co:clear is blessed to share the latest offering of Leipzig-based artist, tibslc. Like many, we were introduced to her work through those two stunner long-players on Sferic at the turn of the decade. Five years have passed since then and her work continues to mesmerise – a string of accomplished self-releases have nestled themselves amongst contributions to STROOM.tv and SoundSupply_Service, to name but a few.
In the here and now, we are pleased to showcase ‘City of Something’ – 8 fragments of deluxe hi-fi ambient that further dissolves us in digital haze. Traversing through meticulous fragments of sound, tiblsc entices the listener to her synthetic dreamworld with an album of deep, euphonic electronics. Serene moments of singer-songwriting are sprinkled throughout and remind us of the artist’s delicate ability to captivate with her ethereal voice.
Artwork comes courtesy of Berlin-based artist, Margarita Maximova. Strictly limited to 250 copies of 12” wax and via most digital outlets. Out 29th May 2026.
Out on limited edition 12” vinyl & digital, 29th May 2026. Limited to 250 copies.
Compounding a reputation for his unique vision on techno with an uncompromising underground ethos utilising a fusion of deep and energetic electronics, Lee’s sound always creates a myriad of tension and construction which has seen him become one of techno’s elite, appearing in the most prestigious underground venues across the planet. His consistently original and dynamic productions, which have earned him much international ecognition, are frequent and in great demand. Appearing on many impeccable cutting edge and classic imprints over the years, Lee’s music has generated relentless plays and support from the brightest and leading connoisseurs in the underground techno scene.
Continuing with the ‘Limited As Fuck’ series of releases, on our fiercely independent techno label based in Scotland, we’ve got an electronic guardian of such resolute astral belief in how the purest of dance music should be relayed to the occupants of any Celestial City. You will believe in RIOT when we say “The ‘Sentinel’ has awoken.”
Featuring eight tear drops out of the smoke fuelled rain from a distant belt in the galaxy, no ‘Moonrunner’ will be able to surf the ‘Gravitational Waves’ this Motor-City inspired journey takes you on. Book yourself passage on the Starliner ‘Off-World’ for a stargazing extravaganza into ‘The Gates Of Orion’ and witness the brightest of glimmers ........... in the dark.
The full digital release also features one bonus spellbinding track so your mind can melt into the depths of
space and time.
WARNING: YOU WILL OBEY IN ORDER THAT RIOT CAN TAKE YOU ONE STEP BEYOND …………….
Credits:
Written by Lee Holman
Mastered by Joe Farr
Artwork by Alan D. Oldham & Nomad
In the creative Bologna of the 1980s and 1990s, Kinki was the first gay (LGBTQ+) Club in Italy: a visionary space where House music exploded
and the night became a symbol of freedom, identity, and cultural revolution. Through the DJs and charismatic figures who shaped it’s future,
the documentary tells how this small club beneath the Two Towers forever changed the way music and clubbing were experienced.
The documentary, produced by RCO Europe and directed by Lorenzo Miglioli, is available on Amazon Prime and Google Play platforms throughout Europe, the UK, the US, Australia, and South Africa.
The soundtrack, curated by Luca Trevisi (LTJ Xperience), features a selection of 1990s and more recent tracks, ranging from Italo House to
Nu Disco. Most of the tracks are re-edited by LTJ himself.
A double vinyl album packaged in a gatefold sleeve, also containing a 16-page color booklet featuring images of the Kinki crowd.
Stólar label boss Philipp Priebe delivers the inaugural long player on his own imprint this December, entitled ‘Movements In An Empty Department Store’ and comprising eight original compositions from the German artist. This LP is about a kid’s dream - one night alone in an empty department store. A dream come true for lots of children and adults, as it gives you the opportunity to do what you want, try everything without the side eye of employees, snack through the entire food and sweets section and have a night off without thinking about consequences. This can become great, a nightmare or a feverish dream these eight tracks are your soundtrack to this adventure. Throughout the ‘Movements In An Empty Department Store’ album, Priebe further showcases his ability to craft, raw, cinematic and often mystical deep house music that acts as a cosseting sonic blanket for the listener throughout. From the swelling bass lines, dubby echoes and ethereal textures found in tracks like ‘Marble’, ‘Porcelain’, ‘Drenched In Dust’ and ‘Fever Dreams’, through to more rugged percussion driven dance floor tools like title-cut ‘Movements In An Empty Department Store’, ‘Cedar’ and ‘Clouds Floating In A Haze Of Light’ or the pensive, haunting closer ‘On The Way Out’, Philipp Priebe once again proves himself as a remarkable composer with a striking ear for detail and depth.
pdqb shows no signs of slowing down. Relentlessly productive and constantly locked into transmission mode, it delivers 13 tracks of its unmistakable Electro-Cognition sound. Sharp, futuristic, body-moving music wired straight into the nervous system.
From precision electro workouts to mind-bending synth transmissions, every track hits with purpose, style, and identity.
However, the remix lineup is equally heavyweight. Four elite reworks from four serious operators, each one twisting the source code into new dimensions.
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Half pinball table, half neural reactor, wired directly into a wall of aging synthesizers. The so-called Transient Witness (aka Preconscious Data Quantum Buffer) records not what people did - but what they almost did: Every flash of hesitation, every thought that vanished before becoming real, every dream erased at sunrise.
At its center pulses a synthetic brain, decoding impulses too brief for language. These signal transients are micro-events that appear and disappear in milliseconds.
When activated, the table will not play sound. It remembers it. Each collision of steel ball and sensor triggers forgotten futures, lost timelines, phantom rhythms from decisions never taken. Basslines from parallel selves. Melodies from unrealized lives. Percussion patterns from collapsing probabilities.
The 13 original tracks featured on this release are a transmission recovered from one of its sessions. Electro pulses, synaptic breaks, machine funk, and signals from thoughts that never survived long enough to exist.
Globally adored Spanish techno protagonist Indira Paganotto releases her debut album 'Arte Como Amante' via ARTCORE / PIAS Électronique. It brings together thirteen fearless tracks that stretch way beyond any one genre. It's high-pressure, high-energy, and deeply personal. A full-spectrum dive into the world of one of electronic music's most dynamic artists.
It follows a huge 2025. She debuted at Coachella. Played her first ever b2bs with Armin van Buuren at Sonar and Sara Landry at EXIT. She became the first woman to close Monegros. She held down her first Club Room residency at Hï Ibiza for 14 weeks, and even launched her own creative studio space, ARTOPIA, in Santa Eulalia. Her label ARTCORE the home of this special album also took their presence in the dance world to the next level with their own curated stages at Tomorrowland, Mysteryland and Dreambeach.
Now, she's telling her story. The title 'Arte Como Amante' means 'art as a lover'. For Indira, that's not just a phrase. It's her life. This album has been 14 years in the making. It began in Madrid in 2012, when she was 19, and was completed in 2024. She waited for the right moment. She lived life. She collected experiences. She built the sound. "I know to take 14 years to make an album seems crazy," she says, "but without living those experiences, how could I have made the music about them?"
The result is a diverse, adrenaline-fuelled body of work that hits hard and moves deep.
In the evolving landscape of modern Southern hip-hop, the pairing of Starlito and Bandplay stands out as a unique bridge between street-level authenticity and refined, calculated musicality. Their collaborative project, Not The Country You Know, functions less like a standard release and more as a manifesto—a masterclass in the chemistry between a seasoned, introspective lyricist and a producer who possesses an intuitive grasp of the region's pulse. It is an exploration of legacy and adaptation, capturing the tension between where they came from and where the culture is currently headed.
Bandplay, long recognized for sculpting the sonic identity of Memphis icons, brings his signature, trunk-rattling 808s to the project, yet he manages to pivot here. The production feels remarkably expansive, masterfully blending the raw, stripped-back aesthetics of classic Tennessee rap with forward-thinking textures that refuse to be confined to a single sub-genre. Complementing this, Starlito operates with his trademark mix of cynical observation and genuine vulnerability. He navigates these beats with the weary grace of an artist who has weathered the music industry's relentless cycles, treating every bar like a necessary piece of a larger, ongoing story.
The album’s title serves as a direct commentary on these shifting tides. Across the tracklist, the duo investigates the growing disparity between the romanticized South and the cold realities of the streets, alongside the inevitable evolution of the music business itself. There is no frantic chasing of streaming-era trends or algorithmic bait here; instead, the project remains a stubborn, confident assertion of artistic identity. By weaving together Starlito’s "voice-of-reason" flow and Bandplay’s evolving, genre-bending sound, Not The Country You Know challenges the listener to abandon their preconceived notions of the region, offering instead a complex, urgent vision of a South that is as haunting as it is vibrant.
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.
Pioneering NYC house label Nu Groove Records is proud to unveil a four-track EP of originals from fellow NYC house legend Jovonn.
After nearly three decades without a release, the cult house label relaunched in 2021 spearheaded by none other than Jovonn with ‘Random / Get Over It’. Following his ‘Funn Houze EP’ released earlier in 2023, the Brooklyn native is back with his ‘Blaque Katt EP’, a masterful display of innate musicality combined with an affinity for roaring '90s-inspired club music.
For the lead, ‘The Piano Fix’, Jovonn creates a dichotomy between the delicate nature instrument and the heavy, sweaty feel of the dancefloor. This is followed by a harder pianistic technique in both ‘The Piano Fix Returns’ and ‘Let Me Tell You Somethin’, showcasing the producer’s flair for harmony and melody.
Closing the immersive collection is ‘Drop That Traxx’, a playful track featuring addictive, syncopated hooks over a pounding four-on-the-floor beat. Throughout the EP, Jovonn displays his talent for gritty, hard music made with tender care.
Good Morning Tapes are back with a new album of lushest New Age sound-bathing x emotionally gooey trip hop from Andro Gogibedashvili aka Saphileaum.
Saphileaum has spent the past decade in passage between notable houses of atmospheric sorcery - Mule Musiq, Not Not Fun, Slow Life, Constellation Tatsu - and of course Good Morning Tapes, who now host their 3rd meeting, »Heavenly Hills«. A definitive chapter in his ten year saga, it is flush with symphonic strings and sky born keys, breezily urged by percussion that straddles chill out and folk zones. That said there’s also a Balearic - or should that be Black Sea? - appeal to its title tune, that lingers in the glistening wake of »Your Grace«, to the shimmering breaks of a parting piece »Alarko (Cosmic Eagle)«, falling into the space between Boards of Canada’s cult-inspired hauntological nostalgia and Shackleton’s hallowed ethno-dub.
»The tracks in the album were written with the inspiration of the kingdom of Shambhala in the Himalayas. I’m deeply fascinated and touched by it. Even the album title, holds the idea of its Heavenly nature and the tracks are like individual, elemental parts of it. The album is not a journey into Shambhala, but rather a play and a dance with its energy, image and presence in my world. »Alarko (Cosmic Eagle)« is dedicated to my grandfather, Temur Tsiklauri, and I dedicate the whole album to my country Georgia, which I deeply love«.
Gorizont Sobytiy (Event Horizon), the duo of veteran electronic musician Nocow and his wife, DJ Designer, mark the project's debut with an album worth of material of 'frogg-step' / Pankratov Step. It's safe to say this is an intriguing proposition for even those well-initiated into the world of the contemporary Russian underground. What is perhaps most immediately obvious across the 11 tracks is a clear appreciation for golden-era Rephlex records, as if the duo are reflecting on how the iconic label was perceived in the Eastern bloc at the time. There's a nostalgic touch tugging at the heart strings with the warm ambient tones of 'Bananoivy Twist' or even the ballroom-esque organ melodies of follow up 'Chacha', both swiftly followed by a switch back into frantic gabber style kicks that recur across the album.
To give a little more away in terms of a background story, Nocow and DJ Designer draw influence from a film called Winter Evening in Gagra, a somewhat distant feeling artefact of late-Soviet cinema about a tap dancing champion's late nights spent gallivanting across the glitz of Moscow's pop music scene in the 1980s. Maximalist in its sound design, Pankratov Step draws its name from actor-protagonist Pankratov, not quite an out-of-time soundtrack as such but at the least a wry nod to the former world in which the film takes place. The cascading, brittle synthesis of 'Cemetry's Boss' forms an icy cinematic fusion again with a gabber influence at play whilst a fierce acid line works alongside myriad glitch rhythms and repeating keys on 'Octopus Werk'. Influenced by the local humour and sentimentality surrounding the film, a melodrama with themes of lost art and a kind of old-world transcendence the young circus performer yearns for, the duo use it as a vessel to describe the projects sound - a coalescing of vintage Soviet soundtracks, early IDM, Jake Slazenger and Expert Knob Twiddlers album. 'Pankratov-Step' becoming their own fictional genre. The LP marks another avant-garde chapter in Nocow's long back catalogue, as well as a fully formed collaborative debut for the currently enigmatic DJ Designer. Pankratov Step is the second release on GOST ZVUK sub-label MEMONT, curated by Kuzma Palkin.
Belgian label De:tuned once again dives into the innovative world of Luke Vibert, reviving his legendary Plug moniker with 'Variety Magic', the first new Plug album in nearly 15 years.
For this release, Vibert unearthed and hand-picked a collection of previously unreleased jungle and drum & bass gems, sourced straight from his original mid-90s DAT archive. The result is an 11-track ride through the raw energy and playful experimentation that made his early Plug work so distinctive, all infused with Vibert's unmistakable funk and mischievous flair.
Variety Magic is vibrant, bold, and delightfully off-kilter. A colourful homage to an iconic era, crafted for both deep listeners and the dancefloor. Stay tuned!
Visualised by the Variety Magi. Stencil Art by Pablo Fiasco and rewired by Openmind. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops.
Belgian label De:tuned once again dives into the innovative world of Luke Vibert, reviving his legendary Plug moniker with 'Variety Magic', the first new Plug album in nearly 15 years.
For this release, Vibert unearthed and hand-picked a collection of previously unreleased jungle and drum & bass gems, sourced straight from his original mid-90s DAT archive. The result is an 11-track ride through the raw energy and playful experimentation that made his early Plug work so distinctive, all infused with Vibert's unmistakable funk and mischievous flair.
Variety Magic is vibrant, bold, and delightfully off-kilter. A colourful homage to an iconic era, crafted for both deep listeners and the dancefloor. Stay tuned!
Visualised by the Variety Magi. Stencil Art by Pablo Fiasco and rewired by Openmind. Mastered by Matt Colton at Metropolis. A separate digital release will also be available at the usual digital shops.
Luke Wyatt created Sladazj as a place for beat-driven cinematic downshift. These were darker doorways than Torn Hawk could step through. Beyond the arches were Sladazj’s favorite landscapes. We’re talking hovercrafts buzzing over dark marshes as Zartan the bad guy from GI Joe changes faces and plays cards with the guy who swings the cinder block on the axe handle. Cinders and ashes, axes and unbelievers. “Second Device” is the second real long-form proving ground for these moves, the second ash pit. Sladazj is the prince of the pit.
Sleeparchive and Oliver Rosemann present a collaborative EP built as a shared system rather than a dialogue.
It is procedural: reduction, iteration, feedback.
Elements are introduced to be tested against the system. Changes occur slowly, often at the edge of perception, creating tension through persistence. This record documents convergence. A temporary alignment of processes, tools and timing.
