Search:the essence

Idiosyncratic producer DMX Krew offers up four playful acid-tinged tracks for the Malekko Phase Mod EP, released through eclectic Spanish label/club night/promotion agency, Fanzine Records. The vinyl-only release is the first output of 2019 for the Coruna based imprint currently celebrating their 10th anniversary and is the follow up to C44's bizarro-techno Res Publica Populi Romani EP, and Dijuma's dubby and atmospheric Cold Tracks EP.

For DMX Krew's first Fanzine release the eccentric producer adopts a much lighter and brighter sound, in line with his recent records on Hypercolour and his classic output on Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records. The EP also comes hot on the heels of the prolific producer's latest album, Glad To Be Sad - twelve wavey cuts of vigorous electronic funk released in March through Hypercolour.

Kicking off the A-side with "Maleko Phase Mod", DMX Krew immediately conjures an effortlessly enjoyable mood. From the opening bars, a bouncing synth line is met with a classic acid house beat - prominently featuring the requisite skipping snares, rustic rimshots and phasing percussion that gives this track its distinctly Chicago feel. Meanwhile, shimmering chords fill the track with sunny warmth and enthusiastic energy.

Next up, "Smoke Stack" matches a groovy acid bassline with vintage drums, clusters of claps and a mischievous marimba-esque lead. Don't let the whimsy fool you, however, DMX Krew is a master craftsman at sequencing intricate synth lines and programming complex drum patterns.

On the flip, "Low Star" imbues DMX Krew's familiar elements bubbling bass, sparkling synths, and a pumping groove with a twisted 80s lo-fi essence. Crunchy claps, distorted hats, and tumbling toms keep the track bouncing at a frenetic pace, while a glossy lead contrasts with solemn pads to create a mood at once exuberant and earnest.

Closing track "Suspicion Ruff Mix" once again finds the producer riding a classic jacking 80s house beat, filling any gaps in the groove with crashing cymbals, rolling snares, and cascading claps. With his squelchy bass, vibrant lead, and oddball melody, DMX Krew concludes the Malekko Phase Mod EP with a sense of effervescent joy undeniably his own.

* MIRAGES is the brainchild of Jean-Benoît Dunckel(AIR) and Jonathan Fitoussi.
* Spawning from Xavier Veilhan’s Studio Venezia at the 57th Venice Biennale and completing in Jean-Benoit’s studio in Paris.
* Collaboration between Jean-Benoit (AIR) and Jonathan Fitoussi.
* 12″ 180g heavyweight clear vinyl
* White printed artwork by Jean-Philippe Talaga
* Photos by Diane Arques
* Ltd Ed. of 500

“Synthesizers amassed through the years, which on this album, conceived with precision and care over the course of one year, reveal their essence –and more importantly, their soul, going from very cinematographic parts to very direct others. Between start and finish, a singular floating and inventive pop music unfolds. An upgraded form of instrumental electronic music, that takes the listener very far, and very high, perfectly mixing both musicians world, like fruitful pictures arisen from a desert that forgot to be arid. Their mirages are inventive, their mirages are fertile.” Joseph Ghosn

Life is all about rhythms. We don't know what we're dancing to until we're in so deep we can no longer control ourselves. The rhythm controls us.

Right now both Guti and the Martinez Brothers are dancing to the conga rhythm. Guti's third album, they've been dancing to it since the summer, teasing us with a whole slew of percussive new... And they'll continue throughout 2019. Chance are you will, too. Eventually the rhythm will control all of us. It's too infectious not to.

Here's the 411: 'The Year Of The Conga' is Guti's third and most rooted album to date. It came about through a personal request from brothers Chris & Steve Martinez. Both unapologetic Guti fans they wanted the very first album on their Cuttin' Headz label to be his. The result is a total reconnection back to his Argentinian foundations, his club roots and everything that first lured him to the dancefloor...

'I'm back to my roots and found my Latino groove again,' says Guti who wrote the album throughout 2018, starting it whilst bulleting through Japan by train, the majority crafted in the jungle of Dominican Republic, having collected and sampled native percussion instruments, and then finally mixing down on his return to Europe. 'Every song is full of rhythm and created to make you dance...'

He's not messing around; from the writhing snakelike percussion and rousing calls and cries of opener 'Aee' right through to the final mesmerising waves and farewell struts of finale 'Voladora' this an album is born both for and from the dancefloor. No overthinking, no purism, no exclusion; just unabashed physical hypnosis, fuelled for the floor, guided with gut instinct and years of groovecraft. It's the sound of an artist who's disconnected, explored and reconnected. He's older, he's wider and more in tune with his own pace and palette. One of the most diverse and explorative artists to come from Loco Dice's Desolat stable, this is Guti simplifying his passions down to an essence of everything that's magic about his roots and our shared dancefloor culture.

The highlights are in abundance; those hazy-but-persistent New Jersey organs on 'Telling The Truth', that wobbly sub on 'Red Eye', that shimmering sinewy acid line on 'Se Baila', the spicy pianos and wet horns of 'La Orchestra Fantasma', the list goes on. Each cut designed for deep mix pleasure, each cut rolling with a strong organic flavour and alluring percussive dynamics, each cut showing Guti at his most inspired, warmest, playful and ready to wrap you up so deep in a conga you'll soon lose yourself.

Cuttin Headz, cuttin straight to the chase but never cutting it fine... Let us be the first to wish you happy new year with the first ever album on the currently unstoppable label. We'll wish you a happy new conga, too. 2019's going to be a vintage and Guti and the Martinez Brothers are leading the charge.

- 180 GRAM AUDIOPHILE VINYL
- BRAND NEW 2019 NEO-CLASSICAL ALBUM
- PRINTED INNERSLEEVE
- LIMITED EDITION OF 500 INDIVIDUALLY NUMBERED COPIES ON TRANSPARENT VINYL

Fermata, Pieter de Graaf's debut project and the birth of a new talent in the neo-classical world. 'Filmic,' he replies when asked about the direction he had in his head, and there's an epic grandeur to many of the tracks. 'I have always written music' de Graaf explains, 'but with Fermata I felt that I could do so much more than just being a pianist, so I thought: 'Why shouldn't I try' The songs aren't 'written' in any traditional sense; instead he plays and improvise segments, records them, and listens back over and over before deciding what to use, what to discard, and what to embellish. No stone is left unturned in being guided by what the song requires - he has travelled North to record a church organ, wrote a score for a choir of four sopranos, and enlisted the help of friends and colleagues at Kytopia, the music collective in Utrecht that houses his studio.

