Buscar:elements of mood

Ralph Heidel is one of the young musicians that represent the spirit of Berlin’s new musical ecleticism better than others. He is part of the avantgarde circles that mix modern jazz and contemporary classical music with elements of new electronica and experimental ambient music. This is the vibe of Germany's next generation.

Heidel creates a sonic universe that is unique. He takes the listener into a deep, atmospheric travel that stimulates emotions and feelings on a different level. Heidel brings together two worlds: what he learned at Musikhochschule München, Germany’s leading academy for classical music where he studied saxophon and composition and the moods happening in Germany's new electronic circles.

On „Relief“ Heidel created six songs. Except one, all of them are instrumental music. Partly composed and often improvised these sounds take the listener into Heidel's specific sonic universe. Raw beat structures, emotive horn lines, strong harmonical tensions and dramatic build ups. Heidel’s signature sound.
In fact Heidel is a multiple influenced artist with a strong personality that absorbs whats around him, connects it with his own wide artistic knowledge and fullfills it into magical musical moments.

Relief is the next step in what could become a longtime artistic career.
After a (very composed) debut album for string quartet and rhythm section for Kryptox (Moments of Resonance 2019), it was important for Heidel, to process current feelings of daily life.
Not just his cultural learnings, but also emotions connected to the hard COVID times and a lot of personal experiences.

Relief are six abstract, distorted patterns. Long deep transitions that lead into euphoric parts of sonic greatness. Heidel's sense for sound design and the soft tone of his saxophone phrases, add a personal note that is somehow alone in the current music scenario. Sampling his saxophone (reeds, keys etc.) to create very organic beats is one of the many techniques to create that special „Heidel“ sound. Also his calm and wide harmonies over disquiet, rough drums are part of his unique ambivalent, disrupted moods.

Most of this EP has been played by Heidel alone. For a few parts he was joined by musicians from the local scene. In fact besides his albums on Kryptox Ralph Heidel is very connected in Berlin’s current cultural playground: He creates music for underground performance art happenings in Neukölln as well as for new German theater (Volksbühne, Berliner Ensemble). Also German rapper Tarek from K.I.Z heard about Heidels string debut album, so they collaborated for an album, where Heidel reworked his record for stringquartet, piano, drums and bass.

Born out of a love for extended live performance and late night studio jams, Adam Collins' and Marky Star's much revered Omni A.M. collaboration released their debut LP 'Key' 23 years ago, also launching their label Euphoria Records. A very limited amount of CDs were pressed and sold exclusively at Euphoria events throughout Chicago at the time, and with Omni A.M. and Euphoria's stock rising over the following decades, this timeless classic has become a Holy Grail amongst music heads and collectors alike, as the eye watering discogs prices will attest.

Although heavily influenced by the Chicago house scene and it's luminaries Derrick Carter, Gemini, DJ Heather and Tyree Cooper, the pair embarked on a remarkable mission to record an album that owes much to their love of The Orb and KLF, the experimentalism of Psychic TV and Cabaret Voltaire, industrial favourites Skinny Puppy and the mind bending dub of Lee Scratch Perry, through to San Fran's West Coast house scene and the Tech-House sounds emanating from South London in the late '90s.

LP opener 'space horse' rolls out the breaks before swathes of synths and sonic trickery abound, 'wo ist meine bier?' is characterised by haunting IDM-esque melodies, underpinned by the chug of a 4/4 beat. Over onto the flip where Villalobos favourite 'naked groove' unleashes an infectious rhythm, bass riff, synths and vocal, before 'splendid idea' moves into a more tripped out acidic territory, keeping the musical elements and energy to the fore. On disc 2, the aptly titled 'fusion' turns up the breakbeat heat, adds a hypnotic dub-funk b-line, building into an inspirational lead line. 'v.23's other-worldly throb neatly segues into the moody burning breaks of 'bitch', and closing track 'ready to know' is playful and confident in it's execution, without ever losing any depth or substance.

What comes across is an unwavering dedication to creativity and pushing the boundaries of what's sonically possible, whilst defying the genres through a unique and essential collection of musical moments and psychedelic jams underpinned by beats that deliver the funk. These tracks have stood the test of time and have remained exciting and relevant throughout, this is the first time they have ever been released on vinyl.

This double LP features exclusive edits and never heard before versions, lovingly remastered by Lawrie Curve Pusher from the original DATs and artwork recreated from, and inspired by the original release.

FILM Recordings will release the debut LP from Denial of Service.

The album follows up EP's Sensou (2015), and more recently Contour & Shape (2017) - but marks the producer's most expansive release on the label thus far by some margin. Clocking in at 15 tracks, the lengthy opus draws from the same palette found on previous work - drum machine driven, heavily mutated Electro and IDM sit alongside low slung Techno cuts and arpeggiated EBM references. As ever, the production is stunning - crisp and plosive, as much a record for the club as it is a tempered headphone experience; whilst the mood channels that same dank, claustrophobic energy found on previous missives.

As a body of work, the LP displays the distinctive touch of a production veteran. The transformative shifts in structure on opener A Fine, New Mother Now belie a kind of boldness found less often across the contemporary electronic music landscape; and the drum programming on IDM-leaning explorations Autoimmune & Supercell bear the hallmarks of a perfectionist with time on his hands and in full control of his art. Space and the placement of sonic components plays a huge role in the artist's work and the 3 Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch displays this canny knack for generating both textural, wide angle soundscapes whilst maintaining that wrought-iron edge to drums and percussive elements - even more fervent, noisy compositions like Dr Manahattan manage to keep hold of this remarkable balance. It's impressive stuff, a fine and well worked meeting point between artistic vision and engineering prowess.

An elongated discussion, no doubt - but worth hearing every word. Each twist and bend, however sharp, remains carefully placed and beautifully recorded. Dryer works Slither & Junkie Foxtrot towards the LP finish offer a less introspective, more hard hitting angle to the work, and by the time the listener arrives at dual closer the Daisy Chain - Adults - they're ready for its heady catharsis.

The debut album from Denial of Service is a trip, and the line between club space and home listening environment is decidedly blurred - an emotive exploration of true psychedelic Electronica, delivered direct from the source.

Big Crown Records is proud to present Ekundayo, Liam Bailey’s debut record on the label. This album is a long time in the making, and after listening, clearly worth the wait. It didn’t take a long time to record, but it did take years for all the stars to line up.

Bailey, born and raised in Nottingham, England, the son of an English mother and Jamaican father got his early influences from his mom’s record collection. Bob Marley and Dillinger, Stevie Wonder and The Supremes, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix would eventually shape the singer/songwriter we know today.
Fast-forward to 2005, Liam is in London and doing the whatever-gig-you-can-get musician hustle with hopes of landing a record deal. And it was through this time that Liam first teamed up with Leon Michels, musician / producer luminary, and the co-founder of Brooklyn's own Big Crown Records. Liam flew out to New York and those first sessions together produced the now classic tunes “When Will They Learn” and “I’m Gonna Miss You” which still get spins at reggae spots around the globe. That trip helped kick off what was to follow next for Liam: a slew of record releases, label deals, and working with some wildly-notable mainstream producers. Even a just-famous Amy Winehouse heard one of Liam's apartment-made, lo-fi recordings through a friend and liked what she heard. Regardless of the audio quality, Liam's particular sound shone through—all guitar, warm-rough and genuine soul. She signed him to her label shortly after.

But, as the story can go with major labels, they already had an idea of the Liam they wanted to make, promote, and push. With the typical pay-day enticement, Liam did his best to fit into whatever shape they put him to. "'Maybe I can make it work,' that's what you're thinking," Liam remembers, "but, you quickly find out that you can't."

