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Canada's Solar Phenomena Presents Three Dj Sotofett Remixes Of Tokyo Producer Mystica Tribe. With A Unique And Unpredictable Approach, Norwegian Dj Sotofett Who Runs Sex Tags Mania, Amfibia And Wania Opens The Remix Ep With "ash Of Dub Mix", And As The Names Suggests, A Fat Dub With Huge Rubbery Kicks, Oodles Of Echoing Hits And A Spaced Out Curiousness That Sonically Draws Inwards. "dub Lawn Dub" Eight Minutes Strips It Back With A Meandering Top Line, Whimsical, Dreamy And Encouraging Synths Contrasting The Rickety Drums Tumbling Below. Lastly, "dub'right Mix" Continues The Producer Trademark Loose Limbed And Jumbled Drums, Working Into A Lather While Synths Squelches And Wobbled Pads Parallely Prospects Other Dimensions. Heavy Deepness With Percussive Highlights.

Domestic Exile are proud to present the devastatingly deplorable and malevolent recordings (that are sure to corrode yet electrify your ears) by Glasgow's very own KLEFT.

KLEFT aka Vickie McDonald is rooted in and has actively propagated the underground DIY radical queer punk and feminist movement here in Glasgow. Their projects have included the skull crushing sludge doom of Cartilage, the unflinching and infamous multi- membered hard core stars that were DIVORCE and the sacrificial, druid drone glitch of MOURN. Alongside these projects they have uncompromisingly disrupted, motivated and facilitated collective endeavors to take down the capital power structure of the dominant system of patriarchal club venues and abhorrent fuckers in this town.

For this record 'H+ Sexualis', KLEFT explores the neo-modern space where flesh is left behind. Negotiating, analyzing and tearing to shreds the relationship and balance between flesh and technology. KLEFT's expansive and palpable sonic offerings delve into themes of transhumanism and body hacking and seep into our collective skin begging the question; can flesh ever be created digitally. Does a lack of physicality alienate human experience in a post transhumanism society Are we all destined to be skinless yet digitally connected Will the body become superfluous Toward "the utopian dream of the hope for a monstrous world without gender," as stated on Donna Haraway's essay ''A Cyborg Manifesto.'

From the opening track 'Ossein' the listener grasps a foreboding lethargic build up, lurking out of the spatial ritualistic shadows into a sea of suffocating nothingness. A void where there is no gravity. Skeletal and brittle shattering rhythms which echo DMZ / Skull Disco dubstep alongside the more frozen, glacial ominous explorations of grime are often felt proving KLEFT is an artist whose inspirations run deep and wide and generally exist in the darkest recesses of our subconscious. These fearful, disjointed rhythms are set against weightless atmospheric oscillated synths, as if roaming through bleakly opaque, claustrophobic narrow corridors on a first person survival horror video game such as Resident Evil.

Moving through to 'CMBR', KLEFT's dissonant, degrading soundscape ferociously ascends. The resilient kick drum is propulsive and pulverizing akin to 'ardcore tekno - or intense gabba if you have the guts to adjust the tempo up to +8 - aesthetics that overwhelm and agitate finally revealing it's grotesque biological / amorphous bio structure. Elevating the repetitive 4/4 kick to a destructive, distorted banger of a track as layers of converging atonal noise and sound design simultaneously further enhances the sense of imminent radioactive contamination.

Next is 'Writhe, Squirm, Broken' continuing the convulsive, nauseating permutations of the prior track but reconfigured like a mangled, gruesome Cronenberg-esque parasite that has infiltrated an open wound, excruciatingly feeding off of the inner anatomy of it's hosts body from within. Repulsively reformulating the shape and dimension. The intro is akin to a panic stricken bouncy ball contracting and expanding, the spring reverb building momentum and traveling further away in distance and speed.

'Hackfleisch Deluxe' is a muuurrderous stomper and is one of the more grime / bass orientated tracks that deconstructs and disrupts the tempo familiar to sub-low producers on Black Ops / Jon E Cash / DJ Dread D. The crawling, plummeting frequency of the synth is a nauseating rush of coagulating blood to the heed; a deep throbbing sensory depravation in sharp, paradoxical contrast with the driving harmony layered on top which proves to be infectiously addictive. Furthermore are splintering programmed vocal samples that gives a sense of artificial disorientation, mind over matter, a possible hint at our evolving sentient cognition within a nightmarish simulated, augmented reality

Second to last we have 'Keratin' which is filled with the near fatal dissolving thud of Djax-Up acid that gives the impression that you're a biologist peering through a microscope into a petrie dish and witnessing the rapid and furious genetic cellular replication of bacterial and viral organisms.

Culminating in 'Bruised and Bleeding Hands' where the squashed density of a deflated and depressurized helium filled balloon and elastic umbilical cords, barbed wire and copper wires grind n' coil around the lens of a zooming camera. Taking no prisoners, this is a punishing grime weapon. A phat, surgical kick drum bulldozes its way thru causing carnage, syncopated punching snares after every rave stab and dizzying third beat. It won't be long until ye hear this on Silver Drizzle's youtube channel in the near future.

This record transports us to the hyperkinetic mutation scene on the cult cyberpunk film Tetsuo The Iron Man where the organic flesh / mechanical rust of the Iron Man metamorphoses with the Metal Fetishist during the rebirth sequence and we say 'LONG LIVE THE NEW FLESH!''.

With Recent Appearances On Boiler Room And The Groove Magazine Podcast Plus Sets Across Asia And Europe, Jamaica Suk's Fearsome Techno Sounds Are Winning Fans Far And Wide. A Year On From Her Debut Release On Her Own Gradient Label Comes This Stunning Second Volume.
A1 Stinger Ray Kicks Off The Ep With Zingy Modular-style Synth Sounds Pulsing Over A Bubbling, Murky Bassline. Sheet Metal Snares Punctuate The Beat, With A Switch-up Halfway Through Into Gnarled, Distorted Synth Crunches Catching You Unaware. These Brutalised Rhythms Morph In And Out Of Hypnotic Arpeggiated Pulses To Make For A Hallucinatory Ride With Ample Dashes Of Psychedelia Throughout.
A2 Fallen Sets It Outs Stall Immediately, With Filtered Down Acidic Bass Playing Out A Jagged Groove. A Manic Counterpart Mimics Its Rhythm But Dizzyingly Delayed Off The Beat To Create A Rugged, Funk-fuelled Feel. Cymbal Rides Pitch Up And Down, Unidentified Snarls Of Fx Mutate Around The Edges, All The While The Sharp Hi-hats Keep The Metronomic Heartbeat Going.
B1 Whispers Ups The Intensity. Delicate, Arpeggiated Chime Sounds Set A Crystalline Mood Before Swathes Of Intense, Darkly-tinged Synths Swell In And Out Of Focus Atop The Throbbing Kick Drums. The Effect Is That Of A Factory Full Of Machines Growing A Mind Of Their Own, Malfunctioning In A Pleasing Harmonic Dissonance.
B2 Twilight Rain (vinyl Only) Completes The Set With Infectious Triple Kick Drum Patterns Underpinning Dramatic Drum Hits And Warped Atmospheric Shivers That Create A Spooky Feel As Droning Bass Tones Carve A Path Through Your Speakers.

