Modularz presents emerging artist Patrick Carrera to our family of producers. We are excited to present this next level release focused on pure analog manipulation and sonic hypnosis. The berlin based producer spent a year producing this project for us, its techno in the purest form and taking modern sequencing to a new level. We couldn't be more excited for this body of work to be hammered on the most highly regarded sound systems and venues around the globe. Highly recommended TIP!
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.
Maeve are thrilled to welcome long time friend Kev Sheridan to the label for his debut release. Kev is one of the most talented musicians they know and its an honor for them to release his first work to the world. This project has been developing over the past few years and now this record showcases the deep musicality and talent Kev has.
Oh so you thought that was it with RELO1 "Funny idea but we wont ever hear from those goofy guys again." You were so wrong. We spent 7 months in the studio and pulled another 3 pointer out of the hat with a bat. RELO2 is here from the Rebound Lounge label and production project brought to you by DJ Dog(aka DJ Fett Burger) & Double Dancer.
The human connection is the key to personal and career success. 3KZ is the perfect example of how two great minds can connect and relate to the world with sounds that have no description. The beauty of it comes once you put down the needle and immerse yourself to listen deeply to the brilliant music that this project represents
collecting orders for repress...!
"Milan, Italy, 1983. In the midst of the 80s economic boom, which gave an injection of optimism after the heavily political 70s, a group of young local musicians meet every night in a basement to rehearse and record a peculiar breed of Italian disco music. Originated from the ashes of various other projects, and rooted in the broader jazz-funk tradition, the group creates music which is equally inspired by contemporary fusion as well as by the first wave of the italo-disco sound. Over approximately 3 years the band has recorded and played live, until the dismantling of the project towards the mid 80's.
Fast forward 35 years and the genuinely mediterranean flavor of Qvark's demo recordings are still enjoyable, both for the actual resurgence of the Italian disco tradition and for the groovy quirkiness of a project which has been too long forgotten. After an intense work of audio restoration of such tapes, heavily affected by time, Early Sounds is pleased to present a compilation which is an important find to define the sound of late 70's and early 80's Italian club sound."
Mannequin's 100th - a comp looking forward featuring an international and serious cast... BIG TIP!
The modern synthwave scene would be significantly poorer without the keen ear and tireless efforts of the Mannequin label run by Alessandro Adriani. Geographically situated within the nerve centers of Rome and Berlin, yet with a musical spirit that easily transcends these boundary lines, Mannequin's back catalog has been an important component in the modular assemblage that makes up electronics-based independent music in the 21st century, and an important reference point for those who need to defend against the lazy accusations that this such is purely retro' in its form and content. Recent accolades and accomplishments - being named Resident Advisor's label of the month' for May of this year, starting the 'Death of the Machines' 12' series, and being given the 'green light' for bi-monthly parties at the Säule room in Berghain - have been earned through Mannequin's unflagging commitment to sonic diversity and Adriani's own realization that the anxious and sharp-edged sounds associated with, say, the Cold War of the 1980s can convey a completely different message today. Adriani says it best when claiming that there is no such thing as 'old' or 'new' music...only the music of now'. With this cogent statement of intent, Mannequin continues to go on exploratory missions to find the best and most relevant aspects of genres like acid, industrial, EBM, post-punk, coldwave and still more.
Which brings us to Mannequin's newest project and 100th release overall: the Waves of the Future double LP compilation, which itself is not a conventional retrospective collection. Case in point - none of the artists appearing on this collection have put out their own releases on Mannequin yet, despite acting as Mannequin's unofficial ambassadors (via DJ sets and other means). This makes the set even more compelling rather than less so, since it shows how Mannequin fits into a larger picture that includes other scene leaders and label owners including Beau Wanzer, Willie Burns (WT Records), Silent Servant (Jealous God) and Ron Morelli (L.I.E.S.). Of equal importance is how Waves of the Future projects a sense of aesthetic resilience and continuity, showcasing just how well the current artists allied with Mannequin employ and re-interpret the sonic lexicon that appears on that label's reissues of 'classic' acts such as Nocturnal Emissions, Bourbonese Qualk, Din A Testbild and Doris Norton.
