Suche:the world of

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A MAJOR EXPLORATION OF TOKYO'S CUTTING EDGE 80S SOUND THROUGH THE MUSIC OF CULT JAPANESE LABEL NIPPON COLUMBIA AND ITS BETTER DAYS IMPRINT, SELECTED BY BRITISH RADIO PRESENTER AND DJ NICK LUSCOMBE.

‘Tokyo Dreaming’ is a superb selection picked from the highly collectible Nippon Columbia label and its Better Days sub-label. For the occasion, we’ve teamed up with journalist and Japanese music expert Nick Luscombe who was granted rare access to the much-guarded Nippon Columbia's vaults for a masterful selection encapsulating the fascinating sound of Tokyo in the late 70s and 80s. The selection mixes electro, synth-pop, funk and ambient and features such artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mariah, Shigeo Sekito, Juicy Fruits, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama and Yumi Murata. The tracklist includes many sought-after rarities and hidden gems which have never been released outside of Japan and the set has been newly remastered by Nippon Columbia. The album has been designed by famed London-based designer Optigram and is annotated by Nick.

Nippon Columbia, one of Japan's oldest music labels is also one of its most collectible thanks to its sub-label Better Days which, in the late 70s, became a hotbed for Tokyo's new generation of pop artists eager to experiment with ambient, electro and funk. Armed with a string of new Japanese-made synthesizers and drum machines that would soon take the world by storm, they made cutting-edge music, which has since become highly sought-after by a new generation of Japanese music lovers. Nick Luscombe, who has long been a leading advocate of Japanese music from this era, has handpicked a selection of some of the sharpest music released on these labels at the time.
According to Nick, “Tokyo Dreaming is a look back to an incredible era of Japanese music, that still sounds and feels like the future. It was a moment when brand-new music tech from Japan helped forge new ideas and experiments that permeated pop, soul and jazz and helped create new forms of music including electro and techno. The perfect meeting point that would help create a new soundtrack for modern living.“
?The selection starts with "The End of Asia" by Ryuichi Sakamoto from his 1978 ground-breaking debut "Thousand Knives Of" (reissued last year by Wewantsounds). The track became a staple of Sakamoto's and YMO's live shows and was even re-recorded by the group for their 1980 album 'X Multiplies'. The track is followed by Mariah's cult Armenian folk flavoured synth pop classic "Shinzo No Tobira" (1983), which first spread outside of Japan when the Scottish DJ duo Optimo started playing the track regularly at their shows.
?Chika Asamoto's "Self Control" (1988) and Jun Fukamachi's "Treasure Hunter" (1985) are perfect songs in the synth-pop canon, while Yumi Murata's rendition of Akiko Yano's "Watashi No Bus" and Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama's "Rainy Driver" both from 1981, move closer towards the slicker, funkier sound of City Pop.
?'Tokyo Dreaming' superbly showcases the breadth of 80s Japanese music and the way electro pop was a playing ground for musicians to experiment with many styles, as showcased by Akira Sakata's dub-enfused "Room" from 1980, Kazumi Watanabe's discoid "Tokyo Joe" (1980) and Juicy Fruits' "kawai" robotic Techno pop song "Jenie Gets Angry".
?The selection flows effortlessly between many shades of synth and ends with two cult classics in the form of Yasuaki Shimizu's "Semi Tori No Hi" and Shigeo Sekito's ambient-jazz masterpiece "The Word II" from his highly sought-after album "Kareinaru Electone (The Word) Vol.2" which, although recorded in 1975, perfectly announces the synth revolution to come. Tokyo Dreaming showcases the groundbreaking sounds of a city turned giant sonic lab which was restlessly inventing the music of the future.
Nick Luscombe is a highly respected and in-demand music influencer who discovers great music from all over the world and shares it internationally through his many radio shows and DJ sets. He has been in charge of music selection for various radio programs since 1999, and from 2010 - 2019, was the DJ for the popular BBC Radio music program "Late Junction”. He has also curated and presented music shows for Monocle and British Airways radio stations. He has worked as both Chief Music Editor at iTunes and Director of Music at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, and is the founder of MSCTY.

