quête:dj wel

It is the year 1995 and it’s summer, the second extremely hot summer after 1994, and the asphalt on Gladbacher Straße in Cologne is glowing. Ravers in much too wide and much too colorful clothes doze off in the glaring midday heat. These are the last days of the legendary Delirium record store, a socio-cultural biotope that would later become KOMPAKT. In June 1995, the store moved deeper into the Belgian Quarter, to Brabanter Straße 42 near Friesenplatz.

Wolfgang Voigt liked to wear too-big sunglasses even back then, just as he already had the master plan for the next few years, the new store, the renaming to KOMPAKT, and the upcoming takeover of the musical world order by minimal techno in his head. On less sunny days, the musician Wolfgang Voigt was tinkering with his very own label Profan, a new sound, new pseudonyms and masquerades. His alter ego Mike Ink had grown tired, another self, one of many, was now pushing forward to become the next torch in the storm.

By early 1995, the first Grungerman EP, "Hout," had been released on Profan. A nucleus of ambient loops that already announced the sonic aesthetics of GAS, stoic rhythmic structures that would shape the coming decade of minimal house and techno, and an all-encompassing gloom and heaviness that didn't want to fit at all with the gaudy reality of the nineties between Loveparade, Mayday and VIVA House TV. This probably most hedonistic decade of the 20th century had celebrated, besides techno, above all a rough guitar music called Grunge, coined and immortalized by a depressive, hyperactive and narcoleptic young man with matted blond hair who had taken his own life a year before. In no other track has Wolfgang Voigt packed these inner and outer contradictions of his art as well as of the mid-nineties more ingeniously than in "In Tyrannis". From wall to wall there are four steps.

"Klang" by Wolfgang Voigt originally comes from the first and only GAS EP on Profan, "Modern", from the spring of 1995 and is one of the most beautiful exhibits of Voigt's sound of those years, which relentlessly runs its course somewhere between glistening sunrises on Ecstasy and bad drugs in the dark Liquid Sky Cologne. With "Hocker DJ 1" and "Hocker DJ 2" there are two more musical references to this myth-enshrouded place in Kyffhäuserstraße, where for a few years the entire, so-called Sound Of Cologne had literally settled down.


Wir schreiben das Jahr 1995. Es ist Sommer, der zweite extrem heiße Sommer nach 1994, und der Asphalt auf der Gladbacher Straße in Köln glüht. Raver in viel zu weiten und viel zu bunten Klamotten dösen ihren Rausch aus in der grellen Mittagshitze. Es sind die letzten Tage des legendären Delirium Plattenladens, eines soziokulturellen Biotops, aus dem später die Firma Kompakt hervorgehen sollte. Im Juni 1995 erfolgte der Umzug tiefer hinein ins Belgische Viertel, in die Brabanter Straße 42 in der Nähe des Friesenplatz.

Wolfgang Voigt trug schon damals gerne zu große Sonnenbrillen, so wie er bereits den Masterplan für die nächsten Jahre, den neuen Laden, die Umbenennung in KOMPAKT sowie die anstehende Übernahme der musikalischen Weltordnung durch Minimal Techno im Kopf hatte. An weniger sonnigen Tagen tüftelte der Musiker Wolfgang Voigt an seinem ureigenen Label Profan, an einem neuen Sound, neuen Pseudonymen und Maskeraden. Sein Alter Ego Mike Ink war müde geworden, ein anderes Ich, eines von vielen, drängte nun nach vorne, um die nächste Fackel im Sturm zu werden.

Anfang 1995 war die erste Grungerman EP “Hout” auf Profan erschienen. Ein Nukleus aus ambienten Loops, die bereits die klangliche Ästhetik von GAS ankündigten, stoischen rhythmischen Strukturen, die das kommende Jahrzehnt Minimal House und Techno prägen sollten, sowie einer allumfassenden Düsternis und Schwere, die so gar nicht zur knallbunten Realität der Neunziger Jahre zwischen Loveparade, Mayday und VIVA House TV passen wollte. Dieses wohl hedonistischste Jahrzehnt des 20. Jahrhunderts hatte neben Techno vor allem eine raue Gitarrenmusik namens Grunge gefeiert, geprägt und unsterblich gemacht von einem depressiven, hyperaktiven und an Narkolepsie leidenden jungen Mann mit verfilzten blonden Haaren, der sich ein Jahr zuvor das Leben genommen hatte. In keinem anderen Track hat Wolfgang Voigt diese inneren und äußeren Widersprüche seiner Kunst wie auch dieser Zeit Mitte der Neunziger genialistischer verpackt als in “In Tyrannis”. Von Wand zu Wand sind es vier Schritte.

“Klang” von Wolfgang Voigt stammt ursprünglich von der ersten und einzigen GAS EP auf Profan, “Modern”, aus dem Frühling 1995 und ist eines der schönsten Exponate des Voigtschen Sounds dieser Jahre; ein Track, der irgendwo zwischen gleisenden Sonnenaufgängen auf Ecstasy und schlechten Drogen im dunklen Liquid Sky Cologne unerbittlich seine Bahnen zieht. Mit “Hocker DJ 1” und “Hocker DJ 2” finden sich zwei weitere musikalische Referenzen an diesen mythenumrankten Ort in der Kyffhäuserstraße, an dem sich für einige Jahre der gesamte sogenannte Sound Of Cologne im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes niedergelassen hatte.

Cameron Jack returns to Crosstown Rebels as he delivers his first EP on the label with ‘The Late Shift’. The release, set to drop on 6th December 2024, delivers a standout offering featuring two collaborations with vocalist Liz Cass and two solo productions from the fast-rising house music talent.

London-born, Ibiza-based DJ/producer Cameron Jack has quickly become a name on the up, having been championed heavily by Crosstown Rebels’ founder Damian Lazarus, as well Blond:ish and Lee Burridge. While still young in his musical journey, 2024 has seen him sharing stages with heavyweights such as Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones and DJ Tennis. His five-show residency at Hï Ibiza coupled with appearances at Extrema Outdoor, PHAEX Festival, Get Lost Mexico and Fabric London as well as an upcoming Asia tour to round off the year, has cemented his rise as one house music’s most in-demand up-and-comers. Having previously appeared on the label as part of Crosstown’s SPIRITS VA series, and adding to releases via Knee Deep In Sound, Abracadabra Music, and All Day I Dream, Cameron now returns to Lazarus’ brainchild with his first EP on the label as he unveils a refined exploration of his late-hours sound with ‘The Late Shift’.

The EP kicks off with two collaborations featuring singer/songwriter Liz Cass, whose vocal talents have graced tracks from Hot Since 82 to Nora En Pure. The opening track, ‘Dusk Till Dawn,’ pairs deep, rolling grooves with Liz's seductive spoken word vocals, setting the tone for the late-night atmospheres that define the release. ‘Move Your Body’ follows, with driving rhythms and infectious energy, inviting listeners to get lost in dancefloor moments. On the flip side, Cameron showcases his prowess further with ‘Get High And Dance’, bringing a captivating fusion of rolling percussion grooves and playful tones, before ‘Won’t You?’ rounds out the EP with another drum-led workout perfect for keeping dancers in motion.

As the tenth candle flickers atop the torta alla panna, Archeo Recordings play the Uno reverse card, breaking with tradition to give us a gift in celebration of its birthday: the first in a series of exquisite EPs on which the label's favourite contemporaries pay homage to past masters. Each re-polished gem is plucked either directly from the beatific back catalogue of the fine Florentine label or is at least Archeo-adjacent, perhaps a sign of future wonders to come. Like a musical version of Janus, who can be found at the heart of Bertoldo di Giovanni's frieze in the Medici villa, Archeo Recordings will continue to look forwards and backwards to provide sublime sounds for us all.
Pepe Maina officially joined the Archeo family in 2019 with the much-needed reissue of his 1979 masterpiece Scerizza (AR015), but his astounding music has been a constant companion to label head Manu for much longer. An inter-dimensional, multi-instrumental maverick, Maina weaves the frayed edges of prog rock, new age, organic jazz and global minimalism into a shimmering tapestry all of his own. The results are spread across fifty years and almost as many albums, largely self-released and always absolutely untarnished by commercial concerns.
Based in a small village in the hills of Brianza, just north of Milan, Maina translates the beauty of his surroundings into transformative tone poems, and the folkloric fusion of "The Infinite", originally released on his 2014 CD Tales From The Hill, is the perfect example of his practice. It opens with a recitation of Giacomo Leopardi's 1825s poem "L'Infinito" by famed Italian actor Vittorio Gassman. A leading figure in the romantic movement, Leopardi explores the idea of time and space within the natural world, and the peace that comes with an appreciation of the immensity of eternity. Manu, longtime digger and now a burgeoning producer, expands upon the original with tribal percussion, chirping electronics and a spheric bassline, folding Maina's elegant strings and gossamer pads into a new arrangement suited for a slow dance under the stars.
Unless you had a well-trained ear tuned to Italy's avant-jazz scene, chances are your first encounter with innovative flautist Roberto Aglieri came via the 2017 Archeo reissue of hisalmost untraceable LP Ragapadani (AR011). It's a true testament to Manu's digging credentials that he snatched this masterpiece out of the esoteric atmosphere and brought it attention it so richly deserved. A delicate union of digital synthesis and versatile flute - be it soft and silvery or
brilliant and clear - the 1987 album was a shapeshifting masterpiece, replaying scenes from Virgil, Verdi, Visconti and Pasolini with a neon glow. Quintessentially Italian, but uncanny and previously unimagined - Penthouse and Portico perhaps. Powered by a percolating prototechno sequence, cascading keys, hallucinogenic vocal snippets and a variety of tonal timbres from Roberto's reed, "Danza N. 1" long deserved the praise reserved for Jean-Luc Ponty's pinnacle, so many thanks to Manu for our collective introduction. The tall task of reinterpreting this particular paragon falls to Perugian polymath Daniele Tomassini AKA Feel Fly, whose peerless skills as both producer and musician have delighted DJs and dancers alike. Hot on the heels of his diverse and definitive remixes of Tony Esposito for AR027, Daniele delivers a radical rework of "Danza N. 1" perfect for both day rave sunshine and full moon party alike. Enhanced by snapping breaks and a rattling kick, the bassline gurgle emerges as a progressive powerhouse, laying the foundation for the trilling flute and circular keys to cast a psychedelic spell. As the slow-Goa revival picks up pace, this one is way ahead of the pack.
Archeo take us all the way back to the start of its story here - well almost. Though it bore the stamp AR001 (2015), this Radio Band reissue actually hit shelves months after Tony Esposito's "Je-Na' / Pagaia"; a false start perhaps but a true classic all the same. Radio Band were a group of DJs from Florence who all sailed the airways of Radio Fantasy in 1984 and whose one and only release was this super groovy slice of Italo-boogie. Following the example of Milanese DJs Band of Jocks but far surpassing their formulaic funk fizzle, Radio Band employed an intergalactic bassline, cosmic keys and that undeniably Italian style of rapping to deliver a sophisticated party-starter which even found its way to disco deity Ron Hardy. Back to the here and now, and if you've found yourself pumping an ecstatic fist to a supercharged Italian epic of late, chances are its from the mind of the mysterious Radiomarc. Operating on the ascendent Popcorn Groove imprint, this shadowy figure steers his country's lost classics into peaktime territories, finding a sweet spot between late Italo-disco, early Italo-house and contemporary cool. Pushing the tempo with a club-ready 4/4, setting the sequencer to stun and supplementing the original melodies with a series of synth riffs, the mystery producer send this one into orbit. Radio Band - Radio Rap - Radiomarc, the circle is complete.
Few have done more to develop cross-cultural musical exchange than Futuro Antico. A collaborative venture from musician, archeologist and ethnomusicologist Walter Maioli, keyboardist and tonal theoretician Riccardo Sinigaglia and multi-disciplinary artist and composer Gabin Dabiré, Futuro Antico formed in Milan in 1979, combining ancient international folkloric traditions with otherworldly electronics. The result is an arresting melange of Mediterranean, African and Asian instrumentation, mimicked by esoteric synth tones and hypnotic minimalism, which the group perfected on their acclaimed 1990 LP Dai Primitivi All'Elettronica. The meditative and transportive "Pan Tuning" belongs to their largely overlooked 2005 CD only release Intonazioni Archetipe, and has been amongst Manu's most loved tracks from the first moment he heard it. Who else is better placed to reshape this evocative opus into an immersive, transcendental dance floor journey than label favourites Mushrooms Project? The duo sows the original elements into a sprawling fifteen minute fusion of séance and science, at times propulsive with a ritualist rhythm of tuned percussion and crunching drum machine at others drifting off into ethereal ambience. Mushrooms Project continue to push the boundaries of the Afro-cosmic style, and this remix marks a new zenith.

