Royal Athlete Records are back with another set of party bombs, lovingly curated to achieve maximum perspiration. Heading up side A is 'Dreamers' by UK's Chaconne. A certified disco-piano-banger, recalling 80s NYC hedonism and emotion. (The Real) Kent Clark, who so far has only one release on Bordello's Riviera Disco series follows up with an electro-boogie dub workout entitled 'Make It Right'. Our man in Holland: Aux Tha Masterfader, takes us back to the old-school with the LinnDrum breakdance beast, 'Let's Dance To The Beat'... He commands, we obey. Closing up is Dilemma, who recalls the memory of the early days of Belgium's debauched nightlife with searing leads and low-motion grooves in 'Bocca Nights'. All tracks mastered by Alek Stark.
The next volume of Wonderwheel's long running Turntables on the Hudson series, curated by Nickodemus, heads down to the Caribbean encompassing diverse music made for the dancefloor. TOTC touches on the culturally rich shores of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, Colombia and the USA and beyond with Island inspired vibes.
This double 7" taken with our favorite cuts from the compilation features tracks from DJ Jigoe, Captain Planet feat Chico Mann, Corrado Bucci, and Poirier. On the A side, Afro Cuban artist and recent US & UK Press Darling DJ Jigue gives us the stripped down, Cuban house stomper that is "RIVE", while on the B side Italian producer Corrado Bucci teams up with the classic Columbian group Los Corraleros de Majaguel for a brand new modern take on their Cumbia classic "La Cuidad De Eterna Primavera". On the C side, Captain Planet & Chico Mann's tropical AfroLatin dancefloor smash "Aguacero" finally sees vinyl release, while on the D side, Montreal producer Poirier delivers a jumping Haitian/Creole tune "Pale Mal" with Fwonte on vocals to round out the compilation.
out of Stock
Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
First complete Sonic Youth album is one of Thurston Moore's favorites. Includes live cover of The Stooges' I Wanna Be Your Dog'. Vinyl includes digital download. Originally slated to be a 7' to follow up their self-titled debut, Sonic Youth's Confusion Is Sex blossomed into the band's first album: a brain-bludgeoning, completely fried endeavor of dissonance and disarray, a perfect soundtrack for running from a chain-wielding gang near the SIN Club. This was the sound of 1983 New York City, nothing like the jangly roots of college radio rock starting to formulate in Athens, Georgia. It sounded like no one else on Earth, for that matter. The raw, Wharton Tiers 8-track production is dark, the Kim Gordon- scrawled cover figure art of Thurston Moore is dark, Lee Ranaldo's back cover photo-collage and Catherine Ceresole's crumpled-xeroxed images that adorned the inside are dark. It's an album that moves Sonic Youth forward from their first EP almost by devolving backwards into true ugly, lo-fi primitivity. The bareboned arsenal of junkpile guitars and implementation of alternate tunings was growing, and so were the songs that matched the individual attributes of each instrument: certain ones groan and growl a specific way that the band started to realize itself could become the compositional germ of a song. Herein is the threshold of a new explosion of the band's creativity, replacing the comparatively cleaner buzz of the Sonic Youth EP with guitars that spew fractured, uglier chunks of sound everywhere, held down by menacing minimalist basslines (actually played by Thurston on half of this LP, and for the only time ever on Protect Me You,' Lee) and the brutal-yet-controlled metronomic drumming of Jim Sclavunos, augmented with replacement drummer Bob Bert's notable bashing on Making the Nature Scene' and grotty no-fi live rendition of I Wanna Be Your Dog.' Hearing the crashedwindow intro of Inhuman' and subway-brake screech of The World Looks Red,' you can attest that while Sonic Youth's guitars are not quite yet being utilized in the totally controlled, lyrical fashion seen later on albums like Evol, Daydream Nation et al., they were well aware of the colors and tonalities that were unfolding and the possibilities presented. Also, they were getting a grasp on adding colors to the chaos with tempered, simmering moments like Gordon's Shaking Hell' and Renaldo's chimy, home-taped Lee is Free.' Making the Nature Scene' and The World Looks Red' even toss in glints of hip-hop vocal approach way ahead of its time, albeit through a blender. While its confrontationalism might have put off some critics, time has rewarded Confusion with a truly distinctive air and atmosphere in the Sonic discography, enough to have Moore declare it his fave along with the band's swan-song The Eternal. Brian Turner, WFMU.
Brotherhood Sound System Records is back with its third 12" offering and the first in a series of compilations entitled 'Percussive Parameters', delivering percussion heavy sonics focused directly at the dance floor.The lead track of the EP, Callahan's 'Kudzu', opens with a chopped, atmospheric vocal layered intelligently over rolling percussion and a hypnotic flute. A pounding 808 kick drum is teased underneath until the track switches into a relentless, chugging club tool.
This one's destined to tear up dance floors for a long time...
Next up are label bosses Silas & Snare with 'Eastern Shores'. An unassuming and innocuous introduction with lush pads and clean percussion that ricochets neatly off vocal cuts dramatically shifts pace and turns into a weighted, rolling cut of UK Techno. On the flip, A:Tonal leads the charge through an acid tinged stomper entitled 'Perfect Imbalance'.With driven percussion and firing synths in equal measure, this is unquestionably a peak time weapon in any DJs arsenal. Finally, Bristol locals SYZ & LKY deliver 'Turbulence', a groove and sub laden roller that's meditative and hypnotic whilst maintaining an assertively club ready focus.We're very excited about the start of this new project and chapter for the label, and would like to thank you for all your on-going support. Enjoy the music!
The next volume of Wonderwheel's long running Turntables on the Hudson series, curated by Nickodemus, heads down to the Caribbean encompassing diverse music made for the dancefloor. TOTC touches on the culturally rich shores of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Jamaica, Belize, Mexico, Colombia and the USA and beyond with Island inspired vibes.