The Sunken EP is cut for long-form playback, where variation becomes noticeable through duration to put you into a hypnotic state.
“Beautiful. Feels like every corner has been lovingly created. Highly recommended" Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2
“Incredible. One of my albums of the year” Dom Servini, Jazz FM
“What a beautiful message” China Moses, Jazz FM
“Completely envelopes you” Soweto Kinch, BBC Radio 3
“An uplifting, articulate soundtrack which instils hope and uncontaminated warmth” Backseat Mafia
“Scrimshire delivers a superior example of the style thanks to his musicality and inventive imagination” Jazzwise
“He has stepped up: a stronger musician, and a braver one, with nothing here that plays as filler” UK Vibe
DJ Support: Cerys Matthews, Gilles Peterson, Gideon Coe, Zakia, Jamie Cullum, Patrick Forge, Maflada, Dom Servini, Tony Minvielle, China Moses, Yolanda Brown
Drawing on influences from Charles Stepney to David Axelrod, into expansive folk-soul and jazz from the 60s, Bring Our Light To Every Corner is a deep and enchanting masterpiece from Scrimshire.
With captivating features by Dwight Trible, Idris Rahman, Faye Houston and Indian classical legend Mahesh Kale, the album holds together a suitably diverse set of ideas in a seamless journey full of heart.
Jungle by Night Speaks Out on their latest full length album, Bar Dancing: An Ode to Friendship, the Dance Floor, and the Voice
Since their teenage years, the Amsterdam-based groove collective Jungle by Night has been conquering music venues and festivals with their ever-expanding mix of styles—krautrock, nu-disco, electro-pop. After six largely instrumental studio albums, the group—now consisting of six musicians—changes course on their seventh long-player. On Bar Dancing, set for release in early 2027 via the Amsterdam-based Rush Hour label, the band does something they have never done before: they sing.
Where brass, percussion, and synths previously told the stories, lyrics and vocals now demand their space as well. It gives the band room to put words to the topics that occupy their minds: the pitfalls of digital addiction, the dark sides of fake news, toxic masculinity, and the connection they experience while touring together.
The title Bar Dancing captures the essence of the album. It is an ode to friendship, connection, and the night. The record radiates the atmosphere of a pub where you sit at the bar discussing life, only to find yourself dancing in that very same bar moments later. Analog and warmly produced, the album builds on influences from '80s pop, krautrock, and Neue Deutsche Welle. Think of the playfulness of Talking Heads, the dub influences of UB40, the electronic layers of Air, and the tight "computer love" of Kraftwerk.
Band member Hy Tienson explains: "For the first time, we are literally giving a voice to our thoughts. It makes the music more personal, more direct, and more layered, without losing that signature, uplifting Jungle groove."
With Bar Dancing, Jungle by Night delivers an album that invites both listening and dancing. It marks a new phase for the band, taking another step forward with a renewed sound and their own lyrics.
The Austrian imprint Fortunea Records took a little break to fill up their batteries and comes back now this summer with a release by the Bavarian duo Decent Rides. They are around for a couple of years and are also the masterminds behind the label Interloot Records.
On the ‚Like We Do‘ EP they are your guides for a versatile house infiltrated tour. The title-track is an energetic floorfiller with modulated synth sequences and heart stomping drum patterns. Definitely the killer app on this wax.
The second track on the A-side features the tune ‚Mind Maze‘. A funky bouncing bassline, reverberant almost siren sounding tones, staccato vocal samples and high accentuated hats make you blister your feet from your high intensively dance moves.
On track B2, the duo adds further "Colours" to the record. This melancholic deep house tune exudes a beautiful, somber, and yet captivating atmosphere that is impossible to resist. This track could be very effective when played during sunrise or sundown.
And finally, they round off this release with cosmic dub sounds and shimmering chords. "Lembo" invigorates the senses. Every beat on this tech house track is an invitation to let go and feels you the pulse of the underground scene.
Go check this out!
Limited to 200 records. There will be no repress!
Mastering by Patrick Pulsinger.
The Dead Mauriacs is the project of French artist Olivier Prieur, "Paravents et miroirs, une cérémonie" is a live soundtrack.
The Dead Mauriacs describe their music as "Exotica Concrete" - their music is composed of field recordings made on a daily basis, as well as a diverse collection of sounds, including piano, Indian harmonium, violin, ukulele, didgeridoo, pieces of wood, glass, paper, and metal plates. The album is a spectacular 40-minute sound collage, assembled by sampling Exotica music represented by musicians and arrangers such as Les Baxter and Arthur Lyman, who were active in the 1950s.
"Exotica is a musical genre or sub-genre that emerged in the 1950s in the United States with musicians and arrangers like Les Baxter or Arthur Lyman. It is an extraordinary music because it is false: bird calls imitate bird songs, you can hear the sound of the waves, it is a Western fantasy, particularly North American, of a world and an imagery that never existed. It is a music associated with mass tourism, mass entertainment, consumerism. Arthur Lyman recorded about 30 records in 10 years in Waikiki. With his band, they played and recorded under a geodesic aluminum dome. The dome belonged to the owner of the hotel he played for every night. They did this at night to avoid noise. It's music that is both profoundly naive and totally flawed. In this, it is seductive and intellectually interesting. It is music that could easily be criticized today, but it is an imaginary in itself, like the Italian film music of the 1960s and 1970s." (Excerpt from the calax's interview)
The Dead Mauriacs are not only involved in music, but also in a wide range of other creative endeavors, including video and painting. He also repsonsible for the artwork of this LP. The inside of the product is also accompanied by an 8-page interview with Mauriacs and compiled his amazing artworks.
The Dead Mauriacs
Paravents et miroirs : une cérémonie / Screens and mirrors: a ceremony
Side A
Courte dérive, une ouverture / Short drift, an opening
Le retour des insectes électriques / The return of the electric insects Les oiseaux étranges / The strange birds Tension, terreur factice / Tension, false terror
Dénouement malais / Malaysian ending
Rituels et vanités 1 / Rituals and vanities 1
Rituels et vanités 2 / Rituals and vanities 2
Italiens dʼHambourg / Italians in Hamburg
Side B
Secrets pour piano / Secrets for piano
La suite Monory, Padoue-Le Caire-Nassau / The Monory Suite, Padua-Cairo-Nassau Hommes à découper / Men to cut out Lassitude moite / Clammy weariness
Le soleil artificiel du pont croisière / The artificial sun on the cruise deck
Pirogues et palmiers, vus de la scène / Pirogues and palm trees, seen from the stage La traversée / The crossing Rideau / Rideau
Fields recordings : Semproniano and Siena, Italy, Figueira, Portugal, Charentes, France. An electrical wire with a frequency shifter gave birth to the insects. Real and fake piano. Everything made with a computer and a midi keyboard.
Music premiered at Hörbar, Hamburg, 28th of December 2017. Music (and video) Olivier Prieur.
Thanks to Thorsten Soltau and all people at Hörbar.
Hello to Felix Kubin & Marie-Pierre Bonniol, Julia & Jan Warnke. Kisses to Hélène.
LOS ANGELES—To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the celebrated Talking Heads and Jonathan Demme’s concert film Stop Making Sense, the set will be re-released as a 2LP and 2CD/Blu-ray set this summer.
Released last year, the sold-out Deluxe Edition of the soundtrack will return as a 2-LP black vinyl on Rhino and 2-LP crystal clear vinyl at retail. Both variants feature a 12-page booklet with liner notes from all four band members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison—and band photos. The 2CD/Blu-ray version includes the entire 28-page booklet from last year’s Deluxe Edition and a Dolby Atmos mix of the complete concert, mixed by Jerry Harrison and E.T. Thorngren, who also mixed the original release. Both will be available on July 26. Pre-order now.
The band appeared together for a sold-out screening and Q&A last night at the Pantages Theater, the same theater at which Stop Making Sense was recorded. They were joined by Blondshell, who performed “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” Another special screening with the band will occur in Brooklyn at the King’s Theater on June 13, with the Q&A hosted by Questlove and The Linda Linda’s performing “Found a Job.” The two events cap off a banner year of celebrations for what many consider to be the best concert film of all time.
The inspiration for Stop Making Sense came when director Jonathan Demme saw Talking Heads perform during the band’s 1983 tour for Speaking in Tongues. Afterward, he approached them with the idea of making the show into a concert film. They agreed and worked together over the next few months to finalize the details. Ultimately, Demme filmed three shows at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 to create Stop Making Sense.
The concert film presents a retrospective of the band up to that point, with a performance that weaves together songs from all six of its studio albums. The show progresses methodically, opening with Byrne onstage performing “Psycho Killer” alone with a drum machine. After each song, he’s joined by a new band member until Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison are all on stage with him. The group continues to grow throughout the concert as members of the stellar touring band are added: keyboardist Bernie Worrell, percussionist Steve Scales, guitarist Alex Weir, and backup singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt.
The band performs 18 songs in Stop Making Sense, including its recent single at the time, “Burning Down The House.” That summer, the song was in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, helping the song become the band’s first top 10 hit in America. It was, however, a different song from Speaking in Tongues that was destined to deliver one of the film’s signature moments. Talking Heads would perform “Girlfriend Is Better” wearing the now iconic, oversized suit inspired by costumes worn in traditional Japanese theater. For good measure, a picture of David Byrne in the suit also graces the album cover.
Stop Making Sense focuses mainly on music by Talking Heads but does include a few songs recorded outside the band: “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club, “What A Day That Was” and “Big Business” from Byrne’s 1981 album, The Catherine Wheel. Limited edition vinyl versions of both of these albums, along with Harrison’s The Red And The Black, were released for this year’s Record Store Day.
When it arrived in September 1984, Stop Making Sense was an artistic and commercial triumph. The film had people dancing in theatre aisles, and the soundtrack sold over two million copies. Just last year, the Library of Congress added Stop Making Sense to the National Film Registry in recognition of its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.
Weymouth praises Demme as a collaborator: “…Jonathan was a very enthusiastic, highly adaptive, and imaginative guy who was just as good a listener as he was a talker and collaborator. From the get-go you just got the impression he was as flexible as he was disciplined. Being team players, that boded well for a great relationship and a great film!”
Harrison says the film still holds up today: “To me, Stop Making Sense has remained relevant because the staging and lighting techniques could have been created in a much earlier time period. For example, Vari-Lights, lights with motors to re-aim them, had just come into vogue. Had we used them, there would have been a timestamp on the film, and it eventually would have felt dated...The absence of interviews, combined with the elegant and timeless lighting, created a film that can be watched over and over.”
Byrne says it’s interesting that this album was – for many people – an introduction to Talking Heads. “We had done a live album before this, but coupled with the film, and with the improved mixes and sound quality, this record reached a whole new audience. As often happens, the songs got an added energy when we performed them live and were inspired by having an audience. In many ways, these versions are more exciting than the studio recordings, so maybe that’s why a lot of folks discovered us via this record.”
Frantz recalls the sheer joy surrounding the entire Stop Making Sense experience. “I’m talking about real, conscious, transcendent joy… I’m talking about what the Southern gospel people call ‘getting happy,’ which means ‘to be filled with the Spirit.’ That is what happened to us onstage every night, and from my seat behind the drums, I recognized that this was happening to the audience too. Joy was visible in front of me and all around me every night.”
Telling a tale of house music’s early days or roots without mentioning Tony Humphries as a club DJ, remixer and radio disc jockey would make it an incomplete, forged and most of all a bit of a yawn.
Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Humphries’ musical journey is synonymous with New York City’s dance music history and the evolution from uptempo soul music to house: from being a dancer at David Mancuso’s infamous Loft parties to becoming a mobile DJ and getting the call from Shep Pettibone to become his right hand at
the then new Kiss FM radio station, followed by countless remix offers and a legendary residency at Newark’s Club Zanzibar. Next to that one, is was especially his work as a radio disc jockey for said station during most of the 1980s until 1994 that gave him majestic clout. Breaking new records week in, week out,
putting New Jersey acts like Adeva and Jomanda or countless up-and-coming producers from there on the musical map, while simultaneously playing the hottest imports from Europe, trax from Chicago, dance classics and all things straight from New York’s music factory that never seemed to stop.
Going to his vast and almost complete archive of radio shows from way back when he graced those airwaves, we at Running Back Records have pickedNew Release Information original recordings that symbolize his importance as an industry giant and ambassador of this style of music.
„But one thing I would like to point out is that, as a DJ, the music I play is not my music. I want to make it perfectly clear that it is music that is released, and it’s everyone’s music. I do not take any other credit than being the middle person exposing this music.“
(Tony Humphries in: What Kind of House Party Is This?, Jonathan Fleming, 1996)
ALERT: BIG 90s ITALIAN RAVE COMP - a lot of very in demand tunes on here.
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Franco Falsini and the Interactive Test Universe
There are musicians who follow their time.
And then there are those who seem to move along a different trajectory—like navigators crossing sonic eras without ever truly belonging to any one of them. The story of Franco Falsini belongs to the latter. It is a story that begins long before raves, before techno, before the word “electronic” had even become a recognizable musical genre. A story that moves across continents, technologies, and sonic visions, eventually arriving at a small creative laboratory born in Italy in the early 1990s: Interactive Test. This compilation is a fragment of that universe. But as often happens with the hidden histories of music, understanding it requires going back. Far back.
The Beginning: Machines, Tape and Space
In the late 1960s Franco Falsini leaves Italy and moves to the United States. It is not merely a geographical journey—it is also a journey into a new idea of music. At the time, synthesizers are only just emerging from research laboratories. Multitrack tape recorders allow musicians to build entire sonic worlds on their own. Technology is still far from standardized: every studio is almost an experimental workshop. In Virginia, Falsini builds one of his own. Among cables, oscillators, electric guitars and reels of magnetic tape, a kind of music begins to take shape that resembles nothing else being made at the time. It is not simply rock, and it is not yet truly electronic. It moves somewhere in the space between the two. Out of these explorations emerges Sensations' Fix, the project through which Falsini releases a series of albums during the 1970s. Records that seem to come from a parallel dimension: cosmic landscapes, electronically treated guitars, synthesizers drifting like satellites. Many years later those albums would be rediscovered as visionary works. But at the time they were simply the result of relentless curiosity. A curiosity that would never fade.
The City That Never Sleeps
In the 1980s Falsini’s trajectory leads him to New York. The city is a sonic organism in constant transformation. In its clubs and recording studios something entirely new is beginning to take shape: music built from drum machines, sequencers, and samplers, created for the body before the living room. It is the dawn of modern dance culture. Falsini works as a sound engineer, producer and experimenter. From close range he observes electronic music transforming into a global language. Machines become more accessible, computers begin entering studios, and rhythm takes on an increasingly central role. Yet even in this phase Falsini does not simply follow what is happening. He absorbs. Observes. Reimagines. When he eventually returns to Italy, he brings back not only technical experience but also a clear vision: the conviction that electronic music is an open space, a territory still waiting to be explored.
Tuscany, Early 1990s
At the beginning of the 1990s something is happening in Italy as well. In clubs, abandoned industrial warehouses and clandestine parties, a new scene is beginning to form. It is rave culture: a spontaneous movement bringing together DJs, producers and listeners in a collective experience driven by rhythm, technology, and creative freedom. It is within this context that Franco Falsini, together with his brother Riccardo, creates Interactive Test.
