quête:like a tim

Los Angeles based artist Evan Caminiti returns with the follow up to 2017’s Toxic City Music.

Living in the wrong timeline, dreaming of possible utopias; Varispeed Hydra beams in like a collection of broken transmissions, terrestrial sounds melting into the abstract and rising again as vaporous specters. Three years in the making, Hydra was recorded utilizing a variety of electroacoustic processes and honed in live performances ranging from the sound art setting of NYC’s Issue Project Room to the future-club environment of DOMMUNE in Tokyo. While thematically following Toxic City Music, it moves past that album’s emphasis on superfund sites and the proverbial rat race to turn an ear towards more rural environs.

With a focus on some of the sounds we stand to lose if we continue on our current trajectory of ecological destruction, birds, insects, and water are most often found among the glowing synthesizers and warped electric guitar that comprise the album’s melodic and rhythmic core. Connecting a thread between musique concrete and dub, these sounds are atomized and diffused before being woven together with a sense of urgency, a colorful and restless haze. Phasing percussion and blurred melodies are wrapped in a fog as they tumble and glitch, occupying a space where ominous rumblings and bucolic bliss blur together. An offering of cautious optimism in the age of anxiety.

Written and produced by Evan Caminiti, featuring electronics by Lisa McGee.
Mastered by Rafael Anton Irisarri at Black Knoll Studios.
Artwork by Michael Vallera and Zane Morris.
Vinyl cut at Dubplates and Mastering Berlin.

Now finally, the great "Music Exists"-series by Tokyo-based duo the Tenniscoats is completed. Apart from the regular 4 volumes, there is a heavy cardboard box, beautifully screenprinted and hand-numbered by senorburns, in 12 different color-combinations. Inside you'll find an extra-LP of bonus-tracks and alternative versions, "Music Exists disc 5", which only comes exclusively with this box. Like on the other LPs, you’ll hear heartbreaking songs, beautifully arranged with acoustic guitar, melodica, psychedelic keyboards and soundexperiments. Also included is a A3-Poster with a drawing by Ueno not used within the previous album-artworks.

Limited one-time pressing of only 500 copies worldwide. There is a small amount of full boxes with all 5 LPs and Poster available, for those, who don‘t have any of the albums so far.

Tenniscoats have devoted followers allover the world, but their releases were always hard to find outside of Japan. Except for their album "Tokinouta", which saw a very limited run on vinyl, and the seminal "Two Sunsets", their collaboration with the Pastels (and a small handfull of 7"s), there were never any vinyl-releases, and also the CDs were hard to get for any-one, who doesn't speak or read japanese.

So, this is the chance to dive deep into the beautiful, unique world of the Tenniscoats and their opus magnum "music exists".

"It may even be their greatest ever music, essential plus" Monorail Music, Glasgow

"Whatever's ailing you, Tokyo's Tenniscoats have got something for that" Boomkat, Manchester

"Aix" is an outstanding piece of work by Italian electro-acoustic savant Giuseppe Ielasi, originally released in 2009 on Taylor Deupree's 12k label, the follow-up to 2007’s "August" (12k) and Ielasi's first collaboration with Nicola Ratti as "Bellows", also out in 2007 (Kning Disk). Originally only released on CD (12k), the album got a very limited vinyl issue on Czech label Minority Records in 2010. Keplar presents this extraordinary and timeless collection of 9 evocative minimalist soundscapes on vinyl again after 10 years.

From the original press release in 2009:

"With Aix we see Ielasi building his layered, atmospheric music around rhythmic grids. Most of the time these are quite irregular and the pulses are not neccessarily stable or clear. Where his previous work approached sound in a linear fashion Aix imposes a strong vertical development with the aforementioned grid and a production consisting of ons and offs, employing as much improvisation as Ielasi’s previous work, but in a different way.
Despite the self-imposed grid structure, Aix relies heavily on randomization. Not in the traditional sense of sound placement but instead of the spatialization of sounds, echoes, reverbs and the stereo image. As a result, Aix has an amazing sense and clarity of space as the small fragments of sound breathe and find their own place in the mix, thanks to Ielasi’s sublime skills as a mixer and engineer.
Ielasi relied heavily on numerous short samples and combining them in ways that fell into his groove; some found from others' recordings and many more recorded during the past year. We hear fragments of percussive (acoustic) objects, drums, piano, trumpet, guitar, and, of course, synthetic textures. Although there is a distinct rhythmic pulse to Aix, Ielasi manages to mold it into something wonderfully languid and warm... and strangely inviting."

Composed and recorded by Giuseppe Ielasi in Aix-en-Provence, Autumn 2008. Remaster by Giuseppe Ielasi. Cover photograph "Construction, Barcelona" by Taylor Deupree. Layout by Dan Dudarec/Marco Ciceri.

For more than 20 years Giuseppe Ielasi has been releasing his recordings on labels like Erstwhile Records, Häpna, Kning Disk, Dekorder, 12k, Entr'acte or Editions Mego, as well as on his own label Senufo Editions.

The label Keplar has been on a long hiatus and is now back with its KeplarRev series presenting vinyl re-issues of essential electronic albums from the 90's and 00's, as well as new recordings by momentous electronic and ambient artists.

Where does electronic music lead you? To the inside, to a calm and warm place where sound resonates with your body in quiet bliss, or to the outside where the rhythm wants you dance, even without moving? „WTMCT“ gives an answer to these questions that is complex yet extremely easy to understand in an immediate sentient and emotive way.

Menelaos music is unusual and unlikely both with respect to the structure and arrangement of tracks, and the materiality and spatiality of the sound. And yet these sounds convey an immediate sensation of familiarity and ease, of beauty and relaxation. Menelaos utilizes loudness and extreme dynamics in a thoughtful and intriguing way to accentuate strange runaway sounds while maintaining the continuity of the flow of the tracks, which is Ambient to the core. This is a rare art in our time, where hypercompressed and superoptimized glossy sounds dominate most of Ambient, drone and even deep listening music.

In this aspect the album follows and refines the subtle production skills of seminal electronic artists like Jan Jelinek or Terre Thaemlitz a.k.a. DJ Sprinkles. What is genuinly special about Menelaos music is the natural and seemingly effortless fusion of challenging experimentalism and a warm and soothing organic sound-design. This shows exemplary in the collaborative tracks with trombonist and bass trumpet player Achim Fink, a founding figure of the Cologne jazz and free improvisation scene of the eighties. Achim is uncompromisingand in times disruptive play merges perfectly into Menelaos serene soundscapes.

This way „WTMCT“ became a genuine album. It tells a story. It invites deep exploration but it does not demand it, thus transcending common notions of how Ambient or Electronica should sound. Text: Frank Eckert

The Album includes also some warm sampels (my live with the wave vol 1+ 2) from the Detroit legend Mike Huckaby to whom i very thankful.

Limited edition of 170

Some of LUXXURY’s most popular floor fillers on wax for the first time in this new limited series.

“Uh Huh” hearkens back to a Beautiful Time, ripping off and improving upon a Silver Convention-esque bassline. “Da Ya” is a deep cut Eastern European cover of a sleazy pop disco classic. “Petula” is LUXXURY’s most popular rework to date after DJ Harvey gave it an auspicious premiere in his Milan Boiler Room set.

Born in Paris, raised in Vienna, resident in Ibiza, saxophonist and composer Muriel Grossmann embodies the borderless, pan-continental energies of contemporary European jazz. Her music emerges from the lineage of European jazz that's absorbed the progressive music of Coltrane, Dolphy and Sanders. Today, she cites players such as Illinois Jacquet and Lester Young in the same breath as the masters of the avant-garde, and her playing marries the directness and eloquence of the older generation with the questing, spiritualised playing epitomised by Coltrane. The roster of musicians she has played with is long, and includes veteran European avant-gardists including Joachim and Rolf Kühn, Wolfgang Reisinger and Thomas Heidepriem, and she works tirelessly with contemporary groups and big bands across the continent.

