Buscar:under the influence

Mario Pierro aka Raiders of the Lost ARP (ROTLA) returns to Edizioni Mondo. “Trasmissioni” is his debut LP under this moniker, using fictitious TV show themes as an excuse to create his musically most eclectic record so far. Departing slightly from the Balearic and prog rock influences of the previous “Laguna” EP, in “Trasmissioni” ROTLA covers many territories: opening with the science-celebrating arpeggios of “Progressi della Scienza” (Italian for “advances in science”), to the funky, off-beat grooves of “Telemusic”, then taking a step into a disco during “Nightlife”, before programming his rocket towards eerie nordic drum machines and Hammond organs in “Esterno Neve” and “Effetto Notte”, and many planets more. A welcome edition to the ever expanding Edition Mondo universe and a record you can’t grow tired of. Eco-Friendly green artwork that shows how tiny we all are. Good listening!



The name MONDO has its roots in “MONDO MOVIES", an italian movie genre born in the 60’s. Mondo movies are characterized by documentary-like content that addresses several topics from around the world ("mondo"). The Mondo label has the goal to produce music that is descriptive of concepts, images and environments. Mondo is inspired by library music, a genre frequently used as theme or background music in radio, film and television in that very same period. Production music libraries typically offer a broad range of musical styles and genres describing everything ranging from deserts to war and sports. Library music composers and session performers had no constraint at all. They typically work anonymously, have rarely become known outside their professional circle and they have produced what probably is the most creative music catalogue ever. The Mondo productions start with four releases dedicated to seascapes; scenarios range from sea fauna to poaching, from natural parks to sea dunes.

Exciting new electronic project E&D burst onto the scene in stunning style with the exhilarating ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Runaway’, released on FCR on 14th June and backed by remixes from acclaimed electronic producers Mall Grab and Ali Berger.

London based E&D have unleashed two scintillating vocal cuts which have UK clubbing culture at their very core, featuring classic Garage influences. The theme of heartbreak runs throughout both ‘Not Enough’ and ‘Runaway’ with an emphasis on harmony and melody which will be integral to the identity of the E&D project.

The deep and atmospheric ‘Not Enough’ presents a beautiful yet powerful female vocal whose tone and expression perfectly emphasises the message of lost love. E&D perfect balance this with contrasting shimmering and stabbing beats to produce a track that already has the hallmarks of a classic.

‘Runaway’ is an up-tempo, vintage-sounding UK Garage themed cut with poignant undertones, as the gorgeous female vocal again mourns a relationship which has moved on.

For the remixes, E&D have called upon two of electronic music’s most respected producers – Mall Grab and Ali Berger. Both offer a completely fresh perspective to the originals. With his remix of ‘Not Enough’ celebrated Australian Producer Mall Grab takes the original into deeper, tougher territory, stripping back and lowering the vocal and adding intense, almost tribal, percussion alongside vintage acid house beats.

FCR favourite Ali Berger also takes his working of ‘Runaway’ deep into the underground, emphasising the bass, cleverly layering the vocal and building to a peak-time floor-filler.

Onward and upwards - the Belgian dubstep imprint Overdue maintains its super-heated release schedule with full force. With a meticulously curated artist roster and continued support by the likes of Mixmag and other vital institutions, this release yet again perfectly aligns with their vision of subculture sound system music. Spearheaded by a positively prolific artist, their fourth record features Teffa on the controls. Following up on some massive 12" releases on crucial labels such as White Peach Records and Foundation Audio, the up and coming artist furthers his status as a versatile and highly capable producer with three tracks of unadulterated sound system pressure - including a weighty collaboration with Chad Dubz.

Arming the record, "Shell It" heads straight into the matter at hand, precision engineered weaponry clocking in at 140 BPM. Drums like mountains, effortlessly heaving immense amounts of low-end, smoothly embedded on silky pad swells. Fusing old-school elements with the present like few others, the lively arrangement does the rest to keep the crowd aflame without end. Music with an attitude - rewinds assured.

Fasten your seatbelts as the record kicks into overdrive once again with "Sludge" as faint police sirens and reverberate into oblivion only for it to implode into an instant dubstep classic. Driven by its ridiculously effective and minimal instrumentation, the underground unravels itself in sonic form. Spacious pressure wave emissions, especially primed for the dance.