Following releases from Mituo Shiomi / Drum Machine and Takeshi Kouzuki, Italian imprint Alley Version is back courtesy of their third release, the split E.P. 'Parallel Journeys'.
This time about, the label welcomes Sähkö Recordings man Nasty Boy to the fold alongside the label owners, FLML. Opening the release is the sounds of Nasty Boy's thrilling 'Give Up'. A slow tempo dexterous and exotic deep house track. Nasty Boy's other original cut here is 'Touching the void', a more raucous track with a heavy emphasis on drum patterns and sharp, simmering synths.

The B side kicks off with FLML's 'Oblivion Street', an analogue-heavy cut deep house jam that's perfectly suited to those dark, colder nights. Culminating matters soon after is FLML's 'Bouncy Dream', a good-time house record whereby FM piano-laden vibes cause havoc from the get-go. Limited vinyl only.

Format Returns With Another 4-track Slice Of Techno From The Label's Founder, Juan Sanchez, Including A Remix By Lauded Us Producer Mike Parker.

The Ep Opens With Qx02, A Jacking Techno Track Built On Gritty Synth Swirls And An Acidy Pulse. Following Up, Mike Delivers A Much Darker Rework With A Menacing Kick Drum As Its Engine. The Ep's Title Track Dans Ta Tete Pumps Up The Tempo, Delivering A Fast-paced Synth-driven Stomper. Things Close Off With Plural, On Which Juan Explores The More Dubbier Sides Of Techno Across Lush And Warm Ambient Chords.

Fr015 Is Another Prime Example Of Format's Signature Techno Sound That's Successfully Finding Its Way To The Floors.

A doctor by day and a musician by night, Leon x Leon has been producing songs in his
Parisian home studio since 2013, where house, italo-disco and boogie are mixing. When he
was younger, he was immersed in music by taking jazz drum lessons at the conservatory,
and especially by seeing his father, a sound engineer, who had been building his own
synthesizers since the 1970s. As a tribute, he used one of these unique synthesizers on a
title of the disc.
After a remarkable remix of Cerrone's "Funk Makossa" and several tracks on various from
'Red Laser Disco', he released his project My Solar Brass on the same English label in
2017. Organizer of many Parisian parties, he also participated in the founding of the
publishing label 'Good Plus". With the release of Rokanbo on Cracki Records, Leon x
Leon signs a mature EP with the influence of different styles.
The first eponymous title is a manifesto mixing Acid, House and Zouk. As soon as we
launch the track, the pop & acid 80's sounds takes us to another world... A UFO from the
Islands! The other parts of the EP don't leave us in the lurch! 'Formant Sweep' delivers a
soft and groovy bass that responds to an endless, spatial synthetic takeoff. On 'Red
Footpath', the harder kick cleverly blends with an atmospheric blanket and a bright, lively
flute solo straight from an abandoned piece of bamboo on a deserted beach. After that,
'Jungle Juice' lets a crazy keyboard solo resonate in the middle of tropical fauna and flora,
and finally on 'Horizon', the EP ends in beauty with an airy atmosphere. This last piece
sounds like a beautiful sunset at the end of a long summer day.
Through all these tracks, Rokanbo EP offers us a clever contrast between synthetic notes
and the warmth of tropical groove, and places our gaze towards the horizon, seeking the
groove to disturb its line on the infinite sea.

Günter Schickert, four decades of multi-instrumental cosmic explorations, under Berlin's sky, above genres, and compromises.

It was memorable the time when I firstly listened to his debut LP of 1974, the monumental Samtvogel. It overwhelmed me with layers of echoing guitars roaring into space, causing a powerful release of dopamine spreading through my skin, in the way an Interstellar Overdrive', or a Richard D James Album would do. It was a proof of the divine to discover Günter Schickert, it is a profound honour today to present on Marmo his seventh album to date, Labyrinth, the first to be released on vinyl format since 1983`s Kinder In Der Wildnis.

Schickert's Samtvogel, self-published first, then licensed to Brain, equaled the imaginative leap and sonic power of the early Pink Floyd, Manuel Gottsching's Inventions For Electric Guitar or A.R. & Machines's Die Grüne Reise. What followed, from his second LP Überfällig on Sky Records to his collaborations with Klaus Schulze, Jochen Arbeit and Schneider TM, even if little acclaimed, spans a large spectrum of music styles, always through a distinctive and personal aesthetic, that is deeply linked to the one he firstly crafted back in '74, when Schickert pioneered the use of echo effects applied to guitar playing.

And now Labyrinth, a record that stands for versatility, where genres do not matter, soundscapes or life situations take over, song-writing emotions pop out, handing out a spectrum of surprises to the listener. You may find yourself flying low along steep cliffs and with a blink of eye you are thrown into a Middle Eastern scenery.

The album is divided into two parts, two different production bulks and periods of Günther Schickert's life. Side A features a selection of tracks recorded in 1996, appearing on the 2012 album HaHeHiHo, released via Pittsburgh based VCO Recordings, on a limited press of 100 units, tape format only. I felt that the visionary and emotional richness of these pieces deserved the vinyl format and a chance to reach to a wider audience.

The Raga-inspired Morning' opens Labyrinth with exotic charm and bitter-sweet nostalgia. Sieben' kicks off with the same guitar scales of the previous theme, before the motorised progressions of a Korg MS-20 synth surprisingly storm in, carrying along an intersecting multitude of filters and sharp guitar effects, flowing into an epic, paradisiac ending. Ninja Schwert' remains on astral dimensions, it is a struggle of cosmic forces, where the steady ride of a pounding beat gets embraced by different guitar layers and analogue electronic filtering. The side closes up with HaHeHiHo', a slow ballad featuring Mr. Schickert on vocals, guitar, bass guitar and drum machine - an example of simple, stripped down yet gifted songwriting that is capable to reach the heart of the listener.

Side B contains material produced between 2007 and today. The intricate, bewildering Tsunami' shows the multi-instrumental and recording abilities of Günter Schickert: a field-recorded storm with mesmerising powers, a peculiar progressive approach to guitar playing. Mysterious sinister spirits and sounds are emerging and the feeling of being lost in a pleasant trance arises. In contrast, Oase' muffles the intensity and jumps into a completely different soundscape, where in liaison with the sounds of a rolling drum tom and a desert-like trumpet, the microphone carefully captures the found sound tones of everyday-life objects and actions. Like HaHeHiHo on side A, Checking' represents the vocal gem of the B side, in a raw and direct way of songwriting like if Syd Barrett was his invisible helper. Palaver' (which means unnecessarily talk' in German) assembles different vocal recordings of Schickert into a bizarre free-style conversation through a mysterious language, where he attempts to emulate illiterate children conversating. The final track, Morning (Slide)', reprises the opening theme, this time solely performed through the caressing dilated sounds of Günter's slide guitar.

Two Modular Synth Live acts come together on this split EP to form a non-compromising Techno four-tracker.

French live act Porteix delivers two big room tracks with slightly electro-leaning drums on top of a bold kickdrum fundament.