It can take a while for an artist to find their true calling. For Pieter de Graaf, he's been searching since he sat next to his father, aged five, and watched him play the classics and the classical. He later immersed himself in the world of jazz, dedicating hours to practice, and studying at the Conservatory of Rotterdam. Several years spent touring with various bands, friends, and hip hop groups including The Kyteman Orchestra taught him an invaluable lesson, something that has informed his new project right from the start. His influences - Miles Davis, Nils Frahm, Rachmaninov, Bach, Herbie Hancock, and above all Keith Jarrett - allowed him to combine easy melodies with more virtuoso passages without losing the meaning, or the essence, of each song.

Fermata is available as a limited edition of 500 individually numbered copies on transparent vinyl.

It is the duo integrated by Miguel Dahbar (ARG) and Alexis Cabrera (ARG) at the end of 2016 in Berlin, Germany. Inspired by the rhythmic trips of the Andes and Central America, they began to fuse that essence with electronic instruments, afro-latin percussions, guitar and soundscapes. Conditioned by their fantastic and emotional narrative, the performance travels through experimental Latin compasses and warm dreamy textures on a magical South American journey, WOLKE7s Iniciados tells the story of a young magician's apprentice, a long emotional way through the nature that surrounds him, to understand the laws of the universe and develop his powerful essence.

On Pedro Vian's second album, the now Amsterdam-based artist opens up a new sonic chapter of his life, running through depths of emotions and feelings, traversing moments of euphoria, fury, serenity, hope and love. Recorded between 2014 and 2018, the self titled LP opens with a melodic flourish, drops down through mournful vocal driven pieces and lands on fast moving synths across a set of 12 deeply personal tracks.

A follow up to Vian's 2016 acclaimed debut album 'Beautiful Things You Left Us For Memories' - supported by Pitchfork, RA, XLR8R, Ransom Note, The Quietus, NTS - this sophomore LP shows the breadth and maturity of Vian's sound, falling in between the cracks of downtempo electronica, ambient and post rock. Pedro discloses: 'I have tried to be sincere, transparent and pure. During the recording process I have avoided artificiality. I do not like the overproduction of music. I like to feel the naturalness and the essence of the beat of the instruments. I like to look inside until I find something real with which to communicate'.

'Pedro Vian' arrives on Vian's own Modern Obscure Music imprint, home to like-minded artists such as Jamal Moss, Gavin Russom, Tevo Howard, Ivy Barkakati, Eterna and Sau Poler. Vian initially cut his teeth in the Barcelona scene, first as part of the duo Aster with JMII on Hivern Discs and Jamal Moss' Mathematics then as a solo producer on his own Modern Obscure Music, MM Discos and Spring Theory.

This EP is an excerpt from one of my live sessions performed with modular synthesizer and samples provided by Field Recordings. I'm focusing my attention to the sound design and mixing, evolving tracks structure.
'Instead that Obscene' is the second vinyl release on Syncretism, this includes three massive original tracks inspired by post-apocalyptic and sci-fi environments, experimenting brilliant frequencies and psychedelic melodies with a remix distinguished from break drums and shocking scenarios. Special thanks to Simon for his contribution.
Nemrac shows his elettronic music concept in a way that goes beyond the categorization of genre, leaving the listener free to perceive the essence of the EP.

Fresh off their latest VA, The Press Group hand the reins over to up-and-coming Ukrainian producer Sasha Zlykh, here delivering his debut 12" effort. Clocking in with a quartet of club-oriented weapons and off-road house-y pumpers that shall bring dancefloors to a slow but steady simmer, the Kyiv-based producer blends in an avalanche of breaks-strewn rhythms, bleepy melodies and reshuffled UK bass patterns to create his own distinctive hybrids, halfway straight dance functionality and non-formulaic experimentality.

As playful in essence as it is serious in its execution, 'Lie To Your Mom' EP starts off with the title-cut, which works a wonky swagger that proves all the more infectious as bars fly by. Engineering a finely-woven mix of off-kilter drum programming, raucous analogue belches and volatile harp stabs distorted to the max, the track's shadowy intro is eventually offset by overlapping tides of luminous pads, released as one lets the light break through a vampire den. 'RnB Ritual' follows up close in the vein, meshing a brooding late-night-ish atmosphere with playful percussive mechs and sustained rhythmic accidents.

Flip sides and you'll be treated to a choice pair of remixes from in-house groove traders Rupert Marnie and Youthman. First in line, Marnie turns 'Lie To Your Mum' into a straight jacking and shuffling Chicagoan chugger. Going deeper into soulful terrains and lavishly-textured expanses, TPG's main operator exploits the whole melodic potential of Zlykh's original, bringing its anthemic power to further completion beautifully. More on the dubby end of things, Youthman adds his uniquely vibey touch to the main cut, deftly navigating betwixt a classic deep house kinda vibe, post-rave'y electronics and a Basic Channel-esque sound spectrum, which all in all should have people instinctively clapping their hands as their mind begins to sink into a weirdly introspective sense of euphoria.

A never before released version of a truly, legendary house record from the late great Frankie Knuckles...working in collaboration with The Frankie Knuckles Foundation who will receive 50% of the profits from this project, SoSure Music is proud to present the Director's Cut re-production of 'Baby Wants To Ride'. Alongside this, a vinyl exclusive edit by Jimmy Edgar, which was originally a tribute release after Frankie's passing in 2014, finally gets an official release.

2011 saw the launch of Frankie and long-time production partner Eric Kupper's 'Director's Cut' project, with the aim to release new music, whilst re-producing classic cuts to fit with the modern dancefloor. SoSure Music is now working alongside Eric Kupper and Hector Romero, with the blessing of both Def Mix and The Frankie Knuckles Foundation, to bring a renewed focus to some of this material.

First up, the illustrious, evocative 1987 anthem, 'Baby Wants To Ride'. Rightly regarded as a masterpiece of early Chicago house and a pioneering classic through and through. Knuckles and Kupper extend the intro and outro to allow for those sweeping blends, whilst adding deft touches and reprogrammed lines to give a crisper, more detailed feel to this sumptuous slice of definitive house music. Couple that with newly spiritualised vocals and fresh erotic ad libs from Jamie Principle and prepare to rekindle that infectious energy 32 years down the line.

