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German veteran Marc Romboy is back on André Hommen’s ​These Eyes imprint with a stellar two track release entitled ​Elka, ​showcasing Marc’s effortless ability to portray alluring and emotive characteristics through music​. ​This offering follows up from ​Trapped In An Orbit​, which he released on the label in 2017 and remains a label highlight to this day.

The title track ​Elka provides a stirring and suspenseful journey that plays out as it’s melodies unfold over a bassline that pulses gently and impels the listener. ​Unreal Sun ​ups the energy with a groove thats ready to fall into and chords that lead the way, dictating the pace as their intensity undulates.

Marc Romboy has dedicated 30 years to the scene, with an impressive history of releases on labels like Innervisions and his own Systematic Recordings, collaborating with artists such as Stephan Bodzin. It is a point to be made that the A side to this release is one of Marc’s personal favourites to date and it is clear to see why.

Pressed On Limited Edition Black And White Vinyl! Available on 2LP, with the look of a silk-screened jacket we are excited to bring to you these Liquid Swords Instrumentals. There are many reasons why Wu-Tang Clan rapper GZA's second solo album Liquid Swords is considered one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. Critics and historians point to GZA's raw, and starkly poetic lyrics which featured references to chess, crime and philosophy, as well as superb guest performances from his Wu-Tang Clan contemporaries. One can't comment on Liquid Swords' brilliance however without touching upon the production, courtesy of Wu-Tang's own mastermind RZA. Behind a hazy and murky backdrop of rare samples and classic boom-bap beats, RZA crafted a bleak atmosphere of urban dystopia for GZA's esoteric rhymes to flourish in,cribbing from a wide panoply of sources ranging from the dusty soul of The Bar-Kays and Ohio Players, the nostalgic jazz of Cannonball Adderley and Willie Mitchell, and even the experimental weirdness of Mothers Of Invention. In a retrospective 5-star AllMusic review of Liquid Swords, writer Steve Huey said of RZA’s production: “The Genius' eerie calm is a great match for RZA's atmospheric production, which is tremendously effective in this context; the kung fu dialogue here is among the creepiest he's put on record, and he experiments quite a bit with stranger sounds and more layered tracks.” These instrumentals, peppered with frequent interludes of dialogue from the classic samurai flick Shogun Assassin, became the core of the GZA’s acclaimed sophomore LP. The full Liquid Swords instrumentals are now available in a white and black vinyl pressing, a nod to the chessboard art synonymous with the album’s cover art. All tracks have been restored, with re-mastered audio from the original source tapes.

180g

Council Work returns with the next installment of their journey, this time with the Militant EP. Two original tracks from the label bosses Frankel & Harper, and keeping in theme with the previous releases, obtaining remixes from their favourite artists in the scene, they've enlisted 2 big remixers, this time from Salty Nuts boss and Cocoon regular Fabe, and Orbital London head honcho and rising UK star Jack Michael. The EP sticks to the signature Council Work sound, showcasing underground UK flavours with lots of garage and jungle influences, whilst showcasing more minimal and breaks textures and vibes

“Desire” was Toyah’s first album for the EG label, and features her hit single cover version of “Echo Beach” as well as a cover of Donna Summer’s “Love’s Unkind”. Produced by Mike Hedges, the album features Robert Fripp (who co-wrote the title track) and Ronnie Wood.
The LP is pressed on 180 gram white vinyl and the inner sleeve features the lyrics.

Freda Payne is the high class soul hit maker who brought us the blockbuster track ‘Band Of Gold’. This album is the follow-up to the huge success of ‘Band of Gold’ and her second album for Invictus/Hotwax Records, for the legendary Holland- Dozier- Hollands then newly launched record label after they left Mowtown.

Seen as a pinnacle in 70's production style by the legendary producers, highlights include the anti-war protest song ‘Bring The Boys Home’ and the singles ‘Cherish What Is Dear to You (While It’s Near to You)’, ‘You Brought the Joy’ and ‘ The Road We Didn’t Take’. 1971 album is reissued on 140g classic black vinyl with original artwork and printed inner sleeve.

Dom (and his Roland s760 sampler) was once described by seminal magazine NME as the “Ridley Scott” of drum and bass. His epic early records helped form the blueprint of the scene today.

Originally releasing on No-U-Turn in 1994 and credited as one of architects of “Tech-step”. Dom was signed by the legendary Moving Shadow label in 1996 where he released 3 solo albums and a plethora of singles becoming their most prolific and influential artist in the history of the label.

Well known for his early alliances with school friends “Optical” and “Matrix”, Dom started his own label DRP (Dom & Roland Productions) in 2006 to collaborate with like-minded artists. Now 15 years in with an enviable roster from “Noisia” to “Amon Tobin” it is now the main home of Dom’s work.

Lost in the Moment is Doms 7th Album. In his own words “I wanted to make an album that gets back to the core of the elements I love about drum and bass. The timelessness of simple tracks! A sense of being lost in the subtlety of evolving soundscapes, rhythms and loops which hint at more complex detail and emotions. These are the things I find harder to find in this era of instant gratification and easily consumable music.”

Dom’s previous album Last refuge of a Scoundrel was signed to Metalheadz in 2016. It sold out on its first day. Mixmag gave it 10/10 and named it album of the year. It was runner up in DJ Magazines “Best of British” category across all genres.

Thembisa’s Hot Soul Singers were formed in 1975 by promoter and producer Sam “Jiza Jiza” Mthembu. In the early years the trio was called the Thembisa Happy Queens and consisted of sisters Ntombifuthi and Nombuso Mabaso and Lindiwe Ndlovu. The trio would start out playing Jive, Zulu Disco and other popular sounds of the 70s . In 1979 they became the Hot Soul Singers and would begin a career in the emerging Disco scene which their group name was now more fitting for.

