quête:the city

The first official reissue of Dorothy Carter"s folk-music exegesis comes 46 years after its original release, 20 years after Dorothy passed, and 11 years before the centennial of her birth. Yet it seems right on time for a new celebration of her music. Appalachian folk tunes, old and ancient psalms and hymns, Scottish, Irish, French and Israeli melodies, and original tunes flow together effortlessly in hypnotic gardens of eternal world musics. A highly energized, alternately meditative and proselytic recital whose vitality has only burgeoned in the decades since it appeared. As it should be: the music of Dorothy Carter is akin to a portal, linking her and us with the eternal. This edition of Troubadour reproduces the original album package, adding an insert adorned with additional photos of Dorothy and her collection of instruments, as well as notes from Eric Demby exploring the era - his childhood - from a vantage point of some 50 years. This reissue is a long-held family dream come true, and it is dedicated in loving memory to Bob Rutman, Constance Demby, David Demby and Dorothy Carter.

"First Move" is the debut album from Luna Soul, founded by the German-Spanish duo Lisa Michèle Lietz and Jordi Arnau Rubio.

Lisa Michèle Lietz comes from Schwerin, learned the guitar from Ernst Ulrich Deuker, the bassist of German NDW heroes Ideal, and is a studied musicologist. Jordi Arnau Rubio was born in Barcelona. He left Spain as a teenager to work as a professional dancer throughout Europe. As a composer, Rubio draws inspiration from blues, jazz, soul and funk. They both started Luna Soul in 2019 and have since toured extensively through Germany, Spain and France. The ten songs from "First Move" carry the energy of countless live performances and were composed with sensitivity by Lietz and Rubio. Joel Sarakula, Daniel Fell and Paul Milne co-worked as songwriters on some of the songs. Sarakula also took over the production and gave the album its finishing touches.

The opener "Grow" is a heartfelt ode to resilience and self-discovery, before "No Way Home" paves the way to the dance floor with subtly interwoven funk and celebrates freedom and carefree joie de vivre. The first single "1979" gives the album a Mediterranean touch. The Spanish guitar provides an authentic and refreshing sound. With "Lights Out" and "City Lights," "First Move" delves deeper into the 1970s with a mood of nostalgia, optimism and urban promise: "The nighttime city skyline is a great metaphor for navigating through emotions when composing," Lietz and Rubio explain. "In our loneliness, we don't walk alone" it says in "City Lights": "We firmly believe that in moments of pain and coping with loss there are silent, invisible connections that carry us along, especially in challenging life situations, and provide a grounding. They provide support and hope in our increasingly digitalized world."

"Take yourself higher, you know you gotta do it" – that's the powerful message in "Hold On", the appropriate opener on the second side of the vinyl LP. With "Winterdance" and "Obvious" the album effortlessly glides through the sound aesthetics of the late Seventies and early Eighties.

"Just For Us Tonight" and "One More Night" finally sum up Lietz and Rubio's central credo: "It's about surrendering to the fascination of the moment," explain Luna Soul, "finding comfort in the midst of chaos and to celebrate those fleeting sparks of interpersonal connection that drive us and make us alive."

Christian Kleine continues to unearth long-lost transmissions with Electronic Music From The Lost World: Vol.2 - another batch of pristine artifacts from his personal DAT archive. Much like its predecessor, this release serves as both a time capsule and a reminder of Kleine’s effortless blend of melodic warmth, intricate rhythm programming, punk influences, and a deep-rooted love for the fringes of electronica.
Where Vol.1 felt like an invitation back to the late ‘90s, a time when IDM was still an evolving conversation, this second volume extends the dialogue, revealing more of the sonic experiments and fully-formed pieces that never saw the light of day. Tracks recall specific moments from Kleine’s time living in Berlin, an era of minimal comforts but maximal creativity, where all that really mattered was that the PowerPC, sampler, and synths kept running. This period of introspection, coupled with the musical freedom afforded by cheap rent and late-night school classes, shaped the deeply personal and solitary sound of these recordings.
Visually, Vol 2 shares its origins with the first volume, as Midori Hirano’s stark Berlin photography forms the foundation, and Noah M / Keep Adding pushes the imagery into a brighter, more reflective final space. Final touches remain in familiar hands, with LOOP-O on mastering and lacquer duties, bringing new life to Christian’s OG DAT recordings. 
And much like the classic City Centre Offices era that shaped this sound and Kleine’s early career, this release nods to that legacy. A special limited 7” EP with two bonus tracks, designed in tribute to CCO’s iconic DIY aesthetic, will be available on release day direct from the label’s Bandcamp. 