Austrian modular-head Anml Mthr is deep into the acid game and let's his 303 speak with some serious distortion work. His relentless pattern repeat and modulation over time lets you truely get into one of the initial ideas of Berlin's underground sound from the 90s, ment to escape reality and leave out unecessary changes, stereo tricks and decoration.

Invoking imagery of condensed, interstellar warfare - Dayzero takes command of the controls for Sentry Records' eighth release. Based in Japan, the acclaimed producer follows up on his substantial outings for Wheel & Deal and Hatched Music among others - having continuously refined his highly effective compound of Dubstep with vocal support from the scene's vital tastemakers. Now joining the Sentry roster with two monumental armaments, the newest signee shows us how it's done. Enrichening the sound system music scene with a no-nonsense production style as well as his innovative, experimental approach - all killer, no filler.

Taking off to another dimension in 'Sunday on Spaceship', listeners are met with feigned lo-fi soundscapes, carved out of analogue noise and detuned echoes. A state of overt tension dissolves into Dayzero firing up the heavy weaponry with stripped down sub bass tremors and meticulously crafted off-kilter groove. Amongst granular, apocalyptic percussion reverberating voices of days past flicker. Diverse drum instrumentation and supple distortion keep it lively, a no-questions-asked onslaught and guaranteed way to light up any dance.

Flipping over to the B-Side, we're placed on the receiving end of another ton of musical napalm. Finding ourselves being churned through bare concrete, laced with psychedelics. 'Down By Law' oozes of sonic variance, as industrial plucks shine through the cracks - furthering the aberration alongside narcotic staccato arpeggios. Subtle use of eerie harmonies and surging feedback wails is firmly kept in check by brute-force kicks and snares - ceremonious pressure underneath. Venting high-pressure 808's amidst supremely crafted breaks, leaving us yearning for more. A pair of mean-spirited sound-bwoy murder tracks on a twelve-inch platter - enough said!

Rise black - Agressor EP Moustache Records 038 delivers us 5 tracks from the dark side of Spain! The first is named: "Black snake" this is a dark pumping electro track with 808 snares topped off with some evil voices and other trippy scapes.The A2 track: "Jack in the box" is where the true mental madness starts, a drum minimal groove electrobass track that could go on forever and ever till the loony house. On the flip side B1 "Sulfrico" deadly acid electro for the retards. B2 Mythos is the sound from Sparta Greece 100 v.c. Distorted kicks and snare drums that could deliver you a bloodnose. The last EP track is the title track of the EP called: "Agressor" this song is a story about the sheeps of Satan, very raw noisy percussion drum sounds, space bleebs and other aggressive electro sounds. Let the magic and madness begin... Welcome to the Moustache Records family. Rise Black is rising..

D-Leria returns to the scene more than a year after debuting on Berlin-based label Delirio, releasing a collection of work produced between 2014 and 2018; ten tracks which mark a new beginning for this young Italian producer, sweeping between heavy ambient excursions to hypnotic/ tribal techno, modernized and polished off in his own way.'Driving to Nowhere' is the summation of an extended journey; a year-long hiatus due to unforeseen health concerns allowed time to meditate and consider his past experiences in Italy's various underground electronic music scenes, and the potential directions inspired by thriving Berlin.
From 2014 to 2017 he released several EP's, each developing upon this new style, until joining the young label Delirio as both a musician and a manager. With Delirio he has hosted artists such as Stanislav Tolkackev, Roberto Bosco, Plaster, Retina.it and more, with a unique agenda to record precisely produced music live, instead of laboring in the studio to achieve over-polished audio. His first album inaugurates the beginning of the new DLP catalog, which will be dedicated to LPs, albums and other projects released on 12-inch vinyl. Through these 10 tracks D-Leria experiments with various production methods, as in 'Makumba' where he precisely combines the kick drum with a tight bass line in a 12-step sequence, making the track fluid and never predictable. 'Reborn' is an even more ambitious undertaking, initially recorded on tape before being sent back to the mixer via Hi Fi stereo, D-Leria modulated the cassette coil with a bic pen to create a unique 'detune' effect. 'From the Ground' and 'Driving to Nowhere', both made through the same setup, combine tribal voices and moans, combining an ethereal ambience with drums and analog percussion, connecting the rhythm directly to the soul. The opening track 'Libero' is dedicated to himself, while 'Her Smile' and 'Uragano' are both dedicated to the person that was closest to him in his last period of stop and realization of the album, where he expresses his most deep moments in the first, and more difficult in the second.
Just like in most of the EP already released on Delirio, Giuseppe Tillieci aka Neel took care of the mastering of the tracks, while the artist has taken care of the smallest details from the production, to the mixing, to the graphics and also to the titles of the tracks, which refer to personal thoughts and events that happened during this long journey to nowhere.

F*CLR are hugely excited and honoured to present Moscow producer/DJ Mutenoise aka Alexander Bannikov and his masterful 'Midnight' EP - available on digital and limited 12 Inch, the vinyl has the bonus track, 'Northern Lights' is a Vinyl exclusive!

But meanwhile, back to the EP - kicking off with Mutenoise's original version of 'Midnight', rooted in the deep tradition of jazz dancers, has a toughness that crosses over and aligns itself to modern house with a warm, soulful vibe. On the remix tip, Ashley Beedle ramps up the drums with a nod towards the classic sound of 90's New York and MAW releases and along with the 'Stripped Back' + 'Mixers Delight' edits, he adds an extra element of remix goodness for the heads. 'Rules of Monopoly' is proper late night tunage, perfect for those 5am sets, with its crisp handclaps + percussion, rising chords underpinned by an unwavering bassline - house music at it's very best. And just to tease you - 'Northern Lights' (bonus vinyl only track) - another jazz soaked house track with beautiful chords, ephemeral vocal samples - echoes of downtown Moscow after dark....

Originally from far flung Western Siberia, Mutenoise gravitated towards Moscow and became an integral part of the vibrant Russian electronic dance scene rubbing shoulders with the likes of Lay Far and fellow F*CLR artist, Stan Serkin. Mutenoise has released on such labels as Raw Underground Records (UK), Vesna (UA), Underground Sources (TN), Smile for a While (DE).

Following on from Comfy Bella's Konkahs EP earlier this year, Released's second vinyl instalment comes courtesy of the Berlin-based production duo Horsemen, who mark their debut into the world of wax with the aptly titled 'Unknown EP'. Freshly faced and full of vigour, Horsemen deliver two unique cuts of engaging electronic music which are accompanied by a remix from Released's very own Jorgie.

The title track 'Unknown', features the delicate vocals of close friend Nomoko, atop a robust combination of thick kick drums, energetic percussion and a pulsating bass line. 'Motor Jungle' harks back to the early sounds of Detroit, assuming a 4/4 drum pattern which is laden with a rowdy bass arrangement accompanied by Hip Hop-esque vocal snippets. The EP is rounded off, and mellowed out, with Jorgie's hazy interpretation of the title track - a 110bpm ethereal excursion that takes the listener deeper into the unknown...