Their first single under the new name was a tribute to their producer Sam, and their first album “Together” would come 2 years later in 1981. It contained their Lamont Dozier rip off from a year earlier, and biggest hit to date “ Give Me My Love Back” which was playing in jukeboxes across the country. At this time the Hot Soul Singers were also gaining popularity due to their demand as an opening act for American groups. Sam’s ongoing pursuit to be a successful promoter also helped to ensure they were always in the headlines and playing shows. It would be in 1983 that the group would temporarily step away from a major label and go onto record their first Maxi single with the independent Raintree Records new Lyncell Imprint.

Like most places in the world the early 80s was a fast changing time in music for South Africa. Although the Maxi had a disco standard for years in other parts of the world it had only recently been popularized in South Africa. Thanks to the Brenda and the Big Dudes smash, Weekend Special, the maxi took over as the preferred format for pop music, replacing the cheaper but time restricting 7” single. Singles were being pushed to the limits in the early 80’s with running times of 4+ minutes a sides by some labels. The Maxi allowed for groups to extend their grooves onto a full side and later album art containing smiling musicians infant of cheesy backdrops became the norm. Synthesizers had been used in pop music for years already but the DX7 wouldn’t land in the country for another year. Drum machines were being used but had yet to fully replace live drummers like would happen in the years to come. The recording of this new single would require a full band resulting in it being one of the gems of the crossover period before the complete midi takeover. Durban’s Graham Handley was recording some of the best upcoming Disco sounds for labels like Heads Music and groups like Kabasa and Masike Mohapi and was tasked as engineer. Other known musicians in the session would be Jimmy Mgwandi from the group Image, who’s signature bass playing can be heard on both songs. A young Daniel Phakoe aka “sox” was also present and took care of the male parts of the vocal line. Both musicians have writing credits along with lead singer Nombuso. Other possibilities of musicians would be Thami Mduli aka Professor Rhythm who had been with the group since their early days as well as a young Chicco who was best friends with Jimmy at the time.

The single, which was packaged in a customized but simple company disco sleeve, went on to do quite well. Less than a year later they would feature on a track with Sunset which would lead to them singing with Sounds of Soweto records label. The group would enjoy the growing fame when tragedy struck in 1984. On their way to a show in Mpumalanga they were involved in a car accident which took the life of Nombuso and left her husband Sam with a leg injury he limps with to this day. Upon recovering Sam would organize a tribute concert at Soweto’s Jabulani Amphitheatre. Even though the tragedy left the group broken and without a member the band went back to work to record their second full length album. They worked with Mac Mathunjwa who had written Nombuso’s favourite song “Going Crazy”. This album would be released with two different names and covers. One took the former singer’s favourite song as the album name and used a photo consisting of all three girls where the other released under the name “ A Tribute” and would only have the remaining members on the cover.

Although the tragedy never halted the group, moving forward the trio of singers would see a few members change. Lindiwe would leave to join Freeway and then become Linda “Babe” Majika so by the time they were ready to record in1986, now with Teal records, the only original member was Ntombifuthi. She would also shortly leave the group and provide backing vocals to other artists including her old band mate Linda. The Hot Soul Singers would be kept alive by Jiza Jiza and go on to record 5 more albums before calling it quits in 1990 after a successful 15 year career. Today the only core member left is Sam Mthembu who still lives in Thembisa and is occasionally promoting live events. Even though he did produce a handful of artists back in the 70s, his most significant additions to the music industry were the Hot Soul Singers and his event promotions, which is what he is best known for and will most likely be the legacy of his career.

DJ Die Soon is a local legend and ongoing inspiration in the Berlin underground electronic music scene. Remaining largely unknown outside the city, with only a handful of releases and appearances to date, the man behind the mask delivers truly freakish beats built from chaos driven crushed drums and eerie horror style basslines.

KAPPA SLAP wrenches the Morphine catalog by the neck, takes it off it’s feet and slams it back unsteadily in front of the fans who loved the Container, Metasplice and Hieroglyphic Being output of the label. DJ Die Soon delivers extreme work here. The album is a mixture of instrumental pieces and vocal tracks featuring the talents of five contrasting MC's. Three Ugandan lyricists feature: there’s MC Yallah, with whom he worked during a residency for the Nyege Nyege Festival , Lord Spikeheart from the Duma hardcore pressure band, and the mighty ECKO BAZZ. Long time friend and collaborator Infinite Livez (Ninja Tunes) appears on the cosmic & eccentric Ranthworth, and finally there’s Japan’s MA, who recently dropped the incredible AMA album on the label. Incidentally, the pair (both Japanese) decided to collaborate after acclaimed performance at the Morphine Showcase Berlin’s Berghain in 2019.

KAPPA SLAP contains a lot of our favorite sounds all in one album. Stunningly, DJ Die Soon manages to paint the Morphine picture in one hard stroke.

Artwork courtesy of Lorenzo Mason Studio

Frustrated with UK club music's current fixation with tempo, London based artist Kouslin's '2020 Vision' EP delivers four cutting edge, high energy clubs tracks that hover around the 100bpm mark. Drawing on both dancehall influences and the productions of artists such as Harmonic 313 / Mark Pritchard and The Bug, Kouslin carves his own vision for a new decade in UK club music where fine tuned low frequencies and a slower pace can deliver maximum impact.

When he's not working at London's Phonica Records, Kouslin runs the Le Chatroom record label and has a regular slot on London's Balamii radio.

This 12” vinyl release comes with full colour artwork reverse board sleeve with artwork from Tess Redburn.

Livity Sound is a label set up by Peverelist in 2011 as a vehicle for a raw and exploratory strain of UK techno, rooted in the heritage of UK dance music and sound system culture. It has since become one of the UK's foremost protagonists for cutting edge underground music.

