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Kilòmetro 4.5 takes you into danceable ambient sounds through a dreamy album produced by Snad. Loop DreamZz is an ethereal representation of nostalgic soundscapes. It wraps you in a strange yet familiar sense of paradise at twilight, be it before dawn or post-sunset. Faint birdsong, gentle waves, and the bittersweet tiredness when you’re one of the last on the sandy dancefloor, yet perpetually craving to keep the dream looping.

One year after its original release, the Placid Angles album Touch The Earth is being remixed by an impressive array of artists from the extended Figure family. With John Beltran being a distinct voice within the electronic music scene for over thirty years now, Figure is thrilled to reveal a whole LP’s worth of reinterpretations, including two works by the original artist himself.

Opening up is Marcel Dettmann, who seamlessly has integrated the lush soundscapes of the original album into a beat-driven but equally serene journey. Picking up on the LP’s underlying dark garage tropes, Planet Mu headmaster M-ziq infuses his rework with even more rolling drums and ethereal vocal chops. The also inherent IDM roots of Touch The Earth have been kept close by Warp-veterans Plaid who deliver a shuffling flurry full of horns, synths and syncopated rhythms. More straightforward interpretations include Dauwd’s dazzling piece of feathery, fast, atmospheric techno; a gorgeous melodic house remix by Baltra and Cassy who turns in a rigid UK stomper.

Amidst all the reworks, John Beltran himself makes two appearances across the record. As Placid Angles he adds another heads-down percussive/ambient swirl, which represents exactly what the producer has been hailed for since more than three decades now. His own remix finishes the record on an epic note, with an organic drum track that celebrates life and the necessity for communal gathering in order to dance.
Beltran’s own additions to this LP are like the essential glue that makes it all bind together, forging the old and the new into something equally exciting as already intimately familar.

Four years in the making, Duct Tape Project is the new brainchild of Tripmastaz in the realms of Trip-Hop and Downtempo. And it's a project that makes perfect sense to anyone familiar with Andrei's background (making Hip-Hop beats since his teenage years), musical capabilities and decades-long experience. Duct Tape Project joins Andrei with a troupe of stellar musicians not only from many different corners of the world but also from acutely distinct genres - Guti, Argenis Brito, Mad Dim, Denis Kaznacheev, Krussia, Damien Vandesande of DOP, Sarkis Ricci, Andrey Orenstein, and vocals by Inga.

Featuring all sorts of live instruments, drum machines, synthesizers and modular systems, Duct Tape Project brings forward a complex work brimming with musicality. Using Hip-Hop, not only its rhythmic structures but also its sampling techniques, as a foundation, Tripmastaz created a vibrant and fascinating ecosystem with enough sonic texture to leave one captivated, enraptured and lost at the edge of words. There are 13 musical compositions in total that explore all things Hip-Hop, Downtempo, Trip-Hop, Chill Pop and Lounge, forming a cohesive and deeply soulful album.

The debut full length album from Gloved Hands, entitled Empty Terminal, finds the musician straying from the dance floor in search of something amorphous and less tangible. Ambient in nature, the eight tracks that comprise the LP have a deep focus on texture, space, and human feelings rather than a need for constant propulsion and momentum.

The A-side, the more rhythmic and percussive of the two, is awash with vague echos and smudged, slow-moving chords. Subaqueous drums shift in and out of focus. Sound sources are at once distant and intimately close. The curtains part to reveal a glimpse of a crystalline melody or a fraction of a vocal phrase only for the room to fill with fragrant smoke and go dark. It is a place beyond the dance floor. Perhaps it's a place without any floor at all.

The B-side is even more fragile and diaphanous. The foreground and background are obscured, leaving a hazy mesh of delicate, interwoven forms and rhythms; glistening and brushing against one another in the warm, dimly-lit space in between. With a swirling mix of cavernous bass and sweet-but-never-saccharine melody, the details are stretched and abstracted into something new yet familiar. The compositions ripple in midair, appearing and vanishing, close but just out of reach.



b A2 The Hungry Army Arrived As the Beans Ripened Master

Dave Lee teamed up with Omar. A gifted, prolific artist, Omar learned his craft classically, playing the trumpet, piano, bass guitar and percussion. A former principal percussionist of the Kent Youth Orchestra and later a graduate of the Guildhall School Of Music, Omar was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to music.

'Starlight' is a gorgeous, mid-tempo dance record, with Omar’s silky vocals backed up with rich production: soaring live strings, groove-laden clav and a warm bassline creating a heady, inviting atmosphere. Almost viscerally life-affirming and unashamedly positive. This is an exclusive 7” version.

On the B side, Destiny II featuring Aria Lyric - I'm Here For This. An uptempo boogie synth filled track in the spirit of Leroy Burgess’s 80’s offerings. Written by Dave Lee, Audrey Martells & broken beat don Kaidi Tatham. An exclusive new track not part of the album Produced with Love II.

Ever get the feeling you’re being manipulated? Ever get the feeling you’re manipulating things? Somewhere between these two questions exists this seismic slab of dark post-disco drama from Leipzig duo New Hook: ‘Manipulation’.

