quête:friend

Some 30 years after they first met in the DJ booth of Tokyo’s Spacelab Yellow nightclub, close friends François Kevorkian and Dimitri From Paris have finally joined forces in the studio. The result is The Nassau Excursion, a dazzlingly good three-track EP inspired by their joint love of disco and boogie-era dance records made at Island Records’ Compass Point Studio in the Bahamas.

Across three essential tracks, François and Dimitri explore and celebrate this distinctive Caribbean post-disco sound – one where weighty basslines and heavy drum machine beats rub shoulders with early ‘80s synths, dub-style production, heady hand percussion patterns and arrangements drenched in space echo and tape delay.

Bruno Berle is a singer, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and figurehead of a contemporary Brazilian music movement. With a quiet mastery of songwriting and an astonishing voice, his music has won hearts around the world. Since the release of his debut album No Reino Dos Afetos (2022), Berle has performed across the UK, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and China, only leaving his home country for the first time in 2023. Shaped by these journeys, Berle’s third studio album, Sem Fronteiras (Without Borders), reflects a utopian vision of a unified world.

Recorded across London, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Germany, and Maceió, the album–co-produced alongside his longstanding musical partner Batata Boy–is the most expansive canvas Berle has worked on to date. Shot through with the imagery that has always animated his songwriting: open skies, morning light, vivid colours and the magic of human connection, Berle’s carefully crafted poetics and warm, delicate instrumentation drive this vivid body of work.

“I came from nothing”–Berle doesn’t take his rise to global prominence for granted.

Born to a working class family from Brazil’s northeastern Alagoas state, one of Brazil’s most economically deprived, Bruno moved frequently in his youth to follow any job opportunities his parents could find, before eventually settling in the coastal capital of Maceió. “I used to travel to Caruaru, Santa Cruz, Recife, Garanhuns, Arapiraca, which I loved and feel it made me ready to be in this rhythm i’, but at the same time I think not having friends from childhood and being in constant change made me a little numb to the constant upheaval”. On Sem Fronteiras, there is a similar duality at play. The album celebrates the collective joy and human connection that live touring brings, but it also sits with the darker realities of crossing borders. While music moves more freely around the world than ever before, our bodies are not granted the same privilege.

Though he’s never lacked self-belief, Berle recognises that talent alone doesn’t guarantee opportunity. “Before my second album No Reino Dos Afetos 2 everything I had ever recorded was made with the help and kindness of people who believed in my ability”. Determined to pay that kindness forward and help others from the sharp end of Brazil’s desperately unequal society, Berle produced and featured on the recent self-titled albums by his northeast Brazilian compatriots, Nyron Higor and Phylipe Nunes Araújo (both 2025), helping propel both onto the international stage. In turn, following the successes of Nyron & Phylipe’s albums alongside his own, Bruno finds himself at the forefront of a thriving community of artists now based in São Paulo, but primarily originating from northeastern states like Alagoas and Pernambuco.

Much like the famed Clube Da Esquina movement that spawned in 1970’s Minas Gerais, they operate with a free-exchange of ideas, writing songs with and for each other, performing on each other’s albums and on the live circuit together. Lead single ‘Manha’ flows from this ethos. It was written by Berle’s friend and fellow Alagoan João Menezes (writer of ‘Ate Meu Violao’ and ‘Te Amar Eterno’ from Bruno’s previous albums) and Marvin Viera, and originally recorded on their 2018 album Areia e Mar.

Sem Fronteiras opens with ‘Você Já Sabe Que Eu Te Amo’, just six beats of one nylon guitar chord ring out before changing key, paving the way for the gentle strike of fender rhodes and the arresting call & response duet between Berle and Higor. On ‘Amor Inteiro’, the album reaches a celebratory burst of catharsis, with the punch-packing drums of Pedro Lacerda and Nina Maia’s joyous backing vocals encapsulating the live energy that Berle and his band bring to the stage.

With the abundant talents of this musical community at its heart, Sem Fronteiras releases 10th July 2026 via Far Out Recordings, supported by a summer tour across Europe. Bruno Berle will perform in a four-piece band alongside Nyron Higor, Phylipe Nunes, and Batata Boy, culminating in an appearance at Roskilde festival, Berle’s biggest live show to date. He’ll continue to carry a hopeful vision of a world where artists and musicians can move as freely as their music flows.

Tracklist:

A1 “Você Já Sabe Que Eu Te Amo”
(Nyron Higor / Bruno Berle)
Nyron Higor – drums, bass, acoustic guitar, electric piano, synthesizers, vocals
Bruno Berle – piano, vocals
Batata Boy – piano
Jorik Bergman – score preparation and conducting
Klara Gronet – violin
Ségolène de Beaufond – violin
Cristina Ardelean Montelongo – viola
Ilektra Stevi – cello

A2 “Não Posso Viver Sem Você”
(Batata Boy / Bruno Berle)
Batata Boy – electric piano, organ, synthesizer
Bruno Berle – drums, bass, synthesizer, vocals
Jorik Bergman – score preparation and conducting
Klara Gronet – violin
Ségolène de Beaufond – violin
Cristina Ardelean Montelongo – viola
Ilektra Stevi – cello

A3 “A Noite de Estrelas”
(Nyron Higor / Bruno Berle)
Nyron Higor – synthesizers
Bruno Berle – bass, drums, vocals

A4 “Outra Noite”
(Bruno Berle)
Nyron Higor – drums
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, bass
Felipe Berle – congas
Lucca Francisco – guitar, vocals

B1 “Amor Inteiro”
(Bruno Berle)
Pedro Lacerda – drums, choir
Nyron Higor – bass, choir
Batata Boy – guitars, organ, electric piano, choir
Nina Maia – choir
Bruno Berle – guitars, acoustic guitar, congas, vocals

B2 “Ideias Mágicas”
(Batata Boy / Bruno Berle)
Heloisa Alvino – trombone
Batata Boy – synthesizers, beats, electric piano, organ, bass
Bruno Berle – synthesizer, vocals

B3 “Vim Dizer”
(Batata Boy / Bruno Berle)
Batata Boy – electric piano, organ, synthesizer
Thomas Stankiewicz – synthesizer
Nyron Higor – synthesizer
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, bass, vocals

B4 “Tô Assim”
(Bruno Berle)
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitars
Batata Boy – synthesizer
Nyron Higor – bass, synthesizer

B5 “Manhã”
(João Menezes / Marvin Silva)
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, vocals, congas, shaker
Batata Boy – piano, shaker, electric piano, vibraphone, synthesizers
Nyron Higor – drums, bass

B6 “Sem Fronteiras”
(Bruno Berle)
Filipe Mariz – guitar
Bruno Berle – acoustic guitar, vocals, bass
Jennifer Souza – vocals, acoustic guitar
Rudson França – drums

Credits:

Produced by Bruno Berle and Batata Boy
Mixed and mastered by Bruno Berle, Batata Boy and Felipe Berle

Audio engineering:
Nyron Higor (track 1 – production; track 4 with Felipe Berle)
Joe Osborne (tracks 7 and 9)
Victor Gelling (strings on tracks 1 and 2)
Filipe Mariz (track 10)

Photography: Claudio Virgínio
Design: Minchai

Recorded in:
Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil
Tamandaré, Pernambuco, Brazil
Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
London, England
Cologne, Germany

Boris Werner & Reflex Blue team up for a dual track EP of bleepy and bold house music.

