Frenzy steps back into the warehouse fog for FRNZYREC012, marking the arrival of Mees Javois with the Eyes Without A Face EP. This six-track collection functions as a raw blueprint of the early hours, where the steady pulse of hardware meets a stripped-back, mechanical soul.
Already turning heads in the underground circuit, Mees brings a fresh yet timeless approach that feels equally suited to intimate basements and peak-time dance floors. His debut on Frenzy introduces an artist with a clear vision and a deep understanding of club music's darker edges.
FRNZYREC012 is a singular vision of the dancefloor, a deliberate sequence of sound that balances cold precision with a visceral human touch.
Amsterdam-based collective Mèraque presents Paradiso, a hypnotic blend of Balkan and Middle Eastern folk with psychedelic club music. Traditional instruments such as oud, clarinet, guitar, and darbuka are interwoven with experimental downtempo electronics and subtle drum & bass influences.
Rooted in Balkan and Roma traditions, the band translates centuries-old melodies into a contemporary electronic landscape. In their interpretation of the traditional song Ederlezi, the emotional core remains intact, while modern production and deep grooves bring it to the dancefloor. Tracks like Space Ohm, inspired by Turkish Çifte Telli rhythms, move between ritualistic folk energy and hypnotic club structures.
The album features remixes by Anatolian Sessions, unders, and Dan Bay, further translating the material into an international club context.
Veinyl returns with Decant Vol 1, the fourth release and the label's first Various Artists compilation. Rooted in the label’s philosophy of connecting sound, atmosphere, and the social ritual surrounding a good bottle of wine, this record unites producers from the deeper edges of house and tech-house. Much like wine, which brings people together and reveals different notes with every sip, Veinyl seeks to curate music that encourages listeners to savour the moment and discover new layers with each play.
Diego Krause opens the bottle with “Currents,” setting the tone with controlled momentum. Punchy kick and bass sync with swinging hats and airy pads as crystalline synths gradually expand in colour, culminating in sparse, darker echoes and an understated atmosphere in its final moments. Lescano’s “Illusion” uses a stripped-back tech-house palette of resonant dubby chords, vocal echoes, and funky bass stabs, all thrown into motion, ready for the dancefloor. On the flip, NVNDO & Until6’s “Donkey Long” brings a playful shift: bongo-driven percussion, rubbery grooves, and 90s-tinted house basslines and synthwork give it a hint of Balearic flavour without losing club weight. Skotsch closes with “Blood,” a dark, jacking tune where acidic basslines, razor-sharp drum programming, and teasing vocal fragments close the V.A. out with punch and style.
With Decant Vol. I, Veinyl distils its approach into four tracks that move between minimal house atmosphere and tech-house mechanics without losing focus on groove. It’s a compilation that highlights the label’s ear for subtle detail and functional design, pointing toward a catalogue shaped less by trends than by carefully curated underground talent and special dancefloor moments.
The 41st release on TECHNO Records marks a defining milestone: the first full- scale solo record by the label’s founder, Nastia, in her music career. It opens up a new depth of detail within the character and identity of both the artist and the catalogue.
Rather than making a loud statement, Nastia focuses on a restrained and functional approach to techno, shaped through subtle shifts in tension, texture, and rhythm. The tracks move with intention, avoiding obvious peaks in favour of gradual development and controlled energy—a familiar methodology and a direct analogy to the evolution of the label itself. Crafted with dancefloor energy in mind but not bound by it, the release offers a fresh perspective on the author’s persona, stripping away excess and overexplanation. It leaves ample room for the listener’s imagination and a versatile, expert application within a DJ set.
The trajectory of ascents and shifting attention in an artist’s career is the only honest path, providing material for reflection and the anchoring of values. This depth of experience cannot be replicated by overnight success or short-lived peaks—only decades of exploration, trial, and error can forge a work built to endure. Studio work becomes a new instrument for Nastia to build value capital, while her debut solo EP stands as an artefact marking a historic point for the author and the label.
TECH041
A1 “Indoctrinated” — a masterclass in rhythmic interplay used as a narrative device. It functions as a sonic manifesto: universally accessible yet distinctly individual. A process-driven track, its strength lies in its ability to repeatedly shift the listener’s focus. It serves as an ideal transitional tool, offering a calculated awakening from a hypnotic state.
A2 “Ignorance Is Keelleeng” — a structured dancefloor powerhouse built on a precise understanding of peak-time energy. Functioning as a set-defining anchor, it allows the DJ to pivot the mix in any direction without losing momentum. A true catalyst track that opens up new sonic horizons.
B1 “True Majority” — the most forward-thinking cut on the record, providing a definitive blueprint for the hypnotic techno sound of summer 2026. It presents a multi-layered, all-encompassing sonic tapestry that interacts with the listener while maintaining a strictly restrained narrative. A motif-driven track that subtly exposes an underlying tension.
B2 “Additive Integration” — best conceptualised within an extended set where the goal is to gradually establish the atmosphere and dictate the rules of the journey. A track built on anticipation, it conserves energy and conceals its inner mechanics until the final acts. It compels the listener to decode its sonic language for full comprehension.
With “The Insanity Of Infinity” Hernán Cattáneo and Marc Romboy join forces for a deeply atmospheric and emotionally charged release on Systematic Recordings. The track brings together two artists with long-standing
international reputations and clearly defined musical identities: Cattáneo’s unmistakable sense for hypnotic, progressive storytelling and Romboy’s warm, driving and Detroit-influenced Systematic sound.
The original version unfolds with depth, tension and elegance, balancing melodic emotion with club-focused precision. Rather than relying on obvious peak-time formulas, “The Insanity Of Infinity” builds its own universe:
immersive, sophisticated and timeless, shaped by two artists who understand how to create music that works both on the dance floor and beyond it.
The release is completed by two strong remix interpretations. Frank Sonic & Drumcomplex add a powerful, forward-moving techno version with clear Systematic DNA, designed for darker club moments and peak-time
impact. Brian Cid brings his own hypnotic and progressive touch, expanding the emotional dimension of the original with a deep, atmospheric and cinematic interpretation.
Released as a strictly limited red colored 12” vinyl edition, “The Insanity Of Infinity” is a special collector’s piece and a strong DJ tool at the same time.
Originally released by Time Capsule in 2021 and long out of print, Stories From Another Time 1982-1988 returns in an upgraded edition following years of demand and rising collector prices on the secondhand market. Widely regarded as a modern cult classic, Mário Rui Silva’s visionary recordings blend acoustic folk, cinematic soul, spiritual jazz and saudade-filled Lusophone rhythm into a deeply timeless and universal work that transcends genre and geography.
This new edition features half-speed mastering cut at Metropolis alongside an expanded 4-page insert with a tribute essay and unseen photographs following Silva’s passing in 2024.
The roots of Angolan popular music explored in the meticulous guitar studies of Mário Rui Silva. For fans of Naná Vasconcelos, John Hassell’s Fourth World ambient, Eduardo Mateo’s psychedelic folk and Cameroonian electronic music visionary Francis Bebey.