Since her first recordings in the early 2000s, Grossmann has released a dozen albums as leader, featuring sounds ranging from hard-swinging modernist jams to free improvisation, expansive spiritual work to rhythm-focussed Afrocentrism. But at the centre of her work is a thread of pure and heartfelt spiritual music in the modal tradition defined by Coltrane and close collaborators like Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane. You can't play this music successfully if you don't mean it – like the music of her contemporary Nat Birchall, Grossmann's engagement with the Coltrane tradition is sincere and deep. Her music resonates within the tradition – more than just a style, it adds a new chapter to the story of modal and spiritual jazz in Europe.

This Jazzman set draws a selection from her 2016 album Natural Time ('Your Pace', 'Peace For All') and from 2017's Momentum ('Elevation', 'Chant' and 'Rising'). Featuring her regular quartet of Radomir Milojkovic (guitar) Uros Stamenkovic (drums) and Gina Schwarz (bass), the music on Elevation is pure sound, soul and spirit!

- LP only with thick tip on sleeve- Download card included inside

"Timeless and innovative... a musical genius" Mike Gates, UK Vibe

"A listening experience akin to transcendence" Andrew Jones, Down Beat

"Vibrant, passionate, exhilarating. A monument of spiritual jazz" Mark Sarazzy, Impro Jazz

"A journey that takes off like missile, passes through meditation, reaches nirvana and ends with thanksgiving" Elliot Simon, NYC jazz records

"Timelessly beautiful" Christian Bakonyi, Concerto

2x12"

„Room With A View“ sees Rone returning to his musical roots and the set-up of his early albums: purely electronic, solitarily conceived without any musical collaborators. At the same time he was able to leave his comfort zone through a new kind of artistic liaison. The album was produced alongside a live show commissioned by the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and developed together with choreography collective (LA) HORDE and 20 dancers of the Ballet National de Marseille. This new kind of collaborative approach allowed Rone to produce his most sincere and far-reaching music in some time. Inspired by discussions of collapsologie and climate change, „Room With A View“ offers food for thought on how to deal with one of the most pressing issues of humanity.

The Fenchman manages to let his trademark sound shine in a new light, pleasing early fans as well as every electronica enthusiast. Typically melodic beats like „Ginkgo Biloba“ nestle against tracks that exhibit classic influences from Boards of Canada („La Marbrerie“) to SAW-era Aphex Twin („Raverie“), euphoric dancefloor rhythms sit next to contemplative synth work. Tracks like „Sophora Japonica“ showcase Rone’s mastership in atmosphere, which sometimes requires no drums at all. Elsewhere, Rone is clearly reviving the club-centric vibe of „Tohu Bohu“ and experimenting with elements of dub. It all makes for and adventurous and rewarding listen.

Most importantly, Rone is redefining the notion of „organic“ in electronic music through use of field and voice recordings. Be it his own child chattering, Aurelien Barrau or Alain Damasio debating, or the dance troupe rehearsing and discussing the show. "Because the writing process of the album was very machine focused, it seemed appropriate to feed back a human touch into the music and to still have bodies involved". Thus „Esperanza“ uses the steps of the dancers as a rhythm to start a new track, while in „Human“ they serve as a choir. This idea of extended human collaboration becomes apparent also on the album cover.

2x12" Marbled Vinyl

„Room With A View“ sees Rone returning to his musical roots and the set-up of his early albums: purely electronic, solitarily conceived without any musical collaborators. At the same time he was able to leave his comfort zone through a new kind of artistic liaison. The album was produced alongside a live show commissioned by the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and developed together with choreography collective (LA) HORDE and 20 dancers of the Ballet National de Marseille. This new kind of collaborative approach allowed Rone to produce his most sincere and far-reaching music in some time. Inspired by discussions of collapsologie and climate change, „Room With A View“ offers food for thought on how to deal with one of the most pressing issues of humanity.

The Fenchman manages to let his trademark sound shine in a new light, pleasing early fans as well as every electronica enthusiast. Typically melodic beats like „Ginkgo Biloba“ nestle against tracks that exhibit classic influences from Boards of Canada („La Marbrerie“) to SAW-era Aphex Twin („Raverie“), euphoric dancefloor rhythms sit next to contemplative synth work. Tracks like „Sophora Japonica“ showcase Rone’s mastership in atmosphere, which sometimes requires no drums at all. Elsewhere, Rone is clearly reviving the club-centric vibe of „Tohu Bohu“ and experimenting with elements of dub. It all makes for and adventurous and rewarding listen.

Most importantly, Rone is redefining the notion of „organic“ in electronic music through use of field and voice recordings. Be it his own child chattering, Aurelien Barrau or Alain Damasio debating, or the dance troupe rehearsing and discussing the show. "Because the writing process of the album was very machine focused, it seemed appropriate to feed back a human touch into the music and to still have bodies involved". Thus „Esperanza“ uses the steps of the dancers as a rhythm to start a new track, while in „Human“ they serve as a choir. This idea of extended human collaboration becomes apparent also on the album cover.

Repress!

From his earlier work with pioneering London production outfits like Bugz In The Attic, DKD, Silhouette Brown, Blakai, Likwid Biskit, Neon Phusion and Agent K, to his recent releases and collaborations with Dego and the extended 2000black family, Kaidi Tatham is one of the most quietly influential British artists of his time.

2008's 'In Search of Hope' is the second solo album from Tatham and the first under his own name. It pushes the musical boundaries of electronic and dance music in a way that is still rarely heard today. While the album retains its contemporary London influences, it allowed Tatham to stretch out musically in a way he hadn't done on record before. The majority of the album's tracks aren't in the standard 4/4 time signature that most contemporary dance music follows, and some switch between a handful of different time signatures over the course of a few minutes. In a way, the album could be viewed as Tatham's mission statement and a sign of what was to come from him as an artist: uncompromisingly and unapologetically sophisticated modern black music. His face melting virtuosity never gets in the way of coherent groove, melody, harmony and arrangement. Originally released on Tokyo based label Freedom School and recorded on a modest set up at his flat in south London, 'In Search of Hope' has become a holy grail record for dance music fans and jazz heads alike. Its mythical status is spurred on by the fact that it was unavailable digitally, until now, with physical copies fetching astronomical prices online, especially considering how recently it was released compared to other records that reach similar prices.

Originally recorded in 1977, following a limited release in 1979, Ghédalia Tazartès debut album, Diasporas, introduced listeners to the surreal, mysterious and truly unclassifiable statement of Tazartès and his out-of-time place in the French avant-garde canon. Born in Paris in 1947 to Judaeo-Spanish parents of Greek descent, Tazartès spent his early career as an autodidact utilizing his knowledge of repetition and collage, coupled with his Ladino linguistic heritage, to create some of the most unique recordings of the late 20th century. Interest in the works of Tazartès truly sparked when artist Steve Stapleton included his follow up album, Tazartès' Transports, in his famed "Nurse With Wound List," thus adding endless curiosity to the folklore behind Tazartès and his mystical entrée.

From the onset of Diasporas, looping incantations seemingly pile up at the behest of Tazartès. In almost a prayer-like decree, Tazartès chants to the gods in an undefined whail that is both haunting and spiritually divine. Tazartès unique use of tape loops to capture the disappearing traditions of his family's past creates an atmospheric texture that unexpectedly complements his cut-up, manipulated vocal experiments. While contemporaries within the French avant-garde maneuvered academic theory and rigid tradition, Diasporas strays away from these boundaries, working in Tazartès' invented practice of 'impromuz', a method in which he endlessly records for hours and edits only the moments that display any sense of spontaneous enlightenment. Further emboldening the obtuse nature of Diasporas are the seemingly random recitation of poet Stéphane Mallarmé and the traditional 'Parisian-style' piano accompaniment of experimental composer Michel Chion.