Originating from a collaborative session in Berlin, the two fuse their sounds to kickstart the new white label series; focused on friendships and love for jamming out.

After the success of Made in the Emirates – Volume 1, which documented a wide spectrum of the UAE’s independent music scene, the series returns with its second installment.

Made in the Emirates – Volume 2 shifts focus to the country’s electronic underground, bringing together 8 original tracks spanning deep house, breaks, techno, and experimental club sounds. A snapshot of a thriving scene, built by artists shaping it on their own terms.

The compilation brings together a cross-section of artists shaping the UAE’s electronic underground today:

- Tarik Omar opens the record with Sample Sunday, reflecting his deep-rooted approach to rhythm and sampling.
- Adam Rahman delivers K Lock, a tightly wound club tool driven by percussive precision.
- Sons Of Rhythm revisit their catalogue through a Rhythm Plate Italo 90 Remix, bridging classic house influences with a forward-facing Italo touch.
- Megadon Betamax - a co-founder of boutique imprint Voyeurhythm Records brings Maha Monastery, an atmospheric funk-infused cut that leans into experimental yet groovy electronics.
- Curator Shadi Megallaa contributes Word Jazz, reflecting his long-standing role in shaping Dubai’s underground through Ark to Ashes and The Flip Side.
- OHFFF a project born from spontaneity, sonic curiosity and sequencer experiments. Dwelling is a club-friendly.
- Tacit presents The Lakritze Suite, a multi-layered, hard beat composition that moves between abstraction and industrial structure.
- Closing the record, Nasrawi’s Intention Dub channels deep, and dubby, grounding the compilation in a reflective, low-end driven finale.
- Curated and compiled by Shadi Megallaa (Ark to Ashes / The Flip Side, Dubai).

Kompakt is ringing in the New Year in style! ‘Freeze’ is a collaboration between Joyce Muniz and Andre VII, a beacon of Mexico City’s nightlife . This powerful hi-NRG track is reminiscent of Bobby Orlando’s finest moments and would have set ‘80s dancefloors in Rimini alight. A collaboration that celebrates diversity, friendship, and the power of music as a bridge between cultures and communities.

With Greta Levska, Kompakt is welcoming a fresh new artist to the fold. Her sound is hard to pinpoint, which is an attribute we’re traditionally attracted to. ’Who’s Here’ is one of these late night tunes that take their sweet time to cast their spell – but when it does there’s no holding back. With ‘Lizard Lick’ Greta ventures in quirky Electro waters… When that proverbial elevator door opens we see Superpitcher and Mr. Oizo sharing a laugh and some Mezcalitos, obviously.

Any follower of Andrew Weatherall (a particularly fervent and erudite tribe) will be familiar with 'The Sons of Slough.' Comprising Andrew's brother Ian and Duncan Gray, they have produced music together for twenty years and throughout Andrew has been an avid supporter playing their records at his shows, helping Duncan set up his Tici Taci label and generally being a good friend.

Their mutual admiration for Factory Records made it an obvious place to seek inspiration for a tribute record. The influence of Factory on Andrew and Ian's lives is difficult to overstate. They spent a fair chunk of the 80s travelling all over the country to catch the label's artists perform.

New Order were pretty much top of the list and the Factory ethos of creativity over commercialism was to become Andrew's main drive throughout his career.

Ian and Duncan have reworked New Order's "In a Lonely Place" as a homage to Factory and the inspiration they were to a whole generation. David Holmes, Keith Tenniswood and Sean Johnston (all long time Weatherall collaborators) used the track as a jumping off point bringing Factory, New Order, their own musical perspective and most of all Andrew together in a unique tribute to shared times and fond memories.

Sicilian-born, Amsterdam-based Fran LF returns to Nastia's imprint with three Techno tracks built over a year of studio work, each one telling part of a single story that unfolds across the EP. The narrative moves through different chapters, starting with tracks that shift and transform as they play out, building tension through evolving elements rather than straightforward drops. These are straight-up warehouse cuts - the kind that start one way and shift into something heavier as they unfold. Dubby atmospheres that harden into driving rhythms, basslines that anchor the groove, and synths that evolve throughout.
Closing the record is a remix from Sicilian producer LPV, a close friend and admirer who reworks "Tsufuru Relaxation" with his signature dark, driving approach. He strips it down, adds a relentless bassline, and gives the track a completely different, moody and ethereal energy while respecting what made the original work.
Solid dancefloor techno with enough depth to keep things interesting.

This limited 200 copies pressing presents 4 of the best digital destroyers out there! Taken from label-friends: SKUXX, EG303, Southside & Hydraulix! 303Alliance is member of the Flatlife Records Labelgroup.

It Goes Further...IDREN NATURAL & THE UK PLAYERS reissue! The original version of 'Further' was recorded by the INI Oneness, Idren Natural & The UK Players on analogue tapes at the Jah Works '7th Sense' Studio in UK in the late 90's. The tune went on to have great success on sound systems around the world and since became a highly sought after collectible.

Jah Works & The UK Players are reconvening at Earth Works Studio in Amsterdam to record more music together in tribute to their mutual friend and musical collaborator, Idren Natural, who is sorely missed by many in our musical family & those that worked with him intend to make sure that his music and message lives on! This 10" has an alternative vocal mix & alternative dub cut to the original 7", carefully remastered from the original tape mixes & now presented on 10" at 45RPM.

Following her debut album, I’ll Look for You in Others (Past Inside the Present), earlier this year, Patricia Wolf joins Spain’s Balmat label with See-Through, her second album. See Through finds the Portland, Oregon musician and field recordist continuing to develop her signature style of ambient, balancing radiant soundscaping with a carefully expressive sensibility. But the new album is also marked by an important difference. Where I’ll Look for You in Others was largely written in response to the death of a loved one, See-Through represents a kind of rebirth.

“After a long period of grief, I had been hoping to find my way to a place of lightness, peace, playfulness, curiosity, and sensuality again,” Wolf says. “What I was surprised and pleased to find is that for the most part, I had.”

She wrote and recorded many of the album’s songs quickly, in preparation for an August 2021 broadcast on the online radio platform 9128 Live. Excited for the opportunity to play live after more than a year of the pandemic, Wolf decided to write all new material for the event, working with a lean setup of Octatrack, Roland Synth Plus 10, Make Noise 0-Coast, and Novation Summit. (In fact, Wolf was the first sound designer invited to create patches for the Summit.) She also picked up an acoustic guitar that her brother had loaned her. “I decided to take the surrealist approach of ‘pure psychic automatism’ to see what poured out of me,” she recalls. “Woodland Encounter,” “Under a Glass Bell,” “The Grotto,” “The Mechanical Age,” “The Flaneur,” and “Psychic Sweeping” are all products of those sessions; the through line holding them together is their exploratory spirit and clarity
of vision.

Other songs, like “A Conversation With My Innocence,” “Recalibration,” and “Psychic Sweeping,” wrestle with the traumas of the preceding year. Though they may linger on the heaviness of loss, Wolf says, “What I discovered is that a stronger archetype had grown inside me to steer my emotions and thoughts to a better place.” Likewise, “Wistfulness” and “Upward Swimming Fish”—her first experiments with VST synthesizers—balance the bittersweet embrace of melancholy with the freedom to choose happiness.