For this occasion we have an original song by the well-known artist The Hacker, who this time signs it with his alter ego Amato in which he has already published on labels such as Pinkman, Return to Disorder (Helena Hauff), Cititrax….

The rest of the Ep is completed with three remixes. One of the increasingly powerful Years of Denial that have made a voice adaptation. On the other hand, there are the world-renowned Spaniards within the Esplendor Geométrico industrial scene. And to finish a remix of Orlok 101 with a more track-focused theme.

The above references have already been supported by artists such as Dave Clarke, Phase Fatale, The Hacker, Lokier, NX1, Unhuman, Alienata, Reka, and many more.

It’s 2020, the year Pop Ambient turns twenty-one years old, a spritely young adult waltzing out of its teenage joys and tears. Pop Ambient has always stood for a certain classicism and elegance, a kind of beatless music that’s diaphanous and hazy, gossamer and glittering. It’s a music that’s no less inviting for its slow pace and becalmed nature, with a different kind of tension bubbling under the surface. For twenty-one years, KOMPAKT co-founder Wolfgang Voigt has curated a series of peerless compilations that repeatedly find refreshing answers to a simple question – What happens when the dancefloor is empty, and everyone’s home to drift away?

As with many other Pop Ambient compilations, Pop Ambient 2021 offers a welcome platform to contributions from both old friends and new faces. It opens with the gorgeous, slo-mo drift of “Of A Vessel”, from new Kompakt signings Blank Gloss. Sending their music out into the world from their home in Sacramento, this duo makes music that’s featherlight and luscious, the muted chime of a guitar over here, the steady hum of a halatial drone over there; everything in its right place, and nothing overdone. The poise is all. Neozaïre (Tobias Sawitzki aka Noorden) and Seventh World (Juho Hietala aka Blamstrain) are our other two new voices, the latter closing (the CD version of) Pop Ambient 2021 with a long, lambent dreamsong, Neozaïre offering us two gaseous, morphing driftworks, “Vor den Toren Europas” and “In Verschwenderischer Fülle” (CD only), etched across with bell-like arpeggios.

Pop Ambient has always felt like a field for play for the KOMPAKT cognoscenti, and 2021 is no different, with Joachim Spieth collaborating with Pepo Galán on the sidereal visions of “Libration”, while Leandro Fresco teams up with Thore Pfeiffer on the lovely “Abejorro”. Pfeiffer also contributes two lovely solo miniatures of abstract longing. Yui Onodera calls in again, long distance, for their fourth Pop Ambient running, with the refracted, glinting lightscapes of “Cromo 5” and “Monochrome”, while there are also star turns from Max Würden, both solo and in Reich & Würden (with Luis Reichard), and Morgen Wurde, who drops by with the ‘ethereal drama’ of “Mittsommer”.

Pop Ambient gets the balance right: visions and soundscapes, long-distance communications and intimate asides, sweetness and light, drama and dreaming, all wrapped up in floral abstractions – a most beautiful distraction.

Wir schreiben das Jahr 2020, das Jahr, in dem Pop Ambient einundzwanzig Jahre alt wird – das entspricht etwa einem lebenshungrigen jungen Erwachsenen, der gerade aus den letzten Teenager-Freuden und Leiden herausgewachsen ist. Pop Ambient steht seit jeher für eine gewisse Klassik und Eleganz, beatfreie Musik, die, transparent und leicht verschwommen, zart und glitzernd leuchtet. Musik, die trotz ihrer Langsamkeit und ihrer sanften Natur unter Spannung steht, weil hier immer etwas unter der scheinbar ruhigen Oberfläche brodelt.

Einundzwanzig Jahre lang hat KOMPAKT-Mitbegründer Wolfgang Voigt diese einzigartige Compilation-Reihe kuratiert, die immer wieder neue Antworten auf eine einfache Frage findet: Wie füllt man die Leere nach dem Club?