The original version of ‘Manipulation’ has recently been released on Underground Pacific album ‘The Only Good Wave Is A New One’. But there’s more to story… Now redeveloped and reworked, ‘Manipulation’ has been manipulated into this epic club missile on Riotvan. Electrified and strident in its swagger, this new version maintains the duo’s sultry, provocative vocal but carries much more dancefloor weight. Every bit as sharp and to the point as the name New Hook suggests, it’s also been blessed with an equally forthright twist from dark disco don Curses who brings a little added funk to the bassline, manipulating the already manipulated ‘Manipulation’ with his own unique flare.

Now it’s time for your turn to manipulate it in the mix…

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The debut album from Samuel Coates, AKA Setaoc Mass, crystallises the expansive, left-field vision that's been brewing in his techno-focused discography. Now, downtempo, drum & bass and electro-influenced soundscapes come through strong, as the Manchester-born, Berlin-residing artist combines a decade of dance floor experience and a lifetime of wide-ranging music tastes. The album's 14 tracks transcend the dance with rhythmic and tonal adventure. The urgency of Coates' techno records remains, though now suspended in an unbound space that switches between unpredictable body music and eyes closed moments of escape. Timeless melodies recall the golden era of UK electronica, while ultra-modern production drives the record's microscopic details home. A lovingly crafted collection of the tracks that have been kept for when the time is right. It's the sound of Samuel Coates, then Setaoc Mass - vulnerable but visceral music that demands your full attention.

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Tacit Group is an audio-visual group founded in 2008 with a vision of creating new art for the 21st century. Based in Seoul but working globally, the group comprises composer Jaeho Chang and electronic musician Gazaebal(Lee Jinwon).

With audio-visual art as its core content, Tacit Group has expanded in a contemporary and experimental way in multimedia performances, interactive installations, and music installations. Representative works such as ‘Hun-Min-Jeong-Ak,’ ‘Game Over,’ ‘Morse ㅋung ㅋung,’ combine a systematic worldview weaved through intuitive materials and technology inspired by normal everyday activities such as games and text chatting. In particular, works that utilize the beauty and communica- tion power of characters are among their most striking.

“It’s like wind chimes,” says Tacit Group’s Jeaho Chang. “The creator makes the pipes, but the wind makes the music.” He’s talking about the algorithmic music that Tacit Group creates. Jaeho and Gazaebal create audio/visual systems using code that the pair work within to unleash their utterly compelling AV performances, each show, each track, as unique as a snowflake. The pair met at Korea National University of Arts in 2006. Jaeho Chang was a media installation artist and composer who’d studied classical composition in Korea and electronic music at Den Haag’s Conservatoire. Gazaebal, who’d moved to the US as a teen, had worked at the renowned Quad group studios as a sound engineer, recording acts including Rage Against The Machine, Wu Tang and Janet Jackson. Returning to Korea, he had found success as a K-Pop producer, (founding the act Banana Girl, and writing their No.1 Korean hit ‘Shake Your Ass’) and DJing under the moniker Gazaebal, before deciding to go ‘back to school’ to learn to create more challenging music.
The quiet and reserved Jae and the more outgoing Gazaebal bonded over a shared vision, forming Tacit Group in 2008. And until recently, everything they have done has been through the medium of their globally acclaimed live shows, playing all over the world from Lincoln Center in NY, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, MMCA (National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art) and Nam June Paik Art Center in Korea, Aarhus Festival in Denmark, Stereolux in France and NYU Abu Dhabi.

Each show an utterly unique and compelling event, a synthesis of music and visual art that has echoes of the concept of synesthesia: “we love the idea that the audience can ‘see’ the music.” says Gazaebal, “the way that you can hear a painting like Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’.” The frameworks and systems are created in advance using code such as C++ and max/M- SP(sometimes combined with analog and modular synthesizers), often growing out a of a simple idea (one of their first composi- tions, ‘Game Over’ explored the idea of a Tetris gameplay as a musical score) while on stage the pair react to the audience, creating new inputs and variables that can lead the performance in ways that are unexpected and even self sustaining - some of their installations could in theory continue to evolve and run on into infinity.

For Tacit Group, the process is as important as the outcome, and every bit as fascinating for the audience, who’ve been known to react like the crowd at a rock band gig to tracks / installations like ‘Hun-Min-Jeong-Ak’ which sees abstract geometric shapes based on the Korean alphabet evolve (through the process of live text interchanges between the pair) to become almost an immersive call and response.With that in mind, the duo have long been reluctant to commit to the idea of releasing via a ‘fixed medium’ it was actually the release of an acclaimed (and beautifully designed) book Tacit.print0_Anthology that convinced them to share their work more widely through an album.

James Asher is known for his individual and and distinctive approach to creating tribal drum music. He has had multiple library album releases for Bruton Music, Dewolfe, Abaco, Southern, Girasound and this year KPM/EMI with the album Global Village Percussion. He combines a confident grasp of fusion and worldbeat with a crystal clear audio production style. For the first time since Asher`s best selling releases « Feet In the Soil » and « Shaman Drums », Sleepers Records are delighted to be the first purveyors of his work in vinyl form, with six dazzling tracks which are earthy, grounded and compelling.

