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Mysticisms arrives majestic at 20, transformative ceremonial offerings. Ritualistic, rhythmic, spiritual, chemistry.

The deep house of Elements Of Life returns, the forever sound. Alex From Utopia is a rising name. Utopia Records releasing a myriad, ambient to esoteric, Balearic to breaks, a discerning DJ found in smarter, darker London nightspots. He unearths and sanctifies the rare and lesser known Are You With Me Love?. Alex’s bump and swing version overlays the ambient original in to a late night groove for those hallowed hours. Find the Eternal.

Øyvind Morken comes fresh, How Bleep Is Your Love? all pure Detroit electro and Chicago jack beats, reminding where it’s at. Elemental, creative, demanding attention. The sound intensifies, gliding, heralding the past and future. Find the Control.

Eirwud Mudwasser & Romansoff are the nod’n’wink jack in the pack, popping and locking, Cherrie is all polyrhythmic pots and pans, crackles and unshackled, dubby beats ripple, psychedelic waves overflow. Find the Elixir.

Label brother N-Gynn appears, the on-going uplift of his Superlux label and DJing the globe, from Ibiza to Thailand, always the man who’s hard to pin. Dream house Es Vedra TB Deluxe floats across White Isle waves, embracing Rimini memories, 303 bubbling, fermenting the magic, alchemists all, gold in the sunrise. Find the System.

LIMITED VINYL COMES IN CARDBOARD SLEEVE WITH BOOKLET!
OSTRANENIE is a collection of digitally manipulated, impressionistic piano miniatures — each named after blockbuster films and TV series. Improvised late at night as a reaction against passive media consumption, these pieces function as both homage and critique, navigating the space between classical impressionism and contemporary digital manipulation. They don’t just deconstruct traditional piano expression; they interrogate the emotional stakes of sound in an era where immersion culture flattens meaning and algorithmic logic erodes agency.

The album’s title references the Russian formalist Viktor Shklovsky’s concept of “ostranenie” (ɐstrɐˈnjenjɪj, estrangement/defamiliarization), a term he introduced in the early 1920s to describe art’s role in resisting the indifference of habitual perception.

“And so, held accountable for nothing, life fades into nothingness. Automation eats away at things, at clothes, at furniture, at our wives, and at our fear of war.”
—Viktor Shklovsky, Theory of Prose (1925)

Shklovsky saw art as a way to break through the anesthetizing effects of routine, stripping away the layers of habit that dull our senses. By making the familiar strange, art reclaims perception from the mechanical and the automatic. His argument wasn’t just a theoretical exercise — it was a response to a world rapidly consumed by industrialization, war machines, and the alienation of a technologically dominated modern life. In this context, he positioned artistic technique as something autonomous, distinct from mere social criticism or psychological reflection. Art seeks to remove “...the crust that the world of things deposits on our senses, with routine’s unending murder of the real.” Ben Ehrenreich on Serena Vitale’s Making Strange (The Nation, 2013)

This tension—between revolutionary/artistic and industrial technologies—defined the 20th century, and it continues to resonate today. The mechanization and automation that fueled the First World War’s devastation, alongside the social and economic turbulence of the 1920s, became central to the era’s self-conception. But just as technology was a source of alienation, it was also positioned as an agent of radical change. As the shock of modernity disrupted the human condition, it also became the driving force behind an ideological utopia — one that ultimately deformed into political totalitarianism — a paradox that remains unresolved.

OSTRANENIE plays within this contradiction. The music shifts seamlessly between an uncanny black MIDI dismantling of traditional piano virtuosity and moments of raw, fragile intimacy. The result is a work that resists automatic anonymity while questioning what it means to create in an era where the technological mediation of sound — and experience itself — is unavoidable: Art in the age of its technological constructedness.

Repress!

Emotional Rescue and Utopia Originals join forces to release the pop, new wave, funk of Obscure Desire, a one-off project and EP from effervescent 80s Auckland, New Zealand that saw three friends come together to make a perfect piece of club pop history.

Revolving around the musical talent of Andrew Waldergrave, a trained pianist, music degree drop-out, who moved to the island’s cultural centre of Auckland and emersed himself in the arts and nightlife scene the city had to offer.

Working at Obscure Desire, a Fashion Boutique meets Salon, he became friends with Grant Mitchell and Giselle Trezevant, together forming not a band, but as they saw it, a project to make a record for their scene and beyond.

Coming from outside of the established band route of endless rehearsals, local gigs, growing a fan base and home recordings, they fell did not have the support network of indigenous New Zealand labels. As so often the case in unearthing these lost reissue gems, the artists took matters into their own hands, seeking to write, record and release themselves.

After meeting Trevor Reekie, head of the local Pagan Records label, he took on production duties. Collating the necessary musicians, the project grew from the one song to become a full EP, recording between a home 16 track studio and a full 24 track desk at Harlequin Studios.

Centred around the title song, it is a perfect pop moment. Waldergrave’s piano leads into an infectious groove of slap bass, gated drums, Reekie’s acoustic guitar and cut vocals, before Trezevant’s vocals propel the song to an 80s swing out vibrations. Coming in Extended, Harlequin and Instrumental (digital only) mixes, this was an overload of White Funk.

Here reduced to the best two versions, more room is given to let the other recordings breathe, first the gloriously anthemic instrumental Bullet. Intricate programming and production, lead into the pop sensibility of I Wonder, some kind of wonderful antipodean reimagining of Chris & Cosey finest pop moments, an optimistic paene that permeates the whole EP. Closing 4A, espouses the Jazz Funk, with Trezevant’s simple French lyrics telling of dreams of a lover’s image.

Released in 1986 with no local support from radio and TV, it became something of a “hit” record in New Zealand’s more discerning clubs, however the members soon moved to London and the project remained a one-off moment. Over time the EP has gained cult status to become globally desired that sees copies of the original 12” selling for $000s. Now at last available for a global reach, while remaining a personal, uplifting moment of time.

With Roza Terenzi and Sleep D on the remix, Alfred Czital & Ayu summon divine frequencies across a debut recalling the finest turn-of-the-millennium trance.

