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Steeped in house history it was only a matter of time until the next next generation of Chicago House artist came to the forefront of the genre. Luckily we're friends with them.

'Classic Music Company presents Chicago Nouveaux' brings together the new-breed collective of exceptionally talented Chicago-based artists on a single release. Shaun J Wright & Alinka contribute 'Wang's On Broadway' and 'Matters Of The Heart' - the latter coming with a remix courtesy of Smart Bar's own The Black Madonna while Chrissy drops 'Join Me' with Miles Bonny on vocals, complete with a re-edit for the one & only Rahaan.
This is about as Chi as it gets.

Karousel is the new alias from Irish producer Gavin Herlihy. Forged in the fires of house and determined by a steely dedication to timeless deep dancefloor theory, the alias begins life on one of the UK's most trusted vinyl labels, Illusion Recordings. Gavin started learning to produce in 2005 and less than a year in scored one of the tracks of the year in 2006 with Machine A Homework, a techno opus hailed by Laurent Garnier and DJ Hell as one of the tracks of the year. Over the next few years a move to Berlin lead to gigs at clubs like Panorama Bar, Fabric and later Circo Loco while his productions took root in a variety of different genres and big labels. Karousel is the expression of Gavin's house leanings rooted in the sampling of dusty old jazz and disco records and the use of hardware.

For the fifth installment in the Common Thread series we're launching our series of Various Artists EP's called ''Knives Replace Air''. For the first effort in this series we have the likes of Chinaski, MangulicaFM, 33.10.3402 and Gitchell Moore cooking up stuff.

Expect an odd mixture of genres all sharing a common thread in terms of feel. Maybe not the most dancefloor friendly record but definitely some kind of miniature soundtrack in it's own right.

First in a series of edits from a well known Brighton based record label. Their resident producers and label mates breath new life into unknown rarities.

VINYL only, as somethings in life, be it food, sex or music are better when they remain physical.

Barker & Baumecker and IVVVO remix 2 original tracks from the Groovement catalogue and contribute with exclusives for the '10 is not enough' compilation to celebrate the label's 10 years journey.

These 2 reworks are dense, dee023p and rhythmically strong. Being distinct, the tracks complement each other giving this 12' a coherent authorship.

Already being played in clubs such as Berghain (Berlin) or LUX (Lisbon) this release marks the label's longevity and also its connection with the main music cities of the world.

Nach den ersten Release-Grosstaten von erfahrenen Produzenten und angehenden Stars feiert unser exklusives Versandlabel KX seine zehnte Veröffentlichung mit einer actiongeladenen Auswahl an Flurhymnen, Geheimwaffen und zukünftigen Klassikern. Von REINHARD VOIGTs minimalistischem Schieber "RV 01 / RV 02" (KX 01) zu GUY MANTZUR & ROY ROSENFELDs massivem Überraschungshit "EPIKA / DEEYO" (KX 02), JONAS RATHSMANs programmatischem "NEW GENERATION" (KX 09) oder LUIS JUNIORs wunderbarem "PLAYING TONIGHT" (KX 06) ist der Talentpool seit der Labelgründung im Januar 2015 beständig angewachsen, dank hochpassionierter Künstler aus allen Ecken der globalen elektronischen Gemeinschaft - so etwa aus Israel, Griechenland, Deutschland, Ungarn, Schweden, UK und Zypern. Nun ist die Zeit gekommen, ehrgeizigen Fluraktivisten eine grössere Dosis zu verpassen, mit einer umfassenden Sammlung von DJ-tauglichen Tracks die vergangene Leistungen genauso würdigt wie brandneues, exklusives Material von CHRISTERK, KELLY SYLVIA, TERMOMENT oder KRISZTIAN DOBROCSI - eine Lehrstunde in Peaktime-Ausschweifungen

It is certainly not a small feat to have an ambient compilation series running for over a decade and keep it fresh and interesting - especially when the core aesthetic idea is as well-defined as POP AMBIENT's. However, this didn't keep last year's instalment (KOMPAKT 315 CD 120) from finding a compelling balance between veteran contributors like JENS-UWE BEYER or LEANDRO FRESCO and new, idiosyncratic voices like MAX WÜRDEN or THORE PFEIFFER. They all return for POP AMBIENT 2016, joining a captivating cast that also includes heavy-weight soundsmiths, experimental composers and ambient confidants like THE ORB, ANTON KUBIKOV of SCSI-9 fame, MIKKEL METAL, GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH or STEPHAN MATHIEU.

Starting off with a surprise guest, POP AMBIENT 2016 presents electroacoustic composer and installation artist STEPHAN MATHIEU, whose highly textured opening drone APRIL IM OKTOBER bears all the hallmarks of a pop ambient classic, stealthily weaving in layers of sound and moving fluidly between territories. The man clearly knows what he's doing - after all, he has worked with luminaries like Taylor Dupree, Ekkehard Ehlers, Janek Schaefer or Sylvain Chauveau (see also Pop Ambient 2009). Meanwhile, THE ORB show off the full extent of their experience in the field and have their own little ambient collage opera going on in ALPINE DAWN - a slight detour from their beat-laden full-length MOONBUILDING 2703 AD (KOMPAKT 330 CD 124), but just on that same level of masterful sonic dexterity.

