Cerca:francisco

Emotional Response is delighted to present the debut EP of Aaron Coyes (Peaking Lights / Leisure Connection) new project, as Exotic Gardens. An additional music universe as his love of dub expands to include new wave, goth and acid psychedelics across 5 catchy, bass heavy songs.

While the continuing journey of his duo band, Peaking Lights, with his wife Indra, earns plaudits and fans alike, his early years as a one-man lysergic music polymath that saw his youth in punk and hardcore bands, expanded during a mid-90s burst of “living in San Francisco” creative expansion, devouring music, genres, and influences for life.

Started as a sub-project to Peaking Lights and his personal dub excursions, Exotic Gardens pollinates a rich tapestry. Recording through the pandemic in their then home in Amsterdam, before being archived, assembled, and completed following the move back ‘home’ to the West Coast, California.

Re-embracing that love of his inner goth, the analogue warmth is all there, now featuring Coyes’ dub-languidity of stripped drum machines, widescreen bass, haunting guitar lines and an almost idle voice to peddle true, raw songs.

Combined, the pop layer of hooks and tight grooves instantly catch you. Opener and EP title, Drugs & TV is the perfect anthem for the Exotic Gardens sound, before the “dubwave” of Last Of The Light and Tonite shimmer that yearning melancholy of youth.

In the almost 10 minute dub house opus Organize Your Movement an appreciation and understanding of the psychoactive properties of the Roland 303 and 909, they also hark to a love of Industrial / Noise bands, a lineage from the death pulse of his cult project Rahdunes through to Sound Design and Sound System culture to the pop-dub psychedelics with Indra, now melded here to include a dark assault, whispering invocations and pulsing pads.

To close, Turn It On is a roaming multi-genre evocation, an exotic end from this constant troubadour, cassette junkie, record dealer, sound system builder, always looking to get back on the road, to live to roam.

“I turn it on, you lose your mind’.

Fishbowl EP marks Natebytheway at his most personal, sounding like both a producer and a festival headliner electronic band with soul. His vocals stick instantly, built to work both in sweaty clubs and oversized main stages without losing intimacy. Synths radiate calmness and energy at once, thus mirroring Nate’s spirit: generous, luminous, but never naive.

Because, when he wants, he turns malicious grooves snappy, percussions schematic, and melodies that play dirty tricks. Fishbowl feels destined for permanence, a song that will outlive the night it was born in.
La Gente Es Sexi is a razor-sharp club tool for lovers of Spanish, hips forward, and crooked smiles.

Noodle Bloomers seduces dancers who live between gardens, terraces, daylight and dawn.

And lastly, The Eligible Groovester loops like an obsession its image already imagined as Nate cycling through warm San Francisco streets, collecting strange souls along the way.

In 1983, Chateau, a San Francisco based boogie funk band, won the KRE Radio Hot Fun In The Sun Battle of the Bands in Mosswood Park, Oakland. As a prize, they received $5000 (approximately 8 hours) of studio time and a pressing run of 200 45s.Chateau included Alan Ross on lead vocals and percussion, singer Damara 'Candy' Stepney, and Kevin Dailey who sang and played saxophone, bass, and guitar.

Melvin Jones was on horn and keys, Dennis Knepper played keyboard, Frank Lemon played drums, Lemon's cousin Michael Clark played rhythm guitar, Doug Hearne played guitar and Bill Ortiz (from Santana) contributed trumpet parts.Chateau only released one 7-inch single in 1984, but to this day 'Feelings' is, arguably so, one of the most sought-after West Coast slices of funk.Jerome Derradji and Past Due Records are proud to officially reissue this incredible slice of boogie. Originally released in 1984 on Quiet Storm Records, San Francisco.

This blazing new 45rpm release unites two heavyweight veterans: Philly's Emynd and San Francisco's DJ B.Cause, who are well established after decades of remixing, producing, and DJing. On this one, the duo deliver a double dose of Baltimore Club heat in which Side A flips a famous funk gem into a high-energy dancefloor shaker, while the B-side reimagines some West Coast 90s hip-hop via a gritty, instrumental party-break twist. Two modern interpretations of some stone-cold oldie gold. It's not hard to imagine them tearing up floors everywhere.

Obrador originated from Olympia the capital state of Washington. A multifaceted group that consisted of many members over the years. They were together from 1976-2006 and was led by band leader Michael Moore. The members were, Steven Bentley ~ Drums, Connie Bunyer ~ Clarinet, Guitar, Vocals, Paul Hjelm ~ Guitar, Bass, Trap Drums, Piano, Steven Luceno ~ Bass, Guitar, Michael Moore ~ Keyboards, Michael Olson ~ Percussion, James Pribbenow ~ Saxophone, Vincent Soluna ~ Sax, Vincent Soluna ~ Sax

They recorded 5 albums over the period of 30 years. One track of which “Willow” you will find tucked on the B side of this lovely new release. We wanted you Kats to have great value for money and pack the record with two stone wall Dingwall style killer recordings.

The A side “Blink Samba” was recorded at Russian Hill Studios San Francisco in July 1983, after the group made the long journey down from Olympia and back to record a whole Lp that has lay unissued since 2023 only getting a digital release. We stumbled across the tracks whilst doing some research and was blown away. A few chats with member Michael Olson and we knew these had to be on vinyl. They are pure fire jazz with a slightly latin Esq vibe. We can almost see the sweat dripping from the Jazz dancers as they cascade to the rhythm of the percussion “Blink Samba”

Flip it over whilst the floor is still rocking to the track “Willow” Unlike “Blink Samba’s opening percussion this one kicks in straight away with a rasping baseline. You hold on to the bars like you been strapped into to a rollercoaster and get ready for the ride.

2025 Repress

It's rare that a certain sound is entirely an artist's own. Although undeniably a stew of impeccable influences - from blues to folk to Latin to dusty funk, soul and hip-hop - one cannot hear a Tommy Guerrero song without immediately recognising it as his - and his only.The cult skater from San Francisco is globally renowned as one of the original members of the legendary "Bones Brigade" team. And as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his laid-back soul is beloved by all who've basked in its blissful glow.There's something elemental about this music that really stirs the soul. Strikingly beautiful and instantly addictive, it's a kind of funk-fuelled, melody-driven, groove-based magic. There's a serenity and heart in the playing that radiates warmth and splendour, as if crafted for endless sunsets. His albums that surfaced on Mo Wax at the turn of the century have been treasured since their release and it's two of his most vital LPs that we're honoured to reintroduce.The originals were quietly pressed on to a single piece of vinyl so we've worked closely with Tommy this year to bring you these fresh, limited editions. They have been lovingly remastered, cut nice and loud on to heavyweight double vinyl and presented in deluxe gatefold jackets.A Little Bit Of Somethin' is a quietly majestic gem. Brimming with Guerrero's horizontal "loose grooves", these brief but innovative instrumentals demonstrate a rich variety and, as such, comprise an LP that is aptly titled. An enchanting start-to-finish listen, it was instantly regarded as essential upon release via Mo Wax in 2000. It has aged remarkably well.Throughout this inspired collection, simplicity is key. In deploying it, Guerrero presents a beautifully crafted melodic soundscape. The distinctive, mellifluous approach of his guitar style, blending Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican, soul and jazz motifs, is at once startlingly new and tantalisingly familiar. Set against unrushed percussion, the music releases a crystal clear stream of healing frequencies to create a fragile, hypnotic atmosphere.Each track clocks in at around three minutes and, with a lack of studio polish or commitment to traditional song structure, it's a wonder how this enigmatic record demands your attention. However, through its gentle dynamism and impressive playing, it does just that. Whilst resolutely low-key, this lo-fi aesthetic feels genuinely organic and remarkably personal, its powerful intimacy truly connects. It's what makes this album so beloved of those lucky enough to be already familiar with it. From Margaret Kilgallen's truly iconic cover artwork to the music contained within, it's all brilliantly effortless.Guerrero's musical ideas are consistently compelling throughout, making it impossible to select highlights. The album's laconic drift touches upon jazz-fusion workouts and slow-mo hip-hop drums, Tortoise-style experimental post-rock and cinematic sound textures. It's at once hazy, light and bouncy yet sombre and bluesy. The Latin soul of El Chicano blends with the breezy jazz of Grant Green. By employing guitars and drum machines to create a stripped down rhythmic tapestry of spellbinding, addictive songs, there are even traces of The Durutti Column. A little bit of country, a little bit of rock & roll. A Little Bit Of Somethin', indeed.