Time for some completely fresh business from a relative newcomer to the scene, though we're sure the name Cosmonection will be on your radars soon enough. The Parisian producer knocked us off our feet with a beautiful debut back in March this year on the fledgling Pont Neuf imprint. His '10 Feet Before The Horizon EP' was loaded with the just the kind of spaced- out, synth-heavy deep late night house that gets us all aquiver over here, so when a demo popped into the inbox we were all over it like a donkey on a waffle.

Here we present you with the Menorca EP; three blissed-out synth jams which explore the space between Balearic euphoria and Detroit futurism. On the title track a mournful Moog lead takes centre stage floating over a rising chord progression whilst punchy 909 drums bring the groove to the dance floor.

Next up, You picks up the pace for a deep and dubby house workout where soft focus pads converge with clattering percussion. Fragments of chiming melody bouncing around the stripped back groove.

Flipping over we have Light which shows Cosmonection at his most musical, layering up arpeggiating synths lines through a slowly building intro until a heavy groove with hefty kick joins the scene. The arrangement ebbs and flows as the rhythm drops out, rising synths creating anticipation and tension. This track feels like an ambitious fusion of musical styles and textures with 90's ambient colliding with Underground Resistance and coming up with a fresh sound for 2018 in the process.

Rounding off the record we have Delusions regulars, DJ supremos and all- round good guys Session Victim taking the reins on a remix of You. Keeping the warm, feel-good pads, the German duo inject a new found shuffle to the groove, bringing a wide-screen sensibility which adds a sublime yet dance-floor pleasing dimension to the release.

The name Hugo Mari might not ring a bell just yet, but we've got a feeling this is about to change real soon. He's released a handful of EP's under his former alias Books on Omena and XVI including his own edit series on the latter label (check out his killer track 'in the groove or his jazzy deep house collaboration with Zodiac called 'Feel it in my Bones'). Considering he's also remixed well known artists like afrobeat legend Dele Sosimi and grime master Trim, you might share our view of this amazingly talented and versatile producer. His 'Change ur ways' EP for Heist is soulful, jazzy, deep and energetic with three varied originals and a classic soulful house remix by man of the moment, NDATL label head Kai Alcé.

'Get Loose' features the silky-smooth vocals of Zodiac, some lovely solo work on the Rhodes and a 'free jazz' vibe on the horns. There's a constant funk bassline looping throughout the track to keep the energy going while the loose arrangement as well as the drum programming give the track that care-free feeling of a never-ending live jam. With that, 'Get Loose' is a great club track that crosses the boundaries between funk, jazz and house.

The title track still has that jazzy feeling but moves towards a quirkier territory with some 'Frits Wentink' style harmonization, detuned piano's and loosely chopped samples. There's a definite gospel feel to the track, thanks to the choice in vocal chops, which is complemented perfectly by a filtered disco bassline. The percussion layer and rhythmic elements are full of energy without ever crossing the line where of subtlety that makes this track so catchy.

On the flip, there's 'Feel ur senses', the most straightforward deep house track of the release, that gets its mood from an ongoing tremolo on the Rhodes pads. Space bleeps, bells, a hidden arp and 'reverbed-out' hits give the track an almost balaeric sound that will certainly put a smile on your face.

The B side is complemented with a vocal and instrumental remix of 'Get Loose' by Kai Alcé, who has been throwing out one killer tune after the other, remixing Volcov's Isoul8 project (one of our favorites of the year), as well as kicking out releases on his own NDATL label. Kai goes for a full-on soulful house vibe, giving his own chord progression center stage along with a set of rimshots. He chooses to leave the horns out, and instead work the vocal, Rhodes, and cowbells from the original to great effect, adding a little solo work of his own on a bell-like piano where he freestyles happily throughout the track and copies the vocal for added harmonies.
The instrumental version is perfect for those moments where you're done with all the vocals and just want a tight soulful groove.

We couldn't be happier with this release so play it loud and get loose!

Yours Sincerely,

Maarten & Lars

Digging 80s pop obscurities has long been part of Emotional Rescue's mission statement and the unearthing of this cover of the Talking Heads classic by the little known, Italian new wave band Politrio for a limited 7" press is a worthy addition.
Formed by guitarist, songwriter and producer Giorgio Canali alongside Massimo Sbaragli and Roberto Zoli for the short-lived project. With just one album released of new wave, pop rock, it was their contribution to an Amnesty International benefit LP that spawned this excellent version of Byrne, Franz and Weymouth penned classic. Coming out of the CBGBs scene of post-punk downtown NYC, the song, released on their aptly titled 1977 "77" debut album, has gone on to become one of the defining songs of it's time. Further enhanced with their mesmeric performance in the 1984 Stop Making Sense film and album, it has been ripe for reinterpretation. Politrio's version keeps and captures much of the original, but with their own swing, rhythm, Italian-English vocal delivery, rock guitar, bells and keys. While remaining instantly recognizable, this is a unique version, with the straightened drumming giving it some added punch and kick.
This is backed by a systematically cool, delicate but additional re-edit by the Berlin based Italian duo Dama and Budino aka Double Wave. Rising names in the Berlin scene they are part of the Oscillator collective, label and parties and can be heard at some of the best parties right now.
Letting the instrumental interplay of funky, slap bass and rock guitar have more time to shine, the edit builds and drops, dubs and builds again to the vocals and lyrics known so well, offering an alternative sing-a-long for the more wonky DJs and dancers out there.

Major Keys is a brand-new audiophile label focusing on fully licensed reissues of jazz classics, pressed on 12' for a fuller, louder version compared to the original album cut. What better way to kick of the series than housing Herbie Hancock's imitable 'Chameleon' and 'Watermelon Man', loud and proud on either side of a 12' - remastered and cut by the engineer of the original Head Hunters LP from 1973.
They don't get much more iconic than 'Chameleon'. Nestled on the incredible 1973 'Head Hunters' album it's a 16-minute exploration of legendary jazz funk - having all the sensibilities and solos of a jazz record, yet grounding its rhythms in funk, soul and R&B. Even, as its title suggests, morphing from a low slung slow jam into a full-on, fast paced spiritual gem. Lock in for one of the most iconic basslines around courtesy of Paul Jackson, alongside some of the sweetest synth and Rhodes playing you're likely to hear from Herbie, all tied together with Harvey Mason's mythical drumming. Sampled the world over by the biggest and the best this is a truly timeless and hugely influential piece of music.

On the B side, the equally intriguing 'Watermelon Man'. This version, again taken from the Head Hunters LP, differs from the Blue Note bop '62 original, with Hancock developing it into a jazz fusion expedition. Bill Summers top and tails the track with a style of beer bottle blowing imitating a type of whistle playing found in Central African Pygmy music, giving a unique flavour to Hancock's jazz funk stylings that focus on the rhythmic interplay between each instrument. From Dilla to Digable Planets, Madonna to Massive Attack it's a classic that's sampled time and time again for good reason.

The seventh volume of Drumcode's annual A-Sides compilation hits with no less than 10 debuts for the label, with Charlotte de Witte, ANNA, B.Traits and Scuba's SCB project, among the collection of topline artists to release their maiden productions on the imprint.

