quête:flori

Seriously good new PPU - obscure lowdown funk from Miami..

Central AYR Productions.. Recorded in various places and others spaces, mostly around Orlando Florida. Multi-Instrumentalist and Vocalist, Anthony Cole is the latest chapter of the PPU family album. AYR, pronounced "air", was formed in 1993. AC recalls "those were very productive and indulgent periods of my life", "the next level in black light". We've got countless hours of 4-track cassette recordings to sort through, these were the first few standout tracks, presented to you in their unedited entirety. Stay tuned for more of the what we call Dirt Music, only in the underground, building on where PPU began.

quality as usual.

Visions Recordings is back with the second volume of their compilation 'the chromatic Universe' presented by Alex and Stephane Attias. This second opus is full of exclusives tracks mixing styles and genres with a colourful palette of grooves from Paris to New York, from Detroit to London, from Italy to Switzerland and beyond. This compilation is international as you can see and Visions is very happy to release 3 vinyls singles as the compilation to have a collection and a better sound quality rather than squeezing all the tracks on an album. We will also have the digital release and an exclusive and very limited CD.

Those three Ep are holding 4 tracks of pure fire. This FIRST part is offering you a new version of Just One 'stay my way remixed by Detroit/Atlanta star Kai Alçé on a house journey with a killer bass groove and keys. We got on the same side a deep experimental groovy number by Daniel Maunick aka Dokta Venom taking us on a spacey journey with fat beats and unique shuffle. On the B side Hugo LX Parisian rising Star is providing a deep jazz house special jam with Florian Pellissier on keys and the last track is an intense electronic future jazz fusion jam produced by Alex Attias. There is music for everybody who love jazz, soul, house, fusion and broken rhythms.

Creating a composition means making decisions. During times in which you virtually have all sounds that have ever been recorded at your availability, composers must choose between infinite possibilities. The duo Ellicist does not perceive this contemporary ocean of possibilities as too much choice, they are swimming in it. Ellicist are weaving thick textures from the most diverse tones and rhythms. Their tracks are placing synthetic buzzing, the croaking of frogs, low frequency billowing and humming, flutes, the droning of flies, and the whole spectrum of the digital creation of sound next to one another. This intensity of sensations is not supposed to overstrain the listener, it invites them to follow a process. This music does not have a strict structure; instead, it is breathing openness at every moment. Ellicist are incessantly oscillating between abstraction and elements of pop music. Melodies are being hinted at, and sounds are being piled up, at times tirelessly. Fragments of etheric choirs or field recordings are unfolding their associative power. The melodious Ink is a track full of touching intimacy and is in constant motion until it eventually pauses to create a silent ocean of sound. Passage People is permeated by a groove of throbbing synths. The tapestries of sound of Ponds & Graves, on the other hand, are creating the foundation for expressive percussions. Ihnen Steg is almost a dub track. During the opener Hennepin and its follower Lilei sounds of palpable corporeity are being combined with ones that are hardly tangible. Point Defects has a incredible spatiality. At one point you might believe that you are able to precisely localize the sounds in an imaginary system of coordinates. And then the whole systemization crumbles. It is an astonishing production: you can almost taste the sounds. Biographical Notes: Ellicist are Thomas Chousos & Florian Zimmer. Chousos studied composition in Greece before moving to Berlin, where he is working as a producer and sound engineer under the moniker Tadklimp. Florian Zimmer has been playing with several groups. Besides Ellicist he is a member of Saroos and Driftmachine.

Having worked with L.I.E.S, Technicolour, Resident Advisor and Dekmantel, Florian Kupfer is no newbie to the House and Techno heads.
Here he delivers a 4 track Ep for Axe On Wax sub-label Axe Traxx full of hypnotic, club ready dusty house tools!
One not to miss!

Robert Steenkamer is known as a purveyor of exquisite house music. Under his Roberto S guise, the Torontonian has released several landmark records. Besides this, he is known as a valued selector in his native Canada. The collaborative releases with Jex Opolis under their "Conga Radio" moniker have received worldwide praise throughout the house community. For his Pulp debut, Steenkamer has created a diverse body of music that touches different moods and genres.

On the A-side, the opening track "Inner Rhythm" is a orchestrated piece of work that uses an uplifting vocal cut and ethereal flute sounds to create a calm and positive dancefloor experience. Also on the A-side "Swizik" is a melody-heavy work where Steenkamer uses fun sequences, euphoric pads and well balanced drum patterns.

The title track is placed on the A3 position and is a genre-transcending cut. The tempo is is low and the beats are dragging along with the well-executed pads and synth riffs. On the B-side, the title track is being remixed by fellow Canadian "Florist". On this remix, Florist turns the slow vibe of the original into a soul touching dancefloor creeper that will definitely gain a lot of support in melodic circles. "Remember When" is a positive work with a snappy bassline and oozing synth sounds. Glass Road EP will be available from all specialized retailers in early 2019.

Rooted in Swedish psychedelic folk music, Hanna Ostergren (Hills, Trad Gras och Stenar) takes a creative new grip on the genre. Under the name of Laughing Eye, Ostergren creates spiritual Nordic raga, or nature music that stems back to prehistoric ages. Hoga Nord Rekords now releases her debut album.

Laughing Eye is more than just music, this is a distillate of ancient superstition, fear, euphoria and nature romanticism. The sound edges on the upper tree line and in the closing track, 'Agnetero / Huset' Ostergren takes a step off the mountain top, into space where the flute melodies float weightless to the outer rim of our solar system.

Laughing Eye is deep, warm and embracing sounds for cold urbanized souls, a buzz or a murmur from the far past, translated to music we can interpret.

