quête:the producer

HøRD is the solo project of Bordeaux-based synthwave producer Sebastien Carl. Started in 2014, Sebastien has proven himself to be able to gather a cult fan-base around his creation in a short time, collaborating with artists as Hante, Winter Severity Index and Black Bug and performing live in most European countries.

Debuted by Antoni Maiovvi and Vercetti Technicolor’s Giallo Disco, an EP on SNTS’ Sacred Court and a second full-length on Avant! have followed. Bodies is his third album and it shows eight new passages that take HøRD’s distinguishing features one step further once more.

Ethereal synths matching deep analogue beats, veiled vocals speaking of visions, memories, meaning and failing. Synthwave sounds like a soundtrack from the 80’s meet electro and techno mechanical rhythms along a stream of tracks that almost have no name so that the listener can just let them flow and flow with them, taking a journey away from the present time and into an abstract, dream-like modern dimension where the misty and the solid are one.

Soul Jazz Records' are releasing their long-out-of-print album 'Hustle! Reggae Disco' in a new expanded 2017 edition which now features five extra tracks. This ground-breaking album features non-stop killer reggae versions of original funk and soul classics in a disco style. Reggae disco updates of seminal classics by Anita Ward ('Ring
My Bell'), Chaka Khan ('I'm Every Woman'), Michael Jackson 'Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough,' Sugarhill Gang ('Rappers Delight' here performed by Derrick Laro and Trinity for producer Joe Gibbs) and more, all showing the hidden but inseparable link between the dance floors of New York, Kingston and London.

New bonus tracks to this collection include Derrick Harriott's funky take on Eddie Drennon's 'Do It Nice and Easy', the classic disco reggae of Risco Connection's take on McFadden and Whitehead's 'Ain't No Stopping Us Now' and the London rare groove lovers rock take on Barbara Acklin's soul classic 'Am I The Same Girl'.
'Hustle! Reggae Disco' has been one of Soul Jazz Records' best-selling releases since its first release 15 years ago (and subsequently featured heavily in the early Grand Theft Auto games!). This new edition comes complete fully re-mastered and with all original titles plus new tracks. This new expanded edition now comes a triple album (+ download code), CD and digital album.

'The effect of American R&B and soul music on Jamaican reggae is well documented, but the story doesn't stop there, for disco (and more so now for rap and hip-hop) have also been subsumed into the reggae mix, and while one might suspect that the resulting hybrid would die of its own implausibility, the feral mix of disco with reggae rhythms is so darn infectious that it hardly matters. Once you take your brain out of the frame and just let your feet go, this collection is a dancer's delight all done up in full-blown disco style, but with huge dub-style rhythm tracks ... if you're looking for an impossibly infectious dance collection, this is
it.' All Music

The Liverpool-based DJ and producer ASOK returns to DVS1's Mistress Recordings with his most diversified EP yet: "Mistress 14" unfolds ASOK's raw, analog-heavy sound aesthetic full of broken kick drum patterns, stepping basslines, and lush synths.



With 25 years of record collecting, DJing, and promoting parties around the UK, there is little of the dance music spectrum that Stu Robinson has not been involved with. The Liverpool-based artist has amassed a fine understanding of a wide array of scenes, styles and sounds from drum & bass to electro-funk, disco to house and techno – underpinned by a love of breakbeat. The music under his alias ASOK is an amalgamation of this diversity that has found favor with labels like M>O>S, Lobster Theremin, Crème Organization, and Mistress Recordings.



"Mistress 14" opens with "Space Rockets" which is a nod to his breakier love affairs without using actual breakbeats. While second track "Is Anyone" displays his take on classic Chicago House with a little Roland JD-800 euphoria thrown in. On the flip, "Last Refuge" explores driving, rhythmical techno with ASOK's typical ravey pad-like break in the middle until "The Alchemist" closes the 12-inch by laying more focus on melody and texture with a growing, always changing bassline and an ethereal synth that carries the track's energy. The digital bonus track "Apano Sin" concludes the package with a scruffy somewhere in between everything vibe.



ASOK about Mistress 14:



"Mistress 14 is probably the most important EP I have ever made in terms of showing all the different things I am into. I’m difficult to pin down because I’m not really a techno DJ, or a house DJ, or anything like that. I like all forms of electronic dance music. As a DJ, I mix up old and new, familiar with unfamiliar, playing everything from Italo disco to really dark high-bpm breakbeat. As a producer, it’s not easy to put an EP together that covers a little of everything, yet still sounds cohesive. Especially considering that all my tracks were recorded in long live takes, then edited down with no ability to change parts. Sometimes that requires some pretty heavy editing, but that’s one of the good things you get when making music this way. I’m in control of the creative process, rather than feeling like some kind of colored block administrator drawing blocks out on arrangement view of my computer."