Limited to 800 copies Red Vinyl
Includes postcard and poster
The Die Young EP was released on the group’s own Cafeteria label, released early 1987. Michael Fury was inspired by James Joyce’s short story The Dead. Only previously available on a 4 track12” .This 7” version comprises 3 of those 4 tracks
Metro Trinity were a short lived Manchester based indie band that included Jon Male, later of Soul Family Sensation and Republica fame. Drummer Colin Rocks, bass player Tim Whiteley and Doves guitarist Jez Williams.
Metro Trinity only other release came on a split with the Inspiral Carpets on Dave Haslam’s Debris fanzine. Which featured the track “Stupid Friends”.
Andy Williams of Doves joined the band later on, but does not feature on this EP. The band split up shortly after.

Mars89 titles his first release Natural Sciences after a year already defined by bacterial outbreaks, drone assassinations and the rise of the right. Across four tracks which range from industrial quom to leftfield electronics, Mars89 supplies the goods to live the nightmare.
White label limited to 300 copies worldwide.

Moscow's leading deep and underground house label Deepology presents a series of releases, Four Seasons. Four releases, vinyl only, each corresponding to a specific season of the year.

The first record, EP 1, includes four tracks by residents and friends of the label - an international team of the artists from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and Finland.

Limited edition of 300 copies. Spread the analogue love!


DJ Feedback:

Mark Farina, Sascha Dive, Luna City Express, Martin Landsky, Jimpster, DJ Linus, Charles Spencer, Nick Holder, Terry Francis, Jay West, Igor Marijuan (Ibiza Sonica FM), Glenn Underground, Jesus Gonsev, Robert Owens, Patrick Lindsey, Lars Behrenroth, Carlo Gambino, Mucho Soul, Finest Wear, Fer Ferrari, Sumsuch and more.

MELANGE returns with it's fifth outing. This time Label head Earl Jeffers teams up with friend and all round don K15. A 3 tracker, all with different influences and feels, from Bruk to library tinged hip hop and then some!!

Pilo returns to BNR in 2020 with the “A.R.E.A.” EP. Since his first release for the label in 2013 at a very young age, each subsequent record could be seen as a milestone of growth - the “A.R.E.A. EP” feels confident, produced with consummate skill, focusing on the LA-producers strongest themes and devices. This is not, however, the sort of “maturity” that sees things get boring, more restrained. Pilo’s drum is the beat of LA’s unhinged underground techno scene - they don’t do boring - and this drum is always banging.

A-side examples: “Acid by Mouth.” A stuttered kick and a gated, uncanny valley voice form the backbone for increasing layers of texture and percussion. It’s a rollercoaster, as viscerally satisfying on the way up as on the way down. Pilo’s production journey has been increasingly cinematic, and you can see the songs here - “Acid by Mouth” is suited for a Gaspar Noe nightclub scene, and you love to hear it as long as no one gets murdered. “Ruhig” is tribal, made for spaces with 4 story high ceilings and sparse but blinding flashes of light. You can hear steel beams buckling under pressure, a breath too close behind you. The workers of the factory in fit of madness started raving to the sounds of their own machines. They’ve been dancing, without pause, for years now.

The B-side opens with “Exit the Artificial.” Headbanging broken beat kick, aggressive Skinny Puppy snares, ghost voices in hallucinatory bursts too short to confirm to be real. The draw-distance of the stereo spread seems infinite - listen at the very edges and a whole other (ominous) world is taking place. The ghosts mock you in gated laughs by the end. “Adapt Tactics” leads you out - low tempo, hissy percussion, haunted again at the fringe. Things break down, reduced to grain - brain short-circuits, “will I feel like this forever?” It’s a warning - turn back, there’s nothing for you out there. You embrace the madness, and start Pilo’s “A.R.E.A.” EP again from the beginning.

Back with his third EP for Dave Harvey’s forward thinking Futureboogie label, Kiwi serves up three pulsating jams on ‘Charlie’s New Vision’, backed with a remix from Johnny Aux.

Drawing upon his many influences across the house/disco/funk spectrum, South London based Kiwi has been illuminating the more discerning dancefloors of late with a strong of releases for Cin Cin, Needwant and his own new label venture, Crossbreed.

A low-slung groove is explored on ‘Charlie’s New Vision’, incorporating tripped out film dialogue, bleeps and dubby tones, and a serpentine bass riff, all forging an off kilter yet infectious & hedonistic chugger. Johnny Aux follows up recent appearances on Man Power’s Me Me Me, Party Central, and Multi Culti with his own take on the lead track. Churning over a bleepy and epically transcendental remix of the highest order, this is the stuff of sunrises and enlightening moments!

The sprightly ‘Ghiaccio’ draws together a kaleidoscopic array of opulent synth melodies with an compelling rhythm, whilst ‘Italian Heat’ doffs its cap heartily to the Italo disco choons of yore that always strikes a potent chord to this day.

This are three new Tracks, released by 'Pete Cannon' and 'Patrice', for the Label which is called 'Swamp 81'.

Music With Soul returns with another genre-defying instant classic, expanding the limits of the Tropical Dance music universe.

Staying true to the label's essence, founder Alex Figueira places a high bet with this new release, introducing a brand new breed of traditional “Hindoestan” (Indian diaspora in Surinam) music and Cumbia. Taking the music of underground Surinam musician and empresario A. Bechan for an explorative excursion into the depths of the Colombian caribbean coast, this explosive combination raises the bar unquestionably. Equally weird, groovy and trippy, this 45 will turn any party upside down, regardless of any factors. The only problem you will encounter is what to play after. The solution is right on the other side. Just flip the record and give them the Instrumental version, featuring electric guitar, an alternative percussion set up and the beloved classic Juno-60 synthesizer in the leading role for another 4 minutes of dancefloor catharsis.