Over two decades into its lifespan, Drumcode keeps evolving and excelling, pushing techno forward while remaining wholly respectful of its roots. This reputation for progression was further fuelled this summer with its inaugural festival at the NDSM Docklands in Amsterdam, featuring a long list of heavyweights including Nicole Moudaber, Joseph Capriati, Amelie Lens and Ida Engberg, among others.

As ever, the A-Sides compilation provides a timely opportunity to showcase the full range of its sonic repertoire, with Adam Beyer scrupulously selecting unreleased tracks that have taken prime position in his sets over recent months.

Formidable duo Dense & Pika kick off part 5 with their powerful composition 'Lemur' renowned for their standout studio output they consistently conjure up a unique take on their distinct sound. Tastemaker's favourite Jel Ford makes a welcome return to the fold as he ushers in techno rhythms with bustling breaks with his track 'Nightshade'.

On the B side resident DJ of the infamous GZG parties in Holland, Man With No Shadow supplies his rave infused twisted cut 'Manilla', where his warped bass combines with shattering breaks & heavy weight drums.

Lastly, Locomatica & Blaukoma present 'Unfold' a brooding techno workout with crisp drum programming that features a euphoric vocal bursting with emotion. Set to cement these two producers as acts to keep your eye on in the near future.

Sublunar, the record label founded by Sciahri and Dagdrom closes his 2018 with a brand new EP from the Swiss based artist Nh. After his debut EP "Nihil", Nh is back on Sublunar with 5 new tracks of psychedelic, sinister and mind-bending techno.

The record starts with 'Outre', with his buzzing textures and tense, bleeping melodies while the tick kick drum hammer intensifies his presence. 'Spirales' is journey through a deconstructed blackhole, with the impressive and reverberating drums dominated by a sense of disorientation. Last track on the A-side is Vague, where the listener is put into an tight spiral of paranoid thoughts while the energy slowly grows as different tones come and go. The B-side opens with 'Non', deep hypnotics are paired with a dense, powerful and pounding kick drum. Portrait closes the EP, a foggy and heavy atmosphere that reach his climax before collapsing into a blissful ambience.

Materia Obscura, launches with witchcraft themed three-part techno series entitled "Trilogia Del Aquelarre", inaugurating with Abstract Division, Cadans, NX1 and Lucindo. Based on Francisco de Goya's black paintings "El Aquelarre", which is exhibited at the Museo del Prado in Madrid.

"Parte 1" is a high-octane and thunderous techno package that includes contributions from Dynamic Reflection duo Abstract Division, Neighbourhood and Clone's Cadans, Nexe Records bosses NX1 and 3TH Records co- founder Lucindo. Kicking things off, Dutch duo Abstract Division's "Blue Void" delivers winding transcendental polyphonics balanced over synthetic techno drums. Cadanss "Don't Tell Me" employs tough heads down percussion and pulsating, metallic drone-like sonics. Then Spanish pair NX1's "MO1" offers heavy duty, machine-like crunches layered over resilient twisted modulations before Berlin's Lucindo concludes matters, supplying thunderous kick drums in "Atto 170" as unearthly type bleeps join vigorous swells.

North East duo Forriner are back with their third and final instalment in the samurai trilogy on their eponymous 'Forriner Music' imprint. Following a couple of impressive showings with previous EP's 'Condor' and 'In the B' they return for their hattrick with '17:17 Neon'. A four tracker of experimental club music for powerful dance floor experiences that offers two originals as well as a banger from Bird Of Paradise and a mouthful of mathematics from Legget and Suade for the remixes.

First up, 'The Jungle Is Deep' which immediately sets off at a rate of knots! Its sharp pace is tempered by the sound of the drums: dull kick, wooly clap, rattling hi-hats while its bassline bleeds in slowly as a dark repeating tone and subtle chord swell and a haunting, cautious vocal reminds you that 'The jungle is dark and deep'. The second half of the track balances its steamrolling kick with an intricate, hypnotic lead as a growling synth line shuffles and recombines over its rumpled techno groove. It's feeling is transportive, the kind of music that makes you close your eyes on the dance floor.

Fellow Northeast alumni take up the remix for 'The Jungle Is Deep'. Steve 'Four Hands' Legget and Suade Adapted hammer a hefty slice of future dub techno from the skeletal remains of the original! Its chunking, discordant drums and manic echo chamber combine with a lilting bassline making sure you know that this is tough music but that it also has a tender heart. Clipped vocals squelch and flutter throughout but these are more textural than melodic, adding extra depth to the track. This trip is all about striking, psychoactive grooves, pushing the swing settings to extremes. Equal parts sinister as it is are playful. Fitting the typical tradition of winsome, weird dance music.

Over on the flip is the title track '17:17 Neon' featuring vocalist Louis Adams and violinist Late Girl (Laura Stutter Garcia) Breathy melancholic vocals and pitched down, endorphin flooded electronica. This is techno in a state of dewey eyed delirium. The neon of the title is very much instructive here, with the vocal being the scattered, shining light that the track playfully hangs itself from.

Jo Howard aka Bird of Paradise takes the reins for the final remix delivering a charging peak-time club tool with relentless batteries of percussion setting the stage for a trippy soundscape. Other than their Northern roots, what these producers have in common is a distinctive approach to rhythm. The restlessness of the sharp stabs of static perfectly guiding the darkly pulsing mood.

Invigorating, skewered electronica and bristling, off-kilter techno drive the first release in 15 years by Dublin electronic duo Ambulance (Sunken Foal & Dave Nuremburg), delivering the first EP on the Open Ear label, the latest adventure in sound from the eponymously-titled Irish music festival.

Previously of Planet Mu and Front End Synthetics, the Ambulance project had been put on hold in any capacity this decade until 2017 when they were invited to close out the 2nd edition of the Open Ear festival, Ireland's leading experimental & alternative electronic music festival. Inspired by this performance, the pair returned to the studio and the first fruits of this labour make up the Combover EP. This also marks the first release by Open Ear on it's label which, like the festival, will serve as a platform for experimental dance floor & avant-garde music from the Irish underground.

Kickstarting with the sprawling, ever-evolving, glitched funk of "Caitríona Chéile", the tense, paranoid techno of "Douche Noir" then takes over with the following "Luxury Crackers" keeping the unsettling atmosphere pitched up before it opens up to reveal aslightlygentler side. The EP closes with the *Greasy* title track, a collage of shimmering synthesisers, jittery, free-wheeling drums and oddball sampling, all reaching for air at the same time.

Freamon is a denizen of the modern world, allegedly hailing from NY, according to some, not relevant, says he. What matters is the music - finely honed and carefully crafted dancefloor gems, served up with love the way they used to be, the way they ought to be.

The Hot Damn! EP is his second release on the mysterious Turbocapitalism label, after 2016's Black Grid EP. This time, he has decided to shine a spine-tingling light on our souls. He wants you to raise your hands and put them together in an overdose of holy joy on this unashamedly celebratory slab of sweet gospel grooving. Can you feel the spirit One listen to 'No More Crying' will settle any doubts on the subject. It's gospel-funk. Or gospel-not-gospel, which is like a million samples taken from every soul record you never heard, seamlessly stitched together as if created fresh today, with one idea - to meld together into one big explosion of spine-tingling dance floor joy!