Tunnel was made in Naples in 1978 by Giorgio Verdelli and Danilo Rustici only on 7inch and it was the theme song for two RAI radio programs. Going through the names of the musicians we begin with the inimitable voice and the splendid guitars of Danilo Rustici, then passing through the saxophones of Enzo Avitabile we arrive at the keyboards of Joe Amoruso, musician-arranger who left a great void with his untimely death. For Joe, who crossed his experience with Premiata Forneria Marconi, Zucchero, Vasco Rossi, Mauro Pagani and was part of that 'dream team' of Pino Daniele - made up of technically extraordinary musicians, but above all gifted with an inimitable sound - this one-off project represented his recording debut. 'Tunnel Lights' and 'Speed Up' have been brought to light by Dario Di Pace and Claudio Casalini, two visionaries who believe that Neapolitan music is a sonic mixture of ancient and modern musical registers even if it sometimes develops a conflict between tradition and modernity as the recovery of popular tradition is strongly opposed to the push for innovation. This therefore is the reason for a 12" reissue in which the evocative original songs - from almost 50 years ago - are reflected in the new versions created by a bevy of talented DJ-arrangers including Massimo Berardi (with the bassist Luca Andreozzi) and by the industrious and passionate Francisco & Malkuth (ed: Francesco De Bellis and Cosimo 'Cosmo' Mandorino in disguise) in turn assisted by other zealous musicians and dee-jays - including the very good and always very collaborative Raffaele Arcella - who took part in a remix of this EP with enormous fervor The 12" reissue of Tunnel was released both on the classic black vinyl and in the very limited red vinyl version, in order to reflect the lips of the extravagant cover, a graphic work by another brilliant and multifaceted artist: Lino Vairetti, legendary singer of the historic prog rock band Osanna. The envelope developed by Best Record is embossed (front and back cover) to further enhance the passion that Neapolitan musicians have always had in knowing how to combine their roots with all the other musical genres of the world.

Compiled by Philip King
“And then came the rise of synth pop : blokes with dodgy haircuts hunched over keyboard-operated
machines stuffed with wires and do-it-yourself tone oscillators making sounds like a brood of geese
passing gas in a wind tunnel. Whoopee! This is the way the ‘70s ended : not with a blood-curdling bang
bang but with a cheap, synthesized, emasculating whimper.”
NICK KENT, NME.

All The Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985 is a new compilation that charts the
underbelly of the epoch-defining sound of the synthesiser in 80s popular music. Compiled by Philip
King (previously seen compiling All The Young Droogs, Glitterbest and Boobs - The Junkshop
Glam Discotheque), the music here connects the dots between DIY synth enthusiasts grappling with
new, cheap synthesisers at the tail-end of punk and wannabe, jobbing songwriters enthral to the new
music pioneered by Gary Numan, Depeche Mode and Daniel Miller’s Mute Records. Featuring rare
tracks of auto-didactic progressive pop music, proto-techno punk, shoot-for-the-stars-land-in-the-gutter
chart flops and heralded, underground synth classics, School Daze paints a picture of beautiful failure.
Complete with extensive sleeve notes written by King and never before seen imagery, all 24 tracks
were remastered by RPM in-house engineer Simon Murphy, many from vinyl copies due to lost master
tapes. The story told on All The Young Droids is one of the dawning opportunity presented by both the
emergence to the market of cheaper analog synthesisers and the distribution networks plus indie labels
that exploded with the advent of punk music in 1976. While the music that sprouted out all over the
globe in the wake of these factors was decried as fake, plastic, a refutation of punk’s guitar-led
revolution, it’s telling that much of the music on All The Young Droids.. was created in bedrooms,
ramshackle studios and home-made set ups with often borrowed equipment. In the era of record labels
jumping to capitalise on the success of The Sex Pistols, The Clash (both on major labels, of course)
these artists struggled to stand out from a new gold-rush with next to no budget or PR team. With radio
and labels desperate for the new Yazoo, what resulted was a testament to necessity being the mother
of invention.

At the time, the synthesiser was the music of the future, a shiny new machine that could paint like an
orchestra with a single finger and a 4-track. In the hands of Manchester avant-pranksters Gerry & The
Holograms it’s a pulsing, sardonic weapon.. the only instrument on the Messthetics classic lampooning
of New Wave fashion. In Hamburg, a 16 year old Andreas Dorau used it to write and record (with his
female classmates on vocals) a global smash in Fred Vom Jupiter (later licensed to Mute Records).
The hard-to-find English version (Fred From Jupiter, natch) is included here. Many artists with alreadystoried careers caught the bug and recorded synthesiser-fuelled peons to space, computers, the future
and, of course, love-interests. Harry Kakoulli, late of Squeeze, recorded a solo album in 1979 that
included the incredible power-synth-pop smash-that-never-smashed I’m On A Rocket. Similarly, Ian
North of Neo and American Power Pop stalwarts Milk ’n’ Cookies bought a Korg MS20 and used a
tape machine to record We’re Not Lonely, an absolute lost-classic of minimal synth pop. We’re Not
Lonely also features on the Junkshop Synth Pop sampler 7” twinned with John Howard unreleased
track You Will See, released April 12th 2025.

There are plenty of compilation debuts in evidence. Sole Sister were a mysterious trio who were
featured on the Scaling Triangles compilation of female-fronted, queer-adjacent post-punk /
underground music that also featured The Petticoats. Selwin Image were from San Francisco and
featured members of the recently defunct power pop/punk group The Pushups. Their stupidly catchy
The Unknown fizzes with New Wave energy - think XTC to Sparks but remains unreleased until now.
Dream Unit’s A Drop In The Ocean is an early synth wave cut, positively teaming with Joy Division
instrumentation, previously only released on a long-forgotten and super rare, self-released EP.
Incandescent Luminaire’s Famous Names belies an archetypal struggle of a small-town trying to
make it in a cruel industry but is a thrilling New Romantic-Synth Wave cross over with a OMD
gloominess that’s a joy to hear. Feminist Minimal Wave track I Am A Time Bomb by performance artist
Peta Lilly and Michael Chance is a revelation destined for new found cult status. It was released on 7”
and lost until now.

