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Chalo & Vell return with Made From Moss Volume 2, marking the next step in their collaborative EP series. This four-track of club rollers explores a range of styles and tempos, each track anchored by distinctive rhythms and textures aimed squarely at the dancefloor.

Bangkok, despite being a bustling metropolis, boasts a music scene that feels as intimate and vibrant as those found in smaller European cities. It’s a place where local creatives from various disciplines come together, leaving their artistic imprint across the city. This collaborative energy resonates through Boiled Wonderland’s catalog, which features artists like DOTT, Sarayu, and Chalo—pioneers of Thailand’s burgeoning underground music movement. Both DOTT and Sarayu are co-founders of the record store and label More Rice Records, while Chalo plays a pivotal role as the mastering engineer at Thailand’s pressing plant, Resurrecc. It’s here that the Made From Moss project took root.

While Boiled Wonderland continues to champion eclectic and boundary-pushing music, its sonic direction has evolved to embrace a more dancefloor-oriented approach. This shift reflects the label’s immersion in Bangkok’s electrifying club culture and the inspiration drawn from the city’s warm, sunlit atmosphere.

The Made From Moss series emerged from a creative dialogue between Chalo and label founder Vell. Moss, with its simplicity yet dynamic nature, became the symbolic foundation for a series focused on rhythmically driven, danceable tracks. This vision also sparked the creation of Mosspit events and welcomed MetalMetal as a core contributor.

Chalo’s opener, Feeling, weaves house-inflected vocals with acid synth lines, building a steady groove that carries effortlessly to the finish. Tolerance Break follows, layering dynamic snares, tight breaks, and basslines that pulse with energy. On the B-side, Vell leads with The Ship Rolls Through, a euphoric roller balanced by flickering sound effects that keep the track grounded. Back To Normality closes the EP, leaning into progressive tones with bouncing bass lines that sizzle toward a breaking point, bringing the EP to a close.

The record is already receiving support from the likes of: Ploy, Mixtress, Raresh, Space Dimension Controller, Jennifer Cardini, Answer Code Request and many more.

Phonomena are back and this time joined by Haste on a mission to Andromeda with 4 Hardcore Jungle tracks ready to do damage on the dancefloor.
Kicking off with a remix of Paul Renegade’s Multiverse from London based Jungle veteran Haste that has been floating around on dub for a little while. Taking the tempo of the original up a notch this is the perfect track to start the EP with its Mentasm fuelled mayhem.

Rage and Renegade then drop their first track on wax together with Best Served Cold, taking a sample from a 92 classic then twisting it up with some distorted bass before switching things up as the track progresses. This was made over a bunch of Saturday nights late in 2024 and continues the vibes from the first two records.

At the end of side A there’s some scratch samples for DJs to battle with, pitched to the perfect tempo to use with Hardcore and Jungle.
First up on the flip DJ Rage drops a bass heavy breakbeat workout with Ready To Roll. This was made to contrast with Haste’s remix, a bit more laid back at first but slowly building up to a euphoric tear out towards the end.

Paul Renegade closes out the EP with Dark Carnival, a trip to the underworld with haunted samples and effects that drops into some full on bass, no letting up here with more Hardcore pressure to rattle your speakers!
Coming on ice blue translucent vinyl with hand stamped labels, these Kniteforce exclusive versions come with in an Ice Blue (single colour) label or Electric (double colour). These special editions are limited to 30 copies each.

Scanning Backwards, Phase Fatale’s second full-length album originally released on Berghain’s in-house label Ostgut Ton in 2020 is now reissued via his label BITE on limited edition pink marble vinyl after being long sold out and sought after. Using the connection between weaponized sound and psychological manipulation as a conceptual foundation, Hayden Payne explores the ways in which music – and sub frequencies in particular – are used to influence thinking and to synchronize emotions and behavior: from military technology to sound systems and the physicality and sexuality of queer techno culture.

