Search:cris

MonsieurWilly – “Stomp” (Nu-Disco Remake of The Brothers Johnson) – 7" Vinyl Single Get ready to move your feet: MonsieurWilly revitalizes the timeless funk anthem “Stomp” by The Brothers Johnson with an electrifying Nu-Disco makeover. Pressed on a high-quality 45 RPM 7" vinyl, this remake blends vintage groove with modern dancefloor energy, delivering an irresistible combination for DJs, collectors, and funk-disco lovers alike.

MonsieurWilly’s production pays homage to the original’s infectious basslines and uplifting spirit while injecting fresh synth textures, crisp beats, and a stylish contemporary polish. The result is a vibrant re-imagining that feels both nostalgic and brand new— perfect for setting the tone at any party or adding standout flair to your vinyl collection. This is another special and exclusive 45/7“ release via Soulkitchen Distribution…

The name Ran is a new one to us and seemingly remains, for now at least, cloaked in secrecy, but when we see their influences range from Loefah, Photek and Carrier to Source Direct, Regis and Mika Vainio, we were instantly hooked. To this new EP on Gelassenheit, then, which speaks to a producer with a rough and tough analogue sound and love of bass-driven techno. 'Violence' is gritty and heavy as it pounds out a groove with eerie pads in the distance, 'Minus' has punchy broken beats that come at you through a murky fog, and 'Closure ' then ducks and dives with a post-dubstep nimbleness as spooky background details suggest there is an oncoming threat. 'Manoeuvres' is a sparse, heavyweight and soot-black dub with crispy hits that demand a physical response. Early support from Carrier!

JNJS are Jay Nortown and Jacobo Saavedra, Ibiza residents and a dynamic duo who have made moves on the likes of Dias De Campo, Nothing But and UVAR. This time out they land on the influential Politics Of Dancing with three crisp, twisted takes on tech house. 'Between Us Two' is an easy to latch onto groove with fleshy bass and lithe chords darting about up top. 'Infection' has a swirling and rapping lead that brings more off-balance movement and 'Go Back' shuts down with some psychedelic leads smudged and smeared across the sky as the fulsome drums work down low. A Terence :Terry: remix brings bigger drums and more swag to this effective EP.

A light yet ominous atmospheric intro opens Pugilist’s account on Waveforms, quickly showcasing the Spatial family debutant’s shrewd prowess for mid 90’s breakbeats. An instantly familiar vocal sample gunning for your mind body and soul punctuates proceedings while solid breaks lead into a crunching amen throwdown - edited superbly with tricky arrangements and glorious melodic synthwork.

Straight into the breaks without delay, a DJ-friendly intro from Pugilist quickly escalates into a scintillating amen showcase with crisp, detailed edits taking you right back to a dirty basement dancefloor rippling with underground energy in 1994. Peppered with samples and light vocal hits - not to mention the doomsday basslines ready to tear holes in your sub - Pugilist has announced himself in style to the waveforms label.

repress Start 2026!

Celebrating 30 Years of Cherry Moon with this 5x12" vinyl box set, a collection of some of the most iconic tracks of the club. Dive into the history of one of Belgium's most iconic venues, the "House of House".

Vitamin Of The Moon launches as the new label and artistic platform of Toulouse-born, Berlin-based producer Lenny Mailleau, also known as one half of Zendid. The Question marks both its inaugural statement and Lenny’s first release under the new imprint. It is a focused, groove-driven record that moves between house, dub, techno, minimal, and space-disco. The tracks are delivered with quiet confidence, sophistication, and clear dancefloor intent.

The opener, “The Question,” establishes a taut, hypnotic framework. It features crisp 707 drums, syncopated movement, disco-tinged basslines, and a subtle, paranoid tension that relentlessly draws the floor in. “Saturday Déboch” stretches the energy further. It is built for late-night or early-morning moments when time dissolves into rhythm, using dub-inflected textures, highly detailed spatial echoes, and a patient, locomotive four-to-the-floor drive. On the flip, “Schönleinstrasse Caval” sharpens the architecture with stripped-back techno percussion and a rolling, functional pulse, clearly shaped by Mailleau’s time on Berlin floors. Closing the EP, “La Femme” (ft. Ariachi) adds a warmer, more playful and emotive layer by weaving vocal fragments and melodic accents around a minimal-tech core.

With The Question, Lenny Mailleau introduces Vitamin Of The Moon through restraint and clarity — positioning it as an extension of his personal language and refined club sensibility. A first chapter that honours minimalism’s roots while quietly pushing it forward, proving once more that focus, rhythm and atmosphere remain central to imagining contemporary club music.

Rick James Blends Brazen Attitude, Fearless Sexuality, and Shrewd Charisma on Street Songs:

Punk-Funk Album Aims for the Hips and Head, Includes the Timeless Hit “Super Freak”
Sourced from the Original Master Tapes and Strictly Limited to 4,000 Numbered Copies:

Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP Set Presents 1981 Smash in Audiophile Sound for the First Time
1/4” / 30 IPS analogue master to DSD 256 to analogue console to lathe


“Punk funk” was a relatively unknown concept before 1981. But once Street Songs took the charts by storm that year, the world soon knew about what became Rick James’ signature style. And how. True to its name, Street Songs blends outspoken sexuality, brazen attitude, and edgy commentary amid contagious R&B-fueled arrangements that simultaneously aim for the hips, head, and various nether regions. And it’s never sounded better.

Sourced from the original master tapes, strictly limited to 4,000 numbered copies, pressed at Fidelity Record Pressing, and housed in a Stoughton gatefold jacket, Mobile Fidelity’s 180g 45RPM 2LP set presents James’ platinum-certified effort in audiophile quality for the first time. Playing with crisp dynamics, lively textures, airy headroom, and revealing clarity, this collectible edition of the record that stayed at the No. 1 spot on the R&B Album Charts for 20 weeks invites you to get closer to music that beckons you to turn your space into a private dance floor.

Then again, you’ll likely be so taken by how the taut bass lines, snappy rhythms, and four-on-the-floor beats — all rendered in stunning detail and with full-bodied architecture — come across with such accuracy and presence, you might stay pinned to your seat. On this pressing, the soundstaging, imaging, and lit-fuse energy of Street Songs reach new heights. Everything from the rubbery feel of the guitar lines to the depth of James’ temperature-raising vocals to the scale of the horn charts emerges as if James and his ace session crew set up in your room.

The Buffalo native and his ensemble waste no time getting their message across. On the album-opening “Give It to Me Baby,” James and company lay down a mix of sleek funk and pulsing disco that practically activates the bright lights of a discotheque and stimulates the libido of anyone within earshot. Having reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Soul charts, the song is pure sex — and just one of the carnal delights on a record that embraces the subject as fearlessly as James does his identity.

Of course, the most famous of James’ erotic excursions — the timeless “Super Freak” — hit No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Play charts, No. 16 on the Hot 100, and, later, No. 153 on Rolling Stone’s list of the Top 500 Songs of All Time. Bolstered by a quavering keyboard theme and electro riffs, the much-sampled track worms itself inside your muscles with smile-inducing subject matter, gliding vocals, nimble movements, a hot tenor-saxophone solo, and backing vocals by the Temptations.