Mastered by Gwyn Mathias @ GBdb

Emerging from the shadows, Hesperius Draco returns to Frigio with a solo release for the first time since his 2016 album Actus Tragicus.

Directive V conjures up the magic of giallo horror, silver screen slashers and smoky synthlines, while exploring something altogether new. Tempered percussion and low bass-lines introduce the 12” with “Lexploitation”. Cinematic influences percolate in the steady percussion and lonesome elation of “Memories of Sex Desire.” The mood changes on the flip with “Leaders In Space.” Guitar strings and breathy samples blend to create a leering late lounge track spiked with acid notes and vocoder bitterness. The finale brings something totally different. The gurgling acid line is amplified as Hesperius Draco unveils “Cyber Bondage.” Floor centric and machine steeped, stabbing synth-lines, rusted rhythms and an inchoate energy course through this finale to display yet another side of Alessandro Parisi’s sound.

Who is Magou? All we know is that, 2 years ago, Toy Tonics released a 12” EP that created a little buzz on this artist without a face and social media.
The only clue is that Magou is allegedly a mysterious side-project by an otherwise well-known Italian music maker, producer and dj.
Who cares about fame? This one is all about the music, so Toy Tonics is now back with a sassy 2LP release of Magou's full album.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever return in 2022 with Endless Rooms, the Melbourne quintet's third album proper. Described by the band - comprised of Fran Keaney, Joe White, Marcel Tussie and brothers Tom Russo and Joe Russo - as them "Doing what we do best: chasing down songs in a room together", Endless Rooms stands as a testament to the collaborative spirit and live power of RBCF. While initial ideas were traded online during long spells spent separated by lockdowns, the album was truly born during small windows of freedom in which the band would decamp to a mud-brick house in the bush around 2hrs north of Melbourne built by the extended Russo family in the 1970s. There, its 12 tracks took shape, informed to such an extent by the acoustics and ambience of the rambling lakeside house that they decided to record the album there. The house also features on the album cover. For the first time, the band self-produced the record (alongside engineer, collaborator and old friend, Matt Duffy), creating their most naturalistic and expansive document yet. The result is a collection of songs permeated by the spirit of the place; punctuated by field recordings of rain, fire, birds, and wind. "It's almost an anti-concept album," say the band. "The 'endless rooms' of the title reflects our love of creating worlds in our songs. We treat each of them as a bare room to be built up with infinite possibilities."

Having crested the west coast modular-ambient wave in just a few releases - including 2018's Sharing Waves on the influential LA experimental imprint Leaving Records - Sean Hellfritsch has swapped the mossy analog synth improvisations of his prior output for refined melodic arrangements dressed in sprightly dawn-of-digital textures. Big Earth Energy plumbs the depths of Hellfritsch's multimedia mind and naturalist heart, spinning an impressionistic narrative world off of cultural touchstones like the PC game MYST, and the work of Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi. Inspired by the aforementioned, and guided by Hellfritsch's experience as an animator and filmmaker, Big Earth Energy is the soundtrack to a hypothetical video game with a pointedly ecological premise, and a twist of psychedelic charm. In Hellfritsch's imagined virtual journey, the player assumes the perspective of a treefrog sixty-five-million years ago, hopping epochs with each new level, forming a comprehensive picture of the massive changes the planet has gone through over the eons. The ultimate goal of the game is not to amass resources, defeat enemies, or gain power, but to fully witness the unfolding of one of the biggest systems of energy imaginable - or as the album's creator puts it - "to explore the incomprehensibly vast energetic expression and mystery that is Earth." Big Earth Energy is steeped in exploratory RPG intrigue, possibility, and contemplation, lovingly overlaid with Miyazaki-an sentiments and aesthetics. The through-composed, organic, meandering synthesis heard on previous Cool Maritime albums has been fully replaced by meticulous polygonal arrangements that recall the computerized sheen of late 80s work by composers like Hiroshi Yoshimura, and Yoichiro Yoshikawa - using true-to-period gear no less. Even given its referentiality, Big Earth Energy comes off as forward-facing where so much reminiscent music remains fixed to a bygone moment in pop culture. Hellfritsch has created a musical world where the endless verdancy of the biosphere finds its parallel in the golden age of early 1990s video games, and late 80s Japanese environmental music, all while pointing to a hopeful planetary and artistic future that vindicates the motives of all of these muses.

Julian Jeweil returns to Drumcode for his first EP in two years with the inspired six-tracker ‘Boreal’ split across two records.

The Frenchman has been a vital member of the extended Drumcode family since 2017 when he debuted with the fantastic ‘Rolling’ EP. Since then, highlights have included playing main stage at Drumcode Festival and dropping the critically acclaimed ‘Transmissions’ album in 2019.

Part II opens with ‘Cosmos’, a peak-time belter that sees Jeweil do what he does best; deliver functional, powerful techno with a trippy extra-terrestrial edge.

One the B side, ‘System’ is a jacking slice of heat, led by shuffling beats and a persistent vox designed primed for sweaty dancefloor moments. Part II rounds out with ‘Minuit’, a polished driving cut with a sleek melodic core that reinforces the Frenchman’s breadth in the studio.