“Pacific Coast Highway,” the album’s lone song with drums, might at first seem like an outlier. But it also signals Wolf’s interest in finding a fusion between the introspection of ambient and the togetherness of beat-oriented music. “Experiencing loss and isolation is what drove me into gentler territories of sound,” she says, “but I want to start making more beat-oriented music. After an extended period of loss and isolation, I’m ready to experience more joyous and social things.”

Listeners with keen ears might recognize the album’s closing song, “Springtime in Croatia”: A different mix of the song originally appeared on the 2021 digital compilation secondnature & friends Vol. II, from the Seattle label secondnature. This marks its first appearance on vinyl, however, and its spiritual home is undoubtedly here, at the close of See-Through. As the bookending answer to the opening “Woodland Encounter”—another song in which field recordings play a crucial role—it closes the circle of an album that is itself keyed to the steadily turning cycles of life.

In the last two years, Barry Can’t Swim has released two albums – When Will We Land? and Loner. The debut was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, winning 2024’s Best Dance Act on BBC Radio 1 and being nominated for Best Dance Act at the BRIT Awards in the same year. The latest album, 2025’s Loner, hit the top ten in the UK charts and was number one in the dance charts. This summer, Barry Can’t Swim cemented his position as one of the most singular new voices in electronic music with a gangbusting performance as a headliner at All Points East in London’s Victoria Park, building on his back-to-back performance with Bonobo at Coachella in 2024. Barry’s Late Night Tales mix brings together disparate styles and forms them into a coherent narrative. The powerful house tracks, like Lance DeSardi’s ‘Power of Suggestion’ and Daniel Avery’s remix of Factory Floor, intertwine with the abstract grooves of Freddie Da Stupid or Ronald Langestraat’s leftfield reading of Boz Scaggs’ ’70s smash ‘Lowdown’. There are exclusive tracks from Barry Can’t Swim himself (in the form of new single ‘Chala’ and an exclusive edit of Superpitcher’s ‘Yves’) and from friends and contemporaries, like Ninja Tune labelmate O’Flynn. Leaving aside the obvious quality of the mix, with its serpentine twists and dramatic turns, you can tell Josh is a fan of this series by bringing in his own personal poet, the brilliant Seamus, for the spoken word section right at the end. He’s a one-man Late Night Tales programmer.

In the last two years, Barry Can’t Swim has released two albums – When Will We Land? and Loner. The debut was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize, winning 2024’s Best Dance Act on BBC Radio 1 and being nominated for Best Dance Act at the BRIT Awards in the same year. The latest album, 2025’s Loner, hit the top ten in the UK charts and was number one in the dance charts. This summer, Barry Can’t Swim cemented his position as one of the most singular new voices in electronic music with a gangbusting performance as a headliner at All Points East in London’s Victoria Park, building on his back-to-back performance with Bonobo at Coachella in 2024. Barry’s Late Night Tales mix brings together disparate styles and forms them into a coherent narrative. The powerful house tracks, like Lance DeSardi’s ‘Power of Suggestion’ and Daniel Avery’s remix of Factory Floor, intertwine with the abstract grooves of Freddie Da Stupid or Ronald Langestraat’s leftfield reading of Boz Scaggs’ ’70s smash ‘Lowdown’. There are exclusive tracks from Barry Can’t Swim himself (in the form of new single ‘Chala’ and an exclusive edit of Superpitcher’s ‘Yves’) and from friends and contemporaries, like Ninja Tune labelmate O’Flynn. Leaving aside the obvious quality of the mix, with its serpentine twists and dramatic turns, you can tell Josh is a fan of this series by bringing in his own personal poet, the brilliant Seamus, for the spoken word section right at the end. He’s a one-man Late Night Tales programmer.

A light yet ominous atmospheric intro opens Pugilist’s account on Waveforms, quickly showcasing the Spatial family debutant’s shrewd prowess for mid 90’s breakbeats. An instantly familiar vocal sample gunning for your mind body and soul punctuates proceedings while solid breaks lead into a crunching amen throwdown - edited superbly with tricky arrangements and glorious melodic synthwork.

Straight into the breaks without delay, a DJ-friendly intro from Pugilist quickly escalates into a scintillating amen showcase with crisp, detailed edits taking you right back to a dirty basement dancefloor rippling with underground energy in 1994. Peppered with samples and light vocal hits - not to mention the doomsday basslines ready to tear holes in your sub - Pugilist has announced himself in style to the waveforms label.

Great Day is one of the very best albums on the Music De Wolfe label and certainly one of the most sought after library records, full stop. It's been sampled by such heavyweights as Madlib, LTJ Bukem, El-P and The Alchemist (among many others). You likely already know all this. If you don't, get to know. One listen through and the £350 asking price for a VG copy starts to all make sense...

Originally released in 1972, it's credited to Music De Wolfe legends Simon Haseley (real name Simon Park) and "Peter Reno" (a collaborative alias used by composers Clifford "Cliff" Twemlow and Peter Taylor) Confused? No matter. It's one of the most consistent libraries you'll ever hear, packed with heavy blaxploitation-esque drama-funk break themes.

It opens with the feel-good, breezy piano beat number "Little Big John" before switching up to modern sweeping orchestral with heavy drums on the warm, deeply emotive "Summer Friend". Total highlight "Hammerhead" is as heavy as you'd want, from a track so-titled. It's a driving, imposing, orchestral funk-rock monster, famously used by The High & Mighty for their classic "Dirty Decibels" and, also, it was used as the backing for Beyonce's ace "Woman Like Me".

Up next, "Crimson" is melodic, plaintive and moodily introspective; a soft, oboe-enhanced instrumental of delicate beauty. Again, ace beats and breaks abound. The expansive title track, "Great Day" is melodic and bold; a horn-fuelled, mid-tempo rhythmic workout which builds to rather big end. Rounding out this first side, "Hard Crust" ups the ante with thrilling wah-wah funk-rock, a dramatic, pounding and aggressive thriller. Killer!

Side B opens with the steady, stealthy crime-funk of "Highball" before segueing brilliantly into the Hammond-laced relentless flute-funk of the driving "Bora". The powerful wah-wah wonderful "Hold Back" is haunting orchestral funk-rock, sampled by Madlib, El-P, Rakim, Sean Price and The Alchemist. It's easy to see why. Swaggering and staggering.

The cop show funk of "Silver Thrust" is fast, purposeful and persistent. Is it a cover version of the godlike "Stepping Stones" from Johnny Harris's Movements album? Either way, with up-tempo drums, bongos and flute you're going to be thrusting all night. The dynamic "Convoy" is a brassy, organ-fuelled sports-soundtrack b-boy breaks monster. Super Bowl Soul! Essential. To close out this quite extraordinary set, the insistent "Barracuda" presents dramatic rock feels over a persistent funky flute beat. It was sampled by LTJ Bukem for his classic "Sunrain" from 2000.

The audio for Great Day has been meticulously remastered by Be With regular Simon Francis, ensuring this release 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 original, iconic sleeve has been restored here at Be With HQ as the finishing touch to this long overdue re-issue.

