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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.

Single sleeve glossy LP jacket with double sided euro sleeve art insert and Dropcard w/ free digital download.
When Lindsay Pitts and Clifford John Usher first met, their connection was instantaneous. That bond still fuels their art. As GEMS, they self-released the Medusa EP in 2013, a debut with a remarkably mature sound. On Medusa, Lindsay's haunting and deeply emotive vocals provide the backbone for Clifford's dark and dreamy production, balancing gauzy atmospherics with emotional heft. That mix finds new tension and release on GEMS' first full-length album, Kill the One You Love.

The record more deeply indulges in the group's evocative shadow pop, influenced by R&B production and shoegaze. At the core of GEMS' music is existential longing. Lindsay and Clifford try to capture the intangible and they arrive closest with Kill the One You Love. Music is a never-ending process of learning and growing and reaching,' Clifford says. Of stepping outside of what is familiar and moving into a place where there aren't answers.'

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.

Absence Seizure Is a new Limited Edition vinyl NYC imprint. Brought to you by NYC's own Matuss and Abe Duque. This EP includes four beautiful late night tracks, deep and hypnotic, with a bit of dark funky spice. Musical art combined with one of a kind Rorschach artwork by Anastasia Podolskaya. Deep Techno, Soulful Minimal, Shallow House, Mesmerizing Music, Absence Seizure!

Alex from Tokyo presents new label world famous debut release from Tokyo Black Star - Edo Express EP out in October, 2015


Paris-born, Tokyo-raised, New York-based international eclectic French DJ, music producer and sound designer Alex from Tokyo is very excited to announce the October 2015 launch of his record label 'world famous" with a new Tokyo Black Star EP (the first release in three years)!


The four different straight up house music club tracks here on the "Edo Express EP" showcase Alex from Tokyo's versatile and funky DJ style and come from a very special fun jam session that took place in January 2015 at Isao's Tokyo Black Star and phonon studio with the help of their great musician/analog equipment otaku friend Kenichi Takagi leading to Kenichi san officially becoming the third Tokyo Black Star member, bringing along some of his favorite old, new and handmade (modular) synths into the mix.


The stunning artwork for the release is done by long-time collaborator the very talented New York based Japanese artist Tomokazu Matsuyama, who has been creating the Tokyo Black Star visual identity since their first release on Innversions in 2005.


Working in harmony with music partner and sound/mastering engineer Isao Kumano in Tokyo, Alex from Tokyo formed Tokyo Black Star in 2000 while remixing Big Moses feat. Jan'elle's house classic "For you" for Kerri Chandler's label Bassmental records. Since then Tokyo Black Star has released five EPs including the first-ever release on high-profile Berlin label Innversions (the "Psyche Dance EP," 2005) and their full length debut album 'Black Ships' (April 2009, also on Innervisions), an EP on DJ Deep's Deeply Rooted House label and remixes for artists like Tony Allen (P-Vine records Japan, 1999), Carl Craig (Psyche 'Neurotic Behavior' on Planet E, 2011), Phenomenal Handclap Band (Tummy Touch Records, 2013), Bing Ji Ling (Lovemonk), and Kuniyuki (mule music), and among others.


Always looking for new challenges and sonic adventures, in the summer of 2010 the Tokyo Black Star duo were joined by top Japanese audio professionals at Isao's studio in Tokyo, leading to the creation of a new 'revolutionary' audio brand called phonon , which makes exceptional pro-audio equipment for studio and DJ use.


Tokyo Black Star's last release, in 2013, was a special musical contribution called "X" for a unique celebratory 10th anniversary compilation for Yohji Yamamoto and Adidas fashion brand Y-3. Alex from Tokyo co-directed the exclusive compilation


world famous will be presenting a wide range of dance floor and eclectic music by Tokyo Black Star, Alex from Tokyo's collaborative projects with other artists and his affiliated japanese and international connections! Mastering for all releases will be done by Isao Kumano.

