Longtime friends and production partners Ali Çakir and Soren Jahan launch their new label Hörru with a 4 track EP. Hörru will focus on releasing vinyl from Düve as well as personal projects from Soren, Ali and friends. Konsekvenser is a reduced house banger for the club, 808 live jam style. Nej takes things a step back and with a little more attitude, saying no to you in the crowd. Uzay Kök is a hard dripping trance exploration. Beluc closes the EP with a dialog between voice, flute and Eliot Bates on the oud.
"it Sounded All Right Through Two Walls, So What's The Problem" The Final Words Of 'two Walls', The Fast And Very Catchy Leading Track Of Dj Marcelle's New Record, Sum Up An Aesthetic Almost Lost In Today's Musical Climate, Where Often A Pleasing Attitude And Overproduced Music Sadly Rule, Even In So-called 'alternative' Circles.The Quote Comes From The Late Mark E. Smith (1957 - 2018), Legendary Frontman Of The Fall, And Is Taken From Some Of The Conversations Marcelle Had With Smith Over The Years. Smith Is Referring To A Recording Process But For Marcelle His Words Stand For Something Bigger.Although The Fall Have Been With Marcelle During Her Whole Musical Life (which More Or Less Started In 1977 During The Punk Wars) And She Has A Deep Love For Their Music, It Was Especially Smith's Attitude That Inspired Marcelle.Smith Was An Iconoclast, A Surrealist Dadaist Breaker Of Conventions In Music And Art More Generally. A Magically Creative Individual, A Brain-twisting Wordsmith. An Attacker Of The Pretentious And Dishonest Elements In Society And Music Scenes. An Autodidact Whose Singular Vision, Fired By Both Humour And Sharp Observation, Found A Voice In A Body Of Work Unlike Anything Else.The Day After Marcelle Heard Of Smith's Passing She Created A New Track, Lauding Smith, Whose Name Was An Institution In Itself: Mark E. Smith! Therefore, The Repetitious Use Of A John Peel Sample Pronouncing Smith's Name Celebrates The Life Of This Totally Unique Artist.This Track Opens With Another Smith Quote: "you're Probably Right, Marcelle". And Indeed, The Dutch Producer / Dj Shares Many Of Smith's Attitudes In That She Tries To Stay True To Herself, Doesn't Think Too Much About Audience Expectations And Always Tries To Stay Ahead Of The Public. 'punky' Energy Combined With The Avant-garde And Always Going Forward With Fresh Productions And Dj Sets. To Make And Play Music Which Reflects The Present And Doesn't Rest In The Comfort Zone Of One Dimensional Party Music.There Are Five More Versions Of 'two Walls' On This Ep, But They Differ So Much From The Original That You Can Count Them As Different Tracks. 'dubai Muezzin Dub' Was Partly Recorded In The United Emirates When Marcelle Played There Earlier In 2018. 'problematic Dub' Is Pure Industrial Techno Torn Apart By The Wildest Dub Effects, Its Coming And Going Of Sounds Equals A Ride In A Calypso. 'studio Door Dub' Celebrates The Repetition Of The Fall And The 'emerson, Lake & Palmer Symphony Dub' Is Both Pure Avant-garde And Hilarious Fun. And Belp, Who Owns The Jahmoni Label, Comes With A Wicked Abstract Noise Remix. The 'for' Ep Is The Fourth (get It) Vinyl Release Of Marcelle On The Munich Label Jahmoni Since 2016. As Always, Sleeve And Label Are Very Colourful. Both Labels Show Special Photos: On One Side We See An Old Picture Of Smith Embracing Marcelle, The Other Side Depicts The Label Of A 1985 The Fall Test Pressing That Once Belonged To John Peel But Which Was Stolen Out Of His Car In Amsterdam. Later Marcelle Found The Record On A Flea Market, Recognising Peel's Handwriting. "when I'm Dead And Gone" Smith Sang In The 1979 Song 'psychik Dancehall', "my Vibrations Will Live On, In Vibes On Vinyl Through The Years. People Will Dance To My Waves."Now We Can Listen And Dance To A Vinyl 'for' The Incomparable Mes, Made With Total Commitment And Which - Like The Fall - Defies Comparison.
Next up on the ever-eclectic XVI Records, a shadowy figure steps into the spotlight: enter the mysterious Captain Over, whose dark yet soulful bruk-infused tracks soundtrack the next stage of their voyage towards the sun. For his debut outing, Captain Over calls on the abstract vocal stylings of the legendary Trim (Roll Deep, 1800 Dinosaur) on opening track 'SICK'.
Showcasing why he's one of the most iconic and forward-thinking MC's to grace the mic, Trim's dulcet tones twist through a jungle of shuffled beats and subterranean sub-bass, an eerie child-like melody drifting overhead.
Clack Clack and No One Ever Really Flies inhabit a more dancefloor friendly space, their unique syncopation, fierce instrumentation and relentless energy open up the dancefloor for some real get loose moments.
On the remix, they hand the controls over to XVI homestay Books (following on from the success of his previous 'Feel It In My Bones' and 'High Praise Edits Vol 1' releases which won praise from the likes of The Black Madonna, Moodymann, Gilles Peterson and Seven Davis Jr) Books expertly crafts a cosmic footwork jam, full of his trademark soulful chords and eerie midnight saxophone licks.
As he prepares to launch his forthcoming EP 'No-One Every Really Flies' into the cosmos ; Captain Over is beginning to cement his place as one to watch in the UK underground - a sequel EP featuring grime upstart Nico Lindsay is scheduled for release later in the year, with several more collaborative works in progress.
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Released in solidarity with Tiga's anti-tech house crusade, a silent campaign fought everyday on the streets of your hometown, 'Blaze' finds Russian crypto-whiz Dimitri Veimar still dancing with the rawer-than-the-rawest-dog electro that's brought him to the dizzying heights of the mid-tier crags of Mt. Turbo Mountain. Throwing his weight behind what some in the media are probably already calling 'Tiga's War' was absolutely necessary following the events of a recent gig in Moscow. Veimar opened the night by playing no fewer than three Tiga tracks, which anyone who's read Tiga's Taboos can tell you is definitely a Tiga Taboo. Deeply immersed in the practice of pouring his own mineral water, Tiga ignored the hootin' and hollerin' of the VIPs crowding the DJ booth (including Dennis Miller and Diego Maradona), and proceeded to play a set entirely comprised of recordings of every embarrassing thing Veimar had ever said in his life. Four hours later, an emotionally-shot Veimar collapsed into Tiga's arms, with the magnanimous label boss whispering, 'I forgive you, Dimitri' into his ear. The release also features a 'broken techno' remix from mysterious European producer Florian Kupfer, who made us sign a Non-Disclosure-Agreement dictating that we can only describe him as 'mysterious,' 'enigmatic,' and/or 'European,' so we'll have to let the music do the talking.
'Turquoise', that is Turkuvaz, is a French-origin word inspired by the color of the Mediterranean, located within the borders of Turkey. Meaning; blue is the color that plays the green. At the same time it is relative. Because both colors are in it, if you love blue you will see blue, if you love green you will see it green. It means heaven and earth. The eternity is turquoise... The eternity is infinite. At the same time; the boundary between the earth and the sky. Some will find love in it , some will find serenity, some will remember the loneliness and find sadness, embracing some with zeal and reminiscent of the return to the nest, the power of holding hands tightly with two hands.And according to my opinion, the concept of life, the mortal world, is how we see these lands curtained until the last breath of life that we have been living on for centuries.There are billions of beings in our sky and on Earth that do not attract our attention, We can not see, can not hear, can only feel, there are enough lights to count and never disappear in the stage. This EP that you hold in your hand is a reflection of it.