Savage is the original ‘80s Italodisco pop star, worldwide famous singer and platinium record producer of Europop and house artists such as Zucchero, Alexia, Double You and Ice Mc. Composer and writer of various multimillion worldwide hits. His real name is Roberto Zanetti. Throughout his career he has used two different professional names, "Robyx" as a producer, and "Savage" as an artist.In 1983 he produced a dance single entitled "Don’t cry tonight", chose the stage name “Savage” and started his career as solo artist. The song was a huge hit in Italy for first and all Europe later and was invited to take part in many TV shows such as "Mister fantasy", "Discoring", "Pronto Raffaella", "Azzurro" and "Festivalbar".

Thanks to the catchy melody and timbre of his voice, Savage quickly
became one of the most appreciated singers in Europe, one of the creators of the “Italodisco” movement. From 1983-85 Savage was continuously on tour, performing about 300 shows throughout Europe, in Spain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, Yugoslavia, Sweden and, of course, Italy. In the meantime other singles, "Only you", "Radio" and "A love again", were released and included in his first album “Tonight". In Eastern Europe Savage is still one of the most popular contemporary artists. After more than 30 years, DWA is proud to announce the re-print of this album on vinyl, a special gift to all collectors of Italodisco’s hits.

Hospital Records proudly present the debut solo album from drum & bass icon Grafix. ‘Half Life’ is an introspective glimpse into the influences and sonic development of the Bristol-based producer, who over the years has established himself as a pinnacle of the dance music world. Grafix’s first ever studio longplayer as a solo artist consists of 14 hotly-anticipated pulse pounding anthems, featuring killer collaborations from the likes of Metrik, Lauren L’aimant, Reiki Ruawai and Chrissie Huntley in his hit singles ‘Somewhere’, ‘Feel Alive’ and ‘Skyline’.

High-octane dancefloor energiser ‘Skyline’ sees drum & bass titans Grafix and Metrik collide for a third time on this futuristic drum & bass cut infused with pure uplifting soundscapes. Enter a world of powerhouse synthesis, relentless basslines and Metrik’s very own vocal performance. This is just the follow up you needed from the mammoth success with the duo’s previous collaborations ‘Overdrive’ and ‘Parallel’.

Grafix draws upon his love for rave culture on the acid heavy ‘Blast Out’ - a no-holds-barred drum & bass system shocker. Skittery vocal chops, shredding bass hits and minimal-funk drums show the side of Grafix well known for tearing up the dance - never afraid to drop a wild card.

From the hypnotic and distorted energies on the likes of ‘CTRL’ and album title track ‘Half Life’, to the forward-facing vibes on LP numbers such as ‘Accelerate’ and ‘The Chance’, the versatile flavours supplied by Grafix throughout are a testament to his years of experience in the studio.

Other album highlights include two tracks with the immensely talented Lauren L’aimant who boasts previous releases on staple dance imprints including Anjunadeep, Colorize and Protocol Recordings. ‘Watch The Sky’ is an anthemic stepper home to Lauren’s spine-tingling vocals and Grafix’s catchy synth hooks. ‘Feel Alive’ captures the pair’s undeniable ability to strike up a euphorically cutting-edge dance music banger.

The ‘Half Life’ LP also features the previously released tracks ‘Radiance’ as well as radio hit ‘Somewhere’ featuring New Zealand’s very own Reiki Ruawai. Both tracks of which are no stranger to worldwide drum & bass listeners.

Grafix’s debut album marks a signature milestone within his musical journey as a solo artist and his achievements so far only scratch the surface. The first single ‘Somewhere (feat. Reiki Ruawai)’ to drop from his album racked up global airwave support with an impressive number of plays from radio tastemakers including Danny Howard, René LaVice, Mollie Collins, the George FM crew in New Zealand and of course, Fred V. With regular support from big hitters including Sub Focus, Wilkinson, Friction, Camo & Krooked and more, Grafix’s music continues to talk for itself when racking up countless DJ spins as well as consistent landings across pinnacle industry platforms such as UKF. Keep an eye out for Grafix at Snowbombing, Hospitality On The Beach Albania and more throughout 2022!

"We Are Power", Galaxian's first album in over a decade, cuts a new path. On this Foul-Up and Shipwrec joint release, Kastner presents a rumination on the confrontation and power clash between humankind, nature, the spiritual and mechanistic industrial growth societies. What is authentic power? What is granted power? What is innate natural power? How is power accessed, wielded, utilised, felt? On this album the blistering beats and razor-edged rhythms that characterise the Glaswegian's productions have been softened, the menace melted, the angst soothed (well almost.) Across eleven tracks, distinct audio vistas are surveyed. The human form takes centre stage from the opening monologue of "Out of Balance" with the entire record searching for balance between humankind, nature, orthodox culture & the machine. At times the machine wins. "We Are Power" is a corruption of voice, samples chopped, sliced and fed into controllers and sequencers to produce a dense decibel wall. That wall grows ever higher in the terrifying drone of "Anatomy of a Modern Lie." At other points, a perfect symmetry between artist and tool is found. The racing interchanges and pulses of "Universal Truths" give rise to dawning reprises and warmth. For those after an electro fix, Galaxian abides. The speed snares of "Messianic Delusions" or dripping drums of "Fields of Meaning" are soaked in the history of machine music, yet they are grander in their delivery and more nuanced in their composition. Fresh territories are explored, the playful solar dreams of "Without Form" or the cinematic grandeur of "In Reverse". This album is unmistakable Galaxian, it marks a high-point and brings with it a culmination of intense expression.