The title track takes things down a notch with a heavy kick drum shuffle - stripped back analogue house, making for an intoxicating, dense brew of sounds, feelings and ideas. Fierce, pulsating free jazz sounds, snaking around that deliciously tense, bustling bottom end, creating an infectious groove that is fresh, different and most of all, impossible to resist.

Meanwhile, Madrid's DJF and Damian Schwartz do what they do best: they take that thing straight to the centre of Detroit, let it adjust to the new environment and then freely cruise the boulevards at night.

'Cohesion' is the third full album from Anchorsong - AKA Tokyo-born, London-based electronic artist Masaaki Yoshida. Taking inspiration from Classical Indian Percussion, and '70s and /80s Bollywood film soundtracks

Anchorsong creates a journey of psychedelic, danceable and free-spirited compositions that blur the boundary between rhythm and melody. It was whilst extensively touring his previous album, 'Ceremonial', that Masaaki

became deeply fascinated with percussion, and shifted his attention away from the African drums present on his last record to the music of the Middle East, South East Asia, and then more specifically to the sounds of India. 'The Indian

percussion was the one I was most fascinated with, so I began to dig into that genre deeper, I started with classics like Ravi Shankar, and the more classical Indian musicians. But then I began to explore the world of Bollywood and movie

soundtracks which is another world and the more I listened to composers like Sapan Jagmohan, Rajesh Roshan and Kalyanji Anandji, the more the concept of the new record began to form.

Choosing to work with traditional Indian instruments like the tabla and dholak, Yoshida wanted to use instruments that possessed melodic qualities, and could be tuned to work in the context of electronic music. He found that when Indian

percussions mixed with other instruments they began to sound like a melody that blurred the border between rhythm and melody. The concept of bringing together contrasting elements and cultures is evident from the album's title,

'Cohesion'. Here Anchorsong has brought together musical traditions and sounds from across borders, forging a truly unique body of work. Having reached new heights with 'Ceremonial' through accolades such as BBC 6Music's #5 Album

Of The Year, 'Cohesion' looks to build on such successes through the coupling of a comprehensive European tour kicking off around the release of the album.

Steve Bicknell returns to his 6dimensions label, adopting his The Evader guise once again with a re- issue release titled 'Awakening The Past 2'. Returning as The Evader for the second instalment of 'Awakening The Past', this will be Steve's fourth appearance on 6dimensions and features four tracks from 1994's 'No Hats Required' EP, which dropped on influential UK label, Cosmic Records - the tracks were originally made by Steve to be played together as a segment in various combinations. This release follows outings from 6dimensions artists Jing, Metro Skim and Heartless - continuing the label's theme of illustrating the 'human mind's natural make-up'. 'No Hats Required - Track 1' displays a locked 4x4 groove, filled with tidy modulations bouncing gracefully off the kicks before 'Track 6' offers a fast-pitched looping beat with floating percussive jitters. 'Track 2' then features twisted stab sequences over a minimal drum loop before a rolling 808 beat joins oscillating bass flutters in 'Track 3'. On the flip, Bicknell presents two new tracks recorded in 2017. 'Power Of Balance' provides cross firing synth shrills layered and tough techno convolutions to generate a rising intensity, until 'Shifting Illusion' concludes the package with minimalist dubbed-out flavours whilst flush melodies harmonise with continuous pulsations.

This is the third release of Anonym on bloop recordings, back in Detroit after years in Amsterdam, the boy returns for a four track including a remix from the portuguese Andrade. Anonym brings the powerfull of 3 floor bombs, once again we have selected 3 tracks from a selection that Anonym send us. Prepare yourself for dreamy and quirky tracks with really fat kick drums. On the remix duty, portuguese Andrade give us his frenchy house flavour, watch out on his forthcoming ep on bloop!

Industrial badman Sei2ure back on PRSPCT release with a huge 2 track vinyl EP.

Some say industrial hardcore is dead. If that were the case then this one is for sure the one to bring it back to life!

On the A side we have Send You To Hell. A 175BPM monster containing almost everything both Sei2ure and PRSPCT stand for. Driving pounding kick drums, catchy hooks and that perfect dose of snare drum warfare making this the perfect track to kill it on both Hardcore & Drum & Bass events. Huge track!

On the flip we have Push The Prozac. A 190BPM beast tune pushing up the tempo a bit without losing the groove and that dark Industrial vibe we love to death and have been missing so much.

Again another release on PRSPCT that is All Killer, No Filler. Enjoy!

Peak Time Business Is Good Time Business. Rave Signals, Some Repeating Vocal And What An Unsophisticated Kicki Drum. We Gonna Make You Sweat Since 'we Got Something'. The Obvious Sure Thang. Tool Added. For Fans Of Dj Haus & Rekids. On The Flip However We Go Frank De Wulf All The Way. Throw Yourself Into The Waters Of Youth. In Other Words: Trance Dance Music With A Touch Of Classic Belgium. Icing On The Cake: Marlon Hoffstadt Adds A Broken Electro Future Remix.

Hot on the heels of Rapid Eye Movement's journey of discovery and growth comes the EP 'Split: Remixes' featuring reworks of the quartet of cuts originally signed by label founders Memorial Home and VII Circle.

Invited to apply their own reflections onto the material are rising producers Nur Jaber and Wrong Assessment as well as renowned artists on the underground experimental scene Edit Select and Reggy Van Oers.

First up is Nur Jaber's take on VII Circle's 'Metaphysical Functions' showing how the young Berlin-based Lebanese artist is as much inspired on remix duties than in crafting her already much acclaimed productions. The perfect mixture of dark and intense driving techno beat with haunting ambient-driven melodic motifs and dramatic breakdowns encompasses much of what her sophisticated sense of sonic exploration is about.

Up next on a heavier kicking note is 'Dogma' refashioned by Milanese fellow Wrong Assessment who transmits his vision of both minimal and hard pounding techno by merging a strait rugged beat with undulating synth lines and bouncy cymbals that will drive the audience to an insane rave-spirited dance floor venture.

Following the path, Tony Scott a.k.a Edit Select's interpretation of Memorial Home's 'Second Floor' is a clear example of the unique and forward-thinking sound that the Scottish techno scene 'veteran' has developed throughout the years. Deftly combining a tension-building drum and bassline work with layers of hypnotic synth textures that makes the track both suggestive and trippy-hitting in equal measure.

Concluding the journey is Reggy Van Oers (RVO)'s rework of Memorial Home's 'Ampere' which evinces this quest for organic and mental techno soundscapes inspired by classical and cinematic music, characterising the both complex and powerful crafting signature of Dutch Telemorph label's owner.

Between dark shadows and brightness, REM confirms with this new release that quality and free-minded artistry are the key pillars of the platform's curation philosophy.

Milan based collective Just This return with their biggest compilation yet, a twelve track package featuring varied entries from label regulars and esoteric talents alike. JT022 is due for release July 20th. Melodic fragments and melancholic harmonies spiral through ricocheting drums and marching kicks. Contributions from Skudge, Hiver, Hunter/Game, Artefakt, Pizetsky and many more combine to forge a formidable package channelling moody, hypnotic techno for darkened dancefloors.

