Jolene Cuts returns with a 5-track vinyl-only masterpiece that channels the golden era of 1998 French House while pushing it into the future. No edits—just 100% original productions from Danny & Mike, two true craftsmen of filtered house grooves. “Jackpot” kicks things off with a euphoric, sample-driven floor-burner, dripping in funk and irresistible filter sweeps that recall the raw magic of classic Roule and Crydamoure records. “Voiture” follows with a sleek, late-night ride through hypnotic basslines and shimmering disco loops, perfect for peak-time club moments. On the flip, “So Cruel” brings soulful vocal chops and deep, rolling grooves in a way that nods to the emotional side of the French Touch era. “Love U” injects pure joy into the mix—swinging drums, warm filters, and a seductive disco flair designed to light up any dancefloor. Closing it all, “Disco Road” is a driving, high-energy weapon blending pulsating bass and filtered hooks that feel like 3 a.m. in Paris circa ’98. This is a love letter to French House—strictly vinyl, strictly limited, five unmissable club bombs. Perfect for DJs who crave that raw filtered energy, vinyl purists, and anyone who knows the true essence of French Touch: groove, soul, and pure dancefloor ecstasy. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
The Saint Wax label branches out with a new series of edits from founder Eduardo Barbi aka Gledd, who traverses funk, disco and soul across five irresistible cuts. 'Street Preacher' has a spoken word that reminds of early rap days paired with a rousing choral backing, then 'Stevie's Word' turns up the funk with a chunky bassline. 'Do It For Me' is another gospel-fuelled pumper with big stabs ramping up the intensity and then 'Under The Moonlight' is a classy disco stomper lead by florid and chunky funk in the drums. 'Your Love' is an excitable finish with big horns, bigger chords and even bigger vocals. It's big, basically.
It Takes Two is at it again. The 45 duo consisting of Deejay Irie and Friss, founded in 2020, is here with a brand-new release.
Played by DJ Koco aka Shimokita, DJ Robert Smith, Marc Hype of Dusty Donuts, and many more. Edits by DJs for DJs, filled with scratch samples and perfect intros/outros. After 001, 002, 003, 004, and 005 sold out, they're back with 90 BPM of big fun with small records!
The A-side is a rework of a '90s hip-hop classic, flipped with the original sample.
The B-side contains an instrumental version of the A-side and an acapella to go wild with.
It Takes Two is at it again. The 45 duo consisting of Deejay Irie and Friss, founded in 2020, is here with a brand-new release.
Played by DJ Koco aka Shimokita, DJ Robert Smith, Marc Hype of Dusty Donuts, and many more. Edits by DJs for DJs, filled with scratch samples and perfect intros/outros. After 001, 002, 003, 004, and 005 sold out, they're back with 90 BPM of big fun with small records!
The A-side is an ode to one of hip-hop's first beef tracks, flipped with a reggae twist, a clean intro, and a scratch sample to get funky with.
The B-side contains an instrumental version of the A-side.
Tooflie's anonymous archivists return for another trip through the past, this time leaving geography behind for the unruly musical landscape of the 1980s. Four edits bring together the creme de la creme of Polish rock, Danish new wave, Soviet avant-garde and Georgian synth-pop, giving each source a fresh dancefloor angle while keeping what made the original so distinctive. A Balearic rework, an Hi-NRG treatment and two more leftfield interventions turn these unlikely archival finds into records that work just as well at home as they do on a larger system. The original records behind these edits are notoriously hard to find, making Tooflie 008 a rather useful detour for diggers and collectors, as well as anyone with a soft spot for overlooked musical oddities.
Duburban and Peeb open the release with Route 1. 8 minutes of pure dubbed out militant choppage and science.
We continue the dubwise journey with Prophet, welcoming Krugah to the label. This collaboration with Peeb leans even further into the dub and roots influence.
On the flip side label head Pixl teams up with Champa B for more amen science and sub bass pressure in the form of Chalice Dub.