DJ’s Project was a collaboration between Italian vocalist Silvano Pulignano and German DJs/composers André Schmechta, Bernd Schöler, and Claus-Christian Pesch. In the 1980s, the group released three singles that garnered quite a success, with production by the legendary Mike Mareen and distribution through his Night’n Day Records label.

The standout track from their catalog remains the highly sought-after single “Vision Of Love.” This breezy, well-crafted euro disco gem captures everything that defined the genre in its heyday, with its light melody and polished production.

During the recent digitization of Night’n Day Records’ original master tapes, unreleased material was unearthed, including the previously unheard instrumental version of “Vision Of Love.” This fresh reissue not only includes that rare version but also features a special DJ Edit, making it an essential addition for collectors and DJs alike.

Analog Concept Records presents the ‘Multitudes Ep’ from Macedonia's techno maestro and prolific DJ, Mihail P.

In these 4 tracks are a fine mix of atmosphere, intricate electro and techno drum foundation, with warm hues of melody that seep smoothly into the imagination. It's old school minimal approach creates max quality in feelings like that of its early 90s Detroit and UK style ancestry, while never losing touch of the future in its sonic impression on imagery.

A detour into classic Chicago sound is here as well, check the lush acid house hybrid remix of “East At Dawn” from the fine talent of Gilbert…Pure and confident with moods spanning sunlit electro combinations to melodic trips of introspective acid techno sensation, “Multitudes” by Mihail P is choice for mind and body stimulating destinations.

Here at Mr Bongo we have been inundated with people asking us to reissue this release. Ana Frango Elétrico's petit cult classic masterpiece 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' from 2019, which was only ever released on vinyl and CD in Brazil and Japan, has fast become a collector's item.

Well received by fans, DJs, and reviewers on release, The Needle Drop expressed "Ana Frango Elétrico's authentically vintage fusion of chamber pop, rock, samba and jazz is a real blast!" listing it as one of its Top 50 Albums of 2019. The album's reputation has been slowly building ever since, gaining a Latin Grammy nomination in 2020, and now solidly cementing itself as a gem of contemporary Brazilian music.

Across the albums nine tracks, Ana blends elements and influences from MPB, Tropicália, indie rock, punk and pop, forging them together with a sumptuous dose of her signature style. The finesse of 'Saudade' kicks off the LP, one of Ana's most known tracks to a non-Brazilian audience. A sublime opener, beginning with a spellbinding piano solo before transcending into a beautiful dream-laden slice of warmth, complete with luscious jazzy horns and deft vocal delivery. ‘Promessa e previsões’ follows, the only track on the album not to be written by Ana, instead being penned by Chico França. It’s a swelling and sweeping twilight groover, building and breaking across absorbing peaks.

Other highlights on the album include the anthemic 'Chocolate', which was a firm favourite with a packed sing-along crowd when we heard Ana perform it live. Elsewhere, 'Se No Cinema' hits with its quirky allure, charm and catchy melodies before transforming into a carnival spirit.

Tapping into the richness of Brazil’s new wave of musical energy, the album also includes a heavyweight lineup of collaborations with artists such as Dora Morelenbaum (Bala Desejo), Tim Bernardes, Antonio Neves and Guilherme Lirio to name but a few.

A short, sweet and refreshing record, that leaves nothing to waste, marrying playful ideas with poignant themes. 'Little Electric Chicken Heart' is a future classic and will beguile fans of ‘70s Brazilian recordings, Gal Costa, Mac DeMarco, Stereolab, Superorganism, Caetano Veloso and more.

Next from the label that brought you "You Time", "Unrest Hazard 1" and "First Sign of Trouble" is a sizzling 5 track slice of 12" from renowned DJs and producers who get the crowd jumpin and pumpin, Deejay Atlas and K Super. The pair are known for an impressive back-catalogue of tracks the last few years on Ruff Cutz, SweetBox, Parallax and more, as well as for running the Certain Sounds label and parties in Manchester, UK.

This one takes a look at the less glamorous side of northern England's rave scene, the goings on under a dark night sky at a free party in a field somewhere near Manchester. Illustrated through tunes that possess the brooding spirit of 1993 and 1994 jungle and ferocious vocals, albeit as always when it comes to Erupt, with a modern twist for the 2020s that tells a story of the here and now.

Also featuring appearances from Buda and Wild Swan, as well as an EXCLUSIVE fifth track that you won't find on any digital releases of this EP!

Banoffee Pies Originals continue with the 26th release in the series. D. Tiffany returns to the imprint with another collab outing, this time partnering with Ciel as the duo combine under their Psychedelic Budz moniker. Two of Canadas finest deliver two dynamic, off kilter club hitters with a special appearance from Adam Pits under his Lil Mushroom alias. Heavy and versatile productions for dance floor rotation from artists who have carefully honed their craft.

Berlin based, D. Tiffany of Vancouver, is a DJ, Producer and label boss at Planet Euphorique. Now returning to the Banoffee imprint following their Plushmanagements inc insert with regularfantasy back in 2016. A welcomed entry from prog trance revivalist who’s essential output continues to blossom.

Toronto based multi disciplinary artist Ciel whose contributions to the music sphere remain committed to diversity, inclusivity & community with a prolific career as a producer, DJ, pianist & composer ++ They’ve found involvement across groundbreaking projects like Discwoman, co founded label Parallel Minds & released notable contributions to labels such as !K7, Peach Discs, Coastal Haze & UU, all while continuing their monthly position as a Rinse FM resident.

We're promised Mellow Magic and that's precisely what we get, across four tracks emerging from disparate corners of the globe but united in a common mission to provide beats that work on the more relaxed end of the dancefloor. Belgian duo Charlotte & Reinhard of Rheinzand fame kick things off with a slow motion Balearic version of a well known 80s MOR classic. Ollie Loudon's 'L.M.T.' finally makes it to vinyl after long being a secret weapon in Gratts' DJ sets, where handclaps and languid strumming meet a gentle but infectious groove. Flip it over for the more tracky affairs, as Japan's Lily Ko makes an impressive debut with 'Pure Rubber', an original mix of disco foundations and always snazzy but never showy 80s synth play. Melbourne's Biancolato finishes things off with understated deep house shuffling that adds just a touch jazzy keys and dreamy, wispy pads.

NEW ORDER setzen die Serie der Definitive Boxsets mit dem 1986er Album Brotherhood fort. Das Boxset enthält das Originalalbum remastered auf CD und 180g Vinyl, plus eine CD mi Extras aus bisher unveröffentlichten Demos und Raritäten, sowie zwei DVDs mit den Auftritten der Band beim Festival of the Tenth im GMex, Manchester 1986 und Live in Brixton, 1987 zur Unterstützung des Welt-AIDS-Tages. Die DVDs enthalten zusätzlich Live-TV-Auftritte, Interviews und seltenes Bandmaterial. Im dazugehörigen gebundenen Buch finden sich zeitgenössische Artikel und Linernotes des irischen Radio-DJs Dave Fanning.

Das Boxset wird zusammen mit drei 12"-Singles aus dieser Zeit veröffentlicht: Bizarre Love Triangle, State of the Nation und Touched by the Hand of God - ebenfalls remastered und auf schwarzem 180g-Vinyl.

Ulrich Troyer has been producing music now solidly for over twenty years within a largely genre free framework, but whilst navigating forms such as avant-garde, techno, leftfield, field recording, electronica, glitch and ambient it is the aesthetics of dub that guide his creative direction. Not really recognisable in an orthodox form as remixed versions of roots reggae songs but in the way sonics are manipulated with space, the application and layering of delay, reverb and echo that fixes his output well within the scope of what might be called futurist dub.

The nearest comparisons to his new album TRANSIT TRIBE can only be established by a synthesis of some of the more adventurous explorations in modern music such as African Head Charge, Jon Hassell, Pole (Stefan Betke), Bill Laswell or even Miles Davis; featuring a diverse selection of artists and friends not only from Vienna and environs but also from around the world, sounds are not so much fused but allowed to float along the continuous flowing tide of warm waves of bass.

Rather than to allow the names of Ulrich Troyer's collaborators be merely listed in the album credits, what they bring to this joyful affair needs to be outlined, albeit briefly: Co-producer credits go to Osman Murat Ertel from Istanbul, who employed a variation on the old foolproof Nick Lowe method for checking out the impact quality of his own sound productions by playing tracks through his car sound system speakers!