This double 7" taken with our favorite cuts from the compilation features tracks from DJ Jigoe, Captain Planet feat Chico Mann, Corrado Bucci, and Poirier. On the A side, Afro Cuban artist and recent US & UK Press Darling DJ Jigue gives us the stripped down, Cuban house stomper that is "RIVE", while on the B side Italian producer Corrado Bucci teams up with the classic Columbian group Los Corraleros de Majaguel for a brand new modern take on their Cumbia classic "La Cuidad De Eterna Primavera". On the C side, Captain Planet & Chico Mann's tropical AfroLatin dancefloor smash "Aguacero" finally sees vinyl release, while on the D side, Montreal producer Poirier delivers a jumping Haitian/Creole tune "Pale Mal" with Fwonte on vocals to round out the compilation.
out of Stock
Last delivered 7 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
The Martinez Brothers Cuttin' Headz returns with a new EP from The Butcha, entitled '10001' and backed with two remixes from Matrixxman.Phil Moffa aka The Butcha is a New York City based musician, producer and engineer most notably known for his works alongside DJ Spider and Anthony Parasole for Sublevel Sounds / Plan B Recordings and alongside Seth Troxler for Hypercolour. Here we see him return to the fledgling Cuttin' Headz imprint with his idiosyncratic take on raw, emotive house music following his Destination Void release alongside DJ Spider and Brendon Moeller last year.Up first are two originals from The Butcha, the first of which '99 Prince St.' lays focus on echoing atmospherics, snaking Rhodes and shuffling dubbed out percussion while the latter, '6 Hubert St.' pivots towards an amalgamation an upfront organic rhythm alongside a weighty low end drive and wandering synth swells.
To complete the package San Francisco's Matrixxman delivers two interpretations, firstly the 'Acidized Mix' which as the name would suggest draws on squelching 303 lines layered over processed snippets from the original before the digital bonus 'Transhuman Mix' closes on an arpeggio fuelled Techno tip.
The Butcha's '10001' is out on Cuttin' Headz 23rd September 2016.
Based out of San Francisco, Extra Classic is a unique live band formed with a keen appreciation of vintage reggae & vintage sounds. The aesthetic, and certainly the skilled method of their production, is an ode to the art of that classic style as referenced to the term coined by the Cool Ruler himself. Recording in their own studio, Nopal Recording, the band employs a taster's choice of analog equipment and is devotedly tracked, spliced and mixed in-house direct to tape. However, as the group's name itself implies, there is a dose of something extra and new in this swirling mixture of space echo, heavy phase, and emotive, psychedelic California-soul.Built upon the rock of an early-era dancehall swing, their first single in conjunction with Brooklyn-based imprint Names You Can Trust entitled In This Life, is a perfect slice of lover's rock gone sideways, a decidedly left-coast piece of roots and bliss driven by Adrianne deLanda's lovely lead vocals and the steady, dusty echoes of the locked in players. Presented in the traditional format with a version as per NYCT fashion, the dub mix incorporates a soothing dose of synare beams and underwater instrumental dreams.
Munich based pair Jorkes are something of an enigma, having appeared on the scene recently with a fully formed sound and a desire to let their music do the speaking for them. Musically the duo seem to be operating with few boundaries, looking to express their emotional states through their music with scant consideration for styles or genres. This latest release sees Jorkes team up with fellow Munich resident and vocalist Karol Schmejchel to deliver a slice of evocative, slo-mo nu-disco. The release kicks of with the original mix of 'Thank You', marrying chugging drums and warm bass with stirring pads and the emotionally charged vocals of Schmejchel. It's a perfect track for dark backrooms and home lounging alike. The remix comes from Manchester trio Menage a Trois who deliver a sonical beautiful reworking built around heartwrenching keys and heavily reverbed guitar parts. Simple understated drums carrying the record along as their vocal treatment soars towards the heavens, this is sublime stuff. The vinyl release will also feature an exclusive instrumental of the Menage a Trois mix for those who like things a little more stripped back. In keeping with Jorkes' creative outlook, and following on from their previous release, there will be an exclusive music video of 'Thank You' forthcoming which is likely to set pulses racing once again! Thanks for purchasing a real copy!
Poker Flat Recordings deliver another killer collaboration, this time between Berlin's youANDme and The Analog Roland Orchestra. The result is Reflection - an EP containing more than its fair share of pure dance-floor moments. The Analog Roland Orchestra is Michal Matlak, the Berliner whose intimate knowledge of dance music's most iconic machines has made him a much-in-demand producer and remixer. Teaming up with party starters youANDme as well as vocalist Black Soda, the title track of this release explores deep vibrations, merging 303 basslines, crisp 909 programming and a highly effective vocal. The Dub Tool reworks the vocals into a more spacey arrangement, adding atmosphere for DJs who like to keep their sets stripped back and trippy. The Hyenah remix flips the script and develops a deep afro-house inspired cut - the man from the Caymen Islands developing an irresistible groove stretched out over seven and a half minutes. The Acid mix gives an opportunity for the guys to get busy working the 303 to its full (un) natural potential, while the Morning Light mix locks into a cosmic vibe - shimmering synths over a smooth, rolling deep house vibe.
Late September marks the arrival on the second edition of Unclear Records 'A Tribute To Klang Club' featuring Move D, Fred P, Christopher Rau and label-heads Easy To Remember.
The Unclear Records imprint has carved out quite the reputation over the past few years with an already impressive back catalogue featuring material from Juju + Jordash, Rick Wade, Gigi Masin and Gerry Read. Here thought we see the welcome return of the labels 'A Tribute To Klang Club' series with its second contribution, following the inaugural various artists package that boasted material from Baby Ford, Roman Fluegel and more.