Finally we have the release being closed off with Telepathy by Duburban and Krugah, bringing oldschool pads mixed with hectic drumfunk beats and edits.
2026 Repress
Sonic Groove Old Gold, the new sub-label of Sonic Groove releasing rare techno obscurities from decades past, debuts with two rare 1996/97 deep acid gems by CAT 1, originally released on Germany's Overdrive. With scarce original copies fetching very high prices online at over €100, "Revolution" and "Axion" have been updated for modern sound systems. Adam X has layered new, prominent kicks onto both tracks, bolstering the drive for today's dancefloors while keeping the original arrangements 100% intact.
Natural Goofy makes his debut on Unearthed with a raw four-track vinyl cut shaped through analog machines, instinct, and lived moments across Europe and Asia. From late nights in Barcelona to concrete mornings in Berlin, Early Hours EP captures warmth, tension, and that fleeting energy between movement and memory.
Now based in Spain and running Planka Records, Nando delivers a sound that is dry, emotional, playful, and deeply human — no plug-ins, no edits, just hardware and moments recorded as they happened.
Umoja deliver a jacking Afro-Poindexter monster, Phil Moffa drops a massive after-hours tribal-house batucada bomb, Photay brings deep ecstatic choral chugging goodness, Multi Culti fam TVP x Oltrefuturo x United Freedom Collective combine for freaky moon cult worship and finally Mehmet Aslan swoops in with the anthemic Bollywood fire.
Classic edits that place the funk upfront. Da Breaks brings that familiar flavour with a twist of Boom-bap, these timeless reworks are built for DJs. Trimmed, tightened and ready to mix.
Australia's Dancing in Space crew have thus far kept their vinyl releases to a minimum, reappearing every so often with a fresh batch of their own excellent disco edits. Here they try something different, delivering a typically assured two tracker from one of the most talented and productive scalpel fiends in the business, Chicago scene stalwart Rahaan. A-side 'Allright' is a typical Rahaan rub, with the talented re-editor skilfully rearranging and lightly dubbing out what sounds like a turn-of-the-80s fusion of classic disco, synth-splattered boogie and soaring jazz-funk. On 'My Strategy', he successfully breathes new life into an old Philadelphia International favourite, opting for a largely instrumental extension that subtly pitches the track up, tempo wise, for greater dancefloor pleasure.
Having reworked stone-cold classics and forgotten gems for the first two instalments in the series, the mysterious B returns for 003 with something truly special: an exotic tapestry of sounds and samples, woven together into something fresh and ready to play at the fashion week afterparties in New York, Paris, London and Milan.
**SELECTED BY... Shy One, Tim Sweeney, Bradley Zero, Alexander Nut, Ruby Savage, KON, Ross Allen, Auntie Flo, Adam Port, Benji B, Jamz Supernova, Kasper Borke, Bill Brewster + More...**
Pirka Vinyl Cuts returns with a new chapter in its unknown edits series, featuring four anonymous cuts built strictly for the dancefloor.
From the rolling grooves of “KINR” and the raw energy of “Ruffneck”, to the sun-soaked swing of “Sun Goes Back” and the late night vibes of “Get Me Down”, the record delivers four funky house tools packed with classic samples, tight drums and peak-time flavor.
A no-nonsense DJ weapon designed for long blends, sweaty rooms and proper moments behind the decks. Limited vinyl release on Pirka Vinyl Cuts.
Welcome to a new series of various artist EP’s titled ‘Sistema Sprezzatura’
We are always working hard in the background on the art of making difficult actions, complex skills, or highly curated choices appear completely natural, unforced, and spontaneous… do we pull it off we aren’t sure.. hopefully you can be the judges.