A prodigious guitarist at an early age, Willie George Hale earned the nickname "Little Beaver" from friends in family in Arkansas, remarking on his prominent teeth. Over the years Hale would make a name for himself as a reliable session guitarist, appearing on recordings by Betty Wright, Al Kooper, and Blowfly, and gradually developing his own distinct, rhythmic style of blues guitar playing. As the mid-70s approached Hale would embark on his own solo career, cutting albums and singles with Florida's TK Records, working alongside famed musicians like Jaco Pastorius, Benny Latimore, and Timmy Thomas. His career effectively ended in the 1980s with TK's collapse, but he would find new life in 2003 after performing on several Joss Stone albums, and his works would be sampled in hip-hop tunes by the likes of Jay-Z, Slum Village, and People Under The Stairs. Not long after his solo debut in 1972, Hale released the sophomore album Black Rhapsody, which did away with the vocals so Hale could put his own blues guitar chops at the front. Black Rhapsody featured a slew of original deep funk jams from Hale, as well as his own soulful spins on songs by Al Green, The Temptations, The Jackson 5, and even George Gershwin. A rare gem of 70s funk, famously featuring the track "A Tribute To Wes", which beatsmith J Dilla would sample to great effect on the Slum Village track "Conant Gardens."

291out ensemble return on Fly By Night with another well orchestrated project by Riccio.

The latest release on FBNM, 291out - Habbanera is thematically inspired by the 1982 Italian film score, "No Grazie il Caffè Mi Rende Nervoso" "No Thanks, Coffee Makes Me Nervous".

It was originally composed by James Senese and directed by Lodovico Gasparini, "Habbanera" has only previously been released on Senese's self titled LP in 1983.

This four tracker includes two new versions of the main title theme "Habbanera" and two remixes by the two Italian pioneers of house music and the balearic sound; Leo Mas and Fabrice.

291out "Original Version" is a cover of the main score theme, which also features on Senese's 1983 LP; the "Alternate Version" is also taken from the movie, but from a different scene, which has the same melody of the opening theme but with a different rhythm, never having been released before and completely reassembled by 291out.

Leo Mas & Fabrice provide two different cuts, one pitched-down boogie slow jam and one 4/4 dance-floor banger.

291out are:

Luca 'Presence' Carini: Electric Bass

Tancredi Duccio 'Nagarrius' d'Alò: Electric Guitar / Mandoline

Floriano 'Maja' Bocchino: Electric Piano

Antonio 'Totem' Bocchino: Drums

Den Lacava: Saxophone

We were always living in nonlinear times, but a significant cycle is coming to an end so we are noticing a growing number of severe changes and happenings caused by the nonlinear nature of things. For human beings it's difficult to imagine exponential growth despite it surrounding us in almost every aspects of life.

In music one can find such nonlinear increases or logarithmical declines in the core of sound creation itself, namely in envelopes controlling levels, texture and frequencies. But also in real life in the rise and fall of popularity, in viral news or in the development of music technology.
Utilising his sound pallet comprised of modular synthesis and electronic instrumentation, Florian Meindl highlights these resonances of thought and exploration with a sonic statement of his current vision around electronic music in the form of his 4th artist album.

Born in the city of madness Berlin, the multimedia artist and DJ Black Lotus steps up from being a secret hint for extatic and rough DJ sets in the local scene and enters the world of recorded music.

After playing many Berlin underground clubs like Griessmühle, KitKat or Suicide Circus she finally makes her debut release on FLASH Recordings with three tripping, parahypnotic and clearly floor oriented Techno tracks as well as a hard hitting remix by the label-head Florian Meindl.

all tracks written and produced by black lotus in berlin 2018. Additional Remix work by Florian Meindl.

Obituary's death metal debut album Slowly We Rot was a ground-breaking release at the end of the 1980s. As one of the pioneers of this genre they created a heavy album where everything was monstrous. From their down-tuned guitar riffs, deep growls and moans and distinct tempo changes. The songs are often slowing down to a doomy tempo, a revolutionary thing at the time of release. Slowly We Rot is inspired brilliance, where the meaning of the title is illustrated in the music and lyrics. Overall, you're in for one hell of a package with this album, as this is the true classic from the death metal.

The Floridian death metal band Obituary is one of the most successful death metal bands of all time. With the exception of their 1997-2003 split, they continue to perform live around the world.

Obituary is available as a limited edition of 2000 individually numbered copies on coloured (solid yellow & transparent green mixed) vinyl.

The Second Vinyl Release Of Mdm39 Is A Various Artist Ep Where The Label Stays True To Themselves And Their Pledge To - "support Your Local Talents". For The D.f.ü. Ep, Four Promising Artists Come Together, Each With A Unique Style But All With One Thing In Common - A Relationship With The Magdeburg Scene. With Florian's "rush" The A-side Starts Fast. Straight And Uncompromising, The 909 Percussion & Deep Melodies Make The Dancefloor Dream. The A2 Track Is A Considered 7:46 Min Slow Burner With Deep Dub Echoes. Meditation Stuff Here From Tommes. Renard's Trippy Deep-house Tune,"visit Your Mother" Creates Spherical Atmospheres And Pumping Lines Invading From His Soul To Your Feet. The B2 Delivers Eros Miguel. His "tribute" Is An Authentic Deep Bass Line Monster, Rounding Off This Versatile Ep.

On her deeply moving debut album At Weddings, Sarah Beth Tomberlin writes with the clarity and wisdom of an artist well beyond her years. Immeasurable space circulates within the album's ten songs, which set Tomberlin's searching voice against lush backdrops of piano and guitar. Like Julien Baker and Sufjan Stevens, she has a knack for transforming the personal into parable. Like Grouper, she has a feel for the transcendent within the ordinary.