"In Waves is a new sister label of Lee Burridge's All Day I Dream. Its third release comes from Zone+ and is a superb 13 track collection that sinks you deep into the artist's rich house sounds.

A Balloon In The Wind (Ambient) opens top with dreamy pads and spring day sounds, then supple grooves arrive like Hello to take you away into a hypnotic world. Shinobi has bumpier drums and elastic bass, Bohemian brings worldly percussive sounds and Mandalorian layers up smooth drums with soft pads and angelic vocals.

This most heady and cuddly of albums plays out through the clipped house and subtly funky kicks of What's Going On, the bubbly sounds and Middle Eastern vocals of The Musician and widescreen melancholic chords of Luna. Electric Dreams is a fine collab with Usif and the album closes on the tightly woven late night deep house of Uncommon.

This is a masterful album of smartly layered grooves, emotional pads and escapist vibes."

Joseph Capriati is to release a selection of remixes of his epic 2020 album Metamorfosi. They arrive on limited edition triple vinyl on April 29th 2022 on his Redimension Music label, and feature the likes of DJ Stingray, Frank Wiedemann & Toto Chiavetta, Steve Rachmad, Dave Clarke, Carl Cox, Francois K, Masters at Work and more.

Meetsysteem's 2020 album Cr:GO remixed. Rotterdam techno veteran Speedy J transformed 'Noch de Sterren van de Hemel'; a masterclass of synth wizardry, noise and fluctuating patterns, creating a fictional universe on its own that could be both heaven and hell. Mary Lake is back on Nous'klaer with a powerful, driving four to floor remix of 'Fkg Hoofd'. Konduku takes a deep dive with 'Sidda' and turned it into a 90 BPM dub version. To finish it off, Speedy J and Meetsysteem made collaborative remix, perfect for after hour ambient floors

Son of Chi returns to Astral Industries, alongside Spanish artist Clara Brea, for the collaborative release of AI-29. A product of fate, chance experiments, but most of all, sensitive artistry - ’The Wetland Remixes’ exists as a confluence of two kindred musical spirits, a wayfaring epic that draws together a rich archive of ecological field recordings, live instrumentation and higher inspirations.

Ahead of Hanyo’s concert at Calma (Madrid) at the end of 2019, the curators organised a special dinner and arranged the meeting of Clara and Hanyo. As Hanyo recalls,“It was like stereochemistry. There was an instant match and understanding, and basically we decided in a split second to exchange recordings and to collaborate on future live and studio experiments.”

The auspicious meeting of the two ignited a remote exchange of materials and ideas, as the world descended into a series of pandemic-related lockdowns. The first of said recordings included the stems of Clara’s ‘Wetland Project’ - a site-specific audiovisual project originally produced for Eufonic Festival (Spain), using field recordings from the Ebro Delta nature reserve (one of the most threatened regions of climate change on the Iberian peninsula).

From this initial impetus, Hanyo began working on the first sketches of the album back in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Just like their meeting in Madrid, the project developed naturally and spontaneously with extraordinary ease. Later, Hanyo started adding field recordings from the Magic Cave and Wetlands of the ‘Kallikatsou’ (Patmos, Greece) as well as organic and acoustic overdubs, featuring bass, drums, percussion, guitars, oud, piano, hammond organ, wurlitzer, flutes, bells, and mouth harp.

In the distance, the sound of birds peak through the effervescent wash of the wetland soundscapes. The pass of running water flows deeper into a land full of secrets never told. On the strike of dusk, the silhouettes of shapely trunks and foliage melt slowly into the impenetrable darkness. As darkness passes, light emerges, with exquisite moments of tranquility that seemingly emerge from nothingness.

Beneath the shimmering veneer of textures, wildlife and melodies, one may hear the deeper references of ’The Wetland Remixes’. With credit to Clara’s input, for Hanyo the album process became a kind of refuge, and ultimately inspired the return to the core of Abstract Sound - what the Sufis call“Saut-i Sarmad.”Such references allude to the spiritual quality embedded in the music - the autonomous process of self-expression, the great mystery. Hanyo: “An ambience like this cannot be created by routine. There is no blueprint. The music has to find you. It’s like a blessing if it happens. You should not interfere, just observe and be impressed...”

Deep, luscious mind trips as per the classic Chi sound, ‘The Wetland Remixes’ beautifully correlates the interconnecting dots of geography, ecology, and mythology’s forgotten lore.