Known for his innovative post-punk takes of dance music as featured on EPs for unterton and Ostgut Ton, the Berghain resident draws on his background as both a guitarist and sound engineer to create a heady mix of broken rhythms, noise-, and shoegaze-inflected techno, often at slower tempos. The result is music with space and pace to expand, highlighting the intense rushes of frequencies found in both sonic warfare and functional dance music. Over eight tracks named after a combination of historical and fictional narratives from literature and science fiction, Payne’s rhythmic excursions explore different manifestations of sound as power – specifically within the context of seeing Berghain as an instrument itself. This is also reflected in the album artwork, taken from an early flyer for the SNAX party series and an obvious ode to the fetishization of power dynamics.

In his own words: “All tracks on the album, no matter the style, were tailored to sound a certain way in Berghain – something I figured out through years of dancing in the middle of the floor, DJing as a resident and investigating what frequencies really penetrate the body. This includes speech and high-frequency, brain-penetrating instrumentation and drilling textures that I had not utilized so often before, but which I think also have an effect on thought and memory. It’s especially true in a space where gay and fetish roots combine with music in unexpected ways, almost in a cultish manner. A musical and physical deprogramming and reprogramming, psychic driving and de-patterning, the erasing and replacing of memories.”

Ultimately, Scanning Backwards surveys not only the manipulative properties of electronic music (mantras, loops, subliminal messages) but also how rhythm facilitates both moving and thinking in synchrony; a pulse of coordinated sound- and brainwaves.

Enjoy The Silence (Smoove Multitrack Rework)

The original version is loved by everyone, so rather than attempting a rework, Smoove decided to swap the original electronic synths and have them replayed with live strings, grand piano, guitar, bass, drums, and percussion, leaving only the original vocal intact.

The end result is very different from the original and more effective as a revision.

Let’s Stay Together (Smoove Multitrack Rework)

Right from the start, we are treated to drums and percussion, building with bass, strings, and backing vocals, before dropping into the stripped back lead vocals with maximum effect.

B2. Blind Alley (Smoove Multitrack Rework)

Smoove switches up the middle-eight drum break and moves it to the intro section, creating a Hip Hop-style build-up to the beautiful female harmonies in this beat-heavy version of Blind Alley

London party crew Balearic London are back following their sold-out-and-repressed Macarena-infused Vol. 1 release with another four tasty edits, this time focusing squarely on the '90s after the mostly '80s focus of their debut.

A piano house classic de-cheesed and rearranged for maximum dancefloor effect, a total re-fit of an ambient techno opus beloved by the master Jose Padilla, an all-time pop banger taken in an even sleazier direction and a lesser known piano-powered progressive beauty's outro gets expanded for a dramatic dancefloor moment. Feel Balearic or your money back!

