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Since our beginning, Manny Cuevas a.k.a. DJ M-Traxxx has been a big supporter of Snuff Trax. In return, we totally dig his amazing radio shows and podcasts. This man's heart is beating for Chicago House music and you can feel the impact on all of his productions.

Snuff Trax is very happy to present a whole Manny Cuevas record: - Thee Jackin' Zone E.P.'

For - You'll Never Know (Twisted Fantasy)' Manny invited the amazing DJ and vocalist Josh Caffe. Together they created a seductive tune that takes us back to the golden era of House. A truly irresistible affair.

With the tracks - A Matter Defined (Acid House)' and - Thee Jackin Zone' Manny captures the wild pulse of the dance floor. Sincerely raw, that's all we need.

A new piece by Australian artist Tarquin Manek, devised in collaboration with poet Martina Quake of Canvey Island, UK and recorded at M.E.S.S. (Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio), utilising EMS VCS3, Oberheim OB-Xa and ARP 2600 in combination with cheap, contemporary consumer electronics. It is, to all intents and purposes, a short, cautionary story about love. It is also a folk-tale, a science fiction, a suicide note. Unusually for a long-form spoken word piece, it is immediate in its impact, and lasting in its effect. Our narrator is damaged and unreliable: Quake's voice, digitally processed into a flat, AI affectlessness, conveys this all too well. Is this the vernacular poetry of the Uncanny Valley, or is it just that loss makes robots - numb and listless not-quite-humans - of us all Locks revels in the space between the spontaneous and the programmed (what is a poem if not a programme). It's part Tales Of The Unexpected, part Susan Howe, part Ruth Rendell, part HAL (or Holly). Manek's music is widescreen but understated...a becalmed landscape populated by distant drones, just-out-of-focus field recordings, and phased, minimalistic, Rhodes-style keys. A sort of sombre, lunar jazz. Space-age bachelor pad music, maybe, for a bachelor at the edge of space and the end of his tether. Just as Quake's words are cumulative in their tragedy, so the music grows more agitated and turbulent, at certain points harking back to the smoked-out psycho-acoustics of Manek's 2015 Blackest Ever Black LP, Tarquin Magnet, and his work in F ingers with Samuel Karmel and Carla dal Forno.

Opuswerk presents himself with a phenomenal debut on the label, these 3 cuts shows the world how the music has the same impact as a building into our lifes. Form follows function.

eRRe has been doing damage on dub for some time already and is proving to be a deadly dj weapon.Robotic bleeps meet percussive beats as the intro announces the shape of things to come.The instantly recognizable "Play with us" sample gives way to a massive bassline which kicks in with the impact of a head on collision and works perfectly alongside the technoid elements.This cut succeeds in not only frying your brain with its acid synthwork but its pure bassbin pressure will also get your body shaking!

Vengeanze "T.M.A.C" starts off in outer space, gradually gathering energy as it comes closer, swirling, twisting and haunting the listener with shuddery sound effects and vocals.The massive build up finally unleashes an even bigger drop as a huge drum rollout rides over a squelching bassline.Crafty edits and techy effects manage to maintain an urgency about this track, driving it relentlessly through the system and leaving the ravers weak in the knees.Don't sleep on this one!

After the success of Closer to Freedom in 2014, Chicago legend DJ Jes returns to Tardis Records with the Between The Lines EP, featuring two lost tracks from his personal archives and a brand new offering. Opener 'No Fooling' is reduced to the bare essentials until an elegant snatch of piano and spoken word sample break it down further; when the track kicks back in with a vengeance everyone in the room will know all about it, but it remains subtle enough to work the day after as well. On the flip, 'Between The Lines' is tougher and dubbier and will do some serious peak-time damage, whilst new track 'Lost' is a cut-up banger for the floor and a perfect DJ tool. All tracks have been meticulously edited and rearranged by label owners Eli Verveine and Oscar Schubaq in order to extend the grooves and maximise dance floor impact.

For the past four years Francesco Leali kept busy running Parachute alongside co-owners Manfredi Romano and Thomas Feriero, producing under different monikers and touring the globe as half of CW/A. Finally back as Clockwork, Leali reveals a five track EP featuring some of his rugged music to date. A briery shift into foggier territories where Leali explores layered sound-design and broken rhythms, something he had only hinted in his previous work.
'Online Entity' depicts Leali's hindrance with modern society's social networking obsession. 'In contrast to what these services were actually intended for', Leali explains, 'They seem to have impacted a lot of people negatively, resulting in unnecessary resentments, misinformation and feelings of proximity when these tools can easily alienate you from reality'.
'Constantly worrying about how you want people to perceive you is absurd already, but for many of us this constant sharing has become the only way to achieve happiness, to be satisfied. In an era where all of this is getting out of hand it's essential to remind yourself of the things that truly shape you as an individual. With
Online Entity I aimed for feelings of release, mutating resentments into something positive - more physical. I imagined it as a soundtrack to an escape from these very situations.'
The release showcases this approach with five club-ready numbers filled with calculated, pounding drums and gloomy atmospheres, with only rare glimpses of hope scattered throughout.
To round things up we mobilised fellow Parachute affiliate Ayarcana and Serbian Techno pro Lag who both deliver two startling interpretations of 'Escape Sequence' and 'Rumination'.

Philippe Hallais returns to Modern Love with a new album, the first under his own name following his label debut as Low Jack with Lighthouse Stories in early 2016.
It's by some distance his most important work to date, setting aside the squashed dancefloor productions of his Low Jack Alias for an album of emotive, indefinable ambient pieces.
After working through different subcultural musical languages as Low Jack, this time Philippe takes inspiration from the TV biopics of high-performance athletes for an album of exceptional
emotive impact; somewhere between pastiche, tragedy and electronic futurism.
Fascinated by the sports documentaries mass-produced by the US TV channel ESPN, Hallais transcribed and amplified its dramatic recipes. These form the material of tearful soap operas
which develop the same narrative ad nauseam; the rise to the top, the betrayal, decline, salvation, comeback and, ultimately, nostalgia and regret. The TV formatting reduces the life of these high level athletes to a generic tale, transforming them into impersonators of their own lives through extreme use of editing, slow motion and musical themes.
Divided into four sides (and eleven tracks) acting as parts in a greek tragedy, the album delves into the dislocations of the mythology of sports and its achievement in mass entertainment; whereby the hero becomes a dispensable and mimetic body. Hallais delves into this unusual portrayal of triviality and disaster, naivety and cynicism that make the real life and ordeals of the hero indistinguishable from their scripted form on TV.
This obsession with storytelling and the creation of bigger than life characters forms the narrative of 'An American Hero', a parable for our times.