The flipside to the subterranean, never-made-it synth pop mentioned above are the ambitious, even
fruity attempts at success that have a perennial elegance to their confidence. New Jersey-ite Billy
London (real name Ed Barth) tried to cash in on the synth boom with Woman, released by a major
label, a lurching new wave track built on the Louie Louie rhythm and a wonderfully camp Lou Reedstyle sleazy vocal before exploding in the synthesised chorus. The song bombed but with a chorus like
this, you have to wonder why? Ex-Glitter Band member John Springate’s My Life is truly epic, with
doomed chord progressions and massive sounding drums turning into at least 3 different songs in the
course of the track. Before you wonder what’s going on the song resolves with a glorious return to the
main refrain.

The dry-ice-dressed dance floor is well catered for too. Design’s Premonition and Vision’s Lucifer’s
Friend are stone-cold minimal synth bangers, well loved but given a new lease of life here. The
Warlord’s The Ultimate Warlord was released in 1978, a homespun proto Hi NRG banger that was
later re-recorded by The Immortals in Canada who had a club hit with it. One-man- band Disco
Volante’s No Motion was re-issued by Synth wave label Medical in 2012 but makes its first vinyl
compilation appearance here. Close your eyes and you can imagine what Lawrence of Felt would have
sounded like with some cheap Korgs a little earlier in his career. Gibraltar-based trio The Microbes
imagined a computer programming people to dance - how prescient - and ended up with a propulsive,
robo-funk track with splendid rubbery bass playing over a tectonic drum machine. Previously picked up
by Belgian label Stroom TV, Dee Jay Bert & Eagle’s heavily Euro-accented I Am Your Master
demands the listener to “come to paradise!” In a frankly terrifying manner.
All The Young Droids is the first compilation to peel away from the narrative that dour, Minimal Synth
and Cold Wave were the only musical children of the first rush of synth pop. Philip King and School
Daze Records describe a much more complicated world: along with the austere, Brutalist children of
Daniel Miller (who produced Alan Burnham’s Bowie-Low-influenced Science Fiction here) was a
plethora of desperate cash-ins, accidental mainstream hits, ambitious pop dramas and major label
punts that went nowhere. Crucially, the compilation blurs the line between junk and treasure. What if the
two things are interchangeable. What if it’s all science fiction?

Step into the world of Cicciolina, a sonic journey as captivating as it is audacious. This reissue captures the electrifying energy of the 80s, blending pulsating dance rhythms with surprisingly melodic moments, all wrapped in lyrics as provocative as they are unforgettable. Produced by Jayhorus, “Avec Toi” is an album that defies easy categorization – a testament to Ilona Staller’s unique artistry and the irresistible power of a truly original sound. Prepare to be seduced and ignite your senses. Open the gatefold cover and rediscover the uninhibited spirit of an icon.

Tracks from original master tapes.

Isle of Jura teams up with French digger Switch Groove on the next compilation titled ‘Archipelago – Cosmic Fusion Gems from France (1978-1988)’.

Switch Groove explains the concept “When I seriously began to search for and collect records, I was mostly interested in sounds from african-american, afro-latin and UK contemporary scenes. Sounds from distant territories, faraway from my native Massif Central, a highland region in the middle of France. The grass is always greener, I guess however, as I was digging in fleamarkets in the early sunday morning light, as well as spending regular sessions in second hands record shops, I began to discover hidden treasures, underground gems and side-projects of an unknown French musical repertoire.

French music is often reduced to its most famous musical forms, characters and signatures : French songwriting and voices, 60s yéyé, prog rock concept albums and soundtrack explorations, 80’s indie rock scene or more recently electronic French touch. All these sounds have a common feature : a geographical link, forged on mainland French territory, following the contour of the so-called Hexagone, the border that shapes the grounds for an homogeneous cultural expression. But beyond this showcase lie more complex, hybrid and global French productions. From French Caribbean Antilles to Parisian suburbs - especially during the ‘Sono Mondiale’ era -, in French areas outside urban cultural centers, musicians have created fusion and cosmic musical expressions. As the mid-seventies meant a greater freedom to make and record music, a wider use of electronic instruments like synthesizers and drum machines helped to deliver some magical projects you could only find lost in the middle of cheap records during a sunny record digging session. I selected these tracks, in an attempt to shape an ARCHIPELAGO that highlights significative contributions of African diasporas and ultramarine territories into French musical borders. It is the map of a land I have gradually drawn, thanks to deep listening of amazing cosmic and fusion tunes. I hope you enjoy the journey.”

5/5 LEAD TWO-PAGE REVIEW IN MOJO: “SHACK'S SONGWRITING HERO'S ROMANTIC , OPIATED FOLK DREAM, RESTORED AND AUGMENTED WITH A COMPANION ALBUM OF UNHEARD SONGS.

5/5 LEAD TWO-PAGE REVIEW IN Q MAGAZINE: “SCOUSE CULT HERO'S MAGICAL MOMENT REVISITED. THAT THESE ARE SONGS THAT FEEL A LITTLE MORE TRANSCENDENT WITH EVERY PASSING YEAR IS NO MERE CONJECTURE.”

9/10 IN UNCUT : “ANDMOREAGAIN! A LOVE-LORN MASTERPIECE AND ITS LONG-LOST SIBLING”

SUNDAY TIMES 'MUST-HAVE REISSUE' “ONE OF THE 1990'S GREAT LOST ALBUMS..MORE REDOLENT OF SUMMER-OF-LOVE SAN FRANCISCO THAN BRITPOP MERSEYSIDE...A CLASSIC...

Laurin Rinder & W. Michael Lewis's Seven Deadly Sins is a hugely influential, synth-powered, atmospheric space-disco masterpiece. It's arguably the best American Disco LP ever made. It's certainly one of the most important albums in the history of dance music. And, like its innovative producers, it's absolute genius.

During the mid to late seventies the production team of Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis helped to define the Disco sound that was coming out of Los Angeles with studio projects such as El Coco, Saint Tropez, Le Pamplemousse (with vocals from The Jones Girls), In Search Of Orchestra and many others.

Like all of their work, Seven Deadly Sins comprises beautifully arranged and incredibly well produced deep disco that is revered by aficionados. A seven track, largely instrumental concept album covering each of the sins, it was recorded for AVI in 1977. It's a brilliantly conceived, groove-fuelled album that layers moogy keys and druggy synths over club-ready rhythms. The idea that this record is celebrating rather than condemning the sins is said to be another factor that made the record a big one in the underground clubs.

Opening sin “Lust” is an intense, swelling, seven minute blockbuster synth journey. An ethereal Loft/Garage classic, it's a sprawling, brooding slice of epic dancefloor dynamite that remains a firm favourite of discerning disco heads like Harvey. So ahead of its time, it still sounds ridiculously fresh today, drifting through a multitude of melodies over a smooth, lightly percussive mid-tempo beat. A slow-mo sexy killer.