Jon Tye and Pete Fowler have been making music as Seahawks for a decade now. Given the sounds they’ve been exploring over those ten years it was a cosmic inevitability that they would be asked to contribute to the catalogue of the legendary library label KPM.

They replied with Island Visions, an exploration of sound for vision where they construct “audio micro-worlds to explore and inhabit”. A way to transport the listener away from the everyday without the bother of getting on an aeroplane. Mind travel is space travel after all, and much better for the environment.

Mostly recorded at The Centre Of Sound in Cornwall, with additional recording at Studio 34 in London, Jon and Pete’s travelling companions on this particular trip were boogie wunderkind Sven Atterton on fretless bass and keys, Nick Mackrory on percussion and the Seahawks live team of Dan Hillman and Alik Peters-Deacon.

From the grooves of Brian Bennett to the moog vibrations of Mike Vickers, the lush textures of Les Baxter to the experimental sounds of Delia Deryshire and David Vorhaus, this new music channels sounds and moods from across the KPM universe.

The spacious “Hot Sand Shuffle” opens the record with some of Seahawks’ familiar “deck-shoegaze”. The slinky digi-dub of “Sky Blue Sky” follows, gently encouraging us to lay back and relax. “Mystic Beach” is a refreshing ocean spray of a synthetic groove that clears the head, priming a pathway to receive “Crystal Forest”, a new age house groove of birds and flutes.

Dense, deep and dreamlike, “Distant Shore” is ambient rainforest house with a 90s vibe, its dense foliage clearing to let us bask in the shimmer and shine of “River Run”. Hang drum, electric gamelan, flute and loon close side A.

Side B bounces into being with “Catch A Wave”, an upbeat beach groover of synthetic guitar, effervescent synth and snappy drums. Equatorial bubbler “Paradise Bird Bath” soon glides in with marimba, crisp beats and fat synth bass. Fender rhodes, space echo and fretless bass make “Smooth Runnings” a laid-back poolside groove.

“Spirits Have Flown” conjures a hazy vibe with marimba, sax, synth funk bass and chilled beats before “Rolling Deep” serves up a light cocktail of sultry rhythms, refreshing textures, cooling sax and fretless bass. Almost-title track “Island Blues” brings the horizontal poolside feels with melodic chimes, oboe and more fretless bass for maximum vibrations. The marina drone of modular electronics, celestial trumpet and jungle ambience pay the album’s final respects to the cosmos on “Sun Salute”.

Like many KPM suites, this is a record of two distinct sides. The sunrise of side A brings a deep meditation, a journey within to renew the jaded self. Side B refreshes with cocktails by the pool and a chance to groove away the evening at some sunset beach party before dancing under the stars in the house of dreams.

Pete’s front cover for the LP is part map, part postcard: “the record has five different sections and I wanted to reference those in the worlds they created, musically and physically. From beach campfire, to poolside hanging and nighttime dancing. A kind of portal to those places and the pictures they inspired in my mind. All places we’d like to be in this turbulent year”. The track descriptions on the back help guide the way.

2020 marks 10 years since Ocean Trippin’, the first Seahawks release, and Island Visions is the perfect distillation of the sounds, sights, textures and moods that Jon and Pete have been exploring over the last decade. Sunrise to sunset condensed to two sides of an LP. The normal rules of space and time don’t apply here.

This is the first time Be With has worked with Seahawks, but individually Jon and Pete have been members of the extended Be With family since forever (Pete did those posters for our Ned Doheny tour and we worked with Jon on the vinyl version of Hatchback’s Colors Of The Sun). Of course we were going to put this out on vinyl.

Mastered by balearic engineer of choice (and Be With’s regular audio co-pilot) Simon Francis, cut by the legendary Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, the sonic frequencies of these Island Visions have been precision tuned and encoded for optimum travelling conditions. Take the trip.

Coastlines is the self-titled long player from the new Japanese production unit of DJ and producer Masanori Ikeda and solo artist, session musician and Cro-Magnon keyboard player Takumi Kaneko.

Masanori and Takumi have been part of the Japanese dance music scene for years and Coastlines was born out of their working together on soundtracks for video projects. The pair wanted to make laid-back listening music for now, laying Takumi’s playful keys over Masanori’s widescreen balearic jazz-fusion to conjure beautiful and breathtaking “coastlines”.

A couple of two-track 7"s put out in late 2018 and early 2019 on Japanese house music label Flower Records soon sold out. Those four tracks were expanded to a full album of music, “a joyous, relaxing, summery soundtrack for everyone’s after hours wind down” that was released just in time for summer. It soundtracked many a Be With BBQ in 2019.

The album opens in the horizontal with the sophisticated, cocktails-by-the-pool groove of “Sunset Reflection”. A lush, beatless wonder. Their re-imagining of Ralph MacDonald’s “East Dry River” removes all the original’s bells and whistles (quite literally) and re-gears it with a subtle balearic chug. The result is a percussive gem.

“Coastline” is a beach-jazz noodle. “Drifting Ice” is as chilled and glacial as its title would suggest, yet Masanori’s head-nod slo-mo house beats throb not far below the surface. “My Fire” is another soft killer, all swelling, swirling organ over muted kicks and snares. An elegant boom-bap.

A pair of insistent tunes of the deeply balearic variety raise the tempo, but not by too much of course. On “Woods And My Guitar” a half-heard vocal refrain breathes life into the synthetic xylophone and guitar. Deft piano-work turns “Half Moon Shadow” into lounge-house for the sophisticated beach bum. A classy duo.

The self-assured re-work of Azymuth’s “Last Summer In Rio” is arguably the album’s centrepiece. Ten minutes of casually propulsive slapped bass, steel pans and slick 80s soul beats. Cue the steel drum interlude of “Maracas Bay” before album closer “Down Town” transitions us one with a shuffling, string-hinted hit of ethereal, euphoric piano bliss. Gentle disco for the new decade.