On the B side, Jimmy Edgar showcases his trademark touch to provide a fresh spin on the original whilst staying true to its essence. Reworking the arps, adding atmospheric drops and crunchy percussive elements, whilst holding off on the iconic vocal till the last section, all combine to give this version a unique, big room character that nods to the past, yet reinterprets for the present. A fitting tribute from an artist whose own productions are clearly laced with influence from Frankie Knuckles.

The Analog Africa label delves into the amazing history of music from 1970s Benin and Togo.
This compilation highlights forgotten raw and psychedelic Afro sounds, and the well-researched liner notes tell fascinating stories to accompany the mind-blowing music. The essence of Analog Africa is clear, searching in dusty warehouses for forgotten music to keep the sound alive!

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

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

Fresh out of the OdD archives Tapes of Old 3 is enveloped an air of antiquity. Cut straight from the tape reel, A1 'Oops' is charged with reams of static percussion and low frequency oscillation. B1 'Abhorrent SNIP' captures a galactic essence where waves of bass meet synth in a beckoning symphony of creation. B2 'I'm Complete' marches in to close the EP with tight snares cutting into the undulating it's flow and grounded with smooth session of kicks. This postmodern production is pure energy in motion, constructed with an otherworldly soundscape and a purpose for mindful mysticism.

Jonny Rock is somewhat of a sorcerer, an omnipresent eye that gathers secret ingredients from far and wide—old school House oddities, hypnotic melodies of the Orient, the furthest reaches of Disco, the easy pace of Turkish psychedelic funk—fusing it all into his own shrouded code, a string of immaterial messages, both subliminal and lucid, that highlight his eccentric sense of storytelling and nuance. He imbues a sense of familiarity in his music, implying history that might not be studied but still feels learned, a quality inherent to productions born from a vast catalog of influence (and the inseparable sample material). Jonny conjures euphoric acid flashbacks, herds of crowds through Istanbul alleys, the misty morning residue from raves of yore, orchestral winds blown across the Aegean riviera, and he manages to concentrate their essence into singular details such as a snare drum. Both sides of his eternally-awaited ESP debut lean toward his dark arts—'Tye Die Techno' drives a relentless hard-edged drum kit that could throw an otherwise self-respecting Goth into a heated breakdance battle, while the title track and theme, 'Ode To A Happening On Earth,' plays with the imagery of ritual, fantasy and role-playing—but throughout this malevolent stew, there is a sustained hint of the artist's playful nature. No matter how murky the trip becomes, Jonny is always there, a light at the end of the tunnel, with a big hug to reassure that everyone will be OK. He is one clever bastard—if you know, you know.

* This triple pack LP is the 100th release from Kniteforce Records, and is a showcase for the brand new 'old skool' styled hardcore. Containing a spread of big name artists from the originals, such as Liquid, Hyper On Experience, Luna-C, Alk-e-d, Dj Ham and Future Primitive, to newcomers such as Pete Cannon, Alex Jungle and Ant To Be, every track slams home the new old sound of today (yesterday) with the style and competence expected from the Kniteforce Family. Full of variety, and the very essence of the music from 1991 - 1996, this is not to be missed!

Club / DJ Support
Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

Please meet the young production duo of Davin Coady and Geoff Foley known as 'Between Ourselves' from Water-ford/Ireland, one of the Irish key cities for the more deeper flavours of underground House-music. They have previously released on labels such as Republik and Galaktika. Their offering is comprised of 2 tracks. The first track 'Red Mist' is a melodic driven tune with an epic monster-break that hur-tles the listener to an uplifting climax. The 2nd Track 'Guidance' hits the spot with a catchy bassline in the break, the 'hook' of the tune. None other than Berlin based Ruede Hagelstein created a remix for 'Red Mist'. Indeed he is a man for those special tunes that will always stay on your mind. He stripped down the original to its bare essence keeping the epic feel - a dirty dark masterpiece. Andre Lodemanns edit of 'Red Mist' pushes the floor potential to the max with his customized drum sounds.

Sarah Davachi presents her masterpiece, Gave In Rest. Her most fully studio-recorded album ever, she collaborates with Montreal heavyweights to create an album that uses both modern minimalism and early church music as departure points.

Sarah Davachi has quickly risen in prominence since her first release five years ago, and Gave In Rest represents her highest artistic achievement. By infusing her compositional style within a predilection for medieval and Renaissance music, Davachi unearths a new realm of musical reverence, creating works both contemplative and beatific, eerie yet essentially human. Gave In Rest is a modern reading of early music, reforming sacred and secular sentiments to fit her purview and provide an exciting new way to hear the sounds that exist around us.

Between January and September of 2017, Sarah Davachi lived in flux; storing her belongings in Vancouver, she spent the summer in Europe, occasionally performing in churches and lapidariums and seeking respite from her transitional state while surrounded by such storied history. This latest album echoes that emotional state of solitude and ephemerality, reaching towards familiar musical landscapes but from oblique perspectives.

'I named each track after a particular time of day as a way of expressing my experiencing different moments of quietude, how morning and night are both independent and interconnected entities in this regard,' she says. Her titles evoke canonical phrases referring to morning or evening prayers, as well as Latin and German phrasings for metaphors about the time of day. 'From my perspective, there is a lot of loneliness on this record, and I think it is as much about beginnings as endings,' she continues. 'In a way, it's about the prospect of the unknown as it manifests alongside a very inward form of grieving—really the essence of what constitutes a period of transition.

Davachi has mined a bottomless landscape where listeners can witness music's participation in their solitudes. Gave In Rest lends a voice to her personal exploration with a firm, intuitive stance.

Tracklisting

We are very happy to announce the 13th release of Cabrera with two special remixes from the label boss', J.C., 'Vertigo' record that came out in the summer of 2017. Side A comes with a special Shed rework. Rene is a huge influence for us and we are thrilled to have him on our catalogue. Keeping the essence of the original, he made a proper raw dub techno banger. On the flip side, Kastil, already part of the family, took Nyame in a whole other level and made a fresh blend of fierce techno.

