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Faitiche releases the album Improvisations And Edits, Tokyo 26.09.2001 on vinyl for the first time. For the original 2002 CD on Soup-Disk and Sub Rosa (Audiosphere), Jan Jelinek and the Japanese trio Computer Soup (Satoru Hori - trumpet, Osamu Okubo - toys & electronics, Kei Ikeda - toys & electronics) presented eight tracks all recorded one afternoon in the trio's living room in Tokyo. They are excerpts from a joint group improvisation that subsequently underwent rudimentary editing, on which Jelinek and Computer Soup worked separately.

Jelinek met the three musicians at his first concert in Japan in 2001, at Tokyo's Yellow club, where Computer Soup performed as the support act. Delighted by their free improvisation on pocket-sized electronic toys, trumpet and oscillators, he arranged to meet Hori, Okubo and Ikeda a few days later for a session at their apartment. The resulting three-hour recording, made on their living room floor, formed the basis for Improvisations and Edits. A few days later, Jelinek returned to Berlin. Over the following months, they separately chose passages from the recording that were then edited and assembled into an album.

Formed in Tokyo in 1996 as a quintet (including Shusaku Hariya and Daisuke Oishi), Computer Soup began by performing with acoustic instruments on the streets of Shibuya. Ikeda und Okubo soon switched instruments, and from then on the group's minimalistic but densely woven sound was defined by electronic toys, oscillators and Satoru Hori's trumpet. Their first album was released in 1997 on the Japanese label Soup Disk. Eight further releases followed.

From the reviews of Improvisations and Edits, Tokyo 26.09.2001 in 2003:

"The mind-blowing first track Straight Life is perhaps the best example of what the album has to offer. Jelinek's trademark smears and washes occupy the midrange, like ghosted images of Joe Zawinul's electric piano floating quietly in the wind. DSP jazz modes are set against a walking bassline (possibly computer generated) and a gently tooted trumpet complete with Harmon mute, a dead ringer for Miles Davis' Prestige-era ballads. The effect is something like a three-dimensional film, with different realities on each layer, images of what jazz was manage to interact with a real-time demonstration of all it could be."
pitchfork, 2003

"Improvisations and Edits is a warm and mellow Ambient release with beautiful glitch fragments, static noise bursts and real trumpet intersections. However, there are times where it is the exact opposite, mainly effect-laden, overdriven and bouncy with a lack of melodies and focus, so be aware of these specific tracks."
ambientexotica, 2003

"Often deliciously dreamy and hazy, Improvisations and Edits is like listening to an exceptional instrumental jazz performance while half-conscious or under some sort of chemical influence. Computerised blips and bleeps, loops and treatments and murky sonic skips curl up around desolate horn notes and scattered instrumental noises that culminate in elegant music."
exclaim.ca, 2003

A cosmic, phased-out percussion adventure by Shimshon Miel, a lone-wolf hippie from Tel-Aviv who experimented with hallucinogenic psych-folk, and self-released his only album in 1977. Fortuna Records reissues two of the album's killer cuts for the very first time, alongside a late-night club edit by Kalbata. Expect extra trippy percussion soundscapes layered on top of a thumping bass guitar in wild 70's style stereo action. Kalbata's remix is a straight up voodoo ritual, adding much needed 808 subs to the jacked-up original.

On "down In 1150" Vienna Based Crate Digger, Producer, Dj And Secret Crunch Head Honcho Roman Rauch Pushes His Distinctive Style Of House Music Forward. The Ep Eatures 5 Tracks Of Pure Funky Vibes, Rugged Beats And Catchy Vocal Sampling. Check "don't Tell" On A-side For An Euphoric Soulful Opener, Or "bumble Beat" For A Slower, Groovy Disco House-pleasure. Catchy "don't Know" Gets An An Exzellent Remix Done By The One And Only Intr0beatz From Island. In The End "down To Love You" Features A Funky Bassline Zapp & Roger Would Be Proud Of.

It's a pleasure to get behind your friends from around world, in fact that's the motive behind the breadth of the ESP Institute catalogue, but its truly a special feeling to represent your friends and your neighborhood at the same time. Producers Sonns (Alexandre Mouracade) and the mysterious Venice Beach native Tavish Graham are both long time friends of the ESP Institute family, we break bread, we take care of each other, and we cherish our collaborations more than anything, but we're also neighbors. That said, ESP is proud to announce a homegrown endeavor, the debut of Sonns & Tavish. The two have long been stewards of the Los Angeles underground, but after loads of early morning banter and the camaraderie that comes with this smoke'n'strobe life, they've now committed their singular vision to print—two epic cuts that make us proud. Side A's title track Trycksaker is a thumper, a mid-tempo big-drum-laden beast that chugs the whole way through carrying an array of eerie bleeps and fleeting sighs. Side B's Roguish Days pulls together influences from various corners of the pair's DJ repertoire, gelling a wicked breakbeat with a wormy acid bassline and even more exotic sighs, something that might possibly grow into a signature of sorts. This release is ready just in time for the Spring/Summer exploits, and we couldn't be more proud to finally enjoy hearing these heavy-hitters in the club. Tip!