Spirits are high as we strive for utopia. Like relics of times passed – a bygone era where the free party reigned supreme – this is a union forged out of a mutual affinity for trippy dancefloor dynamics and live performance.

Rapturous and ecstatic, both originals evoke pure club hedonism. Sensual, sultry gear made of euphoric melodrama, close sweat and lysergic throb. Wide-eyed optimism coursing throughout, but like any good proggy majick, it’s not without a decent dose of shadow and ritual.

Coming in hottt with the remixes and both are befitting a release bent on traversing the wormhole interior. Oyster Cult acolyte Roza Terenzi keeps it taught and tightly-coiled on her rugged, propulsive re-fit, and not to be outdone, Butter Sessions founders Sleep D let atmosphere pull focus with a sprawling, dubby workout.

Polish saxophonist, producer and composer Jerzy Mączyński fuses utopian electronics and organic improvisation on sci-fi jazz odyssey, DO 555ps. Building on his 2023 collaboration with Jamal Moss aka Hieroglyphic Being, DO 555ps is Mączyński’s first self-produced album – a tour de force of spacious, galactic sound design that leans into drone, minimalism and the rich history of sci-fi soundtracks for a 10-track suite of astral proportions.

Mączyński’s sound is both maximalist and restrained, sensitive to detail and atmosphere, defying categorisation and swirling in an orbit of its own making.

Set to be released on Eivind Vullum’s Vibrasjon label in Norway, DO 555ps follows the 2023’s TUNE IN, made under Mączyński and Hieroglyphic Being’s Universal Harmonies & Frequencies moniker.

Described by The Quietus as one of the most interesting records of the year (“as bold as it is massive”), TUNE IN laid the foundations for Mączyński to strike out alone on DO 555PS, inspired by Moss’s skewed production and arrangements to striking and unique effect. - Anton Spice

Over three years in the making, Needle Mythology Records is delighted to announce a super deluxe, expanded remastered reissue of The Lilac Time’s 1991 masterpiece, Astronauts. Released as a triple vinyl, triple CD or single vinyl, only 1000 copies of each format will be produced, there will be no further pressings. Both the 3LP and 3CD editions will come with an extensive 11,000 word oral history of Astronauts and liner notes by Needle Mythology co-founder and longtime Stephen Duffy fan, Pete Paphides.

All three albums including a 2024 remaster, a collection of works in progress entitled‘Softened By Rain The Making Of Astronauts’ and a live compilation ‘Any Road Up The Lilac Time Live 1990/91’ have been mastered for vinyl by Miles Showell at Abbey Roadand will be housed in a triple gatefold sleeve with a colour inner sleeve and new artwork for each disc, which has been especially created by designer Mike Storey. The main sleeve for Astronauts itself will replicate the original artwork but with the four distinctive “blobs” rendered in a red “foil” texture. In addition to these three disc sets, 1000 single vinyl remastered copies of Astronauts will also be made available, in a cherry red vinyl edition to match the outer sleeve.

With the shoegaze and baggy movements at their zenith, The Lilac Time’s fourth album was released at a moment when the left-field music zeitgeist was shaped by the nascent shoegaze, baggy and grunge movements. Whilst Astronauts conformed to none of those trends, neither was it the record Stephen had in his head when he finally finished working on it. We’ll never know how that record would have sounded, but it’s hard to imagine a better version of the album he did end up making. The songwriter who brought ‘A Taste of Honey’ and ‘Hats Off, Here Comes The Girl’ into the world envisaged the sort of choruses that would jump from the single speaker of your favourite transistor and lodge themselves into the collective memory bank.

But while he really was writing some of his most beautiful melodies, Astronauts is a family of songs that demands to be kept together in the sundazed cloud of inspiration that created it. It constitutes a partial retreat from the outwardfacing utopianism of its predecessors, choosing instead to dwell on the journey taken to get to this point. That this is an audibly different band to the pastoral expeditionaries of the group’s previous releases is almost entirely down to the departure of Nick Duffy and the arrival of Sagat Guirey. Suddenly, accordions, banjos and mandolins are out; jazz guitar is in. Sagat’s filigree work on the outro of ‘A Taste for Honey’ acts as a sublime parting shot to a lyric which acts as a wiser, wistful companion piece to Stephen’s 1985 solo hit ‘Kiss Me’, something tantamount to the camera retreating to reveal the years elapsed between the time depicted and the present day. The distance between the carefree youth of pop stardom and the first intimations of mortality can be measured between the first and second verses of the quietly devastating ‘Madresfield’; from the depiction of the deserted cricket pavilion obscured by fresh snowfall to the sudden shift in perspective from subject to protagonist: ‘No one ever told me/That killing time is harmful/For time cannot recover/What soon the ground will offer.’ For all of that, however, the resulting album didn’t correspond to the vision its creator had for it. At a loss as to what to do with it, Stephen surrendered Astronauts to Creation with no plans to promote or draw attention to it. The consciousness shift of which Stephen had hoped The Lilac Time might be a precursor hadn’t happened. Or, rather, it had – but it had happened elsewhere, in the Haçienda and Shoom and in Ibiza. Not on the hills of Herefordshire. In a nod to that sea change, Stephen handed over one song, ‘Dreaming’ to Hypnotone, who

New full-length LP from Toronto producer, DJ and recording artist Tony Price on his Maximum Exposure label. Tony Price is a multi-time Juno and Polaris Prize nominated producer, having worked on a wide variety of records on labels like 4AD, DFA, Slumberland and more. Host of “The Maximum Exposure Power Hour” on NTS Radio

“Requiem For The Ontario Science Centre” is Tony’s ninth full-length LP since 2017, following a series of acclaimed records on labels like L.I.E.S. Records and Telephone Explosion which received coverage and reviews from established outlets like Pitchfork and Resident Advisor. “Requiem For The Ontario Science Centre” pays homage to the beloved 1960’s Canadian landmark and renowned brutalist architectural marvel, which was abruptly closed in the summer of 2024.