After years of playing with the Moroccan community of Brussels, music maker and jazz musician Luc Mishalle knows every trick of the cross-fertilization of gnawa music, jazz & brass. Gnawa is the Northern African islamic sufi music with healing vibrations and spiritual lyrics, played by the descendants of African slaves. The album title 'Beats & Pieces' refers to the collaborations with Belgian percussionist Roel Poriau (Think of One, Antwerp Gipsy-Ska Orkestra), Tunisian electronic producer Sofyann Ben Youssef (Ammar808, Kel Assouf) and Moroccan-Belgian gnawa master Maalem Driss Filali. 'The album is significantly less 'jazz' than past collaborations with Byron Wallen and Trevor Watts,' explains Mishalle. 'It's based on gnawa songs I transcribed and arranged together. Half of the songs contain vocals, which makes it more radio-friendly.' There are also fragments of Beninese traditionals and which bring us to another thread through the album: trance. You can find it in gnawa music and even more in Benin, the cradle of voodoo. 'Trance music aims to create obsession through constant repetition. We kept the essence of that music, adding jazz and brass colours,' Mishalle finds these musicians in Brussels, and together they search for the sound of this city known for its hyper-diversity. 'Brussels' context is unique, in Belgium and beyond. Our metropole has quirky vibrations. To catch them, you have to fully submerge.'

The free fall, to dive head first into something, is scary for most people.
For some it is the most exciting thing however and the only possible path anyways. Florian is one of those driven artists who never sounds the same, his signature tone is the free fall into new soundscapes, new ways of using his analog electronic instruments and carving out the essence for the dancing individual.

HINOSCH are a duo of Koshiro Hino from Osaka and Stefan Schneider from Düsseldorf, they first (met and) began their collaborative work of musical interaction and exploring contrasting possibilities in 2017. After a number of concerts in the EU and in Japan a debut EP (HINOSCH EP/TAL05) was released in late 2017. Fully instrumental, their first full-length album HANDS offers a more steeply focussed approach than its largely improvised predecessor.

Encouraged by the momentum generated during a number of on-the-spot recordings in Osaka, where Schneider had held a residency in April 2017, the overall sound of the album has been honed down through meticulous studio engineering. One of the outstanding qualities of HANDS certainly is an unprejudiced approach of sound and song structures. The instrumentation is condently reduced to a small range of analogue and digital machines. Snatches of tape-loops deliver lower-pitched vocal and drum machine samples. This characteristic technical set up soon proved ideal in order to dene a tactile vocabulary of fully unsynchronized rhythm patterns. The word tactile perfectly conjures that quality which is the very essence of HANDS. It is the result of the manner in which interdependent threads of rhythm units are deliberately disconnected to form a cohesive, soulful and exible whole. Most tracks on HANDS are devoid of a central motif and examine an unpredictable dialogue. A fantasy of constant change and a search for musical suggestions is the most vital ingredient in this abstract environment.

The album title HANDS refers to physical aspects of electronic music production. Every live concert of Hinosch usually starts out with a hand shake between Hino and Schneider. The general process of collective music making, programming, button pushing, playing, recording, decision making, all demand utmost concentration. The image on the front of the abum sleeve (designed by Takashi Makabe) reects the general approach of HANDS: layers of tuckled fabrics confronting one another to articulate a form for themselves to no other end than their own orchestration.

After having emerged from the ever thrilling Osaka music scene onto the international playgrounds of electronic music just a few years ago Koshiro Hino's solo activities as YPY and his involvement with the band GOAT have already garnered him a very favourable international reception. Stefan Schneider has over the years produced and collaborated with a.o. Joachim Roedelius (Cluster), Arto Lindsay, Klaus Dinger (NEU!), Dieter Moebius (Cluster), Alexander Balanescu, John McEntire (tortoise), Katharina Grosse, Bill Wells and St.Etienne.

Here at Death & Leisure we are on a continuing mission to surprise and experiment, and so with our new release we present something very special, Blackmoon1348 and The Tibetan Monks of The Tashi Lhunpo Monastary. This project sounds like nothing else, it fuses heavy drone guitar sounds with traditional tibetan throat singing and live instrumentation.

BlackMoon1348 in collaboration with the Tibetan Monks of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery (Tibet/ India). 2017 BlackMoon1348 embarked on a cultural experimentation of cultural diversity in the arts, forming a collaboration of ancient Tibetan ceremonial practises and instrumentation with sub-harmonic drones and industrial soundscapes. The music amalgamates sacred mantras that date back to the early teachings of Tibetan Buddhism practised in the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, with heavy detuned western instruments, synths, and electronic music for the first time in recorded history. The Tashi Lhunpo monastery was once home to the Panchen Lama who subsequently 'disappeared' under the oppressive Chinese rule of Tibet. A handful of the Tashi Lhunpo monks were fortunate to escape into exile and have since re-built the monastery in Mysore, South India - now flourishing with over 400 monks practising within the monastery. Tibetan Buddhism is an outlawed ancient tradition within Tibet - monks, nuns, and Tibetans cannot openly practise their heritage and traditions, forcing Tibetans to inhabitable plateaus, with such areas are now under 'Chinese Re-development', the land being stripped of natural resources for China's ever growing economy and totalitarian rule. Tibetans face persecution for as little as owning a Tibetan flag, or picture of the Dali Lama, with such actions landing you in jail, tortured, poised, and/or being released just before the point of death. It is important for us to remember and celebrate the traditions of the Himalayas and its sacred, peaceful practises.

The music was recorded live in one take at Flesh and Bone studio in Hackney for NTS Radio's Black Impulse show. Engineered, mixed, and mastered by Oliver and Owen at Flesh and Bone, capturing the raw, ethereal essence of the collaboration and ceremonial sounds buried deep within the Himalayas. This was the first time in history for such collaboration of tradition, ideology from Adeline Rozario and orchestrated by David Kerry of BlackMoon1348 who created this music to diversify and bring together ceremonial instruments, diversifying the metaphysics of transcendence through ceremonial Tibetan practises.

It is important to understand that BlackMoon1348 are not attempting to change the fundamental meaning or belief of the Tashi Lhunpo Monks, or assume to have a deep-rooted understanding of the ancient traditions of Tibetan Buddhism, This is our understanding of Tibetan culture and practices as truly and honestly as we see and feel it, and our attempt to spread this beautiful, sacred, culture, and keep it alive within today's society.

Liberation through hearing.

