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COMPILED BY PETE PASQUAL, ERICA OLSON & DJ KINETIC

Following on from acclaimed compilations like 'Down Under Nuggets' and 'Heavy Soul' (and two other new titles 'Running The Voodoo Down' and 'Dodgy Bossa (& Silly Sambas)' - details below), Festival Records presents another deep dig into the archives, this time shining a light on rare Australian soul-jazz, jazz-funk, and freaked-out groove rock from the late '60s and '70s.

BACK ON THE STREET AGAIN - AUSTRALIAN FUNK, SOUL & PSYCH (MOSTLY) FROM THE FESTIVAL VAULTS is a stunning 20 track CD and 2LP release that highlights a point when the previously disparate styles of rock, jazz and soul all started influencing each other, and exciting new genres were created. To quote the liner notes (by DJ Kinetic):

Australia produced some amazing music during the 60s and 70s that sat outside of the normal rock mould. Avant guard artists like John Sangster pushed boundaries and experimented with the fusion of local and overseas influences, artists like Dalvanius recorded soaring disco music that was lost amongst the popular music of the time, only to be rediscovered by DJs overseas who were searching for unknown sounds, composers like Brute Force and His Drum took risks and recorded left-field funky sounds hidden within their more mainstream compositions, and popular artists like Billy Thorpe occasionally strayed from their A&R directions and took leaves from the books of American artists who were largely unknown in Australia at the time. Beneath the veneer of bland rock and roll lay an unknown multitude of funky sounds hidden from mainstream view.

In addition to the artists that Kinetic mentions (and the compilation features two John Sangster tracks - stunning versions of 'Hair' and the Beatles' 'A Day In The Life'), the collection includes iconic names of the era like the Daly-Wilson Big Band (featuring Kerrie Biddell), Renee Geyer and the Johnny Rocco Band. '60s sides from Ross D Wyllie and The ID (featuring Jeff St John) reveal the various styles' roots in American rhythm & blues, and the unexpected inclusion of some legendary Australian rock outfits like Tamam Shud and Blackfeather reveals the psychedelic and progressive rock influences at play. The full range of the music is highlighted by the inclusion of both cabaret/daytime TV performer Al Styne and outrageous Kings Cross club act Count Copernicus & The Cosmic Fire as well as the in-house studio 'pops' orchestra, Festival Studio 24 Orchestra.

Co-compilers Pete Pasqual, Erica Olson and DJ Kentic to undertake interviews with specialist media around release. Facebook ad's around release.

Not Waving takes 2017 by the scruff with his Populist EP, consolidating the myriad stripes of his acclaimed Animals album in four extended peaktime hammers forged for darkrooms, basements and warehouses alike.
If last year's LP saw you thru from day-into-night, or vice-versa, this one is aimed squarely at the gurny hours of abandon in between, with ferocious acid lines and jabbing drums stripped down and strapped up to prompt reckless behaviour on the 'floor.
Containing his first material written in the wake of Animals, the Populist EP is Alessio Natalizia a.k.a. Not Waving's strongest dancefloor statement since the one-sided Get Serious (2015) bullet.
It finds him taking the opportunity to make straight-up bangers, rather than 'songs', which were thoroughly tried and tested over successive tours of the USA and ountless shows in Europe too in
the last 9 months.
Too Many Freaks is an anthem in waiting, harnessing a barely-hinged sense of chaos between its careening synth lead, acid squabble and velvet-clad kicks, before the dry-rutting jag and plaintive vox of Vibe Killer takes a dog-grip like This Heat meeting Tuning Circuits.
Top marks go to the check-your-stylus intro for Control Myself on the B-side, which holds its fizzy line into a fetid crevice of what sounds Russell Haswell ramping with Powell, whereas the
crooked clampjaw groove of Ur Lucky Ur Still Alive pivots around a sample a lone raver at Atonal, Berlin 'who had no idea how she got there and what she did the night before'. A ruddy good night
all-round, then
Not Waving co-owns the Ecstatic label alongside Sam Willis. Not Waving is widely regarded a connoisseur of Italian new wave and post-punk music - he compiled the Mutazione (Italian
Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988) set for Strut - and has issued a series of acclaimed, sought-after, playfully anachronistic twists on that sound since 2013.