After what can only be described as a storming start to their label, Luke Hazell, Ben Murphy and Elliott Owen continue the exciting evolution of their brand Music Related with their first vinyl release and it's nothing short of sublime.
This spring, Music Related makes its bold entrance into the ever growing vinyl market with a heavy dose of minimal and house cuts in the form of a 4 track Various Artists, EP. MRRV001 drafts in the talents of Salva Stigler & Dubquest, Pat Ondebaak, Duky and Manuel De Lorenzi, and it's easy to see why as these 4 artist each bring a unique flavour to this well rounded minimal infused record.
The listener is welcomed on the A side by Salva Stigler & Dubquest - 'Dead Men Tell No Tales', which teases dark techno elements with a rolling progressive baseline. Definitely a track for the later hours, this dance floor weapon is sure to send heads tripping with the dark eerie vocals taunting the equally as impressive clicky percussion.
A2 takes a more laid back approach from A1 as Pat Ondebaak's track Matter offers up a low slung dubbed out groove with a sprinkling of crisp skippy high hats and a highly seductive mix of low and high percussion elements setting deep in the mix.
As we flip the record, Deep Tech records head honcho Duky brings an absolute club banger in the form of 'It Takes One'. Built around an old school drum break this hypnotic hard hitting track seduces you with its repetitive vocal stabs only to find yourself slapped hard in the face with the powerful 4 or 5 note synth line. Built for the big systems this high impact track is a certified party starter!
Closing of proceedings we have Manuel De Lorenzi's slightly more house oriented 'Whole Night'. This deep groove conveys a sweet mix of bouncy baseline, heavily swung hats and rides with a spaced out mix of filtered chord stabs and pads. Manuel's warm up vibe really rounds off what is a brilliant entry into the vinyl market for Music Related.

The third release of the vinyl only label Another Earth is upon us and it's all about techno. Esther Duijn combines 2 acts together in a Split EP series which compliment each others sound. For this release Esther selected two notorious European techno producers she adores, Opuswerk and Lee Holman. On the A side Opuswerk delivers 2 deep driving techno tracks. RF Thruster basically expands from beginning to end. This constant propulsion has a deep impact on any dance floor. He drew inspiration from Jeff Mills and Planetary Assault Systems for this particular track. EmDrive starts with an atmospheric intro and morphs into one epic build up that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. On the flip side Lee Holman bangs 2 deep and firm techno grooves like there is no tomorrow. While Adaptive Optics is rough on the edges it does pay attention to small details which make the track very dynamic. Absorption Lines puts the emphasis on a warmer atmosphere. With this track you can transform anything into a pulsating hot mass, according to Esther

RELEASE

'The Practice of Pseudoscience', a three track EP by M Parent, is the second vinyl release from the US based label Chem Club Records. Having been inspired by peripheral thoughts about pseudosciences, this EP is washed in steady emotional build ups using airy reverb, scattering percussion, throbbing stabs and solid kicks. The title track (A1) uses these elements to move towards a piercing synth peak while 'Cycle of Intellect' (A2) spaces out these features as it creeps to a dubby impactful end. The B side 'Temazcal Rites' was directly motivated by a scorching summer day when the intensity of the sun sparked an idea for a sizzling percussive experiment. What we're left with is a funky but emotive soundscape that tops off the EP in a unique fashion.


ARTIST

M Parent, the artist behind Chem Club's second vinyl release entitled 'The Practice of Pseudoscience', is a Brooklyn based animator who uses his background in this story-driven medium to further express himself musically. His storyline approach to producing makes for an attentive listening experience full of arcs and plot twists that still maintains it's focus on the dancefloor. Using hardware exclusively, M Parent's aim is to produce emotive tracks that exist somewhere between a continuously evolving song and a fully functional track. M Parent DJs regularly at Bossa Nova Civic Club in Brooklyn and has a monthly residency at Jupiter Disco called Modal Form with fellow Blankstairs artist, Nathaniel Young.

Two years on from his critically acclaimed self-titled debut LP and 2016's similarly transcendent club hit Safe/Multiply, Ghost Culture is pleased to announce his new EP Nucleus. Due for release on Phantasy, Nucleus, captures the enigmatic London artist's signature sound in the reflection of unexpected, vibrant new lights.
Leading with the understated groove of 'Coma', Ghost Culture quickly reaffirms his unwavering ability to hold the collective energy of a dancefloor, yet colours his latest work with a sense of intimacy and experimentation that resonates stronger than ever.
'ICO130' explores almost every facet of Ghost Culture's electronic form, as gasping synths and stuttering drum patterns flirt with an aching, unfurling emotional vocal sample, acknowledging both classic IDM influences such as Aphex Twin and Authechre, while subtly nodding towards contemporary, crystalline RnB.
The EP's centrepiece, 'NGC1275' adds flavour to a stirring, reflective acid line, amid a complex flurry of minor deconstructions and distortions, highlighting Ghost Culture's unique, contrarian ability to inspire both beckoning darkness and escapist fantasy through his work.
While the opening half of the five track EP is more primed for the night, Nucleus' leads to an introspective denouement. 'Perseus' pits raw electronics against a framework of loose, lucid drums, before 'NGC1265' delivers a wistful, brooding conclusion that makes an emotive case that impacts powerfully across just a short sketch.

40 years after the huge international impact of OXYGENE, and 20 years from its second volume OXYGENE 7-13, Jean-Michel Jarre is fulfilling a trilogy of albums with OXYGENE 3, containing seven newly composed and recorded pieces, consistently titled parts 14-20.