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, and now based in Louisville, Kentucky, Tomberlin wrote most of At Weddings while living with her family in southern Illinois during her late teens and early twenties. At 16, she finished her homeschooling curriculum and went to college at a private Christian school she describes, only half-jokingly, as a "cult." By 17, she had dropped out of school, returned home, and begun to face a period of difficult transition in her life. The daughter of a Baptist pastor, Tomberlin found herself questioning not only her faith, but her identity, her purpose, and her place in the world.

"I was working, going to school, and experiencing heavy isolation," Tomberlin says of the time when she first began writing the songs on At Weddings. "It felt monotonous, like endless nothingness. It was a means to get through to the next step of life." In songwriting, Tomberlin found relief and lucidity she had trouble articulating otherwise. When she was 19, she wrote "Tornado" on her parents' piano, and began to develop confidence in her music. A year later, she had written enough songs to fill an album.

Throughout At Weddings, Tomberlin's lyrics yearn for stability and belonging, a near-universal desire among young people learning to define themselves on their own terms for the first time. "I am a tornado with big green eyes and a heartbeat," she sings on "Tornado," her voice stretching to the top of her range. Rich, idiosyncratic imagery — a fly killed with a self-help book, brown paper bags slashed violently open, clouds that weep over a lost love — sidle up to profound realizations about learning to be alive in this world. "To be a woman is to be in pain," Tomberlin notes on "I'm Not Scared." On "A Video Game," she muses, "I wish I was a hero with something beautiful to say."

Tomberlin cites the hymns she grew up singing in church as her greatest musical influence, and while At Weddings in many ways documents the unlearning of her childhood faith, it's easy to hear the reverential quality of sacred music in her songs. "A lot of hymns talk about really crazy stuff — being saved from the depths and the mire, judgment. When you actually realize what you're singing, it becomes really overwhelming," Tomberlin says. "I grew up singing in church. I was still helping to lead worship when I started coming to terms with the realization that I didn't know if I believed. I felt nauseous and shaky reading these words I was singing and feeling their intensity. If I did believe this, how could I sing these words without being scared out of my mind That's what's influenced how I write."

At Weddings is laden with reverence for music itself, for the power it has to heal others and help people navigate their lives. It is a record about learning to love oneself and others without reservation, from a place of deep sincerity — a lifelong challenge whose tribulations Tomberlin articulates beautifully. "My number one goal with my music is for honesty and transparency that helps other people find ways to exist," she says. With At Weddings, this remarkable young songwriter offers up comfort and wonder in equal measure.

a1 | Any Other Way
a2 | Untitled 1
a3 | Tornado
a4 | You Are Here
a5 | A Video Game
b1 | I'm Not Scared
b2 | Seventeen
b3 | Self Help
b4 | Untitled 2
b5 | February

"In 1978, Nova performed for Obama. Well, kind of: Nova was the band for the Punahou School prom in Honolulu, Hawaii, and a young student named Barack (known then as 'Barry') was in attendance.

Backtrack to 1976, and Nova was the opening band for Donald Byrd at the nearby Blaisdell Arena. The day was Sunday, June 27. The following day, Isaac Hayes would perform on island for the admission price of $1.

Nova, led by singer Checo Tohomaso, was one of several go-to party bands during the golden era of Hawaii funk and soul music in the mid-1970s through early 1980s.

The band's infectious gospel-funk-disco can be heard on their sole release, a self-titled 1980 LP that feels like one big party recorded live in the studio. (Check out the Marvin Gaye-inspired 'I Feel Like Getting Down' on the 2016 'Aloha Got Soul' compilation on Strut Records).

The story is all too familiar, however: funk band releases LP, the music goes dormant in years to follow, and today original copies sell for hundreds online.

Not long after the album's 1980 release, Checo met Marvin Gaye, who was living on Maui (where George Benson also resided). Shortly after, Marvin invited Checo and his counterparts to join his multi-city tour across Europe. Videos of Checo rocking keyboards, percussion and singing background vocals for Marvin Gaye's last European tour can be found online.

Checo, born in Florida yet raised in lush Manoa Valley as well as Okinawa, Japan, now resides in Vancouver, Canada, where he leads the VOC Sweet Soul Gospel Choir and continues to deliver his signature sound: high energy, positive, 'sweet soul' music.

AGS-7010 features two non-stop groovers with a 7' edit by Roger Bong on the A-side. LP reissue in the works!"

Repress of their first 12'' single "The Stains". This extended edition includes a bonus track - 'Phantasmagoria'- and a friendly dancefloor cut of the title-track by Alessandro Adriani.

Conceived by vocalist Gerrie Brand, the band was starting out as performance art, and quickly became more as Gerrie surrounded himself with some of the best musicians from the club and art scene in South Florida, including our dear Mystic Bill, who was playing the guitar with the band in the early stages.

Originally self-released in 1991, the single "The Stains" became an underground club hit and charted on many college radio stations, in both the extended and the original version. The single was distributed as a hard to get promo only release. The repress contains also the title-track of the single 'Phantasmagoria" - another cult tune for early 90's goth djs - originally released in 1992. Mega tip!

Welcome to the seductive groove of Nonetheless, a new duo formed of Florian Bocksrucker and Felix Bergleiter, and the first LP on Neubau. Across four sides of vinyl Nonetheless deliver an intriguing mixture of tough dystopian midnight-drive soundtracks and transporting early electronic/musique-concrète-hybrid interludes. Nonetheless is the sound of cogs turning, churning melancholy and pulsing snake-charmer drum machine palpitation. The end result is catharsis through sinister journeying. From the near-acidic punch of 'Machine of Love and Hate', to the grandiose slow-motion of 'Epik' and the ravey 'Exclusion Zone', Nonetheless' debut record is something special to savour, and is proudly presented as the tenth release on Neubau.