Columbus, Ohio may not be spoken of in the same glowing terms as Detroit when it comes to '90s Techno from the Mid-West. However, the Columbus-based 21/22 Corp label was responsible for some of Future Primitive's favourite techno from this era. We've tracked down the multi-genre 'president and production manager' behind 21/22 Corp, Charles Noel, for our next release. Formed of two exclusive productions, this Archetype 12" is the essence of techno at its most individual

Classic singles like Billy Fury's 'Halfway To Paradise', Dusty Springfield's 'I Only Want To Be With You' and The Walker Brothers' 'Make It Easy On Yourself' would not have been hits without Ivor Raymonde. As their arranger, and in the case of 'I Only Want To Be With You' songwriter too, he shaped the final recordings. He decided on the orchestration and backing
vocals, chose the instruments and determined what was heard on the radio - and what record buyers bought.
'Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde' is a long-overdue celebration of Ivor Raymonde, collecting his work as an arranger, musical director, producer, singer and songwriter. The story of a British musical great is told for the first time.
Billy Fury, Dusty Springfield and The Walker Brothers are heard. So is the only vocal performance for which Ivor Raymonde received a credit on a record label. He worked with the pre-fame David Bowie and Tom Jones. He spotted the potential of Los Bravos, steering them into the charts with 'Black Is Black'. Near-misses and obscurities made with Brit-girls Cindy Cole and
Helen Shapiro, the soulful Sonny Childe and confrontational protopsychedelic London band The Flies are as fantastic as the hits. With these and more, 'Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde' distils the essence of the magic of Ivor Raymonde.
'Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde' is released by Bella Union, the label run by Ivor's son, former Cocteau Twins member Simon Raymonde.
Compiled by Simon and Kieron Tyler, it is a very personal tribute to a sadly missed father. Born in 1926, Ivor Raymonde passed away in 1990. The previously untold story is revealed through a moving reminiscence written by Simon and in-depth liner notes and a track-by-track commentary by Kieron. Ivor Raymonde played on the ocean liner The Queen Mary in 1949. In the Fifties, British television viewers saw him in legendary comedian Tony Hancock's 'Hancock's Half Hour' but music was always going
to be most important - the hits with Billy Fury and Dusty Springfield in 1961 and 1963 meant he was in demand. The 26 selections balance the wellknown with collectable rarities and tracks drawn from - until now - barely heard-of singles. Each is a gem and each shows the magic of an Ivor Raymonde recording.
'Paradise: The Sound Of Ivor Raymonde' is issued on CD and 180g heavyweight double vinyl album with digital download code. The vinyl version is sequenced slightly differently for listening flow. Every track was originally issued as a single issued in mono for the pop market until 1968 / 1969. Keeping the integrity of the compilation in mind, all but four tracks appear in mono as they did originally. The masters used are those of the original singles.

Aussteiger is a Berlin based German DJ / Producer. He runs the Dub Disco label in Berlin and DJ's around the world. Zusammenkunft is his debut album released on Copenhagen's Music For Dreams. Once upon a time a golden boy came back from the shadows. Rumors were told that he once left the big city in a time where the music scene and clubs were dominated by cold music and average beats. He left behind civilisation, living withdrawn in the woody mountains of a covert place. From there on people talked about him as Aussteiger. Connected to the nature and deeply rooted in the harmonic essence, Aussteiger became a part of the great whole. In a full moon illuminated clear night while experimenting with various unique herbs he accidentally found a recipe to create warm and ravishing music. He firmly believes that music is his infinite source to gather strength and positive energy After years of strengthening himself and shaping vibrant sounds Aussteiger decided to share his delightful music with the world. He returned from his retreat in order to enchant the music lovers all over the world with his feel good approach and supernatural sounds. Coming back to the city, he also co-founded the awesome Dub Disco Label with his buddy Serj Nosé.

From 'Breaking Bad' to Danish films and albums
Asger Baden is a productive composer and has created music for countless films, television productions and series. He has worked with directors such as Christoffer Boe, Nicolaj Arcel and Martin De Thurah, and his music is featured well known productions like 'Breaking Bad', 'The Wolfpack' and 'VICE' on HBO.
'Zarniqa' is recorded with a 40 piece major symphony orchestra in Prague. On the album, Asger Baden chases music's untouched essence.
Asger Baden is a composer and producer based in Copenhagen Denmark. 'Zarniqa' the 1st album in his own name - 16 cinematic, timeless compositions with a dramatic and dense expression ranging from melancholy to an etheric ease.
The main part of the album is recorded with a 40-piece symphony orchestra in the majestic Rudolfinum Dvoák Concert Hall in Prague. In stark contrast to the orchestra are the piano pieces - recorded solo by Asger Baden in Copenhagen. The contrast between the grand symphonic sound and the intimate piano pieces defines the album

"Oozing.. oozing soul, oozing feel, oozing the essence of rhythm and the body. This is what Elbee Bad is about. A native New Yorker who has long since transplanted himself in Berlin, Elbee Bad AKA The Prince of Dance is back on Thema Recordings with a masterclass mini album that will resonate for years to come. "Crossing Dimensions" is more than just a record, it is a philosophy on turntablism and what it means to be engaged in this culture. Sitting comfortably on the shelf next to artists like Mr. G, Moodymann, and DJ Sprinkles, Elbee recalls this genuine house feeling while adding a spice that could only be summoned out of his creative nuance. From the anthemic knowledge of "Request Monster" to the bass blistering sonnets of "Crossing Dimensions", Elbee showcases the sound of an artist who is deeply in touch with himself, the crowd, and the history of this music. No filler, no bullshit, just truth, love, and HOUSE.
Text by: Nathan Levenson"

Taking a turn to some of its roots, Emotional Rescue offers a reissue of Ramjac Corporation's UK house/breaks anthem Cameroon Massif!. First released on the increasingly cult-status Irdial Discs in 1990, this was very much the sound of the big bang explosion of Acid House morphing and splintering, as subsequent multi-genres developed, formed, imploded and reformed in new ways that still subsists today.

Within the melting pot of anything goes, chemically-enhanced optimism that spread across the UK during that return to the summers of love from 1987 onwards, the nascent sounds coming from Chicago and Detroit were mixed with a hybrid of 80s British influences, taking in European synth pop, US electro, new beat, hip hop and reggae. Out of this appeared a new sound, mixing that love of techno and house with dub bass and break beats into a proto-jungle swirl.

Like many growing up through the ever-evolving 60, 70s & 80s British music scene, Paul Chivers' early years of learning piano and guitar, moved from Beatles era pop to take in punk, jazz and anything an eager musical mind could explore. Developing a long-term interest and study of Cuban and Afro-drumming, his acquisition of an Atari and sampler soon moved to programming of both drum machines and TB303 and with that, Ramjac Corporation was born.