Murat is a member of the electro-psych-folk group Baba Zula where he plays electric saz, oscillators and theremin and played a key part in the creative development of the album. Mamadou Diabate, the balafon master originally from Burkina Faso and now resident in Vienna, has developed his own unique technique of playing solos that replicate the sound of three instruments playing in unison; however the multi-talented Mamadou is engaged here on singing and playing the talking drum. From South Tyrol Reinhilde Gamper is a member of the experimental trio Greifer who are bringing the sound of the zither into the twenty-first century using new playing techniques and electronic gadgets. Susanna Gartmayer is an Austrian composer and bass clarinetist specialising in improv and multimedia sound research. Diggory Kenrick has been engaged with creating new dub fusions and also re-energising classic rocksteady and roots reggae classics, renowned for his interventions on flute. Didi Kern is an electronic dance musician and drummer from Vienna with a focus on free improvised music. Hamidou Koita, a singer and multi-instrumentalist, is from a traditional Griot family in Burkina Faso but now resident in Vienna and a regular musical partner of Mamadou Diabate playing drums and calabash. Austrian Lukas Lauermann is both a studio and live musician playing cello, also working on electronic sound design and writing string arrangements. He has recorded extensively and appeared on stage with both Mark Lanegan and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. Martin Mallaun is a Tyrol-born specialist in both the development of the zither in modern music and also as a researcher in the effects of climate change on the vegetation of Alpine ecosystems. After studying classical percussion Flip Philipp is now a jazz vibraphone player and member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. Wolfgang Pfistermüller is a member of the Vienna Trombone Quartet and the developer of the incredible bass-trombone Aurora with its uniquely warm and resonant sound. Roger Robinson is a renowned British poet, winner of many contemporary poetry prizes and member of the experimental music group King Midas Sound. Kwame Yeboah is a Ghanaian born UK based keyboard wizard who tours regularly with Yusuf / Cat Stevens, Ms. Dynamite and Pat Thomas.

So contained on the album is an astonishing mix of musicians and instruments: sounds of cowbells recorded in the South Tyrolean alps processed by modular synthesizers and heavy analogue bass synths combined with instruments such as zither, bass-zither, electro saz, flute, talking drum, trombone, cello, marimba, djembe, contra-alto clarinet, Farfisa - all bound together by organic live-drums and dub effects.

Drumcode welcomes another debutant to the label, as Metodi Hristov unveils his stunning ‘Build to Destroy’ EP. The Bulgarian DJ/producer has been building a solid body of work stretching back a decade, releasing quality drops on labels including Terminal M, Octopus and Filth on Acid, meaning he’s long been on Adam Beyer’s radar. Drumcode, in turn, has always been a goal label for Hristov to release on. He explains: 'I’ve always wanted to release on Drumcode, but it was not a fixed plan till October last year when I fully embraced the idea and nailed it with my heart and mind. I ended up in a long three-month studio session from which I extracted some of the best productions I’ve made in my career.' He wasn’t wrong. The EP leads with ‘Flatline’, a straight up sexy techno track with bags of groove and charisma, driven by dreamy synth lines and an arresting vocal, while balancing silky and punchy elements with a deft ease. ‘Build to Destroy’ is a bulldozing beauty that fires out of the starting blocks with plenty of low-end energy, before moving into a succession of atmosphere-laden bass stabs and effects of varying rhythms and intensity. It’s a dynamic cut that piques interest to the end and a very solid addition to the Drumcode discography.

T.Recs is back with another salty rub of peak time house goodness on vinyl.

‘Urban Deep’ will ring several bells with the Gen X audience – especially once the iconic throbbing bassline hook and happy-clapping beats kick in. The big surprise comes from the throwback dreamy vocal laid perfectly across the production, which fits like a velvet glove on a well-manicured hand. ‘Urban Deep’ is a 122bpm stomper of a tune that will flood any dance floor at any time of the night, guaranteed.

For ‘Franklin & Marshall’ we head willingly and confidently into ‘classic house anthem’ territory. All the ingredients are in the mix here; from the unmistakeable Prophet 2000 generated piano riffs and Roland TR-909 drum box presenting the beats on a gold platter. You think you’ve got this one in the bag until the gospel sounding, smoky vocal arrives like a packed tram car. Epic, energetic, fantastical and full of pride, ‘Franklin & Marshall’ will be the preferred weekend weapon of many a DJ.

First Word Records is very proud to bring you the 10th anniversary edition of Tall Black Guy's debut LP '8 Miles to Moenart'!

It includes two brand new jazz interpretations ('From Home To Work, And Back' and 'Running The Motor'), recorded with a live band, as well as a new intro cut ('Black Detroit'), and an alternative mix of the single 'Mon Amie De'troit', previously only available on 7" vinyl.

The original vinyl LP release was a one-time limited edition pressing; this being the first time this project has been available on wax since then, and also includes entirely new artwork and photography.

From humble origins in Detroit, raised on a healthy diet of Motown, jazz and hip hop, Terrel Wallace (aka Tall Black Guy) has become a standard bearer for the hip hop beats scene. Through a steady stream of soulful productions filled with incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops, he has won fans across the world, including Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Don Letts, Lefto, Tom Ravenscroft, Lord Finesse, Huey Morgan, Anthony Valadez and countless others, along with sessions for Boiler Room and more.

'8 Miles To Moenart' literally brought Tall Black Guy full circle, and proceeds to do so once again. Detroit was where he started making music, and it's to his hometown he took inspiration for this debut album. Taking in low-slung hip hop, downtempo house and jazz-tinged street soul, it's a record of rare focus. It encapsulated the musical heritage of Detroit, through the looking glass of Tall Black Guy's own signature sound.

Follow up releases included his sophomore First Word album 'Let's Take A Trip' (which also featured the likes of Masego, Daniel Crawford, Miles Bonny and Moonchild), and records on Ubiquity, Bastard Jazz and Street Corner Music, to name a few, along with a steady slew of limited self-released edits amd productions, most recently with his #7DayVaults series.

He's worked with a number of formidable artists worldwide, including recent extensive work with Zo! (Little Brother), Ozay Moore, Deborah Bond and Dee Jackson (80's Babies), as well as collaborations with 14KT and First Word label-mate Allysha Joy, to name just a few. He is also an integral player for DJ Jazzy Jeff's infamous PLAYlist Retreat sessions, along with more First Word family, Kaidi Tatham and Eric Lau, as well as artists like James Poyser, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Questlove, and he was a core contributor to First Word's 'Nothing Leaves The House' series, along with Eric, Mr Thing and kidkanevil.

Tall Black Guy has firmly established himself to be one of the most influential producers working today.

Terrel says "I made the bulk of this album back in Detroit around 2012/2013, before I relocated to the UK. I've been back living and working in the States for a while now, and it's great to look back on this project. But while it's nice to reminisce, it's important to look forwards, so I wanted to include something new here to represent my progression as an artist, so there's some new versions included, that I created with the help of some jazz musician friends of mine."

'8 Miles to Moenart' (10th Anniversary Edition) will be released on digital & vinyl on October 18th 2024.



c 03: Funeral Biz / Welcome to Detroit (Interlude) feat. Malice & Mario Sweet

e 05: Mon Amie De`troit (7" Version) feat. Ozay Moore

Seth Troxler’s Slacker 85 imprint prepares to expand its repertoire of ne’er do wells and inspired outsiders, with two new singles shining a flashlight on talent at the characteristically esoteric producers on the fringes of Troxler’s always increasing circles.

American-Ecuadorian sound engineer and musician Andre Salmon has already left his fingerprints on underground dance music’s global scene, developing the current iteration of Inner City with Kevin Saunderson, as well as collaborating with house icons Paul Johnson and K’Alexi Shelby. Having already made a fixture of his supremely effective ‘Heartless’ mashup of Saint Etienne’s classic ‘Only Love Can Break Your Heart’, Slacker now welcomes Salmon to the family to exercise his studio technique and ‘sacred resonance’ deepness. The result is ‘La Mano de Dios’, a voluminous dance on the edge of house and techno, as smooth and impressive as the jets descending above the Terrace at DC10.

From Detroit to the East Coast, TB-203 delivers a contrasting energy on ‘Movin’. A fresh alias of NYC DJ, producer & label owner Tommy Bones, this bubbling, raw acid workout finds fresh heat at the intersection of jackin’ hip house and latin freestyle, driven by loose and lively vocals from DannyP. Underscoring Slacker 85’s commitment to party over posture, ‘Movin’ has been tried and tested to deliver on its old-school promise.

Michael Mayer albums don’t come round too often, which is one of many reasons why his fourth collection, The Floor Is Lava, is a genuine event. It’s been eight years since his last one, the collaborative & released on !K7; its predecessors, Mantasy (2012) and Touch (2004), took their sweet time, too. It’s no real surprise, given the many hats Mayer wears – globetrotting DJ, revered remixer, inveterate collaborator, and boss of both Kompakt and Imara – that his solo productions are relatively sparing. But this also speaks to their quality: Mayer’s name on a record sleeve is a sign of quality, of music that’s both looking to the future and calling back to the past, that balances the imperatives of the dancefloor and the loungeroom, that’s as exploratory as it is functional.

On The Floor Is Lava, Mayer seems to be taking the temperature of both the music that surrounds him (past and present), and the ides of the industry he works within. There’s that iconic album title, for a start. “The album’s mindset,” he says, reflecting on those four words together. For Mayer, it’s partly a critique of the way the industry boxes in both producer and listener, focuses them on genre, on market, on the next new thing: “Being a free minded spirit that transcends genres has become an uphill battle.” A battle worth fighting, though, and with The Floor Is Lava, the result is an album that’s varied, quixotic, idiosyncratic, charming, and deeply, addictively listenable.

Throughout, Mayer finds thrills in exploration and juxtaposition, allowing unexpected things to blossom and giving them their life, their platform, throwing the listener exciting curveballs: “It’s a DJ album by a DJ that’s easily bored.” Either easily bored, or endlessly curious, The Floor Is Lava is rich with ideas. It opens with “The Problem”, which looks back to look forward, embracing the rickety way early house productions threw samples together with gleeful abandon. Mayer mentions Pal Joey, and the scene around Rockers Hi-Fi and their Different Drummer imprint, as reference points, and you can hear that freewheeling spirit throughout.

It’s followed by “Vagus”, a slinky, sensual minimal house number that Mayer describes as his “musical catnip”. The flow of these two opening cuts defines the dynamic of The Floor Is Lava, defining the dialectical drive at its core: thesis and antithesis leads to synthesis, but with a welcome prickliness that means you’re always excited, always engaged. It’s also productive in the way it derives energy from rubbing genres and sounds against each other, in unexpected ways, for maximum musical frisson. There’s psychedelic techno on “Feuerstuhl”, more minimal techno with “Ardor” (Mayer mentions ‘Immer 1’ era 90s minimal as inspiration), slippery, Shepard-tone breakbeat through “Sycophant”, a lovely, lush vocal turn on the poppy “The Solution”.

