quête:back in black

Madeira-born Robert S makes his Konstruktiv debut after appearances on Sleaze, Arts, Planet Rhythm and his own Robert Limited imprint.

Moderna is straight shooting techno, hard-hitting with hints of rolling funk and a bleak contrast to the sun-drenched Portuguese setting that saw its inception.

The synth stabs of EP opener Moderna steadily rise and open up, driving the track forward while low-slung drums keep the beat in check. Label-boss Rekord 61 drops in on A2 with his remix of the title-track. The original stabs take an aerial backseat and a compact beat powers through vapor and wear.

Trilha Acida sets things straight from the first second on the flip. A threatening acid line pummels the listener with mechanical consistency while a startling chord rehearses a monosyllabic monologue. Black Jocker, the fourth and final cut closes on a dystopian note, with austere drums and a dark souvenir triggering arpeggiator.

The Filthy Six are back with a cover of Michael Jackson's 1983 mega hit 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'. Available from January 22nd on 7' vinyl (& digital download).

Already something a floor filler for a handful of DJs lucky enough to have a copy. It is expected to become the funk floor-filler over Christmas and the New Year, as well as a regular feature on Craig Charles Funk 'n' Soul Show.
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' is the bands' first single from their third album for Acid Jazz, More Filth' which will be released in February next year.

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' comes accompanied with jazz-soul instrumental, 'Iguana Strut', which also features on the album.

Limited to 500 units, pressed on black vinyl and delivered in an Acid Jazz house bag.


(feat Brendan Reilly - radio edit)

Kaiserdisco are certainly no strangers to Drumcode with this being their 4th single release. With popular productions such a La Patogonia EP, Victoria Harbour EP and Le Feu EP, Kaiserdisco always have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to producing top quality techno. Now with their new EP landing on Drumcode, Kaiserdisco are still providing the best techno across the globe.
Drumcode welcome Kaiserdisco back onto Drumcode with 3 brand new tracks including the heavy hitting 'Black Light', after being championed by Adam Beyer in recent sets. 'Black Light' uses old school stabs that weave up and down to create a rollercoaster of a ride. 'SQ 80' and 'Manley' are groovy numbers that really show Kaiserdisco's versatility laced throughout the EP.

Norman Jay MBE presents his latest compilation, titled 'Good Times Skank & Boogie', set for release 9th October 2015 on Sunday Best Recordings. This is his first compilation since 2011's Good Times 30th Anniversary Addition and follows on from his hotly anticipated Good Times Goes East party at St John Church at Hackney on 29th August.
Norman Jay is undoubtedly one of the finest and highly respected DJs in the world today and yet again pulls from his impressive collection to provide the ultimate eclectic selection.
For this 12th compilation, for those of you counting, Norman kicks off with St Germain's version of Henry Mancini's Pink Panther Theme. A cult favourite from 2004s Pink Panther Penthouse Party album, it of course immediately brings Peter Sellers to mind and a smile to your face. Next up former Uniques front man Slim Smith's Everybody Needs Love is a classic from 1968, cut at the legendary Duke Reid's Treasure Isle studio. Penned originally by Motown heroes Norman Whitfield and Eddie Holland and covered by household names including The Temptations and Glady's Knight & The Pips, Slim's version became something of a signature tune until his mysterious death in 1971. Sticking with Motown, Stevie Wonder's Living For The City is up next but it's the Michael McDonald rendition from his 2008 album Soul Speak, which proves the man who gave us the sublime Sweet Freedom had lost none of his class 20 plus years on.
D-Influence's Good Lover takes things up and brings them closer to home, to the streets of London infact. After a couple of independent releases the band, who had strong connections to the London Jazz and Soul scenes, served up this contemporary boogie tune as part of their 1992 debut long player for East West. They would subsequently score hits as a production team for a number of British R&B acts. Homegrown soul continues with Paul Johnson's Better Than This, released here via longstanding UK soul imprint Expansion to deserved acclaim last year. It's quality and appeal are simply timeless, whilst master Dego and Kaidi's mix adds a classic 80s soul dimension to proceedings.
The Chi-Lites I Keep Comin' Back To You and The Real Thing's Love Takes Tears continue and expand the 80s theme, bringing in 2-step and boogie, as does Deodato's Never Knew Love from the same period.
We switch again with Delroy Wilson's Better Must Come, a massively popular sufferers lament from 1971 by this former Jamaican child star, it would go on to be used in election campaigns by various Jamaican political parties. Kent People by Laurel Aitken & The Gruvy Beat is the next one out the box and was the flip to the 1969 anthem Skinhead Train. It features the UK's top reggae band of the era The Rudies, who along with Aitken, the widely-proclaimed Godfather of Ska, comprised of Earl Dunn (lead guitar), Trevor White (bass), Sonny Binns (keyboards) and Danny Smith (drums). They would go on to enjoy UK chart success backing singer Freddie Notes before they evolved into Greyhound. From the same year Splash Down by The Crystalites is another slate that ignited dance floors in both Jamaica and the UK upon release. Some of you will have noticed the rhythm track is the same as that of the earlier Kingstonians' best-seller, Sufferer, which came courtesy of legendary producer Derrick Harriott.
As the end draws close The Stone City Band featuring Rick James serve up some hard edged boogie, hotly followed by a classic Tom Moulton slice of late 70s disco courtesy of The Fantastic Four and their I Got To Have Your Love. If that doesn't have you dancing then Chanson's superb Don't Hold Back featuring James Jamerson Jr. on bass will leave you no choice. Classic Good Times indeed.

One half of Scottish duo Clouds, Perth Drug Legend tear off a solo EP of rugged, apocalyptic bloke-techno. Stunners, all of them. Freak genius at work.
What more can be said about Clouds, young prodigies who have put out as much innovative techno in the past few years than anyone. The story takes a twist with a wealth of material being released by PDL, hot off a remix of Tiga's Bugatti and releases on Resin and Westend Communications. The sound is reminiscent of Ghost Systems Rave, but there's the feeling that things have gotten even more refined, something that smacks of a real subcultural movement.

Opener Balquhidder Ruins is a stomping gate-crasher, the tempo pulled back just enough to feel the grit of industrial funk, everything restrained to it's bare essentials. Monzievaird swings heavily around a few twinkling bleeps, sparse, chunky kicks that thunder through the greased hats. Pushing things even more into the dark corners with overdriven, haunting resonance is Clackmannanshire Crusaderz, which sounds like the soundtrack to being blacked out on the ground in a Berghain tunnel. Thisistullohnottibetpal adds a mystical, multi culti dimension with some mountain flute inexplicably soaring through the air before a bell breakdown zens things into a forceful yet tranquil climax.