The name almost sounds like a scientific experiment. In many ways, it is. Interactive Test does not emerge as a traditional record label. It begins as a laboratory—a place where ideas, sounds and musical identities can be tested and explored. Around the Falsini studio in Tuscany a small constellation of artists and DJs begins to gather, helping to shape the sound of Italy’s emerging electronic scene. Among them are Andrea Giuditta, Francesco Farfa, Gabry Fasano, Roby Mastelloni, Roby J and many others. Each brings a different musical sensibility. But they all share the same intuition: electronic music is not a genre. It is a language.
The Laboratory of Identities
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Interactive Test universe is its constant play with identity. Franco Falsini releases music under several different names: Open Space, Youth Wave, Agent Fylfoyt, Man Myth Magic. These are not simply pseudonyms.
They are different sonic perspectives, as if each project were a window opening onto a parallel musical universe. Open Space, for example, explores more atmospheric and visionary territories. Youth Wave moves between electronic groove and club-oriented rhythms. Other projects experiment with digital psychedelia or hypnotic techno textures. Interactive Test becomes something more than a label. it becomes an ecosystem.
Domestic Machines, Infinite Worlds
Looking back today at the technology used in those productions, one might almost smile. Many tracks were created on Amiga computers, MIDI sequencers and analog synthesizers wired together in home studios—tools that appear modest when compared to today’s digital possibilities.
Yet precisely these limitations became a creative force. Every sound had to be built, shaped and reinvented. Sequences developed slowly, almost like living organisms. The tracks did not always follow traditional dance music structures; often they felt like genuine sonic journeys. Music built from space.
A Hidden Constellation
Many of the records released by Interactive Test in the 1990s remained for years almost invisible objects, circulating quietly among DJs, collectors, and devoted listeners. Yet it is precisely this underground existence that helped preserve them. Listening again today, one perceives something rare: the feeling of music that does not fully belong to its own time. Music suspended between different eras. Perhaps because it comes from a vision that both precedes and transcends trends.
Continuing the Journey
Looking at Franco Falsini’s entire path—from the electronic psychedelia of Sensations’ Fix to the rave culture of the 1990s—a surprisingly coherent line emerges.
A line defined by exploration.
Each project, each pseudonym, each record appears as a new route within the same great sonic voyage.
Interactive Test was one of its stations.
A laboratory.
A community.
A creative platform.
This compilation gathers some of its traces.
Not as a simple archive of the past, but as a map of a musical territory that continues to expand even today.
Fresh from a run of must-check EPs on Syncrophone Recordings, Black Jazz Consortium man Fred Peterkin inaugurates a new label, Base. The New York-based producer appears to be the man at the helm, since his next scheduled release also appears on the freshly minited imprint. He begins with 'There & Back (Long Player)', a languid, mid-tempo chunk of string-laden deep house classiness, before opting for a breezier, dreamier and sunnier sound on the impeccable 'Something For The Road'. Peterkin's ability to fuse looseness, heaviness and subtly soul-flecked instrumentation comes to the fore on EP highlight 'Rhythm & Movement', while 'BTA10711 (4am Mix)' tiptoes the fine line between dubby deep house and spacey, far-sighted futurism.
You can't put Bebe Rexha in a box. From her Grammy-winning songwriting roots on Eminem's "The Monster" to global chart-toppers with David Guetta and Florida Georgia Line, Rexha has established herself as a premier musical chameleon. With her latest project, Dirty Blonde, she officially enters a new era as an independent powerhouse. Now signed to EMPIRE, the Brooklyn-born star has crafted a 13-song "genre kaleidoscope" that serves as her first-ever visual album, representing a total creative rebirth and a departure from the major-label system she's known since she was a teenager.
Recorded across London, Tokyo, and Europe, Dirty Blonde captures the energy of Rexha's global travels. The project seamlessly blends heavy-hitting dance floor anthems with deep, personal storytelling. With the lead single "New Religion" she takes us straight to the club by reimagining the iconic dance record "Insomnia" by Faithless. On "Tokyo," she explores a drum & bass pulse inspired by a late-night rendezvous in Japan, while "Cike Cike" (produced by long-time collaborator DJ Snake) sees Rexha embracing her Albanian heritage by mixing traditional linguistic roots with modern 808 basslines.
At the emotional core of the album is the lead single, "I Like You Better Than Me." The track strips away the pop-star veneer to tackle themes of insecurity and self-scrutiny, blending raw lyrics with a pop-rock edge. From the Jersey-bounce-meets-country vibes of "Drink and a Little Love" to her vulnerable reflections on fame, Dirty Blonde is a celebration of an artist who is finally playing by her own rules. As Rexha firmly asserts, "The old Bebe is dead," leaving behind a focused, stronger creator who is making the music she truly loves.
Telling a tale of house music’s early days or roots without mentioning Tony Humphries as a club DJ, remixer and radio disc jockey would make it an incomplete, forged and most of all a bit of a yawn.
Born in Brooklyn in 1957, Humphries’ musical journey is synonymous with New York City’s dance music history and the evolution from uptempo soul music to house: from being a dancer at David Mancuso’s infamous Loft parties to becoming a mobile DJ and getting the call from Shep Pettibone to become his right hand at
the then new Kiss FM radio station, followed by countless remix offers and a legendary residency at Newark’s Club Zanzibar. Next to that one, is was especially his work as a radio disc jockey for said station during most of the 1980s until 1994 that gave him majestic clout. Breaking new records week in, week out,
putting New Jersey acts like Adeva and Jomanda or countless up-and-coming producers from there on the musical map, while simultaneously playing the hottest imports from Europe, trax from Chicago, dance classics and all things straight from New York’s music factory that never seemed to stop.
Going to his vast and almost complete archive of radio shows from way back when he graced those airwaves, we at Running Back Records have pickedNew Release Information original recordings that symbolize his importance as an industry giant and ambassador of this style of music.
„But one thing I would like to point out is that, as a DJ, the music I play is not my music. I want to make it perfectly clear that it is music that is released, and it’s everyone’s music. I do not take any other credit than being the middle person exposing this music.“
(Tony Humphries in: What Kind of House Party Is This?, Jonathan Fleming, 1996)
SLF IMG is a dark synth pop project channeling the shadowy elegance of the 80s while injecting raw EBM drive and the hypnotic, sun-bleached nostalgia of classic italo disco. Their forthcoming EP “Carne” – Italian for meat – sinks its teeth into the genre with sleek, modern production, razor-sharp hooks, and basslines so catchy they feel almost carnal. Seductive yet menacing, “Carne” strips the sound back to its pulsing, flesh-and-wire core: dancefloor-ready grooves wrapped in velvet darkness.
POEME ELECTRONIQUE was Dave Hewson (synthesisers, production), Sharon Abbott (lyrics, lead and backing vocals), Julie Ruler (backing vocals) and Les Hewson (bass), formed in 1980 by Dave Hewson in South London, UK, in 1980. Dave was studying music and as a rare kind of student species he had a deep fascination for New Wave and electronic music thus also playing and recording electronic music ever since like using the Boss DR-55, Cosmo Sound Super Drum, Elka Rhapsody 610, EMS Synthi AKS, Korg MS-20(X2)/Polysix/Polyphonic Ensemble 1000/VC-10 Vocoder, Linn Electronics LM-1, Octave Kitten, Roland RS-09/VP-330 Vocoder Plus, Simmons SDS-V Kit and Yamaha CS-80 on this retrospective POEME ELECTRONIQUE album with original material from 1981/82 only. Over the period of more than two years, Dave has remastered these tracks using the latest high-end tools making them sound better than ever before. The deluxe 2LP vinyl album comprises 16 tracks of which 14 have never been published before. “The Echoes Fade” and “Voice” are the original versions taken off their original 7” from 1982. The album “The Echoes Fade” cannot be described other than being a masterpiece and one of the best-ever early 80’s electropop records ever, and it surely has to be lined up with Rational Youth or Experimental Products’ cult albums (in terms of being minimal synth/wave scene reference albums), but to be frank, Anna thinks that POEME ELECTRONIQUE were even above their level.
Truly, they had deserved to go on the successful path like Depeche Mode, OMD or Soft Cell, but fate was against them as it seems. The main difference to other electropop groups of the time was definitely that Dave did not only master his synths technically-wise, no, he also knew how to actually play, and when you hear his amazing multi-track ‘manual sequencing’, programming skills, great harmonies and melodies throughout the tracks, along with the two girls’ performances – well they can really sing! – you will agree there is some something remarkably extraordinary in these tracks. You will find minimal electropop super hits like “Rendezvous”, “She’s an Image”, “Fragile”, or “Dilemma”; hauntingly beautiful melancholic tracks like “A Mourner’s Lament”, “This Night” or “It’s in the Atmosphere”; darkest minimal electronics on “Inside his Head”; and even more poppier tracks like “Follow”. This record will hopefully be loved by any electronic music lover and most probably marks the highlight in the growing Anna Logue Records catalogue – therefore Anna did not shy away from any costs and the album is truly an outstanding release in every single aspect including sound and artwork presentation. Apart from the bonus tracks you will find in the 2LP deluxe vinyl edition glossy inner sleeves with lyrics to all songs, as well as individual mini 7” sleeves for each song designed by our dear graphic designer Steve Lippert plus many additional group photos on the gatefold sleeves’ inner. After so many efforts and more than two years passing by, Anna is so over the moon to see this release being ready now and we have done all we could to make this an outstanding release, so now it’s up to you to give the band their final glory, but Anna is in no doubt that – at least after hearing the sound samples – you will.
Take Me, I’m Yours is the first collaboration album between Alan Abrahams and Jan Jelinek. Released through the latter’s faitiche, it builds upon multi-layered vocal sketches by the former. The Paris-based artist, primarily known for his work as Portable and Bodycode, supplied Jelinek with multi-layered song sketches that the German artist subjected to a rigorous process of manipulation, excavating the ambiguities of the original material and transforming its rhythms into subtle pulses. Take Me, I’m Yours is neither a typical Abrahams record nor a classic Jelinek album—it is something third, mediating between the physicality of the voice and the abstraction of electronic sound design.
The two had crossed paths before really getting to know each other after Abrahams invited Jelinek to play at one of his Süd Electronic parties. The idea of a collaboration emerged slowly. “It started as an experiment, and over the past few years grew from a few tracks into this album,” says Abrahams. He describes recording the basic material as a “tantalizing” process, not knowing how Jelinek would transform his material, some of which was based on wordless chanting, while other tracks were working with lyrical content. However, their mutual trust allowed Jelinek to remove the harmonies, radically reduce the rhythms, and concentrate on Abrahams’ voice.
Jelinek heard something “fragile” in this voice, “moments of doubt and dark premonitions.” He points to Forever as an example. “Alan’s original song reminded me of classic vocal house, but his voice seemed to almost break,” he says. “This contradiction made the piece even bigger, because we hear a singer in the moment of an awakening.” He further accentuated such tensions through arrhythmic synth modulations and time-stretching algorithms, while also adding concrete sounds from a variety of sources. With its dedication to both transforming and amplifying the emotional qualities hidden within Abrahams’ pieces, Take Me, I’m Yours functions as a dialogue between those two singular artists.
Balancing glitch-pop and contemporary piano, the Belgian pianist explores the edges of her voice, language and twisted electronica
The Belgian pianist and producer maya dhondt releases a new album titled 'wow, x', marking her debut solo album under her own name. Navigating between bedroom glitch-pop and contemporary piano, she presents sounds of alienating beauty.
The album ‘wow, x’ will be released on September 13 on vinyl and all digital platforms via VIERNULVIER Records.
“I find beauty in the uncomfortable and disorienting" - maya dhont
The first single, 'desire,' is a mutated synth-pop track that gets under the skin. The song centralizes longing for something you don't know (yet). Perhaps it's the smell of damp earth, which can be both pleasant and unsettling? The single is now available on all streaming platforms and comes with a schizophrenic video by Sakis Brönnimann.
The first release show is scheduled for Saturday, October 5, at De Koer, Ghent.
More shows will be announced soon.
A postmodern cramp, that's how one could describe the music of pianist and producer maya dhondt. Her music is an intuitive and a never ending exploration that has the potential to be and become a multitude of things at once.
On her first solo album under her own name, 'wow, x,' she presents 10 varied tracks in which she creates equally idiosyncratic sound worlds. She takes the liberty to endlessly experiment with vocals, piano, and a mix of distorted lo-fi electronic sounds with an open mind. The result is sometimes synthetic and weird, sometimes compellingly beautiful, and always captivating, drawing you into its underlying melody. These intelligently crafted productions are connected by a penchant for alienating beauty: like a warm, but damp cave where it’s pleasant to linger just a little longer. Her original sound moves within a sonic spectrum reminiscent of contemporary artists such as Lolina, Astrid Sonne, claire rousay, aya or Carla Dal Forno.
"What I create never stands alone, it can be many things at once"
If the world were a sculpture garden, maya dhondt eagerly picks from it to draw inspiration from both visual and literary passages as well as personal experiences. Her highly personal bedroom productions are grounded firmly in the world due to philosophical references and politically charged messages. And the world she lives in is being questioned on 'wow, x', as the title refers to "What Or Why?". This is evident in the single 'desire': "What is the thing that matters / to exist / or to know you’re existing?" What does one choose in life: to live in the moment or to live to remember that moment?
In the lyrics on 'wow, x', maya dhondt plays - at times childishly - with language and its boundaries. On 'tip toe tip,' banal wordplay leads to an unexpected confession, and the seemingly simple phrases in 'untitled' conceal hidden life lessons. dhondt's world of words is multilayered and multilingual: Dutch ('kleine cijfers, groot verlies'), English ('desire'), and French ('untitled') are at her disposal. And on the fierce track that is 'minimalinvasiv,' not only she turns to hardstyle, but also to German - a language dear to her due to her Swiss heritage.
Belgian saxophonist, composer, and producer Mattias De Craene (Nordmann, MDCIII) announces a new solo album, ‘A House Where I Dream,’ on VIERNULVIER Records. On his second album, he delivers a highly personal and healing journey, presented as an alternative soundtrack to the 1973 cult film ‘The Holy Mountain.’
The record will be released on October 11 on vinyl LP and through all digital platforms.
"The Holy Mountain" is a surreal Mexican film from 1973 directed, written, and produced by Alejandro Jodorowsky, who also stars in the film. The film holds a prominent place in avant-garde cinema and explores themes such as spirituality, mysticism, and the quest for enlightenment. It is in this vein that ‘A House Where I Dream’ is crafted.
“My mind and soul - and thus my music - come home to this motion picture” - Mattias De Craene
The album will be presented live with the film on October 16 at Videodroom during Film Fest Gent.
ABOUT THE ALBUM
With hypnotic tape loops, grainy textures, and mesmerizing saxophone, Mattias De Craene creates possible worlds that herald a spiritual transformation. From the Scottish Highlands and desolate mountains to the deepest recesses of the soul, this music has the power to create cinematic landscapes that transcend time and space. The sound of these 8 tracks is closely related to the minimalist compositions of Terry Riley, but the work of contemporary artists like KMRU or William Basinski is also drawn from the same material.