Stepping up to the title track, "Illegal" tops off the 12" most beautifully - packed with Grime and Breaks influences and mesmeric melodies. As unshackled 808's pound away alongside a murderous set of percussions, the electronic soundscape treads through hypnotic harmonies and dance-inducing groove - Teffa signature style at it's finest.

Soundway Records presents the eponymous debut LP from in-demand Amsterdam five piece The Mauskovic Dance Band – fusing no-wave dance punk, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and space disco in a “controlled explosion” (The Quietus).

Entirely self-produced, the band has reiterated their favourite elements of the 70s and 80s legacy of the Afro-Latin psychedelic music of Colombia and Peru, interpreting it through the context of modern day Amsterdam. The output is a lo-fi No Wave groove all its own - rooted in a deep love of champeta, Palenque, psychedelic cumbia, chichi, classic afrobeat and picó soundsystem culture.

Since the release of their “Down In The Basement” EP on Soundway Records in early 2018, the band have found themselves on a hectic European touring schedule – not to mention being involved in other side projects. Following stints with Turkish psychedelic folk rock group Altin Gün, and touring with the re-formed 70s Zamrock outfit W.I.T.C.H., Nic Mauskovic also teamed up with Dutch neo-psychedelic artist Jacco Gardner to form the “cinematic Balearic disco” duo of Bruxas (released by Dutch institution Dekmantel) – and together, they mixed The Mauskovic Dance Band debut album in Lisbon.

Lead single Space Drum Machine encapsulates the band’s prototypical brand of busy rhythmic patterns interwoven with insistent synth stabs and vibrant disco toms, layered with an elastic guitar riff drawing inspiration from Kenyan kikuyu and benga styles. High-pitched vocals describe being on a flight together and inciting each other to press a button of unknown consequence with “push it, push it” - and push it they do, at breakneck pace. And of course, the undeniable influence of Amsterdam’s hotbed of underground dance producers shines through as it does on all tracks - with the vintage psychedelic swirl of synthesiser, lo-fi drum machines and tape recording.

After introducing the world to the elusive named Gitkin last year with the release of his debut album "5 Star Motel", Wonderwheel Recordings is back with another special 7" of two deeply funky, lo-fi globally influenced cuts from the travellin' man himself. "Saint Claude Dash" with it's 70's disco influenced drum machine undertone brings in Middle Eastern & North African vibes on the melody, while shifting into an even funkier B section reminiscent of the Meters. On the flip side, "Chicha Nola" finds Gitkin vibing on the mysteriousness of late night New Orleans (where his studio is now located) playing the South American instrument Charango & juxtaposing the NOLA bump with a just enough twang. Just a taste of the brand new album to come this year…or when the spirits will it.

Remastered 6 song mini LP​ originally produced in the
mid-80s *very in-demand with funk record collectors and
DJs worldwide. Featuring ​6 upbeat synth-driven, boogie
funk dance tracks​ *first officially licensed vinyl reissue*
Colours of the Rainbow contains the best 6 tracks from two rare South African LPs by recording artist Bibi
the Kid Msomi: 4 tracks from the ​1985 album Searching​, and 2 tracks from the ​1986 LP What Kind of Love
is This?
South African funk music from the 80s​ has recently gained recognition as ​some of the best funk
productions in the world​; yet so many titles remain virtually unknown outside of South Africa, especially
due to the scarcity of the original pressings (due in part to the destruction of any music perceived as
subversive by South African government censors at the time).
The level of musicianship on these recordings is simply world-class. Even ​Paul Simon​ ​was trying to work
with Bibi Msomi​ while recording his Graceland album in South Africa (read more about it in this ​exclusive
interview​).
Combining American and South African funk influences, these 6 upbeat dance tracks feature ​popular
synths and drum machines of the day​. The subversive lyrics and infectious grooves on these recordings
address the political turmoil during the peak Apartheid years in a way that was just subtle enough to slip
under the radar of stringent government music censors. ​Deep messages of freedom and universal
brotherhood are backed by​ some of South Africa's greatest musical talent​, including:
Mac Mathunjwa (​Street Kids, Neville Nash​), Sello Mphatsoane (​Bayete​), ​The Hot Soul Singers​, Cisco the
Champ Mokoena, Blackie Sibisi (​Step Ahead, Brenda & The Big Dudes​), Alistair Coakley (​Hotline, Stimela​),
Ladysmith Black Mambazo​, Jantshi Mayo (​Sipho Mabuse​), Peter Mokoena (​Pure Magic​), Solly Ledwaba
(​Juluka​), Joey Mabe (​Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens​), Deborah Fraser (​Brenda Fassie​), Zamo
Mbutho, Banzi Kubheka (​Banjo, CJB​), Cyril Mnculwane (​CJB​), and ​Stimela​ ​vocalists​: Marilyn Nokwe, Tu
Nokwe, Hlengiwe Maphumulo, Beaulah Hashe.
Meticulously ​re-mastered with love for maximum impact on the dancefloor​; we hope you enjoy the
songs contained on this spiritual boogie masterpiece.