The album features longtime collaborator and Caribou touring band member Colin Fisher on Saxophone. The music is Rich with kaleidoscopic saxophone loops, surrealist sound collages, and retro-futuristic synthesizer mirages and will surely resonate with fans of Boards of Canada, Terry Riley and Don Cherry’s “Brown Rice”

These tracks are responsible for a huge impression on Dream Software and the sound of the label, so it is with great honour we reissue these tracks and release them back into the outersphere. The soundtrack to a retrofuturist world gleaming with optimism. A world where humanity, technology and nature exist in a peaceful symbiosis. A real utopia. We thank you Alex for your inspirational music.

Written and produced by Alex Silvi (Alien Signal) throughout the years of 1993-1994. ‘North Polar Stars’, ‘Brilliant Evening Planets’ and ‘Violent Volcanoes of Io’ originally released on album ‘Celestial Sights of the Future’ from Upland Recordings in 1993. ‘Quantum Limit’ was originally released on album ‘The Search Begins’ also on Upland Recordings in 1993, whereas ‘Atomic (Esoteric Mix)’ was a self-release from 1994.

Lovingly remastered by Lopazz@mixmastering.de and carefully distributed by One Eye Witness.

© Dream Software, Corp (2024)

DJ Support - Wehbba, Ilario Alicante, Marco Faraone, Paco Osuna, Cristian Varela, Mauro Picotto, Adam Beyer, Richie Hawtin, Luigi Madonna, Joseph Capriati, Eli Brown, Marco Carola and Charlotte de Witte.

Joseph & Indira's ‘Mantra’ is another testament to ARTCORE's ever-increasing weight in Techno and global electronic dance music and features a duo of racy cuts laden with signature sonics from both artists, kicking off with 'Ananda' and its potent classic Techno feel, with a prominent Capriati core of thumping kicks, crisp percussive drive and progressive energy shifts and playful twists, laced with Indira's hypnotic exotic vocal chops and gritty LFO shots.

'Mantra' rounds off the release with an inverted sound transition, leaning heavier into the 'Psy' sound that has seen Indira's notoriety skyrocket. Flooded with undulating low-end movement, creative off-beat flare, shifting rhythmic patterns and uplifting musicality, its immersive blend of darker sounds and spiritually utopian nuances makes for an undeniably unique statement track.

Whilst famed for his endless spree of unforgettable mainstage performances and international club shows, including standout residencies in Ibiza, Joseph Capriati's studio productions have been carefully selected and rare in recent years. With the emergence of their latest studio productions, Joseph and Indira's ‘Mantra’ release serves as a stamp of approval from one of Techno's most respected tastemakers and an insight into the potential of ARTCORE's indelible impact on global dance music.

E-bony returns to Distant Gaze with a full 6-track EP, diving deep into the unfiltered world of acid and Detroit, where roots meet modern.

This release delivers a range of moods and intensities through analog textures, heavy-hitting kicks, and gritty basslines that have become synonymous with E-bony’s distinct sound. As the EP unfolds, PRZ shifts gears into a futuristic electro soundscape, a glimpse into a sci-fi utopia. Clouzer wraps up the EP with a crushing rendition of ‘Let it Be’—a hard-hitting rave anthem.

Caribbean contributions to British arts and culture are profound and everlasting, particularly through the music brought by the Windrush generation. As the first Caribbean settlers stepped foot on the shores of Albion, millions of Brits were introduced to roots music and sound system culture. In the 1970s, along the coast of Southend-On-Sea, the P brothers—enthralled by the legendary sounds of Jah Tubbys, Channel One, and Jah Shaka—immersed themselves in the world of reggae. This deep-rooted passion was soon passed down to their young prodigy, Charlie P, their son and nephew.

Charlie’s musical journey begins with the sounds of Dennis Brown, Hugh Mundell, and Ranking Dread echoing through his family home. From his early stage performances with the Goldmasters Allstars to his involvement in the sound system universe, his foundations are strongly embedded in roots music.

After over a decade of perfecting his craft and earning the title of ‘dub controller’ he now reconnects with his roots through an album that celebrates the essence of pure, introspective, undiluted reggae.

Staying true to the genre’s traditional blueprint, the compositions by Rico O.B.F and Charlie P were meticulously brought to life by a full live band. Recorded at London’s Room-In-The-Sky studio, the credits feature a stellar lineup, including Horseman on drums and Megahbass on bass guitar, delivering a sound that is both fresh and authentically raw.

Erich Fromm's “Escape from Freedom” was published 83 years
ago. His assumption was that modern man, having freed himself
from the shackles of the old days and living freely, longs to
return to the totalitarian, destructive and conformist world. In
2024, the pluralistic and individualized way of life of the socalled West seems self-evident. Boundless freedom is suggested -
but we continue to flee. Utopias are crumbling and conservatism
is experiencing a renaissance. At the same time, the freedom to
decide “ to be able to stay” in contrast to “having to leave”
currently seems to represent a high value.

This EP, between the two producers from Germany and Ukraine, was
created in this field of tension. David Heine and Konstantin
Kost are already working together on the current AMAS project
(Odessa EP)

"Freedom From Esacape" adapts the former title of Erich Fromm's
central work, which is given a prominent role on this record.
Music and techno are freedom and escape at the same time:
transcendence and escapism. In interaction and contradiction at
the same time.

The cover picture was taken on 25 July 1909, when Louis Blériot
became the first person to cross the English Channel in an
aeroplane with the Blériot XI, which he had designed himself.
The reversal of the title and the idea for the cover artwork
came about during a conversation with the artist Jennifer Mattes
in Vienna.

About the tracks:
On the A-side, the two protagonists create a world of minimalist
dub techno, which also has melodic, flat side strands in its
narratives. The more than 60-year-old fragments from TV
interviews with Erich Fromm on the subject of freedom,decisions, constructivism and destruction are presented so
densely and rustlingly that you don't feel compelled to follow
the lecture. Instead, the spoken word corresponds with the
minimalist framework of the two pieces. The old audio recordings
are embedded as part of the composition. Some of it may be
understood and arouse the listener's curiosity, but again and
again you get lost in the repetitive swamp of sound, so that you
may understand more of the text each time you listen to it
without it imposing itself on you.

The two remixes of the first track take a different approach.
"Save Your Atoll" specifically frames and limits the spoken word
in its interpretation and embarks on a hypnotic journey that is
less worldly and more futuristic.

