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Thousand Knives Of Ryuichi Sakamoto's Landmark First Solo Album From 1978 Issued On The Better Days Label And Featuring The Synth Classics "plastic Bamboo," "end Of Asia" & "thousand Knives" Is Reissued Outside Of Japan For The First Time In Decades.

Wewantsounds is proud to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album originally released in 1978 on the soughtafter Better Days label. Sakamoto was a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra at the time but the group hadn't released their first album yet. Featuring Sakamoto on a wide range of synthesizers and keyboards programmed by Hideki Matsutake, and accompanied by a few musicians including Haruomi Hosono and Pecker, "Thousand Knives" was a blueprint for the YMO sound and includes cult classics that were to become live favourites. Save for a small-scale release in 1982, this is the first time the album is being released on vinyl outside of Japan. Remastered from the original tapes by renowned producer and engineer Seigen Ono, the LP edition comes with original artwork including OBI and 4p insert with new introduction by Paul Bowler. 1978 was a key year for Japanese music. Haruomi Hosono, one of the country's most innovative musicians had just formed Yellow Magic Orchestra pursuing the sonic experimentation he had started with his solo album "Paraiso." The album, credited to "Harry Hosono and The Yellow Magic Band," had been recorded between December 77 and January 78 and featured both Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. Hosono quickly invited both musicians to form YMO but before the group could release their first album, Sakamoto entered the Nippon Columbia studios in April 1978 with a plan. Sakamoto had become an in-demand session musician after studying composition at the Tokyo University of Art and had played in many key albums of the time: Taeko Ohnuki's "Sunshower" and Tatsuro Yamashita "Spacy" to name just two famous albums. This led to an invitation by Hosono to feature on "Paraiso". A penchant for avant-garde and improvisation had gotten Sakamoto interested in Electronic Music early on and with “Thousand Knives”, he decided to get Hideki Matsutake on board as he had mastered the art of synth programming following a stint with Electronic Music pioneer Isao Tomita. “Thousand Knives” took several months to record as Sakamoto would be busy during the day with his session work and would only record at night. Named after Belgian-born poet Henri Michaux’s description of a mescaline experience, the album is a reflection on how synthesizer technology might come to change the face of music. The first side conceived as a long suite opens with the title track and a recitation of the Mao Zedong poem "Jinggang Mountain" filtered through a vocoder, before morphing into a mid-tempo synthpop instrumental. It is followed by "Island Of Woods", a ten minute track buzzing with insect-like synth sounds reminiscent of the tropical exotica of "Femme Fatale" on “Paraiso” (also featuring Sakamoto). Side one ends with "Grasshoppers," a beautiful acoustic piano melody underlined by a subtle synthesizer soundscape. Side two opens with "Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied," acknowledging the influence of the German sound spearheaded by Kraftwerk. The track features a mid-tempo metronomic beat skilfully intertwined with a Japanese folk sounding melody. The album ends with two catchy uptempo synthpop tunes in the form of "Plastic Bamboo" and "The End Of Asia," which both became staples of YMO’s and Sakamoto's live shows. Although "Thousand Knives" sold modestly upon release, it was hugely influential in setting the agenda for what was to follow. YMO's sound included various influences from its three members but there is no denying “Thousand Knives” paved the way for the group's Computer Music sound. Thousand Knives remains a fascinating insight into the making of a music revolution.

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"Reactions" is the debut album from First Tone, the musical partnership of New Orleans-based artists Turk Dietrich (Second Woman, Belong) and composer Duane Pitre (Important Records). While the project has been at work quietly sculpting their sound for years, "Reactions" is the first available set of recordings. Those familiar with the respective works of the two artists will be happy to find a collection of music that is very much of the duo, and yet totally unlike anything they've produced before.

Over six tracks, First Tone unfurl poignant, flickering compositional works that utilize pitch material that is tuned using the system known as Just Intonation (which Pitre has studied for nearly 15 years) in conjunction with various software and a single hardware synth. The result is a collection of music that is both organic and alien. Layers of tone and texture build and dissolve from the ultra minimal to the enormous, on occasion seamlessly blending the two. A wide array of striking timbres patiently wash over one another, at times sounding like organic instruments, at other times sounding completely otherworldly.

"Reactions" is a masterclass not only in sound design and dynamic range, but also in sonic depth. The album's approach to the usage of time and dynamics work together to create the perception of a three-dimensional spaciousness of sound. The holographic effects produced from the spaces between the album's sounds are mesmerizing, with discreet arrangements that demand repeat listens to fully absorb.

Melodize is a brand new label that kicks off with a mighty EP from Beartrax that includes a remix from US house legend John Tejada. Beartrax has already rebased on Motek Music, Lost Diaries and Deeper Love and makes a real impression here.

The US house legend and Kompakt regular that is John Tejada opens the EP with the moody and synth laden Clarity remix. It is a roller that takes you deep and has lush chords stretching to the heavens. Clarity in original form is a tender, piano laden tune with a vulnerable vibe and deep, resonating bass. Last up is Haunted Chalice, a track with a rasping lead synth that mesmerises as the warm drums roll on below.

This is a classy EP to kick off this exciting new label

feedback so far:
- Animal Trainer - "Haunted Chalice sounds awesome!"
- Huxley - "Like the remix."
- Nick Warren - "A fine mix from John and Haunted has great charm."
- Jamie Jones- "Sounds cool, will give proper feedback if played."
- Joyce Muniz- "John Tejada remix is sweet!“

Time for the host to show up: HomeMadeZucchero co-founder Giesse gets in the game with a one track EP plus Demdike Stare's rmx able to fully scan one composition from two absolutely different perspectives. Main track Goji is a deep and overwhelming embrace among decadent IDM sounds, grooves oscillating between jungle and drum'n'bass, and rarefied atmospheres based on vague hip-hop reminiscences turned into echoing and saturnine shards.

The remix brought by Demdike Stare, strips the original piece to its bare bone by subtracting elements and shaping everything in three different blocks, working like independent acts that climax in a stunning drums maelstrom and resolves into a dramatic ending tending to a relentless sonic collapse.

Adapted Vinyl was a UK based techno label active in the late 90’s that picked up regular DJ support from taste makers of the time ranging from Jeff Mills to Mr C.

This, the label’s 7th record disappeared before a public release when the Integrale Muzique distribution company went out of business in 2008, but now gets its first official release date after years of very limited availability

Label founder Suade is the artist behind this release and these days he is best known as a highly-sought-after mastering engineer working for artists like Dense & Pika, Paranoid London, Jamie Jones and Vitalic.

Focusing his energies into family life and the fine tuning of other peoples music it’s rare to see Suade’s own music on a new release, but this hasn’t stopped him from collaborating on original tracks with the likes of Magda and Radioactive Man in recent years.

The EP has four contrasting tracks all with different moods and tempos all blended with Techno’s classic motoric drive.