Up next, the sprightly-manic “Sloth” is nothing like its title. A driving, swaggering instrumental incorporating the same Euro-disco elements as our Daft Parisian friends did a few decades on, it's certainly not for the faint-hearted.

A clear highlight, the cosmic, throbbing proto-techno of “Gluttony” gets things firmly back on track. Pure industrial vibes with dark synth bass punctuated by uplifting melodic sequences that brilliantly utilise guitar and horns, is this the sound of Wax! Trax being born? You won't be able to get enough of this.

Opening up the B-Side, “Pride” is a breezy slice of classic late seventies jazz/funk with deft Hammond and clavinet grooves and expansive horn sections. It's absolutely fantastic. The wicked leftfield vocal cut “Envy” provides more disco pump with squelchy acid synth flourishes, funky guitar and neck-snapping percussive breaks.

The dark proto-techno/house cut “Anger” is a fully on top tour de force of drums. With heavy African percussion throughout and a short Afrobeat section towards the end, it was sampled by Carl Craig and Laurent Garnier for their Tres Demented project and was also a massive Ron Hardy / Music Box favourite. The album is rounded out by the hard-grooving “Covetousness”, another driving jazz-funk workout par excellence with liberal use of the syndrum.

As Laurin Rinder recalled in an interview with Dream Chimney, the duo essentially lived in the studio: “we really had cots, beds and the whole thing, we were just pumpin’ them out. 7 days a week, 3 different projects at the same time. I played drums on everything but had to play a little differently. I had to ask the engineer ‘What’s the name of this group?‘”.

Evidently, their prolific output was the result of a crazy cocaine-fuelled production schedule: “The amount of coke we did, to do all this, you can’t even imagine. $300 a day. I had to have plastic inserts in my nose so I could do more.” Looking at the frankly terrifying cover, you'd have never known!

Be With is beyond delighted to present the first ever legit vinyl reissue of Seven Deadly Sins, carefully remastered by Be With's engineer Simon Francisco to ensure it sounds better than ever. Cicely Balston's expert skills have made sure nothing is lost in the cut whilst the records have been pressed to the highest possible standard at Record Industry in Holland. The unforgettable cover artwork has been reproduced here at Be With - dare you stare back at it for too long?

Dark Entries has raided the bathhouse to bring us Deep Entries: Gay Electronic Excursions 1979-1985, 10 tracks of obscure queer synth bliss. One of Dark Entries' most important missions has been illuminating neglected facets of gay musical history, with crucial archival works by legends like Patrick Cowley, Sylvester, and Man Parrish. On Deep Entries, the label spans 6 years of gay electronics - from sultry to angsty to camp, these songs are overflowing with snappy 808 snares and sinewy analog synth leads. The '80s were a difficult period for many in the gay community as they grappled with the horrors of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The 10 tracks on Deep Entries, varied in genre and vibe, are united in their portraiture of 1980s gay life, and the hope for love or fleeting romance. Previously unreleased cruising soundtracks come courtesy of Patrick Cowley’s “Love Me Hot” featuring vocalist Paul Parker and Boytronic’s “Tonight (Alternate Mix)” set on Hamburg’s famous “Mile of Sin.” Brisbane-based Megamen deliver the proto-electroclash number “Designed for Living,” which prefigures Madonna’s Marlene Dietrich rap in “Vogue.” Trans vocalist Paula "Ula" Villagrá declares, “Everyone is gay!” on Muzak’s “Happy Song,” a skittering tecnopop anthem. Dereck Higgins' “This Was Something” rings like a lost Joy Division cut draped in bizarre effects, and Polar Praxis’ “(I Want) To Be Different” is a seething ode to alterity. Nightmoves’ “Nightdrive,” is best known as the brooding instrumental B-side to their epochal “Transdance.” Transistor Jet’s “Master Of The Universe (BW's f-w)”, Maxx Mann’s “Just Like a Razor” and Bachelor’s Anonymous’ “A Stranger’s Bed” are mood music for the pleasures of BDSM and one-night stands. The record comes housed in a retro bathhouse fantasy sleeve designed by Gwenaël Rattke and includes a double-sided poster with photographs and lyrics. Deep Entries arrives on December 1st in honor of World AIDS day, and proceeds will go to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Buckle up, electronic aficionados! Queen of Coins is about to drop a six-track sonic odyssey that’s your one-way ticket to Electro, Italo-Disco, and Detroit Techno nirvana. This isn’t just an album, it’s a masterclass in psychedelic dancefloor alchemy, tailor-made for DJs who crave cutting-edge sounds while paying homage to the genre’s founding fathers.

From the slow-burning hypnosis of “Head Tension” to the heart-racing throb of “16K Cal,” this release is a BPM rollercoaster that echoes the spirits of legends like Legowelt, Drexciya, and Francisco. But make no mistake – Queen of Coins isn’t just rehashing the past, the Queen is propelling these influences into the future.

“Bring it to the top” is pure condensed energy, engineered to shake every powerful soundsystem while maintaining an emotional depth that’ll hit you right in the feels. Speaking of feelings, “Damaged Souls” is the track you didn’t know you needed – a poignant electronic love letter to all those “what if” moments that haunt our dreams.

But don’t think for a second that Queen of Coins is all melancholy. “Oreo Cake” swoops in with its irresistible bouncing bassline, serving up a fat slice of low-end theory that’ll give your mind, body, and soul the workout they’ve been craving. It’s a reminder that in the realm of Queen of Coins, the future is bright, and the beat goes on.

Remember the mantra, ravers: Queen of Coins is “Music to grow with Expanding your soul Thriving in Prosperity.”

This isn’t just an album release; it’s a coronation. Long live the Queen of the electronic underground!

To coincide with its 20th anniversary, Clint Mansell's haunting score to Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film, Requiem for a Dream, performed by Kronos Quartet, returns to vinyl. This was Mansell’s second of several collaborations with Aronofsky, following 1997’s π, and features arrangements by David Lang of Bang on a Can. The film stars Academy Award-winner Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly and Marlon Wayans, and was adapted from the 1978 novel by Hubert Selby, Jr. (Last Exit to Brooklyn), who also wrote the screenplay with Aronofsky. Set on the rusted mean streets of Coney Island, Brooklyn, Requiem for a Dream tells the parallel stories of four people pursuing their dreams of better lives. The reissue features the original soundtrack, plus two bonus tracks.

Clint Mansell, a musician, composer, and founding member of the band Pop Will Eat Itself, first worked with Darren Aronofsky on the score for his 1998 film π. Also released by Nonesuch are Mansell’s scores for Aronofsky's The Fountain (2006), nominated for a Golden Globe, and Noah (2014). His other scores include The Wrestler (2008), Moon (2009), Black Swan (2010), Filth (2013), Stoker (2013), High Rise (2016), for which he received an Ivor Novello nomination, and Loving Vincent (2017).

For more than 40 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet – David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello) – has combined a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually re-imagining the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the world’s most celebrated and influential ensembles, performing thousands of concerts, releasing more than 50 recordings, collaborating with many of the world’s most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning over 850 works and arrangements for string quartet. A Grammy winner, Kronos is also the only recipient of both the Polar Music Prize and the Avery Fisher Prize. Most recently, in 2019, Nonesuch released Kronos’s ground-breaking collaboration with composer Terry Riley, Sun Rings, and, in 2017, Folk Songs, featuring Sam Amidon, Olivia Chaney, Rhiannon Giddens and Natalie Merchant.

