Search:the master of drums

The master jammer returns! Opal are so proud to release this set of four beautiful, sun filled pieces of pure electronic music. Ged Gengras' Personable project is the boiled down syrup of many years spent learning his craft within synthesis. Captured directly from live home studio recording, each track lives and breathes in it's own space, 'Gambetti' serves a light structure of rattling snares and resonant bass boops dressed up with gorgeous, almost gothic hanging notes. 'Window' is a funked slice of Ged at his best, referencing grime/garage structure but extended out into am 11+ minute epic that conjures buccolic idyll, like funky sunshine. B-side opener 'Oyster' flips the vibe inward into a more paranoid number, similarly long form and rolling but with all melody turning in on itself and riffs decaying away into thin whispers. To close; the stunning 'Cormorant' forms itself from a bed of padded out bliss. Reminiscent of Oval or Pinkcourtesyphone, the track haunts with a breathy sadness which pulses forwards into squash court squeaks and deep forward facing kick drums. Every time I listen to Personable I'm hearing someone who approaches their instruments as a player, no concepts or grand ideas, just playing a synthesiser and doing it so well.

Shaw Cuts is happy to present its third release, which includes 4 tracks produced by Farron under the title 'Death Duel'. The story of this chapter is simple: The Third Master is respected as the unrivalled and undefeated swordmaster of the day. His strength and skill saw many opponents who sought to slay him and win his title. All failed. There was only one rival who might sever his crown. It is only a matter of time until the ultimate duel... 'We Don't Make No Sense' rings in combat with a dirty break-beat drum pattern combined with deep, melancholic pads, circling the scene before one of the masters makes the first attack. Warmer in tone, 'Tangency' is the first intermission, a lull in bloodshed and impending annihilation. Short-lived... The B-Side brings back battle mode with 'Centro', a rough and rolling thunder with churning synth action and distorted drums. The duel ends with 'Par 2', its sharp percussions, goliath bass drum and spheric pads reverberate victory. An open breast and sword glazed red. Fatal hemorrhage...

Over the past 7 years WOLF Music have steadily blossomed into a bonafide platform for both auspicious and established producers of classically-minded House and Disco catering for listeners and DJs alike.

Having amassed a catalogue of EPs and LPs including the likes of Frits Wentink, Medlar, KRL, Mr Fries and Inkswel they are now ready to release their 4th full length LP this time from long term label friends Nicholas Church and Joseph Spencer a.k.a Casino Times.

Having first appeared on WOLF for the label's 23rd release - Casino Times have since released music through their own Casino Edits imprint, Futureboogie and Permanent Vacation.
Across each release the duo have built a musical identity that's characterised by subby electronics and off-kilter sampling.

Now they get chance to stretch their legs across 10 tracks, delving into an array of new territories, which pieces together their début LP, Familiar Circles.
Ranging from the beautifully breezy Oddity to the break-laden Love In Time the album begins to take shape as a masterclass in arresting sampling.

Continuing with the subtly mournful I Hope This Find You Well featuring Desert Sound Colony, followed by the potent, burly drums of Overcome. Panning out across its entirety as an album that achieves something rare in deftly dialing a broad spectrum of moods, adding further facets to WOLF's ever-expanding catalogue.

Formed by MGM A&R man Michael Viner in 1972 to supplement the soundtrack to the virtually anonymous B-Movie flm The Thing With Two Heads, 'The IBB' went from a loose studio collectve to
an instrumental pop covers consortum, interpretng classics of the day in their own inimitable percus-sive fashion.
B-Movie soundtracks, The Beatles, drummers gone bad, Frank Zappa, Kool Herc... These albums have a remarkable story behind them which is detailed in the exclusive insert included in the boxset, writen by Angus Batey.
The IBB's cover of the 'Apache' track - originally made famous by The Shadows - has become simply legendary in the worlds of hip hop and dance music. The track was a staple of Kool Herc and Grand-master Flash in the 70s as they invented the art of Djing at Bronx block partes, leading to its logical status as one of the most sampled tracks of all tme and a hip hop and breakers anthem that has stood the test of tme. It is stll revered as THE break of all original breaks, with the rhythms of the LP it was frst found on helping to coin the term 'breakbeat'.
Apache has been sampled by Missy Elliot, Coldcut, Will Smith, Goldie, Jurassic 5, Moby, Run DMC, Sugarhill Gang, Beaste Boys and Massive Atack among many others.