With it’s absence from the usual music marketplaces creating something of a mystery this record ended up receiving a new, unofficial name on Discogs - The Citadel EP which is a title taken from the broken-beat second track on the B side of the record.

The Citadel is just one of the highlights on this eclectic EP, as it’s a Latronic Notron sequencer workout that patiently deploys layered synths in ever-shifting cross-rhythms for a languid 5 minutes before its deep, underpinning bass arrives evoking desert travel and arrival.

Baikal, named after the huge freshwater lake in Russia, is another stretched out meditation on tone and harmony acting as a foil to the delicate and vibrant Latin American percussion that filters in and out through a massive stereo Moog Modular system creating an energetic yet static, ritualistic atmosphere.

Trajan - the most driving track on the EP, gives a nod to the Probe era Richie Hawtin sound with a touch of Drexciyan melodics with shuffled percussion and bleeps over a snaking TB303 shaped bassline where the classic Acid box is given the role of control sequencer only commanding the thick, dirty oscillators of the big Moog.

A1 track Felix is a contrast yet again. A big room melodic Techno piece with another massive bassline and an almost orchestral level of layering, building to nine counter-melodies in total before letting rip with a classic TB303 acid line that builds from the heart of the track.

15 YEARS OF SEX TAGS MANIA! Established in Bergen 2004 and ran by DJ Sotofett & DJ Fett Burger the first 4-5 years as one of Norways only labels consistently releasing House & Techno on vinyl. Since about 2008/09 it's been operated by DJ Sotofett.

Skatebård's "Conga" has turned to be one of the most sought after releases from the Sex Tags Mania catalog with it's sparse pressing of about 2-300 copies – though most of the original stock was given away as the record gained minimal interest in 2005. The original record was cut with excellence by Lawrie Immersion – and pressed in his own plant – the now defunct Curved Pressings. MANIA 30 – the repress of "Conga" has as close to original sound as possible and it also carries a new B-side – the Crystal Bois live version of "Conga" from 2007, featuring Skatebård on male vox!

Mythology for the posthuman age. From "The New Kind" to "Posthuman Wonderland", Simon Grab's album "Posthuman Species" is a sonic journey through an astonishing land of fragile feedbacks, pulsating drones and opulent outbursts of noise.

Recorded on a no-input-mixing setup consisting of low frequency oscillators, filters, analogue effects and a mixer patched with itself, the album sneaks up on dub and leftfield electronica from the side. Over time, the self-oscillating setup falls in and out of tune with itself, emphasising its transient nature. The album is a work of science fiction, telling the story of a time when "The New Kind" shapes its own wonderland.

Swiss sound artist and musician Simon Grab explores new grounds by negating assumed borders. In his recent work, he focuses on reduction, and the peculiarity of self-referential systems.
The album "Posthuman Species" follows his recent EP "Extinction" on -OUS. His "Diamonds EP" in collaboration with Togolese rapper Yao Bobby and Asian Dub Foundation's Dhangsha releases on Bristol's LavaLava Records in September 2019. Simon Grab's recent works includes "Hirnmusik 1 & 2", in which he dives deep into musical imagery by transferring his sonic ideas directly from his brain to vinyl.

The vinyl LP comes with a printed inner sleeve designed by Hammer and a download card that includes the digital only tracks "Transformation" and "Posthuman Wonderland".

Editions Mego is proud to present the latest addition to the compelling discography of Thomas Brinkmann. Throughout his career Brinkmann has focussed on the human operating amongst industry alongside rhythms that manifest as a result of technological advancement. With this new release Brinkmann makes a u-turn, looking back to the early industrial age. Comprised of recordings of various looms, Raupenbahn investigates the sonic properties and consequences of the first automatic loom as constructed by Jacques de Vaucanson in 1745. Thomas Brinkmann once again adheres to his tendency for clarity and simplicity whilst further investigating not only the sound and rhythms of the machines (looms) but also what role they serve in society and what consequences they have on the environment. Raupenbahn presents 21 tracks in total, 11 feature on the vinyl, the remaining 10 as digital bonus tracks. The majority of recordings were undertaken by Brinkmann in 2017 with a Neumann KM 184 stereo set. Additional recordings were sourced with permission from Monika W. recs. from 2014 Central Museum of Textiles Łódź, Poland. Each piece presents a diversity of material which borders on the breathtaking and beautiful in richness and complexity. The various looms unravel rhythms and patterns unexpected from machines of the early industrial age.

The loom holds a significant role in shaping our world being the catalyst for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine which, alongside the subsequent work of Byron's daughter Ada Lovelace, paved the way for modern computing. There is a linage of the loom that fits succinctly in Brinkmann's overall argument. Here we encounter a parallel between machine driven economies and the music that rose from such places, consider the Sheffield steel industries, the Manchester weaving industry or the Rhineland / Düsseldorf loom and machine industry. Is it a coincidence that the practice of such machines in the environment gave rise to today's predilection for electronic dance music, in pop, soundtracks, etc.

Raupenbahn features no treatment or processing and explicitly displays varying tempo and timbres which ascertain a wide range of acoustic structures. The artwork features Ingrid Wiener, Rosemarie Trockel and Alexandra Bircken, three different generations who would with ideas of fabric weaving, loming and the like. This exceptional release works on a number of levels alongside it's striking sonic palette.


i 9 Günne (Irmscher) BO Möhnesee / D

Here is part two of Etienne Jaumet’s dubs from his latest new album, '8 regard obliques'.

Following on from part one with DJ Sotofett and I:Cube, DJ Athome (from the Belgian 'Front de Cadeaux') turns the jazz classic, 'Caravan' into a slow 90's breakbeat oddball whilst Jaumet himself revisits his own 'Ma révélation mystique' in a more Reggae fashion.

Time for another new face on Quintessentials: Goshawk! Been around with differnt projects for ages, this East Midlands lad has always been one of the finest exponents of eccentric deep house. Releasing tons of quality music on labels like Hudd Traxx, Boogie Café, DiY Discs or his co-owned Pressed for Time and Atjazz forthcoming, we simply couldn’t resist signing Goshawk. The „stricly bungalow ep“ offers classic house music and 110 slowdown tunes and is full of fun and vibes, rough yet smooth! „Never let me go“ is an uplifting, sexy vocal track, „why I sing“ is one of two slowdown tunes with a nice dosage of funk, „all I have to give“ is a rather dark club banger and „time is just a loop“ is a minimalistic slowish chugger. Yes, strictly bungalow!

There are certain records you have to earn the right to play. After buying the right kind of warehouse, you have to build the energy in the room for what feels like an eternity until the precise moment the vape circle starts gettin’ out of control and Dionysus the Greek God of Greek Promoters tears through the very fabric of reality and screams “t??a!” right in your goddamned face. All of which brings us to Color Code, the latest EP from new Turbo sensation Dean Grenier.