Label owner Kastil comes up with the fourth 12'' in the Stale series. After imaginative releases by Irazu, Deapmash together with a string of underground cassette releases it's finally time for the man in charge to step back up with a very versatile and well balanced outing called ''The Sadistic Abbess''. The opening effort on the A side ''YD33'' is a modular sounding Techno cut that comes through as a robust and assertive opening track, showcasing Kastil's expertise in creating hazardous ambiances and programming rough drum patterns. ''Sphere of Influence'' is an intergalactic offering that is hard to pin down. The craze of FX on this cut is wide and thorough leaving the listening in somewhat of a frenzy. The built is strong and the effort develops into a monstrous buldger that balances smartly between different sides of electronic music. ''Bastardos'' is an emotive piece of cinematic proportions that serves as the outro for the A side. Wonderfully orchestrated pads and gloomy vocals. ''Variable Penrose'' opens up the B side. This cut will ensure some peak time dancefloor action due to it's structured nature. Serbian producer ''Lag'' offers an energetic remix of another Kastil original named ''Gold Coal''. ST171 will be available through all specialized retailers early 2017.

POP AMBIENT - our longest-running compilation series after Total - sees a new instalment for 2017, featuring exclusive material from acclaimed genre veterans and series newcomers JENS-UWE BEYER, YUI ONODERA & SCANNER, MAX WÜRDEN, LEANDRO FRESCO, THORE PFEIFFER, KENNETH JAMES GIBSON and SOULSAVERS remixed by WOLFGANG VOIGT.
Following his own cues from preceding entries, Pop Ambient chief curator Voigt again strikes a perfect ratio of established producers and debuting guests: our complete Pop Ambient solo album crew makes an appearance, from JENS-UWE BEYERs atmospheric soundscapes on the tracks FINAL 9.1 and FINAL 10, to THORE PFEIFFERs glitch romance GOOD LIFE, LEANDRO FRESCOs beatific drone fests SONIDO ESPAÑOL and EL ABISMO, as well as KENNETH JAMES GIBSONs melancholic epic HER FLOOD KNOCKED ME TO THE GROUND (BUT I WAS ALREADY THERE. Other returning artists include ANTON KUBIKOV of SCSI-9 fame (with electronic reverie DEKKA) and Cologne soundsmith MAX WÜRDEN, who was last seen releasing wonderfully immersive albums on BineMusic and Wolfgang Voigt's very own Exponate series. His guitar-infused, dubbed-out cut FERNFELD and the mysterious electronic mantra 186.000 MILES PER SECOND are particularly striking renditions of the rich sonic narratives possible in Pop Ambient.
For the 2017 release, we welcome Tokyo-based Pop Ambient novice YUI ONODERA with his tracks CROMO1 and CROMO2, which both serve as opener: a trained musician and architectural acoustic designer by trade, Onodera embeds diverse influences from traditional sound design, film scores, contemporary composition and electro-acoustic experimentation in his work, resulting in intricate drone sculptures and sound skylines. This skill set gels naturally with the sonic sensibilities of iconic experimental composer SCANNER who teams up with Onodera for the cut LOCUS SOLUS - it's an incredible honour to have such a towering figure in advanced electronic music on board. Wolfgang Voigt himself makes an appearance as remixer, turning the track HAL from electronic-rock-gospel duo SOULSAVERS' 2015 album "Kubrick" into a voluptuous and immersive sound journey. It's the cherry on top of a particularly fluffy cake that will prove irresistible to any connoisseur of ambient music.