Nick Klein is an artist making electronic music born in southern Florida and based in Brooklyn, New York since 2012. Upon moving to New York the concentration of his works output has been to mine and investigate the troped qualities in various forms of electronic music, and then to realize singular directions in how to communicate these ideas himself. Alongside Miguel Alvarin~o he runs the music imprint Primitive Languages.

His latest offering since the January 2018 EP "Lowered Flaming Coffin" (Alter) is a continuation of his burnt dance music explorations with "The Bathroom Wall" on Bank Records. As a totem to reflect onto with text, to rest ones eyes in blur, or to physically hold ones self up in the throes of intoxication, the bathroom wall takes and gives numerous gestures of use. Klein uses the symbology of the bathroom wall to construct five disparate wall scrawlings and hazed meditations into the compositional grounds for four meaner mid-tempo, rhythmic purges. Tracks "The Worst Band In The World" and "American Gut" take on the pulsing build of an intoxicated night out. The record divides in on and itself in tone with "Rather Be Your Enemy", an homage in title to the legendary Lee Hazelwood song, wherein the synthesizer convulses slowly conjuring the bleaker qualities of tinnitus taking the lead over your senses. Side B of the record throbs quickly with the blown bass drums and hissing rhythms of "Pushing Your Luck" and comes to a drawn conclusion with the ten minute come-down at sun rise burner of "Poor Me Another".

The record was recorded using a modular synthesizer to tape by Nick Klein and mastered by Josh Bonati. Design work taken on by visual provocateur Chris Norris (Steak Mountain).

The free fall, to dive head first into something, is scary for most people.
For some it is the most exciting thing however and the only possible path anyways. Florian is one of those driven artists who never sounds the same, his signature tone is the free fall into new soundscapes, new ways of using his analog electronic instruments and carving out the essence for the dancing individual.

The Nomads EP is a new chapter for the Austrian duo. Not only is it the biggest project for RoyGreen & Protone to date it also includes hand drawn Artwork & Stickers by a Florine Imo and is rich of different musical flavours. It's a thing from the heart... you can see, hear & feel it.

Formed in 2007 by Jakob Seidensticker, Florian Schirmacher and Henrik Raabe, Wareika was accidentally gathered on stage for the first time at Hamburg's mythical Mojo Club. Since then, the german trio has built a very singular sound signature after a decade of playing together. Revealing the diverse influences and musical educations from all three individuals, the band's discography has been built over a solid live experience. Being academically trained in Jazz and Classical but also self taught through electronic music, Jakob, Florian and Henrik are able to sing, play guitars, drum machines, pianos, synthesizers, bass, percussions and way more. Concocting their stylistic blend with meditative Jazz, hypnotic Dub, meticulous Techno and subtle House, it leaves no surprise as you think about the high level of versatility of Wareika's musical spirit. Calling from King Tubby, Sun Ra or afrobeat master Fela Kuti, they develop a dazzling kaleidoscope of melodies and polyrhythmic patterns over four to the floor beats that is entirely unique in the electronic music scene. When it comes down to live gigs Wareika is putting a stress on quality and delivers an outstanding sound. As a trio of singular performers the band jumps on stage without computers, setting up an improvised dialog based on their original material but always handing over a unique piece taking form in the moment. Jakob Seidensticker on MPC arrangements, drum machine sequencing and mixing, Florian Schirmacher on vocals, synthesizer, percussions and Henrik Raabe on guitar, synthesizer and percussions, the trio holds the mastery of enhancing a crowd with a multitude of tools and elements, sometimes for more than four hours. Also occasionally rendering live versions of their own full-length releases, they always cross borders of their studio work to unfold their creations into a whole new level.

The rising London based label is quickly defining his own and unique sound laying down the law with another live jam recorded 4 tracks release by his own boss DOTHEDU.Following the success of the first release, Senseverse Records has came back with Lost Acids EP, a rough lost minded trip with an unusual sense of refinement. The producer lets the trip's curtain rise with Lost Acids which takes us to a gloomy hidden place on the edge of the house and techno roots with a banging 909 and crescendo 303 which dives smoothly into the background own producer's voice, Colombine Acids explores the happier stage of the trip and keeps the sound on the thin line in between the 2 genres with his fat kick and the flying and clashing crashes.
The B1 throws us right back deep into the dark with a slowed down and mentally twisted remix by the very well known producer Florian Kupfer. Finally Early Acids rings down the curtain's trip with some fine classic house music sonorities that lead us to a dreamy and dancy closing.

Two tracker. Frankfurt. Offenbach. Florian Meffert & Marc Philipp as Aman.
Limited copies.
Be fast & not stupid.

'The first release from Berceuse Heroique arrived at the Honest Jon's basement the 21st of April, we didn't sell it until the next day, though, 'cause we don't like all that RSD bullshit. This April we wanted to celebrate 5 years since that day, with our 50th release, but manufacturing records is becoming a very weird place where time and deadlines don't exist. So, today we are releasing 3 new tunes by our dear friend Florian aka Don't DJ and a remix from one of our favourite artists ever, Mr. Newworldaquarium. It's properly cut on two 12"s (180g vinyl as always) and properly mastered by our favourite mastering engineer, CGB of the D & M crew.'

