quête:dr res

Dwight Druick’s born in Montreal to a professional gambler and an ex-Radio City Rockette. One of five children, he grew up in a family buoyed by music and beleaguered by the vagaries of miscalculated risk. After attaining a McGill University bachelor’s degree in Art
History, Dwight fully embraced both music and risk by traveling to London, where he signed a contract with Pye Records and Joe Cocker’s management company. The ensuing record,
Druick & Lorange was released to critical acclaim and relative success. After returning to Canada, Dwight recorded two albums with Phil Vyvial: Midnight and Minuit. Recorded with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section in Alabama, the duo’s work achieved airplay success in Quebec and across Canada. Dwight subsequently released his first French language solo album, Tanger, released in 1980 by the Canadian label, Bobinason.
Today quite hard to find in its original version, Tanger is first of all an incredibly solid album, clearly underrated and deserving more credit. Mostly known by collectors and DJs for the
stunning cover of Toto’s classic hit, “Georgy Porgy”, which was produced and arranged with the help of George Thurston (Boule Noire), it includes many other tasty titles, with amongst
them another fine rendition of “Open Your Eyes” by The Doobie Brothers. In fact, with its brilliant mix of Modern-Soul, Disco and AOR styles, the whole album is already considered
by many connoisseurs as a classic, and clearly a must have for anyone enjoying this musical blend. Never reissued on vinyl until now, there was not much more needed at Favorite Recordings
to make it happened. Officially licensed to Dwight Druick, who was unfortunately not able to provide the original tapes, Tanger has been perfectly restored and remastered by Frank Merritt, at The Carvery, London. CD and digital edition will also come with “Georgy Porgy (Version Disco)” as a bonus track.

Trentemøller returns with his fifth studio album 'Obverse' in September 2019! Anders Trentemøller is a well-known multi-instrumentalist, but perhaps the one he’s most adept at is the studio itself. 'Obverse' is the result of him expanding that skill even further. 'Obverse' often feels like an instrumental album because it started life as one, the driving philosophy being “what if the pressure of having to perform these songs live is removed entirely?” Granting yourself the freedom to chase down every idea a studio offers comes with privileges. What happens when you reverse a synth part mid-verse? Why not send an entire track through a faulty distortion pedal? Inspiration reveals itself in a variety of forms and, before long, a simple chord progression contorts into something entirely new. It’s a work method that yielded great results for the legendary German Kosmiche/Motorik experimentalists of the 1970’s. Intentional or not, 'Obverse' embodies more than a little of that spirit without even a hint of pastiche.

So it only makes sense that 'Obverse' would stray from its original roadmap. In due time, half of the nascent compositions featured singers, including Lina Tullgren, Lisbet Fritze, and jennylee, of Warpaint, another band deeply influenced by dream pop. While 'Obverse' was born from a different work ethic than previous efforts, it also continues an arc that started in 2006. Each successive effort has represented a logical next step beyond the album before, and 'Obverse' absolutely picks up where Fixion left off.

For the past decade Trentemøller has been perfecting this form of sonic chiaroscuro to conjure up images of severe landscapes, and to mirror the Scandinavian climate, where half the year the sun barely sets, and the other it barely tops the horizon. While there has been a film noir element in his previous work, 'Obverse' is the first time each song has felt like a collection of pocket soundtracks.

By fusing together a love of dream pop, dark synth-based music, film scores, and a deep connection with the stark Nordic panoramas, Anders has created an inimitable language. Ultimately 'Obverse' resides in a genre all its own.

Finally, the long awaited follow up to DJ Duke's house classic "Old Skool Deep Sampler Vol 1, which featured homages to Marshall Jefferson (Jefferson), Fingers Inc (Fingers), Larry Heard (Heard) and Ron Trent (Trent). This follow up E.P. (Vol. 2) features another string of worthwhile homages to the late Frankie Knuckles (Knuckles), Farley Jackmaster Funk (Farley), Chip E (Chip E.xtacy) and Boyd Jarvis (Jarvis).

Duke has always respected the pioneers that created the house/club scene and set the grounds for what's become of the biggest music crazes in the world. For example, Boyd Jarvis used to play live on air with Timmy Regisford on NYC radio station 107.5 WBLS using drum machines for the beats and then play keys on top of it. Duke tried to keep the tracks as close to the feeling of these pioneers, selecting the right drum machines, sounds, and overall vibe, but still keep the tracks fresh and not derivative.

Coming off last year's acclaimed electronic soul release fleet.magic on Andrew Morgan's PPU Records, Baskets of Gold highlights producer fleet.dreams' percussive exchange into the world of dance.
The nuanced artist now calls Detroit home, and the latest work evokes the spirit of the regions deep musical history. It's a little later in the night, still soulful, but the palette has shifted.
After locating the errant poet àj magic wandering the high deserts of the southern US, the longtime collaborator arrived to narrate the journey. The result is an album that sparkles.

Will Saul is a key figure in UK dance music. Approaching his twentieth anniversary as a DJ, producer and label founder, Saul has helped break the career of key artists such as Leon Vynehall, Midland and Dusky via his Aus Music label, has himself played some of the world’s finest nightclubs and contributed to !K7’s storied ‘DJ Kicks’ mix series, which he also curates.

Finally returning to the production fold himself with his first full-length album in thirteen years, ‘Open Too Close’ is a condensed trip through the influences, discovery and sense of history that have helped shape his career and drive a forward-facing, unblinking passion for new music. The record’s concept reflects Will’s enormous skill and knowledge as a DJ, and as it’s title suggests, “"represents what I play in a club if an 8 hour set was condensed into 10 tracks.”

Having held residencies and made regular appearances at some of the world’s finest clubs including The End and Fabric in London, Panorama Bar in Berlin, Trouw in Amsterdam and Robert Johnson in Offenbach, Saul is uniquely qualified but this refreshingly straightforward approach. Eschewing the lingering, almost cliched expectations for a dance artist to create an album “that sounds good at home, as well as in the club”, ‘Open Too Close’ instead draws on the timeless futurism at the heart of the music that drew Saul into electronic music culture. Simply put, futuristic, melancholic sci-fi soundscapes meets stripped back raw sample driven house music, all executed with the precision and panache of an artist who truly understands how to move a dancefloor.

It seems KPM have long been fans of Smith and Mudd and, after being introduced to each other by mutual friend Andy Allday, the peerless Balearic maestros were invited to contribute to the library label’s digital-only “Album Shorts” project. The results are predictably wonderful.

With past projects under our belt working with everyone involved so far it made perfect sense for Be With to take on the vinyl release of this instant library classic. But why is it called “Tea With Holger”?

“Holger” is of course Holger Czukay and the whole LP is dedicated to Smith and Mudd’s time spent with him and Ursa Major at Can’s famous Inner Space Studio in Weilerswist, near Cologne.

When not recording it seems they spent a great deal of time sat around being entertained by Holger’s stories and drinking many cups of different sorts of tea from all over the world. These moments provide some their fondest memories of their visits:

“Looking back, it was pretty incredible that we spent part of our lives with Holger in one of the most magical places we’ve ever known, Inner Space Studio. We have our memories and, of course, the Bison album we made with him. But to honour the time we spent with him, we wanted to dedicate an album to him called ‘Tea With Holger’. The names of the tracks are about that time.”

The album was recorded over several years in London, Margate and Gorthleck, a small hamlet in the Scottish Highlands. Mike Piggott, who played with Bert Jansch, handled the strings and played violin whilst Sam Creer lent his virtuoso cello work to the proceedings. The sessions employed a key recording technique from their time with Holger: hit record and play. They wanted to capture magical improvisational moments live and not do the work later on in editing.

In their own words (and in classic library record sleeve style) these tracks are collectively described as “Balearic themes including breezy soul, sun-dappled melodies, warm pianos and sweeping strings”. You want to hear this, right?