It's been five years since his acclaimed debut 'Severant' and time has proved it prescient, its futuristic trap influence is now ubiquitous. 'Slow Knife' seems to return to where 'Severant' left off, but with the intricate sound design of last year's haunting EP 'Assertion Of A Surrounding Presence' subsumed into the compositions, making them more exacting and beautifully crafted. Between albums Kuedo has been working as a sound designer and composer for hire and the application of intent and widescreen rigour that commercial work requires has definitely found its way into the new album. 'Slow Knife' has the subtlety, ambition and pacing of a brilliant soundtrack - a sense of an album of scenes, that easily lends itself to an impressionistic narrative. But, as with 'Severant', the title suggests relationship unease, with the slow knife being a metaphor for the building resentment in any close relationship. 'Slow Knife' is almost two albums, the first half, according to Kuedo, invokes the seduction of the city, taking the music of Michael Mann's 'Manhunter' as a cue, with the latter half being inspired by the bloody starscapes and voodoo wilderness of films such as 'Angel Heart', 'Night Of The Hunter' and more recently the 'True Detective' series. Both halves of the album are also in thrall to Mica Levi's inspiring 'Under The Skin' soundtrack, especially in the turbulence of the mid-section. The songs of the albums first half are synthetic and seductive, a gelatinous veil with shades of the pseudo-sophisticated trance of Enigma, of all things, underpinned with dusky unsettling shadows and atmosphere. 'In Your Sleep', perhaps surprisingly, features the vocals of Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts, who settles his dark, whispered vocals into the moonlit shadowy atmosphere. 'Floating Forest' is the first track to allow back some of Kuedo's experimentation with the Southern rap template, which he explored before it became commonplace, with echoed drum splashes and a sinister repetitive motif, ending with a haunting growl. The second half of the album enters wilderness territory with 'Approaching's slow descending notes, before 'Broken Fox - Black Hole' throws the record into the cathartic darkness, as undulating chords play hide and seek with riotous reeds and scratchy strings grown from challenging collaborations with cello player Koenraad Ecker (from Lumisokea). 'Breaking The Surface' shivers and coils, before metal and strings dominate while 'In Your Skin' feels like being lost in a vast hinterland before 'Warmer Light' introduces some memories of sunshine, with its plucked bassline and spiralling dub. 'Halogen Light' opens with the sound of crickets and a clear piano, cleansing the soul before 'Lathe' brings things down to earth with a short, yet powerful coda.

Meet Thorsteinssøn. The Iceland-born-Denmark-bred Gunnar Thor Viggosson better known as one half of 76-79 with Tommy Vicari Jnr and bossman at Comfortable Records and Vanity. Right now, though, we're calling him the man behind the first Pets artist album this year... Deliciously cosmic and cheerily schizophrenic, 'Academy Of Heroes' is inspired by a brilliant creative project Thorsteinssøn practiced during his years living in Amsterdam: Solar Industry Radio. A project that would begin with a made up artist or band name in styles ranging from cosmic funk,scandinavien disco to noise collages of the galaxies. A joyously backwards project that inspired a rich rainbow of styles, the content was then represented 24/7 online, collaged with strange jingles and sifi snippets. Genius. Returning to those creations, Thorsteinssøn and Pets have weaved together a full album that cherry picks from his thunderous proliferation: from the strutting west coast deep house of '1976' to the introverted electro boogie of 'N M T F R' by way of the poignant chords of 'Untitled Disco Six', the wry acid wriggles of 'Channel DISQ' and the Trans Am twinkles of 'Beneath A Steel Sky', the 14 collection acts as an immersive, timeless collage. A smorgasbord of synthetic exploration, rich in sci-fi, space and robotic sympathy, pieced together with the same spirit of his cult radio transmissions, it works just as well on the cans as it does in the dance... And it's en route with an equally alluring package of remixes. An album, a radio show for freaks or simply a journey into Thorsteinssøns world.. Whatever... He really is a creative maverick. !

Mo Kolours flipped and whisked with some new treats ...

We are honoured to let Dilated Pupils bring us a great release on MAYAK. A-side "Remi's Phone" is a really deep spoken word techno track. "Shine Dub" on a B-side is probably the most rewarding dub-house track, that makes everyone smile on the dance floor, and that was tested thoroughly.