Michael Ludwigs, 45 RPM Audiophile — 'Atlantic 75: Genesis, Bad Company, Phil Collins Against the Original Pressings.' YouTube video.

On his first solo album, 1981's Face Value, Genesis drummer-singer Phil Collins showed that he wasn't about to be left behind in the mire of classical-rock sludge. That LP boasted shorter songs and demonstrated that Collins had a true pop sensibility. Hello, I Must Be Going! continues that trend, with some familiar patterns emerging, wrote Rolling Stone's John Milward.

"First, there are the dramatic rock dirges that use drums as a lead instrument; 'I Don't Care Anymore,' with Collins' one-man band playing alongside Daryl Stuermer's atmospheric guitars, wins in this category. Then there are the buttery ballads, of which "Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away" is the best by virtue of a Beatles-like melody that buoys Collins' anonymously sweet voice. Both of these styles were already Genesis staples; it was Collins' uptempo soul tunes on Face Value and Genesis' Abacab that surprised old fans and found new ones. 'I Cannot Believe It's True,' with Earth, Wind and Fire's Phoenix Horns casting out clean lines, clobbers the other soul contenders on Hello, I Must Be Going!, especially his remake of the Supremes' 'You Can't Hurry Love.' Collins took the golden-oldie route on that song and the result isn't soulful, it's superfluous. Despite its trend-bucking boast of an 8-track recording, the album's rich luster is of the old classical-rock school. In fact, the LP sounds like stripped-down Genesis, ornamental but not too ostentatious. — John Milward, Rolling Stone (3 Stars)."

This Analogue Productions (Atlantic Series) reissue of Hello, I Must Be Going! has the essential elements that make it a standout for your collection. First, we turned to Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering to cut lacquers from a 1/4" EQ'd Dolby tape copy of the original master. Pressing on 180-gram vinyl is by Quality Record Pressings, and the album is housed in tip-on old style gatefold double pocket jackets with film lamination by Stoughton Printing.

Hello, I Must Be Going! was a triple-platinum-selling hit in the U.S. for Collins in the 1980s and it stayed on the U.K. album charts for more than a year, peaking at No. 2. For the fans it is a drummer's album, a record that expresses rage and desperation as well as loneliness and longing. Not an album for every day, but one that really speaks to you when you need it, wrote Martin Klinkhardt.

For the second release, the artist Kaelan joins the ranks of the squad of Shaw Cuts with the EP 'The Silent Swordsman'. Equipped by his sharp stabbing weapon and a mysterious fighting technique taught by the head chief of the Sun Moon Sect Master Wu himself, Kaelan strikes out to hunt. Not hectic but silent, so watch your back!
The chase starts off with 'Latch', a straight techno banger with swirling chords and thrusting percussions that can easily slice the villain's face into pieces. Bloodbath.
'Claw' already gives hint to another weapon of Kaelan just by the track's name. Filled with filtered moving chords and vigorous and intense drums, this tune would be the perfect soundtrack for the final fight between two kung-fu masters, surrounded by befogged dead bodies lying on some mossy floor.
On the B-Side, Farron bolsters up the silent swordsman with a more break-beat orientated version of 'Claw', filled with energetic clap combos, subtle pads and big bass drum hits.
The whole EP is topped off with the track 'Hasen', a beautiful journey into ambient music with a touching atmosphere.
Mission completed. The carnage continues