Every single one of these four tracks is killer, a term industry demands have forced us use lightly in the past, but not this time, mister. This is sexually-viable sci-fi techno that rewrites your genetic code to give future generations a better chance at exhibiting club-friendly phenotypes like dance antlers or even more powerful sweat glands. At the snap of a glowstick, any of these selections will take your next set from “good” to “very good” on a scale of “good” to “shitty” to “very good.” That is our promise to you, no matter who you are or how much we care what you think.

This is some serious top shelf material out of Baltimore and a certified masterclass in sweet symphonic soul. Optimistics was originally released in 1970 on Turbo and it’s every bit as essential as The Chi-Lites, The Delfonics and The Moments yet nowhere near as known. Those original copies are ridiculously rare and, of course, the prices are equally ridiculous.

Optimistics is a killer LP throughout, beloved of discerning hip-hop producers worldwide and routinely championed by the legendary Pete Rock. The genius George Kerr has handled the production on what is an album of beautiful, naïve soul for mind and body. It’s bursting with goodness and, like the best of its genre, it radiates a heart-breaking ambience that cuts right to the core.

The band of Billy, Harold, James, Charles and Jerome are described on the back cover as “five young, black knights who have embarked on a musical crusade and they're gonna slay a lot of dragons along the way”. We’re not entirely sure how many mythical serpents were dispatched during the making of this album but we can certainly attest to the sense of evangelical drive.

Evergreen opener “You Put Something New In My Life” is a heart-stopping ode to a transformative love. A ballad with spine-tingling chord changes and melodic switch-ups to spare, its sweeping strings and precise drums complement the falsetto delivery perfectly.

It’s followed by the equally beguiling “Let’s Love”. Another string-drenched harmony ballad, it revolves around delicate piano and distinctive guitar lines, crying out to be recontextualised by the best sampling technicians. Closing out the A side, the wonderfully restrained “Love Is God Almighty” is harp and horn-driven, barely-there soul from a higher plain. Heavenly.

Ushering in the flipside, “Should I Let Myself Go”, sampled recently by Knxwledge, is sensational guitar-soul with a yearning that could bring the most hardened soul to tears. It’s followed by the uptempo, Temptations-funk of “Man” and quietly-great “If I Could Influence Man”, where the competing vocals ride a chugging, funky breakbeat and delicious guitar licks. The refreshing, groovy “Say It Baby” is an appropriately positive, upward looking closer. Its sentiment and feel speaks directly to both the band name and the title of this, their only album. Truly optimistic.

The whole LP is a winning blend of slow, spine-tingling ballads and joyously upbeat tracks. It’s a case of A+ vocals, melodies and harmonies over beautiful playing and arrangements. It deserves to be canonical.

This fresh reissue has been mastered with the usual care by Simon Francis and cut by the legendary Pete Norman. The artwork has been lovingly reproduced by the Be With team.

Optimistics should be known to a much wider audience. We’ve hopefully gone some way towards rectifying that.

It’s been a busy eight months since Dampé’s debut on Dirt Crew Recordings. That time has seen the producer hold down monthly slots on Rinse FM, contribute a downtempo electronica/jazz edit to the S3A ‘Pages Remixes” EP as well as open big rooms for the likes of Surgeon and Blawan.

The intervening months have also seen the producer set up camp in the Rhythm Section studio in South East London, and the result of new access to studio gear can be heard all across ‘Garden’. Compared to the debut ‘Peach Shuffle’ this is a far more machine-led and darker listening experience. Snatches of acoustic instruments and space remain, but it’s never long before the disembodied vocals and oversaturated classic drum kits return reminding you this is music best enjoyed in the club.

‘A Basement, 10 Years Ago’ started just there. A bass line dimly recalled from a long-lost 6am jam is sequenced on a weighty analogue keyboard, while syrupy R&B vocals dance around mbira and gangsa, all slowly building and building together. ‘727 and Arp Breaks’ is a love letter to two of the producer’s favourite instruments from the studio. A TR-727 and an Arp Odyssey collide across dubbed out stabs to form some very rolling breaks.
Sunday Night Machines’ sees Dampé tame the box-of-physics that is the Arp Odyssey again with a sprawling meditation on two repeating arpeggios.

‘Garden’ is the one for the dancers. Four variations play with the same melodic theme in distinct sections, with the second variation being the deepest and most floor-ready the whole record gets. ‘France’ is a warped dub-come-hip hop beat that manages to conjure both Lil Jon and Yusef Lateef. We approached Liverpool’s finest ASOK (Lobster Theremin, M>O>S Delsin) for remix duties and to close out the record with a twisted bang. He turned in a propelling weapon that brings a whole new texture to the track listing. It’s very 90’s, very ravey and very raw, in a true IDM style.

With this eclectic mix of sounds we are entering another chapter of the Dirt Crew story and we hope you dig it as much as we do!

One of the greatest enigmas of the music scene in mid to late 1970s Harare was The New Tutenkhamen, a band which played an eclectic brand of Zimbabwean township music combining
traditional rhythms and western influences. The band included some luminaries of Zimbabwean township music. Elisha Josamu was an alumnus of the fabulously-named Hallelujah Chicken Run Band (alongside Thomas Mapfumo), and Green Jangano’s long-running Harare Mambos, and would later form Two Plus Two with bassist Christopher “Chex” Tavengwa. Jethro Shasha played the drums, and would arguably become the New Tutenkhamen’s most famous export, making continental waves working with likes of Salif Keita. Paul Sekerani played the rhythm guitar, with Amos Chatyoka on the organ, while the enigmatic Maggie Mbuli provided vocals and F. Manda played the sax. The New Tutenkhamen recorded I Wish You Were Mine at Teal Records, produced by Crispen Matema, a talented jazz drummer in his own right who had played drums on the all-time classic Skokiaan, and had backed Louis Armstrong on his 1960 Rhodesia visit. Combining the
heavyweight producing talents of Matema and the writing chops of Josamu, The New Tutenkhamen band created an album howcasing various musical styles popular at the time. From the afro-jazz jam session aesthetics of “Tutenkhamen Theme”, “Big Brother alcom” and “Forever Together”, to the almost Van Morrison-sounding “Sunday Morning”; from the upbeat rock ballad “True Love”, to the funk-infused dance song “Togetherness”; from the bouncy jazz
exhortations to work hard in “Ane Nungo”, to the brassy, raunchy foot-stomper “Me & Dolly”. The title track “I Wish You Were Mine” is a ska-infused ballad that wouldn’t be out of place in post-war
Birmingham, while the star of the show is “Joburg Bound”, itself a fast-paced rock piece with Motown undertones and funky guitar lines. As a collective effort, I Wish You Were Mine provides a fascinating insight into a fraught time in Zimbabwe’s history, and the bands plying their trade through the turmoil, making music for young people, by young people.