If that madness weren't enough, there's a digital bonus track which is an absolute bomb if you're into lower tempos and hip hop inflected bangers.

Stunners, all of them. Freak genius at work.

Black Booby is back with the Mighty Jordan Fields from Chicago, IL and Richard Rogers, London, UK for BB-09 4 tracks of retro inspired, raw, stripped machine music.Jordan's A1 blaster is pure Gherkinesq analogue, mind melting, building mayhem, designed for dancing Richard Rogers Debut on BB gives A2 a Workshop vs Detroit styled Bass workout with subtle paperclip percussion bringing up the rear. Black Booby tears up the seminal Kenji Tsujisaka produced Shinobi coin op level music to new club dance floor heights on B1, B2. Direct 8 bit coin op pressure with stripped 707, 808 and 909 rhythm sections. Retroactive music for arcade junkies.

* Jon Gurd's Birth Right EP is the first material from the Portsmouth based Techno producer in more than 2
years since his ventures on Octopus recordings, 8 Sided Dice and Quartz. The EP therefore indicates an
audible step change not just in the approach to production but also in the mindset and emotive feeling
behind each texture and layer. Having emerged unscathed from a traumatic family related drama Jon
communicates a tortuous and re-evaluated life message across all 3 tracks, and is dedicated to his brother
with a hidden meaning conveying, Tomorrow Is - Promised - To No One'.

* Dissecting the EP further the educated are blessed with field recordings, analogue rumbling and modular
synthesis exiting from almost 24 months of lab driven experimentation. No real process has been applied or
extant formulae followed and the EP's resounding success is that this now exudes what Jon feels' innately
rather than what the industry wants, therefore the journey, endless noise making and experimentation gives
a balanced and exciting offering. Jon comments seriously my process for producing this has been all over
the place, literally stumbling on shit, slipping over my own creative vomit, workflow went out the studio
window on day one'.

* Having spent two years asking himself why he makes music, I think on first listen of Birth Right EP we will all begin to empathise why. Remixes kindly provided by Messrs Dave Clarke and Ancestral Voices (new project from Liam Blackburn formerly Indigo / Akkord).

* A long time-friend and recording partner of Alan Fitzpatrick, as well as one third of Mister Woo with Dave from Reset Robot, Jon Gurd is best known for his work on the likes of Octopus Recordings, 8 Sided Dice and Quartz. Abundant with field recordings, analogue rumbling and modular synthesis, his latest signing to Derelicht is a result of almost 24 months of lab driven experimentation, and marks an auspicious return from a musical hiatus that stemmed from a personal tragedy. From the off, 'Tomorrow Is' is a driving piece of techno complete with sinister undertones and menacing atmospherics, meanwhile 'Promised' focuses on a low-slung groove as tantalising synths operate on top. The last original, 'To No One', then exhibits a deeper vibe with ebbing pads and spectral chords. Dave Clarke's decadent rendition of 'Promised' ups the tempo whilst demonstrating commanding kicks, until Ancestral Voices, the new project from Liam Blackburn (Indigo / Akkord), strips back the beats of 'To No One' for a subdued subterranean workout.

* Press / Promotion: 3 x Co-ordinated PR Campaigns (In House campaign by Derelicht, Dispersion PR and EPM Music, 100 vinyl hand-distributed to leading editors, artists and tastemakers. Key editorials through Resident Advisor, Inverted Audio, Ran$om Note, Beat Vision, Slate The Disco, Magnetic Magazine, DJ Mag, Noise Porn, Mind Grub Audio, Portals, Elevated Culture. 1 x videos produced to support Dave Clarke remix
Tiefschwarz - 'Just Beautiful!'
Alan Fitzpatrick - Yeah massively into this, will play a lot. Thanks for sending.
Dustin Zahn - Feeling the original of "To No One." the chord/pads are hitting the right spot for me this morning! The remix is also a nice take on the original
Baikal - to no one and Derelicht are dope
Kirk Degiorgio - Dave's mix for me!
Bas Mooy - yep! A1 for me mate!
Ben Sims - a1 is the cut for me, heavy and heady but still has the groove
Benjamin Damage - Thanks for sending this, top work!
Bryan Chapman - really feeling this EP, fav is the Ancestral Voices remix, that downbeat vibe
Bryan Zentz - Wonderful, moody, and emotive...LOVE it
Carlo Lio - Actually feeling all of them. Something for every time of the night. Can see myself playing a few of these for sure
Lo Shea - Tomorrow is sick! Dave Clarke's remix is dope too.

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

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

Support From:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prolific electronica polymath Emika found acclaim once again this year with new studio album 'DREI', an opus that picked up Ibiza Spotlight's 'Album Of The Week' accolade and was called a fascinating album' by Rolling Stone. With six new remixes on this EP, further life has been breathed into her latest LP - with stunning results.
UK techno legends The Black Dog provide a foreboding rework of Battles, all brooding pads, electro glitchery and stomping breakbeats.
Kamikaze Space Programme's version is more dramatic still, returning the favour after Emika appeared on his own 'Choke' recently.
CNCPT (Brenda, Natch Records) kicks off the remixes of What's The Cure with an industrious slab of dubbed-out, reverb-heavy techno, doing away with Emika's vocals entirely and instead making use of her sound design expertise with subtle finesse.
Mysterious German Clone and Bunker affiliates The Exaltics tap into their electro roots on their rework with a thick, rubbery bassline working its way under a simple, atmospheric arrangement that allows Emika's honeyed delivery to take centre stage.
Borai (Tasteful Nudes) teams up with Emika herself to provide a stripped-back, heavily-swung, stomping take on the track, boiling it down to its melodic and textural essence.
Eomac rounds off the package with his stunning string-laden instrumental interpretation.

Iosefa Manumaleuna, aka DJ Hyperactive, is now back in Chicago after nearly 20 years in LA. Prior to his return, his classic Wide Open track got a serious re-working by Berghain resident Len Faki on Figure. As part of the Droid Behavior crew he released the 25Hrs. EP on Droid Recordings. More recently another DJ Hyperactive classic "Venus" got re-released along with Ciren and Truncate remixes on the "Venus Revisited" EP on Chris Liebing's CLR imprint. 2012 rmarked the return and start of a heavy remix cycle starting with Luis Flores "The Word" and recent remix of Mike Gervais "Churn" both on Detroit based Blank Code, Impact Unit "Dread" on Silent Steps, Manic Brothers "Sledgehammer" on Octopus Black Label, Truncate "31" on Gynoid Audio and the current list of TO DO's is long...!
The first release back in 1997 on 4 Track Records was by DJ Hyperactive titled P.51 and here were are nearly 20 years later and we're going to see the next release again by Hyperactive on vinyl again titled "Black On Black" EP. This EP will be three tracks, 2 which are acid tracks and one long experimental spaced out track.