His latest release I KNOW from Elypsia Records is a quintet of Detroit inspired remixes of the song 'I Know'. Inspired by Kevin Saunderson, his original TECHNO MIX (7:06) is a hardcore and high energy track with intensity to match the wildest of crowds. The EP also contains 3 remixes of the track, each exposing and accentuating the brilliant aspects of his complex tune. It begins with the LUCIEN FOORT REMIX (6:41), a lively big room hit with a punch fit for an epic Saturday night. UK MIX (6:46) follows with subtle electric melo-dies and rhythmic drum and bass patterns that give listeners the feel of wonder and excitement under a clear starry sky. With a clean and gravitating groove BIT FLOAT REMIX (7:42) would fit perfectly in any Ibiza party with flair and style. This release is a masterpiece of its own and nothing less than the product of a man who was born with beats and melodies ingrained in his soul. For Orlando Voorn, making music is more than a way of life, it's a necessity. From the early age of 9 his natural intuitions became apparent when his drum teacher told his parents he could play everything that was shown to him, even though he had no ability to read a score. He began to DJ at the age of 12, and 3 years later won the World Mixing Championships of 1983 at just 15 years old. Steve Clisby, from the popular American band 'American Gypsies', recognized Voorn's ability and taught him chord structures, which gave him the tools to begin composing tracks using keys and bass. His artistry then took off, making a name for him-self with his vibrant dance tracks under the alias 'Frequency". Today, he's known as one of the Netherland's most inventive and ingenious producers in the world of electronic dance music. Having produced a wide variety of music under a number of monikers including 'Fix', 'Format', 'Urban Nature' and 'X-it', his diverse ability stems

Get in the car, we're goin' to the Cirque Du Freque, starring Normal Ones, Deepchord, and Lost Lake. A journey from the murky depths to the boogie caves, from your pals at Make Mistakes.

On the A side, Deepchord crafts a driving, shifting, wall of noise. Melodic stabs and resonant fuzz coat a pulsing beat and

bass. Hypnotic and divine, Deepchord's take on the original is a potent, psychedelic tool for the late night warehouse dance floor.

The original shines bright, a playful groove with an undercurrent of menace. With that sweet, sweet growling bass, and tip-a-tap percs, skittering all about, Cirque Du Freque brings the dirty heat. Cirque du Freque carries an old school vibe, with modern sensibilities; a memorable jam for sweaty frantic, nights.

Every time the label features Lost Lake, he delivers an original, compelling dance floor jam, while retaining a warm, familial vibe. You'll know it when you hear it, as Lost Lake's pure electro funk works its way through your soul. One of those tracks you drop down into to relieve some pressure in the room, a deep sigh of release in preparation for the next round.

As always, Make Mistakes brings high quality and varied content to the table. Cirque du Freque is another versatile, high quality record, that any DJ can stick in their crate knowing it'll find a way to fill a special moment in any night.

Mindblowing Afro-Soul music from Ivory Coast served up by Deke Tom Dollard, an obscure artist who only recorded two albums in 1979 and 1981 but who created an original funky fusion with Bété langage. A Selection of four amazing tracks recorded in Abidjan on two different records label called War Records and As Records.

The music here is a mixture of Funk with heavy basslines, traditional percussions, funky guitar riffs, nice horns section and lyrics in Beté. The song Demonde' is inspired by harmonies of the famous Dance to the Drummer Beat' by Herman Kelly.

Those two rare records were found by Afrobrazilero (aka Djamel Hammadi) and never appeared on the vinyl market. It's almost impossible to have infos about this singer and composer neither the musicians involved in the recording sessions. Most of the traces of the recording session were lost by the labels we licensed the tracks with.

Unique, pressed on a deluxe vinyl, remastered by The Carvery, this very Funky album is a must have for all the Afro Funk lovers!

S3A, a fundamental player in the French house scene and resident at Paris' famous Concrete between 2012 and 2016 has been making serious waves with releases on labels such as Gerd's 4lux, Local Talk, Hold Youth, Lazare Hoche, Quintessentials, his very own Sampling As An Art records and in 2016 he debuted with his track "Antois Benime (Austral Parc)" on the second release of Quartet Series. This cut became a major summer hit, played by nearly every house music DJ, including Byron the Aquarius during his wicked set on the Boiler Room stage at Dekmantel in 2017. We decided this greatly deserved a follow up and we're proud to finally present Climax EP with S3A's signature sound written all over it....

Opening on the A side is "Presentiment", a collaboration with Mika Blaster. Starting off with majestic strings then suddenly dropping into a massive beat with haunting samples flourishing over the thriving percussion telling you to dance... THOU SHALT DANCE!! The second track "Something More" picks up where Antois Benime left off. A genius mix of uplifting samples and 909 percussion makes this another club ready weapon, bound to leave smiling faces on the dancefloor.

When flipping the record you'll dive into S3A's deepness with "Wu Impact". Soft and sweet Rhodes chords, an insanely groovy bass line with percussion and those mellifluous strings again. Finishing off the release is a deep slammer that goes by the name of "Influences", again a display of S3A's ability to use a wide array of elements within a single tune, molded together to one coherent, lovable and danceable piece. Boy did we wish we had the sampling skills of this master.