We invite you to take a journey through the music of the Pacific and Caribbean coasts of Colombia, where traditional rhythms blend with contemporary sounds.

Mangle Rojo is a compilation album of 8 songs, released on vinyl of 12 inches, with some of the most popular rhythms of Colombian folklore, like Cumbia, Currulao, Bullerengue and, Puya, played by renowned artists like Nelda Piña, Inés Granja, Sixto Silgado Paíto, Emilsen Pacheco and Francisco Torres.

Side A consists of four songs from the Pacific Coast, and side B has four songs from the Caribbean region. In this record take part bands and also collaborations between independent musicians. Six of the songs were composed for the album.

Independent record label Bánfora Records produced Mangle Rojo, with support from the Ministry of Culture of Colombia

Tanukichan, the musical project of Oakland, CA’s Hannah van Loon, has been a prominent figure in modern shoegaze music since 2016, when she first collaborated with Chaz Bear of Toro y Moi. Together, they released an EP and two full-length albums under Bear's Company Records, culminating in 2023's GIZMO. With her new EP Circles, out September 20th, 2024, via Carpark Records, van Loon ventures into new territory by teaming up with a new producer for the first time – Franco Reid.

The genesis of their partnership dates back to the GIZMO campaign, when Reid noticed van Loon wearing an Incubus shirt in a press photo on Instagram. Intrigued by whether or not van Loon was a genuine fan, he sent her a DM. Their shared musical interest sparked a dialogue that eventually led to the creation of the single "NPC" in 2023.

Lead single “City Bus,” offers a reflection on van Loon's childhood bus rides in San Francisco, evoking the stop-and-go rhythm of commuter life through hard-hitting drums and heavy guitar feedback phasing in and out of the mix. Themes of self-reflection and societal belonging permeate the track, echoing van Loon's ongoing personal journey.

While much of Circles delves into internal struggles, “It Gets Easier” takes on a more celebratory tone as van Loon realizes she’s developed a heightened sense of maturity when dealing with hardship. “It feels easier to let go of situations or people that don’t serve me,” reflects van Loon, “Or if they can’t be avoided, at least I don’t have to dwell on the sadness or discomfort I feel when letting someone down.” Introduced by Reid, nu-gaze sensation Wisp, contributes a verse in her similarly ethereal vocal style.

There is a notable shift on Circles when you consider the first three Tanukichan releases were produced by a pioneer of the chillwave genre. With van Loon’s consistently dreamy songwriting and Reid at the helm, Tanukichan enters new sonic territory that feels larger, arena-ready, and more like a highspeed night drive than the hazy summer dream of its predecessors.

There is the new release by acid jazz superstar rad. available, for which I’m happy to provide, attached the tools. The recordings feature no less than Tower Of Power Horns, David Garibaldi, Roger Troutman, Ray Obiedo, Bobby Vega and Michael Spiro…

vIt was the San Francisco Bay Area where Herbie Hancock founded his Headhunters. It was the San Francisco Bay Area where Prince recruited Sheila E., Rosie Gaines and Larry Graham.

Bands and artists such as Tower Of Power, Sly & The Family Stone, Meshell Ndegeocello and Santana came from the San Francisco Bay Area, and Rose Ann Dimalanta, or rad.for short,

also originated from the San Francisco Bay Area. A Heavy Dose Of Oakland Funk – rad. did what she promised. Her 2nd album “gotta be" (1994) had all the ingredients that made the funk heartbeat

faster and the legs fidget: razor-sharp breaks, excellent hooklines, staccato clavinet and organ licks, driving bass lines, forward oriented drum grooves and a voice tofall in love with.

For these remastered two songs, she back then recruited her colleagues from the Syncopated Funk Champions League. Guitarist Ray Obiedo played in Herbie Hancock's band and

with George Duke during the "Thrust" era. The percussionistMichael Spiro worked for Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin and Carlos Santana, Bobby Vega played the base for BoDiddley, Booker T,

Santana, Tower of Power, Etta James, Sly Stone and Jefferson Starship to name a few. Beside thefuzz guitar solo of mega funk star Roger Troutman on Come My Way, it is David Garibaldi and the

Tower of Power Horns who add the undeniable quality of this two funk classics now pressed on 7“ vinyl for the first time ever…

We have a subtly edit of “Soul Town” by The Motherhood, the psychedelic 1969 LP “I Feel So Free. Motherhood was the unlikely name of Klaus Doldinger's psychedelic fusion band, who eventually transmuted into the bands Passport (Klaus Doldinger, Lothar Meid & Udo Lindenberg) & Hallelujah (Paul Vincent & Keith Forsey). “Soul Town” appears as the B-side to the first single “Back In The Grass”, which fetches ~$275. It was produced by Siegfried E. Loch, & written/arranged by Paul Nero. Many will recognize it as the closing track on the Ocean’s 13 soundtrack. It’s a psychedelic, jazz-funk bomb that punches hard.



Pinball Number Count (Edit) by The Pointer Sisters b/w Soul Town (Edit) by The Motherhood | Galaxy Sound Company — GSC45-043, test pressing | You know the drill. It’s Galaxy Sound Co. It is cop-on-site. It is yet another GSC45 edit you need in your crates. & number 43 doesn’t disappoint. I have been wanting both of these jazz-funk nuggets on 7-inch for a minute now, so much love to the GSC crew!

Any of us who grew up on Sesame Street in the 1970s will know this A-side righ away. “The Pinball Number Count” (or Pinball Countdown) is a collective title referring to the 11 one-minute animated segments on the TV series Sesame Street that teach children to count to 12 by following the journey of a pinball through a fanciful pinball machine. These segments are notable for the colorful, imaginative animation as well as the funkysoundtrack with vocals by The Pointer Sisters. It was produced in 1976 by Imagination, Inc. in San Francisco, California for the Children's Television Workshop & debuted on Sesame Street during Season 8 .

Pitched Peach's inaugural release marks a significant homage to the Bay Area's musical legacy, featuring five tracks from Darwin Chamber, the alter-ego of Mark Greenfield.

Chamber's contributions have been instrumental in shaping the distinctive sound of the ambient house/trip-hop and breakbeat movement that originated in San Francisco during the 1990s. His work offers listeners a timeless experience that represents the essence of electronic music's history. This EP encapsulates the playfulness we seek both as a listening experience and to burn the dance floor, setting the stage for an electrifying future of releases on the label. All tracks have been remastered for the occasion!

Maximum vocal power and prime time dramatics by Chrissy and Carrie Wilds. The San Francisco based DJ and producer shows his stylistic versatility and technical capability to work with vocals, melodies and sound sources. Like a facsimile of the late 1980s house/freestyle record that you never owned, Things Can’t Go On Like This Forever ticks all the right boxes. Heartfelt vocals (by the great Carrie Wilds): check! Timely social message: check! Melodic euphoria: check! Old school house and true school freestyle flavor: check! Comes in various mixes and with a freestyle bonus beat special.