The iconic Motown group isn’t the only celebrated guest artist on the Grammy-nominated Street Songs. James’ then-labelmate, Stevie Wonder, lends harmonica to the frank sociopolitical narrative on “Mr. Policeman,” a protest tune that also manages to stroll ’n’ strut via simmering organ, staggering brass accents, and James’ gritty vocal performance. In addition to contributing backing vocals on several cuts, Teena Marie turns in one of the album’s signature moments on “Fire and Desire,” a romantic old-school duet with James that impresses with smoothness, sensitivity, and smokiness.

High-profile colleagues aside, James remains the undisputed star, a figure whose leather-and-latex attire, braided hair, and natural swagger made him misunderstood by some in the mainstream and embraced by everyone in the know as a true original. As a testament to his magnetism and skills, his charisma and rawness seemingly seep through every note, whether on the balladic sweep of the risqué “Make Love to Me” or strident, poke-and-prod persuasion of the moonwalking “Call Me Up.”

On the closing “Below the Funk (Pass the J),” an uptempo autobiographical tale that addresses the visionary musician’s second-favorite love, the singer acknowledges his upbringing and inseparable connection with his roots — an homage to where he began and a toast to where he’s gone.

Rick James, keepin’ it real on Street Songs, still as real as it gets.

With Severance, IGLO returns to Figure with a focused yet exploratory EP that reflects his open-ended approach to contemporary techno. The release moves fluidly between restraint and expression, combining functional structures with subtle, unconventional elements that give the tracks a distinct sense of character. Rather than settling into a fixed formula, Severance highlights IGLO's curiosity and willingness to push his sound forward while remaining grounded in precision and control.

Connection opens the release with a restrained, heads-down groove. A firm low-end foundation and sparse percussion lock into a steady momentum, while understated melodic elements add depth without breaking the track's linear drive.
On Kauriraris, the energy tightens. Nervous synth motifs and crisp rhythmic details create a sense of urgency, pushing the track forward through constant micro-variation. It's a lean and effective tool built for sustained pressure.
Flipping the record, Blink Twice moves into darker, denser territory. Murky textures and a weighty groove unfold gradually, building tension through repetition and space. The track thrives on its slow burn, making it well-suited for late-night transitions.
Alive introduces a more open and flowing feel. Warmer tonal elements and a subtle swing soften the edges, while the groove remains firmly anchored and forward-moving.
Digital-only track Forlornly closes the EP with a spacious and introspective mood. Reduced rhythms and airy melodic layers create a calm, drifting atmosphere that rounds off the release with control and restraint.
With Severance, IGLO delivers a tightly structured EP that emphasizes clarity, tension and functionality - a confident addition to the Figure catalogue.

Chris Liebing and Charlotte de Witte announce their second-ever collaborative release, 'Symphonie des Seins' (Symphony of Existence). The release, taking in an original alongside a Dub mix from Liebing, follows 2019's 'Liquid Slow' from the pair and marks the second release ahead of Chris Liebing's 'Evolver EP' releasing in late-March.

A surging acid-beast channelling mid-90s techno energy, 'Symphonie des Seins' sees de Witte delivering a tweaky, spoken
vocal comprising the hallucinogen-fuelled diaries of ayahuasca and DMT trip reports that Liebing stumbled upon online. Crisp
but heady, old school but utterly contemporary with its delivery, 'Symphonie des Seins' sees two techno artists with very
di?erent formative eras converge perfectly with a razor-sharp piece of dancefloor mayhem.

Following January's 'Roy Batty' EP, Chris Liebing and Charlotte de Witte's 'Symphonie des Seins' is the last single before Liebing's thirteen-track 'Evolver' LP lands on March 27th. The 'Evolver LP' features additional collaborations with Luke Slater, Speedy J, The Advent, The Alte Stuben Modular Ensemble aka Daniel Miller, Terence Fixmer, and Pascal Gabriel and is Liebing's first solo Techno LP, having focused on long-form electronica output alongside co-writer Ralf Hildenbeutel for 2018's 'Burn Slow' and 2023's 'Another Day' for Mute Records, and the André Walter co-produced 'Evolution' in 2002.

West Mineral returns with lushly amorphous actions by Shiner, Pontiac Streator & Ben Bondy aka Shinetiac; together fused for an immersive flux of vapoured dub, chopped and droned Billie Eilish, and fidgety algorithmic jams.

There's not a single, specific sound you can peg to the West Mineral axis at this stage in the label’s evolution - it's rather a set of shared aesthetics that freely bend into various interconnected shapes. Shinetiac's contemptuous, critic-baiting gear is the ideal example; on their last album, 2023's 'Not All Who Wander Are Lost', skittery, ketamized IDM sparkled over Spice Girls samples and the Foo Fighters' 'Everlong' was transmuted into Sneaker Pimps-style trip-hop. 'Infiltrating Roku City' might be a little less blatant with its out-and-out poptimism, but it takes a similarly dim view of conservative "big ambient" snobbishness. Just a few minutes of 'Bluemosa' should be enough to let you know what's up; the overall character of the sound is hazed, with frozen pads and garbled, dubbed-out voices smudged into a mess of effects and samples. But it sups up different nuances as it wriggles, absorbing scampering breaks, dizzy acoustic guitar strums and half-heard wordless vocals, flipping in the third act to emerge from its shell as minimalist balearic folk-pop - something like Bon Iver doing 'Electric Counterpoint'.

Brooklyn's Shiner, Philly's Pontiac Streator and Berlin-based Ben Bondy navigate the labyrinthine streaming landscape, guided by their own private experiences of mindless doom-scrolling and cruising the darkest corners of YouTube. They formulated 'Infiltrating Roku City' while they were rehearsing last year and spent the winter stitching together various recordings and jams into a layered, dry-witted commentary on our algorithmic reality. Laden with inside jokes and refried memes, it's surprisingly elegant gear; handling the most unseemly elements like sonic recyclers, earnestly repurposing pop and nostalgia to create an atmospheric echo of contemporary reality.

Screwing Chief Keef's enduring 'Citgo', 'Clublyfe (hulu)' emphasises the original's AFX-pilled euphoria with Robert Miles-style piano hits, replacing Young Ravisu's brittle 128kbps trap rhythm with a glitchy rattle that picks up dembow spikes as it rolls. 'I Hate Being Sober' vaporises the Chicago drill pioneer's 'Hate Bein' Sober', blocking out his voice with glitchy, downsampled interference and elasticated Rhodes. The trio team up with Orange Milk's goo age on the sublime 'Crisis Angel', catching a ray of Malibu's sunshine in the process, and reduce Billie Eilish's voice to a Romance-does-Celine cinder on 'Billie', stretching it to fit next to gassed Future ad-libs and swooping 808 Mafia sub womps. And although the album takes a murky diversion on 'Roku Axes Ultra’, and a cloud-stepping centrepiece ‘Purelink’ in homage to the eponymous dubbed ambient dynamos, it's back on course with 'Jiafei (NETFLIX)', taking aim at TikTok bot videos and welding screams from Florida metal band Underoath to AI-strength vocal curlicues.