Having returned from a 4-year break in August with its latest release from GW & Henry, A&R Edits follows up with a debut for Moplen.
With a recent remix of Frankie Knuckles ft. Jamie Principle and a Salsoul Reworks EP, Luca Moplen has been gaining new traction of late, so it felt fitting to release two of his evergreen edits on vinyl for the first time. Moplen’s edit of Tavares’ classic disco stomper ‘It Only Takes A Minute’ coupled with Greg Wilson’s edit of Moplen’s edit of Larry Levan’s mix of David Joseph’s ‘You Can’t Hide (Your Love From Me)’, if you can follow all that!

An all brother group hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, Tavares were a band that evolved with the disco sound, hitting their peak in 1976 when both ‘Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel’ and ‘Don’t Take Away The Music’ became huge club favourites. They scored their first R&B #1 in ‘1974 with a cover of Hall & Oates ‘She’s Gone’ and in 1975 they returned to the top of the R&B chart whilst going top 10 pop and scoring a #2 Disco hit with ‘It Only Takes A Minute’.

In 1992 a cover by boy band Take That would gift them their first top 10 entry, many people unaware that this track had first been recorded 17 years earlier. Rising to prominence in Brit-funk band Hi-Tension, David Joseph soon found his footing as a solo artist after they’d split, with his first release being ‘You Can’t Hide (Your Love From Me)’ in February 1983.

That same month, Greg Wilson appeared on The Tube, mixing between two copies of this very record – the first time mixing had been demonstrated on British TV. It would subsequently enter the UK chart, climbing into the top 20. The track would then be remixed by legendary Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan, resulting in a #2 placing on the Billboard Dance chart.

Upon hearing Moplen’s extended dub edit, Greg worked further into it reintroducing the song – given his history with the track it was unthinkable that he’d play it without the vocal. The result is a unique version where Moplen’s dub sets the vibe during the first half of the edit before the song is finally introduced.

This is already EP number three of these two techno heavy weights from Zagreb and Germany, Petar Dundov and Marc Romboy.

After „Caper Tran“ and „Dimension D“ it´s time again for real techno music:

„Upiter“ shows us how musically the Croatian-German friendship team is able to create dark and deep tech tunes. The warm and catchy arpeggio combined with a shuffling 808 groove takes us to a journey of spacy and trippy speres.

„Ex machina“ is forward thinking techno music however with the spirit as it was made in the 90s when the machines were the masters of the music and ruled the structure of the song. The track surprises with unexpected turning points and moving sound synthesis.

2022 Repress

In future times, culture historians will refer to Gabor Schablitzki aka Robag Wruhme as a creator of a singular techno sound, a rock in the murky sea of arbitrary musical dullness that befell mankind in the early 21st century.

Furthermore, a lesser known quality of Schablitzki will be praised and explored: He was a relentless wordsmith, a deeply passionate inventor of elegant idioms that enriched German language. Take ‘Freggelswuff’ or ‘Wemmel’ as shining examples.

It’s within this context that a certain cultural artefact released on a Cologne based record label called KOMPAKT (which towards the end of the 21st century made a hardly publicised turn to manufacturing CO2-neutral wall plug systems) that went by the sonorous title ‘Topinambur’ has to be mentioned. Legend has it that Schablitzki claimed to have created the word ‘Topinambur’, unknowingly that local farmers have been marketing a root tuber under the same name since it got imported from America in 1610 AD. The following tenacious copyright lawsuit between Schablitzki and a large agricultural consortium lasted for many years. It isn’t considered as a highpoint in Schablitzki’s turbulent life but it still serves a staircase wit that is passed on from generation to generation amongst Black Forest moonshiners.

Kulturhistoriker künftiger Generationen werden Gabor Schablitzki alias Robag Wruhme als Schöpfer eines singulären Techno-Sounds preisen, als einen Fels in der Brandung der im frühen 21. Jahrhundert vorherrschenden Beliebigkeit. Als DJ und Produzent war ein Meister des deepen Abrisses, werden sie weiterhin formulieren, obschon es weitere 136 Jahre dauern wird, bis die subkulturelle Bedeutung des Wortes 'Abriss' zweifelsfrei geklärt werden konnte.

Es wird aber auch eine weitere einzigartige Qualität Gabor Schablitzkis hervorgehoben werden: Er war ein unermüdlicher Wortschöpfer, der die deutsche Sprache um elegante Idiome wie Freggelswuff oder Wemmel bereicherte. In diesem Zusammenhang findet meist eine Veröffentlichung des Kölner Labels KOMPAKT (welches im ausklingenden 21. Jahrhundert einen wenig bemerkenswerten Wandel zum Hersteller von CO2-neutralen Dämmstoffdübeln vollzog) Erwähnung. Diese Veröffentlichung erschien unter dem klangvollen Namen "Topinambur" und die Legende besagt, dass Schablitzki behauptete auch hier der Nachwelt eine neue Wortschöpfung hinterlassen zu haben, nicht wissend, dass europäische Landwirte bereits seit 1610 A.D. unter diesem Namen ein aus Amerika importiertes Knollengewächs vermarkteten. Der sich daran anschliessende Copyright-Streit zwischen Schablitzki und einem mächtigen Agrarkonzern, zählte nicht zu den rühmlichen Episoden seines bewegten Lebens, sorgt aber seit Generationen als Treppenwitz unter Schwarzwälder Schnapsbrennern für viel Geschmunzel.

A Winged Victory For The Sullen veröffentlichen auf Ninja Tune ihr neues Album, das musikalisch zwischen Neo-Klassik, Ambient und Electronic angesiedelt ist!

A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Spezialisten auf ihrem Gebiet der zeitgenössischen und elektronisch inspirierten Ambient-Musik, kehren auf dem neuen Album, „The Undivided Five“, mit einem mutigen Schritt zurück. Das Duo, bestehend aus Dustin O'Halloran und Adam Wiltzie, hat ikonische Filmmusik und zukunftsweisende Ambient-Projekte geschaffen und eine Reihe von Platten für Erased Tapes und Kranky veröffentlicht. Auf „The Undivided Five“ beleben sie ihre einzigartige Partnerschaft für nur ihr zweites Stück Originalmusik außerhalb von Film-, Fernseh- und Bühnen-aufträgen und kreieren ein Album, das Ritual, höhere Kräfte und ungekannte kreative Energien kanalisiert. Mit ihrer fünften Veröffentlichung (nach ihrem Debütalbum, zwei Film-Scores und einer EP) visieren sie konkret die Rolle der Nummer fünf an, inspiriert von der Künstlerin Hilma af Klint und der steten Wiederholung des perfekten fünften Akkords.

Auf diesem Album kreieren sie mutige neue Arbeiten, die auf ihren Fundamenten in Ambient und neoklassischer Musik aufbauen. Seit ihrem selbstbetitelten Debüt im Jahr 2011 ist das Duo Teil einer viel gelobten Szene mit Kollegen wie Max Richter, Nils Frahm, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Tim Hecker und Fennesz.

LTD Edition!