Music was the easiest way to reach you. In doing so, the motto was 'never disappearing at the stage'. I know, because if nobody hears me, God, the real dominion of light the true owner of all the darkness will hear me.
Each sound I created, I filled it with a light and I added a little more sand to the clock. Sounds I created is to show you your own technique of finding your way to light, to make you understand that you are not alone, and that there is someplace really there for you. Without much effort, resting and reviving.
I believe that every one of us who lives on earth has a specific, holy purpose. The important thing is to find and catch it. Our inner journey is to be able to complete our enlightenment as spiritually as possible. And I still believe that we always need music to do that. Because the sounds; they will never disappear.
Turquoise, which is the work of this enlightenment period, which I have lived and found to be my self, will be a source of light for you and help you find God who lives in you.
The first time the album has been released on vinyl
- Includes bonus tracks and remixes by Tiga, Jason Nevins and Almighty
- The release will be announced by a trailer through Dannii Minogue's Facebook page which has 409K followers
- Dannii will promote the release via Instagram stories and posts to her 276K Instagram followers
- Dannii Minogue is available for promo and interviews throughout pre-order period
- "It's one thing to create an excellent three-and-a-half-minute dance-pop song, but another to sustain the appeal over an entire album. Kylie managed it with Fever, Madonna followed suit on Confessions on a Dance Floor. Dannii's contribution to the genre on Neon Nights is every bit as good as those classics." - IDOLATOR
- A veritable pick and mix of the European dance scene at the time, Neon Nights spawned four Top 10 hit singles in the UK 'Who Do You Love Now' (No.3), 'Put The Needle On It' (No.7), 'I Begin To Wonder' (No.2) and 'Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling' (No.5).
- The album reached No.8 on the UK Official Albums Chart and was certified Gold. In Australia it was nominated for "Best Pop Release" at the 2003 ARIA Music Awards.
- Dannii says: "When I embarked on a solo recording career and released my first album in 1990, music was only released on 7' and 12' vinyl. Fast forward through my album releases and throw in a bunch of technology changes, cassingles, cassette albums, CDs, Mini CDs and we are finally back to vinyl! Neon Nights never had a vinyl release - it was the 90's, and the industry was entering the digital age, and no-one was looking back at this experience of music listening. Thankfully Gen Y has embraced the nostalgia of the record player, so you finally get to Put The Needle On It with these tracks (please turn the volume up loud enough to annoy your neighbours!)."
Impenetrable and compelling beats from Cassius Select on the 'Fake Death' EP, his first offering for Hypercolour after stunning releases on Herbert's Accidental and Unknown To The Unknown. An EP brimming with forward thinking vigor and razor sharp edges across six cuts of mutilated beats and dense auras.
Following up their highly acclaimed debut collaboration 'Last Day on Earth' (L.D.O.E.), the trio from Berlin took it literally and decided to leave this planet's orbit behind. An introductory Epilogue A1.'Prologue (Don't Panic)' sets the tone for the journey to come.Harmoniously but pulsing the traveler leaves the earths gravitational force to reach the title track A2. 'Moon' . an emotional touching and growing Deep House art piece. B. 'Point of no Return' at last leaves the bounding limitations of contemporary club music behind by exploring a completely distinct soundscape, even referencing a certain 80s pop vibe. One thing is for sure: The voyage is just beginning. Godspeed! Moon Made on Earth by Humans
Who Do You Go To For Your Very First Session When You Have Just Been Gifted Your Very Own Top-flight 'stradivarius Of Synth Based Studios' Enter 'the Grid' ...mr David Ball: One Man Band Of Pioneering Electro-pop Distorters Soft Cell, Part Time Psychic Tv Personality, Film Soundtrack Composer And All Round Synth Afficionado & Richard Norris: Eclectic Beat-meister & Ambient Dj, Record Producer, Commited Psychedelicist From 'beyond The Wizard's Sleeve'. The 1990's Saw Worldwide Commercial Success As The Grid Scored 10 Uk Chart Hits, Many A Euro Hit Including 1994's International Mega-hit 'swamp Thing' Featuring A Twisted Use Of Sampled Banjos Lifted From The 1970's Okie Shocker Movie 'providence. In 1996 The Grid Went On A Holiday And They Didn't Return Till 2005. In The Initial Week Of The Moog Sound-lab In Early 2015 As The Studio Was Literally Put Together Around Them, Our Abiding Memory Was Their Absolutely Delighted Grins As Each Moog Unit Was Added To The Lab. Dave & Richard Created This Benchmark Album Of Deluxe 'tronic Trax That Showcased Their Prarie Wide Knowledge Of Electronica & Their Ocean Deep Skills As Both Technicians & Original Soundscapers - Kraftwerk-ian Werk-outs, Space Noise Jams, And Slinky Grooves With Subtle Pop-tones.
A new heart-stopping piece of work by Visonia in which sadness, happiness, hopeful and desperation are in a continuous battle. As a result of this distress and ad nauseam the Chilean artist has asked himself about the sense of life and figured out how to look on the bright side. Doubtless, If we talk about 'Fake Wings' we could point out that this one is an epic and thought-provoking album composed of 6 wicked tunes and released on lovely pinkwhite vinyl.
* With a number of high profile releases already behind him for labels including the legendary XL Recordings and Dusky's 17 Steps imprint, Hugo Massien has carved a sound for himself that sees him bring together elements from house, techno, dubstep and hardcore, all combining force to produce this killer 4-track EP, running at the techno-friendly tempos of around 128bpm.
* 'Advanced Aerial Threat' kicks things off with a fractured half-step rhythm that gives more than a nod to his formative years as a fan of the early UK dubstep movement. Stark, deadly and meticulously constructed, the rhythm taps a pace as wild bass stabs rip across a theatre of sound.
* Next up is the delightful melancholy of 'Ursa Minor' which takes a rolling breakbeat as its backbone before a Reese-like bassline emerges from beneath, rising and empowering. An intimate piano line comes in, providing an introspective element, balancing the otherwise rave-savvy ingredients in place.
* 'Candy Flip' takes things into a more electro direction, providing a reliable work out for the dance floor as the tightly tuned drums and bass hold down the spooky synth stabs.
* Last up, closing the EP is 'Divisions From The Start' where once again we see Hugo's intuitive sense of soundscape grandure, creating a kaleidoscope of moods all strung together with precision drum programming and heavyweight sub work.
* DJ Support from: Shed, Loefah, Pinch & many more.
* The two label runners combine forces for the deeply old skool EP. Saiyan and Luna-C bring the simple joy of the old rave sound to their EP, with two tracks cut in the style of the early breakbeat scene of 1992, and one track that stems from a little later, when things got more 4x4 and slightly tougher. All the tracks on the EP are made with a majority of hardware rather than the standard software of today, and the result is a warm, analogue, and absolutely true to its era EP of rolling breaks, deep basslines and uplifting vibes!
Ryan Parks is a mixed media artist, music producer/performer,
and CEO/founder of critically robust cassette tape label, HARSH
RIDDIMS. He was born in College Park, GA and grew up skating
all around Atlanta, soaking up the dense kaleidoscopic cultural
ooze found both in and outside the perimeter of Atlanta. Aside
from his visual practice, which usually takes shape as mixed
media (Jacob Lawrence/Matisse inspired in my opinion!) collage,
he has been releasing music as FIT OF BODY for seven years. Fit
of Body crafts soulful house ballads that draw on freestyle, Bell
Hooks, old school Detroit techno, jazz, and southern rap passed
through a No Wave paradigm. Fit of Body has previously released
work on CGI, DKA, Ransom Note, and his own label,
Harsh Riddims.