Betty Harris' The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul collects together the steady stream of amazing soul and funk singles issued by Betty Harris from 1964 to 1969, under the musical guidance of legendary composer, musician and producer extraordinaire Allen Toussaint, a collection which truly captures the heart and soul of the city of New Orleans during this era.
Betty Harris's powerful, fiery soulful vocals found a perfect accompaniment with the New Orleans' players that Toussaint put together to back her, which by the time of her funk classic 'There's A Break In The Road' were the legendary super-tight, super-funk New Orleans group The Meters.
With the extraordinary song-writing skills of Allen Toussaint alongside the powerful, soaring, confident and emotive singer and the groove of The Meters, you have an unbeatable combination. That Harris never in fact lived in New Orleans (she flew in from Florida for all her sessions with Toussaint's local in-house players) seems almost an irrelevance, a geographical aside to the defining New Orleans sound captured on the recordings featured here.
All of these singles featured here were released on Allen Toussaint and his business partner Marshal Sehorn's local New Orleans label Sansu, widely distributed in the southern city but in only limited quantities elsewhere. As a consequence, Betty Harris' music failed to achieve the commercial success of other New Orleans artists such as Lee Dorsey (who she recorded with) and The Meters (who backed her). And so at the end of the decade she stopped recording, retired from the music business to raise her family in Florida.
This is no reflection of the stunning musical quality of all these songs which encompass everything from southern soul, heavy funk, deep soul ballads and northern soul. Betty Harris has been a cornerstone of Soul Jazz Records' New Orleans Funk and New Orleans Soul compilations. Always soulful and always funky, Betty Harris' music contains the essence of New Orleans music. She is the Lost Soul Queen of New Orleans.
This collection is released on CD, heavyweight gatefold double LP vinyl (+ download code) and digital and comes complete with full biography, original label artwork.

The California EP pays homage to Diplo's first full-length release, Florida, where he spent much of his youth. The sonics on California share a similar tone: slow, vibey, & melancholic, a bit of a departure from the sound he has been known for in recent years. The EP is much more than just a handful of tracks, it's an introspective body of work.

Released in solidarity with Tiga's anti-tech house crusade, a silent campaign fought everyday on the streets of your hometown, 'Blaze' finds Russian crypto-whiz Dimitri Veimar still dancing with the rawer-than-the-rawest-dog electro that's brought him to the dizzying heights of the mid-tier crags of Mt. Turbo Mountain. Throwing his weight behind what some in the media are probably already calling 'Tiga's War' was absolutely necessary following the events of a recent gig in Moscow. Veimar opened the night by playing no fewer than three Tiga tracks, which anyone who's read Tiga's Taboos can tell you is definitely a Tiga Taboo. Deeply immersed in the practice of pouring his own mineral water, Tiga ignored the hootin' and hollerin' of the VIPs crowding the DJ booth (including Dennis Miller and Diego Maradona), and proceeded to play a set entirely comprised of recordings of every embarrassing thing Veimar had ever said in his life. Four hours later, an emotionally-shot Veimar collapsed into Tiga's arms, with the magnanimous label boss whispering, 'I forgive you, Dimitri' into his ear. The release also features a 'broken techno' remix from mysterious European producer Florian Kupfer, who made us sign a Non-Disclosure-Agreement dictating that we can only describe him as 'mysterious,' 'enigmatic,' and/or 'European,' so we'll have to let the music do the talking.

WHITE RING mark a triumphant return with a brand new full-length Gate Of Grief, due out on Rocket Girl on 22 June 2018. Their debut album arrives a full eight years since their benchmark EP, Black Earth That Made Me, which sold out almost instantly, making their records some of the most highly sought after on the underground scene and earning them a cult following across the globe. Swerving from aggressively abrasive to beautifully ethereal, musically they draw from varied and challenging palette, whilst tackling themes of loss and acceptance due to struggles with drug addiction and existential dread on a broader scope.

WHITE RING were originally formed by Bryan Kurkimilis and Kendra Malia, before they were joined by Adina Viarengo, with Bryan and Adina currently touring as a duo. One of the most acclaimed proponents of the "Witch House" movement, WHITE RING blend heavy, distorted electronics with eerie, unsettling vocals. However, their new material, created over the course of seven years, pushes the boundaries further, subverting genre ideas and mashing them all together, with industrial, metal, rave, chopped and screwed, rap, grunge, neo folk, post punk and new wave all in the mix. As Bryan Kurkimilis explains; 'We treat our influences like tools to create a certain feeling. We are interested in covering more ground than sticking to a certain formula.'
Bryan and Kendra originally met on Myspace in 2006. At the time Bryan lived in New Orleans and Kendra was in New York, and they didn't even meet face-to-face until 2008 after they had already released a few singles. In 2010 they released the EP Black Earth That Made Me, which was a collection of songs that they mostly recorded before they met in person. The record confounded expectations by selling out immediately on pre-order, making it very rare and highly sought after, with copies going on Ebay for large sums. It was reissued by Rocket Girl in 2011 and still continues to sell in voluminous amounts.