The Strictly Rhythm imprint is legendary and is instantly recognisable by connoisseurs worldwide. It's a label that has contributed time and time again to dance music culture across it's almost 30 year lifespan. Countless classics passed through the NYC offices of Mark Finkelstein and Gladys Pizarro and this brand new 'Strictly Classics' series looks to celebrate this cornerstone dance label and it's immense catalogue by going back to the archives and presenting some double-header action for diehard fans and newcomers alike. That's right, the 'proper' mixes, reissued from source and remastered to the highest spec, each track spread across one side of a 12" for optimal sonic playback.

Number 3 in the series kicks off on a proper old-school tip with CLS' mammoth 'Can You Feel It' from 1991, a collaboration between Todd Terry and Benji Candelerio CLS made a huge and lasting impression with this euphoric and anthemic slab of dancefloor madness. Instantly recognisable from it's ravey riff and funky drum programming, file this one under 'rave classic'! Over on the flip side we have South Street Player's smoothed out '(Who) Keeps Changing Your Mind', a rolling and deep jam from Roland Clark and George Morel that came out in 1993. This one's some lights down, honest to god soulful house music, skipping garage drums and that organ driven groove offer the perfect vehicle for Clark's gorgeous vox to soar over. Yet another set of absolutely essential SR cuts from the archive!

Remastered with love by Optimum mastering, Bristol from original master sources. Made in conjunction with Strictly Rhythm 2018.

Roberto Clementi delivers his 'Cadmio' EP on Echocord sub-label Echo Echo this October, containing four original tracks from the Italy-based artist. Kenneth Christiansen's Echo Echo imprint, offers up its fifth release here, accurately reflecting his appetite for the more celestial, dubbed out side of techno. This release sees the return of Roberto Clementi to the Echo platform after three releases on the parent imprint, Echocord plus 10 years worth of released music to his name, notably a number of EP's and an album on Soma. The EP kicks off with a fresh dub induced charmer entitled 'Conte', which in Italian translates to 'with you', and stands as an accurate tag for this warm and intimate opener. 'Irradi' follows, a more upbeat and industrious dance track - with euphoric synth lines sitting harmoniously in between the more uniform percussion before stimulating crashing symbols are introduced in the latter stages. Title-track 'Cadmio' is up next, a more dropped-tempo, electro tinged number, with off-kilter drum patterns gracefully balancing amongst the alluringly sedative melody. The B2 and final track 'Blue Growth' then provides a close to the EP with a lo fi 4/4 drum pattern together with hardened snares and crashes contrasted by delicate dub swells providing feelings of symmetry - a theme that is consistent throughout the whole EP.

Following Merv's EP, Taped Artifact now presents a new outing by the label co-founder Kevin Arnemann. With three original cuts, showcasing the labels characteristic dub-influenced techno sound, the EP is complemented with two remixes by Jonas Kopp. Arnemann's 'Trash Polka EP' kicks off with saturated 808-grooves, driven by steady dub-chords and hard hitting claps. Next, the original track sees a special dub influenced treatment by Jonas Kopp. The in Spain residing Argentinian delivers a stripped down, yet high energized techno version. As a digital exclusive, Kopp prepares a second interpretation, following the tradition of a classic rooted dub sound. On the flipside, 'Revertigo' sees Arnemann utilise a rumbling break beat, topped with icy rides, blissful dub chords and cinematic pads, taking you on an energetic trip. 'Ideology' is bringing the EP to a closing. With heavily processed chords and hard hitting drums, Kevin Arnemann creates a suspense that leave you wanting for more. Vital Sales Points: - 3rd solo EP by Kevin Arnemann on Taped Artifact - Two remixes by Jonas Kopp - EP comes with download code for full EP + digital exclusive bonus remix by Jonas Kopp

After more than a decade of deep, expansive productions on labels such as Detroit Underground and CPU, Annie Hall arrives on MUSAR for a record typically rich in texture and understated grooves.

Opening track 'Linium' immediately seduces listeners with a complex drum pattern that somehow feels spacious, subtly twisting and turning its way around Hall's analogue world. Dutch artist Mattheis maintains this understated feel but adds a soft, compelling kick in response on his suspenseful remix of 'Lavandula'. The original, moodier version of this cut the follows to open the B side, gradually erupting around a killer distorted bassline. The EP continues to hit a more urgent note with the tense machinations of 'Silene', where dense layers of stuttering, frenetic drums interweave with Hall's trademark, melancholy keys. The record concludes on a weightless, transcendent note with 'Santolina', taking each visceral element featured thus far and slowing each down, with affecting results.

Indebted to vintage electro and IDM, Hall's music is no throwback, always looking forward and moving dancefloors in the most unexpected ways.



DJ FEEDBACK

Early support from



Michael Mayer (Kompakt) : Nice vibes from Mattheis... will play for sure!

James Zabiela (Born Electric) : Linium is a nice one, thanks.

Arnaud Le Texier (Cocoon / Chronicle) : Nice music. Thx!

Marcel Dettmann (Ostgut Ton/MDR) : Thx!

Carl Craig (Planet E) : Thx!

Gonno (Beats In Space Records / Endless Flight) : I like Mattheis' :)

Thomas Hessler (Index Marcel Fengler) : Nice one! Thank you!

Slam (Soma) : Thanx

Âme (Innervisions) : Thanks

Blasha & Allatt (Meat Free / Manchester) : Amazing!

EREZ / John Byrun : A superb EP

Tom Lye (Melodic Distraction - Liverpool) : Big fan of the whole EP. Strong, building electro with different moods. Essential!

Afrodeutsche (NTS / LuckyMe / Skam) : Glitchy melodica... Right up my Strasse...

DJ Shiva / Noncompliant (Valence / Detroit Underground) : Stellar music here. Moving beyond "DJ music", this is just really fantastic to listen to in headphones. Gorgeous stuff.

Lonya (Asymmetric Recordings) : Great stuff here!

Nori (Posivision) : Cool work.

Cinnaman (Rush Hour / Naked Naked) : Lavandula and Santolina are my favorites! thanks

Dj Windows XP (E-Beamz) : Dope E.P. Will play Lavandula.

Ambivalent/LA-4A (Delft/Cocoon/Ovum) I'm a huge fan of Annie Hall and Mattheis!!! This is a FANTASTIC release!! One of my favorites of recent months just on first listen!!

Benoit C (Tsugi) : Linium for me

Ian Blevins (ESP Institute / Sulk Magic) : Linium and another bit of top work from Mattheis. Santolina is pushing my buttons too. Aphexy vibes.

Joe Europe (Ransom Note) : Very nice!

Azterisco: Very interesting record. Nice remix!

Oded Peled : What a fantastic release! Was hard to choose a favourite between Linium and the Mattheis Remix of Lavandula. Both will come in handy in my sets. ....Thanx a lot and keep em coming.

Naduve (Cocktail d'Amore / Disco Halal) : Both A1 and A2 are great!..Thanks.

Anastasia Kristensen (Nous) : I dig this a lot, it's a crazy well produced record.

Demia E.Clash (Darknet) : Such a good ep-.i love them all,quality production yess.

Pedro Martins (Karakter Records) : Nice EP overall. Linium, Silene, and Santolina are my favorites. Thank you so much!