Above all, this album is a deeply personal journey and unintentionally serves as a metaphor for De Craene's ascent of his own mountain. For the Videodroom festival by Arts Center VIERNULVIER, the saxophonist began working on a new soundtrack for the film ‘The Holy Mountain’ in 2023, but his body and mind abruptly called him to a halt, forcing him to take a professional break. However, this project never left him, leading to an honest and raw quest to find himself as both a person and an artist, with Jodorowsky as a companion de route and music as an anchor. It initiated a long process of dismantling, searching, healing and back again. The album not only provides a sanctuary for dreaming to all who listen, but for its creator it also serves as both an outcry of despair and a source of comfort during challenging times.
All the tracks on 'A House Where I Dream' share an unfiltered grain of life, as one can almost feel the damp breath of the saxophone blowing.
The album opens with the three-part strong 'Transcention,' where the hypnotic interplay between soprano sax and lo-fi tape loops leads to higher realms of the mind and soul.
Alternating between deep frequencies and farout folk modalities, this mantra-like triptych acquires an alchemical character and ultimately transcends time and space.
In the ethereal 'Away,' one can peer into an abyss of resonance while a saturated tenor sax lends guidance in the spirit of Terry Riley's productions. 'You and Me' also bathes in a similar atmosphere, albeit in the vein of healing 90s ambient as granular sax tones converge with celestial chants. 'Gazing Upwards Towards The Sky,' offers different shades of blue as a slumbering tenor sax is juxtaposed to swift sax patterns. On 'A Stranger That Moved Me,' beauty lands in a soft and subtle manner, while the closing track 'Shepherd's Glow' drifts like a mountain wind flaring up at the darkest hour of the night.
The artwork is created by Gent-based artist Sam Timmerman, who portrays the world of 'A House Where I Dream' with playful repetition and mystique.
Nous'klaer Audio introduces Maask with four sculptural works of sound: layers upon layers, each carrying a sense of life moving through every frequency. Built from field recordings gathered in remote corners of the world and transformed into powerful tracks for the dancefloor. Across these tracks you can hear a storm moving the branches of an oak in Powys, reeds photosynthesising beneath a lake in Rajasthan, highland moss, thunder above Kumasi and wind moving through a neolithic burial chamber on an island off Cornwall. As delicate as these unprocessed sounds are, as powerful are the synergies in their final forms.
For its eleventh installment, Raw Soul continues to carve out its place in the deeper end of the house spectrum, this time welcoming Stuttgart-based DJ and producer Jakob Mäder to the fold.
Titled "House Your Feeling", the five-track EP captures Mäder's wide-ranging musical language-rooted in house, yet drifting effortlessly into ambient textures, disco-tinted warmth, and subtly experimental structures. It's a body of work that feels both intimate and expansive, equally suited for late-night listening and early-morning dancefloors.
The collaboration has been a long time in the making. Built over months of close exchange, the project reflects not only a shared musical vision but also a genuine personal connection. That sense of trust and patience resonates throughout the record-carefully crafted, unhurried, and deeply felt.
Across the EP, Mäder explores different shades of house music: from reduced, dreamy cuts to more groove-driven moments, always maintaining a distinct emotional core. One of the highlights comes in the form of a collaboration with Markus Phillip, adding another layer of depth to an already rich release.
Known for his work with the Midnight Service crew and his eclectic productions spanning ambient, deep house and breakbeat, Mäder brings a refined yet playful touch to Raw Soul's catalogue. With "House Your Feeling", he delivers a timeless contribution that feels grounded in the present while nodding to the genre's enduring legacy.
Six tracks. Six undeniable hits. Science can't explain it.
Four dazzling pdqb originals: pop-infused disco house transmissions where retro dreams collide with absurdly modern groove technology and hyper-modern circuitry. Hooks everywhere. Basslines that flirt shamelessly with eternity. Rhythms that know exactly what they're doing.
And then Roman Flügel arrives at the party. With two remixes of such dubby, technoid magnificence that they bend the laws of physics wherever they're played.
The cover? Pure gold. A radiant golden surface punctured by bullet marks - courtesy of world-renowned artist Maurizio Cattelan. When the music hits this hard, the artwork should too.
And the vinyl itself is no less extravagant: it reveals a dramatic close-up of the Direct Hit - a colossal crater surrounded by smoky burn marks, gleaming like a tiny golden monument to impeccable taste.
A small but undeniable upgrade to the cultural history of planet Earth. Play loud. Repeat often. History will thank you.
P.S. Real-world violence is neither glamorous nor welcome - this record stands firmly for peace, joy, and the radical idea that the only explosions worth having happen on dancefloors.
Selekt Wax returns with its second vinyl offering, shifting the lens from introspection toward motion. Where its predecessor explored stillness and space, Varginha 96 leans into rhythm with a more fluid, tactile energy.
Loopedeville works within a minimal framework but pushes it toward something more animated. Groove takes the lead, while detail reveals itself gradually. The result is playful but controlled, built for movement while still carrying depth beneath the surface.
Inspired by the 1996 Varginha incident in Brazil, the record carries a subtle sense of the otherworldly. Not in a literal sense, but in texture. Unfamiliar tones, slightly off center moments, and elements that feel just outside of reach.
Etched on the sleeve, a poem sets the tone:
the analog moment is now
but, how? release
free form feelings finding
new places in yourself
a sort of synthesis
of interpretations
crash & collide
into the infinite groove of reality
but, is anything really real?
A1 – Varginha 96
A breakbeat driven opener centered on a looping vocal from the Varginha ‘96 incident. Off kilter synth textures circle the groove, giving it a subtle, otherworldly feel. Simple on the surface, with depth that reveals itself over time.
A2 – Varginha 96 (Ohm Hourani Remix)
Ohm takes it into a more stripped back, hypnotic space. Centered around the same vocal, the track locks into repetition and feel. Hazy, controlled, and built for late hours.
B1 – Thunders in Paradise
A driving groove built on dusty drums and a tightly controlled rhythm. It holds a steady pulse, with understated details and shifting textures giving it quiet depth.
B2 – Never Enough
A fluid, late night groove shaped by Loopedeville’s signature swing. Less driving than the previous cut, but still locked in, with warm tones and an easy bounce that carries through.
Following his previous appearances on Figure, French producer Arkan returns with Mad Race, a four-track EP that further sharpens his distinct vision of mental techno. Balancing hypnotic restraint with driving intensity, the release finds the artist navigating deeper into textured, immersive territory while maintaining a strong sense of propulsion throughout.
The title track Mad Race opens the record in forceful fashion, locking into a tightly wound groove as restless synth movements and looming atmospheres continuously build pressure around the rhythm section. Revival follows with a more spacious approach, letting emotive chords and swelling layers unfold gradually over a firm, rolling foundation, capturing a feeling of momentum suspended somewhere between tension and release.
On the flipside, Sawlim pushes further into trippy terrain. Dense percussion and spiralling effects interact with pulsing low-end pressure to create a heads-down club tool filled with subtle movement and detail. Closing track Interlude shifts the focus once more, exploring a more restrained and introspective mood through cavernous textures and hypnotic repetition while still holding onto the EP's underlying drive.
Digital bonus track Make You Horny rounds out the package with a rawer and more playful energy, bringing punchy drums and jagged synth work together into a functional late-night workout.
With Mad Race, Arkan continues refining his own blend of deep, atmospheric and cerebral techno, further cementing his place within the evolving sound of Figure.
Im Kellar - Amoniac EP is the fourth release of the band on Moustache records. Four tight EBM nowave techno electro tracks made in a concrete bunker in Rotterdam by the infamous IM KELLAR. This time with a rave feel. High energy dark and total underground, non compromised just be cool sound, If you've been listening around you may have heard it already at festival or club played by Moustache Labelboss David Vunk himself. No words are needed. The real deal pre order now or be too late.
"Over the past three decades, Philipp Lauer has produced an incredible body of work, deploying a myriad of aliases, both as a solo artist and as a part of collaborative projects. From his hardware-steeped Frankfurt studio Pyramide 2, he has built this catalogue through original material and remix commissions, taking on the full spectrum of electronic music while retaining an unmistakable signature. He combines a hands-on approach to rhythm and composition with a DIY MO and a love of big hooks. The level of expertise at hand seems to facilitate a playfulness that subtly permeates all layers of his work. He's a pop melody natural who just so happens to love fiddling with synthesizers, drum machines, and effects an equal amount. All of these qualities are exemplified on "Embalmed In Martino": Lauer's four-track ode to the Belgian Martino sauce, a spicy tomato-based condiment, and arguably the essential ingredient to top off the namesake raw meat sandwich. On "Embalmed", which makes use of instrumentation that would fit right in on an early eighties Manchester cut, and "Martino", where a sturdy, electroclash flavored arp bass provides the stamina, a slew of big and small riffs easily work their way in, thirsting for our ears. On the other side, "Transactional" combines Miami basslines and similarly electro-fundamental twinkling synth work with a flanger-laced 4/4 beat, while "Don't You Know" features soaring synthwave patterns and the only vocal samples on the EP. Both sport rich arrangements as well, right down to the cowbell overdubs. Lauer's often lauded for his "summery sound". In this light ALT026 lands right on time - yet we might disagree here, as it's suited for all seasons, and all terrains, both the shiny festival grounds and the dim-lit club floors."
"Funk Face is a 9-track journey drawing from the raw energy of 80s funk. The concept? A duel between my two personas: the pure madness of P-Funk versus a smoother, late-night vibe.
It’s a balance between two worlds, designed to follow you anywhere. Whether you’re cruising under the sun or settling into a late-night groove, the album adapts to your mood without ever losing the thread. Blending the influence of Rick James with nods to 90s sitcoms, it’s a cocktail of high-octane BPMs and sensual breathers.
There’s no room for melancholy here. Just press play, smile, and feel the vibration. Funk Face is, by definition, the ultimate happy face.”
Acclaimed producer, DJ, and dancefloor healer Octo Octa (Maya Bouldry-Morrison) announces her fourth full-length album, Sigils For Survival. Following 2013's Between Two Selves, 2017's Where Are We Going?, and 2019's Resonant Body, the new record marks a decade since Maya publicly came out as transgender in November 2015. ''As an autobiographical artist, I set out to write an album that would be a milestone for this past decade of joy and sorrow,'' Maya explains. ''Sigils For Survival is my attempt to encapsulate the intentions and techniques that I used to move through life into a spell.'' For each of the record's eight tracks, Maya drew a sigil. Each is a personal symbol intended to ''bind magic to the song and seal its intention.'' These drawings appear throughout the physical edition's design. Maya's sister, New York artist Hope Morrison, incorporated each sigil into her original paintings, which comprise the album's vivid artwork. Hope Morrison, whose imagery translates the sigils' energy into vivid form; the layout was designed by Jo?o Ervedosa. Created entirely on hardware instruments and later mixed in Logic, Sigils For Survival captures the tactile immediacy of live performance. Maya preserved the feel of MIDI-clock drift and off-grid recording, letting her machines interact in the rhythmic pocket, rather than confirming them to a click. Alongside her signature deep, ecstatic electronics, the album features hand-played dulcimer, hand-pan, and recorder. Her voice also returns, carrying spells of love, protection, and transformation. Across Sigils For Survival, Octo Octa channels the ecstatic house lineage into an intimate ritual space. The music speaks of immediacy, play, and communion -- of magic as method, love as survival, and sound as spellcraft. Sigils For Survival is both a document of ten years lived fully and an invocation for the next chapter -- a glowing testament to music's power to protect, transform, and set the spirit free.
If – in some parallel universe (or perhaps a not-so-distant-future version of the one we’re already sentenced to living in) – the evil overloads of artificial intelligence were actually successful in their attempts to create convincingly enjoyable “original music,” more specifically tasked with wholly encapsulating my own personal tastes by data-chugging some cocktail of – oh, I don’t know – the posters on my wall, the records in my “most listened to” pile, the mixtapes I made for others, intensive physical scans of my auditory cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, heart strings, whatever else they have splayed out on their autopsy table with the intention of generating one all-encompassing “perfect band” based on the fruitful sum of their findings – that band, for me, would be (or would at least sound exactly like) the Tara Clerkin Trio. It is, quite simply, without exception, the music I wish to hear.
Formed in Bristol UK (where none of them are from yet all of whom are deeply engrained) in 2020, the Tara Clerkin Trio – as it somewhat democratically exists today, despite the singular authority implied by its name – consists of the titular Tara Clerkin, her partner Sunny Joe Paradisos, and Sunny’s brother, Patrick Benjamin. I’ll confess, I don’t know what their respective roles are within the operation and there’s only a very small part of me that cares to learn, as one of my favorite qualities in an objective listening experience is the mystery of who is playing what, which sounds are “authentic” versus synthesized, which chunks are performed “live” in a room together versus meticulously Frankenstein’ed from measure to measure, or how exactly the overall sound is so (seemingly) effortlessly achieved. Though, I suspect, if and when I do witness a live performance by this band at any point, my enjoyment of the music will not be lost in my better understanding of it.
With two extraordinary mini-albums – In Spring (2021) and On The Turning Ground (2023) – making a splash on London’s formidable World of Echo label in wake of their self-titled 2020 debut, this upcoming Somewhere Good LP is, in many ways, the band’s most realised work. In running their usual gauntlet of idiosyncratic (*an overused adjective for which here there is regrettably no sufficient alternative) approaches, Clerkin & co. colour in and outside of compositional lines over the course of 40+ celebratory minutes - never wallowing, despite inherently somber subject matters of self-defeat, disease, displacement, restlessness, gentrification - allowing their arrangements and improvisations ample space and time to situate, stretch out, breathe, cross-pollinate, and ultimately take deeper hold on the listener’s imagination – all while somehow sounding more like themselves than ever before.
Of course, there are traceable influences herein, if one felt that such comparisons were necessary to properly examine and enjoy this music (they aren’t)… Being the big dumb American from the small boring town that I am, cornfed on ‘90s alternative radio with the enchantingly exotic sounds of Maxinquaye and Mezzanine emanating from my chunky tube television, I can’t help but to make a blatantly obvious reference to a “Bristol sound”, ie the whole trip-hop trip, the pastoral crooning over the suggestive urban grime of cracked electro/piano treatments, the digitally-yet-primitively reconstructed James Bond soundtrack string-beats, etc.. But the Tara Clerkin Trio is so infinitely much more than that. There are elements of avant-pop, modern classical, kraut-folk, audio verité, dare I say indie rock (and not of the beer guzzling, masturbatory fuzz-flex variety but perhaps more like a Trish Keenan-fronted Faust, Adrian Sherwood at the mixing desk of If You’re Feeling Sinister, or – in expanding on our alternate reality – a world in which High Llamas cut a full-length for Warp Records with Andrew Weatherall on coffee duty).
The hazy, unmappable skyline-mirage of droning harmonium, upright bass, peculiarly accentuated wind instruments, acoustic guitar, hushed yet literally mighty keys combine to hypnotizing effect. The band may make underlying nods to jazz, sure, but it’s not appropriation, it’s that they have the actual chops to build it out. Beneath the janky samples and oddball percussive embellishment lies actually great drumming. Beyond the manipulated vocal witchery and woefully reflective plain-spoke moments are Tara’s subtly inspired melodies, sung with what might honestly be the glue to the whole crazy equation. A calming consistency throughout the otherwise unpredictably dynamic, boldly intuitive, uniquely British exploration of this (their own) universe in song. – Ryan Davis (Chicago, February 2026)
Born in Wroc?aw. Known and liked as a member of the Wroclaw-based duo Skalpel. Much less known and liked as the author of several solo albums that illustrate and explore different states of consciousness: Breslau (solo debut released on Ninja Tune) - the frenzy of war, Dream Logic - the meanders of dreams, Delirium - psychedelic hallucinations, Fyodor - religious exaltation and ethical illusions. On the album "Refleks", he explores the state of consciousness of an old digger and beatmaker. He lives in Wroclaw.