Warm return once again... One of the most consistent and influential agencies to have operated in the 2000s, the collective continue to develop their original agency, events and record label, and things are heating up very nicely. Following soul-arresting releases from Elliot Lion and Face + Heel comes this four-track odyssey from Belfast's Lunar Orbit Rendezvous AKA LOR. Ready for take-off
Our mission is set with 'Mystery To The Viewer', but what is the main mystery Is it the gravity-defying thrust of our engines or the identity of the anonymous (yet well spoken) narrator Listen closely for clues amid the heavy pulsating chords as we break away from the earth orbit and plunge deeper into the stars.
'In This Detail' sees us hurtling further and further into the dark unknown. There's a deep chilling aesthetic at play here as LOR makes his 808s weep with the loneliness only a long-stay astronaut can sympathise with. In perfect contrast, the isolation is balanced by the direct and vital 'Oriole'. One of LOR's earliest projects, updated with all the skills and techniques he's learnt on labels such as Exit Strategy and Cin Cin, it's a vital composition that rises and rises as we engage hyperspeed through the cosmos.
Finally we land back on our home planet to the marching momentum of 'White Light'. Almost stately in its pace and rhythmic stride, things suddenly take a turn for the intense as a warping bass siren triggers a much darker direction and a series of spasmodic kicks and heavily shelved filters. Welcome home...
Norm De Plume has been quietly making a name for himself the last eight years with remixes for Tornado Wallace and Ben La Desh and EP's for Kolour LTD and his own vinyl only imprint Plumage winning him a solid fol- lowing along the way. His passion for all things disco and deep, dubby, un- derground house inspired by his musical hero Ron Hardy feeds through into his production style as well as his recently formed Peaches & Prunes party which boasts an audiophile sound system and vinyl-only sets from the DJ's. So when the opportunity arose to do a full EP with Norm we jumped at it. Here we present you with the Castlecrag EP, a nod to the Londoner's new adoptive home of Sydney, Australia, and whilst his sound may be more akin to the recent musical movements of Melbourne, the laid-back sun-kissed melting pot of The Harbour City certainly shine through in the two originals and Folamour remix on offer here.
Title track Castlecrag leads the charge with a deep mood-setter driven by a cowbell riff and filtering pads. The spacious mix and less is more arrange- ment ensures that the drums and rolling bassline punch through making for a track that sounds both unique yet accessible and demonstrates Norm's sense of musicality as well as DJ instinct for setting the right mood on the dancefloor. Next up we have Whole In One which treads a similar path whilst dropping the BPM's a touch and building up layers of synth strings to create a subtle yet engaging track to immerse yourself in. Finally, man of the moment Folamour gets busy on the remix of Whole In One working his magic by upping the tempo and going heavy on the jazz- inspired drums. By laying down a driving groove and pushing the string stabs to the fore, the Lyonnais producer behind the wonderful Moonrise Hill Material label has delivered a fresh-sounding take that will work like magic on discerning dance floors out there.
For A Long Time, Electronic Music Has Been Understood In Terms Of Sounds Rooted In Particular Places: The Styles Of House And Techno Inextricably Wedded To Detroit, Or The Early '90s Jungle Sound Which Carries Echoes Of London. But That's Something Which Is Changing - In Latin America More Than Anywhere Else. A New Project, Led By Gilles Peterson And Rum Maker Havana Club (that Created The Havana Cultura Platform In 2007 To Promote The Island's Contemporary Culture), Shines A Light On Cuba's Fast-mutating, Rhythmically-adventurous Underground. It's A Scene Where Old Ideas Are Transplanted Into New Contexts, And Like-minded Scenes Are Brought Together In New Dialogues.
Havana Cultura: ¡su´belo, Cuba! Showcases An Extended Network Of Like-minded, Forward-thinking Musicians Driving Cuba's Music Forward. Following Repeated Trips To Connect With Venues, Collectives And Djs, Peterson And Will Lv - One Half Of Lv, Who've Released On Hyperdub And Keysound Amongst Others - Linked Up With Dj Jigu¨e, A Much-respected Producer And Dj, Whose Guampara Label Has Charted New Directions For Cuban Music. He's Been Profiled By The Fader And Vice, And The Album Features His Extended Network Of Collaborators, Connecting Afro-cuban Traditions With Contemporary Movements And Ideas.
The Album Provides A Snapshot Of A Unique Club Culture That's Fast Evolving. On The One Hand, It's Indebted To Cuba's Unique Characteristics, Where Regularly-practised Traditions Are Coloured By Intermittently-experienced Cultures From Outside. On The Other, It's Part Of A Global Shift Toward De-centred Club Music, With Homegrown, Influence-grabbing Dance Cultures Tilting Attention From Club Culture's Traditional Epicentres. It Offers A New Side To Havana That's Firmly Rooted In Its Past.
British DJ/producer Bearface has been on a bit of a roll of later. Aside from releases on his own Beartone label, the London-based label owner has also found time to deliver outstanding cuts to the likes of Exploited Ghetto, which housed his last release, the wonderful 'Moon'. This time around, he comes correct on his own Beartone label with a record that's notable for its quirky demeanour and undoubted eclecticism.
Opening up the release is the sounds of 'Mumbai Nights'. Although it gets us underway in fairly innocuous fashion, it quickly finds its feet thanks to a brilliant, whaling Indian-Inspired vocal that weaves in and out throughout. A whimsical track of that sort that's sure to be a hit with more daring DJs, it's an auspicious start to a release that's never lacking in personality.
As is his forte, Bearface then goes much deeper in search of kicks on 'Data Storm', taking us taking us down the rabbit hole to a place that's full of enticing oddities throughout. After this, the frankly bonkers sound of the electro-leaning title track 'Sista' take centre stage. A thoroughly intense peak-time workout, it's full of attitude and an indication of the producer's more gnarly and abrasive approach. All things considered, it's sure to get the night moving in an altogether different direction wherever it's unleashed.
Closing out the EP is the drum heavy sounds of 'March'. A broody track that's tailor made for the night's more relentless moments, it's a a fitting way with which to sign off an eclectic and dizzying release. The latest chapter in the Beartone story is a captivating listen throughout.
Way back in 1967, an animated superhero cartoon was released into the world. It was created by Grantray-Lawrence Animation and was based on a web-spinning, crime fighting blue and red dressed character that had originated in1962, in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. This amazing series (that we're not allowed to mention the name of for legal reasons) ran on ABC TV in the USA, then Canada, then a few years later started to spread its web further, running here in the UK throughout summer holidays, after school and possibly early mornings at weekends in the late 1970s. The series then got released on VHS video (and probably Betamax too) in the mid 1980s and still continues to spin its animated magic around the world through further broadcasts, YouTube and DVDs.
The series was notoriously low budget, with animated errors everywhere and numerous scenes, sequences and backgrounds being re-used all the time, often across the same episode. Even a certain spider logo on a costume would appear with six legs, then eight legs later on, then back to six again in the same show.
Series One opened with a newly written spider theme, a classic, hooky song all about doing whatever spiders can, and had, as Big George (RIP) once pointed out to me, a set of session singers falling slightly out of time with the backing track after the first verse. Series One also featured background music by jobbing composers Bob Harris and Ray Ellis but these cues and master tapes are now believed to be lost.