While Liam’s career went through a bunch of record industry twists and turns he and Michels stayed in touch and would regularly connect and collaborate. Finally, in 2019, the time was right to do a full-length album together. And this time, it would be free of any restricting major label presumptions and opinions. "This is the record we always wanted to make," says Michels. Set to release in November 2020, the album is called Ekundayo. And the word's meaning may be all you need to know to get to the essence of this project. It means "sorrow becomes joy" in Yoruba, a language spoken mostly in Western Africa. On the surface, Ekundayo is a weighty Reggae record, full of new and old textured riddims. But listen more in-depth, and you'll find subject matter that's more recognizable from a modern-day R&B record. An example of the former is the first single off the album. Sung to the most beautiful woman at the nightspot, "Champion" is a joyous anthem powered by a silly-thick Juno-bass throb and 808-proof drums. In short, "Champion" is dancehall-ready. But then there's a song like "Don't Blame NY." Moody and sparse with a somber drive, you might have to resist the urge to compare it to a Frank Ocean-ish type vibe. Liam's voice is in a different but fitting element here, showing stripped-back emotion and soulful restraint. Anyone who has lived and tried to thrive in New York won't have a hard time relating to the lyrics but they may join the masses who blame the city, while Liam points the finger at himself and sings praises to The Big Apple.

Credit to Leon's hand, elements of Jamaican production are everywhere, peppered throughout the record. Like the pitch-perfect organ stabs that push through the authentically positive "White Light," or the muted, percussive guitar strums that chug along in the back of "Fight." In the same vein of any fantastic singer/songwriter album, Ekundayo is a reflection of who Liam Bailey is, taking on topics and approaches he never would think of just a few years ago. Some evidence: "Ugly Truth" is about reconnecting with his biological father, a subject he once thought would be too personal to address. The journey from conforming to major labels to this latest record has been a long one for Liam, and a bit of a struggle. But struggle may be the only way we truly grow and evolve. With a new clarity of purpose, sound, and life, Liam has found joy out of those struggles. And it's called Ekundayo.

Big Crown Records is proud to present Ekundayo, Liam Bailey’s debut record on the label. This album is a long time in the making, and after listening, clearly worth the wait. It didn’t take a long time to record, but it did take years for all the stars to line up.

Bailey, born and raised in Nottingham, England, the son of an English mother and Jamaican father got his early influences from his mom’s record collection. Bob Marley and Dillinger, Stevie Wonder and The Supremes, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix would eventually shape the singer/songwriter we know today.
Fast-forward to 2005, Liam is in London and doing the whatever-gig-you-can-get musician hustle with hopes of landing a record deal. And it was through this time that Liam first teamed up with Leon Michels, musician / producer luminary, and the co-founder of Brooklyn's own Big Crown Records. Liam flew out to New York and those first sessions together produced the now classic tunes “When Will They Learn” and “I’m Gonna Miss You” which still get spins at reggae spots around the globe. That trip helped kick off what was to follow next for Liam: a slew of record releases, label deals, and working with some wildly-notable mainstream producers. Even a just-famous Amy Winehouse heard one of Liam's apartment-made, lo-fi recordings through a friend and liked what she heard. Regardless of the audio quality, Liam's particular sound shone through—all guitar, warm-rough and genuine soul. She signed him to her label shortly after.

But, as the story can go with major labels, they already had an idea of the Liam they wanted to make, promote, and push. With the typical pay-day enticement, Liam did his best to fit into whatever shape they put him to. "'Maybe I can make it work,' that's what you're thinking," Liam remembers, "but, you quickly find out that you can't."

While Liam’s career went through a bunch of record industry twists and turns he and Michels stayed in touch and would regularly connect and collaborate. Finally, in 2019, the time was right to do a full-length album together. And this time, it would be free of any restricting major label presumptions and opinions. "This is the record we always wanted to make," says Michels. Set to release in November 2020, the album is called Ekundayo. And the word's meaning may be all you need to know to get to the essence of this project. It means "sorrow becomes joy" in Yoruba, a language spoken mostly in Western Africa. On the surface, Ekundayo is a weighty Reggae record, full of new and old textured riddims. But listen more in-depth, and you'll find subject matter that's more recognizable from a modern-day R&B record. An example of the former is the first single off the album. Sung to the most beautiful woman at the nightspot, "Champion" is a joyous anthem powered by a silly-thick Juno-bass throb and 808-proof drums. In short, "Champion" is dancehall-ready. But then there's a song like "Don't Blame NY." Moody and sparse with a somber drive, you might have to resist the urge to compare it to a Frank Ocean-ish type vibe. Liam's voice is in a different but fitting element here, showing stripped-back emotion and soulful restraint. Anyone who has lived and tried to thrive in New York won't have a hard time relating to the lyrics but they may join the masses who blame the city, while Liam points the finger at himself and sings praises to The Big Apple.

Credit to Leon's hand, elements of Jamaican production are everywhere, peppered throughout the record. Like the pitch-perfect organ stabs that push through the authentically positive "White Light," or the muted, percussive guitar strums that chug along in the back of "Fight." In the same vein of any fantastic singer/songwriter album, Ekundayo is a reflection of who Liam Bailey is, taking on topics and approaches he never would think of just a few years ago. Some evidence: "Ugly Truth" is about reconnecting with his biological father, a subject he once thought would be too personal to address. The journey from conforming to major labels to this latest record has been a long one for Liam, and a bit of a struggle. But struggle may be the only way we truly grow and evolve. With a new clarity of purpose, sound, and life, Liam has found joy out of those struggles. And it's called Ekundayo.

The Futurists rejected tradition and introduced experimental sounds and this fact, that influenced a lot of composers during the 20th century, helped them to build a concept that started the career of Barcelona based duo Iro Aka. The evolution of their music started with this EP, fluctuating through psychedelic and esoteric influences, taking as its main references the continuous technological evolution and those new techniques to make electronic music. “Futur” is an extract of the first ideas of Iro Aka. They started the project at the beginning of the 2017 and this EP was produced then, showing the abstraction that they felt at that moment, a path drawn by different sounds that came from different people and different places.

Tapan leaves their mark on Zukunft with reimagining the original as a slowly building, tribal inspired and almost sitting in an alternative timeline. Clever use of percussive elements does not take away from the track being playable in the club.

The slightly psychedelic dance floor experience is delivered by Anatolian Weapons. Pulsating rhythms intertwine with classic drum sounds and paint a mood almost contradicting the vocals of the track. Perfect secret track for any dance-floor.

“Easy rider, come and take me higher”. When the world seemingly crumbles around, music can provide an escape few other mediums can. For their debut self-titled LP, Velour effortlessly levitate you above the madness below, each track taking a new turn, cruising over hazy flecked skylines, bustling walkways and bleary eyed bedlam. A trajectory that takes in all of jazz’s vibrancies, blending elements of neo soul, broken beat and hip hop coupled with a much-needed sense of hope across nine deep, soul-searching tracks released via WOLF Music Recordings.

A style and sound taking influence from genres and moods, environments and experiences, Essen-based Velour stretch their legs for this, their first full length album. From the off, they nestle you under their wing with the rustling sax washes of opener ‘CLP’ before diving into an epic slo-mo burner, swooping down into the chaos as singer, Eva Czaya, wistfully narrates the scenes beneath.

Unafraid to shift pace within songs, the likes of ‘Pose’, sauntering from soulful summer groove into woozy late night affair, and ‘Tom's Garage’, that progresses from roadside recounting to grungy basement blowout, finished with a sample of jazz-tinged dusty beats, show that accomplished and adept heads rest on the shoulders of these relative newcomers.

WOLF Music mainstay Mr Fries continues to head up production for Velour, his trademark touch capturing the intimacy of Velour’s sound presenting it in a way that’s considered yet raw - nothing feeling rushed, nor cluttered. A separation and space that gives each element the room it deserves to breathe, with short interludes and skits providing the perfect bridge between tracks, guiding you through smokey jazz bars and twilight whisperings.

Moving through the album, Czaya at points wanders in a serene spoken dialogue, at others letting her voice loose, but always with an ethereal demeanour that comes off with natural ease. One of many highlights, ‘Anthony Davis’ shows off this celestial prowess whilst perfectly embodying Velour’s dream-like escapism. A pent up release of creativity, as moody bass tones mix with deft keys, rolling snares sit behind swirling saxophones.