Xinobi (Discotexas) : Great record. I'm specially enchanted by the original version o Lavandula. Congratulations.

Scan Mode (DJ Mag Spain) : Lavandula in both mixes for me

John Osborn (TANSTAAFL) : Can't pick a fav. it is all Devine. thank you.

Madloch (Sound Avenue) : Nice EP, Linium & Lavandula original are my favs, thanks.

DVS NME (Transient Force) : The standout track is Lavandula.

Cadans continues an incredibly strong run of releases with 'Curved', his first drop for Ben Sims on-point Hardgroove imprint.

Previous output for Clone Basement Series as well as Darko Esser's Wolfskuil and Balans as well as a collaboration with Randomer for Tasha's Neighbourhood imprint have quickly established Cadans' (Dutchman-in-London, Jeroen Snik) rep.

On 'Curved' we're treated to yet more of the rising star's strident and sometimes disorientating rhythms. 'Creep' and 'Dank' open the EP with blistering purpose - all distorted 909 kicks and and hazy memories of strobes on seething dance floors. The title track kicks off the b-side with an aptly undulating and enjoyably unsettling slant to it's main riff while the EP wraps up with 'Chant' - a brilliantly effective drum-machine and vocal/horn sample workout.

Catch Recordings return with their 13th release, this time from DJ Najaora. He's an emerging talent from the ever growing Techno region in Georgia who's mature, fully formed sound is showcased here across three innovative left-field Techno & electro tracks. The excellent 'Night Dreamers' takes the A1 spot. It's an analogue electro cut throughout. With forceful broken drums accompanied by electric lead lines that provide a powerful energy for the dance floor.'Space Call' is a more cerebral and less dance floor affair that has you day dreaming amongst the meandering pads and classic Detroit electro vibes. A soft acid line runs throughout, while the whole cuts creates nostalgia of old Warp Records.Last of all 'Simulaq' which takes the B-side has wide and vast rubber kicks alongside booming bass. Making this side a merge of Bass and Electro. Trippy stabs and dark energy pervades the whole thing, making it track for the late hours.
While 13 is an unlucky number for some, this certainly doesn't seem to be the case for Catch Recordings.

Almost three decades after he put out his first record as one half of Tummy Touch twosome Tutto Matto, Paulo Guigliemino continues to produce effortlessly brilliant music that joins the dots between vintage disco, boogie, proto-house and sun-kissed Balearica. For proof, just check the heavyweight dancefloor sunshine that is 'Bella Topa', his first release on Leng Records.

Slow, sensual and blessed with all manner of delay-laden drum machine percussion hits, the track fixes the producer's usual colourful, boogie-era synth flourishes and ear-pleasing instrumentation (think fluid electric pianos, fluttering flutes, eyes-closed jazz guitar solos, lilting saxophones and spacey electronic chords) to a chugging, head-in-the-clouds groove reminiscent of Lindstrom and Prins Thomas's early collaborative work. 'Bella Topa' cleverly shifts shape several times throughout, utilising jazzier rhythms and bolder melodies to light up key moments.

Remixes come from Guigliemino's old pal Federico Marton, a producer best known for being one half of sometime Get Physical, Superfiction and Snatch Recordings artists Italoboyz. He lays down two distinctive revisions, starting with a 'Slow' club reconstruction that adds additional percussive heaviness and sparkling electronics to Super Paolo's twinkling, sun-baked original.

His other version, a 'Fast' club reconstruction, drags Guigliemino's track towards peak-time dancefloors kicking and screaming. Making the most of his friend's killer groove and finding sufficient time and space for each life-affirming musical element to sparkle, his mix bobs, weaves and eventually soars for 12 mesmerizing minutes. The mix, like his slow version, makes use of additional percussion and wisely gives more prominence to the A-side's spacey electronics and boogie-influenced synthesizer flourishes. The results are little less than breathtaking.

Robotron is the machine formerly known as Xinner. This is its first offering for the ESP Institute. Side A's Dream Resonator is an idiosyncratic network — dexterous machine drum/percussion programming, an ebb and flow of floating arpeggios, syncopated counter-melodies and a hail of stabbing stringscontinually diffusing into ethereal vapor — all stacked into an (aptly-named) orchestral anthem. Side B's Ice takes a similar approach with arrangement, each instrument carving out its place in the track's mechanics for a glorious convergence of patterns, but, where side A proves optimistic, here we sense a more menacing undercurrent, an austerity powerfully articulated through towering kicks and claps so compressed they fill up every dark corner of negative space. Indeed, Robotron has an innate command for building and calibrating robust systems, but beneath this calculated veil we find the remnant human behavior of Xinner. These two songs will whisper loudly but scream quietly.

Ben Buitendijk returns to his Rotterdam based label, Oblique Music with three stirring techno cuts entitled 'Alternative Hypothesis'.

After Buitendijk's quintessential 2013 'Promised land' track on Mosaic, his sound's transition into tougher territories, prevalent in his series of releases via Oblique that demonstrate a palette of space-induced modulations. The label continues to create
emotionally driven techno of a deeply layered nature, having also released music by Deniro, Koen Hoets, Emmanuel Top, Refracted, and more.

Kicking off with a journey enveloping 9-minute track, 'Contamination Zone' is delicately filled with synthetic ambience and undulating minimalism. The track's energy gently grows throughout as the bleeped synth line and looping percussion patiently rises in intensity. 'Stardust' follows, continuing to transcend visionary type melodies in symmetry with acutely composed drums.

'Alternative Hypothesis' adopts a left-of-centre drum groove, harmonising authentically with the uplifting, otherworldly swells constant throughout, keeping the force of the track totally balanced.

Depth.Request sees a new hat being thrown into the techno ring. The hat in question is the label's first EP Anvil—a post-tech five-tracker, and the person throwing it is Blasted—an Italian producer with a number of solid EPs to his name. Having had previously shared release credits with him on a number of occasions, Berlin's renowned noisemaker Unhuman fits into the picture as well, being the one charged with remixing duties regarding the titular track.

Setting common tact aside for a moment, the opener showcases Blasted indulging in esoteric inclinations by the means of concentrating on slick, abrasive sound design, cutting the number of kicks in half and utilizing a vocal sample to add a pinch of EBM into the mix. Unhuman's slowed-down rework in turn evokes gears' incessant grind at the backdrop of steam pressurizers going up and down in alteration, producing arrays of heavily plodding, whamming kicks. Breaking free of esoterism and leftfield production, the EP continues with Jawbreaker—a peak-time affair wherein the lows are ravaged by constant sub-bass pressure and ruthlessly striking, syncopated kicks, laid under the neatly-synthesized, impenetrable hats, pertaining to Blasted's signature sound. On Filthy Goat, the assault continues with a renewed strength as anxious synths and panning hats gradually invade the scene shortly before the devastating kicks storm down in a hail of obliterating projectiles, creating a battlefield-evocative environment within this decimating, explosive stomper. Lastly, demonic closer Belial bids its fair digital-only-money's worth of adieu with magnificent ambiance interwoven within the spectrum alongside meticulously arranged drumwork presented through plethora of varied, carefully picked samples.