Suche:low down

Slowly yet firmly blooming into focus, An Unfinished Rose is the new album from Australian duo Troth.

This is their first since relocating to Hobart, Tasmania and their introduction to Night School Records. With a detailed web of past releases on labels A Colourful Storm, Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox, Knekelhuis and Bowman’s own Altered States Tapes imprint, An Unfinished Rose is the group’s most realised and composed work thus far. While still drawing on the improvisatory and DIY practices that informed Troth’s beginnings, it points to a new incarnation of the duo’s music; an intentional language emerging from the fog of obfuscation and mists of uncertainty.

Over these 9 meditations on change, acceptance, renewal and rebirth, An Unfinished Rose finds Amelia Besseny and Cooper Bowman peeling back some of the roughhewn architecture that defined their earlier releases to reveal a masterful - if auto-didactic - use of space and melody. Composition and improvisation compliment and feed each other throughout, with locked-loop earworms providing the springboard for lines of clarinet or synth melody, and the negative space between chord clusters giving ample room for Besseny’s most confident vocal performances to date. Shaving off a little of the defining dissonance and tape compression of old reveals Troth’s music in radiant daylight, humbly accepting of its place in the world while yearning for better, more sympathetic modes of living. Leaning more heavily on acoustic instrumentation and post-production processes than previously, the result is a transcendent body of work infused with an almost zen-like presence.

Troth’s music exists in the border between forming and becoming, its goal to project a kind of preternatural beauty, leaving interpretation open to the listener. Field recordings, happenstance and improvisation may provide seeds for the duo’s compositions, particularly on Side A, but there is a deft touch of songcraft on show. Loam Loom Leaf Litter opens An Unfinished Rose, directly referencing natural cycles of life, death and regeneration, before the blissed-out drum machine groove of Gold Plum continues a discussion concerning the totality of nature and one’s place in it. Besseny’s vocal, swelling like an ocean churn in duet with itself is adorned with synthesised harp and a revolving synth pattern, conjuring plumes of medieval smoke. Thistle’s rounded, bass-heavy drums, nodding to the vast echo of dub, is a relatively new terrain for Troth. It’s propulsive and thumping, pulsing with a meaning and symbolism consistent with Troth’s past work, referenced overtly in Bessey’s lyrics - “Say it too much and it loses its meaning…”. Similarly, the sprawling modern-classical suite, Tides Reflected In Her Eyes, is intentional in its lyrical themes while traversing new ground, revelling in layers of bowed cello and vocal intonations. Side B’s 4 tracks feel like Troth’s most thoroughly accessible and affecting music to date. Leaning into their own detoured version of Synth Pop, Cocoonist explores downtempoisms via a crunchy low frequency synth, and dream-like, fuzzy trip-hop modalities, not unlike Besseny and Bowman’s other group, Th Blisks. Following on, Myrtle Mystes is an open and searching DIY pop song, forged out of drum machine, bass guitar and cello. (An) Unfinished Rose’s title-track is a clear stand-out, built upon an evocative rhythm sample that appears to change emotional resonance with each undulating repetition. Its cascading waves of affect, interjected with a subtle breeze of synth, bowed instrumentation and soaring, densely-layered vocals.

An Unfinished Rose is enveloping, warm, forgiving. Difficult, yet retaining a unique beauty. Troth’s music aims to celebrate the duo;s shared experiences of being in the world, despite the complexity often surrounding us all. Theirs is a message of hope and perseverance, learning and patience.

The 10th release on Frenzy marks a milestone, and we're celebrating it with a true legend at the helm.

We're thrilled to welcome Marco Bailey to the label, a name deeply woven into the fabric of techno for decades. His latest work, the "Hollow Cry EP," is a six-track statement reflecting both his legacy and continued evolution as an artist.

Across four original tracks, Marco channels the tension, urgency, and emotional gravity that have defined his sound over the years. From gritty low-end power to cinematic builds and hypnotic repetition, these tracks are built with intent - to move bodies, challenge minds, and hold the floor in their grip.

The journey doesn't end there. We've brought in two key remixers to reinterpret Bailey's vision through their own lenses: The Advent, an undisputed cornerstone of the genre, delivers a groove-laced rework that's equal parts punch and finesse - a masterclass from a true pioneer; and Kaiser, one of the most distinctive voices in today's generation of techno artists, strips things down and dials up the pressure with a deep, percussive take that hits with precision.

We're proud to host Marco Bailey for this special chapter in the Frenzy story, and we invite you to dive deep into this powerful body of work.

"Hollow Cry EP" is built for the late nights, the flashing strobes, for those who know.

Spiritual Rhythms by Mix’Elle, the fourth release on Portuguese label angel, is particularly special for a couple of reasons: it’s the artist’s first record (a true triumph at that) plus she is a resident at the night series that originated the label itself. It’s truly an all-connected type of affair. This EP taps, in a personal and intentional way, into the very foundations of jungle and drum n bass, taking us on a soulful ride permeated by Mix’Elle’s influences while incorporating her artistic vision, one that was shaped through hours behind the decks in underground drum n bass parties for well over a decade.

The record opens with title track ‘Spiritual Rhythms’, a 174 bpm mantra-like roller clocking in at 6 minutes with the textured pads and the realness you could expect from a Rufige Kru classic. A fat sub underpins it, urgent spoken words remind us what we’re here for: ‘it comes from the drum. and the drum is something spiritual’ as congas play briskly into the groove.

Things slow down significantly for the second track, ‘Angel nights drop tha bass’ - a signature floaty pad and a drum break maintain a steady continuum. A hopeful chord progression is offset by the sharpness of the drums, the bass gluing it all together with the help of an archetypal stretched vocal. Everything is in its right place - a genre veteran is very clearly at work.

‘Touring’ features a mischievous low end, as if a jazzy double bass were played by a dub experimentalist. The funkiness is infectious, with off-tempo string stabs and a mutating filtered breakbeat that feels alive - a vocal pad chants throughout, adding a layer of wide-eyed enchantment.

Percussion never falls short in this record, and the closing track begins with nothing but a shaker, toms and congas - evolving to an elegant, dreamlike yet crisp piece, led by a prominent bassline, its washes and wobbles re-arranging our chakras. Spiritual Rhythms indeed.

angel is a label run out of Lisbon by Violet. A sister label to naive, angel tries to portray the party series of the same name - a bass-led, smoke-drenched celebration where the main room is dedicated to dnb and the second explores adjacent stylistic fringes like dubstep, trip hop, dub or jazz.

Born and raised in Sicily but now based in Berlin, SLV is known for his innovative approach to techno and its various shades. He has released on revered labels like Soma and received support from key industry players who respect his ability to blend old-school vibes with modern production techniques. Away from the club, he also produces music for film soundtracks, adding a sense of cinematic edge to his techno cuts and is a master of both analog and digital technologies - a true audio engineer who crafts unique, compelling sounds. Having previously featured on the labels Federation of Rytm III compilation, he returns to SHDWs Mutual Rytm imprint with his Night Echoes EP to open up October.

Graustufen opens with punch drum programming and scintillating percussion that dances atop the groove as booming bass brings serious weight down low. The superb Grand Cayman is another potent techno weapon, this time with icy synth atmospheres and eerie moods pervading the tightly programmed drums and bass to deliver an unstoppable force. Voids brings urgent funk with its hunched-over, closely stacked kicks and suspensory pads, which never let up and keep you locked in the moment, while Elastik Pho echoes a classic Detroit sound with its soul-drenched beats and serene, uplifting, beautiful hi-tek style. Last but not least, That Night shows SLVs extraordinary range as it brings some soulful vocal loops and optimistic chords over thunderous drums, which are sure to power dance floors through to euphoria. The EP includes two digital bonus cuts: Basic Uno, which is a raw, percussive and heads-down banger, and Persistence Of Memory, which is stripped-back, glitchy and dubby techno for strobe-lit warehouses.