BACK IN STOCK NOW!! "Volume One is the debut album. It was the only album recorded with original guitarist Justin Marler, before he became an Orthodox monk. Volume One showcases a darker sound and stronger doom metal influence than Sleep's later work. The image featured on the cover is taken from the Salvador Dali painting "Soft Self-Portrait with Fried Bacon".
Their only album as a four piece of Al Cisneros, Matt Pike, Justin Marler and Chris Haikus

LP repressed for first time in many years.

allmusic
"For all their budding, precocious talent, Sleep's 1991 debut, Volume One, quickly betrays their still quite heavy debt to doom metal forefathers like Black Sabbath, Witchfinder, and Saint Vitus. Driven by Matt Pike and Justin Marler's lumbering mass of low-tuned guitar riffs, Al Cisneros' (still going as Luke here) serpentine bass and ragged screams, and drummer Chris Haikus' cyclopean kit pummeling, occasional highlights such as "The Suffering," "Nebuchadnezzar's Dream," and "The Wall of Yawn" prove less memorable than they are sensorially overwhelming. And yet, ironically, Sleep's rhythm guitars would never again be kept as under control, nor would their leads sound quite as refined as they do here (see the cleaner harmonies employed to good use on "Numb" and "Catatonic," for example). This was probably due to the onetime involvement of the significantly less stoned Marler, who would soon exchange the group for a monastery where he would study to become a monk. Fittingly enough, however, losing the versatility of a second guitarist was exactly what Sleep needed to focus their singular power into a crushing force, and the remaining trio would flourish immediately behind the sheer physicality of Pike's six-string style, as proven by 1993's superlative sophomore LP, Sleep's Holy Mountain."

* Hospital Records present their latest compilation 'Fast Soul Music' - a welcomed lesson in the art of soul-inspired drum & bass of the high-speed variety. After nineteen years spent building upon it's lounge-core esthetic their extensive library of smooth-rolling sounds is at the ready, now it's time to get retrospective.

* From the work of thirty artists, a carefully selected forty-six tracks highlight the quintessential sounds of soul music in the Hospital Records back catalogue. Not only effortlessly blending classics from Hospital mainstays London Elektricity, High Contrast, Danny Byrd, Nu:Tone, S.P.Y and Logistics but also showcasing the fresh wave of talent that's reached our ears in recent years. The work of Fred V & Grafix, Hugh Hardie, Keeno, Etherwood, Anile, Tokyo Prose and Technimatic showcasing just how prominent soul music is in drum & bass today.

* Accompanying this two-CD collectors item is a perfectly polished mix by longstanding practitioner and newest member of the Hospital A+R team, Nu:Tone. With over two hours of soul-inspired sounds that effortlessly create the ideal soundtrack for any daydream-filled afternoon.

* With a nod back to London Elektricity's '03 classic 'Fast Soul Music' and a look forward to the fresh influx of talent passing through, Hospital Record's latest compilation provides any drum & bass fan with a chance to rediscover those once forgotten gems and dust off the cobwebs from their favourite nostalgia-fuelling drum & bass anthems.

* Digital Marketing: Youtube upload schedule for music and video content on Hospital Records YouTube channel - (260k subscribers), cross promotion exclusive mix upload with UKF Youtube channel.

* Press / Promotion: Comprehensive campaign in-house serving all UK music and dance titles as well as national, regional and student press - Mixmag, DJ, Trap, Notion, Music Week, Future Music, Time Out, Metro, London Evening Standard, The Guardian, The Independent, Dazed + Confused, Vice, The Wire, The Fly, Vice Magazine, Clash. Kmag (interview), D&BA (interview). UKF Website and Youtube Channel. Reddit AMA, FACT Mag TV interview.

* Radio / Internet: Comprehensive in house campain from Hospital Records. BBC Radio1 & 1Xtra support from Mistajam, Friction, B Traits, Annie Mac, Andi Durrant (Kiss), Eddy Temple-Morris (X-FM), DJ Hype (Kiss), D&BA TV Takeover, Rinse FM Hospital Records Show, Hospital Podcast Hospital Records Podcast USA series, Kmag Podcast, Ministry of Sound Podcast. D&BA Podcast, Hospital records Website, Hospital Facebook (262K Likes), Twitter (64K Followers), Soundcloud (48k followers), YouTube (238k subscribers), Hospital Records Mailing List (53k Subscribers)






aG CD 1-7 | Logistics feat. Nightshade and Sarah Callander 'Crystal Skies'
















DISC 2

Speedy Ortiz is proud to announce their sophomore album, Foil Deer, which will be released via Carpark Records on April 20th.

'Major Arcana' released in 2013 won them glowing reviews , features and several UK tours (highlights below):

- 4 PAGE NME FEATURE

- 9/10 LEAD REVIEW IN NME: 'One of the reasons 'Major Arcana' works so well is because it's addictive and fun. The guitars and bass sound incredible, like the last Deerhunter album without the Yankee Doodle Dandy'

8/10 Drowned In Sound : ' Speedy Ortiz are way too euphoric and glorious to suffer for their artfulness. Stripping away the frills, at heart Major Arcana is a mournful treasure that asks to be celebrated.'

*NME RADAR FEATURE: 'What's miraculous, though, is that Major Arcana doesn't sound at all self-pitying; it's torrid Slint-meets-Pavement rattle bolsters Sadie's relished words so that yelling along is an exercise in gleefully exorcising your own demons'

8.4 ON PITCHFORK: : 'There's the squalling, guitar-on-guitar carnage of Archers of Loaf, the grungy mysticism of Helium (Dupuis lifted the title Major Arcana from a book she was reading on black magic), and of course the deadpan wit of vintage Liz Phair ('I was never the witch that you made me to be,' Dupuis tells a burnt-out old flame on 'Plough', 'Still you picked a virgin over me').

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
Deluxe LP Is as above but with metallic gold coloured vinyl, and sticker.(200 ONLY FOR UK)
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Speedy Ortiz said they would get the flowers themselves. What a lark! What a plunge!