The album closes with the melancholy “Süßer Schlaf”, where Mayer sets a poem by Goethe to one of his most haunted, moving pieces of music yet, in abstract tribute to a lost friend. It’s one of the most affecting moments on The Floor Is Lava. There’s also an update on 2020’s wild Brainwave Technology EP, with the surrealist glitter-stomp of “Brainwave 2.0” (check out those handclaps!),where Mayer’s thinking about the socio-political precipice of the now: “I’m reading with great interest about this whole complex of how humanity is about to cross so many lines and the implications that the resulting financial and educational inequality will bring.”

That’s The Floor Is Lava: then and now, brainwaves and nerve structures, problems and solutions, genres on fire; the real, the unreal, and the surreal. An album for the easily bored and the endlessly curious. Mayer has the last word, telling us all you need to know about the album’s spirit: “Burning for the cause, being zealous, being addicted to the heat of the night, the exuberant powers of music.”

Michael Mayer veröffentlicht nicht oft Alben, was einer von vielen Gründen ist, warum ‘The Floor Is Lava’ ein echtes Ereignis ist. Es sind acht Jahre vergangen seit seinem letzten Werk, dem Kollaborationsalbum &, das auf !K7 erschien; seine Vorgänger, Mantasy (2012) und Touch (2004), ließen ebenfalls auf sich warten. Es überrascht nicht wirklich, da Mayer viele Rollen gleichzeitig erfüllt – weltreisender DJ, vielbeschäftigter Remixer, unermüdlicher Kollaborateur und Chef von sowohl Kompakt als auch Imara – weshalb seine Solo-Produktionen eher sparsam ausfallen. Doch das spricht auch für deren Qualität: Ein Album mit Mayers Namen auf dem Cover steht für Qualität, für Musik, die sowohl in die Zukunft blickt als auch auf die Vergangenheit verweist, die das Gleichgewicht zwischen den Anforderungen des Dancefloors und des Wohnzimmers hält, die genauso erforschend wie funktional ist.

Auf The Floor Is Lava scheint Mayer sowohl die Musik um ihn herum (vergangen und gegenwärtig) als auch die Strömungen der Branche, in der er arbeitet, zu reflektieren. Da wäre zunächst der ikonische Albumtitel. „Die Grundhaltung des Albums“, sagt er, drückt sich in diesen vier Worte aus. Für Mayer ist es teilweise eine Kritik daran, wie die Industrie sowohl Produzenten als auch Hörer in Schubladen steckt, sie auf Genres, auf den Markt und auf das nächste große Ding fokussiert: „Ein freier Geist zu sein, der Genres überschreitet, ist zu einem steinigen Weg geworden.“ Ein Kampf, der sich jedoch lohnt, und mit The Floor Is Lava ist das Ergebnis ein Album, das vielfältig, eigenwillig, charmant und tiefsinnig, aber auch süchtig machend ist.

Im gesamten Album findet Mayer Freude an der Erforschung und Gegenüberstellung von Stilen, lässt unerwartete Dinge erblühen und gibt ihnen Raum, überrascht den Hörer mit spannenden Wendungen: „Es ist ein DJ-Album von einem DJ, der sich schnell langweilt.“ Entweder langweilt er sich schnell oder er ist unendlich neugierig – The Floor Is Lava ist reich an Ideen. Es beginnt mit „The Problem“, das in die Vergangenheit blickt, um nach vorne zu schauen, und die wilde Art, wie frühe House-Produktionen Samples mit fröhlicher Unbekümmertheit zusammenwarfen, aufgreift. Mayer nennt Pal Joey und die Szene um Rockers Hi-Fi und ihr Label Different Drummer als Referenzpunkte, und dieser freie Geist zieht sich durch das gesamte Album.

Es folgt „Vagus“, eine sinnliche Minimal-House-Nummer, die Mayer als seine „musikalische Katzenminze“ beschreibt. Der Fluss dieser beiden Eröffnungstracks definiert die Dynamik von The Floor Is Lava und den dialektischen Antrieb im Kern: These und Antithese führen zu einer Synthese, jedoch mit einer willkommenen Schärfe, die dafür sorgt, dass man immer aufgeregt und engagiert bleibt. Zudem gewinnt das Album Energie, indem es Genres und Klänge auf unerwartete Weise aneinanderreibt, um maximalen musikalischen Nervenkitzel zu erzeugen. Es gibt psychedelischen Techno in „Feuerstuhl“, mehr Minimal Techno mit „Ardor“ (Mayer erwähnt ‘Immer’ Ära Minimal als Bezugspunkt), gleitenden Shepard-Ton-Breakbeat in „Sycophant“ und einen lieblichen, üppigen Vocal-Auftritt im poppigen „The Solution“.

Das Album schließt mit dem melancholischen „Süßer Schlaf“, in dem Mayer ein Gedicht von Goethe vertont und eine seiner bisher eindringlichsten und bewegendsten musikalischen Kompositionen schafft, als abstrakten Tribut an eine verschiedene Freundin. Es ist einer der ergreifendsten Momente auf The Floor Is Lava. Ebenfalls gibt es ein Update der wilden Brainwave Technology-EP von 2020, mit dem surrealistischen Glitzer-Stampfer „Brainwave 2.0“ (hör dir diese Handclaps an!), in dem Mayer über den sozio-politischen Abgrund der Gegenwart nachdenkt: „Ich lese mit großem Interesse über diesen ganzen Komplex, wie die Menschheit dabei ist, so viele Grenzen zu überschreiten und welche Auswirkungen die daraus resultierende finanzielle und bildungstechnische Ungleichheit haben wird.“

Das ist The Floor Is Lava: Damals und heute, Gehirnwellen und Nervengeflechte, Probleme und Lösungen, brennende Genres; das Reale, das Unreale und das Surreale. Ein Album für die schnell Gelangweilten und die unendlich Neugierigen. Mayer hat das letzte Wort und sagt uns alles, was wir über den Geist des Albums wissen müssen: „Brennen für die Sache, leidenschaftlich sein, süchtig nach der Hitze der Nacht, den überschwänglichen Kräften der Musik.“

* Strictly limited-edition 5x12” vinyl hard case box with spot varnish finish on the front and back and full colour sleeves for each vinyl.

* V Recordings marks three decades of groundbreaking Drum & Bass with '30 Years of V', an album featuring 22 fresh tracks that honour the label's rich legacy while paving the way for its future.

* Presented as a collectable 5 x12” Vinyl hard case box set, with spot vanish finish, this project links the past of V to it’s future and shows the label is as dynamic and relevant as ever.

* A selection of brand new music, from the current V family as well as remixes of some recent big hitters and seminal classics. Over recent years, V Recordings itself has continued in the mold in which it was formed, releasing music from some of modern-day D&B’s most exciting, innovative and committed artists.

* This project which label head honcho Bryan Gee has painstakingly compiled over the past few years, sees the likes of L-Side, Alibi, Break, Serum, Dillinja, Voltage, Paul T & Edward Oberon, Command Strange, Need For Mirrors, Chimpo, Sl8r, Think Tonk, Level 2 and more all on board to see their name alongside V’s iconic sun logo and celebrate this milestone.

* It is a celebration of V Recordings' contribution to our global scene, underscored by support from industry icons like DJ Marky, Watch The Ride, Break, Fabio, Grooverider, Born On Road, Kasra, S.P.Y, Roni Size, Ed Rush, Caylx, Camo & Krooked and many more.

* Since its foundation in 1993 by Bryan Gee and Jumping Jack Frost, V has been a cornerstone of the electronic music world, pushing the boundaries of Jungle and Drum & Bass. The label has been instrumental in the careers of many genre-defining artists, constantly evolving while staying true to the roots of Drum & Bass culture. '30 Years of V' embodies this journey, offering a blend of nostalgia and innovation that appeals to long-time fans and newcomers alike.

Fresh off a rework of Papa Levi with single Ribena, London’s jungle pioneers 4am Kru drop their highly anticipated debut album Incognito Rhythm featuring all the tracks that have cemented their reputation as the go-to act for raw, live jungle music.

Having already taken the 2024 festival circuit by storm with appearances at Outlook Origins, Boomtown, Boardmasters, Reading+ Leeds, The Blind Tiger, Parklife Waterworks, Boundary and a milestone Saturday night closing set at Glastonbury’s Temple Stage, 4am Kru continue to draw audiences into the madness of their raucous blend of 1993-1994 influenced jungle. First bursting onto the scene post-lockdown, the falling monitors and flying bodies of their shows were particularly thrilling for ravers who had turned 18 in isolation.

Originally developing their live sound in indie bands while sharing a studio in Tottenham, the duo quickly realized that the traditional DJ set couldn’t contain the energy of their act. They have since surrendered to the chaos of their incredibly physical performances, nursing chipped bones and back injuries, deep finger taping, chalking up and wearing shoes designed for skipping rope whilst rewiring what it meant to move their bodies. Their innovation extends to the equipment, with the duo reinventing a way to deliver their signature throbbing basslines with a Roland SPD SX drum pad as thick as a car tire. Their upcoming UK tour this October promises to further showcase their immersive, disruptive sound.

4am Kru’s latest single Ribena breathed new life into Papa Levi’s iconic British reggae classic Militancy following the release of hard-hitting Wutt this past July, setting the stage for their most ambitious project yet. Their debut album draws from a wide range of influences in addition to 4am Kru’s signature blend of 90s jungle flavours, from obscure slow jam R&B like Angela Bofill, Janet Jackson and Prince, early hardcore bands like Hüsker Dü, off kilter Scottish folk, and even classical music. The project is a snapshot of the incognito, nocturnal world that the duo have dwelled in for the past two years, a time capsule of well-worn songs played between midnight and 4am. An extraordinary debut, 4am Kru’s Incognito Rhythm is an immersive, razor sharp, face melting journey through their show-stopping live sound.

Sundries has already established the now well-known "Disco Goodies" series, with the fourth VA compilation in a row featuring obscure disco and boogie gems that cater to diverse tastes and occasions. This series is dedicated in memory of Juan Vargas aka Sould Out who sadly passed away 2 years ago. This 6-tracks EP kicks off with "Soul Driven Dynamics" by Berobreo, which opens dramatically, setting a curious tone as it builds tension, leaving us anticipating a resolution that arrives unexpectedly in the form of a loose, seductive soul sample cut. Oldchap brings a touch of sunshine with groovy, free-flowing track "Coloridos", that carry the happy spirit of latin disco, perfect for enriching any feel-good DJ set. "Still Come Home" by X Gets The Crest wraps up the A-side, combining a baritone sax and funky bassline into a well-balanced blend of styles. The B-side ventures into Afrobeat house with "People Says" by Alexny, featuring hand-drummed rhythms and chanted vocals layered over solid kicks. Sould Out delivered another boogie-funk gem with the excellent "City Gal", while Workerz closes the EP with "Since You Came" an uplifting track filled with soulful vibes and heartfelt expression.