Wie viele andere Pop Ambient-Compilations bietet auch Pop Ambient 2021 eine Plattform für die musikalischen Beiträge von alten Freunden und einigen neuen Gesichtern. Es beginnt mit dem wunderbaren Slo-Mo-Drift von "Of A Vessel" von Blank Gloss, einem neuen Kompakt Signing. Das Duo stammt aus Sacramento in Kalifornien und sendet von dort seine überaus leichte und sinnliche Musik in die Welt hinaus – ein zartes Zupfen an einer Gitarresaite hier, das gleichmäßige Dröhnen eines prunkvollen Soundscapes hier; alles ist hier am richtigen Platz und passiert ohne übertriebene Betonung. Gelassenheit ist alles. Neozaïre und Seventh World sind zwei weitere Neuzugänge. Hinter Seventh World steckt der finnische Produzent Juho Hietala aka Blamstrain, der (die CD Version von) Pop Ambient 2021 mit einem epischen, flackernden Traum names “Light The Waves Before Dawn“ beschließt, während Neozaïre, ein Seitenprojekt von Tobias Sawitzki aka Noorden, zwei gasförmige, sich immer wieder morphende und abdriftende Tracks abliefert: "In Verschwenderischer Fülle" (CD only) mit seinen glockenartigen Arpeggios und “Vor Den Toren Europas“.

Pop Ambient fühlte sich immer schon an wie ein Experimentierfeld für eingefleischte KOMPAKT-Künstler, und auch 2021 ist das nicht anders: zum Beispiel Joachim Spieth’s Kooperation mit Pepo Galán ("Libration") oder Leandro Fresco, der mit Thore Pfeiffer das liebevolle "Abejorro" produzierte. Pfeiffer steuert mit “Grape“ und “Center“ zwei weitere Solo-Miniaturen voller abstrakter Sehnsucht bei. Der japanische Klangkünstler Yui Onodera meldet sich mit den gebrochen-glitzernden Lichtlandschaften von "Cromo 5" und "Monochrome" bereits zum vierten Mal auf Pop Ambient zu Wort, während Max Würden sowohl solo, als auch als Teil von Reich & Würden (mit Luis Reichard) ebenso wie Morgen Wurde schon zu den Stars dieser Compilation gehört.

After a long delay due to his previous powerhouse 'Hypnotised' blowing up the worldwide spot, German maestro Purple Disco Machine finally lets loose the next step in his world dance domination. Every superlative under the sun has been used for this man's talents and he does not disappoint with a return to his updated Italo disco stylings on new single 'Exotica'.

Purple Disco Machine remains at the forefront of world dance music, following a series of remixes for A-list icons Diplo, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson, Foals, Calvin Harris, Fatboy Slim, Sir Elton John, whilst more recently delivering his stellar cuts of Duke Dumont’s ‘Ocean Drive’, and Lady Gaga and Adriana Grande’s international hit single ‘Rain On Me’.

He now unveils yet another side of his impressive production prowess with new single ‘Exotica’ featuring the Italian electro funk producer Mind Enterprises on vocals, creating an electric club record exploring and playing homage to '80s German and Italian euro disco records that he grew up with.

Based around a replayed sample of 80’s Italo disco classic ‘Void Vision’ by Cyber People, Purple Disco Machine creates a high energy dance-floor heater with a lively modulated vocal. ‘Exotica’ shares its name with the forthcoming studio album, which the artist confirms will feature his playful interpretation of the music of the decade that birthed the Purple Disco Machine sound; Synth Pop, Italo Disco, Electro Funk, Soul, R&B and Boogie.

Certified as one of the most prolific electronic artists of our generation, the Dresden born producer ranks #2 on Beatport’s all-time Top Artists, with his 2013 breakthrough hit ‘My House’ remaining as one of the platform’s best-sellers through to today. With an undeniable midas touch, Purple Disco Machine landed himself in the record books once again in 2018, whilst amassing a stunning 100 million streams across his original ‘Dished (Male Stripper)’, and remixes of Weiss’ ‘Feel My Needs’, and most notably his remix of the seminal ‘Praise You’ by industry icon Fatboy Slim. With a slew of varied releases including hit singles ‘In My Arms’, ‘Body Funk’ and ‘Devil In Me’, the producer’s status was propelled by his debut LP ‘Soulmatic’, earning him critical acclaim across the globe.