2025 Repress

It's rare that a certain sound is entirely an artist's own. Although undeniably a stew of impeccable influences - from blues to folk to Latin to dusty funk, soul and hip-hop - one cannot hear a Tommy Guerrero song without immediately recognising it as his - and his only.The cult skater from San Francisco is globally renowned as one of the original members of the legendary "Bones Brigade" team. And as an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, his laid-back soul is beloved by all who've basked in its blissful glow.There's something elemental about this music that really stirs the soul. Strikingly beautiful and instantly addictive, it's a kind of funk-fuelled, melody-driven, groove-based magic. There's a serenity and heart in the playing that radiates warmth and splendour, as if crafted for endless sunsets. His albums that surfaced on Mo Wax at the turn of the century have been treasured since their release and it's two of his most vital LPs that we're honoured to reintroduce.The originals were quietly pressed on to a single piece of vinyl so we've worked closely with Tommy this year to bring you these fresh, limited editions. They have been lovingly remastered, cut nice and loud on to heavyweight double vinyl and presented in deluxe gatefold jackets.A Little Bit Of Somethin' is a quietly majestic gem. Brimming with Guerrero's horizontal "loose grooves", these brief but innovative instrumentals demonstrate a rich variety and, as such, comprise an LP that is aptly titled. An enchanting start-to-finish listen, it was instantly regarded as essential upon release via Mo Wax in 2000. It has aged remarkably well.Throughout this inspired collection, simplicity is key. In deploying it, Guerrero presents a beautifully crafted melodic soundscape. The distinctive, mellifluous approach of his guitar style, blending Brazilian, Cuban, Mexican, soul and jazz motifs, is at once startlingly new and tantalisingly familiar. Set against unrushed percussion, the music releases a crystal clear stream of healing frequencies to create a fragile, hypnotic atmosphere.Each track clocks in at around three minutes and, with a lack of studio polish or commitment to traditional song structure, it's a wonder how this enigmatic record demands your attention. However, through its gentle dynamism and impressive playing, it does just that. Whilst resolutely low-key, this lo-fi aesthetic feels genuinely organic and remarkably personal, its powerful intimacy truly connects. It's what makes this album so beloved of those lucky enough to be already familiar with it. From Margaret Kilgallen's truly iconic cover artwork to the music contained within, it's all brilliantly effortless.Guerrero's musical ideas are consistently compelling throughout, making it impossible to select highlights. The album's laconic drift touches upon jazz-fusion workouts and slow-mo hip-hop drums, Tortoise-style experimental post-rock and cinematic sound textures. It's at once hazy, light and bouncy yet sombre and bluesy. The Latin soul of El Chicano blends with the breezy jazz of Grant Green. By employing guitars and drum machines to create a stripped down rhythmic tapestry of spellbinding, addictive songs, there are even traces of The Durutti Column. A little bit of country, a little bit of rock & roll. A Little Bit Of Somethin', indeed.

Limited Vinyl Box Set including 6x olive 12” vinyl & download code

Cocoon Recordings presents: Cocoon Compilation V

Back for the summer season, Cocoon Recordings proudly unveils the next chapter in its iconic compilation series. With its 22nd edition, Cocoon Compilation V once again bridges past and future, showcasing the essence of electronic music’s constant evolution. True to the spirit of the label, this handpicked collection delivers a diverse, emotional, and forward-thinking selection that drifts through shimmering currents, pulsating machinery, and moments of pure release.

Delenz & Zeitstill set the tone with “Place To Be”, a smooth and warm opener that invites the listener into a meditative microcosm. What starts as dreamy minimalism steadily unfolds into deep, shimmering depth. A sublime invitation to get lost in sound. Superpitcher takes us further into the mist with “Dream B”, an ethereal and cinematic dreamscape that floats between melancholy and magic. Its stretched textures and hypnotic pacing form a gentle passage into inner space.

The energy intensifies with Patrice Bäumel’s “Nat”, a sophisticated tension-builder with a subtle pulse and haunting atmospheres. Sound waves that breathe, evolve, and subtly command movement. Sawlin switches gears with “Der Jasager”, a deep technoid beast that hits with low-end pressure, modulated percussions, and gritty textures and spooky features. Raw, physical, and unrelenting.

A bright contrast comes from DC Salas and his track “Escapism.” Psychedelic, synth-heavy, and effortlessly groovy, it channels the playful side of electronic storytelling. It channels a trancy 90s flair with its vibrant energy, brilliant use of choir bits, and irresistible vibe that transports you back to a golden era. With Tal Fussman’s “Eyes”, we’re taken into euphoric territory. This stomper is a conversation between piano and strings, rising above crisp grooves, weaving emotion and momentum with finesse.

On the second half of the journey, legendary Ken Ishii teams up with Yuada to deliver “Split Second,” a bold, wild and crazy techno excursion full of mechanical grace and Japanese precision. An ode to organized chaos. Marcel Fengler’s “Aura” follows, powerful and deep, pushing air like an engine through tunnels of tension and light. The blend of rhythm and sentiments is a masterclass in functional elegance and states of mind.

Impérieux brings us “Kala,” a track both twisted and beautiful. Its detuned hypnotic melodies and skewed harmonics are unsettling in the best way while the unconventional rhythms cloak the entire track in a mysterious aura. It creaks and twists toward transcendence, underscored by primordial flute sounds. A fractured lullaby for the club. Joe Metzenmacher injects wildness and attitude into the mix with “Da Freak.” Fuzzy, distorted synths collide with a funky bassline, sharp guitar stabs, and mad bleep effects, bringing the raw groove and dancefloor chaos of a bygone funk era into a futuristic setting.

Joseph Capriati debuts on Cocoon with “Cosmopop” and surprises with an unexpected stylistic shift. Capriati explores a more melodic, emotionally driven sound. Subtle harmonies meet a warm, rolling groove. It’s a bold and personal statement, showing a new side of an artist who continues to evolve beyond expectations. To close, Matthias Schildger offers “Distorter,” a raw and emotional cut that leaves room to breathe while keeping the mind spinning. It begins with beautiful pads, before distorted kicks drop in, yet the track retains a certain tenderness, like the feeling of sitting at a tranquil, untouched nature spot, surrounded by the beauty of the world. A grand finale to a compilation that refuses to settle.

From sunrise moments to peak-time madness, Cocoon Compilation V captures the full spectrum of what dance music can be. Transcendent, visceral and endlessly evolving. This isn’t just a collection of tracks. It’s a curated experience for the body, the mind and the soul.

Cosmic omnishambles getting you down? Serotonin stocks at an all-time low? It's a tough time out there but we've got just the ticket! Get on board and fly high with The 89th Passenger on our latest acid-tinged adventure through the stars. Everlasting happiness is just a tab away.

Le Chatroom, a record label established in 2016 by the English producer Kouslin, searches for the missing link between underground bass music and outer national sounds. Its music is defined by the blend of synthetic and organic tones, modern / classic instruments and low- end heavy percussive rhythms.

Pushing artists from all around the globe that share the same love for this newfound sound, Kouslin's aim with Le Chatroom is to promote musical diversity, open-mindedness and experimentation at a time when unity between cultures is crucial. With 'LCR001' the label advances into a new physical environment from which this release should be experienced.

Real talk and native percussion establish the steady climax of 'Brothers', the A-side of Le Chatroom's inaugural wax release. Kouslin cuts through this sediment with a bright flute, before the state of the sound switches into something far darker and meditative. By placing several samples at irregular intervals, the Londoner achieves a fascinating charm that'll unite us all.

Booming bass in 'Gyals' lingers with a steady pace while percy tribal hits forge a raw groove that's far from common. With this movement, the producer from Bristol disintegrates the sense of a generic production and sticks to his true nature. Through this it becomes clear that Galtier has his polyrhythms down to a science.

Londoner Sheik clinches the B-side with a craze that unveils a nearly psychotic sense of sample architecture. Pushing crystal clear 808 kicks in- between the haunting atmospheres and a wall of pressure simply becomes one of his most inventive takes documented on wax. If you love to swerve through a minefield, the odd 'Oxram' would be your favourite pick off this first outline.

The three producers that feature on 'LCR001' pass on their fundamentals to conjure Le Chatroom's philosophy red-handed. Together they do the imprint's name justice by handing over critical bass repertoire that'll excite many!

Mary Yuzovskaya unveils the 'The More You Know' remix EP on her vinyl-only Monday Off imprint, releasing 6th June 2025. Featuring reworks from Spain's ORBE, 90s US Techno legend Mike Parker, Judas Records' JUDAS, and Duna founder CONCEPTUAL.

First up, Token and Mote-Evolver artist and Orbe Records boss ORBE remixes 'Ittiologia', maintaining the original's hypnotism by amplifying its eerie soundscapes for a loopy, deep space trip. JUDAS, shrouded in mystery yet known for his self-released EPs on his eponymous label and releases on ARTS, then revisits 'Micologia', completely reworking its tripped-out sequences into short bursts of droning synth work.

Tresor, Semantica, and Prologue's Mike Parker also provides a version of 'Micologia', with the US Techno lynchpin slowing down its rhythm while its weighted synthlines bubble up between its kicks and rides. Closing out this remix package, Italy's CONCEPTUAL reworks 'Ittiologia', building tension via the original's dark and shadowy atmospheres but switching up its low-end for an electric, late-night feel.

Mary Yuzovskaya is a storyteller. Through delicate, masterful curation and a deep knowledge of experimental, trippy Techno, she weaves together sonic journeys - with 'The More You Know - Remixes' making for another excellent addition to her Monday Off label.