At this moment, Global Bass music is an intimate circuit in the electronic music landscape. Airplane tickets and the internet serve to connect producers and artists in every imaginable combination. Spanning across Africa, Europe, India, the Caribbean, and the Americas, allowing for the birth of new forms of collaboration. At the nexus of the Tropical music monsoon is producer Thor Partridge, aka Thornato. Born in Sweden, Thor grew up in a household filled with traditional Greek, African, and Carribbean music. Moving in early childhood to Queens, New York, the borough's diversity further influenced his style and taste. Thor added to his rich musical palette by studying classical piano, jazz guitar, and bluegrass banjo. A passion for electronic music production, remixing, and music of the entire globe soon developed. Thor's debut EP "Things Will Change" is an amalgamation of his global influence, coupled with strong roots in dance music culture. His music is not a product of samples downloaded from the internet, but from his driving wanderlust and ability to hand select musicians to work with on location in the countries where they are from. By recording in the field with a mobile studio, Thor captures the real essence and soul of the music and where it's coming from. The EP kicks off with "Chapinero", a bass heavy joint with an infectious Colombian Gaita melody. Handclaps and chopped vocal samples make for a booming floor rocker. "Deux a Duex" turns towards the African dancefloor incorporating infectious guitars and beautiful vocal harmonies courtesy of Kongo Electro from Cape Town. "Koz Kazah" heads to the Middle East with it's violin melodies, thick sub-bass, and Arabic vocals courtesy of Karen Be. Finally, "Tera Dewana" lands us in the Indian subcontinent with it's driving beat, tablas, and Hindi vocals from Vasanth S & AKS. Thornato's "Things Will Change" EP shows that while indeed the music does change, the soul and the heart of sounds from all over the world remain consistent, and that dancefloor music is universal - no matter where in the world you are!

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks began to formulate their visionary brand of aural catharsis sometime during the first half of 1977, amidst the sordid ruins of a then fully down-and-out Lower Manhattan. The mastermind behind this juggernaut of sonic libertinage was a barely pubescent but world-weary runaway who called herself Lydia Lunch. Influenced strongly by the Marquis de Sade and Henry Miller, Lunch shrewdly decided to graft the existential horror of her own writing onto harsh, atonal music after being exposed to the room-clearing live output of other contemporary rock-music deconstructionists like Suicide and Mars. With an agenda of conjuring nightmarish intensity in lieu of technical instrumental ability, Teenage Jesus instantly made the supposedly nihilistic' and raw' current wave of so-called Punk acts sound like slick, good-timey pop music by comparison. Teenage Jesus and the Jerks were The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, lisa, She Wolf of the SS, and Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, transliterated into a blatant mockery of the increasingly tired, basic rock-band format. Posthumously, there have been numerous reissues of the primary Teenage Jesus corpus, namely the first side of the Lydia Lunch double compilation album Hysterie (CD Presents, 1986), a very incomplete anthology titled Everything (Atavistic, 1995) and Shut Up and Bleed (Cherry Red/Atavistic, 2008), which also featured Beirut Slump tracks. These less-than-fastidious documents contained reverb-laden transcriptions of the studio cuts directly from vinyl copies, as well as random live tracks of mediocre fidelity. This particular collection about to be released on Other-People is meticulously edited and mastered from rare bootlegs taped during the initial 1977-1979 period of classic band, and only one title (Crown of Thorns from January 17,1979) has been legitimately released to date, albeit in a completely different sound quality.

It is certainly not a small feat to have an ambient compilation series running for over a decade and keep it fresh and interesting - especially when the core aesthetic idea is as well-defined as POP AMBIENT's. However, this didn't keep last year's instalment (KOMPAKT 315 CD 120) from finding a compelling balance between veteran contributors like JENS-UWE BEYER or LEANDRO FRESCO and new, idiosyncratic voices like MAX WÜRDEN or THORE PFEIFFER. They all return for POP AMBIENT 2016, joining a captivating cast that also includes heavy-weight soundsmiths, experimental composers and ambient confidants like THE ORB, ANTON KUBIKOV of SCSI-9 fame, MIKKEL METAL, GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH or STEPHAN MATHIEU.