His inspiration for the newly added parts on OXYGENE 3 was not to go back in time, but to add a sense of now' to his iconic piece of work. Plunging into the environment of OXYGENE with its highly original dark, moody and at times quite upbeat musical language, Jarre references some of the music from his entire body of work on OXYGENE 3. It's a state-of-the-art recording, embracing both classic and modern ways of music production.
This release is available on single LP heavyweight vinyl.

Euphoric, deep, future Summer classic from Armenian newcomer Vahagn. Remixes from Barraca darling and Ostgut Ton producer Dana Ruh and Brooklyn's Nick Chacona

LAURENT GARNIER 'Absolutely looove the original and Dana Ruh mix. Will play for sure.'

JIMPSTER 'Really lovely bunch of tracks here. Can hear the original making a big impact but also love the slightly more spaced out mix from Nick. Definitely be playing these.'

Beautiful Deluxe Artwork, Limited ot to not to is an experimental RnB project by VA native Ian Mugerwa that combines low fidelity electronic recording techniques with unconventional song structures to produce music that serves as homage to dusty old blues recordings. At 19, Ian left his hometown of Fairfax for Richmond, where he slept on friends' floors for several months while recording Goshen. During the day he would "hunt dussy" and during the night he would haul borrowed equipment over to the VCU music facilities and record until the morning. He was moderately successful on both fronts. The resultant recordings form a coming of age album, a snapshot of Ian from the ages of nineteen to twenty. Ian's goal was to explore new aesthetics in black music through use of nontraditional methods, creating less polished, less sterile RnB in the process. Such methods included layering 40+ cello tracks to create the illusion of an orchestra, or collaging four, separate, 4-minute tracks of improvised percussion into one. Most drums were recorded last. Despite the focus on experimentation, it was important to Ian that he be crafting pop music. It is his belief that an impactful artist has, at least to some degree, a moral responsibility to deliver their art to the maximum amount of people (to efficiently help art as a whole progress). In other words, if restraint can be exercised, it ought to be. Similar artists include James Blake, Phil Elvrum, Mark Hollis, and D'Angelo.

RVDS second album with different musical impacts. A musical journey with Acid, Deep House, Deep Techno, Jazz, Ambient, Love and so on - All tracks by RVDS, Guitar on A2: Philipp Schneider, Voice on E1: Giada Pesce.

For its fifth release, Amsterdam's Taped Artifact offers up a various artists EP that features four tracks including one from the boss, Kevin Arnemann, as well as Hiver, Elmer and Physical Therapy. It is a moody and atmospheric deep techno offering that fits in with the label's ever more singular aesthetic. Up first is Physical Therapy, a producer who since 2012 has put out some fine EPs and LPs on labels like 1080p, Unknown to the Unknown and Liberation Technologies. It is a roomy affair with corrugated mid tempo drums down low and haunting pads up top. Building in intensity with some icy hi hats, it ends up as a ghoulish number that adds real theatre to the floor. Next up is Elmer, key part of Brussels' Bepotel Records crew. Melting techno, wave and dub into raw and expressive new forms, this new cut 'Simple Models' makes great use of analog machinery. Again deep and horizonless, a rippling lead synth line plays off an industrial bass riff as paddy drums roll on below. It's humid and heady stuff, to be sure. Then comes the boss who offers a more dubbed out and bumpy dub­techno track with expansive chords rolling off into the distance and light and airy hi hats dancing in the mid ground. It's one to get floors moving before the Hiver duo of Giuseppe Albrizio and Sergio Caio from labels like Curle and Vidab close things out with the dusty old breakbeats and woozy spaced out synths of 'Intersect.' This is a subtle but impactful EP full of sensitive underground sounds that pack a real punch. Vital Sales Points: - 5th release on Taped Artifact - First Various Artists compilation on Taped Artifact - Custom made artwork by photographer Merel Kemp - Artwork

RAWAX proudly welcomes Mr. Lamont Norwood aka Dj Di'jital to the family! A true pioneer from Detroit!

Truly an old school Techno Bass jewel, DJ Di'jital has been a key player in the development of what some call the "Second Generation" of Detroit Techno. Having released on classic Detroit labels like Metroplex, Direct Beat, and Twilight 76, there is plenty of good reason why his name and his work have become so legendary over the years.

Influenced by early groups like Kraftwerk and Parliament, it was no surprise that the 80's fusion of Electronic Music, Funk and Hip Hop that brought about the Electro Funk sounds, would have such an impact on him. As a kid, Lamont Norwood aka DJ Di'jital became acquainted with the idea of mixing two songs together using tape decks, which while being limited, still gave him the drive and passion to pursue a career as a professional DJ. Over the years he played many different house parties and underground clubs, even spending some time as a Cabaret DJ.

Throughout this time, Di'jital became an incredibly skilled turntablist, quickly gaining the reputation of being a formidable force behind the wheels of steel. The year 1996 would prove to be quite a momentous one for Norwood, not only signing to the already well established label Direct Beat, but also becoming the official DJ for one of the label's finest and most important artists, Aux 88. Having already released his first EP, "Prototype", on Direct Beat, this would become a great opportunity that would help seal him as an icon of what was now known as the Detroit Techno Bass scene. Over the next few years,

Di'jital continued recording for Direct Beat, releasing some of the greatest and most unique Techno Bass classics to date, even doing a few remixes for some of Aux 88's most well known releases like "Electro/Techno", "I Need To Freak", and "Break It Down". Hit EPs like "From The Mind Of The Master", and "360 Degrees" became instant classics, still very sought after to this day. He also had some of his songs appear on some of the various Direct Beat compilations that were released between the years 1996 and 1999 like "Xperience De Bass II", which released "Radar2Bass", one of his most notable works, as well as the all time collector's album, "Techno Bass: The Mission".
Perhaps what may have been one of the biggest signs that his career was becoming exactly what he had hoped for, was the opportunity presented to him to remix Aaron Carl's classic "Down", which was released on the iconic Metroplex Records in 1998; Something that to any Detroit native would have been an honor and a milestone, given the reputation and level of success and influence that Juan Atkin's imprint had on the Detroit Electronic Music scene, as well as the global Electro/Techno movement.