2025 Repress

Words by Costanza Acernese
MOVING PRESSURE 04 / Obscur
With its fourth release, Moving Pressure welcomes its first external artist: young Slovenian producer Obscur. With a signature sound that is driving and subtly psychedelic, his debut on the label doesn't stray from the core tenets of its sonic ethos. Obscur delivers minimalism with purpose-dynamic, intentional, and wholly physical.
'F135' opens the A-side with a sinister tilt-rubbery squeaks stretch and coil around a flickering, synthetic voice. It's tactile and strange, without losing movement. 'Soul Eater' follows with a slow-burn crescendo, nestling psychedelic inflections into a warm low-end. On the flip, 'Stockholm Syndrome' pares things back. Dry, stripped rhythms carry an atmospheric tension-it's austere yet playful, leaving space for darker hues to linger without fully settling. A precise, heads-down statement. 'Blasphemy' follows with a tighter percussive grip and Feral-esque, panning modulations. Highs slice through a foundation of finely textured grooves-functional at its core, but laced with enough detail to give the track a sharper, more intricate edge. The digital bonus, 'Diamond City', stretches the sonic palette even further. Not through layers, but through tone: steel blues and deep violets bounce off metallic bleeps with cinematic restraint, closing the EP on a reflective note.

When you’re running a label, a demo occasionally comes across your desk that makes you reconsider everything you thought your label was all about. For Balmat, such was the case with this stunning album from Stephen Vitiello, Brendan Canty, and Hahn Rowe. It sounds like nothing we’ve released so far—and that very otherness opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us.

Fans of ambient, experimental electronic music, and sound art will be familiar with Vitiello, a New York native, long based in Virginia, who has collaborated with a cross-generational list of greats: Taylor Deupree, Steve Roden, Lawrence English, Tetsu Inoue, Nam June Paik, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pauline Oliveros, and many more. On labels like 12k, Room40, and Sub Rosa, he has explored a wide range of minimalism, microsound, lowercase, ambient, improv, and other styles. But this album is something different. It may begin in ambient-adjacent territory, but it quickly veers off, and it just keeps zigzagging, taking on elements of krautrock, post-punk, dub, and the groove-heavy interplay of groups like Natural Information Society and 75 Dollar Bill.

This stylistic turn is thanks in large part to Vitiello’s choice of collaborators. “We’re coming from three different schools,” Vitiello says: “sound art, art rock, and punk rock.”

Active since the early 1980s, Rowe—a violinist, guitarist, and producer/engineer—has played with, or manned the boards for, a frankly jaw-dropping list of musicians: Herbie Hancock, Gil Scott-Heron, the Last Poets, Roy Ayers, John Zorn, Glenn Branca, Swans, Live Skull, Brian Eno, David Byrne, Anohni, R.E.M., Yoko Ono, and many more. But he might be most closely associated with Hugo Largo, a one-of-a-kind New York quartet—two basses, vocals, and Rowe’s violin—that in the late 1980s helped lay the groundwork for what would eventually become known as post-rock.

Canty, of course, is the legendary drummer of Fugazi, the visionary DC post-hardcore group, as well as Rites of Spring before them, and, currently, the Messthetics, a Dischord-signed instrumental trio with guitarist Anthony Pirog and Fugazi bassist Joe Lally.

Vitiello’s trio first collaborated on First, a 17-minute piece released on the Longform Editions label in 2023. Second picks up where the freeform drift of First left off, channeling the trio’s exploratory energies into more intentionally structured tracks and—in a real first for Balmat—some almost shockingly muscular grooves. “Sometimes my projects are more conceptually driven,” Vitiello says, “but I think this was more musically geared. I just wanted to open up the references and bring in an incredible drummer, bring in some melodies, and I’m sort of the center.” But his collaborators, he stresses, are “vastly creative in making anything I might suggest better.”

Like its predecessor, Second took shape in phases, shifting between improvisation and collage. Vitiello laid down the skeleton of the music at home, sketching out initial ideas on Rhodes keyboard and acoustic and electric guitar; he then fed the parts through samplers and his modular system, recording 10- or 20-minute jams. Once he had edited them into more structured forms, he hit the studio with Canty, who added not just drums but also bass and piano; finally, Vitiello took the results of those sessions to Rowe, who played violin, viola, electric bass, and 12-string acoustic and bowed electric guitar, and assisted in some of the final structuring and mixdown.

A few more surprises along the way: Reanimator’s Don Godwin, the studio engineer where Vitiello recorded with Canty, contributed what he calls “resonant dustpan”; and none other than Animal Collective’s Geologist, who just happened to be in the studio that day, sits in on hurdy gurdy on “Mrphgtrs1,” the album’s gorgeous, stunningly atmospheric drone closer. “I love these chance encounters,” Vitiello says. “Somebody I admire, a group I admire—that was an unexpected gift.”

An unexpected gift is a great way of describing Second as a whole: three veteran musicians venturing outside their usual zones and finding a new collaborative language together. The results can’t be neatly slotted into any given genre; they belong not to any given category, but to the spirit of conversation itself.

It has been less than a year since the dreamy 'Words of Love' single, yet Mystic Jungle is back with a new album of free-spirited forays into solar-sonic fantasy.

Despite the short time between releases, Dario di Pace’s third LP, 'Sunset Breaker', has been in gestation for a long while and reflects an arduous journey through studio closures and multiple recording locations. It also shows the stylistic variety that results when a set of songs develops over several years. Despite this difficult journey, Mystic Jungle has produced a rich and multi-colored display of sounds and styles, resulting in his most diverse and adventurous musical narrative thus far.

Standout dance tracks like “Secrets” and “Some Lovin'” feature disco beats and body-moving grooves, with searing guitars, sultry saxophones, and layers of loved-up lyrics and call-and-response vocals that add to the magical motion. Meanwhile, “Innervision” and “Twilight” draw inspiration from lovers rock and neon new-wave dub pop, where yearning vocals, ecstatic pixie hooks, and liquid fuzz leads intertwine with fantasy synths and exotic string instruments from faraway lands. On sunbaked, stoner tracks like “The Road” and “Get Me Higher”, Mystic Jungle blends harmonizing passages of 60s psychedelia, radiant summer soul, and low-down zoner jamming.

180 G. BLACK VINYL WITH LINER NOTES IN CREOLE, FRENCH, ENGLISH

Originally released in 1979, "Spiritual Sound" lives up to its name, a soaring, triumphant album, six tracks of spirit magic from Guadeloupe.

Telluric, intense, terribly alive, the gwoka drums of Guadeloupe carry the identity of a painful and fervent island. Marked forever by the crime of slavery, Guadeloupe's créolité cherishes the ka drums and their natural environment: the low-pitched boula drum with male goatskin, the high-pitched soloist makè drum with female goatskin, the chacha, ti bwa, triangle, calabash and other percussion instruments that surround them, and the voices - the fiery, proud, timbred, urgent voices of the gwoka.



This album is also a legend for its voices: in his then dazzling youth, singer Lukuber Séjor was one of the first gwoka artists to largely feminize the chorus of répondè, who converse with his text delivered in a straight and powerful voice.

And everything here sets new standards. In 1979, Mizik Filamonik - Spiritual Sound proclaimed a spiritual patriotism of ferocious intensity. The album by Lukuber Séjor - whose spelling alone is a battle - sets out to give Guadeloupe the intangible weapons of self-respect and self-knowledge, through a singular practice of traditional music.

The genesis of gwoka music is less straightforward than one might imagine... The drums performed the servile task of accompanying the work of slaves in the fields and during the “corvées” imposed by the administration, before being freely practiced by the common people after the abolition of 1848. At the heart of the conviviality of the Guadeloupeans furthest from the cities - geographically and socially - the gwoka drums come out for carnival, funeral wakes and neighborhood celebrations, but also during strikes, fits of anger and armed vigils of the riots and revolts that have punctuated the island's history. For generations, governors of the colony and then the prefects of the overseas department of Guadeloupe have been viewing the gwoka as a potential for turbulence and a threat to public order.

But as the Beatlesmania, “chanson engagée” and rock revolutions unfolded in Europe, young people turned to the drums of mizik a vié nèg (“bad negro music”, in Creole), which Guadeloupeans had learned to despise by following the “assimilation” process advocated by the school system and most of the political class. At the end of the sixties, in a Guadeloupe mourning the deadly repression of the May 1967 social movement, they played traditional music, refusing to wrap it up in tourist prettiness and madras folk costumes. Instinctively, they played a rough and contemporary gwoka, led by the incendiary Guy Konkèt. This was the era of decisive 45 rpm records such as Robert Loyson's Kann a la richès, which brought to light the fieriest words of union rallies.

At his home in Sainte-Anne, Lukuber Séjor played with flautist Olivier Vamur and his brother Claude Vamur, who cobbled together a drum kit from tin crockery and became, a few years later, the most influential drummer in Kassav'.

These were the years of the Bumidom program, when young Guadeloupeans were encouraged to emigrate to mainland France. At the age of twenty, Lukuber Séjor embarked on the liner Irpinia, disembarking at Le Havre and taking the train to the Gare Saint-Lazare - the route taken by thousands of young West Indians who went on to study or looked for work, all the while trying to maintain a link with their homeland. In this case, it's at the Antony university residence, where Lukuber played the drum and participated in a thousand gwoka updates and aggiornamentos, while exile reinforced the need for a spiritual link with the native land.