Three years after he released the incredible New Experience EP (picking up plaudits from Bill Brewster, Tim Sweeney, Laurent Garnier, Horse Meat Disco, Leo Mas & 6Music’s Tom Ravenscroft, among many more), Tokyo’s Kota Motomura returns to Hobbes Music for his debut LP, Pay It Forward. This is the first vinyl release on Hobbes Music since the much-loved ‘Aranath’ EP by Leonidas & Hobbes last Spring. While the label maintains the level of quality control for which it has become recognised, the artist continues to subvert electronic and dance music norms in his iconoclastic way on this extraordinary record.

He’s a mysterious character with an ear for idiosyncratic music that runs the gamut from ambient, exotica and jazz to disco, house and techno via post punk, new wave and funk. It’s highly original and all adds up to a confection perhaps best described as ‘Balearic’.

Album opener Paradise is a certified jazz-funk JAM. Destined for dance floors worldwide, this one’s been dropping well with DJs, Motomura demonstrating his piano chops alongside Mutsumi Takeuchi’s sax. Tropical pushes the boat in a more rhythmic direction, some pretty wild drum programming laced with more sounds of the, um, tropics, before mad vocal yelps suggest something yet more tribal. To Be Free initially resembles early 90s progressive house (pulsing bassline, synth-driven melodies), before the arrival of some new wave guitar licks a la classic Talking Heads/David Byrne and ooh ooh vocal chants take it to another dimension altogether.

B-side opener Emotion features Takeuchi again (on flute this time) and more vocal chants before things take a dramatic turn, threatening to open up into a full fanfare before calming and then bursting into wild life again with the exhortation that “C’mon, everybody dancing!” Rhythm flirts with an energy and pace more akin to a techno record: drums, drums, more drums plus a fair few yelps and chants - the kind of DJ tool that will send a simmering dance floor wild in the right hands. Flower closes things in a more melancholy style, familiar to fans of ‘Aboy’ from the New Experience EP, with plaintive acoustic guitar (performed by Akichi), birdsong and big piano chords.

Support from Bill Brewster, Leo Mas, Al Kent, Red Rack’em, Nick The Record, Phil Mison, Phat Phil Cooper, KZA, Sean Johnston (ALFOS), S/A/M, Dribbler, Joe Muggs, Monolith Cocktail and more…

‘Gonna review in MÜ mag... very fine stuff!’ JOE MUGGS
‘Will be reviewed on the blog’ MONOLITH COCKTAIL 
BILL BREWSTER played Flower on the DJ History podcast #641 (25.3.22)
'I really like this album, Flower and Paradise are my favourite' LEO MAS
‘I like Paradise’ AL KENT
‘Woo this is tasty. DEFO playing on my next radio show. The label’s A&R is defo getting better and better. HM has been putting out some dope stuff and this one seems really good quality’ RED RACK’EM
‘Paradise and Flower sounding good’ NICK THE RECORD
‘Tunes sound great!’ PHIL MISON
‘Going to include Paradise and Flower on my Sunday Ibiza global radio show PHAT PHIL COOPER (Nu Northern Soul)
‘Very nice album with influences from many different genres. I especially like To Be Free with nice synths and guitar cutting, and Flower, which is a chill vibe’ KZA (Mule Musiq, Endless Flight)　
'100% correct about the ALFOS potential of To Be Free!' SEAN JOHNSTON (A Love From Outer Space)
'Stunning, will fit perfectly with the vibe of my radio show’ S/A/M (Music For Dreams, DK; Playa Del Sol, Ibiza)
'Stellar work, i'll make a bet that Flowers is a Balaeric classic this summer' DRIBBLER (Breakfast Club, Ibiza)
‘It's cool in a nice smelling psycho sense, it was a very DEEP sound that I couldn't produce. Congrats!’ ALTZ (Altzmusica)
‘Paradise is my jam, it's deep, sunny and never boring. I'm interested to see how this will work on the dance floor. Overall a great album with solid composition and impressive use of live instruments!’ SOBRIETY (fka Chloé Juliette)
'Very tidy selection' ASTROJAZZ (Kelburn Garden Party, Wee Dub, Samedia Shebeen, Disco Makossa)
‘This is a lovely release. Follows on from New Experience in the best way possible. It's got lots of vibes going on but holds together as a cohesive piece of work. Love it’ JAMIE THOMSON (La Cheetah, Glasgow)
‘To Be Free is a track i could imagine Andy Weatherall playing in one of his sets at A Love From Outer Space’ KIRSTIE PATON aka She-Bang Rave Unit (Threads Radio, Radio Magnetic)

Black Vinyl

Time has come for Futurepast to release a long format album: Alarm Phase Red - catalogue number FPLP01 - will be the first full-length work from Futurepast founder Davy Vandegaer, appearing here under a new name: Brainwashed Today.

Rooted in a conceptual approach of electronic music, this double LP ranges from industrial ambient to experimental techno. Like an antidote to a twisted reality of controlled screens and mental isolation, Alarm Phase Red uses the raw language of electricity
to reach the core of the machine and sabotage it, reverse its effects by mirroring them. Fighting fire with fire, deflecting the pressure and strain of a world driven by fear and anger, the music of Brainwashed Today acts like a cathartic escape from technological enslavement.

With the purchase of the vinyl comes a batch of three digital bonus tracks pursuing further the sound research of the album.

Repress !