Between the years 2000 and 2002, there was a small hiatus in complete EPs or albums being released by DJ Di'jital, although there were 2 different tracks released on the labels Bipolar and Studio iK7. In 2002, he went on to sign to another of Detroit's legendary imprints, Twilight 76, where he released 2 EPs, "Bass Programmers", and Di'jital's Revenge". In 2005, already a veteran and having amassed the necessary skill and knowledge needed to be a true beat warrior, Di'jital was now ready to join the resistance...Underground Resistance that is! Featured on the Interstellar Fugitives Vol. 2 compilation ( also later released as a 2xCD/DVD set ), Di'jital also released on the Electrocuter EP, which featured the previously released "Bang", as well as "Track 19".

In 2006, already well into the digital age ( no pun intended ), Norwood would release his first set of downloadable works, starting with an album called "The Prototype", on Twilight 76, which was completely unrelated to his first EP which was also called "Prototype". Recently, Twilight 76 has also released what is so far a 2 volume set of battle cuts dubbed "Electro Battle Tools".

The only known material that is known to be in the future for DJ Di'jital at the moment is a remix of Morphogenetic's "Techno Bass Is Back!", which was originally released as a free download to members of Technobass, but will soon be released on a 12"/Digital release that will launch the site's own label "Techno Bass Music". There will also be a follow EP by Di'jital, so stay tuned! Over the years, DJ Di'jital has proven to be an unstoppable force in the Techno Bass scene, tirelessly working to push the boundaries of Electro forward with his futuristic and visionary beats that have unleashed mayhem across the globe, not just in his published works, but also in his incredible DJ acts, where one can truly witness one of the few actual turntablists in this style of music. Expect more in the future as Di'jital's revenge continues to spread across the globe with his out of the ordinary approach towards Techno Bass music.

Todd Osborne playing around and dropping two killer cover versions of classic tracks!! Two acid tracks "Acid thunder / Land of confusion " masterfully replayed on the historic machines by Todd Osborn who brings even more dynamics and impact than the original tracks!!!!! TIP!

THE ASSISTENZ is the culmination of a four year creative hot streak as vivid as any part of CRISTAN VOGEL's long career. The trio of dance oor-oriented records formed by 2012's The Inertials, 2014's Polyphonic Beings and now THE ASSISTENZ are sensual pleasures rst and foremost: a lifetime of study of frequencies and rhythms on the frontline of the world's clubs has been put into the creation of sounds that interface with the nervous system and emotional re- sponses with extraordinary immediacy. But there's much more too: together with the more ab- stracted album Eselsbru¨cke, these form an enticing sonic narrative, encoded themes running through them, each part revealing more about the whole. THE ASSISTENZ, then, is many things: a personal document, a tribute to Copenhagen where it was recorded and after whose famous cemetery it is named - but also the nal piece in this bigger puzzle, which unlocks untold secrets from the previous three records.

There's a deeper history, of course. CRISTIAN's productions going back to the start of the 1990s have woven their way into the fabric of underground culture. His own recent remasters of his early albums, and the Sub Rosa Classics 1993-1998 collections have shown just how potent his early work remains. But his new work exists in a very different world to those past works, and is far removed from the recent electronic generations who he has in uenced too. In fact, as you listen to THE ASSISTENZ, you realise that there's no point making comparisons with other elec- tronic producers at all. While you will certainly hear some of the most fundamental and enduring vectors of underground music - dub, electro, acid, funk - owing through the tracks, even those things are rebuilt from the molecular level, created completely afresh with new, precise, but some- what skewed vision.

CRISTIAN's understanding of music now is spectral. That is to say, with every step through his exploration of sound over the years, he has made more and more detailed analyses of the specif- ic frequencies that make up speci c sounds and produce speci c effects on the human mind and body. And as a result, his own sound synthesis - increasingly done via the Kyma programming platform - is more and more able to reach beyond the 'synthetic' and impact in uncanny and wonderful ways. The most obvious sense of this is the way his sounds touch on the human voice: not just in the chattering, shimmering, singing tones of THE ASSISTENZ's ghostly centrepiece 'Barefoot Agnete', in the alien radio signals of 'The Merman's Dream' or even in the subliminal 'aaah's hiding in the background of the noisy 'Vessels', but in the way any sound, anywhere in any track can sound peculiarly vocal, heard from the right angle.

And it's not just the boundary between human and non-human, or that between acoustic and synthetic, that get blurred to the point of non-existence. CRISTAN's creative methodology now is all about leaving you so uncertain about where anything came from, or what scale the sounds are operating on, that you have no choice but to let go of preconceptions and standardised criti- cal faculties and go with it. Sometimes that can take you to places where darkness and physical- ity close in on you as on 'Vessels' or 'Telemorphosis', or into haunted spaces on the edge of the void like those of 'Snowcrunch' and 'Barefoot Agnete', but even in those, there is euphoria. And in the voluptuousness of 'Hold' or the body-rocking funk of 'Cubic Haze', all the abstraction is grounded in the sheer pleasure of your own bodily responses to the sound.

So many of the science ction dreams of the 1990s are now (virtual) reality. We live in a time when social networks consciously manipulate our emotions, where data is money, where ma- chines learn, where images can't be trusted, and where the synthetic can feel more real than real. Over some 25 years, CRISTIAN's experiments have traced much of this weirdness and evolved with it, and his understanding of synthesis and algorithmic processes to create structure makes him one of the most important composers working today. But THE ASSISTENZ doesn't just ex- periment with the interfaces between mind, body and machine: it expresses those relationships in ways that are beautiful, troubling, moving and scary, and which even make you want to dance. Together with the preceding three albums it enacts a glorious, endlessly-explorable mapping of just what electronic music can do.