In 1978, Guy Konkèt played at the Salle Wagram, a historic event for West Indian music. After serving as répondè - i.e. backing vocalist - on one of his home-recorded albums, Lukuber joined his live band. Little by little, he became one of the key artists on a circuit parallel to French show business. At a student party in Caen, he met a young woman from Martinique who, at the time, was more motivated by her ambitions as a visual artist than by her vocation as a musician. Her name was Jocelyne Béroard and, a few years before she plunged into the Kassav' adventure and became the greatest West Indian singer of her generation, she designed the cover of Lukuber Séjor's LP.

This ambition was obvious and imposed its will. A more or less regular band was formed, with Roger Raspail, Rudy Mompière and Éric Danquin on ka drums, Claude Vamur on ti bwa, Olivier Vamur and Françoise Lancréot on flutes and Annick Noël on keyboards. Lukuber Séjor is set on wanting to extend the gwoka palette to other instruments, as the jazz-rock revolution opens a thousand new doors. Annick Noël will play a wide range of timbres and textures on electric piano and synthesizer. Another novelty: the répondè are two men and two women, Roger Raspail, Olivier Vamur, Françoise Lancréot and Maryann Mathéus ...

Mizik Filamonik - Spiritual Sound is a self-production in which the singer and leader sank all his savings, allowing him no more than a single day in the studio. The first side is more of a musical manifesto, with the first two tracks, Éritage and Penn é plézi, being instrumentals. The third, Son, forcefully celebrates the need for Guadeloupeans to connect with the gwoka. In fact, Jocelyne Béroard's cover shows a tambouyé in the shadow of a cloudy sky, against which a radiant sun is rising and whose light will soon flood the entire landscape. The silhouette and face of this man strongly evoke the immense Vélo, master of the ka, rejected at the time on the fringes of society.

The second side of the LP is surprising. Formally, three tracks are explicitly linked like the three parts of a triptych. Primyé voyaj evokes the appalling tribulation of Africans deported as slaves to Guadeloupe; dézyèm voyaj speaks of the Bumidom program and the economic, political and social forces driving young Guadeloupeans towards the mirage of prosperity in France; twazyèm voyaj closes the cycle with the emigrants' return from Europe after years away from their island...

This gwoka, obsessed with the need to save Guadeloupe spiritually, appeals far beyond the politicized audience. Mizik Filamonik - Spiritual Sound instantly became a classic, although Lukuber Séjor never really made a career for himself as a musician.

After all, the album was released in 1980, with no promotional resources in France or Guadeloupe - and therefore no concerts. The thirty-two-year-old author, composer and performer made his own third trip back to Guadeloupe. He set up a small woodworking business, which he lost in Hurricane Hugo in 1989. His other activity, teaching in a medical-educational institute, became the core of his professional life. He continued to be an active campaigner - a campaigner for the Creole language, a campaigner for the reawakening of identity, a campaigner for special education, a campaigner for a thousand causes that he ignited with his generous and perceptive enthusiasm, such as the defense of breadfruit fries...

The echoes of his 1979 album have not died down. Of course, the use of Penn é plézi as the theme tune for Radio Guadeloupe's funeral notices from 1980 to 1992 kept him in the collective memory, but he continues to sing and compose sporadically, as with his all-female

vocal group Vwapoulouéka... Still convinced that music is a means of liberating the spirit, he continues the journey of a young man eager to deploy the power of Creole music and language.

Bertrand Dicale

Dreamlogicc's a hard producer to second guess and he shows why with this latest outing on Sub Terrain. It explores everything from high-tempo and half-time to jungle, footwork and more. There is a real swagger and menace to the opener 'Finite Resource', 'Take It And Break It' then brings minimal drum & bass and caustic synth textures, 'Thyme To Goa To Bed' is a piano happy jungle workout, 'Dos Equitus' slows things down to smeared synth ambience and half-time steppers, more wobbly low ends come on 'Dox Equitus' and there is some manic IDM on 'Uncredited.' This one is mad limited so do not sleep as it won't be around long.

New sounds from the gaullic underground on Violent Cases’ latest release, the first one since many moons. Two long tracks born out of myths and mist to take you on a mental journey.
Side A’s „Chaos Theory“ sets off at 145 bpm. Synth layers and strings over deep bass create the atmosphere. Drama. Then a brilliant incorporation of a classic guitar solo in mid track. Unique.
Side B „Pagan Blade“ is a joint venture with Ciklo and ups the tempo to 160 bpm. Rolling and riding it’s pushing the dance floor while the pagan assassin whispers the rhythm.

You can tell the artists have honed their skills playing live, these tracks will unfold their full potential and deepness on a proper system.

Stunning full sleeve artwork by Darkam. Graphically edited and arranged by TDSIGNZ. Mastered by Stefan ZMK in the low countries.
Each copy includes an artwork poster, artwork sticker and digital download link.

Roberto Intrallazzi and Dario Piana, two unheralded sons of Italy’s original Afro-cosmic movement of the 1980s, have joined forces in the studio for the first time. The result is the 99% Stories EP, a collaborative debut for Leng inspired by the formative years of the duo’s near 45-year friendship and their shared musical roots.

The duo both started DJing in and around Milan in 1981, drawing inspiration from pioneering contemporary Daniele Baldelli. Intrallazzi found international success following the birth of Italy’s distinctive house scene, collaborating with other like-minded producers as part of FPI Project and Cube Guys, while Piana continues to be a prolific solo artist whilst also working extensively with mentor and friend Baldelli.

The EP begins with ‘Out Of Control’, a dubbed-out cosmic disco chugger with guitar snippets, spoken word samples and sonic textures over a percussive beat and low-slung bass guitar line. Fellow long- serving Italian LTJ Xperience drops a remix that highlights the acid-flecked electronic sounds, rubbery bass and hypnotic beats in his trademark style.

Intrallazzi and Piana explore the middle ground between psychedelic, pitched down acid and cosmic- disco on ‘Lazise’, offering up a blend of percussion-enhanced beats, undulating 303 motifs and intergalactic electronics, before once more reaching for the bass guitar to drive the vibraphone, bleeps, keys and vocal enhanced midtempo shuffle of ‘Saocraffen’.

The digital version of the EP has bonus cut: ‘SP-15’. Named in honour of the Technics turntables used by Daniele Baldelli at the iconic Cosmic Club – where he first showcased his hybrid and decidedly psychedelic ‘Afro-Cosmic’ DJ style – the track is murky, immersive, trippy and picturesque in equal measure, with waves of glistening synth sounds and musical flourishes winding in an out of a charred, midtempo cosmic disco groove. We have no doubt that Baldelli approves!

Glasgow’s Cloth announce their return with new music by way of a four-track EP and their first release for their new label Rock Action Records. ‘Lucid’ is resplendent yet brooding, offering airy dream-like, haunting vocals over dark guitar riffs and resonating percussion - a perfect moment of minimal alternative rock.

Guitarist Paul Swinton says, “It was the first song we wrote for the EP and it felt like it set a tone for where we should go with the other songs - somewhere darker and bigger. The song is about being wrapped up in a situation you feel you have no control over then realising you do have the ability and agency to change things for the better.” Ice blue coloured 12” vinyl with digital download code. For fans of The xx, Cocteau Twins, Beach House and War Paint.

Canadian go-slow master Eddie C is back with more of his sumptuous and sensuous grooves on the magnificent Funkyjaws Music. This new 12" kicks off with the emotionally intense and gospel-laced vocal sounds of 'Jesus Calling' with a passionate pastor lighting up the airways. 'Show Me The Way' is a more paired down sound this time with a raw soul edge and nice dusty drums, then 'Superior Disco' brings some lavish string stabs and funky basslines to some killer instrumental grooves. 'Loud Minority' closes out with some lovely jazzy organ work over more low-slung and dusty disco beats.

Dana Ruh offers up the aptly titled ‘This Journey So Far’ 2x12’’ project via Yecad here, comprised of eight original cuts.

As a long standing and widely respected figure in the world of underground house and techno through her releases on the likes of Slices Of Life, Ostgut Ton, Cocoon, Cave and of course her own Brouqade, Dana Ruh’s reputation stands tall as one of the finest purveyors of this sound. Amongst her releases, Dana maintains a heavy tour schedule taking her across the globe each year to many hotspots in key cities, here she marks another milestone in her career with a 2x12’’ release, entitled ‘This Journey So Far’, as a musical reflection on all that’s led to this point.

Across eight tracks Dana presents her distinctive style which often straddles the lines between house and techno, opening with the airy, swinging dub aesthetic of ‘Case Of V’, while diving into deeper, murkier realms on ‘Bruv’. The B1 ‘KMA54’ then shifts focus towards choppy breaks, textural tension and hypnotic voices before B2 ‘Babel’ lays down a true dub techno feel across ten minutes of crisp drums, spiralling echoes and expansive reverberations.

Kicking off the C-Side is ‘MF Now’, stripping things back to a shuffled, bumpy rhythm section, resonant synth chimes and billowing textures. ‘Grey With Some Light’ then leans into a more experimental glitch realm via twitchy oscillating percussion, unfurling atmospherics and drifting keys. ‘The Look’ leans back into House territory with raw stabs, sax lines, metallic chimes and vacillating low-end tones before ‘Song For The Lonely’ concludes the project, encapsulating the essence of deep house with ethereal pad swells, circling stab sequences, low-slung drums and cossetting subs.