Italian producer and musician DJ Rocca (AKA Luca Roccatagliati) is back on Nang. Rocca has been around the dance music block a few times; having collaborated with the likes of Howie B, Zed Bias, Daniele Baldelli and Jazzanova. He has also remixed a whole host of artists such as Oliver Koletzki, Luke Solomon, Blaze and even Flock of Seagulls.

Now our friend gets his own spotlight to shine with his debut solo artist album, Isole.

'Isole' consists of eight eclectic songs; the steady, deep beats of 'Alcatraz','Taquile' and 'Hong Kong' juxtapose the euphoric 'Tokyo', a warm sunset of a track. 'Nassau', written with fellow Rome-based Rodion showcases sensual and percussive waves of synth, whereas 'Favignana', written with Kool Water (aptly named after an Island off the southern coast of Italy) takes you deep underwater through its distorted build-up. 'Stone Town', written with Dimitri from Paris who is influenced by 1970s funk and disco, encompasses the marimba in keeping with the beachy feel of the record. Finally, the jazzy track 'London' written with Jukka Reverberi could have been inspired by DJ Rocca's work with the critically acclaimed jazz musician Franco D'Andrea, with whom DJ Rocca created the 'Electric Tree Project' which fuses jazz and electronics.

DJ Rocca has been touring his energetic sets globally over the last few years in clubs in Berlin, Paris, London, Oslo, Bruxelles, Vienna, Zurich, Bern, Helsinki, Brazil, Turkey and Croatia. Stay tuned for more solo and collaborative venture on Nang too.

The 6th release is a split EP between Elad Magdasi, a front left raver in his core, and Sinfol - the talented producer from the label Anagram for his debut on Front Left. They each showcase an original tune, with a remix of their own to each other's tunes.

Elad Magdasi - Silent Thrust: focusing on the groove, a pushing forward bassline, this tune will make you get up and dance! That's the goal.
Sinfol - Drum Spirit: a ritualistic journey with lots of detail on the percussion, an acidic lead and a hypnotic vocal sample, joined together to a massive bomb.
Elad Magdasi - Silent Thrust (Sinfol Remix): full of soul and funk, this Detroit influenced remix is an amazing interpretation of the original, with beautiful uplifting stabs and sneaky pads.
Sinfol - Drum Spirit (Elad Magdasi Remix): a driving & energetic beat, with an underwater vibe, together with fun stabs and a heavy kick.

“Ta Da” is the debut full length from J. McFarlane Reality Guest, the collective name for the trio headed by the eponymous McFarlane. As a member of the group Twerps, McFarlane has traversed guitar-centric, melodic pop music for some years while honing a highly unique, personal musical language. Ta Da is the first recorded unveiling of McFarlane’s affecting, oblique songwriting panache. Originally released in her native Australia on Hobbies Galore, Ta Da will be released worldwide by Night School in June 2019.