Skee Mask's Endless Search And Fascination For Fresh Music, Weed And Burgers Channeled Into His Own Vision Of Sound.
Enjoy The Ride Through His Second Album, A Detailed Experimental Universe Of A Young Dedicated Hustler.

Sampled by Dr.Dre and Jay-Z, cult combo CALIBRO 35 release the new studio album "DECADE" and celebrate 10 years.

Italian super cult combo CALIBRO 35 release their 6th much awaited studio album "DECADE" on February the 9th 2018. "DECADE" marks 10 years of Calibro 35's releases and it's the very first album recorded by Calibro with an orchestral-inspired enlarged line-up that features horns, strings and percussions. Mixed and recorded by CALIBRO's usual suspect and Grammy Award winner Tommaso Colliva, on the album all the influences collected by the band during their last ten years' journey like music, collaborations, movies, gigs, books find their space. "DECADE" is CALIBRO 35's "time capsule" and is as rare and complex as a timeless work.

Musically CALIBRO 35's inner influences like Ennio Morricone, listen for instance to the epic journey of the album's end credits "Travelers", Luis Bacalov and David Axelrod are still there but are now mixed with elements from afrobeat or cosmic jazz. "Psycheground" sounds like Tony Allen involved in writing a score for a vintage Hollywood production while Sun Ra lurks on "Modo". Everything is mixed up with new influences from modern musical languages. References to Jaga Jazzist, Budos Band or Alternative Jazz and Alternative Hip Hop new acts such as Makaya McCraven, Yussef Kamaal, Oddisee can all be found on the album. In tracks such as "Modulor "you realize that Decade is certainly not a point of arrival and expresses the ambition of the band to look further and evolve. All classic Calibro's vintage instruments such as clavinet, eco, analog synths, fuzz guitars are now supported by new ones such as Dan Bau, Balafon and Waterphone ("Polymeri") in the band's new wall of sound. Thanks to the enlarged line-up and the orchestrated parts involved, which pushed the band to experiment new methods of composition, Calibro 35 on "DECADE" sound strong, full and tight as never before.

Active since 2008 CALIBRO 35 enjoys a worldwide reputation as one of the coolest independent band around. During their ten years career, they have been sampled by Dr. Dre on his Compton album, Jay-Z Love Child & Damon Albarn, they shared stages worldwide with the likes of Roy Ayers, Muse, Sun Ra Arkestra, Sharon Jones, Thundercat, Headhunters and as unique musicians they've collaborated with, amongst others PJ Harvey, Mike Patton, John Parish and Stewart Copeland and Nic Cester (The Jet). Described by Rolling Stone magazine's as "the most fascinating, retro-maniac and genuine thing, that happened to Italy in the last years", Calibro 35 now count on a number of aficionados worldwide which includes VIP's fans such as Dj Food (Ninja Tune), Mr Scruff and Huey Morgan (Fun Lovin' Criminals) among others.

After the Ron Trent/Other Lands smashing combo, Yellow Jackets offers its third outing. This time contributions come from Detroit’s own Patrice Scott and Mother Tongue’s young members EDB & Gary Superfly.

Patrice Scott does what he’s known for: emotional tech funk, rich in melodies and deep in textures! ‘Mood Swing’ does exactly what the title says, keeping you dancing while mind travelling….Butter!!!

On the flipside EDB & Gary Superfly, who recently broke some necks with their jam ‘Pressure’ from the Madre Lingua album, deliver straight from “The Fifth Floor” a twisted bubbly acid number with swing a plenty and melodic overtones…a match made in heaven!

Once again full impact loud pressing 12 inch as in Yellow Jackets tradition!

Debut album from Alex Ho out of Los Angeles.

In his foundational essay on Los Angeles, L.A. Glows, the essayist Lawrence Weschler speaks on the city's uncanny, immediately recognizable light; "The late-afternoon light of Los Angeles—golden pink off the bay through the smog and onto the palm fronds." Weschler traces the city's mysterious refracted light from the iconic paintings of David Hockney through the city's frequent portrayal on film and TV, noting its ability to put residents into a state of "egoless bliss."

Similarly, Alex Ho's new album for Music From Memory, 'Move Through It', radiates with the unmistakable LA glow. While the Pasadena native's studio work is just now coming to light, Ho has long been a fixture in the Los Angeles dance music scene, throwing what are perhaps the city's most musically expansive warehouse events and carving out a singular voice as a DJ, as heard on his brilliant Moony Habits show for NTS. The eight-track record, however, lands in a more contemplative zone, better suited for a golden hour drive than a night out.

Though it's his first record, 'Move Through It' is the accomplished work of a fully-formed artist, produced patiently between 2017 and 2020 with help from friends including Baba Stiltz, Phil Cho, Damon Palermo and John Jones. "Mark," the Koanic track conclusion side A, is an arpeggiated slow burn reminiscent of Pino Donaggio's brilliant score for Brian De Palma's 1984 film Body Double. Ho's stunning, pure falsetto soars above gentle melodies. "Miss Suzuki," the piece that originally caught the ear of MFM's Jamie Tiller and Tako, opens the record with a blue, cinematic sway. Ho's facility for poignant melodies—easily conveyed through saxophone, vibes, various keyboards and his own voice—shines on "College Crest Drive," as well as the title track. The lyrical "Move Through It" and the restrained and beautiful closing cut, "TYFC," are abetted by glimmering Kraut guitar figures courtesy of John Jones.