The journey ends with ‘Luminate’, a transcendent closer laced with space-echoed vocals that reverberate around over-driven Rhodes and feverish drums. Cymbals crash, as modulated synths rise, building and building before easing you off into the night and on your way to a parallel universe.

As a body of work, ‘Velour’ is a shining example of the freedom, energy and enthusiasm of the new school of jazz that’s been captivating minds the world over. An instant on repeat staple - let go, feel the flow, it’s what we need in a time like this.

Retro future past explorer. Ultraromance, hazy desire, a whiff of nostalgia. Excitement, confusion, and disenchantment. Internalization leads to alienation. And the cognition that everything can turn into a straight up joke after a while. So »relax and implode«…

The second full-length album of Berlin musician and futurologist André Uhl invites the listener to a sonic adventure with high emotional impact. Eleven songs are carefully crafted like sculptures in a swampy landscape. Warm, gritty, and viscid, the unique sound aesthetic leads the path through the dusty twilight, breathing down your neck, providing comfort and disturbance at the same time.

The sound material was recorded in a church during André’s two months long artist residency in a monastery in Alsace, France, where a specific set of microphones was used to capture the unique reverb of the nave. Additional material was recorded in Philadelphia, New York and in André’s Berlin studio.

Field recordings play a central role in the album, defining the mood and building the rhythmic foundation for all the compositions. Other elements were produced with a wide range of different analog and digital instruments. A powerful lead of a Roland Jupiter 6, the warm organ of a Moog Opus 3, the quirkiness of a circuit-bent Casio PT10 – or the clicking of an electricity meter in an apartment. »Relax and Implode« by André Uhl will be released on 16 October 2020 on Martin Hossbach.

Moods & Grooves proudly introduces another new face, this time from the Detroit scene. DJ Eternal Student (aka Marvin Prather) steps up to the plate with his melodic track Hear Me Though and a deep groove entitled Transpose Deep.

Hear Me Though combines a funktastic bass line with some heavy breathing drums, strumming synths, xylophone like keys, and a sexy vox to create a wonderful head bobbing groove all on its own. Hot remixes of Here Me Though come courtesy of Domenique Xander (Berlin) and Deepset. Domenique puts a nice wash over it with panned and echo'd claps, drums, and very dreamy pads to create a stellar remix. Deepset ( a partnership between Brian Neal and Avalon Kalin) provide an up-tempo deep groove with a banging kick and swinging vocal chops to accompany the original vox of the track. A new bass line and funky congas produce a warm and lush version of the original. The synergy these producers had is incredible, all vibing from Marvin’s original version.

Transpose Deep is a climber. It starts off very unassuming with a solid 4 on the floor kick that morphs into solid synthy pads, and a funky bass line before it breaks into a full sprint of these elements, a bass that growls at you, and hats that swing hard.

After being summoned from Ohio to London by Adrian Sherwood, Nick Riggio and Rebecca Magnetic have brought their Midwest musical experience to the South London electronic music scene with a unique creative vision. Fusing elements of techno, post-punk and psychedelic rock they explore spiritual connections and transcendence while Rebecca Magnetic's introspective vocals set against a tough backdrop of Detroit influenced rhythms and vibrations leave you in awe.

Their superb single 'My Future' is a brilliantly cosmic exploration of spaced out and spacious grooves. Crashing hits bring an edgy mood, while lurching drums drag you forwards.
Molten acid synths and the strained and pained vocals from Rebecca add further layers of intrigue to this most adventurous electronic trip.

First to remix is Oosh! man Dan Wainwright, and his version is laced up with sci-fi chords and echoing vocal sounds. The downtempo drum rotations are superbly heavy and trap you in a trance.
Next up, Retroforward is Al Mackenzie's solo remix/music project named after his successful Birmingham night.
Al is one half of Field Of Dreams. His 'No Future' remix is an airy and atmospheric remix that takes the track to the farthest edges of space on smooth, hypnotic grooves and beautifully astral melodies.

Lastly, Richard Sen has already been getting support for his remix from ALFOS man Sean Johnston, and he goes for a superbly rugged yet slow motion chugger that is dubbed out and expansive thanks to the arching guitar riffs that ring out to the heavens above fat-bottomed drums.

Whether experienced on the dance floor or in metaphysical states, this music is medicine for the mind and body.

THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE are a project which has always been tied to films. Films are luxurious because they dispose of all these boring, unimportant, and trivial parts of our lives. This allows them to fully control our sensations, to put us in a very specific mood. Joy and sadness are occasionally OK, endless joy or endless sadness are clinical. But there is one sensation which can be persistent and unconditionally bearable at the same time. In the absence of a better alternative, let's call it "the mood". The mood is what TKDE are aiming at. The mood.

The mood is infinite and illimitable, but not uniform and unique. On "From The Stairwell", TKDE deliver eight new incarnations of the mood. Stairwells have always been intriguing. They appear to unavoidably lead you to your destination, but they only disclose the path bit by bit. What lies far ahead of you and far beyond you is hidden in the shadows. The stairwell could just as well be infinite. You climb up this murky stairwell, passing by many doors. Every door contains a variation of the mood, a short film, a song. You open the first one, "All Is One". The evaporating mist discloses a large and empty room with a barstool in the middle. On the barstool, a chanteuse from the roaring twenties. Her voice starts to trigger vibrations of the ground, the walls start spiralling around her, but she remains untouched in the eye of the storm. Second room, "Giallo". Sly guy, telling smile, nice suit. Walking down the streets in the dusk. The ambience starts to get out of phase, the guy stumbles in horror while blending with the surrounding to a brown soup. Fourth room. "Cocaine". Naked people with pig heads crawl on the floor, on the walls, on the ceiling. They try to hopelessly suck up the white dust which covers every single piece of this room and is constantly spit out by tubes coming out of the walls. Dissonant sounds accompany the work of this desperate hive. As the people manage to counteract the tubes, fragile melodies start to overpower the dissonances. Sixth room, "Cotard Delusion". Baby morphing into a black fluid morphing into an old man which turns his eyes inwards and finds his inside to be completely empty. The journey up the stairwell, down the stairwell, continues. The pictures fill your head and make you forget where you wanted to go in the first place.

"From The Stairwell" is a surprise and a logical step at the same time. It is a surprise because the songs are far less beat-driven in comparison to TKDE's earlier works, and even contain a few hopeful tints here and there. It is a logical step because in the end each song turns to have a very diverse dramaturgic flow. This could raise the conjecture that TKDE, initially started out to make music for existing and non-existing films, wanted to incorporate the audiovisual impression completely into songs, making the films superfluous. At times, "From The Stairwell" makes you think of 60's soundtracks, but the organic feeling of those is always interwoven with mechanical elements. Altogether, every single of the numerous details present in TKDE's new songs feels to be at the right place and you can either just dive into the mood or pick one of the many aspects and enjoy it on its own - be it Gideon Kiers' beats & fx, Jason Köhnen's bass & piano, Hilary Jeffery's trombone, Charlotte Cegarra's voice & piano, Eelco Bosman's guitar, Nina Hitz' cello, Sarah Anderson's violin, or - appearing as guest musicians - Eiríkur Óli Ólafsson's trumpet and Coen Kaldeway's saxophone & bass clarinet.

Following a high-pressure drop on Sneaker Social Club in 2019, bass-toting instigator Low End Activist steps up with his most expansive release yet.

His sound is a perfect amalgam of elements from the hardcore continuum – at times a dark and malevolent brainstorm of grubby drums dragged through crusty samplers, future-weary textural scrapes, moody splashes of pads and of course bucketloads of crushing subs, lows and low mids all designed to rock you from the waist down. You'll hear spectres of culture past lurking in the shadows – a trip hop skit from a gaunt figure here, a riotous brawl of grime MCs there – and feel the decades of soundsystem absorption seeping off the platters. It's like the LEA reached capacity and these productions were what happened when the sponge got squeezed.

One voice cuts a more prominent figure up front though – the peerless Flowdan, lending some powerful bars to Game Theory. What needs to be said about the Pay As You Go / Roll Deep mastermind you don't already know? His flow is mightier than any sword you care to step with.

