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Wah Wah 45's are proud to present "Cages", the third album from southern soul boys The Milk. Having released "Favourite Worry", their critically acclaimed sophomore album and first for independent label Wah Wah 45's, in 2015, the band are able to trace the seeds of the latest LP back to their recording sessions with producer Paul Butler (Andrew Bird, Michael Kiwanuka, Nick Waterhouse) almost five years ago, blending elements of soul, funk and rock together to create their own unique sound, inspired by some of their favourite artists such as Bill Withers, Traffic and the Isley Brothers.

"I can't wait to hear you write songs that look outward" - these words from Paul subconsciously had a lasting impression on the band. To atone for more inward-looking sentiments on "Favourite Worry", there had to be a shift in perspective. During the formative stages of the new album The Milk started pursuing a Nichiren Buddhist practice. The values and principles they discovered during this have informed every aspect of the record.

"We wanted to write an album that looked outside of the walls, to people, society and the environment - embracing real freedom in musical expression by utilising more complex rhythmic structures, extended harmony and dissonance to paint an original and authentic-sounding record" explains If their debut, "Tales from the Thames Delta", was inspired by hedonism and "Favourite Worry" by introspection, "Cages" is an impassioned conversation with the world. Racism and division are all on the rise. British society is being pulled apart by forces that seek to divide us and rip the compassion and empathy from our minds and hearts. We have become distracted from the more urgent challenges of boundless consumerism, climate change, and the mental health emergency reeking havoc on our streets.

We are the birds in the cage, tied by cheap thrills and fake news to a limited world vision that is no longer fit for purpose. The good news? We can all choose to challenge this view. "Cages" is equal parts the dark black shadow of how far we've fallen and the blazing sunlight whose rays of hope can still change the world. Four life-long friends, Ricky Nunn (vocals), Mitch Ayling (drums) Luke Ayling (bass) and Dan Le Gresley (guitar) formed their first band when they were still at school in Essex, playing countless working men's clubs, and finally became The Milk.

The band have built up a following of dedicated fans around the UK, which has resulted in them selling out venues such as Scala, Koko and Shepherds Bush Empire. Keen to get back on the road where they feel most at home and where the guys really shine, the band offer up a compelling set of diverse styles, matched with an ability to effortlessly intertwine songs together, gives their music a continuous feel to it. Since signing to Wah Wah 45's, the band released their second album "Favourite Worry", which became one of BBC 6 Music's albums of the year, sold out London's Union Chapel, toured with the Fun Lovin' Criminals and completed a sell-out UK tour climaxing at London's KOKO in Camden town. ... More live dates coming very soon!

Mr. Collage’s debut solo album “Layers” takes a traditional Hip-Hop approach, utilizing samples as well as recorded instruments. “Layers” is a sonic painting consisting of dusty vinyl memories and future plane tickets. Funky beats and basslines, afro percussions and a second-hand synth are layered to complete the musical background of the album.

Is that all? Def not! The album features some very talented artists from the USA, Australia, Spain, Greece and Belgium. The rappers Nico The Beast, S Squair Blaq, Mic Bles and 1989TRE get funky on Collage’s beats and lady MC Amira Lacrima with her mellow raps gets into a story telling.

Soul comes strong in the album too with Lady EMZ cherishing life over a Northern Soul-inspired beat and Mantique spicing up the funkiness with her deep voice. Not to mention vocalist Lisa Spykers adding an extra R&B/Soul vibe by joining forces with 1989TRE.
On the wheels of steel, the IDA World Finalists - Fly Immigrants (DJ Mysterons and DJ Hypercutz) and the heavy artillery of scratching of Mind The Wax, DJ Moya take care of the scratches in the album.

Layers will be released on vinyl by label Mind The Wax in December 2019, and includes 11 tracks.

Arandel's new opus, 'InBach', released 24th January 2020 by French label InFiné, pays a poetic, infinitely respectful and innovative homage to Bach's sacred workings.

Arandel was granted limitless access to the galerie of (sometime rare and ancient) instruments, as a well as a countless recordings of the prestigious Musée de la Musique in Paris with a view to sounddesign his brand new creation. He performed a few months after at Philharmonie Paris a hybrid live performance/DJ set 'Switched on Bach', named in acknowledgement to the legendary 1968 by American composer Wendy Carlos (Tron, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining).

From candles to LEDs, from DJ sets to museums, from historical instruments to machines, from Bach's themes that have entered the collective unconscious and inspired contemporary flesh and blood musicians… 'InBach' was a foregone conclusion.

In the immensity of Bach's oeuvre, in the company of his fellow wanderers, within the constraints of his-torical instruments, emboldened by the delightful, sometimes technically dangerous friction between acoustics and electronics: Without a net, Arandel walks a tightrope without a faux pas.

Vital Sales Points:

- Strong French environment including institutional support from Philharmonie / Musée de la Musique in Paris with a big shows' scheduled.
- A hybrid album with a mix of rare instrument sounds, synthesizers and innovative creative bias.

Second instalment on new label All Nations Records from Simon Nyabinghi. This one is introducing to you the powerful vibes of French producer Khayo Ben Yahmeen. Deeply inspired by Rastafari teachings, Kahyo works out a meditative vibration that is amplified and concretized by the mixing technics of Simon Nyabinghi.

D. Carbone is back on its homonymous imprint with a Theme Ep 'Back To The Empire Of Hardcore'. After the 2016 Ravers EP, here the artist make a second call to push a movement is coming back on all its power but in a modern key. The EP figure 2 remixes One from the Queen of Techno 'VTSS' and one other from the Hardcore master '14Anger'.

On The A1 the entitled track is a new hardcore wave gem, a robotic voice singing in a subdol way back to empire of Hardcore, lead and sirens create the atmospheres over a marching beat. This track aims to be a classic for the New Hardcore wave.

A2 presents VTSS remix. The queen of Techno after it's debut on REPITCH Recordings with the killer Identity Process EP and the amazing Atlantyda on Monnom Black is ready to show a Techno/EBM remix with its remark bassline, a strong kick and massive voice textures, make it an instant classic!

B1 is the time of French Raver '14Anger' its remix is a mesmerizing of Power and its Hardcore roots are shaped at its best. Percussive synth sequence chosen as the main groove, Melodic bassline is the main focus here till the amazing lead comes in to destroy every dance floor!

To Close, The Vinyl is 'Raver Killer' a powerful doom Techno track. This track is not for the fainted hearts, inspired to the 90's doom rave with modern touch Powerful kick, distorted model D's bassline, hi-pitched voices, and resonant percussions make it a big room track that can't miss in your bag and perfect choice to close this vinyl.

As Digital Bonus ' The Rhythm of Acidcore' is an Hypnotic Acid Banger. Model D bass and 303 acid sequence are the main focus here, accompanied by a smashing beat is the perfect track to stand along this collector EP.