Additional airtime is given to the now classic Chrissy production So I Go Dancing. Done in a traditional remix fashion by Gerd Janson it highlights all the features of the original and again Carrie‘s enchanting voice, extends the included hysteria and adds a few snare rolls. Let‘s go dancing to brighten the darkness. Dance music in its purest and maybe most US-American form.

Mint Condition - A record label focused on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics, overlooked gems and never heard before material, mined from the last 30+ years of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London, San Francisco and beyond. Mint Condition have got their digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been in your wants list for years. Dig in!

A serendipitous encounter at an SF record store in the early 90s brought together local music aficionados DJ Dan and Jim Hopkins. Their collaboration birthed the legendary Electroliners project, channeling their shared passion for underground and funky sounds into the iconic left-coast rave anthem, 'Loose Caboose', now firmly nestled in your hands. Pooling their musical prowess, Dan and Jim embarked on a journey of sonic exploration, meticulously crafting their signature sound by dissecting samples and breakbeats, infusing the musical landscape with a revitalizing energy. As their reputation grew within the local scene, they found themselves tasked with supplying a track for a promotional CD-ROM by a burgeoning software company.

Through marathon sessions of digging, slicing, sequencing, and exchanging snippets over phone calls, Electroliners hit their creative stride. It was only natural to unveil their creation in the raw intensity of a live rave setting. Thanks to a connection with DJ DRC, they seized the opportunity, and the rest is history. Copies of the record flew off the shelves by the thousands locally, and its overseas acclaim, spearheaded by licensing through XL Recordings in the UK, cemented its status as a bona fide underground classic. But what exactly is an Electroliner you might ask? Jim sheds light on the inspiration: “I delved into books on trains at the public library,” he reveals. “Among them, 'Electroliner' caught my eye, a train line in the Midwest. Given the track's pulsating train horn, 'Electroliner' and 'Loose Caboose' simply clicked.”

'Loose Caboose' is an all-time classic, and still causes much damage on the dancefloor today. Yet another unmissable addition to the MC reissue catalogue, fully licensed from the artists, mastered and cut by Curve Pusher, and available once again available for purchase. Do not sleep.

Northern California psychedelic sorcerers Carlton Melton are brain surfers, mind trippers, … “psychlists,” if you prefer. The band will take your head for a ride, occasionally rushing at superluminal speeds through a wormhole or gliding softly on a gentle breeze in a leafy glade. Sometimes your brain needs to rage, and sometimes it needs to repose. For a decade and a half, the band has yo-yo’ed, almost schizophrenically, between these two modes: walloping space jams with furious guitar solos in one hemisphere of the brain and ethereal, feather-light splashdowns in the other. Not to mention a track here and there that builds from the latter into the former. But with two new releases in 2023, the band has evolved. Whether psych rock or ambient trance, their sound remains driving, organic, and flowing. With the addition of Anthony Taibi (White Manna, DDT), however, the group’s metal freak-outs are Hawkwindier and their droning kraut trances are Spacemen 3-er. In January, the quartet released the playfully spacey Resemble Ensemble, recorded in Taibi’s home studio 3D Light. October now sees the band Turn To Earth, a work with scents of Autumn, a season of death and transition. The cover art evokes a vine-covered, electric crucifix. The sound is, well, earthy but also gritty and striving towards change. The album was recorded in Fall 2022 and now harvested in Fall 2023. Phil Becker (Terry Gross, Pins Of Light) contributed drums and percussion to a few tracks on Turn To Earth, recording the album at El Studio in San Francisco.

With Becker at the helm, the synths have become more prominent (“Cosmicity,” “Roboflow,” “Migration”) and the tone heavier on the doom (“Cloudstorming,” “Unlock The Land,” title track): several moments could even serve as background music for epic dark fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Fire and Ice, or Heavy Metal. As exquisite as Turn To Earth is, Melton are best appreciated as a live act: their recordings as well as their gigs are largely improvised – not so much composed as birthed. And yet their most recent tour ended abruptly and perilously. The group had to cancel its final three shows once members were admitted to Arnhem hospital in the Netherlands. Five years later, reinforcements have strengthened the band and restocked its arsenal of great tracks. After the rockus interruptus of that 2018 tour and the tantric tease of the intervening Covid lockdown, Melton have some unfinished business. An October 2023 tour is poised to set the freshly minted quartet back onto the stages of Europe and within the cerebral folds of its fans. Turn To Earth, sure … but keep your head in outer space. Carlton Melton is: andy duvall – drums/gtr; clint golden – bass; rich millman – gtr/synth; and anthony taibi – synth/gtr.

Samosa Records roars into 2024 with a sublime four-tracker, the curiously titled ‘(Re)-Funk+Head EP'.

All four tracks have been carefully sized, selected and re-edited by De Gama himself. For those not in the know, Re-Funking is serious business and you can tell De Gama’s laboratory was in full flow in bringing these tracks even closer to the dance floor!

First up on the A-Side are Samosa favourites Dirtyelements & Drunkdrivers with the hypnotic, smokey dim lit club thumper ‘Keep It Coming’. Coming in at a deceptive 115bpm, the bass massages your brain whilst the keys, vocal sample and beats tickle your toes. A deliciously salty and sweet re-edit.

Sneaking up on you is A2 and a track from label boss De Gama himself – the flutey, tootie late night funk bomb that is ‘Some More’. Be warned - this dirty birdie stirs up primordial feelings that are probably illegal in some countries. It’s not an overstatement to say that ‘Some More’ is the definition of pure, adult-orientated funking. Saddle up, put out the camp fire and ride it into town.

A quick flip to the B-side and you’ll find Paul Older’s Sax Francisco (B1) parading down the street in all its splendid glory. Mr Older sure knows how to cook - and served on his sombrero-shaped sun terrace is this fantastic tropical sorbet of a tune. The production is assured and so warm that you lose yourself for the entire 6 mins and 26 seconds in its spell. Expect this to be packed in your summer 2024 suitcase with your Factor 50.

Closing the EP off is the super-talented MB Edit and his deadly groover ‘Got The Feeling’. The serious business of Re-Funking is on full display here – stompy, squeaky clean four-to-the-floor drumbeats, twisted riffs and subtle piano prepare you for the soaring horns, heavenly strings and disco-fied vocal breakdown that used to make lofts bounce and dark clubs heave. A dreamy, relentless journey into the disco ball for those lucky enough to jump in.

(Re)-Funk+Head is another exceptional EP from the Samosa stables and pushes the ever-expanding sonic boundaries with seriously solid production, stone cold grooves and a roster of amazing talent on one EP. A must, must, must have for the record box!!

Ste Hendry Black Light Disco

San Francisco dub techno magician is in the game, but wait a minute.. Does anybody know What Robot Says?

Vinyl Only

Introducing the debut EP from the visionary electronic artist Federsen, What Robot Says Records proudly presents a mesmerizing journey into the depths of dub-infused electronic music. Hailing from the vibrant city of San Francisco, Federsen, also known as Chris Kelly, brings forth a sonic landscape rich with the influence of dub reggae recording techniques.

Within this inaugural release, Federsen masterfully melds vintage tape delays and analog equipment to craft a sonic experience unlike any other. Each track within the EP is a testament to Federsen's meticulous attention to detail and his ability to weave intricate melodies with hypnotic rhythms.