When considering Massachusetts' Speedy Ortiz, that line from Virginia Woolf comes to mind. Not only for the obvious echoes to DIY, a form and function that's characterized the band's nascency, but in the proto-feminist undertones driving much of their sophomore album, Foil Deer. "I'm not bossy, I'm the boss," Sadie Dupuis sings on "Raising the Skate," invoking in spirit one half of the Carter-Knowles clan and echoing the other's wordplay. And wordplay makes sense, considering Dupuis-the band's songwriter, guitarist, and frontwoman-spent the band's first few years teaching writing at UMass Amherst. She's drawn to the dense complexity of Pynchon, the dreamlike geometry of Bolaño, the confounded yearning of Plath-all attributes you could easily apply to the band's 2013 debut Major Arcana, which fans and press alike have invested with a sense of purpose and merit uncommon in contemporary guitar rock.

The group, including Mike Falcone on drums, Darl Ferm on bass, and new addition Devin McKnight of Grass is Green on guitar, have spent the last year on an almost endless cross-continental touring jag, tagging along with the likes of The Breeders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, and Thurston Moore. That shift into full-time musicianship brought with it an attendant reordering of priorities when it came to songwriting, and the band members' lives in general. They would get the damn flowers themselves.

Dupuis wrote much of Foil Deer at her mother's home in the Connecticut woods, where the songwriter imposed a self-regulated exile and physical cleansing of sorts, finding that many of the songs came to her while running or swimming alone. "I gave up wasting mental energy on people who didn't have my back," she says. "Listening to our old records, I get the sense I was putting myself in horrible situations just to write sad songs. This music isn't coming from a dark place, and without slipping into self-empowerment jargon, it feels stronger." Many of the songs deal with a similar sense of starting over, editing out the unnecessary drama. "Boys be sensitive and girls be, be aggressive," she sings on "Mister Difficult."

And while their debut album was recorded on the fly, Speedy Ortiz spent almost a month in the studio on Foil Deer. Falcone's drums are taut, mechanistic; Ferm's bass ranges from the aggressive rattle of an AmRep classic to smoother, hip-hop inspired lines. McKnight, meanwhile, lends spacier, textural riffs to complement Dupuis' wiry, melody-driven guitar style. "The demos for our songs have always had tons of small details and production experimentation, but we never had any money to pay for more than a couple days in the studio, so the songs came out very live-sounding and guitar heavy," Dupuis says. It was recorded and mixed at Brooklyn's Rare Book Room with Nicolas Vernhes (Silver Jews, Enon, Deerhunter), with the record mastered by Emily Lazar (Sia, Haim, Beauty Pill), lending a more polished sound and a pop sensibility that will stand out to existing fans and new converts alike. For all the lyrical complexity and guitar-based excursions Speedy Ortiz have built their reputation on to this point, Foil Deer has a sense of light-footed fun. What's the point of doing things yourself if you're not going to enjoy the trip

Standard LP is gatefold, single black LP with chapbook, plus digital download card.
CD comes in digipak with a folded poster approximating the chapbook in the LP.

Factory Benelux presents a new studio album by cult Manchester postpunk group Crispy Ambulance, issued in a
limited edition of 500 vinyl copies to mark Record Store Day 2015.
In many respects Compulsion is the second album Crispy Ambulance might have recorded in 1982 after the release of
The Plateau Phase, with six of the eight tracks written and performed live at that time. To these are now added Rain
Without Clouds, an outtake from The Plateau Phase newly restored from the original multitrack masters, and WMTP.2
with added synth lines by producer-cum fifth member Graham Massey, of 808 State and Biting Tongues.
Almost uniquely, Crispy Ambulance has retained the same line-up since the group was originally founded in 1978: Alan
Hempsall (vocals, keyboards), Gary Madeley (drums), Robert Davenport (guitars), Keith Darbyshire (bass).
'There's a sense of feeling compelled by irresistible forces,' explains Alan Hempsall. 'Compulsion is an apt way to
describe our constant urge to go back and make music with people we've known since childhood. While the world may
have changed, our music continues to be the product of the same influences - the passing of time, the changing of the
seasons, the content of our sleeping dreams, and the existence of space.'
Cover art by Peter Staessens. The package also features a free digital download of the album.
Praise for The Plateau Phase: "One of the best albums Britain's second city has unleashed" (Q, 03/2006); 'Perfect,
wonderful and with a compelling gravitational pull' (Record Collector, 03/2013); "17 years on The Plateau Phase
sounds like what it probably always was: urgent, postmodernist psychedelia with less debt to Joy Division's music than to
the universal abstract existential tension that comes with being young" (Uncut, 12/1999); "Cold and ferocious, but with
enough inventive melody to lighten the black abyss of the overall mood" (Les Inrockuptibles, 02/2012); "An enthralling
glimpse at a moment in musical history when the DIY ethos of punk gradually gave way to experiments with electronics
and song structures" (NME, 01/2000); "Mixes driving rock, gritty new wave and odd atmospheric stuff" (Option, 1990)

2015 sees the return of Welsh psychedelicists White Noise Sound with their second album 'Like a Pyramid of Fire'.After honing their craft across the UK and through Europe - with the likes of Super Furry Animals, The Warlocks, Spectrum, Mark Gardener (Ride) and members of Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and The Brian Jonestown Massacre - WNS completed their debut album in 2010 with the assistance of Pete Kember (Spacemen 3 / Spectrum / E.A.R) and magician Cian Ciaran (Super Furry Animals). Released by cult California based label Alive Records (whose back-catalogue includes releases from The Black Keys, Beachwood Sparks, Iggy Pop and James Williamson and The Soledad Brothers) in 2010 (US) / 2011 (UK), the eponymous debut was greeted with widespread critical acclaim and WNS toured through Europe in its support. 'Like a Pyramid of Fire' sees the band take their trademark wall of sound - at once relentlessly pulsating and blissed-out - and conjure from it a sonic palette with range and depth. WNS worked closely with producer / DJ Phil Kieran and again with Cian Ciaran and the result is a metronomic and hypnotic onslaught of melody, groove and exploration which goes beyond the standard tropes of psychedelia.

White Noise Sound will be playing a special London show as part of the Convergence Festival on Monday 16th March 2005 (with label mates Eat Lights Become Lights and guest DJs Andrew Weatherall and Ben Osborne)

Buena Vista Social Club release 'Lost and Found,' a new rarities compilation packed with previously unheard live and in-studio material.