Not even a month has passed since Sierra Sam and Pascal Hetzel ´s CYRK project launched with the high impact homage 'Tribute' and they return with yet another respectfully rooted release.
Channelling the energies of Detroitian agenda-setters such as Inner City, Joey Beltram and Scott Grooves, CYRK celebrate the original template and ingredients that have gone on to inform every genre that's since passed. Easy to say... A dark art to master without repeating something that's already been done before. Safe to say that CYRK definitely have that art mastered...
Its deft ping-pong riff echoing through classic detuned synth tones and unrelenting beats refusing to stop even for the honeyed evocative tones of singer Christine Eusebio , 'Fantasy' is one of those tracks you'll feel you know but also understand its freshness instantly. The type of track that gets crowds grinning like Cheshire cats the second it pops on... Even though they've never heard it before. Rooted in history, coded in innovation, it's more proof that CYRK's three-headed formula is better than one.
Remix-wise both Pascal Hetzel and Gerome Sportelli remain in Detroit: Pascal looks towards the likes of Mills and UR's 'World Power Alliance' phase for inspiration with his heads-down, militant techno aesthetics while Gerome conjures up sensations of Cybotron and The Preps with his slinky, ice-edged electro adaptation. Both versions take Christine's surging, sensual vocals to new creative pastures... And they've invited you to do the same with the acapella version, too.
Celebrating a legacy while keeping it fresh, CYRK remind us where we've come from... And where we're heading.ind us where we've come from... And where we're heading.

The contributions of the late Detroit producer James DeWitt Yancey -better known to the world as J Dilla- to the world of hip-hop can't be overstated, and nowhere is his legacy more apparent than his work as a member of Slum Village. A founding member of the trio, (Alongside rappers T3 and Baatin) Dilla provided the group's distinctly esoteric, free-wheeling sound, built around winding basslines, quirky drumbeats, subtle low-end frequencies, and classic jazz & soul samples. Against the backdrop of Dilla's rich production, T3 and Baatin's free-flowing style of rhyming would also earn wide critical praise, leading to comparisons as the successors to A Tribe Called Quest. (A label they themselves have rejected.) After the success of Slum's 1997 studio debut, Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1, the group went to work on their follow up. Though the project was completed in '98, label turmoil kept the project on ice until 2000. By the time Fantastic Volume II hit Dilla was well on his way to his status as a hip hop legend having produced cuts for Common, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest and many more. Later works from Slum Village may have had more of an impact sales-wise (in the immediate) but Fantastic Vol. 2 had fans and many critics saying that Slum Village, and Dilla in particular, may single-handedly save rap music.' Perhaps that statement is hyperbole but many consider Fantastic Volume II to be Slum Village's finest work ever to this day. Ne'Astra Media Group now presents the album reissued on vinyl, for the first time in several years. Every wobbling bass note of J Dilla's production has been preserved to maintain the legacy of this hip hop rap classic and maintain the legend of one of hip-hop's greatest beatsmiths.

Axodry was the duo of Andreas Talla 2XLC" Tomalla and Ralf "Ra/Hen" Henrich, who formed in Frankfurt, Germany in 1982. The two met at City Music record store where Talla 2XLC worked, supplying the local DJ scene with dance 12's. From 1984 to 1991 they released six maxi 12' singles. Both members were leading figures in the European electronic scene during the 80's and 90's, forming bands like Bigod 20, Tribantura, Micro Chip League, Moskwa TV, Pluuto and Robotiko Rejekto.

In 1988 they released the maxi 12' single You' on ZYX Records/Combeat. Influenced by Depeche Mode, Gary Numan and John Foxx, the duo crafted high impact Industrial, Synth Pop and Electronic Body Music. Their basic set up for recording at RaHen's home studio was a Moog Rouge, Roland SH-101, Teisco synthesizer, Linn Drum and Fricke sequencer. Ra/Hen performed dramatic vocals, which tell of a lost love found in dreams. Included here are the Beauty & The Beat Mix and the Beasty Dub Mix from the 1988 single. On the flip is the Razormaid Remix, performed by Art Maharg and Joseph Watt, that originally appeared on the "Welcome To The Technodrome' compilation in 1989. Also included is Mechanic', originally released in 1991 as the B-side for their final single Losing You'.

All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The record comes in a sleeve featuring the original black and blue cover art with hand-painted typography by Dr. Draw, The Gruesome Grapholoic. Each copy includes a postcard with with notes. What Else Is There To Say

Solarism is the result of a common fascination for landscapes and a passion for contemplation.After two decades of an unbreakable friendship, we have finaly imaginated this protean entity to express what contemplation has offered us and how it connects us to the world, describing those experiences through music compositions, dj performances and welcoming other artists to release their art.After our strong FRANCK ROGER release TIGER IN THE HOOD, we are really happy to get one of our two label drivers, ARNO E. MATHIEU, back on Solarism. «The Earth Project » is dedicated to planet earth and Arno's feeling for nature, back in his childhood landscapes.A1 - TEARS OF THE WHALES is an epic, melodic and hypnotic trip, drived by a strong drum and bass-line groove. Directly inspired by the Whales journey, this tune evoke also how much this majestic animal have always been an example of a pacific force. Evolving in the deepness of the oceans and traveling all over the planet, whales are also a symbol of how nature suffers of the impact and polution of consumerism system.B1 - TERRA describs a melancolic and balearic long overview of Arno E. Mathieu's chilhood landscape with percussive grooves, strong melodic bass-line and anthemic synth gimics. This new Arno's track evolves in a tight structured arrangement evoking hills, lands and fields that inspired him for so long...

WEvery artistic scene is lead by their artists and kept alive by their fans, but mostly by its talents, who can look outside of the box and have a great relationship with their crowd. Junior C is a great example of how this theory comes true for a DJ and Producer.
Junior C is a very versatile artist, who consolidated his career in three columns: Technique, Feeling and Crowd-Reading, Important skills that added to his strong musical taste made him able to adapt his sets to many dance-floors, from underground to mainstream without loosing his musical identity.
As a producer, he got a lot of attention by his latest tracks Relax' and Sweet Acid Talk' released by Impact Records, produced in partnership with Wehbba and Propulse. Both tracks in just a couple of weeks hit the top 20 in tech-house at Beatport receiving compliments from: Sven Vath, 2000 and One, Karotte, Hector Couto, Joseph Capriati and many more, afterwards Sweet Acid Talk' was the best seller of Ibiza Underground 2013' released by Toolroom Records.
In this EP he has worked with H.O.S.H., Gui Boratto and Gunjah to create new approaches of his latest single Coming Over' and the result are 3 different interpretations of this dance floor timeless song, full of groove, lush harmonies and organic undertones. It doesn't take much to imagine this EP owning dance floors in the months and years to come.
Engineered to perfection by label head GUI BORATTO, it's an exciting step for the imprint and the project alike.
it's an exciting step for the imprint and the project alike.