A must have record for any House Music lover. On y va!

Transmitting treacherous local energy into his new creative undertakings, Bogdan now joins the Not An Animal force keeping the flame well and truly ignited. A'Parovoznikov' fires across all cylinders with a vigorous Italo-arp bass motor, driving it further down the cosmic highway, engine doused in fully-lubricated synth-pad oil.Justin Van Der Volgen's remix swiftly rips the wing mirror clean off with a zealous two-to-the-floor-hitting blowout. On the B, 'Listopad' cruises top down with a more Balearic approach. A dreamy square bass glissades alongside percussive hats and succulent pads that shuffle within the horizon, whilst computer bleeps chomp and add an intensifying clarity. Kito Jempere's remix closes the release with his first contribution to the label. It lifts up the original and drives towards sundown into moonlight. Warping bass tones squelch against fetching stabs and brash breaks keeping this track fully pulsating.

Mikkel Metal returns to Copenhagen's Echocord this May with his new mini LP 'Just Enough Light', comprising six originals from the Danish artist. Copenhagen based producer and DJ Mikkel Metal has been a beacon of light in the Danish electronic music scene and further afield for nearly two decades now, with the Dub Techno imprint from his hometown, Echocord, being the predominant home for his output, whilst also releasing material on Cologne's Kompakt, Tartelet, Semantica and Avant Roots, a telling sign of the quality embodied in his work. Here though we see Mikkel deliver a mini album concept in the shape of 'Just Enough Light' and opener 'Awake' perfectly sets the tone with emotive, dynamically unfolding atmospherics, tension building bass drones and spiraling dub chords subtly easing us into the project. 'Bregnan' then stirs in some classing Dub-Techno tropes with billowing stab sequences, lumpy subs and off beat high hats carrying the hypnotic groove for six and a half minutes. 'Jech' then strips things back to an almost beatless amalgamation of murky chords and modulating synth whirrs. Opening the flip side of the release is 'Include' which embraces a brighter feel via ethereal pad swells, jazztinged synth melodies and bumpy 909 rhythms before 'Konkin' edges back into the eerie, brooding aesthetic with bubbling echoes, broken drums and menacing bass swells at its core. 'Restore' then closes the package on a stripped-back vibe, laying focus on an ever- eveolving singular dub chord to ebb and flow around thunderous subs, kicks and bright hats.

Big one... offering a true big choice of vibes, with that Midnight Ravers from Anna... bringing a pure new House groove for the best surpise here... The Gulls remix is also a very nice easy listening house sound... A side opens with Dabora Hip Hop Techn oremix... full surprise ! Karoni Foli is probably the most modern track here, exploring the roots of bass Music in a very african sound design. This record is a pearl ! Don't miss!

The next instalment in the My Rules catalog sees label owner Justin Van Der Volgen take on Japanese house legend Yukihiro Fukutomi aka Foog's techy club jam 'Flying'.

Originally available as a digital-only release, it's twisted into two exclusive new versions.
On the A-side edit, Justin travels down the less walked path of splicing and shortens the track, which along with his subtle drum additions tastefully amplify and sharpen the feeling of tension and release.
The B-side dub is a heavy bass and drum mix complete with flanged hissing hi-hats, alien claps and cavernous echoes.

Cool Drum & Bass, kind of a tekstep dream. Melodious and mental.

Big Big one here again ! Ragga Jungle and ragga Drum & bass dancefloor... Flavour number one !

Another fierce and unique act from the depths of the Glasgow underground appear on Optimo Music with their debut Green Door studios recorded four track EP.

Keyboard player Jim McKinven was previously in Altered Images, worked for many years in Martin Rushent's Genetic Studios, was in One Dove and previously appeared on Optimo Music as one half of Organs Of Love. He is however but one component of this transgenerational band.

They describe their music far better than we could - "Seedy Electronica, consisting of 2 Basses, Electronic Drums, Synths and Dark Vocals. Inspired by the avant-garde that influenced the electronic music scene of the late '70's and early '80's.'

The 2nd release on Steady Work By Dear Friends features Conti with his exceptional consignment to all lovers of left field approaches to house and bass loaded music. Contis MA Lumps EP allows you to get a feeling for the crocking of the toxic but cheering industrial spheres of the city of Mannheim. This Ep is an emulsion out of distorted beats, field recordings, sampled baselines and vocal snippets, processed through a mpc, tracks in a rough tape compression mix style. Funky-But-Not-Funky-Kraut-Hop-House at it`s best. Slope down from your faith by those lumps.

Experimental industrial Bass music. Something unexpected and sometime techno, really worked-out on the sound quality. Meeting of noise a,nd mechaniks. Crazy stuff is so important in our life...

Minimal bass music jungler... Deejay tool of afternoon big sound outdoor on special request ! Big BIG !

Banging Hard techno, full bass sound for real... A bloody pearl coming from Gelstat and L'Iguane... Legendary producer of the Chronobrain 16 ! Road Creator.

