Search:the school

Old school meeting da newskool ina RubADub style ! Massive !

Big acid tunes, with some core style and some more cheezy old school eyeblink. For the finish you'll enjoy some crazy Jungle from the Geezer !! yeah !!!

Sober old school ragga jungle. The good way !

Melting the swing to the raving old school sound, this Bingo dig in the right direction !

Old School Repress From U238 01 And Graveyard 02 (the Hardcore Label From Hokus Pokus).

Med School's most innovative release series returns. Responsible for delivering the drum & bass scene early stories of Etherwood, Royalston, Stray and Whiney, 'New Blood' is definitive of Med School's ethos when it comes to discovering and nurturing quality talent. With artists constantly redrawing the boundaries of 170BPM, this '018' edition breaks the mould showcasing the weird and wonderful sounds from the genre's most promising new talent.

Interdimensional waveman Lakeway has mustered up a jukey-jungle hybrid in the form of 'Lock Off'. Panpipe synths and some big beat steps combine to make the ultimate banger. Keeping things correct is Bristolian serpent Constrict. Choppy snares and flirty 8-bit synth stabs slither together to create 'Tight Coil'. Both choice cuts for any DJ looking for that D&B curveball.

This internationally spread line-up also features some of Russia's best D&B exports. A.Fruit's 'Tender Love' is a delectable fusion of footwork and techno rolled into one and Soela's 'I Wish You Would Come' is an ambient spaced out down tempo number.

A myriad of styles from across the globe are the key ingredients for the 'New Blood 018' LP. Med School has once again proven its A&R prowess, signalling to the world there is no better home for fresh talent.

* Dj Ham returns to Kniteforce with a superb 10' vinyl. Now largely known for his releases as Hamilton on D'n'B titan RAM records, Dj Ham has always been one of the most talented producers in either scene, and is respected as a pioneer and producer of some seriously classic tunes. His new Kniteforce 10' showcases his skill while keeping firmly within the old school soundscapes. Most Impressive is both dark and technoish, with twisted mentasms and a dark lords samples, while the inexplicably named Chicken Tune is a breezy, uplifting summer vibe anthem.

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

Swinging, "weightlessly" drifting, UK "intelligent" & Detroit schools reminiscent Techno

* Released for the first time on vinyl
* The ultimate collection of rare early materials by this electronic music pioneer
* Comes as a deluxe double LP set with insert and extensive liner notes . Limited black vinyl pressing (700 copies) with obi strip.

Klaus Schulze is a German electronic music pioneer, composer and musician that needs very little introduction. In the late sixties & early seventies he was a member of several iconic bands such as 'Tangerine Dream', 'The Cosmic Jokers' & 'Ash Ra Tempel' before launching a solo career consisting of more than 60 albums released across five decades. Collaborations were numerous and highlights include working with Steve Winwood, Brian Eno & Alphaville... just to name a few.

Klaus Schulze's proto moog-synthesizer work is regarded as a milestone in electronic music & during the decades he released landmark albums in genres catalogued as 'Ambient', 'Electronic', 'New Age', 'Berlin School', 'Experimental', 'Kosmische Musik' & 'Krautrock'. Mr. Schulze had a more organic sound than most electronic artists of the time, often he would throw in decidedly non-electronic sounds such as acoustic guitar and a male operatic voice. Schulze is also known for developing a Minimoog technique that sounds uncannily like an electric guitar, which is quite impressive in concert.

On occasions he would also compose film scores such as Body Love (1977), Barracuda (1978), Next of Kin (1982), & Angst (1983). His best known song 'Freeze' has been used in films like Manhunter (1986) and more recently in Sofia Coppola's 'The Bling Ring' from 2013.

In 2009, producer Klaus D. Mueller and Schulze began releasing La Vie Electronique ( The Electronic Life'), a series of sets that collected rare sought-after early works & unreleased tracks put in chronological sequence. These sets contain some of the best music Klaus ever created and are early 70's masterworks that will appeal to both fans and collectors.

Now available for the first time on vinyl, One Way Static Records presents the first volume in our new archival series 'La Vie Electronique'. This volume (1.0) focuses on the years 1968-1971 and is spread over two glorious LP's containing +78 minutes of Klaus Shulze rarities. This deluxe vinyl set also comes with an insert containing extensive liner notes.

Born in Cameroon, Vicky began banging the drums at the age of 9. By 13 he had moved onto bass and within a couple of years he was playing every night from 10pm to 5am in the Castel Douala Cabaret. At the age of 19 Vicky moved to Paris to study Banking and Commerce and cram in even more music. He took classes at Épinay-sur-Seine Conservatoire music school and it was here that he met Bandmates of his Dikalo project.

Word spreads and he soon becomes one of the most sought after bass players in the Afro arena. His session work features on many scenes stars, Manu Dibango, Eko Tala AM, Kemayo, Sammy Massamba, Toto Guillaume and many more. A chance meeting with the Gibson brothers also see him play on two of their hit albums. In the 80's Vicky moved to the US for spell and excels as a session bassist and touring musician.