A Winged Victory For The Sullen veröffentlichen auf Ninja Tune ihr neues Album, das musikalisch zwischen Neo-Klassik, Ambient und Electronic angesiedelt ist!

A Winged Victory For The Sullen, Spezialisten auf ihrem Gebiet der zeitgenössischen und elektronisch inspirierten Ambient-Musik, kehren auf dem neuen Album, „The Undivided Five“, mit einem mutigen Schritt zurück. Das Duo, bestehend aus Dustin O'Halloran und Adam Wiltzie, hat ikonische Filmmusik und zukunftsweisende Ambient-Projekte geschaffen und eine Reihe von Platten für Erased Tapes und Kranky veröffentlicht. Auf „The Undivided Five“ beleben sie ihre einzigartige Partnerschaft für nur ihr zweites Stück Originalmusik außerhalb von Film-, Fernseh- und Bühnen-aufträgen und kreieren ein Album, das Ritual, höhere Kräfte und ungekannte kreative Energien kanalisiert. Mit ihrer fünften Veröffentlichung (nach ihrem Debütalbum, zwei Film-Scores und einer EP) visieren sie konkret die Rolle der Nummer fünf an, inspiriert von der Künstlerin Hilma af Klint und der steten Wiederholung des perfekten fünften Akkords.

Auf diesem Album kreieren sie mutige neue Arbeiten, die auf ihren Fundamenten in Ambient und neoklassischer Musik aufbauen. Seit ihrem selbstbetitelten Debüt im Jahr 2011 ist das Duo Teil einer viel gelobten Szene mit Kollegen wie Max Richter, Nils Frahm, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Tim Hecker und Fennesz.

After several apparitions of the modern electronic scene, Warzou strikes again, here on the Lyon based Mystery Booms Records for a détour dub called "J'irai dormir chez Mouss"! Tripping to a digi-dub exercice with two silent and ritual songs, from aerian flutes to pop arrangements composed with cheap instruments, including an MPC 2000, keyboard Casio VZ-1, Digital Delay and Mother Reverb. Tribute to the old way with this futil contemporary feeling! Expected red eyes' soundboys tunes to play them loud on your system!

Red eyes sound boys from Lyon strike again with this second record from Warzou. After several apparitions on the modern electronic scene, the local producer plays a digi-dub exercice for a detour dub called "J'irai dormir chez Mouss ». Tripping on two quiet and ritual songs, composed with MPC 2000, keyboard Casio VZ-1, digital delay and spring reverb, as the tradition! To play loud on your system!

The avant-garde composer and conductor Pierre Boulez was a titan of post-War experimental classical music. Born in the small cheesemaking town of Montrbrison in central France in 1925, Boulez studied at the Paris Conservatoire with the composer and organist Charles Messiaen and received private tuition from pianist Andrée Vaurabourg; after moving to the Marais district in 1945, he briefly studied with Schoenberg disciple, René Leibowitz, and further influence came from immersion in Balinese gamelan, Japanese classical music and African drumming, among other sources. Earning money by playing an early electronic keyboard called the ondes Martenot on theatre productions, Boulez soon became music director of the Renaud-Barrault theatre company (led by actor/direction Jean-Louis Barrault and his actor wife, Madeleine Renaud), leading to tours of Belgium, Switzerland, Britain and both North and South America. American composer John Cage became an ally, though they subsequently clashed over Cage’s commitment to the role of chance in his compositions, paving the way for an intense and lasting friendship with the German composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen, who arrived in Paris in 1952 to study with Messiaen. In July of that year, the pair attended the International Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt, leading to contact with Italian composer Luciano Berio and other noteworthy figures. Then, in 1954, with backing from Barrault and Renaud, Boulez began staging a series of concerts of experimental music at the Petit Marigny theatre, titled Le Domaine musical. The pieces collected on this album are all taken from performances staged for the 1957 Domaine musical season, beginning with Berio’s “Serenata I,” conducted by Boulez, which debuted in Paris in March of that year; arranged for flute and fourteen instruments, Berio said that the idea behind the piece was for the solo flute to be confronted by continuously interchanging elements, rather than mere accompaniments or oppositions. Boulez’s own “Sonatine,” composed in 1946 for flute and piano, is a 12-tone piece that evidences Messiaen’s influence, with shades of Asian classical music in places; then, Stockhausen’s monumental “Zeitmasze” or “Time Measures,” a serial composition for five woodwinds, played in different combinations of tempos and speed, was partly inspired by Webern’s principles of homogenous and harmonic textures. Finally, Messiaen’s 1949 work “Cantéyodjayâ,” delivered by pianist Yvonne Loriod, takes it shape from the classical Hindu rhythms of ancient India, as with much of the composer’s oeuvre.

The larynx or voice box is a small organ located towards the top of the neck in humans and some other animals. Constructed largely of cartilage, it houses the vocal folds that allow for the manipulation of pitch and volume, which are essential for the phonation of spoken speech. It is also involved in bringing air to the lungs when we breathe and it protects the windpipe when we swallow. However, those unfortunate to experience the potentially fatal malignant tumours of laryngeal cancer will have their larynx removed, resulting in a traumatic loss of speech; thankfully, as this rare record issued by Smithsonian Folkways in 1964 demonstrates, removal of the larynx does not necessarily spell the end of speech for such blighted individuals. Instead, through developments in artificial voice creation, patients could learn to employ modes of vocal communication again. The album was recorded by physician Harm A. Drost at the Phonetic Laboratory of the Ear, Nose and Throat Dept of the University Hospital, Leiden, in the Netherlands, working under the direction of Professor H. A. E. van Dishoeck. As the advances were fairly new and surprisingly varied, Drost felt a phonograph album demonstrating the techniques would be useful for those in the field. The album thus features a narrator explaining aspects of several different techniques, followed by examples of patients employing them. Buccal speech (limited to certain consonants), parabuccal speech (collecting air in a space between the upper jaw and the cheek), glosso-pharyngeal speech (a method deemed obsolete where air is forced between the tongue and the palate), esophageal voice (made by reconditioning one’s esophagus via swallowing, suction or injection), various injection techniques and devices such as the larynxophone, pipa di tichioni and “western electric” are all explored here, along with other aspects of the larynx and its absence. Speech After The Removal Of The Larynx is definitely one of the strangest albums ever given a commercial release!

Reissue (originally released 1980 on SKY records)Music for the apocalyptic eighties Deutschland state of mind. When Serge Blenner left his native France for Hamburg, West Germany, neither he nor anyone else could have guessed that he would inadvertently compose a soundtrack for the Cold War. But his dark, monotone synthesizer album La Vogue (1980) turned out to be just that.