Essen's own Glenn Astro has called his first album Throwback, and the name is at once a perfect fit and not nearly the extent of the story. On the one hand, Astro has filled the double-LP with a wealth of old-school gestures and textures—the warm whoosh of analog synths, the rattle of Rhodes tines and the sizzle of jazzy drums,all held together by the comforting glue of tape hiss and vinyl crackle. If you're used to the clean sonic lines and stylistic streamlining of so much contemporary house music, then Throwback is sure to feel less like a record you just pulled out of plastic wrap than a well-seasoned one salvaged from a flea market or unfinished basement. And yet like so many Tartelet releases—particularly the label's last two full-lengths,
Max Graef's Rivers of the Red Planet and Uffe's Radio Days—it feels fresh and keenly contemporary no matter how vintage the fabric. Rather than throw back to any one moment, he's given us a collage of styles that's quite literally timeless. Astro makes brilliant work of his influences, drawing on hip-hop, house, funk and soul in such equal measure that it's hard to argue that one impulse dominates the other. The sound certainly flirts with the dance floor, with Astro applying highpressure
deep house pads on the title cut, gliding on shimmering keys for "One For Viktor," and taking us on a vibraphone-fueled workout with "Kilometer Disco," one of a pair of cuts featuring Max Graef. But Astro obviously relishes the time he spends on the sidelines absorbing the atmosphere, or at home head-nodding to the dustiest corners of his record collection. For every house beat you hear, you'll also dip into juicy, 90's-style beat science, toasty ambience and buttery chord progressions.
Expertly paced but never hustling you along, Throwback begs to be heard as a whole but explored at your own easy pace—a record for hazy mornings-after, vibey
nights in and endless summer afternoons.

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.

a highly regarded producer and musician who used to be in the midst of the NY metro breeding reactor that spectatuclarely revived and modernized disco and italo disco since the turn of the century and added some hotliped live brass to their platters and whose sought after releases under his own appear appear much to rarely dons his house cloak and dagger for 3 sneaky new chapters on story. not wasting any time on unnecessary nicety the a-side track will send up a whole colony of ants right up your pants riding on a steamrolling percussive disco groove garnished with cut up vocals and fx trickery. B2 is another chicago style wedding of disco and house with a jubilant, string backed female vocal snippet tweaked over a heavy groove while the first track on the flip is a subterrenean, groaning dub house affair that reminds of a slowed down John Ciaffone banger. no matter which chapter you jump to here it puts you right into the action.

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)

Welcome back Mr. Quenum! It's been roughly two years now since the Geneve-based artist, DJ and producer released made his Upon.You debut with his single Rhyme' in summer 2013 and we're extremely thrilled to see his forthcoming three track 12 Trouble' causing serious dancefloor trouble again this fall. Getting started with Colour Pulp' there's no doubt that Quenum is in for some serious action here, fusing an uncomprising, yet minimalistic, hard pumping TechHouse foundation, well-tripping vocal bits and a highly percussive killer build-up sequence this tune is crafted for late nothing but late night abuse. The title track Trouble' also relies on Quenum's rolling trademark minimalism and obscured, morphing ethereal voices but adds a little bit of tribal seasoning here and there that perfectly floats alongside quirky synths and a steamy, fever'ish feel that keeps bodies pumping and palpitating through the night until the morning comes. Functional as functionality can get. Finally Geneve Never Sleeps' speeds up things on a darker, more technoid level where a dark'ish intro built from muffled bassdrums meets scattered, futuristic percussions before shrieking stabs and scarce, ghostly sounds take over and the unstoppable Techno engine starts to run. Proper machine music that is nothing but pure energy!

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.

Finale Sessions is proud to bring you a fantastic release from Berlin's youANDme Feat New Jerseys Brothers'Vibe and we are excited because of the combination of this release and we start with the "Original "with its classic house appeal and the perfect vocals of Brothers' Vibe it is one for the peak time dance floors and then we have the Brothers'Vibe Remix and it is an amazing piece with its tribal drums and its super deep vibe this one is stellar part of the record

Where Are You Now is the fourth proper album from Italian widescreen dancegaze trio port-royal.

Limited Edition Clear and Cyan Vinyl w/ Download Card

It's been nearly six years since their previous full length Dying in Time (n5MD) and not counting compilation appearances, remix and rarities anthology 2011s 2000-2010: The Golden Age Of Consumerism (n5MD) and the Diamat album that port-royal architect Attilio Bruzzone orchestrated in 2013 port-royal has appeared somehow eerily silent. We now know that they've been very hard at work.

The old adage that good things come to those who wait has never been more true. Where Are You Now spans the six year gap effortlessly with the band's familiar and reoccurring themes ever looming while adding newer complimentary components to their soaring tapestries. Such elements are present in the pop shimmer of tracks like "Death of a Manifesto" and "Alma M." to the more muscular almost industrialized beat mangling included in select sections of "Karl Marx Song" and "Theodor W. Adorno".