“Okie Dokie It´s The Orb On Kompakt“ is already the 13th album of one of Britian's most prized cult bands. We feel it's better that way, because the music of The Orb only has an intensive effect when taken in as a long playing full length. And it proves with this lovingly conjured collection of songs brought together like a collage. The first half of Okie Dokie showcase The Orb´s love for minimal Techno and Schaffel/Shuffle as it is so obviously present in the foreground, while the second half is only reserved to the classic Orb-ish ancestral domain. There are wonderful guest appearances by Schneider TM and Kompakt´s ambient-guru Ulf Lohmann. As many of you know, there is so much history about The Orb you could write a book. Since Jimmy Cauty and Alex Paterson, in the flush of euphoria invented Chill Out and Ambient House in the first summer of love 1988, an incredible amount of things have occurred. The following timeline should give you a rough idea. - Alex Paterson gives up his job as roadie for Killing Joke. - “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld” is not only the record with the longest title of the world, but it also marks the departure into the new sonic worlds of post-Rave Ambient. - While Cauty goes different ways with The KLF, The Orb re-form themselves and have a big hit with Little Fluffy Clouds in 1990. - The debut album “The Orb´s Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld“ hits the Top 30 in England. - The Orb produce “Higher Than the Sun“ for Primal Scream. - The Orb perform “Blue Room“ as chess-playing aliens at Top Of The Pops. Everything goes. - “Blue Room“ clocking in at 39:58 minutes goes into music-history as the longest time for a chart single ever. - The Orb achieve great success in Glastonbury '92 + '93. - The Copenhagen double concert “to the sunrise and sunset” is eternalized on record: “Live 93“ - Previously a floating member of The Orb, Thomas Felmann becomes a fix member in 1997 - No joke: Robbie Williams takes part of The Orb for a short time. The collaboration “I started A Joke“ is released on a benefit compilation - After 2002 The Orb found with Kompakt a new ambient-loving partner and release a row of singles and play live, as the trimmed-down version as Le Petit Orb. And one more for the extra hush-hush: The Orbs first album “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain...” was actually a Kompakt release. You can check it out. Besides the actual label Wau! Mr. Modo you can read... Kompakt Discos. Ha!!
Mit „Okie Dokie It´s The Orb On Kompakt“ liegt nun das circa 13. Album der britischen Kultband vor. Das ist gut so, denn The Orb's Musik wirkt eigentlich erst im Longplay-Format so richtig intensiv. Die Stücke sind, wie man das von ihnen kennt, liebevoll collagenhaft miteinander verwoben. In der ersten Hälfte tritt The Orb's Liebe zu Minimaltechno und Schaffel in den Vordergrund, während die zweite Hälfte ausschliesslich der Orbschen Ur-Domäne Ambient vorbehalten ist. Es gibt wunderbare Gastauftritte, wie etwa Schneider TM und Kompakt's Ambient-Guru Ulf Lohmann. Zur Geschichte von The Orb könnte man ganze Bücher schreiben, denn seit Jimmy Cauty und Alex Paterson im Rausch der Euphorie des ersten Summer of Love anno 1988 Chill Out und Ambient House erfunden haben ist viel passiert. Extrem viel. Die folgende Auflistung soll einen ungefähren Eindruck davon vermitteln. -Paterson hängt seinen Job als Roadie für Killing Joke an den Nagel -„A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld“ ist nicht nur bis dato die Platte mit dem längsten Titel der Welt sondern markiert den Aufbruch in die neuen sonischen Welten des Post-Rave Ambient. - Während Cauty mit The KLF andere Wege geht, reformieren sich The Orb und landen 1990 mit “Little Fluffy Clouds“ einen Riesenhit. -Das Albumdebut “The Orb's Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld“ geht Top30 in England -The Orb produzieren „Higher Than The Sun“ für Primal Scream -The Orb performen „Blue Room“ als schachspielende Aliens verkleidet bei Top Of The Pops. Alles geht. -“Blue Room“ geht mit 39.58 Minuten als längste Chart-Single ever in die Musikgeschichte ein - The Orb legen 92 + 93 Glastonbury flach - Ein Copenhagener Doppelkonzert zum Sonnenauf- und Untergang wird auf Platte verewigt: „Live 93“ - Bisheriges „floating member“ Thomas Fehlmann wird 1997 festes Mitglied - Ohne Scheiss: Robbie Williams wird für kurze Zeit The Orb-Bestandteil. Die Kollaboration „I Started A Joke“ erscheint auf einer Benefiz-Kompilation. - Ab 2002 finden The Orb mit Kompakt einen neuen ambientverliebten Partner und veröffentlichen eine Reihe wunderbarer Maxis und treten live, vornehmlich in abgespeckter Form als Le Petit Orb in aller Herren Länder auf. Ein kleiner Treppenwitz am Rande für Erbsenzähler : Schon The Orb's erste Platte („A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain...“) war eigentlich eine Kompakt-Veröffentlichung. Ihr könnt nachschauen. Neben dem eigentlichen Label Wau! Mr. Modo stand nämlich folgendes ...Kompakt Discos. Ha!

Love Ensemble Quatuor is back with a fresh release that redefines their vibe. Half a decade later, the crew of ICTV, Nephews, and DimSum return under their solo aliases with a slick new record. This German-Swiss-Lebanese connection known for blending their respective styles, builds on the success of their first EP, while taking their sound into a new direction.

Side A kicks off with “Midnight Mirage,” a smooth, melodic track that mixes tight percussion, soft chords, and a rolling bassline – perfect for easing into a set. “Love Ensemble Theme” follows with deeper beats and rhythms that show the seamless chemistry between the four producers.

On the B-Side , “Elevated Workout” ramps up the energy with a punchy, club-ready vibe, packed with whistles, sound effects, and a nod to ‘90s rave energy. It’s been tested on the floor and gets the crowd moving every time.