RX-101 has quietly been making waves in the IDM/electronic music underground for the past few years, through a series of archival releases — material recorded in the late-90s, but previously unreleased until Suction Records began compiling and releasing these records in 2016. What’s truly mind-boggling about RX-101’s output is the sheer quantity of stunning, top-drawer material that Dutch producer Erik Jong recorded over the period of just 3 years, 1997-1999. Many have suggested that the whole thing is a publicity stunt — some insisting that this is all new material masquerading as vintage, while others have proposed that the material may in fact be a secret alias for Aphex Twin to release gems from his own legendary ’90s audio archive. RX-101 has absolutely nailed the sound, and quality, of early-90s AFX/Rephlex, that much is true. “Serenity,” this latest full-length RX-101 release, is no exception.

Just as RX-101’s last album, 2019’s Dopamine, concentrated on one hallmark of Aphex Twin’s sound — the smooth melodic techno of his Selected Ambient Works 1985-1992 LP — so too does Serenity reference another classic early-Aphex era, but this time it’s a completely different beast. Don't let the title fool you - Suction Records' latest dive into RX-101's 1997-1999 tape archives is not all lush, serene melodies. On Serenity, scorched, crunchy jackhammer beats combine with emotional, plaintive pads, delivering a classic set of vintage-Rephlex-style bliss, à la AFX, Caustic Window, and Cylob. It was Cylob who coined the term Industrial Folk Songs for his classic 1995 LP, and that release is clearly a blueprint for RX-101’s latest collection.

Standout cut Hearts Utd., featuring a stunning music video by Aidan Fantinatto and I Dream Of Wires’ director Robert Fantinatto, not only nails the magic of AFX’s trademark, irresistible jackhammer-beats-meets-plaintive-melody device, it arguably rivals the master at his own sound. As a whole, what could be a harsh and monotonous collection is lifted by RX-101’s subtle diversity and skill, particularly in his ability to create eerie, evocative moods, with gorgeous melodies that speak volumes of emotion.

"Sounds Over Seas" is the new label bringing banging beats straight from the depths of the heart. Spearheaded by label head and DJ/Producer Julian Bainbridge, "Sounds Over Seas“ intention is to deliver groovy and dreamy vibes by new and established artists, whilst remaining genuine to its true nature; music not just for the dancefloor.

SOS001 brings all this together, delivering rhythmic and jacking beats on the A-Side and a more dreamy and spacious vibe on the reverse side.

FUSE resident Seb Zito returns to home turf to close October as he delivers his ‘Trying To Start’ EP. A key member of FUSE since its inception ten years ago, London-based DJ and producer Seb Zito has remained at the heart of the city’s scene featuring as a core resident for the brand across their homes of Village Underground, 93 Feet East and beyond, whilst also serving as the A&R of sister imprint Infuse. Following a busy summer that welcomed outings and remixes on the likes of Four Thirty Two, Play It Say It, ORIGINS RCRDS and Moxy Muzik, plus material via his own Seven Dials Records and two collaborations as part of Enzo Siragusa’s ‘A Decade Of Rave Volume 2’, Zito now returns to FUSE to deliver his second solo EP of the year on the label as he unveils four new cuts in the form of his ‘Trying To Start’ EP. Title cut ‘Trying To Start’ opens proceedings with authority as bright vocals meet skipping percussion, bubbling sub bass and slick hats, whilst ‘Arped Edge’ harnesses a slightly more stripped back aesthetic, introducing infectious vocal snippets amongst hazy pads, sci-fi electronics and menacing low-ends. Next, ’10AM Fuse’ takes cues from its title as snaking bass patterns go to work alongside sharp drum licks to reveal a cut primed for some huge early morning moments, before rounding out the package with ‘Geo Theory’, a lively peak-time production armed with shuffling drums and a signature driving bassline at its core.

Modularz is back once again with a stellar release this time from seasoned producer Paul Ritch. The French native is here to deliver five tracks of pulsating techno
breed for the club and another project that adheres to the flagship. The Modularz sound has become so distinct and this EP showcases those rhythmic bouncing basslines and deep riding kick drums. Nuit Blanche is four tracks of punchy dancefloor driving kick drums that are coupled with eccentric modulations and synths. Expect underground crevice hidden chords deep textured and dripping sounds. Some cuts deliver sci-fi alien beeps and stabs that would make any martian jealous. The hi-hats are icy and the snares hype inducing: no matter the pace each cut is a weapon.