Norman Jay MBE presents his latest compilation, titled 'Good Times Skank & Boogie', set for release 9th October 2015 on Sunday Best Recordings. This is his first compilation since 2011's Good Times 30th Anniversary Addition and follows on from his hotly anticipated Good Times Goes East party at St John Church at Hackney on 29th August.
Norman Jay is undoubtedly one of the finest and highly respected DJs in the world today and yet again pulls from his impressive collection to provide the ultimate eclectic selection.
For this 12th compilation, for those of you counting, Norman kicks off with St Germain's version of Henry Mancini's Pink Panther Theme. A cult favourite from 2004s Pink Panther Penthouse Party album, it of course immediately brings Peter Sellers to mind and a smile to your face. Next up former Uniques front man Slim Smith's Everybody Needs Love is a classic from 1968, cut at the legendary Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studio. Penned originally by Motown heroes Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland and covered by household names including The Temptations and Glady's Knight & The Pips, Slim's version became something of a signature tune until his mysterious death in 1971. Sticking with Motown, Stevie Wonder's Living For The City is up next but it's the Michael McDonald rendition from his 2008 album Soul Speak, which proves the man who gave us the sublime Sweet Freedom had lost none of his class 20 plus years on.
D-Influence's Good Lover takes things up and brings them closer to home, to the streets of London infact. After a couple of independent releases the band, who had strong connections to the London Jazz and Soul scenes, served up this contemporary boogie tune as part of their 1992 debut long player for East West. They would subsequently score hits as a production team for a number of British R&B acts. Homegrown soul continues with Paul Johnson's Better Than This, released here via longstanding UK soul imprint Expansion to deserved acclaim last year. It's quality and appeal are simply timeless, whilst master Dego and Kaidi's mix adds a classic 80s soul dimension to proceedings.
The Chi-Lites I Keep Comin' Back To You and The Real Thing's Love Takes Tears continue and expand the 80s theme, bringing in 2-step and boogie, as does Deodato's Never Knew Love from the same period.
We switch again with Delroy Wilson's Better Must Come, a massively popular sufferers lament from 1971 by this former Jamaican child star, it would go on to be used in election campaigns by various Jamaican political parties. Kent People by Laurel Aitken & The Gruvy Beat is the next one out the box and was the flip to the 1969 anthem Skinhead Train. It features the UK's top reggae band of the era The Rudies, who along with Aitken, the widely-proclaimed Godfather of Ska, comprised of Earl Dunn (lead guitar), Trevor White (bass), Sonny Binns (keyboards) and Danny Smith (drums). They would go on to enjoy UK chart success backing singer Freddie Notes before they evolved into Greyhound. From the same year Splash Down by The Crystalites is another slate that ignited dance floors in both Jamaica and the UK upon release. Some of you will have noticed the rhythm track is the same as that of the earlier Kingstonians' best-seller, Sufferer, which came courtesy of legendary producer Derrick Harriott.
As the end draws close The Stone City Band featuring Rick James serve up some hard edged boogie, hotly followed by a classic Tom Moulton slice of late 70s disco courtesy of The Fantastic Four and their I Got To Have Your Love. If that doesn't have you dancing then Chanson's superb Don't Hold Back featuring James Jamerson Jr. on bass will leave you no choice. Classic Good Times indeed.

"...don't ask if there will ever be a Volume 2. We don't know yet. What we do know is that if we ever come across a similar tour de force as Don McCaslin's composition, Praise Poems, then there will certainly be one..." These were the final words of the sales notes for Praise Poems Volume 1 - which we proudly released earlier this year. And indeed, since then, we have discovered a tune which led us to continue to curate this series of obscure, soulful, jazzy and spiritual sounds from back in the day. The song to which we refer to is Abraham Battat's jazz-samba masterpiece, Fly Away. Fly Away is a righteous combination of sonorous jazz guitar, crackling drums and warm acoustic piano. Floating through the tones as if in a private concert for you in your very living room, it is an earnest, honest vocal performance bringing a rainbow message of freedom and liberty to the world. This is the standard by which we judged the entirety of this compilation. Though they may be known in some circles, selections by Richard Martian, Larry Covin, and The Gingerbread Express are in the same category of pure beauty. Of course, good luck finding a copy of Larry Covin's Masquerade or the Portis Brothers' Summer Love. The single hit you receive while doing an online search is the exact same copy from which we took the master. To find a needle in a haystack is a cakewalk compared to turning up a copy of some of these gems to be found here.