Due to a misspress the records is not Blue, but Black...

Precision dubsteppin' drum & bass collides with tweaked IDM-techno and zero-gravity ambient.

Synthek is quite simply a master of deep hypnotic abstract techno. The Berlin based Italian has made plenty of waves since his first vinyl releases back in 2010 and has gone on to secure residencies at Tresor. The Hidden Dimension sees Luca retrace his account of entering hidden dimensions in musical form. Breathe and Surrender starts off proceedings in ambient bliss, setting the tone perfectly for Process Recall to introduce percussion and bass into the flow, before Duality takes centre stage and shows off Synthek's impeccable production skills in creating a serious deep slice of hypnotism. Harmony then takes things back down to earth and wraps up the story with a calming presence.

It's taken almost 3 years to get the man like Medlar back on Delusions fol- lowing his 2015 release with Dan Shake but finally it's come together. That release, along with his regular output for Wolf, Riverette and For Discos Only has helped cement Medlar's reputation as one of the leading UK un- derground house producers and led to official remixes and approved edits for legendary labels TK Disco and West End no less! The Medlar seal of quality has led to support from such influential heavyweight selectors as DJ Harvey, Gilles Peterson and DJ Koze.

Kicking things off we see Medlar in straight up dance floor mode on title track NRG, coming through with a drum-heavy workout that utilises a gnarly bassline, echoing synth stabs and rasping hats to excellent effect.
Flip over for his own Dub Version which strips things back further placing all the emphasis on the bassline and going heavy on the Space Echo for a tripped out, dubby warehouse vibe tailor made for the freaky hours.
Closing the EP we have the aptly named Tripped which drops the BPM's for a low-slung mood-setter to warm up the floors with. A simple groove lays the foundation for a rolling bassline while chiming synths weave in and out of the spacious mix.

· Bart Davenport's 7th album since his 2002 solo debut
· West Coast yacht rock meets '80s English pop
· Produced by L.A. Takedown's Aaron M. Olson
· Confirmed live dates in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Vida Festival (Spain)

Recorded in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, Blue Motel is the new album by Bart & The Bedazzled, a brand new musical enterprise by Bart Davenport and his seventh album proper since his solo breakout in 2002. Alluding to Los Angeles with the lights down, it's an amalgam sound of '80s English pop and West Coast yacht rock jams, sprinkled with cinematic flourishes clearly influenced by the understated production of L.A. Takedown's Aaron M. Olson. The jangly pop aesthetic, resplendent with choppy chorus tinted guitar, snappy snares, sax and bass is underlined with life trodden stories about day jobs, dating, financial insecurities, lost innocence and most prominently, time travel.

The album lives somewhere in an imagined past (or future) that is curiously both the 1960s and 1980s conveying the groups's nostalgia for a fantasy world with a cheeky cynicism, despite a perception of a world that is, for Bart, on the downfall. To that end, Davenport's songs are, as always, delivered with a happy and sad sensibility reminiscent of the great Burt Bacharach. From the surreal yet humorous 'The House That Built Itself' to the sad surf music of 'Halloween By The Sea' or the romantic L.A. noir of the title track, Blue Motel arrives with a spoonful of tears, a nod and a wink.

The Bedazzled band lineup, united by their love of the 'Elegant '80s', includes the guitar of Wayne Faler (Dream Boys), drums, percussion and beats by Andres Renteria (Jose Gonzales) and post-punk bass lines from Jessica Espeleta (L.A. Takedown). The four friends from Los Angeles, united in their affection for the more sophisticated sounds of English '80s groups like Prefab Sprout and Style Council give the setlist a more distinctively pop flavour compared to Bart's soulful last outing on his album Physical World, also released on Lovemonk. Blue Motel features regular appearances from female vocalist Nedelle Torrisi (Domino, Asthmatic Kitty) who notably adds the lush layers of harmony on 'The Amateurs'. Saxophonist Billy McShane is also featured on three songs with improvisations that evoke the scene of whales in outer space.

Producer Olson often incorporates soundtrack and avant-garde elements in his own work. His gift for song arrangement, understanding of the synth and penchant for subtlety all shine brightly on Blue Motel.

From the redwood forests of Big Sur and the industrial warehouses of downtown Los Angeles comes PFEIFFER, a label dedicated to quality and a diverse musical output. Pfeiffer follows in the footsteps of labels such as Svek and Kompakt, known for releasing a wide range of techno and house with a common thread of unique and unpredictable energy. Looking to bring this type of eclectic curation into the modern era, Pfeiffer draws inspiration from the raw simplicity and effortless magnetism of its namesake location on the central coast of California.

The sophomore release from Pfeiffer is here, and with it new sounds and styles from the label's anonymous lead producer. 'Forgot' kicks things off with an off kilter, swinging groove and clever zany synth work to match. Shifting basslines bounce under classic Robert Owens vocals, evolving into a huge riff over the course of the tune. On the flip, 'Feel The Love' follows suit with a sub-heavy, stomping groove, staying in the deeper end of the spectrum. A playful synth riff grows throughout the track, weaving throughout the combination of chopped vocals, analog sounds and hand played percussion.