About Refleks:
Refleks is tender and free. Of the two meanings of this word in Polish, I choose the one that is a reflection of light on a river. Hypnotic and never monotonous, brilliant and charming, with depth slumbering beneath. The whirlpools we encounter on the album are only slightly cunning; they are rather playful. Although one can look into the abyss, it is not greedy-it allows you to stay on the shore and does not consume you unconditionally.
In some tracks, it even throws you out: you think you're still riding that slide-a tunnel you think is endless-but it ends safely and suddenly in the grass. In the plush. As if a momentary wind carried you away, only to stop at the least expected moment, finding yourself in a completely new yet seemingly familiar space-time-at home, which is not yours, yet not foreign either. While the titles clearly suggest Wroc?aw-based situations, in my opinion, we are moving on a higher level of intimacy and abstraction. On the waves of the ether, the forgotten element of everything that cannot be measured, weighed, or counted. What we know for sure, but might only seem so to us. In the hospitable cosmos of a well-settled head.
Cloudy Pink / Cloudy Green 2XLP. Before being called “the coolest man in music” (The Line of Best Fit), Paul Castelluzzo was a teenager surfing the beaches of San Diego and playing bars with local jazz greats like Curtis Taylor, until Rodney Jerkins brought him to Los Angeles to perform on tracks for Britney Spears and Justin Bieber. In between driving for Lyft and serving as the music director for a Russian Pentecostal church to make ends meet, he was enlisted for Romeo Santos’ album, Golden, but soon returned home to begin his next chapter as Hether.
Since then, his self-taught guitar style, songwriting talents and profound production palette have led to him working with everyone from Clairo, Dominic Fike, Remi Wolf and The Marías to Paul McCartney, Anderson .Paak, Benny Blanco, Kali Uchis, Kenny Beats, Mac Miller, Rick Ross, Vince Staples and more who continue to discover Hether. Having already amassed millions of streams and hundreds of thousands of fans, landing music in HBO shows and scoring films, Holy Water marks both the culmination of everything Castelluzzo has experienced and accomplished, and an expansive new evolution of a project that has shaped the present and predicted the future, but remains entirely his own.
The complete LP + 2 bonus tracks - limited edition pressing on 180g vinyl
Miles Davis' quintet formed in 1955 is widely regarded as one of the greatest combos in jazz history. Miles was recording for the independent jazz label Prestige at the time, but after the quintet's success at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, Miles received a substantial offer from the recording giant Columbia. 'Round About Midnight was his first album for Columbia.
"First, let me say that you should buy this LP immediately. Perhaps even two copies, since you may wear out one playing it and you will want another. This is the kind of album to which one returns time and time again because it is, in its way, a perfect thing, a slice of modern jazz conceived and executed in the very best style." - ***** Ralph J. Gleason, DownBeat
A sonic journey that feels both intimate and expansive, Inigo Lunani drifts between late-night introspection and dancefloor euphoria. The album blends minimal grooves and warm tones into a cohesive narrative that feels alive—constantly evolving, yet grounded in emotion.
Each track unfolds like a fragment of memory: hazy, rhythmic, and slightly surreal. There’s a tension between control and spontaneity, where tight percussive patterns meet playful, almost careless melodies. The result is music that invites movement but rewards deep listening—equally at home in a dark club or through headphones at sunrise.
Inigo Lunani isn’t just about sound; it’s about identity in motion. It captures the feeling of searching, of becoming, of existing somewhere between who you were and who you’re about to be.
In 1955 Miles Davis played an all-star jam session at the Newport Jazz Festival with Thelonious Monk on piano, Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax and Zoot Sims on tenor sax. This performance immediately drew the attention of Columbia Records' George Avakian, who was so impressed that he immediately offered Davis a contract if he could form a regular band. The group he then assembled would go down in history as Davis' so-called "First Great Quintet", consisting of John Coltrane on tenor sax, Red Garland on piano, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Paul Chambers on bass and of course Miles himself on trumpet. 'Round Midnight is Miles Davis' first record for Columbia and also the first studio recording of the First Great Quintet. The recording sessions began on October 26 1955 but the album wasn't released until 1957 as Davis was still under contract at Prestige at the time. These respective sessions yielded Steamin', Workin', Cookin' and Relaxin'; albums that would go down in history as quintessential blueprints of late 1950s hard bop.
The record is made up of a collection of standards and one traditional song ("Dear Old Stockholm", from the 19th century). Notably, it features what may be considered the most well-known versions of Thelonious Monk's "'Round Midnight" and "Bye Bye Blackbird". That Avakian made a golden signing was sufficiently clear from the start, but no one could foresee that it would be this quintet on Columbia that would go on to change the course of modern jazz forever with Kind of Blue. 'Round Midnight is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on crystal clear vinyl.
Nightcode EP finds UK deep-house craftsman Jacksonville in full control, lacing warm chords, swinging drums and basslines built for red-lit basements. Across “Nightcode”, “Ecstasy in Starlight”, “Octobers in Love” and “Blind Spot”, he fuses classic Detroit/UK house textures with his own emotional, story-telling touch—timeless deep house for DJs who play past sunrise.
Feedbacks:
Laurent Garnier : Octobers in Love <3 <3 <3
Nick Holder : dope
Gina Breeze (Classic / Get Up / Homoelectric) : Feeling the deepness! Look forward to playing.
Nightmares On Wax (Warp Records) : Ecstasy in starl;ight and Blind spot are my jams !
Josh Wink (Ovum) : Deep, old old school flavored with new school production.
Alexkid (Rawax / FUSE / NG Trax) : Lovely
Lauren Lo Sung (LOLiFE records, e1even records) : Octobers in love is nice!
Dj Hutch (Ambers / Rinse FM) : grooves
Louise Chen (NTS) : This is so so sooo good! Can't wait to play on the radio!
Rob Pearson (Evasive Records / Sine 102.6fm) : Nightcode is the standout for me, will play tonight on Evasive
Eviltron / Paul Donton (Bombis / Triangle) : Blind Spot and Ecstasy in Starlight are the ones on the
D'Julz (Bass Culture) : feeling night code and blind spot . merci!
Junior Sanchez (Strictly Rhythm / Cube Recordings) : Really Cool EP!
DJ Three : this is all very high quality house that feels very much a
nd_baumecker (Ostgut Ton) : Nightcode and Octobers In Love for me. Quality as usual.
Sasha (Last Night On Earth) : Downloading for Sasha
William Kiss (Rekids) : very nice!
Monty Luke (Rekids / Black Catalogue) : thx for this...
Mystic Bill (Classic / Trax / Relief) : Will try some of these out, thanks!
Carista : beautiful
Crackazat (Freerange / Local Talk) : Sick sick sick
Jhobei (Bizarre Trax / FUSE / Felon 5) : Nice smooth deep
Khadija (Rek'd / Rafiki Collective) : Danke
Ben Sims : Now downloading - will check asap!
DJ Bone (FURTHER) : Very nice tunes here, thanks
Bake (All Caps/Rinse FM) : thank you!
Dj Deep (Deeply Rooted) : very nice tracks!
Oliver $ (Classic Music Company / Play It Down) : nice one!
Tripmastaz (Plant 74) : Nightcode is tight
Harvey Sutherland (MCDE / PPU / Voltaire Records) : couple of nice tunes here!
Anthony Collins (Frank & Tony / Scissor & Thread) : super nice deep tunes
Marcel Dettmann : thx
Voigtmann (Subsequent) : Ecstacy in Starlight is the one!
Gerd (4Lux / Clone) : dope house trax from the phonogramme crew once again!
Groove Armada : Great EP - Love Nightcode, Ocotber is love so good too±
Harri (Sub Club) : nice, will play and support
Jorkes (Freeride Millenium) : ecstasy in starlight..yes yes yes yes
DJ Minx (Women On Wax Recordings) : Every one of these...top tier! I'm on 'em!
DJ Rocca (Nang Records, Mantra Vibes) : Great EP. Nightcode is great, super bassline indeed
Jacques Renault : Ectasy In Starlight for me here!
Geir Aspenes (G-Ha (Sunkissed)) : Thank u
Mark Farina : dig it
Âme (Innervisions) : thanks
Djebali ( ( djebali ) / INFUSE / Freak n Chic) : Love it ! thanks for sharing. Blind Spot is my fav
Jaye Ward (Dalston Super Store / Netil Radio) : wicked release!! night code is a belter!!! thx
Iron Curtis (Mule Musiq, Morris Audio) : thank you!
You blink; eyes crusty. Last night went a little too late again, and as you stumble towards the kitchen you stare at the record player like it’s a cup of coffee. The rest of your life can wait. You stare at the record again and hit the lever and the needle falls.
First up: Gastón Cabrera’s Inhumano, a little relentless and unforgiving, like being thrown in the back of an Aston Martin and driven away. The groove builds to a haunting peak, and you want more. Then the record blurs into Alfalfa’s La Fiebre, which tickles your ears with eerie bells, and builds from bass fundamentals into something more driving. It’s hopeful, but makes you work for it – wading through acid; climbing the hill.
Everything stops. Fuck it. You flip the record, and Marcos Coya’s The Underdog starts off easy, but slips you down a dark path to a pool of churning, hypnotic synths. There’s a strange moment of quiet before the final track. vault. and Isaac Elejalde close with authority on Just Melt: a raw and writhing finale spiked with voices and sirens that will leave you out of breath, somewhere else.
Introducing The Goods. Four tracks; one abduction. Limited to 300 copies – vinyl exclusive, forever.
ISKRA is the debut album by Polish multi-instrumentalist and composer Olga Anna Markowska. Starting at “Dawn” and ending at “Dusk”, it is a journey of melancholic depth and true beauty filled with warm memories from what was & what could be.
Using zither, cello, electronics and occasional wordless voice, Olga weaves together something so affecting and under the skin beautiful that it is hard to shake, bringing to mind classics from artists like Jacaszek and William Basinski, or the films of Kieslowski. However, there’s a personal touch in her playing and compositions that stands out. Olga explains: “the cello pieces, in particular, were born from a desire to reconnect with the instrument I’ve known intimately since childhood. However, I had to step away from it for two years to gain perspective and find a fresh approach when I returned.” She continues : “ISKRA is an album about "ignition" — a gradual shift in how I think about music and a search for new values. It also marks the closing of a chapter, blending archival recordings with the dawn of new ideas.”
The album feels deeply personal from the first note, and bridges the difficult point between classical and ambient music in a truly natural way, leaving any typical tropes far off, instead demanding your full attention. Olga uses plenty of loops throughout, which together with the cello and zither builds a transcendent atmosphere. Standouts contain amongst others the stunning “Train Ride Home” - a 7 minute piece with zither as main focal point; “Fever Dream” - a plunge into warm static noise and deep plucks, as well as the beautiful “Helix”, which sounds like a washed out dream with its minimal tape loops and ambient vocal washes. Overall the album connects very well with Olga’s subjects of identity, memory of the places and human relations with nature. There is a deep humanity burrowed within these 40 minutes of music which feels immensely appropriate in these contemporary times.
ISKRA was recorded in different times and places from 2017 to 2022 and lands with perfection on Miasmah - connecting the dots from the early years while reaching into the stars.
Although humankind has made it to the far side of the Moon and back, there is still more to discover. Strap in… Rex The Dog is taking us further out into the lesser-known realms of space disco.
‘Far Out!’ is a reinterpretation of an early breakbeat rave tune from 1991 by Son’z Of A Loop Da Loop Era. It’s a tribute to a simpler time when all you needed was a cascading piano riff played through a powerful sound system, with your best friend by your side.
In Rex’s version, the breakbeats and piano have been replaced with a punchy 4/4 beat and an arpeggiated synth workout that cuts through the air like a laser. Houston, we have a hit.
‘I Need Your Body’ showcases Rex The Dog’s more introspective side, with yearning vocals spread across a heavily bouncing rhythm track full of mind-boggling dub effects.
This new EP cements Rex The Dog’s status as a unique voice in today’s techno world, as well as an incredibly reliable purveyor of highly emotional dancefloor smash hits.
Obwohl die Menschheit es bereits bis zur Rückseite des Mondes und wieder zurück geschafft hat, gibt es noch immer Neues zu entdecken. Schnallt euch an … Rex The Dog entführt uns noch weiter in die weniger bekannten Gefilde des Space Disco.
„Far Out!“ ist eine Neuinterpretation eines frühen Breakbeat Rave Tracks aus dem Jahr 1991 von Son’z Of A Loop Da Loop Era. Es ist eine Hommage an eine einfachere Zeit, in der man nur ein kaskadenartiges Piano-Riff brauchte, abgespielt über ein kraftvolles Soundsystem, mit dem besten Freund an der Seite.
In Rex’ Version wurden die Breakbeats und das Piano durch einen druckvollen 4/4-Beat und ein arpeggiertes Synth-Riff ersetzt, das wie ein Laser durch die Luft schneidet. Houston, wir haben einen Hit.
„I Need Your Body“ zeigt die eher introspektive Seite von Rex The Dog, mit sehnsüchtigem Gesang, der sich über einen heftig bouncenden Rhythmus-Track voller verblüffender Dub-Effekte erstreckt.
Diese neue EP festigt Rex The Dogs Status als einzigartige Stimme in der heutigen Techno-Welt sowie als unglaublich zuverlässiger Lieferant hoch emotionaler Dancefloor Smash Hits.
Following their 2023 LP Presents, Nathan Nelson's American Cream Band bring the Twin City heat back to Quindi with an album rooted in duality. From the yin and yang party-starting A side and meditative B side to the dual-attack boy-girl vocals, the nature of opposites and equals steer the expansive, artful strain of rock n' roll that spill out of this wholly unique Minnesotan export. For the ever intriguing Quindi, it's a strident step into Spring after the frosty introspection of Roudi Vagou & Läuten der Seele's Taghelle Nacht. While the world burns and injustice prevails, Twin is a celebration of unity and radical expression-all the more urgent against the backdrop of authoritarian overreach and righteous protest that has whipped through Minneapolis in recent times.
Twin continues Nelson's drive at the helm of American Cream Band to draw in a colourful cast of players to feed into his orgiastic sound, meshing the trance-induction of krautrock with the irrepressible funk of the post-punk-new-wave explosion. But principal among the cast of characters and forming a central tenet to the identity of this album is Liz Buhmann, lead vocalist and a formidable, playful foil to Nelson's own Midwestern twang. Around the electric spark between Buhmann and Nelson, a heavy duty ensemble wrangle guitar, bass, sax, a cornucopia of synths and a battery of percussion into all manner of sonic forms.
The double-sided concept manifests throughout Twin. On 'Call Me' Buhmann sings in French to contrast Nelson's English, while the strident strut of the NYC disco groove is offset by an inherent dreaminess that turns the track into a more cosmic kind of dancefloor workout. 'Ethical Vampire' is a spiky cut with a garage rock patina that spirals into a psychedelic, synth-soaked get-down. 'Don't Burn The House Down' is a loose and limber roller that captures Can at their funkiest along with the hypnotic vibe of other such esteemed long format jammers, but American Cream Band boils that energy into a hook-laden art pop sensibility before a gentle, drawn out landing.