Group Rhoda, the solo project of Mara Barenbaum, returns to Dark Entries with ‘Passing Shades’. An integral member of the Oakland electronic music scene, Barenbaum has been writing, performing, and plunging into oneiric depths as Group Rhoda since 2009. This is the project’s fourth LP, and the third time Barenbaum has collaborated with Dark Entries; previously on the Max & Mara LP ‘Less Ness’ in 2013 and the Group Rhoda LP ‘Wilderless’ in 2017.
Passing Shades is an investigation of the metaphysics of loss and the transitory nature of the material world. But it is not a grim collection; over 8 songs, Group Rhoda diverges through synthesizer-laden symphonics, four-to-the-floor inflections, and cosmic musings. Barenbaum’s striking voice and singular songcraft guide us through this labyrinth. Arpeggiated waltz “Flow” channels wisdom sought through martial arts; “Earthly Ark” sets a Margaret Atwood poem from the God Gardener’s Hymn Book to somber electronics. The vocoded canticle “Nevermore” is dedicated to the memory of a beloved cat. ‘Passing Shades’ is both mystifying and revelatory. Folk forms are echoed only to detour into the alien. Each song functions as both a fragment of a larger puzzle and a koan unto itself.
‘Passing Shades’ was mastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve was designed by Eloise Leigh, and features a hazy, clouded sky. The back cover uses a photograph by Harry Crofton. A postcard featuring a poem by Barenbaum is included, as well as a digital download.

Neotnas feat. Philosopher is a new collab of electronic music producers from Russia (Chelyabinsk and Moscow accordingly). As the environment of the cities mentioned as well as social milieu vary significantly a profound personal reflection of the artists results in a very specific outlook sculpted by both history and presence of Russia – a surprisingly nice stuff inspired mainly by jazz, ambient and trip-hop. Four new tracks give a deep insight into the way the artists feel the groove and associate it within a dancefloor culture regarding its roots and worldwide influence. Two of them (Jazz Engine and You're Mine) – are 124 BPM house party cuts place all the emphasis on intensively syncopated TR-808 hi-hats layered with properly selected percussive jazz elements and flavored with brass licks and reverbed chords, catchy vox and driving by a grit kick and pumping low bass patterns. Another one (Spirits Of A Dawn) cautiously takes a listener to a personal journey to the edge of an imaginary big city, leaving its downtown, and moving out of the night shade slowly, coming near a sleepy morning glimmering focusing on a light sparks of a new day. The last but not the least track (Traffic Love) is a dense powerful banger galvanizes trip-hop beats and house chords with a lush and mystic 90`s female vocal all together aimed to stir up a crowd on a dancefloor and make them wet and happy. This release – fresh and diverse – will definitely hits it off with a large audience and joins a marketplace properly.

Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend and Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow, his second solo LP, is perfect. A ten out-of ten album if ever we heard one. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue.

Now a revered composer, musician, and arranger, Caiphus left apartheid South Africa in the 60s for self-imposed exile in Southern California together with his wife, Letta Mbulu. Settling in Los Angeles he started working with the likes of Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba and other exiled and semi-exiled South african artists, as well as, of course, his wife Letta.

Caiphus also found himself working with and composing for a broad range of jazz and pop artists, including Lou Rawls, Nina Simone and Cannonball Adderley. His facility with both jazz and African forms served him well. His LA stay also the beginning of an ongoing collaboration with Quincy Jones, the fruits of which can be tasted in Caiphus’s African compositions for the scores to Roots and Spielberg’s adaptation of The Color Purple.

