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Maybe it was inevitable that Vilhelm Bromander and Fredrik Rasten would find each other. A symbiotic musical alliance of suggestive combinatory magic that stretches back to the interstitial two day space that separates their dates of birth and manifests here as the movement between ‘perfect’ or ‘just’ intonation and the ragged, psychoactive energy of the slippages from and towards that togetherness that render otherwise simple patterns or generally understood repetitions as wildly other and alive.

Astral Twins shares ‘twin’ works by each composer. The patiently unfolding real time retuning of Fredrik Rasten’s guitars on the a-side’s Sojourns and Vilhelm Bromander’s quickened steps and spry looping melodies on the flip’s Partially Dancing.

Both artists have history of going deep into the aesthetic and acoustic impact of intonation (how you think about what is ‘in tune’). Where their first LP (...for some reason that escapes us, 2019, Differ Records) shared a gorgeous set of sustained tone colour fields, this time they lean more explicitly into the folk music traditions of Scandinavia and further afield, whilst echoing the zoned minimalist atmosphere of Arthur Russell’s classic Instrumentals.

Recorded up close and in real time at Fylkingen’s soon-to-be-abandoned temporary location in Stockholm’s southern suburb of Bredäng, Astral Twins sings with the possibility that one plus one can equal more than two.

Fredrik Rasten:
 Sojourns explores the live retuning of guitar and double bass in a sequence of just intonation harmonies. A guitar ostinato runs throughout the piece where the retuning becomes an integral part of the composition. The slow pace reveals every detail in the transition from one harmonic arpeggio to another — how interfering waves emerge and disappear as the tonal interactions settle in electric clarity. The double bass shadows the guitar's process and comments with occasional pizzicato tones and register jumps, at times providing a low foundation for the sound and sometimes soaring together with the guitar. This is music that is deeply listening; experimental and at the same time humbly inviting many kinds of being with sound.

Vilhelm Bromander: 
As the title suggests, this song has a partially dancing character. The title also has a double meaning with reference to the partials and harmonics that dance together. The basic idea was to write music in just intonation that instead of being drone-based is reminiscent of a lightly dancing folk music, where the joyous feeling of just being in the music — “musicking" — is allowed to lead the way.

The double bass plays repeated overtone double stops in an open harmonic progression with subtle modulations that is inspired in equal parts by Steve Lacy's persistent repetition of phrases as east-asian khaen music. The guitars and mandolin have a freer role, with plucked retuned strings that enhance the bass's modulations and provide forward movement. The music invites to both melodic and spectral listening, suddenly halting so that other focal points can reveal themselves. For example, a chord sequence suddenly transitions to a more spectral part where Fredrik is playing a bowed guitar with a chain, several plucking guitars, voices, and pitch pipes. I wanted to make something ‘orchestral’ with just two people and no overdubs: a dance of overtones and open resonant strings, where we seamlessly take turns standing in the foreground.

A closing chapter for Iro Aka: ambient introspection and precise IDM meet in a deeply personal, memory-driven LP.
Barcelona-based duo Iro Aka present "Memories Exploration" (GLOSSY025), a record that marks the closing of a creative chapter. Set for release on May 29th via Glossy Mistakes, the LP unfolds as a personal archive-tracing ideas, influences, and emotional states shaped over time.
The A-side moves through ambient-leaning territories, building meditative landscapes where time seems to dissolve and blur. Through tracks like "Frozen Sun" and "Golden Sea", the duo showcase a refined approach to sound design, shaped by carefully distilled emotion. Meanwhile, "Gendo" and "Intervertert" lean further inward-sketching moments of deep introspection through soft textures and a minimalist sensitivity that invites contemplation.
On the B-side, the record shifts. Rhythmic structures come into focus, drawing from IDM and broken beat patterns with a precise, understated touch. "L", "Ozadene" and "Phased9" introduce movement while maintaining the album's introspective core. Closing track "We Felt in Love with a Loop" brings the album to a gentle, open-ended close.
The artwork by Jack Anderson reflects this sense of fragmented memory and process, complementing the album's emotional tone.
Rather than a definitive ending, "Memories Exploration" feels like a transition-an understated way of closing one chapter before the next begins.
"An autumn evening - without a single tear, things come to an end."