Wheezing into view with a troubled reed instrument set against a s of whoozy synth lines, Human Tissue Act is a foggy curtain the listener is invited to peel back. The dissonant notes are left to dance entwined, with clarinet heralding a Harry Partch-esque mallet percussion interlude. It’s a mood. With no resolution in sight, an audience dragged closer into uncertainty is suddenly drenched with the light of inter-weaving wah wah synth and saxophone. I Am A Toy introduces us to McFarlane’s vocal, an effortless and matter-of-fact, accented statement that quietly takes the reins. While McFarlane’s previous work in Twerps might reference 80s UK and antipodean guitar pop, Ta Da showcases a different influences immersed in psychedelic music and synths. It’s a brilliant, deft concoction swimming in Young Marble Giants-type minimalism washed with bare pop and harmony similar to Kevin Ayers making sense of a Melbourne suburb full of faces half-recognised in the blanching sun.

What Has He Bought begins with a Casio-keyboard rhythm pattern, palm-muted guitars and immaculately enunciated vocal give way to a burnt melodica part that elevates the spirits. Simple patterns repeated, like a well-tempered pop song that does what it needs to do and no more, build into the sound of summer leaking orange juice. They’re moments of joy, layered on top of each other like a melting cake. Do You Like What I’m Sayin’ recalls Marine Girls covering a classic ‘66 Garage nugget, organ lines fighting funk with guitar chords played just behind the percussion. “In a talking world, meanings are the same. Words want to hold on to the people they contain. Do you like what I’m sayin’?” We’re in a Beckett play perhaps, obtuse absurdities rendered pretty. Alien Ceremony is a heart-melter, given a melancholic timbre by bowed double bass it’s a tragi-comic piece that almost reeks of Robert Wyatt at his mid-whimsical twisting a fugue completely out of shape. Beneath the layers of harmony and twinkling instrumentation you sense there’s a genuine sadness somewhere even if it remains veiled.

Through out Ta Da, McFarlane plays with counterpoint and contrast to sometimes delirious effect. On Your Torturer, a simple, upbeat chord progression is hard panned, underpinning a flute solo which seems out of place, hence making it completely in place on this warmly surreal album. My Enemy is a slowly swinging eulogy to a failed relationship punctuated by analogue synth burbles, with our protagonist simply asking, in the aftermath, “can we be nice?” Here McFarlane’s vocal is straight forward, lyrically conversational but still not completely in focus, a surreal kitchen sink drama filtered through a dream where everything is in the wrong place. It’s a fine precursor to Heartburn, which similarly borrows BBC Radiophonic Workshop-style noise synths and the use of space to carve up the simple “You Will Make My Heart Burn” line. At this point, the listener has been in such close proximity to McFarlane’s show, the reality guest in a performance where they’re the sole audience member, that when Where Are You My Love rises on the horizon as a sleepy, psychedelic send off it’s uplifting. The vocal drifts away into the sunset, simple and direct. It leaves the listener slightly confused, perhaps, but grateful for the gentle surprise.

"I love it. SO beautiful"
Josh Rosenthal [Tompkins Square]

Songs For A One-String Guitar is the debut instrumental acoustic guitar LP from Jonny Dillon. Better known for his analogue electronic music productions and all-hardware live sets under the ‘Automatic Tasty’ moniker [Lunar Disko, CPU, Wrong Island], Jonny’s records (bearing heavy acid and electro influences), along with live appearances at venues like Berlin’s Panorama Bar and Kiev’s Closer belie the fact that he has been quietly exploring the musical landscape of the guitar for nearly twenty years.

Recorded as a series of sketches over the last 10 years, Songs For A One-String Guitar represents a snapshot taken over a long exposure; one individual’s private response to a variety of currents and inspirations both musical and emotional. While informed in large measure by the world of Irish traditional music and song (of Sweeney’s Men, Planxty and Seán Garvey) along with that of primitivism and the American Spiritual (of John Fahey, Hank Williams and Mississippi John Hurt) these songs are equally a personal attempt to give expression to an inner landscape, from the experience of sorrow and loss to the promise of redemption and renewal.