They started playing live in 2009 and rapidly grew a reputation for their captivating performances, usually bringing their own lighting equipment and putting on a spectacular laser show. They have played for large crowds in their hometown of NYC and toured the UK in 2010 in support of their sold out split 7" with oOoOO, playing InTheCity and SWN festivals - which were their first shows outside of New York. They have since shared the stage with the likes of Cold Cave, araabMUZIK, Liturgy, Blank Dogs, Gatekeeper, Blondes, oOoOO, Clams Casino, and others.  
They started recording Gate Of Grief in 2010, with the hope of exploring new musical territory, however they took a while to find their path. Bryan and Kendra had some tough personal battles to fight, a sense that pervades the whole album. Thematically it delves in to some pretty dark places whilst exploring the concept of time and what it does to people, relationships and society. As Bryan explains; 'There is a lot of tragedy in this album but there is also hope at the end of it.'
By 2016 pressure was building to finish recording, however due to Kendra's ill health, they needed to bring in someone new to assist with vocals. Fortunately they found Adina Viarengo, who had played in various bands and gave them the impetus needed to complete the album. Shortly after meeting in Brooklyn, Bryan and Adina moved to Joshua Tree, California to finish recording the album, before settling in Massachusetts. Her vocal style fitted in seamlessly with what Kendra had been doing, and although she sang on half the songs, it's almost impossible to tell who is singing on which track, thus making her the perfect addition to the band.
Gate of Grief can be considered the second part of Black Earth That Made Me, or rather, they are the first two chapters in an overarching trilogy about evolution. As Bryan explains; 'First you are born but then you realize what you are and what is against you and it's a flood of emotion that you can only hope to hold on for and let it pass.'
The album title, Gate of Grief, refers to the real gate between Africa and Saudi Arabia that is believed to be the spot where the first humans migrated out of Africa and went on to populate the rest of the world. The album art ties in with this concept, with an image depicting a group of settlers in the USA in early 1900 during a parade. They were actually from a cult in the early 1900s in Bryan's hometown of Fort Myers, Florida.













M 13) Burn It Down

Teste returns with The Box Man, a five-track EP that marks their first release of original material in 25 years. Formed during the early nineties in Hamilton, Ontario, they put out only three official records between 1992-1993 on Probe Records, most notably 'The Wipe,' which is regarded as a genre defining classic, while the follow-up 'Regions' also served as a template for the ensuing sonics of contemporary techno. With only a handful of live actions, the final chaotic show (public disturbance) occurred for Pure in Glasgow 1994. Afterwards, the original Teste lineup of juvenile delinquents disbanded but unwittingly ended up defining the hypnotic and drugged out strains of today's afterhours techno parties. The project vanished for decades until reactivating the chaos in 2014, promoting a slew of remixes 'The Rewipes,' by artists such as Rrose and Terence Fixmer, on the Edit Select imprint.

Since then, original member David Foster, still at large as //HUREN//, has been slugging it out in the fringes with influential output on the seminal Zhark Recordings Berlin and has collaborated as O/H with Rich Oddie of Orphx. First meeting on Mayday 2017 in Berlin, a new alliance with Martin Maischein aka Goner formed. Goner is likewise a veteran with essential output under various monikers on imprints such as Force Inc., Editions Mego, and Hospital Productions. From that pairing, The Box Man came into being for the second release on BITE, the Berlin techno label run by Hayden Payne and Florian Engerling.

The Box Man picks up where Teste last left us with their revolutionary vision of techno and continues to further their interdimensional manifestation of insanity and formation. Pure techno serving as a method of psychic expulsion and self-reckoning. From the opening, the eponymous track approaches full panoramic throttle as metallic synths creep 360 degrees around the listener, setting the tone for panic and loss of cognitive control. Teste then moves into the stealthier outpatient techno rhythms of 'The Long Term Care Facility' and 'Thieves Are Operating In This Area'. The EP contrasts its propulsion with different interpretations of its blueprint. 'Foaming At The Mouth' delves into Cabaret Voltaire-alike rhythm box violence until all is closed with the comedown melodies of 'Lyubov'. Through highly adept methods of sound design and neural interpretation, Teste once again cuts apart reality with their music, expressing nightmares and visions via new rituals and mind control techno.

"30+ minutes of life affirming ambient and drone coming from Zen Zsigo, otherwise known for his work under the Cremation Lily alias and as one of the spearheads of the current UK tape scene, where he has been mixing things up for 7 years via his Strange Rules label.

Winter Orbit was inspired by science fiction and it's relation to modern life, recorded in 2015 using a mix of both modern and archaic equipment it was later released on Belgian tape label Audio. Visuals. Atmosphere. on an initial run of 33 tapes.

Winter Orbit is now newly presented via an expanded re-issue, chronicling the original material, re-issued on one side (Fragments in Hologram Snow) while showcasing new material (For Artifice Rose) which was created in response to the initial release by Zsigo in 2017.

As usual, remastered and cut @ Dubplates and Mastering, Berlin and pressed at Record Industry, Holland to ensure optimum listening quality."

Shunter, the new album by the Berlin-based duo Driftmachine, is their most ambitious work to date. Although instantly recognizable, featuring their trademark Kosmische and Avant-garde sounds, it also presents a new journey into abstract and hallucinatory worlds. Filled with eerie textures, their electronic visions are darker and more vaporous than ever.

Driftmachine's fourth album (also the fourth one for Umor Rex) offers a new perspective on their ample sound spectrum and systemic narratives. Shunter overlaps and mutates their post-industrial-dub motives. It was conceived and produced in search of a very different kind of imagery, with sections of noise and field recordings intersecting with analogue sounds, a mixture of contrasted fragments, where the usual creative process of modular-synthesis leads Gerth and Zimmer to the discovery of a dark, hazy and diffused experience. There is a protean quality to the rhythmic elements, with tempos constantly contracting and expanding, a departure from the mono-beat-rhythms of "Nocturnes" and "Colliding Contours". The first half of Shunter is made of four pieces named "Shift", although individually separated, they are conceptually linked and can be understood as a sort of score. Imagine a late stage of the industrial revolution, with the interaction between heavy machinery and human beings. The second half of the album is not completely separated, but it has three other substantial melodic moments. Somewhere between the hauntological and the realms of archive-music, a huge range of subterranean beats and distinct patterns dotting the landscape of early electronic and post dub music.