Award-winning bassist Daniel Casimir and vocalist Tess Hirst release their debut album via pioneering London-based record labe Jazz re:freshed. Following the success of Daniel Casimir's critically acclaimed debut EP 'Escapee' which featured Hirst on vocals and fellow rising stars on the scene Moses Boyd, Joe Armon-Jones and Shirley Tetteh, this album - 'These Days' is inspired by the duo's London surroundings, delivering thought-provoking lyricism, neo-soul and modern jazz

Casimir, a former Birmingham Conservatoire student, has collaborated with Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, Benet McLean, Lonnie Liston Smith, Nathan Facey, Shane Forbes, Chihiro Yamanaka, Ashley Henry, David Lyttle, Nubya Garcia, The Tracey Quintet (Meantime Jubilation), Tom Harrison (Unfolding In Tempo), Jasmine Power (Stories And Rhymes), Camilla George and Art Blakey Jazz Messenger saxophonist, Jean Toussaint.

Named Young Jazz Musician of the Year by the Musicians' Company in 2016, Casimir has received plaudits for his arrangements and recital, while Hirst has made a name for herself with her vocals on the jazz circuit having moved between London, Leeds and LA to hone her craft. What sets Hirst apart as a musician is not only the originality of her music but her perspective of herself as an artist. She is an Ethnomusicology Graduate of SOAS and her writing style walks us through her upbringing in West London and down the halls of academia

Casimir and Hirst fuse traditional jazz sounds into beautiful compositions, narrating their way through a political and cultural landscape across these twelve tracks. The frenzied groove heavy'Security' addresses the need to trust one another and how we protect ourselves personally, while the rich atmospherics of 'Freedom' combined with Hirst's vocals, explore liberation and the rejection of duty - from a female perspective.

At the heart of 'These Days', Casimir plays with a passion and power that resonates throughout each composition. His knack for complex chord changes are highlighted in 'What Did I Do', bringing an energy and enthusiasm to the track while Hirst decries our changing capital. Elsewhere, references to John Agard's poem 'Listen Mr. Oxford Don' in 'The Magic Money Tree', explore the past and its relevance to now while a re-imagining of Charles Mingus' 'Fables Of Faubus' further ensures this theme remains central to the essence of the album.

Daniel Casimir and Tess Hirst have already received radio support from BBC Radio 3, BBC Music Introducing and Jazz FM, along with coverage in the London Evening Standard and Jazzwise Magazine

'Don't Let Them' interpolates elements of 'Fables Of Faubus' written by Charles Mingus (c) 1959. Published by Jazz Workshop Inc. Administered by BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

unning Back Incantations present Yogtze!
A joint venture of Daniel Helmer - musician, producer (Mantra Mantra, Gudrun von Laxenburg)and filmmaker from Vienna and Daniel Meuzard - (Feater, Skymax, Vallay) and a headstrong trip deep into the tune-in-turn-on-drop-out-mentality of European minds outside of their natural environment. Helmer and Meuzard met around 2005 in Peru where they both participated in an ayahuasca ceremony.
After this experience they decided to travel and discover South America together for some weeks. During that journey, the idea of a musical project (Yogtze) was born.
Two years and many miles later, Helmer and Meuzard saw Alejandro Jodorowsky’s „Montana Sacra“ at a small film festival in Paris. The movie inspired them to create a musical composition that reflects its spirit and atmosphere. In order to do so, they decided to travel Morocco and record music on a small 8-track tape machine at a friend’s home studio in Essaouira. "The artistic process felt very natural. All we had to do was to open up to the cosmos and let the music flow through our bodies“, said Meuzard. Neither Meuzard nor Helmers intented to release those recordings, since the sessions were more of a personal nature and meant to create a musical experience for themselves.
A decade later, their moroccan friend, who stumbled upon the tapes while cleaning his storage, urged them to release their recordings so everyone could experience the same musical journey as they had back in 2007. "It would be a grand act of selfishness not to share this work of art with others“ he told them. Luckily for thew world, Helmer and Meuzard decided to finally edit, mix and master the rest of the material in 2018/2019 and named their project „YOGTZE“. Expect a record full of wondrous soundscapes, haunting melodies and capturing themes that would fit in many categories or definitions and none at the same time. Music from and for memories, tangerine dreams and chessboards.

Molécule's new project is inspired by surfing and the sea.
The "field-recording" expert rubbed shoulders with the most frightening wave in the world in Nazaré, Portugal.

An EP composed from the sounds of the ocean,
the fear of surfers of big waves.

... FORTHCOMING! (Inc. Soundfiles)

These two new tracks continue to push the band’s sound into new territory; ‘Overture 1’ is a brand-new composition from Ruby Rushton keyboard player Aidan Shepherd. Taking inspiration from bands like Weather Report and Soft Machine, it's explosive introduction leads you to a dub-like breakdown, creating an open space for Shepherd to let loose his synthesizer for some deep space, Headhunters’esque exploration.

Yardley Suite - is a song first conceived by band leader Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne back in 2012. Having lied dormant for several years it felt like an appropriate time to pull it back out the bag. It’s a composition inspired by Cawthorne’s solo work as an electronic producer, under his alias Tenderlonious. Always wanting to merge his various approaches, ‘Yardley Suite’ is the perfect mix of Jazz and House. With a steady four to the floor beat and snappy horn lines it's sure to work its magic on dancefloors around the globe.

Having focused on improvisation and more “open” compositions in the past, the bands new direction is geared towards tighter, more groove-orientated arrangements. This exciting new material is yet further evidence that this is a highly prolific band at the top of their game, continually evolving, stretching out their own unique sound across the full jazz spectrum.

DJ Support: Tom Ravenscroft, Bradley Zero, Huey Morgan, James Endacott, Kev Beadle, Chris Phillips, Tony Minvielle, Tim Garcia, Delia Tesileanu, Kamaal Williams, Al Dobson Jr, Contours, Poly-Ritmo.

The mostly anonymous producer FSS joins Veyl with ‘MMXX_FFS’, a collection of nine raw, mangled numbers that manage to make lo-fi sound hi-fi. Built in moments stolen from working with DIY punk bands and artists producing for Warp, UNO, True Panther, Lucky Me and Tri Angle.... Originally from New Mexico, now living in London, with NYC on the horizon, FSS is no newcomer, and this isn’t your usual debut.
Inspired by a need to release the rage and disillusionment brought on by the extreme shit show the world has become, the writing of ‘MMXX_FSS’ — “it’s nearly 2020, for fuck’s sake” — doubled as a cathartic process for the artist, providing much-needed relief from the constant struggle of living on this planet.
Urged to push into the wild and off the beaten path, the record’s sound is iltered through an ongoing battle with tinnitus, a heavy fascination with distortion, and a treasure of inspired electronics. Memories of clear, bright landscapes play like loops, bombarded with the shock and suffering of urban action. Based on the constantly vacillating reality between moments of familial bliss to existential terror in white hot flashes, ‘MMXX_FFS’ is a snapshot of this process. Generating more.
FSS’ debut is out this December on cassette and digital, as always featuring artwork by Tomaso Lisca.

The legendary Winter of Love was an athletic event of unprecedented scope and ambition held throughout the 1980's. For one beautiful decade, ice lovers from all four corners of the globe gathered at Mount Unity for two weeks of spectacular competition, dazzling snowscapes and glittering nightlife.

Ski Infinity is your official soundtrack to the Winter of Love. Inspired by the electric energy of the event, Ski Infinity will take you directly to the dizzying peaks of Mount Unity where you will experience the agony and the ecstasy of elite athletic endeavour. Bear witness to the epic ice dance battles held at the fabled Rink of Respect. Rub shoulders with the creme de la creme of sport, art and music all night, every night at the grand chalet of Peace Village.