To those that may be worried at such additions, they, in port-royal's hands, are now inseparable components with the band's already signature blend of post- rock, dream-pop and dance music.

HOUSEWAX WELCOMES MANOOZ. GREAT DEBUT HERE ON OUR WHITE VINYL SERIES!

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?

While we wait for the follow up to last years heavy hitting Tayi Bebba the 'Tuscan speedball' returns with a new EP of sizzling world beats to reignite Summer!In contrast with common thinking Clap! Clap!'s beats are as indebted to the Inuit tribes of Alaska as they do the Staccato footwork of Chicago and LA's low-end theory. Cristiano's music features traditional Italian folk rhythms and melodies mixed with a global harvest of found-sounds smashed through an electronic beat machine mindstate. With all these disparate influences it would be easy to lose form and style but our fully-fledged Jazz practitioner adds his own unique gait to each track. The Simple EP is a return to the basics for Clap! Clap! Brave and exciting music for your carnival.

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.

The Summer of Sangaile is a rare film that takes you by surprise with the honesty of its performances, the poetry of its narrative, and the crispness of its cinematography, which captures the beauty of the girls and the unique Lithuanian scenery equally well. Writer/director Alante Kavaite uses transfixing imagery and exquisite casting to bring to life her distinctly layered story of young love and big dreams. The end result is a rapturous film experience. The Summer of Sangaile won the 'World Cinema Dramatic' Directing Award at Sundance Film Festival - the worlds most important independent film festival and is featured globally in theaters over this summer /autumn. The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented by Taika Waititi to: Alanté Kavaïtéfor The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, The Netherlands (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) - Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, near her parents' lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and, in the process, finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly.

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.

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!

Entitas, is the second instalment of Jay Clarke's BLACKAXON imprint, and sees the label boss bring out the big guns in the form of three distinct and diverse cuts. First up is Entity, an autonomic monster which has sweat soaked energy written all over it. It's auspiciously one part deep, and more than double just as twisted. Things are far from linear with Entity, it's mercilessly the sum of it's own parts, and has the hallmarks of a true big room pleaser written all over it. A truly authentic demonstration of the old adage 'It's not where you are going, it's how you get there'. Entity is certain to be reached for by all of the major players on the Techno circuit for a long time to come.
On the flip, Ghosts Of Acid is the Yin to Entity's Yang. A plangent and introspective groove opens up with wispy cymbals, cleverly placed rims, hats and claps. Exploratory and evolving subaqueous acidic forays dare the listener to dive in a little deeper, with the reward being a very proficient and efficient take on the now classic Acid sound.

Existence Through Perception seeks to carry on where the previous two tracks left off. A driving groove and sinister hook lets up briefly midway to a near triumphant fanfare, only to be brought back to it's mischievous overture. A perfect late night/peak time track for DJ's looking to elevate the bar of their set just one more rung higher.

Support From:

(Phase), DVS1, Ben Klock, Answer Code Request, Luke Slater, Norman Nodge, Chris Liebing, Lucy, Oscar Mulero, Speedy J, DJ Deep, Tommy Four Seven, Cassegrain, Inigo Kennedy, Slam, Brendon Moeller, Nihad Tule, Kr!z, Psyk, Jonas Kopp, Truncate, Samuli Kemppi, Juho Kusti, Anthony Parasole, Eric Cloutier, Jereon Search, Moerbeck, Truss, Distant Echoes, Yac (I/Y), Philippe Petit, Thomas Hessler, Randomer, Volte-Face, Fundamental Interaction, Arnaud Le Texier, Ame, Angel Molina, Tensal, Kwartz, Stacey Pullen.
Credits

After a busy year that saw releases on Funkineven's Apron and Classic, Seven Davis Jr returns to London's Ninja Tune with a new LP, his second to date and a follow-up to this year's Wild Hearts EP for the same label. Universes is a stunning body of music comprised of fifteen tracks, all of which showcase Seven's many different styles and abilities behind the mixing desk...after all, it is called Universes! Our favourite moments have to be "Everybody Too Cool" because it reminds us of Outkast at their most daring, the off-kilter beats of "Karma", "Options" and its pseudo techno stance, and the abstract soul wails of "Fighters". Check it, there's plenty of goodness inside.

Blossom Kollektiv returns to vinyl once again after the success of Jepe's 'Spring Shadow,' this time around inviting House and Techno veteran Matthias Vogt to the label. The two-track EP of finely crafted melodic and emotive Techno features remixes from Oliver Gehrmann and Jepe and is sure to find its way into DJ bags world wide.