However, none of this would matter as much if the music itself didn't have strong potential for lighting a blaze in the dark corners of the human imagination, and of course for forcing bodies into motion. Each track here pivots around a couple of key sound elements that seem to set the stage for the next track to come: see the sputtering / chopped ghost voices on Morelli's Charges Won't Stick,' which easily informs the slicing drone and authoritarian beat of Shawn O' Sullivan's Ill Fit,' which then lays down the emotional foundation for the sequencer-powered With You' from An-I & Adriani or the glassy landscape of Illum Sphere's Exhaustion'. Elsewhere, the wired mischief of Not Waving intersects easily with the spherical electro-funk and coded commands of Beau Wanzer. When all the disparate parts of Waves of the Future are soldered together, it perfectly illustrates Mannequin's non-linear philosophy and Adriani's suggestion that Mannequin listeners directly engage with the music rather than trying too hard to analyze or dissect it.
After the success of his 'I Speak Synth' EP which gained massive support globally from the likes of Barac, Cap & East End dubs, Lorenzo Chiabotti is back on Fake, this time with Vatos Locos's David Gtronic, 3 deep hypnotic grooving house tracks that have been getting support from the Fuse London crew amongst others.
With every album project comes a proper remix pack. Marco Bailey has invited some of his most respected colleagues in modern day Techno to come up with an interpretation of two of Temper's
toughest cuts. ''Planet Mad'' is being reworked by Marcel Fengler and Andre Kronert. Fengler's rework is an adventurous take on the original and has a strong emphasis on rhythm.
Without loosing with the original idea, Fengler builds the rhythm section into a wash of bold drums and rich percussion.
Andre Kronert's take on Planet Mad pushes the track's idea into a different direction. Kronert yet again proves to be a craftsman when it comes to textures and builds.
While the recognizable bass sound of the original keeps thumping, atypical bits of FX are added to build on an unusual but very soothing atmosphere.
For the B side, ''Naga'' is being reshaped by Croatian master of electronics ''Petar Dundov'' and Rotterdam based fast riser; Koen Hoets.
Petar Dundov comes up with an esoteric take on ''Naga''. Whilst respecting the form of the original, Dundov goes one notch deeper with his wide array dub elements and feral hat sounds.
Koen Hoets delivers a more demure take on ''naga''. Whilst the rhythm section might not be suitable for all club situations, this is adventurous techno at it's best. Noteworthy fx and soul touching
strings that float throughout.
The Music for this release was a process of literal Catharsis, a purging of a build up of negative thoughts and emotions, but the music is also designed to be confrontational. The intent is to challenge mediocrity, to ask questions about the whole notion of techno as merely a form of debauched escapism. The music also asks questions about destructiveness and apathy. The aim is for something with meaning, as opposed to transience. Our demons are your contentments'
Catharsis is the result of the meeting and collaboration between veteran techno producer 'Heretic' and dark ambient producer 'Emission'.
The project is a quest to explore and purge negative thoughts via music. a modern ascetic experience in the pursuit of inner peace.
Total submission
Total immersion
Destroy the inner voices...
For their 3rd release, Pulse Msc has traveled worldwide from Rennes to Vienna, Copenhagen, and Adelaide to create "Mind Trip", a detonating 4 tracks Lo-fi House EP with multiple influences.
The first track is signed by Subjoi, a young Australian artist well-known in the Lo-fi game. The man delivers "The Way I Feel", a subtle and emotional tune, embellished with devastating kicks which will leave nobody indifferent.
In the second position, there is an important contributor to the French Lo-fi scene, who has a lot of talent and is clearly to monitor: DJ Psychiatre! The guy has released of his imagination "Our Love Is Real", a wonderful piece conducive to escape with varied & nonlinear sonorities and powerful vocals.
Then Slim Hustla, a Danish duo with well-tempered personalities gives a big contribution to the project with "Ghostryda". The track is a sentimental and melancholic ballad, with beautiful vocals which brings the listeners in weightlessness and strays them into a dreamy universe.