"Anna Kost" goes one step further by literally suffocating the
old man's spoken word, as if the destructive drum patterns were
trying to shut him up.

"Freedom From Escape" will be released on 18 October 2024 in a
physical edition of 200 records and is available digitally on
all common portals.
WEIRDMOUTHRECORDS2024

Markus Guentner returns to his longstanding label, A Strangely Isolated Place following the triptych of ‘Theia’, ‘Empire’, and ‘Extropy’, presenting eight inspiring collaborations on ‘Kontrapunkt’.

Collaborations are nothing new to Markus, but it’s hard to see beyond his strong singular presence as a pioneer of long-form ambient and drone. Collabs have punctuated his albums in various places over the years, and he is no stranger to working as a duo amongst other projects, with such a strong conceptual thread throughout his prior ASIP releases, Kontrapunkt represents a literal pivot and counterpoint in his production approach. Instead of music encapsulating a strong conceptual narrative, Kontrapunkt sees Markus create a dialogue between himself and a collection of inspiring production partners.

Kontrapunkt opens with ‘Vanish’, a widescreen cinematic odyssey created in collaboration with fellow German and Affin label-head Joachim Spieth, forming the perfect opener with its modest subtleties. Australian-born Karen Vogt, renowned for her voice layering and looping, brings a beautiful, and natural addition to ‘All Light Will Remain’.

Sonae, who appeared on ASIP’s early digital releases, demonstrates her evolution into experimental flourishes with ‘Farbe Der Nacht’, adding pulsating techno tendencies and a menacing, metallic approach to Markus’ foundations. Multi-instrumentalist Pepo Galán harmonizes beautifully with Markus on ‘Ancestral Images’, adding complex nuances to a slowly evolving euphoric piece.
A master of synthesis, Arovane delivers a powerful display of supercharged electronics and coils of energy on ‘Utopian Fragments’. Benoît Pioulard's renowned expertise with guitars and tape distortion become a perfect counter to the electronics of Markus, blending styles seamlessly on ‘Father Of Waters’.

‘An unstoppable force meets an immovable object’ on ‘While Hunting Nightmares And Dreaming For Peace’, as Abul Mogard adds powerful restraint in a meeting of two drone titans. The album concludes with ‘Presence’, where Hollie Kenniff’s uplifting vocals provide a shimmering finish, perfectly bookending an album of perfected counterpoints and evolutions on the Markus Guentner sound.
Kontrapunkt will be available on Gatefold Black/Grey/Blue marble 2LP, digital and streaming on August 30th 2024. Mastered by Gio at Artefacts Mastering, Berlin, and featuring artwork by Noah M / Keep Adding.

Los Angeles-based video artist and producer Laskfar Vortok makes his first appearance in the EVAR catalogue with "Erbsat Esrhosc." An unusual title that reflects the artist's interest in the bizarre, whether he's making music or producing videos and visuals, "Erbsat Esrhosc" bristles with erratic patterns, anarchic atmospheres and glitchy soundscapes. The Mexican-born talent explores ideas based on the hypothetical concept of a planetwide city, otherwise known as an ecumenopolis, weaving such ideas against a cinematic backdrop, nodding to his long-running love for cinema. Across the five-track EP, he also draws inspiration from the heated and hectic energy of L.A, where he's resided most of his life.

Produced in memoriam of Michael Gregory Harrison, aka Bad Timing, and following a period of introspection and creative and personal challenges, Laskfar Vortok began work on "Erbsat Esrhosc" in 2018. The EP honours Michael's brilliance as an artist and a friend;the title being an anagram of a phrase that they shared between them.

"Eclipse" opens the EP on a haunting note. A spidery melody and chilling pads punctuate the witchy soundscape before syncopated sequences collide with snafued textures, signifying a sharp left turn into breakcore. With its nebulous atmosphere, this track offers the first glimpse into the concept of an ecumenopolis. On "Hyperdrive", frenetic percussion dominates while zappy noises and a doomsday melody slink in and out of earshot. Bursts of broken wub exacerbate the uneasy mood while cinematic, almost ethereal chords twinkle in the background.

"Base" offers a moment to recover one's brain cells after the nosedive into the near future. A lugging kickdrum and broken, woody percussions swirl around the troposphere while creepy pads convey a sinister aura. "Mutation" catapults us back into chaos with claustrophobic polyrhythmic structures, smatterings of kickdrums, and a sporadic mad-scientist-type synthline, adding a jittery layer. An unexpectedly orchestral outro completes the bizarre nature of the track.

Closing out on "Send Off", Laskfar Vortok blends freezing-cold chords with snaggy synth notes and a tangle of drum constellations tied up with a gossamer melody and splattered across an eerie terrain.

Using Bitwig Studio, orcλ, TidalCycles and Renoise as his modus operandi, Laskfar Vortok produces a trip that intrigues but disturbs, serving a shimmering yet terrifying squint into a technoid-led utopia. And we're only just getting started.

Fuelled by the Berlin-based duo's love of club music in all its forms ''FJAAK THE SYSTEM'' is FJAAK's most definitive album to date, a winding sonic odyssey that surveys the rave landscape, dipping between frantic euphoria and deep contemplation. Featuring sizzling collaborations with Modeselektor, Skee Mask, Red Eye and J.Manuel, the album draws a bold line under FJAAK's 15 years of mischief and mayhem, pulling together 23 tracks (culled from over 300, no less) that truly reflect the duo's boundless enthusiasm for the dancefloor. Grazing UK breakbeat, techno, 2-step, d'n'b, jungle, trip-hop and ambient, these elasticated, hybrid bangers paint a vivid picture of FJAAK's utopian club ideal, a place where genre boundaries evaporate and only the groove remains. Since graduating in audio engineering in the early 2010s, FJAAK have been challenging the logic of a maddeningly conservative club scene with their hardware only live shows, DJ sets a myriad of record releases. In 2019 they launched the label and platform Spandau20 with a steady flow of records and a mixtape series featuring new talent and established artists. With their rebellious attitude and notoriously energetic live sets, the duo have brought back a crucial lost ingredient to the rave: playfulness. And if their well-loved albums 'FJAAK', released on Modeselektor's Monkeytown imprint, and 'Havel' set the scene, 'FJAAK THE SYSTEM' rises above and beyond expectations, creating a new benchmark. It's not just blood, sweat and tears either, FJAAK's advanced technical knowhow and love of synthesizers and drum machines helps them formulate a sound that's conscious of dance music history, but focused on a brighter, more equitable future. Their second single 'And You Feel' is an emotional rollercoaster combining UK breakbeat with a dubstep-influenced bassline wobler and alluring vocals, emulating the moment the mind becomes a tranquil void through the crescendo of adrenaline like a strain of physical exertion. This is reflected on their new music video which shows an unexpected ''rage room'' scene.