Starting the EP off on a strong note with Solace, Matthias Vogt takes us on a magical journey like we're floating in the clouds with a driving kick and lush melodies that keep us soaring through the sky into a land of beautiful and lovely emotions. Then just when we feel like we're about to fall the track uplifts us once again into a place of cosmic bliss with rich piano notes full of substance.

Playing with the rich piano notes of the original Oliver Gehrmann creates his own vision of Solace bringing a deeper and more after hours feel. The track takes us through the elements of the original but reworking it ever so slightly while never losing the strong emotional sense of the original.

Next we come back to Matthias with Fluorescence where we once again are whisked of to a fascinating place full of melody and care free attitudes. However don't let this allure fool you, powered by a heavy kick drum and tight percussion this track will work wonders on any peak hour dance floor bringing a sense of euphoria to the crowd.

After returning from our blissful land Jepe brings us right to the floor with his straightforward house version of Fluorescence. Putting his stamp all over his version using classic piano stabs and funky percussion to make the track uplifting in a rhythmic way, then subtle synths from the original peek their heads out to create a little drama and suspense until the slamming kick drum kicks back in making the crowd move.

Composer, musician and producer Nils Frahm steers the new edition of Late Night Tales, set for release on 11th September. A hypnotic voyage through modern and classical composition, experimental electronics, jazz, dub techno, soundtracks and soul; Frahm's Late Night Tales haunts and beguiles. It's not mixing, so much as gently layering, like a particularly fluffy goose-down duvet folding in on itself, the folds part of the attraction, the layers part of the overall picture being painted. Many of the tracks have been edited, effected and re-made. The subtly overdubbed parts on Rhythm & Sound's 'Mango Drive' adding to the haunting hypnosis, while choral interruptions aid Miles Davis' 'Générique' on its journey towards the light. Meanwhile, on Boards Of Canada's 'In A Beautiful Place Out In The Country', the tempo is somewhat sluggish, the organs slurred, as Frahm slows it down to a funereal 33rpm that nevertheless fits perfectly. The purring of his girlfriend's cat Cleo transitions playfully between Nina Simone's definitive version of 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' and unearthing the gentle electronics of Dub Tractor. Eddy Arnold's 'You're The Only Star', a country tune that sounds like its transmitting from a mid-west diner wireless circa 1947, is straight from the soundtrack to an imaginary David Lynch movie, comforting and dismaying all at once. This crackly reality abounds, as on Finnish band Gentleman Losers' 'Honey Bunch', that adds an unsettling texture, with a sound that is modern but as nostalgic. Frahm's own tracks bookend the mix, opening with an inspired "rework" of the infamous silent John Cage piece '4:33' ("I sat at the piano in silence and worked from


there. I listened and took in the atmosphere and this is what came out of it") and ending with a solo piano version of 'Them', taken from his recently released score of the film 'Victoria'. The traditional Late Night Tales spoken word epilogue is voiced by actor Cillian Murphy (Inception, Batman, 28 Days Later), reading a short story by Edna Walsh (Hunger, Disco Pigs).

"...don't ask if there will ever be a Volume 2. We don't know yet. What we do know is that if we ever come across a similar tour de force as Don McCaslin's composition, Praise Poems, then there will certainly be one..." These were the final words of the sales notes for Praise Poems Volume 1 - which we proudly released earlier this year. And indeed, since then, we have discovered a tune which led us to continue to curate this series of obscure, soulful, jazzy and spiritual sounds from back in the day. The song to which we refer to is Abraham Battat's jazz-samba masterpiece, Fly Away. Fly Away is a righteous combination of sonorous jazz guitar, crackling drums and warm acoustic piano. Floating through the tones as if in a private concert for you in your very living room, it is an earnest, honest vocal performance bringing a rainbow message of freedom and liberty to the world. This is the standard by which we judged the entirety of this compilation. Though they may be known in some circles, selections by Richard Martian, Larry Covin, and The Gingerbread Express are in the same category of pure beauty. Of course, good luck finding a copy of Larry Covin's Masquerade or the Portis Brothers' Summer Love. The single hit you receive while doing an online search is the exact same copy from which we took the master. To find a needle in a haystack is a cakewalk compared to turning up a copy of some of these gems to be found here.