Move D opens with 'Rise!' and delivers a typically brooding, hypnotic number before Fred P follows up with 'Lush Life' laying down raw acidic bass and ethereal pads alongside shuffled rhythms. On the flip Christopher Rau's 'Unclear Joint' ups the energy levels via weighty drums and intricate use of string, bass and vocal samples before label-heads Easy To Remember round off the package with 'I Don't Know' a stripped back house cut led by sparse percussion, jazzy synth licks and soft pads.
'A Tribute To Klang Club Vol.2' is out on Unclear Records 26th September 2016.
Detroit isn't just a place. Sure, it IS a place, and those who physically live there know its triumphs and its tragedies far better than anyone else. But Detroit is also a feeling, a sound, a philosophical home for those who connect with the futuristic, dystopian sounds of Detroit techno and electro on a deep level.
Those tendrils of connection reach far and wide, bringing people from all over the world into orbit with the people and sounds of the city, connecting through the snap of a snare, the wiggly groove winding its way through the beat, the beauty in the sound of strings, the anger in a bubbling bassline.
On this label collaboration between two modern purveyors of techno and electro, Detroit Underground and Detroit Techno Militia have brought their game face and also connected Detroit with producers from elsewhere who've long been tapped into the techno and electro zeitgeist.Activating legendary techno mystery collective Scan 7 for the leadoff title track Direct Effect, they take us on a high speed chase, a desperately frenetic percussion jam crunching its way through the bass bedrock for maximum damage. DTM's T.Linder then slams down the accelerator on a brutal remix, kicking up the stomp and reversing the bass for a subtle melodic turn, while the ride cymbals cut deep enough to draw blood. Romania's Andrew Red Hand, known for his fierce electro production, does not disappoint with his remix. He drops down into the classic low slung bass and snare rhythm, letting the metallic bass bubble up like a submariner surfacing with soundsystem intact.
Rounding out with a cave dwelling minimalist stomper are extant techno legends Teste. Originally from Hamilton, now based in Berlin, Teste bring their hypnotic sensibility to a hammer beat to end the remix lineup with a bang.
Packing much sonic variety into four tracks, Direct Effect shows that Detroit's heart is still beating strong, collecting people in the path of its sound, mapping out a line between techno soldiers far and wide. It's what made the city great, and why it remains the spiritual home of techno.
out of Stock
Last delivered 4 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
* Manchester's Walton returns to Tectonic following last year's explorations in grime flavoured house/techno offshoots on the killer 'Bulldoze EP'. This time Walton leads with a dance floor crushing anthem that cruises a cool line between grime and tribal dubstep. Featuring a looping Riko Dan sample, 'Gunman' sets a stone cold tone from the offset, hi-hats setting up the groove before a grime flavoured melody cuts in preparing you for the drop. When the bass and drums come crashing in they bounce off each other to produce a disorientating tribal rhythm that will set the dance floor alight!
* Flip for a slower, more gentle mood with 'Caught In A Trip'. Rolling at 126bpm, 'Caught In A Trip' builds around a developing melody played on a glockenspiel-esque instrument, backed with tribal percussion and a driving kick pattern. Ethereal in mood throughout, this one provides a lighter moment for the dance floor.
Some straight up banging mid 90's gear from Drew Sky under his Skyman alias. One for the DM freaks and collectors alike.
Direct, dancefloor damaging Acid in the shape of "Focus" bristles alongside the hyper Disco cut-up of "Peace of mind", strictly for the heads! Flip the record over to check the insane sax samples in "Skoba Dee" for maximum confusion in the dance! Massive record, pure power all the way through and an essential weapon for the record bag! Fully, legit reissue done with the permission and assistance of Dance Mania records and Mr. Parris Mitchell, Chicago USA.
out of Stock
Last delivered 7 months ago available to reorder, subject to availability
This is the sampler of the Affkt new album 'Son of A Thousand Sounds' to be released by Sincopat. It includes collaborations with Upercent, Piek and Sutja Gutierrez.
The Pack contains 12" Vinyl + CD Album
This is the sampler of the Affkt new album 'Son of A Thousand Sounds' to be released by Sincopat. It includes collaborations with Upercent, Piek and Sutja Gutierrez.
Ital & Halal return to Lovers Rock with 'Tower B,' an EP of enigmatic techno explorations. 'Shenzhen River' opens: an ominous, questing acid line stretches its tendrils around nocturnal atmospheres. 'From the Brink' counters with glints of warm melody. On side B, the title track unfurls with slithering percussion and a menacing drone. Ambient closer 'Where Exactly I Am' picks up the pieces, lost voices traveling across the stereo field, searching for answers through an endless pale haze
Quintessentials is very happy to present their 50th release! To celebrate this, we invited some buddies to bring the deep beats. And damn they did! Mat Chiavaroli, one of your main artists who is getting stronger and stronger, opens this jubilee release with upbuilding powerful tune, just the tune the get Quintessentials 50 started! Great to see profilic dutch producer Nachtbraker (Heist, Quartet Series) on the label too. We love his style and he will soon be as popular as Ajax Amsterdam! His subtle and dirty "Bronco" fits in perfectly. The definitive club tune that grooves and grooves and grooves comes from Ponty Mython (Dirt Crew). Alexandr is a cool guy and this is defo a cool tune. Last but not least is Soul of Hex (Freerange, Vicario). Our mexican friend is going very raw this time. Yes, why not call it electronic body music (remember)! As we are gentlemen, we added a Quintessentials sticker in the vinyl edition. Go and get it!