The LP opens with ‘Turning Invisible In An Imaginary Rose Garden One-Evening’ a contemplative piece played in free-time; “I’ve been playing this piece for years, and it’s gone by so many different names in that time. It’s a sort of shoe-staring daydream, to my mind at least. I want people to disappear when they hear it, and think it suits the LP to open up slowly and reflectively”. While a contemplative strain underpins some of these songs, others are informed more directly by the experience of grief; “I wrote ‘A Requiem For Joe Dillon’ at the death of my uncle. He used play lots of wonderful songs of his own at family gatherings when I was a child, and while a very gifted and sensitive soul, was also troubled by his own demons. The last time I saw him alive was at my family home with my father; I was going out to see some friends and Joe called me back, gave me a hug and made the sign of the cross with his thumb on my forehead, to bless me. It still chokes me up when I think about it. A song of his ‘Light A Penny Candle’ I included to finish the piece in his honour.” A sense of longing and hope is present in other pieces; “Songs like ‘Again But With Feeling This Time’ and ‘Start Again (Carry On)’ come from a sort of hopeful yearning feeling which is always within me; a melancholic sort of joy in search of redemption. For me, music has the strange capacity to express contrary positions simultaneously; to console, redeem and offer transcendence while also expressing suffering and pain. I don’t know what any of this means, but feel as though I’m trying to find my way home by writing the same song over and over again.”

Songs For A One-String Guitar may seem to represent a departure for those who know Dillon for his electronic productions alone, though the reality is that these songs merely represent a new opening onto an old landscape; they are an invitation to more fully share in one individual’s yearning to find meaning through creative expression. “These songs are very personal to me, so there’s a certain nervousness in my seeing them released. I hope that they prove of some use, and that they do some small good to those who hear them.”

British blues-rock quartet Zior had their roots in the bourgeoning R&B scene that arose during the

late 1960s in the southeast coastal city of Southend; they built a strong reputation in live

performance, opting for ‘happenings’ in the style of Hawkwind and Pink Floyd that went beyond

mere musical events. By the time they recorded their self-titled debut album, issued on Larry Page’s

short-lived Nepentha label in 1971, they were clearly influenced by the emergent hard rock/

heavy metal scene of the West Midlands, drawing from Black Sabbath’s discordant riffs and occult

influences, along with shrill vocal attacks in Led Zeppelin mode; there were shades of Steppenwolf

and the odd Doors-sounding keyboard riff as well (and the Black Sabbath link was heightened

by an album design from Keith McMillan, who was responsible for Black Sabbath’s debut cover

too). The resultant Zior is a varied ride through different kinds of rock terrain, from blues rock to

hard rock and on to whimsical psychedelia and prog-rock, making it hard to classify. Though this

debut LP should have heralded a bright beginning, misfortune seemed to dog the band from the

start; other recordings were released under the name Monument, the band members listed under

aliases, and a second album, Every Inch A Man, was issued in Germany after Zior’s breakup in

1973, without the band’s knowledge or permission.

Led by Saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the u.k. music scene, touring constantly in the promotion of their debut LP "Dilla" and follow up 45 "New Day feat. Illa J", steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase. Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with Jay-Z and the 40 piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material.

The band itself is based on the classic jazz big band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets, and trombones and features the cream of the north of England's jazz scene who collectively have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & the Roots, Roots Manuva and Amy Winehouse.

"Madvillain Vol. 2" follows on from the 2018 release "Madvillain vol. 1" and further explores the jazz, TV soundtrack and film score aspect of the original work, combining it with classic big band writing and a focus on improvisation. As with vol 1. there is a strong influence of Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin and David Shire(Composer of the soundtrack to The Taking of Pelham 123) on the album, and the arranger Rob Mitchell crafts his own sound that inhabits the space between Madlib's production and Quincy Jones' writing.

As a bonus track to the album, Abstract reworks Dabrye's 'Air' and have included the original vocal of MF DOOM. Dabrye's original is heavily soaked in synths and drum machines, with an almost sci-fi, Blade Runner or Tron-esque sound . Mitchell explores this further and is influenced by Bob Brookmeyer's late work 'Electricity', which explores synths and jazz orchestration.

Madvillain Vol. 2 will build on the success of vol. 1 which received enormous support from Gilles Peterson & Huey Morgan on BBC6 Music as well as numerous airplay on Worlwide FM and Jazz FM, and reviews from soulbag in France and ukvibe, qwest.tv, and vinyl district online.