Klasse Wrecks is happy to welcome a young new producer to its ranks, hailing from the magical city of Sheffield in the North of the UK Kwake is fresh on the scene with a debut EP brimming with style and function. The 'Nucleus' EP is a well curated selection of 303 and breakbeat sprinkled dance tracks, powerful enough to move the feet but with enough consideration to inspire the mind.

Collecting Orders For Repress

Debut EP on Grape City Records for French young wizard Alpine DJ, full-heart producer, profoundly musician, formerly known behind the decks for depicting his high intensity creativity through energetic DJ skills, or sharing machines with his companions of Hanna & Robbie, delivering entrancing and shamanic live acts.

Alpine DJ evolves in « Illusions » with playful synths, epic adventurous lines, shooting star lasers, penetrating colors and pearlescent layers, and delivers a glazed 4-track EP rooted in post disco heritage gloomily twisted with new-school trancy house oddities and futuristic techno driven bass lines. Propulsive gear for peak time and ascensions of euphoria, settled in dreamy and spacey energies, proving Alpine’s shrewdness in musical and production search exploration, a juvenile yet extra-sharp lucidity.

RAWAX welcomes back Gregor Tresher!
We re very happy to present you the second release by Gregor under his Sniper Mode moniker on our Motor City Edition.
Homecoming EP is an outstanding Electro record which comes around with vocals by Exzakt aka Larry McCormick on the main track.
Big support by Dave Clarke!

”Operation Timeframe” is a fusion of styles between two artists who have made waves in their careers: Franco Falsini and Saverio Celestri. On one side, we have a pioneer of electronic music; on the other, the product of years of evolution.

Franco has a rich musical history and a diverse array of influences: starting from progressive rock and arriving at electro-pop, he approached electronic music with a substantial musical background. After founding and participating in various bands across the United States and England, he collaborated with the renowned record label Polydoor. In the early 1990s, he combined his skills as a guitarist and producer, beginning to perform worldwide. In track A2, “A Molecular Affair,” you can clearly hear this blend, which transports us back a few decades and lets us savor a gem deeply rooted in a quality-rich past.

Saverio also had an initial approach to electronic music partly rooted in rock, though more toward alternative rock. Moving to Berlin at a young age, he developed his sense of electronic music in a city teeming with inspiration. Here, he combined his background in electronic, pop, and rock to create brilliant tracks that captivate dance floors worldwide with his Electro, EBM, Synth-Pop, and more. With the B1 track “Veleno,” Saverio follows in the footsteps of his friend Franco, closing the album with “Traveling,” a track structured in Synth Pop, enhanced by the crystal-clear voice of Brazilian artist Lourene.

This is a record that focuses on that frame in which the two artists perfectly align their past and future, projecting it directly into the present, as only two geniuses can.

‘Pearz is the evocative project of Italian-born, LA-based multi-instrumentalist Francesco Perini. His debut album, Pacifico is the culmination of a five-year journey through the cities that shaped him: Florence, London, and Los Angeles. Drawing inspiration from a mix of disco, electro, nu-jazz, and Japanese City Pop, Pacifico, reflects his eclectic musical evolution. The title, Pacifico—meaning “peaceful” or “calm” in Italian—embodies the album’s theme of the closing experience of his travels.