We pick up the story in 1981. With his stature as a musician and bass player riding high he takes a detour to Nigeria to record with the Afrodisia label in Lagos. The "Thank U Mamma" album is the result. It is repressed for the first time, here in 2018 on the revitalised Afrodisia label.

Musical proceedings open up with the heartfelt ode to his mother "Thank U Mamma", smooth pop meets afrobeat boogie. "Marina Drive" slows things down with its smoldering jazz. Side Two opens with "Its Not Serious" a catchy vocal number underpinned with funky guitars and striding basslines. "Stormy Rain" is lazy guitar jazz swansong. We close off the album with the ever so funky "You". Slick funk grooves powered along with a dose of slap bass. As a side note Vicky actually plays left handed but with a "upside down" right handed bass. This upside-down precursor making his effortless slap playing even more impressive.

Vicky went on to record a two other albums and still tours and plays as an ever-in-demand session musician.

The Pendletons return with their latest EP, Funk Forever, a Jazz flavored boogie affair with soul inspired song-writing that evokes old school vibes while still staying fresh and current. Horn lines, Yamaha dx7 keys and snapping hip hop inspired drum programming topped by sweet singing with heartfelt themes, the group carves out a bold new sound on these 5 solid tracks. Featuring Elive, Potatohead People and Ishtar.

The Pendletons are a long-standing boogie-funk and modern soul project of E da Boss (of Myron and E on Stone's Throw) and Trailer Limon. The group emerged with their very first release in 2010, a 7" inch of "Coming Down/Waiting On You" on the Slept On record label, which set the tone for the group to emerge... it instantly became a cult classic receiving constant play at nights like Sweater Funk and Funkmosphere, and fetching for serious sums among collectors. Most recently, in 2016, they released the EP "Gotta Get Out". The title track caught the ear of renowned DJ Gilles Peterson, who liked it enough to release it on his Brownswood Bubbler compilation.

In 2018 the group is hitting the ground running with a brand new EP out this spring, and a full-length album to follow later later in the year on the renowned Bastard Jazz label. Now armed with a horn section, a vast array of accomplished jazz and funk contributors, and a knack for quality song-writing, the Pendleton's sound has shaped into something fresh and unique, setting it apart from the legions of imitators.

It was chance that brought about the release of One/Three, Dabrye's debut album. Early demos were tucked on the B side of a cassette Tadd Mullinix passed to Sam Valenti in 2000 while working at the Dubplate Pressure record shop in Ann Arbor. Mullinix had spent the late '90s producing jungle, techno, house, hip-hop and more using the All Sound Tracker software as a primary instrument. Each style pulled from a similar sound palette as Mullinix used limitations to define the contours of di-erent musical personalities. Dabrye was his hip-hop wildstyle, a captivating collage of sparse instrumentals inspired by the laid back vibes of midwestern hip-hop and east coast boom bap, the futuristic funk of Umma-era Jay Dee, and the calculated subtlety of Detroit dance music. Released in 2001 as the first in an intended trilogy, One/Three announced Dabrye's arrival with an unavoidable contribution to Detroit hip-hop. Ghostly International is reissuing the album in 2017 for the first time, including a long overdue vinyl edition.

On its release One/Three was the rare album that appealed to both fans of Slum Village's smooth yet rugged hip-hop and enthusiasts of the distinct American IDM released by labels like Schematic. Over the following decade, the inadvertent demo submission turned into a body of work that placed Dabrye alongside innovators such as Prefuse 73 amid the cannon of a new generation of producers. Today, One/Three remains a concise and intriguing study in instrumental hip-hop that helps join the dots between J Dilla and Flying Lotus.

One/Three is a record that says much with little. There are no obvious hip-hop tropes. Instead Mullinix captures the ingenious minimalism of '90s hip-hop instrumentals to build tracks both supple and hard, joyous and melancholy, full of sharply angled rhythms and warm rubbery basslines: 'The Lish' throws a sickly sweet saxophone against digitally fragmented melodies, 'How Many Times (with this)' draws you in with an irresistible, clipped guitar groove, the rhythmic stutter of 'Smoking The Edge' makes your head spin with pleasure. Playing with his inspirations, Mullinix injects omitted downbeats for imagined rhymes and repurposes the intricacy of ragga jungle for breakdowns.

But what really defines One/Three is the rhythmic sensibility and metric modulation of Detroit's school of hip-hop production, which Mullinix was a fervent student of. The beats feel like they're constantly escaping a rigid tempo grid even though they are, in fact, pretty tight. A lot of it is nuance,' Mullinix explains. I've been known to say that I'm not impressed by spectacle. I think that nuance is what really captivates people.'