Originally released in 1984, Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow is not just a musical masterpiece, it is also the soundtrack to the life of many South Africans - both then and now. Fusing the US-heavy sounds of boogie, disco and funk with Afrobeat and traditional African elements, it’s truly a spectacular listen. Jabu Nkosi handles keyboards on the album, with synths by Caiphus and Craig Harris. Sipho Gumede is on bass and Condry Ziqubu is on guitars.

The Afro-Cuban grooves of “Mamase” open the record. Continuing where Listen To The Wind left off, this is another horn-heavy call-and-response ode to a positive life. Life as an invitation to party, to take part, to “get involved”. But only if you’re willing to let in the transcendent power of music. “There’s gonna be a Mardi Gras, there’s gonna be a carnival; there’s gonna be a jamboree, there’s gonna be a bacchanal”. Who can resist that? Vibrations everywhere.

It’s followed by the joy of “Aida”. Gleeful, dayglow keys and synths *just* on the right side of mid-80s sleaze are accompanied by a killer bassline, slick, skipping drums and proud horns. Infectious funk.

The tempo is taken down a few notches for the powerful “Nomalanga” and the lamentations of a heartbroken man who must leave his wife Nomalanga and their children to join the fight against apartheid. It’s an emotional song, no question, but it doesn’t bring you down. The uplifting music and optimistic vocal delivery from Caiphus and his backing singers in the second half offer hope.

Breezy drums and contemplative keys act as a backdrop for the stunning backing vocal harmonies in the intro of “Moshanyana”. This gives way to stuttering beats, a bassline to die for and Caiphus giving it his all, over guitars, marimba and synth strings. Another slo-mo winner.

Side two opens with “Dial Your Number”, an uptempo English-language boogie-funk workout, complete with mid-song cutaway to a random telephone call. Whether or not this propels the song into “key track” status, we’ll let you decide.

What’s not up for debate is the brilliance of “Matswale”. This was a hit in South Africa in the mid-80s and you can still hear why. It might just be our favourite Caiphus hit. Wow. This is some damn fine breezy, beautiful, emotional pop. The restrained playing, the guitar licks and the gentle keys are out of this world. The beats? Thundering, direct and slick. The singing? It’ll give you goosebumps. As for the sentiment? This is Caiphus singing to his in-laws about their daughter’s adultery, begging them to intervene and help him save his marriage. Not your typical pop single story-telling!

The ferocious “Ndi-Kulindile” closes the set with a nod to the coming sound of the States. The hard-edged, electro-influenced drum patterns and bouncing, elastic bassline are something of a departure from the album’s predominant sound, yet one wonderful constant, Caiphus’s exceptional delivery and his sparring with his backing vocalists, is satisfyingly present and warmly deployed.

With Simon Francis handling the mastering of this Be With edition, you know it sounds as fantastic as ever. The stunning sleeve has been restored, with its painting of a dream-like cosmic vista, as a lone figure takes in a scene that’s part distant planet, part urban sprawl. One listen and you’ll be transported.


Caiphus Semenya, AKA Mr Letta Mbulu, is a South African legend and Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow, his second solo LP, is perfect. A ten out-of ten album if ever we heard one. It’s also incredibly rare, especially in good condition, so Be With is delighted to present this reissue.

Originally released in 1984, Streams Today… Rivers Tomorrow is not just a musical masterpiece, it is also the soundtrack to the life of many South Africans - both then and now. Fusing the US-heavy sounds of boogie, disco and funk with Afrobeat and traditional African elements, it’s truly a spectacular listen. Jabu Nkosi handles keyboards on the album, with synths by Caiphus and Craig Harris. Sipho Gumede is on bass and Condry Ziqubu is on guitars.

One listen and you’ll be transported.

TELUM returns with its 6th episode of the label. Worldwide support from Raresh, Petre Inspirescu, Cap, Praslea, Barac, SIT, Gescu, Priku, Arapu, Mihigh, Mihai Pol, Cosmjn and more

Hidden in a world of anonymity we are craving for intimacy.