Don Leisure has cemented his name as one of the most forward-thinking and experimental beatmakers & producers within the current musical ecosystem. As well as being 50% of Darkhouse Family (alongside Earl Jeffers) he has collaborated with the likes of Angel Bat Dawid, Gruff Rhys, DJ Spinna and First Word label-mates Amanda Whiting & Tyler Daley (Children of Zeus). Garnering serious support from Lauren Laverne, Tom Ravenscroft, Huw Stephens, Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, The Vinyl Factory, Clash, Uncut and many more. Following the release of ‘Cynnau Tân (feat. Carywyn Ellis)’ (which gained support across BBC Radio from Tom Ravenscroft, Zakia & Huw Stephens) Welsh beatmaker Don Leisure announces the release of a new album ‘Tyrchu Sain’) as he returns with a new single ‘Tyrchu’ due for release on 22nd January 2025. ‘Tyrchu’ features the soft-spoken vocal stylings of Gruff Rhys over a gently rolling, tape saturated and expertly chopped instrumental, creating (in Gruff’s own words) ‘Shiny new beat-treasures with ghostly reflections of Welsh pop’s past - skillfully dug from Sain Records’ deepest veins’

A dedicated student of music, over the years, Don has amassed a vast encyclopaedic knowledge of music genres and subcultures, including a fascination with Welsh psychedelic folk music from the mid-20th century. This introduction was made by respected musician, producer & selector Andy Votel’s 2005 two-part compilation series ‘Welsh Rare Beat’ (in collaboration with Gruff Rhys and Don Thomas), comprising twenty-five tracks from Sain Records’ back catalogue. Now the oldest independent record label in Wales, Sain is a wildly influential bastion of home-grown Welsh talent, co-founded by Welsh-language folk singer Dafydd Iwan, whose music has seen a cultural resurgence in recent years with his 1983 song Yma o Hyd (We’re Still Here) becoming a huge anthem for Wales football fans. Set up in the Welsh capital, many of Sain’s early releases were recorded at Rockfield Studios in Monmouthshire, but in the early 1970s the record company moved to the Caernarfon area and opened their first recording studio in 1974 near Llandwrog. Announcing a huge digitisation project throughout 2024, Sain Records took on the mammoth task of painstakingly digitising their entire back catalogue spanning 55 years, working in partnership with the National Library of Wales the resulting archive then be submitted for to the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth, preserving them for future generations to enjoy. Taking this period of rediscovery as an opportunity to reimagine their impressive inventory, Sain invited Don Leisure to dig into their musical treasure chest, creating a sprawling sonic tapestry from the dusty gems within. On this exhilarating excursion, Sain Records founder Dafydd Iwan explains: ‘Imagine someone gave you access to over 50 years of Welsh popular music – almost all of it unknown to you before. It would be a strange experience of discovery, an unknown territory which could baffle and excite. This happened to Jamal (Don Leisure) – and he was captivated by a world of music he barely knew existed, and when he was asked to distill the experience into one album, he immediately warmed to the idea. And this is the result – a kaleidoscope of sounds to encapsulate a half century of Welsh music. To call it unique would be superfluous: no-one could ever recreate this album. Listen, and enjoy.’.

The resulting product is ‘Tyrchu Sain' (translating to ‘Digging Sain’), a fearless and exploratory album, which sees Don put his signature unparalleled and unpredictable skills to work, weaving together moments of forgotten beauty into celestial and otherworldly compositions. The record features appearances by artists from Wales who have a similar obsession as Don Leisure in these classic Welsh rarities including Gruff Rhys, Carwyn Ellis, Earl Jeffers Amanda Whiting and Boy Azooga. A shimmering patchwork quilt of sound, ‘Tychru Sain’ traverses a shifting landscape of acid folk, eerie vocal melodies and interstellar soundscapes, propelled forth by crisp, head nod-inducing drums and grainy textures. Breathing new life into compositions lost to time, and paving a path for new listeners to discover the magic that lies within.

‘DISCOMBOBULATED’ is the confounding and haunting new album from Hen Ogledd, the collaborative project of artists Dawn Bothwell, Rhodri Davies, Richard Dawson and Sally Pilkington.

· This album is perhaps their most complex and emotionally charged record to date, involving meditations on political tumult ,personal crisis and mental wellbeing in a world gone mad, yet also their most warmly inclusive and accessible.

· ‘DISCOMBOBULATED’ features collaborations from avant-garde legends, family members, animals and even elements.

· By turns emphatic and vulnerable, subtle and direct, joyous and furious, DISCOMBOBULATED is a strange, complex and moving a record as we have come to expect from Hen Ogledd.

· LP with four-page booklet and digital download card

Strictly limited advance copies of GLENN UNDERGROUND's forthcoming album, due out in Spring 2026. Stickered white labels for hardcore fans and the impatient. A long awaited followup to the last "Tech House" release on PEACEFROG back in 1996, 8 tracks packing an "atmospheric punch". (STRICTLY JAZ UNIT MUZIC)

Since the days of the disco demolition and the emergence of the four to the floor.....
Sound has traveled from the hands of Heard, Knuckles, Hardy, Chip, Jefferson, Hunt, Terrible Ted, and a host of others but has been Perfected in Underground!

Presenting...
Grass Root (Tech House LP)
On Strictly Jaz Unit Muzic.
Since the last Tech House release on Peacefrog Records in 1996 the fire never stopped burning under the fingers of the Chicago Maestro. Circumnavigating the globe and archiving life experiences bottled up to the point of combustion

Witness now the dawning of the Strictly Jaz Unit Muzic release: Grass Root (Tech House LP)
This Eight song bequeath to your eardrums packs Atmospheric Punch, Omni Directional Drive, Crispy Hi-hat, Thumping Kicks, Punchy Deep Bass and Emotional Content to rattle your limbs..

At the start of this summer, following a three-year hiatus for Daphni (punctuated only by his first ever collaborative Daphni track ‘Unidos’ alongside Sofia Kourtesis), he dropped ‘Sad Piano House’. The track represented something of a continuation in the Daphni catalogue, its roots growing from Cherry’s ‘Cloudy’ and its subsequent Kelbin remix, something in that song’s makeup having a profound effect when played on dancefloors by Snaith and countless others. ‘Sad Piano House’ deployed more intangibly irresistible bendy piano to equally satisfying effect and continues to achieve similarly rhapsodic dancefloor saturation.
Though a sizeable gap for Daphni releases, between Cherry and Butterfly however of course sits Honey, the latest Caribou album and one that saw the more instantaneous and dancefloor leaning traits of Daphni peaking through the cracks more than ever before. This blurring of the lines leads to an intriguing collaboration in Butterfly’s lead single ‘Waiting So Long (feat. Caribou)’. An unlikely duo - in that both artists are the same man, Dan Snaith - ‘Waiting So Long’ is not so much an identity crisis, ego trip, or the result of a chemical spill in the Snaith laboratory. It’s simply a track that Snaith felt for the first time belongs to both aliases, and might appeal to fans of both. He has never sung on a Daphni track before, and did not set out with the intention to do so this time, and yet this strange billing was born.