A holy grail for fans of French boogie, early hip hop, Arabic funk and Balearic bops,"Ettika" has been seriously sought after since Vidal Benjamin found it in the 1€ bin back in 2006. Teasing the ears of the underground via Vidal's 'Balearic Nightmare' mix for Noncollective, copies of the original were soon snapped up completely, and the later adopters were sated by a Blackdisco edit from Alexis Le-Tan (himself gifted Vidal's second copy), which is now also rare as hen's teeth. The fervour for the track is easy to understand.

Underpinned by an endlessly buoyant bass groove, chanted female vocals dart out the speakers like a post- modern mantra while synth vamps flare in stuttering stereo.

Middle-Eastern motifs add an air of mystery, but this truly belongs in a dance floor utopia. That the track was the product of a 'back-to-work' scheme aimed at unemployed immigrant youth in Rouen only adds to the appeal. Led by teacher Bernard Guégan, a quartet of students delivered lyrics in French and Arabic inspired by their rejection letters, serving a little social commentary and a lot of funk. If you're mad on Ahmed Fakroun and Shams Dinn, or even those folks in the Bush of Ghosts, then this is a must have for you.

Nu Groove spotlights the artists that made the legendary NYC label a firm favourite of crate diggers then and now with this 12” release of their vital tracks revisited by leading selectors of today.

The label, born in 1988 by Frank and Karen Mendez as an outlet for the experimental works of the Burrell Brothers, quickly became a home for up-and-coming genre pioneers. In this fashion, ‘Nu Groove Edits, Vol. 4’ opens with ‘Tonight’s The Night’ by NYC favourites How & Little, AKA The Sound Vandals, re-edited by Italian duo NiCe7.

More monikers of Rheji Burrell appear in the collection too, with N.Y. House’n Authority’s seminal classic ‘APT. 2A’ reworked by UK deep tech aficionado Hugo Massien, and The Utopia Project’s ‘File #3’ remixed by Leeds underground duo Mak & Pasteman. Closing out this collection of future classics, GRAMMY award winning production duo Honey Dijon & Luke Solomon return to edit ‘Luv 2 Luv U’ by A.B.T.

Fortunea Records finishes off 2023 with another vivid release by Peletronic. The Hazy Jane EP features 3 new original deep house and electro tracks by the winsome Austrian. The record begins with ‚The Highest Chance‘.

A dazzling composition featuring vocals by M-Jane. Cold engaging pads and simple rhythmic structures are the main elements in this track. In combination with this prose, that can be construed and contextualise for eternity, it absolutely stands out from the mass of modern-day deep house productions. The A-side continues with the title-track. It is a groove-laden, old school house tune that will toss up the audience into new heights with its soulful rhodes, supple bassline and the comprehensive brisk arrangement.

A great tool that definitely will find its way in the recordbags and USBsticks of a house dj. On the B-side Peletronic greets you in his ‚Utopia‘ where impactful electro beats shape the landscape of a prospective scenario. And last but not least a remix of the first track is also included. Slovakian dj and producer Paradiso Rhythm retells M-Jane’s story in a 90s warehouse décor. All in all a warm, deep and beautiful journey to the brim.

Following up his anthemic late-summer burner, Hope, Credit 00 returns to Pinkman to deliver the album Midnightlife Crisis. Hopping between genres whilst remaining resolutely coherent, the twelve-track double LP is a showcase of the Rat Life boss' many influences. From the driving, mesmeric techno of Music Is A Spiritual Thing to the sci-fi electro on Bouncing Bell and Love Warrior's downtempo, half-time shuffle, the collection of tracks is broad and varied yet simultaneously unified by belonging to the club. Whether it's warm-up material, peaktime rollers or afterhours sludge for tired legs and scrambled heads, there's something for every scenario on Midnightlife Crisis. And with recurring themes of melancholy and anxiety throughout, the album perhaps reflects that all too familiar period for every club enthusiast when the years are ticking by and the lights are coming on. "I just hope there's hope", sings the voice on the album's lead single, before reminding us that the dancefloor's sweet release is often the best remedy to these negative thoughts - "I see you shaking on the floor, that gives me hope, gives me hope."

A collection of unreleased themes and scores from 18 short animated films from the world famous Zagreb School Of Animated Film. Includes Oscar winning short cartoon Ersatz / Surogat by Dusan Vukotic (1961) and many other jazz, electronica and experimental scores by composer Tomislav Simovic. Coined by the famed film theorist Georges Sadoul at the 1959 Cannes Festival, The Zagreb School of Animated Film(s) or The Zagreb School of Animation, was defined as an artistic and philosophical world-view that set its mark on the history of animation in the 60's and 70's. The key feature of the Zagreb School (not educational facility in any kind), was commitment to stylization in contrast with the Disney-style canon of realistic animation. Among many composers that worked in Zagreb Film productions, the name of Tomislav Simovic (1931 - 2014) stands out. In his oeuvre of 300+ film scores (not counting compositions and arrangements for pop singers and jazz orchestras), many were made exclusively for Zagreb film documentaries, fiction shorts, features and animation. Simovic was particularly adept at writing music for cartoons. He skillfully synchronized movement and sound and mixed different musical genres, although, like his peers at the time, he leaned towards jazz. 'The Zagreb School of Animated Film (Original Soundtracks 1961-1982)' is compiled by Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) and Zeljko Luketic (Electronic Jugoton, Ex-Yu Electronica III). Master tapes were considered lost, now found and restored for this epic 2 x LP release celebrating Yugoslavia's animated art shorts. Double vinyl gatefold with extensive liner notes, photographs from the films and exclusive cover artwork by Dejan Krsic (NEP / Nova Evropa).