Of course, located at the nexus of skiing, art and music, was the greatest Winter of Love event of all, ski ballet. No wonder the grand chalet named their beloved club, ‘Chaffee’s’ after prima ski ballerina Suzy “Chapstick” Chaffee. Above all, she epitomizes the glamour, the power and the artistry that the Winter of Love stood for.

... Take your ears on a wild ride where sport and music collide!

In the mid-80's, an original form of music was discovered on the midi-capable little planet of Austin, Texas. At the age of 32, Charles Ditto would release his first solo album applying cutting edge computers and synthesizers of the era (Roland DX7, Roland MKS-20, Roland MKS-80, Sequential Circuits Profit 2000 along with a Macintosh SE), creating a unique and detailed world that was inspired by Cluster, Eno & The Residents.

In Human Terms bridges the gab between contemporary classical and minimal pop. Rhythmic but melodically abstract. Microtonal and organic. Often described as experimental electronics, tone poems or Cyber-delic-psychotropic-avante-garde.
In Human Terms, remains very emotion, deep and different. Ditto's music imparts a new listening experience that is still somewhat indescribable today, but remains approachable and relatable.

'What makes Ditto's music so strikingly different is his overt use of emotion, very descriptive melodies and deep atmosphere' Audio Magazine - August 1988 // 'If Erik Satie had midi gear' Keyboard Magazine - April 1988 // 'Brian Eno meets Seastones, but with more melody' Relix Magazine - August, 1988 // 'Ditto's choice of Synthesizer tones are at once both organic and unique' Electronic Musician - June 1988.

Two years after an acclaimed first album, Al Sunny and Favorite Recordings proudly present Planets, carrying on their collaboration and bringing it to another level.

Al Sunny is a young and talented singer/musician/composer emerging from the French soul music scene. During his conservatory studies, he refined his knowledge and confirmed his desire to write and compose. He quickly matured the music that he truly loves, inspired by artists such as Tim Maia, America, Al Green, and Al Jarreau. Giving birth to the majority of his compositions through his guitar, he always seeks to bring his songs’ melody to the forefront. During his studies he kept experiencing live performing on different scenes and confirmed his choice for a musical career, while also meeting many brilliant musicians, including Florian Pellissier, who later introduced him to Pascal Rioux and Favorite Recordings.

It resulted in 2017 in Time to Decide release, a dazzling first album establishing Al Sunny’s music and writing style, looking towards the 70s and 80s Westcoast movement, infused with Blue-Eyed-Soul, Pop and Folk flavors. Built on the same influences, Planets is made of 8 new compositions (including a CD and digital bonus), and is clearly a continuation of its cadet, asserting Al Sunny’s talent and singing skills.

Fully recorded live and analogic in Paris, this new album also stands out by an impressive level of production, faithful to some classics of the genre. Mixing catchy melodies, soulful vocals, warm and heavy bass, strong beat and beautiful guitars and keyboards harmonies, Planets just perfectly meets the AOR and Modern-Soul golden era standards.

Bristol’s Sydney returns to Black Acre with two Jazz infused cuts featuring saxophonist Guy Hobley and emerging guitarist Charlie J-W. One of Gilles Peterson’s Future Bubblers, Sydney is a live artist and traditional instrument enthusiast who debuted on Black Acre with a Swaziland inspired debut mini-album entitled ‘Ode to eSwatini’ earlier this year, showcasing an eclectic mix of broken beat and Jazz.

Now the Bristolian returns with two collaborations featuring two vibrant Jazz and Blues musicians - Guy Hobley on the saxophone and guitarist Charlie J-W. “With the record being South American influenced the titles and artwork are based on a garden in Mexico named Las Pozas. Paraíso meaning paradise and Dahlia being the native flower toMexico found in the Las Pozas garden" – Sydney Conceptualized during Sydney’s first session as a Future Bubbler using one distorted PA speaker in a room full of the new generation year 3 bubblers with Gilles Peterson present, ‘Paraíso ft. Guy Hobley’ flutters into place with shuffling percussion, reverberating piano fills and smooth sax melodies from Guy Hobley whilst underlying world instrumentation operates throughout, including bongos, claves and shakers.
Created in one afternoon alongside fellow band member and friend Charlie J-W, ‘Dahlia’ gives a warming aural experience with a Nina Leão vocal sample, cantering south American drums, a mix of traditional guitar strums, pedal hits and accordion strikes, all glued together with stylish synth stabs.

Support from:
Gilles Peterson,Jamz Supernova, Bradley Zero, Moxie, Horse Meat Disco

A chance meeting in a New York club led to the conception of Mowgan’s debut album, in collaboration with renowned African Benin-born Nigeria raised singer and multi-instrumentalist, Kaleta (Leon Ligan-Majek) an ex Fela Kuti, Sunny Ade, Lauryn Hill cohort who also fronted Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble and presently heads up a 70s style afro funk band called Super Yamba based in NYC.

The Frenchman was working at Lina Frey when he overheard a Beninese salsa singer called Laurent Hounsavi channeling Afro-centric vibes through his performance. He approached the singer and was put in touch with Kaleta, who lives in the Big Apple, too. What happened next was pure magic, as the two men got to work in the studio to bring their two worlds together.

It’s the kind of mystical alchemy that only happens once in a blue moon; Kaleta was given carte blanche over Mowgan’s extensive collection of Africa-inspired electronic instrumentals.

He selected his favourites and performed on each one, delivering an original vocal, and his own guitar licks, over the top. To stir up even more electrifying vibes, Kaleta also invited several of his talented friends to join the recordings sessions - they included vocalists Shade Myers Emmanuel, Justin Masters and Gbenga Wise, Freddie Deboe on sax, Mic Dada assisting Mowgan on synth pads and Takuya Kuroda, the infamous Japanese trumpet player from Kobe who specialises in neo-soul, hip hop and electronica.

The result is ‘Karoussel’, a vibrant, dynamic, soul-enriching hybrid between electronica and deep African musicality that sets the standard for contemporary collaborations between western and African artists, and the first in a series of album projects from Mowgan on his fledgling label Mow Records...

“Osondi owendi. What is cherished by some is despised by others. One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Different strokes for different folks. To each their own. Osondi owendi.

It’s a conventional aphorism in the Igbo language but if you utter the word “osondi owendi” in Nigeria today, the first thing that comes to anybody’s mind is the cucumber-cool highlife music maestro Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe and his legendary album that takes its name from the adage. Released in 1984, Osondi Owendi was instantly received as Osadebe’s magnum opus, the crowning event of an exalted career stretching back to the early years of highlife’s emergence as Nigeria’s predominant popular music.

Stephen Osadebe first appeared on the music scene in 1958 as a spry, twenty-two year-old vocalist in the Empire Rhythm Skies Orchestra, directed by bandleader Steven Amechi. With his dapper suits, urbane Nat King Cole-influenced vocal stylings and jaunty, uptempo, calypso-scented dance tunes, he personified the frisky spirit and anxious aspirations of a young, educated generation that had come of age in the wake of the Second World War, in a Nigeria that was rapidly shaking off British colonization and marching towards an independent future. 1959 would be the year that he truly made his mark in the business with his debut solo single “Lagos Life Na So So Enjoyment.” A giddy exhortation of the music, sex, fun and freedom availed by life in the big city, the song became a sensation and an anthem, and Stephen Osadebe became the leader of his own popular dance band, the Nigerian Sound Makers.