Whether on mesmerising acoustic ballads or hypnotic groove-led tracks, the music of Angolan guitarist, researcher and intellectual Mário Rui Silva has a beguiling, melancholy quality, woven into the dynamics of his deft guitar playing.Rhythmically complex yet supremely effortless, the music collected here stems from three albums Mário released in Luanda in the 1980s that reflect his diverse range of influences, from traditional Angolan and West African rhythms to European jazz and classical instrumentation. It is united by a sense of low-key beauty, whether on the chugging opener ‘Kazum-zum-zum’, the jazz-funk keys of ‘Lembrança Dum Velho’, or the twinkling, late-night poly-rhythms of ‘Kizomba Kya Kisanji’.
Born in Luanda, Angola in 1953, Mário dedicated his life to Angolan popular music. His fifty-year career has seen him live between Angola and Europe, rub shoulders with Cameroonian musicians Francis Bebey and Ewanjé, record the seminal album Angola ’72 with fellow Angolan musician Bonga, and draw influence from Brazilian guitarist Baden Powell.
It was the teaching of Angolan legend and Ngola Ritmos co-founder Liceu Vieira Dias that Mário gained a technical, political and spiritual understanding of Angolan musical culture. In the hands of Liceu, the traditional Angolan semba and kazukuta rhythms of the 1940s and ‘50s helped create an emancipatory sense of national pride and collective agency that awakened its listeners to the racism and tyranny of colonial rule, underpinning the country’s push for independence in the process.
What might sound like the intonations of Brazilian influence are what Mário attributes to the “African rhythms taken by the slaves which gave rise to other musical cultures” around the globe. Instead, this music emerged from a collective instinct to assert a cosmopolitan Angolan identity free from the patronising falsehoods of Lusotropicalism.
“There was a need within me to contribute in doing new things,” Mário describes. “In the sense of solidifying the music of Angola that was the result of the meeting of two cultures, and wanting to value the Angolan part whenever possible.”A selection from Mário’s three 1980s albums, Sung’Ali (1982), Tunapenda Afrika (1985) and Koizas dum Outru Tempu (1988) have been compiled here as a 2xLP release by Time Capsule’s Sam Jacob and Kay Suzuki. Together, they provide a snapshot of one man’s journey to the core of his nation’s music, charged with the search for a culture uprooted by colonialism
Irish label Il Corpo returns for its third outing with a hard to pigeon hole 10” from 710 Exit. 2 tracks that sit on the electro end of things but with a generous nod to the sound of Detroit, early UK breakbeat, soul and the deeper realms of electronic music. Close To The Sun feels like more than just a cosmic position. A solid 808 foundation and loose percussion sit beneath a bed of synth lines and soaring pads that are guaranteed to stir the soul. The signal for nostalgia is strong but there are plenty more twists and turns to keep the listener engaged. Warped guitar and soul samples make Strat an infectious workout brimming with experimentation and originality. Effected chords take on an almost vocal quality which talks over the casual, understated funk on offer here. Ever changing tones draw you in and make it hard to distinguish between guitar, synth or human. A unique E.P. which will find its way into the sets of varying selectors at this summer’s gatherings.
Luke Una introduces a new series of original, dancefloor-focused productions on his É Soul Cultura imprint, in partnership with Mr Bongo. True to the label’s ethos, the series pushes sonic boundaries into deeper, more expansive territories, delivering forward-thinking music for discerning dancefloors. The first release brings together UK garage royalty Zed Bias and the underground talents of MJK, as we’re served up a double hit of hypnotic, futuristic techno and house.
Zed Bias is an artist that needs little introduction. The main moniker of Manchester’s Dave Jones, over the past 25+ years he’s cemented himself as a crucial figure in UK garage and dance music as a whole. He’s remixed hundreds of artists including Whitney Houston, The Streets and Azymuth, been nominated for a MOBO award and, through his more experimental take on 2 step garage, helped lay the foundations for the development of bass music into dubstep. For this new release he teams up with Ghanaian-British producer and DJ, MJK. Earmarked as ‘One To Watch’ by DJ Mag, and similarly championed by Mixmag, MJK’s sound draws from the worlds of bass, grime, house and beyond.
Opening track ‘Keep On Livin’’ sees Zed Bias and MJK coming together in the studio. Passed to Luke by his manager If Khan, it’s a sonic alchemy rooted in black heart soul music yet seen through a prism of bass futurism. A heads-down cut of driving techno, with nods to Detroit, and firm UK foundations, that is both bass-heavy and otherworldly. It’s a simple yet effective, entrancing combination of percussion, bass, and keys, peppered with old soul samples that lock you into a groove and never let go. A track built for dancefloors big or small.
On the flip, MJK steps up solo with ‘Late to Camberwell’, diving into deeper, late-night territory. Known for his three-deck DJ mixing style, MJK has a real understanding of how to layer elements to keep people moving. A swirling cosmic feel reverberates through ‘Late to Camberwell’. Drum hits, shakers and synth loops are weaved together in style, creating a dose of deep, immersive rolling house. In Luke’s own words, “I found it very exciting to hear a new artist create such a beautiful sound that reminded me of Detroit and Artwork's late ‘90s techno alias Grain. It’s stripped-back raw house music of the highest calibre”.
Onysia delivers another deeply textured installment of its Split Series, bringing together J Gabriel, Thomas Melchior, and Bruno Pronsato for a record full of subtle detail, groove intelligence, and unmistakable late-night character. Subtle, classy and built with real understanding of space, tension and groove, ONYSIA013 is a refined underground statement for lovers of depth, detail and timeless club music.
A truly outstanding dub release and another beautiful chapter in the sound of Etui Records.With Early Reflections Pt. 1, Insect O. delivers a remarkably deep and elegant statement that moves effortlessly between Dub Techno, Dub House and Deep House. Released on the ever-reliable Etui Records, this three-track EP is a masterclass in subtle tension, warm textures and hypnotic groove, understated, immersive and incredibly effective.
A record that feels introspective and timeless, balancing dancefloor functionality. With Early Reflections Pt. 2, Insect O. continues the journey with the same quiet confidence and emotional depth that made the first chapter so compelling. Once again rooted in Dub Techno and Dub House, this second installment feels like a natural continuation, deeper in mood, even more immersive in detail, and beautifully refined in its execution. The result is a record that feels introspective and timeless, balancing dancefloor functionality with a deeply emotive listening experience. Insect O. proves once again that true depth does not come from excess, but from restraint, sensitivity and a strong understanding of space and motion.
San Francisco duo Vin Sol and Johnny Five, aka Triple Five Sol, unveil their Puppy Cuts imprint with the ‘Sounds From The Pound Vol.1’ EP. It follows their debut EP release on Dark Entries in 2025 and their appearance on a Nervous Records compilation in 2024.