Speaking of platters, this particular release marks the first vinyl pressing for Seagrave since the BOA 12" Warp Purpose Vol. 1 back in 2015 (slated for a repress – don't sleep!). It's an occasion worth toasting, building on a powerful and varied catalogue of sub-heavy sonics operating well outside the mainstream in service to naught but the sound, all packaged in a full-colour sleeve. As an expansive double pack of seven sure shots, it's also a fitting document of a subversive operative bringing some devastating angles to the hardcore tradition.

- Oli Warwick.

"WOLF Music" offer up something a little different to their usual tip, enlisting the warm dusty reverberations of four-piece, jazz-not-jazz collective Velour for a 7" of hazy, genre traversing rhythms. Alongside being producer for the Velour project, long-standing member of the WOLF pack Mr. Fries gives his own distinctive house touch to the flip side remix.

Perfectly capturing the new school of jazz, Essen-based Velour crisscross genres drawing on elements from each yet anchoring their roots in the richness of jazz’s deft melodies and percussive touches. Head-nodding down the open road, ‘Pose’ is that undeniably soulful, first swig of summer many tracks strive to be. Morphing into a woozy affair as the sun sets midway through, Velour’s songwriting talent well outstrips their years. Throw WOLF pack member Mr. Fries into the mix, kneading in his signature production style and the freshly baked result straddles the intersection between jazz, broken beat, house and soul.

Fries then takes on remix duties for the flip, maintaining that dusty demeanour yet going for a full frontal Moodymann-esque house interpretation. The smokey jazz bar sax, background hustle and weighty beat make for a summertime heater served straight from
the grill, garnished just right with Mr. Fries own vocals over the top.

The long awaited third album from much loved vintage synth maestros Billy Bainbridge and Mike Johnston, finally finds its home on Ghost Box Records. This is unironically joyful and melodic electronica; informed by library music, music for children’s TV and a deep passion for the history of music technology.

Plone are very much part of Ghost Box’s DNA. They were a central part of the 90s retro-futuristic scene in Birmingham that included Broadcast and Pram and to which the label has always had strong ties through graphic designer and co-manager, Julian House. They are also cited by the label’s other boss, Jim Jupp, as a major influence on his work as Belbury Poly.

The band was formed as a three-piece in the mid-90s and their debut single, Press a Key, was championed by John Peel. The first album, For Beginner Piano, was released on Warp Records in 1999. Their warm, witty and unfunky music stood out from the crowd, almost in defiance of the moody and masculine post-rave electronica of their contemporaries.

A selection of bootlegged demos from the early 00s was rumoured to be the follow up album, but it never materialised. After that Billy went on to tour with Broadcast and later formed Seeland with another former band member Tim Felton (also of Ghost Box’s Hintermass). Meanwhile Mike formed the ZX Spectrum Orchestra, released solo singles as Mike in Mono and was a member of The Modified Toy Orchestra.

Twenty years on and Plone have reconvened as a duo with a third album, Puzzlewood. It’s compiled from material recorded at various points since the “lost album”, right up to the present day.

Iconic cultural engineer and prolific music pioneer Daniel Miller, aka The Normal responsible for the timeless post-punk / wave classic “Warm Leatherette” and founder of Mute Records, collaborates with avant-techno artist Nicolas Bougaïeff to instigate another revolution with the inaugural release as Populist on Avi Caspi’s newly founded imprint The Temple and The Low Dive. Miller and Bougaïeff provide four purist modular techno explorations that are prepared to carry the listener into stellar dimensions. Introductory A1 track “Center” is a sophisticated, minimalist, stripped down piece with dynamic elements and a cinematic aesthetic that introduces the mood of the entire EP, defined by spectral micro movements and a touch of liquid textures.

Further navigation through the EP reveals more of the aesthetic intent while, at the same time, retaining a specific uniqueness found in each track. There is a definitive interstellar cosmic feeling throughout that brings the future back to the present and with B2 track “Temple” we discover that Miller and Bougaïeff are no strangers to a provocative and discerning dancefloor. “Temple” guarantees ecstatic dance floor moments that define experience. The digital bonus track “Dogma” continues to keep up the pace and here is what will be imminently essential for any serious purveyor of explorative techno to include in their repertoire.

This first installment on The Temple And The Low Dive gives us something that is as special as it is unique, paying homage to one of electronic music culture’s most admired artists and icons, and introducing the world to new artists and proponents of the global electronic scene, Caspi and Bougaïeff. TIP!

Try Anything Once is the first solo album created by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project. This album features vocals by Ambrosia's David Pack, Duran Duran backing singer Jacqui Copland, former Mindbender and 10cc guitarist Eric Stewart, and Manfred Mann's Earth Band frontman Chris Thompson.

The album takes a different turn from the previously ethereal Project albums, and seems to continue the directional development that started with Stereotomy and Gaudi (MOVLP631), combining rock elements ( Back Against The Wall' & Breakaway') and mood-oriented beats ( Turn It Up' & I'm Talking To You'), while still retaining certain elements of the classic Project albums that are unique ( Mr Time', Wine From The Water', the instrumentals).

With the Music On Vinyl edition of Try Anything Once, this awesome album is available on vinyl for the very first time!

Substance, the second album by producer Moisture, sets out to deliver an immersive tech-noir fantasy of emotional and physical deconstruction. Inspired in part by William S. Burroughs 1959 novel Naked Lunch, the conceptual narrative of the album follows a humanoid subject through an urban landscape and the exploration of its depravations.

Sampling and filtering sounds from other music, movies and own field recordings, the tapestry of Substance is a three-dimensional world of hard industrial spaces and fluid organic matter. While it's conception is rooted equally in literature and film as well as music, one can draw comparisons in particular to Barry Adamsons 1989 album Moss Side Story, in that it also works as a chronological narrative; the tracks aligning to make a world of its own.

And while Adamson was aiming to create an imaginary soundscape of his native Manchester, the geography of Substance is based on the city of Malmö. Using field recordings from it's city streets, the album paints a rain soaked, neon-clad portrait of the city's hedonistic nightlife.

On the opening "The Marketplace" we are teleported to Bergsgatan at night (the track title a subtle nod towards Eden Ahbez 1960 song of the same name).

This introduction is similar in line with the experience Burroughs once had in 1957 upon entering Malmö for the first and only time, which he details briefly in Naked Lunch: "averted eyes and the cemetery in the middle of town (every town in Sweden seems to be built around a cemetery), and nothing to do in the afternoon (...)"

This image of Malmö portrayed with dread and loathing holds a longstanding narrative tradition over the cultural geography of the town. Yet it is often paired with an image of great promise and bohemian splendor, seemingly a paradox but often perversely intertwined. This duality has always been a vital mindset in the underground music scene of the town and its illegal after hours clubs. Substance is a work steeped in the grayscale prism of techno and its post-industrial fetischism. Yet in picking it apart, one can find elements of everything from post-punk, drum & bass, trip hop and new age.

The theme of depravation that soaks through Burroughs Naked Lunch seems oddly befitting to this side of Malmö (one wonders what the author would have made of it had he stayed longer) Through rhythmic excursions and the exploration of repetition, the tracks of Substance are arranged to convey this self-destructive longing for depravity. Michel Foucault's ideas on limit experiences serves as context for this peculiar form of endeavour, as he puts it: "the point of life which lies as close as possible to the impossibility of living, which lies at the limit or the extreme."

In October 2018 DJ Rocca and Almunia member Leo Ceccanti joined forces to deliver “Rhythm Collision”, a three-track EP of jangling, sun-kissed grooves, psychedelic dub disco and Afro-Cosmic flavours on Really Swing. 18 months on, one of that set’s standout cuts has been given a new lease of life courtesy of fellow Italian producer Alessandro Pasini AKA Deep 88. Since making his debut a decade ago, Pasini has earned a reputation as one of house music’s understated heroes – an artist whose hardware driven, retro-futurist take on deep house tends towards the timeless, melodic and atmospheric. With a deep love of turn-of-the-90s dream house, Larry Heard productions and sun-baked chords, his dancefloor-focused productions have often been called Balearic.