Love Raid is first in a series of cassette-only mixtapes with the cult WFMU show and blog Bodega Pop collecting assorted digs from across New York's bodegas and cell-phone stores. This first edition is focused on leftfield, novelty, and protest 45s from across the Arabic world recorded between 1960 & 1974.

"A series of random discoveries in the mid-1990s led me to abandon American and British pop and focus on non-English-language music, predominantly Arabic, for the next two decades.

Feeding my ears required biking down to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, or hopping on the subway to Steinway Street in Queens, where I would pop into a handful of the local bodegas and immigrant-run cell-phone stores, some of which offered music from North Africa and the Middle East on cassettes and compact discs.

When CDs spiralled into obsolescence in the mid-2010s, I reluctantly made the switch to vinyl, concentrating on 45s and intentionally filling holes not well represented in the digital era – more artists than not hadn't made the transition from analog in the 1980s. This meant focusing on singles by a lot of artists I'd not heard of, and it quickly became evident just how much of the era – from approximately 1960 to 1974, when 7" records were all but abandoned in Egypt and Lebanon – had been forgotten.

What also became evident was the breadth of popular music issued by even hegemonic titan Sono Cairo. The consensus is that state radio and music publishing ignored traditional folk, shaabi, and other lowbrow pop in favor of the exalted art song we associate with Oum Kalthoum, Abdel Halim Hafez, and Farid al-Atrash.

While this active neglect of the broadest Arabic pop spectrum is mostly true, I accumulated a not inconsequential number of what I can only describe as "novelty" records by mostly one- and two-hit wonders. From catchy gimmicks like the "doktor, ya habibi" of Maha's "Doktor" and the "boom boom boom" of twins Thunai Badr's "Love Raid," to the Monty Python-level silliness of Sayed Mandoline's fake Italian crooning and maniacal laughter in "I Present to You the Mandolin," these were sounds I was genuinely surprised to hear.

Even more remarkable were the songs recorded in English: Karim Shukry's celebratory "Ramadan" and Motyaba & Nada's civil-rights plea "No Black No White" are two of my favorites, and thus included in the present collection.

The tracks compiled here are often as beautiful as they are beguiling, but while the intention was to absolutely put together a solid listen, it was also my hope to slightly expand our understanding of Arabic music of this period beyond not just the usual suspects, but also subjects – and treatment of same."

--Gary Sullivan.

Early 1980, UB40 scored their first success with Food For Thought', reaching high in the charts. By the time they released their first album they were already so successful that they had signed off on unemployment benefit, leading to the stamped Signing Off featured on form 40, for the sleeve of their debut album. The first dub album ever to reach the album charts in the U.K. included One In Ten' and Don't Slow Down'.

In 1983 the band put on a new project, boasting ten cover versions of Jamaican hits and, contrary to low expectations, it became a huge hit and the band's first number one album. Tracks included are Cherry Oh Baby' and Please Don't Make Me Cry' and Red Red Wine'. The latter was a rather poppy song and became the band's biggest selling single ever, entailing their definitive worldwide break through.

There have been lots of collaborations through the years and most of these became huge hit songs. Together with Chrissie Hynde UB40 recorded two singles: I Got You Babe' (1985) and Breakfast In Bed' (1988). They teamed up with Afrika Bambaataa for Reckless' (1988) and with Robert Palmer the band released I'll Be Your Baby Tonight' (1990), just to name a few.
UB40 - COLLECTED has captured all the different phases of the band in one complete album, from classic hits combined with the new!

LA-based band ASHRR picked up plenty of new fans with their recent Sunshine Low album and now they're back with the sixth single from it and it comes with some seriously heavyweight names on the remix. Chicago house pioneer Ron Trent does his thing to 'Please Don't Stop The Rain' by going super deep, spine tingling and heady with some lush arps and distant guitar twangs adding a Balearic feel. Dub treatments come from the Prescription boss himself, while ASHRR's alter ego, ASHRR Soundsystem, offer up an instrumental and a remix that lay down dubby house drums and lush chord work. This one keeps the summer vibes going well into winter.

Between A Rock And A Hard Place is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Artifact, originally released in 1994. The recording sessions took place at Soundtrack Studios in New York, except for the song ""Cummin' Thru Ya Fuckin' Block"", which was recorded at Chung King Studios. The album was produced by T-Ray, Buckwild, Drew and Redman, with co-producers Rockwilder and Artifacts. It features guest appearances from Jay Burns Jaya, Redman and Busta Rhymes. The album debuted at number 137 on the Billboard 200, number 17 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 2 on the Heatseekers Albums charts in the United States. It was supported with three singles: ""Wrong Side of da Tracks"", ""C'mon wit da Git Down"" and ""Dynamite Soul"". Between A Rock And A Hard Place is available as a limited edition of 1500 individually numbered copies on gold coloured vinyl and includes an insert.

DimDJ makes a welcome return on Gated for a second EP of acid-inflected hardware tracks, showcasing a range of sounds, from mid-tempo arpeggiated opener Next On Next, followed by the faster Detroit electro-influenced The Path, and low-end bothering Cashe on the A side.

The B leads with the rather lovely 10th Of May, which in our book is basically a summer-soaked Balearic house track, followed by the experimental acid techno of Crash, before Ampi 00 Pattern winds down the EP in pensive ambient style.

Bushwacka’s first release for Radio Slave’s Rekids, the ‘Heaven On Earth’ EP, is out on October 11th 2024 and sees the UK House and Breakbeat innovator deliver two tracks complete with versions.

Title track ‘Heaven On Earth’ is a slice of low-slung House in which a drawling spoken-word vocal about love for music dominates. It’s a track with the sort of cast-iron, funky groove that has permeated Bushwacka’s music since day one. The ‘Instadub’ dubs out the vocals and takes ‘Heaven On Earth’ in a heady direction.

On the flip, Version One and Version Two of ‘Roger That’ see Bushwacka drop finely tuned funk-infused Deep House, with the former treading an earthy heads-down path while the latter ups the melody, chord and vocal sample prominence, creating a restrained euphoria throughout.

Bushwacka, aka Matthew Benjamin or Matthew B/Just Be/Makesome Breaksome and countless other aliases, has been a pivotal part of the electronic music scene for over 30 years. While his wildly successful project with Layo Paskin as Layo & Bushwacka! is his most prominent, this former London School Symphony Orchestra percussionist’s roots go much deeper. A pioneer of the nascent Rave and Acid House scenes who went on to be one of the progenitors of Tech House and UK Breakbeat scenes, Bushwacka’s influence is huge but far from static, with releases on the likes of Classic, Aus and NuGroove in the past few years alone.

2026 Repress

DJ Support: Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam,Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne,Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison,DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos,Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone,Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, S-Man, Huxley, KCLights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, ChrisLake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, LowSteppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche

Coming out the traps strong, our next 4-track vinylsampler series kicks things off with Toolroom’s very own Mark Knight who continues his impressive string of collaborations with Darius Syrossian appearing alongside him for the first time on the label. Mark and Darius, along with studio maestro James Hurr,stumbled on this classic ‘Let’s All Chant’ sample and together proceeded to write a peak-time, tech house slammer around it. With relentless energy and lush vocal licks and that all-familiar 90’s sample, this one works a treat on the dancefloor.International House don Low Steppa is next for a special release with Malta’s finest, Jewel Kid. Their track ‘Big Busta’ oozes ATTITUDE! Slamming tech house drums, an insatiable groove and a tongue-in-cheek vocal that will raise many a smile on the dancefloor. Another certified club weapon for sure! CASSIMM kicks off the flipside on the vinyl with another peak-time club weapon as he returns with ‘Say Yeah’ alongside vocalist Mahalia Fontaine. The Italian born House music maestro is on fine form as always here, hot on the heels of his ‘Love Desire’ record that went stratospheric in late 2023 on Claptone’s ‘Golden Recordings’ label. With a big bassline and oodles of dance floor energy alongside Mahalia’s rasping, diva style vocal adding that classic house vibe to proceedings! Finally, we round things off with the once mysterious but now ‘unmasked’ house duo ‘Wh0’ with a rip-roaring club banger! Remixing for the likes of The Prodigy, Basement Jaxx, Calvin Harris and Meduza whilst collaborating with Armand van Helden, Nile Rodgers and David Guetta under his Jack Back alias.This track is a heads down, no-nonsense, tongue-in-cheek club weapon! Seriously powerful drums, aplayful acid line and a very cheeky vocal that will cause a stir on many a dance floor!