The album is vintage Smith and Mudd. The gentle piano ushering in opening track “The Gardener” is soon joined by low, bubbling drums. When the time is just right, lush guitars glisten above a Welsh language vocal that floats like silk. Easy as a sea breeze. “Innerspace” is of course a nod to Can’s aforementioned studio. Dark, heavy piano meets rolling drums before warm chords and luscious strings take over, gliding over moody grooves to drive you home. Closing out side A, “Weilerswist” delivers more beautifully rolling piano and guitars over thumping cellos and building drums.

Side B opens with the full, string-enhanced version of “Away From Me”. This is Smith and Mudd’s prefered version and it’s only available here on this vinyl issue. For us it’s the standout on this all-highlight album. Tribal tones, piano and cello set a melodic staccato for violin to soar over while rolling piano lines and gospel organ chords descend into a drum drop that leads to a glorious vocal lead finale.

Distant synths introduce sun-drenched guitars and uplifting strings in “Kölner Street”, before a spacey Moog solo leads to a spellbinding, sci-fi drop. The sunshine returns before the track ends. The album closes with “Tea With Holger”. Airy vocal swells are punctuated by plucked cellos and picked guitars, all wonderfully warmed by a soulful piano.

Cut by Pete Norman and pressed in the Netherlands by Record Industry, “Tea With Holger” comes in a classic KPM green sleeve complete with track descriptions from Smith and Mudd themselves. The finishing visual touches come courtesy of Richard Robinson. We’ve given this record the same care and attention as we give to each our KPM re-issues, and it’s just as essential.

Swedish composer and multimedia artist Marcus Fjellström's debut Miasmah release follows two critically acclaimed full length albums on Lampse (2006's 'Gebrauchsmusik' and 2005's 'Exercises In Estrangement'). In addition Marcus has had several commissioned works requested, leading to him working with, among others, the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, numerous ensembles, soloists and filmmakers including 'Salad Fingers' creator David Firth. Currently based in Berlin, Fjellström's compositions often combine aspects of modern classical composition and arrangement and more avant forms of music, be that acoustic or electronic.

'Schattenspieler' (which translates as 'Shadowplayer') takes the form of eleven compositions which explore ambience and melody, texture and silence. Haunting synth and orchestral instrument-based audio constructions, flowing from one moment to the next - the fleeting ghosts of Fjellström's melodies rise, only to be buried under a claustrophobic clutter of percussion and creaking background noise. These pieces do indeed feel like you're listening to something more implied than obviously stated, as if Fjellström wants only to expose us to the shadow of the music - the implication being perhaps a more terrifying experience than to be confronted outright…listen to 'Schattenspieler' and you may find your mind starts to play tricks on you…

The undeniably Angelo Badalamenti-esque descending synth strings of opening track 'The Disjointed', lay the foundations for Fjellström's 'Schattenspieler' album; music resting somewhere between the unsettling horror soundtracks of Jerry Goldsmith, the elevating melodies of Cliff Martinez, and the subtle audio constructions of Miasmah label mates Kreng and Jacaszek. Marcus' wide ranging abilities in composition and his willingness to let go of accepted form and function makes 'Schattenspieler' a perfect choice of release for the Miasmah label. The suspense laden 'Antichrist Architechture Management', with its harrowing and tense undertones, weaving synth lines and a wash of static hiss and flicker, is a particular standout track. Despite it's a strangely oppressive sound, shafts of light grace 'Schattenspieler'; pieces such as 'Untitled 090616' find gorgeous melodies are boxed in by unsettling arrangements and sparse background ambience. There is a coldness to many of these compositions - not without emotion, but somehow remorseless. 'Schattenspieler' is, for the main part, a defiantly bleak journey.

Vinyl edition ltd. to 300 copies, purple vinyl, incl. 8-page 12" booklet with drawings by Marcus Fjellström.

Clear Vinyl

BNJMN returns to Bright Sounds with Sensei; following on from the foundations laid by his "Final Network" EP released in the spring of 2018 he again showcases the melodic, yet hypnotic and pulsating side of his sound that he has become renowned for.

Starting with the almost house-like "Soared Above" synths fly over syncopated rhythms which build and then descend into something harsher and earthier.

"Intercellular" goes somewhat harder, yet still retaining the hypnotism and lightness of touch which will suit most hours in the club.

The title track is an exercise in restraint, one for the early hours when everything blurrs and only the space in between the sounds carry you along.

"Walking Into Yourself" showcases the dreamiest side of BNJMN, in slowing down the BPM the producer shows the intricate details of his sound, letting the listener in on a dense forestlike journey.

Marcus Fjellström's second album Gebrauchsmusik, initially released a decade and a half ago, is a bizarre sound document that deserves a closer look. Listening back to it now only re-confirms the unique mind of the Swedish composer, who sadly died in September 2017, only 37 years old.

"Gebrauchsmusik" is German for 'Utility Music', and his second excursion into post-classical experimentation is exactly that; thirteen tracks with each one written to suit a certain theme. War, art, festivity, sadness, death and resurrection are all interpreted by Fjellström in his unique style, taking a classical framework and distorting, confusing and manipulating them into far fetching scenarios that is only limited by ones own imagination.

Marcus worked with the Swedish Royal Ballet, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonietta Cracovia as well as numerous other orchestras, ensembles and soloists, artists and filmmakers. He spent the last half year of his life scoring the AMC series The Terror. In his works, Marcus often aimed to combine opposites so that they don’t contradict each other, but rather fuse into a natural, third element - “High” and “low” culture, the naïve and the sophisticated, good and bad taste. These are all elements that comfortably blend together in his works. Musical influences range from electronic acts such as Aphex Twin and Autechre to 20th century composers such as György Ligeti and John Cage. Further influences include impressionist composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy as well as film music composers Bernard Herrmann, Angelo Badalamenti and Zdeněk Liška.

Vinyl edition ltd. to 300 copies, incl. 8-page 12" booklet with drawings by Marcus Fjellström.

DJ Oonops presents Volume 2 of his extensive compilation covering genres from Dub, Jazz, Funk, Soul to Beats and Hip Hop featuring pretty well known artists as well as zooming newcomers. He spent more than one year to select artists from around the globe who reflect the sounds of his "Oonops Drops" broadcast on Brooklyn Radio (NYC).

Be that jazzy beats or virtuoso live jazz drums, keys and guitars from Japan by Kazumi Kaneda, RF and 45 a.k.a. Swing-O, a first-time- on-vinyl dub remix by Great Britain's Coldcut or a brass cover version of Rihanna's "Stay" by Sly5thAve out of the US. Most of the tracks are exclusives or first time available on vinyl for this compilation, like the song "Measly Peace" by Magic In Trees out of Nashville, German beatmaker Twit One with an ill Jazz instrumental or London based rapper and singer Amy Tru featuring Nubya Garcia.

Also you gonna hear a unique and rump-shaking cover version of Blackstreet's "No Diggity" by T Bird & The Breaks, John Turell's powervoice over some heavy beats by Soopasoul, Kinny with a catchy tune, Igor Zhukovsky from The Soul Surfers & MRR Drumetrics with an exclusive, pumping psychedelic drum track and Schemes from Montreal who take all the credits at the moment from the web by Vice, Okayplayer, Music Is My Sanctuary and many more. For the artwork Oonops collaborated once again with San Francisco based artist Lindsey Kustusch who mirrored the atmosphere of New York City on point with her oil painted artwork.

Be sure to get your hands on this limited peace of work before it's gone like Volume 1. About Oonops: beside his vinyl only show on Brooklyn Radio he is spinning banging club sets to relaxed mixtures for vernissages, museums or theaters. And furthermore he works as a product designer and he's listed in the top 50 of Germany's best table tennis players and focuses all his skills in an event which will bring all this together.

Razen celebrate their 10 yr anniversary with “Ayîk Adhîsta Adhîsta Ayîk”, an album that takes a paragraph from CG Jung’s Memories, Dreams, Reflections as a reference point to set off a journey that goes from light to dark, from day to night, from life to death, and back.