It’s perhaps fitting then that his reworks of Rocca and Cecanti’s “Ever Changing Bubbles” are as Balearic as they come. His “Balearic Mix” sets the tone, with Pasini layering trippy, dubbed-out and ear-catching elements – Ceccanti’s eyes-closed electric guitar solos, jangling acoustic guitar chords, warm dub disco bass, echoing spoken word samples, fluttering flute solos, drowsy organ motifs and the pair’s delay-heavy vocals – atop a crunchy, head-nodding, live style beat. While it deviates from the duo’s original version, it inhabits a similar sonic space – albeit in a more dancefloor-friendly way. Pasini excels himself on the accompanying “Balearic Dub”, stripping the cut back to its raw essentials – drums, metronomic bass –while toughening up the percussion and adding delay-laden instrumental snippets. It’s warm, woozy and otherworldly, with echoing voices, tactile musical motifs and restless delay trails combining to create a suitably hazy and intoxicating mood. By the time the touchy-feely flute and acoustic guitars begin to dance across the sound space, you’ll be lost in the groove and too happy to notice.

The first imprint on SHERELLE and NAINA’s label Hooversound brings together Surrey based DJ /producer Hyroglifics and Detroit DJ/ producer Sinistarr for an exciting dancefloor-ready EP.

‘BS6’ sees two of the most consistent and exciting names in the underground electronic music scene joining forces on Hooversound’s highly anticipated debut release.

Having both released on iconic labels in the past (Sinistarr with Exit Records, Hospital, Metalheadz whilst Hyroglifics with Critical, Astrophonica, 1985 Music - to name a few), the two producers shine in this new collaborative EP which merges together elements of footwork, jungle and techno.

The EP has two collaborative tracks that stand by two solo tracks from each producer. Electronic pioneer and legend Scratcha DVA brings his GQOM and moody percussion on the official remix.

Another win for the Glowing Pin as Müller & Wandt drop a fresh new age groover on a killer club dub tip. Elsewhere Phazer Boys, Suzanne Kraft, Philipp Otterbach and River Yarra remix the pscht out of their favourite tracks from ‘Instrumentalmusik..’. Expect Goan hits, cosmic trips, loved up rave and chilled out wave on this flawless five tracker.

Growing Bin becomes Glowing Pin for the most anticipated rematch of the century. Back at the beginning of 2018, Wolf Müller and Niklas Wandt went head to head for a box office smash, throwing a high school percussion tray, wall of hardware and voodoo skull into the ring for the tribal trip of ‘Instrumentalmusik Von Der Mitte Der World’. Now the multi-instrumental duo face off once again, but this time it’s a royal rumble with Phazer Boys, Suzanne Kraft, Phillip Otterbach and River Yarra all bringing the noise to the Glowing Pin.

Müller and Wandt dominate the action on the A1, playing loose with sampler vox, serene pads and future primitive rhythms on the unreleased ‘Fun Dub’ of the also unreleased ‘Dub Dub’. Imagine Ferris Bueller’s trampoline tumble trading Chicago to the Weissenhof and you’ll sense the mood of this New Age groove. Germany’s number one party dudes, those freaky Phazer Boys take a break from dropping killer Candomblé cuts to reach for the lasers on the A2, taking ‘Ahu’ to another dimension. Dripping in neon body paint and armed with fire poi, the Düsseldorf duo power up progressive house sequences, didgeridoo bass and thumping tribal house percussion for a wall-shaking, speaker-breaking remix.

The B1 belongs to synth whiz Suzanne Kraft who revels in glistening, gliding glory on an expansive remix of ‘Auflösung’. Sleek, serene and futuristic, the track shimmers like Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, free from inequality and rendered with the 5D(ub?) majesty of a DMT breakthrough.
B2 hears Salon associate and serious talent Philipp Otterbach take over on a stripped back and psychedelic post punk dub of ‘Expedition’. Angular bass by Süne Große and a stuttering rhythm underpin astral flourishes and the hazy vocals of Lucas Croon before the African elements begin to move to the forefront.
Last man standing is Australian outlier River Yarra, who leads us into the Krautback with a chugging dub of ‘Weltraumsandalen’. Lent a lysergic sparkle by a percolating one-note bassline, this slow motion stunner masters perpetual motion amid the eerie echoes of the bush, organic percussion and electronic animal cries fading into the night. Let the pins glow again.

Patrick Ryder

The hyper talneted Stellar Om Source (NOT NOT FUN, RVNG, NO 'LABEL) blowing up new styles on this one!

"If there is one thing that leaps out from Stellar OM Source’s music, it is the sense of a highly active mind at work. There is an indivisible feeling that a real person is behind this dynamic flurry of tones, waves, vibrations and modulations. On I See Through You, the first full Stellar OM Source release in over four years, the spark that first LP piqued the interest of so many listeners is glowing stronger than ever.

In the 2010's, Christelle Gualdi carved a name as one of the most essential live electronic musicians around, dazzling dancers and home listeners in kind with her bombastic, acidic hardware jams. Circumstances outside her control forced a stop for the Stellar OM Source project. It was touring, including two shows in the summer of 2019 at Dekmantel Festival and Listen! that Gualdi credits as year highlights, which proved to be the integral jump-start to the engine.

Inspiration came rushing back thanks to the human connection of performing. Seeing a younger generation connect with her put fresh charge into the circuitry of her gear. All this accrued into new material on the road, and thus I See Through You was born.

The spirit of 2013’s cult favourite Joy One Mile is alive and well on I See Through You. There is once again immediacy, urgency and lust. But Stellar OM Source stepping into a comparatively more poppy and playful mode on these four tracks could also throw some. Fundamentally she says, it comes from a similar place, and ends with an enmeshed and positive outcome. Gualdi credits both “1995 rave” and “the clarity, bass and breath” of hi-def hip-hop productions as being twin northern stars for her to follow.

The artwork comes from friend and highly respected photographer & director Pierre Debusschere, whose work similarly flits between arresting close-ups and, well, the widescreen luxe of Beyoncé videos. “I’m definitely not a purist anymore,” Gualdi laughs – and with club-ready impact meeting human warmth, this shows in abundance.

“Night Alone” wastes no time in getting the listener up to speed. Is that an LFO sample running through “Night Alone”? Is this a lost Metro Area classic? Is that Stellar OM Source taking a diversion into searching Ibiza-rousing vocal for a moment, or did we imagine that in a heat haze? Where are the kicks? Oh there they are. How many elements are buried and revived within just over five minutes?
It’s hard to tell. Before we know it, “Lost Codes” is up and away, keeping pulses racing. A pitter-patter of baby kicks feel like a pre-tremor before a welting electro-Italo lead crashes into play. With fizzing energy, rasping synths and a frisson of danger, fans of Unit Moebius and The Hacker will be doing somersaults of joy.

“White Echoes” wastes kicks off the flip side with low gurgles descending briefly like a UFO reverse parking into the spot SOS had vacated. Soon, 303s are twisting like Chinese burns while warm chords offer a salve. The mood maintains on “Wild Palms”, the only song on this record not to feature additional mixing work from Peaking Lights’ dub-wise sensei Aaron Coyes.

True to form, the B2 is all Stellar: elements switching up and out, with all the fun and frenzy of capital-L Live action. Kick drums and bassline darting back and forth like a synchronised swimming routine, all elements in concert. The momentum of a runaway mine cart that you can’t help but strap yourself to. I See Through You is one for the dancers who have given Stellar OM Source the motive to move forward once again."

The vitality you hear on Antique Blacks is a testament to the unique energy of the community around The Foxhole Cafe in Philadelphia, as Ra honed his unique brand of Afro-Futurism through the late 60';s and 70's. Cosmic theatre, spiritual chants, and experimental electronics make this record an essential document that was ahead of its time. Ancient to future! BIG TIP !