Countless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard,Sarah Storie, Pete TongOther notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio,Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 DanceAnthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, SelectRadio, Tomorrowland Radio

Buckley - not be confused with the UK house veteran of the same name - is a new young producer from Leeds who brings his brand of UK garage to the increasingly vital Well Street label. Opener 'Sniper's Glint' is a naughty low-end wobbler with prickly percussion. '1003' is just as filthy thanks to the low-end oscillations and glistening, knife-like hi-hats. On the flip, 'Gloam' keeps things heavy and bass-driven with kinetic 2-step percussion and 'Snowdrift' shuts down with a fourth and final heads-down back-room garage burner that makes you want to move.

True Sneaker Social die-hard Etch returns with a monumental new album. Scream of the Butterfly shows the depth and breadth of one of the illest producers operating across the many spheres of club music with a distinct “you ‘kay?” slant.

From the moment the low-end pressure and loaded samples rear their heads on the opening track, Zak Brashill demonstrates his intent to sculpt Scream Of The Butterfly as a proper album — an end-to-end listening experience full of peaks and troughs which focus on sonic storytelling much more than club functionality. Throughout his imperious output to date, the man like Etch has displayed an affinity for sound design to match his instinct for what bangs on the spectrum of dubstep, garage, jungle and hip-hop, but now he’s gone postal on soundworld-building, with a grip of heavyweights drafted in to help set the scene.

Fellow Sneaker alumnus J-Shadow lends his maverick footwork science to ‘Star Fallen’, while UK rap anti-royalty Lee Scott brings his unmistakable Runcorn drawl to dusky head-nodder ‘Not Surprised’. UK bass-synth-ambient enigma E.M.M.A drops in for the moody, meandering midpoint ‘Stepford Lives’, and Killa P and Emz deliver blazing bars to the double dose of ‘Prayer Wheel (Left You Fi Dead)’ and ‘Heat Map’ respectively.

Elsewhere Brashill follows his own razor-sharp instincts into warping stop-start drum science, widescreen downtempo with teeth, seasick synth studies, moody-but-cosy 140 and lots more besides. Nothing comes as standard, but Scream of the Butterfly is ruff when it wants to be, subtle and spacious if the vibe demands it, and consistently packed full of the detail and intrigue that we’ve come to expect from one of the most inventive and reliably sick producers in the contemporary bassweight firmament.

This Summer The Florentian Cabaret showcases his sound once more as he explores new creative avenues with the launch of his own eponymous label. The label will give the thriving Italian talent a chance to showcase the full spectrum of his sound with no boundaries, sharing all of his refined tastes, and influences he has absorbed over the years. The “Space. Time. Gravity.” EP features four classy cuts, timeless trips inside the mind of The Florentian Cabaret.

Playful drum patterns lead the way in the title track, conversing in harmony with the nostalgic 80s synths, teasing you down an animated path of disco leaning house energy. Emotional textures crafted for the dance floor moments. “Stairs On Mars” is built upon an underground energy of time gone by, slick hi-hats drive the track in combination with a raw and rugged bass, nodding towards the heydays of rave. Distinct and progressive peak time movements steering the release into an alternative direction.
“Rocket’90 leads you down a pacey path of low end paradise, in combination with spaced infused acid tones. A transition track for when you want to switch things up, and steer the dance floor to new heights. Hypnotic as it moves, progressing into classy peak time action as the atmosphere continues to simmer. Next up we have the aptly named “Stars”, as this pulsating and driven track will take you exactly there. Nostalgic drums maintain a steady and transcending groove, conversing with the mechanical pads and synths which spiral around the heart of the track. Constructed for the rave, and the tastemakers of modern dance music!

Following 5 years in Berlin, two albums and a continuing residency at Tresor all bringing acclaim, Maedon is now an established voice and one also in transition. The 8th release for her own Rant & Rave label announces this in its title, 2.0, and its sound, a bold move away from her industrial roots towards the groove-laden techno that earned her bones im Keller. The product of careful study of techno's roots and evolution, this gradual process reaps rewards here, showcasing a bracing new direction for an already-accomplished artist.


'Working Out the Kinks' leads off, more a kinky workout than the work-in-progress its title suggests. A vocal sample and rugged groove initially brings an old school feel, something quickly offset by strikingly modern production details. The EPs middle stride, 'Temporal' and 'Growing Pains', attacks heads-down techno head on with style to spare. On the former, growling lows and rotating pads are gradually joined by a symphony of sonic detritus, with razor sharp drums slicing through the murk. A bouncing bassline and blink-and-miss fills on the latter hammer the rhythm onwards, surrounded by reduced industrial elements and grimy ambiance. 'Breakthrough' does exactly that, it's uneasily modulating lead and bruising EBM bass buffeted by waves of percussion then jackhammering to a climax confirming Maedon's 2nd coming.

LP + insert with extended liner notes and download code including extra bonus track 'Movements of The Mind'.For his second album on the Belgian leftfield imprint Cortizona, Devin Brahja Waldman gathered a group of insanely gifted and talented musicians to start a new and highly moving musical chapter titled 'Nebulizer'.



From the first moment the pulsating tone of Devin's synth blends with the whispering voices of Earth, Wind and Choir and the menacing bells Naima Karlsson set in motion this record you just know and feel immediately 'Nebulizer' will be a soul-searching journey, soaking you deep into an unknown and very personal musical world.

Devin Brahja Waldman is a New York saxophonist, drummer, synthesizer player and composer who leads the group BRAHJA. He has performed with Patti Smith, William Parker, Nadah El Shazly, Malcolm Mooney, Thurston Moore, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, Charles Hayward, Luke Stewart and Yoshiko Chuma. Waldman is also a member of NYC's Heroes Are Gang Leaders (led by poet Thomas Sayers Ellis and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis), of Sam Shalabi's Land of Kush, and of the Norwegian hardcore group MoE.

In 2022 BRAHJA released the critically acclaimed album 'Watermelancholia' on the Belgian leftfield imprint Cortizona. For his second album on the same Cortizona label, Devin Brahja Waldman gathered a group of insanely gifted and talented musicians to start a new and highly moving musical chapter titled 'Nebulizer'.

Together with Adam Kinner, Georgia Wartel Collins, Earth, Wind and Choir, Luke Stewart, Kenichi Iwasa, Naima Karlsson, Alexis Mercelo, Janice Lowe, Watson and Damon Hankoff, Devin forms a slow-burning fireball unity.

A devotional séance channelling unknown powers proving music is a healing force of the universe.

Rejoicing the Holy Jazz Spirit.

Ready to nebulize the world and bring light out from the darkness. Head cleaning the world in 4 musical parts: Geological Drum, Nebulizer, Bushido and Movements of The Mind. Nebulizer is an elevating meditation on our estrangement of nature.

Interstellar sonic stardust from a mindblowing collective that will leave you flabbergasted.

Be prepared and hear it to believe it.

For fans of: Art Ensemble of Chicago, Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, John & Alice Coltrane, Kamasi Washington, Shabaka Hutchings, SAULT, Ill Considered, Jamie Branche, Angel Bat Dawid, Mackaya Craven, Matana Roberts, Sun Ra and other good music.

COP001 bio Spincycle are Andy Davies and Dave Clements, two UK based producers who, back in the late 90s and early 00s, became an established name on the UK house & techno scene.

Their releases on Low Pressings, Surreal, and Bushwacka's Oblong label, alongside productions on their own imprint Geek Records, earned them much respect from DJ's and music lovers all over the world leading to some crazy modern - day Discogs prices.

Coin - Op records is proud to present Spincycle’s first release of 2024. Imperfect Storm is a soaring, synthy techno journey. On the B, Fundamental is a groovy 90’s dancefloor house affair and Oceans on Saturn rounds off the EP with some deep downtempo 808 vibes.

Tanukichan, the musical project of Oakland, CA’s Hannah van Loon, has been a prominent figure in modern shoegaze music since 2016, when she first collaborated with Chaz Bear of Toro y Moi. Together, they released an EP and two full-length albums under Bear's Company Records, culminating in 2023's GIZMO. With her new EP Circles, out September 20th, 2024, via Carpark Records, van Loon ventures into new territory by teaming up with a new producer for the first time – Franco Reid.

The genesis of their partnership dates back to the GIZMO campaign, when Reid noticed van Loon wearing an Incubus shirt in a press photo on Instagram. Intrigued by whether or not van Loon was a genuine fan, he sent her a DM. Their shared musical interest sparked a dialogue that eventually led to the creation of the single "NPC" in 2023.

Lead single “City Bus,” offers a reflection on van Loon's childhood bus rides in San Francisco, evoking the stop-and-go rhythm of commuter life through hard-hitting drums and heavy guitar feedback phasing in and out of the mix. Themes of self-reflection and societal belonging permeate the track, echoing van Loon's ongoing personal journey.

While much of Circles delves into internal struggles, “It Gets Easier” takes on a more celebratory tone as van Loon realizes she’s developed a heightened sense of maturity when dealing with hardship. “It feels easier to let go of situations or people that don’t serve me,” reflects van Loon, “Or if they can’t be avoided, at least I don’t have to dwell on the sadness or discomfort I feel when letting someone down.” Introduced by Reid, nu-gaze sensation Wisp, contributes a verse in her similarly ethereal vocal style.