As much a reflection of primal imagery and rituals of knowledge as a way of coming to terms with anxieties about the chaos of the night, the album concerns itself with the question: who - or what - are we in the moments before (re-)birth, before waking up, in the state inbetween darkness and light?
On “Ayîk Adhîsta Adhîsta Ayîk”, the wind instruments and organ stabs of band leaders Kim Delcour and Brecht Ameel are expanded with Pieter Lenaerts’ five string double bass and sarangi, Jean-Philippe Poncin’s bass clarinet and chalumeau, and Paul Garriau’s hurdy gurdy.

The album sees the group explore new straight-to-the-gut emotional territory, while simultaneously showcasing Razen’s intuitive, continuous investigation of the acoustic properties and resonant possibilities of churches and chapels in the countryside around Brussels; after “Remote Hologram” (2014) and “ The Xvoto Reels” (2017), this time the St Agatha Church (St.-Agatha-Berchem) functions as the conduit for Razen’s acoustic sound jolts.

With the past ten years entirely devoted to the search for archetypical timbres and connotations by improvising on Early Music instruments, it’s no wonder that the world of Razen would one day collide with the world of CG Jung and take his writing as an inspiration.

A sonic hex tour de force from this unique ensemble, “Ayîk Adhîsta Adhîsta Ayîk” is a present-day, nocturnal emitter of the Coleridge quote that opens Jung’s Memories:
‘He looked at his own soul with a Telescope. What seemed all irregular he saw and shewed to be beautiful Constellations and he added to the Consciousness hidden worlds within worlds’.

With the release of their first two albums and live shows supporting Snarky Puppy, Roy Ayers, Marcus Miller, Larry Mizell & the Blackbyrds, Butcher Brown, Yellowjackets and more, Resolution 88 have already established themselves as one of the UK's leading exponents of funk jazz. Their music is synonymous with the silky, buttery sound of the Fender Rhodes. They're also a bona fide band, a refreshing change in a musical world increasingly occupied by online collaborations and viral videos. They're best mates who love to hang out, play together and make their own music - that sincerity is evident in their songs and their chemistry on stage.


'Revolutions' represents a lot of firsts - the first time Resolution 88 have recorded to multi-track tape, the first time that they've included a real string and brass section, the first time they've included special guests on record and the first time they've pressed an album on vinyl. Imagine a combination of an undiscovered Herbie Hancock album from the mid' 70's, rare-groove samples from the golden era of hip hop (ATCQ, Pharcyde etc) and the new London sound of bands like Yussef Kamaal.

Every track on'Revolutions'represents an aspect of music on vinyl. On'Pitching Up'you hear the DJ pitch the record up from 33rpm to 45rpm.'Out Of Sync'simulates a clumsy attempt at beat-matching. The hypnotic, circling sax line that opens the title track'Revolutions'(echoed by the strings at the end) evokes the mesmerizing sensation of watching the record label artwork whirling as it spins on the platter.'Runout Groove'fades in and out; the drum beat mimics the distinctive, perpetual rhythm tapped out by the stylus as it reaches the runout groove. On the second side,'Sample Hunter'unexpectedly deviates from the main section into Rhodes-drenched interludes; the type of moment that producers searched high and low for back when hip hop was great.Marcus Tenney's (Butcher Brown) lyrics on 'Dig Deep'are all about the thrill of digging for records and'Matrix'is inspired by the hidden messages sometimes left in the matrix markings on record pressings. On'Tracking Force', you can hear the beat twist and morph as the stylus skates over the record. Finally,'Warped Memories'closes out the album with a wistful, melancholy melody. Sit back with a glass of Japanese whisky and a Cuban cigar (or whatever your chosen poison is), stick the album on and enjoy it from start to finish - although if you're listening to it on vinyl, you'll need to get up to turn it over to the B-side ;)

Raised in the multicultural and mind-broadening London borough of Enfield, Loraine James grew up hearing everything from steel pan music to Metallica, from jazz and electronica to drill and grime, and the results of this exposure can be heard on ‘For You And I’. In part the album explores the complexities of being in a queer relationship in London - “I’m in love and wanted to share that in some way … to make songs that reflect layers of my relationship.” – and as a whole ‘For You and I’ is rhythmically free flowing and sprawling, with melodies that evolve into rippling keys, feeling like a live jam session with a jazz mentality, contrasting the delicate and abrasive. Opener ‘Glitch Bitch’ is a warm ear-worm, brandishing swirling textures with undulating keys and compressed percussion, with an introspective theme revisited soon after on third track ‘So Scared’, whose glitched percussion and syncopated dub bassline build to a frantic meltdown melody. On ‘London Ting // Dark As Fuck’, inspired by Dizzee Rascals's ‘Boy In Da Corner', James explores the darker side of her production with her frequent collaborator Le3 BLACK laying verses over the skeletal track. ‘Hand Drops’ is an instrumental, about public displays of affection in a queer relationship. ‘Sensual’ reflects on intimacy with vocals by UK singer Theo, who's lyrics capture love and gentleness over a soft, minimal production of ethereal keys and scattered glitches. The albums’ title track is also the most colourful, it’s ecstatic and effusive chaos driven by fervent synths expressing elation and the joyful side of her relationship, while ‘My Future’ is a more reflective moment, where warping synths wash in and out with compressed kicks, as the artist considers the dangers that may come with her relationship : “I wanna tie the knot / But the rope is dangerous”. ‘For You And I’ is a deeply intimate and personal offering, expressing happiness, anxiety, joy, sensuality and fear through a vivid sound palette and an experimental sense of rhythm.

"Celebrity clouds" is compiled of four songs, which have been produced and recorded in 2018. It's an online collaboration of Alexandre Kordzaia (kordz) and Natalie Beridze. These two came up with the concept of the record uneventfully, after recording their first track "Celebrity clouds". Beridze's lyrics came out completely irrelevant to Kordz's music, that adopted a flair of humor and sarcasm to it. After that, they decided to stick the line of weird lyrics on top of synth, piano and ambiance recordings, played live by kordz. Musical ideas belong to kordz. Beridze would complete the tracks, adding few instruments (or none, in some cases), wrote lyrics and recorded vocals.

The artwork of the vinyl, made by Georgian artist Thea Djordjadze, resembles the concept of the music nonetheless. As though having nothing to do with neither celebrities, nor their clouds, it shows the sadness and the beauty of half-molten candle.

Alexandre Kordzaia aka kordz is a Georgian composer. After moving to Switzerland at a young age, he professionally studied piano and drums, audio design and recording acoustic music. shortly after he started producing electronic music.

Kordzaia is currently studying in Hague, Netherlands, where he is accomplishing his master's degree in composition. He releases on labels such as: Prrrrrrrr Records, Medschool Records, Hospital Records, Majestic Casual Records. Kordzaia also writes for acoustic instruments and orchestras with live electronics: for the Junge Norddeutsche Philharmonie, the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra (The Hague), the Dortmunder Philarmoniker, the Zagareli String Orchestra, the Nieuw Ensemble (Amsterdam) and Kluster5 (The Hague). To pack his music into popular categories is not easy: "His music is a mesh of carefully balanced oppositions: deliciously snappy transients punctuate shimmering soundscapes, gently morphing into funk; a melancholic post-soviet feel pays sentimental homage to a private vision of the 80s. Acoustic instruments sit side by side with analogue synthesizers and drum machines; field and foley recordings blend the recognizable into the fuzzy and surreal.

Natalie Beridze (tba) is a Georgian music composer and songwriter, considered a pioneer of Georgian electronic music. She has released over 10 records on labels such as Cologne based Max.E, Berlin based Laboratory instinct, CMYK, Chainmusic, CES Records and Berlin's Monika Enterprise, which has become her main label. Beridze's collaborations include: Thomas Brinkmann, AGF (Antye Greie), Gudrun Gut, Joerg Follert, Marcus Schmickler, Nika Machaidze aka Nikakoi, Sonae, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Gacha Bakradze, Alex Kordzaia.