Playing live at some of the earliest raves in 1988, as often through luck and "right time, right place", including the infamous Back To The Future and Energy parties, Ramjac went from playing from 50 to 10,000 ravers in a matter of months, as the nation was gripped, depending on your cultural standing, by either a mixture of drug apocalypse paranoia or ecstatic celebration.

It was a meeting with Akin Fernandez, founder of Irdial Discs, that led some of the first studio experiments and creation of Cameroon Massif!. Utlising Akin's in-house studio and production skills, alongside Chivers' jazz influenced outlook of improvisation over arrangement, the track took shape, mixing the live programmed percussion, heavy doses of phase, delay and reverb and Sun Ra inspired keys that resulted in a number of mixes of Massif!.

Collected here are the original 12" "Massive" and "Massing" mixes, plus a special live version taken from the "Live At The Brain" reunion gig of 2009. The sought after 1990 versions and original Live mix are taken a step further with this 13 mins + mix, in essence a resampling and remixing reversion with didgeridoo and live on mic MCing, that gives a real glimpse of those early live sets. With more Ramjac Corporation material upcoming and a live reel-to-reel show appearing soon, the return of Cameroon Massif! is now.

Next up on Francis Harris' exceptional imprint Scissor & Thread comes a collaboration with American Producer, DJ Aakmael. Aakmael has built a reputation for some of the deepest, rawest house music sounds coming out of the States, releasing well-received tracks on the likes of Freerange Records, Release Sustain, Kolour Dogmatik and NDATL. Returning to Scissor & Thread, Aakmael and label boss Harris cook up an intoxicating vibe across this 5 track EP. Each shares a track and work together on the fifth, while also remixing each other's solo cuts. First up Aakmael's Deep Muzik- a quintessential nod to its self-proclaimed mission statement. Skittering drums, a shuffling groove, deep keys, and chords make up this essential opener. Frank's (aka Francis Harris) All That Light Mix shows another side, finding pockets of space and developing the fizzing percussion to produce an equally affecting piece of dancefloor bliss. Sharing production duties from the outset on Mercy of Means, the guys slip into an easy mid-tempo groove with plenty of depth - the rhythm rolls along and offers the perfect basis for some sublime melodic touches. Frank's Part Song also hones in on the subtle deep grooves. Bumping, slightly filtered and saturated drums provide the main body, with beautiful washes and keys finding their way through, Aakmael's remix beefs up the groove somewhat, making the snares snap harder and kick hit a little stronger, but the essence of the tracks melodic atmosphere remains perfectly in place.

The second part of the Seltron 400 trilogy on MOST, Trans i Bas, sees the group re-embark on their singular journey in search of the essence of the rave. Since the first EP in the series - Zabawa Trwa - came out last year, they have augmented their back-to-back dj sets with a full-on live show, which again fed back into their recording process.

The record's title cut, Trans i Bas (also available in an earth-shaking drum version) is as uplifting as it is spontaneous, complete with trance-infused pads and heavy, tripping bass. Jest Nadzieja brings a little swing and a mental breakdown, while Oo is all crunched riffs and one-finger-string-solo glory. Nuff said.

Betty Harris' The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul collects together the steady stream of amazing soul and funk singles issued by Betty Harris from 1964 to 1969, under the musical guidance of legendary composer, musician and producer extraordinaire Allen Toussaint, a collection which truly captures the heart and soul of the city of New Orleans during this era.
Betty Harris's powerful, fiery soulful vocals found a perfect accompaniment with the New Orleans' players that Toussaint put together to back her, which by the time of her funk classic 'There's A Break In The Road' were the legendary super-tight, super-funk New Orleans group The Meters.
With the extraordinary song-writing skills of Allen Toussaint alongside the powerful, soaring, confident and emotive singer and the groove of The Meters, you have an unbeatable combination. That Harris never in fact lived in New Orleans (she flew in from Florida for all her sessions with Toussaint's local in-house players) seems almost an irrelevance, a geographical aside to the defining New Orleans sound captured on the recordings featured here.
All of these singles featured here were released on Allen Toussaint and his business partner Marshal Sehorn's local New Orleans label Sansu, widely distributed in the southern city but in only limited quantities elsewhere. As a consequence, Betty Harris' music failed to achieve the commercial success of other New Orleans artists such as Lee Dorsey (who she recorded with) and The Meters (who backed her). And so at the end of the decade she stopped recording, retired from the music business to raise her family in Florida.
This is no reflection of the stunning musical quality of all these songs which encompass everything from southern soul, heavy funk, deep soul ballads and northern soul. Betty Harris has been a cornerstone of Soul Jazz Records' New Orleans Funk and New Orleans Soul compilations. Always soulful and always funky, Betty Harris' music contains the essence of New Orleans music. She is the Lost Soul Queen of New Orleans.
This collection is released on CD, heavyweight gatefold double LP vinyl (+ download code) and digital and comes complete with full biography, original label artwork.

Violet-the Color Of Royalty And Majesty, Of Dreamy And Calming Consciousness...here Translated To A Spirited Collection Of Absolute Music
Drivetrain (detroit, Usa) - breathe'
Derrick Thompson Engineers Another Captivating Late Night Soul-bender. A Commanding Filtered Bass Groove, Dominates Melodic Chord Progressions With Accentuating Dynamic Percussion And Spicy Vocal Support
Mattimoe-perrine (toledo, Usa) - llucid'
Nathan Mattimoe And Todd Perrine Return With A Composition Of Charismatic Rhythm Intelligence. As The Journey Builds, The Elements Become More Intense, Evolving To A Vocal Crescendo Of Synthesized Deepness
Trecci (paris, France) - sagami'
Soiree Proudly Welcomes Trecci And His Tribal Inspired Floor Filler. Drum Manipulation Integrates With Vocal Energy To Ultimately Dissolve In A Hypnotic, Quintessential String Refrain
Funtom (zagreb, Croatia) - french Connection'
Another Newcomer To Soiree, Funtom Musically Animates The Essence Of High-tech Sensuality. An Alluring Female Voice Subconsciously Unveils A Bed Of Infactuating Pads, Stabs And Inflections

After previously releasing Starship Commander Woooo Woooo's - Mastership LP, Left Ear Records have continued excavating the archives of the artist more formally known as Omer Coleman Jr. The result is two handpicked mid 80's instrumentals salvaged from the original master tapes, as well as an extended vocal edit on the flip for good measure.
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After laying his alter ego to rest Omer made a handful of electronic releases on his own Kansas based 'Remo' label. Of these releases Left Ear has selected their two favourite instrumentals: 'Lovin 'Babe' Sure Is Fun' and 'So Good'. 'Lovin 'Babe' Sure Is Fun' was originally released in '85 and was created to celebrate a time in America where 'the economy was good, people were happy and love was in the air', the essence of which Omer captured using his Roland 808 and 303 in what may best be described as Acid-Boogie. 'So Good' on the other hand is a sensual downtempo cut shaped with heavy-bass, telephone samples and guitar solos that conjures images of late Night Rendezvous and compromising scenarios.