Daphni music has always been Snaith’s way of hitting directly to the core of the dancefloors he spends so much of his time playing to, and those dancefloors have been steadily expanding as his name grows, with the music following suit. This album however also draws from further back with a definite kinship to the very first Daphni album, the invigorating bag of ideas that was Jiaolong.
Butterfly is a showcase of the wonderful variety and surprising twists and turns that made that album such an exciting new prospect and that still to this day make Snaith such an intriguing DJ. There are more heavy hitters here, tracks that fill those dancefloors better than anyone, like ‘Clap Your Hands’ which picks up the energy of ‘Sad Piano House’ and flips it, exposing the gritty and intoxicating underbelly of Snaith’s hitmaking side, while retaining the playful urgency that runs through all of his work of late. Meanwhile ‘Hang’’s comic-strip horns are unpinned by gleeful force, unrelenting and thrillingly unshakeable. Elsewhere though comes a clutch of other tunes that might creep out somewhere more off the beaten path, a path Snaith has never stopped seeking in amongst his larger billings. ‘Lucky’ is squirmy and elusively intoxicating, ‘Invention’ skitters down meandering, inviting corridors, ‘Talk To Me’ grumbles and broods in the murk, and ‘Miles Smiles’ could roll on endlessly, so confident in its groove. There are no obvious peaks in these tracks or unifying moments, in fact many of them really have no business being on the dancefloor at all, and yet in the right setting, they could be the most fun to be had all night.

One such club is a good microcosm for the ethos of Butterfly as a whole. “Around the time I was finishing up this album I played a long set in a club called Open Ground in Wuppertal, Germany.” Snaith recalls, “It’s kind of, in one sense, the platonic ideal of the kind of club I’d want to play in. Every single decision has been taken, at great expense, with the aim of making the perfect sounding medium sized club room. But on top of it being the perfect acoustic environment it also is run by an amazing collection of people in a way that gives it a sense of community that dance music at its best provides. It is an absolute pleasure to play in that room to a crowd of people who come from all over. Playing in there you feel like you can play anything, and I played works in progress of pretty much every track on this album in my set there. Don’t get me wrong, I love playing a short set at a festival or in a more raw warehouse kind of club where you bang it out and only really functional music works but on record I guess the point of these Daphni records is to keep in mind a more expansive idea of dance music where the parameters are broad and the church is broad. I think that actually, putting really functional stuff next to weirder tracks (both on an album and in a dj set) might be the thing that’s still most interesting to me.”
This is the feeling that’s most palpable on Butterfly, and in every single time you see Snaith DJ. Right from the inception of the Daphni alias - and even before that – the thrill of trying stuff out, pushing at the boundaries has always been there and on Butterfly is present in all its twists and turns. It leaps all over the place and yet it hangs together, never feeling like a grab bag of dancefloor utilities but rather a distillation of all the strings to Snaith’s bow, exhilaratingly human and unified by one singular concept – simple and joyful exploration.

2026 Repress

A mastermind when it comes to crafting quality electronic music across the house spectrum, expressing various shades of his vision, French DJ/producer Traumer has solidified himself as one of the country’s finest exports while his alias has become a home for heavily sought-after minimal-leaning house productions that journey through expansive textures and trademark percussion. After combining with Romanian favourite Cristi Cons early last year as part of the imprint’s collaborative ‘X Series’ and following a series of releases on his own gettraum label, the Parisian makes a highly-anticipated solo return to Enzo Siragusa’s FUSE as he unveils his latest four-track offering in the form of his ‘Nectar’ EP. The title track ‘Nectar’ heads up the package and brings a blend of snappy drum grooves and zippy synths beneath hooky female vocals as it builds into a rolling anthem, while ‘Lamerci’ gets dubby with crisp percussion shots guiding hazy stabs and deep grooves. On the flip, ‘First School’ strips things back and focuses on a snaking bassline and signature silky melodies, before closing on the interwoven textures and shimmering tones of B2 ‘Rodage’.

Banda Black Rio is a Brazilian musical group from Rio de Janeiro that was formed in 1976. They were one of the first to undertake the fusion of Essential Brazilian Music with International Black Music. The songs are based on funk but also including samba, jazz and Brazilian rhythms. Compared to other soul-funk groups, such as Kool & the Gang and Earth, Wind and Fire, Banda Black Rio developed a particular style of instrumental soul music fusing together elements from a number of genres. With saxophonist Oberdan Magalhães, trumpet player Barrosinho, Cristovão Bastos on keyboards, Claudio Stevenson on guitars, Jamil Joanes on bass and Lucio Silva on trombone. Arrangements are from Cristovão Bastos and Claudio Stevenson. The album “Saci Pererê” was originally released in 1980.

Modeight proudly adds another chapter to its vinyl legacy with Fedo - a Ukrainian artist with deep Greek roots, known for his meditative groove architecture, percussive depth, and the raw spirit of live music. On Nuke Hook EP, Fedo delivers four deep and dynamic cuts that strike a perfect balance between minimalistic precision and emotional richness.

Each track feels lived-in - jammed rather than programmed - crafted to resonate both on the dancefloor and in the mind. "Life is Life" opens with a thick, dubby beat and a jagged, growling bassline.
Midrange sequences curl around the low-end like vapor trails, creating a shadowy, hypnotic space built for late hours and strobe-lit intimacy. "Madam from Athens" pays homage to his Hellenic roots - dipping into dreamy chords, textured atmospheres, and modular motifs wrapped in velvety vocals. Warm and transportive, it's a love letter to place and memory.

On the flip, "After Out" hits hard. Sub-heavy, percussive, and driven by acidic synth lines, it's a peak-time weapon that doesn't ask - it commands.
Rounding off the EP is the cerebral yet groovy "Nuke Hook," where crisp percussion dances around mysterious piano phrases and immersive textures. A subtle but magnetic closer that lingers long after the drop.

Fedo joins the Modeight family with a statement of intent - deep, expressive, and forged in the heart of the underground. The journey continues.

Euphoric State welcomes Reformed Society for its eighth release: a four-track EP that drifts through shades of melancholy and movement. Built on deep, evolving rhythms and subtle emotional tension, it reveals a producer with a refined sense of space and storytelling. Each track unfolds patiently, finding beauty in restraint and warmth in repetition.

The B2 features a remix from Cristi Cons, adding his own textured, hypnotic touch to the record. It’s music that feels deeply personal, echoing the timeless spirit that defines Euphoric State.

The news arrives in tandem with the release of two powerful new singles, "The Toughening" and "The Softening", shared in recognition of World Mental Health week At its core, 'Everythinglessness' is a record about masculinity and the mental health crisis facing young men, a subject Wolfe has lived through and now gives voice to with unflinching honesty. Turning his own experiences of depression, anxiety and ADHD into something raw, intimate and cinematic, Wolfe invites listeners into a world where vulnerability is not weakness, but a form of survival. Written after a period of intense personal reckoning, including time spent in a mental health rehab facility in 2023, 'Everythinglessness' is Wolfe's most emotionally resonant work to date, an album that unpacks what it means to be a man in a society that often demands silence and stoicism instead of softness and support.

Wolfe's voice channels the emotional resonance of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Nick Cave, while his songwriting explores everything from grief and generational trauma to love, loss and survival. The singles have been getting loadsa positive press. Radio support includes interviews and live performance on BBC London, Times Radio & 5 Live. More to come. Album launch show in Hastings, followed by UK and Europe tour supporting Alice Merton.