To top it up, two remixes round out the record: Irish Hitmaker Trent Voyage delivers a hard-hitting take on “Elevated Workout,” while Venezuelan Swiss based producer Giorgio Maulini gives “Love Ensemble Theme” a unique breakbeat twist, adding more flavor to the release.

Either Recordings welcomes Icelandic artist Hjalti onto its roster with the Skarðsheiði EP, accompanied by a remix from Thor under his Sanasol guise.

Jamie Clarke’s Either Recordings has moved from strength to strength since its inception back in 2020, acting predominantly as a home for the label bosses own music while also welcoming remixes from the likes of Barac, Silverlining and Ryan Crosson, plus original material from Jay Tripwire and now, Hjalti.

Title-track ‘Skarðsheiði’ opens, an eight minute dynamic excursion through delicately intertwined synth melodies, bass grooves and expansive effects before ‘One Small Step’ shifts gears into a more loop-led territory, fusing organic percussion with classic stab sequences, airy chord melodies and weighty subs.

Icelandic icon of Dub Techno Thor then steps up under his Sanasol alias to open the flip side, reworking ‘Skarðsheiði’ with their unique twist on the ‘Found Space Mix’, extracting fragments of the original and shaping it into something deep and atmospheric whilst still retaining a sturdy dance floor focused foundation. ‘Kjölur’ then concludes the EP, embracing minimalistic rhythms with cinematic electronica textures and classic stab sequences throughout.

Ulrich Troyer has been producing music now solidly for over twenty years within a largely genre free framework, but whilst navigating forms such as avant-garde, techno, leftfield, field recording, electronica, glitch and ambient it is the aesthetics of dub that guide his creative direction. Not really recognisable in an orthodox form as remixed versions of roots reggae songs but in the way sonics are manipulated with space, the application and layering of delay, reverb and echo that fixes his output well within the scope of what might be called futurist dub.

The nearest comparisons to his new album TRANSIT TRIBE can only be established by a synthesis of some of the more adventurous explorations in modern music such as African Head Charge, Jon Hassell, Pole (Stefan Betke), Bill Laswell or even Miles Davis; featuring a diverse selection of artists and friends not only from Vienna and environs but also from around the world, sounds are not so much fused but allowed to float along the continuous flowing tide of warm waves of bass.

Rather than to allow the names of Ulrich Troyer's collaborators be merely listed in the album credits, what they bring to this joyful affair needs to be outlined, albeit briefly: Co-producer credits go to Osman Murat Ertel from Istanbul, who employed a variation on the old foolproof Nick Lowe method for checking out the impact quality of his own sound productions by playing tracks through his car sound system speakers!

Murat is a member of the electro-psych-folk group Baba Zula where he plays electric saz, oscillators and theremin and played a key part in the creative development of the album. Mamadou Diabate, the balafon master originally from Burkina Faso and now resident in Vienna, has developed his own unique technique of playing solos that replicate the sound of three instruments playing in unison; however the multi-talented Mamadou is engaged here on singing and playing the talking drum. From South Tyrol Reinhilde Gamper is a member of the experimental trio Greifer who are bringing the sound of the zither into the twenty-first century using new playing techniques and electronic gadgets. Susanna Gartmayer is an Austrian composer and bass clarinetist specialising in improv and multimedia sound research. Diggory Kenrick has been engaged with creating new dub fusions and also re-energising classic rocksteady and roots reggae classics, renowned for his interventions on flute. Didi Kern is an electronic dance musician and drummer from Vienna with a focus on free improvised music. Hamidou Koita, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, is from a traditional Griot family in Burkina Faso but now resident in Vienna and a regular musical partner of Mamadou Diabate playing drums and calabash. Austrian Lukas Lauermann is both a studio and live musician playing cello, also working on electronic sound design and writing string arrangements. He has recorded extensively and appeared on stage with both Mark Lanegan and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Martin Mallaun is a Tyrol-born specialist in both the development of the zither in modern music and also as a researcher in the effects of climate change on the vegetation of Alpine ecosystems. Mystica Tribe is the musical alias of Tokyo-based dub/techno producer Taka (Takafumi) Noda. He collaborated with Vienna's own Vegetable Orchestra on 2020's "Transplants (Mystica Tribe Version)". After studying classical percussion Flip Philipp is now a jazz vibraphone player and member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Wolfgang Pfistermüller is a member of the Vienna Trombone Quartet and the developer of the incredible bass-trombone Aurora with its uniquely warm and resonant sound. Roger Robinson is a renowned British poet, winner of many contemporary poetry prizes and member of the experimental music group King Midas Sound. Kwame Yeboah is a Ghanaian born UK based keyboard wizard who tours regularly with Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Ms. Dynamite and Pat Thomas.