Black Truffle is pleased to present Speak To Me, the sixth full-length release from 3/4HadBeenEliminated, the Italian trio of Stefano Pilia, Claudio Rocchetti and Valerio Tricoli. Based on source material recorded in Bologna and Berlin over the course of several years, the album is made up of two side-long pieces meticulously constructed in post-production by Tricoli in his singularly dense and unpredictable style. Although their live performances have always been entirely improvised, in their recorded work the group focuses on using improvised recordings as source material for compositions built up through layering, editing and analogue manipulation, extending the practices of Teo Macero, Faust and This Heat. Melancholic instrumental ruminations sit alongside cracked electronics, concrete sounds and Tricoli's whispered vocals, drawn together into dense assemblages animated by gradual transformations and sudden jump cuts.
Beginning from the abstractions of their self-titled debut release in 2004, the group embarked on a trajectory that saw them move toward near-song structures, Tricoli's voice becoming a dominant element amid an increasingly dense and layered production style. On Speak To Me, however, the listener feels confronted by the ghost of music, sonic memories echoing across a psychedelic expanse. Evacuated of any clear structure, the music becomes a reverb-saturated morass, from which crystalline details momentarily emerge: shimmering echoed guitar, bowed double bass, tactile hand percussion, skittering electronics. Suffused with a darkly pensive atmosphere, Speak To Me is an elegant summation of the distinctive blend of electroacoustic techniques, instrumental improvisation and contemporary psychedelia pioneered by 3/4HadBeenEliminated over the last decade.
For his next release on Soundway Records,
Los Angeles-based Dexter Story hooks up with long time friend and compatriot of music, the saxophonist, jazz composer, producer and band-leader Kamasi Washington. A fierce, rumbling electro Ethio-Funk groove provides the platform for an intense and powerful interplay between Washington on tenor sax and Todd Simon on trumpet. An instrumental cover version of Tilahun Gessesse's 1970s cut of the same name, it's Story's homage to the oppressed Oromo people of Southern Ethiopia. Backed on the flip by the one cut from Story's 'Wondem' long-player that did not make it to vinyl when the LP version was cut, Nia Andrew's
sublime and atmospheric collaboration on Eastern Prayer
will keep all those happy who grumbled at it's exclusion
from wax first time around. This is a record that no lover
of Ethio-Jazz, Afro-Beat or Funk should be excused for not
owning.
After having debuted on the KX label compilation (KX 10) last year with the excellent "Subwolfer", upcoming producer KRISZTIAN DOBROCSI continues to craft weighty and soulful dance tunes for his debut album PLAYBACK PHILOSOPHY. The second full-length release coming from KX presents nine sweeping cuts brimming with glistening melodies, succulent synths and earthy, propulsive beats. From the emotive loops of opener AMNETIC CINEMA to the dreamy epic PLANET NINE, the snappy KALEIDOSCOPE or the immersive soundscapes of LIGHT OF ZARTHA, this is a surprisingly mature debut, confidently balancing between deep textures and catchy hooks - making this a aunting and infectious listening experience for all fans of electronic dance music with heart.
The man behind the track that Move D proclaimed "owned the dome at freerotation" , returns with 3 new tracks of deep machine grooves, his first release since 2013's Analogue Mapping. "Frey'd" is built around a synth patch stumbled upon whilst conducting a test on one of bovill's machines with rennouned Synth engineer Frey Smith. Opening with playful ,bubbling analogue tones and nostelgic pads, before characteristic basslines, percussion and 303 lines join in, ending on a spaced out contemplative groove . " L.A.T. " is a more stripped down track, which ebbs and flows around subtle builds, tweeks, and delays, perfect for the deeper late night dancefloor. Closing the ep is Golden burn, the deepest and most dubbed out of the 3 tracks, sprinkled with emotive keys, and underpinned by distinctive bass lines.
In 1997, a quiet, unassuming man of 59 years old named Victor Tavares - better know as Bitori - walks into a studio for the very first time to record a masterpiece which many Cabo Verdean consider to be the best Funaná album ever made. Bitori´s musical adventure had begun long before this point. It was 1954 when he embarked on a journey across the seas to the island of Sao Tomé & Principe. The young man´s hope was to return to Cabo Verde with an accordion.
Following two years of hard labour Bitori had succeeded in saving enough money to acquire what was to become his most valued possession, his cherished instrument. The two month journey back to Santiago, his island of birth, proved time enough to master it. Self taught, Bitori developed his own style, an infectious blaze, that quickly caught the attention of the older generation. Before long Bitori was being asked to share his musical talents, igniting the local festivities around Praia with his music.
But not everybody welcomed the rural accordion-based sound. Perceived as a symbol of the struggle for Cape Verdean independence and frowned upon as music of uneducated peasants, Funaná was prohibited by the Portuguese colonial rulers. Performing it in public or in urban centres had serious consequences - often jail time and torture awaited musicians that were caught in the act'. In light of such persecution the genre of Funaná began to slowly disappear.
In 1975 Cabo Verde achieved independence from Portuguese colonial rule. Along with Cabo Verde's independence came a lifting of the ban placed on Funaná. The musical repercussions in Cabo Verde were plenty - many upcoming artists embraced Funaná, translating and adapting its musical form in new ways. It was not to be until the mid-1990's, however, that Funaná in its traditional form was actually recorded. It was a young singer from Tarafal, Chando Graciosa, who was to play a key role in this event. Upon hearing Bitori, Graciosa immediately felt drawn to Bitori's unique playing style - a raw and passionate sound accompanied by honest lyrics that reflected the harsh reality of the Cabo Verdean working class. He eagerly approached Bitori suggesting they join forces and travel overseas with the objective of taking Funaná beyond its rural roots. The two of them, with others in tow, achieved their goal and travelled to Europe, introducing a receptive European audience to the vibrant energy of Funaná.
Eventually Bitori returned to his beloved Cabo Verde. Graciosa opted to settle in Rotterdam in order to pursue his career - he vowed, however, to bring Bitori across to Holland at a later date to record an album.