After Series One the company Grantray-Lawrence went bankrupt, so the amazing spider series (that we're not allowed to mention for legal reasons) was taken on by producer Steve Krantz. He brought in new talent, including animation director Ralph Bakshi who later went on to turn a Robert Crumb strip cartoon into the feature Fritz The Cat. Krantz also slashed the already cripplingly small spider budget, and brought in the idea of using economic library music. Here, thanks possibly to an independent sync agent (it has been suggested that a company called Music Sound Track Services may have been the one) production turned to the KPM catalogue. This was one of the few really established library catalogues around at the time with a modern edge, it was full of fabulous, modern dramatic music tracks - often all on the same LP. But more importantly all the tracks were far longer than the one minute musical cuts that many of the fledgling USA library companies were issuing at the time. Not only would this KPM music be efficient, affordable and very easy to use, it would also mean syndication worldwide would not be held up by any future musical issues. Krantz produced two amazing spider series (that we're not allowed to mention for legal reasons), and both were smothered with KPM music. In fact barely a spider second goes by without music playing in either the background or foreground.
For many years I - and many nostalgic others - have been thinking about putting this vinyl album together. For many enthusiasts this really is formative music - a junior foray into hip swinging crime jazz and esoteric musical grooviness. I've also read on line accounts by DJs from WFMU on the trail of original spider master tapes, and there's even a whole forum dedicated to Spidey-Jazz'. Then recently I was looking at an old spider tracklist and realized that several of my favourite KPM cues were there including Syd Dale's Hell Raisers' and Walk And Talk', both from one of the most elusive and desirable KPM albums of all time (yes, you just try and find yourself a copy of KPM 1002 right now), so I decided to push on and get the album made.
So, what features on this Spider-Jazz Lp Well it's music from the amazing TV series we are not allowed to mention for legal reasons, BUT, not music from Series One. No, but it is all from Series Two and Series Three. From looking at archival cue sheets, over 50 tracks from various early KPM 1000 series albums were used across episodes. I've distilled this down into one exciting and enthralling LP, and if this works a further Spider Jazz album may well swing in to production. If you're interested (and I'm sure you may well be) cues here came from KPM1001, KPM1002, KPM1015, KPM1017, KPM1018 and KPM1043 and were composed by master library composers of the era - Dale, Hawkshaw, Hawksworth, Mansfield etc.
And if you are listening over there in the USA, you may well recognize many of the cues here not just from the amazing TV series (that we're not allowed to mention for legal reasons) but also from classic 1960s and 1970s NFL highlight shows that we are allowed to mention.
"30+ minutes of life affirming ambient and drone coming from Zen Zsigo, otherwise known for his work under the Cremation Lily alias and as one of the spearheads of the current UK tape scene, where he has been mixing things up for 7 years via his Strange Rules label.
Winter Orbit was inspired by science fiction and it's relation to modern life, recorded in 2015 using a mix of both modern and archaic equipment it was later released on Belgian tape label Audio. Visuals. Atmosphere. on an initial run of 33 tapes.
Winter Orbit is now newly presented via an expanded re-issue, chronicling the original material, re-issued on one side (Fragments in Hologram Snow) while showcasing new material (For Artifice Rose) which was created in response to the initial release by Zsigo in 2017.
As usual, remastered and cut @ Dubplates and Mastering, Berlin and pressed at Record Industry, Holland to ensure optimum listening quality."
It's been over 10 years since the release of Gui Boratto's breakthrough full length debut 'Chromophobia'. As to what its title suggests, he shook up the techno game with a contrast of lushly coloured minimal grooves and melody, whilst many will recall that the album included the highlight single Beautiful Life' which became a dance floor anthem for that era. Four albums in and countless EPs and remixes under his belt, the Brazilian producer's unique savoir-faire in carving out a functional album out of diversely routed singles and features is back at it on his fifth studio LP, 'Pentagram'. Here Gui Boratto lays down a nuanced 12-track narrative that reinvigorates his signature sound into a refreshingly different perspective that feels all too familiar - including the return of Beautiful Life' vocalist (and Gui Boratto's wife) Luciana Villanova on the single "Overload".
Through his signature kaleidoscopic approach, Boratto delivers an album built as a far-reaching hub-and-spoke system, broadly inclusive as can be. From the opening cut, 'The Walker' - hot on the trail of Tears For Fears 'Elemental' (one of Boratto's "favourite 80's bands") - to the hi-NRG euphoria of 'Forgotten' and its pounding tech alter ego 'Forgive Me'. "I was going into 2 different directions", Boratto says, "the typical indie- electronic-rock' Boratto kind of production like It's Majik' or Like You' and a much more techno approach." He goes on, "I decided to split them into two twin sister songs. When I play live I always put these two songs together."
The Brazilian Producer further embraces the pop-friendly essence of his past work on tracks like 'The Phoenix', featuring vocalist Nathan Berger, and 'Overload', both melding acidulous synthlines with laser-precise breaks, vox hooks and drops calibrated for extended radio and club use, although sieved through his distinctive rainbow-hued musical prism. For the symbolists out there, the album's pared-down closer '618' duration accidentally happens to equate the proportions of the said pentagram. "Coincidence" Boratto questions, and capsulises, "not so ufanista and supporter of Brazilian neo-concretism, but I guess the brazilian sculptor Lygia Clark also inspired me a lot. Not the meaning of her sculptures, but the shape of the hinge of most of her work. I've wanted to transmit the scientific pentagram's point of view. It's not a religious kind of thing."
Whereas 'Spur' (a field-tested 808 and 909-heavy "purist track", "very, very old school" Boratto insists) and 'Alcazar' are sheer smooth-edged four-to- the-floor epics, the album also shares its lot of startling moments, such as with the John Barry'esque 'Scene 2' (with a hint of Amon Tobin, 'Easy Muffin' style, throw in) and its refined string-laden buildup, 100% fitted for a 007 opening credit sequence, or with 'Hallucination' (feat B.T.) and the further James Holden-ish title-track 'Pentagram' (think 'The Idiots Are Winning'), "one of those exercises I did when I got my Buchla modular synth" Boratto analyses, "I think I've used more then 30 different snares, with different delays and reverbs. The whole song is alive". And so is 'Pentagram' in its entirety: alive and definitely just as manifold and hopeful as its architectonics are the stuff of science and dreams all at once.
Es ist zehn Jahre her seit der Veröffentlichung von Gui Borattos bahnbrechendem Debütalbum - Chromophobia . So wie der Titel vermuten ließ, war das Album mit seinen kontrastreichen Minimalgrooves und den üppig gefärbten Melodien ein Schocker im besten Sinne. Ihr erinnert euch sicher noch an die Hit-Single - Beautiful Life , eine Dancefloor-Hymne aus dieser Zeit. Nach vier Alben und unzähligen EPs und Remixen ist das einmalige Savoir-faire des brasilianischen Produzenten, aus vielfältigen Singles und Features stimmige Alben zu schaffen, auch auf seinem fünften Studioalbum - Pentagram zu hören. Hier legt Gui Boratto ein Zwölf-Track-Narrativ vor, das seine Handschrift auf erquickende Weise wiederbelebt. Wiederbelebt wird auch die Stimme von - Beautiful Life (die der Frau Gui Borattos gehört) auf dem Stück - Overload .