The 1970s saw change in Sun Ra's recorded output, and as far as we can tell, the content of his live performances. By the middle of the decade, Sun Ra's music no longer seemed comprehensible as part of the jazz New Thing – quirkier, more idiosyncratic elements were more to the fore.

At this time, 1974, every Sun Ra record still surprised, and seemed radically different from everything else he had released up to then. The musical universe proposed by free jazz had never circumscribed Sun Ra. He had been part of the movement, but was able to use the possibilities it suggested without being limited by its conventions.

The Antique Blacks illustrates this well. Recorded as a radio broadcast in Philadelphia, according to Dale Williams, it has a well defined but oddball structure. Sun Ra was a master architect, very concerned to use the unfolding of an album, a broadcast or a live performance to create a satisfying structure.

Song No 1 starts on an upbeat note, it's a lively, tonal introduction, featuring John Gilmre on tenor saxophone, Sun Ra on roksichord, Dale Williams, then aged 15, on guitar, and Akh Tal Ebah on trumpet.

Sun Ra's poetry is featured on There Is Change In The Air, a track which has on occasion been used for the album title: in its original incarnation as a Saturn LP, there was no dedicated sleeve artwork, and this record appeared under many names. Ra's poetry is allusive, elusive and paradoxical, and this was its first major appearance on a record. During instrumental passages, Dale Williams' guitar is heard, along with the saxophones of Marshall Allen and Danny Davis.

The Antique Blacks is a similar setting for a Sun Ra poem, which encompasses "spiritual men", and Lucifer as a dark angel. The Arkestra is heard in conducted improvisational ensembles, in between the sections of the poem.

This Song Is Dedicated To Nature's God has Arkestral vocals, with John Gilmore's voice in th foreground. Williams' guitar is once again prominent in the instrumental passages.

Sun Ra's poetic declamations provide the structire for The Ridiculous I and The Cosmos Me, which also has a fine unaccompanied tenor solo by John Gilmore, keyboard improvisations by Sun Ra, and closes with bass clarient from Eloe Omoe.

Sun Ra's keyboards are heard with minimal Arkestra support on Would I For All That Were – a fine synthesiser improvisation, with electric piano left hand accompaniment.

Tension is resolved by Space Is The Place, which rounds the album out in an upbeat mood, with Akh Tal Ebah, James Jacson and Sun Ra prominent among the vocalists. The closing section includes the chant Sun Ra And His Band From Outer Space, often used at the close of live performances. This isn't strictly live, though: in one line the vocal is played backwards on tape!

The Outer Circle drops a debut release full of flavour and grooves reminiscent of the golden era of UK/US tech house from Glasgow's Craig Hamilton, alongside London's tech house veteran Silverlining on remix duties.

"Let You In" a deep rolling sub laden groove sets the mood of the EP. Tight percussive elements drive the track, incisive from the offset as spacious chord stabs dominate over arpeggiated tones laced with an appealing fragmented vocal throughout. "Monday Groovin" the deeper of the cuts follows on with slick rhythms and choppy female vocals scattered over smokey pads and mesmerizing overtones.

Before continuing on the flip with the Silverlining remix of "Let You In". The tech house originators interpretation is a far darker bass driven analog work out. Upfront beats and spaced out atmospheric layers meander among rolling snares and peppered chord stabs with satisfying vocal elements, leaning this towards the deeper end of the spectrum.

"Kiska" is the lead single off Kedr's sophomore release, Your Need. The album is a celebration of life and rebirth. It's about a fighter's spirit, and if you will, a little audacity and courage. DJ'ing and early forms of dance music inspired a furious burst of creative energy after months of melancholy, sadness and reflection to record the album in only a matter of weeks. After her breakout album, Ariadna, which put her on the forefront of Russia's burgeoning electronic scene, Kedr felt lost with her identity and was searching for the direction of her next chapter. For a while she felt trapped by her own image and needed quite some time to resolve this internal dissonance - to grow, to evolve. DJ'ing was the main catalyst to pull her out of this rut. The art form shifted her inspiration to mainly old school styles of dance music: ghetto, house, breakbeat and UK garage. For the prior year and a half she was listening to ambient, kraut-rock and more experimental genres - one can hear the brighter, more energetic influence of early electronic music in the songs on Your Need. One day she was talking with her friend Flaty (Zhenya), a very talented artist from St. Petersburg who's signed to the GOST ZVUK label, and they decided to do a single together. He came to visit her in Moscow, but they ended up spending 10 whole days writing music together, from dawn to dusk. They vibed off each other's musical ideas perfectly and understood each other even without speaking. Zhenyais a beatmaster and pays attention to even the smallest details of a track. He brought incredible richness to the composition and Kedr considers him her teacher in this area. Kedr was in charge of the melodies and vibe of the tracks, and the vocal elements. Your Need is like a chapter of life. It's a story that illustrates different scenarios and moods that our mythical hero experiences, living in an urban jungle. From lost love to a bad trip on the dance floor, from euphoria to deep introspection. Our hero sometimes feels bold, lost or devastated, but also tender and full, like all of us at some point in life. The ending is joyful and bright. The last song gives hope and faith that a new day will come and wash away the old. You can feel like new every day. Your Need reflects an array of genres and a mix of cultures - a harmonious combination of differences. Everything Kedr loves about ghetto music, in the traditions of house, dub, breakbeat, 90s electronic music and modern sounds - she's embraced and expressed it all throughout. Your Need is Kedr's ode to music from different eras and changing periods.

It’s the unexpected that fascinates us, letting our curiosity grow stronger than the urge for safety and control. The magic of new encounters and unplanned turnarounds helps us switch
off the autopilot of everyday life and grants us an unbiased, curious glimpse at ourselves and the world around us. In these brief moments we accept the chaos surrounding us, allow
ourselves to embrace it and see the beauty of it.
This delightful chaos is the vibrant fabric woven into “Pleasant Clutter”, the debut album of Vienna-based DJ and producer B.Visible. With an endless love for detail, he masterfully
condenses familiar and strange sounds into a fascinating collection of moments, each one in itself as beautiful as volatile – again and again you find yourself wanting to hold on to something
you’ve only just grown fond of, yearning to stay just a little longer. Leaving space for the unexpected, the album bit by bit reveals the beauty that lies in the harmony of the whole.
Using playful little melodies and decontextualized fragments of sounds, B.Visible conjures up a wide range of moods and emotions: he tells mesmerizing instrumental stories full of
unexpected twists and turns, evoking lively images within the mind. In constant flux between weightlessness and dead-aim beats, structures are being broken up and put back together on
the fly – always changing, always evolving.
Change as a constant and the symbiosis of contrasting elements are omnipresent on “Pleasant Clutter”, and beyond that. Running through the entire work of B.Visible, these stylistic devices have shaped the musician’s creative output over the years, and this distinctive sound has long become his trademark. Colorful Illustrations by Viennese artist Daniel Triendl complement the
music and add a visual dimension to the album, making the project’s intentions visually accessible.

Hailing from Cardiff, Elmono has previously released on Cold Recordings, launching the label with it’s first release and following up with a twisted take on Swamp 81 style UK bass 4/4 music. His debut on Tectonic shows off a different flavour altogether, combining all the classic elements of old school UK rave music - and giving them a fresh twist. Tempos run around 128-130bpm while the mood captures the essence of 92-94, as hardcore mutated into jungle.

We kick off with ‘Cooper’s Dream’ which filters upward from a muted position, dropping into a jungle-tech format, building up to a strange melodic bass line as we are taken further and further into the void of Cooper’s hallucinogenic dream space!

‘For The Future’ begins with a short, gentle intro before dropping wildly out of the blue into a tearing bass drop that will rip apart the walls of any dance. Harking back to the old school ways, the track develops with sample snippets and ‘ardcore synth stabs.

Flip then for ‘Endorfiend’ which runs with the theme of jungle/hardcore ingredients, reworked for 2019. Swooping bass hits and melodic chimes leave one foot in 1992 and the other in the here and now.

‘Shermi Paradox’ closes up the EP with splashing drum breaks, dissonant chords and synths, spinning acid like elements alongside Detroit-esque bass patterns.