As former Test Pressing scribe Dr. Rob observed on his ever-reliable Ban Ban Ton Ton blog, the Coastlines fusion is very much in conversation with their 80s counterparts, both at home and along the coastlines of different continents. So among the nods to revered Japanese artists like Hiroshi Sato, Sakamoto and Casiopea, there are also hints of Marcos Valle and Mtume, of the aforementioned Azymuth. “The production though is very much now, not then. Not retro, just proper”. We couldn’t put it better ourselves.

Coastlines was originally a CD release only available in Japan, with HMV putting out a super-limited vinyl version a few months later for Japanese Record Store Day. But this music is just too good, so when Be With was asked via Ken Hidaka to take care of a vinyl version for the rest of the world it wasn’t a tough decision.

Mastered by Simon Francis and cut by Pete Norman, just 500 copies of this double LP have been pressed by the good people at Record Industry.

The second release of the label Dedicate is created by Kollege Schnürschuh. The producer collective, consisting of Phonk D, Clav Split, Iron and Jogging Jones, presents a cross-section of the past few years on the 12 instrumental tracks.
Shoe School represents true hip hop without too much bling and flashy ice, somewhere between Old and New School.

Planetary Notions boss Joe Rolét debuts on Infuse to open April with his ‘Maximum Width’ EP, backed by a remix from Rich NxT.

A rising name within his home city of London, Joe Rolét is a DJ and producer whose passion for subbed out club music with a cosmic twist has seen him become one of the scenes hotly tipped talents – a sound that’s also reflected in full via his bubbling label, Planetary Notions. Releasing music from artists such as Per Hammar, Lopaski, stevn.aint.leavn and Desert Sound Colony whilst welcoming the likes of Vlad Caia and more to join as guests on the imprint’s Rinse FM show, 2020 now sees Rolét follow up releases via Beeyou, Courtesy Of Balance and his own Planetary Notions imprint as he makes a debut label appearance on Infuse with ‘Maximum Width’ EP this April, accompanied by a remix of the title cut provided from FUSE resident Rich NxT.

Lead cut ‘Maximum Width’ sees Rolét introduce his blend of slinking, reduced grooves atop of bumping low-ends whilst working an infectious vocal throughout, whilst ‘Rounding’ sees warped synths, off-kilter melodies and further tripped out vocal snippets come to the fore. On the flip, FUSE favourite Rich NxT puts his stamp on the title track in impressive fashion as he raises the tempo and introduces sizzling bass stabs and rolling hats, before rounding out proceedings with the hypnotic ‘Amber Road’ – a paired back cut that harnesses soaring sci-fi leads and wriggling percussion arrangements to great effect to shape up an impressive debut offering.

Sardinian “Claudio PRC” is a well renowned name in the scene, known for the peculiar, meditative and introspective sound he’s delivered over the years. Claudio is no stranger to our label, kindly gifting us his beautiful track “Void” on the AWRY005 compilation early last year.
With his forthcoming release “Insel,” he shows us different sides of his sound, creating 3 tracks with varying moods, each dedicated to experiences during his time in the city of Berlin. The B side features a remix of “Ost” from label owner Wrong Assessment, marking his return to AWRY after his “Asa Nisi Masa” EP release."

The third release on Italian imprint Free Voyage comes from Hamburg-based producer quadratschulz. With some eclectic releases on labels such as Shipwrec and Bordello A Parigi quadratschulz demonstrated his widely musical spectrum. For the "Kohlbrand EP" he provided a more melodic and atmospheric selection of his work. Yet you will find the piercing coldness, razor sharp rhythms and growling robotic voices, which define quadratschulz' unique sound.

Following on from an excellent debut in 2019, with ‘Karoussel’, Mow Records unveils its second album. A further exploration of label head Mowgan’s penchant for house music and authentic African sounds, ‘Soya’ features percussion and vocals from Solo Sanou, an artist whose roots lie in Burkina Faso - though he’s based in Toulouse, where the album was recorded.

Comprised seven Afro house cuts that utilise organic instrumentation and Solo’s raw, emotive voice, the album is the second installment in a series of five long-players recorded by Mowgan in the space of a year. This new LP goes deep into the heart of Africa’s rich musical culture, delivering contagious rhythms, rousing atmospherics and a pure, organic, unadulterated sound that has been cultivated through electrifying jam sessions at Mowgan’s studio. Also featured on ‘Soya’ are Yoan Hernandez and Yaya Dembele who play guitar, Gauthier Djalate on bass, alongside Mamadou ‘Madou’ Dembele, a multi-instrumentalist who plays flute and ngoni, while also handling backing vocals with Adama Coulibaly aka Demsi and teaming up for a duet with Solo on ‘Badenya’. Another vocalist, Fanta, was intrinsic to this LP. The granddaughter of renowned Malian performer Kandia Kouyaté, Fanta appears on ‘Fatanya’ and is a crucial component of the album’s conception…

The story goes that Mowgan was making an album with Fanta when he realised he needed a percussionist. Fanta brought in Solo Sanou, who was very timid to begin with. Mowgan liked his style and decided to work on some music with Solo separately. As the relationship blossomed, and they recorded more music, Solo brought more and more instruments to Mowgan’s studio. During those sessions Mowgan gently encouraged Solo to try using his voice, eventually he did and, when he heard how good it sounded, ended up singing across the whole LP. So, the beauty of this album, beyond the wonderful instrumentation, is the fact that you’re hearing Solo Sanou sing for the very first time.