For the fifth release on 777Hz, Hiss Is Bliss teams up with the legendary singer Ras Tweed who delivers an amazing vocal cut with his unique voice. Recorded in Birmingham UK at Friendly Fire Studio by Robin, the A side track takes it back to the roots ! While on the B side the Dub version will send you straight back to Berlin via Detroit.

The third release on Pan Records comes from BRS (British Rhythm Services), a UK deep house production collective active since 2000. They first appeared on the Parisian label Cyclo Records and quickly followed up with releases on Imperial Dub (San Francisco) and Leeds-based 20/20 Vision.

Throughout the 2000s, BRS — originally formed by Ben Vacara, Robert Evans and Mr. Mulatto — built a strong reputation for quality deep house. In 2001 they launched their own imprint, Friends & Families, while their music also appeared on major labels and compilations including Café del Mar, Ministry of Sound, Paper Recordings, Peng, Late Night Tales and React.

Over the years the project evolved, with core members Ben Vacara (also known as Frank Situation) and Mr. Mulatto continuing at the forefront, joined by musicians such as Dom Thompson, Phil “Dr. Keys” Campbell and James Payne. In 2019, BRS saw a new wave of reissues and fresh material on Cyclo, Wolf Music, Pressed For Time and their own label, Situationism.

Still active as producers and DJs, BRS have now been shaping UK deep house for over 25 years.

Natural Goofy & TC80, two close friends and respected producers, have been spending time together in the studio in Barcelona.

No rules, no timeline, just jamming with machines and letting the sound flow in the moment.

The result is NO PLAN EP: a snapshot of instinct over intent, a record shaped by presence rather than plans. A raw dialogue between friends, gear and the dancefloor.

Made with love, for the music.

Released as a limited vinyl-only edition within the Planka Records series, continuing the label’s mission of capturing underground sounds and sharing them with those who listen deep.

Dark Entries returns to the steam room with Coatshek’s Sound Bath. For their SoundBaths series, now-defunct poppers brand Double Scorpio commissioned artists to make mixes for an imaginary queer bathhouse. When asked to contribute, San Francisco-based artist Coatshek aka Sheki Cicelsky took the opportunity to create original compositions. The resulting album, Sound Bath, serves as a masterclass in slow and sultry ambient techno. Taking inspiration from Pink Floyd, Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4, and his friend’s DJ mixes (particularly Nick Moss and Matthew Paul’s for “Por Detroit”), Coatshek landed on 107 bpm as the optimal speed for sauna sex. With just a few synths, his Telecaster, and “lots of delays, reverb, and weed,” he sculpted stunning cuts like the effortlessly grooving “Softest” and the psych-laced “Triple Virgo.” The cover for Sound Bath was designed by Coatshek’s fiancé Nate Sprecher, and features photographs by Luke Kraman taken at The Ever Afters campout. The album also includes an insert featuring the Double Scorpio SoundBaths series artwork by Blake Wright. Equally hypnogogic and sexually supercharged, Sound Bath situates the bathhouse as a liminal dreamspace of unbounded erotic potentiality.

Spider Taylor crawls over to Dark Entries with Surge Studio Music, an album of archival gay pornographic soundtracks. James Allan Taylor was born into a working-class family in Los Angeles in 1951. Nicknamed “Spider” by his father due to his frantic energy, Taylor was a natural-born guitarist, gifted with perfect pitch and a voracious musical appetite.

Throughout the 70s, he expanded his musical repertoire, playing in bands ranging from country to post-punk, like his outfit Red Wedding, while always looking for new sounds and styles to explore. During this period, Taylor also partnered with his soulmate and musical collaborator, Michael Ely. They were part of a wave of bold, young, gay couples living openly together in the years immediately following the Stonewall Riots. In the early 80s, while working at the West Hollywood gay sex club Basic Plumbing, Taylor met Al Parker, the legendary pornographic actor and director, who recruited Taylor to produce the soundtrack for a film he was working on. Parker’s partnership with Steve Scott running Surge Studios produced some of the most popular all-male films of the era. Spider’s music was a natural fit for Surge, and throughout 1985 and 1986, he composed the soundtracks for five films produced by the iconic studio. Assisted by engineer Steve Conrad and armed with a drum machine and some synths, Spider’s compositions for film veer from the expansive, reverb-drenched “Rainforest” to the Miami Vice-esque chugger “Tech.”

While Spider thought of this work as little more than a gig, tangential to his real craft, enthusiasts of VHS-era nostalgia and vintage erotica will be brought to bliss. Surge Studio Music will be available on both LP and CD, the latter of which includes a 20-minute version of “Strange Places…Strange Things!” as a bonus track. The album’s cover art was designed by Gwenael Rattke, and features stylish images from Surge Studios releases. Also included is an insert featuring liner notes by Will Lewis, a longtime friend of Spider. The music is released from Spider’s estate by Michael Ely, Spider’s partner of 43 years. The shadow of AIDS lingered over Surge; Steve Scott passed from AIDS-related illness in 1987, and Al Parker succumbed in 1992. In 2014, when it became legal for same-sex couples to marry in Arizona, Spider and Michael finally became wedded. Spider would pass away from liver cancer six months later.

Disco legend Sylvester comes to Dark Entries with Private Recordings: August 1970, an intimate collection of vintage jazz, blues, and gospel. While Sylvester is best known for his chart-topping collaborations with producer Patrick Cowley, such as “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real),” this release reveals his passion for the sounds of the 30s and 40s. In 1970 a 22-year-old Sylvester had moved to San Francisco and found himself involved with the Cockettes, the infamous psychedelic performance art troupe. Among this milieu was Peter Mintun, a pianist and record collector living in a commune devoted to retro culture. According to Mintun, “We were like hippies who lived in the twenties. We lived in a house that didn’t have anything modern in it. Nothing in it was made after World War II.” Mintun and Sylvester bonded over their love of Black singers of yore and were allotted a slot during Cockettes performances reviving the music of the Prohibition Era. One afternoon, Sylvester and Mintun recorded a number of their shared favorites using a high-end microphone a friend had acquired. Private Recordings features 9 songs from this session, including standards like “Stormy Weather,” “Happy Days Are Here Again,” and “God Bless the Child.” Sylvester’s unmistakable falsetto brings depth and a dash of camp to these familiar tunes. The recordings are casual and intimate, even capturing banter between Sylvester and Mintun; their brief rendition of “When My Dreamboat Comes Home” has the duo working out a melody in real time. In addition to their sonic explorations of decades past, Sylvester and Mintun also staged photographic shoots in vintage couture. Private Recordings comes with a 16-page booklet on firm cardstock featuring images from these never-before-seen shoots as well as liner notes from Mintun detailing his friendship with Sylvester and their experiences recording. All this is housed in a metallic silver sleeve designed by Eloise Leigh featuring a 1920’s Art Deco aesthetic. The record will be released on September 6th which would have been Sylvester’s 76th birthday, and all proceeds from Private Recordings will go to the two charities that Sylvester left his royalties after his death: Project Open Hand and PRC (formerly AIDS Emergency Fund). This essential release documents the earliest known recordings from one of disco’s greatest talents.

DJ Support: David Morales, Dimitri From Paris, Tedd Patterson, Dj Spen, Terry Hunter, Hector Romero, Dr Packer, Da Lukas, Sebb Junior, Jo Paciello, Shabi and many others.