Coming almost two decades after the release of the original Grammy-winning, self-titled LP, the new album is a collection of previously unreleased tracks—some of which were recorded during the original album's sessions in Havana and others from the years that followed. Lost and Found is available to pre-order in iTunes and the Nonesuch Store (and outside of North America in the World Circuit Store) with an instant download of the album track "Macusa."

The studio tracks on Lost and Found were recorded at the 1996 Egrem studio sessions in Havana and during a period of rich and prolific creativity stretching into the early 2000s following the recording of the original album. Lost and Found also features live recordings from the world tours of Buena Vista's legendary veterans.

"Over the years we were often asked what unreleased material was left in the vaults," says World Circuit's Nick Gold. "We knew of some gems, favorites amongst the musicians, but we were always too busy working on the next project to go back and see what else we had. When we eventually found the time, we were astonished at how much wonderful music there was."

The original Buena Vista Social Club album became a surprise international best seller and the most successful album in the history of Cuban music. It was recorded for World Circuit Records by Ry Cooder over seven days in Havana in 1996, bringing together many of the great names of the golden age of Cuban music in the 1950s, several of whom were coaxed out of retirement for the sessions.

Supporting Jesus & Marychain in Cardiff on 22nd February.2015 sees the return of Welsh psychedelicists White Noise Sound. This single is taken from their second album 'Like a Pyramid of Fire' out in April 2015.After honing their craft across the UK and through Europe - with the likes of Super Furry Animals, The Warlocks, Spectrum, Mark Gardener (Ride) and members of Spacemen 3, Spiritualized and The Brian Jonestown Massacre - WNS completed their debut album in 2010 with the assistance of Pete Kember (Spacemen 3 / Spectrum / E.A.R) and magician Cian Ciaran (Super Furry Animals). Released by cult California based label Alive Records (whose back-catalogue includes releases from The Black Keys, Beachwood Sparks, Iggy Pop and James Williamson and The Soledad Brothers) in 2010 (US) / 2011 (UK), the eponymous debut was greeted with widespread critical acclaim and WNS toured through Europe in its support. 'Like a Pyramid of Fire' sees the band take their trademark wall of sound - at once relentlessly pulsating and blissed-out - and conjure from it a sonic palette with range and depth. WNS worked closely with producer / DJ Phil Kieran and again with Cian Ciaran and the result is a metronomic and hypnotic onslaught of melody, groove and exploration which goes beyond the standard tropes of psychedelia.
White Noise Sound will be playing a special London show as part of the Convergence Festival on Monday 16th March 2005 (with label mates Eat Lights Become Lights and guest DJs Andrew Weatherall and Ben Osborne)

Prolific Seattle producer Jon McMillion returns to Nuearth Kitchen with another crucial chapter in his epic tale of haunted house-music subversions. This EP offers four variations on a bizarre and engrossing theme. Don't It Make You (edit 1)' is a work of extremes: By some miracle of aural physics, it's at once one of McMillion's strangest tracks and one of his most accessible. He sets into motion a staunch, relentless house rhythm bolstered with congas, massed claps, synth-bass raspberries, and a badass male singer intoning, Don't it make you feel good, if you wanna get down/Just say it, say it again,' over which a miasma of enigmatic tones bubbles and swirls. Like Bohannon's disco-funk classics from the '70s, Don't It Make You' seems like a tease, even at 10 minutes duration, you wish it would roll on for at least 30. On Don't It Make You (edit 2),' McMillion strips things down to dance-floor essentials and erases some of the free-floating background weirdness.

The two remixes are revelatory. New York house icon Fred P. (aka Black Jazz Consortium) slides the track into a tighter pair of pants, but that just makes it swivel harder and slyer. He emphasizes Don't It Make You''s mysterious drones and then loops a female vocalist singing He keeps me' while dropping in some echoed male chatter to gently disorient. What a dreamy, soulful trip Fred P. conjures here. And rising German wunderkind Orson Wells layers and pitches up the original's cascades of bleeps, which becomes the dominant motif, and then subtly modulates said bleeps over the tune's seven minutes, while keeping that irrepressible rhythm strutting. McMillion's raw materials prove to be fertile ground for these two maverick remixers to flaunt their own fascinating quirks while maintaining the original cut's club-darkening and ass-moving functionality.

Deep and heavy cultural modern roots coming in a vintage Lee Perry / Black Ark analog style.
* Vocals from the lesser spotted Istan Black (aka Hugo Blackwood) who recorded with Perry back in the mid-1970s, most notably on the tracks `Reggae Music' with Dr. Alimantado and `Vibrate On' with Augustus Pablo.
* A brutal but subtle dubwise cut on the flip from the Lost Ark crew.
* Fresh roots reggae sounds coming from the ever on-the-ball Partial Records.

Rare and highly sought after in its original format, Os Brazoes self-titled album was originally released on RGE Discos in 1969. It is a psychedelic masterpiece that fuses samba, r'n'b and rock 'n' roll influences using fuzz guitars, synths, percussion, lush vocals and effects.

Os Brazoes formed in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1960's. They backed Gal Costa during her Tropicalia period, yet apparently never recorded in the studio with her. Miguel de Deus, the bands front man, recorded the highly sought after 'Black Soul Brothers' LP in 1977, which became an important record in the 'Black Rio' movement. Mr Bongo released the title track from that LP, on the 'Brazilian Beats: Brooklyn' compilation in 2006 and recently as part of their Brazil 45's re-issue series.

'Os Brazoes' features covers of Gilberto Gil's 'Pega a Voga, Cabeludo' and Jorge Ben and Toquinho's 'Carolina, Carol Bela'


The Mr Bongo LP reissue is manufactured in Japan, presented in a super high quality card sleeve with replica original artwork. The CD is presented in a 4-page digi-pack.

House Of Black Lanterns is the latest musical project from Dylan Richards, the man behind the King Cannibal and Zilla monikers (on the Ninja Tine and Warp Records labels respectively). With an album and two singles out in 2013 on the highly respected Houndstooth label, Richards returns with a deadly EP for Hypercolour, backed with a very fine Mosca remix.

In its Original Mix, 'The Smack' is a dense and atmospheric production, the slow pace and chugging bassline evoking shades of early Chicago house but with a thoroughly modern UK twist. Filled with tension and drama, 'The Smack' is a big sounding record that cuts through so many genre sounds from dub techno to dubstep but sounds entirely individual and unique.