Moving forward, SCSI-9's ANTON KUBIKOV builds momentum with a sweet melody slowly evolving to the atmospheric backdrop of a light synth rain, while MAX WÜRDEN imagines a dreamy, yet twisted underwater world with lots of space to get lost in. He later returns for a collaboration with THORE PFEIFFER (not on vinyl), the other newcomer hero from Pop Ambient 2015, and the result is a fascinating amalgamation of both producer's distinct sonic sensibilities - the grittier, drone-based approach from Würden and Pfeiffer's penchant for roaming samples and skewed loops. Another dedicated collab comes from SICKER MAN & GREGOR SCHWELLENBACH who team up for string-infused, cinematic epic TURNS.

Longstanding Kompakt ally MIKKEL METAL presents the surging TITAN, followed by LEANDRO FRESCO's magistral rework of DAVE DK's VEIRA from his VAL MAIRA album (KOMPAKT 326 CD 121). A very special bonus adventure can be found in THORE PFEIFFER's "megamix" of WOLFGANG VOIGT's RÜCKVERZAUBERUNG (not on vinyl) - an entire concept series succesfully reimagined as one sweeping cut. JENS-UWE BEYER continues his expeditions into hypnotic, semi-acoustic soundscapes on THE BREMEN, transitioning into the windy mountaintops of LEANDRO FRESCO's mysterious, multi-layered CONFIGURACION DE ATAQUE (not on vinyl). THORE PFEIFFER has the honour to conclude POP AMBIENT 2016 with the appropriately titled IDYLL, a soothing, swirling synth study giving the listener ample opportunity to return to mundane reality at his own pace.

Adam Beyer's Drumcode imprint welcomes wAFF to its roster with two thudding techno tracks. British producer wAFF has been making waves in recent years, reflecting on a diligent 2015 spent playing across the likes of Europe, Africa, Asia and the States, when not making routine appearances at Paradise, Ibiza.
As a producer he's dropped several lauded releases on Jamie Jones' Hot Creations imprint, not to mention Matthias Tanzmann's Moon Harbour and Sven Väth's Cocoon, with his next outing landing on renowned Swedish label Drumcode run by techno titan Adam Beyer. Laying down hard hitting kicks from the off, Holographic churns out an undulating synth combined with shuffling hats and a cavernous low-end, before Vibrationz employs a low-slung groove fashioned from a sultry bassline, floating chords and a sinister vocal..

There have been many different ways in describing the personal stories behind the protagonists of the electronical music scene in the 90ies. It´s in the nature of things that especially producers, whose place of work is the studio, remained rather in the background.
One of them is Ralf Hildenbeutel. He was the producer of Sven Väth´s most important releases such as "L'Esperanza" or "Fusion" and an essential creative part of the Eye Q label in the 90ies. His "Earth Nation" project was the first live act from that genre who was taking a drummer on the live stage, playing on international festivals and stages including the "Montreux Jazz Festival". The vita continues. While many other musicians kept on working on techno, Hildenbeutel composed for artists such as Laith Al-Deen or Phil´s son Simon Collins and wrote filmmusic for movies such as "Hommage á Noir" which won the Goldmedal for music on the New York Filmfestivals. The film adaption of Martion Suter's "Der Koch", "Ausgerechnet Sibirien", TV thriller such as "Kommissarin Lucas" or even the series of "Verbotene Liebe" have been scored by Ralf Hildenbeutel. His filmmusic for the international multi-awarded shortmovie "Momentum" was nominated at the Newport International Filmfestival. On "Moods" Hildenbeutel finds more back to electronical music. Fans of artists such as Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm or Jon Hopkins will enjoy this longplayer. Hildenbeutel mixes complex string-arrangements and piano pieces with clicks & cuts and invents his own coherent language which allows both directions to live in harmony. Elegiac compositions and vivacious, percussive breakouts as in "Spark" (for which an video by award-winning filmmaker Boris Seewald will be made) meet on this album.
An album which grows and gains depth with each hearing.

Since the release of his first album in 2013, Lucas Arruda has quickly established himself as one of the most talented young artist and composer from Brazil. His music is filled with fusion style, mixing influences and elements from his Latin musical background, with his genuine admiration for Jazz, Soul and Funk music.

In spring 2015, it was also not surprising to find Lucas Arruda back with a new LP called SOLAR, receiving great supports and feedbacks from international medias and tastemakers. One of the highlight of SOLAR was the track 'Melt the Night', on which Lucas asked legendary producer Leon Ware for his help, reminding his collaborations in the 80s with Marcos Valle, when they perfectly merged together the sophisticated Boogie and AOR touch from California, with the blazing sense of rhythm from Brazil.

Willing to enlighten even more this timeless song, which could easily be produced in the early-mid 80s, Favorite Recordings decided to give it a brand new suit and found the perfect tailor with Nu-Funk raising producer, XL Middleton. Part of the modern-funk movement and based in Pasadena, XL has released volumes of work, the sound of which embodies the party feel, bringing music back to where it was before it found its way into upscale clubs, while at the same time mixing it with a futuristic brand of funk inspired by legends such as George Clinton, Roger Troutman, or Morris Day.