The enigmatic Amara Touré from Guinée Conakry finally getting a well deserved compilation showcasing all of the 10 songs ever released between 1973 and 1980. Cuban influenced music of a different kind featuring amazing spaced-out guitar works!! Analog Africa compiles a complete collection of Amara Touré's Afro-Cuban compositions, originally released between 1973 and 1980."Lamento Cubana and Temedy are the two finest Afro-Cuban compositions ever recorded. As if they were played in a smokey, poorly lit ballroom where dark rum was sipped ever so slowly" - Vikram Sohonie - Ostinato Records
Analog Africa to release a compilation by Amara Toure, the enigmatic Afro-Cuban musician from Guinea-Conakry, showcasing all of the 10 songs he ever released between 1973 and 1980.
"Latin music, is it really foreign to us Africans I don't think so. Listen to the drums, to the rhythm. It all seems very close to us - it feels like it's our own culture," declared enigmatic singer Amara Toure. It is the late 50s, and Senegal is going crazy to the groove of Son Montuno and Patchanga. Brought to West Africa by Cuban sailors in the early 40s, these styles were immediately adopted by a flourishing music scene that did not hesitate to embrace the Caribbean sound, mixed it with their own Folklore, and, in the process, created something new. Through the unique cultural fusion of West African and Caribbean influences, Latin music took on a new and unique sound - the format was reinvented. Producer Ibra Kasseì and his Miami nightclub acted as the spearheads of this movement. They brought a breath of fresh air into Dakar's nightlife, further energising one of West Africa's most exciting cities. The demand for ballroom parties and live acts exploded, attracting numerous musicians from surrounding countries. One of the musicians who answered this call was percussionist and singer Amara Toureì, from Guinea-Conakry. Spotted by Kasseì while performing with Dexter Johnson, Toureì was asked if he would like to be part of a new project. Little did he know that this project would become a phenomenon.Immensely important for the development of Senegalese modern music, Le Star Band de Dakar, led by Mady Konate, became a sort of musical incubator and workshop, where many musicians learned and practiced their trade before moving on to become stars in their own right. Toureì's talent on percussion was undeniable, but it was his powerful and raw voice that captivated the producer. The fascinating way Toure interpreted Cuban music was unparalleled, and it was this feature that encouraged Kasse to recruit the unknown artist.
Although already brimming with incredible talent, Amara Toure's joining of Le Star Band de Dakar in 1958 began the band's meteoric rise to the top. The band quickly became Dakar's number one orchestra, and it cemented the reputation of the Miami nightclub as the hottest spot in the country. The place was packed nightly, and Dakar was boiling.
Amara Toure's Senegalese adventure lasted for ten years when he received an irrefutable offer and in 1968, joined by a few talented Senegalese musicians, headed to Cameroon and immediately formed the Black and White ensemble. Many live gigs later and it was time for the first songs to be recorded. A total of three singles were produced between 1973 and 1976. These singles, representing the first six songs on this compilation, fully epitomise and distill the essence of what Toureì had learned during his career. His Mandingue roots fused with the Senegalese sound that he had mastered - the perfect foundation for the Toureì's Cuban interpretations.
If Toure's intention was to create the most sensual music ever recorded in Africa, he might very well have reached this goal. The musicians on the recording sound like they are playing in a smokey, poorly lit juke joint, where dark rum was sipped ever so slowly, and the pulse of the music took up a life of its own. How many couples have danced, swayed, and melted together to the distinct sound of Amara Toure Nobody can say for sure ...
Amara Toureì's success poured across the borders of Cameroon, and in 1980 he went to Libreville, Gabon, to team up with the powerful Orchestre Massako. Toureì recorded an LP at that time which is hailed by many music aficionados as one of the very best African albums. The songs from that LP are the last four on this compilation. It took only ten songs for Amara Toureì to become a legend. These ten treasures, representing Toure ìs complete discography, have been carefully re-mastered from original session tapes and vinyl records, and will be released by Analog Africa on 22 June 2015. After the release of his LP in 1980, Toureì seems to have disappeared. Apparently he was last seen in Cameroon but it is unknown if he is still alive today. His music though is definitely alive.