Durch seinen charakteristisch kaleidoskopischen Ansatz liefert Boratto ein Album, das gebaut ist wie die Speichen deines Fahrrads, von dem Opener - The Walker - direkt auf der Spur von Tears For Fears - Elemental (einer von Borattos - favourite 80's bands ) - zur Hi-NRG-Euphorie von - Forgotten und seinem stampfenden Counterpart - Forgive Me . - Ich bin in zwei unterschiedlichen Richtungen gegangen , sagt Boratto: - den typischen ,Indie-Electronic-Rock'-Weg wie in - It's Majik oder - Like You und den Techno-Weg. Er fügt hinzu: - Ich hab mich entschieden jedem Track seinen Zwillings-Track an die Seite zu stellen. Immer wenn ich live spiele lege ich die zwei Stücke zusammen.
Der brasilianische Produzent erschließt weiter die Pop-Essenz seiner vergangenen Arbeit auf Tracks wie - The Phoenix (feat. Nathan Berger) und - Overload . Beide kombinieren zwitschernde Synthi-Melodien mit lasergenauen Breaks, Hooklines, Drops und sind wie gemacht für die Rotation und den Club. Und für die Symbolisten da draußen: die Länge des reduzierten Closers - 618 beträgt zufälliger Weise genau die Proportionen des besagten Pentagramms. - Fügung , fragt Boratto und fasst zusammen: - Ich bin kein Anhänger des brasilianische Neo-Konkretismus , aber ich glaube die brasilianische Künstlerin Lygia Clark hat mich sehr inspiriert. Nicht die Bedeutung ihre Skulpturen aber die Form der meisten ihrer Arbeiten. Ich wollte den wissenschaftlichen Blickwinkel auf das Pentagramm übersetzen. Nicht im religiösen Sinne oder so."
Während - Spur (ein erprobter - purist track auf der Basis von 808 und 909, - sehr, sehr old school , wie Boratto betont) und - Alcazar glatte Vierviertel-Epen sind, hält das Album auch Überraschungsmomente bereit. Z.B. das John Barryschen - Scene 2 (auch eine Spur von Amon Tobins - Easy Muffin ist darin zu hören) und seinem Streicher-Aufbau, der hundertprozentig geeignet wär für eine Eröffnungssequenz in einem Bond-Film. Auch - Hallucination (feat. B.T.) oder der James-Holden-hafte Titeltrack - Pentagram (wir denken da an - The Idiots Are Winning ) wäre da zu nennen. - Einer dieser Übungen, die ich gemacht habe, als ich meinen Buchla-Modular-Synthesizer bekommen habe, war , erinnert sich Boratto, - mehr als 30 verschiedene Snares, Delays und Reverbs zu verwenden. Der ganze Song sollte am Leben sein. Und so ist - Pentagram im Ganzen: lebendig und sicher genau so vielfältig wie sein Bauplan, der auch der Wissenschaft und den Träumen zugrundeliegt.
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The new Dosis... With one side of pure mental Nederland thinlaced sound acid.
And the flip... ahh... the Flip ! Brilliant psychedelic Acidcore Drum &bass masterpiece ! A rare style !
Bluestaeb's Evolution From A Beatmaker To A Producer Is His Sophmore Album everything Is Always A Process'.
He Is One Of The Key Figures Of A New Generation Of Up And Coming Hiphop Beatmakers, Who Have Emancipated From Genre Thinking And Instead Merge Old School Aesthetics With A New School Attitude And Organic Instrumentation.
Everything Is Always A Process Re-iterates Bluestaeb's Overall Approach To Life (and Thinking), But Also Has Direct Reference To The Making Of The Album Itself, Which Began With Moving From Berlin To Paris In 2015 In The Search Of New Influences And A New Creative Environment.
Created Between 2015 And Early 2018, Eiaap Embodies The Process Of This Transition - As Well As Collaboration With Instrumentalists And Vocalists From All Over The World And Recording In Different Studios In Paris, London & Berlin.
"meeting All Those Musicians And Trying Out New Ways Of Producing By Using Real Analogue Synths, Rhodes, Drums And Percussion Etc. Made It Possible To Overcome The Creative Boundaries Of A Home Studio With Just A Midi Keyboard" / Bluestaeb
Influenced By Madlib's "shades Of Blue" And Trained In African Drum Techniques Such As Djembé And Daruka, Bluestaeb Had Been Crafting His Own Beats Since His Teenage Years And Gradually Found His Sound Identity Through Experimenting With Hiphop And Jazz - First To Be Heard By A Broader Music Community In 2013, When He Released His Debut Album "1991 Extraterrestrial" (radio Juicy). Since Then The Prolific Young Artist Has Released Numerous Solo And Collaboration Projects ("b.l.u.e. Friday" In 2015 And - sidekicks With S. Fidelity In 2016). In 2016, He Produced Collaborative Album "lit - Lost In Translation With Rapper Juju Rogers, A Keen Manifesto Against Racism, Xenophobia And The Rise Of Anti-heroes Such As Donald Trump.
Today, Bluestaeb Lives And Works In Paris And Berlin And Is Set To
Release His Third Solo Album everything Is Always A Process', A
Smooth Neo Soul-induced Epic Featuring Artists Such As Noah Slee, Harleighblu And Melodiesinfonie, Via Jakarta Records In 2018.
Archie Hamilton touches down on Fuse once more for the 'Mercury Rising EP'. Right Hook kicks things off in typical Archie style with a snaking groove, resplendent with another one of his trademark catchy b-lines. 'Limbo' is the EPs VINYL ONLY track and delves a slightly deeper furrow with a headier vibe whilst 'Mercury' rounds off the package; a brisk tech-houser with warm attitude via blissed out pads and a charmingly understated synth riff.
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Joe Powers is from Edinburgh, far outside the network of the Grime capital of London. His caffeinated productions as Proc Fiskal are faster than usual, with many clocking in at 160bpm. 'The Highland Mob', his 2017 debut EP, opened up his music to open-eared footwork and drum'n'bass fans as well as the grime crowd. After following that up with a jungle-inflected EP on Cosmic Bridge, 'Insula' switches the feel and intention towards a personal, and melodic music with one foot in Grime, infused with often comic, often wistful recorded moments from his environment. He says 'I wanted to be aware of where the music is coming from, referencing things I'm presently experiencing, like making Grime, my Radar radio show, phone addiction, alcohol, my surroundings, girls, depression, positivity, being unemployed, being employed and hating it, my friends etc. Trying to be true to myself instead of relying on other peoples' nostalgia, and focusing on now.'
The record is a huge leap in vision, with delicate, pointillist melodies and intricate edits reminiscent of Grime producers such as Terror Danjah. It also resonates with Japanese video game music like that recently explored on the 'Diggin' In The Carts' compilation.
'I think I probably make tunes to get out emotions I don't express in day-to-day life. I used clips of my friends talking, drunk folk, and general Scottish life to preserve and represent what my experience is like right now, like a time capsule. Social media notification sounds are designed to release serotonin, which is what I'd like my music to do, to make me, and other people happy, and in using these manipulative noises in a positive way, I like to think I'm taking back the power of the manipulation.'
Proc Fiskal is adventurous and thoughtful as a producer, and at the young age of 21, his debut album is very advanced in its ideas and execution.
Enigmatic producer Waxwood has a genuinely global outlook. Born in Russia, resident in Brooklyn and a regular visitor to Los Angeles, he can often be found jetting off to far-fung parts of the World in order to make feld recordings and immerse himself in different musical cultures.