“Puppy Cuts is my new label with Five. After our last record on Dark Entries we decided to start our new label. Deep house and acid steeped in New York Chicago and Detroit vibes” - Vin Sol Triple Five Sol’s ‘Sounds From The Pound Vol. 1’ kicks off with ‘Blocked’, a stripped-back groover with an understated 303 offset by chopped-up gospel samples, before culminating in a jacking vibe. ‘Come Over Mackin’ is next, deep and soulful chords weave through tough drums marked by rimshots saturated in reverb, before the crushed up pads and grainy rhythm of ‘Grocery Bag’ continues. ‘Roll Models’ then closes primed for the dancefloor with an irresistible organ bassline doused in a sustained, dub-like chord, along with more vocals full of feeling.
With great pleasure we welcome on board ADSR. This is not a standard EP but more a collection of 5 tracks made in the years between 1989 and 2001.
“Kicked” (1989) rides a driving dance groove with subtle Depeche Mode–influenced melodies, fueled by rolling arps and crisp string plucks. “Unit 3” (2001) hits with tough basslines and hard pads over a relentless beat, nodding to mid-80s EBM in the vein of Nitzer Ebb, Skinny Puppy, and Front 242. “Unchained” (1990) drifts on a late-night 808 groove with glassy pads and house-leaning chord stabs, sliding into early techno territory.
The EP closes with two well known tracks but those versions of them have never seen the light before today. “Windswept (Desert Mix)” – 1994 is a pounding early-session track built on tripped-out SH-101 leads, evolving arpeggios, long sweeps, and a steady 909, made for getting completely lost in.“Suboceana (Early Version)” – 1991 serves seductive chord progressions and drawn-out, reflective melodies, a liquid journey for both listening and the dancefloor.
"I don’t understand Bernardino. He seems to take pleasure in sabotaging himself."
"Or maybe I’m simply refusing to play the game someone else wrote for me?"
Memoirs of Self-Sabotage unfolds as a musical drift: fragments written and recorded on tour between France and Italy, shaped by precariousness, administrative tension, loss, and paranoia. The tracks emerge like scenes from a psychological film noir—a distorted discotheque of monologues, songs, skits, and anachronisms—where the voice oscillates between seduction and rupture.At its core lies a troubling insight: the most insidious exploitation is that of one’s own intimacy. As emotions and desires become commodities, the project resists absorption. Each track becomes a site of desertion—refusing roles, codes, and systems of control, even those posing as critique. Alliances blur, betrayals loom; lucidity tips into paranoia.Warped echoes of nostalgia, cinematic layers, voices in tension: the music becomes an unstable space, a laboratory of drift and survival. Neither record, manifesto, nor autobiography, it unfolds as a mental disco where desire, fear, and self-sabotage coexist.
To get with down roots of the label you have to get down with its people. For one of these key roots, you have to hear and understand what David Guriev has to say with the audio message that’s getting translated to us as listeners. Being one of allies of the label and the non-stop behind the scenes inspiration, David has created a 5-track extended play named after one of his favorite female boxers named Erica Cruz. From the side of the cinematic importance, Erica has appeared momentarily in our lives, with a brief timing that the world has provided her. However she has never left the idea that has given the birth to this EP, and more or less has started the discussion of what it is to be or not to be like Shakespeare himself used to talk about after a good soul-searching session.
Cold Union emerge with “Lost In Black”, a coldwave signal suspended between haze and motion. An early glimpse of their upcoming album, where restraint becomes atmosphere and every element is reduced to its essential form. Icy guitars drift over deep, driving basslines, while distant, delayed vocals hover in slow, almost spectral, hypnotic atmosphere. There’s a clear understanding of the genre’s lineage here—echoes of classic post-punk codes reinterpreted with patience and intent. Minimal, precise, and emotionally distant, Lost In Black channels the core of post-punk into something colder, sharper, and built for the finest late hours goth parties.
Basking in the glow of Lightsaber, the swashbuckling synthesizer synergy of Tending Tropic, Kay-Chi and Sharlese debuts. A cross-continent collaboration that bridges the Atlantic, this group joins forces through a shared passion for italo and wave with their sound set firmly on the floor. The title track is analogue brightness, drums drive a melody that dips and soars next to Sharlese’s uplifting lyrics. Energy levels are high from the needle drop. Cymbals crash for “Timeloop.” Vocoder words are softened by gently scaling chords before generous builds give way to sparking synthwork. Disco flourishes and bongos break to spiralling notes in the playful “Luminara.” Cosmic influences radiate through key shifts and understated toms in this celebration of the night sky. “Inertia” marches to a heavy-hitting beat. Industrially dipped, the percussion is fortified by a simmering melody that spills over into a bold body-throbbing close. Despite being oceans apart, this is a partnership light years ahead.
Selekt Wax returns with its second vinyl offering, shifting the lens from introspection toward motion. Where its predecessor explored stillness and space, Varginha 96 leans into rhythm with a more fluid, tactile energy.
Loopedeville works within a minimal framework but pushes it toward something more animated. Groove takes the lead, while detail reveals itself gradually. The result is playful but controlled, built for movement while still carrying depth beneath the surface.
Inspired by the 1996 Varginha incident in Brazil, the record carries a subtle sense of the otherworldly. Not in a literal sense, but in texture. Unfamiliar tones, slightly off center moments, and elements that feel just outside of reach.
Etched on the sleeve, a poem sets the tone:
the analog moment is now
but, how? release
free form feelings finding
new places in yourself
a sort of synthesis
of interpretations
crash & collide
into the infinite groove of reality
but, is anything really real?
A1 – Varginha 96
A breakbeat driven opener centered on a looping vocal from the Varginha ‘96 incident. Off kilter synth textures circle the groove, giving it a subtle, otherworldly feel. Simple on the surface, with depth that reveals itself over time.
A2 – Varginha 96 (Ohm Hourani Remix)
Ohm takes it into a more stripped back, hypnotic space. Centered around the same vocal, the track locks into repetition and feel. Hazy, controlled, and built for late hours.
B1 – Thunders in Paradise
A driving groove built on dusty drums and a tightly controlled rhythm. It holds a steady pulse, with understated details and shifting textures giving it quiet depth.
B2 – Never Enough
A fluid, late night groove shaped by Loopedeville’s signature swing. Less driving than the previous cut, but still locked in, with warm tones and an easy bounce that carries through.
For his sixth solo album, Ezéchiel Pailhès returns with a new collection of songs infused by a sunny wandering spirit.
Within each of the twelve songs on SOL is a thread of melancholic happiness that has permeated much of Pailhès’ music and songwriting. He addresses love, the passing of time, hope, lost illusions, fleeting moments of grace, the temptation of forgetting, a need to escape, and desire. All this is
insulated by understated orchestrations that blend acoustic and electronic instrumentation with deft confidence.
The Portuguese and Brazilian concept of saudade—a form of melancholic longing and nostalgia— pervades, thanks in part to Pailhès decision to record the album in Rio de Janiero and to reinterpret some of the finest works of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB). In particular, he revisits a handful of
lesser known classics from the mid-century samba and bossa nova era—originally written or performed by talents including Vinícius de Moraes, João Gilberto, Tom Zé, Dorival Caymmi, João Donato, Os Tincoãs, and Ataulfo Alves.