Opening the EP is "High Pressure," a seamless blend of precise minimalistic percussion and ethereal melodies, effortlessly drawing listeners into a world of hazy dub textures. Following suit is "Sono," where deeper melodic layers intertwine with Federsen's signature sophistication, creating a timeless elegance that permeates every note.

As the EP unfolds, "Fazed" emerges as a standout track, delivering a powerful groove destined to ignite dancefloors while still maintaining the immersive simplicity of dub soundscapes. Finally, "Quadrata" serves as the perfect conclusion to the journey, offering a sublime fusion of atmospheric elements that evoke a sense of introspection and tranquility.

With this EP, Federsen invites listeners to immerse themselves in a sonic tapestry where tradition meets innovation, where every beat pulses with intention, and where the boundaries between genres blur into oblivion. What Robot Says Records proudly presents Federsen's debut EP, a testament to the boundless creativity and artistry of one of electronic music's most promising talents.

Next release on Ohm Series features tracks by Jamie Anderson & Owain K, Francisco Aguado, STAR_DUB and Volpe.
Curated by label boss OHM aka Bjarnar Jónsson.
Highly recommended!

Harry Romero returns to Crosstown Rebels as he links with vocalist Shyam P for ‘Mind Games’.

With a catalogue as rich as any and continuing at the top of his game two decades after his emergence within New York’s fabled nightlife scene, Harry Romero continues to serve up his own take of Latin-inspired and percussive- driven house music via a long list of the industry’s leading imprints. Having previously remixed Chilean favourite Francisco Allendes on the label last year alongside his collaborative ‘It Hurts’ EP with Jessica Eve in 2021 and his contribution to the ‘Spirits III’ compilation before that, the Bambossa Records head honcho is back on Damian Lazarus’ revered Crosstown Rebels for his latest EP project, uniting London-bon, Dubai based singer/ songwriter Shyam P for the excellent ‘Mind Games’.

Crafting a slick and heady groove before launching into a hypnotic haze accenting by a bubbling bassline, ‘Mind Games’ is an infectious and vibrant house cut as Shyam P’s alluring vocals take hold amongst emotive builds and breaks. Nest, ‘Mira’ is a classic Romero offering as the focus shifts to crisp organic percussion arrangements, carnival-esque whistles and hooky Latin vocals for a bustling terrace number, before ‘Analog Bugz’ takes cues from its title as crisp drum shots and sharp stabs unite to create a no-nonsense builder made for the main room.

Mint Condition - A record label focused on excavating the outer fringes of classic House and Techno. Unreleased mixes, classics, overlooked gems and never heard before material, mined from the last 30+ years of contemporary dance music are the order of the day. From Chicago, Detroit and New York to London and beyond. Mint Condition have got their digging hats on to bring you exclusive heat and those rarer than rare jams that have been in your wants list for years.

Dig in...

East Midlands house legend, Charles Webster, relocated to San Francisco in 1992, setting up Spirit Studios in the heart of the city and a highly productive period ensued. The 'White Powder' EP released in 1995, under Charles' Presence moniker is widely regarded as a classic of its genre, up there with any of its contemporaries on Prescription or Murk. All 4 tracks are flawless and groundbreaking in their ability to to draw together elements of soulful deep house, tribal percussion and the deep melodic tech-house sounds emerging from Europe and America's midwest into a unique whole.

EP opener 'Heart' features the haunting vocals of Sarah Jay, the track builds delicately, adding dark bass, before soaring strings lead into a melodic breakdown. $10's deftly programmed drums really deliver the funk, the deep melodic synth and pad progressions are mesmerising, whilst an unforgettable bass-line underpins the journey. Over on the flip 'Giving Love' intro's with gorgeous pad before shuffling percussion and an uplifting piano turn this track into a joyous ride. Lastly 'Powder Chords' sets the controls for heart of the dance floor, heavy kicks launch a much more techno influenced affair, it's dark and brooding but no less effective in its atmosphere and execution.

'White Powder' is all killer, no filler, a highly sought after slab of wax that has achieved cult status amongst the most discerning DJs, record collectors and music heads alike. Legitimately re-released with the full involvement of Charles Webster, lovingly remastered by London's Curve Pusher from the original sources especially for Mint Condition. 100% legit, licensed and released. Dug, remastered, repackaged and brought to you by the caring folks at your favourite reissue label - Mint Condition!

Baby Buddha is David Javelosa and musical partner Charles Hornaday playing instruments and providing their own whacked-out vocals. Baby Buddha really was less of a band than a project; a side project in fact, for some members of another group, Los Microwaves. Baby Buddha would eventually record and release an album, 1981's provocatively-titled Music for Teenage Sex on Robbie Fields' L.A.-based Posh Boy label.

Happily, the project's guiding creative light, David Javelosa has recently seen to a vinyl reissue of the now-40-year-old record, mystifyingly retitled Music for Teenage Sects. Definitely among the stranger releases of the new wave era, Music for Teenage Sex/Sects could perhaps only have been created when and where it was made. But on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the music sounds as weirdly wonderful as ever. "We Are Not" sounds like Human League stuck in a car with The Residents. And their cover of "All Shook Up" sounds like a musical kin to those inscrutable eyeball guys too; it wouldn't be out of place on Meet the Residents. "Little Things" is a house-of-mirrors, scary track, with spoken-word vocals by Los Microwaves' Meg Brazill and label head Fields.

The album cover is slightly different as well: it displays a bedroom scene like the original LP, but with the young female model absent. The new release (on Javelosa's own Hyperspace Communications label) is pressed on beautiful translucent blue vinyl and comes in a gatefold sleeve with a lively collage of photos, buttons, gig posters. Limited to 500 copies.This playfully titled release features David Javelosa (on synth and vocals) along with Meg Brazill (on bass and vocals) plus drummer Todd "Rosa" Rosencrans. Side One features five studio tracks, none of which were included on the band's 1981 Posh Boy LP, Life After Breakfast. Three of these tracks were recorded in '82; there's no information regarding the provenance of the other two songs. The records' second side collects five live recordings, capturing Los Microwaves onstage in New York City (The Peppermint Lounge) and Boston as well as at San Francisco's own I-Beam, a venue that often played host to the band. Those tracks date form roughly the same ear, 1980-83. Sonically the songs variously recall Blondie, Flying Lizards, Gang of Four and a far less dour Human League. Importantly, the band rocks, even when it's employing a spare drum kit, solid but elemental bass, and monophonic analog synthesizers. The stripped down aesthetics of the group – necessitated by its minimalist instrumental approach – are nonetheless thrilling. Even if you weren't there in 1980, this'll take you back.

Celebrating a Decade of Dark Entries with a compilation titled ‘Tens Across The Board’. We revisit our roster and chose 10 songs from 10 bands from 10 different countries spanning the years 1981-1993. The songs flow in chronological order and have never appeared on vinyl, with 7 of the songs previously unreleased.