Back in 2013, Futureboogie released The Fade EP by Outboxx, a record that received critical acclaim from the who's who of music press, helping to propel Outboxx on the upward trajectory they've managed to maintain since those early releases. Unsurprisingly, Futureboogie are delighted to get the pair back for more.
Having developed their sound in the two years since, the pair has refined the raw ingredients of those records to show a combined maturity beyond their collective years. Previously the pair of producers (Matthew Lambert and Jake 'Hodge' Martin) have released music on respected independent imprints such as BRSTL, Idle Hands, Well Rounded Records and Local Talk; honing their analogue rich sound that touches on the hard edge of drum machine rhythms crafted by Hodge and the harmonic, jazz soaked embellishments from Lambert on Keys.
'Day One' opens with the sound of a string sample drifting behind warm drums to beautifully open up proceedings. As the track develops with an explosion of shuffling hi hats, the main hook enters with more than a nod to the classic Acid basslines of a 303, built to hypnotize dancers into the early hours with subtle simplicity.
The EP's title track 'Under The Lights' shows the pairs appreciation of Disco, with overdriven drums and a dotting bassline setting the feel. As the track develops, elements of Detroit enter the picture, with more string samples setting the key, and further allowing Lambert to contribute more of his signature Jazz licks as the track winds down to an unwanted close.
'Gift of Life' features the always-beautiful vocal contributions from long-term collaborator, Naomi Jeremy. Having featured on some of their most memorable releases to date, Jeremy's vocals again add a complexity often found in Jazz, but with the drum machine funk of 90's House; creating a sound that blurs the lines between sampling and original composition, uniquely, as only Outboxx can.
The record ends on the appropriately named 'Closing Titles', a track seemingly built to allow Lambert the opportunity to show his prowess and mastery of melody and harmony. Creeping basslines and warm chords mix with looped drum machine rhythms to wind down the release elegantly, showing the pairs versatility and understanding of each other's strengths.

Speedy Ortiz is proud to announce their sophomore album, Foil Deer, which will be released via Carpark Records on April 20th.

'Major Arcana' released in 2013 won them glowing reviews , features and several UK tours (highlights below):

- 4 PAGE NME FEATURE

- 9/10 LEAD REVIEW IN NME: 'One of the reasons 'Major Arcana' works so well is because it's addictive and fun. The guitars and bass sound incredible, like the last Deerhunter album without the Yankee Doodle Dandy'

8/10 Drowned In Sound : ' Speedy Ortiz are way too euphoric and glorious to suffer for their artfulness. Stripping away the frills, at heart Major Arcana is a mournful treasure that asks to be celebrated.'

*NME RADAR FEATURE: 'What's miraculous, though, is that Major Arcana doesn't sound at all self-pitying; it's torrid Slint-meets-Pavement rattle bolsters Sadie's relished words so that yelling along is an exercise in gleefully exorcising your own demons'

8.4 ON PITCHFORK: : 'There's the squalling, guitar-on-guitar carnage of Archers of Loaf, the grungy mysticism of Helium (Dupuis lifted the title Major Arcana from a book she was reading on black magic), and of course the deadpan wit of vintage Liz Phair ('I was never the witch that you made me to be,' Dupuis tells a burnt-out old flame on 'Plough', 'Still you picked a virgin over me').

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
Deluxe LP Is as above but with metallic gold coloured vinyl, and sticker.(200 ONLY FOR UK)
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Speedy Ortiz said they would get the flowers themselves. What a lark! What a plunge!

When considering Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, that line from Virginia Woolf comes to mind. Not only for the obvious echoes to DIY, a form and function that's characterized the band's nascency, but in the proto-feminist undertones driving much of their sophomore album, Foil Deer. "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," Sadie Dupuis sings on "Raising the Skate," invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other's wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis-the band's songwriter, guitarist, and frontwoman-spent the band's first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She's drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath-all attributes you could easily apply to the band's 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

The group, including Mike Falcone on drums, Darl Ferm on bass, and new addition Devin McKnight of Grass is Green on guitar, have spent the last year on an almost endless cross-continental touring jag, tagging along with the likes of The Breeders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Thurston Moore. That shift into full-time musicianship brought with it an attendant reordering of priorities when it came to songwriting, and the band members' lives in general. They would get the damn flowers themselves.

Dupuis wrote much of Foil Deer at her mother's home in the Connecticut woods, where the songwriter imposed a self-regulated exile and physical cleansing of sorts, finding that many of the songs came to her while running or swimming alone. "I gave up wasting mental energy on people who didn't have my back," she says. "Listening to our old records, I get the sense I was putting myself in horrible situations just to write sad songs. This music isn't coming from a dark place, and without slipping into self-empowerment jargon, it feels stronger." Many of the songs deal with a similar sense of starting over, editing out the unnecessary drama. "Boys be sensitive and girls be, be aggressive," she sings on "Mister Difficult."