All songs written & produced by Driftmachine (Andreas Gerth & Florian Zimmer), Berlin.
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri. Design by Daniel Castrejón.

From Rotterdam to Saint Petersburg, to Portugal and Florida the worldwide Fokuz Family knows no bounds when it comes to crafting soulful drum and bass. The Collaborations EP showcases how team work makes the dream work.

New Lp-edition of a private press library recordings of the early '70s.
Together with Florian Fricke and Peter Michael Hamel, Deuter is certainly the main responsible of a fruitful encounter between European sensibility and Eastern aesthetics in the German music of the 1970s. Soundtrack was originally produced by Kuckuck in 1973 not for an official and public release, but as a library' to be used for films, TV and radio. As a library it respects the canonical and typological structure of the genre with 26 short sonic fragments, sequences imagined and conceived like fulminating illuminations. There's still a solid electronic vocation that, however, has put aside the most disruptive effluvia of D (1971) of pure kraut' ancestry. In fact, the album is more like an ideal passing bridge between some ritual instances of the previous Aum (1972) and the following successful phase of Deuter during the period when he stays in the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's ashram in Poona realizing, in parallel to a renewed inner life, masterpieces like Celebration, Haleakala, Ecstasy and Silence is the Answer. Musically speaking, Soundtrack presents itself as a heterogeneous work with nocturnal, cinematic, galactic and atmospheric-environmental implications. Electronics remains the predominant factor but can vary from mantra drones of more ceremonial and meditative space-relax' tones of some tracks (Triad, Deep Sea, Gothic Velvet or Evening) to the most amused formulations of pulsating analog synths that in the hands of Deuter become toy-equipement' to modulate and explore (Desert Rock, Synth Effect, Flea Dance or Laser). There is no lack of acoustic moments more ethnically inspired with Arabian and Indian (Reed, Arabia) or devotionally solar themes (Tom Bombaddils Dance), so evoking an air of diffuse peace then completely conquered in the beloved India.

Here We Are Releasing The Second Album Of Cologne Born Producer Thyladomid Who Is Familiar To Many Through His Work On Hamburg Label Diynamic Which Has Lead Him To Perform Around The World, Together With Artists Such As: Adriatique, Solomun, Kollektiv Turmstraße, Hosh, David August, Stimming, And Many More. More Then 30 Minutes Playing Time, 6 Tracks And Artwork By Florian Kramer Offer A Lot To Discover. Thyladomid Is Famous For His Forward Thinking Deep Melodic Dance Music Which Earned Him Respect And Support From Many People Of The Scene And Evolved Also In Cooperations With Adriatique And The Singer Mahfoud. You Can Find Two Tracks Featuring Mahfoud On The Album. With His First Album "interstellar Destiny" In 2015 Thyladomid Has Already Changed Towards More Introspective Music And You Will Hear He Has Taken That A Step Further Here. In Comparison To His First Album, "places" Refers To Different Places Which Inspired Him To Write The Album And Offers A Higher Level Of Complexity In The Making Of Music Which Has Helped Thyladomid To Enhance The Moody Quality In A Dazzling Way Sometimes Even Spine Tingling When You Let Yourself Go To Explore The Abundance Of The Trax. As He Said In His Own Words: - the Albums Intention Was That Of An Organic Produced Album With Different Moods. Instruments Such As Piano And And Violin As Well As Field Recording Bring Alive A Special Quality. The Bouncing Of Stones On A Frozen Pond Recorded With Multiple Microphones Suggest For Example An Authentic Spacious Quality. The Self Recorded Percussion, Sometimes Quite Exotic Were Included In All Of The Tracks. The Combination Of Synthetic Sounds With Traditionally Instruments Was One Of The Big Challenges For Me. The Piano And Prophet 6 Und The Moog Sub37 Were The Main Instruments Used For The Album'. Thyladomid Started Working On The Album 2 1/2 Years Ago. His Classical Training On The Piano Helped To Quickly Come Up With A Musical Theme Which Is Based On Different Tonalities Which Were Then Linked To Each Other And Which Actually Helped To Structure The Whole Release. The Good Weather In Summer Was A Good Inspiration And Finally Led To The Idea To Dedicate Tracks To A Certain Place, A Place Which Means A Lot For Him. From That Idea The Title Of The Whole Album Derived: "places ". "a Little Church In Amsterdam" As He Says "is Such A Track Encouraged By The City Of Amsterdam I Love And Respects So Much And Actually Have Spend So Much Time In. It Is A Track I Played Outside In My Garden To Friends And Which Works Perfectly For Me.' "a Little Church In Amsterdam" Is A Track Where Melodies Bloom And Flourish. It Feels Like Zooming In On Nature Grasping A Time Lapse Symphony. "blossoming Limburg Ft Mahfoud" Was Born In The Capital Of Limburg Which Is Located In The South Of The Netherlands And Reflects The Summer Of 2017 And Was Recorded In A Warehouse. It Reflects The Intimacy And Synergetic Level Between Mahfoud And Thyladomid. The Fantastic Deep Vocal Track Is Spiced Up With Lots Of Acoustic Details Which All Happen In The Background But Effectively Surface To Pull The Listener Into His World. "night Owl" Is A Lyrical Dreamy Piano Piece With A Melancholic Note And An Ear For Details. Acoustic Finesse Presented On An Episodic Scale. We Guess The Track Was Influenced By The Works Of Four Tet Or Pantha Du Prince. "kollwitzplatz" Is A Small Park In Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg Which Was Thyladomid's Home For 2 Years . - the Cafes And Restaurants Laced By The Alleys Of The Kollwitz District Resemble A Piece Of Home For Me And Represents The Time Of My Stay In Berlin'. Musically "kollwitzplatz" Is Full Of Life. You Can Hear Children Talking While The Piano Attracts Sounds Like Moths Are Attracted To Light. The Track Offers This Richness Of Percussive Elements And Sound Sources Creating A Stunning Complexity Which Does Not Limiting Itself But Rather Creates This Free Flow Of Acoustic Signals. You Instantly Will Feel: There Is A Lot To Discover At "kollwitzplatz". "underwater Rhapsody", The Title Says It All: It Has That Episodic, Free-flowing Structure, Featuring A Range Of Highly Contrasted Moods, Color And Tonality. What It Actually Means To The Listener Is That Grande Chords Meet Dissonances Of Sound That Fly In Like Drones Cross The Big Time Melodies That Gain A Centrifugal Force At Times... And All This Leaves You Dizzy And Creates Another Big Listening Experience As The Whole Album Is Directed To Entertain You In A Smart And Distinguished Way.