In 1997 the time was ripe to immortalise the sound Bitori had shaped over a time span of four decades. Built around a formidable rhythm section, formed of drummer Grace Evora and bass player Danilo Tavares, "Bitori Nha Bibinha" was recorded. The recording catapulted Chando Graciosa to stardom, making him Cabo Verde´s No.1 interpreter of Funaná.
The success in Cabo Verde was phenomenal and Funaná rapidly gained the recognition it deserved, especially in urban dance clubs. Bitori´s songs quickly became standards - classics known and loved throughout the country. The musical success, however, was solely limited to the Cabo Verdean islands - until now!
Analog Africa is proud to contribute to the worldwide promotion of Funaná - the once forbidden sound of the Cabo Verde archipelago - by releasing a worldwide re-issue of Bitori and Chando Graciosa´s legendary recording.
The release will herald Bitori´s first European tour taking place during the summer of 2016. Watch this space! And listen!
Boris Werner returns with 'Daymare Dreamer EP' featuring collaborations with noisemaker 'Gretz & Rival of Mars' as well as 'Cinema Royale' and two fresh solo tracks 'Dance of the Hump Back Whale' and 'Frustration (No Strings Attached'). This EP by Werner, known for his infamous 23 hour DJ set in Amsterdam, kicks off with the title tune 'Daymare Dreamer' riding it's way in at 7min40secs in total for a breezy welcome of classic Werner style house beats. This opening track bubbles with roots influence that fans will be familiar with as well as some slick vocal slices drifting in and out. Having previously realised mixes and podcasts alongside the likes of beat creators and funky jammers such as Dj Buck, Lazare Hoche & Malin Génie, William Djoko, and Dj Deeon this new release comes after many live shows and events including his live set from an old wine bodega. His summer calendar is booked up with international tour dates at some of the most spot on locales for dance floor showdowns. This wealth of tour experiences, inspiration and excitement can be felt from the jazzy Dance of the Hump Back Whale' through to the funky pulsations of 'Frustration (No Strings Attached). 'King Hassan a track created with 'Cinema Royale' features superb 80s style house/electro cow-bell samples, mysterious murky baselines and forward motion keyboard funk.
THE ASSISTENZ is the culmination of a four year creative hot streak as vivid as any part of CRISTAN VOGEL's long career. The trio of dance oor-oriented records formed by 2012's The Inertials, 2014's Polyphonic Beings and now THE ASSISTENZ are sensual pleasures rst and foremost: a lifetime of study of frequencies and rhythms on the frontline of the world's clubs has been put into the creation of sounds that interface with the nervous system and emotional re- sponses with extraordinary immediacy. But there's much more too: together with the more ab- stracted album Eselsbru¨cke, these form an enticing sonic narrative, encoded themes running through them, each part revealing more about the whole. THE ASSISTENZ, then, is many things: a personal document, a tribute to Copenhagen where it was recorded and after whose famous cemetery it is named - but also the nal piece in this bigger puzzle, which unlocks untold secrets from the previous three records.
There's a deeper history, of course. CRISTIAN's productions going back to the start of the 1990s have woven their way into the fabric of underground culture. His own recent remasters of his early albums, and the Sub Rosa Classics 1993-1998 collections have shown just how potent his early work remains. But his new work exists in a very different world to those past works, and is far removed from the recent electronic generations who he has in uenced too. In fact, as you listen to THE ASSISTENZ, you realise that there's no point making comparisons with other elec- tronic producers at all. While you will certainly hear some of the most fundamental and enduring vectors of underground music - dub, electro, acid, funk - owing through the tracks, even those things are rebuilt from the molecular level, created completely afresh with new, precise, but some- what skewed vision.
CRISTIAN's understanding of music now is spectral. That is to say, with every step through his exploration of sound over the years, he has made more and more detailed analyses of the specif- ic frequencies that make up speci c sounds and produce speci c effects on the human mind and body. And as a result, his own sound synthesis - increasingly done via the Kyma programming platform - is more and more able to reach beyond the 'synthetic' and impact in uncanny and wonderful ways. The most obvious sense of this is the way his sounds touch on the human voice: not just in the chattering, shimmering, singing tones of THE ASSISTENZ's ghostly centrepiece 'Barefoot Agnete', in the alien radio signals of 'The Merman's Dream' or even in the subliminal 'aaah's hiding in the background of the noisy 'Vessels', but in the way any sound, anywhere in any track can sound peculiarly vocal, heard from the right angle.
And it's not just the boundary between human and non-human, or that between acoustic and synthetic, that get blurred to the point of non-existence. CRISTAN's creative methodology now is all about leaving you so uncertain about where anything came from, or what scale the sounds are operating on, that you have no choice but to let go of preconceptions and standardised criti- cal faculties and go with it. Sometimes that can take you to places where darkness and physical- ity close in on you as on 'Vessels' or 'Telemorphosis', or into haunted spaces on the edge of the void like those of 'Snowcrunch' and 'Barefoot Agnete', but even in those, there is euphoria. And in the voluptuousness of 'Hold' or the body-rocking funk of 'Cubic Haze', all the abstraction is grounded in the sheer pleasure of your own bodily responses to the sound.
So many of the science ction dreams of the 1990s are now (virtual) reality. We live in a time when social networks consciously manipulate our emotions, where data is money, where ma- chines learn, where images can't be trusted, and where the synthetic can feel more real than real. Over some 25 years, CRISTIAN's experiments have traced much of this weirdness and evolved with it, and his understanding of synthesis and algorithmic processes to create structure makes him one of the most important composers working today. But THE ASSISTENZ doesn't just ex- periment with the interfaces between mind, body and machine: it expresses those relationships in ways that are beautiful, troubling, moving and scary, and which even make you want to dance. Together with the preceding three albums it enacts a glorious, endlessly-explorable mapping of just what electronic music can do.