There is a notable shift on Circles when you consider the first three Tanukichan releases were produced by a pioneer of the chillwave genre. With van Loon’s consistently dreamy songwriting and Reid at the helm, Tanukichan enters new sonic territory that feels larger, arena-ready, and more like a highspeed night drive than the hazy summer dream of its predecessors.

First Word Records is very proud to bring you the 10th anniversary edition of Tall Black Guy's debut LP '8 Miles to Moenart'!

It includes two brand new jazz interpretations ('From Home To Work, And Back' and 'Running The Motor'), recorded with a live band, as well as a new intro cut ('Black Detroit'), and an alternative mix of the single 'Mon Amie De'troit', previously only available on 7" vinyl.

The original vinyl LP release was a one-time limited edition pressing; this being the first time this project has been available on wax since then, and also includes entirely new artwork and photography.

From humble origins in Detroit, raised on a healthy diet of Motown, jazz and hip hop, Terrel Wallace (aka Tall Black Guy) has become a standard bearer for the hip hop beats scene. Through a steady stream of soulful productions filled with incredibly clever sample flips and deft production chops, he has won fans across the world, including Gilles Peterson, Benji B, Don Letts, Lefto, Tom Ravenscroft, Lord Finesse, Huey Morgan, Anthony Valadez and countless others, along with sessions for Boiler Room and more.

'8 Miles To Moenart' literally brought Tall Black Guy full circle, and proceeds to do so once again. Detroit was where he started making music, and it's to his hometown he took inspiration for this debut album. Taking in low-slung hip hop, downtempo house and jazz-tinged street soul, it's a record of rare focus. It encapsulated the musical heritage of Detroit, through the looking glass of Tall Black Guy's own signature sound.

Follow up releases included his sophomore First Word album 'Let's Take A Trip' (which also featured the likes of Masego, Daniel Crawford, Miles Bonny and Moonchild), and records on Ubiquity, Bastard Jazz and Street Corner Music, to name a few, along with a steady slew of limited self-released edits amd productions, most recently with his #7DayVaults series.

He's worked with a number of formidable artists worldwide, including recent extensive work with Zo! (Little Brother), Ozay Moore, Deborah Bond and Dee Jackson (80's Babies), as well as collaborations with 14KT and First Word label-mate Allysha Joy, to name just a few. He is also an integral player for DJ Jazzy Jeff's infamous PLAYlist Retreat sessions, along with more First Word family, Kaidi Tatham and Eric Lau, as well as artists like James Poyser, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Questlove, and he was a core contributor to First Word's 'Nothing Leaves The House' series, along with Eric, Mr Thing and kidkanevil.

Tall Black Guy has firmly established himself to be one of the most influential producers working today.

Terrel says "I made the bulk of this album back in Detroit around 2012/2013, before I relocated to the UK. I've been back living and working in the States for a while now, and it's great to look back on this project. But while it's nice to reminisce, it's important to look forwards, so I wanted to include something new here to represent my progression as an artist, so there's some new versions included, that I created with the help of some jazz musician friends of mine."

'8 Miles to Moenart' (10th Anniversary Edition) will be released on digital & vinyl on October 18th 2024.



c 03: Funeral Biz / Welcome to Detroit (Interlude) feat. Malice & Mario Sweet

e 05: Mon Amie De`troit (7" Version) feat. Ozay Moore

Aged Acid EP. The name speaks for itself. Like a well aged wine, DFD aka Troy Anderson shows how to make acid sound smooth and superior. This EP contains 4 deep atmospheric grooves, each with its own unique style and love for detail.

Troy has been releasing electronic music under aliases like Waverider and Cityboy since the 90s. Recently, he started cooking up fresh new tracks and released an EP on the legendary label Down Low Music. Also, some of his releases from back then are now available on We're Going Back. Enjoy the ride!

Kerri Chandler joins forces with Nae (SA) for new single ‘Caged Bird’, accompanied by remixes from the widely beloved Atjazz, and Moplen.

Leading the release is the ‘Full Vocal Media Mix’ of ‘Caged Bird’, which sees Kerri Chandler lay down emotive piano melodies, organic drums and atmospheric strings alongside soulful vocal stylings from South Africa’s Nae.

Up next is Italy’s Moplen, producer for the likes of G.A.M.M. and Lumberjacks In Hell delivers his twist on ‘Caged Bird’, shifting gears into more classic house realms, infusing drifting keys, weighty lowend tones and heavily swung drums and violin melodies with the original’s smooth house aesthetic.

On the flip side is the first ‘Atjazz Remix’ of ‘Caged Bird’, a nine minute cinematic excursion from the British composer, embracing the soulful fragments of the original and twisting them into a slow burning, subtly evolving nine minutes delicately detailed with sweeping echoes, reversed reverberations, crisp percussion and choppy stab sequences. An ‘Atjazz Remix Instrumental’ follows, as the name would suggest stripping away the vocals.

Eaux proudly announces a new collaborative mini-album from label boss Rrose and Polygonia. Containing six tracks and over 40 minutes of music housed in a fully printed sleeve with artwork by Jon-Paul Villegas, the record focuses squarely on the dancefloor while infusing it with the kinds of psychoactive drones, intricate polyrhythms, and relentless modulations that have come to identify both of their approaches to sound. Featured heavily are their shared interests in sonic shapes that resemble natural forms and conjure tactile feelings, in this case related to themes of skin-like surfaces and circulatory systems experienced simultaneously on a micro and macro level. While several of the tracks hover in a flexible tempo range between 125 and 130 bpm, "Stretcher" reaches up to 142, and the closing track "Vena Cava" trades the kick drums for spectrally processed percussion and endlessly diverging high-frequency pulses.

The story behind the release starts in 2022, when Rrose reached out to Polygonia after noticing that her tracks were appearing in their sets more frequently than any other artist. Never before had Rrose proposed a collaboration with someone they hadn't met before, but there was such an obvious connection in their approach to sound that it felt necessary. As it turns out, Polygonia had only become interested in techno after hearing Rrose perform at a festival in 2018. It all made sense, and they began sharing sketches and unfinished ideas with each other, trading them back and forth until they reached completion. Without any announcement of their collaboration, the two artists have since been asked to share the stage together several times. It seems there are other people out there sensing a connection...


Bios:

RROSE

Rrose is an alias of the multi-disciplinary artist Seth Horvitz, born and raised in California, and currently based in London. Active since 2011, the Rrose project explores the intersection of hypnotic techno, experimental composition and psychoacoustic phenomena with a meticulous touch. The first major breakthrough was 2012's "Waterfall" for Sandwell District which followed "Motormouth Variations," a collaborative project with composer, improviser, and activist Bob Ostertag. After the shuttering of Sandwell District, Rrose established Eaux, a home for further solo productions and collaborations. Building on his studies in electronic composition and history at Mills College, Rrose's electronic pieces blur the lines between thrillingly claustrophobic club tracks and destabilizing sound art explorations. In 2015, she released an extended version of James Tenney's postcard composition "Having Never Written a Note For Percussion" for solo gong, and in 2018 collaborated with Charlemagne Palestine on "The Goldennn Meeenn + Sheeenn" for two grand pianos. These works overlapped with the development of Rrose's singular techno: EPs like "Vanishing Pools," "The Ends of Weather" and "Arc Unknown" as well as 2019's debut LP "Hymn to Moisture" and last year's follow up "Please Touch." Rrose is also active as a touring DJ and live performer, equally comfortable commanding sweaty warehouse dancefloors and seated audiences in historic concert halls. Appearances include Unsound, Atonal, Semibreve, Dekmantel, Mutek, Sonic Acts, Nuit Sonore, Mostra, Parallel, Theatre Graslin, Nextones, and Berghain.
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POLYGONIA

Polygonia represents a multidisciplinary music and art project conceived by Lindsey Wang from Munich, Germany.

She draws inspiration from her many years of practicing various acoustic instruments and her keen interest for other cultural forms of expression, which she translates into the digital language of electronic music and art.

Her productions' soundscape exudes a mystical, organic quality, featuring intricate and compelling rhythms. Polygonia's sound palette ranges from energetic, groovy Deep Techno, Downtempo, Grey Area to textural and/or harmonic Ambient. Besides, she is not afraid to include influences from the genres House, Drum and Bass, Electro etc.. In addition inspiration from nature play a major role in many of her productions. Exemplary for her style are for instance her 'Otro Mundo' EP (2023) on Bambounou's Bambel Imprint, her 'Bloom' EP (2022) on the American record label Sure Thing, the release 'Deformed Human Nature' (2021) on her own label IO, as well as the album 'Abbilder einer vergessenen Welt' (2021) on the Korean label Huinali.

Her DJ and live sets too reflect her passion for different genres. Depending on the time of day and setting, Polygonia shows a different musical side. What unites all her dance music sets is the hypnotizing effect that invites to completely lose oneself in the world of sounds for a longer period of time. Several voices from the audience also confirm that the musician always tells a complex story within her mixes, allowing for very clear highs and lows. In the same set there can be very harmonic passages, which provide emotional moments and on the other hand extremely texture-heavy dark tracks, which establish a connection with the subconscious and put the listener in a kind of trance.