The album features collaborations with a diverse range of artists, including Kuntessa (East London’s DIY queen), Vanbasten (The voice of Roma’s suburbs) Natalie Findlay, Jules Apollinaire, Gimmy El Helou, David Bardon, Oscar Robertson, Ruari Meehan, Luca Landi, Fabio Ricciolo, Andrea Palombi and Jamie Allen.

We are very happy to present the 3rd release by Alton Miller on RAWAXA Motor City Edition!
Another deep house future classic which will be out early March.
Highly recommended!

**Gangster Music Vol.3: The Most Gangster Music Trilogy of All Time Comes to a Triumphant Close**

Imagine curating a dream lineup of MCs and producers from every corner of the rap world—sounds impossible, right? Not for artist and illustrator Gangster Doodles, who has been bringing this vision to life for the past decade. Now, with “Gangster Music Vol.3”, the trilogy reaches its grand finale, and it’s bigger, bolder, and more unpredictable than ever before.

Gangster Doodles himself puts it best:
"It’s hard to believe that I’ve been actively working on this Gangster Music series for the past 10 years. The most gangster music trilogy of ALL TIME is almost complete!! And in my humble opinion Vol.3 is the most exciting out of the 3, both from a music standpoint (special shout-out to all my music heroes on Vol.3) and artistically speaking this is the most fun I’ve had in years”

Since launching Volume 1 in 2019 and following up with the second volume in 2022, Gangster Doodles has been shaping the Gangster Music series into a one-of-a-kind sonic universe—an unfiltered mix of underground titans, unsung legends, and rising stars. Volume 3 is the biggest installment yet, boasting a staggering 30 tracks that traverse the entire spectrum of rap and beat culture.

This time around, the lineup is as eclectic as ever. From legendary pioneers like Lee Perry and Tommy Wright III, to veteran producers such as Mr. Scruff and Peanut Butter Wolf, the album pays homage to hip-hop’s roots while pushing forward into fresh territory. The roster also includes established up-and-comers like Devin Morrison, Low Leaf, DJ Harrison, Quelle Chris, Homeboy Sandman, and Suzi Analogue, ensuring a mix of classic flavors and new-school innovation. The bubbling underground is well represented too, with artists like Raz Fresco, Atlanta’s 645AR, and Pro Era’s Chuck Strangers bringing their own distinct heat.

From pioneering SoundCloud rappers like Pouya to genre-bending composer John Carroll Kirby, from Birmingham’s Romderful to Chile’s RVYO, the album encapsulates a truly global soundscape, proving once again that Gangster Doodles’ ear for cutting-edge talent is second to none.

As always, the cover art is a vital piece of the puzzle. This time, Bootleg Garfield & Friends take center stage, bringing the same playful irreverence that has defined Gangster Doodles’ artwork for years. Fans are encouraged to engage, remix, and make the cover their own, staying true to the spirit of interactive creativity that has always fueled the series.

After years of meticulous curation, countless DMs, emails, and behind-the-scenes wrangling, Gangster Music Vol.3 is here to complete the trilogy in legendary fashion. Expect boundary-pushing beats, next-level lyricism, and a lineup that celebrates hip-hop in all its many forms.

“Thanks to everyone who’s actively supported and continues to tap-in. Believe & trust when I say I've got more dope stuff cookin’. STAY TUNED!! GANGSTER DOODLES 4EVER. 1LUV."

Gangster Music Vol.3 is out April 7th on All City. Stay tuned, stay tapped in, and get ready for the most gangster music experience yet.

Red Pig Flower brings you her sensational debut album Practice Love, available on Sound Of Vast from 10th April. Her unique sound sits upon the apex of a three-sided pyramid. With Berlin, Tokyo and Seoul as the base, Red is a third culture kid, greater than the sum of her parts. The centre is filled with her incredible appreciation and knowledge of house and electronic music from every pin drop through history.

So taken with Red Pig Flower’s sound, Honey Dijon invited Red to her Southbank Centre show to play alongside her. Moxie loves her that much, that she invited Red to record a mix and to guest on her NTS show. Alan Fitzpatrick, and Just Her are amongst Red’s growing posse of followers.