If you like your beats with a dash of class, do not miss this. An essential purchase of the highest order.' -BBC

- First time all tracks from the original 2001 release appear on vinyl.
- Remastered by Daddy Kev
- Standard weight black vinyl is inserted in to 3.5mm matte finish vinyl jacket.
- Download card includes free download of the Payback EP

Ever since the early 90s, The Mover has set the standard for apocalyptic melodramatic techno and has been praised as one of the leading artists of Planet Core Productions. His distinct tone and memorable production expertise, causes one to leave the world behind. In 2018 he returns with - Undetected Act From The Gloom Chamber', an album which implies all the goodness and fears he is renowned for. Eight masterpieces carrying the authentic excitement that you would expect from the Mover in a timeless fashion. Shifting between electro beats and classic old school techno patterns, the album sets a moody tone. The release is filled with magnificent bass lines and dark-dreamy pads that leave the mind in a trance. Muscular drums and authentic synth-lines paired with the unmistakable Mover signature, makes this assembly of gems an outstanding masterpiece.

'Rockin live ruff and tuff', this is the untrammelled counterpart to Dadawah, six years later in 1980, fresh from the Black Ark: free, rawly spiritual trance-music, a full-force nyabinghi freak-out.
The drummers are headlong and rollicking, thunderous and explosive. Even more so than Dadawah, the mix is ecstatically echoey, giddily dubwise without let-up. Ras Michael himself sings from the mountain-top, like he just don't care — at the top of his lungs, in voices, screeching like a bird — with the delirious abandonment otherwise owned in reggae by Lee Perry.
Amongst the uncredited performances swirled into proceedings, there are squiggles of flute straight from the Upsetters song-book, the minor-key organ stabs and abstraction of electric space-jazz, and sax-playing more attuned to the Headhunters than the Blazing Horns. (I Ya I in particular is a stunning fifteen minutes.)
This is the real thing, music without affectation. Pure reggae. Sun Ra fans should love it, anyone with ears to hear.
Prepared and manufactured at Abbey Road, D&M and Pallas, beautifully presented in rigid, old-school, tip-on sleeves, with matt-coated fronts and untreated-paper backs, 180g vinyl.
'These sounds are sounds of inspiration and love and culture to the universal benefit of mankind... So therefore meditate and stop hate.'
Very hotly recommended.

Big Crown Records is proud to present this tough as nails split 7' The A side is Paul Ramos version of the Mandrill classic Fence Walk'. Originally released on the Harlem label, and later licensed to Falcon only to oddly appear on their Kris Bravo LP. Ramos stays close to the original, but adds enough to the tune to make it a must have for funk collectors. The B side Funky Resurgence' comes by way of vibes player/bandleader Ulysses Crockett who was a stalwart on the Bay Area scene of the 1960's first with his Latin Jazz group Afro Blue Persuasion and later Ulysses Crockett Magic. He also played in The Skins w/ the legendary Bill Graham. "Funky Resurgence" was one of several compositions he wrote for the 1971 play "Resurgence." During this period, Ulysses was also going through law school and he remains a legal voice, writer and activist in the Bay Area.

Yellow Sunshine' by the band of the same name is an essential proto-Disco jam from back in 1973. A big one with the underground Disco heads and B-boy DJ's in the Bronx alike this record is a sure-shot! Often early Hip-hop DJ's would buy 2 copies of this 45 or the LP and cut it up long enough for the crowd to get loose and into the groove. A party-rocker of the highest order. Produced in Philadelphia, originally released on Kenny Gamble's 'Gamble' label and featuring some heavyweight players including Dexter Wansel, Roland chambers and more, 'Yellow Sunshine is the perfect blend of funk, Rock & Disco - old school style. Backed with 'Don't Tell Me later Girl' a la the original '73 Gamble Records promo this one's an essential for anyone who digs that Funk! There's always been poor imitations, but this 2017 repress is from the MASTER TAPES (Yes, we can prove it) and is fully, 100% LEGIT in every way. 'Yellow Sunshine' - now available again, released in conjunction with Gamble / PIR. Back on the streets. Same as it ever was! Buy on sight!

Marcos Valle's incredible 1963 debut, Samba ''Demais'', established him as one of the premier performers and composers in the emerging Brazilian popular music landscape. Barely out of his Rio high school, where classmates included fellow Brazilian musical legends Edu Lobo and Dori Caymmi, Valle caught the eye of label executives and had a debut record out before his 20th birthday. Though he would later go on to be a massive superstar across his native country and a cult figure throughout the rest of the world, these humble beginning show Valle already had a complete mastery of the samba songwriting form and was already a brilliant performer. An essential Brazilian title on 180 gram vinyl with 1 bonus track from Cornbread.