The Vibe Drops (Emcee G Roc Gayle & Moar) presents Higher Frequency vinyl LP. The album features guest vocals from Rita J and Finsta (Finsta Bundy). Also live instrumentation from Remi Schnell on guitar and Jean Louis Potin on the Flute. The Vibe Drops explore with various sound vibrations, live instrumentation, turntablism, records, sampling and advance lyrical content: rhymes, word-play and poetry, blended to perfection with the beats. The Vibe Drops drops first musical offering Higher Frequency
will have the listener fulfilled, hoping the message comes across and resonates to move, elevate, in order to cope and defeat the everyday stressors of life. Higher Frequency delivers boom bap, jazz hop and soulful Hip-Hop stimulation for the mind, body and soul.

4trk-028 the Oscillate EP is a collaborative effort from Francesco De Luca and Jason Patrick. The title track of the release, Oscillate springs into action with it’s tough modulating bassline and keeps the energy pumping throughout with spacey synths, heavily effected drums, crisp hi-hats, and more. The second track of the release, Oblivion, gets on with an otherworldly synth line that works away in tandem with another poly synth. Processed 909 percussions bits are laced throughout the track. Trumbull & Fort is an electro tune that pays homage to the genre’s roots with it’s title being the names of the cross streets in Detroit where the Metroplex post office is located. Deep atmospheric synth pads, bleeps and bloops, a polyrhymic synth, 808 drums snap

2 track vinyl compilation featuring the roots of modern dance music, on 180g heavyweight double LP. P&P was producer and Harlem hustler Peter Brown’s production company. He created some of the greatest moments in underground African American dance music, across a handful of labels in the 70s and 80s.

Due to his independent ethos his releases on imprints such as Heavenly Star, Sound Of New York, La Shawn, P&P and others would often disappear after a single low numbered pressing making them incredible hard to find on original pressing.

Tracks such as Mary Clarke’s ‘Take Me I’m Yours’, and the Fosters Jackson Group’s ‘Feel The Spirit’ have been championed by DJs such as Floating Points and Dimitri from Paris. Whilst the sheer rarity of some singles such as Clyde Alexander and Sanction’s ‘Got To Get Your Love’ and Louise Murray’s ‘Let’s Just Stay Away’ would set you back multiple hundreds of pounds to buy on original copies.

With a third album, ‘Return To Telepathic Heights’, released this year on Gerd Janson’s Running Back label, techno outlaw A Sagittariun returns to themes of a space western nature with a closing epilogue, ‘A Fistful of Bitcoins’.
An extended player that traverses Tucumcari, Vietnam’s Black River, and the ultimate, and final leg, of the journey; to Devils Tower in Wyoming.


Vital Sales Points:
- full picture sleeve, designed by Jonny O (Rocket Recordings/Goat)
- global PR and marketing campaign from Hype Filter
- last A Sagittairun album for Gerd Janson’s Running Back label received excellent reviews in Mixmag, DJ Mag, The Wire & more…


Selected DJ feedback:
Robag Whrume – Good one!
Shanti Celeste – love this!
Nick Höppner – Sounding great
Brendon Moeller – Dope AF!
Johanna Knutsson – Beautiful stuff
Ed Davenport – Some heavy stuff here, Road To Devils Tower is a special cut!
Bruce (Livity Sound) – Real digging the slow bits, proper gear!
John Osborn – The Sacred Chao is heaven!
Interstellar Funk – Really like ‘A Fistful Of Bitcoins’
Neil Barnes (Leftfield) – very nice and imaginative EP
Fabrice Lig – Really nice EP, love it
DJ Octopus – Great one!
Vincent Neumann – Ooh, so nice!
Ell Weston (Banoffe Pies) – Superb selection
Cormac – Black River is super nice
Cooper Saver – wow, love these
Bill Brewster – lot’s of nice gear on here, good work
96 Back (CPU) – wonderfully bleepy and dubby
Tensnake – lovely release
Kirsti (Null & Void) – So consistent, another great release from A Sagittariun

For this ninth EP and special "10 Years De:tuned" emission we dig deep into Atypic's, better known as Andy and Ed from Plaid, archives for a couple of rare and previously unreleased tracks written in 1992. On offer two mighty lost classics gradually building into a fallout of immense, beautiful proportions produced by one of the most interesting electronic duos of the 90's and modern times.

Kevin Foakes (Openmind, DJ Food, Ninja Tune) created all the graphic work. Mastered by Matt Colton at Alchemy Mastering. This 12" is pressed on 180 gr vinyl and 1 track per side to transfer the rough DAT sound at best condition. A separate digital version will be available from the usual digital shops. Stay tuned!

It’s the unexpected that fascinates us, letting our curiosity grow stronger than the urge for safety and control. The magic of new encounters and unplanned turnarounds helps us switch
off the autopilot of everyday life and grants us an unbiased, curious glimpse at ourselves and the world around us. In these brief moments we accept the chaos surrounding us, allow
ourselves to embrace it and see the beauty of it.
This delightful chaos is the vibrant fabric woven into “Pleasant Clutter”, the debut album of Vienna-based DJ and producer B.Visible. With an endless love for detail, he masterfully
condenses familiar and strange sounds into a fascinating collection of moments, each one in itself as beautiful as volatile – again and again you find yourself wanting to hold on to something
you’ve only just grown fond of, yearning to stay just a little longer. Leaving space for the unexpected, the album bit by bit reveals the beauty that lies in the harmony of the whole.
Using playful little melodies and decontextualized fragments of sounds, B.Visible conjures up a wide range of moods and emotions: he tells mesmerizing instrumental stories full of
unexpected twists and turns, evoking lively images within the mind. In constant flux between weightlessness and dead-aim beats, structures are being broken up and put back together on
the fly – always changing, always evolving.
Change as a constant and the symbiosis of contrasting elements are omnipresent on “Pleasant Clutter”, and beyond that. Running through the entire work of B.Visible, these stylistic devices have shaped the musician’s creative output over the years, and this distinctive sound has long become his trademark. Colorful Illustrations by Viennese artist Daniel Triendl complement the
music and add a visual dimension to the album, making the project’s intentions visually accessible.

Idealist, Patrick Zigon, El Choop and Van Bonn took their hands on Insect O.’s full length album ‘Atacama’. Zurich based Idealist turns the epic ‘New Dawn’ track into a raw techno mover with acidic chords and an air cutting hihat. For his remix of ‘Resonance’ Biotop label head Patrick Zigon spices up the melodies with some disharmonic sounds and embeds it on top of a shuffling groove foundation. El Choop got on remix duties for ‘Atacama’ and hit the ground running. Using multiband saturation and a granular software to create a pad, he’s turned it into an entirely new exploding techno track. Van Bonn rounds up the remix edition. Using some trippy fx, he lays the chords and field recordings on top of a very deep dub beat in his mystic remix for ‘Forest Of The Monkeys’.

Sunny & Deck Hussy have quickly become firm favourites with almost everyone who hears them, because they have been making tune after tune, and each one of them has been stronger than the last. This EP continues their amazing run of big tunes, with Hayley's Comet being the standout on a standout EP. Absolutely brilliant in all respects, this EP is a winner and a half. And its only a taste of things to come, with an impressive remix for Hyper On Experience about to land, amongst other huge projects. So get on the Sunny & Deck Hussy train / comet before its too late...