On this first EP the A- side features a new project ‘Sprezzatura' Hailing from Little Italy, Norton Street in Sydney (just a short Vespa ride from the Sicilian Coastline). Sprezzatura serves up Italo disco originals, edits and deep, carefully curated party sets built for long nights and discerning dance floors. The name is Italian, the postcode isn’t. The sound lands somewhere between sleek synths, driving basslines and just the right amount of drama. Expect strong espresso, stronger basslines and the firm belief that Sicily is less a place than a state of mind.’
And on the B -side Boxcar and the Space Jockeys return after their last well received release on Sosilly Edits with some tasteful psych rock reworks.
Never Sleep charity tape series reissues one of the most heralded mix CDs of the early 2000s.
Enterprising miscreants Modeselektor antagonise vitality with a boundary breaking multi genre approach. Fast paced mixing, cut up acapellas, pop lubed alchemy, orchestrated cacophony and sounding like the best squat party you have ever been to.
Originally released in 2004 on the limited edition Boomkat 'Selected' series and is renowned for being a lesson in giving less fucks about mathematical syncopated mixing and instead pushing the envelope with sugary slowed down RnB, mesmerising Disco edits, crunked up Hip-Hop, eski cold IDM and freeform sub bass ideologies. Modeselektor rejuvenates the mould and showcases an audio love letter to having fun in the club whilst encompassing astute Electronic(a) integrity.
Boomkat have been pioneering music in the North of England for almost 25yrs and are highly considered trendsetters and tastemakers.
All proceeds go to Sea - Eye who help with sea rescue across the mediterranean and provide care for people in danger crossing the ocean.
Around The Sun is a 23-track anniversary compilation marking ten years of Batov Records, featuring artists including Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra, Sababa 5, Satellites, Boom Pam, MOMO. and Mamman Sani. The collection reflects the label's catalogue across Ethio-jazz, Anatolian psych, Mediterranean disco, contemporary jazz, instrumental music and other globally influenced styles. The release includes two Batov edits, several tracks appearing on vinyl for the first time.
Mexican producer/musician MONSIEUR VAN PRATT returns to our TSTD shores with his second two track Edit trip into the world of Mexican obscure, super rare Coverversions.
His first 7 Inch (with an amazing Edit of a Cover of Bobby Caldwell's "What You Won't Do For Love") has been the most repressed and highest selling Issue in our long ongoing TSTD EDIT Vinyl series.
For the upcoming 7 inch he delivers two brandnew fun reworks:
Side A is a slow disco edit of a super rare Mexican late 70s cover version of Bill Withers' classic love song "Just The Two Of Us".
Side B is a midtempo Rework of a Mexican cover of "Upside Down" by Diana Ross w/ Nile Rogers
Loveface are back once again with four more dancefloor ready edits. Starting things off is a Unique Dancefloor Rework of 80’s Post Punk Classic. Following on from that is a Complete remodel 0f 90’s alternative dance/rock hit. Now flipping over to the B side is a House groove with sensual monologue diva vocal. Last but not least we are treated to an Uplifting 90’s flavoured italo house/garage vibe track.
The first A.V.N Edits release comes from the Florida based duo Luv Glissant. A.V.N Edits is an offshoot of new imprint Audio Visual Nootropics ran by luvcreatexplore. Cut at 45 RPM so the sound is nice and loud for the deejays. On the A side, "Bella" is a disco floor burner with some live vocals dubbed over the groove. On the B side, "Nariño Joe" is a late-80s salsa cut about getting knocked down and getting back up. Edited with love and already proven on the floor.
Ruffiani returns with its second release: four new tracks built around sampling, edits and reworked musical fragments, bringing different influences together in a raw, contemporary club context.
Released as a limited-edition white label vinyl, the record continues the project’s underground, DJ-focused approach, four tracks made for the dancefloor.
Pirka Vinyl Cuts hits its 11th volume with a nod to the classics, leaning heavily into revered disco and house chops.
Stripped back for maximum impact, these edits flip instantly familiar vocal hooks and grooves into high-grade DJ weapons, revitalizing peak-time sets with a sharp, contemporary edge.
