.
“I find beauty in the uncomfortable and disorienting" - maya dhont
The first single, 'desire,' is a mutated synth-pop track that gets under the skin. The song centralizes longing for something you don't know (yet). Perhaps it's the smell of damp earth, which can be both pleasant and unsettling? The single is now available on all streaming platforms and comes with a schizophrenic video by Sakis Brönnimann.
The first release show is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, at De Koer, Ghent.
More shows will be announced soon.
A postmodern cramp, that's how one could describe the music of pianist and producer maya dhondt. Her music is an intuitive and a never ending exploration that has the potential to be and become a multitude of things at once.
On her first solo album under her own name, 'wow, x,' she presents 10 varied tracks in which she creates equally idiosyncratic sound worlds. She takes the liberty to endlessly experiment with vocals, piano, and a mix of distorted lo-fi electronic sounds with an open mind. The result is sometimes synthetic and weird, sometimes compellingly beautiful, and always captivating, drawing you into its underlying melody. These intelligently crafted productions are connected by a penchant for alienating beauty: like a warm, but damp cave where it’s pleasant to linger just a little longer. Her original sound moves within a sonic spectrum reminiscent of contemporary artists such as Lolina, Astrid Sonne, claire rousay, aya or Carla Dal Forno.
"What I create never stands alone, it can be many things at once"
If the world were a sculpture garden, maya dhondt eagerly picks from it to draw inspiration from both visual and literary passages as well as personal experiences. Her highly personal bedroom productions are grounded firmly in the world due to philosophical references and politically charged messages. And the world she lives in is being questioned on 'wow, x', as the title refers to "What Or Why?". This is evident in the single 'desire': "What is the thing that matters / to exist / or to know you’re existing?" What does one choose in life: to live in the moment or to live to remember that moment?
In the lyrics on 'wow, x', maya dhondt plays - at times childishly - with language and its boundaries. On 'tip toe tip,' banal wordplay leads to an unexpected confession, and the seemingly simple phrases in 'untitled' conceal hidden life lessons. dhondt's world of words is multilayered and multilingual: Dutch ('kleine cijfers, groot verlies'), English ('desire'), and French ('untitled') are at her disposal. And on the fierce track that is 'minimalinvasiv,' not only she turns to hardstyle, but also to German - a language dear to her due to her Swiss heritage.
Smoove puts the spotlight firmly on the larger-than-life vocals of Rufus Thomas, peeling things back to reveal hard-hitting breakbeat drums from the very first bar, anchored by a relentless, pounding bassline. Punchy brass stabs and rolling keys collide with dirty funk guitar riffs, all stretched out into an extended rework built for maximum floor impact.
A.2 Bouncy Lady 5.06
A classic jazz-funk break from 1975 gets a fresh twist as Smoove reworks the structure into a groovy, extended build-up. Vocal chants and handclaps take the lead, while the original sax solo is stripped away and replaced by a raw bass-and-guitar workout. The focus shifts squarely to the rhythm section, letting the drums ride all the way to the finish—ending with the studio engineer’s off-mic murmur on the tape: “beautiful.”
B1. – For The Love Of You 6.57
The Isley Brothers classic gets a loving reworking, with the groove locked in tight and the keyboards pushed front and centre letting the drums and bass drive home the groove. Those iconic falsetto vocals are spine-tingling, from start to finish.
B.2– I’m Trying 4.48
Lush, soulful strings and a deep-groove piano line glide over this drum-driven reinterpretation, opening up the raw, emotive vocal breakdowns of Carla Thomas and Pervis Staples. Originally scored by Isaac Hayes, this rework digs deep into the multitracks, uncovering previously unheard moments and giving them room to breathe.
Available for the first time on any format, the soundtrack of Pier Paolo Pasolini's controversial 1975 vision of the Marquis De Sade's 120 Days Of Sodom, featuring beautiful and discordant classical compositions, in stark contrast to the shocking and cruel events unfolding onscreen.
Three weeks before the scandalous release of "Salò, or The 120 Days Of Sodom", Pasolini was brutally murdered in Ostia, Italy. In the wake of the tragedy, legendary composer Ennio Morricone wrote 'Addio a Pier Paolo Pasolini' (Goodbye to Pier Paolo Pasolini) for the late filmmaker, included in the final edit.
Following the narrative of one of Pasolini's defining cinematic moments, the soundtrack opens with Ennio Morricone's "Son Tanto Triste", descends into the melancholic minor chords of Bach, Chopin, Orff, Puccini, and Graziosi, incorporates sinister renditions by the cast, and includes Morricone's own sombre tribute to the director.