Peng Sound Records kick off the year 2016 with their first set of 10' discs - the original dubplate format does seem rather fitting for what is perhaps one of the biggest and most in-demand cuts from Ishan Sound & Gorgon Sound in recent years, a big contribution to their unstoppable rise in soundsystem music territory. Trojan, the grime-tinged steppers is reminiscent of the seminal 'Find Jah Way' by his peers Gorgon Sound, yet it's still an unmistakeable Ishan Sound production, in the way it's sonics are laid out and presented. In perfect combination fellow Young Echo cohort Rider Shafique steps up in authoritative style, going full charge at the walls of babylon with lyrical firepower. The Ishan Instrumental and the Gorgon Remix have been staples in sets from the likes of Iration Steppas, Kahn & Neek (aka 'Gorgon Sound') Mala, Dubkasm and and of course Ishan Sound himself. The list of selectors who have played this is small but refined, this one has been kept close to the chest, in true tradition to the dubplate ethos of exclusivity. In addition to the instrumental cuts, Peng Sound Records present the burning vocal cut with Rider Shafique. Flip the disc, and the Version awaits, letting the rhythm take full control, for extended dubwise pressure. For all the selectors out there, this release comes packed with enough version excursion to keep the fire burning 'til the dance is charred and dusted by means of frequency. The second disc comes loaded with the infamous Gorgon Sound remix, sonically pretty much exactly between the sounds of Bandulu and Gorgon, with their extra overdriven low-end and amplified, multiplied kick drum pattern, their version of Trojan is arguably the most explosive of them all. The combination of Ishan, Gorgon and Dubkasm is something we've come to expect from Peng Sound now, but this is the first Record that combines all three on one plate - the final cut on this set of Trojan interpretations gives us an exclusive, brand new Dubkasm counteraction - flipping the energetic steppers on it's head in favour of an uplifting one-drop beat, giving the vocal and rhythm a brand new space and presence. If the first three cuts were there to mash down the place with unhinged, dangerous soundsystem attitude, then the Dubkasm cut could be seen as the cool and easy soundboy burial, cementing Rider Shafique's message with deadly effect.
Nas' I AM was his third studio album release and proved his reputation of one hip-hop's leading rappers. His strong lyrics are heard on tracks like "Small World" and "Favor for a Favor" featuring Scarface of the Ghetto Boys. The original material of the album was leaked onto the internet and this forced him to record completely new material.
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and was certified Double Platinum in the USA. In the US Nas had chart success with tracks "Nas Is Like", "Hate Me Now" and "You Won't See Me Tonight" featuring Aaliyah. The production on this album is solid and stands up, even to this day.
With his first EP on Orbis, Binny is ramping it up, once again.
We're very pleased & honoured to host him, his 11th appearance on a vinyl record so far.
Someone to watch out for!
"Resistance" & "Infinite Ratio" has a brilliant hypnotic tension to it.
We won't bother explaining these two. Simply Binny, UK tension building up and excellent for playing 3 decks.
Excellent DJ tools.
On the B-side, Lee takes it to the raw side of analogue techno.
Lee Holman, a veteran that should ring a bell.
Performing in clubs since the late nineties, he has travelled throughout Europe compounding a reputation for his unique vision on Techno.
Production has earned him international recognition, leaving his mark building a reputation for consistency, originality and delivering his dynamic sound on both cutting edge and classic Techno Labels. In other words, Perfect Orbis material!
"Instructional" is no-nonsense raw material, the way Lee likes to build up his tracks.
Straight forward. No compromises. Plain old good techno.
If you're a fan of some older and raw flavoured repetitive techno, you'll want this to light up the dancefloor!
"Urbanite" well. Quircky, filthy, heavy, stomping,... You get the picture.
We're very honoured to host these the gentlemen,
as we're convinced they are a very good fit that matches our vision: transcending mediocre electronic music.
Susso, aka bassist / producer Huw Bennet, creates music inspired by, and directly sampling, the magnifcent sounds of the Mandinka people, recorded during a recent trip to Gambia.
Initally travelling with the aim of gaining perspectve as a musician and to discover a new world of music frst hand, Huw found himself humbled by such a welcoming community of artsts, mostly belonging to the celebrated Suso and Kuyateh griot families.
The tracks are composed entrely from original source material, feld recordings and Huw's talents as a mult-instrumentalist; performing tuned percussion from the region including
the Mandinka Balafon, Kutringding drum, aswell drawing on his skill as a professional upright / electric bassist. The music produced has a contemporary electronic sound, whilst
stll paying homage to a traditonal Gambian aesthetc. Keira (meaning peace) guides the listener through Huw's journey up the River Gambia, being welcomed into remote dusty villages, where your people are the most important thing in life.
Heavily grounded in the UK Steppas sound from the late 90's, Adam Prescott has enlisted the help of UK veteran, King General, on his latest single, 'World Gone Crazy'. King General steps up with real conscious lyrics backed by AP's rootical rhythm section, the duo come together to provide a reality check. On the flip, Adam's Dub is a stripped back, raw take on the original, in true dubwise fashion. Expect real heavyweight digital pressure built to test any sound system.
Shut up!
But look at yourself - you look pathetic! Who do you think are you trying to impress
You of course! All the time you have to bicker and put the finger in it. I'm sick of it. Pss off!
But i only want you to be more than you are. I only want the best for you, you know that!
And I just want to be me sometimes!
Tough luck - I am you! hahaha!
You're not real! I am not having this Nonversation anymore. I'ma Boy-Cott you!
Anunnaki Cartel is up next with another release from label co-owner Chris Mitchell. This is his follow up to the Din Gir Dialectic EP that was released last year. Remnants is a more introspective outing with a sobering feel. These are heady selections for a darker floor, and will satisfy those DJ's who want to inject this into their sets.