Powerful early 90s house pieces by the mysterious D.J. J.A.
This tracks were unearthed in a secluded backyard in Bristol, UK - or maybe behind the liberty bell of Philly, USA?
The truth remains a mystery. Directly recorded from original cheese plate and polished for todays DJ demands.
Enough talk - play it, say it!
UK Garage has ridden a new wave of hype and exposure over the last few years. Artists like Sammy Virji and Interplanetary Criminal have crossed over to the mainstream, while dancefloors across the world have shaken to a switched-up version of the sound that defined the UK underground either side of the millenium.
Hidden beneath a pink balaclava, the mysterious DJ Jackum has lurked this rejuvenated scene while dropping some of the most defining bangers of the period. Often surfacing in the form of moody edits released on Soundcloud, Jackum productions inevitably demolish dancefloors whenever dropped, as they frequently are in the sets of Virji and the other big guns.
Landing on Hotflush, a storied label of UK underground music, ‘Context’ is his most substantial work to date. Six tracks covering the full spectrum of the Jackum sound, from 4/4 heaters to dubstep-adjacent eyes-down bass pressure.
And in the form of opening track ‘Floo’, Jackum spreads his wings into a place that transcends the narrow confines of genre definition. From the UKG building blocks of bass, drive, cut-up vocals, and melody, the track emerges as something both familiar and wholly unexpected - the mark of a producer at the peak of their powers.
‘Clip Empty’ is another highlight of this standout EP. Showing a flair for the cinematic, a breakdown of militaristic snares gives way to a trademark rolling bassline and earworm vocals.
Away from the 4/4 bangers, ‘Take Your Body Higher’ is a guaranteed half-step rewind, while ‘Step Up’ recalls memories of smokey Plastic People sessions of the mid-2000s.
Fracture dips back into the rich Astrophonica back catalogue for another slowed-down, Chopped & Screwed mixtape built from all-new, exclusive edits and remixes. A reverb-drenched and bass-heavy exploration of ambience, texture and sonic disintegration, taking cues from the dubwise experiments of King Tubby, the ambient soundscapes of Brian Eno and, of course, DJ Screw.
What started as an ode to DJ Screw, Slow Astro has become an alternative history of Astrophonica, where existing music is dismantled, recontextualised and reconstructed into something entirely new. The diversity of the Astrophonica catalogue draws on organic, breakbeat-driven Jungle, frantic and scatty Footwork, synth-heavy and dystopian Electro, head-nodding Hip-Hop, silky Garage and other experimental forms of electronic music. Originally created across different eras, tempos and musical contexts, these sounds are already woven together like a tapestry of taste and curation, but Slow Astro brings them together in a new environment and recasts them in an entirely different light. Slowing all this music down to the same tempo, drenching it in reverb and cranking up the saturation reveals unexpected relationships, shared textures and hidden musical connections – a place where Client_03 and Philip D Kick share the same tranquilised groove while Sully and Lewis James float together in a watery, weightless limbo.
Slow Astro drills deep into Fracture’s love and knowledge of the catalogue for a world-building flipmode performance, built on meticulously pulled-apart and stitched-back-together edits that go way beyond the scope of a standard mixtape. It's put together as a collage-meets-live-dub experiment, making use of delay throws that spiral back on themselves, reverb washes that extend breakdowns far beyond their original intentions and the iconic crunch of a Mackie 1604 mixing desk. The result is immersive, psychedelic and transportive. Slow Astro is a mood, Slow Astro is its own thing. So sit down, slow down and turn it up.
Early support from Rocky (X-Press 2), Lovefingers (ESP Institute) Ross Allen (NTS), Sean Johnston (ALFOS), Logan Fisher (Tryouts), Chris Sweet (Northern Soul Rave Patrol), Darren Stewart (La America), David Elders (MFSB Edinburgh), Craig Christon, Linda Boyle (1BTN), and Dave Jarvis (Faith).