Starting off with a surprise guest, POP AMBIENT 2016 presents electroacoustic composer and installation artist STEPHAN MATHIEU, whose highly textured opening drone APRIL IM OKTOBER bears all the hallmarks of a pop ambient classic, stealthily weaving in layers of sound and moving fluidly between territories. The man clearly knows what he's doing - after all, he has worked with luminaries like Taylor Dupree, Ekkehard Ehlers, Janek Schaefer or Sylvain Chauveau (see also Pop Ambient 2009). Meanwhile, THE ORB show off the full extent of their experience in the field and have their own little ambient collage opera going on in ALPINE DAWN - a slight detour from their beat-laden full-length MOONBUILDING 2703 AD (KOMPAKT 330 CD 124), but just on that same level of masterful sonic dexterity.

Moving forward, SCSI-9's ANTON KUBIKOV builds momentum with a sweet melody slowly evolving to the atmospheric backdrop of a light synth rain, while MAX WÜRDEN imagines a dreamy, yet twisted underwater world with lots of space to get lost in. He later returns for a collaboration with THORE PFEIFFER (not on vinyl), the other newcomer hero from Pop Ambient 2015, and the result is a fascinating amalgamation of both producer's distinct sonic sensibilities - the grittier, drone-based approach from Würden and Pfeiffer's penchant for roaming samples and skewed loops. Another dedicated collab comes from SICKER MAN & GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH who team up for string-infused, cinematic epic TURNS.

Longstanding Kompakt ally MIKKEL METAL presents the surging TITAN, followed by LEANDRO FRESCO's magistral rework of DAVE DK's VEIRA from his VAL MAIRA album (KOMPAKT 326 CD 121). A very special bonus adventure can be found in THORE PFEIFFER's "megamix" of WOLFGANG VOIGT's RÜCKVERZAUBERUNG (not on vinyl) - an entire concept series succesfully reimagined as one sweeping cut. JENS-UWE BEYER continues his expeditions into hypnotic, semi-acoustic soundscapes on THE BREMEN, transitioning into the windy mountaintops of LEANDRO FRESCO's mysterious, multi-layered CONFIGURACION DE ATAQUE (not on vinyl). THORE PFEIFFER has the honour to conclude POP AMBIENT 2016 with the appropriately titled IDYLL, a soothing, swirling synth study giving the listener ample opportunity to return to mundane reality at his own pace.

Leisure System presents rising talent Will Ward's Interval One EP, the second in our 2015 GRIDLOCK series of dance floor 12"s and the British producer and DJ's most exuberant record to date. In addition to two prior solo releases, Will Ward is a member of the esteemed electronic trio Circle Traps along with Jack Wyllie and Duncan Bellamy of Portico. He has previously collaborated with the likes of My Panda Shall Fly and gained support from tastemakers such as Rob Da Bank and Gilles Peterson for dazzling productions that blur the lines between pumping house and windswept techno. The Interval One EP is a strong representation of that sleek sound, with tracks that are bursting with emotion and memorable detail. "Digital Design" is an aural kaleidoscope, with a shimmering melody line refracted in squiggly arcs next to murmured female vocals and resonant chords. It's a fittingly varied introduction, drifting between hot and cold poles. "Portion" features Circle Traps member Jack Wyllie, and subtle additions accrue to create waves of unease, while the melody line bounces energetically through a maze of ossified handclaps and buoyant chord stabs. Closing things out, the EP's title track builds from a woozy introduction to an ebullient peak, as if rolling out of bed and stepping immediately onto a throbbing dance floor. It's a cleansing and exhilarating feeling, the type of rare emotional response that Will Ward has proven himself thoroughly capable of creating with Interval One.

House Of Black Lanterns is the latest musical project from Dylan Richards, the man behind the King Cannibal and Zilla monikers (on the Ninja Tine and Warp Records labels respectively). With an album and two singles out in 2013 on the highly respected Houndstooth label, Richards returns with a deadly EP for Hypercolour, backed with a very fine Mosca remix.