So contained on the album is an astonishing mix of musicians and instruments: sounds of cowbells recorded in the South Tyrolean alps processed by modular synthesizers and heavy analogue bass synths combined with instruments such as zither, bass-zither, electro saz, flute, talking drum, trombone, cello, vibraphone, marimba, djembe, contra-alto clarinet, melodica, Farfisa - all bound together by organic live-drums and dub effects.

Liner notes by Steve Barker

Repress!

Olver Chesler, John Selway : there are people keep going on !!!

And they were there since before you were born maybe ?
Musicians, electronic music, enjoying sound...

Recorded at Selway studio this EP is perfect...

Ninetynine dot ninetynine...

Or not perfect ?

Somehow it's never perfectly one hundered... Whatever it is... Not Techno, not Hardcore, not trance...

A superb repress, and remastered EP, with some re-organisation of the tunes (that's voluntary to get an optimal sound on each side...

And bringing a locked groove for 99.9...99.9...99.9...99.9 infinite effect !

Red sleeve (not the same red at IST17...) in the original Hub color respect.

BIG UP !

"Slim Media Player returns to Pacific Rhythm with a wonderfully original EP, Quicksand, his first new material since 2016's Rhythms Of The Pacific Volume 3. The EP is the product of Slim Media Player & DJ D.DEE culling through 20+ hours of live jams recorded in Vancouver at Deep Blue Studios from 2016 to 2018.

The EP opens with the records namesake Quicksand, a playful piece of peak-time material that's quirky, uplifting, and dare we say a touch heart-warming. Mouthfeel comes through swinging but plays a touch more koi than the opener, serving as an effective tension-builder on the dancefloor that builds into a thoughtful groover with some light at the end of tunnel.

On the b-side S.M.P explores deeper territory with Memory Bias (Nostalgia Mix), an aquatic roller blanketed with warmth and a contemplative aire that stretches for nearly 9 minutes. The EP fades out with the gentle drift of Tschüs, a warm swaddle that will quell your anxieties and affirm that there are indeed some things that are right in this world, this track being one of them."

Next up on Intrepid Skin, MarcelDune readies four heaters direct from the scuzziest corners of the rave, out on Friday 13 December on digital / vinyl.

Based in London but hailing from Athens, they draw upon a lifelong relationship with music spanning jazz studies, opera singing, and the punk DIY scenes of their hometown.


In connecting the dots between these disparate aspects, they've committed to engaging with music that honours resistance and authenticity, and draws inspiration from those seeking liberation from oppression and societal frameworks.

With this new release MarcelDune hones in on the ethos that underpins their aesthetic, with touches of euphoria, huge drums, and quintessentially fun.

Title track 'Buy Success' brandishes raw serrated edges and an industrial core whilst never losing the groove. 'Remedy for evil' moves into bouncier feels with the hardest groove. On 'Tell Me Who They Are', vocal chops ricochet over angular percussion and glitching machines. Closing things off, 'Romantic and Other Fantasies' lays down some weighty percussion driving a madhouse of effects forward.

ReKaB drops another strong four-track EP, rooted firmly in the Detroit sound with a nod to the soulful techno styles that shaped the UK underground in the 90s. His second EP for Cologne's YORE Records. The production, as always, is spot on—sharp, detailed, and endlessly listenable. While the tracks carry the weight of tradition, they’re not stuck in it. There’s a fresh, forward-facing energy here that keeps things exciting.

My Inspiration opens with classic metallic strings and a tight, robotic square bass that locks you in straight away. Just when you think you know where it’s going, the vocal drops—a bold touch that shifts the track into more human territory, giving it an emotional pull without losing its edge.