The result is a stunning remix, bringing 'Melt the Night' into a futuristic Boogie-Funk world with massive basslines and heavy beats!! This great vinyl 12inch comes with Original and Instrumental Versions on the B-Side, to finalize a perfect package for DJs and diggers.

(en) French duo THE SILENT ONES aka Aalik and Fred Traverso have specialized in their own brand of indie-infused electronic pop, putting a modern spin on vintage cold wave and minimal synth influences. MAGICAL PARTY is a prime example for their distinct melange of swirling melodies and catchy songwriting, an iridescent piece of dreamy musical drama with lots of charm. Known as incurable romanticist, fellow countryman JONAS BERING was the obvious choice for a remix, finally returning to Kompakt after his 2008 release CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU (KOMPAKT 172) - his immersive rework successfully trims the vocals and transplants the original's delicacy into a deep, but buoyant mover geared up for the distinguished floor. Pushing for a trance-inducing throb, the BEN WATTS mix is a fitting companion cut, promoting a slightly bouncier approach and seasoning its propulsive beats with tension-building synths for that special whiff of epic broadness.
(de) Das französische Duo THE SILENT ONES alias Aalik und Fred Traverso hat sich auf eine eigene Variante von Indie-geprägtem, elektronischem Pop spezialisiert, eine zeitgemäße Übersetzung von klassischen Cold-Wave- und Minimal-Synth-Einflüssen. MAGICAL PARTY ist ein herausragendes Beispiel für ihre individuelle Melange aus wirbelnden Melodien und mitreissendem Songwriting, ein irisierendes Stück verträumtes musikalisches Drama mit viel Charme. Bekannt als unverbesserlicher Romantiker, ist ihr Landsmann JONAS BERING eine offensichtliche Wahl für einen Remix - eine langerwartete Rückkehr zu Kompakt nach seinem 2008er Release CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU (KOMPAKT 172). Seine einnehmende Neubearbeitung stutzt die Vocals zurecht und verpflanzt die Zartheit des Originals erfolgreich in einen deepen, aber lebhaften Schieber, bestens gerüstet für anspruchsvolle Tanzflure. Dank eines grossen Interesses an Trance-induzierendem Pulsschlag entpuppt sich der BEN WATTS Mix als ein äusserst passender Begleiter der eine eher federnde Gangart einschlägt und seine treibenden Beats mit spannungsgeladenen Synthies abschmeckt - für das gewisse Extra an epischer Breite.

Poker Flat's Forward To The Past anthology returns in its 3rd iteration, as lean and mean as it ever was and precision-engineered to make you jack, dream and all things in between. The winning formula remains the same: task a selection of hotshot veteran and up-and-coming producers with recapturing the style and mood of early club music, paying homage to the golden years between 1985 and 1992 when Chicago House and Acid, New York House and Detroit Techno took the world and its dancefloors by storm. The result is a collection of new and exclusive tracks as addictive as the stone cold classics that influenced them - a tribute and, at the same time, the cutting edge of contemporary music production. Quell casts clouds of vocals and a repeated snippet of soul over a sinuous, undulating bassline. Anaxander gives us classic acid with Gallic attitude, fine-tuned for the dancefloor. Hard-touring DJ and Back to Basics resident Denny goes back to the old school, plunging you into the midst of a heaving dancefloor with a wobbling, fluttering acid track. Glasgow's Debukas provides another Detroit-influenced highlight, letting his imagination run riot with a heartstring-pulling chord progression and contrapuntal synth lines.

Drew McDowall's back story reads like a primer of psychedelic fiction woven into statements of the unbelievable, superhuman and outright insane. Somewhere in the chaotic madness, comes an artist such as McDowall with total control and absolute calm within his songs and artistic method.

Growing up in the gangs of 1970's Scotland, Drew McDowall started to shy away from the daily violence once punk took hold of the counterculture youth. Drew McDowall quickly scrambled to form his own punk band in 1978 with his then wife, Rose McDowall, called The Poems. Shortly lived, the Poems released a single and various tracks but more importantly, the band allowed McDowall to network with other local musicians in Glasgow, such as Orange Juice, and allowed him to travel down to London thus forming friendships with Genesis P-Orridge, David Tibet and countless others, bringing Drew into the fold of the experimental revolution happening in the UK brought upon by Throbbing Gristle and executed by bands such as Psychic TV and Current 93.

During the 1980's, McDowall found himself in the ranks of P-Orridge's Psychic TV and collaborating with the mysterious duo comprised of former Throbbing Gristle creator Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson and the enigmatic John Balance who had been creating esoteric and progressive electronic music under the title of Coil. It was during his formative collaborations with Coil that McDowall saw himself shift from occasional contributor to austere full-time member of the arcane outfit. McDowall's impact on the band's sound was apparent as the releases transformed from their previous avant pop signature to a more complex and methodic electronic imprint accompanied by even more abstruse subject matter than previous years. McDowall would continue honing his compositional skills with Coil until the release of the band's two most broad-minded albums, Astral Disaster and Musick to Play in the Dark.

The past decade, Drew McDowall found himself living in New York City and re-appropriating himself within the local music scenes he found himself contributing to. In 2011, alongside his friend and collaborator, Tres Warren (Psychic Ills), McDowall found himself exploring his passion of meditative drone and abstract sound patterns in their project Compound Eye. In recent times, McDowall's production work has provided the music world with some of the most outstanding remixes for bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Azar Swan and Long Distance Poison as well as his well-received scores he composed alongside artist Tamaryn for the works of Bret Easton Ellis. Outside of his collaborative duties, McDowall formed an audience as a solo artist, playing countless performances and showcases around New York's electronic music haunts.