We got to know Dan Only, an exciting emerging artist from the Toronto underground, when he collaborated with Jesse Futerman on our recent 'Deep Love 2017 compilation. His debut record, released on Adam Marshall's 'New Kanada' imprint, introduced his deep instinct for electronic music and unique, boundless approach to deep house. An avid collector of old school gear you can hear the analogue warmth throughout this intricately detailed yet heavy hitting four-tracker. 'It's Clear' opens. A solid House jam, its thumping drums and resonating melodies follow a steady bass groove ready to heat up the dance floor. 'Be Major...Believe' leads in more gently before warbling key lines and synth details layer over gritty percussion pushing the mood closer and closer to bursting. This one conjures images of summer nights and distant coast lines. On the B, simmering vocals and tropical rhythms dance amongst straight forward house energies on 'Don't You Understand". Rich with subtleties, it's somehow smooth while seriously impactful. Finally we have 'Truffles". A very modern twist on Disco vs House it's an original Italo infused gem with an edit feel, that maintains the vibe of an 80s era hedonistic night throughout. Perfect as a peak time mood elevator or blissful, hands-in-the-air closing record. We're convinced Dan Only's future is bright and are overwhelmed by the quality and musicality of this, his first solo EP on Dirt Crew Recordings.

Repress

Swedish Electro profile visit Borft for a "end of the year" release. Deep old school Tech & Electro. Limited to 300 copies. Handstamped labels and sticker....

Fresh from his 'Let's Roll EP' on Radio Slave's Rekids, Hopeworks curator Lo Shea further cements his status as a true innovator of the UK underground with the 'Iterations EP' on Dusky's 17 Steps.

Leading the charge, 'Iterations' is 8 dark twisted minutes of tripped-out melodic techno that will sweat the walls of warehouses from London to Tokyo - drawing a lineage from The Omen, Atomic Jam and The Orbit through to Berghain, De School and - indeed - Hopeworks itself.

On the remix, Stockholm's Peder Mannerfelt takes it down an industrial rabbit hole of terror-core synths, rave sirens and sonic paranoia.

Across rest of EP, Lo Shea flexes his sonic diversity with 'Ornithurae' offering an intruiging mix of bruising bass, twitchy layer loaded percussion and sinister soundscapes - somewhere between d&b don Dillinja circa '96, early Claude Von Stroke, Radioactive Man and fellow Sheffield legend Oris Jay.

Dark, soulful and ravey, 'Higher' closes things off with a uniquely UK hybrid that traces lines through militant Tresor-heyday techno, vintage Strictly Rhythm diva house and hardcore vibes.

Having previously appeared alongside Tommi Vicari Jr on a 12" last year, Opto Mystics strike out on their own with this 12" for Italian powerhouse Vibraphone. New Horizon very much represents the new school approach with the long serving Italian house label, keeping that deep, melodic quality but embracing new rhythms, tones and approaches. "New Horizon" almost has an Akufen quality to it, while "Bucky Triangle" could easily transmit from the Motor City house scene. "M.I.Y.E." is a swirling blur of gorgeous synths, and "Suddent" finishes the EP off on a surprisingly experimental tip.

Fayze came of age in Windsor, Ontario, a diverse, gritty Canadian city in the immediate shadow of Detroit. During the 1980s, this fortunate geography placed the local scene in the inner orbit of the emergent Detroit techno scene. From that starting point, Fayze fell deeply in love with experimental, original sounds. Today, his innovative, genre-defying soundscapes flirt occasionally with global schools like avant-pop and krautrock, but his sound is all his own. Fayze 's new music uses vintage analog synthesizers, which he's been collecting since the early 1990s, to build organic, textural compositions. An idiosyncratic collection of ambient, dreamy soundscapes, the album features inspired collaborations with Detroit, Windsor, and Toronto artists. Its myriad influences include Aphex Twin , Stereolab , Led Zeppelin , and Boards of Canada . A well-travelled creative professional by day, Fayze previously made music with Marc Houle and Marshall Sfalcin of King Kool Flipped . This is his first major solo project.

A melt of acid tribe and industrial techno with a bit of old school acid techno... This Ep out from the Dune Records sery offers a Collab spirit for a mode open minded scene.

Banging solid kickerz on the A side, 150 to 165 BPM... B side goes more mental, from 170 to 175... Last tune in a very old school DSP style, is totaly perfect:)

DJ-Kicks start 2018 in fine style with another vital entry into their long running series. The latest comes from Swiss DJ and producer Deetron , and features an exclusive solo track as well as exclusive collaborations with Steve Spacek, Jinadu and Jamie Lidell.