2025 Repress

(remastered classic incl DL card) Environ is proud to present the Metro Area 15th Anniversary Edition, Metro Area's eponymous debut album, meticulously remastered using the original source tapes and generously spread across three slabs of vinyl. The12-track triple LP and digital package combines all the songs from both the original US and licensed European releases, and features new commemorative artwork unique to this edition. In the late nineties, the budding producers Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani bonded over their shared love of slower tempos and '70s and '80s NYC club culture. Obsessed with record digging and the sounds they heard on late-night "club classics" radio shows—and turned off by current releases they saw as artlessly "updating" sublime disco by sampling, filtering and subjugating them with huge kick drums —the duo set out to discover how their favorite old 12" records were made. They naturally gravitated towards extended dubs of songs—full of strange mistakes and echoing backing tracks—instead of the better-known vocal versions. Lacking the big budgets and gear that made so many of their favorite classic records come together, they were forced to take a guerrilla approach. They reprogrammed their techno-oriented arsenal of secondhand synths and samplers, using novel digital recording technology to capture live instrumentation and prioritizing mood over hooks, and the resulting music was just wrong enough to sound unlike anything else being released at the time.After just four underground 12" releases, the duo—now well-known as Metro Area—released their first and only album, Metro Area, in the fall of 2002. Fifteen years later, it's time to celebrate the culmination of their shared history and inspiration once again. Environ is proud to present the Metro Area 15th Anniversary Edition, Metro Area's eponymous debut album, meticulously remastered using the original source tapes and generously spread across three slabs of vinyl. The 12-track triple LP and digital package combines all the songs from both the original US and licensed European releases, and features new commemorative artwork unique to this edition.

Frappé starts 2026 with a new Various Artist EP and as always with the French imprint, this one is made to shake the dancefloors over the world. Frappé co-founders Basile de Suresnes have invited their House Music cousins from over the Alps Dexter Troy and Mathis Vuillemier to collaborate on this one, along with Lone Dog, one of the label's favorite banger providers. Ranging from deep house, to French House, House and acid house, the 5 tracks will suit all sort of DJs and sets, with the extra Frappé flavor and an exclusive artwork from Ivan Peev.

AFTER DARK is the latest project from French producer Onra, conceived as the soundtrack to an imagined late-night film. Entirely self-produced, the album continues the sophisticated R&B and Modern Soul direction explored since his 2010 classic Long Distance and 2018's accomplished Nobody Has To Know, focusing on late 80's / early 90's inspirations.

Structured like a film unfolding between dusk and dawn, After Dark moves through themes of intimacy, urban solitude, distance, and quiet indulgence. Analog synthesizers, tight drum programming, understated basslines, and selective live saxophone textures shape a cohesive body of work that favors mood and narrative over excess. The sequencing reinforces its cinematic intent, opening and closing with intro and outro pieces that frame the record as a cohesive night-time narrative album.

Over 20 years since emerging in the mid-2000s from the beat scene, Onra has steadily evolved from sample-based Hip-Hop production toward polished, song-oriented projects rooted in contemporary R&B and Funk. With After Dark, he delivers one of his most focused and refined statements to date: a mature, immersive album built for late hours, and attentive listening.

Third time coming for Delfonic on GAMM, but this time it's less disco and more House and Jazz...but with a Berlin edge.

On the A side Delfonic heads over to Minneapolis for jazzy Prince rework.
On the flip, you'll get Miles' trumpet bumping over a deep (House) production.

Guaranteed floor food !

On the Foolish Skin you will get a Dark Synth Wave sound, very 80's... Second tune, The Summit is a solid Dark Electro Synth track, one for Cassandra Complex dark age fans... The Dry Orgy is more cinetik and brings a heavy John Carpenter synth plus overdrived vocal. Reverbless sound.... Special visuals with Gold-ink serygraphy. Sleeve innersleeve plastic protection... NOE 09 rules !

"I got to know visual artist, musician, and producer Guido Erfen and sound engineer, acoustic artist, and percussionist Michael Springer as part of a group of five by the name of SHM1. The members of the group organised concerts at Rhenania, a disused grain silo, where I performed with The Absurd in 1988 and 1989. The band was also featured on one of Erfen's tape releases. Erfen and Springer met when they were still at the same secondary school and soon became close friends and musical allies. With the other members of SHM they built an independent network for creating and distributing music beyond the mainstream in Cologne. Rent at Rhenania was incredibly low, allowing a recording studio to be established there.