Neurot Recordings are proud to reissue the landmark collaboration Neurosis & Jarboe, which was originally released in 2003. This latest version is fully remastered and with entirely new artwork from Aaron Turner.

Very limited silver metallic and black swirl 2LP - Non-Returnable

Steve Von Till explains the idea behind the remastering; "Bob Weston (Chicago Mastering Service, and member of Shellac) worked closely with Noah on making these new versions sound as good as the possibly can. Noah has the most trained critical ear for fidelity out of all of us being an engineer himself. We recorded this ourselves with consumer level Pro Tools back then, in order to be able to experiment at home in getting different sounds and writing spontaneously.  The technology has come a long way since then and we thought we could run it through better digital to analog conversion and trusted Bob Weston to be able to bring out the best in it....This new mastered version is a bit more open, with a better stereo image, and better final eq treatment."

He continues about the original artwork..."Aaron felt he could create something that would unify the energy of both Jarboe and Neurosis in an elegant manner.  We let him do his thing and I think it definitely adds to mystery of the album and sets it apart from the rest of our catalog."

When two independent and distinct spheres overlap, the resulting ellipse tends to emphasise the most striking and powerful characteristics of each body. Such is the case with this particular collaboration between heavy music pioneers Neurosis and the multi-faceted performer Jarboe (who performed in Swans and who has collaborated with an array of people from Blixa Bargeld, J.G. Thirlwell, Attila Csihar, Bill Laswell, Merzbow, Justin K. Broadrick, Helen Money, Father Murphy, the list goes on...) The musicians pull from one another some of the most harrowing and unusual sounds ever heard from either artist at the time - a sentiment which also rings true to some 15 years later.

Neurosis & Jarboe opens with a high-pitched whirring sound winding up as Jason Roeder's ominous tom-drum beat and Noah Landis' slinking synth line writhe in unison until Jarboe drops in, drawling in her characteristic, corrupted Southern belle voice, "I tell ya, if God wants to take me, He will." From there on in, the album is a series of abrupt shifts and cleverly juxtaposed themes that flows in a rhythm of its own. The sinister and ethereal sounds, vocal coos and electro-pulses of "His Last Words" seem like the perfect soundtrack to a David Lynch film. On "Erase," song parts are dissected and grafted one atop the other, continually building tension as Jarboe wails and yelps with Banshee fervor.

The project began with the artists working in seclusion, recording the elements that would best highlight their own characteristic integrity and personality, rather than either attempting to mimic one another's familiar elements. As recorded ideas were passed back and forth, the collaboration proved to bring out the most unhinged and urgent talents of all those involved.

Throughout the album, that signature "Neurosis note" - the sound of something simultaneously recoiling and erupting, the apocalyptic tone announcing the birth of a new world - reaches its apex and becomes evermore icy and eviscerating. Guitarists Steve Von Till and Scott Kelly trim their tones for cleaner, chorus-drenched effects layered between the thunderous distortion blasts of bassist Dave Edwardson. Likewise, Jarboe's operatic wail and other vocal contortions sound perfectly suited to the eruptive emotional fray of the music.

The collaboration is a deeply textured mosaic that is a culmination of merged aesthetics from two major influences on free-thinking sounds. It unlocked the hidden potential of electronic music as a new force in heavy rock. At a time when groups like Oneida, Wolf Eyes and Black Dice were beginning to experiment with technology in making mind-numbing leaden electro-drone freed from any essence of "dance music," Neurosis & Jarboe redefined all notions of their past - and outlined the course of heavy music to come. It's interesting to look back through the lens of this release, and think about these ideas and concepts in the present.

Neurosis & Jarboe remains the meeting point of all art that takes us beyond ourselves.

Influential Spanish artist Coyu is stepping out on his own Suara label with a long overdue debut album entitled ‘You Don’t Know’ that is going to shatter all conceptions about him. Due for release this September 23rd, the 16 track affair showcases his broad range and takes in collaborators like Moby, Lazarusman, The Horrorist, Thomas Gandey and many more.

Coyu quickly rose through the ranks to become one of the most prominent names in underground dance music. The Spanish man famous for his love of cats has established his Suara label as a go-to outlet for the most essential house and tech tracks, as well as releasing his own expressive grooves on Cocoon Recordings, Diynamic, Bedrock Records, Turbo Recordings and MORE. Now he really stretches his legs across a fantastic full length album that goes way beyond the dance floor and shows many new sides to his sound. The artist has been working on it since 2012 and aims to show people that whatever they think about him is wrong.

Says the artist himself, “the album is named ‘You Don't Know’ because many people have a preconceived idea of who I am. Until now, maybe I wasn't smart enough to show them my roots, what I love and what I can offer to the music. I'm not just a DJ or a producer who can play or make grooves – I love many different genres and many different kinds of music. With this album I want to change that preconception.”

The album kicks off with a dramatic spoken word from legendary vocalist Lazarusman before exploring low slung and sleazy grooves on ‘The Three Chimney’, floaty light melodic and dreamy house on ‘Out of The Pain’ and more club focussed but just as dreamy fair on ‘We All Try’ with Mike Leary.

Proving he can do everything from poolside gems to peak time techno, ‘Fear Is Gunna Be A Player In Your Life’ is one to get you in a trance with its sonar like synths and rolling deep space drums. Thomas Gandey aka Cagedbaby then steps up to guest on ‘1+1’ which is a hands in the air piano anthem to pump the party, and ‘Wanna Do Right, Wanna Do Wrong’ is a techno cut with brilliantly energetic drum programming and a big, perfectly placed vocal sample.

Switching up the vibe is ‘I May Be Dead, But One Day The World Will Be Beautiful Again’ with none other than dance legend Moby. It is a heavenly track with break beats, angelic melodies and a celestial feel that leaves you refreshed. The second half touches on raved-up drum & bass, gurgling minimal techno and harder techno with mind melting acid synths. The Horrorist contributes to the banging ‘My First Pill’, while the techno journey continues with ‘Unite’ featuring Gabriella Vergilov before the album finishes on the fluttering ambient track ‘Insania’, with mad church bells and manic percussion all bringing things to a close in style.

This is a broad, adventurous album that covers plenty of music ground and takes you on a true electronic trip from one of dance music’s most accomplished names.

Captivity is the next highly anticipated extended EP by Kush Arora aka Only Now, following a triptych of self-released output in 2019. Continuing the project’s ever evolving engagement with themes of time and existence, Captivity encompasses versatile synthesis, mutant kuduro, widescreen sound design, turbulent cold fronts of power ambient and melodic undertones of black metal.

The product of a two-year period in which Arora was contending with transitional shifts in his personal life, Captivity is a culmination of what the project has explored both in a prolific run of recent material and as a whole, across several years of time dilating, mind altering music.
 