The friendship between Sarah Jane Morris and Mario Biondi is the basis of this collaboration, born from the desire to pay homage to Roberta Flack. The idea, proposed by Sarah Jane, to reinterpret "Back Together Again" was born a few months before the death of the famous American singer. The original song, published in 1980 on the album "Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway", included the posthumous participation of Donny Hathaway, who died in 1979. Mario Biondi enthusiastically welcomed the proposal, and considering that the original song had a strong dance component, entrusted the production to Micky More & Andy Tee, one of the most important Soulful Disco House production teams on the contemporary world scene. The duo of DJs and producers from Ancona Italy have been at the top of the charts of digital dance stores for years. The package includes a fantastic DUB version of Jazz-N-Groove, Courtesy Of Brian Tappert & Marc Pomery, The legendary American Dance producers Duo. A MUST HAVE.

The story of how we heard about D.J. City.
Once upon a time P.P. D.J.ed in Stockholm. Picked up by legend Sling from the airport, with what I recall was a very nice old Jeep, that had a tape deck.
That Tape deck was playing a cassette that quickly caught our attention. We found out, on it was „1- 800 Techno“, a project by another local legend D.J. City. Somehow we received the tape and digital files and have been playing them ever since.
Years later we met D.J. City at a gig for Cocktail D’Amore, it was a brief and pleasant introduction as he was handing over the decks to us.
It took some more time until we really got in touch and started a work relation that quickly turned into friendship. Circa 10 years later, we have the opportunity to properly shine light on this project that started it all.
You can listen to the full release digitally and on Vinyl for the first time. „1-800 Techno“ that is Karl Lihagen & Johan Norling (aka D.J. City) with „For Several Eternals Before There Were Years“. This I guess is what you call a „full circle moment“. Enjoy!

'Cuéntame cosas tuyas' is perfect pop with flawless arrangements; it's crossed over into the international soul scene, made its way into playlists by DJs like Gilles Peterson, and was even covered in the early 2000s by La Costa Brava-proof of its appeal among an ever-broader audience. On the B-side you'll find the superb '¡Yeah!', packed with soul and funk flair. Two irresistible tracks that, after years out of print, we're putting back into circulation with the reissue of this essential record-one that's practically impossible to find in its original pressing. Few late-'60s Spanish pop songs have reached the status that 'Cuéntame cosas tuyas' has earned decades after its original 1969 release. The single, put out by Barcelona label Belter, has become one of the most coveted gems for collectors of '60s sounds. 'Cuéntame cosas tuyas' is perfect pop with flawless arrangements-a sure-fire dance-floor killer, right up there with Elia y Elizabeth's 'Alegría' in any imaginary ranking of Spanish-language pop anthems. Although originally from Valencia, Los Ros (formerly Los 4 Ros) built their career in Palma de Mallorca and released nearly twenty singles on Belter. Between 1968 and 1970, their friendly, commercial pop started weaving in bolder elements drawn from soul, funk, and even psychedelia-something you can also hear on the B-side of this very single, featuring the superb '¡Yeah!'

Crate digger and music enthusiast James Endeacott compiles ‘Unlock Your Mind With Morning Glory’ for Two-Piers Records – A glorious heady mix of the weird and wonderful eclectic music from his radio show ‘Morning Glory’

“One weekday afternoon towards the end of 2017 I sat in The Lyric pub on Great Windmill Street, Soho with my dear friend Raf. I’d just finished another of my weekly Soho Radio shows and was starting to think about the next one. Raf had been on as a guest playing some of his favourite tunes of the day. We had a few drinks, told a few stories and started to plot and scheme. It was always a dream of mine to have a daily radio show. Radio had always informed and excited me from my early teens listening to John Peel under the blanket when I should’ve been either sleeping or revising right up to the present-day musical excursions of NTS, WFMU and numerous internet based stations.

We decided to speak to Adrian and Dan who ran Soho Radio to see if they’d be up for us doing a daily morning show. To our surprise they were into the idea and within 5 minutes Adrain came up with the name Morning Glory. We all liked it. We were all excited. It was all systems go. In December 2017 Raf and myself started a daily 2 hour show. We did the show together, got guests in and the musical policy was whatever we felt like that day. After several months Raf found the mornings too much. Off he went into the distance occasionally coming back with a smile, and a bag of new music. I carried on alone and then suddenly in March 2020 the world stopped, and we went into lockdown.

We set up in my house in Catford, Southeast London and carried on. The show became 3 hours a day and I started to invite friends, record labels, record shops, bands etc.. to supply me with hour long mixes that I played every day. The show took off during this time. My musical tastes expanded as I spent all day long searching for new sounds from around the globe. People started to send me more and more music. I became obsessed with the show. The audience started to take to social media and ask for certain tracks or artists to be played. I got listeners to make me mixes to play on the show and I did several phone interviews with musicians while playing some of their favourite tunes.

I was grateful that Soho Radio left me to my own devices. They never told me what to do or what to play – they trusted ma and I trusted my instincts.

The music on this compilation is not a ‘best of’ it’s just how I felt when I compiled it at the start of 2025. Apart from a couple of tracks they are all things I’ve come across since the show started in December 2017. If I did a list of tracks now I’m sure it would be completely different. Surely that’s the point. We never stick in one place. We are always moving and searching. Always trying to unlock our minds. Put it on. Take your time and let it take you somewhere” James Endeacott 2025

Since 2020, 12 Inch Lovers have been releasing new samplers every year, eagerly anticipated by collectors. These samplers have now become a staple and are easily added to vinyl collections across Europe. They offer timeless classics and rare tracks that are often hard to find elsewhere.

With Samplers 9 & 10, they surprise again with a mix of modern classics and tracks that have never been released on vinyl or are difficult to find. By adding unique and exclusive tracks, the 12 Inch Lovers samplers remain innovative and high-quality. They are a must-have for DJs, collectors, and fans of contemporary classics!

SAMPLER 10

A1) GusGus - Crossfade (Maceo Plex Remix) (Original Release 2014)

Released in 2014 on the German label KOMPAKT, this remix by Maceo Plex features Ten Walls-like horns, vocals, and pumping drums, making it a true Ibiza floorkiller. The vocals are by Konstantin Sibold. This remix was only released as a white label (Kompakt Exclusive) and has yet to have an official vinyl release. Despite this, it remains a favorite among DJs and clubbers worldwide, regularly played at festivals and clubs.

A2) Plaything - Into Space (Original Release 2001)

This groovy track, released in 2001, contains a sample from Sheila & B. Devotion's Spacer, with Nile Rodgers as one of the producers. The original trackSpacer is an iconic disco hit from the 1970s, and Plaything put a contemporary spin on this classic. The track was a hit in Belgian clubs in the early 2000s, often played by prominent DJs. It has since been released on various labels and remains a timeless favorite in the electronic music scene.

B1) Ion - W.B. (Original Release 2002)

This trance classic by DJ Ion was first released in 2002 on the Belgian label B². The track quickly became a beloved classic within the trance community. Danny Casseau, the producer behind this track, is also known for other legendary works, including the trance classic Ion 98 - Tructure, which had a significant impact on the trance scene. W.B. is a pure, old-school trance track, crafted in the way only tracks from that era were!