David Byrne & Fatboy Slim’s acclaimed 2010 album Here Lies Love receives its first-ever vinyl release to coincide with a new production opening on Broadway this summer. Here Lies Love is a double-disc song cycle – improbably poignant, decidedly surreal, surprisingly thought provoking – about the rise and fall of the Philippines' notorious Imelda Marcos. It was conceived by David Byrne; composed by Byrne and DJ/recording artist Fatboy Slim, AKA Norman Cook; and performed by a dream cast drawn from the worlds of indie rock, alt country, R&B and pop. Byrne's taste in collaborators is as imaginative as it is impeccable, including Cyndi Lauper (who recounts, to lighthearted disco beats, Imelda's courtship with Ferdinand Marcos), Steve Earle (as the power-hungry Ferdinand), Dap-Kings vocalist Sharon Jones (recalling Imelda's introduction into New York society) and Natalie Merchant (as spurned Imelda confidante Estrella, anticipating the onset of martial law). Along with vocals turns from such stars as Tori Amos and the B-52's Kate Pierson, Byrne works with rising indie rockers St. Vincent and My Brightest Diamond; New York chanteuses Nellie McKay and Martha Wainwright; and dance-music divas Róisín Murphy and Santigold. Byrne himself appears as the voice of imperialistic America on ‘American Troglodyte’, a send-up that wouldn't have seemed out of places in Talking Heads' True Stories.



Byrne originally envisioned this as a musical theatre piece, to be mounted in disco and nightclub settings, reflecting the globe-trotting Marcos' taste for such velvet-roped spots as Studio 54 and Regine's. In 2006, he performed work-in-progress versions to enthusiastic audiences at New York City's Carnegie Hall and the Adelaide Festival in Australia. While plans for a US theatrical production continued to evolve, he delivered this unique recording. The award-winning theatrical production eventually premiered at The Public Theater in New York in 2013, travelled to London’s National Theater for a sold-out run (2014–15), and was remounted at the Seattle Repertory Theater (2017).



Here Lies Love has an effervescent disco feel, redolent of Fatboy Slim's own dance-floor anthems, with warm undercurrents of the Latin rhythms that have percolated through Byrne's recent solo work. The sunny arrangements act in counterpoint to the reality of the Marcos' increasingly repressive regime, reflecting the imagined inner life of the glamour-obsessed Imelda. Explains Byrne, "For me, the darker side of the excesses are, for the most part, a matter of record. A lot of the audience is going to come with that knowledge already. What's more of a challenge is to get inside the head of the person who was behind all of that, and understand what made them tick." Byrne offers no judgment and avoids the obvious – there is no mention of Imelda's infamous shoe collection.



Many of Byrne's lyrics are, astonishingly enough, constructed from actual Imelda quotes, including the project's title, the words that Imelda, now returned to the Philippines from US-assisted exile in Hawaii, would like to have inscribed on her gravestone. In addition to his new liner note, Byrne illustrates the story with archival photos. In a detailed preface, he reveals what drew him to this subject and the bumpy route he took to launch the project and, ultimately, record this album. The booklet is indeed a page-turner, just as Here Lies Love is a wonderfully old-school album that rewards start-to-finish listening. Once again, Byrne – beloved as musician, thinker and bicyclist-about-town – reveals the breadth and singularity of his vision.



The new production of Here Lies Love will premiere at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. Performances begin June 17, ahead of an official opening night on July 20. Tony Award winner Alex Timbers (direction) and Olivier Award nominee Annie-B Parson (choreography) reunite with Byrne (concept, music, and lyrics) and Fatboy Slim (music) to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway, continuing a ten-plus year collaboration on the project. Tom Gandey and J Pardo contribute additional music. Here Lies Love is produced on Broadway by Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna for Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas. The staging at the Broadway Theatre will transform the venue’s traditional proscenium floor space into a dance club environment, where audiences will stand and move with the actors. A wide variety of standing and seating options will be available throughout the theatre’s reconstructed space. The producers of Here Lies Love said, “As a team of binational American producers – Filipinos among us – we are thrilled to bring Here Lies Love to Broadway! We welcome everyone to experience this singularly exuberant piece of theatre. The history of the Philippines is inseparable from the history of the United States, and as both evolve, we cannot think of a more appropriate time to stage this show. See you on the dance floor!”



David Byrne’s recent works include the launch of Reasons to be Cheerful, an online magazine focused on solutions-oriented stories about problems being solved all over the world (2019); Joan of Arc: Into the Fire, a theatrical exploration of the historical heroine that premiered at the Public Theater in New York (2017); The Institute Presents: NEUROSOCIETY, a series of interactive environments created in conjunction with PACE Arts + Technology that question human perception and bias (2016); Contemporary Color, an event inspired by the American folk tradition of color guard and performed at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and Toronto’s Air Canada Centre (2015); Here Lies Love; Love This Giant, a studio album and worldwide tour created with St. Vincent (2012); and How Music Works, a book about the history, experience, and social aspects of music (2012).



Byrne curated Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival in London in 2015. A co-founder of the group Talking Heads (1976–88), he has released eight studio albums as a solo artist and worked on multiple other projects, including collaborations with Brian Eno, Twyla Tharp, Robert Wilson, and Jonathan Demme, among others. He also founded the highly respected record label Luaka Bop. Recognition of Byrne’s various works include Obies, Drama Desk, Lortel, and Evening Standard awards for Here Lies Love; an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe for the soundtrack to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor; and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Talking Heads. Byrne’s work as a visual artist has been published and exhibited since his college days, including photography, filmmaking, and writing. He lives in New York City. In addition to 2019’s cast album for American Utopia on Broadway, Nonesuch has released eight other David Byrne records since 2003, including 2018’s American Utopia studio album and two versions of his musical Here Lies Love.



