It's been over 10 years since the release of Gui Boratto's breakthrough full length debut 'Chromophobia'. As to what its title suggests, he shook up the techno game with a contrast of lushly coloured minimal grooves and melody, whilst many will recall that the album included the highlight single Beautiful Life' which became a dance floor anthem for that era. Four albums in and countless EPs and remixes under his belt, the Brazilian producer's unique savoir-faire in carving out a functional album out of diversely routed singles and features is back at it on his fifth studio LP, 'Pentagram'. Here Gui Boratto lays down a nuanced 12-track narrative that reinvigorates his signature sound into a refreshingly different perspective that feels all too familiar - including the return of Beautiful Life' vocalist (and Gui Boratto's wife) Luciana Villanova on the single "Overload".

Through his signature kaleidoscopic approach, Boratto delivers an album built as a far-reaching hub-and-spoke system, broadly inclusive as can be. From the opening cut, 'The Walker' - hot on the trail of Tears For Fears 'Elemental' (one of Boratto's "favourite 80's bands") - to the hi-NRG euphoria of 'Forgotten' and its pounding tech alter ego 'Forgive Me'. "I was going into 2 different directions", Boratto says, "the typical indie- electronic-rock' Boratto kind of production like It's Majik' or Like You' and a much more techno approach." He goes on, "I decided to split them into two twin sister songs. When I play live I always put these two songs together."

The Brazilian Producer further embraces the pop-friendly essence of his past work on tracks like 'The Phoenix', featuring vocalist Nathan Berger, and 'Overload', both melding acidulous synthlines with laser-precise breaks, vox hooks and drops calibrated for extended radio and club use, although sieved through his distinctive rainbow-hued musical prism. For the symbolists out there, the album's pared-down closer '618' duration accidentally happens to equate the proportions of the said pentagram. "Coincidence" Boratto questions, and capsulises, "not so ufanista and supporter of Brazilian neo-concretism, but I guess the brazilian sculptor Lygia Clark also inspired me a lot. Not the meaning of her sculptures, but the shape of the hinge of most of her work. I've wanted to transmit the scientific pentagram's point of view. It's not a religious kind of thing."

Whereas 'Spur' (a field-tested 808 and 909-heavy "purist track", "very, very old school" Boratto insists) and 'Alcazar' are sheer smooth-edged four-to- the-floor epics, the album also shares its lot of startling moments, such as with the John Barry'esque 'Scene 2' (with a hint of Amon Tobin, 'Easy Muffin' style, throw in) and its refined string-laden buildup, 100% fitted for a 007 opening credit sequence, or with 'Hallucination' (feat B.T.) and the further James Holden-ish title-track 'Pentagram' (think 'The Idiots Are Winning'), "one of those exercises I did when I got my Buchla modular synth" Boratto analyses, "I think I've used more then 30 different snares, with different delays and reverbs. The whole song is alive". And so is 'Pentagram' in its entirety: alive and definitely just as manifold and hopeful as its architectonics are the stuff of science and dreams all at once.

Es ist zehn Jahre her seit der Veröffentlichung von Gui Borattos bahnbrechendem Debütalbum - Chromophobia . So wie der Titel vermuten ließ, war das Album mit seinen kontrastreichen Minimalgrooves und den üppig gefärbten Melodien ein Schocker im besten Sinne. Ihr erinnert euch sicher noch an die Hit-Single - Beautiful Life , eine Dancefloor-Hymne aus dieser Zeit. Nach vier Alben und unzähligen EPs und Remixen ist das einmalige Savoir-faire des brasilianischen Produzenten, aus vielfältigen Singles und Features stimmige Alben zu schaffen, auch auf seinem fünften Studioalbum - Pentagram zu hören. Hier legt Gui Boratto ein Zwölf-Track-Narrativ vor, das seine Handschrift auf erquickende Weise wiederbelebt. Wiederbelebt wird auch die Stimme von - Beautiful Life (die der Frau Gui Borattos gehört) auf dem Stück - Overload .

Durch seinen charakteristisch kaleidoskopischen Ansatz liefert Boratto ein Album, das gebaut ist wie die Speichen deines Fahrrads, von dem Opener - The Walker - direkt auf der Spur von Tears For Fears - Elemental (einer von Borattos - favourite 80's bands ) - zur Hi-NRG-Euphorie von - Forgotten und seinem stampfenden Counterpart - Forgive Me . - Ich bin in zwei unterschiedlichen Richtungen gegangen , sagt Boratto: - den typischen ,Indie-Electronic-Rock'-Weg wie in - It's Majik oder - Like You und den Techno-Weg. Er fügt hinzu: - Ich hab mich entschieden jedem Track seinen Zwillings-Track an die Seite zu stellen. Immer wenn ich live spiele lege ich die zwei Stücke zusammen.

Der brasilianische Produzent erschließt weiter die Pop-Essenz seiner vergangenen Arbeit auf Tracks wie - The Phoenix (feat. Nathan Berger) und - Overload . Beide kombinieren zwitschernde Synthi-Melodien mit lasergenauen Breaks, Hooklines, Drops und sind wie gemacht für die Rotation und den Club. Und für die Symbolisten da draußen: die Länge des reduzierten Closers - 618 beträgt zufälliger Weise genau die Proportionen des besagten Pentagramms. - Fügung , fragt Boratto und fasst zusammen: - Ich bin kein Anhänger des brasilianische Neo-Konkretismus , aber ich glaube die brasilianische Künstlerin Lygia Clark hat mich sehr inspiriert. Nicht die Bedeutung ihre Skulpturen aber die Form der meisten ihrer Arbeiten. Ich wollte den wissenschaftlichen Blickwinkel auf das Pentagramm übersetzen. Nicht im religiösen Sinne oder so."