The optimum effect of Music of the Five Elements will be achieved if each side of this recording is played through, from beginning to end without interruption. Music of the Five Elements, when used as a meditational or body work tool, rather than entertainment, will increase in effect over time. Overplaying or improper use, however, may eventually diminish its designed effect'
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Music is the healing force of the universe. It's an ancient idea bandied about by Pythagoras and Plato. In the last century, music as medication has been explored by musicians as diverse as Albert Ayler, Spacemen 3 and Pauline Oliveros. Nowhere did this concept gain more traction than in the so-called realm of New Age Music, an entire movement of synth droners and echoey flautists recording home-baked healing mantras on 4-track. In recent years, thanks to cassette collecting devotees and open-minded music journalists, New Age has shed its flowing robes and is being mined for the truly incredible music that swells under its pastel surface. Musician/acupressurist Sam McClellan's 1982 Music of the Five Elements is one of those revelatory discoveries, an unrivalled work of intense research and focus, simultaneously a near perfect work of art and a scientifically sound elixir for body and mind.

After studying electronic composition at Hampshire College with Randall McClellan (no relation), Sam McClellan became intrigued with the possibilities of healing through music. He explored this idea by applying the ancient Chinese philosophy of medicine to the principles of musical composition. Using the pentatonic scale (the traditional scale of Chinese music), McClellan related each of the notes to one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal Water), and created five variations for each. He experimented with tempo, beat, pitch, duration, and sound quality, studying the effect on people's energy levels. Using the results of his tests he developed a comprehensive theory of sonic healing and spent the next year composing an album designed to help people achieve inner balance, reducing anxiety and energy depletion.

Music of the Five Elements is not only the acoustic massage' that McClellan set out to make, but is a fully realized and peerless piece of music. Taking cues from Minimalism, American Primitive guitar (Fahey & Basho) and even psychedelia, the album is a continuous sound voyage for voice, synthesizer, guitar, bowed bass, piano, effects and ciao (Chinese flute) all played by McClellan himself. Although divided into sections, the journey is best undertaken as a whole, without distraction.

Our boss Claude VonStroke is the busiest guy we know. When he's not traveling the world or curating an event, he's in the studio every day putting in hours upon hours, relentless in perfecting his craft. He's had a slew of hits the past couple years in the form of remixes and collaborations, and now with the 'Walay (My Bae)' EP, Claude gets back to some inventive and somewhat 'out of the box' solo works.

The title song leads with a melodic riff and an funky vocal that sounds like a defective cyborg is proclaiming love for his partner, 'Walay.' This quasi-human uses the slang 'My Bae' to try and pass for human and we almost believe in his passion. The sound harkens back to old classic rave tracks but also pushes very modern production techniques.

On the flip, 'Raw Nerve' is an emotional exploration in both sounds and lyrics. A melancholy VonStroke dives deep into his insecurities and fears with sonically mutated lyrics like 'I'm feeling so sad, I'm feeling real bad today. When I see you on the street I dont want to compete.' You can feel the social instability oozing out of the vocal only to come back at the close with a violently hard bassline embodying the personal angst and frustration that goes along with not 'fitting in.'

Med School's most innovative release series returns. Responsible for delivering the drum & bass scene early stories of Etherwood, Royalston, Stray and Whiney, 'New Blood' is definitive of Med School's ethos when it comes to discovering and nurturing quality talent. With artists constantly redrawing the boundaries of 170BPM, this '018' edition breaks the mould showcasing the weird and wonderful sounds from the genre's most promising new talent.

Interdimensional waveman Lakeway has mustered up a jukey-jungle hybrid in the form of 'Lock Off'. Panpipe synths and some big beat steps combine to make the ultimate banger. Keeping things correct is Bristolian serpent Constrict. Choppy snares and flirty 8-bit synth stabs slither together to create 'Tight Coil'. Both choice cuts for any DJ looking for that D&B curveball.

This internationally spread line-up also features some of Russia's best D&B exports. A.Fruit's 'Tender Love' is a delectable fusion of footwork and techno rolled into one and Soela's 'I Wish You Would Come' is an ambient spaced out down tempo number.

A myriad of styles from across the globe are the key ingredients for the 'New Blood 018' LP. Med School has once again proven its A&R prowess, signalling to the world there is no better home for fresh talent.

Fantastisches, drittes Album des Münchner Produzenten SCNTST aka Bryan Müller auf Boysnoize Records. "Scenes And Sketches From The Lab" ist ein amtliches Werk, das die makellosen Skills, Reife und Musikalität des jungen Produzenten, kombiniert mit einer Fülle an frischen Ideen, offenbart. Die 14 Tracks hüllen Techno, Ambient, Bass, IDM und Electronica in neue, kunstvolle und hochdetaillierte Formen, die sowohl auf Kopfhörer als auch im Club perfekt funktionieren.

In recent times Alex Pletnev has been making his mark on the musical stratosphere with an array of works from from cold wave edits, through gorgeous adaptations of african and world music to tribal techno originals. He joins us as Pletnev for "Aztec Code / Daywalker", a 12" combining his abundant influences to take us to bizarre, far-off places.