The shift from Brazilian Portuguese to French and the decision to adapt rather than perform a straightforward cover versions, allows Pailhès to invent a form of prosody and euphony (the musicality and harmonious combination of words) that feels vibrant and unlike anything else in today’s French
chanson landscape.
“Some lyrics are simple translations from Portuguese, in what I’d call an expanded version. For others, I started from a single word or a single phrase and embroidered an entirely new text that carried me elsewhere,” explains Pailhès. “I allowed myself great interpretive freedom, while preserving the humanist dimension of the original songs. I’ve always been deeply moved by the way Brazilians transfigure reality through heightened emotion. I love this visceral and spontaneous country, which always seems to live through emotion. And above all, I love its music both popular and unifying,
bringing together all social classes. In that sense, it’s very political music, but even more so utopian, made by the people and for the people.”
On this new album, however, the French artist was keen to avoid cliché. Each song is therefore built around a carefully balanced interplay between Pailhès’ piano and synthesizers, alongside restrained arrangements of percussion, brass, bass, and cavaquinho (a small four-string plucked guitar). These parts were recorded in Rio de Janeiro with two musicians who regularly perform alongside the legendary Caetano Veloso—Kainã Do Jêje and Alberto Continentino—joined by Thomas Harres, Antônio Neves, Eduardo Neves, and Gabriel Loddo.
Since the 1960s, France and Brazil have shared a long-standing cultural and musical relationship. Some Brazilian artists, most famously Gilberto Gil, took refuge in France during the dictatorship years (1964–1985). But above all, French chanson quickly fell in love with the richness and ingenuity of
bossa nova and samba, translating and reinventing them in the language of Molière. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, albums and hits by Henri Salvador, Georges Moustaki, Pierre Barouh, Pierre Vassiliu, and Claude Nougaro all drew from the MPB repertoire.
Fifty years later, with SOL, Ezéchiel Pailhès reinvents this rich Franco-Brazilian musical legacy, bringing to it a personality and modernity that stand confidently alongside those of his forbears.
If – in some parallel universe (or perhaps a not-so-distant-future version of the one we’re already sentenced to living in) – the evil overloads of artificial intelligence were actually successful in their attempts to create convincingly enjoyable “original music,” more specifically tasked with wholly encapsulating my own personal tastes by data-chugging some cocktail of – oh, I don’t know – the posters on my wall, the records in my “most listened to” pile, the mixtapes I made for others, intensive physical scans of my auditory cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, heart strings, whatever else they have splayed out on their autopsy table with the intention of generating one all-encompassing “perfect band” based on the fruitful sum of their findings – that band, for me, would be (or would at least sound exactly like) the Tara Clerkin Trio. It is, quite simply, without exception, the music I wish to hear.
Formed in Bristol UK (where none of them are from yet all of whom are deeply engrained) in 2020, the Tara Clerkin Trio – as it somewhat democratically exists today, despite the singular authority implied by its name – consists of the titular Tara Clerkin, her partner Sunny Joe Paradisos, and Sunny’s brother, Patrick Benjamin. I’ll confess, I don’t know what their respective roles are within the operation and there’s only a very small part of me that cares to learn, as one of my favorite qualities in an objective listening experience is the mystery of who is playing what, which sounds are “authentic” versus synthesized, which chunks are performed “live” in a room together versus meticulously Frankenstein’ed from measure to measure, or how exactly the overall sound is so (seemingly) effortlessly achieved. Though, I suspect, if and when I do witness a live performance by this band at any point, my enjoyment of the music will not be lost in my better understanding of it.
With two extraordinary mini-albums – In Spring (2021) and On The Turning Ground (2023) – making a splash on London’s formidable World of Echo label in wake of their self-titled 2020 debut, this upcoming Somewhere Good LP is, in many ways, the band’s most realised work. In running their usual gauntlet of idiosyncratic (*an overused adjective for which here there is regrettably no sufficient alternative) approaches, Clerkin & co. colour in and outside of compositional lines over the course of 40+ celebratory minutes - never wallowing, despite inherently somber subject matters of self-defeat, disease, displacement, restlessness, gentrification - allowing their arrangements and improvisations ample space and time to situate, stretch out, breathe, cross-pollinate, and ultimately take deeper hold on the listener’s imagination – all while somehow sounding more like themselves than ever before.
Of course, there are traceable influences herein, if one felt that such comparisons were necessary to properly examine and enjoy this music (they aren’t)… Being the big dumb American from the small boring town that I am, cornfed on ‘90s alternative radio with the enchantingly exotic sounds of Maxinquaye and Mezzanine emanating from my chunky tube television, I can’t help but to make a blatantly obvious reference to a “Bristol sound”, ie the whole trip-hop trip, the pastoral crooning over the suggestive urban grime of cracked electro/piano treatments, the digitally-yet-primitively reconstructed James Bond soundtrack string-beats, etc.. But the Tara Clerkin Trio is so infinitely much more than that. There are elements of avant-pop, modern classical, kraut-folk, audio verité, dare I say indie rock (and not of the beer guzzling, masturbatory fuzz-flex variety but perhaps more like a Trish Keenan-fronted Faust, Adrian Sherwood at the mixing desk of If You’re Feeling Sinister, or – in expanding on our alternate reality – a world in which High Llamas cut a full-length for Warp Records with Andrew Weatherall on coffee duty).
The hazy, unmappable skyline-mirage of droning harmonium, upright bass, peculiarly accentuated wind instruments, acoustic guitar, hushed yet literally mighty keys combine to hypnotizing effect. The band may make underlying nods to jazz, sure, but it’s not appropriation, it’s that they have the actual chops to build it out. Beneath the janky samples and oddball percussive embellishment lies actually great drumming. Beyond the manipulated vocal witchery and woefully reflective plain-spoke moments are Tara’s subtly inspired melodies, sung with what might honestly be the glue to the whole crazy equation. A calming consistency throughout the otherwise unpredictably dynamic, boldly intuitive, uniquely British exploration of this (their own) universe in song. – Ryan Davis (Chicago, February 2026)
The open skies of Ochre's new album, Oversail, replace the dense canopies of his last, Understory back in 2020. This time, UK-born, Netherlands-based talent Christopher Leary trades rhythmic intricacy for something more exposed and reflective on a record that unfolds in measured steps, with each passage revealing fragile melodies set against sparse, shifting frameworks. There's a tactile quality to the sound design, hardware elements clicking and sighing like ageing machinery still in motion. Tracks feel suspended and the focus is on slow revelation across the quietly affecting 'Casadastra', airy beauty of 'Meristem' and hopeful synth sequencing of 'Canthropa.'
Deep! atmosphere, groove and timeless dancefloor architecture. SYSTEM257 returns with a truly exceptional statement as N07 unveils November Morning, a stunning double pack overflowing with depth, elegance and underground precision. This is the kind of release that instantly commands attention, subtle yet powerful, deeply immersive yet undeniably effective, and crafted with the confidence of an artist who understands exactly how to create lasting impact.
Open the doors of perception with 'Alchemy of Being,' a deep ambient exploration inspired by Jungian analysis, olfactory meditations and psycho-nautic navigations.