Completing a quick fire trio of new EPs, Constant Sound hits release number six with a pair of new tracks from VRSION that come with a dance floor friendly remix from Persuader. VRSION is a German producer who has already made a big impact with his release on Craig Richards' excellent The Nothing Special label. Following up that in fine style is the opener here, 'Torn', which is a hurried and urgent track that sits on the divide between house and techno. It is driven and slick, rubbery and hypnotic but has plenty of nuance and funk in its well programmed drums. Some occult sounds and wordless vocals embellished the whole thing and it really is the sort of track that blows dance floors apart and will stand out in any set. 'Capricorn Meet Leo' then toys with kinked drum patterns, rattling percussion and fathom deep bass that sucks you right into VRSION's world. It's a restless place where harmonies ride up and down the scale, cause claps come at you from odd angles and dark vocals add a sense of paranoia. Remixing this one is Persuader, who does so with a stripped back sense of restrain. he retains the original's weirdness, but layers in serene pads and tripped out atmospherics that really make it ripe for playing at 4am. This is the most adventurous release yet for Constant Sound, and is sure to prove one of its bets as a result.

Sheffield DJ/Producer Louis 'Taiko' Robson has consistently agitated the boundaries of dubstep music, manipulating eclectic influences in to his productions with bold, original arrangements, intricate percussion, experimental instrumentation and unforgettable subs, and he's not held back with ALBION002.

Title track Splinted dons the A Side of the release and sets the standard high with its heavy sub, percussive melody, and string lead. Robson has taken inspiration from contemporary orchestral composers such as Terry Riley and Steve Reich initiating the creation of the drums and percussion, which add a rich analogue sound to the track, and with that an almighty atmosphere. Folk-like scratchy strings take the lead which is a theme set for the EP and highlights Taiko's tenacity for sound design and disregard for convention. Each eclectic element of the track compliments the next resulting in a guttural, energetic dance floor cut, with dark undertones making the listener feel agitated or anxious. A pulse raiser strictly for sound system use.

Over on the flip side, starting with the outer, Taiko offers a much warmer vibe throughout Fractal, flexing another experimental set of instrumentation, this time round building rhythm with an accordion sample. An enormous rolling sub bass instantly becomes dominant after the short intro and meticulous percussion exaggerates the astounding impact from the drums. In the break expect a much murkier tone with a grimey string sample leading to the second drop. Robson achieves a certain level of feel-good whilst maintaining a dark and aggressive tone in his unmistakably raw track.

Nickel takes the inner side on the flip, following form to the prior with its accordion sample adding a distorted guitar drone for the melodic intro. The acoustic instrumentation couples up with irregular drum work solidifying the EP's 'live' aesthetic, whilst maintaining a dance floor orientation. Tonnes of energy meets masses of bass, Nickel is a recommended set opener and a great close to the EP.

Drew McDowall's back story reads like a primer of psychedelic fiction woven into statements of the unbelievable, superhuman and outright insane. Somewhere in the chaotic madness, comes an artist such as McDowall with total control and absolute calm within his songs and artistic method.

Growing up in the gangs of 1970's Scotland, Drew McDowall started to shy away from the daily violence once punk took hold of the counterculture youth. Drew McDowall quickly scrambled to form his own punk band in 1978 with his then wife, Rose McDowall, called The Poems. Shortly lived, the Poems released a single and various tracks but more importantly, the band allowed McDowall to network with other local musicians in Glasgow, such as Orange Juice, and allowed him to travel down to London thus forming friendships with Genesis P-Orridge, David Tibet and countless others, bringing Drew into the fold of the experimental revolution happening in the UK brought upon by Throbbing Gristle and executed by bands such as Psychic TV and Current 93.

During the 1980's, McDowall found himself in the ranks of P-Orridge's Psychic TV and collaborating with the mysterious duo comprised of former Throbbing Gristle creator Peter 'Sleazy' Christopherson and the enigmatic John Balance who had been creating esoteric and progressive electronic music under the title of Coil. It was during his formative collaborations with Coil that McDowall saw himself shift from occasional contributor to austere full-time member of the arcane outfit. McDowall's impact on the band's sound was apparent as the releases transformed from their previous avant pop signature to a more complex and methodic electronic imprint accompanied by even more abstruse subject matter than previous years. McDowall would continue honing his compositional skills with Coil until the release of the band's two most broad-minded albums, Astral Disaster and Musick to Play in the Dark.

The past decade, Drew McDowall found himself living in New York City and re-appropriating himself within the local music scenes he found himself contributing to. In 2011, alongside his friend and collaborator, Tres Warren (Psychic Ills), McDowall found himself exploring his passion of meditative drone and abstract sound patterns in their project Compound Eye. In recent times, McDowall's production work has provided the music world with some of the most outstanding remixes for bands such as Nine Inch Nails, Azar Swan and Long Distance Poison as well as his well-received scores he composed alongside artist Tamaryn for the works of Bret Easton Ellis. Outside of his collaborative duties, McDowall formed an audience as a solo artist, playing countless performances and showcases around New York's electronic music haunts.

Dais Records approached Drew to solidify his standing as a leading electronic musician with the recording of new material neatly wrapped up in his debut album entitled 'Collapse'. Recorded in 2015 in Brooklyn, NY, McDowall's synonymous modular synthesizer compositions are augmented by obtuse sampling cut-ups and contributions from Nicky Mao (Hiro Kone / Effi Briest) rounding out the lumbering sequential knot work that has become synonymous with McDowall and craft.