Mouse on Mars is recognised as one of Germany's most defning and versatile electronic music projects. With their
anarchic mixture of sound that oscillates between uncontrollable chaos and meticulously arranged structures,
Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma have forged a unique musical language, which is readily decomposed by the
unpredictability of its myriad mutations. Free from schools of thought, genre conventions, and from the constraints
of the music establishment, they have worked under the Mouse on Mars alias for 24 years, mapping their own
idiosyncratic trajectory through a no man's land between pop, art, club music, and the avant-garde. - Jan Rohlf
Idiology takes the acoustic experiments of Niun Niggung even further, and it's this combination of electronic
and 'traditional' music -- melding keyboards and synthesizers with french horns and guitars and trumpets into a
seamless whole -- that points the way through the dead-ends of most electronica.'
- PopMatters
Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner continue to create soundscapes that blur the line between programming and live
musicianship, and sometimes between Earth and outer space.' - The A.V. Club
On April 13th Mouse on Mars will release Dimensional People,
their brand new studio album on Thrill Jockey.
The album features Werner and Toma joined by a number of
prolifc guests: Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Zach Condon (Beirut),
Spank Rock, Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Swamp
Dogg, Eric D. Clarke, Lisa Hannigan, Amanda Blank, Sam
Amidon, Ensemble Musikfabrik, and about 20 more musical
collaborators.
After a series of notorious dance oor releases, Dimensional
People reveals them working deep within their own vernacular,
digging into fertile terrain of their inexhaustible vault of digital
and acoustic experimentation, and charismatically making
elemental components new again. This album makes clear how
their craft is of discovery, of fnding new contexts for places,
sounds, memories, sensations, ambiences, technologies,
relationships, and of course, people.

Few authentic Electro producers from the UK can wear the badge 'legend' with the same level of justification as Phil Klein aka Bass Junkie. Active since the late 80s, Phil has been peddling his own take on Electro almost constantly, either as a solo artist or as part of numerous collabs with the likes of Dynamix II, Keith Tenniswood (Radioactiveman) and Si Brown (Dexorcist). DJ, remixer, live act, and the man behind the killer Battle Trax label, there is nothing this Junkie hasn't done.

With essential releases on labels such DMX Krew's Breakin Records, Andrea Parker's Touchin' Bass, and Billy Nasty's Elektrix; the Bass Junkie sound spans the old school beats and vibes of the Electro genre's origins, to the borderline industrial. From funky to ferocious, Bass Junkie's discography is a must have for anyone claiming passion for the genre - influential, individual, and infectious with every beat.

His 'Low Frequency Fugitive' EP is a welcome return for his Bass Junkie project, after several years working primarily on collabs. The EP brings four new tracks that maintain the Bass Junkie sound that brought him such success and notoriety in the first place, with a healthy dose of evolution too.

This is one Fugitive everyone should try and track down...

The electronic sonic inventors Tyndall pulled out all the stops for their second album. Armed with an impressive array of analogue synthesizers, they unleashed the full force of their experimentalist ambitions, weaving synth pop, repetitive bass patterns, laminar sounds and carefree melodies into a unique amalgam of the Duesseldorf and Berlin Schools.

Mirror Trax proudly presents it's first release: the Esox Lucius EP by Esox Lucius! Born in the late 90's, Esox Lucius seems to have soaked up his environment quickly. Old school flavour transmitted to the depths where Esox Lucius roams seems to be the recipe for elementary and spaced-out techno. Nimbus on the A side is a classic techno track reminiscent of the X-Mix days! It's soothing melody and driving bass will propel you towards the clouds, cruise-missile style. On the B side, the first track Indica is a high-speed techno train. Driven by it's resonant lead and shifting snares, B1 will definitely leave you as high and disoriented as the name implies. Common thread on the B side seems to be a Hague-ish influence, as the closing track is a heavy grinding techno track with a hint of electro. B2 will definitely sink your ship so make sure The Hoff is around!

300 copies available.

Tardis Records are delighted to welcome UK tech-house hero Flow to the Tardis Records stable for their eighth release. The three tracks making up the Trine EP were recorded together with Simon Moorecroft (a.k.a. Simon Vinyl Junkie) around the time of his first vinyl releases back in 1996-1997. All three tracks sound completely contemporary whilst having more than enough old school flavour to give flashbacks to any 90's ravers. Lead track 'Boy Girl Action' has skipping, garage-influenced beats with rolling bass and swirling atmospherics, whilst a breakbeat, vocals and a stabby intro give 'Trine' on the flip a more ravey feel. Closing out the EP, 'I See You' is the dubbiest cut here, with another heavy bassline, cut-up vocals,and subtly swung percussion. Eli and Oscar have loved testing these tracks out on the road and can vouch for their impact on a peak-time dancefloor!

Written and produced by David Burraston. Recorded at Noyzelab, 2014-2017. Random artwork, generated using seed number 0xAF30F0843192FC4, by Matthew Petty.

After a happy chance meeting at an event in the National Portrait Gallery in London, NYZ was invited to make a tape for The Tapeworm. On returning to Australia he went into the studio, digging up some recent-ish pieces from the last few years, and also making a handful of new ones. The music on this tape is a mix of Cellular Automata sequencing hooked up to various synthesis/FX methodologies including: Frequency Modulation, Phase Modulation, Sampling, old school hardware DSP and ROMplers. Musically this tape covers a range of different tunings and intervals, designed to take you on journey through the obscurities of NYZ's approach to experimental sound and music making.