With all the songs recorded in his native languages, Bobo and Bambara, ‘Soya’ is an exhilarating blend of electronic production and African influences that emanates a feeling of authenticity throughout. From the opening cut ‘Adamine’, which is about Solo’s first meeting with Mowgan, to ‘Badenya’ which refers to family bonds - “There may be quarrels, but it will never catch fire,” Solo says.

There is social commentary, such as that featured on ‘Fantaya’, which is about poverty - “While some people worry about what they will eat at night, others have fun without worrying about them,” he says.

A soul-nourishing, vibrant and utterly contagious collection of raw, authentic Afro house, ‘Soya’ marks another step forward for Mow Records and a triumph for all the artists involved. Look out for further installments…

Seb Wildblood readies his first new release of 2020, the ‘Hazy House’ EP. After a year that saw Wildblood releasing his landmark LP, ‘sketches of transition' – which received a glowing 8/10 review in DJ Mag and made it into Mixmag’s of Albums of 2019 round-up – his new two-tracker is set for release via his London / Los Angeles based label, all my thoughts, on April 17th. Along with his recently released edit of Rosalia’s ‘A Palé’ for charity, the EP marks the DJ/producer’s return to a more dancefloor-focused sound, having ventured further into the worlds of downtempo electronics, R&B and Balearic-imbued house on his introspective and accomplished debut album.

‘Hazy House’ is an encapsulation of what a Seb Wildblood DJ set sounds like in 2020, fusing tough house rhythms with electro’s futuristic atmosphere and an ear for emotive melodic hooks. With dreamy flourishes and subtle complexities, the EP retains much of the depth that ‘sketches’ emphasized, despite being his most club-ready work since 2018’s ‘Grab The Wheel’ EP. The resulting release is one that showcases Wildblood’s considered, painterly technique, and his capacity to create thoughtful soundscapes even when focused on mobility and energy.

‘Hazy House Vol. 1’ on the A-side is buoyant and lush, with a warm synth bed hovering on top of its bouncy beat before a soft, chiming arpeggio motif floats into the mix, tying everything together in a silky deep house bow.

‘Vol. 2’ is similarly inviting, if a little more robust. With a sharp beat, angelic choral synths, and a subtle vocoder, the track is one for the depth of the night, when the last push of energy carries you through, right into the warmth of the afterglow.

Inspired by moments experienced throughout his second world tour in 2019, which saw him playing DJ sets everywhere from Australia and Japan to the UK and across North America, the title ‘Hazy House’ is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the assumptions some may have about Wildblood’s sound. But as the EP highlights, there’s a subtle intricacy at play in the producer’s work that further establishes him as a distinct voice for both club-driven sounds, and for those more suited to headphones.

the debut release of australia born, berlin based producer “fantastic man” on mule musiq. he has released many nice records from the quality labels like let’s play house,kitjen and own superconscious records. since we’ve met in milano last year,we started to talk about the release. now our first 12inch then his debut album is coming in this summer. stay tuned!

The Brewmaster General (Brew Records, War Games) makes his long awaited debut on L.I.E.S. Currently, Amsterdam's bearer of the underground torch, Mr. Bergman follows suit in the tradition of his BREW label delivering his signature brand of chaotic jacking house madness over four tracks. Expanding on forefathers Sleezy D, the experiments of DJ Rush, or the Muzique clique, Bergman runs his tracks through the meat grinder serving up some of the most psychedelic house out there in this day and age. Limited to 300 copies. Strictly for the heads.

Vinyl includes mp3 coupon. Shabazz Palaces' Black Up, the group's Sub Pop debut, was recently hailed as one of the best albums of the decade by outlets like Pitchfork, Gorilla Vs Bear, and Variety. Pitchfork summed it up thusly: "Black Up is drowned in murky instrumentals and bombastic, introspective rhymes. The sounds flirt with jazz but also root themselves in a firm understanding of silence, or the sparse magic of simplicity. The songs teem with unexpected climaxes...From great mystery exploded an album of impossible vision." That "impossible vision" has continued to confound and engage Shabazz Palaces fans over the course of four acclaimed albums and two EPs. Each release feels like an evolution, letting the music speak for itself, while slowly revealing more about its creator. With The Don of Diamond Dreams, the group's fifth album, that spirit remains, this time embracing modernism in hip-hop and rap. Featuring 10 tracks in 43 minutes, the album features the highlights "Fast Learner (ft. Purple Tape Nate)," "Chocolate Souffle," "Bad Bitch Walking (ft. Stas THEE Boss), and "Thanking The Girls." It also features contributions from singer/keyboardist Darrius Willrich, Seattle's OCnotes (who collaborated with Shabazz leader Ishmael Butler on the Knife Knights project), Los Angeles musician Carlos Overall, and bassist Evan Flory-Barnes. The Don of Diamond Dreams was recorded throughout 2019 and produced by Shabazz Palaces at Protect and Exalt: A Black Space in Seattle, mixed and engineered by Erik Blood at Studio 4 Labs in Venice, California, and mastered by Scott Sedillo at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.

LP SKY BLUE VINYL/LOSER-EDITION

Vinyl includes mp3 coupon. Shabazz Palaces' Black Up, the group's Sub Pop debut, was recently hailed as one of the best albums of the decade by outlets like Pitchfork, Gorilla Vs Bear, and Variety. Pitchfork summed it up thusly: "Black Up is drowned in murky instrumentals and bombastic, introspective rhymes. The sounds flirt with jazz but also root themselves in a firm understanding of silence, or the sparse magic of simplicity. The songs teem with unexpected climaxes...From great mystery exploded an album of impossible vision." That "impossible vision" has continued to confound and engage Shabazz Palaces fans over the course of four acclaimed albums and two EPs. Each release feels like an evolution, letting the music speak for itself, while slowly revealing more about its creator. With The Don of Diamond Dreams, the group's fifth album, that spirit remains, this time embracing modernism in hip-hop and rap. Featuring 10 tracks in 43 minutes, the album features the highlights "Fast Learner (ft. Purple Tape Nate)," "Chocolate Souffle," "Bad Bitch Walking (ft. Stas THEE Boss), and "Thanking The Girls." It also features contributions from singer/keyboardist Darrius Willrich, Seattle's OCnotes (who collaborated with Shabazz leader Ishmael Butler on the Knife Knights project), Los Angeles musician Carlos Overall, and bassist Evan Flory-Barnes. The Don of Diamond Dreams was recorded throughout 2019 and produced by Shabazz Palaces at Protect and Exalt: A Black Space in Seattle, mixed and engineered by Erik Blood at Studio 4 Labs in Venice, California, and mastered by Scott Sedillo at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.