TAU welcomes an enigmatic, esoteric entity to the fold with this stunning release from the one and only Rico Puestel. Rico’s artisan musings and wild outlook on life has resulted in the production of a stunning back catalogue, full of unique, emotionally-charged electronica. His music has found favour with industry heavyweight Sven Väth and his Cocoon imprint, so it’s a pleasure to have three new classy cuts from this in-demand producer.

The Chicanery EP begins with ‘Plentone’, a chugging atmospheric cut with a deep pulsating low end. Bright angelic twinkles impose a contrasting layer of emotion against the dour bassline. The mood is solemn, yet optimistic, punctuated by a scintillating breakdown. After the drop, ‘Plentone’ keeps pumping along as the expertly-crafted elements combine to create a mesmerising composition.

Next up is the title track, ‘Chicanery’. This one is a little more upbeat and strident, emitting a contagious charge of energy. A symphony of sparkling melodies dance above a groovy bassline. Rico demonstrates his virtuosity with this wonderfully whimsical cut. His playful use of layered melody gives the track depth, utilising his skills to really tantalise the listener.

Track three is ‘Whether’, a bluesy, eyes-down cut with a brooding exterior. A range of organic sounding instrumentation gives this track a very natural tone and appeal. Rico carefully increases the tension, teasing the energy levels up and up and up like a form of audio foreplay, leading us into an orgasmic breakdown. After that track continues its sultry jaunt, hypnotising you with its sensual allure.
Lastly, Theus Mago delivers a simmering remix of ‘Whether’. The Mexican maestro creates a whole new piece of music, with a driving rhythm, an urgent riff and a constant flow of new sounds. Theus’s reinterpretation is dramatic, compelling and deadly. Watch the dance floors explode to this one.

The second edition of Dekmantel’s foray into the era-defining, trans-Atlantic, cult techno label that is Djax-Up-Beats, comes another re-issue of classic 90s cuts.

The label say "The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most foundational dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launchpad for some of today’s biggest producers. Featuring offerings from luminaries such as Felix Da Housecat, and Glenn Underground, alongside veterans such as Steve Poindexter, and DJ Skull, this second EP highlights the classic label’s old-school’s sound, while showcasing its diverse range, from dubbier, ambient moments, to wall-thumping, body crushing house force. Timeless music, repressed, and re-released for a new generation of DJs who covet the classic machine music.

The second re-issue EPs, offer a more introspective look at the label’s earlier releases. Leading Volume 2 is Terrace’s 'Bewitched', to which DJ Richard has described as being the defining track of the label’s beginnings with its "dreamy, Detroit-style techno mixed with the harder rave elements of Northern Europe”. Glenn Underground’s bass-roller 'Real Space' weaves together soulful passion and Chicago prime beats, while Felix Da Housecat’s Temptation — originally from 1993 — gets a well earned re-release, reminding us of the soulful, deep and lustful energy the producer once had. China White, whose name doesn’t get banded around as much as it should nowadays, see their ethereal hit 'Theme from the Underground' get another opportunity to bliss out the more upbeat rave community.

The energy turns darker with Frank de Groodt’s The Operator, breaking the outer-most barriers of electro-techno, with 'The Mind Strike'. Chicago and Dance Mania’s Steve Poindexter turns out rolling, dance-energy bomb 'Body Jam', while Mike Dearborn’s deliverance of unreal, dry techno in 'Deviant Behaviour' runs aplomb with classic drum-machine pulses, claps, and uncomfortable, yet punishing melodies. DJ Skull’s 'Don’t stop the beat' rides the EP with gushings of hand claps, and gentle, early 90s warm techno color, that transport you back to a time of more informed, and conscious electronic musings, a feeling that embodies Djax’s heyday.

Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a key source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy-hitting, straight up underground 12”s. It’s a sound that spawned the sonic aesthetics of today, and can be heard in the left field techno productions of the likes of Bjarki, Salon des Amateurs and other erstwhile analog junkies."

Originally released in 1981 on Streetwave and CBS, Alton Edwards' debut single "I Just Wanna (Spend Some Time With You)" is a boogie-era electrofunk classic blessed with Latin style horn stabs, super-sweet vocals and the heaviest, most squelchy synth bassline known to mankind (or womankind for that matter).

Here it gets the reissue treatment with Streetsounds' founder Morgan Khan's fine original vocal and instrumental mixes (tracks three and four) being joined by two new rubs by veteran British house producer Michael Gray. He wisely retains Edwards' killer bassline, baggy electric piano chords and razor-sharp horns, underpinning them with bustling peak-time house drums on all-action "Remix" and "Dub" variations.