Dublab resident, LA-based DJ and producer Dor Wand invites us to practice ‘deactivation through music:’ a softening art he describes as guiding energy down gently, so the body can rest, the heart can open, and the mind can return to stillness. The album creates a space where movement turns inward, where rhythm becomes breath, and where sound holds us as we land.
A mix of mellow synths, live harp and tuned percussion, the album oscillates softly between tension and relaxation, a harmonizing journey that gradually brings together mind and body, inhale and exhale, a unifying yogic tool for heightened self-understanding.
What happens when the mathematical rigor of Johann Sebastian Bach is stripped of its classical facade? With the album SRDNG x LPZG, the duo AMAS, together with double bassist Frithjof-Martin Grabner, delivers a radical answer on May 15th, 2026. The work does not merely translate Bach’s legacy; it consistently reimagines it within the aesthetics of Minimal, Dub-Techno, and Ambient. The creation of this extraordinary abstraction spanned three years and two geographical poles: the raw isolation of Sardinia and the academic precision of Leipzig.
The project found its origin in the seclusion of Pula, at the southernmost tip of Sardinia. There, AMAS extracted and digitally dissected the rhythmic and tonal essence of 14 selected works by Bach. In a temporary local studio, these minimalist sequences fused with field recordings of the surroundings to form a hypnotic framework of electronic structures. Back in Leipzig, this foundation met Frithjof-Martin Grabner. In an intense session held in a hall of the historic HMT Leipzig, spontaneous improvisations emerged that breathe the spirit of Miles Davis’ approach to "Ascenseur pour l’échafaud": free play based on rudimentary sketches, an intuitive reaction to the material—comparable to Davis’ iconic scoring of silent film images. It is a deliberate prioritization of atmosphere over technical perfection. Grabner utilizes the full spectrum of his instrument, creating sounds that, in post-production, often blur the line between analog depth and synthetic texture.
The result is an organic symbiosis: the vastness of Sardinia (SRDNG) meets the intellectual density of Leipzig (LPZG), while the strictness of the Baroque dissolves into the repetitive energy of Minimal Techno. To do justice to this conceptual ambition, the album will be released in an uncompromisingly audiophile edition. Limited to 200 copies worldwide, the double LP is pressed on 180g vinyl and features a front cover with a special 3D effect, continuing the visual tradition of the AMAS series. An album for listeners who understand Bach as a living origin of modern sound art—and for lovers of electronic music seeking a new, organic soul within the repetitive depth of techno.
Sometimes the title of an album tells you everything you need to know. Laurence Pike’s Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is like that: The music within represents a search for freedom, potentiality—liberatory strategies that transcend the ego and the solitary, atomized figure.
But in this case, the album title is also a red herring, because there is no jazz quintet here—just Pike, his drums, and his machines, not so much an ersatz ensemble as a purely notional one, a thought experiment equipped with drumsticks, circuitry, and the desire to go beyond hardwired limits.
And the results, strictly speaking, aren’t really jazz, though they incorporate the vocabulary of jazz, along with that of ambient, electronica, and post-rock. They are some other thing, cognizant of genre but never beholden to it. Again, we’re talking about a search for freedom here.
The Sydney-based musician has a long history of coloring outside the lines, not just in his solo recordings—including four albums for the Leaf label between 2018 and 2024—but also in the trio Pivot (later PVT); Szun Waves (alongside saxophonist Jack Wyllie and Border Community’s Luke Abbott); Triosk, which recorded an album with Jan Jelinek in 2003; and even post-punk titans Liars, whom he joined in late 2018.
Of his first album for Balmat, Pike says, “My loose concept was: What does music sound like when the expectations of late capitalism are removed from it? How might a jazz musician from an idealised culture of the future, or even another world, utilise musical language when the conventions of style and marketing are no longer a factor in music making?”
That inquiry, he says, connects to his “guiding principle: that the purpose of music is to access something bigger than the individual, and reveal a sense of possibility and freedom in the world to the listener. To create an understanding that the future can be something other than what we imagined or expect, even unconsciously.”
Heady ideas, but plug into his stream-of-metaconsciousness flow and you may start to intuit what motivates him. There is a deeply lyrical expression in these pieces—in the ruminative piano of opener “Guardians of Memory,” for example—but also a sense of exploded perspective, of ideas approached from more angles than any one mind could dream up. Of a collectivized consciousness, of mycelial networks branching across tone and rhythm and timbre, of ideas articulated in distributed fashion, nodal points dancing across drum heads.
Pike’s imaginary quintet is hardly without precedent; it’s a continuation of concepts floated across Jan Jelinek’s Loop-Finding-Jazz-Records, Burnt Friedman’s many guises, and much of the recombinant improv of the International Anthem roster, not to mention the far corners of ECM’s catalog in the late 1970s and 1980s, which Pike says have been integral to his development since he was a teenager. Possible Utopias for Jazz Quintet is a point in a continuum, a voice in a conversation, a question with no obvious answer: How can the search for otherness in music manifest something true about ourselves?
PLNK007 sees Planka Records return with another Various Artists release, bringing together a selection of producers connected by a shared approach to the underground sound. Tracks shaped by long nights, from intimate rooms and raves to early morning afters.
Across the EP, rolling grooves and subtle tension take the lead. Each cut keeps its own identity, yet a shared feeling runs throughout the record.
This new chapter in the Planka series follows the label’s ongoing interest in collaboration and community, where different voices meet naturally on the floor, aiming to preserve that distinctive sound within the scene.
Bahamadia’s 1996 debut album Kollage is rightly regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of the 1990s. For the first time ever, Be With present the definitive double LP version of this eternal hip-hop classic, including the legendary "Path To Rhythm" which never appeared on the original LP or on vinyl, anywhere. An indelible VIBE from start-to-finish, Kollage presents Bahamadia's swirling rhymes delivered with an irresistibly butter flow and razor-sharp assuredness over a steady slew of smoothed-out, jazzed-up, blunted beats. Achingly cool and effortlessly funky throughout, it's an absolute must for true 90s hip-hop fanatics.
The entire Kollage project was recorded at D&D Studios and the ties to Gang Starr are keenly felt, with DJ Premier producing five tracks in addition to the killer songs Guru had already produced with her. Working with the cream of the mid-90s East Coast sound, Kollage is, accordingly, a record that demonstrates a varied musical taste with disparate influences, as Bahamadia has previously stated: “The title Kollage was a reflection of my state of mind. I first got interested in music from playing my parents’ and grandparents’ records, as well what I heard on the radio. I wanted Kollage to reflect that diversity both lyrically and sonically."