Ceri and Alex Arnout launch their new collaboration alias 'CnA', for the eagerly anticipated third release on Ceri's Find Your Own Records label.

The A side 'Higher' is a happy house summer festival banger, inspired by getting high from the music, and the B side 'Show Me What You Got' is an eerie slice of breaksy techno, reminiscent of the early UR sound.

On the remix is Ukranian SE62, famed for his releases on labels like My Love Is Underground and Slapfunk. He reworks the original into a dubby summer laid back deep house minimal cut.

The first two releases sold out on vinyl, had plays on BBC Radio1, BBC 6Music, have rave reviews in dance music press, as well as being Mixmag's techno 'Tune Of The Month', and was also supported by some of the biggest and most respected selectors in the scene such as Ben UFO. Fred P, Mr G, Midland, George Fitzgerald, Paranoid London, Move D.

Mixmag News Piece

Early DJ Support:

Lakuti, Chloe Caillat, Jeremy Underground, DJ Deep, Cici, D’julz, Sarah Story

From London to Ibiza via Berlin, inspired by Chigago and Detroit, Ceri finds her truth in proper house music. ‘Can’t Pay My Bills’ EP provides a message of hope during uncertain times. Acknowledged as a “rising selector” by Crack Magazine, producer, label boss and record digger Ceri steps into 2024 with a brand-new EP ‘Can’t Pay My Bills” via her imprint “Find Your Own Records”.

“The title track is inspired by the current economic situation in the world, and also features a positive message that reflects the values and true origins of house music, reinforcing the belief that we can overcome our circumstances and improve our situation” - Ceri


The new four track EP drips with Chicago, New York and Detroit jackin’ house with garage influence, and a sprinkle of ripping UK breakbeat for good measure. The people’s producer D'Julz steps up, on remix duties, contributing not one but two remixes to the label’s ongoing message of artist authenticity and collaboration. The remixes will be vinyl only, and the originals will see a digital release later in the year.

“I have collected D'Julz music for many years, his label started around the same time I started DJing, and it was and still is, one of the few labels that I buy on sight. I know it will always be quality. Something I aspire to do with my label too.”– Ceri

As an artist led label 'Find Your Own Records’ has become a home for genuine house legends Mr G, Fred P, Alex Arnout, and has rightly gained support from Mixmag, Resident Advisor, BBC Radio 1, BB6Music and BBC1Xtra.

Support for the label so far comes from the likes of:

Midland, Ben UFO, Move D, K-HAND, Fumiya Tanaka, Fred P, Paranoid London, Steve O'Sullivan, Tristan Da Cunha, Ryan Elliot, Lakuti, DJ Deep, Kerri Chandler, Chloe Caillet, Fred P, Jeremy Underground, Cici, D’Julz, Chez Damier and more…


As a DJ Ceri has performed marathon sets at Fabric, Corsica Studios, Pikes Ibiza, Thisishaven, and recently made her debut at the legendary Panorama Bar/Berghain. Confidently sharing the booth with club favourites Ryan Elliot, Jeremy Underground, Paranoid London and Objekt it’s certain the next year of live shows will be ones to remember for the UK artist. Inspiring far beyond the dancefloor, Ceri also regularly steps up as a masterclass host / panelist on creativity, mental health, meditation and wellness with renowned platforms Beatport, ADE, RedBull, Point Blank and Native Instruments, earning her a distinctive reputation as a multifaceted artist and
thought leader.

Ceri – ‘Can’t Pay My Bils’ EP is out on Find Your Own Records. Vinyl end of Feb tbc. The remixes re vinyl only. And the originals will be released digitally in the summer.

The first in a new compilation series, "How We Walk on the Moon," was selected and supervised by the project "VINYL GOES AROUND," which operates under the concept of "redefining record culture" in the era of subscription services.

The album is themed on "quiet nights." It is not too close to healing/easy listening, but has a beautiful tension and a pure, mellow mood, and the fantastic soundscape that makes you want to listen to it under the moonlight blends into the environment.

The selection of beautiful pieces is a woven ensemble of various genres, including not only ambient and jazz, but also soul, library, and alternative, and will serve as an introduction to the pop side of ambient music, which many people find intimidating. It is a must-listen for all music fans.

In addition, the LP comes with a completely new type of obi called "ORIGAMI" supervised by "VINYL GOES AROUND". It is a special design that further deepens the worldview of the album.

The tracks included are "Harmonica and...", a 7-inch only track by Sven Wonder, an up-and-coming artist who was nominated for the Jazz category of the 2024 Swedish Grammy Awards; "Clouds" by Gigi Masin, which has been cited by Namedaruma, Nujabes, and Bjork; and "Morning Sunrise", a popular song by Weldon Irvin that has been sampled in countless songs since the 2000s. The lineup is set apart from conventional healing/ambient compilations, and will be useful for DJs as well.

This is a record that will make spending an evening with you feel incredibly luxurious, as if your mind is being freed to go on a free-spirited journey.

*****

It is an honor to be included in this compilation alongside so many other talented artists who have been an important part of my musical journey and hold a special place in my heart. - SVEN WUNDER

DJ Support: Grant Nelson, Dr Packer, Purple Disco Machine, Cj Mackintosh, Mark Knight, Sam Divine, Jamie Jones, Funkerman, Vanilla Ace, Roog/Hardsoul

Birdee has managed to carve out quite a path for himself, remixing luminaries such as Aeroplane and Michael Gray, collaborating with legendary singers Barbara Tucker and Angela Johnson, as well as releasing on Glitterbox, Big Love, Nervous and of course Tinted. On his latest single Birdee remakes the Jomanda classic 'Don't You Want My Love' (As sampled later by Felix) in true Birdee style, as a complete disco reinventio, crafting an all original backing of dynamic drums, funky bass and some classy synth and string arrangements that glide across this timeless ear-worm.

The Blessed Madonna began with three magic words, scrawled in shoe polish on a broken - down box and hung on the wall at a small sweaty party: We Still Believe. “I think you have to give up completely to really understand what hope is. It was like 2011? I had spectacularly, monumentally failed. I left the label. I wasn’t DJing. I wasn’t putting out records. I was divorced and living on my Dad’s couch so naturally my friends and I decided to throw an illegal rave. We didn’t have any decorations, so I took a box and wrote, ‘We Still Believe’ on it. I needed to believe that something better was possible and that’s how it all started.” After years of $50 gigs, strung together by gas money and surfed couches, The Blessed Madonna cemented her reputation as a sublime technician behind the decks with a legacy of fluent and dynamic sets, spanning from disco to techno to house and back. One room sweatboxes, circus tents, theatres, massive festival stages and entire city blocks have all served as the canvas for her shows. After a jam packed 2023, from Glastonbury to Sonar to Boiler Room Bali, The Blessed Madonna has been filling the dance floor everywhere she goes and is now releasing her debut album.

DJ Support: Massimiliano Pagliara, Lauren Lo Sung, Make A Dance, ADMNTi, Jeremy Sylvester, Locky, SUCHI, Daisy Moon, Martyn Bootyspoon, Storm Mollison

Beeyou Records proudly presents False Promises, the latest EP from Dennis Quin, an artist known for his timeless, soul-moving House music.

First up on the A side Reactivate delivers a high-energy garage vibe with punchy basslines and crisp percussion. This is then followed by Diamond Hunting is a bumpy 4x4 track that works on every dancefloor.

Flipping on the B side Dennis opens up with Accidentally that blends classic House grooves with playful modern production, followed by False Promises (Original Mix) bounces with a lovely vocal and vibrant House energy. The EP finishes off with Well Conducted a track that howcases Dennis’ other styles with a downtempo, chilled vibe.

TrioRox is a project born from the meeting of three protagonists of the Italian music scene (and not only): pianist Giovanni Guidi, bassist Joe
Rehmer and electronic musician DJ Rocca (Luca Roccatagliati). Three characters who boast an eclectic and consistent curriculum. Guidi, enfant prodige of Jazz piano, has published several albums for the prestigious ECM label, and has collaborated with the best jazz and electronic musicians, from Enrico Rava to Matthew Herbert, from Joe Lovano to Ricardo Villalobos. Joe Rehmer, an American transplanted to Italy, is one of the most sought-after bass players, sharing stages and recording studios together with authorities such as Bob Mintzer, James Moody and Danny Gottlieb.

DJ Rocca is a DJ and musician active since the nineties, and boasts numerous albums, singles and remixes with, and for key protagonists of the alternative dance scene (Andrew Weatherall, Dimitri From Paris and Howie B), as well as a militancy in the jazz scene with several albums together with Franco D’Andrea.

The music that the trio proposes is a mix of electronic, dance, Jazz and pop, with groove impulses in the field of house and techno music, without neglecting mixes between electro, classical and minimalism. A melting pot of styles between Keith Jarrett and Carl Craig.

Album to be released by IRMA Records in October 2024, with guests Luigi Di Nunzio, Gianluca Petrella, Dan Kinzelman and Jacopo Fagioli.
“Moods” is the debut album of Triorox that represents the photograph of the ‘Here and Now’. All the music was born from a studio session that lasted a few days, in which the mood of the three musicians gave the album its sound imprint. What came out of it became incandescent material to elaborate the musical flow of the entire work, which had three different phases.

The first, in which the tracks were born from the recordings, some developed as creations with a common denominator (the three moments of Mood), some as thematic suggestions (Angels, Corea and Next To Canada), and others as a stylistic challenge (the techno of Space Rain, or the drum and bass of Sax & The City).

The second phase, where the compositions were subjected to the test of live concerts, in which it was understood how the tracks could be better arranged, optimizing them and keeping the best ones. The last phase was the choice and insertion of the guests, reasoning according to the type of suggestion that we wanted to give to the specific song. So we gave free rein to Luigi Di Nunzio, who also participated in phase two, playing with us on stage on some occasions. In the same way, Gianluca Petrella chose the piece where he felt most at ease, also contributing to the arrangement.

Dan Kinzelman, a historic collaborator of both Guidi and Rehmer, was included because we wanted his bass clarinet in a specific suggestive situation. Finally, we wanted Jacopo Fagioli (the Tuscan reincarnation of Don Cherry), we wanted him in a specific episode of Mood, for his particular style, impeccable in determining the mood that the piece needed.