With this release we welcome the Berlin based producer Alex Tsiridis aka Rhyw to the label.

Having released on imprints like Avian and Fever AM, Rhyw has built a reputation as an outstandingly crafty producer with a love for rich textures and stomping tunes. While constantly exploring and trying out different angles, he’s always operating on behalf of the modern dance floor. These four tracks perfectly showcase his skills as a producer as well as a DJ who exactly knows what tracks need to be both functional and interesting, energetic and deep.

'IRL' takes off bouncy and crunchy, setting a dark yet uplifting mood that resembles classic Sandwell District records and runs trough the whole EP.
'Tap To Resume' is a subtle sledgehammer of a track, brilliantly orchestrated and designed.
Same goes for the title track, a sinister half time excursion into creepy industrial aesthetics.

Last track 'Triangle Escape' shows that it's probably no coincidence that the EPs title recalls cosmic horror stories like The Lurking Fear by H. P. Lovecraft.
Rhyw's productions share his thrilling intensity and minutiae in design, transformed into effective and elaborate club tools.


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Back in stock!!


Reissue of this HEAVY Ghana disco / rap / boogie tune..., BIIG one!! Comes with a instrumental cover version by Welsh group Drymbago on the flip..

Soundway Records reissues Free Youth’s long sought-after 1985 single “We Can Move”, their only release - fully restored, remastered and available for the first time on digital and 12” vinyl. “We Can Move” is the first known iteration of Ghanaian hip hop, emerging at the dawn of ‘hip-life’ (hip hop meets highlife).

Free Youth comprised three main members: Terry “Sir Robot” Bright, Lenny “Nii Addy” Dimple, and Abednego “King Abed” Ayim Bright. In the early 80s they began performing in clubs and parties across Accra, with friends and other dancers occasionally joining them on stage – including Reggie Rockstone, who later went on to find commercial success.

In 1985, the band were approached by a producer and invited to record at a local studio. Without having written down any music, Terry, Lenny and Abed sang the parts and beatboxed the rhythms to the session musicians prior to recording. Out of this session came “We Can Move”, a blend of hip-hop and Afro-funk with a proto disco-boogie beat, punchy trumpet riffs and melodic rapping.
Included in the Soundway reissue is an exclusive instrumental cover version of “We Can Move” from Welsh ensemble Drymbago. This replaces the original B side track “Freedom Video Centre”, which was an advertising jingle for a business associated with their former producer.

For the inauguration of the label, Disconnekt brings you a fine selection of artists that have played in the event series based in Berlin. Trying to catch a specific moment of those nights, each one of them from a different artist, each one of them with a different sound, this VA compilation features well-established techno producers Wrong Assessment, Rommek, Fabrizio Lapiana and Deepbass.

The A-side represents the darker and harder side of the Disconnekt nights, with Wrong Assessment delivering an up-front dance floor killer, and Rommek evoking the feeling of self-immersion inside an evolving, but aggressive synth-line driven by a hard hitting groove.

The B-side, on the other hand, brings a more melodic and hypnotic side. Fabrizio Lapiana and Deepbass both bring to the record their signature sound, with their own characteristic voice.

Repress!

Wiggle celebrate 25 years and relaunch their iconic label with a releases including co-founders Terry Francis, Nathan Coles and Eddie Richards, as well as artists like D’julz, Silverlining, Mihai Popoviciu, and more.

Wiggle, the brand that gave birth to tech house a sound that would power London’s club music community for over two decades, step out into their 25th year. To mark reaching this remarkable milestone, they plan a special series of international shows and a relaunch of their influential and ground-breaking label.

Taking their lead directly from the acid house movement, Nathan Coles and Terry Francis first brought Wiggle to life through their heady warehouse parties in the early 90s. Unpretentious to their core, these now infamous events were known for their purist values – community and a sound that booms. Finding a kindred spirit in another new face, Eddie Richards became resident from early sets and was a key figure from the off.

Through these now historic events, they embedded themselves deeply into London’s party landscape becoming familiar faces at cultural institution fabric. Heavily based around the core residents they also invited parts of the international and local world from Richie Hawtin, Jay Tripwire, Abe Duque and Colin Dale.

It’s about here we acknowledge Wiggle’s place in originating tech house - working the hard line swagger of techno together with the depth of feeling of house, matching rhythm with bass in a way perfectly aligned with endless hours of hedonism. This potent mix of musical elements is where it began and set down the foundation of London’s rich and active community of DJs, producers and ravers.