Osadebe would ride this wave of acclaim through most of the nineteen sixties, but a change in direction would be called for at the dawn of the seventies. As Nigeria emerged from a devastating civil war, so did a new generation of youth inspired by rock and funk, confrontational sounds reflective of a more violent, less idealistic era. All of the sudden, the idioms of the post-WWII dance orchestras that nurtured Osadebe’s cohort seemed quaint, the stuff of nostalgia. Osadebe needed to evolve to respond to the new tumultuous, turned-up times.

His response? He cooled it down.

Abetted by a new crop of fire-blooded young players, Osadebe slowed his music to a mellow, meditative tempo, brought forward the lumbering, Afro Cuban-accented bass and percussion, from the rockers he borrowed searing lead lines on the electric guitar. Over this musical bedrock, doesn’t so much as sing as he dreamily muses, coos, sighs aphorisms, words of wisdom and inspiration. “When one listens to my music, all I say appears meaningful,” Osadebe explained his lyrical approach, “at times they are in the form of proverbs which provoke much thought afterwards.” The result is a blend that is both rollicking and soothingly languid. Osadebe christened the style Oyolima—a tranquil, otherworldly state of total relaxation and pleasure. Osondi Owendi represents oyolima at its finest, and possibly Nigerian highlife in epitome.

Osondi owendi. What is cherished by some is despised by others. In some way, the album’s title constitutes a paradox. Because Osondi Owendi is a record that it’s almost impossible to imagine being despised by anybody."

"Warok music" is proud to announce the release of a new record featuring collaborations with various artists, from mental driving techno to big room techno. In this new serie of various, we reveal the true story behind the label which is inspired by the fascinating Indonesian culture. The mask is representative image of this culture. The real name of warok is coming from a traditional Indonesian ceremony "Reog Ponorogo", in which they tell the story of a mythical battle between the King of Ponorogo, and the magical lion-like creature called Singa Barong.

Bathurst is pleased to announce the return of The Motion Orchestra with their new single Sonorous taken from their forthcoming album All One set for release in 2020.

Formed in 2017, this studio project consists of Alexander Bednasch on Double-Bass, Mark Matthes on Violins, Andy Sells on Drums and David Hanke on electronics and production. Though influenced heavily by Neo-Classical and Jazz sensibilities they occupy a musical space that sits in neither sphere, with a compositional style that deftly fuses the orchestral and electronic worlds.

Their debut single – All One was a gorgeous piece inspired by the notion that everything comes from the same source, the same starting point. And it was well received, garnering support from BBC 6Music and Bandcamp Weekly.

Second single Sonorous is just as elegant as their first offering and looks set to continue the upward trajectory the band are currently on. Starting witha repeated electronic motif, it incorporates piano chord harmonics, tasteful bass notes, and swirling jazz drum patterns that interplay wonderfully with beautiful string arrangements, altogether creating a truly captivating character.

The release is comprised of both the original version as well as a the arrangement without the drums. The Motion Orchestra is currently in the process of producing their live show for performances of the debut album.

DeForrest Brown Jr. is an outspoken theorist, journalist, curator, visual artist and musician. Raised in the deep South, DeForrest moved to New York a few years ago and has been shaking things up IRL and online ever since.

- He asks difficult questions that make us relook at how we think
about race, class, post-racial ideas, historical events and the social
structures in America.
- His work defies narrow bags and he’s truly a unique cultural polygot
comfortable booking an artist like Felicia Atkinson at Issue Project
Room or shaking up people on the street with his “Make Techno
Black Again” hat line.
- His project Speaker Music was inspired by Rhythmanalysis, a book
of essays by urbanist philosopher Henri Lefebvre as well as
considerations of momentum and the “chronopolitical” from British
cultural theorist Kodwo Eshun. Mobilizing freely improvised
electronic percussion and stereophonic audio recordings, Speaker
Music yearns to caress, engineer and sculpt sentiment into a multi-
textural rhythmic body, quivering moments into a collapsed
“nonpulsed time.”
- His debut for Planet Mu centers around weary sonic portraiture of
sonorous and cybernetic energy music – a music encoded with an
encrypted heat but made “with empathy and without excess.” His
“touching of frequencies” unveils a romantic abstraction of sonic
narratives that recalls previous innovations by musicians such as
Les McCann, Urban Tribe and James Stinson.

DeForrest Brown Jr. will be present at Unsound Festival in October at which he’ll be launching a new publication w/ Primary Information.
He will also present a special event at respected New York art gallery Artist Space on Friday December 13th at which he’ll be launching a book related to the album.

Additional dates will happen between October and next Spring - A Video will also be launched when the album is announced in early October (...).

London based producer Christian Piers has a decade of production experience and a discography that spans house, techno and drum and bass. He is a long-term friend of 17 Steps, and became the second artist to release on the label after label heads Dusky back in 2015. Acclaimed releases on Curle and with Leon Vynehall as Laszlo Dancehall have sustained Christians' reputation as a truly versatile producer.

With ‘Virus’, his debut LP under this alias, Christian puts himself forward an exceptional and compelling voice in UK techno, drawing on his experience in drum and bass and breaks, a sample heavy hip-hop inspired approach to production and a dubbed out, industrial techno aesthetic.

Opener ‘Extrinsic’ lays the foundations, combining cavernous drones and rattling breaks over submerged kicks, conjuring up images of chasmal warehouses, dusty basements and rattling window frames. Elsewhere delay soaked stabs bounce off combative breaks. A dialogue between Christians’ influences ensues that’s as captivating as it is individual.

Christian creates passages of intense energy without breaking a sweat. Cold atmospheres are navigated with an unhurried authority and confidence that prevents them from becoming desolate. Behind the gritty haze and forceful bassweight Christian hides the playful, agile rhythms that have become his signature – percussive sounds stumble and roll in the background, whip like snares slice through the fog.

‘Virus’ is an exhilarating ride; right up to the final bars of the teasing, anti-climactic dancefloor weapon ‘Resource Depletion’. The infinite rising tones of the closer are a bold and forward looking statement of intent from an artist whose evolution continues to unfold.

Following the release of his debut album, ‘sketches of transition’, UK house devotee Seb Wildblood has curated a brand new collection of remixes, inviting a cast of artists to reimagine tracks from the LP - featuring contributions from Suzanne Kraft, object blue, Ciel and Jenifa Mayanja. Running Back and ESP Institute affiliate Suzanne Kraft opens into the collection, offering a typically atmospheric, Italo-inspired take on sombre pop cut ‘amelia’.

Breakthrough experimental club producer and DJ, object blue, warps the easy-going pace set out in ‘sketches’, drawing focus to its woozy mood with muffled vocals and disjointed percussive hits. Swirling synths and a rich ambient tapestry make for an intoxicating rework.