The stage is set from minute one on Clay Wilson's new 4-track EP, "Skandha," his second release for The Bunker New York.
The eponymous first track begins with a familiar techno throb, but is quickly overcome by a blooming swirl of coruscating synthesizer pulses that seem to gather inside the listener's head, a phenomenon Wilson seems particularly interested in: "I've never been into really straightforward club techno that works in neat 8- and 16-bar sequences," he says. "I'm always looking for things that have forward momentum, ways to escape that 'block-y,' downbeat-centric feeling that you find in so much contemporary techno. For me, it's the drone—what's going on in the background—that serves to hold my interest."

Nowhere is this more apparent than on the record's second track, "Cataleptic." The meat of the track is its tightly-wound techno core built from insistent, hypnotic percussion, but it's what's happening in the background that keeps you coming back for more: The sound of a babbling brook and a plaintive, meandering bird call ("the only actual recorded animal sounds on the record," notes Wilson) gently give way to the tintinnabulation of a distant bell, whose meditative timbre brings to mind a Tibetan singing bowl. It turns out that the naturalistic, organic sounds in many of Wilson's tracks are often just that: "I make field recordings all the time, actually—on my phone," he says. "I've found field recordings have been a great way to pull things along, never repeating themselves, but also never being so upfront as to draw your attention away from the synths and drums."

That's a key point, and make no mistake—for all the flora and fauna lurking in the background of Wilson's productions, they're designed for the dancefloor through and through. "Feres," the EP's third track, slows down the pace a little bit, keeping time with a static kick-hat pattern while chunky, stepped percussion laid on top makes the track feel remarkably dynamic. The final cut, "Pict," seems to slowly unfurl like flowers at dawn, while a ghostly vocal sample (or merely something approaching it) repeats itself underneath it all.

While at times the drawn-out shimmering tones in Wilson's work may recall modern minimalism, "getting into techno, and more specifically techno production, was kind of a way for me to get away from (formal, classical musical) training," he recalls. "I had been headed down an open-minded, anything-goes path with a compositionally-geared approach, and ... all those paths led to techno." And for that, we're glad.

Enjoy all of Old Blue Eyes' classic songs on cool white vinyl.

Audio Casette Tape
Following up on the experimental sounds of LP3 and LP4, RATATAT return to their core guitar-driven sound on Magnifique which was recorded over the course of four years in various studios in different locations including Jamaica (the country), upstate New York, Long Island, NY and their home studio in Brooklyn. The art for Magnifique includes a series of sketches drawn by Mast and Stroud during the recording sessions. What else can you expect on Magnifique: pedal steel guitar, the sound of a tiny 1940's guitar amp found in a thrift store in Guadalajara used on Intro,' a song named upon the discovery that the guys both had posters of a ' Countach' on their walls in junior high (the duo met in college), and a cover, their first ever, called I Will Return' by Springwater (aka Phil Cordell).

There used to be a time when ring tones were important. You were easily recognizable as one of the few people actually owning one of these new gadgets called ›mobile phone‹ (or ›handy‹ as the Germans say). Later you could make an important distinction by choosing a ›cool‹ ring tone...

In May 2014 the Festival »Doofe Musik« (»Stupid Music - Songs for Dreaming, Sedation and Forgetting«) took place at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. As part of the »Anthropocene Project« the festival focussed on escapism and the special function of music when retreating from reality. Detlef Diederichsen, curator at HKW, and Holger Schulze, Head of Sound-Studies-Lab Berlin, decided to not only focus on music which music lovers usually hate, e.g. ›Schlager‹, German folk music, Light Jazz, but also on ring tones.

The audio logo of Deutsche Telekom has been part of Germany's mobile phone culture from the very beginning so it acted as a starting point to question the usual concepts for ring tones. Using Christian Kellersmann's idea of the »Pocket Symphony« ten artists were invited to come up with adaptations of Telekom's audio logo. The results were performed for the first time during »Stupid Music« and once again in October of the same year when most of the recordings you can find on the album were made.

As you will hear: The short motif, as simple and unforgettable as it is, is ideal musical material.Everyone knows it, everyone has some sort of connection to it and these ten different versions, these ten different positions, open up the most varied possibilities for associations.

It is time that we take the ring tone seriously again. As the most reduced musical form that is the most-widely available in the whole world it contains enormous and unrealised potential!