Even the more pensive moments on Twin find space for friction. For all its tender, smoky temperament, 'Leda and the Swan' lets the electric piano and guitar fray at the edges and bleed into the red while Mat Heinrich's tumbling drums lurch with pent-up intensity on the one. 'No Funeral Necessary' skirts around the mellow pools of new age but prefers to let liberally doused Tape Echo tweak out Alex Meffert's honeyed sax inflections and Buhmann and Nelson's disparate sermons.
Nelson describes Twin as "an oppositorum coincidentia" - a reference to the mystical Latin concept of the coincidence of opposites that suggests contradictory ideas 'fall together' in a higher reality. Beyond the sound of the album, this idea also manifests in the cover photography by Sho Nikado and the swans on the LP labels by Autumn Garrington. As freewheeling and wide-open as American Cream Band feels, nothing appears by accident. The end result feels like a nourishing whole - rich with substance and nuance, deep enough to be explored and absorbed yet also so brazen and immediate you can't help but feel its surface charms from the first thrusts of 'The Hive Is Pissed' to the last ripples of 'We're Not So Sinister'.
A1 - ELECTROPHORUS
super entry track for this EP in general!
He brings it to the point and let you roll in, in the electro half pipe and makes big air beats and bassline slides. Drop it!
A2 - FOR THE NIGHTTIME
crispy stereo effects from the legend mc 202, vocoder vocals, top drums and a good sounding bassline make this track interesting, but wait! The final is in the end of this track and is a big surprise!
A3 - NARROW MINDED
its 12 o clock and this for over 5 minutes!
808 boom boom and fully overloaded highhats, is the end track of side A. Old-school
B1 - RODES
a beautiful statement of the soul of BISTONG.
the trackname is RODES, but the EP name BE STRONG is here fixed in my opinion as Label Head.
It's hard to be strong, and it's also hard to make strong music, sometimes.
This track has: a strong producer background, a strong character, a strong arrangement and a super strong weekend feeling every single day.
B2 - ANCIENT ANALOGUE
Check out the B side everytime!
often the track you want to play in your set is hidden here. Nobody knows him, but everybody can like him.
A1 - ELECTROPHORUS
super entry track for this EP in general!
He brings it to the point and let you roll in, in the electro half pipe and makes big air beats and bassline slides. Drop it!
A2 - FOR THE NIGHTTIME
crispy stereo effects from the legend mc 202, vocoder vocals, top drums and a good sounding bassline make this track interesting, but wait! The final is in the end of this track and is a big surprise!
A3 - NARROW MINDED
its 12 o clock and this for over 5 minutes!
808 boom boom and fully overloaded highhats, is the end track of side A. Old-school
B1 - RODES
a beautiful statement of the soul of BISTONG.
the trackname is RODES, but the EP name BE STRONG is here fixed in my opinion as Label Head.
It's hard to be strong, and it's also hard to make strong music, sometimes.
This track has: a strong producer background, a strong character, a strong arrangement and a super strong weekend feeling every single day.
B2 - ANCIENT ANALOGUE
Check out the B side everytime!
often the track you want to play in your set is hidden here. Nobody knows him, but everybody can like him.
RAWAX proudly welcomes Khan to the artist family! We are very happy to present you this outstanding artist on his own series with new, past and present music. Starting with Khan feat. Julee Cruise - Say Goodbye from 2002 - originally released on iconic Playhouse! Besides the great remixes by LoSoul and Rework, our version features for the first time the unreleased Isolée Mix - highly recommended!
Que Sakamoto is one of those rare artists who sounds like noone else — and PSNA003 is the latest proof of that. Four tracks written and produced during his time in Manchester, brought to life by NT's vocals which are woven through each twist and turn. It's full of playful samples, timeless melodies and classic drums that weave through traditional 4x4 to experimental breakbeat.
Each track designed to bring life to the dancefloor.
"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.
GALA announce Ten Years of GALA – a compilation marking a decade of independent culture
Ten Years of GALA is both an archive and a horizon: a reflection on where GALA has come from, and a signal of what lies ahead.
Founded in 2016 as a one-day gathering in South London, GALA has grown into a global point of reference for dancers, artists and collectives drawn together by a shared commitment to independence, collaboration and underground music culture. Rather than charting success through scale alone, the festival has consistently prioritised integrity, community and musical curiosity – values that underpin this release.
Spanning fifteen tracks, Ten Years of GALA unfolds as a considered journey. It opens with an intimate spoken contribution from Charlie Dark, grounding the compilation firmly in GALA’s home of Peckham before gradually expanding outward into fuller, club-focused terrain. From there, the record moves between moods and tempos, tracing a path from reflective moments into the physical language of the dancefloor.
The compilation brings together longtime friends of the festival alongside newer voices drawn into its orbit in recent years. Each artist contributes a distinct perspective, but collectively the tracks form a coherent portrait – not of a single sound, but of a shared ethos shaped over ten years of gatherings, collaborations and days spent dancing together.
Rather than a retrospective in the conventional sense, Ten Years of GALA functions as a living document. It captures fragments of past editions, scenes and relationships, while remaining firmly oriented toward the future. These are not museum pieces, but records designed to be played, shared and folded back into the spaces from which they came.
Together, the compilation holds a piece of GALA’s first decade – not as a closed chapter, but as a foundation for what comes next.
DJ support; Diplo, Oliver Heldens, Groove Armada, Nicole Moudaber, D.O.D, John Summit, Claptone, Roger Sanchez, Solardo, Martin Garrix & more.
Toolroom’s next vinyl single comes from 3 legends in the scene; Armand Van Helden, label boss, Mark Knight & D.Ramirez with recent hit, ‘You’. With another killer weapon from Van Helden and Knight on the b-side in the form of ‘The Music Began To Play’.
Despite the thousands of kilometers between them, Monterrey and Medellín have always seemed to move in parallel. Both cities rise around guardian hills that watch over their people, and if you look closer, even the concrete that forms the backbone of each city traces back to these rugged metropolises.
The list of coincidences could go on—small, almost conspiratorial links that chance has woven between the two places. Adding another chapter to this unlikely connection is Regal86, who had already crossed the bridge once before to dive into the depths of Colombia’s “city of eternal spring.”
Doble Filo, his first full-length cut to vinyl, now becomes his latest calling card. The eighth release on Discos Nutabe’s catalog arrives with six tracks—six sharp-edged pieces that lay bare Regal86’s sonic marginality.
It’s a form of exclusion that isn’t imposed but chosen, a deliberate stance to sidestep the demand for exotica that still shapes much of Latin America’s electronic landscape. This is spicy, rough-edged techno—ruleless and unruly—driven by dense, clipped progressions that plunge you into a vortex masquerading as a rayado ritual.
There’s no overload of concept here, nor any caricature of the extravagant. This album simply delivers music built to tear through any club or dive, without false promises or unnecessary labels. If there’s one thing worth highlighting about Doble Filo as a whole, it’s the way it consistently—and almost implicitly—reasserts its core premise from start to finish: these techno tracks are meant to be played wherever the hell you want.
In a moment when oddities tend to be rewarded more than usual, Doble Filo doubles down on fundamentals, reclaiming the spirit of early electronic music and carrying it into an era where immediacy seems intent on blurring the honesty of those who shape the sound.
For Regal86, sonic hustle is the only thing that keeps his spirit steady.
Jorge Ben is someone who needs no introduction. Since his first hits in the early 60s, this the greatest icons of the greatest icons of Brazilian pop music. His anthems 'Mais Que Nada' or 'Pais Tropical' are among two of the most ever listened Brazilian songs of all time. Ben's self-titled 1969 album is a true samba-soul masterpiece from one of Brazil's most creative voices. This isn't your typical late-'60s LP: Jorge Ben blends the hypnotic swing of samba with funk, psychedelia, and sun-soaked soul in a way that feels both classic and ahead of its time. Released in November 1969, this was Jorge Ben's sixth studio record, and his first back with the Philips label after a creative hiatus. He recorded it with the tight-knit, percussive groove of Trio Mocoto -- whose rhythms lock in beautifully with Ben's laid-back guitar and vocals. On top of that, the album features lush orchestral arrangements from Jose Briamonte and Rogerio Duprat, adding a soaring, psychedelic dimension to Ben's sound. Standout tracks? You've got the joyous anthem 'Pais Tropical', a perfect celebration of Brazilian life.
Then there's 'Take It Easy My Brother Charles', a socially conscious number that tells the story of a rebellious sailor -- Ben weaves in themes of race, identity, and resilience. And songs like 'Que Pena' bring in that sweet, soulful melancholy, while breezy cuts like 'Criola', 'Domingas', and 'Barbarella' highlight his playful, poetic side. This record is a rare blend of genres -- samba, soul, funk, psychedelia -- and it's got a timeless energy. Whether you're already into Brazilian music or just looking for something fresh and soulful, Jorge Ben's 1969 album is a joyous entry point. Reissue on 180g vinyl.
/// First track, Symmetry, debuted on BBC Radio 6 New Music Fix, 10th February: "A beautiful, beautiful album" /// I got my life back. On 17 February 2025, 1024 rays of ultra sound converged at an operation table in Bern, Switzerland, and disconnected a noisy circuit on my brain. 90% of the manifestation ceased – of a disease that I no longer wish to mention by its name. During the same period, I completed my new album: Self Help Manual. I’ve read more current research about the nameless disease than my neurologist, who despite that I didn’t follow his advice on suitable treatment, called me after the successful operation: a brave, brave man. I have composed the music in the same way as in my previous album – Songs for the Nervous System – through layers upon layers of improvisations in dialogue with my synthesizers, most of which are the same age as me. I made the majority of the songs in my studio in the remains of Old Hagalund in Solna. I edited the recordings in my bed during the waking hours of clarity at night. Some songs – NAC, Ketosis, Overkill – were recorded in the basement of my childhood home in Skutskär, in Norduppland, where I’d returned to be nurtured by my retired parents – who during a night when I couldn’t turn over in bed, or pull the blanket over me – made a list of what would happen to my belongings. To my friends who have stood out with me despite my disease, I want to state: you will not inherit me yet. On the new album, the electric bass takes on a leading role. ESG and Liquid Liquid have been important when I reinvented my baselines, limited and liberated by my poor fine motor skills. Plasma is my homage to Summertime Rolls by Jane’s Addiction, that I listened to frequently in my youth. I guess that no one will hear the resemblance. In several songs, the Fender Rhodes plays an important role, a magical instrument that I bought shortly after my diagnosis over a decade ago, and for a long time didn’t dare to touch out of respect for Herbie Hancock and Fela Kuti. A couple of songs draw inspiration from the Horn of Africa – Inner Nile and Delta. At first, subconsciously in the reverb-drenched Inner Nile, then more consciously in Delta. I’m sorry it doesn’t swing the right way, but it was my attempt to return to the cradle of humanity. Longevity is possibly my favourite. The melody is played by an arpeggiator that I controlled by pressing down different keys in an exhilarating sense of freedom. One song in particular, the second track – One – has caused friends to associate freely: one thought it sounded like Patrick Cowley, another like Sly & Robbie meets Kraftwerk, a third like Air – Moonlight Safari. I made one song just before the surgery: opening track Symmetry. It’s the mightiest and most minimal song. I made one song after the surgery: finishing track Self Help Manual. My previous medication pump is heard through the microphone of my Ovation Magnum. It’s the most hopeful song on the album. I took the cover photos with my Hasselblad during walks in Tokyo suburbs of Ōmori and Kamata more than ten years ago. It was something about the faith of the traffic cones that fascinated me – born in the same streamlined form, they had over the years become increasingly individual and lovable. The mixing was finalized by Christoffer Roth in the newly built Studio Dubious in Nacka. Rashad Becker, who in an interview said that he listens as much with his mouth as with his ears, mastered the album at Clunk in Berlin. Right now it feels like anything is possible. My recovery is perhaps a small step for mankind, but a giant leap for me. I hereby leave the music to you. Joakim Forsgren
New label Species hits the ground running with its debut release. The outlet is an extension of globally-renowned booking agency Pieces, and will feature music exclusively from the agency’s roster, which includes some of the scene’s most formidable and talented DJs and producers. The first release comes from an exhilarating project - Punky & The Brain, AKA Otis and Paul Lution. Described by the duo themselves as “scientific experiments” the music is a fusion of playful excursions with their lab equipment, and their musical knowledge.
Together they have been experimenting in the studio, merging incisive technical prowess with straight up dance floor-focused rhythms. Their field research has tested emotional variables on numerous research subjects through live performances in the most renowned clubs. A Fender bass guitar and vocoder bring another dimension to their studio exploits, and this EP is the result of their preliminary scientific findings…
Two Piers proudly announces the upcoming release of Bridges Towards Open Spaces: Circadian Rhythms 1967–2025.
This new collection brings together a wide range of artists and styles, weaving immersive sonic landscapes that explore a connection between natural cycles and the rhythms within.
Featuring artists such as Brian Eno, Moebius, Roedelius, Meat Beat Manifesto, Fun Boy Three, Daniel Avery, and Spectrum, the compilation moves fluidly between shimmering ambient textures and raw, straight-ahead garage rock.
Bridges Towards Open Spaces: Circadian Rhythms 1967–2025 follows in the footsteps of Two Piers acclaimed previous releases, Night Train: Transcontinental Landscapes 1968–2019 and Music for the Stars: Celestial Music 1960–1979, continuing the label’s exploration of expansive, time-spanning musical journeys.
“I wanted once again to shape a compilation around a time period, this collection is a nod to my days behind the counter of a record shop, the people I met and the styles of music that was played and I was introduced to. Some are from that time, some are of the style/feeling, that I can associate & with the friends I met there; from the early shift to the late shifts as the tempo rose throughout the day and the neons of London started to buzz”
The album will be available on Limited Vinyl and CD in May, arriving just in time for the longer, warmer days and the shifting light of the Seasons Sun.
Fides Records proudly presents the second last chapter of its 10-year anniversary series: X6. Here, the narrative pivots toward groove and immersion between Detroit-rooted sounds, jazz-infused flair, glitchy futurism, and deep dub meditation. This chapter highlight the label’s love for movement, texture, and long-form atmosphere.
Side A opens with Fireground’s “Aquaria”, a sexy, bouncing techno cut carrying old-school Detroit spirit and harmonic fluidity: funky yet refined, shaped by the Italian duo’s live-set mentality, live improvisation and vintage synthesisers. Human Safari’s “Havanas” follows, merging jazz and techno through a standout trumpet solo and lush groove work, carving out a vibrant, genre-crossing mood that feels both bold and effortless. Closing the side, 1morning’s “You Heard Me The First Time” delivers early-2000s techno DNA with a modern edge: glitchy rhythms, unpredictable sequencing, and a playful sense of tension-and-release.
Flipping to Side B, Macedonian master Stojche leads with “Perpetual Sin”, a dub techno lesson in restraint: evolving through spacious layering and emotional subtlety until it fully envelops the room. The record closes with Z.I.P.P.O & Mareena’s “Moonchild”, a tribal, dub-infused deep techno immersion where percussive drive meets meditative energy—an internal journey built for big systems and late hours.