q C6. Please Don't feat. Santi White Santigold

Walter De Buck, oprichter van de Gentse Feesten, volkzanger en beeldhouwer, liet tijdloze volksmuziek in het Gents na. Violist en componist Guido Schiffer en zanger Pieter-Jan De Smet namen het initiatief om die liedjes een frisse injectie te geven. BUCK – wat zowel de naam van de groep als van de plaat is – koos voor evergreens uit het De Buckboek, maar vist ook prachtige minder bekende nummers op. De muziek is kleurrijk, met vaak een heerlijke mix van strijkers en blazers. En vol plezierige en sprekende accenten. Gentenaar en muzikant Pieter-Jan De Smet zingt in een onvervalst en smakelijk Gents, met veel inlevingsvermogen en expressie. De aanstekelijke arrangementen van Guido Schiffer en Reinhard Vanbergen, laten de teksten herleven. Je ontdekt ze opnieuw. En vooral, ze geven het oeuvre van Walter De Buck en ook het Gentse dialect een plaats in onze tijd. Bij BUCK is het erfgoed van Walter De Buck in goede handen. (Karel Van Keymeulen)

the EP FACE I is an evolution from the previously released album JAHRE. it fits into the narrative of urban life and our own personal development. both chronology and emotions are explored here and adapted with lyricism and atmospheric digital and analog sound.

it starts with 1984, beginning of our emotional journey and also literary (GEORGE ORWELL) fixpoint of the electronic adaptation. we feel a kind of lightness in our society, upswing and freedom determine everyday life for a large part of germany. we are free, everything seems possible! almost we move through an utopia. new prosperity and contentment let us blossom, no digital friends and in-between worlds alienate our seemingly naive and peaceful being.

in TMV a first individual emotional world comes to the fore, the mood is mixed and seems fragile. euphoria and melancholy mix to an undefined state of emotional and musical confusion. LYRIK gets a first big space here and carries from the part of confusion into a part of detachment. despite the ambivalence of the first moment, the scene ends in a transcendental, positively driving state of letting go and rest ...

the next part takes us away from the familiar and seemingly peaceful MOMENTS. we jump into the year 2184! 200 years later we are sitting here now, society has turned into an emotional desert like in ORWELLS fiction. a lonely CYBORG sits in the ruins of our once joyful cathedrals and sings about his tearing apart. he can't be without, but also can't be with his own anymore. like a cursed of two worlds he sits stranded in space and time.

the conclusion is made by TMVA, here we get into a very intimate emotional farewell to a lost and unfulfilled love. the calm tempo lets everything flow out that has confused and driven us for years. who or what do we want to become emotionally? are we even capable of letting ourselves fall after decades of searching and disruption? are we already dying? in the end only art and the love of it remains to save us.

ALL LOVE
AMAS_DHE / AMAS_PHI

Music From Memory is delighted to be turning 50 with a special release: MFM050 - V/A - Virtual Dreams: Ambient Explorations In The House & Techno Age, 1993-1997 (3xLP/2xCD). The first in a series of compilations, alongside more in depth artist-focused releases, Virtual Dreams will delve into music produced during the 1990’s that redefined the boundaries of ‘Ambient’. This was music that explored the possibilities of Ambient music within a new setting, created often by House & Techno music producers for a world beyond dance floors but made very much with the pre and post-clubbing listener in mind.

When House and Techno exploded out of America in the mid 1980s a whole generation was redefined not only musically but also culturally and chemically speaking. Peaking, quite literally, with a second ‘Summer of Love’ in 1988, millions of young people across the world would experience the life-changing ups of a brave new world but with it of course came the downs; enter the concept of a ‘Chill-out’ room. Whilst early Chill-out rooms lacked a specific sound and were often soundtracked by music such as reggae and soul, slowly young Techno and House producers themselves would become increasingly interested in developing a futuristic ‘Ambient’ soundtrack to a world beyond the thud of the main room.

‘Ambient’ in this new age now though had sharper teeth than in Brian Eno's key text for ‘Music for Airports’, instead here the sounds were the mode of transport rather than the backdrop. While the melodies were pretty, the soundscape steered away from the pastoral, dreaming of outer-space and technology as opening up exciting new dimensions. Much like in the first Summer Of Love; the musicians were again exploring psychedelic, mind-altering and transcendental possibilities of music. And also much as in the first Summer Of Love, a psychedelic visual language would accompany the music. Though now the tracks could be accompanied by music videos, utilising early CGI techniques, they would look almost entirely to the future: envisioning technology, nature and humanity intertwined in a new Utopian future. Virtual Dreams of a better world.

From Ambient and early Chill-out classics, to lesser known one-off projects, as well as Ambient deviations by some of House and Techno’s leading producers, Volume One of Virtual Dreams features tracks by Bedouin Ascent, LA Synthesis, LFO, Marc Hollander, Mark Pritchard & Kirsty Hawkshaw, Richard H. Kirk and more.

To celebrate our 50th release the first 1000 copies include a holographic 'Virtual Dreams' sticker plus a special insert poster with artwork by Victoria Pacheco and design by Steele Bonus.

Expanding on the blueprint of previous releases, Trieste-born, London-based producer Sohrab is the Kalahari clan’s latest inductee. OYSTER43 is a distillation of the Italian producer’s stylistic scope in its purest form; impeccably crafted dance music with a healthy dose of prog.

Running deep with this one. Smartly refined constructions primed for meditative club use, the first four tracks are rendered in pristine detail. From the widescreen and tunnelling to straight-up utopian, there’s a life-affirming vitality like only the most quintessential '90s prog-house can achieve.

The record begins to veer into realms of dilated abstraction on the second plate. Where ‘Fleeting Thoughts’ unfurls like a slice of hi-tech IDM undergoing an ayahuasca ceremony, ‘Sunseeker’ and ‘Deconstruct’ keep the ritual going at a lysergic, slo-mo chug. ‘Crystal Clear’, on the other hand, evokes the ‘70s with a bucolic, avant-garde synth lullaby.

Drumcode is excited to welcome back Rebuke for his first release of 2022 with the sci-fi inspired three-tracker ‘Dystopia’.

The Irishman has been a standout contributor on the label since his debut in 2019 with ‘Rattle’, a classic of the form. Follow up releases ‘Obscurity’ and ‘Wasp’ subsequently stamped him as an infallible go-to producer for Adam Beyer thanks to his ability to create powerful techno music with a memorable sound signature.