Cadenza Records displays a deft touch in showcasing new talent, just as much as it leans on its core of established producers. The 'Split' EP shines a bright light on the musical endeavors of Enrico Gasperini AKA gAs, and fellow Italian, Lino Pugliese. One side of vinyl each, and gAs opens up Side A with 'Rack Attack', its woody hits and scattering hi-hats holding a solid groove whilst gentle keys entwine a melodic touch with a stuttering synth riff that's designed to circulate around the brain. Splashes of cymbals and white noise provide the all important drama as the track rises to a crescendo. Enrico's second contribution, 'Agogo', keeps up the ante with another slice of exquisite house grooves. The inner-city street ambience opening gives way to an undeniably funky rhythm track, incessant spongy stabs and frenzied percussion that makes this one a sure fire winner. Over on Side B, Lino Pugliese gets to flex his sonic palette after recent releases on Cadenza Lab and Memento. 'Banging On Your Door' takes its time to unfurl; a percussive swing not too dissimilar to the Stones' 'Sympathy For The Devil' sets the tone magnificently, as low frequency synth sweeps and distant vocal effects build, the kick drum jolting the track into life with bursts of furry snares and handclaps. More ambient soaked business on 'Aniwama' as Lino forges melodious piano and clanging ride cymbals with low end sonics as the track deconstructs as quickly as it builds, tearing up the arrangement rule books to create a unique cut that can perform as a mood-setting piece just as well as a peak time genre-shifter.

Tough, to the point, no-nonsense machine music is a longstanding Midwestern tradition.
Drawing a line all the way back to the old guard, The Bunker New York's latest EP is Walk The Distance, courtesy of Mark Verbos, a techno veteran and New Yorker by way of Milwaukee who put together four pieces of heavyweight dancefloor artillery, informed by an intimate, inside-out knowledge of the machinery used in the production of these tracks.

"I've been doing this for a long time. In the beginning, there was only hardware, and it feels better to make music with physical objects. Plus, I make hardware, too," says Verbos, recounting his production processes. Verbos not only produces music, he also produces the hardware he uses to make music—his company, Verbos Electronics, manufactures Eurorack synthesizer modules with a vintage sensibility. When he's making music, Verbos says, "I try to get to know the devices I use well enough that whatever I imagine can come from them. Techno is machine music. When I'm recording, it's just me and the machines."

The music, however, speaks for itself. No punches are pulled here—the record starts in top gear with "Start Up Drive," a devastating techno bomb centered around a throbbing, repeating bassline and a meaty kick drum that builds to a massive climax in the span of five minutes. "In The Back Room" kicks the tempo up a notch, featuring spaced-out atmospheric synth leads floating atop syncopated percussion. "Just A Little Late" is funkier than the other two, built around a rubbery, insistent synthesizer groove that worms its way deep into your head and doesn't let go.

The aforementioned three tracks alone would comprise a solid techno EP suitable for any number of dancefloors. But the last track on the record—its namesake—shifts gears entirely. "Walk The Distance" is a moody, pulsing slow burner, introspective and emotional. It's a haunting listen that adds remarkable depth and complexity to the record. "Walk The Distance, the track, is a reference to the fact that music is not a career. Any advice you could offer someone on how to have a successful career doesn't really apply to a career in music. By that I mean to say, process is everything, and the results don't really matter."

Sage advice indeed, but judging by Walk The Distance, Mark Verbos has figured out how to produce results that matter.

Reissue of a unknown b-side of an early Belgian trance outfit release. Before they made euro trance they made this heavenly balearic gem. It screamed for Lauer remixes and he provided...
Unless you have been sleeping it should be pretty obvious that WPH head honcho Red D has a weak spot for early Belgian trance stuff. Before trance was even known as trance that is... The early 90ies were the post new beat era in Belgium and loads of producers were experimenting with new sounds to steer away from the blatantly commercial new beat chart stuff. So that's when the magic started happening.

One of these producer outfits was The Mackenzie, who on their very first releases covered a territory somewhere between new beat, Chicago house and Balearic sounds. None of these tracks really 'hit', but some 25 years later WPH shows you that true timeless quality always resurfaces. 'No Promises' is simply a divine piece of work from start to finish and should become that underground summer hit played by any DJ worth his or her salt when it comes to putting melody over beats. One listen to this one and it's easy to see why German stronghold Lauer was the go to man for some remix action. Lauer brings you a different take and a classic cover version of the original.

As a little bonus Locked Groove & Red D made an edit of a remix done by The Mackenzie in that same period. I think you will agree that both these tracks were made to be on one E.P. Trust WPH to bring it back in a different way!