You can hear these disparate global infuences and inspirations in
Waxwood's frst single for Claremont 56, which comes on the back of a near legendary 2015 cassette for NYC's Styles
Upon Styles, Sahasraha, which magically fused tropical hand
percussion and densely layered feld recordings with lilting ambient chords, hypnotic electronic rhythms and all manner of intoxicating
aural fourishes. 'Kama' is a slightly different beast from its' predecessor, with a sunny disposition and laidback breeziness throughout. Although underpinned
by a sturdy kick-drum pattern, its chiming melodies and metallic
percussion fourishes - reminiscent of indigenous music from far-
fung nations such as Malaysia and Indonesia - combine with gentle acoustic guitar motifs and waves of acid-esque electronics to create a beguiling and life-affrming mood. It offers more proof that Waxwood is a producer with a unique musical vision. The track's inherent gentle breeziness is explored in greater detail on the accompanying remix, which has been provided by Phantom Island regulars Fuga Ronto (AKA Swiss musicians/producers Ron Shiller and Tobi Schweizer). Riffng on Waxwood's original, they've added superb new vocals and instrumentation - think dreamy harmonies, tumbling synthesizer melodies and mesmerizing guitar parts - to create a sunset-friendly Balearic revision that's both stunningly beautiful and dazzlingly sun-kissed.
The remarkable thing about BELP's new album is its two-dimensional function. It works both on a loud and a quiet volume. Some tracks would go down well as a club track, like opener 'Travelling Thru Galaxies'. This track brings back memories of the best work released on the Hyperdub label, with it's fine combination of synths and irresistible, dubby beats. Elsewhere, 'Off Ending' might start off as 'dancehall-but-not-quite dancehall' track but when half way the synths kick in they change the feeling of the track to a more cerebral level.
BELP is the artist name of Sebastian Schnitzenbaumer. Born in Munich, he partially grew up on the Seychelles islands off the coast of East Africa. Educated in classical piano, those two gravitational poles, European and African influences, form the basis for his musical development. Currently he has close ties to the (dub) Sausage Studio in Hackney, London. In his hometown Munich, the Bavarian capital, BELP took a central role in a series of discussions and events aiming to improve the image and possibilities of Munich, which to his regret is a predominantly posh and hedonistic city where optimistic and uplifting music take central role.
In different guises Schnitzenbaumer works as a much needed antidote. Since 2013 he runs the Schamoni label, focusing on supporting local artists like Leroy and Protein. Its sublabel Jahmoni is responsible for recent works by international artists like Aaron Spectre and DJ Marcelle/Another Nice Mess.
BELP's music is dark, serious and layered. His love for dub and dancehall shines through in his broken beats. At the same time the synth layered tracks give the album an atmospheric feeling.
This also is what makes this album essential: it's refusal to be pigeonholed. The last track on side A, 'By Beauteous Softness', is an a cappella rendition of a 17th century Henry Purcell piece, beautifully sung by Alexander Schneider. This track is preceded by 'Transmission', which is a brilliant abstract work, sounding like wind closing on you from all sides. And you can sip a cocktail whilst listening to the jazzy 'Time And Again' (BELP once worked as a jazz pianist).
It's clear to hear BELP took a long time recording this album. Every note, synth, drum beat, is carefully placed. But what the album might lack on spontaneity it more than compensates this with its sheer musical beauty. This also reflects on the abstract sleeve, like 'Elephants' designed by BELP himself.
Enjoy this album on big speakers, as background music or simply on headphones. There will always be new sounds and layers to be discovered!
James Stewart is the host, resident DJ and co-promoter of monthly night 'Black Atlantic Club' at Le Sucre in Lyon. Borrowing the term 'Black Atlantic' from renowned scholar Paul Gilroy's 1993 book, Stewart presents 'black music' as a transnational, incredibly diverse cultural exchange. An avid lecturer on the subject and founder of the Blog Afrosouldescarga, he merges an intellectual approach with the musical and creative side of things: as an active conga player and percussionist, member of Voilaaa Sound System and showhost at Radio Nova. This EP is the work of of a mature and thoughtful musician, combining different musical influences at a high level of production. Alma Negra Records are proud to present James Stewart with his Cotonou EP!
For our next Excursion, we're off to the library. In search of library records that is - you know the type, the crazy rare records used for soundtracks and such and such. We have a sick selection of synthed-up beats and pieces chopped together by one Earl Jeffers, making the most out of his international library digging card* (*not a real thing).
For those that don't know, Cardiff's Earl Jeffers is one half of Darkhouse Family, regular family at our sister label, First Word, on which they released their debut album 'The Offering' late last year. Earl is a prolific producer in his own right, also releasing over the years under the aliases Chesus and Metabeats on labels like MCDE, Fat City and Local Talk, collaborating with artists like Byron The Aquarius, Action Bronson and Kamaal Williams / Henry Wu, turning his hand ably to house, hip hop, jungle, jazz and more. All this in addition to running his own label, Mélange Records.
A dedicated digger and record collector first and foremost, Earl has provided us with a quadruple set of heavyweight stuttery sci-fi boom bap. In Earl's words: "This record was mostly inspired by my penchant for the more electronic / synthesized jams, mostly replayed from the original compositions then thrust in to 2028 and beyond...."
Fresh on Francis Harris' Kingdoms imprint comes Rasmus Juncker's 'Ophold' - six tracks of sublime atmospheres and textures. The Danish musician, sound composer and DJ fits perfectly with the label's aesthetic, joining the dots between ambient, leftfield electronica and modern classical.
Juncker has a background in studying jazz drumming and has been playing improvised music within the jazz domain for many years. He also started to DJ at the age of 14 and was introduced to the world of electronic music production at the same time.
When Rasmus started to think about his debut album he spent several months trying to find his own way to combine his favourite musical influences, improvisation, electronics and classical music. 'Almost a year later', Juncker says, "I went to a sensory deprivation floating tank in Copenhagen while researching for another performance and while I was lying there, floating in the water, deprived from most of my senses, I got the idea to do something drastic in my musical process. Philosophers like Immanuel Kant describe this deprived state as a mental 'Cesura', which became some sort of guideline for the album."
So Juncker decided to start working on the album by leaving the process as well as the final result completely open. 'I wanted to create sounds and music that I had no idea what they would sound like, but would feel like a mental 'Cesura', an 'Ophold' (in Danish)' he states.
He invited musicians, one after the other, to his studio. "I had an electronic musician to improvise patterns and new interesting sounds based on my experience in the deprivation tank. I chose some of the takes and some weeks later I invited a jazz guitarist to listen and improvise on top of what he heard. Then a classical string quartet and a double bass player came to my studio months later, and finally I recorded myself on percussion and drums.
Throughout the recording process I've been experimenting with special microphones in various setups, used noises from the recordings and the room became absolutely essential for the pieces." Juncker states.
"The material I used was all first take improvision which I arranged, layered and edited into compositions. The final pieces were mixed by Andreas Pallisgaard with the same improvised and experimental approach of the recording and the production. None of the musician met each other, but their sounds developed into something completely fantastic I think. The presence of the acoustic instruments and the depth and complexity of the synthesized layers gave some kind of an indescribable sounding music from another galaxy.
Track by track:
'Norddrum' starts proceedings - ethereal, grainy sounds merge and disassociate, as a distant rhythm gradually finds its way to the fore.
The second track, 'Sora' , clocking in at under 2 minutes, is an interlude full of strings, pads, and percussive hits, rich in feeling. This strong sense of sound design and seemingly disparate sounds woven together into a whole carries through into 'Eksotisk Tirsdag' - the strings, plucked instruments and electronics harking back to 4th world adventurers like Jon Hassel and Brian Eno.
'Cyklus' dives into drone textures, pulsing and modulating to create an unearthly soundtrack.
'Havekunst' is another 2 minutes interlude, this time bringing a fully charged rhythmic barrage to the front.