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.

LOFTSOUL x Miruga release cover version for Nina Simone's masterpiece See Line Womanon

10inch vinyl format. LOFTSOUL is the project by DJ/Producer UCHIKAWA MASAHIKO well known as Rhythm Of Elements (R2 Recordings/UK).For this Nina Simon's cover song,LOFTSOUL collaboration with Miruga (Moods & Grooves/Detroit) And featuring London's JAZZ/SOUL singer Fae Simon.

Also there include great "DUB" version by DJ D a.k.a Dominic Dawson (well known as release from Noid Otherand Reel Houze project with Rob Mello).

Marking the 15 year of Nina Simone's death,LOFTSOUL release cover version of her masterpiece See Line Womanas tribute.

See Line Womanis fantastic afro percussive number.This song is popular for club scene by 98's Kerri Chandler(Songstress)'s remake and 07's Feist's cover. LOFTSOUL x Miruga cover this song vibrant

Jazz/Soul Number. Original Versionis superlative Jazz/Soul version. There features beautiful harmony with Fae Simon's vocal and Soul-T's piano on the afro mystic groove (about BPM 90)

On the flips side ,Dominic Dawson a.k.a DJ D deliver fantastic "Dub Version" as (Dominic Dawson Dub Reversion)with afro percussive rhythm and dub wise sound&groove.

Release from UNKNOWN season x Jazzy Sport as special limited 10inch issue.

Like many Canadians, Joseph Shabason and Ben Gunning like to untangle themselves from urbanity and disappear up north a few times a year. Unlike other cottage-goers, Ben and Joseph don’t while away the ur-time on jet-skis and lounge on docks reading pulpy mysteries. Instead, they bring a car full of synths, drum machines, saxophones, guitars, samplers, effects, and recording equipment to jam the days away in a cabin-fever inducing haze of wood smoke, cedar musk, hot wires and jazz sweat.

Muldrew, recorded on the northern Ontario lake by that name, is the culmination of several years of this collaborative tradition. Resisting their penchant for composition and arrangement, the duo embarked on this project with only an open framework that encouraged restraint. The result is a sparse and improvisational album, hung on enough structure for each song to evoke a distinct, albeit ambiguous mood. Space is paramount and even the most digital elements breathe with the resonance of the room and mingle with creaking floors. The resulting album is steeped in the placid stillness and northern ambience of a lake at dawn, and the emotive expanse of a forest at dusk. Imagine an ECM cottage-series, or Jon Hassell and John Martyn scoring a Bela Tarr film set in rural Canada. This is the future-proof music of metropolitan polyglot minds invigorated by nature’s mute refusal to follow a click-track.

DMM Pressing. Limited Edition of 500.

Karen Gwyer returns to Don't Be Afraid with her first new work since 2017's Rembo LP, which gained critical acclaim for its powerful body music and melancholic melody led pieces. Man On Mountain EP is a further evolvement of the duality and nuances in moods and emotions that make Gwyer's music so impactful. Resetting, rebuilding and subverting atmospheres and rhythms is a constant in her music and Gwyer builds on that more in this latest instalment.

The low swung weight of opener Faces On Ankles' bassline is full of suspense, alternating between rolling fluidity and unpredictable kick patterns, while a dubby melody dances alongside glossy, introspective arpeggios. The EP then weaves suddenly into cosmic drone that snarls with tension and desolation on Ian On Fire. You can sense contrasts between these two musical spaces – luscious, bouncing techno that nods directly to Gwyer's Midwest upbringing (Faces on Ankles, Cherries On Shoulders) and darker drone experiments where light peeks through the composition that adds balance to the mood, (Ian On Fire, Ribbon on Neck). Gwyer's music takes a different path with each record while holding onto elements of previous incarnations of her sound and Man On Mountain adds new dimensions to the bold and open minded spirit she embodies.

Velvet May returns on “ Tears On Waves” with the 4-
tracker EP “Unknown Bodies”.
This time he is joined by the live duo Years of Denial
and the northern-irish artist Autumns who delivered
their own interpretation and vision of the tracks in the B
side.
"Unknown Bodies" tell us a story, a contorted story of
lust and infernal gazes, yet divine that spread infamy
and glory, grief and bliss. A story of lost inhibitions and
sensations. A story of burning breasts. Now is the time
when each flower fades away like incense and sounds
and scents turn in the evening air.
“Bodies entwined 
Hearts resounding 
The shivers of sweat 
Coming and going”
The artist wants to show something. A natural desire
which finds its fulfillment in the body, but that instantaneously dies at the end of the sensations.
Sensations too much strong to last so much time. That’s
exactly why he doesn’t never renounce to let go his
inhibitions completely, having fear to be burnt, devoured
and thrown in the deep end.
On the B side, the original tracks find a completely
different vision, but especially a new light, leading the
listener to a different path of the same perverse and
twisted nature.
Years of Denial is the alter-face of French musician/DJ/
producer Jerome Tcherneyan and Czech performance
artist/DJ Barkosina Hanusova. With the use of hardware
combined with vocals and a plethora of dub devices,
YOD are re-visiting the dark corner of Post Punk,
Industrial music movement and rave culture. Its remix
fully distorts the mood, introducing a new color and
identity, juxtaposing acid sounds and sharp groove
elements. The vocal has a new touch, and processed in
another way, drags everything to it creating a vortex.
Autumns is the solo project of Christian Donaghey, from
Derry, Northern Ireland, an outlet for electronic post-
punk with a lethal pulse. He delivered a train-shaped
remix, making the bass line a key element for the whole
track and finding the perfect “carpet” where to express in
a powerful and straight groove, based on his beloved
Roland 707.
Label copy-credits
Written, produced and performed by Andrea Davide

Launching the first of many solo vinyl releases, Inter Gritty and
Controlled Violence are proud to present: Laponia Space
Project. Drawing inspiration from various trips through
Finland’s Lapland region, as well as proximity to Sweden’s
Space Centre, Laponia Space Project perfectly represents the
expansive, awe-inspiring nature of its surrounds. Inter Gritty
has presented himself in a different light to the majority of his
catalogue, drawing on nimble, organic sounds in combination
with a lively rhythm section to embody Laponia Space
Project’s mood. With a classic 4-track E.P. format, each work
evokes a real sense of wonderment, as tracks like Sleepy Tree
and Cassiope integrate twinkling, hollow, and delicate
elements. Basslines bound up mountain ranges, synth pulses
reverberate through the treetops, and groovy percussion
captures the excitement and energy of the local scenery.
TR303 is a clear homage to the machine and the movement
that have shaped modern-day electronic music. And while it
will certainly make its way into the crates and folders of DJs
everywhere, it still manages to incorporate a sensation akin to
being sent out into the most unfamiliar of territories. To close
the E.P., Expo Line’s percussion shakes amongst airy pads and echoed pangs, as though one is shuffling onwards through the
forest.

Idiosyncratic producer DMX Krew offers up four playful acid-tinged tracks for the Malekko Phase Mod EP, released through eclectic Spanish label/club night/promotion agency, Fanzine Records. The vinyl-only release is the first output of 2019 for the Coruna based imprint currently celebrating their 10th anniversary and is the follow up to C44's bizarro-techno Res Publica Populi Romani EP, and Dijuma's dubby and atmospheric Cold Tracks EP.

For DMX Krew's first Fanzine release the eccentric producer adopts a much lighter and brighter sound, in line with his recent records on Hypercolour and his classic output on Aphex Twin's Rephlex Records. The EP also comes hot on the heels of the prolific producer's latest album, Glad To Be Sad - twelve wavey cuts of vigorous electronic funk released in March through Hypercolour.

Kicking off the A-side with "Maleko Phase Mod", DMX Krew immediately conjures an effortlessly enjoyable mood. From the opening bars, a bouncing synth line is met with a classic acid house beat - prominently featuring the requisite skipping snares, rustic rimshots and phasing percussion that gives this track its distinctly Chicago feel. Meanwhile, shimmering chords fill the track with sunny warmth and enthusiastic energy.