Soul Brother is a late-night cruiser. Rhodes chords, rolling bass, and lush strings set the scene for a proper cityscape vibe. It’s smooth, it’s warm, and it glides effortlessly, all while keeping enough groove to move.

Future Times kicks things up a gear with more tempo and bite. Acidic basslines and a writhing lead sit alongside deep chords, making it equal parts hypnotic and urgent. It’s the kind of track that turns heads in the club—direct and effective without being predictable.

Wrapping it up, Random Fragments pulls things back into a more reflective, dubby space. The layers are rich but restrained, with chirps and analogue echoes drifting through a hazy atmosphere. It’s introspective but not sleepy, the perfect comedown to round off the EP.

ReKaB’s consistency is something else—each release feels like it’s levelling up, pushing his sound forward without losing its roots. This EP is no different. It’s a tight package of ideas, all executed with precision and style. One for the heads, no question.

Following his collaborative work with Anyma, and appearances at Afterlife events worldwide, Cassian unveils his first full release on the label. ‘Dun Dun’ merges an uplifting melody with an undulating low end that pushes the track forward, supporting the “Dun Dun” vocal clip. ‘Memento’ is a bright, emotive composition with layered vocals producing a choir-esque effect and driving energy at its core.

RE-ISSUE / RE-MASTERED / RE-PRESSED
Steve Bicknell - Lost Recordings 1

This is a seminal double LP consisting of 8 tracks by Steve Bicknell (originally released in 1996)
from one of UK's most influential techno / electronic labels Cosmic Records - to introduce the incredible series LOST RECORDINGS

Rich, raw and unpredictable - every single one of these tracks sounds FRESH as ever!

In the 90/00's in London, Steve Bicknell was at the forefront of techno as a producer and DJ but also as a promoter (of the event series LOST)

Crackazat seamlessly blends contemporary electronica with dancefloor euphoria on his new record “In the sky”

Crackazat has had quite the run of amazing releases on Heist since his first outing back in 2021. Alfa, 2022 follow up Demucha and his mini album ‘Senses’ released last year have shown that Heist is the perfect label for him to show off his keyboard wizardry and broad musical influences. Whether he’s doing his ‘Monday Jams’ from his home for his dedicated Bandcamp followers, or he’s on the road to South Africa where he has a huge following, Crackazat always brings something special with his music. ‘In the sky’ hits you right in the feels and sees the talented musician navigate from synth-happy dancefloor cuts to electronic & jazzy deep house.

What might stand out most on his new record is how Crackazat feels totally at ease with all these different styles and how he blends his voice seamlessly in the tracks to add depth, meaning, and energy. This might be most apparent on the title track, which is built around a syncopated ‘Alfa-esque’ key loop (Crackazat fans will know what we’re talking about here). There’s gorgeous vocal chops and warm arpeggiated synths in the background that give the track lots of texture, while the percussion shuffles along in perfect swing with the song’s energy. Add some lovely strings, leads, and a moody breakdown, and you’ve got yourself a fine piece of dancefloor magic.

On “Burnin’”, Crackazat channels his inner raver with 90s inspired percussion, a honky
piano loop, and some very catchy & quirky vocal chops. He freely sprinkles claps and snares around like it’s Christmas and the big breakdown has the kind of madness-inducing energy that gets every clubber going!

EP closer ‘Dark’ is Crackazat in his most contemplative mode; a vibe he always loves to explore on his Heist outings. The bass is deep, the kick heavy, and the synth licks are mellow but powerful. His voice and effects give this track a beautiful extra dimension that would even make Fred Again jealous. The stripped-back percussion has clear influences from contemporary African dance music, which adds yet another layer to Crackazat’s broad sonic landscape. All in all, Dark is a track that makes you want to close your eyes and just sway into oblivion.

Crackazat once again manages to take us on a deep trip into his sonic world and showcases a level of craftsmanship that most of us can only dream of. ‘In the sky’ is a lovely end to our 2024 releases and we hope you enjoy the music.

As always, play it loud and dance, dance, dance!