Sluta Leta first emerged in the mid-1990s with a series of EPs on legendary labels such as Mego (Fan Club, 1995), Uptight (Space Is The Place, 1996), Cheap Records (Lisa 94, 1998) and Chocolate Industries (…If You Like Champagne On Ice?, 1999). After the release of Sluta Leta's debut album “Semi Peterson” on Mego in 2003, the group somehow got lost in Second Life. Having missed a good decade and a half but not a beat, Sluta Leta unexpectedly reappeared in 2020 with a new album – “Entrée Contrôle” produced by Andi Pieper and Ramon Bauer with a little help from Gerhard Potuznik – released on famersmanual’s generate and test label.
Almost 30 years after their first release on Cheap Records (Lisa 94 in 1998), Sluta Leta returns to the Viennese cult label with their new album “Drift Dekoder”. Andi Pieper and Ramon Bauer have once again teamed up with Gerhard Potuznik to produce some crispy new songs that are bound to set the tone for the second half of the 2020s and beyond. On “Drift Dekoder”, the inherently artificial and somewhat otherworldly atmosphere of Sluta Leta’s songs is enhanced by the participation of several brilliant collaborators: vocals by Gerhard Potuznik on “Moment Eternal” and a duet with Luise Nehl on “Past In Reverse”, drums by ddKern (Past in Reverse, Björn i Fårkläder and Rymdpatrul), keys by Philipp Quehenberger (Björn i Fårkläder) as well as vocal contributions from various previous band members – Jonas Bergkvist (Tidsflayer), Bengt Liljstad (First Order) and Yngwie Moskowich (Driftstopp). A particularly noteworthy highlight of the album is the mix of “Tidsflayer” by Finlay Shakespeare.
Stop looking, start grooving! Written and produced by Andi Pieper and Ramon Bauer.
Lyrics and vocals on “Past In Reverse” and “Moment Eternal” by Gerhard Potuznik. “Tidsflayer (Finlay Shakespeare Mix)” mixed and produced by Finlay Shakespeare.

Glade brings Ramiro’s atmospheric touch into sharper focus, presenting a fluid collection built around momentum and understated detail. Across the three tracks, he shapes a patient narrative that rises gradually, guided by crisp percussion and warm tonal shifts that open each track into expansive, late night territory. The result is a cohesive journey that reflects his instinct for movement, letting the melodies and rhythms unfold naturally.

“This EP is made up of three tracks, all designed to resonate on the dancefloor. ‘Glade’, ‘Jebel’, and ‘Norte’ each contain organic nuances, but together with their synthesizers they achieve a main-set feel that works very well at key moments in a set. The drums and percussion play a major role in making this happen, as they ensure the groove never fades or if it does, that its drop is striking.” – Ramiro Drisdale

Damian Lazarus reveals the eighth chapter of Crosstown Rebels acclaimed annual ‘SPIRITS’ VA compilation series.

The latest instalment sees the label founder once again curating a carefully balanced lineup of emerging voices and established names, with the eight-track collection set for release on 30th January 2026.

Since its inception in 2017, Damian Lazarus’ SPIRITS series has become a trusted barometer for the year ahead, spotlighting forward-thinking artists and cutting-edge club music from across the global electronic landscape. With ‘SPIRITS VIII’, Crosstown Rebels continues this tradition, delivering a refi ned yet adventurous selection that moves seamlessly between hypnotic house, melodic depth, and late-night energy - building on the momentum of previous volumes and capturing the label’s unmistakable essence.

Opening the release, Raz Alon sets the tone with ‘Hey It’s Me’, a warm and immersive opener that draws listeners in with emotive touches and fluid groove work. Lost Desert follows with ‘Ultima’, leaning into trippy, melodic-tinged sensibilities as tumbling rhythms meet expansive atmospheres and subtly evolving motifs. On the flip, TIMANTI ventures into a captivating voyage with ‘Warrior Spirit’, pairing swirling synths with hazy melodies, before STEB delivers ‘House Of STEB’, a groove-led cut packed with personality, swing, and club-ready flair.
The journey continues with Yuvèe’s ‘Set The Fire’, featuring FADO, a hypnotic and vocal-led track that balances emotional weight with understated rhythmic pressure. Ekoboy then ups the intensity on ‘Lose Control’, combining crisp percussion with infectious momentum designed for peak-time moments. On the final stretch, MADI brings a reflective buy playful touch with ‘Around Me’, weaving lush textures and subtle dynamics into a deeply absorbing listen, before JUAAN closes the compilation with ‘Bass Cliente’, a punchy and bass-forward finale that rounds things out with raw club energy.

With its continued ability to champion new talent while welcoming respected artists into its orbit, Crosstown Rebels remains a vital force within electronic music. SPIRITS VIII stands as another clear statement of the label’s vision, reaffirming its role in shaping the sound of contemporary house and techno.

In 2017, at Documenta Kassel (but in Athens), I invited José Jiménez Bobote, a remarkable gitano artist from the Tres Mil Viviendas neighbourhood in Seville, to record a series of actions in specific locations in the Greek capital. Ancient Greece and modern Greece. I wanted him to draw sound from the city, to strike it as only a flamenco artist can, with his feet. To hit the ground and make it moan, ring out with noises evoking significant moments in history: from Diogenes the Cynic and the Apostle Paul’s sermon at the Areopagus to Rosa Eskenazi’s resistance to the Nazi-German occupation, and the ups and downs of police Inspector Costas Haritos’s survival at the European Bank during the PIGS crisis. Bobote struck the ground and Athens responded, sending back echoes of the past, in an exceptional anachronistic exercise. In flamenco it is possible for several times to sound simultaneously.

We took seventeen hours of footage, and water from many wells.

I then shut away producer, musician, and friend Raül Refree with this material so that he could take the long titles and use them as scores, turning them into mere songs. It was very important to think in terms of songs. The tracks had to have the capacity to be songs, the kind of thing one whistles while absent-mindedly walking down the street. Generally speaking, the scores—that is, the texts—defended the use and abuse of the loose coins that people carry around in their pockets. Loose change as a kind of everyday fetishism against big financial capital. Pistis! Refree managed to coax that distinctive unity of songs, their bright catchiness, from the amalgamation of sounds that would, in other hands, end up being labelled concrete music. Peter Szendy would be pleased and grateful. Being able to sing under one’s breath something that others consider simply noise.

Seven songs, yes. And if you get the chance, take a stroll through Athens with them: the locations are clearly defined. If not, then let Athens fill your home with all its ancient wisdom, boring into your ears like worms, making holes in history.

Listen, and, as people used to say, turn up the volume!

Pedro G. Romero, Santa Marta, Colombia, November 2025

Comes with booklet with song lyrics written by Pedro G. Romero. Limited edition of 250 vinyl records.

Federsen’s Alt/Dub imprint returns with its second instalment of its Artist Series featuring Forward Memory, Thomas + James, Gradient and Beppu.

Federsen, known for his deep Dub Techno sound, launched his label Alt Dub in 2024. The imprint focuses on warm and spacious dub aesthetics, carrying the torch for Dub Techno’s origins. Since its debut release in early 2024, Alt Dub has expanded with collaborations and artist series featuring names like cv313 and Fletcher, establishing itself as a forward- thinking force in modern Dub Techno.

Forward Memory’s ‘Scholz’s Star’ leads the release, laying down organic percussion and twitchy, oscillating synth grooves alongside, subtly evolving textural components and evolving bottom end swells.

Glaswegian duo Thomas + James follow next with ‘Chosen Colour’, a deep immersive journey fuelled by billowing ethereal pads, bumpy bass stabs and a raw, reduced rhythm section.