Two wicked, old school rollers from the ever excellent Ishio Dai, who works the frequencies in both of these woofer-wrecking bass cuts. Killer!

Southend quartet Ghost Music release their evocative debut album I Was Hoping You'd Pass By Here via Arlen on 19 January. They create careful, considered songs, weaving lo-fi lullabies with gliding guitars and understated arrangements. Influenced by Silver Jews, Flying Nun and K Records, they explore themes of nature, love, loss and a melancholic English romanticism embellished with beautifully spectral melodies and executed with startling subtlety.

Despite this record being their debut, the band has produced a veritable wealth of music over the past 20 years in various guises. Ghost Music revolves around the songwriting partnership of Matt Randall and Lee Hall, who had played together in the 90s with John Peel favourites Beatglider. More recently Randall has received critical acclaim as Plantman, with his three albums Closer to the Snow, Whispering Trees and To The Lighthouse receiving praise from The Guardian, Uncut and Mojo. When Randall and Hall reunited to collaborate on another album together, they brought in the talents of Roy Thirlwall on bass (Melodie Group) and Leighton Jennings on drums (Dark Globes) to complete the band.

The original idea would be that the songs would be 'ghosts' and create 'ghost music' to resurrect and dust off old songs that they had already started. Lee had found the beginnings of 'Home Dog' on a dusty old 4-track and he had recorded 'Strange Love' on his iPhone in 2014, whilst Matt had written 'My Cloud' as far back as 1997 (the night he moved out of his parents' house). As the album began to take shape, the ghostly premise took a back seat, as they began to breathe new life into the songs they found the impetus to write new ones.

Randall explains the songwriting process; 'When we were in Beatglider together and in the past we'd made a 'thing' out of writing long songs with a lot of changes. This time we pared it back a bit and stuck to the melodies more. We really wanted to make a proper guitar record. Lee's my favourite guitarist and it was lovely to see him stretch out on these songs with his diamond fingers.'

Not afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves, Ghost Music's sound is instantly familiar, echoing beloved bands from the 90s such as Pavement ('Home Dog' has a definite 'Range Life' feel), Galaxie 500 ('Blindspot'), Yo La Tengo ('Heart Shaped Holiday' is influenced by the languid YLT songs that peak after a short intro) and even old-school rock'n'roll ('Strange Love' was born out of an appreciation for the instantly engaging opening riff in 50s songs). Yet Ghost Music's work never feels derivative, being instead effortlessly emotive, melancholic and affecting, creating a world of sound that is hugely reassuring and a tonic for the modern age.

An ethereal, unresolved presence fading into the stereo field, Hilja breathes into life with a haunted synth line and self-sampling vocal hook that instantly creates an enchanted space. Hilja is the debut album by Glasgow-based musician Maria Rossi aka Cucina Povera. Named after a style of southern Italian traditional cooking associated with precarity and making-do, a philosophy of simplicity and stoicism that applies perfectly to the spare but beautiful music Rossi experiments with. Hilja's marriage of minimal synth, field recordings and the hymnal dexterity of Rossi's vocal performances creates a new language, sometimes literally, to be spoken in some mythological Fourth World we've yet to create.
Originally from Finland, Rossi brings an acute sense of space, surroundings, and practicality to her working practice, with each composition often relying on a limited sound palette to create deeply affecting messages which transcend language. Cucina Povera's power is to communicate purely, often down to the solo-choir nature of Rossi's multi-layered voice, an achingly beautiful instrument which has seems to have an innate spirituality in its grain. The tension between the means and the end is at the heart of Cucina Povera, the invocation of a kind of secular spirituality at times using nothing but Rossi's voice. Indeed there's almost a Dogme-like purity to the arrangements: Elektra is a soothing song based around the lapping waves of Rossi's wordless backing vocals and a simple field recording of stones knocked together. Kehoitus is completely a cappella, a haunted fairytale told in glossolalia, evoking a quasi-religious experience with very little.
For music often minimal and simple there's a boldness that belies Hilja's status as a debut. Rossi allows each word, each sound and rhythm to exist in its own space, finding its own relationship with its surroundings. Mesikämmenen Veisu is perhaps the most ecclesiastical sounding composition here, burbling water trickles below a virtuoso vocal, with incredible arrangements in several registers undulating above. A meditation to relieve hunger and restriction, it's a perfect summing up of Hilja, a music ambient but completely earthed, finding enchantment in what you have to hand, the realism of magic, the magic of realism.
First Press limited to 300 with hand-screened sleeves.