Maarten & Lars

A1 Dharma
Opening the LP in lively fashion, JLM liberally flecks a detailed composition with exquisite breaks cymbals playing a key role in the evolving patterns as the track progresses while heavy layers of synth work forms a substantial atmosphere. Musical and resonant with micro melodies and sprinkles of FX, Dharma encapsulates JLMs everimpressive attention to detail throughout its seven minutes.

A2 Artha
Where to start with Artha Setting the scene immediately with an epic synth intro that whooshes through your mind to prepare you for what is to come, its immediately obvious JLM has crafted a modern day classic here. Crisp Hot Pants breaks drop before we are treated to inspiring, continually developing and rousing melodies with a tuneful 808 bassline playfully dancing below. One to drop any chance you get Artha deserves to be heard.

B1 Moksha
Delightfully clear, characterful percussion introduces Moksha, a dancefloor friendly piece which rolls along beautifully thanks to old school breakbeats seizing the initiative while fluid keys, filtered synths and waves of serene effects punctuate the production. The
kick-light breaks will stay long in the memory as perfect for both the headphones and the discerning dance floor, just as weve come to expect from JLM.

B2 Kama
Taking you back to the early Progression Sessions era with a modern scifi twist reminiscent of your favourite space operatics, Kama will sit effortlessly alongside tracks from those days and now with its simple yet memorable core wind melody, sprawled
across energetic breakbeats and wide layers of synths & pads to a typically appropriate bassline. Another fine example of the evolving diversity in JLMs production with Spatial.

C1 Boundary
Switching things up, JLM treats us to a notably laid back vibe as Boundary is introduced by understated, filtered synth work and explorative kicks before a mellow yet chunky break pattern provides energy to the track. Detailed as ever, a myriad of effects and
samples are introduced and dance around the mix with a wistful complexity, in a track destined to be in your playlist for some time to come.

C2 Hexis
Kicking things off with a filtered DJ friendly beat intro, Hexis soon drops with constant old school jungle synth work and periodical strings alongside rasping, striking breakbeats that drive the track forward with impressive energy. The breaks reverberate in and out of the mix at intervals as JLM toys with the listener at will, creating a tonally unique and vibrant composition very much worthy of our attention.

D1 Ideal Forms
Low pass breaks echo and jostle for position with FX free counterparts early doors in the finely crafted intro to Ideal Forms, slowly developing with a triumphant assortment of keys and synths before a third layer of breaks are added which underpin a detailed, yet never busy, breakbeat landscape. Occasional breakdowns offer respite in a glistening wilderness of comforting melodies and light ambience.

D2 Physis
JLM rounds the album off very much on form with Physis a suitably climactic piece that opens with a detailed array of percussion, synths and effects before superbly programmed breaks take over the mix. An occasional, all encompassing sci fi synth rush
permeates the atmosphere to almost cinematic levels, while a melodic bassline nestles below leaving you with a track (and an album) you will not forget.

Words by Chris Hayes (Spatial / Red Mist)

Ulrich Troyer has been producing music now solidly for over twenty years within a largely genre free framework, but whilst navigating forms such as avant-garde, techno, leftfield, field recording, electronica, glitch and ambient it is the aesthetics of dub that guide his creative direction. Not really recognisable in an orthodox form as remixed versions of roots reggae songs but in the way sonics are manipulated with space, the application and layering of delay, reverb and echo that fixes his output well within the scope of what might be called futurist dub.

The nearest comparisons to his new album TRANSIT TRIBE can only be established by a synthesis of some of the more adventurous explorations in modern music such as African Head Charge, Jon Hassell, Pole (Stefan Betke), Bill Laswell or even Miles Davis; featuring a diverse selection of artists and friends not only from Vienna and environs but also from around the world, sounds are not so much fused but allowed to float along the continuous flowing tide of warm waves of bass.

Rather than to allow the names of Ulrich Troyer's collaborators be merely listed in the album credits, what they bring to this joyful affair needs to be outlined, albeit briefly: Co-producer credits go to Osman Murat Ertel from Istanbul, who employed a variation on the old foolproof Nick Lowe method for checking out the impact quality of his own sound productions by playing tracks through his car sound system speakers!