With intelligent, poetic lyricism and a laconic verbal style bursting with both warm texture and deceptive energy, Bahamadia’s flow was as inspired by Aretha and Nancy Wilson as it was Q-Tip, Schoolly D and Lady B. Swaggering out the gate, "WordPlay" finds Bahamadia confidently showcasing her considerable old-school battle-rhyme skills over a Guru beat that utilises an infectiously bouncy bassline with splashes of sultry jazz horns and a Jeru vocal snatch for the hook. Up next, the quietly shimmering and ruggedly beautiful "Spontaneity" is one of the most alluring on the record, Da Beatminerz crafting a brilliantly soulful and jazzy soundscape for Bahamadia's effortless vocals to float across. It's followed by "Rugged Ruff", where the rapper carefully constructs a swift off-beat flow over Premier's raw jazzy fire.
With smooth spacey synth vibes overseen by former Geto Boys producer N.O. Joe, "I Confess" is, without question, a fly love song and soothing (p)-funk groove. "UKNOWHOWWEDU" is an airy, chilled tribute to her hometown. Produced by Ski Beatz & DJ Redhanded, it rides a gloriously mellow break. It's a true Philly anthem, shouting out a who’s who of the entire city’s scene. Early banger "Total Wreck" follows, presenting a murky Guru instrumental elevated by jazzy horns. Bahamadia invokes the title's suggestion, firing her brilliant bars more aggressively than we’re accustomed to. More Beatminerz-brilliance comes in the way of "Innovation", an opportunity for the MC to invoke Freestyle Fellowship in her forward-thinking and literary verses. "Da Jawn" features hometown buddies The Roots, with Black Thought gliding into a back-and-forth with Bahamadia over ?uestlove’s warm, snapping percussion. With the strut club banger "True Honey Buns (Dat Freak Sh*t)", DJ Premier provides some laidback vibrant boom bap for Bahamadia to share a wild, cautionary tale about a night out with her girl, Kia.
Fan favourite "3 Tha Hard Way" is a hypnotically sinister cut, with Bahamadia, K-Swift and Mecca Star taking star turns to coast over DJ Premier’s raw beat whilst the tender "Biggest Part Of Me" is a heartfelt stunner dedicated to her son. Incredibly, only the European and Japanese CD versions of Kollage was released with the brilliantly breezy “Path To Rhythm”, featuring Ursula Rucker. Whilst ostensibly a "bonus track", it's anything but, to our ears. Very much in sonic conversation with KRS-One's stretched-out sleeper classic "Higher Level", it's absolutely essential so we had to include it, appearing on wax for the first time here, exclusively. Quite a coup.
Somewhat predictably, whilst Kollage was released to significant critical acclaim, it suffered from disappointing sales. In the intervening years - and for far too long - it was a criminally underrated record, an increasingly hidden gem. We hope this double LP reissue - which looks and sounds amazing - will go some way to correct this. This 2024 Be With double LP re-issue has been mastered for vinyl by Simon Francis, cut by Cicely Balston and pressed at Record Industry. It's too bold and beautiful to remain overlooked and underserved.
Ataxia return to Planet E with two club-optimized cuts that capture their rolling, characterful approach to the authentic roots of Detroit's electronic culture. Marking the duo's return to Planet E following 2020's Oblivion EP, both tracks deliver energy tapped from a fundamental understanding of house and techno, equally charged with their punk and DIY background.
Immediately establishing a deep, hypnotic beat, 'The Whistles' expands into a collage of unruly samples that tour the club, the street and the true characters between. Playfully hinting at the tension between Detroit's party people and those who would like the music turned down, the track is a steamrolling club cut that finds Ataxia going wild with their most psychedelic studio trickery.
'Hocus On Pocus' is a tightly wound, punchy psychedelic wormhole of analogue FX and rubbery basslines, adding layers of pressure and surprising sonic twists. The result is an offbeat banger in the spirit of Planet E's wildest moments; primed for the dancefloor but with personality to spare.
Amateur forever? Oh yeah! “Amateur Hour” celebrates 15 years of Frank Music - still running on pure DIY energy, with Johannes Albert happily admitting he’s got no master plan, just a deep feel for House Music. And somehow, nearly 80 releases later, that instinct still hits. Volume I digs into the archives: forgotten cuts, long out of print, quietly becoming cult favorites. David Jackson’s “Broken Heart” returns to wax, alongside J.A.’s own “Giovanni Frizzante" if Italo is still your thing.
Flip it over and it gets deeper: Shan reworks “Wing House” into something massive, while Max Lessig closes things out with the understated, timeless glow of “Jupiter Hymn”.
Let's be frank. Once again.
Shokolokobangoshay was a collaboration between three members of Pogo Ltd. The three of us felt we were crazier than the other members of Pogo Ltd. and decided to work together on the Kosmik 3 album. Robo was worked in the graphics department of NTA Benin. He was an amazing artist, a crazy guy, he was extremely creative, he invented a musical notation language that only he understood. He was amazing, he took me to his place in Asaba and showed me his compositions, he must have had over 500 songs.
Emman Osagie was my floor manager when I was a producer at NTA (Nigerian Television Authority) Benin. We were all on the same wavelength. He was a member of Severe 7, and heavily involved in the Bini music scene working with Ehi Duncan and others. we really enjoyed making Shokolobangoshay, it’s a river of influences, a bit of this, a bit of that, but it is really our thing. The musical ideas we were playing with at the time.
Emmanuel Ogosi. 3rd March 2026.
This record is why I went into reissuing records with Odion. The feeling to sharing records that went under the radar when they were initially released, with a greater audience. Shokolokobangoshay is uniquely Nigerian in a very personal way, it makes references to the societal and political ills that plague us in Africa. It’s title, Shokolokobangoshay, references a play song, kids in Lagos and western Nigerian sing when they play in the streets. Most Nigerians can relate. The music references afro beat, country music, reggae without falling firmly on any side. This is one for the ages. Amazing production, I personally love this record for the free spirit, creativity and excellent song selection. We had to licence it, we just had to. Limited repress only 500 copies.
It is also excellently produced. Big up to all involved, from the Vinyl Rip (James Law, Fidgit Studio, South Africa), to the master production by DJ Simbad (Cape Town, SA) and the cover restoration by Angelo Mitchell (SA). I am so happy to be doing it with the boys in the motherland. Peace and appreciation to all. Special dedication to Mother Tongue for creating a great pressing. Please file under Afro.
Blessings,
Fresh from the success of his debut solo LP ‘How To Kill A Butterfly’ out last year on High Focus Records, Farma G returns with the anticipated full-length follow up ’Nearly Nothing’s Enough’.
An album anchored in his notorious musical adventures as 1/2 of Task Force, Bury Crew and Mud Family, but very much informed by the state of 2026 Britain and beyond, Farma’s new body of work is fuelled by equal parts venom and deep introspection across 12-tracks courtesy of Brighton based producer Relense.
With one eye on following ‘How To Kill A Butterfly’ with something of equal standing, Farma revisited the fundamentals in the hope of better understanding what he really wants to say with the music he makes. By channelling feelings of familiarity and seeking out emotional connections to his past he created a record that feels both concise and expansive.
With the help of Relense’s gritty analog instrumentals, Farma found himself journeying across subjects and bandwidths; from exploring the mind of a conspiracy theorist on ‘X-Files’, to being a zen master with a mountain on his back on ‘Sun Wukong’, before returning to earth for a typical day in the life on ‘Mr Moany’, ‘Nearly Nothing’s Enough’ is an album that took Farma home and he is delighted to welcome you on the journey.