Beridze works on music for acoustic instruments, orchestra and choir.

Her recent work - "Mapping Debris" was written for Swiss "Mondrian Ensemble" piano and string trio and electronics, performed in Zurich, in 2019.

Beridze collaborates with a Georgian string ensemble "Zagareli and strings", composing pieces for electronics, strings and viola.

Back in stock!

Extracting a rich sense of emotion from an evolving analogue set-up, Hammer follows up his previous FMB outings Dahlia and C-Space with a similar tone and sound palette as he lays out a new EP with 3 tracks that capture the Feel My Bicep sound perfectly, striking the balance between delicate melody and power with aplomb. This EP follows what has been a heavy 2019 gig schedule, with stand out sets at many top festivals and clubs such as Glastonbury, Panorama Bar and Parklife, along with both an Australian and Indian tour under his belt. The lead track ‘Parabola’ manifested as a slow burning percussive experiment that, as Hammer explains, ‘quickly got fired up by an extra 10bpm for the dance floor effect, turning itself into an acid led epic’ and as a consequence accidentally becoming the A1 at the same time. ‘Parabola’ is followed by ‘Panoptic’ and ‘Entropy’; all three track names inspired by his recent love for physics podcasts. He describes how ‘they are based around types of curvatures and levels of order that, in my head, are the visualisation of the 3 tracks inside workings; the engine room of the time machine.’ All three tracks were created with Hammer’s much loved Yamaha CS1-X, ‘a spaceship in its own right’, he explains. ‘A Xoxbox and a Roland SH-2 did the rest of the hard work. Time to enter the twilight zone with this one’! Bicep continue to add substance to what has now become a distinctive and singular label with this new 12" courtesy of their long term friend and blog contributor Hammer. With their previous offering from James Shinra still in many roving record bags and with a release catalogue full until the end of the year, the development of the label has reached a certain zenith and here - as head strong and highly effective as ever - Hammer makes a welcome return to the label with another batch of machine-driven dance tracks.After 12 years of promoting parties in Glasgow, The Hammer Hits goes on tour inviting guests such as Sally C, Jennifer Cardini and fellow FMB signee Cromby across the UK, Ireland and Berlin.

The second edition of Dekmantel’s foray into the era-defining, trans-Atlantic, cult techno label that is Djax-Up-Beats, comes another re-issue of classic 90s cuts.

The label say "The Dutch label was responsible for releasing some of underground’s most foundational dance music, mixing together Chicago and European artists alike, and acting as the launchpad for some of today’s biggest producers. Featuring offerings from luminaries such as Felix Da Housecat, and Glenn Underground, alongside veterans such as Steve Poindexter, and DJ Skull, this second EP highlights the classic label’s old-school’s sound, while showcasing its diverse range, from dubbier, ambient moments, to wall-thumping, body crushing house force. Timeless music, repressed, and re-released for a new generation of DJs who covet the classic machine music.

The second re-issue EPs, offer a more introspective look at the label’s earlier releases. Leading Volume 2 is Terrace’s 'Bewitched', to which DJ Richard has described as being the defining track of the label’s beginnings with its "dreamy, Detroit-style techno mixed with the harder rave elements of Northern Europe”. Glenn Underground’s bass-roller 'Real Space' weaves together soulful passion and Chicago prime beats, while Felix Da Housecat’s Temptation — originally from 1993 — gets a well earned re-release, reminding us of the soulful, deep and lustful energy the producer once had. China White, whose name doesn’t get banded around as much as it should nowadays, see their ethereal hit 'Theme from the Underground' get another opportunity to bliss out the more upbeat rave community.

The energy turns darker with Frank de Groodt’s The Operator, breaking the outer-most barriers of electro-techno, with 'The Mind Strike'. Chicago and Dance Mania’s Steve Poindexter turns out rolling, dance-energy bomb 'Body Jam', while Mike Dearborn’s deliverance of unreal, dry techno in 'Deviant Behaviour' runs aplomb with classic drum-machine pulses, claps, and uncomfortable, yet punishing melodies. DJ Skull’s 'Don’t stop the beat' rides the EP with gushings of hand claps, and gentle, early 90s warm techno color, that transport you back to a time of more informed, and conscious electronic musings, a feeling that embodies Djax’s heyday.

Founded in Eindhoven at the turn of the 90s, Djax-Up-Beats quickly earned an international reputation for being a key source of Chicago house, acid techno, and floor-filling, heavy-hitting, straight up underground 12”s. It’s a sound that spawned the sonic aesthetics of today, and can be heard in the left field techno productions of the likes of Bjarki, Salon des Amateurs and other erstwhile analog junkies."

* The original sister label to Ram Records from the old Ram HQ studio in Essex, Liftin Spirit Records now celebrates it’s 25th year with a special ‘RELOADED’ limited vinyl series of remastered classics, alongside rare and previously unreleased tracks since the beginning in1992.

* DATs from artists such as Andy C, Ant Miles, Shimon, Joint Venture, Flatliner, Interrogator and Red One have been located in the archives. Also from the Ram & Liftin HQ came tracks for the Deep Seven label in 1993 and all these rare DAT masters have been located and now re-cut by Simon, the original Ram & Liftin vinyl masterer at ‘The Exchange’. Initially, Deep Seven remasters will present on a printed white label and unreleased tracks will have a black label.
* The year is 1994 and the awesome combination of Flatliner & Ant Miles gave life to the infamous tracks ‘The Big Bang’ / ‘No Boundaries’. Release no 9 on RAM records tore up sound systems at every Rave in the country. A follow up was on the cards and ‘Flatline’ was born. Put to one side to make way for the Big Bang/No Boundaries remixes, somehow it never resurfaced again... until now!
* A similar story evolved for the A side ‘Just Stop’. A track made in the latter part of 1995, Flatliner comes with yet another amen monster, but this time taking things on more of a rolling Drum & Bass vibe. A golden nugget to own on vinyl for any true Jungle/Drum & Bass fan.

Vegan straight edge outfit SECT unites vocalist Chris Colohan (Cursed, Burning Love, Left For Dead), guitarists James Chang (Catharsis, Undying) and Scott Crouse (Earth Crisis, The Path Of Resistance), bassist Steve Hart (Day Of Suffering), and drummer Andy Hurley (Racetraitor, The Damned Things). .

The result is a caustic, riotous, belligerent style of vile hardcore fed by a boundless well of socio-political vitriol. Blood of Beasts was recorded with Kurt Ballou at GodCity Studios and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music.
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"Blood of the Beasts" is ten reflections on the myth of progress, the new old tribalism, the single face of all subjugations, the broken promise of automation, love, loss & obsolescence set against the dying light of a better tomorrow.

Following his release on Twin Turbo, British artist R.O.S.H. debuts on Rekids with four imaginative cuts entitled ‘Thanks For Keeping It Real EP’.
Real name Roshan Chauhan, UK artist and mix engineer R.O.S.H. has a knack for blending an array of different styles resulting in a refreshing approach to club music and his next release on Radio Slave’s respected Rekids imprint demonstrates exactly that.
With its raw melodies and rough, syncopated percussion, ‘AMG (CLA45 Mix)’ is a monster destined to shake warehouses. ‘In Roll’ then combines a frenetic rhythm with a deep and atmospheric aesthetic before R.O.S.H. takes us into even murkier territories with ‘PACE’ using metallic snares, shadowy reverb and whirring synths. Tying everything together, rattling drums and echoing stabs lay the foundations for ‘Thanks For Keeping It Real’ whilst a moody bassline and soothing chords ebb into the mix. of house music littered with breathy samples and oscillating atmospherics.

Originally released in 1978 on the obscure label out of Mississippi, Commercial, Let Me Be Your Lover is now reissued and available again for this first time. This is a timely reissue of this ultra-rare LP that is fetching prices upwards of £600 online.