In its Original Mix, 'The Smack' is a dense and atmospheric production, the slow pace and chugging bassline evoking shades of early Chicago house but with a thoroughly modern UK twist. Filled with tension and drama, 'The Smack' is a big sounding record that cuts through so many genre sounds from dub techno to dubstep but sounds entirely individual and unique.

Mosca steps up to the remix, following on from the launch of his new label Not So Much, and remixes for Alland Byallo and Sweatshop Boys. Taking 'The Smack' up to an altogether skanking tempo, Mosca plummets the Basic Channel school of sound for the aptly titled 'Dread At The Controls' version. Spring reverb all over the joint as Mosca works the droning synths and fire & brimstone vibes over a watertight, dub heavy workout. 'Grey Leather Glass' takes things up a notch, continuing the HOBL theme of dark & shadowy techno sounds with heaps of drama and sinister twists and turns, like some cinematic score to a Wes Craven slasher epic, and '8 Million Stories' cuts up vocal chops, finger snaps and piano stabs over a brooding house production. Deliciously dark music from HOBL here....

Seit ihrem Start im Jahre 2001 diente die POP AMBIENT Compilationserie als Rahmen für einen unaufhörlich anwachsenden Pool von unterschiedlichsten Künstlern, und dennoch vermochte sie es stets den eigenen ästhetischen Idealen treu zu bleiben. Nicht zuletzt dem Kurator der Serie Wolfgang Voigt ist es zu verdanken daß jede Ausgabe mit einem schlüssigen Spannungsbogen auftrumpfen konnte, erfolgreich neues Talent neben etablierten Namen zum Einsatz bringend. In die gleiche Kerbe schlägt auch POP AMBIENT 2015: die debütierenden Klangwerkler THORE PFEIFFER und MAX WUERDEN werden vorgestellt, während wiederkehrende Pop Ambient-Heroen wie LEANDRO FRESCO, ULF LOHMANN oder JENS-UWE BEYER exklusives Material zum Besten geben.

Stilecht beginnend mit verträumten, klingelnden Synthie-Flächen, entpuppt sich THORE PFEIFFER's WIE ES EUCH GEFÄLLT schnell als sofortiger Pop Ambient-Klassiker, gefolgt von Thore's zweitem Beitrag, einem Gitarren-beseelten Trip in die Zone namens NERO - zusammen bereiten diese immens atmosphärischen Tracks einen idealen Boden für POP AMBIENT 2015, verraten aber auch das verblüffende Talent dieses jungen Produzenten so gar nicht wie ein Neuzugang zu klingen. Als ehemaliger Mitstreiter des ikonischen Projekts Closer Musik hat DIRK LEYERS inzwischen eigene Wege eingeschlagen, fällt aber nach wie vor durch seinen Hang zu stilistischer Vielseitigkeit und wonnigen Melodien auf - schön in den Vordergrund gerückt im paßgenau betitelten DAYDREAMER, einem unwiderstehlich nostalgischen Synthie-Epos zwischen Neonlichtern und Lagerfeuern. Währenddessen vermählt Multiinstrumentalist und Komponist GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH seine avantgardistischen und folkloristischen Interessen im langsamen, auf lässigste Weise monumental erscheinenden ASSPERG - ein nahezu unmöglicher Track, der sich gleichermaßen massiv wie zerbrechlich anfühlt.

repress

The third output for the PRRUKBLK series is a special one. The Planet Rhythm team came up with an all-star line up consisting out of Rotterdam techno-stalwart 'Bas Mooy', LA based Modularz Head Honcho 'Developer', Berlin resident 'P.E.A.R.L.' and newcomer 'Von Grall'. Developer opens up the A side with a repetitive quest called 'Clench Of Fist'that lingers on and contains minimal yet powerful changes. Berlin Based P.E.A.R.L. delivers a somewhat harder effort with 'Ordeal III' Bas mooy opens up the B-side with the utterly rugged 'Thorfytt' newcomer Von Grall closes down the 12'' with the mystic 'Under A stone'

Audio Plants proudly presents the extraordinary 2 x 12inch compilation of best tunes for home listening and sofa dancing, containing warm electronica, deep drum'n'bass, ethereal art-core and hypnotic broken beats with out-of-this-world vocals. It represents the combined forces of artists without boundaries and borders, connecting together Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Belarus and Estonia. Like every Audio Plants release this beautiful crystal clear vinyl was thoroughly mastered by well-known artist and sound-engineering wizard ENEI.