'Cesura', the final track is in essence the EP's centerpiece - a sprawling 8 minute journey that traverses tense, fibrous sections and on into pulsing modular passages, before opening up into glorious moments of wonder and brightness. It's a hugely bold yet fragile endeavour, in line with the whole release.
Dark Matters label head Amirali returns with the expertly crafted Odyssey EP, employing his vital understanding of
space and texture to construct a highly emotive release featuring a remix from Fort Romeau. The three track
package is out digitally on May 14th followed by the vinyl release a few weeks later.
Leading on from his critically acclaimed discography and curatorial work with the inimitable Dark Matters imprint,
Amirali enters 2018 with grand plans for the future. He is currently conceptualising a live stage show whilst
continuing to provide a platform for all manner of weird and wonderful music.
'Odyssey' is a striking example of Amirali's penchant for songwriting, as well as a testament to his sonic identity,
merging memorable harmonies with heartfelt vocals and complex soundscapes. 'Hidden Past' veers more towards
the dancefloor, brandishing vast sonic explorations and levitating pads amongst detailed drum patterns. For the
'Hidden Past' remix, Fort Romeau mutates the delicacy of the original into a spaced out dose of peak time house,
gradually building rich harmonies around a fierce rhythmic motif.
On the creation of this forthcoming EP, Amirali states:
"Nothing is more important than my craft which is the main reason I'm here. There's no better satisfaction than to
create an amazing piece of music, that's my happiest point in life. I don't want my work to just be good or ok and that
takes a lot of effort and sacrifice in life. I got to a point where I said to myself I have to go and disappear for a while,
go be normal and do normal things. Instead of being on the road all the time, stay home, create an environment I
like to write music. There have been many experimentations involved in my upcoming material. I wanted to try and
push myself to the limit and I believe I've succeeded. For me, it's all about evolving and exploring areas I haven't
touched. That's why sometimes it takes a bit longer than expected, I don't just want to meet people's expectations,
sometimes I want to blow them away. There is so much music coming out week in and week out, the music is
evidently becoming more disposable and I would like to stay out of that chaos. When you stay true to your heart and
try to do something different you put yourself in an uncomfortable situation, that's when you grow as an artist and
also as a person, but the satisfaction you get when you finish a work cannot be put into words.
Giovanni Damico keeps amazing things coming and takes it with this release on the mighty label Kalakuta Soul Records to the next level. Joining forces with the mighty Gabriele Spagnuolo and Francesco Di Domenico on guitars and Saxophone, the italian boogie doctor brings to life three filthy stompers inspired by amazing artists from the african continent who have shaped what we now call (dance) music. To Fela's People is one of three stompers delivered for this joint teaming up with Mr. Villy Odili - Lead singer of the amazing nigerian band Villy and the extreme Volumes - who's precise lyrics and drifty voice joins forces with a charging afrobeat rhythm hailing from Giovanni Damico's bad ass laboratory. Afro Stomp and Baba on the other side come with the most furious drums and bassline one could ever imagine accompanied by a celestial instrumentation that hits the mind, the soul and the hips. Vital Sales Points: - Limited to 500 copies - Great feedback from Nomad, Lakuti and Antal
Twenty-eight Years Ago, Pissed-off Twelve-year-olds Around The Universe Discovered A New Planet, A Black Planet. Public Enemy's Aggressive, Benihana Beats And Incendiary Lyrics Instilled Fear Among Parents And Teachers Everywhere, Even In The Border Town Of Laredo, Texas, Home Of The Future Founders Of The Latin-funk-soul-breaks Super Group, Brownout. The Band's Sixth Full-length Album (out May 25th) Fear Of A Brown Planet Is A Musical Manifesto Inspired By Public Enemy's Music And Revolutionary Spirit.
Chuck D., The Bomb Squad, Flava Flav And The Rest Of The P.e. Posse Couldn't Possibly Have Expected That Their Golden-era Hip Hop Albums Would Sow The Seeds For Countless Public Enemy Sleeper Cells, One That Would Emerge Nearly Three Decades Later In Austin, Texas. Greg Gonzalez (bass) Remembers A Kid Back In Junior High Hipped Him To The Fact That Public Enemy's bring The Noise' Is Built On James Brown Samples, While A Teenaged Beto Martinez (guitar) Alternated Between Metal And Hip-hop In His Walk-man, And Adrian Quesada (guitar/keys) Remembers Falling In Love With Public Enemy's Sound At An Early Age. when I Got Into Hip Hop, I Was Looking For This Aggressive Outlet . . . And I Didn't Even Understand What They Were Pissed Off About, Because I Was Twelve And Lived In Laredo . . . But I Loved It And I Felt Angry Along With Them.'
Joseph Abajian (fat Beats' Owner) Must Have Sensed The Deep Hip-hop Well Lying Beneath The Versatile Band's Latin-funk Veneer. i Thought Their Sound Would Work Covering Public Enemy Songs,' Abajian Says, And, it Was Good To Know They Were P.e. Fans . . . We Came Up With A Track Listing And They Went To Work.' Despite The Band's Eagerness To Work On New Original Material (an Album Of Original Songs Is Slated For Next Year), They Couldn't Pass Up The Opportunity To Pay Homage To This Iconic And Influential Posse.
Translating Sample-based Music To A Live Band Turned Out To Be More Of A Challenge Than They Anticipated. Adrian Tried To Get Inside The Bomb Squad's (public Enemy's Producers/beat-making Team) Head In Order To Find The Inspiration To Reinterpret P.e.'s Songs: imagine The Bomb Squad Going Back In Time And Getting The J.b.s (james Brown's Funky Backing Band) In The Studio And Setting Up A Couple Analog Synths And Then Playing Those Songs.' While Some Songs Closely Follow The Original Musical Blueprint, Others Use The Source Breakbeats As Jumping-off Points Later Sweetened By Trombonist Mark speedy' Gonzales' Horn Arrangements, Synth Wizardry Courtesy Of Friend-of-the-band Peter Stopschinski, And Dj Trackstar's Turntable Scratches. But Don't Listen Expecting To Hear Paint-by-numbers Recreations Of Classic Public Enemy Jams. our Approach Is Never In The Tribute Sense,' Adrian Explains. we've Always Taken It And Made It Our Own, Whether It's The Brown Sabbath Thing Or This Public Enemy Thing.' Coming Off Numerous Tours As Brown Sabbath And Even A Stint Backing The Late Legend Prince, Brownout Is Arguably The Tightest And Funkiest Band On The Road Today And They're Psyched To Bring This Revolutionary Music To The People. For A Band Without An Overt Political Agenda, They Collectively Couldn't Resist The Opportunity To Play This Music Live, Especially Now. if There's Any Way That We Can Use The Already Political And Protest Nature (of P.e.'s Music), We Would Like To Try,' Beto Says. the Album's Title, Fear Of Brown Planet Is Definitely A Relevant Idea Today And We're Not Afraid To Put It Out There, Because We Want To Speak Out.' By Reinterpreting These Hip Hop Classics In Their Unique Style And Channeling The Spirit Of Public Enemy That First Echoed Around The World And Captured Their Imaginations All Those Years Ago, Brownout Is Doing Exactly That.
The War On Drugs announce their fourth full-length album, A Deeper Understanding, out August 25th on Atlantic Records. A Deeper Understanding is the band's first album since 2014's universally acclaimed Lost In The Dream, and their debut album with Atlantic. Following the Record Store Day release of the 11-minute Thinking of a Place,' The War On Drugs present the album's lead single, Holding On.'