Since its initial release over 40 years ago, both Dais Records and Alga Marghen have released reissues of Diasporas in various formats, all of which quickly fell out of print. Dais Records presents an official reissue, newly remastered by Josh Bonati, utilizing the original artwork of Diasporas in its sole album form, for the first time in over four decades.

The 7' versions of Keep the Fire Burning and Funky Sensation by Gwen McCrae, two tracks synonymous with the soul, boogie, rare groove and modern disco scenes, are finally being reissued on Expansion Records. Keep the Fire Burning has been one of the most sought after records of the past decade, seamlessly bridging the gap between rare-groove and underground dance-music. What's more, recent price-hikes on online vinyl-distribution websites denote the way in which the market for this record has grown exponentially, a testament to its new-found popularity among the worldwide dance-music diaspora. Funky Sensation, moreover, possesses a timeless and universal groove, a song which has cemented itself as a darling of the boogie-scene, while gaining traction from the likes of Dam Funk and Nu Guinea. Furthermore, Funky Sensation is a traditionally popular record amongst the UK Soul scene, after seeing airtime on London Pirate-Radio stations during the 1980's. Keep the Fire Burning has since been sampled by Star Slimlinger, Marcus Gauntlett and the Hustlers Convention among others and has seen heavy rotation within the underground circuit, owing to its popularity among certain U.S and European DJ's such as Ron Trent, Marcellus Pittmann, and Sam Shepherd. Funky sensation is well-affiliated within the Hip-Hop scene, after providing the musical framework for songs produced by Africa Bambaata, Ghostface Killah and L.L Cool J to name a few. Original copies of this 7' single have exchanged hands for over £100.

New York’s indie disco funk crew is back with a new album. And it’s the right moment: With new acts like Toro Y Moi, Sault, Parcels, The Internet around… the funky, disco, old school vibe is big in 2020. And The Phenomenal Handclap Band fits perfectly. Probably all these new artists are fans of the Phenomenals. Because The PHB popped up for the first time 10 years ago. Some top knotch musicians from NYC’s funk scene playing dirty discofunk. Some of the bandmembers played in Mark Ronson’s projects and in Amy Winehouse’s backing band. Head of the band: Daniel Collás. Their self-titled debut album on Gomma records 2010 made them many fans in the music scene. A nasty fusion of forward-thinking disco, psychedelic prog rock, and classic soul with a splash of yacht rock. Back then the band took the road, supporting Bryan Ferry and Franz Ferdinand, playing shows at Glastonbury, Wireless, and Latitude… as well as getting praise from Sir Paul McCartney about their album! After the album Collás began to produce other artists in Brooklyn. The band paused. Now they are back. With Daniel Collás in the centre, along with new members multi-instrumentalist Juliet Swango, and vocalist and synthesizer wizard Monika Heidemann. Their sound is still essentially analog dance music, with an emphasis on raw soul, vocal harmonies, African percussion, fuzzy guitars and analog synthesizers.

Deep mining the crates for another super strong 4 track pass - The HOT PEAS 'N BUTTER crew deliver each and every time !!

No.6 brings another selection of certified diverse and dynamite floor-filling jams from the extended family.

Time machine tear-ups from the golden era, as likely to be heard on Mom & Pops' turntable as they were rattling the cones on the home-made block party stacks or basement sound systems.

100% DJ material - and available in VERY short supply...you snooze, you lose !

Hand stamped vinyl only 12" series

Kamasi Washington's wide-reaching double album Heaven & Earth arrives on Young Turks. Much like his previous releases, Heaven & Earth once again finds Kamasi setting out to expand the minds and horizons of all who encounter his music. Recorded as a double album, this expanded canvas gives his trademark tones the opportunity to offer a wider than ever before selection of fully immersive, freestyling psychedelic jazz that carries a distinctly spiritual edge.In an instant, Heaven and Earth really burrows deeper into the external cosmos that we were left circling around the edge of with his debut long-player, The Epic (released in 2015 via Flying Lotus's Brainfeeder label), yet it also carries us further into the distance of the deeply cinematic overtones that his debut Young Turks EP, Harmony of Difference pointed us in the direction of. While it is both instantly recognisable as a Kamasi Washington recording, Heaven and Earth's luxurious running time matched with a searching narrative sees Kamasi breaking out of any sounds or scenes he may be associated with, smoothly transcending into new, dynamic and sonically experimental levels and counterpoints of his now widely praised signature sound.
Washington convened his band, The Next Step, as well as members of the long running collective The West Coast Get Down at Henson Studios in Los Angeles to record the 16 tracks on Heaven & Earth. The music was composed, written and arranged by Washington, with new arrangements of jazz and bebop legend Freddie Hubbard's 'Hubtones' and iconic kung fu film theme 'Fists of Fury,' as well as one song by bandmate Ryan Porter. Thundercat, Terrace Martin, Ronald Bruner, Jr., Cameron Graves, Brandon Coleman, Miles Mosley, Patrice Quinn, Tony Austin and many more contribute to the album.Stretching out at two and a half hours of entirely newly recorded music, Kamasi Washington paints a vision of Heaven and Earth that is spread across two sections with eight movements apiece. It sees him wrestling with and attempting to make sense of the meaning of both Heaven and Earth within his mind and his place within the wider universe as a whole, with the Heaven side representing the world Kamasi sees inwardly, the world that is a part of him, while the Earth side represents the world he sees outwardly, the world that he is a part of. An existential experiment with saxophones that's set to take you on a journey that is as widely thrilling as it is deeply searching.

Following hot on the heels of his acclaimed 2nd album 'Solar Nights' German producer Tim Bernhardt, AKA Satin Jackets, returns to bring some much needed warmth to the winter with the release of the 'Golden Cage' EP.

Featuring three brand new instrumental tracks, the EP sees Bernhardt venture into more introspective territory, eschewing the more upfront pop direction of recent collaboration with Panama, 'Electric Blue', for something softer and more intimate.Â
Easing us into the EP, ''offee and Feels' is both classic Satin Jackets and aptly titled. A comforting blend of warm synth pads, gently unfolding arpeggios and plaintive guitar all wrapped in soft gauzy textures, 'Coffee and Feels' is just the thing to kickstart your day on a mellow autumnal morning.
'Meridian Gateway' meanwhile delivers the kind of optimistic yet wistful melodies that Bernhardt has time and time again shown himself to be a master of. Built around a series of poignant piano notes the track gently unfolds and reveals itself, shimmering like the first frost of the year catching the morning's rays.
Closing the EP we have 'Mercury Moments' which injects the susurration of distant voices into the mix of sparkling melodies, echoing chimes and finger clicking rhythms to stunning, emotive, effect.
Whilst 'Solar Nights' showcased Bernhardt's skill at crafting thoughtful left field pop music and coaxing the best out of lyricists and singers alike, the 'Golden Cage' EP reveals he's still a dab hand when it comes to crafting dreamlike nu-disco, as warming as a mug of gluhwein in midwinter.

The Advent (Cisco Ferreira) delivers his first full-length Electro album in 17 years. Released this May on Sync 24's burgeoning Cultivated Electronics label, 'Life Cycles' finds the past meeting the future. Because, to get a truer feel for this new long-player, we should head back even further to a 1995 classic - The Advent's debut album, 'Elements Of Life'. In fact, fans will recognise a nod to the original artwork of that seminal release, as 'Life Cycles' takes us full circle, containing unreleased Electro gems from the '90s, available for the first time.

"I have been making electro music for nearly 3 decades now and excited to see that it is in demand with this new wave of talented producers out there. 'Life Cycles' is an album where I explore my older past and connect with the future, 2020 and this new electro generation," says Cisco. Ever since Cisco Ferreira discovered Acid House in the London clubs he frequented, his journey has been about making his mark on the electronic music scene.