The album includes the absolute monster album version of the modern soul/crossover classic Gonna Find A True Love, which was reissued on Miles Away earlier this year. The album version of this track gives the 7” a run for its money.

“This album features the hit track ‘Gonna Find a True Love’. When we first heard this song, it really hit home and inspired us. The beat is uplifting and irresistible. This song is so very relatable not only to us but to others throughout the world and it’s still relevant today!! It’s hard to resist the song’s tempo! Go ahead - grove to the beat and find yourself a true love!” Estus Patterson, 2019

Let Me Be Your Lover is an album is undeniably deep, soulful and passionate and now fully licensed from Estus and Lester Patterson.

The rarest of all exotic LPs, like Eden Ahbez but with extra added death. This bizarre, rarely heard masterpiece brings together jazz, ancient manuscripts and a convicted murderer…

Issued originally in 1959 it originates from Pheonix, Arizona. The concept behind the recording was unusual - to brings together two unconnected worlds: the jazz genius of Buddy Collette with the academic oriental studies and translations of A.I Groeg.

Little can be found of A.I. Groeg, But before the LP was recorded A.I Groeg had translated several Polynesian and Japanese manuscripts. These form the basis of the dark narrations and lyrics across the album.

Sublime vocalist Marni Nixon (the voice of Maria in West Side Story) was brought in for two songs and fledgling actor Robert Sorrels (now a convicted murderer) supplied the strangely unsettling and almost otherworldly narration.

The original LP states that “Buddy was given carte blanche with the material. After six months of composing and studying with the voice soloists, the results were two instrumentals and two songs on side one, and tone poems on side two. The latter represents a new musical genre. They are musical descriptions, preceded by spoken lines, and they become tone poems or musical illustrations inspired by the islanders, their words and marvelous simplicity. The mood is complete, yet hovers strangely in the air like a vague tantalizing dream.”

I’d first heard the album in about 2010 on a bizarre bootlegged CD (edited strangely with exotic library music), and spent the next few years desperately trying to find an original pressing. About one copy turns up a year, it seems to be far rarer than the legendary Eden’s Island album and occupies a similar musical space. But this album has a little more death.

Heaven knows what new listeners will think of Polynesia, but it sure is a dark and weird musical trip. One I feel everyone should take.
Jonny Trunk 2019

Techno workhorse Dustmite demonstrates once again why he’s appreciated for his uniquely deep and diverse production styles. “Warpath”, the 6th release on Supervoid Records, is a palette of contrasting elements that are sure to strike a notable chord in listeners’ minds.
The titular track opens with determination. Heavy kicks drive a syncopated rhythm as momentous explosions decompress into oily murk. The polyrhythmic synth stabs of “Weaving” evoke imagery of complex machinery calibrated in near- perfect synchronicity. The hard offbeat shuffle of “Flares” conjures a primal response with scattered dissociative flashes. A foreboding mood descends over the listener in “Caustics.” Increasing tension and a pensive ambience.

TThe melodically adventurous soul of Leon Ware continues its expression in his final opus Rainbow Deux, released on double vinyl on September 13th. The album features new songs recorded and performed by Leon before his health turned, leading to his transition on February 23rd 2017. Co-produced by Taylor Graves, it has stellar musical contributions from the likes of Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, Ronald Bruner Jr, Rob Bacon and Wayne Linsey.

Taylor Graves came into Leon’s musical family in 2002 when he, his brother Cameron and the Bruner brothers Ronald Jr and Stephen (Thundercat) were playing along with their schoolmate Kamasi at an L.A. jazz club. Taylor, Cameron, Ronald and Stephen became Leon’s band for his debut shows in Japan in 2002 and Taylor continued to work with Leon as his mentor and collaborator over the next 15 years.

“Leon was ALWAYS writing something or developing his musical palette” his wife Carol Ware tells us, so it’s impossible to pinpoint any single moment of Rainbow Deux’s genesis. Six of the songs go back to 2012/2013 and were released in 2014 as part of Sigh, a Japan-only CD collection heavy with Rob Bacon’s tasteful licks and Wayne Linsey’s piano vibes. The rest of the material comes from Leon’s sessions with Taylor.

Describing Leon’s and his process, here’s Taylor: “We’d start by having some great homemade food! Then a glass of wine ‘to slow down time’. After we’d have our fill and smoked our joints we’d go into his studio room to listen and create.”

The album was finished-up around August of 2016 in a back-and-forth between Leon and his go-to mastering engineer Toni Economides in the UK.

Leon worked on Rainbow Deux with life’s greatest challenge looming over him, yet it is one of his most focused and cohesive solo offerings since the 1980s. The entire record is a vibe: mellow, deep and smooth as silk. The lyrical themes are eternal, and the music is elegant, soulful and sensual.

The album opens with the hypnotic throb of “For The Rainbow”, coming on like a percussive, slow-mo house shuffle. Gilles Peterson is a fan. The exotic “Let Love In” follows, with its gradual-build Island Funk, intricate guitar picks and sassy female vocals. It explodes when it hits its stride. “Sigh” is the stylish slow jam close-out to side A. Serene guitars and polished drums create neck snapping funk, with a swaggering finger-snap strut.

Side B opens with the easy-burning broken-beaty “The Darkest Night”, the centrepiece of the album. Kamasi Washington’s lurking sax, restrained and beautiful, unfurls into the dank, sticky atmosphere of Thundercat’s signature creeping bass laid over his brother’s in-the-pocket drums. Leon’s vocals are perfect, a masterclass in seductive sax-soul.

“Surrender Now” conjures waves of vocals to swell and wash over the glossy piano, subtly bumping hip-hop drums and bubbling synth-bass stabs. It’s got the trademark Leon layers. “Summer Is Her Name” has Kamasi’s effortless, melancholic sunshine sax give way to rising tempos and propulsive rhythms.

“Are You Ready” is a total highlight (and we’ve been playing it out for ages). It’s a nimble groove of piano and synth rolling around Theo Croker’s sensual trumpet playing. Digi-soul at its finest. With lush G-Funk sensibilities “Streets (Keep Me Runnin’)” sounds like a lost Dam-Funk produced gem. All tough kicks and snares and street sounds. Leon’s hood pass will be forever intact.

“Samba Dreams” is the first of two tracks that bring a little Rio magic to Rainbow Deux. Leon created a whole body of work in partnership with Brazilian legend Marcos Valle that includes “Rockin’ You Eternally” - a hit for Leon - and “Estrelar” – a hit for Marcos. Leon channels his obvious love of Brazilian music here through more of Croker’s sumptuous trumpet, played over loose percussion. “Let’s Go Deep” is next up. A dreamy between-the-sheets quiet storm anthem and a real showcase for Leon’s vocals.

The dripping, honeyed harp-funk of “We Should Be Laughin’” marks the star turn of the brilliant Kimbra. Leon first met her on-stage to do an impromptu duet of “Inside My Love” during an open-air celebration of Minnie Riperton in July of 2014. Kimbra was working with Taylor on her music and he brought her to Leon’s house to do some writing. This was the result.

Warm synths radiate shuffling samba soul on “Wishful Thinking” as those Brazilian rhythms return to bring Rainbow Deux to a close.

During an apartment move Leon and Carol rediscovered some watercolours Leon had done years ago. One of these paintings had been dubbed “Deux Hearts” and Leon decided it should be on the cover of Rainbow Deux, getting as far as approving a draft concept for the artwork.

Carol has overseen developing that draft into the final gatefold sleeve. It brings together quotes, photographs and tributes in what is a reflection on the music, relationships and philosophy of the sensual minister.

Gerry “the gov” Brown, Leon’s long-time sound engineer, was by his side throughout the project, recording and mixing. The album was mastered by Toni Economides and Simon Francis’ additional sensitive work makes sure this double LP sounds like it should on vinyl.