Eaux proudly announces a new collaborative mini-album from label boss Rrose and Polygonia. Containing six tracks and over 40 minutes of music housed in a fully printed sleeve with artwork by Jon-Paul Villegas, the record focuses squarely on the dancefloor while infusing it with the kinds of psychoactive drones, intricate polyrhythms, and relentless modulations that have come to identify both of their approaches to sound. Featured heavily are their shared interests in sonic shapes that resemble natural forms and conjure tactile feelings, in this case related to themes of skin-like surfaces and circulatory systems experienced simultaneously on a micro and macro level. While several of the tracks hover in a flexible tempo range between 125 and 130 bpm, "Stretcher" reaches up to 142, and the closing track "Vena Cava" trades the kick drums for spectrally processed percussion and endlessly diverging high-frequency pulses.

The story behind the release starts in 2022, when Rrose reached out to Polygonia after noticing that her tracks were appearing in their sets more frequently than any other artist. Never before had Rrose proposed a collaboration with someone they hadn't met before, but there was such an obvious connection in their approach to sound that it felt necessary. As it turns out, Polygonia had only become interested in techno after hearing Rrose perform at a festival in 2018. It all made sense, and they began sharing sketches and unfinished ideas with each other, trading them back and forth until they reached completion. Without any announcement of their collaboration, the two artists have since been asked to share the stage together several times. It seems there are other people out there sensing a connection...


Bios:

RROSE

Rrose is an alias of the multi-disciplinary artist Seth Horvitz, born and raised in California, and currently based in London. Active since 2011, the Rrose project explores the intersection of hypnotic techno, experimental composition and psychoacoustic phenomena with a meticulous touch. The first major breakthrough was 2012's "Waterfall" for Sandwell District which followed "Motormouth Variations," a collaborative project with composer, improviser, and activist Bob Ostertag. After the shuttering of Sandwell District, Rrose established Eaux, a home for further solo productions and collaborations. Building on his studies in electronic composition and history at Mills College, Rrose's electronic pieces blur the lines between thrillingly claustrophobic club tracks and destabilizing sound art explorations. In 2015, she released an extended version of James Tenney's postcard composition "Having Never Written a Note For Percussion" for solo gong, and in 2018 collaborated with Charlemagne Palestine on "The Goldennn Meeenn + Sheeenn" for two grand pianos. These works overlapped with the development of Rrose's singular techno: EPs like "Vanishing Pools," "The Ends of Weather" and "Arc Unknown" as well as 2019's debut LP "Hymn to Moisture" and last year's follow up "Please Touch." Rrose is also active as a touring DJ and live performer, equally comfortable commanding sweaty warehouse dancefloors and seated audiences in historic concert halls. Appearances include Unsound, Atonal, Semibreve, Dekmantel, Mutek, Sonic Acts, Nuit Sonore, Mostra, Parallel, Theatre Graslin, Nextones, and Berghain.
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POLYGONIA

Polygonia represents a multidisciplinary music and art project conceived by Lindsey Wang from Munich, Germany.

She draws inspiration from her many years of practicing various acoustic instruments and her keen interest for other cultural forms of expression, which she translates into the digital language of electronic music and art.

Her productions' soundscape exudes a mystical, organic quality, featuring intricate and compelling rhythms. Polygonia's sound palette ranges from energetic, groovy Deep Techno, Downtempo, Grey Area to textural and/or harmonic Ambient. Besides, she is not afraid to include influences from the genres House, Drum and Bass, Electro etc.. In addition inspiration from nature play a major role in many of her productions. Exemplary for her style are for instance her 'Otro Mundo' EP (2023) on Bambounou's Bambel Imprint, her 'Bloom' EP (2022) on the American record label Sure Thing, the release 'Deformed Human Nature' (2021) on her own label IO, as well as the album 'Abbilder einer vergessenen Welt' (2021) on the Korean label Huinali.

Her DJ and live sets too reflect her passion for different genres. Depending on the time of day and setting, Polygonia shows a different musical side. What unites all her dance music sets is the hypnotizing effect that invites to completely lose oneself in the world of sounds for a longer period of time. Several voices from the audience also confirm that the musician always tells a complex story within her mixes, allowing for very clear highs and lows. In the same set there can be very harmonic passages, which provide emotional moments and on the other hand extremely texture-heavy dark tracks, which establish a connection with the subconscious and put the listener in a kind of trance.

Polygonia has already visited numerous of prestigious venues. She is now a regular at Tresor or Berghain in Berlin and additionally started her residency in 2023 at Munich-based BLITZ club.

Exploration, collaboration and curiosity define the rhythm at the beating heart of Mehmet Aslan’s exemplary compositions. The Swiss-born producer of Turkish heritage has already forged a singular path through production, DJing and full-band performances, navigating the more esoteric corners of Berlin’s club culture without sacrificing his musical heritage or innate creativity.

A conceptual new LP ‘Auguri’ follows on from 2021’s gnomic, ornate ‘The Sun Is Parallel’, which saw Aslan musically associate with the likes of Valentina Magaletti and Niño De Elche. ‘Auguri’ also has its foundations in collaboration, born out of a musical lab at Lyon’s annual
Nuits Sonores, the forward-thinking festival with whom Aslan has maintained a lengthy creative relationship.

The resulting audio-visual performance, ‘Bird Signals For Earthly Survival’ introduced Aslan, to the Greek filmmaker Stratis Vogiatzis. Drawing on the philosophy of Donna Haraway and envisioning new ways of being, of living on earth, Aslan and Vogiatzis crane their necks to the sky to witness flocks of birds performing spectacular movements in unison. Fluid and ancient, their organic waltz provides inspiration for Aslan’s extension of the project, spanning sonic shades of electro, ambient and modern folk psychedelia.

On the coastline of Vogiatzis’s home country of Greece, as in many places across the world, climate change threatens to effect the ancient migration pattern of millions of birds, just as their fellow beings on terra firma become increasingly entangled in a man-made disaster of their own creation. In unison, ‘Auguri’ is adorned by artwork from designer Xavi Bou. Known for his ‘ornithographies’, this striking visual captures avian life not only as a force, but a wry observer.

“We need to transform our connections with other living beings to protect the Earth and live together harmoniously”, reflects Aslan. “Personally, this project has made me more sensitive to this issue. I wanted to give back in return for the inspiration I've received."

Perhaps upending expectations of a more traditional ‘ambient’ album, Aslan commits some of his finest compositional work and understated songwriting to this urgent imperative, creating original music that nonetheless, has nature flowing through it. ‘Critters’ presents a spectral sound collage on which Aslan himself speaks from the texts composed at the residency, conjuring visions of “the birds flying… shape of the future”. Meanwhile, the undulating, psychedelic ‘Pigeon Blinks’ takes inspiration from more domestic scenes, charting the unexpected roosting and hatching of an egg on a kitchen window, while ‘Auguri’ gives the album it’s title in connecting to a higher plain, demonstrating Aslan’s ability to lure melody and catharsis from looping hypnosis.

Opener ‘Spectra’ provides a forceful, almost industrial breakbeat that establishes the exigency of the album as well as its sense of wonder, while ‘Euphoria’ reaches the potency of its promise slowly, with Aslan’s modular melodies meeting the flourishing percussion of guest player and multi-instrumentalist, POPP. Finally, ‘Aura’ delivers a cinematic conclusion, mixing an elegiac organ motif, haunting guitar chords and the prophetic sense of a scorched earth. Here, with patience and soaring production, Aslan once more makes the abstract and the unthinkable somehow tangible, mixing in sampled birdsong.

Accordingly, ‘Auguri’ is being released in accordance with EarthPercent, the music industry’s climate foundation, co-founded by Brian Eno. A portion of the album’s publishing will be credited as part of ‘The Earth As Your Co-Writer’ initiative, allowing artists to directly credit The Earth in their new compositions. Here, streaming and publishing from Aslan’s recorded sounds are automatically paid back to a number of vital initiatives worldwide.

Leaning into some of the most vital questions and anxieties of our time, ‘Auguri’ is not a project without a sense of hope. From studio to sea, Mehmet Aslan continues to look to the skies and beyond.

Our 6th vinyl only installment features four very familiar faces from the ever growing House Cookin' family.

On the A-side we have 2 young producers with an oldschool mindset when it comes to producing House tracks. Analog warmth and deep grooves that ride along some swinging percussion.
DJ Merci kicking it off with a bouncing bassline and nice deep chords. Followed by Bruno Bar, he continues the vibe with a pleasant vocal twist of the words "House Music".

On the B-Side we are joined by two fellow Belgian producers. Pat Lezizmo, providing his well known smooth vibe.
And Reagan Mian, finishing the VA with a punch!

29 Speedway is a record label and performance series based in Brooklyn, NY featuring forward-thinking improvisational music and live multimedia. Founded in 2020 by Ben Shirken a.k.a. Ex Wiish (‘Shards Of Axel’, Incienso 2023), 29S serves as a platform for artists exploring the fringes of interdisciplinary art and music. Hosting D.I.Y-guerrilla style sound and performance art concerts at Pioneer Works (NYC), Public Records, and in Europe in partnership with Index Records, they have worked with artists such as James Hoff, J. Albert, Yolabmi, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, AceMo, Flora Yin Wong, Nexcyia, Young Boy Dancing Group, UMFANG, Color Plus, Poncili Creación, Special Guest DJ, Arushi Jain, Drumloop, Isabella Koen, Ben Bondy, Kamran Sadeghi, Yawning Portal, James K., Syndey Spann, Debit, Pent and many others.

Resident Advisor called their most recent compilation record ‘Channel Plus’ “one of the most stunning documents of the ‘modern ambient-techno movement pioneered by labels such as Motion Ward and West Mineral’, with a focus on New York as well as a global outreach that encompasses chilled-out trap, electro, downtempo and even early '00s electroacoustic music”. Their debut solo artist release from J. Albert and Will August Park, entitled “Flat Earth” (2023), was based on free improvisation and ambient jazz, receiving praise from Philip Sherburne, Shawn Reynaldo, and was included in RYMs top EPs of the year. 29S has been written about on ID, Bandcamp Daily: Best Ambient, Boomkat, Paper Mag, Artnet, Dazed, Clot Mag, Nina Protocol, and Document Journal.

The newest release from 29 Speedway, UltraBody, is a compilation record featuring the music of Jake Muir, Pent & Dylan Kerr, Nexcyia & Mu Tate, James K, Flora Yin-Wong, Ex Wiish & Dorothy Carlos, Kamran Sadeghi, Tati au Miel, James Hoff, Eric Frye, Muein and Maxwell Sterling. The record is emblematic of the artists who have performed at 29 Speedway shows in New York and Europe during the past two years, and is the third in a series released by the label.