Dais Records approached Drew to solidify his standing as a leading electronic musician with the recording of new material neatly wrapped up in his debut album entitled 'Collapse'. Recorded in 2015 in Brooklyn, NY, McDowall's synonymous modular synthesizer compositions are augmented by obtuse sampling cut-ups and contributions from Nicky Mao (Hiro Kone / Effi Briest) rounding out the lumbering sequential knot work that has become synonymous with McDowall and craft.

LIMITED COPIES

Capital Bass continues to gather Russian names under one roof and expand stylistic variations. Next big thing is a three-track EP from Ponty Mython (Alex).
This is the second EP by sir Ponty Mython on Capital Bass. It has been two years since his bulletproof Jesus EP in 2013.
During these two years Ponty Mython has been working with such iconic house imprints as Arma, Quintessential, Dirt Crew and others. His new Adverbs EP is a quite eclectic thing.
Side A is a filtered house banger Gracefully - a result of sampling games with Moscow house star Lay-Far (Local Talk, In-beat-ween). Side B - Afterwards tune is a real one-loop thriller, dirty and raw, with African samples and invisible sub bass line.
On B side you can also find a psychedelic version of Afterwards by Saint Petersburg techno artist Nocow (Roots United, Fauxpas Musik). (Roots United, Fauxpas Musik)

N5MD is proud to present Fall Into Fire, the new LP from Dag Rosenqvist. Fall Into Fire is Rosenqvist's first album since the self-inflicted conclusion to his Jasper TX nom de plume in 2013 with the stunning An Index of Failure LP (HANDMADE BIRDS). While no longer veiled behind a moniker Rosenqvist fittingly presents his most personal and arrestingly raw release to date. There are threadbare echoes of loss, fleeting moments of rage, and a restless undercurrent of remorse that Rosenqvist presents with few concessions. Fall Into Fire finds Rosenqvist at his most achingly radiant while displaying some of the most contrastingly vast passages of any of his discography. Fall Into Fire is out May 6th on LP and download formats.

Moresounds has left the training camp and is now at the controls of his own craft. A dub fanatic, he stays true to the techniques of King Tubby, and from behind his desk sends dancefloors crazy with pinches of hip-hop and jungle in his authentic and energetic live show. This approach caught the attention of Om Unit's Cosmic Bridge label in 2012 before his debut EP on Astrophonica in 2013. Since then his music has appeared on Doc Scott's 31 Recordings and has added trademark cosmic dub seasoning to Machinedrum's Vapor City project. An impressive start to his career, echoed in Fact Magazine's inclusion of the producer as one to watch in 2015.

After impressing with his debut album, 'Buy The Ticket, Take the Ride', on Tsuba last year, Magic Feet label boss Craig Bratley is back with a hot new EP on his own label that features tracks by Unisexl Audio Club, Beato Cozzi and the man himself.

Since 2014's LP release, Bratley has been remixed to great effect by Ewan Pearson and has continued to take his machine made, darkened disco sounds to clubs and festivals around Europe.

His sound is robust and analogue, has come out on labels like Andrew Weatherall's Bird Scarer and Is It Balearic and now for the first time arrives on his own Magic Feet, a label that has showcased sounds by Timothy J Fairplay, Antoni Maiovvi and Tommy Awards amongst others.

Up first here is Unisex Audio Club with 'Event Duality,' an elastic, low swinging, mid tempo track with frazzled synth lines, pixelated melodies and lots of dark energy. Flabby bass adds serious weight to this most arresting affair.

Beato Cozzi offers up 'Killer ', which comes on like a long forgotten Italo B-side, a chugging rework of a solitary 1990 chart hit that sounds all the more resplendent for its rainy alien melodies, extra visible and twinkling chords and invitingly laboured drums.

Then comes Bratley with the first of two cuts. 'Photons' is seven minutes of loose and lush house music with arcing pads, feel good chords and emotionally swollen melodies. It's the sort of breezy, al fresco tune that would sound great at a boat party and shows a more tender, vulnerable side to Bratley's work.

His second, 'Analogue Voodoo', is a slow and sparse affair where futuristic synth lines, apocalyptic drums and darkened spoken word snippets all conjure an unsettling, industrial mood. It's a fresh sounding cut that is destined to stand out on any dancefloor.

This is another fine offering from Magic Feet that offers disco lovers of all shapes and sizes something to explore and enjoy.

NYC's Brooklyn Highs return with their second release featuring 2 classic cuts once again, this time pressed on 7 inch 3 coloured splattered black vinyl in Manilla sleeves with a large centre hole............