This vinyl is extremely rare and hard to find, making it a sought-after item for collectors and trance lovers. It is still played in the sets of DJs who cherish the older trance sound, and it fits perfectly in contemporary sets as well!

B2) Subaltern - Forever (Ledge Forever Remix) (Original Release 2007)

This club banger was released in 2007 on the French label Voices Records and was a popular track in well-known Belgian clubs like Illusion and La Rocca. The Ledge Remix added an energetic, infectious vibe that made it a true hit on the dancefloor. It received an official vinyl release in 2007, but it is now difficult to obtain. Subaltern's Forever remains an unforgettable club classic still appreciated by electronic music lovers.

C1) Lykke Li - No Rest For The Wicked (Joris Voorn Remix) (Original Release 2014)

Swedish singer-songwriter Lykke Li scored a worldwide hit with I Follow Rivers, but also had great success with the powerful track No Rest For The Wicked. The Dutch producer Joris Voorn gave his own tech-house spin to the track in his known style!

Voorn's remix keeps the atmospheric mood of the original but adds a new, dancefloor-friendly dynamic that makes it suitable for the electronic music world.

This is the first time this remix is being released on vinyl since the original release in 2014, making it a rare and desirable item for both collectors and DJs. Thanks to the powerful mix of melody and rhythm, this remix of No Rest For The Wicked remains a timeless favorite that has found its place both in clubs and in vinyl collections of music enthusiasts and DJs.

C2) The Roc Project feat. Tina Arena - Never (Filterheadz Luv Tina Remix) (Original Release 2002)

This Spanish dance track hit Europe in 2003, thanks in part to the legendary remix by the Belgian techno duo Filterheadz. Brothers Bert and Maarten Wilmaers, known for their distinctive techno sound, gave the track their own twist with strong beats and an uplifting bassline, creating a timeless club hit that was heard everywhere in the early 2000s.

The vocals by Tina Arena add an emotional layer, while the Filterheadz Luv Tina Remix has stood the test of time and still gets everyone moving. At 12 Inch Lovers parties, this track never goes unnoticed and often brings the night to a high point. This track is a must-have for both collectors and DJs who love a mix of emotion, energy, and a solid techno sound.

D1) Soul Syndicate - Inside Of Me (Steel Union Remix) (Original Release 1995)

Speaking of a trance classic, this one is a true gem! Inside Of Me was released in 1995 during the golden years of Belgian trance music on the legendary Belgian label Aquatic Records. The Steel Union Remix by Zzino is an absolute favorite among trance lovers.

With its iconic sound and unmatched energy, this track is a true ode to the Belgian trance scene. It remains an unadulterated classic that still makes an irresistible impact, not only at retro trance events but also in the sets of contemporary DJs. Since its release, this remix has been hard to find, making it an even rarer piece of trance history. A track that has stood the test of time and is a must-have for collectors and fans of old-school trance.

D2) Ken Laszlo vs. Disco Dice - Hey Hey Guy (House Dub) (Original Release 2003)

Ken Laszlo, the Italian singer who became globally famous in the 1980s with the iconic Italo-disco hit Hey Hey Guy, received a re-release in 2003 on the house label Dubmental. This version was reimagined by Disco Dice, who gave the track a fresh house vibe with a more modern sound. Belgian DJ Jean, known for his influence on the Belgian nightlife scene, introduced this track into the clubs and transformed it into a club classic.

This release, although released in 2003, is now very rare and hard to find on vinyl. It's a hidden gem that continues to withstand the test of time, making it a valuable collector's item for lovers of both Italo-disco and house.

D3) Icehouse - Hey Little Girl (Infusion Remix) (Original Release 2002)

The Australian band Icehouse released the iconic track Hey Little Girl in 1982 on the British label Chrysalis. This synth-pop track was a big hit and still remains one of the classics from the 1980s. The original track was later included in the remix album Meltdown in 2003, where the Australian duo Infusion created a contemporary electronic remix that gave the track a new dimension.

The Infusion Remix adds a modern, danceable twist to the original synth-pop sound. This version surprised both fans of the original hit and lovers of electronic music, remaining a sought-after track in DJ sets.

This track has been unavailable on vinyl since its original release in 2003, making it a rare collector's item.

Alex Kardo was initially a choreographer and dancer for Riccardo Cioni, with whom he shared his most important successes in the 1980s (he is one of the two dancers dressed in red in Cioni’s legendary video “In America”). He is still very active today as a dancer and singer.

In 1988, he released “Music Flying”.

This 12″ 45rpm, in addition to the original and instrumental versions, includes a powerful Chicago house (Ron Hardy… / Electro Italo remix by Delphi, one of the Tiger & Woods who has a drum machine instead of a heart and who has been setting dancefloors in Rome and beyond on fire for over twenty years. Also included is a house version by Kardo’s loyal friend, DJ Alex Gomma.

Melbourne / Naarm strongholdButter Sessionsclock 15 years in the game with a trilogy of 12"s, sustaining their uncompromising streak of peak-form electronics. The family-style V/A binds friends, collaborators, former studio neighbours and DJ booth allies, capturing a label that exists as community as much as catalogue.

Disc Three entrantRBIserves up a tweaked-out psy-not-psy cut with a built-in spin-back upending the room, beforeUnsolicited Joints- siblingsCousinandBen Fester- slide in with a deep dub techno shuffler. Tokyo mainstayHarukaseals the side withEventide, a serotonin-tipped house curveball made in collaboration with Rotterdam'sCharlton Bakeliet, one of the last internationals to grace the Mercat X booth.

The B-side blooms withOK EG's zoned, psychoactive techno, handing over toHybrid Manto diffuse the tension with their morphing dubwise excursion.Yuzo Iwatacontinues his uncategorisable strain, self-described as EPM (Electronic Psychedelic Music), marked by Japanese ingenuity and free of genre boundaries. Finally,Sleep Dround out the set with a rogue link-up withPosseshot, a raw and adrenalised raver laced with a vocal that snarls closer to The Prodigy than hip-hop.

Whether taken alone or folded into the three-disc triptych, each instalment stands as a bag-ready constant, charged with Butter Sessions' curatorial finesse.

Melbourne / Naarm stronghold Butter Sessionsclock 15 years in the game with a trilogy of 12"s, sustaining their uncompromising streak of peak-form electronics. The family-style V/A binds friends, collaborators, former studio neighbours and DJ booth allies, capturing a label that exists as community as much as catalogue.

Disc Two lifts off with recurring contributor Rory McPike's first label outing as Rings Around Saturn, a blissed-out cosmic floater skimming the periphery. Booked in the early days of the label's formative Mania residency, Japanese don Gonno twists freestyle, techno and breaks into pure ecstasy, before the unerringly bold Jennifer Loveless spikes the punch with a hallucinatory mix of drums, disembodied voice and jazz club keys.

On the flip, Boorloo's Guy Contact rolls out Dance In The Grey, a shadowy prog churn pitched between new-romantic vocal sheen and EBM muscle, with Kate Miller completely rewiring the script on Sub Series E - a masterfully minimal, double-time meditation. suki presents his Sniper1 alias to close with a demonic body-jacking groove loaded for the system.

Whether taken alone or folded into the three-disc triptych, each instalment stands as a bag-ready constant, charged with Butter Sessions' curatorial finesse.