Vincenzo returns to Dessous Recordings with something a little special. 'Merry Go Round' features the stunning vocal talents of Language aka Kaori Kaneko, a haunting, drifting and highly affecting piece of music that sounds like nothing else. Kaori already released two albums on Japanese Crue-L Records as Kaori and three albums with her band Language on Madoromi / Atari Productions and was also featured on the Chi Chi Squads classic 'Treat Me Right'. Built on dreamlike, evolving pads and textures, the vocals are reminiscent of the best work of Tracey Thorn, rising and falling over the 7-minute duration of the original mix. After some minutes a crisp, chugging, mid-tempo beat develops and lifts the track yet further, a moment perhaps best enjoyed at sunrise. The Reprise Mix is a totally beatless mix, emphasising the pads, guitar and piano work. The third track sees Axel Boman on remix duties, who primes it for the dance-floor with a loopy, hypnotic rework that retains the original character but adds a visceral, gritty quality for the dancers.

It's always a treat here at Circus Company to be able to shed the light on a lesser known talent. After all, it's a philosophy we have built the label on, but there's no denying we need to have that personal connection with the artists whose music we release. In the case of San Francisco act Moniker, our own dear Dave Aju has a previous history with Kenneth Scott from the duo, having lent some vocals to his 2009 jam 'What Do I Do' So it is that we come to release this, the first fully fledged vinyl offering from Scott and his studio partner Emilio Orlandi after years spent treating Californian crowds to their live, hardware-driven sound. The machines definitely rule the roost in the world of Moniker, but unlike so much of the current obsession with analogue noise and the lo-fi aesthetic, Scott and Orlandi instead coax heartfelt emotion and hand-crafted grooves from an array of beat boxes and synthesisers without making any self-conscious moves to demonstrate how .undigita' they are. Instead, the music takes priority, coming forth in soothing waves of harmonious chords, captivating leads and understated drums that speak volumes for simplicity and soul within deep house. The live aspect of Moniker's mission undoubtedly shines through, manifesting itself in smart switch-ups and breakdowns, impulsive edits and subtle variations that can only result from an on-the-fly jam. Mainly though, this is an exercise in satisfaction, speaking to the same pleasure neurons that would have been tickled the first time you heard Metro Area. In keeping with the warm tones of the original material, Patrice Scott makes for a thoroughly welcome addition to the fold.

April 2013 sees the release of Norwegian Disco Viking Rune Linbaek's latest long player, on his Drum Island label

Its his first album since the 2000 release (Sondag) on Paper Recordings RePap offshoot

Last year's single 'Wonder' feat Kurt Maloo on the label was a day one sell out here at All Ears and marked a significant maturing of Rune's trademark sound.
The influence of Norway on the world's forward thinking Disco scene & beyond is more than evident, with countrymen like Todd Terje, Prins Thomas and Hans Peter Lindstrom
all leading the charge for years now. The creative cauldron of the infamous 'club in a public toilet' Skansen has much to answer for !

Krasava is a very much vocal led project, with a cast of featured vocalists which includes Norwegian popstar Anneli Drecker alongside recent collaborator Øyvind Blikstad.
The album is steeped in Norwegian folklore, visually and musically and the gentle lilt of the Norse/Balearic sound, sits comfortably alongside more Cosmic flavours, Rock and beautifully crafted pop.