"Aztec Code" is a pure dance thing. Inspired by the fat kicks and live bass lines of the Big Beat era, Pletnev combines a jumping beat with african percussion and a charismatic vocal that seems to call out from between the palm fronds of somewhere steamy as we work up a sweat. Tenderly crafted with samples taken from almost 10 records, one-shots, drum layers and melodic licks are treated and mixed, giving rise to a warm, lush atmosphere perfect for circling a fire deep in the tropics.

On the flip, "Daywalker" is a completely original, synthesised outing. A sleazy lead line charms and slithers upwards between layers of syncopated tabla and a sultry acidic groove. The tune spins and twists around this central oriental theme, ever-evolving as layers of detailed percussion and ad-libbed melodies intensify the tone.

Sound artist Eva Geist joins Fleeting Wax label head Mehmet Aslan to spin "Daywalker". The pair create a sonic bridge between the two originals. Their hazy rework dubs out some electronic elements, adding contorted sound design, distant vocals, lofi samples and an italo leaning bass. A mystic incantation for spaced out late morning moments.

The band Gruppenbild was named after Heindrich Böll's famous novel and was the first musical output by the versatile Stijn Meuris (Noordkaap, Monza). Drummer Frank Coonen would later go on to be a member of 90ties indie powerpop trio 'The Romans'. Also joining in here are Luc Vrancken (Bass), Marc Guffens (Guitar) and Stijn's brother Koen Meuris on the Keyboards. As legend has it Meuris got the idea of starting his own band through his history teacher in the small provincial town of Overpelt. Said teacher was the bass player of 'De Brassers', a by then already notorious new wave punk band who had made it to the finals of Humo's Rock Rally in 1980. Blown away by the sheer simplicity and power of De Brassers music, the teenage 5 piece Gruppenbild was formed that same year. Taking inspiration from both British postpunk cornerstones as well as Belgian bands like 'Siglo XX', 'TC Matic' and the Dutch band 'De DIV' 2 years later they too found themselves in the finals of the Rock Rally. Noordkaap (Stijn's future band) would win the contest in 1990. Onbereikbaar On the Gruppenbild 7' one can already hear Meuris' melancholic singing style and his ability to write excellent lyrics in Dutch that would define the future of his musical career. The Tranquillity EP was originally released on Blitz Records in 1982, this was the band's first & only release & has become quite the rare collectable that is fetching hundreds on the second hand market. Now finally back available as a limited 7' EP (500 copies), released exclusively for Record Store Day Belgium 2018.

Ghent based pianotrio Steiger have earned their place in the ever growing peloton of young Belgian jazz innovators. As a result, they won the Young Jazztalent price at the 2017 Gent Jazz Festival. With their luscious and rigid grooves in minimalistic framing, they cose themselves between SCHNTZL and De Beren Gieren, likewise minded young Beljazzbands that don't take it so closely with traditions. They play jazz with a rock'n'roll attitude. Sdban Ultra is very pleased to present a sampler of their debut album 'And Above All' on a limited 10" vinyl for Record Store Day 2018. This release marks their introduction on Sdban Ultra, their sophomore album is expected next fall. And Above All' houses both jazz and modern compositions, avant-garde and experimental electronics. Steiger takes inspiration from jazz and refers to the traditions but equally pulls those apart, for example in the chaotic miniature 'Bachfag' and in the intimate 'Inverse/Reverse'. With 'Berlin Revisited' the band clearly chooses electronic instrumentation. It is reminiscent of the electronic jazz of the noughties: bands like Triosk, Sofa Surfers and Flanger did not so much work towards jazz but used the genre as a stepping stone to dive into the cosmos. Steiger are launching themselves into infinity on this track with a pounding beat, shrill cymbals, overdriven keys and an unwieldy bass.

2x12"

Losoul returns to action with his first long player in almost ten years, and delivers a stunning collection of compositions for the Hypercolour released 'Island Time'. Otherwise known as Peter Kremeier, the German producer has mesmerized us for many years with his organic and emotive house music, largely released on the influential Playhouse label, but of late has seen him release singles for Karat and Tardis Records, as well as his very own Another Picture label. Fans of Losoul won't be disappointed, as a diverse yet utterly familiar sound aesthetic pours out over the album's seven tracks in his own inimitable style. The jazzy broken beats of 'Gold Tooth' shine with their micro-sample chops, whilst 'Mean Time' is a dense and dubby slow stomp, teasing the drums with space echo and injecting sparse bass work where it matters. Inventive, spongy house grooves are delivered on 'Boppin Lower' and 'Square Down Smoother' whilst the album closer, 'Lava In You' is a master class in ambient sonics and shimmering keys over a lo-fi swinging groove. It's been over 20 years since Losoul's signature single 'Open Door', and the German producer continues to pour out honest and rewarding music.

TRORA Vol. 1 is Panda Lassow's interpretation of recent global tropical bass movements like Gqom, Kuduro and more. She likes bass music from around the world. Thus, we can also hear influences from Bounce and Booty elements. As born and grown up in Eastern Germany, in TRORA Vol. 1 she combines these with her musical roots she found in techno and rave music.