The compilation begins in 1981 with Parade Ground from Belgium, the duo of brothers Pierre and Jean-Marc Pauly with help from Patrick Codenys and Jean-Luc of Front 242. “The Light’s Gone” was one of their earliest experiments and employs a stark minimalism with modular synthesizers, guitar reverb and tape delay. Next we venture to Granada, Spain in 1982 to meet the trio of Diseño Corbusier. Influenced by Cabaret Voltaire and Dadaism, “La Esperanza está en Antenas” was the band’s take on melancholic pop fueled by a robotic DR-55 bass-line. Sailing the Mediterranean Sea to Athens to meet Greek electronic goddess Lena Platonos who shares a demo from 1983. “Μια Γάτα Σασ Περιμένει Στη Γωνία” translates to “A Cat Is Waiting On The Corner” and is possibly the witchiest sounds we’ve shared yet, ending with a blood curdling scream. Frozen in 1983 we cross Ionian Sea to Messina, Italy and visit Victrola, the duo of Antonino “Eze” Cuscinà and Carlo Smeriglio. They’ve unearthed a melodic instrumental version of “Luca” fueled by a Korg Polysix and TB-303. Traveling across the Adriatic to Slovenia circa 1984, where Borghesia are working on their album ‘Ljubav Je Hladnija Od Smrti’. “Magla” translates to “Fog” fitting for the thick, somber electronics of Aldo Ivancic providing a dense atmosphere for the baritone vocals of Dario Seraval.

On Side B we go down under to Sydney and excavate a hidden Tom Ellard song recorded in 1984 under the alias Lord Metal, an anagram of his name for copyright reasons. “Ga Duum Blitzfonika” is a slow-motion, unadulterated dance groove originally released on the cassette compilation "Independent World”. Skipping ahead to 1986 in Tours, France we salute X-Ray Pop the minimum new wave duo of Didier "Doc" Pilot and Zouka Dzaza. They contribute the hypnotically fragile “Corto Maltese” that originally appeared on the cassette compilation ‘Plop’. Crossing the German boarder we arrive in Dortmund at the apartment of Andreas Sippel of Second Decay who recorded the instrumental demo “Lübeckerstrasse” in 1988 with partner Christian Purwien. Utilizing an TR-808, SH-101 and Arp Odyssey this cold slice of futurism was named after the street Andreas lived on. Traveling westward to England, specifically Basildon, Essex to the teenage bedroom of From Nursery To Misery, the trio of identical twin sister vocalists Gina and Tina Fear and keyboard player Lee Stevens. “Contentment” is an introspective, ethereal pop song with child-like vocals that originally appeared on the Belgian tape compilation ‘Heartbeat Vol.4’ in 1989. Finally, we return home to San Francisco and close out the compilation with Cyrnai the moniker of multi-instrumentalist Carolyn Fok. “Digital Grit Box (Demo)” was an outtake from the ‘Transfiguration’ album sessions recorded in 1993, utilizing dark dance drum beats made with MIDI sequencer programs Studio Vision and Sample Cell.

All songs have been remastered by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The vinyl is housed in a custom designed jacket by Eloise Leigh featuring our label’s colors black-white-red with connect-the-dots pattern linking the 10 songs via maps/timeline/location, all relating to the reissue process, plus source images from San Francisco, our hometown. For this landmark release we've also printed a 2-sided fold-out wall poster that includes every artist we've released in our first 10 years 2009-2019 in black, red and silver metallic ink, plus an 8x11 insert with lyrics, notes and photos.

This June Session Victim return to Delusions Of Grandeur imprint with their third studio album. Listen To Your Heart is the result of a year of cross-continental scripting, started in their Hamburg studio and wrapped up stateside in San Francisco's Room G Studios where the duo had worked on their 2014 LP See You When You Get There. Here we present the second of three LP samplers containing four tracks each, cut nice and loud for the vinyl crew.
Shadows gets things rolling with a classic Session Victim housey groove, looped up pads and hooky spoken vocal samples. Filtered string stabs bring a warm and soulful edge whilst dub delay touches add a floaty element to get lost in. Next up we have Unchained which drops the bpm's for a widescreen, slo-mo jam clouded in a smokey haze with jazzy touches, recalling the halcyon days of Pork Recordings.
Flipping over we have a brand new LP version of previous single Up To Rise, another sublime slice of blissed-out house music with a wonderful organic and live sound palette. Echoing Rhodes licks join the lead guitar tune for a Balearic beauty which will be stuck in your head long after the sun sets. Closing this second sampler we have Over And Over, which winds things down somewhat for an inspired, bass-led roller.
An impeccable demonstration of retro-inspired yet forward thinking house and downtempo music, Listen To Your Heart sees Session Victim at the top of their game.

Repressed!

Less than a year old, the newly formed label Apollonia presents its debut album releaseInviting you on an imaginary journey in their Lotus Seven, a road trip back to '90s San Francisco takes Chris Carrier and Hector Moralez on a musical mission, stopping for hip hop style smokes, disco jams and soul-warming joints on the beach; this is an exploration through their colourful inspirations and rhythmic upbringing.

An obscure tape release discovery by Red Light Radio founder and close friend of the label, Orpheu de Jong, led to Music From Memory's latest release.This two track 12' highlights the work of electronic music pioneer Joel Graham, a San Francisco based artist who self released two cassettes in 1984/85.
Originally recorded and performed live on pre-MIDI analogue equipment in 1982 as an outline for a live performance, these visionary tracks provoke much of the same sensibilities found in both contemporary dance music as well as in works of more established vanguard artists of the time. Slowly unravelling and deeply hypnotic, Joel Graham's music seems to manifest a doorway to a profound new world and can be seen as a forerunner of what was to come in electronic music.

After two strong releases on Electronical Reeds, the Brussels-based artist Exon Bacon inaugurates Play Label Records with his latest EP, Watching Dogs. Play Label Records is the extension of the collective Play Label that has become a key player in the music scene of Brussels with more than hundreds of events to its credit. This first release sets up the artistic direction of this label that seeks to develope a real dancefloor approach and a strong party spirit.

The release is opened by the original mix that could be summarize with the expression 'powerful bassline, persistent heady voice and burning dancefloor'. The Parisian duo Villanova embarks us into a spin with a darker atmosphere, a deep foreground voice and a strong and repetitive gimmick. This remix reminds us why this Parisian duo knows such rapid ascent on the worldwide electronic scene. The Berlin-based and San Francisco born artist Yooj takes the opposite course to two first tracks with a deeper approach and a lighter atmosphere to offer a sunny and tasty deep house track that will delight all the dancefloor. Lastly, DC Salas, another Belgian talent, filters the voice, redefines the percussion and opens the horizon to take the direction of Tech House track.

This Exon Bacon's EP acts as the foundation stone of a future label to keep an eye on and to follow with a great attention.

The Great Escape is the debut collaborative album from San Francisco Legend, Larry June & prolific super producer, The Alchemist. Through a process that felt very organic, the two churned out an extra healthy amount of music that resulted in what may be their magnum opus. At 15 tracks, the album includes tasteful features from some of Hip-Hop's most celebrated figures; Action Bronson, Big Sean, Ty Dolla $ign, Slum Village, Boldy James, Evidence, Wiz Khalifa, Jay Worthy, Curren$y & Joey Bada$$. Like a fine wine, sit back, let it breathe, and enjoy the neat yet exquisitely rich complexities of two of Hip-Hop’s smoothest figures.