Respected Dub Techno artist Gradient follows next on the flip side with ‘Vibes Realm’, delivering his signature floaty style via shimmering dub stabs, crisp drums and a swaying bottom end drive.

Beppu’s ‘Conversions’ then concludes the EP, shifting gears once again as spiralling dub echoes, hissy atmospherics and wide bass intertwines with delayed, broken rhythms.

Yore Records proudly presents Yore 060 by DJ Alone Again from NYC - four deep, driving cuts channeling the essence of 90s New York House. Fusing raw groove, crisp percussion, and soulful undercurrents, this EP delivers pure dancefloor authenticity with a modern touch.

Una interpretación de Soinuarenbidea II debería partir de esta premisa: todo es posible, nada es aleatorio, y en sí mismo es un imposible de aleatoriedades. El escenario planteado explora la idea de realidad aumentada desde una percepción sonora, ambiental y colectiva. La obra transita hacia adelante y hacia atrás recreando experiencias extintas de porvenir incierto, tratando de facilitar un fin pacificador. Cada pieza sonora se crea, se despliega, se repliega y se destruye, en una torsión permanente de toda la realidad que hace posible cada fragmento musical, cada identidad acústica, cada espacio sonoro. Lo onírico, la ficción, y el viaje están continuamente presentes, y es en el transitar de cada fragmento donde se produce el diálogo de la exposición musical. Los elementos de esta ficción se recrean continuamente, en un continuum donde se entrelazan y se van contorsionando a medida que crecen o decrecen con cada fragmento de síntesis concreta. Los temas explícitamente musicales son el magma que conduce a dar voluptuosidad al disco, siendo la piel un contexto o límite que en sí mismo fluctúa indefinidamente en texturas y configuraciones posibles. Y la urdimbre del silencio es la síntesis que está continuamente presente y que trata de cohesionar los fragmentos en continua colisión expresiva. Las grabaciones de campo proporcionan el material sonoro concreto, y como un fractal sonoro cada una de ellas ofrece diferentes grados de interpretación que a su vez conduce a nuevos fragmentos y nuevas creaciones. Así que se puede pensar que esta es una síntesis de una posible realidad, pero interpretable en infinidad de maneras. Un movimiento y una estaticidad implícitas que generan estructuras y dinámicas acústicas. Lo que se escucha no es real, pero en sí mismo forma parte de la realidad, creando un escenario expectante. Lo cinematográfico, plástico y teatral, danzante y dinámico cobra importancia en este juego, porque se trata de contar una historia, una experiencia recreada desde los puntos de vista del arte visual. Es a su vez hilo conductor y entretenimiento, discurso político y puro divertimento. Es desde este espacio de convivencia artística que tiene sentido la totalidad y justifica el formato sonoro planteado. La contradicción de la obra es patente en el formato, y es a su vez el planteamiento de una accidentalidad en el devenir vital. Contenedor de Ruido recoge todas estas contradicciones y las manifiesta en la obra Soinuarenbidea II. Es una historia sonora, es un cuento acústico. Es un fragmento de vitalidad en imágenes audibles. Es una invitación a la reflexión, a la crítica, al disfrute, a la meditación, a la celebración. Y sobre todo es esperanzadora apreciación de la realidad como algo maleable que confeccionamos colectivamente, que requiere de una paciente observación y la participación colectiva global, en un mundo finito pleno de diversidades y del que ignoramos prácticamente todo, al que deberíamos volver con respeto y devoción.

Soinuarenbidea II-ren interpretazio batek premisa honetatik abiatu beharko luke: dena da posible, ezer ez da ausazkoa, eta, berez, ausazkotasun ezinezko bat da. Planteatutako agertokiak errealitate areagotuaren ideia aztertzen du, soinu-, ingurumen- eta talde-pertzepzio batetik abiatuta. Lanak aurrera eta atzera egiten du, etorkizun zalantzagarriko esperientzia desagertuak birsortuz eta helburu baketsua lortzen saiatuz. Soinu-pieza bakoitza sortu, hedatu, tolestu eta suntsitu egiten da, musika-zati bakoitza, identitate akustiko bakoitza eta soinu-espazio bakoitza ahalbidetzen dituen errealitate osoaren etengabeko bihurdura batean. Onirikoa, fikzioa eta bidaia etengabe daude presente, eta pasarte bakoitzaren joan-etorrian gertatzen da musika-erakusketaren elkarrizketa. Fikzio honen elementuak etengabe birsortzen dira, continuum batean, non sintesi zati zehatz bakoitzarekin hazi edo txikitu ahala elkar lotzen eta bihurritzen diren. Esplizituki musikalak diren gaiak diskoari atsegintasuna ematera eramaten duen magma dira, azala testuingurua edo muga izanik, testura eta konfigurazio posibleetan mugarik gabe aldatzen dena. Eta isiltasunaren irazkia etengabe presente dagoen sintesia da, zatiak etengabeko adierazpen-talkan kohesionatzen saiatzen dena. Landa-grabazioek soinu-material zehatza ematen dute, eta soinu-fraktal batek bezala, horietako bakoitzak interpretazio-maila desberdinak eskaintzen ditu, eta horrek, aldi berean, zati eta sorkuntza berrietara eramaten du. Beraz, pentsa daiteke errealitate posible baten sintesia dela, baina hamaika modutan interpreta daitekeena. Egitura eta dinamika akustikoak sortzen dituzten mugimendu eta estatikotasun inplizitu bat. Entzuten dena ez da erreala, baina, berez, errealitatearen parte da, eta agertoki espektakularra sortzen du. Zinematografikoak, plastikoak eta antzerkikoak, dantzariak eta dinamikoak garrantzia hartzen dute joko honetan, ikusizko artearen ikuspegitik birsortutako istorio bat, esperientzia bat, kontatzea baita helburua. Aldi berean, hari gidaria eta entretenimendua da, diskurtso politikoa eta dibertimendu hutsa. Elkarbizitzarako espazio artistiko honetatik osotasunak zentzua du eta planteatutako soinu-formatua justifikatzen du. Obraren kontraesana nabarmena da formatuan, eta, aldi berean, bizi-bilakaeran istripu-tasa bat planteatzea da. Zarata-edukiontziak kontraesan horiek guztiak jasotzen ditu eta Soinuarenbidea II obran adierazten ditu. Soinu istorio bat da, ipuin akustiko bat. Bizitasun zati bat da, irudi entzungarrietan. Hausnarketarako, kritikarako, gozamenerako, meditaziorako eta ospakizunerako gonbidapena da. Eta, batez ere, itxaropentsua da errealitatea modu kolektiboan egiten dugun gauza xaflakor gisa hautematea, behaketa pazientea eta partaidetza kolektibo globala eskatzen dituena, dibertsitatez betetako mundu mugatu batean, ia guztia kontuan hartzen ez duguna, eta errespetuz eta debozioz itzuli beharko genukeena.