Practice Love is a culmination of all of Red Pig Flower’s life experiences, brimming with her positive energy and an outlook on life of pure love. Red has collaborated with like-minded artists at every level: the music, the cover art and video all produced with talented friends, who get Red as the wonderful person she is and understand her vision. Her label partner and good friend, Knock in particular helped make Practice Love the incredible album it is. So intuitive is their musical symbiosis, they made 20 tracks and carefully curated and ordered nine of these, making an album of tracks that stand out on their own, yet flow perfectly as an album. Practice Love will make you feel joyous when you play it. By the end, you will feel like you know Red like a friend.

Practice Love kicks off with I don’t care, it makes you feel good: a dreamy, tribal mantra of a track that does exactly what it says on the tin. Next up is I Love To Dance. Red’s beautiful soft vocal is sweet yet poignant, leaving you in no doubt of her sincerity. Thirdly comes Feel Good Music. Are you getting a feel from the track names yet that this is an album of warmth and positivity? You can imagine this one at a Café Del Mar sunset, where those who get the spirituality of Ibiza come together, in the moment to appreciate the beauty of a sunset and understand that no matter how many you see, each is magical and unique.

The three tracks so far have taken you to twilight. The titular Practice Love takes you by the hand onto the dancefloor. There is a double meaning to ‘Practice Love’- The first is to make love your practice. The second is that you need to practice love to be able to become a practitioner of love. The video, shot by her friend Jelly, features Red Pig Flower in Brick Lane, London, wearing a little piggy mask and offering free hugs. The first passersby ignore her sign, but Red isn’t disheartened, spreading the right message, dancing with joy. Her optimism is rewarded, making peoples day better on a cold English afternoon.

Fifth track Sax and Drugs takes things a little sleazier, the beat is filthy and the synths are sexy. Your body starts to move to this one before your brain even realises. The incredible Declan McDermott joins on saxophone, the funkiest synths and Red’s sultry vocal washing your soul with Laurent Garnier inspired sunlight. On Thisiz House Music, again featuring Declan, Red takes you even further back. About Frankie Knuckles O’Clock, with a portal straight to 2025.

By now, you will agree with me that Practice Love flows so, so well. I Wanna Meet Somebody follows incredibly, continuing the feeling that if you close your eyes, you’re dancing with David Mancuso at the Loft. No Money completes this EP-within-an-album. Perfect vocal samples, valve synth riff and 808 drum patterns showing that producers as good as Red Pig Flower make it sound effortless. The best albums finish memorably and No Genre is one of those perfect finishers. Think Andrew Wetherall’s production on Screamadelica. The lights are up in the club, nobody wants to go home, arms in the air wanting more.

Red Pig Flower explains: Practice Love resonates deeply with me because house music has always been a sanctuary—a place for unity, joy, and self-expression. As a nomad and outsider, club culture and house music became my shelter. The cities I’ve lived in—Seoul, Tokyo, Berlin, and London and more—nurtured me and shaped who I am today. That’s why the cover, by the incredible Carlos Sulpizio features their skylines, and the album is multilingual, representing the diverse influences in my life.

Practice Love is like a meal that has been prepared lovingly. They always taste better. And there’s plenty more to come from Red Pig Flower. How was your appetizer?

Bunkereeno Kollektiv and ITALIA90 join forces to release the first EP on their new label Anna Records.

On the A side you will find Tools 4 Seduction's Italo infused sound; the known Argentinian artist behind this alias is always ready to deliver, from afternoon sunsets to afterparty daybreaks.

On the B-side, Lachina, emerging talent from our beloved Turin city, gives us metallic and dark sounds, providing weapons able to navigate the most obscure of the basements.

We kick off our Prozpektiva series for the first time this year with relative newcomer Ocean T. Co-founder and manager of the Laconica label this talented DJ & Producer from Lviv has 3 releases to his name which has seen good support from some top selectors. This EP features perfect examples of contemporary house music with lush pads, banging beats and some real deal Plastic City vibes.