On the B-side, Bumako Recordings boss Jenifa Mayanja puts a percussive deep house spin on the technicolor minimalism of ‘small talk’. A live bass groove pops beneath the track’s swaying synth beds and melodic chimes, making for the most “classic” dancefloor take of the bunch.

Discwoman affiliate and DJ/producer extraordinaire, Ciel, bathes ‘bahn’ in fluttering psychedelic percussion. Invoking the likes of Orbital, Boards of Canada and The Black Dog, with an emotional candour shining through the foggy atmosphere.

Radio Slave and Bushwacka! remix ‘Eye Of The Storm’ featuring vocalist and
drum ’n bass royalty Onallee, with label boss Archie Hamilton serving up a fresh VIP mix.

Taken from Hamilton’s debut album ‘Archive Fiction’, which dropped earlier this year on Moscow Records, ‘Eye Of The Storm’ featuring Reprazent artist Onallee, gets the remix treatment from two renowned producers with a reimagined garage inspired mix from the boss himself. Two acclaimed British artists, Rekids boss and esteemed remixer Radio Slave leads the release with Hamilton’s VIP mix alongside Olmeto and Plank Records owner and artist Bushwacka!

Radio Slave’s remix of ‘Eye Of The Storm feat. Onallee’ opens with a thundering kick, haunting effects, rolling vox-cuts and rattling hats with an ecstasy inducing breakdown. Archie Hamilton’s VIP mix then goes down a classic bubbling bassline route, featuring crunchy cymbals and phasing synths when Bushwacka! then goes on to close the release with break styled drum programming, rumbling toms, zapping flute like samples and jungle shakers on his remix.

Two of Russias finest drum & bass producers have combined forces for an exciting new project. St Petersburgs Microfunk mastermind Bop, and Moscows minimalistic groove guru Subwave, unite for their debut collaborative release Love & Other Drugs. With their elegant approach to drum & bass, this four-track EP fuses futuristic indie-electronica, 2-step UK garage, glitchy beats and 80s inspired vocal stylings.

Progressive euphoria is the name of the game in Teardrops as Bop x Subwave pick apart the structure of D+B in this warm, delicate and hypnotic glitch number. Following suit is Space Warp - darker with eerie undertones, packaged as a sub-heavy stepper. The second half of Love & Other Drugs sees the duo branch out beyond the realms of traditional D+B. The bittersweet ballad Dont Wake Me Up is kitted out with a definitive 80s style. Seeing the EP home is The Touch with the syncopated beatwork of 2-step UK Garage, complete with skippy breaks and snappy vocal sampling. In the decade since the release of Hospital Records Future Sound Of Russia LP, Bop and Subwave have produced an impressive array of tracks across Hospital Records, Med School, Liquicity, Shogun Audio, Metalheadz and Microfunk, cementing their reputations for going beyond the boundaries of D+B.
Keep your eyes peeled for more collaborative musings from Bop x Subwave in 2020.

Elkka - the London based DJ, producer and founder of record label and DIY art collective femme culture - has announced her latest EP ‘Every Body Is Welcome’ on her imprint, following a very strong year constallated of live perfromances and DJ sets throughout Europe, and a growing radio presence in London and beyond.

‘Every Body Is Welcome’ will be released on 22nd of November. Smudging the boundaries between eras and styles, Elkka’s free-wheeling dance tracks float between club beats, earthy sounds, full of warmth, soft edges and lovely instrumentation which all lead to a completely captivating and blissful listen. The infectious new five-track EP looks set to further solidify her status as one of the artists changing the shape of dance music in 2019.

The EP kicks off with an acid-sounding dance thumper that elegantly moves along the piano melody, for a beautiful house start to the whole project. In typical Elkka style, the EP moves from the atmospheric, sun-soaked rhythms of ‘Compromise for What’ and ‘LVURSLF’ Interlude, to the more club-oriented, 4am nightscapes of ‘Avant Garde’ - ending with ‘Breathe’, the perfect union to these two different sides of her artistry in one elegant, thumping, soulful track.

‘Every Body Is Welcome’ was informed by Elkka’s own deeper understanding of who she is as an artist and what the dance floor means to her, claiming that “​Arriving in London in my early 20s I was a completely different person in every possible way and discovering club culture, the rave scene and queer spaces allowed me to explore myself fully as a woman and as queer person. For me, the dance floor has been a place where I have felt the most liberated, the most myself, unified with friends and strangers by the music and moment we are sharing. This EP is a celebration of those moments, of the dance floor, of dance music that has inspired me creatively and personally. Every Body Is Welcome symbolises what I hope the dance floor to be - a music utopia or haven, somewhere for everyone to feel safe to express themselves, to find themselves, to be whoever they want to be and feel part of a community of acceptance and tolerance. Idealistic? Yes but I think art should be a space to express idealism and where we hope to be.”

Her previous EP​ ‘​Full Circle​’​, released via femme culture, received acclaim and support from Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Tom Ravenscroft and Elkka was also named as one of the artists to watch in 2019 by ​Mixmag​. In addition, Elkka has garnered playlist and radio plays from acclaimed producers Four Tet, Floating Point’s and George Fitzgerald.

Elkka founded the femme culture label and collective in 2016 in response to the lack of support for womxn DJs, producer and artists, later teaming up with fellow DJ and creative Ludo who she now co-runs the platform with. Since then, the progressively minded collective have been swiftly gaining recognition with their boundary-free ethos that champions women, women-identifying, artists and the LGBTQ+ community whilst pushing forward-thinking music through their carefully, curated club nights and events.

Earlier this year they released their second label compilation ‘HeForShe x femme culture.’ Compiled in aid of the UN Women, the compilation featured fresh new sounds from the likes of Lone, Elkka herself, Martin Bootyspoon, India Jordan, Ouri, Nightwave and more - and earlier this summer they hosted their annual alternative Pride after-party ‘PROUD’, in which all the proceeds went to The Albert Kennedy Trust (a charity for homeless LGBTQ youthsworthy causes).

Wun Two remains one of the most envied lo-fi hip-hop producers on the planet. Consistently pumping out thematic releases from last summer’s Pirata to his ever-consistent Snow series, his first vinyl release through Fat Beats since his 2016 Baker’s Dozen was spawned by a horror movie binge watch. “Nosferatu represents the atmosphere of Halloween and cold and darker days. I plugged the SP into my TV and recorded movie dialogs and sound samples while watching. At the end I had a lot of material/sound sources...I liked the outcome of it and decided to release it for Halloween.” Wun Two said.

Inspired in part by composers Maurice Jarre and Bernard Herrmann, Wun Two wanted to create a project that didn’t emote the somewhat-depressive feelings of certain scores, but an atmosphere of tension and suspense so often associated with Hitchcock and Stephen King novels. This deluxe picture disc LP not only includes 2 bonus beats not included on the original digital release, but an additional track featuring vocals from CRIMEAPPLE. “My feature list is very short as I prefer to release instrumental tracks.

But CRIMEAPPLE is definitely one of the most interesting MC´s now and it´s really great that we could win him for a contribution,” added Wun Two on the rare appearance from an MC over his beats. Releasing this Halloween in a strict one-time vinyl pressing, Nosferatu is a perfect accompaniment as the weather gets colder and the nights darker.