NORTHERN SOUL doesn't get much better than this iconic 1968 anthem, Time Will Pass You By', one of the famed 3 Before 8' as played every Sunday morning at Wigan Casino during it's 8 year reign. Presented here - FOR THE FIRST TIME - coupled with the original demo, recorded by the writers at the Impact studio, Detroit, 1965. We also include a spoken word introduction recorded exclusively for Outta Sight by writer and producer John Rhys... now ain't that just Outta Sigfht!'

SALES POINTS:
One of the all-time great Northern Soul tracks, a 3 before 8' classic
Exclusive commentary by writer John Rhys
As featured in the film Northern Soul

The late Dena Barnes reputedly recorded four sides for Harry Balk in the Impact studios circa 1966-67, two are featured here, the other two have yet to surface... oh what joy! If You Ever Walk Out Of My Life' IS Northern Soul to many devotees ever since it was first spun on the UK club scene some 40 years ago. Co-written by Gar'dena' Barnes and Duke Browner, during his glory years, and arranged by Detroit royalty Mike Terry. Surely this iconic double-sider demands to be in every soul fans collection.

SALES POINTS:
All time Northern Soul Classic - Two fabulous sides
Massive appeal to ALL Northern Soul fans

Iosefa Manumaleuna, aka DJ Hyperactive, is now back in Chicago after nearly 20 years in LA. Prior to his return, his classic Wide Open track got a serious re-working by Berghain resident Len Faki on Figure. As part of the Droid Behavior crew he released the 25Hrs. EP on Droid Recordings. More recently another DJ Hyperactive classic "Venus" got re-released along with Ciren and Truncate remixes on the "Venus Revisited" EP on Chris Liebing's CLR imprint. 2012 rmarked the return and start of a heavy remix cycle starting with Luis Flores "The Word" and recent remix of Mike Gervais "Churn" both on Detroit based Blank Code, Impact Unit "Dread" on Silent Steps, Manic Brothers "Sledgehammer" on Octopus Black Label, Truncate "31" on Gynoid Audio and the current list of TO DO's is long...!
The first release back in 1997 on 4 Track Records was by DJ Hyperactive titled P.51 and here were are nearly 20 years later and we're going to see the next release again by Hyperactive on vinyl again titled "Black On Black" EP. This EP will be three tracks, 2 which are acid tracks and one long experimental spaced out track.

It´s certainly one of these rare moments, when you stumble over a record which really stands out ; a record which creates one of those moments that makes your day. A record that slowly makes your foot tap, and makes you drop out of the monotony of our everyday life.
Suddenly echoes of yet undiscovered sounds turn the beat from a localized impact into an environment with you inside. Refractions bounce back from any surface. No other artist manages it to make electronic music sound so organic, opening up rooms with a phenomenal spatial architecture. With his unique technique to arrange frequencies in space, Boris Steffen, better known as Jichael Mackson once more delivers an outstanding series of tracks with his first EP on his very own imprint Teledub.
The 'Foxy Lady' contains three tracks each with the unique dramaturgy Jichael Mackson is well known for, while adding a new almost sexy/funky freshness to his signature sound.
Apart from sounding beautiful and being undeniably serious bombs for any dancefloor, these tracks are simply different. The Foxy Lady EP builds a bridge to Jichael Macksons early releases and one thing is for sure, this is a record that will stay in our bags for a long time.
Jichael Mackson's Foxy Lady EP on Teledub. Grab your copy...

Vasumitra is built around static drum-kicks and a pulsating bassline countered by atmospheric and murky synth progressions; its repetitive and body-thumping structure rolls deep.
Nublando o Ar rips it from the get-go, with a hyper-funked groove that manages to sustain its rugged-pace and entrancing impact all the way. In the title track Feitiço, Seixlack succeeds in artfully juxtaposing banging riddims with jazzed-out, infectious chords leading nicely to the fourth cut, re-crafted by the mighty Miltiades, with a deep-rooted and slow-burner of a meditation.

This next release demonstrates exactly what can happen when you merge a formidable heavyweight with one of the genre's most promising talents. Jaguar Skills needs little introduction; he's infamous for his ninja-like DJing skills with years stacked behind the decks.

As a result, it was no surprise the artist tried his hands at production alongside Chord's impressive musicality. Already unstoppable from its conception, 'Lust' could only be released on an imprint known for its high quality. And RAM Records is proud to unleash this toe-tapping, catchy piece of sonic artwork on the dnb community...One that's already taken the radio airwaves by storm.
Opening with a rhythm that curls itself around your aural senses, prepare to be pulled into 'Lust' by its funky groove and well-chiselled hooks. The vocal delight of Matti Roots really brings light to the seasonal feel this track creates; an arpeggio of notes underpins each high-hitting voice crescendo. Bright but not without substance, Chords' production style is instantly recognisable. This debut from Jaguar Skills serves as a perfect platform for the high standards this mix-maker is about to set, as well as the benchmark which Chords has already carved.

On the flipside, Break holds onto the A-side's sunny disposition, yet throws down a riddim that hits as heavy as a freight train. The foundations laid by the producer are slightly different, as it rattles forward with clinking percussion, alluding to the kind of drop Break is renowned for. With his distinctive, boundary-pushing drum rolls and bouncy, booming and concise hits, there's no mistaking a sound which adds another dimension to the remixes' original.

You're also served up with another dish which is vastly different from house-guru Monstro. like the previous edit, the record's humanism winds up within the first thirty seconds, however the seismic impact of its drop rolls out into a house-bassline that thumps with every bar. A genre transition which doesn't fall short of the original's production prowess, prepare to hold onto your seats because this serves as the optimal way to wrap up two striking remixes of an already impressive track list.
Dominating playlists for years to come, this release from RAM is yet again taking the genre to another level. But considering the parties involved, there was no other direction for this record to take.