Mosca steps up to the remix, following on from the launch of his new label Not So Much, and remixes for Alland Byallo and Sweatshop Boys. Taking 'The Smack' up to an altogether skanking tempo, Mosca plummets the Basic Channel school of sound for the aptly titled 'Dread At The Controls' version. Spring reverb all over the joint as Mosca works the droning synths and fire & brimstone vibes over a watertight, dub heavy workout. 'Grey Leather Glass' takes things up a notch, continuing the HOBL theme of dark & shadowy techno sounds with heaps of drama and sinister twists and turns, like some cinematic score to a Wes Craven slasher epic, and '8 Million Stories' cuts up vocal chops, finger snaps and piano stabs over a brooding house production. Deliciously dark music from HOBL here....

Following the success of its first release by the ever elusive Jason Grove, the vinyl-only sub-label Skylax Extra Series returns with a little something beyond special. For those house-heads in the know, the man needs no introduction, but for those uninitiated, sit back and prepare for this double 12' selection to further your education in house music.Joey Kay hails from Chicago in the US and has influenced a great many producers in the last two decades with his signature take on the deep house sound. He keeps things simple in the best possible sense of the word, stripping back tracks to their bare essentials in order to maintain what the spirit of house music is all about: the groove, the soul and the feeling of being carefree, even if only experienced for a few minutes at a time. There are no superfluous or ancillary sounds in Joey's music and this is all the more evident when taking a step back and listening to his spectrum of output in this collection, which spans more than twenty years of his career.

In our series of related incidents we were out searching for a suitable incident to occur after our well received Black Merlin (George Thompson) voyage in early 2014 (it's been a long time, yes).
The following happened.
We approached "Will Flisk'' somewhere in the digital Jungle. Totally unaware that Will and George are actually long time friends.
ALL OF THESE INCIDENTS ARE RELATED.
Havamal inspired Briton 'Will Flisk' takes his filmic approach to music to the streets with his first output on our curious little imprint.
With the help of good friend Black Merlin (George Thompson) on synths and drum machines and Natasya Hodges on Cello, this amazingly orchestrated title track (Red Planet) takes us to different planets and back, even though our money is too short for commercial space travel.
Nashville, Tennessee's very own Grey People (Alex J Michalski) works his distortion on a sinister remix (B1) that's leaning towards the more techno side of things. for the B2, Will bestowed an amazing bit of roughness upon us.
With the blessing of Zoroaster the vinyl release will take place in January.

This release blows the trio's instrumental palette wide open for a single continuous piece.
Begun as a one-off collaboration in 2009, the trio of Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi has now become a solid working group, refining its craft through a series of annual concerts at Tokyo's legendary SuperDeluxe.  Much of their recorded work has focused on their intense, ritualistic take on the rock power trio of electric guitar, bass and drums, with last year's 'now while it's still warm let us pour in all the mystery' (BT09) containing a series of instant compositions of stunning power and concision that demonstrated how familiar and attuned to one another the three have become.

Presenting the entire first set of the trio's March 2013 concert at SuperDeluxe (the second set will follow on Black Truffle later this year), 'only   wanting to melt   beautifully away is it a lack   of contentment  that stirs affection   for those   things  said to be as of yet unseen', their fifth release,  blows the instrumental palette wide open for a single continuous piece focused on acoustic strings, synth, flute and percussion. Featuring one of Haino's most delicate and moving recorded vocal performances, the opening section of the record takes the form of a spare duet between O'Rourke's 12-string acoustic guitar and Haino's kantele (a Finnish variant of the dulcimer), behind which Ambarchi provides a hovering backdrop of wine glass tones. While on previous releases the listener has often sensed that Haino was firmly in the driver's seat, here O'Rourke takes centre stage with an acoustic guitar performance that takes the lyricism of John Abercrombie or Ralph Towner and refracts it through the free improvisation tradition of his mentors Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser. The atmosphere of meditative, abstracted song is reminiscent of some of Haino's greatest recordings, such as the legendary 'Live In The First Year Of The Heisei' volumes recorded with Kan Mikami.

The III Rivers juggernaut sets forth once again, release number 4 The Charivari EP, putting Voiceless in the cockpit and leading the charge.

Second Nature sets a dark, sultry and ominous tone as Voiceless deploys a plethora of sounds and moods that resonate with all the tense drama of the label's affiliated club night, Bohemian Grove.
Big laser beam synths dart through a thick pitch black haze while a factory line percussion section hammers on.

Always keeping a foot in the sonic warfare division, we get three locked grooves loaded and ready for battle, funky, electrified technoid wobblers that should fight off most opposition with ease.

Flip the disc and Opt-out opens with a controlled urgency as a barrage of kick drums sets the train in motion. Voiceless layers up rich, untreated piano chords against the backdrop of dark industrial chaos, percussion artefacts career around the mix and various elements are put through an aural meat grinder before the familiar and welcoming piano motif returns like a long lost friend, guiding us through the smoke hand-in-hand. A beautiful juxtaposition of soulful melancholy and cold, glacial machines.

Final track Charivari really hits the accelerator as a tough and mechanical rhythm jolts against blurred, radioactive pads and searing string lines before collapsing into a fractal breakdown introducing mystical, weaving high end leads. An eyes-down fist pumper of the highest order and one that commands excessive smoke & strobe light abuse late, late into the session.

One to close off one of their infamous soirees in style, hoards of mutant dancers leaving the industrial backdrop of the club's venue and crossing paths with the early morning dog walkers and Sunday strollers. Four releases in and we've lost none of the quality control, unique drive and free minded 'true spirit' (to quote Tresor's legendary catchphrase). The label goes from the strength to strength and with it, brings a whole new generation of techno shamans under their wing.

Fourth release for Serie Limitee. 180g, pressed loud and limited, as always. Now Berlin based, Californian Lady Blacktronica provides a raw beatdown pearl with -Never Heard The Word Impossible-... Straight from Japan, Yusuke Yamamoto aka Freischwimmer joins the SL crew with a classic-house track named -You Want-. With -Back to the House-, Deymare pays his regards to the original Chicago sound with this timeless piece. SL004 also announces the return of the mysterious Parisian duo ERMAN & Abtomat, with five minutes of steamy after-hours disco-influenced house-music! As usual, expect a short bonus track by Monsieur Cedric.