Murat is a member of the electro-psych-folk group Baba Zula where he plays electric saz, oscillators and theremin and played a key part in the creative development of the album. Mamadou Diabate, the balafon master originally from Burkina Faso and now resident in Vienna, has developed his own unique technique of playing solos that replicate the sound of three instruments playing in unison; however the multi-talented Mamadou is engaged here on singing and playing the talking drum. From South Tyrol Reinhilde Gamper is a member of the experimental trio Greifer who are bringing the sound of the zither into the twenty-first century using new playing techniques and electronic gadgets. Susanna Gartmayer is an Austrian composer and bass clarinetist specialising in improv and multimedia sound research. Diggory Kenrick has been engaged with creating new dub fusions and also re-energising classic rocksteady and roots reggae classics, renowned for his interventions on flute. Didi Kern is an electronic dance musician and drummer from Vienna with a focus on free improvised music. Hamidou Koita, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, is from a traditional Griot family in Burkina Faso but now resident in Vienna and a regular musical partner of Mamadou Diabate playing drums and calabash. Austrian Lukas Lauermann is both a studio and live musician playing cello, also working on electronic sound design and writing string arrangements. He has recorded extensively and appeared on stage with both Mark Lanegan and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Martin Mallaun is a Tyrol-born specialist in both the development of the zither in modern music and also as a researcher in the effects of climate change on the vegetation of Alpine ecosystems. After studying classical percussion Flip Philipp is now a jazz vibraphone player and member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Wolfgang Pfistermüller is a member of the Vienna Trombone Quartet and the developer of the incredible bass-trombone Aurora with its uniquely warm and resonant sound. Roger Robinson is a renowned British poet, winner of many contemporary poetry prizes and member of the experimental music group King Midas Sound. Kwame Yeboah is a Ghanaian born UK based keyboard wizard who tours regularly with Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Ms. Dynamite and Pat Thomas.

So contained on the album is an astonishing mix of musicians and instruments: sounds of cowbells recorded in the South Tyrolean alps processed by modular synthesizers and heavy analogue bass synths combined with instruments such as zither, bass-zither, electro saz, flute, talking drum, trombone, cello, marimba, djembe, contra-alto clarinet, Farfisa - all bound together by organic live-drums and dub effects.

Hybrid is a word used indiscriminately in our daily lives. This record isn't a hybrid; it's beyond hybrid, post-hybrid, so to speak. Does this phrase sound complicated to you, and are you never overly convinced by music theory and its caricatural aspect? Then forget what you’ve just read and listen to both sides of this record. You'll soon realise that these tracks are deliciously deft, drawing their essence from dub while leaving room for some skillful jazz writing. For those of you intrigued by melodies, the art of musique concrète or the exploration of dub music’s deviant angles, this record will easily find its place on your turntable.

The two sides of the record are cut with play, improvisation and effects, while leaving room for themes and ideas. If this record’s first chapter was born from a request to remix and pay homage to Jackie Mittoo, its themes tell another story. They have been declined and even reduced to an explosion point. The tracks are also driven by subtle details of musique concrète, giving the record the effect of an intimate musical production – but, above all, one of uncategorisable beauty.

In Androo’s case, this is hardly surprising. He is a craftsman who is unassailable in every respect, a poetic dynamiter and, for this reason, one of the most unpredictable musicians in Geneva (and beyond). His appetite for dynamite is perhaps an indication of his conception of music as, first and foremost, an experience. His highly personal and inventive tribute to figures from free jazz and contemporary music proves the point. But perhaps it is also an indication of his attachment to Jean-Luc Godard. You'd have to imagine Androo at his mixing desk without a pre-written script. The idea of editing infuses the record. The two sides are very much in this style and spirit: (un-)shot, meticulous, (ir-)reverent. In this respect, this record is a formidable proposition, and perhaps difficult to understand, but not striving to be understood.

Its combination of improvisation and composition is underpinned by a razor-sharp precision and dexterity that's hard to ignore, especially if you're curious about the art of sound mixing and the romantic accidents. It has a dexterity that transforms musical grids into romantic essays and sketches. A romanticism in which Androo takes us on a liberating musical experience that makes us forget the inertia of the ramping formatting of the record industry. In any case, this record is an invitation to (un-)think the category, and will delight any ear curious to wander into territories of intuition where the word hybrid no longer makes sense.

Text by Carl Åhnebrink