Be With’s first ever release was Leon’s eponymous LP. Re-issuing that album planted the seed of a relationship that has grown to grant us the privilege of presenting his crowning achievement. We know that Leon’s fans all over the Earth will love Rainbow Deux. But we also hope that this album, the final entry in a phenomenal body of work, will reach new fans and find fresh conduits for the spirit of this oft-unsung hero of Soul.

Leon always said “they will get it when I'm gone.”

He also said that “the spirit never dies”…

Tenesha the Wordsmith, who came to the fore on On The Corner's 2018 release 'Black Noise 2084', has delivered a hard-cutting, gut-wrenching, and extremely moving spoken word album produced by Khalab that brings together different lines of black music - folkloric, jazz, and electronic dance - into an afro-futurist narrative with thunderous results.
Originally from Oakland, California, "a place where revolutionaries are born, Tenesha the Wordsmith originally began to fuse hip hop and poetry while living in Albany, New York, where she created her first collection 'Body Of Work'. Her early influences have returned with features from beatboxers and vocalists that give the album a distinctly urban hip hop vibe.

Will Saul is a key figure in UK dance music. Approaching his twentieth anniversary as a DJ, producer and label founder, Saul has helped break the career of key artists such as Leon Vynehall, Midland and Dusky via his Aus Music label, has himself played some of the world’s finest nightclubs and contributed to !K7’s storied ‘DJ Kicks’ mix series, which he also curates. Finally returning to the production fold himself with his first full-length album in thirteen years, ‘Open Too Close’ is a condensed trip through the influences, discovery and sense of history that have helped shape his career and drive a forward-facing, unblinking passion for new music. The record’s concept reflects Will’s enormous skill and knowledge as a DJ, and as it’s title suggests, “"represents what I play in a club if an 8 hour set was condensed into 10 tracks.” Having held residencies and made regular appearances at some of the world’s finest clubs including The End and Fabric in London, Panorama Bar in Berlin, Trouw in Amsterdam and Robert Johnson in Offenbach, Saul is uniquely qualified but this refreshingly straightforward approach. Eschewing the lingering, almost cliched expectations for a dance artist to create an album “that sounds good at home, as well as in the club”, ‘Open Too Close’ instead draws on the timeless futurism at the heart of the music that drew Saul into electronic music culture. Simply put, futuristic, melancholic sci-fi soundscapes meets stripped back raw sample driven house music, all executed with the precision and panache of an artist who truly understands how to move a dancefloor.

This four-track-EP celebrates the spirit out of which Seilscheibenpfeiler was born. It contains two unreleased 1994 productions by Sebastian Szary’s Fundamental Knowledge project, which started the label back in the day. They are complemented with present day reworks by Fadi Mohem and Skeemask, breathing new life into these 25 years old but far from outdated tracks by adding a little extra punch through modern means of production.
Fadi and Skeemask deliberately don’t apply any specific modern elements to Szary’s vintage tracks, instead they enhance their classic Minimal-meets-Hardcore-meets-Acid feel. It’s a transmission from a Golden Techno Age where all was one, capturing the sweaty, hard, yet light footed sound of post-wall Berlin, with all its associations from Tresor to Love Parade.
„1994 - 2“ sounds hypnotic and airy, while rumbling on the lower end. What a perfect opportunity for Skeemask to flesh out the track with his hefty trademark breakbeats! Fadi Mohem revamps the acidic „1994 - 21“ with equal respect and efficiency, providing the kick drum power needed for big soundsystems.
If you don’t look at the titles, it may at first be hard to discern which is which, what’s past and what’s present – a fact that honors both versions new and old.

Singer, lyricist and composer Nirox Romão aka Diron Animal was born and raised in Cazenga, Angola. Diron Animal's involvement in the music world began early: he was part of a traditional Angolan music band and capoeira group, followed by a hip hop project. 12 years ago he moved to Portugal to study, but music became more than just a passion when he landed in kuduro.

For over 6 years, he sang, danced and traveled the world with Afro Portuguese act Thoes + The Shine, mixing rock and kuduro, becoming an explosive ensemble. At one moment, Diron wanted to record a solo album to show a bit more of his own personality and in late 2017 his debut album ‘Alone’ appeared on Soundway Records, where he himself worked out the melodies, rhythm, vocals and even the guitar parts between classic funk to afrohouse and kuduro bass. Through that album he explored major festivals in Europe during 2018, such as at Paléo Festival Nyon, Trans Musicales Festival, Amsterdam Dance Event and others.

On ‘Pair’, his 2nd album and released on Brussels outernational label Rebel Up Records, he has worked hard to enhance his special formula. Inspired by the cruel death his nephew, it became a testament against oppression via the mixed sounds of afro boogie, disco, funk, afrohouse, coupé décalé and kuduro, with English and Portuguese lyrics.

The first single of the album, ‘You and Me’, is an English sung afro boogie disco song and produced by Diron with the support of musician and producer Moullinex, actor André Cabral and video made by director Vasco Mendes. In the video, featuring dancer and actor André Cabral, Diron Animal takes on the role of a gay man to express that a homosexual is a normal person who loves, feels desire, dreams, conquers, wants to be loved and desired, wants to live next to a being that completes him. With “You and Me”, Diron Animal above all wants to appeal to society, respect for the choice of people and non-discrimination of sexual choices. For in life we all deserve to be happy regardless of our sexual choice.

Tesseract 1 is the first remix EP taken from debut album “Corpus Hypercubus” by JESUSLOVESACID, the figure head behind Vitalik Recordings. The music from the album was described as “IDM with a Balearic twist” by Resident Advisor and was picked up by a wide range of selectors. Tesseract 1 employs some heavy hitters on remix duties, Mathew Jonson and brother Nathan Jonson team up under their Midnight Operator moniker for a high octane acid techno workout, the production is immense as you would expect from the duo and they have managed to retain the ethereal chords of the original track (which also features on the EP) whilst producing a peak time dance floor weapon. Appleblim takes things into dreamier territory with a pitched down breakbeat remix of “Philosophy”, a sublime ode to blissed out hardcore, it’s an enthralling dub masterpiece, another instant classic to add to the collection. Finally there is the anonymous “Wax Works Edit” a dub acid edit aimed squarely at the floor, rounding first vinyl 12” from the JESUSLOVESACID project.

Dreamin' Wild's second album Heaven in Thirty Eleven owes a lot to Footscray. The inner-western suburb of Melbourne features not only in the album title (its postcode is 3011) but goes deeper to form a central part of the record's narrative and reflection.

For all six members - Chris Jennings (Swazi Gold, Sagamore, Sledgehammer), Sam Cooper (Crepes, Swazi Gold, Sagamore, Sledgehammer), Tim Karmouche (Crepes, Swazi Gold, The Murlocs), Sarah Quirk, Monty Hartnett (Sleep Decade, Miris, Sagamore) and James Guida (Laguna, Environments) - Footscray buoyed periods of music exploration and discovery. After more than six year of writing, rehearsing and recording in the suburb, there's no doubt that Footscray is home for the band.

Jennings adds that the album is, "a bit of a recap of the last three years for Dreamin' Wild," drawing attention to the change and growth many of the eight songs have undergone since creation.

"I Don't Disagree" is an album highlight; an almost seven-minute track that struts along calmly, taking life as it is. Quirk's soulful refrain soars atop Jennings' laconic vocals, carrying the song to its end. "Dynon Life" is another album gem, reminiscent of summer in the city, and happy seeking excess.

Heaven in Thirty Eleven is an ode to a Melbourne suburb brimming with culture and stories, made by artists who are proud to call it home.

It wasn’t really a movement, barely even a moment, but the Daisy Age was an ethos that permeated pop, R&B and hip hop at the turn of the 90s. Playfulness and good humour were central to De La Soul’s 1989 debut album, “3 Feet High And Rising”, which would go on to cast a long, multi-coloured shadow over rap.