AI. The second output in the MAT editions series on CLIKNO is a double 12" separated into "Anonymity" and "Intimacy". The digital world and social media in particular change our perception and behavior; our values and morals undergo a transformation and
shift. How much are we still anonymous? How much are we still intimate (with us/with others)? What does anonymity and intimacy mean to us today?

MUSIC. Dr.Nojoke shows on AI his deeper, darker and trippier side.

A. Petar Plet Plete is a Bulgarian tongue twister sung by anonymous voices, which hypnotize through endless repetitions over a straight Maurizio-esque groove with odd melodic percussion. Nivin grooves elegantly with typical Dr.Nojoke clicks and sophisticated loops of a mysterious female voice reminding slightly to Kraftwerk's Man-machine era.

I. EOW and Nuknot are both intimate orgies of thick textures of reverberations and reflections as if space is folding in itself and time is on hold. EOW seduces with a heavy kick-drum groove and a triplet bassline underneath crawling through unconscious memories. Woe! Nuknot is carried by transcending atmospheres, a dubby low end bassline and a repetitious glassy sound, that can drive a crowd into madness - inspired by Moritz von Oswald and Deadbeat. Nuknot ends with an ambient lock groove.

ART. CLIKNO curates artworks from living artists. On MAT ed.02 CLIKNO is proud to present digital artist Lucas Gutierrez and his work "Your Mesh.sgl", originally part of the exhibition - Knowledge Of - at Aperto Raum Berlin, 2017. An exhibition and dialogue exploring the term "knowledge" and the manner in which self-studies are structured within contemporary artistic approach.

TEXT. MAT02 comes with writings to anonymity and intimacy from the Danish philosopher, actress and choreographer Marianne Kjaer Klausen.

The album celebrates also the 15th CLIKNOversary of Dr.Nojoke.

Over the last couple of years Nandu has made quite an impact, dropping several releases both with Innervisions on their Secret Weapons compilations, his massive cut ‘Child Of A Child’ levelled dance floors across the world last year, and now he’s landed on TAU with four new cuts fresh from his lab.

Kicking off with ‘Horisont’, a bumpin’ cut with dense kicks and an energy-fueled main melody which bounces around the mid-range. Shimmering synths complement the riff, transporting us from our mortal bodies into another vibrational dimension.

Then we have ‘Outlined’, where Nandu channels his mystical aura into a rousing cut that blends arcane sounds with warped vocals and entrancing instrumentation. This one feels like an adventure in the rustic, indoor souks of a vibrant desert land.

‘Not The First’ is next up, offering more of that Nandu magic. At its essence, this one undulates way down below, growing and slowly billowing out into a smooth, serene soundscape. The track is optimistic, emotive and nourishing, taking us by the hand and leading us into a life-affirming breakdown and an equally enriching second half, full of joy and euphoric energy.

Finally ‘Telesaki’ is like a portal that transports us into a hopeful future. Gentle piano keys combine with the soothing low end as a melancholy melody triggers memories of a distant past. Towards the middle of the track a gnarly riff appears, switching up the energy of the track and ushering in a pumped up second half. When you look into the past you can see where you’re going...

The deep melodic house & techno masterpiece collection by Parquet
Recordings is going into the sixteenth round! "Parquet Most Wanted Vol. 16", featuring worldwide supported & roadtested productions by SOLEE, MONASTETIQ feat. HAPTIC, DECIDIOUS, YANNEK MAUNZ, BRASCON and JOHANSON.
These tracks are already played by A-List DJs like Tale of Us, Solomun, Pig & Dan, Fideles, Guy Mantzur, Undercatt, Petar Dundov, Aether, Nick Warren, Nicone and many more!

HOUSEWAX welcomes Barry Christie aka Milton Jackson to the family!
We are very happy to have him on board for the 30th edition of the main HOUSEWAX label! "Sunset in A Frame" will be out 1st of June. Highly recommended House Music!