A dynamic cut made for 4am raving, ‘Dystopia’ chops and changes between an unsettling melody line and a barrage of buzzing synths as it builds towards a propulsive finish. No surprise it was a thrilling highlight when Beyer played it at Gashouder during Awakenings’ Easter programming.

‘Utopia’ is the lightness to ‘Dystopia’s’ dark. A superbly inventive and colourful track, it soars skywards with reams of euphoric techno energy and multi-layered sounds and stands as one of Rebuke’s most interesting tracks to date. Those in attendance at Circoloco @ DC10 when the Drumcode boss played in May got an advanced preview.
‘Presidio’, so named after the park in San Diego that inspired the track, is imbued with a distinct melodic character reflective of the West Coast music scene. The track is driven by a soaring chord progression and gritty rock-orientated sonics and makes for an exhilarating closing track.

(Umwelt & Sonae Remix)

For the very rst time Blintmusik welcomes two artists to remix tracks from the label’s back catalogue. Keeping the tradition of two tracks per release - on the A side we meet the french grandmaster of Electro, Umwelt. His remix of ‘Chauncey Street‘ is a pure dark whirlwind with bitter-sweet synth-strings oating over a set of forward pushing drums
and a drilling bassline. On the ipside is Sonae, best known for her immersive albums on labels like Monika Enterprise.

Her Remix of ‘92 Avenue‘ opens the gates to a distorted synth-utopia. In a total deconstruction, the Cologne based artist turns the original club banger into a nightmarish noise staccato which spirals down your spine before dropping into a heavyweight kickdrum-inferno. Truly unsettling club music at its best.

Gudu Records continues a busy start to 2022 with Italian due Hiver’s debut for the label - a high-definition EP that draws on classic electro and techno, following the group’s acclaimed past releases for Curle Recordings, Bokhari and Deeplabs.

A record that both marks and celebrates Hiver’s 10 years of operation, ‘Wave Sliding’ wears its influences on its sleeve: lead track ‘The Initiative’ is a “tribute to Detroit’s Hi-Tech Funk of the early 2000s”, lead by the sort of ostinato bassline and legato strings that have become Hiver’s trademark. ‘Vapour’ and ‘Entangle’ continue the EP’s retro-futurist outlook, drawing on sci-fi imagery and themes of travel, while ‘Stateless’ looks to the “easy-trance” sounds of 90s dancefloors for inspiration. Together, the tracks mark a perfect summary of Hiver’s vision of the dancefloor - bound together by vibrant colours and a starry-eyed, utopian nature.

Dublin producer Lukey has his finger firmly on the pulse of the sounds emanating from Berlin and London’s newly awakening dancefloors, as proven by this stellar debut for Carpet & Snares’ LAB series. Contemporary club music is all about opening up the space between genres and filling it with something at once referential and new, and this EP is no exception.

Other Worlds Vol. 1 effortlessly blends house, techno, electro and breaks into a mature sound world that’s both tight and expansive, funky and tough, contemplative and right down to business. Get moving with Vol. 1, and watch out for Vol. 2 coming soon!

Spanish producer Pedro Vian is dreaming of the sea on “Ibillorca”, his third studio album.

Vian, whose Modern Obscure Music label is at the heart of the Barcelona electronic scene, moved to Amsterdam in 2018. While the Dutch capital has embraced this inventive producer and DJ, Vian says the new album is inspired by a feelings of absence and longing for his Mediterranean home. “On this album I explore my feelings of missing the light,” he says. “Ibillorca is a journey to a utopian island, a journey to a new state of mind.”

You can hear this displaced utopia on songs like “Can Mortera”, a dreamy reflection on house music, recorded in Ibiza in summer 2019, that brings to mind Larry Heard at his most meditative; or “Medusa” (featuring artist Rosalie Wammes), which sounds like Tangerine Dream drifting over the sea.

The Quietus called Pedro Vian’s debut album “Beautiful Things You Left Us For Memories” “the soundtrack to walking around the city at night”, while his eponymous second album was both deeply personal and more suited for the dance floor. “Ibillorca” is his Mediterranean album. “I love the Mediterranean sea,” Vian explains. “I come from there and I miss the light, the sun and the smell of the sea, so I dedicated this album to this feeling.” Fittingly, “Ibillorca”’s enigmatic cover art, painted by Spanish artist Blanca Miró, depicts the Mediterranean islands of Ibiza & Mallorca

“Ibillorca” is also Vian’s most varied release to date: “The Destiny Manifest” nods to drum and bass - albeit a touchingly Iberian take on the genre - while “Western Snow” has a hint of Erik Satie’s piano minimalism. Vian’s new home in The Netherlands also played a role in shaping “Ibillorca” .Vian recorded the album during his residency at HetHEM, a new contemporary space in Zandaam, 30 minutes from Amsterdam. “I have my studio at the top of the building, from there I can see all the boats going up and down the river IJ,” Vian says. “The art space is located in an industrial area, everything is grey, also the sky.” All the better, then, for dreaming of the sea.

Following his critically acclaimed debut "Dentsu2060" released via Lorenzo Senni's Presto!?, Tasho Ishi's second full-length album "Tasho Ishi lI" is now available on his own label T's.

tI features the new-wave Parapara anthem "Collapse Roppongihills" which became a staple at Narita Airport raves. celebrity trap rave track "DreamDrakeDrain" reminiscent of jam session between Drake and David Chronenberg. the junk entertainment track "Hellnwein" depicting modern pop utopia and its violent underbelly.

The Japanese-style Eurodance meets Philip Glass "The Bachelor" inspired by reality TV. These anthems are contemporary, pop, and carry Tasho Ishi's unique critical edge.

The second album, 'Tasho Ishi Il', is both a musical translation of Japan's diverse techno-animism and a sequel to the previous work "Dentsu2060" Techno-animism: Para Para, anime voice actors, reality TV, epics, advertising, and raves. Each track stands alone yet forms part of a larger, chronologically unfolding narrative.

While all tracks are animated by Japan-specific sound imagery, this is a pop album rather than avant-garde or abstract. In essence, it's a series of songs generated by rave trans-layers, serving as both reportage and documentation tracing Tasho Ishi's visionary city and its phenomena.