Skyrager, aka Danny McLewin (Psychemagik/Ghost Vision) delivers a long awaited, genre-busting trio of edits on the legendary Moton label to light up all rooms and dancefloors this season...
Sentimental Ultra marks DJ HEARTSTRING’s debut proper on Steel City Dance Discs, and their first album project, releasing November 13th 2026. Starting life as a mixtape before a happy accident or two took it down a different path, the 15-track album finds the pair chasing not just peak-time euphoria and what they can conjure in a club setting, but everything around it, too. The befores and the afters. The soft and the supercharged. What life felt like when they were young. Featuring collaborations with SWIM, Spriitzz, BAUGRUPPE90, Sam Gellaitry, Saidah, DMA’S, KennyHoopla, Monk, 3NDLES5, David Jackson and secret act, they fold formative years influences such as indie rock, rap, ambient and breakbeat into their sought-after sound, and balance them with contemporary-coded ideas.
This blend of worlds is at the crux of the album’s concept visually as well. Sentimental Ultra is an exploration blurring the lines of hard and soft, taking inspiration from subculture communities around football hooliganism and skateboarding. The cover is shot by iconic British photographer Ewen Spencer, renowned for his work around Skins, The Streets and more. The collaboration has seen DJ HEARTSTRING land features in Numero Berlin, Notion Mag and other cross-cultural editorial platforms ahead of the album announcement.
To date, the project has already received various milestones across international radio, including Arielle Free’s Big Whopper for third single ‘Another Year Alone’ and DJ HEARTSTRING landing a coveted BBC R1 Residency in November. Adding to this is the slew of digital looks and accolades for DJ HEARTSTRING’s set recordings including their closing set at Soenda Festival earlier this year which is on 115k views since being published in May 2026, their Melbourne Boiler Room published in 2025 with +1 million views and their Belfast Boiler Room published in 2023 with +1.1 million views.
Since DJ HEARTSTRING’s 2021 debut, when they rollicked through the club door with their Destiny of the Moment and Eternal Euphoria EPs, alongside a slew of self-released, pop-and-R&B-indebted edits, DJ HEARTSTRING have followed their hearts and won over legions more with an emotional dance music style that’s fast become synonymous with their name.
There’ve been big releases such as 2025’s You Are The Sun, I Am The Sky EP, and buzzy collaborations with fellow synapse-igniters like SWIM, Narciss, southstar and S.C.D.D.’s KETTAMA. The past few years have also seen remixes for Charli XCX and Sam Smith, Romy, Sugababes and Empire of the Sun, sets everywhere from Berghain to London’s 3000-capacity Roundhouse, their own Teenage Dream parties and a must-listen contribution to the BBC Radio 1’s Essential Mix series, which showcased just some of the sonic inspirations behind their signature, like Eurodance and trance, plus heaps of DJ HEARTSTRING material.
And now, Sentimental Ultra arrives off the back of DJ HEARTSTRING’s busiest summer to date with landmark festival plays at Awakenings in the Netherlands, Lost Village and Maiden Voyage in the UK, We Love Green in France, Lost Paradise in Belgium, Movement Festival in Detroit and Arc Festival in Chicago. Hot off the heels of their festival run, the Berlin duo show no signs of slowing down with a 3-date Australia tour at the end of September whereby they sold a cumulative 15,500 tickets across Melbourne, Sydney and Perth shows, all on presales. In addition to some pop-up in key markets around album release including Ireland, Scotland, Berlin and London, the Sentimental Ultra official tour also encompasses a European hard ticket run including Belfast’s Telegraph Building (2,000 cap), Brussels’ Braindance (2,000 cap), Paris Phantom (3,400) and DJ HEARTSTRING’s biggest London show to date - Brixton Academy (5,000) - an apt follow-up after selling out Magazine (4,000 cap) weeks in advance in February 2026.