The Make Mistakes ethos is one of diversity and evolution, and that is showcased in full on our newest vinyl release Need Your Luvin'. House, Acid, Techno, Roy England, Jarvi, Fredy Grogan. One track, three styles, all dance floor bounders.
Roy England's original mix is a jackin' house jam with a timeless vibe. A classic house sound propelled forward by the titular vocal sample, England manages to deliver a track that would work equally in the lounge, as well as late night in the big room.
On the B side Jarvi's Acid Workout strips the original down even further, and fills it back up, with a wandering, hypnotic acid line to stitch it all together. An old school party sound, both familiar and fresh. Fredy Grogan deconstructs the original into its component parts, building it back up into his dark, and driving dub techno remix. Drawing it out over nearly 8 minutes, this'll have the heads bouncing off the walls.

House, Acid, Techno, pillars of dance music, mixed together, given the ol' razzle dazzle, and served up hot and ready for mind, body, and soul. Grab Need Your Luvin', stick it in the crate, and never worry, because you'll always have the Luvin' you need.

'Beware the irrational, however seductive. Shun the 'transcendent' and all who invite you to subordinate or annihilate yourself. Distrust compassion; prefer dignity for yourself and others. Don't be afraid to be thought arrogant or selfish. Picture all experts as if they were mammals. Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity. Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake; the grave will supply plenty of time for silence. Suspect your own motives, and all excuses. Do not live for others any more than you would expect others to live for you.'

---Christopher Hitchens, Letters to a Young Contrarian

TERRANOVA kicks off 2018 with a bang with 'Cosmo EP' (KOM378). 4 top-notch tracks showcasing the strongest outings yet in his impressive back catalogue.
Following an excellent entry in our SPEICHER series with 'Speicher 94' (KOMPAKT EXTRA 94 - co-helmed by Reinhard Voigt), the much- acclaimed full length 'Restless' (KOMPAKT 327 CD 123) hit turntables two years ago, TERRANOVA aka Fetisch, the creative mind & producer behind the project he likes to describe as 'the deep space electric ark' has been in orbit since the release of 'Terranova DJ Kicks' (!K7) in 1997.
TERRANOVA* now returns to the spotlight with COSMO EP, a jacking four-tracker inspired by raw Chicago House, early NYC Electro , old school computers /A.I. and some very special analog &digital machines featuring 2 excellent collaborations with Milan based artists.

Opening track COSMOCHORD features the Italian DJ legend Flashmob. The result is a peak time monochord banger that takes both producers' extensive expertise in propelling dance floor cuts to new heights.
COSMOCODE feat VOLTAGUE intense psychedelic Techno again with peak time quality. LANGSAM is an elegant, driving example of classic dance floor electronica. A skilled combination of an 808 with an obscure vintage beatbox of eastern origin, an Oberheim OB8 and a 1970 Kunstkopf Mic Instructions mixed on the original Deutsche Grammophon 1950 Valve mixer. PERFECT HAPPINESS wraps up this action-packed release with some a twisted afro stomper lead by a drunk sounding computer bouncing on the mic.
*Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit

Time for Colours, a new series with a playful sound and the world as inspiration. On Yellow EP, Lyssna invites the Italian producer Riciar Ghir to contribute on A1 with dreamy Cargo bubbles and tribal drums. A2 showcases the Italian duo, MINIMALAFRIKA. With several great releases on their resume, Drakma Queen takes you on a deep Sci-Fi house ride. On the flip side B1 yet another excellent Italian producer ROBOTALCO comes along. Involved in GetWet Records and one half of the Fake Congas duo. No More Disco takes you back to the old school 4/4 sound with playful and funky tunes. Last but not least is B2 with the young talented Stockholm duo Klubbhuset that released their debut album on the great NYC label Let's Play House. SS0817 is a classic house track with warm disco samples and hypnotic swirles that makes you wanna move your hips.

Under the alias of Zanov we find the works of French electronic pioneer Pierre Salkazanov, who had started playing guitar in the 1960s in a Shadows styled band, Les Ambassadors. Instrumental rock was not enough for Salkazanov, he was always looking for evolution, so when a meeting with French synth player Serge Ramses (of "Secret" fame) got him into the world of synthesizers he just dived deep into the bourgeoning world of electronic music. He got himself an EMS VCS3 and started producing works into a 4-track Teac tape machine. French music was at its best, it was the time of Jean Michel Jarre, Didier Bocquet, Richard Pinhas and Heldon, Alain Meunier... Even Gong's Tim Blake was living in France at that time. By the time of his second LP, Moebius 256 301, issued also on Polydor in 1977, Zanov had already gathered a small collection of gear, including an ARP 2600 and an ARP sequencer, his old VCS3, an RMI Harmonic and a PS 3300. Again under the influence of both first and second generation of Berlin school musicians the LP will appeal to fans of Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream, but they will also find a big deal of Zanov's own personal sound on it, since as the musician himself reckons he had little contact with other peers of his generation, so besides a general love for the electronic gear used and the sounds you could make out of them the creative ideas behind his works were all his own. On his second album a richer sound is found, not only due to the use of the new gear, since some of its tracks where recorded using only his old EMS, but also due to his won experience after having taken his works to the life stages in the Golf Drouot boite, the Lase Olympia venue (on the basement of the famous Olympia), the Paris Planetarium or those for planned one month tour (of which in the end only four dates were accomplished).