Poker Flat's Forward To The Past anthology returns in its 3rd iteration, as lean and mean as it ever was and precision-engineered to make you jack, dream and all things in between. The winning formula remains the same: task a selection of hotshot veteran and up-and-coming producers with recapturing the style and mood of early club music, paying homage to the golden years between 1985 and 1992 when Chicago House and Acid, New York House and Detroit Techno took the world and its dancefloors by storm. The result is a collection of new and exclusive tracks as addictive as the stone cold classics that influenced them - a tribute and, at the same time, the cutting edge of contemporary music production. LA-based compatriot MANIK contributes a rolling, no-frills jam that sticks to the tried and tested production values of early acid as if to say, Why mess with perfection' From his small Amsterdam studio crammed with classic drum machines and synths, Wouter de Moor serves up 'Bon Voyage', a simmering analogue acid jam bedecked with snickering percussive flourishes and long, sustained chords for that blue-tinged Detroit vibe. Pavel Iudin, meanwhile, adds jazzy Rhodes inflections and whistling birdsong to a similarly bubbling groove. Veteran DJ Aakmael adopts the classic Juno bass sound to pay homage to the godfather of deep, Larry Heard, for an exercise in immersive repetition.

Originally released back in 2006 Destination Boogie has been one of ZR's most popular and respected compilations. In fact we recently reissued it on vinyl for the first time.
There's a lot of crappy edits out there, we believe these Dr Packer reworks are very worthwhile, well-constructed new versions that make the tracks more playable for today's dancefloors whilst retaining their boogie tastic musicality.
Since the album was released the whole edit culture has exploded so we thought it would be a nice idea to get one of the best, Dr Packer, to rework four of the most danceable cuts from the album. We at ZR HQ think he's done a great job on these........

For the second installment in their 12' series Music From Memory present two deeply forward thinking electronic tracks from British musician Michal Turtle made between 1983-4.
The first track 'Are you Psychic' is taken from Turtle's obscure 'Music From The Living Room' album which Michal recorded literally in the living room of his family's South London house at the young age of 22.

Over-running his parents' front room with various synthesizers, amps and instruments, and setting up a portable four track studio the 'Music From The Living Room' tracks were built around live jams that took place alone or sometimes with musicians he would invite to play alongside him. Whilst seemingly sample based the instruments were played live and any voices or sound effects were actually recorded directly to tape, or put onto tiny 2.5 second cassette loops.

'Astral Decoy' was made in the year following the release of his only solo LP and forms part of a series of unreleased tracks that reflect a growing interest in combining electronics with more analogue elements such as Xylophone and live percussion. At the same timce this track draws inspiration from the sound of electro and boogie which Michal had become greatly interested in at the time, and in particular the work of musicians such as Grandmaster Flash.

With access to the archives of the many recordings made at his family home, this 12' serves as an introduction to a wider compilation of Michal Turtles works which is to follow on Music From Memory.

Vactrol Park is an honest outpouring of thematic obsession, a celebration of championed studio components and the mastery of their nuance, an avant garde collaboration between Kyle Martin (Land of Light, Spectral Empire) and Guido Zen (Gamers in Exile, Brain Machine). Simply entitled "I" (the first of a 2 part series), this debut EP opens the door to a world of ebb and flow, layers of oscillation falling in and out of sync, keeping us on the brink of vertigo and, as cliché as it may sound, we find solace in its chaos. This homogeneous release plays with the notions of systems as beautifully symbolized Mario Hugo's capsule of cardiology—yet another visually arresting module in the ESP Institute catalogue. Some music is made for drugs, some is made on drugs, these tracks simply are drugs.

Something is looming on the horizon, a flickering presence, a sparkle in the twilight, hardly visible at first, then slowly taking shape and finally coming into view: "I will depart/I see, I will, I won't go far," Stefanie Boehm (Couch) sings on "Sirens", one of 10 tracks Ms. John Soda have recorded for "Loom", their first album in eight years – and it's true: It's a return that often feels like yet another departure, like it's time to say farewell once again, one last hug and off it goes into the valley, where life is already waiting.

A lot has changed since Ms. John Soda released the first 7" back in 1998, since Micha Acher (The Notwist, Tied & Tickled Trio, Alien Ensemble) joined Stefanie Boehm and completed the creative nucleus of this band around the turn of the millennium; day-to-day life indeed feels different some 16 years later (and half as many since the release of their sophomore album, "Notes and the Like"), but the basic chemistry, the intricate balance of electronic and analog molecules that orbit this nucleus – and thus, the resulting mood and vibe -, they're still recognizable, still undeniably Ms. John Soda: Whether it's the dense, intensely rushing soundscapes of "Hero Whales", numerous layers pushing and taking off into the same direction, the propelled clatter of "Sirens", a track like "Millions" that blows off more and more steam, a glistening, wheezing sort of madness even (though there is a tender side to it as well), the perpetual, magic lantern-like motions of "Name It" (think Trish Keenan and Broadcast) or the gradually descending melodies of opening track "In My Arms" – they're all lined with a certain tension, underpinned by a certain atmosphere, a unique brand of melancholy that never quite gives in, keeps searching for new outlets and answers.