You play it when the night needs adrenaline. You've let everything fall apart and a kind of "new" control shows up. There is intention under the distortion.
Aspetuck has been steadily carving out a name for himself through releases on Never Late and Oslated, garnering a respected following for his DJ mixes and festival performances. Aspetuck’s latest record, Immersion, was sequenced and curated from dozens of ideas spanning a transformative few years in Griff’s life. The album is less a snapshot in time and more of a memory bank - flashes of fatherhood, loss, modular rabbit holes, late-night studio sessions, and long walks by the Hudson River with his daughter.
The emotional undertow of the album is immediate. Opener Hit Me With Your Pet Shark is one of the earliest compositions in the collection, created just months after the loss of Griff’s brother and during the sleepless swirl of new parenthood. Built around a single sound from Spectrasonics Omnisphere, found while rediscovering his brother’s studio gear, the track sets the tone: restrained yet searching, personal without becoming precious.
From there, The Printing Press captures the raw energy of a live jam in Griff’s upstate New York basement, running through a 1980s Tascam mixer like a lo-fi assembly line of synths, pads, and drum machines. REI, named after a spontaneous family mission to find a pink water bottle, encapsulates his knack for imprinting daily minutiae into sound. And title track Immersion- once known simply as Tuesday 303 Jam- emerges from a dinner break and a blender, distilling modular sketches and distorted drums into a powerful, slow-motion march.
Under, Under The Tree hits hardest. Built around a grainy iPhone voice memo of Griff’s daughter singing by the Hudson. And closing the album is Bobik, a collaborative studio session with Moon Patrol channeling the playful chaos of a close friendship and modular exploration. Named after a joke about their golden retriever and filled with alien textures from Griff’s beloved EMU XL7 gifted years ago by his late brother, it’s a fitting send-off to an album that straddles celebration and mourning with grace.
The artwork comes courtesy of Peter Skwiot Smith, whose textured analog/digital aesthetic resonated immediately with Griff’s original vision. Peter’s treatment draws on Griff’s personal photography and leans into motion, blur, and the layered nature of memory, echoing the album's sonic tone without overexplaining it.
Mastered by Sven Weisemann, Immersion is available on blue smoke colored 12”
memotone returns to Accidental Meetings with a collection of stunning and delicately crafted songs, featuring Ugné Uma, guest (Jabu) & Typesun!
Multi-instrumentalist, producer & composer memotone (Will Yates) announces the release of his album Warm Shadows and a homecoming on Accidental Meetings. Warm Shadows sees Yates’ discography continue to flourish and traverse into new territory once again, his ever-growing sound palette commands total attention throughout the LP. Within the album sees delicate collaborations with Lithuanian artist Ugné Uma, Jabu’s guest and percussionist, Typesun.
Memotone is a learn-by-playing multi-instrumentalist and producer, working with minimal, ambient and contemporary classical music. Predominantly an improviser, recent years have seen memotone lean towards a more free-form approach, exploring jazz, drone and more meditative music, also showing a keen interest in sound design and textural experimentation. Will has released music with various labels over the years to critical acclaim, most notably; World of Echo, The Trilogy Tapes, Sähkö Recordings, Accidental Meetings, Patience/Impatience & Black Acre.
From deep within the astral planes of all that is cosmic in the Northwest and through a fog of kaleidoscopic haze emerges the latest mind-expanding music makers to arrive on Sprechen in the form of the Todmorden based Lines Of Silence.
Living amongst a hotbed of UFO activity and home to the UK's highest ever beach they combine experimental analogue and digital electronics, motorik beats, polyrhythmic improvisation and drone rock guitar explosions to create an immersive, expansive and contemporary take on psychedelia.
Their long player on Sprechen: 'Lines In Opposition !' takes the listener on a visionary aural journey across 8 tracks of electronic, shamanic soundscapes where the sounds of Krautrock exist in harmony alongside drone-esque ambient excursions through an array of synths, guitars & sequenced patterns that draw heavily on the stylings of NEU!, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk and the musical pickings of the more esoteric sets and radio shows by Andrew Weatherall.
A truly universal listening experience to take you into a higher state of electronic music consciousness...
Big Bombs EP marks the debut release on Bertie Bassett’s self-titled label, introducing a collection of groove-led house cuts rooted in classic influences and underground club culture.
Already gaining global support from DJs like Marco Carola and, Shaka Loves You and featured on Traxsource’s Essential Afro chart.
Across four tracks, Bertie Bassett delivers a mix of DJ-focused tools and edits, blending raw house rhythms, funk-driven elements and stripped-back arrangements designed for dancefloor use.
From the driving energy of Get House and Back To Underground to the reworked grooves of Man In Black (Edit Mix) and Finga Loop (Bertie Bassett Rumba Remix), the EP offers a versatile selection suited to both peak-time and deeper club sets.
With a long-standing background in house music and production, Bertie Bassett brings a seasoned approach to this first release, combining classic influences with a modern underground edge.
As the first release on the label, this EP sets the tone for the project moving forward, offering strong appeal for DJs looking for fresh, playable house cuts with a raw, groove-led feel.
A natural fit for fans of labels such as Razor-N-Tape, Toy Tonics, Bed Edits and Disco Express.
A DJ-friendly and versatile release for stores supporting underground house and edit-driven sounds.
Funkadelic’s eleventh studio LP, released in 1979, was more militant in tone than its predecessor 'One Nation Under A Groove' which described a Funk utopia. In contrast, ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ stated mandate was to “rescue dance music from the blahs”. The album features a 15-minute version of what was to become the Funkadelic’s last hit single ‘(Not Just) Knee Deep’, an edited version of which made no.1 in the US R&B chart. This was Funkadelic’s first album since 1972 not to feature a cover design by artist Pedro Bell (although he did contribute the interior design). A reference to the “Uncle Sam Wants You!” US Army recruitment poster, the sleeve depicts George Clinton aka Dr Funkenstein in a Huey Newton Black Panthers pose. ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’ and Funkadelic-Parliament had a huge influence on Prince, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bill Laswell, Tupac Shakar, De La Soul and many more across all musical genres. George Clinton’s genius Funk & Style will continue to be an influence for many more years to come... FUNKADELIC Masterminded by the larger-than-life figure of George Clinton, Funkadelic was a key component of his influential P-Funk empire. Funkadelic’s unique combination of Rock, Psychedelia, R&B & Soul led to the band crossing over to the pop mainstream & gaining a vast international following, becoming one of the most important & influential groups in music. On 6 May 1997, Parliament / Funkadelic were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame by Prince. To commemorate six decades of thrilling & delighting fans, George Clinton returned to the stage in 2022 for a series of concerts. To celebrate, Charly have reissued Funkadelic’s classic four albums ‘Hardcore Jollies’; ‘One Nation Under A Groove’; ‘Uncle Jam Wants You’; & ‘The Electric Spanking Of War Babies’ (originally released by Warner Bros during a golden period for the band between 1976-1981). Each album will be available as deluxe gatefold Digi-Sleeve CDs in PVC wallets + obi-strip & facsimile-edition gatefold LPs on 180-gram black vinyl & limited edition 180-gram colored vinyl + 1970s-style obi-strip in a protective PVC sleeve. “They played a HUGE role in creating the future of music.” PRINCE
William Onyeabor was born outside Enugu, a small, rural town in Eastern Nigeria, he created his own genre of African electronic funk in the late 70s and early 80s, making music completely unique for his time. Today, he is reaching cult status among a growing list of admirers, including everyone from Damon Albarn and Hot Chip to Carl Craig and Madlib, with some likening him to the Kraftwerk of West Africa, or a precursor to LCD Soundsystem.
Among the crate-digging few that knew of him, he is considered a complete myth. While he has never performed live and almost never given interviews, his fantastical biography is scattered and has to this day not been verified. And, though he is still alive, he refuses to speak about anything regarding the past.
According to various rumors, he left home following the Biafran War and went to study cinematography in the Soviet Union, returning in the mid-70s to start his own film company and record label, Wilfilms. He then self-released eight remarkable records from 1978-1985. He wrote and produced everything on his own, and possibly played every instrument himself. Then, at some point of his life, he became born again and denounced his earlier music, deciding it is something he would never speak about.
'We Fell In Turn' is the solo debut from Brooklyn-based trombonist, composer, and quartet leader Kalia Vandever. Vandever, who plays with Harry Styles and Japanese Breakfast, “sculpts her trombone’s golden tones into dazzling compositions” (Pitchfork), writing music that tends to “dip you into a feeling or a pattern or a breathing speed, and keep you there” (The New York Times). In 2022, Vandever released Regrowth, an album that “features the ecstatic, brilliant melodies that have become Vandever’s signature sound” (Bandcamp). This spring, Vandever brings contemplative reflection to We Fell in Turn, a brave and understated work from an ascending voice in American jazz.
Recorded over three days in upstate New York, 'We Fell In Turn' is improvisational — a stark palate of solo trombone, voice, effects, and little more. “My solo process has always been heavily rooted in improvisation,” says Vandever. “I wanted the process to feel similar to the way I perform. Lee Meadvin, who engineered and produced the album, had a heavy hand in the creative process as well. He would dictate prompts before I started improvising and those pieces ended up shaping a lot of the imagery that comes up throughout the record.”
Connecting the dots between Jeff Parker’s 'Forfolks', and early releases from Grouper, 'We Fell In Turn' is a study of space and patience, embracing vulnerability in its sparse adornment. At times, the album is reminiscent of Patrick Shiroishi’s 'Hidemi', both in its familial inspiration and solo instrument study, while sharing the ineffable feel of William Basinski’s 'The Disintegration Loops' — the traces of her trombone folding in on themselves in an organic loop. Emotionally generous throughout, Vandever acts as a torchbearer for jazz’s historical yearning for connection.
On 'We Fell in Turn' Vandever draws inspiration from childhood memories — events that shaped her approach to love, community, and partnership, and her maternal homeland of Hawaii. “We were exploring childhood memories, earliest experiences with disappointment and pain, and my Hawaiian roots,” says Vandever. “We Fell In Turn came after I titled the track "We Wept In Turn". Both come from the intangible feeling of waking up from vivid dreams, particularly the experience of falling right before waking up or waking up in tears.”
Through this exploration into her heritage, Vandever also found guidance. “In Hawaiian mythology, ‘aumākua are known as ancestral spiritual guides that manifest in different forms, whether physical or intangible,” says Vandever. “My ‘aumākua visits me in my dreams, usually with a reassuring hug or a reminder of my past. Memories and early experiences seem to escape me, but find their way back in dreams.” And now they’ve found their way into 'We Fell in Turn', Kalia Vandever’s stunning solo debut.
Chronicle continues his journey through the cosmos on Spatial bringing a stunning array of inspired atmospheric bliss with Aqua Pura. A1 - Pure Alchemy Chronicle opens his latest EP for Spatial with a sprightly track, introduced with purposeful synthwork, echoing effects and a wonderful 808 bassline reminiscent of the late 90's Progression Sessions era. Energetic, layered breaks drive and build throughout Pure Alchemy with joyous vigor, while a cluster of subtle melodies intertwine across a varied and memorable mix from the label regular. A2 - Endless Ocean Next up Chronicle treats us to an amazing array of atmospheric synthwork with Endless Ocean, notes yoyoing across the soundscape through a gorgeous intro. Flecked with shimmering, buoyant melodies and bringing an immediate injection of pace, the breaks drop delivering a driving, distinctively head-nodding energy punctuated by a blippy micro melody and suitably deep bass. AA1 - Shared Consciousness Opening with a playful intro featuring subtle hi hats, twisted bells and a classic film sample, Chronicle deftly juggles excitable effects with his inimitable cheery atmospheric style before a real feast for the ears and the feet arrives - breaks reminiscent of those long lost nights at Shepherd's Bush in 1998 bring an essential hypnotic energy to a track simply dripping with style and rhythm. AA2 - Water World Straight into the action with crisp two-step breaks, Water World needs no introduction as a myriad of atmospheric effects, samples and quirky melodies seize your attention for a decidedly dancefloor-friendly track for 160bpm heads. Beautiful breakdowns play their part as well as the subtle yet room-filling 808 bass, rumbling persistently beneath another remarkable track from one of Bristol's finest.
Austrian musician, painter, and filmmaker Kimyan (formerly Kimyan Law) combines sound and visual design in an impressively direct way to create a comprehensive artistic experience. He takes an open, intuitive approach to his compositions, connecting the
resonances of traditional instruments and rhythmic patterns from Central, North, East, and Sub-Saharan Africa with sophisticated production techniques. Kimyan's current album,
“Coloria,” in which he explores the concept of timbre in a multifaceted way, marks the pinnacle of his artistic development to date.
For his Live -concerts, Kimyan relies on the organic element of playing, using instruments such as electronic drum pads and MIDI controllers.
This gives his pieces a spontaneous, physical presence on stage that goes far beyond mere reproduction and makes his performances a lively interplay between improvisation and structure. In conjunction with his self-designed artwork and videos, corresponding audiovisual worlds are created in which cultural influences and identities, moods and timbres shine together radiantly. Kimyan's works tell stories in many colours, yet always in one language: his own.
Shimmering Xhosa traditions and deep electronic futures vibrate as South African sonic poet and composer Dumama unveils her groundbreaking debut solo album, Towards An Expanse. Sometimes gospel, sometimes electro-psychedelic space travel, Towards An Expanse unfurls from a languid lament into an ever-expanding sonic universe. Dumama defies conventional genre boundaries while excavating deep personal and cultural histories in this concise but boundaryless collection, recorded between New York, Johannesburg and Berlin. Dumama first gained international attention with her acclaimed 2020 collaborative album, Buffering Juju, created with fellow South African musician and artist Kechou, and lauded as Global Album of the Month by The Guardian. Her new solo work draws on a rich lineage of South African voices. Gugulethu Duma (aka Dumama) is a musician / composer / sonic poet / creative producer from the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Dumama is one of the few uhadi players in the world. Her use of the traditional Xhosa bowed instrument guides her profound story-telling, blending ancestral roots into an urgent electro-acoustic palette. The album was born out of sessions with acclaimed musician and producer Shahzad Ismaily in New York and South African powerhouse Nandi Ndlovu in Johannesburg.
Since 2020, 12 Inch Lovers have been releasing new samplers every year, eagerly anticipated by collectors. These samplers have now become a staple and are easily added to vinyl collections across Europe. They offer timeless classics and rare tracks that are often hard to find elsewhere.
With Samplers 11 & 12, they surprise again with a mix of modern classics and tracks that have never been released on vinyl or are difficult to find. By adding unique and exclusive tracks, the 12 Inch Lovers samplers remain innovative and high-quality. They are a must-have for DJs, collectors, and fans of contemporary classics!
SAMPLER 12
A1) Borai & Denham Audio - Make Me (original release 2023)
Released in 2023 on the British label Room Two Records (catalogue R212001) on twelve inch vinyl, Make Me combines breakbeat, house and speed garage with high energy, featuring clear use of Amen breaks, rumbling sub bass and sharp rave sounds. At the heart of the track lies an instantly recognisable vocal hook from the mid eighties, a sample taken from Donna Allen - Serious (1986). The result feels like a long forgotten rave anthem from the nineties wrapped in a modern sound.