Announcing the debut album from one of London’s most electrifying acts, New Regency Orchestra. An 18-piece Afro-Cuban big band, inspired by the musical melting pot of NYC in the 1950s, but with the punch and power of a whole host of London’s best Latin and jazz musicians. Blowing new life into these compositions, the album is a reimagining of some of the finest music from that golden era. From early 1950s René Hernandez and Tito Puente, through to the 1970s salsa of Rafael Labasta and Orlando Marin, produced and performed with fresh fire.

NRO is the brainchild of its artistic director, and the man behind Total Refreshment Centre and Church of Sound, Lex Blondin. Through a long-held passion for jazz, Lex discovered the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms of mid-1940s NYC via the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz, Mario Bauzá. A time when two musical worlds collided in a fusion of creativity and energy, jazz luminaries like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker joining forces with Cuban greats like Machito and Chano Pozo. This vibrant sound was music to dance to and found a home at The New York Palladium, a formative space of freedom and expression that was key to the scene’s development.

Although dance-focussed in their makeup, those early recordings are not often heard in modern club environments and Lex dreamt of retelling their story with a contemporary dynamism. A slice of serendipity followed, as a slot at a new festival opened up and Lex jumped at the chance to make this idea a reality, an 18-piece big band breathing new life into these beloved songs.

Enlisting the expertise of some of the capital’s finest talent, Lex and co-captain Andy Wood, of Como No fame, put together a world-class line-up of talent. Bringing in Eliane Correa as musical director and bandleader, a fluid and interchanging 18-piece band was formed.

The album itself is a hand-picked selection of timeless Afro-Cuban jazz classics, reimagined with NRO’s unbridled energy. It contains ten incredible instrumental tracks including 'Pregon' with its anthemic horn stabs and the addictive head nod bounce of 'Mambo Rama', alongside two scorching vocal numbers in 'Papa Boco' and 'Labasta Llego'. Coupling a heavyweight rhythm section with a wall of horns, they provide a fresh spin on songs from Tito Puente and Chico O'Farrill, René Hernandez through to Rafael Labasta.

“Some of the tunes like Tito Puente’s ‘Mambo Rama’ and ‘Scarlet Mambo’ might sound like they went to a gym as extra drums and bass synth were added to them whilst the tune ‘Sahib & Tito’ is a mix of Tito’s ‘Mambo Buda’ and Sahib Shihab’s ‘Nus’. Our intention is to be both respectful to the innovators and inventors of this incredible music and to pay our dues, but also to add something special from London where the city’s new jazz scene connects with its Latin American musicians and the musical influences around us.”

This pure collective joy, shared experience and music you can’t help but move to.

RAWAX welcomes back Gregor Tresher!
We re very happy to present you the second release by Gregor under his Sniper Mode moniker on our Motor City Edition.
Homecoming EP is an outstanding Electro record which comes around with vocals by Exzakt aka Larry McCormick on the main track.
Big support by Dave Clarke!

The A-side puts the fun in a funky psychedelic disco stomper complete with sing-along chants and breakbeats. Imagine an overlooked KID CREOLE garage dub cut. The B-side is a fresh take on classic Italo disco with analog percussion, vintage synths and his own guitar and bass.

At this point, Southern Italy's Giovanni Damico is basically an honorary Windy City Native. I don't think he's ever been to Chicago
but he certainly has status on all sides of the City. Damico's collaborations with Chicago's Star Creature kicked have spanned the
better part of the last decade with just as many vinyl releases during that time spanning 2 LPs, 2 EPs, a handful of 7's and an appearance on the 2020's Star Creature Vibes label compilation not to mention the over 20+ 12's and a dozen appearances on labels ranging from MCDE, Lumberjacks in Hell to Kalakuta Soul, Bordelllo A Parigi, his own White Rabbit Recordings and more.
That perfect blend of Tracky Italo Early Drum Machine, Bang the Box type of Proto House Electro Soul with adventurous and ambitious beats and melody combos pulled from a range of global influencers, mixing of electronic and acoustic instruments giving some of the most full body unique compositions in dance music, each being accomplished, evolving and truly unique.