'Pulse Code EP' by Amberflame - Andrei Zakharov's (aka An-2) side project aimed at finding the right balance between organic yet experimental sound - is a selection of top-notch electronica with the flair of old-school disco and everything inbetween. The crafty and meticulous use of a variety of custom analogue hardware give way to keeping an open mind with production and sound design, which varies greatly, but at the same time, shares a coherent quality throughout the EP.

The opening track "Hope" sets the mood with its melancholic airy strings and pulsating arpeggios developing effortlessly until the groovy guitar bass kicks in lighting things up and giving the mix a completely new perspective.

Taking a more experimental edge 'Pulse Code' is a PCM-inspired leftfield electronica piece which goes a new direction with its solid synthwork and fluent drum programming.

The title of the closing cut 'Dreamscape' speaks for itself: it is a meditative electro-focused affair

red & black marbled vinyl

Navigating between time and space, label head Foreign Material continues his historical journey with The Quest , a piece inspired by medieval legends.

Of Faith and Glory leads the way, an epic track which carries the knights' fervor and devotion through strong rhythmics and mystical eerie pads. American maestro Eric Cloutier provides a deep reverberating rework which brings us far underwater.

Of Flesh and Duty dives deeper into medieval madness with fierce rolling toms and hypnotic acid line. The track takes us along knights venturing deep into mysterious woods, accompanied by devastating celestial choirs into a glorious and deadly final. Deep techno craftsman A Sacred Geometry shares his vision with a strong remix that goes into battle frenzy with a powerful and mesmerizing reinterpretation.

At last, Of Fire and Fate (Digital Only Track) releases the rising tension and gives a relief after the storm with broken beats and shamanic vibes. This heroic conclusion underlines the impossibility of a far yet necessary goal leading only to death.

A bloody never-ending Quest...

Fresh from the release of their third album ‘Autonomy’ earlier this summer, comes Autonomy Variations: four brand new perspectives from four exciting, innovative kindred spirits of the avant-pop duo.

South London’s Medlar breaks the seal. Following a series of incredible live collaborations with Dele Sosimi (Fela Kuti), he’s has turned ‘Autonomy’ into a minimal, percolating house track. Swapping the acid spikes for analog bleeps, Medlar’s signature can be felt every step through this vivid energetic stomper.

Fabric resident Anna Wall follows with another beautiful subversion as ‘New Politik’ is given a smouldering take. Moody, intimate, downtempo; there’s some serious late night HTRK-esque vibes to Anna’s twist.

Further into the remix trip we glide to find Dischi Autunno, Ombra International affiliate Curses pulling ‘Electric Light’ into the fringes. Taking the upbeat, crystalline pop of Penelope and Stephen’s original and flipping it into a stark postpunk Bauhaus-inspired take, Curses’ live bass and driving new wave beat shine a whole new light on the original and write it a whole new chapter.

Finally, brand new act, Isolating have the honour of closing the EP with industrial modular apocalyptic take on ‘Infinity’. A vast playground of contrasts, at points it’s dirty and pounding. At others it’s quiet and menacing. File under ‘Dystopian Techno.’

Four extensions on one of the most interesting electronic albums released this year, if you haven’t treated yourself to ‘Autonomy’ yet, you’d be wise to. DJ Mag stated it’s The Golden Filter’s best work yet while Clash called a it a bruising return. These remixes follow with complete forward-thinking consistency. Enjoy…

The new album 'Aesthesis' from Shapednoise aka Sicilian artist Nino Pedone is out in November 2019 on Numbers.
Over the nine tracks and thirty seven minutes, there’s a controlled collision of noise and metal with rave and hardcore. Pedone’s penchant for the peak energies of gritty techno and modern rap/trap bleed through, with earth-shattering blocks of bass and beats conveyed within his practice of sonic sculpture. ‘Aesthesis’ melts these sounds down, evolving them into something new of his own - a complex, hybrid being designed to be played loud. The first listen, CRx Aureal, is one of the most arresting cuts from the record: a nightmarish thrill embracing a sense of constant movement, with intense shards of sound ricocheting and morphing, forged together through a series of metallic refrains. This flirtation with the extremes of sound has engulfed Shapednoise’s entire creative output and lifestyle - from his albums and EPs over the last decade, to his two labels Cosmo Rhythmatic and REPITCH, having recently dropped critically acclaimed releases by King Midas Sound, Shackleton & VTSS. Pedone describes ‘Aesthesis’ as “informed by a set of key elements that intwine all the tracks together, like steps in a long research process. It is intended as a sensory experience where the senses act as an interface, sound as space.” His experimentation with unorthodox rhythmic structures and radical cinematic design reveals actions grounded in direct experience, but “inspired by a kind of speculative realism”. In seeking to master the wild heights of noise and the weight of subsonic frequencies, Shapednoise aims to “generate a sense of unreal-yet-tangible space and time, where the physicality of the music builds up a place that exists between people and objects, rather than the other way around.”

A series of artistic collaborations are heard throughout the album - from the caustic R&B of album opener 'Intriguing (In The End)' which features vocals from multimedia artist E. Jane's alter ego MHYSA (of NON & Halcyon Veil), to Justin K Broadrick (founding member of Godflesh and ZONAL) on 'Blaze', and album closer 'Moby Dick'; a collaboration with Scottish legend Drew McDowall (ex-Coil and Psychic TV member), and Rabit (founder of Halcyon Veil).

C.Y.M. is the collaboration between British producer and DJ Mike Greene (otherwise known as Fort Romeau) and LA-based American musician Chris Baio, who releases music as Baio in addition to playing bass in the acclaimed band Vampire Weekend. Their debut, self-titled EP arrives on Phantasy as an elegant pean to the infinite possibilities of kosmische music, driven by a motorik strain of psychedelia. The foundations of a wider project, C.Y.M. speaks not for analogue nostalgia, but a subtle and modern update on imagined futures that are still open to interpretation.
‘Capra’ immediately establishes the duo’s masterful if unsurprising grip on rhythm, a man-machine stomp that persists as the track takes myriad turns, from post-punk guitar licks and processed vocals, through bubbling modular synthesis and culminating in a soaring, cathartic melody. On ‘Far Gone’ C.Y.M. turn their studio inward for a more brooding and intimate interpretation of their sound, a balearic amalgam of intriguing vocals, feedback soaked riffs and no-wave inspired movement. The bliss beneath the waves of noise that crash across C.Y.M’s music emerges fully on the driving conclusion, ‘Super-Cannes’. A hypnotic tempo and blistering drums intertwine with whirling organs, and shimmering keys, providing a wistful and warm finale.

Da Lata’s highly anticipated fourth album Birds is a genre busting journey through London Afro-Brazilian soul music.
The most homogeneous Da Lata record to date, Christian Franck has honed his craft and expanded his art to create a glowing testimony from the melting pot of the capital’s musical life.

Gathering his family of collaborators with diverse musical backgrounds in soul, jazz, and gospel as well as African and Brazilian forms, Birds is an album that finally lays waste to that tired idea of World music.

There are tracks that are inspired by Chris’ journeys to the source, there are elegant horn and woodwind arrangements recorded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, there are lyrics in different tongues, but this is a London record.