Während - Spur (ein erprobter - purist track auf der Basis von 808 und 909, - sehr, sehr old school , wie Boratto betont) und - Alcazar glatte Vierviertel-Epen sind, hält das Album auch Überraschungsmomente bereit. Z.B. das John Barryschen - Scene 2 (auch eine Spur von Amon Tobins - Easy Muffin ist darin zu hören) und seinem Streicher-Aufbau, der hundertprozentig geeignet wär für eine Eröffnungssequenz in einem Bond-Film. Auch - Hallucination (feat. B.T.) oder der James-Holden-hafte Titeltrack - Pentagram (wir denken da an - The Idiots Are Winning ) wäre da zu nennen. - Einer dieser Übungen, die ich gemacht habe, als ich meinen Buchla-Modular-Synthesizer bekommen habe, war , erinnert sich Boratto, - mehr als 30 verschiedene Snares, Delays und Reverbs zu verwenden. Der ganze Song sollte am Leben sein. Und so ist - Pentagram im Ganzen: lebendig und sicher genau so vielfältig wie sein Bauplan, der auch der Wissenschaft und den Träumen zugrundeliegt.

Fresh on Francis Harris' Kingdoms imprint comes Rasmus Juncker's 'Ophold' - six tracks of sublime atmospheres and textures. The Danish musician, sound composer and DJ fits perfectly with the label's aesthetic, joining the dots between ambient, leftfield electronica and modern classical.

Juncker has a background in studying jazz drumming and has been playing improvised music within the jazz domain for many years. He also started to DJ at the age of 14 and was introduced to the world of electronic music production at the same time.

When Rasmus started to think about his debut album he spent several months trying to find his own way to combine his favourite musical influences, improvisation, electronics and classical music. 'Almost a year later', Juncker says, "I went to a sensory deprivation floating tank in Copenhagen while researching for another performance and while I was lying there, floating in the water, deprived from most of my senses, I got the idea to do something drastic in my musical process. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant describe this deprived state as a mental 'Cesura', which became some sort of guideline for the album."

So Juncker decided to start working on the album by leaving the process as well as the final result completely open. 'I wanted to create sounds and music that I had no idea what they would sound like, but would feel like a mental 'Cesura', an 'Ophold' (in Danish)' he states.

He invited musicians, one after the other, to his studio. "I had an electronic musician to improvise patterns and new interesting sounds based on my experience in the deprivation tank. I chose some of the takes and some weeks later I invited a jazz guitarist to listen and improvise on top of what he heard. Then a classical string quartet and a double bass player came to my studio months later, and finally I recorded myself on percussion and drums.

Throughout the recording process I've been experimenting with special microphones in various setups, used noises from the recordings and the room became absolutely essential for the pieces." Juncker states.

"The material I used was all first take improvision which I arranged, layered and edited into compositions. The final pieces were mixed by Andreas Pallisgaard with the same improvised and experimental approach of the recording and the production. None of the musician met each other, but their sounds developed into something completely fantastic I think. The presence of the acoustic instruments and the depth and complexity of the synthesized layers gave some kind of an indescribable sounding music from another galaxy.

Track by track:

'Norddrum' starts proceedings - ethereal, grainy sounds merge and disassociate, as a distant rhythm gradually finds its way to the fore.

The second track, 'Sora' , clocking in at under 2 minutes, is an interlude full of strings, pads, and percussive hits, rich in feeling. This strong sense of sound design and seemingly disparate sounds woven together into a whole carries through into 'Eksotisk Tirsdag' - the strings, plucked instruments and electronics harking back to 4th world adventurers like Jon Hassel and Brian Eno.

'Cyklus' dives into drone textures, pulsing and modulating to create an unearthly soundtrack.

'Havekunst' is another 2 minutes interlude, this time bringing a fully charged rhythmic barrage to the front.

'Cesura', the final track is in essence the EP's centerpiece - a sprawling 8 minute journey that traverses tense, fibrous sections and on into pulsing modular passages, before opening up into glorious moments of wonder and brightness. It's a hugely bold yet fragile endeavour, in line with the whole release.

Benny Blanco debuts with a five-tracks "Staraya Ep" onto his Valkea Music. Every detail has been taken care, from mixing
to the master from the WHITE 180 GRAMS vinyl press to artwork. Following a short description about "Staraya EP"
STRY 1 by Ricky L Red "Is Not Dead Mix" intense and majestic, the track of rare and profound beauty.
STRY 2 "Original Mix" it's a tribute to Benny Blanco's origins and to the electronic/progressive sound of the mid nineties
that had great influence on him and became his trademark from the very beginning.
STRY 3 by Giammaria Coccoluto & Luca Vera "As Soul Sonic Remix" an ethnic rhythm full of grooves thanks to the addition
of percussive elements and a masterly used organ, which won't keep you still.
STRY 4 "The THC Revenge Remix" an atmosphere that captures and hypnotizes, where it extrapolates and magnificently
enhances the most melodic part.
STRY 5 "Erly Tepshi Dark Vision Mix" an esoteric and astral journey in the furthest and most remote corners of your mind.
This original project to the artwork that will in essence, satisfy your eyes and especially the ears.

'Your mind makes it real.' - Ahwlee Vital Sales Points: Extensive Global Sticker Promo Campaign Special Bonus Tracks Release Full-Life April 2018 (digital only) Life2 Quotes : 'Once you press play you want to listen to it from front to back.' - Danny Veekens (The Find Mag) 'Life2 embodies the essence of the ancestors. The marriage of his kicks, snares and hi hats with those lush soul chops reminds me of the first time I fell in love with hip hop.

Making his debut on the label, Spanish producer Kuo Climax is welcomed to the Hot Creations fold. A solid two track release that has already been heating up dancefloors across the globe, the talented artist showcases his distinct style and proves why he is hotly tipped for 2018.

The EP opens up with Whyte, a pulsating track with a warped bassline and oozing synths. Two and a half minutes deep it disperses into a breakbeat-esque breakdown that dives back into the familiar 4/4 beat. Title track Nacrem is a smooth roller with an underpinning bass and intergalactic vocal stabs. The EP highlights the Spanish producer's ability to bring balance to his output, providing music perfectly attuned for the floor.

Born in Malaga and now residing in Barcelona, Kuo Climax has released on respected labels such as Knee Deep In Sound, Solid Grooves and VIVa MUSiC. 2018 will see the producer launch his own vinyl-only imprint, LFOFL, that aims to recognise the progress in technology without losing the essence of true dance music.