An interpretation of Soinuarenbidea II should start from this premise: everything is possible, nothing is random, and in itself is an impossible randomness. The proposed scenario explores the idea of ​​augmented reality from a sonic, environmental, and collective perception. The work moves back and forth, recreating extinct experiences of an uncertain future, seeking to facilitate a peaceful end. Each sound piece is created, unfolds, retreats, and is destroyed, in a permanent twisting of all reality that makes each musical fragment, each acoustic identity, each sonic space possible. The dreamlike, the fictional, and the journey are continually present, and it is in the transit of each fragment that the dialogue of the musical exposition takes place. The elements of this fiction are continually recreated, in a continuum where they intertwine and contort as they grow or diminish with each fragment of concrete synthesis. The explicitly musical themes are the magma that leads to the work's voluptuousness, the skin being a context or boundary that in itself fluctuates indefinitely in possible textures and configurations. And the warp of silence is the synthesis that is continually present and seeks to unite the fragments in a continuous expressive collision. The field recordings provide the concrete sound material, and like a sonic fractal, each one offers different degrees of interpretation that in turn lead to new fragments and new creations. So one can think of this as a synthesis of a possible reality, but interpretable in an infinite number of ways. An implicit movement and staticity that generate acoustic structures and dynamics. What is heard is not real, but in itself is part of reality, creating an expectant scenario. The cinematic, plastic and theatrical, dance and dynamic aspects take on importance in this game, because it is about telling a story, an experience recreated from the perspective of visual art. It is at once a common thread and entertainment, political discourse and pure entertainment. It is from this space of artistic coexistence that the whole makes sense and justifies the proposed sound format. The contradiction of the work is evident in its format, and it is, in turn, the presentation of an accidentality in the course of life. Noise Container gathers all these contradictions and manifests them in the work Soinuarenbidea II. It is a sound story, an acoustic tale. It is a fragment of vitality in audible images. It is an invitation to reflection, to critique, to enjoyment, to meditation, to celebration. And above all, it is a hopeful appreciation of reality as something malleable that we collectively craft, requiring patient observation and global collective participation, in a finite world full of diversity and of which we know practically nothing, to which we should return with respect and devotion.

Paisajes sonoros, diseño sonoro, drones y música grabada, realizada y arreglada para Contenedor de Ruido por David Aranaz. Coro: Basandere Ahotsak. Producido y mezclado por David Aranaz. Mástering: Estanis Elorza. Fotografía: David Aranaz. Texto: David Aranaz. Traducción: Saioa Aranaz Oreja. Trabajo y Diseño artístico: Cristina Martinez. Edición: Contenedor de Ruido Producciones y Sarbide Music. Distribución: Contenedor de Ruido.

Contenedor de Ruido agradece el apoyo en la realización de Soinuarenbidea II al coro Basandere Ahotsak y en especial a Eva Orbara Goicoa.

Soinuarenbidea II está dedicado al pueblo palestino.

Paisajes y objetos Sonoros, samplers y otras músicas transformadas para Soinuarenbidea II
Burlada: Paseos sonoros matinales por Merindad de Sangüesa, Calle Mayor, Capuchinas, Parque Uranga y varias iglesias y plazas. Pasajes del cotidiano: basura de papel, cristal y plástico.
Pamplona: Cementerio de San José. CEIP Sanduzelai /// Quinto Real: Fábrica de Armas, Puerto de Urkiaga y alrededores. Suite del silencio, bosques en movimiento /// Fábrica de armas de Orbaiceta: regatas, biosques, paseo sonoro hasta regata /// Belate: Puerto de Belate y alrededores. Vacas en pradera junto a las turberas /// Bardenas Reales: Suite de guitarra y Suite del silencio, estepa desértica /// Austria: Tranvías de Graz y Viena. Muchedumbre del metro de Viena.
Voces cinematográficas de: Matanza en Texas, Robocop, Espíritu Sagrado, Solo los Amantes Sobreviven, Voces de Gaza, Yojimbo, Terciopelo Azul, Los 7 Magníficos.
La pista A2 está dedicada a la memoria de David Lynch.
La pista B4 está dedicada a Eva Orbara Goicoa.
Pista A4: Contiene interpretaciones de piano de Three Piano Pieces Op.11 de Arnold Schoenberg.
Pista A5: Es una interpretación expandida con síntesis FM del Concerto Op. 24 - Etwas lebhaft - de Anton Webern.
Pista A7: Contiene la canción Besarkatu ninduzun (Letra de Josune López y música de Josu Elberdin) en interpretación de Basandere Ahotsak en la iglesia de Burutain bajo la tormenta.
Pista B2: Contiene la canción Recuerdos de la Alhambra (Fernando Tárrega) en interpretación torsionada de David Aranaz Sarasa.
Pista B14: Contiene la canción Agur María (Letra y Música de Estíbaliz Robles “Estitxu” y arreglo exclusivo de Alfonso Ortiz para Basandere Ahotsak) en interpretación de Basandere Ahotsak.

Equipamiento para Soinuarenbidea II.
Micros de condensador SE7, configuración XY y ORTF; Micros de cinta ORTIZ LUTHIER configuración XY y Blumlein; Grabadoras MARANTZ y ZOOM; Sintetizadores y samplers Elektron MONOMACHINE SPS-1, MACHINEDRUM SFX6 y MODEL:SAMPLES. Dave Smith MOPHO. Torso Electronics S-4. Sintetizador Modular 333 DIY; Guitarra clásica ALHAMBRA 6P; Esculturas Sonoras tipo Baschet, cristal y metales; Mesa Soundcraft FX16ii; Interface de Audio RME Babyface Pro FS; DAW Logic Pro; Procesamiento de modelado analógico con Acústica Audio, Waves, Softube, Brainworx, Sonible, Analog Obsesion, Tokio Dawn. Metering de Logic y RME DigiCheck . Amplificación Hafler PRO2400. Monitorización BW DM602 S3. Mezcla digital; Mastering híbrido.

Detroit producer-MC Black Milk’s breakthrough album Popular Demand makes its long-awaited return to vinyl. Originally released in 2007, this project introduced Black Milk’s signature balance of warm soul chops, crisp drum programming, and sharp lyricism — earning praise from XXL, Pitchfork, and Okayplayer as one of the defining independent hip-hop releases of its era.
Unavailable on wax for several years and long sought after by collectors, Popular Demand now returns fully remastered for vinyl with updated packaging, making it available to new audiences and longtime fans alike.

"Key To The Kuffs has aged into excellence in the nearly five years since it first came out" Pitchfork

"On paper, a full collaborative album from NYC's notorious rap villain DOOM and space-age production from Jneiro Jarel can't fail. In practice, it's even better. DOOM is in the form of his life here." Mojo

"Here be GMOs and dead Indians and food and water as a 'secure investment' and an earthquake in Iceland and a discourse on melanin. Here also be the priceless couplet: 'Not to interrupt / But anybody else notice time speeding up?'" 9/10 Robert Cristgau, VICE

"Key To The Kuffs has aged into excellence in the nearly five years since it first came out" Pitchfork

"On paper, a full collaborative album from NYC's notorious rap villain DOOM and space-age production from Jneiro Jarel can't fail. In practice, it's even better. DOOM is in the form of his life here." Mojo

"Here be GMOs and dead Indians and food and water as a 'secure investment' and an earthquake in Iceland and a discourse on melanin. Here also be the priceless couplet: 'Not to interrupt / But anybody else notice time speeding up?'" 9/10 Robert Cristgau, VICE

Waiting is the essence of travel. Patience is its own reward.

Two people. A Telecaster guitar with a few effect pedals. A drum machine. An audio interface is connected to a laptop. The ingredients are simple yet effective.