Birds is an album of warm organic grooves infused with sophisticated funkiness and splattered with instrumental colour. From the Afro skank swagger of the low slung opener Mentality to the Beatles-esque pathos of the closing title track, it’s a record packed with soulful surprises and beguiling rhythms.

The sound is both intimate and expansive, drawing the listener into Da Lata’s London tropicalia and out into the cosmos.

Birds is an album about keeping doors open and conversation flowing, it’s about survival, hope, family, resistance, awareness, unity and love. 

12"LP plus 7", ltd copies

ERUPTION is an outburst of creaking energies, unconventional ideas, arhythmic thoughts, cacophonous images and musical phantasms. ERUPTION is also the name of the second album by Kluster, a band project of the musician and video artist Conrad Schnitzler, who died in 2011, together with his colleagues Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius. ERUPTION was also the name of a two-day festival that took place in July 2018 at the Golden Pudel Club in Hamburg. For two days, artists and musicians from different generations and working in various fields met here, who were in one way or the other inspired by the comprehensive oeuvre Conrad Schnitzlers’, as well as by his free-spirited thoughts and actions. The result was a multi-faceted programme of concerts, performances, sound and video installations, which resulted in the release of these two special records on Pudel Produkte, the house-own label of the Golden Pudel Club. The single features a previously unreleased piece by Conrad Schnitzler & Ken Montgomery as well as a story told by Asmus Tietchens about his father and Schnitzler, who unwittingly crossed the Atlantic together on the steamboat Bornhofen in the late 1950s, one as an engineer, the other as a heater. The LP brings together the festival's invited artists, Schnitzler‘s contemporaries

such as Ken Montgomery, Wolfgang Seidel and Asmus Tietchens, as well as young artists who developed works especially for ERUPTION. Among them are Lena Willikens & Sarah Szczesny with fragments from their performance Phantom Con Ballet, the DJ Phuong-Dan who composed a musical collage from the poem About Rhythmus and rhythm studies by Schnitzler, a piece from the performance of Felix Kubin, who uses a light scanner and his modular synthesizer to convert graphic notation into sound, a theatrical sound piece by Carl & Sohn (also known as Les Trucs), the producer and DJ RVDS, who interacted with the piece Tanz im Regen by Conrad Schnitzler and many more. Initiated and curated by Nika Son, a musician and artist based in Hamburg

2x12"

A stunningly accomplished work, ‘Deep Rave Memory’ is an insight into Fearless’ worlds – both metaphysical and geographical. Pulsating in unison with the heartbeat of a modern metropolis, it was recorded at the Metal Box’ – his studio located on the peninsula of land where the River Lea meets the Thames.

The haunting and wistful blue ambient ‘Vision of You’ leads into the bracingly chilly ‘New Perspective’, which evokes a heavy rush where perceptions are blurred and vision is freeze framed, via elements of techno-soul, Sheffield Bleep and Mika Vainio.

A snarling beast of a track, the relentless machine funk of ‘Devil on Horseback’ perfects the pure cathartic release of dark ‘n’ hot body music, whilst ‘Acid Angels’ is a throbbing low-fi 303 requiem, which encapsulates that perfect dancefloor moment, when the first light breaks through the shutters.

A future classic and the album’s modus operandi, title track ‘Deep Rave Memory’’s discordant filter passes sweep across a hypnotic melody, communicating a deep sense of warm nostalgia and taking you on an epic journey – stretching out a single riff over 12 minutes – akin to the krautrock greats of which Fearless is so fond.

‘Atlas of Insanity’ is big room techno with pounding kicks, death-whip metallic snares and head spinning, spiralling synth lines that drill into your core. This is raw, impulsive and frantic music that sizzles with electric effervescence.

The Germanic kosmische idyll of ‘Driving with Roedelius’ is a homage to one of Richards’ heroes – Hans-Joachim Roedelius – and was inspired by his experience playing a set consisting solely of the electronic pioneer’s music, at a festival celebrating his life and career.

On the album's closer, Fearless recounts, “‘Broken Beauty’ is something I’ve always strived for in my art. It’s inspired by Robert Frank, William Eggleston and the way they could take the most inane object a turn it into something of beauty. It’s equally schooled by the aggressive simplicity of King Tubby’s dubbing and the transcendence of Joy Division’s ‘Decades’. The sparse allure of the best dub and techno is something I’m always striving for; being able to conjure emotion with the fewest possible elements; to not fix what’s broken, but to make it shine.

Limited to 500 copies.

Repress

For the seventh release on their main catalogue Keepsakes and Jaded Nineties Raver are once again working with Ireland's top up-and-comer in the world of ridiculous techno bangers, Tommy Holohan, for the second release in his "Skull Crushing Techniques" series. Following on from the success of his debut vinyl release on Haven last year, this release is just as banging, but represents a new turn in the young producer's sound with greater focus on hardcore euphoria.

The A1 begins the record with "Unedeuxtrois", where the skill of Tommy's rolling drum programming shines through alongside cheeky sampling of French TV and the bliss of his new-found melodic pad work. This is followed by "Fear What You Don't Understand" on the A2 - featuring the same impressive drum skills propelled forward by a true ear-worm vocal sample that will see this track gracing many a dance floor. The B-side kicks off with "Trancegression' and it's euphoric pads and tight rhythmic patterns in another perfect hardcore-inspired smasher. This is followed with a cheeky jungle number on the B2 with "Father" - containing hectic breaks, uplifting pads and piano stabs to make for the perfect recipe for a rowdy 160bpm banger. The EP ends with the ambient exploration of "Mega.D", with emotional and slowly evolving melodies creating the ideal wind-down to an EP filled with addictive dance floor fodder.

All tracks produced and mixed by Tommy Holohan
Mastered by Simon at The Exchange Vinyl

2LP Gatefold Sleeve.

Lost Ethnography of the Miscanthus Ocean” contains six of their earlier works from 2013 to early 2014. The original release was on cassette from Guruguru Brain which was sold out less than a month. There is a new added D2. Miscanthus Ocean only for the LP version. The album is dedicated to Grass Mountain and the incredibly hot, humid summertime in Taipei. This is also the echo of their instrumental trio period before they moved on to digital composing.

Band Info:
Formed in Taipei, Taiwan in 2013, comprised of member Lu Li-‑Yang and Lu Jiachi, Scattered Purgatory is a name
derived from a Taoist ritual which expiates the souls of the innocent from a state in between life and death and then at last, release.
Growing up in Taipei, where two wheeled transportations are popular, the basin city of such population density and humidity had
inspired their sound distinctively differentiates from the US west coast desert drone. If we use Taiwan new cinema wave in 80s as
the analogy, the massive use of longshots of those films expressed a different halo from the Western Spaghetti; Scattered
Purgatoryʼ’s sound expresses soundscape to the world by using a familiar approach ‒– but with an oriental narration geographically
and spiritually.

As we head towards the end of 2019, the CoOp Presents crew unleash a heater for the cold months, and a very warm welcome to the label for Danvers, with an EP entitled 'Light Movements'.

Joe Danvers has been building a diverse catalogue of dance music over the past several years, including releases on FINA Records, Boogie Cafe and Wotnot (his debut release also featured mixes from the likes of Joe Armon-Jones & Warren Xcince). Aside from his solo efforts, Danvers makes up 50% of Kassian, who in turn have dropped releases on Phonica White & Heist Recordings, as well as a series of highly-acclaimed remixes. Their debut track 'The Premise' was nominated as "Track of the Year" at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Awards.