Founded in 1972, SteepleChase Records is one of the most significant and prolific European jazz record labels. With a catalogue running to well over 200 titles, the Copenhagen-based imprint has recorded and released music from some of the greatest names in jazz, including Dexter Gordon, Andrew Hill, Jackie McLean, Horace Parlan, Chet Baker and Stan Getz.

Starting out by recording visiting Americans when they performed at the legendary Café Montmartre, founder Nils Winther was encouraged to start the label by none other than the great Jackie McLean, who was the first artist to release a record on the new imprint. From there, Steeplechase rapidly grew into one of the foremost labels to document European jazz with all its distinctive originality and style.

With a particular emphasis on recording front rank American artists who had chosen the expatriate life in Europe, Steeplechase was first in line to document the sounds of the greats as they developed in exile. Featuring in-demand tracks from the likes of Billy Gault, Johnny Dyani and Khan Jamal, and unearthing deep cuts from greats like Jackie McLean and Mary Lou Williams, our Spiritual Jazz 11: Steeplechase pays tribute to one of Europe's most important jazz labels.

"NOON" One of the most prominent and widely acclaimed polish producers, returns after a two-year break with the new album called "Nobody Nothing Nowhere".

The fifth solo work of NOON was released by his own label called "Nowe Nagrania". The idea of "Nobody Nothing Nowhere" is connected to the various places in Poland and Europe: from the first sketches recorded in Gdynia, through Warsaw and London, to the final recordings in Łódź. Alan Kamiński is responsible for the graphic design of the album, based on NOON's own photos.

The atmosphere of working on "Nobody Nothing Nowhere" is similar to the aura of "Gry Studyjne" LP - NOON's sophomore album. However, this time NOON puts emphasis on much greater advancement, devoting himself to work alone with one analog beat making machine called Elektron Rytm Mk2.

Mikołaj Bugajak on "Nobody Nothing Nowhere" is accompanied by excellent musicians and also his regular concert partners - drummer Marcin Awierianow, bassist Piotr Połoz (both from polish post-punk band Psychocukier) and violinist Tomasz Mreńca. It is worth mentioning that NOON's part's contained on "Nobody Nothing Nowhere" were programmed on the machine in the shape of live performances, which gave the LP additional element of dynamism and life.

"Album called "Nobody Nothing Nowhere" is an album about escape, which turns out to be impossible. All these struggles and attempts to change destiny resemble a spiral journey. The albums consists of three parts, and is summarized by the song called "Spektrum".

My fifth album is released less than two years after "Algorytm" premiere in terms of experiences that I wanted to share with the audience." (NOON)

Wan Chai Records is a Hong-Kong based label, specialized in rare Asian records and quality reissues.

For their first release, they wanted to highlight a promotional record released at 500 copies only in Hong-Kong for a famous Soda brand.
It was offered with a pack of bottles in 1977 and never been
released.

Produced and arranged by Noel Quinlan, this Album is a mix of
Funk and Soul covers. The result is an awesome LP including
groovy covers, from the classic Lowdown' by Bob Scaggs, to a
Funky I Shot The Sheriff' by Bob Marley with a deep Fender
Rhodes, and 12 other outstanding tracks.

L/F/D/M, "Richard Smith", Brighton based producer who comes
to Alley Version after several killer releases for labels like Cititrax/Minimal Wave, Optimo Trax and collaborations with
Factory Floor’s Dominic Butler on Powell’s Diagonal Records.

“Club Germs On My Clothes” is a 4 tracks EP in which are recognizable elements of ebm, minimal wave, industrial, jackin, shaped in experimental hardware-driven raw-techno forms.
Pressed on 12″ White Coloured Vinyl. Limited Edition of 150 Copies.

NORTHERN SOUL ESSENTIALS!!! 2020 finally sees the long-awaited follow-up to the mega-succesful Frank Wilson 45 in our ‘Soul Essentials’ series. And they don’t come more “essential” than The Tempests “Someday”. What a fabulous record and a top notch dancer to boot! For many, “Someday” is the Northern Soul sound of the millenium, and it is! But we have to go much further back in time to find it’s roots on the scene. Back another twenty years in fact, back to the eighties to the “discovery-city” of Stafford where it was first played to an astonished and eager audience. It was originally released as an LP-only track on the album ‘Would You Believe’ on Smash Records in 1967. And what an incredible album it is offering up a number of potential B-sides for our single: the title track, plus a very credible rendition of “Ain’t No Big Thing”, “Happiness”, “I Cried For You” and “What You Gonna Do” – all totally fantastic. But, we went with the stunningly sublime and pleading “I Don’t Want To Lose Her” dripping in tortured emotion that sends shivers across the dance floor! The Tempests were originally an all-white 10-piece outfit formed in the early-Sixties in Charlotte, North Carolina. They went through a number of personel changes over the years but by the time they signed to the Mercury owned ‘Smash’ label their unique sound featured black vocalist, Hazel Martin. It is Martin’s implouringy desperate delivery that resonated instantly with the Northern Soul scene propelling the band to iconic status. Now, over fifty years on, the two standout tracks from the album are available back-to-back for the very first time! Also available the No.1 oldie “Do I Love You” by Frank Wilson.