[E b2 | Places Ft. Mahfoud

Tiefenrausch returns with a Various Artist EP. Gathering three unique dub techno musicians linked through deep chords and driving basslines. While Biodub and Upwellings already contribut- ed their part to the label, the new member Star_Dub joins in with his raw vision of dub techno.
The leitmotif of the Progression EP' consists of concised chord clusters above groovy basslines, thick kicks and reverbish atmospheres. Biodubs Varial' opens the EP with a club oriented tune made of long build ups and compli ying drops. Subduction' by Upwellings follows this direction. Echoing chords utter between pumping basses and driving hihats. The EP is closed by Aero- naut', where Star_Dub does what he is best known for: creating raw and powerful soundscapes.
The release is designed by Alex Ketzer who joins in for a collaboration with the illustrators Mag- dalena Paz and Florian Gassmann for the next releases of the Tiefenrausch label. The audio is mastered by SALZ music and the EP comes on 180g vinyl and shrink wrapped.

The X Vinyl Series continues with label head Florian Meindl at the helm with the upcoming release Metaphysics. Synonymous with deep, dark techno, Florian does not disappoint with this 4 track EP, enlisting in demand producer and Rabe label boss Denise Rabe on remixing duties. Playing live with his Modular Synth set up, Florian began working on the concept for what would become these three original tracks while playing shows over the last month. The live jam character can clearly be felt in the first two tracks Metaphysics and Holomorphic Function. Florian's original Bell's Theorem has a deep melodic structure. With Denise Rabes interpretation, the track is contorted through some serious distortion pedals and broken beat to match her dark take on the synth line. The outcome is an impressive piece for one of those never ending nights in concrete walled rooms with oversized loudspeakers.

Following the acclaimed first album of Al Sunny released in 2017, Favorite Recordings proudly presents this single remix package of Open Up Your Eyes'.

Al Sunny is a young composer emerging from the French soul music scene. Soon after learning the guitar, he started composing and became involved in numerous projects and collaborations. He quickly discovered deep inside himself the music that he truly loves, inspired by artists such as Tim Maia, America, Al Green, and Al Jarreau. During his studies he met musicians including Florian Pellissier, and it's then thanks to Florian that he met Pascal Rioux, founder and A&R of Favorite Recordings. Together they produced Time To Decide, a first album acclaimed by many tastemakers and gaining a solid success in Japan.

One of the highlights of the LP was the track Open Up Your Eyes', which disclosed the premise of Al Sunny music style, infused with Blue-Eyed-Soul, Pop and Folk. Also tainted with a Disco dancefloor flavor, Open Up Your Eyes' was a perfect match to build a nice remixes package for DJs. On the A side, Bruno Patchworks' Hovart delivers again a hot Soulful/Disco version of the song with his famous touch. As for the B side, Favorite Recordings asked the Canadian producer Jex Opolis (Good Timin' Records), with a Disco style slightly more oriented in Electronic and House vibes.

Sepp presents an outstanding follow up release on Pleasure Zone. This monster will be out late February!

Red Ember Records proudly presents the debut 4-track EP from Goiz.
A distinctly warm & deeply personal sound direct from the Floridian underground.
Big Ol' Goiz' speaks truth with sublime chords, bulbous bass and inquisitive synth conversations, weaving through back-room deep house, electro and organic bustling rhythms.

We're super excited to present the latest artist to join the Dirt Crew stable, French producer Sekou Babe. He ticked all the right boxes for us with this beautiful debut EP 'Foresight Prevents Blindness' which explores his fresh and vibey outlook on house with sideways glances to smokey jazz, breaks and garage. The a-side lines up three varied tunes. 'Perspectives of the Youth' and 'Soukoun' step in quickly with lively breakbeat rhythms. The first boasting warm soul vocals and steady bass groove, the second a melancholic yet uplifting back and forth between vintage piano and warbling rhodes. 'Treize Zero Zero Trois' is a deep and dreamy house jam. Cinematic elements infused with punchy percussion and 80s sonic touches add up to good times all round. On the B, our good friend Nachtbraker does what he does best, flipping 'Treize Zero Zero Trois' bringing the deep, dubby Amsterdam vibrations. His version is lush, textural and slightly fruity, with surging synths, tropical percussion and a stomping kick. Sekou Babe rounds things off with the extravagant 'Crown Collection", showing us yet another colour in his musical spectrum. It's trip hop meets Detroit where warped strings introduce shuffling drums before the track begins to build layering subtle arpeggios, smooth pads, crash hits and a buoyant melody. Sekou Babe would like to add that all tracks were written and produced by b.b. at 7e Republique Studio and says thanks to Peter, Ghizlène, Mohammed and Florian, you beautiful souls.