Phiorio's Animals release has been a labour of love. After co-running Metroline Limited for the past 6 years and after a series of digital releases and remixes for both Metroline and Retrometro (as well as Letroom Limited and MBF amongst others), Phiorio's vinyl debut on ML finally sees the light of day. The choice of remixers has also been laborious but over at Metroline HQ we are really happy that in the end we managed to secure two stunning reworks by the likes of the more and more in demand French producer Doubtingthomas (with releases on labels such as Hummingbird, Organic and of course, Metroline Limited) and the super-hot up and coming Russian producers Adjustment Bureau. The EP opening track Ninja Cat is a deep and quirky number. The groove is tight with heavy drums and crisp percussions. An acid b-line leads the way while atmospherics pop in and out until an off key synth appears and adds a level of spookiness to the proceedings. Doubtinthomas remix take things into even deeper territory. His landmark reduced drum programming is very noticeable here with shuffled up percussions, lush pads and a very heavy bass to guarantee maximum impact on the dancefloor. Superpupider is a no-nonsense straight up dark and dirty techno tool. It's all about the groove with this track, the drums lead the way with clever use of filtered hats and percussions. That said, Phiorio's ability with abstract sound is still in evidence with plenty of spooky voices, pads and noises firing off in all directions. Adjustment Bureau remix of Ninja Cat completes our tasty package. The Russian duo's (soon to release a stunning debut EP on Hypertone) approach is in line with modern trippy and experimental techno and has a distinctive 'Romanian' vibe. They used the original elements of the track and added extra percussive and vocal samples to create an epic, intricate and groovy paranoid funk number.

'You become responsible, forever, for what you've tamed", Antoine de Saint-Exupéry writes in his modern fairy tale 'The Little Prince', in which his protagonist travels through various worlds in search of friendship and benevolence. The quote is, no doubt, fitting for Niko Schwind, since the Berlin-based DJ and producer consistently demonstrates a deeply anchored love for and close bond to house music, the art form he himself has tamed. As a DJ, he travels the globe, having played in Europe, Australia, Thailand, Brazil, the US and Mexico, and in his sets he creates a feeling of connectedness between himself and others, as well as within the crowd. On Stil vor Talent, Niko Schwind now presents the fruit of his labour in the from of his third album: 'Grippin' World' captivates the listeners with its versatility and coherence, and kidnaps them to a world of sound, made up of elegantly reduced grooves, organic arrangements and accessible vocal-melodies. With 'Perfect Fit', the first single of the album, we are handed an absolute highlight, as Heartbeat's warm voice and a simple guitar-loop form a flawless musical symbiosis, accentuated by a synthetically creaking bass-line. Niko thus proofs he's more than capable of practicing restrained Minimalism with a pop-impact. 'Perfect Fit' then gets the floor treatment: while Niko turns in a reduced, tool-oriented club cut, the hitherto unknown Proud bursts onto the scene with a dreamy arrangement centred around atmospheric synths on his remix. Grippin'!

Steve Lee's (The Project Club) ABOVE MACHINE label returns after 003's massive 'Love Disguise' from Vendetta Suite

This fourth release comes courtesy of acclaimed Italian duo Almunia
Their celebrated output through Paul 'Mudd' Murphy's Claremont56 label, including the recent superb Pulsar LP has seen the their blissful & uplifting Balearic sound
expand and evolve beautifully.



One Time is a gorgeous slice of the same, and conjurs up gentle sea breezes and long summer days perfectly


The ever essential Craig Bratley, whose All Ears distributed Magic Feet label has provided some of our best output, alongside recent hit 'Obsession' on Weatherall's Bird Scarer imprint takes charge on the flipside here.
Craig takes the melodic motif's and vocal parts and weaves a trademark synthed out & acidic chugger of epic proportions. Sure to be belting out across the Adriatic this summer
Andrew Clarke - whose been making an impact with a selection of cuts on labels like Audio Parallax & Chopshop - wraps it all up with a truly amazing rework, managing to retain all the stunning musicality of the original, but elevating the elements to euphoric new heights.

The Descent of Man EP is the third and last part of a trilogy on vinyl dedicated to Charles Darwin studies. This final chapter is focused on the darkest side of electronic music and his impact on human psychology. As Charles Darwin studied the evolution of physical and mental traits, we want to show how obscure, trembling and aggressive sounds generate an increasing sense of agitation and loss while mild and gloomy atmospheres can relieve the body and brain, achieving a peaceful state of mind.
Don't be afraid to move into a shady space. This is not the end even if it could be.

If geography has an impact on music, then Vienna has coloured Tosca's music at every turn. Over the course of a career spanning two decades, the Austrian capital has inspired Richard Dorfmeister (of Kruder & Dorfmeister fame) and Rupert Huber to make electronic mood pieces coloured with Mitteleuropean melancholy.It's a bittersweet juxtaposition that is much in evidence on the pair's new album, 'Odeon'. It opens with the hazy strings of 'Zur Guten', which ebbs into the oozing keys and pizzicato steel string guitars of 'What If', which features a smokey vocal from Sarah Carlier. Lead single 'Jayjay' is a haunted combination of sombre piano chords, rolling drums and weird, otherworldly vocals from JJ Jones. It's the pivotal track on a record that sees Tosca tapping into gothic atmospheres. It's darker than their previous five albums, more downbeat, at times ambient. It's unlike anything else out there at the moment.Is there a reason for this sombre tone Nothing specific. "Obviously our music is influenced by our experiences of life - it couldn't be any other way - so in some senses it's a kind of diary, but there weren't any single incidents that caused the record to be that little bit darker," says Dorfmeister. If anything, the exact opposite is true: life has been good. "Over the last year I think we've both learnt to be more generous and to understand our own limitations and other people's" says Huber. A case of musical yin and personal yang, then.The album's name, meanwhile, comes from the venue in Vienna where Tosca debuted the new material in October. The performance went so well they decided it would make a fortuitous name - the music/place interface in action once again. The performance features as a bonus disc on the deluxe version of the album, which will be available exclusively via !K7's webstore. More than anything, 'Odeon' is the sound of a band at the top of their game. A good time for them to release a career retrospective then. Dorfmeister reflects on the band's history. "It sounds like a cliche, but we've never really thought about other people's music when we're writing our own," he says. "We try and create our own sound. We really have always been like that. And I think we've developed a trademark sound because of that." They certainly have. It's been called the "Vienna sound". And, in updated form, it still sounds like nothing else.
Double Gatefold LP with bonus CD of the entire album