Two seminal cuts from Norman Whitfields standout project, The Undisputed Truth. Remastered and reissued on 180g vinyl.
If you're not familiar with 'You + Me = Love', well that bass synth intro will have you hooked from the off. 'Sandman' on the B side is a funk bomb nestled on the Smokin' LP....must have!

Instant is the trio of Bernd Schöll (Bass, Vocals, Rhythm), Mike Hauer (Guitar, Synth, Percussion), and Marion Siekmann (Vocals) from Munich, Germany. They formed in 1980 after meeting through mutual friends attending the local art and graphic design school. The trio were dissatisfied with their surrounding musical environment. Inspired by the Velvet Underground, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder, they set out to create their own brand of Neue Deutsche Welle fusing Dada, disco, and Krautrock.

Over the course of 2 weeks in Summer 1980 the band teamed up with local producer Mario Strack to record 6 songs. These would make up their debut eponymous album that was originally self-released on 10' vinyl in 1981. They utilized a simple set up of guitar, bass, and keyboards, plus the BOSS DR-55 Dr. Rhythm drum machine. Metal scraps clanging appear on the tracks 'Do Not' and 'Optimate Minimum', and a washing machine was sampled on the track 'Joyboy', which features Marion reading from the appliance's instruction manual. The A-side features 4 tracks in 11 minute, while the B-side hosts 2 songs in the same stretch of time. 'Charade' features no wave saxophone accompaniment from Kai Taschner of Munich New Wave band Luna Set. Marion's vocals are between Nico's Teutonic chill and Alison Statton's (Young Marble Giants) playfulness, while Bernd takes a monotone approach. Lyrics for 'My Boy' and 'Everybody's Gotta Mutate' were adapted from 'Rotwang', a fragmented novel written by Tim Hildebrandt, one of the brothers famous for illustrating the works of Tolkien.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The vinyl comes housed in a replica of the original jacket design, which features a neon red screen-printed drawing of a cut-out doll family on a stark white background. Each LP includes a postcard insert with lyrics.

* To celebrate 15 years of the Intrigue club night, Ben Soundscape's Intrigue Music label will release 'Intrigue 15'. The album is a truly versatile selection covering a wide spectrum of deep drum & bass. It contains 15 exclusive tracks and from the likes of Calibre, Break, Randall, Random Movement, Ill Truth, Ben Soundscape, RoyGreen & Protone, Joakuim, Raw Q and more. It follows the previous four in the series, which began at the start of 2014. It has received huge support from across the scene including plays by ReneLaVice on BBC Radio 1, DJ Marky, Fabio, LTJ Bukem and more.

* In come the first of three releases celebrating a decade of pioneering label Kapsize. Fronted by leading light of Bristol dance music, Joker showcases one of his most iconic sounds to date.

* Suave sophistication not out of place in a Bond or Bourne film, backed with dancefloor aggression, 'Anamorphic' oozes the hi tech international espionage Purple sound Joker has carved out for himself. Opening with plush synth and horn washes, leading into unmistakable arpeggiators and guitar riffs, 'Anamorphic' manages to combine Joker's signature sexy RnB vibes into perfectly engineered system smashing bass lines with ease and style.

* 'Forever' explores the same theme with soundscapes and synth washes that Vangelis would be proud of. A textural flight over the landscape Joker painted with 'Anamorphic', 'Forever' gives listeners a chance to take in the sights and sounds of the neon cities and skylines that Joker made his name on.

* Joker continues the exploration and continuation of the sounds that made his name, elements of 'Snake Eater', 'Tron' and 'Neon City' can be found here with a new slant. A showcase of a unique pioneer at the top of his game.