On 27 March, fabric Originals presents Shō, a five track EP of introspective, transcendent electronics from Japanese techno icon DJ Nobu. Inspired by the Buddhist Brahmavihāras - joy, compassion, loving-kindness and equanimity - Shō unfolds as a meditative, emotional journey rooted in Nobu’s experiences of Tokyo, mindfulness and inner clarity. From kinetic renewal to serene minimalism, the EP channels presence, acceptance and the simple truth that breathing itself is living.
Each track on ‘Shō’ marks a step in an emotional and spiritual journey, channelling the foundational virtues of the Brahmavihāras, which are the four ‘Sublime States’ of Buddhist practice: ‘Muditā’ (joy), ‘Karuṇā’ (compassion), ‘Mettā’ (loving-kindness), and ‘Upekkhā’ (equanimity). Together these principles form a path towards an open, boundless heart, which is mirrored in the EP’s unfolding sonic narrative.
“In recent years I became overly sensitive to my surroundings and society, finding myself strongly affected by every daily occurrence. It was during this time that I discovered meditation. And beyond that lay Buddhism. Through this, my sensibilities became able to express themselves more naturally. I decided to portray my feelings, and the scenery in Tokyo, conveying what I was experiencing in real-time, as music.
The EP title ‘Shō’ denotes views, thoughts, and actions aligned with Buddhist truth, and encapsulates my striving for presence, clarity, and acceptance. It also represents the conscious, mindful understanding that simply breathing is living.” DJ Nobu
Katerina is an old friend from the early trips to Helsinki, a Finnish Bulgarian queen of the dance, having commanded the wood floors of Kaiku since its inception. Her debut EP with the ESP Institute, 'Natural High' is something special if we may humbly brag. It is the electronic embodiment of our annual journey around the sun, with its release landing just in time for this year’s Summer solstice. Over 4 tracks, the narrative shifts are technically subtle but emotionally palpable, presenting moods that swing both warm and cold but maintain a delicate balance start to finish, a confidence that speaks of true experience and understanding the dynamics of dancefloor moods. Our typical verbose track-by-track dissection feels unnecessary as Katerina’s work here is most legible as a whole. 'Natural High' is a cozy and honest offering, a soft-edged cerebral antidote to the daily falsehoods perpetrated by mankind, and a reminder that in the end, we are all just children of Gaia. Run Free!
For almost two decades, Igor Škafar has honed a own unique sound. Warm and nostalgic, the Slovenian artist melts unctuous analogue tones with subtle percussive patterns. This palette is at the heart of Ichisan’s fifth appearance on Bordello A Parigi. An undulating and understated introduction ushers in “Erotika,” the cosmic gazing sounds of the 1970s and the turquoise waters of Balearic flowing as one. Swirling space synthlines are countered by punchy beats, fudgy basslines balanced by the gently rippling melody. The break offers new directions, drum patterns scatter before regrouping around those sunkissed scaling chords care of Škafar’s impeccable craftsmanship. The beats take on a disco snap for “Midnight House,” a smouldering snaking synthline unfurling itself to glorious heights. Bongos and toms support the sci-fi dipped keys of this seven-minute journey into the musical mind of Ichisan. Two tracks that offer a deep dive into the sounds of a truly singular artist.
'We Fell In Turn' is the solo debut from Brooklyn-based trombonist, composer, and quartet leader Kalia Vandever. Vandever, who plays with Harry Styles and Japanese Breakfast, “sculpts her trombone’s golden tones into dazzling compositions” (Pitchfork), writing music that tends to “dip you into a feeling or a pattern or a breathing speed, and keep you there” (The New York Times). In 2022, Vandever released Regrowth, an album that “features the ecstatic, brilliant melodies that have become Vandever’s signature sound” (Bandcamp). This spring, Vandever brings contemplative reflection to We Fell in Turn, a brave and understated work from an ascending voice in American jazz.
Recorded over three days in upstate New York, 'We Fell In Turn' is improvisational — a stark palate of solo trombone, voice, effects, and little more. “My solo process has always been heavily rooted in improvisation,” says Vandever. “I wanted the process to feel similar to the way I perform. Lee Meadvin, who engineered and produced the album, had a heavy hand in the creative process as well. He would dictate prompts before I started improvising and those pieces ended up shaping a lot of the imagery that comes up throughout the record.”
Connecting the dots between Jeff Parker’s 'Forfolks', and early releases from Grouper, 'We Fell In Turn' is a study of space and patience, embracing vulnerability in its sparse adornment. At times, the album is reminiscent of Patrick Shiroishi’s 'Hidemi', both in its familial inspiration and solo instrument study, while sharing the ineffable feel of William Basinski’s 'The Disintegration Loops' — the traces of her trombone folding in on themselves in an organic loop. Emotionally generous throughout, Vandever acts as a torchbearer for jazz’s historical yearning for connection.
On 'We Fell in Turn' Vandever draws inspiration from childhood memories — events that shaped her approach to love, community, and partnership, and her maternal homeland of Hawaii. “We were exploring childhood memories, earliest experiences with disappointment and pain, and my Hawaiian roots,” says Vandever. “We Fell In Turn came after I titled the track "We Wept In Turn". Both come from the intangible feeling of waking up from vivid dreams, particularly the experience of falling right before waking up or waking up in tears.”
Through this exploration into her heritage, Vandever also found guidance. “In Hawaiian mythology, ‘aumākua are known as ancestral spiritual guides that manifest in different forms, whether physical or intangible,” says Vandever. “My ‘aumākua visits me in my dreams, usually with a reassuring hug or a reminder of my past. Memories and early experiences seem to escape me, but find their way back in dreams.” And now they’ve found their way into 'We Fell in Turn', Kalia Vandever’s stunning solo debut.
MP06 introduces DHAEUR to the Moving Pressure catalogue. The Berlin-based producer carves his sonic worlds through a strong sense of rhythmic architecture and a deep understanding of dancefloor dynamics. Here, he channels club-driven sensibilities into a mature and conscious 4 tracker.
The concept behind the EP reflects the principles of the label - namely, the pressure of sound and its resulting movement. Minimalism meets maximum technical intention, where swollen basslines and tightly coiled rhythmic progressions open up in signature DHAEUR style. The groove carries a distinct elasticity, punctuated by vocal inserts that add a subtly funky, almost soulful essence to the flow. Every element sits with purpose: dynamic yet
stripped back, intricately offset in ways that keep the body locked and the mind wondering. While the A-side leans into this physical immediacy - driving, playful, and sharply articulated - the B-side slips further into the tunnel. Atmospheres thicken and the palette turns eerier, stretching its essential rhythmic backbone into darker territories. Spatial details begin to seep through the structures, pulling the listener deeper while maintaining that firm gravitational pull toward the dancefloor.
Together, the two sides reveal different shades of DHAEUR's language. The result is a beautifully balanced narration between propulsion and immersion, where groove-led functionality meets a more shadowy, atmospheric depth.