Next up, "Smoke Stack" matches a groovy acid bassline with vintage drums, clusters of claps and a mischievous marimba-esque lead. Don't let the whimsy fool you, however, DMX Krew is a master craftsman at sequencing intricate synth lines and programming complex drum patterns.

On the flip, "Low Star" imbues DMX Krew's familiar elements bubbling bass, sparkling synths, and a pumping groove with a twisted 80s lo-fi essence. Crunchy claps, distorted hats, and tumbling toms keep the track bouncing at a frenetic pace, while a glossy lead contrasts with solemn pads to create a mood at once exuberant and earnest.

Closing track "Suspicion Ruff Mix" once again finds the producer riding a classic jacking 80s house beat, filling any gaps in the groove with crashing cymbals, rolling snares, and cascading claps. With his squelchy bass, vibrant lead, and oddball melody, DMX Krew concludes the Malekko Phase Mod EP with a sense of effervescent joy undeniably his own.

Introducing a new label and musical direction for Lee Renacre from 100Hz with, PUSHER. His aim is to push the boundaries of electronic music by using different time signatures and poly rhythmic patterns, and by not using 4/4 patterns and the standard hat clap beats it’s possible to create a different style of mood and dancing which is deep loose and skippy. Pusher has a bold new Techno sound and also a gentle side with tracks of deep emotive strings and melody’s.

This Series of tracks is called Drug Music, a stripped down funky style with unusual beat patterns and poly rhythmic elements best enjoyed and fully understood when in an euphoric state, always recorded from a live studio jam where Lee’s improvised sounds come to life with some unexpected results. Lee also collaborates with artist and good friends for some extra depth and to mix up this unique style of electronica.

The first of the Pusher EP’s is a thumping minimal and full on affair with infectious killer acid riffs in odd time signatures. Crisp funky modulating hats monster bass lines and dramatic interplanetary sounds with live tweaks, twists and turns. Also some seriously deep and intense music is coming from this live jam situation with a thrilling string track to round off the Pusher experience.

Dirty Games EP, is the second project from Jaja Saine and Leo “Love Tiger” Smith. The duo has been making their mark both as DJs and producers in the very competitive electronic music scene in Stockholm. Dirty Games EP 2019, is a wide range of tracks for various moods and settings. None of the tracks are alike, this EP definitely highlights the various elements and styles they have been influenced by as artists. The title track “Dirty Games” and “Moon Monster”being the tracks you just can’t help but dance to. Label info:"2MR is an electronic record label headed by Mike Simonetti (Troubleman Unltd), Adam Gerrard and Mike Sniper (Captured Tracks).

For the second release on the Galaxiid imprint, a label of electronic music archeology and quality, we are transported to the strange sonic world of an elusive 90s pioneer. Solar X's 1997 album X-Rated will be released for the first time on vinyl, as well as reissued digitally, with new artwork by the Japanese artist Keiichi Tanaami. Two worlds connecting sonically, visually and culturally.

Solar X enjoyed a burgeoning career in post-Perestroika Moscow making playful, low-tech electronica from Soviet analogue instruments, which he masterfully configured to forge animated compositions and dancefloor rarities. Fascinated by chaos and complexity, his music explores the ways in which our minds can be manipulated by structure - an endeavour quite plausibly linked to his other career as a lecturer and researcher of AI, information theory and cognitive science, his interest in which was in turn triggered by his young experiments in computer music.

Solar X gained international attention at a time when Russia was (quite unfairly) seen as a vacuum for electronic music, but was exploding in the period of piracy, poverty and freedom following the collapse of the USSR. Young Russians had benefited from the soviet education system and there was a strong DIY computer programming and music scene, fuelled by hackers, gear freaks and party animals. Viewed from today, the album is reborn at a time of further political and social strife, which many see as fuelling the huge creativity and radical thinking of modern Russia's young creatives.

X-Rated treats tempo and form as fluid concepts, administering sudden changes to its sonic landscape with disorienting effect, underlain with a subtle dose of humour and experimentation. Downtempo trip-hop sits alongside frenetic IDM and blistering electro, all bound together by peculiar melodic inflections and lively distortions. Warm, trippy harmonies and robotic synths are offset with angular drums, shifting erratically through moods and genres with cunning intent. Much like his contemporaries from the era, it's his ability to breathe life into a humble production setup that makes his music so compelling some twenty one years later.

The track titles are from a book of call girl cards in London phone booths, that reached the artist in Moscow in 1995. "I liked the titles from these cards, which were self-promoting and offering pleasure (e.g. "Mistress awaits you"). So, I thought since my tracks also offered some kind of pleasure, they might as well advertise this through their titles.'

Label head Nina Kraviz was introduced to the work of the 83 year old sensei Keiichi Tanaami by Ukawa Naoshiro, founder of Dommune in Tokyo, one of the brightest figureheads for the arts in Japan, responsible for the graphic design of the cover. In September 2017 Nina played for the opening of Tanaami-san's first exhibition in Moscow at Gary Tatintsian Gallery. Nina performed a live sound palette, to accompany the looping 7 minute animation, of experimental music from the Soviet Union, Russian pioneers of electronic music like Species Of Fishes and SolarX, Soviet-time pioneer Lev Termen, Kuryochin, avant-guard rock mixed with some Stockhausen and just pure abstract sounds, as well as treasured artists like Biogen.

Tanaami's illustrative work has strong sexual elements, so out of the five art pieces Nina selected and commissioned for Galaxiid, the first fits perfectly for 'X-rated'. The vertical line of text on the left is the traditional form for Japanese covers of foreign releases. The cover, together with the accompanying poster and sticker, are printed in Japan to ensure the highest print quality and purity of the colours.

CTHI Records is back again after a little pause given by the development of the Jaxx Madicine project started initially by the label founder Parker Madicine and Turbojazz. Through out this time the label has productively been joined by Veezo, italian pianist and producer, for the making of their Distant Classic album and various EP’s and remixes published on many different international labels as Local Talk, Visions Rec, Dirt Crew and Eureka. CTHI is now ready , after the recent Japanese tour as Jaxx Madicine Trio, to be again the front stream for the debut EP of Veezo ‘Monolith’. An 8 tracks EP playing the essential “manifesto" and inspiring heritage of the artist. Raw and dirty grooves made in 12bit res, tape delays and acid Ms20 arps on top of which you’ll appreciate afro elements, warm rhodes and pad chords allowing you to perceive the whole Veezo musical ambient creativity. Two singing tracks - unique featurings by David Shorty and the Technoir Duo - are providing deep house/boogie atmospheres and jazzy spiritual moods. There are various musicians participating into this project leading through bass, flutes and drums that will surely provide you the feeling of an orchestral setting guided and directed by a solo person inducting all those elements through an Akai taperecorder. The result: close to a mid 90’s forbidden cartoon enriched by the cover of the Japanese artist Tokio Aoyama.

Written by Chris Franck and Davide Giovaninni, Oba Lata draws on traditional Yoruban chant blending it with a live afro-beat groove. Edgy, rhythmical analogue synths, vocals, guitars and percussion tied together by the clave and driving afro bassline make this a credible dance floor contender. The vocals honour "Obatala", one of the main Orishas in Yoruban culture. He is seen as the creator of earth and a lover of peace and harmony.



NameBrandSound are IG Culture and Alex Phountzi. The duo were part of the original West London broken beat scene and are known for their involvement with New Sector Movements and Bugz in the Attic. This remix draws on some of the modern African rhythms like Gqom (Durban - South Africa) and Coupé-Décalé (Ivory Coast via Paris) and combines them with their own "bruk" sound. Stripped back vocals and instrumentation make this a remix focused heavily on groove.



This instrumental track 'Dakar' is the result of a recent trip to Senegal during the period of Ramadan. It features an 8 piece woodwind/horn section recorded in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) which has been beautifully arranged by Rafael Martini. A mid tempo groove leaning heavily towards North Africa combining acoustic and electronic elements to create a deep modal feel and mood.