To conclude, gutinstinct, an Austrian versatile artist, owner of Dream Raw Recordings ends the EP with "Blue Sea". The tune is a raw and dark dance-floor killer track, which plunges everybody into an abyssal atmosphere. Take a deep breath and enjoy the trip!
After dropping several tracks and performing at select festivals throughout the years, Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen dedicated the year 2014 to explore the area in-between Ólafur's more acoustic, piano-based solo work and Janus's synth-heavy electro pop, with their collaborative electronic project Kiasmos.
By focusing solely on their self-titled debut album, Ólafur and Janus have been able to combine and further develop their unique sound aesthetics to complete an album driven by their mutual love for electronic music. Made in Ólafur's newly build studio in Reykjavík, Iceland, a majority of the album was recorded using acoustic instruments next to a variety of synthesisers, drum machines and tape delays. It features a live drummer, string quartet and Ólafur performing on the grand piano, producing an ambient, textured sound, which makes it a perfect home listen and equally danceable record. If you listen closely, you can spot them record the thumb piano, finger snapping and even the sound of the metal grinder of a lighter slowly to replace the usual electronic hi-hat sounds, giving the album a far more intimate and unique atmosphere.
We decided to start almost completely over with this record, so most of the material is written this year with the idea of making a record that can stand as one piece rather than a collection of songs. I am very excited to get a proper record out exploring a different territory than I am used to. I touch a lot on electronic genres in my own music but never have the opportunity to go full out electronic like we do here.' - Ólafur Arnalds
The Kiasmos project has been around since 2007, but because of all our other projects we never really got the time to sit down and write all the tracks we always wanted to. So when we early this year finally found the time to sit down and make a full length album there was so much we wanted to try out. The result surprised us a bit, it's deeper and more emotional than we imagined it to be, but that's the beauty of being able to make an album.' - Janus Rasmussen
Long-term Erased Tapes graphics collaborator Torsten Posselt at Feld Studios in Berlin created the cover artwork. Feld Studios was a natural choice for Kiasmos, seeing he also designed the cover for their Thrown EP, released previously.
Kiasmos is made up of Icelandic BAFTA-winning composer Ólafur Arnalds, known for his unique blend of minimal piano and string compositions with electronic sounds, and Janus Rasmussen from the Faroe Islands, known as the mastermind of the electro-pop outfit Bloodgroup. Based in Reykjavík, Arnalds used to work as a sound engineer, often for Rasmussen's other projects, where the two musicians discovered their common love for minimal, experimental music. They eventually became best friends, often hanging out in their studio, exploring electronic sounds.
Office Recordings continues to surprise us. After Baaz' Techno-/Ambient-hybrid on Office 011 the label from Berlin comes up with a stunning new and anonymous project called 'One Day' featuring four also unnamed tracks. The A-side of the record starts off with a with a superb Deep Techno track which tempts us with very emotional pads and a strong kick and bass fundament - an irresistible combination. A2 goes in the same direction but feels like the slightly mellower and softer brother of its predecessor - a little bit moody but still straightforward at the same time. The flip side is dedicated to two freestyle electronic tracks standing in the tradition of the best Warp offerings from their heyday in the 90s. We're talking charming melodies and sparse but elaborate rhythmic patterns. The record comes in a hand stamped and with a lovely artwork also hand made by Office art director Super Quiet. All tracks have been mastered and cut by sound engineering proficient Pole at Scape Mastering.
Eight releases in, Leonidas & Hobbes have honed a mutual love of soundtracks, disco, jazz, house, techno, acid, psychedelic, African and dub sounds.
Web Of Intrigue is one part tribute to lost 70s soundtracks, when music was created on the finest analogue hardware, featuring full bands, session players and lush orchestrations, one part tribute to 70s disco gods Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards (Chic) and one part mid-tempo but nonetheless cosmic house. The three parts fuse to form an instrumental track sounding as fresh as a whole meadow of daisies in 2017 and one that's been going down extremely well with international DJs who have road-tested the material.