The record was born out of a desire to investiage how the self, spirituality, and language are intertwined with the intervention of subjectivity by new technologies. With increasingly sophisticated tech, and the supposed ability to remake the world and ourselves, what differentiates our individual discretion from the will imposed upon us by software? Quoting Walter Chaw from his piece on David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, “Decades of rampant, unregulated and ill-considered technological leaps have begun to evolve, to mutate, humans at a biological level”. This haphazard acceleration towards a techno-utopic transformation of humanity has faulted, and as William Gibson put it, is leading us to live in a “half assed singularity”. In this reality, artistic processes are influenced by excessive access to computational tools and assistance, but not utterly controlled.

This in-between state of dominion is explored in 29 Speedway: UltraBody. “Incoherences” samples the utterances of Dylan Kerr’s voice processed between Pent’s percolated glazes, muddying the gulf between vaporous ambient and reflexive sound design. The voice on James Hoff’s “A... ...Cha.... A... I feel l” was created by trying to get voice cloning technology to sing a gps data stream, the music an extrapolation from an earworm he got stuck in his head while shopping in Kyoto. On “Plogue Chain”, Eric Frye’s most speculative sci-fi observations spiral into a glazed pool of digital cacophony, while Kamran Sadeghi’s “Formula Fiction” is an experiment in (un)controlled generativity. Incorporating minimal pings from a 3D simulation scene based on gravitational interaction, cello bits evolve on “Assimilation”, a collaboration between Ex Wiish & Dorothy Carlos.

On UltraBody, sound has no separate existence from space.

'Daily Rituals' is the debut EP by DJ and Producer IDA. Released on her own Savy Records label, this is an immersive four-tracker that draws together IDA's years of experience playing techno, breaks, electro and 'everything in between'. 'Daily Rituals' offers club-focused compositions with heart, intuitively guiding us through the multitude of moods that colour the party from midnight to well past daybreak. The A side opens with the mood-setting, acid inflected 'Vapauteen', then delivers the characterful, distinctive bassline and addictive grooves of 'Dopamine Hunt'. The B side features 'Currents', including a remix from cosmic sound voyager and fellow Finnish producer Sansibar, with his dubby, drum-driven version of 'Currents' highlighting how these two artists both slickly sidestep genre constraints. The result is the emergence of IDA's singular musical voice, boldly and brightly expressed across her debut EP.

Die "French Touch Collection" ist eine Doppel-LP-Serie, die der französischen elektronischen Musikszene gewidmet ist. Beeinflusst von neuen Musikgenres wie House, Hip-Hop, Techno und den Rave-Partys, beteiligten sich Mitte der 90er Jahre mehrere französische Produzenten an der Demokratisierung der elektronischen Musik. Ihre Musik, die der britische Journalist Martin James "French Touch" nannte, wurde 1996 zu einem neuen, international bekannten Musikgenre, das sich durch elektronische Produktionen und Musiksamples aus Hip-Hop, Funk oder Disco auszeichnete. Anfang der 2000er Jahre erfand sich die "French Touch"-Szene mit einer neuen Generation ungehemmter Künstler neu, getragen von einem rohen, rocknahen Sound. Die 2010er Jahre brachten eine neue "French Touch"-Welle mit sich, die von der Popmusik beeinflusst war und sich mehr auf Melodien und Oneiric Universes konzentrierte. Dieses neue Werk ist dem House gewidmet, mit Künstlern und Tracks, die zur Entwicklung des "French Touch" beigetragen haben: "Bon voyage"!

Die Musik ist tief in der DNA der Buddha-Bar verwurzelt und hat schon immer eine Schlüsselrolle in unserem Universum gespielt. Unsere musikalische Handschrift, die 1996 in Paris entstand, spiegelt die traumhafte Atmosphäre unserer Restaurants perfekt wider. Subtile und hypnotisierende Mixe, eine perfekte Mischung aus mystischen House- und elektronischen Rhythmen mit afrikanischen, asiatischen, indischen, lateinamerikanischen oder orientalischen Klängen... Buddha-Bar Music verbreitet seit 1996 seine guten Vibes in der ganzen Welt. Dieses dreifache Best Of zeichnet unsere Geschichte von 2014 bis 2024 nach und versammelt von Ravin sorgfältig ausgewählte Titel und Künstler, darunter Buscemi, Sahalé, Desert Dwellers, Kenneth Bager, Ali Kuru, Santi & Tugçe, El Bùho, Troels Hammer, ...

A highly talented artist who has grown to make a notable impression amongst the scene’s most revered tastemakers, DJ/producer and label owner Jhobei is an individual who continues to blossom. His deep, expansive sound has already welcomed material on Up The Stuss, Limousine Dream, Mindhelmet and Picnic Records, amongst others, while featuring as a co-founder of London-based collective and label Bizarre Trax. In addition, his work as one-third of dynamic trio Felon5, coupled with his unique sound, has taken him from Albania’s ION Festival to Los Angeles, alongside making a handful of appearances for FUSE and its sister brands on home turf at fabric, The Cause and Village Underground - plus 2024’s Open Air event at Barking Park earlier this year. Building on that relationship, late September brings fresh music as Enzo Siragusa invites the exciting selector to make his label debut with an array of impressive productions across his ‘Age Of Virality’ EP. A-side opener ‘Swarming’ is all action and kicks things off with authority as a snaking bassline guides a garage-influenced trip through bumping low-ends and hooky vocal samples, while ‘Machine Language’ delivers a mix of playful tones amongst sweeping melodies while delivering a heavy dose of robot funk. On the flip, ‘Defusion Solution’ is a heady late-night excursion through skippy percussion and cosmic tones, with ‘Rising Sun’ stripping things back to deliver a classy, hazy journey as organic percussion grooves unravel effortlessly. Digital buyers are treated to a bonus cut in the form of ‘Kontrol Urload’, a sci-fi leaning cut merging glistening neon synth motifs with punchy kicks and zipping effects for maximum impact.

how do we live in times when nothing seems safe, how do we listen to music when rockets and bullets make the air scream, how do we produce music when the building with our studio is simply no longer there?

over the last 2 years, AMAS and KONSTANTIN KOST have been trying to produce a techno EP across the borders of the war in ukraine. KONSTANTIN KOST was never able to leave ukraine for this, while we were able to move freely through europe.

this ambivalence is part of this album, it is part of every note and every line of the poems that can be heard here. we all associate techno with bass-heavy and dancing through the night, but ODESSA is more, it is a journey without being able to travel, an experience without being able to experience, an escape without being able to escape and a life without really being able to live ...

neither AMAS was able to travel to odessa during this time, nor KONSTANTIN KOST to europe, neither was able to experience the other personally. however, the exchange of music and lyrics has built up a relationship to a country at war, as well as to its people, musicians, women and children.

while we were dealing with our everyday problems in germany, the situation in ODESSA became increasingly confusing. the constant fear of being drafted and producing videos and images for the album at the same time were extremely ambivalent moments.

how do you deal with your counterpart in such moments and what do you say to someone in a situation that we can hardly imagine? we often talked about friends simply disappearing and corrupt officials and soldiers embezzling money and in the next sentence it was straight back to the vinyl production. these conversations were very rational and at the same time extremely surreal.

this EP is not meant to be a political EP, it is meant to be a human album and to take away the feeling of powerlessness from the people who were and are involved. this production and its music is a triumph over the destructive and dark side of war, it is meant to show that art is boundless and that people are connected all over the world even in the darkest times.

in the first track RED GLOW our guest TANYA (musician and djane from Odessa) stoically repeats the words LOVE and FEAR, followed by the words: “i meet you with red glow, in your eyes i quickly dissolve!” the track is part of everyday life, everywhere you meet this red glow and yet everything has to flow on and yet people still live and dance ...

in NIGHTCALL we walk through the streets and follow the call of darkness. the words “through the night” are used here repetitively like a percussion. but the highs and lows also give us hope and the belief that we will wake up again tomorrow and start a new day. in the dark there is always light, which must be preserved and found.
OLD KINGS is also the title of the poem we have written, based on the poem OZYMANDIAS by percy bysshe shelley. OLD KINGS determine our times and our political systems, seemingly unteachable old men hold the world in a stranglehold and it seems as if there are an infinite number of them. yet we continue to fight against these people, we cannot and do not want to do otherwise ...

in TALK TO GOD, KONSTANTIN KOST reads from the well-known ukrainian poem “a cloud floating behind the sun” by TARAS SHEVCHENKO, a famous ukrainian poet and writer. he is considered the founder of modern ukrainian literature and, in part, of the ukrainian language. it is about red fields, the fog and its darkness, as well as the sea and the calmness of the heart in nature, the longing for peace and peace with god.

in addition to poetry and music, all photographs and videos are original recordings by KONSTANTIN KOST of his city ODESSA. although we cannot visit each other, we still share strong visual impressions of a city that, in all its beauty and resilience, will hopefully soon be open to the world again. the cover is therefore also a picture of the port of odessa, a place where people and goods from all parts oft he world will soon be able to sail in and out again.

2026 Repress

Rain&Shine proudly present ENERGIZE, a band out of Marin County, California in 1979. Previously unobtainable even for top DJs due to rarity, Rain&Shine gives this double A side modern soul/disco 45 an official re-issue treatment. About ENERGIZE (words by Dan Hays - Guitarist, Songwriter):

ENERGIZE came to age in a post-hippie era, where musicians went back to playing covers in bars. However Marin was still inexpensive and it was possible to pool money together to buy studio time.

That's how ENERGIZE formed - working musicians led by the superb producer and guitar player, Archie Williams (son of Archie Williams Sr - a passionate educator, WWII air force pilot and 1936 Olympic champion) Dan Hayes - songwriter and guitarist, and John Isabeau - lyrics and our executive producer.

John is now a successful Hollywood producer, Oscar documentary award winner, and resides in James Brown's former house in Las Vegas.

The record also features a hugely successful blues vocalist who has asks to remain uncredited. Archie, John and I now have grown children and a few grandkids as well and getting a kick that 40 years later, our self-produced record has found an audience. Far Out

Hello 24! Nice to have you here. 23 is so yesterday, so over the top, really. Well, we’ve been dancing the following dances recently. What about you?

What lasts a long time usually turns out well. Having admired TEE MANGO from afar for many years, our A&R Michael Mayer took heart and invited him to this year’s TOTAL. “So In Love” is in the best tradition of the KOMPAKT minimal funk of the early years. We are delighted to have this lovely Englishman on board!