Philippe Quenum returns to Cadenza Music with 'Solitaire', some thirteen years after helping kick start the Swiss label with the 2003 release 'Orange Mistake'/'Funky Dandy'. This groundbreaking single, co-produced with Luciano, has since become a landmark release, not just for the label, but also as the benchmark for the micro-house and minimal tech-house genre that developed over the decade. With a music career than spans back to the mid-80s (dancing in NYC as part of the breakdance troupe, The Magnificent Force), Quenum found his forte with house music, both as a DJ, and as a producer and label owner. Setting up the Access 58 label in 1998 as a platform for his music and collaborations, Quenum has consistently released over the years for labels like Crosstown Rebels, Soma, alphahouse, Thema and Trapez LTD. 'Solitaire' finds Quenum on fine form; on the lead track, dubby FX and bass shaking shots roll out over an urgent disco beat, muted brass and technoid stabs fire from all directions as the tension building pads flourish. Shadowy forces are at play on 'Mystic'; discordant sounds echo and bellow over reverberating percussion and a dense back beat that fire into life with shuffling hi-hats. Wrapping up this welcome return to the label is 'Mystery'; whipping snares and industrial clangs rumble over the urgent drums for more hypnotizing dancefloor work from Philippe!
out of Stock
Last delivered 4 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
On Scissor and Thread's fourth release of 2016, newcomer Villete takes a turn in the spotlight on their deep house stunner, 'Girl Next Door'. The A-side opens with the swelling pads and earnest hi-hat of Dreams". A distant voice declares everyone is devoted to their emotion, it's me and my imagination' before a springy bass line drops in, ushering in the mantra never be afraid to dream". A brassy synth further envelops the listener into the track's warm embrace as layers of percussion skitter in and out of focus. September' takes a turn for the cerebral with its' skipping hi-hats and airy pads. A springy bass line is accompanied by celestial synths that envelop the senses, making this psychedelic cut primed for after hours devastation. Villete goes even more cerebral on their introspective title cut, dialing back on the BPM, but keeping the energy high. A hushed bass and thudding kick take the backseat, allowing the hypnotizing, submerged pads and swirling, reverbed synths to take center stage, transporting dancers into eye-closed euphoria. The EP closes with the murky drum tones of Rillia". Droning pads, delicate claps, and a shy, skittering shaker keep things bubbling and light above the track's thicker than molasses kicks. Deep house maestro Darand Land takes his turn on the aforementioned track, lifting it out of the murk and straight up to the heavens and drenching it in his sun-kissed, euphoric style.
out of Stock
Last delivered 2 years ago available to reorder, subject to availability
So it's coming up for the 20th anniversary of the We Are Urusei Yatsura' album, so what better time to look back at the broken Woolworths guitars, damaged eardrums and bleeding knuckles of Glasgow's lo-fi, Tokyo dreaming geek rock quartet
You could say it all began at the Glasgow Sound City event, when legendary BBC DJ John Peel came along to check out Urusei Yatsura at the 13th Note at the invitation of future Franz Ferdinand front-man Alex Kapranos. Liking the chaos that he saw, Peel invited the band to record a session for his show, asking live on air while guitarist and singer Graham Kemp was visiting the studio to talk about his Kitten Frenzy' fanzine the next day.
Peel arranged for us to record the session in Glasgow' says Kemp, We didn't have any amps or any money to get to London.' Producer Stewart Cruickshank told the band that it was the first Peel Session recorded outside of Maida Vale since the Undertones. So no pressure there then.
This began a long association with John Peel and the BBC, which saw the band record 5 Peel Sessions, 3 Evening Sessions for Steve Lamacq, play live to air for Mark Radcliffe, and appear regularly on Radio Scotland for John Cavanagh and Mark Percival. Digging through old C-90's that had been partly taped over with that week's charts, the band have pieced together a compilation of the best tunes for you, the discerning 90's indie rock aficionado.
..they sounded a bit like the Saints' - Thurston Moore, SELECT
Some of the recordings we did for the BBC, I think, are better than what eventually made it onto vinyl. We did Kewpies Like Watermelon' live in the control room for Radio Scotland and we had just learned it so it sounds really fresh and exciting. The version of Siamese' is the best we ever captured, and I love the Dice/Nae Dice' tune we wrote especially for Peel'. - Kemp
The challenge of recording and mixing four songs in a single day brought out the best in the band, and suited their impulsive, DIY rock n' roll spirit. The album, available on CD and vinyl, features 11 songs, including session versions of 6 singles, choice album tracks and live favourites from the only band who have been threatened by both the Yakuza and the Mafia (the latter incident generating the hilarious headline Nerds Threatened With Death' in the Sun newspaper'). The band have decided to call this hand-picked selection of the highlights of an eight year career', You Are My Urusei Yatsura, BBC Radio Sessions.
Other highlights of said career include, a number one indie single with a video shot in a Star Trek themed bar (Phasers On Stun), a Peel Festive Fifty placing (Kewpies Like Watermelon) an actual top 40 hit (Hello Tiger), numerous chaotic tours of Europe, UK and USA ,narrowly surviving a collapsing stage at Benecassim and a tent fire at Phoenix Festival, releasing three studio albums and 13 singles (including splits with Mogwai, the Delgados and the Blisters), taking Mogwai, Eska and Pink Kross on their first UK tours, supporting Super Furry Animals, Pavement and Teenage Fanclub, playing at Roskilde, Reading and T In The Park festivals, The CMJ festival in New York and MIDEM in Cannes.
The band consisted of the writers Fergus Lawrie (guitar and vocals) and Graham Kemp (guitar and vocals), with brother and sister rhythm section Elaine and Ian Graham on bass and drums respectively.