Info Milton Jackson:
Released his first EP aged 19 on Solemusic's Tronicsole imprint. Known for his dark, almost techno influenced deep house music. Milton Jackson tends to fuse straight driving beats with eclectic, techy production styles. His debut long player, 'The Bionic Boy' was received well by critics and the house fraternity and it spawned the Pepe Bradock influenced 'Sunlight'. After having mainly appeared on Glasgow labels such as Solemusic and Glasgow Underground, 2006 sees Milton spread his wings with EPs due out on Freerange, Silver Network, Urbantorque and Luke Sardello's Icon Recordings.

He has also recorded under a variety of pseudonyms, even venturing into the down-tempo domain as Napoleon Solo. His Bear Trax imprint released Mylo's first vinyl release when the pair recorded as 'The Pretty Boys'.

A new chapter of the story is starting for our little child. The travel doesn’t stop and a new world is here with its amazing life and things. We welcome to one of the rising Romanian djs Vern, together with Barut and Mihai Pol for a 100% killer Ep. Supported by Sit, Arapu, Raresh, Charlie, Herodot, Prichindel, Silat Beksi, Lizz, Barac, Cosmjn, Sepp, Nu Zau, Petre Inspirescu and others

Repress!

New Single By Legendary Brazilian Singer Di Melo, 40 Years After His Classic Self-titled Samba-soul Lp. Performed And Produced By French Brilliant Combo Cotonete, This Single And Collaboration Will Be Followed By A Full Album Early 2019.

Florian Pelissier Speaks About The Project: on Tour In Brazil With Cotonete, We Had A Few Days Off In Sao Paulo And I Really Hoped To Make A Collaboration With An Important Artist Or Band From The Brazilian Funk Scene. We Had Thought Of Marcos Valle, Meta Meta Or Ed Motta... But Rafaela Prestes Our Brazilian "sound Ingineer/genious" Told Me: "i Worked For The Return Of Di Melo In Rio 2 Years Ago. He Rocks, He's Adorable And He Lives In Sao Paulo, Here's His Number, He Would Be Perfect For Cotonete."
No Sooner Said Than Done. I'm A Huge Fan Of Di Melo And Had Already Tried To Contact Him For Cotonete 6 Years Ago. The Next Day, On A Sunday, He Arrives At Our House With Jo, His Wife, And Gabi, His Daughter. He Takes The Guitar In Front Of Us In The Kitchen, And Gives Us A Private Show Of 3 Hours... We Cried The Tears Of Joy.
He Had 400 Original Songs Never Recorded, A Gold Mine. On The Same Night, We Started Working The Arrangements For 2 Days, Followed By A Rehearsal And Two Small Gigs In Sao Paulo. Immediately After, We Recorded In The Magical Epsilon B Studio. All With The Participation Of Gabi, His 10-year-old Daughter, And Future Star.
This Album Is The Summary Of This Moment, Of These 5 Days Of Madness Spent Together Between the Best Band In The World' And The Legend Roberto Di Melo... Simple, Beautiful, Brazilian-french, Human Music...'

History _ its evident that Developer has been unstoppable over that last decade, but it‘s been an even longer time ago that Developer got his start as a DJ back in 1992 where he started djing in the backyard party scene then moving to a residency on 88.7fm Radio then eventually becoming a fixture in the Los Angeles underground warehouse scene playing alongside many of the worlds techno elite and organizing events throughout the 90s into the 2000s. In 2009 Developer retired from events and then converted Modularz from event organizer group to a techno label and began releasing his own music eventually making his way into europe and onto the world. The Album _ Sangre Por Oro, which translates to Blood for Gold, is a full-bodied album, with each track highlighting the different complexities of where techno can go and take you. The whole-room experience that he creates through his tracks high- lights his ability to unify techno lovers, all under one roof.

- Pullproxy Germany

Berlin club and party-starters Sameheads return to black wax on April 10th with “ZEUG!”, a 4-track EP from various celebrated artists, who join forces in new and unheard ways for a stack of outernational and spaced-out dancefloor jams for creative dance floors worldwide and beyond.