Melbourne / Naarm strongholdButter Sessionsclock 15 years in the game with a trilogy of 12"s, sustaining their uncompromising streak of peak-form electronics. The family-style V/A binds friends, collaborators, former studio neighbours and DJ booth allies, capturing a label that exists as community as much as catalogue.



A new chapter in Butter Sessions' ongoing Japanese exchange sees Sapporo sound sculptor Kuniyukire-opening a 2015 tour collaboration with label heads Sleep D- a deep, spatial beatdown powered by dub pressure and percussive hypnosis. Shadow-lurking prodigy Mosam Howiesondrops in with his trademark scatterbrain techno, while Hasvat Informantlocks into joint-consciousness big-room radioactivity.


Opening the B-side, Fader Capfuses Balearic psy-ence with Mike Dunn-esque utilitarian jack, hovering somewhere between '80s memory and future vision. Tokyo's Mayurashkafollows with Survival Guide, big beat colliding with drug chug, before Albrecht La'Brooyreunite for a divine chill-out tent slowdown, magnifying sample detail with exacting flow. We're adrift until Sunju Hargunlights the beacon with スカイサーファ(Sky Surfer), Thailand's emissary of ritualistic minimal trance.


Whether taken alone or folded into the three-disc triptych, each instalment stands as a bag-ready constant, charged with Butter Sessions' curatorial finesse.

Already in its title, Plume Girl’s debut thoroughly lets things go and takes them in – all at once. “In the End We Begin” is the first solo full-length from Sowmya Somanath, a Hindustani classical singer/composer and half of alt-pop duo Felt Out. Plume Girl’s music takes inspiration from the semi-regular musical form of the rāga (translated as ‘tinting’), invoking mood and atmosphere, each rāga thought to have its own distinct nature and personality, brought to life through improvisation. String swells and Somanath’s searching vocalisations envelop every track’s own blissful chamber. Exploring imagined binaries along the way — eastern vs. western, traditional vs. experimental, acoustic vs. electronic, Sowmya sees music as a curious dialogue between divine Self and an invisible reality. Beneath the illusion of a chromatic world, there remains a blissful oneness.

Plume Girl’s songs sit between ambient Hindustani music and emotionally-encumbered pop. In front of backdrops comprising sundrenched drones or glitches, sketched out beats, and criss-crossing glissandi or flutes, Somanath both murmurs intimately and spirals upwards into soaring choruses. The lyrics ponder innermost thoughts, never more literally than on the blissful emo folk closing track: ‘In my heart I know / what’s in my heart / I know what’s in my…’

“When I began writing this music, I was fresh off of an experience that completely twisted my reality,” explains Somanath. It was the end of a years-long relationship, and the blossoming of a long-buried love hidden in plain sight: “a best friend of a decade, my musical partner, someone who had always seen me completely…At once, I felt grief and loss. At once, excitement and love.”

South Korean legend Jesse You steps up with a 4 tracker on Tanzform Stampo series. Jesse is resident deejay at Hertz club. One of the hardest working souls in Seoul’s underground club music community delivers versatile club friendly tunes. Check it out !

Soul Music legend Candi Staton returns to her down-home Alabama roots on her 32nd album, Back to My Roots. The twelve-track Americana set features an array of Staton-penned originals and some well-chosen covers.

"These songs represent my roots," Staton adds as she reflects on her many trials and triumphs. "Even the new songs on some level represent something I've experienced and that's what real soul music is about." Back to My Roots was produced by Staton with her second eldest son, Marcus Williams, a professional drummer who has toured with the likes of Peabo Bryson, Isaac Hayes, and Tyler Perry. They brought in Mark Nevers of Lambchop fame, who produced three of Staton’s prior Americana albums for Honest Jon’s and Thirty Tigers, to sweeten certain tracks. “Some of the first songs I ever heard were songs like `Peace in the Valley’ and `It’s Gonna Rain,’” says Staton. “The new songs or cover songs are tracks that remind me of that era when I was growing up as a child and evolving as a young woman. That’s why I named the album Back to My Roots because I’m going back to the roots that made me who I am.”

Staton received the Americana Music Association UK’s highest honour, the International Lifetime Achievement Award, at the UK Americana Music Awards ceremony at Hackney Church in London last year for her southern soul work that stretches from her 1969 Muscle Shoals hits to her more recent collaborations with the likes of Americana kings Jason Isbell and John Paul White.
The album opens with a mid-tempo Bonnie Raitt-styled contemporary blues “I Missed the Target Again” that finds Harry Connick Jr.’s longtime guitarist Jonathan DuBose Jr. (aka the Prophesying Guitarist) showing off his skills that set the tone for the song and the album.

Staton’s older sister, Maggie Staton Peebles (who alongside Staton was a member of the Jewel Gospel Trio in the 1950s), joins her for two duets. The first, “It’s Gonna Rain,” features just a drum, steel guitar and vocals. “My mother used to sing that song to us all the time when I was a child,” Staton recalls. “It’s a really soulful kind of song I wanted to revisit.” They then take turns leading Thomas Dorsey 1939 gem “There Will Be Peace in the Valley” that Elvis Presley popularized in the 1950s.

“Hang on in There” is a new, mid-tempo song that has an old school gospel flavour and features vocals from veteran bluesman, Larry McCray.
While in Europe in 2023 for her farewell concert tour that took her to the Glastonbury Festival and Love Supreme, Staton and her British band, PUSH, went into a London studio to record a new version of The Rolling Stones’ 1972 gem, “Shine A Light.” “I love the way that came out,” Staton says. “We put a big choir on it and put our own twist on it.”
From there, Staton revives another Thomas Dorsey classic, “The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow,” with a bluesy vibe. When Al Green started recording gospel in the early 1980s, he re-introduced this song into the culture.

“God’s Gonna Use Me Anyway” is a new mid-tempo blues with subtle Caribbean influences.

The mood takes a turn on “1963.” It’s a poignant, spoken-word reflection on September 15, 1963, when four black girls were killed in the Birmingham Church bombing. “I was in the city that day and I remember the chaos and horror after the bombing,” Staton recalls. “Just thinking of how racism and hatred caused those men to kill those girls was so emotional for me that I could only do it in one take.”

It's a perfect segue into "Reach Down and Touch Heaven," a haunting, plea for divine intervention into the affairs of mankind. "That's straight Baptist," she says. "I used to be a church pianist back in the 1960s. I've never played piano on one of my records before so that's a unique song for me because I’m finally playing on one of my records. The message of that song is about the homeless. It came to me when a homeless person on the street asked me for $5. When God touches your heart to help somebody else that’s heaven to God’s hears. So, when we reach into our purse or wallet to help someone, we’re touching heaven."

Staton offers love as an antidote to hate on the bouncy, Motown-styled, “Love Breakthrough.”

Her publicist brought Aaron Frazer & the Flying Stars of Brooklyn NY’s 2017 cut “My God Has a Telephone” to Staton’s attention. She shifts the track from a retro 1960s groove to more of a 1980s Malaco Records arrangement, a subtle but distinct variation. Staton brought in her longtime friend and STAX Records legend, William Bell (“I Forgot to Be Your Lover” and “Trying to Love Two”), to add raspy seasoning to the track.