Chances are you've already danced to one of his sets at Panorama Bar - Matthew Styles has been a regular guest DJ at the club for several years -, but you've probably also come across at least one record with music that went through the Englishman's meticulous hands. While Matthew has released great but small numbers of 12"es on various labels since 2007, his credits in mixing, engineering and mastering exceed his solo discography by far.
With the Metro EP we're finally offering a full solo release by Matthew Styles on Ostgut Ton, accounting for his consistent productional finesse, especially with his original track "Liquid Sky" (on Nick Höppner's Panorama Bar 04, 2012) and his 'Dub Mix' of Dinky's "Planes" (on Ostgut Ton / Zehn, 2015).
"I've never worked on a sequential set of songs that came out on the same record," Matthew commented on this 12". As with his productional approach in general, the Metro EP has a certain timelessness: "One piece is from 8 years ago, one from 3 years ago and another from around the time of the recent birth of my second son. I'll leave it up to the listener to guess which is which."
The eponymous "Metro" on A is an elated seven-minute, trippy, meandering analogue synth exploration in House and Cosmic Disco. "Wave 6" opens the flipside with a simple yet beguiling melody: 6 notes dancing completely beatless in 5/4 time, meandering repetitively and escalating towards a blissful - yet only anticipated - climax. "Border" on B2 is a solid addition to the long history of Dub Techno - smooth, steady, super layed back, but also offering many colorful melodic elements.
(de) Gut möglich, dass du schon einmal zu einem seiner DJ-Sets in der Panorama Bar getanzt hast - Matthew Styles spielt seit Jahren regelmäßig am Wriezener Bahnhof -, aber sicherlich hast du wenigstens eine Platte gehört, die vorher durch die akribischen Hände des Engländers gegangen ist. Obwohl Matthew seit 2007 tolle aber wenige 12"es auf verschiedenen Labels veröffentlicht hat, übertreffen seine Credits als Mixer, Engineer und in Mastering seine Solodiskografie bei weitem.
Mit der Metro EP hat Ostgut Ton nun endlich ein volles Solorelease von Matthew Styles im Angebot, das seiner konsistenten Produktionfinesse - besonders bei seinem Track "Liquid Sky" (auf Nick Höppners Panorama Bar 04, 2012) und seinem 'Dub Mix' von Dinkys "Planes" (auf Ostgut Ton / Zehn, 2015) - Rechnung trägt.
"Ich habe noch nie aufeinanderfolgend Stücke produziert, die dann auf derselben Platte erschienen wären", kommentierte Matthew diese 12". Wie generell bei seinen Produktionen besticht die Metro EP durch eine gewisse Zeitlosigkeit: "Ein Stück ist acht Jahre alt, eines von vor drei Jahren, ein anderes von kurz nach der Geburt meines zweiten Sohnes. Die zeitliche Einordnung möchte ich dem Hörer überlassen."
Das gleichbetitelte "Metro" auf A ist eine beschwingte 7-minütige, trippige, mäandernde Analog-Synth-Erkundung in House und Cosmic Disco. "Wave 6" beginnt die B-Seite mit einer einfachen aber betörenden Melodie: 6 Noten tanzen beatbefreit im 5/4-Takt, treiben repetitiv und ansteigend auf einen beseelten - aber nur erhofften - Höhepunkt zu. "Border" auf B2 ist eine solide Dreingabe zur langen Geschichte von Dub Techno: sanft, stetig, super entspannt, aber mit vielen melodischen Elementen.
Matrixxman and Echologist team up for PRRUK's 2X12'' EP ''Black & White''. As the title suggests, this comes in a Black + White package showcasing sturdy Techno rhythms that have happened when these two stalwarts got into the studio together. Acidic tones, thumping bass drums and adventurous FX sweeps. From rhythm driven Techno cuts to the more oddball bits, ''The Black & White EP'' proves to be a versatile yet energetic package.
What Ever Not is the variegated music outlet from experienced Dodi Palese and Dan Mela, Italian DJs and producers supporting, selling, playing and releasing instrumental and dance music for two decades. What Ever Not tenth record, 'Galegos Bar / The Ritual', sees a split release signed by Dan Mela and Marco Erroi. Label co-founder Dan Mela inaugurates a new moniker 'Man Dela' for 'The Ritual' - the original track gets remixed by Anton Zap, with whom Mela already collaborated for a digital release on his own Ethereal Sound. Flipping on the other side, Marco Erroi, head of Common Series Ltd, continues his production career with 'XXXV Gold Fingers' for the 'Galegos Bar' side - one of the many different aliases he personifies - also contributing by realizing the artwork. 'Galegos Bar / The Ritual' offers two sides of the same coin and we can have both things with one stroke. The common denominator is the ethnical ritual. It is fully expressed in the Man Dela side with deep and hypnotic ride out turned upside down by Anton Zap with a dynamic electronic waltz. The same item, however, is magically hidden in the XXXV Gold Fingers side, where we can find it in the form of drink beer and play cards just like in most terrible bars in South of Italy.
Fideles is the joint moniker of Italian duo Daniele Aprile and Mario Roberti, who have carved out a niche for their distinctive brand of deep, techy house on noted labels such as Defected, Be As One, and Marco Resmann's Upon You, among others. Here on their first outing for Poker Flat Recordings, the duo cook up four courses of lean, focussed tech-house for Steve Bug's seminal imprint. 'Detuned' starts the journey - an edgy, tense groove exhibiting the boy's masterful sound design and use of space to create a thick, intoxicated atmosphere. 'I'm Rude' is more direct - a thumping bass drum introduces a low slung bass groove, slowly evolving and mutating into a true party-starter. 'Worthy' uses similar building blocks but delivers a different vibe altogether, revelling in a minimalist production aesthetic and cheeky bass riff. 'Ran Baran', the title track, is another lesson in great production - each element perfectly balanced to create an atmosphere of controlled mayhem - which is exactly the response this entire EP aims to instigate on dancefloors.