The album title Ms. John Soda have chosen for their third full-length, "Loom", obviously hints at this feeling of re-emergence, gathering and looming, but according to the singer, it also refers to a weaving loom: It's about "weaving and combining a vast number of influences, ideas, instruments, melodies, rhythms, and layers to create a whole," says Boehm, whose vocals span these new tracks like thick, reliable ropes that glow with marine luminescence. "It's about weaving individuals into a group ('Millions'), weaving and merging former ideals and hopes with reality ('The Light'), combining 'hi' and 'bye', beginning and end ('Hi Fool'), interweaving opposite or contradicting concepts, such as pushing forward vs. being pushed ('In My Arms')." And while the weaving, just like life itself, can easily get out of hands, "because you lose track, and yet life goes on ('Name It')," a lot of these songs – e.g. "Hero Whales", the billowing "Sodawaltz", "Fall Away" – revolve around a shimmering sense of something we can't quite grasp or put a finger on just yet: "Intuitions, hopes, dreams, wishes, affinities, distances, temptations…"

Whereas Cico Beck aka Joasihno (drums, electronics), also part of Aloa Input and the latest addition to Ms. John Soda's live band, and drummer Thomas Geltinger helped out on various tracks they recorded with Oliver Zülch in Weilheim, Boehm and Acher were also joined by Karl-Ivar Refseth (percussions) and Matthias Götz (trombone). Together, they keep feeding the loom with countless spools of yarn, until epic piano closer "Fall Away" seems to offer a temporary respite: "find your way/take the dry suit off/for a night". Time to rest, to take a deep breath. Or is it already the first rays of dawn looming on the horizon?

New VA EP on our Invisible imprint. Early support from the likes of Alix Perez, Rockwell, Spor, Moody Good, Ed Rush, Phace and many others.

Repress!

As Sure As Night Follows Day is Russell Haswell's landmark second album for London's Diagonal Records. Consolidating a quarter-century at the coal face of extreme computer music, techno and death metal in 19 tracks and 49 minutes, it's Haswell's most coherent yet varied burst of activity to date — zigzagging from improvised n0!se outbursts and asphyxiated R&B to a brace of thundering acid bullets that positively froth for the 'floor.

The album was extracted over a fast-working period in late 2014, and is best perceived as a sort
of fractured regression to his formative influences: you can hear the picnoleptic recollections of
grindcore shows in the Black Country, the refracted shades of mega-raves at Coventry's Eclipse,
the conflating toxic texture-memories of early Japanese noise, and the incandescent stomp of
Mills and Hood in that early 90s phase.

Fortunately for the ravers, this album includes some of Haswell's most direct dance floor attacks to
date. 'Hardwax Flashback', for instance, finds him in pure tekno panik mode — a four-to-the-floor
wrecking ball groove that someone, somewhere, may even be able to mix. 'Gas Attack' distils his
penchant for all things Belgium into a vicious strain of New Beat lactic acid. Haswell then doffs his
cap to Detroit electro legends Drecxiya on 'Underwater Electronic

Struggle' — a story goes that he once thrashed a jet-ski all over the Mediterranean while listening
to 'Wave Jumper' in his 'phones — before he does the salty freestyle electro flex 'ting on 'Industry
Knowledge (For Oscar)' while reminding his trusty apprentice, Powell, that he still has a lot to
learn. In between these 'floor-flexers, we find more freakish disturbances and intrusive drum-box
improvisations: the modular mind-floss of 'Rave Splurge Noise' or 'Noise Rave', for instance, or the
self-explanatory 'Improvisation #1'. 'In The Air

Today' investigates warehouse-ready electro-acoustic percussion, while the chaotic clusters
of 'Interlude' swarm and invade your senses with psychoacoustic incision. This is Diagonal and
Russell at their most f**ked up and fizzy, and an important reminder of the artist's stream-of-
consciousness genius — and the pressing need for more chaos and unpredictability in electronic
music today.

Don't be mislead from the name, the enigmatic M. Zalla, is one of the numerous alter ego of the italian maestro Piero Umiliani. Umiliani, during his period of fascination for psychedelic and electronic atmospheres, starts to compose a good number of musical portraits dedicated, as the title reveals, to the problems of his time. We are at the beginning of '70 and italians are worried by mafia, terrorism and social conflicts: so it has sense that the music choosen to represent this anxious problems has a sperimental nature, dark and disturbing a sort of unicum in the long and extremly productive Umiliani career.And if, in 2015, titles as Mondo in Crisi', Problemi Sociali', Azione Sindacale' and Mafia Oggi' sounds still sadly actual, it's even more surprising find that the music of Problemi d'Oggi' (Today Problems) is projected on the future, sounding still alien and uniques.
The record presents various styles: from Pink Floyd atmospheres (or Braen's Machine if you prefer...) to compositions characterized by a great use of drum machines and synthetizer (MOOG and Sinthy). We just have to listen the begginning of the opening track Produzione' to give sense to the words of Sean Canty (Demdike Stare) that defines the music the first techno/trance track of the history, but between the grooves of this vinyl it's easy to find intuitions that many other artist and musicians - from Residents to Aphex Twin and Four Tet - will be able to catch during their carrers.

Introverted Dancefloor is Bevan Smith, a New Zealander who has released music under names like Signer and Aspen, and who has played in the Ruby Suns and Skallander throughout the last decade. His prior output has been spread over many international labels and has touched on sundry genres (like techno, IDM, folk, ambient) while featuring restraint and sophistication as compositional hallmarks.

As Introverted Dancefloor, Smith has kept those features as guiding principles while allowing a more propulsive low end to dominate the construction of this music, winding up with understated but energetic dance tracks. Gestation, too, is a prominent attribute of this music, though not necessarily an obvious one. Smith started these songs with hundreds of layers, which he then pared down to a few core elements before rebuilding again.