There’s plenty still in store, and plenty of places to catch them throughout the rest of what’s set to be a landmark year. Shows from Miami to Manchester (for the sold-out KETTAMA presents Steel City Dance Discs WHP takeover) to Dublin’s District X, a hometown Teenage Dreams event and 2 colossal ADE headlines at Dockyard and Sugar Factory - with more plans bubbling behind the scenes. DJ HEARTSTRING season is well and truly upon us.
Fracture’s Slow Astro concept returns for another instalment of slow edits from the Astrophonica back catalogue. Reducing the tempo right down to 97bpm for that extra baggy vibe and recorded live on a Mackie mixing desk with added dub siren and FX - an overnight sleeper train journey to the slower depths of music from Sully, Client_03, Nikki Nair, Damian’s Ghost and more.
Here's what Fracture has to say about the Slow Astro project.
“I have always been intrigued by playing audio back at different speeds. Be it speeding up breakbeats to make Jungle or slowing down pop music to make drawn out nostalgic atmospheres. Some of my first experiments with pitch were with my brother. We’d record ourselves onto cassette and use the hi speed dubbing feature to change the pitch of our voices. If you held the play button down half way it would cause the tape to play back at different speeds - mangling the audio. Over the past year I became fascinated with playing on 7 inch records on 33. New rhythms, grooves and textures appear when you change the pitch of audio. It can totally alter the emotional quality of a piece of music you thought you knew so well - creating new artifacts with a familiar yet dreamlike quality. I started to wonder what the Astrophonica catalogue would sound like slowed down. So I made ‘Slow Astro’. Shout out DJ Screw…"
Those who’ve followed the career of Aussie disco don Dr Packer should be familiar with the Surgery Edits name – it was the series of mostly self-released re-edit EPs with which he launched his career back in the 2010s. Wax Digits boss Fingerman has not confirmed that this double 12-inch is the Australian’s work, but since he has released previous instalments in the series, it is likely to be. Either way, there’s plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from a lolloping and loopy disco-house style rub of Chewy Rubs ‘Future Freak’ and a similarly chunky, house-style rush through V’s ‘Muzik Got Me’ (itself a take on an early 80s NYC classic), to the chugging, organ-rich disco-goes-deep house re-tweak of BO’s ‘Nites’ and a peak-time-ready bounce through the disco-funk edit excellence that is BC’s ‘Shake’.
With this seventh instalment of retweaked heat, Perro Bueno Edits once again prove that less is more when you know exactly what you're doing. Both refixes strike a sweet spot between respectful crate-digger sensibility and dancefloor punch while updating Afro-funk classics without sanding off their soul. 'TFOM' puffs out its chest with big, bold, playful horns leading the charge as Latin vocals bring some sunshine and funky bass keeps things moving. 'SMPP' slows the tempo, which means more room to luxuriate between the dumpy kicks and appreciate the sharp horns and organic percussion before some raw vocals bring a Brownian funk edge.
The eighth helping of these Perro Bueno Edits is as delicious as Kinder Buenos (we have kids, don't judge us). Once again it is an anonymous affair from the in-house team, whoever that may be, and this one opens with 'SDBO', which is a new flip of, we're told, a "rare African cover version of a much-loved disco classic". It has a perfect mix of disco glam and Afro earthiness with soaring melodies and funk drums that can't fail to get you locked in. 'LEHA' on the B-side is another Afro-funk gem that is rebuilt with layers of chunky percussion and drums, interplay between male and female vocals and fat bass that anchors the whole thing perfectly.
Following a hugely successful debut, the LA collective Boogie Down Edits return with a second volume that turns its attention to one of hip-hop's most untouchable catalogues - A Tribe Called Quest. The approach remains as tasteful as ever: the defining vocal fragments and musical DNA of the originals stay fully intact, while the grooves and rhythms get subtly reworked for DJ-friendly, peak-time impact. 'Award Tour' opens proceedings with that unmistakable vocal hook gliding over a chunky, rolling house beat built for packed floors, while '4Momz' takes things deeper and more atmospheric, warm bass pressure and dreamy textures giving it a genuine late-night feel. Golden-era hip-hop attitude meets contemporary house production. Mad respect.