[C] b1 | The Right Side (Locked Groove & Red D's Exotische Edit)

WRR is back on the scene with a new record from the label owner Giovanni Damico aka Ron Juan. Freshness and grooves are the key words of this new release projected into the summer and Gio is serving them to you on a beautiful piece of yellow wax! Laying the needle on side A and listen to "O Pais Do Sol", feel the smell of the sea and have a mojito, then when the sun is burning, smoke a cigarette in the shade and check what Trinidadian Deep thinks about that sound on the side B...Yeah you feel it, right The party is on! Now dance until the sunset and when you feel tired, the "Someone Is Gr8" track will bring you home safe!

Continuing on from Vol 1's theme of established artists working in disguise, 'Music First Vol 2' delivers another sonic assault with this absolute rollercoaster ride of a record. The mysterious Scorpio T opens the EP with 'Neptune Rising', a squelching acid-bass boomer that can simultaneously spiritually elevate and physically devastate any dancefloor. Rounding off Side A it's followed by Scandalous Arthur's 'Acid In My Mind', a lo-fi tape-hissed jacking beast of a banger that sounds like it's genuinely been brewing in a vat of highly toxic acid for at least 25 years and guaranteed to melt your mind. On the flipside comes JaX DaX returning from Vol 1 with the low-frequency moody slo-mo electro workout 'Fucking Computer' that oozes bad attitude and booty-shaking basslines in equal abundance. Bringing the trip to a close is Kyrenic Azalee with the self-titled 'Kyrenic Azalee', an x-rated new beat tour-de-force of epic proportions that will fry minds and bodies with its relentless energy. Limited edition so don't sleep on it, not that it would let you.

When a label within thirteen catalog releases has only one of them branded as 'various artists', than the focus on this release seems to be really interesting. Exactly that is the case with DREIZEHN and it's three protagonists. Der Dritte Raum co/pilot ‚Ralf Uhrlandt' opens up the split-release with his elegant-motor - skills house to techno track New Sights on the A side. With his contribution the door's lifted from the hinges and when the guitar hook line appears you're kissed from the sun in a world of an easy-going, feather light dance expressed manifest. On the B1 CLICK FARM crafts a wonderfully layered, deep minimal bassline driven hunter-techno masterwork which surely will be heard this summer on the dancefloors. B2: Der Dritte Raum - an old friend and labelowner of the swinging addiction- grooves here with his tune ‚El Sonido' and shows again the great school of easy techno music production. Big 12 release.

Adam Beyer is back on Drumcode with an impressive array of tracks that will get the senses tingling and shows us what Drumcode is all about. These 4 tracks are deep and almost melancholic in their approach to techno, using effects to really help enforce an ambience only Beyer can achieve within his productions. The under lying throbbing of the drums drives this EP into the forefront of the heads down Drumcode sound and have been heard in many of Beyer's phenomenal sets throughout the year.

Over the past few decades, there has been a seismic shift in Brazil's musical landscape. A plethora of varying musical undergrounds has developed across the nation. While Rio and São Paulo have been overwhelmed with networks of talented musicians for a long time, creative life is now bursting all over the country. Amplificador exists to document and propagate the wonderfully diverse music currently blossoming from Brazil's vivacious and geographically varied musical undergrounds. Presenting an up-to date insight into Brazilian music, this compilation draws together some of the components of 'Novíssima Música Brasileira' (brand new Brazilian music), ranging from afro-grooves to rock, to modern samba and MPB. The music reaches back across Brazil's incredibly rich musical and cultural traditions, while also taking in influence from other movements around the globe.



Having begun life in 2012 as a Brazilian music blog run by Marcelo Monteiro, Eduardo Rodrigues, Mateus Campos, and Ricardo Calazans, the aim of Amplificador is to document and propel to wider audiences, Brazilian music of the '00s and '10s generation. This is a task made more significant by obvious changes in the way music is consumed. 'People are no longer obliged to listen to what the radio and TV are presenting. There is a whole new generation that wants to listen to new bands and new sounds and we try to connect those bands with other bands, producers, fans and even the mainstream.' These changes in technology and the way music is discovered and shared have developed parallel to the proliferation of these emerging scenes. The ostensible decentralization of the music industry means the promoting and filtering work of journalists and blogs, like Amplificador, have become increasingly important, as people try to keep up with the tsunami of new music and media flooding the country on a daily basis.