As if our recent releases hadn't already been spreading the sound of Circus Company into new and exciting places, now our very own silver-tongued enchanter JAW emerges with the first details of his own autonomous project. Somewhere in between the electronic drive of his day job in dOP and the folky, organic instrumentation of Les Fils Du Calvaire, JAW shares with us a new venture that has thrust him into the studio with Lebanese musician Kevork Keshishian. After a chance meeting on the streets of Beirut, the pair struck upon a creative buzz and so "Hazihi Laylaty" was born. Translated as "this is my night", the title references one of the most famous pieces sung by the celebrated Egyptian singer Umm Kalthoum in the early part of the twentieth century. The dusty crackles and haunting strings that begin "Hazihi Laylaty" instantly call to mind the mystery and allure of traditional Arabic music, and the track as a whole fuses this spirit with a subtle wielding of modern electronics to create a thoroughly moody piece of pop-noir. Paying full respect to the complexity and consideration of the original version, both The Sorry Entertainers and Soul Clap embark upon unusual approaches for their remixes, managing to enhance the electronic elements in the track through more prominent production without losing the core ambience of Jaw and Keshishian's creation. JAW has been quietly working on a solo project for many years whilst also engaged with the relentless demand of his life in dOP, and now finally the time has come for people to hear the first snapshot of this venture. Bringing together a vast array of people, singers and producers from all corners of music, JAW's voice provides the glue with which a brave and boundary-l

Stefan Goldmann's very first release from 2001, thoroughly remastered. Long out of print, this has been extremely sought after classic vinyl. In their day, these tracks (together with Missing Days / That Ghost) created the prototype of today's stripped down house sound. Especially 'Gee Baby' has recently been rediscovered and became a signature tune of Ibiza's DC10 / Circo Loco with DJs like Raresh and Matthias Tanzmann - which made it swap back to its native Berlin and its legendary eternal afterhours. The A side's 'Closing In' with its broken funk predated a lot of convergence happening now between house and bass music. And last but not least, Stefan Goldmann provides a brand new, ultra-stripped down EDIT of the mesmerizing 'Read That Lips.' Essential all the way. Remastered by D+M's Rashad from the original DAT source and cut to premium vinyl, they are finally available again in unprecedented quality.

The latest jam from Thorsten Scheu aka GLANCE (stir 15) and JIMMIE WILSON ("pretender") follows the vibe of classic, timeless house music, three mixes that span a wide range.

2024 Repress
Following the legendary first two, stoically super minimal records “SOG 1“ and “SOG 2“ that provide ecstasy disguised as boredom on Kompakt Extra/Speicher in 2007, and the outstanding beautifully bizarre “SOG - Abweichung“ on Profan in 2010, we are now listening to “FREMDE HÄNDE“. Like its predecessors, this SOG stands in the tradition of „The Art of Omission“ with Wolfgang Voigt variegating his preference for the bluntly straightforward quaver bass in two different forms. The A-side contains a tonally noncommittal sequence ambling across the keyboard in quantised form, reminiscing of the arpeggiator (accompaniment function) function of early 70ies' and 80ies' synthesizers. On the B-side, daring and thoroughly unquantised quaver rhythms rock around a bass drum that, as the only straight element, tries to keep the whole thing together. The result sounds a little like a delirious Can Live.

Nach den legendären ersten beiden stoisch-superminimalen, als Langeweile getarnten Ekstase-Platten “SOG 1“ und “SOG 2“ auf Kompakt Extra/Speicher in 2007 und der überaus skurril-schönen “SOG - Abweichung“ auf Profan in 2010, hören wir nun “FREMDE HÄNDE“. Auch diese SOG steht natürlich ganz in der Tradition der “Kunst des Weglassens“. Wolfgang Voigt variiert hier seine Vorliebe für den stumpf-geraden Achtelbass auf zwei verschiedene Weisen. Auf der A-Seite haben wir eine tonal unverbindlich über die Tastatur wandernde Sequenz in quantisierter Form, die an die Arpeggiator (Begleitautomatik) Funktion früher 70er und 80er Jahre Syntheziser erinnert. Auf der B-Seite kreist die Achtel-Rhythmik in eher rockigem Sound ganz und gar unquantisiert und rhythmisch gewagt um die Bassdrum, die das Ganze als einzig gerades Element versucht zusammen zu halten. Das klingt ein bisschen wie Can live im Vollrausch.

first copies in transparent vinyl