'Buntús Rince' translates from Irish as 'basic rhythms', and this new compilation explores how Irish musicians were influenced by strands of different genres of music from around the world, merging them to create their own unique sounds. The compilation features some of the most innovative and talented figures in the history of Irish music and includes rare Irish jazz, fusion and folk outliers from the 1970s and early 1980s from musicians relatively unknown outside of Ireland.

Often regarded as a musical backwater, the 1970s finally saw Ireland begin to make its mark on international music. The nature of this feat is all the more commendable, considering how isolated and conservative the country still was in the middle of the last century. The emergence of acts like Skid Row, Thin Lizzy and Van Morrison instilled in budding young Irish musicians the belief to dream big.

Unlike many other European countries, Ireland had not benefited from the cultural impact of immigration. Pioneering Irish musicians did not have access to the type of vibrant music scenes ubiquitous to most European cities at that time. With no talented players or even in some cases recordings of the music, they had to cultivate and invent their own small scenes.

A jazz scene had begun to blossom in Dublin in the late 1950s. Self-taught players like Noel Kelehan and Louis Stewart emerged as the Irish standard-bearers. Their level of musicianship saw them play with some of the world's most renowned artists. The 1960s would see the emergence of the 'beat' scene in Ireland, with groups like Granny's Intentions, Taste and Eire Apparent finally challenging the hegemony of Irish Showbands. Change was in the air.
The late 1960s also saw many Irish emigrants returning home, bringing with them inspiration from the new styles and sounds of London and further afield. The arrival in the late 1960s of pirate radio stations like Radio Caroline, new music magazines and the availability of music on vinyl meant that different genres were now becoming more accessible. The musical landscape of the country began to transform and evolve, influencing a new generation of musicians in the process.
The 1970s saw advancements in studio technology. 8-track studios began appearing in Dublin, offering more opportunities for groups to record singles and albums. Synthesizers and other instruments were also becoming easier to acquire as the younger generation turned to electric jazz and fusion music.
While the level of musicianship was high, the levels of opportunities in Ireland were still very limited. Many groups and solo musicians had to emigrate to try and succeed.
Thankfully for those who remained, this new emerging scene didn't go totally unnoticed and local labels began to take a chance on more obscure Irish groups. Labels like Mulligan and also producers like John D'Ardis and Terri Hooley championed and documented music from the Irish underground of the 1970s.

Their valuable work is a common thread which connects many of the tracks on this compilation. From the soaring flute playing of Brian Dunning, to the swinging piano of Noel Kelehan and the sonic force of Jolyon Jackson's synthesizers; 'Buntús Rince' lifts the lid on a vastly underappreciated period of Irish music history.
One for the collectors.

From the artist:

"pootek" - Paul (Solpara) and I laid down the majority of this track one November night in Berlin. We lived in the same dorm in university nearly 10 years ago and bonded over weird electronic music. We hadn't seen each other in a while and had never made music together. We got so rowdy making this my neighbour who I had never seen before came up to complain we were being too loud.

"whendialupbecomeform" - I was thinking a lot about dial-up modems, especially after I heard a Lana Del Rey song that featured that sort of sound in the background, whether intentionally or not. I woke up in the middle of the night and laid down the main arrangement in a couple of hours. I later added some vocals, random sounds from freesound.org, and what might be described as "dreamy pads."

"dosheepdreamofandroidelectrics" - I don't think the song has much to do with Philip K. Dick. I wanted to make something that someone could introspectively zone out to, maybe under the influence of a plant, either at home or at the club.

Italian electronic music mastermind ABYSSY and the Marseille underground hero DONARRA, share for the ALLEY VERSION's 4th release the split E.P. "CLOSE".

ABYSSY aka Mayo Soulomon has, over the years, released records of great interest for Mathematics, New Interplanetary Melodies and many other labels, marked by Detroit and Chicago influences reworked in his personal complex cut.
DONARRA comes to ALLEY VERSION after two beautiful E.P. for Skylax Records and La Chinerie, and recently spotted with its synth-dark-industrial-punk moniker Cardinal & Nun, on L.I.E.S.

The opening ABYSSY's "Close To Me", an obscure rough track totally jacked with the legendary rhythm sampler E-MU SP1200, is an instant cult.
In the following "Lower Michigan Ave", a hypnotic dark plot of analog synthesizers runs on a leftfield rhythm cut, while a whiny female voice condenses the air.