An intriguing project by singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist G.T. Moore, he of G.T Moore and the Reggae Guitars (first album 1974) fame, he of the folk group Heron who recorded their first album in a field by the Thames in 1970, he who recorded on Lee Perry's final album at the Black Ark studio 1980, also was a part time member of Radical Dance Faction and who's done session work with the likes of Johnny Nash, Joan Baez, Poly Styrene and more.
*Fast forward to now: G.T. collaborates with the Lost Ark Band creating some beautiful shimmering, dreamy, deep phaser-laden sounds giving more than a nod the aforementioned Perry's studio from way back then.
*Features two compositions - `Be True' and `One Two Three' - the latter originally recorded with Heron - with respective dub versions playing at 33 and weighing in at 25 minutes.

'Many Things", released in 2008, and 'From Africa With Fury: Rise' in 2011, 'A Long Way To The Beginning' is the third album by Seun Anikulapo Kuti with Egypt 80, the 14 musicians big band he's been leading since the death of his father Fela Kuti in 1997. It's actually the third part of a triptych in which Fela's youngest son, direct descendant of the afrobeat music style created by his father at the end of the 60's, is back on the offensive regarding injustice in his country, Nigeria, where it still grows, with an intact anger and a music more powerful than ever. The ingredients that have contributed to the success of the first two albums are warring beats, triumphant brass sections and burning lyrics but 'A Long Way to The Beginning' is also distinguished by jazz pianist Robert Glasper's contribution as a producer. While opening the spectrum of the sound, Glasper has made the participation of guests from the conscious American rap scene such as M1 (Dead Prez) or Blitz The Ambassador, a Ghanaian in New York, possible. The voice of German-Nigerian singer Nneka can also be heard on the track 'Black Woman". Finally, the French vibraphonist David Neerman adds his personal touch on two tracks ("I.M.F.' and 'Black Woman"), enhancing his attention to details that, allied to its firepower, allows 'A Long Way To The Beginning' to be a sophisticated and strong album. The message of this record is political. Its mood is offensive. When asked about his commitment, Seun answers: 'Being African means being politically involved. From the moment he wakes up in the morning, an African has a political attitude as everything he'll be doing during the day will have something to do with survival.'

Baptise & Pierre Colleu
French brothers Baptiste & Pierre Colleu have been making music together since they were children. They spent a chunk of their childhood in Africa, which they say has inspired their work in the studio. That influence is submerged fairly deep on 'Dolphin Kid,' the title track for these two EPs. There's an undercurrent of eerie soulfulness and woody percussion accents running through this oddly alluring cosmic-house seducer, but its roots are more Balearic than Afrobeat.

The five remixes of 'Dolphin Kid' enhance the Colleu brothers' original in incrementally fascinating ways. On 'Coyote's Intense Mix,' the respected UK duo augment the laid-back rhythm with nuanced 303 twangs and boldface the hand percussion to magnify its latent funkiness. L.I.E.S. recording artist Willie Burns slows 'Dolphin Kid''s pace to a majestic, hollowed-out, dub-funk strut. It's unfathomably deep. Seattle tech-house maverick Jon McMillion serves up the most twisted, sinister version here, warping the main synth part into a disorienting swirl of borborygmi while intensifying the rhythmic urgency and expanding the sound palette. The second EP concludes with two masterly remixes by Black Merlin. His 'Romance in the Dark Mix' turns 'Dolphin Kid' into a chilling, Goblin-esque piece of dungeon ambience. But it's Merlin's nearly 13-minute 'Peyote Mix' that really reels in the cinematic magic, as he launches the cut even deeper into the black, adding thrusting, throbbing disco kicks and enough horror/thriller-film soundtrack signifiers to give John Carpenter a perma-grimace. Poor 'Dolphin Kid' has come to a gory, but very exciting end.

LP is available on 180 GRM black vinyl The KVB release their new immersive and hypnotic album 'Minus One' on November 18th via A Recordings. The album follows hot on the heels of outstanding stand alone single 'Run Away' released on Ample Play Records last month. The KVB is the audio/visual project of London youngsters Nicholas Wood & Kat Day, who combine reverb heavy wall of sound guitars, minimal haunting strings and grinding bass synths, messed up motorik drum machine beats and delay drenched vocals with a backdrop of imagery to accompany the symphony, that's nothing short of life affirming. 'Minus One' is in fact The KVB's third album, their second full length LP 'Immaterial Visions' which came with an accompanying remix EP, featuring mixes from underground techno pioneers Regis and Silent Servant was only released in February this year. The KVB is a group with a sense of urgency about it, to do what they need to do, with full commitment and without delay. It's a tangible attitude that runs throughout 'Minus One'. Indeed this year they have undertaken more extensive touring, including shows in Russia & the Ukraine and November 2013 will see them playing the last ever ATP before supporting The Brian Jonestown Massacre across Australia in December.Dates For The UK 23 Nov 2013 Electrowerkz w/ Dead Skeletons, London UK & 29 Nov 2013 ATP Festival, Camber Sands UK

Ben La Desh may hover above radars despite his extensive back catalog for the likes of Sleazy Beats/Black Ops, Dirt Crew, Outernational and a recent contribution to the Young Adults House Slippers compilation.

One of the unsung modern forefathers of gradient chug, the Rotterdam native has carved out a niche for engulfing body movers that organically unfold like subtle origami.
Wondering What We Are explores the ever expanding spectrum of the Ben La Desh aesthetic in a compact 4-track capsule.

'Afrodesia' soundtracks a high speed chase through tropical back roads with swirling synths and pulsing drops.
'Your Love' has a slinky half-tempo bounce that skates along an infectious horn loop and vocal refrain.
'We Are' finds La Desh in his signature groove wheelhouse - buttery builds and smoothed-out repetition.
'Why Don't You' may very well be his deepest moment yet, a driving baseline is lathered with clattering percussion and sultry female croons to devilishly sinister effect.

Swapping oscillators for guitar strings and synth filters for dusty amps this side project continues exploration of blues music through electronics. Originally started as an experiment in programming styles with a release on Bluecid a few years back, these songs continue the droning tones and a variety of tempos that fill the six tracks. All songs were played live on machines while being captured at the crossroads of crossed wires.

No guitars were harmed, held or harnessed in the creation of this electronic project following up the Bluecid 001 release a few years back.

- Turn Me On' by Jay W. McGee is the third release in a series of sought after boogie, disco and modern soul re-issues on Légère Recordings. The original 12inch vinyl single appeared on the tiny Canadian Indie label Love Productions in 1980 and is immensely hard to find these days.

- Turn Me On' is an unusual production for its time, grooving along unbelievably deep in a spartanic arrangement, and fuelled by vocals which are not too far away from Sylvester's iconic style of mixing soul, disco, funk and jazz.