The original twelve inch pressing quickly became a highly sought after collector's item and received a limited pink vinyl repress in 2025. This track, first issued only on orange vinyl in 2023, was officially re released once all samples were cleared. It has every ingredient of a future classic, a true underground anthem for fans of modern UK rave and jungle energy.
A2) Smoke City - Mr. Gorgeous (and Miss Curvaceous) (Mood II Swing Vocal Mix) (original release 1997)
Originally released in 1997 on the album Flying Away by Smoke City. The Mood II Swing Remix, produced by New York house duo John Ciafone and Lem Springsteen (also the producers behind Ultra Naté - Free), takes the song straight to the dance floor with a smooth groove, soulful vocals and a deep, hypnotic flow.
The iconic line "Cool and calm, Mr Gorgeous..." remains untouched, while the remix enriches the original Latin and trip hop influences of the band with that distinctive late nineties house atmosphere. The result is a timeless club favourite, almost nine minutes of pure vibe (the Mood II Swing Vocal Mix runs 9minutes and 20 seconds), adored by DJs who like to bring a touch of soul to their house sets.
Released on Jive Records, the track received great praise. Music Week highlighted its "tight ay ay ay hook" and noted that the Mood II Swing and Hyperspace mixes made it a real standout. The original version reached number one in Italy in 1997, and the Mood II Swing Remix has since gained cult status in the Belgian club scene and beyond as the perfect marriage between soul and dance floor energy.
B1) Chris Raven - I Know You Love Me Too (Bruce Norris Remix) (original release 1997)
Christian Raabe, better known as Chris Raven, is a German producer who made his name in the late nineties progressive trance scene.
The Bruce Norris Remix of I Know You Love Me Too (Additive Records, catalogue 12AD 027) first appeared in late 1997 and was officially released in early 1998. The remix builds an euphoric atmosphere witha beautiful melody, dreamy pads and powerful drums, all typical of the progressive trance sound of that period.
The track gained extra attention when it appeared on Northern Exposure 3: Expeditions by Sasha and John Digweed in 1999. Many fans first discovered it there (especially the Van Bellen Remix version), helping to cement the cult status of I Know You Love Me Too within the progressive and trance community.
B2) Grooveyard - Mary Go Wild (original release 1996)
One of the most recognisable and iconic club tracks in Belgian and Dutch underground house history is without a doubt Mary Go Wild, released in 1996 on EC Records. The track quickly became the defining anthem of the rave scene in the Low Countries.
With a raw groove around 133 BPM, pumping four to the floor drums and the hypnotic vocal sample "Mary... go wild!", the record set dance floors ablaze in the nineties. Producer Jeroen Verheij, also known as Secret Cinema (from the classic Timeless Attitude), perfectly captured the raw energy of the European house movement of that era.
To this day Mary Go Wild stands as a symbol of pure rave power, a timeless anthem that, as one Discogs collector put it, "still works on any dance floor." Original twelve inch pressings on EC Records and later issues on Blanco Y Negro are highly sought after, and the track remains a staple in retro house and classic DJ sets.
C1) Dave Swayze - Last Flight To Paris (original release 2000)
Dave Swayze, best known for his classic Goldwave, has several hidden gems to his name, and Last Flight To Paris is certainly one of them. Released in November 2000 on the Belgian label Yeti Records, the track is a subtle blend of trance and progressive house. It is known for its emotional melody, dreamy build up and strong percussion, built on the foundation of progressive trance but with thewarmth and groove of house.
At the time, Last Flight To Paris was frequently played by progressive trance DJs and soon became a cult favourite among vinyl collectors within the genre. Original pressings on Yeti Records are now extremely rare and much sought after. The mix of emotion, euphoria and timeless club energy makes Last Flight To Paris a hidden treasure from the late trance era of 1999 and 2000.
C2) Joe Goddard - Music Is The Answer (Hot Since 82 Remix) (original release 2017)
This remix by Hot Since 82 (Daley Padley, from Barnsley in the north of England) for Music Is The Answer by Joe Goddard is partly based on the original classic Celeda - Music Is The Answer (in the Danny Tenaglia Remix). It was released in February 2017 as a digital exclusive through Domino Records.
Hot Since 82 reworked the original, a vocal house track by Hot Chip member Joe Goddard, into a deep, grooving house track with a warm rolling bass line. The soulful vocals of Joe Goddard (featuring SLO) take on a subtle melancholic tone in his remix, creating a modern house classic filled with emotion and drive.
The remix became a major club favourite in 2017 and 2018, supported by leading names in the tech house scene and heard at festivals around the world. Interestingly, this popular version had never been released on vinyl, which only increased its cult status among collectors. Music Is The Answer (Hot Since 82 Remix) remained a digital classic for years, until now, finally available in this long awaited vinyl edition.
D1) Just A Man - I'm Sorry (Original Club Mix) (original release early 2000s)
The French project Just A Man consists of brothers Hervé and Nicolas Subrechicot. Their track I'm Sorry is an emotionally charged house record that perfectly captures the early 2000s club atmosphere.
Released in 2003, the song combines soulful male vocals with a warm, rhythmic production that blends UK garage and classic club house influences. The Original Club Mix (6 minutes and 14 seconds) builds gradually towards a powerful, uplifting climax, carried by rich chords and an irresistible groove.
Although I'm Sorry stayed somewhat under the radar at the time, it is regarded by connoisseurs as a hidden gem, a perfect balance of melody and groove. The twelve inch vinyl release (on RKG / Motor Music, 2003) is now hard to find and highly prized among vinyl and house collectors, which only adds to its appeal.
I'm Sorry embodies the pure sound of early 2000s vocal house: sincere, funky and danceable, with that unmistakable UK garage touch, even more evident in the G Box Garage Club Remix on the same EP. An unfairly overlooked track that has always remained a true timeless classic since the very beginning of 12 Inch Lovers.
D2) Teddy Pendergrass -Life Is A Song Worth Singing (Jamie Jones Remix) (original release 2019)
In 2019 Jamie Jones breathed new life into the classic soul song by Teddy Pendergrass with a contemporary house rework. The remix was released in March 2019 as part of the digital EP Mixmag Presents: Teddy Pendergrass - The Remixes, issued in honour of the documentary If You Don't Know Me, a film about the rise of Teddy Pendergrass, the first African American male artist to achieve five consecutive platinum albums in the United States during the seventies.
Jamie Jones stayed true to the feel good essence of the 1978 original but wrapped it in a modern club sound, with pulsing synths, a warm rolling groove and a tight four to the floor beat providing the perfect base for Teddy's powerful and instantly recognisable voice.
The result is a captivating, soulful house track that effortlessly bridges past and present without losing the emotional power of Pendergrass's vocal delivery.
Despite its widespread popularity in the international club scene, where it became a favourite among DJs who love to blend soul with house, this remix never had a physical vinyl release. Until now, with its long awaited appearance on 12 Inch Lovers Sampler 12.
Red light therapy, Fiona Zanetti’s debut ep is a body and mind driven sonic collection of memories: music from and for the club, the nervous system, the physical and the mental. Built on no nonsense grooves, haunted bass pressure, rolling percussion, breakbeats, and hypnotic vocals.
The record delivers functional dance floor tools with emotional depth. From the addictive affirmations and sultry bassline of trust the process to the sensorial, ambient slowdown of skin deep, the EP traverses house, techno, breakbeat, downtempo, and experimental club.
Engineered for heads down sets, late night hedonism, and those suspended moments when you plunge inward on a crowded dance floor, it balances inner and outer listening, unifying depth with playfulness and introspection with fun.
Hekt's debut album Forever is released 1st May 2026 on Numbers, with the first single "Someday" featuring Valeria Litvakov out now.
Made with his friends Henriette Motzfeldt & Catharina Stoltenberg (solo and together as Smerz), Copenhagen-based composer/producer Fine Glindvad (who records as Fine), and Valeria Litvakov, Forever is built around juxtaposition: pop and bass brushing shoulders with dopamine fueled EDM. The record is a funhouse of mirrors where polystyrene arpeggios skitter underneath uplifting chords.
As Hekt describes the record: "Forever is desire and digital synthesis, car rides and lingering perfume. It’s missing someone who was never really there, holding on to something you didn’t want in the first place. The songs you hear when you’re falling in love on the dancefloor, and the songs you hear when you open your eyes and realize it’s just you alone with the DJ, the last one to leave. Songs to make out and break up to. A party so good you get depressed it can’t last forever."
Forever is a continuation of Hekt's work exploring the emotional core of pop music. "Someday" is the soundtrack to a hundred imagined futures with strangers in the club, as pristine arps and heartswelling chords skitter under Valeria Litvakov's ruminations, both lovestruck and terrified. Smerz add a level of fantastic to the slanted otherworldly pop of "Up in the Air, So" and "Forever." On both tracks, the melodies are squishy and impressionistic, the sound of all those memories we make in dance floors, taxis home, and in the blurry morning sunshine as we adjust to reality.
And while guest vocalists abound on Forever, Hekt also takes a turn at the mic himself. On "Without You" he shakes up a perfectly mixed cocktail of melancholy and beauty. And on "Promise" his voice is turned into another melodic accent against the fragile IDM sound design. Elsewhere he turns up the aggro. Dueting with Catharina Stoltenberg on Boys Noize's secret weapon, "Anytime Anywhere," the two trade bars across a compressed field of static and feedback while little hints of sub and wiry synths circle the edge of the stereo.
Hekt's music has always attempted to redefine what club music can and might be. This reimagining of the very basic building blocks of the dance floor is felt across Forever where he leans into the emotions of 2010s EDM. "What I loved about hardstyle and jumpstyle was the emotional intensity that kind of music can bring if you’re in the right setting. And I think that is what has stuck with me from EDM too. Emotional intensity," he explains. "It’s just been the soundtrack to some of the most fun moments in my life." On "But I Can't Really Show You," he compresses the EDM-era into 3-minutes. Vocal catharsis, dubstep womp, and soaring chords make it sound like the entirety of Tomorrowland being processed through MAX/MSP. This Skrillex-meets-Calvin Harris colossus is designed to destroy every sub woofer as it pulls on every last heart string.
And then there are the straight-up club stompers. "Baby" is UK club music reimagined with the steely lines of Danish modernism - think DJ Q going b2b with Errorsmith. It has a bassline made out of flubber with a vocal chopped beyond recognition as it bounces across chromatic synth lines. Even when he strips things down on the slinky garage-esque "Big Things," there are still unexpected twists and turns. The melody sounds like an Ibiza House compilation played in reverse, alongside drums that swing in and out of psilocybin bleeps and bloops. On other tracks like "Dream" and "You Won't Believe," the tropes of dance musics past, present, and future are dissolved in baths of synthesis and polished sound design.
Forever is a record where club music and Scandinavian EDM seamlessly mixes into avant-garde pop. Hekt has crafted singular and unclassifiable love songs alongside effortless bangers, making an ode to those eternal dance floor moments where time stops and you start hoping for something big.
Parris returns to his and Call Super’s can you feel the sun imprint with Drippin’. A four-track love letter to the amber-lit glow of communal field maneuvers in the dusk on his most house-focused and personal release yet.
Continuing the themes explored on 2024’s Passionfruit EP, Parris embarks further down his unparalleled sound path on Drippin’. His latest solo outing draws inspiration from vivid memories of yesteryear, particularly experiences at Watching Trees Festival and various trips to Amsterdam, and subsequently constructed with friends in mind to play out. The resulting four tracks encompasses some of his most intimate material to date.
The title track bursts with measured fervour and a raptor-like throb, percussive configurations in tight pistons which induce rave friction hysterics across the dancefloor melee. Got Me Feelin’ dramatically switches tact, a sentimental roller entangled in swooning pads and R’n’B vocals while swigging lovingly from the ecky spring. True Vargo stomps further with acute hedonism, a sun-descending swooner that flows effortlessly in melodic serenity. Closer Crooning In The Trees leans most wayward, an evolving scene architected by Parris’ uncanny samples and disassociated groove that purrs with wide-eyed wonder. Another stand-out release from one of UK club’s most unique voices.
The Rhythm Of Nature’ is the stunning new masterpiece from Andy Compton (The Rurals) and Shamrock!
Written between Andy’s tours in South Africa and Shamrock’s extended UK trip in the summer of 2025, this album embodies their shared mission: to spread positive, joyful vibrations with LOVE.
Here, Soul, Jazz, and African music blend seamlessly through the talents of these two cosmic brothers, connected deeply by their love of making music.
When Andy and Shamrock jam and record, music flows so freely, creating a powerful, spiritual energy.
This follow-up to their 2023 debut album, Soul & Spirit — which still touches hearts worldwide — includes magical songs like ‘Bunny Chow’ and ‘Rosa Mziki’, originally created in Johannesburg and previously released on the Bunny Chow EP, Along with super fresh, unheard gems.
The album also features incredible musicians such as Nekoye Ommeh (Vocals), Pete Morris (Keys), Bongani Sessionist (Percussion), Kafele Bandele (Trumpet), and Charlie Hearnshaw (Sax), adding their magical energies to the soundscape.
Allow yourself to experience the full journey, feel and enjoy every note!
Passages in Time, the third album from Kasper Bjørke Quartet, traces the contours of a blend of spiritual jazz reverence and the calming grandeur of '80s ambient. Inspired by Christopher Nolan's observation that "time is the most fundamental part of our human experience," the compositions are approached as fragments of time and memory. Meditations on the elusive nature of time form the heart of the work, merging freeform jazz improvisations with cyclical synthesizer patterns that mirror its quiet undulations.
Dreamy synths intertwine with guitar, harp, trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophone, and flute, creating a spacious environment for contemplation. The music invites reflection on the choices that shape our lives and the lives of those closest to us, and on the quiet weight of our priorities within the brief span we call life on this planet. Each passage unfolds as a fleeting moment suspended in time. The subtitles hint at fragments from someone's diary, tender observations of love, parenthood, and connection. Together, the passages form a musical memoir of sorts, where memory and emotion are gently woven into the compositions.
Passages in Time does not impose structure or meaning, it reflects them, offering an open space as the instruments drift in and out of focus, tracing time's subtle rhythms and inviting the listener to infuse their own memories and meaning into these passages.
The album also marks a transformation for the Quartet project itself. Langstrakt (Claus Noreen), part of the original ensemble, continues to operate the synthesizers alongside Bjørke, while the wider constellation of contributing musicians has evolved. Strings and piano give way to flute and saxophone by Oilly Wallace, guitars by Danish ambient composer Anna Roemer, trumpet and flugelhorn by Malthe Kaptain, and cascading orchestral harp by Katie Buckley, principal harpist with the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.
The cover painting is by American artist Marcus Leslie Singleton, courtesy of V1 Gallery, and reflects the meditative and timeless atmosphere of the music.
Passages in Time is released on Bjørke's own imprint, Sensitive Records, following the two previous Quartet albums released on Kompakt Records: The Fifty Eleven Project (2018), a debut that introduced Bjørke's ambient and neoclassical explorations, and Mother (2022), which expanded the ensemble's sound with emotive choir compositions and guest appearance by Sofie Birch (Unsound / Stroom). Together, these three albums trace a journey of artistic growth, from introspective experimentation to a fully realized, contemplative expression of time, memory, and human connection.