These various projects have been shown support far and wide from selectors such as Bradley Zero and Detroit Swindle, whilst Danvers & Kassian have been booked for parties across Europe this past Summer. Danvers is also co-founder of Curve Records, along with Luke Campion & Mike Wilkin of Fact / Vinyl Factory.

So to the EP - 4-tracks demonstrating Danvers' flair for eclectic bruk boogie. 'Devotional' kicks off the set, featuring the soulful vocals of Natalie May atop a rhode-laden bubbler. The EP's title track 'Light Movements' follows and is a more stripped-down affair, with big kicks and synth stabs. Next comes 'The Flex', inspired by Selectors Assemble runnings - a tasty stepper with a huuuuge b-line. Finally closing out the EP on a deeper jazzy vibe we have 'Calmer' featuring the don T. Williams.

Expect more big things from Danvers and from the CoOp Presents crew in 2020. In the meantime, get this one on your speakers and watch for the movements. Standardly essential business.

Based in Munich, Germany, the producer, part-time DJ and Permanent Vacation label co-head Tom Bioly aka TB delivers new romantics, inspired by influences like The Cure’s „The Holy Hour“, Boards of Canada’s late 90s electronica, Miami Vice tropic percussion and Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks. Acid drops, string distortions, lushed melody bits, hushed robo vox and washed space guitars are being layered and sprinkled over machine beats and disco drums.

TB’s first release "Invitation To Love" made it on John Talabot's vinyl-only Hiverned 10" imprint and was voted amongst the best 10" releases by UK Fact magazine. GROOVE magazine wrote "..entirely superb..“, about the follow-up EP "City Girl" on Permanent Vacation, of which the title track has been licensed to the independent film „All These Sleepless Nights“ by director Michal Marczak.
In 2017 TB followed with “Heartbreak Hotel“, a double twelve-inch release with eight tracks of melancholic dance noir set in smoke-filled darkness. In 2018 he followed with the „Night Heat“ single, of which a RMXD EP with contributions by Gerd Janson, Sascha Funke, DJ Hotel and Bostro Pesopeo came out earlier this year.

“Mohammad Reza Mortazavi is a virtuoso percussionist known for playing traditional Persian instruments such as the tombak and daf. After developing more than thirty new striking techniques and progressing to be one of the most prominent players in Iran, Mortazavi travelled to Germany, eventually settling in Berlin to record and perform regular concerts the world over. His acclaimed performances have taken in venues such as Berlin Philharmonie and Sydney Opera House. In recent years, he has been embraced by the experimental electronic music community, collaborating with Burnt Friedman, Fis and Mark Fell.

Ritme Jaavdanegi is Mortazavi’s sixth LP, and his first one available on vinyl. The album came together from recordings made in Berlin in June 2019, inspired by Mortazavi’s vivid reminiscence about profound experiences he had listening to music as a child. As he drifted in this time-slipping reverie, the phrase ‘ritme jaavdanegi’ or ‘rhythm of eternity’ came to mind, and he found the phrase itself to match the 11/8 metre he was striving for. As such, all eight pieces on this album adhere to this time signature, which in itself harks back to the Aksak, a rhythmic pattern based on the alteration of binary and ternary quantities executed in a fast tempo, intrinsic to traditional music from Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan and the Balkans.

In the same way these non-standard folk rhythms started to impact on Western music in the early 20th Century, so now you can hear an ever-increasing embrace of polyrhythms and metres that break away from the dominant 4/4 ideology. What’s most striking about Ritme Jaavdanegi, perceived through a lens of modern Western experimental music, is how Mortazavi’s virtuosic playing rivals the intensely programmed dynamics of electronica. His rapid, needlepoint drum hits bend their tonality in incredibly musical ways, but there is still an underlying focus on cyclical repetition that encourages the same ancient transcendental quality that so many contemporary artists strive for.”

“Experimental trio Giraffe crystalize time on ‘Desert Haze’, their new LP on Marionette. Giraffe is the musical project of Sascha Demand (guitar), Jürgen Hall (keys), and Charly Schöppner (percussion). Sascha Demand is a composer that comes from a contemporary and improvised musical background, collaborating with the likes of Ensemble Integrales and Vinko Globokar. Jürgen Hall works in electroacoustic experimental projects, theatre and film scores, with releases on Staubgold and Edition Stora. Charly Schöppner is known for his popular music releases such as Boytronic on major production companies in the 1980´s and composes for theatre, dance, and film scores. With only a couple of releases to date on the wonderful Meakusma imprint as well as an EP on Marmo, little is known about Giraffe. After letting go of other artistic projects, the trio now focuses solely on Giraffe by continuously searching for and finding their own unique language.

Sascha, Jürgen and Charly have quite diverse musical backgrounds, though morphing into Giraffe they tower into one single composer. Their music is a critical statement, not in a political sense but rather an artistic one. Being mindful about what it means to create and how to position themselves as artists nowadays (without the constant hassle of being en vogue and short-lived trends) shaped their rather rare and stoic artistic stance. It is refreshingly honest to see their expression develop so naturally.

On Desert Haze, they’ve created a vibrant and minimalistic tribal sound that feels inspired by the Saharan traditional music of the Tuareg, Jazz, and German psychedelic krautrock. Giraffe themselves also list the radical music of the Viennese School (Schoenberg along with his pupils Berg and Webern) as well as the Köln School with its early electronic experiments as their main influence and inspiration. More precisely the composition process and the organization of musical material within space and time, where a conceptual and intellectual approach melds with an experimental yet expressive sound searching method.

Side A focuses on the trios studio work; it is built around tone color and pitch analysis of resonating prepared guitar sounds. Through a unique mixture of free improvisation and a serialism "rule set”, they develop instrumental layers and structures to form their tracks. Side B sees Giraffe playing more freely with a reduced setup - representative of what you may hear when listening to them live.
Desert Haze, along with its track-titles, showcases an almost mimetic approach to art. The haptic music grabs the listener not as a passive recipient but as an active resonant body to vibrate through. One can almost feel the Elements, pressure and heat forming a diamond, hypnotic overtones ringing through windy caves, shamanistic rhythms conjuring up mysterious and ancient landscapes - where the constant cycle of sedimentation and erosion reveals structures of fragile beauty - always gentle to the hand’s touch and the mind’s eye.”

With absolute devotion Shook has created an exceptional listening experience in which timeless influences of Hiroshi Yoshimura, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Steve Reich and Erik Satie are honored and thoughtfully integrated in his modern, energetic sound. Shook merges Japanese ambient and Indonesian gamelan with an uplifting mixture of electronic pop, jazz and funk. Inspired by city pop, techno pop and ambient Music for City and Nature spreads a new light on the contrasting balance between what we make and what we are. Shook: “In my 5th album I tried to document my emotional and mental state at this point in my career. It is inspired by the conflict between the energetic and busy city life and the calm, warmth and peace that nature gives. It isn’t a city ‘versus’ nature album though, it is about daily life existing in a gray area in between. I try to find a balance by connecting both sides. We can build a future in the city, but we must not forget that nature is our future.”