Jay W. McGee has a strong opinion about disco music: - When disco came out, it had its own way of reaching people's hearts too. Being in a club, you know, it's escapism, like with soul music. Soul is addressing everyday life problems, disco is about how to forget and enjoy yourself. They each have their own unique place. I saw people railing on doing disco because they didn't understand the seriousness of it,' Jay W. McGee explains about - Turn Me On' when he officially commissioned this re-release: - The discrimination of disco was in reality a discrimination against black music.'

- Your Love', the flipside of this 12inch single, is an exciting ballad on the B-side and a surprise in itself. Both tracks feature a great combination of talents. Wayne Jackson, the trumpet player on - Turn Me On', played on Rick James' album 'Bustin' Out On L Seven', in the late Seventies. Glenn Johanson was the engineer on - Your Love'. He became Eddy Grant's house engineer at his studio in Barbados right after he mixed this tune. But there is also a little drama in the story. When Jay W. McGee returned to the studio where he recorded, "Turn Me On" he found out that the original version of - Turn Me On' was erased by another technician: - Everybody said it could have been a hit, and maybe the guy did it on purpose.' Nevertheless he recorded the song again with a now different arrangement and instrumentation. Maybe that is the reason why the production is so unique and also so different to - Your Love'.

Jay W. McGee could have been a solo artist on Philadelphia International Records, back in 1969, when he met Leon Huff of Gamble & Huff, in Philly for an audition, just before they recorded - Me And Mrs. Jones', - Bad Luck' and - Backstabbers' with Billy Paul, Harold Melvin and The O'Jays. They offered him a contract, but he refused, because he came with his whole group from Flint, Michigan and they wanted to be signed collectively.

Jay W. McGee kept just one of the original 12inches in his home: - Both songs were a profession of love to my wife. We are now married for 34 years.' Now if this ain't love, we don't know....'

Idiot Savant Masterpieces is the 3rd release and the first full solo EP by Amir Alexander on the Vanguard Sound record label. On display is Amir's somewhat off kilter take on U.S. dance music. An approach so different that one critic described the work of Amir and his crew as Idiot Savant Masterpieces. All bases are covered, acid, deep, big room, and banging techno with a little hip house thrown in for good measure. Vanguard Sound is quickly establishing itself as a label to watch so serious collectors should buy this one on sight!


The Realest of the Real! - An acid/ hip house hybrid banger that draws influence from the classic acid and hip house vibes. With vocals written and performed by Amir himself, this track combines 303 808 and 909 sounds with Amir's "street chants" to create a vibe that looks back to classic Chicago while pushing it forward and into the future.



Sonic Weaponry! - An insidious techno groove that grabs you by the neck on the first note, and never lets go. Tough banging drums combine with a staccato analog synth passage that charges like an advancing army. The rubbery bass line joins the fray to incite utter madness as this deceptively minimalistic track whips the floor into a mad frenzy.



Rebel Music (Version One)! - A big room Banger lead by a phrenetic sine wave bass line that never lets up. Deliberate, yet, stuttering percussion anchors the track. The accompanying synth ostinato continuously shifts as huge lush chords blow through like gale force winds. Black Panther's H. Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael drop science about the nature of rebellion in the U.S.



Who are You - The "Deepest" track of the four opens with a beautiful ascending/ descending flute like synth passage that instantly sets the soul adrift. The hard and jumpy kicks interplay with a throbbing rhythmic bass that bubbles like a boiling cauldron. About halfway in a driving synth ostinato comes in to push the track forward. In the middle there is a dreamy

Back with another monster of a release, Ellum Audio bring you four heavy duty remixes of the infectious jam 'New York Is Alright' from TV Baby - a killer track with 'a throb of low-resolution low-end and caustic vocals' - in the words of label boss Maceo Plex. For the A side Blackspun deliver a sensational 'Minimal Mix' and 'Acid Dub', while over on the flip Maetrik injects plenty of groove and Idjut Boys take things into another dimension! All tracks are serious DJ weaponry, each served to dominate the dancefloor in their own way at peak time.

ELL014 comes as part of a joint release with DJ Spun's label Rong Music (USA), who will be releasing the original track plus remixes from Eric Duncan.

Blackspun is made up of Jason Drummond aka DJ Spun and Mark Bell aka Blakkat. Originally from San Francisco but currently residing in New York DJ Spun's journey and career through electronic music began at the birth of House and continues to this day. L.A's Blakkat is a vocalist, producer and first class DJ also working with the biggest names in the business and gracing the decks of the best clubs in the world. Together they make the perfect team with the results clear to see from this special release.

Flying high at the top of his game Eric Erstonel aka Maetrik (Maceo Plex) recently released his DJ Kicks album on !K7 which featured the Blackspun remix.

From their North London studio, Dan Tyler and Conrad McDonnell aka the Idjut Boys have run three record labels and produced their infectious dub-heavy disco sampling house for many more. They formed their first label, U-Star, in '94 on the back of their successful club nights of the same name.

Character has many forms. Musical interests too.

Mr. Mau shows his deeper side in this very diverse EP, translated in three brilliant tracks.

Inspired by many other artists, he managed combine the hardware and software into a must have EP for people who want to experience the essence of the style of life that's called techno: a broad way of interpretation and translating feelings into music.

For this special EP, Mau invited one of the most underestimated, yet well-known and very respected artists of Portugal: michaelangelo, the man behind Labrynth Records.

What many describe as a Aphex Twin like touch to it, "Black" is a piece of patience, feelings and excitement captured in an instrumental track that is strongly recommended to be played in a laid-back modus, but also can be used as a DJ tool in darker sets.
michaelangelo takes "Black" to a whole other level. Well-known for his very atmospheric dark drones inspired techno, m surprises again with his creative approach with swirling glitches and an in your face off-beat kick. A must have in your collection!

Are you more into the minimal side of techno With a twisted side to it Than "Lion" is the track for you!
The subtile power of the TR-909 machine combined with atmospheric dark touched stabs and leads.

"Walking" is definitely one of the more deeper tracks of this album.
With it's lounge like jazzy feel to it, Mau manages to capture the beauty of electronic music that doesn't leave anyone untouched.

Jackmaster Cunt EP is the 5th release from Sound Black. Its a departure from the Lady Blacktronika's signature slo mo sound taking us on a journey into jack. She's got 4 deep groove laden tracks here to please the hardest of deepcore house fans and the deepest of hardcore house heads. The tracks here borrow largely from the sounds of Chicago and New York/New Jersey in the 90s, sounds near her heart. These are the roots revisited and brought back to the future of house.