First track of DONARRA's side, "Nostalgie Futuriste", is a surreal sound voyage where are merged Chicago House and Zen atmospheres.
In the culminating Detroit style banger "Rivières Lumineuses", the trippy movements of percussions and synthetic melodies are pure magic.

Exclusively on limited 12" vinyl.

Hard Fist comes back stronger than ever with a sixth release, this time from Pletnev with a remix from Sascha Funke.

Extra prolific Russian born Alex Pletnev has been making music under various aliases and in a number of live bands. Now settled in Vilnius he explores stellar chugging rhythms, afro and oriental vibes for labels like Media Fury and Bahnsteig23 and more atmospheric, dark and industrial EPs on Le Temps Perdu records. This new one is “the tale of an imaginary world, a babel myth of when human beings were together as one because they spoke a single language. It is an allusion of No Border movement supporting freedom of mobility and fighting human immigration control.”

This fantastic release is the most club focussed music Pletnev has ever produced with instrumental, heady opener ‘Guest from Bangkok’ really locking you in a groove. Loose percussion and churning drums make for dark disco of the highest order. Then comes ‘Peep of Dawn,’ an almost frightening, long and slow ceremony of menacing electronic music. A voice resonates while powerful bass sends shivers down your spine and the whole atmospheric and absorbing affair really casts a spell.

Excellent punchy guitar riffs and shamanic rhythms on ‘Red Shoes’ reminds you of a run to catch the setting sun. It’s another spellbinding and rock-laced disco track that oozes grit and rawness. With the closing track, BPitch Control man Sascha Funke remixes ‘My Word Against Yours' into a cosmic and jerky affair that alludes to a journey into outer space. It’s sparse and creepy and brilliantly evocative.

Once again here, the Hard Fist label—which has its own residency at Paris’s mighty Rex Club—tells its unique story with forward thinking club music full of a wide array of influences.

Electronic Body Music, abbreviated as EBM, is a term whose origin stems from the Belgian group Front 242, chosen to describe their electronic music; cold and dancing, free of the dominant influences of the time. Powerful, cold and minimalist electronic rhythms were the hallmarks of this new genre.

The movement quickly garnered followers with the British group Nitzer Ebb but also in the rest of Europe, with the likes of Borghesia and The Neon Judgment, later signed to labels like PIAS, Antler- Subway, Wax Trax!, Mute, Off Beat, Zoth Ommog, Pendragon and Metropolis.

EBM’s popularity grew rapidly in the underground scene during the 1980s and early 1990s, especially in Europe, before breaking through in the rest of the world, also influencing the subsequent electro-industrial scene.
‘Dancing In Darkness: EBM, Black Synth & Dark Beats From The 80s’ - to give it its full title - is a compilation of some of these bands; bands that changed contemporary music in terms of ideology, politics and aesthetics.

CD version in digipack with poster booklet. 2LP version in gatefold sleeve.

Toulouse-based trio Blind Delon like distorted basslines, dirty beats and cold synths. On that new post-punk-ebm-techno 4-tracks EP, “Drugs”, they invite french industrial veteran HIV+ for his harsh lyrics and his smashed voice under the influence of psychotropic substances. Including a post-apocalytic remix from russian producer Alexey Volkov !