For Introverted Dancefloor, Smith limited himself to the use of two synthesizers, one mic, one filter, and one effects processer. This constraint is not obvious upon listening as the album works across the idioms of electro, Detroit techno, pop house, and leftfield disco, playing with the line between fluid melody and drum machine programming. Each track has a playlist as its scaffolding, Smith's goal being to filter a certain set of varied influences through just a couple of instruments. Metro Area's Miura' (Original Mix) turned into Introverted Dancefloor's Happiness is such a mess/Pipedream.' If there can be such a thing as a subtle banger, then Smith may have earned that distinction here. Take it high' seems to be a constant ascent with its climbing bass and layers of chords, relying on no hackneyed drops or releases for its crescendo. Smith's layering practices show their precision on tracks like Even if you try' and Tiger bones,' in which disparate elements contribute to pointed melodies, an unidentifiable percussive part entering the same expressive plane as a sung line.

One of the record's most striking features is Smith's inclusion of certain elements of a song in a neighboring one (vocals from Pipedream' in Happiness is such a mess,' a synth line from Even if you try' in Always turn your head') to lend a phantasmagorical effect to the procession, blurring the distinction between a track and its reprise. The result is a song cycle wrought from painstaking labor, while nonetheless retaining core values of amorphousness and motion.

An obscure tape release discovery by Red Light Radio founder and close friend of the label, Orpheu de Jong, led to Music From Memory's latest release.This two track 12' highlights the work of electronic music pioneer Joel Graham, a San Francisco based artist who self released two cassettes in 1984/85.
Originally recorded and performed live on pre-MIDI analogue equipment in 1982 as an outline for a live performance, these visionary tracks provoke much of the same sensibilities found in both contemporary dance music as well as in works of more established vanguard artists of the time. Slowly unravelling and deeply hypnotic, Joel Graham's music seems to manifest a doorway to a profound new world and can be seen as a forerunner of what was to come in electronic music.

A brand new imprint specializing in the very best from the world of Modern Soul. Dusty classics from the barrel of Modern Weapons, aimed at the discerning soul hooligan and crate diggers, form an orderly queue...

Following almost two years of driving bass music promotion, in the form of compilation albums, free download round-ups, reviews, guest mixes & mix series CDs, the time has come to transcend from what first began as an online blog into our very own music label. After working with renowned artists such as El-B, Quest, BunZer0 and Phaeleh, as well as fellow promotional platforms FatKidOnFire & Deeper Vibrations - the Albion community has developed and grown to become recognised across the board of the bass music spectrum. This extension of our brand will help in pushing this music even more, enabling us to curate a fundamentally diverse sound beside the culture that we so passionately enjoy.The launch of Albion Collective Recordings is to be set in motion with In Pieces, a collaborative down-tempo effort conceived between Vaun and Jafu which is radiant in textural soundscapes. This particular piece has been doing the rounds as a clip on Deeper Vibrations' YouTube channel since 2013, inducing longing excitement for the song to finally surface.
Bristol based Daniel Brown, aka Vaun, has prospered into one of the scene's most prolific producers, covering multiple styles and turning out numerous releases for MindStep Music, Redshift-One and Soulstep Records. After recently hinting at the imminent release of an album, Brown can also reap in the keepsake of ALBION001 alongside Canadian artist James Fuller, aka Jafu, who likewise has blossomed astutely alongside his soulful Chord Marauders collective.In Pieces falls somewhere amongst immersive trip-hop and jazzy 2-step, an affectional arrangement that makes wonderful use of Marvin Gaye's a cappella in his classic Sexual Healing. The composition will certainly induce healing of the cerebral kind, with its stripped and delicate percussion work, dubbed out horns and soothing string sections. Encapsulated within Vaun & Jafu's musical offering is our label's statement of intent. That is, to champion unique music that emanates elegance such as this collaboration - and such as J.Sparrow's remix treatment. Ryan Wild aka Jack Sparrow, a Deep Medi Musik signee and one half of dubstep extraordinaire duo Author, has granted the scene with his tenacity to build profoundly stunning electronic music. Wild has the tempo notched up for his In Pieces edit but remains true to Vaun and Jafu's approach in the sense of its lavish spatial touch. The atmospherics breeze over with a soft vibrancy, as the electronic guitar solo recording from the original plays over the initial main section charmingly. This is all resulting in a simply sumptuous mix which goes right up there with his top drawer remix work for Annie Drury and De Niro & Y. To compliment J.Sparrow's sublime contribution and to also complete the package, the Black Butter Records assosciated and Bristol-based outfit Sly-One have whipped up an outright banger of a remix. Joe Cannon, Dave Constant and Oliver Read can already boast an admirable set of releases in the four years since they've joined forces, featuring on Shifting Peaks, Lost In Translation and 877 Records. Add that to a rude collaboration with fellow Bristol head & rasta emcee Buggsy and a remix for Bad Mojo on Meanbucket, Sly-One had clearly meant business from the offset - and have shown absolutely no let up for us at Albion Collective. Served with a side order of the trio's classic subtle cowbell hits, their 2-step/bassline fusion works wonders with the vamped-up vocal sample and is ready and waiting to rumble clubs & festivals for this summer and beyond. Early DJ support for the release has been noted from artists including Phaeleh, Quantum Soul, Thelem, J. Robinson, Walsh, K-Man, Nanobyte, Syte, Trashbat, Majora and D-Operation Drop & Foster. Radio airings to date stand at Sub FM on the BunZer0's legendary FOB Show, BBC Introducing showcased the release and Monki played the Sly One Remix on BBC Radio 1 Extra. The almighty
Dubstep duo Truth added the J.Sparrow Remix to their recent 'Chronicles' mixtape on Soundcloud, which was posted to their 75,000 plus following, Biscuit Factory Records owner and dubstep legend Walsh opened the edit on his latest podcast and J.Sparrow is set to showcase the version in a mix for the iconic Deep Medi label. Support is confirmed from digital publications such as FatKidOnFire,
GetDarker, Trusik and MTV Wrap up, which will involve a number of featuresm reviews, track premieres and artist spotlights. A review will also be printed in November's edition of Mixmag on Tomas Fraser's Grime/Dubstep page