Fresh from college he landed a job as assistant sound-engineer in several recording studios where he learned the art of translating feelings to frequencies, recording high profile artists from the world of Rock, Pop, Dance and Reggae. When acid label, Jack Trax moved in next-door, Cisco started recording for the likes of Adonis, Fingers Inc, Marshall Jefferson and Derrick May.

These rendezvous sparked the inspiration for his first EPs on R&S and Fragile. By 1994 Ferreira had signed a record deal for 12 EPs and 3 albums together with Colin McBean. This was the beginning of an era during which the duo set a worldwide standard for high quality underground Electro and Techno.

They hit the world with a refreshing sound, both as The Advent, and G Flame (Cisco) and Mr G (the alias Colin still uses today). Nowadays The Advent is a solo project for Cisco as he bombards crowds around the world with his trademark raw, energetic sound.

As much as The Advent is known for uncompromising Techno, so his Electro has been a huge influence for a lot of young Electro artists today (including his own son and sometime Electro collaborator, Zein) and when you listen to 'Life Cycles' you'll understand why. From the moment the beats kick in on track 1, 'Music Is Life' we're met with full on Advent power. The album explores classic old-school Electro vibes from the tough machine funk of tracks like 'This Is Not' and 'Vast' to the acid excursions on 'Panda', via some the ghetto boogie of 'L.U.' or 'Stasis V2'. And lest we forget what an amazing live performer The Advent is, there's even the deeply hypnotic 'Live@Motor 1998'.

Zodiak Commune Records presents the sixth and last release of the White Cyclus series: Called ZC-KORE003 - White Cyclus VI EP. This time Zodiak Commune Records zooms in on Italian producer Acidevice. He started out in 2012, since 2016 as Acidevice. His style is a mix of Acid Techno, Hardcore Techno and lo-fi elements. All content is produced by Acidevice. For the third track he joined forces with JM23, a close friend from Spain.

Acidevice (IT) - Smile Land
Meet his style: banging, sinister thus painting the atmosphere. Smiling like a Dark Acid Clown hahaha!

Acidevice (IT) - Fire Walk with me
More poweracid. Acidevice takes you by the hand bringing Fire. Better watch out and don't get burnt.

Acidevice (IT) & JM23 (ES) - Dissection of a Smile
Mental Acid tale from this excellent team. We know you Love it!!

Acidevice (IT) - Bloody Hit
Tasty closing tune. Bang bang! Think you just took a Bloody Hit.

New York City's Macula Dog is a duo known for their singular style of clattering electronic synth music that takes influences like Devo and The Residents to their (un)natural conclusion. Macula Dog return with the Breezy EP containing four new cuts to tease the rhythmically inclined. Breezy is Macula Dog's second release on Wharf Cat Records, following 2016's Why Do You Look Like Your Dog? LP. Breezy was tracked completely live with the help of analog wizard, Paul D Millar (Ariel Pink's Band) at his Bug Sound East studio, and marks the first Macula Dog release recorded with an outside engineer. With Millar they achieve new levels of fidelity including a slapping low-end, perfectly suited to the 12" 45PRPM format and sure to knock over fans who have been waiting for these new songs, a few of which that have entered their recent live sets. Breezy tunes for Breezy times. With tales of industry, aging, apocalypse and insanity, we see the band's first attempts at pop songs and "conventional" song structures only hinted at on past gemstones like "Lawnmower" and "Purchase Power Station." Just when the racketing barrage of echoes cannonading from across the canyon's walls have begun to die down, we hear the sound of an engine reving.

ADULT. make a triumphant return after their 2018 album "This Behavior", dubbed "_one of the best records of their career_" by Ryan Lathan of Pop Matters. This chilling continuation takes the form of "Perception is/as/of Deception", an anxiety fueled cyclone of pandemonium that only ADULT. would know how to harness. While "This Behavior" was recorded in the isolated snowcovered woods of northern Michigan, "Perception is/as/of Deception" was given life in a temporary space the duo created by painting their windowless basement entirely black, with the sole intention to deprive their senses, question their perceptions, and witness the resulting ramifications. With over 23 years and a sprawling discography left in their wake, Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus have spent their entire career as ADULT. obscuring any defined genre or style. With a history as uncanny as ADULT., the pieces that making up "Perception is/as/of Deception" might be perceived as their most punk-infused and introspective work to date. The elements of frustration and apprehension that have consistently woven throughout their material are at full mast, although augmented by a strident and more "head-on" approach. Tracks like "Have I Started at the End" successfully maintain the duo's classic EBM signatures and synthesized aggression, cradled by a suspicious mantra that questions_.what's the point? "Why Always Why" offers a disorienting mutation of the heralded sounds of classic dance music, like a remix that escaped prison and is on the run. The dystopian anthem, "Total Total Damage", comes in full force with an frantic energy which jolts any bystanders to attention, with only the defiant chants of Kuperus' vocals outlining the ever-degenerating state of societal affairs. The dramatically glam synth parts scattered throughout the album, while at times ominous in nature, seem to also act as a merciful reminder that through the journey of "Perception is/as/of Deception", one can still enjoy the chaos. With the rampant sense of emptiness on the minds of many these days, there continues to be few attempts at scoring these common, unfortunate human qualities with pure sincerity. Thankfully, ADULT. has a long-standing reputation for creating the soundtrack for our insecurities, and "Perception is/as/of Deception" further solidifies their apprehensive position.

LTD. GREEN VINYL

ADULT. make a triumphant return after their 2018 album "This Behavior", dubbed "_one of the best records of their career_" by Ryan Lathan of Pop Matters. This chilling continuation takes the form of "Perception is/as/of Deception", an anxiety fueled cyclone of pandemonium that only ADULT. would know how to harness. While "This Behavior" was recorded in the isolated snowcovered woods of northern Michigan, "Perception is/as/of Deception" was given life in a temporary space the duo created by painting their windowless basement entirely black, with the sole intention to deprive their senses, question their perceptions, and witness the resulting ramifications. With over 23 years and a sprawling discography left in their wake, Adam Lee Miller and Nicola Kuperus have spent their entire career as ADULT. obscuring any defined genre or style. With a history as uncanny as ADULT., the pieces that making up "Perception is/as/of Deception" might be perceived as their most punk-infused and introspective work to date. The elements of frustration and apprehension that have consistently woven throughout their material are at full mast, although augmented by a strident and more "head-on" approach. Tracks like "Have I Started at the End" successfully maintain the duo's classic EBM signatures and synthesized aggression, cradled by a suspicious mantra that questions_.what's the point? "Why Always Why" offers a disorienting mutation of the heralded sounds of classic dance music, like a remix that escaped prison and is on the run. The dystopian anthem, "Total Total Damage", comes in full force with an frantic energy which jolts any bystanders to attention, with only the defiant chants of Kuperus' vocals outlining the ever-degenerating state of societal affairs. The dramatically glam synth parts scattered throughout the album, while at times ominous in nature, seem to also act as a merciful reminder that through the journey of "Perception is/as/of Deception", one can still enjoy the chaos. With the rampant sense of emptiness on the minds of many these days, there continues to be few attempts at scoring these common, unfortunate human qualities with pure sincerity. Thankfully, ADULT. has a long-standing reputation for creating the soundtrack for our insecurities, and "Perception is/as/of Deception" further solidifies their apprehensive position.

METAL HAMMER - 8/10 review (October issue) "A genuine album of the year contender...Okkultokrati have blown all notions of what Scando-punk is clear across the Barents Sea. The caustic Hidden Future harks back to their roots, yet its the rousing Ocular Violence - which wouldn't sound out of place on Killing Joke's Brigher Than A Thousand Suns - that proves the real highlight in a LP full of them. Stunning."

ZERO TOLERANCE - 4.5/6 review (Nov/Dec issue) "Like Venom meeting Warfare...Equally rocking and experimental - a rather brilliant balance to strike."