The first traces of the Ukrainian Underground arrived at Erfen's door via a cassette tape with three bands from Kharkiv and Kyiv, the package including a long essay which detailed the rock scene in the two cities by Sergey Myasoyedow. In 1986, Myasoyedow, together with Sasha Panchenko, had founded the “Novaya Scena“ rock club in Kharkiv, presenting bands inspired by punk, the avant-garde, dadaism, and even medieval melodies. If Erfen hadn't been part of the independent mail-art scene, he wouldn't have had the chance to discover this unorthodox music. It was the summer of 1990, shortly before the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine became an independent state the following year.

In 1991, singer and keyboard player Soloveyka from Kharkiv arrived in Cologne and gave Erfen half a dozen cassettes with underground bands from Ukraine and a handful with bands from the Soviet Union. Intrigued by the original music of many of the acts, he visited Ukraine twice, made friends there, compiled a tape with his favourite tracks and finally succeeded in convincing Hamburg label boss Alfred Hilsberg to present underground music from Ukraine on the CD “Novaya Scena“ via his label What's So Funny About (the original home of Einstürzende Neubauten).
The album compiled 20 tracks recorded between 1986 and 1992 by 14 bands out of Kharkiv and Kyiv– music beyond the usual Perestroika records, often with jarring dissonances over grooves that fans of Captain Beefheart or The Fall would certainly enjoy.

On the other hand, there are tracks featuring flute and trumpet that seem inspired by folk, classical music, and punk. Ghostly chamber prog miniatures by Cukor Belaya Smert (lit. Sugar White Death) from Kyiv featuring, among others, the classically trained pianist and singer Svitlana Nianio (née Ochrimenko) and guitarist, visual artist, and spokesman Yewgeny "Yenia" Taran. Nianio sang in her native Ukrainian, as did two more of the bands. Today, this seems more relevant than ever, more culturally and historically significant from a Ukrainian point of view than it was even in 1993. Young Ukrainians were amazed at that time that rock music sung in their native tongue could work!

It is in the aftermath of the “Novaya Scena“ album that the music on this LP was created. About a year after the release of the CD in August 1993, Nianio and Taran came to Cologne to work on music for the dance production "Transilvania Smile" by the dance theatre ensemble Pentamonia2.
The seeds for the Traces of Ukrainian Underground in Cologne were sown. Starting in 1994, a series of informal recording sessions took place at Michael Springer’s Phanton Studio and at SHM studio in Rhenania. Together, these sessions formed the basis of the four different incarnations of the Ukraine-Cologne connection heard on STROOMS’s compilation.

STRICTLY LIMITED TO 100 COPIES ARTIST PROJECT After discovering techno at La Concrète, invited by my girlfriend, it was a revelation, and I very quickly felt the urge to contribute in my own way. My intention has been to create tracks infused with positive energy (even if the creative process sometimes leads into slightly darker corners of music). Still, I realized—rather late—the importance of the musical genre known as “techno.” Here is my reflection on it: Nothing is closer to village music (with everything that implies among indigenous peoples, for example—important and respected moments of communion) than techno. On one side, you have basic organic instruments and the voice; on the other, the most advanced technology available. But fundamentally, the difference is only superficial—the essence is the same: a guide, and people who participate intuitively, ultimately finding or discovering their own inner paths… individuation. Techno represents the re-emergence of a kind of initiation rite that had been missing in the West for quite some time—a sort of continuation of Woodstock, more spread out over time but just as powerful from a societal perspective. This release is my contribution to that revival, in the same way a villager might feel free to join trance music with a simple stick that sounds right, or a drum—something intuitive that all our ancestors must have practiced naturally at one point or another. In short, nothing pretentious—just something made with heart

Hit the North is a DJs’ movement
Not a label. Not a revival. A discipline.

Over the years, the collective travelled across multiple states in the US and parts of the UK, digging deep into private collections, basements, garages, storage rooms and forgotten boxes.

They weren’t looking for classics.
They weren’t looking for hits.
They were looking for attempts.

Artists chasing something bigger than themselves.
Trying to sound like Motown.
Trying to sound like Detroit.
Trying to sound like the records that saved them.

Many of them dreamed — at best — of becoming a one hit wonder.
Most never got that far.

Some never crossed a state line.
Some never crossed the street at the end of their block.
Some never played outside their hometown.
Some never played at all.