Zanov's three albums met with unanimous critical acclaim for the sound quality as well as for the originality of this very personal universe.

Under the alias of Zanov we find the works of French electronic pioneer Pierre Salkazanov, who had started playing guitar in the 1960s in a Shadows styled band, Les Ambassadors. Instrumental rock was not enough for Salkazanov, he was always looking for evolution, so when a meeting with French synth player Serge Ramses (of "Secret" fame) got him into the world of synthesizers he just dived deep into the bourgeoning world of electronic music. He got himself his first syths and started producing works into a 4-track Teac tape machine. French music was at its best, it was the time of Jean Michel Jarre, Didier Bocquet, Richard Pinhas and Heldon, Alain Meunier... Even Gong's Tim Blake was living in France at that time. And so Zanov soon caught the attention of Polydor, who released Green Ray in 1976. It is a work made with minimal equipment if compared to other French sythetists, not to mention their German peers, he worked on the EMS VCS3 synth and used a 4-track Teac and a Revox A77 Mk IV reel to reel tape recorders obtaining huge sound results. You can appreciate an influence from the Berlin school, Green Ray walks the same path of what artists like Tangerine Dream and the likes were producing at the time, Zanov had felt under the spell of Ricochet, but his head was boiling with ideas which gave the recordings a very personal, unique touch.

Zanov's three albums met with unanimous critical acclaim for the sound quality as well as for the originality of this very personal universe.

(Disclaimer: release notes refer to the combined CD double-album release "Hot Flash: Best of The Voltags" on which all tracks appear together. "Electric Nightmare" and "Danger High Voltag" are released separately on vinyl format)

It does not happen that often any more that unreleased music from 40 years ago surfaces. Even more unlikely it is that the songs put on tape are such treasures. The Voltags were right at the forefront of the local Washington DC New Wave/Punk scene of the late 1970s. Influenced by Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, The Clash, and The B-52's, they have released only one 45rpm single during their existence. But during the time span of not even 18 months, they had recorded enough material for an entire album - but the songs remained in the can.

This is the story of The Voltags, a short-lived band which could have become famous and mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned music legends of that era - if their songs had been released back in the day. Dive in and enjoy the sound of The Voltags, it is truly special. We here at Perfect Toy are thrilled to be label to finally release their work and we sincerely hope that they are finally getting the appreciation they so richly deserve.

Detailed information:
Dave Bennett and Hangnail Phillips grew up in Brookside Park, Newark, Delaware, USA, a small suburban college town nestled midway between Philadelphia and Baltimore. Their first band project evolved into Pump Productions (Pump) under which they released their only 45rpm single in 1970 (one of the two songs, "Pappy's Rug", can be heard on "Down & Wired 3", Perfect Toy Rec.). Soon after the recording of the single the two graduated from High School and disbanded Pump. Both moved on to form two new Newark bands. Dave was a founding member of "Snake Grinder & The Shredded Fieldmice" and Hangnail co-founded "Rudy Baker & The Vegetables".

In early 1979, two friends of Dave's, Nick Norris and Mike Fisher, became partners in a music production company, White Clay Productions. One of White Clay's first artists was Dave Bennett who had just written two excellent songs: "Electric Jungle" and "Son Of Sam". White Clay set up a recording session and Dave assembled a group of friends to record the songs. Before the recordings were even mixed, Dave asked Hangnail if he would join in a band to support the single and other songs he had written. When James Keesey (drums) and Rick Reid (bass) were added the line-up was complete. For a while they didn't have a name and then one day Nick Norris was looking at a photo of Dave standing next to a "Danger High Voltage" sign. Dave's head was in front of the E in Voltage and Nick laughed "Danger High Voltag" and so it was soon suggested that the band should be called "The Voltags" (pronounced Vol'-togs). After months of preparing a repertoire they were ready to play out. Their first gig was (October 20, 1979) at a gay disco in nearby Wilmington called The Backstage. On December 30, 1979, White Clay decided to put on a big show at the State Theater to celebrate the end of the Seventies ("The End Of The Decade Bash").

For the next year, with the help of White Clay, they recorded 19 songs, both studio and live recordings with White Clay's mobile unit. If not for these "off the board" recordings, many of their songs would have never been recorded. There was always talk of a second Voltags single but the strains of working so closely together were taking their toll on them and Dave decided to leave the group in December of 1980. The Voltags couldn't be The Voltags without Dave, and by the end of 1981, Hangnail, James and Rick, too, were ready to disband.


- all songs previously unreleased
- mastered from the original reel-to-reel tapes
- limited vinyl release