But any suggestion of four-track cassette machines and vintage bedsit productions is quickly dispelled by digital dubbiness and refined arrangements. A tail of reversed echos. The crystalline flourish of octave-pitched delays. Riddled hi-hats tickle and taunt. A bass drum asserts its space.

Winkler's guitar patterns have a fragmented, almost haphazard connotation. Searching in a shimmer of reverb. Until the beat, the framework, sets in to reveal structure. Intentionality. Reihse's programmed rhythms go just to the point of a groove, holding the moment of tension, knowingly delaying the gratification. Beats that have scratchy patina anda subtly playful edge; their crispness stands in contrast to the contemplative drift of the guitar. Is it a trance? Or a dance? Yes.

There are some apparent references here: a good portion of Les Disques du Crépuscule, some kraut-esque electronica, even a smidgen of Morricone / Spaghetti Western, blending into a kind of Musique Noir – yet these serve as a set of orientational coordinates, rather than quotations.

This is so far the most assured release by Periode, perhaps eschewing some of the naiveté that was wilfully cultivated in earlier output – there is no cheeky cover version this time. And no singing either. The nine pieces have the quality of a series, a variation on a mood, or a subset of moods. What emerges is an inviting swagger in the face of bleakness. There is a profound melancholy, but it is not the darker kind, and does not exclude humour.

First impressions may suggest that this is purely nocturnal music. Yet it equally evokes the harsh sunlight and baking summer heat. Or a rainy day. And transportation: the music suggests the motion of travel, even if that travel only happens within the mind. And waiting. Waiting while doing nothing much. Because that's all you can do. (Alexander Paulick)

Mikkel Metal makes a welcome return to Echocord with his new ‘Rebuild’ EP, accompanying remixes from Luke Hess and Frenk Dublin.
Copenhagen’s Mikkel Metal is a pioneering figure in dub-techno and minimal house, known for his atmospheric soundscapes and textured production. With acclaimed releases on Kompakt and Echocord, including Close Selections, Victimizer, and Peaks and Troughs he’s cemented his place as one of Denmark’s most distinctive electronic artists. Here he continues to dispay this further diving into new sonic realms with a new EP for Echocord.
Title-track ‘Rebuild’ opens, a hazy excursion through metallic, reverberations, expansive atmospherics and crisp drums before Detroit’s own Luke Hess steps in to offer his interpretation, delivering his signature groove-driven style, extracting the essence of the original and stirring it in amongst robust drums and spiralling dub echoes. ‘Bend’ is up next and displaying Mikkel’s production prowess as he blends murky bass flutters and analogue rhythms with psychedelic guitar melodies and dynamic space echoes, resulting in something that sounds uniquely his own. ‘Steam’ continues this theme with further psychedelia infused guitar tones flowing alongside breathy vocal stylings and fluttering atmospherics tucked into the depths. Rotterdam, Netherlands based artist Frenk Dublin delivers his ‘Deep Space Rework’ of ‘Stream next, reshaping the original into something entirely different with a dropped-tempo roots dub aesthetic, weaving fragments of the original into the composition alongside swaying dub drums and heavy doses of sub. ‘Midnite’ then concludes the release, another experimental sonic foray into unique effect processing, glitched out percussion, haunting vocals, plucked bass notes and expansive atmospherics

Ninja was a niche Italo disco project formed by Cristina Peri (vocalist, composer and producer) and Enzo Benetti (DJ and producer). Together they managed to compose and produce only a handful of tracks, three of which were released under the Ninja moniker. Their collaboration resulted in a highly distinctive synth-pop sound, marked by a rock-leaning drum approach with a strong, metal-sounding snare, and melodic lines that deliberately avoided obvious, immediate catchiness.

The unique and “super obscure Italo treasure” reissued by Vintage Pleasure Boutique, titled “Mad About Love,” carries an additional point of interest: Pier Michele Bozzetti, better known as Miko Mission, was also involved in the production. “Mad About Love” is a rare and collector-sought track that has never been reissued before. With this new vinyl release, Vintage Pleasure Boutique once again steps forward with an archival initiative, hoping to bring genuine excitement to underground Italo fans and collectors alike.

Futura Resistenza is pleased to present the latest release from the prolific, restlessly creative composer-performer Anthony Pateras, two side-long pieces - one performed by Callum G'Froerer on double-bell trumpet, the other sung by Clara La Licata - in which soloists are accompanied by numerous pre-recorded tracks of their own instrument or voice, creating acoustic halls of mirrors where the distinction between live performer and recorded accompaniment becomes difficult to perceive. Palimpsest Geometry (2020) for double-bell trumpet & tape works with rapidly pulsed single trumpet notes, at brisk tempos that hover at the perceptual threshold between rhythm and tremolo. The interaction between different rates of pulse produces skittering echoes, as if G'Froerer's layers of trumpets were really a single sound bouncing around the sonic space. There Is A Danger Only Our Mistakes Are New (2021) for voice & tape goes to work on a see-sawing two-note melodic cell, insistently transposed and transposed again, hummed or sung with open vowels, contracting to a semitone and expanding to a minor third. More than anything in the canon of Western art music, the piece calls up the criss-crossing repeated figures of Inuit vocal games or the interlocking repetitions of Banda-Linda music, where rhythmic and harmonic displacements of repeated motifs fuse together individual parts into the illusion of an impossibly rich and multi-faceted unitary sonic organism. Essentially homogeneous in texture yet built up from constantly changing details, broadly static yet always moving and shifting, these pieces exemplify Pateras' recent work while also pushing it into a new, strikingly immediate direction. Here, form grows organically out of the material itself; the results are sparkling, immersive, and quietly uncompromising. (Francis Plagne)

Motor city royalty Floorplan, aka Detroit techno pioneer and creator of minimal techno Robert Hood and his DJ/producer daughter Lyric Hood, announce their forthcoming inclusion in the deeply respected ‘fabric presents’ mix series with the release of their new single ‘You’re A Shining Star’, out now. The full mix drops on digital/vinyl/CD via fabric records on 28th November.

Robert has been a long-standing fabric favourite since the institution's earliest years, clocking up over 20 sets in Room 2, including a live session on New Year's Eve, 2012. In 2008, he'd turn in Fabric 39 which is among the most revered contributions to the fabric mix canon. Now, with the forthcoming ‘fabric presents Floorplan’ mix, the story comes full circle - marking both the duo’s debut on the iconic mix series and a monumental moment for the family project.

About Floorplan: Emerging from a musically rich Detroit upbringing steeped in Motown and vinyl culture, Robert Hood became an early member of the seminal ’90s collective Underground Resistance, helping to spearhead the rise of techno. Going solo, Hood created minimal techno with his Minimal Nation LP. Groundbreaking productions, acclaimed performances, and his own M-plant label followed, until in ’96 he formed Floorplan - an alter ego to expand beyond minimal techno into gospel, soul and house-infused techno. Immersed in music from an early age, Lyric eventually caught the same electronic spark that’s driven her father for decades. In 2014, after the release of Hood’s debut Floorplan album Paradise, the project evolved as the then-16-year-old Lyric joined him to perform as Floorplan, including a supreme closing set at Dekmantel’s Boiler Room stage. Two years later, Lyric officially became a full member of Floorplan, cementing their father–daughter collaboration, and they’d release their co-produced album Victorious on M-Plant that same year.