The album closes with the wistful, “In God’s Hands We Rest Untroubled,” that was originally written and recorded by the late country star, Lari White, who died in 2017 at the age of 52. “Lari sent me that song to consider at least ten years ago and I always loved it,” Staton says. “The record label didn’t want it on the album or something, so I just held it.”
Staton says, “I grew up hearing a lot of these old songs when they were new songs. I toured with the Jewel Gospel Trio in the 1950s and we got to know people like Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke and others who sang these types of songs. So, I’m sort of paying tribute to them and the influence they had on me by refreshing these songs and making new songs in the old style.”’

A rising artist of the French electronic scene, Naajet asserts her identity with The Night Starts Now, a four-track EP that celebrates the freedom and intensity of the night. Co-founder of the Bande de Filles collective and known for her explosive universe blending House, Hardgroove and Breaks, as well as for the unique energy inherited from her dance background, Naajet delivers here a sonic manifesto conceived as an ode to club culture and to the present moment.

“I imagined this EP as an anthem to the world of the night. The night offers us unparalleled freedom, an outlet that allows us to be ourselves, to create, to love. The Night Starts Now captures this celebration of the present moment and this declaration of independence.” Naajet Opening the EP, “Ready To Shine” unfolds radiant House nourished by Pop and 90’s sounds. With a clear and ascending rhythm, the track combines euphoria and introspection. “I composed this track as a joyful and introspective journey that prepares us to embrace the night. For me, it is a call to accept our wounds, to transform them into light and strength, so that we may shine brighter when we enter the club,” explains Naajet. Between ethereal vocal lines and shimmering pads, the track acts as a ritual of entering the night, inviting us to turn wounds into strength and to shine on the dancefloor. The second track of the EP, “Sugar”, embodies the effervescence of the club. Carried by a hypnotic voice and an effervescent rhythm, the track celebrates the communion of bodies and the liberating energy of dance. “It is an ode to dance and to bodies coming together. This track speaks of those moments when, on the dancefloor, boundaries fall: we sweat together, we free ourselves together, and energy flows from one body to another,” says Naajet. A true concentrate of intensity, “Sugar” captures the moment when sweat, rhythm and abandon merge into a collective movement towards freedom.

With “I Can Be Anything”, Naajet changes register and flirts with deeper, even techno textures. Built on a throbbing pulse and sharp synths, this track is meant as a manifesto of identity. “I really wanted to propose a track that claims our right to free and plural expression and sexuality. I Can Be Anything is about our multiple identities, our ability to reinvent ourselves and to refuse any form of formatting,” she says. Between club intensity and political resonance, “I Can Be Anything” questions our multiple facets and embodies the assertion of an elusive and free self. Closing the EP on an euphoric note, “May It Never End” stands out with its broken rhythms and powerful synths. The track conveys the transcendent energy of the end of the night, when dawn arrives but we refuse to leave the collective trance. “I wanted to put into music this feeling of infinite energy, when time is suspended and the party seems to never have to stop. It is this euphoric vertigo that connects us all in the same breath, this utopia of a night that would never end,” says Naajet. A true apotheosis, this track embodies the utopia of an eternal night.

DJ, producer and co-founder of the Bande de Filles collective, Naajet has established herself with a singular universe where House, Hardgroove and Breaks blend, nourished by her background as a dancer and an instinctive sense of groove. For the past three years, she has performed on French and European stages – from Berlin to Amsterdam, via Geneva and Oslo – and has made her mark in clubs such as Rex Club, Le Sucre and Badaboum, as well as festivals like Nuits Sonores and Kolorz. On the production side, she has released several acclaimed EPs on renowned labels such as Shall Not Fade and Monki & Friends. In 2025, she takes a new step with the launch of her label SWEAT Records and a residency at Le Sacré in Paris, affirming her role as an ambassador of a free and intense club culture. She also collaborates with the waacking company MADOKI, for which she composes and mixes projects at the crossroads of dance and music. With The Night Starts Now, Naajet confirms her status as an essential artist of the new electronic generation1

THE OPRHIC HYMNS is an ode to the mystical. A celebration of the languid. An exploration of the id. A journey into self. The project was written, performed, and produced by Ryan Grieve and Tom Kuntz over the course of a year in a secluded location, with a few visits from notable guest contributors such as Alex Kassian and Logan Hone to sprinkle in a little of their magic. Kuntz (aka Pinchy Don) is the Pinchy in PINCHY AND FRIENDS. Grieve is the man behind HOLE IN THE SKY RECORDS and projects such as Heart People, Canyons, and Absolute Unity. This is their first release as THE ORPHIC HYMNS.

Siriusmo is back! His fourth album, "Buletten & Blumen", will be released in November 2025 – a collection of musical delicacies. Freshly prepared, spicy, and greasy, but as always with a flower on top. The Berlin-based producer, whose real name is Moritz Friedrich, remains true to himself and his distinctive style – between funk, hip-hop, electronica, soundtrack vibes, and genre playfulness. As usual, Siriusmo wanders through musical styles, embracing them, missing them spectacularly – or simply inventing them. A subtle "Berliner Allerlei". The artist himself says of his working method on the album: "I'm a whole band. Nobody masters their instrument, but everyone pretends to – always with the fear that the others will notice." The album begins with the tongue-in-cheek opener "That Could Function As A Song", an ironic exploration of the artist's own creative process. With "Buletten & Blumen," Siriusmo delivers not simple fare, but a multifaceted menu.

Guests: Mr. Oizo, Erobique, Dana (& Claire Waldorff) An album that oscillates between irony, melancholy, and absurdity.

Tracklist:
A1. That Could Funktion As A Song
A2. Hongkong House feat. Liu's Family
A3. Watch Me Fall
A4. Ok So

B1. Baum
B2. The Syntheziser Has Been Drinking
B3. Liquit feat. Mr. Oizo
B4. In Der Klemme

C1. Koko
C2. Langsame Runde
C3. Der Uhrturm
C4. Meissner Schwerter

D1. Dummdidumm
D2. Every Tree Needs A Friend
D3. Lehm feat. Erobique & Dana
D4. Irgendwohin

Data Music proudly presents Various Artists "Levitate EP" - the label's first-ever vinyl release!

Staying true to the core vision, we've carefully selected four deep and atmospheric drum & bass cuts from the label's key artists and close friends.

"Levitate EP" embodies the diverse identity of Data Music - a perfect soundtrack for home listening, long journeys, and dark, smoky dancefloors alike.

Phonica AM welcomes long-time friend of the shop Voigtmann, appearing under his A Thousand Futures alias with a release that feels perfectly at home on the imprint. Known for precision engineering and playful groove work, he delivers a 12″ that’s subtle, characterful and built for repeat play.

Across four tracks, Voigtmann moves between sleek, futuristic club moods with ease: from the ghostly, cosmic drive of “Leftfoot Lover” and the acid-flecked momentum of “Outer Edge,” through to the jacking electro-funk tension of “No Room For Squares.” The record closes on “Sunshine Capital,” a warm, chord-led cut that still carries his trademark grit - a deeper moment without losing focus.

Curated by Phonica’s Luther Vine, the AM series champions the stranger, more late-night corners of the dancefloor, and this release fits the ethos with style. Touching lightly on progressive house, tech house and electro-leaning minimal, the record avoids strict genre lines and instead prioritises feeling: trippy, functional and made for DJs.