Berlin-based CROSSLUCID, AKA Sylwana Zybura and Tomas C. Toth, have delivered another stunning example of their perception-bending otherworldly viewpoint with the artwork for the release. A purely analog production, fusing clever lighting tricks, hand-made props, and a healthy dose of shaving foam and dry ice… This “Cult of the Cosmic Swamp” chimes with the weird tribal rhythms contained on the record.

First up is Mameen 3 (a side-project from Brussels selector DJ Sofa) & Romanian pioneer Rodion G.A with ‘Planet Cluj’, a suitably off-world excursion through a fun-packed disco hall in some far-off colony where layered synths are stacked, elements seeping through one another to form a mesh of groove.

Anatolian Weapons’ cosmic fireside ritual, ‘Chant 3’, heats up the A2 with vibrant and punchy percussion loops woven together with a worldwide chorus of chanters. Building continuously, the tough workout is dosed up with a bassline saturated in attitude for a high-energy finish.

Picking up on the B side are KRENG (a morphic form composed of Don’t DJ and Dane Close), who slow the pace down with a latticed beatwork combining robust dance formulas and blasting syncopation. Letting the rhythm do the legwork for the first half of the track, the pair then pour out a sludged mess of grime-infused bass over the percussive chaos.

Silvia Kastel and Wilted Woman close proceedings as SHAKEY with a dubwise workout that straddles b-side house obscurity and stoned live dub improvisation: steel drums patter at the windows of Paradise Garage as Larry Levan fights off the vampires alongside Scientist.

The release is celebrated at Sameheads on April 10th with an extremely rare live show from Rodion G. A., an appearance from INVERSIONS label owner Milo Smee, and a b2b from Don’t Dj & Dane Close. Limited to 300 pieces, this record will find a home in the stacks of DJ’s willing to step outside genre and convention.

Coloured Vinyl

The tenth, jubilee release of "Instrument" series is a sudden turning point and immediately changes the rules of the game, anticipating emerging trends. Oleg Buyanov - one of the main GOST contributors responsible for prominent records "True White" and "Height Difference" makes his debut in "Instrument" framework. OL's new release creates a path of complete diverseness - a unique mix of ambient, dub and mutational electronica, though the author's hip-hop DNA is still recognisable.

The release title as well as its symbol flirts with the privacy of communication in the context of its facilities and tools of the present world. Music acts as the info-channel, which provides unseen and coded data to a person from aside. The vagueness of mood, recurrent rhythm changes, and order of arrangement seem to rhyme with the paranoid feeling of being wiretapped. OL (along with another GOST ZVUK resident Flaty) recently had a similar experience of sound synthesis with their Serwed project whose recent LP was released via West Mineral Ltd. The groove of "SORM" is swirling, distorted and sometimes "disengaged"; sound guided by its waves exists in a constant process of decomposition, dissolution and then reassembles in new configurations.

Straight out the gate, Nas dropped a classic. Since the release of the seminal ‘Illmatic’ album in 1994, critics and fans have been wondering if Nas peaked too early and if anything in his subsequent catalogue could be held up against this masterpiece. To be fair, it’s hard to follow up something this flawless, a project that allied his most insightful, pitch-perfect heartfelt rhymes with the work of the best hip-hop producers on the east coast.

DJ Premier, Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and Large Professor all take their turns on the album, along with the unsung L.E.S., but it’s Pete Rock in his prime who provides the stunning backdrop for the cinematic ‘The World is Yours’. It’s a perfect nugget of a single, weaving in the brashness of Scarface, the repetition of a snatch of T La Rock’s early Def Jam gem ‘It’s Yours’ and piano courtesy of Ahmad Jamal’s ‘I Love Music’ from his own timeless ‘The Awakening’ album (1970).

Presented for the first time on 7”, the vocals of the album version and the instrumental on the flip provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy and compare the work of two masters at the top of their game. Pete Rock’s seamless weaving of disparate samples into a compelling whole, the then little-known Nas’ statement of intent. With a maturity beyond his tender years, Nas put himself straight at the top of the pile, this Queensbridge chronicle hinting at the ambition and greatness he harboured within himself.