Heavy Weather flips the script for a deeper workout in a 3/4 time signature - more of a cosmic waltz. Taking its main cue from 70s jazz fusion heroes Weather Report and The Doors' Ray Manzarek, it incorporates rich African percussion, spaced-out flourishes exhibiting the duo's love for the dubs of Lee Perry, King Tubby et al, and a good old fashioned arpeggio of an acid line - definitely a more esoteric number, all told.
The 'Dawn' and 'Acid Rain' mixes push different buttons for the heads, as suits the mood. It all adds up to a very Balearic confection, fitting snugly in with the burgeoning revival for this somewhat ineffable sound - a trend that seems to be getting stronger/bigger every year, popping up every time the sun gets his hat on and we all remember how to party like the lucky residents of that infamous White Isle....
MORE INFO
London/Edinburgh analogue electronic duo Leonidas & Hobbes released debut EP "Machines, Tapes & Electronic Setups" via the Hobbes Music label back in May 2013, picking up plaudits and support from the likes of Resident Advisor, Mixmag, Erol Alkan, Ashley Beedle, Alan Braxe, Shadow Child, Jimpster, Nick Warren, M.A.N.D.Y., Leftside Wobble, Mr G, Auntie Flo, Sasha, John Digweed and many more... The duo were consequently commissioned to remix the Pet Shop Boys.
Second EP "Mo' Machines" came out on the label in April 2014 and received equally high praise, with i-D Magazine inviting the duo to record a DJ mix which has to date chalked up a whole lot of love on Soundcloud.
Leonidas has released two other collaborative EPs with London-based Japanese DJ/producer Kay Suzuki via his Round In Motion imprint, equally winning fans worldwide, with a track now forthcoming on new label YAM Records' You And Music Volume 1 EP plus much more in the pipeline for 2017. Leonidas also has his own lovetoparty label, releasing edits of much-loved disco tunes on limited edition 12" vinyl format and free download. Previously, Leonidas made a name for throwing word-of-mouth parties around east London on his audiophile 'lovetoparty' sound system (providing some of the inspiration for much-admired late-night watering hole Brilliant Corners).
Equally, Hobbes ran the widely acclaimed Trouble nights for ten years in Edinburgh/Scotland, working with the great and the good from across the soul/jazz/dance spectrum since '02, and championed up-and-coming live talent via his Limbo 'gig-in-a-club' nights at The Voodoo Rooms for nine years since '07. Hobbes has toured his DJing style to the various corners of the dancing planet, including gigs in the Far East, much of Europe and across the UK. The Hobbes Music label has otherwise featured artists as diverse as Auntie Flo, JD Twitch (Optimo), Neil Landstrumm, Craig Smith (6th Borough Project), Ali Renault, iO Sounds, Joe Howe, Debukas, Fudge Fingas, Marco Bernardi, Dimitri Veimar, Mick Wills and Nightwave, with further support from Ben UFO, Justin Robertson, Motor City Drum Ensemble, KiNK, The Revenge, T.E.E.D, Kiki, Groove Armada, Maceo Plex, OOFT!, Domenic Capello (Sub Club), XDB, Ben Mono, Masa Sutela, Bawrut/Scuola Furano, Numbers, John Heckle and many more...
Drumcode continues its commitment to releasing the scene's most cutting-edge techno. With releases this year already from Adam Beyer, Pig&Dan, Alan Fitzpatrick, Dense & Pika and Julian Jeweil, this July see's the return of Enrico Sangiuliano with 'Astral Projection'.
After his remix of Moby's of 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad' back in November last year, Enrico sought creative inspiration from his travels, transcending that into his productions and long studio sessions during the winter months. The result brings a mind and body melting release from the Italian producer.
The title track 'Astral Projection' is a captivating, big room techno masterpiece. Deep reverberations punch alongside a sinisterly crisp percussive drive. Launching into a groove laden synth modulation of low end textures, it breaks down into an ethereal amalgamation of pads and synths before the vocal launches, taking this track to another level.