In Britain, the timing for “3 Feet High And Rising” couldn’t have been better. The acid house explosion of 1988 would lead to a radical breaking down of musical barriers in 1989, and its associated look – loose clothing, dayglo colours, smiley faces – chimed with the positivity of De La Soul and rising New York rap acts the Jungle Brothers and A Tribe Called Quest, all at the heart of a growing collective called Native Tongues.

The Native Tongues’ charismatic, summery aura quickly spread west to the Bay Area’s similarly-minded Hieroglyphics crew (Del Tha Funky Homosapien’s ‘Mistadobalina’); Canada’s Dream Warriors (‘My Definition Of A Boombastic Jazz Style’) used “3 Feet High”’s colour palette and borrowed Count Basie and Quincy Jones riffs; Naughty By Nature (OPP) were mentored by Native Tongues heroine Queen Latifah, while Londoner Monie Love was also adopted by the collective, resulting in her Grammy-nominated ‘It’s A Shame (My Sister)’.

It wasn’t built to last, but the Daisy Age reintroduced Multiplication Rock, bubble writing and the gently psychedelic into the charts. It was a brief, but extraordinarily warm and optimistic moment. The songs on this collection promised that the 90s would be a lot more easy-going than the 80s.

Available on CD and double LP.

Inner atmos and next time – rain into rivers, rivers to rain.

Sequence is subjective, irrelevant – it’s where we stand. Out of order, we dissolve and reform, coming together to come undone. There is no first, no now, no next – just precision points in the wide deep sky.

Another bang, another – it’s the reading which is important. Repeating in parallel, the natural loop is healing; repair, resonance, return. We live in a fragment; soft light and clouds drift like dreams into memory, showing movement in the mirror.

“Here the performer becomes free like the playful clouds high above the world of pain, suffering, happiness, ecstasy, disappointment, greed and ambition of human life”

In this present, we are touched to have unreleased business from Memphis. In unlocking the stoic DAT tapes we open a direct channel from 1993 to this now; three tracks which are meditative, essential rhythm with direct, organic charge. It’s Dream Night Dance Music and Osram 509, with RHK, En-Trance, and Microgravity.

More poetry in remembering our first release was also Memphis. Big complex loops and inner paths. Who’s been here before? All of us, one of us, none of us.

Nice 1 Records launches with a sublime slice of deep house geared towards tender moments in the dance. We Are Syd's "Gently" in its original form is a smoky downtempo cut riding on a laid back broken beat, honey-coated keys and a powerful vocal turn from accomplished singer Shea Seger. The emphasis on this record is on the two stellar mixes from Baby Ford & Dazmos, leading on the A side with the hazy, old-school groove of the "Backroom Mix". Seger's husky delivery lingers in a mellifluous bed of pads and a classic, understated drum machine funk. On the flip, the "Frontroom Mix" bring the rhythm section to the forefront, letting the undulating bassline carry the track and splashing dubbed out flourishes in the mix for a spellbinding, club-ready end result.

Cologne-based producers Ripley and Benway aka Kitbuilders have been producing electro for many years and released their music on labels like Breakin´ Records (DMX Krew-label), Electrecord, World Electric, Television, Vertical, Ersatz Audio and many more. Their new album Reality (on Vertical/Kompakt) twist electro and dark synthpop into exciting new shapes and deals with themes of death, loss, destruction and introspection. The album combines the influence of many sources like Chris & Cosey, Devo, Aux 88, Lydia Lunch, William Butler Yeats („A Drunken Man´s…“), Suicide, Associates, dystopian 60s-songs, Mantronix and many more. The resulting music is an emotional and fresh sound tapestry that spins a vibrating web of analog Synths, 808-drums, harsh, overdriven noise, song structures and the unique vocals and lyrics from singer Ripley creating an atmosphere of tense, sinister moodiness. The album contents two remastered Kitbuilders-classics (Reality, In the Year 2525).

Heady, deep dive into techno's more psychedelic spaces, true to form, "Dimensions Doors" EP kicks off with the rolling kicks of "Portal Opening", a trippy exploration of shifting ambiances and rhythmic noise, punctuated by a siren tone. AWB steps up with a broken beat remix of "Portal Opening", layering Clotur's ambiances over low-slung percussion. "Hyperspace Travel" brings up the energy with galloping kicks and rippling resonant synths. BLNDR follows up with a pounding remix, building Clotur's sweeping textures into trippy loops circling over a monolithic kick. "Irregular Frequencies" pulls even further into the portal, with a relentless, rubbery synth squelching along over driving, percussion. Clotur lays a gentle, but uneasy atmosphere over this trippy tool. He brings us back down with "Forbidden Level", another complex rhythmic track featuring glitchy percs and robotic warping over a tough low-end workout.

Out September 6th on Dischord Records, Anthropocosmic Nest is the second full-length by Washington, D.C.’s The Messthetics, who are Anthony Pirog, Joe Lally, and Brendan Canty.
Formed in 2016 the Messthetics are Anthony Pirog, Joe Lally, and Brendan Canty. Pirog is a jazz and experimental guitarist based in Washington, D.C. One half of the duo Janel & Anthony, he also performs regularly with Low Ways Quartet and James Brandon Lewis. Canty and Lally were the rhythm section of the band Fugazi from its inception in 1987 to its period of hiatus in 2002.
Since then, Canty has remained active as a documen- tary filmmaker, producer, and composer, and released a music as a member of the band Deathfix. Lally has re- leased three solo albums and toured extensively with a frequently-rotating cast of musicians.
Recorded at the band’s practice space throughout 2019, it’s an album that more perfectly captures the trio’s current live dynamic, complete with improvisational tangents, playful experimentation, and cathartic sprawl.
When The Messthetics recorded their debut album in 2017, the trio had only done a handful of shows and had yet to fully find its footing on stage. In a way, those compositions were a template for the band that Pirog, Lally, and Canty hoped would come into being through subsequent work on the road.
Since then, The Messthetics have played upwards of 200 shows across the US, Europe and Asia. Their dialog as a performing unit has necessarily focused and intensified. As a result, Anthropocosmic Nest offers a more var- ied vision of the band. It’s the loudest the trio has ever been and also the quietest.

Philippe Cam is the Thomas Pynchon of the electronic music world. Little is known about him and only a couple of pictures have been put online since he emerged on this planet to write his first and only album18 years ago. We know he worked as a sailor and that’s it. If you dig deeper you might find out that he worked as a DJ in the beginning of the 90ies in Brussels and began to study electronic music there and also began to write music for theaters and ballets.

The American distributor Forced Exposure once wrote that about him: „Philipe Cam is a star in his own field. He is among the few people who have succeeded to write hypnotic dance music without a conventional beat still conveying a thrilling, dramatic feel. Cam has developed an accurate, intense and complex formula of modulation-techno. Starting with music similar to Pan Sonic in 1996, his music turned towards a more elegant form of minimal music. Abstract soundtracks lead to an organic form of music, which was equally influenced by modern techno as Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas or Basic Channel/Maurizio. Cam's music corresponds heavily to the Cologne scene, where his music is appreciated and played throughout the clubs by the likes of Michael Mayer, Tobias Thomas and various other DJs as well as experimental djs from the A-musik corner.“

So what’s new with his music? Basically the art of filtering is still his passion. Maybe he can be less associated with techno and the themes of his new tracks emerge in a more distinctive pattern? Well that’s hard to say, we would comment the energy of his early techno days in Brussels have returned here in a fierce way with some oft he tracks. The rhythmic movements are classy and stick with you. Whereas other tracks look for a distinctive relaxation of some kind.

We are releasing the album as a double clear vinyl with cover art by Yvette Klein who also designed the cover for his Philippe Cam’s album 18 years ago. Graphics for "Rotterdam" come from Cologne designer Daniela Thiel. We also would like to thank the cultural department of Cologne for supporting us to finance the album and to see the artistic value in this piece of minimalism.

The album kicks off with the mellow and soothing "Cocoa Beach". A Gentle beat that moves like bodies swaying in the hot summer sun. The clock moves a step forward and then a step backward as evolution takes a rest.