‘Okkultokrati has always been more than being a band, making music, touring and making music. Striving to be something beyond the mundane and trivial. It's an attitude. In defiance. To everyone and everything. To not chase after trends. To seek truth in music wherever it takes you. To be an outsider and an outlaw, even though it makes you a freak. La Ilden Lyse is music for the misguided, the conspiratorial, the unappreciated and unwanted. It's black outlaw metal. It's a beacon in the dark, for desperate times.’ - Dionysiac

La Ilden Lyse is an album of pure, cold, grim rawness. Themes of enduring life, transcending death, worshipping the moon, and triumphant, satanic darkness are all at play here, and the album sounds harder, faster, and more nasty than ever.

No more messing around. Keep it black, keep it metal, all the time.

ALBUM: I came up with the album title after watching a YouTube video by the channel "Watch Mojo" entitled "The Top Ten Dead Music Genres". In this video, they claimed that Synthpop is dead. Since everybody said I was a Synthpop artist, I was astonished to discover that the genre I play is considered "dead". It's relatively tongue in cheek because I don't believe any musical genre is dead and everything can be revisited and everything evolves. That being said, this is an album in which, at least musically, I am working within the boundaries of this genre, while at the same time starting to experiment with other, more modern sounds and concepts. Thematically, I tackle various topics: dysfunctional childhoods (Shortcut), heroic love in a dystopian nightmare (Billions of Years), self-destructive behaviour (Drink and Drive), unrequited, criminal love (House Arrest) and many others.

BIOGRAPHY: Glitter, glam and good vibes from the heart of Berlin! Stephen Paul Taylor (SPT) is a Canadian artist who went viral in David Bowie's old stomping grounds and has played hundreds of concerts, festivals and weddings all over Europe. He makes Synthpop-Art-Punk with undertones of New Order and Talking Heads.
Taylor was in Post-Art Synth-Folk duo, Trike, for five years before branching off into his solo project in 2014. Trike won a $20K award from "The Gong Show" (in Vancouver) in 2011, toured 22 countries, recorded an album in Denmark and Belgium and played hundreds of shows. Taylor then went solo and began playing all over Europe, from Denmark rooftops to weddings in East Germany. He gained a name for himself after achieving viral status and has continued to play all over Europe ever since. Well known for being a street musician, he essentially quit playing in the street in 2018 and focused exclusively on playing on the stage
His music is a blend of both old and new. A strong beat pulses beneath the catchy melodies and captivating lyrics float atop the whole ensemble. His bittersweet words often contrast the happy melodies within the music. He tackles unique subjects that reflect the 'ennui' our our current cultural climate. His newest album "Synthpop is Dead" is an ironic interpretation of the notion of musical genres actually "dying". Did Synthpop actually die or did it evolve? His new album also touches on other themes, from our dependance on fossil fuels to our addiction to self-destructive activities, like drinking and driving. The album uses healthy doses of humour to hammer down its themes
A year after going solo, SPT went viral with his song "Shi*t's F*cked" (His channel has 7.5 million views on YouTube) and appeared on many TV shows and well-known media outlets, from RBB to Arte to Comedy Central. He was also featured on Germany's "Das Supertalent" in 2016. He has 1.5 million listens on Spotify. He's been on the radio in Italy, Latvia, Canada and Australia, to name a few. He was also signed with Budde publishing and his racord label, "SPT Records" is a subsidiary of "Shitkatapult Records"
Dieter Bolle said his "80's influenced" music was "sehr geile" (very beautiful). Electric Six frontman, Dick Valentine, said he's "a firecracker".

One of the many highlights of the compilation album "PRAISE POEMS 7 - A journey into soulful jazz and funk from the 1970s" is certainly the opening track by Marva Josie. It is most likely one of the finest vocal jazz recordings ever put on wax and it was high time for a 45 RPM single release. Here you have it, backed with the equally great "Scarborough Fair". Any serious jazz record fantatic should have this one in his collection. Pure Class!

Studio Mule drops “Anthologia”, the final chapter of a close look on the work of the Tokyo born DJ and producer Takayuki Shiraishi, a jack of all trades, that sways through Tokyo’s vast music scene since the late 70’s, a time when post punk grooves called the tune. As part of the band BGM he released in 1980 the album “Back Ground Music” on the legendary Osaka based underground label Vanity. Last October Studio Mule reissued BGM’s no wave, free funk mini-mal treasure. A few Month earlier Studio Mule already published “Missing Link”, a thrilling retrospect on Takayuki Shiraishi's unreleased material from the late 1980s, a creative period of which only a little ever saw the light of the day.

And now “Anthologia”, a record that is dedicated to his work during the years 1990 to 1996, a time span, in which Shiraishi moved on to produce house, downbeat and playful electronica. In 1995 he released the ambient/techno 12inch “Spectral Colours” on the R&S sublabel Apollo under the alias Planetoid. Two years later he manifested his techno leaning creativity under his given name on the album “Photon”, a record that helped launching Japan’s techno scene. It was followed by two more long players, that display his wide musical taste with ambient, house, breakbeat and other genre blending styles. Besides producing, Shiraishi was also a prominent figure of Tokyo’s club nightlife, DJing alongside Jeff Mills as well as Krautrock icons like Holger Czukay.

“Anthologia” features three unreleased tunes of this lapse of time, as well as highlights some work Shiraishi produced together with his friend Jun Sonohara as Musica Nova and a hidden gem he tuned in for the “Isolated Audio Players 1” compilation, published by the Tokyo based Pickin' Mushroom Recordings label in 2000.

The three unreleased tracks display his love for diversification. “Distant Thunder” is a drone driven ambient voyage, that slowly melds into a gentle rhythmic sensation driven by loose hi-hat patterns and a soft chord crescendo. On the opposite, “Lapis Lazuli” comes around as a mellow melodic downbeat trip enlarged with twisted rhythms and cosmic infiniteness. “A Voy-age” shows his love for house music with a grooving arrangement that comes close to the kinky house gems of contemporary producers like Lowtec. Also, the already known “Isolated Audio Players 1” compilation tune “Flicker” is located in the house spheres, delivering nervous jacking minimal vibes emerging from a precise produced dance of melodies, grooves and sound effects.

In comparison, the four Musica Nova tracks show again another side of Takayuki Shiraishi’s many musical talents. “Birds in Paradise” is an elegant triphop tranquilizer, while tunes like “Nocturnal Tribes” and “Green on Green” express his passion for electronic arrangements that think out of the box with airy melodies, slow-motion big beat rhythms, jazz particles and an overall cosmic sound complexion. The tune “Shifting Sand” goes the same direction, while adding esoteric reverberations and a touch of Drum and bass.

Together the eight tracks turn “Anthologia” into something more than just an anthology of Takayuki Shiraishi’s work. In association, all compositions work like an album that overwhelms with a reasoned story-arc, who slowly rises to a hypnotizing peak, from where all downswings to a calm finish, that makes you want to start all over again.