Needlewreckordz drops a heavyweight 7" for hip-hop and funk lovers with a great collision of source materials, making for sharp edits with undeniable groove. Opener 'Doin It (In The Park)' features a classic refrain from a Detroit jazz great, but layered over a funky groove that never quits. On the flip, 'Madness' slows the tempo with a more deep cut and rolling groove that brings slick r&b vocals that tug at the heart while bumping kicks and hip-hop fragments further flesh out the fun. Plenty of familiar touches dropped into irresistible grooves make this a gem for party-starting sessions.
What is an edit? A correction, a confession, a DJ tool, a mild act of vandalism—or simply the result of listening to somebody else’s record and thinking: very good, but what if this bit went on a little longer?
For his contribution to the Running Back Mastermix series, Gilles Aiken aka Edward opens a folder that has apparently been filling up for quite some time.
The Giegling resident’s thirteen edits reach back through years of DJing, collecting and producing. Made for sets rather than release schedules, they form something like a musical autobiography told through other people’s records: Carl Craig, Roman Flügel, Motohiko Hamase, Kirk Degiorgio, Aubrey, Sven Väth, Michael Rother and more.
From Japanese ambient jazz and Detroit techno to dub techno, house, trance and kosmische music, these are not attempts to improve records that didn’t need improving. They are the small interventions that happen after living with music for a long time: a rhythm exposed, an entrance moved, a passage extended, the unnecessary made necessary.
“These records mean a lot to me,” says Edward. “They consist of edits I’ve gathered over the years, some of them going way back. In a way, they reflect my musical journey. All of these artists have been a huge influence on me as a producer and DJ.”
Usually, such edits remain on hard drives, USB sticks and in vaguely labelled folders. This time permissions were requested, publishers located and, somewhere, presumably, a spreadsheet became very important.
Miraculously, everybody said yes.
Thirteen thank-you notes to the music that helped make Edward Edward. Naturally, they require three records.
Mastermixed accordingly.
Also available on cassette,
What is an edit? A correction, a confession, a DJ tool, a mild act of vandalism—or simply the result of listening to somebody else’s record and thinking: very good, but what if this bit went on a little longer?
For his contribution to the Running Back Mastermix series, Gilles Aiken aka Edward opens a folder that has apparently been filling up for quite some time.
The Giegling resident’s thirteen edits reach back through years of DJing, collecting and producing. Made for sets rather than release schedules, they form something like a musical autobiography told through other people’s records: Carl Craig, Roman Flügel, Motohiko Hamase, Kirk Degiorgio, Aubrey, Sven Väth, Michael Rother and more.
From Japanese ambient jazz and Detroit techno to dub techno, house, trance and kosmische music, these are not attempts to improve records that didn’t need improving. They are the small interventions that happen after living with music for a long time: a rhythm exposed, an entrance moved, a passage extended, the unnecessary made necessary.
“These records mean a lot to me,” says Edward. “They consist of edits I’ve gathered over the years, some of them going way back. In a way, they reflect my musical journey. All of these artists have been a huge influence on me as a producer and DJ.”
Usually, such edits remain on hard drives, USB sticks and in vaguely labelled folders. This time permissions were requested, publishers located and, somewhere, presumably, a spreadsheet became very important.
Miraculously, everybody said yes.
Thirteen thank-you notes to the music that helped make Edward Edward. Naturally, they require three records.
Mastermixed accordingly.
Also available on cassette,
A DJ, producer and significant figure in contemporary electronic music, Marcel Dettmann steps forward to contribute to Running Back’s ongoing Mastermix series. Whereas previous editions of Mastermix have taken an ear to the sound of lapsed, legendary clubs such as Wild Pitch and Front, Dettmann’s curation deftly captures the man himself in ongoing perpetual motion, raiding the vault for his own precision-tooled edits, long-employed on dancefloors to devastating effect. Alongside a continuous mix, this release arrives as a 3LP gatefold, and as a limited edition cassette.