Over the last ten years, Brazil’s Millos Kaiser has cultivated a reputation as a top-ranking selector passionate about bringing his home country’s underappreciated music to the world. After starting as a punk and indie musician in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, he turned his hand to DJing in the late 2000s and relocated to Sāo Paulo. There, he spent the 2010s rocking city squares, warehouse parties and street parties with DJ Trepanado in the Selvagem duo before cofounding the celebrated Selva Discos label in 2017.

Since 2019, Millos’s focus has shifted to his solo DJ career and ventures as an edit maker, reissue compilation curator, audiophile bar co-owner, and now producer. Planet Trip Records has been very good friends with Millos for a long time and is very pleased to present his first original release, the Te Quero Perto (I Want You Close) EP, available in vinyl and digital formats.

Assembled like a DJ-friendly 12” for late 20th-century nightclub specialists, Te Quero Perto kicks off with Millos’ original ‘club mix’ and an accompanying ‘instrumental’ version (digital.only). Driven by an uptempo machine beat straight out of the mid-'80s, rave pianos, 303 acid bass, and an explosive Brazilian pop vocal sung by Juju Bonjour, it’s an absolute belter of a tune and a masterclass in in-period styling.

Elsewhere on the EP, Millos’s European friends Lipelis & Orion Agassi turn in an equally belting Latin Freestyle remix in vocal, dub and instrumental mixes (instrumental is digital only). Rounding things out, fellow Rio de Janeiro producer Paco Cabana throws the tune into a cocktail shaker before pouring a sunkissed, percussion-heavy reimagining for us to sip on. Front to back, it’s an all-killer, no-filler debut from a generational talent.

Die Northern Soul-Szene zieht weiterhin Anhänger an, die alle ihren Glauben bewahren und sich von dieser Musik bewegen lassen. 'True True Love' wurde 2006 als erste Single von Kent Select veröffentlicht, und Originalexemplare werden mittlerweile für über 300 £ verkauft - wenn man denn eins findet. Ace freut sich die Nummer nun zusammen mit einer unveröffentlichten Instrumentalversion der Dave & Darrell Band auf 7inch Single neu aufzulegen. Die Single wird mit Picture Sleeve geliefert und enthält Liner Notes von Ady Croasdell.

“… it was dance music, it had lyrics, it had songs, it wasn’t all instrumental, it was basically uptempo soul music, to be exact.”*

This quote from Timmy Regisford already sums up everything you need to know about his remix of Basic Black’s “Don’t Make Me Fall In Love.” Signed to Motown during Regisford’s reign as vice president and A&R, their self-titled debut album from 1990 is a testament to the massive popularity of new jack swing at the time. In his remix, the co-founder, resident DJ, and key figure of Club Shelter reconfigures the song’s structure with the signature sounds of New York’s prime dance floor scene, while preserving the heartfelt storytelling of the lyrics and the group’s voices on top of an irresistible groove and a bassline to die for.
At the time, it was only available in the record crates of the Big Apple’s DJ elite and later on as a white label in specialist shops. This soulful, yet driving piece, however, never saw an official single release—until now. Lifted from a DAT tape in Tony Humphries’ archive and carefully and faithfully restored, it now even features a condensed, never-before-released instrumental version of the remix, as well as a bass-and-beats-only edit for mixing purposes by yours truly. New jack swing transformed into New York club music by a king. This remix is a testament to Timmy Regisford’s prowess in the studio, but also honors the roots of the music he loves and grew up on—serving as a perpetual piece of the city’s vast history in underground dance music.
Gerd Janson

CASABLANCA first started as a party exploring the depths of Arabic grooves from Northern Africa and the Middle East, brought to life by two musical legends...Parisian digger Victor Kiswell, known for his journey through the world’s rarest records and influential NTS radio sets, and Dez Andrés, a Detroit native whose roots in the city's hip-hop and house scene are matched by his love for soul, fun, and jazz. The two artists have stepped into the studio to bring the same energy and ethos from their party to this album.