"Manga" feels like an acceleration to the moon, the contemplative moments come in spurts and hide in the intervals of the chords which are on the loose. Philippe Cam is the most energetic person in the world when it comes to core activity, this is head banging stuff for the ambient lounge.

"Short Summer" is a heavy and violent recognition. As intensive as it is it knows when to stop and disappear. In the ear and brain of the listeners it leaves an indisputable echo which lingers on for minutes. We suggest not to make a pause but jump directly into "Vermillions Sands".

What can be said about into "Vermillions Sands"? Be prepared some Terry Riley might lure around the corner to offer you some oranges on a silver plate, but don’t eat them. This is luring and beautiful at the same time. Maybe the best ambient track ever written and yet who can ever venture to say that without making a fool of himself. "Vermillions Sands" comes in waves and they could be longer we think.

"Rotterdam" the home of Philippe Cam for a long time but not anymore. He moved away. So that changes the perspective. But when was the track written? "Rotterdam" seems mechanical and rusty and spooky and divided. This arrangement is very different to all the other tracks so far and is almost dub in style but way more fractured. A steady stop and go emerges. But the longer it runs the better it gets. At minute 6 the brain resets itself and tries to grasp what has happened so far, reconstruction as a result of its own phantasmic imagination and hardly true at all, wonderful. Applause included!

Here comes "Bis", a short episode of a track and before we can comment on it, it is already over.

"The Game" is a mule of a track. It has a quiet stubborn sequence that bites and kicks you in the back without any change in near sight. We can hear a voice whispering, which sounds like a miniature vocoder featuring the voice of a child calling out - never stopping. This is treadmill to some extend but starts to breathe towards the middle of the track and slowly changes perspective. In fact there are some changes taking place here which go beyond a sound design that works heavily on the stereo image. Stick with it and the experience will be a great one.

"Ultimate Fly For Halloway" somehow orchestrates how you might feel after you climbed a 8000 meter high mountain and reached the top. A rejoicing off a special kind. Lava for the ears. No cheerleader murder plot sorry.

"Last Track" is a perfect example of a true minimalistic pice of music that manages to make contact with other genres and does this with elegance, determination and a lot of soul.

key selling points: The key selling point is the fact that Philippe Cam once was referred to as one of the main protagonists of the minimal music scene along with Wolfgang Voigt's Studio 1/Gas and Basic Channel/Maurizio. A true artist with a vision which is very rare.

Philippe Cam has picked up the sound he was famous for but has developed it further without selling out to any genre and expectation that rules our daily business.

Exactly this is the strength of the album to create a vivid world of impressions by using instruments in a whole different way than all software developers would suggest.

"Rotterdam" is a piece of art that can set off a firework when you listen to it and it owes nothing to anyone.

Matasuna Records once again dug deep for its latest release and comes up with probably one of the best Latinfunk tunes. It was recorded by US band "Los Sobrinos del Juez" and released on their debut album in 1974. Matasuna Records is delighted to officially reissue two cuts from the album on 7inch single.

Founder, producer and singer of the band is Carlos Oliva, who was born in Cuba. He moved to Miami, Florida in 1961, where he had his first engagements. There he linked to other Cuban musicians and decided to move to New York with them to make music.

Some time later Oliva returned to Miami and founded his own band "Los Sobrinos del Juez (The Judge's Nephews)" in 1967. The group is regarded as one of the pioneers of musical fusion, which developed in Miami in the late 1960s and became known as the "Miami Sound". The music styles rock, blues, funk and soul that were popular at that time had an influence on their own compositions, which were enriched and spiced with Cuban/Latin American sounds. The band's first album was released in 1974 on an independent label in Miami and is a good example of this new sound. The album is much sought after and hard to find.

Oliva has released several albums with the band and toured Latin America and Europe. In the early eighties he also founded his own label. In the course of time he and his eight-man band got deeply rooted in the cultural life of Miami and enjoy attention and recognition. They are still on stage as "Los Sobrinos del Juez".

"Harina de Maiz" is the name of the song on the A-side - an uptempo latin funk monster driven by the characteristic wah wah guitar and a psychedelic sounding organ. Listening to it reveals why the song is one of the most funky Latinfunk tunes.

On the flip side it's quite different: "Corned Beef Hash" is a vibrant easy Latinjazz tune, where the talent of the musicians is audible. The perfect interaction of the piano player, the vibraphonist, the flute player and the rest of the band is a musical delicacy for its connoisseur.


a A1 Harina de Maiz clip

PULP is inaugurating this year's summer season with a lengthy affair by a certain Barry Helafonte called "One Night'. Not much is known about the artist that delivers the 12th installment for the PULP series. Nevertheless, production wise the sound is mature, and the drum machines sound like they are being hit by someone with vast experience. The balanced production quality of "Keys to The City" is prominent. A squelchy bassline is dictating the rhythm whilst washes of pads and an outlandish lead come together to form a dripping whole.

"Keys to the City" resumes with friend of the label Moon B on rework duties, turning the spaced out drums of the original

Ukrainian born and New York-based artist Matuss is delivering anotherinstallment of Absence Seizure. This time she is teaming up with
Norwegian but could be Berlin depending on the time of year
basslines that are pulsated by some intricate synths.


The Absence Seizure imprint is run by none other than Matuss herself along with Abe Duque and they focus on limited edition vinyl with a
nose for deep and meaningful house and techno. The last release saw the two bosses’ team up on Absence Seizure 11 to deliver some
pulsating beats and orgasmic synths. Expect a deeper cut this time around with the two artists verging more to the house side of the
electronic music spectrum on this project. Karina’s ‘Acid Meow’ is the first track on AS012. Karina is one of The
Zoo Project Ibiza core residents a player of all things vinyl with releases on the likes of God Particle and Cymawax. ‘Acid Meow’ has a
fearless acid-tinged bassline that gives the track a motivating drive. Reminiscent of 90s minimalism she’s kept the beats simple
putting all emphasis on the merciless acid sequence. Tip! Real energy to the dancefloor!


Matuss takes over the EP after the initial cut starting with ‘Travel High’. It has a long build to begin with these quizzical keys that
create anticipation. It discharges with an old school funky bassline that is slowly pushed. It’s accentuated by a ghetto vocal belting out
the title of the track and ends with some punchy percussions and bongo drums. She follows up with ‘Ninja Moves’. A more secretive and sultry number.
It tingles out a smooth bassline and revolves some nice chatter claps and snaps to add a certain silkiness to it. A bit of a floater
it has some beeping 80s keys on it that just add to the sway. If you want your mind to drift
you can get lost in this. Last but as always not least is ‘People Like You and Me’. The track starts with that fun festival horn that makes nostalgia exude out of
your prefrontal cortex. It divulges into these rolling clicks and toms that is carried by this dubbed bassline. Eventually
a bright and sunny synth emits light over the track as the vocals invite you in. The juxtaposition of the synth and bassline just work in harmony and
really make this cut hit home.

White Vinyl

Lars Hemmering is back with his second solo ep on Fullpanda records.
Also known as half of Live Duo – LADA with Dasha Rush, beside his own productions on DOCK records and among few others.

“Bloody &Soul “
Vinyl version – a collection of 4 intense left-field, abstract tracks, ranging from eerie cosmic like techno, throughout harder yet abstract beats, closing with dark ambient. Plus a digital bonus track.

A1.”Bless”
Dynamically hypnotic piece, where synth dominated baseline meets broken beats with barely present percussions, if refereeing to the classic techno approach, blending with dreamy chorals on the background.

A2. “Releasing Strains “
A moody melancholic cut with atmospheric, reverberating analogue synths and poly rhythmical structures.

B1. “Lars wars”
Takes us to more rougher side of techno, frantic energy with distorted syncopated rhythms tiny bouncing sounds that respond to over all dynamics.

B2. “Artarpet”
Closing track comes towards the dark ambient, that bring us to an empty like sound fields.