Clairvoyant Dimensions is the first album by Mei Honeycomb, a new duo of Jordan Czamanski, renowned as a member of the acclaimed Juju & Jordash and the Magic Mountain High project, with solo work released as Jordan GCZ, and legendary saxophonist Jeff Hollie, known mostly for his work with Frank Zappa and Ike Willis. An explorative ambient album, Clairvoyant Dimensions is an exercise in distance and contemplation, and the exhilarating feeling of insight, however fleeting, like staring at the midnight flicker of an old VCR. Czamanski's music has a trademark tenderness and soft-spokenness, an ability to maximize minimalist musical elements and bring them to an open-ended conclusion. Jeff Hollie provides interpretative sax lines on all tracks, slipping into the scene like a shadow, silent and unexpected, touching upon emotional registers almost explicit, yet confounding.
As musical signifiers keep turning around themselves, they set up a mood of euphoria, one that suggests understanding. Never explicitly spaced-out, there is continuous reference to cosmoses both inward and far away. Ambient music in modern form. Jordan Czamanski uses his experience in producing off-the-charts club music to come up with five tracks that at times are standstills, and at times dwell in forward momentum. Jeff Hollie provides both comprehension and beautiful confusion. As grainy images switch into focus, Clairvoyant Dimensions is a beautiful and contemplative trip that suggests its own reality in delicate ways. One of the five tracks, the gorgeous live-recorded Painted Desert Pastel, features composer, performer, and researcher Ilya Ziblat Shay on double bass and electronics.
Screen-printed cover designed by Johan Kauth.
Mastering by Rashad Becker
The Messier Objects returns with the second release on their label containing ten new tracks from the new TMO alter ego ‘Messier One.’ The work combines nostalgic IDM, eerie ambient and dreamy dub techno into one mini-album, inspired by the brute forces of nature and the power of healing and regeneration.
Expect to feel the force of nature on the A-side, where tracks such as ‘Earth’s Signal 04’ and ‘The Greatest Ebb Current’ contain distorted and fuzzy pads, eerie and vague echoing vocals, and whitenoise patterns that somehow feel strangely calming. Together with the broken drum patterns on tracks such as ‘Who Do You Worship?’, and the distorted kicks on ‘Kaalo Asmi Loka Kshaya Kritpraviddho’, the A-side manages to create crude IDM and ambient patterns – resembling historic natural events as if you were there yourself.
On the B-side. the noisy and broken patterns from the previous six tracks are replaced with warm and meditative sounds. ‘Two Tides’ is filled with soothing arpeggiated soundscapes and echoing voices, and the organic jungle chants and mythical vocals in ‘Rebuilding Temples’ further continue the process of regeneration. The B-side is accompanied with two remixes from Messier808 (known from the first release), who brings his typical meditative 4x4 patterns to the table, accompanied by dreamy textures, cyclical melodies and illusive effects from a now ‘healed’ society.
This thoughtful release brings a complete story told in only ten chapters. As always, their releases are backed by breathtaking artworks using vibrant and organic colours, completing an intriguing mini-album.
‘White Series #4’ marks the debut EP of Marc Feldmann and Dominik André as a producer duo. The record opens with ‘Natural Oscillation’
, a hypnotic techno piece where flowing percussion meets subtle trance influences. ‘A Breeze of Mistral’ builds on this energy with layered repetition and a deep pulse that unfolds gradually, drawing the listener further in. On the flip side, Audrey Danza reinterprets Natural Oscillation with a direct, dancefloor-focused approach. She sharpens the groove, raises the tempo, and pushes the track forward with her signature, driving drums and a tightly locked kick, transforming the original’s hypnotic flow into a no-frills cut. The EP slows the pace with ‘Discernible Rhythms’, a reflective, 80s-influenced synth chugger that adds warmth and restraint to the record. Released as a hand-stamped white label on Subject To Restrictions Discs, White Series #4 reflects and continues the label’s contribution to the more understated forms of electronic club music.
"After being praised as one of the best releases of 2025 by multiple platforms, the highly praised debut album from Obeka lands on vinyl via YUKU.
The rhythmic dynamics and emotive attitudes of A World No More captures the density of soundsystem culture in Obeka's ancestral roots. YUKU presents the Bermudians debut album capturing a Neo-Colonial dystopia, protest and Afro-Futurism hyperextended through decaying sonic structures of a dark past and its grievances which very much exist today.
Growing into adulthood within the walls of British and European Colonial systems meant the disconnection and lostness in a new country hid me from the world at a young age. Unlike London's vast and culturally engaging migrant communities, the industrial milling town of Stockport introduced a coldness towards people from other countries I experienced in my first year after relocating from Bermuda. I couldn't understand why. Whether cold words thrown towards me or actions upon other people who look like me, it has shown to be a dooming societal virus with no cure. The most comfort was found through what was familiar - drums and rhythmic spirituality of my homeland. It was a safe-haven, a place to empty the anger and confusion. It's been 15 years since relocating and as my sound evolved, it seems classism, racism, oppression and civil control of ethnic peoples has become worse - even now more legalised and normalised. Ogun (a powerful Yoruba deity associated with anger, justice and war) acts as the opening sequence of the record and its symbolism. Using distorted bass frequencies and dissected Regga-Dub immersed in live-sampled ghostly voices of the lost ones. This sonic exercising is also applied in Drillaman - a stampede of industrial framework and metallic instruments wielded over moody Dancehall MC'ing, magnifying two parallel worlds in cocooned evolution. The resurrection of Transatlantic African cultures and identity have never been silenced, rather carried elsewhere through trade routes of enslavement, which was pivotal when composing and completing the album upon returning home to the Caribbean for the first time ever. After reconnecting with my heritage my blurred vision of what's wrong in the world became so clear. Guidance in empty plains seek truth throughout the pain - A statement of finding oneself expressed on the poetic closing track A World No More.
On Fawohodie (A West African Adinkra symbol that represents independence, freedom, and emancipation stamped on the album cover) the motive and atmosphere begins to change. Afro-Caribbean idealism which refers to the philosophical concept that emphasizes the interconnectedness of individuals and the importance of community, often contrasting with Western individualism, begins to take shape in a new universe. We can co-exist. The track framework uses machine-led software forming frequencies we have no control over, then manipulated through decomposing soundscapes, scattered hand-drums and human-made weapons of control - exposing the hidden disparity that's been carried over generations whilst balancing hopeful and musical foundations towards equality and peace. On Pressure and Kuduro! the writing direction attempts to wake people up. Not settling for a composed approach like in past projects, quite the opposite. A call for native sonic awareness, dismantled vocals of protests, eroded percussion using chains, gears and motorised harmonies sculpted in challenging abstract behaviors far outside my comfort zone. A direct abrasiveness and weight I want people to feel, whilst finding hope and solace through enchanting choirs and hypnotic basslines in complete synchrony.
"Purity in sound manifests when you least expect it. The smallest memory or feeling grows from a seed into a sonic language that you, and only you can interpret and release back into the world." "