Disgusted by the flood of crass sexploitation movies which filled the space opened up by his "Trilogy Of Life", Pasolini turned to the most nihilistic thinker in European history for what became his final film. His version of De Sade's 120 Days Of Sodom, amplified with motifs from Dante's Inferno, confronts the ultimate implications of fascism in a series of sexual and moral atrocities. "The only true anarchy is power".
The LP / CD will be released on Friday 13th February 2026, exactly 249 years since the Marquis de Sade was arrested and imprisoned in the dungeon of the Vincennes fortress for charges of "debauchery and immoderate libertinage" that scandalised his contemporaries.
DJ Support: Rocky, Yogi Haughton, Nick Welton, Chris Sweet - Northern Soul Rave Patrol, Dean Smith, Dave Hill
'Ghosted Edits Vol 2' the emphasis has been on the less obvious. 'Two Wings' on the initial 'Ghosted Edits' was a superb disco jaunt, whilst 'Follow Him' opted for a swaying jolly down groove with a nice soulful sound. If you dug 'Follow Him' I can guarantee that 'Save The Children' and 'Beautiful People' will be essential purchases for all you disc jockey types, and those of you who jus' like vibes that you can melt into a chair with or sip on yer long drink and spectate from the side of the dancefloor as the DJ builds the room. A stroke of genius from Moton too as they opt to release this latest couple of jams on a seven, and we all know how much the soul boys and gals love a seven.
Over a decade has passed since this was released, and it has truly aged like fine wine. This release features 2 timeless cuts from the mind and soul of intrusion, mixed and recorded near the heart of Detroit. This was beautifully remastered by dub innovator and pioneer, Stefan Betke POLE @ scape mastering in Berlin, DE. The recordings were pulled from the session masters conducted by Bazza @ Alchemy Mastering in London to ensure a perfectly balanced mix and preserving the soul and spirit of the original tape master. The first incarnation of "A Gentle Embrace" came in the form of three extended reshapes from cv313 & variant and now we're proud to offer the original work on beautiful crystal/silver mixed clear 150 gram wax! :)
On side A the most pristine of dub techno is on offer here, this is Detroit techno stripped down to its most minimal core. A gorgeous subtle ambient soundscape exploring the deepest end of dub and house with gentle surges of organic elements, field recordings and modular movements simply out of this world. The "Reduction" mix on side B captures those chilling glacial soundscapes, trademark basslines and mesmerizing gaseous atmospheres subtly layer into the mix. Otherworldly to say the very least, this is music to swim in, breathe in and to pray to - for the spirit and the soul. Essential!
ISKRA is the debut album by Polish multi-instrumentalist and composer Olga Anna Markowska. Starting at “Dawn” and ending at “Dusk”, it is a journey of melancholic depth and true beauty filled with warm memories from what was & what could be.
Using zither, cello, electronics and occasional wordless voice, Olga weaves together something so affecting and under the skin beautiful that it is hard to shake, bringing to mind classics from artists like Jacaszek and William Basinski, or the films of Kieslowski. However, there’s a personal touch in her playing and compositions that stands out. Olga explains: “the cello pieces, in particular, were born from a desire to reconnect with the instrument I’ve known intimately since childhood. However, I had to step away from it for two years to gain perspective and find a fresh approach when I returned.” She continues : “ISKRA is an album about "ignition" — a gradual shift in how I think about music and a search for new values. It also marks the closing of a chapter, blending archival recordings with the dawn of new ideas.”
The album feels deeply personal from the first note, and bridges the difficult point between classical and ambient music in a truly natural way, leaving any typical tropes far off, instead demanding your full attention. Olga uses plenty of loops throughout, which together with the cello and zither builds a transcendent atmosphere. Standouts contain amongst others the stunning “Train Ride Home” - a 7 minute piece with zither as main focal point; “Fever Dream” - a plunge into warm static noise and deep plucks, as well as the beautiful “Helix”, which sounds like a washed out dream with its minimal tape loops and ambient vocal washes. Overall the album connects very well with Olga’s subjects of identity, memory of the places and human relations with nature. There is a deep humanity burrowed within these 40 minutes of music which feels immensely appropriate in these contemporary times.
ISKRA was recorded in different times and places from 2017 to 2022 and lands with perfection on Miasmah - connecting the dots from the early years while reaching into the stars.