For much of the three and a half year period since the release of Lost In The Dream, The War On Drugs' frontman, Adam Granduciel, led the charge for his Philadelphia-based sextet as he holed up in studios in New York and Los Angeles to write, record, edit, and tinker—but, above all, to busy himself in work. Teaming up with engineer Shawn Everett (Alabama Shakes, Weezer), Granduciel challenged the notion of what it means to create a fully realized piece of music in today's modern landscape. Calling on his bandmates - bassist Dave Hartley, keyboarding Robbie Bennett, drummer Charlie Hall and multi-instrumentalists Anthony LaMarca and Jon Natchez -- continuously throughout the process, the result is a band record' in the noblest sense, featuring collaboration, coordination, and confidence at every turn. Through those years of relocation, the revisiting and reexamining of endless hours of recordings, unbridled exploration and exuberance, Granduciel's gritty love of his craft succeeded in pushing the band to great heights.
Two of Russian electronic music's rising stars, Phil Gerus and Alexander Lay-Far, invite you to join them at the Solitary High Social Club. While table service is provided, they'd much rather you throw caution to the wind and head to the dancefoor.
Before joining forces in the studio, both Moscow-based musicians have delivered a string of memorable solo productions. Lay-Far has previously released a wealth of material on such labels as Local Talk, City Fly, Lazy Days and 4Lux Black, while synthesizer fetishist Gerus has showcased his electrofunk and disco-fred cuts on Futureboogie Recordings, Sonar Kollektiv, Public Release
and Superior Elevation Records.
The fve tracks that make up Solitary High Social Club deliver a perfect marriage of the two producers' distinctive solo styles, combining the rich musicality of Lay-Far's house productions with the spacey, intergalactic electronics of Gerus's discoid adventures. In many ways, it's a marriage made in heaven - or in Lay-Far's celebrated In-Beat-Ween Studio, at least.
The duo's spacey and melodious musical fusion is arguably best exemplifed by lead cut City 2 City, Star 2 Star', a widescreen, mid-tempo disco epic rich in tactile Rhodes riffs, supernova synth solos, delay-laden drum beats, tumbling melody lines and heavy analogue bass. Fittingly, the track returns in Reprise' form - think sweeping, weightless ambient bliss - to round off the EP.
Elsewhere, the duo provides further proof of their combined musical talents.
Check, for example, the gentle drum machine electro beats, cascading new age melodies and sparkling, stretched-out synthesizer chords of the impeccably beautiful Am I Tripping', or the devilishly percussive, mind-altering brilliance of Love Life', where mutant electro bass, wide-eyed chords and alien melodies rise above a heavy, Afro-infuenced groove. As for Snowfakes On Her Lips', you'll struggle to fnd a more confdent and positive dancefoor workout all year. Blessed with killer piano parts, darting analogue synth-bass and a range of disco-tinged musical fourishes, it's by far and away the most celebratory moment on an already happy-go-lucky EP. It confrms, too, our initial hunch: at the Solitary High Social Club, life is always good.
Max Loderbauer, who has so far made consistently engaging contributions to the Arjunamusic family, is back to lend his unique interpretive skills to the master recordings for the Brightbird album by João Paulo Esteves da Silva, Mário Franco and Samuel Rohrer. Loderbauer has set himself up for a chal- lenge, since the original album's completely improvised flow of small-ensemble, conversational jazz feels complete enough without outside intervention. However, Loderbauer's role as electronics operator in the similarly attuned Ambiq trio has already shown that, through his mastery of tone color, he has a talent for teasing out the additional hidden details within an apparently 'complete' sonic environment. It's a task he mana- ges to accomplish without ever overriding or contradicting the cohesive message provided by his collaborators.
Adding to the challenge here, Loderbauer chooses to re- mix using only sounds from the original recordings. By doing so, it might seem he is willfully denying himself the chance to use his own signature tools and turn Brightbird's source materi- al into stunningly new electro-acoustic hybrid blooms. Yet Loderbauer succeeds here by becoming something more like a translator than an augmenter - he finds a way to make mea- ningful syntactical changes to the trio's rich and versatile vo- cabulary, and once again unveils a verdant world of hidden details in the process.
The A-side 'Trusting Heart/Cosmos' has an anxious tone introduced by a set of Doppler-effected piano notes that seem to melt in the sun, and is soon complemented by a va- riegated, chattering rhythm line. Here Loderbauer builds up a tactile tension between rhythmic certainty and sharp-angled, de-tuned, and occasionally scrambled instrumentation, framing a disorienting (yet engaging) virtual space where ob- jects' bright hues rapidly change as they contract and expand along multiple dimensions. For the b-side 'Noontide', Lo- derbauer switches to a more focused and streamlined idiom with an uncanny ease, riding along steady waves of sequencer patterning and silvery, resonant shiverings. Reverberating, ho- lographic piano again provides the tonal center here, and the notes ring with a forward-thinking optimism not far removed from classics of the 'Krautrock' era.
Current supporters of all the artists involved will find this to be an invigorating synopsis of their work to date, while newcomers will be treated to a soundworld where skillful fu- sion (the act itself, rather than the music genre with the same name) is constantly on display.
Having debuted with a fine EP by Job Sifre, Artificial Dance has returned to the source for release number two. The 12' pays tribute to one of the most influential figures of original DIY electronic music scene of Holland, Hanjo Erkamp.
During the first half of the 1980s, Erkamp had a hand in some of the most experimental and forward-thinking releases on the now legendary cassette label, Trumpett. Famously, he was a member of two of the label's key bands - industrial outfit Doxa Sinistra and new wave combo Ende Shneafliet - but during the period he also recorded a swathe of solo tracks as C. Stein, most of which only saw the light of day decades later.
La Bombe Plastique', a thrillingly spacey and futurist cut rich in proto-techno rhythms, intergalactic electronic motifs and drowsy choral vocals. For this timely reissue, the superb original version comes accompanied by a fresh re-edit created primarily for DJ use.
* Following on from last year's debut release on Cold Recordings, Cocktail Party Effect makes a welcome return to the imprint with 4 new genre-melting rhythmical workouts, charged and ready for the dancefloor.
* 'Lemons', the eponymous EP title track, kicks things off, opening with dubbed-out chords and a fidgety, rattling percussive loop which eventually disappears into the background as the breakdown primes itself for the drop. Suddenly, in comes a hyperactive rhythmical workout, rolling at 128bpm but turbo charged with double time percussive flicks. Soon the dub elements return to fill out the sonic, keeping the pace lively and engaging. Quality, effective dancefloor music.
* Following straight on is 'Bangers' which almost sounds like an imagined collaboration between JA rhythms stars of the moment, Equiknoxx and Walton or Batu. Squelchy drums and a t'umping bassline roll things out in fine style.
* Flip the plate then for 'Quite' which brings things back into slightly more familiar territories, utilising a swooping bassline as pitched, deranged vocal stabs swirl about and tight drum programming keeps the pace moving. Last up is 'Flat Football' which returns to a similar form as the title track, 'Lemons'. Manic drum programming is used to create the impression of being in fast forward without moving the tempo over 130bpm! Not for the faint hearted.
When it comes to soulful house, Detroit native Alton Miller is about as ingrained as it gets. Peacefrog, Planet E, Moods & Grooves, Mahogani and Sound Signature have all endorsed his talents and with an album looming later in the year, Waella's Choice sow the seeds with 'All Things Good'. Club music for the sensitive souls, with some arresting spoken word poetry and even a broken beat deviation.'All Things Good' is the fourth release from London label Waella's Choice, following Hanna, RANGEr and the London on Key compilation.
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