What they left behind were fragments.

Raw versions.
Unfinished recordings.
Alternate takes.
Rejected mixes.
Test pressings.
Acetates passed quietly from hand to hand.

Sometimes with real credits.
Sometimes with fake ones.
Sometimes with handwritten labels leading nowhere.
Titles that didn’t match the music.
Stories that changed every time you asked.

Often, the trail simply disappeared.

What remained was intention.

Energy.
Urgency.
Hope pressed into sound.

So the collective worked on it.

They edited certain parts.
Extended others.
Cut what didn’t serve the floor.

Not to modernise.
Not to rewrite history.
But to unlock the power that was already there.

The result sounds like Northern Soul pushed to its breaking point.
Fast. Physical. Emotional.
Built for movement.

Some circulated privately.
Others were never pressed at all.

Recorded in personal studios, borrowed studios, friends’ rooms, temporary spaces.
Always outside the system.

This is not nostalgia.
This is unfinished business.

We are heartbroken to announce this very special release — a tribute to the genius of Keith McIvor aka JD Twitch (Optimo), who sadly left us on September 19, 2025. Over 20 years ago, when Skylax had no money and was just starting out, Keith was among the very first to believe in us. He delivered four unforgettable remixes of Denise Motto – I M N X T C, sharp, uncompromising cuts that defined the true spirit of underground dance music. At the time, due to limited means, only one made it to vinyl. Now, for the first time, we are proud to present the complete set: four remixes — the unreleased acid mix, blackrabbit whorehouse mix, industrial mix, and alternative mix , all cut loud and mastered with love. This release is more than a record; it is a homage to Twitch, a true pioneer and tastemaker, our generation’s John Peel. His art of digging, his fearless intelligence in music choices, his no-compromise vision — all of it stands in stark contrast to the disposable culture of today’s Instagram DJs. What we celebrate here is the real thing: edgy, sharp, timeless. A piece of history, pressed in vinyl forever. Featuring a stunning artwork by H5 (Daft Punk, Air, Logorama), specially designed to pay homage to the legend. Ultra-limited, no repress.

After debuting on Delsin in 2023 as Reeko, Spanish techno icon Juan Rico now steps up as Architectural to present his second EP on the Amsterdam based label. Where Reeko is known for his adventurous, highly energized, broken techno bangers, his approach as Architectural is more fine-drawn. Over the course of four tracks, his tracks build slowly into immersive pulsations, pushing deep frequencies into captivating rhythm grooves layered with mesmerizing atmospheres.

Andreu G. Serra and Kiran Leonard first met in Lisbon nine years ago, arriving in the city within weeks of each other by chance. Living together in a crumbling warehouse in Alto São João, they recorded a series of improvisations that became The Piri Piri Samplers (Memorials of Distinction, 2019): Serra’s abrasive, tape-warped guitar lines colliding with Leonard’s stark, pedal-free counterpoint. They played a single gallery show, left Lisbon that summer, and then spent almost a decade living in different countries.

When Stroom reissued The Piri Piri Samplers in 2024, the label suggested the duo make a new record. At first, it seemed impossible: Leonard was in London, Ubaldo in southern Catalonia, and their attempts at long-distance recording quickly collapsed into nothing. But the near-failure sparked something. Leonard travelled to Catalonia to restart the process in person; soon after, Serra moved to South London, and the pair began meeting every week.

The result is Making Friends: a richer, more expansive album built over six months. Where The Piri Piri Samplers was assembled from raw improvisations, Making Friends transforms fragments into fully realised songs, weaving together nylon and steel-string guitars, piano, drums, bells, samplers and more. For the first time, Serra and Leonard sing together, each in his own language - Catalan and English - sometimes translating one another in real time.

Musically, Making Friends still carries the jagged dissonance and free-blues spirit of the duo’s earlier work, while opening outward toward everything from emo and blown-out noise to fractured chamber pop. There are only three guests on the album, and they are worth mentioning: Rachel Leonard and Antonia Serra (the musicians' mothers) on the seventh tune, and the American poet Pete Simonelli (of Enablers) appears on Top of Duboce / Tyne Bridge Crossing, one of the album’s two sprawling centerpieces.

At its heart, Making Friends is an album about friendship: about distance, reunion, family, and the stubborn need to make music together. It begins with uncertainty and disconnection, but ends somewhere stronger - with, as put on the closing track, “molta il.lusió per lo que pugue vindre” or “much excitement for what may come.”