REPRESS NOW IN

Played By Theo Parrish, 2 Deep Disco Classics on 45 for the first time.

Brand new master from Sony cut at Timmion Cutting Lab, Finland.

"G.Q" stood for "good quality", they were not joking. As well as a few top 10 hits G.Q also had a wealth of brilliant disco bangers across their 70s output. Here we present 2 favourites of my own,k 'Lies' and 'is It Cool?' . Not only of mine buy clearly Theo Parrish's also as he featured both on 'Ugly Edits' over a decade ago, great as it saved me from playing the LP in clubs and fighting the feedback. These track have always sat next to the best rare modern soul and Deepfunk classics with ease, they are some of the best records in the Genre.

To top it off we got a new perfect master from Sony and cut the 45 at Timmion cutting Lab in Finland and its sounds great. A personal favorite, im delighted to be able to put this out with the care it deserves. "See that there's a party going on……"

Infernal Sounds welcome back Taiko to the fold as they celebrate their 20th release on the label with a stinking 3-track EP from the Sheffield-based producer. Having previously featured on IFS009 with Darkimh on the track 'Unwarp', it's time for him to take centre stage and unleash this all-rounded release, showcasing exactly why he's one of the most sought after producers under the 140 spectrum. The 'Giant Big Man' EP delivers all of the known traits from Taiko's productions - a dynamic percussion, intricate use of vocal snips, laced with grimey undertones. The EP is pressed on 180g vinyl, and finished with a full sleeve design from returning illustrator, Emily Dayson.

Having received major support from the likes of Sicaria Sound, N-Type and Truth, amongst many other top drawer DJ's, this is a must-own piece of art to add to your collection.

Seit einiger Zeit arbeitet die deutsch-brasilianische Künstlerin Gloria Endres de Oliveira, die auch als Filmemacherin (Musikvideos, Kurzfilme) und Schauspielerin (u.a."Babylon Berlin", "Die Pfeiler Der Macht", "Counterpart" und aktuell in Christian Petzolds "Undine" (Berlinale 2020)) aktiv ist, an der Verwirklichung ihrer musikalischen Vision. Zuerst gemeinsam mit spampoets im Duo Lovespells, seit letztem Jahr als Solo-Artist GLORIA DE OLIVEIRA. Nach Auftritten beim Further Festival und der c/o pop veröffentlichte sie in der zweiten Jahreshälfte 2019 die beiden EPs "La Rose De Fer" und "Lèvres De Sang" auf ihrem eigenen Label La Double Vie. Abgemischt im Hamburger Studio Cloud Hills Recordings, definieren sie Gloria de Oliveiras betörendes Soundspektrum zwischen Dreamwave, Ethereal und Goth Pop. Nun veröffentlicht das Kölner Label REPTILE MUSIC die Compilation der beiden EPs als "Fascination" (sprich Französich fa·si·na·syon) erstmals auf Vinyl und CD. Die LP beinhaltet die 10 original Songs der beiden EPs remastered und in neuer Reihenfolge, die 17-Track-CD-Version sowie das Digitale Album kommen mit zusätzlichen sieben Remixen von u.a.Gudrun Gut (u.a. Malaria, Monika Enterprises, Greie Gut Fraktion) Box And The Twins, Fragrance., Tellavision und The Wide Eye. Unterstützt wird die intime Atmosphäre ihrer Songs dabei durch eine entsprechende Visualisierung in bisher größtenteils selbstproduzierten Videos. Zur Vorabsingle "The Only Witness" erlaubt ab Anfang März der von der Hamburger Regisseurin Julia Ritschel aufwändig produzierte Videoclip einen weiteren faszinierenden Einblick in Gloria de Oliveiras universelles Kunst- und Klanguniversum. Parallel dazu wird GLORIA DE OLIVEIRA Ende März das US-Duo TEMPERS (DAIS/Secretly) bei fünf Konzerten ihrer anstehenden Deutschlandtour begleiten. Für Liebhaber von Cocteau Twins, Lebanon Hanover, Stina Nordenstam, Hilary Woods, introvertierter Marie Davidson Genres: Independent | Dreamwave | Synthwave | Ethereal | Electronica

1970’s best-kept Bossa Nova secret. Surrounded by mystery for nearly 50 years due to its obscurity, this is one of the most honest, personal and unpretentious albums of it's genre.

A selection of 12 exquisitely crafted songs supported by measured, subtle arrangements. The list of musicians born or raised in the Tijuca district of Rio de Janeiro is long and illustrious and includes names that have shaped Brazilian music: Tom Jobim, Roberto Carlos, Tim Maia, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben or Erasmo Carlos – to mention but a few.

We can now add to that list another name: Werther. In 1970, a man by that name recorded an album unique in its personality, its honesty, and its lack of pretense. In a time when Bossa Nova had become a global phenomenon and its main characters were already household names in Brazil, Werther assembled a collection of songs that uncannily – almost naively – remind us of the time when Bossa Nova was just a group of youngsters making music. His songs are about simple things: bohemian life, the sea, love.

Despite Werther and his friends being only in their teens, without any previous experience recording music, those working behind the scenes were not equally amateur. Producer Peter Keller had already worked with Aloysio De Oliveira in the quintessential Bossa Nova label Elenco, and was also an initial partner in Roberto Quartin’s cult label Forma.

Studio owner Bill Horne was a very loved character in the Rio jazz scene who had regularly taken part in the legendary meetings in Nara Leão’s apartment and befriended some of Brazil’s most respected musicians. Some of these musicians were, for example, Naná Vasconcelos and Edison Machado, who provided small contributions to Werther’s album.