Marcelo uses the example of the Mangue Beat movement to explain a trend in contemporary Brazilian music that looks both inwards, to Brazil's own musical traditions and outwards, to movements around the world to create a novel, localised identity: 'The 90's Pernambuco art-social movement was inspired by Coco, Maracatu and Forró all mixed with modern riffs and grooves. The mythical

revolutionary Chico Science, his Nação Zumbi, Mundo Livre, Siba, and many others do this blend perfectly. There are also the references to the older generations and masters - Gil, Caetano, Luiz Gonzaga, João Gilberto, Tim Maia, Jorge Benjor - as a constant inspiration for all bands.' This is very much the case for the Brazilian artists of today.



Music is unquestionably informed by place. Brazil has always been famed for its regional differences in this sense. Indeed there are still pronounced variations between the scenes of Rio, Sao Paulo, Natal, Goiânia, Belo Horizonte and Belém for example, there are also great divergences within cities and while technology has brought changes to the way musical influences are shared, there are cultural differences, rooted in folkloric traditions, that aren't going away. Expressing his appreciation for this fact, while highlighting the potential of Brazil's spread of musical flavours, Marcelo explains that 'what we have now is new ingredients to make an even better mixture.'

This compilation heavily features music from a scene in Brazil's current musical make-up, which draws inspiration from African music, particularly Afro-beat music. Abayomy Afrobeat Orchestra from Rio formed because of their shared love of the music of Fela Kuti, uniting initially in 2009 for a jam session in his honour. But what sets Abayomy apart from other groups of a similar nature, is the fact that their sound also brings with it the songs and rhythms of candomblé. In this sense, Abayomy was the first band of its kind. The thirteen members of the orchestra have a palpable current of Rio's musical heritage - its rhythms and culture - running through them. So while their sound is distinctly African, it is also inherently Brazilian. Similarly, Zebrabeat Afro-Amazônia Orquestra draw upon traditional guitarradas and carimbos from the state of Pará and fuse these with the poly-rhythms of Afrobeat to create another regional hybrid, which stays true to both its Amazonian and African roots, yet which results in a very fresh, Brazilian sound. From Belo Horizonte (capital of Minas Gerais), Iconilli are another key band on Brazil's Afro-groove scene. With influences as varied as funk, jazz and psychedelic rock, congado, mining harmonies, maracatu, coco, ijexá, carimbó, Iconilli somehow manage to balance all of these sounds in such a way that makes it impossible to pin them down. From the Northeastern city of Joao Pessao, Parayba, Burro Morto's pshychadelic afro sound leans more towards rock and funk influences, with hint of regional Brazilian rhythms such as frevo and forro. They add another flavour to the Brazilian afro-groove scene: just one of the many exciting facets of Novíssima Música Brasileira.



While African-inspired music features heavily on the compilation, it is just one of the many styles within. Ive Seixas has a fresh approach to MPB, based on traditional rhythms and instrumentation, punctuated by a pop sensibility, coupled with a powerful female vocal. As an artist she is a product of a 'Do It Yourself' outlook to creativity, taken from her love of rock growing up. In 2013 she embarked on a project of street performance: wandering, like a lonely troubadour with just her guitar. Ive and her project began to gain notoriety and shortly after, her first EP was recorded, featuring some important names of South Rio's underground scene. 'Cervejas Populares' taken from the EP, is a beautiful, sombre piece of modern Brazilian pop, with a traditional samba rhythm. Another artist of the new MPB scene is Fabricio, from the city of Vitoria, who's 'Feito Tamborim' melds rock and funk and is also clearly reminiscent of the old Brazilian masters. It's an appreciation for the national musical heritage, alongside a keen ear for melody and an acceptance of foreign influences that results in these promising new sounds of Brazilian MPB.

Sao Paulo's super group of the underground 'Passo Torto' have been at the helm of an emerging scene in the city: an innovative approach to samba which draws in and experiments with afro grooves, jazz melodies and rock structures. Their sound is naturally very Brazilian, but the nylon twang of Faira Lima Pra Ca, interspersed with ominous strings and light rolling percussion, seems reminiscent of Captain Beefheart or Tom Waits, as the band lament their frustrations with their native city through their music.



The Future of Novíssima Música Brasileira looks very bright. The main challenge (and purpose of this album) is to get the music beyond Brazil's underground and into view of international audiences. In the last 10 years this goal has become somewhat more attainable, as the Brazilian government has begun to see the internationalisation of the nation's culture as a strategic objective, with public projects gaining increased investment and backing. The continuing project of Amplificador is to reinforce this international bridge by writing, filtering and promoting the scene as a whole. There is a wealth of great music currently blooming in Brazil and using new media tools, Marcelo and the team, alongside many others, will passionately continue to get the voices of Brazil's underground heard.