It goes without saying that the global metal scene would not be the same without Sepultura. For 35 years now, the Brazilian icons are not only a band revered worldwide; they have been, are and forever will be at the very forefront of Thrash Metal, trailblazing ever since they released their long-since legendary debut album “Morbid Visions” in 1986.
While quickly establishing themselves as leaders of the second wave of Thrash already in the late eighties, to this day they never came even close to stagnation. “Quadra”, their mighty new undertaking, is proof of a will unbroken, a thirst unquenched and a quality so staggeringly high it’s a wonder this band doesn’t implode. Now three albums deep into what may very well be their strongest incarnation yet – uniting the talents of old-school members Andreas Kisser (guitars, vocals) and Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. (bass), vocal force of nature Derrick Leon Green (vocals) and drummer Eloy Casagrande – Sepultura are an unleashed power to be reckoned with, uniting bucketloads of experience and youthful vigour in a totally revived way.
“On ‘Quadra’, we felt the urge to revisit that old thrash feeling of ‘Beneath the Remains’ or ‘Arise“,’ only seen through the eyes of today,” Andreas Kisser utters the magic words. “Add to that the tribal percussion, the orchestral elements, the choirs, the melodies and the clean vocals and you get a thorough run-through of our entire career, backed by a very contemporary approach.” Fuelled by an energy almost uncanny for a band that has been active for so long, Sepultura storm through a contemporary thrash monument, backed by sublime melodies, a very eerie atmosphere and a fiendishly high level of technicality. Kisser is appreciating these compliments, still maintaining his very down to earth approach. “We don’t heed the past and we don’t try to be preoccupied by the future too much,” he shrugs. “We’re in the now, trying every day to make Sepultura a little bit better. That’s what keeping us strong.”
And that’s what they have been doing for the last 30+ years. Album after album, tour after tour, no gap in between records longer than three years. “Music is all we do,” Kisser states matter-of-factly. “If it wouldn’t be for Sepultura,” he laughs, “I would be a sad and lonely guy. Sepultura is what we are.” And “Quadra” is living testimony to that. The old Sepultura echo through the very fibre of the songs in all its raw and morbid splendour, but yet it’s the present, the experienced and refined beast that is Sepultura in 2020 that’s blasting out thrash metal anthems for a fucked-up age.
With now 15 albums under their belts, Sepultura are the work horses of the metal world, always ready to attack. In many ways, “Quadra” broadens the vision the Brazilian thrash troopers had on “Machine Messiah” (2017), again relying on the impeccable talent of Swedish producing giant Jens Bogren and his Fascination Street Studios. “He is so full of passion, it’s unbelievable, man,” Kisser raves. “He’s really there, he really cares about the projects he’s doing. For Sepultura, he’s like the fifth member of the band. The chemistry was so amazing, 99 percent of what we were trying do to actually worked. That was insane!” Even after more than 30 years at the forefront of international thrash, guitarist Kisser sounds positively baffled by working with Bogren. “We felt like we were in our rehearsal room.”
Bringing together a monumental grandeur and a wild, untamed ferocity, Sepultura stepped up their game musically – and conceptually as well. “We were possessed by the number four, by the numerology of it”, Kisser starts to explain. “I divided the album into four parts as if we were doing a double vinyl. Side one is the pure and raw thrash side. Side two brings in the rhythms and percussion from our ‘Roots’ era. Three is getting a bit experimental and four brings forth the melodies and the acoustic guitars.” With John North’s book “Quadrivium” as a further source of inspiration, Sepultura dive deep into a mystical world full of hidden meanings. “You have four seasons and twelve month in a year just to pick one example. A lot of stuff in our culture is divided like that.”
Plus, Quadra also is the Portuguese word for ‘sport court’ that by definition is a limited area of land, with regulatory demarcations, where according to a set of rules the game takes place,” he adds. “We all come from different Quadras. The countries, all nations with their borders and traditions; culture, religions, laws, education and a set of rules where life takes place.” In the Quadra of thrash, however, we all are the same. And we bow our heads in unison to the mighty leader that is Sepultura.

Gigantic producer/DJ from Scotland, Creep Woland, lands back on the Astral Black heli-pad with his 'Chamberlain' EP. Four blistering breaks-led, club ready, jungle tracks intended as an ode to the rolling bass and rainy days that raised him. Picking up near enough where his Close Reading debut left off, Chamberlain sees a more refined and honed execution of the hard hitting electronica Woland has become known for.

Informed by the experience of playing to dance-floors, as well as educational journeys down to London for radio sets, these new tracks are fine tuned and bass heavy - perfect for existential club experiences or the driving of sports vehicles. The subdued intrigue of EP opener 'Imposter Syndrome' sets the mystical and reflective tone of the record, while down the line junglist anthems 'Medieval Draw' and '0800-Falkirk Triangle' call for slow motion gun finger. Written at a time of personal hardship and mastery of oneself, the hopeful promise of closer 'Lord Chamberlain' acts as a sonic representation of the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of this particular time in Woland's life.

Recently, Chamberlain EP's 'Imposter Syndrome' has been receiving early radio support from Rinse FM's Jossy Mitsu & Impey on NTS, whilst his debut release Close Reading received radio support from the likes of Josey Rebelle (in her award-winning Essential Mix), Om-Unit and JD. Reid as well as critical acclaim from FACT, CLASH & Hyponik. In addition to its various accolades, Close Reading also lead to Woland being handpicked by Lanark Artefax as the opening act for his 'Enter The Gateway' performance, and has since performed alongside the likes of Om-Unit, Proc Fiskal, DJ Storm and more.

While it’s undeniable that Eric B & Rakim crafted and concocted classic after classic back in the Golden Era of the late 80’s and early 90’s, very few of their records could ever be classified as ‘dancefloor fillers’. But that’s exactly what ‘I Know You Got Soul’ was.

The duo’s third single was released at a time when their debut LP, 1987’s ‘Paid in Full’ was already being hailed as a gamechanger. Rakim’s smooth but sombre flow had introduced new phrases to the hip-hop lexicon, while the barrage of James Brown samples had declared open season on the Godfather of Soul’s back catalogue.

There were already stirrings of a backlash from the more frequently sampled artists at the time this came out, and the fact that it took not just its main hook but also its title from Bobby Byrd’s James Brown-produced 1971 single was almost like rubbing salt in the wound. The hip-hop fans and the dancefloor didn’t care – this played all summer long in 1987, elevating the group to a Soul Train performance.

Only months after this dropped, the UK collective M|A|R|R|S turned Rakim’s “Pump up the volume” line into the basis of their own hit. Pop will eat itself.

The original 7” was released in a no-frills generic sleeve – this re-release comes with a brand new cover utilising some of Dan Lish’s trademark artwork.

Industries Of The Blend is the latest project from Dj Luna-C, and it a step back into the original sounds of 1990 and 1991 old skool. Slower bpm and all hardware lead to an entirely authentic sound for this EP, and that authenticity continues with the style of sleeve (Spined like an old Euro EP) and in the overall concept. Proper underground, original, rave music. For those who know.

Billy Bunter, the Fat Controller, Glowkid, Slipmatt, Dj Jedi, Dj Luna-C, Dj Brisk, Clayfighter, Jimni Cricket, Bustin, Sc@r, Doughboy, Saiyan, Dave Skywalker, Ponder and many others

Ital Tek (a.k.a. Alan Myson) returns to Planet Mu with his sixth album ‘Outland‘. The album was written during a period of new beginnings following a move out of the city to a quieter space and the birth of his first child. During this time of self-imposed isolation Alan recorded a huge amount of source material and spent weeks and months sitting up at night with his newborn, listening back and making notes on how the new record should take form, focusing and developing ideas to shape this lean ten-track album.

Alan talks of the record being a collaboration between two parts of himself, something that definitely comes across as the album unfolds. Textures are something Alan excels at and on his last album, the largely beatless ‘Bodied’, it felt as if he was building a new sound-world. On ‘Outland’ he expands upon this. The album brings together the extremes of Alan's sound, contrasting roughened bass and beats with starker more detailed atmospheres and emotions.

The most beat-driven song here is ‘Deadhead’, with its gnarled bouncing bass, angular distorted melodies and cavernous textures. On tracks like ‘Bladed Terrain’ the contrasts are even more defined with buzzing drones and razor sharp drums plunging into a grainy fog, giving the track a dramatic 3D feel.

Then there are the stop-start pauses of ‘Leaving The Grid’, where the song evaporates into space before reemerging with shuddering rhythms and ghostly textures. Melodies crawl around these tracks as if they’re just waking up, as heard on the atmospheric ‘Angel In Ruin’.