Closely associated with Berlin’s techno landscape, Dettmann was born and raised in the former GDR, then later immersed in the bleary-eyed counter cultural landscape of post-unification Berlin. Initially oriented by post-punk, industrial and new-wave music, Dettmann has been DJing since 1993, always expanding and perfecting his repertoire. He later began working behind the counter at the city’s tastemaking rave boutique Hard Wax, and a decade after he first dropped a needle, became (and remains) resident at notable local nightspot Berghain/Panorama Bar, where his instincts have helped sculpt the signature sound of both main dancefloors.
Of course, you’re probably not asking, “Who is Marcel Dettmann?” More importantly, you might want to know; just what treats has he gifted us here? The trip begins with a simple pitch-shift skywards, transforming Identified Patient’s creeping ‘The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania’ into a peak-time freakout, before an alternate take on Toctronic’s ‘Bis uns das Licht vertreibt’ emerges from the vaults for the first time. Dating from 1995, and one of Dettmann’s all-time favourites, Cristian Vogel’s ‘Untitled’ clambers back into the box with respectable cuts, while John Bender’s ‘Victims of A Victimless Crime’ kicks off the flip sporting a new arrangement, transporting us back to the foundations of a confident, stripped-back sound.
A few subtle edits to Clark’s perilously funky ‘Dirty Pixie’ takes us to Dettmann’s remix of Junior Boys. Produced in 2010, it transposes the Canadian duo’s sophisticated pop with our curator in his minimal prime, and has since become an irresistible prize for high-minded diggers. The same can be said for Experimental Products’ explosive proto-electro anthem ‘Who Is Kip Jones?’, empowered from pricey Discogs purgatory with just the slightest of tweaks. It’s deservedly sandwiched between the guiding influences of Chicago and Detroit in the form of Mutant Beat Dance’s raw ‘The Human Factor’ and a shimmering new version of previous solo production ‘Water’, featuring close friend and Ostgut Ton ally, Ryan Elliot.
The second half of the Mastermix seamlessly connects the mechanical past and digital present of EBM and industrial in the dance, with Dettmann’s instincts as a guiding hand. Severed Heads’ iconic ‘We Have Come To Bless This House’ emerges with mere nips and tucks, while Nitzer Ebb’s ‘Shame’ is significantly reimagined as a highwire act of rhythm and tension, setting up a sensual second take on a 2017 remix of ‘Limbo’ from Swiss synth heroes, Yello.
Core musical memories are shaken and stirred with a context-shifting take on Frank Duval’s emotional classic ‘Ogon’, while Ian North’s ‘Sex Lust You’ and Ford Proco’s notable Coil collaboration ‘Expansion Naranja’ effectively throb with only minor adjustments, respectfully imagined as “shadow versions”. Meanwhile, a simple breakbeat lifts Albert Kuningas’s ‘Astraalprojektio’ in the direction of wide-eyed dancefloors, while a fresh take on K-Alexi Shelby’s ‘Season of The Real’ inexplicably emerges somehow even funkier than before.
The conclusion of the compilation leads back to Das Tier from the prolific experimentalist Conrad Schnitzler, whose swirling synths and hypnotic vocals are duly tightened by Dettmann, but only as he puts it, “in conversation with the original.” Concluding three discs and thirty years of commitment to the dancefloor, this Mastermix not only offers us the opportunity to eavesdrop on this endless exchange, but to gain some sought-after material for our own record collections.
Coming off a serious drop as of the DISCO FIEBRE duo, MEMORY LOUNGE makes his solo debut on CUENTO DE NUNCA ACABAR with fresh edits of classic Mexican funky disco, tailoring OG infectious percussive grooves, sizzling brass, & driving bass for maximum impact on modern sound systems.
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