"The kind of melancholia I'm talking about, by contrast, consists not in giving up on desire, but in refusing to yield. It consists, that is to say, in a refusal to adjust to what current conditions call 'reality' - even if the cost of that refusal is that you feel like an outcast in your own time." (Mark Fisher, Ghosts Of My Life, Zero Books 2014, p. 24) In Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures', the author Mark Fisher outlines - to put it in a big way - a resistant melancholy. This stands in contrast to leftist melancholy resignation', as well as something which Fisher does not talk about: its common masculine counterpart, habitual post-left cynicism - as in seen it all before'. Fisher calls this hauntological melancholy. Haunting, spooks, ghosts and apparitions are an almost constant presence on I Started Wearing Black', the second album by the Cologne-based artist Sonae (pronounced so-nah'). The term hauntology shares a fate with retro-futurism when it comes to inflationary overuse and abuse. It's a conceptual container that looks good and can hold a lot, indeed, too much. Furthermore, hauntology has its peak season behind it, a term on the threshold of its expiration date. Nevertheless, I would like to rehabilitate hauntology and use it properly to characterize I Started Wearing Black', because the term is rarely as compelling to describe music as is the case here. The most recent other example could be Asiatisch' by Fatma Al Qadiri, but with a completely different frame of reference. What are the ghosts of this music It rustles, crackles, ruffles, crunches, rattles, scrapes, sometimes a beat emerges from the constant noise, sometimes an obscure voice mumbles incomprehensibly, sometimes a melancholy piano figure is prevented by this noise from coming too much to the foreground. It definitely is eerie - to bring into play another term used by Fisher in the title of his latest book, The Weird and the Eerie'. In British pop-jargon, eerie first occurred to me more often when referring to particularly leftfield, spooky and... well... ghostly dub, a bass-heavy, echoing noise, from Augustus Pablo to Creation Rebel to Burial. Unlike the Wald & Wagner records by Wolfgang Voigt, Sonae is not a kind of neo-romantic veiling with a tendency for escapist nebula. It is more a noise of latency. The noise signals a latent - not necessarily acute - threat, a latent uneasiness about... yes... about what About a System Immanent Value Defect' That's the name of a track on I Started Wearing Black' where something that sounds like a French Horn (or a foghorn) battles for attention through or against the background noise. An email from Sonae: The piece 'System Immanent Value Defect' should actually be called 'I See Turkey'. I wrote it for my fellow student Elif - she is a pianist and Gezi Park activist from Istanbul. Through her I witnessed the inner conflict and agitation that political circumstances can create: her feelings of guilt when there was an attack, with her safe in Germany as a student, watching the events from afar. It was horrible. When her mother begged her not to come home because she feared for her safety, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. I started with the piece from this mood, beginning with the piano, then the noise (modulated sinusoidal curves), which reminded me of waves and the then heatedly discussed Mediterranean sea: atmospheric, melancholy motifs. In contrast is the anger, the pressure, represented in corresponding sounds - hopefully audible! - During this time I started to think about world views as they can be found around the globe, in how far they held by societies and their political representation. I realized that I know of no political system that is actually about the people and what would do them good. It's always about positions, power, money. I thought that was a lot more frightening on a global scale than merely viewing Turkey in isolation. That's why the piece is called "System Immanent Value Defect", because our world suffers from precisely that. Everywhere, it's all about the wrong things.' Between the wrong things there are happy moments. In the title track, after 184 seconds of rattling and hissing, a beat is unleashed, like an arrow released from a spanned bow, a beatific relief, if there is such a thing. White Trash Rouge Noir' first meanders along spookily, then after 144 seconds it transforms itself into a distant cousin of Einstu¨rzende Neubauten's Yu¨ Gung', but there is no Big Male Ego to be fed here, and the black in the album title is a completely different type of black from that of the Neubauten. Furthermore, I Started Wearing Black' was finished long before the black dresses were worn at the Golden Globes as a sign of protest against sexual violence. Sonae writes that she herself started wearing black some time ago. Her reasons are so-called personal ones: ... resulting from an individual situation (lovesickness), I started to wear black (gaining weight and feeling ugly).' The political dimension of gaining weight, feeling ugly and therefore dressing in black in I Started Wearing Black' lurks within the noise and never becomes explicit and only rarely manifest - or a manifesto. Sonae writes about the track We Are Here': A piece for minorities... in this case, considering the current pop-feminist discourse, explicitly for women. Female artists have long been saying loud and clear that 'we are here' and 'electronic music is not a boys club!' But this pop-feminist moment should only be seen as one part of the dedication of the piece. It is for minorities, for the oppressed, who didn't belong enough.'

Klaus Walter

* Breaking into a new century, following last months 100th release on the label, Ishan Sound collaborates on 2 killer tracks with Bristol-based Hodge and Alex Hughes aka Muttley.

* 'C5' refers to cold explosives and makes for a perfect title for this stark, cold rhythm. A circling melodic synth line sets a moody context before the floor drops out and an industrial strength sub drives things forward at 130bpm. Deep, hard, dark, original. Exceptional quality from Ishan Sound and Hodge.

* Flip for a 140bpm excursion from Ishan Sound & Muttley, melding elements of trap, grime and dubstep meticulously to form an engaging sonic that is both fuel for the dancefloor as well as providing introspective qualities for bass weight meditation. 'Still Smoking' sums it up appropriately.

Desolat's Loco Dice joins the roster of Martinez Brothers Cuttin' Headz label this April with
'$lammer', backed with a remix from Detroit Techno veteran DJ T-1000.
Du¨sseldorf's Loco Dice has long been one of the most respected figures in contemporary electronic music with releases over the years on leading labels like Cocoon, Cadenza, Ovum and of course his own Desolat as well as a heavy touring schedule taking him across the globe year in year out. Here though we see Dice offering up his new single courtesy of Cuttin' Headz, a platform the Martinez Brothers and associates to deliver high octane, dance floor focused House and Techno.

The original mix of title track '$lammer' leads with spiralling brass like bass tones, flute licks, shuffled shakers and resonant synth hooks running alongside a bumpy bass line and an amalgamation of heady, processed vocal lines.

Following is Detroit's DJ T-1000 stepping up on remix duties, stripping back the aesthetic of the original to lay focus on robust rhythms and various vocal refrains from the original whilst chugging bass and tension building atmospherics gradually unfold throughout.