Milos has been causing quite a stir of late with his limited handstamped MSR & Milos Recordings projects, gaining support from key players including Ben Sims, Gez Varley (LFO), and Colin Dale. Now we look forward to Receptive Visions, a label focused on no bullsh*t, real dancefloor techno. Kicking off with the euphoric yet raw "Reconery Flight", razor sharp hats, and massive drops pave the way for gauranteed dancefloor response! Flip for "Away Days", heads straight down, with a distinct gnarled, ragged intensity and thick pulsating grooves! One to watch!

Tunnel is a minimal techno and dark techno EP inspired by the
thought of getting into people's minds simulating the feeling of
driving into a tunnel or during a dream, A three tracks Ep
focused on groove and percussive sounds with effects and pitch
variations.

A side is based on different rhythmic and percussive patterns
research with Direct track, a simple minimal piece, able to
reach and let the listener into a tunnel of sounds with effects
and pitch variation and the self named track Tunnel, a groovy
track characterised by the continuous insertion of batteries
allowing the listener the continuation of the trip.
B side is a one hard acid track, working with operators and with
its 4 oscillators and a filter with LFO, a linear piece that follows
the wave of acid, specially made for the dance floor.

"Aquatic System"" is the second installment of the series, written and composed in two remote geographical places - namely at waters in Finland and Fuerteventura. Inspired by the complexity of water, its movement, various forms, inhabitants and hidden energy, the album was assembled mainly using synthesizers and processed field recordings of the ponds, streams, lakes and oceans of the different locations. With a vibrant story and conceptualization the focus lies in taking the listener on a observing, thoughtful and reflective journey through the aquatic system of our waters. Aquatic System opens with an impression of a frozen surface imagining icy and calm underwater movements underneath. Soon a slow process of melting begins and while the water starts to move in tiny streams of sound, small lifeforms evolve, curiously sending out small pulses in their flowing and constantly moving habitat. The aquatic nature awakens. Zooming out to larger waters high frequencies arise and colliding forms become audible. Larger marine life forms can be faintly heard when entering a much wilder environment, sensing sound-swirls of wind, foaming water tops and impressive large waves crashing on dark rocks. Finally ending at the shore, where the great ocean appears on the horizon, the environment is surrounded with moisture. From the calm reflective landscape derives an inward moment, recalling the organic and atmospheric quality of the sound journey. ""Aquatic System"" has been developed into an audiovisual performance together with visual artist Emilia Kwiatkowska and was performed several times in Spain and Finland, before the music has been finalized for the tracks.

Sofie Letitre releases her new EP 'Uncanny Valley' on DIVISION. On 'Uncanny Valley' Sofie Letitre delivers a dark mysterious sound that reminds of acts like FKA Twigs and Bjork. Like the evil sister of Massive Attack with the intensity of James Blake.

Uncanny Valley is a concept-album based on the Uncanny Valley principal, the point where there is aversion for a humanoid robot as he becomes more human. You will be drawn in themes like vulnerability versus invulnerability and perfection versus imperfection.

The EP is produced by Ferdy van der Singel and Thijs de Vlieger (NOISIA), and the vinyl contains the mp3 codes to download as well.

Optimo Trax 16 is a various artists EP featuring tracks from Glasgow, London, New York & Edinburgh.

First up is Glasgow dj, Beta with his debut release "Endless Plains" a broken percussive, spine tingler. 100% emo.

Next London's L/F/D/M who had the first release on Optimo Trax returns under the modified moniker Love's Flaccid Disco Muscle with something a little different. "3am at the Aqua Disco" is bass heaviness with an almost exotica-style lead line. Unique and glorious.

Side two kicks off with New York's Alex Burkat (now relocated to Philadelphia) with an 8-minute depth-charge, "Culture Full Circle" that features a mutated sample form a legendary reggae track. One to get lost in.

The EP closes out with Modini (aka Neil Landstrumm and Alan Parley) with "Ghost Seducer": bass, dub and bleeps 21st century style.

4 different artists, 4 A-sides!

Repress

After various collaborations on some big dnb labels Overlook has his first own 2track EP out on 31 Recordings.

Second release in this popular series focusing on the various shades of Jazz....

Be quick, this is a very limited 7" pressing...........

7 inch Black Vinyl with a Manilla sleeve