And while their debut album was recorded on the fly, Speedy Ortiz spent almost a month in the studio on Foil Deer. Falcone's drums are taut, mechanistic; Ferm's bass ranges from the aggressive rattle of an AmRep classic to smoother, hip-hop inspired lines. McKnight, meanwhile, lends spacier, textural riffs to complement Dupuis' wiry, melody-driven guitar style. "The demos for our songs have always had tons of small details and production experimentation, but we never had any money to pay for more than a couple days in the studio, so the songs came out very live-sounding and guitar heavy," Dupuis says. It was recorded and mixed at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes (Silver Jews, Enon, Deerhunter), with the record mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Beauty Pill), lending a more polished sound and a pop sensibility that will stand out to existing fans and new converts alike. For all the lyrical complexity and guitar-based excursions Speedy Ortiz have built their reputation on to this point, Foil Deer has a sense of light-footed fun. What's the point of doing things yourself if you're not going to enjoy the trip

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Factory Benelux presents a new studio album by cult Manchester postpunk group Crispy Ambulance, issued in a
limited edition of 500 vinyl copies to mark Record Store Day 2015.
In many respects Compulsion is the second album Crispy Ambulance might have recorded in 1982 after the release of
The Plateau Phase, with six of the eight tracks written and performed live at that time. To these are now added Rain
Without Clouds, an outtake from The Plateau Phase newly restored from the original multitrack masters, and WMTP.2
with added synth lines by producer-cum fifth member Graham Massey, of 808 State and Biting Tongues.
Almost uniquely, Crispy Ambulance has retained the same line-up since the group was originally founded in 1978: Alan
Hempsall (vocals, keyboards), Gary Madeley (drums), Robert Davenport (guitars), Keith Darbyshire (bass).
'There's a sense of feeling compelled by irresistible forces,' explains Alan Hempsall. 'Compulsion is an apt way to
describe our constant urge to go back and make music with people we've known since childhood. While the world may
have changed, our music continues to be the product of the same influences - the passing of time, the changing of the
seasons, the content of our sleeping dreams, and the existence of space.'
Cover art by Peter Staessens. The package also features a free digital download of the album.
Praise for The Plateau Phase: "One of the best albums Britain's second city has unleashed" (Q, 03/2006); 'Perfect,
wonderful and with a compelling gravitational pull' (Record Collector, 03/2013); "17 years on The Plateau Phase
sounds like what it probably always was: urgent, postmodernist psychedelia with less debt to Joy Division's music than to
the universal abstract existential tension that comes with being young" (Uncut, 12/1999); "Cold and ferocious, but with
enough inventive melody to lighten the black abyss of the overall mood" (Les Inrockuptibles, 02/2012); "An enthralling
glimpse at a moment in musical history when the DIY ethos of punk gradually gave way to experiments with electronics
and song structures" (NME, 01/2000); "Mixes driving rock, gritty new wave and odd atmospheric stuff" (Option, 1990)

Apartment returns with a release exploring 3 facets of house music all inter-connected by the vocals of UK Soul & R'n'B singer, Greg Blackman (BBE Music). Steve Legget's (Four Hands, Claremont 56) original Believe Mix, the catalyst for the project, is an expansive 10 minute-plus journey through wistful dub lead by Blackman's soaring vocals. On the flip Mark Hand (Signals From The North) delivers a re-working; sculpting a beautiful, sun-kissed masterpiece featuring drums and percussion by Darren Moore alongside Hand's inspired playing on the Rhodes and Moog. To close out the release NCW finally makes a return to APT and subsequently gets lost in the DMZ pitching and twisting Blackman's vocals over a pulsating, bumping house banger.

Federsen returns to Fifth Interval for another sublime instalment of dance floor friendly dub-techno. Dewpoint is an altogether tighter affair when compared to the label's first release, Point Reyes.

The drums are taut and razor-sharp, propelling the listener effortlessly through a dense fog of ferric clouds, swelling to fill the outer-reaches of the echo chamber. A highly polished metallic production style that can be compared to some of Andy Stott's early and classic works.

Tomas Rubek remixes Dewpoint for the B-side, remaining faithful to the original track's structure but viewing it through a tinted lens. Dewpoint's chords become iridescent, kick drums fall into a straighter pattern and are backed by further dusty percussion, shifting the original into spheres inhabited by the likes of Rod Modell and Fluxion.

12" 180g vinyl with printed sleeve.