Polygonia has already visited numerous of prestigious venues. She is now a regular at Tresor or Berghain in Berlin and additionally started her residency in 2023 at Munich-based BLITZ club.

DJ Support from Danny Howard, Annie Mac, Mistajam, Pete Tong, Charlie Hedges, Kraak & Smaak, Maxinne, Todd Terry, Alex Preston, Full Intention, GW Harrison, DJ Rae, Rudimental, Alaia & Gallo, Illyus & Barrientos, Johan S, David Penn, Sam Divine, Riva Starr, Claptone, Nice7, Dario D’Attis, Mousse T, SMan, Huxley, KC Lights, Friend Within, Dombresky, Gorgon City, Chris Lake, Format:B, Pirupa, TCTS, Alan Fitzpatrick, Low Steppa, Mat.Joe, Raumakustik, Eskuche


Kicking things off on Toolroom’s next 4-track vinyl sampler series is Mark Knight’s hugely successful rework of Groove Armada’s seminal classic ‘Get Down’. Considered one of the holy-grail records of their back catalogue so it’s an absolute honour for us, and Mark Knight, to be re-presenting this incredible record to a new audience. Fusing those unique vocals from Stush and classic Groove Armada synth line, coupled with the energy and insatiable groove of a Mark Knight record, this is a sure-fire dance floor weapon for 2024! Next up are a fan favourite of the label, the mighty duo Illyus & Barrientos who make their long overdue return with ‘When You Gonna’. Tracks such as ‘Shout’, ‘Promise’ and most famously, ‘So Serious’, propelled them to be one of the most exciting and sought after acts in the World. This record is trademark Illyus & Barrientos and reflects their personalities as artists perfectly. Think high energy house music filled with fun and peak-time dance floor vibes! Leading the charge on the b-side is an incredible collaboration from 2 heavyweight house artists, working together for the very first time! David Penn has a career spanning over 25 years. He was recently crowned the #1 house artist on Beatport and boasts over 1 million monthly listeners across leading streaming platforms. OFFAIAH appears on Toolroom for the first time in his career under this alias, although he was a firm part of the original Toolroom Family line up as Michael Woods. So this is a SPECIAL ONE! The record screams sun-drenched terraces, pool parties and chilled cocktails! A huge bass line, infectious tribal vocals and some lush house pianos for good measure. Last but not least, Long-standing Toolroom Family member and fan favourite, Ben Remember returns to the label with ‘Waiting 4 You’. As with all of Ben’s records, this is super creative and super original. Based around an infectious disco vocal sample and all created using out-board, analogue studio gear which gives the track a real gritty
undertone.

Countless radio plays on Radio 1 from Danny Howard, Sarah Storie, Pete Tong Other notable radio plays – Kiss FM, Toolroom Radio, Sirius XM, Data Transmission Radio, Radio 1 Dance Anthems, Radio 1 Party Anthems, Rinse FM, Select Radio, Tomorrowland Radio

Not so long ago in 2017, the first release on Michiel Claus' and Ailsa Cavers' Basic Moves saw the light of day and especially the shine of night. Produced by founding father Walrus, BM01 set the tone for a record label that focuses on releasing hidden archives from the 90s, whilst combining them with modern club music from the here and now. By highlighting the musical heritage of the Belgian electronic music scene, the label illustrates the continuity between past and present, history and shaping identities of 21st-century artists, undeniably building on the strong foundations of their forerunners. Seven years and nineteen releases later, Basic Moves is rounding off the series with BM20, a final double 12'' by one of the major figures from the Belgian underground: Circadian Rhythms also known as Dj Deg. After many years of collecting, deejaying and producing music, his musical spectrum ranges from synth, library and wave, to jazz, funk and disco, from house to techno. His journey started in clubs like Bocaccio (1988 - 1993), and La Gait? (1979 -1989), where young Deg came across deejay's like Olivier Pieters or Eric Beysens who made him choose the path of becoming a devoted disc jockey himself. BM20 is a sonic witness of Deg's first musical encounters with his machines, revealing a withdrawn selection of six bedroom patchwork tracks produced between the years of '93 & '99, a time without the internet or user manuals to help you solve the riddles of technology. Though only at the very beginning of his creative process, Deg's unique personality is nevertheless already clearly identifiable: blending techno with jazz, where the sharp edges of 16-step drum-sequences are smudged and bent in different directions. In the lower countries, the second half of the 90s was a period of fast & funky, happy Detroit, 140 BPM techno. Whenever Deg was not oscillating between record shops or gigs and had a moment on his own, mostly during morning hours after the club, he would spend his leftover energy in the studio. Either by himself or with his loyal ally Mike DMA, he would benefit from these moments to slow down and give space to a different, introverted sound - processing moods, feelings and thoughts. This record therefore gathers only a few of many (unrecorded) one-shot live sessions which were never intended to be shared - and only existed for the love of music and its power to take you beyond all things known. Thank you Deg for sharing your music and giving us a glimpse of your universe. Without your productions, your memorable warm-ups and closing sets - many of us would not be where we are now, and Basic Moves might never have been founded. As a last note to a closing song, BM20 is about being fully committed to the music and the club, a medium and place of fruitful settings for encounters, creativity and growth. Where dreams and ideas have a chance to exist, being almost ready and thought out to shape future times to come - and many party nights. Gurl, December 2023

29 Speedway is a record label and performance series based in Brooklyn, NY featuring forward-thinking improvisational music and live multimedia. Founded in 2020 by Ben Shirken a.k.a. Ex Wiish (‘Shards Of Axel’, Incienso 2023), 29S serves as a platform for artists exploring the fringes of interdisciplinary art and music. Hosting D.I.Y-guerrilla style sound and performance art concerts at Pioneer Works (NYC), Public Records, and in Europe in partnership with Index Records, they have worked with artists such as James Hoff, J. Albert, Yolabmi, Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, AceMo, Flora Yin Wong, Nexcyia, Young Boy Dancing Group, UMFANG, Color Plus, Poncili Creación, Special Guest DJ, Arushi Jain, Drumloop, Isabella Koen, Ben Bondy, Kamran Sadeghi, Yawning Portal, James K., Syndey Spann, Debit, Pent and many others.

Resident Advisor called their most recent compilation record ‘Channel Plus’ “one of the most stunning documents of the ‘modern ambient-techno movement pioneered by labels such as Motion Ward and West Mineral’, with a focus on New York as well as a global outreach that encompasses chilled-out trap, electro, downtempo and even early '00s electroacoustic music”. Their debut solo artist release from J. Albert and Will August Park, entitled “Flat Earth” (2023), was based on free improvisation and ambient jazz, receiving praise from Philip Sherburne, Shawn Reynaldo, and was included in RYMs top EPs of the year. 29S has been written about on ID, Bandcamp Daily: Best Ambient, Boomkat, Paper Mag, Artnet, Dazed, Clot Mag, Nina Protocol, and Document Journal.

The newest release from 29 Speedway, UltraBody, is a compilation record featuring the music of Jake Muir, Pent & Dylan Kerr, Nexcyia & Mu Tate, James K, Flora Yin-Wong, Ex Wiish & Dorothy Carlos, Kamran Sadeghi, Tati au Miel, James Hoff, Eric Frye, Muein and Maxwell Sterling. The record is emblematic of the artists who have performed at 29 Speedway shows in New York and Europe during the past two years, and is the third in a series released by the label.

The record was born out of a desire to investiage how the self, spirituality, and language are intertwined with the intervention of subjectivity by new technologies. With increasingly sophisticated tech, and the supposed ability to remake the world and ourselves, what differentiates our individual discretion from the will imposed upon us by software? Quoting Walter Chaw from his piece on David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, “Decades of rampant, unregulated and ill-considered technological leaps have begun to evolve, to mutate, humans at a biological level”. This haphazard acceleration towards a techno-utopic transformation of humanity has faulted, and as William Gibson put it, is leading us to live in a “half assed singularity”. In this reality, artistic processes are influenced by excessive access to computational tools and assistance, but not utterly controlled.

This in-between state of dominion is explored in 29 Speedway: UltraBody. “Incoherences” samples the utterances of Dylan Kerr’s voice processed between Pent’s percolated glazes, muddying the gulf between vaporous ambient and reflexive sound design. The voice on James Hoff’s “A... ...Cha.... A... I feel l” was created by trying to get voice cloning technology to sing a gps data stream, the music an extrapolation from an earworm he got stuck in his head while shopping in Kyoto. On “Plogue Chain”, Eric Frye’s most speculative sci-fi observations spiral into a glazed pool of digital cacophony, while Kamran Sadeghi’s “Formula Fiction” is an experiment in (un)controlled generativity. Incorporating minimal pings from a 3D simulation scene based on gravitational interaction, cello bits evolve on “Assimilation”, a collaboration between Ex Wiish & Dorothy Carlos.

On UltraBody, sound has no separate existence from space.