The sleep-deprived fraying of the senses became Alan’s routine and one which he says gave him a renewed creative energy; half-asleep, working through the night, and then into the daytime super-focused but exhausted. Prone to audio hallucinations whilst writing the album, he aimed to capture these distortions in his perception of pitch and time, and you can hear these effects interpreted on tracks like ‘Endless’ and ‘Open Heart’ as melodies phase and slip out of time like an emotional Doppler effect.

This is also true of the soaring atonal synths at the peak of ‘Diamond Child’, which feel like the aural equivalent of eye floaters. These intuitive feelings and functions are a difficult thing to capture in sound, but Alan manages it beautifully and always makes the result feel warm and adventurous, heartfelt and epic.

Following up from The Twang’s 5th studio album release ‘If Confronted Just Go Mad’. The band are immortalising the first
four digital single releases with two ltd. edition 7" Singles!

Everytime- and Dream on one and It Feels Like (You’re Wasting My Time) and Tinseltown In The Rain on the other. Released on Jump The Cut Records on 17th January, 2020 with a full national radio campaign for the single Everyime these are sure to be a great collectibles

Portuguese- Italian Producer "Vhycepicks" up where he left off,
once again teaming up with the talentedvocalistYves Paqueton Kraak & Smaak's very own Boogie Angst imprint.

He's already got an impressive list of top DJ fans in the shape of
Pete Tong, Claptone, Gorgon CityandSatin Jackets, and it's no surprise given his clean, pop aesthetics and catchy dancefloor sensibilities.Indeed it has led to releases on some of today's most respected dance labels like Kitsune, Future Disco and Casablanca Sunset.

As well as collaborating on their previous single 'Duran Duran' together, Brazilian born soulful vocalist Yves Paquethas previously collaborated with the likes of Aeroplane,and scored #1 in the Belgian dance charts with The Subs. He provides the perfect foil to Vhyce'sbeats with just the tonic – a melodic toplineall about the good times, having a drink and getting high…

In addition to the original mix there's another special treat as stepping up to provide a stellar remix is none other than PrinsThomas, a true pioneer of 'space disco' and regular bandmate of nu disco royaltyLindstrømin their imaginatively titled project 'Lindstrom & PrinsThomas'.

Yes, he takes his arpsynth lines out for a spin and serves up a prime cut of good time, ethereal, dancefloor fire. With all the hallmarks of his crisp and upbeat spacey productions it's not one to miss out on.

For those who are all about the beats, fear not we got you covered as there's an instrumental safely stowed in there too …

Reconnected is compiled from Harold Lucious’ addictive 1990 release Connections, a visionary mix of soulful house, New Jack Swing and RnB, an American predecessor of street soul.

Deeply connected to music from an early age, Harold started his music career in the early 70s at the age of 16. He sang in his first group, The Final Seconds, who pressed a 7” single in New York City in 1973. The group would go on to record a full album called Neo Cosmic Blues, but never had the chance to press it. They would continue to perform and write together throughout the 70’s and searched in vain for a label to work with.

During that time, Harold landed a guest spot on the legendary Brother Ahh record Move Ever Onward, set up by his manager who was Brother Ahh’s sibling. Harold is listed as having played koto, but really he provided background vocals. Throughout the 80’s, Harold worked at WBI radio programming talk shows. On air, he would act out modified scripts to Richard Wright novels like “The Outsider”.

Connections was his effort to finally release a record after years of recording and playing music. Experimenting with dance music he came up with an album that was inspired by his love of house music and RnB. He sold the record out of his backpack, ending up with boxes of copies that were eventually destroyed when he had to move from his long-time apartment in Brooklyn. Few of the original LP remain, and it has become almost impossible to find.

Reconnected is a remastered redux with four songs taken from the original LP, and pressed onto a loud 45rpm 12” for maximum dance-floor potential. Mixed Signals is honoured to introduce Harold’s music to a contemporary audience around the world.

Andrés almost doesn’t need an introduction. But we’re gonna give him one anyway. Mentioned in the same reverential tones as such illustrious names as Hanna (aka Warren Harris), Marcellus Pittman, Rick Wilhite, Theo Parrish and, of course, Kenny Dixon Jr. (aka Moodymann), all collaborators, colleagues and compadres over many years, the long-serving Detroit producer has rocked up on the likes of Mahogani Music, Moods & Grooves, NDATL Muzik and his own imprint La Vida. Many more besides too when you take into account his hip-hop alter ego DJ Dez. Which is why we are super-stoked that he has joined the Hizou family with his house head on for the super-limited EP, All U Gotta Do Is Listen, a master class in downtempo, sun-kissed soulful beats, both the timeless eponymous title track and the funked-up flipside Night Time Is The Right Time.

When the world slipped into madness last month, the ESP Institute put most releases on the back-burner to await brighter days, but then we thought again; why not approach these odd circumstances the way we do most realities, positively and head-on? We’re committed to a community that builds new worlds — this is fundamental to our creative and spiritual relationship with Osaka-born, cosmos-straggling artist, Ground — and while temporarily we can’t physically congregate to uplift each other, its our responsibility as an institution to maintain a platform for prolific creative pioneers, our cherished cartographers of cognitive escape. 'Wakusei' is wonderfully confusing and disorienting music, a follow-up EP to 2018’s critically acclaimed album 'Sunizm', not created specifically for life under lockdown, but nonetheless aptly suited to help release angst, guide meditation, and assist in making this moment in history more interesting if not transcendental. Whereas 'Sunizm' relied on field recordings gathered from rainforests, percussions learned from imaginary ancient civilizations, and the somehow organic freneticism of a mission control meltdown, the aesthetic of 'Wakusei' reduces this abstract instrumentation one step further to a more base-level array of gurgling synth scraps, accelerating engine friction and static-bound phonetic mistakes, all scrubbed into dust by a Brillo pad of white noise. The cliché of “great art is born out of hard times” is not lost upon us — of course the world will look back to this turmoil and its residual contributions to culture — but we see today's art as an immediate coping mechanism, and artists like Ground helping to unlock and navigate internal utopias. We’re already indoors, let’s delve inside.

Telfort’s seductive sound returns with three new cruise missiles from the faultless producer. Deep house done with a dazzling expanse, his imaginative and charismatic influence on the genre have previously piqued the attention of the more creative DJs and diggers who’ve dug the producer’s umami-esque palette: intangibly savoury, hard to define but unequivocally tasty.

On his fourth release via the sporadic yet impactful TLFT imprint, the producer retains his playful touch as he delivers three bright, optimistic dancefloor vistas that shimmer and shine like sunbeams off a dappled ocean. “As Though It Were” immediately injects energy and light into our minds and bodies with its candescent bass riff and catchy three note melodies. Synth-strings are arranged with perfection, hinting at a brave New World full of compassion, love and unity; while its driving and buoyant beats urge us into a hips’ n ’shoulders workout comparable to a high-octane gym session.

“It’s A Phase” is as finely crafted a piece of Telfortian house as one can hope for. With a direct and rugged B-line, peppered with light perx and decorated beautifully by one of Telfort’s trademark, textural synth patches. It’s further garnished by a dreamy, weaving lead solo that should draw heartfelt feelings of desire and nostalgia out of all who experience it.

“MSR Dub” completes the session and deep bass plumes and breathy flute melodies give us Big feelings as we floor the speedboat’s accelerator and splash across the rollers and swells at max speed. Achieving a tranquil and calming terminal velocity, time appears to stand still as gorgeous scenery rushes past our eyes. It’s a picturesque and evocative end to the trip which should etch itself into one’s memory hole, full of jubilant and joyous sentiments and overwhelming positivity throughout.