Mastered by Lewis at Stardelta.

"Original mix is dope." - Brendon Moeller (Beat Pharmacy)

"Really digging this remix. It's been on repeat this morning." - Silent Season

"Full support, I will play it, love Federsen's work!" - Fingers in the Noise

"Played on BBC Radio" - Steve Barker (The Wire)

Zeitgeber and L.B Dub Corp split the second in Stroboscopic Artefacts' series of fifth anniversary records. Zeitgeber is the collaborative project of SA label boss Lucy and Dutch techno royalty Speedy J. Their joint alias birthed an exceptional long-player last year and has since been presented as a b2b act at festivals and clubs around the world. 'Totemism' is their first officially released output since that album, and is every bit as compelling. 'Totemism' opens with distant, reverberating bells and a thin film of hiss and crackle. But, one minute in, heavy and incessant drums cut through the ambience, hitting you straight in the chest. The surrounding atmosphere evolves and filters in-and-out of the mix until, halfway through, the track takes an unexpected turn with an elastic bassline and acid squelches. Then, the drums hit you again. This is an 11 minute masterclass in widescreen, narrative techno from two of the scene's most experienced and inventive producers. Luke Slater, a man of many aliases, slips into L.B Dub Corp mode for the B-side of this record. This particular moniker of Slater's generally trades in raw, culturally-inspired house music, though has also appeared on Stroboscopic's Stellate series with two deep and beatless dubs. For his contribution to SA's 5 Year anniversary, Slater re-visits a classic club cut of his own, delivering 'Take It Down Again (In Dub)'. 'Take It Down Again' is a brilliantly-realised exercise in tension, dub delay and mixing board creativity, all made to shine by a dose of oddball musicality and sampling. This version of 2010's 'Take It Down' is more restrained and tonally varied, equipped to instil a brooding and tribal darkness on the floor.

The world of roots reggae & dancehall has been fully awoken to the fantastic analogue sounds of Kalbata & Mixmonsters' music - and even Rob Da Bank, Robert Elms, & Toddla T and The Wire magazine have supported and enthusiastically raved about their brand new yet wonderfully old school music.

And now - in time for summer festivals and carnivals, the floor shaking, speaker rattling track Congo Beat The Drum featuring Major Mackerel gets the 12 inch single treatment. The pounding drums and the larynx busting vocal performance from the Jamaican veteran is an unstoppable, unforgettable and frankly mesmerising experience!

Released alongside the original (and an instrumental version of stand out album track Out Of Road) is an amazing remix by Kahn - the Bristol based producer, renowned dubstepper, remixer, member of the Sureskank Collective - who with this remix displays his mastery of blending all kinds of styles, and injects his remix with some of his favourite influences - including Middle Eastern music scales - which ensures his reworking of Congo Beat The Drum is fresh, original and inspiring.

This single will be one of the sound system hits of summer 2014!

Hot Casa Records reissues Disco Hi-Life, a real treasure album composed and interpreted by Afro-Soul maestro, Orlando Julius. Comes as delux 180 gramms vinyl with tip on jacket & inserts with interviews & photos. Check!
Following up to the 12inch release (HC07 / 2009), here comes the remastered version of a real mindblower piece from 1976 including four unreleased tracks, all recorded with the best Nigerian musicians, between Ginger Baker' Studio in Lagos and the American Star Studio in West Virginia, USA.
Orlando Julius Aremu Olusanya Ekemode was born in 1943 in Ikole-Ekiti, Nigeria and can be considered as a main figure of the Afro-Soul music history. One of the first African musician to get signed on a 'Major' label (Polydor), he delivered many hit single as a composer and effortlessly performed live as a tenor sax and singer. He worked and met with some of the 'greatest', such as Louis Armstrong, James Brown (for his Nigerian tour with Bootsy Collins), The Crusaders, Gil Scott Heron, or Hugh Masekela.
In the middle of 1975, just after they finished the recording of The Boys Doing It' album with Hugh Masekela, they all flew to Ghana and Lagos. It was holyday and Orlando had also plenty of time to focus on his own songs. He wrote 'Disco Hi-Life' in Yoruba and 'Children of the World' in English. And he immediately planned a recording session including 12 finest musicians, such as the great singer Dora Ifudu Avery, Adelaja Gboyega on keys, Kenneth Okulolo on Bass guitar, Butley Moore on drums, Fela's collaborator Tunde William on Trumpet, and also Ade, who helped sang 'Love Peace & Happiness'.
Originally released by Nigerian label Jofabro in partnership with the UNICEF association for the 'International year of the Child', it was only available in few promotional quantity... here comes the very first official reissue of this dancefloor masterpiece!