The label was founded close to the parties, sourcing tracks from the ever building network of producers who were fuelling this sound evolution. For their 25th birthday you can expect to see the Wiggle imprint coming back in strength - returning to cutting tracks to wax and continuing its legacy for bass fuelled party sounds and pioneering new talent.

2019 will see a series of international shows and a quarterly London party bringing the much loved Wiggle sensibilities and celebrate what they are and have achieved.

For its second installment, Tresydos presents ‘Description’, a selective, four track EP from US producer Matt Anderson. Normally working and releasing on the label Wex, he has shared with us a unique EP, a dive into the flavors and varied tastes he is inspired by.

Leading off on A1 is the title track ‘Description’. With an emotive melody & pushing jungle bass, this tune is a mixed and mangled, psy-hypnotic, peak time bouncer. A2 follows with ‘Small Talk’, which holds a smooth and liquidy touch, sprinkled with notes of jazzy bends & spacey arpeggios. On the flip side for B1 is ‘Gangsta.vox’, a playful tune, varied between a 4/4, acidic zooming, & airy, euphoric breaks. Last up is ‘Inside A Neutron Star’, a chugger that offers an acidic, yet smooth psychedelic theme to carry you on.

Endless Revisions- Chloé's first LP in over six years - saw the musician turn a new leaf in her creative journey. Not content with pushing the boundaries of her creative output with this wider palette of an album, Chloé released Endless Revisions Live, which saw the producer graft the new material and inspiration that came out while playing live on stage back onto the album's compositions. Following The Dawn and Recall, it was time to deliver other versions of the album's tracks. Enter this four-remix EP, imprinted with the almost-opposite horizons of top-shelf producers.

Comet presents the first release from its new Disco Highlife series, featuring remastered originals by Ghanaian legends Ebo Taylor & Pat Thomas and disco reedits by LeonxLeon and Leo Nanjo.

Founder of Comet Records, Eric Trosset, started working with those great heroes of West African music, back in 2010. Taking on the role of manager/publisher, Comet teamed up with Strut Records
and musician/producer Ben Abarbanel Wolff to revive Ebo Taylor‘s international career with a string of album releases: Love & Death, Appia Kwa Bridge and Life Stories. In 2014, he collaborated with
Pat Thomas & The Kwashibu Area Band on a new album, gathering together the old ‘pals’ (Ebo Taylor, Pat Thomas, Tony Allen) in producer Kwame Yeboah’s studio in Accra.

It is with great pleasure that Comet launches this new series. Let's make this beautiful and timeless music the soundtrack to an unforgettable summer!

On side A, comes “Enye Woa” by Pat Thomas, originally released in 1988 on Nakase Records and taken from the album Me Do Wiase. It’s killer disco cut, and as innovative a piece of highlife as it
was 30 years ago. Paris-based producer LeonxLeon has been cooking up songs in his Parisian home-studio since 2013. He did a remarkable remix of Cerrone's "Funk Makossa" and more recently released his new Rokanbo EP on Cracki Records. His remix of “Enye Woa” is a classy modern disco cut with funky bass and spacey synths.

On side B is “Atwer Abroba” by Ebo Taylor, a stand out up-tempo track from the album Twer Nyame, originally released in 1978 on Philips West African Records. Tokyo-based multi
instrumentalist/producer/arranger Leo Nanjo formed the first Japanese afrobeat group, Kingdom
Afrorocks. Since the band broke up in 2014, Leo has been producing and arranging music with various collaborations, such as DJ Muro, Pushim and Misia. This is a trippy afro-futurist, broken
beat reedit with highlife grooves flying to deep space

Copenhagen’s Echocord welcomes YWF onto its roster this June with the ‘Replaced’ EP, backed with remixes from Berlin’s Freund Der Familie. YWF is a Copenhagen based Techno producer and DJ, most notably known for his output on the Freund Der Familie imprint, the founders of which step in to remix his work here, and Baum Records, the label run by Resoe, a good friend of Echocord label boss Kenneth Christiansen and with whom he forms the group Pattern Repeat. It seems it was only a matter of time before YWF became a part of the family. Title-cut ‘Replaced’ opens the package via a sturdy rhythmic foundation, wandering synth licks and winding modulations before ‘All Is Temporary’ embraces a cinematic aesthetic, edging in elongated sub drones, emotive strings and delayed percussive hits. Freund Der Familie take control on the latter half of the package, delivering two interpreations of ‘Cutoff’, first up is ‘Fdf’s Reshape’, employing an airy asmtopheric feel amongst fluttering low-end and dustry drums while the ‘Days Of Doom Remix’, as the name would suggest takes a darker approach, laying focus on menacing bass, expansive delays and menacing voices alongside heartbeat like pulses of low-end drums.