Alt-rock icon Josephine Wiggs is best known as bassist in The Breeders, rising to superstardom in the '90s and continuing to draw crowds and critical acclaim in the wake of their 2018 album All Nerve.
But over the years, Wiggs has released several of her own albums, all of which delightfully defy genre. Her new solo record, We Fall, is both a departure and a distillation of an enduring personal aesthetic: moody and spare but also melodic, at once contemporary and nostalgic.
Some influences are clear: We Fall is reminiscent of the experimentalism of Brian Eno's Another Green World and recalls the delicate, languid minimalism of Harold Budd. The album's classical inflections, sharpened by a dialog with electronic elements, evoke Alva Noto and Ryuichi Sakamoto. This is an album of juxtapositions: minimalist at moments, richly layered in others; ambient while also sharply focused; melancholy yet resolute.
There's something both dreamy and scientific about We Fall. Wiggs, an enthusiastic amateur mycologist, has an impressive collection of mushrooms she's photographed in her travels. We Fall could be the soundtrack to what can't be captured in a single photo—the growth and decay of miraculous creatures that a less astute and sensitive eye might overlook entirely.
Composed, performed and recorded by Wiggs, with drums and electronics by her longtime friend and collaborator Jon Mattock (Spacemen 3, Spirit , We Fall is a lyrical, bucolic album with an undercurrent of disquiet. Think of a wintertime walk in the woods as dusk falls too soon. True to the classic album form, the 10 almost entirely instrumental tracks on We Fall form a compelling whole: a crystalline meditation on paths not taken and words unspoken, an elegy for moments lost and last embraces.
JOSEPHINE WIGGS BIO
Josephine Wiggs grew up in an unconventional family north of London. Returning home from a summer holiday with a donkey riding in the back of the family's 1927 Rolls Royce was not considered at all bizarre. Wiggs studied cello as a child, segued from college in London to undertake a master's degree in Philosophy, and then, in a move few would have predicted, joined a rock band.
After making three albums with The Perfect Disaster (1987-1990), Wiggs left to join Kim Deal (Pixies), Tanya Donelly (Throwing Muses), and Britt Walford (Slint) in forming indie supergroup The Breeders, whose debut album Pod came out in 1990. Following a shift in line-up—with Kelley Deal on guitar and new drummer Jim Macpherson—The Breeders released Last Splash in 1993; with its hit single 'Cannonball' and 'Divine Hammer,' they became alternative rock superstars.
During the same period, Wiggs released two lower-key albums with Jon Mattock (Spacemen 3, Spiritualized): Nude Nudes (1992) under the name Honey Tongue, and Bon Bon Lifestyle (1996) using the moniker The Josephine Wiggs Experience. She also recorded and produced Klassics with a K (1996), the beloved and only album by the Kostars (Luscious Jackson's Jill Cunniff and Vivian Trimble). During a brief run of shows, Wiggs joined the band on drums, showing her range of musical ability.
In the late '90s Wiggs collaborated with Vivian Trimble as Dusty Trails, whose eponymous 2000 album is an homage to neo-noir soundtracks, spaghetti westerns, and Gallic pop. Time Out described it as 'one of the most subtly suggestive, understatedly elegant...things likely to have caressed your cochlea in years.'
Allusions in Dusty Trails to film music foreshadowed the next stage of Wiggs's career, writing scores for feature and documentary films—from Happy Accidents by Brad Anderson in 1999 to Appropriate Behaviour by Desiree Akhavan in 2014. Her new album We Fall began as a suite of short pieces for the documentary film Built on Narrow Land. Wiggs has also composed and recorded music to accompany live performance and short films by the acclaimed Brazilian choreographers chameckilerner.
In 2013, following the 20th anniversary of Last Splash, the classic lineup of The Breeders reunited for a world tour. Five years later in 2018 they released All Nerve, with Wiggs co-writing two songs and singing lead on the standout track 'Metagoth.' We Fall, Josephine Wiggs' third album of her own design and ninth album in a career spanning three decades, will be released on vinyl and available for download and streaming on April 12, 2019 by Sound of Sinners.

Infuse welcomes Pierre Codarin with an excellent three track release, ‘Pork Chop Express’, featuring a great KOKO remix to boot!

Pierre has been bubbling on the underground surface for few years now, releasing material on respected labels such as Adult Only, LAATE, Tervisio and his self-titled label was launched at the beginning of 2016 and has seen heady plays from the industries peers with each release granting praise from the media, DJ’s and collectors. Pierre brings a very raw and rich sound in both his productions and Performance with a very in-depth knowledge of record selection leaning towards a nostalgic U.S. and U.K. influence.

The title track ‘Pork Chop Express’ is a driving, rib-rattling, pad-infused, triumph of a track causing quite a stir on the floor. On the flip and ‘Lo Pan’ jacks the tempo and gets rough as Pierre drops a smorgasbord of key fills and stabs to keep this beast a grooving! Finally, following on from their brilliant ‘Generation K’ EP on Infuse early this year, KOKO deliver a blistering dance-floor led remix of ‘Pork Chop Express’, perfectly rounding off this great package.