Evoking ambrosial notes and feels throughout, reminiscent of spending life affirming time with top friends in exotic locations and holiday house music splashing in corals. You only live once; ensure it’s spent enjoying tunes like these loaded with carefree abandon. Telfort’s In A Good Place right now…

On a collision course with earth from the furthest reaches of the universe, The Colours That Rise announce their debut album “Grey Doubt’ on the inimitable Rhythm Section International. Comprised of producer duo Simeon Jones and Nathanael Williams, The Colours That Rise have previously turned heads with 2017’s “2020” EP released on Breaker Breaker (the label credited with breaking Ross From Friends).
Returning with their most accomplished offering to date, “Grey Doubt” features acclaimed guests such as Yazmin Lacey, Yussef Dayes and Andrew Ashong, each respectively complementing the incredible musicianship on display here, capturing the true zeitgeist of present day UK. Combining live instrumentation and analogue synths, intricate, intertwining textures and melodies run deep throughout this beautifully crafted afrofuturist voyage, exploring the darkest recesses of the galaxy, through weatherbeaten and asteroid damaged synth waves and broken drum patterns reverberating out into the vastness of space.
Pre-announcement single ‘Home Time’ has picked up steam with support across BBC 6 Music and 1Xtra through the likes of Benji B, Tom Ravenscroft, Jamz Supernova and Mary Anne Hobbs, who awarded it as her ‘Near Future’ track. The duo are also set for a live performance at Rhythm Section’s showcase at SXSW 2020.

► One half of duo Lumisokea and persistent sonic explorer ANDREA TAEGGI (Opal Tapes, SM-LL, Type, Präsens Editionen) debuts on OOH-sounds with a new solo album under-the-influence of mushrooms.

► Recorded at Willem-Twee synthesis studios in Holland, Mycorrhiza is a lucid excursion into a new form of 'ritual-computer-music' — gamelan from the future.

►Master + Cut by Helmut Erler, D&M Berlin. Limited Edition of 200, 12" black vinyl housed in gold cardboard sleeve with 'ad-hoc' fluo sticker.

Of course this is not the first album born under-the-influence of mushrooms, but apparentlyTaeggi doesn't take them here as he rather observes the cognitive and intelligent behavior of mycorrhizal fungal roots—one of the great mysteries inhabiting the forest soil, and from which a network of beneficial underground relationships with plants sprouts. Known as Mycelium, this fascinating wood-wide-web very much resembles the intricacy of the human neural system—transporting carbon, water and nutrients from one tree to another. A mutualistic symbiosis that Taeggi similarly establishes with the rather rare arsenal of sound machineries he had access to at Willem-Twee synthesis studios in Holland—a center for experimentation inspired by Berio and Maderna's Studio di Fonologia RAI in 1950s Milan.

In the process of tweaking and feeding electric impulses and sound signals into instruments of the likes of the iconic ARP 2500/2600 and a number of testing/measuring units from the 50/60s—originallynot conceived as musical instruments—Taeggi engages into an exchange of nutrients and information, while abruptly sabotaging un-welcome elements, hence accelerating the sound superhighway towards spectral psychedelic tension—a process he seems to be extremely in control of. Taking a step aside from his usual minimal approach to address more complex structures and augmented mind-sets, Mycorrhiza sounds at times like gamelan from the future: a lucid excursion into a form of "ritual-computer-music" with a conspicuous penchant for detail,alluding to a continuitybetween pseudo-cerimonial and laboratory-like computer music, steering clear from any reference to a specific creed or religion—imagine Stockhausen drinking the Amazonian sacred brew Ayahuasca..

The swarming micro-movements of "Cuttleburrs" multiply in a series of crescendos marked by sudden falls, saturated drums incursions and tense sonic clusters, introducing the more explicit gamelan percussive tones and compositional forms of "Kodama" and "Icaro". Recorded on the ARP 2500, "Mycorrhiza" uses white noise generators, resonant bass and spring reverb to conjure up a magical fungal diorama, which expands into the spooky shadows of skeletons and demons of "Phantasmagoria" and the spectral mystics of "Oculus Cordis"—the Eye of the Spirit — in which Taeggi grapples with the same sine-wave generators that Stockhausen used in his seminal "Studie I" and "Studie II".

The first installment in Fu Manchu’s 30th Anniversary vinyl 10” series, Fu30, Pt.1, includes 2 new original Fu Manchu songs, as well as a cover of The Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It To The Streets.” The band will be releasing 2 more editions in this 10” series over this year making a total of 30” of new Fu Manchu music for the Fu30 anniversary.

Each release will include 2 new original compositions and a newly recorded cover. Like the band’s most recent album, Clone Of The Universe, Fu30, Pt. 1 was recorded at The Racket Room in Santa Ana, California by Jim Monroe (Adolescents, Ignite) and co-produced with Fu Manchu.

This ltd. edition 2500 unit run is pressed on translucent orange sunshine vinyl at 45 RPM for maximum heaviness with a package design that pays homage to the cover of the Doobie Brother’s original single.

Be With hereby presents aural perfection.

Don’t let the title mislead you, “Much Too Much” by Sass has just the right amount of everything, whether you’re talking about the vocal or the instrumental. And that’s as true now as it was when it was originally released back in 1982.

In 1981 The Jack Sass Band, as they were known, were still working the NYC club circuit. Along with the likes of Change, The BB & Q Band and High Fashion, they were part of the Little Macho Music phenomenon and that’s how they ended up in an 8 track studio on 7th Avenue near 20th Street, where Little Macho recorded demos.

Produced by the band’s vocalist Mic Murphy, who also wrote the track along with fellow band member LaForrest Cope, the band needed just one session to capture “Much Too Much”. The recording studio just so happened to be run by Silvio Tancredi and when the tracks were finished he offered to put them out on his 25 West record label. The vocal version and an instrumental mix were released as a 12" the following year. Mic tells us this meant Sass “were one of the few bands to have a record release while still playing on the club circuit. So the reaction exceeded our expectations at the time”.

According to Mic “Much Too Much” was something a little different from the band’s live sound at the time, “it was more R&B smoothed out than the more funk rock we usually leaned into”. Indeed, the track glides with grace, poise and patience. The elegant, easy tempo, combined with the magnificent melody and Mic’s signature sublime vocal conjures magic. The blend of deep boogie-funk power and heavenly sweetness is both infectious and goosebump-inducing.

Over on the flip-side, the instrumental slaps harder. Without Mic’s vocal it’s just pure groove, with nothing to stop you vibing all night - the bassline, the drums and the melody still connect. Hard. Pick your side, you won’t lose.

Working directly with Mic Murphy means that the audio for this re-issue of the classic 12" comes from the original tapes. Cut at 45 RPM and released in a plain sleeve, we’ve made sure this record is well up to the job of having a permanent place in every DJ’s bag. As far as we’re concerned, this is essential stuff.

Mic told us just how much it means to him to have “Much To Much” re-issued: “It’s an amazing feeling to have something you created almost 40 years ago still have relevance and even more amazing to be considered among the Northern Soul boogie anthems. And it’s especially important to me that we’re available again on vinyl”.

UNCAGE’s label owner Marco Faraone drops his second album on Rekids, focusing on an unrestricted, unfiltered soundscape inspired by childhood, entitled ‘No Filter’.

Since his initial appearance on Radio Slave’s esteemed imprint in 2018, Italian artist and label boss Marco Faraone has continued to enthuse techno communities across the globe, playing at the likes of Awakenings, Caprices, Tomorrowland and Kappa FuturFestival. With previous releases on Ovum, Drumcode and Be As One, the Tuscany-born artist has garnered the support of Len Faki, Rodhad, Laurent Garnier and many more.

‘Force Deep’ and ‘Iconic’ give the senses a relaxed flush of ecstasy and lofi-esque rhythm, while tracks like ‘Night Ride’, ‘Addiction’ and ‘No Filter’ lean more on a stripped back, beat focused dub techno tip. ‘Frogface’, and ‘Time Equals Eternity’ then flurry with signature drum programming, and otherworldly synth stabs. Finally, ’Trust Me’, propel forward with after dark atmospheres, giving this versatile and luscious album that mainstay place amongst any unique techno set.