REINHARD VOIGT has always placed great emphasis on loving animals. On the track with the unsurprising title “Der, der mit dem Gummiball sang (Orange)”, he lets whole hordes of different four-legged friends and poultry on the microphone. Hopefully the stench will dissipate from the studio.

When Rhenish cheerfulness meets holiday anticipation, the result is something like this Hawaiian shirt turned music called “Chee-Caruso” by JÜRGEN PAAPE. No animals were tortured for this piece either, even if it sounds like it.

We stay in the realm of fauna and turn our attention to London’s award-winning pedigree dog REX THE DOG. “Laika” is a heart-warming ode to the mongrel dog of the same name, who was the first living creature to make it from the streets of Moscow into space. She would have loved that bleep.

A little-known fact about MICHAEL MAYER is that he is one of the fastest crossword puzzle foxes on the left bank of the Rhine, always in relentless rivalry with Wolfgang Voigt, who thinks he is even faster. The big battle is yet to come. Uninvited guest with five letters? “Urian”.

As an integral part of the family, JONATHAN KASPAR is of course not to be missed. “Are You” celebrates the kind of early morning rapture that is commonplace at his new DJ venue, the brand new Cologne superclub FI. Everything is so colourful here.

SASCHA FUNKE takes a bow to one of the greats of German showbiz with the trippy electro smasher “The Heck”. Born – like DJ Koze and Barnt – in Flensburg, died in Berlin in 2018 and wore glasses. More will not be revealed.

More emotion, more love, more sing-along factor? Si, claro! ARGIA’s “Love Keeps You Running” masterfully combines groove and pop – a blend that sounds very familiar to us. She may be at home in Madrid, but there’s Cologne DNA in her somewhere. We’re sure of it.

Let’s meet the legends, the veterans! JÖRG BURGER is still in a psychedelic mood in 2024. That suits him, that’s where he needs to be, that’s where we want him to be. A parallel universe is conceivable in which such music is affectionately called Goa.

Before going to bed, the WASSERMANN reads us a fairy tale from the Arabian Nights. At the same time, we focus on a point between everything, but really everything, and absolute, stark naked nothingness. 3, 2, 1… Let go.

Hallo 24! Schön, dass du da bist. 23 ist ja sowas von gestern, geht gar nicht, echt. Also, bei uns tanzt man neuerdings die folgenden Tänze. Und bei Euch?

Was lange währt, wird meist gut. Schon seit vielen Jahren aus der Ferne TEE MANGO bewundernd, hat sich unser A&R Michael Mayer ein Herz gefasst und ihn zur diesjährigen TOTAL eingeladen. “So In Love” steht in bester Tradition des kompaktschen Minimal Funk der frühen Jahre. Wir freuen uns, den quirligen Engländer an Bord zu haben!

Tierliebe wird im Hause REINHARD VOIGT schon immer groß geschrieben. Auf dem Stück mit dem nicht weiter verwunderlichen Titel “Der, der mit dem Gummiball sang (Orange)” lässt er gleich ganze Horden verschiedenster Vierbeiner und Federvieh ans Mikro. Hoffentlich zieht der Gestank wieder aus dem Studio ab.

Wenn rheinischer Frohsinn auf Urlaubsvorfreude trifft, dann kommt so etwas wie dieses Musik gewordene Hawaiihemd namens “Chee-Caruso” von JÜRGEN PAAPE heraus. Auch für diesen Beitrag wurden garantiert keine Tiere gequält, auch wenn es allenthalben so klingt.

Wir bleiben im Reich der Fauna und wenden uns London’s preisgekröntem Rassehund REX THE DOG zu. “Laika” ist eine herzerwärmende Ode an die gleichnamige Mischlingshündin, die es von den Strassen Moskaus als erstes Lebewesen ins All geschafft hat. Den Bleep hätte sie bestimmt gemocht.

Eine wenig bekannte Tatsache über MICHAEL MAYER ist, dass er zu den schnellsten Kreuzworträtsel-Füchsen links des Rheins zählt, stets in unbarmherziger Rivalität zu Wolfgang Voigt, der sich für noch schneller hält. Der große Battle steht noch aus. Ungebetener Gast mit fünf Buchstaben? “Urian”.

Als fester Bestandteil der Familie darf natürlich auch JONATHAN KASPAR nicht fehlen. “Are You” zelebriert frühmorgendliche Entrückungszustände, wie sie in seiner neuen DJ-Wirkungsstätte, dem nigelnagelneuen Kölner Superclub FI Gang und Gäbe sind. Alles so schön bunt hier.

SASCHA FUNKE verneigt sich mit dem trippy Electrosmasher “The Heck” vor einem der ganz Großen des deutschen Showbiz. Geboren – wie DJ Koze und Barnt – in Flensburg, gestorben 2018 in Berlin, Brillenträger. Mehr wird nicht verraten.

Mehr Gefühl, mehr Liebe, mehr Mitsing-Faktor? Si, claro! ARGIA’s “Love Keeps You Running” vereint meisterlich Groove und Pop – eine Melange, die uns durchaus bekannt vorkommt. Sie mag zwar in Madrid zuhause sein, aber irgendwo steckt in ihr eine Kölsche. Da sind wir uns sicher.

Auf zu den Legenden, den Urgesteinen! JÖRG BURGER zeigt sich auch in 2024 in einem psychedelischen Mood. Das steht ihm, da muss er hin, da wollen wir ihn haben. Es ist ein Paralleluniversum denkbar, in dem solche Musik liebevoll Goa genannt wird.

Der WASSERMANN liest uns vor dem Schlafengehen noch ein Märchen aus Tausendundeine Nacht vor. Wir fokussieren uns gleichzeitig auf einen Punkt zwischen allem, aber auch wirklich allem und dem absoluten, splitterfasernackten Nichts. 3, 2, 1… Loslassen

The second instalment from London Odense Ensemble digs deeper into the group's vision of what modern psychedelic jazz should sound like. Cut from the same sessions as Jaiyede Sessions vol. 1, released last summer, vol. 2 presents a more nuanced approach to the material. On this set the ensemble focuses on shorter, layered pieces - travelling from deep spiritual jazz grooves to gorgeous free-flowing minimalism to full-on acid jazz. There's echo-drenched flutes being absorbed into layers of analog synth pads and guitars, bossa beats and double bass sequences merging with electronics. It’s an intoxicating mélange of sounds and styles, spanning wide temporal and geographical distances. London Odense Ensemble came together when two of the finest exponents of London's flourishing jazz scene, flautist and saxofonist Tamar Osborn and keyboard specialist Al MacSween, came over to Denmark to explore new sounds with Causa Sui's Jakob Skøtt and Jonas Munk, as well as local bass player Martin Rude. For two days the group laid down grooves and ideas and experimented in the studio, and later the best segments were edited and mixed by Jonas Munk, who took a somewhat liberal approach to the mixing process, often dyeing the material with external effects and synthesizers. Jaiyede Sessions are the kinds of records that defy genre-terms, yet have its own instantly recognizable fingerprint. It carries a unique shared vision between the players of what modern psychedelic jazz sounds like. bios: Tamar Osborn: Saxophonist, composer and multi-wind instrumentalist is the creative force behind modal jazz ensemble Collocutor (On The Corner Records). She is a member of the Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Orchestra, performs and collaborates regularly with Sarathy Korwar, Jessica Lauren, Emanative, Ill Considered and DJ Khalab. Al MacSween: Keyboard player & founding member of Kefaya. Collaborations include American jazz legend Gary Bartz, Syrian qanun master Maya Youseff, London Community Gospel Choir, Palestinian jazz singer Reem Kelani & kora player Kadialy Kouyate. Martin Rude: Multi-string instrumentalist & lead singer in Sun River & Edena Gardens with members of Papir & Causa Sui. Jakob Skøtt: Drummer in Causa Sui with a slew of side projects on El Paraiso, including Chicago Odense Ensemble, as well as being responsible for the label’s visuals. Jonas Munk: Guitarist in Causa Sui & studio wizard on most releases on El Paraiso. Also works with a wide palette of electronic music.

Here at Rube Goldberg Series we pride ourselves on having everything you need to complete your ski gear set-up this season. So, whether it's ski bindings, ski goggles, ski poles, helmets, thermals and base layers, or a new 4 track VA record, Trust us. We have it all in our collection.

While you're here, why not check out our stylish new release? Discover tunes from Velvet Velour, Picasso, Bowyer and Kawaii San. Shop our selection online or at your nearest store today and find quality tunes fit for your next adventure to the dancefloor.

As well as increasing cardiovascular fitness and muscle growth, DJing is a thrilling snow sport that allows you to glide across snowy slopes with speed, grace, dexterity. Getting the right records for your build, experience, and terrain type can make all the difference to performance and enjoyment on the dancefloor.

Full of bounce and experimentation in equal measure, ‘Triple Transit,’ Braille’s new album for Hotflush is about leaving his Sepalcure project (with Machinedrum) in the rear mirror, moving back to New York and using its energy to fuel new moves, confronting our hyper layered world and overcoming personal difficulties by being creative.

Focused squarely on utilising modular synthesis in sprawling studio sessions, the album covers a wide stylistic range and draws on the artist’s formidable battery of experience to craft a body of work that packs real emotional punch as well as a dancefloor sensibility.

We had a quick chat with him to wet your appetite…

Praveen Sharma aka Braille:
Moving on from Sepalcure
“That period of time when Sepalcure was at its peak was really inspiring. I’m still really in awe and humbled by the fans. It’s always amazing to hear about how music you’ve made has brightened up other people’s lives in some way, but ‘Triple Transit’ is really about transitioning from that period to something new. I’m intentionally not using many vocal samples on this album. That became quite a crutch for Sepalcure and I wanted to try and find ways to evoke those emotions and connect with the audience in other ways.”

The roots of his Bounce
‘Sour Patch Kiss’ and ‘While We’re Free’ are inspired by classic house and some early Detroit stuff. Songs like ‘Big Fun’ (Inner City), ‘I Wanna Be there’ (Model 500) and slowed down ‘Sex on The Beach’ (DJ Assault) have stuck with me since the beginning. I used to listen to this slowed down and doubled version of ‘Sex on The Beach’ on an early Juan Atkins mix cd on REPEAT when I was in high school.

Getting ambient
Triple Transit slows down and transitions through a bit of sadness and eventually acceptance at the end of the album. A lot of the music I’m making these days is trying to recreate that manic feeling so many of us have in 2024. Between social media, ridiculous hustle culture expectations and depressing global and national political events, it’s hard to not feel overwhelmed. I feel like Triple Transit is kind of a parabolic curve from mania to joy to a sober realization that yeah, actually the world is just fucked but somehow we carry on.