This is the year of Peder Mannerfelt's rebirth. After seven years he's laid The Subliminal Kid to rest. With this new 12", the chains have been locked in and the road map has been obliterated. EP1 is focused like a laser etching out intricate patterns in massive, humming machines. Mannerfelt's ideas have been reduced to a razor's edge and he balances these freeform compositions like a master.
This EP could be seen as a prelude to Peder Mannerfelt's debut album under his own name that will be released by Digitalis Industries in February and at the same time is the first part in a ongoing series of self released records by Mannerfelt.
Opener "Hook (end)" crashes like waves from a metallic ocean bearing down on the shore. The bass craters beneath, digging its way to the listener's core. Each idea is stripped down and simplified to the point of near exhaustion, resulting in tracks that are relentless and infecting. "Psalms and Songs and Voices" is propelled forward by crushing kick drums and rhythmic bass pounding. Somehow, though, Mannerfelt works unsuspecting hooks in between the peaks. It's incredible. "With Psalms and Songs and Praises," the final track on this 12", everything is pushed to the limit. This is absolute maximalism; an overload of the senses that cannot be escaped. It's the opposite of everything else on the EP, combining everything into a single, massive escape.
This is the sound of machines humming. This is the sound of the factory floor in rebellion. And yet, this is only the beginning; the first chapter of a novel yet to come. This is the sound of Peder Mannerfelt finding his voice.

After her much lauded debut 'Playin' Me' last year, Cooly G returns with an EP that switches from songwriting mode to create extended, spaced out and rhythmic house tracks built for the dancefloor. 'Hold Me' starts with minor note stabs and Cooly's vocal refrain 'Hold me' over a punchy bassline. The rhythm slowly builds as the vocal becomes more dubbed out and the atmosphere more smokey. 'Oi Dirty', made with DVA, is a piece of wonky, rhythmically lopsided house with a cavernous elasticized bassline and lots of micro detail destabilising the track then bringing it back, pitching drums and mini breakdowns. 'Molly' is a slow burning 4/4 house track built around a static grid that gradually builds up, getting stiffer and more intense, with wobbly acid-like synth lines and hissing static stabs, underpinned by a one note bass kick. It's a masterclass in creating tension with sleight of hand production moves.

Idiot Savant Masterpieces is the 3rd release and the first full solo EP by Amir Alexander on the Vanguard Sound record label. On display is Amir's somewhat off kilter take on U.S. dance music. An approach so different that one critic described the work of Amir and his crew as Idiot Savant Masterpieces. All bases are covered, acid, deep, big room, and banging techno with a little hip house thrown in for good measure. Vanguard Sound is quickly establishing itself as a label to watch so serious collectors should buy this one on sight!


The Realest of the Real! - An acid/ hip house hybrid banger that draws influence from the classic acid and hip house vibes. With vocals written and performed by Amir himself, this track combines 303 808 and 909 sounds with Amir's "street chants" to create a vibe that looks back to classic Chicago while pushing it forward and into the future.



Sonic Weaponry! - An insidious techno groove that grabs you by the neck on the first note, and never lets go. Tough banging drums combine with a staccato analog synth passage that charges like an advancing army. The rubbery bass line joins the fray to incite utter madness as this deceptively minimalistic track whips the floor into a mad frenzy.



Rebel Music (Version One)! - A big room Banger lead by a phrenetic sine wave bass line that never lets up. Deliberate, yet, stuttering percussion anchors the track. The accompanying synth ostinato continuously shifts as huge lush chords blow through like gale force winds. Black Panther's H. Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael drop science about the nature of rebellion in the U.S.



Who are You - The "Deepest" track of the four opens with a beautiful ascending/ descending flute like synth passage that instantly sets the soul adrift. The hard and jumpy kicks interplay with a throbbing rhythmic bass that bubbles like a boiling cauldron. About halfway in a driving synth ostinato comes in to push the track forward. In the middle there is a dreamy