Although shaped by adversity and corresponding sentiments of angst and insignificance, Captivity is pitched at total transcendence. Adopting a meticulous approach to production, a methodology which opens up almost every element to transformation and deconstruction, Arora generates forms which possess a sense of pointillist precision, as well as a keen psychedelic potency.
 
Despite consistency with his earlier output as Only Now, Captivity is nevertheless an indication of Arora’s ability to challenge internal and external assumptions. The introduction of new hardware – namely, the Nord Drum 3P synthesizer – as well as the incorporation of far-flung atmospherics – closing track ‘Clock Lust’ features field recordings from a trip to Kyoto – delivers fresh enterprise and experimentation, contributing to the expansion of a sound signature which remains as unpredictable and compelling as ever.
 
With the eponymous opener, Arora combines fathomless underworlds and riotous breakbeats. On ‘Mutants’ a hyper-kinetic onslaught of percussion, low-end and stray cut-ups of noise break out, building to a panorama of thunderous industrial firmaments. ‘Perpetual Slaughter’ maintains momentum with icy, ricocheting FX and concussive, tribal drums, and then unexpectedly shifts into a poignant outro which brings to the fore the enduring influence of black metal on the project. ‘Bound 2’ is cut with relentless sub-bass and rapid syncopation, resembling an abstracted form of juke music, something that could feasibly have been masterminded by Autechre. With the LP’s finale, ‘Clock Lust’, Arora presents a finale of transfixing 3D ritualism, the lone toll of a bell ringing out into a mesmeric emptiness.
 
Together these form a complete statement from Arora, illustrating the fertile and open-ended territories the Only Now project has arrived at after promising outings on Infinite Machine and Discrepant imprint Sucata Tapes. With Captivity Arora delivers a substantial highpoint and a profound voyage into the world of Only Now.

Utopia Music are back for another release and it features the artists who have helped create its identity. Dropping in October, Mikal and Mako are here to take you into the darker months.

Their next release sees label head Mako join Mikal for a punchy a-side titled ‘Under the Earth’ and joins two masters of their craft for a track which is pervasive. Stabs of sub and clattering breaks draw you in whilst the second drop pad heralds back to old Bad Company.

On the flip, Mikal presents ‘Switch It’, with a howling ambient backdrop and ticking patches of percussion. Mikal goes for the dark and moody sounds and in doing so, highlights why he’s come under the guise of Goldie and Andy C. He has already proven his heavyweight formula through a variety of labels, including the esteemed Metalheadz imprint, showing a penchant for the darker styles of drum & bass and he boasts an enviable production standard.

Bristol based Utopia Music have recently relaunched the label and in doing so, have already reaffirmed why they grew to become such tastemakers. With the double-sided single from Break, M-Zine’s hard-lined ‘Equate EP’ and Hydro’s expansive ‘Lateral Thinking’ LP, they’ve delivered a host of releases to wet the appetites of drum & bass listeners who were waiting for Utopia’s return.

Goldie – “These guys are at the top of their game”
Break – “One of the best labels in dnb, very happy to be involved”
Ulterior Motive - “Big tunes”
Spectrasoul - “The quality is always super high”

Maybe it’s too much to ask for a moment of your attention. As we grow older and keep
diving into this era of information, disinformation, fake news and all that, we also tend to
take a step back and listen to the intents of those social media adverts that tell us to slow
down, breathe in, breathe out, enjoy everything around you a little bit. So, if it’s not too
much to ask, you can press play and start enjoying “D-A-D”. If you’re doing that, you can
even stop reading this, because you don’t need further instructions.

It’s the second time in less than two years that we release music from London based
Greek musician Tasos Stamou (Athens, 1978). The wordplay of “Musique Con Crète”
(CREP54, 2018) was a backdoor to an adventurous and ‘concrete’ experience with
sound. “D-A-D” follows up on that. Recorded between 2015-2018 as an homage to both
his Dad and the more commonly used tuning on the Greek Bouzouki, D-A-D, Stamou
delivers 40 minutes of music that explores ancient and modern languages, while crossing
his unique instrumentation with celebrations of new/old folk, field recordings and
electronics. In his music, there’s a constant flow of ideas that defy standard tonalities and
the conception of “traditional”.

Improvisation was the starting point for the creation of some of the nine pieces Tasos
Stamou wrote for “D-A-D”. The electronics often serve to interact with field recordings that
are wisely manipulated, while acoustic instruments, like a Bouzouki, build up the
connection with the tradition and the necessity to slow down.

With his unique atmospheres, Tasos is whispering some life hacks to build a better life.
Nowadays, it’s quite rare for a record to organize the way the listener wants to listen to
music, to sounds. “D-A-D” creates a beautiful systematization between old and new,
folk/traditional music and the technology in sound. There’s – still - some boldness in that.

All songs by Tasos Stamou
Mastered and Cut by Rashad Becker

Italy meets Miami via Holland - A truly international and classic feel all over this latest essential release from high Fashion music!
Disco powerhouse Moplen takes on this true-blue Disco classic from the legendary TK crates and turns in 2 brilliant and fresh reworkings of T-Connection's anthemic 'Do What You Wanna Do'. The A-side 'extended vocal mix' is a killer new version of this now cult record, as always Moplen's deft touch is felt in the tidy rearrangements and respectful tweaks, don't get it twisted though, this is prime-time dancefloor dynamite, it twists and turns in all the right places and still sounds huge. This new version and mix breathes some new life into this cut, a surefire inclusion in any DJ's bag for the next 30 years for sure. Don't forget, on the B-side, there's the mammoth 'Rollercoaster Dub', again Moplen steps up the heat on this version, it's exactly what you think it is, just under 9 minutes of dubbed-out T-Connection chaos, making this 12" a 'do not miss' release.

The only cover tune on Carlton Jumel Smith's "1634 Lexington Ave." album is not really a cover at all, since it was first cut by Carlton himself already 10 years ago. The sultry 2009 edition of "I'd Better", that was put out on the short-lived UK Soulchoonz label, is a nice piece of programmed mid-tempo modern soul. The new version, now getting a 7" single treatment on Timmion, still sounds miles away from the polished earlier effort.

It starts off with a nice guitar led beat before settling into a sweet Tighten Up groove, a funky road which still has plenty curves to explore, even for Cold Diamond & Mink, who are certainly not lifting water from this particular well for the first time. What remains naturally is Carlton's ultra-soulful vocal performance, and a message of manning up to the max, staying true to your word in front of something divine.

It's not that often you hear a more recent version of a song sounding so that you would think it's the old version. Essentially, what you get is a beautiful piece of xover soul, with timeless swagger, and an instrumental with soulful legs of its own.

After almost a year Traxx Underground comes back with a dope EP that remembers the sound from where it all began, garage and deep. All this by Keepin' Soul