Jim O'Rourke and Jos Smolders teamed up again after their first collaboration, Additive Inverse from 2021. Over a period of three years, both artists worked in sessions of a day, each in their own studio.
The result is sometimes like a warm cloud of sounds, suddenly breaking up into a rhythmic, irregular pattern, after which it dives into introverted mindsets. The music is in constant flux
The project followed the same workflow, but this time Jim took the lead and kicked off with a salvo of sounds that he extracted from his Kyma System. Both Jos and Jim were quite interested in the spectral character of sounds. Jim applied Kyma algorithms while Jos granulated his basic recordings. That way, textures are built, quite slowly moving from warm to gritty, from hard surfaces to deep sonic wells.

Barefoot Beats drop two highly infectious Brazilian power jams for all the vinyl collectors and lovers of International sounds out there.

Regular contributor to the imprint Bernardo Pinheiro teams up with Zaidan to expertly craft a timeless Reggae classic into a pure Brazilian good times anthem.

Over on the flip, Rio based producer Joutro Mundo combines superbly with Dicky Trisco to produce a more late night inspired number which is ready to fuel your Carnarave and set that dance floor on fire.

All delivered on a beautiful, LTD edition 10inch vinyl pressing.

Classy and versatile various artists release built for selectors who prefer depth over noise. Rhythm Cult returns with the second chapter of its Collective Series, bringing together Just Her, Acitone, Roland Klinkenberg, and Soulade for a refined four-track selection rooted in timeless club functionality.

Both multi-instrumentalists and seasoned producers, J and Peter took an all-hands-on-deck approach to these original collaborative tracks. The sonic seeds of "Underappreciated" and "Facile" were planted by Peter, JKriv cooked up the demo of "Over Suffa", and all three were completed together in J’s Brooklyn production studio. With live-recorded guitar, bass, analog synths, and drums/percussion by and a cohort of Brooklyn accomplices, the Facile EP marries live elements with modern club-ready production.

The punchy horns and no-nonsense vocals on "Underappreciated" come via Peter’s long-standing stage and studio connection with Ibibio Sound Machine, Favorite Recordings staple singer Olivya delivers the soulful EP title track performance, and Samy Love’s insistent vocal on "Over Suffa" is a pleading message to end the war and suffering in his native Cameroon.

With a remix of "Underappreciated" by French producer extraordinaire Yuksek, songs in both English and French, and influences ranging from boogie funk, 80s R&B, and classic Zouk, the Facile EP is a varied and dazzling collection of music for both listeners and DJs alike.

The Reflex returns in unstoppable form with 'Whatson Ur Mind', the long-awaited vinyl drop after racking up over a million YouTube views. The A-side delivers pure feel-good heat by updating a disco-yacht rock gem into a modern dancefloor weapon with a carefree feel and loved-up sense of romance washing over the nodding bass. Meanwhile, the B-side flips into a soulful, synth-driven slow burner that channels deep funk and libidinousness. Already championed by Gilles Peterson and Ross Allen, this one's built for selectors who know their groove and dancers who like to move.

No filler, no detours, just floor-focused disco from Berlin's Delfonic, who is always on point. 'Welcome Black' wastes no time snapping into action with driving drums, elastic bass and bright string stabs that demand full body movement. 'Dancing Facts' keeps it lean and punch with vocals and tight percussion, doing exactly what's required. Flip it over and 'Got To Know Your Body' rolls out classic disco funk, warm chords and a flash of soulful heat cutting through the groove. 'FM4 Me' goes deeper, chugging rhythm and filtered synth lines primed for locked-in, late-night sessions. Functional, effective and quality as ever from Delfonic.

Slope114 are Dmitri SFC & Elise Gargalikis, a duo that makes their house music live from home in San Francisco. That lends it a rare musicality and melodic lushness that sit their work right up there with deep house forefathers. This outing starts with the slouchy goodness and endearing bass of 'Dystopian Blues', complete with aloof vocals that exude cool. The dub is even more pillow and smooth than the Mark Ambrose mix that brings a little more roughness to the drums but still locks into a hypnotic vibe. 'Emu 2' is a gentle rhythm with dusty pads and candle-lit chords for when slow-burn subtlety is prized over immediacy. Classy stuff.