While Ho's rhythms and melodies paint a crystal-clear musical vision, the music's emotional centre is more elusive, indicative of a yearning feeling synonymous with the City Of Angels. Hitting these hazy and subtle notes, Move Through It falls within a canon of sun-addled records spanning from Herb Alpert's "Rotation" to Dam-Funk's Private Life trilogy as Garrett. An immersive and concise statement, Alex Ho's 'Move Through It' is as warm and uncanny as the city that inspired it, a definitive LA album.

Suns of Arqa is a sonic mission created by luminary Michael Wadada, who began in 1979 after receiving higher guidance in Jamaica while working with roots reggae chanter Prince Far-I. It is a prolific traveling music collective that has seen over 200 collaborators, meant to connect people from all cultures and walks of life through a “deeply spiritual vibration that merges cultures, faiths and musical genres”. Wadada combines ancient Hindustani raga systems with Piobaireachd and Nyabinghi roots drumming, creating ritualistic world music infused with dub and reggae.

The lyrics combine both mystical and sensory elements, often including prayer and referencing a higher power but finding root in experiences common to all people- memory, sight, and physical sensation.

Their first album, Revenge of the Mozabites, was a collaboration between Wadada and On-U Sound creator Adrian Sherwood. Following its 1980 release,Peter Gabriel invited them to perform at the first WOMAD festival. Today, the record is regarded by some as a cult classic. Over the years they have played at many major music festivals including Glastonbury, Big Chill, Telerama Dub Festival, and Transmusicales, and released over 40 albums on Virgin, EMI, Interchill Records, Antler Subway, Red Rhino, and their own label, Arka Sound.

Suns of Arqa has had a seminal influence on the World Beat sound, and continued to make appearances at seasonal festivals and sacred ritual spaces all over the world until 2021. Michael Wadada passed away in the midst of planning their U.S. tour for this release. The record is a compilation of some of Wadada’s and Sleepers Record’s favorite old Sun of Arqa tracks, mixed by Youth and Adrian Sherwood, and mastered by Eroc (drummer of Grobshnitt).

Notable collaborating artists include: Guy Called Gerald, UK producers Youth and John Leckie, Greg Hunter, 808 State's Graham Massey, Finley Quaye, Sounds From the Ground, Bryn Jones aka MuslimGauze, Adrian Sherwood, John Cooper-Clarke, The late great Professor Stanley Unwin, Eric Random, New age guru Tim Wheater, Astralasia, Prince Far-I, The Orb's Alex Patterson, Zion Train, and Gaudi.

"And although the Great Spiritual being Michael Wadada has returned to source and his body to earth at our time, his music is alive and will continue to be a great force for higher spiritual realms and raising vibration through occult frequencies...Suns of Arqa will continue to raise the vibration of the hearts and minds of humanity" – Angela aka Angel-Eye (Wadada's wife and bandmate)

Returning to his Rumors imprint Guy Gerber delivers his latest missive, ‘Pyramid of the Moon’. Offering up a four -track EP, the enigmatic DJ/producer drops four delicately crafted house tracks featuring Gerber’s own guitar playing and Albertina on vocals.

The title track ‘Pyramid Of The Moon’ sees Gerber play with chugging low end, twinkling keys and warping guitar licks, crafting a hypnotic atmosphere throughout the track’s duration. On the flip, ‘The Untold Glory of Mister Nobody’ pairs upfront drums with further guitar chords and airy synths, fusing to create an emotionally climactic slice of Balearic bliss.

On the flip Guy team’s up with singer/songwriter Albertina for the enchanting title track, the duo combines guitar licks, shuffling percussion, and subtle synth lines with Albertina’s sublime vocal performance. On the flip, ‘Polaris’v sees Gerber take the wheels solo, drawing upon his years of expertise to craft a deep and moving piece complete with twinkling arps, deep low-end, and piano work.

Repress
Rising Dutch talent Deniro (aka Reynier Hooft van Huijsduijnen) returns to with a
double EP of original works. The Tape Records member previously appeared on the label as part of the concept albums.

'Mendoza' is an 8-track quest into the spheres of polarity and tension. Anxious distortions jitter in controlled spaces, angular melodies disfigure warm tones and frenetic cross rhythms flutter through minimalist forms. Contrasting messages are weaved together with precision to facilitate a dialogue where dancefloor function and cerebral stimulation interact.

Deniro navigates his way round vintage gear with a meticulous accuracy, held together by an intuitive ear for timbre, an ingrained passion for Detroit soul, and a firm understanding of sonic balance.

"Deniro is able to transmit emotion in his music like no other. His soft spoken live cuts are sparse and trippy and you can always feel that it's Reynier behind them' - Nina Kraviz

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the label, Play records are releasing two classic formerly digital only 2006 albums, on wax for the first time from stella electronic artist, Deadmau5.

2 x Blue vinyl limited edition