'Blooming Era' has destructive dancefloor intent. There is no holding back with the low end synth modulation which Enrico has mastered to perfection. A tightly woven percussive flare moulds flawlessly with the rolling oscillations of the beast of this track.
If you have seen label head honcho Adam Beyer playing anywhere on the globe in the last 5 months, this has been a peak time favourite. Road-tested to the max, and with much success.
It ends, with the release of Chapter 5 and 6, the "COSMIC TEMPLE" project
by Daniele Baldelli.
Six 12" vinyls containing a total of 18 unreleased tracks inspired by the sounds of Cosmic Disco of Lazise (Verona, Italy), where Daniele Baldelli was resident from 1979 until the end of 1984. The six covers, taken together, form a unique artwork that shows the COSMIC logo interpreted by the graphic studio "Drudi Performance", the top in the Racing Design, creator of the helmets of Valentino Rossi, on this occasion became deeply involved with the music world.
Chapter 5: Space music atmosphere in KATA SANDI, a fusion of Italo Disco electronics and Moroder influences with a vocoder to interpret the melody. DIOXIDE: an electro funk with psychotic and tribal influences. After a grand opening ESAEDRO starts to fly in space in Tangerinine Dream atmosphere.
Here is the first musical highlight of Enough! Music in 2017. The label owners of Enough! Music will tell the next awesome story with their music project. The following releases are bind together with each other through the same tale. Each release gets you closer to the whole story.Enjoy listening to the invited third artist Basti Grub ( Hoehenregler,Desolat, Baile Musik). Four excellent and magnificent tracks from Danilo Schneider and Basti Grub. The different but affectionate selection is the secret of the whole EP. Enjoy our third journey !
Modularz welcomes back Spanish producer Kessell who has released on Modularz in the past with his joint project Exium. We are huge fans of what he does and support his take on techno. Straight up tracks for mixing with elements of tribal drum rhythms and analog synth based sequences. Don't sleep on this rhythmic gem!
Joining our label for the 4th release are Dan Andrei and Kozo, under their collaboration named AK41, a fructuous project that offers three highly complex tracks. On the A side you can find "Icebreaker" solely, an eccentric sound with a steady bassline, percussive kicks, tripping shakers and a thoughtful, mysterious melody that touches all the frequencies of your body. Turning to the B side we find "Swingenious", a groovier interpretation produced by a combination of spacey feelings and sophisticated instruments that will move every bone on the dancefloor. Closing the EP is "In Memoriam", a melancholic version that is not short of an aggressive bassline, ambiguous vocals and deep introspects, all aligned to disconnect you from the reality of routine.
When we started Ilian Tape 10 years ago in 2007, we were both basically kids at the ages of 23 (Dario) and 18 (Marco). There was no plan behind it, no concept, no promotion campaign or any budget, but just an early vision of where it could go. We wanted to build something that lasts. After a few years of playing at parties and producing music, it was the next logical step to start a label. You can clearly see us growing up through the label in terms of artwork, compiling the records and handling things. We made some mistakes along the way and there are surely things we could have done better, but looking back after 10 years now it all makes sense as it was a natural and human development with all its ups and downs.It was always a very personal project, never about making money, but about creating a platform for music we believe in and building relationships with artists in a transparent and fair way. We really appreciate that we were able to work with so many great artists, who shared the same vision and trusted in us, over all the years. A while ago we moved away from the ordinary release info write ups, because in general writing about music is tricky and who isn't tired of the typical, full of praise for every detail of a record, release textsBut this might be starting to get boring for you too, so just buy this lovely triple vinyl package including a poster and download code, light one up and turn up the volume!One last thing though - we want to deeply thank our parents for teaching us to live our dreams and find out who we really are, our friends for the vibes and honesty, all the artists releasing on the label, all the supporters & fans for buying vinyl and files, all the DJ's playing out the stuff, all the diggers selling the stuff overpriced on Discogs, all the dancers working out on the dancefloors & all the clubs doing label nights over all the years.
